Teaching Political Science through Memory Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jansson, Maria; Wendt, Maria; Ase, Cecilia

2009-01-01

In this article, we present the results of a research project where we have tried to elaborate more socially inclusive ways of teaching and learning political science by making use of a specific feminist method of analyzing social relations--memory work. As a method, memory work involves writing and interpreting stories of personal experience,…

Intelligent Work Process Engineering System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Kent E.

2003-01-01

Optimizing performance on work activities and processes requires metrics of performance for management to monitor and analyze in order to support further improvements in efficiency, effectiveness, safety, reliability and cost. Information systems are therefore required to assist management in making timely, informed decisions regarding these work processes and activities. Currently information systems regarding Space Shuttle maintenance and servicing do not exist to make such timely decisions. The work to be presented details a system which incorporates various automated and intelligent processes and analysis tools to capture organize and analyze work process related data, to make the necessary decisions to meet KSC organizational goals. The advantages and disadvantages of design alternatives to the development of such a system will be discussed including technologies, which would need to bedesigned, prototyped and evaluated.

Exposure to psychosocial risk factors in the context of work: a systematic review.

PubMed

Fernandes, Cláudia; Pereira, Anabela

2016-01-01

To analyze the scientific literature about the effects of exposure to psychosocial risk factors in work contexts. A systematic review was performed using the terms "psychosocial factors" AND "COPSOQ" in the databases PubMed, Medline, and Scopus. The period analyzed was from January 1, 2004 to June 30, 2012. We have included articles that used the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) as a measuring instrument of the psychosocial factors and the presentation of quantitative or qualitative results. German articles, psychometric studies or studies that did not analyze individual or work factors were excluded. We included 22 articles in the analysis. Individual factors, such as gender, age, and socioeconomic status, were analyzed along with work-related factors such as labor demands, work organization and content, social relationships and leadership, work-individual interface, workplace values, justice and respect, personality, health and well-being, and offensive behaviors. We analyzed the sample type and the applied experimental designs. Some population groups, such as young people and migrants, are more vulnerable. The deteriorated working psychosocial environment is associated with physical health indicators and weak mental health. This environment is also a risk factor for the development of moderate to severe clinical conditions, predicting absenteeism or intention of leaving the job. The literature shows the contribution of exposure to psychosocial risk factors in work environments and their impact on mental health and well-being of workers. It allows the design of practical interventions in the work context to be based on scientific evidences. Investigations in specific populations, such as industry, and studies with more robust designs are lacking.

New developments in fabrication of high-energy-resolution analyzers for inelastic x-ray spectroscopy.

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

Said, A. H.; Sinn, H.; Divan, R.

2011-05-01

In this work new improvements related to the fabrication of spherical bent analyzers for 1 meV energy-resolution inelastic X-ray scattering spectroscopy are presented. The new method includes the use of a two-dimensional bender to achieve the required radius of curvature for X-ray analyzers. The advantage of this method is the ability to monitor the focus during bending, which leads to higher-efficiency analyzers.

Contingent and Alternative Work Arrangements, Defined.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polivka, Anne E.

1996-01-01

Discusses the definitions of contingent workers and alternative work arrangements used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to analyze data, and presents aggregate estimates of the number of workers in each group. Discusses the overlap between contingent workers and workers in alternative arrangements. (Author/JOW)

Association among Working Hours, Occupational Stress, and Presenteeism among Wage Workers: Results from the Second Korean Working Conditions Survey.

PubMed

Jeon, Sung-Hwan; Leem, Jong-Han; Park, Shin-Goo; Heo, Yong-Seok; Lee, Bum-Joon; Moon, So-Hyun; Jung, Dal-Young; Kim, Hwan-Cheol

2014-03-24

The purpose of the present study was to identify the association between presenteeism and long working hours, shiftwork, and occupational stress using representative national survey data on Korean workers. We analyzed data from the second Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS), which was conducted in 2010, in which a total of 6,220 wage workers were analyzed. The study population included the economically active population aged above 15 years, and living in the Republic of Korea. We used the chi-squared test and multivariate logistic regression to test the statistical association between presenteeism and working hours, shiftwork, and occupational stress. Approximately 19% of the workers experienced presenteeism during the previous 12 months. Women had higher rates of presenteeism than men. We found a statistically significant dose-response relationship between working hours and presenteeism. Shift workers had a slightly higher rate of presenteeism than non-shift workers, but the difference was not statistically significant. Occupational stress, such as high job demand, lack of rewards, and inadequate social support, had a significant association with presenteeism. The present study suggests that long working hours and occupational stress are significantly related to presenteeism.

Association among Working Hours, Occupational Stress, and Presenteeism among Wage Workers: Results from the Second Korean Working Conditions Survey

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Objectives The purpose of the present study was to identify the association between presenteeism and long working hours, shiftwork, and occupational stress using representative national survey data on Korean workers. Methods We analyzed data from the second Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS), which was conducted in 2010, in which a total of 6,220 wage workers were analyzed. The study population included the economically active population aged above 15 years, and living in the Republic of Korea. We used the chi-squared test and multivariate logistic regression to test the statistical association between presenteeism and working hours, shiftwork, and occupational stress. Results Approximately 19% of the workers experienced presenteeism during the previous 12 months. Women had higher rates of presenteeism than men. We found a statistically significant dose–response relationship between working hours and presenteeism. Shift workers had a slightly higher rate of presenteeism than non-shift workers, but the difference was not statistically significant. Occupational stress, such as high job demand, lack of rewards, and inadequate social support, had a significant association with presenteeism. Conclusions The present study suggests that long working hours and occupational stress are significantly related to presenteeism. PMID:24661575

Kafka and Autism: The Undisclosed Logic Behind Kafka's Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuger, Jerry

2017-01-01

In this paper the hypothesis is presented that Franz Kafka was a person with autism. This is done by analyzing and discussing his biography, letters, diaries and major works. Kafka's autism is an integral diagnosis which encompasses both his personal life and his work. This interpretation is contrary to other interpretations from the past which in…

CSTT Update: Fuel Quality Analyzer

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

Brosha, Eric L.; Lujan, Roger W.; Mukundan, Rangachary

These are slides from a presentation. The following topics are covered: project background (scope and approach), developing the prototype (timeline), update on intellectual property, analyzer comparisons (improving humidification, stabilizing the baseline, applying clean-up strategy, impact of ionomer content and improving clean-up), proposed operating mode, considerations for testing in real-world conditions (Gen 1 analyzer electronics development, testing partner identified, field trial planning), summary, and future work.

Distribution automation and control support; Analysis and interpretation of DAC working group results for use in project planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klock, P.; Evans, D.

1979-01-01

The Executive Summary and Proceedings of the Working Group Meeting was analyzed to identify specific projects appropriate for Distribution Automation and Control DAC RD&D. Specific projects that should be undertaken in the DAC RD&D program were recommended. The projects are presented under broad categories of work selected based on ESC's interpretation of the results of the Working Group Meeting. Some of the projects are noted as utility industry projects. The ESC recommendations regarding program management are presented. Utility versus Government management responsibilities are noted.

Exposure to psychosocial risk factors in the context of work: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Fernandes, Cláudia; Pereira, Anabela

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To analyze the scientific literature about the effects of exposure to psychosocial risk factors in work contexts. METHODS A systematic review was performed using the terms “psychosocial factors” AND “COPSOQ” in the databases PubMed, Medline, and Scopus. The period analyzed was from January 1, 2004 to June 30, 2012. We have included articles that used the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) as a measuring instrument of the psychosocial factors and the presentation of quantitative or qualitative results. German articles, psychometric studies or studies that did not analyze individual or work factors were excluded. RESULTS We included 22 articles in the analysis. Individual factors, such as gender, age, and socioeconomic status, were analyzed along with work-related factors such as labor demands, work organization and content, social relationships and leadership, work-individual interface, workplace values, justice and respect, personality, health and well-being, and offensive behaviors. We analyzed the sample type and the applied experimental designs. Some population groups, such as young people and migrants, are more vulnerable. The deteriorated working psychosocial environment is associated with physical health indicators and weak mental health. This environment is also a risk factor for the development of moderate to severe clinical conditions, predicting absenteeism or intention of leaving the job. CONCLUSIONS The literature shows the contribution of exposure to psychosocial risk factors in work environments and their impact on mental health and well-being of workers. It allows the design of practical interventions in the work context to be based on scientific evidences. Investigations in specific populations, such as industry, and studies with more robust designs are lacking. PMID:27253900

Transit time spreads in biased paracentric hemispherical deflection analyzers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sise, Omer; Zouros, Theo J. M.

2016-02-01

The biased paracentric hemispherical deflection analyzers (HDAs) are an alternative to conventional (centric) HDAs maintaining greater dispersion, lower angular aberrations, and hence better energy resolution without the use of any additional fringing field correctors. In the present work, the transit time spread of the biased paracentric HDA is computed over a wide range of analyzer parameters. The combination of high energy resolution with good time resolution and simplicity of design makes the biased paracentric analyzers very promising for both coincidence and singles spectroscopy applications.

Relative role of different radii in the dynamics of 8B+58Ni reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, Amandeep; Sandhu, Kirandeep; Sharma, Manoj K.

2018-05-01

In the present work, we intend to analyze the significance of three different radius terms in the framework of dynamical cluster-decay model (DCM) based calculations. In the majority of DCM based calculations the impact of mass- dependent radius R(A) is extensively analyzed. The other two factors on which the radius term may depend are, the neutron- proton asymmetry and the charge of the decaying fragments. Hence, the asymmetry dependent radius term R(I) and charge dependent radius term R(Z) are incorporated in DCM based calculations to investigate their effect on the reaction dynamics involved. Here, we present an extension of an earlier work based on the decay of 66As* compound nucleus by including R(I) and R(Z) radii in addition to the R(A) term. The effect of replacement of R(A) with R(I) and R(Z) is analyzed via fragmentation structure, tunneling probabilities (P) and other barrier characteristics like barrier height (VB), barrier position (RB), barrier turning point Ra etc. The role of temperature, deformations and angular momentum is duly incorporated in the present calculations.

Numerical modeling of NITM-2 flow field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chow, Alan S.; Mo, Jiada

1992-01-01

An axisymmetric flowfield inside the NASA NITM-2 nozzle has been analyzed by solving the compressible Navier-Stokes equations. The PARC code has been modified for the present work and the objective of this research work is to provide some database and some instructive information for the further experimental test on this subject. The presented work includes both the flowfield prediction for the pretest case and the impact of the erosion from any ring of the insulation materials in the flowfield inside the test section and the result is very preliminary.

"Choose, Explore, Analyze": A Multi-Tiered Approach to Social Media in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosatelli, Meghan

2015-01-01

In this essay, social media are presented as complex tools that require student involvement from potential classroom implementation to the post-mortem. The "choose, explore, analyze" approach narrows social media options for the classroom based on student feedback and allows students and teachers to work together to understand why and…

Mapping Saldana's Coding Methods onto the Literature Review Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J.; Frels, Rebecca K.; Hwang, Eunjin

2016-01-01

Onwuegbuzie and Frels (2014) provided a step-by-step guide illustrating how discourse analysis can be used to analyze literature. However, more works of this type are needed to address the way that counselor researchers conduct literature reviews. Therefore, we present a typology for coding and analyzing information extracted for literature…

Nonlinear effects in a plain journal bearing. I - Analytical study. II - Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choy, F. K.; Braun, M. J.; Hu, Y.

1991-01-01

In the first part of this work, a numerical model is presented which couples the variable-property Reynolds equation with a rotor-dynamics model for the calculation of a plain journal bearing's nonlinear characteristics when working with a cryogenic fluid, LOX. The effects of load on the linear/nonlinear plain journal bearing characteristics are analyzed and presented in a parametric form. The second part of this work presents numerical results obtained for specific parametric-study input variables (lubricant inlet temperature, external load, angular rotational speed, and axial misalignment). Attention is given to the interrelations between pressure profiles and bearing linear and nonlinear characteristics.

A Model of an Educational Institution for Working with Gifted Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karpova, S. I.

2012-01-01

The dynamics of social, economic, and public life provide evidence of the increasing need to analyze current problems of children's education and giftedness. At present, work with gifted children in the municipal system of education is being conducted by many educational institutions--gymnasiums, lyceums, and institutions for supplementary…

Analysis of Calibration Errors for Both Short and Long Stroke White Light Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pan, Xaiopei

2006-01-01

This work will analyze focusing and tilt variations introduced by thermal changes in calibration processes. In particular the accuracy limits are presented for common short- and long-stroke experiments. A new, simple, practical calibration scheme is proposed and analyzed based on the SIM PlanetQuest's Micro-Arcsecond Metrology (MAM) testbed experiments.

Popes in the Pizza: Analyzing Activity Reports to Create and Sustain a Strategic Plan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sweet, Charlie; Blythe, Hal; Keeley, E. J.; Forsyth, Ben

2008-01-01

This article presents a practical methodology for creating and sustaining strategic planning, the task analysis. Utilizing our Teaching & Learning Center Strategic Plan as a model, we demonstrate how working with a weekly status report provides a comprehensive listing of detail necessary to analyze and revise the plan. The new methodology is…

Proposals for Changes in Surveying-Legal Procedures for the Needs of Cadastre in Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mika, Monika

2016-12-01

The aim of this paper is to present the need for changes of geodetic-legal procedures for the cadastre and real estate management. This problem was analyzed both in theoretical and practical terms. In order to better present the analyzed technical and legal procedures, a study of several cases of surveying documentation was made. On their example the problems associated with the surveying services were shows and the formal and legal procedures, on the basis of which described surveying works were done were verified. The problem presented is current and valid not only for the comfort of the surveyor's work, but also from the point of view of the structure and modernization of the real estate cadastre, constituting the backbone of the real estate management. The article emphasized the need to unify the databases of state registers and the digitization of the National Geodetic and Cartographic Resources (PZDGiK). Research has shown that despite the continuous changes of legislation, there are still many shortcomings and gaps, which often complicate the surveying works. The surveyor must analyze and verify all materials he uses, including those obtained from the Centre of Geodetic and Cartographic Documentation (ODGiK). The quality of the geodetic and cartographic elaboration depends largely on the work of the Centre of Geodetic and Cartographic Documentation. The need of modernization of the Land and Buildings Registry, which acts as a cadastre in Poland, has been demonstrated. Furthermore, the unification of data used as reference systems both for plane coordinates and elevation has been proposed.

Work Ethic and Values in HRD. Symposium.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2002

This document contains four papers from a symposium on work ethic and values in human resource development (HRD). "Value Priorities of HRD Scholars and Practitioners" (Reid Bates, Hsin Chih Chen, Tim Hatcher) presents the results of a study that identified and analyzed six HRD values reflecting two value facets (locus of HRD influence…

Educated Mis-Employment in Hong Kong: Earnings Effects of Employment in Unmatched Fields of Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chung, Yue-Ping

1990-01-01

Presents an empirical study on misemployment (the underutilization of worker's skills acquired through vocational education) in Hong Kong. Analyzes earnings functions of graduates from various educational fields and for workers employed in various fields. Misemployed graduates received lower earnings than their colleagues working in matched work…

How Deep Neural Networks Can Improve Emotion Recognition on Video Data

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-25

HOW DEEP NEURAL NETWORKS CAN IMPROVE EMOTION RECOGNITION ON VIDEO DATA Pooya Khorrami1 , Tom Le Paine1, Kevin Brady2, Charlie Dagli2, Thomas S...this work, we present a system that per- forms emotion recognition on video data using both con- volutional neural networks (CNNs) and recurrent...neural net- works (RNNs). We present our findings on videos from the Audio/Visual+Emotion Challenge (AV+EC2015). In our experiments, we analyze the effects

Simple neural substrate predicts complex rhythmic structure in duetting birds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amador, Ana; Trevisan, M. A.; Mindlin, G. B.

2005-09-01

Horneros (Furnarius Rufus) are South American birds well known for their oven-looking nests and their ability to sing in couples. Previous work has analyzed the rhythmic organization of the duets, unveiling a mathematical structure behind the songs. In this work we analyze in detail an extended database of duets. The rhythms of the songs are compatible with the dynamics presented by a wide class of dynamical systems: forced excitable systems. Compatible with this nonlinear rule, we build a biologically inspired model for how the neural and the anatomical elements may interact to produce the observed rhythmic patterns. This model allows us to synthesize songs presenting the acoustic and rhythmic features observed in real songs. We also make testable predictions in order to support our hypothesis.

Supporting clinician educators to achieve "work-work balance".

PubMed

Maniate, Jerry; Dath, Deepak; Cooke, Lara; Leslie, Karen; Snell, Linda; Busari, Jamiu

2016-10-01

Clinician Educators (CE) have numerous responsibilities in different professional domains, including clinical, education, research, and administration. Many CEs face tensions trying to manage these often competing professional responsibilities and achieve "work-work balance." Rich discussions of techniques for work-work balance amongst CEs at a medical education conference inspired the authors to gather, analyze, and summarize these techniques to share with others. In this paper we present the CE's "Four Ps"; these are practice points that support both the aspiring and established CE to help improve their performance and productivity as CEs, and allow them to approach work-work balance.

High-energy-resolution diced spherical quartz analyzers for resonant inelastic X-ray scattering

DOE PAGES

Said, Ayman H.; Gog, Thomas; Wieczorek, Michael; ...

2018-02-15

A novel diced spherical quartz analyzer for use in resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) is introduced, achieving an unprecedented energy resolution of 10.53 meV at the IrL 3absorption edge (11.215 keV). In this work the fabrication process and the characterization of the analyzer are presented, and an example of a RIXS spectrum of magnetic excitations in a Sr 3Ir 2O 7sample is shown.

Participation in nighttime activities in the genesis of depression in public school teachers from the State of Pernambuco, Brazil.

PubMed

Correia, Francisca Maria da Silva; de Albuquerque, Rosângela Nieto; Martins, Hugo André de Lima; Lins, Luciano da Fonseca; Lima, Murilo Duarte Costa; Dias, José Marcos da Silva; da Silva, Cícera Maria; Dos Santos, Allison José; Dos Santos, Leonardo Tárcito; Ribas, Valdenilson Ribeiro

2012-01-01

Teachers often undertake nighttime work involving exam corrections, projects and devising lesson plans in their homes. Many present excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and depression. The objective of this study was to evaluate EDS and depression in teachers from public schools. 201 female teachers were evaluated in the district of Quipapá/PE, Brazil. Among the study sample, 38 working 1 shift (CONTROL 1), 40 working 2 shifts (CONTROL 2) and 123 working 3 shifts (WTeachers-3T). The subjects were submitted to evaluation by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).The EDS data were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn's multiple comparison, p<0.05and expressed in MEDIAN (MINIMUM - MAXIMUM) whereas the depression data were analyzed by the Chi-square test, with p<0.05, expressed in percentage. WTeachers-3T presented excessive daytime sleepiness and higher rates of mild (24%) and moderate (37%) depression compared to controls - Control 1: mild (8%) and moderate (11%) - Control 2: mild (5%) and moderate (15%). This study found that teachers in the Quipapá municipality of Penambuco state working three shifts showed excessive daytime sleepiness and a higher percentage of mild and moderate depression compared to teachers working only one (1) or two (2) shifts.

HARBO, a simple computer-aided observation method for recording work postures.

PubMed

Wiktorin, C; Mortimer, M; Ekenvall, L; Kilbom, A; Hjelm, E W

1995-12-01

The aim of the study was to present an observation method focusing on the positions of the hands relative to the body and to evaluate whether this simple observation technique gives a reliable estimate of the total time spent in each of five work postures during one workday. In the first part of the study the interobserver reliability of the observation method was tested with eight blue-collar workers. In the second part the observed time spent with work above the shoulder level was tested in relation to an upper-arm position analyzer, and observed time spent in work below knuckle level was tested in relation to a trunk flexion analyzer, both with 72 blue-collar workers. The interobserver reliability for full-day registrations was high. The intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.99 to 1.00. The observed duration of work with hands above shoulder level correlated well with the measured duration of pronounced arm elevation (> 75 degrees). The product moment correlation coefficient was 0.97. The observed duration of work with hands below knuckle level correlated well with the measured duration of pronounced trunk flexion angles (> 40 degrees). The product moment correlation coefficient was 0.98. The present observation method, designed to make postural observations continuously for several hours, is easy to learn and seems reliable.

Recovery opportunities, work-home conflict, and emotional exhaustion among hematologists and oncologists in private practice.

PubMed

Nitzsche, Anika; Neumann, Melanie; Groß, Sophie E; Ansmann, Lena; Pfaff, Holger; Baumann, Walter; Wirtz, Markus; Schmitz, Stephan; Ernstmann, Nicole

2017-04-01

Hematologists and oncologists in private practice play a central role in the care provided for cancer patients. The present study analyzes stress and relaxation aspects in the work of hematologists and oncologists in private practice in Germany in relation to emotional exhaustion, as a core dimension of burnout syndrome. The study focuses on the opportunities for internal recovery using breaks and time out during the working day, the frequency of working on weekends and on vacation, and the physician's work-home and home-work conflict. Postulated associations between the constructs were analyzed using a structural equation model. If work leads to conflicts in private life (work-home conflict), it is associated with greater emotional exhaustion. Working frequently at the weekend is associated with greater work-home conflict and indirectly with greater emotional exhaustion. By contrast, the availability of opportunities to relax and recover during the working day is associated with less work-home conflict and indirectly with less emotional exhaustion. These results underline the importance of internal recovery opportunities during the working day and a successful interplay between working and private life for the health of outpatient hematologists and oncologists.

Analyzing Data for Systems Biology: Working at the Intersection of Thermodynamics and Data Analytics

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

Cannon, William R.; Baxter, Douglas J.

2012-08-15

Many challenges in systems biology have to do with analyzing data within the framework of molecular phenomena and cellular pathways. How does this relate to thermodynamics that we know govern the behavior of molecules? Making progress in relating data analysis to thermodynamics is essential in systems biology if we are to build predictive models that enable the field of synthetic biology. This report discusses work at the crossroads of thermodynamics and data analysis, and demonstrates that statistical mechanical free energy is a multinomial log likelihood. Applications to systems biology are presented.

Playing the game: Psychology textbooks speak out about love.

PubMed

Vicedo, Marga

2012-03-01

Starting in 1958, Harry Harlow published numerous research papers analyzing the emotional and social development of rhesus monkeys. This essay examines the presentation of Harlow's work in introductory psychology textbooks from 1958 to 1975, focusing on whether the textbooks erased the process of research, presented results without hedging, and provided a uniform account of Harlow's work and results. It argues that many textbooks were not passive vehicles of knowledge transmission; instead, they played a role similar to articles of meta-analysis and literature reviews.

Rapid development of Proteomic applications with the AIBench framework.

PubMed

López-Fernández, Hugo; Reboiro-Jato, Miguel; Glez-Peña, Daniel; Méndez Reboredo, José R; Santos, Hugo M; Carreira, Ricardo J; Capelo-Martínez, José L; Fdez-Riverola, Florentino

2011-09-15

In this paper we present two case studies of Proteomics applications development using the AIBench framework, a Java desktop application framework mainly focused in scientific software development. The applications presented in this work are Decision Peptide-Driven, for rapid and accurate protein quantification, and Bacterial Identification, for Tuberculosis biomarker search and diagnosis. Both tools work with mass spectrometry data, specifically with MALDI-TOF spectra, minimizing the time required to process and analyze the experimental data. Copyright 2011 The Author(s). Published by Journal of Integrative Bioinformatics.

The Advantages of Hierarchical Linear Modeling. ERIC/AE Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osborne, Jason W.

This digest introduces hierarchical data structure, describes how hierarchical models work, and presents three approaches to analyzing hierarchical data. Hierarchical, or nested data, present several problems for analysis. People or creatures that exist within hierarchies tend to be more similar to each other than people randomly sampled from the…

When Love Medicine Is Not Enough: Class Conflict and Work Culture on and off the Reservation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyck, Reginald

2006-01-01

Louise Erdrich's "Love Medicine" presents a troubled and troubling reimagining of life on the Turtle Mountain Reservation. In analyzing the novel, critics have generally ignored its descriptions of economic structures, class stratifications, and work conditions. In this essay, the author argues that these socioeconomic conditions are central to…

Perceived physical strain in paid and unpaid work and the work-home interface: the associations with musculoskeletal pain and fatigue among public employees.

PubMed

Fjell, Ylva; Alexanderson, Kristina; Nordenmark, Mikael; Bildt, Carina

2008-01-01

The aim of the present study was to analyze the association between number of working hours, the level of perceived physical strain, work-home interface and musculoskeletal pain and fatigue among women and men employed in the public sector. Cross-sectional data from 1,180 employees (86% women) in 49 public workplaces in 2002-2003 were analyzed. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used as measures of the associations. The analyses showed differences as well as similarities between women and men. Overall the women reported higher levels of perceived physical strain relative to total workload. A high level of physical strain was strongly associated with musculoskeletal pain and fatigue. Nevertheless, no detrimental effects were observed on health of high total working hours which indicates that a large number of total working hours might be balanced by accompanying multiple roles or many responsibilities and therefore not be generally regarded as risk factors for ill health.

The Cretaceous/Tertiary Extinction Controversy Reconsidered.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCartney, Kevin; Nienstedt, Jeffrey

1986-01-01

Reviews varying positions taken in the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/Y) extinction controversy. Analyzes and contests the meteoritic impact theory known as the Alvarez Model. Presents an alternative working hypothesis explaining the K/T transition. (ML)

Climate Informatics: Accelerating Discovering in Climate Science with Machine Learning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Monteleoni, Claire; Schmidt, Gavin A.; McQuade, Scott

2014-01-01

The goal of climate informatics, an emerging discipline, is to inspire collaboration between climate scientists and data scientists, in order to develop tools to analyze complex and ever-growing amounts of observed and simulated climate data, and thereby bridge the gap between data and understanding. Here, recent climate informatics work is presented, along with details of some of the field's remaining challenges. Given the impact of climate change, understanding the climate system is an international priority. The goal of climate informatics is to inspire collaboration between climate scientists and data scientists, in order to develop tools to analyze complex and ever-growing amounts of observed and simulated climate data, and thereby bridge the gap between data and understanding. Here, recent climate informatics work is presented, along with details of some of the remaining challenges.

Supporting clinician educators to achieve “work-work balance”

PubMed Central

Maniate, Jerry; Dath, Deepak; Cooke, Lara; Leslie, Karen; Snell, Linda; Busari, Jamiu

2016-01-01

Clinician Educators (CE) have numerous responsibilities in different professional domains, including clinical, education, research, and administration. Many CEs face tensions trying to manage these often competing professional responsibilities and achieve “work-work balance.” Rich discussions of techniques for work-work balance amongst CEs at a medical education conference inspired the authors to gather, analyze, and summarize these techniques to share with others. In this paper we present the CE’s “Four Ps”; these are practice points that support both the aspiring and established CE to help improve their performance and productivity as CEs, and allow them to approach work-work balance. PMID:28344698

The Place and Future of Social Work in Palliative Care Services in Turkey: State of the Art.

PubMed

Isıkhan, Vedat

2017-04-03

Palliative care, which is a special type of care including alleviation of physical and psychosocial symptoms of individuals with life-limiting serious diseases, has long been neglected in Turkey. This has also affected the activity of social work and social workers in the presentation of health services. In the present study, the present status of social work in palliative care services in Turkey was analyzed. It has also been attempted to explain the historical place of social work in palliative care services from 2002 on under the guidance of the World Health Organization and Ministry of Health. In the present study, an analysis is carried out of stages social work profession went through in social care services, its strong and weak aspects, and its future perspectives. It is thought that the experience gained and accumulation of knowledge in this process as it has occurred in Turkey may serve as guidance for other countries that have only recently started to implement palliative care services, which are evaluated in the context of human rights at present.

Analyzing musculoskeletal neck pain, measured as present pain and periods of pain, with three different regression models: a cohort study.

PubMed

Grimby-Ekman, Anna; Andersson, Eva M; Hagberg, Mats

2009-06-19

In the literature there are discussions on the choice of outcome and the need for more longitudinal studies of musculoskeletal disorders. The general aim of this longitudinal study was to analyze musculoskeletal neck pain, in a group of young adults. Specific aims were to determine whether psychosocial factors, computer use, high work/study demands, and lifestyle are long-term or short-term factors for musculoskeletal neck pain, and whether these factors are important for developing or ongoing musculoskeletal neck pain. Three regression models were used to analyze the different outcomes. Pain at present was analyzed with a marginal logistic model, for number of years with pain a Poisson regression model was used and for developing and ongoing pain a logistic model was used. Presented results are odds ratios and proportion ratios (logistic models) and rate ratios (Poisson model). The material consisted of web-based questionnaires answered by 1204 Swedish university students from a prospective cohort recruited in 2002. Perceived stress was a risk factor for pain at present (PR = 1.6), for developing pain (PR = 1.7) and for number of years with pain (RR = 1.3). High work/study demands was associated with pain at present (PR = 1.6); and with number of years with pain when the demands negatively affect home life (RR = 1.3). Computer use pattern (number of times/week with a computer session > or = 4 h, without break) was a risk factor for developing pain (PR = 1.7), but also associated with pain at present (PR = 1.4) and number of years with pain (RR = 1.2). Among life style factors smoking (PR = 1.8) was found to be associated to pain at present. The difference between men and women in prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was confirmed in this study. It was smallest for the outcome ongoing pain (PR = 1.4) compared to pain at present (PR = 2.4) and developing pain (PR = 2.5). By using different regression models different aspects of neck pain pattern could be addressed and the risk factors impact on pain pattern was identified. Short-term risk factors were perceived stress, high work/study demands and computer use pattern (break pattern). Those were also long-term risk factors. For developing pain perceived stress and computer use pattern were risk factors.

Analyzing musculoskeletal neck pain, measured as present pain and periods of pain, with three different regression models: a cohort study

PubMed Central

Grimby-Ekman, Anna; Andersson, Eva M; Hagberg, Mats

2009-01-01

Background In the literature there are discussions on the choice of outcome and the need for more longitudinal studies of musculoskeletal disorders. The general aim of this longitudinal study was to analyze musculoskeletal neck pain, in a group of young adults. Specific aims were to determine whether psychosocial factors, computer use, high work/study demands, and lifestyle are long-term or short-term factors for musculoskeletal neck pain, and whether these factors are important for developing or ongoing musculoskeletal neck pain. Methods Three regression models were used to analyze the different outcomes. Pain at present was analyzed with a marginal logistic model, for number of years with pain a Poisson regression model was used and for developing and ongoing pain a logistic model was used. Presented results are odds ratios and proportion ratios (logistic models) and rate ratios (Poisson model). The material consisted of web-based questionnaires answered by 1204 Swedish university students from a prospective cohort recruited in 2002. Results Perceived stress was a risk factor for pain at present (PR = 1.6), for developing pain (PR = 1.7) and for number of years with pain (RR = 1.3). High work/study demands was associated with pain at present (PR = 1.6); and with number of years with pain when the demands negatively affect home life (RR = 1.3). Computer use pattern (number of times/week with a computer session ≥ 4 h, without break) was a risk factor for developing pain (PR = 1.7), but also associated with pain at present (PR = 1.4) and number of years with pain (RR = 1.2). Among life style factors smoking (PR = 1.8) was found to be associated to pain at present. The difference between men and women in prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was confirmed in this study. It was smallest for the outcome ongoing pain (PR = 1.4) compared to pain at present (PR = 2.4) and developing pain (PR = 2.5). Conclusion By using different regression models different aspects of neck pain pattern could be addressed and the risk factors impact on pain pattern was identified. Short-term risk factors were perceived stress, high work/study demands and computer use pattern (break pattern). Those were also long-term risk factors. For developing pain perceived stress and computer use pattern were risk factors. PMID:19545386

Opportunities for Academic Language and Literacy Development for Emergent Bilingual Students during Group Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molle, Daniella; Lee, Naomi

2017-01-01

The present paper argues for a shift in teacher knowledge and beliefs about the role of group work in the teaching and learning of emergent bilingual students. Using case study data from an eighth grade classroom, the authors analyze the role of collaboration in the interaction with grade-level text of emergent bilingual students. The analysis…

Postgraduate Training in Clinical Oncology. Report on a WHO Working Group (The Hague, The Netherlands, December 6-8, 1978).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

World Health Organization, Copenhagen (Denmark). Regional Office for Europe.

The 1978 report of the Working Group of Postgraduate Training in Clinical Oncology, convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe in collaboration with the government of The Netherlands, is presented. The groups analyzed models of postgraduate training in clinical oncology and evaluated their suitability in relation to…

Tiffany Diamonds and Classical Music as Influences on the Performance of "Don Juan in Hell".

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Jim

This paper analyzes Paul Gregory's 1951 production of "Don Juan in Hell," now considered to be a seminal work in the development of professional and educational readers theatre. The paper contends that the production, which presented a nondramatic work without the usual emphasis on design and spectacle, forced a reexamination of the role…

An Analysis of Different Representations for Vectors and Planes in R[superscript 3]: Learning Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandoval, Ivonne; Possani, Edgar

2016-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the difficulties faced by students when working with different representations of vectors, planes and their intersections in R[superscript 3]. Duval's theoretical framework on semiotic representations is used to design a set of evaluating activities, and later to analyze student work. The…

Carpooling : Status and Potential

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-06-01

The report contains the findings of studies conducted to analyze the status and potential of work-trip carpooling as a means of achieving more efficient use of the automobile. Current and estimated maximum potential levels of carpooling are presented...

Ablative Thermal Protection System Fundamentals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beck, Robin A. S.

2013-01-01

This is the presentation for a short course on the fundamentals of ablative thermal protection systems. It covers the definition of ablation, description of ablative materials, how they work, how to analyze them and how to model them.

HOLONET: a network for training holography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pombo, Pedro; Santos, Emanuel

2014-07-01

Holography is an optics technique based on wave physics and lasers with several applications at our day life. The production of holograms involves experimental work based on hands-on activities and creativity. All these elements can contribute to the promotion of experimental teaching of optics and training on holography. The hologram itself acting as a final result from a long process of research and study can enable the engagement of high school students on physics and promote the stimulus on optics learning. Taking these assumptions into account a network of schools working on holography was built involving thirty schools from all country. Holography systems were developed and several hands-on activities were constructed. During last sixteen years students are working on laser optics and holography producing different kinds of holograms. This study presents all holography labs implemented at schools and it will analyzed the holography systems and materials developed for students. Training strategy will be discussed and holograms obtained by students will be presented. Results obtained show us that holography can be implemented as a strategy for promoting the learning of optics and it is a particular way to involve students on experimental work and lab research. Results obtained during this study will be presented in detail and analyzed with focus on students performance. Educational results, teachers training, prizes and other positive outcomes will be discussed and compared.

Systematic comparative content analysis of 17 psychosocial work environment questionnaires using a new taxonomy.

PubMed

Kop, Jean-Luc; Althaus, Virginie; Formet-Robert, Nadja; Grosjean, Vincent

2016-04-01

Many questionnaires have been developed to measure how psychosocial characteristics are perceived in a work environment. But the content validity of these questionnaires has rarely been questioned due to the absence of a reference taxonomy for characteristics of work environments. To propose an exhaustive taxonomy of work environment characteristics involved in psychosocial risks and to apply this taxonomy to questionnaires on workplace psychosocial factors. The taxonomy was developed by categorizing factors present in the main theoretical models of the field. Questionnaire items most frequently cited in scientific literature were retained for classification. The taxonomy was structured into four hierarchical levels and comprises 53 categories. The 17 questionnaires analyzed included 927 items: 59 from the "physical environment" category, 116 from the "social environment" category, 236 from the "work activity" category, 255 from the "activity management" category, and 174 from the "organizational context" category. There are major content differences among analyzed questionnaires. This study offers a means for selecting a scale on the basis of content.

Simulations of the flow past a cylinder using an unsteady double wake model

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

Ramos-García, N.; Sarlak, H.; Andersen, S. J.

2016-06-08

In the present work, the in-house UnSteady Double Wake Model (USDWM) is used to simulate flows past a cylinder at subcritical, supercritical, and transcritical Reynolds numbers. The flow model is a two-dimensional panel method which uses the unsteady double wake technique to model flow separation and its dynamics. In the present work the separation location is obtained from experimental data and fixed in time. The highly unsteady flow field behind the cylinder is analyzed in detail, comparing the vortex shedding charactericts under the different flow conditions.

Optical characterization of the InFocus TVT-6000 liquid crystal television (LCTV) using custom drive electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duffey, Jason N.; Jones, Brian K.; Loudin, Jeffrey A.; Booth, Joseph J.

1995-03-01

Liquid crystal televisions are popular low-cost spatial light modulators. One LCTV of interest is found in the InFocus TVT-6000 television projector. A wavefront splitting interferometer has been constructed and analyzed for measuring the complex characteristics of these modulators, including phase and amplitude coupling. The results of this evaluation using the TVT-6000 projector drive electronics have been presented in a previous work. This work will present results of the complex characterizations of these modulators using custom drive electronics.

Rigas Velestinlis and Astronomy in his ``Anthology of Physics''

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theodossiou, Efstratios Th.; Manimanis, Vassilios N.; Dimitrijević, Milan S.; Danezis, Emanouel

2008-09-01

Rigas Velestinlis (Velestino 1757-Belgrade 1798), Greek national hero of fight against Turkish Empire and one of the forerunners of the Greek enlightenment movement, an important part of his life lived in Bucharest and tragically died in Belgrade, so that he is important and for Romanian and Serbian history. For the history of astronomy, interesting is his Anthology of Physics, where astronomical contents are present. In this contribution, his life and work are presented and analyzed, with a particular attention to the astronomical aspects of the mentioned work and his connections with Romania.

Study of gastric cancer samples using terahertz techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahaia, Faustino; Kasalynas, Irmantas; Seliuta, Dalius; Molis, Gediminas; Urbanowicz, Andrzej; Carvalho Silva, Catia D.; Carneiro, Fatima; Valusis, Gintaras; Granja, Pedro L.

2014-08-01

In the present work, samples of healthy and adenocarcinoma-affected human gastric tissue were analyzed using transmission time-domain THz spectroscopy (THz-TDS) and spectroscopic THz imaging at 201 and 590 GHz. The work shows that it is possible to distinguish between normal and cancerous regions in dried and paraffin-embedded samples. Plots of absorption coefficient α and refractive index n of normal and cancer affected tissues, as well as 2-D transmission THz images are presented and the conditions for discrimination between normal and affected tissues are discussed.

The Work of Recovery on Two Assertive Community Treatment Teams

PubMed Central

Salyers, Michelle P.; Stull, Laura G.; Rollins, Angela L.; Hopper, Kim

2011-01-01

The compatibility of recovery work with the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model has been debated; and little is known about how to best measure the work of recovery. Two ACT teams with high and low recovery orientation were identified by expert consensus and compared on a number of dimensions. Using an interpretive, qualitative approach to analyze interview and observation data, teams differed in the extent to which the environment, team structure, staff attitudes, and processes of working with consumers supported principles of recovery orientation. We present a model of recovery work and discuss implications for research and practice. PMID:20839045

Management's Ecstasy and Disparity Over Job Enrichment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Albert S.

1976-01-01

A case study analyzing job enrichment schemes and manager expectations of increased productivity is presented. It was found that it was the managers' expectations of increased productivity, not the reorganization of work, that led to higher productivity. (EC)

Classifying individuals based on a densely captured sequence of vital signs: An example using repeated blood pressure measurements during hemodialysis treatment.

