Interventions in the commercial sex industry during the rise in syphilis rates among men who have sex with men (MSM).

PubMed

Taylor, Melanie; Montoya, Jorge A; Cantrell, Russell; Mitchell, Samuel J; Williams, Mark; Jordahl, Lori; Freeman, Millicent; Brown, James; Broussard, Dawn; Roland, Eric

2005-10-01

Describe sexually transmitted disease/human immunodeficiency virus prevention interventions targeting men who have sex with men (MSM) in commercial sex venues (CSV). Compilation of descriptive and evaluation data from the CDC 8-city MSM Syphilis Response on interventions conducted in bathhouses/sex clubs, circuit parties, the Internet, male sex workers, and the adult film industry. Interventions in the commercial sex industry (CSI) often involved multiple collaborative efforts between public health departments (PHD), community-based organizations (CBO), and CSV owners and managers. Education and condoms were provided at multiple venues, including circuit parties, bathhouses, and sex clubs. CBO staff reported one-on-one street and CSV outreach to engage MSM at risk. Evaluation data demonstrate that MSM exposed to media campaigns were more aware of syphilis and more likely to have been tested for syphilis than MSM who did not see the campaigns. PHD and CBO are using multiple means of reaching MSM in the CSI. Evaluations are needed to determine which of these efforts decreases syphilis transmission.

A survey and analysis of commercially available hydrogen sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Gary W.

1992-01-01

The performance requirements for hydrogen detection in aerospace applications often exceed those of more traditional applications. In order to ascertain the applicability of existing hydrogen sensors to aerospace applications, a survey was conducted of commercially available point-contact hydrogen sensors, and their operation was analyzed. The operation of the majority of commercial hydrogen sensors falls into four main categories: catalytic combustion, electrochemical, semiconducting oxide sensors, and thermal conductivity detectors. The physical mechanism involved in hydrogen detection for each main category is discussed in detail. From an understanding of the detection mechanism, each category of sensor is evaluated for use in a variety of space and propulsion environments. In order to meet the needs of aerospace applications, the development of point-contact hydrogen sensors that are based on concepts beyond those used in commercial sensors is necessary.

Criteria for evaluation of reflective surface for parabolic dish concentrators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bouquet, F.

1980-01-01

Commercial, second surface glass mirror are emphasized, but aluminum and metallized polymeric films are also included. Criteria for sealing solar mirrors in order to prevent environmental degradation and criteria for bonding sagged or bent mirrors to substrate materials are described. An overview of the technical areas involved in evaluating small mirror samples, sections, and entire large gores is presented. A basis for mirror criteria was established that eventually may become part of inspection and evaluation techniques for three dimensional parabolic reflective surfaces.

World commercial aircraft accidents. Second edition, 1946--1992

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

Kimura, C.Y.

1993-01-01

This report is a compilation of all accidents world-wide involving aircraft in commercial service which resulted in the loss of the airframe or one or more fatality, or both. This information has been gathered in order to present a complete inventory of commercial aircraft accidents. Events involving military action, sabotage, terrorist bombings, hijackings, suicides, and industrial ground accidents are included within this list. Included are: accidents involving world commercial jet aircraft, world commercial turboprop aircraft, world commercial pistonprop aircraft with four or more engines and world commercial pistonprop aircraft with two or three engines from 1946 to 1992. Each accidentmore » is presented with information in the following categories: date of the accident, airline and its flight numbers, type of flight, type of aircraft, aircraft registration number, construction number/manufacturers serial number, aircraft damage, accident flight phase, accident location, number of fatalities, number of occupants, cause, remarks, or description (brief) of the accident, and finally references used. The sixth chapter presents a summary of the world commercial aircraft accidents by major aircraft class (e.g. jet, turboprop, and pistonprop) and by flight phase. The seventh chapter presents several special studies including a list of world commercial aircraft accidents for all aircraft types with 100 or more fatalities in order of decreasing number of fatalities, a list of collision accidents involving commercial aircrafts, and a list of world commercial aircraft accidents for all aircraft types involving military action, sabotage, terrorist bombings, and hijackings.« less

World commercial aircraft accidents

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

Kimura, C.Y.

1993-01-01

This report is a compilation of all accidents world-wide involving aircraft in commercial service which resulted in the loss of the airframe or one or more fatality, or both. This information has been gathered in order to present a complete inventory of commercial aircraft accidents. Events involving military action, sabotage, terrorist bombings, hijackings, suicides, and industrial ground accidents are included within this list. Included are: accidents involving world commercial jet aircraft, world commercial turboprop aircraft, world commercial pistonprop aircraft with four or more engines and world commercial pistonprop aircraft with two or three engines from 1946 to 1992. Each accidentmore » is presented with information in the following categories: date of the accident, airline and its flight numbers, type of flight, type of aircraft, aircraft registration number, construction number/manufacturers serial number, aircraft damage, accident flight phase, accident location, number of fatalities, number of occupants, cause, remarks, or description (brief) of the accident, and finally references used. The sixth chapter presents a summary of the world commercial aircraft accidents by major aircraft class (e.g. jet, turboprop, and pistonprop) and by flight phase. The seventh chapter presents several special studies including a list of world commercial aircraft accidents for all aircraft types with 100 or more fatalities in order of decreasing number of fatalities, a list of collision accidents involving commercial aircrafts, and a list of world commercial aircraft accidents for all aircraft types involving military action, sabotage, terrorist bombings, and hijackings.« less

Comparative effect of technical and commercial formulations of methamidophos on sperm quality and DNA integrity in mice.

PubMed

Urióstegui-Acosta, Mayrut; Hernández-Ochoa, Isabel; Solís-Heredia, María de Jesús; Martínez-Aguilar, Gerardo; Quintanilla-Vega, Betzabet

2014-08-01

Methamidophos (MET), widely used in developing countries, is a highly neurotoxic organophosphate pesticide that has been associated with male reproductive alterations. Commercial formulations of pesticides used by agricultural workers and urban sprayers are responsible for thousands of intoxications in developing countries and may not have the same effects as active pure ingredients. Therefore, we compared effects of MET technical (METt) and commercial (METc) grades on sperm quality and DNA integrity. Male mice were injected (intraperitoneal, i.p.) with METt or METc (3.75, 5, and 7 mg/kg bw/day/4 days) and sacrificed 24 h post-treatment. Sperm cells collected from epididymis-vas deferens were evaluated for quality parameters, DNA damage by the comet assay, and lipoperoxidation by malondialdehyde (MDA) production. Erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was evaluated by acetylthiocholine inhibition as an index of overall toxicity. A dose-dependent AChE inhibition was observed with both formulations. Sperm quality was decreased after treatment with both MET compounds, but the commercial formulation showed stronger effects; a similar profile was observed with the DNA damage, being METc more genotoxic. None MET formulation increased MDA, suggesting no peroxidative damage involved. In summary, the commercial formulation of MET was more reprotoxic and genotoxic than the active pure ingredient, highlighting that commercial formulations must be considered for more appropriate risk assessment of pesticide exposures. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., a Wiley company.

Energy future Santa Cruz: A citizens' plan for energy self-reliance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohn, J.; Stayton, R.

The results of a grassroots energy conservation project which involved more than 3,100 residents of Santa Cruz, California, is discussed. Citizens attended forums and town meetings to suggest ideas for solving the community's energy problems. These ideas were then evaluated by the Energy Future Advisory Board and compiled into the Energy Future Plan. The energy plan covers such topics as new residences, residential retrofit, automobile efficiency, farm efficiency, commercial greenhouses, local food production, commercial efficiency, land use planning, energy education and financing, and solar, wind, and ocean energy. An energy implementation guide and glossary are included.

Mobile Apps for Weight Management: A Scoping Review.

PubMed

Rivera, Jordan; McPherson, Amy; Hamilton, Jill; Birken, Catherine; Coons, Michael; Iyer, Sindoora; Agarwal, Arnav; Lalloo, Chitra; Stinson, Jennifer

2016-07-26

Obesity remains a major public health concern. Mobile apps for weight loss/management are found to be effective for improving health outcomes in adults and adolescents, and are pursued as a cost-effective and scalable intervention for combating overweight and obesity. In recent years, the commercial market for 'weight loss apps' has expanded at rapid pace, yet little is known regarding the evidence-based quality of these tools for weight control. To characterize the inclusion of evidence-based strategies, health care expert involvement, and scientific evaluation of commercial mobile apps for weight loss/management. An electronic search was conducted between July 2014 and July 2015 of the official app stores for four major mobile operating systems. Three raters independently identified apps with a stated goal of weight loss/management, as well as weight loss/management apps targeted to pediatric users. All discrepancies regarding selection were resolved through discussion with a fourth rater. Metadata from all included apps were abstracted into a standard assessment criteria form and the evidence-based strategies, health care expert involvement, and scientific evaluation of included apps was assessed. Evidence-based strategies included: self-monitoring, goal-setting, physical activity support, healthy eating support, weight and/or health assessment, personalized feedback, motivational strategies, and social support. A total of 393 apps were included in this review. Self-monitoring was most common (139/393, 35.3%), followed by physical activity support (108/393, 27.5%), weight assessment (100/393, 25.4%), healthy eating support (91/393, 23.2%), goal-setting (84/393, 21.4%), motivational strategies (28/393, 7.1%), social support (21/393, 5.3%), and personalized feedback (7/393, 1.8%). Of apps, 0.8% (3/393) underwent scientific evaluation and 0.3% (1/393) reported health care expert involvement. No apps were comprehensive in the assessment criteria, with the majority of apps meeting less than two criteria. Commercial mobile apps for weight loss/management lack important evidence-based features, do not involve health care experts in their development process, and have not undergone rigorous scientific testing. This calls into question the validity of apps' claims regarding their effectiveness and safety, at a time when the availability and growth in adoption of these tools is rapidly increasing. Collaborative efforts between developers, researchers, clinicians, and patients are needed to develop and test high-quality, evidence-based mobile apps for weight loss/management before they are widely disseminated in commercial markets.

Risk mitigation process for utilization of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) parts in CCD camera for military applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, Anees; Batcheldor, Scott; Cannon, Steven C.; Roberts, Thomas E.

2002-09-01

This paper presents the lessons learned during the design and development of a high performance cooled CCD camera for military applications utilizing common commercial off the shelf (COTS) parts. Our experience showed that concurrent evaluation and testing of high risk COTS must be performed to assess their performance over the required temperature range and other special product requirements such as fuel vapor compatibility, EMI and shock susceptibility, etc. Technical, cost and schedule risks for COTS parts must also be carefully evaluated. The customer must be involved in the selection and evaluation of such parts so that the performance limitations of the selected parts are clearly understood. It is equally important to check with vendors on the availability and obsolescence of the COTS parts being considered since the electronic components are often replaced by newer, better and cheaper models in a couple of years. In summary, this paper addresses the major benefits and risks associated with using commercial and industrial parts in military products, and suggests a risk mitigation approach to ensure a smooth development phase, and predictable performance from the end product.

Intensive group selection silviculture in central hardwoods

Treesearch

Leon S. Minckler

1989-01-01

In 1947 conferences of Forest Service research people from Federal, Regional, and Research Center units met in Southern Illinois to set up in 1948 a whole rotation study on the Kaskaskia Experimental Forest involving 38 commercial compartments. The chief objectives were to evaluate the success, ability for sustained silviculture, and the costs and returns for a full...

Heterogeneous IP Ecosystem enabling Reuse (HIER)

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-22

Technical Approach and Justification IP reuse is a cornerstone of the commercial electronics market particularly in the digital domain...even in the digital domain. Significant investments in custom ASIC designs have been made by the government, but the IP resulting from such... approach to address requirements for that program. Research Plan The original vision for the HIER activity involved the evaluation

Validation and Estimation of Additive Genetic Variation Associated with DNA Tests for Quantitative Beef Cattle Traits

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The U.S. National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium (NBCEC) has been involved in the validation of commercial DNA tests for quantitative beef quality traits since their first appearance on the U.S. market in the early 2000s. The NBCEC Advisory Council initially requested that the NBCEC set up a syst...

76 FR 35409 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Shrimp Fisheries of the Gulf of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-17

... and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and regulations at 50 CFR 600.745(b) concerning exempted... involve commercial fishermen in the collection of fundamental fisheries information. The described... development and evaluation of fisheries management and regulatory options. The proposed collection for...

Cooling the Campus: Experiences from a Pilot Study to Reduce Electricity Use at Tufts University, USA, Using Social Marketing Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcell, Kristin; Agyeman, Julian; Rappaport, Ann

2004-01-01

A community-based social marketing (CBSM) campaign to reduce student electricity use and greenhouse gas emissions was undertaken at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Social marketing methods follow a commercial marketing model and involve market research into the planning, pricing, communication, distribution, and evaluation of methods…

Energy efficient engine component development and integration program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The design of an energy efficient commercial turbofan engine is examined with emphasis on lower fuel consumption and operating costs. Propulsion system performance, emission standards, and noise reduction are also investigated. A detailed design analysis of the engine/aircraft configuration, engine components, and core engine is presented along with an evaluation of the technology and testing involved.

R.O.A.D. to Success: Evaluation of Workplace Literacy Efforts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Askov, Eunice N.; Brown, Emory J.

1992-01-01

A group of 58 Pennsylvania workers completed the R.O.A.D. course, which involved functional context and interactive software to improve drivers' reading skills to pass the Commercial Driver's License exam. Comparison with pre- and posttest scores of 10 in a control group showed that R.O.A.D. completers had significantly higher scores. (SK)

Urinary lithogenesis risk tests: comparison of a commercial kit and a laboratory prototype test.

PubMed

Grases, Félix; Costa-Bauzá, Antonia; Prieto, Rafel M; Arrabal, Miguel; De Haro, Tomás; Lancina, Juan A; Barbuzano, Carmen; Colom, Sergi; Riera, Joaquín; Perelló, Joan; Isern, Bernat; Sanchis, Pilar; Conte, Antonio; Barragan, Fernando; Gomila, Isabel

2011-11-01

Renal stone formation is a multifactorial process depending in part on urine composition. Other parameters relate to structural or pathological features of the kidney. To date, routine laboratory estimation of urolithiasis risk has been based on determination of urinary composition. This process requires collection of at least two 24 h urine samples, which is tedious for patients. The most important feature of urinary lithogenic risk is the balance between various urinary parameters, although unknown factors may be involved. The objective of this study was to compare data obtained using a commercial kit with those of a laboratory prototype, using a multicentre approach, to validate the utility of these methods in routine clinical practice. A simple new commercial test (NefroPlus®; Sarstedt AG & Co., Nümbrecht, Germany) evaluating the capacity of urine to crystallize calcium salts, and thus permitting detection of patients at risk for stone development, was compared with a prototype test previously described by this group. Urine of 64 volunteers produced during the night was used in these comparisons. The commercial test was also used to evaluate urine samples of 83 subjects in one of three hospitals. Both methods were essentially in complete agreement (98%) with respect to test results. The multicentre data were: sensitivity 94.7%; specificity 76.9%; positive predictive value (lithogenic urine) 90.0%; negative predictive value (non-lithogenic urine) 87.0%; test efficacy 89.2%. The new commercial NefroPlus test offers fast and cheap evaluation of the overall risk of development of urinary calcium-containing calculi.

Biomedical technology transfer: Applications of NASA science and technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

The major efforts of the Stanford Biomedical Applications Team Program at the Stanford University School of Medicine for the period from October 1, 1975 to September 31, 1976 are covered. A completed EMG biotelemetry system which monitors the physiological signals of man and animals in space related research is discussed. The results of a pilot study involving lower body negative pressure testing in cardiac patients has been completed as well as the design and construction of a new leg negative pressure unit for evaluating heart patients. This technology utilizes vacuum chambers to stress the cardiovascular system during space flight. Laboratory tests of an intracranial pressure transducer, have been conducted. Extremely stable long term data using capacative pressure sensors has lead to the order of commercially manufactured monitoring systems base. Projects involving commercialization are: flexible medical electrodes, an echocardioscope, a miniature biotelemetry system, and an on-line ventricular contour detector.

Zoonotic Chlamydiaceae Species Associated with Trachoma, Nepal

PubMed Central

Rothschild, James; Ruettger, Anke; Kandel, Ram Prasad; Sachse, Konrad

2013-01-01

Trachoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness. Commercial assays do not discriminate among all Chlamydiaceae species that might be involved in trachoma. We investigated whether a commercial Micro-ArrayTube could discriminate Chlamydiaceae species in DNA extracted directly from conjunctival samples from 101 trachoma patients in Nepal. To evaluate organism viability, we extracted RNA, reverse transcribed it, and subjected it to quantitative real-time PCR. We found that 71 (70.3%) villagers were infected. ArrayTube sensitivity was 91.7% and specificity was 100% compared with that of real-time PCR. Concordance between genotypes detected by microarray and ompA genotyping was 100%. Species distribution included 54 (76%) single infections with Chlamydia trachomatis, C. psittaci, C. suis, or C. pecorum, and 17 (24%) mixed infections that includied C. pneumoniae. Ocular infections were caused by 5 Chlamydiaceae species. Additional studies of trachoma pathogenesis involving Chlamydiaceae species other than C. trachomatis and their zoonotic origins are needed. PMID:24274654

Physical Therapy Machine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

Loredan Biomedical, Inc.'s LIDO, a computerized physical therapy system, was purchased by NASA in 1985 for evaluation as a Space Station Freedom exercise program. In 1986, while involved in an ARC muscle conditioning project, Malcom Bond, Loredan's chairman, designed an advanced software package for NASA which became the basis for LIDOSOFT software used in the commercially available system. The system employs a "proprioceptive" software program which perceives internal body conditions, induces perturbations to muscular effort and evaluates the response. Biofeedback on a screen allows a patient to observe his own performance.

HANDBOOK ON ADVANCED PHOTOCHEMICAL OXIDATION ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This handbook summarizes commercial-scale system performance and cost data for advanced photochemical oxidation (APO) treatment of contaminated water, air, and solids. Similar information from pilot- and bench-scale evaluations of APO processes is also included to supplement the commercial-scale data. Performance and cost data is summarized for various APO processes, including vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photolysis, ultraviolet (UV)/oxidation, photo-Fenton, and dye- or semiconductor-sensitized APO processes. This handbook is intended to assist engineering practitioners in evaluating the applicability of APO processes and in selecting one or more such processes for site-specific evaluation.APO has been shown to be effective in treating contaminated water and air. Regarding contaminated water treatment, UV/oxidation has been evaluated for the most contaminants, while VUV photolysis has been evaluated for the fewest. Regarding contaminated air treatment, the sensitized APO processes have been evaluated for the most contaminants, while VUV photolysis has been evaluated for the fewest.APO processes for treating contaminated solids generally involve treatment of contaminated slurry or leachate generated using an extraction process such as soil washing. APO has been shown to be effective in treating contaminated solids, primarily at the bench-scale level. Information

Implementation of Energy Code Controls Requirements in New Commercial Buildings

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

Rosenberg, Michael I.; Hart, Philip R.; Hatten, Mike

Most state energy codes in the United States are based on one of two national model codes; ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1 (Standard 90.1) or the International Code Council (ICC) International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Since 2004, covering the last four cycles of Standard 90.1 updates, about 30% of all new requirements have been related to building controls. These requirements can be difficult to implement and verification is beyond the expertise of most building code officials, yet the assumption in studies that measure the savings from energy codes is that they are implemented and working correctly. The objective of the current research ismore » to evaluate the degree to which high impact controls requirements included in commercial energy codes are properly designed, commissioned and implemented in new buildings. This study also evaluates the degree to which these control requirements are realizing their savings potential. This was done using a three-step process. The first step involved interviewing commissioning agents to get a better understanding of their activities as they relate to energy code required controls measures. The second involved field audits of a sample of commercial buildings to determine whether the code required control measures are being designed, commissioned and correctly implemented and functioning in new buildings. The third step includes compilation and analysis of the information gather during the first two steps. Information gathered during these activities could be valuable to code developers, energy planners, designers, building owners, and building officials.« less

Commercial Complexity and Local and Global Involvement in Programs: Effects on Viewer Responses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oberman, Heiko; Thorson, Esther

A study investigated the effects of local (momentary) and global (whole program) involvement in program context and the effects of message complexity on the retention of television commercials. Sixteen commercials, categorized as simple video/simple audio through complex video/complex audio were edited into two globally high- and two globally…

Nutrigenomics 2.0: The Need for Ongoing and Independent Evaluation and Synthesis of Commercial Nutrigenomics Tests' Scientific Knowledge Base for Responsible Innovation.

PubMed

Pavlidis, Cristiana; Nebel, Jean-Christophe; Katsila, Theodora; Patrinos, George P

2016-02-01

Nutrigenomics is an important strand of precision medicine that examines the bidirectional interactions of the genome and nutritional exposures, and attendant health and disease outcomes. This perspectives article presents the new concept of "Nutrigenomics 2.0," so as to cultivate and catalyze the next generation research and funding priorities for responsible and sustainable knowledge-based innovations. We further contextualize our recent study of the 38 genes included in commercially available nutrigenomics tests, and offer additional context in relation to the 2014 American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics position. Finally, we make a call in the best interest of the nutrigenomics science community, governments, global society, and commercial nutrigenomics test providers that new evidence evaluation and synthesis platforms are created concerning nutrigenomics tests before they become commercially available. The proposed assessment and synthesis of nutrigenomics data should be carried out on an ongoing dynamic basis with periodic intervals and/or when there is a specific demand for evidence synthesis, and importantly, in ways that are transparent where conflict of interests are disclosed fully by the involved parties, be they scientists, industry, governments, citizens, social scientists, or ethicists. We submit that this will cultivate responsible innovation, and business models that are sustainable, robust, and stand the test of time and context.

Esmeralda Energy Company, Final Scientific Technical Report, January 2008. Emigrant Slimhole Drilling Project, DOE GRED III

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

Deymonaz, John; Hulen, Jeffrey B.; Nash, Gregory D.

2008-01-22

The Emigrant Slimhole Drilling Project (ESDP) was a highly successful, phased resource evaluation program designed to evaluate the commercial geothermal potential of the eastern margin of the northern Fish Lake Valley pull-apart basin in west-central Nevada. The program involved three phases: (1) Resource evaluation; (2) Drilling and resource characterization; and (3) Resource testing and assessment. Efforts included detailed geologic mapping; 3-D modeling; compilation of a GIS database; and production of a conceptual geologic model followed by the successful drilling of the 2,938 foot deep 17-31 slimhole (core hole), which encountered commercial geothermal temperatures (327⁰ F) and exhibits an increasing, conductive,more » temperature gradient to total depth; completion of a short injection test; and compilation of a detailed geologic core log and revised geologic cross-sections. Results of the project greatly increased the understanding of the geologic model controlling the Emigrant geothermal resource. Information gained from the 17-31 core hole revealed the existence of commercial temperatures beneath the area in the Silver Peak Core Complex which is composed of formations that exhibit excellent reservoir characteristics. Knowledge gained from the ESDP may lead to the development of a new commercial geothermal field in Nevada. Completion of the 17-31 core hole also demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of deep core drilling as an exploration tool and the unequaled value of core in understanding the geology, mineralogy, evolutional history and structural aspects of a geothermal resource.« less

Performance evaluation model of a pilot food waste collection system in Suzhou City, China.

PubMed

Wen, Zongguo; Wang, Yuanjia; De Clercq, Djavan

2015-05-01

This paper analyses the food waste collection and transportation (C&T) system in a pilot project in Suzhou by using a novel performance evaluation method. The method employed to conduct this analysis involves a unified performance evaluation index containing qualitative and quantitative indicators applied to data from Suzhou City. Two major inefficiencies were identified: a) low system efficiency due to insufficient processing capacity of commercial food waste facilities; and b) low waste resource utilization due to low efficiency of manual sorting. The performance evaluation indicated that the pilot project collection system's strong points included strong economics, low environmental impact and low social impact. This study also shows that Suzhou's integrated system has developed a comprehensive body of laws and clarified regulatory responsibilities for each of the various government departments to solve the problems of commercial food waste management. Based on Suzhou's experience, perspectives and lessons can be drawn for other cities and areas where food waste management systems are in the planning stage, or are encountering operational problems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

CARES/LIFE Software Commercialization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

The NASA Lewis Research Center has entered into a letter agreement with BIOSYM Technologies Inc. (now merged with Molecular Simulations Inc. (MSI)). Under this agreement, NASA will provide a developmental copy of the CARES/LIFE computer program to BIOSYM for evaluation. This computer code predicts the time-dependent reliability of a thermomechanically loaded component. BIOSYM will become familiar with CARES/LIFE, provide results of computations useful in validating the code, evaluate it for potential commercialization, and submit suggestions for improvements or extensions to the code or its documentation. If BIOSYM/Molecular Simulations reaches a favorable evaluation of CARES/LIFE, NASA will enter into negotiations for a cooperative agreement with BIOSYM/Molecular Simulations to further develop the code--adding features such as a user-friendly interface and other improvements. This agreement would give BIOSYM intellectual property rights in the modified codes, which they could protect and then commercialize. NASA would provide BIOSYM with the NASA-developed source codes and would agree to cooperate with BIOSYM in further developing the code. In return, NASA would receive certain use rights in the modified CARES/LIFE program. Presently BIOSYM Technologies Inc. has been involved with integration issues concerning its merger with Molecular Simulations Inc., since both companies used to compete in the computational chemistry market, and to some degree, in the materials market. Consequently, evaluation of the CARES/LIFE software is on hold for a month or two while the merger is finalized. Their interest in CARES continues, however, and they expect to get back to the evaluation by early November 1995.

Procurement engineering - the productivity factor

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

Bargerstock, S.B.

1993-01-01

The industry is several years on the road to implementation of the Nuclear Management and Resources Council (NUMARC) initiatives on commercial-grade item dedication and procurement. Utilities have taken several approaches to involve engineering in the procurement process. A common result for the approaches is the additional operations and maintenance (O M) cost imposed by the added resource requirements. Procurement engineering productivity is a key element in controlling this business area. Experience shows that 400 to 500% improvements in productivity are possible with a 2-yr period. Improving the productivity of the procurement engineering function is important in today's competitive utility environment.more » Procurement engineering typically involves four distinct technical evaluation responsibilities along with several administrative areas. Technical evaluations include the functionally based safety classification of replacement components and parts (lacking a master parts list), the determination of dedication requirements for safety-related commercial-grade items, the preparation of a procurement specification to maintain the licensed design bases, and the equivalency evaluation of alternate items not requiring the design-change process. Administrative duties include obtaining technical review of vendor-supplied documentation, identifying obsolete parts and components, resolving material nonconformances, initiating the design-change process for replacement items (as needed), and providing technical support to O M. Although most utilities may not perform or require all the noted activities, a large percentage will apply to each utility station.« less

16 CFR 1702.10 - Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects. 1702.10 Section 1702.10 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION... PACKAGING ACT REQUIREMENTS; PETITION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS § 1702.10 Human experimental data involving...

16 CFR 1702.10 - Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects. 1702.10 Section 1702.10 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION... PACKAGING ACT REQUIREMENTS; PETITION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS § 1702.10 Human experimental data involving...

16 CFR 1702.10 - Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects. 1702.10 Section 1702.10 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION... PACKAGING ACT REQUIREMENTS; PETITION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS § 1702.10 Human experimental data involving...

16 CFR 1702.10 - Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects. 1702.10 Section 1702.10 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION... PACKAGING ACT REQUIREMENTS; PETITION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS § 1702.10 Human experimental data involving...

50 CFR 648.123 - Scup accountability measures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... remainder of the period. (1) Commercial ACL overage evaluation. The commercial sector ACL will be evaluated... discards will be evaluated in determining if the commercial sector ACL has been exceeded. (2) Commercial... the commercial sector ACL is exceeded. Any current year landings in excess of the commercial quota in...

50 CFR 648.123 - Scup accountability measures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... remainder of the period. (1) Commercial ACL overage evaluation. The commercial sector ACL will be evaluated... discards will be evaluated in determining if the commercial sector ACL has been exceeded. (2) Commercial... the commercial sector ACL is exceeded. Any current year landings in excess of the commercial quota in...

50 CFR 648.123 - Scup accountability measures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... remainder of the period. (1) Commercial ACL overage evaluation. The commercial sector ACL will be evaluated... discards will be evaluated in determining if the commercial sector ACL has been exceeded. (2) Commercial... the commercial sector ACL is exceeded. Any current year landings in excess of the commercial quota in...

Maryland motor carrier program performance enhancement : [research summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-02-01

The Maryland Motor Carrier Program (MMCP) involves the regulation of : commercial vehicle safety inspections. This includes roadside inspections : programs which have a goal of improving safety and reducing crashes : involving commercial vehicles. Th...

Comparative Evaluation of Vaccine Efficacy of Recombinant Marek's Disease Virus Vaccine Lacking Meq Oncogene in Commercial Chickens

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Marek's disease virus oncogene meq has been identified as the gene involved in tumorigenesis in chickens. We have recently developed a Meq-null virus, rMd5delMeq, in which the oncogene Meq was deleted. Vaccine efficacy experiments conducted in ADOL 15I5 x 71 chickens vaccinated with rMd5delMeq virus...

Energy future Santa Cruz. A citizens plan for energy self-reliance: Executive summary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohn, J.; Stayton, R.

A grassroots energy conservation project which involved more than 3100 residents of Santa Cruz, California, is discussed. Citizens attended forums and town meetings to suggest ideas for solving the community's energy problems. These ideas were then evaluated by the Energy Future Advisory Board and compiled into the Energy Future Plan. The plan covers such topics as new residences, residential retrofit, automobile efficiency, farm efficiency, commercial greenhouses, local food production, commercial efficiency, land use planning, energy eduction and financing, and solar, wind, and ocean energy. If the plan is successfully implemented, the energy that the community is projected to use in 1991 can be lowered by 24 to 35 percent.

It's what you do! Reflections on the VERB campaign.

PubMed

Wong, Faye L; Greenwell, Michael; Gates, Suzanne; Berkowitz, Judy M

2008-06-01

This article shares the first-hand experiences of the CDC's VERB team in planning, executing, and evaluating a campaign that used social marketing principles, which involved paid media advertising, promotions, and national and community partnerships to increase physical activity among children aged 9-13 years (tweens). VERB staff gained valuable experience in applying commercial marketing techniques to a public health issue. This article describes how marketing, partnership, and evaluation activities were implemented to reach a tween audience. In doing so, fundamental differences in marketing between public health and the private sector were revealed.

Risks Involved in the Use of Enrofloxacin for Salmonella Enteritidis or Salmonella Heidelberg in Commercial Poultry

PubMed Central

Morales-Barrera, Eduardo; Calhoun, Nicole; Lobato-Tapia, Jose L.; Lucca, Vivian; Prado-Rebolledo, Omar; Hernandez-Velasco, Xochitl; Merino-Guzman, Ruben; Petrone-García, Victor M.; Latorre, Juan D.; Mahaffey, Brittany D.; Teague, Kyle D.; Graham, Lucas E.; Wolfenden, Amanda D.; Baxter, Mikayla F. A.; Hargis, Billy M.; Tellez, Guillermo

2016-01-01

The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the risks involved in the use of Enrofloxacin for Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) or Salmonella Heidelberg (SH) in commercial poultry and determine the effects of a probiotic as an antibiotic alternative. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the risks involved in the use of Enrofloxacin for SE or SH in commercial poultry. Experiment 1 consisted of two trials. In each trial, chickens were assigned to one of three groups; control + SE challenged; Enrofloxacin 25 mg/kg + SE; and Enrofloxacin 50 mg/kg + SE. Chickens received Enrofloxacin in the drinking water from days 1 to 5 of age. On day 6, all groups received fresh water without any treatment. All chickens were orally gavaged with 107 cfu/chick of SE at 7 days of age and euthanized on 8 days of age. In Experiment 2, turkey poults were assigned to one of the three groups; control + SH; probiotic + SH; and Enrofloxacin 50 mg/kg + SH. Poults received probiotic or Enrofloxacin in the drinking water from days 1 to 5 of age. On day 6, poults received fresh water without any treatment. Poults were orally gavaged with 107 cfu/poult of SH at 7 days of age. Poults were weighed and humanely killed 24 h post-SH challenge to evaluate serum concentration of fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran to evaluate intestinal permeability, metagenomics, and SH infection. In both trials of Experiment 1, chickens treated with Enrofloxacin were more susceptible to SE organ invasion and intestinal colonization when compared with control non-treated chickens (P < 0.05). In Experiment 2, poults treated with 50 mg/kg of Enrofloxacin showed an increase in body weight, however, this group also showed an increase in SH susceptibility, intestinal permeability, and lower proportion of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, but with control group had the highest proportion of Proteobacteria. By contrast, poults that received the probiotic had the highest proportion of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, but lowest Proteobacteria. The results of the present study suggest that prophylactic utilization of Enrofloxacin at five times the recommended dose in poultry increases the susceptibility to salmonellae infections, and confirms that probiotics may be an effective tool in salmonellae infections. PMID:27630995

Risks Involved in the Use of Enrofloxacin for Salmonella Enteritidis or Salmonella Heidelberg in Commercial Poultry.

PubMed

Morales-Barrera, Eduardo; Calhoun, Nicole; Lobato-Tapia, Jose L; Lucca, Vivian; Prado-Rebolledo, Omar; Hernandez-Velasco, Xochitl; Merino-Guzman, Ruben; Petrone-García, Victor M; Latorre, Juan D; Mahaffey, Brittany D; Teague, Kyle D; Graham, Lucas E; Wolfenden, Amanda D; Baxter, Mikayla F A; Hargis, Billy M; Tellez, Guillermo

2016-01-01

The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the risks involved in the use of Enrofloxacin for Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) or Salmonella Heidelberg (SH) in commercial poultry and determine the effects of a probiotic as an antibiotic alternative. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the risks involved in the use of Enrofloxacin for SE or SH in commercial poultry. Experiment 1 consisted of two trials. In each trial, chickens were assigned to one of three groups; control + SE challenged; Enrofloxacin 25 mg/kg + SE; and Enrofloxacin 50 mg/kg + SE. Chickens received Enrofloxacin in the drinking water from days 1 to 5 of age. On day 6, all groups received fresh water without any treatment. All chickens were orally gavaged with 10(7) cfu/chick of SE at 7 days of age and euthanized on 8 days of age. In Experiment 2, turkey poults were assigned to one of the three groups; control + SH; probiotic + SH; and Enrofloxacin 50 mg/kg + SH. Poults received probiotic or Enrofloxacin in the drinking water from days 1 to 5 of age. On day 6, poults received fresh water without any treatment. Poults were orally gavaged with 10(7) cfu/poult of SH at 7 days of age. Poults were weighed and humanely killed 24 h post-SH challenge to evaluate serum concentration of fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran to evaluate intestinal permeability, metagenomics, and SH infection. In both trials of Experiment 1, chickens treated with Enrofloxacin were more susceptible to SE organ invasion and intestinal colonization when compared with control non-treated chickens (P < 0.05). In Experiment 2, poults treated with 50 mg/kg of Enrofloxacin showed an increase in body weight, however, this group also showed an increase in SH susceptibility, intestinal permeability, and lower proportion of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, but with control group had the highest proportion of Proteobacteria. By contrast, poults that received the probiotic had the highest proportion of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, but lowest Proteobacteria. The results of the present study suggest that prophylactic utilization of Enrofloxacin at five times the recommended dose in poultry increases the susceptibility to salmonellae infections, and confirms that probiotics may be an effective tool in salmonellae infections.

World commercial aircraft accidents: 1st edition, 1946--1991

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

Kimura, C.Y.

1992-02-01

This report is a compilation of all accidents world-wide involving aircraft in commercial service which resulted in the loss of the airframe or one or more fatality, or both. This information has been gathered in order to present a complete inventory of commercial aircraft accidents. Events involving military action, sabotage, terrorist bombings, hijackings, suicides, and industrial ground accidents are included within this list. This report is organized into six chapters. The first chapter is the introduction. The second chapter contains the compilation of accidents involving world commercial jet aircraft from 1952 to 1991. The third chapter presents a compilation ofmore » accidents involving world commercial turboprop aircraft from 1952 to 1991. The fourth chapter presents a compilation of accidents involving world commercial pistonprop aircraft with four or more engines from 1946 to 1991. Each accident compilation or database in chapters two, three and four is presented in chronological order. Each accident is presented with information the following categories: date of accident, airline or operator and its flight number (if known), type of flight, type of aircraft and model, aircraft registration number, construction number/manufacturers serial number, aircraft damage resulting from accident, accident flight phase, accident location, number of fatalities, number of occupants, references used to compile the information, and finally cause, remarks, or description (brief) of the accident. The fifth chapter presents a list of all commercial aircraft accidents for all aircraft types with 100 or more fatalities in order of decreasing number of fatalities. Chapter six presents the commercial aircraft accidents for all aircraft types by flight phase. Future editions of this report will have additional follow-on chapters which will present other studies still in preparation at the time this edition was being prepared.« less

Transnational commercial surrogacy in India: gifts for global sisters?

PubMed

Pande, Amrita

2011-11-01

In this ethnography of transnational commercial surrogacy in a small clinic in India, the narratives of two sets of women involved in this new form of reproductive travel – the transnational clients and the surrogates themselves – are evaluated. How do these women negotiate the culturally anomalous nature of transnational surrogacy within the unusual setting of India? It is demonstrated that while both sets of women downplay the economic aspect of surrogacy by drawing on predictable cultural tools like 'gift', 'sisterhood' and 'mission', they use these tools in completely unexpected ways. Previous ethnographies of surrogacy in other parts of the world have revealed that women involved in surrogacy use these narratives to downplay the contractual nature of their relationship with each other. Ironically, when used in the context of transnational surrogacy in India, these narratives further highlight and often reify the inequalities based on class, race and nationality between the clients and suppliers of reproductive tourism in India. Copyright © 2011 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preventing commercial fishing deaths in Alaska

PubMed Central

Lincoln, J. M.; Conway, G. A.

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of the United States Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Act of 1988 in reducing the high occupational death rate (200/100,000/year in 1991-2) among Alaska's commercial fishermen. METHODS: Comprehensive surveillance of deaths in commercial fishing was established by our office during 1991 and 1992 for Alaska. Demographic data and data on risk factors and incidents were compiled and analysed for trend. RESULTS: During 1991-8, there was a significant (p < 0.001) decrease in deaths in Alaska related to commercial fishing. Although drownings from fishermen falling overboard and events related to crab fishing vessels (often conducted far offshore and in winter) have continued to occur, marked progress (significant downward trend, p < 0.001) has been made in saving the lives of people involved in vessels capsizing and sinking. CONCLUSIONS: Specific measures tailored to prevent drowning associated with vessels capsizing and sinking in Alaska's commercial fishing industry have been successful. However, these events continue to occur, and place fishermen and rescue personnel at substantial risk. Additional strategies must be identified to reduce the frequency of vessels capsizing and sinking, to enable parallel improvements in the mortality among crab fishermen, and to prevent fishermen falling overboard and drownings associated with them.   PMID:10658549

Nutrigenomics 2.0: The Need for Ongoing and Independent Evaluation and Synthesis of Commercial Nutrigenomics Tests' Scientific Knowledge Base for Responsible Innovation

PubMed Central

Pavlidis, Cristiana; Nebel, Jean-Christophe; Katsila, Theodora

2016-01-01

Abstract Nutrigenomics is an important strand of precision medicine that examines the bidirectional interactions of the genome and nutritional exposures, and attendant health and disease outcomes. This perspectives article presents the new concept of “Nutrigenomics 2.0,” so as to cultivate and catalyze the next generation research and funding priorities for responsible and sustainable knowledge-based innovations. We further contextualize our recent study of the 38 genes included in commercially available nutrigenomics tests, and offer additional context in relation to the 2014 American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics position. Finally, we make a call in the best interest of the nutrigenomics science community, governments, global society, and commercial nutrigenomics test providers that new evidence evaluation and synthesis platforms are created concerning nutrigenomics tests before they become commercially available. The proposed assessment and synthesis of nutrigenomics data should be carried out on an ongoing dynamic basis with periodic intervals and/or when there is a specific demand for evidence synthesis, and importantly, in ways that are transparent where conflict of interests are disclosed fully by the involved parties, be they scientists, industry, governments, citizens, social scientists, or ethicists. We submit that this will cultivate responsible innovation, and business models that are sustainable, robust, and stand the test of time and context. PMID:26689492

Profits, Commercial Food Supplier Involvement, and School Vending Machine Snack Food Availability: Implications for Implementing the New Competitive Foods Rule

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terry-McElrath, Yvonne M.; Hood, Nancy E.; Colabianchi, Natalie; O'Malley, Patrick M.; Johnston, Lloyd D.

2014-01-01

Background: The 2013-2014 school year involved preparation for implementing the new US Department of Agriculture (USDA) competitive foods nutrition standards. An awareness of associations between commercial supplier involvement, food vending practices, and food vending item availability may assist schools in preparing for the new standards.…

World Health Organization Framework: Multimodal Hand Hygiene Strategy in Piedmont (Italy) Health Care Facilities.

PubMed

Bert, Fabrizio; Giacomelli, Sebastian; Ceresetti, Daniela; Zotti, Carla Maria

2017-01-10

In 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the "Hand Hygiene Self-Assessment Framework" (HHSAF) to evaluate the level of the application of the Multimodal Hand Hygiene Improvement Strategy (MHHIS), which defines preventive interventions, standards, and tools conceived to improve hand hygiene in healthcare facilities. The aim of our study was to evaluate the implementation of the MHHIS in Piedmont healthcare units in 2014 using the HHSAF document. Our surveillance was performed through collection and analysis of the data from 50 Piedmont healthcare facilities recorded through the HHSAF in 2014. The HHSAF describes the hand hygiene level evaluating the following 5 parameters: system changes, education/staff training, evaluation and feedback, reminders in the workplace, and promotion of an institutional safety climate. We reported that 70.4% of the healthcare facilities involved in the study achieved the intermediate hand hygiene level, 19% the advanced level, and 11% the basic level. No facility exhibited an inadequate level of WHO multimodal implementation. Only 55% of the healthcare units provided information about hand hygiene to patients, and only 15% actively involved patients and their families. The implementation of the MHHIS has achieved important results all over the world in terms of hand hygiene. Piedmont has reached an overall good level, particularly in terms of the supply and availability of hand washing products and staff education. Our results revealed, however, some critical issues related to direct and indirect monitoring of hand hygiene, providing reminders and the active involvement of patients, family members, and caregivers.This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.

Sharing Malaysian experience with the development of biotechnology-derived food crops.

PubMed

Abu Bakar, Umi K; Pillai, Vilasini; Hashim, Marzukhi; Daud, Hassan Mat

2005-12-01

Biotechnology-derived food crops are currently being developed in Malaysia mainly for disease resistance and improved post harvest quality. The modern biotechnology approach is adopted because of its potential to overcome constraints faced by conventional breeding techniques. Research on the development of biotechnology-derived papaya, pineapple, chili, passion fruit, and citrus is currently under way. Biotechnology-derived papaya developed for resistance to papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) and improved postharvest qualities is at the field evaluation stage. Pineapple developed for resistance to fruit black heart disorder is also being evaluated for proof-of-concept. Other biotechnology-derived food crops are at early stages of gene cloning and transformation. Activities and products involving biotechnology-derived crops will be fully regulated in the near future under the Malaysian Biosafety Law. At present they are governed only by guidelines formulated by the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC), Malaysia. Commercialization of biotechnology-derived crops involves steps that require GMAC approval for all field evaluations and food-safety assessments before the products are placed on the market. Public acceptance of the biotechnology product is another important factor for successful commercialization. Understanding of biotechnology is generally low among Malaysians, which may lead to low acceptance of biotechnology-derived products. Initiatives are being taken by local organizations to improve public awareness and acceptance of biotechnology. Future research on plant biotechnology will focus on the development of nutritionally enhanced biotechnology-derived food crops that can provide more benefits to consumers.

Electronic evaluation for video commercials by impression index.

PubMed

Kong, Wanzeng; Zhao, Xinxin; Hu, Sanqing; Vecchiato, Giovanni; Babiloni, Fabio

2013-12-01

How to evaluate the effect of commercials is significantly important in neuromarketing. In this paper, we proposed an electronic way to evaluate the influence of video commercials on consumers by impression index. The impression index combines both the memorization and attention index during consumers observing video commercials by tracking the EEG activity. It extracts features from scalp EEG to evaluate the effectiveness of video commercials in terms of time-frequency-space domain. And, the general global field power was used as an impression index for evaluation of video commercial scenes as time series. Results of experiment demonstrate that the proposed approach is able to track variations of the cerebral activity related to cognitive task such as observing video commercials, and help to judge whether the scene in video commercials is impressive or not by EEG signals.

Evaluation of three percent Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) concentrates as fire fighting agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jablonski, E. J.

1981-04-01

A large-scale fire test program involving 20,000-square foot JP-4 fuel fires was conducted to evaluate the fire suppression effectiveness and compatibility of 3 percent Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) agents in Air Force fire fighting vehicles. Three commercially available 3 percent AFFF concentrates were tested in accordance with military specification MIL-F-24385B. Test results are summarized in Appendix A. As a result of these tests, an updated Revision C to this MIL SPEC has been accomplished with new requirements for both 3 percent and 6 percent AFFF extinguishing agents.

Development and Evaluation of Positioning Systems for Autonomous Vehicle Navigation

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-12-01

generation of autonomous vehicles to utilize NTV technology is built on a commercially-available vehicle built by ASV. The All-Purpose Remote Transport...larger scale, AFRL and CIMAR are involved in the development of a standard approach in the design and specification of autonomous vehicles being...1996. Shi92 Shin, D.H., Sanjiv, S., and Lee, J.J., “Explicit Path Tracking by Autonomous Vehicles ,” Robotica, 10, (1992), 69-87. Ste95

Evaluation of the Commercial, Off-the-Shelf (COTS) King-Devick Eye Tracking System

DTIC Science & Technology

duty decisions. The current literature suggests that the King Devick (KD) number reading test is a sensitive screener for concussion sustained during...sports activities. The KD test involves timing an individual reading aloud 120 single digit numbers, without error, printed on three standard cards...timing is performed with a stopwatch. The extensive literature commonly describes the KD test as revealing the disruption of eye movements that could be

Comparison of the effects of two legal blood alcohol limits: the presence of alcohol in traffic accidents according to category of driver in Izmir, Turkey.

PubMed

Karakus, Akan; İdiz, Nuri; Dalgiç, Mustafa; Uluçay, Tarik; Sincar, Yasemin

2015-01-01

Under existing Turkish road traffic law, there are 2 different blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits allowed for drivers in 2013: zero blood alcohol and ≤0.50 g/L. All public transport, taxi, commercial, and official vehicle drivers must maintain a zero blood alcohol concentration while driving. Private vehicle drivers must maintain a BAC of 0.50 g/L or lower. The aim of the recent study was to evaluate the effect of these 2 legal blood alcohol limits on nonfatal traffic accidents that occurred due to the driver being under the influence of alcohol. This retrospective study was performed to evaluate the blood alcohol concentration of 224 drivers in nonfatal road accidents between June 2010 and July 2011 using headspace gas chromatography at the Izmir Forensic Medicine Group Presidency, Turkey. All cases evaluated by the toxicology department were entered into a database. We used descriptive statistics, χ(2) test, and independent sampling test to analyze the data. The total number of drivers involved in nonfatal traffic accidents was 224; 191 were private vehicle drivers and 33 were public transport, taxi, commercial, and official vehicle drivers. In the present study, alcohol was detected in the blood of about 27.2% (n = 61) of the 224 drivers. Sixty (31.4%) private vehicle drivers involved in nonfatal traffic accidents tested positive for alcohol. BAC values were also above the legal limit (0.50 g/L) in 27.7% (n = 53) of private vehicle drivers. However, the BAC was above the legal limit in only 3% (n = 1) of public transport, commercial, and official vehicle drivers involved in nonfatal traffic accidents. These results showed that private vehicle drivers subject to a BAC limit of ≤0.50 g/L were significantly associated with an increased risk of nonfatal accident involvement than drivers subject to a zero BAC limit (odds ratio [OR] = 12.29, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.64-92.22; Fisher's exact test, P <.001). Mean BAC in private vehicle drivers subject to a 0.50 g/L level (52.60 mg/dl ± 94.84) was significantly higher than that of drivers subject to a zero alcohol level (10.76 mg/dl ± 61.80; t = 2.44, P <.001). In light of our results, lowering the BAC limit for private vehicle drivers may reduce the level of driving under the influence of alcohol. A change in the law will decrease the rates of alcohol-related road accidents in Turkey.

Analysis of beryllium and depleted uranium: An overview of detection methods in aerosols and soils

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

Camins, I.; Shinn, J.H.

We conducted a survey of commercially available methods for analysis of beryllium and depleted uranium in aerosols and soils to find a reliable, cost-effective, and sufficiently precise method for researchers involved in environmental testing at the Yuma Proving Ground, Yuma, Arizona. Criteria used for evaluation include cost, method of analysis, specificity, sensitivity, reproducibility, applicability, and commercial availability. We found that atomic absorption spectrometry with graphite furnace meets these criteria for testing samples for beryllium. We found that this method can also be used to test samples for depleted uranium. However, atomic absorption with graphite furnace is not as sensitive amore » measurement method for depleted uranium as it is for beryllium, so we recommend that quality control of depleted uranium analysis be maintained by testing 10 of every 1000 samples by neutron activation analysis. We also evaluated 45 companies and institutions that provide analyses of beryllium and depleted uranium. 5 refs., 1 tab.« less

Optimisation of low temperature extraction of banana juice using commercial pectinase.

