A Comprehensive Analysis of the Efficacy of Non-Cognitive Measures: Predicting Academic Success in a Historically Black University in South Texas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lanham, B. Dean; Schauer, Edward J.; Osho, G. Solomon

2011-01-01

Universities have long used standardized American College Tests (ACT), Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT), and high school Grade Point Averages (HS GPA) for academic admission requirements. The current study of 127 minority college students in a Historically Black University in South Texas assesses an alternative measure, the Non-Cognitive…

Maintaining the Access Mission: Open Access Universities and the Challenges of Performance-Based Funding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathuews, Katy; Pulcini, Brad

2017-01-01

For the purposes of this article, open access universities are defined as bachelor's degree-granting institutions that do not restrict admission on the basis of ACT/SAT scores, high school grade point average, and the like. Typically, the mission of an open access university is to provide all students with the opportunity to pursue a degree. The…

Recent changes in costs of shipping forest products by rail.

Treesearch

Kristine C. Jackson

1988-01-01

Costs for shipping lumber, plywood, and paper by rail are used by the USDA Forest Service in periodic timber assessments to measure the average cost of transporting forest products from producing locations to the point of final consumption. The Staggers Rail Act of 1980 authorized deregulation of the Nation's railroads. The purposes of this study were to determine...

Attitude towards technology, social media usage and grade-point average as predictors of global citizenship identification in Filipino University Students.

PubMed

Lee, Romeo B; Baring, Rito; Maria, Madelene Sta; Reysen, Stephen

2017-06-01

We examine the influence of a positive attitude towards technology, number of social media network memberships and grade-point average (GPA) on global citizenship identification antecedents and outcomes. Students (N = 3628) at a university in the Philippines completed a survey assessing the above constructs. The results showed that attitude towards technology, number of social network site memberships and GPA-predicted global citizenship identification, and subsequent prosocial outcomes (e.g. intergroup helping, responsibility to act for the betterment of the world), through the perception that valued others prescribe a global citizen identity (normative environment) and perceived knowledge of the world and felt interconnectedness with others (global awareness). The results highlight the associations between technology and academic performance with a global identity and associated values. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

Predicting Student Success in a Major's Introductory Biology Course via Logistic Regression Analysis of Scientific Reasoning Ability and Mathematics Scores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, E. David; Bowling, Bethany V.; Markle, Ross E.

2018-02-01

Studies over the last 30 years have considered various factors related to student success in introductory biology courses. While much of the available literature suggests that the best predictors of success in a college course are prior college grade point average (GPA) and class attendance, faculty often require a valuable predictor of success in those courses wherein the majority of students are in the first semester and have no previous record of college GPA or attendance. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of the ACT Mathematics subject exam and Lawson's Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning in predicting success in a major's introductory biology course. A logistic regression was utilized to determine the effectiveness of a combination of scientific reasoning (SR) scores and ACT math (ACT-M) scores to predict student success. In summary, we found that the model—with both SR and ACT-M as significant predictors—could be an effective predictor of student success and thus could potentially be useful in practical decision making for the course, such as directing students to support services at an early point in the semester.

76 FR 45820 - Food Safety Modernization Act Domestic and Foreign Facility Reinspections, Recall, and Importer...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-01

... of sick leave 80 10 days of training 80 2 hours of meetings per week 80 Net Supported Direct FDA Work... implementing these user fees in FY 2013. II. Estimating the Average Cost of a Supported Direct FDA Work Hour... Direct Work Hour in FY 2010 In general, the starting point for estimating the full cost per direct work...

SAT Scores, 2012-13: Wake County Public School System (WCPSS). Measuring Up. D&A Report No. 13.22

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muli, Juliana; Gilleland, Kevin; McMillen, Brad

2014-01-01

As the ACT has become part of North Carolina's mandatory testing program, SAT participation in Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) and North Carolina has declined in recent years. However, SAT performance in WCPSS remains high compared to state and national averages. In 2012-13, students in WCPSS continued to score 50-60 points higher on the…

Evaluation of the Freshman Class To Determine Predictors for Academic Success at Panhandle State University. Emergence of Higher Education in America Seminar.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manning, Wayne

A study was done at Panhandle State University (Oklahoma) examining whether high school grade point averages or ACT (American College Testing) scores provided a better predictor of freshman academic success. Study procedures included a review of the literature, meetings with the academic vice president and five deans, as well as examination of…

The validity of ACT-PEP test scores for predicting academic performance of registered nurses in BSN programs.

PubMed

Yang, J C; Noble, J

1990-01-01

This study investigated the validity of three American College Testing-Proficiency Examination Program (ACT-PEP) tests (Maternal and Child Nursing, Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing, Adult Nursing) for predicting the academic performance of registered nurses (RNs) enrolled in bachelor's degree BSN programs nationwide. This study also examined RN students' performance on the ACT-PEP tests by their demographic characteristics: student's age, sex, race, student status (full- or part-time), and employment status (full- or part-time). The total sample for the three tests comprised 2,600 students from eight institutions nationwide. The median correlation coefficients between the three ACT-PEP tests and the semester grade point averages ranged from .36 to .56. Median correlation coefficients increased over time, supporting the stability of ACT-PEP test scores for predicting academic performance over time. The relative importance of selected independent variables for predicting academic performance was also examined; the most important variable for predicting academic performance was typically the ACT-PEP test score. Across the institutions, student demographic characteristics did not contribute significantly to explaining academic performance, over and above ACT-PEP scores.

The effect of lab based instruction on ACT science scores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, Michelle

Standardized tests, although unpopular, are required for a multitude of reasons. One of these tests is the ACT. The ACT is a college readiness test that many high school juniors take to gain college admittance. Students throughout the United States are unprepared for this assessment. The average high school junior is three points behind twenty-four, the ACT recommended score, for the science section. The science section focuses on reading text and, interpreting graphs, charts, tables and diagrams with an emphasis on experimental design and relationships among variables. For students to become better at interpreting and understanding scientific graphics they must have vast experience developing their own graphics. The purpose of this study was to provide students the opportunity to generate their own graphics to master interpretation of them on the ACT. According to a t-test the results show that students who are continually exposed to creating graphs are able to understand and locate information from graphs at a significantly faster rate.

Ability of admissions criteria to predict early academic performance among students of health science colleges at King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Alhadlaq, Adel M; Alshammari, Osama F; Alsager, Saleh M; Neel, Khalid A Fouda; Mohamed, Ashry G

2015-06-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of admissions criteria at King Saud University (KSU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to predict students' early academic performance at three health science colleges (medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy). A retrospective cohort study was conducted with data from the records of students enrolled in the three colleges from the 2008-09 to 2010-11 academic years. The admissions criteria-high school grade average (HSGA), aptitude test (APT) score, and achievement test (ACT) score-were the independent variables. The dependent variable was the average of students' first- and second-year grade point average (GPA). The results showed that the ACT was a better predictor of the students' early academic performance than the HSGA (β=0.368, β=0.254, respectively). No significant relationship was found between the APT and students' early academic performance (β=-0.019, p>0.01). The ACT was most predictive for pharmacy students (β=0.405), followed by dental students (β =0.392) and medical students (β=0.195). Overall, the current admissions criteria explained only 25.5% of the variance in the students' early academic performance. While the ACT and HSGA were found to be predictive of students' early academic performance in health colleges at KSU, the APT was not a strong predictor. Since the combined current admissions criteria for the health science colleges at KSU were weak predictors of the variance in early academic performance, it may be necessary to consider noncognitive evaluation methods during the admission process.

A study of the factors affecting advancement and graduation for engineering students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fletcher, John Thomas

The purpose of this study was, first, to determine whether a set of predictor variables could be identified from pre-enrollment and post-enrollment data that would differentiate students who advance to a major in engineering from non-advancers and, further, to determine if the predictor variables would differentiate students who graduate from the College of Engineering from non-graduates and graduates of other colleges at Auburn University. A second purpose was to determine if the predictor variables would correctly identify male and female students with the same degree of accuracy. The third purpose was to determine if there were significant relationships between the predictor variables studied and grades earned in a set of 15 courses that have enrollments over 100 students and are part of the pre-engineering curriculum. The population for this study was the 868 students who entered the pre-engineering program at Auburn University as freshmen during the Summer and Fall Quarters of 1991. The variables selected to differentiate the different groups were ACT scores, high school grade indices, and first quarter college grade point average. Two sets of classification matrices were developed using analysis and holdout samples that were divided based on sex. With respect to the question about advancement to the professional engineering program, structure coefficients derived from discriminant analysis procedures performed on all the cases combined indicated that first quarter college grade point average, high school math index, ACT math score, and high school science grade index were important predictor variables in classifying students who advanced to the professional engineering program and those who did not. Further, important structure coefficients with respect to graduation with a degree from the College of Engineering were first quarter college grade point average, high school math index, ACT math score, and high school science grade index. The results of this study indicated that significant differences existed in the model's ability to predict advancement and graduation for male and female students. This difference was not unexpected based on the male-dominated population. However, the models identified predicted at a high rate for both male and female students. Finally, many significant relationships were found to exist between the predictor variables and the 15 pre-engineering courses that were selected. The strength of the relationships ranged from a high of .82, p < .001 (Chemistry 103 grade with total high school grade index) to a low of .07, p > .05 (Chemistry 102 with ACT science score).

ACT Average Composite by State: 2000 ACT-Tested Graduates.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Coll. Testing Program, Iowa City, IA.

This table contains average composite scores by state for high school graduates who took the ACT Assessment in 2000. For each state the percentage of graduates taking the ACT Assessment and the average composite score are given, with the same information for those who completed the recommended core curriculum and those who did not, as well as for…

Wall shear stress fixed points in cardiovascular fluid mechanics.

PubMed

Arzani, Amirhossein; Shadden, Shawn C

2018-05-17

Complex blood flow in large arteries creates rich wall shear stress (WSS) vectorial features. WSS acts as a link between blood flow dynamics and the biology of various cardiovascular diseases. WSS has been of great interest in a wide range of studies and has been the most popular measure to correlate blood flow to cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have emphasized different vectorial features of WSS. However, fixed points in the WSS vector field have not received much attention. A WSS fixed point is a point on the vessel wall where the WSS vector vanishes. In this article, WSS fixed points are classified and the aspects by which they could influence cardiovascular disease are reviewed. First, the connection between WSS fixed points and the flow topology away from the vessel wall is discussed. Second, the potential role of time-averaged WSS fixed points in biochemical mass transport is demonstrated using the recent concept of Lagrangian WSS structures. Finally, simple measures are proposed to quantify the exposure of the endothelial cells to WSS fixed points. Examples from various arterial flow applications are demonstrated. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Consumers Buy Lower-Cost Plans On Covered California, Suggesting Exposure To Premium Increases Is Less Than Commonly Reported.

PubMed

Gabel, Jon R; Arnold, Daniel R; Fulton, Brent D; Stromberg, Sam T; Green, Matthew; Whitmore, Heidi; Scheffler, Richard M

2017-01-01

With the notable exception of California, states have not made enrollment data for their Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plans publicly available. Researchers thus have tracked premium trends by calculating changes in the average price for plans offered (a straight average across plans) rather than for plans purchased (a weighted average). Using publicly available enrollment data for Covered California, we found that the average purchased price for all plans was 11.6 percent less than the average offered price in 2014, 13.2 percent less in 2015, and 15.2 percent less in 2016. Premium growth measured by plans purchased was roughly 2 percentage points less than when measured by plans offered in 2014-15 and 2015-16. We observed shifts in consumer choices toward less costly plans, both between and within tiers, and we estimate that a $100 increase in a plan's net annual premium reduces its probability of selection. These findings suggest that the Marketplaces are helping consumers moderate premium cost growth. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Characterization and Thermal Properties of Nitrate Based Molten Salt for Heat Recovery System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faizal Tukimon, Mohd; Muhammad, Wan Nur Azrina Wan; Nor Annuar Mohamad, Md; Yusof, Farazila

2017-10-01

Molten salt can acts like a storage medium or heat transfer fluid in heat recovery system. Heat transfer fluid is a fluid that has the capability to deliver heat this one side to another while heat recovery system is a system that transfers heat to produce energy. This studies shows about determining the new formulation of different molten nitrate/nitrite salts consisting of LiNO3, KNO2, KNO3 and NaNO2 that give a low temperature of melting point and high average specific heat capacity. Mixed alkaline molten nitrate/nitrite salt can act as a heat transfer fluid due to their advantageous in terms of its properties that feasible in heat recovery system such as high specific heat capacity, low vapour pressure, low cost and wide range of temperature in its application. The mixing of these primary substances will form a new line of quaternary nitrate salt (LiNO3 - KNO2 - KNO3 - NaNO2). The quaternary mixture was heated inside the box furnace at 150°C for four hours and rose up the temperature to 400°C for eight hours to homogenize the mixture. Through heating process, the elements of nitrate/nitrite base were mixed completely. The temperature was then reduced to 115°C for several hours before removing the mixture from the furnace. The melting point of each sample were testified by using thermal gravimetric analysis, TGA/DTA and experiment of determining the specific heat capacity were conducted by using Differential Scanning Calorimeter, DSC. From the result, it is found that the melting point Sample 1 with percentage of weightage (25.4wt% of LiNO3, 33.8wt% of KNO2, 20.7wt% of KNO3 and 20.1wt% of NaNO2) is 94.4°C whereas the average specific heat capacity was 1.0484/g°C while for Sample 3 with percentages of weightage (30.0wt% of LiNO3, 50.2wt% of KNO2, 3.1wt% of KNO3 and 16.7wt% of NaNO2), the melting point is 86.1°C with average specific heat capacity of 0.7274 J/g°C. In the nut shell, the quaternary mixture salts had been a good mixture with good thermal properties that low in melting point and have high specific heat capacity which could be a potential heat transfer fluid in heat recovery application.

Dinitroanilines Bind α-Tubulin to Disrupt Microtubules

PubMed Central

Morrissette, Naomi S.; Mitra, Arpita; Sept, David; Sibley, L. David

2004-01-01

Protozoan parasites are remarkably sensitive to dinitroanilines such as oryzalin, which disrupt plant but not animal microtubules. To explore the basis of dinitroaniline action, we isolated 49 independent resistant Toxoplasma gondii lines after chemical mutagenesis. All 23 of the lines that we examined harbored single point mutations in α-tubulin. These point mutations were sufficient to confer resistance when transfected into wild-type parasites. Several mutations were in the M or N loops, which coordinate protofilament interactions in the microtubule, but most of the mutations were in the core of α-tubulin. Docking studies predict that oryzalin binds with an average affinity of 23 nM to a site located beneath the N loop of Toxoplasma α-tubulin. This binding site included residues that were mutated in several resistant lines. Moreover, parallel analysis of Bos taurus α-tubulin indicated that oryzalin did not interact with this site and had a significantly decreased, nonspecific affinity for vertebrate α-tubulin. We propose that the dinitroanilines act through a novel mechanism, by disrupting M-N loop contacts. These compounds also represent the first class of drugs that act on α-tubulin function. PMID:14742718

Long-term effects of short-acting methylphenidate on growth rates of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder at Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health.

PubMed

Moungnoi, Pranee; Maipang, Prinyaporn

2011-08-01

Methylphenidate (MPH) is generally considered to be first-line treatment for the core symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Long-term administration of MPH in childhood may have adverse effects on growth. To determine the effect of long-term, short-acting MPH medication on growth. A retrospective descriptive study was employed by gathering the data of patients who were diagnosed as ADHD by child psychiatrists at the child and adolescent clinic, Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health. Subjects were patients received the first dose of short-acting methylphenidate from January 1st 2000 to December 31st 2007 and continued medication for at least 1 year. Data about height and weight were reviewed at the beginning of short-acting MPH medication, 6 months (mo), 1 yr, 2 yr, 3 yr, 4 yr, 5 yr, 6 yr and 7 yr interval. Collecting data was interpreted with INMU-Nutri Stat software program. Paired t-test was used to compare Z score of height and weight at different time points. There were 96 cases in the present study; the ratio of male to female was 3.6: 1. The first dose of short-acting methylphenidate was started at an average age of 8.62 +/- 1.70 years. Average drug dose ranged from 0.41-0.49 mg/kg/day. The data evaluated at 6 mo, 1 year 2 years, 3 years, 4 years and 5 years after drug use found that weight was not affected. Height decreased at 6 mo. after drug use (p < 0.05) but long-term treatment was not statistically significant. Prolonged medication with short-acting MPH has shown to have minimal impact on height only at the first 6 months; however, catch up growth was detected during adolescent period.

An adaptive segment method for smoothing lidar signal based on noise estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yuzhao; Luo, Pingping

2014-10-01

An adaptive segmentation smoothing method (ASSM) is introduced in the paper to smooth the signal and suppress the noise. In the ASSM, the noise is defined as the 3σ of the background signal. An integer number N is defined for finding the changing positions in the signal curve. If the difference of adjacent two points is greater than 3Nσ, the position is recorded as an end point of the smoothing segment. All the end points detected as above are recorded and the curves between them will be smoothed separately. In the traditional method, the end points of the smoothing windows in the signals are fixed. The ASSM creates changing end points in different signals and the smoothing windows could be set adaptively. The windows are always set as the half of the segmentations and then the average smoothing method will be applied in the segmentations. The Iterative process is required for reducing the end-point aberration effect in the average smoothing method and two or three times are enough. In ASSM, the signals are smoothed in the spacial area nor frequent area, that means the frequent disturbance will be avoided. A lidar echo was simulated in the experimental work. The echo was supposed to be created by a space-born lidar (e.g. CALIOP). And white Gaussian noise was added to the echo to act as the random noise resulted from environment and the detector. The novel method, ASSM, was applied to the noisy echo to filter the noise. In the test, N was set to 3 and the Iteration time is two. The results show that, the signal could be smoothed adaptively by the ASSM, but the N and the Iteration time might be optimized when the ASSM is applied in a different lidar.

Quantum dynamics of a Josephson junction driven cavity mode system in the presence of voltage bias noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hui; Blencowe, M. P.; Armour, A. D.; Rimberg, A. J.

2017-09-01

We give a semiclassical analysis of the average photon number as well as photon number variance (Fano factor F ) for a Josephson junction (JJ) embedded microwave cavity system, where the JJ is subject to a fluctuating (i.e., noisy) bias voltage with finite dc average. Through the ac Josephson effect, the dc voltage bias drives the effectively nonlinear microwave cavity mode into an amplitude squeezed state (F <1 ), as has been established previously [Armour et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 247001 (2013), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.247001], but bias noise acts to degrade this squeezing. We find that the sensitivity of the Fano factor to bias voltage noise depends qualitatively on which stable fixed point regime the system is in for the corresponding classical nonlinear steady-state dynamics. Furthermore, we show that the impact of voltage bias noise is most significant when the cavity is excited to states with large average photon number.

National health expenditure projections, 2013-23: faster growth expected with expanded coverage and improving economy.

PubMed

Sisko, Andrea M; Keehan, Sean P; Cuckler, Gigi A; Madison, Andrew J; Smith, Sheila D; Wolfe, Christian J; Stone, Devin A; Lizonitz, Joseph M; Poisal, John A

2014-10-01

In 2013 health spending growth is expected to have remained slow, at 3.6 percent, as a result of the sluggish economic recovery, the effects of sequestration, and continued increases in private health insurance cost-sharing requirements. The combined effects of the Affordable Care Act's coverage expansions, faster economic growth, and population aging are expected to fuel health spending growth this year and thereafter (5.6 percent in 2014 and 6.0 percent per year for 2015-23). However, the average rate of increase through 2023 is projected to be slower than the 7.2 percent average growth experienced during 1990-2008. Because health spending is projected to grow 1.1 percentage points faster than the average economic growth during 2013-23, the health share of the gross domestic product is expected to rise from 17.2 percent in 2012 to 19.3 percent in 2023. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Music acupuncture stimulation method.

PubMed

Brătilă, F; Moldovan, C

2007-01-01

Harmonic Medicine is the model using the theory that the body rhythms synchronize to an outer rhythm applied for therapeutic purpose, can restores the energy balance in acupuncture channels and organs and the condition of well-being. The purpose of this scientific work was to demonstrate the role played by harmonic sounds in the stimulation of the Lung (LU) Meridian (Shoutaiyin Feijing) and of the Kidney (KI) Meridian (Zushaoyin Shenjing). It was used an original method that included: measurement and electronic sound stimulation of the Meridian Entry Point, measurement of Meridian Exit Point, computer data processing, bio feed-back adjustment of the music stimulation parameters. After data processing, it was found that the sound stimulation of the Lung Meridian Frequency is optimal between 122 Hz and 128 Hz, with an average of 124 Hz (87% of the subjects) and for Kidney Meridian from 118 Hz to 121 Hz, with an average of 120 Hz (67% of the subjects). The acupuncture stimulation was more intense for female subjects (> 7%) than for the male ones. We preliminarily consider that an informational resonance phenomenon can be developed between the acupuncture music stimulation frequency and the cellular dipole frequency, being a really "resonant frequency signature" of an acupoint. The harmonic generation and the electronic excitation or low-excitation status of an acupuncture point may be considered as a resonance mechanism. By this kind of acupunctural stimulation, a symphony may act and play a healer role.

The effect of dietary betaine in Eimeria acervulina-infected chicks.

PubMed

Matthews, J O; Southern, L L

2000-01-01

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary betaine in broiler chicks with either chronic (CHR; 2.5 x 10(5) sporulated oocysts on Day 1, 4, 7, and 10) or acute (ACT; 1.0 x 10(6) sporulated oocysts on Day 1) Eimeria acervulina infections. Three hundred (Experiment 1) or 600 (Experiment 2), 4-d-old male chicks were used in the 14-d experiments. In both experiments, a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments was used: two levels of betaine (0 or 0.075%) and three levels of coccidiosis infection (uninfected, CHR, or ACT). Each treatment was replicated five (Experiment 1) or 10 (Experiment 2) times with 10 chicks per replicate. In Experiment 1, the ACT infection decreased (P < 0.01) average daily gain and gain:feed, and the CHR infection decreased (P < 0.02) average daily gain. The ACT and CHR infections decreased (P < 0.06) Day 7 plasma carotenoids and Day 14 plasma total protein, and the ACT infection also decreased (P < 0.06) Day 7 plasma total protein. Average daily gain and Day 7 plasma total protein were increased in CHR chicks fed betaine but were decreased in uninfected chicks fed betaine (CHR x betaine; P < 0.09). Chicks fed betaine had decreased (P < 0.06) Day 7 plasma carotenoids. In Experiment 2 the CHR and ACT infections decreased (P < 0.01) average daily gain, average daily feed intake, grain:feed ratio, Days 7 and 14 plasma carotenoids, and Day 7 plasma total protein. Chicks fed betaine had increased (P < 0.07) average daily gains, gain:feed ratios, and lesion scores. Day 14 plasma carotenoids and plasma total protein were decreased in uninfected chicks fed betaine but were increased in CHR chicks fed betaine (CHR x betaine; P < 0.04); plasma carotenoids also were increased in ACT chicks fed betaine (ACT x betaine; P < 0.05). Betaine did not consistently affect growth performance, plasma constituents, or lesion score in CHR or ACT coccidiosis-infected chicks.

Reflector automatic acquisition and pointing based on auto-collimation theodolite.

PubMed

Luo, Jun; Wang, Zhiqian; Wen, Zhuoman; Li, Mingzhu; Liu, Shaojin; Shen, Chengwu

2018-01-01

An auto-collimation theodolite (ACT) for reflector automatic acquisition and pointing is designed based on the principle of autocollimators and theodolites. First, the principle of auto-collimation and theodolites is reviewed, and then the coaxial ACT structure is developed. Subsequently, the acquisition and pointing strategies for reflector measurements are presented, which first quickly acquires the target over a wide range and then points the laser spot to the charge coupled device zero position. Finally, experiments are conducted to verify the acquisition and pointing performance, including the calibration of the ACT, the comparison of the acquisition mode and pointing mode, and the accuracy measurement in horizontal and vertical directions. In both directions, a measurement accuracy of ±3″ is achieved. The presented ACT is suitable for automatic pointing and monitoring the reflector over a small scanning area and can be used in a wide range of applications such as bridge structure monitoring and cooperative target aiming.

Reflector automatic acquisition and pointing based on auto-collimation theodolite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Jun; Wang, Zhiqian; Wen, Zhuoman; Li, Mingzhu; Liu, Shaojin; Shen, Chengwu

2018-01-01

An auto-collimation theodolite (ACT) for reflector automatic acquisition and pointing is designed based on the principle of autocollimators and theodolites. First, the principle of auto-collimation and theodolites is reviewed, and then the coaxial ACT structure is developed. Subsequently, the acquisition and pointing strategies for reflector measurements are presented, which first quickly acquires the target over a wide range and then points the laser spot to the charge coupled device zero position. Finally, experiments are conducted to verify the acquisition and pointing performance, including the calibration of the ACT, the comparison of the acquisition mode and pointing mode, and the accuracy measurement in horizontal and vertical directions. In both directions, a measurement accuracy of ±3″ is achieved. The presented ACT is suitable for automatic pointing and monitoring the reflector over a small scanning area and can be used in a wide range of applications such as bridge structure monitoring and cooperative target aiming.

Monthly variations of dew point temperature in the coterminous United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, Peter J.

1998-11-01

The dew point temperature, Td, data from the surface airways data set of the U.S. National Climatic Data Center were used to develop a basic dew point climatology for the coterminous United States. Quality control procedures were an integral part of the analysis. Daily Td, derived as the average of eight observations at 3-hourly intervals, for 222 stations for the 1961-1990 period were used. The annual and seasonal pattern of average values showed a clear south-north decrease in the eastern portion of the nation, a trend which was most marked in winter. In the west, values decreased inland from the Pacific Coast. Inter-annual variability was generally low when actual mean values were high. A cluster analysis suggested that the area could be divided into six regions, two oriented north-south in the west, four aligned east-west in the area east of the Rocky Mountains. Day-to-day variability was low in all seasons in the two western clusters, but showed a distinct winter maximum in the east. This was explained in broad terms by consideration of air flow regimes, with the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico acting as the major moisture sources. Comparison of values for pairs of nearby stations suggested that Td was rather insensitive to local moisture sources. Analysis of the patterns of occurrence of dew points exceeding the 95th percentile threshold indicated that extremes in summer tend to be localized and short-lived, while in winter they are more widespread and persistent.

42 CFR 423.279 - National average monthly bid amount.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... each MA-PD plan described in section 1851(a)(2)(A)(i) of the Act. The calculation does not include bids... section 1876(h) of the Act. (b) Calculation of weighted average. (1) The national average monthly bid... defined in § 422.258(c)(1) of this chapter) and the denominator equal to the total number of Part D...

42 CFR 423.279 - National average monthly bid amount.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... each MA-PD plan described in section 1851(a)(2)(A)(i) of the Act. The calculation does not include bids... section 1876(h) of the Act. (b) Calculation of weighted average. (1) The national average monthly bid... defined in § 422.258(c)(1) of this chapter) and the denominator equal to the total number of Part D...

42 CFR 423.279 - National average monthly bid amount.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... each MA-PD plan described in section 1851(a)(2)(A)(i) of the Act. The calculation does not include bids... section 1876(h) of the Act. (b) Calculation of weighted average. (1) The national average monthly bid... defined in § 422.258(c)(1) of this chapter) and the denominator equal to the total number of Part D...

The Stable Solar Analyzer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rust, D. M.; Appourchaux, T.

1988-01-01

Progress in the development of an instrument with very high (1:10 billion) wavelength stability designed to measure solar surface velocities and magnetic fields is reported. The instrument determines Doppler and Zeeman shifts in solar spectral lines by a 6-point weighted average. It is built around an electrically tunable solid lithium-niobate Fabry-Perot etalon that is stabilized against a diode laser which itself is locked to a resonance line of cesium 133. Key features are the etalon, which acts as a wide-angle 0.017-nm solar filter, the camera with a specially stabilized shutter, and the instrument control and data collection system. Use of the instrument in helioseismological research is emphasized.

Early Impacts of the Affordable Care Act on Health Insurance Coverage in Medicaid Expansion and Non-Expansion States.

PubMed

Courtemanche, Charles; Marton, James; Ukert, Benjamin; Yelowitz, Aaron; Zapata, Daniela

2017-01-01

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) aimed to achieve nearly universal health insurance coverage in the United States through a combination of insurance market reforms, mandates, subsidies, health insurance exchanges, and Medicaid expansions, most of which took effect in 2014. This paper estimates the causal effects of the ACA on health insurance coverage in 2014 using data from the American Community Survey. We utilize difference-in-difference-in-differences models that exploit cross-sectional variation in the intensity of treatment arising from state participation in the Medicaid expansion and local area pre-ACA uninsured rates. This strategy allows us to identify the effects of the ACA in both Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states. Our preferred specification suggests that, at the average pre-treatment uninsured rate, the full ACA increased the proportion of residents with insurance by 5.9 percentage points compared to 2.8 percentage points in states that did not expand Medicaid. Private insurance expansions from the ACA were due to increases in both employer-provided and non-group coverage. The coverage gains from the full ACA were largest for those without a college degree, non-whites, young adults, unmarried individuals, and those without children in the home. We find no evidence that the Medicaid expansion crowded out private coverage.

12 CFR 1410.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... particular loan constitutes an independent credit risk and such determination is adequately documented in the... Banking FARM CREDIT SYSTEM INSURANCE CORPORATION PREMIUMS § 1410.2 Definitions. (a) Act means the Farm Credit Act of 1971, as amended. (b) Average principal outstanding means the average annual principal...

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in the atmosphere around the Great Lakes.

PubMed

Venier, Marta; Ferrario, Joseph; Hites, Ronald A

2009-02-15

The atmospheric concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs were measured in four sites near the shores of the North American Great Lakes. The sites included an urban site (Chicago, Illinois) and three rural/remote sites (Eagle Harbor, Michigan; Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan; and Sturgeon Point, New York). Sampling occurred every 24 days between November 2004 and December 2007. The concentration of PCDD/Fs averaged 2.3 +/- 0.2 fg WHO TEQ/m3 at Eagle Harbor, 35 +/- 3 fg WHO TEO/ m3 at Chicago, 7.4 +/- 1.4 fg WHO TEO/m3 at Sleeping Bear Dunes, and 13 +/- 2 fg WHO TED/m3 at Sturgeon Point. The total concentration of the 17 toxic PCDD/F congeners showed a significant seasonal trend at all sites, except Chicago. The date of maximum concentration averaged Dec 6 +/- 35 days, which is consistent with residential heating being an important source of PCDD/Fs to the atmosphere. A significant positive relationship between the logarithm of the total concentration of the 17 toxic PCDD/F congeners and the logarithm of the number of people within a 25 km radius around the sampling site was found. We suggest that urban and industrial areas, which are heavily populated, act as sources of PCDDs and PCDFs to the atmosphere.

Measurement of Arcminute Scale Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy with the BIMA Array

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dawson, K. S.; Holzapfel, W. L.; Carlstrom, J. E.; Joy, M.; LaRoque, S. J.; Miller, A.; Nagai, D.; Six, N. Frank (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We report the results of our continued study of arcminute scale anisotropy in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) with the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Association (BIMA) array. The survey consists of ten independent fields selected for low infrared dust emission and lack of bright radio point sources. With observations from the VLA (Very Large Array) at 4.8 GHz, we have identified point sources which could act as contaminants in estimates of the CMB power spectrum and removed them in the analysis. Modeling the observed power spectrum with a single. flat band power with average multipole of l(sub eff) = 6864, we find Delta T = 14.2((sup +4.8)(sub -6.0)) micro K at 68% confidence. The signal in the visibility data exceeds the expected contribution from instrumental noise with 96.5% confidence. We have also divided the data into two bins corresponding to different spatial resolutions in the power spectrum. We find Delta T(sub 1) = 16.6((sup +5.3)(sub -5.9)) micro K at 68% confidence for CMB flat band power described by an average multipole of l(sub eff) = 5237 and Delta T(sub 2) is less than 26.5 micro K at 95% confidence for l(sub eff) = 8748.

Improving quit rates of web-delivered interventions for smoking cessation: full-scale randomized trial of WebQuit.org versus Smokefree.gov.

PubMed

Bricker, Jonathan B; Mull, Kristin E; McClure, Jennifer B; Watson, Noreen L; Heffner, Jaimee L

2018-05-01

Millions of people world-wide use websites to help them quit smoking, but effectiveness trials have an average 34% follow-up data retention rate and an average 9% quit rate. We compared the quit rates of a website using a new behavioral approach called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; WebQuit.org) with the current standard of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Smokefree.gov website. A two-arm stratified double-blind individually randomized trial (n = 1319 for WebQuit; n = 1318 for Smokefree.gov) with 12-month follow-up. United States. Adults (n = 2637) who currently smoked at least five cigarettes per day were recruited from March 2014 to August 2015. At baseline, participants were mean [standard deviation (SD)] age 46.2 years (13.4), 79% women and 73% white. WebQuit.org website (experimental) provided ACT for smoking cessation; Smokefree.gov website (comparison) followed US Clinical Practice Guidelines for smoking cessation. The primary outcome was self-reported 30-day point prevalence abstinence at 12 months. The 12-month follow-up data retention rate was 88% (2309 of 2637). The 30-day point prevalence abstinence rates at the 12-month follow-up were 24% (278 of 1141) for WebQuit.org and 26% (305 of 1168) for Smokefree.gov [odds ratio (OR) = 0.91; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.76, 1.10; P = 0.334] in the a priori complete case analysis. Abstinence rates were 21% (278 of 1319) for WebQuit.org and 23% (305 of 1318) for Smokefree.gov (OR = 0.89 (0.74, 1.07; P = 0.200) when missing cases were imputed as smokers. The Bayes factor comparing the primary abstinence outcome was 0.17, indicating 'substantial' evidence of no difference between groups. WebQuit.org and Smokefree.gov had similar 30-day point prevalence abstinence rates at 12 months that were descriptively higher than those of prior published website-delivered interventions and telephone counselor-delivered interventions. © 2017 Society for the Study of Addiction.

5 CFR 297.106 - Contact point for Privacy Act matters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Contact point for Privacy Act matters. 297.106 Section 297.106 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PRIVACY PROCEDURES FOR PERSONNEL RECORDS General Provisions § 297.106 Contact point for Privacy...

5 CFR 297.106 - Contact point for Privacy Act matters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Contact point for Privacy Act matters. 297.106 Section 297.106 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PRIVACY PROCEDURES FOR PERSONNEL RECORDS General Provisions § 297.106 Contact point for Privacy...

State trends in premiums and deductibles, 2003-2009: how building on the Affordable Care Act will help stem the tide of rising costs and eroding benefits.

PubMed

Schoen, Cathy; Stremikis, Kristof; How, Sabrina K H; Collins, Sara R

2010-12-01

Rapidly rising health insurance costs have strained U.S. families and employers in recent years. This issue brief examines data for all states on changes in private employer premiums and deductibles for 2003 and 2009. The analysis finds that premiums for businesses and their employees increased 41 percent across states from 2003 to 2009, while per-person deductibles jumped 77 percent in large as well as small firms. If these trends continue at the rate prior to enactment of the Affordable Care Act, the average premium for family coverage will rise 79 percent by 2020, to more than $23,000. The authors describe how health reform offers the potential to reduce insurance cost growth while improving value and protection. If reforms succeed in slowing premium growth by 1 percentage point annually in all states, by 2020 employers and families together will save $2,323 annually for family coverage, compared with projected trends.

Determinants of College Grade Point Averages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Paul Dean

2012-01-01

Chapter 2: The Role of Class Difficulty in College Grade Point Averages. Grade Point Averages (GPAs) are widely used as a measure of college students' ability. Low GPAs can remove a students from eligibility for scholarships, and even continued enrollment at a university. However, GPAs are determined not only by student ability but also by the…

Does sex induce a phase transition?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Oliveira, P. M. C.; Moss de Oliveira, S.; Stauffer, D.; Cebrat, S.; Pękalski, A.

2008-05-01

We discovered a dynamic phase transition induced by sexual reproduction. The dynamics is a pure Darwinian rule applied to diploid bit-strings with both fundamental ingredients to drive Darwin's evolution: (1) random mutations and crossings which act in the sense of increasing the entropy (or diversity); and (2) selection which acts in the opposite sense by limiting the entropy explosion. Selection wins this competition if mutations performed at birth are few enough, and thus the wild genotype dominates the steady-state population. By slowly increasing the average number m of mutations, however, the population suddenly undergoes a mutational degradation precisely at a transition point mc. Above this point, the “bad” alleles (represented by 1-bits) spread over the genetic pool of the population, overcoming the selection pressure. Individuals become selectively alike, and evolution stops. Only below this point, m < mc, evolutionary life is possible. The finite-size-scaling behaviour of this transition is exhibited for large enough “chromosome” lengths L, through lengthy computer simulations. One important and surprising observation is the L-independence of the transition curves, for large L. They are also independent on the population size. Another is that mc is near unity, i.e. life cannot be stable with much more than one mutation per diploid genome, independent of the chromosome length, in agreement with reality. One possible consequence is that an eventual evolutionary jump towards larger L enabling the storage of more genetic information would demand an improved DNA copying machinery in order to keep the same total number of mutations per offspring.

Release of cobalt and chromium ions into the serum following implantation of the metal-on-metal Maverick-type artificial lumbar disc (Medtronic Sofamor Danek).

PubMed

Zeh, Alexander; Planert, Michael; Siegert, Gabriele; Lattke, Peter; Held, Andreas; Hein, Werner

2007-02-01

Cross-sectional study of 10 patients to measure the serum levels of cobalt and chromium after TDA. To investigate the release of cobalt and chromium ions into the serum following implantation of the metal-on-metal Maverick-type artificial lumbar disc. In total hip endoprosthetics and consequently for TDA (total disc arthroplasty), metal-on-metal combinations are used with the aim of reducing wear debris. In metal-on-metal TDA the release of metal ions has until now been secondary to the main discussion. We investigated the serum cobalt and chromium concentration following implantation of 15 Maverick TDAs (monosegmental L5-S1, n = 5; bisegmental L4-L5 and L5-S1, n = 5; average age, 36.5 years). Five healthy subjects (no metal implants) acted as a control group. The measurements of the metals were carried out using the HITACHI Z-8200 AAS polarized Zeeman atomic absorption spectrometer after an average of 14.8 months. The concentrations of cobalt and chromium ions in the serum amounted on average to 4.75 microg/L (SD, 2.71) for cobalt and 1.10 microg/L (SD, 1.24) for chromium. Compared with control group, both the chromium and cobalt levels in the serum showed significant increases (Mann-Whitney U test, P = 0.0120). At follow-up,the Oswestry Disability Score was on average significantly decreased by 24.4 points (L5-S1) (t test, P < 0.05) and by 26.8 points (L4-S1) (t test, P < 0.05). The improved clinical situation is also represented by a significant decrease of the Visual Analog Pain Scale of 42.2 points after the follow-up (t test, P < 0.05). Significant systemic release of Cr/Co was proven in the serum compared with the control group. The concentrations of Cr/Co measured in the serum are similar in terms of their level to the values measured in THA metal-on-metal combinations or exceed these values given in the literature. Long-term implication of this metal exposure is unknown and should be studied further.

78 FR 21491 - DeltaPoint Capital IV, L.P., DeltaPoint Capital IV (New York), L.P.; Notice Seeking Exemption...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-10

... Small Business Investment Act of 1958, as amended (``the Act''), in connection with the financing of a... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION [License No. 02/02-0662, 02/02-0661] DeltaPoint Capital IV, L.P., DeltaPoint Capital IV (New York), L.P.; Notice Seeking Exemption Under Section 312 of the Small Business...

Extracurricular Activities and Their Effect on the Student's Grade Point Average: Statistical Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakoban, R. A.; Aljarallah, S. A.

2015-01-01

Extracurricular activities (ECA) are part of students' everyday life; they play important roles in students' lives. Few studies have addressed the question of how student engagements to ECA affect student's grade point average (GPA). This research was conducted to know whether the students' grade point average in King Abdulaziz University,…

The impact of the legalization of recreational marijuana on college students.

PubMed

Jones, Jacob; Nicole Jones, K; Peil, Jenny

2018-02-01

In January of 2014 the Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol Act or, Amendment 64, went into effect in Colorado. Even though it was the first state to enact recreational legalization, attitudes towards marijuana use have been changing for decades. Prompted by medical marijuana legalization, studies have found mixed results in regards to the impact that legalization has on frequency of use and abuse. With college students having the highest rates of use in the United States (U.S.), whether legal or not, it was important to explore the impact that legalization has on this population. In the current study, rates of marijuana and alcohol use in college students before and after recreational legalization were explored. Data was collected in four waves from October 2013 to March 2015, to be able to determine the trends in marijuana and alcohol use, and relationship between the substances. In addition, grade point average was measured as a possible consequence of marijuana use. We found the frequency of marijuana use in Colorado college students is much higher than the national average t(94445)=24.424, p<0.001, especially the percentage of daily or almost daily users, t(2191)=10.373, p<0.001. There were significant differences between the marijuana non-users and the once a week or more often but not daily marijuana users in grade point average, F(6, 227)=2.935, p<0.001. In addition, it seems that the relationship between alcohol and marijuana use in general is decreasing since the passing of Amendment 64, but not among the binge drinkers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Point of No Return

PubMed Central

Logan, Gordon D.

2015-01-01

Bartlett (1958) described the point of no return as a point of irrevocable commitment to action, which was preceded by a period of gradually increasing commitment. As such, the point of no return reflects a fundamental limit on the ability to control thought and action. I review the literature on the point of no return, taking three perspectives. First, I consider the point of no return from the perspective of the controlled act, as a locus in the architecture and anatomy of the underlying processes. I review experiments from the stop-signal paradigm that suggest that the point of no return is located late in the response system. Then I consider the point of no return from the perspective of the act of control that tries to change the controlled act before it becomes irrevocable. From this perspective, the point of no return is a point in time that provides enough “lead time” for the act of control to take effect. I review experiments that measure the response time to the stop signal as the lead time required for response inhibition in the stop-signal paradigm. Finally, I consider the point of no return in hierarchically controlled tasks, in which there may be many points of no return at different levels of the hierarchy. I review experiments on skilled typing that suggest different points of no return for the commands that determine what is typed and the countermands that inhibit typing, with increasing commitment to action the lower the level in the hierarchy. I end by considering the point of no return in perception and thought as well as action. PMID:25633089

78 FR 15376 - Notice of Lodging of Proposed Consent Decree Amendment Under the Clean Air Act; the Clean Water...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-11

... Act; the Clean Water Act; the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; the Emergency Planning and...'') for violations of the Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Clean Water Act... Herculaneum Lead Smelter Facility 12-month rolling average limit for SO 2 emissions and the 12-month rolling...

78 FR 32294 - DeltaPoint Capital IV, L.P., DeltaPoint Capital IV (New York), L.P., License No. 02/02-0662,02/02...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-29

... Small Business Investment Act of 1958, as amended (``the Act''), in connection with the financing of a... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DeltaPoint Capital IV, L.P., DeltaPoint Capital IV (New York), L.P., License No. 02/02-0662,02/02-0661; Notice Seeking Exemption Under Section 312 of the Small Business...

The Chicken Soup Effect: The Role of Recreation and Intramural Participation in Boosting Freshman Grade Point Average

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibbison, Godfrey A.; Henry, Tracyann L.; Perkins-Brown, Jayne

2011-01-01

Freshman grade point average, in particular first semester grade point average, is an important predictor of survival and eventual student success in college. As many institutions of higher learning are searching for ways to improve student success, one would hope that policies geared towards the success of freshmen have long term benefits…

20 CFR 226.62 - Computing average monthly compensation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Computing average monthly compensation. 226... RETIREMENT ACT COMPUTING EMPLOYEE, SPOUSE, AND DIVORCED SPOUSE ANNUITIES Years of Service and Average Monthly Compensation § 226.62 Computing average monthly compensation. The employee's average monthly compensation is...

A bipartite graph of Neuroendocrine System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Zhong-Wei; Zou, Sheng-Rong; Peng, Yu-Jing; Zhou, Ta; Gu, Chang-Gui; He, Da-Ren

2008-03-01

We present an empirical investigation on the neuroendocrine system and suggest describe it by a bipartite graph. In the net the cells can be regarded as collaboration acts and the mediators can be regarded as collaboration actors. The act degree stands for the number of the cells that secrete a single mediator. Among them bFGF (the basic fibroblast growth factor) has the largest node act degree. It is the most important mitogenic cytokine, followed by TGF-beta, IL-6, IL1-beta, VEGF, IGF-1and so on. They are critical in neuroendocrine system to maintain bodily healthiness, emotional stabilization and endocrine harmony. The act degree distribution shows a shifted power law (SPL) function forms [1]. The average act degree of neuroendocrine network is h=3.01, It means that each mediator is secreted by three cells on average. The similarity, which stands for the average probability of secreting the same mediators by all neuroendocrine cells, is observed as s=0.14. Our results may be used in the research of the medical treatment of neuroendocrine diseases. [1] Assortativity and act degree distribution of some collaboration networks, Hui Chang, Bei-Bei Su, Yue-Ping Zhou, Daren He, Physica A, 383 (2007) 687-702

77 FR 47223 - Medicare Program; Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Prospective Payment System-Update for Fiscal...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-07

... and SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) Balanced Budget Refinement Act of the 1999 (BBRA....7 percent adjusted by a 0.1 percentage point reduction as required by section 1886(s)(2)(A)(ii) of the Social Security Act (the Act) and a 0.7 percentage point reduction as required by 1886(s)(2)(A)(i...

The point of no return: A fundamental limit on the ability to control thought and action.

PubMed

Logan, Gordon D

2015-01-01

Bartlett (1958. Thinking. New York: Basic Books) described the point of no return as a point of irrevocable commitment to action, which was preceded by a period of gradually increasing commitment. As such, the point of no return reflects a fundamental limit on the ability to control thought and action. I review the literature on the point of no return, taking three perspectives. First, I consider the point of no return from the perspective of the controlled act, as a locus in the architecture and anatomy of the underlying processes. I review experiments from the stop-signal paradigm that suggest that the point of no return is located late in the response system. Then I consider the point of no return from the perspective of the act of control that tries to change the controlled act before it becomes irrevocable. From this perspective, the point of no return is a point in time that provides enough "lead time" for the act of control to take effect. I review experiments that measure the response time to the stop signal as the lead time required for response inhibition in the stop-signal paradigm. Finally, I consider the point of no return in hierarchically controlled tasks, in which there may be many points of no return at different levels of the hierarchy. I review experiments on skilled typing that suggest different points of no return for the commands that determine what is typed and the countermands that inhibit typing, with increasing commitment to action the lower the level in the hierarchy. I end by considering the point of no return in perception and thought as well as action.

78 FR 30935 - Notice of Lodging of Proposed Settlement Under the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-23

... Steel Sparrows Point, LLC; RG Steel Warren, LLC; and RG Steel Wheeling, LLC. Specifically, the... in the amount of $8,431 in connection with EPA's claim that RG Steel Sparrows Point is liable for... its former facility located in Sparrows Point, Maryland. The publication of this notice opens a period...

A Comparison of Brain Wave Patterns of High and Low Grade Point Average Students During Rest, Problem Solving, and Stress Situations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montor, Karel

The purpose of this study was to compare brain wave patterns produced by high and low grade point average students, while they were resting, solving problems, and subjected to stress situations. The study involved senior midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy. The high group was comprised of those whose cumulative grade point average was…

Quantifying rapid changes in cardiovascular state with a moving ensemble average.