PubMed

Goldstein, Benjamin A; Chang, Tara I; Winkelmayer, Wolfgang C

2015-10-01

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) present the opportunity to observe serial measurements on patients. While potentially informative, analyzing these data can be challenging. In this work we present a means to classify individuals based on a series of measurements collected by an EHR. Using patients undergoing hemodialysis, we categorized people based on their intradialytic blood pressure. Our primary criteria were that the classifications were time dependent and independent of other subjects. We fit a curve of intradialytic blood pressure using regression splines and then calculated first and second derivatives to come up with four mutually exclusive classifications at different time points. We show that these classifications relate to near term risk of cardiac events and are moderately stable over a succeeding two-week period. This work has general application for analyzing dense EHR data. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Intellectual property rights related to the genetically modified glyphosate tolerant soybeans in Brazil.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Roberta L; Lage, Celso L S; Vasconcellos, Alexandre G

2011-06-01

The present work analyzes the different modalities of protection of the intellectual creations in the biotechnology agricultural field. Regarding the Brazilian legislations related to the theme (the Industrial Property Law - no. 9. 279/96 and the Plant Variety Protection Law - no. 9. 456/97), and based in the international treaties signed by Brazil, the present work points to the inclusions of each of them, as well as to their interfaces using as reference the case study of glyphosate tolerant genetically modified soybean. For this case study, Monsanto's pipelines patents were searched and used to analyze the limits of patent protection in respect to others related to the Intellectual Property (IP) laws. Thus, it was possible to elucidate the complex scenario of the Intellectual Property of the glyphosate tolerant soybeans, since for the farmer it is hard to correlate the royalties payment with the IP enterprise's rights.

Modeling and analysis of transport in the mammary glands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quezada, Ana; Vafai, Kambiz

2014-08-01

The transport of three toxins moving from the blood stream into the ducts of the mammary glands is analyzed in this work. The model predictions are compared with experimental data from the literature. The utility of the model lies in its potential to improve our understanding of toxin transport as a pre-disposing factor to breast cancer. This work is based on a multi-layer transport model to analyze the toxins present in the breast milk. The breast milk in comparison with other sampling strategies allows us to understand the mass transport of toxins once inside the bloodstream of breastfeeding women. The multi-layer model presented describes the transport of caffeine, DDT and cimetidine. The analysis performed takes into account the unique transport mechanisms for each of the toxins. Our model predicts the movement of toxins and/or drugs within the mammary glands as well as their bioaccumulation in the tissues.

Analyzing the Statistical Reasoning Levels of Pre-Service Elementary School Teachers in the Context of a Model Eliciting Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkas Ulusoy, Cigdem; Kayhan Altay, Mesture

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to analyze the statistical reasoning levels of preservice elementary school teachers. With this purpose, pre-service teachers consisting of 29 groups worked on a model eliciting activity (MEA) in scope of an elective course they were taking. At the end of the class, they were asked to present their solutions while…

An ambient agent model for analyzing managers' performance during stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ChePa, Noraziah; Aziz, Azizi Ab; Gratim, Haned

2016-08-01

Stress at work have been reported everywhere. Work related performance during stress is a pattern of reactions that occurs when managers are presented with work demands that are not matched with their knowledge, skills, or abilities, and which challenge their ability to cope. Although there are many prior findings pertaining to explain the development of manager performance during stress, less attention has been given to explain the same concept through computational models. In such, a descriptive nature in psychological theories about managers' performance during stress can be transformed into a causal-mechanistic stage that explains the relationship between a series of observed phenomena. This paper proposed an ambient agent model for analyzing managers' performance during stress. Set of properties and variables are identified through past literatures to construct the model. Differential equations have been used in formalizing the model. Set of equations reflecting relations involved in the proposed model are presented. The proposed model is essential and can be encapsulated within an intelligent agent or robots that can be used to support managers during stress.

Women of the Manhattan Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshall, Jill

2009-10-01

In the book Their Day in the Sun, Ruth Howes and Caroline Herzenberg documented more than 1000 women who worked on the Manhattan Project, preserving their legacy for generations to come. At the 2009 Chicago meeting, the AAPT Committee on Women in Physics celebrated the accomplishments of these women and the men who worked beside them. Howes presented an overview of the contributions of women to the development of the first nuclear weapon, and the session was honored with talks from two Manhattan project veterans, Ellen Cleminshaw Weaver, who worked at Oak Ridge, and Dorothy Marcus Gans, who worked as a technician in the Metallurgical Laboratory in Chicago. I will present a summary of the session, analyzing the effect of working on the project on the career trajectories of the women involved, and point listeners toward additional documentation of this history.

Advanced Aeroelastic Technologies for Turbomachinery Application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeWitt, Kenneth; Srivastava, Rakesh; Reddy, T. S. R.

2004-01-01

A summary of the work performed under the grant NCC-1068 is presented. More details can be found in the cited references. The summary is presented in two parts to represent two areas of research. In the first part, methods to analyze a high temperature ceramic guide vane subjected to cooling jets are presented, and in the second part, the effect of unsteady aerodynamic forces on aeroelastic stability as implemented into the turbo-REDUCE code are presented

[School of Public Health of Mexico: educational and technological innovation in the new millennium].

PubMed

Magaña-Valladares, Laura; Suárez-Conejero, Juana Elvira; Hernández-Ávila, Mauricio; Gudiño-Cejudo, María Rosa

2014-01-01

This article was conceived to analyze the work of the School of Public Health of Mexico (ESPM for is acronym in Spanish) from the year 2000 to the present day. One of the highlights that we will examine is the reorientation of the educational work of the school in order to meet the challenges in health and education that emerged during the end of the twentieth century. In order to explain the evolution of this process, we will describe the three main guiding principles that characterize the present work of the school: the pedagogical model's change, the incorporation of the information and communication technologies, and the professionalization in teaching. The purpose of this work is to define those guiding principles, and to expose, through the contrast between past and present, the complete history of uninterrupted work of the School of Public Health of Mexico during its ninety-two years of existence, that has gone beyond the boundaries of the country.

Will We Be Smart Enough? A Cognitive Analysis of the Coming Workforce.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunt, Earl

This book applies what has been learned in cognitive science to analyze the work force. Chapter 1 takes the point of view that the United States has problems in the creation and distribution of wealth and that many of the problems and their solutions lie in the characteristics of the work force. Chapter 2 presents a psychometric model of abilities…

Orion Landing and Recovery Systems Development - Government Contributions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Machin, Ricardo A.

2010-01-01

This slide presentation reviews NASA's work in development of landing and recovery systems for the Orion space craft. It includes a review of the available tools and skills that assist in analyzing the aerodynamic decelerators. There is a description of the work that is being done on the Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) parachutes that will be used with the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV)

Poster Presentations: Turning a Lab of the Week into a Culminating Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Logan, Jennifer L.; Quin~ones, Rosalynn; Sunderland, Deborah P.

2015-01-01

An assignment incorporating posters into a second-year analytical chemistry lab is described. Students work in groups and are assigned one of the application-themed weekly laboratories as a topic. Course data acquired for these weekly laboratories are compiled into spreadsheets that the poster group then analyzes to present in an on-campus poster…

Changing Work Force Needs with Implications for Higher Education. Proceedings of the Wingspread Conference (Racine, Wisconsin, October 23-24, 1978).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson Foundation, Inc., Racine, WI.

Four conference presentations analyze changing workforce needs and consider their implications for higher education. Richard Hey presents an overview of trends in lifestyles in the United States, discussing the changing roles of women, new structures of primary relationships, mid-life career change, increased lifespan, and attitudes toward…

MD PHEV/EV ARRA Project Data Collection and Reporting (Presentation)

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

Walkowicz, K.; Ramroth, L.; Duran, A.

2012-01-01

This presentation describes a National Renewable Energy Laboratory project to collect and analyze commercial fleet deployment data from medium-duty plug-in hybrid electric and all-electric vehicles that were deployed using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This work supports the Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Program and its Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity.

Unlikely Fluctuations and Non-Equilibrium Work Theorems-A Simple Example.

PubMed

Muzikar, Paul

2016-06-30

An exciting development in statistical mechanics has been the elucidation of a series of surprising equalities involving the work done during a nonequilibrium process. Astumian has presented an elegant example of such an equality, involving a colloidal particle undergoing Brownian motion in the presence of gravity. We analyze this example; its simplicity, and its link to geometric Brownian motion, allows us to clarify the inner workings of the equality. Our analysis explicitly shows the important role played by large, unlikely fluctuations.

Multi-way chemometric methodologies and applications: a central summary of our research work.

PubMed

Wu, Hai-Long; Nie, Jin-Fang; Yu, Yong-Jie; Yu, Ru-Qin

2009-09-14

Multi-way data analysis and tensorial calibration are gaining widespread acceptance with the rapid development of modern analytical instruments. In recent years, our group working in State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics in Hunan University has carried out exhaustive scientific research work in this area, such as building more canonical symbol systems, seeking the inner mathematical cyclic symmetry property for trilinear or multilinear decomposition, suggesting a series of multi-way calibration algorithms, exploring the rank estimation of three-way trilinear data array and analyzing different application systems. In this present paper, an overview from second-order data to third-order data covering about theories and applications in analytical chemistry has been presented.

Relation between voice disorders and work in a group of Community Health Workers.

PubMed

Cipriano, Fabiana Gonçalves; Ferreira, Léslie Piccolotto; Servilha, Emilse Aparecida Merlin; Marsiglia, Regina Maria Giffoni

2013-01-01

To analyze the relationship between voice disorders and work in a group of Community Health Agents (CHA). The subjects of this study were 65 CHA working in the city of São Paulo. Thefiinstrument used for data collection was an adaptation of the questionnaire named Conditions of Vocal Production - Teachers (CPV-P). The results were keyed in twice and submitted to statistical analysis, in order to verify: the self-reported frequency of voice disorder frequency of present vocal symptoms, the association among the three most frequently reported present symptoms, and environmental and organizational aspects of work. Of the 65 (100%) CHA in the study, 37 (56.9%) self-reported having present or past vocal disorders. The most frequently reported present symptoms were: dry throat, tiredness when speaking, and burning sensation in the throat. There was significant association between: taking work to home, having personal items stolen, police intervention, violence against employees and vocal symptom dry throat, not having enough time to complete all tasks, difficulty in leaving work, inadequate furniture, intense physical strain, objects stolen from the health unit, racism and vocal symptom tiredness when speaking, dust, job dissatisfaction, work stress, building destruction, drug issues, and vocal symptom burning in throat. Based on the obtained results, the initial hypothesis of association between the development of vocal disorders among the subjects and the adversities present in their work environment and organization was confirmed.

Analysis of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning ducts as a radio frequency communication channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikitin, Pavel Viktorovich

2002-01-01

A typical HVAC duct system is a network of interconnected hollow metal pipes which can serve as waveguides and carry electromagnetic waves. This work presents an analysis of this system as a radio frequency communication channel. Two main parts of the analysis include channel modelling and antenna design. The propagation modelling approach used here is based on the waveguide mode theory and employs the transfer matrix method to describe propagation through various cascaded HVAC elements. This allows one to model the channel response in the frequency domain. Impulse response characteristics of the ducts are also analyzed in this work. The approximate transfer matrices of cylindrical straight sections, bends, and tapers are derived analytically. The transforming properties of cylindrical T-junctions are analyzed experimentally. Antenna designs in waveguides and free-space are different. In waveguides, mode excitation characteristics are important as well as the impedance match. The criteria for antenna design in waveguides are presented here. Antennas analyzed in this work are monopole antennas, dipole antennas, and antenna arrays. The developed model can predict both channel response and antenna characteristics for a given geometry and dimensions of the duct system and the antennas. The model is computationally efficient and can potentially be applied to duct systems of multiple story buildings. The accuracy of the model has been validated with extensive experimental measurements on real HVAC ducts.

The isospin strange asymmetry from the chiral effective theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trevisan, Luis Augusto; Mirez, Carlos

2018-05-01

The proposal of the present work is to study the difference between the strange quark-antiquark amount in the proton and neutron. For this purpose, the possible nucleon-hyperon-kaon fluctuations are analyzed with the effective chiral theory. The small difference of particle masses is shown to be in the origin of this isospin asymmetry. The dependence of the results on the mass cutoff parameter and with the coupling constants is analyzed.

Automatic Positioning System of Small Agricultural Robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Momot, M. V.; Proskokov, A. V.; Natalchenko, A. S.; Biktimirov, A. S.

2016-08-01

The present article discusses automatic positioning systems of agricultural robots used in field works. The existing solutions in this area have been analyzed. The article proposes an original solution, which is easy to implement and is characterized by high- accuracy positioning.

Safety Effects of the Conversion of Rural Two-Lane Roadways to Four-Lane Roadways

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-08-01

This report presents the analyses and conclusions from work focused on analyzing multiple options for organizational and operational models for certificate management entities (CMEs) within the connected vehicle system. The report discusses all funct...

Training for Educational Media Design. An Inquiry Carried Out on Behalf of the Department of Communication Design, Leeds Polytechnic. Working Paper No. 9.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Andrew

A survey was made to determine the need for new media specialists to work in developing educational and training programs. In particular, an estimation of the present and future needs for trained personnel was analyzed. The greatest need identified was in primary and secondary education. Other employment areas likely to expand included Teachers'…

Echo power analysis and simulation of low altitude radio fuze

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiaolu; Chen, Biao; Xu, Tao; Xu, Suqin

2013-01-01

The echo power from the earth gound which was received by fuze plays an important role in aerial defense missile, especially when the fuze is working in the look down mode. It is necessary to analyze and even simulate the echo power signals to enhance the missile's anti-jamming ability. In this paper, the quantity of echo power from the earth ground of low altitude radio fuze was analyzed in detail. Three boundary equations of area irradiated by electromagnetic beams were presented, which include two equidistant curve equations and one equal-Doppler curve equation. The relationship between the working mode and the critical height was analyzed. The calculating formula of echo power waveform was derived. And based on the derived formula, the correlation between the maximal echo power and the incident height was given and simulated, which would be helpful for the further researches of low altitude radio fuze.

[Evaluation of using statistical methods in selected national medical journals].

PubMed

Sych, Z

1996-01-01

The paper covers the performed evaluation of frequency with which the statistical methods were applied in analyzed works having been published in six selected, national medical journals in the years 1988-1992. For analysis the following journals were chosen, namely: Klinika Oczna, Medycyna Pracy, Pediatria Polska, Polski Tygodnik Lekarski, Roczniki Państwowego Zakładu Higieny, Zdrowie Publiczne. Appropriate number of works up to the average in the remaining medical journals was randomly selected from respective volumes of Pol. Tyg. Lek. The studies did not include works wherein the statistical analysis was not implemented, which referred both to national and international publications. That exemption was also extended to review papers, casuistic ones, reviews of books, handbooks, monographies, reports from scientific congresses, as well as papers on historical topics. The number of works was defined in each volume. Next, analysis was performed to establish the mode of finding out a suitable sample in respective studies, differentiating two categories: random and target selections. Attention was also paid to the presence of control sample in the individual works. In the analysis attention was also focussed on the existence of sample characteristics, setting up three categories: complete, partial and lacking. In evaluating the analyzed works an effort was made to present the results of studies in tables and figures (Tab. 1, 3). Analysis was accomplished with regard to the rate of employing statistical methods in analyzed works in relevant volumes of six selected, national medical journals for the years 1988-1992, simultaneously determining the number of works, in which no statistical methods were used. Concurrently the frequency of applying the individual statistical methods was analyzed in the scrutinized works. Prominence was given to fundamental statistical methods in the field of descriptive statistics (measures of position, measures of dispersion) as well as most important methods of mathematical statistics such as parametric tests of significance, analysis of variance (in single and dual classifications). non-parametric tests of significance, correlation and regression. The works, in which use was made of either multiple correlation or multiple regression or else more complex methods of studying the relationship for two or more numbers of variables, were incorporated into the works whose statistical methods were constituted by correlation and regression as well as other methods, e.g. statistical methods being used in epidemiology (coefficients of incidence and morbidity, standardization of coefficients, survival tables) factor analysis conducted by Jacobi-Hotellng's method, taxonomic methods and others. On the basis of the performed studies it has been established that the frequency of employing statistical methods in the six selected national, medical journals in the years 1988-1992 was 61.1-66.0% of the analyzed works (Tab. 3), and they generally were almost similar to the frequency provided in English language medical journals. On a whole, no significant differences were disclosed in the frequency of applied statistical methods (Tab. 4) as well as in frequency of random tests (Tab. 3) in the analyzed works, appearing in the medical journals in respective years 1988-1992. The most frequently used statistical methods in analyzed works for 1988-1992 were the measures of position 44.2-55.6% and measures of dispersion 32.5-38.5% as well as parametric tests of significance 26.3-33.1% of the works analyzed (Tab. 4). For the purpose of increasing the frequency and reliability of the used statistical methods, the didactics should be widened in the field of biostatistics at medical studies and postgraduation training designed for physicians and scientific-didactic workers.

iPhone forensics based on Macintosh open source and freeware tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Höne, Thomas; Creutzburg, Reiner

2011-02-01

The aim of this article is to show the usefulness of Mac OS X based open source tools for forensic investigation of modern iPhones. It demonstrates how important data stored in the iPhone is investigated. Two different scenarios of investigations are presented that are well-suited for a forensics lab work in university. This work shows how to analyze an Apple iPhone using open source and freeware tools. Important data used in a forensics investigation, which are possibly stored on a mobile device are presented. Also the superstructure and functions of the iPhone are explained.

e-Science platform for translational biomedical imaging research: running, statistics, and analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tusheng; Yang, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Kai; Wang, Mingqing; Zhao, Jun; Xu, Lisa; Zhang, Jianguo

2015-03-01

In order to enable multiple disciplines of medical researchers, clinical physicians and biomedical engineers working together in a secured, efficient, and transparent cooperative environment, we had designed an e-Science platform for biomedical imaging research and application cross multiple academic institutions and hospitals in Shanghai and presented this work in SPIE Medical Imaging conference held in San Diego in 2012. In past the two-years, we implemented a biomedical image chain including communication, storage, cooperation and computing based on this e-Science platform. In this presentation, we presented the operating status of this system in supporting biomedical imaging research, analyzed and discussed results of this system in supporting multi-disciplines collaboration cross-multiple institutions.

Radial dependence of self-organized criticality behavior in TCABR tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

dos Santos Lima, G. Z.; Iarosz, K. C.; Batista, A. M.; Guimarães-Filho, Z. O.; Caldas, I. L.; Kuznetsov, Y. K.; Nascimento, I. C.; Viana, R. L.; Lopes, S. R.

2011-03-01

In this work we present evidence of the self-organized criticality behavior of the plasma edge electrostatic turbulence in the tokamak TCABR. Analyzing fluctuation data measured by Langmuir probes, we verify the radial dependence of self-organized criticality behavior at the plasma edge and scrape-off layer. We identify evidence of this radial criticality in statistical properties of the laminar period distribution function, power spectral density, autocorrelation, and Hurst parameter for the analyzed fluctuations.

Systematic comparative content analysis of 17 psychosocial work environment questionnaires using a new taxonomy

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Background Many questionnaires have been developed to measure how psychosocial characteristics are perceived in a work environment. But the content validity of these questionnaires has rarely been questioned due to the absence of a reference taxonomy for characteristics of work environments. Objectives To propose an exhaustive taxonomy of work environment characteristics involved in psychosocial risks and to apply this taxonomy to questionnaires on workplace psychosocial factors. Methods The taxonomy was developed by categorizing factors present in the main theoretical models of the field. Questionnaire items most frequently cited in scientific literature were retained for classification. Results The taxonomy was structured into four hierarchical levels and comprises 53 categories. The 17 questionnaires analyzed included 927 items: 59 from the “physical environment” category, 116 from the “social environment” category, 236 from the “work activity” category, 255 from the “activity management” category, and 174 from the “organizational context” category. Conclusions There are major content differences among analyzed questionnaires. This study offers a means for selecting a scale on the basis of content. PMID:27367232

Work, family, and gender: elements for a theory of work-family balance.

PubMed

Cantera, Leonor M; Cubells, Ma Eugenia; Martínez, Luz Ma; Blanch, Josep M

2009-11-01

Over last century, work was not only a means of economic survival, but also a very strong factor of psychological structuring and of organization of personal, family, and everyday life. The new world of work provides new challenges to the balance of work and family life. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 453 people with the aim of analyzing the relation between variables such as family burdens and domestic responsibilities, and the appraisal of work and family, values involved in work-family balance. The results of this study show that, in the present economic and cultural context, assuming family burdens and domestic responsibilities increases the positive appraisal of work and family, both in men and women. This has theoretical and practical implications concerning the challenge of work-family balance.

Observational information for f(T) theories and dark torsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bengochea, Gabriel R.

2011-01-01

In the present work we analyze and compare the information coming from different observational data sets in the context of a sort of f(T) theories. We perform a joint analysis with measurements of the most recent type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO), Cosmic Microwave Background radiation (CMB), Gamma-Ray Bursts data (GRBs) and Hubble parameter observations (OHD) to constraint the only new parameter these theories have. It is shown that when the new combined BAO/CMB parameter is used to put constraints, the result is different from previous works. We also show that when we include Observational Hubble Data (OHD) the simpler ΛCDM model is excluded to one sigma level, leading the effective equation of state of these theories to be of phantom type. Also, analyzing a tension criterion for SNe Ia and other observational sets, we obtain more consistent and better suited data sets to work with these theories.

Exposures of lead to adolescent workers in battery recycling workshops and surrounding communities.

PubMed

Shah, Faheem; Kazi, Tasneem Gul; Afridi, Hassan Imran; Naeemullah; Arain, Sadaf Sadia

2012-11-01

In the present study, the environmental and occupational exposure of lead (Pb) has been assessed by analyzing the whole-blood samples of early adolescents (boys) aged 12-15 years working for the past 1-3 years in battery recycling workshops (BRW). For comparative purpose, boys of the same age group residing in the vicinity of BRW (exposed non-workers) and who lived in domestic areas devoid of any industrial activity (referents boys) were selected. The blood samples were analyzed for Pb, along with biochemical parameters of blood. Both biological samples were oxidized by acid in a microwave oven before determination of Pb by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The mean value of Pb concentration in blood samples of working boys was threefold higher as compared with referent boys. The significant negative correlations of blood Pb level with % Hb (r=-0.862) were observed in working boys.

Hospital organizational factors influence work-family conflict in registered nurses: Multilevel modeling of a nation-wide cross-sectional survey in Sweden.

PubMed

Leineweber, C; Chungkham, H S; Westerlund, H; Tishelman, C; Lindqvist, R

2014-05-01

The present shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in many European countries is expected to continue and worsen, which poses a substantial threat to the maintenance of healthcare in this region. Work-family conflict is a known risk factor for turnover and sickness absence. This paper empirically examines whether the nurse practice environment is associated with experienced work-family conflict. A multilevel model was fit with the individual RN at the 1st, and the hospital department at the 2nd level using cross-sectional RN survey data from the Swedish part of RN4CAST, an EU 7th framework project. The data analyzed here is based on a national sample of 8356 female and 592 male RNs from 369 hospital departments. We found that 6% of the variability in work-family conflict experienced by RNs was at the department level. Organizational level factors significantly accounted for most of the variability at this level with two of the work practice environment factors examined, staffing adequacy and nurse involvement in hospital affairs, significantly related to work-family conflict. Due to the design of the study, factors on ward and work group levels could not be analyzed, but are likely to account for additional variance which in the present analysis appears to be on the individual level, with private life factors likely explaining another major part. These results suggest that higher level organizational factors in health care have a significant impact on the risk of work-family conflict among RNs through their impact on the nurse practice environment. Lower level organizational factors should be investigated in future studies using hierarchical multilevel sampling. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

To stop or not to stop, that's the question: about persistence and mood of workaholics and work engaged employees.

PubMed

Van Wijhe, Corine I; Peeters, Maria C W; Schaufeli, Wilmar B

2011-12-01

Although workaholics and work engaged employees both work long hours, they seem to have a different underlying motivation to do so. The mood as input model might offer an explanation for the difference in work persistence of these employees. This model suggests that the interplay of mood and "persistence rules" (enough and enjoyment rules) may lead to different kinds of persistence mechanisms. The aims of this study are to present a scale for measuring persistence rules, the Work Persistence rules Checklist (WoPeC), to analyze its psychometric properties and to test the mood as input model in relationship with workaholism and work engagement. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis in study 1 provided support for the hypothesized factor structure of the WoPeC. In study 2, it appeared that the use of an enough and an enjoyment rule for determining when to continue working is related to workaholism and work engagement, respectively. Furthermore, it was hypothesized and found that negative mood is related to workaholism, whereas positive mood is associated with work engagement. The expected interactions between mood and persistence rules on workaholism and work engagement were not demonstrated. Mood and persistence rules seem relevant for explaining the difference between workaholism and work engagement.

Assessment of Predictable Productivity of Nurses Working in Kerman University of Medical Sciences' Teaching Hospitals via the Dimensions of Quality of Work Life.

PubMed

Borhani, Fariba; Arbabisarjou, Azizollah; Kianian, Toktam; Saber, Saman

2016-10-01

Despite the existence of a large community of nurses, specific mechanisms have not been developed yet to consider their needs and the quality of their work life. Moreover, few studies have been conducted to analyze the nature of nursing, nursing places or nurses' quality of work life. In this regard, the present study aimed to assess predictable productivity of nurses working in Kerman University of Medical Sciences' teaching hospitals via the dimensions of Quality of Work Life. The present descriptive-correlational study was conducted to assess predictable productivity of nurses via the dimensions of Quality of Work Life. The study's population consisted of all nurses working in different wards of teaching hospitals associated with Kerman University of Medical Sciences. Out of the whole population, 266 nurses were selected based on the simple random sampling method. To collect data, the questionnaires of 'Quality of Nursing Work Life' and 'Productivity' were used after confirming their reliability (test-retest) and content validity. Finally, the collected data were analyzed through the SPSS software (version 16). Although the quality of work life for nurses was average and their productivity was low but the results showed that quality of life is directly related to nurses' productivity. Quality of life and its dimensions are predictive factors in the in the nurses' productivity. It can conclude that by recognizing the nurses' quality of work life situation, it can realize this group productivity and their values to the efficiency of the health system. For the quality of working life improvement and increasing nurses' productivity more efforts are needed by authorities. The findings can be applied by managers of hospitals and nursing services along with head nurses to enhance the quality of health services and nursing profession in general.

Structural characterization of nanocrystalline cadmium sulphide powder prepared by solvent evaporation technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandya, Samir; Tandel, Digisha; Chodavadiya, Nisarg

2018-05-01

CdS is one of the most important compounds in the II-VI group of semiconductor. There are numerous applications of CdS in the form of nanoparticles and nanocrystalline. Semiconductors nanoparticles (also known as quantum dots), belong to state of matter in the transition region between molecules and solids, have attracted a great deal of attention because of their unique electrical and optical properties, compared to bulk materials. In the field of optoelectronic, nanocrystalline form utilizes mostly in the field of catalysis and fluid technology. Considering these observations, presented work had been carried out, i.e. based on the nanocrystalline material preparation. In the present work CdS nano-crystalline powder was synthesized by a simple and cost effective chemical technique to grow cadmium sulphide (CdS) nanoparticles at 200 °C with different concentrations of cadmium. The synthesis parameters were optimized. The synthesized powder was structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction and particle size analyzer. In the XRD analysis, Micro-structural parameters such as lattice strain, dislocation density and crystallite size were analysed. The broadened diffraction peaks indicated nanocrystalline particles of the film material. In addition to that the size of the prepared particles was analyzed by particle size analyzer. The results show the average size of CdS particles ranging from 80 to 100 nm. The overall conclusion of the work can be very useful in the synthesis of nanocrystalline CdS powder.

Covalent attachment and dissociative loss of sinapinic acid to/from cysteine-containing proteins from bacterial cell lysates analyzed by MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometry

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Portions of this work were presented earlier as an oral presentation on June 2nd 2009 at the 57th American Society of Mass Spectrometry Conference (May 31-June 4, 2009, Philadelphia, PA). We report covalent attachment via a thiol ester linkage of 3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (sinapinic acid...

Evaluating chemical safety: ToxCast, Tipping Points and Virtual Tissues (Tamburro Symposium)

EPA Science Inventory

This presentation provides an overview of high-throughput toxicology at the NCCT using high-content imaging and computational models for analyzing chemical safety. In In particular, this work outlines the derivation of toxicological "tipping points" from in vitro concentration- a...

Using group learning to promote integration and cooperative learning between Asian and Australian second-year veterinary science students.

PubMed

Mills, Paul C; Woodall, Peter F; Bellingham, Mark; Noad, Michael; Lloyd, Shan

2007-01-01

There is a tendency for students from different nationalities to remain within groups of similar cultural backgrounds. The study reported here used group project work to encourage integration and cooperative learning between Australian students and Asian (Southeast Asian) international students in the second year of a veterinary science program. The group project involved an oral presentation during a second-year course (Structure and Function), with group formation engineered to include very high, high, moderate, and low achievers (based on previous grades). One Asian student and three Australian students were placed in each group. Student perceptions of group dynamics were analyzed through a self-report survey completed at the end of the presentations and through group student interviews. Results from the survey were analyzed by chi-square to compare the responses between Asian and Australian students, with statistical significance accepted at p < 0.05. There were too few Asian students for statistical analysis from a single year; therefore, the results from two successive years, 2004 (N = 104; 26% Asian) and 2005 (N = 105; 20% Asian), were analyzed. All participating students indicated in the interviews that the project was worthwhile and a good learning experience. Asian students expressed a greater preference for working in a group than for working alone (p = 0.001) and reported more frequently than Australian students that teamwork produces better results (p = 0.01). Australian students were more likely than Asian students to voice their opinion in a team setting (p = 0.001), while Asian students were more likely to depend on the lecturer for directions (p = 0.001). The results also showed that group project work appeared to create an environment that supported learning and was a successful strategy to achieve acceptance of cultural differences.

Virtual strategies to improve transversal competences, using wikis in a collaborative work

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guinau, Marta; Playa, Elisabet

2016-04-01

A major educational aim in university degrees since the implementation of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) on the European universities is the work based on transversal competences. However, the first course students arrive at the Spanish universities with important deficiencies on some of these competences, especially regarding on oral and written expression, time management and collaborative work. The experience of the teachers involved in this work has revealed the coordination difficulty between the students to work in group, important deficiencies on information management and the stress caused by the oral presentations. The results presented here correspond to a teaching innovation project. It is based on: a) the development of works in groups of 3 or 4 students, proposed as flipped classrooms strategy and b) the implementation of a virtual tool (a wiki). This tool helps the students with scientific information management and facilitates the access of all the students belonging to the work group at the information provided by colleagues. The wiki also improves the monitoring and evaluation of the work and contributions of each student by teachers. Each group must develop a topic related to the subject - General Geology and Geochemistry - that the group chose from a list of earth sciences topics proposed by teachers. The resulting works are presented in poster and oral presentations (10 min. per group and 5 min. for questions). Each work is evaluated by teachers using the evidences provided on the wiki and by means of evaluation guides. Moreover, the students must self and co-evaluate the presented works. The implementation of this project has provided information to analyze the impact of these strategies and to quantify it in terms of 'Learning Analytics'.

Research in DRM architecture based on watermarking and PKI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Ligang; Chen, Xiaosu; Xiao, Dao-ju; Yi, Miao

2005-02-01

Analyze the virtue and disadvantage of the present digital copyright protecting system, design a kind of security protocol model of digital copyright protection, which equilibrium consider the digital media"s use validity, integrality, security of transmission, and trade equity, make a detailed formalize description to the protocol model, analyze the relationship of the entities involved in the digital work copyright protection. The analysis of the security and capability of the protocol model shows that the model is good at security and practicability.

Preliminary Options Assessment of Versatile Irradiation Test Reactor

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

Sen, Ramazan Sonat

The objective of this report is to summarize the work undertaken at INL from April 2016 to January 2017 and aimed at analyzing some options for designing and building a versatile test reactor; the scope of work was agreed upon with DOE-NE. Section 2 presents some results related to KNK II and PRISM Mod A. Section 3 presents some alternatives to the VCTR presented in [ ] as well as a neutronic parametric study to assess the minimum power requirement needed for a 235U metal fueled fast test reactor capable to generate a fast (>100 keV) flux of 4.0 xmore » 1015 n /cm2-s at the test location. Section 4 presents some results regarding a fundamental characteristic of test reactors, namely displacement per atom (dpa) in test samples. Section 5 presents the INL assessment of the ANL fast test reactor design FASTER. Section 6 presents a summary.« less

Automated Flow-Injection Instrument for Chemiluminescence Detection Using a Low-Cost Photodiode Detector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Economou, A.; Papargyris, D.; Stratis, J.

2004-01-01

The development of an FI analyzer for chemiluminescence detection using a low-cost photoiodide is presented. The experiment clearly demonstrates in a single interdisciplinary project the way in which different aspects in chemical instrumentation fit together to produce a working analytical system.

Reading the Writer's Craft: The Hemingway Short Stories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrigues, Lisa

2004-01-01

The high school students who spent five weeks studying the style and craft of Ernest Hemingway experienced the power and plus points of apprenticeships. Several assignments that helped the high school juniors to analyze Hemingway's work on short stories and learn from this master craftsman are presented.

Publications in the History of Physics During 1973

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brush, Stephen G.

1975-01-01

Analyzes more than 50 books and 14 periodicals for contributions to the history of physics. Recurring most frequently are topics in optics, ether, relativity, mechanics and atomic or nuclear physics although, historically, the works range from the 5th century B.C. to present times. (Author/CP)

Characterization of the mechanical properties of resected porcine organ tissue using optical fiber photoelastic polarimetry.

PubMed

Hudnut, Alexa W; Babaei, Behzad; Liu, Sonya; Larson, Brent K; Mumenthaler, Shannon M; Armani, Andrea M

2017-10-01

Characterizing the mechanical behavior of living tissue presents an interesting challenge because the elasticity varies by eight orders of magnitude, from 50Pa to 5GPa. In the present work, a non-destructive optical fiber photoelastic polarimetry system is used to analyze the mechanical properties of resected samples from porcine liver, kidney, and pancreas. Using a quasi-linear viscoelastic fit, the elastic modulus values of the different organ systems are determined. They are in agreement with previous work. In addition, a histological assessment of compressed and uncompressed tissues confirms that the tissue is not damaged during testing.

Results and conclusions: perception sensor study for high speed autonomous operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Anne; LaCelle, Zachary; Lacaze, Alberto; Murphy, Karl; Close, Ryan

2016-05-01

Previous research has presented work on sensor requirements, specifications, and testing, to evaluate the feasibility of increasing autonomous vehicle system speeds. Discussions included the theoretical background for determining sensor requirements, and the basic test setup and evaluation criteria for comparing existing and prototype sensor designs. This paper will present and discuss the continuation of this work. In particular, this paper will focus on analyzing the problem via a real-world comparison of various sensor technology testing results, as opposed to previous work that utilized more of a theoretical approach. LADAR/LIDAR, radar, visual, and infrared sensors are considered in this research. Results are evaluated against the theoretical, desired perception specifications. Conclusions for utilizing a suite of perception sensors, to achieve the goal of doubling ground vehicle speeds, is also discussed.

Chemical composition of Titan's aerosols analogues characterized with a systematic pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szopa, Cyril; Raulin, Francois; Coll, Patrice; Cabane, Michel; GCMS Team

2014-05-01

The in situ chemical characterization of Titan's atmosphere was achieved in 2005 with two instruments present onboard the Huygens atmospheric probe : the Aerosol Collector and Pyrolyzer (ACP) devoted to collect and pyrolyse Titan's aerosols ; the Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) experiment devoted to analyze gases collected in the atmosphere or coming from the aerosols pyrolysis. The GCMS was developed by Hasso Niemann in the filiation of the quadrupole mass spectrometers he built for several former space missions. The main objectives were to : determine the concentration profile of the most abundant chemical species; seek for minor atmospheric organic species not detected with remote observations ; give a first view of the organic aerosols structure; characterize the condensed volatiles present at the surface (e.g. lakes) in case of survival of the probe to the landing impact. Taking into account for the potential complexity of the gaseous samples to be analyzed, it was decided to couple to the MS analyzer a gas chromatograph capable to separate volatile species from light inorganic molecules and noble gases, to organic compounds including aromatics. This was the first GCMS analyzer that worked in an extraterrestrial environment since the Viking missions on Mars. Even if the GCMS coupling mode did not provide any result of interest, it has been demonstrated to be functional during the Huygens descent. But, the direct MS analysis of the atmosphere, and the pyrolysis-MS analysis of aerosols allowed to make great discoveries which are still of primary importance to describe the Titan's lower atmosphere composition. This contribution aims at presenting this instrument that worked in the Titan's atmosphere, and summarizing the most important discoveries it allowed.

Effects of Presentation Format and Instructions on the Ability of People with Intellectual Disability to Identify Faces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manzanero, Antonio L.; Contreras, Maria Jose; Recio, Maria; Alemany, Alberto; Martorell, Almudena

2012-01-01

The aim of this work was to analyze the effect of presentation format and instructions on the ability of people with intellectual disability to identify individuals they did not know and had seen only briefly. With this objective in mind, 2 groups of subjects with mild to moderate intellectual disability were shown a photograph of a person and,…

Three Dimensional Parametric Analyses of Stress Concentration Factor and Its Mitigation in Isotropic and Orthotropic Plate with Central Circular Hole Under Axial In-Plane Loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagpal, Shubhrata; Jain, Nitin Kumar; Sanyal, Shubhashis

2016-01-01

The problem of finding the stress concentration factor of a loaded rectangular plate has offered considerably analytical difficulty. The present work focused on understanding of behavior of isotropic and orthotropic plate subjected to static in-plane loading using finite element method. The complete plate model configuration has been analyzed using finite element method based software ANSYS. In the present work two parameters: thickness to width of plate (T/A) and diameter of hole to width of plate (D/A) have been varied for analysis of stress concentration factor (SCF) and its mitigation. Plates of five different materials have been considered for complete analysis to find out the sensitivity of stress concentration factor. The D/A ratio varied from 0.1 to 0.7 for analysis of SCF and varied from 0.1 to 0.5 for analyzing the mitigation of SCF. 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1 are considered as T/A ratio for all the cases. The results are presented in graphical form and discussed. The mitigation in SCF reported is very encouraging. The SCF is more sensitive to D/A ratio as compared to T/A.

Analysis of the Image of Scientists Portrayed in the Lebanese National Science Textbooks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yacoubian, Hagop A.; Al-Khatib, Layan; Mardirossian, Taline

2017-07-01

This article presents an analysis of how scientists are portrayed in the Lebanese national science textbooks. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, to develop a comprehensive analytical framework that can serve as a tool to analyze the image of scientists portrayed in educational resources. Second, to analyze the image of scientists portrayed in the Lebanese national science textbooks that are used in Basic Education. An analytical framework, based on an extensive review of the relevant literature, was constructed that served as a tool for analyzing the textbooks. Based on evidence-based stereotypes, the framework focused on the individual and work-related characteristics of scientists. Fifteen science textbooks were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative measures. Our analysis of the textbooks showed the presence of a number of stereotypical images. The scientists are predominantly white males of European descent. Non-Western scientists, including Lebanese and/or Arab scientists are mostly absent in the textbooks. In addition, the scientists are portrayed as rational individuals who work alone, who conduct experiments in their labs by following the scientific method, and by operating within Eurocentric paradigms. External factors do not influence their work. They are engaged in an enterprise which is objective, which aims for discovering the truth out there, and which involves dealing with direct evidence. Implications for science education are discussed.

Risk and Returns to Education. NBER Working Paper No. 18300

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Jeffrey; Fang, Chichun; Gomes, Francisco

2012-01-01

We analyze the returns to education in a life-cycle framework that incorporates risk preferences, earnings volatility (including unemployment), and a progressive income tax and social insurance system. We show that such a framework significantly reduces the measured gains from education relative to simple present-value calculations, although the…

Predictors of Higher Technological Education Graduates' Labour Market Entrance Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kostoglou, Vassilis; Garmpis, Aristogiannis; Koilias, Christos; Van der Heijden, Beatrice

2011-01-01

Nowadays, the successful transition of graduates from university into the world of work is one of the most important priorities of all involved stakeholders: governments, institutions of higher education, and individuals, as well as researchers. The present study analyzes the employability characteristics of higher technological education…

Competition, Parental Involvement and Public School Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMillan, Robert

This paper summarizes work from a dissertation that examines the determinants of public school performance, focusing on the roles of incentives and parental involvement. The thesis presents theory and related empirics. In the theory, it analyzes the effects of competition on public school productivity, with and without parental involvement, as…

Project Physics Text 1, Concepts of Motion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA. Harvard Project Physics.