PubMed

Sagu, Sorel Tchewonpi; Nso, Emmanuel Jong; Karmakar, Sankha; De, Sirshendu

2014-05-15

The objective of this work was to develop a process with optimum conditions for banana juice. The procedure involves hydrolyzing the banana pulp by commercial pectinase followed by cloth filtration. Response surface methodology with Doehlert design was utilised to optimize the process parameters. The temperature of incubation (30-60 °C), time of reaction (20-120 min) and concentration of pectinase (0.01-0.05% v/w) were the independent variables and viscosity, clarity, alcohol insoluble solids (AIS), total polyphenol and protein concentration were the responses. Total soluble sugar, pH, conductivity, calcium, sodium and potassium concentration in the juice were also evaluated. The results showed reduction of AIS and viscosity with reaction time and pectinase concentration and reduction of polyphenol and protein concentration with temperature. Using numerical optimization, the optimum conditions for the enzymatic extraction of banana juice were estimated. Depectinization kinetics was also studied at optimum temperature and variation of kinetic constants with enzyme dose was evaluated. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Moving research to patient applications through commercialization: understanding and evaluating the role of intellectual property.

PubMed

Patino, Robert M

2010-03-01

The advancement of research from discovery to the delivery of medical care can be limited without the support of industry to sponsor its continued development. Federal government financial support is generally crucial in early-stage development through funding from the NIH, National Science Foundation, and other federal agencies; however, government support generally stops shortly after basic research discoveries have been reported. Much of the cessation of financial support derives from the government's regulatory responsibilities, as sponsoring the commercialization of a product conflicts with regulation of the approval for clinical use of a drug or device. Furthermore, differences in goals, resources, and flexibility render government, as compared with private industry, inefficient and less responsive to market demands with regard to stream-lining the development of and enhancing the quality of products and services offered. Thus, industry and private investment provide the bridge that converts new discoveries into healthcare products that are available to consumers and patients. This conversion occurs through commercialization, which involves both high risks and high rewards. Taking advantage of the commercialization option for research development requires an understanding of the technology transfer process. This article reviews 5 topics: 1) industry motivation to invest in academic research; 2) institutional considerations in partnering with industry; 3) academia's interactions with inventors in the commercialization process; 4) the research institution's route to commercialization, and 5) the role of intellectual property and commercialization in the advancement of healthcare.

Moving Research to Patient Applications through Commercialization: Understanding and Evaluating the Role of Intellectual Property

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

The advancement of research from discovery to the delivery of medical care can be limited without the support of industry to sponsor its continued development. Federal government financial support is generally crucial in early-stage development through funding from the NIH, National Science Foundation, and other federal agencies; however, government support generally stops shortly after basic research discoveries have been reported. Much of the cessation of financial support derives from the government's regulatory responsibilities, as sponsoring the commercialization of a product conflicts with regulation of the approval for clinical use of a drug or device. Furthermore, differences in goals, resources, and flexibility render government, as compared with private industry, inefficient and less responsive to market demands with regard to stream-lining the development of and enhancing the quality of products and services offered. Thus, industry and private investment provide the bridge that converts new discoveries into healthcare products that are available to consumers and patients. This conversion occurs through commercialization, which involves both high risks and high rewards. Taking advantage of the commercialization option for research development requires an understanding of the technology transfer process. This article reviews 5 topics: 1) industry motivation to invest in academic research; 2) institutional considerations in partnering with industry; 3) academia's interactions with inventors in the commercialization process; 4) the research institution's route to commercialization, and 5) the role of intellectual property and commercialization in the advancement of healthcare. PMID:20353687

Health Information Technologies-Academic and Commercial Evaluation (HIT-ACE) methodology: description and application to clinical feedback systems.

PubMed

Lyon, Aaron R; Lewis, Cara C; Melvin, Abigail; Boyd, Meredith; Nicodimos, Semret; Liu, Freda F; Jungbluth, Nathaniel

2016-09-22

Health information technologies (HIT) have become nearly ubiquitous in the contemporary healthcare landscape, but information about HIT development, functionality, and implementation readiness is frequently siloed. Theory-driven methods of compiling, evaluating, and integrating information from the academic and commercial sectors are necessary to guide stakeholder decision-making surrounding HIT adoption and to develop pragmatic HIT research agendas. This article presents the Health Information Technologies-Academic and Commercial Evaluation (HIT-ACE) methodology, a structured, theory-driven method for compiling and evaluating information from multiple sectors. As an example demonstration of the methodology, we apply HIT-ACE to mental and behavioral health measurement feedback systems (MFS). MFS are a specific class of HIT that support the implementation of routine outcome monitoring, an evidence-based practice. HIT-ACE is guided by theories and frameworks related to user-centered design and implementation science. The methodology involves four phases: (1) coding academic and commercial materials, (2) developer/purveyor interviews, (3) linking putative implementation mechanisms to hit capabilities, and (4) experimental testing of capabilities and mechanisms. In the current demonstration, phase 1 included a systematic process to identify MFS in mental and behavioral health using academic literature and commercial websites. Using user-centered design, implementation science, and feedback frameworks, the HIT-ACE coding system was developed, piloted, and used to review each identified system for the presence of 38 capabilities and 18 additional characteristics via a consensus coding process. Bibliometic data were also collected to examine the representation of the systems in the scientific literature. As an example, results are presented for the application of HIT-ACE phase 1 to MFS wherein 49 separate MFS were identified, reflecting a diverse array of characteristics and capabilities. Preliminary findings demonstrate the utility of HIT-ACE to represent the scope and diversity of a given class of HIT beyond what can be identified in the academic literature. Phase 2 data collection is expected to confirm and expand the information presented and phases 3 and 4 will provide more nuanced information about the impact of specific HIT capabilities. In all, HIT-ACE is expected to support adoption decisions and additional HIT development and implementation research.

Commercial Vehicle Technology Evaluation Publications | Transportation

Science.gov Websites

Research | NREL Commercial Vehicle Technology Evaluation Publications Commercial Vehicle Technology Evaluation Publications NREL publishes technical reports, fact sheets, and other documents about its fleet evaluation activities: Hybrid electric vehicle publications Electric and plug-in hybrid

75 FR 69630 - Impact of Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention on Commercial Activities Involving...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-15

... Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention on Commercial Activities Involving ``Schedule 1'' Chemicals, Including Production of Schedule 1 Chemicals as Intermediates, Through Calendar Year 2010 AGENCY: Bureau of... (BIS) is seeking public comments on the impact that implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention...

76 FR 76935 - Impact of Implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) on Commercial Activities Involving...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-09

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Bureau of Industry and Security [Docket No. 111130706-1686-01] Impact of Implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) on Commercial Activities Involving ``Schedule 1'' Chemicals Through Calendar Year 2011; Impact of Adding Salts of CWC ``Schedule 1'' Chemicals to ``Schedule 1...

A Commercial Device Involving the Breathalyzer Test Reaction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dombrink, Kathleen J.

1996-01-01

Describes the working of Final Call, a commercially available breath analyzing device, which uses the chemical reaction involving the reduction of chromium (VI) in the orange dichromate ion to the green chromium (III) ion to detect ethyl alcohol. Presents a demonstration that simulates the use of a Final Call device. (JRH)

Total phenolics, flavonoids, antioxidant activity, crude fibre and digestibility in non-traditional wheat flakes and muesli.

PubMed

Sumczynski, Daniela; Bubelova, Zuzana; Sneyd, Jan; Erb-Weber, Susanne; Mlcek, Jiri

2015-05-01

The five different types of muesli composed of non-traditional wheat flakes were prepared and analysed. Dickkopf wheat, red wheat, kamut and spelt were compared with commercial wheat flakes. Wheat flakes and muesli were assessed for basic analyses (dry matter, ash, protein, starch and fat content), total phenolic and flavonoid content, antioxidant activity (ABTS and DPPH assays), crude fibre content and in vitro digestibility. Furthermore, sensory evaluation of muesli involving scale and ranking preference tests was provided. Flakes and muesli made from Dickkopf wheat and red wheat showed the highest total phenolic and flavonoid content and, consequently, the highest antioxidant activity. Moreover, these cereals were high in crude fibre and thus were less digestible. On the other hand, the lowest total phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity were determined in commercial flakes and muesli produced from these flakes. The flakes made from non-traditional wheat were sensorially comparable to commercial products. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metabolic assessment of E. coli as a Biofactory for commercial products.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaolin; Tervo, Christopher J; Reed, Jennifer L

2016-05-01

Metabolic engineering uses microorganisms to synthesize chemicals from renewable resources. Given the thousands of known metabolites, it is unclear what valuable chemicals could be produced by a microorganism and what native and heterologous reactions are needed for their synthesis. To answer these questions, a systematic computational assessment of Escherichia coli's potential ability to produce different chemicals was performed using an integrated metabolic model that included native E.coli reactions and known heterologous reactions. By adding heterologous reactions, a total of 1777 non-native products could theoretically be produced in E. coli under glucose minimal medium conditions, of which 279 non-native products have commercial applications. Synthesis pathways involving native and heterologous reactions were identified from eight central metabolic precursors to the 279 non-native commercial products. These pathways were used to evaluate the dependence on, and diversity of, native and heterologous reactions to produce each non-native commercial product, as well as to identify each product׳s closest central metabolic precursor. Analysis of the synthesis pathways (with 5 or fewer reaction steps) to non-native commercial products revealed that isopentenyl diphosphate, pyruvate, and oxaloacetate are the closest central metabolic precursors to the most non-native commercial products. Additionally, 4-hydroxybenzoate, tyrosine, and phenylalanine were found to be common precursors to a large number of non-native commercial products. Strains capable of producing high levels of these precursors could be further engineered to create strains capable of producing a variety of commercial non-native chemicals. Copyright © 2016 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Training Researchers To Commercialize Research Results.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Sijde, P. C.; Cuyvers, R.

2003-01-01

A training course was designed to prepare researchers for research commercialization for researchers. It introduces concepts involved in the publishing of knowledge such as protection of intellectual property, spin-off companies, and working with commercial companies. (JOW)

Evaluation criteria for commercially oriented materials processing in space proposals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, W. F.; Mcdowell, J. R.

1979-01-01

An approach and criteria for evaluating NASA funded experiments and demonstrations which have commercial potential were developed. Methods for insuring quick initial screening of commercial proposals are presented. Recommendations are given for modifying the current evaluation approach. New criteria for evaluating commercially orientated materials processing in space (MPS) proposals are introduced. The process for selection of qualified individuals to evaluate the phases of this approach and criteria is considered and guidelines are set for its implementation.

Influence of viewing distance and size of tv on visual fatigue and feeling of involvement.

PubMed

Sakamoto, Kiyomi; Asahara, Shigeo; Yamashita, Kuniko; Okada, Akira

2012-12-01

Using physiological and psychological measurements, we carried out experiments to investigate the influence of viewing distance and TV screen size on visual fatigue and feeling of involvement using 17-inch, 42-inch and 65-inch displays. The experiment was an ordinary viewing test with the content similar to everyday TV programs for one hour including scenery, sport, drama, etc., with commercials sandwiched in between. The number of participants was 16 (8 persons aged 21-31, and 8 persons aged 50-70) for each display size. In all, 48 participants viewed 3 display sizes. In our physiological evaluation, CFF (critical flicker fusion frequency), blink rate and a sympathetic nerve activity index were used; and in the psychological evaluation, questionnaires and interviews were employed. Our results, based on physiological and psychological measurements, suggest the opti- mum viewing distance to be around 165-220 cm, irrespective of screen size. Our evaluations, which are based on optimum viewing distance for minimal visual fatigue and a closer feeling of involvement, might therefore not agree with the currently recommended viewing distance, which is defined as 2 or 3 times the display's height.

Solar energy program evaluation: an introduction

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

deLeon, P.

The Program Evaluation Methodology provides an overview of the practice and methodology of program evaluation and defines more precisely the evaluation techniques and methodologies that would be most appropriate to government organizations which are actively involved in the research, development, and commercialization of solar energy systems. Formal evaluation cannot be treated as a single methodological approach for assessing a program. There are four basic types of evaluation designs - the pre-experimental design; the quasi-experimental design based on time series; the quasi-experimental design based on comparison groups; and the true experimental design. This report is organized to first introduce the rolemore » and issues of evaluation. This is to provide a set of issues to organize the subsequent sections detailing the national solar energy programs. Then, these two themes are integrated by examining the evaluation strategies and methodologies tailored to fit the particular needs of the various individual solar energy programs. (MCW)« less

Evaluation of Three Commercial Backpack Sprayers with Aqualuer (registered trademark) 20-20 Against Caged Adult Aedes aegypti

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-11

institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Evaluation of Three Commercial Backpack...strictly limited to personal, educational, and non- commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the...individual publisher as copyright holder. SCIENTIFIC NOTE EVALUATION OF THREE COMMERCIAL BACKPACK SPRAYERS WITH AQUALUERH 20–20 AGAINST CAGED ADULT

NASA's commercial space program - Initiatives for the future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rose, James T.; Stone, Barbara A.

1990-01-01

NASA's commercial development of the space program aimed at the stimulation and assistance of expanded private sector involvement and investment in civil space activities is discussed, focusing on major new program initiatives and their implementation. NASA's Centers for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) program, composed of competitively selected consortia of universities, industries, and government involved in early research and testing phases of potentially commercially viable technologies is described. The 16 centers concentrate on seven different technical areas such as automation and robotics; remote sensing; life sciences; and space power, propulsion, and structures. Private sector participation, CCDS technology development, government and commercially supplied access to space in support of CCDS programs, CCDS hardware development, and CCDS spinoffs are discussed together with various cooperative and reimbursable agreements between NASA and the private sector.

16 CFR § 1702.10 - Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects. § 1702.10 Section § 1702.10 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY... PREVENTION PACKAGING ACT REQUIREMENTS; PETITION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS § 1702.10 Human experimental data...

Childhood Maltreatment and Child Protective Services Involvement Among the Commercially Sexually Exploited: A Comparison of Women Who Enter as Juveniles or as Adults.

PubMed

Cimino, Andrea N; Madden, Elissa E; Hohn, Kris; Cronley, Courtney M; Davis, Jaya B; Magruder, Karen; Kennedy, M Alexis

2017-04-01

A risk for commercial sexual exploitation is childhood maltreatment. It's unknown whether juveniles in commercial sexual exploitation experience more childhood maltreatment than adults or how involved child protective services is in investigating maltreatment, a focus of this study. Women (N = 96) who sold sex commercially completed a cross-sectional questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, t tests, chi-squares, and odds ratios were used to examine differences in background, childhood maltreatment, and child protective services involvement by juvenile or adult entry. Although 93% of participants experienced child maltreatment, juveniles had increased odds of parent/caregiver sexual abuse, being left alone, being kicked out, and running away from a parent/caregiver. There were no differences in cumulative childhood maltreatment resulting in an investigation or removal, indicating that juveniles not investigated or removed by child protective services had as much childhood maltreatment as juveniles who were investigated or removed by child protective services. Results highlight the need for child welfare staff to recognize childhood maltreatment as risks for commercial sexual exploitation.

ERDA-NASA wind energy project ready to involve users

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, R.; Puthoff, R.; Savino, J.; Johnson, W.

1976-01-01

The NASA contribution to the Wind Energy Project is discussed. NASA is responsible for the following: (1) identification of cost-effective configurations and sizes of wind-conversion systems, (2) the development of technology needed to produce these systems, (3) the design of wind-conversion systems that are compatible with user requirements, particularly utility networks, and (4) technology transfer obtained from the program to stimulate rapid commercial application of wind systems. Various elements of the NASA program are outlined, including industry-built user operation, the evaluation phase, the proposed plan and schedule for site selection and user involvement, supporting research and technology (e.g., energy storage), and component and subsystem technology development.

Drug-drug interactions involving lysosomes: mechanisms and potential clinical implications.

PubMed

Logan, Randall; Funk, Ryan S; Axcell, Erick; Krise, Jeffrey P

2012-08-01

Many commercially available, weakly basic drugs have been shown to be lysosomotropic, meaning they are subject to extensive sequestration in lysosomes through an ion trapping-type mechanism. The extent of lysosomal trapping of a drug is an important therapeutic consideration because it can influence both activity and pharmacokinetic disposition. The administration of certain drugs can alter lysosomes such that their accumulation capacity for co-administered and/or secondarily administered drugs is altered. In this review the authors explore what is known regarding the mechanistic basis for drug-drug interactions involving lysosomes. Specifically, the authors address the influence of drugs on lysosomal pH, volume and lipid processing. Many drugs are known to extensively accumulate in lysosomes and significantly alter their structure and function; however, the therapeutic and toxicological implications of this remain controversial. The authors propose that drug-drug interactions involving lysosomes represent an important potential source of variability in drug activity and pharmacokinetics. Most evaluations of drug-drug interactions involving lysosomes have been performed in cultured cells and isolated tissues. More comprehensive in vivo evaluations are needed to fully explore the impact of this drug-drug interaction pathway on therapeutic outcomes.

Design, Kinematic Optimization, and Evaluation of a Teleoperated System for Middle Ear Microsurgery

PubMed Central

Miroir, Mathieu; Nguyen, Yann; Szewczyk, Jérôme; Sterkers, Olivier; Bozorg Grayeli, Alexis

2012-01-01

Middle ear surgery involves the smallest and the most fragile bones of the human body. Since microsurgical gestures and a submillimetric precision are required in these procedures, the outcome can be potentially improved by robotic assistance. Today, there is no commercially available device in this field. Here, we describe a method to design a teleoperated assistance robotic system dedicated to the middle ear surgery. Determination of design specifications, the kinematic structure, and its optimization are detailed. The robot-surgeon interface and the command modes are provided. Finally, the system is evaluated by realistic tasks in experimental dedicated settings and in human temporal bone specimens. PMID:22927789

Radurization of commercial freshwater fish species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuaqui-Offermanns, N.; McDougall, T. E.; Sprung, W.; Sullivan, V.

The effect of radurization on the shelf life of fresh Whitefish obtained through ordinary commercial channels has been determined. Whitefish fillets irradiated at 1.2 kGy and stored at 3°C have a shelf life three times longer than the unirradiated fish. When the fish was irradiated at 0.82 kGy a two fold shelf-life extension was obtained. The shelf life was estimated by sensory, chemical and microbiological evaluations. Sensory evaluation involved organoleptic assessment of raw and cooked samples. Since freshwater fish do not contain trimethylamine oxide (TMAO), alternate tests for freshness were required. It was found the determination of hypoxanthine and total volatile acid number (VAN) are excellent tests for freshness and quality of freshwater fish; thus, these analyses were adopted. The degree of radiation-induced lipid oxidation was measured by the thiobarbituric acid test (TBA). It was found at doses of 0.82 and 1.2 kGy the TBA number remained within acceptable limits in all samples. Microbiological analyses consisted of the total microbial load assessment in the sample, as well as Pseudomonas and total psychrotrophic counts. The estimated shelf lives as determined by the three separate evaluations were in very good agreement.

What you can't feel won't hurt you: Evaluating haptic hardware using a haptic contrast sensitivity function.

PubMed

Salisbury, C M; Gillespie, R B; Tan, H Z; Barbagli, F; Salisbury, J K

2011-01-01

In this paper, we extend the concept of the contrast sensitivity function - used to evaluate video projectors - to the evaluation of haptic devices. We propose using human observers to determine if vibrations rendered using a given haptic device are accompanied by artifacts detectable to humans. This determination produces a performance measure that carries particular relevance to applications involving texture rendering. For cases in which a device produces detectable artifacts, we have developed a protocol that localizes deficiencies in device design and/or hardware implementation. In this paper, we present results from human vibration detection experiments carried out using three commercial haptic devices and one high performance voice coil motor. We found that all three commercial devices produced perceptible artifacts when rendering vibrations near human detection thresholds. Our protocol allowed us to pinpoint the deficiencies, however, and we were able to show that minor modifications to the haptic hardware were sufficient to make these devices well suited for rendering vibrations, and by extension, the vibratory components of textures. We generalize our findings to provide quantitative design guidelines that ensure the ability of haptic devices to proficiently render the vibratory components of textures.

A Comparison of Physiological Signal Analysis Techniques and Classifiers for Automatic Emotional Evaluation of Audiovisual Contents

PubMed Central

Colomer Granero, Adrián; Fuentes-Hurtado, Félix; Naranjo Ornedo, Valery; Guixeres Provinciale, Jaime; Ausín, Jose M.; Alcañiz Raya, Mariano

2016-01-01

This work focuses on finding the most discriminatory or representative features that allow to classify commercials according to negative, neutral and positive effectiveness based on the Ace Score index. For this purpose, an experiment involving forty-seven participants was carried out. In this experiment electroencephalography (EEG), electrocardiography (ECG), Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) and respiration data were acquired while subjects were watching a 30-min audiovisual content. This content was composed by a submarine documentary and nine commercials (one of them the ad under evaluation). After the signal pre-processing, four sets of features were extracted from the physiological signals using different state-of-the-art metrics. These features computed in time and frequency domains are the inputs to several basic and advanced classifiers. An average of 89.76% of the instances was correctly classified according to the Ace Score index. The best results were obtained by a classifier consisting of a combination between AdaBoost and Random Forest with automatic selection of features. The selected features were those extracted from GSR and HRV signals. These results are promising in the audiovisual content evaluation field by means of physiological signal processing. PMID:27471462

A Comparison of Physiological Signal Analysis Techniques and Classifiers for Automatic Emotional Evaluation of Audiovisual Contents.

PubMed

Colomer Granero, Adrián; Fuentes-Hurtado, Félix; Naranjo Ornedo, Valery; Guixeres Provinciale, Jaime; Ausín, Jose M; Alcañiz Raya, Mariano

2016-01-01

This work focuses on finding the most discriminatory or representative features that allow to classify commercials according to negative, neutral and positive effectiveness based on the Ace Score index. For this purpose, an experiment involving forty-seven participants was carried out. In this experiment electroencephalography (EEG), electrocardiography (ECG), Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) and respiration data were acquired while subjects were watching a 30-min audiovisual content. This content was composed by a submarine documentary and nine commercials (one of them the ad under evaluation). After the signal pre-processing, four sets of features were extracted from the physiological signals using different state-of-the-art metrics. These features computed in time and frequency domains are the inputs to several basic and advanced classifiers. An average of 89.76% of the instances was correctly classified according to the Ace Score index. The best results were obtained by a classifier consisting of a combination between AdaBoost and Random Forest with automatic selection of features. The selected features were those extracted from GSR and HRV signals. These results are promising in the audiovisual content evaluation field by means of physiological signal processing.

Financial issues for commercial space ventures: Paying for the dreams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Egan, J. J.

1984-01-01

Various financial issues involved in commercial space enterprise are discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on the materials processing area: the current state of business plan and financial developments, what is needed for enhanced probability of success of future materials development efforts in attracting financial backing, and finally, the risks involved in this entire business area.

Preventing Commercial Colonialism and Retaining Sovereignty Over National Policy and Military Strategy in Space

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-04-09

29 National Interests in Space – Commercial or State-Driven Celestial Expansion? ....... 31 Celestial Market Opportunities – When Will Commercial...Space Markets Open? ...... 38 Implications of Commercial Space Operations ............................................................ 45 Chapter 5...Successful development of competitiveness involves seeking to dominate or control an existing or emergent market . The development of market domination into

Chapter 4: Small Commercial and Residential Unitary and Split System HVAC Heating and Cooling Equipment-Efficiency Upgrade Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

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

Kurnik, Charles W; Jacobson, David; Metoyer, Jarred

The specific measure described here involves improving the overall efficiency in air-conditioning systems as a whole (compressor, evaporator, condenser, and supply fan). The efficiency rating is expressed as the energy efficiency ratio (EER), seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER), and integrated energy efficiency ratio (IEER). The higher the EER, SEER or IEER, the more efficient the unit is.

Engine environmental effects on composite behavior

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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

1980-01-01

A series of programs were conducted to investigate and develop the application of composite materials to turbojet engines. A significant part of that effort was directed to establishing the impact resistance and defect growth chracteristics of composite materials over the wide range of environmental conditions found in commercial turbojet engine operations. Both analytical and empirical efforts were involved. The experimental programs and the analytical methodology development as well as an evaluation program for the use of composite materials as fan exit guide vanes are summarized.

A rare case of unilateral discoid lupus erythematosus mimicking lupus vulgaris.

PubMed

Verma, Parul; Pathania, Sucheta; Kubba, Asha

2017-11-08

Discoidlupus erythematosus (DLE) is a chronic type of cutaneous lupus erythematosus which can present in various morphologies, and the diagnosis can be rather confounding. Prompt evaluation and treatment is necessary to prevent disfigurement and systemic involvement associated with DLE. The following case presented a diagnostic dilemma as the lesion mimicked lupus vulgaris. © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Device for data-acquisition from transient signals: kinetic considerations

PubMed Central

Sampedro, A. Sanchez; Vives, S. Sagrado

1990-01-01

This paper reports on the evaluation and testing of a home-made device. Data-acquisition, treatment of transient signals and the hardware and software involved are discussed. Some practical aspects are developed in order to power the autonomy of procedures using the device. Kinetic and multi-signal calculations are considered in order to cover the actual tendencies in continuous-flow analysis. Somepractical advantages versus the use of classical chart recorders or commercial computerized-instrument devices are pointed out. PMID:18925275

New initiatives in the commercial development of space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rose, James T.; Stone, Barbara A.

1988-01-01

This paper provides a status report on aggressive new initiatives by the NASA Office of Commercial Programs to implement new commercial space policy. The promotion of a strong U.S. commercial presence in space via Spacehab, the Space Shuttle external tanks, privatization of the Space Station, and the development of commercial remote sensing systems is addressed. The privatization of launch services and the development of a talent base for commercial space efforts are considered. Groups, policies, and plans involved in these developments are discussed.

Adherent endotoxin on dental implant surfaces: a reappraisal.

PubMed

Morra, Marco; Cassinelli, Clara; Bollati, Daniele; Cascardo, Giovanna; Bellanda, Marco

2015-02-01

Osteoimmunology is the crosstalk between cells from the immune and skeletal systems, suggesting a role of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the stimulation of osteoclast activity. Endotoxin or bacterial challenges to inflammatory cells are directly relevant to dental implant pathologies involving bone resorption, such as osseointegration failure and peri-implantitis. While the endotoxin amount on implant devices is regulated by standards, it is unknown whether commercially available dental implants elicit different levels of adherent-endotoxin stimulated cytokines. The objective of this work is to develop a model system and evaluate endotoxin-induced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes relevant to osteoclast activation on commercially available dental implants. Murine J774-A1 macrophages were cultured on Ti disks with different level of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) contamination to define the time-course of the inflammatory response to endotoxin, as evaluated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis. The developed protocol was then used to measure adherent endotoxin on commercially available packaged and sterile dental implants in the "as-implanted" condition. Results show that tested dental implants induce variable expression of endotoxin-stimulated genes, sometimes above the level expected to promote bone resorption in vivo. Results are unaffected by the specific surface treatment; rather, they likely reflect care in cleaning and packaging protocols. In conclusion, expression of genes that enhance osteoclast activity through endotoxin stimulation of inflammatory cells is widely different on commercially available dental implants. A reappraisal of the clinical impact of adherent endotoxins on dental (and bone) implant devices is required in light of increasing knowledge on crosstalk between cells from the immune and skeletal systems.

Transportation Deployment Support | Transportation Research | NREL

Science.gov Websites

initiative complements the NPS Climate Friendly Parks program. Commercial Fleets Through the National Clean clearinghouse of medium- and heavy-duty commercial fleet vehicle operating data for optimizing vehicle improvement. Commercial Vehicle Technology Evaluations NREL conducts real-world evaluations of commercial

50 CFR 648.143 - Minimum sizes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... black sea bass fishery adopted by the ASMFC. (1) Commercial ACL overage evaluation. The commercial sector ACL will be evaluated based on a single-year examination of total catch (landings and dead discards). Both landings and dead discards will be evaluated in determining if the commercial sector ACL...

Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall components as tools for ochratoxin a decontamination.

PubMed

Piotrowska, Małgorzata; Masek, Anna

2015-04-02

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall preparations in the adsorption of ochratoxin A (OTA). The study involved the use of a brewer's yeast cell wall devoid of protein substances, glucans obtained by water and alkaline extraction, a glucan commercially available as a dietary supplement for animals and, additionally, dried brewer's yeast for comparison. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis of the obtained preparations showed bands characteristic for glucans in the resulting spectra. The yeast cell wall preparation, water-extracted glucan and the commercial glucan bound the highest amount of ochratoxin A, above 55% of the initial concentration, and the alkaline-extracted glucan adsorbed the lowest amount of this toxin. It has been shown that adsorption is most effective at a close-to-neutral pH, while being considerably limited in alkaline conditions.

16 CFR 1502.5 - Initiation of a hearing involving the issuance, amendment, or revocation of a regulation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Initiation of a hearing involving the issuance, amendment, or revocation of a regulation. 1502.5 Section 1502.5 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FEDERAL HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES ACT REGULATIONS PROCEDURES FOR FORMAL EVIDENTIARY PUBLIC HEARING Initiation of Proceedings § 150...

16 CFR 1502.5 - Initiation of a hearing involving the issuance, amendment, or revocation of a regulation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Initiation of a hearing involving the issuance, amendment, or revocation of a regulation. 1502.5 Section 1502.5 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FEDERAL HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES ACT REGULATIONS PROCEDURES FOR FORMAL EVIDENTIARY PUBLIC HEARING Initiation of Proceedings § 150...

16 CFR 1502.5 - Initiation of a hearing involving the issuance, amendment, or revocation of a regulation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Initiation of a hearing involving the issuance, amendment, or revocation of a regulation. 1502.5 Section 1502.5 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FEDERAL HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES ACT REGULATIONS PROCEDURES FOR FORMAL EVIDENTIARY PUBLIC HEARING Initiation of Proceedings § 150...

16 CFR § 1502.5 - Initiation of a hearing involving the issuance, amendment, or revocation of a regulation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Initiation of a hearing involving the issuance, amendment, or revocation of a regulation. § 1502.5 Section § 1502.5 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FEDERAL HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES ACT REGULATIONS PROCEDURES FOR FORMAL EVIDENTIARY PUBLIC HEARING Initiation of Proceedings...

16 CFR 1502.5 - Initiation of a hearing involving the issuance, amendment, or revocation of a regulation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Initiation of a hearing involving the issuance, amendment, or revocation of a regulation. 1502.5 Section 1502.5 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FEDERAL HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES ACT REGULATIONS PROCEDURES FOR FORMAL EVIDENTIARY PUBLIC HEARING Initiation of Proceedings § 150...

A Reasoned Action Model of Male Client Involvement in Commercial Sex Work in Kibera, A Large Informal Settlement in Nairobi, Kenya.

PubMed

Roth, Eric Abella; Ngugi, Elizabeth; Benoit, Cecilia; Jansson, Mikael; Hallgrimsdottir, Helga

2014-01-01

Male clients of female sex workers (FSWs) are epidemiologically important because they can form bridge groups linking high- and low-risk subpopulations. However, because male clients are hard to locate, they are not frequently studied. Recent research emphasizes searching for high-risk behavior groups in locales where new sexual partnerships form and the threat of HIV transmission is high. Sub-Saharan Africa public drinking venues satisfy these criteria. Accordingly, this study developed and implemented a rapid assessment methodology to survey men in bars throughout the large informal settlement of Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, with the goal of delineating cultural and economic rationales associated with male participation in commercial sex. The study sample consisted of 220 male patrons of 110 bars located throughout Kibera's 11 communities. Logistic regression analysis incorporating a modified Reasoned Action Model indicated that a social norm condoning commercial sex among male peers and the cultural belief that men should practice sex before marriage support commercial sex involvement. Conversely, lacking money to drink and/or pay for sexual services were barriers to male commercial sex involvement. Results are interpreted in light of possible harm reduction programs focusing on FSWs' male clients.

50 CFR 648.103 - Summer flounder accountability measures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... sector ACL to be exceeded, or if the commercial fisheries in all states have been closed. The Regional... commercial fisheries in one or more states have been reopened without causing the sector ACL to be exceeded... in that state. (1) Commercial ACL overage evaluation. The commercial sector ACL will be evaluated...

50 CFR 648.103 - Minimum fish sizes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... determines that the inaction of one or more states will cause the commercial sector ACL to be exceeded, or if... more states have been reopened without causing the sector ACL to be exceeded. (b) State commercial...) Commercial ACL overage evaluation. The commercial sector ACL will be evaluated based on a single-year...

50 CFR 648.103 - Summer flounder accountability measures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... sector ACL to be exceeded, or if the commercial fisheries in all states have been closed. The Regional... commercial fisheries in one or more states have been reopened without causing the sector ACL to be exceeded... in that state. (1) Commercial ACL overage evaluation. The commercial sector ACL will be evaluated...

50 CFR 648.103 - Summer flounder accountability measures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... sector ACL to be exceeded, or if the commercial fisheries in all states have been closed. The Regional... commercial fisheries in one or more states have been reopened without causing the sector ACL to be exceeded... in that state. (1) Commercial ACL overage evaluation. The commercial sector ACL will be evaluated...

High-pressure processing of apple juice: kinetics of pectin methyl esterase inactivation.

PubMed

Riahi, Esmaeil; Ramaswamy, Hosahalli S

2003-01-01

High-pressure (HP) inactivation kinetics of pectin methyl esterase (PME) in apple juice were evaluated. Commercial PME was dispensed in clarified apple juice, sealed in dual peel sterilizable plastic bags, and subjected to different high-pressure processing conditions (200-400 MPa, 0-180 min). Residual enzyme activity was determined by a titration method estimating the rate of free carboxyl group released by the enzyme acting on pectin substrate at pH 7.5 (30 degrees C). The effects of pressure level and pressure holding time on enzyme inactivation were significant (p < 0.05). PME from the microbial source was found to be more resistant (p < 0.05) to pressure inactivation than PME from the orange peel. Almost a full decimal reduction in the activity of commercial PME was achieved by HP treatment at 400 MPa for 25 min. Inactivation kinetics were evaluated on the basis of a dual effect model involving a pressure pulse effect and a first-order rate model, and the pressure sensitivity of rate constants was modeled by using the z-value concept.

50 CFR 648.123 - Gear restrictions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... available for landing scup for the remainder of the period. (1) Commercial ACL overage evaluation. The commercial sector ACL will be evaluated based on a single-year examination of total catch (landings and dead discards). Both landings and dead discards will be evaluated in determining if the commercial sector ACL...

78 FR 75910 - Impact of the Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) on Legitimate Commercial...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-13

... (CWC) on Legitimate Commercial Chemical, Biotechnology, and Pharmaceutical Activities Involving... legitimate commercial activities and interests of chemical, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical firms are being... Biotechnology,'' calls for the President to certify to Congress on an annual basis that ``the legitimate...

47 CFR 13.13 - Application for a renewed or modified license.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

.... 13.13 Section 13.13 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL COMMERCIAL RADIO... operator class must be filed on FCC Form 605. Each application for a commercial operator license involving... a period of 1 year. (d) Provided that a person's commercial radio operator license was not revoked...

Small wind systems field evaluation. Volume I. Program description. Final report

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

Dodge, D.M.; Liske, C.

1982-07-01

A Field Evaluation Program (FEP) was developed in 1978 to assist in the commercialization process for small wind systems. The program is described, and a description is provided of the institutional issues and barriers encountered and measures taken to assist the state and local governments in resolving them. Barriers were found to involve not only government regulations, but also the distribution of costs and benefits of wind technology and the rate of diffusion of knowledge about wind technology. The availability of capital to finance the production and purchase of wind machines, and the training of qualified dealers and service personnelmore » were also considerable problem areas. (LEW)« less

The utilization of a commercial gloss spray in stabilization of incinerated dental structures.

PubMed

Berketa, John; Fauzi, Ahmad; James, Helen; Lake, Anthony; Langlois, Neil

2015-07-01

Incinerated human remains may require dental comparison to establish identity. The remains are often fragile and minor forces can damage teeth and facial bones, disrupting anatomical relationships, and impairing the ability to compare with antemortem records. This study evaluated the ability of a commercially available gloss spray to stabilize teeth in incinerated remains. Lower anterior teeth of scavenged sheep mandibles were incinerated in a furnace at a temperature of 500 °C for 35 min. Before a series of vibration tests, the left side of each sample was treated with the spray, with the right side acting as a control. Significant retention of dental data was achieved utilizing the spray in comparison to the non-stabilized sides. This study showed that a commercial clear gloss spray did not affect the ability to document or perform radiographic assessment of restorations, and statistically improved the stability and anatomical relationships of incinerated dental remains in scavenged sheep mandibles. Commercial products, such as the one tested in this study, are readily available and could be deployed at a mass disaster situation. However, the spray should not be used if there is any suspicion that accelerants might be involved at the scene. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of U.S. Commercial-Off-the-Shelf Hand-Held Assays to Detect Opiate Pain Reliever Compounds in Multiple Biofluids

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

EVALUATION OF U.S. COMMERCIAL-OFF-THE-SHELF HAND-HELD ASSAYS TO DETECT OPIATE PAIN RELIEVER COMPOUNDS IN...Commercial-Off-the-Shelf Hand-Held Assays to Detect Opiate Pain Reliever Compounds in Multiple Biofluids 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER R...study, we evaluated the potential for several U.S. commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hand-held assays (HHAs) to detect members of the opiate pain reliever

Meat Quality Assessment by Electronic Nose (Machine Olfaction Technology)

PubMed Central

Ghasemi-Varnamkhasti, Mahdi; Mohtasebi, Seyed Saeid; Siadat, Maryam; Balasubramanian, Sundar

2009-01-01

Over the last twenty years, newly developed chemical sensor systems (so called “electronic noses”) have made odor analyses possible. These systems involve various types of electronic chemical gas sensors with partial specificity, as well as suitable statistical methods enabling the recognition of complex odors. As commercial instruments have become available, a substantial increase in research into the application of electronic noses in the evaluation of volatile compounds in food, cosmetic and other items of everyday life is observed. At present, the commercial gas sensor technologies comprise metal oxide semiconductors, metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors, organic conducting polymers, and piezoelectric crystal sensors. Further sensors based on fibreoptic, electrochemical and bi-metal principles are still in the developmental stage. Statistical analysis techniques range from simple graphical evaluation to multivariate analysis such as artificial neural network and radial basis function. The introduction of electronic noses into the area of food is envisaged for quality control, process monitoring, freshness evaluation, shelf-life investigation and authenticity assessment. Considerable work has already been carried out on meat, grains, coffee, mushrooms, cheese, sugar, fish, beer and other beverages, as well as on the odor quality evaluation of food packaging material. This paper describes the applications of these systems for meat quality assessment, where fast detection methods are essential for appropriate product management. The results suggest the possibility of using this new technology in meat handling. PMID:22454572

Calorimetric evaluation of commercial Ni-MH cells and charges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Darcy, Eric C.; Hughes, Brent M.

1995-01-01

The test objectives are to evaluate the electrical and thermal performance of commercial Ni-MH cells and to evaluate the effectiveness of commercial charge control circuits. The ultimate design objectives are to determine which cell designs are most suitable for scale-up and to guide the design of future Shuttle and Station based battery chargers.

Exploring Early Adolescents' Evaluation of Academic and Commercial Online Resources Related to Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiili, Carita; Leu, Donald J.; Marttunen, Miika; Hautala, Jarkko; Leppänen, Paavo H. T.

2018-01-01

This study assessed the ability of 426 students (ages 12-13) to critically evaluate two types of online locations on health issues: an academic resource and a commercial resource. The results indicated limited evaluation abilities, especially for the commercial resource, and only a small, partial association with prior stance and offline reading…

From Hot Wheels to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Evolution of the Definition of Program Length Commercials on Children's Television.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colby, Pamela A.

From 1969 to 1993 the definition of program length commercials has not been consistent. The FCC's first involvement with program length commercials was in 1969 when "Hot Wheels," a cartoon based on Mattel Corporation's Hot Wheels cars, was alleged to be nothing more than a 30 minute commercial. The FCC made no formal ruling but did…

A Reasoned Action Model of Male Client Involvement in Commercial Sex Work in Kibera, A Large Informal Settlement in Nairobi, Kenya

PubMed Central

Roth, Eric Abella; Ngugi, Elizabeth; Benoit, Cecilia; Jansson, Mikael; Hallgrimsdottir, Helga

2015-01-01

Male clients of female sex workers (FSWs) are epidemiologically important because they can form bridge groups linking high- and low-risk subpopulations. However, because male clients are hard to locate, they are not frequently studied. Recent research emphasizes searching for high-risk behavior groups in locales where new sexual partnerships form and the threat of HIV transmission is high. Sub-Saharan Africa public drinking venues satisfy these criteria. Accordingly, this study developed and implemented a rapid assessment methodology to survey men in bars throughout the large informal settlement of Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, with the goal of delineating cultural and economic rationales associated with male participation in commercial sex. The study sample consisted of 220 male patrons of 110 bars located throughout Kibera’s 11 communities. Logistic regression analysis incorporating a modified Reasoned Action Model indicated that a social norm condoning commercial sex among male peers and the cultural belief that men should practice sex before marriage support commercial sex involvement. Conversely, lacking money to drink and/or pay for sexual services were barriers to male commercial sex involvement. Results are interpreted in light of possible harm reduction programs focusing on FSWs’ male clients. PMID:26778847

The commercial use of satellite data to monitor the potato crop in the Columbia Basin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Waddington, George R., Jr.; Lamb, Frank G.

1990-01-01

The imaging of potato crops with satellites is described and evaluated in terms of the commercial application of the remotely sensed data. The identification and analysis of the crops is accomplished with multiple images acquired from the Landsat MSS and TM systems. The data are processed on a PC with image-procesing software which produces images of the seven 1024 x 1024 pixel windows which are subdivided into 21 512 x 512 pixel windows. Maximization of imaged data throughout the year aids in the identification of crop types by IR reflectance. The classification techniques involve the use of six or seven spectral classes for particular image dates. Comparisons with ground-truth data show good agreement; for example, potato fields are identified correctly 90 percent of the time. Acreage estimates and crop-condition assessments can be made from satellite data and used for corrective agricultural action.

Laboratory test for ice adhesion strength using commercial instrumentation.

PubMed

Wang, Chenyu; Zhang, Wei; Siva, Adarsh; Tiea, Daniel; Wynne, Kenneth J

2014-01-21

A laboratory test method for evaluating ice adhesion has been developed employing a commercially available instrument normally used for dynamic mechanical analysis (TA RSA-III). This is the first laboratory ice adhesion test that does not require a custom-built apparatus. The upper grip range of ∼10 mm is an enabling feature that is essential for the test. The method involves removal of an ice cylinder from a polymer coating with a probe and the determination of peak removal force (Ps). To validate the test method, the strength of ice adhesion was determined for a prototypical glassy polymer, poly(methyl methacrylate). The distance of the probe from the PMMA surface has been identified as a critical variable for Ps. The new test provides a readily available platform for investigating fundamental surface characteristics affecting ice adhesion. In addition to the ice release test, PMMA coatings were characterized using DSC, DCA, and TM-AFM.

Evaluation of EU legislation on blood: a bioethical point of view.

PubMed

Petrini, Carlo

2017-01-01

A review of the European Union (EU) regulations concerning blood, tissues, and cells of human origin is under way in the EU. From the ethical point of view, the non-remuneration of donations and the ban on deriving gain from human biological materials are of particular significance. While the basic ethical principles involved in the procurement, preservation, and use of these materials are the same, their practical application should be adapted to the specific context of each material. In the case of donation and use of blood, in particular, the issue of legitimate reimbursements to donors and for transfusion centers has to be managed in accordance with the principle of non-commercialization. There is also a need for strict rules to avoid possible commercial spillover effects from blood-derived products. The author proposes ethical criteria regarding reimbursements to donors, costs associated with processing, and the development (and possible marketing) of products.

Laser power beaming applications and technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burke, Robert J.; Cover, Ralph A.; Curtin, Mark S.; Dinius, R.; Lampel, Michael C.

1994-05-01

Beaming laser energy to spacecraft has important economic potential. It promises significant reduction in the cost of access to space, for commercial and government missions. While the potential payoff is attractive, existing technologies perform the same missions and the keys to market penetration for power beaming are a competitive cost and a schedule consistent with customers' plans. Rocketdyne is considering these questions in the context of a commercial enterprise -- thus, evaluation of the requirements must be done based on market assessments and recognition that significant private funding will be involved. It is in the context of top level business considerations that the technology requirements are being assessed and the program being designed. These considerations result in the essential elements of the development program. Since the free electron laser is regarded as the `long pole in the tent,' this paper summarizes Rocketdyne's approach for a timely, cost-effective program to demonstrate an FEL capable of supporting an initial operating capability.

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Cell Wall Components as Tools for Ochratoxin A Decontamination

PubMed Central

Piotrowska, Małgorzata; Masek, Anna

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall preparations in the adsorption of ochratoxin A (OTA). The study involved the use of a brewer’s yeast cell wall devoid of protein substances, glucans obtained by water and alkaline extraction, a glucan commercially available as a dietary supplement for animals and, additionally, dried brewer’s yeast for comparison. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis of the obtained preparations showed bands characteristic for glucans in the resulting spectra. The yeast cell wall preparation, water-extracted glucan and the commercial glucan bound the highest amount of ochratoxin A, above 55% of the initial concentration, and the alkaline-extracted glucan adsorbed the lowest amount of this toxin. It has been shown that adsorption is most effective at a close-to-neutral pH, while being considerably limited in alkaline conditions. PMID:25848694

(abstract) An Assessment of Electric Propulsion Research, Development, and Application in the United States

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stephenson, R. Rhoads

1995-01-01

This paper will discuss the development of Electric Propulsion technology in the U.S. from the 1960's to the present. It will summarize the various activities related to arcjets, resistojets, pulsed plasma thrustors, magneto-plasma-dynamic thrustors, ion engines, and more recently the evaluation of Hall effect thrustors of the SPT or Anode Layer type developed in Russia. Also, demonstration test flight and actual mission applications will be summarized. Finally, the future application of electric propulsion to near-term commercial communications satellites and planetary missions will be projected. This history is rich in diversity, and has involved a succession of types of thrustors, propellants, and electric power sources. With the recent use of arcjets on commercial communication satellites and the flight tests of ion engines for this application, it appears that electric propulsion is finally on the verge of wide spread application.

Advanced dexterous manipulation for IED defeat : report on the feasibility of using the ShadowHand for remote operations.

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

Anderson, Robert J.

2011-01-01

Improvised Explosive Device (IED) defeat (IEDD) operations can involve intricate operations that exceed the current capabilities of the grippers on board current bombsquad robots. The Shadow Dexterous Hand from the Shadow Robot Company or 'ShadowHand' for short (www.shadowrobot.com) is the first commercially available robot hand that realistically replicates the motion, degrees-of-freedom and dimensions of a human hand (Figure 1). In this study we evaluate the potential for the ShadowHand to perform potential IED defeat tasks on a mobile platform.

[An experimental evaluation of the efficacy of 4 types of detergents for 3 types of dyes to which workers in color-printing plants are exposed].

PubMed

Terzaghi, G F; Settimi, L; Peverelli, C; Sevosi, L; Duca, P G

1996-01-01

The efficacy of 4 commercial cleansing products was tested with 3 colouring agents widely used in the dyeing industry in a randomised double blind trail involving 8 workers each time. A between-detergents statistically significant difference was observed; the interaction (detergents x colouring agents) was significant. The efficacy of type A detergent was higher for type I-III dyers, while the efficacy of type C detergent, which widely used was lowest.

Level of evidence, sponsorship, conflict of interest policy and commercial impact of PubMed-listed clinical urolithiasis-related trials in 2014.

PubMed

Schoenthaler, Martin; Miernik, Arkadiusz; Wilhelm, Konrad; Schlager, Daniel; Schoeb, Dominik Stefan; Adams, Fabian; Dahm, Philipp; Hein, Simon

2016-05-01

To evaluate published trials on urolithiasis regarding level of evidence, type of sponsorship and declared conflicts of interest (COIs), and to elucidate a potential commercial impact. We performed a systematic PubMed(®) literature search using a predefined Boolean search term to identify PubMed-listed clinical research studies on urolithiasis in 2014 (fourth quarter). All authors screened the results for eligibility criteria and two independent reviewers evaluated and performed data extraction of predefined endpoints, including level of evidence, declaration of COI and sponsorship/funding (as indicated in the published print version), and commercial impact. A total of 110 clinical trials in urolithiasis listed in PubMed met the inclusion criteria. Levels of evidence 1, 2, 3 and 4 were found in 15%, 14%, 21% and 51% of trials, respectively. A COI was indicated in a total of 90% of publications, 93% of which declared no existing conflict of interest. Sponsorship was indicated in 36% of publications, 55% of which stated public funding, 33% institutional funding, 10% industrial funding and 2% both public and industrial funding. A total of 11% of the published trials were rated as having a high commercial impact. The present study provides evidence of increasing levels of evidence for published clinical trials on urolithiasis in 2014 (as compared with earlier data). Ninety percent of publications indicated conflicts of interest, whereas sponsoring of studies was declared only by one-third. A considerable number of trials involved issues of high commercial impact. Recently established legal programmes and voluntary acts on self-reporting of financial relationships will enhance transparency in the future; however, increased public funding will be needed to further promote the quality of trials on urolithiasis. © 2015 The Authors BJU International © 2015 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A Curriculum Evaluation Study of Commercial Art Programs in the Wisconsin Vocational, Technical and Adult Schools: Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crandall, William H.; Niesl, Joseph

A study of 2-year associate degree commercial arts programs in Wisconsin was conducted to determine the entry-level job requirements of commercial artists on a statewide basis; to identify skill tasks, performance levels, and learning experiences required of commercial artists; to evaluate the relevance of 2-year programs to industry requirements;…

Chapter 2: Commercial and Industrial Lighting Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

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

Kurnik, Charles W; Gowans, Dakers; Telarico, Chad

The Commercial and Industrial Lighting Evaluation Protocol (the protocol) describes methods to account for gross energy savings resulting from the programmatic installation of efficient lighting equipment in large populations of commercial, industrial, and other nonresidential facilities. This protocol does not address savings resulting from changes in codes and standards, or from education and training activities. A separate Uniform Methods Project (UMP) protocol, Chapter 3: Commercial and Industrial Lighting Controls Evaluation Protocol, addresses methods for evaluating savings resulting from lighting control measures such as adding time clocks, tuning energy management system commands, and adding occupancy sensors.