PubMed

Cieslak, Matthew; Ryan, William S; Babenko, Viktoriya; Erro, Hannah; Rathbun, Zoe M; Meiring, Wendy; Kelsey, Robert M; Blascovich, Jim; Grafton, Scott T

2018-04-01

MEAP, the moving ensemble analysis pipeline, is a new open-source tool designed to perform multisubject preprocessing and analysis of cardiovascular data, including electrocardiogram (ECG), impedance cardiogram (ICG), and continuous blood pressure (BP). In addition to traditional ensemble averaging, MEAP implements a moving ensemble averaging method that allows for the continuous estimation of indices related to cardiovascular state, including cardiac output, preejection period, heart rate variability, and total peripheral resistance, among others. Here, we define the moving ensemble technique mathematically, highlighting its differences from fixed-window ensemble averaging. We describe MEAP's interface and features for signal processing, artifact correction, and cardiovascular-based fMRI analysis. We demonstrate the accuracy of MEAP's novel B point detection algorithm on a large collection of hand-labeled ICG waveforms. As a proof of concept, two subjects completed a series of four physical and cognitive tasks (cold pressor, Valsalva maneuver, video game, random dot kinetogram) on 3 separate days while ECG, ICG, and BP were recorded. Critically, the moving ensemble method reliably captures the rapid cyclical cardiovascular changes related to the baroreflex during the Valsalva maneuver and the classic cold pressor response. Cardiovascular measures were seen to vary considerably within repetitions of the same cognitive task for each individual, suggesting that a carefully designed paradigm could be used to capture fast-acting event-related changes in cardiovascular state. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Patterns of sediment dispersion coastwise the State of Bahia - Brazil.

PubMed

Bittencourt; Dominguez; Martin; Silva

2000-06-01

Using the average directions of the main wave-fronts which approach the coast of Bahia State - coinciding with that of the main wind occurring in the area - and of their periods, we define a wave climate model based on the construction of refraction diagrams. The resulting model of sediment transport was able to reproduce, in a general way, the sediment dispersion patterns furnished by geomorphic indicators of the littoral drift. These dispersion patterns control the generation of different types of sediment accumulations and of coastal stretches under erosion. We demonstrate that the presence of the Abrolhos and Corumbaú Point coral reefs is an important factor controlling the sediment dispersion patterns, since them act as a large protection against the waves action.

Non-exponential kinetics of unfolding under a constant force.

PubMed

Bell, Samuel; Terentjev, Eugene M

2016-11-14

We examine the population dynamics of naturally folded globular polymers, with a super-hydrophobic "core" inserted at a prescribed point in the polymer chain, unfolding under an application of external force, as in AFM force-clamp spectroscopy. This acts as a crude model for a large class of folded biomolecules with hydrophobic or hydrogen-bonded cores. We find that the introduction of super-hydrophobic units leads to a stochastic variation in the unfolding rate, even when the positions of the added monomers are fixed. This leads to the average non-exponential population dynamics, which is consistent with a variety of experimental data and does not require any intrinsic quenched disorder that was traditionally thought to be at the origin of non-exponential relaxation laws.

Non-exponential kinetics of unfolding under a constant force

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Samuel; Terentjev, Eugene M.

2016-11-01

We examine the population dynamics of naturally folded globular polymers, with a super-hydrophobic "core" inserted at a prescribed point in the polymer chain, unfolding under an application of external force, as in AFM force-clamp spectroscopy. This acts as a crude model for a large class of folded biomolecules with hydrophobic or hydrogen-bonded cores. We find that the introduction of super-hydrophobic units leads to a stochastic variation in the unfolding rate, even when the positions of the added monomers are fixed. This leads to the average non-exponential population dynamics, which is consistent with a variety of experimental data and does not require any intrinsic quenched disorder that was traditionally thought to be at the origin of non-exponential relaxation laws.

Efficacy and safety of the CRTh2 antagonist AZD1981 as add-on therapy to inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting β2-agonists in patients with atopic asthma.

PubMed

Bateman, Eric D; O'Brien, Christopher; Rugman, Paul; Luke, Sally; Ivanov, Stefan; Uddin, Mohib

2018-01-01

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of AZD1981, a potent, specific antagonist of the CRTh2 receptor, as add-on therapy to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and long-acting β 2 -agonists (LABA), in patients with persistent asthma with an allergic component. In this placebo-controlled, parallel-group Phase IIb study, patients with persistent atopic asthma on ICS and LABA were randomized to receive 12 weeks of treatment with placebo or AZD1981 (80 mg daily, 200 mg daily, and 10 mg, 40 mg, 100 mg, or 400 mg twice daily [BID]). The primary end point was the mean change from baseline in predose, prebronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1 ) averaged over weeks 2, 4, 8, and 12 in the AZD1981-treatment group vs the placebo group. Secondary end points included other measures of lung function, symptoms, and asthma control, as well as standard measures of safety. In total, 1,140 patients (99.7%) received study treatment. There were improvements in the primary end point across all treatment groups over 12 weeks of treatment. However, the improvement for the highest AZD1981 dose (400 mg BID) vs placebo was not statistically significant (0.02 L, P =0.58), preventing interpretation of statistical testing for the lower doses. AZD1981 was well tolerated, and the incidence of adverse events was comparable across placebo and treatment groups. In patients with allergic asthma receiving ICS and LABA therapy, the addition of AZD1981 at doses up to 400 mg BID failed to produce a clinically relevant improvement in lung function or any other measured end point, but appeared to have an acceptable safety profile. This clinical study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01197794).

Biological, serological and molecular typing of potato virus Y (PVY) isolates from Tunisia.

PubMed

Tayahi, M; Gharsallah, C; Khamassy, N; Fakhfakh, H; Djilani-Khouadja, F

2016-10-17

In Tunisia, potato virus Y (PVY) currently presents a significant threat to potato production, reducing tuber yield and quality. Three hundred and eighty-five potato samples (six different cultivars) collected in autumn 2007 from nine regions in Tunisia were tested for PVY infection by DAS-ELISA. The virus was detected in all regions surveyed, with an average incidence of 80.26%. Subsequently, a panel of 82 Tunisian PVY isolates (PVY-TN) was subjected to systematic biological, serological and molecular typing using immunocapture reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and a series of PVY OC - and PVY N -specific monoclonal antibodies. Combined analyses revealed ~67% of PVY NTN variants of which 17 were sequenced in the 5'NTR-P1 region to assess the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship of PVY-TN against other worldwide PVY isolates. To investigate whether selective constraints could act on viral genomic RNA, synonymous and non-synonymous substitution rates and their ratio were analyzed. Averages of all pairwise comparisons obtained in the 5'NTR-P1 region allowed more synonymous changes, suggesting selective constraint acting in this region. Selective neutrality test was significantly negative, suggesting a rapid expansion of PVY isolates. Pairwise mismatch distribution gave a bimodal pattern and pointed to an eventually early evolution characterizing these sequences. Genetic haplotype network topology provided evidence of the existence of a distinct geographical structure. This is the first report of such genetic analyses conducted on PVY isolates from Tunisia.

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: High-Resolution Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Array Observations of ACT SZE-Selected Clusters from the Equatorial Strip

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reese, Erik D.; Mroczkowski, Tony; Menanteau, Felipe; Hilton, Matt; Sievers, Jonathan; Aguirre, Paula; Appel, John William; Baker, Andrew J.; Bond, J. Richard; Das, Sudeep;

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: High-Resolution Sunyaev-Zeldovich Array Observations of ACT SZE-Selected Clusters from the Equatorial Strip

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reese, Erik; Mroczkowski, Tony; Menateau, Felipe; Hilton, Matt; Sievers, Jonathan; Aguirre, Paula; Appel, John William; Baker, Andrew J.; Bond, J. Richard; Das, Sudeep;

Planned LMSS propagation experiment using ACTS: Preliminary antenna pointing results during mobile operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rowland, John R.; Goldhirsh, Julius; Vogel, Wolfhard J.; Torrence, Geoffrey W.

1991-01-01

An overview and a status description of the planned LMSS mobile K band experiment with ACTS is presented. As a precursor to the ACTS mobile measurements at 20.185 GHz, measurements at 19.77 GHz employing the Olympus satellite were originally planned. However, because of the demise of Olympus in June of 1991, the efforts described here are focused towards the ACTS measurements. In particular, we describe the design and testing results of a gyro controlled mobile-antenna pointing system. Preliminary pointing measurements during mobile operations indicate that the present system is suitable for measurements employing a 15 cm aperture (beamwidth at approximately 7 deg) receiving antenna operating with ACTS in the high gain transponder mode. This should enable measurements with pattern losses smaller than plus or minus 1 dB over more than 95 percent of the driving distance. Measurements with the present mount system employing a 60 cm aperture (beamwidth at approximately 1.7 deg) results in pattern losses smaller than plus or minus 3 dB for 70 percent of the driving distance. Acceptable propagation measurements may still be made with this system by employing developed software to flag out bad data points due to extreme pointing errors. The receiver system including associated computer control software has been designed and assembled. Plans are underway to integrate the antenna mount with the receiver on the University of Texas mobile receiving van and repeat the pointing tests on highways employing a recently designed radome system.

Application of two procedures for dual-point design of transonic airfoils

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mineck, Raymond E.; Campbell, Richard L.; Allison, Dennis O.

1994-01-01

Two dual-point design procedures were developed to reduce the objective function of a baseline airfoil at two design points. The first procedure to develop a redesigned airfoil used a weighted average of the shapes of two intermediate airfoils redesigned at each of the two design points. The second procedure used a weighted average of two pressure distributions obtained from an intermediate airfoil redesigned at each of the two design points. Each procedure was used to design a new airfoil with reduced wave drag at the cruise condition without increasing the wave drag or pitching moment at the climb condition. Two cycles of the airfoil shape-averaging procedure successfully designed a new airfoil that reduced the objective function and satisfied the constraints. One cycle of the target (desired) pressure-averaging procedure was used to design two new airfoils that reduced the objective function and came close to satisfying the constraints.

The Effect of a Zoo-Based Experiential Academic Science Program on High School Students' Math and Science Achievement and Perceptions of School Climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulkerrin, Elizabeth A.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of an 11th-grade and 12th-grade zoo-based academic high school experiential science program compared to a same school-district school-based academic high school experiential science program on students' pretest and posttest science, math, and reading achievement, and student perceptions of program relevance, rigor, and relationships. Science coursework delivery site served as the study's independent variable for the two naturally formed groups representing students (n = 18) who completed a zoo-based experiential academic high school science program and students (n = 18) who completed a school-based experiential academic high school science program. Students in the first group, a zoo-based experiential academic high school science program, completed real world, hands-on projects at the zoo while students in the second group, those students who completed a school-based experiential academic high school science program, completed real world, simulated projects in the classroom. These groups comprised the two research arms of the study. Both groups of students were selected from the same school district. The study's two dependent variables were achievement and school climate. Achievement was analyzed using norm-referenced 11th-grade pretest PLAN and 12th-grade posttest ACT test composite scores. Null hypotheses were rejected in the direction of improved test scores for both science program groups---students who completed the zoo-based experiential academic high school science program (p < .001) and students who completed the school-based experiential academic high school science program (p < .001). The posttest-posttest ACT test composite score comparison was not statistically different ( p = .93) indicating program equipoise for students enrolled in both science programs. No overall weighted grade point average score improvement was observed for students in either science group, however, null hypotheses were rejected in the direction of improved science grade point average scores for 11th-grade (p < .01) and 12th-grade (p = .01) students who completed the zoo-based experiential academic high school science program. Null hypotheses were not rejected for between group posttest science grade point average scores and school district criterion reference math and reading test scores. Finally, students who completed the zoo-based experiential academic high school science program had statistically improved pretest-posttest perceptions of program relationship scores (p < .05) and compared to students who completed the school-based experiential academic high school science program had statistically greater posttest perceptions of program relevance (p < .001), perceptions of program rigor (p < .001), and perceptions of program relationships (p < .001).

Production and evaluation of children's dietary life safety index data on metropolitan cities and provinces in Korea

PubMed Central

Choi, Young-Sun; Lee, Jung-Sug; Kim, Hye-Young; Kwak, Tong-Kyung; Chung, Hae Rang; Kwon, Sehyug; Choi, Youn-Ju; Lee, Soon-Kyu

2012-01-01

This pilot study was performed to produce data of the Children's Dietary Life Safety (CDLS) Index which is required by the Special Act on Safety Management of Children's Dietary Life and to evaluate the CDLS Index for 7 metropolitan cities and 9 provinces in Korea. To calculate the CDLS Index score, data regarding the evaluation indicators in the children's food safety domain and children's nutrition safety domain were collected from the local governments in 2009. For data regarding the indicators in the children's perception & practice domain, a survey was conducted on 2,400 5th grade children selected by stratified sampling in 16 local areas. Relative scores of indicators in each domain were calculated using the data provided by local governments and the survey, the weights are applied on relative scores, and then the CDLS Index scores of local governments were produced by adding scores of the 3 domains. The national average scores of the food safety domain, the nutrition safety domain and the perception and practice domain were 23.74 (14.67-26.50 on a 40-point scale), 16.65 (12.25-19.60 on a 40-point scale), and 14.88 (14.16-15.30 on a 20-point scale), respectively. The national average score of the CDLS Index which was produced by adding the scores of the three domains was 55.27 ranging 46.44-58.94 among local governments. The CDLS Index scores produced in this study may provide the motivation for comparing relative accomplishment and for actively achieving the goals through establishment of the target value by local governments. Also, it can be used as useful data for the establishment and improvement of children's dietary life safety policy at the national level. PMID:23346305

Analysis of the covariance function and aperture averaged fluctuations of irradiance to calculate Cn2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cauble, Galen D.; Wayne, David T.

2017-09-01

The growth of optical communication has created a need to correctly characterize the atmospheric channel. Atmospheric turbulence along a given channel can drastically affect optical communication signal quality. One means of characterizing atmospheric turbulence is through measurement of the refractive index structure parameter, Cn2. When calculating Cn2 from the scintillation index, σΙ2,the point aperture scintillation index is required. Direct measurement of the point aperture scintillation index is difficult at long ranges due to the light collecting abilities of small apertures. When aperture size is increased past the atmospheric correlation width, aperture averaging decreases the scintillation index below that of the point aperture scintillation index. While the aperture averaging factor can be calculated from theory, it does not often agree with experimental results. Direct measurement of the aperture averaging factor via the pupil plane irradiance covariance function allows conversion from the aperture averaged scintillation index to the point aperture scintillation index. Using a finite aperture, camera, and detector, the aperture averaged scintillation index and aperture averaging factor are measured in parallel and the point aperture scintillation index is calculated. A new instrument built by SSC Pacific was used to collect scintillation data at the Townes Institute Science and Technology Experimentation Facility (TISTEF). This new instrument's data was then compared to BLS900 data. The results show that direct measurement of the aperture averaging factor is achievable using a camera and matches well with groundtruth instrumentation.

40 CFR 63.652 - Emissions averaging provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... emissions average. This must include any Group 1 emission points to which the reference control technology... controls for a Group 1 emission point, the pollution prevention measure alone does not have to reduce... in control after November 15, 1990; (2) Group 1 emission points that are controlled by a reference...

40 CFR 63.652 - Emissions averaging provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... emissions average. This must include any Group 1 emission points to which the reference control technology... controls for a Group 1 emission point, the pollution prevention measure alone does not have to reduce... in control after November 15, 1990; (2) Group 1 emission points that are controlled by a reference...

9 CFR 417.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE FEDERAL MEAT INSPECTION ACT AND THE POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION ACT HAZARD ANALYSIS AND... control point. A point, step, or procedure in a food process at which control can be applied and, as a...

9 CFR 417.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE FEDERAL MEAT INSPECTION ACT AND THE POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION ACT HAZARD ANALYSIS AND... control point. A point, step, or procedure in a food process at which control can be applied and, as a...

9 CFR 417.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE FEDERAL MEAT INSPECTION ACT AND THE POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION ACT HAZARD ANALYSIS AND... control point. A point, step, or procedure in a food process at which control can be applied and, as a...

9 CFR 417.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE FEDERAL MEAT INSPECTION ACT AND THE POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION ACT HAZARD ANALYSIS AND... control point. A point, step, or procedure in a food process at which control can be applied and, as a...

9 CFR 417.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE FEDERAL MEAT INSPECTION ACT AND THE POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION ACT HAZARD ANALYSIS AND... control point. A point, step, or procedure in a food process at which control can be applied and, as a...

18 CFR 284.283 - Point of unbundling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OTHER REGULATIONS UNDER THE NATURAL GAS POLICY ACT OF 1978 AND RELATED AUTHORITIES CERTAIN SALES AND TRANSPORTATION OF NATURAL GAS UNDER THE NATURAL GAS POLICY ACT OF 1978 AND RELATED AUTHORITIES Blanket Certificates Authorizing Certain Natural Gas Sales by Interstate Pipelines § 284.283 Point...

Single-Cell-Based Analysis Highlights a Surge in Cell-to-Cell Molecular Variability Preceding Irreversible Commitment in a Differentiation Process

PubMed Central

Boullu, Loïs; Morin, Valérie; Vallin, Elodie; Guillemin, Anissa; Papili Gao, Nan; Cosette, Jérémie; Arnaud, Ophélie; Kupiec, Jean-Jacques; Espinasse, Thibault

2016-01-01

In some recent studies, a view emerged that stochastic dynamics governing the switching of cells from one differentiation state to another could be characterized by a peak in gene expression variability at the point of fate commitment. We have tested this hypothesis at the single-cell level by analyzing primary chicken erythroid progenitors through their differentiation process and measuring the expression of selected genes at six sequential time-points after induction of differentiation. In contrast to population-based expression data, single-cell gene expression data revealed a high cell-to-cell variability, which was masked by averaging. We were able to show that the correlation network was a very dynamical entity and that a subgroup of genes tend to follow the predictions from the dynamical network biomarker (DNB) theory. In addition, we also identified a small group of functionally related genes encoding proteins involved in sterol synthesis that could act as the initial drivers of the differentiation. In order to assess quantitatively the cell-to-cell variability in gene expression and its evolution in time, we used Shannon entropy as a measure of the heterogeneity. Entropy values showed a significant increase in the first 8 h of the differentiation process, reaching a peak between 8 and 24 h, before decreasing to significantly lower values. Moreover, we observed that the previous point of maximum entropy precedes two paramount key points: an irreversible commitment to differentiation between 24 and 48 h followed by a significant increase in cell size variability at 48 h. In conclusion, when analyzed at the single cell level, the differentiation process looks very different from its classical population average view. New observables (like entropy) can be computed, the behavior of which is fully compatible with the idea that differentiation is not a “simple” program that all cells execute identically but results from the dynamical behavior of the underlying molecular network. PMID:28027290

Single-Cell-Based Analysis Highlights a Surge in Cell-to-Cell Molecular Variability Preceding Irreversible Commitment in a Differentiation Process.

PubMed

Richard, Angélique; Boullu, Loïs; Herbach, Ulysse; Bonnafoux, Arnaud; Morin, Valérie; Vallin, Elodie; Guillemin, Anissa; Papili Gao, Nan; Gunawan, Rudiyanto; Cosette, Jérémie; Arnaud, Ophélie; Kupiec, Jean-Jacques; Espinasse, Thibault; Gonin-Giraud, Sandrine; Gandrillon, Olivier

2016-12-01

In some recent studies, a view emerged that stochastic dynamics governing the switching of cells from one differentiation state to another could be characterized by a peak in gene expression variability at the point of fate commitment. We have tested this hypothesis at the single-cell level by analyzing primary chicken erythroid progenitors through their differentiation process and measuring the expression of selected genes at six sequential time-points after induction of differentiation. In contrast to population-based expression data, single-cell gene expression data revealed a high cell-to-cell variability, which was masked by averaging. We were able to show that the correlation network was a very dynamical entity and that a subgroup of genes tend to follow the predictions from the dynamical network biomarker (DNB) theory. In addition, we also identified a small group of functionally related genes encoding proteins involved in sterol synthesis that could act as the initial drivers of the differentiation. In order to assess quantitatively the cell-to-cell variability in gene expression and its evolution in time, we used Shannon entropy as a measure of the heterogeneity. Entropy values showed a significant increase in the first 8 h of the differentiation process, reaching a peak between 8 and 24 h, before decreasing to significantly lower values. Moreover, we observed that the previous point of maximum entropy precedes two paramount key points: an irreversible commitment to differentiation between 24 and 48 h followed by a significant increase in cell size variability at 48 h. In conclusion, when analyzed at the single cell level, the differentiation process looks very different from its classical population average view. New observables (like entropy) can be computed, the behavior of which is fully compatible with the idea that differentiation is not a "simple" program that all cells execute identically but results from the dynamical behavior of the underlying molecular network.

Encounter Preparedness, Satisfaction, and Performance Effects of Influence in Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Teams.

PubMed

Pisansky, Andrew J; Wholey, Douglas R; Cain, Cindy; Zhu, Xi

2017-07-01

Assertive community treatment (ACT) teams are linked to high quality outcomes for individuals with severe mental illness. This paper tests arguments that influence shared between team members is associated with better encounter preparedness, higher work satisfaction, and improved performance in ACT teams. Influence is conceptualized in three ways: the average level according to team members, the team's evaluation of the dispersion of team member influence, and as the person-organization fit of individual perception of empowerment. The study design is a retrospective observational design using survey data from a longitudinal study of 26 ACT teams (approximately 275 team members total) over 18 months. This study finds that average team influence and person-organization fit are positively correlated with encounter preparedness and satisfaction. Dispersion of influence was not significantly correlated with study outcomes. Influence in ACT teams has multiple dimensions, each with differential effects on team outcomes. These findings provide guidance as to how one might encourage equal and substantive contribution from ACT team members.

Freedom Of Information Act

Science.gov Websites

Web Site Freedom of Information Act Sign In Freedom of Information Act Header Search this site ... Search Freedom of Information Act Introduction to FOIA Making A Request Points of Contact FOIA Reports Reading Room Frequently Asked Questions FOIA Links Privacy Act Requests Freedom Of Information (FOIA) &

Reduction of Averaging Time for Evaluation of Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields from Cellular Base Stations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Byung Chan; Park, Seong-Ook

In order to determine exposure compliance with the electromagnetic fields from a base station's antenna in the far-field region, we should calculate the spatially averaged field value in a defined space. This value is calculated based on the measured value obtained at several points within the restricted space. According to the ICNIRP guidelines, at each point in the space, the reference levels are averaged over any 6min (from 100kHz to 10GHz) for the general public. Therefore, the more points we use, the longer the measurement time becomes. For practical application, it is very advantageous to spend less time for measurement. In this paper, we analyzed the difference of average values between 6min and lesser periods and compared it with the standard uncertainty for measurement drift. Based on the standard deviation from the 6min averaging value, the proposed minimum averaging time is 1min.

ACT Reporting Category Interpretation Guide: Version 1.0. ACT Working Paper 2016 (05)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powers, Sonya; Li, Dongmei; Suh, Hongwook; Harris, Deborah J.

2016-01-01

ACT reporting categories and ACT Readiness Ranges are new features added to the ACT score reports starting in fall 2016. For each reporting category, the number correct score, the maximum points possible, the percent correct, and the ACT Readiness Range, along with an indicator of whether the reporting category score falls within the Readiness…

Occupational exposure assessment of magnetic fields generated by induction heating equipment-the role of spatial averaging.

PubMed

Kos, Bor; Valič, Blaž; Kotnik, Tadej; Gajšek, Peter

2012-10-07

Induction heating equipment is a source of strong and nonhomogeneous magnetic fields, which can exceed occupational reference levels. We investigated a case of an induction tempering tunnel furnace. Measurements of the emitted magnetic flux density (B) were performed during its operation and used to validate a numerical model of the furnace. This model was used to compute the values of B and the induced in situ electric field (E) for 15 different body positions relative to the source. For each body position, the computed B values were used to determine their maximum and average values, using six spatial averaging schemes (9-285 averaging points) and two averaging algorithms (arithmetic mean and quadratic mean). Maximum and average B values were compared to the ICNIRP reference level, and E values to the ICNIRP basic restriction. Our results show that in nonhomogeneous fields, the maximum B is an overly conservative predictor of overexposure, as it yields many false positives. The average B yielded fewer false positives, but as the number of averaging points increased, false negatives emerged. The most reliable averaging schemes were obtained for averaging over the torso with quadratic averaging, with no false negatives even for the maximum number of averaging points investigated.

An analysis of the relationship of seven selected variables to State Board Test Pool Examination performance of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Nursing.

PubMed

Sharp, T G

1984-02-01

The study was designed to determine whether any one of seven selected variables or a combination of the variables is predictive of performance on the State Board Test Pool Examination. The selected variables studied were: high school grade point average (HSGPA), The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Nursing grade point average (GPA), and American College Test Assessment (ACT) standard scores (English, ENG; mathematics, MA; social studies, SS; natural sciences, NSC; composite, COMP). Data utilized were from graduates of the baccalaureate program of The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Nursing from 1974 through 1979. The sample of 322 was selected from a total population of 572. The Statistical Analysis System (SAS) was designed to accomplish analysis of the predictive relationship of each of the seven selected variables to State Board Test Pool Examination performance (result of pass or fail), a stepwise discriminant analysis was designed for determining the predictive relationship of the strongest combination of the independent variables to overall State Board Test Pool Examination performance (result of pass or fail), and stepwise multiple regression analysis was designed to determine the strongest predictive combination of selected variables for each of the five subexams of the State Board Test Pool Examination. The selected variables were each found to be predictive of SBTPE performance (result of pass or fail). The strongest combination for predicting SBTPE performance (result of pass or fail) was found to be GPA, MA, and NSC.

Interim Significant Noncompliance Policy for Clean Water Act Violations Associated with CSOs, SSOs, CAFOs, and Storm Water Point Sources

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This policy addresses significant noncompliance (SNC) violations associated with combined sewer overflows (CSOs), sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), and storm water point source discharges covered by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program under the Clean Water Act (CWA).

Measured emotional intelligence ability and grade point average in nursing students.

PubMed

Codier, Estelle; Odell, Ellen

2014-04-01

For most schools of nursing, grade point average is the most important criteria for admission to nursing school and constitutes the main indicator of success throughout the nursing program. In the general research literature, the relationship between traditional measures of academic success, such as grade point average and postgraduation job performance is not well established. In both the general population and among practicing nurses, measured emotional intelligence ability correlates with both performance and other important professional indicators postgraduation. Little research exists comparing traditional measures of intelligence with measured emotional intelligence prior to graduation, and none in the student nurse population. This exploratory, descriptive, quantitative study was undertaken to explore the relationship between measured emotional intelligence ability and grade point average of first year nursing students. The study took place at a school of nursing at a university in the south central region of the United States. Participants included 72 undergraduate student nurse volunteers. Emotional intelligence was measured using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, version 2, an instrument for quantifying emotional intelligence ability. Pre-admission grade point average was reported by the school records department. Total emotional intelligence (r=.24) scores and one subscore, experiential emotional intelligence(r=.25) correlated significantly (>.05) with grade point average. This exploratory, descriptive study provided evidence for some relationship between GPA and measured emotional intelligence ability, but also demonstrated lower than average range scores in several emotional intelligence scores. The relationship between pre-graduation measures of success and level of performance postgraduation deserves further exploration. The findings of this study suggest that research on the relationship between traditional and nontraditional measures of academic success, and emotional intelligence correlation with postgraduation performance, is warranted. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Outcome Expectancy and Sexual Compulsivity among Men who have Sex with Men Living with HIV

PubMed Central

Brown, Monique J.; Serovich, Julianne M.; Kimberly, Judy A.

2016-01-01

Sexual compulsivity is operationalized by engaging in repetitive sexual acts, having multiple sexual partners and/or the excessive use of pornography. Outcome expectancy refers to the beliefs about the consequences of engaging in a given behavior. Research examining the relationship between outcome expectancy and sexual compulsivity is limited. The aim of this study was to assess the association between outcome expectancy and sexual compulsivity among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV. Data were obtained from 338 MSM. Simple and multiple linear regression models were used to assess the association between outcome expectancy and sexual compulsivity. After adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, income, education, and employment status, for every one point increase in outcome expectancies for condom use, HIV disclosure and negotiation of safer sex practices, there was, on average, an approximate one point decrease in sexual compulsivity score. Prevention and intervention programs geared towards reducing sexual compulsivity among MSM should focus on increasing outcome expectancies for condom use, HIV disclosure and negotiation of safer sex practices. PMID:26979416

Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS) Multibeam Antenna On-Orbit Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

The NASA Lewis Research Center's Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS) was launched in September 1993. ACTS introduced several new technologies, including a multibeam antenna (MBA) operating at extremely short wavelengths never before used in communications. This antenna, which has both fixed and rapidly reconfigurable high-energy spot beams (150 miles in diameter), serves users equipped with small antenna terminals. Extensive structural and thermal analyses have been performed for simulating the ACTS MBA on-orbit performance. The results show that the reflector surfaces (mainly the front subreflector), antenna support assembly, and metallic surfaces on the spacecraft body will be distorted because of the thermal effects of varying solar heating, which degrade the ACTS MBA performance. Since ACTS was launched, a number of evaluations have been performed to assess MBA performance in the space environment. For example, the on-orbit performance measurements found systematic environmental disturbances to the MBA beam pointing. These disturbances were found to be imposed by the attitude control system, antenna and spacecraft mechanical alignments, and on-orbit thermal effects. As a result, the MBA may not always exactly cover the intended service area. In addition, the on-orbit measurements showed that antenna pointing accuracy is the performance parameter most sensitive to thermal distortions on the front subreflector surface and antenna support assemblies. Several compensation approaches were tested and evaluated to restore on-orbit pointing stability. A combination of autotrack (75 percent of the time) and Earth sensor control (25 percent of the time) was found to be the best way to compensate for antenna pointing error during orbit. This approach greatly minimizes the effects of thermal distortions on antenna beam pointing.

Activin type IB receptor signaling in prostate cancer cells promotes lymph node metastasis in a xenograft model

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

Nomura, Masatoshi, E-mail: nomura@med.kyushu-u.ac.jp; Tanaka, Kimitaka; Wang, Lixiang

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ActRIB signaling induces Snail and S100A4 expressions in prostate cancer cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The prostate cancer cell lines expressing an active form of ActRIB were established. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ActRIB signaling promotes EMT and lymph node metastasis in xenograft model. -- Abstract: Activin, a member of the transforming growth factor-{beta} family, has been known to be a growth and differentiating factor. Despite its pluripotent effects, the roles of activin signaling in prostate cancer pathogenesis are still unclear. In this study, we established several cell lines that express a constitutive active form of activin type IB receptor (ActRIBCA) in human prostate cancermore » cells, ALVA41 (ALVA-ActRIBCA). There was no apparent change in the proliferation of ALVA-ActRIBCA cells in vitro; however, their migratory ability was significantly enhanced. In a xenograft model, histological analysis revealed that the expression of Snail, a cell-adhesion-suppressing transcription factor, was dramatically increased in ALVA-ActRIBCA tumors, indicating epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Finally, mice bearing ALVA-ActRIBCA cells developed multiple lymph node metastases. In this study, we demonstrated that ActRIBCA signaling can promote cell migration in prostate cancer cells via a network of signaling molecules that work together to trigger the process of EMT, and thereby aid in the aggressiveness and progression of prostate cancers.« less

Bereitschaftspotential as an indicator of movement preparation in supplementary motor area and motor cortex.

PubMed

Deecke, L

1987-01-01

Topographical studies in humans of the Bereitschaftspotential (BP, or readiness potential, as averaged from the electroencephalogram) and the Bereitschaftsmagnetfeld (BM, or readiness magnetic field, as averaged from the magnetoencephalogram) revealed a widespread distribution of motor preparation over both hemispheres even before unilateral movement. This indicates the existence of several generators responsible for the BP, including generators in the ipsilateral hemisphere, which is in agreement with measurements of regional cerebral blood flow or regional cerebral energy metabolism. Nevertheless, two principal generators seem to prevail: (1) An early generator, starting its activity 1s or more before the motor act, with its maximum at the vertex. For this and other reasons, early BP generation probably stems from cortical tissue representing or including the supplementary motor area (SMA). (2) A later generator, starting its activity about 0.5s before the onset of movement and biased towards the contralateral hemisphere (contralateral preponderance of negativity, CPN). For unilateral finger movements the CPN succeeds the BP's initial bilateral symmetry in the later preparation period. Thus, this lateralized BP component probably stems from the primary motor area, MI (area 4, hand representation). While regional cerebral blood flow or regional cerebral energy metabolism show that the SMA is active in conjunction with motor acts, these data do not permit the conclusion that SMA activity precedes motor acts. This can only be shown by the Bereitschaftspotential, which proves that SMA activity occurs before the onset of movement and, what is more, before the onset of MI activity. This important order of events (first SMA, then MI activation) has been elucidated by our BP studies. It gives the SMA an important functional role: the initiation of voluntary movement. The recording of movement-related potentials associated with manual hand-tracking and motor learning points to the SMA and frontal cortex having an important role in these functions.

DNA polymeric films as a support for cell growth as a new material for regenerative medicine: Compatibility and applicability.

PubMed

Jayme, Cristiano Ceron; de Paula, Leonardo Barcelos; Rezende, Nayara; Calori, Italo Rodrigo; Franchi, Leonardo Pereira; Tedesco, Antonio Claudio

2017-11-15

DNA polymeric films (DNA-PFs) are a promising drug delivery system (DDS) in modern medicine. In this study, we evaluated the growth behavior of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells on DNA-PFs. The morphological, biochemical, and cytometric features of OSCC cell adhesion on DNA-PFs were also assessed. An initial, temporary alteration in cell morphology was observed at early time points owing to the inhibition of cell attachment to the film, which then returned to a normal morphological state at later time points. MTT and resazurin assays showed a moderate reduction in cell viability related to increased DNA concentration in the DNA-PFs. Flow cytometry studies showed low cytotoxicity of DNA-PFs, with cell viabilities higher than 90% in all the DNA-PFs tested. Flow cytometric cell cycle analysis also showed average cell cycle phase distributions at later time points, indicating that OSCC cell growth is maintained in the presence of DNA-PFs. These results show high biocompatibility of DNA-PFs and suggest their use in designing "dressing material," where the DNA film acts as a support for cell growth, or with incorporation of active or photoactive compounds, which can induce tissue regeneration and are useful to treat many diseases, especially oral cancer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Will Medicare Advantage payment reforms impact plan rebates and enrollment?

PubMed

Nicholas, Lauren Hersch

2014-01-01

To assess the relationship between Medicare Advantage (MA) plan rebates and enrollment and simulate the effects of Affordable Care Act (ACA) payment reforms. First difference regressions of county-level MA payment and enrollment data from CMS from 2006 to 2010. A $10 decrease in the per member/per month rebate to MA plans was associated with a 0.20 percentage point (0.9%) decrease in MA penetration (P < .001) and a 7.1% decline in the average MA enrollee's risk score (P < .001). These effects are small overall, but larger in counties with low levels of traditional Medicare spending; a $10 decrease in monthly rebates was associated with a 0.64 percentage point decline in MA penetration and a 10% decrease in risk score. ACA reforms are predicted to reduce the level of rebates in lower-spending counties, leading to enrollment decreases of 1.7 to 1.9 percentage points in the lowest-spending counties. The simulation predicts that the disenrollment would come from MA enrollees with higher risk scores. MA enrollment responds to availability of supplemental benefits supported by rebates. ACA provisions designed to lower MA spending will predominantly affect Medicare beneficiaries living in counties where MA plans may be unable to offer a comparable product at a price similar to that of traditional Medicare.

Improving patient handover between teams using a business improvement model: PDSA cycle.

PubMed

Luther, Vishal; Hammersley, Daniel; Chekairi, Ahmed

2014-01-01

Medical admission units are continuously under pressure to move patients off the unit to outlying medical wards and allow for new admissions. In a typical district general hospital, doctors working in these medical wards reported that, on average, three patients each week arrived from the medical admission unit before any handover was received, and a further two patients arrived without any handover at all. A quality improvement project was therefore conducted using a 'Plan, Do, Study, Act' cycle model for improvement to address this issue. P - Plan: as there was no framework to support doctors with handover, a series of standard handover procedures were designed. D - Do: the procedures were disseminated to all staff, and championed by key stakeholders, including the clinical director and matron of the medical admission unit. S - STUDY: Measurements were repeated 3 months later and showed no change in the primary end points. A - ACT: The post take ward round sheet was redesigned, creating a checkbox for a medical admission unit doctor to document that handover had occurred. Nursing staff were prohibited from moving the patient off the ward until this had been completed. This later evolved into a separate handover sheet. Six months later, a repeat study revealed that only one patient each week was arriving before or without a verbal handover. Using a 'Plan, Do, Study, Act' business improvement tool helped to improve patient care.

Beach Point Test Site, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Edgewood Area, Maryland. Focused Feasibility Study, Final Project Work Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-10-01

Disposal Act (SWDA)/Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Jacobs Englnwfng Gmo Inc FINAL PROJECT WORK PLAN Washington Operatvo 8~ Fs 2-551I Date...shaded map of contaminated areas defined by chemical data, more than one map may be consructed f special and grapk cons *tft ame encountered. Results...that a Siophysical c ao p Pro rma down the axis or Beah PointS using geophysic teehnozoglosts that are •vi subsurface hyd&rosAdgraphic cmal beneath

Plant moisture stress: a portable freezing-point meter compared with the psychrometer

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

Cary, J.W.; Fisher, H.D.

A small portable instrument for measuring the freezing-point depression of plant tissue has been developed for field use. The instrument is easy to operate and can be constructed from materials costing less than $100. Moisture stress measurements made with the freezing-point meter on a variety of plants were compared with vapor pressure psychrometer measurements. Variation between duplicates in the freezing point averaged 1.2 bars, but differences between stress measurements made with the psychrometer and freezing-point instrument averaged 2.6 bars. 11 references, 5 figures, 2 tables.

Transitions in state public health law: comparative analysis of state public health law reform following the Turning Point Model State Public Health Act.

PubMed

Meier, Benjamin Mason; Hodge, James G; Gebbie, Kristine M

2009-03-01

Given the public health importance of law modernization, we undertook a comparative analysis of policy efforts in 4 states (Alaska, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Nebraska) that have considered public health law reform based on the Turning Point Model State Public Health Act. Through national legislative tracking and state case studies, we investigated how the Turning Point Act's model legal language has been considered for incorporation into state law and analyzed key facilitating and inhibiting factors for public health law reform. Our findings provide the practice community with a research base to facilitate further law reform and inform future scholarship on the role of law as a determinant of the public's health.

Comparing Weighted and Unweighted Grade Point Averages in Predicting College Success of Diverse and Low-Income College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warne, Russell T.; Nagaishi, Chanel; Slade, Michael K.; Hermesmeyer, Paul; Peck, Elizabeth Kimberli

2014-01-01

While research has shown the statistical significance of high school grade point averages (HSGPAs) in predicting future academic outcomes, the systems with which HSGPAs are calculated vary drastically across schools. Some schools employ unweighted grades that carry the same point value regardless of the course in which they are earned; other…

VizieR Online Data Catalog: OB association members in ACT+TRC Catalogs (Hoogerwerf, 2000)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoogerwerf, R.

2000-05-01

The Hipparcos Catalogue (Cat. I/239) contains members of nearby OB associations brighter than 12th magnitude in V. However, membership lists are complete only to magnitude V=7.3. In this paper we discuss whether proper motions listed in the `Astrographic Catalogue+Tycho' reference catalogue (ACT, Cat. I/246) and the Tycho Reference Catalogue (TRC, Cat. I/250), which are complete to V~10.5mag, can be used to find additional association members. Proper motions in the ACT/TRC have an average accuracy of ~3mas/yr. We search for ACT/TRC stars which have proper motions consistent with the spatial velocity of the Hipparcos members of the nearby OB associations already identified by de Zeeuw et al. (1999, Cat. J/AJ/117/354). These stars are first selected using a convergent-point method, and then subjected to further constraints on the proper-motion distribution, magnitude and colour to narrow down the final number of candidate members. Monte Carlo simulations show that the proper-motion distribution, magnitude, and colour constraints remove ~97% of the field stars, while at the same time retain more than 90% of the cluster stars. The procedure has been applied to five nearby associations: the three subgroups of Sco OB2, plus Per OB3 and Cep OB6. In all cases except Cep OB6, we find evidence for new association members fainter than the completeness limit of the Hipparcos Catalogue. However, narrow-band photometry and/or radial velocities are needed to pinpoint the cluster members, and to study their physical characteristics. (1 data file).

The effect of active learning on college students' achievement, motivation, and self-efficacy in a human physiology course for non-majors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilke, Roger Russell

2000-10-01

This study investigated the effects active learning strategies had on college students' achievement, motivation, and self-efficacy, in a human physiology course for non-majors. A continuum-based active learning instructional model was implemented over the course of a semester to assess the effects on the variables and specific student outcomes of learning mentioned above. In addition analyses were conducted to explore what learner characteristics contributed to the successful implementation of the model such as students' gender, classification, major, grade point average, ACT and SAT scores, motivation, and self-efficacy. A quasi-experimental, Solomon-4 Group design was undertaken on 171 students in a small west-Texas university. Treatment groups were taught using the model while controls were taught using traditional lecture methods. Students were administered a comprehensive physiology content exam, sections of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, and attitude surveys to assess the effects of the continuum-based active learning strategies. Factorial analyses indicated the treatment group acquired significantly more content knowledge and were significantly more self-efficacious than students in the control group. There were no significant differences in motivation. Factorial and modified regression analyses in the aptitude by treatment interaction exploration determined that males in the treatment group performed significantly better on the comprehensive physiology content exam versus males in the control group. While females performed better overall than males, there were no significant differences in achievement between females in the treatment group and those in the control. No significant interactions were found for the other learner characteristics. The results also indicated that students' general cognitive ability as measured by their grade point average, ACT, and SAT scores and their self-efficacy contributed significantly to their achievement. Attitude surveys indicated that students in both the treatment and control groups demonstrated a positive attitude toward active learning, believed it helped them to learn the material, and would choose an active learning course in the future if given the opportunity. This study demonstrated that continuum-based active learning strategies used in this context, improved students' content acquisition and self-efficacy and had wide applicability with a number of learner characteristics.

Subsidising artemisinin-based combination therapy in the private retail sector.

PubMed

Opiyo, Newton; Yamey, Gavin; Garner, Paul

2016-03-09

Malaria causes ill health and death in Africa. Treating illness promptly with artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is likely to cure people and avoid the disease progressing to more severe forms and death. In many countries, ACT use remains low. Part of the problem is that most people seek treatment from the retail sector where ACTs are expensive; this expense is a barrier to their use.The Global Fund and other international organisations are subsidising the cost of ACTs for private retail providers to improve access to ACTs. The subsidy was initially organised through a stand-alone initiative, called the Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria (AMFm), but has since been integrated into the Global Fund core grant management and financial processes. To assess the effect of programmes that include ACT price subsidies for private retailers on ACT use, availability, price and market share. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2015, Issue 1, The Cochrane Library, including the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) Group Specialised Register); MEDLINE (OvidSP), EMBASE (OvidSP), CINAHL (EbscoHost), EconLit (ProQuest), Global Health (OvidSP), Regional Indexes (Global Health Library, WHO), LILACS (Global Health Library, WHO), Science Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index (ISI Web of Science) and Health Management (ProQuest). All databases were searched February 2015, except for Health Management which was searched November 2013, without any date, language or publication status restrictions. We also searched the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP; WHO), ClinicalTrials.gov (NIH) and various grey literature sources. We also conducted a cited reference search for all included studies in ISI Web of Knowledge, checked references of identified articles and contacted authors to identify additional studies. Randomised trials, non-randomised trials, controlled before-after studies and interrupted-time-series studies that compared the effects of ACT price subsidies for private retailers to no subsidies or alternative ACT financing mechanisms were eligible for inclusion. Two authors independently screened and selected studies for inclusion. Two review authors independently extracted data, assessed study risk of bias and confidence in effect estimates (certainty of evidence) using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). We included four trials (two cluster-randomised trials reported in three articles and two non-randomised cluster trials). Three trials assessed retail sector ACT subsidies combined with supportive interventions (retail outlet provider training, community awareness and mass media campaigns). One trial assessed vouchers provided to households to purchase subsidised ACTs. Price subsidies ranged from 80% to 95%. One trial enrolled children under five years of age; the other three trials studied people of all age groups. The studies were done in rural districts in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania).In this East Africa setting, these ACT subsidy programmes increased the percentage of children under five years of age receiving ACTs on the day, or following day, of fever onset by 25 percentage points (95% confidence interval (CI) 14.1 to 35.9 percentage points; 1 study, high certainty evidence). This suggests that in practice, among febrile children under five years of age with an ACT usage rate of 5% without a subsidy, subsidy programmes would increase usage by between 19% and 41% over a one year period.The ACT subsidy programmes increased the percentage of retail outlets stocking ACTs for children under five years of age by 31.9 percentage points (95% CI 26.3 to 37.5 percentage points; 1 study, high certainty evidence). Effects on ACT stocking for patients of any age is unknown because the certainty of evidence was very low.The ACT subsidy programmes decreased the median cost of ACTs for children under five years of age by US$ 0.84 (median cost per ACT course without subsidy: US$ 1.08 versus with subsidy: US$ 0.24; 1 study, high certainty evidence).The ACT subsidy programmes increased the market share of ACTs for children under five years of age by between 23.6 and 63.0 percentage points (1 study, high certainty evidence).The ACT subsidy programmes decreased the use of older antimalarial drugs (such as amodiaquine and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine) among children under five years of age by 10.4 percentage points (95% CI 3.9 to 16.9 percentage points; 1 study, high certainty evidence).None of the three studies of ACT subsidies reported the number of patients treated who had confirmed malaria.Vouchers increased the likelihood that an illness is treated with an ACT by 16 to 23 percentage points; however, vouchers were associated with a high rate of over-treatment of malaria (only 56% of patients taking ACTs from the drug shop tested positive for malaria under the 92% subsidy; 1 study, high certainty evidence). Programmes that include substantive subsidies for private sector retailers combined with training of providers and social marketing improved use and availability of ACTs for children under five years of age with suspected malaria in research studies from three countries in East Africa. These programmes also reduced prices of ACTs, improved market share of ACTs and reduced the use of older antimalarial drugs among febrile children under five years of age. The research evaluates drug delivery but does not assess whether the patients had confirmed (parasite-diagnosed) malaria. None of the included studies assessed patient outcomes; it is therefore not known whether the effects seen in the studies would translate to an impact on health.

12 CFR Appendix A to Subpart B of... - Risk-Based Capital Stress Test

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Loan Number Ending Scheduled Balance Group Pre/Post Act Property State Product Type Origination Date... program assets post-1996 Act Swap balances; (iii) Farmer Mac I program assets pre-1996 Act; (iv) Farmer... stress test applies quarterly updates of the weighted average guarantee rates for post-1996 Farmer Mac I...

12 CFR Appendix A to Subpart B of... - Risk-Based Capital Stress Test

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Loan Number Ending Scheduled Balance Group Pre/Post Act Property State Product Type Origination Date... program assets post-1996 Act Swap balances; (iii) Farmer Mac I program assets pre-1996 Act; (iv) Farmer... stress test applies quarterly updates of the weighted average guarantee rates for post-1996 Farmer Mac I...

Stumpage price projections for selected Western species.

Treesearch

Richard W. Haynes; Kent P. Connaughton; Darius M. Adams

1980-01-01

The 1980 Resources Planning Act Timber Assessment and Program prepared in response to provisions of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (as amended by the National Forest Management Act of 1976) contains regional projections of average stumpage prices that are potentially useful in national forest planning. Their usefulness can be improved...

Identification of Proteins Required for Precise Positioning of Apc2 in Dendrites.

PubMed

Weiner, Alexis T; Seebold, Dylan Y; Michael, Nick L; Guignet, Michelle; Feng, Chengye; Follick, Brandon; Yusko, Brandon A; Wasilko, Nathan P; Torres-Gutierrez, Pedro; Rolls, Melissa M

2018-05-04

In Drosophila neurons, uniform minus-end-out polarity in dendrites is maintained in part by kinesin-2-mediated steering of growing microtubules at branch points. Apc links the kinesin motor to growing microtubule plus ends and Apc2 recruits Apc to branch points where it functions. Because Apc2 acts to concentrate other steering proteins to branch points, we wished to understand how Apc2 is targeted. From an initial broad candidate RNAi screen, we found Miro (a mitochondrial transport protein), Ank2, Axin, spastin and Rac1 were required to position Apc2-GFP at dendrite branch points. YFP-Ank2-L8, Axin-GFP and mitochondria also localized to branch points suggesting the screen identified relevant proteins. By performing secondary screens, we found that energy production by mitochondria was key for Apc2-GFP positioning and spastin acted upstream of mitochondria. Ank2 seems to act independently from other players, except its membrane partner, Neuroglian (Nrg). Rac1 likely acts through Arp2/3 to generate branched actin to help recruit Apc2-GFP. Axin can function in a variety of wnt signaling pathways, one of which includes heterotrimeric G proteins and Frizzleds. Knockdown of Gαs, Gαo, Fz and Fz2, reduced targeting of Apc2 and Axin to branch points. Overall our data suggest that mitochondrial energy production, Nrg/Ank2, branched actin generated by Arp2/3 and Fz/G proteins/Axin function as four modules that control localization of the microtubule regulator Apc2 to its site of action in dendrite branch points. Copyright © 2018 Weiner et al.