Fundamental concepts of motion are presented in this first unit of the Project Physics textbook. Descriptions of motion are made in connection with speeds, accelerations, and their graphical representation. Free-fall bodies are analyzed by using Aristotle's theory and Galileo's work. Dynamics aspects are discussed with a background of mass, force,…

Does Active Learning Improve Students' Knowledge of and Attitudes toward Research Methods?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campisi, Jay; Finn, Kevin E.

2011-01-01

We incorporated an active, collaborative-based research project in our undergraduate Research Methods course for first-year sports medicine majors. Working in small groups, students identified a research question, generated a hypothesis to be tested, designed an experiment, implemented the experiment, analyzed the data, and presented their…

Problem Solving.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pollak, Ave

This guide is intended for use in presenting a three-session course designed to develop the problem-solving skills required of persons employed in the manufacturing and service industries. The course is structured so that, upon its completion, students will be able to accomplish the following: describe and analyze problems encountered at work;…

The United States Air Force Occupational Research Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christal, Raymond E.

This informal presentation describes how and why the Air Force uses the job inventory approach for collecting, analyzing, and reporting information describing the work performed by its personnel. This is followed by a brief description of the Comprehensive Occupational Data Computer Program (CODAP) system, the applications of job survey…

Development Education Revisited: The New Zealand Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Small, David

1999-01-01

Analyzes the educational implications of the "no-comparison message" that is present in almost all of the publicity material produced by New Zealand-based agencies working in the area of aid and development. Calls for a radical reorientation of the messages being promoted and actions undertaken. Contains 20 references. (AMA)

Preservice Teachers' Conceptions and Enactments of Project-Based Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Jill A.; Petrosino, Anthony J.; Martin, Taylor

2010-01-01

We present results of an investigation of preservice secondary mathematics and science teachers' conceptions of project-based instruction (PBI) and their enactments of PBI in apprentice (student) teaching. We evaluated their thinking and implementations within a composite framework based on the work of education researchers. We analyzed survey…

Folkvine.org: Arts-Based Research on the Web

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congdon, Kristin G.

2006-01-01

Folkvine.org is a website that presents seven Florida folk artists, three guidebooks, and several scholarly bobble heads that make commentary on humanities topics, the artists, and their work. This article analyzes the website as an arts-based research project. Topics covered address issues of representation, translation, learning processes, and…

Familles d'ici et d'ailleurs (Families, Here and Abroad).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McBride, Nicole Combe

1981-01-01

Presents the results of a contrastive study of French and English advertisements directed at family needs. The study, based on the work of British students attending an advanced French course, analyzes male and female roles, stereotypes, and changes, as they emerge from the language and images of advertising. (MES)

Early Care in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ponce-Meza, Jacqueline

2017-01-01

The article analyzes the importance of early care in child development, guiding a neuropsychological perspective of development. The early care model seeks to refer to the set of interventions aimed at children and their work in conjunction with a multidisciplinary team. It presents recommendations for the implementation of programs that allow…

Teachers Implementing Entrepreneurship Education: Classroom Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruskovaara, Elena; Pihkala, Timo

2013-01-01

Purpose: This study aims to highlight the entrepreneurship education practices teachers use in their work. Another target is to analyze how these practices differ based on a number of background factors. Design/methodology/approach: This article presents a quantitative analysis of 521 teachers and other entrepreneurship education actors. The paper…

Simulating and Analyzing Long-Term Changes in Emissions, Air Quality, Aerosol Feedback Effects and Human Health

EPA Science Inventory

This presentation covers work performed by the authors to characterize changes in emissions over the 1990 – 2010 time period, quantify the effects of these emission changes on air quality and aerosol/radiation feedbacks using both observations and model simulations, and fin...

Health Service Delivery in Developing Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benyoussef, Amor

1977-01-01

Reviews recent work dealing with methodological and technical issues in health and development; presents examples of the application of social sciences, including health demography and economics, in questions of health services delivery; and analyzes delivery of health services to rural and nomadic populations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.…

Understanding Foreign Language Learning Strategies: A Validation Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tragant, Elsa; Thompson, Marilyn S.; Victori, Mia

2013-01-01

The present work aims to contribute to our understanding of the underlying dimensions of language learning strategies in foreign language contexts. The study analyzes alternative factor structures underlying a recently developed instrument (Tragant and Victori, 2012) and it includes the age factor in the examination of its construct validity. The…

Themed Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Christopher O.

2010-01-01

This article presents a classroom activity that introduces students to the concept of themed space. Students learn to think critically about the spaces they encounter on a regular basis by analyzing existing spaces and by working in groups to create their own themed space. This exercise gives students the chance to see the relevance of critical…

[Postmodernity for Florence Nightingale].

PubMed

Zapico Yáñez, Florentina

2010-04-01

The author analyzes the influence of the environmental paradigm presented by Hippocrates, the maieutics of Socrates, the role of religious orders in the overall nursing conception Florence Nightingale had by which the observation of social phenomena, both at an individual level as well as a systematic level, comprise the basis of her works.

A Commercial Device Involving the Breathalyzer Test Reaction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dombrink, Kathleen J.

1996-01-01

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

Methodological Note: Analyzing Signs for Recognition & Feature Salience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shyan, Melissa R.

1985-01-01

Presents a method to determine how signs in American Sign Language are recognized by signers. The method uses natural settings and avoids common artificialities found in prior work. A pilot study is described involving language research with Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins in which the method was successfully used. (SED)

Chromosphores in cellulosics, XI: isoloation and identification of residual chromophores from bacterial cellulose

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In the present work, bacterial cellulose (BC) was analyzed for its chromophore content with the chromophore release and identification (CRI) method. In aged BC, seven chromophores were unambiguously identified, despite their very low (ppb) presence. The compounds contain 2-hydroxy-[1,4]benzoquinone,...

Nonsteady-Flow Thrust Augmenting Ejectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foa, J. V.

1979-01-01

Ejector augmenters in which the transfer of mechanical energy from the primary to the secondary flow takes place through the work of interface pressure forces are investigated. Nonsteady flow processes are analyzed from the standpoint of energy transfer efficiency and a comparison of a rotary jet augmenter to an ejector is presented.

"Lazy men", time-use, and rural development in Zambia.

PubMed

Whitehead, A

1999-11-01

This paper examines how work and the labor in agriculture in rural sub-Saharan Africa is measured. Section 1 presents a historical example of colonial discourses of the "lazy" African (the Lamba in Zambia). Section 2 analyzes a study carried out in rural Zambia to illustrate the relationship between stereotypes held by many Europeans, particular aspects of the colonial project, and the social relations brought about by colonialism. Section 3 examines the ways in which present work and labor approaches in sub-Saharan Africa embody value judgements which leads to distorted documentation of the division of labor between opposite genders. Sections 4 through 7 look at a time-use study conducted in Zambia and argue that studies of such nature create value judgement on what comprises work, and about how researchers and planners classify this. Overall, this article has demonstrated that time-use surveys may provide inadequate understanding of women and men's work in the absence of an understanding of the local context in which the work is undertaken, and of labor markets.

Implementation and Analysis of the use of the Blockchain Transactions on the Workings of the Bitcoin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rizky Fauzi, Muhammad Reza; Michrandi Nasution, Surya; Paryasto, Marisa W.

2017-11-01

The present study discusses the workings of blockchain bitcoin in the transactions sector, on the development of today’s emerging computers in the financial sector of blockchain bitcoin traction. In this case the author analyzes how the transaction is running, as well as how blockchain bitcoin is doing work in transactions on the system to make transactions. Transaction is a data structure that encodes the transfer of values between users with in a bitcoin system. Every transaction is a public entry in this bitcoin blockchain. And become a large transaction bookkeeping global.

Visa: AN Automatic Aware and Visual Aids Mechanism for Improving the Correct Use of Geospatial Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, J. H.; Su, Y. T.

2016-06-01

With the fast growth of internet-based sharing mechanism and OpenGIS technology, users nowadays enjoy the luxury to quickly locate and access a variety of geospatial data for the tasks at hands. While this sharing innovation tremendously expand the possibility of application and reduce the development cost, users nevertheless have to deal with all kinds of "differences" implicitly hidden behind the acquired georesources. We argue the next generation of GIS-based environment, regardless internet-based or not, must have built-in knowledge to automatically and correctly assess the fitness of data use and present the analyzed results to users in an intuitive and meaningful way. The VISA approach proposed in this paper refer to four different types of visual aids that can be respectively used for addressing analyzed results, namely, virtual layer, informative window, symbol transformation and augmented TOC. The VISA-enabled interface works in an automatic-aware fashion, where the standardized metadata serve as the known facts about the selected geospatial resources, algorithms for analyzing the differences of temporality and quality of the geospatial resources were designed and the transformation of analyzed results into visual aids were automatically executed. It successfully presents a new way for bridging the communication gaps between systems and users. GIS has been long seen as a powerful integration tool, but its achievements would be highly restricted if it fails to provide a friendly and correct working platform.

Methodology for stereoscopic motion-picture quality assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voronov, Alexander; Vatolin, Dmitriy; Sumin, Denis; Napadovsky, Vyacheslav; Borisov, Alexey

2013-03-01

Creating and processing stereoscopic video imposes additional quality requirements related to view synchronization. In this work we propose a set of algorithms for detecting typical stereoscopic-video problems, which appear owing to imprecise setup of capture equipment or incorrect postprocessing. We developed a methodology for analyzing the quality of S3D motion pictures and for revealing their most problematic scenes. We then processed 10 modern stereo films, including Avatar, Resident Evil: Afterlife and Hugo, and analyzed changes in S3D-film quality over the years. This work presents real examples of common artifacts (color and sharpness mismatch, vertical disparity and excessive horizontal disparity) in the motion pictures we processed, as well as possible solutions for each problem. Our results enable improved quality assessment during the filming and postproduction stages.

Agency and capabilities to achieve a work-life balance: a comparison of Sweden and Hungary.

PubMed

Hobson, Barbara; Fahlén, Susanne; Takács, Judit

2011-01-01

This study develops a conceptual framework with a capabilities and agency approach for analyzing work–life balance (WLB) applied in two societies (Hungary and Sweden), which have different working time regimes, levels of precarious employment, and gender equality discourses and norms. Inspired by Amartya Sen, we present a model illustrating how agency freedom for WLB depends on multiple resources at the individual, work organizational, institutional, and normative/societal levels. Using a unique qualitative survey conducted in two cities, Budapest and Stockholm, we analyze how mothers and fathers subjectively experience the tensions between family and work demands, and their possibilities for alternative choices (agency freedom). We find similarities in these tensions involving time pressure and time poverty, cutting across gender and education. Our Hungarian parents, nevertheless, experience greater agency inequalities for WLB, which reflect weaker institutional resources (conversion factors) as well as cultural/societal norms that act as constraints for WLB claims in the workplace and household. Our study reveals that Swedish parents, both men and women, express a strong sense of entitlement to exercise rights to care.

Regional income inequality model based on theil index decomposition and weighted variance coeficient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sitepu, H. R.; Darnius, O.; Tambunan, W. N.

2018-03-01

Regional income inequality is an important issue in the study on economic development of a certain region. Rapid economic development may not in accordance with people’s per capita income. The method of measuring the regional income inequality has been suggested by many experts. This research used Theil index and weighted variance coefficient in order to measure the regional income inequality. Regional income decomposition which becomes the productivity of work force and their participation in regional income inequality, based on Theil index, can be presented in linear relation. When the economic assumption in j sector, sectoral income value, and the rate of work force are used, the work force productivity imbalance can be decomposed to become the component in sectors and in intra-sectors. Next, weighted variation coefficient is defined in the revenue and productivity of the work force. From the quadrate of the weighted variation coefficient result, it was found that decomposition of regional revenue imbalance could be analyzed by finding out how far each component contribute to regional imbalance which, in this research, was analyzed in nine sectors of economic business.

Experimental Verification of an Instrument to Test Flooring Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Philip, Rony; Löfgren, Hans, Dr

2018-02-01

The focus of this work is to validate the fluid model with different flooring materials and the measurements of an instrument to test flooring materials and its force attenuating capabilities using mathematical models to describe the signature and coefficients of the floor. The main contribution of the present work focus on the development of a mathematical fluid model for floors. The aim of the thesis was to analyze, compare different floor materials and to study the linear dynamics of falling impacts on floors. The impact of the hammer during a fall is captured by an accelerometer and response is collected using a picoscope. The collected data was analyzed using matlab least square method which is coded as per the fluid model. The finding from this thesis showed that the fluid model works with more elastic model but it doesn’t work for rigid materials like wood. The importance of parameters like velocity, mass, energy loss and other coefficients of floor which influences the model during the impact of falling on floors were identified and a standardized testing method was set.

Hand therapy and ergonomics: integration of approaches in vocational rehabilitation and promotion of decent work in Brazil.

PubMed

Tosetto, Thaís; Orsi, Flávia Giuntini

2012-01-01

Among the indicators of Decent Work in Brazil, the one referring to the "Safe Working Environment" was the only which had no improvement in the time series analyzed by the International Labor Organisation. There is an increased number of accidents with significant economic and social impacts. Given that many of these accidents involve the hands and cause functional sequels, this paper presents an integration between the approaches of Hand Therapy and Ergonomics in order to facilitate the process of rehabilitation and reintegration, as well as acting to prevent further accidents, thus contributing to the promotion of Decent Work in the country, particularly with regard to safety and health at work and equal opportunities.

Examples of challenges and opportunities in visual analysis in the digital humanities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rushmeier, Holly; Pintus, Ruggero; Yang, Ying; Wong, Christiana; Li, David

2015-03-01

The massive digitization of books and manuscripts has converted millions of works that were once only physical into electronic documents. This conversion has made it possible for scholars to study large bodies of work, rather than just individual texts. This has offered new opportunities for scholarship in the humanities. Much previous work on digital collections has relied on optical character recognition and focused on the textual content of books. New work is emerging that is analyzing the visual layout and content of books and manuscripts. We present two different digital humanities projects in progress that present new opportunities for extracting data about the past, with new challenges for designing systems for scholars to interact with this data. The first project we consider is the layout and spectral content of thousands of pages from medieval manuscripts. We present the techniques used to study content variations in sets of similar manuscripts, and to study material variations that may indicate the location of manuscript production. The second project is the analysis of representations in the complete archive of Vogue magazine over 120 years. We present samples of applying computer vision techniques to understanding the changes in representation of women over time.

[A reappraisal of the works of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross].

PubMed

Afonso, Selene Beviláqua Chaves; Minayo, Maria Cecília de Souza

2013-09-01

This article presents a reappraisal of part of the works of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, one of the most quoted authors addressing the end of life process, mourning and dying. Her work has contributed to a clearer understanding of these issues by health professionals, families, religious and lay people who handle and/or experience mourning. She has also been the subject of controversy related to ethical issues and the scientific rigor of her work. The books analyzed in this article are: On death and dying (1969); Questions and answers on death and dying (1971); Living with death and dying (1981); On children and death(1983); On life after death (1991) and Life lessons (2000).

[Relation between renal transplantation and work situation].

PubMed

Pertusa Peña, C; Llarena Ibarguren, R; Lecumberri Castaños, D; Fernández del Busto, E

1997-06-01

The present study analyzed occupational rehabilitation following renal transplantation and its impact on social costs. A survey was conducted on 493 patients who had undergone renal transplantation during 1979 to 1995. The results show that 27.76% were working after kidney transplantation versus 27.52% during dialysis. Retirement was the most common explanation given for not working (29.4%) when the percentage of those over age 65 accounted for 8%. Analysis of the occupational status in relation with sex, age, level of education, profession and type of dialysis disclosed that women aged 25-34 years, with a high level of education, who describe themselves as entrepreneurs and have had peritoneal dialysis, have a higher likelihood of working after transplantation.

Design analysis of a Helium re-condenser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muley, P. K.; Bapat, S. L.; Atrey, M. D.

2017-02-01

Modern helium cryostats deploy a cryocooler with a re-condenser at its II stage for in-situ re-condensation of boil-off vapor. The present work is a vital step in the ongoing research work of design of cryocooler based 100 litre helium cryostat with in-situ re-condensation. The cryostat incorporates a two stage Gifford McMahon cryocooler having specified refrigerating capacity of 40 W at 43 K for I stage and 1 W at 4.2 K for II stage. Although design of cryostat ensures thermal load for cryocooler below its specified refrigerating capacity at the second stage, successful in-situ re-condensation depends on proper design of re-condenser which forms the objective of this work. The present work proposes design of helium re-condenser with straight rectangular fins. Fins are analyzed for optimization of thermal performance parameters such as condensation heat transfer coefficient, surface area for heat transfer, re-condensing capacity, efficiency and effectiveness. The present work provides design of re-condenser with 19 integral fins each of 10 mm height and 1.5 mm thickness with a gap of 1.5 mm between two fins, keeping in mind the manufacturing feasibility, having efficiency of 80.96 % and effectiveness of 10.34.

Collisional-Radiative Modeling of Free-Burning Arc Plasma in Argon

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

temeratures of electrons and heavy particles was demonstrated. The plasma chemistry is important but yet just one element of the complex arc...description. Therefore, the present work is aimed at the analysis of the plasma chemistry in a way that the model enables a deeper look into the polulations... PLASMA CHEMISTRY The present study aims at analyzing the collisional and radiative processes in argon with a view toward application to non

OARE STS-87 (USMP-4)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rice, James E.

1998-01-01

The report is organized into sections representing the phases of work performed in analyzing the STS-87 (USMP-4) results. Section 1 briefly outlines the OARE system features, coordinates, and measurement parameters. Section 2 describes the results from STS-87. The mission description, data calibration, and representative data obtained on STS-87 are presented. Finally, Section 3 presents a discussion of accuracy achieved and achievable with OARE. Appendix A discusses the calibration and data processing methodology in detail.

[Profiles of factors enhancing teachers' occupational wellbeing and their use in health promoting schools].

PubMed

Woynarowska-Sołdan, Magdalena; Weziak-Białowolska, Dorota

2012-01-01

The aim of this article is to present the results of survey on general occupational being and factors contributing to the enhancement of teachers' occupational wellbeing. The authors also address the issue how to work out, analyze, present and use the survey results in health promotion at schools. Teachers of four selected health promoting schools (HPS) were surveyed and the results were analyzed. The Factors Enhancing Teachers's Occupational Wellbeing Scale was used. This instrument consisted of 45 statements on 5 subscales (working conditions, teachers' community, students' and parents' community, organization and workload, professional competences). They were measured from two points of view, the assessment of a current situation and the assessment of needs for the improvement. The scale was preceded by questions concerning the assessment of general occupational being and the assessment of general occupational being of other teachers at school. The self-assessment of the respondents' own and other teachers' occupational being was positive. The current situation related to factors influencing teachers' wellbeing was recognized by teachers as rather good and the need for change was rather low. There were differences between schools in the majority of analyzed factors. An easy method of analyzing data as numerical values and graphic profiles was proposed to be used in HPS. Factors influencing teachers' occupational wellbeing differed between schools. The results of their assessment should be analyzed in each school taking account of its individual context. The proposed instrument and method of data analysis are useful in the planning of teachers' health promotion projects, diagnosis of the initial status ("pre-test") and evaluation of their outcomes ("post-test").

Work accidents and self-esteem of nursing professional in hospital settings.

PubMed

Santos, Sérgio Valverde Marques Dos; Macedo, Flávia Ribeiro Martins; Silva, Luiz Almeida da; Resck, Zelia Marilda Rodrigues; Nogueira, Denismar Alves; Terra, Fábio de Souza

2017-04-20

to analyze the occurrence of work accidents and the self-esteem of nurses in hospitals of a municipality of Minas Gerais. descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study developed with 393 nursing professionals from three hospitals of a municipality in southern Minas Gerais. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and a questionnaire to characterize the population and work accidents were used for data collection. Data analysis was performed using Person's chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, Cronbach's alpha, odds ratio and logistic regression. of the professionals studied, 15% had suffered an accident at work and 70.2% presented high self-esteem. Through the analysis, it was observed that smoking, religious belief and an outstanding event in the career were significantly associated with work accidents. In relation to self-esteem, family income, length of time working in the profession and an outstanding event in the career presented significant associations. factors such as smoking, religious belief, family income, length of time working in the profession and an outstanding event in the career can cause professionals to have accidents and/or cause changes in self-esteem, which can compromise their physical and mental health and their quality of life and work.

Work accidents and self-esteem of nursing professional in hospital settings

PubMed Central

dos Santos, Sérgio Valverde Marques; Macedo, Flávia Ribeiro Martins; da Silva, Luiz Almeida; Resck, Zelia Marilda Rodrigues; Nogueira, Denismar Alves; Terra, Fábio de Souza

2017-01-01

Abstract Objective: to analyze the occurrence of work accidents and the self-esteem of nurses in hospitals of a municipality of Minas Gerais. Method: descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study developed with 393 nursing professionals from three hospitals of a municipality in southern Minas Gerais. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and a questionnaire to characterize the population and work accidents were used for data collection. Data analysis was performed using Person's chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, Cronbach's alpha, odds ratio and logistic regression. Results: of the professionals studied, 15% had suffered an accident at work and 70.2% presented high self-esteem. Through the analysis, it was observed that smoking, religious belief and an outstanding event in the career were significantly associated with work accidents. In relation to self-esteem, family income, length of time working in the profession and an outstanding event in the career presented significant associations. Conclusion: factors such as smoking, religious belief, family income, length of time working in the profession and an outstanding event in the career can cause professionals to have accidents and/or cause changes in self-esteem, which can compromise their physical and mental health and their quality of life and work. PMID:28443993

Fourier transform spectroscopy of the Swan (d(sup 3)pi(sub g) - a(sup 3)pi(sub u)) system of the jet-cooled C2 molecule

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prasad, C. V. V.; Bernath, P. F.

1994-01-01

The Swan (d(sup 3)pi(sub g) - a(sup 3)pi(sub u)) system of the C2 molecule was produced in a jet-cooled corona excited supersonic expansion of helium using diazoacetonitrile as a percursor molecule. This spectrum was recorded using the McMath Fourier transform spectrometer of the National Solar Observatory at Kitt Peak. A total of nine bands with v prime = 0 to 3 and v prime prime = 0 to 4 in the range 16,570-22,760/cm were observed and rotationally analyzed. The C2 molecules in this source had a rotational temperature of only 90 K so that only the low-J lines were present in the spectrum. In some sense the low temperatures in the jet source simulate conditions in the interstellar medium. The Swan system of C2 was also produced in a composite wall hollow cathode made Al4C3/Cu, and the rotational structure of the 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 0-0, and 1-1 bands were analyzed. The data obtained from both these spectra were fitted together along with some recently published line positions. The rotational constants, lambda doubling parameters and the vibrational constants were estimated from this global fit. Our work on jet-cooled C2 follows similar work on the violet and red systems of CN. A summary of this CN work is also presented. also presented.

[What would you do when faced with a Muslim patient with a conversational disorder?

PubMed

Martínez Gandolfi, A; Rodríguez Mir, J

The purpose of this work is to present the approach to mental disorders in Moroccan patients from a sociocultural perspective. The anthropology of health and ethno-psychiatry will allow us to analyze the concepts of health and disease. From the Moroccan cosmovision we will analyze the alternative treatments and their association with other therapeutic models. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria (SEMERGEN). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Out-migration and depopulation of the Russian North during the 1990s.

PubMed

Heleniak, T

1999-01-01

The large-scale out-migration from Russia's northern regions that has taken place over the course of the 1990s is analyzed. "The study is based on unpublished oblast-level migration data compiled by the Russian Government, field work by the author, as well as two extensive 1998 surveys of recent and potential migrants, respectively. Age, gender, and educational level of migrants are analyzed to determine the extent of change in Northern population structure attributable to migration. A concluding section presents Russian Government projections of the North's population to 2010." excerpt

Experimental and clinical study of EHF treatment of vascular-vestibular dysfunction

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

Mal`tsev, A.E.; Abakarov, A.T.; Istomin, V.S.

1994-07-01

The authors present the results of a study of the effectiveness of EHF radiation on the cerebral hemodynamics, bioelectrical activity of the cerebral cortex, and functional state of the vestibular analyzer in chronic studies of cats using a model of vascular-vestibular dysfunction. The clinical part of the work reflects the results of studies of the functional state of cerebral blood circulation and the vestibular analyzer during the EHF treatment of angiovertebrogenic vestibular dysfunction in a background of initial manifestations of cerebral blood supply deficiency (angiodistonic variant).

Study of Real-Time Dry Bulb and Relative Humidity Sensors in Underground Coal Mines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khanal, Manoj; McPhee, Ron; Belle, Bharath; Brisbane, Peter; Kathage, Bevan

2016-12-01

As the depth of mines increases, the temperature in the mine workings also increases due to the geothermal gradient. A questionnaire was prepared and sent to a number of mine ventilation engineers, consultants and academics in order to gain an understanding of their experiences and current views on real-time dry and relative humidity temperature monitoring practices. Eighteen persons provided a response to the questionnaire. The answers were compiled and analyzed. This paper presents and analyzed the results obtained from the survey.

Study of Power Options for Jupiter and Outer Planet Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, Geoffrey A.; Fincannon, James

2015-01-01

Power for missions to Jupiter and beyond presents a challenging goal for photovoltaic power systems, but NASA missions including Juno and the upcoming Europa Clipper mission have shown that it is possible to operate solar arrays at Jupiter. This work analyzes photovoltaic technologies for use in Jupiter and outer planet missions, including both conventional arrays, as well as analyzing the advantages of advanced solar cells, concentrator arrays, and thin film technologies. Index Terms - space exploration, spacecraft solar arrays, solar electric propulsion, photovoltaic cells, concentrator, Fresnel lens, Jupiter missions, outer planets.

Imaging systems and algorithms to analyze biological samples in real-time using mobile phone microscopy.

PubMed

Shanmugam, Akshaya; Usmani, Mohammad; Mayberry, Addison; Perkins, David L; Holcomb, Daniel E

2018-01-01

Miniaturized imaging devices have pushed the boundaries of point-of-care imaging, but existing mobile-phone-based imaging systems do not exploit the full potential of smart phones. This work demonstrates the use of simple imaging configurations to deliver superior image quality and the ability to handle a wide range of biological samples. Results presented in this work are from analysis of fluorescent beads under fluorescence imaging, as well as helminth eggs and freshwater mussel larvae under white light imaging. To demonstrate versatility of the systems, real time analysis and post-processing results of the sample count and sample size are presented in both still images and videos of flowing samples.

Dynamic Characteristics of The DSI-Type Constant-Flow Valves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Yuan; Hu, Sheng-Yan; Chou, Hsien-Chin; Lee, Hsing-Han

Constant flow valves have been presented in industrial applications or academic studies, which compensate recess pressures of a hydrostatic bearing to resist load fluctuating. The flow rate of constant-flow valves can be constant in spite of the pressure changes in recesses, however the design parameters must be specified. This paper analyzes the dynamic responses of DSI-type constant-flow valves that is designed as double pistons on both ends of a spool with single feedback of working pressure and regulating restriction at inlet. In this study the static analysis presents the specific relationships among design parameters for constant flow rate and the dynamic analyses give the variations around the constant flow rate as the working pressure fluctuates.

Development of the mathematical model for design and verification of acoustic modal analysis methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siner, Alexander; Startseva, Maria

2016-10-01

To reduce the turbofan noise it is necessary to develop methods for the analysis of the sound field generated by the blade machinery called modal analysis. Because modal analysis methods are very difficult and their testing on the full scale measurements are very expensive and tedious it is necessary to construct some mathematical models allowing to test modal analysis algorithms fast and cheap. At this work the model allowing to set single modes at the channel and to analyze generated sound field is presented. Modal analysis of the sound generated by the ring array of point sound sources is made. Comparison of experimental and numerical modal analysis results is presented at this work.

3D printing cybersecurity: detecting and preventing attacks that seek to weaken a printed object by changing fill level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Straub, Jeremy

2017-06-01

Prior work by Zeltmann, et al. has demonstrated the impact of small defects and other irregularities on the structural integrity of 3D printed objects. It posited that such defects could be introduced intentionally. The current work looks at the impact of changing the fill level on object structural integrity. It considers whether the existence of an appropriate level of fill can be determined through visible light imagery-based assessment of a 3D printed object. A technique for assessing the quality and sufficiency of quantity of 3D printed fill material is presented. It is assessed experimentally and results are presented and analyzed.

Analyzing Enterprise Networks Needs: Action Research from the Mechatronics Sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cagnazzo, Luca; Taticchi, Paolo; Bidini, Gianni; Baglieri, Enzo

New business models and theories are developing nowadays towards collaborative environments direction, and many new tools in sustaining companies involved in these organizations are emerging. Among them, a plethora of methodologies to analyze their needs are already developed for single companies. Few academic works are available about Enterprise Networks (ENs) need analysis. This paper presents the learning from an action research (AR) in the mechatronics sector: AR has been used in order to experience the issue of evaluating network needs and therefore define, develop, and test a complete framework for network evaluation. Reflection on the story in the light of the experience and the theory is presented, as well as extrapolation to a broader context and articulation of usable knowledge.

Efficacy of integrating information literacy education into a women's health course on information literacy for RN-BSN students.

PubMed

Ku, Ya-Lie; Sheu, Sheila; Kuo, Shih-Ming

2007-03-01

Information literacy, essential to evidences-based nursing, can promote nurses' capability for life-long learning. Nursing education should strive to employ information literacy education in nursing curricula to improve information literacy abilities among nursing students. This study explored the effectiveness of information literacy education by comparing information literacy skills among a group of RN-BSN (Registered Nurse to Bachelors of Science in Nursing) students who received information literacy education with a group that did not. This quasi-experimental study was conducted during a women's health issues course taught between March and June 2004. Content was presented to the 32 RN-BSN students enrolled in this course, which also taught skills on searching and screening, integrating, analyzing, applying, and presenting information. At the beginning and end of the program, 75 RN-BSN student self-evaluated on a 10 point Likert scale their attained skills in searching and screening, integrating, analyzing, applying, and presenting information. Results identified no significant differences between the experimental (n = 32) and control groups (n = 43) in terms of age, marital status, job title, work unit, years of work experience, and information literacy skills as measured at the beginning of the semester. At the end of the semester during which content was taught, the information literacy of the experimental group in all categories, with the exception of information presentation, was significantly improved as compared to that of the control group. Results were especially significant in terms of integrating, analyzing, and applying skill categories. It is hoped that in the future nursing students will apply enhanced information literacy to address and resolve patients' health problems in clinical settings.

Botrydial and botcinins produced by Botrytis cinerea regulate expression of Trichoderma arundinaceum genes involved in trichothecene biosynthesis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Trichoderma arundinaceum (Ta37) and Botrytis cinerea produce the sesquiterpenes harzianum A (HA) and botrydial (BOT), respectively, and also the polyketides aspinolides (Asp) and botcinines (Botc), respectively. In the present work, we analyzed the role of BOT and Botcs in the T. arundinaceum-B. cin...

Some Problems in Using Diffusion Models for New Products.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernhardt, Irwin; Mackenzie, Kenneth D.

This paper analyzes some of the problems of using diffusion models to formulate marketing strategies for new products. Though future work in this area appears justified, many unresolved problems limit its application. There is no theory for adoption and diffusion processes; such a theory is outlined in this paper. The present models are too…

Looking at the Complexity of Two Young Children's Understanding of Number

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thom, Jennifer S.; Pirie, Susan E. B.

2006-01-01

This paper presents a qualitative study that investigated two third-grade students' understanding of number. The children were videotaped while they worked to record everything they knew about the number, 72. Their artifacts and conversations were then analyzed using the Pirie-Kieren dynamical theory for the growth of mathematical understanding as…

"A-LM German": How to Make it Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartmetz, Dieter

1978-01-01

The A-LM German materials are analyzed in terms of their weakness and positive features, and suggestions for their use and adaptation are presented. It is argued that: the basic dialogue is almost unusable; the structure drills are repetitive and often not challenging; the taped arrangement of the listening exercises is awkward; the dialogue…

Sabotage or Performed Compliance: Rhetorics of Resistance in Temp Worker Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordan, John W.

2003-01-01

This essay analyzes contemporary temporary employment texts and the competing rhetorical definitions that shape the meanings of employment and identity in the contingent economy. Arguing against resistant labor rhetoric that is ill-suited to present conditions of temp work, the author locates and advocates a rhetoric of "performativity" that…

From Dependence to Autonomy. The Development of Asian Universities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altbach, Philip G., Ed.; Selvaratnam, Viswanathan, Ed.

A collection of works on the development of Asian universities is presented, focusing on an aspect of higher education not previously analyzed: the contemporary impact of Western academic systems in Asia. Eleven papers fall into three sections following the introduction, "Twisted Roots: The Western Impact on Asian Higher Education," (P.…

Reaction of Vietnam Veterans to the Persian Gulf War.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kobrick, Felice R.

1993-01-01

Reviews evolution of the concept of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder and analyzes reports of Vietnam veterans' reactions to the Persian Gulf War. Presents case study of Vietnam veteran whose traumatic memories were reawakened with the onset of the Persian Gulf War, and discusses implications for social work practice. (Author/NB)

Women's Work: Up From .878: Report on the DOT Research Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witt, Mary; Naherny, Patricia K.

The document presents results of a research project that reviewed, analyzed, and assessed the United States Department of Labor's Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) in terms of its analysis of traditional female occupations. The current edition of the DOT assesses the tasks of 21,741 salaried occupations, and assigns to each a…

Labor Force Participation Rates among Working-Age Individuals with Visual Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Stacy M.

2013-01-01

The present study analyzes four consecutive years of monthly labor force participation rates reported by the Current Population Survey that included nationally representative samples of the general U.S. population and nationally representative samples of the U.S. population with specifically identified disabilities. Visual impairment is one of the…

Multiple Goals Perspective in Adolescent Students with Learning Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nunez, Jose Carlos; Gonzalez-Pienda, Julio Antonio; Rodriguez, Celestino; Valle, Antonio; Gonzalez-Cabanach, Ramon; Rosario, Pedro

2011-01-01

In the present work, the hypothesis of the existence of diverse motivational profiles in students with learning difficulties (LD) and the differential implications for intervention in the classroom are analyzed. Various assessment scales (academic goals, self-concept, and causal attributions) were administered to a sample of 259 students with LD,…

Approaches to Internet Searching: An Analysis of Student in Grades 2 to 12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lien, Cynthia

2000-01-01

Examines Internet search approaches by 123 students, and analyzes search methodologies relative to search successes. Presents three findings: (1) student experience with the Internet is closely correlated with ability to explore alternative search methods; (2) student level; and (3) a collaborative work among students in a classroom setting may…

Analyzing Elevator Oscillation with the Smartphone Acceleration Sensors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuhn, Jochen; Vogt, Patrik; Müller, Andreas

2014-01-01

It has often been reported in this column that smartphones are very suitable tools for exploring the physical properties of everyday phenomena. A very good example of this is an elevator ride. In addition to the acceleration processes, oscillations of the cabin are interesting. The present work responds to the second aspect.

Analyzing elevator oscillation with the smartphone acceleration sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuhn, Jochen; Vogt, Patrik; Müller, Andreas

2014-01-01

It has often been reported in this column that smartphones are very suitable tools for exploring the physical properties of everyday phenomena. A very good example of this is an elevator ride. In addition to the acceleration processes, oscillations of the cabin are interesting. The present work responds to the second aspect.

Relationship of Teachers' Perceptions of Organizational Health and Work-Place Bullying

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cabrera, Cesar M.

2012-01-01

The present study investigated the relationship between teachers' ratings of the organizational health of the school and the level of workplace bullying experienced. The relationship between organizational health, bullying, and the staff level factors of gender and age were analyzed. The study examined the survey ratings of 52 teachers from a…

The Effect of Chemistry Laboratory Activities on Students' Chemistry Perception and Laboratory Anxiety Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydogdu, Cemil

2017-01-01

Chemistry lesson should be supported with experiments to understand the lecture effectively. For safety laboratory environment and to prevent laboratory accidents; chemical substances' properties, working principles for chemical substances' usage should be learnt. Aim of the present study was to analyze the effect of experiments which depend on…

Plate Tectonics: The Way the Earth Works. Teacher's Guide. LHS GEMS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cuff, Kevin

This teacher guide presents a unit on plate tectonics and introduces hands-on activities for students in grades 6-8. In each unit, students act as real scientists and gather evidence by using science process skills such as observing, graphing, analyzing data, designing and making models, visualizing, communicating, theorizing, and drawing…

Spike Lee and Commentaries on His Work. Occasional Papers Series 2, No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudson, Herman C., Ed.

This monograph presents a critical essay and a comprehensive 454-item bibliography on the contemporary African-American filmmaker, Spike Lee. The essay, entitled "African-American Folklore and Cultural History in the Films of Spike Lee" (Gloria J. Gibson-Hudson), analyzes Lee's filmmaking approach from a cultural and historical…

Purification and Analysis of Colorful Hypothetical Open Reading Frames: An Inexpensive Gateway Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeSantis, Kara A.; Reinking, Jeffrey L.

2011-01-01

This laboratory exercise is an inquiry-based investigation developed around the core experiment where students, working alone or in groups, each purify and analyze their own prescreened colored proteins using immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). Here, we present reagents and protocols that allow 12 different proteins to be purified in…

Integrative Education: Teaching Psychology with the Use of Literature and Informational Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toom, Anna

2013-01-01

In this work, a new method of teaching psychology based on the union of scientific, artistic, and information-technological knowledge is presented. The author teaches Cognitive Development in Early Childhood analyzing Anton Chekhov's short story "Grisha" and uses both traditional and computerized instructional methodology. In the authors' two…

Analyzing Individual Differences in Vocational, Leisure, and Family Interests: A Multitrait-Multimethod Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaudron, Jean-Philippe; Vautier, Stephane

2007-01-01

This study investigates the latent structure of individual differences in vocational, leisure, and family interests. The participants consisted of 302 French adults who rated their like or dislike for activities based on Holland's RIASEC typology and presented in three life domains: work, family and leisure. The multitrait-multimethod model…

Group Work for Korean Expatriate Women in the United States: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suh, Suhyun; Lee, Myoung-Suk

2006-01-01

This paper presents the results of exploratory research with a group of seven Korean expatriate women. The study employed a modified Reality Therapy approach over eight meetings conducted by two professionally qualified leaders who also speak Korean. Qualitative research methods were used to analyze and describe the participants' experiences.…

Distributing Positive Leadership: The Case of Team Counseling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tubin, Dorit; Pinyan-Weiss, Michal

2015-01-01

The concept of distributed leadership is widely used, but the ways whereby it becomes positive when distributed from the principal through the school counselor, still call for further clarification. The present study aims to illuminate this subject by analyzing the work of the principal and the counselors in five successful Israeli schools. Using…

The Structure of Mixed Method Studies in Educational Research: A Content Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bryant, Lauren H.

2011-01-01

Educational researchers are beginning to use mixed methods designs to answer complex research questions. This content analysis investigates the structure and use of mixed methods in educational research in order to work toward a more standardized presentation. I used a concurrent mixed methods approach to analyze 30 studies from three prominent…

Global Apartheid. Working Paper Number Seven.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohler, Gernot

Presenting the view that global society is an apartheid system, this paper defines global apartheid, analyzes some of its most striking features, and suggests strategies to overcome its worst aspects. Apartheid occurs whenever a minority race dominates a majority of other races in a society; an example is South Africa. Global apartheid, then, is a…

Predicting Word Reading and Comprehension with Executive Function and Speed Measures across Development: A Latent Variable Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christopher, Micaela E.; Miyake, Akira; Keenan, Janice M.; Pennington, Bruce; DeFries, John C.; Wadsworth, Sally J.; Willcutt, Erik; Olson, Richard K.