Application of text mining for customer evaluations in commercial banking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Jing; Du, Xiaojiang; Hao, Pengpeng; Wang, Yanbo J.

2015-07-01

Nowadays customer attrition is increasingly serious in commercial banks. To combat this problem roundly, mining customer evaluation texts is as important as mining customer structured data. In order to extract hidden information from customer evaluations, Textual Feature Selection, Classification and Association Rule Mining are necessary techniques. This paper presents all three techniques by using Chinese Word Segmentation, C5.0 and Apriori, and a set of experiments were run based on a collection of real textual data that includes 823 customer evaluations taken from a Chinese commercial bank. Results, consequent solutions, some advice for the commercial bank are given in this paper.

Use of imagery and GIS for humanitarian demining management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gentile, Jack; Gustafson, Glen C.; Kimsey, Mary; Kraenzle, Helmut; Wilson, James; Wright, Stephen

1997-11-01

In the Fall of 1996, the Center for Geographic Information Science at James Madison University became involved in a project for the Department of Defense evaluating the data needs and data management systems for humanitarian demining in the Third World. In particular, the effort focused on the information needs of demining in Cambodia and in Bosnia. In the first phase of the project one team attempted to identify all sources of unclassified country data, image data and map data. Parallel with this, another group collected information and evaluations on most of the commercial off-the-shelf computer software packages for the management of such geographic information. The result was a design for the kinds of data and the kinds of systems necessary to establish and maintain such a database as a humanitarian demining management tool. The second phase of the work involved acquiring the recommended data and systems, integrating the two, and producing a demonstration of the system. In general, the configuration involves ruggedized portable computers for field use with a greatly simplified graphical user interface, supported by a more capable central facility based on Pentium workstations and appropriate technical expertise.

Risk Perception and Communication in Commercial Reusable Launch Vehicle Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardy, Terry L.

2005-12-01

A number of inventors and entrepreneurs are currently attempting to develop and commercially operate reusable launch vehicles to carry voluntary participants into space. The operation of these launch vehicles, however, produces safety risks to the crew, to the space flight participants, and to the uninvolved public. Risk communication therefore becomes increasingly important to assure that those involved in the flight understand the risk and that those who are not directly involved understand the personal impact of RLV operations on their lives. Those involved in the launch vehicle flight may perceive risk differently from those non-participants, and these differences in perception must be understood to effectively communicate this risk. This paper summarizes existing research in risk perception and communication and applies that research to commercial reusable launch vehicle operations. Risk communication is discussed in the context of requirements of United States law for informed consent from any space flight participants on reusable suborbital launch vehicles.

Commercial potential of space-based plant research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bula, Raymond J.; Christophersen, Eric

1999-01-01

Plant research conducted in space by commercial organizations could enhance the development of plant materials having superior characteristics and unique constituents for a wide range of agricultural, industrial, and medical applications. These commercial efforts will also include terrestrial application of controlled environment technologies that reduce the time involved in making the new plant materials available in the marketplace. The International Space Station with its ability to support long duration plant experiments will be critically important to such commercial activities.

Identification of Sporopollenin as the Outer Layer of Cell Wall in Microalga Chlorella protothecoides.

PubMed

He, Xi; Dai, Junbiao; Wu, Qingyu

2016-01-01

Chlorella protothecoides has been put forth as a promising candidate for commercial biodiesel production. However, the cost of biodiesel remains much higher than diesel from fossil fuel sources, partially due to the high costs of oil extraction from algae. Here, we identified the presence of a sporopollenin layer outside the polysaccharide cell wall; this was evaluated using transmission electron microscopy, 2-aminoethanol treatment, acetolysis, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. We also performed bioinformatics analysis of the genes of the C. protothecoides genome that are likely involved in sporopollenin synthesis, secretion, and translocation, and evaluated the expression of these genes via real-time PCR. We also found that that removal of this sporopollenin layer greatly improved the efficiency of oil extraction.

Commercializing Biological Control

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LeLeu, K. L.; Young, M. A.

1973-01-01

Describes the only commercial establishment involved in biological control in Australia. The wasp Aphitis melinus, which parasitizes the insect Red Scale, is bred in large numbers and released in the citrus groves where Red Scale is causing damage to the fruit. (JR)

Comparison of methods for the extraction of DNA from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival tissues.

PubMed

Sengüven, Burcu; Baris, Emre; Oygur, Tulin; Berktas, Mehmet

2014-01-01

Discussing a protocol involving xylene-ethanol deparaffinization on slides followed by a kit-based extraction that allows for the extraction of high quality DNA from FFPE tissues. DNA was extracted from the FFPE tissues of 16 randomly selected blocks. Methods involving deparaffinization on slides or tubes, enzyme digestion overnight or for 72 hours and isolation using phenol chloroform method or a silica-based commercial kit were compared in terms of yields, concentrations and the amplifiability. The highest yield of DNA was produced from the samples that were deparaffinized on slides, digested for 72 hours and isolated with a commercial kit. Samples isolated with the phenol-chloroform method produced DNA of lower purity than the samples that were purified with kit. The samples isolated with the commercial kit resulted in better PCR amplification. Silica-based commercial kits and deparaffinized on slides should be considered for DNA extraction from FFPE.

Novel low-risk commercial sex practices in the parks of Vietnam.

PubMed

Walters, I

2003-06-01

This is a paper about a novel form of commercial sex practice recorded in Vietnam, and its implications for HIV/AIDS prevention strategies. Female commercial sex workers occupy urban parks in the evenings, offering on-site masturbation services to clients at cheap prices even by local standards. All sex acts are performed in public by workers who sit on benches, path edges or stools,often behind bicycles or open umbrellas in the quest for some semblance of privacy. Clients are local men, with only an occasional foreigner involved Many sex workers were involved, some having 15 to 20 or more clients a night. Sex workers and clients in Vietnam, a s elsewhere, operate at high risk of HIV/AIDS infection. As a service which minimizes risks, this form of commercial sex practice should perhaps be given serious consideration by policy makers and authorities for formal deployment in the fight against AIDS.

Efficacy of Candida sake CPA-1 formulation for controlling Penicillium expansum decay on pome fruit from different Mediterranean regions.

PubMed

Torres, R; Teixidó, N; Viñas, I; Mari, M; Casalini, L; Giraud, M; Usall, J

2006-11-01

The effectiveness of a formulated product of the yeast Candida sake CPA-1 for controlling postharvest diseases on pome fruits was demonstrated in laboratory, semicommercial, and commercial trials carried out in the major pome fruit producing region of the European Union. First, one wettable powder and seven liquid formulations were tested in laboratory trials that involved two varieties of apples and two varieties of pears. In all cases, an efficacy similar to that of fresh cells was demonstrated in the control of artificial Penicillium expansum infection. After these trials, the formulated product chosen for semicommercial and commercial trials was LF1, a liquid formulation that is particularly suitable for commercial applications. In semicommercial trials, LF1 showed a performance similar to fresh cells in most trials, and the population dynamics of both fresh and formulated cells were quite stable throughout the storage period. This indicates the high viability of C. sake CPA-1 in this formulation and the absence of adverse effects during the formulation of the product, which may significantly affect both its ability to grow on fruit and its antagonistic activity. We evaluated the control of natural infection after applying the formulated product in a commercial drencher in different packinghouses. A significant reduction in the incidence of diseases was observed with a recommended dose of around 10(7) CFU/ml when natural infections were greater than 1%. In general, large quantities of yeast were observed on the surface of unwounded fruits of different pome fruit cultivars. Moreover, populations of this biocontrol agent increased rapidly on fruit surfaces and remained quite stable for a long time under commercial storage conditions. Commercial practices used in packinghouses were therefore successfully applied for this formulated product.

Chronic Intake of Commercial Sweeteners Induces Changes in Feeding Behavior and Signaling Pathways Related to the Control of Appetite in BALB/c Mice.

PubMed

Barrios-Correa, Alberto A; Estrada, José A; Martel, Caroline; Olivier, Martin; López-Santiago, Rubén; Contreras, Irazú

2018-01-01

Nonnutritive sweetener use is a common practice worldwide. Although considered safe for human consumption, accumulating evidence suggests these compounds may affect metabolic homeostasis; however, there is no consensus on the role of frequent sweetener intake in appetite and weight loss. We sought to determine whether frequent intake of commercial sweeteners induces changes in the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in the brain of mice, as it is involved in the regulation of appetite and body composition. We supplemented adult BALB/c mice with sucrose, steviol glycosides (SG), or sucralose, daily, for 6 weeks. After supplementation, we evaluated body composition and expression of total and phosphorylated JAK2, STAT3, and Akt, as well as SOCS3 and ObRb, in brain tissue. Our results show that frequent intake of commercial SG decreases energy intake, adiposity, and weight gain in male animals, while increasing the expression of pJAK2 and pSTAT3 in the brain, whereas sucralose increases weight gain and pJAK2 expression in females. Our results suggest that chronic intake of commercial sweeteners elicits changes in signaling pathways that have been related to the control of appetite and energy balance in vivo , which may have relevant consequences for the nutritional state and long term health of the organism.

Programmed temperature gasification study. Final report, October 1, 1979-November 30, 1980

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

Spoon, M.J.; Gardner, M.P.; Starkovich, J.A.

An experimental, modeling and conceptual engineering analysis study has been performed to assess the feasibility of TRW's Programmed Temperature Gasification (PTG) concept for carbonizing caking coals without severe agglomeration. The concept involves control of carbonizing heating rate to maintain metaplast concentration at a level equal to or slightly below that which causes agglomeration. The experimental studies required the contruction of a novel programmed temperature, elevated pressure, hot stage video microscope for observation of coal particle changes during heating. This system was used to develop a minimum-time heating schedule capable of carbonizing the coal at elevated pressures in the presence ofmore » hydrogen without severe agglomeration. Isothermal fixed heating rate data for a series of coals were subsequently used to calibrate and verify the mathematical model for the PTG process. These results showed good correlation between experimental data and mathematical predictions. Commercial application of the PTG concept to batch, moving bed and fluid bed processing schemes was then evaluated. Based on the calibrated model programmed temperature gasification of the coal without severe agglomeration could be carried out on a commercial batch reaction in 4 to 12 minutes. The next step in development of the PTG concept for commercial application would require testing on a bench scale (3-inch diameter) gasifier coupled with a full commercial assessment to determine size and cost of various gasification units.« less

Chronic Intake of Commercial Sweeteners Induces Changes in Feeding Behavior and Signaling Pathways Related to the Control of Appetite in BALB/c Mice

PubMed Central

Barrios-Correa, Alberto A.; Martel, Caroline; Olivier, Martin; López-Santiago, Rubén

2018-01-01

Nonnutritive sweetener use is a common practice worldwide. Although considered safe for human consumption, accumulating evidence suggests these compounds may affect metabolic homeostasis; however, there is no consensus on the role of frequent sweetener intake in appetite and weight loss. We sought to determine whether frequent intake of commercial sweeteners induces changes in the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in the brain of mice, as it is involved in the regulation of appetite and body composition. We supplemented adult BALB/c mice with sucrose, steviol glycosides (SG), or sucralose, daily, for 6 weeks. After supplementation, we evaluated body composition and expression of total and phosphorylated JAK2, STAT3, and Akt, as well as SOCS3 and ObRb, in brain tissue. Our results show that frequent intake of commercial SG decreases energy intake, adiposity, and weight gain in male animals, while increasing the expression of pJAK2 and pSTAT3 in the brain, whereas sucralose increases weight gain and pJAK2 expression in females. Our results suggest that chronic intake of commercial sweeteners elicits changes in signaling pathways that have been related to the control of appetite and energy balance in vivo, which may have relevant consequences for the nutritional state and long term health of the organism. PMID:29789785

16 CFR 6.110 - Self-evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Self-evaluation. 6.110 Section 6.110 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION ORGANIZATION, PROCEDURES AND RULES OF PRACTICE ENFORCEMENT OF....110 Self-evaluation. (a) The Commission shall, by February 1, 1989, evaluate its current policies and...

16 CFR 6.110 - Self-evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Self-evaluation. 6.110 Section 6.110 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION ORGANIZATION, PROCEDURES AND RULES OF PRACTICE ENFORCEMENT OF....110 Self-evaluation. (a) The Commission shall, by February 1, 1989, evaluate its current policies and...

16 CFR 6.110 - Self-evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Self-evaluation. 6.110 Section 6.110 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION ORGANIZATION, PROCEDURES AND RULES OF PRACTICE ENFORCEMENT OF....110 Self-evaluation. (a) The Commission shall, by February 1, 1989, evaluate its current policies and...

[Significance of COI disclosure in medical research in Japan].

PubMed

Sone, Saburo

2011-11-01

In medical research, remarkable increase in collaboration with industry, public organizations such as universities, research institutions, and academic societies makes researchers to be more deeply involved with the activities of commercial entities. Activities of education and research, which are the responsibilities of academic institutions and societies, conflict with the interests of individuals associated with industrial-academic collaboration. Management of such conflict of interest (COI) is of much importance for academic institutions and societies to appropriately promote industrial-academic collaborative activities. Particularly, participation not only by healthy individuals, but also patients, is essential in the medical field as subjects of clinical research. For those involved in medical research, the deeper the level of COI with commercial entities, who are the financial or benefit provider, becomes serious, the more human rights of subjects could be violated, safety of life could be endangered, and research methods, data analysis and interpretation of results could be distorted. It is also possible that research may be unfairly evaluated or not published, even if the results are accurate, sometimes resulting in the ascertained effects of reporting bias included the overestimation of efficacy and the underestimation of safety risks of interventions. According to the COI management guideline of the Japanese Association of Medical Science (JAMS), significance of COI management is discussed.

An Approach for Assessing Development and Deployment Risks in the DOE Fuel Cycle Options Evaluation and Screening Study

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

Gehin, Jess C; Oakley, Brian; Worrall, Andrew

2015-01-01

Abstract One of the key objectives of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Energy R&D Roadmap is the development of sustainable nuclear fuel cycles that can improve natural resource utilization and provide solutions to the management of nuclear wastes. Recently, an evaluation and screening (E&S) of fuel cycle systems has been conducted to identify those options that provide the best opportunities for obtaining such improvements and also to identify the required research and development activities that can support the development of advanced fuel cycle options. In order to evaluate and screen the E&S study included nine criteria including Developmentmore » and Deployment Risk (D&DR). More specifically, this criterion was represented by the following metrics: Development time, development cost, deployment cost from prototypic validation to first-of-a-kind commercial, compatibility with the existing infrastructure, existence of regulations for the fuel cycle and familiarity with licensing, and existence of market incentives and/or barriers to commercial implementation of fuel cycle processes. Given the comprehensive nature of the study, a systematic approach was needed to determine metric data for the D&DR criterion, and is presented here. As would be expected, the Evaluation Group representing the once-through use of uranium in thermal reactors is always the highest ranked fuel cycle Evaluation Group for this D&DR criterion. Evaluation Groups that consist of once-through fuel cycles that use existing reactor types are consistently ranked very high. The highest ranked limited and continuous recycle fuel cycle Evaluation Groups are those that recycle Pu in thermal reactors. The lowest ranked fuel cycles are predominately continuous recycle single stage and multi-stage fuel cycles that involve TRU and/or U-233 recycle.« less

Commercial truck parking and other safety issues.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-10-01

Commercial truck parking is a safety issue, since trucks are involved in approximately 10% of all fatal accidents on interstates and : parkways in Kentucky. Drivers experience schedule demands and long hours on the road, yet they cannot easily determ...

Investigating RFID for Roadside Identification Involving Freight Commercial Vehicle Operators

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-01-01

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an emerging technology to track commercial vehicles. This transcript describes research that investigates the ability for RFID technologies to work in license plates. Mile markers are common fixtures on the ro...

Attention and Cognitive Bias Modification Apps: Review of the Literature and of Commercially Available Apps

PubMed Central

Ying, JiangBo; Song, Guo; Fung, Daniel SS; Smith, Helen

2018-01-01

Background Automatic processes, such as attentional biases or interpretative biases, have been purported to be responsible for several psychiatric disorders. Recent reviews have highlighted that cognitive biases may be modifiable. Advances in eHealth and mHealth have been harnessed for the delivery of cognitive bias modification. While several studies have evaluated mHealth-based bias modification intervention, no review, to our knowledge, has synthesized the evidence for it. In addition, no review has looked at commercial apps and their functionalities and methods of bias modification. A review is essential in determining whether scientifically validated apps are available commercially and the proportion of commercial apps that have been evaluated scientifically. Objective The objective of this review was primarily to determine the proportion of attention or cognitive bias modification apps that have been evaluated scientifically and secondarily to determine whether the scientifically evaluated apps were commercially available. We also sought to identify commercially available bias modification apps and determine the functionalities of these apps, the methods used for attention or cognitive bias modification, and whether these apps had been evaluated scientifically. Methods To identify apps in the published literature, we searched PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Scopus for studies published from 2000 to April 17, 2018. The search terms used were “attention bias” OR “cognitive bias” AND “smartphone” OR “smartphone application” OR “smartphone app” OR “mobile phones” OR “mobile application” OR mobile app” OR “personal digital assistant.” To identify commercial apps, we conducted a manual cross-sectional search between September 15 and 25, 2017 in the Apple iTunes and Google Play app stores. The search terms used to identify the apps were “attention bias” and “cognitive bias.” We also conducted a manual search on the apps with published evaluations. Results The effectiveness of bias modification was reported in 7 of 8 trials that we identified in the published literature. Only 1 of the 8 previously evaluated apps was commercially available. The 17 commercial apps we identified tended to use either an attention visual search or gamified task. Only 1 commercial app had been evaluated in the published literature. Conclusions This is perhaps the first review to synthesize the evidence for published mHealth attention bias apps. Our review demonstrated that evidence for mHealth attention bias apps is inconclusive, and quite a few commercial apps have not been validated scientifically. PMID:29793899

Attention and Cognitive Bias Modification Apps: Review of the Literature and of Commercially Available Apps.

PubMed

Zhang, Melvyn; Ying, JiangBo; Song, Guo; Fung, Daniel Ss; Smith, Helen

2018-05-24

Automatic processes, such as attentional biases or interpretative biases, have been purported to be responsible for several psychiatric disorders. Recent reviews have highlighted that cognitive biases may be modifiable. Advances in eHealth and mHealth have been harnessed for the delivery of cognitive bias modification. While several studies have evaluated mHealth-based bias modification intervention, no review, to our knowledge, has synthesized the evidence for it. In addition, no review has looked at commercial apps and their functionalities and methods of bias modification. A review is essential in determining whether scientifically validated apps are available commercially and the proportion of commercial apps that have been evaluated scientifically. The objective of this review was primarily to determine the proportion of attention or cognitive bias modification apps that have been evaluated scientifically and secondarily to determine whether the scientifically evaluated apps were commercially available. We also sought to identify commercially available bias modification apps and determine the functionalities of these apps, the methods used for attention or cognitive bias modification, and whether these apps had been evaluated scientifically. To identify apps in the published literature, we searched PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Scopus for studies published from 2000 to April 17, 2018. The search terms used were "attention bias" OR "cognitive bias" AND "smartphone" OR "smartphone application" OR "smartphone app" OR "mobile phones" OR "mobile application" OR mobile app" OR "personal digital assistant." To identify commercial apps, we conducted a manual cross-sectional search between September 15 and 25, 2017 in the Apple iTunes and Google Play app stores. The search terms used to identify the apps were "attention bias" and "cognitive bias." We also conducted a manual search on the apps with published evaluations. The effectiveness of bias modification was reported in 7 of 8 trials that we identified in the published literature. Only 1 of the 8 previously evaluated apps was commercially available. The 17 commercial apps we identified tended to use either an attention visual search or gamified task. Only 1 commercial app had been evaluated in the published literature. This is perhaps the first review to synthesize the evidence for published mHealth attention bias apps. Our review demonstrated that evidence for mHealth attention bias apps is inconclusive, and quite a few commercial apps have not been validated scientifically. ©Melvyn Zhang, JiangBo Ying, Guo Song, Daniel SS Fung, Helen Smith. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 24.05.2018.

16 CFR 1028.119 - Research undertaken without the intention of involving human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... involving human subjects. 1028.119 Section 1028.119 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION GENERAL PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS § 1028.119 Research undertaken without the intention of involving human subjects. In the event research is undertaken without the intention of involving human subjects...

16 CFR 1028.119 - Research undertaken without the intention of involving human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... involving human subjects. 1028.119 Section 1028.119 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION GENERAL PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS § 1028.119 Research undertaken without the intention of involving human subjects. In the event research is undertaken without the intention of involving human subjects...

Microclimate Cooling Systems: A Shipboard Evaluation of Commercial Models

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-04-01

NCTRF), under contract to the Navy SciencI Assistance Program (NSAP), evaluated the feasibility of using commercial microclimate coolin9" systems (MCS...exterior of the air distribution vest be covered with a fire-retardant material similar to the type used in this evaluation. The results of this evaluation

Space commerce in a global economy: Comparison of US and Australian approaches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stone, Barbara A.; Page, John R.

1993-01-01

The United States and Australia are among the 20 or more nations of the world having industries currently engaging in some form of space commerce. As a matter of national policy, the United States has encouraged private investment and involvement in space activities since 1984, when the Congress declared it in the best interest of the Nation that NASA '...seek and encourage to the maximum extent possible, the fullest commercial use of space.' Australia's space policy, announced in 1986, has the objective of encouraging greater involvement by industry in space research and development, and the development of commercial space activities. This paper discusses the underlying policies, current status, and prospects for the future of commercial space business activities in the two countries.

The economic value of remote sensing of earth resources from space: An ERTS overview and the value of continuity of service. Volume 4: Forestry, wildlife and rangeland

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andrews, J.; Stevenson, P.

1974-01-01

The economic value of ERS information in the resource management area of extensive use of living resources, forestry, wildlife, and rangeland, is determined. Timber and forage resources are quantitatively evaluated. It is shown that these resources have economic value in the tens of billions of dollars, but the economic benefits of improved management of the forests and rangelands are not limited to efficiency in the production of these commercial resources. Multiple-use values including watershed, wildlife, and recreation are also involved.

Microelectronic components and metallic oxide studies and applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, L., Jr.

1976-01-01

The project involved work in two basic areas: (1) Evaluation of commercial screen printable thick film conductors, resistors, thermistors and dielectrics as well as alumina substrates used in hybird microelectronics industries. Results of tests made on materials produced by seven companies are presented. (2) Experimental studies on metallic oxides of copper and vanadium, in an effort to determine their electrochemical properties in crystalline, powder mixtures and as screen printable thick films constituted the second phase of the research effort. Oxide investigations were aimed at finding possible applications of these materials as switching devices memory elements and sensors.

JACIE: A Model Partnership

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thome, Kurt; Goldberg, Mitch; Mita, Dath; Stensaas, Gregory L.

2013-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and their associates and partners, are directly responsible for establishing and leading a unique interagency team of scientists and engineers who work together to evaluate and enhance the quality remote sensing data for commercial and government use. This team is called "the Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) team". The team works together to define, prioritize, assign, and assess civil and commercial image quality and jointly sponsors an annual JACIE Civil Commercial Imagery Evaluation workshop with participation support from the remote sensing calibration and validation science community.

75 FR 11863 - Endangered Species; File No. 15135

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-12

... take threatened and endangered sea turtles for purposes of scientific research. DATES: Written... turtle bycatch. The research would involve testing modified large mesh (> 5 inches) commercial gillnets... promise for reducing sea turtle bycatch in another location. Two contracted commercial gillnet vessels...

76 FR 37344 - Technology Evaluation Process

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-27

...-NOA-0039] Technology Evaluation Process AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy... is an extension of a prior RFI seeking comment on a proposed commercial buildings technology... seeks comments and information related to a commercial buildings technology evaluation process. DOE is...

76 FR 30696 - Technology Evaluation Process

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-26

...-NOA-0039] Technology Evaluation Process AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy... (DOE) seeks comments and information related to a commercial buildings technology evaluation process... technologies for commercial buildings based on the voluntary submittal of product test data. The program would...

Male Escorts' and Male Clients' Sexual Behavior During Their Last Commercial Sexual Encounter: Comparing and Contrasting Findings from Two Online Studies.

PubMed

Grov, Christian; Rodríguez-Díaz, Carlos E; Jovet-Toledo, Gerardo G

2016-05-01

Much of what is known about commercial sexual encounters between men is based on data gathered from escorts. With few exceptions, studies have not compared male clients' reports of behavior during commercial sexual encounters with male escorts'. The present study draws from two datasets, a 2012 survey of clients (n = 495) and a 2013 survey of escorts (n = 387)--both used virtually identical measures of sexual behavior during the most recent commercial sexual encounter. For clients and escorts, the majority eschewed having sex without a condom, and kissing and oral sex were among the most common behaviors reported. Using logistic regression, both samples were compared across 15 sexual behaviors, finding significant differences in six--the escort sample had greater odds of reporting their last commercial sexual encounter involved watching the client masturbate, viewing porn, role play (dad/son, dominant/submissive), and having prior sexual experience with their commercial partner. The escort sample had lower odds of reporting that the client watched the escort masturbate, and being told partner's HIV status. In multivariable modeling, both samples did not significantly differ in reports of condomless anal sex. Male-male commercial sexual encounters appear to be involved in a wide range of sexual behaviors, many of which convey low-to-no risk of HIV transmission.

Study of industry requirements that can be fulfilled by combustion experimentation aboard space station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Priem, Richard J.

1988-01-01

The purpose of this study is to define the requirements of commercially motivated microgravity combustion experiments and the optimal way for space station to accommodate these requirements. Representatives of commercial organizations, universities and government agencies were contacted. Interest in and needs for microgravity combustion studies are identified for commercial/industrial groups involved in fire safety with terrestrial applications, fire safety with space applications, propulsion and power, industrial burners, or pollution control. From these interests and needs experiments involving: (1) no flow with solid or liquid fuels; (2) homogeneous mixtures of fuel and air; (3) low flow with solid or liquid fuels; (4) low flow with gaseous fuel; (5) high pressure combustion; and (6) special burner systems are described and space station resource requirements for each type of experiment provided. Critical technologies involving the creation of a laboratory environment and methods for combining experimental needs into one experiment in order to obtain effective use of space station are discussed. Diagnostic techniques for monitoring combustion process parameters are identified.

Automated standardization technique for an inductively-coupled plasma emission spectrometer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garbarino, John R.; Taylor, Howard E.

1982-01-01

The manifold assembly subsystem described permits real-time computer-controlled standardization and quality control of a commercial inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer. The manifold assembly consists of a branch-structured glass manifold, a series of microcomputer-controlled solenoid valves, and a reservoir for each standard. Automated standardization involves selective actuation of each solenoid valve that permits a specific mixed standard solution to be pumped to the nebulizer of the spectrometer. Quality control is based on the evaluation of results obtained for a mixed standard containing 17 analytes, that is measured periodically with unknown samples. An inaccurate standard evaluation triggers restandardization of the instrument according to a predetermined protocol. Interaction of the computer-controlled manifold assembly hardware with the spectrometer system is outlined. Evaluation of the automated standardization system with respect to reliability, simplicity, flexibility, and efficiency is compared to the manual procedure. ?? 1982.

Preliminary Dynamic Feasibility and Analysis of a Spherical, Wind-Driven (Tumbleweed), Martian Rover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flick, John J.; Toniolo, Matthew D.

2005-01-01

The process and findings are presented from a preliminary feasibility study examining the dynamics characteristics of a spherical wind-driven (or Tumbleweed) rover, which is intended for exploration of the Martian surface. The results of an initial feasibility study involving several worst-case mobility situations that a Tumbleweed rover might encounter on the surface of Mars are discussed. Additional topics include the evaluation of several commercially available analysis software packages that were examined as possible platforms for the development of a Monte Carlo Tumbleweed mission simulation tool. This evaluation lead to the development of the Mars Tumbleweed Monte Carlo Simulator (or Tumbleweed Simulator) using the Vortex physics software package from CM-Labs, Inc. Discussions regarding the development and evaluation of the Tumbleweed Simulator, as well as the results of a preliminary analysis using the tool are also presented. Finally, a brief conclusions section is presented.

Evaluation of a Participatory Ergonomics Intervention in Small Commercial Construction Firms

PubMed Central

Dale, Ann Marie; Jaegers, Lisa; Welch, Laura; Gardner, Bethany T.; Buchholz, Bryan; Weaver, Nancy; Evanoff, Bradley A.

2017-01-01

Background Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) among construction workers remain high. Participatory ergonomics (PE) interventions that engage workers and employers in reducing work injury risks have shown mixed results. Methods Eight-six workers from seven contractors participated in a PE program. A logic model guided the process evaluation and summative evaluation of short term and intermediate impacts and long term outcomes from surveys and field records. Results Process measures showed good delivery of training, high worker engagement, and low contractor participation. Workers’ knowledge improved and workers reported changes to work practices and tools used; contractor provision of appropriate equipment was low (33%). No changes were seen in symptoms or reported physical effort. Conclusions The PE program produced many worker-identified ergonomic solutions, but lacked needed support from contractors. Future interventions should engage higher levels of the construction organizational system to improve contractor involvement for reducing WMSD. PMID:27094450

The commercial evolution of the Titan program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isakowitz, Steven

1988-07-01

The present status evaluation of proprietary efforts to turn the once exclusively government-requirements-oriented Titan launch vehicle into a successful commercial competitor is divided into three phases. The first phase notes recent changes in U.S. space transportation policy and the Titan configurations evaluated for commercial feasibility. The second phase is a development history for the current vehicle's marketing organization and the right-to-use agreement for a launch site. Phase three projects the prospective marketing climate for a commercial Titan vehicle and its planned improvements.

16 CFR 1406.2 - Background.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Background. 1406.2 Section 1406.2 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT REGULATIONS COAL AND WOOD BURNING... Consumer Product Safety Commission disclose a number of incidents involving coal and wood burning...

16 CFR 1406.2 - Background.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Background. 1406.2 Section 1406.2 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT REGULATIONS COAL AND WOOD BURNING... Consumer Product Safety Commission disclose a number of incidents involving coal and wood burning...

16 CFR 1406.2 - Background.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Background. 1406.2 Section 1406.2 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT REGULATIONS COAL AND WOOD BURNING... Consumer Product Safety Commission disclose a number of incidents involving coal and wood burning...

16 CFR 1406.2 - Background.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Background. 1406.2 Section 1406.2 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT REGULATIONS COAL AND WOOD BURNING... Consumer Product Safety Commission disclose a number of incidents involving coal and wood burning...

Coal gasification systems engineering and analysis. Appendix G: Commercial design and technology evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

A technology evaluation of five coal gasifier systems (Koppers-Totzek, Texaco, Babcock and Wilcox, Lurgi and BGC/Lurgi) and procedures and criteria for evaluating competitive commercial coal gasification designs is presented. The technology evaluation is based upon the plant designs and cost estimates developed by the BDM-Mittelhauser team.

A training programme involving automatic self-transcending meditation in late-life depression: preliminary analysis of an ongoing randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Vasudev, Akshya; Arena, Amanda; Burhan, Amer M; Ionson, Emily; Hirjee, Hussein; Maldeniya, Pramudith; Wetmore, Stephen; Newman, Ronnie I

2016-03-01

Late-life depression affects 2-6% of seniors aged 60 years and above. Patients are increasingly embracing non-pharmacological therapies, many of which have not been scientifically evaluated. This study aimed to evaluate a category of meditation, automatic self-transcending meditation (ASTM), in alleviating symptoms of depression when augmenting treatment as usual (NCT02149810). The preliminary results of an ongoing single-blind randomised controlled trial comparing a training programme involving ASTM with a wait-list control indicate that a 12-week ASTM programme may lead to significantly greater reductions in depression and anxiety severity. As such, ASTM may be an effective adjunctive therapy in the treatment of late-life depression. R.I.N. is Director of Research and Health Promotion for the Art of Living Foundation, Canada and supervised the staff providing ASTM training. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

A training programme involving automatic self-transcending meditation in late-life depression: preliminary analysis of an ongoing randomised controlled trial

PubMed Central

Arena, Amanda; Burhan, Amer M.; Ionson, Emily; Hirjee, Hussein; Maldeniya, Pramudith; Wetmore, Stephen; Newman, Ronnie I.

2016-01-01

Late-life depression affects 2–6% of seniors aged 60 years and above. Patients are increasingly embracing non-pharmacological therapies, many of which have not been scientifically evaluated. This study aimed to evaluate a category of meditation, automatic self-transcending meditation (ASTM), in alleviating symptoms of depression when augmenting treatment as usual (NCT02149810). The preliminary results of an ongoing single-blind randomised controlled trial comparing a training programme involving ASTM with a wait-list control indicate that a 12-week ASTM programme may lead to significantly greater reductions in depression and anxiety severity. As such, ASTM may be an effective adjunctive therapy in the treatment of late-life depression. Declaration of interest R.I.N. is Director of Research and Health Promotion for the Art of Living Foundation, Canada and supervised the staff providing ASTM training. Copyright and usage © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence. PMID:27703774

Weight Control Intervention for Truck Drivers: The SHIFT Randomized Controlled Trial, United States

PubMed Central

Wipfli, Brad; Thompson, Sharon V.; Elliot, Diane L.; Anger, W. Kent; Bodner, Todd; Hammer, Leslie B.; Perrin, Nancy A.

2016-01-01

Objectives. To evaluate the effectiveness of the Safety and Health Involvement For Truckers (SHIFT) intervention with a randomized controlled design. Methods. The multicomponent intervention was a weight-loss competition supported with body weight and behavioral self-monitoring, computer-based training, and motivational interviewing. We evaluated intervention effectiveness with a cluster-randomized design involving 22 terminals from 5 companies in the United States in 2012 to 2014. Companies were required to provide interstate transportation services and operate at least 2 larger terminals. We randomly assigned terminals to intervention or usual practice control conditions. We assessed participating drivers (n = 452) at baseline and 6 months. Results. In an intent-to-treat analysis, the postintervention difference between groups in mean body mass index change was 1.00 kilograms per meters squared (P < .001; intervention = −0.73; control = +0.27). Behavioral changes included statistically significant improvements in fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity. Conclusions. Results establish the effectiveness of a multicomponent and remotely administered intervention for producing significant weight loss among commercial truck drivers. PMID:27463067

Weight Control Intervention for Truck Drivers: The SHIFT Randomized Controlled Trial, United States.

PubMed

Olson, Ryan; Wipfli, Brad; Thompson, Sharon V; Elliot, Diane L; Anger, W Kent; Bodner, Todd; Hammer, Leslie B; Perrin, Nancy A

2016-09-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of the Safety and Health Involvement For Truckers (SHIFT) intervention with a randomized controlled design. The multicomponent intervention was a weight-loss competition supported with body weight and behavioral self-monitoring, computer-based training, and motivational interviewing. We evaluated intervention effectiveness with a cluster-randomized design involving 22 terminals from 5 companies in the United States in 2012 to 2014. Companies were required to provide interstate transportation services and operate at least 2 larger terminals. We randomly assigned terminals to intervention or usual practice control conditions. We assessed participating drivers (n = 452) at baseline and 6 months. In an intent-to-treat analysis, the postintervention difference between groups in mean body mass index change was 1.00 kilograms per meters squared (P < .001; intervention = -0.73; control = +0.27). Behavioral changes included statistically significant improvements in fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity. Results establish the effectiveness of a multicomponent and remotely administered intervention for producing significant weight loss among commercial truck drivers.

Commercial influence and learner-perceived bias in continuing medical education.

PubMed

Steinman, Michael A; Boscardin, Christy K; Aguayo, Leslie; Baron, Robert B

2010-01-01

To directly examine the relationship between commercial support of continuing medical education (CME) and perceived bias in the content of these activities. Cross-sectional study of 213 accredited live educational programs organized by a university provider of CME from 2005 to 2007. A standard question from course evaluations was used to determine the degree to which attendees believed commercial bias was present. Binomial regression models were used to determine the association between course features that may introduce commercial bias and the extent of perceived bias at those CME activities. Mean response rate for attendee evaluations was 56% (SD 15%). Commercial support covered 20%-49% of costs for 45 (21%) educational activities, and > or = 50% of costs for 46 activities (22%). Few course participants perceived commercial bias, with a median of 97% (interquartile range 95%-99%) of respondents stating that the activity they attended was free of commercial bias. There was no association between extent of commercial support and the degree of perceived bias in CME activities. Similarly, perceived bias did not vary for 11 of 12 event characteristics evaluated as potential sources of commercial bias, or by score on a risk index designed to prospectively assess risk of commercial bias. Rates of perceived bias were low for the vast majority of CME activities in the sample and did not differ by the degree of industry support or other event characteristics. Further study is needed to determine whether commercial influence persisted in more subtle forms that were difficult for participants to detect.

16 CFR § 1028.119 - Research undertaken without the intention of involving human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... involving human subjects. § 1028.119 Section § 1028.119 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION GENERAL PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS § 1028.119 Research undertaken without the intention of involving human subjects. In the event research is undertaken without the intention of involving human...

Using spatial patterns in illegal wildlife uses to reveal connections between subsistence hunting and trade.

PubMed

Sánchez-Mercado, Ada; Asmüssen, Marianne; Rodríguez-Clark, Kathryn M; Rodríguez, Jon Paul; Jedrzejewski, Wlodzimierz

2016-12-01

Although most often considered independently, subsistence hunting, domestic trade, and international trade as components of illegal wildlife use (IWU) may be spatially correlated. Understanding how and where subsistence and commercial uses may co-occur has important implications for the design and implementation of effective conservation actions. We analyzed patterns in the joint geographical distribution of illegal commercial and subsistence use of multiple wildlife species in Venezuela and evaluated whether available data were sufficient to provide accurate estimates of the magnitude, scope, and detectability of IWU. We compiled records of illegal subsistence hunting and trade from several sources and fitted a random-forest classification model to predict the spatial distribution of IWUs. From 1969 to 2014, 404 species and 8,340,921 specimens were involved in IWU, for a mean extraction rate of 185,354 individuals/year. Birds were the most speciose group involved (248 spp.), but reptiles had the highest extraction rates (126,414 individuals/year vs. 3,133 individuals/year for birds). Eighty-eight percent of international trade records spatially overlapped with domestic trade, especially in the north and along the coast but also in western inland areas. The distribution of domestic trade was broadly distributed along roads, suggesting that domestic trade does not depend on large markets in cities. Seventeen percent of domestic trade records overlapped with subsistence hunting, but the spatial distribution of this overlap covered a much larger area than between commercial uses. Domestic trade seems to respond to demand from rural more than urban communities. Our approach will be useful for understanding how IWU works at national scales in other parts of the world. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

Economic consequences of commercial space operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stone, Barbara A.; Wood, Peter W.

1990-01-01

The potential economic benefits generated from increased industry involvement and investment in space activities and the subsequent cost implications are discussed. A historical overview of commercial industry involvement in space is given and sources of new economic growth in space are discussed. These include communications satellites, small satellites, positioning and navigation services, space transportation and infrastructure, remote sensing, and materials processing in space such as the manufacturing of protein crystals and zeolites. Macroeconomic trends and principles such as limits on technology trade, eased restrictions on international joint ventures, foreign investments in U.S. firms, and increased foreign competition are discussed. Earth observations and mapping are considered. Opportunities for private sector involvement in building space infrastructure and space transportation are highlighted.

Evaluation of TV commercials using neurophysiological responses.

PubMed

Yang, Taeyang; Lee, Do-Young; Kwak, Youngshin; Choi, Jinsook; Kim, Chajoong; Kim, Sung-Phil

2015-04-24

In recent years, neuroscientific knowledge has been applied to marketing as a novel and efficient means to comprehend the cognitive and behavioral aspects of consumers. A number of studies have attempted to evaluate media contents, especially TV commercials using various neuroimaging techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG). Yet neurophysiological examination of detailed cognitive and affective responses in viewers is still required to provide practical information to marketers. Here, this study develops a method to analyze temporal patterns of EEG data and extract affective and cognitive indices such as happiness, surprise, and attention for TV commercial evaluation. Twenty participants participated in the study. We developed the neurophysiological indices for TV commercial evaluation using classification model. Specifically, these model-based indices were customized using individual EEG features. We used a video game for developing the index of attention and four video clips for developing indices of happiness and surprise. Statistical processes including one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) and the cross validation scheme were used to select EEG features for each index. The EEG features were composed of the combinations of spectral power at selected channels from the cross validation for each individual. The Fisher's linear discriminant classifier (FLDA) was used to estimate each neurophysiological index during viewing four different TV commercials. Post hoc behavioral responses of preference, short-term memory, and recall were measured. Behavioral results showed significant differences for all preference, short-term memory rates, and recall rates between commercials, leading to a 'high-ranked' commercial group and a 'low-ranked' group (P < 0.05). Neural estimation of happiness results revealed a significant difference between the high-ranked and the low-ranked commercials in happiness index (P < 0.01). The order of rankings based on happiness and attention matched well with the order of behavioral response rankings. In the elapsed-time analysis of the highest-ranked commercial, we could point to visual and auditory semantic structures of the commercial that induced increases in the happiness index. Our results demonstrated that the neurophysiological indices developed in this study may provide a useful tool for evaluating TV commercials.

Seasat-A and the commercial ocean community

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Montgomery, D. R.; Wolff, P.

1977-01-01

The Seasat-A program has been initiated as a 'proof-of-concept' mission to evaluate the effectiveness of remotely sensing oceanology and related meteorological phenomena from a satellite platform in space utilizing sensors developed on previous space and aircraft test programs. The sensors include three active microwave sensors; a radar altimeter, a windfield scatterometer, and a synthetic aperture radar. A passive scanning multifrequency microwave radiometer, visual and infrared radiometer are also included. All weather, day-night measurements of sea surface temperature, surface wind speed/direction and sea state and directional wave spectra will be made. Two key programs are planned for data utilization with users during the mission. Foremost is a program with the commercial ocean community to test the utility of Seasat-A data and to begin the transfer of ocean remote sensing technology to the civil sector. A second program is a solicitation of investigations, led by NOAA, to involve the ocean science community in a series of scientific investigations.

Standardization of quantum key distribution and the ETSI standardization initiative ISG-QKD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Länger, Thomas; Lenhart, Gaby

2009-05-01

In recent years, quantum key distribution (QKD) has been the object of intensive research activities and of rapid progress, and it is now developing into a competitive industry with commercial products. Once QKD systems are transferred from the controlled environment of physical laboratories into a real-world environment for practical use, a number of practical security, compatibility and connectivity issues need to be resolved. In particular, comprehensive security evaluation and watertight security proofs need to be addressed to increase trust in QKD. System interoperability with existing infrastructures and applications as well as conformance with specific user requirements have to be assured. Finding common solutions to these problems involving all actors can provide an advantage for the commercialization of QKD as well as for further technological development. The ETSI industry specification group for QKD (ISG-QKD) offers a forum for creating such universally accepted standards and will promote significant leverage effects on coordination, cooperation and convergence in research, technical development and business application of QKD.

Assessment and certification of neonatal incubator sensors through an inferential neural network.

PubMed

de Araújo, José Medeiros; de Menezes, José Maria Pires; Moura de Albuquerque, Alberto Alexandre; da Mota Almeida, Otacílio; Ugulino de Araújo, Fábio Meneghetti

2013-11-15

Measurement and diagnostic systems based on electronic sensors have been increasingly essential in the standardization of hospital equipment. The technical standard IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) 60601-2-19 establishes requirements for neonatal incubators and specifies the calibration procedure and validation tests for such devices using sensors systems. This paper proposes a new procedure based on an inferential neural network to evaluate and calibrate a neonatal incubator. The proposal presents significant advantages over the standard calibration process, i.e., the number of sensors is drastically reduced, and it runs with the incubator under operation. Since the sensors used in the new calibration process are already installed in the commercial incubator, no additional hardware is necessary; and the calibration necessity can be diagnosed in real time without the presence of technical professionals in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Experimental tests involving the aforementioned calibration system are carried out in a commercial incubator in order to validate the proposal.

Assessment and Certification of Neonatal Incubator Sensors through an Inferential Neural Network

PubMed Central

de Araújo Júnior, José Medeiros; de Menezes Júnior, José Maria Pires; de Albuquerque, Alberto Alexandre Moura; Almeida, Otacílio da Mota; de Araújo, Fábio Meneghetti Ugulino

2013-01-01

Measurement and diagnostic systems based on electronic sensors have been increasingly essential in the standardization of hospital equipment. The technical standard IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) 60601-2-19 establishes requirements for neonatal incubators and specifies the calibration procedure and validation tests for such devices using sensors systems. This paper proposes a new procedure based on an inferential neural network to evaluate and calibrate a neonatal incubator. The proposal presents significant advantages over the standard calibration process, i.e., the number of sensors is drastically reduced, and it runs with the incubator under operation. Since the sensors used in the new calibration process are already installed in the commercial incubator, no additional hardware is necessary; and the calibration necessity can be diagnosed in real time without the presence of technical professionals in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Experimental tests involving the aforementioned calibration system are carried out in a commercial incubator in order to validate the proposal. PMID:24248278

A mass spectrometry method for the determination of the species of origin of gelatine in foods and pharmaceutical products.

PubMed

Grundy, H H; Reece, P; Buckley, M; Solazzo, C M; Dowle, A A; Ashford, D; Charlton, A J; Wadsley, M K; Collins, M J

2016-01-01

Gelatine is a component of a wide range of foods. It is manufactured as a by-product of the meat industry from bone and hide, mainly from bovine and porcine sources. Accurate food labelling enables consumers to make informed decisions about the food they buy. Since labelling currently relies heavily on due diligence involving a paper trail, there could be benefits in developing a reliable test method for the consumer industries in terms of the species origin of gelatine. We present a method to determine the species origin of gelatines by peptide mass spectrometry methods. An evaluative comparison is also made with ELISA and PCR technologies. Commercial gelatines were found to contain undeclared species. Furthermore, undeclared bovine peptides were observed in commercial injection matrices. This analytical method could therefore support the food industry in terms of determining the species authenticity of gelatine in foods. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of Commercial Contract Training for the Navy (Phase II) [And] Commercial Contract Training Navy Area VOTEC Support Center (AVSC) Guidelines. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Copeland, D. Robert; And Others

The two-part report describing the Phase 2 findings of a two-phase study demonstrates the utility of the commercial contract training concept for satisfying certain Navy skill training requirements. Part 1 concerns source evaluation, skill analysis and selection, contractual considerations, and comparative training capability evaluation. It…

16 CFR 1.1 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Policy. 1.1 Section 1.1 Commercial Practices... Guidance Advisory Opinions § 1.1 Policy. (a) Any person, partnership, or corporation may request advice... Commission's views, where practicable, under the following circumstances. (1) The matter involves a...

16 CFR 1.1 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Policy. 1.1 Section 1.1 Commercial Practices... Guidance Advisory Opinions § 1.1 Policy. (a) Any person, partnership, or corporation may request advice... Commission's views, where practicable, under the following circumstances. (1) The matter involves a...

Motor carrier safety : commercial vehicle registration program has kept unsafe carriers from operating, but effectiveness is difficult to measure.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-05-01

To reduce the number of crashes : involving commercial motor : carriers, the Federal Motor Carrier : Safety Administration (FMCSA) : within the Department of : Transportation orders unsafe : carriers out of service. To help : keep these carriers off ...

16 CFR 1117.9 - Prohibited acts and sanctions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Prohibited acts and sanctions. 1117.9 Section 1117.9 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT REGULATIONS REPORTING OF CHOKING INCIDENTS INVOLVING MARBLES, SMALL BALLS, LATEX BALLOONS AND OTHER SMALL...

16 CFR 1.1 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Policy. 1.1 Section 1.1 Commercial Practices... Guidance Advisory Opinions § 1.1 Policy. (a) Any person, partnership, or corporation may request advice... Commission's views, where practicable, under the following circumstances. (1) The matter involves a...

16 CFR 1.1 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Policy. 1.1 Section 1.1 Commercial Practices... Guidance Advisory Opinions § 1.1 Policy. (a) Any person, partnership, or corporation may request advice... Commission's views, where practicable, under the following circumstances. (1) The matter involves a...

HS-GC-MS Volatile compounds recovered in freshly pressed and commercial Wonderful pomegranate juices

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Consumption and production of superfruits has been increasing. Highly colored fruits often have bitter and astringent components that may make them undesirable, especially when processed. Many pomegranate volatile reports involved commercial samples, complicated isolation methods, or blending and ...