Identification of Proteins Required for Precise Positioning of Apc2 in Dendrites

PubMed Central

Weiner, Alexis T.; Seebold, Dylan Y.; Michael, Nick L.; Guignet, Michelle; Feng, Chengye; Follick, Brandon; Yusko, Brandon A.; Wasilko, Nathan P.; Torres-Gutierrez, Pedro; Rolls, Melissa M.

2018-01-01

In Drosophila neurons, uniform minus-end-out polarity in dendrites is maintained in part by kinesin-2-mediated steering of growing microtubules at branch points. Apc links the kinesin motor to growing microtubule plus ends and Apc2 recruits Apc to branch points where it functions. Because Apc2 acts to concentrate other steering proteins to branch points, we wished to understand how Apc2 is targeted. From an initial broad candidate RNAi screen, we found Miro (a mitochondrial transport protein), Ank2, Axin, spastin and Rac1 were required to position Apc2-GFP at dendrite branch points. YFP-Ank2-L8, Axin-GFP and mitochondria also localized to branch points suggesting the screen identified relevant proteins. By performing secondary screens, we found that energy production by mitochondria was key for Apc2-GFP positioning and spastin acted upstream of mitochondria. Ank2 seems to act independently from other players, except its membrane partner, Neuroglian (Nrg). Rac1 likely acts through Arp2/3 to generate branched actin to help recruit Apc2-GFP. Axin can function in a variety of wnt signaling pathways, one of which includes heterotrimeric G proteins and Frizzleds. Knockdown of Gαs, Gαo, Fz and Fz2, reduced targeting of Apc2 and Axin to branch points. Overall our data suggest that mitochondrial energy production, Nrg/Ank2, branched actin generated by Arp2/3 and Fz/G proteins/Axin function as four modules that control localization of the microtubule regulator Apc2 to its site of action in dendrite branch points. PMID:29602811

18 CFR 301.7 - Average System Cost methodology functionalization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Average System Cost methodology functionalization. 301.7 Section 301.7 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY... ACT § 301.7 Average System Cost methodology functionalization. (a) Functionalization of each Account...

18 CFR 301.7 - Average System Cost methodology functionalization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Average System Cost methodology functionalization. 301.7 Section 301.7 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY... ACT § 301.7 Average System Cost methodology functionalization. (a) Functionalization of each Account...

18 CFR 301.7 - Average System Cost methodology functionalization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Average System Cost methodology functionalization. 301.7 Section 301.7 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY... ACT § 301.7 Average System Cost methodology functionalization. (a) Functionalization of each Account...

18 CFR 301.7 - Average System Cost methodology functionalization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Average System Cost methodology functionalization. 301.7 Section 301.7 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY... ACT § 301.7 Average System Cost methodology functionalization. (a) Functionalization of each Account...

A Framework for Validating Traffic Simulation Models at the Vehicle Trajectory Level

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-03-01

Based on current practices, traffic simulation models are calibrated and validated using macroscopic measures such as 15-minute averages of traffic counts or average point-to-point travel times. For an emerging number of applications, including conne...

Daylight Redirecting Window Films

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

58) • Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-140) • National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2007 (P.L. 109-364) • National Defense...Authorization Act for FY 2008 (P.L. 110-181) • National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2009 (P.L. 10-417) • Executive Order 13423 • Executive...green-house gas equivalents based on national averages Green-house- gas-equivalent conversion factor for national level usage. Embedded

Average capacity of the ground to train communication link of a curved track in the turbulence of gamma-gamma distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yanqiu; Yu, Lin; Zhang, Yixin

2017-04-01

A model of the average capacity of optical wireless communication link with pointing errors for the ground-to-train of the curved track is established based on the non-Kolmogorov. By adopting the gamma-gamma distribution model, we derive the average capacity expression for this channel. The numerical analysis reveals that heavier fog reduces the average capacity of link. The strength of atmospheric turbulence, the variance of pointing errors, and the covered track length need to be reduced for the larger average capacity of link. The normalized beamwidth and the average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the turbulence-free link need to be increased. We can increase the transmit aperture to expand the beamwidth and enhance the signal intensity, thereby decreasing the impact of the beam wander accordingly. As the system adopting the automatic tracking of beam at the receiver positioned on the roof of the train, for eliminating the pointing errors caused by beam wander and train vibration, the equivalent average capacity of the channel will achieve a maximum value. The impact of the non-Kolmogorov spectral index's variation on the average capacity of link can be ignored.

Rulemaking Petition to lower the threshold that qualifies animal feeding operations (“AFOs”) as concentrated animal feeding operations (“CAFOs”) and thereby “point sources” under section 402 of the Clean Water Act (“CWA”)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Rulemaking Petition submitted September 20, 2015 to lower the threshold that qualifies animal feeding operations (AFOs) as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and thereby point sources under§ 402 of the Clean Water Act (CWA).

Some Thoughts on the Equal Pay Act and Coaching Salaries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boring, Phyllis

This paper discusses the Equal Pay Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as it applies to women athletic coaches and physical education teachers. The following points are considered: (1) application of the Equal Pay Act; (2) advantage of voluntary compliance with the Equal Pay Act; (3) factors used to measure "equal work"; (4)…

Proof of Concept for the Trajectory-Level Validation Framework for Traffic Simulation Models

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-10-30

Based on current practices, traffic simulation models are calibrated and validated using macroscopic measures such as 15-minute averages of traffic counts or average point-to-point travel times. For an emerging number of applications, including conne...

Ballistic induced pumping of hypersonic heat current in DNA nano wire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behnia, Sohrab; Panahinia, Robabe

2016-12-01

Heat shuttling properties of DNA nano-wire driven by an external force against the spontaneous heat current direction in non-zero temperature bias (non averaged) have been studied. We examined the valid region of driving amplitude and frequency to have pumping state in terms of temperature bias and the system size. It was shown that DNA could act as a high efficiency thermal pump in the hypersonic region. Amplitude-dependent resonance frequencies of DNA indicating intrinsic base pair internal vibrations have been detected. Nonlinearity implies that by increasing the driven amplitude new vibration modes are detected. To verify the results, an analytical parallel investigation based on multifractal concept has been done. By using the geometric properties of the strange attractor of the system, the threshold value to transition to the pumping state for given external amplitude has been identified. It was shown that the system undergoes a phase transition in sliding point to the pumping state. Fractal dimension demonstrates that the ballistic transport is responsible for energy pumping in the system. In the forbidden band gap, DNA could transmit the energy by exceeding the threshold amplitude. Despite of success in energy pumping, in this framework, DNA could not act as a real cooler.

Transitions in State Public Health Law: Comparative Analysis of State Public Health Law Reform Following the Turning Point Model State Public Health Act

PubMed Central

Meier, Benjamin Mason; Gebbie, Kristine M.

2009-01-01

Given the public health importance of law modernization, we undertook a comparative analysis of policy efforts in 4 states (Alaska, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Nebraska) that have considered public health law reform based on the Turning Point Model State Public Health Act. Through national legislative tracking and state case studies, we investigated how the Turning Point Act's model legal language has been considered for incorporation into state law and analyzed key facilitating and inhibiting factors for public health law reform. Our findings provide the practice community with a research base to facilitate further law reform and inform future scholarship on the role of law as a determinant of the public's health. PMID:19150900

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Development and preliminary results of point source observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisher, Ryan P.

2009-06-01

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) is a six meter diameter telescope designed to measure the millimeter sky with arcminute angular resolution. The instrument is currently conducting its third season of observations from Cerro Toco in the Chilean Andes. The primary science goal of the experiment is to expand our understanding of cosmology by mapping the temperature fluctuations of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) at angular scales corresponding to multipoles up to [cursive l] ~ 10000. The primary receiver for current ACT observations is the Millimeter Bolometer Array Camera (MBAC). The instrument is specially designed to observe simultaneously at 148 GHz, 218 GHz and 277 GHz. To accomplish this, the camera has three separate detector arrays, each containing approximately 1000 detectors. After discussing the ACT experiment in detail, a discussion of the development and testing of the cold readout electronics for the MBAC is presented. Currently, the ACT collaboration is in the process of generating maps of the microwave sky using our first and second season observations. The analysis used to generate these maps requires careful data calibration to produce maps of the arcminute scale CMB temperature fluctuations. Tests and applications of several elements of the ACT calibrations are presented in the context of the second season observations. Scientific exploration has already begun on preliminary maps made using these calibrations. The final portion of this thesis is dedicated to discussing the point sources observed by the ACT. A discussion of the techniques used for point source detection and photometry is followed by a presentation of our current measurements of point source spectral indices.

76 FR 3142 - Notice of Annual Adjustment of the Cap on Average Total Assets That Defines Community Financial...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-19

... FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY [No. 2011-N-01] Notice of Annual Adjustment of the Cap on Average.... ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has adjusted the cap on average total... average total assets below a statutory cap. See 12 U.S.C. 1422(10)(A); 12 CFR 1263.1. The Bank Act was...

Manufacturer's Policies Concerning Average Fuel Economy Standards

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1979-01-01

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been given the responsibility for implementing the average fuel economy standards for passenger automobiles mandated by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (P.L. 94-163). The standards...

Density Distributions of Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramines (RDX)

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

Hoffman, D M

2002-03-19

As part of the US Army Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) program the density distributions of six samples of class 1 RDX were measured using the density gradient technique. This technique was used in an attempt to distinguish between RDX crystallized by a French manufacturer (designated insensitive or IRDX) from RDX manufactured at Holston Army Ammunition Plant (HAAP), the current source of RDX for Department of Defense (DoD). Two samples from different lots of French IRDX had an average density of 1.7958 {+-} 0.0008 g/cc. The theoretical density of a perfect RDX crystal is 1.806 g/cc. This yields 99.43% of themore » theoretical maximum density (TMD). For two HAAP RDX lots the average density was 1.786 {+-} 0.002 g/cc, only 98.89% TMD. Several other techniques were used for preliminary characterization of one lot of French IRDX and two lot of HAAP RDX. Light scattering, SEM and polarized optical microscopy (POM) showed that SNPE and Holston RDX had the appropriate particle size distribution for Class 1 RDX. High performance liquid chromatography showed quantities of HMX in HAAP RDX. French IRDX also showed a 1.1 C higher melting point compared to HAAP RDX in the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) consistent with no melting point depression due to the HMX contaminant. A second part of the program involved characterization of Holston RDX recrystallized using the French process. After reprocessing the average density of the Holston RDX was increased to 1.7907 g/cc. Apparently HMX in RDX can act as a nucleating agent in the French RDX recrystallization process. The French IRDX contained no HMX, which is assumed to account for its higher density and narrower density distribution. Reprocessing of RDX from Holston improved the average density compared to the original Holston RDX, but the resulting HIRDX was not as dense as the original French IRDX. Recrystallized Holston IRDX crystals were much larger (3-500 {micro}m or more) then either the original class 1 HAAP RDX or French IRDX.« less

The influence of droplet evaporation on fuel-air mixing rate in a burner

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Komiyama, K.; Flagan, R. C.; Heywood, J. B.

1977-01-01

Experiments involving combustion of a variety of hydrocarbon fuels in a simple atmospheric pressure burner were used to evaluate the role of droplet evaporation in the fuel/air mixing process in liquid fuel spray flames. Both air-assist atomization and pressure atomization processes were studied; fuel/air mixing rates were determined on the basis of cross-section average oxygen concentrations for stoichiometric overall operation. In general, it is concluded that droplets act as point sources of fuel vapor until evaporation, when the fuel jet length scale may become important in determining nonuniformities of the fuel vapor concentration. In addition, air-assist atomizers are found to have short droplet evaporation times with respect to the duration of the fuel/air mixing process, while for the pressure jet atomizer the characteristic evaporation and mixing times are similar.

42 CFR 433.10 - Rates of FFP for program services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) of the Act. Under the formula, if a State's per capita income is equal to the national average per... income is lower than the national average, the Federal share is increased, with a statutory maximum of 83... both the State and national average per capita incomes; this procedure magnifies any difference between...

42 CFR 433.10 - Rates of FFP for program services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) of the Act. Under the formula, if a State's per capita income is equal to the national average per... income is lower than the national average, the Federal share is increased, with a statutory maximum of 83... both the State and national average per capita incomes; this procedure magnifies any difference between...

42 CFR 423.279 - National average monthly bid amount.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... bid amounts for each prescription drug plan (not including fallbacks) and for each MA-PD plan...(h) of the Act. (b) Calculation of weighted average. (1) The national average monthly bid amount is a....258(c)(1) of this chapter) and the denominator equal to the total number of Part D eligible...

42 CFR 423.279 - National average monthly bid amount.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... bid amounts for each prescription drug plan (not including fallbacks) and for each MA-PD plan...(h) of the Act. (b) Calculation of weighted average. (1) The national average monthly bid amount is a....258(c)(1) of this chapter) and the denominator equal to the total number of Part D eligible...

16 CFR Appendix K to Part 305 - Representative Average Unit Energy Costs

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Representative Average Unit Energy Costs K... CONGRESS ENERGY AND WATER USE LABELING FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS UNDER THE ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT (âENERGY LABELING RULEâ) Pt. 305, App. K Appendix K to Part 305—Representative Average Unit Energy...

18 CFR 301.5 - Changes in Average System Cost methodology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Changes in Average System Cost methodology. 301.5 Section 301.5 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY... ACT § 301.5 Changes in Average System Cost methodology. (a) The Administrator, at his or her...

18 CFR 301.5 - Changes in Average System Cost methodology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Changes in Average System Cost methodology. 301.5 Section 301.5 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY... ACT § 301.5 Changes in Average System Cost methodology. (a) The Administrator, at his or her...

18 CFR 301.5 - Changes in Average System Cost methodology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Changes in Average System Cost methodology. 301.5 Section 301.5 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY... ACT § 301.5 Changes in Average System Cost methodology. (a) The Administrator, at his or her...

18 CFR 301.5 - Changes in Average System Cost methodology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Changes in Average System Cost methodology. 301.5 Section 301.5 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY... ACT § 301.5 Changes in Average System Cost methodology. (a) The Administrator, at his or her...

Convergence Studies of Mass Transport in Disks with Gravitational Instabilities. I. The Constant Cooling Time Case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michael, Scott; Steiman-Cameron, Thomas Y.; Durisen, Richard H.; Boley, Aaron C.

2012-02-01

We conduct a convergence study of a protostellar disk, subject to a constant global cooling time and susceptible to gravitational instabilities (GIs), at a time when heating and cooling are roughly balanced. Our goal is to determine the gravitational torques produced by GIs, the level to which transport can be represented by a simple α-disk formulation, and to examine fragmentation criteria. Four simulations are conducted, identical except for the number of azimuthal computational grid points used. A Fourier decomposition of non-axisymmetric density structures in cos (mphi), sin (mphi) is performed to evaluate the amplitudes Am of these structures. The Am , gravitational torques, and the effective Shakura & Sunyaev α arising from gravitational stresses are determined for each resolution. We find nonzero Am for all m-values and that Am summed over all m is essentially independent of resolution. Because the number of measurable m-values is limited to half the number of azimuthal grid points, higher-resolution simulations have a larger fraction of their total amplitude in higher-order structures. These structures act more locally than lower-order structures. Therefore, as the resolution increases the total gravitational stress decreases as well, leading higher-resolution simulations to experience weaker average gravitational torques than lower-resolution simulations. The effective α also depends upon the magnitude of the stresses, thus αeff also decreases with increasing resolution. Our converged αeff is consistent with predictions from an analytic local theory for thin disks by Gammie, but only over many dynamic times when averaged over a substantial volume of the disk.

Effects of native forest restoration on soil hydraulic properties, Auwahi, Maui, Hawaiian Islands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Perkins, Kimberlie S.; Nimmo, John R.; Medeiros, Arthur C.

2012-01-01

Over historic time Hawai'i's dryland forests have been largely replaced by grasslands for grazing livestock. On-going efforts have been undertaken to restore dryland forests to bring back native species and reduce erosion. The reestablishment of native ecosystems on land severely degraded by long-term alternative use requires reversal of the impacts of erosion, organic-matter loss, and soil structural damage on soil hydraulic properties. This issue is perhaps especially critical in dryland forests where the soil must facilitate native plants' optimal use of limited water. These reforestation efforts depend on restoring soil ecological function, including soil hydraulic properties. We hypothesized that reforestation can measurably change soil hydraulic properties over restoration timescales. At a site on the island of Maui (Hawai'i, USA), we measured infiltration capacity, hydrophobicity, and abundance of preferential flow channels in a deforested grassland and in an adjacent area where active reforestation has been going on for fourteen years. Compared to the nearby deforested rangeland, mean field-saturated hydraulic conductivity in the newly restored forest measured by 55 infiltrometer tests was greater by a factor of 2.0. Hydrophobicity on an 8-point scale increased from average category 6.0 to 6.9. A 4-point empirical categorization of preferentiality in subsurface wetting patterns increased from an average 1.3 in grasslands to 2.6 in the restored forest. All of these changes act to distribute infiltrated water faster and deeper, as appropriate for native plant needs. This study indicates that vegetation restoration can lead to ecohydrologically important changes in soil hydraulic properties over decadal time scales.

The Relationship between Academic Averages of Primary School Science and Technology Class and Test Sub-Test Scores of Placement Test of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guzeller, Cem Oktay

2012-01-01

In this research, the relationship between written exam scores of science and technology class of 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, project, participation in class activities and performance work, year-end academic success point averages and sub-test raw scores of LDT science of 6th, 7th and 8th grades. Academic success point averages were used as…

The Role of Testing in Affirmative Action.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manning, Winton H.

Graphs and charts pertaining to testing in affirmative action are presented. Data concern the following: the predictive validity of College Board admissions tests using freshman grade point average as the criterion; validity coefficients of undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) alone, Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores, and undergraduate…

Classification of spatially unresolved objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nalepka, R. F.; Horwitz, H. M.; Hyde, P. D.; Morgenstern, J. P.

1972-01-01

A proportion estimation technique for classification of multispectral scanner images is reported that uses data point averaging to extract and compute estimated proportions for a single average data point to classify spatial unresolved areas. Example extraction calculations of spectral signatures for bare soil, weeds, alfalfa, and barley prove quite accurate.

For numerical differentiation, dimensionality can be a blessing!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderssen, Robert S.; Hegland, Markus

Finite difference methods, such as the mid-point rule, have been applied successfully to the numerical solution of ordinary and partial differential equations. If such formulas are applied to observational data, in order to determine derivatives, the results can be disastrous. The reason for this is that measurement errors, and even rounding errors in computer approximations, are strongly amplified in the differentiation process, especially if small step-sizes are chosen and higher derivatives are required. A number of authors have examined the use of various forms of averaging which allows the stable computation of low order derivatives from observational data. The size of the averaging set acts like a regularization parameter and has to be chosen as a function of the grid size h. In this paper, it is initially shown how first (and higher) order single-variate numerical differentiation of higher dimensional observational data can be stabilized with a reduced loss of accuracy than occurs for the corresponding differentiation of one-dimensional data. The result is then extended to the multivariate differentiation of higher dimensional data. The nature of the trade-off between convergence and stability is explicitly characterized, and the complexity of various implementations is examined.

Women Saw Large Decrease In Out-Of-Pocket Spending For Contraceptives After ACA Mandate Removed Cost Sharing.

PubMed

Becker, Nora V; Polsky, Daniel

2015-07-01

The Affordable Care Act mandates that private health insurance plans cover prescription contraceptives with no consumer cost sharing. The positive financial impact of this new provision on consumers who purchase contraceptives could be substantial, but it has not yet been estimated. Using a large administrative claims data set from a national insurer, we estimated out-of-pocket spending before and after the mandate. We found that mean and median per prescription out-of-pocket expenses have decreased for almost all reversible contraceptive methods on the market. The average percentages of out-of-pocket spending for oral contraceptive pill prescriptions and intrauterine device insertions by women using those methods both dropped by 20 percentage points after implementation of the ACA mandate. We estimated average out-of-pocket savings per contraceptive user to be $248 for the intrauterine device and $255 annually for the oral contraceptive pill. Our results suggest that the mandate has led to large reductions in total out-of-pocket spending on contraceptives and that these price changes are likely to be salient for women with private health insurance. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

National health expenditure projections: modest annual growth until coverage expands and economic growth accelerates.

PubMed

Keehan, Sean P; Cuckler, Gigi A; Sisko, Andrea M; Madison, Andrew J; Smith, Sheila D; Lizonitz, Joseph M; Poisal, John A; Wolfe, Christian J

2012-07-01

For 2011-13, US health spending is projected to grow at 4.0 percent, on average--slightly above the historically low growth rate of 3.8 percent in 2009. Preliminary data suggest that growth in consumers' use of health services remained slow in 2011, and this pattern is expected to continue this year and next. In 2014, health spending growth is expected to accelerate to 7.4 percent as the major coverage expansions from the Affordable Care Act begin. For 2011 through 2021, national health spending is projected to grow at an average rate of 5.7 percent annually, which would be 0.9 percentage point faster than the expected annual increase in the gross domestic product during this period. By 2021, federal, state, and local government health care spending is projected to be nearly 50 percent of national health expenditures, up from 46 percent in 2011, with federal spending accounting for about two-thirds of the total government share. Rising government spending on health care is expected to be driven by faster growth in Medicare enrollment, expanded Medicaid coverage, and the introduction of premium and cost-sharing subsidies for health insurance exchange plans.

76 FR 37983 - Family Offices

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-29

... family office.\\36\\ Commenters pointed out that a former spouse's financial arrangements often remain... compensation is provided under the Advisers Act, see Applicability of the Investment Advisers Act to Financial... of Other Financial Services, Investment Advisers Act Release No. 1092 (Oct. 8, 1987) [52 FR 38400...

Non-Contact Thrust Stand Calibration Method for Repetitively-Pulsed Electric Thrusters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, Andrea R.; Toftul, Alexandra; Polzin, Kurt A.; Pearson, J. Boise

2011-01-01

A thrust stand calibration technique for use in testing repetitively-pulsed electric thrusters for in-space propulsion has been developed and tested using a modified hanging pendulum thrust stand. In the implementation of this technique, current pulses are applied to a solenoidal coil to produce a pulsed magnetic field that acts against the magnetic field produced by a permanent magnet mounted to the thrust stand pendulum arm. The force on the magnet is applied in this non-contact manner, with the entire pulsed force transferred to the pendulum arm through a piezoelectric force transducer to provide a time-accurate force measurement. Modeling of the pendulum arm dynamics reveals that after an initial transient in thrust stand motion the quasisteady average deflection of the thrust stand arm away from the unforced or zero position can be related to the average applied force through a simple linear Hooke s law relationship. Modeling demonstrates that this technique is universally applicable except when the pulsing period is increased to the point where it approaches the period of natural thrust stand motion. Calibration data were obtained using a modified hanging pendulum thrust stand previously used for steady-state thrust measurements. Data were obtained for varying impulse bit at constant pulse frequency and for varying pulse frequency. The two data sets exhibit excellent quantitative agreement with each other as the constant relating average deflection and average thrust match within the errors on the linear regression curve fit of the data. Quantitatively, the error on the calibration coefficient is roughly 1% of the coefficient value.

Respiration-Averaged CT for Attenuation Correction of PET Images – Impact on PET Texture Features in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

PubMed Central

Cheng, Nai-Ming; Fang, Yu-Hua Dean; Tsan, Din-Li

2016-01-01

Purpose We compared attenuation correction of PET images with helical CT (PET/HCT) and respiration-averaged CT (PET/ACT) in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with the goal of investigating the impact of respiration-averaged CT on 18F FDG PET texture parameters. Materials and Methods A total of 56 patients were enrolled. Tumors were segmented on pretreatment PET images using the adaptive threshold. Twelve different texture parameters were computed: standard uptake value (SUV) entropy, uniformity, entropy, dissimilarity, homogeneity, coarseness, busyness, contrast, complexity, grey-level nonuniformity, zone-size nonuniformity, and high grey-level large zone emphasis. Comparisons of PET/HCT and PET/ACT were performed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, intraclass correlation coefficients, and Bland-Altman analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves as well as univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify the parameters significantly associated with disease-specific survival (DSS). A fixed threshold at 45% of the maximum SUV (T45) was used for validation. Results SUV maximum and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were significantly higher in PET/ACT. However, texture parameters obtained with PET/ACT and PET/HCT showed a high degree of agreement. The lowest levels of variation between the two modalities were observed for SUV entropy (9.7%) and entropy (9.8%). SUV entropy, entropy, and coarseness from both PET/ACT and PET/HCT were significantly associated with DSS. Validation analyses using T45 confirmed the usefulness of SUV entropy and entropy in both PET/HCT and PET/ACT for the prediction of DSS, but only coarseness from PET/ACT achieved the statistical significance threshold. Conclusions Our results indicate that 1) texture parameters from PET/ACT are clinically useful in the prediction of survival in NSCLC patients and 2) SUV entropy and entropy are robust to attenuation correction methods. PMID:26930211

Responsiveness of the numeric pain rating scale in patients with shoulder pain and the effect of surgical status.

PubMed

Michener, Lori A; Snyder, Alison R; Leggin, Brian G

2011-02-01

The Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) is commonly used to assess pain. Change in the NPRS across time can be interpreted with responsiveness indices. To determine the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of the NPRS. Single-group repeated measures. Outpatient rehabilitation clinics. Patients with shoulder pain (N = 136). At the initial evaluation patients completed the Penn Shoulder Score (PSS), which includes pain, satisfaction, and function sections. Pain was measured using an 11-point NPRS for 3 conditions of pain: at rest, with normal daily activities, and with strenuous activities. The NPRS average was calculated by averaging the NPRS scores for 3 conditions of pain. The final PSS was completed after 3-4 wk of rehabilitation. To determine the MCID for the NPRS average, the minimal detectible change of 8.6 points for the PSS function scale (0-60 points) was used as an external criterion anchor to classify patients as meaningfully improved (≥8.6 point change) or not improved (<8.6-point change). The MCID for the NPRS average was also determined for subgroups of surgical and nonsurgical patients. Cohen's effect sizes were calculated as a measure of group responsiveness for the NPRS average. Using a receiver-operating-characteristic analysis, the MCID for the average NPRS for all patients was 2.17, and it was 2.17 for both the surgical and nonsurgical subgroup: area-under-the-curve range .74-.76 (95%CI: .55-.95). The effect size for all patients was 1.84, and it was 1.51 and 1.94 for the surgical and nonsurgical groups, respectively. The NPRS average of 3 pain questions demonstrated responsiveness with an MCID of 2.17 in patients with shoulder pain receiving rehabilitation for 3-4 wk. The effect sizes indicated a large effect. However, responsiveness values are not static. Further research is indicated to assess responsiveness of the NPRS average in different types of patients with shoulder pain.

40 CFR 85.1510 - Maintenance instructions, warranties, emission labeling and fuel economy requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the Energy Tax Act of 1978, 15 U.S.C. 4064. (f) Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE). (1) Certificate holders shall comply with any applicable CAFE requirements of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, 15 U...

Predictors of First-Year Sultan Qaboos University Students' Grade Point Average

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkhausi, Hussain Ali; Al-Yahmadi, Hamad; Al-Kalbani, Muna; Clayton, David; Al-Barwani, Thuwayba; Al-Sulaimani, Humaira; Neisler, Otherine; Khan, Mohammad Athar

2015-01-01

This study investigated predictors of first-year university grade point average (GPA) using academic and nonacademic variables. Data were collected from 1511 Omani students selected conveniently from the population of students entering Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Fall 2010. Variables considered in the analysis were general education diploma…

Reliability Estimates for Undergraduate Grade Point Average

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westrick, Paul A.

2017-01-01

Undergraduate grade point average (GPA) is a commonly employed measure in educational research, serving as a criterion or as a predictor depending on the research question. Over the decades, researchers have used a variety of reliability coefficients to estimate the reliability of undergraduate GPA, which suggests that there has been no consensus…

The Relationship between Attendance Policies and Student Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aaron, Michael D.

2012-01-01

The relationship between attendance policies and student grades in college courses was investigated. Specifically, a calculated grade point average was determined for all academic classes taught at Shelton State Community College between 2000 and 2008. These grade point averages were compared descriptively and statistically in an effort to…

Commonwealth Degrees from Class to Equivalence: Changing to Grade Point Averages in the Caribbean

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bastick, Tony

2004-01-01

British Commonwealth universities inherited the class system for classifying degrees. However, increasing global marketization has brought with it increasing demands for student exchanges, particularly with universities in North America. Hence, Commonwealth universities are considering adopting grade point averages (GPAs) for degree classification…

Differential Prediction Generalization in College Admissions Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aguinis, Herman; Culpepper, Steven A.; Pierce, Charles A.

2016-01-01

We introduce the concept of "differential prediction generalization" in the context of college admissions testing. Specifically, we assess the extent to which predicted first-year college grade point average (GPA) based on high-school grade point average (HSGPA) and SAT scores depends on a student's ethnicity and gender and whether this…

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-01-01

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) must set Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for light trucks. This was authorized by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, which added Title V: Imporving Automotive Fuel Effici...

Academic aptitude as a predictor of headache proneness during college: could headache be an outcome of low test scores?

PubMed

Hovanitz, Christine A; Thatcher, Dawn Lindsay

2012-03-01

Academic work as well as compensated employment has been found adversely associated with frequent headache; headache remains a costly disorder to the person and to society. However, little is known of factors--other than prior headache complaints--that may predict headache frequency over extended periods of time. Based on previous research, effortful task engagement appears to be a contributing factor to headache onset. This suggests that relatively stable attributes that are likely to affect effort expenditure may predict headache frequency over long intervals. The goal of this study was to evaluate the predictability of headache proneness in college-attending students by college aptitude tests administered in high school. Five hundred undergraduate students enrolled in a large public, urban university completed a number of questionnaires. Official admissions records of the college aptitude tests ACT (an acronym for the original test name, the American College Testing), SAT (the Scholastic Aptitude Test), and GPA (grade point average) were obtained and compared to the report of headache frequency. The ACT test mathematics predicted headache proneness in the hypothesized direction, while the ACT English test provided conflicting data; some evidence of gender differences was suggested. While nearly all research on headache and work effectiveness has considered headache to be a cause of reduced efficiency or productivity, this study suggests that a factor which presumably affects the ease of work completion (e.g., scholastic aptitude) may predict headache, at least in some cases within the "work" environment of academia.

A Fock space representation for the quantum Lorentz gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maassen, H.; Tip, A.

1995-02-01

A Fock space representation is given for the quantum Lorentz gas, i.e., for random Schrödinger operators of the form H(ω)=p2+Vω=p2+∑ φ(x-xj(ω)), acting in H=L2(Rd), with Poisson distributed xjs. An operator H is defined in K=H⊗P=H⊗L2(Ω,P(dω))=L2(Ω,P(dω);H) by the action of H(ω) on its fibers in a direct integral decomposition. The stationarity of the Poisson process allows a unitarily equivalent description in terms of a new family {H(k)||k∈Rd}, where each H(k) acts in P [A. Tip, J. Math. Phys. 35, 113 (1994)]. The space P is then unitarily mapped upon the symmetric Fock space over L2(Rd,ρdx), with ρ the intensity of the Poisson process (the average number of points xj per unit volume; the scatterer density), and the equivalent of H(k) is determined. Averages now become vacuum expectation values and a further unitary transformation (removing ρ in ρdx) is made which leaves the former invariant. The resulting operator HF(k) has an interesting structure: On the nth Fock layer we encounter a single particle moving in the field of n scatterers and the randomness now appears in the coefficient √ρ in a coupling term connecting neighboring Fock layers. We also give a simple direct self-adjointness proof for HF(k), based upon Nelson's commutator theorem. Restriction to a finite number of layers (a kind of low scatterer density approximation) still gives nontrivial results, as is demonstrated by considering an example.

Layer-by-Layer Assembled Architecture of Polyelectrolyte Multilayers and Graphene Sheets on Hollow Carbon Spheres/Sulfur Composite for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

PubMed

Wu, Feng; Li, Jian; Su, Yuefeng; Wang, Jing; Yang, Wen; Li, Ning; Chen, Lai; Chen, Shi; Chen, Renjie; Bao, Liying

2016-09-14

In the present work, polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) and graphene sheets are applied to sequentially coat on the surface of hollow carbon spheres/sulfur composite by a flexible layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly strategy. Owing to the strong electrostatic interactions between the opposite charged materials, the coating agents are very stable and the coating procedure is highly efficient. The LBL film shows prominent impact on the stability of the cathode by acting as not only a basic physical barrier, and more importantly, an ion-permselective film to block the polysulfides anions by Coulombic repulsion. Furthermore, the graphene sheets can help to stabilize the polyelectrolytes film and greatly reduce the inner resistance of the electrode by changing the transport of the electrons from a "point-to-point" mode to a more effective "plane-to-point'' mode. On the basis of the synergistic effect of the PEMs and graphene sheets, the fabricated composite electrode exhibits very stable cycling stability for over 200 cycles at 1 A g(-1), along with a high average Coulombic efficiency of 99%. With the advantages of rapid and controllable fabrication of the LBL coating film, the multifunctional architecture developed in this study should inspire the design of other lithium-sulfur cathodes with unique physical and chemical properties.

78 FR 35352 - Applications for Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity and Foreign Air Carrier Permits

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-12

... transportation of persons and property from any point or points behind any Member State of the European Union via... point or points in the United States and any point or points in any member of the European Common... available to European Community carries in the future. Barbara J. Hairston, Acting Program Manager, Docket...

Caries selective ablation: the handpiece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hennig, Thomas; Rechmann, Peter; Holtermann, Andreas

1995-05-01

Caries selective ablation is fixed to a window of fluences predicted by the ablation thresholds of carious and healthy dentin, respectively. The aim of the study was to develop a dental handpiece which guarantees homogeneous fluence at the irradiated tooth surface. Furthermore the point of treatment should be cooled down without energy losses due to the cooling system. We suggest the direct coupling of the laser radiation into a laminar stream of liquid, which acts in turn as a lengthened beam guide. The impacts of the laser radiation and of the cooling medium fall exactly into the same point. Hot ablation debris is removed out of the crater by the flush of the water jet. Fluences are constant if the handpiece is used in contact mode or at a distance. Normally the surface of a bare fiber working in contact mode is destroyed after a few shots. Coupling the laser radiation into a stream of liquid prevents this destruction. Putting together the benefits of this special handpiece short overall treatment times seem to be possible. High average power can be applied to the tooth without the threat of thermal damage. Furthermore no time consuming cutting of the fiber prolongs the treatment time.

Improved performance of selective ablation using a specially designed handpiece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hennig, Thomas; Rechmann, Peter

1996-01-01

Selective ablation is fixed to a range of fluences predicted by the ablation thresholds of infected and healthy tooth structures respectively. The aim of the study was to develop a dental handpiece, which guarantees homogeneous fluence at the irradiated tooth surface. Furthermore the point of treatment should be cooled down without energy losses due to the cooling system. We suggest the direct coupling of the laser radiation into a laminar stream of liquid, which may act in turn as a lengthened beam guide. The impacts of the laser radiation and of the cooling medium hit exactly the same point. Hot ablation debris is removed out of the crater by the flush of the water jet. While the surface of a bare fiber working on contact mode is destroyed after a few shots, it was shown that coupling the laser radiation into a stream of liquid prevents this destruction. Putting together the benefits of this special handpiece short overall treatment times seem to be possible. High average power can be applied to the tooth without the threat of thermal damage. Furthermore no time consuming cutting of the fiber prolongs the treatment time.

How PowerPoint Is Killing Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isseks, Marc

2011-01-01

Although it is essential to incorporate new technologies into the classroom, says Isseks, one trend has negatively affected instruction--the misuse of PowerPoint presentations. The author describes how poorly designed PowerPoint presentations reduce complex thoughts to bullet points and reduce the act of learning to transferring text from slide to…

77 FR 46771 - Notice of Permit Applications Received Under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-06

...; ASPA 132-Potter Peninsula; ASPA 133-Harmony Point, Nelson Island; ASPA 134-Cierva Point, Danco Coast... of Admiralty Bay; ASPA 132-Potter Peninsula; ASPA 133-Harmony Point, Nelson Island; ASPA 134-Cierva...

Grade Point Average: Report of the GPA Pilot Project 2013-14

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higher Education Academy, 2015

2015-01-01

This report is published as the result of a range of investigations and debates involving many universities and colleges and a series of meetings, presentations, discussions and consultations. Interest in a grade point average (GPA) system was originally initiated by a group of interested universities, progressing to the systematic investigation…

An Examination of the Relationship between Retention, Grade Point Average, and Developmental Characteristics of College Freshmen.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allbritten, Bill

Attrition, which averages 40 percent among college freshmen, has been associated with academic skills, career decision making, psychological characteristics, and institutional climate. To determine the self-perceived developmental characteristics of college freshmen and the relationship of those characteristics to retention and grade point average…

Food Insecurity among Community College Students: Prevalence and Association with Grade Point Average

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maroto, Maya E.; Snelling, Anastasia; Linck, Henry

2015-01-01

This study investigated the prevalence of food insecurity among community college students (N = 301) and the relationship between food insecurity and student grade point average (GPA). It employed a cross-sectional intercept survey, utilizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Household Food Security Survey Module, student self-reported GPA, and…

Do Nondomestic Undergraduates Choose a Major Field in Order to Maximize Grade Point Averages?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergman, Matthew E.; Fass-Holmes, Barry

2016-01-01

The authors investigated whether undergraduates attending an American West Coast public university who were not U.S. citizens (nondomestic) maximized their grade point averages (GPA) through their choice of major field. Multiple regression hierarchical linear modeling analyses showed that major field's effect size was small for these…

College Success among Students Graduating from Public and Private High Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monto, Martin A.; Dahmen, Jessica

2009-01-01

This study compares the college freshman grade point averages of public and private high school graduates attending a "more selective" private university. Though graduates of public high schools had slightly lower SAT scores than graduates of private high schools, their end-of-freshman-year grade point averages were somewhat higher…

Working and Non-Working University Students: Anxiety, Depression, and Grade Point Average

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mounsey, Rebecca; Vandehey, Michael A.; Diekhoff, George M.

2013-01-01

This study explored the differences between 110 working and non-working students in terms of mental health, academic achievement, and perceptions about student employment. Anxiety and depression were measured by the Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Academic achievement was measured by grade point average. Perceptions of…

The Relationship between Interparental Conflict and Self-Reported Grade Point Average among College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunt, S. Jane; Krueger, Lacy E.; Limberg, Dodie

2017-01-01

Interparental conflict has been shown to have a negative effect on the academic success of children and adolescents. This study examined the relationship between college students' (N = 143) perceived levels of interparental conflict, their living arrangement, and their current self-reported grade point average. Participants who experienced more…

40 CFR 63.653 - Monitoring, recordkeeping, and implementation plan for emissions averaging.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) For each emission point included in an emissions average, the owner or operator shall perform testing, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting equivalent to that required for Group 1 emission points complying... internal floating roof, external roof, or a closed vent system with a control device, as appropriate to the...

An Evaluation of a Biological Slide-Tutorial Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Gordon L.

Described is an auto-tutorial slide program for zoology students. A self-paced system was devised for observing the subject matter covered in the twelve study units of a zoology course. The post-testing evaluation revealed that students with lower grade point averages achieved scores comparable with students of higher grade point averages.…

Pre-Veterinary Medical Grade Point Averages as Predictors of Academic Success in Veterinary College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Julius, Marcia F.; Kaiser, Herbert E.

1978-01-01

A five-year longitudinal study was designed to find the best predictors of academic success in veterinary school at Kansas State University and to set up a multiple regression formula to be used in selecting students. The preveterinary grade point average was found to be the best predictor. (JMD)

Predicting College Success: Achievement, Demographic, and Psychosocial Predictors of First-Semester College Grade Point Average

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saltonstall, Margot

2013-01-01

This study seeks to advance and expand research on college student success. Using multinomial logistic regression analysis, the study investigates the contribution of psychosocial variables above and beyond traditional achievement and demographic measures to predicting first-semester college grade point average (GPA). It also investigates if…

Average capacity optimization in free-space optical communication system over atmospheric turbulence channels with pointing errors.

PubMed

Liu, Chao; Yao, Yong; Sun, Yun Xu; Xiao, Jun Jun; Zhao, Xin Hui

2010-10-01

A model is proposed to study the average capacity optimization in free-space optical (FSO) channels, accounting for effects of atmospheric turbulence and pointing errors. For a given transmitter laser power, it is shown that both transmitter beam divergence angle and beam waist can be tuned to maximize the average capacity. Meanwhile, their optimum values strongly depend on the jitter and operation wavelength. These results can be helpful for designing FSO communication systems.

75 FR 35021 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Information...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-21

... per day (MGD) or more. Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) requires that any standard... of the rule is estimated to average 1,101 hours per respondent (i.e., an annual average of 46,228 hours of burden divided among an anticipated 42 States on average per year). Burden means the total time...

Spillover Effects of Adult Medicaid Expansions on Children's Use of Preventive Services.

PubMed

Venkataramani, Maya; Pollack, Craig Evan; Roberts, Eric T

2017-12-01

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid enrollment has increased by ∼17 million adults, including many low-income parents. One potentially important, but little studied, consequence of expanding health insurance for parents is its effect on children's receipt of preventive services. By using state Medicaid eligibility thresholds linked to the 2001-2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys, we assessed the relationship between changes in adult Medicaid eligibility and children's likelihood of receiving annual well-child visits (WCVs). In instrumental variable analyses, we used these changes in Medicaid eligibility to estimate the relationship between parental enrollment in Medicaid and children's receipt of WCVs. Our analytic sample consisted of 50 622 parent-child dyads in families with incomes <200% of the federal poverty level, surveyed from 2001 to 2013. On average, a 10-point increase in a state's parental Medicaid eligibility (measured relative to the federal poverty level) was associated with a 0.27 percentage point higher probability that a child received an annual WCV (95% confidence interval: 0.058 to 0.48 percentage points, P = .012). Instrumental variable analyses revealed that parental enrollment in Medicaid was associated with a 29 percentage point higher probability that their child received an annual WCV (95% confidence interval: 11 to 47 percentage points, P = .002). In our study, we demonstrate that Medicaid expansions targeted at low-income adults are associated with increased receipt of recommended pediatric preventive care for their children. This finding reveals an important spillover effect of parental insurance coverage that should be considered in future policy decisions surrounding adult Medicaid eligibility. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

A Note on Spatial Averaging and Shear Stresses Within Urban Canopies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Zheng-Tong; Fuka, Vladimir

2018-04-01

One-dimensional urban models embedded in mesoscale numerical models may place several grid points within the urban canopy. This requires an accurate parametrization for shear stresses (i.e. vertical momentum fluxes) including the dispersive stress and momentum sinks at these points. We used a case study with a packing density of 33% and checked rigorously the vertical variation of spatially-averaged total shear stress, which can be used in a one-dimensional column urban model. We found that the intrinsic spatial average, in which the volume or area of the solid parts are not included in the average process, yield greater time-spatial average of total stress within the canopy and a more evident abrupt change at the top of the buildings than the comprehensive spatial average, in which the volume or area of the solid parts are included in the average.

The influence of price-related point-of-sale promotions on bottle shop purchases of young adults.

PubMed

Jones, Sandra C; Barrie, Lance; Gregory, Parri; Allsop, Steve; Chikritzhs, Tanya

2015-03-01

To investigate the impact of point-of-sale promotions on product choice, brand choice and purchase quantity of young adults purchasing alcohol for off-premise consumption in Australia. A cross-sectional interviewer-completed survey conducted at 24 bottle shops (liquor stores), 12 each in the capital cities of Sydney, New South Wales and Perth, Western Australia. Participants were 509 adults (18 and over) exiting bottle shops having purchased alcohol. When prompted, 26.5% indicated that there was a special offer, price discount, or special promotion connected with a product that they had purchased. Those who participated in point-of-sale promotions purchased a greater quantity of alcohol than those who did not participate: ready to drink, an average of 11.5 standard drinks (SD) compared with an average of 8.9 SD (t = 1.320, P = 0.190); beer, an average of 26.8 SD compared with an average of 16.4 SD; wine, an average of 16.1 SD compared with an average of 13.8 SD (t = 0.924, P = 0.357). Participation in point-of-sale promotions may be associated with increased purchase quantities, not solely shifting between brands. There is a need for further research to explore changes in purchase and consumption patterns as a result of the availability of price-based promotions. The results of this study, combined with previous research, suggest that regulators-and marketers-should consider the immediate and cumulative effect of point-of-sale promotions on drinking patterns, particularly those of younger drinkers. © 2014 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

New Observations of Subarcsecond Photospheric Bright Points

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berger, T. E.; Schrijver, C. J.; Shine, R. A.; Tarbell, T. D.; Title, A. M.; Scharmer, G.

1995-01-01

We have used an interference filter centered at 4305 A within the bandhead of the CH radical (the 'G band') and real-time image selection at the Swedish Vacuum Solar Telescope on La Palma to produce very high contrast images of subarcsecond photospheric bright points at all locations on the solar disk. During the 6 day period of 15-20 Sept. 1993 we observed active region NOAA 7581 from its appearance on the East limb to a near-disk-center position on 20 Sept. A total of 1804 bright points were selected for analysis from the disk center image using feature extraction image processing techniques. The measured FWHM distribution of the bright points in the image is lognormal with a modal value of 220 km (0.30 sec) and an average value of 250 km (0.35 sec). The smallest measured bright point diameter is 120 km (0.17 sec) and the largest is 600 km (O.69 sec). Approximately 60% of the measured bright points are circular (eccentricity approx. 1.0), the average eccentricity is 1.5, and the maximum eccentricity corresponding to filigree in the image is 6.5. The peak contrast of the measured bright points is normally distributed. The contrast distribution variance is much greater than the measurement accuracy, indicating a large spread in intrinsic bright-point contrast. When referenced to an averaged 'quiet-Sun' area in the image, the modal contrast is 29% and the maximum value is 75%; when referenced to an average intergranular lane brightness in the image, the distribution has a modal value of 61% and a maximum of 119%. The bin-averaged contrast of G-band bright points is constant across the entire measured size range. The measured area of the bright points, corrected for pixelation and selection effects, covers about 1.8% of the total image area. Large pores and micropores occupy an additional 2% of the image area, implying a total area fraction of magnetic proxy features in the image of 3.8%. We discuss the implications of this area fraction measurement in the context of previously published measurements which show that typical active region plage has a magnetic filling factor on the order of 10% or greater. The results suggest that in the active region analyzed here, less than 50% of the small-scale magnetic flux tubes are demarcated by visible proxies such as bright points or pores.

Siblings, theory of mind, and executive functioning in children aged 3-6 years: new longitudinal evidence.

PubMed

McAlister, Anna R; Peterson, Candida C

2013-01-01

Longitudinal data were obtained from 157 children aged 3 years 3 months to 5 years 6 months at Time 1. At Time 2 these children had aged an average of 12 months. Theory of mind (ToM) and executive functioning (EF) were measured at both time points. Results suggest that Time 1 ToM scores predict Time 2 EF scores. Detailed examination of sibling influences suggests that benefits-in terms of advanced ToM development-accrue to children with siblings versus without, and to those with a larger number of child-aged siblings. Any advance in either area (ToM or EF) is likely to benefit the other, and early sibling interaction appears to act as a catalyst. © 2012 The Authors. Child Development © 2012 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Exciton dynamics in GaAs/(Al,Ga)As core-shell nanowires with shell quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corfdir, Pierre; Küpers, Hanno; Lewis, Ryan B.; Flissikowski, Timur; Grahn, Holger T.; Geelhaar, Lutz; Brandt, Oliver

2016-10-01

We study the dynamics of excitons in GaAs/(Al,Ga)As core-shell nanowires by continuous-wave and time-resolved photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy. Strong Al segregation in the shell of the nanowires leads to the formation of Ga-rich inclusions acting as quantum dots. At 10 K, intense light emission associated with these shell quantum dots is observed. The average radiative lifetime of excitons confined in the shell quantum dots is 1.7 ns. We show that excitons may tunnel toward adjacent shell quantum dots and nonradiative point defects. We investigate the changes in the dynamics of charge carriers in the shell with increasing temperature, with particular emphasis on the transfer of carriers from the shell to the core of the nanowires. We finally discuss the implications of carrier localization in the (Al,Ga)As shell for fundamental studies and optoelectronic applications based on core-shell III-As nanowires.