2012-01-01

The present study explored whether different executive control and speed measures (working memory, inhibition, processing speed, and naming speed) independently predict individual differences in word reading and reading comprehension. Although previous studies suggest these cognitive constructs are important for reading, the authors analyze the…

Future Challenges in Higher Education--Bologna Experts' Community Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yemini, Miri

2012-01-01

This work presents results from systematic analysis of the challenges for the future of higher education in European and neighboring countries as it was extracted from the Bologna experts and Higher Education Reform experts' opinions. Opinions of more than 100 experts from 35 countries were documented and analyzed. Significant differences in the…

Competitive Strategies of States: A Life-Cycle Perspective. EQW Working Papers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flynn, Patricia M.

This paper demonstrates that production life-cycle models provide a conceptual framework to analyze systematically the interrelationships between industrial and technological change and human resources. Section II presents the life-cycle model, focusing on its implications for the types and level of employment and skill requirements in an area.…

Receptive Multilingualism at School: An Uneven Playing Ground?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambelet, Amelia; Mauron, Pierre-Yves

2017-01-01

In this article, we present an analysis of individual factors that influence how well a person can read and understand a text in an unfamiliar, but closely related language--the basis of the so-called teaching of intercomprehension. Our work analyzes these relations from two normally separate perspectives. The first perspective focuses on how…

They Can't Take Our Souls: Teachers' League of South Africa Reflections of Apartheid.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wieder, Alan

2001-01-01

Presents three case studies of members of the Teachers' League of South Africa who taught from the 1940s through 1985 and challenged the apartheid regime. Analyzes the relevance of these stories in relation to apartheid and explores the lives and work of these progressive teachers. (SM)

Spastics Have Minds that Work, but Bodies that Can't.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maitra, Krishna; Pathak, Dipi

1997-01-01

Presents profiles of six gifted Indian children with cerebral palsy. It analyzes their drawings and finds healthy minds and positive attitudes toward life. It also reports on results of participant observation in two schools and interviews with counselors, teachers, and parents. The normality and special talents of these children rather than their…

Selection of astrophysical/astronomical/solar sites at the Argentina East Andes range taking into account atmospheric components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piacentini, R. D.; García, B.; Micheletti, M. I.; Salum, G.; Freire, M.; Maya, J.; Mancilla, A.; Crinó, E.; Mandat, D.; Pech, M.; Bulik, T.

2016-06-01

In the present work we analyze sites in the Argentinian high Andes mountains as possible places for astrophysical/astronomical/solar observatories. They are located at: San Antonio de los Cobres (SAC) and El Leoncito/CASLEO region: sites 1 and 2. We consider the following atmospheric components that affect, in different and specific wavelength ranges, the detection of photons of astronomical/astrophysical/solar origin: ozone, microscopic particles, precipitable water and clouds. We also determined the atmospheric radiative transmittance in a day near the summer solstice at noon, in order to confirm the clearness of the sky in the proposed sites at SAC and El Leoncito. Consequently, all the collected and analyzed data in the present work, indicate that the proposed sites are very promising to host astrophysical/astronomical/solar observatories. Some atmospheric components, like aerosols, play a significant role in the attenuation of light (Cherencov and/or fluorescence) detected in cosmic rays (particles or gamma photons) astrophysical observatories, while others, like ozone have to be considered in astronomical/solar light detection.

Analysis of cold worked holes for structural life extension

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wieland, David H.; Cutshall, Jon T.; Burnside, O. Hal; Cardinal, Joseph W.

1994-01-01

Cold working holes for improved fatigue life of fastener holes are widely used on aircraft. This paper presents methods used by the authors to determine the percent of cold working to be applied and to analyze fatigue crack growth of cold worked fastener holes. An elastic, perfectly-plastic analysis of a thick-walled tube is used to determine the stress field during the cold working process and the residual stress field after the process is completed. The results of the elastic/plastic analysis are used to determine the amount of cold working to apply to a hole. The residual stress field is then used to perform damage tolerance analysis of a crack growing out of a cold worked fastener hole. This analysis method is easily implemented in existing crack growth computer codes so that the cold worked holes can be used to extend the structural life of aircraft. Analytical results are compared to test data where appropriate.

Occupational noise exposure, psychosocial working conditions and the risk of tinnitus.

PubMed

Frederiksen, Thomas Winther; Ramlau-Hansen, Cecilia Høst; Stokholm, Zara Ann; Grynderup, Matias Brødsgaard; Hansen, Åse Marie; Lund, Søren Peter; Kristiansen, Jesper; Vestergaard, Jesper Medom; Bonde, Jens Peter; Kolstad, Henrik Albert

2017-02-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of occupational noise (current and cumulative doses) and psychosocial work factors (psychological demands and decision latitude) on tinnitus occurrence among workers, using objective and non-self-reported exposure measures to prevent reporting bias. In a cross-sectional study, we analyzed data from a Danish survey from 2009 to 2010 that included 534 workers from children day care units and 10 manufacturing trades. Associations between risk factors (current noise exposure, cumulative noise exposure and psychosocial working conditions) and tinnitus were analyzed with logistic regression. We found no statistically significant associations between either current [OR 0.95 (95% CI 0.89; 1.01)] or cumulative [OR 0.93 (95% CI 0.81; 1.06)] occupational noise exposure and tinnitus. Likewise, results for psychosocial working conditions showed no statistically significant association between work place decision latitude [OR 1.06 (95% CI 0.94; 1.13)] or psychological demands [OR 1.07 (95% CI 0.90; 1.26)] and tinnitus. Our results suggest that current Danish occupational noise levels (in combination with relevant noise protection) are not associated with tinnitus. Also, results indicated that the psychosocial working conditions we observed in this cohort of mainly industrial workers were not associated with tinnitus. Therefore, psychosocial working conditions comparable to those observed in this study are probably not relevant to take into account in the evaluation of workers presenting with tinnitus.

Exploring work-related issues on corporate sustainability.

PubMed

Brunoro, C M; Bolis, I; Sznelwar, L I

2015-01-01

In a research project about work-related issues and corporate sustainability conducted in Brazil, the goal was to better understand how work-related issues were addressed in the corporate context. Particularly, there are some specific initiatives that serve as guides to organizational decisions, which make their performance indicators for the context of corporate sustainability. 1) To explore the presence of work-related issues and their origins in corporate sustainability approach, analyzing a) corporate disclosures; b) sustainability guidelines that are identified as relevant in corporate disclosures; c) documents that are related to sustainable development and also identified as key-documents for these guidelines and initiatives. 2) To present the activity-centered ergonomics and psychodynamics of work contributions to work-related issues in a corporate sustainability approach. An exploratory study based on multiple sources of evidence that were performed from 2012 to 2013, including interviews with companies that engaged in corporate sustainability and document analysis using the content analysis approach. Work-related issues have been presented since the earliest sustainable development documents. It is feasible to construct an empirical framework for work-related issues and corporate sustainability approaches. 1) Although some authors argue that corporate sustainability has its roots based only on the environmental dimension, there is strong empirical evidence showing that social dimension aspects such as work-related issues have been present since the beginning. 2) Some indicators should be redesigned to more precisely translate the reality of some workplaces, particularly those indicators related to organizational design and mental health.

Working capital management in the process of financial support of investment and construction projects and of the construction material industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danilochkina, Nadezhda; Lukmanova, Inessa; Roshchina, Olga; Voytolovskiy, Nikolay

2018-03-01

The article presents the analysis of working capital in the process of financial support of high-rise construction investment projects. The factors influencing the choice of the working capital management model were analyzed, the reasons of the change in the requirement for the values of current assets in the process of construction of high-rise facilities were determined. The author has developed the scheme of interrelation between production, operational and financial activity cycles of enterprises implementing investment projects of unique buildings and structures and made a comparative description of their financing sources.

Analysis of poetic literature using B. F. Skinner's theoretical framework from verbal behavior

PubMed Central

Luke, Nicole M.

2003-01-01

This paper examines Skinner's work on verbal behavior in the context of literature as a particular class of written verbal behavior. It looks at contemporary literary theory and analysis and the contributions that Skinner's theoretical framework can make. Two diverse examples of poetic literature are chosen and analyzed following Skinner's framework, examining the dynamic interplay between the writer and reader that take place within the bounds of the work presented. It is concluded that Skinner's hypotheses about verbal behavior and the functional approach to understanding it have much to offer literary theorists in their efforts to understand literary works and should be more carefully examined.

ADE and dengue vaccination.

PubMed

Martínez-Vega, Ruth Aralí; Carrasquila, Gabriel; Luna, Expedito; Ramos-Castañeda, José

2017-07-13

The vaccine against Dengue virus (DENV), Dengvaxia® (CYD), produced by Sanofi-Pasteur, has been registered by several national regulatory agencies; nevertheless, the performance and security of this vaccine have been challenged in a series of recent papers. In this work, we intend to contribute to the debate by analyzing the concept of an enhancing vaccine, presenting objections to the epidemiological model base of the concept and, likewise, presenting data that contradict that concept. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dispersion relations with crossing symmetry for {pi}{pi} D- and F-wave amplitudes

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

Kaminski, R.

A set of once subtracted dispersion relations with imposed crossing symmetry condition for the {pi}{pi} D- and F-wave amplitudes is derived and analyzed. An example of numerical calculations in the effective two-pion mass range from the threshold to 1.1 GeV is presented. It is shown that these new dispersion relations impose quite strong constraints on the analyzed {pi}{pi} interactions and are very useful tools to test the {pi}{pi} amplitudes. One of the goals of this work is to provide a complete set of equations required for easy use. Full analytical expressions are presented. Along with the well-known dispersion relations successfulmore » in testing the {pi}{pi} S- and P-wave amplitudes, those presented here for the D and F waves give a complete set of tools for analyses of the {pi}{pi} interactions.« less

[Working women with chronic musculoskeletal pain: a case series].

PubMed

Ordóñez-Hernández, Cecilia Andrea; Contreras-Estrada, Mónica Isabel; Soltero-Avelar, Ruben

2015-10-01

This study aimed to analyze the experience of working women suffering from chronic musculoskeletal pain, using a qualitative design with a phenomenological approach. The technique drew on in-depth interviews with five working women that presented to the orthopedics and neurosurgery departments of a hospital in Guadalajara, Mexico, with a complaint of musculoskeletal pain for more than six months. The study showed that the women felt rejection, segregation, discrimination, lack of support at the workplace, and feelings of frustration and powerlessness related to their health condition. The women also perceived as a barrier the lack of efficiency in disability proceedings and job reintegration or relocation. Financial and family responsibilities were their main reason for continuing to work despite their chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Phonological awareness and writing skills in children with Down syndrome.

PubMed

Lavra-Pinto, Bárbara de; Lamprecht, Regina Ritter

2010-01-01

Down syndrome, phonological awareness, writing and working memory. to evaluate the phonological awareness of Brazilian children with Down syndrome; to analyze the relationship between the writing hypothesis and the phonological awareness scores of the participants; to compare the performance of children with Down syndrome to that of children with typical development according to the Phonological Awareness: Tool for sequential evaluation (PHONATSE), using the writing hypothesis as a matching criteria; to verify the correlation between the phonological awareness measurements and the phonological working memory. a group of eleven children aged between 7 and 14 years (average: 9 y 10 m) was selected for the study. Phonological awareness was evaluated using the PHONATSE. The phonological working memory was evaluated through an instrument developed by the researcher. all subjects presented measurable levels of phonological awareness through the PHONATSE. The phonological awareness scores and the writing hypothesis presented a significant positive association. The performance of children with Down syndrome was significantly lower than children with typical development who presented the same writing hypothesis. Measurements of phonological awareness and phonological working memory presented significant positive correlations. the phonological awareness of Brazilian children with Down syndrome can be evaluated through the PHONATSE. Syllable awareness improves with literacy, whereas phonemic awareness seems to result from written language learning. The phonological working memory influences the performance of children with Down syndrome in phonological awareness tasks.

Enhancing work motivation for Japanese female nurses in small to medium-sized private hospitals by analyzing job satisfaction.

PubMed

Kudo, Yasushi; Kido, Shigeri; Shahzad, Machiko Taruzuka; Shida, Kyoko; Satoh, Toshihiko; Aizawa, Yoshiharu

2010-03-01

Proper work environments are important for nurses to feel motivated. We examined the associations between work motivation and job satisfaction among Japanese nurses to improve their motivation. In Japan, relatively small and medium-sized private hospitals play a central role in the healthcare industry. In the present study, the subjects were nurses working in 23 small and medium-sized private hospitals that had 65 to 326 beds. We analyzed 1,116 registered and licensed practical female nurses (average age, 38.3 years; standard deviation, 11.3 years). Many nurses with their specialized nursing skills dedicate themselves to patient care. However, many of these nurses may not be interested in contributing to their hospitals. Nurses may have different opinions regarding dedication to patient care and contribution to their hospitals. Therefore, concerning work motivation, we produced these two different items, "Nurses' dedication to patients" and "Nurses' contribution to their hospitals." We also produced our own original new job satisfaction questionnaire. We found 7 facets of job satisfaction: "Work as specialists," "Workplace safety," "Relationships with superiors," "Work-life balance," "Relationships among nurses," "Communications with physicians," and "Salary." Multiple linear regression analyses show that both "Nurses' dedication to patients" and "Nurses' contribution to their hospitals" were significantly associated with "Work as specialists." Nurses feel their jobs of protecting people's lives and health are valuable. They do not feel motivated only by money. They value the intrinsic nature of their jobs. Creating proper work environments is important for nurses to be able to work as specialists.

Individual differences and predictors of forgetting in old age: the role of processing speed and working memory.

PubMed

Zimprich, Daniel; Kurtz, Tanja

2013-01-01

The goal of the present study was to examine whether individual differences in basic cognitive abilities, processing speed, and working memory, are reliable predictors of individual differences in forgetting rates in old age. The sample for the present study comprised 364 participants aged between 65 and 80 years from the Zurich Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging. The impact of basic cognitive abilities on forgetting was analyzed by modeling working memory and processing speed as predictors of the amount of forgetting of 27 words, which had been learned across five trials. Forgetting was measured over a 30-minute interval by using parceling and a latent change model, in which the latent difference between recall performance after five learning trials and a delayed recall was modeled. Results implied reliable individual differences in forgetting. These individual differences in forgetting were strongly related to processing speed and working memory. Moreover, an age-related effect, which was significantly stronger for forgetting than for learning, emerged even after controlling effects of processing speed and working memory.

Working With Children in Families With Parental Substance Abuse: Nurses' Experiences and Complexity in Relationships.

PubMed

Wallström, Rebecca; Persson, Renée Ståleborg; Salzmann-Erikson, Martin

2016-06-01

Children who grow up in families with parental substance abuse are exposed to increased risk of developing a variety of disorders. As nurses encounter these children, it is important for them to be supportive. The aim of the current study was to describe nurses' experiences and reflections regarding their work with children in families with parental substance abuse. A qualitative descriptive approach was adopted. Seven nurses were interviewed, and data were analyzed using inductive content analysis. The results were presented in four categories: (a) nurses' responsibilities; (b) identification of children's social network; (c) ethical concerns; and (d) assessment and evaluation of children's behavior. Nurses' preventive work and intervention in dysfunctional families may have direct consequences on children's present and future development and well-being. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 54(6), 38-44.]. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

Development and quality of life: a critique of Amartya Sen's Development as freedom.

PubMed

Navarro, V

2000-01-01

Presented here is a critical analysis of some of the major theses of Amartya Sen, as presented in his seminal work Development As Freedom. The author suggests that Sen's work, while representing a major break with the dominant neoliberal position reproduced in most national and international development agencies, is insufficient to explain the key relationship between freedom and development. The absence of an analysis of the power relations that cause and reproduce underdevelopment through national and international political institutions leaves Sen's work wanting. The author shows how Sen's interpretation of events and the conclusions derived from them, such as an explanation of famine in Bangladesh, are insufficient--when not faulty. The author also critically analyzes the United Nations Development Program reports, which, while documenting the nature and consequences of underdevelopment, barely touch on the political context in which underdevelopment occurs.

Where Are the Academic Jobs? Interactive Exploration of Job Advertisements in Geospatial and Topical Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zoss, Angela M.; Conover, Michael; Börner, Katy

This paper details a methodology for capturing, analyzing, and communicating one specific type of real time data: advertisements of currently available academic jobs. The work was inspired by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) [2] that provides approximately 100 billion for education, creating a historic opportunity to create and save hundreds of thousands of jobs. Here, we discuss methodological challenges and practical problems when developing interactive visual interfaces to real time data streams such as job advertisements. Related work is discussed, preliminary solutions are presented, and future work is outlined. The presented approach should be valuable to deal with the enormous volume and complexity of social and behavioral data that evolve continuously in real time, and analyses of them need to be communicated to a broad audience of researchers, practitioners, clients, educators, and interested policymakers, as originally suggested by Hemmings and Wilkinson [1].

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobkowicz, Pawel

2016-09-01

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

Racetrack resonator as a loss measurement platform for photonic components.

PubMed

Jones, Adam M; DeRose, Christopher T; Lentine, Anthony L; Starbuck, Andrew; Pomerene, Andrew T S; Norwood, Robert A

2015-11-02

This work represents the first complete analysis of the use of a racetrack resonator to measure the insertion loss of efficient, compact photonic components. Beginning with an in-depth analysis of potential error sources and a discussion of the calibration procedure, the technique is used to estimate the insertion loss of waveguide width tapers of varying geometry with a resulting 95% confidence interval of 0.007 dB. The work concludes with a performance comparison of the analyzed tapers with results presented for four taper profiles and three taper lengths.

Experimental study of the performance of a very small repetitive plasma focus device in different working conditions

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

Goudarzi, S., E-mail: sgoudarzi@aeoi.org.ir; Babaee, H.; Esmaeli, A.

SORENA-1 is a very small repetitive Mather-type plasma focus device (20 J) that can operate at frequencies up to 1 Hz. This device has been designed and constructed in the Plasma and Nuclear Fusion Research School of the Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute of Iran. In this article, the structure of SORENA-1 is described and results of experiments with Ar, Ne, and D{sub 2} working gases at several discharge voltages and initial pressures are presented and analyzed.

Racetrack resonator as a loss measurement platform for photonic components

DOE PAGES

Jones, Adam M.; Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ; DeRose, Christopher T.; ...

2015-10-27

This work represents the first complete analysis of the use of a racetrack resonator to measure the insertion loss of efficient, compact photonic components. Beginning with an in-depth analysis of potential error sources and a discussion of the calibration procedure, the technique is used to estimate the insertion loss of waveguide width tapers of varying geometry with a resulting 95% confidence interval of 0.007 dB. Furthermore, the work concludes with a performance comparison of the analyzed tapers with results presented for four taper profiles and three taper lengths.

Experimental study of the performance of a very small repetitive plasma focus device in different working conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goudarzi, S.; Babaee, H.; Esmaeli, A.; Nasiri, A.

2017-01-01

SORENA-1 is a very small repetitive Mather-type plasma focus device (20 J) that can operate at frequencies up to 1 Hz. This device has been designed and constructed in the Plasma and Nuclear Fusion Research School of the Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute of Iran. In this article, the structure of SORENA-1 is described and results of experiments with Ar, Ne, and D2 working gases at several discharge voltages and initial pressures are presented and analyzed.

MHD Equilibrium with Reversed Current Density and Magnetic Islands Revisited: the Vacuum Vector Potential Calculus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

L. Braga, F.

2013-10-01

The solution of Grad-Shafranov equation determines the stationary behavior of fusion plasma inside a tokamak. To solve the equation it is necessary to know the toroidal current density profile. Recent works show that it is possible to determine a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium with reversed current density (RCD) profiles that presents magnetic islands. In this work we show analytical MHD equilibrium with a RCD profile and analyze the structure of the vacuum vector potential associated with these equilibria using the virtual casing principle.

Are long physician working hours harmful to patient safety?

PubMed

Ehara, Akira

2008-04-01

Pediatricians of Japanese hospitals including not only residents but also attending physicians work long hours, and 8% work for >79 h per week. Most of them work consecutively for >or=32 h when they are on call. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of long work hours on patient safety. The electronic databases MEDLINE and EMBASE to searched identify the English- and Japanese-language literature for studies on work hours, medical errors, patient safety, and malpractice for years 1966-2005. Studies that analyzed the relationship between physician work hours and outcomes directly related to patient safety were selected. Seven studies met the criteria. Four studies suggest that reduction of work hours has a favorable effect on patient safety indicators. In the other three studies no significant changes of the indicators were observed, but no report found that shorter work hours were harmful to patient safety. Decrease of physician work hours is not harmful but favorable to patient safety.

Affect, work-goal schemas, and work-goal striving among adults with chronic pain: a multilevel structural equation analysis.

PubMed

Mun, Chung Jung; Karoly, Paul; Okun, Morris A; Kim, Hanjoe; Tennen, Howard

2016-04-01

For individuals with chronic pain, the within-person influence of affect and goal cognition on daily work-related goal striving is not yet well understood. The present study tested the hypothesis that anticipatory goal cognition in the form of a morning work goal schema mediates the relations between morning affect and later (afternoon and evening) work goal striving. Working adults with chronic pain (N = 131) completed a 21-day diary with morning, afternoon, and evening assessments analyzed via multi-level structural equation modeling. At the within-person level, morning positive and negative affect were positively associated with morning work goal schemas; and morning work goal schemas, in turn, positively predicted both afternoon and evening work goal striving. Our findings underscore the complex dynamics over time of the relationship between affect and self-regulatory processes and have implications for future studies and for interventions to assist working adults with chronic pain.

Sensitivity of Fit Indices to Fake Perturbation of Ordinal Data: A Sample by Replacement Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lombardi, Luigi; Pastore, Massimiliano

2012-01-01

In many psychological questionnaires the need to analyze empirical data raises the fundamental problem of possible fake or fraudulent observations in the data. This aspect is particularly relevant for researchers working on sensitive topics such as, for example, risky sexual behaviors and drug addictions. Our contribution presents a new…

Attending and Responding to Student Thinking in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levin, Daniel M.; Grant, Terrence; Hammer, David

2012-01-01

We present a class discussion that took place in the second author's high school biology class. Working from video data that we transcribed, studied, and analyzed closely, we recount how the question "Is air matter?" posed at the beginning of a unit on photosynthesis led to student-driven inquiry and learning. This case study illustrates what we…

[Paradigm shift in health: forecasting and causation as a basis for risk management].

PubMed

Denisov, E I; Prokopenko, L V; Golovaneva, G V; Stepanian, I V

2012-01-01

The problem of occupational risk management (ORM) is discussed using the evidence-based medicine approach and bio- and IT-technologies. The prognosis and causation of work-related health disorders are analyzed as components of ORM system. The Web-based handbook "Occupational risk assessment" with software and information materials as practical tool is presented.

Signifying the Accumulation Graph in a Dynamic and Multi-Representation Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yerushalmy, Michal; Swidan, Osama

2012-01-01

The present study focuses on the accumulation process involved in the integration of a single-variable function. Observing the work of two high-school calculus students who had not yet learned any other integral-related ideas, we analyze the emergence of the semiotic relationship between personal and mathematical meanings, as expressed through the…

Precision Teaching a Foundational Motor Skill to a Child with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fabrizio, Michael A.; Schirmer, Kristin; King, Amy; Diakite, Ami; Stovel, Leah

2007-01-01

Since the early work of Anne Desjardin (1980) and others, Precision Teachers have developed Big 6+6 skills in their students' repertoires when needed. In this article, the authors present the Standard Celeration Chart (SCC) which documents how they analyzed the Big 6+6 skill of "squeeze" in terms of arranging sequences of instruction. The SCC…

Cross-National Study on Factors That Influence Parents' Knowledge about Their Children's Alcohol Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernandez-Hermida, Jose-Ramon; Calafat, Amador; Becoña, Elisardo; Secades-Villa, Roberto; Juan, Montse; Sumnall, Harry

2013-01-01

Previous research has shown that parents underestimate their children's substance use. The aim of the present work was to analyze parental estimation of their children's use of alcohol in five countries from northern, central, and southern Europe, and to explore the variables that influenced this perceptual bias. The sample comprised 1,181…

Changes in Student Attributions Due to the Implementation of Central Exit Exams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oerke, Britta; Maag Merki, Katharina; Holmeier, Monika; Jager, Daniela J.

2011-01-01

The central aim of standardized exit exams is to motivate students and teachers to work harder on critical subject matters and thus increase student achievement. However, the effects of the implementation of central exams on student motivation have not been analyzed in a longitudinal section until now. In the present study, the consequences of…

Helping Adolescents with Health Problems to Become Socially Competent

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drozdikova-Zaripova, Albina R.; Kostyunina, Nadezhda Yu.

2016-01-01

The purpose of the article is to present and analyze the results of experimental work to verify the efficiency of the developed and approved program aimed at the formation of social competence in adolescents with physical problems. The leading method in the study of this problem is a consequent version of the pedagogical experiment. The results of…

Study of the Economic and Rehabilitative Aspects of Prison Industry. Technical Tasks and Results.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Inst. of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice (Dept. of Justice/LEAA), Washington, DC.

This volume analyzes existing and proposed correctional industries in Connecticut. First, the results of a survey made to determine the potential inmate work force for prison industry are presented as inmate profiles, descriptions of inmate and supervisor attitudes, and analyses of parolees' employment and recidivism rates. In part 2, four…

Tablets in English Class: Students' Activities Surrounding Online Dictionary Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bunting, Leona

2015-01-01

Tablets have become increasingly popular among young people in Sweden and this rapid increase also resonates in school, especially in classrooms for younger children. The aim of the present study is to analyze and describe how the students deal with the open instructions for a task of using online dictionaries on tablets. Specific focus is on how…

Challenges and Opportunities for Collegial Governance at Canadian Universities: Reflections on a Survey of Academic Senates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennock, Lea; Jones, Glen A.; Leclerc, Jeff M.; Li, Sharon X.

2016-01-01

Following the design of a similar study in 2000, the authors conducted a study of university senates (academic councils) to assess the current state of academic governance in Canada's universities. An earlier paper presented and analyzed the data that were gathered about senate size, composition, structure, legislative authority, and work, and…

From Client to Pimp: Male Violence against Female Sex Workers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karandikar, Sharvari; Prospero, Moises

2010-01-01

The present study explores intimate partner violence (IPV) among female sex workers from the red-light area based in Mumbai, India. Using a grounded theory approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with ten sex workers to explore their experiences of IPV in the context of commercial sex work. Narratives were analyzed and themes constructed. A…

Exploring compositional variations on the surface of Mars applying mixing modeling to a telescopic spectral image

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merenyi, E.; Miller, J. S.; Singer, R. B.

1992-01-01

The linear mixing model approach was successfully applied to data sets of various natures. In these sets, the measured radiance could be assumed to be a linear combination of radiance contributions. The present work is an attempt to analyze a spectral image of Mars with linear mixing modeling.

The Care of the Self and Biopolitics: Resistance and Practices of Freedom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallo, Silvio

2017-01-01

This text through the direct use to Foucault's work and using the concepts of "care of the self" and biopolitics is questioning and analyzing resistance and practices of freedom. Mainly, from the Foucault's courses at the College de France and the methodological tools found there, here I present a discussion about Gilles Deleuze's…

Learning and Teaching Styles in Management Education: Identifying, Analyzing, and Facilitating

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Provitera, Michael J.; Esendal, Esin

2008-01-01

Drawing on the learning theory of the Felder-Silverman model (2002), and the work of A.F. Grasha, this paper provides a brief review of teaching and learning styles used in management education. Professors, like students, demonstrate a number of learning styles and a professor has some responsibility to organize and present a course to satisfy…

To Stay or to Go? Narratives of Early-Stage Sociologists about Persisting in Academia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wöhrer, Veronika

2014-01-01

Based on analyses of life course questionnaires, semi-structured qualitative interviews and focus group interviews carried out with early-stage sociologists over a period of 8 years, this paper presents analyzes of continuity and change in the decisions made by early-stage researchers in regard to their work and careers. The longitudinal approach…

Homework Works If Homework Quality Is High: Using Multilevel Modeling to Predict the Development of Achievement in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dettmers, Swantje; Trautwein, Ulrich; Ludtke, Oliver; Kunter, Mareike; Baumert, Jurgen

2010-01-01

The present study examined the associations of 2 indicators of homework quality (homework selection and homework challenge) with homework motivation, homework behavior, and mathematics achievement. Multilevel modeling was used to analyze longitudinal data from a representative national sample of 3,483 students in Grades 9 and 10; homework effects…

Educational Research, Development, and Innovation: The Institutionalization of Change in Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spivak, Harriet; Radnor, Michael

In an effort to analyze what management policies and technologies from other disciplines can be applied to the field of education, this report describes the development of an analytical framework and its use to explore implications for policy development. The present work seeks to synthesize the available literature on management policies and to…

How Executive Functions Are Related to Intelligence in Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osorio, Ana; Cruz, Raquel; Sampaio, Adriana; Garayzabal, Elena; Martinez-Regueiro, Rocio; Goncalves, Oscar F.; Carracedo, Angel; Fernandez-Prieto, Montse

2012-01-01

Williams syndrome is characterized by impairments in executive functions (EFs). However, it remains unknown how distinct types of EFs relate to intelligence in this syndrome. The present study analyzed performance on working memory, inhibiting and shifting, and its links to IQ in a sample of 17 individuals with WS, and compared them with a group…

Reshaping the Principalship: Insights from Transformational Reform Efforts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Joseph; Louis, Karen Seashore

This book focuses on the ways in which the work of principals is being shaped by transformational reform measures. Part 1 offers two chapters that analyze the challenges and possibilities for principals in restructuring schools and review the empirical evidence on the evolving role of the principal. Part 2 presents nine case studies, each of which…

Economic Literacy, Teacher Instruction, and Preparation for the World of Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walstad, William B.; Soper, John C.

This paper analyzes the economic knowledge of high school students based on national data from 8,000 students who took the revised "Test of Economic Literacy," a nationally normed and standardized achievement test in economics. First, the validity and reliability features of the test are presented and then the test scores are broken down…

Analysis of the Perception of Students about Biometric Identification

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guillén-Gámez, Francisco D.; García-Magariño, Iván; Romero, Sonia J.

2015-01-01

Currently, there is a demand within distance education of control mechanisms for verifying the identity of students when conducting activities within virtual classrooms. Biometric authentication is one of the tools to meet this demand and prevent fraud. In this line of research, the present work is aimed at analyzing the perceptions of a group of…

Three hybridization models based on local search scheme for job shop scheduling problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balbi Fraga, Tatiana

2015-05-01

This work presents three different hybridization models based on the general schema of Local Search Heuristics, named Hybrid Successive Application, Hybrid Neighborhood, and Hybrid Improved Neighborhood. Despite similar approaches might have already been presented in the literature in other contexts, in this work these models are applied to analyzes the solution of the job shop scheduling problem, with the heuristics Taboo Search and Particle Swarm Optimization. Besides, we investigate some aspects that must be considered in order to achieve better solutions than those obtained by the original heuristics. The results demonstrate that the algorithms derived from these three hybrid models are more robust than the original algorithms and able to get better results than those found by the single Taboo Search.

Imaging systems and algorithms to analyze biological samples in real-time using mobile phone microscopy

PubMed Central

Mayberry, Addison; Perkins, David L.; Holcomb, Daniel E.

2018-01-01

Miniaturized imaging devices have pushed the boundaries of point-of-care imaging, but existing mobile-phone-based imaging systems do not exploit the full potential of smart phones. This work demonstrates the use of simple imaging configurations to deliver superior image quality and the ability to handle a wide range of biological samples. Results presented in this work are from analysis of fluorescent beads under fluorescence imaging, as well as helminth eggs and freshwater mussel larvae under white light imaging. To demonstrate versatility of the systems, real time analysis and post-processing results of the sample count and sample size are presented in both still images and videos of flowing samples. PMID:29509786

In-air RBS measurements at the LAMFI external beam setup

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

Silva, T. F.; Added, N.; Moro, M. V.

2014-11-11

This work describes new developments in the external beam setup of the Laboratory of Material Analysis with Ion Beams of the University of São Paulo (LAMFI-USP). This setup was designed to be a versatile analytical station to analyze a broad range of samples. In recent developments, we seek the external beam Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS) analysis to complement the Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) measurements. This work presents the initial results of the external beam RBS analysis as well as recent developments to improve the energy resolution RBS measurements, in particular tests to seek for sources of resolution degradation. Thesemore » aspects are discussed and preliminary results of in-air RBS analysis of some test samples are presented.« less

Analysis of dispersion relation in three-dimensional single gyroid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jheng, Pei-Lun; Hung, Yu-Chueh

2016-03-01

Gyroid is a type of three-dimensional chiral structures and has been found in many insect species. Besides the photonic crystal properties exhibited by gyroid structures, the chirality and gyroid network morphology also provide unique opportunities for manipulating propagation of light. In this work, we present studies based on finite-difference time domain (FDTD) method for analyzing the dispersion relation characteristics of dielectric single gyroid (SG) metamaterials. The band structures, transmission spectrum, dispersion surfaces, equifrequency contours (EFCs) of SG metamaterials are examined. Some interesting wave guiding characteristics, such as negative refraction and collimation, are presented and discussed. We also show how these optical properties are predicted by analyzing the EFCs at different frequencies. These results are crucial for the design of functional devices at optical frequencies based on dielectric single gyroid metamaterials.

Exposure to infrasonic noise in agriculture.

PubMed

Bilski, Bartosz

2017-03-21

Although exposure to audible noise has been examined in many publications, the sources of infrasound in agriculture have not been fully examined and presented. The study presents the assessment of exposure to infrasound from many sources at workplaces in agriculture with examples of possible ergonomic and health consequences caused by such exposure. Workers'-perceived infrasonic noise levels were examined for 118 examples of moving and stationary agricultural machines (modern and old cab-type tractors, old tractors without cabins, small tractors, grinders, chargers, forage mixers, grain cleaners, conveyors, bark sorters and combine-harvesters). Measurements of infrasound were taken with the use of class 1 instruments (digital sound analyzer DSA-50 digital and acoustic calibrator). Noise level measurements were performed in accordance with PN-Z-01338:2010, PN-EN ISO 9612:2011 and ISO 9612:2009. The most intense sources of infrasound in the study were modern and old large size types agricultural machinery (tractors, chargers and combined-harvesters, and stationary forage mixers with ventilation). The G-weighted infrasound levels were significant and at many analyzed workplaces stayed within or exceeded the occupational exposure limit (LG eq, 8h = 102 dB) when the duration of exposure is longer than 22 min./8-hours working day (most noisy - modern cab-type tractors), 46 min./8 hours working day (most noisy - old type cab-tractors), 73 min./8 hours working day (most noisy - old tractors without cabins), 86 min./8-hours working day (most noisy - combine-harvesters) and 156 min./8 hours working day (most noisy - stationary forage mixers with ventilation). All measured machines generated infrasonic noise exceeded the value LG eq, Te = 86 dB (occupational exposure limit for workplaces requiring maintained mental concentration). A very important harmful factor is infrasound exposure for pregnant women and adolescents at workplaces in agriculture. Very valuable work can be technical limiting exposure to infrasound from new and used agricultural machinery. The technical limitation of infrasound caused by both old and new agricultural machinery can be invaluable from the work point of view.

Inductive dielectric analyzer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agranovich, Daniel; Polygalov, Eugene; Popov, Ivan; Ben Ishai, Paul; Feldman, Yuri

2017-03-01

One of the approaches to bypass the problem of electrode polarization in dielectric measurements is the free electrode method. The advantage of this technique is that, the probing electric field in the material is not supplied by contact electrodes, but rather by electromagnetic induction. We have designed an inductive dielectric analyzer based on a sensor comprising two concentric toroidal coils. In this work, we present an analytic derivation of the relationship between the impedance measured by the sensor and the complex dielectric permittivity of the sample. The obtained relationship was successfully employed to measure the dielectric permittivity and conductivity of various alcohols and aqueous salt solutions.

Preliminary study of the reliability of imaging charge coupled devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beall, J. R.; Borenstein, M. D.; Homan, R. A.; Johnson, D. L.; Wilson, D. D.; Young, V. F.

1978-01-01

Imaging CCDs are capable of low light level response and high signal-to-noise ratios. In space applications they offer the user the ability to achieve extremely high resolution imaging with minimum circuitry in the photo sensor array. This work relates the CCD121H Fairchild device to the fundamentals of CCDs and the representative technologies. Several failure modes are described, construction is analyzed and test results are reported. In addition, the relationship of the device reliability to packaging principles is analyzed and test data presented. Finally, a test program is defined for more general reliability evaluation of CCDs.

Numerical analysis of beam with sinusoidally corrugated webs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Górecki, Marcin; Pieńko, Michał; Łagoda, GraŻyna

2018-01-01

The paper presents numerical tests results of the steel beam with sinusoidally corrugated web, which were performed in the Autodesk Algor Simulation Professional 2010. The analysis was preceded by laboratory tests including the beam's work under the influence of the four point bending as well as the study of material characteristics. Significant web's thickness and use of tools available in the software allowed to analyze the behavior of the plate girder as beam, and also to observe the occurrence of stresses in the characteristic element - the corrugated web. The stress distribution observed on the both web's surfaces was analyzed.

[German stem-cell law: content and critique].

PubMed

Simon, Jürgen

2002-01-01

The author analyzes in this work the new German Stem Cells Act, approved by the German Parliament on 10 of May 2002. In this law it is prohibited with general character the investigation with stem cells of embryonic origin, although it is allowed under certain very strict requirements. The conflict that arises among a very strict protection of the embryo, such and like it happens in the present law, and the constitutional right to scientific investigation is also analyzed, a reference to the derivative problems of the lack of clarity of some articles of the law is also made.

The development of an advanced generic solar dynamic heat receiver thermal model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, Y. C.; Roschke, E. J.; Kohout, L.

1988-01-01

An advanced generic solar dynamic heat receiver thermal model under development which can analyze both orbital transient and orbital average conditions is discussed. This model can be used to study advanced receiver concepts, evaluate receiver concepts under development, analyze receiver thermal characteristics under various operational conditions, and evaluate solar dynamic system thermal performances in various orbit conditions. The model and the basic considerations that led to its creation are described, and results based on a set of baseline orbit, configuration, and operational conditions are presented to demonstrate the working of the receiver model.

Increasing Electronic Nose Recognition Ability by Laser Irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alejandra, Massacane; Juan, Vorobioff; Karina, Pierpauli; Norberto, Boggio; Silvia, Reich; Carlos, Rinaldi; Alfredo, Boselli; Alberto, Lamagna; Laura, Azcárate M.; Jorge, Codnia; Francisco, Manzano

2009-05-01

We present a method to increase the capability of an electronic nose to discriminate between a priori similar odours. We analyze the case of olive oil because it is well known that the characteristics of its aroma impair in many cases the discrimination between different kinds of olive oils especially when they are from similar geographic regions. In the present work we study how to improve the electronic nose performance for the above mentioned discrimination by the use of two IR laser wavelengths for vaporization.

Técnica de Construcción de Catálogos Sintéticos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Díaz, M. E.; Muriel, H.; Merchán, M.

We present a mock catalogue construction technic which enable us to mimic simultaniously several observational properties, such as spectral types, angular positions, redshifts distribution, aparent and absolut magnitudes and gravitational evolution. We analyze some prescriptions for volume and flux limited samples. As an aplication, we present a mock catalogue of the 2dF redshift survey and the corresponding comparison between the observational properties of the real data and the corresponding to the mock catalogue constructed in this work.

STS-73 (USML-2) Final Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rice, James E.

1996-01-01

The report is organized into sections representing the phases of work performed in analyzing the STS-73 (USML-2) results. Section 1 briefly outlines the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE), system features, coordinates, and measurement parameters. Section 2 describes the results from STS-73. The mission description, data calibration, and representative data obtained on STS-73 are presented. Also, the anomalous performance of OARE on STS-73 is discussed. Finally, Section 3 presents a discussion of accuracy achieved and achievable with OARE.

OARE STS-75 (USMP-3) Final Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rice, James E.