The Taste of Commercially Available Clarithromycin Oral Pharmaceutical Suspensions in the Palestinian Market: Electronic Tongue and In Vivo Evaluation

PubMed Central

Abu-Khalaf, Nawaf; Zaid, Abdel Naser; AlKilany, Alaaldin; Abu Rumaila, Basima; Al Ramahi, Rowa; Shweiki, Shrouq; Nidal, Safaa; Surakhi, Nibal

2018-01-01

Background: The taste of oral liquid dosage forms is a crucial factor that impacts paediatric patient compliance. The electronic tongue (ET) is an emerging tool that could be useful in taste assessment in order to minimize the involvement of humans in such evaluations. Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the taste of commercially available clarithromycin (CM) oral pharmaceutical suspensions in the Palestinian market. Method: Commercially available CM suspensions (the brand Klacid® and two generic K1 and K2) were assayed using the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Then, the taste of these products was assessed using alpha-astree ET. In addition, an in vivo taste assessment was conducted on paediatric patients by a hedonic panel test. Moreover, volunteering community pharmacists were asked to rank the taste of these three products according to their experience from the best to the worst. Results: All suspension products had a CM concentration not less than 98% of the label amount. The ET results coupled with the principal component analysis (PCA) showed a very clear discrimination of the samples with different distances between groups (p-values < 0.001). Suspensions were in the following order in terms of taste: Klacid® > K1 > K2. Moreover, The pattern discrimination index between (K1 and Klacid®), (K1 and K2) and (Klacid® and K2) were 8.81%, 65.75%, and 71.94%, respectively which suggests that K1 and Klacid® are the most similar preparations in terms of taste. Interestingly, these results were in excellent agreement with the pharmacist ranking and patient acceptance test. Conclusions: The evaluated preparations showed significantly different taste within the order of Klacid® > K1 > K2, as suggested by both the ET and in vivo results. Moreover, our results confirm the capability of alpha-astree ET in the taste assessment of oral suspensions and in predicting volunteer responses, which highlights its beneficial use as an in vitro taste assessment tool and as an alternative to human-based taste evaluations. PMID:29401675

Comparison of Methods for the Extraction of DNA from Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Archival Tissues

PubMed Central

Sengüven, Burcu; Baris, Emre; Oygur, Tulin; Berktas, Mehmet

2014-01-01

Aim: Discussing a protocol involving xylene-ethanol deparaffinization on slides followed by a kit-based extraction that allows for the extraction of high quality DNA from FFPE tissues. Methods: DNA was extracted from the FFPE tissues of 16 randomly selected blocks. Methods involving deparaffinization on slides or tubes, enzyme digestion overnight or for 72 hours and isolation using phenol chloroform method or a silica-based commercial kit were compared in terms of yields, concentrations and the amplifiability. Results: The highest yield of DNA was produced from the samples that were deparaffinized on slides, digested for 72 hours and isolated with a commercial kit. Samples isolated with the phenol-chloroform method produced DNA of lower purity than the samples that were purified with kit. The samples isolated with the commercial kit resulted in better PCR amplification. Conclusion: Silica-based commercial kits and deparaffinized on slides should be considered for DNA extraction from FFPE. PMID:24688314

Technology transfer and commercialization initiatives at TRI/Austin: Resources and examples

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

Matzkanin, G.A.; Dingus, M.L.

1995-12-31

Located at TRI/Austin, and operated under a Department of Defense contract, is the Nondestructive Testing Information Analysis Center (NTIAC). This is a full service Information Analysis Center sponsored by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC), although services of NTIAC are available to other government agencies, government contractors, industry and academia. The principal objective of NTIAC is to help increase the productivity of the nation`s scientists, engineers, and technical managers involved in, or requiring, nondestructive testing by providing broad information analysis services of technical excellence. TRI/Austin is actively pursuing commercialization of several products based on results from outside funded R andmore » D programs. As a small business, TRI/Austin has limited capabilities for large scale fabrication, production, marketing or distribution. Thus, part of a successful commercialization process involves making appropriate collaboration arrangements with other organizations to augment TRI/Austin`s capabilities. Brief descriptions are given here of two recent commercialization efforts at TRI/Austin.« less

Evaluating Michigan commercial vehicle enforcement strategies and facilities.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-03-01

This report documents evaluation results and recommendations for Michigan commercial vehicle : enforcement strategies and facilities. Through literature review, online survey and site visits, : enforcement strategies and facilities in other states an...

Participating in commercial space ventures: Introduction to NASA Centers for the Commercial Development of Space and the Cooperative Agreements Programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

In response to a Presidential directive, NASA has implemented a space policy which actively supports and encourages U.S. industry investment and participation in commercial space ventures. NASA's Office of Commercial Programs (OCP) has played a significant role in stimulating the growth of commercial space activity. Through a variety of programs, OCP encourages commercial interest and involvement in space endeavors by providing access to NASA resources and opportunities for the emerging space industry to reduce the technical, financial, and business risks associated with space-related activities. This manual describes NASA's Commercial Uses of Space Program and introduces participants to four major OCP Commercial programs: Technology Utilization (TU), Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Centers for the Commercial Development of Space Flight Agreement (CCDSFA), and Cooperative Agreements Programs. The objective of this manual is to assist U.S. industry identify and pursue the appropriate agreement for participation in a commercial space venture.

Proteomic evaluation of genetically modified crops: current status and challenges

PubMed Central

Gong, Chun Yan; Wang, Tai

2013-01-01

Hectares of genetically modified (GM) crops have increased exponentially since 1996, when such crops began to be commercialized. GM biotechnology, together with conventional breeding, has become the main approach to improving agronomic traits of crops. However, people are concerned about the safety of GM crops, especially GM-derived food and feed. Many efforts have been made to evaluate the unintended effects caused by the introduction of exogenous genes. “Omics” techniques have advantages over targeted analysis in evaluating such crops because of their use of high-throughput screening. Proteins are key players in gene function and are directly involved in metabolism and cellular development or have roles as toxins, antinutrients, or allergens, which are essential for human health. Thus, proteomics can be expected to become one of the most useful tools in safety assessment. This review assesses the potential of proteomics in evaluating various GM crops. We further describe the challenges in ensuring homogeneity and sensitivity in detection techniques. PMID:23471542

High resolution ultrasonic spectroscopy system for nondestructive evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, C. H.

1991-01-01

With increased demand for high resolution ultrasonic evaluation, computer based systems or work stations become essential. The ultrasonic spectroscopy method of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) was used to develop a high resolution ultrasonic inspection system supported by modern signal processing, pattern recognition, and neural network technologies. The basic system which was completed consists of a 386/20 MHz PC (IBM AT compatible), a pulser/receiver, a digital oscilloscope with serial and parallel communications to the computer, an immersion tank with motor control of X-Y axis movement, and the supporting software package, IUNDE, for interactive ultrasonic evaluation. Although the hardware components are commercially available, the software development is entirely original. By integrating signal processing, pattern recognition, maximum entropy spectral analysis, and artificial neural network functions into the system, many NDE tasks can be performed. The high resolution graphics capability provides visualization of complex NDE problems. The phase 3 efforts involve intensive marketing of the software package and collaborative work with industrial sectors.

Proteomic evaluation of genetically modified crops: current status and challenges.

PubMed

Gong, Chun Yan; Wang, Tai

2013-01-01

Hectares of genetically modified (GM) crops have increased exponentially since 1996, when such crops began to be commercialized. GM biotechnology, together with conventional breeding, has become the main approach to improving agronomic traits of crops. However, people are concerned about the safety of GM crops, especially GM-derived food and feed. Many efforts have been made to evaluate the unintended effects caused by the introduction of exogenous genes. "Omics" techniques have advantages over targeted analysis in evaluating such crops because of their use of high-throughput screening. Proteins are key players in gene function and are directly involved in metabolism and cellular development or have roles as toxins, antinutrients, or allergens, which are essential for human health. Thus, proteomics can be expected to become one of the most useful tools in safety assessment. This review assesses the potential of proteomics in evaluating various GM crops. We further describe the challenges in ensuring homogeneity and sensitivity in detection techniques.

77 FR 75145 - Impact of the Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) on Commercial Activities...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-19

... the Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) on Commercial Activities Involving ``Schedule 1'' Chemicals (Including Schedule 1 Chemicals Produced as Intermediates) Through Calendar Year... Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), through the Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act (CWCIA) and...

Commercial and Advertising Art. Performance Objectives. Intermediate Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atkinson, Floyd

Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of eight terminal objectives for an intermediate commercial and advertising art course for high school vocational students. The materials were developed for a two-semester (3 hours daily) course involving specialized classroom, shop, and practical…

16 CFR 1117.8 - Effect of reports on liability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Effect of reports on liability. 1117.8 Section 1117.8 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT REGULATIONS REPORTING OF CHOKING INCIDENTS INVOLVING MARBLES, SMALL BALLS, LATEX BALLOONS AND OTHER SMALL...

Commercial Truck/Equipment Technician. Occupational Competency Analysis Profile.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohio State Univ., Columbus. Vocational Instructional Materials Lab.

This Occupational Competency Analysis Profile (OCAP) for commercial truck and equipment technician is an employer-verified competency list that evolved from a modified DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) job analysis process involving business, industry, labor, and community agency representatives throughout Ohio. The task list of the National…

Commercial Radio as Communication.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothenbuhler, Eric W.

1996-01-01

Compares the day-to-day work routines of commercial radio with the principles of a theoretical communication model. Illuminates peculiarities of the conduct of communication by commercial radio. Discusses the application of theoretical models to the evaluation of practicing institutions. Offers assessments of commercial radio deriving from…

Analysis of Commercial Contract Training for the Marine Corps (Phase II) [And] Commercial Contract Training Marine Corps Area VOTEC Support Center (AVSC) Guidelines. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Copeland, D. Robert; And Others

The two-part report describing the Phase 2 findings of a two-phase study demonstrates the utility of the commercial contract training concept for satisfying certain Marine Corps skill training requirements. Part 1 concerns source evaluation, skill analysis and selection, contractual considerations, and comparative training capability evaluation.…

Kentucky commercial vehicle safety applications evaluation : technical report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-01-31

An advanced-technology Integrated Safety and Security Enforcement System (ISSES), now deployed at three commercial vehicle inspection sites along interstate highways in Kentucky, was evaluated from the point of view of system performance, potential e...

Why the "widespread agreement" is wrong: contesting the non-harm arguments for the prohibition of full commercial surrogacy.

PubMed

Gaffney, Peter

2009-10-01

Entering a commercial surrogacy agreement is an offence in almost all Australian jurisdictions. A 2009 Consultation Paper produced by the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General suggested that there was "widespread agreement" that commercial surrogacy should remain prohibited. The arguments most commonly raised against legalising commercial surrogacy are not harm-based; that is, they do not purport to show that any party involved is tangibly, objectively and non-consensually worse off as a result of the transaction. This would be very difficult to show. Rather, the arguments against commercial surrogacy tend to focus on non-harm considerations, including principally concerns about the commodification of life and exploitation. This article argues that there are no sound non-harm reasons for banning one form of commercial surrogacy namely full commercial surrogacy.

Profits, commercial food supplier involvement, and school vending machine snack food availability: implications for implementing the new competitive foods rule.

PubMed

Terry-McElrath, Yvonne M; Hood, Nancy E; Colabianchi, Natalie; O'Malley, Patrick M; Johnston, Lloyd D

2014-07-01

The 2013-2014 school year involved preparation for implementing the new US Department of Agriculture (USDA) competitive foods nutrition standards. An awareness of associations between commercial supplier involvement, food vending practices, and food vending item availability may assist schools in preparing for the new standards. Analyses used 2007-2012 questionnaire data from administrators of 814 middle and 801 high schools in the nationally representative Youth, Education, and Society study to examine prevalence of profit from and commercial involvement with vending machine food sales, and associations between such measures and food availability. Profits for the school district were associated with decreased low-nutrient, energy-dense (LNED) food availability and increased fruit/vegetable availability. Profits for the school and use of company suppliers were associated with increased LNED availability; company suppliers also were associated with decreased fruit/vegetable availability. Supplier "say" in vending food selection was associated with increased LNED availability and decreased fruit/vegetable availability. Results support (1) increased district involvement with school vending policies and practices, and (2) limited supplier "say" as to what items are made available in student-accessed vending machines. Schools and districts should pay close attention to which food items replace vending machine LNED foods following implementation of the new nutrition standards. © 2014, American School Health Association.

Draft Plan for Characterizing Commercial Data Products in Support of Earth Science Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryan, Robert E.; Terrie, Greg; Berglund, Judith

2006-01-01

This presentation introduces a draft plan for characterizing commercial data products for Earth science research. The general approach to the commercial product verification and validation includes focused selection of a readily available commercial remote sensing products that support Earth science research. Ongoing product verification and characterization will question whether the product meets specifications and will examine its fundamental properties, potential and limitations. Validation will encourage product evaluation for specific science research and applications. Specific commercial products included in the characterization plan include high-spatial-resolution multispectral (HSMS) imagery and LIDAR data products. Future efforts in this process will include briefing NASA headquarters and modifying plans based on feedback, increased engagement with the science community and refinement of details, coordination with commercial vendors and The Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) for HSMS satellite acquisitions, acquiring waveform LIDAR data and performing verification and validation.

Evaluation of commercial multi-drug oral fluid devices to identify 39 new amphetamine-designer drugs.

PubMed

Nieddu, Maria; Burrai, Lucia; Trignano, Claudia; Boatto, Gianpiero

2014-03-01

Recently, the diffusion on the black market of new psychoactive substances not controlled and often sold as 'legal highs', is exponentially increasing in Europe. Generally, the first analysis for these drugs involves an immunoassay screening in urine or plasma. Actually, there is growing interest in the use of oral fluid (OF) as alternative specimen over conventional biological fluids for drug testing, because of the significant advantages, as a non-invasive collection under direct observation without undue embarrassment or invasion of privacy, and a good correlation with plasma analytical data. Few assays have been developed for detection of new psychoactive compounds in biological samples, so it is important to investigate how they may or may not react in pre-existing commercial immunoassays. In this paper, two different multi-drugs oral fluid screen devices (OFDs) (Screen® Multi-Drug OFD and GIMA One Step Multi-Line Screen Test OFD) were evaluated to determine the cross-reactivity of thirty-nine new amphetamine designer drugs, including twelve substances officially recognized as illicit by italian legislation. Cross-reactivity towards most drugs analyzed was <1 in assays targeting amphetamine (AMP) or methamphetamine (MET). Only two (p-methoxyamphetamine and p-methoxymethamphetamine) of all tested amphetamines gave a positive result. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

KSC-2013-3092

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-22

HOUSTON - JSC2013e068344 - NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik gets into position in The Boeing Company's CST-100 spacecraft for a fit check evaluation at the company's Houston Product Support Center. Bresnik's fit check will help evaluate a crew's maneuverability in the spacecraft and test communications. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations. The evaluation is part of the ongoing work supporting Boeing's funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCiCap is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. To learn more about CCP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

KSC-2013-3088

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-22

HOUSTON - JSC2013e068317 - NASA astronaut Serena Aunon exits The Boeing Company's CST-100 spacecraft following a fit check evaluation at the company's Houston Product Support Center. Aunon's fit check will help evaluate a crew's maneuverability in the spacecraft and test communications. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations. The evaluation is part of the ongoing work supporting Boeing's funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCiCap is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. To learn more about CCP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

KSC-2013-3080

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-22

HOUSTON - JSC2013e068269 - NASA astronaut Serena Aunon prepares to enter The Boeing Company's CST-100 spacecraft for a fit check evaluation at the company's Houston Product Support Center. Aunon's fit check will help evaluate a crew's maneuverability in the spacecraft and test communications. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations. The evaluation is part of the ongoing work supporting Boeing's funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCiCap is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. To learn more about CCP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

KSC-2013-3091

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-22

HOUSTON - JSC2013e068333 - NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik prepares to enter The Boeing Company's CST-100 spacecraft for a fit check evaluation at the company's Houston Product Support Center. Bresnik's fit check will help evaluate a crew's maneuverability in the spacecraft and test communications. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations. The evaluation is part of the ongoing work supporting Boeing's funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCiCap is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. To learn more about CCP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

KSC-2013-3078

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-22

HOUSTON - JSC2013e068260 - NASA astronaut Serena Aunon suits up for a fit check evaluation of The Boeing Company's CST-100 spacecraft at the company's Houston Product Support Center. Aunon's fit check will help evaluate a crew's maneuverability in the spacecraft and test communications. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations. The evaluation is part of the ongoing work supporting Boeing's funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCiCap is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. To learn more about CCP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

Individual performance review in hospital practice: the development of a framework and evaluation of doctors' attitudes to its value and implementation.

PubMed

Trebble, T M; Cruickshank, L; Hockey, P M; Heyworth, N; Powell, T; Clarke, N

2013-11-01

Appraisal, or independent performance review (IPR) is used in human resources management in the commercial and public sectors to evaluate the performance of an employee against agreed local organisational expectations and objectives, and to identify their requirements for development and effective management. IPR for NHS consultants may provide essential information for job planning, contribute towards medical appraisal for revalidation, and facilitate productivity and quality improvement. To develop a framework for IPR for consultants, and to determine attitudes on its value, process and content. Information from commercial, public and voluntary sector models and published and other literature sources were used to develop an IPR framework. This was assessed through a three-cycle action research methodology involving qualitative interviews with 22 consultants (predominantly with medical management roles). The domains of the IPR framework included: (1) performance against objectives; (2) behaviour and leadership; (3) talent management; (4) agreed future objectives. A number of themes were identified from the consultant interviews including: ineffective current appraisal systems reflecting a lack of valid performance data and allotted time; a lack of empowerment of medical managers to address performance issues; IPR as a more explicit system, offering value in evaluating doctors performance; and the dependence of successful implementation on the engagement of the Trust executive. IPR may have value for performance evaluation of consultants, contributing toward job planning and complementing medical appraisal. Support by their employing organisation and engagement with medical managers in design and implementation is likely to be essential.

49 CFR 350.101 - What is the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP)?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... involving commercial motor vehicles (CMV). The goal of the MCSAP is to reduce CMV-involved accidents, fatalities, and injuries through consistent, uniform, and effective CMV safety programs. Investing grant...

49 CFR 350.101 - What is the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP)?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... involving commercial motor vehicles (CMV). The goal of the MCSAP is to reduce CMV-involved accidents, fatalities, and injuries through consistent, uniform, and effective CMV safety programs. Investing grant...

49 CFR 350.101 - What is the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP)?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... involving commercial motor vehicles (CMV). The goal of the MCSAP is to reduce CMV-involved accidents, fatalities, and injuries through consistent, uniform, and effective CMV safety programs. Investing grant...

49 CFR 350.101 - What is the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP)?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... involving commercial motor vehicles (CMV). The goal of the MCSAP is to reduce CMV-involved accidents, fatalities, and injuries through consistent, uniform, and effective CMV safety programs. Investing grant...

49 CFR 350.101 - What is the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP)?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... involving commercial motor vehicles (CMV). The goal of the MCSAP is to reduce CMV-involved accidents, fatalities, and injuries through consistent, uniform, and effective CMV safety programs. Investing grant...

Evaluation of Two Compressed Air Foam Systems for Culling Caged Layer Hens.

PubMed

Benson, Eric R; Weiher, Jaclyn A; Alphin, Robert L; Farnell, Morgan; Hougentogler, Daniel P

2018-04-24

Outbreaks of avian influenza (AI) and other highly contagious poultry diseases continue to be a concern for those involved in the poultry industry. In the situation of an outbreak, emergency depopulation of the birds involved is necessary. In this project, two compressed air foam systems (CAFS) were evaluated for mass emergency depopulation of layer hens in a manure belt equipped cage system. In both experiments, a randomized block design was used with multiple commercial layer hens treated with one of three randomly selected depopulation methods: CAFS, CAFS with CO₂ gas, and CO₂ gas. In Experiment 1, a Rowe manufactured CAFS was used, a selection of birds were instrumented, and the time to unconsciousness, brain death, altered terminal cardiac activity and motion cessation were recorded. CAFS with and without CO₂ was faster to unconsciousness, however, the other parameters were not statistically significant. In Experiment 2, a custom Hale based CAFS was used to evaluate the impact of bird age, a selection of birds were instrumented, and the time to motion cessation was recorded. The difference in time to cessation of movement between pullets and spent hens using CAFS was not statistically significant. Both CAFS depopulate caged layers, however, there was no benefit to including CO₂.

Approximate Bayesian evaluations of measurement uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Possolo, Antonio; Bodnar, Olha

2018-04-01

The Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) includes formulas that produce an estimate of a scalar output quantity that is a function of several input quantities, and an approximate evaluation of the associated standard uncertainty. This contribution presents approximate, Bayesian counterparts of those formulas for the case where the output quantity is a parameter of the joint probability distribution of the input quantities, also taking into account any information about the value of the output quantity available prior to measurement expressed in the form of a probability distribution on the set of possible values for the measurand. The approximate Bayesian estimates and uncertainty evaluations that we present have a long history and illustrious pedigree, and provide sufficiently accurate approximations in many applications, yet are very easy to implement in practice. Differently from exact Bayesian estimates, which involve either (analytical or numerical) integrations, or Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling, the approximations that we describe involve only numerical optimization and simple algebra. Therefore, they make Bayesian methods widely accessible to metrologists. We illustrate the application of the proposed techniques in several instances of measurement: isotopic ratio of silver in a commercial silver nitrate; odds of cryptosporidiosis in AIDS patients; height of a manometer column; mass fraction of chromium in a reference material; and potential-difference in a Zener voltage standard.

Impact of Commercial Support on Continuing Pharmacy Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Jayne L.; Cervero, Ronald M.; Valentine, Thomas

2006-01-01

Introduction: There is a serious debate over the involvement of the pharmaceutical industry in continuing education. Policies that govern the planning of continuing education for pharmacists center on the potential conflict of interest when there is commercial support for programs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of…

Active Student Involvement Focusing on Critical Analysis of Commercial Television.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Notar, Ellen E.; Robinson, Rhonda S.

This paper examines classroom techniques for stimulating students' critical faculties in viewing commercial television. The thrust is not only to increase critical viewing judgments, but also to heighten their knowledge of the literary elements of television. Television literacy may be developed by attention to the artistry of the television…

ECO-WALL SYSTEMS: USING RECYCLED MATERIAL IN THE DESIGN OF COMMERCIAL INTERIOR WALL SYSTEMS FOR BUILDINGS

EPA Science Inventory

This proposal describes an interdisciplinary project involving students from several academic departments at Miami University in the design of commercial wall systems to be manufactured from recycled materials. The goal of Phase I of the project is to develop and conduct prelimi...

40 CFR 725.205 - Persons who may report under this subpart.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... for Research and Development Activities § 725.205 Persons who may report under this subpart. (a) Commercial research and development activities involving new microorganisms or significant new uses of...) Commercial purposes for research and development means that the activities are conducted with the purpose of...

A Global Assessment of Stem Cell Engineering

PubMed Central

Loring, Jeanne F.; McDevitt, Todd C.; Palecek, Sean P.; Schaffer, David V.; Zandstra, Peter W.

2014-01-01

Over the last 2 years a global assessment of stem cell engineering (SCE) was conducted with the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation, the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The purpose was to gather information on the worldwide status and trends in SCE, that is, the involvement of engineers and engineering approaches in the stem cell field, both in basic research and in the translation of research into clinical applications and commercial products. The study was facilitated and managed by the World Technology Evaluation Center. The process involved site visits in both Asia and Europe, and it also included several different workshops. From this assessment, the panel concluded that there needs to be an increased role for engineers and the engineering approach. This will provide a foundation for the generation of new markets and future economic growth. To do this will require an increased investment in engineering, applied research, and commercialization as it relates to stem cell research and technology. It also will require programs that support interdisciplinary teams, new innovative mechanisms for academic–industry partnerships, and unique translational models. In addition, the global community would benefit from forming strategic partnerships between countries that can leverage existing and emerging strengths in different institutions. To implement such partnerships will require multinational grant programs with appropriate review mechanisms. PMID:24428577

A global assessment of stem cell engineering.

PubMed

Loring, Jeanne F; McDevitt, Todd C; Palecek, Sean P; Schaffer, David V; Zandstra, Peter W; Nerem, Robert M

2014-10-01

Over the last 2 years a global assessment of stem cell engineering (SCE) was conducted with the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation, the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The purpose was to gather information on the worldwide status and trends in SCE, that is, the involvement of engineers and engineering approaches in the stem cell field, both in basic research and in the translation of research into clinical applications and commercial products. The study was facilitated and managed by the World Technology Evaluation Center. The process involved site visits in both Asia and Europe, and it also included several different workshops. From this assessment, the panel concluded that there needs to be an increased role for engineers and the engineering approach. This will provide a foundation for the generation of new markets and future economic growth. To do this will require an increased investment in engineering, applied research, and commercialization as it relates to stem cell research and technology. It also will require programs that support interdisciplinary teams, new innovative mechanisms for academic-industry partnerships, and unique translational models. In addition, the global community would benefit from forming strategic partnerships between countries that can leverage existing and emerging strengths in different institutions. To implement such partnerships will require multinational grant programs with appropriate review mechanisms.

Lovastatin in Aspergillus terreus: fermented rice straw extracts interferes with methane production and gene expression in Methanobrevibacter smithii.

PubMed

Faseleh Jahromi, Mohammad; Liang, Juan Boo; Ho, Yin Wan; Mohamad, Rosfarizan; Goh, Yong Meng; Shokryazdan, Parisa; Chin, James

2013-01-01

Lovastatin, a natural byproduct of some fungi, is able to inhibit HMG-CoA (3-hydroxy-3 methyl glutaryl CoA) reductase. This is a key enzyme involved in isoprenoid synthesis and essential for cell membrane formation in methanogenic Archaea. In this paper, experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that lovastatin secreted by Aspergillus terreus in fermented rice straw extracts (FRSE) can inhibit growth and CH4 production in Methanobrevibacter smithii (a test methanogen). By HPLC analysis, 75% of the total lovastatin in FRSE was in the active hydroxyacid form, and in vitro studies confirmed that this had a stronger effect in reducing both growth and CH4 production in M. smithii compared to commercial lovastatin. Transmission electron micrographs revealed distorted morphological divisions of lovastatin- and FRSE-treated M. smithii cells, supporting its role in blocking normal cell membrane synthesis. Real-time PCR confirmed that both commercial lovastatin and FRSE increased (P < 0.01) the expression of HMG-CoA reductase gene (hmg). In addition, expressions of other gene transcripts in M. smithii. with a key involvement in methanogenesis were also affected. Experimental confirmation that CH4 production is inhibited by lovastatin in A. terreus-fermented rice straw paves the way for its evaluation as a feed additive for mitigating CH4 production in ruminants.

SPRT Calibration Uncertainties and Internal Quality Control at a Commercial SPRT Calibration Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiandt, T. J.

2008-06-01

The Hart Scientific Division of the Fluke Corporation operates two accredited standard platinum resistance thermometer (SPRT) calibration facilities, one at the Hart Scientific factory in Utah, USA, and the other at a service facility in Norwich, UK. The US facility is accredited through National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP), and the UK facility is accredited through UKAS. Both provide SPRT calibrations using similar equipment and procedures, and at similar levels of uncertainty. These uncertainties are among the lowest available commercially. To achieve and maintain low uncertainties, it is required that the calibration procedures be thorough and optimized. However, to minimize customer downtime, it is also important that the instruments be calibrated in a timely manner and returned to the customer. Consequently, subjecting the instrument to repeated calibrations or extensive repeated measurements is not a viable approach. Additionally, these laboratories provide SPRT calibration services involving a wide variety of SPRT designs. These designs behave differently, yet predictably, when subjected to calibration measurements. To this end, an evaluation strategy involving both statistical process control and internal consistency measures is utilized to provide confidence in both the instrument calibration and the calibration process. This article describes the calibration facilities, procedure, uncertainty analysis, and internal quality assurance measures employed in the calibration of SPRTs. Data will be reviewed and generalities will be presented. Finally, challenges and considerations for future improvements will be discussed.

Lovastatin in Aspergillus terreus: Fermented Rice Straw Extracts Interferes with Methane Production and Gene Expression in Methanobrevibacter smithii

PubMed Central

Liang, Juan Boo; Ho, Yin Wan; Mohamad, Rosfarizan; Goh, Yong Meng; Shokryazdan, Parisa; Chin, James

2013-01-01

Lovastatin, a natural byproduct of some fungi, is able to inhibit HMG-CoA (3-hydroxy-3methyl glutaryl CoA) reductase. This is a key enzyme involved in isoprenoid synthesis and essential for cell membrane formation in methanogenic Archaea. In this paper, experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that lovastatin secreted by Aspergillus terreus in fermented rice straw extracts (FRSE) can inhibit growth and CH4 production in Methanobrevibacter smithii (a test methanogen). By HPLC analysis, 75% of the total lovastatin in FRSE was in the active hydroxyacid form, and in vitro studies confirmed that this had a stronger effect in reducing both growth and CH4 production in M. smithii compared to commercial lovastatin. Transmission electron micrographs revealed distorted morphological divisions of lovastatin- and FRSE-treated M. smithii cells, supporting its role in blocking normal cell membrane synthesis. Real-time PCR confirmed that both commercial lovastatin and FRSE increased (P < 0.01) the expression of HMG-CoA reductase gene (hmg). In addition, expressions of other gene transcripts in M. smithii. with a key involvement in methanogenesis were also affected. Experimental confirmation that CH4 production is inhibited by lovastatin in A. terreus-fermented rice straw paves the way for its evaluation as a feed additive for mitigating CH4 production in ruminants. PMID:23710454

A semi-analytical refrigeration cycle modelling approach for a heat pump hot water heater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panaras, G.; Mathioulakis, E.; Belessiotis, V.

2018-04-01

The use of heat pump systems in applications like the production of hot water or space heating makes important the modelling of the processes for the evaluation of the performance of existing systems, as well as for design purposes. The proposed semi-analytical model offers the opportunity to estimate the performance of a heat pump system producing hot water, without using detailed geometrical or any performance data. This is important, as for many commercial systems the type and characteristics of the involved subcomponents can hardly be detected, thus not allowing the implementation of more analytical approaches or the exploitation of the manufacturers' catalogue performance data. The analysis copes with the issues related with the development of the models of the subcomponents involved in the studied system. Issues not discussed thoroughly in the existing literature, as the refrigerant mass inventory in the case an accumulator is present, are examined effectively.

Facile preparation of bioactive seco-guaianolides and guaianolides from Artemisia gorgonum and evaluation of their phytotoxicity.

PubMed

Macías, Francisco A; Santana, Alejandro; Yamahata, Azusa; Varela, Rosa M; Fronczek, Frank R; Molinillo, José M G

2012-11-26

Commercially available santonin was used to synthesize seven sesquiterpene lactones using a facile strategy that involved a high-yielding photochemical reaction. Three natural products from Artemisia gorgonum were synthesized in good yields, and in the case of two compounds, absolute configurations were determined from X-ray quality crystals. The structures previously reported for these compounds were revised. Sesquiterpene lactones were tested using the etiolated wheat coleoptile bioassay, and the most active compounds were assayed in standard target species. seco-Guaianolide (4) showed higher phytotoxic activities than the known herbicide Logran. This high activity could be due to the presence of a cyclopentenedione ring. These results suggest that compound 4 should be involved in defense of A. gorgorum, displaying a wide range of activities that allow proposing them as new leads for development of a natural herbicide model with a seco-guaianolide skeleton.

Validity and reliability of the abdominal test and evaluation systems tool (ABTEST) to accurately measure abdominal force.

PubMed

Glenn, Jordan M; Galey, Madeline; Edwards, Abigail; Rickert, Bradley; Washington, Tyrone A

2015-07-01

Ability to generate force from the core musculature is a critical factor for sports and general activities with insufficiencies predisposing individuals to injury. This study evaluated isometric force production as a valid and reliable method of assessing abdominal force using the abdominal test and evaluation systems tool (ABTEST). Secondary analysis estimated 1-repetition maximum on commercially available abdominal machine compared to maximum force and average power on ABTEST system. This study utilized test-retest reliability and comparative analysis for validity. Reliability was measured using test-retest design on ABTEST. Validity was measured via comparison to estimated 1-repetition maximum on a commercially available abdominal device. Participants applied isometric, abdominal force against a transducer and muscular activation was evaluated measuring normalized electromyographic activity at the rectus-abdominus, rectus-femoris, and erector-spinae. Test, re-test force production on ABTEST was significantly correlated (r=0.84; p<0.001). Mean electromyographic activity for the rectus-abdominus (72.93% and 75.66%), rectus-femoris (6.59% and 6.51%), and erector-spinae (6.82% and 5.48%) were observed for trial-1 and trial-2, respectively. Significant correlations for the estimated 1-repetition maximum were found for average power (r=0.70, p=0.002) and maximum force (r=0.72, p<0.001). Data indicate the ABTEST can accurately measure rectus-abdominus force isolated from hip-flexor involvement. Negligible activation of erector-spinae substantiates little subjective effort among participants in the lower back. Results suggest ABTEST is a valid and reliable method of evaluating abdominal force. Copyright © 2014 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of components, subsystems, and networks for high rate, high frequency space communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerczewski, Robert J.; Ivancic, William D.; Zuzek, John E.

1991-01-01

The development of new space communications technologies by NASA has included both commercial applications and space science requirements. NASA's Systems Integration, Test and Evaluation (SITE) Space Communication System Simulator is a hardware based laboratory simulator for evaluating space communications technologies at the component, subsystem, system, and network level, geared toward high frequency, high data rate systems. The SITE facility is well-suited for evaluation of the new technologies required for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) and advanced commercial systems. Described here are the technology developments and evaluation requirements for current and planned commercial and space science programs. Also examined are the capabilities of SITE, the past, present and planned future configurations of the SITE facility, and applications of SITE to evaluation of SEI technology.

A study of factors related to commercial space platform services

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hosenball, S. N.

1986-01-01

In the past four years, the issue of the commercial development of space has come to the forefront of the U. S. national space policy. Though the Administration, Congress and NASA have all shown strong support for encouraging the private sector to become more actively involved in the commercial utilization of space, the question remains whether they must do more to foster the creation and development of a viable U. S. commercial space industry. Marketing aspects, insurance and risk loss, tax related factors, space transportation, termination liability, institutional barriers, and procurement laws and regulations are discussed.

Impending conservation crisis for Southeast Asian amphibians.

PubMed

Rowley, Jodi; Brown, Rafe; Bain, Raoul; Kusrini, Mirza; Inger, Robert; Stuart, Bryan; Wogan, Guin; Thy, Neang; Chan-Ard, Tanya; Trung, Cao Tien; Diesmos, Arvin; Iskandar, Djoko T; Lau, Michael; Ming, Leong Tzi; Makchai, Sunchai; Truong, Nguyen Quang; Phimmachak, Somphouthone

2010-06-23

With an understudied amphibian fauna, the highest deforestation rate on the planet and high harvesting pressures, Southeast Asian amphibians are facing a conservation crisis. Owing to the overriding threat of habitat loss, the most critical conservation action required is the identification and strict protection of habitat assessed as having high amphibian species diversity and/or representing distinctive regional amphibian faunas. Long-term population monitoring, enhanced survey efforts, collection of basic biological and ecological information, continued taxonomic research and evaluation of the impact of commercial trade for food, medicine and pets are also needed. Strong involvement of regional stakeholders, students and professionals is essential to accomplish these actions.

From Powders to Dense Metal Parts: Characterization of a Commercial AlSiMg Alloy Processed through Direct Metal Laser Sintering

PubMed Central

Manfredi, Diego; Calignano, Flaviana; Krishnan, Manickavasagam; Canali, Riccardo; Ambrosio, Elisa Paola; Atzeni, Eleonora

2013-01-01

In this paper, a characterization of an AlSiMg alloy processed by direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) is presented, from the analysis of the starting powders, in terms of size, morphology and chemical composition, through to the evaluation of mechanical and microstructural properties of specimens built along different orientations parallel and perpendicular to the powder deposition plane. With respect to a similar aluminum alloy as-fabricated, a higher yield strength of about 40% due to the very fine microstructure, closely related to the mechanisms involved in this additive process is observed. PMID:28809344

From Powders to Dense Metal Parts: Characterization of a Commercial AlSiMg Alloy Processed through Direct Metal Laser Sintering.

PubMed

Manfredi, Diego; Calignano, Flaviana; Krishnan, Manickavasagam; Canali, Riccardo; Ambrosio, Elisa Paola; Atzeni, Eleonora

2013-03-06

In this paper, a characterization of an AlSiMg alloy processed by direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) is presented, from the analysis of the starting powders, in terms of size, morphology and chemical composition, through to the evaluation of mechanical and microstructural properties of specimens built along different orientations parallel and perpendicular to the powder deposition plane. With respect to a similar aluminum alloy as-fabricated, a higher yield strength of about 40% due to the very fine microstructure, closely related to the mechanisms involved in this additive process is observed.

Impending conservation crisis for Southeast Asian amphibians

PubMed Central

Rowley, Jodi; Brown, Rafe; Bain, Raoul; Kusrini, Mirza; Inger, Robert; Stuart, Bryan; Wogan, Guin; Thy, Neang; Chan-ard, Tanya; Trung, Cao Tien; Diesmos, Arvin; Iskandar, Djoko T.; Lau, Michael; Ming, Leong Tzi; Makchai, Sunchai; Truong, Nguyen Quang; Phimmachak, Somphouthone

2010-01-01

With an understudied amphibian fauna, the highest deforestation rate on the planet and high harvesting pressures, Southeast Asian amphibians are facing a conservation crisis. Owing to the overriding threat of habitat loss, the most critical conservation action required is the identification and strict protection of habitat assessed as having high amphibian species diversity and/or representing distinctive regional amphibian faunas. Long-term population monitoring, enhanced survey efforts, collection of basic biological and ecological information, continued taxonomic research and evaluation of the impact of commercial trade for food, medicine and pets are also needed. Strong involvement of regional stakeholders, students and professionals is essential to accomplish these actions. PMID:20007165

PCF-based Fabry-Perot interferometric sensor for strain measurement under high-temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Ming; Tang, Chang-Ping; Zhu, Tao; Rao, Yun-Jiang

2011-05-01

We report a simple and robust all-fiber in-line Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) with bubble cavity, which is fabricated by directly splicing a mutimode photonic crystal fiber to a conventional single mode fiber by using a commercial splicer. The fabrication process only involves fusion splicing and cleaving. The high-temperature strain characteristic of such a device is evaluated and experimental results shows that this FPI can be used as an ideal sensor for precise strain measurement under high temperatures of up to 750°C. Therefore, such a FPI sensor may find important applications in aeronautics or metallurgy areas.

16 CFR 1028.123 - Early termination of research support: Evaluation of applications and proposals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Early termination of research support: Evaluation of applications and proposals. 1028.123 Section 1028.123 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT...: Evaluation of applications and proposals. (a) The department or agency head may require that department or...

16 CFR 1028.120 - Evaluation and disposition of applications and proposals for research to be conducted or...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Evaluation and disposition of applications... Section 1028.120 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION GENERAL PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS § 1028.120 Evaluation and disposition of applications and proposals for research to be conducted...

Commercial cellulases and hemicellulase performance towards oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) hydrolysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdul Fattah, S. S.; Mohamed, R.; Jahim, J. M.; Illias, R. M.; Abu Bakar, F. D.; Murad, A. M. A.

2016-11-01

In this work, commercial cellulases and hemicellulases were evaluated for their hydrolytic activity towards pretreated oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB). A total of three commercial cellulase preparations, Novozyme Celluclast®, Novozyme Cellic®Ctec, Dupont Accellerase®1500, and a commercial hemicellulase preparation, Novozyme Cellic®Htec, were evaluated. The assays were performed either using the cellulase alone or cellulase in combination with the hemicellulase, formulated at different enzyme activity ratios. Among the three cellulases, the Novozyme Cellic®Ctec yielded the highest reducing sugars, whereby 32.9% hydrolysis yield of OPEFB was achieved. The addition of the commercial hemicellulase to Celluclast® and Accellerase®1500 enhanced OPEFB hydrolysis. However, the addition of the hemicellulase to Cellic®Ctec, failed to enhance the production of the reducing sugars. Nevertheless, the amount of reducing sugars produced using Cellic®Ctec alone was the highest when compared to other enzyme combinations. It can be concluded that among the three commercial cellulases evaluated, the Novozyme Cellic®Ctec is the best enzyme for OPEFB hydrolysis.

Has computational creativity successfully made it "Beyond the Fence" in musical theatre?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordanous, Anna

2017-10-01

A significant test for software is to task it with replicating human performance, as done recently with creative software and the commercial project Beyond the Fence (undertaken for a television documentary Computer Says Show). The remit of this project was to use computer software as much as possible to produce "the world's first computer-generated musical". Several creative systems were used to generate this musical, which was performed in London's West End in 2016. This paper considers the challenge of evaluating this project. Current computational creativity evaluation methods are ill-suited to evaluating projects that involve creative input from multiple systems and people. Following recent inspiration within computational creativity research from interaction design, here the DECIDE evaluation framework is applied to evaluate the Beyond the Fence project. Evaluation finds that the project was reasonably successful at achieving the task of using computational generation to produce a credible musical. Lessons have been learned for future computational creativity projects though, particularly for affording creative software more agency and enabling software to interact with other creative partners. Upon reflection, the DECIDE framework emerges as a useful evaluation "checklist" (if not a tangible operational methodology) for evaluating multiple creative systems participating in a creative task.

Estimating Commercial Truck VMT of Interstate Motor Carriers: Data Evaluation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1989-11-01

The objectives of this study were to document and evaluate existing data sources and procedures that estimate the VMT (vehicle miles traveled) of commercial vehicles operating in interstate commerce; to recommend and develop the best procedures that ...

Does a Foreign Accent Sell? The Effect of Foreign Accents in Radio Commercials for Congruent and Non-Congruent Products

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hendriks, Berna; van Meurs, Frank; van der Meij, Els

2015-01-01

Commercials regularly feature foreign accents. This paper aims to investigate whether the use of foreign accents in radio commercials is more effective for congruent than incongruent products, and whether foreign-accented commercials are evaluated differently than non-accented commercials. In an experiment, a group of 228 Dutch participants rated…

An assessment of commercial motor vehicle driver distraction using naturalistic driving data.

PubMed

Hickman, Jeffrey S; Hanowski, Richard J

2012-01-01

This study analyzed naturalistic driving data from commercial trucks (3-axle and tractor-trailer/tanker) and buses (transit and motorcoach) during a 3-month period. The data set contained 183 commercial truck and bus fleets comprising 13,306 vehicles and included 1085 crashes, 8375 near crashes, 30,661 crash-relevant conflicts, and 211,171 baseline events. Study results documented the prevalence of tertiary tasks and the risks associated with performing these tasks while driving. Results indicated the odds of involvement in a safety-critical event differed as a function of performing different cell phone-related subtasks while driving. Although the odds ratio for talking/listening on a cell phone while driving was found to not significantly increase the likelihood of involvement in a safety-critical event, other cell phone subtasks (e.g., texting, dialing, reaching) were found to significantly increase the odds of involvement in a safety-critical event. The results suggest that cell phone use while driving should not be considered a simple dichotomous task (yes/no). Consideration should instead be made for a set of discrete cell phone subtasks that are each associated with varying levels of risk. Several hypotheses are presented to explain why cell phone use while driving was found to not increase the likelihood of involvement in a safety-critical event.

Robotic control and inspection verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Virgil Leon

1991-01-01

Three areas of possible commercialization involving robots at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) are discussed: a six degree-of-freedom target tracking system for remote umbilical operations; an intelligent torque sensing end effector for operating hand valves in hazardous locations; and an automatic radiator inspection device, a 13 by 65 foot robotic mechanism involving completely redundant motors, drives, and controls. Aspects concerning the first two innovations can be integrated to enable robots or teleoperators to perform tasks involving orientation and panal actuation operations that can be done with existing technology rather than waiting for telerobots to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) to perform 'smart' autonomous operations. The third robot involves the application of complete control hardware redundancy to enable performance of work over and near expensive Space Shuttle hardware. The consumer marketplace may wish to explore commercialization of similiar component redundancy techniques for applications when a robot would not normally be used because of reliability concerns.

Managing a Safe and Successful Multi-User Spaceport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dacko, Taylor; Ketterer, Kirk; Meade, Phillip

2016-01-01

Encouraged by the creation of the Office of Commercial Space Transportation within the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 1984 and the Commercial Space Act of 1998, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) now relies on an extensive network of support from commercial companies and organizations. At NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), this collaboration opens competitive opportunities for launch providers, including repurposing underutilized Shuttle Program resources, constructing new facilities, and utilizing center services and laboratories. The resulting multi-user spaceport fosters diverse activity, though it engenders risk from hazards associated with various spaceflight processing activities. The KSC Safety & Mission Assurance (S&MA) Directorate, in coordination with the center's Spaceport Integration and Center Planning & Development organizations, has developed a novel approach to protect NASA's workforce, critical assets, and the public from hazardous, space-related activity associated with KSC's multi-user spaceport. For NASA KSC S&MA, the transformation to a multi-user spaceport required implementing methods to foster safe and successful commercial activity while resolving challenges involving: Retirement of the Space Shuttle program; Co-location of multiple NASA programs; Relationships between the NASA programs; Complex relationships between NASA programs and commercial partner operations in exclusive-use facilities; Complex relationships between NASA programs and commercial partner operations in shared-use facilities. NASA KSC S&MA challenges were met with long-term planning and solutions involving cooperation with the Spaceport Integration and Services Directorate. This directorate is responsible for managing active commercial partnerships with customer advocacy and services management, providing a dedicated and consistent level of support to a wide array of commercial operations. This paper explores these solutions, their relevance to the current commercial space industry, and the challenges that continue to drive improvement with a focus on areas of safety management and risk assessment that have been crucial in KSC's evolution into a multi-user spaceport. These solutions may be useful to government entities and private companies looking to partner with the commercial space industry.

Evaluation of Liquid Fuel Spray Models for Hybrid RANS/LES and DLES Prediction of Turbulent Reactive Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afshar, Ali

An evaluation of Lagrangian-based, discrete-phase models for multi-component liquid sprays encountered in the combustors of gas turbine engines is considered. In particular, the spray modeling capabilities of the commercial software, ANSYS Fluent, was evaluated. Spray modeling was performed for various cold flow validation cases. These validation cases include a liquid jet in a cross-flow, an airblast atomizer, and a high shear fuel nozzle. Droplet properties including velocity and diameter were investigated and compared with previous experimental and numerical results. Different primary and secondary breakup models were evaluated in this thesis. The secondary breakup models investigated include the Taylor analogy breakup (TAB) model, the wave model, the Kelvin-Helmholtz Rayleigh-Taylor model (KHRT), and the Stochastic secondary droplet (SSD) approach. The modeling of fuel sprays requires a proper treatment for the turbulence. Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS), large eddy simulation (LES), hybrid RANS/LES, and dynamic LES (DLES) were also considered for the turbulent flows involving sprays. The spray and turbulence models were evaluated using the available benchmark experimental data.

AGRI Grain Power ethanol-for-fuel project feasibility-study report. Volume I. Project conceptual design

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

Not Available

1981-04-01

The AGRI GRAIN POWER (AGP) Project, hereafter referred to as the Project, was formed to evaluate the commercial viability and assess the desireability of implementing a large grain based grass-roots anhydrous ethanol fuel project to be sited near Des Moines, Iowa. This report presents the results of a Project feasibility evaluation. The Project concept is based on involving a very strong managerial, financial and technical joint venture that is extremely expert in all facets of planning and implementing a large ethanol project; on locating the ethanol project at a highly desireable site; on utilizing a proven ethanol process; and onmore » developing a Project that is well suited to market requirements, resource availability and competitive factors. The Project conceptual design is presented in this volume.« less

An evaluation of multi-probe locality sensitive hashing for computing similarities over web-scale query logs.

PubMed

Cormode, Graham; Dasgupta, Anirban; Goyal, Amit; Lee, Chi Hoon

2018-01-01

Many modern applications of AI such as web search, mobile browsing, image processing, and natural language processing rely on finding similar items from a large database of complex objects. Due to the very large scale of data involved (e.g., users' queries from commercial search engines), computing such near or nearest neighbors is a non-trivial task, as the computational cost grows significantly with the number of items. To address this challenge, we adopt Locality Sensitive Hashing (a.k.a, LSH) methods and evaluate four variants in a distributed computing environment (specifically, Hadoop). We identify several optimizations which improve performance, suitable for deployment in very large scale settings. The experimental results demonstrate our variants of LSH achieve the robust performance with better recall compared with "vanilla" LSH, even when using the same amount of space.

Geological Carbon Sequestration in the Ohio River Valley: An Evaluation of Possible Target Formations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalton, T. A.; Daniels, J. J.

2009-12-01

The development of geological carbon sequestration within the Ohio River Valley is of major interest to the national electricity and coal industries because the Valley is home to a heavy concentration of coal-burning electricity generation plants and the infrastructure is impossible to eliminate in the short-term. It has been determined by Ohio's politicians and citizenry that the continued use of coal in this region until alternative energy supplies are available will be necessary over the next few years. Geologic sequestration is the only possible means of keeping the CO2 out of the atmosphere in the region. The cost of the sequestration effort greatly decreases CO2 emissions by sequestering CO2 directly on site of these plants, or by minimizing the distance between fossil-fueled generation and sequestration (i.e., by eliminating the cost of transportation of supercritical CO2 from plant to sequestration site). Thus, the practicality of CO2 geologic sequestration within the Ohio River Valley is central to the development of such a commercial effort. Though extensive work has been done by the Regional Partnerships of the DOE/NETL in the characterization of general areas for carbon sequestration throughout the nation, few projects have narrowed their focus into a single geologic region in order to evaluate the sites of greatest commercial potential. As an undergraduate of the Earth Sciences at Ohio State, I have engaged in thorough research to obtain a detailed understanding of the geology of the Ohio River Valley and its potential for commercial-scale carbon sequestration. Through this research, I have been able to offer an estimate of the areas of greatest interest for CO2 geologic sequestration. This research has involved petrological, mineralogical, geochemical, and geophysical analyses of four major reservoir formations within Ohio—the Rose Run, the Copper Ridge, the Clinton, and the Oriskany—along with an evaluation of the possible effects of injection into these saline reservoirs.