National Health Expenditure Projections, 2016-25: Price Increases, Aging Push Sector To 20 Percent Of Economy.

PubMed

Keehan, Sean P; Stone, Devin A; Poisal, John A; Cuckler, Gigi A; Sisko, Andrea M; Smith, Sheila D; Madison, Andrew J; Wolfe, Christian J; Lizonitz, Joseph M

2017-03-01

Under current law, national health expenditures are projected to grow at an average annual rate of 5.6 percent for 2016-25 and represent 19.9 percent of gross domestic product by 2025. For 2016, national health expenditure growth is anticipated to have slowed 1.1 percentage points to 4.8 percent, as a result of slower Medicaid and prescription drug spending growth. For the rest of the projection period, faster projected growth in medical prices is partly offset by slower projected growth in the use and intensity of medical goods and services, relative to that observed in 2014-16 associated with the Affordable Care Act coverage expansions. The insured share of the population is projected to increase from 90.9 percent in 2015 to 91.5 percent by 2025. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

78 FR 21491 - DeltaPoint Capital IV, L.P., DeltaPoint Capital IV (New York), L.P.; Notice Seeking Exemption...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-10

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION [License No. 02/02-0662, 02/02-0661] DeltaPoint Capital IV, L.P., DeltaPoint Capital IV (New York), L.P.; Notice Seeking Exemption Under Section 312 of the Small Business Investment Act, Conflicts of Interest Notice is hereby given that DeltaPoint Capital IV, L.P. and DeltaPoint...

The Effect of Capital Gains Taxation on Home Sales: Evidence from the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997

PubMed Central

Shan, Hui

2010-01-01

The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (TRA97) significantly changed the tax treatment of housing capital gains in the United States. Before 1997, homeowners were subject to capital gains taxation when they sold their houses unless they purchased replacement homes of equal or greater value. Since 1997, homeowners can exclude capital gains of $500,000 (or $250,000 for single filers) when they sell their houses. Such dramatic changes provide a good opportunity to study the lock-in effect of capital gains taxation on home sales. Using 1982–2008 transaction data on single-family houses in 16 affluent towns within the Boston metropolitan area, I find that TRA97 reversed the lock-in effect of capital gains taxes on houses with low and moderate capital gains. Specifically, the semiannual sales rate of houses with positive gains up to $500,000 increased by 0.40–0.62 percentage points after TRA97, representing a 19–24 percent increase from the pre-TRA97 baseline sales rate. In contrast, I do not find TRA97 to have a significant effect on houses with gains above $500,000. Moreover, the short-term effect of TRA97 is much larger than the long-term effect, suggesting that many previously locked-in homeowners took advantage of the exclusions immediately after TRA97. In addition, I exploit the 2001 and 2003 legislative changes in the capital gains tax rate to estimate the tax elasticity of home sales during the post-TRA97 period. The estimation results suggest that a $10,000 increase in capital gains taxes reduces the semiannual home sales rate by about 0.1–0.2 percentage points, or 6–13 percent from the post-TRA97 average sales rate. PMID:21170145

77 FR 37362 - Implementation of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012; Establishment of a...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-21

...] Implementation of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012; Establishment of a Public Safety... public safety answering points (PSAPs) as required by the ``Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act... Objectives of, the Proposed Rules 21. The ``Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012'' requires...

Genetic variation of growth dynamics in maize (Zea mays L.) revealed through automated non-invasive phenotyping.

PubMed

Muraya, Moses M; Chu, Jianting; Zhao, Yusheng; Junker, Astrid; Klukas, Christian; Reif, Jochen C; Altmann, Thomas

2017-01-01

Hitherto, most quantitative trait loci of maize growth and biomass yield have been identified for a single time point, usually the final harvest stage. Through this approach cumulative effects are detected, without considering genetic factors causing phase-specific differences in growth rates. To assess the genetics of growth dynamics, we employed automated non-invasive phenotyping to monitor the plant sizes of 252 diverse maize inbred lines at 11 different developmental time points; 50 k SNP array genotype data were used for genome-wide association mapping and genomic selection. The heritability of biomass was estimated to be over 71%, and the average prediction accuracy amounted to 0.39. Using the individual time point data, 12 main effect marker-trait associations (MTAs) and six pairs of epistatic interactions were detected that displayed different patterns of expression at various developmental time points. A subset of them also showed significant effects on relative growth rates in different intervals. The detected MTAs jointly explained up to 12% of the total phenotypic variation, decreasing with developmental progression. Using non-parametric functional mapping and multivariate mapping approaches, four additional marker loci affecting growth dynamics were detected. Our results demonstrate that plant biomass accumulation is a complex trait governed by many small effect loci, most of which act at certain restricted developmental phases. This highlights the need for investigation of stage-specific growth affecting genes to elucidate important processes operating at different developmental phases. © 2016 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

26 CFR 1.163-10T - Qualified residence interest (temporary).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... general. (ii)Example. (g)Selection of method. (h)Average balance. (1)Average balance defined. (2)Average balance reported by lender. (3)Average balance computed on a daily basis. (i)In general. (ii)Example. (4)Average balance computed using the interest rate. (i)In general. (ii)Points and prepaid interest. (iii...

75 FR 80354 - Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010 and Satellite Home Viewer Extension and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-22

... Commission, adopts a point-to-point predictive model for determining the ability of individual locations to... predictive model for reliably and presumptively determining the ability of individual locations, through the... adopted a point-to-point predictive model for determining the ability of individual locations to receive...

The Effect of Honors Courses on Grade Point Averages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spisak, Art L.; Squires, Suzanne Carter

2016-01-01

High-ability entering college students give three main reasons for not choosing to become part of honors programs and colleges; they and/or their parents believe that honors classes at the university level require more work than non-honors courses, are more stressful, and will adversely affect their self-image and grade point average (GPA) (Hill;…

Academic Self-Efficacy, Faculty-Student Interactions, and Student Characteristics as Predictors of Grade Point Average

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gosnell, Joan C.

2012-01-01

The purpose of the study was to explore student characteristics, academic self-efficacy, and faculty-student interactions as predictors of grade point average for upper-division (college level third and fourth year) education students at a public 4-year degree-granting community college. The study examined the effects of student characteristics…

Assessing the Link between Learning Assistance Programs and the Retention, Probation, and Grade Point Average of Freshman University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ballmer, Noelle C.

2017-01-01

As the push towards lowering attrition of university students intensifies, particularly for first-time-in-college freshmen, administrators and campus leaders are increasingly designing and implementing co-curricular programs to support this population in order to positively impact student outcomes, namely, the grade point average, student…

A Mixed-Methods Study Investigating the Relationship between Media Multitasking Orientation and Grade Point Average

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jennifer

2012-01-01

The intent of this study was to examine the relationship between media multitasking orientation and grade point average. The study utilized a mixed-methods approach to investigate the research questions. In the quantitative section of the study, the primary method of statistical analyses was multiple regression. The independent variables for the…

Predicting Different Grades in Different Ways for Selective Admission: Disentangling the First-Year Grade Point Average

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steenman, Sebastiaan C.; Bakker, Wieger E.; van Tartwijk, Jan W. F.

2016-01-01

The first-year grade point average (FYGPA) is the predominant measure of student success in most studies on university admission. Previous cognitive achievements measured with high school grades or standardized tests have been found to be the strongest predictors of FYGPA. For this reason, standardized tests measuring cognitive achievement are…

Academic and Nonacademic Characteristics as Predictors of Persistence in an Associate Degree Nursing Program. AIR Forum 1981 Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donsky, Aaron P.; Judge, Albert J., Jr.

Academic and nonacademic variables that may predict persistence in the nursing program at Lakeland Community College, Ohio, were studied. The academic variables included American College Testing program standard scores, National League for Nursing (NLN) rank scores, high school grade point average, and previous college grade point average. The…

Factors Related to Predicting Grade Point Averages of Dislocated Workers at a Rural Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregory, James Brent

2010-01-01

The purpose of the study was to examine relationships which existed between selected demographics and college grade point averages "GPAs" for dislocated workers and non dislocated workers enrolled in career-technical courses at a rural community college. The variables included in the study are age, gender, and marital status. The study…

Grade Point Average: What's Wrong and What's the Alternative?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soh, Kay Cheng

2011-01-01

Grade point average (GPA) has been around for more than two centuries. However, it has created a lot of confusion, frustration, and anxiety to GPA-producers and users alike, especially when used across-nation for different purposes. This paper looks into the reasons for such a state of affairs from the perspective of educational measurement. It…

Correlation between Grade Point Averages and Student Evaluation of Teaching Scores: Taking a Closer Look

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffin, Tyler J.; Hilton, John, III.; Plummer, Kenneth; Barret, Devynne

2014-01-01

One of the most contentious potential sources of bias is whether instructors who give higher grades receive higher ratings from students. We examined the grade point averages (GPAs) and student ratings across 2073 general education religion courses at a large private university. A moderate correlation was found between GPAs and student evaluations…

47 CFR 1.959 - Computation of average terrain elevation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Section 1.959 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE Wireless..., average terrain elevation must be calculated by computer using elevations from a 30 second point or better..., if the results differ significantly from the computer derived averages. (a) Radial average terrain...

47 CFR 1.959 - Computation of average terrain elevation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Section 1.959 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE Wireless..., average terrain elevation must be calculated by computer using elevations from a 30 second point or better..., if the results differ significantly from the computer derived averages. (a) Radial average terrain...

49 CFR 525.4 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION EXEMPTIONS FROM AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS § 525.4 Definitions. (a... section 501 of the Act. (2) The terms average fuel economy, fuel economy, and model type are used as... economy standard are requested under this part; Production mix means the number of passenger automobiles...

40 CFR 600.513-81 - Gas Guzzler Tax.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 1978 Passenger Automobiles and for 1979 and Later Model Year Automobiles (Light Trucks and Passenger Automobiles)-Procedures for Determining Manufacturer's Average Fuel Economy and Manufacturer's Average Carbon... to passenger automobiles exempted from Gas Guzzler Tax assessments by the Energy Tax Act of 1978 and...

National Environmental Policy Act in EPA Region 9

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), Special Topics and points of contacts for EPA Region 9 Pacific Southwest serving Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific islands, and 148 tribal nations.

77 FR 14366 - Notice of Annual Adjustment of the Cap on Average Total Assets That Defines Community Financial...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-09

... FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY [No. 2012-N-02] Notice of Annual Adjustment of the Cap on Average.... ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has adjusted the cap on average total... statutory cap.\\2\\ The Bank Act was amended in 2008 to set the statutory cap at $1 billion and to require the...

77 FR 21958 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Annual Specifications

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-12

...), harvest guideline (HG), annual catch target (ACT) and associated annual reference points for Pacific... metric tons (mt). The proposed ACT, which will be the directed fishing harvest target, is 30,386 mt. If... limit (ACL) and harvest guideline (HG) and/or annual catch target (ACT) recommendations and comments...

78 FR 74121 - Office of the Secretary

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-10

..., CO 80011- 9066. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elan Green, Medical Benefits and Reimbursement... Care Act (PPACA) which amended section 1886(b)(3)(B) of the Social Security Act, and (2) a 0.3 percent point adjustment as required by section 1886(b)(3)(B)(xii) of the Act as added and amended by sections...

Attitude Control Subsystem for the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hewston, Alan W.; Mitchell, Kent A.; Sawicki, Jerzy T.

1996-01-01

This paper provides an overview of the on-orbit operation of the Attitude Control Subsystem (ACS) for the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS). The three ACTS control axes are defined, including the means for sensing attitude and determining the pointing errors. The desired pointing requirements for various modes of control as well as the disturbance torques that oppose the control are identified. Finally, the hardware actuators and control loops utilized to reduce the attitude error are described.

Achieving Radiation Tolerance through Non-Equilibrium Grain Boundary Structures.

PubMed

Vetterick, Gregory A; Gruber, Jacob; Suri, Pranav K; Baldwin, Jon K; Kirk, Marquis A; Baldo, Pete; Wang, Yong Q; Misra, Amit; Tucker, Garritt J; Taheri, Mitra L

2017-09-25

Many methods used to produce nanocrystalline (NC) materials leave behind non-equilibrium grain boundaries (GBs) containing excess free volume and higher energy than their equilibrium counterparts with identical 5 degrees of freedom. Since non-equilibrium GBs have increased amounts of both strain and free volume, these boundaries may act as more efficient sinks for the excess interstitials and vacancies produced in a material under irradiation as compared to equilibrium GBs. The relative sink strengths of equilibrium and non-equilibrium GBs were explored by comparing the behavior of annealed (equilibrium) and as-deposited (non-equilibrium) NC iron films on irradiation. These results were coupled with atomistic simulations to better reveal the underlying processes occurring on timescales too short to capture using in situ TEM. After irradiation, NC iron with non-equilibrium GBs contains both a smaller number density of defect clusters and a smaller average defect cluster size. Simulations showed that excess free volume contribute to a decreased survival rate of point defects in cascades occurring adjacent to the GB and that these boundaries undergo less dramatic changes in structure upon irradiation. These results suggest that non-equilibrium GBs act as more efficient sinks for defects and could be utilized to create more radiation tolerant materials in future.

Students classified as LD who received course substitutions for the college foreign language requirement: a replication study.

PubMed

Sparks, Richard L; Philips, Lois G; Javorsky, James

2002-01-01

This replication study examined whether 158 college students classified as learning disabled (LD) who were granted course substitutions for the foreign language (FL) requirement would display significant cognitive and academic achievement differences when grouped by levels of IQ-achievement and achievement-achievement discrepancy and by level of performance on an FL aptitude test (Modern Language Aptitude Test; MLAT), phonological/orthographic processing measures, and in FL courses. The results showed that there were few differences among groups with differing levels of IQ-achievement or achievement-achievement discrepancy (i.e., < 1.0 SD, 1.0-1.49 SD, and > 1.50 SD) on MLAT and American College Testing (ACT) scores, graduating grade point average (GPA), or college FL GPA. The results also showed that between groups who scored at or above versus below the 15th percentile (i.e., < 1.0 SD) on the MLAT, there were no differences on measures of graduating GPA, college FL GPA, native language skill, ACT score, and Verbal IQ. Demographic findings showed that 44% of these petition students met a minimum IQ-achievement discrepancy criterion (> or = 1.0 SD) for classification as LD. These findings suggest that many traditional assumptions about LD and FL learning are likely to be false.

Students classified as LD and the college foreign language requirement: a quantitative analysis.

PubMed

Sparks, R L; Philips, L; Ganschow, L; Javorsky, J

1999-01-01

This study was conducted to determine whether students classified as learning disabled (LD) who were permitted to substitute courses for the college foreign language (FL) requirement at one university would display significant cognitive and academic achievement differences when grouped by level of discrepancy between IQ and achievement, by discrepancy between achievement according to different measures, and by level of performance on phonological-orthographic processing measures, on the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT), and in FL courses. Results showed that there were no differences among students with different levels of discrepancy (i.e., < 1.0 SD, 1.0-1.49 SD, and > 1.50 SD) on MLAT and American College Testing (ACT) scores, graduating grade point average (GPA) or college FL GPA. Results also showed that among students who scored below versus at or above the 25th percentile on phonological-orthographic processing measures, there were no differences on measures of IQ, ACT, MLAT, and GPA, as well as most measures of academic achievement. Implications for the use of the LD label to grant FL course substitutions or waivers, use of the MLAT in the diagnostic and course substitution/waiver process, and the validity and reliability of traditional criteria for the classification as LD are discussed.

Effects of Vocal Fold Nodules on Glottal Cycle Measurements Derived from High-Speed Videoendoscopy in Children

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The goal of this study is to quantify the effects of vocal fold nodules on vibratory motion in children using high-speed videoendoscopy. Differences in vibratory motion were evaluated in 20 children with vocal fold nodules (5–11 years) and 20 age and gender matched typically developing children (5–11 years) during sustained phonation at typical pitch and loudness. Normalized kinematic features of vocal fold displacements from the mid-membranous vocal fold point were extracted from the steady-state high-speed video. A total of 12 kinematic features representing spatial and temporal characteristics of vibratory motion were calculated. Average values and standard deviations (cycle-to-cycle variability) of the following kinematic features were computed: normalized peak displacement, normalized average opening velocity, normalized average closing velocity, normalized peak closing velocity, speed quotient, and open quotient. Group differences between children with and without vocal fold nodules were statistically investigated. While a moderate effect size was observed for the spatial feature of speed quotient, and the temporal feature of normalized average closing velocity in children with nodules compared to vocally normal children, none of the features were statistically significant between the groups after Bonferroni correction. The kinematic analysis of the mid-membranous vocal fold displacement revealed that children with nodules primarily differ from typically developing children in closing phase kinematics of the glottal cycle, whereas the opening phase kinematics are similar. Higher speed quotients and similar opening phase velocities suggest greater relative forces are acting on vocal fold in the closing phase. These findings suggest that future large-scale studies should focus on spatial and temporal features related to the closing phase of the glottal cycle for differentiating the kinematics of children with and without vocal fold nodules. PMID:27124157

Use of the azimuthal resistivity technique for determination of regional azimuth of transmissivity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carlson, D.

2010-01-01

Many bedrock units contain joint sets that commonly act as preferred paths for the movement of water, electrical charge, and possible contaminants associated with production or transit of crude oil or refined products. To facilitate the development of remediation programs, a need exists to reliably determine regional-scale properties of these joint sets: azimuth of transmissivity ellipse, dominant set, and trend(s). The surface azimuthal electrical resistivity survey method used for local in situ studies can be a noninvasive, reliable, efficient, and relatively cost-effective method for regional studies. The azimuthal resistivity survey method combines the use of standard resistivity equipment with a Wenner array rotated about a fixed center point, at selected degree intervals, which yields an apparent resistivity ellipse from which joint-set orientation can be determined. Regional application of the azimuthal survey method was tested at 17 sites in an approximately 500 km2 (193 mi2) area around Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with less than 15m (50 ft) overburden above the dolomite. Results of 26 azimuthal surveys were compared and determined to be consistent with the results of two other methods: direct observation of joint-set orientation and transmissivity ellipses from multiple-well-aquifer tests. The average of joint-set trend determined by azimuthal surveys is within 2.5?? of the average of joint-set trend determined by direct observation of major joint sets at 24 sites. The average of maximum of transmissivity trend determined by azimuthal surveys is within 5.7?? of the average of maximum of transmissivity trend determined for 14 multiple-well-aquifer tests. Copyright ?? 2010 The American Association of Petroleum Geologists/Division of Environmental Geosciences. All rights reserved.

Recent trends in aviation turbine fuel properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedman, R.

1982-01-01

Plots and tables, compiled from Department of Energy (and predecessor agency) inspection reports from 1969 to 1980, present ranges, averages, extremes, and trends for most of the 22 properties of Jet A aviation turbine fuel. In recent years, average values of aromatics content, mercaptan sulfur content, distillation temperature of 10 percent recovered, smoke point, and freezing point show small but recognizable trends toward their specification limits. About 80 percent of the fuel samples had at least one property near specification, defined as within a standard band about the specification limit. By far the most common near-specification properties were aromatics content, smoke point, and freezing point.

Cochlear third window in the scala vestibuli: an animal model.

PubMed

Preis, Michal; Attias, Joseph; Hadar, Tuvia; Nageris, Ben I

2009-08-01

Pathologic third window has been investigated in both animals and humans, with a third window located in the vestibular apparatus, specifically, dehiscence of the superior semicircular canal, serving as the clinical model. The present study sought to examine the effect of a cochlear third window in the scala vestibuli on the auditory thresholds in fat sand rats that have a unique anatomy of the inner ear that allows for easy surgical access. The experiment included 7 healthy 6-month-old fat sand rats (a total of 10 ears). A pathologic third window was induced by drilling a hole in the bony labyrinth over the scala vestibuli, with preservation of the membranous labyrinth. Auditory brainstem responses to high- and low-frequency acoustic stimuli delivered via air and bone conduction were recorded before and after the procedure. In the preoperative auditory brainstem response recordings, air-conduction thresholds (ACTs) to clicks and tone bursts averaged 9 and 10 dB, respectively, and bone-conduction thresholds averaged 4.5 and 2.9 dB, respectively. Postfenestration ACTs averaged 41 and 42.2 dB, and bone-conduction thresholds averaged 1.1 and 4.3 dB. The change in ACT was statistically significant (p < 0.01). The presence of a cochlear third window in the scala vestibuli affects auditory thresholds by causing a decrease in sensitivity to air-conducted sound stimuli. These findings agree with the theoretical model and clinical findings.

Culture and the Behavioral Manifestations of Traits: An Application of the Act Frequency Approach

PubMed Central

Church, A. Timothy; Katigbak, Marcia S.; Miramontes, Lilia G.; del Prado, Alicia M.

2009-01-01

The behavioral manifestations of Big Five traits were compared across cultures using the Act Frequency Approach. American (n = 176) and Filipino (n = 195) students completed a Big Five measure and act frequency ratings for behaviors performed during the past month. Acts for specific traits cohered to an equivalent degree across cultures. In both cultures, the structure of act composites resembled the Big Five and the strength of trait-behavior relationships was very similar. Many acts were multidimensional and analyses revealed cultural commonalities and differences in the relevance and prevalence of acts for the Big Five traits. The results were more consistent with trait than cultural psychology perspectives, because traits predicted behavior equally well, on average, in the two cultures. PMID:19865595

The Relationships among Shyness, Shame, and Attachment Style with Respect to College Student Persistence and Grade Point Average

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamana Finn, Kim

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between attachment style, shyness, shame, and college persistence and grade point average. While considerable research was conducted to examine these variables in children, less is known about how these variables interact in a college setting. This study used a quantitative,…

Improving the Grade Point Average of Our At-Risk Students: A Collaborative Group Action Research Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saurino, Dan R.; Hinson, Kenneth; Bouma, Amy

This paper focuses on the use of a group action research approach to help student teachers develop strategies to improve the grade point average of at-risk students. Teaching interventions such as group work and group and individual tutoring were compared to teaching strategies already used in the field. Results indicated an improvement in the…

Correlation between the Physical Activity Level and Grade Point Averages of Faculty of Education Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Imdat, Yarim

2014-01-01

The aim of the study is to find the correlation that exists between physical activity level and grade point averages of faculty of education students. The subjects consist of 359 (172 females and 187 males) under graduate students To determine the physical activity levels of the students in this research, International Physical Activity…

Alternative Estimates of the Reliability of College Grade Point Averages. Professional File. Article 130, Spring 2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saupe, Joe L.; Eimers, Mardy T.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore differences in the reliabilities of cumulative college grade point averages (GPAs), estimated for unweighted and weighted, one-semester, 1-year, 2-year, and 4-year GPAs. Using cumulative GPAs for a freshman class at a major university, we estimate internal consistency (coefficient alpha) reliabilities for…

Women, Men, and Academic Performance in Science and Engineering: The Gender Difference in Undergraduate Grade Point Averages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sonnert, Gerhard; Fox, Mary Frank

2012-01-01

Using longitudinal and multi-institutional data, this article takes an innovative approach in its analyses of gender differences in grade point averages (GPA) among undergraduate students in biology, the physical sciences, and engineering over a 16-year period. Assessed are hypotheses about (a) the gender ecology of science/engineering and (b) the…

Factors That Predict Marijuana Use and Grade Point Average among Undergraduate College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coco, Marlena B.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze factors that predict marijuana use and grade point average among undergraduate college students using the Core Institute national database. The Core Alcohol and Drug Survey was used to collect data on students' attitudes, beliefs, and experiences related to substance use in college. The sample used in this…

GUIDANCE FOR IMPLEMENTING A POINT-OF-USE (POU) OR POINT-OF-ENTRY (POE) TREATMENT STRATEGY FOR COMPLIANCE WITH SDWA

EPA Science Inventory

The challenges facing small drinking water systems were a major focus of the 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). One way Congress sought to help systems meet these challenges was by explicitly allowing systems to install point-of-use (POU) and point-of-entry (P...

40 CFR 2.311 - Special rules governing certain information obtained under the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 1901 et seq. (2) Average fuel economy has the meaning given it in section 501(4) of the Act, 15 U.S.C. 2001(4). (3) Fuel economy has the meaning given it in section 501(6) of the Act, 15 U.S.C. 2001(6). (4) Fuel economy data means any measurement or...

40 CFR 2.311 - Special rules governing certain information obtained under the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 1901 et seq. (2) Average fuel economy has the meaning given it in section 501(4) of the Act, 15 U.S.C. 2001(4). (3) Fuel economy has the meaning given it in section 501(6) of the Act, 15 U.S.C. 2001(6). (4) Fuel economy data means any measurement or...

40 CFR 2.311 - Special rules governing certain information obtained under the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 1901 et seq. (2) Average fuel economy has the meaning given it in section 501(4) of the Act, 15 U.S.C. 2001(4). (3) Fuel economy has the meaning given it in section 501(6) of the Act, 15 U.S.C. 2001(6). (4) Fuel economy data means any measurement or...

40 CFR 2.311 - Special rules governing certain information obtained under the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 1901 et seq. (2) Average fuel economy has the meaning given it in section 501(4) of the Act, 15 U.S.C. 2001(4). (3) Fuel economy has the meaning given it in section 501(6) of the Act, 15 U.S.C. 2001(6). (4) Fuel economy data means any measurement or...

A Voting Rights Act Handbook for Chicanos.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., San Francisco, CA.

In the summer of 1975, the protective provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act were extended to parts of the Southwest. This marks a significant point in the history to secure for Chicanos a meaningful participation in the political process. The basic purpose of the Act assures that minorities can participate in the election process without any…

Job embeddedness factors as a predictor of turnover intention among infection control nurses in Korea.

PubMed

Choi, Jeong Sil; Kim, Kyung Mi

2015-11-01

Job embeddedness indicates the degree to which an employee of an organization intends to remain in his or her position at that organization. This study examined how job embeddedness affects infection control nurses' turnover intention along with general characteristics, job satisfaction, and perceived job alternatives. We collected data from a total of 133 infection control nurses using self-reporting questionnaire methods. All questions were answered on a 5-point Likert scale. The average turnover intention was 3.01 ± 0.72 (100-point conversion, 60.2%), and average job satisfaction was 3.48 ± 0.79 (100-point conversion, 69.6%). The average perceived availability of job alternatives was 3.02 ± 0.78 (100-point conversion, 60.4%), and average job embeddedness was 3.33 ± 0.57 (100-point conversion, 66.6%). Predictors of turnover intention were monthly income, perceived availability of job alternatives, and job embeddedness. Job embeddedness among predictors has high explanatory power as a predictor of infection control nurses' turnover intention. Through this study we identified predictors of turnover intention and found that job embeddedness among predictors has high explanatory power as a predictor of infection control nurses' turnover intention. Strategies to enhance infection control nurses' job embeddedness are needed. Copyright © 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

10 CFR 170.20 - Average cost per professional staff-hour.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Average cost per professional staff-hour. 170.20 Section 170.20 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) FEES FOR FACILITIES, MATERIALS, IMPORT AND EXPORT LICENSES, AND OTHER REGULATORY SERVICES UNDER THE ATOMIC ENERGY ACT OF 1954, AS AMENDED General...

16 CFR Appendix K to Part 305 - Representative Average Unit Energy Costs

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Representative Average Unit Energy Costs K... CONGRESS RULE CONCERNING DISCLOSURES REGARDING ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND WATER USE OF CERTAIN HOME APPLIANCES AND OTHER PRODUCTS REQUIRED UNDER THE ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT (âAPPLIANCE LABELING RULEâ...

16 CFR Appendix K to Part 305 - Representative Average Unit Energy Costs

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Representative Average Unit Energy Costs K... CONGRESS RULE CONCERNING DISCLOSURES REGARDING ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND WATER USE OF CERTAIN HOME APPLIANCES AND OTHER PRODUCTS REQUIRED UNDER THE ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT (âAPPLIANCE LABELING RULEâ...

16 CFR Appendix K to Part 305 - Representative Average Unit Energy Costs

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Representative Average Unit Energy Costs K... CONGRESS RULE CONCERNING DISCLOSURES REGARDING ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND WATER USE OF CERTAIN HOME APPLIANCES AND OTHER PRODUCTS REQUIRED UNDER THE ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT (âAPPLIANCE LABELING RULEâ...

16 CFR Appendix K to Part 305 - Representative Average Unit Energy Costs

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Representative Average Unit Energy Costs K... CONGRESS RULE CONCERNING DISCLOSURES REGARDING ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND WATER USE OF CERTAIN HOME APPLIANCES AND OTHER PRODUCTS REQUIRED UNDER THE ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT (âAPPLIANCE LABELING RULEâ...

Do wastewater treatment plants act as a potential point source of microplastics? Preliminary study in the coastal Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea.

PubMed

Talvitie, Julia; Heinonen, Mari; Pääkkönen, Jari-Pekka; Vahtera, Emil; Mikola, Anna; Setälä, Outi; Vahala, Riku

2015-01-01

This study on the removal of microplastics during different wastewater treatment unit processes was carried out at Viikinmäki wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The amount of microplastics in the influent was high, but it decreased significantly during the treatment process. The major part of the fibres were removed already in primary sedimentation whereas synthetic particles settled mostly in secondary sedimentation. Biological filtration further improved the removal. A proportion of the microplastic load also passed the treatment and was found in the effluent, entering the receiving water body. After the treatment process, an average of 4.9 (±1.4) fibres and 8.6 (±2.5) particles were found per litre of wastewater. The total textile fibre concentration in the samples collected from the surface waters in the Helsinki archipelago varied between 0.01 and 0.65 fibres per litre, while the synthetic particle concentration varied between 0.5 and 9.4 particles per litre. The average fibre concentration was 25 times higher and the particle concentration was three times higher in the effluent compared to the receiving body of water. This indicates that WWTPs may operate as a route for microplastics entering the sea.

The Los Alamos Gap Stick Test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preston, Daniel; Hill, Larry; Johnson, Carl

2015-06-01

In this paper we describe a novel shock sensitivity test, the Gap Stick Test, which is a generalized variant of the ubiquitous Gap Test. Despite the popularity of the Gap Test, it has some disadvantages: multiple tests must be fired to obtain a single metric, and many tests must be fired to obtain its value to high precision and confidence. Our solution is a test wherein multiple gap tests are joined in series to form a rate stick. The complex re-initiation character of the traditional gap test is thereby retained, but the propagation speed is steady when measured at periodic intervals, and initiation delay in individual segments acts to decrement the average speed. We measure the shock arrival time before and after each inert gap, and compute the average detonation speed through the HE alone (discounting the gap thicknesses). We perform tests for a range of gap thicknesses. We then plot the aforementioned propagation speed as a function of gap thickness. The resulting curve has the same basic structure as a Diameter Effect (DE) curve, and (like the DE curve) terminates at a failure point. Comparison between experiment and hydrocode calculations using ALE3D and the Ignition and Growth reactive burn model calibrated for short duration shock inputs in PBX 9501 is discussed.

76 FR 9632 - Notice of Final Federal Agency Actions on Proposed Highway in California

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-18

... access point to I-15; provide improved regional connectivity to the local transportation network, in... Act of 1906. 6. Air: Clean Air Act (amended 1990). 7. Biological Resources: Federal Endangered Species...

New Observations of Subarcsecond Photospheric Bright Points

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berger, T. E.; Schrijver, C. J.; Shine, R. A.; Tarbell, T. D.; Title, A. M.; Scharmer, G.

1995-01-01

We have used an interference filter centered at 4305 A within the bandhead of the CH radical (the 'G band') and real-time image selection at the Swedish Vacuum Solar Telescope on La Palma to produce very high contrast images of subarcsecond photospheric bright points at all locations on the solar disk. During the 6 day period of 1993 September 15-20 we observed active region NOAA 7581 from its appearance on the East limb to a near-disk-center position on September 20. A total of 1804 bright points were selected for analysis from the disk center image using feature extraction image processing techniques. The measured Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) distribution of the bright points in the image is lognormal with a modal value of 220 km (0 sec .30) and an average value of 250 km (0 sec .35). The smallest measured bright point diameter is 120 km (0 sec .17) and the largest is 600 km (O sec .69). Approximately 60% of the measured bright points are circular (eccentricity approx. 1.0), the average eccentricity is 1.5, and the maximum eccentricity corresponding to filigree in the image is 6.5. The peak contrast of the measured bright points is normally distributed. The contrast distribution variance is much greater than the measurement accuracy, indicating a large spread in intrinsic bright-point contrast. When referenced to an averaged 'quiet-Sun' area in the image, the modal contrast is 29% and the maximum value is 75%; when referenced to an average intergranular lane brightness in the image, the distribution has a modal value of 61% and a maximum of 119%. The bin-averaged contrast of G-band bright points is constant across the entire measured size range. The measured area of the bright points, corrected for pixelation and selection effects, covers about 1.8% of the total image area. Large pores and micropores occupy an additional 2% of the image area, implying a total area fraction of magnetic proxy features in the image of 3.8%. We discuss the implications of this area fraction measurement in the context of previously published measurements which show that typical active region plage has a magnetic filling factor on the order of 10% or greater. The results suggest that in the active region analyzed here, less than 50% of the small-scale magnetic flux tubes are demarcated by visible proxies such as bright points or pores.

Focus on Teacher Salaries: An Update on Average Salaries and Recent Legislative Actions in the SREB States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaines, Gale F.

Focused state efforts have helped teacher salaries in Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states move toward the national average. Preliminary 2000-01 estimates put SREB's average teacher salary at its highest point in 22 years compared to the national average. The SREB average teacher salary is approximately 90 percent of the national…

Scaling results for the magnetic field line trajectories in the stochastic layer near the separatrix in divertor tokamaks with high magnetic shear using the higher shear map

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Punjabi, Alkesh; Ali, Halima; Farhat, Hamidullah

2009-07-01

Extra terms are added to the generating function of the simple map (Punjabi et al 1992 Phys. Rev. Lett. 69 3322) to adjust shear of magnetic field lines in divertor tokamaks. From this new generating function, a higher shear map is derived from a canonical transformation. A continuous analog of the higher shear map is also derived. The method of maps (Punjabi et al 1994 J. Plasma Phys. 52 91) is used to calculate the average shear, stochastic broadening of the ideal separatrix near the X-point in the principal plane of the tokamak, loss of poloidal magnetic flux from inside the ideal separatrix, magnetic footprint on the collector plate, and its area, and the radial diffusion coefficient of magnetic field lines near the X-point. It is found that the width of the stochastic layer near the X-point and the loss of poloidal flux from inside the ideal separatrix scale linearly with average shear. The area of magnetic footprints scales roughly linearly with average shear. Linear scaling of the area is quite good when the average shear is greater than or equal to 1.25. When the average shear is in the range 1.1-1.25, the area of the footprint fluctuates (as a function of average shear) and scales faster than linear scaling. Radial diffusion of field lines near the X-point increases very rapidly by about four orders of magnitude as average shear increases from about 1.15 to 1.5. For higher values of average shear, diffusion increases linearly, and comparatively very slowly. The very slow scaling of the radial diffusion of the field can flatten the plasma pressure gradient near the separatrix, and lead to the elimination of type-I edge localized modes.

Effects of Multimedia Usage in Students' Attitude towards Turkish Republic Revolution History and Kemalism Lesson

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulusoy, Kadir

2011-01-01

In this study, whether the multimedia in the history lesson affects the students' attitude towards this lesson or not has been studied. With this object, whether there is a difference among the point averages that students take from the preliminary test and whether there is a difference among the point averages that students take from the last…

Factors That Predict Time to In-Field Employment of Associate Degree Graduates: A Study of One College in the Technical College System of Georgia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Futch, Karon Wilkerson

2014-01-01

This regression study examined the set of graduate characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity), as well as Grade Point Average Motivation, and environmental factors (program of study, use of career services, internship completion, Grade Point Average) that predicted time to in-field employment among associate degree graduates. Graduates ranging from…

School Attendance Revisited: A Study of Urban African American Students' Grade Point Averages and Coping Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steward, Robbie J.; Steward, Astin Devine; Blair, Jonathan; Jo, Hanik; Hill, Martin F.

2008-01-01

Urban African American first-year high school students' absenteeism was found to be negatively related to grade point average (GPA) and avoidance as a means of coping (use of substances as a way to escape--food, alcohol, smoking, caffeine, etc.) and positively related to use of social support as a means of coping (efforts to stay emotionally…

Demographic and Psychological Predictors of Grade Point Average (GPA) in North-Norway: A Particular Analysis of Cognitive/School-Related and Literacy Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saele, Rannveig Grøm; Sørlie, Tore; Nergård-Nilssen, Trude; Ottosen, Karl-Ottar; Goll, Charlotte Bjørnskov; Friborg, Oddgeir

2016-01-01

Approximately 30% of students drop out from Norwegian upper secondary schools. Academic achievement, as indexed by grade point average (GPA), is one of the strongest predictors of dropout. The present study aimed to examine the role of cognitive, school-related and affective/psychological predictors of GPA. In addition, we examined the…

Predicting Student Grade Point Average at a Community College from Scholastic Aptitude Tests and from Measures Representing Three Constructs in Vroom's Expectancy Theory Model of Motivation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malloch, Douglas C.; Michael, William B.

1981-01-01

This study was designed to determine whether an unweighted linear combination of community college students' scores on standardized achievement tests and a measure of motivational constructs derived from Vroom's expectance theory model of motivation was predictive of academic success (grade point average earned during one quarter of an academic…

Salient Point Detection in Protrusion Parts of 3D Object Robust to Isometric Variations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirloo, Mahsa; Ebrahimnezhad, Hosein

2018-03-01

In this paper, a novel method is proposed to detect 3D object salient points robust to isometric variations and stable against scaling and noise. Salient points can be used as the representative points from object protrusion parts in order to improve the object matching and retrieval algorithms. The proposed algorithm is started by determining the first salient point of the model based on the average geodesic distance of several random points. Then, according to the previous salient point, a new point is added to this set of points in each iteration. By adding every salient point, decision function is updated. Hence, a condition is created for selecting the next point in which the iterative point is not extracted from the same protrusion part so that drawing out of a representative point from every protrusion part is guaranteed. This method is stable against model variations with isometric transformations, scaling, and noise with different levels of strength due to using a feature robust to isometric variations and considering the relation between the salient points. In addition, the number of points used in averaging process is decreased in this method, which leads to lower computational complexity in comparison with the other salient point detection algorithms.

Recent acceleration of Thwaites Glacier

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferrigno, J. G.

1993-01-01

The first velocity measurements for Thwaites Glacier were made by R. J. Allen in 1977. He compared features of Thwaites Glacier and Iceberg Tongue on aerial photography from 1947 and 1967 with 1972 Landsat images, and measured average annual displacements of 3.7 and 2.3 km/a. Using his photogrammetric experience and taking into consideration the lack of definable features and the poor control in the area, he estimated an average velocity of 2.0 to 2.9 km/a to be more accurate. In 1985, Lindstrom and Tyler also made velocity estimates for Thwaites Glacier. Using Landsat imagery from 1972 and 1983, their estimates of the velocities of 33 points ranged from 2.99 to 4.02 km/a, with an average of 3.6 km/a. The accuracy of their estimates is uncertain, however, because in the absence of fixed control points, they assumed that the velocities of icebergs in the fast ice were uniform. Using additional Landsat imagery in 1984 and 1990, accurate coregistration with the 1972 image was achieved based on fixed rock points. For the period 1972 to 1984, 25 points on the glacier surface ranged in average velocity from 2.47 to 2.76 km/a, with an overall average velocity of 2.62 +/- 0.02 km/a. For the period 1984 to 1990, 101 points ranged in velocity from 2.54 to 3.15 km/a, with an overall average of 2.84 km/a. During both time periods, the velocity pattern showed the same spatial relationship for three longitudinal paths. The 8-percent acceleration in a decade is significant. This recent acceleration may be associated with changes observed in this region since 1986. Fast ice melted and several icebergs calved from the base of the Iceberg Tongue and the terminus of Thwaites Glacier. However, as early as 1972, the Iceberg Tongue had very little contact with the glacier.

Speeding up Coarse Point Cloud Registration by Threshold-Independent Baysac Match Selection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Z.; Lindenbergh, R.; Pu, S.

2016-06-01

This paper presents an algorithm for the automatic registration of terrestrial point clouds by match selection using an efficiently conditional sampling method -- threshold-independent BaySAC (BAYes SAmpling Consensus) and employs the error metric of average point-to-surface residual to reduce the random measurement error and then approach the real registration error. BaySAC and other basic sampling algorithms usually need to artificially determine a threshold by which inlier points are identified, which leads to a threshold-dependent verification process. Therefore, we applied the LMedS method to construct the cost function that is used to determine the optimum model to reduce the influence of human factors and improve the robustness of the model estimate. Point-to-point and point-to-surface error metrics are most commonly used. However, point-to-point error in general consists of at least two components, random measurement error and systematic error as a result of a remaining error in the found rigid body transformation. Thus we employ the measure of the average point-to-surface residual to evaluate the registration accuracy. The proposed approaches, together with a traditional RANSAC approach, are tested on four data sets acquired by three different scanners in terms of their computational efficiency and quality of the final registration. The registration results show the st.dev of the average point-to-surface residuals is reduced from 1.4 cm (plain RANSAC) to 0.5 cm (threshold-independent BaySAC). The results also show that, compared to the performance of RANSAC, our BaySAC strategies lead to less iterations and cheaper computational cost when the hypothesis set is contaminated with more outliers.

Estuarine Response to River Flow and Sea-Level Rise under Future Climate Change and Human Development

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

Yang, Zhaoqing; Wang, Taiping; Voisin, Nathalie

Understanding the response of river flow and estuarine hydrodynamics to climate change, land-use/land-cover change (LULC), and sea-level rise is essential to managing water resources and stress on living organisms under these changing conditions. This paper presents a modeling study using a watershed hydrology model and an estuarine hydrodynamic model, in a one-way coupling, to investigate the estuarine hydrodynamic response to sea-level rise and change in river flow due to the effect of future climate and LULC changes in the Snohomish River estuary, Washington, USA. A set of hydrodynamic variables, including salinity intrusion points, average water depth, and salinity of themore » inundated area, were used to quantify the estuarine response to river flow and sea-level rise. Model results suggest that salinity intrusion points in the Snohomish River estuary and the average salinity of the inundated areas are a nonlinear function of river flow, although the average water depth in the inundated area is approximately linear with river flow. Future climate changes will shift salinity intrusion points further upstream under low flow conditions and further downstream under high flow conditions. In contrast, under the future LULC change scenario, the salinity intrusion point will shift downstream under both low and high flow conditions, compared to present conditions. The model results also suggest that the average water depth in the inundated areas increases linearly with sea-level rise but at a slower rate, and the average salinity in the inundated areas increases linearly with sea-level rise; however, the response of salinity intrusion points in the river to sea-level rise is strongly nonlinear.« less

Variations in a university subject pool as a function of earlier or later participation and self-report: a replication and extension.

PubMed

Bernard, Larry C; Walsh, R Patricia

2002-10-01

The present study replicated and extended earlier research on temporal sampling effects in university subject pools. Data were obtained from 236 participants, 79 men and 157 women, in a university subject pool during a 15-wk. semester. Without knowing the purpose of the study, participants self-selected to participate earlier (Weeks 4 and 5; n = 105) or later (Weeks 14 and 15; n = 131). Three hypotheses were investigated: (1) that the personality patterns of earlier and later participants on the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised and the Personality Research Form differ significantly, with earlier participants scoring higher on the latter scales reflecting social responsibility and higher on former Conscientiousness and Neuroticism scales; (2) that there are similar significant differences between participants in the earlier and later groups compared to the male and female college normative samples for the two tests: and (3) that earlier participants will have higher actual Scholastic Assessment Test scores and Grade Point Averages. Also investigated was whether participants' foreknowledge that their actual Scholastic Assessment Test scores and Grade Point Averages would be obtained would affect their accuracy of self-report. In contrast to prior research, neither the first nor second hypothesis was supported by the current study; there do not appear to be consistent differences on personality variables. However, the third hypothesis was supported. Earlier participants had higher actual high school Grade Point Average, college Grade Point Average, and Scholastic Assessment Test Verbal scores. Foreknowledge that actual Scholastic Assessment Test scores and Grade Point Averages would be obtained did not affect the accuracy of self-report. In addition, later participants significantly over-reported their scores, and significantly more women than men and more first-year than senior-year subjects participated in the early group.

Predicting academic performance of medical students: the first three years.

PubMed

Höschl, C; Kozený, J

1997-06-01

The purpose of this exploratory study was to identify a cluster of variables that would most economically explain variations in the grade point averages of medical students during the first 3 years of study. Data were derived from a study of 92 students admitted to the 3rd Faculty of Medicine in 1992-1993 academic year and who were still in the medical school at the end of the sixth semester (third year). Stepwise regression analysis was used to build models for predicting log-transformed changes in grade point average after six semesters of study-at the end of the first, second, and third years. Predictor variables were chosen from four domains: 1) high school grade point averages in physics, mathematics, and the Czech language over 4 years of study, 2) results of admission tests in biology, chemistry, and physics, 3) admission committee's assessment of the applicant's ability to reproduce a text, motivation to study medicine, and social maturity, and 4) scores on the sentimentality and attachment scales of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire. The regression model, which included performance in high school physics, results of the admission test in physics, assessment of the applicant's motivation to study medicine, and attachment scale score, accounted for 32% of the change in grade point average over six semesters of study. The regression models using the first-, second-, and third-year grade point averages as the dependent variables showed slightly decreasing amounts of explained variance toward the end of the third year of study and within domains, changing the structure of predictor variables. The results suggest that variables chosen from the assessment domains of high school performance, written entrance examination, admission interview, and personality traits may be significant predictors of academic success during the first 3 years of medical study.

Atrial rhythm influences catheter tissue contact during radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: comparison of contact force between sinus rhythm and atrial fibrillation.

PubMed

Matsuda, Hisao; Parwani, Abdul Shokor; Attanasio, Philipp; Huemer, Martin; Wutzler, Alexander; Blaschke, Florian; Haverkamp, Wilhelm; Boldt, Leif-Hendrik

2016-09-01

Catheter tissue contact force (CF) is an important factor for durable lesion formation during radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) of atrial fibrillation (AF). Since CF varies in the beating heart, atrial rhythm during RFCA may influence CF. A high-density map and RFCA points were obtained in 25 patients undergoing RFCA of AF using a CF-sensing catheter (Tacticath, St. Jude Medical). The operators were blinded to the CF information. Contact type was classified into three categories: constant, variable, and intermittent contact. Average CF and contact type were analyzed according to atrial rhythm (SR vs. AF) and anatomical location. A total of 1364 points (891 points during SR and 473 points during AF) were analyzed. Average CFs showed no significant difference between SR (17.2 ± 11.3 g) and AF (17.2 ± 13.3 g; p = 0.99). The distribution of points with an average CF of ≥20 and <10 g also showed no significant difference. However, the distribution of excessive CF (CF ≥40 g) was significantly higher during AF (7.4 %) in comparison with SR (4.2 %; p < 0.05). At the anterior area of the right inferior pulmonary vein (RIPV), the average CF during AF was significantly higher than during SR (p < 0.05). Constant contact was significantly higher during AF (32.2 %) when compared to SR (9.9 %; p < 0.01). Although the average CF was not different between atrial rhythms, constant contact was more often achievable during AF than it was during SR. However, excessive CF also seems to occur more frequently during AF especially at the anterior part of RIPV.