1996-01-01

The report is organized into sections representing the phases of work performed in analyzing the STS-75 (USMP-3) results. Section 1 briefly outlines the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE) system features, coordinates, and measurement parameters. Section 2 describes the results from STS-75. The mission description, data calibration, and representative data obtained on STS-75 are presented. Also, the anomalous performance of OARE on STS-75 is discussed. Finally, Section 3 presents a discussion of accuracy achieved and achievable with OARE.

Mathematical models in simulation process in rehabilitation of persons with disabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorie, Nina; Dolga, Valer; Mondoc, Alina

2012-11-01

The problems of people with disability are varied. A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these. The major disabilities which can appear in people's lives are: the blindness, the deafness, the limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, the orthopedic impairment, the visual impairment. A disability is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions. A disability may occur during a person's lifetime or may be present from birth. The authors conclude that some of these disabilities like physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental can be rehabilitated. Starting from this state of affairs the authors present briefly the possibility of using certain mechatronic systems for rehabilitation of persons with different disabilities. The authors focus their presentation on alternative calling the Stewart platform in order to achieve the proposed goal. The authors present a mathematical model of systems theory approach under the parallel system and described its contents can. The authors analyze in a meaningful mathematical model describing the procedure of rehabilitation process. From the affected function biomechanics and taking into account medical recommendations the authors illustrate the mathematical models of rehabilitation work. The authors assemble a whole mathematical model of parallel structure and the rehabilitation process and making simulation and highlighting the results estimated. The authors present in the end work the results envisaged in the end analysis work, conclusions and steps for future work program..

Twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) and work hardening in Ti-based metallic glass matrix composites.

PubMed

Fan, J; Qiao, J W; Wang, Z H; Rao, W; Kang, G Z

2017-05-12

The present study demonstrates that Ti-based metallic glass matrix composites (MGMCs) with a normal composition of Ti 43 Zr 32 Ni 6 Ta 5 Be 14 containing ductile dendrites dispersed in the glass matrix has been developed, and deformation mechanisms about the tensile property have been investigated by focusing on twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) effect. The Ti-based MGMC has excellent tensile properties and pronounced tensile work-hardening capacity, with a yield strength of 1100 MPa and homogeneous elongation of 4%. The distinguished strain hardening is ascribed to the formation of deformation twinning within the dendrites. Twinning generated in the dendrites works as an obstacle for the rapid propagation of shear bands, and then, the localized necking is avoided, which ensures the ductility of such kinds of composites. Besides, a finite-element model (FEM) has been established to explain the TWIP effect which brings out a work-hardening behavior in the present MGMC instead of a localized strain concentration. According to the plasticity theory of traditional crystal materials and some new alloys, TWIP effect is mainly controlled by stacking fault energy (SFE), which has been analyzed intensively in the present MGMC.

NITARP: Measuring The Effectiveness of an Authentic Research Experience in Secondary Astronomy Education Through Concept Mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deeb, Elin; Rebull, Luisa M.; Black, David V.; Gibbs, John; Larsen, Estefania

2015-01-01

For secondary students to make use of astronomical data in a school setting, they previously needed access to large telescopes, expensive equipment and difficult-to-use software. This has improved as online data archives have become available; however, difficulties remain, including searching and downloading the data and translating it into formats that high school students can readily analyze. To address these issues, the NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) selects teams consisting of teachers and students from several schools. Each year, new teams of educators attend an introductory workshop at the winter AAS conference where they select a research project that will use the archived data. Throughout the spring, educators engage in weekly teleconferences, write proposals, and begin working with their students. The teams meet at Caltech in the summer to learn how to access and analyze the IPAC data and continue to work throughout the fall. Through this experience, participants learn how to search, download, translate, and analyze authentic astronomical data. They learn the nature of scientific communication through developing and presenting their findings alongside practicing astronomers at the following winter AAS. In order to measure how successful the 2014 NITARP summer visit was in teaching participating high school students the terminology and processes necessary to analyze IPAC data, students were asked to create concept maps showing the main and subsidiary ideas and concepts related to their research. They then synthesized their group webs into a master web. When additional terms and concepts were presented, the students were able to integrate them into the master web, showing that they understood the relationship of ideas, concepts, and processes needed for their research. Our companion poster, Gibbs et al., presents the scientific aspects of this project. This research was made possible through the NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) and was funded by the NASA Astrophysics Data Program.

Overview of RICOR's reliability theoretical analysis, accelerated life demonstration test results and verification by field data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vainshtein, Igor; Baruch, Shlomi; Regev, Itai; Segal, Victor; Filis, Avishai; Riabzev, Sergey

2018-05-01

The growing demand for EO applications that work around the clock 24hr/7days a week, such as in border surveillance systems, emphasizes the need for a highly reliable cryocooler having increased operational availability and optimized system's Integrated Logistic Support (ILS). In order to meet this need, RICOR developed linear and rotary cryocoolers which achieved successfully this goal. Cryocoolers MTTF was analyzed by theoretical reliability evaluation methods, demonstrated by normal and accelerated life tests at Cryocooler level and finally verified by field data analysis derived from Cryocoolers operating at system level. The following paper reviews theoretical reliability analysis methods together with analyzing reliability test results derived from standard and accelerated life demonstration tests performed at Ricor's advanced reliability laboratory. As a summary for the work process, reliability verification data will be presented as a feedback from fielded systems.

Turbulent Superstructures in Rayleigh-Bénard convection at different Prandtl number

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schumacher, Jörg; Pandey, Ambrish; Ender, Martin; Westermann, Rüdiger; Scheel, Janet D.

2017-11-01

Large-scale patterns of the temperature and velocity field in horizontally extended cells can be considered as turbulent superstructures in Rayleigh-Bénard convection (RBC). These structures are obtained once the turbulent fluctuations are removed by a finite-time average. Their existence has been reported for example in Bailon-Cuba et al.. This large-scale order obeys a strong similarity with the well-studied patterns from the weakly nonlinear regime at lower Rayleigh number in RBC. In the present work we analyze the superstructures of RBC at different Prandtl number for Prandtl values between Pr = 0.005 for liquid sodium and 7 for water. The characteristic evolution time scales, the typical spatial extension of the rolls and the properties of the defects of the resulting superstructure patterns are analyzed. Data are obtained from well-resolved spectral element direct numerical simulations. The work is supported by the Priority Programme SPP 1881 of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

Ghosts in the machine: publication planning in the medical sciences.

PubMed

Sismondo, Sergio

2009-04-01

Publication of pharmaceutical company-sponsored research in medical journals, and its presentation at conferences and meetings, is mostly governed by 'publication plans' that extract the maximum amount of scientific and commercial value out of data and analyses through carefully constructed and placed papers. Clinical research is typically performed by contract research organizations, analyzed by company statisticians, written up by independent medical writers, approved and edited by academic researchers who then serve as authors, and the whole process organized and shepherded through to journal publication by publication planners. This paper reports on a conference of an international association of publication planners. It describes and analyzes their work in an ecological framework that relates it to marketing departments of pharmaceutical companies, medical journals and publishers, academic authors, and potential audiences. The medical research described here forms a new kind of corporate science, designed to look like traditional academic work, but performed largely to market products.

Working memory training improves emotion regulation ability: Evidence from HRV.

PubMed

Xiu, Lichao; Zhou, Renlai; Jiang, Yihan

2016-03-01

Emotion regulation during social situations plays a pivotal role in health and interpersonal functioning. In this study, we propose a working memory training approach to improve emotion regulation ability. This training promotes an updating function that is a crucial modulated process for emotion regulation. In the present study, the participants in the training group completed a running memory task over 20 days of training. Their working memory capability and high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) data on pretest and posttest were assessed and analyzed. Compared with the control group, the training group's reaction time in the 2-back working memory task was reduced significantly. In addition, the HF-HRV in the emotion regulation condition was increased after the 20-day training, which indicates that the working memory training effect could transfer to emotion regulation. In other words, working memory training improved emotion regulation ability. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Work environment investments: outcomes from three cases.

PubMed

Rydell, Alexis; Andersson, Ing-Marie

2017-09-27

Work environment investments are important in order to create a healthy and safe workplace. This article presents findings from a seven-step interventions process aimed at examining and following-up work environment investments in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a particular focus on air contaminants. Three different cases were analyzed and included in the study: (a) an educational center for welding; (b) a paint station in furniture manufacturing; (c) a joinery in furniture manufacturing. The results show that the work environment investments were highly appreciated by the employees and managers, but at the same time the investment could be optimized through markedly decreased exposure levels for the worker. Factors such as follow-ups of the investment, education and training in how to use the equipment, worker involvement in the process and leadership engagement are important in order to optimize work environment investments.

Work disability in adults with cystic fibrosis.

PubMed

Gillen, M; Lallas, D; Brown, C; Yelin, E; Blanc, P

1995-07-01

Greater numbers of persons with cystic fibrosis (CF) reach adulthood and, therefore, actively participate in the labor force. In this study, we estimated labor force participation rates and determined risk factors for work disability among persons with CF. We recruited 49 (73%) of 67 adults followed at one of two hospital-based CF centers. We ascertained employment history and CF-attributed work disability by structured questionnaire. Independently, we reviewed medical records for demographics and illness severity indicators. We analyzed potential risk factors for work disability by logistic regression analysis. All of those studied reported past or present labor force participation, consistent with high work motivation. Complete cessation of work attributed to CF was reported by 17 (35%; 95% CI, 21 to 49%). Although 23 (47%; 95% CI, 32 to 60%) of those surveyed stated that CF had affected career choice, only nine respondents had ever received career counselling and 16 had ever discussed job choice with their physicians. After adjusting for standard measures of disease severity by multiple logistic regression, age, adult diagnosis of CF, female gender, and single marital status, analyzed as a group, provided significant additional explanatory power to a predictive model of disability risk (model chi square [4 d.f.] = 11.5, p < 0.05). Health care professionals who design interventions targeted at work disability among persons with CF should address demographic factors as well as illness severity and should assess the vocational needs of persons with CF and the potential benefit of career counselling.

Thermodynamic analysis of onset characteristics in a miniature thermoacoustic Stirling engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Xin; Zhou, Gang; Li, Qing

2013-06-01

This paper analyzes the onset characteristics of a miniature thermoacoustic Stirling heat engine using the thermodynamic analysis method. The governing equations of components are reduced from the basic thermodynamic relations and the linear thermoacoustic theory. By solving the governing equation group numerically, the oscillation frequencies and onset temperatures are obtained. The dependences of the kinds of working gas, the length of resonator tube, the diameter of resonator tube, on the oscillation frequency are calculated. Meanwhile, the influences of hydraulic radius and mean pressure on the onset temperature for different working gas are also presented. The calculation results indicate that there exists an optimal dimensionless hydraulic radius to obtain the lowest onset temperature, whose value lies in the range of 0.30-0.35 for different working gases. Furthermore, the amplitude and phase relationship of pressures and volume flows are analyzed in the time-domain. Some experiments have been performed to validate the calculations. The calculation results agree well with the experimental values. Finally, an error analysis is made, giving the reasons that cause the errors of theoretical calculations.

Large-Scale Simulations and Detailed Flow Field Measurements for Turbomachinery Aeroacoustics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanZante, Dale

2008-01-01

The presentation is a review of recent work in highly loaded compressors, turbine aeroacoustics and cooling fan noise. The specific topics are: the importance of correct numerical modeling to capture blade row interactions in the Ultra Efficient Engine Technology Proof-of-Concept Compressor, the attenuation of a detonation pressure wave by an aircraft axial turbine stage, current work on noise sources and acoustic attenuation in turbines, and technology development work on cooling fans for spaceflight applications. The topic areas were related to each other by certain themes such as the advantage of an experimentalist s viewpoint when analyzing numerical simulations and the need to improve analysis methods for very large numerical datasets.

Dose Measurements in a 20-J Repetitive Plasma Focus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goudarzi, S.; Babaee, H.; Esmaeli, A.; Nasiri, A.; Mazandarani, A.

2018-02-01

In this article, the results of X-ray dose measurements executed using thermoluminescent dosimeters in experiments with a very small (20 J) repetitive plasma focus device named SORENA-1 are presented and analyzed. The working gas in these experiments was Argon. Also, pinch formation in experiments with this device has been observed. This device has been designed and constructed in Plasma and Nuclear Fusion Research School of Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute of Iran. From these results, it is concluded that we can do experiments with this device using Ar as working gas all over the working days of year, and a good symmetry for measured dose around the device has been seen.

Dental research productivity in Argentina (1993 to 2003).

PubMed

Collet, Ana M; Jara-Tracchia, Lilian; Palacios, Silvia B; Itoiz, Maria E

2006-01-01

The scientific presentations at the annual meetings of the Argentine Division of the I.A.D.R. (S.A.I.O.) are proof of the scientific production of this country in dental research. Our annual meetings provide a forum for the rapid communication and discussion of research. However, only peer-reviewed articles, published in journals indexed in worldwide-accepted databases such as MEDLINE are permanent records of the research work and can reach out to a global audience. A useful indicator of quality and publication efficiency of research work is the rate of publication (RP), i.e. relationship between the quantity of presentations and subsequent publications in peer-reviewed journals. Previous works analyzed the two periods: 1980-1989 and 1990-1995 (Acta Odont. Latinoamer 7(2):39-46,1993 and Acta Odont. Latinoamer. 10(1):63-69, 1997). The aim of this work was to update the informatiod and study the publication rate of national Dental research works. The 1669 works produced by national research centers presented at the Annual Meetings of the S.A.LO. from 1993 to 2003 were evaluated. Employing the authors' index of the programs of the Annual Meetings of the S.A.I.O. we searched for possible publications in MEDLINE. The references obtained were compared with the presentations (title and authors) disregarding those that had not been communicated previously at our Division meeting. Presentations and the corresponding publications were grouped according to research center and within each center according to subject area. The following parameters were obtained: PR, time between Presentation and publication and language of publication. PR increased in 1993-2003 (1/4.8, 20.79%) when compared to the periods studied previously (1/8, 12%). Most of the publications were in English and had been published within 4 years after presentation. The increase in the number of S.A.I.O. presentations published in peer-reviewed journals shows an improvement in terms of research productivity in dental research in Argentina.

Gabor filter for the segmentation of skin lesions from ultrasonographic images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrella, Lorena I.; Gómez, W.; Alvarenga, André V.; Pereira, Wagner C. A.

2012-05-01

The present work applies Gabor filters bank for texture analysis of skin lesions images, obtained by ultrasound biomicroscopy. The regions affected by the lesions were differentiated from surrounding tissue in all the analyzed cases; however the accuracy of the traced borders showed some limitations in part of the images. Future steps are being contemplated, attempting to enhance the technique performance.

Organizations in America: Analyzing Their Structures and Human Resource Practices Based on the National Organizations Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalleberg, Arne L.; Knoke, David; Marsden, Peter V.; Spaeth, Joe L.

In 1991 the National Organizations Study (NOS) surveyed a number of U.S. businesses about their structure, context, and personnel practices to produce a database for answering questions about social behavior in work organizations. This book presents the results of that survey. The study aimed to create a national database on organizations--based…

A Symbolic Dance: The Interplay between Movement, Notation, and Mathematics on a Journey toward Solving Equations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hewitt, Dave

2014-01-01

This article analyzes the use of the software Grid Algebra with a mixed ability class of 21 nine-to-ten-year-old students who worked with complex formal notation involving all four arithmetic operations. Unlike many other models to support learning, Grid Algebra has formal notation ever present and allows students to "look through" that…

EVA safety: Space suit system interoperability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skoog, A. I.; McBarron, J. W.; Abramov, L. P.; Zvezda, A. O.

1995-01-01

The results and the recommendations of the International Academy of Astronautics extravehicular activities (IAA EVA) Committee work are presented. The IAA EVA protocols and operation were analyzed for harmonization procedures and for the standardization of safety critical and operationally important interfaces. The key role of EVA and how to improve the situation based on the identified EVA space suit system interoperability deficiencies were considered.

"You Have to Know the Past to (Blog) the Present": Using an Educational Blog to Engage Students in U.S. History

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manfra, Meghan McGlinn; Lee, John K.

2012-01-01

In this study the authors investigate whether a whole-class educational blog could facilitate culturally relevant instruction and authentic intellectual work in U.S. history. Qualitative data were collected and analyzed that included student comments posted to an educational blog, classroom observations, and follow-up interviews. Based on the…

Physical properties of 134 soils in six northeastern states

Treesearch

A. R. Eschner; B. O. Jones; R. C. Moyle

1957-01-01

From June 1954 to July 1955 the Vicksburg Infiltration Project collected and analyzed samples from 134 sites in six Northeastern States; the samples included 79 soil series and 114 soil types. This work was done to supply the U. S. Army with information needed for specialized research on military traffic ability. The basic data are herein presented because of their...

Empowering Indigenous Languages and Cultures: The Impact of German Bilateral Assistance in Latin America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cortina, Regina

2010-01-01

Working in Latin America for several decades to address the educational needs of poor and indigenous groups, the GTZ (Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit) has helped to develop the knowledge base of intercultural bilingual education. The goal of this article is to analyze Germany's impact from the mid-1970s to the present as the GTZ has…

Working with Families: Promising Programs To Help Parents Support Young Children's Learning. Summary of Findings. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodson, Barbara Dillon; And Others

This report presents the findings of a study conducted for the U.S. Department of Education that analyzed 17 family education programs for disadvantaged families. In-depth studies were conducted on-site for 7 programs; an additional 10 programs were studied via telephone interviews. An "Executive Summary" of eleven pages (also separately…

Genetic Engineering: A Matter that Requires Further Refinement in Spanish Secondary School Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez-Gracia, M. V.; Gil-Quylez, M. J.; Osada, J.

2003-01-01

Genetic engineering is now an integral part of many high school textbooks but little work has been done to assess whether it is being properly addressed. A checklist with 19 items was used to analyze how genetic engineering is presented in biology textbooks commonly used in Spanish high schools, including the content, its relationship with…

Self-Control of Task Difficulty during Training Enhances Motor Learning of a Complex Coincidence-Anticipation Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrieux, Mathieu; Danna, Jeremy; Thon, Bernard

2012-01-01

The aim of the present work was to analyze the influence of self-controlled task difficulty on motor learning. Participants had to intercept three targets falling at different velocities by displacing a stylus above a digitizer. Task difficulty corresponded to racquet width. Half the participants (self-control condition) could choose the racquet…

A Comparison of Neural Networks and Fuzzy Logic Methods for Process Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cios, Krzysztof J.; Sala, Dorel M.; Berke, Laszlo

1996-01-01

The goal of this work was to analyze the potential of neural networks and fuzzy logic methods to develop approximate response surfaces as process modeling, that is for mapping of input into output. Structural response was chosen as an example. Each of the many methods surveyed are explained and the results are presented. Future research directions are also discussed.

University Students and Informational Social Networks: Total Sceptics, Dual Moderates or Pro-Digitals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gavilan, Diana; Martinez-Navarro, Gema; Fernández-Lores, Susana

2017-01-01

The goal of the present work is to analyze the use of social networks as a tool for social empowerment by Spanish university students, and their perception of the university as an institution that contributes to the formation of a critical and active citizenship, that provides them with the relevant digital competences. The literature review shows…

"Approaches to the Teaching of Special Relativity Theory in High School and University Textbooks of Argentina"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arriassecq, Irene; Greca, Ileana Maria

2007-01-01

In this work, we presented an analysis of the representation of the special relativity theory (SRT) in the most used texts in high school, Polimodal level and university level in the teaching in the Argentine Republic, from a historic, epistemological and didactic perspective. The results show that none of the analyzed texts would allow a…

Integration Processes of a Romanian Group in a Huelva Village through Family Life Stories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Díaz-Reales, Antonia-María; Aguaded-Gómez, Ignacio

2015-01-01

This paper examines the integration of Romanian immigrants in Lucena del Puerto (Huelva, Spain) through the life stories of two families of Romanian origin. The experiences of the groups presented in this study were analyzed. Both families were in the town for work, to grow and harvest strawberries. We observed a contrast between idealistic views…

Whiteness in the Social Studies Classroom: Students' Conceptions of Race and Ethnicity in United States History

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martell, Christopher C.

2013-01-01

In this study, the researcher examined student conceptions of "Whiteness" as it relates to past and present U.S. history. Using Critical Race Theory as the lens, this study employed mixed methods, analyzing teacher observations, classroom artifacts/student work, survey, and interview data from White students and students of color at an…

Problem-Solving Test: RNA and Protein Synthesis in Bacteriophage-Infected "E. coli" Cells

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Szeberenyi, Jozsef

2008-01-01

The classic experiment presented in this problem-solving test was designed to identify the template molecules of translation by analyzing the synthesis of phage proteins in "Escherichia coli" cells infected with bacteriophage T4. The work described in this test led to one of the most seminal discoveries of early molecular biology: it dealt a…

Analysis of half diallel mating designs I: a practical analysis procedure for ANOVA approximation.

Treesearch

G.R. Johnson; J.N. King

1998-01-01

Procedures to analyze half-diallel mating designs using the SAS statistical package are presented. The procedure requires two runs of PROC and VARCOMP and results in estimates of additive and non-additive genetic variation. The procedures described can be modified to work on most statistical software packages which can compute variance component estimates. The...

The Evaluation of the Treatment of Egypt in American Primary and Secondary School Literature. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ziadeh, Farhat J.; Allen, Calvin H.

In this study of the treatment of Egypt in elementary and secondary school literature, the content of 109 textbooks and 180 supplementary works is analyzed and evaluated and recommendations for specific corrections and additions are presented. The purpose is to alert the authors of educational materials and teachers about the imperfections in…

Training spatial-simultaneous working memory in individuals with Down syndrome.

PubMed

Lanfranchi, Silvia; Pulina, Francesca; Carretti, Barbara; Mammarella, Irene C

2017-05-01

Recent studies have suggested that the spatial-simultaneous component of working memory (WM), which is involved when stimuli are presented simultaneously, is selectively impaired in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). The main objective of the present study was to examine whether WM performance can be enhanced in individuals with DS by analyzing the immediate and maintenance effects of a training program. For this purpose, 61 individuals with DS were randomly assigned to three groups: one trained on simultaneous components of visuospatial WM; one serving as an active control group, that completed activities on vocabulary; and one serving as a passive control group, that only attended the pre- and post-test and follow-up assessments. The efficacy of the training was analyzed in terms of specific (spatial-simultaneous WM tasks), near transfer (spatial-sequential and verbal WM tasks), far transfer (spatial abilities, everyday competences), and maintenance effects (with a follow-up at 1 month). The results showed an overall significant effect on the WM on the group receiving the training. The benefit was generally specific, however, with some transfer to other WM tasks, but only in the immediate (post-test) assessment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Industrial hygiene for subway train operators].

PubMed

Elizarov, B B; Sin'kov, A V

1995-01-01

Subway train drivers work in specific conditions of underground surroundings, face psychoemotional stress due to high intensity of signals analyzed in short time for the decision, prominent responsibility for passengers' lives. The work is also associated with significant levels of noise, minor artificial illumination, air pollution with dust and unfavorable microclimate. By the end of working shift the drivers demonstrate marked changes in blood pressure, prolonged oculomotor reactions, depressed visual function. Morbidity with transitory disablement is high among the drivers, presenting especially cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases. Unfavorable changes of ageing process are seen in the drivers over 35, in age group of 40-49 years (with length of service at least 20 years). The complex investigations helped to elaborate hygienic norms for new subway cars, to base rational schedule ot work and rest for the drivers.

[Working conditions of traditional birth attendants: some characteristics of rural home situations].

PubMed

Bessa, L F

1999-09-01

This is a study of qualitative and dialectical approach, which subject is to analyze the working conditions of the traditional birth attendants, in a reproductive perspective of work, and for this reason, economically undervalued. The analysis has been constructed having as central category the work, under marxist and feminist premises. Obtained results permit us to state these traditional birth attendants do their work in material and financial poor conditions, related to transportation, access, and still, working environment. The analysis of this practice has given us a possibility to present a discussion on some traits of the traditional birth attendant's work, which is characterized as a reproductive work, economically undervalued, autonomous and eminently feminine. It still configures as a social practice of popular health, legitimated by the community. In the rural domestic obstetrics practice, unequal relations were in evidence since men and women play different roles in the same occupation, being women's responsability the reproduction of the feminine role.

Variable Lifting Index (VLI): A New Method for Evaluating Variable Lifting Tasks.

PubMed

Waters, Thomas; Occhipinti, Enrico; Colombini, Daniela; Alvarez-Casado, Enrique; Fox, Robert

2016-08-01

We seek to develop a new approach for analyzing the physical demands of highly variable lifting tasks through an adaptation of the Revised NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) Lifting Equation (RNLE) into a Variable Lifting Index (VLI). There are many jobs that contain individual lifts that vary from lift to lift due to the task requirements. The NIOSH Lifting Equation is not suitable in its present form to analyze variable lifting tasks. In extending the prior work on the VLI, two procedures are presented to allow users to analyze variable lifting tasks. One approach involves the sampling of lifting tasks performed by a worker over a shift and the calculation of the Frequency Independent Lift Index (FILI) for each sampled lift and the aggregation of the FILI values into six categories. The Composite Lift Index (CLI) equation is used with lifting index (LI) category frequency data to calculate the VLI. The second approach employs a detailed systematic collection of lifting task data from production and/or organizational sources. The data are organized into simplified task parameter categories and further aggregated into six FILI categories, which also use the CLI equation to calculate the VLI. The two procedures will allow practitioners to systematically employ the VLI method to a variety of work situations where highly variable lifting tasks are performed. The scientific basis for the VLI procedure is similar to that for the CLI originally presented by NIOSH; however, the VLI method remains to be validated. The VLI method allows an analyst to assess highly variable manual lifting jobs in which the task characteristics vary from lift to lift during a shift. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Variable Lifting Index (VLI)

PubMed Central

Waters, Thomas; Occhipinti, Enrico; Colombini, Daniela; Alvarez-Casado, Enrique; Fox, Robert

2015-01-01

Objective: We seek to develop a new approach for analyzing the physical demands of highly variable lifting tasks through an adaptation of the Revised NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) Lifting Equation (RNLE) into a Variable Lifting Index (VLI). Background: There are many jobs that contain individual lifts that vary from lift to lift due to the task requirements. The NIOSH Lifting Equation is not suitable in its present form to analyze variable lifting tasks. Method: In extending the prior work on the VLI, two procedures are presented to allow users to analyze variable lifting tasks. One approach involves the sampling of lifting tasks performed by a worker over a shift and the calculation of the Frequency Independent Lift Index (FILI) for each sampled lift and the aggregation of the FILI values into six categories. The Composite Lift Index (CLI) equation is used with lifting index (LI) category frequency data to calculate the VLI. The second approach employs a detailed systematic collection of lifting task data from production and/or organizational sources. The data are organized into simplified task parameter categories and further aggregated into six FILI categories, which also use the CLI equation to calculate the VLI. Results: The two procedures will allow practitioners to systematically employ the VLI method to a variety of work situations where highly variable lifting tasks are performed. Conclusions: The scientific basis for the VLI procedure is similar to that for the CLI originally presented by NIOSH; however, the VLI method remains to be validated. Application: The VLI method allows an analyst to assess highly variable manual lifting jobs in which the task characteristics vary from lift to lift during a shift. PMID:26646300

SwathProfiler and NProfiler: Two new ArcGIS Add-ins for the automatic extraction of swath and normalized river profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez-Peña, J. V.; Al-Awabdeh, M.; Azañón, J. M.; Galve, J. P.; Booth-Rea, G.; Notti, D.

2017-07-01

The present-day great availability of high-resolution Digital Elevation Models has improved tectonic geomorphology analyses in their methodological aspects and geological meaning. Analyses based on topographic profiles are valuable to explore the short and long-term landscape response to tectonic activity and climate changes. Swath and river longitudinal profiles are two of the most used analysis to explore the long and short-term landscape responses. Most of these morphometric analyses are conducted in GIS software, which have become standard tools for analyzing drainage network metrics. In this work we present two ArcGIS Add-Ins to automatically delineate swath and normalized river profiles. Both tools are programmed in Visual Basic . NET and use ArcObjects library-architecture to access directly to vector and raster data. The SwathProfiler Add-In allows analyzing the topography within a swath or band by representing maximum-minimum-mean elevations, first and third quartile, local relief and hypsometry. We have defined a new transverse hypsometric integral index (THi) that analyzes hypsometry along the swath and offer valuable information in these kind of graphics. The NProfiler Add-In allows representing longitudinal normalized river profiles and their related morphometric indexes as normalized concavity (CT), maximum concavity (Cmax) and length of maximum concavity (Lmax). Both tools facilitate the spatial analysis of topography and drainage networks directly in a GIS environment as ArcMap and provide graphical outputs. To illustrate how these tools work, we analyzed two study areas, the Sierra Alhamilla mountain range (Betic Cordillera, SE Spain) and the Eastern margin of the Dead Sea (Jordan). The first study area has been recently studied from a morphotectonic perspective and these new tools can show an added value to the previous studies. The second study area has not been analyzed by quantitative tectonic geomorphology and the results suggest a landscape in transient state due to a continuous base-level fall produced by the formation of the Dead Sea basin.

Bardeen regular black hole with an electric source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigues, Manuel E.; Silva, Marcos V. de S.

2018-06-01

If some energy conditions on the stress-energy tensor are violated, is possible construct regular black holes in General Relativity and in alternative theories of gravity. This type of solution has horizons but does not present singularities. The first regular black hole was presented by Bardeen and can be obtained from Einstein equations in the presence of an electromagnetic field. E. Ayon-Beato and A. Garcia reinterpreted the Bardeen metric as a magnetic solution of General Relativity coupled to a nonlinear electrodynamics. In this work, we show that the Bardeen model may also be interpreted as a solution of Einstein equations in the presence of an electric source, whose electric field does not behave as a Coulomb field. We analyzed the asymptotic forms of the Lagrangian for the electric case and also analyzed the energy conditions.

Upgrade of the neutral particle analyzers for the TJ-II stellarator

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

Fontdecaba, J. M., E-mail: josepmaria.fontdecaba@ciemat.es; Ros, A.; McCarthy, K. J.

2014-11-15

The TJ-II stellarator, a magnetically confined plasma device, is equipped with a broad range of diagnostics for plasma characterization. These include 4 neutral particle analyzers (NPAs), consisting of two Acord-12's, to perform poloidal measurements, plus a compact NPA, and an Acord-24, these in tangential viewing positions. The Acord-12's were originally equipped with two rows of 6 channels each, one for hydrogen neutrals and the other for deuterium neutrals but were changed to a single row of 12 detectors for hydrogen, the principal working gas in TJ-II. With this upgrade the resultant improved energy resolution spectrum has allowed more reliable ionmore » temperature estimates to be obtained. Here we present the upgrades undertaken and present results to demonstrate the improved performance of this diagnostic.« less

Analyzing The Effect of Skin Postbuckling on General Stresses, Strains and Stability of Composite Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zamula, G. N.; Ierusalimsky, K. M.; Kalmykova, G. S.; Fomin, V. P.

1998-01-01

The present paper is a final technical report within the NCCW-1-233 research program (dated June 1, 1997) accomplished as a part of co-operation between United States' NASA and Russia's Goskomoboronprom in aeronautics, and continues similar NCCW-73 and NCC-1-233 programs accomplished in 1996 and 1997, respectively. The report concludes studies in two domains, "Analyzing the effect of skin postbuckling on general stresses and strains in a composite structure" and "Evaluating the effect of skin postbuckling behavior on general stability of a composite structure"; the work was fulfilled in compliance with NCC-1-233 requirements (as of June 1, 1997). Also, the present studies may be regarded as a partial generalization of efforts in [1, 2] conducted within the above programs in what concerns postbuckling behavior of composite structures.

Academic procrastination: associations with personal, school, and family variables.

PubMed

Rosário, Pedro; Costa, Marta; Núñez, José Carlos; González-Pienda, Julio; Solano, Paula; Valle, Antonio

2009-05-01

Procrastination is a common behavior, mainly in school settings. Only a few studies have analyzed the associations of academic procrastination with students' personal and family variables. In the present work, we analyzed the impact of socio-personal variables (e.g., parents' education, number of siblings, school grade level, and underachievement) on students' academic procrastination profiles. Two independent samples of 580 and 809 seventh to ninth graders, students attending the last three years of Portuguese Compulsory Education, have been taken. The findings, similar in both studies, reveal that procrastination decreases when the parents' education is higher, but it increases along with the number of siblings, the grade level, and the underachievement. The results are discussed in view of the findings of previous research. The implications for educational practice are also analyzed.

Effect of doping on all TMC vertical heterointerfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nair, Salil; Joy, Jolly; Patel, K. D.; Pataniya, Pratik; Solanki, G. K.; Pathak, V. M.; Sumesh, C. K.

2018-05-01

The present work reports the growth and basic characterizations of GeSePbx (x=0, 0.02, 0.04) layered mono chalcogenide single crystal substrates for preparation of heterojunction devices. These crystals are grown by Direct Vapour Transport (DVT) Technique [1,2]. Heterojunction interfaces on these substrates are prepared using thermal evaporation of nanocrystalline SnSe thin films having 5kÅ thickness. The electrical characterizations reveal the rectifying behavior of the devices based on which its ideality factor, barrier height, saturation current, series resistance etc. have been determined using thermionic emission model [3,4]. The device parameters have been determined and analyzed by three different methods viz. LnI-V, Cheung's method and Norde method [5]. The variation in the device parameters in light of doping is reported in the present work.

Optical and structural properties of CsI thin film photocathode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Triloki; Rai, R.; Singh, B. K.

2015-06-01

In the present work, the performance of a cesium iodide thin film photocathode is studied in detail. The optical absorbance of cesium iodide films has been analyzed in the spectral range from 190 nm to 900 nm. The optical band gap energy of 500 nm thick cesium iodide film is calculated from the absorbance data using a Tauc plot. The refractive index is estimated from the envelope plot of transmittance data using Swanepoel's method. The absolute quantum efficiency measurement has been carried out in the wavelength range from 150 nm to 200 nm. The crystallographic nature and surface morphology are investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy techniques. In addition, the elemental composition result obtained by energy dispersive X-ray analysis is also reported in the present work.

Terahertz spectroscopy for the study of paraffin-embedded gastric cancer samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahaia, Faustino; Kasalynas, Irmantas; Seliuta, Dalius; Molis, Gediminas; Urbanowicz, Andrzej; Carvalho Silva, Catia D.; Carneiro, Fatima; Valusis, Gintaras; Granja, Pedro L.

2015-01-01

Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy constitute promising technique for biomedical applications as a complementary and powerful tool for diseases screening specially for early cancer diagnostic. The THz radiation is not harmful to biological tissues. As increased blood supply in cancer-affected tissues and consequent local increase in tissue water content makes THz technology a potentially attractive. In the present work, samples of healthy and adenocarcinoma-affected gastric tissue were analyzed using transmission time-domain THz spectroscopy (THz-TDS). The work shows the capability of the technique to distinguish between normal and cancerous regions in dried and paraffin-embedded samples. Plots of absorption coefficient α and refractive index n of normal and cancer affected tissues, are presented and the conditions for discrimination between normal and affected tissues are discussed.

Instruction set commutivity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Windley, P.

1992-01-01

We present a state property called congruence and show how it can be used to demonstrate commutivity of instructions in a modern load-store architecture. Our analysis is particularly important in pipelined microprocessors where instructions are frequently reordered to avoid costly delays in execution caused by hazards. Our work has significant implications to safety and security critical applications since reordering can easily change the meaning and an instruction sequence and current techniques are largely ad hoc. Our work is done in a mechanical theorem prover and results in a set of trustworthy rules for instruction reordering. The mechanization makes it practical to analyze the entire instruction set.

Quantum Jarzynski equality of measurement-based work extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morikuni, Yohei; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Hatano, Naomichi

2017-03-01

Many studies of quantum-size heat engines assume that the dynamics of an internal system is unitary and that the extracted work is equal to the energy loss of the internal system. Both assumptions, however, should be under scrutiny. In the present paper, we analyze quantum-scale heat engines, employing the measurement-based formulation of the work extraction recently introduced by Hayashi and Tajima [M. Hayashi and H. Tajima, arXiv:1504.06150]. We first demonstrate the inappropriateness of the unitary time evolution of the internal system (namely, the first assumption above) using a simple two-level system; we show that the variance of the energy transferred to an external system diverges when the dynamics of the internal system is approximated to a unitary time evolution. Second, we derive the quantum Jarzynski equality based on the formulation of Hayashi and Tajima as a relation for the work measured by an external macroscopic apparatus. The right-hand side of the equality reduces to unity for "natural" cyclic processes but fluctuates wildly for noncyclic ones, exceeding unity often. This fluctuation should be detectable in experiments and provide evidence for the present formulation.

Quantum Jarzynski equality of measurement-based work extraction.

PubMed

Morikuni, Yohei; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Hatano, Naomichi

2017-03-01

Many studies of quantum-size heat engines assume that the dynamics of an internal system is unitary and that the extracted work is equal to the energy loss of the internal system. Both assumptions, however, should be under scrutiny. In the present paper, we analyze quantum-scale heat engines, employing the measurement-based formulation of the work extraction recently introduced by Hayashi and Tajima [M. Hayashi and H. Tajima, arXiv:1504.06150]. We first demonstrate the inappropriateness of the unitary time evolution of the internal system (namely, the first assumption above) using a simple two-level system; we show that the variance of the energy transferred to an external system diverges when the dynamics of the internal system is approximated to a unitary time evolution. Second, we derive the quantum Jarzynski equality based on the formulation of Hayashi and Tajima as a relation for the work measured by an external macroscopic apparatus. The right-hand side of the equality reduces to unity for "natural" cyclic processes but fluctuates wildly for noncyclic ones, exceeding unity often. This fluctuation should be detectable in experiments and provide evidence for the present formulation.

Can concurrent memory load reduce distraction? A replication study and beyond.

PubMed

Gil-Gómez de Liaño, Beatriz; Stablum, Franca; Umiltà, Carlo

2016-01-01

The effects of concurrent working memory load in attentional processes have been 1 of the most puzzling issues in cognitive psychology. Studies have shown detrimental effects, no effects, and even beneficial effects of working memory load in different attentional tasks. In the present study we attempted to replicate Kim, Kim, and Chun's (2005, Experiment 3b) findings of beneficial effects of concurrent working memory load in a spatial Stroop-like task. In 3 experiments in which our sample was 3 times larger than that in the original Kim et al. study, we could not replicate their findings. The results are discussed in terms of what may have produced the conflicting results, trying to shed light on how working memory load affects attentional tasks. Also, we emphasize the importance of using adequately large samples in cognitive research. Although we acknowledge the relevance of meta-analyses to analyze conflicting results, in the present article we stress (perhaps more important) the power of an essential trademark in science for research development: replicability. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

[Information technology and hospital care: reflection on the meaning of the work].

PubMed

Fonseca, Cláudia Maria Barboza Machado; dos Santos, Mônica Loureiro

2007-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present the experience of nurses since the introduction of information technology in hospital work processes. It analyzes the meaning of information technology within the subjectivity and perception of healthcare in nursing work in a general hospital. As a theoretical background, it takes studies of work psychodynamics/psychopathology, referred to healthcare work processes and their repercussions on worker health. This qualitative inquiry strives to understand the significance of this subject in nursing routines. The field research was based on semi-structured interviews and non-systematic observation of some nursing activities, noting some resistance to change among the nurses, with difficulties in organizing the work and introducing them to new ways of handling their tasks. Faced by a machine, they feel trapped and isolated. This leads to the conclusion that the implementation of information technology interferes significantly in the work processes of the nurses participating in this study, and may adversely affect their health in the future.

Using automatic generation of Labanotation to protect folk dance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jiaji; Miao, Zhenjiang; Guo, Hao; Zhou, Ziming; Wu, Hao

2017-01-01

Labanotation uses symbols to describe human motion and is an effective means of protecting folk dance. We use motion capture data to automatically generate Labanotation. First, we convert the motion capture data of the biovision hierarchy file into three-dimensional coordinate data. Second, we divide human motion into element movements. Finally, we analyze each movement and find the corresponding notation. Our work has been supervised by an expert in Labanotation to ensure the correctness of the results. At present, the work deals with a subset of symbols in Labanotation that correspond to several basic movements. Labanotation contains many symbols and several new symbols may be introduced for improvement in the future. We will refine our work to handle more symbols. The automatic generation of Labanotation can greatly improve the work efficiency of documenting movements. Thus, our work will significantly contribute to the protection of folk dance and other action arts.