NASA's Commercial Space Centers: Bringing Together Government and Industry for "Out of this World" Benefits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, R. Keith; Henderson, Robin N. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is making significant effort to accommodate commercial research in the utilization plans of the International Space Station (ISS)[1]. NASA is providing 30% of the research accommodations in the ISS laboratory modules to support commercial endeavors. However, the availability of resources alone does not necessarily translate into significant private sector participation in NASA's ISS utilization plans. Due to the efforts of NASA's Commercial Space Centers (CSC's), NASA has developed a very robust plan for involving the private sector in ISS utilization activities. Obtaining participation from the private sector requires a demonstrated capability for obtaining commercially significant research results. Since 1985, NASA CSC's have conducted over 200 commercial research activities aboard parabolic aircraft, sounding rockets, the Space Shuttle, and the ISS. The success of these activities has developed substantial investment from private sector companies in commercial space research.

Space station needs, attributes, and architectural options: Commercial opportunities in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolbers, H. L., Jr.

1983-01-01

The roles of government and industry in the commercialization of space are examined and an approach for stimulating the interests of potential users is described. Several illustrative examples of potential commercial developments are presented. The role of manned space systems in space commercialization is discussed as well as some of the issues and opportunities that are likely to be encountered in the commercial exploitation of the unique characteristics of space. Results suggest that interest in space facilities can be found among a number of commercially oriented users. In order to develop and maintain the involvement of these potential users, however, space demonstrations are required, and commercial growth or evolution depends on the results of the initial in situ experience. Manned facilities are required for the conceptual research and development phases and for maintenance and servicing operations during production or operational missions. Space facilities must be easily accessible by dependable and regularly scheduled means.

KSC-2013-3076

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-22

HOUSTON - NASA astronaut Serena Aunon puts on her orange launch-and-entry suit for a fit check evaluation of The Boeing Company's CST-100 spacecraft at the company's Houston Product Support Center. Aunon's fit check will help evaluate a crew's maneuverability in the spacecraft and test communications. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations. The evaluation is part of the ongoing work supporting Boeing's funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCiCap is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. To learn more about CCP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

KSC-2013-3090

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-22

HOUSTON - JSC2013e068329 - NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik is interviewed by the media before he enters The Boeing Company's CST-100 spacecraft for a fit check evaluation at the company's Houston Product Support Center. Bresnik's fit check will help evaluate a crew's maneuverability in the spacecraft and test communications. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations. The evaluation is part of the ongoing work supporting Boeing's funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCiCap is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. To learn more about CCP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

KSC-2013-3079

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-22

HOUSTON - JSC2013e068264 - NASA astronaut Serena Aunon's boots are covered before she enters The Boeing Company's CST-100 spacecraft for a fit check evaluation at the company's Houston Product Support Center. Aunon's fit check will help evaluate a crew's maneuverability in the spacecraft and test communications. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations. The evaluation is part of the ongoing work supporting Boeing's funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCiCap is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. To learn more about CCP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

Evaluation of Cariogenic Bacteria

PubMed Central

Nishikawara, Fusao; Nomura, Yoshiaki; Imai, Susumu; Senda, Akira; Hanada, Nobuhiro

2007-01-01

Objectives The evaluation of Mutans streptococci (MS) is one of the index for caries risk. DentocultTM and CRTTM are commercial kits to detect and evaluate MS, conveniently. However, the evaluation of MS has also been carried out simply using an instruction manual. But the instruction manual is not easy to use for evaluation of MS. The aim of this study was to examine the utility of modified Mitis-Salivalius Bacitracin (MSB) agar medium compared with MSB agar medium and commercial kits, and to establish a convenient kit (mMSB-kit) using modified MSB agar. Methods The MS in stimulated saliva from 27 subjects were detected by MSB, modified MSB agar medium and commercial kits. Laboratory and clinically isolated strains of MS were similarly evaluated. The ratios of MS in detected bacteria were compared by ELISA. Results The scores using an mMSB-kit on the basis of modified MSB agar medium were tabulated. Saliva samples showed different levels of MS between culture methods and the commercial kit. Some samples which were full of MS were not detected by the commercial kit. The detection of MS by modified MSB agar medium and mMSB-kit were significantly higher when compared with MSB agar medium,CRTTM, (P< .01) and Dentocult SMTM (P<.05). Conclusion The sensitivity for detection of MS is higher for modified MSB agar medium when compared with MSB agar medium. The mMSB-kit can be used simply, and can be an important contributor for the evaluation of MS as a caries risk factor. PMID:19212495

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

Wang, C; Nguyen, G; Chung, Y

Purpose: Ureteroscopy involves fluoroscopy which potentially results in considerable amount of radiation dose to the patient. Purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to develop the effective dose computational model for obese and non-obese patients undergoing left and right ureteroscopy, and (b) to evaluate the utility of a commercial Monte Carlo software for dose assessment in ureteroscopy. Methods: Organ dose measurements were performed on an adult male anthropomorphic phantom, representing the non-obese patients, with 20 high-sensitivity MOSFET detectors and two 0.18cc ionization chambers placed in selected organs. Fat-equivalent paddings were placed around the abdominal region to simulate for obese patients.more » Effective dose (ED) was calculated using ICRP 103 tissue weighting factors and normalized to the effective dose rate in miliSivert per second (mSv/s). In addition, a commercial Monte Carlo (MC) dose estimation program was used to estimate ED for the non-obese model, with table attenuation correction applied to simulate clinical procedure. Results: For the equipment and protocols involved in this study, the MOSFETderived ED rates for the obese patient model (‘Left’: 0.0092±0.0004 mSv/s; ‘Right’: 0.0086±0.0004 mSv/s) was found to be more than twice as much as that to the non-obese patient model (‘Left’: 0.0041±0.0003 mSv/s; ‘Right’: 0.0036±0.0007 mSv/s). The MC-derived ED rates for the non-obese patient model (‘Left’: 0.0041 mSv/s; ‘Right’: 0.0036 mSv/s; with statistical uncertainty of 1%) showed a good agreement with the MOSFET method. Conclusion: The significant difference in ED rate between the obese and non-obese patient models shows the limitation of directly applying commercial softwares for obese patients and leading to considerable underestimation of ED. Although commercial softwares offer a convenient means of dose estimation, but the utility may be limited to standard-man geometry as the software does not account for table attenuation, obese patient geometry, and differences between the anthropomorphic phantom and MC mathematical phantom.« less

Iron overload induced death of osteoblasts in vitro: involvement of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway

PubMed Central

Dai, Zhipeng; Yang, Jingjing; Zheng, Jin

2016-01-01

Background Iron overload is recognized as a new pathogenfor osteoporosis. Various studies demonstrated that iron overload could induce apoptosis in osteoblasts and osteoporosis in vivo. However, the exact molecular mechanisms involved in the iron overload-mediated induction of apoptosis in osteoblasts has not been explored. Purpose In this study, we attempted to determine whether the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway is involved in iron-induced osteoblastic cell death and to investigate the beneficial effect of N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) in iron-induced cytotoxicity. Methods The MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cell line was treated with various concentrations of ferric ion in the absence or presence of NAC, and intracellular iron, cell viability, reactive oxygen species, functionand morphology changes of mitochondria and mitochondrial apoptosis related key indicators were detected by commercial kits. In addition, to further explain potential mechanisms underlying iron overload-related osteoporosis, we also assessed cell viability, apoptosis, and osteogenic differentiation potential in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stemcells(MSCs) by commercial kits. Results Ferric ion demonstrated concentration-dependent cytotoxic effects on osteoblasts. After incubation with iron, an elevation of intracelluar labile iron levels and a concomitant over-generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected by flow cytometry in osteoblasts. Nox4 (NADPH oxidase 4), an important ROS producer, was also evaluated by western blot. Apoptosis, which was evaluated by Annexin V/propidium iodide staining, Hoechst 33258 staining, and the activation of caspase-3, was detected after exposure to iron. Iron contributed to the permeabilizatio of mitochondria, leading to the release of cytochrome C (cyto C), which, in turn, induced mitochondrial apoptosis in osteoblasts via activation of Caspase-3, up-regulation of Bax, and down-regulation of Bcl-2. NAC could reverse iron-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and blocked the apoptotic events through inhibit the generation of ROS. In addition, iron could significantly promote apoptosis and suppress osteogenic differentiation and mineralization in bone marrow-derived MSCs. Conclusions These findings firstly demonstrate that the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway involved in iron-induced osteoblast apoptosis. NAC could relieved the oxidative stress and shielded osteoblasts from apoptosis casused by iron-overload. We also reveal that iron overload in bone marrow-derived MSCs results in increased apoptosis and the impairment of osteogenesis and mineralization. PMID:27843711

Evaluation of components, subsystems, and networks for high rate, high frequency space communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerczewski, Robert J.; Ivancic, William D.; Zuzek, John E.

1991-01-01

The development of new space communications technologies by NASA has included both commercial applications and space science requirements. At NASA's Lewis Research Center, methods and facilities have been developed for evaluating these new technologies in the laboratory. NASA's Systems Integration, Test and Evaluation (SITE) Space Communication System Simulator is a hardware-based laboratory simulator for evaluating space communications technologies at the component, subsystem, system, and network level, geared toward high frequency, high data rate systems. The SITE facility is well-suited for evaluation of the new technologies required for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) and advanced commercial systems. This paper describes the technology developments and evaluation requirements for current and planned commercial and space science programs. Also examined are the capabilities of SITE, the past, present, and planned future configurations of the SITE facility, and applications of SITE to evaluation of SEI technology.

Study to encourage and facilitate industrial investment and involvement in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, J. E.

1984-01-01

A simple and efficient means to alert the Director, Space Station Commercialization Task Force (DSCTF) and the equivalent director of a permanent office for the same function, to actions required to assure comprehensive support of the NASA objectives for commercial uses of space during the annual budget cycle is described.

A Comparison of Robbers' Use of Physical Coercion in Commercial and Street Robberies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCluskey, John D.

2013-01-01

The face-to-face confrontation involved in the crime of robbery renders vast amounts of financial, physical, and psychological injury in the United States. This study developed hypotheses from existing literature regarding salient situational factors associated with the prevalence of overt physical coercion during commercial and street robberies.…

16 CFR 1117.6 - Relation to section 15(b) of the CPSA.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Relation to section 15(b) of the CPSA. 1117.6 Section 1117.6 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT REGULATIONS REPORTING OF CHOKING INCIDENTS INVOLVING MARBLES, SMALL BALLS, LATEX BALLOONS AND OTHER SMALL...

Defending commercial surrogate motherhood against Van Niekerk and Van Zyl.

PubMed Central

McLachlan, H V

1997-01-01

The arguments of Van Niekerk and Van Zyl that, on the grounds that it involves an inappropriate commodification and alienation of women's labour, commercial surrogate motherhood (CSM) is morally suspect are discussed and considered to be defective. In addition, doubt is cast on the notion that CSM should be illegal. PMID:9451602

Giving Kids the Business: The Commercialization of America's Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molnar, Alex

Corporate involvement in public education is nothing new. This book offers a critique of the growing corporate control and commercialization of public schools. Chapter 1 describes the history of business influence on American education with a focus on the case of Wisconsin, in which the corporate-led restructuring of the American economy has…

U.S. commercial space policies - Implications for developing countries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gillam, Isaac T., IV; Stone, Barbara A.

1987-01-01

Recent U.S. policy developments on the commercial use of space are summarized and their international implications are considered. Attention is given to successful applications of technology developed in space, including an implantable cancer medication system, an implantable defibrillator, an ultrasonic residual stress monitor, and aquaculture treatment techniques. NASA projects involving bioengineering and rehabilitation applications are summarized, and plans to investigate high-temperature superconductors in space are addressed. Recent agreements entred into by NASA for space commercial studies are reviewed.

Efficacy of patient-specific bolus created using three-dimensional printing technique in photon radiotherapy.

PubMed

Fujimoto, Koya; Shiinoki, Takehiro; Yuasa, Yuki; Hanazawa, Hideki; Shibuya, Keiko

2017-06-01

A commercially available bolus ("commercial-bolus") does not make complete contact with the irregularly shaped patient skin. This study aims to customise a patient-specific three-dimensional (3D) bolus using a 3D printing technique ("3D-bolus") and to evaluate its clinical feasibility for photon radiotherapy. The 3D-bolus was designed using a treatment planning system (TPS) in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine-Radiotherapy (DICOM-RT) format, and converted to stereolithographic format for printing. To evaluate its physical characteristics, treatment plans were created for water-equivalent phantoms that were bolus-free, or had a flat-form printed 3D-bolus, a TPS-designed bolus ("virtual-bolus"), or a commercial-bolus. These plans were compared based on the percentage depth dose (PDD) and target-volume dose volume histogram (DVH) measurements. To evaluate the clinical feasibility, treatment plans were created for head phantoms that were bolus-free or had a 3D-bolus, a virtual-bolus, or a commercial-bolus. These plans were compared based on the target volume DVH. In the physical evaluation, the 3D-bolus provided effective dose coverage in the build-up region, which was equivalent to the commercial-bolus. With regard to the clinical feasibility, the air gaps were lesser with the 3D-bolus when compared to the commercial-bolus. Furthermore, the prescription dose could be delivered appropriately to the target volume. The 3D-bolus has potential use for air-gap reduction compared to the commercial-bolus and facilitates target-volume dose coverage and homogeneity improvement. A 3D-bolus produced using a 3D printing technique is comparable to a commercial-bolus applied to an irregular-shaped skin surface. Copyright © 2017 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design Considerations for Attitude State Awareness and Prevention of Entry into Unusual Attitudes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ellis, Kyle K. E.; Prinzel, Lawrence J., III; Arthur, Jarvis J.; Nicholas, Stephanie N.; Kiggins, Daniel; Verstynen, Harry; Hubbs, Clay; Wilkerson, James

2017-01-01

Loss of control - inflight (LOC-I) has historically represented the largest category of commercial aviation fatal accidents. A review of the worldwide transport airplane accidents (2001-2010) evinced that loss of attitude or energy state awareness was responsible for a large majority of the LOC-I events. A Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) study of 18 worldwide loss-of-control accidents and incidents determined that flight crew loss of attitude awareness or energy state awareness due to lack of external visual reference cues was a significant causal factor in 17 of the 18 reviewed flights. CAST recommended that "Virtual Day-Visual Meteorological Condition" (Virtual Day-VMC) displays be developed to provide the visual cues necessary to prevent loss-of-control resulting from flight crew spatial disorientation and loss of energy state awareness. Synthetic vision or equivalent systems (SVS) were identified for a design "safety enhancement" (SE-200). Part of this SE involves the conduct of research for developing minimum aviation system performance standards (MASPS) for these flight deck display technologies to aid flight crew attitude and energy state awareness similar to that of a virtual day-VMC-like environment. This paper will describe a novel experimental approach to evaluating a flight crew's ability to maintain attitude awareness and to prevent entry into unusual attitudes across several SVS optical flow design considerations. Flight crews were subjected to compound-event scenarios designed to elicit channelized attention and startle/surprise within the crew. These high-fidelity scenarios, designed from real-world events, enable evaluation of the efficacy of SVS at improving flight crew attitude awareness to reduce the occurrence of LOC-I incidents in commercial flight operations.

Review of potential processing techniques for the encapsulation of wastes in thermoplastic polymers

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

Patel, B.R.; Lageraaen, P.R.; Kalb, P.D.

1995-08-01

Thermoplastic encapsulation has been extensively studied at Brookhaven National Laboratory`s (BNL) Environmental and Waste Technology Center (EWTC) as a waste encapsulation technology applicable to a wide range of waste types including radioactive, hazardous and mixed wastes. Encapsulation involves processing thermoplastic and waste materials into a waste form product by heating and mixing both materials into a homogeneous molten mixture. Cooling of the melt results in a solid monolithic waste form in which contaminants have been completely surrounded by a polymer matrix. Heating and mixing requirements for successful waste encapsulation can be met using proven technologies available in various types ofmore » commercial equipment. Processing techniques for thermoplastic materials, such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), are well established within the plastics industry. The majority of commercial polymer processing is accomplished using extruders, mixers or a combination of these technologies. Extruders and mixers are available in a broad range of designs and are used during the manufacture of consumer and commercial products as well as for compounding applications. Compounding which refers to mixing additives such as stabilizers and/or colorants with polymers, is analogous to thermoplastic encapsulation. Several processing technologies were investigated for their potential application in encapsulating residual sorbent waste in selected thermoplastic polymers, including single-screw extruders, twin-screw extruders, continuous mixers, batch mixers as well as other less conventional devices. Each was evaluated based on operational ease, quality control, waste handling capabilities as well as degree of waste pretreatment required. Based on literature review, this report provides a description of polymer processing technologies, a discussion of the merits and limitations of each and an evaluation of their applicability to the encapsulation of sorbent wastes.« less

Reducing the mobility of arsenic in brownfield soil using stabilised zero-valent iron nanoparticles.

PubMed

Gil-Díaz, Mar; Alonso, Juan; Rodríguez-Valdés, Eduardo; Pinilla, Paloma; Lobo, Maria Carmen

2014-01-01

The use of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) as a new tool for the treatment of polluted soils and groundwater has received considerable attention in recent years due to its high reactivity, in situ application and cost-effectiveness. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effectiveness of using a commercial stabilised suspension of nZVI to immobilise As in brownfield soil and to investigate its impact on Fe availability in the treated soil. The phytotoxicities of the soil samples were also evaluated using a germination test with two plant species: barley (Hordeum vulgare L) and common vetch (Vicia sativa L). Two doses of the commercial nZVI suspension were studied, 1% and 10%, and two soil-nanoparticle interaction times, 72 h and 3 mo, were used to compare the stabilities of the soils treated with nZVI. The As availability was evaluated using a sequential extraction procedure and the toxicity characteristics leaching procedure (TCLP) test. The application of nZVI significantly decreased the availability of As in the soil. The immobilisation of As was more effective and more stable over time with the 10% dose than with the 1% dose of the commercial nZVI suspension. The application of nZVI did not induce an important increase in Fe mobility because the Fe leachability was less than 2 mg L(-1) over the time period studied. The lower availability of As in the soil led to a decrease in the phytotoxicity of the soil to barley and vetch germination. Thus, the proposed nanotechnology could be a potential alternative for the in situ remediation of As-polluted soils and could be combined with remediation processes where plants are involved.

Understanding public reactions to commercialization of biobanks and use of biobank resources.

PubMed

Nicol, Dianne; Critchley, Christine; McWhirter, Rebekah; Whitton, Tess

2016-08-01

Biobanks will be essential to facilitate the translation of genomic research into real improvements to healthcare. Biobanking is a long-term commitment, requiring public support as well as appropriate regulatory, social and ethical guidelines to realize this promise. There is a growing body of research that explores the necessary conditions to ensure public trust in biomedical research, particularly in the context of biobanking. Trust is, however, a complex relationship. More analysis of public perceptions, attitudes and reactions is required to understand the primary triggers that influence gain and loss of trust. Further, the outcomes of these analyses require detailed consideration to determine how to promote trustworthy institutions and practices. This article uses national survey data, combined with the results of a community consultation that took place in Tasmania, Australia in 2013, to analyze the specific issue of public reactions to commercialization of biobanks and their outputs. This research will enhance the ability of biobanks to respond preemptively to public concerns about commercialization by establishing and maintaining governance frameworks that are responsive to those concerns. The results reveal that it is possible to counter the 'natural prejudice' that many people have against commercialization through independent governance of biobank resources and transparency with regard to commercial involvement. Indeed, most participants agreed that they would rather have a biobank with commercial involvement than none at all. This analysis provides nuanced conclusions about public reactions towards commercialization and equips researchers and biobank operators with data on which to base policies and make governance decisions in order to tackle participant concerns respectfully and responsively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use of commercially available foam pipe insulation as a protective device for wounds over the elbow joint area in five dogs.

PubMed

Pavletic, Michael M

2011-11-01

4 large-breed dogs were referred because of nonhealing skin wounds involving the elbow joint area of several weeks to months in duration. One additional large-breed dog was evaluated because of a draining abscess with overlying skin necrosis. Previous attempts at closing each wound over the elbow joint area had been unsuccessful. At the time of hospital admission, open wounds had variable degrees of bacterial contamination and infection. Open wounds over the elbow joint area were closed by use of bipedicle advancement flaps or direct suture apposition of opposing sides of the wound. Lengths of pipe insulation were applied to the forelimb in a fashion to prevent contact pressure to the olecranon for a prolonged period (4 to 13 weeks) after surgery. All wounds healed completely. Release incisions (donor areas) healed by second intention within 3 weeks after surgery. One dog developed periostitis of the olecranon, which responded to antimicrobial administration. A second dog developed a skin bacterial infection below the surgical area that was markedly resistant to antimicrobials. The layered application of commercially available foam pipe insulation provided a simple and economical protective device after closure of problematic skin wounds involving the elbow joint area. Prolonged protection of the olecranon area helped to assure healing was complete and skin coverage was sufficiently stable to reduce the risk of reinjury after removal of the device. Each patient was able to use the involved forelimb during the treatment period. Paired bipedicle advancement flaps (release incisions) were particularly useful for closing small to moderate defects overlying the olecranon in which simple apposition was not feasible.

AN EVALUATION OF FIVE COMMERCIAL IMMUNOASSAY DATA ANALYSIS SOFTWARE SYSTEMS

EPA Science Inventory

An evaluation of five commercial software systems used for immunoassay data analysis revealed numerous deficiencies. Often, the utility of statistical output was compromised by poor documentation. Several data sets were run through each system using a four-parameter calibration f...

Evaluating the Safety Benefits of a Low-Cost Driving Behavior Management System in Commercial Vehicle Operations

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-04-01

This project provides an independent evaluation of a commercially available low-cost driving behavior management system. Participating drivers from two carriers (identified as Carrier A and Carrier B) drove an instrumented vehicle for 17 consecutive ...

Methods for Evaluating the Content, Usability, and Efficacy of Commercial Mobile Health Apps

PubMed Central

Silfee, Valerie J; Waring, Molly E; Boudreaux, Edwin D; Sadasivam, Rajani S; Mullen, Sean P; Carey, Jennifer L; Hayes, Rashelle B; Ding, Eric Y; Bennett, Gary G; Pagoto, Sherry L

2017-01-01

Commercial mobile apps for health behavior change are flourishing in the marketplace, but little evidence exists to support their use. This paper summarizes methods for evaluating the content, usability, and efficacy of commercially available health apps. Content analyses can be used to compare app features with clinical guidelines, evidence-based protocols, and behavior change techniques. Usability testing can establish how well an app functions and serves its intended purpose for a target population. Observational studies can explore the association between use and clinical and behavioral outcomes. Finally, efficacy testing can establish whether a commercial app impacts an outcome of interest via a variety of study designs, including randomized trials, multiphase optimization studies, and N-of-1 studies. Evidence in all these forms would increase adoption of commercial apps in clinical practice, inform the development of the next generation of apps, and ultimately increase the impact of commercial apps. PMID:29254914

Proceedings of the 2006 Civil Commercial Imagery Evaluation Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stanley, Thomas; Pagnutti, Mary

2007-01-01

The Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) team is a collaborative interagency working group formed to leverage different government agencies' capabilities for the characterization of commercial remote sensing products. The team is composed of staff from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Each JACIE agency has a vested interest in the purchase and use of commercial imagery to support government research and operational applications. The intent of the 2006 workshop is to exchange information regarding the characterization and application of commercial imagery used by the government. The main focus of previous workshops has been on high-resolution satellite imagery from systems; such as, IKONOS (Space Imaging, Inc.), QuickBird (DigitalGlobe, Inc.), and OrbView-3 (ORBIMAGE). This workshop is being expanded to cover all civil medium- and high-resolution commercial imagery used by the government.

Differences among practitioners in patterns of preference for information sources in the adoption of new drugs.

PubMed

Peay, M Y; Peay, E R

1984-01-01

The major aim of this study was to identify coherent patterns in doctors' preferences for potential sources of information about new drugs and the characteristics of the doctors who display them. One hundred twenty-four general practitioners and specialists evaluated and reported their use of a number of potential sources. Overall, commercial sources were cited more often than professional ones for providing first information about a new drug, but the reverse was the case when the doctor was actively considering prescribing it. The primary professional sources received more favourable evaluation than any of the commercial sources, but results suggest that usage does not necessarily follow the doctor's opinion of a source. Relationships between reported use and evaluation reveal two coherent patterns of source preference: 'journal' and 'commercial'. The commercial pattern is particularly sharply defined, identifying a subset of doctors who can be designated justifiably as 'commercially-oriented'. Evaluation and use of particular sources varied with age and differed between specialists and general practitioners. Results indicate that differences in patterns of preference are systematically related to characteristics of the doctor in combination with the stage of the adoption process.

Sub-orbital commercial human spaceflight and informed consent.

PubMed

Carminati, Maria-Vittoria; Griffith, Doug; Campbell, Mark R

2011-02-01

Commercial spaceflight is expected to rapidly develop in the near future. This will begin with sub-orbital missions and then progress to orbital flights. Technical informed consent of spaceflight participants is required by the commercial spaceflight operator for regulatory purposes. Additionally, though not required by regulation, the aerospace medicine professional involved in the medical screening of both spaceflight participants and crewmembers will be asked to assist operators in obtaining medical informed consent for liability purposes. The various federal and state regulations regarding informed consent for sub-orbital commercial spaceflight are evolving and are unfamiliar to most aerospace medical professionals and are reviewed and discussed.

An intelligent subtitle detection model for locating television commercials.

PubMed

Huang, Yo-Ping; Hsu, Liang-Wei; Sandnes, Frode-Eika

2007-04-01

A strategy for locating television (TV) commercials in TV programs is proposed. Based on the observation that most TV commercials do not have subtitles, the first stage exploits six subtitle constraints and an adaptive neurofuzzy inference system model to determine whether a frame contains a subtitle or not. The second stage involves locating the mark-in/mark-out points using a genetic algorithm. An interactive user interface allows users to efficiently identify and fine-tune the exact boundaries separating the commercials from the program content. Furthermore, erroneous boundaries are manually corrected. Experimental results show that the precision rate and recall rates exceed 90%.

Commercial opportunities in bioseparations and physiological testing aboard Space Station Freedom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hymer, W. C.

1992-01-01

The Center for Cell Research (CCR) is a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space which has as its main goal encouraging industry-driven biomedical/biotechnology space projects. Space Station Freedom (SSF) will provide long duration, crew-tended microgravity environments which will enhance the opportunities for commercial biomedical/biotechnology projects in bioseparations and physiological testing. The CCR bioseparations program, known as USCEPS (for United States Commercial Electrophoresis Program in Space), is developing access for American industry to continuous-flow electrophoresis aboard SSF. In space, considerable scale-up of continuous free-flow electrophoresis is possible for cells, sub cellular particles, proteins, growth factors, and other biological products. The lack of sedemination and buoyancy-driven convection flow enhances purity of separations and the amount of material processed/time. Through the CCR's physiological testing program, commercial organizations will have access aboard SSF to physiological systems experiments (PSE's); the Penn State Biomodule; and telemicroscopy. Physiological systems experiments involve the use of live animals for pharmaceutical product testing and discovery research. The Penn State Biomodule is a computer-controlled mini lab useful for projects involving live cells or tissues and macro molecular assembly studies, including protein crystallization. Telemicroscopy will enable staff on Earth to manipulate and monitor microscopic specimens on SSF for product development and discovery research or for medical diagnosis of astronaut health problems. Space-based product processing, testing, development, and discovery research using USCEPS and CCR's physiological testing program offer new routes to improved health on Earth. Direct crew involvement-in biomedical/biotechnology projects aboard SSF will enable better experimental outcomes. The current data base shows that there is reason for considerable optimism regarding what the CCDS program and the biomedical/biotechnology industry can expect to gain from a permanent manned presence in space.

KSC-2013-3077

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-22

HOUSTON - JSC2013e068259 - NASA astronaut Serena Aunon prepares for a fit check evaluation of The Boeing Company's CST-100 spacecraft at the company's Houston Product Support Center. Assisting her is Andrea Gilkey, a human factors engineer with The Boeing Company. Aunon's fit check will help evaluate a crew's maneuverability in the spacecraft and test communications. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations. The evaluation is part of the ongoing work supporting Boeing's funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCiCap is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. To learn more about CCP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

KSC-2012-6553

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-09-28

HOUSTON -- NASA Astronaut Lee Archambault performs an evaluation of reach and visibility of controls and displays during an end-of-year interior layout evaluation of The Boeing Company's CST-100 spacecraft. The evaluation at Boeing's Houston Product Support Center in Texas was part of the company's ongoing work supporting its funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCP is intended to lead to the availability of commercial human spaceflight services for government and commercial customers to low-Earth orbit. Future development and certification initiatives eventually will lead to the availability of human spaceflight services for NASA to send its astronauts to the International Space Station, where critical research is taking place daily. For more information about CCP, go to http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: Boeing

Intensity modulated neutron radiotherapy optimization by photon proxy

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

Snyder, Michael; Hammoud, Ahmad; Bossenberger, Todd

2012-08-15

Purpose: Introducing intensity modulation into neutron radiotherapy (IMNRT) planning has the potential to mitigate some normal tissue complications seen in past neutron trials. While the hardware to deliver IMNRT plans has been in use for several years, until recently the IMNRT planning process has been cumbersome and of lower fidelity than conventional photon plans. Our in-house planning system used to calculate neutron therapy plans allows beam weight optimization of forward planned segments, but does not provide inverse optimization capabilities. Commercial treatment planning systems provide inverse optimization capabilities, but currently cannot model our neutron beam. Methods: We have developed a methodologymore » and software suite to make use of the robust optimization in our commercial planning system while still using our in-house planning system to calculate final neutron dose distributions. Optimized multileaf collimator (MLC) leaf positions for segments designed in the commercial system using a 4 MV photon proxy beam are translated into static neutron ports that can be represented within our in-house treatment planning system. The true neutron dose distribution is calculated in the in-house system and then exported back through the MATLAB software into the commercial treatment planning system for evaluation. Results: The planning process produces optimized IMNRT plans that reduce dose to normal tissue structures as compared to 3D conformal plans using static MLC apertures. The process involves standard planning techniques using a commercially available treatment planning system, and is not significantly more complex than conventional IMRT planning. Using a photon proxy in a commercial optimization algorithm produces IMNRT plans that are more conformal than those previously designed at our center and take much less time to create. Conclusions: The planning process presented here allows for the optimization of IMNRT plans by a commercial treatment planning optimization algorithm, potentially allowing IMNRT to achieve similar conformality in treatment as photon IMRT. The only remaining requirements for the delivery of very highly modulated neutron treatments are incremental improvements upon already implemented hardware systems that should be readily achievable.« less

Factors affecting beef cattle producer perspectives on feed efficiency.

PubMed

Wulfhorst, J D; Ahola, J K; Kane, S L; Keenan, L D; Hill, R A

2010-11-01

To establish the basis for implementation of a producer education program, a social assessment of the willingness and barriers to adoption of a measure of feed efficiency in beef cattle [residual feed intake (RFI)] was conducted. A 35-question mailed survey was sent to 1,888 producers acquired from the stratified random sample of the Idaho Cattle Association member list (n = 488), Red Angus Association of America member list (n = 2,208), and Red Angus Association of America bull buyer list (n = 5,325). The adjusted response rate for the survey was 49.9%. Of the survey respondents, 58.7% were commercial cow/calf producers and 41.3% were seedstock producers or operated a combination seedstock/commercial operation. Commercial operations had an average of 223 ± 17 cows and 13 ± 3 bulls, whereas seedstock herds (including combination herds) had slightly fewer cows (206 ± 24) and more bulls (23 ± 6). Both commercial and seedstock operators indicated that calving ease/birth weight was the most important trait used to evaluate genetic merit of breeding bulls. Only 3.8 and 4.8% of commercial and seedstock producers indicated that feed efficiency was the most important characteristic used for bull selection. Binary logistic regression models were used to predict willingness of seedstock producers to begin collecting data for the calculation of RFI on their bulls, or to predict willingness of commercial producers to begin selecting bulls based on RFI data. In response, 49.1% of commercial producers and 43.6% of seedstock producers indicated they were willing to adopt RFI as a measure of feed efficiency. These data indicate that feed efficiency was one of the traits that producers consider important; those who perceive feed efficiency as important tended to be actively involved in data collection on their herds, underpinning the notion that objective assessment was valued and used by some. Additional data collection in a future social assessment will continue to elaborate the proportion of producers who perceive feed efficiency as an increasingly important decision and management tool for beef production.

Evaluation of a Commercially Available Program and in Situ Training by Parents to Teach Abduction-Prevention Skills to Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beck, Kimberly V.; Miltenberger, Raymond G.

2009-01-01

Child abduction is a serious problem; therefore, it is essential that researchers evaluate the efficacy of commercially available abduction-prevention programs. A multiple baseline design across participants (ages 6 to 8 years) was used to evaluate the effects of a training program, The Safe Side. Experimenters assessed safety responses in situ in…

Occupational Exposure to Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes During Commercial Production Synthesis and Handling

PubMed Central

Kuijpers, Eelco; Bekker, Cindy; Fransman, Wouter; Brouwer, Derk; Tromp, Peter; Vlaanderen, Jelle; Godderis, Lode; Hoet, Peter; Lan, Qing; Silverman, Debra; Vermeulen, Roel; Pronk, Anjoeka

2016-01-01

The world-wide production of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has increased substantially in the last decade, leading to occupational exposures. There is a paucity of exposure data of workers involved in the commercial production of CNTs. The goals of this study were to assess personal exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) during the synthesis and handling of MWCNTs in a commercial production facility and to link these exposure levels to specific activities. Personal full-shift filter-based samples were collected, during commercial production and handling of MWCNTs, R&D activities, and office work. The concentrations of MWCNT were evaluated on the basis of EC concentrations. Associations were studied between observed MWCNT exposure levels and location and activities. SEM analyses showed MWCNTs, present as agglomerates ranging between 200nm and 100 µm. Exposure levels of MWCNTs observed in the production area during the full scale synthesis of MWCNTs (N = 23) were comparable to levels observed during further handling of MWCNTs (N = 19): (GM (95% lower confidence limit–95% upper confidence limit)) 41 μg m−3 (20–88) versus 43 μg m−3 (22–86), respectively. In the R&D area (N = 11) and the office (N = 5), exposure levels of MWCNTs were significantly (P < 0.05) lower: 5 μg m−3 (2–11) and 7 μg m−3 (2–28), respectively. Bagging, maintenance of the reactor, and powder conditioning were associated with higher exposure levels in the production area, whereas increased exposure levels in the R&D area were related to handling of MWCNTs powder. PMID:26613611

Effects of malicious ocular laser exposure in commercial airline pilots.

PubMed

Palakkamanil, Mathew M; Fielden, Michael P

2015-12-01

Intentional malicious laser strikes on commercial pilots are committed by individuals who target a laser into airplane cockpits during takeoff and landing. Because laser exposure to pilots is a relatively new but growing occurrence, our study investigates the ocular effect of this laser exposure in pilots. Retrospective chart review by a single ophthalmologist. All commercial airline pilots (58 male, 3 female) who experienced a laser strike while flying between April 2012 and November 2014 who presented to our clinic were included. A retrospective chart review was performed in a retinal specialist's practice. Ocular assessment was performed within 3 days of laser exposure. A complete ophthalmic evaluation was conducted, including Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study visual acuity, colour vision, visual fields, intraocular pressure, slit-lamp examination, dilated fundus examination, colour fundus photographs, and ocular coherence tomography. Sixty-four laser strike incidents involving commercial pilots were included. All pilots in the study experienced some degree of immediate ocular irritation or light sensitivity. No definite cases of ocular damage were attributed to laser strikes. No pilot had any functional ocular deficits. Our study revealed that laser strikes on aircraft did not result in permanent visual functional or structural deficits. However, laser strikes cause immediate visual effects, including glare, flash blindness, and ocular irritation that can interfere with a pilot's visual function. Given the widespread accessibility of high-power lasers and the rapid increase in incidents, laser strikes threaten to jeopardize aviation safety unless effective preventative measures are put in place. Copyright © 2015 Canadian Ophthalmological Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ISO 50001 for Commercial Buildings: Lessons Learned From U.S. DOE Pilot Project: Preprint

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

Deru, M.; Field, K.; Punjabi, S.

In the U.S., the ISO 50001 Standard, which establishes energy management systems (EnMSs) and processes, has shown uptake primarily in the industrial sector. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) undertook a pilot program to explore ISO 50001 implementation in commercial buildings. Eight organizations participated as pilots, with technical assistance provided by DOE, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). This paper shares important lessons learned from the pilot. Staff time was the most critical resource required to establish effective EnMSs in commercial buildings. The pilot also revealedmore » that technical support and template/example materials were essential inputs. Crucial activities included evaluating performance, identifying goals, making connections, communicating operational controls, and tracking/reviewing progress. Benefits realized included enhanced intra-organizational connections, greater energy awareness, increased process efficiencies, and improved ability to make business cases. Incremental benefits for ISO 50001 certification were greater accountability, assurance of best practices, public relations opportunities, and potential to unlock verified savings credits or incentive money. Incremental certification costs included more staff/consultant time, money for certification, and a tendency to limit EnMS scope in order to ensure favorable audit results. Five best practices were identified - utilizing expert technical assistance, training, and other resources; focusing on implementation over documentation; keeping top management involved; considering organizational structure when selecting EnMS scope; and matching the implementation level to an EnMS's scope and scale. The last two practices are particularly relevant to the commercial buildings sector.« less

16 CFR 1034.110 - Self-evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Self-evaluation. 1034.110 Section 1034.110 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION GENERAL ENFORCEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF HANDICAP IN PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED BY THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION § 1034.110...

Evaluation of a participatory ergonomics intervention in small commercial construction firms.

PubMed

Dale, Ann Marie; Jaegers, Lisa; Welch, Laura; Gardner, Bethany T; Buchholz, Bryan; Weaver, Nancy; Evanoff, Bradley A

2016-06-01

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) among construction workers remain high. Participatory ergonomics (PE) interventions that engage workers and employers in reducing work injury risks have shown mixed results. Eight-six workers from seven contractors participated in a PE program. A logic model guided the process evaluation and summative evaluation of short-term and intermediate impacts and long-term outcomes from surveys and field records. Process measures showed good delivery of training, high worker engagement, and low contractor participation. Workers' knowledge improved and workers reported changes to work practices and tools used; contractor provision of appropriate equipment was low (33%). No changes were seen in symptoms or reported physical effort. The PE program produced many worker-identified ergonomic solutions, but lacked needed support from contractors. Future interventions should engage higher levels of the construction organizational system to improve contractor involvement for reducing WMSD. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:465-475, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Development and evaluation of polyvinyl-alcohol blend polymer films as battery separators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manzo, M. A.

1982-01-01

Several dialdehydes and epoxies were evaluated for their suitability as cross-linkers. Optium concentrations of several cross-linking reagents were determined. A two-step method of cross-linking, which involves treatment of the film in an acid or acid periodate bath, was investigated and dropped in favor of a one-step method in which the acid catalyst, which initiates cross-linking, is added to the PVA - cross-linker solution before casting. The cross-linking was thus achieved during the drying step. This one-step method was much more adaptable to commercial processing. Cross-linked films were characterized as alkaline battery separators. Films were prepared in the lab and tested in cells in order to evaluate the effect of film composition and a number of processing parameters on cell performance. These tests were conducted in order to provide a broader data base from which to select optimum processing parameters. Results of the separator screening tests and the cell tests are discussed.

Commercial truck parking detection technology evaluation for Columbia County rest areas.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-11-01

Rest areas along Floridas interstate routes are heavily utilized by commercial trucks for overnight parking. : Many of the rest areas regularly experience 100% utilization of the commercial truck parking spaces : during the evening and early morni...

Designing Laboratory Exercises for the Undergraduate Molecular Biology/Biochemistry Student: Techniques and Ethical Implications Involved in Personalized Medicine

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinlander, Kenneth M.; Hall, David J.

2010-01-01

Personalized medicine refers to medical care that involves genetically screening patients for their likelihood to develop various disorders. Commercial genome screening only involves identifying a consumer's genotype for a few single nucleotide polymorphisms. A phenotype (such as an illness) is greatly influenced by three factors: genes, gene…

The Effect of a Commercial Game on Children's Block Design Scores on the WISC-R IQ Test.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dirks, Jean

1982-01-01

Relatively brief interactions with a commercial game that involved blocks and matching patterns are shown to cause a significant improvement in children's performances on the WISC-R Block Design subtest. Two experiments are described using 10-year-old children in game and no-game conditions. (Author/CM)

75 FR 38551 - Prohibited Transaction Exemptions and Grant of Individual Exemptions Involving D-11448, The PNC...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-02

... authorized to examine trade secrets of PNC or the Funds, or commercial or financial information which is... the persons described above in paragraphs (l)(1)(B)-(C) shall be authorized to examine trade secrets... examine trade secrets of BGI, or commercial or financial information which is privileged or confidential...

Comprehensive Evaluation and Analysis of China's Mainstream Online Map Service Websites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, H.; Jiang, J.; Huang, W.; Wang, Q.; Gu, X.

2012-08-01

With the flourish development of China's Internet market, all kinds of users for map service demand is rising continually, within it contains tremendous commercial interests. Many internet giants have got involved in the field of online map service, and defined it as an important strategic product of the company. The main purpose of this research is to evaluate these online map service websites comprehensively with a model, and analyse the problems according to the evaluation results. Then some corresponding solving measures are proposed, which provides a theoretical and application guidance for the future development of fiercely competitive online map websites. The research consists of three stages: (a) the mainstream online map service websites in China are introduced and the present situation of them is analysed through visit, investigation, consultant, analysis and research. (b) a whole comprehensive evaluation quota system of online map service websites from the view of functions, layout, interaction design color position and so on, combining with the data indexes such as time efficiency, accuracy, objectivity and authority. (c) a comprehensive evaluation to these online map service websites is proceeded based on the fuzzy evaluation mathematical model, and the difficulty that measure the map websites quantitatively is solved.

EVALUATION OF METHYL TERT-BUTYL ETHER (MTBE) AS AN INTERFERENCE ON COMMERCIAL BREATH-ALCOHOL ANALYZERS

EPA Science Inventory

Anecdotal reports suggest that high environmental or occupational exposures to the fuel oxygenate methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) may result in breath concentrations that are sufficiently elevated to cause a false positive on commercial breath-alcohol analyzers. We evaluated th...

High Thermal Conductivity Polymer Composites for Low Cost Heat Exchangers

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

None

2017-08-01

This factsheet describes a project that identified and evaluated commercially available and state-of-the-art polymer-based material options for manufacturing industrial and commercial non-metallic heat exchangers. A heat exchanger concept was also developed and its performance evaluated with heat transfer modeling tools.

48 CFR 52.212-2 - Evaluation-Commercial Items.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... compared to price.) (b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total... provision substantially as follows: Evaluation—Commercial Items (JAN 1999) (a) The Government will award a... solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following...

Benchmark Report on Key Outage Attributes: An Analysis of Outage Improvement Opportunities and Priorities

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

Germain, Shawn St.; Farris, Ronald

2014-09-01

Advanced Outage Control Center (AOCC), is a multi-year pilot project targeted at Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) outage improvement. The purpose of this pilot project is to improve management of NPP outages through the development of an AOCC that is specifically designed to maximize the usefulness of communication and collaboration technologies for outage coordination and problem resolution activities. This report documents the results of a benchmarking effort to evaluate the transferability of technologies demonstrated at Idaho National Laboratory and the primary pilot project partner, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. The initial assumption for this pilot project was that NPPs generally domore » not take advantage of advanced technology to support outage management activities. Several researchers involved in this pilot project have commercial NPP experience and believed that very little technology has been applied towards outage communication and collaboration. To verify that the technology options researched and demonstrated through this pilot project would in fact have broad application for the US commercial nuclear fleet, and to look for additional outage management best practices, LWRS program researchers visited several additional nuclear facilities.« less

Blade pitch optimization methods for vertical-axis wind turbines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozak, Peter

Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) offer an inherently simpler design than horizontal-axis machines, while their lower blade speed mitigates safety and noise concerns, potentially allowing for installation closer to populated and ecologically sensitive areas. While VAWTs do offer significant operational advantages, development has been hampered by the difficulty of modeling the aerodynamics involved, further complicated by their rotating geometry. This thesis presents results from a simulation of a baseline VAWT computed using Star-CCM+, a commercial finite-volume (FVM) code. VAWT aerodynamics are shown to be dominated at low tip-speed ratios by dynamic stall phenomena and at high tip-speed ratios by wake-blade interactions. Several optimization techniques have been developed for the adjustment of blade pitch based on finite-volume simulations and streamtube models. The effectiveness of the optimization procedure is evaluated and the basic architecture for a feedback control system is proposed. Implementation of variable blade pitch is shown to increase a baseline turbine's power output between 40%-100%, depending on the optimization technique, improving the turbine's competitiveness when compared with a commercially-available horizontal-axis turbine.

Development of the protocol for purification of artemisinin based on combination of commercial and computationally designed adsorbents.

PubMed

Piletska, Elena V; Karim, Kal; Cutler, Malcolm; Piletsky, Sergey A

2013-01-01

A polymeric adsorbent for extraction of the antimalarial drug artemisinin from Artemisia annua L. was computationally designed. This polymer demonstrated a high capacity for artemisinin (120 mg g(-1) ), quantitative recovery (87%) and was found to be an effective material for purification of artemisinin from complex plant matrix. The artemisinin quantification was conducted using an optimised HPLC-MS protocol, which was characterised by high precision and linearity in the concentration range between 0.05 and 2 μg mL(-1) . Optimisation of the purification protocol also involved screening of commercial adsorbents for the removal of waxes and other interfering natural compounds, which inhibit the crystallisation of artemisinin. As a result of a two step-purification protocol crystals of artemisinin were obtained, and artemisinin purity was evaluated as 75%. By performing the second stage of purification twice, the purity of artemisinin can be further improved to 99%. The developed protocol produced high-purity artemisinin using only a few purification steps that makes it suitable for large scale industrial manufacturing process. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Removal of the commercial pesticides Novadim Progress, Bordeaux mixture and Karate Zeon by pullulan derivatives based flocculants.

PubMed

Ghimici, Luminita; Constantin, Marieta

2018-04-14

Cationic pullulan derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated, for the first time, as flocculants for the separation of the commercial pesticides, Novadim Progress (organophosphoric type), Bordeax mixture and Karate Zeon (pyrethroid type) from synthetic wastewater. The investigated polymer samples contained either pendent tertiary amine or quaternary ammonium salts groups. The separation efficiency was followed by UV-Vis spectroscopy, while the information regarding the mechanism involved in the separation of pesticide particles have been obtained by zeta potential. UV-Vis spectroscopy data showed strong pesticide particles/polycation interactions in case of Novadim Progress and Bordeaux mixture (maximum pesticide removal between 90% and 98%). Good separation efficiency (around 80%) of Karate Zeon emulsion was also noticed. The zeta potential measurements indicated that the charge neutralization was the common flocculation mechanism for the removal of these pesticides. In addition, the hydrogen bondings and chelation of copper ions by amide and/or tertiary amino groups of the polycations had a noteworthy contribution to the pesticide removal. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Commercial truck parking detection technology evaluation for Columbia County rest areas [summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-01

Rest areas along Floridas interstate highways are heavily used by commercial trucks for overnight parking. Many rest areas regularly experience 100% utilization of the commercial truck parking spaces during the evening and early morning hours. Dri...

Space processing applications payload equipment study. Volume 2E: Commercial equipment utility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, A. G. (Editor)

1974-01-01

Examination of commercial equipment technologies revealed that the functional performance requirements of space processing equipment could generally be met by state-of-the-art design practices. Thus, an apparatus could be evolved from a standard item or derived by custom design using present technologies. About 15 percent of the equipment needed has no analogous commercial base of derivation and requires special development. This equipment is involved primarily with contactless heating and position control. The derivation of payloads using commercial equipment sources provides a broad and potentially cost-effective base upon which to draw. The derivation of payload equipment from commercial technologies poses other issues beyond that of the identifiable functional performance, but preliminary results on testing of selected equipment testing appear quite favorable. During this phase of the SPA study, several aspects of commercial equipment utility were assessed and considered. These included safety, packaging and structural, power conditioning (electrical/electronic), thermal and materials of construction.

Commerce Lab - An enabling facility and test bed for commercial flight opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, Jack; Atkins, Harry L.; Williams, John R.

1986-01-01

Commerce Lab is conceived as an adjunct to the National Space Transportation System (NSTS) by providing a focal point for commercial missions which could utilize existing NSTS carrier and resource capabilities for on-orbit experimentation in the microgravity sciences. In this context, the Commerce Lab provides an enabling facility and test bed for commercial flight opportunities. Commerce Lab program activities to date have focused on mission planning for private sector involvement in the space program to facilitate the commercial exploitation of the microgravity environment for materials processing research and development. It is expected that Commerce Lab will provide a logical transition between currently planned NSTS missions and future microgravity science and commercial R&D missions centered around the Space Station. The present study identifies candidate Commerce Lab flight experiments and their development status and projects a mission traffic model that can be used in commercial mission planning.

Commerce Lab - A program of commercial flight opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, J.; Atkins, H. L.; Williams, J. R.

1985-01-01

Commerce Lab is conceived as an adjunct to the National Space Transportation System (NSTS) by providing a focal point for commercial missions which could utilize existing NSTS carrier and resource capabilities for on-orbit experimentation in the microgravity sciences. In this context, the Commerce Lab program provides mission planning for private sector involvement in the space program, in general, and the commercial exploitation of the microgravity environment for materials processing research and development. It is expected that Commerce Lab will provide a logical transition between currently planned NSTS missions and future microgravity science and commercial R&D missions centered around the Space Station. The present study identifies candidate Commerce Lab flight experiments and their development status and projects a mission traffic model that can be used in commercial mission planning.