Hospitalization for Suicide Ideation or Attempt: 2008-2015.

PubMed

Plemmons, Gregory; Hall, Matthew; Doupnik, Stephanie; Gay, James; Brown, Charlotte; Browning, Whitney; Casey, Robert; Freundlich, Katherine; Johnson, David P; Lind, Carrie; Rehm, Kris; Thomas, Susan; Williams, Derek

2018-06-01

Suicide ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SAs) have been reported as increasing among US children over the last decade. We examined trends in emergency and inpatient encounters for SI and SA at US children's hospitals from 2008 to 2015. We used retrospective analysis of administrative billing data from the Pediatric Health Information System database. There were 115 856 SI and SA encounters during the study period. Annual percentage of all visits for SI and SA almost doubled, increasing from 0.66% in 2008 to 1.82% in 2015 (average annual increase 0.16 percentage points [95% confidence intervals (CIs) 0.15 to 0.17]). Significant increases were noted in all age groups but were higher in adolescents 15 to 17 years old (average annual increase 0.27 percentage points [95% CI 0.23 to 0.30]) and adolescents 12 to 14 years old (average annual increase 0.25 percentage points [95% CI 0.21 to 0.27]). Increases were noted in girls (average annual increase 0.14 percentage points [95% CI 0.13 to 0.15]) and boys (average annual increase 0.10 percentage points [95% CI 0.09 to 0.11]), but were higher for girls. Seasonal variation was also observed, with the lowest percentage of cases occurring during the summer and the highest during spring and fall. Encounters for SI and SA at US children's hospitals increased steadily from 2008 to 2015 and accounted for an increasing percentage of all hospital encounters. Increases were noted across all age groups, with consistent seasonal patterns that persisted over the study period. The growing impact of pediatric mental health disorders has important implications for children's hospitals and health care delivery systems. Copyright © 2018 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Composite analysis for Escherichia coli at coastal beaches

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bertke, E.E.

2007-01-01

At some coastal beaches, concentrations of fecal-indicator bacteria can differ substantially between multiple points at the same beach at the same time. Because of this spatial variability, the recreational water quality at beaches is sometimes determined by stratifying a beach into several areas and collecting a sample from each area to analyze for the concentration of fecal-indicator bacteria. The average concentration of bacteria from those points is often used to compare to the recreational standard for advisory postings. Alternatively, if funds are limited, a single sample is collected to represent the beach. Compositing the samples collected from each section of the beach may yield equally accurate data as averaging concentrations from multiple points, at a reduced cost. In the study described herein, water samples were collected at multiple points from three Lake Erie beaches and analyzed for Escherichia coli on modified mTEC agar (EPA Method 1603). From the multiple-point samples, a composite sample (n = 116) was formed at each beach by combining equal aliquots of well-mixed water from each point. Results from this study indicate that E. coli concentrations from the arithmetic average of multiple-point samples and from composited samples are not significantly different (t = 1.59, p = 0.1139) and yield similar measures of recreational water quality; additionally, composite samples could result in a significant cost savings.

The Drama Is Always Right in Front of You: Sociodrama for the Development of Social Insight and Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Philip D.

2009-01-01

This article is a story in three acts. Act I is the initial article submitted to "Qualitative Inquiry" describing an unscripted sociodrama that occurred in a weekly psychodrama group two days after September 11, 2001 (initial submission titled, "9/11 in New Zealand: A point of leverage"). Act II presents the reviewer's response…

Using dew points to estimate savings during a planned cooling shutdown

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedlein, Matthew T.; Changnon, David; Musselman, Eric; Zielinski, Jeff

2005-12-01

In an effort to save money during the summer of 2003, Northern Illinois University (NIU) administrators instituted a four-day working week and stopped air conditioning buildings for the three-day weekends (Friday through Sunday). Shutting down the air conditioning systems caused a noticeable drop in electricity usage for that part of the campus that features in our study, with estimated total electricity savings of 1,268,492 kilowatt-hours or 17% of the average usage during that eight-week period. NIU's air conditioning systems, which relied on evaporative cooling to function, were sensitive to dew point levels. Greatest savings during the shutdown period occurred on days with higher dew points. An examination of the regional dew point climatology (1959 2003) indicated that the average summer daily dew point for 2003 was 14.9°C (58.8°F), which fell in the lowest 20% of the distribution. Based on the relationship between daily average dew points and electrical usage, a predictive model that could estimate electrical daily savings was created. This model suggests that electrical savings related to any future three-day shutdowns over summer could be much greater in more humid summers. Studies like this demonstrate the potential value of applying climatological information and of integrating this information into practical decision-making.

Solution for a bipartite Euclidean traveling-salesman problem in one dimension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caracciolo, Sergio; Di Gioacchino, Andrea; Gherardi, Marco; Malatesta, Enrico M.

2018-05-01

The traveling-salesman problem is one of the most studied combinatorial optimization problems, because of the simplicity in its statement and the difficulty in its solution. We characterize the optimal cycle for every convex and increasing cost function when the points are thrown independently and with an identical probability distribution in a compact interval. We compute the average optimal cost for every number of points when the distance function is the square of the Euclidean distance. We also show that the average optimal cost is not a self-averaging quantity by explicitly computing the variance of its distribution in the thermodynamic limit. Moreover, we prove that the cost of the optimal cycle is not smaller than twice the cost of the optimal assignment of the same set of points. Interestingly, this bound is saturated in the thermodynamic limit.

Solution for a bipartite Euclidean traveling-salesman problem in one dimension.

PubMed

Caracciolo, Sergio; Di Gioacchino, Andrea; Gherardi, Marco; Malatesta, Enrico M

2018-05-01

The traveling-salesman problem is one of the most studied combinatorial optimization problems, because of the simplicity in its statement and the difficulty in its solution. We characterize the optimal cycle for every convex and increasing cost function when the points are thrown independently and with an identical probability distribution in a compact interval. We compute the average optimal cost for every number of points when the distance function is the square of the Euclidean distance. We also show that the average optimal cost is not a self-averaging quantity by explicitly computing the variance of its distribution in the thermodynamic limit. Moreover, we prove that the cost of the optimal cycle is not smaller than twice the cost of the optimal assignment of the same set of points. Interestingly, this bound is saturated in the thermodynamic limit.

An intermetallic powder-in-tube approach to increased flux-pinning in Nb 3Sn by internal oxidation of Zr

DOE PAGES

Motowidlo, Leszek R.; Lee, P. J.; Tarantini, C.; ...

2017-11-28

We report on the development of multifilamentary Nb 3Sn superconductors by a versatile powder-in-tube technique (PIT) that demonstrates a simple pathway to a strand with a higher density of flux-pinning sites that has the potential to increase critical current density beyond present levels. The approach uses internal oxidation of Zr-alloyed Nb tubes to produce Zr oxide particles within the Nb 3Sn layer that act as a dispersion of artificial pinning centres (APCs). In this design, SnO 2 powder is mixed with Cu 5Sn 4 powder within the PIT core that supplies the Sn for the A15 reaction with Nb1Zr filamentmore » tubes. Initial results show an average grain size of ~38 nm in the A15 layer, compared to the 90–130 nm of typical APC-free high-J c strands made by conventional PIT or Internal Sn processing. Furthermore, there is a shift in the peak of the pinning force curve from H/H irr of ~0.2 to ~0.3 and the pinning force curves can be deconvoluted into grain boundary and point-pinning components, the point-pinning contribution dominating for the APC Nb-1wt%Zr strands.« less

An intermetallic powder-in-tube approach to increased flux-pinning in Nb3Sn by internal oxidation of Zr

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motowidlo, L. R.; Lee, P. J.; Tarantini, C.; Balachandran, S.; Ghosh, A. K.; Larbalestier, D. C.

2018-01-01

We report on the development of multifilamentary Nb3Sn superconductors by a versatile powder-in-tube technique (PIT) that demonstrates a simple pathway to a strand with a higher density of flux-pinning sites that has the potential to increase critical current density beyond present levels. The approach uses internal oxidation of Zr-alloyed Nb tubes to produce Zr oxide particles within the Nb3Sn layer that act as a dispersion of artificial pinning centres (APCs). In this design, SnO2 powder is mixed with Cu5Sn4 powder within the PIT core that supplies the Sn for the A15 reaction with Nb1Zr filament tubes. Initial results show an average grain size of ˜38 nm in the A15 layer, compared to the 90-130 nm of typical APC-free high-J c strands made by conventional PIT or Internal Sn processing. There is a shift in the peak of the pinning force curve from H/H irr of ˜0.2 to ˜0.3 and the pinning force curves can be deconvoluted into grain boundary and point-pinning components, the point-pinning contribution dominating for the APC Nb-1wt%Zr strands.

An intermetallic powder-in-tube approach to increased flux-pinning in Nb 3Sn by internal oxidation of Zr

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

Motowidlo, Leszek R.; Lee, P. J.; Tarantini, C.

We report on the development of multifilamentary Nb 3Sn superconductors by a versatile powder-in-tube technique (PIT) that demonstrates a simple pathway to a strand with a higher density of flux-pinning sites that has the potential to increase critical current density beyond present levels. The approach uses internal oxidation of Zr-alloyed Nb tubes to produce Zr oxide particles within the Nb 3Sn layer that act as a dispersion of artificial pinning centres (APCs). In this design, SnO 2 powder is mixed with Cu 5Sn 4 powder within the PIT core that supplies the Sn for the A15 reaction with Nb1Zr filamentmore » tubes. Initial results show an average grain size of ~38 nm in the A15 layer, compared to the 90–130 nm of typical APC-free high-J c strands made by conventional PIT or Internal Sn processing. Furthermore, there is a shift in the peak of the pinning force curve from H/H irr of ~0.2 to ~0.3 and the pinning force curves can be deconvoluted into grain boundary and point-pinning components, the point-pinning contribution dominating for the APC Nb-1wt%Zr strands.« less

Going Comprehensive: Experience of a British Social Studies Department Head. Occasional Paper 8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weir, R.

Secondary education in the United Kingdom is gradually being reorganized along "comprehensive" lines, although there is still resistance to it. Stemming from the Butler Education Act of 1944, a tripartite secondary system emerged, comprised of the grammar (for superior students), the technical (for average and above average students),…

77 FR 17219 - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Standards Related to Reinsurance, Risk Corridors and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-23

... parts of the risk adjustment process--the risk adjustment model, the calculation of plan average... risk adjustment process. The risk adjustment model calculates individual risk scores. The calculation...'' to mean all data that are used in a risk adjustment model, the calculation of plan average actuarial...

29 CFR 778.400 - The provisions of section 7(g)(3) of the Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... COMPENSATION Exceptions From the Regular Rate Principles Computing Overtime Pay on An âestablishedâ Rate § 778... Labor as being substantially equivalent to the average hourly earnings of the employee, exclusive of... average hourly earnings for the workweek exclusive of payments described in paragraphs (1) through (7) of...

49 CFR 526.5 - Earning offsetting monetary credits in future model years.

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2010-10-01

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26 CFR 1.141-15 - Effective dates.

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2010-04-01

... that increases the amount of requirements covered by the contract by reason of a change in the method... section 1301 of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (100 Stat. 2602); and (2)(i) The weighted average maturity of the refunding bonds is longer than— (A) The weighted average maturity of the refunded bonds; or (B) In...

16 CFR 305.10 - Ranges of comparability on the required labels.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... cost. The Representative Average Unit Energy Cost figures to be used on labels as required by § 305.11... Commission shall publish revised Representative Average Unit Energy Cost figures in the Federal Register in... ACTS OF CONGRESS ENERGY AND WATER USE LABELING FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS UNDER THE ENERGY POLICY AND...

30 CFR 203.74 - When will MMS reconsider its determination?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Sulfur General Royalty Relief for Pre-Act Deep Water Leases and for Development and Expansion Projects... as calculated under this paragraph. (1) Your current reference price is a weighted-average of daily... calendar months; (2) Your base reference price is a weighted average of daily closing prices on the NYMEX...

Minimum Wage and Overweight and Obesity in Adult Women: A Multilevel Analysis of Low and Middle Income Countries.

PubMed

Conklin, Annalijn I; Ponce, Ninez A; Frank, John; Nandi, Arijit; Heymann, Jody

2016-01-01

To describe the relationship between minimum wage and overweight and obesity across countries at different levels of development. A cross-sectional analysis of 27 countries with data on the legislated minimum wage level linked to socio-demographic and anthropometry data of non-pregnant 190,892 adult women (24-49 y) from the Demographic and Health Survey. We used multilevel logistic regression models to condition on country- and individual-level potential confounders, and post-estimation of average marginal effects to calculate the adjusted prevalence difference. We found the association between minimum wage and overweight/obesity was independent of individual-level SES and confounders, and showed a reversed pattern by country development stage. The adjusted overweight/obesity prevalence difference in low-income countries was an average increase of about 0.1 percentage points (PD 0.075 [0.065, 0.084]), and an average decrease of 0.01 percentage points in middle-income countries (PD -0.014 [-0.019, -0.009]). The adjusted obesity prevalence difference in low-income countries was an average increase of 0.03 percentage points (PD 0.032 [0.021, 0.042]) and an average decrease of 0.03 percentage points in middle-income countries (PD -0.032 [-0.036, -0.027]). This is among the first studies to examine the potential impact of improved wages on an important precursor of non-communicable diseases globally. Among countries with a modest level of economic development, higher minimum wage was associated with lower levels of obesity.

Feasibility of protecting corridors through the National Environmental Policy Act.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-01-01

This study investigated the feasibility of using the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to make adding direct access points to a corridor more difficult. The findings were that under some circumstances, NEPA can help protect the mobility and sa...

Individual Test Point Fluctuations of Macular Sensitivity in Healthy Eyes and Eyes With Age-Related Macular Degeneration Measured With Microperimetry.

PubMed

Barboni, Mirella Telles Salgueiro; Szepessy, Zsuzsanna; Ventura, Dora Fix; Németh, János

2018-04-01

To establish fluctuation limits, it was considered that not only overall macular sensitivity but also fluctuations of individual test points in the macula might have clinical value. Three repeated measurements of microperimetry were performed using the Standard Expert test of Macular Integrity Assessment (MAIA) in healthy subjects ( N = 12, age = 23.8 ± 1.5 years old) and in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) ( N = 11, age = 68.5 ± 7.4 years old). A total of 37 macular points arranged in four concentric rings and in four quadrants were analyzed individually and in groups. The data show low fluctuation of macular sensitivity of individual test points in healthy subjects (average = 1.38 ± 0.28 dB) and AMD patients (average = 2.12 ± 0.60 dB). Lower sensitivity points are more related to higher fluctuation than to the distance from the central point. Fixation stability showed no effect on the sensitivity fluctuation. The 95th percentile of the standard deviations of healthy subjects was, on average, 2.7 dB, ranging from 1.2 to 4 dB, depending on the point tested. Point analysis and regional analysis might be considered prior to evaluating macular sensitivity fluctuation in order to distinguish between normal variation and a clinical change. S tatistical methods were used to compare repeated microperimetry measurements and to establish fluctuation limits of the macular sensitivity. This analysis could add information regarding the integrity of different macular areas and provide new insights into fixation points prior to the biofeedback fixation training.

Identifying Head-Trunk and Lower Limb Contributions to Gaze Stabilization During Locomotion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulavara, Ajitkumar P.; Bloomberg, Jacob J.

2003-01-01

The goal of the present study was to determine how the multiple, interdependent full-body sensorimotor subsystems respond to a change in gaze stabilization task constraints during locomotion. Nine subjects performed two gaze stabilization tasks while walking at 6.4 km/hr on a motorized treadmill: 1) focusing on a central point target; 2) reading numeral characters; both presented at 2m in front at the level of their eyes. While subjects performed the tasks we measured: temporal parameters of gait, full body sagittal plane segmental kinematics of the head, trunk, thigh, shank and foot, accelerations along the vertical axis at the head and the shank, and the vertical forces acting on the support surface. We tested the hypothesis that with the increased demands placed on visual acuity during the number recognition task, subjects would modify full-body segmental kinematics in order to reduce perturbations to the head in order to successfully perform the task. We found that while reading numeral characters as - compared to the central point target: 1) compensatory head pitch movement was on average 22% greater despite the fact that the trunk pitch and trunk vertical translation movement control were not significantly changed; 2) coordination patterns between head and trunk as reflected by the peak cross correlation between the head pitch and trunk pitch motion as well as the peak cross correlation between the head pitch and vertical trunk translation motion were not significantly changed; 3) knee joint total movement was on average 11% greater during the period from the heel strike event to the peak knee flexion event in stance phase of the gait cycle; 4) peak acceleration measured at the head was significantly reduced by an average of 13% in four of the six subjects. This was so even when the peak acceleration at the shank and the transmissibility of the shock wave at heel strike (measured by the peak acceleration ratio of the head/shank) remained unchanged. Taken together these results provide further evidence that the full body contributes to gaze stabilization during locomotion, and that its different functional elements can be modified online to contribute to gaze stabilization for different visual task constraints.

The Empirical Impact of the Graduate Record Examination and Grade Point Average on Entry and Success in Graduate School at Texas A&M University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooksey, Lana; Stenning, Walter F.

The use of the restructured Graduate Record Examination (GRE), students' entering grade point averages (GPAs), and other variables as predictors of success in graduate school at Texas A&M University (TAMU) was studied. Comparisons were also made to a similar study (Kunze, 1974). A sample of 564 entering graduate students who had taken the…

An Investigation of the Fit of Linear Regression Models to Data from an SAT[R] Validity Study. Research Report 2011-3

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kobrin, Jennifer L.; Sinharay, Sandip; Haberman, Shelby J.; Chajewski, Michael

2011-01-01

This study examined the adequacy of a multiple linear regression model for predicting first-year college grade point average (FYGPA) using SAT[R] scores and high school grade point average (HSGPA). A variety of techniques, both graphical and statistical, were used to examine if it is possible to improve on the linear regression model. The results…

Empirical study on human acupuncture point network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jian; Shen, Dan; Chang, Hui; He, Da-Ren

2007-03-01

Chinese medical theory is ancient and profound, however is confined by qualitative and faint understanding. The effect of Chinese acupuncture in clinical practice is unique and effective, and the human acupuncture points play a mysterious and special role, however there is no modern scientific understanding on human acupuncture points until today. For this reason, we attend to use complex network theory, one of the frontiers in the statistical physics, for describing the human acupuncture points and their connections. In the network nodes are defined as the acupuncture points, two nodes are connected by an edge when they are used for a medical treatment of a common disease. A disease is defined as an act. Some statistical properties have been obtained. The results certify that the degree distribution, act degree distribution, and the dependence of the clustering coefficient on both of them obey SPL distribution function, which show a function interpolating between a power law and an exponential decay. The results may be helpful for understanding Chinese medical theory.

A novel OPA1 mutation in a Chinese family with autosomal dominant optic atrophy

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

Zhang, Juanjuan; Yuan, Yimin; Lin, Bing

2012-03-23

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We report the characterization of a four-generation large Chinese family with ADOA. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We find a new heterozygous mutation c.C1198G in OPA1 gene which may be a novel pathogenic mutation in this pedigree. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We do not find any mitochondrial DNA mutations associated with optic atrophy. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Other factors may also contribute to the phenotypic variability of ADOA in this pedigree. -- Abstract: A large four-generation Chinese family with autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA) was investigated in the present study. Eight of the family members were affected in this pedigree. The affected family members exhibited early-onset and progressivemore » visual impairment, resulting in mild to profound loss of visual acuity. The average age-at-onset was 15.9 years. A new heterozygous mutation c.C1198G was identified by sequence analysis of the 12th exon of the OPA1 gene. This mutation resulted in a proline to alanine substitution at codon 400, which was located in an evolutionarily conserved region. This missense mutation in the GTPase domain was supposed to result in a loss of function for the encoded protein and act through a dominant negative effect. No other mutations associated with optic atrophy were found in our present study. The c.C1198G heterozygous mutation in the OPA1 gene may be a novel key pathogenic mutation in this pedigree with ADOA. Furthermore, additional nuclear modifier genes, environmental factors, and psychological factors may also contribute to the phenotypic variability of ADOA in this pedigree.« less

Application of Template Matching for Improving Classification of Urban Railroad Point Clouds

PubMed Central

Arastounia, Mostafa; Oude Elberink, Sander

2016-01-01

This study develops an integrated data-driven and model-driven approach (template matching) that clusters the urban railroad point clouds into three classes of rail track, contact cable, and catenary cable. The employed dataset covers 630 m of the Dutch urban railroad corridors in which there are four rail tracks, two contact cables, and two catenary cables. The dataset includes only geometrical information (three dimensional (3D) coordinates of the points) with no intensity data and no RGB data. The obtained results indicate that all objects of interest are successfully classified at the object level with no false positives and no false negatives. The results also show that an average 97.3% precision and an average 97.7% accuracy at the point cloud level are achieved. The high precision and high accuracy of the rail track classification (both greater than 96%) at the point cloud level stems from the great impact of the employed template matching method on excluding the false positives. The cables also achieve quite high average precision (96.8%) and accuracy (98.4%) due to their high sampling and isolated position in the railroad corridor. PMID:27973452

77 FR 19318 - Notice of Availability of the Draft Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statement for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-30

... communities in Alaska: Anaktuvuk Pass, Anchorage, Atqasuk, Barrow, Fairbanks, Nuiqsut, Point Lay, and..., Nuiqsut, Point Lay, and Wainwright. The dates, times, and locations of the meetings and hearings will be... communities of Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Barrow, Nuiqsut, Point Lay, and Wainwright. Ronald L. Dunton, Acting...

27 CFR 6.84 - Point of sale advertising materials and consumer advertising specialties.

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2014-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Point of sale advertising materials and consumer advertising specialties. 6.84 Section 6.84 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms....84 Point of sale advertising materials and consumer advertising specialties. (a) General. The act by...

27 CFR 6.84 - Point of sale advertising materials and consumer advertising specialties.

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2011-04-01

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17 CFR 1.34 - Monthly record, “point balance”.

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2010-04-01

... REGULATIONS UNDER THE COMMODITY EXCHANGE ACT Recordkeeping § 1.34 Monthly record, “point balance”. (a) Each... statement commonly known as a “point balance,” which accrues or brings to the official closing price, or... contracts long and short in the customers' accounts are in balance with those in the carrying futures...

17 CFR 1.34 - Monthly record, “point balance”.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... REGULATIONS UNDER THE COMMODITY EXCHANGE ACT Recordkeeping § 1.34 Monthly record, “point balance”. (a) Each... statement commonly known as a “point balance,” which accrues or brings to the official closing price, or... contracts long and short in the customers' accounts are in balance with those in the carrying futures...

78 FR 48189 - Certain Point-to-Point Network Communication Devices and Products Containing Same; Notice of...

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2013-08-07

... INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa R. Barton, Acting Secretary to the Commission, U.S. International Trade Commission... the Public Interest AGENCY: U.S. International Trade Commission. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. International Trade Commission has received a complaint entitled Certain Point...

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2012-03-06

... OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET Compliance Assistance Resources and Points of Contact Available to... available to small businesses'' and a list of the points of contacts in agencies ``to act as a liaison... FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wendy Liberante, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of...

27 CFR 6.84 - Point of sale advertising materials and consumer advertising specialties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Point of sale advertising materials and consumer advertising specialties. 6.84 Section 6.84 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms....84 Point of sale advertising materials and consumer advertising specialties. (a) General. The act by...

50 CFR 260.81 - Readjustment and increase in hourly rates of fees.

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2011-10-01

... Readjustment and increase in hourly rates of fees. (a) When Federal Pay Act increases occur, the hourly rates for inspection fees will automatically be increased on the effective date of the pay act by an amount equal to the increase received by the average GS grade level of fishery product inspectors receiving...

50 CFR 260.81 - Readjustment and increase in hourly rates of fees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Readjustment and increase in hourly rates of fees. (a) When Federal Pay Act increases occur, the hourly rates for inspection fees will automatically be increased on the effective date of the pay act by an amount equal to the increase received by the average GS grade level of fishery product inspectors receiving...

Quality of Widely Available Video Instructional Materials for Point-of-Care Ultrasound-Guided Procedure Training in Internal Medicine.

PubMed

Khandelwal, Aditi; Devine, Luke A; Otremba, Mirek

2017-07-01

Many instructional materials for point-of-care ultrasound (US)-guided procedures exist; however, their quality is unknown. This study assessed widely available educational videos for point-of-care US-guided procedures relevant to internal medicine: central venous catheterization, thoracentesis, and paracentesis. We searched Ovid MEDLINE, YouTube, and Google to identify videos for point-of-care US-guided paracentesis, thoracentesis, and central venous catheterization. Videos were evaluated with a 5-point scale assessing the global educational value and a checklist based on consensus guidelines for competencies in point-of-care US-guided procedures. For point-of-care US-guided central venous catheterization, 12 videos were found, with an average global educational value score ± SD of 4.5 ± 0.7. Indications to abort the procedure were discussed in only 3 videos. Five videos described the indications and contraindications for performing central venous catheterization. For point-of-care US-guided thoracentesis, 8 videos were identified, with an average global educational value score of 4.0 ± 0.9. Only one video discussed indications to abort the procedure, and 3 videos discussed sterile technique. For point-of-care US-guided paracentesis, 7 videos were included, with an average global educational value score of 4.1 ± 0.9. Only 1 video discussed indications to abort the procedure, and 2 described the location of the inferior epigastric artery. The 27 videos reviewed contained good-quality general instruction. However, we noted a lack of safety-related information in most of the available videos. Further development of resources is required to teach internal medicine trainees skills that focus on the safety of point-of-care US guidance. © 2017 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

Perception of Radiation Risk by Japanese Radiation Specialists Evaluated as a Safe Dose Before the Fukushima Nuclear Accident.

PubMed

Miura, Miwa; Ono, Koji; Yamauchi, Motohiro; Matsuda, Naoki

2016-06-01

From October to December 2010, just before the radiological accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, 71 radiation professionals from radiation facilities in Japan were asked what they considered as a "safe dose" of radiation for themselves, their partners, parents, children, siblings, and friends. Although the 'safe dose' they noted varied widely, from less than 1 mSv y to more than 100 mSv y, the average dose was 35.6 mSv y, which is around the middle point between the legal exposure dose limits for the annual average and for any single year. Similar results were obtained from other surveys of members of the Japan Radioisotope Association (36.9 mSv y) and of the Oita Prefectural Hospital (36.8 mSv y). Among family members and friends, the minimum average "safe" dose was 8.5 mSv y for children, for whom 50% of the responders claimed a "safe dose" of less than 1 mSv. Gender, age and specialty of the radiation professional also affected their notion of a "safe dose." These findings suggest that the perception of radiation risk varies widely even for radiation professionals and that the legal exposure dose limits derived from regulatory science may act as an anchor of safety. The different levels of risk perception for different target groups among radiation professionals appear similar to those in the general population. The gap between these characteristics of radiation professionals and the generally accepted picture of radiation professionals might have played a role in the state of confusion after the radiological accident.

Thermal averages in a quantum point contact with a single coherent wave packet.

PubMed

Heller, E J; Aidala, K E; LeRoy, B J; Bleszynski, A C; Kalben, A; Westervelt, R M; Maranowski, K D; Gossard, A C

2005-07-01

A novel formal equivalence between thermal averages of coherent properties (e.g., conductance) and time averages of a single wave packet arises for Fermi gases and certain geometries. In the case of one open channel in a quantum point contact (QPC), only one wave packet history, with the wave packet width equal to the thermal length, completely determines the thermally averaged conductance. The formal equivalence moreover allows very simple physical interpretations of interference features surviving under thermal averaging. Simply put, pieces of the thermal wave packet returning to the QPC along independent paths must arrive at the same time in order to interfere. Remarkably, one immediate result of this approach is that higher temperature leads to narrower wave packets and therefore better resolution of events in the time domain. In effect, experiments at 4.2 K are performing time-gated experiments at better than a gigahertz. Experiments involving thermally averaged ballistic conductance in 2DEGS are presented as an application of this picture.

The Affordable Care Act versus Medicare for All.

PubMed

Seidman, Laurence

2015-08-01

Many problems facing the Affordable Care Act would disappear if the nation were instead implementing Medicare for All - the extension of Medicare to every age group. Every American would be automatically covered for life. Premiums would be replaced with a set of Medicare taxes. There would be no patient cost sharing. Individuals would have free choice of doctors. Medicare's single-payer bargaining power would slow price increases and reduce medical cost as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP). Taxes as a percentage of GDP would rise from below average to average for economically advanced nations. Medicare for All would be phased in by age. Copyright © 2015 by Duke University Press.

Very Luminous X-ray Point Sources in Starburst Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colbert, E.; Heckman, T.; Ptak, A.; Weaver, K. A.; Strickland, D.

Extranuclear X-ray point sources in external galaxies with luminosities above 1039.0 erg/s are quite common in elliptical, disk and dwarf galaxies, with an average of ~ 0.5 and dwarf galaxies, with an average of ~0.5 sources per galaxy. These objects may be a new class of object, perhaps accreting intermediate-mass black holes, or beamed stellar mass black hole binaries. Starburst galaxies tend to have a larger number of these intermediate-luminosity X-ray objects (IXOs), as well as a large number of lower-luminosity (1037 - 1039 erg/s) point sources. These point sources dominate the total hard X-ray emission in starburst galaxies. We present a review of both types of objects and discuss possible schemes for their formation.

National List of Beaches

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA has published a list of coastal recreation waters adjacent to beaches (or similar points of access) used by the public in the U.S. The list, required by the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH Act), identifies waters that are subject to a state beach water quality monitoring and public notification program consistent with the National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for BEACH Act Grants.

The Federal Employees' Compensation Act.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nordlund, Willis J.

1991-01-01

The 1916 Federal Employees' Compensation Act is still the focal point around which the federal workers compensation program works today. The program has gone through many changes on its way to becoming a modern means of compensating workers for job-related injury, disease, and death. (Author)

COMPARISON OF MULTIPLE POINT AND COMPOSITE SAMPLING FOR THE PURPOSE OF MONITORING BATHING WATER QUALITY

EPA Science Inventory

The USEPA Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH Act) requires states to develop monitoring and notification programs for recreational waters using approved bacterial indicators. Implementation of an appropriate monitoring program can, under some circumsta...

High order cell-centered scheme totally based on cell average

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Ze-Yu; Cai, Qing-Dong

2018-05-01

This work clarifies the concept of cell average by pointing out the differences between cell average and cell centroid value, which are averaged cell-centered value and pointwise cell-centered value, respectively. Interpolation based on cell averages is constructed and high order QUICK-like numerical scheme is designed for such interpolation. A new approach of error analysis is introduced in this work, which is similar to Taylor’s expansion.

Dynamic time warping-based averaging framework for functional near-infrared spectroscopy brain imaging studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Li; Najafizadeh, Laleh

2017-06-01

We investigate the problem related to the averaging procedure in functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) brain imaging studies. Typically, to reduce noise and to empower the signal strength associated with task-induced activities, recorded signals (e.g., in response to repeated stimuli or from a group of individuals) are averaged through a point-by-point conventional averaging technique. However, due to the existence of variable latencies in recorded activities, the use of the conventional averaging technique can lead to inaccuracies and loss of information in the averaged signal, which may result in inaccurate conclusions about the functionality of the brain. To improve the averaging accuracy in the presence of variable latencies, we present an averaging framework that employs dynamic time warping (DTW) to account for the temporal variation in the alignment of fNIRS signals to be averaged. As a proof of concept, we focus on the problem of localizing task-induced active brain regions. The framework is extensively tested on experimental data (obtained from both block design and event-related design experiments) as well as on simulated data. In all cases, it is shown that the DTW-based averaging technique outperforms the conventional-based averaging technique in estimating the location of task-induced active regions in the brain, suggesting that such advanced averaging methods should be employed in fNIRS brain imaging studies.

Teacher practices and student science grades as indicators of performance on the Reading, Mathematics, and Science Reasoning subtests of the ACT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wade, Marilyn R.

In light of the federal mandates of standardized testing at all levels set in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, the purpose of this study was to determine if a significant relationship exists between high school science averages, the number of high school science courses taken, and the ACT Reading, Mathematics, and Science Reasoning subscores with consideration of the demographic characteristics of gender, ethnicity, and school attended. Further, this study examined the influence of the instructional practices and assessment methods used by the classroom teacher on students' ACT Science Reasoning subscores. The sample consisted of four public high schools in Northwest Tennessee, which provided data for students in the graduating classes of 2003 and 2004. Eight of 16 teachers at these schools who had taught students from both graduating classes completed a survey indicating instructional practices and assessment methods used in the classroom. Multiple regression results indicated positive significant relationships of white ethnicity, high school science average, and the number of high school courses taken to the three ACT subscores. Negative significant relationships were found for black ethnicity in relation to the three ACT subscores and for gender in relation to the ACT Mathematics and ACT Science Reasoning subscore. MANOVA results indicated no significant difference in instructional practices and Mann-Whitney U test results indicated no significant difference in assessment methods of teachers at lower- and higher-scoring schools. Further study is needed to determine the types of professional development activities that teachers need and desire to make positive changes in instructional practices and assessment methods to raise levels of achievement for all students.

On the tip of the tongue: learning typing and pointing with an intra-oral computer interface.

PubMed

Caltenco, Héctor A; Breidegard, Björn; Struijk, Lotte N S Andreasen

2014-07-01

To evaluate typing and pointing performance and improvement over time of four able-bodied participants using an intra-oral tongue-computer interface for computer control. A physically disabled individual may lack the ability to efficiently control standard computer input devices. There have been several efforts to produce and evaluate interfaces that provide individuals with physical disabilities the possibility to control personal computers. Training with the intra-oral tongue-computer interface was performed by playing games over 18 sessions. Skill improvement was measured through typing and pointing exercises at the end of each training session. Typing throughput improved from averages of 2.36 to 5.43 correct words per minute. Pointing throughput improved from averages of 0.47 to 0.85 bits/s. Target tracking performance, measured as relative time on target, improved from averages of 36% to 47%. Path following throughput improved from averages of 0.31 to 0.83 bits/s and decreased to 0.53 bits/s with more difficult tasks. Learning curves support the notion that the tongue can rapidly learn novel motor tasks. Typing and pointing performance of the tongue-computer interface is comparable to performances of other proficient assistive devices, which makes the tongue a feasible input organ for computer control. Intra-oral computer interfaces could provide individuals with severe upper-limb mobility impairments the opportunity to control computers and automatic equipment. Typing and pointing performance of the tongue-computer interface is comparable to performances of other proficient assistive devices, but does not cause fatigue easily and might be invisible to other people, which is highly prioritized by assistive device users. Combination of visual and auditory feedback is vital for a good performance of an intra-oral computer interface and helps to reduce involuntary or erroneous activations.

A Self-instructional Model to Teach Systems-based Practice and Practice-based Learning and Improvement

PubMed Central

Kimura, Joe; Ladden, MaryJoan D.; March, Elizabeth; Moore, Gordon T.

2008-01-01

Background When mandated as resident competencies in 1999, systems-based practice (SBP) and practice-based learning and improvement (PBLI) were new concepts to many. Objective To describe and evaluate a 4-week clinical elective (Achieving Competence Today—ACT) to teach residents SBP and PBLI. Design ACT consisted of a four-week active learning course and follow-up teaching experience, guided and supported by web-based materials. The curriculum included readings, scheduled activities, work products including an improvement project, and weekly meetings with a non-expert preceptor. The evaluation used a before–after cross-comparison of ACT residents and their peers. Participants Seventy-eight residents and 42 faculty in 18 US Internal Medicine residency programs participated between 2003 and 2005. Results and Main Measurements All residents and faculty preceptors responded to a knowledge test, survey of attitudes, and self-assessment of competency to do 15 tasks related to SBP/PBLI. All measures were normalized to a 100-point scale. Each program’s principal investigator (PI) identified aspects of ACT that were most and least effective in enhancing resident learning. ACT residents’ gains in knowledge (4.4 on a 100-point scale) and self-assessed competency (11.3) were greater than controls’ (−1.9, −8.0), but changes in attitudes were not significantly different. Faculty preceptors’ knowledge scores did not change, but their attitudes became more positive (15.8). PIs found a ready-to-use curriculum effective (rated 8.5 on a 10-point scale). Conclusions ACT increased residents’ knowledge and self-assessment of their own competency and raised faculty’s assessment of the importance of residents’ learning SBP/PBLI. Faculty content expertise is not required for residents to learn SBP/PBLI. PMID:18612719

A self-instructional model to teach systems-based practice and practice-based learning and improvement.

PubMed

Peters, Antoinette S; Kimura, Joe; Ladden, Maryjoan D; March, Elizabeth; Moore, Gordon T

2008-07-01

When mandated as resident competencies in 1999, systems-based practice (SBP) and practice-based learning and improvement (PBLI) were new concepts to many. To describe and evaluate a 4-week clinical elective (Achieving Competence Today-ACT) to teach residents SBP and PBLI. ACT consisted of a four-week active learning course and follow-up teaching experience, guided and supported by web-based materials. The curriculum included readings, scheduled activities, work products including an improvement project, and weekly meetings with a non-expert preceptor. The evaluation used a before-after cross-comparison of ACT residents and their peers. Seventy-eight residents and 42 faculty in 18 US Internal Medicine residency programs participated between 2003 and 2005. RESULTS AND MAIN MEASUREMENTS: All residents and faculty preceptors responded to a knowledge test, survey of attitudes, and self-assessment of competency to do 15 tasks related to SBP/PBLI. All measures were normalized to a 100-point scale. Each program's principal investigator (PI) identified aspects of ACT that were most and least effective in enhancing resident learning. ACT residents' gains in knowledge (4.4 on a 100-point scale) and self-assessed competency (11.3) were greater than controls' (-1.9, -8.0), but changes in attitudes were not significantly different. Faculty preceptors' knowledge scores did not change, but their attitudes became more positive (15.8). PIs found a ready-to-use curriculum effective (rated 8.5 on a 10-point scale). ACT increased residents' knowledge and self-assessment of their own competency and raised faculty's assessment of the importance of residents' learning SBP/PBLI. Faculty content expertise is not required for residents to learn SBP/PBLI.

Sagittal plane bending moments acting on the lower leg during running.

PubMed

Haris Phuah, Affendi; Schache, Anthony G; Crossley, Kay M; Wrigley, Tim V; Creaby, Mark W

2010-02-01

Sagittal bending moments acting on the lower leg during running may play a role in tibial stress fracture development. The purpose of this study was to evaluate these moments at nine equidistant points along the length of the lower leg (10% point-90% point) during running. Kinematic and ground reaction force data were collected for 20 male runners, who each performed 10 running trials. Inverse dynamics and musculoskeletal modelling techniques were used to estimate sagittal bending moments due to reaction forces and muscle contraction. The muscle moment was typically positive during stance, except at the most proximal location (10% point) on the lower leg. The reaction moment was predominantly negative throughout stance and greater in magnitude than the muscle moment. Hence, the net sagittal bending moment acting on the lower leg was principally negative (indicating tensile loads on the posterior tibia). Peak moments typically occurred around mid-stance, and were greater in magnitude at the distal, compared with proximal, lower leg. For example, the peak reaction moment at the most distal point was -9.61+ or - 2.07%Bw.Ht., and -2.73 + or - 1.18%Bw.Ht. at the most proximal point. These data suggest that tensile loads on the posterior tibia are likely to be higher toward the distal end of the bone. This finding may explain the higher incidence of stress fracture in the distal aspect of the tibia, observed by some authors. Stress fracture susceptibility will also be influenced by bone strength and this should also be accounted for in future studies. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Point-ahead limitation on reciprocity tracking. [in earth-space optical link

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shapiro, J. H.

1975-01-01

The average power received at a spacecraft from a reciprocity-tracking transmitter is shown to be the free-space diffraction-limited result times a gain-reduction factor that is due to the point-ahead requirement. For a constant-power transmitter, the gain-reduction factor is approximately equal to the appropriate spherical-wave mutual-coherence function. For a constant-average-power transmitter, an exact expression is obtained for the gain-reduction factor.

Modelling lidar volume-averaging and its significance to wind turbine wake measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer Forsting, A. R.; Troldborg, N.; Borraccino, A.

2017-05-01

Lidar velocity measurements need to be interpreted differently than conventional in-situ readings. A commonly ignored factor is “volume-averaging”, which refers to lidars not sampling in a single, distinct point but along its entire beam length. However, especially in regions with large velocity gradients, like the rotor wake, can it be detrimental. Hence, an efficient algorithm mimicking lidar flow sampling is presented, which considers both pulsed and continous-wave lidar weighting functions. The flow-field around a 2.3 MW turbine is simulated using Detached Eddy Simulation in combination with an actuator line to test the algorithm and investigate the potential impact of volume-averaging. Even with very few points discretising the lidar beam is volume-averaging captured accurately. The difference in a lidar compared to a point measurement is greatest at the wake edges and increases from 30% one rotor diameter (D) downstream of the rotor to 60% at 3D.

Influences of rolling method on deformation force in cold roll-beating forming process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Yongxiang; Cui, Fengkui; Liang, Xiaoming; Li, Yan

2018-03-01

In process, the research object, the gear rack was selected to study the influence law of rolling method on the deformation force. By the mean of the cold roll forming finite element simulation, the variation regularity of radial and tangential deformation was analysed under different rolling methods. The variation of deformation force of the complete forming racks and the single roll during the steady state under different rolling modes was analyzed. The results show: when upbeating and down beating, radial single point average force is similar, the tangential single point average force gap is bigger, the gap of tangential single point average force is relatively large. Add itionally, the tangential force at the time of direct beating is large, and the dire ction is opposite with down beating. With directly beating, deformation force loading fast and uninstall slow. Correspondingly, with down beating, deformat ion force loading slow and uninstall fast.

Selective Data Acquisition in NMR. The Quantification of Anti-phase Scalar Couplings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hodgkinson, P.; Holmes, K. J.; Hore, P. J.

Almost all time-domain NMR experiments employ "linear sampling," in which the NMR response is digitized at equally spaced times, with uniform signal averaging. Here, the possibilities of nonlinear sampling are explored using anti-phase doublets in the indirectly detected dimensions of multidimensional COSY-type experiments as an example. The Cramér-Rao lower bounds are used to evaluate and optimize experiments in which the sampling points, or the extent of signal averaging at each point, or both, are varied. The optimal nonlinear sampling for the estimation of the coupling constant J, by model fitting, turns out to involve just a few key time points, for example, at the first node ( t= 1/ J) of the sin(π Jt) modulation. Such sparse sampling patterns can be used to derive more practical strategies, in which the sampling or the signal averaging is distributed around the most significant time points. The improvements in the quantification of NMR parameters can be quite substantial especially when, as is often the case for indirectly detected dimensions, the total number of samples is limited by the time available.

76 FR 58275 - Sunshine Act Meeting; Open Commission Meeting; Thursday, September 22, 2011

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-20

... text, photos, videos, and data communications to 911 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Sunshine Act Meeting; Open Commission Meeting; Thursday, September 22, 2011 September 15, 2011. The Federal Communications Commission will hold an Open Meeting on...

75 FR 48996 - National Science Board; Sunshine Act Meetings; Notice

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-12

...., Arlington, VA 22230. UPDATES & POINT OF CONTACT: Please refer to the National Science Board website http... NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION National Science Board; Sunshine Act Meetings; Notice The National Science Board's Committee on Audit & Oversight, pursuant to NSF regulations (45 CFR part 614), the...

PowerPoint and Concept Maps: A Great Double Act

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simon, Jon

2015-01-01

This article explores how concept maps can provide a useful addition to PowerPoint slides to convey interconnections of knowledge and help students see how knowledge is often non-linear. While most accounting educators are familiar with PowerPoint, they are likely to be less familiar with concept maps and this article shows how the tool can be…

Young Children Follow Pointing over Words in Interpreting Acts of Reference

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grassmann, Susanne; Tomasello, Michael

2010-01-01

Adults refer young children's attention to things in two basic ways: through the use of pointing (and other deictic gestures) and words (and other linguistic conventions). In the current studies, we referred young children (2- and 4-year-olds) to things in conflicting ways, that is, by pointing to one object while indicating linguistically (in…

Do Infants Need Social Cognition to Act Socially? An Alternative Look at Infant Pointing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Entremont, Barbara; Seamans, Elizabeth

2007-01-01

Tomasello, Carpenter, and Liszkowski (2007) present a comprehensive review of the infant pointing literature. They conclude that infant pointing demonstrates communicative intent from its onset, at about 1 year of age. In this commentary, it is noted that for infants to understand communicative intent, they must have a concept of self and others…

Tuition reduction is the key factor determining tax burden of graduate students under the Tax Cuts and Job Act.

PubMed

Lawston, Patricia M; Parker, Michael T

2017-01-01

Background : The proposed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R.1) has stirred significant public debate on the future of American economics.  While supporters of the plan have championed it as a necessity for economic revitalization, detractors have pointed out areas of serious concern, particularly for low- and middle-income Americans.  One particularly alarming facet of the plan is the radical change to education finance programs and taxation of students in higher education.  Methods :  By analyzing actual income and tuition of a public and a private university student, as well as the 'average' graduate student, we investigated the effect of both the House and Senate versions of H.R. 1 on taxation of students of various family structures.  Results :  Our findings indicate that taxable tuition would be the greatest contributor to graduate student tax burden across all four categories of filing status.  However, when tuition reduction is upheld or a student is on sustaining fees rather than full tuition, graduate students would realize decreases in taxation. Conclusions :  Overall, we conclude that removal of tuition reduction would result in enormous tax burdens for graduate students and their families and that these effects are dependent not only on the status of the student in their degree program but also on their tuition and stipend, and therefore the institution they attend.

Focus on Teacher Salaries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaines, Gale F.

This report presents teacher salary data from the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). There is a gap between SREB states' average teacher salaries and the national average. Over the last 5 years, SREB teacher salaries increased by an average of 14.4 percent; the national increase was nearly 2 percentage points lower. Georgia and North…

Three-dimensional dosimetric considerations from different point A definitions in cervical cancer low-dose-rate brachytherapy

PubMed Central

Chen, Ting; Kim, Leonard H.; Nelson, Carl; Gabel, Molly; Narra, Venkat; Haffty, Bruce; Yue, Ning J.

2013-01-01

Purpose To investigate the dosimetric difference due to the different point A definitions in cervical cancer low-dose-rate (LDR) intracavitary brachytherapy. Material and methods Twenty CT-based LDR brachytherapy plans of 11 cervical patients were retrospectively reviewed. Two plans with point As following the modified Manchester system which defines point A being 2 cm superior to the cervical os along the tandem and 2 cm lateral (Aos), and the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS) guideline definition in which the point A is 2 cm superior to the vaginal fornices instead of os (Aovoid) were generated. Using the same source strength, two plans prescribed the same dose to Aos and Aovoid. Dosimetric differences between plans including point A dose rate, treatment volume encompassed by the prescription isodose line (TV), and dose rate of 2 cc of the rectum and bladder to the prescription dose were measured. Results On average Aovoid was 8.9 mm superior to Aos along the tandem direction with a standard deviation of 5.4 mm. With the same source strength and arrangement, Aos dose rate was 19% higher than Aovoid dose rate. The average TV(Aovoid) was 118.0 cc, which was 30% more than the average TV(Aos) of 93.0 cc. D2cc/D(Aprescribe) increased from 51% to 60% for rectum, and increased from 89% and 106% for bladder, if the prescription point changed from Aos to Aovoid. Conclusions Different point A definitions lead to significant dose differences. Careful consideration should be given when changing practice from one point A definition to another, to ensure dosimetric and clinical equivalency from the previous clinical experiences. PMID:24474971

7 CFR 1786.27 - Definitions and rules of construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... issued by RUS to FFB pursuant to the RE Act for an FFB loan made on or before July 2, 1986. Fees means... due on loans made or guaranteed under the RE Act, and is making a good faith effort to increase rates... average interest rate (stated as an annual percentage rate) on a loan; (3) The final maturity date of a...

7 CFR 1786.27 - Definitions and rules of construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... issued by RUS to FFB pursuant to the RE Act for an FFB loan made on or before July 2, 1986. Fees means... due on loans made or guaranteed under the RE Act, and is making a good faith effort to increase rates... average interest rate (stated as an annual percentage rate) on a loan; (3) The final maturity date of a...