Dynamical and topological aspects of consensus formation in complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chacoma, A.; Mato, G.; Kuperman, M. N.

2018-04-01

The present work analyzes a particular scenario of consensus formation, where the individuals navigate across an underlying network defining the topology of the walks. The consensus, associated to a given opinion coded as a simple message, is generated by interactions during the agent's walk and manifest itself in the collapse of the various opinions into a single one. We analyze how the topology of the underlying networks and the rules of interaction between the agents promote or inhibit the emergence of this consensus. We find that non-linear interaction rules are required to form consensus and that consensus is more easily achieved in networks whose degree distribution is narrower.

Novel measurement techniques (development and analysis of silicon solar cells near 20% effciency)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolf, M.; Newhouse, M.

1986-01-01

Work in identifying, developing, and analyzing techniques for measuring bulk recombination rates, and surface recombination velocities and rates in all regions of high-efficiency silicon solar cells is presented. The accuracy of the previously developed DC measurement system was improved by adding blocked interference filters. The system was further automated by writing software that completely samples the unkown solar cell regions with data of numerous recombination velocity and lifetime pairs. The results can be displayed in three dimensions and the best fit can be found numerically using the simplex minimization algorithm. Also described is a theoretical methodology to analyze and compare existing dynamic measurement techniques.

Structural and magnetic analysis of Cu, Co substituted NiFe2O4 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Hakikat; Bala, Kanchan; Negi, N. S.

2016-05-01

In the present work we prepared NiFe2O4, Ni0.95Cu0.05Fe2O4 and Ni0.94Cu0.05Co0.01 Fe2O4 thin films by metallo-organic decomposition method (MOD) using spin coating technique. The thin films were analyzed by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and Atomic force microscope (AFM) for structural studies. The XRD patterns confirmed the ferrite phase of thin films. From AFM, we analyzed surface morphology, calculated grain size (GS) and root mean square roughness (RMSR). Room temperature magnetic properties were investigated by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM).

Design of housing file box of fire academy based on RFID

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Huaiyi

2018-04-01

This paper presents a design scheme of intelligent file box based on RFID. The advantages of RFID file box and traditional file box are compared and analyzed, and the feasibility of RFID file box design is analyzed based on the actual situation of our university. After introducing the shape and structure design of the intelligent file box, the paper discusses the working process of the file box, and explains in detail the internal communication principle of the RFID file box and the realization of the control system. The application of the RFID based file box will greatly improve the efficiency of our school's archives management.

Pattern Search in Multi-structure Data: A Framework for the Next-Generation Evidence-based Medicine

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

Sukumar, Sreenivas R; Ainsworth, Keela C

With the advent of personalized and evidence-based medicine, the need for a framework to analyze/interpret quantitative measurements (blood work, toxicology, etc.) with qualitative descriptions (specialist reports after reading images, bio-medical knowledge-bases) to predict diagnostic risks is fast emerging. Addressing this need, we pose and address the following questions (i) How can we jointly analyze both qualitative and quantitative data ? (ii) Is the fusion of multi-structure data expected to provide better insights than either of them individually ? We present experiments on two bio-medical data sets - mammography and traumatic brain studies to demonstrate architectures and tools for evidence-pattern search.

Novel measurement techniques (development and analysis of silicon solar cells near 20% effciency)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolf, M.; Newhouse, M.

Work in identifying, developing, and analyzing techniques for measuring bulk recombination rates, and surface recombination velocities and rates in all regions of high-efficiency silicon solar cells is presented. The accuracy of the previously developed DC measurement system was improved by adding blocked interference filters. The system was further automated by writing software that completely samples the unkown solar cell regions with data of numerous recombination velocity and lifetime pairs. The results can be displayed in three dimensions and the best fit can be found numerically using the simplex minimization algorithm. Also described is a theoretical methodology to analyze and compare existing dynamic measurement techniques.

Numerical study of a scramjet engine flow field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drummond, J. P.; Weidner, E. H.

1981-01-01

A computer program has been developed to analyze the turbulent reacting flow field in a two-dimensional scramjet engine configuration. The program numerically solves the full two-dimensional Navier-Stokes and species equations in the engine inlet and combustor, allowing consideration of flow separation and possible inlet-combustor interactions. The current work represents an intermediate step towards development of a three-dimensional program to analyze actual scramjet engine flow fields. Results from the current program are presented that predict the flow field for two inlet-combustor configurations, and comparisons of the program with experiment are given to allow assessment of the modeling that is employed.

Lex genetica: the law and ethics of programming biological code.

PubMed

Burk, Dan L

2002-01-01

Recent advances in genetic engineering now allow the design of programmable biological artifacts. Such programming may include usage constraints that will alter the balance of ownership and control for biotechnology products. Similar changes have been analyzed in the context of digital content management systems, and while this previous work is useful in analyzing issues related to biological programming, the latter technology presents new conceptual problems that require more comprehensive evaluation of the interplay between law and technologically embedded values. In particular, the ability to embed contractual terms in technological artifacts now requires a re-examination of disclosure and consent in transactions involving such artifacts.

Job Performance as Multivariate Dynamic Criteria: Experience Sampling and Multiway Component Analysis.

PubMed

Spain, Seth M; Miner, Andrew G; Kroonenberg, Pieter M; Drasgow, Fritz

2010-08-06

Questions about the dynamic processes that drive behavior at work have been the focus of increasing attention in recent years. Models describing behavior at work and research on momentary behavior indicate that substantial variation exists within individuals. This article examines the rationale behind this body of work and explores a method of analyzing momentary work behavior using experience sampling methods. The article also examines a previously unused set of methods for analyzing data produced by experience sampling. These methods are known collectively as multiway component analysis. Two archetypal techniques of multimode factor analysis, the Parallel factor analysis and the Tucker3 models, are used to analyze data from Miner, Glomb, and Hulin's (2010) experience sampling study of work behavior. The efficacy of these techniques for analyzing experience sampling data is discussed as are the substantive multimode component models obtained.

Quality of work life: experiences of Iranian nurses.

PubMed

Vagharseyyedin, Seyyed Abolfazl; Vanaki, Zohreh; Mohammadi, Eesa

2011-03-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experiences of Iranian nurses concerning their quality of work life. A purposive sample of nurses (n = 14) was recruited from two university hospitals. The data were collected through unstructured interviews and were analyzed by using qualitative content analysis. The results indicated that the participants discerned their quality of work life by assessing how favorable were their working conditions, the level of fulfilment of their personal needs, and the impact of their working conditions on their private life and their social life. Three main themes were identified: quality of work life, as experienced from a personal perspective; quality of work life, as experienced from a sociocultural perspective; and quality of work life, as experienced from an organizational-professional perspective. The results of the present study will help Iranian nurse administrators to adopt effective strategies in order to improve nurses' quality of work life. Future research can broaden the scope of the current results and offer a more comprehensive understanding of nurses' quality of work life. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Worldwide seismicity in view of non-extensive statistical physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chochlaki, Kaliopi; Vallianatos, Filippos; Michas, George

2014-05-01

In the present work we study the distribution of worldwide shallow seismic events occurred from 1981 to 2011 extracted from the CMT catalog, with magnitude equal or greater than Mw 5.0. Our analysis based on the subdivision of the Earth surface into seismic zones that are homogeneous with regards to seismic activity and orientation of the predominant stress field. To this direction we use the Flinn-Engdahl regionalization (Flinn and Engdahl, 1965), which consists of 50 seismic zones as modified by Lombardi and Marzocchi (2007), where grouped the 50 FE zones into larger tectonically homogeneous ones, utilizing the cumulative moment tensor method. As a result Lombardi and Marzocchi (2007), limit the initial 50 regions to 39 ones, in which we apply the non- extensive statistical physics approach. The non-extensive statistical physics seems to be the most adequate and promising methodological tool for analyzing complex systems, such as the Earth's interior. In this frame, we introduce the q-exponential formulation as the expression of probability distribution function that maximizes the Sq entropy as defined by Tsallis, (1988). In the present work we analyze the interevent time distribution between successive earthquakes by a q-exponential function in each of the seismic zones defined by Lombardi and Marzocchi (2007).confirming the importance of long-range interactions and the existence of a power-law approximation in the distribution of the interevent times. Our findings supports the ideas of universality within the Tsallis approach to describe Earth's seismicity and present strong evidence on temporal clustering of seismic activity in each of the tectonic zones analyzed. Our analysis as applied in worldwide seismicity with magnitude equal or greater than Mw 5.5 and 6.) is presented and the dependence of our result on the cut-off magnitude is discussed. This research has been funded by the European Union (European Social Fund) and Greek national resources under the framework of the "THALES Program: SEISMO FEAR HELLARC" project of the "Education & Lifelong Learning" Operational Programme.

A theoretical treatment of technical risk in modern propulsion system design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, Bryce Alexander

2000-09-01

A prevalent trend in modern aerospace systems is increasing complexity and cost, which in turn drives increased risk. Consequently, there is a clear and present need for the development of formalized methods to analyze the impact of risk on the design of aerospace vehicles. The objective of this work is to develop such a method that enables analysis of risk via a consistent, comprehensive treatment of aerothermodynamic and mass properties aspects of vehicle design. The key elements enabling the creation of this methodology are recent developments in the analytical estimation of work potential based on the second law of thermodynamics. This dissertation develops the theoretical foundation of a vehicle analysis method based on work potential and validates it using the Northrop F-5E with GE J85-GE-21 engines as a case study. Although the method is broadly applicable, emphasis is given to aircraft propulsion applications. Three work potential figures of merit are applied using this method: exergy, available energy, and thrust work potential. It is shown that each possesses unique properties making them useful for specific vehicle analysis tasks, though the latter two are actually special cases of exergy. All three are demonstrated on the analysis of the J85-GE-21 propulsion system, resulting in a comprehensive description of propulsion system thermodynamic loss. This "loss management" method is used to analyze aerodynamic drag loss of the F-5E and is then used in conjunction with the propulsive loss model to analyze the usage of fuel work potential throughout the F-5E design mission. The results clearly show how and where work potential is used during flight and yield considerable insight as to where the greatest opportunity for design improvement is. Next, usage of work potential is translated into fuel weight so that the aerothermodynamic performance of the F-5E can be expressed entirely in terms of vehicle gross weight. This technique is then applied as a means to quantify the impact of engine cycle technologies on the F-5E airframe. Finally, loss management methods are used in conjunction with probabilistic analysis methods to quantify the impact of risk on F-5E aerothermodynamic performance.

OARE STS-78 (LMS-1) Final Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rice, James E.

1996-01-01

The report is organized into sections representing the phases of work performed in analyzing the STS-78 (LMS-1) results. Section 1 briefly outlines the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE) system features, coordinates, and measurement parameters. Section 2 describes the results from STS-78. The mission description, data calibration, and representative data obtained on STS-78 are presented. Also, the anomalous performance of OARE on STS-78 is discussed. Finally, Section 3 presents a discussion of accuracy achieved and achievable with OARE. Appendix A discusses the data processing methodology in detail.

SSVEP-BCI implementation for 37-40 Hz frequency range.

PubMed

Müller, Sandra Mara Torres; Diez, Pablo F; Bastos-Filho, Teodiano Freire; Sarcinelli-Filho, Mário; Mut, Vicente; Laciar, Eric

2011-01-01

This work presents a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) based on Steady State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEP), using higher stimulus frequencies (>30 Hz). Using a statistical test and a decision tree, the real-time EEG registers of six volunteers are analyzed, with the classification result updated each second. The BCI developed does not need any kind of settings or adjustments, which makes it more general. Offline results are presented, which corresponds to a correct classification rate of up to 99% and a Information Transfer Rate (ITR) of up to 114.2 bits/min.

The marketing concept applied to an education program.

PubMed

Parks, S C; Moody, D L; Barbrow, E P

1984-09-01

Dietetic education programs seeking to maintain their enrollment levels may find it necessary to adopt more sophisticated marketing strategies. This article describes the application of the marketing process to an extended degree dietetic program that serves a national audience. It also presents a strategy for initiating a marketing study and marketing orientation by analyzing its internal program data. The article discusses the specific market characteristics of the program's primary market segments, and it presents further implications for dietitians at work in health care facilities, in businesses, or in private practice.

Mathematical analysis on the cosets of subgroup in the group of E-convex sets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbas, Nada Mohammed; Ajeena, Ruma Kareem K.

2018-05-01

In this work, analyzing the cosets of the subgroup in the group of L – convex sets is presented as a new and powerful tool in the topics of the convex analysis and abstract algebra. On L – convex sets, the properties of these cosets are proved mathematically. Most important theorem on a finite group of L – convex sets theory which is the Lagrange’s Theorem has been proved. As well as, the mathematical proof of the quotient group of L – convex sets is presented.

Aspects of the Two Language System and Three Language Problem in the Changing Society of Hong Kong.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsou, Benjamin K.

1996-01-01

Presents details of the language shifts among the various sections of the Chinese-speaking population in Hong Kong and analyzes patterns of allegiance. Notes that complex social, economic, and political pressures will affect future language in Hong Kong and that, within the domains of family, work, and others, the use of Modern Standard Chinese is…

Comparative study between ultrasonography and optical coherence tomography in interventional cardiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fanjul-Vélez, Félix; de la Torre-Hernández, José María; Ortega-Quijano, Noé; Zueco-Gil, José Javier; Arce-Diego, José Luis

2009-07-01

In this work, we present clinical images of IVUS and OCT in the evaluation of pharmacological stent endothelization. These preliminary imaging results are analyzed and compared in order to determine the ability of these technologies to visualize relevant intravascular features of interest in interventional cardiology. The results enable to compare the performance of both techniques and to evaluate their potential for clinical purposes.

Meso-scale Computational Investigation of Polyurea Microstructure and Its Role in Shockwave Attenuation/dispersion

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-01

grained simulations of the formation of meso-segregated microstructure and its interaction with the shockwave is analyzed in the present work. It is...help identify these phenomena and processes, meso-scale coarse-grained simulations of the formation of meso-segregated microstructure and its...of shockwave-induced hard-domain densification. Keywords: Polyurea; Meso-scale; Coarse-grained simulations ; Shockwave attenuation; shockwave

Control of contaminants on sensors. Report 1: Interdirectorate working group on earth observation sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hovis, W.; Smith, D.; Mcculloch, A.; Goldberg, I. L.; Ostrow, H.; Seidenberg, B.

1973-01-01

Examples of contamination of sensors from various sources during space missions are presented. Design precautions to provide access to optical surfaces and venting of outgassing products are recommended as methods for coping with contamination. The effects of the sensor materials on sensor contamination are analyzed. Actions to be taken during transportation, storage, and testing of sensors to avoid contamination are discussed.

Dynamics modeling and adaptive control of flexible manipulators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sasiadek, J. Z.

1991-01-01

An application of Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC) to the position and force control of flexible manipulators and robots is presented. A single-link flexible manipulator is analyzed. The problem was to develop a mathematical model of a flexible robot that is accurate. The objective is to show that the adaptive control works better than 'conventional' systems and is suitable for flexible structure control.

Historical and personal recollections of Guido Altarelli

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parisi, Giorgio

2017-12-01

In this paper I will present a short scientific biography of Guido Altarelli, briefly describing some of his most important seminal works. I will analyze in great details the paper of the q2 evolution of the effective quark distribution: I will put this paper in a historical perspective, describing our theoretical understanding at that time and the reasons why the paper was so successful.

Cost and Quality Issues in Day Care: A Practical Approach to Assessment. (A Working Paper).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Settles, Barbara H.; Cripps, Jean Helmkamp

Cost and quality issues are analyzed as they relate to provision of group day care. A series of assessment tables for self-evaluation of centers is presented. Three specific aspects are considered: cost of care, quality of care delivered to children and staff use in day care centers. Cost analysis focuses on: (1) the total cost of care per…

Children and Youth in Mexico Toward the 21st Century. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiggins, Rose C.

This paper consists of two art curriculum units: (1) mural painting; and (2) sculpture. In the mural painting unit, students analyze and critique works done by Diego Rivera and create a mural using the fresco technique. In the sculpture unit, students create a piece of sculpture that combines influences of past and/or present-day Mexican sculpture…

HoloNetwork: communicating science through holography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pombo, Pedro; Santos, Emanuel; Magalhães, Carolina

2017-03-01

Since 1997 a program dedicated to holography has been developed and implemented in Portugal. This program started with focus on schools and science education. The HoloNetwork was created and it has been spread at a National level, involving a group of thirty schools and hundreds of students and teachers. In 2009 this network started to work to achieve a new target, the general public. With this goal, a larger program was developed with focus on science and society and on science communication through holography. For the implementation of this new program, special holography outreach activities were built, dedicated to informal learning and seven Science Centers around Portugal were add into the HoloNetwork. During last years, we have been working on holography, based on two main branches, one dedicated to schools and with the aimed to promote physics teaching and to teach how to make holograms, and another dedicated to society and with the aimed to promote holography and to increase scientific literacy. This paper would analyze the educational program, all holography outreach activities, exhibitions or events, all equipments, materials and setups used and it would present the holographic techniques explored with students or with the public. Finally, the results obtained in this work would be present and explored, with focus on students impact and outcomes, taking into account the public engagement on holography and its effect into scientific culture and analyzing the quality of holograms made by students and by the general public. subject.

Analysis of Lunar Highland Regolith Samples From Apollo 16 Drive Core 64001/2 and Lunar Regolith Simulants - an Expanding Comparative Database

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schrader, Christian M.; Rickman, Doug; Stoeser, Douglas; Wentworth, Susan; McKay, Dave S.; Botha, Pieter; Butcher, Alan R.; Horsch, Hanna E.; Benedictus, Aukje; Gottlieb, Paul

2008-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the work to analyze the lunar highland regolith samples that came from the Apollo 16 core sample 64001/2 and simulants of lunar regolith, and build a comparative database. The work is part of a larger effort to compile an internally consistent database on lunar regolith (Apollo Samples) and lunar regolith simulants. This is in support of a future lunar outpost. The work is to characterize existing lunar regolith and simulants in terms of particle type, particle size distribution, particle shape distribution, bulk density, and other compositional characteristics, and to evaluate the regolith simulants by the same properties in comparison to the Apollo sample lunar regolith.

Exploring the dreams of hospice workers.

PubMed

Hess, Shirley A; Knox, Sarah; Hill, Clara E; Byers, Tara; Spangler, Patricia

2014-06-01

Nine adults who worked at least 1 year with patients at US hospice centers completed an in-person audiotaped dream session focusing on a dream about a patient. Data were analyzed using consensual qualitative research. Patients were generally manifestly present in participants' dreams, and dreams were typically realistic (i.e., not bizarre). In the dream, the dreamer typically interacted with the patient as a caretaker but was also typically frustrated by an inability to help as fully as desired. Dreams gave dreamers insight into the stress of hospice work, their own fears of death, and inter-/intrapersonal interactions beyond hospice work. Dreamers generally sought to take better care of themselves and find balance in their lives after the dream session. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

The influence of incline and speed on work rate, gross efficiency and kinematics of roller ski skating.

PubMed

Sandbakk, Øyvind; Ettema, Gertjan; Holmberg, Hans-Christer

2012-08-01

During competitions, elite cross-country skiers produce higher external work rates on uphill than on flat terrain. However, it is not presently known whether this reflects solely higher energy expenditure. Furthermore, the kinematic factors associated with these higher rates of uphill work have not yet been examined. Therefore, in the present investigation the work rate and associated kinematic parameters at similar metabolic rates during roller ski skating on flat and uphill terrains have been compared. Seven elite male skiers performed six 5-min sub-maximal exercise bouts at the same low, moderate and high metabolic rates on 2 and 8% inclines, while roller skiing on a treadmill employing the G3 skating technique. The work rate was calculated as work against gravity and friction, whereas the energetic equivalent of VO(2) was taken as the metabolic rate. Gross efficiency was defined as work rate divided by metabolic rate. Kinematic parameters were analyzed in three dimensions. At the same metabolic rate, the work rate, cycle rate, work per cycle and relative duration of propulsive phases during a cycle of movement were all higher on the 8% than on the 2% incline at all speeds (all P < 0.05). At similar work rates, gross efficiency was greater on the 8% incline (P < 0.05). In conclusion, these elite skiers consistently demonstrated higher work rates on the 8% incline. To achieve the higher work rates on the steeper incline, these elite skiers employed higher cycle rates and performed more work per cycle, in association with a longer relative propulsive phase.

ProtSqueeze: simple and effective automated tool for setting up membrane protein simulations.

PubMed

Yesylevskyy, Semen O

2007-01-01

The major challenge in setting up membrane protein simulations is embedding the protein into the pre-equilibrated lipid bilayer. Several techniques were proposed to achieve optimal packing of the lipid molecules around the protein. However, all of them possess serious disadvantages, which limit their applicability and discourage the users of simulation packages from using them. In the present work, we analyzed existing approaches and proposed a new procedure of protein insertion into the lipid bilayer, which is implemented in the ProtSqueeze software. The advantages of ProtSqueeze are as follows: (1) the insertion algorithm is simple, understandable, and controllable; (2) the software can work with virtually any simulation package on virtually any platform; (3) no modification of the source code of the simulation package is needed; (4) the procedure of insertion is as automated as possible; (5) ProtSqueeze is distributed for free under a general public license. In this work, we present the architecture and the algorithm of ProtSqueeze and demonstrate its usage in case studies.

Prediction of explosive yield and other characteristics of liquid rocket propellant explosions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farber, E. A.; Smith, J. H.; Watts, E. H.

1973-01-01

Work which has been done at the University of Florida in arriving at credible explosive yield values for liquid rocket propellants is presented. The results are based upon logical methods which have been well worked out theoretically and verified through experimental procedures. Three independent methods to predict explosive yield values for liquid rocket propellants are described. All three give the same end result even though they utilize different parameters and procedures. They are: (1) mathematical model; (2) seven chart approach; and (3) critical mass method. A brief description of the methods, how they were derived, how they were applied, and the results which they produced are given. The experimental work used to support and verify the above methods both in the laboratory and in the field with actually explosive mixtures are presented. The methods developed are used and their value demonstrated in analyzing real problems, among them the destruct system of the Saturn 5, and the early configurations of the space shuttle.

Semantic Features for Classifying Referring Search Terms

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

May, Chandler J.; Henry, Michael J.; McGrath, Liam R.

2012-05-11

When an internet user clicks on a result in a search engine, a request is submitted to the destination web server that includes a referrer field containing the search terms given by the user. Using this information, website owners can analyze the search terms leading to their websites to better understand their visitors needs. This work explores some of the features that can be used for classification-based analysis of such referring search terms. We present initial results for the example task of classifying HTTP requests countries of origin. A system that can accurately predict the country of origin from querymore » text may be a valuable complement to IP lookup methods which are susceptible to the obfuscation of dereferrers or proxies. We suggest that the addition of semantic features improves classifier performance in this example application. We begin by looking at related work and presenting our approach. After describing initial experiments and results, we discuss paths forward for this work.« less

From Dissertation Defense to Dissemination: Jump Start Your Academic Career With a Scholar Mentor Group.

PubMed

Lehna, Carlee; Hermanns, Melinda; Monsivais, Diane B; Engebretson, Joan

2016-01-01

The dissertation provides an excellent source of scholarly productivity for new doctoral faculty, yet is often neglected because of the demands inherent in the faculty role. The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of a scholar mentor group composed of three graduates of a PhD nursing program and their shared dissertation chair, who acted as a senior scholar mentor to the group. By working together, we have been able to enhance our scholarly productivity by disseminating our dissertations through presentations and publications. The paper will present the evolving process of this working group, summarize outcomes, analyze the challenges, and provide suggestions for future doctoral students and faculty who are working with them. Our experience and scholar mentor model captures the best of both worlds-the benefits of interaction with academic peers and the benefits of having a senior scholar mentor. This was accomplished while all members were at different schools in different cities and states. Although other literatures that document successful collaborations using a peer-mentorship model are available, we were unable to locate any that documents a post-doctoral group with a senior scholar mentor who continued working together after graduation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Metalworking defects in surgery screws as a possible cause of post-surgical infections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spector, Mario; Peretti, Leandro E.; Romero, Gustavo

2016-04-01

In the first phase of this work, surface defects (metalworking) in stainless steel implantable prostheses and their possible relation to infections that can be generated after surgery was studied. In a second phase, the results obtained in the aforementioned stage were applied to knee cruciate ligaments surgery screws, considering the fact that a substantial number of Mucormycetes infections have been reported after arthroscopic surgery in Argentina since the year 2005. Two types of screws, transverse and interference screws, were analyzed. The Allen heads presented defects such as burrs and metalworking bending as a result of the machining process. These defects allow the accumulation of machining oil, which could be contaminated with fungal spores. When this is the case, the gaseous sterilization by ethylene oxide may be jeopardized. Cortical screws were also analyzed and were found to present serious metalworking defects inside their heads. To reduce the risk of infection in surgery, the use of screws with metalworking defects on the outer surface, analyzed with stereomicroscope and considering the inside part of the Allen as an outer surface, should be avoided altogether.

[Proposal of a method for collective analysis of work-related accidents in the hospital setting].

PubMed

Osório, Claudia; Machado, Jorge Mesquita Huet; Minayo-Gomez, Carlos

2005-01-01

The article presents a method for the analysis of work-related accidents in hospitals, with the double aim of analyzing accidents in light of actual work activity and enhancing the vitality of the various professions that comprise hospital work. This process involves both research and intervention, combining knowledge output with training of health professionals, fostering expanded participation by workers in managing their daily work. The method consists of stimulating workers to recreate the situation in which a given accident occurred, shifting themselves to the position of observers of their own work. In the first stage of analysis, workers are asked to show the work analyst how the accident occurred; in the second stage, the work accident victim and analyst jointly record the described series of events in a diagram; in the third, the resulting record is re-discussed and further elaborated; in the fourth, the work accident victim and analyst evaluate and implement measures aimed to prevent the accident from recurring. The article concludes by discussing the method's possibilities and limitations in the hospital setting.

Relational interventions in psychotherapy: development of a therapy process rating scale.

PubMed

Ulberg, Randi; Ness, Elisabeth; Dahl, Hanne-Sofie Johnsen; Høglend, Per Andreas; Critchfield, Kenneth; Blayvas, Phelix; Amlo, Svein

2016-09-06

In psychodynamic psychotherapy, one of the therapists' techniques is to intervene on and encourage exploration of the patients' relationships with other people. The impact of these interventions and the response from the patient are probably dependent on certain characteristics of the context in which the interventions are given and the interventions themselves. To identify and analyze in-session effects of therapists' techniques, process scales are used. The aim of the present study was to develop a simple, not resource consuming rating tool for in-session process to be used when therapists' interventions focus on the patients' relationships outside therapy. The present study describes the development and use of a therapy process rating scale, the Relational Work Scale (RWS). The scale was constructed to identify, categorize and explore therapist interventions that focus on the patient's relationships to family, friends, and colleges Relational Interventions and explore the impact on the in-session process. RWS was developed with sub scales rating timing, content, and valence of the relational interventions, as well as response from the patient. For the inter-rater reliability analyzes, transcribed segments (10 min) from 20 different patients were scored with RWS by two independent raters. Two clinical vignettes of relational work are included in the paper as examples of how to rate transcripts from therapy sessions with RWS. The inter-rater agreement on the RWS items was good to excellent. Relational Work Scale might be a potentially useful tool to identify relational interventions as well as explore the interaction of timing, category, and valence of relational work in psychotherapies. The therapist's interventions on the patient's relationships with people outside therapy and the following patient-therapist interaction might be explored. First Experimental Study of Transference-interpretations (FEST307/95) REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00423462 .

High-resolution Measurements of Gas-Phase Hydrogen Chloride (HCl) in the Atmosphere by Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffnagle, John; Chen, Hongbing; Lee, Jim; Rella, Chris; Kim-Hak, David; Winkler, Renato; Markovic, Milos; Veres, Patrick

2017-04-01

Halogen radical species, such as chlorine and bromine atoms and their oxides, can greatly affect the chemical composition of the troposphere. Hydrogen chloride is the dominant (gas-phase) contributor to the tropospheric chlorine inventory. Real time in situ observations of HCl can provide an important window into the complex photochemical reaction pathways for chlorine in the atmosphere, including heterogeneous reactions on aerosol surfaces. In this work, we report a novel, commercially-available HCl gas-phase analyzer (G2108, Picarro Inc. Santa Clara, CA, USA) based upon Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) in the near-infrared, and discuss its performance. With a measurement interval of approximately 2 seconds, a precision of better than 40 parts-per-trillion (1 sigma, 30 seconds), and a response time of approximately 1-2 minutes (10 - 90% rise time or 90 - 10% fall time), this analyzer is well-suited for measurements of atmospherically-relevant concentrations of HCl, in both laboratory and field. CRDS provides very stable measurements and low drift, requiring infrequent calibration of the instrument, and can therefore be operated remotely for extended periods of time. In this work we also present results from a laboratory intercomparison of the Picarro G2108 analyzer and an iodide ion time-of-flight Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (CIMS), and the results of the analyzer time response tests.

Passive solar water heating: breadbox design for the Fred Young Farm Labor Center in Indio

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

Melzer, B; Maeda, B

1979-10-01

An appropriate passive solar preheater for multifamily housing units in the Fred Young Farm Labor Center in Indio, California, was designed and analyzed. A brief summary of passive preheater systems and the key design features used in current designs is presented. The design features necessary for the site requirements are described. The eight preliminary preheater designs reviewed for the project are presented. The results of thermal performance simulation for the eight prototype systems are discussed. Alternative monitoring systems for the installation are described and evaluated. The consultants' recommendations, working drawings, and performance estimates of the system selected are presented. (MHR)

Analysis of Human Body Bipedal Stability for Neuromotor Disabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baritz, Mihaela; Cristea, Luciana; Rogozea, Liliana; Cotoros, Diana; Repanovici, Angela

2009-04-01

The analysis of different biomechanical aspects of balance and equilibrium is presented in the first part of the paper. We analyzed the posture, balance and stability of human body for a normal person and for a person with loco-motor or neuro-motor disabilities (in the second part). In the third part of the paper we presented the methodology and the experimental setup used to record the human body behavior in postural stability for persons with neuro-motors disabilities. The results and the conclusions are presented in the final part of the paper and also in the future work meant to establish the computer analysis for rehabilitation neuromotor disabilities.

Innovative application of the moisture analyzer for determination of dry mass content of processed cheese

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kowalska, Małgorzata; Janas, Sławomir; Woźniak, Magdalena

2018-04-01

The aim of this work was the presentation of an alternative method of determination of the total dry mass content in processed cheese. The authors claim that the presented method can be used in industry's quality control laboratories for routine testing and for quick in-process control. For the test purposes both reference method of determination of dry mass in processed cheese and moisture analyzer method were used. The tests were carried out for three different kinds of processed cheese. In accordance with the reference method, the sample was placed on a layer of silica sand and dried at the temperature of 102 °C for about 4 h. The moisture analyzer test required method validation, with regard to drying temperature range and mass of the analyzed sample. Optimum drying temperature of 110 °C was determined experimentally. For Hochland cream processed cheese sample, the total dry mass content, obtained using the reference method, was 38.92%, whereas using the moisture analyzer method, it was 38.74%. An average analysis time in case of the moisture analyzer method was 9 min. For the sample of processed cheese with tomatoes, the reference method result was 40.37%, and the alternative method result was 40.67%. For the sample of cream processed cheese with garlic the reference method gave value of 36.88%, and the alternative method, of 37.02%. An average time of those determinations was 16 min. Obtained results confirmed that use of moisture analyzer is effective. Compliant values of dry mass content were obtained for both of the used methods. According to the authors, the fact that the measurement took incomparably less time for moisture analyzer method, is a key criterion of in-process control and final quality control method selection.

Case study of flexure and shear strengthening of RC beams by CFRP using FEA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jankowiak, Iwona

2018-01-01

In the paper the preliminary results of study on strengthening RC beams by means of CFRP materials under mixed shear-flexural work condition are presented. The Finite Element Method analyses were performed using numerical models proposed and verified earlier by the results of laboratory tests [4, 5] for estimation of effectiveness of CFRP strengthening of RC beams under flexure. The currently conducted analyses deal with 3D models of RC beams under mixed shear-flexural loading conditions. The symmetry of analyzed beams was taken into account (in both directions). The application of Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) model of RC beam allowed to predict a layout and propagation of cracks leading to failure. Different cases of strengthening were analyzed: with the use of CFRP strip or CFRP closed hoops as well as with the combination of above mentioned. The preliminary study was carried out and the first results were presented.

[Transpersonal caring in nursing: an analysis grounded in a conceptual model].

PubMed

Favero, Luciane; Pagliuca, Lorita Marlena Freitag; Lacerda, Maria Ribeiro

2013-04-01

This theoretical study aimed to analyze the attributes, antecedents, and consequences of the transpersonal caring concept through using the Concepts Analysis Model. For this purpose, books published based on Jean Watson's theory in Portuguese and English from 1979 to 2012 were listed. Fulfilled inclusion criteria, only six literary works remained. The time of care and intention to be in relationship were the most cited antecedents. The most present attributes were intersubjectivity and relationships among those ones involved in the process. With regard to consequences, the most present element was the fact that the transpersonal caring provides restoration/reconstitution (healing). The study allowed noting tiny changes in the concept definition over the years and publications of theory. Thus, analyzing the attributes, antecedents, and consequences of concept provided its better understanding and comprehension of its importance in the Human Caring Theory proposed by American theorist.

Impact of gender, work, and clinical presentation on diagnostic delay in Italian patients with primary ankylosing spondylitis.

PubMed

Bandinelli, F; Salvadorini, G; Delle Sedie, A; Riente, L; Bombardieri, S; Matucci-Cerinic, M

2016-02-01

The variability of demographic, social, genetic, and clinical factors might influence the time between the onset of symptoms and the diagnosis [diagnostic delay (DD)] of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in different geographic areas. Different clinical manifestations in men and women affected by AS might indicate a possible role of gender in DD. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of demographic, social, genetic, and clinical factors on DD and the differences of DD between men and women related to the presence of different demographic, social, clinical, and genetic parameters in an Italian cohort of primary AS patients. A total of 135 Italian primary AS patients (45 female and 90 male, 27.9 ± 0.89 years old at onset) were studied. The DD, gender, education and work (manual or non-manual) levels, and type of first clinical presentation (inflammatory back pain, arthritis, enthesitis) at onset, family history of AS, and HLA B27 presence were analyzed. The DD (8.744 mean ±0.6869) was significantly higher in men (p = 0.0023), in axial presentation (p = 0.0021), and in manual work (even if with low significance, p = 0.047). The lower DD in women in comparison to that in men was likely related to higher education (p = 0.0045) and work (p = 0.0186) levels, peripheral involvement (p = 0.0009), and HLA B27 positivity (p = 0.0231). DD was higher in AS patients: male, employed in manual jobs, and with axial symptoms at onset. In men, DD seemed to be negatively influenced by lower level of education and work, axial clinical presentation, and HLA B27.

Dark Triad, Perceptions of Organizational Politics and Counterproductive Work Behaviors: The Moderating Effect of Political Skills

PubMed Central

Baloch, Muhammad A.; Meng, Fanchen; Xu, Zefeng; Cepeda-Carrion, Ignacio; Danish; Bari, Muhammad W.

2017-01-01

The aim of this work focuses on the relationship among the Dark Triad (psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism), perceptions of organizational politics, political skills, and counterproductive work behavior. This study empirically tests the mediating role of perceptions of organizational politics in the relationship between the Dark Triad and counterproductive work behavior. Furthermore, the study investigates the moderating role of political skills in strengthening the link between the Dark Triad and the perceptions of organizational politics. A sample of 149 participants was randomly selected. To analyze the data of the present work, we employed a structural equation model using partial least square and PROCESS. From empirical findings, we imply an inference that perception of organizational politics partially mediates the Dark Triad's influence on the counterproductive work behavior. Moreover, the results identify the moderating role of political skills in strengthening the link between the Dark Triad and the perceptions of organizational politics. Empirical findings suggest important policy implications for the hospitality industry. PMID:29167654

Work Life and Family Life Collide: Online Support for New Fathers.

PubMed

Salzmann-Erikson, Martin

2017-06-01

The purpose of this investigation was to analyze online discussions about parental leave in relation to the work lives and private lives of new fathers. A netnographic study of nearly 100 discussion threads from a freely accessible online forum for fathers was conducted. Data were coded, sorted, and categorized by qualitative similarities and differences. The results of the study indicate that new fathers seek Internet forums to discuss work-related topics. Parental leave can provoke worries and anxiety related to management and co-worker attitudes which can create concern that they should be back at work. The results are presented in two categories: (a) attitudes expressed by employers and colleagues and (b) leaving work but longing to be back. The phenomenon of parental leave for fathers is more complex than simply "for" or "against" attitudes. Fathers can use Internet forums to discuss their experiences, fears, and anxiety and provide reasonable accommodations for both work and family life.

Dark Triad, Perceptions of Organizational Politics and Counterproductive Work Behaviors: The Moderating Effect of Political Skills.

PubMed

Baloch, Muhammad A; Meng, Fanchen; Xu, Zefeng; Cepeda-Carrion, Ignacio; Danish; Bari, Muhammad W

2017-01-01

The aim of this work focuses on the relationship among the Dark Triad (psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism), perceptions of organizational politics, political skills, and counterproductive work behavior. This study empirically tests the mediating role of perceptions of organizational politics in the relationship between the Dark Triad and counterproductive work behavior. Furthermore, the study investigates the moderating role of political skills in strengthening the link between the Dark Triad and the perceptions of organizational politics. A sample of 149 participants was randomly selected. To analyze the data of the present work, we employed a structural equation model using partial least square and PROCESS. From empirical findings, we imply an inference that perception of organizational politics partially mediates the Dark Triad's influence on the counterproductive work behavior. Moreover, the results identify the moderating role of political skills in strengthening the link between the Dark Triad and the perceptions of organizational politics. Empirical findings suggest important policy implications for the hospitality industry.

Working memory load predicts visual search efficiency: Evidence from a novel pupillary response paradigm.

PubMed

Attar, Nada; Schneps, Matthew H; Pomplun, Marc

2016-10-01

An observer's pupil dilates and constricts in response to variables such as ambient and focal luminance, cognitive effort, the emotional stimulus content, and working memory load. The pupil's memory load response is of particular interest, as it might be used for estimating observers' memory load while they are performing a complex task, without adding an interruptive and confounding memory test to the protocol. One important task in which working memory's involvement is still being debated is visual search, and indeed a previous experiment by Porter, Troscianko, and Gilchrist (Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 60, 211-229, 2007) analyzed observers' pupil sizes during search to study this issue. These authors found that pupil size increased over the course of the search, and they attributed this finding to accumulating working memory load. However, since the pupil response is slow and does not depend on memory load alone, this conclusion is rather speculative. In the present study, we estimated working memory load in visual search during the presentation of intermittent fixation screens, thought to induce a low, stable level of arousal and cognitive effort. Using standard visual search and control tasks, we showed that this paradigm reduces the influence of non-memory-related factors on pupil size. Furthermore, we found an early increase in working memory load to be associated with more efficient search, indicating a significant role of working memory in the search process.

Periodic self-rostering in shift work: correspondence between objective work hours, work hour preferences (personal fit), and work schedule satisfaction.