The challenge of the US Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beggs, J. M.

1985-01-01

The U.S. Space Station program is described. The objectives of the present national space policy are reviewed. International involvement and commercial use of space are the two strategies involved in the development of the Space Station. The Space Station is to be a multifunctional, modular, permanent facility with manned and unmanned platforms. The functions of the Space Station for space research projects, such as material processing and electrophoresis, are examined. The infrastructure required for commercialization of space is analyzed. NASA's space policy aimed at stimulating space commerce is discussed. NASA's plans to reduce the financial, institutional, and technical risks of space research are studied.

Capabilities of the Environmental Effects Branch at Marshall Space Flight Cente

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Jan; Finckenor, Miria; Nehls, Mary

2016-01-01

The Environmental Effects Branch at the Marshall Space Flight Center supports a myriad array of programs for NASA, DoD, and commercial space including human exploration, advanced space propulsion, improving life on Earth, and the study of the Sun, the Earth, and the solar system. The branch provides testing, evaluation, and qualification of materials for use on external spacecraft surfaces and in contamination-sensitive systems. Space environment capabilities include charged particle radiation, ultraviolet radiation, atomic oxygen, impact, plasma, and thermal vacuum, anchored by flight experiments and analysis of returned space hardware. These environmental components can be combined for solar wind or planetary surface environment studies or to evaluate synergistic effects. The Impact Testing Facility allows simulation of impacts ranging from sand and rain to micrometeoroids and orbital debris in order to evaluate materials and components for flight and ground-based systems. The Contamination Control Team is involved in the evaluation of environmentally-friendly replacements for HCFC-225 for use in propulsion oxygen systems, developing cleaning methods for additively manufactured hardware, and reducing risk for the Space Launch System.

EMI Measurement and Mitigation Testing for the ARPA Hybrid Electric Vehicle Program

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-08-27

communication range is reduced, computers malfunction, or monitoring systems fail. Various electric vehicles ( EVs ) were measured to evaluate their...electric vehicles ( EVs ) were measured to evaluate their potential EMI emissions when used in today’s hostile commercial electromagnetic environment...monitoring systems fail. Various electric vehicles ( EVs ) were measured to evaluate their potential EMI emissions when used in today’s hostile commercial

Integrated Application of Active Controls (IAAC) technology to an advanced subsonic transport project: Program review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

This report summarizes the Integrated Application of Active Controls (IAAC) Technology to an Advanced Subsonic Transport Project, established as one element of the NASA/Boeing Energy Efficient Transport Technology Program. The performance assessment showed that incorporating ACT into an airplane designed to fly approximately 200 passengers approximately 2,000 nmi could yield block fuel savings from 6 to 10 percent at the design range. The principal risks associated with incorporating these active control functions into a commercial airplane are those involved with the ACT system implementation. The Test and Evaluation phase of the IAAC Project focused on the design, fabrication, and test of a system that implemented pitch axis fly-by-wire, pitch axis augmentation, and wing load alleviation. The system was built to be flight worthy, and was planned to be experimentally flown on the 757. The system was installed in the Boeing Digital Avionics Flight Controls Laboratory (DAFCL), where open loop hardware and software tests, and a brief examination of a direct drive valve (DDV) actuation concept were accomplished. The IAAC Project has shown that ACT can be beneficially incorporated into a commercial transport airplane. Based on the results achieved during the testing phase, there appears to be no fundamental reason(s) that would preclude the commercial application of ACT, assuming an appropriate development effort is included.

Evaluation of Graphite Fiber/Polyimide PMCs from Hot Melt vs Solution Prepreg

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shin, E. Eugene; Sutter, James K.; Eakin, Howard; Inghram, Linda; McCorkle, Linda; Scheiman, Dan; Papadopoulos, Demetrios; Thesken, John; Fink, Jeffrey E.

2002-01-01

Carbon fiber reinforced high temperature polymer matrix composites (PMC) have been extensively investigated as potential weight reduction replacements of various metallic components in next generation high performance propulsion rocket engines. The initial phase involves development of comprehensive composite material-process-structure-design-property-in-service performance correlations and database, especially for a high stiffness facesheet of various sandwich structures. Overview of the program plan, technical approaches and current multi-team efforts will be presented. During composite fabrication, it was found that the two large volume commercial prepregging methods (hot-melt vs. solution) resulted in considerably different composite cure behavior. Details of the process-induced physical and chemical modifications in the prepregs, their effects on composite processing, and systematic cure cycle optimization studies will be discussed. The combined effects of prepregging method and cure cycle modification on composite properties and isothermal aging performance were also evaluated.

AGRI Grain Power ethanol-for-fuel project feasibility-study report. Volume II. Project marketing/economic/financial/ and organization

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

Not Available

1981-04-01

The AGRI GRAIN POWER (AGP) project, hereafter referred to as the Project, was formed to evaluate the commercial viability and assess the desireability of implementing a large grain based grass-roots anhydrous ethanol fuel project to be sited near Des Moines, Iowa. This report presents the results of a Project feasibility evaluation. The Project concept is based on involving a very strong managerial, financial and technical joint venture that is extremely expert in all facets of planning and implementing a large ethanol project; on locating the ethanol project at a highly desireable site; on utilizing a proven ethanol process; and onmore » developing a Project that is well suited to market requirements, resource availability and competitive factors. The results of marketing, economic, and financial studies are reported in this volume.« less

AGRI Grain Power ethanol-for-fuel project feasibility-study report. Volume III. Project environmental/health/safety/ and socioeconomic

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

Not Available

1981-04-01

The AGRI GRAIN POWER (AGP) project, hereafter referred to as the Project, was formed to evaluate the commercial viability and assess the desireability of implementing a large grain based grass-roots anhydrous ethanol fuel project to be sited near Des Moines, Iowa. This report presents the results of a Project feasibility evaluation. The Project concept is based on involving a very strong managerial, financial and technical joint venture that is extremely expert in all facets of planning and implementing a large ethanol project; on locating the ethanol project at a highly desireable site; on utilizing a proven ethanol process; and onmore » developing a Project that is well suited to market requirements, resource availability and competitive factors. This volume contains the results of the environmental, health, safety, and socio-economic studies.« less

Superconductivity devices: Commercial use of space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haertling, Gene; Furman, Eugene; Hsi, Chi-Shiung; Li, Guang

1993-01-01

The processing and screen printing of the superconducting BSCCO and 123 YBCO materials on substrates is described. The resulting superconducting properties and the use of these materials as possible electrode materials for ferroelectrics at 77 K are evaluated. Also, work performed in the development of solid-state electromechanical actuators is reported. Specific details include the fabrication and processing of high strain PBZT and PLZT electrostrictive materials, the development of PSZT and PMN-based ceramics, and the testing and evaluation of these electrostrictive materials. Finally, the results of studies on a new processing technology for preparing piezoelectric and electrostrictive ceramic materials are summarized. The process involves a high temperature chemical reduction which leads to an internal pre-stressing of the oxide wafer. These reduced and internally biased oxide wafers (RAINBOW) can produce bending-mode actuator devices which possess a factor of ten more displacement and load bearing capacity than present-day benders.

Evaluation of Graphite Fiber/Polyimide PMCs from Hot Melt versus Solution Prepreg

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shin, Eugene E.; Sutter, James K.; Eakin, Howard; Inghram, Linda; McCorkle, Linda; Scheiman, Dan; Papadopoulos, Demetrios; Thesken, John; Fink, Jeffrey E.; Gray, Hugh R. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Carbon fiber reinforced high temperature polymer matrix composites (PMC) have been extensively investigated as potential weight reduction replacements of various metallic components in next generation high performance propulsion rocket engines. The initial phase involves development of comprehensive composite material-process-structure-design-property in-service performance correlations and database, especially for a high stiffness facesheet of various sandwich structures. Overview of the program plan, technical approaches and current multi-team efforts will be presented. During composite fabrication, it was found that the two large volume commercial prepregging methods (hot-melt vs. solution) resulted in considerably different composite cure behavior. Details of the process-induced physical and chemical modifications in the prepregs, their effects on composite processing, and systematic cure cycle optimization studies will be discussed. The combined effects of prepregging method and cure cycle modification on composite properties and isothermal aging performance were also evaluated.

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

Black, Billy D.; Akhil, Abbas Ali

This is the final report on a field evaluation by the Department of the Navy of twenty 5-kW PEM fuel cells carried out during 2004 and 2005 at five Navy sites located in New York, California, and Hawaii. The key objective of the effort was to obtain an engineering assessment of their military applications. Particular issues of interest were fuel cell cost, performance, reliability, and the readiness of commercial fuel cells for use as a standalone (grid-independent) power option. Two corollary objectives of the demonstration were to promote technological advances and to improve fuel performance and reliability. From a costmore » perspective, the capital cost of PEM fuel cells at this stage of their development is high compared to other power generation technologies. Sandia National Laboratories technical recommendation to the Navy is to remain involved in evaluating successive generations of this technology, particularly in locations with greater environmental extremes, and it encourages their increased use by the Navy.« less

An evaluation of multi-probe locality sensitive hashing for computing similarities over web-scale query logs

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Many modern applications of AI such as web search, mobile browsing, image processing, and natural language processing rely on finding similar items from a large database of complex objects. Due to the very large scale of data involved (e.g., users’ queries from commercial search engines), computing such near or nearest neighbors is a non-trivial task, as the computational cost grows significantly with the number of items. To address this challenge, we adopt Locality Sensitive Hashing (a.k.a, LSH) methods and evaluate four variants in a distributed computing environment (specifically, Hadoop). We identify several optimizations which improve performance, suitable for deployment in very large scale settings. The experimental results demonstrate our variants of LSH achieve the robust performance with better recall compared with “vanilla” LSH, even when using the same amount of space. PMID:29346410

Voice control of the space shuttle video system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bejczy, A. K.; Dotson, R. S.; Brown, J. W.; Lewis, J. L.

1981-01-01

A pilot voice control system developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to test and evaluate the feasibility of controlling the shuttle TV cameras and monitors by voice commands utilizes a commercially available discrete word speech recognizer which can be trained to the individual utterances of each operator. Successful ground tests were conducted using a simulated full-scale space shuttle manipulator. The test configuration involved the berthing, maneuvering and deploying a simulated science payload in the shuttle bay. The handling task typically required 15 to 20 minutes and 60 to 80 commands to 4 TV cameras and 2 TV monitors. The best test runs show 96 to 100 percent voice recognition accuracy.

Run-Curve Design for Energy Saving Operation in a Modern DC-Electrification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koseki, Takafumi; Noda, Takashi

Mechanical brakes are often used by electric trains. These brakes have a few problems like response speed, coefficient of friction, maintenance cost and so on. As a result, methods for actively using regenerative brakes are required. In this paper, we propose the useful pure electric braking, which would involve ordinary brakes by only regenerative brakes without any mechanical brakes at high speed. Benefits of our proposal include a DC-electrification system with regenerative substations that can return powers to the commercial power system and a train that can use the full regenerative braking force. We furthermore evaluate the effects on running time and energies saved by regenerative substations in the proposed method.

Evaluation of a Prototype Hybrid Vacuum Pump to Provide Vacuum-Assisted Suspension for Above-Knee Prostheses

PubMed Central

Major, Matthew J.; Caldwell, Ryan; Fatone, Stefania

2015-01-01

Vacuum-assisted suspension (VAS) of prosthetic sockets utilizes a pump to evacuate air from between the prosthetic liner and socket, and are available as mechanical or electric systems. This technical note describes a hybrid pump that benefits from the advantages of mechanical and electric systems, and evaluates a prototype as proof-of-concept. Cyclical bench testing of the hybrid pump mechanical system was performed using a materials testing system to assess the relationship between compression cycles and vacuum pressure. Phase 1 in vivo testing of the hybrid pump was performed by an able-bodied individual using prosthesis simulator boots walking on a treadmill, and phase 2 involved an above-knee prosthesis user walking with the hybrid pump and a commercial electric pump for comparison. Bench testing of 300 compression cycles produced a maximum vacuum of 24 in-Hg. In vivo testing demonstrated that the hybrid pump continued to pull vacuum during walking, and as opposed to the commercial electric pump, did not require reactivation of the electric system during phase 2 testing. The novelty of the hybrid pump is that while the electric system provides rapid, initial vacuum suspension, the mechanical system provides continuous air evacuation while walking to maintain suspension without reactivation of the electric system, thereby allowing battery power to be reserved for monitoring vacuum levels. PMID:27462383

Validation of two commercial real-time RT-PCR kits for rapid and specific diagnosis of classical swine fever virus.

PubMed

Le Dimna, M; Vrancken, R; Koenen, F; Bougeard, S; Mesplède, A; Hutet, E; Kuntz-Simon, G; Le Potier, M F

2008-01-01

Two real-time RT-PCR kits, developed by LSI (TaqVet CSF) and ADIAGENE (Adiavet CSF), obtained an agreement to be commercialised in France, subject to conditions, defined by the French Classical Swine Fever (CSF) National Reference Laboratory. The producers were asked to introduce an internal control to check the RNA extraction efficacy. The different criteria assessed were sensitivity, "pestivirus specificity", reproducibility and ease of handling, using 189 different samples. These samples were either CSFV inactivated strains or blood/serum/organs collected from CSFV experimentally infected pigs or naturally infected wild boars. The reproducibility of the assays was confirmed by the analysis of a batch-to-batch panel control that was used for inter-laboratory tests involving nine laboratories. The two kits were also tested for the use in mass diagnostics and the results proved the kits to be suited using pools of blood, serum and tonsils. Moreover, a field evaluation, carried out on spleen samples collected from the CSF surveillance of wild boars in an area known to be infected and from domestic pigs at a slaughterhouse, confirmed the high sensitivity and specificity of the two kits. This step-by-step evaluation procedure confirmed that the two commercial CSF real-time RT-PCR kits have a higher predictive value than the current diagnostic standard, Virus Isolation.

Profitability Evaluation of a Hybrid Geothermal and CO2 Sequestration Project for a Coastal Hot Saline Aquifer.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plaksina, Tatyana; Kanfar, Mohammed

2017-11-01

With growing interest in commercial projects involving industrial volume CO2 sequestration, a concern about proper containment and control over the gas plume becomes particularly prominent. In this study, we explore the potential of using a typical coastal geopressured hot saline aquifer for two commercial purposes. The first purpose is to harvest geothermal heat of the aquifer for electricity generation and/or direct use and the second one is to utilize the same rock volume for safe and controlled CO2 sequestration without interruption of heat production. To achieve these goals, we devised and economically evaluated a scheme that recovers operational and capital costs within first 4 years and yields positive internal rate of return of about 15% at the end of the operations. Using our strategic design of well placement and operational scheduling, we were able to achieve in our numerical simulation study the following results. First, the hot water production rates allowed to run a 30 MW organic Rankine cycle plant for 20 years. Second, during the last 10 years of operation we managed to inject into the same reservoir (volume of 0.8 x 109 m3) approximately 10 million ton of the supercritical gas. Third, decades of numerical monitoring the plume after the end of the operations showed that this large volume of CO2 is securely sequestrated inside the reservoir without compromising the caprock integrity.

Benefit-cost analysis of commercially available activated carbon filters for indoor ozone removal in single-family homes.

PubMed

Aldred, J R; Darling, E; Morrison, G; Siegel, J; Corsi, R L

2016-06-01

This study involved the development of a model for evaluating the potential costs and benefits of ozone control by activated carbon filtration in single-family homes. The modeling effort included the prediction of indoor ozone with and without activated carbon filtration in the HVAC system. As one application, the model was used to predict benefit-to-cost ratios for single-family homes in 12 American cities in five different climate zones. Health benefits were evaluated using disability-adjusted life-years and included city-specific age demographics for each simulation. Costs of commercially available activated carbon filters included capital cost differences when compared to conventional HVAC filters of similar particle removal efficiency, energy penalties due to additional pressure drop, and regional utility rates. The average indoor ozone removal effectiveness ranged from 4 to 20% across the 12 target cities and was largely limited by HVAC system operation time. For the parameters selected in this study, the mean predicted benefit-to-cost ratios for 1-inch filters were >1.0 in 10 of the 12 cities. The benefits of residential activated carbon filters were greatest in cities with high seasonal ozone and HVAC usage, suggesting the importance of targeting such conditions for activated carbon filter applications. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

AST Composite Wing Program: Executive Summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karal, Michael

2001-01-01

The Boeing Company demonstrated the application of stitched/resin infused (S/RFI) composite materials on commercial transport aircraft primary wing structures under the Advanced Subsonic technology (AST) Composite Wing contract. This report describes a weight trade study utilizing a wing torque box design applicable to a 220-passenger commercial aircraft and was used to verify the weight savings a S/RFI structure would offer compared to an identical aluminum wing box design. This trade study was performed in the AST Composite Wing program, and the overall weight savings are reported. Previous program work involved the design of a S/RFI-base-line wing box structural test component and its associated testing hardware. This detail structural design effort which is known as the "semi-span" in this report, was completed under a previous NASA contract. The full-scale wing design was based on a configuration for a MD-90-40X airplane, and the objective of this structural test component was to demonstrate the maturity of the S/RFI technology through the evaluation of a full-scale wing box/fuselage section structural test. However, scope reductions of the AST Composite Wing Program pre-vented the fabrication and evaluation of this wing box structure. Results obtained from the weight trade study, the full-scale test component design effort, fabrication, design development testing, and full-scale testing of the semi-span wing box are reported.

Evaluation of commercial marine fish feeds for production of juvenile cobia in recirculating aquaculture systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The effect of feeding three commercially available diets manufactured by three U.S. feed companies on production characteristics and body composition of juvenile cobia Rachycentron canadum reared in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) was evaluated in a 57 d growth trial. Juvenile cobia (26.7 +...

Commercial sugar beet cultivars evaluated for rhizomania resistance and storability in Idaho, 2015

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rhizomania caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) and storage losses are serious sugar beet production problems. To identify sugar beet cultivars with resistance to BNYVV and evaluate storability, 28 commercial cultivars were screened by growing them in a sugar beet field infested with B...

16 CFR 1028.123 - Early termination of research support: Evaluation of applications and proposals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Early termination of research support: Evaluation of applications and proposals. 1028.123 Section 1028.123 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION GENERAL PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS § 1028.123 Early termination of research support...

Description of cost data from state self-evaluations of commercial vehicle information systems and networks (CVISN) deployments (October 2003 to October 2005)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-02-20

To help states track their own progress in deploying Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) technologies, a self-evaluation requirement was included in the partnership agreements between the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT...

Commercial sugar beet cultivars evaluated for rhizomania resistance and storability in Idaho, 2016

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rhizomania caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) and storage losses are serious sugar beet production problems. To identify sugar beet cultivars with resistance to BNYVV and evaluate storability, 22 commercial cultivars were screened by growing them in a sugar beet field infested with B...

KSC-2013-3087

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-22

HOUSTON - JSC2013e068310 - Chris Ferguson, director of Crew and Mission Operations for The Boeing Company and former NASA astronaut, discusses the fit check evaluation of the CST-100 mock-up with the media during its unveiling at the company's Houston Product Support Center. This test version is optimized to support five crew members and will allow the company to evaluate crew safety, interfaces, communications, maneuverability and ergonomics. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations. The evaluation is part of the ongoing work supporting Boeing's funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCiCap is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. To learn more about CCP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

KSC-2013-3074

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-22

HOUSTON - NASA astronaut Serena Aunon and Andrea Gilkey, a human factors engineer with The Boeing Company, tag up before Aunon puts on her orange launch-and-entry suit for a fit check evaluation of the CST-100 spacecraft at the company's Houston Product Support Center. Aunon's fit check will help evaluate a crew's maneuverability in the spacecraft and test communications. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations, including the International Space Station. The evaluation is part of the ongoing work supporting Boeing's funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCiCap is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. To learn more about CCP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

An evaluation of radiation damage to solid state components flown in low earth orbit satellites.

PubMed

Shin, Myung-Won; Kim, Myung-Hyun

2004-01-01

The effects of total ionising radiation dose upon commercial off-the-shelf semiconductors fitted to satellites operating in low Earth orbit (LEO) conditions was evaluated. The evaluation was performed for the Korea Institute of Technology SATellite-1, (KITSAT-1) which was equipped with commercial solid state components. Two approximate calculation models for space radiation shielding were developed. Verification was performed by comparing the results with detailed three-dimensional calculations using the Monte-Carlo method and measured data from KITSAT-1. It was confirmed that the developed approximate models were reliable for satellite shielding calculations. It was also found that commercial semiconductor devices, which were not radiation hardened, could be damaged within their lifetime due to the total ionising dose they are subject to in the LEO environment. To conclude, an intensive shielding analysis should be considered when commercial devices are used.

Quantitative assessment of graded burn wounds using a commercial and research grade laser speckle imaging (LSI) system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ponticorvo, A.; Rowland, R.; Yang, B.; Lertsakdadet, B.; Crouzet, C.; Bernal, N.; Choi, B.; Durkin, A. J.

2017-02-01

Burn wounds are often characterized by injury depth, which then dictates wound management strategy. While most superficial burns and full thickness burns can be diagnosed through visual inspection, clinicians experience difficulty with accurate diagnosis of burns that fall between these extremes. Accurately diagnosing burn severity in a timely manner is critical for starting the appropriate treatment plan at the earliest time points to improve patient outcomes. To address this challenge, research groups have studied the use of commercial laser Doppler imaging (LDI) systems to provide objective characterization of burn-wound severity. Despite initial promising findings, LDI systems are not commonplace in part due to long acquisition times that can suffer from artifacts in moving patients. Commercial LDI systems are being phased out in favor of laser speckle imaging (LSI) systems that can provide similar information with faster acquisition speeds. To better understand the accuracy and usefulness of commercial LSI systems in burn-oriented research, we studied the performance of a commercial LSI system in three different sample systems and compared its results to a research-grade LSI system in the same environments. The first sample system involved laboratory measurements of intralipid (1%) flowing through a tissue simulating phantom, the second preclinical measurements in a controlled burn study in which wounds of graded severity were created on a Yorkshire pig, and the third clinical measurements involving a small sample of clinical patients. In addition to the commercial LSI system, a research grade LSI system that was designed and fabricated in our labs was used to quantitatively compare the performance of both systems and also to better understand the "Perfusion Unit" output of commercial systems.

Interagency collaboration models for people with mental ill health in contact with the police: a systematic scoping review.

PubMed

Parker, Adwoa; Scantlebury, Arabella; Booth, Alison; MacBryde, Jillian Catherine; Scott, William J; Wright, Kath; McDaid, Catriona

2018-03-27

To identify existing evidence on interagency collaboration between law enforcement, emergency services, statutory services and third sector agencies regarding people with mental ill health. Systematic scoping review. Scoping reviews map particular research areas to identify research gaps. ASSIA, CENTRAL, the Cochrane Library databases, Criminal Justice Abstracts, ERIC, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PROSPERO and Social Care Online and Social Sciences Citation Index were searched up to 2017, as were grey literature and hand searches. Eligible articles were empirical evaluations or descriptions of models of interagency collaboration between the police and other agencies. Screening and data extraction were undertaken independently by two researchers. Arksey's framework was used to collate and map included studies. One hundred and twenty-five studies were included. The majority of articles were of descriptions of models (28%), mixed methods evaluations of models (18%) and single service evaluations (14%). The most frequently reported outcomes (52%) were 'organisational or service level outcomes' (eg, arrest rates). Most articles (53%) focused on adults with mental ill health, whereas others focused on adult offenders with mental ill health (17.4%). Thirteen models of interagency collaboration were described, each involving between 2 and 13 agencies. Frequently reported models were 'prearrest diversion' of people with mental ill health (34%), 'coresponse' involving joint response by police officers paired with mental health professionals (28.6%) and 'jail diversion' following arrest (23.8%). We identified 13 different interagency collaboration models catering for a range of mental health-related interactions. All but one of these models involved the police and mental health services or professionals. Several models have sufficient literature to warrant full systematic reviews of their effectiveness, whereas others need robust evaluation, by randomised controlled trial where appropriate. Future evaluations should focus on health-related outcomes and the impact on key stakeholders. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

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

Davison, B. H.; Kuritz, T.

This CRADA was a collaborative effort between the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Sass & Sass, Inc. It also had involvement with the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) The CRADA focused on the development and commercialization in the U.S. of the substance developed in Russia with potential veterinary applications. The project addressed validation and further characterization of the lead substance necessary for its commercialization in the U.S. market as a veterinarian biologic and at the commercialization of the product for the Russian market, by the Russian group establishing of sustainability of the Russian research groups.

CERN Computing in Commercial Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cordeiro, C.; Field, L.; Garrido Bear, B.; Giordano, D.; Jones, B.; Keeble, O.; Manzi, A.; Martelli, E.; McCance, G.; Moreno-García, D.; Traylen, S.

2017-10-01

By the end of 2016 more than 10 Million core-hours of computing resources have been delivered by several commercial cloud providers to the four LHC experiments to run their production workloads, from simulation to full chain processing. In this paper we describe the experience gained at CERN in procuring and exploiting commercial cloud resources for the computing needs of the LHC experiments. The mechanisms used for provisioning, monitoring, accounting, alarming and benchmarking will be discussed, as well as the involvement of the LHC collaborations in terms of managing the workflows of the experiments within a multicloud environment.

Randomized Trial Evaluating Tobacco Possession-Use-Purchase Laws in the USA

PubMed Central

Pokorny, Steven B; Adams, Monica; Jason, Leonard

2011-01-01

Tobacco Purchase-Use-Possession laws (PUP) are being implemented throughout the US, but it is still unclear whether they are effective in reducing smoking prevalence among the youth targeted by these public health policies. In the present study, 24 towns in Northern Illinois were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. One condition involved reducing commercial sources of youth access to tobacco (Control), whereas the second involved both reducing commercial sources of youth access to tobacco as well as fining minors for possessing or using tobacco (Experimental). Students in 24 towns in Northern Illinois in the United States completed a 74 item self-report survey in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. At the start of the study, students were in grades 7 through 10. During each time period, students were classified as current smokers or nonsmokers (i.e. completely abstinent for the 30 consecutive days prior to assessment). The analyses included 25,404 different students and 50,725 assessments over the four time periods. A hierarchical linear modeling analytical approach was selected due to the multilevel data (i.e., town-level variables and individual-level variables), and nested design of sampling of youth within towns. Findings indicated that rates of current smoking were not significantly different between the two conditions at baseline, but over time, rates increased significantly less quickly for adolescents in Experimental than those in Control towns. The implications of these findings are discussed. PMID:18947913

Assessment of the RIVET fixation system for cranioplasty using the pull-out technique.

PubMed

Sakamoto, Yoshiaki; Minabe, Toshiharu; Kato, Tatsuya; Kishi, Kazuo

2015-03-01

Cranioplasty using custom-made hydroxyapatite (HAP) ceramic implants is a common procedure to repair skull defects. However, commercially available titanium screws are only minimally stabilized due to characteristic brittleness. We developed the RIVET technique which involves fixing a bioabsorbable plate atop a HAP block using bioabsorbable screws extending beyond both layers, and evaluated fixation strength using the pull-out test and microtomography. Three experimental conditions were compared: a non-RIVET group, RIVET group, and dry skull control group. Pull-out strength significantly differed across groups (non-RIVET group, 1.33 ± 1.21 kgf; RIVET group, 4.46 ± 0.84 kgf; and control group, 6.99 ± 1.14 kgf, P < 0.01). Microtomography of the dry skull control group revealed thread grooves fitted to the screws. The non-RIVET and RIVET groups presented fewer thread grooves than the control group, and the screws did not fit perfectly to the HAP block. However, fixation in the RIVET group was more stable, as the rivet was firmly lodged into the implant. In conclusion, by melting and creating the rivet, pull-out strength can be increased and rigid stabilization of HAP can be obtained. This technique uses commercially available absorbable plate and screws, and thus can be used widely in clinical applications involving HAP blocks with different porosities and thicknesses. Copyright © 2014 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of child commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking victims presenting for medical care in the United States.

PubMed

Varma, Selina; Gillespie, Scott; McCracken, Courtney; Greenbaum, V Jordan

2015-06-01

The objective of the study is to describe distinguishing characteristics of commercial sexual exploitation of children/child sex trafficking victims (CSEC) who present for health care in the pediatric setting. This is a retrospective study of patients aged 12-18 years who presented to any of three pediatric emergency departments or one child protection clinic, and who were identified as suspected victims of CSEC. The sample was compared with gender and age-matched patients with allegations of child sexual abuse/sexual assault (CSA) without evidence of CSEC on variables related to demographics, medical and reproductive history, high-risk behavior, injury history and exam findings. There were 84 study participants, 27 in the CSEC group and 57 in the CSA group. Average age was 15.7 years for CSEC patients and 15.2 years for CSA patients; 100% of the CSEC and 94.6% of the CSA patients were female. The two groups significantly differed in 11 evaluated areas with the CSEC patients more likely to have had experiences with violence, substance use, running away from home, and involvement with child protective services and/or law enforcement. CSEC patients also had a longer history of sexual activity. Adolescent CSEC victims differ from sexual abuse victims without evidence of CSEC in their reproductive history, high risk behavior, involvement with authorities, and history of violence. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of an agricultural biotechnology crop product: testing from discovery to commercialization.

PubMed

Privalle, Laura S; Chen, Jingwen; Clapper, Gina; Hunst, Penny; Spiegelhalter, Frank; Zhong, Cathy X

2012-10-17

"Genetically modified" (GM) or "biotech" crops have been the most rapidly adopted agricultural technology in recent years. The development of a GM crop encompasses trait identification, gene isolation, plant cell transformation, plant regeneration, efficacy evaluation, commercial event identification, safety evaluation, and finally commercial authorization. This is a lengthy, complex, and resource-intensive process. Crops produced through biotechnology are the most highly studied food or food component consumed. Before commercialization, these products are shown to be as safe as conventional crops with respect to feed, food, and the environment. This paper describes this global process and the various analytical tests that must accompany the product during the course of development, throughout its market life, and beyond.

KSC-2013-3089

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-22

HOUSTON - JSC2013e068324 - Kathy Lueders, NASA deputy manager for the Commercial Crew Program, is interviewed by the media during the unveiling of a CST-100 mock-up at the company's Houston Product Support Center. This test version is optimized to support five crew members and will allow the company to evaluate crew safety, interfaces, communications, maneuverability and ergonomics. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations. The evaluation is part of the ongoing work supporting Boeing's funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCiCap is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. To learn more about CCP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

KSC-2013-3083

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-22

HOUSTON - JSC2013e068290 - Kathy Lueders, NASA deputy manager for the Commercial Crew Program, addresses the media before the unveiling of a CST-100 mock-up at the company's Houston Product Support Center. This test version is optimized to support five crew members and will allow the company to evaluate crew safety, interfaces, communications, maneuverability and ergonomics. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations. The evaluation is part of the ongoing work supporting Boeing's funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCiCap is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. To learn more about CCP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

KSC-2013-3084

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-22

HOUSTON - JSC2013e068296 - John Mulholland, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew, for The Boeing Company, addresses the media before the unveiling of a CST-100 mock-up at the company's Houston Product Support Center. This test version is optimized to support five crew members and will allow the company to evaluate crew safety, interfaces, communications, maneuverability and ergonomics. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations. The evaluation is part of the ongoing work supporting Boeing's funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCiCap is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. To learn more about CCP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

Use of Commercial Electrical, Electronic and Electromechanical (EEE) Parts in NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gonzalex, Oscar

2012-01-01

NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program (CCP) is stimulating efforts within the private sector to develop and demonstrate safe, reliable, and cost-effective space transportation capabilities. One initiative involves investigating the use of commercial electronic parts. NASA's CCP asked the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) to collect data to help frame the technical, cost, and schedule risk trades associated with electrical, electronic and electromechanical (EEE) parts selection and specifically expressed desire of some of the CCP partners to employ EEE parts of a lower grade than traditionally used in most NASA safety-critical applications. This document contains the outcome from the NESC's review and analyses.

32 CFR 169a.13 - CAs involving forty-five or fewer DoD civilian employees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false CAs involving forty-five or fewer DoD civilian employees. 169a.13 Section 169a.13 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE DEFENSE CONTRACTING COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES PROGRAM PROCEDURES Procedures § 169a.13 CAs involving forty-five...

32 CFR 169a.13 - CAs involving forty-five or fewer DoD civilian employees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 32 National Defense 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false CAs involving forty-five or fewer DoD civilian employees. 169a.13 Section 169a.13 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE DEFENSE CONTRACTING COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES PROGRAM PROCEDURES Procedures § 169a.13 CAs involving forty-five...

32 CFR 169a.13 - CAs involving forty-five or fewer DoD civilian employees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false CAs involving forty-five or fewer DoD civilian employees. 169a.13 Section 169a.13 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE DEFENSE CONTRACTING COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES PROGRAM PROCEDURES Procedures § 169a.13 CAs involving forty-five...

Commerce Lab: Mission analysis payload integration study. Appendix A: Data bases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

The development of Commerce Lab is detailed. Its objectives are to support the space program in these areas: (1) the expedition of space commercialization; (2) the advancement of microgravity science and applications; and (3) as a precursor to future missions in the space program. Ways and means of involving private industry and academia in this commercialization is outlined.

Higher and Further Education Institution Policies on Student and Staff Involvement in Commercial Sex

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cusick, Linda; Roberts, Ron; Paton, Susan

2009-01-01

This paper concerns higher and further education institutions' policies as they relate to the interactions of their staff and students with the sex industry. In Scotland and England, consenting adults may legally buy and sell sex and commercial sexual entertainment, such as erotic dance and phone sex, provided that they do not do so in a public…

Four years experience with filtration systems in commercial nurseries for eliminating Phytophthora species from recirculation water

Treesearch

T. Ufer; M. Posner; H.-P. Wessels; S. Wagner; K. Kaminski; T. Brand; Werres S.

2008-01-01

In a four year project, three different filtration systems were tested under commercial nursery conditions to eliminate Phytophthora spp. from irrigation water. Five nurseries were involved in the project. Slow sand filtration systems were tested in three nurseries. In the fourth nursery, a filtration system with lava grains (Shieer® Bio filtration)...

Marketing in Schools, Commercialization and Sustainability: Policy Disjunctures Surrounding the Commercialization of Childhood and Education for Sustainable Lifestyles in England

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkinson, Gary

2016-01-01

Capitalist expansion is predicated on consumption and growth driven by citizens following their individual preferences in the marketplace. To promote consumption and influence consumer wants and desire, propaganda is used to persuade citizens to purchase products using a wide and diverse range of techniques. In recent decades, this has involved an…

McDonaldization or commercial re-stratification: corporatization and the multimodal organisation of English doctors.

PubMed

Waring, Justin; Bishop, Simon

2013-04-01

This paper investigates transitions in the social organisation of medicine found in the extended opportunities for private corporations to own, manage and deliver public healthcare services in the English National Health Service. It follows recent calls to explain the reconstruction of medical work without reducing analysis to either the structures of organisational control or the strategic resistance of doctors. Accordingly, the paper considers how doctors interact, mediate and co-create new organisational environments. Central to our analysis are the variable sources of power that influence whether doctors acquiesce, resist or re-create change. Drawing on ethnographic research carried out between 2006 and 2010 in two Independent Sector Treatment Centres - private providers of public healthcare - the paper shows how doctors' responses to bureaucratic and commercial structures reflect their own structured forms of power, which have variable value within this new commercial environment. These include clinical experience and specialist knowledge, but also social and economic influence. Building on established sociological debates, these divergent sources of power explain how for some doctors the expansion of private healthcare might involve more extreme forms of McDonaldization, while for others it might involve opportunities for Commercial Re-stratification. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Injury severity analysis of commercially-licensed drivers in single-vehicle crashes: Accounting for unobserved heterogeneity and age group differences.

PubMed

Osman, Mohamed; Mishra, Sabyasachee; Paleti, Rajesh

2018-05-18

This study analyzes the injury severity of commercially-licensed drivers involved in single-vehicle crashes. Considering the discrete ordinal nature of injury severity data, the ordered response modeling framework was adopted. The moderating effect of driver's age on all other factors was examined by segmenting the parameters by driver's age group. Additional effects of the different drivers' age groups are taken into consideration through interaction terms. Unobserved heterogeneity of the different covariates was investigated using the Mixed Generalized Ordered Response Probit (MGORP) model. The empirical analysis was conducted using four years of the Highway Safety Information System (HSIS) data that included 6247 commercially-licensed drivers involved in single-vehicle crashes in the state of Minnesota. The MGORP model elasticity effects indicate that key factors that increase the likelihood of severe crashes for commercially-licensed drivers across all age groups include: lack of seatbelt usage, collision with a fixed object, speeding, vehicle age of 11 years or more, wind, night time, weekday, and female drivers. Also, the effects of several covariates were found to vary across different age groups. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation and demonstration of commercialization potential of CCSI tools within gPROMS advanced simulation platform

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

Lawal, Adekola; Schmal, Pieter; Ramos, Alfredo

PSE, in the first phase of the CCSI commercialization project, set out to identify market opportunities for the CCSI tools combined with existing gPROMS platform capabilities and develop a clear technical plan for the proposed commercialization activities.

Evaluation of a Chlamydia trachomatis-specific, commercial, real-time PCR for use with ocular swabs.

PubMed

Pickering, Harry; Holland, Martin J; Last, Anna R; Burton, Matthew J; Burr, Sarah E

2018-02-20

Trachoma, the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide, is caused by conjunctival Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Trachoma is diagnosed clinically by observation of conjunctival inflammation and/or scarring; however, there is evidence that monitoring C. trachomatis infection may be required for elimination programmes. There are many commercial and 'in-house' nucleic acid amplification tests for the detection of C. trachomatis DNA, but the majority have not been validated for use with ocular swabs. This study evaluated a commercial assay, the Fast-Track Vaginal swab kit, using conjunctival samples from trachoma-endemic areas. An objective, biostatistical-based method for binary classification of continuous PCR data was developed, to limit potential user-bias in diagnostic settings. The Fast-Track Vaginal swab assay was run on 210 ocular swab samples from Guinea-Bissau and Tanzania. Fit of individual amplification curves to exponential or sigmoid models, derivative and second derivative of the curves and final fluorescence value were examined for utility in thresholding for determining positivity. The results from the Fast-Track Vaginal swab assay were evaluated against a commercial test (Amplicor CT/NG) and a non-commercial test (in-house droplet digital PCR), both of whose performance has previously been evaluated. Significant evidence of exponential amplification (R 2  > 0.99) and final fluorescence > 0.15 were combined for thresholding. This objective approach identified a population of positive samples, however there were a subset of samples that amplified towards the end of the cycling protocol (at or later than 35 cycles), which were less clearly defined. The Fast-Track Vaginal swab assay showed good sensitivity against the commercial (95.71) and non-commercial (97.18) tests. Specificity was lower against both (90.00 and 96.55, respectively). This study defined a simple, automated protocol for binary classification of continuous, real-time qPCR data, for use in an end-point diagnostic test. This method identified a population of positive samples, however, as with manual thresholding, a subset of samples that amplified towards the end of the cycling program were less easily classified. When used with ocular swabs, the Fast-Track Vaginal swab assay had good sensitivity for C. trachomatis detection, but lower specificity than the commercial and non-commercial assays it was evaluated against, possibly leading to false positives.

Economic evaluation and the Jordan Rational Drug List: an exploratory study of national-level priority setting.

PubMed

Lafi, Rania; Robinson, Suzanne; Williams, Iestyn

2012-01-01

To explore the extent of and barriers to the use of economic evaluation in compiling the Jordan Rational Drug List in the health care system of Jordan. The research reported in this article involved a case study of the Jordan Rational Drug List. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews with decision makers and analysis of secondary documentary sources. The case study was supplemented by additional interviews with a small number of Jordanian academics involved in the production of economic evaluation. The research found that there was no formal requirement for cost-effectiveness information submitted as part of the decision-making process for the inclusion of new technologies on the Jordan Rational Drug List. Both decision makers and academics suggested that economic evidence was not influential in formulary decisions. This is unusual for national formulary bodies. The study identified a number of barriers that prevent substantive and routine use of economic evaluation. While some of these echo findings of previous studies, others-notably the extent to which the sectional interests of clinical groups and commercial (pharmaceutical) industry exert undue influence over decision making-more obviously result from the specific Jordanian context. Economic evaluation was not found to be influential in the Jordan Rational Drug List. Recommendations for improvement include enhancing capacity in relation to generating, accessing, and/or applying health economic analysis to priority setting decisions. There is a further need to incentivize the use of economic evaluation, and this requires that organizational and structural impediments be removed. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Patients', clinicians' and the research communities' priorities for treatment research: there is an important mismatch.

PubMed

Crowe, Sally; Fenton, Mark; Hall, Matthew; Cowan, Katherine; Chalmers, Iain

2015-01-01

There is some evidence that there is a mismatch between what patients and health professionals want to see researched and the research that is actually done. The James Lind Alliance (JLA) research Priority Setting Partnerships (PSPs) were created to address this mismatch. Between 2007 and 2014, JLA partnerships of patients, carers and health professionals agreed on important treatment research questions (priorities) in a range of health conditions, such as Type 1 diabetes, eczema and stroke. We were interested in how much these JLA PSP priorities were similar to treatments undergoing evaluation and research over the same time span. We identified the treatments described in all the JLA PSP research priority lists and compared these to the treatments described in a group of research studies (randomly selected) registered publically. The priorities identified by JLA PSPs emphasised the importance of non-drug treatment research, compared to the research actually being done over the same time period, which mostly involved evaluations of drugs. These findings suggest that the research community should make greater efforts to address issues of importance to users of research, such as patients and healthcare professionals. Background Comparisons of treatment research priorities identified by patients and clinicians with research actually being done by researchers are very rare. One of the best known of these comparisons (Tallon et al. Relation between agendas of the research community and the research consumer 355:2037-40, 2000) revealed important mismatches in priorities in the assessment of treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee: researchers preferenced drug trials, patients and clinicians prioritised non-drug treatments. These findings were an important stimulus in creating the James Lind Alliance (JLA). The JLA supports research Priority Setting Partnerships (PSPs) of patients, carers and clinicians, who are actively involved in all aspects of the process, to develop shared treatment research priorities. We have compared the types of treatments (interventions) prioritised for evaluation by JLA PSPs with those being studied in samples of clinical trials being done over the same period. Objective We used treatment research priorities generated by JLA PSPs to assess whether, on average, treatments prioritised by patients and clinicians differ importantly from those being studied by researchers. Methods We identified treatments mentioned in prioritised research questions generated by the first 14 JLA PSPs. We compared these treatments with those assessed in random samples of commercial and non-commercial clinical trials recruiting in the UK over the same period, which we identified using WHO's International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. Results We found marked differences between the proportions of different types of treatments proposed by patients, carers and clinicians and those currently being evaluated by researchers. In JLA PSPs, drugs accounted for only 18 % (23/126) of the treatments mentioned in priorities; in registered non-commercial trials, drugs accounted for 37 % (397/1069) of the treatments mentioned; and in registered commercial trials, drugs accounted for 86 % (689/798) of the treatments mentioned. Discussion Our findings confirm the mismatch first described by Tallon et al. 15 years ago. On average, drug trials are being preferenced by researchers, and non-drug treatments are preferred by patients, carers and clinicians. This general finding should be reflected in more specific assessments of the extent to which research is addressing priorities identified by the patient and clinician end users of research. It also suggests that the research culture is slow to change in regard to how important and relevant treatment research questions are identified and prioritised.

Audience Selectivity and Involvement in the Newer Media Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perse, Elizabeth M.

1990-01-01

Examines cable television viewer selectivity and involvement. Concludes through study of 342 cable subscribers who owned remote control devices that "zapping" (changing television channels during commercials) is an indication of ritualistic television viewing. Suggests that more salient motives are linked to the preexposure activities of…

Greenhouse evaluation of commercial soybean cultivars adapted to the northern United States for resistance to charcoal rot

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Thirty (30) and sixty-seven (67) commercially available soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr) cultivars from Wisconsin (Maturity group (MG) I-II) and Indiana (MG II-III), respectively, were evaluated for charcoal rot (CR; Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid) resistance using a cut-stem greenhouse assay. ...

Local Evaluation of Chemistry Journals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kraus, Joseph R.; Hansen, Rachel

2008-01-01

This paper reports on the evaluation of local usage statistics of a specific set of chemistry journals at the University of Denver in Colorado, USA. The objective of the study is to demonstrate that commercial publishers in chemistry charge considerably more for their journals than those from the non-commercial sector. There are three variables…

Glass-to-Metal Seal Quality.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-05-01

SELECTION AND EVALUATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2.2 MICROELECTRONIC PACKAGES AND THEIR QUALITY . . . * . . . . . . . . 5 2.3 EQUIPMENT...liquid penetrant testing for various microelectronic package hermeticity. I t I MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT 2.1 DYE PENETRANT SELECTION AND EVALUATION...a commercial visible dye penetrant and a commercial fluorescent dye penetrant were selected as being suitable for the testing of microelectronic

Evaluation of calcium, phosphorus, and selected trace mineral status in commercially available dry foods formulated for dogs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Objective – To evaluate the mineral content including calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, copper, manganese, and selenium of canine commercial pet foods and compare them to current AAFCO recommendations for adult maintenance. Design - Descriptive study. Sample – Forty-five over the counter dry canine p...

14 CFR 135.76 - DOD Commercial Air Carrier Evaluator's Credentials: Admission to pilots compartment: Forward...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Credentials: Admission to pilots compartment: Forward observer's seat. 135.76 Section 135.76 Aeronautics and... Commercial Air Carrier Evaluator's Credentials: Admission to pilots compartment: Forward observer's seat. (a.... (b) A forward observer's seat on the flight deck or forward passenger seat with headset or speaker...

14 CFR 135.76 - DOD Commercial Air Carrier Evaluator's Credentials: Admission to pilots compartment: Forward...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Credentials: Admission to pilots compartment: Forward observer's seat. 135.76 Section 135.76 Aeronautics and... Commercial Air Carrier Evaluator's Credentials: Admission to pilots compartment: Forward observer's seat. (a.... (b) A forward observer's seat on the flight deck or forward passenger seat with headset or speaker...

Evaluation of sperm motility with CASA-Mot: which factors may influence our measurements?

PubMed

Yeste, Marc; Bonet, Sergi; Rodríguez-Gil, Joan E; Rivera Del Álamo, Maria M

2018-03-14

Computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA) is now routinely used in IVF clinics, animal breeding centres and research laboratories. Although CASA provides a more objective way to evaluate sperm parameters, a significant number of factors can affect these measurements. This paper classifies these factors into four categories: (1) sample and slide (e.g. preincubation time, type of specimen and type of chamber slide); (2) microscope (e.g. light source and microscope stage); (3) hardware and software, including the settings of each system; and (4) user-related factors. We review the effects of the different factors in each category on the measurements made and emphasise the need to take measures to standardise evaluations. The take-home message of the present article is that there are several commercial and useful CASA systems, and all are appropriate for routine analysis. Non-commercial systems may also be good choices when the user needs to adapt the device to specific experimental conditions. In both cases (commercial and non-commercial), it is important that standard protocols are put in place for evaluation, as well as methods to validate the system.

Commercial nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) technology evaluation

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

Erbacher, J.K.; Vukson, S.P.

1997-12-01

Available cylindrical and prismatic commercial Ni-MH batteries using AB{sub 5} and AB{sub 2} cathodes were evaluated for possible application to military aircraft batteries. Commercial AB{sub 5} technology is further advanced than AB{sub 2} technology and would require less alloy, electrolyte and single cell/battery development for near term (3--5 years) applications. Tested AB{sub 2} technology appears inadequate to meet the near term military requirements and would require a major development in the alloy to overcome the irreversible capacity loss at temperatures above 49 C.

Quality of cucumbers commercially fermented in calcium chloride brine without sodium salts

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Commercial cucumber fermentation produces large volumes of salty wastewater. This study evaluated the quality of fermented cucumbers produced commercially using an alternative calcium chloride brining process. Fermentation conducted in calcium brines (0.1M calcium chloride, 6mM potassium sorbate, eq...

Attendees' perceptions of commercial influence in noncommercially funded CME programs.

PubMed

Goldfarb, Elizabeth; Baer, Lee; Fromson, John A; Gorrindo, Tristan; Iodice, Kristin E; Birnbaum, Robert J

2012-01-01

The controversy surrounding commercial support for continuing medical education (CME) programs has led to policy changes, but data show no significant difference in perceived bias between commercial and noncommercial CME. Indeed, what attendees perceive as commercial influence is not fully understood. We sought to clarify what sources contribute to attendees' perceptions of commercial influence in non-industry-supported CME programs, and how attendees perceive that this influence manifests itself on both speaker and program levels. Evaluation forms were received from 1 544 attendees at 14 live noncommercially supported CME programs in 2006, 2007, and 2010. Attendees rated perceived commercial influence for each lecture and the entire program. Using open-ended and "check all that apply'' questions, participants specified perceived sources and manifestations of commercial influence. Attendees rating individual lectures but not the entire program as commercially influenced accounted for 59.9% of those who identified bias. The most frequently endorsed source of commercial influence was individual speakers' funding, and the most listed manifestations were speakers' mentions of pharmaceuticals and expressions of personal opinions. Rating the entire program commercially influenced correlated with whether attendees considered the funding of referenced research a source of influence. CME attendees consider a broad spectrum of factors when reporting commercial influence. Evaluation forms should include bias questions per lecture as well as items to clarify perceived sources and manifestations of commercial influence. Copyright © 2012 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, and the Council on CME, Association for Hospital Medical Education.

Fast quantification of bovine milk proteins employing external cavity-quantum cascade laser spectroscopy.