7 CFR 1786.27 - Definitions and rules of construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... issued by RUS to FFB pursuant to the RE Act for an FFB loan made on or before July 2, 1986. Fees means... due on loans made or guaranteed under the RE Act, and is making a good faith effort to increase rates... average interest rate (stated as an annual percentage rate) on a loan; (3) The final maturity date of a...

Understanding large-scale, long-term larval connectivity patterns: The case of the Northern Line Islands in the Central Pacific Ocean

PubMed Central

Mari, Lorenzo; Bonaventura, Luca; Storto, Andrea; Melià, Paco; Gatto, Marino; Masina, Simona

2017-01-01

Protecting key hotspots of marine biodiversity is essential to maintain ecosystem services at large spatial scales. Protected areas serve not only as sources of propagules colonizing other habitats, but also as receptors, thus acting as protected nurseries. To quantify the geographical extent and the temporal persistence of ecological benefits resulting from protection, we investigate larval connectivity within a remote archipelago, characterized by a strong spatial gradient of human impact from pristine to heavily exploited: the Northern Line Islands (NLIs), including part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRI-MNM). Larvae are described as passive Lagrangian particles transported by oceanic currents obtained from a oceanographic reanalysis. We compare different simulation schemes and compute connectivity measures (larval exchange probabilities and minimum/average larval dispersal distances from target islands). To explore the role of PRI-MNM in protecting marine organisms with pelagic larval stages, we drive millions of individual-based simulations for various Pelagic Larval Durations (PLDs), in all release seasons, and over a two-decades time horizon (1991–2010). We find that connectivity in the NLIs is spatially asymmetric and displays significant intra- and inter-annual variations. The islands belonging to PRI-MNM act more as sinks than sources of larvae, and connectivity is higher during the winter-spring period. In multi-annual analyses, yearly averaged southward connectivity significantly and negatively correlates with climatological anomalies (El Niño). This points out a possible system fragility and susceptibility to global warming. Quantitative assessments of large-scale, long-term marine connectivity patterns help understand region-specific, ecologically relevant interactions between islands. This is fundamental for devising scientifically-based protection strategies, which must be space- and time-varying to cope with the challenges posed by the concurrent pressures of human exploitation and global climate change. PMID:28809937

Understanding large-scale, long-term larval connectivity patterns: The case of the Northern Line Islands in the Central Pacific Ocean.

PubMed

Mari, Lorenzo; Bonaventura, Luca; Storto, Andrea; Melià, Paco; Gatto, Marino; Masina, Simona; Casagrandi, Renato

2017-01-01

Protecting key hotspots of marine biodiversity is essential to maintain ecosystem services at large spatial scales. Protected areas serve not only as sources of propagules colonizing other habitats, but also as receptors, thus acting as protected nurseries. To quantify the geographical extent and the temporal persistence of ecological benefits resulting from protection, we investigate larval connectivity within a remote archipelago, characterized by a strong spatial gradient of human impact from pristine to heavily exploited: the Northern Line Islands (NLIs), including part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRI-MNM). Larvae are described as passive Lagrangian particles transported by oceanic currents obtained from a oceanographic reanalysis. We compare different simulation schemes and compute connectivity measures (larval exchange probabilities and minimum/average larval dispersal distances from target islands). To explore the role of PRI-MNM in protecting marine organisms with pelagic larval stages, we drive millions of individual-based simulations for various Pelagic Larval Durations (PLDs), in all release seasons, and over a two-decades time horizon (1991-2010). We find that connectivity in the NLIs is spatially asymmetric and displays significant intra- and inter-annual variations. The islands belonging to PRI-MNM act more as sinks than sources of larvae, and connectivity is higher during the winter-spring period. In multi-annual analyses, yearly averaged southward connectivity significantly and negatively correlates with climatological anomalies (El Niño). This points out a possible system fragility and susceptibility to global warming. Quantitative assessments of large-scale, long-term marine connectivity patterns help understand region-specific, ecologically relevant interactions between islands. This is fundamental for devising scientifically-based protection strategies, which must be space- and time-varying to cope with the challenges posed by the concurrent pressures of human exploitation and global climate change.

Minimum Wage and Overweight and Obesity in Adult Women: A Multilevel Analysis of Low and Middle Income Countries

PubMed Central

Conklin, Annalijn I.; Ponce, Ninez A.; Frank, John; Nandi, Arijit; Heymann, Jody

2016-01-01

Objectives To describe the relationship between minimum wage and overweight and obesity across countries at different levels of development. Methods A cross-sectional analysis of 27 countries with data on the legislated minimum wage level linked to socio-demographic and anthropometry data of non-pregnant 190,892 adult women (24–49 y) from the Demographic and Health Survey. We used multilevel logistic regression models to condition on country- and individual-level potential confounders, and post-estimation of average marginal effects to calculate the adjusted prevalence difference. Results We found the association between minimum wage and overweight/obesity was independent of individual-level SES and confounders, and showed a reversed pattern by country development stage. The adjusted overweight/obesity prevalence difference in low-income countries was an average increase of about 0.1 percentage points (PD 0.075 [0.065, 0.084]), and an average decrease of 0.01 percentage points in middle-income countries (PD -0.014 [-0.019, -0.009]). The adjusted obesity prevalence difference in low-income countries was an average increase of 0.03 percentage points (PD 0.032 [0.021, 0.042]) and an average decrease of 0.03 percentage points in middle-income countries (PD -0.032 [-0.036, -0.027]). Conclusion This is among the first studies to examine the potential impact of improved wages on an important precursor of non-communicable diseases globally. Among countries with a modest level of economic development, higher minimum wage was associated with lower levels of obesity. PMID:26963247

State trends in premiums and deductibles, 2003-2011: eroding protection and rising costs underscore need for action.

PubMed

Schoen, Cathy; Lippa, Jacob; Collins, Sara; Radley, David

2012-12-01

Rapidly rising health insurance premiums and higher cost-sharing continue to strain the budgets of U.S. working families and employers. Analysis of state trends in private employer-based health insurance from 2003 to 2011 reveals that premiums for family coverage increased 62 percent across states--rising far faster than income for middle- and low-income families. At the same time, deductibles more than doubled in large and small firms. Workers are thus paying more but getting less-protective benefits. If trends continue at their historical rate, the average premium for family coverage will reach nearly $25,000 by 2020. The Affordable Care Act's reforms should begin to moderate costs while improving coverage. But with private insurance costs projected to increase faster than incomes over the next decade, further efforts are needed. If annual premium growth slowed by one percentage point, by 2020 employers and families would save $2,029 annually for family coverage.

Effect of hydrogen on deformation structure and properties of CMSX-2 nickel-base single-crystal superalloy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dollar, M.; Bernstein, I. M.; Walston, S.; Prinz, F.; Domnanovich, A.

1987-01-01

Material used in this study was a heat of the alloy CMSX-2. This nickel-based superalloy was provided in the form of oriented single crystals, solutionized for 3 hrs at 1315 C. It was then usually heat treated as follows: 1050 C/16h/air cool + 850 C/48h/air cool. The resulting microstructure is dominated by cuboidal, ordered gamma precipitates with a volume fraction of about 75% and an average size of 0.5 microns. In brief, the most compelling hydrogen induced-changes in deformation structure are: (1) enhanced dislocation accumulation in the gamma matrix; and (2) more extensive cross-slip of superdislocations in the gamma precipitates. The enhanced dislocation density in gamma acts to decrease the mean free path of a superdislocation, while easier cross slip hinders superdislocation movement by providing pinning points in the form of sessile jobs. Both processes contribute to the increase of flow stress and the notable work hardening that occurs prior to fracture.

[Women with AIDS: disclosing risk stories].

PubMed

Vermelho, L L; Barbosa, R H; Nogueira, S A

1999-01-01

This study approaches the social and cultural profile concerning risk for HIV infection in women, describing some epidemiological variables and disclosing reports of risk situations, the meaning of living with AIDS, and support received. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview 25 women from the University Hospital of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, prior to the availability of multi-drug treatment. The majority reported limited schooling, were housewives or engaged in under-skilled occupations, and had family incomes lower than average for users of this public teaching hospital. The view of AIDS as "someone else's disease" was prevalent, and STDs were perceived as male infections, although several women reported episodes of STDs prior to HIV. They had received their diagnosis and initial medical care only after their partners' and/or children's illness or death. The study points to preventive strategies reinforcing these silent women's bargaining power, acting on men as potential active participants in reproductive health programs that incorporate STD/AIDS issues.

State trends in premiums and deductibles, 2003-2010: the need for action to address rising costs.

PubMed

Schoen, Cathy; Fryer, Ashley-Kay; Collins, Sara R; Radley, David C

2011-11-01

Rapidly rising health insurance costs continue to strain the budgets of U.S. families and employers. This issue brief analyzes changes in private employer-based health premiums and deductibles for all states from 2003 to 2010, and finds total premiums for family coverage increased 50 percent across states and employee annual share of premiums increased by 63 percent over these seven years. At the same time, per-person deductibles doubled in large, as well as small, firms. If premium trends continue at the rate prior to enactment of the Affordable Care Act, the average premium for family coverage will rise 72 percent by 2020, to nearly $24,000. Health reform offers the potential to reduce insurance cost growth while improving financial protections. If efforts succeed in slowing annual premium growth by 1 percentage point, by 2020 employers and families together would save $2,161 annually for family coverage, compared with projected premiums at historical rates of increase.

Tethered lives: A couple-based perspective on the consequences of parenthood for time use, occupation, and wages.

PubMed

Killewald, Alexandra; García-Manglano, Javier

2016-11-01

Prior research on parenthood effects has typically used single-sex models and estimated average effects. By contrast, we estimate population-level variability in partners' changes in housework hours, paid work hours, occupation traits, and wages after becoming parents, and we explore whether one partner's adjustment offsets or supplements the other's. We find tradeoffs between spouses on paid work adjustments to parenthood, but complementarity in adjustments to housework hours, occupation traits, and wages. The effect of parenthood on wives' behaviors is larger and more variable than on husbands' behaviors in every domain. The modest variation between husbands in work responses to parenthood explains little of the variation in the motherhood penalty, while variation in wives' own behaviors plays a larger role. We refer to this pattern as tethered autonomy: variation across American couples in work responses to parenthood is shaped primarily by variation in wives' adjustments, while husbands' work acts largely as a fixed point. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

National Health Expenditure Projections, 2015-25: Economy, Prices, And Aging Expected To Shape Spending And Enrollment.

PubMed

Keehan, Sean P; Poisal, John A; Cuckler, Gigi A; Sisko, Andrea M; Smith, Sheila D; Madison, Andrew J; Stone, Devin A; Wolfe, Christian J; Lizonitz, Joseph M

2016-08-01

Health spending growth in the United States for 2015-25 is projected to average 5.8 percent-1.3 percentage points faster than growth in the gross domestic product-and to represent 20.1 percent of the total economy by 2025. As the initial impacts associated with the Affordable Care Act's coverage expansions fade, growth in health spending is expected to be influenced by changes in economic growth, faster growth in medical prices, and population aging. Projected national health spending growth, though faster than observed in the recent history, is slower than in the two decades before the recent Great Recession, in part because of trends such as increasing cost sharing in private health insurance plans and various Medicare payment update provisions. In addition, the share of total health expenditures paid for by federal, state, and local governments is projected to increase to 47 percent by 2025. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Increasing radiographer productivity by an incentive point system.

PubMed

Williams, B; Chacko, P T

1982-01-01

Because of a very low technologist productivity in their Radiology Department, the authors describe a Productive Point System they developed and implemented to solve this personnel problem. After establishing the average time required to perform all exams, point credits (one point for every ten minutes utilized) were assigned to each exam performed, thereby determining an index of production. A Productive Index of 80% was considered realistic and was the equivalent of 192 points for a 40-hour work week. From 1975 to 1978 personal productivity increased from 79% to 113%. This resulted in an average yearly fiscal savings of over $20,000.00 for this three-year period. There was also a significant improvement in exam efficiency and quality, job attitude, personnel morale, and public relations. This program was highly successful because technologist acceptance and cooperation was complete, and this occurred mainly because the system supports the normal occupational goals and expectations of technologists.

Increasing radiographer productivity by an incentive point system.

PubMed

Williams, B; Chacko, P T

1983-01-01

Because of a very low technologist productivity in their Radiology Department, the authors describe a Productive Point System they developed and implemented to solve this personnel problem. After establishing the average time required to perform all exams, point credits (one point for every ten minutes utilized) were assigned to each exam performed, thereby determining an index of production. A Productive Index of 80% was considered realistic and was the equivalent of 192 points for a 40-hour work week. From 1975 to 1978 personal productivity increased from 79% to 113%. This resulted in an average yearly fiscal savings of over $20,000.00 for this three-year period. There was also a significant improvement in exam efficiency and quality, job attitude, personnel morale, and public relations. This program was highly successful because technologist acceptance and cooperation was complete, and this occurred mainly because the system supports the normal occupational goals and expectations of technologists.

Data Point Averaging for Computational Fluid Dynamics Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norman, Jr., David (Inventor)

2016-01-01

A system and method for generating fluid flow parameter data for use in aerodynamic heating analysis. Computational fluid dynamics data is generated for a number of points in an area on a surface to be analyzed. Sub-areas corresponding to areas of the surface for which an aerodynamic heating analysis is to be performed are identified. A computer system automatically determines a sub-set of the number of points corresponding to each of the number of sub-areas and determines a value for each of the number of sub-areas using the data for the sub-set of points corresponding to each of the number of sub-areas. The value is determined as an average of the data for the sub-set of points corresponding to each of the number of sub-areas. The resulting parameter values then may be used to perform an aerodynamic heating analysis.

Data Point Averaging for Computational Fluid Dynamics Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norman, David, Jr. (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A system and method for generating fluid flow parameter data for use in aerodynamic heating analysis. Computational fluid dynamics data is generated for a number of points in an area on a surface to be analyzed. Sub-areas corresponding to areas of the surface for which an aerodynamic heating analysis is to be performed are identified. A computer system automatically determines a sub-set of the number of points corresponding to each of the number of sub-areas and determines a value for each of the number of sub-areas using the data for the sub-set of points corresponding to each of the number of sub-areas. The value is determined as an average of the data for the sub-set of points corresponding to each of the number of sub-areas. The resulting parameter values then may be used to perform an aerodynamic heating analysis.

Lessons Learned From the Affordable Care Act: The Premium Subsidy Design May Promote Adverse Selection.

PubMed

Graetz, Ilana; McKillop, Caitlin N; Kaplan, Cameron M; Waters, Teresa M

2017-05-01

Since 2014, average premiums for health plans available in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces have increased. We examine how premium price changes affected the amount consumers pay after subsidies for the lowest-cost bronze and silver plans available by age in the federally facilitated exchanges. Between 2015 and 2016, benchmark plan premiums increased in 83.3% of counties. Overall, rising benchmark premiums were associated with lower average after-subsidy premiums for the lowest-cost bronze and silver plans for older subsidy-eligible adults, but with higher after-subsidy premiums for younger adults purchasing the same plans, regardless of income. With recent discussions to replace or overhaul the Affordable Care Act, it is critical that we learn from the successes and failures of the current policy. Our findings suggest that the subsidy design, which makes rising premiums costlier for younger adults looking to purchase an entry-level plan, may be contributing to adverse selection and instability in the marketplace.

Adherence in the CAPRISA 004 Tenofovir Gel Microbicide Trial

PubMed Central

Mansoor, Leila E

2014-01-01

High adherence is key to microbicide effectiveness. Here we provide a description of adherence interventions and the adherence rates achieved in the CAPRISA 004 Tenofovir Gel Trial. Adherence support for the before-and-after dosing strategy (BAT 24) was provided at enrolment and at each monthly study visit. This initially comprised individual counselling and was replaced midway by a structured theory-based adherence support program (ASP) based on motivational interviewing. The 889 women were followed for an average of 18 months and attended a total of 17031 monthly visits. On average women reported 5 sex acts and returned 5.9 empty applicators per month. The adherence rate based on applicator count in relation to all reported sex acts was 72.2% compared to the 82.0% self-reported adherence during the last sex act. Adherence support activities, which achieve levels of adherence similar to or better than those achieved by the CAPRISA 004 ASP, will be critical to the success of future microbicide trials. PMID:24643315

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

Oh, Yohan; Chung, Kwang Chul, E-mail: kchung@yonsei.ac.kr

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ZNF131 directly interacts with ER{alpha}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The binding affinity of ZNF131 to ER{alpha} increases upon E2 stimulation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ZNF131 inhibits ER{alpha}-mediated trans-activation by suppressing its homo-dimerization. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ZNF131 inhibits ER{alpha}-dimerization and E2-induced breast cancer cell proliferation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ZNF131 inhibits estrogen signaling by acting as an ER{alpha}-co-repressor. -- Abstract: Steroid hormone estrogen elicits various physiological functions, many of which are mediated through two structurally and functionally distinct estrogen receptors, ER{alpha} and ER{beta}. The functional role of zinc finger protein 131 (ZNF131) is poorly understood, but it is assumed to possess transcriptional regulation activity due to the presence of amore » DNA binding motif. A few recent reports, including ours, revealed that ZNF131 acts as a negative regulator of ER{alpha} and that SUMO modification potentiates the negative effect of ZNF131 on estrogen signaling. However, its molecular mechanism for ER{alpha} inhibition has not been elucidated in detail. Here, we demonstrate that ZNF131 directly interacts with ER{alpha}, which consequently inhibits ER{alpha}-mediated trans-activation by suppressing its homo-dimerization. Moreover, we show that the C-terminal region of ZNF131 containing the SUMOylation site is necessary for its inhibition of estrogen signaling. Taken together, these data suggest that ZNF131 inhibits estrogen signaling by acting as an ER{alpha}-co-repressor.« less

Assessing adolescent asthma symptoms and adherence using mobile phones.

PubMed

Mulvaney, Shelagh A; Ho, Yun-Xian; Cala, Cather M; Chen, Qingxia; Nian, Hui; Patterson, Barron L; Johnson, Kevin B

2013-07-17

Self-report is the most common method of measuring medication adherence but is influenced by recall error and response bias, and it typically does not provide insight into the causes of poor adherence. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) of health behaviors using mobile phones offers a promising alternative to assessing adherence and collecting related data that can be clinically useful for adherence problem solving. To determine the feasibility of using EMA via mobile phones to assess adolescent asthma medication adherence and identify contextual characteristics of adherence decision making. We utilized a descriptive and correlational study design to explore a mobile method of symptom and adherence assessment using an interactive voice response system. Adolescents aged 12-18 years with a diagnosis of asthma and prescribed inhalers were recruited from an academic medical center. A survey including barriers to mobile phone use, the Illness Management Survey, and the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire were administered at baseline. Quantitative and qualitative assessment of asthma symptoms and adherence were conducted with daily calls to mobile phones for 1 month. The Asthma Control Test (ACT) was administered at 2 study time points: baseline and 1 month after baseline. The sample consisted of 53 adolescents who were primarily African American (34/53, 64%) and female (31/53, 58%) with incomes US$40K/year or lower (29/53, 55%). The majority of adolescents (37/53, 70%) reported that they carried their phones with them everywhere, but only 47% (25/53) were able to use their mobile phone at school. Adolescents responded to an average of 20.1 (SD 8.1) of the 30 daily calls received (67%). Response frequency declined during the last week of the month (b=-0.29, P<.001) and was related to EMA-reported levels of rescue inhaler adherence (r= 0.33, P=.035). Using EMA, adolescents reported an average of 0.63 (SD 1.2) asthma symptoms per day and used a rescue inhaler an average of 70% of the time (SD 35%) when they experienced symptoms. About half (26/49, 53%) of the instances of nonadherence took place in the presence of friends. The EMA-measured adherence to rescue inhaler use correlated appropriately with asthma control as measured by the ACT (r=-0.33, P=.034). Mobile phones provided a feasible method to assess asthma symptoms and adherence in adolescents. The EMA method was consistent with the ACT, a widely established measure of asthma control, and results provided valuable insights regarding the context of adherence decision making that could be used clinically for problem solving or as feedback to adolescents in a mobile or Web-based support system.

Using Ecosystem Function in the Clean Water Act

EPA Science Inventory

Clean, fresh water is one of our most precious natural resources. The Clean Water Act was enacted to control pollution. It has been highly successful in controlling pollution at the point of contamination. Yet, there are still areas where vast improvements need to be made. Enviro...

5 CFR 297.106 - Contact point for Privacy Act matters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., requesters can contact the particular system manager indicated in the Office's notices of its systems.... 297.106 Section 297.106 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE... Act matters. To determine what records the Office maintains in its system of records, requesters must...

5 CFR 297.106 - Contact point for Privacy Act matters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., requesters can contact the particular system manager indicated in the Office's notices of its systems.... 297.106 Section 297.106 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE... Act matters. To determine what records the Office maintains in its system of records, requesters must...

Acceptance and Commitment Training: A Brief Intervention to Reduce Procrastination among College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scent, Camille L.; Boes, Susan R.

2014-01-01

Academic procrastination is a multifaceted problem with cognitive, behavioral, and motivational correlates. Considered from an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) point of view, these correlates relate to experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion. This article describes a brief ACT intervention for reducing procrastination.

A comparison of speciated atmospheric mercury at an urban center and an upwind rural location

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rutter, A.P.; Schauer, J.J.; Lough, G.C.; Snyder, D.C.; Kolb, C.J.; Von Klooster, S.; Rudolf, T.; Manolopoulos, H.; Olson, M.L.

2008-01-01

Gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), particulate mercury (PHg) and reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) were measured every other hour at a rural location in south central Wisconsin (Devil's Lake State Park, WI, USA) between April 2003 and March 2004, and at a predominantly downwind urban site in southeastern Wisconsin (Milwaukee, WI, USA) between June 2004 and May 2005. Annual averages of GEM, PHg, and RGM at the urban site were statistically higher than those measured at the rural site. Pollution roses of GEM and reactive mercury (RM; sum of PHg and RGM) at the rural and urban sites revealed the influences of point source emissions in surrounding counties that were consistent with the US EPA 1999 National Emission Inventory and the 2003-2005 US EPA Toxics Release Inventory. Source-receptor relationships at both sites were studied by quantifying the impacts of point sources on mercury concentrations. Time series of GEM, PHg, and RGM concentrations were sorted into two categories; time periods dominated by impacts from point sources, and time periods dominated by mercury from non-point sources. The analysis revealed average point source contributions to GEM, PHg, and RGM concentration measurements to be significant over the year long studies. At the rural site, contributions to annual average concentrations were: GEM (2%; 0.04 ng m-3); and, RM (48%; 5.7 pg m-3). At the urban site, contributions to annual average concentrations were: GEM (33%; 0.81 ng m-3); and, RM (64%; 13.8 pg m-3). ?? The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Model averaging in linkage analysis.

PubMed

Matthysse, Steven

2006-06-05

Methods for genetic linkage analysis are traditionally divided into "model-dependent" and "model-independent," but there may be a useful place for an intermediate class, in which a broad range of possible models is considered as a parametric family. It is possible to average over model space with an empirical Bayes prior that weights models according to their goodness of fit to epidemiologic data, such as the frequency of the disease in the population and in first-degree relatives (and correlations with other traits in the pleiotropic case). For averaging over high-dimensional spaces, Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) has great appeal, but it has a near-fatal flaw: it is not possible, in most cases, to provide rigorous sufficient conditions to permit the user safely to conclude that the chain has converged. A way of overcoming the convergence problem, if not of solving it, rests on a simple application of the principle of detailed balance. If the starting point of the chain has the equilibrium distribution, so will every subsequent point. The first point is chosen according to the target distribution by rejection sampling, and subsequent points by an MCMC process that has the target distribution as its equilibrium distribution. Model averaging with an empirical Bayes prior requires rapid estimation of likelihoods at many points in parameter space. Symbolic polynomials are constructed before the random walk over parameter space begins, to make the actual likelihood computations at each step of the random walk very fast. Power analysis in an illustrative case is described. (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Risk for Sleep Disorder Measured during Students' First College Semester May Predict Institutional Retention and Grade Point Average over a 3-Year Period, with Indirect Effects through Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaultney, Jane F.

2016-01-01

The present study used a validated survey to assess freshmen college students' sleep patterns and risk for sleep disorders and then examined associations with retention and grade point average (GPA) over a 3-year period. Students at risk for a sleep disorder were more likely to leave the institution over the 3-year period, although this…

A Comparison of the Hot Spot and the Average Cancer Cell Counting Methods and the Optimal Cutoff Point of the Ki-67 Index for Luminal Type Breast Cancer.

PubMed

Arima, Nobuyuki; Nishimura, Reiki; Osako, Tomofumi; Nishiyama, Yasuyuki; Fujisue, Mamiko; Okumura, Yasuhiro; Nakano, Masahiro; Tashima, Rumiko; Toyozumi, Yasuo

2016-01-01

In this case-control study, we investigated the most suitable cell counting area and the optimal cutoff point of the Ki-67 index. Thirty recurrent cases were selected among hormone receptor (HR)-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer patients. As controls, 90 nonrecurrent cases were randomly selected by allotting 3 controls to each recurrent case based on the following criteria: age, nodal status, tumor size, and adjuvant endocrine therapy alone. Both the hot spot and the average area of the tumor were evaluated on a Ki-67 immunostaining slide. The median Ki-67 index value at the hot spot and average area were 25.0 and 14.5%, respectively. Irrespective of the area counted, the Ki-67 index value was significantly higher in all of the recurrent cases (p < 0.0001). The multivariate analysis revealed that the Ki-67 index value of 20% at the hot spot was the most suitable cutoff point for predicting recurrence. Moreover, higher x0394;Ki-67 index value (the difference between the hot spot and the average area, ≥10%) and lower progesterone receptor expression (<20%) were significantly correlated with recurrence. A higher Ki-67 index value at the hot spot strongly correlated with recurrence, and the optimal cutoff point was found to be 20%. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

A Healthy New World: Emergent Opportunities for Clinical Psychologists in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

PubMed Central

Beidas, Rinad S.; Manderscheid, Ronald W.

2014-01-01

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is radically transforming the health and mental health care landscape. Emergent opportunities exist for clinical psychologists to redefine their role in healthcare. We reflect on the Chor and colleagues article (this issue) elucidating key issues for psychologists, and present additional recommendations for consideration. Specifically, we highlight three points: (1) moving beyond just training and hoping; (2) recovery, not just symptom reduction; and (3) it’s a healthy new world. Under each of these points, we suggest tactics for how to achieve these goals. PMID:24954983

Will the Family Farm Survive in America? Part 2: Impact of Environmental Regulations on Small Farms. Joint Hearings Before the Select Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Public Works and the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, U.S. Senate, 94th Congress; 1st Session (October 21 and 22, 1975).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act provides that each and every point source of pollution be under treatment with the best available technology by July 1983. The Act mandates that: every point source of pollution be issued a national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permit and comply with effluent guidelines, and the 1983 best…

Standard error of estimated average timber volume per acre under point sampling when trees are measured for volume on a subsample of all points.

Treesearch

Floyd A. Johnson

1961-01-01

This report assumes a knowledge of the principles of point sampling as described by Grosenbaugh, Bell and Alexander, and others. Whenever trees are counted at every point in a sample of points (large sample) and measured for volume at a portion (small sample) of these points, the sampling design could be called ratio double sampling. If the large...

[A new kinematics method of determing elbow rotation axis and evaluation of its feasibility].

PubMed

Han, W; Song, J; Wang, G Z; Ding, H; Li, G S; Gong, M Q; Jiang, X Y; Wang, M Y

2016-04-18

To study a new positioning method of elbow external fixation rotation axis, and to evaluate its feasibility. Four normal adult volunteers and six Sawbone elbow models were brought into this experiment. The kinematic data of five elbow flexion were collected respectively by optical positioning system. The rotation axes of the elbow joints were fitted by the least square method. The kinematic data and fitting results were visually displayed. According to the fitting results, the average moving planes and rotation axes were calculated. Thus, the rotation axes of new kinematic methods were obtained. By using standard clinical methods, the entrance and exit points of rotation axes of six Sawbone elbow models were located under X-ray. And The kirschner wires were placed as the representatives of rotation axes using traditional positioning methods. Then, the entrance point deviation, the exit point deviation and the angle deviation of two kinds of located rotation axes were compared. As to the four volunteers, the indicators represented circular degree and coplanarity of elbow flexion movement trajectory of each volunteer were both about 1 mm. All the distance deviations of the moving axes to the average moving rotation axes of the five volunteers were less than 3 mm. All the angle deviations of the moving axes to the average moving rotation axes of the five volunteers were less than 5°. As to the six Sawbone models, the average entrance point deviations, the average exit point deviations and the average angle deviations of two different rotation axes determined by two kinds of located methods were respectively 1.697 2 mm, 1.838 3 mm and 1.321 7°. All the deviations were very small. They were all in an acceptable range of clinical practice. The values that represent circular degree and coplanarity of volunteer's elbow single curvature movement trajectory are very small. The result shows that the elbow single curvature movement can be regarded as the approximate fixed axis movement. The new method can replace the traditional method in accuracy. It can make up the deficiency of the traditional fixed axis method.

A four-session acceptance and commitment therapy based intervention for depressive symptoms delivered by masters degree level psychology students: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Kohtala, Aino; Lappalainen, Raimo; Savonen, Laura; Timo, Elina; Tolvanen, Asko

2015-05-01

Depressive symptoms are one of the main reasons for seeking psychological help. Shorter interventions using briefly trained therapists could offer a solution to the ever-rising need for early and easily applicable psychological treatments. The current study examines the effectiveness of a four-session Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) based treatment for self-reported depressive symptoms administered by Masters level psychology students. This paper reports the effectiveness of a brief intervention compared to a waiting list control (WLC) group. Participants were randomized into two groups: ACT (n = 28) and waiting list (n = 29). Long-term effects were examined using a 6-month follow-up. The treatment group's level of depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory) decreased by an average of 47%, compared to an average decrease of 4% in the WLC group. Changes in psychological well-being in the ACT group were better throughout, and treatment outcomes were maintained after 6 months. The posttreatment "between-group" and follow-up "with-in group" effect sizes (Cohen's d) were large to medium for depressive symptoms and psychological flexibility. The results support the brief ACT-based intervention for sub-clinical depressive symptoms when treatment was conducted by briefly trained psychology students. It also contributes to the growing body of evidence on brief ACT-based treatments and inexperienced therapists.

Influence of therapist competence and quantity of cognitive behavioural therapy on suicidal behaviour and inpatient hospitalisation in a randomised controlled trial in borderline personality disorder: Further analyses of treatment effects in the BOSCOT study

PubMed Central

Norrie, John; Davidson, Kate; Tata, Philip; Gumley, Andrew

2013-01-01

Objectives We investigated the treatment effects reported from a high-quality randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for 106 people with borderline personality disorder attending community-based clinics in the UK National Health Service – the BOSCOT trial. Specifically, we examined whether the amount of therapy and therapist competence had an impact on our primary outcome, the number of suicidal acts†, using instrumental variables regression modelling. Design Randomized controlled trial. Participants from across three sites (London, Glasgow, and Ayrshire/Arran) were randomized equally to CBT for personality disorders (CBTpd) plus Treatment as Usual or to Treatment as Usual. Treatment as Usual varied between sites and individuals, but was consistent with routine treatment in the UK National Health Service at the time. CBTpd comprised an average 16 sessions (range 0–35) over 12 months. Method We used instrumental variable regression modelling to estimate the impact of quantity and quality of therapy received (recording activities and behaviours that took place after randomization) on number of suicidal acts and inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. Results A total of 101 participants provided full outcome data at 2 years post randomization. The previously reported intention-to-treat (ITT) results showed on average a reduction of 0.91 (95% confidence interval 0.15–1.67) suicidal acts over 2 years for those randomized to CBT. By incorporating the influence of quantity of therapy and therapist competence, we show that this estimate of the effect of CBTpd could be approximately two to three times greater for those receiving the right amount of therapy from a competent therapist. Conclusions Trials should routinely control for and collect data on both quantity of therapy and therapist competence, which can be used, via instrumental variable regression modelling, to estimate treatment effects for optimal delivery of therapy. Such estimates complement rather than replace the ITT results, which are properly the principal analysis results from such trials. Practitioner points Assessing the impact of the quantity and quality of therapy (competence of therapists) is complex. More competent therapists, trained in CBTpd, may significantly reduce the number of suicidal act in patients with borderline personality disorder. PMID:23420622

Beliefs of Turkish female teaching staff regarding mammography scanning.

PubMed

Temel, Ayla Bayik; Ardahan, Melek; Sesli, Esra

2010-01-01

To our knowledge, there has hitherto been no research to determine the beliefs of female teaching staff, who are highly educated and form a special risk group regarding breast cancer, towards mammography scanning in Turkey. Definitive research was planned to determine the beliefs of the female teaching staff working in a university. Data were collected by researchers via face-to-face interview using a sociodemographic questionnaire and " Health Belief Model ". The point average of the teaching staff in the mammography benefits sub-scale is 19.6 ± 3.87, their average item score is 3.91. The point average of the teaching staff in the mammography obstacles sub-scale is 21.17 ± 6.87, their average item score is 1.92. They agree on the benefits of the mammography, but they do not agree on the obstacles to mammography.

Launch pad lightning protection effectiveness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahmann, James R.

1991-01-01

Using the striking distance theory that lightning leaders will strike the nearest grounded point on their last jump to earth corresponding to the striking distance, the probability of striking a point on a structure in the presence of other points can be estimated. The lightning strokes are divided into deciles having an average peak current and striking distance. The striking distances are used as radii from the points to generate windows of approach through which the leader must pass to reach a designated point. The projections of the windows on a horizontal plane as they are rotated through all possible angles of approach define an area that can be multiplied by the decile stroke density to arrive at the probability of strokes with the window average striking distance. The sum of all decile probabilities gives the cumulative probability for all strokes. The techniques can be applied to NASA-Kennedy launch pad structures to estimate the lightning protection effectiveness for the crane, gaseous oxygen vent arm, and other points. Streamers from sharp points on the structure provide protection for surfaces having large radii of curvature. The effects of nearby structures can also be estimated.

29 CFR 548.302 - Average earnings for period other than a workweek.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... authorized basic rate for all hours worked in excess of forty in the workweek. The authorized basic rate is... workweek and all his overtime hours are on job No. 2. The employee's average hourly earnings on job No. 2... hours under the act must be determined on a workweek basis. (c) In computing the basic rate under § 548...

40 CFR 80.405 - What penalties apply under this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... subject to civil penalties as specified in section 205 of the Clean Air Act for every day of each such... violation for each and every day in the averaging period. Any person liable under § 80.395(b) for a failure... correction, is subject to a separate day of violation for each and every day in the averaging period in which...

40 CFR 29.9 - How does the Administrator receive and respond to comments?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... State office or official is designated to act as a single point of contact between a State process and... program selected under § 29.6. (b) The single point of contact is not obligated to transmit comments from.... However, if a State process recommendation is transmitted by a single point of contact, all comments from...

Soft-sphere simulations of a planar shock interaction with a granular bed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stewart, Cameron; Balachandar, S.; McGrath, Thomas P.

2018-03-01

Here we consider the problem of shock propagation through a layer of spherical particles. A point particle force model is used to capture the shock-induced aerodynamic force acting upon the particles. The discrete element method (DEM) code liggghts is used to implement the shock-induced force as well as to capture the collisional forces within the system. A volume-fraction-dependent drag correction is applied using Voronoi tessellation to calculate the volume of fluid around each individual particle. A statistically stationary frame is chosen so that spatial and temporal averaging can be performed to calculate ensemble-averaged macroscopic quantities, such as the granular temperature. A parametric study is carried out by varying the coefficient of restitution for three sets of multiphase shock conditions. A self-similar profile is obtained for the granular temperature that is dependent on the coefficient of restitution. A traveling wave structure is observed in the particle concentration downstream of the shock and this instability arises from the volume-fraction-dependent drag force. The intensity of the traveling wave increases significantly as inelastic collisions are introduced. Downstream of the shock, the variance in Voronoi volume fraction is shown to have a strong dependence upon the coefficient of restitution, indicating clustering of particles induced by collisional dissipation. Statistics of the Voronoi volume are computed upstream and downstream of the shock and compared to theoretical results for randomly distributed hard spheres.

Non-contact thrust stand calibration method for repetitively pulsed electric thrusters.

PubMed

Wong, Andrea R; Toftul, Alexandra; Polzin, Kurt A; Pearson, J Boise

2012-02-01

A thrust stand calibration technique for use in testing repetitively pulsed electric thrusters for in-space propulsion has been developed and tested using a modified hanging pendulum thrust stand. In the implementation of this technique, current pulses are applied to a solenoid to produce a pulsed magnetic field that acts against a permanent magnet mounted to the thrust stand pendulum arm. The force on the magnet is applied in this non-contact manner, with the entire pulsed force transferred to the pendulum arm through a piezoelectric force transducer to provide a time-accurate force measurement. Modeling of the pendulum arm dynamics reveals that after an initial transient in thrust stand motion the quasi-steady average deflection of the thrust stand arm away from the unforced or "zero" position can be related to the average applied force through a simple linear Hooke's law relationship. Modeling demonstrates that this technique is universally applicable except when the pulsing period is increased to the point where it approaches the period of natural thrust stand motion. Calibration data were obtained using a modified hanging pendulum thrust stand previously used for steady-state thrust measurements. Data were obtained for varying impulse bit at constant pulse frequency and for varying pulse frequency. The two data sets exhibit excellent quantitative agreement with each other. The overall error on the linear regression fit used to determine the calibration coefficient was roughly 1%.

Return to sports after autogenous osteochondral mosaicplasty of the femoral condyles: 25 cases at a mean follow-up of 9 years.

PubMed

Cognault, J; Seurat, O; Chaussard, C; Ionescu, S; Saragaglia, D

2015-05-01

Autogenous osteochondral mosaicplasty is the most common cartilage restoration technique in standard clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the return to sports 9 years after mosaicplasty of the femoral condyles. The long-term results of an osteochondral autograft show that patients can regain their pre-injury activity level. This study is based on a series of 25 patients with a mean age of 28.9 years (range, 16-44 years) who had stage 3 or 4 chondral lesions of the femoral condyles (according to the ICRS or ICRS-OCD scores). The origin of the lesion was osteochondritis dissecans (13 knees), osteochondral fracture sequelae (ten knees), or aseptic osteonecrosis (two knees). The average size of the lesion was 2.11 ± 0.9 cm(2). Ten patients (40%) had an associated procedure during the osteochondral autograft. The patients were assessed clinically (IKDC and Lysholm-Tegner scores) and radiographically by a reviewer independent of the team of operators. All patients were re-examined at a mean follow-up of 9 years (range, 6-15 years), with 84% satisfied or very satisfied with the procedure. The average IKDC was 74.5 ± 18.5 points. The average Lysholm score was 87.3 ± 11.6 points. The average Tegner score ranged from 6.35 ± 1.53 points prior to surgery to 5.60 ± 1.64 points after surgery (P = 0.001). The average loss was 0.64 points for patients whose presurgery Tegner score was greater than or equal to 7 (P = 0.019) and 0.3 points if lower than 7. The radiologic evaluation of 21 patients showed complete osteointegration of the grafts in 90% of cases. The results of the femoral condyle mosaic autografts are satisfactory, a mean of 9 years after surgery. The most active patients lowered their activity level while the more sedentary did not have to adapt their lifestyle. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A Point of Discrimination--Public Law 94-142.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padula, William V.

1979-01-01

The paper points out that because of an incorrect interpretation of the development of learning disabilities, physically handicapped children with learning disabilities are being discriminated against in the provisions of Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. (PHR)

16 CFR 1500.48 - Technical requirements for determining a sharp point in toys and other articles intended for use...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Section 1500.48 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FEDERAL HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES ACT...-quarter times the minor dimension of the probe, recess, or opening, measured from any point in the plane...

Key Points in Learning Forward's Definition of Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Staff Development, 2010

2010-01-01

This article provides Learning Forward's definition of professional development. Learning Forward is seeking legislative amendments to include its definition in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. These amendments will clarify what practices qualify for federal, state, and district…

78 FR 76269 - Adoption of Recommendations and Statement Regarding Administrative Practice and Procedure

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-17

... Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Modernization Act of 2010. The Conference also adopted one formal statement... adopted three recommendations and one formal statement. Recommendation 2013-5, ``Social Media in... judicial debate over its advisability and legality. Those who support remand without vacatur point to the...

76 FR 20720 - National Science Board; Sunshine Act Meetings; Notice

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-13

... AND POINT OF CONTACT: Please refer to the National Science Board website http://www.nsf.gov/nsb for... NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION National Science Board; Sunshine Act Meetings; Notice The National Science Board's Committee on Programs and Plans (CPP) Task Force on Unsolicited Mid-Scale Research (MS...

Embedded Remediation: A New Paradigm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blake, Nicola

2016-01-01

Guttman Community College (GCC), a newly-established, urban community college, part of the City University of New York (CUNY), enrolls a largely traditional student body which is also predominantly minority. Students enter the college with an average high-school grade-point average of 75% (C average), and are required to enroll in three first-year…

Instantaneous and time-averaged dispersion and measurement models for estimation theory applications with elevated point source plumes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diamante, J. M.; Englar, T. S., Jr.; Jazwinski, A. H.

1977-01-01

Estimation theory, which originated in guidance and control research, is applied to the analysis of air quality measurements and atmospheric dispersion models to provide reliable area-wide air quality estimates. A method for low dimensional modeling (in terms of the estimation state vector) of the instantaneous and time-average pollutant distributions is discussed. In particular, the fluctuating plume model of Gifford (1959) is extended to provide an expression for the instantaneous concentration due to an elevated point source. Individual models are also developed for all parameters in the instantaneous and the time-average plume equations, including the stochastic properties of the instantaneous fluctuating plume.

Subsidising artemisinin-based combination therapy in the private retail sector

PubMed Central

Opiyo, Newton; Yamey, Gavin; Garner, Paul

2016-01-01

Background Malaria causes ill health and death in Africa. Treating illness promptly with artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is likely to cure people and avoid the disease progressing to more severe forms and death. In many countries, ACT use remains low. Part of the problem is that most people seek treatment from the retail sector where ACTs are expensive; this expense is a barrier to their use. The Global Fund and other international organisations are subsidising the cost of ACTs for private retail providers to improve access to ACTs. The subsidy was initially organised through a stand-alone initiative, called the Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria (AMFm), but has since been integrated into the Global Fund core grant management and financial processes. Objectives To assess the effect of programmes that include ACT price subsidies for private retailers on ACT use, availability, price and market share. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2015, Issue 1, The Cochrane Library, including the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) Group Specialised Register); MEDLINE (OvidSP), EMBASE (OvidSP), CINAHL (EbscoHost), EconLit (ProQuest), Global Health (OvidSP), Regional Indexes (Global Health Library, WHO), LILACS (Global Health Library, WHO), Science Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index (ISI Web of Science) and Health Management (ProQuest). All databases were searched February 2015, except for Health Management which was searched November 2013, without any date, language or publication status restrictions. We also searched the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP; WHO), ClinicalTrials.gov (NIH) and various grey literature sources. We also conducted a cited reference search for all included studies in ISI Web of Knowledge, checked references of identified articles and contacted authors to identify additional studies. Selection criteria Randomised trials, non-randomised trials, controlled before-after studies and interrupted-time-series studies that compared the effects of ACT price subsidies for private retailers to no subsidies or alternative ACT financing mechanisms were eligible for inclusion. Two authors independently screened and selected studies for inclusion. Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently extracted data, assessed study risk of bias and confidence in effect estimates (certainty of evidence) using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). Main results We included four trials (two cluster-randomised trials reported in three articles and two non-randomised cluster trials). Three trials assessed retail sector ACT subsidies combined with supportive interventions (retail outlet provider training, community awareness and mass media campaigns). One trial assessed vouchers provided to households to purchase subsidised ACTs. Price subsidies ranged from 80% to 95%. One trial enrolled children under five years of age; the other three trials studied people of all age groups. The studies were done in rural districts in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania). In this East Africa setting, these ACT subsidy programmes increased the percentage of children under five years of age receiving ACTs on the day, or following day, of fever onset by 25 percentage points (95% confidence interval (CI) 14.1 to 35.9 percentage points; 1 study, high certainty evidence). This suggests that in practice, among febrile children under five years of age with an ACT usage rate of 5% without a subsidy, subsidy programmes would increase usage by between 19% and 41% over a one year period. The ACT subsidy programmes increased the percentage of retail outlets stocking ACTs for children under five years of age by 31.9 percentage points (95% CI 26.3 to 37.5 percentage points; 1 study, high certainty evidence). Effects on ACT stocking for patients of any age is unknown because the certainty of evidence was very low. The ACT subsidy programmes decreased the median cost of ACTs for children under five years of age by US$ 0.84 (median cost per ACT course without subsidy: US$ 1.08 versus with subsidy: US$ 0.24; 1 study, high certainty evidence). The ACT subsidy programmes increased the market share of ACTs for children under five years of age by between 23.6 and 63.0 percentage points (1 study, high certainty evidence). The ACT subsidy programmes decreased the use of older antimalarial drugs (such as amodiaquine and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine) among children under five years of age by 10.4 percentage points (95% CI 3.9 to 16.9 percentage points; 1 study, high certainty evidence). None of the three studies of ACT subsidies reported the number of patients treated who had confirmed malaria. Vouchers increased the likelihood that an illness is treated with an ACT by 16 to 23 percentage points; however, vouchers were associated with a high rate of over-treatment of malaria (only 56% of patients taking ACTs from the drug shop tested positive for malaria under the 92% subsidy; 1 study, high certainty evidence). Authors' conclusions Programmes that include substantive subsidies for private sector retailers combined with training of providers and social marketing improved use and availability of ACTs for children under five years of age with suspected malaria in research studies from three countries in East Africa. These programmes also reduced prices of ACTs, improved market share of ACTs and reduced the use of older antimalarial drugs among febrile children under five years of age. The research evaluates drug delivery but does not assess whether the patients had confirmed (parasite-diagnosed) malaria. None of the included studies assessed patient outcomes; it is therefore not known whether the effects seen in the studies would translate to an impact on health. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY Subsidising artemisinin-based combination therapy in drug shops and pharmacies We conducted a review of the effect of subsidising artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) drugs for malaria. We searched for all relevant studies up to February 2015 and identified four. Our findings are summarised below. Background Malaria causes ill health and death in Africa, particularly in children under five years of age and poor rural populations. The World Health Organization recommends that people use ACT to treat malaria. ACT drugs are available at shops and pharmacies, but these drugs are expensive and people often choose cheaper, older, less effective drugs instead. The Global Fund and other international organisations have therefore decided to subsidise the cost of ACT drugs so that people can buy them from shops and pharmacies at prices similar to, or lower than, those of the older, less effective drugs. What is the effect of delivery programmes that subsidise ACT prices? We included four studies. One study looked at the effect of subsidising ACT drugs for children under five years of age and three studies looked at subsidising ACT drugs for people of all ages. All studies were from rural districts in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania). ACT price subsidies were accompanied with activities (such as staff training at shops and pharmacies, community awareness and mass media campaigns) to promote appropriate use of antimalarial drugs in all except one study. In all four studies, the effect of subsidising the drugs was compared to not subsidising the drugs. Price subsidies ranged from 80% to 95% of the actual price; vouchers to households were used in one study. The findings from these studies indicate that ACT subsidy programmes: lead to a substantial increase in the number of children under five years of age who used ACTs when they had a fever (high certainty evidence); lead to a substantial increase in the number of shops that stocked ACTs for children under five years of age (high certainty evidence); we could not draw any conclusion on the effect on the number of shops that stocked ACTs for patients of any age because the quality of evidence was very low; lead to a substantial decrease in the price of ACTs for children under five years of age (high certainty evidence); lead to a substantial increase in the market share of ACTs for children under five years of age (high certainty evidence); and lead to a decrease in the use of older, less effective antimalarials among children under five years of age (high certainty evidence). None of the studies measured whether the subsidy programmes led to any harmful effects (such as the inappropriate use of ACTs, in other words people who receive ACTs but do not actually have malaria). The review findings also showed that subsidising ACT prices using vouchers lead to an increase in the likelihood that an illness was treated with an ACT among people seeking treatment for fever or suspected malaria. However, vouchers also lead to an increase in inappropriate use of ACTs (high certainty evidence). PMID:26954551

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

Kiss, Daniel L.; Hou, Dezhi; Gross, Robert H.