PubMed

Ingre, Michael; Åkerstedt, Torbjörn; Ekstedt, Mirjam; Kecklund, Göran

2012-07-01

The main objective of the present study was to investigate relative personal fit as the association between rated needs and preferences for work hours, on the one hand, and actual work hours, on the other hand, in three groups (hospital, call-center, and police) working with periodic self-rostering. We also examined the association between personal fit and satisfaction with the work schedule and preference for a fixed and regular shift schedule, respectively. We collected questionnaire data and objective work hour data over 6-12 months from the computerized self-rostering system. The response rate of the questionnaire was 69% at the hospital and call-center and 98% among the police. In total, 29 433 shifts for 285 shift workers were included in the study. Data was analyzed by means of mixed ANOVA, Kendal tau correlations and ordinal (proportional odds) logistic regression. The results show that evening types worked relatively more hours during the evening and night hours compared to morning types as an indication of relative personal fit. Relative personal fit was also found for long shift, short rest, and morning-, evening- and night-shift frequency, but only personal fit related to morning, evening and night-shift was associated with satisfaction with work hours. Reported conflicts at the workplace about work hours and problems with lack of predictability of time for family/leisure activities, was associated with poor satisfaction and a preference for a fixed shift schedule. The present study shows that periodic self-rostering is associated with relative personal fit, in particular with respect to night, evening, and morning work. Personal fit seems to be associated with satisfaction with work hours and may be a moderator of tolerance to shift work exposure.

Effect of Additional Incentives for Aviation Biofuels: Results from the Biomass Scenario Model

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

Vimmerstedt, Laura J; Newes, Emily K

2017-12-05

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory supported the Department of Energy, Bioenergy Technologies Office, with analysis of alternative jet fuels in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration. Airlines for America requested additional exploratory scenarios within FAA analytic framework. Airlines for America requested additional analysis using the same analytic framework, the Biomass Scenario Model. The results were presented at a public working meeting of the California Air Resources Board on including alternative jet fuel in the Low Carbon Fuel Standard on March 17, 2017 (https://www.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/lcfs_meetings/lcfs_meetings.htm). This presentation clarifies and annotates the slides from the public working meeting, andmore » provides a link to the full data set. NREL does not advocate for or against the policies analyzed in this study.« less

Final report. Technology innovation for global change: The role of assessment, R and D, and regulation

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

Clark, William C.; Holdren, John P.; Norberg-Bohm, Vicki

2001-11-29

Through the research carried out under this grant, we have made considerable progress in addressing our fundamental research question: How and under what conditions can government stimulate radical technological innovation? More specifically, we have analyzed three pathways through which government may influence the decisions by firms to invest in radical technological innovation: technological opportunism (supply-push policies), regulatory responsiveness (demand-pull policies) and anticipatory action (assessments and information policy). We have produced several written documents, as well as made several presentations of our work. We are now working on a book based on this research, which we will have to a publishermore » in 2002. We are also pursuing other opportunities for dissemination of the results, including both presentations and articles in the academic and policy press.« less

Design of a robotic gait trainer using spring over muscle actuators for ankle stroke rehabilitation.

PubMed

Bharadwaj, Kartik; Sugar, Thomas G; Koeneman, James B; Koeneman, Edward J

2005-11-01

Repetitive task training is an effective form of rehabilitation for people suffering from debilitating injuries of stroke. We present the design and working concept of a robotic gait trainer (RGT), an ankle rehabilitation device for assisting stroke patients during gait. Structurally based on a tripod mechanism, the device is a parallel robot that incorporates two pneumatically powered, double-acting, compliant, spring over muscle actuators as actuation links which move the ankle in dorsiflex ion/plantarflexion and inversion/eversion. A unique feature in the tripod design is that the human anatomy is part of the robot, the first fixed link being the patient's leg. The kinematics and workspace of the tripod device have been analyzed determining its range of motion. Experimental gait data from an able-bodied person wearing the working RGT prototype are presented.

Effect of Additional Incentives for Aviation Biofuels: Results from the Biomass Scenario Model

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

Vimmerstedt, Laura J; Newes, Emily K

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory supported the Department of Energy, Bioenergy Technologies Office, with analysis of alternative jet fuels in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration. Airlines for America requested additional exploratory scenarios within FAA analytic framework. Airlines for America requested additional analysis using the same analytic framework, the Biomass Scenario Model. The results were presented at a public working meeting of the California Air Resources Board on including alternative jet fuel in the Low Carbon Fuel Standard on March 17, 2017 (https://www.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/lcfs_meetings/lcfs_meetings.htm). This presentation clarifies and annotates the slides from the public working meeting, andmore » provides a link to the full data set. NREL does not advocate for or against the policies analyzed in this study.« less

Strain, doping, and disorder effects in GaAs/Ge/Si heterostructures: A Raman spectroscopy investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mlayah, A.; Carles, R.; Leycuras, A.

1992-01-01

The present work is devoted to a Raman study of GaAs/Ge/Si heterostructures grown by the vapor-phase epitaxy technique. We first show that the GaAs epilayers are submitted to a biaxial tensile strain. The strain relaxation generates misfit dislocations and thus disorder effects which we analyze in terms of translational invariance loss and Raman selection rules violation. The first-order Raman spectra of annealed samples exhibit an unexpected broadband we identify as due to scattering by a coupled LO phonon-damped plasmon mode. This is corroborated by an accurate line-shape analysis which accounts for the recorded spectra and makes evident the presence of free carriers within the GaAs layers. Their density is estimated from the deduced plasmon frequency and also using a method we have presented in a previous work.

Enhanced thermaly managed packaging for III-nitride light emitters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kudsieh, Nicolas

In this Dissertation our work on `enhanced thermally managed packaging of high power semiconductor light sources for solid state lighting (SSL)' is presented. The motivation of this research and development is to design thermally high stable cost-efficient packaging of single and multi-chip arrays of III-nitrides wide bandgap semiconductor light sources through mathematical modeling and simulations. Major issues linked with this technology are device overheating which causes serious degradation in their illumination intensity and decrease in the lifetime. In the introduction the basics of III-nitrides WBG semiconductor light emitters are presented along with necessary thermal management of high power cingulated and multi-chip LEDs and laser diodes. This work starts at chip level followed by its extension to fully packaged lighting modules and devices. Different III-nitride structures of multi-quantum well InGaN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN based LEDs and LDs were analyzed using advanced modeling and simulation for different packaging designs and high thermal conductivity materials. Study started with basic surface mounted devices using conventional packaging strategies and was concluded with the latest thermal management of chip-on-plate (COP) method. Newly discovered high thermal conductivity materials have also been incorporated for this work. Our study also presents the new approach of 2D heat spreaders using such materials for SSL and micro LED array packaging. Most of the work has been presented in international conferences proceedings and peer review journals. Some of the latest work has also been submitted to well reputed international journals which are currently been reviewed for publication. .

Synthesis of silver nanoparticles by silver salt reduction and its characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muzamil, Muhammad; Khalid, Naveed; Danish Aziz, M.; Aun Abbas, S.

2014-06-01

The wet chemical method route by metal salt reduction has been used to synthesize nanoparticles, using silver nitrate as an inorganic salt, aldehyde as a reducing agent and amino acid as a catalyst. During the reaction aldehyde oxidizes to carboxylic acid and encapsulates the silver nanoparticles to prevent agglomeration and provide barrier in the growth of particle. The existing work produces particles using lab grade chemical, here the presented work is by using industrial grade chemicals to make the process more cost & time effective. The nano silver powder has been studied for their formation, particle size, shape & compositional analysis using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) equipped with EDS. The particles size distributions were analyzed by Laser Particle Analyzer (LPA), structure & morphological analysis using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform-infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the stabilization of particles by coating of carboxylic group. These studies infer that the particles are mostly spherical in shape and have an average size between 70 to 350 nm.

Antenna pattern control using impedance surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balanis, Constantine A.; Liu, Kefeng

1992-01-01

During this research period, we have effectively transferred existing computer codes from CRAY supercomputer to work station based systems. The work station based version of our code preserved the accuracy of the numerical computations while giving a much better turn-around time than the CRAY supercomputer. Such a task relieved us of the heavy dependence of the supercomputer account budget and made codes developed in this research project more feasible for applications. The analysis of pyramidal horns with impedance surfaces was our major focus during this research period. Three different modeling algorithms in analyzing lossy impedance surfaces were investigated and compared with measured data. Through this investigation, we discovered that a hybrid Fourier transform technique, which uses the eigen mode in the stepped waveguide section and the Fourier transformed field distributions across the stepped discontinuities for lossy impedances coating, gives a better accuracy in analyzing lossy coatings. After a further refinement of the present technique, we will perform an accurate radiation pattern synthesis in the coming reporting period.

A computational model of Dopamine and Acetylcholine aberrant learning in Basal Ganglia.

PubMed

Baston, Chiara; Ursino, Mauro

2015-01-01

Basal Ganglia (BG) are implied in many motor and cognitive tasks, such as action selection, and have a central role in many pathologies, primarily Parkinson Disease. In the present work, we use a recently developed biologically inspired BG model to analyze how the dopamine (DA) level can affect the temporal response during action selection, and the capacity to learn new actions following rewards and punishments. The model incorporates the 3 main pathways (direct, indirect and hyperdirect) working in BG functioning. The behavior of 2 alternative networks (the first with normal DA levels, the second with reduced DA) is analyzed both in untrained conditions, and during training performed in different epochs. The results show that reduced DA causes delayed temporal responses in the untrained network, and difficult of learning during training, characterized by the necessity of much more epochs. The results provide interesting hints to understand the behavior of healthy and dopamine depleted subjects, such as parkinsonian patients.

Examining Student Work in the Preparation of Preservice Elementary School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Busi, Rich; Jacobbe, Tim

2014-01-01

This study investigated preservice teachers' perceptions of their knowledge and development resulting from analyzing student work in an undergraduate mathematics education course. Participants were given opportunities to view and analyze student work examples that portrayed errors in thinking as well as alternative solution methods. Thirty-eight…

Technological, Economic, and Environmental Optimization of Aluminum Recycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ioana, Adrian; Semenescu, Augustin

2013-08-01

The four strategic directions (referring to the entire life cycle of aluminum) are as follows: production, primary use, recycling, and reuse. Thus, in this work, the following are analyzed and optimized: reducing greenhouse gas emissions from aluminum production, increasing energy efficiency in aluminum production, maximizing used-product collection, recycling, and reusing. According to the energetic balance at the gaseous environment level, the conductive transfer model is also analyzed through the finished elements method. Several principles of modeling and optimization are presented and analyzed: the principle of analogy, the principle of concepts, and the principle of hierarchization. Based on these principles, an original diagram model is designed together with the corresponding logic diagram. This article also presents and analyzes the main benefits of aluminum recycling and reuse. Recycling and reuse of aluminum have the main advantage that it requires only about 5% of energy consumed to produce it from bauxite. The aluminum recycling and production process causes the emission of pollutants such as dioxides and furans, hydrogen chloride, and particulate matter. To control these emissions, aluminum recyclers are required to comply with the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Secondary Aluminum Production. The results of technological, economic, and ecological optimization of aluminum recycling are based on the criteria function's evaluation in the modeling system.

The origin of aliphatic hydrocarbons in olive oil.

PubMed

Pineda, Manuel; Rojas, María; Gálvez-Valdivieso, Gregorio; Aguilar, Miguel

2017-11-01

There are many substances that can interfere with olive oil quality. Some of them are well characterized, but many others have an unknown origin. Saturated hydrocarbons make an extraordinary complex family of numerous molecules, some of them present naturally in vegetable oils. When major natural saturated hydrocarbons are analyzed by standard chromatographic methods, this complex mixture of saturated hydrocarbons appears as a hump in the chromatogram and is commonly named as unresolved complex mixture (UCM), whose origin remains unknown. In this work we studied the occurrence and the origin of aliphatic saturated hydrocarbons in olive oil. Hydrocarbons were analyzed in olive oil and along the industrial process of oil extraction. We also analyzed n-alkanes and the UCM fraction of hydrocarbons in leaf, fruit and oil from different varieties and different locations, and we also analyzed the soils at these locations. We conclude that the hydrocarbons present in olive oil do not necessarily have their origin in a contamination during olive oil elaboration; they seem to have a natural origin, as a result of olive tree metabolism and/or as the result of an intake and accumulation by the olive tree directly from the environment during its entire life cycle. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Safety assessment in plant layout design using indexing approach: implementing inherent safety perspective. Part 2-Domino Hazard Index and case study.

PubMed

Tugnoli, Alessandro; Khan, Faisal; Amyotte, Paul; Cozzani, Valerio

2008-12-15

The design of layout plans requires adequate assessment tools for the quantification of safety performance. The general focus of the present work is to introduce an inherent safety perspective at different points of the layout design process. In particular, index approaches for safety assessment and decision-making in the early stages of layout design are developed and discussed in this two-part contribution. Part 1 (accompanying paper) of the current work presents an integrated index approach for safety assessment of early plant layout. In the present paper (Part 2), an index for evaluation of the hazard related to the potential of domino effects is developed. The index considers the actual consequences of possible escalation scenarios and scores or ranks the subsequent accident propagation potential. The effects of inherent and passive protection measures are also assessed. The result is a rapid quantification of domino hazard potential that can provide substantial support for choices in the early stages of layout design. Additionally, a case study concerning selection among various layout options is presented and analyzed. The case study demonstrates the use and applicability of the indices developed in both parts of the current work and highlights the value of introducing inherent safety features early in layout design.

Work capacity, sociodemographic and work characteristics of nurses at a university hospital.

PubMed

Hilleshein, Eunice Fabiani; Lautert, Liana

2012-01-01

This cross-sectional study evaluated the work capacity of 195 nurses at a university hospital, from a calculation of sample size with a Confidence Interval (CI) of 95%. The data was collected by means of the Work Capacity Index (WCI) instrument and analyzed by statistical analysis. 94.5% of the sample was made up of women; the average age was of 42.6 years (sd=8.5); 66.5% had partners and 76.7% were educated to post-graduate level. 36.0% worked the night shift; 28.4% the morning shift and 20.8% the afternoon shift. The average score given to work capacity was Good (41.8 points) and there was a significant correlation with pay (p-value<0.05), satisfaction with workplace (p-value=0.001) and feeling valued by the institution (p-value=0.003). The group which carried out family activities showed higher scores in the WCI compared to those who did not (p-value=0.009). The nurses presented differing sociodemographic and work aspects, with a high capacity for work.

Experimentation in software engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Basili, V. R.; Selby, R. W.; Hutchens, D. H.

1986-01-01

Experimentation in software engineering supports the advancement of the field through an iterative learning process. In this paper, a framework for analyzing most of the experimental work performed in software engineering over the past several years is presented. A variety of experiments in the framework is described and their contribution to the software engineering discipline is discussed. Some useful recommendations for the application of the experimental process in software engineering are included.

Comment on "Spontaneous liquid-liquid phase separation of water".

PubMed

Limmer, David T; Chandler, David

2015-01-01

Yagasaki et al. [Phys. Rev. E 89, 020301 (2014)] present results from a molecular dynamics trajectory illustrating coarsening of ice, which they interpret as evidence of transient coexistence between two distinct supercooled phases of liquid water. We point out that neither two distinct liquids nor criticality are demonstrated in this simulation study. Instead, the illustrated trajectory is consistent with coarsening behaviors analyzed and predicted in earlier work by others.

What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review of the Report "Exercise Improves Executive Function and Achievement and Alters Brain Activation in Overweight Children: A Randomized, Controlled Trial"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2012

2012-01-01

The study examined whether exercise offered to sedentary, overweight children ages 7 to 11 improved executive function--defined as strategy execution when presented with a novel task--and academic performance in reading and math. The study authors analyzed data on about 170 students from Georgia who were recruited in five cohorts from 2003 to…

The NIE Conference on Basic Mathematical Skills and Learning (Euclid, Ohio, October 4-6, 1975). Volume II; Reports from the Working Groups.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Inst. of Education (DHEW), Washington, DC.

In October 1975 a conference was convened in Euclid, Ohio, by the Basic Skills group of the National Institute of Education (NIE). Position papers presented by the 33 participants and status reports from 11 agencies involved in mathematics education were received and analyzed. On the basis of this analysis, four topics were identified as issues…

Introduction to Geostatistics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitanidis, P. K.

1997-05-01

Introduction to Geostatistics presents practical techniques for engineers and earth scientists who routinely encounter interpolation and estimation problems when analyzing data from field observations. Requiring no background in statistics, and with a unique approach that synthesizes classic and geostatistical methods, this book offers linear estimation methods for practitioners and advanced students. Well illustrated with exercises and worked examples, Introduction to Geostatistics is designed for graduate-level courses in earth sciences and environmental engineering.

A contribution to the identification of charcoal origin in Brazil II - Macroscopic characterization of Cerrado species.

PubMed

Gonçalves, Thaís A P; Nisgoski, Silvana; Oliveira, Julia S; Marcati, Carmen R; Ballarin, Adriano W; Muñiz, Graciela I B

2016-05-13

The Brazilian Cerrado is the richest savanna in the world. It is also one of the biomes more threatened in the country and a hotspot for conservation priorities. The main causes of deforestation in Cerrado are agricultural practices, livestock and charcoal production. Although charcoal has a minor impact, its consumption represents the deforestation of 16.000 Km² of the Cerrado. To contribute for the biomes's conservation it is very important to improve forestry supervision. Thus, in this work we present the macroscopic characterization of charcoal from 25 Cerrado's species. We simulate the real conditions of forest controllers by using the magnifications of 10x, 25x and 65x. Likewise, the charcoals micrographs are all of transverse sections due to the larger amount of anatomical information. We also analyzed texture, brightness, vitrification, ruptures and some special features. The species present several differences in their anatomical structure. Although some of them are very unique, this work does not intent to identify charcoals only by macroscopic analyses. But it might give directions to future identification of genera or species. It also provides knowledge for government agents to verify the documents of forestry origin by fast analyzing a sample of charcoal itself.

Implementation of health impact assessment in Danish municipal context.

PubMed

Kraemer, Stella Rebecca Johnsdatter; Nikolajsen, Louise Theilgaard; Gulis, Gabriel

2014-12-01

Implementation of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) in Danish municipalities has been analyzed using the Roger's Diffusion of Innovation Theory. Municipalities were chosen from among those who presented their health policies on websites according to the status of inclusion of HIA into health policy. Qualitative interviews were conducted in 6 municipalities (3 with HIA inducted in their health policy and 3 without it) gathering information on knowledge and attitudes to HIA, barriers to its implementation, social system and communication channels used or expected to be used for implementation of HIA. No significant differences were found among analyzed municipalities by status of HIA inclusion into health policy. Among barriers; a lack of tools with general validity, a lack of intersectoral working culture, balance between centralized versus participatory way of working and organizational structure of a municipality, and a lack of capacities were enlisted as most relevant. The last one is a crucial factor of an internal social system of a municipality. With regards to communication channels, reporting and presentation skills of implementers and doers are of key importance. Systematic and sustainable capacity building is needed to achieve high level implementation of HIA in Danish municipalities. Development of validated tools, most importantly screening tools with focus on priorities of national public health policy would enhance implementation on municipal level.

[Knowledge, strategies and ideologies of nursing: a reflection based on the Lopes' study].

PubMed

Costa, I G; Gomes, E L

2001-01-01

This paper makes a reflection on the knowledge and ideologies present in the nursing practice within a hospital context, based on theoretical references used by the sociologist Noemia da Glória Mendes Lopes in her MS dissertation in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1994. In this dissertation she analyzes the work of nurses within hospital contexts. The author observed that within the professional context of nursing there are many social practices of work indicating different strategies of valuing and revaluating the profession. It was concluded from this reflection that there are better possibilities of performing such strategies in specialized services than in medical clinic services.

Instrument to detect syncope and the onset of shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McAdams, Daniel R.; Kolodziejski, Noah J.; Stapels, Christopher J.; Fernandez, Daniel E.; Podolsky, Matthew J.; Farkas, Dana; Christian, James F.; Joyner, Michael J.; Johnson, Christopher P.; Paradis, Norman A.

2016-03-01

Currently the diagnosis of hemorrhagic shock is essentially clinical, relying on the expertise of nurses and doctors. One of the first measurable physiological changes that marks the onset of hemorrhagic shock is a decrease in capillary blood flow. Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) quantifies this decrease. DCS collects and analyzes multiply scattered, coherent, near infrared light to assess relative blood flow. This work presents a preliminary study using a DCS instrument with human subjects undergoing a lower body negative pressure (LBNP) protocol. This work builds on previous successful DCS instrumentation development and we believe it represents progress toward understanding how DCS can be used in a clinical setting.

Study of the stretching force of the needle‧s thread in the work with woollen textiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andonova, Snezhina; Rahnev, Ivelin

2017-10-01

The presented paper deals with examining the thread tension force while working with woolen textile materials. The thread’s tension force is a main characteristic of a quality stitch. Its analysis and definition is characterized by the creation of a computer-integrated measuring system to determine the thread’s tension force. A statistical method (double-factor disperse analysis) is used to analyze and evaluate the fact how the factors: • F1 - surface mass of processed woolen textile materials, • F2 -the number of layers on the thread‧s influence the deviation from the maximal value of the thread’s tension force.

[Modern methods application of genotyping of infectious diseases pathogens in the context of operational work of specialized anti-epidemic team during the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games].

PubMed

Kuzkin, B P; Kulichenko, A N; Volynkina, A S; Efremenko, D V; Kuznetsova, I V; Kotenev, E S; Lyamkin, G I; Kartsev, N N; Klindukhov, V P

2015-01-01

This paper considers the experience of genotyping and sequencing technologies in laboratories of specialized anti-epidemic team (SAET) during the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi. The work carried out during the pre-Olympic period on performance of readiness by SAET for these studies is analyzed. The results of genotyping strains of pathogens during the Olympic Games are presented. A conclusion about the effectiveness of the use of molecular genetic techniques in terms of SAET is made.

Client's view of a successful helping relationship.

PubMed

Ribner, David S; Knei-Paz, Cigal

2002-10-01

This study asked clients from multiproblem families to describe a successful helping relationship. The replies were analyzed using narrative research techniques and results are presented in conceptual categories with illustrative quotations from the interviews. The article offers conclusions about client preferences in the areas of working relationship, work styles, and worker characteristics. The results revealed two general domains of the client-worker relationship: factors that provided a sense of equality in the relationship, for example, love, friendship, and a nonjudgmental stance; and the notion that the helping relationship should parallel more normative contacts and include components such as flexibility, chemistry, luck, and going the extra distance.

[International Classification of Public Health Nursing Practices - CIPESC®: a pedagogical tool for epidemiological studies].

PubMed

Nichiata, Lúcia Yasuko Izumi; Padoveze, Maria Clara; Ciosak, Suely Itsuko; Gryschek, Anna Luiza de Fátima Pinho Lins; Costa, Angela Aparecida; Takahashi, Renata Ferreira; Bertolozzi, Maria Rita; de Araújo, Núbia Virgínia D'Ávila Limeira; Pereira, Erica Gomes; Dias, Vânia Ferreira Gomes; Cubas, Marcia Regina

2012-06-01

The CIPESC® is a tool that informs the work of nurses in Public Health and assists in prioritizing their care in practice, management and research. It is also a powerful pedagogical instrument for the qualification of nurses within the Brazilian healthcare system. In the teaching of infectious diseases, using the CIPESC® assists in analyzing the interventions by encouraging clinical and epidemiological thinking regarding the health-illness process. With the purpose in mind of developing resources for teaching undergraduate nursing students and encouraging reflection regarding the process of nursing work, this article presents an experimental application of CIPESC®, using meningococcal meningitis as an example.

[Local fractal analysis of noise-like time series by all permutations method for 1-115 min periods].

PubMed

Panchelyuga, V A; Panchelyuga, M S

2015-01-01

Results of local fractal analysis of 329-per-day time series of 239Pu alpha-decay rate fluctuations by means of all permutations method (APM) are presented. The APM-analysis reveals in the time series some steady frequency set. The coincidence of the frequency set with the Earth natural oscillations was demonstrated. A short review of works by different authors who analyzed the time series of fluctuations in processes of different nature is given. We have shown that the periods observed in those works correspond to the periods revealed in our study. It points to a common mechanism of the phenomenon observed.

Irrelevance in Problem Solving

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levy, Alon Y.

1992-01-01

The notion of irrelevance underlies many different works in AI, such as detecting redundant facts, creating abstraction hierarchies and reformulation and modeling physical devices. However, in order to design problem solvers that exploit the notion of irrelevance, either by automatically detecting irrelevance or by being given knowledge about irrelevance, a formal treatment of the notion is required. In this paper we present a general framework for analyzing irrelevance. We discuss several properties of irrelevance and show how they vary in a space of definitions outlined by the framework. We show how irrelevance claims can be used to justify the creation of abstractions thereby suggesting a new view on the work on abstraction.

A meta-analysis of work-family conflict and various outcomes with a special emphasis on cross-domain versus matching-domain relations.

PubMed

Amstad, Fabienne T; Meier, Laurenz L; Fasel, Ursula; Elfering, Achim; Semmer, Norbert K

2011-04-01

A literature review of studies analyzing work-family conflict and its consequences was conducted, and 427 effect sizes were analyzed meta-analytically. Work-family conflict was analyzed bidirectionally in terms of work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW). We assessed 3 categories of potential outcomes: work-related outcomes, family-related outcomes, and domain-unspecific outcomes. Results show that WIF and FIW are consistently related to all 3 types of outcomes. Both types of interrole conflict showed stronger relationships to same-domain outcomes than to cross-domain outcomes. Thus, WIF was more strongly associated with work-related than with family-related outcomes, and FIW was more strongly associated with family-related than with work-related outcomes. In moderator analyses, parenthood could not explain variability in effect sizes. However, time spent at work did moderate the relationships between WIF and family-related outcomes, as well as FIW and domain-unspecific outcomes.

Achieving real-time capsule endoscopy (CE) video visualization through panoramic imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Steven; Xie, Jean; Mui, Peter; Leighton, Jonathan A.

2013-02-01

In this paper, we mainly present a novel and real-time capsule endoscopy (CE) video visualization concept based on panoramic imaging. Typical CE videos run about 8 hours and are manually reviewed by physicians to locate diseases such as bleedings and polyps. To date, there is no commercially available tool capable of providing stabilized and processed CE video that is easy to analyze in real time. The burden on physicians' disease finding efforts is thus big. In fact, since the CE camera sensor has a limited forward looking view and low image frame rate (typical 2 frames per second), and captures very close range imaging on the GI tract surface, it is no surprise that traditional visualization method based on tracking and registration often fails to work. This paper presents a novel concept for real-time CE video stabilization and display. Instead of directly working on traditional forward looking FOV (field of view) images, we work on panoramic images to bypass many problems facing traditional imaging modalities. Methods on panoramic image generation based on optical lens principle leading to real-time data visualization will be presented. In addition, non-rigid panoramic image registration methods will be discussed.

Novel indexes based on network structure to indicate financial market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Tao; Peng, Qinke; Wang, Xiao; Zhang, Jing

2016-02-01

There have been various achievements to understand and to analyze the financial market by complex network model. However, current studies analyze the financial network model but seldom present quantified indexes to indicate or forecast the price action of market. In this paper, the stock market is modeled as a dynamic network, in which the vertices refer to listed companies and edges refer to their rank-based correlation based on price series. Characteristics of the network are analyzed and then novel indexes are introduced into market analysis, which are calculated from maximum and fully-connected subnets. The indexes are compared with existing ones and the results confirm that our indexes perform better to indicate the daily trend of market composite index in advance. Via investment simulation, the performance of our indexes is analyzed in detail. The results indicate that the dynamic complex network model could not only serve as a structural description of the financial market, but also work to predict the market and guide investment by indexes.

Analysis of Performance of Selected AFC, ATF Fuels, and Lanthanide Transport

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

Unal, Cetin; Galloway, Jack D.

2015-09-29

We started to look at the performance of ATF concept in LWRs late in FY14 and finish our studies in FY15. The work has been presented in AFC review meetings, ICAPP and TOPFUEL conferences. The final version of the work is accepted for publication in Nuclear Engineering and Science Journal (NES). The copy of ICAPP and NES papers are attached separately to this document as our milestone deliverables. We made an important progress in the modeling of lanthanide transport in FY15. This work produced an ANS Winter Meeting paper and GLOBAL 2015 paper. GLOBAL 2015 paper is also attached asmore » deliverable of FY15. The work on the lanthanide transport is preliminary. We are exploring other potential mechanisms, in addition to “liquid-like” diffusion mechanisms, proposed by Robert Mariani [1] before we analyze data that will be taken by Ohio State University. This year, we concentrate on developing diffusion kernels and principles of modeling. Next year, this work will continue and analyze the Ohio State data and develop approaches to solve multicomponent diffusion. In addition to three papers we attached to this report, we have done some research on coupling and the development of gas release model for metallic fuels in FY15. They are also preliminary in nature; therefore, we give the summary of what we found rather than an extended report that will be done in FY16.« less

[Illness and death: slaves in the city of Pelotas, 1870-1880].

PubMed

Loner, Beatriz Ana; Gill, Lorena Almeida; Scheer, Micaele Irene

2012-12-01

The article analyzes diseases presented by slaves hospitalized at Santa Casa de Misericórdia in Pelotas. The focus is on the workers at 'charqueadas' (processing plants for dried meat), whose harsh and rigid work regimen had serious health consequences. Although we can find many descriptions of beef processing at 'charqueadas', we find less evidence of concerns about how slave labor was employed at these plants. By analyzing the period from 1870 to 1880, based on hospital records, travelers' observations, and newspaper reports, the article intends to contribute towards a better understanding of the health conditions of captives in the southern part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Corrosion Resistance of a Cast-Iron Material Coated With a Ceramic Layer Using Thermal Spray Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Florea, C. D.; Bejinariu, C.; Munteanu, C.; Istrate, B.; Toma, S. L.; Alexandru, A.; Cimpoesu, R.

2018-06-01

Cast-iron 250 used for breake systems present many corrosion signs after a mean usage time based on the environment conditions they work. In order to improve them corrosion resistance we propose to cover the active part of the material using a ceramic material. The deposition process is an industrial deposition system based on thermal spraying that can cover high surfaces in low time. In this articol we analyze the influence of a ceramic layer (40-50 µm) on the corrosion resistance of FC250 cast iron. The results were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy dispersive (EDS) and linear and cyclic potentiometry.

A Study of Specific Fracture Energy at Percussion Drilling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

A, Shadrina; T, Kabanova; V, Krets; L, Saruev

2014-08-01

The paper presents experimental studies of rock failure provided by percussion drilling. Quantification and qualitative analysis were carried out to estimate critical values of rock failure depending on the hammer pre-impact velocity, types of drill bits and cylindrical hammer parameters (weight, length, diameter), and turn angle of a drill bit. Obtained data in this work were compared with obtained results by other researchers. The particle-size distribution in granite-cutting sludge was analyzed in this paper. Statistical approach (Spearmen's rank-order correlation, multiple regression analysis with dummy variables, Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test) was used to analyze the drilling process. Experimental data will be useful for specialists engaged in simulation and illustration of rock failure.

Data fusion for QRS complex detection in multi-lead electrocardiogram recordings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ledezma, Carlos A.; Perpiñan, Gilberto; Severeyn, Erika; Altuve, Miguel

2015-12-01

Heart diseases are the main cause of death worldwide. The first step in the diagnose of these diseases is the analysis of the electrocardiographic (ECG) signal. In turn, the ECG analysis begins with the detection of the QRS complex, which is the one with the most energy in the cardiac cycle. Numerous methods have been proposed in the bibliography for QRS complex detection, but few authors have analyzed the possibility of taking advantage of the information redundancy present in multiple ECG leads (simultaneously acquired) to produce accurate QRS detection. In our previous work we presented such an approach, proposing various data fusion techniques to combine the detections made by an algorithm on multiple ECG leads. In this paper we present further studies that show the advantages of this multi-lead detection approach, analyzing how many leads are necessary in order to observe an improvement in the detection performance. A well known QRS detection algorithm was used to test the fusion techniques on the St. Petersburg Institute of Cardiological Technics database. Results show improvement in the detection performance with as little as three leads, but the reliability of these results becomes interesting only after using seven or more leads. Results were evaluated using the detection error rate (DER). The multi-lead detection approach allows an improvement from DER = 3:04% to DER = 1:88%. Further works are to be made in order to improve the detection performance by implementing further fusion steps.

Influence of the cooling degree upon performances of internal combustion engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grǎdinariu, Andrei Cristian; Mihai, Ioan

2016-12-01

Up to present, air cooling systems still raise several unsolved problems due to conditions imposed by the environment in terms of temperature and pollution levels. The present paper investigates the impact of the engine cooling degree upon its performances, as important specific power is desired for as low as possible fuel consumption. A technical solution advanced by the authors[1], consists of constructing a bi-flux compressor, which can enhance the engine's performances. The bi-flux axial compressor accomplishes two major functions, that is it cools down the engine and it also turbocharges it. The present paper investigates the temperature changes corresponding to the fresh load, during the use of a bi-flux axial compressor. This compressor is economically simple, compact, and offers an optimal response at low rotational speeds of the engine, when two compression steps are used. The influence of the relative coefficient of air temperature drop upon working agent temperature at the intercooler exit is also investigated in the present work. The variation of the thermal load coefficient by report to the working agent temperature is also investigated during engine cooling. The variation of the average combustion temperature is analyzed in correlation to the thermal load coefficient and the temperatures of the working fluid at its exit from the cooling system. An exergetic analysis was conducted upon the influence of the cooling degree on the motor fluid and the gases resulted from the combustion process.

Involvement and emancipation of the worker. Action research in a university hospital.

PubMed

Bolis, Ivan; Brunoro, Claudio; Sznelwar, Laerte Idal

2012-01-01

The present action research article is linked to an ergonomics project in a university hospital. The author's proposal is to focus action on the effective worker involvement required for the creation of spaces/mechanisms within organizations where people can enhance cooperation and deliberation on matters relating to work. For this purpose, a committee was introduced to assist in finding problems and solutions directly in work situations, so that workers could experience relative autonomy allowing them to develop procedures and choose tools appropriate to their own real needs. Based on this organizational implementation and on subsequent interviews, the practical results are analyzed and related to employee involvement. One can conclude that workers in all areas of the organization can be active elements for improving working conditions and productivity in companies.

Optimizing Energy Conversion: Magnetic Nano-materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McIntyre, Dylan; Dann, Martin; Ilie, Carolina C.

2015-03-01

We present herein the work started at SUNY Oswego as a part of a SUNY 4E grant. The SUNY 4E Network of Excellence has awarded SUNY Oswego and collaborators a grant to carry out extensive studies on magnetic nanoparticles. The focus of the study is to develop cost effective rare-earth-free magnetic materials that will enhance energy transmission performance of various electrical devices (solar cells, electric cars, hard drives, etc.). The SUNY Oswego team has started the preliminary work for the project and graduate students from the rest of the SUNY 4E team (UB, Alfred College, Albany) will continue the project. The preliminary work concentrates on analyzing the properties of magnetic nanoparticle candidates, calculating molecular orbitals and band gap, and the fabrication of thin films. SUNY 4E Network of Excellence Grant.

Ergonomic analysis jobs in recovered factories.

PubMed

Cuenca, Gabriela; Zotta, Gastón

2012-01-01

With the advent of the deep economic crisis in Argentina on 2001, the recovery of companies through to the creation of the Cooperatives Working Self-Management or Factories Recovered by its workers was constituted as one of the ways in which the salaried disobeyed the increasing unemployment. When the companies turn into recovered factories they tend to leave of side practices that have been seen like imposed by the previous organization and not understanding them as a primary condition for the execution of his tasks. Safety and ergonomics are two disciplines that are no longer considered relevant to the daily work. Therefore this investigation aims to revalue, undergo semantic to give back to a place in every organization analyzed. This research developed a self-diagnostic tool for working conditions, and the environment, present in the recovered factories.

The impact of various work schedules on sleep complaints and minor accidents during work or leisure time: evidence from a national survey.

PubMed

Chiu, Hsiao-Yean; Tsai, Pei-Shan

2013-03-01

To explore the prevalence of insomnia symptoms and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in different work schedules and the impact of shift schedules on the risk of minor accidents during work or leisure time. Using the data from Taiwan Social Development Trend Survey in 2005 (n = 18,794), insomnia symptoms, EDS, and minor accidents were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression model. The evening-to-night group had significantly higher prevalence rates of insomnia symptoms. Higher prevalence rate of EDS was presented in both day-to-evening and evening-to-night groups. Adjusting for confounders, the day-to-evening shift had a higher odds ratio of minor accidents as compared with the fixed daytime workers. Extended-shift workers tend to experience insomnia symptoms and EDS and have an increased likelihood of minor accidents.

Simulation of Industrial Wastewater Treatment from the Suspended Impurities into the Flooded Waste Mining Workings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bondareva, L.; Zakharov, Yu; Goudov, A.

2017-04-01

The paper is dedicated to the mathematical model of slurry wastewater treatment and disposal in a flooded mine working. The goal of the research is to develop and analyze the mathematical model of suspended impurities flow and distribution. Impurity sedimentation model is under consideration. Due to the sediment compaction problem solution domain can be modified. The model allows making a forecast whether volley emission is possible. Numerical simulation results for “Kolchuginskaya” coal mine presented. Impurity concentration diagrams in outflow corresponding to the real full-scale data obtained. Safely operation time mine workings like a wastewater treatment facility are estimated. The carried out calculations demonstrate that the method of industrial wastewater treatment in flooded waste mine workings can be put into practice but it is very important to observe all the processes going on to avoid volley emission of accumulated impurities.

Epidemiologic surveillance. Annual report for EG&G Rocky Flats

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

NONE

1994-12-31

Epidemiologic surveillance at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facilities consists of regular and systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data on absences resulting from illness and injury in the work force. Its purpose is to provide an early warning system for health problems occurring among employees at participating sites. Data are collected by coordinators at each site and submitted to the Epidemiologic Surveillance Data Center, located at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, where quality control procedures and analyses are carried out. Rates of absences and rates of diagnoses associated with absences are analyzed by occupation and othermore » relevant variables. They may be compared with the disease experience of different groups within the DOE work force and with populations that do not work for DOE to identify disease patterns or clusters that may be associated with work activities. This report presents the 1994 morbidity data for the Rocky Flats plant.« less

Analyzing Effective Communication in Mathematics Group Work: The Role of Visual Mediators and Technical Terms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryve, Andreas; Nilsson, Per; Pettersson, Kerstin

2013-01-01

Analyzing and designing productive group work and effective communication constitute ongoing research interests in mathematics education. In this article we contribute to this research by using and developing a newly introduced analytical approach for examining effective communication within group work in mathematics education. By using data from…

Dual Segment Glocal Model Based Capacitive Level Sensor (CLS) for Adhesive Material and Level Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, F. A.; Yousaf, A.; Reindl, L. M.

2018-04-01

This paper presents a multi segment capacitive level monitoring sensor based on distributed E-fields approach Glocal. This approach has an advantage to analyze build-up problem by the local E-fields as well the fluid level monitoring by the global E-fields. The multi segment capacitive approach presented within this work addresses the main problem of unwanted parasitic capacitance generated from Copper (Cu) strips by applying active shielding concept. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is used for isolation and parafilm is used for creating artificial build-up on a CLS.

Mikado: A graphic program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Secretan, Y.

A discussion of the modular program Mikado is presented. Mikado was developed with the goal of creating a flexible graphic tool to display and help analyze the results of finite element fluid flow computations. Mikado works on unstructured meshes, with elements of mixed geometric type, but also offers the possibility of using structured meshes. The program can be operated by both menu and mouse (interactive), or by command file (batch). Mikado is written in FORTRAN, except for a few system dependent subroutines which are in C. It runs presently on Silicon Graphics' workstations and could be easily ported to the IBM-RISC System/6000 family of workstations.

The Main Biological Hazards in Animal Biosafety Level 2 Facilities and Strategies for Control.

PubMed

Li, Xiao Yan; Xue, Kang Ning; Jiang, Jin Sheng; Lu, Xuan Cheng

2016-04-01

Concern about the biological hazards involved in microbiological research, especially research involving laboratory animals, has increased in recent years. Working in an animal biosafety level 2 facility (ABSL-2), commonly used for research on infectious diseases, poses various biological hazards. Here, the regulations and standards related to laboratory biosafety in China are introduced, the potential biological hazards present in ABSL-2 facilities are analyzed, and a series of strategies to control the hazards are presented. Copyright © 2016 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.