PubMed

Schwaighofer, Andreas; Kuligowski, Julia; Quintás, Guillermo; Mayer, Helmut K; Lendl, Bernhard

2018-06-30

Analysis of proteins in bovine milk is usually tackled by time-consuming analytical approaches involving wet-chemical, multi-step sample clean-up procedures. The use of external cavity-quantum cascade laser (EC-QCL) based IR spectroscopy was evaluated as an alternative screening tool for direct and simultaneous quantification of individual proteins (i.e. casein and β-lactoglobulin) and total protein content in commercial bovine milk samples. Mid-IR spectra of protein standard mixtures were used for building partial least squares (PLS) regression models. A sample set comprising different milk types (pasteurized; differently processed extended shelf life, ESL; ultra-high temperature, UHT) was analysed and results were compared to reference methods. Concentration values of the QCL-IR spectroscopy approach obtained within several minutes are in good agreement with reference methods involving multiple sample preparation steps. The potential application as a fast screening method for estimating the heat load applied to liquid milk is demonstrated. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Volatile organic compounds in a residential and commercial urban area with a diesel, compressed natural gas and oxygenated gasoline vehicular fleet.

PubMed

Martins, Eduardo Monteiro; Arbilla, Graciela; Gatti, Luciana Vanni

2010-02-01

Air samples were collected in a typical residential and commercial area in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where buses and trucks use diesel and light duty vehicles use compressed natural gas, ethanol, and gasohol (gasoline blended with ethanol) as fuel. A total of 66 C3-C12 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were identified. The most abundant compounds, on a mass concentration basis, included propane, isobutane, i-pentane, m,p-xylene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, toluene, styrene, ethylbenzene, isopropylbenzene, o-xylene and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene. Two VOCs photochemical reactivity rankings are presented: one involves reaction with OH and the other involves production of ozone.

Productivity, botanical composition, and nutritive value of commercial pasture mixtures

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pastures in the northeastern USA often are planted to mixtures of grasses and legumes. There is limited public sector information on the performance of commercial forage mixtures. We evaluated a range of commercial pasture mixtures to determine if the number of species in a mixture affected yield an...

12 CFR 1070.22 - Fees for processing requests for CFPB records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... of grades typically involved may be established. This charge shall include transportation of...), an average rate for the range of grades typically involved may be established. Fees shall be charged... research. (iii) Non-commercial scientific institution refers to an institution that is not operated on a...

Ten Projects to Involve Your Students Directly in French.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Lent, Peter C.

1981-01-01

Proposes 10 activities to provide French classes of all levels with a broad spectrum of language projects involving direct and active use of French including students polling each other, skits based on television commercials, geographical "show and tell," cooking French dishes, writing a monthly newspaper, and field trips. (BK)

Motivations for Sexual Risk Behavior across Commercial and Casual Partners among Male Urban Drug Users: Contextual Features and Clinical Correlates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bornovalova, Marina A.; Daughters, Stacey B.; Lejuez, Carl W.

2010-01-01

The current study aimed to develop a measure for assessing the various motivations for sexual risk behavior (SRB) across commercial (involving the exchange of sex for money or drugs) and casual (nonregular) partners in a sample of inner-city, primarily African American drug users, and to examine the relationship of these motivations with a history…

77 FR 53779 - Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-04

..., regardless of whether the cat or dog is transported as a pet by its owner or as part of a commercial shipment... with this rulemaking did not yet include the Department's PRA, which provides the cost and benefit... regardless of whether the cat or dog is transported as a pet by its owner or as part of a commercial shipment...

Sub-orbital commercial Human space flight and informed consent in the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carminati, Maria-Vittoria « Giugi »; Griffith, Doug; Campbell, Mark R.

2013-12-01

Commercial space flight is expected to rapidly develop in the near future. This will begin with sub-orbital missions and then progress to orbital flights. In the United States, technical informed consent of space flight participants is required by the commercial space flight operator for regulatory purposes. Additionally, though not required by U.S. regulation, the aerospace medicine professional involved in the medical screening of both space flight participants and crewmembers will be asked to assist operators in obtaining medical informed consent for liability purposes. The various US federal and state regulations regarding informed consent for sub-orbital commercial space flight are evolving and are unfamiliar to most aerospace medical professionals and are reviewed and discussed.

Economic costs of motorcycle injury among crash-involved commercial motorcyclists in Oyo State, Nigeria.

PubMed

Sangowawa, A O; Owoaje, E T; Ekanem, S E U; Faseru, B; Adekunle, B J

2011-12-01

This study presents the costs of injury from road crashes sustained by commercial motorcyclists in Oyo state, Nigeria. Across-sectional survey of 373 commercial motorcyclists selected using a multi-stage sampling technique was conducted. Information on injury costs for 44 (11.8%) of them who were reportedly involved in a road crash in the 12-month preceding the survey are presented. The mean age of the 44 crash-involved motorcyclists was 33.6 +/- 9.1 years. Daily income ranged from N300.00 ($2.31) - N1, 500.00 ($11.54). Thirty-three (75.0%) of those involved in crashes sustained injuries and 7 (21.2%) of them were admitted. Common injuries sustained were bruises (75.8%), fractures (12.1%), cuts (6.1%) and burns (6.1%). Median number of days away from work was 14 (range: 1 - 150). Median number of days on admission was 60 (range 7 - 90). The median cost of treatment was N2, 000.00 ($15.38), range: N20.00 (about 16 cents) - N25, 000.00 ($192.31) and this was paid by the injured motorcyclist alone in about 47% of cases. Median productivity costs lost was N7, 000.00 ($53.85), range N300 ($2.31) - N72, 000.00 ($553.85). The study showed that the costs of injuries were considerable. Efforts to prevent road crashes must be intensified to reduce the ensuing economic losses.

Performance evaluation of four different methods for circulating water in commercial-scale, split-pond aquaculture systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The split-pond consists of a fish-culture basin that is connected to a waste-treatment lagoon by two conveyance structures. Water is circulated between the two basins with high-volume pumps and many different pumping systems are being used on commercial farms. Pump performance was evaluated with fou...

First Year Evaluation of the Mathematics Pilot Programs, Grades K-8, [and] Appendices. Evaluation Department Report No. 381.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomblin, Elizabeth A.; And Others

The San Diego Board of Education requested that pilot programs be conducted with commercially developed (Grades K-8) mathematics textbooks and programs in order to determine which of the programs/texts were superior, and whether a district-developed program could successfully compete with commercially produced materials. The pilot program…

Poa secunda local collections and commercial releases: A genotypic evaluation

PubMed Central

Shaw, Alanna N.; Mummey, Daniel L.

2017-01-01

The genetics of native plants influence the success of ecological restoration, yet genetic variability of local seed collections and commercial seed releases remains unclear for most taxa. Poa secunda, a common native grass species in Intermountain West grasslands and a frequent component of restoration seed mixes, is one such species. Here, we evaluate the genetic variation of local Poa secunda collections in the context of wild populations and commercial seed releases. We evaluated AFLP markers for seven Poa secunda collections made over a 4000-hectare area and four commercial releases (High Plains, MT-1, Opportunity, and Sherman). We compare the genetic distance and distribution of genetic variation within and between local collections and commercial releases. The extent and patterns of genetic variation in our local collections indicate subtle site differences with most variation occurring within rather than between collections. Identical genetic matches were usually, but not always, found within 5 m2 collection sites. Our results suggest that the genetic variation in two Poa secunda releases (High Plains and MT-1) is similar to our local collections. Our results affirm that guidelines for Poa secunda seed collection should follow recommendations for selfing species, by collecting from many sites over large individual sites. PMID:28369130

Poa secunda local collections and commercial releases: A genotypic evaluation.

PubMed

Shaw, Alanna N; Mummey, Daniel L

2017-01-01

The genetics of native plants influence the success of ecological restoration, yet genetic variability of local seed collections and commercial seed releases remains unclear for most taxa. Poa secunda, a common native grass species in Intermountain West grasslands and a frequent component of restoration seed mixes, is one such species. Here, we evaluate the genetic variation of local Poa secunda collections in the context of wild populations and commercial seed releases. We evaluated AFLP markers for seven Poa secunda collections made over a 4000-hectare area and four commercial releases (High Plains, MT-1, Opportunity, and Sherman). We compare the genetic distance and distribution of genetic variation within and between local collections and commercial releases. The extent and patterns of genetic variation in our local collections indicate subtle site differences with most variation occurring within rather than between collections. Identical genetic matches were usually, but not always, found within 5 m2 collection sites. Our results suggest that the genetic variation in two Poa secunda releases (High Plains and MT-1) is similar to our local collections. Our results affirm that guidelines for Poa secunda seed collection should follow recommendations for selfing species, by collecting from many sites over large individual sites.

PARENTS 2 study protocol: pilot of Parents' Active Role and ENgagement in the review of Their Stillbirth/perinatal death.

PubMed

Bakhbakhi, Danya; Siassakos, Dimitrios; Storey, Claire; Heazell, Alexander; Lynch, Mary; Timlin, Laura; Burden, Christy

2018-01-10

The perinatal mortality review meeting that takes place within the hospital following a stillbirth or neonatal death enables clinicians to learn vital lessons to improve care for women and their families for the future. Recent evidence suggests that parents are unaware that a formal review following the death of their baby takes place. Many would welcome the opportunity to feedback into the meeting itself. Parental involvement in the perinatal mortality review meeting has the potential to improve patient satisfaction, drive improvements in patient safety and promote an open culture within healthcare. Yet evidence on the feasibility of involving bereaved parents in the review process is lacking. This paper describes the protocol for the Parents' Active Role and Engangement iN the review of their Stillbirth/perinatal death study (PARENTS 2) , whereby healthcare professionals' and stakeholders' perceptions of parental involvement will be investigated, and parental involvement in the perinatal mortality review will be piloted and evaluated at two hospitals. We will investigate perceptions of parental involvement in the perinatal mortality review process by conducting four focus groups. A three-round modified Delphi technique will be employed to gain a consensus on principles of parental involvement in the perinatal mortality review process. We will use three sequential rounds, including a national consensus meeting workshop with experts in stillbirth, neonatal death and bereavement care, and a two-stage anonymous online questionnaire. We will pilot a new perinatal mortality review process with parental involvement over a 6-month study period. The impact of the new process will be evaluated by assessing parents' experiences of their care and parents' and staff perceptions of their involvement in the process by conducting further focus groups and using a Parent Generated Index questionnaire. This study has ethical approval from the UK Health Research Authority. We will disseminate the findings through national and international conferences and international peer-reviewed journals. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

[Local fixation of antibiotics by fibrin spray : In bone defects with soft tissue involvement].

PubMed

Janko, Maren; Nau, Christoph; Marzi, Ingo; Frank, Johannes

2017-02-01

In acute and chronic bone infections with concomitant soft tissue involvement the current gold standard is radical surgical debridement including explantation of the infected prosthetic devices. This is followed by initiation of systemic antibiotic therapy appropriate for the antibiogram. Several revision operations are often necessary to achieve complete healing. Additional treatment with local antibiotics or antibiotic-containing substances is routinely used in bone surgery. Apart from the typical procedures with commercially available products, we have conducted a study with 21 patients by application of local antibiotic treatment in combination with the fibrin glue spray technique and evaluated the results. Out of nine wounds of the lower extremities with bone involvement, total healing could be achieved in eight cases. We were also successful in two out of three very complex pelvic wounds; however, as expected the implant infections were complicated. Out of the seven desolate cases we were only able to achieve complete long-term healing in two cases. In the meantime we routinely use the described method in such special disastrous infection situations; however, this is carried out only in combination with established surgical procedures in sepsis surgery and anti-infection management.

Commercialization of biopharmaceutical knowledge in Iran; challenges and solutions

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The objective of this study was to investigate the application of the university research findings or commercialization of the biopharmaceutical knowledge in Iran and determine the challenges and propose some solutions. Results A qualitative study including 19 in-depth interviews with experts was performed in 2011 and early 2012. National Innovation System (NIS) model was employed as the study design. Thematic method was applied for the analysis. The results demonstrate that policy making, regulations and management development are considered as fundamental reasons for current commercialization practice pattern. It is suggested to establish foundation for higher level documents that would involve relating bodies and provide them operational guidelines for the implementation of commercialization incentives. Conclusions Policy, regulations and management as the most influential issue should be considered for successful commercialization. The present study, for the first time, attempts to disclose the importance of evidence input for measures in order to facilitate the commercialization process by the authorities in Iran. Overall, the NIS model should be considered and utilized as one of the effective solutions for commercialization. PMID:24568555

Involving the public in epidemiological public health research: a qualitative study of public and stakeholder involvement in evaluation of a population-wide natural policy experiment.

PubMed

Anderson de Cuevas, Rachel; Nylén, Lotta; Burström, Bo; Whitehead, Margaret

2018-04-20

Public involvement in research is considered good practice by European funders; however, evidence of its research impact is sparse, particularly in relation to large-scale epidemiological research. To explore what difference public and stakeholder involvement made to the interpretation of findings from an evaluation of a natural policy experiment to influence the wider social determinants of health: 'Flexicurity'. Stockholm County, Sweden. Members of the public from different occupational groups represented by blue-collar and white-collar trade union representatives. Also, members of three stakeholder groups: the Swedish national employment agency; an employers' association and politicians sitting on a national labour market committee. Total: 17 participants. Qualitative study of process and outcomes of public and stakeholder participation in four focused workshops on the interpretation of initial findings from the flexicurity evaluation. New insights from participants benefiting the interpretation of our research findings or conceptualisation of future research. Participants sensed more drastic and nuanced change in the Swedish welfare system over recent decades than was evident from our literature reviews and policy analysis. They also elaborated hidden developments in the Swedish labour market that were increasingly leading to 'insiders' and 'outsiders', with differing experiences and consequences for financial and job security. Their explanation of the differential effects of the various collective agreements for different occupational groups was new and raised further potential research questions. Their first-hand experience provided new insights into how changes to the social protection system were contributing to the increasing trends in poverty among unemployed people with limiting long-standing illness. The politicians provided further reasoning behind some of the policy changes and their intended and unintended consequences. These insights fed into subsequent reporting of the flexicurity evaluation results, as well as the conceptualisation of new research that could be pursued in a future programme. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Probable cause in helicopter emergency medical services crashes: what role does ownership play?

PubMed

Habib, Fahim A; Shatz, David; Habib, Aliya I; Bukur, Marko; Puente, Ivan; Catino, Joe; Farrington, Robyn

2014-12-01

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ranks helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) as one of the most perilous occupations in the United States, with improvements in its safety of highest priority. As many injured patients are transported by helicopter, this is of particular concern to the trauma community. The use of HEMS is associated with a heightened degree of inherent risk. We hypothesized that this risk is not uniform and varies with the entity providing HEMS, specifically, commercial versus public safety providers. The NTSB accident database was queried to identify all HEMS-involved events for the 15-year period 1998 to 2012. The NTSB investigation report was reviewed to obtain crash details including probable cause. These were analyzed on the basis of HEMS ownership. Statistical analyses were performed using analysis of variance and Fisher's exact test as appropriate. During the study period, 139 (6.8%) of 2,040 crashes involved HEMS and occurred across 134 cities in 37 states, killing 120 and seriously injuring 146. Of these, 118 involved commercial, 14 not-for-profit, and 7 public safety HEMS. Analyzed in 5-year blocks, no decrease in crash incidence was seen (p = 0.7, analysis of variance). Human and pilot errors were significantly more common among commercial HEMS compared with public safety HEMS (91 of 118 vs. 2 of 7, p = 0.013, and 75 of 116 vs. 1 of 7, p = 0.017, Fisher's exact test). Conditions for which training was not adequate, limited resources, inadequate equipment, and the undertaking of suboptimal trips were identified as key factors. Trauma patients were involved in 34 transports (24.5%), with a fatal or serious outcome in 68 crew/patients on 12 flights. Potentially preventable human and pilot error-related HEMS crashes are significantly more frequent among commercial compared with public safety providers. Deficiencies in training, reduced availability of equipment and resources, as well as questionable flight selection seem to play a key role. Epidemiologic study, level III.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Implementation: The Future of Commercial Trucking Across the Mexican Border

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-01

project because only 29 Mexican carriers had participated thus far. In October 2008, an independent evaluation panel ( IEP ) appointed by the FMCSA...Evaluation Panel ( IEP ) Report to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, U.S.- Mexico Cross-Border Trucking Demonstration Project, October 31, 2008. The...for destinations beyond the commercial zone. Moreover, the Independent Evaluation Panel’s ( IEP ) review of FMCSA data indicate that only 4% of the

Chapter 15: Commercial New Construction Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

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

Kurnik, Charles W.; Keates, Steven

This protocol is intended to describe the recommended method when evaluating the whole-building performance of new construction projects in the commercial sector. The protocol focuses on energy conservation measures (ECMs) or packages of measures where evaluators can analyze impacts using building simulation. These ECMs typically require the use of calibrated building simulations under Option D of the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP).

Direct characterization of commercial lecithins by easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Fernandes, Gabriel D; Alberici, Rosana M; Pereira, Gustavo G; Cabral, Elaine C; Eberlin, Marcos N; Barrera-Arellano, Daniel

2012-12-01

Commercial lecithins are composed mainly of phospholipids and triacylglycerols. The analysis of the commercial lecithins, including their fraction of phospholipids, normally involves laborious and expensive protocols. Easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry (EASI-MS) is shown to be an efficient technique for the analysis of lipids. Samples of commercial lecithins including standards, refined, deoiled and modified soy lecithin were tested. Characteristic profiles of phosphatidylcholines and triacylglycerols are detected by EASI(+)-MS, whereas EASI(-)-MS provided phosphatidylethanolamines, glycophospholipids and free fatty acids profiles. Acetylated lecithins also displayed characteristic acetylated derivatives. EASI-MS data was also compared to MALDI-MS, and found to display richer compositional information. The industrial process applied to lecithin fabrication was also characterised via typical EASI-MS profiles. EASI-MS both in its positive and negative ion modes offers a direct, fast and efficient technique able to characterise commercial lecithin. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Commercial biotechnology processing on International Space Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deuser, Mark S.; Vellinger, John C.; Hardin, Juanita R.; Lewis, Marian L.

1998-01-01

Commercial biotechnology processing in space has the potential to eventually exceed the $35 billion annual worldwide market generated by the current satellite communications industry (Parone 1997). The International Space Station provides the opportunity to conduct long-term, crew-tended biotechnology research in microgravity to establish the foundation for this new commercial biotechnology market. Industry, government, and academia are collaborating to establish the infrastructure needed to catalyze this biotechnology revolution that could eventually lead to production of medical and pharmaceutical products in space. The biotechnology program discussed herein is evidence of this collaborative effort, with industry involvement from Space Hardware Optimization Technology, Inc., government participation through the NASA Commercial Space program, and academic guidance from the Consortium for Materials Development in Space at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Blending the strengths and resources of each collaborator creates a strong partnership, that offers enormous research and commercial opportunities.

Prospective, randomized, blinded evaluation of donor semen quality provided by seven commercial sperm banks.

PubMed

Carrell, Douglas T; Cartmill, Deborah; Jones, Kirtly P; Hatasaka, Harry H; Peterson, C Matthew

2002-07-01

To evaluate variability in donor semen quality between seven commercial donor sperm banks, within sperm banks, and between intracervical insemination and intrauterine insemination. Prospective, randomized, blind evaluation of commercially available donor semen samples. An academic andrology laboratory. Seventy-five cryopreserved donor semen samples were evaluated. Samples were coded, then blindly evaluated for semen quality. Standard semen quality parameters, including concentration, motility parameters, World Health Organization criteria morphology, and strict criteria morphology. Significant differences were observed between donor semen banks for most semen quality parameters analyzed in intracervical insemination samples. In general, the greatest variability observed between banks was in percentage progressive sperm motility (range, 8.8 +/- 5.8 to 42.4 +/- 5.5) and normal sperm morphology (strict criteria; range, 10.1 +/- 3.3 to 26.6 +/- 4.7). Coefficients of variation within sperm banks were generally high. These data demonstrate the variability of donor semen quality provided by commercial sperm banks, both between banks and within a given bank. No relationship was observed between the size or type of sperm bank and the degree of variability. The data demonstrate the lack of uniformity in the criteria used to screen potential semen donors and emphasize the need for more stringent screening criteria and strict quality control in processing samples.

Financing Strategies For A Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facility

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

David Shropshire; Sharon Chandler

2006-07-01

To help meet the nation’s energy needs, recycling of partially used nuclear fuel is required to close the nuclear fuel cycle, but implementing this step will require considerable investment. This report evaluates financing scenarios for integrating recycling facilities into the nuclear fuel cycle. A range of options from fully government owned to fully private owned were evaluated using DPL (Decision Programming Language 6.0), which can systematically optimize outcomes based on user-defined criteria (e.g., lowest lifecycle cost, lowest unit cost). This evaluation concludes that the lowest unit costs and lifetime costs are found for a fully government-owned financing strategy, due tomore » government forgiveness of debt as sunk costs. However, this does not mean that the facilities should necessarily be constructed and operated by the government. The costs for hybrid combinations of public and private (commercial) financed options can compete under some circumstances with the costs of the government option. This analysis shows that commercial operations have potential to be economical, but there is presently no incentive for private industry involvement. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) currently establishes government ownership of partially used commercial nuclear fuel. In addition, the recently announced Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) suggests fuels from several countries will be recycled in the United States as part of an international governmental agreement; this also assumes government ownership. Overwhelmingly, uncertainty in annual facility capacity led to the greatest variations in unit costs necessary for recovery of operating and capital expenditures; the ability to determine annual capacity will be a driving factor in setting unit costs. For private ventures, the costs of capital, especially equity interest rates, dominate the balance sheet; and the annual operating costs, forgiveness of debt, and overnight costs dominate the costs computed for the government case. The uncertainty in operations, leading to lower than optimal processing rates (or annual plant throughput), is the most detrimental issue to achieving low unit costs. Conversely, lowering debt interest rates and the required return on investments can reduce costs for private industry.« less

Chapter 3: Commercial and Industrial Lighting Controls Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

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

Kurnik, Charles W.; Carlson, Stephen

This Commercial and Industrial Lighting Controls Evaluation Protocol (the protocol) describes methods to account for energy savings resulting from programmatic installation of lighting control equipment in large populations of commercial, industrial, government, institutional, and other nonresidential facilities. This protocol does not address savings resulting from changes in codes and standards, or from education and training activities. When lighting controls are installed in conjunction with a lighting retrofit project, the lighting control savings must be calculated parametrically with the lighting retrofit project so savings are not double counted.

Golden Rays - December 2017 | Solar Research | NREL

Science.gov Websites

. Installers place solar panels on the roof of a commercial building. Less Guesswork with New Analysis Tool for PV + Storage Using NREL's new REopt Lite web tool, commercial building owners can evaluate the semiconductors in the future," said Kwangwook Park, one of the NREL researchers. Where Can Commercial

Economic Evaluation of Computerized Structural Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fortin, P. E.

1985-01-01

This completed effort involved a technical and economic study of the capabilities of computer programs in the area of structural analysis. The applicability of the programs to NASA projects and to other users was studied. The applications in other industries was explored including both research and development and applied areas. The costs of several alternative analysis programs were compared. A literature search covered applicable technical literature including journals, trade publications and books. In addition to the literature search, several commercial companies that have developed computerized structural analysis programs were contacted and their technical brochures reviewed. These programs include SDRC I-DEAS, MSC/NASTRAN, SCADA, SUPERSAP, NISA/DISPLAY, STAAD-III, MICAS, GTSTRUDL, and STARS. These programs were briefly reviewed as applicable to NASA projects.

Evaluation of nuclear fuel reprocessing strategies. 2. LWR fuel storage, recycle economics and plutonium logistics

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

Prince, B.E.; Hadley, S.W.

1983-10-27

This is the second of a two-part report intended as a critical review of certain issues involved with closing the Light Water Reactor (LWR) fuel cycle and establishing the basis for future transition to commercial breeder applications. The report is divided into four main sections consisting of (1) a review of the status of the LWR spent fuel management and storage problem; (2) an analysis of the economic incentives for instituting reprocessing and recycle in LWRs; (3) an analysis of the time-dependent aspects of plutonium economic value particularly as related to the LWR-breeder transition; and (4) an analysis of themore » time-dependent aspects of plutonium requirements and supply relative to this transition.« less

Market Assessment and Commercialization Strategy for the Radial Sandia Cooler

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

Goetzler, William; Shandross, Richard; Weintraub, Daniel

This market assessment and commercialization report characterizes and assesses the market potential of the rotating heat exchanger technology developed at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), known as the Radial Sandia Cooler. The RSC is a novel, motor-driven, rotating, finned heat exchanger technology. The RSC was evaluated for the residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation markets. Recommendations for commercialization were made based on assessments of the prototype RSC and the Sandia Cooler technology in general, as well as an in-depth analysis of the six most promising products for initial RSC commercialization.

Tau Kung | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Tau Kung Photo of Feitau Kung Tau Kung Commercial Buildings Research Engineer Feitau.Kung@nrel.gov evaluating building system energy performance in commercial settings, such as office, healthcare, higher

A genome-wide scan for signatures of selection in Chinese indigenous and commercial pig breeds.

PubMed

Yang, Songbai; Li, Xiuling; Li, Kui; Fan, Bin; Tang, Zhonglin

2014-01-15

Modern breeding and artificial selection play critical roles in pig domestication and shape the genetic variation of different breeds. China has many indigenous pig breeds with various characteristics in morphology and production performance that differ from those of foreign commercial pig breeds. However, the signatures of selection on genes implying for economic traits between Chinese indigenous and commercial pigs have been poorly understood. We identified footprints of positive selection at the whole genome level, comprising 44,652 SNPs genotyped in six Chinese indigenous pig breeds, one developed breed and two commercial breeds. An empirical genome-wide distribution of Fst (F-statistics) was constructed based on estimations of Fst for each SNP across these nine breeds. We detected selection at the genome level using the High-Fst outlier method and found that 81 candidate genes show high evidence of positive selection. Furthermore, the results of network analyses showed that the genes that displayed evidence of positive selection were mainly involved in the development of tissues and organs, and the immune response. In addition, we calculated the pairwise Fst between Chinese indigenous and commercial breeds (CHN VS EURO) and between Northern and Southern Chinese indigenous breeds (Northern VS Southern). The IGF1R and ESR1 genes showed evidence of positive selection in the CHN VS EURO and Northern VS Southern groups, respectively. In this study, we first identified the genomic regions that showed evidences of selection between Chinese indigenous and commercial pig breeds using the High-Fst outlier method. These regions were found to be involved in the development of tissues and organs, the immune response, growth and litter size. The results of this study provide new insights into understanding the genetic variation and domestication in pigs.

A genome-wide scan for signatures of selection in Chinese indigenous and commercial pig breeds

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Modern breeding and artificial selection play critical roles in pig domestication and shape the genetic variation of different breeds. China has many indigenous pig breeds with various characteristics in morphology and production performance that differ from those of foreign commercial pig breeds. However, the signatures of selection on genes implying for economic traits between Chinese indigenous and commercial pigs have been poorly understood. Results We identified footprints of positive selection at the whole genome level, comprising 44,652 SNPs genotyped in six Chinese indigenous pig breeds, one developed breed and two commercial breeds. An empirical genome-wide distribution of Fst (F-statistics) was constructed based on estimations of Fst for each SNP across these nine breeds. We detected selection at the genome level using the High-Fst outlier method and found that 81 candidate genes show high evidence of positive selection. Furthermore, the results of network analyses showed that the genes that displayed evidence of positive selection were mainly involved in the development of tissues and organs, and the immune response. In addition, we calculated the pairwise Fst between Chinese indigenous and commercial breeds (CHN VS EURO) and between Northern and Southern Chinese indigenous breeds (Northern VS Southern). The IGF1R and ESR1 genes showed evidence of positive selection in the CHN VS EURO and Northern VS Southern groups, respectively. Conclusions In this study, we first identified the genomic regions that showed evidences of selection between Chinese indigenous and commercial pig breeds using the High-Fst outlier method. These regions were found to be involved in the development of tissues and organs, the immune response, growth and litter size. The results of this study provide new insights into understanding the genetic variation and domestication in pigs. PMID:24422716

Achieving AFRL Universal FADEC Vision With Open Architecture Addressing Capability and Obsolescence for Military and Commercial Applications (Preprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-11-01

engines will involve a family of common components. It will consist of a real - time operating system and partitioned application software (AS...system will employ a standard hardware and software architecture. It will consist of a real time operating system and partitioned application...Inputs - Enables Large Cost Reduction 3. Software - FAA Certified Auto Code - Real Time Operating System - Commercial

JPL - Small Power Systems Applications Project. [for solar thermal power plant development and commercialization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferber, R. R.; Marriott, A. T.; Truscello, V.

1978-01-01

The Small Power Systems Applications (SPSA) Project has been established to develop and commercialize small solar thermal power plants. The technologies of interest include all distributed and central receiver technologies which are potentially economically viable in power plant sizes of one to 10 MWe. The paper presents an overview of the SPSA Project and briefly discusses electric utility involvement in the Project.

Marine C2 in Support of HA/DR: Observations and Critical Assessments Following Super-Typhoon Haiyan

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

farm (Figure 1), established Internet access over commercial satellite service 6 (Figure 2), and configured a wireless local area network ( WLAN ...included support for a larger diameter wireless local area network ( WLAN ), providing greater freedom of movement for users accessing the GATR...emerging commercial capabilities, both communications systems and handheld/user-access devices involves the establishment of a synergistic application

Commercialization of new biotechnology: a systematic review of 16 commercial case studies in a novel manufacturing sector.

PubMed

Paul, Matthew J; Thangaraj, Harry; Ma, Julian K-C

2015-10-01

The 1980s and 1990s saw a major expansion of biotechnology into new areas of science including genomics and recombinant technologies. This was coupled to the widespread emergence of academics into the commercial sector as they were encouraged to spin out companies or commercialize their intellectual property. There were many opportunities to raise investment, and extraordinary success stories were prominent across many areas of technology. The field of plant biotechnology for manufacturing recombinant pharmaceuticals (molecular pharming) emerged and was developed in this period. Like other biotechnologies, this was an exciting new development which offered some very obvious benefits and commercial advantages. In particularly, plant molecular pharming represented a highly novel and potentially disruptive manufacturing technology for recombinant proteins. Twenty-five years on, a series of interviews with senior members of sixteen of the most prominent companies involved in the field provides insight into the original drivers for commercialization, strategic thinking and planning behind key commercial decisions and an insider view into the major reasons for commercial success or failure. These observations and recurring themes identified across a number of commercial ventures remain relevant today, as new biotech companies continue to spin out of the world of academia. © 2015 Society for Experimental Biology, Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Condom negotiation across different relationship types by young women engaged in sex work in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

PubMed Central

Maher, Lisa; Mooney-Somers, Julie; Phlong, Pisith; Couture, Marie-Claude; Kien, Serey Phal; Stein, Ellen; Bates, Anna Juong; Sansothy, Neth; Page, Kimberly

2013-01-01

Cambodia's 100% Condom Use Programme is credited with an increase in consistent condom use in commercial sexual interactions and a decrease in HIV prevalence among female sex workers (FSWs). There has been little improvement in condom use between FSWs and non-commercial partners, prompting calls for more innovative approaches to increasing condom use in these relationships. To understand why condoms are used or not used in sexual interactions involving FSWs, we examined condom negotiation across different types of relationships. We conducted 33 in-depth interviews with young (15 to 29 years) women engaged in sex work in Phnom Penh. There was an important interplay between the meanings of condom use and the meanings of women's relationships. Commercial relationships were characterised as inherently risky and necessitated condom use. Despite a similar lack of sexual fidelity, sweetheart relationships were rarely construed as risky and typically did not involve condom use. Husbands and wives constructed their sexual interactions with each other differently, making agreement on condom use difficult. The lack of improvement in condom use in FSWs' non-commercial sexual relationships needs to be understood in relation to both sex work and the broader Cambodian sexual culture within which these relationships are embedded. PMID:23432108

"Think different": a qualitative assessment of commercial innovation for diabetes information technology programs.

PubMed

Rupcic, Sonia; Tamrat, Tigest; Kachnowski, Stan

2012-11-01

This study reviews the state of diabetes information technology (IT) initiatives and presents a set of recommendations for improvement based on interviews with commercial IT innovators. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 technology developers, representing 12 of the most successful IT companies in the world. Average interview time was approximately 45 min. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and entered into ATLAS.ti for qualitative data analysis. Themes were identified through a process of selective and open coding by three researchers. We identified two practices, common among successful IT companies, that have allowed them to avoid or surmount the challenges that confront healthcare professionals involved in diabetes IT development: (1) employing a diverse research team of software developers and engineers, statisticians, consumers, and business people and (2) conducting rigorous research and analytics on technology use and user preferences. Because of the nature of their respective fields, healthcare professionals and commercial innovators face different constraints. With these in mind we present three recommendations, informed by practices shared by successful commercial developers, for those involved in developing diabetes IT programming: (1) include software engineers on the implementation team throughout the intervention, (2) conduct more extensive baseline testing of users and monitor the usage data derived from the technology itself, and (3) pursue Institutional Review Board-exempt research.

Effects of a Commercial Chitosan Formulation on Bark Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Resistance Parameters in Loblolly Pine

Treesearch

K. D. Klepzig; B. L. Strom

2011-01-01

A commercially available chitosan product, Beyond™, was evaluated for its effects on loblolly pine, Pinus taeda L., responses believed related to bark beetle resistance. Treatments were applied 4 times at approx. 6-wk intervals between May and November 2008. Five treatments were evaluated: ground application (soil drench), foliar application, ground...

Preliminary Evaluation of Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) Packing Materials for Flight Medication Dispenser (FMD) Technology Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Du, B.; Daniels, V.; Crady, C.; Putcha, L.

2011-01-01

This slide presentation reviews preliminary results of the program to evaluate Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) packaging materials for pharmaceutical stability. The need for improved packaging is due to possible changes in chemical and/or physical properties of the drugs, which cause reported reduced potency and/or altered bioavailability and decreased efficacy.

Local Development of Subject Area Item Banks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Annie W.; Barlow, Gene

1984-01-01

It is feasible for school districts to develop and use subject area tests as reliable as those previously available only from commercial publishers. Three projects in local item development in a large school district are described. The first involved only Algebra 1. The second involved life science and career education at the elementary level; and…

Impact Testing of Composites for Aircraft Engine Fan Cases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, Gary D.; Revilock, Duane M.; Binienda, Wieslaw K.; Nie, Walter Z.; Mackenzie, S. Ben; Todd, Kevin B.

2001-01-01

Before composite materials can be considered for use in the fan case of a commercial jet engine, the performance of a composite structure under blade-out loads needs to be demonstrated. The objective of this program is to develop an efficient test and analysis method for evaluating potential composite case concepts. Ballistic impact tests were performed on laminated glass/epoxy composites in order to identify potential failure modes and to provide data for analysis. Flat 7x7 in. panels were impacted with cylindrical titanium projectiles, and 15 in. diameter half-rings were impacted with wedge-shaped titanium projectiles. Composite failure involved local fiber fracture as well as tearing and delamination on a larger scale. A 36 in. diameter full-ring subcomponent was proposed for larger scale testing. Explicit, transient, finite element analyses were used to evaluate impact dynamics and subsequent global deformation for the proposed full-ring subcomponent test. Analyses on half-ring and quarter ring configurations indicated that less expensive smaller scale tests could be used to screen potential composite concepts when evaluation of local impact damage is the primary concern.

Feasibility Study of a Rotorcraft Health and Usage Monitoring System ( HUMS): Usage and Structural Life Monitoring Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dickson, B.; Cronkhite, J.; Bielefeld, S.; Killian, L.; Hayden, R.

1996-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate two techniques, Flight Condition Recognition (FCR) and Flight Load Synthesis (FLS), for usage monitoring and assess the potential benefits of extending the retirement intervals of life-limited components, thus reducing the operator's maintenance and replacement costs. Both techniques involve indirect determination of loads using measured flight parameters and subsequent fatigue analysis to calculate the life expended on the life-limited components. To assess the potential benefit of usage monitoring, the two usage techniques were compared to current methods of component retirement. In addition, comparisons were made with direct load measurements to assess the accuracy of the two techniques. The data that was used for the evaluation of the usage monitoring techniques was collected under an independent HUMS Flight trial program, using a commercially available HUMS and data recording system. The usage data collect from the HUMS trial aircraft was analyzed off-line using PC-based software that included the FCR and FLS techniques. In the future, if the technique prove feasible, usage monitoring would be incorporated into the onboard HUMS.

A computerized system to evaluate volumetric infusion pumps.

PubMed

Kobayashi, S; Ogata, T

1992-01-01

A computerized system was developed to examine the performance characteristics of infusion pumps. This system collects solution delivered by an infusion pump through an intravenous needle into a collection vessel. Using an inductor-type weight sensor and a semiconductor type of strain-gauge pressure sensor, the weight of the collection vessel and the pressure at the needle were monitored over a specific period (the sampling time), and changes in pressure, flow rate, and volume of fluid were calculated. This system was applied to five volumetric infusion pumps with different pumping mechanisms. Test conditions involved two different solutions, two sizes of needle gauge, and seven flow rates, for a total of 28 measurements per pump. Results showed considerable variation in the infusion pumps' performances based on differences in these indices. Use of an inductance weight sensor as a means to evaluate gravimetric performance appears to be an improvement over conventional methods, which use analytical balances for data generation. The results indicate that this system will be useful in evaluating the performances of commercially available infusion pumps as well as those in development.

Modified batch anaerobic digestion assay for testing efficiencies of trace metal additives to enhance methane production of energy crops.

PubMed

Brulé, Mathieu; Bolduan, Rainer; Seidelt, Stephan; Schlagermann, Pascal; Bott, Armin

2013-01-01

Batch biochemical methane potential (BMP) assays to evaluate the methane yield of biogas substrates such as energy crops are usually carried out with undiluted inoculum. A BMP assay was performed on two energy crops (green cuttings and grass silage). Anaerobic digestion was performed both with and without supplementation of three commercial additives containing trace metals in liquid, solid or adsorbed form (on clay particles). In order to reveal positive effects of trace metal supplementation on the methane yield, besides undiluted inoculum, 3-fold and 10-fold dilutions of the inoculum were applied for substrate digestion. Diluted inoculum variants were supplemented with both mineral nutrients and pH-buffering substances to prevent a collapse of the digestion process. As expected, commercial additives had no effect on the digestion process performed with undiluted inoculum, while significant increases of methane production through trace element supplementation could be observed on the diluted variants. The effect of inoculum dilution may be twofold: (1) decrease in trace metal supplementation from the inoculum and (2) reduction in the initial number of bacterial cells. Bacteria require higher growth rates for substrate degradation and hence have higher trace element consumption. According to common knowledge of the biogas process, periods with volatile fatty acids accumulation and decreased pH may have occurred in the course ofanaerobic digestion. These effects may have led to inhibition, not only ofmethanogenes and acetogenes involved in the final phases of methane production, but also offibre-degrading bacterial strains involved in polymer hydrolysis. Further research is required to confirm this hypothesis.

The nature and evaluation of commercial expert system building tools, revision 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gevarter, William B.

1987-01-01

This memorandum reviews the factors that constitute an Expert System Building Tool (ESBT) and evaluates current tools in terms of these factors. Evaluation of these tools is based on their structure and their alternative forms of knowledge representation, inference mechanisms and developer end-user interfaces. Next, functional capabilities, such as diagnosis and design, are related to alternative forms of mechanization. The characteristics and capabilities of existing commercial tools are then reviewed in terms of these criteria.

An experiment to measure the one-way velocity of propagation of electromagnetic radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kolen, P.; Torr, D. G.

1982-01-01

An experiment involving commercially available instrumentation to measure the velocity of the earth with respect to absolute space is described. The experiment involves the measurement of the one-way propagation velocity of electromagnetic radiation down a high-quality coaxial cable. It is demonstrated that the experiment is both physically meaningful and exceedingly simple in concept and in implementation. It is shown that with currently available commercial equipment one might expect to detect a threshold value for the component of velocity of the earth's motion with respect to absolute space in the equatorial plane of approximately 10 km/s, which greatly exceeds the velocity resolution required to detect the motion of the solar system with respect to the center of the galaxy.

Managing mapping data using commercial data base management software.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Elassal, A.A.

1985-01-01

Electronic computers are involved in almost every aspect of the map making process. This involvement has become so thorough that it is practically impossible to find a recently developed process or device in the mapping field which does not employ digital processing in some form or another. This trend, which has been evolving over two decades, is accelerated by the significant improvements in capility, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of electronic devices. Computerized mapping processes and devices share a common need for machine readable data. Integrating groups of these components into automated mapping systems requires careful planning for data flow amongst them. Exploring the utility of commercial data base management software to assist in this task is the subject of this paper. -Author

Highly sensitive and selective lateral flow immunoassay based on magnetic nanoparticles for quantitative detection of carcinoembryonic antigen.

PubMed

Liu, Fangming; Zhang, Honglian; Wu, Zhenhua; Dong, Haidao; Zhou, Lin; Yang, Dawei; Ge, Yuqing; Jia, Chunping; Liu, Huiying; Jin, Qinghui; Zhao, Jianlong; Zhang, Qiqing; Mao, Hongju

2016-12-01

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is an important biomarker in cancer diagnosis. Here, we present an efficient, selective lateral-flow immunoassay (LFIA) based on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for in situ sensitive and accurate point-of-care detection of CEA. Signal amplification mechanism involved linking of detection MNPs with signal MNPs through biotin-modified single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and streptavidin. To verify the effectiveness of this modified LFIA system, the sensitivity and specificity were evaluated. Sensitivity evaluation showed a broad detection range of 0.25-1000ng/ml for CEA protein by the modified LFIA, and the limit of detection (LOD) of the modified LFIA was 0.25ng/ml, thus producing significant increase in detection threshold compared with the traditional LFIA. The modified LFIA could selectively recognize CEA in presence of several interfering proteins. In addition, this newly developed assay was applied for quantitative detection of CEA in human serum specimens collected from 10 randomly selected patients. The modified LFIA system detected minimum 0.27ng/ml of CEA concentration in serum samples. The results were consistent with the clinical data obtained using commercial electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) (p<0.01). In conclusion, the MNPs based LFIA system not only demonstrated enhanced signal to noise ratio, it also detected CEA with higher sensitivity and selectivity, and thus has great potential to be commercially applied as a sensitive tumor marker filtration system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Design, evaluation and structure-activity relationship studies of the AChE reactivators against organophosphorus pesticides.

PubMed

Musilek, Kamil; Dolezal, Martin; Gunn-Moore, Frank; Kuca, Kamil

2011-07-01

Organophosphate pesticides (OPPs; e.g. chlorpyrifos, diazinon, paraoxon) are a wide and heterogeneous group of organophosphorus compounds. Their biological activity of inhibiting acetylcholinesterase (AChE) or butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) ranks them as life endangering agents. The necessary treatment after OPP exposure involves the use of parasympatolytics (e.g. atropine), oxime reactivators (e.g. obidoxime), and anticonvulsive drugs (e.g. diazepam). Therefore, the reactivators of AChE are essential compounds in the treatment of OPP intoxications. Commercial AChE reactivators (e.g. pralidoxime, HI-6, obidoxime, trimedoxime, methoxime) were originally developed for other members of the organophosphate family, such as nerve agents (e.g. sarin, soman, tabun, VX). Pralidoxime, HI-6, and methoxime were found to be weak reactivators of OPP-inhibited AChE. Obidoxime and trimedoxime showed satisfactory reactivation against various OPPs with minor toxicity issues. During the last two decades, the treatment of OPP exposure has become more widely discussed because of growing agricultural production, industrialization, and harmful social issues (e.g. suicides). In this review is the summarized design, evaluation, and structure-activity relationship studies of recently produced AChE reactivators. Since pralidoxime, over 300 oximes have been produced or tested against OPP poisoning, and several novel compounds show very promising abilities as comparable (or higher) to commercial oximes. Some of these are highlighted for their further testing of OPP exposure and, additionally, the main structure-activity relationship of AChE reactivators against OPP is discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Process, policy, and implementation of pool-wide drawdowns on the Upper Mississippi River: a promising approach for ecological restoration of large impounded rivers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kenow, Kevin P.; Gretchen Benjamin,; Tim Schlagenhaft,; Ruth Nissen,; Mary Stefanski,; Gary Wege,; Scott A. Jutila,; Newton, Teresa J.

2016-01-01

The Upper Mississippi River (UMR) has been developed and subsequently managed for commercial navigation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The navigation pools created by a series of lock and dams initially provided a complex of aquatic habitats that supported a variety of fish and wildlife. However, biological productivity declined as the pools aged. The River Resources Forum, an advisory body to the St. Paul District of the USACE, established a multiagency Water Level Management Task Force (WLMTF) to evaluate the potential of water level management to improve ecological function and restore the distribution and abundance of fish and wildlife habitat. The WLMTF identified several water level management options and concluded that summer growing season drawdowns at the pool scale offered the greatest potential to provide habitat benefits over a large area. Here we summarize the process followed to plan and implement pool-wide drawdowns on the UMR, including involvement of stakeholders in decision making, addressing requirements to modify reservoir operating plans, development and evaluation of drawdown alternatives, pool selection, establishment of a monitoring plan, interagency coordination, and a public information campaign. Three pool-wide drawdowns were implemented within the St. Paul District and deemed successful in providing ecological benefits without adversely affecting commercial navigation and recreational use of the pools. Insights are provided based on more than 17 years of experience in planning and implementing drawdowns on the UMR. 

First Results of a Detection Sensor for the Monitoring of Laying Hens Reared in a Commercial Organic Egg Production Farm Based on the Use of Infrared Technology.

PubMed

Zaninelli, Mauro; Redaelli, Veronica; Tirloni, Erica; Bernardi, Cristian; Dell'Orto, Vittorio; Savoini, Giovanni

2016-10-21

The development of a monitoring system to identify the presence of laying hens, in a closed room of a free-range commercial organic egg production farm, was the aim of this study. This monitoring system was based on the infrared (IR) technology and had, as final target, a possible reduction of atmospheric ammonia levels and bacterial load. Tests were carried out for three weeks and involved 7 ISA (Institut de Sélection Animale) brown laying hens. The first 5 days was used to set up the detection sensor, while the other 15 days were used to evaluate the accuracy of the resulting monitoring system, in terms of sensitivity and specificity. The setup procedure included the evaluation of different color background (CB) thresholds, used to discriminate the information contents of the thermographic images. At the end of this procedure, a CB threshold equal to an increase of 3 °C from the floor temperature was chosen, and a cutoff level of 196 colored pixels was identified as the threshold to use to classify a positive case. The results of field tests showed that the developed monitoring system reached a fine detection accuracy (sensitivity = 97.9% and specificity = 94.9%) and the IR technology proved to be a possible solution for the development of a detection sensor necessary to reach the scope of this study.

First Results of a Detection Sensor for the Monitoring of Laying Hens Reared in a Commercial Organic Egg Production Farm Based on the Use of Infrared Technology

PubMed Central

Zaninelli, Mauro; Redaelli, Veronica; Tirloni, Erica; Bernardi, Cristian; Dell’Orto, Vittorio; Savoini, Giovanni

2016-01-01

The development of a monitoring system to identify the presence of laying hens, in a closed room of a free-range commercial organic egg production farm, was the aim of this study. This monitoring system was based on the infrared (IR) technology and had, as final target, a possible reduction of atmospheric ammonia levels and bacterial load. Tests were carried out for three weeks and involved 7 ISA (Institut de Sélection Animale) brown laying hens. The first 5 days was used to set up the detection sensor, while the other 15 days were used to evaluate the accuracy of the resulting monitoring system, in terms of sensitivity and specificity. The setup procedure included the evaluation of different color background (CB) thresholds, used to discriminate the information contents of the thermographic images. At the end of this procedure, a CB threshold equal to an increase of 3 °C from the floor temperature was chosen, and a cutoff level of 196 colored pixels was identified as the threshold to use to classify a positive case. The results of field tests showed that the developed monitoring system reached a fine detection accuracy (sensitivity = 97.9% and specificity = 94.9%) and the IR technology proved to be a possible solution for the development of a detection sensor necessary to reach the scope of this study. PMID:27775658

A Continuum Model for Metabolic Gas Exchange in Pear Fruit

PubMed Central

Ho, Q. Tri; Verboven, Pieter; Verlinden, Bert E.; Lammertyn, Jeroen; Vandewalle, Stefan; Nicolaï, Bart M.

2008-01-01

Exchange of O2 and CO2 of plants with their environment is essential for metabolic processes such as photosynthesis and respiration. In some fruits such as pears, which are typically stored under a controlled atmosphere with reduced O2 and increased CO2 levels to extend their commercial storage life, anoxia may occur, eventually leading to physiological disorders. In this manuscript we have developed a mathematical model to predict the internal gas concentrations, including permeation, diffusion, and respiration and fermentation kinetics. Pear fruit has been selected as a case study. The model has been used to perform in silico experiments to evaluate the effect of, for example, fruit size or ambient gas concentration on internal O2 and CO2 levels. The model incorporates the actual shape of the fruit and was solved using fluid dynamics software. Environmental conditions such as temperature and gas composition have a large effect on the internal distribution of oxygen and carbon dioxide in fruit. Also, the fruit size has a considerable effect on local metabolic gas concentrations; hence, depending on the size, local anaerobic conditions may result, which eventually may lead to physiological disorders. The model developed in this manuscript is to our knowledge the most comprehensive model to date to simulate gas exchange in plant tissue. It can be used to evaluate the effect of environmental stresses on fruit via in silico experiments and may lead to commercial applications involving long-term storage of fruit under controlled atmospheres. PMID:18369422

Industry-university cooperation/research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitten, Raymond P.