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Successful use of a novel RNA-specific bioinformatic tool, RNA SCOPE. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Identified novel 3 Prime UTR cis-acting element that destabilizes a reporter mRNA. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Show exosome subunits are required for cis-acting element-mediated mRNA instability. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Define precise sequence requirements of novel cis-acting element. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Show that microarray-defined exosome subunit-regulated mRNAs have novel element. -- Abstract: Eukaryotic RNA turnover is regulated in part by the exosome, a nuclear and cytoplasmic complex of ribonucleases (RNases) and RNA-binding proteins. The major RNase of the complex is thought to be Dis3, a multi-functional 3 Prime -5 Prime exoribonuclease and endoribonuclease. Although itmore » is known that Dis3 and core exosome subunits are recruited to transcriptionally active genes and to messenger RNA (mRNA) substrates, this recruitment is thought to occur indirectly. We sought to discover cis-acting elements that recruit Dis3 or other exosome subunits. Using a bioinformatic tool called RNA SCOPE to screen the 3 Prime untranslated regions of up-regulated transcripts from our published Dis3 depletion-derived transcriptomic data set, we identified several motifs as candidate instability elements. Secondary screening using a luciferase reporter system revealed that one cassette-harboring four elements-destabilized the reporter transcript. RNAi-based depletion of Dis3, Rrp6, Rrp4, Rrp40, or Rrp46 diminished the efficacy of cassette-mediated destabilization. Truncation analysis of the cassette showed that two exosome subunit-sensitive elements (ESSEs) destabilized the reporter. Point-directed mutagenesis of ESSE abrogated the destabilization effect. An examination of the transcriptomic data from exosome subunit depletion-based microarrays revealed that mRNAs with ESSEs are found in every up-regulated mRNA data set but are underrepresented or missing from the down-regulated data sets. Taken together, our findings imply a potentially novel mechanism of mRNA turnover that involves direct Dis3 and other exosome subunit recruitment to and/or regulation on mRNA substrates.« less

Integrated Cognitive Architectures For Robust Decision Making

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-20

groups differed significantly from the other three [W(5) > 5, p > 0.13, uncorrected]. Performance by Condition It is useful to look at the average...the research that pursues integrated theories of human cognition, two approaches have become particularly influencial : ACT-R and Leabra. ACT-R...a wide range of tasks involving attention, learning, memory, problem solving, decision making, and language processing. Under the pressure of

How State ESSA Accountability Plans Can Shine a Statistically Sound Light on More Students. Evidence Speaks Reports, Vol 2, #17

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Nora

2017-01-01

The subgroup requirements for accountability in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) were designed to reveal underperformance of disadvantaged groups that could otherwise be hidden in aggregate averages. Both NCLB and its successor, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), left the choice of minimum subgroup size at the school level (n-size) for…

McKinney-Vento Act: The Effectiveness of One District's Whole Child Approach to Meeting The Needs of a Vulnerable Population

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hatchett, Theowauna

2017-01-01

This study was conducted to determine if a growing, urban school district was adequately addressing the academic, social-emotional and behavioral needs of students identified as homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act. McKinney-Vento eligible students were compared to non-homeless virtual twins. Each twin was created through averaging three…

NGEE Arctic Plant Traits: Shrub Transects, Kougarok Road Mile Marker 64, Seward Peninsula, Alaska, 2016

DOE Data Explorer

Verity Salmon; Colleen Iversen; Peter Thornton; Ma

2017-03-01

Transect data is from point center quarter surveys for shrub density performed in July 2016 at the Kougarok hill slope located at Kougarok Road, Mile Marker 64. For each sample point along the transects, moving averages for shrub density and shrub basal area are provided along with GPS coordinates, average shrub height and active layer depth. The individual height, basal area, and species of surveyed shrubs are also included. Data upload will be completed January 2017.

Order of accuracy of QUICK and related convection-diffusion schemes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leonard, B. P.

1993-01-01

This report attempts to correct some misunderstandings that have appeared in the literature concerning the order of accuracy of the QUICK scheme for steady-state convective modeling. Other related convection-diffusion schemes are also considered. The original one-dimensional QUICK scheme written in terms of nodal-point values of the convected variable (with a 1/8-factor multiplying the 'curvature' term) is indeed a third-order representation of the finite volume formulation of the convection operator average across the control volume, written naturally in flux-difference form. An alternative single-point upwind difference scheme (SPUDS) using node values (with a 1/6-factor) is a third-order representation of the finite difference single-point formulation; this can be written in a pseudo-flux difference form. These are both third-order convection schemes; however, the QUICK finite volume convection operator is 33 percent more accurate than the single-point implementation of SPUDS. Another finite volume scheme, writing convective fluxes in terms of cell-average values, requires a 1/6-factor for third-order accuracy. For completeness, one can also write a single-point formulation of the convective derivative in terms of cell averages, and then express this in pseudo-flux difference form; for third-order accuracy, this requires a curvature factor of 5/24. Diffusion operators are also considered in both single-point and finite volume formulations. Finite volume formulations are found to be significantly more accurate. For example, classical second-order central differencing for the second derivative is exactly twice as accurate in a finite volume formulation as it is in single-point.

7 CFR 4274.344 - Filing and processing applications for loans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... full years: (i) At least 1 but less than 3 years—5 points; (ii) At least 3 but less than 5 years—10 points; (iii) At least 5 but less than 10 years—20 points; or (iv) 10 or more years—30 points. (5... ultimate recipients' projects. The amount of funds from other sources will average: (A) At least 10% but...

78 FR 17389 - Texas Eastern Transmission, LP; Notice of Application for Certificate of Public Convenience and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-21

... Regulatory Commission an application under Sections 7(b) and 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) for its... day from supply points in the Marcellus Shale region to delivery points in New York, New Jersey, Ohio...

Self-force on a point charge and linear source in the space of a screw dislocation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azevedo, Sérgio; Moraes, Fernando

2000-03-01

Using a description of defect in solids in terms of three-dimensional gravity, we determine the eletrostatic self-force acting on a point teste charge and a linear source in the presence of a screw dislocation.

TMDLS: AFTER POINT SOURCES, WHAT CAN WE DO NEXT?

EPA Science Inventory

Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act required TMDLs (total maximum daily loads) for all waters for which effluent or point source limitations are insufficient to meet water quality standards. Concerns may arise regarding the manner by which TMDLs are established, the corrective ...

[Consent and confidentiality in occupational health practice: balance between legal requirements and ethical values].

PubMed

Mora, Erika; Franco, G

2010-01-01

The recently introduced Italian law on the protection of workers' health states that the occupational health physician (competent physician) is required to act according to the Code of Ethics of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH). This paper aims at examining the articles of legislative decree 81/2008 dealing with informed consent and confidentiality compared with the corresponding points of the ICOH Ethics Code. Analysis of the relationship between articles 25 and 39 (informed consent) and 18, 20 and 39 (confidentiality) of the decree shows that there are some points of disagreement between the legal requirements and the Code of Ethics, in particular concerning prescribed health surveillance, consent based on appropriate information (points 8, 10 and 12 of the Code) and some aspects of confidentiality (points 10, 20, 21, 22 and 23 of the Code). Although the competent physician is required to act according to the law, the decisional process could lead to a violation of workers' autonomy.

[Validation of a Spanish version of the Childhood Asthma Control Test (Sc-ACT) for use in Spain].

PubMed

Pérez-Yarza, E G; Castro-Rodriguez, J A; Villa Asensi, J R; Garde Garde, J; Hidalgo Bermejo, F J

2015-08-01

The Childhood Asthma Control Test (c-ACT) is a validated tool for determining pediatric asthma control. However, it is not validated in the Spanish language in Spain. We evaluated the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Childhood Asthma Control Test (Sc-ACT) for assessing asthma control in children ages 4 to11. This national, multicentre, prospective study was conducted in Spain with asthmatic children and their caregivers. Patients were assessed at 3 visits (Baseline, 2 Weeks, and 4 Months). Clinical variables included: symptoms, exacerbations, FEV1, asthma classification, PAQLQ and PACQLQ questionnaire scores, and asthma control as perceived by physicians, patients and caregivers. The Sc-ACT feasibility, validity, reliability, and sensitivity to change were assessed. A total of 394 children were included; mean (SD) time to complete the Sc-ACT was 5.3 (4.4) minutes. Sc-ACT score was correlated with asthma control as perceived by physician (-0.52), patient (-0.53), and caregiver (-0.51) and with the PAQLQ (0.56) and PACQLQ (0.55) scores. Sc-ACT was found to be significantly related to intensity and frequency of asthma symptoms. Cronbach alpha coefficient α was 0.81 and intraclass correlation coefficient was ≥0.85 for all of the items. The global effect size of Sc-ACT was 0.55. The cutoff point scores of 21 or higher indicated a good asthma control and their MCID was 4 points. The Spanish version of the c-ACT was found to be a reliable and valid questionnaire for evaluating asthma control in Spanish-speaking children ages 4 to 11 in Spain. Copyright © 2014 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

An evaluation of the Motion Picture Association of America's treatment of violence in PG-, PG-13-, and R-rated films.

PubMed

Jenkins, Lucille; Webb, Theresa; Browne, Nick; Afifi, A A; Kraus, Jess

2005-05-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Motion Picture Association of America's ratings system distinguishes among the 3 primary rating categories (PG, PG-13, and R) with respect to violence based on a study of the 100 top-grossing films of 1994. The Motion Picture Association of America assigns age-based ratings for every film that is released in the United States accompanied by the reasons for the rating. A data abstraction instrument was designed to code each act of violence within the sample of 100 films. A series of Poisson regression models were used to examine the association among rating, seriousness of violence, and primary reason for the rating assignment. The total average number of violent acts within each film by rating category increased from PG (14) to PG-13 (20) to R (32). However, using results from the Poisson models, it is clear that the rating does not predict the frequency of violence in films. For all 3 rating categories, the predicted number of violent acts is almost identical for films with violence as a primary descriptor and films with the highest level of seriousness (R = 62.4 acts, PG-13 = 55.2 acts, and PG = 56.1 acts). The regression analysis shows that the rating does not predict the frequency of violence that occurs in films. Frequency of violence alone is not the most important criterion for the assignment of rating. The content descriptors and average seriousness of films are better measures of the violence than rating assignment.

Far field and wavefront characterization of a high-power semiconductor laser for free space optical communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cornwell, Donald M., Jr.; Saif, Babak N.

1991-01-01

The spatial pointing angle and far field beamwidth of a high-power semiconductor laser are characterized as a function of CW power and also as a function of temperature. The time-averaged spatial pointing angle and spatial lobe width were measured under intensity-modulated conditions. The measured pointing deviations are determined to be well within the pointing requirements of the NASA Laser Communications Transceiver (LCT) program. A computer-controlled Mach-Zehnder phase-shifter interferometer is used to characterize the wavefront quality of the laser. The rms phase error over the entire pupil was measured as a function of CW output power. Time-averaged measurements of the wavefront quality are also made under intensity-modulated conditions. The measured rms phase errors are determined to be well within the wavefront quality requirements of the LCT program.

Deformation of angle profiles in forward kinematics for nullifying end-point offset while preserving movement properties.

PubMed

Zhang, Xudong

2002-10-01

This work describes a new approach that allows an angle-domain human movement model to generate, via forward kinematics, Cartesian-space human movement representation with otherwise inevitable end-point offset nullified but much of the kinematic authenticity retained. The approach incorporates a rectification procedure that determines the minimum postural angle change at the final frame to correct the end-point offset, and a deformation procedure that deforms the angle profile accordingly to preserve maximum original kinematic authenticity. Two alternative deformation schemes, named amplitude-proportional (AP) and time-proportional (TP) schemes, are proposed and formulated. As an illustration and empirical evaluation, the proposed approach, along with two deformation schemes, was applied to a set of target-directed right-hand reaching movements that had been previously measured and modeled. The evaluation showed that both deformation schemes nullified the final frame end-point offset and significantly reduced time-averaged position errors for the end-point as well as the most distal intermediate joint while causing essentially no change in the remaining joints. A comparison between the two schemes based on time-averaged joint and end-point position errors indicated that overall the TP scheme outperformed the AP scheme. In addition, no statistically significant difference in time-averaged angle error was identified between the raw prediction and either of the deformation schemes, nor between the two schemes themselves, suggesting minimal angle-domain distortion incurred by the deformation.

Zero-point corrections and temperature dependence of HD spin-spin coupling constants of heavy metal hydride and dihydrogen complexes calculated by vibrational averaging.

PubMed

Mort, Brendan C; Autschbach, Jochen

2006-08-09

Vibrational corrections (zero-point and temperature dependent) of the H-D spin-spin coupling constant J(HD) for six transition metal hydride and dihydrogen complexes have been computed from a vibrational average of J(HD) as a function of temperature. Effective (vibrationally averaged) H-D distances have also been determined. The very strong temperature dependence of J(HD) for one of the complexes, [Ir(dmpm)Cp*H2]2 + (dmpm = bis(dimethylphosphino)methane) can be modeled simply by the Boltzmann average of the zero-point vibrationally averaged JHD of two isomers. For this complex and four others, the vibrational corrections to JHD are shown to be highly significant and lead to improved agreement between theory and experiment in most cases. The zero-point vibrational correction is important for all complexes. Depending on the shape of the potential energy and J-coupling surfaces, for some of the complexes higher vibrationally excited states can also contribute to the vibrational corrections at temperatures above 0 K and lead to a temperature dependence. We identify different classes of complexes where a significant temperature dependence of J(HD) may or may not occur for different reasons. A method is outlined by which the temperature dependence of the HD spin-spin coupling constant can be determined with standard quantum chemistry software. Comparisons are made with experimental data and previously calculated values where applicable. We also discuss an example where a low-order expansion around the minimum of a complicated potential energy surface appears not to be sufficient for reproducing the experimentally observed temperature dependence.

Analysis of Mass Averaged Tissue Doses in CAM, CAF, MAX, and FAX

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slaba, Tony C.; Qualls, Garry D.; Clowdsley, Martha S.; Blattnig, Steve R.; Simonsen, Lisa C.; Walker, Steven A.; Singleterry, Robert C.

2009-01-01

To estimate astronaut health risk due to space radiation, one must have the ability to calculate exposure-related quantities averaged over specific organs and tissue types. In this study, we first examine the anatomical properties of the Computerized Anatomical Man (CAM), Computerized Anatomical Female (CAF), Male Adult voXel (MAX), and Female Adult voXel (FAX) models by comparing the masses of various tissues to the reference values specified by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). Major discrepancies are found between the CAM and CAF tissue masses and the ICRP reference data for almost all of the tissues. We next examine the distribution of target points used with the deterministic transport code HZETRN to compute mass averaged exposure quantities. A numerical algorithm is used to generate multiple point distributions for many of the effective dose tissues identified in CAM, CAF, MAX, and FAX. It is concluded that the previously published CAM and CAF point distributions were under-sampled and that the set of point distributions presented here should be adequate for future studies involving CAM, CAF, MAX, or FAX. It is concluded that MAX and FAX are more accurate than CAM and CAF for space radiation analyses.

49 CFR 531.1 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... OF TRANSPORTATION PASSENGER AUTOMOBILE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS § 531.1 Scope. This part... Information and Cost Savings Act, as amended, for passenger automobiles. [43 FR 28204, June 29, 1978] ...

49 CFR 531.1 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... OF TRANSPORTATION PASSENGER AUTOMOBILE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS § 531.1 Scope. This part... Information and Cost Savings Act, as amended, for passenger automobiles. [43 FR 28204, June 29, 1978] ...

49 CFR 531.1 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... OF TRANSPORTATION PASSENGER AUTOMOBILE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS § 531.1 Scope. This part... Information and Cost Savings Act, as amended, for passenger automobiles. [43 FR 28204, June 29, 1978] ...

49 CFR 531.1 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... OF TRANSPORTATION PASSENGER AUTOMOBILE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS § 531.1 Scope. This part... Information and Cost Savings Act, as amended, for passenger automobiles. [43 FR 28204, June 29, 1978] ...

49 CFR 531.1 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... OF TRANSPORTATION PASSENGER AUTOMOBILE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS § 531.1 Scope. This part... Information and Cost Savings Act, as amended, for passenger automobiles. [43 FR 28204, June 29, 1978] ...

On the nonlinear feedback loop and energy cycle of the non-dissipative Lorenz model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, B.-W.

2014-04-01

In this study, we discuss the role of the nonlinear terms and linear (heating) term in the energy cycle of the three-dimensional (X-Y-Z) non-dissipative Lorenz model (3D-NLM). (X, Y, Z) represent the solutions in the phase space. We first present the closed-form solution to the nonlinear equation d2 X/dτ2+ (X2/2)X = 0, τ is a non-dimensional time, which was never documented in the literature. As the solution is oscillatory (wave-like) and the nonlinear term (X2) is associated with the nonlinear feedback loop, it is suggested that the nonlinear feedback loop may act as a restoring force. We then show that the competing impact of nonlinear restoring force and linear (heating) force determines the partitions of the averaged available potential energy from Y and Z modes, respectively, denoted as APEY and APEZ. Based on the energy analysis, an energy cycle with four different regimes is identified with the following four points: A(X, Y) = (0,0), B = (Xt, Yt), C = (Xm, Ym), and D = (Xt, -Yt). Point A is a saddle point. The initial perturbation (X, Y, Z) = (0, 1, 0) gives (Xt, Yt) = ( √ 2σr , r) and (Xm, Ym) = (2√ σr , 0). σ is the Prandtl number, and r is the normalized Rayleigh number. The energy cycle starts at (near) point A, A+ = (0, 0+) to be specific, goes through B, C, and D, and returns back to A, i.e., A- = (0,0-). From point A to point B, denoted as Leg A-B, where the linear (heating) force dominates, the solution X grows gradually with { KE↑, APEY↓, APEZ↓}. KE is the averaged kinetic energy. We use the upper arrow (↑) and down arrow (↓) to indicate an increase and decrease, respectively. In Leg B-C (or C-D) where nonlinear restoring force becomes dominant, the solution X increases (or decreases) rapidly with KE↑, APEY↑, APEZ↓ (or KE↓, APEY↓, APEZ↑). In Leg D-A, the solution X decreases slowly with {KE↓, APEY↑, APEZ↑ }. As point A is a saddle point, the aforementioned cycle may be only half of a "big" cycle, displaying the wing pattern of a glasswinged butterfly, and the other half cycle is antisymmetric with respect to the origin, namely B = (-Xt, -Yt), C = (-Xm, 0), and D = (-Xt, Yt).

75 FR 21080 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; New York Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-22

... the new fee schedule will continue to reward those who have been using the MatchPoint system for share... into the MatchPoint system. The proposed fee schedule, which will be effective upon filing, rewards all...Point\\SM\\ System April 15, 2010. Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) \\1\\ of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934...

The statistics of peaks of Gaussian random fields. [cosmological density fluctuations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bardeen, J. M.; Bond, J. R.; Kaiser, N.; Szalay, A. S.

1986-01-01

A set of new mathematical results on the theory of Gaussian random fields is presented, and the application of such calculations in cosmology to treat questions of structure formation from small-amplitude initial density fluctuations is addressed. The point process equation is discussed, giving the general formula for the average number density of peaks. The problem of the proper conditional probability constraints appropriate to maxima are examined using a one-dimensional illustration. The average density of maxima of a general three-dimensional Gaussian field is calculated as a function of heights of the maxima, and the average density of 'upcrossing' points on density contour surfaces is computed. The number density of peaks subject to the constraint that the large-scale density field be fixed is determined and used to discuss the segregation of high peaks from the underlying mass distribution. The machinery to calculate n-point peak-peak correlation functions is determined, as are the shapes of the profiles about maxima.

A Group Neighborhood Average Clock Synchronization Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Lin, Lin; Ma, Shiwei; Ma, Maode

2014-01-01

Clock synchronization is a very important issue for the applications of wireless sensor networks. The sensors need to keep a strict clock so that users can know exactly what happens in the monitoring area at the same time. This paper proposes a novel internal distributed clock synchronization solution using group neighborhood average. Each sensor node collects the offset and skew rate of the neighbors. Group averaging of offset and skew rate value are calculated instead of conventional point-to-point averaging method. The sensor node then returns compensated value back to the neighbors. The propagation delay is considered and compensated. The analytical analysis of offset and skew compensation is presented. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the protocol and reveal that the protocol allows sensor networks to quickly establish a consensus clock and maintain a small deviation from the consensus clock. PMID:25120163

A cost analysis of first-line chemotherapy for low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia.

PubMed

Shah, Neel T; Barroilhet, Lisa; Berkowitz, Ross S; Goldstein, Donald P; Horowitz, Neil

2012-01-01

To determine the optimal approach to first-line treatment for low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) using a cost analysis of 3 commonly used regimens. A decision tree of the 3 most commonly used first-line low-risk GTN treatment strategies was created, accounting for toxicities, response rates and need for second- or third-line therapy. These strategies included 8-day methotrexate (MTX)/folinic acid, weekly MTX, and pulsed actinomycin-D (act-D). Response rates, average number of cycles needed for remission, and toxicities were determined by review of the literature. Costs of each strategy were examined from a societal perspective, including the direct total treatment costs as well as the indirect lost labor production costs from work absences. Sensitivity analysis on these costs was performed using both deterministic and probabilistic cost-minimization models with the aid of decision tree software (TreeAge Pro 2011, TreeAge Inc., Williamstown, Massachusetts). We found that 8-day MTX/folinic acid is the least expensive to society, followed by pulsed act-D ($4,867 vs. $6,111 average societal cost per cure, respectively), with act-D becoming more favorable only with act-D per-cycle cost <$231, or response rate to first-line therapy > 99%. Weekly MTX is the most expensive first-line treatment strategy to society ($9,089 average cost per cure), despite being least expensive to administer per cycle, based on lower first-line response rate. Absolute societal cost of each strategy is driven by the probability of needing expensive third-line multiagent chemotherapy, however relative cost differences are robust to sensitivity analysis over the reported range of cycle number and response rate for all therapies. Based on similar efficacy and lower societal cost, we recommend 8-day MTX/folinic acid for first-line treatment of low-risk GTN.

Ankle Fusion Combined With Calcaneal Sliding Osteotomy for Severe Arthritic Ball and Socket Ankle Deformity.

PubMed

Cho, Byung-Ki; Park, Kyoung-Jin; Choi, Seung-Myung; Kang, Sang-Woo; Lee, Hyung-Ki

2016-12-01

Although a ball and socket ankle deformity is usually congenital and asymptomatic, abnormal inversion and eversion mobility can result in recurrent ankle sprain and osteoarthritis. This retrospective study was performed to evaluate the clinical and radiologic outcomes of ankle fusion combined with calcaneal sliding osteotomy for severe arthritic ball and socket ankle deformity. Fourteen patients with severe arthritic ball and socket ankle deformity were followed for more than 3 years after operation. The clinical evaluation consisted of American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM), visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, and subjective satisfaction score. The period to fusion and union of osteotomy, the change of hindfoot alignment angle, and complications were evaluated radiologically. AOFAS and FAAM scores were significantly improved from an average of 37.4 and 34.5 points to 74.6 and 78.5 points, respectively. VAS for pain with walking over 20 minutes was significantly improved from an average of 8.4 points to 1.9 points. The average satisfaction score of patients was 88.9 points. The difference in heel alignment angle (compared to contralateral side) was significantly improved from an average of 34.8 to 5.4 degrees. There were 2 cases of progressive arthritis in an adjacent joint and 1 case of failed fusion. Ankle fusion combined with calcaneal sliding osteotomy can be an effective operative option for ball and socket ankle deformity with advanced arthritis. In spite of increased complication rate, reliable pain relief, and restoration of gait ability through correcting hindfoot malalignment could improve the quality of life. Level IV, retrospective case series. © The Author(s) 2016.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works, New England District, Complied With The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-30

made a nonstatistical selection of three projects at USACE New England for review: Blackstone River Fisherville Pond, Shpack Landfill, and Fox Point...Figure 1. Blackstone River Fisherville Pond What We Found USACE New England complied with the Recovery Act requirements for the three projects...would know how, when, and where tax dollars were spent. Further, the Recovery Act stated that the President and the heads of Federal departments

An improved moving average technical trading rule

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papailias, Fotis; Thomakos, Dimitrios D.

2015-06-01

This paper proposes a modified version of the widely used price and moving average cross-over trading strategies. The suggested approach (presented in its 'long only' version) is a combination of cross-over 'buy' signals and a dynamic threshold value which acts as a dynamic trailing stop. The trading behaviour and performance from this modified strategy are different from the standard approach with results showing that, on average, the proposed modification increases the cumulative return and the Sharpe ratio of the investor while exhibiting smaller maximum drawdown and smaller drawdown duration than the standard strategy.

Proceedings: 1995 SO{sub 2} control symposium. Volume 1, Sessions 1, 2, 3

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

NONE

1995-06-01

Cosponsored by EPRI, DOE, and EPA, this conference provided a forum for the exchange of economic, technical, and regulatory information on sulfur dioxide control technology. From March 28--31, 1995, participants presented 100 technical papers to an audience of 525 people from around the world. Given in thirteen technical sessions, the papers included regulatory and economic issues, wet and dry SO{sub 2} control processes, emerging technologies, and experience with Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) Phase I startups. The fifteenth in a series of symposia over the past two decades, the conference included these key points: the domestic flue gas desulfurization (FGD)more » market is likely to be modest over the next ten years, with most activity overseas; FGD awards could reach over $4 billion a year from 1996--2003, with more than half going to Eastern Europe and Asia; worldwide, at the start of 1994, FGD systems were installed on 609 coal-fired power plants; the average capital cost for Phase I retrofits has been $233/kW; and, trends point to simpler designs, such as towers that operate at higher gas velocities with fewer internals. Published proceedings from these regularly scheduled symposia are valuable resources for engineers and utility planners who need up-to-date information to comply with clean air legislation. Selected papers have been processed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology database.« less

Proceedings: 1995 SO{sub 2} control symposium. Volume 4, Sessions Ba, 8b

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

NONE

1995-06-01

Cosponsored by EPRI, DOE, and EPA, this conference provided a forum for the exchange of economic, technical, and regulatory information on sulfur dioxide control technology. From March 28--31, 1995, participants presented 100 technical papers to an audience of 525 people from around the world. Given in thirteen technical sessions, the papers included regulatory and economic issues, wet and dry SO{sub 2} control processes, emerging technologies, and experience with Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) Phase I startups. The fifteenth in a series of symposia over the past two decades, the conference included these key points: the domestic flue gas desulfurization (FGD)more » market is likely to be modest over the next ten years, with most activity overseas; FGD awards could reach over $4 billion a year from 1996--2003, with more than half going to Eastern Europe and Asia; worldwide, at the start of 1994, FGD systems were installed on 609 coal-fired power plants; the average capital cost for Phase I retrofits has been $233/kW; and, trends point to simpler designs, such as towers that operate at higher gas velocities with fewer internals. Published proceedings from these regularly scheduled symposia are valuable resources for engineers and utility planners who need up-to-date information to comply with clean air legislation. Selected papers have been processed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology database.« less

7 CFR 52.812 - Score sheet for frozen red tart pitted cherries.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... UNDER THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT OF 1946 AND THE EGG PRODUCTS INSPECTION ACT PROCESSED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, PROCESSED PRODUCTS THEREOF, AND CERTAIN OTHER PROCESSED FOOD PRODUCTS 1 United States Standards... of fruit to sugar, etc., if shown) Net weight (ounces) Size 1 Factor Score points Color 30 (A) 27-30...

7 CFR 52.812 - Score sheet for frozen red tart pitted cherries.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... UNDER THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT OF 1946 AND THE EGG PRODUCTS INSPECTION ACT PROCESSED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, PROCESSED PRODUCTS THEREOF, AND CERTAIN OTHER PROCESSED FOOD PRODUCTS 1 United States Standards... of fruit to sugar, etc., if shown) Net weight (ounces) Size 1 Factor Score points Color 30 (A) 27-30...

78 FR 46733 - Medicare Program; Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Prospective Payment System-Update for Fiscal...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-01

...-Loss Provision 3. Future Refinements VIII. Secretary's Recommendations IX. Waiver of Notice and Comment... corresponding meanings in alphabetical order below: BBRA Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP [State Children's Health... 1886(s)(2)(A)(ii) of the Social Security Act (the Act) and a 0.5 percentage point reduction for economy...

77 FR 15024 - Privacy Act of 1974; Revised System of Records

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-14

... Agency customers and employees single sign-on capability and electronic authentication and authorization...Authentication acts as a single sign-on point for USDA Agency applications. This allows a USDA customer to sign onto any USDA applications they have been authorized on via a single sign-on. 2. When a record on its...

The A.B.C.'s of the C.B.A. (Collective Bargaining Act). Government Code Sections 3540, Etc.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

San Mateo County Board of Education, Redwood City, CA.

This summary of California's Collective Bargaining Act outlines the essential points of this state law, including the processes to be employed for bargaining unit determination, definition and settlement of unfair labor practices, ascertainment of the scope of negotiations, certification of exclusive bargaining representatives, arbitration, and…

32 CFR 806b.51 - Privacy and the Web.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Privacy and the Web. 806b.51 Section 806b.51 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE ADMINISTRATION PRIVACY ACT... security notices at major web site entry points and Privacy Act statements or Privacy Advisories when...

The Graphic Arts and the New Copyright Act.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Overbeck, Wayne

This paper briefly summarizes the Copyright Act recently passed by the United States Congress as it relates to graphic arts and points out that the law ignores the major problem facing that field: the lack of copyright protection for typography and typeface designs. It then explains the reasoning used for denying protection to typography and…

ACTS Multibeam Antenna On-Orbit Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acosta, R.; Wright, D.; Mitchell, Kenneth

1996-01-01

The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) launched in September 1993 introduces several new technologies including a multibeam antenna (MBA) operating at Ka-band. The MBA with fixed and rapidly reconfigurable spot beams serves users equipped with small aperture terminals within the coverage area. The antenna produces spot beams with approximately 0.3 degrees beamwidth and gains of approximately 50 dBi. A number of MBA performance evaluations have been performed since the ACTS launch. These evaluations were designed to assess MBA performance (e.g., beam pointing stability, beam shape, gain, etc.) in the space environment. The on-orbit measurements found systematic environmental perturbation to the MBA beam pointing. These perturbations were found to be imposed by satellite attitude control system, antenna and spacecraft mechanical alignments, on-orbit thermal effects, etc. As a result, the footprint coverage of the MBA may not exactly cover the intended service area at all times. This report describes the space environment effects on the ACTS MBA performance as a function of time of the day and time of the year and compensation approaches for these effects.

Postural stability of biped robots and the foot-rotation indicator (FRI) point

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

Goswami, A.

1999-06-01

The focus of this paper is the problem of foot rotation in biped robots during the single-support phase. Foot rotation is an indication of postural instability, which should be carefully treated in a dynamically stable walk and avoided altogether in a statically stable walk. The author introduces the foot-rotation indicator (FRI) point, which is a point on the foot/ground-contact surface where the net ground-reaction force would have to act to keep the foot stationary. To ensure no foot rotation, the FRI point must remain within the convex hull of the foot-support area. In contrast with the ground projection of themore » center of mass (GCoM), which is a static criterion, the FRI point incorporates robot dynamics. As opposed to the center of pressure (CoP) -- better known as the zero-moment point (ZMP) in the robotics literature -- which may not leave the support area, the FRI point may leave the area. In fact, the position of the FRI point outside the footprint indicates the direction of the impending rotation and the magnitude of rotational moment acting on the foot. Owing to these important properties, the FRI point helps not only to monitor the state of postural stability of a biped robot during the entire gait cycle, but indicates the severity of instability of the gait as well. In response to a recent need, the paper also resolves the misconceptions surrounding the CoP/ZMP equivalence.« less

76 FR 76713 - California Independent System Operator Corporation; Notice of Technical Conference

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-08

...) proposal to eliminate convergence bidding at intertie scheduling points. Take notice that such conference...'s proposal to eliminate convergence bidding at intertie scheduling points. A subsequent notice... Act of 1973. For accessibility accommodations please send an email to [email protected] or call...

Incentive Analysis for Clean Water Act Reauthorization: Point Source/Nonpoint Source Trading for Nutrient Discharge Reductions (1992)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Paper focuses on trading schemes in which regulated point sources are allowed to avoid upgrading their pollution control technology to meet water quality-based effluent limits if they pay for equivalent (or greater) reductions in nonpoint source pollution.

Evaluation and use of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Watersheds Needs Survey data to quantify nutrient loads to surface water, 1978–2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ivahnenko, Tamara I.

2017-12-07

Changes in municipal and industrial point-source discharges over time have been an important factor affecting nutrient trends in many of the Nation’s streams and rivers. This report documents how three U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) national datasets—the Permit Compliance System, the Integrated Compliance Information System, and the Clean Watersheds Needs Survey—were evaluated for use in the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment project to assess the causes of nutrient trends. This report also describes how a database of total nitrogen load and total phosphorous load was generated for select wastewater treatment facilities in the United States based on information reported in the EPA Clean Watersheds Needs Survey. Nutrient loads were calculated for the years 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012 based on average nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations for reported treatment levels and on annual reported flow values.The EPA Permit Compliance System (PCS) and Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS), which monitor point-source facility discharges, together are the Nation’s most spatially comprehensive dataset for nutrients released to surface waters. However, datasets for many individual facilities are incomplete, the PCS/ICIS historical data date back only to 1989, and historical data are available for only a limited number of facilities. Additionally, inconsistencies in facility reporting make it difficult to track or identify changes in nutrient discharges over time. Previous efforts made by the U.S. Geological Survey to “fill in” gaps in the PCS/ICIS data were based on statistical methods—missing data were filled in through the use of a statistical model based on the Standard Industrial Classification code, size, and flow class of the facility and on seasonal nutrient discharges of similar facilities. This approach was used to estimate point-source loads for a single point in time; it was not evaluated for use in generating a consistent data series over time.Another national EPA dataset that is available is the Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS), conducted every 4 years beginning 1973. The CWNS is an assessment of the capital needs of wastewater facilities to meet the water-quality goals set in the Clean Water Act. Data collected about these facilities include location and contact information for the facilities; population served; flow and treatment level of the facility; estimated capital needs to upgrade, repair, or improve facilities for water quality; and nonpoint-source best management practices.Total nitrogen and total phosphorous load calculations for each of the CWNS years were based on treatment level information and average annual outflow (in million gallons per day) from each of the facilities that had reported it. Treatment levels categories (such as Primary, Secondary, or Advanced) were substituted with average total nitrogen and total phosphorous concentrations for each treatment level based on those reported in literature. The CWNS dataset, like the PCS/ICIS dataset, has years where facilities did not report either a treatment level or an annual average outflow, or both. To fill in the data gaps, simple linear assumptions were made based on each facility’s responses to the survey in years bracketing the data gap or immediately before or after the data gap if open ended. Treatment level and flow data unique to each facility were used to complete the CWNS dataset for that facility.

A metabolic simulator for unmanned testing of breathing apparatuses in hyperbaric conditions.

PubMed

Frånberg, Oskar; Loncar, Mario; Larsson, Åke; Ornhagen, Hans; Gennser, Mikael

2014-11-01

A major part of testing of rebreather apparatuses for underwater diving focuses on the oxygen dosage system. A metabolic simulator for testing breathing apparatuses was built and evaluated. Oxygen consumption was achieved through catalytic combustion of propene. With an admixture of carbon dioxide in the propene fuel, the system allowed the respiratory exchange ratio to be set freely within human variability and also made it possible to increase test pressures above the condensation pressure of propene. The system was tested by breathing ambient air in a pressure chamber with oxygen uptake (Vo₂) ranging from 1-4 L · min(-1), tidal volume (VT) from 1-3 L, breathing frequency (f) of 20 and 25 breaths/min, and chamber pressures from 100 to 670 kPa. The measured end-tidal oxygen concentration (Fo₂) was compared to calculated end-tidal Fo₂. The largest average difference in end-tidal Fo₂during atmospheric pressure conditions was 0.63%-points with a 0.28%-point average difference during the whole test. During hyperbaric conditions with pressures ranging from 100 to 670 kPa, the largest average difference in Fo₂was 1.68%-points seen during compression from 100 kPa to 400 kPa and the average difference in Fo₂during the whole test was 0.29%-points. In combination with a breathing simulator simulating tidal breathing, the system can be used for dynamic continuous testing of breathing equipment with changes in VT, f, Vo2, and pressure.

Undergraduate GPAs, MCAT scores, and academic performance the first 2 years in podiatric medical school at Des Moines University.

PubMed

Yoho, Robert M; Antonopoulos, Kosta; Vardaxis, Vassilios

2012-01-01

This study was performed to determine the relationship between undergraduate academic performance and total Medical College Admission Test score and academic performance in the podiatric medical program at Des Moines University. The allopathic and osteopathic medical professions have published educational research examining this relationship. To our knowledge, no such educational research has been published for podiatric medical education. The undergraduate cumulative and science grade point averages and total Medical College Admission Test scores of four podiatric medical classes (2007-2010, N = 169) were compared with their academic performance in the first 2 years of podiatric medical school using pairwise Pearson product moment correlations and multiple regression analysis. Significant low to moderate positive correlations were identified between undergraduate cumulative and science grade point averages and student academic performance in years 1 and 2 of podiatric medical school for each of the four classes (except one) and the pooled data. There was no significant correlation between Medical College Admission Test score and academic performance in years 1 and 2 (except one) and the pooled data. These results identify undergraduate cumulative grade point average as the strongest cognitive admissions variable in predicting academic performance in the podiatric medicine program at Des Moines University, followed by undergraduate science grade point average. These results also suggest limitations of the total Medical College Admission Test score in predicting academic performance. Information from this study can be used in the admissions process and to monitor student progress.

On the identification of a harmonic force on a viscoelastic plate from response data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

D'Cruz, J.; Crisp, J. D. C.; Ryall, T. G.

1992-01-01

The problem of determining the force acting on a structure from measurements of the response of the structure to the force is an inverse problem. Presented is a method for determining the location, magnitude, and phase of a harmonic point force acting on a simply-supported classical viscoelastic rectangular plate from a number of displacement readings at discrete points on the plate. Presented also is a demonstration of the robustness of the solution technique to the effects of measurement noise as well as a means by which problems involving more general structural and loading configurations may be solved.

A three-dimensional model simulation of atmospheric nitrous oxide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, R. E.; Blackshear, W. T.; Grose, W. L.; Eckman, R. S.; Pierce, R. B.; Fairlie, T. D. A.

1992-01-01

The NASA Langley 3D GCM chemical transport model is used to investigate the distribution of atmospheric N2O up to 60 km altitude. The transport characteristics of the model is evaluated without the complications of a detailed chemical formulation for all of the relevant stratospheric minor constituents. Interpretation of the yearly average zonal mean N2O distribution in terms of transport by the yearly averaged meridional circulation and stratospheric photochemical loss indicates large regions in the Northern Hemisphere stratosphere where dynamical mixing apparently plays a large role in maintaining the N2O distribution. In these regions, slopes of the N2O mixing ratio isopleths are maintained by competition between advection by the meridional circulation acting to steepen and dynamical mixing acting to flatten the slopes.

SU-F-BRA-01: A Procedure for the Fast Semi-Automatic Localization of Catheters Using An Electromagnetic Tracker (EMT) for Image-Guided Brachytherapy

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

Damato, A; Viswanathan, A; Cormack, R

2015-06-15

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of brachytherapy catheter localization through use of an EMT and 3D image set. Methods: A 15-catheter phantom mimicking an interstitial implantation was built and CT-scanned. Baseline catheter reconstruction was performed manually. An EMT was used to acquire the catheter coordinates in the EMT frame of reference. N user-identified catheter tips, without catheter number associations, were used to establish registration with the CT frame of reference. Two algorithms were investigated: brute-force registration (BFR), in which all possible permutation of N identified tips with the EMT tips were evaluated; and signature-based registration (SBR), in which a distancemore » matrix was used to generate a list of matching signatures describing possible N-point matches with the registration points. Digitization error (average of the distance between corresponding EMT and baseline dwell positions; average, standard deviation, and worst-case scenario over all possible registration-point selections) and algorithm inefficiency (maximum number of rigid registrations required to find the matching fusion for all possible selections of registration points) were calculated. Results: Digitization errors on average <2 mm were observed for N ≥5, with standard deviation <2 mm for N ≥6, and worst-case scenario error <2 mm for N ≥11. Algorithm inefficiencies were: N = 5, 32,760 (BFR) and 9900 (SBR); N = 6, 360,360 (BFR) and 21,660 (SBR); N = 11, 5.45*1010 (BFR) and 12 (SBR). Conclusion: A procedure was proposed for catheter reconstruction using EMT and only requiring user identification of catheter tips without catheter localization. Digitization errors <2 mm were observed on average with 5 or more registration points, and in any scenario with 11 or more points. Inefficiency for N = 11 was 9 orders of magnitude lower for SBR than for BFR. Funding: Kaye Family Award.« less

77 FR 64051 - 2017 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Corporate Average Fuel...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-18

...This document contains corrections to the final rule regulation which was published in the Federal Register of Monday, October 15, 2012 (77 FR 62624). The final rule established fuel economy standards for light-duty vehicles under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), as amended by the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), 49 U.S.C. 32901 et seq.

Performance evaluation of an anaerobic/aerobic landfill-based digester using yard waste for energy and compost production

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

Yazdani, Ramin, E-mail: ryazdani@sbcglobal.net; Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Ghausi Hall, Davis, CA 95616; Barlaz, Morton A., E-mail: barlaz@eos.ncsu.edu

2012-05-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Biochemical methane potential decreased by 83% during the two-stage operation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Net energy produced was 84.3 MWh or 46 kWh per million metric tons (Mg). Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The average removal efficiency of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was 96-99%. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The average removal efficiency of non-methane organic compounds (NMOCs) was 68-99%. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The two-stage batch digester proved to be simple to operate and cost-effective. - Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate a new alternative for yard waste management by constructing, operating and monitoring a landfill-based two-stage batch digester (anaerobic/aerobic) with the recovery of energy and compost. Themore » system was initially operated under anaerobic conditions for 366 days, after which the yard waste was aerated for an additional 191 days. Off gas generated from the aerobic stage was treated by biofilters. Net energy recovery was 84.3 MWh, or 46 kWh per million metric tons of wet waste (as received), and the biochemical methane potential of the treated waste decreased by 83% during the two-stage operation. The average removal efficiencies of volatile organic compounds and non-methane organic compounds in the biofilters were 96-99% and 68-99%, respectively.« less

Comparison of dew point temperature estimation methods in Southwestern Georgia

Treesearch

Marcus D. Williams; Scott L. Goodrick; Andrew Grundstein; Marshall Shepherd

2015-01-01

Recent upward trends in acres irrigated have been linked to increasing near-surface moisture. Unfortunately, stations with dew point data for monitoring near-surface moisture are sparse. Thus, models that estimate dew points from more readily observed data sources are useful. Daily average dew temperatures were estimated and evaluated at 14 stations in...

40 CFR 80.105 - Reporting requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... lesser than the applicable standard; (I) The applicable T90 distillation point standard under § 80.101(b)(1)(iv) in degrees Fahrenheit; (J) The average T90 distillation point under § 80.101(g) in degrees Fahrenheit; and (K) The difference between the applicable T90 distillation point standard under § 80.101(b)(1...

40 CFR 80.105 - Reporting requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... lesser than the applicable standard; (I) The applicable T90 distillation point standard under § 80.101(b)(1)(iv) in degrees Fahrenheit; (J) The average T90 distillation point under § 80.101(g) in degrees Fahrenheit; and (K) The difference between the applicable T90 distillation point standard under § 80.101(b)(1...

40 CFR 80.105 - Reporting requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... lesser than the applicable standard; (I) The applicable T90 distillation point standard under § 80.101(b)(1)(iv) in degrees Fahrenheit; (J) The average T90 distillation point under § 80.101(g) in degrees Fahrenheit; and (K) The difference between the applicable T90 distillation point standard under § 80.101(b)(1...

40 CFR 80.105 - Reporting requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... lesser than the applicable standard; (I) The applicable T90 distillation point standard under § 80.101(b)(1)(iv) in degrees Fahrenheit; (J) The average T90 distillation point under § 80.101(g) in degrees Fahrenheit; and (K) The difference between the applicable T90 distillation point standard under § 80.101(b)(1...

CAFE Standards (released in AEO2010)

EIA Publications

2010-01-01

Pursuant to the Presidents announcement of a National Fuel Efficiency Policy, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the EPA have promulgated nationally coordinated standards for tailpipe Carbon Dioxide (CO2)-equivalent emissions and fuel economy for light-duty vehicles (LDVs), which includes both passenger cars and light-duty trucks. In the joint rulemaking, the Environmental Protection Agency is enacting CO2-equivalent emissions standards under the Clean Air Act (CAA), and NHTSA is enacting companion Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

Multiresolution analysis of the spatiotemporal variability in global radiation observed by a dense network of 99 pyranometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lakshmi Madhavan, Bomidi; Deneke, Hartwig; Witthuhn, Jonas; Macke, Andreas

2017-03-01

The time series of global radiation observed by a dense network of 99 autonomous pyranometers during the HOPE campaign around Jülich, Germany, are investigated with a multiresolution analysis based on the maximum overlap discrete wavelet transform and the Haar wavelet. For different sky conditions, typical wavelet power spectra are calculated to quantify the timescale dependence of variability in global transmittance. Distinctly higher variability is observed at all frequencies in the power spectra of global transmittance under broken-cloud conditions compared to clear, cirrus, or overcast skies. The spatial autocorrelation function including its frequency dependence is determined to quantify the degree of similarity of two time series measurements as a function of their spatial separation. Distances ranging from 100 m to 10 km are considered, and a rapid decrease of the autocorrelation function is found with increasing frequency and distance. For frequencies above 1/3 min-1 and points separated by more than 1 km, variations in transmittance become completely uncorrelated. A method is introduced to estimate the deviation between a point measurement and a spatially averaged value for a surrounding domain, which takes into account domain size and averaging period, and is used to explore the representativeness of a single pyranometer observation for its surrounding region. Two distinct mechanisms are identified, which limit the representativeness; on the one hand, spatial averaging reduces variability and thus modifies the shape of the power spectrum. On the other hand, the correlation of variations of the spatially averaged field and a point measurement decreases rapidly with increasing temporal frequency. For a grid box of 10 km × 10 km and averaging periods of 1.5-3 h, the deviation of global transmittance between a point measurement and an area-averaged value depends on the prevailing sky conditions: 2.8 (clear), 1.8 (cirrus), 1.5 (overcast), and 4.2 % (broken clouds). The solar global radiation observed at a single station is found to deviate from the spatial average by as much as 14-23 (clear), 8-26 (cirrus), 4-23 (overcast), and 31-79 W m-2 (broken clouds) from domain averages ranging from 1 km × 1 km to 10 km × 10 km in area.

77 FR 64808 - Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-23

..., special studies, or methodological studies. The average burden for these special study/pretest respondents... is requested. NHANES programs produce descriptive statistics which measure the health and nutrition...

49 CFR 531.4 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PASSENGER AUTOMOBILE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS § 531.4 Definitions. (a... defined in section 501 of the Act. (2) The terms automobile and passenger automobile are used as defined...

49 CFR 531.4 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PASSENGER AUTOMOBILE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS § 531.4 Definitions. (a... defined in section 501 of the Act. (2) The terms automobile and passenger automobile are used as defined...

49 CFR 531.4 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PASSENGER AUTOMOBILE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS § 531.4 Definitions. (a... defined in section 501 of the Act. (2) The terms automobile and passenger automobile are used as defined...

49 CFR 531.4 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PASSENGER AUTOMOBILE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS § 531.4 Definitions. (a... defined in section 501 of the Act. (2) The terms automobile and passenger automobile are used as defined...

49 CFR 531.4 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PASSENGER AUTOMOBILE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS § 531.4 Definitions. (a... defined in section 501 of the Act. (2) The terms automobile and passenger automobile are used as defined...

16 CFR 305.19 - Promotional material displayed or distributed at point of sale.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., general service lamps, showerheads, faucets, water closets or urinals) shall clearly and conspicuously... distribution at point-of-sale concerning a covered product that is a showerhead, faucet, water closet, or... UNDER SPECIFIC ACTS OF CONGRESS ENERGY AND WATER USE LABELING FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS UNDER THE ENERGY...

Household Water Systems: Tailoring Treatment Alternatives to Contaminants in Groundwater and Distribution Systems

EPA Science Inventory

This SSWR Webinar will provide an overview of ORD point-of-use/point-of entry research studies. The presentation will document the applicability of POU/POE devices and the regulatory requirements for household water systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The presentation wi...

16 CFR 305.19 - Promotional material displayed or distributed at point of sale.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... OF CERTAIN HOME APPLIANCES AND OTHER PRODUCTS REQUIRED UNDER THE ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT... distribution at point-of-sale concerning a covered product that is a showerhead, faucet, water closet, or urinal shall clearly and conspicuously include in such printed material the product's water use...

16 CFR 305.19 - Promotional material displayed or distributed at point of sale.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... OF CERTAIN HOME APPLIANCES AND OTHER PRODUCTS REQUIRED UNDER THE ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT... distribution at point-of-sale concerning a covered product that is a showerhead, faucet, water closet, or urinal shall clearly and conspicuously include in such printed material the product's water use...

Web-based Communication of Water Quality Issues and Potential Solution Exploration

EPA Science Inventory

Many United States water bodies are impaired, i.e., do not meet applicable water quality standards. Pollutants enter water bodies from point sources (PS) and non-point sources (NPS). Loadings from PS are regulated by the Clean Water Act and permits limit them. Loadings from NPS a...

Evaluation of the level of depression among medical students from Poland, Portugal and Germany.

PubMed

Seweryn, Mariusz; Tyrała, Kinga; Kolarczyk-Haczyk, Aleksandra; Bonk, Magdalena; Bulska, Weronika; Krysta, Krzysztof

2015-09-01

Depression is a serious illness affecting health, family and professional life of many people of all sectors of society. It also concerns students, regardless of their geographical location. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is a proper tool to brief check of the level of depression because it has high correlation with depression. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the level of depression among medical students from Poland, Portugal and Germany. Students from different countries were asked to fill in an electronic form containing the BDI. The form was created separately for each country, using official translation of the BDI, approved by the competent psychiatric association. Google Drive software was used for the electronic form, and Stat soft Statistica v10 software for statistical analysis. There were statistically significant differences (p<0.05) in terms of average score of the BDI and of the proportion of the scores more than 10 points of medical and technology students among kinds of studies and countries. The average score of the BDI of medical students: Poland: 13.76±9.99 points; Germany: 8.49±7.64 points; Portugal: 7.37±7.67 points. The average score of the BDI of technology students: Poland: 12.42±9.66 points; Germany: 10.51±8.49 points; Portugal: 9.25±8.97 points. The proportion of the scores more than 10 points of medical students: Poland 56.32% (285/506) Germany 34.92% (154/441) Portugal 26.03% (82/315). The proportion of the scores more than 10 points of technology students: Poland 55.01% (368/669) Germany 43.82% (156/356) Portugal 37.57% (136/362). The highest depression score among medical and technology students according the BDI was found in Poland. A proper monitoring of depression is required, as well as rapid and appropriate help for those who suffer from it.

75 FR 25323 - Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-07

...EPA and NHTSA are issuing this joint Final Rule to establish a National Program consisting of new standards for light-duty vehicles that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy. This joint Final Rule is consistent with the National Fuel Efficiency Policy announced by President Obama on May 19, 2009, responding to the country's critical need to address global climate change and to reduce oil consumption. EPA is finalizing greenhouse gas emissions standards under the Clean Air Act, and NHTSA is finalizing Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended. These standards apply to passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles, covering model years 2012 through 2016, and represent a harmonized and consistent National Program. Under the National Program, automobile manufacturers will be able to build a single light-duty national fleet that satisfies all requirements under both programs while ensuring that consumers still have a full range of vehicle choices. NHTSA's final rule also constitutes the agency's Record of Decision for purposes of its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis.

Fixed Point Learning Based Intelligent Traffic Control System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zongyao, Wang; Cong, Sui; Cheng, Shao

2017-10-01

Fixed point learning has become an important tool to analyse large scale distributed system such as urban traffic network. This paper presents a fixed point learning based intelligence traffic network control system. The system applies convergence property of fixed point theorem to optimize the traffic flow density. The intelligence traffic control system achieves maximum road resources usage by averaging traffic flow density among the traffic network. The intelligence traffic network control system is built based on decentralized structure and intelligence cooperation. No central control is needed to manage the system. The proposed system is simple, effective and feasible for practical use. The performance of the system is tested via theoretical proof and simulations. The results demonstrate that the system can effectively solve the traffic congestion problem and increase the vehicles average speed. It also proves that the system is flexible, reliable and feasible for practical use.

A multiresolution hierarchical classification algorithm for filtering airborne LiDAR data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chuanfa; Li, Yanyan; Li, Wei; Dai, Honglei

2013-08-01

We presented a multiresolution hierarchical classification (MHC) algorithm for differentiating ground from non-ground LiDAR point cloud based on point residuals from the interpolated raster surface. MHC includes three levels of hierarchy, with the simultaneous increase of cell resolution and residual threshold from the low to the high level of the hierarchy. At each level, the surface is iteratively interpolated towards the ground using thin plate spline (TPS) until no ground points are classified, and the classified ground points are used to update the surface in the next iteration. 15 groups of benchmark dataset, provided by the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) commission, were used to compare the performance of MHC with those of the 17 other publicized filtering methods. Results indicated that MHC with the average total error and average Cohen’s kappa coefficient of 4.11% and 86.27% performs better than all other filtering methods.

On the use of a sunward libration-point-orbiting spacecraft as an interplanetary magnetic field monitor for magnetospheric studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, T. J.; Crooker, N. U.; Siscoe, G. L.; Russell, C. T.; Smith, E. J.

1986-01-01

In order to test the accuracy of using magnetometer data from a spacecraft orbiting the sunward libration point to determine the orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), the angle between the IMF at ISEE 3, when it was positioned around the libration point, and at ISEE 1, orbiting the earth, has been calculated for a data set of 1-hour periods covering four months. For each period, a 10-minute average of ISEE 1 data is compared with 10-minute averages of ISEE 3 data at successively lagged intervals. It is concluded that the IMF orientation at a libration-point-orbiting spacecraft, lagged by the time required for the solar wind to convect to the earth, is a convenient predictor of IMF orientation near the earth, to within about 20-degree accuracy.

The Mean Southern Italian Children IQ Is Not Particularly Low: A Reply to R. Lynn (2010)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cornoldi, Cesare; Belacchi, Carmen; Giofre, David; Martini, Angela; Tressoldi, Patrizio

2010-01-01

Working with data from the PISA study (OECD, 2007), Lynn (2010) has argued that individuals from South Italy average an IQ approximately 10 points lower than individuals from North Italy, and has gone on to put forward a series of conclusions on the relationship between average IQ, latitude, average stature, income, etc. The present paper…

A Study of the Relationships between Indicators of Georgia Alternative School Effectiveness and Measures of Student Success as Perceived by Alternative School Administrators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Obleton, Eddie V.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between Georgia alternative school administrators' perceptions of student success factors and the three domains of essential elements of effective alternative schools. The success factors included: dropout rate, average grade point average (GPA), average absences per student,…

Joint optimization of a partially coherent Gaussian beam for free-space optical communication over turbulent channels with pointing errors.

PubMed

Lee, It Ee; Ghassemlooy, Zabih; Ng, Wai Pang; Khalighi, Mohammad-Ali

2013-02-01

Joint beam width and spatial coherence length optimization is proposed to maximize the average capacity in partially coherent free-space optical links, under the combined effects of atmospheric turbulence and pointing errors. An optimization metric is introduced to enable feasible translation of the joint optimal transmitter beam parameters into an analogous level of divergence of the received optical beam. Results show that near-ideal average capacity is best achieved through the introduction of a larger receiver aperture and the joint optimization technique.

Measurement characteristics of the childhood Asthma-Control Test and a shortened, child-only version

PubMed Central

Bime, Christian; Gerald, Joe K; Wei, Christine Y; Holbrook, Janet T; Teague, William G; Wise, Robert A; Gerald, Lynn B

2016-01-01

The childhood Asthma-Control Test (C-ACT) is validated for assessing asthma control in paediatric asthma. Among children aged 4–11 years, the C-ACT requires the simultaneous presence of both parent and child. There is an unmet need for a tool that can be used to assess asthma control in children when parents or caregivers are not present such as in the school setting. We assessed the psychometric properties and estimated the minimally important difference (MID) of the C-ACT and a modified version, comprising only the child responses (C-ACTc). Asthma patients aged 6–11 years (n=161) from a previously completed multicenter randomised trial were included. Demographic information, spirometry and questionnaire scores were obtained at baseline and during follow-up. Participants or their guardians kept a daily asthma diary. Internal consistency reliabilities of the C-ACT and C-ACTc were 0.76 and 0.67 (Cronbach’s α), respectively. Test–retest reliabilities of the C-ACT and C-ACTc were 0.72 and 0.66 (intra-class correlation), respectively. Significant correlations were noted between C-ACT scores and ACQ scores (Spearman’s correlation r=−0.56, 95% CI (−0.66, −0.44), P<0.001). The strength of the correlation between C-ACTc scores and ACQ scores was weaker (Spearman’s correlation r=−0.46, 95% CI (−0.58, −0.33), P<0.001). We estimated the MID for the C-ACT and C-ACTc to be 2 points and 1 point, respectively. Among asthma patients aged 6–11 years, the C-ACT had good psychometric properties. The psychometric properties of a shortened child-only version (C-ACTc), although acceptable, are not as strong. PMID:27763622

Gain in Insurance Coverage and Residual Uninsurance Under the Affordable Care Act: Texas, 2013-2016.

PubMed

Pickett, Stephen; Marks, Elena; Ho, Vivian

2017-01-01

To examine the effects of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) Marketplace on Texas residents and determine which population subgroups benefited the most and which the least. We analyzed insurance coverage rates among nonelderly Texas adults using the Health Reform Monitoring Survey-Texas from September 2013, just before the first open enrollment period in the Marketplace, through March 2016. Texas has experienced a roughly 6-percentage-point increase in insurance coverage (from 74.7% to 80.6%; P = .012) after implementation of the major insurance provisions of the ACA. The 4 subgroups with the largest increases in adjusted insurance coverage between 2013 and 2016 were persons aged 50 to 64 years (12.1 percentage points; P = .002), Hispanics (10.9 percentage points; P = .002), persons reporting fair or poor health status (10.2 percentage points; P = .038), and those with a high school diploma as their highest educational attainment (9.2 percentage points; P = .023). Many population subgroups have benefited from the ACA's Marketplace, but approximately 3 million Texas residents still lack health coverage. Adopting the ACA's Medicaid expansion is a means to address the lack of coverage.

Dependence of the average spatial and energy characteristics of the hadron-lepton cascade on the strong interaction parameters at superhigh energies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyadjian, N. G.; Dallakyan, P. Y.; Garyaka, A. P.; Mamidjanian, E. A.

1985-01-01

A method for calculating the average spatial and energy characteristics of hadron-lepton cascades in the atmosphere is described. The results of calculations for various strong interaction models of primary protons and nuclei are presented. The sensitivity of the experimentally observed extensive air showers (EAS) characteristics to variations of the elementary act parameters is analyzed.

26 CFR 5c.1305-1 - Special income averaging rules for taxpayers otherwise required to compute tax in accordance with...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... subject to section 1256(a). Of that total, 40 percent is short term capital gain ($375,000) and 60 percent is long term capital gain ($562,500). Of the long term capital gain, 40 percent is taxable ($225,000... INCOME TAX REGULATIONS UNDER THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY TAX ACT OF 1981 § 5c.1305-1 Special income averaging...

26 CFR 5c.1305-1 - Special income averaging rules for taxpayers otherwise required to compute tax in accordance with...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... subject to section 1256(a). Of that total, 40 percent is short term capital gain ($375,000) and 60 percent is long term capital gain ($562,500). Of the long term capital gain, 40 percent is taxable ($225,000... INCOME TAX REGULATIONS UNDER THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY TAX ACT OF 1981 § 5c.1305-1 Special income averaging...

26 CFR 5c.1305-1 - Special income averaging rules for taxpayers otherwise required to compute tax in accordance with...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... subject to section 1256(a). Of that total, 40 percent is short term capital gain ($375,000) and 60 percent is long term capital gain ($562,500). Of the long term capital gain, 40 percent is taxable ($225,000... INCOME TAX REGULATIONS UNDER THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY TAX ACT OF 1981 § 5c.1305-1 Special income averaging...

26 CFR 5c.1305-1 - Special income averaging rules for taxpayers otherwise required to compute tax in accordance with...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... subject to section 1256(a). Of that total, 40 percent is short term capital gain ($375,000) and 60 percent is long term capital gain ($562,500). Of the long term capital gain, 40 percent is taxable ($225,000... INCOME TAX REGULATIONS UNDER THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY TAX ACT OF 1981 § 5c.1305-1 Special income averaging...

26 CFR 5c.1305-1 - Special income averaging rules for taxpayers otherwise required to compute tax in accordance with...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... subject to section 1256(a). Of that total, 40 percent is short term capital gain ($375,000) and 60 percent is long term capital gain ($562,500). Of the long term capital gain, 40 percent is taxable ($225,000... INCOME TAX REGULATIONS UNDER THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY TAX ACT OF 1981 § 5c.1305-1 Special income averaging...

17 CFR 275.205-2 - Definition of “specified period” over which the asset value of the company or fund under...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... periodâ over which the asset value of the company or fund under management is averaged. 275.205-2 Section... REGULATIONS, INVESTMENT ADVISERS ACT OF 1940 § 275.205-2 Definition of “specified period” over which the asset value of the company or fund under management is averaged. (a) For purposes of this rule: (1) Fulcrum...

78 FR 10367 - Appraisals for Higher-Priced Mortgage Loans

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-13

...The Board, Bureau, FDIC, FHFA, NCUA, and OCC (collectively, the Agencies) are issuing a final rule to amend Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), and the official interpretation to the regulation. The revisions to Regulation Z implement a new provision requiring appraisals for ``higher-risk mortgages'' that was added to TILA by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act or Act). For mortgages with an annual percentage rate that exceeds the average prime offer rate by a specified percentage, the final rule requires creditors to obtain an appraisal or appraisals meeting certain specified standards, provide applicants with a notification regarding the use of the appraisals, and give applicants a copy of the written appraisals used.

Evaluation of the isometry of different points of the patella and femur for medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction.

PubMed

Gobbi, Riccardo Gomes; Pereira, César Augusto Martins; Sadigursky, David; Demange, Marco Kawamura; Tírico, Luis Eduardo Passarelli; Pécora, José Ricardo; Camanho, Gilberto Luis

2016-10-01

The location of patellar and femoral fixation of the graft in medial patellofemoral ligament reconstructions has been widely discussed. This study aimed to assess the distances between different patellar and femoral fixation points to identify the least anisometric pairs of points. Ten cadaver knees were attached to an apparatus that simulated an active range of motion of 120°, with three metallic markers fixed onto the medial side of the patella, and seven markings onto the medial epicondyle. The examined points included the proximal patella pole (1), the patellar center (3), the midpoint between points 1 and 3 (2), a point directly on the epicondyle (6), points 5mm anterior (5) and posterior (7) to the epicondyle, points 5mm anterior to point 5 (4) and 5mm posterior to point 7 (8), and points 5mm proximal (9) and distal (10) to the epicondyle. The distances between patella and femur points were measured by a photogrammetry system at 15° intervals. The pair of points that exhibited the lowest average variability in distance, and hence was the most isometric, was the patella center combined with the anterior to the medial femoral epicondyle. The pairs of points that exhibited the highest average variability in distance, and hence were the least isometric, were the ones located distal or posterior to the medial femoral epicondyle, with less influence by the patellar location. Surgeons should avoid positioning the graft distally or posterior to the epicondyle due to the increase in anisometry. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toward an Objectivistic Theory of Probability

DTIC Science & Technology

1956-01-01

OBJECTIVISTIC PROBABILITY THEORY 2 7 three potential acts: the individual may choose an apple, an orange or a banana . Each of these acts corresponds to a point...its veneer having begun to peel at one corner, etc., etc. Its future there-ness lies in that it may have its legs gnawed at by the new puppy in the

Does the No Child Left Behind Act Improve Schools and Increase Educational Opportunity? Point of View Essay

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berlak, Harold

2005-01-01

In this paper, the author questions whether the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) achieves its stated purpose: to raise standards of academic achievement. Deeper understanding, subtlety of thought, creativity, critical thinking, perseverance, leadership and sensibility about self and the world cannot be measured by multiple-choice technology. The…

A Change Management, Systems Thinking, or Organizational Development Approach to the No Child Left Behind Act

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galloway, Dominique L.

2007-01-01

Problems with implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) can be assessed in light of change management theory. Viewing stakeholders collectively as a corporate entity supports employing change management strategies to make the NCLB work. Examining ways that organizational controls and change management can work together points to…

78 FR 18249 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Annual Specifications

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-26

... limit (ACL), harvest guideline (HG), annual catch target (ACT) and associated annual reference points... Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The 2012-2013 ACL or maximum HG for Pacific... difference between the ACL and ACT (10,128 mt) as a set aside for incidental landings in other CPS fisheries...

77 FR 36192 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Annual Specifications

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-18

... limit (ACL), harvest guideline (HG), annual catch target (ACT) and associated annual reference points... year season of July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2012. NMFS establishes the ACL, HG, and ACT under the... off the Pacific coast. The ACL (or maximum HG) for the 2011- 2012 Pacific mackerel fishing year is 40...

Dyadic Orienting and Joint Attention in Preschool Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leekam, Susan R.; Ramsden, Christopher A. H.

2006-01-01

Acts of dyadic orienting (responses to attention bids by a researcher) and acts of joint attention (e.g. pointing and showing behaviors) were observed in preschool children with autism and children with developmental delay. Children with autism responded to fewer adult vocal and non-vocal attention bids that were made singly and by combining…

Pharmacokinetics of Sustained-Release and Transdermal Buprenorphine in Göttingen Minipigs (Sus scrofa domestica)

PubMed Central

Thiede, Allison J; Garcia, Kelly D; Stolarik, DeAnne F; Ma, Junli; Jenkins, Gary J; Nunamaker, Elizabeth A

2014-01-01

The opioid buprenorphine has been shown to provide adequate postoperative analgesia in both companion and laboratory animals. However, its use is still hindered by the need for multiple parenteral injections to achieve continuous analgesia. The purpose of the current study was to conduct a pharmacokinetic analysis of 2 new long-acting formulations of buprenorphine—an injectable sustained-release buprenorphine (SRB) and a transdermal buprenorphine (TDB) patch—in healthy Göttingen minipigs by using liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry. Administration of 0.18 mg/kg SC SRB and 30 μg/h TDB achieved AUC0-Tlast of 221.6 ± 26.8 and 25.2 ± 3.9 ng × h/mL, respectively, compared with 9.7 ± 1.4 ng*h/mL for 0.02 mg/kg IV buprenorphine. By using a hypothesized therapeutic plasma buprenorphine concentration threshold of 0.1 ng/mL, therapeutic concentrations were achieved at the first study time point (5 to 30 min) and lasted an average of 8.0 ± 1.3 h for intravenous buprenorphine and 264.0 ± 32.2 h for SRB. TDB achieved therapeutic concentrations in 12 to 24 h after patch application, which lasted until the patch was removed at 72 h. The results of this study suggest that SRB and TDB are long-acting alternatives for pain management, and their use could decrease animal handling and stress, thereby simplifying pain management and improving welfare in laboratory swine. PMID:25650977

Genetic Architecture of Skin and Eye Color in an African-European Admixed Population

PubMed Central

Beleza, Sandra; Johnson, Nicholas A.; Candille, Sophie I.; Absher, Devin M.; Coram, Marc A.; Lopes, Jailson; Campos, Joana; Araújo, Isabel Inês; Anderson, Tovi M.; Vilhjálmsson, Bjarni J.; Nordborg, Magnus; Correia e Silva, António; Shriver, Mark D.; Rocha, Jorge

2013-01-01

Variation in human skin and eye color is substantial and especially apparent in admixed populations, yet the underlying genetic architecture is poorly understood because most genome-wide studies are based on individuals of European ancestry. We study pigmentary variation in 699 individuals from Cape Verde, where extensive West African/European admixture has given rise to a broad range in trait values and genomic ancestry proportions. We develop and apply a new approach for measuring eye color, and identify two major loci (HERC2[OCA2] P = 2.3×10−62, SLC24A5 P = 9.6×10−9) that account for both blue versus brown eye color and varying intensities of brown eye color. We identify four major loci (SLC24A5 P = 5.4×10−27, TYR P = 1.1×10−9, APBA2[OCA2] P = 1.5×10−8, SLC45A2 P = 6×10−9) for skin color that together account for 35% of the total variance, but the genetic component with the largest effect (∼44%) is average genomic ancestry. Our results suggest that adjacent cis-acting regulatory loci for OCA2 explain the relationship between skin and eye color, and point to an underlying genetic architecture in which several genes of moderate effect act together with many genes of small effect to explain ∼70% of the estimated heritability. PMID:23555287

Functional Coordination of a Full-Body Gaze Control Mechanisms Elicited During Locomotion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloomberg, Jacob J.; Mulavara, Ajitkumar P.; Cohen, Helen S.

2003-01-01

Control of locomotion requires precise interaction between several sensorimotor subsystems. Exposure to the microgravity environment of spaceflight leads to postflight adaptive alterations in these multiple subsystems leading to postural and gait disturbances. Countermeasures designed to mitigate these postflight gait alterations will need to be assessed with a new generation of functional tests that evaluate the interaction of various elements central to locomotor control. The goal of this study is to determine how the multiple, interdependent, full- body sensorimotor subsystems aiding gaze stabilization during locomotion are functionally coordinated. To explore this question two experiments were performed. In the first study (Study 1) we investigated how alteration in gaze tasking changes full-body locomotor control strategies. Subjects (n=9) performed two discreet gaze stabilization tasks while walking at 6.4 km/hr on a motorized treadmill: 1) focusing on a central point target; 2) reading numeral characters; both presented at 2m in front at eye level. The second study (Study 2) investigated the potential of adaptive remodeling of the full-body gaze control systems following exposure to visual-vestibular conflict. Subjects (n=14) walked (6.4 km/h) on the treadmill before and after they were exposed to 0.5X minifying lenses worn for 30 minutes during self-generated sinusoidal vertical head rotations performed while seated. In both studies we measured: temporal parameters of gait, full body sagittal plane segmental kinematics of the head, trunk, thigh, shank and foot, accelerations along the vertical axis at the head and the shank, and the vertical forces acting on the support surface. Results from Study 1 showed that while reading numeral characters as compared to the central point target: 1) compensatory head pitch movements were on average 22% greater 2) the peak acceleration measured at the head was significantly reduced by an average of 13% in four of the six subjects 3) the knee joint total movement was on average 11% greater during the period from the heel strike event to the peak knee flexion event in stance phase of the gait cycle. Results from Study 2 indicate that following exposure to visual-vestibular conflict changes in full-body strategies were observed consistent with the requirement to aid gaze stabilization during locomotion.

Identifying head-trunk and lower limb contributions to gaze stabilization during locomotion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulavara, Ajitkumar P.; Bloomberg, Jacob J.

2002-01-01

The goal of the present study was to determine how the multiple, interdependent full-body sensorimotor subsystems respond to a change in gaze stabilization task constraints during locomotion. Nine subjects performed two gaze stabilization tasks while walking at 6.4 km/hr on a motorized treadmill: 1) focusing on a central point target; 2) reading numeral characters; both presented at 2 m in front at the level of their eyes. While subjects performed the tasks we measured: temporal parameters of gait, full body sagittal plane segmental kinematics of the head, trunk, thigh, tibia and foot, accelerations along the vertical axis at the head and the tibia, and the vertical forces acting on the support surface. We tested the hypothesis that with the increased demands placed on visual acuity during the number recognition task, subjects would modify full-body segmental kinematics in order to reduce perturbations to the head in order to successfully perform the task. We found that while reading numeral characters as compared to the central point target: 1) compensatory head pitch movement was on average 22% greater despite the fact that the trunk pitch and trunk vertical translation movement control were not significantly changed; 2) coordination patterns between head and trunk as reflected by the peak cross correlation between the head pitch and trunk pitch motion as well as the peak cross correlation between the head pitch and vertical trunk translation motion were not significantly changed; 3) knee joint total movement was on average 11% greater during the period from the heel strike event to the peak knee flexion event in stance phase of the gait cycle; 4) peak acceleration measured at the head was significantly reduced by an average of 13% in four of the six subjects. This was so even when the peak acceleration at the tibia and the transmission of the shock wave at heel strike (measured by the peak acceleration ratio of the head/tibia and the time lag between the tibial and head peak accelerations) remained unchanged. Taken together these results provide further evidence that the full body contributes to gaze stabilization during locomotion, and that its different functional elements can be modified online to contribute to gaze stabilization for different visual task constraints.

78 FR 62778 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; EDGX Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-22

...'') to add orders yielding Flag AA to the calculation of the average daily trading (``ADV'') threshold... AA to the calculation of the ADV threshold required to meet the MidPoint Match Volume Tier. Footnote... Match using MidPoint Match order type). The Exchange proposes to add orders yielding Flag AA (MidPoint...

Homosexual Cohabitees Act, 18 June 1987.

PubMed

1989-01-01

The purpose of this Act is to place homosexual cohabitees in the same legal position as heterosexual cohabitees. It provides that if 2 persons are living together in a homosexual relationship, the following legal provisions relating to cohabitation shall apply to them: 1) the Cohabitees (Joint Homes) Act (1987:232), 2) the Inheritance Code, 3) the Real Property Code, 4) Chapter 10, section 9, of the Code of Judicial Procedure, 5) Chapter 4, section 19, 1st paragraph, of the Code of Execution, 6) section 19, 1st paragraph, section 35, subsection 4, and point 2a, 7th paragraph, of the regulations relating to Section 36 of the Municipal Tax Act (1928:370), 7) the Inheritance and Gift Taxes Act (1941:416), 8) Section 6 of the Court Procedures (Miscellaneous Business) Act (1946:807), 9) the Tenant Owner Act (1971:479), 10) section 10 of the Legal Aid Act (1972:429), and 11) the Notice to Unknown Creditors Act (1981:131).

Analysis of data from NASA B-57B gust gradient program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frost, W.; Lin, M. C.; Chang, H. P.; Ringnes, E.

1985-01-01

Statistical analysis of the turbulence measured in flight 6 of the NASA B-57B over Denver, Colorado, from July 7 to July 23, 1982 included the calculations of average turbulence parameters, integral length scales, probability density functions, single point autocorrelation coefficients, two point autocorrelation coefficients, normalized autospectra, normalized two point autospectra, and two point cross sectra for gust velocities. The single point autocorrelation coefficients were compared with the theoretical model developed by von Karman. Theoretical analyses were developed which address the effects spanwise gust distributions, using two point spatial turbulence correlations.

Assessing the independent and combined effects of subsidies for antimalarials and rapid diagnostic testing on fever management decisions in the retail sector: results from a factorial randomised trial in western Kenya

PubMed Central

Prudhomme O'Meara, Wendy; Mohanan, Manoj; Laktabai, Jeremiah; Lesser, Adriane; Platt, Alyssa; Maffioli, Elisa; Turner, Elizabeth L; Menya, Diana

2016-01-01

Objectives There is an urgent need to understand how to improve targeting of artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) to patients with confirmed malaria infection, including subsidised ACTs sold over-the-counter. We hypothesised that offering an antimalarial subsidy conditional on a positive malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) would increase uptake of testing and improve rational use of ACTs. Methods We designed a 2×2 factorial randomised experiment evaluating 2 levels of subsidy for RDTs and ACTs. Between July 2014 and June 2015, 444 individuals with a malaria-like illness who had not sought treatment were recruited from their homes. We used scratch cards to allocate participants into 4 groups in a ratio of 1:1:1:1. Participants were eligible for an unsubsidised or fully subsidised RDT and 1 of 2 levels of ACT subsidy (current retail price or an additional subsidy conditional on a positive RDT). Treatment decisions were documented 1 week later. Our primary outcome was uptake of malaria testing. Secondary outcomes evaluated ACT consumption among those with a negative test, a positive test or no test. Results Offering a free RDT increased the probability of testing by 18.6 percentage points (adjusted probability difference (APD), 95% CI 5.9 to 31.3). An offer of a conditional ACT subsidy did not have an additional effect on the probability of malaria testing when the RDT was free (APD=2.7; 95% CI −8.6 to 14.1). However, receiving the conditional ACT subsidy increased the probability of taking an ACT following a positive RDT by 19.5 percentage points (APD, 95% CI 2.2 to 36.8). Overall, the proportion who took ACT following a negative test was lower than those who took ACT without being tested, indicated improved targeting among those who were tested. Conclusions Both subsidies improved appropriate fever management, demonstrating the impact of these costs on decision making. However, the conditional ACT subsidy did not increase testing. We conclude that each of the subsidies primarily impacts the most immediate decision. Trial registration number NCT02199977. PMID:28588946

Outdoor air pollution in close proximity to a continuous point source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klepeis, Neil E.; Gabel, Etienne B.; Ott, Wayne R.; Switzer, Paul

Data are lacking on human exposure to air pollutants occurring in ground-level outdoor environments within a few meters of point sources. To better understand outdoor exposure to tobacco smoke from cigarettes or cigars, and exposure to other types of outdoor point sources, we performed more than 100 controlled outdoor monitoring experiments on a backyard residential patio in which we released pure carbon monoxide (CO) as a tracer gas for continuous time periods lasting 0.5-2 h. The CO was emitted from a single outlet at a fixed per-experiment rate of 120-400 cc min -1 (˜140-450 mg min -1). We measured CO concentrations every 15 s at up to 36 points around the source along orthogonal axes. The CO sensors were positioned at standing or sitting breathing heights of 2-5 ft (up to 1.5 ft above and below the source) and at horizontal distances of 0.25-2 m. We simultaneously measured real-time air speed, wind direction, relative humidity, and temperature at single points on the patio. The ground-level air speeds on the patio were similar to those we measured during a survey of 26 outdoor patio locations in 5 nearby towns. The CO data exhibited a well-defined proximity effect similar to the indoor proximity effect reported in the literature. Average concentrations were approximately inversely proportional to distance. Average CO levels were approximately proportional to source strength, supporting generalization of our results to different source strengths. For example, we predict a cigarette smoker would cause average fine particle levels of approximately 70-110 μg m -3 at horizontal distances of 0.25-0.5 m. We also found that average CO concentrations rose significantly as average air speed decreased. We fit a multiplicative regression model to the empirical data that predicts outdoor concentrations as a function of source emission rate, source-receptor distance, air speed and wind direction. The model described the data reasonably well, accounting for ˜50% of the log-CO variability in 5-min CO concentrations.

Minimum average 7-day, 10-year flows in the Hudson River basin, New York, with release-flow data on Rondout and Ashokan reservoirs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Archer, Roger J.

1978-01-01

Minimum average 7-day, 10-year flow at 67 gaging stations and 173 partial-record stations in the Hudson River basin are given in tabular form. Variation of the 7-day, 10-year low flow from point to point in selected reaches, and the corresponding times of travel, are shown graphically for Wawayanda Creek, Wallkill River, Woodbury-Moodna Creek, and the Fishkill Creek basins. The 7-day, 10-year low flow for the Saw Kill basin, and estimates of the 7-day, 10-year low flow of the Roeliff Jansen Kill at Ancram and of Birch Creek at Pine Hill, are given. Summaries of discharge from Rondout and Ashokan Reservoirs, in Ulster County, are also included. Minimum average 7-day, 10-year flow for gaging stations with 10 years or more of record were determined by log-Pearson Type III computation; those for partial-record stations were developed by correlation of discharge measurements made at the partial-record stations with discharge data from appropriate long-term gaging stations. The variation in low flows from point to point within the selected subbasins were estimated from available data and regional regression formula. Time of travel at these flows in the four subbasins was estimated from available data and Boning's equations.

Occupation times and ergodicity breaking in biased continuous time random walks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bel, Golan; Barkai, Eli

2005-12-01

Continuous time random walk (CTRW) models are widely used to model diffusion in condensed matter. There are two classes of such models, distinguished by the convergence or divergence of the mean waiting time. Systems with finite average sojourn time are ergodic and thus Boltzmann-Gibbs statistics can be applied. We investigate the statistical properties of CTRW models with infinite average sojourn time; in particular, the occupation time probability density function is obtained. It is shown that in the non-ergodic phase the distribution of the occupation time of the particle on a given lattice point exhibits bimodal U or trimodal W shape, related to the arcsine law. The key points are as follows. (a) In a CTRW with finite or infinite mean waiting time, the distribution of the number of visits on a lattice point is determined by the probability that a member of an ensemble of particles in equilibrium occupies the lattice point. (b) The asymmetry parameter of the probability distribution function of occupation times is related to the Boltzmann probability and to the partition function. (c) The ensemble average is given by Boltzmann-Gibbs statistics for either finite or infinite mean sojourn time, when detailed balance conditions hold. (d) A non-ergodic generalization of the Boltzmann-Gibbs statistical mechanics for systems with infinite mean sojourn time is found.

Rigid shape matching by segmentation averaging.

PubMed

Wang, Hongzhi; Oliensis, John

2010-04-01

We use segmentations to match images by shape. The new matching technique does not require point-to-point edge correspondence and is robust to small shape variations and spatial shifts. To address the unreliability of segmentations computed bottom-up, we give a closed form approximation to an average over all segmentations. Our method has many extensions, yielding new algorithms for tracking, object detection, segmentation, and edge-preserving smoothing. For segmentation, instead of a maximum a posteriori approach, we compute the "central" segmentation minimizing the average distance to all segmentations of an image. For smoothing, instead of smoothing images based on local structures, we smooth based on the global optimal image structures. Our methods for segmentation, smoothing, and object detection perform competitively, and we also show promising results in shape-based tracking.

The Concept of Solid Solvent as Processing Aid.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-09-20

3 presents the DSC results of acetanilide . Acetanilide shows a sharp melting peak at 116C, very close to the melting point (Tm) reported by Fisher...should become compatible with a polymer and act as a solvent in the liquid state above its melting point , significantly reducing the viscosity of the...polymer, but should become incompatible and crystallize out of the polymer as discrete domains below its melting point without adversely affecting

The Human Rights Act: What are the implications for older people?

PubMed

2001-06-01

Help the Aged is launching a report outlining the terms of the Human Rights Act and its implications both for older people themselves and for public bodies responsible for providing services to them. Tessa Harding, head of policy at Help the Aged said: 'The Human Rights Act is an important turning point for older people. Not only does it establish key rights of individuals to freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment, to private and family life and so on; it also prohibits discrimination in accessing these rights.We expect older people and their advocates to use the Act to ensure greater fairness and equality in our society.'

Intrasomatic injection of corticosteroid followed by vertebroplasty increases early pain relief rather than vertebroplasty alone in vertebral bone neoplasms: preliminary experience.

PubMed

Basile, Antonio; Masala, Salvatore; Banna, Giuseppe; Cotta, Elisa; Cavalli, Maide; Fiumara, Paolo; Di Raimondo, Francesco; Mundo, Elena; Scavone, Giovanni; Granata, Antonio; Carrafiello, Gianpaolo; Tsetis, Dimitrios

2012-04-01

In this prospective multicenter study, we evaluate the effectiveness of corticosteroid plus vertebroplasty rather than vertebroplasty alone in the analgesic treatment of single-level vertebral neoplasms or pathological fractures. From January 2009 to February 2011, we prospectively enrolled 20 consecutive patients (11 women, nine men; age range 46-78 years; mean age 65.1 years) with single-level vertebral neoplasm or pathological fractures totally or partially refractory to analgesic treatment, with indication to vertebroplasty. Institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained. The inclusion criteria for the study were the presence of a single-level pathological fracture not extended to the posterior wall or symptomatic localization of primary or secondary neoplasms, visual analogue score (VAS) ≥5, and life expectancy more than 3 months. Exclusion criteria where all contraindications either to corticosteroid injection included allergy (local sepsis, bacteremia, allergy) or vertebroplasty included coagulopathy, etc. The population was randomly divided into two groups: in group A, patients underwent intrasomatic injections of 4 mg/ml of dexamethasone phosphate followed by a cement injection; patients in group B underwent standard vertebroplasty. VAS score was evaluated and compared between both groups of patients at 6 h, 24 h, 48 h, 7 days, 30 days, and 3 months after the intervention plus last available follow-up. Statistical analyses were performed by application of the t test. Technical success was achieved in all cases. In group A, we treated six male and six female patients (age range 46-73 years, average 60.2 years). Pre-intervention VAS in group A ranged between 7 and 10 points, average 8 points. In group B, we treated three male and five female patients (age range 52-78 years, average 67.3 years). Pre-intervention VAS score in group B ranged between 7 and 9 points, with an average 8 points. Patients in group A in respect to patients in group B had a higher reduction in VAS, with a difference of 25.4% (VAS reduction average 5.5 versus 4.1) at 6 h post-intervention, 24.5% (VAS average 5.7 versus 4.3) at 24 h, 25% (VAS average 6 versus 4.5) at 48 h, 23% (VAS average 6.5 versus 5) at 7 days, 16.4% (VAS average 6.7 versus 5.6) at 30 days, 8.9% (VAS average 6.7 versus 6, .1) at 3 months. The last available follow-up ranged from 3 to 24 months in group A and from 5 to 20 months in group B. In our preliminary experience, pre-vertebroplasty injection of intrasomatic corticosteroid in comparison to vertebroplasty alone is able to increase the early pain relief of the procedure.

STEREOSCOPIC DETERMINATION OF HEIGHTS OF EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET BRIGHT POINTS USING DATA TAKEN BY SECCHI/EUVI ABOARD STEREO

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

Kwon, Ryun-Young; Chae, Jongchul; Zhang Jie

2010-05-01

We measure the heights of EUV bright points (BPs) above the solar surface by applying a stereoscopic method to the data taken by the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory/SECCHI/Extreme UltraViolet Imager (EUVI). We have developed a three-dimensional reconstruction method for point-like features such as BPs using the simple principle that the position of a point in the three-dimensional space is specified as the intersection of two lines of sight. From a set of data consisting of EUVI 171 A, 195 A, 284 A, and 304 A images taken on 11 days arbitrarily selected during a period of 14 months, we havemore » identified and analyzed 210 individual BPs that were visible on all four passband images and smaller than 30 Mm. The BPs seen in the 304 A images have an average height of 4.4 Mm, and are often associated with the legs of coronal loops. In the 171 A, 195 A, and 284 A images the BPs appear loop-shaped, and have average heights of 5.1, 6.7, and 6.1 Mm, respectively. Moreover, there is a tendency that overlying loops are filled with hotter plasmas. The average heights of BPs in 171 A, 195 A, and 284 A passbands are roughly twice the corresponding average lengths. Our results support the notion that an EUV BP represents a system of small loops with temperature stratification like flaring loops, being consistent with the magnetic reconnection origin.« less

[Multiple time scales analysis of spatial differentiation characteristics of non-point source nitrogen loss within watershed].

PubMed

Liu, Mei-bing; Chen, Xing-wei; Chen, Ying

2015-07-01

Identification of the critical source areas of non-point source pollution is an important means to control the non-point source pollution within the watershed. In order to further reveal the impact of multiple time scales on the spatial differentiation characteristics of non-point source nitrogen loss, a SWAT model of Shanmei Reservoir watershed was developed. Based on the simulation of total nitrogen (TN) loss intensity of all 38 subbasins, spatial distribution characteristics of nitrogen loss and critical source areas were analyzed at three time scales of yearly average, monthly average and rainstorms flood process, respectively. Furthermore, multiple linear correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the contribution of natural environment and anthropogenic disturbance on nitrogen loss. The results showed that there were significant spatial differences of TN loss in Shanmei Reservoir watershed at different time scales, and the spatial differentiation degree of nitrogen loss was in the order of monthly average > yearly average > rainstorms flood process. TN loss load mainly came from upland Taoxi subbasin, which was identified as the critical source area. At different time scales, land use types (such as farmland and forest) were always the dominant factor affecting the spatial distribution of nitrogen loss, while the effect of precipitation and runoff on the nitrogen loss was only taken in no fertilization month and several processes of storm flood at no fertilization date. This was mainly due to the significant spatial variation of land use and fertilization, as well as the low spatial variability of precipitation and runoff.

A COST EVALUATION OF SMALL SYSTEM COMPLIANCE OPTIONS: POU AND POE TREATMENT UNITS

EPA Science Inventory

The challenges facing small drinking water systems were a major focus of the 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). One way Congress sought to help systems meet these challenges was by explicitly allowing systems to install point-of-use (POU) and point-of-entry (P...

40 CFR 125.64 - Effect of the discharge on other point and nonpoint sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Effect of the discharge on other point... (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS CRITERIA AND STANDARDS FOR THE NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM Criteria for Modifying the Secondary Treatment Requirements Under Section 301(h) of the Clean Water Act...

40 CFR 125.64 - Effect of the discharge on other point and nonpoint sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Effect of the discharge on other point... (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS CRITERIA AND STANDARDS FOR THE NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM Criteria for Modifying the Secondary Treatment Requirements Under Section 301(h) of the Clean Water Act...

40 CFR 125.64 - Effect of the discharge on other point and nonpoint sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Effect of the discharge on other point... (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS CRITERIA AND STANDARDS FOR THE NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM Criteria for Modifying the Secondary Treatment Requirements Under Section 301(h) of the Clean Water Act...

40 CFR 125.64 - Effect of the discharge on other point and nonpoint sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Effect of the discharge on other point... (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS CRITERIA AND STANDARDS FOR THE NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM Criteria for Modifying the Secondary Treatment Requirements Under Section 301(h) of the Clean Water Act...

40 CFR 125.64 - Effect of the discharge on other point and nonpoint sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Effect of the discharge on other point... (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS CRITERIA AND STANDARDS FOR THE NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM Criteria for Modifying the Secondary Treatment Requirements Under Section 301(h) of the Clean Water Act...

The Equitable Distribution of High-Quality Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bumgardner, Stan

2010-01-01

A new report by the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (TQ Center) highlights efforts across the nation to address a key point in the No Child Left Behind law and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)--the equitable distribution of high-quality teachers across all schools. Research consistently has pointed to effective…

The clinical importance of changes in the 0 to 10 numeric rating scale for worst, least, and average pain intensity: analyses of data from clinical trials of duloxetine in pain disorders.

PubMed

Farrar, John T; Pritchett, Yili L; Robinson, Michael; Prakash, Apurva; Chappell, Amy

2010-02-01

Data on 1,700 patients pooled from 5 randomized, placebo-controlled duloxetine studies (3 in diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain and 2 in fibromyalgia) were analyzed to determine clinically important differences (CIDs) in the 0 to 10 Numeric Rating Scale-Pain Intensity (NRS-PI) for patient-reported "worst" and "least" pain intensity while validating the previously published level for "average" pain. The correspondence between the baseline-to-endpoint raw and percentage change in the NRS-PI for the worst, least, and average pain were compared to patients' perceived improvements at endpoint as measured by the 7-point Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) scales. Stratification by baseline pain separated the raw but not the percent change scores. The PGI-I category of "much better" or above was our a priori definition of a CID. Cutoff points for the NRS-PI change scores were determined using a receiver operator curve analysis. A consistent relationship between the worst and average NRS-PI percent change and the PGI-I was demonstrated regardless of the study, pain type, age, sex, or treatment group with a reduction of approximately 34%. The least pain item CID was slightly higher at 41%. Raw change CID cutoff points were approximately -2, -2.5 and -3 for least, average, and worst pain respectively. We determined an anchor-based value for the change in the worst, least, and average pain intensity items of the Brief Pain Inventory that best represents a clinically important difference. Our findings support a standard definition of a clinically important difference in clinical trials of chronic-pain therapies. Copyright 2010 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Trends in health care resource utilization and pharmacological management of COPD in Taiwan from 2004 to 2010.

PubMed

Tsai, Ying-Huang; Yang, Tsung-Ming; Lin, Chieh-Mo; Huang, Shu-Yi; Wen, Yu-Wen

2017-01-01

COPD has attracted widespread attention worldwide. The prevalence of COPD in Taiwan has been reported, but little is known about trends in health care resource utilization and pharmacologic management in COPD treatment. The objective of this article was to study trends in health care resource utilization, pharmacologic management, and medical costs of COPD treatment in Taiwan. Reimbursement claims in the Taiwan National Health Insurance System from 2004 to 2010 were collected. The disease burden of COPD, including health care resource utilization and medical costs, was evaluated. The pharmacy cost of COPD increased from 2004 to 2010 due to the increased utilization of long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) and fixed-dose combination of long-acting β2-agonist and inhaled corticosteroid (LABA/ICS), whereas the cost of all other COPD-related medications decreased. The average outpatient department (OPD) cost per patient increased 29.3% from 1,070 USD in 2004 to 1,383 USD in 2010. The highest average total medical cost per patient was 3,434 USD in 2005, and it decreased 12.4% to 3,008 USD in 2010. There was no significant difference in the average number of OPD visits and emergency department visits per patient. The highest average number of hospital admissions was 0.81 in 2005, and it decreased to 0.65 in 2010. The average number of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions decreased from 0.52 in 2005 to 0.31 in 2010. From 2004 to 2010, the average total medical cost per patient of COPD was slightly decreased because of the decreased average number of hospital admissions and ICU admissions. The costs of both LAMA and LABA/ICS increased, while the cost for all other COPD-related medications decreased. These findings suggest that the increased utilization of LAMA and LABA/ICS may have contributed to the decreased average number of hospital admissions and ICU admissions in COPD patients from 2004 to 2010.

Precision zero-home locator

DOEpatents

Stone, William J.

1986-01-01

A zero-home locator includes a fixed phototransistor switch and a moveable actuator including two symmetrical, opposed wedges, each wedge defining a point at which switching occurs. The zero-home location is the average of the positions of the points defined by the wedges.

Precision zero-home locator

DOEpatents

Stone, W.J.

1983-10-31

A zero-home locator includes a fixed phototransistor switch and a moveable actuator including two symmetrical, opposed wedges, each wedge defining a point at which switching occurs. The zero-home location is the average of the positions of the points defined by the wedges.

Fast-food menu offerings vary in dietary quality, but are consistently poor.

PubMed

Kirkpatrick, Sharon I; Reedy, Jill; Kahle, Lisa L; Harris, Jennifer L; Ohri-Vachaspati, Punam; Krebs-Smith, Susan M

2014-04-01

To evaluate five popular fast-food chains' menus in relation to dietary guidance. Menus posted on chains' websites were coded using the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies and MyPyramid Equivalents Database to enable Healthy Eating Index-2005 (HEI-2005) scores to be assigned. Dollar or value and kids' menus and sets of items promoted as healthy or nutritious were also assessed. Five popular fast-food chains in the USA. Not applicable. Full menus scored lower than 50 out of 100 possible points on the HEI-2005. Scores for Total Fruit, Whole Grains and Sodium were particularly dismal. Compared with full menus, scores on dollar or value menus were 3 points higher on average, whereas kids' menus scored 10 points higher on average. Three chains marketed subsets of items as healthy or nutritious; these scored 17 points higher on average compared with the full menus. No menu or subset of menu items received a score higher than 72 out of 100 points. The poor quality of fast-food menus is a concern in light of increasing away-from-home eating, aggressive marketing to children and minorities, and the tendency for fast-food restaurants to be located in low-income and minority areas. The addition of fruits, vegetables and legumes; replacement of refined with whole grains; and reformulation of offerings high in sodium, solid fats and added sugars are potential strategies to improve fast-food offerings. The HEI may be a useful metric for ongoing monitoring of fast-food menus.