1991-01-01

The paper concentrates on the commercial development of space programs through cooperative research with the U.S. universities and industry. The origins of the programs are discussed, beginning with the Communication Satellite Act of 1963. The National Space Policy is outlined, and the creation of NASA's Office of Commercial Programs is emphasized, along with its Centers for the Commercial Development of Space. It is noted that the centers are consortia of university, industry, and government involved in commercial-space-technology database development and research and testing of potentially valuable products and services. The center titles, locations, and brief descriptions for such area of research as remote sensing, life sciences, materials processing, space power, space propulsion, materials and space structures, and automation and robotics centers are listed, along with some results of the programs.

Implications of previous space commercialization experiences for the reusable launch vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obermann, Richard M.; Williamson, Ray A.

2003-07-01

The United States' 1994 National Space Transportation Policy directed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to work with industry on the development of technologies required for a reusable launch vehicle (RLV). In the partnership that has evolved from that directive, NASA envisions its role as providing support for technological risk reduction and for developing space transportation to serve government needs. NASA officials assume that the development of an operational, commercial RLV will be carried out by the private sector without use of government funds. Under that scenario, the Federal government will simply become a customer for commercial RLV services. In evaluating the prospects for the development of a commercially viable RLV, it may be useful to examine "lessons learned" from previous space commercialization efforts—both those that succeeded and those that did not. It can be argued that several distinct streams of market and technological development may have to converge for successful commercialization of space systems to occur. Potential factors influencing the prospects for commercialization include the size and growth rate of the potential customer base, the extent to which a governmental customer exists to underpin the market, the development of associated "value-added" markets, the stability of governmental policies, the levels of technological and business risk, and the degree to which competitive markets exist. This paper examines two previous space commercialization experiences, evaluates the relative importance of the various factors that influence the prospects for success of commercialization efforts, and assesses the implications of those factors for the commercial viability of the proposed RLV.

Direct plantlet inoculation with soil or insect-associated fungi may control cabbage root fly maggots.

PubMed

Razinger, Jaka; Lutz, Matthias; Schroers, Hans-Josef; Palmisano, Marilena; Wohler, Christian; Urek, Gregor; Grunder, Jürg

2014-07-01

A potential Delia radicum biological control strategy involving cauliflower plantlet inoculation with various fungi was investigated in a series of laboratory and glasshouse experiments. In addition to entomopathogenic fungi, fungi with a high rhizosphere competence and fungi with the ability to survive as saprotrophs in soil were tested. The following fungal species were evaluated in the experiments: Trichoderma atroviride, T. koningiopsis, T. gamsii, Beauveria bassiana, Metharhizium anisopliae, M. brunneum and Clonostachys solani. A commercial carbosulfan-based insecticide was used as a positive control. Additionally, two commercial products, one based on B. bassiana (Naturalis) and one on Bacillus thuringiensis (Delfin) were used as reference biocontrol agents. The aims were (i) to assess the pathogenicity of the selected fungal isolates to Delia radicum, (ii) to evaluate the fungal isolates' rhizosphere competence, with the emphasis on the persistence of the original inoculum on the growing roots, (iii) to assess possible endophytic plant tissue colonization, and (iv) to evaluate potential plant growth stimulating effects of the added inoculi. Significant pathogenicity of tested fungi against Delia radicum was confirmed in in vitro and glasshouse experiments. All tested fungi persisted on cauliflower rhizoplane. More importantly, the added fungi were found on thoroughly washed roots outside the original point of inoculation. This provided us with evidence that our tested fungi could be transferred via or grow with the elongating roots. In addition to colonizing the rhizoplane, some fungi were found inside the plant root or stem tissue, thus exhibiting endophytic characteristics. The importance of fungal ecology as a criterion in appropriate biological control agent selection is discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hazardous drug residue on exterior vial surfaces: evaluation of a commercial manufacturing process.

PubMed

Power, Luci A; Sessink, Paul J M; Gesy, Kathy; Charbonneau, Flay

2014-04-01

Hazardous drug residue on the exterior surface of drug vials poses a potential risk for exposure of health care workers involved in handling these products. The purpose of this article is to heighten the awareness of this serious issue and to evaluate a commercial manufacturing process for removing and containing hazardous drug (HD) residue on exterior vial surfaces. Additionally, findings from this study are interpreted, incorporated into the current body of evidence, and discussed by experts in this field. This study includes separate evaluations for the presence or absence of surface drug contamination on the vials of 3 HD products: 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin, and methotrexate. The drug products were packaged in vials using a patented prewashing/decontamination method, application of a polyvinylchloride (PVC) base, and use of clear glass vials. An additional step of encasing the vial in a shrink-wrapped sheath was used for 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin. Of all 5-fluorouracil (110 vials), methotrexate (60 vials), and cisplatin (60 vials) tested, only 2 had detectable amounts of surface residue. One 5-fluorouracil vial was found to have approximately 4 mg of 5-fluorouracil on the surface of the vial. The second contaminated vial was cisplatin, which was discovered to have 131 ng of platinum, equal to 200 ng of cisplatin or 0.2 μL of cisplatin solution, on the vial sheath. Using validated extraction and analytic methods, all but 2 of the 230 tested vials were found to be free of surface drug contamination. Pharmacy leaders need to take an active role in promoting the need for clean HD vials. Manufacturers should be required to provide their clients with data derived from externally validated analytic studies, reporting the level of HD contamination on the exterior of their vial products.

COTS/CRS: KSC Evolving Host Initiatives with Commercial Space Partners

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yohpe, Megan

2010-01-01

NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office (C3PO) leads the agency's commercial efforts to stimulate United States private companies as the shuttle program comes to a close. Through the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, two companies, SpaceX and Orbital, were selected to demonstrate their ability to perform flights to the International Space Station. The Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) Project leverages off the COTS experience, and awarded these two private companies contracts to resupply the International Space Station after shuttle fly out. As a 2010 summer intern, I supported the COTS/CRS team in their team meetings, attended and contributed to project discussions and planning, and assisted in developing visual representations for the variety of processes and organizational endeavors required for the program to run smoothly. One aspect of the COTS/CRS program gives the involved private companies the opportunity to request available services from Kennedy Space Center (KSC); one of my projects included assisting in the development of a related Task Order Request (TOR) process. In addition, an integral part of the project was to maintain and enhance the team database for processing the variety of TORS. My experience in the project gave me great insight into the growing field of commercial space activities. The development of the TOR process involved coordinating representatives from a variety of backgrounds at KSC. A clear and concise visual representation of the TOR process in the form of a flow chart was necessary to successfully implement a task order request from one of NASA's commercial partners. The goals of the process charts were to communicate the team's ideas and foster a common thought process while at the same time allow the process to grow and evolve. It was critical that the requests from the private companies were addressed quickly and thoroughly as the process developed this summer is expected to have extensive future use.

Commercially available molecular tests for human papillomaviruses (HPV): 2015 update.

PubMed

Poljak, Mario; Kocjan, Boštjan J; Oštrbenk, Anja; Seme, Katja

2016-03-01

Commercial molecular tests for human papillomaviruses (HPV) are invaluable diagnostic tools in cervical carcinoma screening and management of women with cervical precancerous lesions as well as important research tools for epidemiological studies, vaccine development, and implementation and monitoring of vaccination programs. In this third inventory of commercial HPV tests, we identified 193 distinct commercial HPV tests and at least 127 test variants available on the market in 2015, which represents a 54% and 79% increase in the number of distinct HPV tests and variants, respectively, in comparison to our last inventory performed in 2012. Identified HPV tests were provisionally divided into eight main groups and several subgroups. Among the 193 commercial HPV tests, all but two target alpha-HPV types only. Although the number of commercial HPV tests with at least one published study in peer-reviewed literature has increased significantly in the last three years, several published performance evaluations are still not in line with agreed-upon standards in the HPV community. Manufacturers should invest greater effort into evaluating their products and publishing validation/evaluation results in peer-reviewed journals. To achieve this, more clinically oriented external quality-control panels and initiatives are required. For evaluating the analytical performance of the entire range of HPV tests currently on the market, more diverse and reliable external quality-control programs based on international standards for all important HPV types are indispensable. The performance of a wider range of HPV tests must be promptly evaluated on a variety of alternative clinical specimens. In addition, more complete HPV assays containing validated sample-extraction protocols and appropriate internal controls are urgently needed. Provision of a broader range of automated systems allowing large-scale HPV testing as well as the development of reliable, rapid, and affordable molecular point-of-care tests are priorities for the further improvement of HPV tests. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dose estimation of eye lens for interventional procedures in diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yu-Rong; Huang, Chia-Yu; Hsu, Ching-Han; Hsu, Fang-Yuh

2017-11-01

The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommended that the equivalent dose limit for the lens of the eye be decreased from 150 mSv/y (ICRP, 2007) to 20 mSv/y averaged over five years (ICRP, 2011). How to accurately measure the eye-lens dose has, therefore, been an issue of interest recently. Interventional radiologists are at a higher risk of radiation-induced eye injury, such as cataracts, than all other occupational radiation workers. The main objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between the doses to the eye lenses of interventional radiologists measured by different commercial eye-lens dosimeters. This study measured a reference eye-lens dose, which involved placing thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) chips at the surface of the eye of the Rando Phantom, and the TLD chips were covered by a 3-mm-thick tissue-equivalent bolus. Commercial eye-lens dosimeters, such as a headband dosimeter and standard personnel dose badges, were placed at the positions recommended by the manufacturers. The results show that the personnel dose badge is not an appropriate dosimeter for evaluating eye-lens dose. Dose deviations for different dosimeters are discussed and presented in this study.

Validating bifidobacterial species and subspecies identity in commercial probiotic products.

PubMed

Lewis, Zachery T; Shani, Guy; Masarweh, Chad F; Popovic, Mina; Frese, Steve A; Sela, David A; Underwood, Mark A; Mills, David A

2016-03-01

The ingestion of probiotics to attempt to improve health is increasingly common; however, quality control of some commercial products can be limited. Clinical practice is shifting toward the routine use of probiotics to aid in prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants, and probiotic administration to term infants is increasingly common to treat colic and/or prevent atopic disease. Since bifidobacteria dominate the feces of healthy breast-fed infants, they are often included in infant-targeted probiotics. We evaluated 16 probiotic products to determine how well their label claims describe the species of detectable bifidobacteria in the product. Recently developed DNA-based methods were used as a primary means of identification, and were confirmed using culture-based techniques. We found that the contents of many bifidobacterial probiotic products differ from the ingredient list, sometimes at a subspecies level. Only 1 of the 16 probiotics perfectly matched its bifidobacterial label claims in all samples tested, and both pill-to-pill and lot-to-lot variation were observed. Given the known differences between various bifidobacterial species and subspecies in metabolic capacity and colonization abilities, the prevalence of misidentified bifidobacteria in these products is cause for concern for those involved in clinical trials and consumers of probiotic products.

Melt-Flow Behaviours of Thermoplastic Materials under Fire Conditions: Recent Experimental Studies and Some Theoretical Approaches

PubMed Central

Joseph, Paul; Tretsiakova-McNally, Svetlana

2015-01-01

Polymeric materials often exhibit complex combustion behaviours encompassing several stages and involving solid phase, gas phase and interphase. A wide range of qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative testing techniques are currently available, both at the laboratory scale and for commercial purposes, for evaluating the decomposition and combustion behaviours of polymeric materials. They include, but are not limited to, techniques such as: thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), oxygen bomb calorimetry, limiting oxygen index measurements (LOI), Underwriters Laboratory 94 (UL-94) tests, cone calorimetry, etc. However, none of the above mentioned techniques are capable of quantitatively deciphering the underpinning physiochemical processes leading to the melt flow behaviour of thermoplastics. Melt-flow of polymeric materials can constitute a serious secondary hazard in fire scenarios, for example, if they are present as component parts of a ceiling in an enclosure. In recent years, more quantitative attempts to measure the mass loss and melt-drip behaviour of some commercially important chain- and step-growth polymers have been accomplished. The present article focuses, primarily, on the experimental and some theoretical aspects of melt-flow behaviours of thermoplastics under heat/fire conditions. PMID:28793746

The role of collectives in STI and HIV/AIDS prevention among female sex workers in Karnataka, India.

PubMed

Halli, S S; Ramesh, B M; O'Neil, J; Moses, S; Blanchard, J F

2006-10-01

This paper evaluates the role of female sex worker (FSW) collectives in the state of Karnataka, India, regarding their facilitating effect in increasing knowledge and promoting change towards safer sexual behaviour. In 2002 a state-wide survey of FSWs was administered to a stratified sample of 1,512 women. Following the survey, a collectivization index was developed to measure the degree of involvement of FSWs in collective-related activities. The results indicate that a higher degree of collectivization was associated with increased knowledge and higher reported condom use. Reported condom use was higher with commercial clients than with regular partners or husbands among all women and a gradient was observed in most outcome variables between women with low, medium and high collectivization index scores. Collectivization seems to have a positive impact in increasing knowledge and in empowering FSWs in Karnataka to adopt safer sex practices, particularly with commercial clients. While these results are encouraging, they may be confounded by social desirability, selection and other biases. More longitudinal and qualitative studies are required to better understand the nature of sex worker collectives and the benefits that they can provide.

Report of the NASA lunar energy enterprise case study task force

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

The Lunar Energy Enterprise Cast Study Task Force was formed to determine the economic viability and commercial business potential of mining and extracting He-3 from the lunar soil for use in earth-based fusion reactors. In addition, the Solar Power Satellite (SPS) and the Lunar Power Station (LPS) were also evaluated because they involve the use of lunar materials and could provide energy for lunar-based activities. The Task Force considered: (1) the legal and liability aspects of the space energy projects; (2) the long-range terrestrial energy needs and options; (3) the technical maturity of the three space energy projects; and (4) their commercial potential. The use of electricity is expected to increase, but emerging environmental concerns and resource availability suggest changes for the national energy policy. All three options have the potential to provide a nearly inexhaustible, clean source of electricity for the U.S. and worldwide, without major adverse impacts on the Earth's environment. Assumption by industry of the total responsibility for these energy projects is not yet possible. Pursuit of these energy concepts requires the combined efforts of government and industry. The report identifies key steps necessary for the development of these concepts and an evolving industrial role.

Quality of online information on breast cancer treatment options.

PubMed

Arif, Nadia; Ghezzi, Pietro

2018-02-01

Offering breast cancer patients treatment choice has become a priority as the involvement of patients in the decision-making process is associated with improved physical and psychological outcomes. As the Internet is increasingly being used by patients as a source of medical information, it is important to evaluate the quality of information relating to breast cancer on the Internet. We analysed 200 websites returned by google.co.uk searching "breast cancer treatment options" in terms of their typology and treatment options described. These were related to standard measures of health information quality such as the JAMA score and the presence of quality certifications, as well as readability. We found that health portals were of higher quality whilst commercial and professional websites were of poorer quality in terms of JAMA criteria. Overall, readability was higher than previously reported for other conditions, and Google ranked websites with better readability higher. Most websites discussed surgical and medical treatments. Few websites, with a large proportion being of commercial typology, discussed complementary and alternative medicine. Google ranked professional websites low whilst websites from non-profit organizations were promoted in the ranking. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Economic and Managerial Analysis of Effective Managerial Strategies on Prevention from Ketosis in Transition Period in Shahroud Commercial Dairy Farms

PubMed Central

Kashfi, H.; Yazdani, A. R.; Latifi, M.; Shirani Bidabadi, F.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this research is to study any effects of managerial strategies on prevention of ketosis metabolic disorder in transition period in Shahroud commercial dairy farms. For this purpose, a questionnaire was prepared in order to obtain required information about the performance of these managerial strategies, performance costs, involvement situation with disorders relying upon clinical signs and treatment and health records, producing and economic situation, and fertility rate and its costs. The considered managerial guidelines include body condition score management or type evaluation in transition period, increase in dry matter intake close to parturition, using propylene glycol, using niacin, and high-quality feeding (the importance of feed quality) in transition period. Finally and upon arrangement of data, it was possible to study any effects of mentioned managerial strategies on related variants through multiple linear regressions. Furthermore, in order to study any relation among variables, we considered Pearson correlation coefficients as well. Finally, it was revealed that any application of managerial strategies for prevention from Ketosis in transition period has a significant effect in betterment of managerial and economic parameters. PMID:23738102

Improved sample treatment for the determination of insoluble soap in sewage sludge samples by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

PubMed

Cantarero, Samuel; Zafra-Gómez, A; Ballesteros, O; Navalón, A; Vílchez, J L; Crovetto, G; Verge, C; de Ferrer, J A

2010-09-15

A new selective and sensitive method for the determination of insoluble fatty acid salts (soap) in sewage sludge samples is proposed. The method involves a clean up of sample with petroleum ether, the conversion of calcium and magnesium insoluble salts into soluble potassium salts, potassium salts extraction with methanol, and a derivatization procedure previous to the liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC-FLD) analysis. Three different extraction techniques (Soxhlet, microwave-assisted extraction and ultrasounds) were compared and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was selected as appropriate for our purpose. This allowed to reduce the extraction time and solvent waste (50 mL of methanol in contrast with 250 mL for Soxhlet procedure). The absence of matrix effect was demonstrated with two standards (C(13:0) and C(17:0)) that are not commercials and neither of them has been detected in sewage sludge samples. Therefore, it was possible to evaluate the matrix effect since both standards have similar environmental behaviour (adsorption and precipitation) to commercial soaps (C(10:0)-C(18:0)). The method was successfully applied to samples from different sources and consequently, with different composition. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Symposium on 'nutritional effects of new processing technologies'. New processing technologies: an overview.

PubMed

Gould, G W

2001-11-01

Most food-preservation techniques act by slowing down or completely inhibiting the growth of micro-organisms. Few techniques act by inactivating them. While heat remains the technique most extensively used for inactivation, there has been increasing interest recently in the development of alternative approaches in response to the desires of consumers for products which are less organoleptically and nutritionally damaged during processing and less reliant on additives than previously. The new approaches, therefore, mostly involve technologies that offer full or partial alternatives to heat for the inactivation of bacteria, yeasts and moulds. They include the application to foods of high hydrostatic pressure, high-voltage electric discharges, high-intensity laser and non-coherent light pulses, 'manothermosonication' (the combination of mild heating with ultrasonication and slightly-raised pressure), and high-magnetic-field pulses. In addition, a number of naturally-occurring antimicrobials, including lysozyme and low-molecular-weight products of micro-organisms are finding increasing use. High pressure is being used commercially to non-thermally pasteurize a number of foods, while the other physical procedures are in various stages of development and commercial evaluation. Possible nutritional consequences have so far been given little attention compared with microbiological ones.

Safe to Fly: Certifying COTS Hardware for Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fichuk, Jessica L.

2011-01-01

Providing hardware for the astronauts to use on board the Space Shuttle or International Space Station (ISS) involves a certification process that entails evaluating hardware safety, weighing risks, providing mitigation, and verifying requirements. Upon completion of this certification process, the hardware is deemed safe to fly. This process from start to finish can be completed as quickly as 1 week or can take several years in length depending on the complexity of the hardware and whether the item is a unique custom design. One area of cost and schedule savings that NASA implements is buying Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) hardware and certifying it for human spaceflight as safe to fly. By utilizing commercial hardware, NASA saves time not having to develop, design and build the hardware from scratch, as well as a timesaving in the certification process. By utilizing COTS hardware, the current detailed certification process can be simplified which results in schedule savings. Cost savings is another important benefit of flying COTS hardware. Procuring COTS hardware for space use can be more economical than custom building the hardware. This paper will investigate the cost savings associated with certifying COTS hardware to NASA s standards rather than performing a custom build.

Melt-Flow Behaviours of Thermoplastic Materials under Fire Conditions: Recent Experimental Studies and Some Theoretical Approaches.

PubMed

Joseph, Paul; Tretsiakova-McNally, Svetlana

2015-12-15

Polymeric materials often exhibit complex combustion behaviours encompassing several stages and involving solid phase, gas phase and interphase. A wide range of qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative testing techniques are currently available, both at the laboratory scale and for commercial purposes, for evaluating the decomposition and combustion behaviours of polymeric materials. They include, but are not limited to, techniques such as: thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), oxygen bomb calorimetry, limiting oxygen index measurements (LOI), Underwriters Laboratory 94 (UL-94) tests, cone calorimetry, etc. However, none of the above mentioned techniques are capable of quantitatively deciphering the underpinning physiochemical processes leading to the melt flow behaviour of thermoplastics. Melt-flow of polymeric materials can constitute a serious secondary hazard in fire scenarios, for example, if they are present as component parts of a ceiling in an enclosure. In recent years, more quantitative attempts to measure the mass loss and melt-drip behaviour of some commercially important chain- and step-growth polymers have been accomplished. The present article focuses, primarily, on the experimental and some theoretical aspects of melt-flow behaviours of thermoplastics under heat/fire conditions.

Study of advanced fuel system concepts for commercial aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coffinberry, G. A.

1985-01-01

An analytical study was performed in order to assess relative performance and economic factors involved with alternative advanced fuel systems for future commercial aircraft operating with broadened property fuels. The DC-10-30 wide-body tri-jet aircraft and the CF6-8OX engine were used as a baseline design for the study. Three advanced systems were considered and were specifically aimed at addressing freezing point, thermal stability and lubricity fuel properties. Actual DC-10-30 routes and flight profiles were simulated by computer modeling and resulted in prediction of aircraft and engine fuel system temperatures during a nominal flight and during statistical one-day-per-year cold and hot flights. Emergency conditions were also evaluated. Fuel consumption and weight and power extraction results were obtained. An economic analysis was performed for new aircraft and systems. Advanced system means for fuel tank heating included fuel recirculation loops using engine lube heat and generator heat. Environmental control system bleed air heat was used for tank heating in a water recirculation loop. The results showed that fundamentally all of the three advanced systems are feasible but vary in their degree of compatibility with broadened-property fuel.

Aviation Logistics in U.S. Pacific Command: A Cost-Based Analysis and Comparative Advantage to Commercial Shipment

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

IN U.S. PACIFIC COMMAND: A COST- BASED ANALYSIS AND COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE TO COMMERCIAL SHIPMENT by Tod B. Diffey Matthew J. Beck December...PACIFIC COMMAND: A COST- BASED ANALYSIS AND COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE TO COMMERCIAL SHIPMENT 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHOR(S) Tod B. Diffey and Matthew...this study will provide a cost based analysis and qualitative evaluation regarding the use of commercial agencies and/or United States Marine Corps

Development of a low-cost and effective trapping device for apple maggot fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) monitoring and control in Mexican commercial hawthorn groves

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Few efforts have been made in Mexico to monitor Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh) (Diptera: Tephritidae) in commercial hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) crops. Therefore, the main objectives of this study were to evaluate infestation levels of R. pomonella in feral and commercial Mexican hawthorn and to assess ...

A methodology to enable rapid evaluation of aviation environmental impacts and aircraft technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, Keith Frederick

Commercial aviation has become an integral part of modern society and enables unprecedented global connectivity by increasing rapid business, cultural, and personal connectivity. In the decades following World War II, passenger travel through commercial aviation quickly grew at a rate of roughly 8% per year globally. The FAA's most recent Terminal Area Forecast predicts growth to continue at a rate of 2.5% domestically, and the market outlooks produced by Airbus and Boeing generally predict growth to continue at a rate of 5% per year globally over the next several decades, which translates into a need for up to 30,000 new aircraft produced by 2025. With such large numbers of new aircraft potentially entering service, any negative consequences of commercial aviation must undergo examination and mitigation by governing bodies so that growth may still be achieved. Options to simultaneously grow while reducing environmental impact include evolution of the commercial fleet through changes in operations, aircraft mix, and technology adoption. Methods to rapidly evaluate fleet environmental metrics are needed to enable decision makers to quickly compare the impact of different scenarios and weigh the impact of multiple policy options. As the fleet evolves, interdependencies may emerge in the form of tradeoffs between improvements in different environmental metrics as new technologies are brought into service. In order to include the impacts of these interdependencies on fleet evolution, physics-based modeling is required at the appropriate level of fidelity. Evaluation of environmental metrics in a physics-based manner can be done at the individual aircraft level, but will then not capture aggregate fleet metrics. Contrastingly, evaluation of environmental metrics at the fleet level is already being done for aircraft in the commercial fleet, but current tools and approaches require enhancement because they currently capture technology implementation through post-processing, which does not capture physical interdependencies that may arise at the aircraft-level. The goal of the work that has been conducted here was the development of a methodology to develop surrogate fleet approaches that leverage the capability of physics-based aircraft models and the development of connectivity to fleet-level analysis tools to enable rapid evaluation of fuel burn and emissions metrics. Instead of requiring development of an individual physics-based model for each vehicle in the fleet, the surrogate fleet approaches seek to reduce the number of such models needed while still accurately capturing performance of the fleet. By reducing the number of models, both development time and execution time to generate fleet-level results may also be reduced. The initial steps leading to surrogate fleet formulation were a characterization of the commercial fleet into groups based on capability followed by the selection of a reference vehicle model and a reference set of operations for each group. Next, three potential surrogate fleet approaches were formulated. These approaches include the parametric correction factor approach, in which the results of a reference vehicle model are corrected to match the aggregate results of each group; the average replacement approach, in which a new vehicle model is developed to generate aggregate results of each group, and the best-in-class replacement approach, in which results for a reference vehicle are simply substituted for the entire group. Once candidate surrogate fleet approaches were developed, they were each applied to and evaluated over the set of reference operations. Then each approach was evaluated for their ability to model variations in operations. Finally, the ability of each surrogate fleet approach to capture implementation of different technology suites along with corresponding interdependencies between fuel burn and emissions was evaluated using the concept of a virtual fleet to simulate the technology response of multiple aircraft families. The results of experimentation led to a down selection to the best approach to use to rapidly characterize the performance of the commercial fleet for accurately in the context of acceptability of current fleet evaluation methods. The parametric correction factor and average replacement approaches were shown to be successful in capturing reference fleet results as well as fleet performance with variations in operations. The best-in-class replacement approach was shown to be unacceptable as a model for the larger fleet in each of the scenarios tested. Finally, the average replacement approach was the only one that was successful in capturing the impact of technologies on a larger fleet. These results are meaningful because they show that it is possible to calculate the fuel burn and emissions of a larger fleet with a reduced number of physics-based models within acceptable bounds of accuracy. At the same time, the physics-based modeling also provides the ability to evaluate the impact of technologies on fleet-level fuel burn and emissions metrics. The value of such a capability is that multiple future fleet scenarios involving changes in both aircraft operations and technology levels may now be rapidly evaluated to inform and equip policy makers of the implications of impacts of changes on fleet-level metrics.

Technologies for Nondestructive Evaluation of Surfaces and Thin Coatings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The effort included in this project included several related activities encompassing basic understanding, technological development, customer identification and commercial transfer of several methodologies for nondestructive evaluation of surfaces and thin surface coatings. Consistent with the academic environment, students were involved in the effort working with established investigators to further their training, provide a nucleus of experienced practitioners in the new technologies during their industrial introduction, and utilize their talents for project goals. As will be seen in various portions of the report, some of the effort has led to commercialization. This process has spawned other efforts related to this project which are supported from outside sources. These activities are occupying the efforts of some of the people who were previously supported within this grant and its predecessors. The most advanced of the supported technologies is thermography, for which the previous joint efforts of the investigators and NASA researchers have developed several techniques for extending the utility of straight thermographic inspection by producing methods of interpretation and analysis accessible to automatic image processing with computer data analysis. The effort reported for this technology has been to introduce the techniques to new user communities, who are then be able to add to the effective uses of existing products with only slight development work. In a related development, analysis of a thermal measurement situation in past efforts led to a new insight into the behavior of simple temperature probes. This insight, previously reported to the narrow community in which the particular measurement was made, was reported to the community of generic temperature measurement experts this year. In addition to the propagation of mature thermographic techniques, the development of a thermoelastic imaging system has been an important related development. Part of the work carried out in the effort reported here has been to prepare reports introducing the newly commercially available thermoelastic measurements to the appropriate user communities.

Nicholas Long | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Orcid ID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9244-6736 Nicholas joined NREL in 2003 and works in the Commercial -scale analyses using high-performance computing to evaluate commercial buildings. Education B.S

46 CFR 159.001-3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... part: Classification society means an organization involved in the inspection of ships and ship... addition to commercial testing laboratories, the Commandant may also accept classification societies and...

Proceedings of the Second Annual Symposium on Industrial Involvement and Successes in Commercial Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The proceedings of the conference are presented. It is proposed that commercial development in space is an important element in the future competitive posture of the industrial nations of the world. The resources and characteristics of space will play a major role in opening a new economic frontier for all the spacefaring nations of the world. Some topics of discussion are as follow: NASA's mission and the role of CCD's; A balanced commercial access to space; Systems for COMET; SPACEHAB; Space Station Freedom; The center for macromolecular crystallography; Center for space power and advanced electronics; and The center for mapping.

Two new advanced forms of spectrometry for space and commercial applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlager, Kenneth J.

1991-01-01

Reagentless ultraviolet absorption spectrometry (UVAS) and Liquid Atomic Emission Spectrometry (LAES) represent new forms of spectrometry with extensive potential in both space and commercial applications. Originally developed under KSC sponsorship for monitoring nutrient solutions for the Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS), both UVAS and LAES have extensive analytical capabilities for both organic and inorganic chemical compounds. Both forms of instrumentation involve the use of remote fiber optic probes and real-time measurements for on-line process monitoring. Commercial applications exist primarily in environmental analysis and for process control in the chemical, pulp and paper, food processing, metal plating, and water/wastewater treatment industries.

Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Field Evaluations

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

Kelly, Kenneth J; Prohaska, Robert S

This presentation provides information about NREL's real-world evaluations of commercial vehicle technologies, which compare the performance of advanced medium- and heavy-duty fleet vehicles to conventional vehicles. NREL conducts these customized evaluations in partnership with commercial and government fleets across the nation. Current fleet and industry partners include UPS, Workhorse, Parker Hannifin, Proterra, Foothill Transit, Long Beach Transit, BYD, Odyne, Duke Energy, Miami-Dade, TransPower, Eaton, Cummins, Bosch, and Clean Cities/National Clean Fleet Partnership. The presentation focuses on two particular vehicle evaluation projects -- hydraulic hybrid refuse haulers operated by Miami-Dade and electric transit buses operated by Foothill Transit.

Face Recognition Vendor Test 2000: Appendices

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-02-01

DARPA), NAVSEA Crane Division and NAVSEA Dahlgren Division are sponsoring an evaluation of commercial off the shelf (COTS) facial recognition products...The purpose of these evaluations is to accurately gauge the capabilities of facial recognition biometric systems that are currently available for...or development efforts. Participation in these tests is open to all facial recognition systems on the US commercial market. The U.S. Government will

Evaluation of Three Commercial Microclimate Cooling Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-11-01

easily counteracted because of the difficulty of drinking inside protective clothing . Dehydration combined with warm skin and exercise can easily result in...Stress; Exercise ; Thermoregulation 9. ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse if necessary and identify by block number) (OThree commercially available microclimate...cooling systems were evaluated for their abil- ity to reduce heat stress in men exercising in a hot environment while wearing high insula- tive, low

Evaluation of bonded boron/epoxy doublers for commercial aircraft aluminum structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belason, Bruce; Rutherford, Paul; Miller, Matthew; Raj, Shreeram

1994-01-01

An 18 month laboratory test and stress analysis program was conducted to evaluate bonded boron/epoxy doublers for repairing cracks on aluminum aircraft structures. The objective was to obtain a core body of substantiating data which will support approval for use on commercial transports of a technology that is being widely used by the military. The data showed that the doublers had excellent performance.

Magnetic resonance imaging used for the evaluation of water presence in wood plastic composite boards exposed to exterior conditions

Treesearch

Marek Gnatowski; Rebecca Ibach; Mathew Leung; Grace Sun

2014-01-01

Two wood plastic composite (WPC) boards, one experimental and one commercial, were exposed to exterior conditions and evaluated non-destructively using a clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit for moisture content (MC) and distribution. The experimental board was exposed in Vancouver, British Columbia, for more than 8 years, and the commercial board was exposed...

COMMERCIAL SUPERSONIC TRANSPORT PROGRAM. PHASE II-C REPORT. HIGH STRENGTH STEEL EVALUATION FOR SUPERSONIC AIRCRAFT.

DTIC Science & Technology

JET TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT, *AIRFRAMES, SUPERSONIC AIRCRAFT, STEEL , STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES, FRACTURE(MECHANICS), FATIGUE(MECHANICS), STRESS CORROSION...MICROPHOTOGRAPHY, HIGH TEMPERATURE, NICKEL ALLOYS, COBALT ALLOYS, CARBON, BAINITE , COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT.

CVISN business case (commercial vehicle information systems and networks)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-10-15

The objective was to evaluate economic justifications and institutional issues affecting motor carriers and State transportation agencies regarding the deployment of CVISN technologies. CVISN (Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks) incl...

KSC-2013-3081

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-22

HOUSTON - JSC2013e068284 - John Elbon, vice president for Space Exploration for The Boeing Company, addresses the media before the unveiling of a CST-100 mock-up at the company's Houston Product Support Center. This test version is optimized to support five crew members and will allow the company to evaluate crew safety, interfaces, communications, maneuverability and ergonomics. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations. The evaluation is part of the ongoing work supporting Boeing's funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCiCap is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. To learn more about CCP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

KSC-2013-3082

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-22

HOUSTON - JSC2013e068287 - John Elbon, vice president for Space Exploration for The Boeing Company, addresses the media before the unveiling of a CST-100 mock-up at the company's Houston Product Support Center. This test version is optimized to support five crew members and will allow the company to evaluate crew safety, interfaces, communications, maneuverability and ergonomics. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations. The evaluation is part of the ongoing work supporting Boeing's funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative. CCiCap is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. To learn more about CCP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

Scientific Personnel Resource Inventory: List and Index to Research Scientists Involved with the Estuarine Environment, Especially the Chesapeake Bay,

DTIC Science & Technology

1972-06-01

introduction of sewage from commercial or private structures -- Monthly sampling of sewage treatment effluents -- Resistance of Vibrio parahemolyticus in oyster...of microorganisms in animal diseases and the effect of V. parahemolyticus and other vibrios on recruitment of commercial mollusks and crustaceans 575...Microbiology; including a survey of areas of the Chesapeake Bay for Vibrio parahaemalyticus * 18 Barnard, Thomas Alexander MA Assistant Marine Scientist

Transportation accident scenarios for commercial spent fuel

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

Wilmot, E L

1981-02-01

A spectrum of high severity, low probability, transportation accident scenarios involving commercial spent fuel is presented together with mechanisms, pathways and quantities of material that might be released from spent fuel to the environment. These scenarios are based on conclusions from a workshop, conducted in May 1980 to discuss transportation accident scenarios, in which a group of experts reviewed and critiqued available literature relating to spent fuel behavior and cask response in accidents.

Commercial agencies and surrogate motherhood: a transaction cost approach.

PubMed

Galbraith, Mhairi; McLachlan, Hugh V; Swales, J Kim

2005-03-01

In this paper we investigate the legal arrangements involved in UK surrogate motherhood from a transaction-cost perspective. We outline the specific forms the transaction costs take and critically comment on the way in which the UK institutional and organisational arrangements at present adversely influence transaction costs. We then focus specifically on the potential role of surrogacy agencies and look at UK and US evidence on commercial and voluntary agencies. Policy implications follow.

75 FR 5950 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Snapper and Grouper Off the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-05

... and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and regulations at 50 CFR 600.745(b) concerning exempted... NMF4540135). The research is intended to involve commercial fishermen in the collection of fundamental... management and regulatory options. The proposed collection for scientific research involves activities...

Student Involvement in Assessment: A Project Designed to Assess Class Participation Fairly and Reliably

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dancer, Diane; Kamvounias, Patty

2005-01-01

This article describes a project designed to ensure that class participation in a large introductory commercial law course is assessed fairly and reliably. The subjectivity often associated with this type of assessment is minimized by involving students in the specification of clear criteria and the assessment process as they were asked to assess…

77 FR 16001 - Interim Procedures for Considering Requests Under the Commercial Availability Provision of the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-19

... reasons it is not currently produced or offered. (iii) If the subject product involves a style, weight, or... offered. (iv) If the subject product involves a style, weight, or other variation that is new to the... information collection is subject to review and approval by the Office of Management and Budget's (``OMB...

Membrane-based actuation for high-speed single molecule force spectroscopy studies using AFM.

PubMed

Sarangapani, Krishna; Torun, Hamdi; Finkler, Ofer; Zhu, Cheng; Degertekin, Levent

2010-07-01

Atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based dynamic force spectroscopy of single molecular interactions involves characterizing unbinding/unfolding force distributions over a range of pulling speeds. Owing to their size and stiffness, AFM cantilevers are adversely affected by hydrodynamic forces, especially at pulling speeds >10 microm/s, when the viscous drag becomes comparable to the unbinding/unfolding forces. To circumvent these adverse effects, we have fabricated polymer-based membranes capable of actuating commercial AFM cantilevers at speeds >or=100 microm/s with minimal viscous drag effects. We have used FLUENT, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, to simulate high-speed pulling and fast actuation of AFM cantilevers and membranes in different experimental configurations. The simulation results support the experimental findings on a variety of commercial AFM cantilevers and predict significant reduction in drag forces when membrane actuators are used. Unbinding force experiments involving human antibodies using these membranes demonstrate that it is possible to achieve bond loading rates >or=10(6) pN/s, an order of magnitude greater than that reported with commercial AFM cantilevers and systems.

Your idea and your university: issues in academic technology transfer.

PubMed

Smith, Charles D

2011-06-01

Research discoveries may lead to products for commercial development. A central consideration for the researcher is how involved she or he will be in the commercialization process. In some cases, a university out-licenses the intellectual property, whereas in other cases, the investigator may want to be involved in the development process and choose to start his or her own company to develop and possibly to manufacture and sell the product. Before undertaking such a challenge, however, the investigator-turned-entrepreneur must consider a variety of issues, including career goals, financial and time commitments, potential conflicts of interest and/or commitment, start-up funding, and his or her ability to run a company or step aside to allow business experts to make necessary decisions. This paper discusses some personal considerations in deciding to start a spinout company and provides information on some of the available government grants to assist you should you decide to undertake your product's commercial development. In particular, the Small Business Innovative Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs of federal funding agencies often are the source of early funding for new biomedical companies.

N+3 Small Commercial Efficient and Quiet Transportation for Year 2030-2035

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DAngelo, Martin M.; Gallman, John; Johnson, Vicki; Garcia, Elena; Tai, Jimmy; Young, Russell

2010-01-01

This study develops a future scenario that enables convenient point-to-point commercial air travel via a large network of community airports and a new class of small airliners. A network demand and capacity study identifies current and future air travel demands and the capacity of this new network to satisfy these demands. A current technology small commercial airliner is defined to meet the needs of the new network, as a baseline for evaluating the improvement brought about by advanced technologies. Impact of this new mode of travel on the infrastructure and surrounding communities of the small airports in this new N+3 network are also evaluated. Year 2030-2035 small commercial airliner technologies are identified and a trade study conducted to evaluate and select those with the greatest potential for enhancing future air travel and the study metrics. The selected advanced air vehicle concept is assessed against the baseline aircraft, and an advanced, but conventional aircraft, and the study metrics. The key technologies of the selected advanced air vehicle are identified, their impact quantified, and risk assessments and roadmaps defined.

Three near term commercial markets in space and their potential role in space exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavert, Raymond B.

2001-02-01

Independent market studies related to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) commercialization have identified three near term markets that have return-on-investment potential. These markets are: (1) Entertainment (2) Education (3) Advertising/sponsorship. Commercial activity is presently underway focusing on these areas. A private company is working with the Russians on a commercial module attached to the ISS that will involve entertainment and probably the other two activities as well. A separate corporation has been established to commercialize the Russian Mir Space Station with entertainment and promotional advertising as important revenue sources. A new startup company has signed an agreement with NASA for commercial media activity on the International Space Station (ISS). Profit making education programs are being developed by a private firm to allow students to play the role of an astronaut and work closely with space scientists and astronauts. It is expected that the success of these efforts on the ISS program will extend to exploration missions beyond LEO. The objective of this paper is to extrapolate some of the LEO commercialization experiences to see what might be expected in space exploration missions to Mars, the Moon and beyond. .

Characterization and Transcriptional Profile of Genes Involved in Glycoalkaloid Biosynthesis in New Varieties of Solanum tuberosum L.

PubMed

Mariot, Roberta Fogliatto; de Oliveira, Luisa Abruzzi; Voorhuijzen, Marleen M; Staats, Martijn; Hutten, Ronald C B; van Dijk, Jeroen P; Kok, Esther J; Frazzon, Jeverson

2016-02-03

Before commercial release, new potato (Solanum tuberosum) varieties must be evaluated for content of toxic compounds such as glycoalkaloids (GAs), which are potent poisons. GA biosynthesis proceeds via the cholesterol pathway to α-chaconine and α-solanine. The goal of this study was to evaluate the relationship between total glycoalkaloid (TGA) content and the expression of GAME, SGT1, and SGT3 genes in potato tubers. TGA content was measured by HPLC-MS, and reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reactions were performed to determine the relative expression of GAME, SGT1, and SGT3 genes. We searched for cis-elements of the transcription start site using the PlantPAN database. There was a relationship between TGA content and the relative expression of GAME, SGT1, and SGT3 genes in potato tubers. Putative promoter regions showed the presence of several cis-elements related to biotic and abiotic stresses and light. These findings provide an important step toward understanding TGA regulation and variation in potato tubers.

Performance evaluation of low cost microbial fuel cell fabricated using earthen pot with biotic and abiotic cathode.

PubMed

Behera, Manaswini; Jana, Partha S; Ghangrekar, M M

2010-02-01

An attempt has been made to produce low cost MFC from the commercially available earthen pots in India, without involving any costly membrane. This MFC gave a maximum power output of 16.8 W/m(3) at a Coulombic efficiency (CE) of 31.3% with graphite plate cathode. With stainless steel mesh cathode and KMnO(4) as cathodic electrolyte the power production and CE of 70.48 W/m(3) and 64.5%, respectively, was obtained. The performance of this earthen pot MFC was evaluated with biotic and abiotic cathode. Although, biofilm formation on the cathode is observed to be helpful in enhancing power out put, the thicker biofilm on the cathode showed reduction in power. This MFC demonstrated competitive performance as compared to MFC incorporated with membrane. This low cost MFC, with total production cost of less than 1.0$, as per Indian market, demonstrated its utility as a wastewater treatment and onsite power generation device.

Device for preparing combinatorial libraries in powder metallurgy.

PubMed

Yang, Shoufeng; Evans, Julian R G

2004-01-01

This paper describes a powder-metering, -mixing, and -dispensing mechanism that can be used as a method for producing large numbers of samples for metallurgical evaluation or electrical or mechanical testing from multicomponent metal and cermet powder systems. It is designed to make use of the same commercial powders that are used in powder metallurgy and, therefore, to produce samples that are faithful to the microstructure of finished products. The particle assemblies produced by the device could be consolidated by die pressing, isostatic pressing, laser sintering, or direct melting. The powder metering valve provides both on/off and flow rate control of dry powders in open capillaries using acoustic vibration. The valve is simple and involves no relative movement, avoiding seizure with fine powders. An orchestra of such valves can be arranged on a building platform to prepare multicomponent combinatorial libraries. As with many combinatorial devices, identification and evaluation of sources of mixing error as a function of sample size is mandatory. Such an analysis is presented.

Assessment of hydrogen metabolism in commercial anaerobic digesters.

PubMed

Kern, Tobias; Theiss, Juliane; Röske, Kerstin; Rother, Michael

2016-05-01

Degradation of biomass in the absence of exogenous electron acceptors via anaerobic digestion involves a syntrophic association of a plethora of anaerobic microorganisms. The commercial application of this process is the large-scale production of biogas from renewable feedstock as an alternative to fossil fuels. After hydrolysis of polymers, monomers are fermented to short-chain fatty acids and alcohols, which are further oxidized to acetate. Carbon dioxide, molecular hydrogen (H2), and acetate generated during the process are converted to methane by methanogenic archaea. Since many of the metabolic pathways as well as the syntrophic interactions and dependencies during anaerobic digestion involve formation, utilization, or transfer of H2, its metabolism and the methanogenic population were assessed in various samples from three commercial biogas plants. Addition of H2 significantly increased the rate of methane formation, which suggested that hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis is not a rate-limiting step during biogas formation. Methanoculleus and Methanosarcina appeared to numerically dominate the archaeal population of the three digesters, but their proportion and the Bacteria-to-Archaea ratio did not correlate with the methane productivity. Instead, hydrogenase activity in cell-free extracts from digester sludge correlated with methane productivity in a positive fashion. Since most microorganisms involved in biogas formation contain this activity, it approximates the overall anaerobic metabolic activity and may, thus, be suitable for monitoring biogas reactor performance.

Business-IT Alignment Maturity: The Correlation of Performance Indicators and Alignment Maturity within the Commercial Airline Industry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Timothy K.

2010-01-01

During the period from 1978 to 2009, more than 200 commercial airlines were forced to merge, cease operations, or file for bankruptcy protection. The purpose of this quantitative study is to evaluate the global commercial airline industry from an IT-business alignment perspective and correlate the alignment maturity level of each airline with…

Road rage and road traffic accidents among commercial vehicle drivers in Lahore, Pakistan.

PubMed

Shaikh, M A; Shaikh, I A; Siddiqui, Z

2012-04-01

Road rage and road traffic accidents increase the burden of morbidity and mortality in a population. A cross-sectional survey with convenience sampling was conducted among commercial vehicle drivers in Lahore, Pakistan (n = 901) to record their behaviours/experiences regarding road rage and road traffic accidents. Respondents were asked about incidents of shouting/cursing/rude gestures or threats to physically hurt the person/vehicle, by others or themselves, in the previous 24 hours or 3 months, and their involvement in road traffic accidents in the previous 12 months. Auto-rickshaw drivers were significantly more likely to report various road rage experiences/behaviours and involvement in accidents compared with bus and wagon drivers. A total of 112 respondents (12.4%) reported being involved in a road traffic accident in the previous 12 months but traffic police did not record the accident in 52.7% of cases. The results of this study underline the need to improve road safety in Pakistan.

Atlanta congestion reduction demonstration. National evaluation : content analysis test plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-05-30

Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) is the collection of information systems and communication networks that support commercial vehicle operations (CVO.) The National ITS Architecture provides a technical framework that descri...

Comparing Commercial WWW Browsers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Notess, Greg R.

1995-01-01

Four commercial World Wide Web browsers are evaluated for features such as handling of WWW protocols and different URLs: FTP, Telnet, Gopher and WAIS, and e-mail and news; bookmark capabilities; navigation features; file management; and security support. (JKP)

Evaluation of thermal imaging technology for commercial vehicle screening.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-01

Brake and tire violations are common problems identified through commercial vehicle inspections. Identifying and : correcting these types of problems before a crash occurs can produce significant safety benefits. Thermal imaging : technology can be u...

Mother vs. Commercial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prsad, V. Kanti

1978-01-01

Investigates the short-term consequences of discrepant information between the commercial message and the parent's evaluation of the product advertised and concludes that all forms of counter-influence fail when a product is made to appear highly attractive. (MH)

Functional assessment and performance evaluation for assistive robotic manipulators: Literature review.

PubMed

Chung, Cheng-Shiu; Wang, Hongwu; Cooper, Rory A

2013-07-01

The user interface development of assistive robotic manipulators can be traced back to the 1960s. Studies include kinematic designs, cost-efficiency, user experience involvements, and performance evaluation. This paper is to review studies conducted with clinical trials using activities of daily living (ADLs) tasks to evaluate performance categorized using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) frameworks, in order to give the scope of current research and provide suggestions for future studies. We conducted a literature search of assistive robotic manipulators from 1970 to 2012 in PubMed, Google Scholar, and University of Pittsburgh Library System - PITTCat. Twenty relevant studies were identified. Studies were separated into two broad categories: user task preferences and user-interface performance measurements of commercialized and developing assistive robotic manipulators. The outcome measures and ICF codes associated with the performance evaluations are reported. Suggestions for the future studies include (1) standardized ADL tasks for the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of task efficiency and performance to build comparable measures between research groups, (2) studies relevant to the tasks from user priority lists and ICF codes, and (3) appropriate clinical functional assessment tests with consideration of constraints in assistive robotic manipulator user interfaces. In addition, these outcome measures will help physicians and therapists build standardized tools while prescribing and assessing assistive robotic manipulators.

Advanced Pathway Guidance Evaluations on a Synthetic Vision Head-Up Display

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kramer, Lynda J.; Prinzel, Lawrence J., III; Arthur, Jarvis J., III; Bailey, Randall E.

2005-01-01

NASA's Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) project is developing technologies with practical applications to potentially eliminate low visibility conditions as a causal factor to civil aircraft accidents while replicating the operational benefits of clear day flight operations, regardless of the actual outside visibility condition. A major thrust of the SVS project involves the development/demonstration of affordable, certifiable display configurations that provide intuitive out-the-window terrain and obstacle information with advanced guidance for commercial and business aircraft. This experiment evaluated the influence of different pathway and guidance display concepts upon pilot situation awareness (SA), mental workload, and flight path tracking performance for Synthetic Vision display concepts using a Head-Up Display (HUD). Two pathway formats (dynamic and minimal tunnel presentations) were evaluated against a baseline condition (no tunnel) during simulated instrument meteorological conditions approaches to Reno-Tahoe International airport. Two guidance cues (tadpole, follow-me aircraft) were also evaluated to assess their influence. Results indicated that the presence of a tunnel on an SVS HUD had no effect on flight path performance but that it did have significant effects on pilot SA and mental workload. The dynamic tunnel concept with the follow-me aircraft guidance symbol produced the lowest workload and provided the highest SA among the tunnel concepts evaluated.