Analysis of silicon on insulator (SOI) optical microring add-drop filter based on waveguide intersections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaźmierczak, Andrzej; Bogaerts, Wim; Van Thourhout, Dries; Drouard, Emmanuel; Rojo-Romeo, Pedro; Giannone, Domenico; Gaffiot, Frederic

2008-04-01

We present a compact passive optical add-drop filter which incorporates two microring resonators and a waveguide intersection in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology. Such a filter is a key element for designing simple layouts of highly integrated complex optical networks-on-chip. The filter occupies an area smaller than 10μm×10μm and exhibits relatively high quality factors (up to 4000) and efficient signal dropping capabilities. In the present work, the influence of filter parameters such as the microring-resonators radii and the coupling section shape are analyzed theoretically and experimentally

The Outcomes Movement and Evidence Based Medicine in Plastic Surgery

PubMed Central

Kowalski, Evan.; Chung, Kevin C.

2012-01-01

Synopsis Evidence based medicine is analyzed from its inception. The authors take the reader through the early formation of ‘scientific medicine’ that has evolved into the multi-purpose tool it has become today. Early proponents and their intentions that sparked evidence base and outcomes are presented: the work of David Sackett, Brian Haynes, Peter Tugwell, and Victor Neufeld is discussed - how they perceived the need for better clinical outcomes that led to a more formalized evidence based practice. The fundamentals are discussed objectively in detail and potential flaws are presented that guide the reader to deeper comprehension. PMID:23506764

Working memory, age, and hearing loss: susceptibility to hearing aid distortion.

PubMed

Arehart, Kathryn H; Souza, Pamela; Baca, Rosalinda; Kates, James M

2013-01-01

Hearing aids use complex processing intended to improve speech recognition. Although many listeners benefit from such processing, it can also introduce distortion that offsets or cancels intended benefits for some individuals. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of cognitive ability (working memory) on individual listeners' responses to distortion caused by frequency compression applied to noisy speech. The present study analyzed a large data set of intelligibility scores for frequency-compressed speech presented in quiet and at a range of signal-to-babble ratios. The intelligibility data set was based on scores from 26 adults with hearing loss with ages ranging from 62 to 92 years. The listeners were grouped based on working memory ability. The amount of signal modification (distortion) caused by frequency compression and noise was measured using a sound quality metric. Analysis of variance and hierarchical linear modeling were used to identify meaningful differences between subject groups as a function of signal distortion caused by frequency compression and noise. Working memory was a significant factor in listeners' intelligibility of sentences presented in babble noise and processed with frequency compression based on sinusoidal modeling. At maximum signal modification (caused by both frequency compression and babble noise), the factor of working memory (when controlling for age and hearing loss) accounted for 29.3% of the variance in intelligibility scores. Combining working memory, age, and hearing loss accounted for a total of 47.5% of the variability in intelligibility scores. Furthermore, as the total amount of signal distortion increased, listeners with higher working memory performed better on the intelligibility task than listeners with lower working memory did. Working memory is a significant factor in listeners' responses to total signal distortion caused by cumulative effects of babble noise and frequency compression implemented with sinusoidal modeling. These results, together with other studies focused on wide-dynamic range compression, suggest that older listeners with hearing loss and poor working memory are more susceptible to distortions caused by at least some types of hearing aid signal-processing algorithms and by noise, and that this increased susceptibility should be considered in the hearing aid fitting process.

Modeling work of the dispatching service of high-rise building as queuing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dement'eva, Marina; Dement'eva, Anastasiya

2018-03-01

The article presents the results of calculating the performance indicators of the dispatcher service of a high-rise building as a queuing system with an unlimited queue. The calculation was carried out for three models: with a single control room and brigade of service, with a single control room and a specialized service, with several dispatch centers and specialized services. The aim of the work was to investigate the influence of the structural scheme of the organization of the dispatcher service of a high-rise building on the amount of operating costs and the time of processing and fulfilling applications. The problems of high-rise construction and their impact on the complication of exploitation are analyzed. The composition of exploitation activities of high-rise buildings is analyzed. The relevance of the study is justified by the need to review the role of dispatch services in the structure of management of the quality of buildings. Dispatching service from the lower level of management of individual engineering systems becomes the main link in the centralized automated management of the exploitation of high-rise buildings. With the transition to market relations, the criterion of profitability at the organization of the dispatching service becomes one of the main parameters of the effectiveness of its work. A mathematical model for assessing the efficiency of the dispatching service on a set of quality of service indicators is proposed. The structure of operating costs is presented. The algorithm of decision-making is given when choosing the optimal structural scheme of the dispatching service of a high-rise building.

Cold Agglutinin Disease; A Laboratory Challenge.

PubMed

Nikousefat, Zahra; Javdani, Moosa; Hashemnia, Mohammad; Haratyan, Abbas; Jalili, Ali

2015-10-01

Autoimmune haemolytic anemia (AIHA) is a complex process characterized by an immune reaction against red blood cell self-antigens. The analysis of specimens, drawn from patients with cold auto-immune hemolytic anemia is a difficult problem for automated hematology analyzer. This paper was written to alert technologists and pathologists to the presence of cold agglutinins and its effect on laboratory tests. A 72-year-old female presented to the Shafa laboratory for hematology profile evaluation. CBC indices showed invalid findings with the Sysmex automated hematology analyzer. Checking the laboratory process showed precipitation residue sticking to the sides of the tube. After warming the tubes, results become valid and the problem attributed to cold agglutinin disease. In this situation, aggregation of RBCs, which occurs at t < 30°C, causes invalid findings meanwhile working with automated hematology analyzer. Knowledge of this phenomenon can help prevent wasting too much time and make an early and accurate diagnosis.

Non-minimally coupled scalar field cosmology with torsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cid, Antonella; Izaurieta, Fernando; Leon, Genly; Medina, Perla; Narbona, Daniela

2018-04-01

In this work we present a generalized Brans-Dicke lagrangian including a non-minimally coupled Gauss-Bonnet term without imposing the vanishing torsion condition. In the resulting field equations, the torsion is closely related to the dynamics of the scalar field, i.e., if non-minimally coupled terms are present in the theory, then the torsion must be present. For the studied lagrangian we analyze the cosmological consequences of an effective torsional fluid and we show that this fluid can be responsible for the current acceleration of the universe. Finally, we perform a detailed dynamical system analysis to describe the qualitative features of the model, we find that accelerated stages are a generic feature of this scenario.

DAQ for commissioning and calibration of a multichannel analyzer of scintillation counters

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

Tortorici, F.; Jones, M.; Bellini, V.

We report the status of the Data Acquisition (DAQ) system for the Coordinate Detector (CDET) module of the Super Bigbite Spectrometer facility at Hall A of Thomas Jefferson Accelerator Facility. Presently, the DAQ is fully assembled and tested with one CDET module. The commissioning of CDET module, that is the goal of the tests presented here, consists essentially in the measures of the amplitude and time-over-threshold of signals from cosmic rays. Hardware checks, the developing of DAQ control and off-line analysis software are ongoing; the module currently seems to work roughly accordingly to expectations. Data presented in this note aremore » still preliminary.« less

Thermography and Sonic Anemometry to Analyze Air Heaters in Mediterranean Greenhouses

PubMed Central

López, Alejandro; Valera, Diego L.; Molina-Aiz, Francisco; Peña, Araceli

2012-01-01

The present work has developed a methodology based on thermography and sonic anemometry for studying the microclimate in Mediterranean greenhouses equipped with air heaters and polyethylene distribution ducts to distribute the warm air. Sonic anemometry allows us to identify the airflow pattern generated by the heaters and to analyze the temperature distribution inside the greenhouse, while thermography provides accurate crop temperature data. Air distribution by means of perforated polyethylene ducts at ground level, widely used in Mediterranean-type greenhouses, can generate heterogeneous temperature distributions inside the greenhouse when the system is not correctly designed. The system analyzed in this work used a polyethylene duct with a row of hot air outlet holes (all of equal diameter) that expel warm air toward the ground to avoid plant damage. We have observed that this design (the most widely used in Almería's greenhouses) produces stagnation of hot air in the highest part of the structure, reducing the heating of the crop zone. Using 88 kW heating power (146.7 W·m−2) the temperature inside the greenhouse is maintained 7.2 to 11.2 °C above the outside temperature. The crop temperature (17.6 to 19.9 °C) was maintained above the minimum recommended value of 10 °C. PMID:23202025

Principal Component Analysis in the Spectral Analysis of the Dynamic Laser Speckle Patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, K. M.; Braga, R. A., Jr.; Horgan, G. W.; Ferreira, D. D.; Safadi, T.

2014-02-01

Dynamic laser speckle is a phenomenon that interprets an optical patterns formed by illuminating a surface under changes with coherent light. Therefore, the dynamic change of the speckle patterns caused by biological material is known as biospeckle. Usually, these patterns of optical interference evolving in time are analyzed by graphical or numerical methods, and the analysis in frequency domain has also been an option, however involving large computational requirements which demands new approaches to filter the images in time. Principal component analysis (PCA) works with the statistical decorrelation of data and it can be used as a data filtering. In this context, the present work evaluated the PCA technique to filter in time the data from the biospeckle images aiming the reduction of time computer consuming and improving the robustness of the filtering. It was used 64 images of biospeckle in time observed in a maize seed. The images were arranged in a data matrix and statistically uncorrelated by PCA technique, and the reconstructed signals were analyzed using the routine graphical and numerical methods to analyze the biospeckle. Results showed the potential of the PCA tool in filtering the dynamic laser speckle data, with the definition of markers of principal components related to the biological phenomena and with the advantage of fast computational processing.

Thermography and sonic anemometry to analyze air heaters in Mediterranean greenhouses.

PubMed

López, Alejandro; Valera, Diego L; Molina-Aiz, Francisco; Peña, Araceli

2012-10-16

The present work has developed a methodology based on thermography and sonic anemometry for studying the microclimate in Mediterranean greenhouses equipped with air heaters and polyethylene distribution ducts to distribute the warm air. Sonic anemometry allows us to identify the airflow pattern generated by the heaters and to analyze the temperature distribution inside the greenhouse, while thermography provides accurate crop temperature data. Air distribution by means of perforated polyethylene ducts at ground level, widely used in Mediterranean-type greenhouses, can generate heterogeneous temperature distributions inside the greenhouse when the system is not correctly designed. The system analyzed in this work used a polyethylene duct with a row of hot air outlet holes (all of equal diameter) that expel warm air toward the ground to avoid plant damage. We have observed that this design (the most widely used in Almería's greenhouses) produces stagnation of hot air in the highest part of the structure, reducing the heating of the crop zone. Using 88 kW heating power (146.7 W ∙ m(-2)) the temperature inside the greenhouse is maintained 7.2 to 11.2 °C above the outside temperature. The crop temperature (17.6 to 19.9 °C) was maintained above the minimum recommended value of 10 °C.

Robot Guidance Using Machine Vision Techniques in Industrial Environments: A Comparative Review.

PubMed

Pérez, Luis; Rodríguez, Íñigo; Rodríguez, Nuria; Usamentiaga, Rubén; García, Daniel F

2016-03-05

In the factory of the future, most of the operations will be done by autonomous robots that need visual feedback to move around the working space avoiding obstacles, to work collaboratively with humans, to identify and locate the working parts, to complete the information provided by other sensors to improve their positioning accuracy, etc. Different vision techniques, such as photogrammetry, stereo vision, structured light, time of flight and laser triangulation, among others, are widely used for inspection and quality control processes in the industry and now for robot guidance. Choosing which type of vision system to use is highly dependent on the parts that need to be located or measured. Thus, in this paper a comparative review of different machine vision techniques for robot guidance is presented. This work analyzes accuracy, range and weight of the sensors, safety, processing time and environmental influences. Researchers and developers can take it as a background information for their future works.

Representing energy efficiency diagnosis strategies in cognitive work analysis.

PubMed

Hilliard, Antony; Jamieson, Greg A

2017-03-01

This article describes challenges encountered in applying Jens Rasmussen's Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) framework to the practice of energy efficiency Monitoring & Targeting (M&T). Eight theoretic issues encountered in the analysis are described with respect to Rasmussen's work and the modeling solutions we adopted. We grappled with how to usefully apply Work Domain Analysis (WDA) to analyze categories of domains with secondary purposes and no ideal grain of decomposition. This difficulty encouraged us to pursue Control Task (ConTA) and Strategies (StrA) analysis, which are under-explored as bases for interface design. In ConTA we found M&T was best represented by two interlinked work functions; one controlling energy, the other maintaining knowledge representations. From StrA, we identified a popular representation-dependent strategy and inferred information required to diagnose faults in system performance and knowledge representation. This article presents and discusses excerpts from our analysis, and outlines their application to diagnosis support tools. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Robot Guidance Using Machine Vision Techniques in Industrial Environments: A Comparative Review

PubMed Central

Pérez, Luis; Rodríguez, Íñigo; Rodríguez, Nuria; Usamentiaga, Rubén; García, Daniel F.

2016-01-01

In the factory of the future, most of the operations will be done by autonomous robots that need visual feedback to move around the working space avoiding obstacles, to work collaboratively with humans, to identify and locate the working parts, to complete the information provided by other sensors to improve their positioning accuracy, etc. Different vision techniques, such as photogrammetry, stereo vision, structured light, time of flight and laser triangulation, among others, are widely used for inspection and quality control processes in the industry and now for robot guidance. Choosing which type of vision system to use is highly dependent on the parts that need to be located or measured. Thus, in this paper a comparative review of different machine vision techniques for robot guidance is presented. This work analyzes accuracy, range and weight of the sensors, safety, processing time and environmental influences. Researchers and developers can take it as a background information for their future works. PMID:26959030

Helicity-Selective Phase-Matching and Quasi-Phase matching of Circularly Polarized High-Order Harmonics: Towards Chiral Attosecond Pulses

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-23

Invited Article Helicity-selective phase-matching and quasi -phase matching of circularly polarized high-order harmonics: towards chiral attosecond...chromatic lasers was recently predicted theoretically and demonstrated experimentally . In that work, phase matching was analyzed by assuming that the...Indeed, we present an experimentally measured chiral spectrum that can support a train of attosecond pulses with a high degree of circular polarization

Psychology of change: Models and implications for nuclear plants in an era of deregulation

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

Gates, W.G.; Stark, J.A.

This presentation explores the psychology of change in the implications that it has for nuclear plants during this era of deregulation. The authors analyze models that work, models that have failed in the past, and specific findings and applications based on 2 yr of research, as well as the results regarding the impact of the psychology of change on the Fort Calhoun nuclear station in Nebraska.

Image watermarking capacity analysis based on Hopfield neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Fan; Zhang, Hongbin

2004-11-01

In watermarking schemes, watermarking can be viewed as a form of communication problems. Almost all of previous works on image watermarking capacity are based on information theory, using Shannon formula to calculate the capacity of watermarking. In this paper, we present a blind watermarking algorithm using Hopfield neural network, and analyze watermarking capacity based on neural network. In our watermarking algorithm, watermarking capacity is decided by attraction basin of associative memory.

Re-Envisioning Research, Re-Presenting Self: Putting Arts Media to Work in the Analysis and Synthesis of Data on "Difference" and "Dis/ability"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perselli, Victoria

2005-01-01

In this paper the author would like to share a small section of text that emerged in the process of analyzing and synthesizing data from her self-study research into her role as a coordinator for special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream infant education in the UK. The section consists of three Imaginative Conjectures in which she re-envisions…

A knowledge representation of local pandemic influenza planning models.

PubMed

Islam, Runa; Brandeau, Margaret L; Das, Amar K

2007-10-11

Planning for pandemic flu outbreak at the small-government level can be aided through the use of mathematical policy models. Formulating and analyzing policy models, however, can be a time- and expertise-expensive process. We believe that a knowledge-based system for facilitating the instantiation of locale- and problem-specific policy models can reduce some of these costs. In this work, we present the ontology we have developed for pandemic influenza policy models.

Increasing Supercycle Lengths of Active SU UMa-type Dwarf Novae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otulakowska-Hypka, M.; Olech, A.

2014-12-01

We present observational evidence that supercycle lengths of the most active SU UMa-type stars are increasing during the past decades. We analyzed a large number of photometric measurements from available archives and found that this effect is generic for this class of stars, independently of their evolutionary status. This finding is in agreement with previous predictions and the most recent work of Patterson et al. (2012) on BK Lyn.

Value congruence, control, sense of community and demands as determinants of burnout syndrome among hospitality workers.

PubMed

Asensio-Martínez, Ángela; Leiter, Michael P; Gascón, Santiago; Gumuchian, Stephanie; Masluk, Bárbara; Herrera-Mercadal, Paola; Albesa, Agustín; García-Campayo, Javier

2017-09-07

Employees working in the hospitality industry are constantly exposed to occupational stressors that may lead employees into experiencing burnout syndrome. Research addressing the interactive effects of control, community and value congruence to alleviate the impact of workplace demands on experiencing burnout is relatively limited. The present study examined relationships among control, community and value congruence, workplace demands and the three components of burnout. A sample of 418 employees working in a variety of hospitality associations including restaurants and hotels in Spain were recruited. Moderation analyses and linear regressions analyzed the predictive power of control, community and value congruence as moderating variables. Results indicate that control, community and value congruence were successful buffers in the relationships between workplace demands and the burnout dimensions. The present findings offer suggestions for future research on potential moderating variables, as well as implications for reducing burnout among hospitality employees.

Evidence of a slight nuclear transparency in the alpha-nucleus systems

DOE PAGES

Chamon, L. C.; Gasques, L. R.; Nobre, G. P. A.; ...

2015-02-19

In earlier works, we proposed a model for the nuclear potential of the α + α and α + ¹²C systems. In addition, this theoretical model successfully described data related to the elastic and inelastic scattering processes as well as resonances that correspond to the capture reaction channel. In the present work, we extend the same model to obtain bare nuclear potentials for several α-nucleus systems. We adopt this parameter-free interaction to analyze fusion, elastic, and inelastic scattering data within the context of the coupled-channel formalism. Our results indicate that, for these systems, the absorption of flux of the elasticmore » channel at internal distances of interaction is not complete. In addition, we present new experimental angular distributions for the 2⁺ inelastic target excitation of α on ¹²⁰ ,¹³⁰Te.« less

Quantitative microscopy of the lung: a problem-based approach. Part 2: stereological parameters and study designs in various diseases of the respiratory tract.

PubMed

Mühlfeld, Christian; Ochs, Matthias

2013-08-01

Design-based stereology provides efficient methods to obtain valuable quantitative information of the respiratory tract in various diseases. However, the choice of the most relevant parameters in a specific disease setting has to be deduced from the present pathobiological knowledge. Often it is difficult to express the pathological alterations by interpretable parameters in terms of volume, surface area, length, or number. In the second part of this companion review article, we analyze the present pathophysiological knowledge about acute lung injury, diffuse parenchymal lung diseases, emphysema, pulmonary hypertension, and asthma to come up with recommendations for the disease-specific application of stereological principles for obtaining relevant parameters. Worked examples with illustrative images are used to demonstrate the work flow, estimation procedure, and calculation and to facilitate the practical performance of equivalent analyses.

A Python-based interface to examine motions in time series of solar images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campos-Rozo, J. I.; Vargas Domínguez, S.

2017-10-01

Python is considered to be a mature programming language, besides of being widely accepted as an engaging option for scientific analysis in multiple areas, as will be presented in this work for the particular case of solar physics research. SunPy is an open-source library based on Python that has been recently developed to furnish software tools to solar data analysis and visualization. In this work we present a graphical user interface (GUI) based on Python and Qt to effectively compute proper motions for the analysis of time series of solar data. This user-friendly computing interface, that is intended to be incorporated to the Sunpy library, uses a local correlation tracking technique and some extra tools that allows the selection of different parameters to calculate, vizualize and analyze vector velocity fields of solar data, i.e. time series of solar filtergrams and magnetograms.

Direction based Hazard Routing Protocol (DHRP) for disseminating road hazard information using road side infrastructures in VANETs.

PubMed

Berlin, M A; Anand, Sheila

2014-01-01

This paper presents Direction based Hazard Routing Protocol (DHRP) for disseminating information about fixed road hazards such as road blocks, tree fall, boulders on road, snow pile up, landslide, road maintenance work and other obstacles to the vehicles approaching the hazardous location. The proposed work focuses on dissemination of hazard messages on highways with sparse traffic. The vehicle coming across the hazard would report the presence of the hazard. It is proposed to use Road Side fixed infrastructure Units for reliable and timely delivery of hazard messages to vehicles. The vehicles can then take appropriate safety action to avoid the hazardous location. The proposed protocol has been implemented and tested using SUMO simulator to generate road traffic and NS 2.33 network simulator to analyze the performance of DHRP. The performance of the proposed protocol was also compared with simple flooding protocol and the results are presented.

Nanoscale Footprints of Self-Running Gallium Droplets on GaAs Surface

PubMed Central

Wu, Jiang; Wang, Zhiming M.; Li, Alvason Z.; Benamara, Mourad; Li, Shibin; Salamo, Gregory J.

2011-01-01

In this work, the nanoscale footprints of self-driven liquid gallium droplet movement on a GaAs (001) surface will be presented and analyzed. The nanoscale footprints of a primary droplet trail and ordered secondary droplets along primary droplet trails are observed on the GaAs surface. A well ordered nanoterrace from the trail is left behind by a running droplet. In addition, collision events between two running droplets are investigated. The exposed fresh surface after a collision demonstrates a superior evaporation property. Based on the observation of droplet evolution at different stages as well as nanoscale footprints, a schematic diagram of droplet evolution is outlined in an attempt to understand the phenomenon of stick-slip droplet motion on the GaAs surface. The present study adds another piece of work to obtain the physical picture of a stick-slip self-driven mechanism in nanoscale, bridging nano and micro systems. PMID:21673965

Sophisticated Calculation of the 1oo4-architecture for Safety-related Systems Conforming to IEC61508

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayek, A.; Bokhaiti, M. Al; Schwarz, M. H.; Boercsoek, J.

2012-05-01

With the publication and enforcement of the standard IEC 61508 of safety related systems, recent system architectures have been presented and evaluated. Among a number of techniques and measures to the evaluation of safety integrity level (SIL) for safety-related systems, several measures such as reliability block diagrams and Markov models are used to analyze the probability of failure on demand (PFD) and mean time to failure (MTTF) which conform to IEC 61508. The current paper deals with the quantitative analysis of the novel 1oo4-architecture (one out of four) presented in recent work. Therefore sophisticated calculations for the required parameters are introduced. The provided 1oo4-architecture represents an advanced safety architecture based on on-chip redundancy, which is 3-failure safe. This means that at least one of the four channels have to work correctly in order to trigger the safety function.

[The main illnesses causing absence from work. Analysis of the INPS data bank].

PubMed

Barbini, N; Beretta, G G; Minnucci, M P; Andreani, M

2006-01-01

Understanding the reasons which underlie absence from work due to illness can allow us to prevent harmful events, either in private life or professional activity, which represent a risk for the health of workers and can reduce their personal and professional capacities. To describe the frequency of illness in a population of workers employed by the Marche region, showing: the most common pathological events, their length and the differences in occurrence linked to gender and age of the workers. We analyzed the Marche Region INPS data bank regarding medical certificates presented by workers for the years 1999 and 2000. These medical certificates were registered by the Institute according to the nosological code (ICD-9-CM classification), length of illness, gender and age of workers. The incidence of illness in the specified two years decreases in the second year of observation passing from 0.67 to 0.64. The number of certificates for the two years is similar for males but increases significantly for females ((p < 0.001). In general the most frequent illnesses were infectious or parasitical ones (31%), followed by those affecting the respiratory apparatus (17%). Compared to women, men presented a higher risk for: burns, traumas and poisoning (OR 1.92 IC 1.81-2.03) and diseases of the cardio-circulatory apparatus (OR 1.75 IC 1.55-1.97). Regarding length of absence, the most common was between 4 and 7 days, even though a reversal of tendency was registered in 2000 with a decrease in short and very short absences from work in favour of average and long ones. The older workers, those over 40 years of age, tend to produce fewer certificates compared to their younger colleagues, but of longer absence. The highest number of days off work can be found among the older workers. According to the data we analyzed, absence from work due to illness is a complex phenomenon regarding not only gender differences but also the age of workers and the kind of work they perform.

Mars Organic Detector III: a versatile instrument for detection of bio-organic signatures on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skelley, Alison M.; Grunthaner, Frank J.; Bada, Jeffrey L.; Mathies, Richard A.

2003-07-01

Recent advances in the development of microfabricated lab-on-a-chip analysis systems have enhanced the feasibility and capabilities of in situ chemical and biochemical analyzers. While a wide variety of bio-organic molecules can be probed, we have focused our initial studies on the development of an amino acid analyzer with the hypothesis that extraterrestrial life would be based on homochiral amino acid polymers. In previous work, we developed a prototype electrophoresis chip, detection system and analysis method where the hydrolyzed amino acids were labeled with fluorescein and then analyzed in minutes via a capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) separation in the presence of cyclodextrin as the chiral recognition agent. In more recent work, we have demonstrated the feasibility of performing amino acid composition and chirality analyses using fluorescamine as the labeling reagent. Fluorescamine is advantageous because it reacts more rapidly with amino acids, has a low fluorescence background and because such a chemistry would interface directly with the Mars Organic Detector (MOD-I) concept being developed at Scripps. A more advanced analysis system called MOD-III is introduced here with the ability to analyze zwitterionic amino acids, nucleobases, sugars, and organic acids and bases using novel capture matrix chemistries. MOD-III, which is enabled by the nanoliter valves, pumps and reactors presented here, will provide a wide spectrum of organic chemical analyses and is suitable for a variety of in situ missions.

Corrosion Assessment of Steel Bars Used in Reinforced Concrete Structures by Means of Eddy Current Testing

PubMed Central

de Alcantara, Naasson P.; da Silva, Felipe M.; Guimarães, Mateus T.; Pereira, Matheus D.

2015-01-01

This paper presents a theoretical and experimental study on the use of Eddy Current Testing (ECT) to evaluate corrosion processes in steel bars used in reinforced concrete structures. The paper presents the mathematical basis of the ECT sensor built by the authors; followed by a finite element analysis. The results obtained in the simulations are compared with those obtained in experimental tests performed by the authors. Effective resistances and inductances; voltage drops and phase angles of wound coil are calculated using both; simulated and experimental data; and demonstrate a strong correlation. The production of samples of corroded steel bars; by using an impressed current technique is also presented. The authors performed experimental tests in the laboratory using handmade sensors; and the corroded samples. In the tests four gauges; with five levels of loss-of-mass references for each one were used. The results are analyzed in the light of the loss-of-mass and show a strong linear behavior for the analyzed parameters. The conclusions emphasize the feasibility of the proposed technique and highlight opportunities for future works. PMID:26712754

Corrosion Assessment of Steel Bars Used in Reinforced Concrete Structures by Means of Eddy Current Testing.

PubMed

de Alcantara, Naasson P; da Silva, Felipe M; Guimarães, Mateus T; Pereira, Matheus D

2015-12-24

This paper presents a theoretical and experimental study on the use of Eddy Current Testing (ECT) to evaluate corrosion processes in steel bars used in reinforced concrete structures. The paper presents the mathematical basis of the ECT sensor built by the authors; followed by a finite element analysis. The results obtained in the simulations are compared with those obtained in experimental tests performed by the authors. Effective resistances and inductances; voltage drops and phase angles of wound coil are calculated using both; simulated and experimental data; and demonstrate a strong correlation. The production of samples of corroded steel bars; by using an impressed current technique is also presented. The authors performed experimental tests in the laboratory using handmade sensors; and the corroded samples. In the tests four gauges; with five levels of loss-of-mass references for each one were used. The results are analyzed in the light of the loss-of-mass and show a strong linear behavior for the analyzed parameters. The conclusions emphasize the feasibility of the proposed technique and highlight opportunities for future works.

Soviet research on crystal channeling of charged particle beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kassel, S.

1985-03-01

This report presents an overview of Soviet research in charged particle beam channeling in crystals from 1972 to the present, and the resulting electromagnetic emission, including Soviet proposals for channeling emission lasers in the X-ray region of the spectrum. It analyzes Soviet attitudes toward crystal channeling of charged particles as a subject of research, describes performers of the research, and indicates the level of effort involved. It presents a brief history of crystal channeling research, the differences between channeling and other kinds of electromagnetic radiation, the definition of the main research issues, and estimates of the potential capabilities of channeling radiation, all based on the Soviet viewpoint. It then describes Soviet proposals for laser systems utilizing the channeling radiation mechanism, and analyzes Soviet experimental work involving the observation and measurement of channeling radiation. The author concludes that the outstanding feature of Soviet research in this area is the optimistic belief of Soviet specialists in the technological potential of this research, but finds that the role of the laser proposals in Soviet planning is ambiguous.

Interleukin-6 Level among Shift and Night Workers in Japan: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the J-HOPE Study.

PubMed

Amano, Hoichi; Fukuda, Yoshiharu; Yokoo, Takashi; Yamaoka, Kazue

2018-03-27

Shift workers have a high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Systemic inflammation measured has been associated with the risk of CVD onset, in addition to classical risk factors. However, the association between work schedule and inflammatory cytokine levels remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between work schedule and interleukin-6 (IL-6)/high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels among Japanese workers. The present cross-sectional study was a part of the Japanese Study of Health, Occupation and Psychosocial Factors Related Equity (J-HOPE). A total of 5259 persons who measured inflammatory cytokine were analyzed in this study. One-way analysis of variance was used to test log-transformed IL-6/hs-CRP differences by work schedule. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the difference adjusted for other possible CVD risk factors. There were 3660 participants who had a regular work schedule; the remaining schedules were shift work without night work for 181 participants, shift work with night work for 1276 participants, and only night work for 142 participants. The unadjusted model showed that only night workers were significantly related to high levels of IL-6 compared with regular workers. Even in the multiple regression analysis, the higher level of IL-6 among only night workers remained significant (β=0.058, P=0.01). On the contrary, hs-CRP was not. The present study revealed that only night shift work is significantly associated with high levels of IL-6 in Japanese workers. These observations help us understand the mechanism for the association between work schedule and CVD onset.

Work-Related Quality of Life among Medical Residents at a University Hospital in Northeastern Thailand.

PubMed

Somsila, Nattamon; Chaiear, Naesinee; Boonjaraspinyo, Sirintip; Tiamkao, Somsak

2015-12-01

1) To assess work-related quality of life (WRQOL) among medical residents at a university hospital in northeast Thailand. 2) To determine the strength of the association between personal and working condition components and WRQOL among medical residents. A descriptive study was used to describe the WRQOL among medical residents. The study population comprised of all 375 residents affiliated with the university hospital. The Thai version of a self-administered work-related quality of life scale-2 was used for data collection. Testing the reliability revealed a Cronbach's alpha of 0.908. Questionnaires were completed by 259 of 375 (68.3%). The study found that the mean rating by residents for overall WRQOL was 113.8 out of 170 (SD 14.8). Most rated WRQOL as moderate (76.6%). The seven sub-factors were rated as moderate to high for employee engagement and control at work, moderate for home/work interface, general well-being and working conditions, high-moderate for job career satisfaction, and low-moderate for stress at work. Relationships between the personal and working condition components and WRQOL were analyzed using binary logistic regression. Residents in minor specialties had a higher WRQOL than those in major specialties (OR 2.522, 95% CI: 1.37, 4.63). Residents who had less than eight duty shifts/week had a higher WRQOL than those with more than eight duty shifts/week (OR 2.263, 95% CI: 1.16, 4.41). Similarly, residents working with less than 80 hours/week had a higher WRQOL than those working more than 80 hours/week (OR 2.344, 95% CI: 1.17, 4.72). A subgroup analyzes of those working in minor specialties showed the trend that working less than eight shifts/month and working less than 80 hours/week had the potential association with good quality of work-life (QWL). This phenomenon is presented in the subgroup analyses of those working in major specialties. Therefore, working hours and number of shifts might have played important role in contributing good QWL. To increase QWL, the residents and institutions should be better managed to have the appropriate number of working hours and to increase work-life balance, working condition, general well-being, and job-career satisfaction. On the other hand, stress at work must be reduced.

The relevance of Newton's laws and selected principles of physics to dance techniques: Theory and application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Li

1999-07-01

In this study the researcher develops and presents a new model, founded on the laws of physics, for analyzing dance technique. Based on a pilot study of four advanced dance techniques, she creates a new model for diagnosing, analyzing and describing basic, intermediate and advanced dance techniques. The name for this model is ``PED,'' which stands for Physics of Expressive Dance. The research design consists of five phases: (1) Conduct a pilot study to analyze several advanced dance techniques chosen from Chinese dance, modem dance, and ballet; (2) Based on learning obtained from the pilot study, create the PED Model for analyzing dance technique; (3) Apply this model to eight categories of dance technique; (4) Select two advanced dance techniques from each category and analyze these sample techniques to demonstrate how the model works; (5) Develop an evaluation framework and use it to evaluate the effectiveness of the model, taking into account both scientific and artistic aspects of dance training. In this study the researcher presents new solutions to three problems highly relevant to dance education: (1) Dancers attempting to learn difficult movements often fail because they are unaware of physics laws; (2) Even those who do master difficult movements can suffer injury due to incorrect training methods; (3) Even the best dancers can waste time learning by trial and error, without scientific instruction. In addition, the researcher discusses how the application of the PED model can benefit dancers, allowing them to avoid inefficient and ineffective movements and freeing them to focus on the artistic expression of dance performance. This study is unique, presenting the first comprehensive system for analyzing dance techniques in terms of physics laws. The results of this study are useful, allowing a new level of awareness about dance techniques that dance professionals can utilize for more effective and efficient teaching and learning. The approach utilized in this study is universal, and can be applied to any dance movement and to any dance style.

Long working hours in the healthcare system of the Belo Horizonte municipality, Brazil: a population-based cross-sectional survey.

PubMed

Andrade, Juliana M; Assunção, Ada A; Abreu, Mery N S

2017-04-21

Health personnel are key players in developing and improving healthcare systems, caring for individuals and their communities, and helping improve quality of life. However, these professionals are often exposed to long working hours because of the pressing need for their services at potentially any time of day. The long working hours they endure are a major risk factor for both acute and chronic health problems. The present study aimed to analyze occurrences of long working hours and their association with individual characteristics and employment factors among workers in the municipal healthcare system in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. In this cross-sectional study, a ramdomly selected proportional sample of 1549 participants was analyzed from among the total of 13 602 workers in the Belo Horizonte municipal healthcare system in 2009. "Long" working hours were defined as >44 h/week. A self-administered questionnaire was used for accumulating data. Associations with outcomes were estimated using logistic regression, in univariate and multivariate models. The rate of occurrence of long working hours was 31.4% (95% CI 29.1-33.7). Lower educational level (high school, technical, or uncompleted undergraduate [OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.47-0.78 p < 0.001], or elementary [OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.19-0.55 p < 0.001]) was associated with a lower likelihood of self-reporting long working hours in relation to the group with the highest educational level (completed undergraduate or postgraduate). Male sex (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.26-2.09 p < 0.001), having children (PR 1.54, 95% CI 1.20-1.97 p = 0.001), and being in the healthcare provider group (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.40-2.35 p < 0.001) were factors associated with greater likelihood of long working hours. It was observed that number of long weekly working hours was related to individual characteristics and employment factors.

Software for keratometry measurements using portable devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iyomasa, C. M.; Ventura, L.; De Groote, J. J.

2010-02-01

In this work we present an image processing software for automatic astigmatism measurements developed for a hand held keratometer. The system projects 36 light spots, from LEDs, displayed in a precise circle at the lachrymal film of the examined cornea. The displacement, the size and deformation of the reflected image of these light spots are analyzed providing the keratometry. The purpose of this research is to develop a software that performs fast and precise calculations in mainstream mobile devices. In another words, a software that can be implemented in portable computer systems, which could be of low cost and easy to handle. This project allows portability for keratometers and is a previous work for a portable corneal topographer.

Crosstalk quantification, analysis, and trends in CMOS image sensors.

PubMed

Blockstein, Lior; Yadid-Pecht, Orly

2010-08-20

Pixel crosstalk (CTK) consists of three components, optical CTK (OCTK), electrical CTK (ECTK), and spectral CTK (SCTK). The CTK has been classified into two groups: pixel-architecture dependent and pixel-architecture independent. The pixel-architecture-dependent CTK (PADC) consists of the sum of two CTK components, i.e., the OCTK and the ECTK. This work presents a short summary of a large variety of methods for PADC reduction. Following that, this work suggests a clear quantifiable definition of PADC. Three complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors based on different technologies were empirically measured, using a unique scanning technology, the S-cube. The PADC is analyzed, and technology trends are shown.

Application of multimedia image technology in engineering report demonstration system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lili, Jiang

2018-03-01

With the rapid development of global economic integration, people’s strong desire for a wide range of global exchanges and interactions has been promoted, and there are more unprecedented convenient means for people to know the world and even to transform the world. At this stage, we realize that the traditional mode of work has become difficult to adapt to the changing trends of the world and informatization, multimedia, science and technology have become the mainstream of the times. Therefore, this paper will mainly analyze the present situation of the project report demonstration system and the key points of the work and put forward with pertinence specific application strategy of the integration with multimedia image technology.

Self-reported health in mothers: the impact of age, and socioeconomic conditions.

PubMed

Floderus, Birgitta; Hagman, Maud; Aronsson, Gunnar; Marklund, Staffan; Wikman, Anders

2008-01-01

The aim of the present analysis was to study health and well-being in mothers compared to women without children, and to analyze potential interactions with age and socioeconomic conditions. The study comprised 5,368 Swedish women born in 1960-1979 who were interviewed in any of the population-based Surveys of Living Conditions during the period 1996-2003. Having children at home was related to self-reported health symptoms and long-standing illness in multiple logistic regression models. The impact of age, cohabitation status, full-time or part-time work, and income level were analyzed. While mothers were less burdened by long-standing illness, partly due to selection mechanisms (a "healthy mother effect"), they experienced worse self-rated health and more fatigue than women without children, and the odds of poor self-rated health and fatigue increased by number of children. Conditions that strengthened the association between motherhood and impaired health were young maternal age, full-time employment, high income, and being alone. The study indicates a need for improved negotiations between parents regarding a fair share of work and family duties and extended support for lone mothers to prevent adverse health effects in women combining children and work. The results may be useful to policy-makers and employers in developing new policies.

A natural approach to convey numerical digits using hand activity recognition based on hand shape features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chidananda, H.; Reddy, T. Hanumantha

2017-06-01

This paper presents a natural representation of numerical digit(s) using hand activity analysis based on number of fingers out stretched for each numerical digit in sequence extracted from a video. The analysis is based on determining a set of six features from a hand image. The most important features used from each frame in a video are the first fingertip from top, palm-line, palm-center, valley points between the fingers exists above the palm-line. Using this work user can convey any number of numerical digits using right or left or both the hands naturally in a video. Each numerical digit ranges from 0 to9. Hands (right/left/both) used to convey digits can be recognized accurately using the valley points and with this recognition whether the user is a right / left handed person in practice can be analyzed. In this work, first the hand(s) and face parts are detected by using YCbCr color space and face part is removed by using ellipse based method. Then, the hand(s) are analyzed to recognize the activity that represents a series of numerical digits in a video. This work uses pixel continuity algorithm using 2D coordinate geometry system and does not use regular use of calculus, contours, convex hull and datasets.

Revisiting Caroline Furness's An Introduction to the Study of Variable Stars on its Centenary (Poster abstract)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, K.

2016-06-01

(Abstract only) A century and one month ago (October 1915) Dr. Caroline Ellen Furness (1869-1936), Director of the Vassar College Observatory, published An Introduction to the Study of Variable Stars. Issued in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Vassar College, the work was meant to fill a void in the literature, namely as both an introduction to the topic of variable stars and as a manual explaining how they should be observed and the resulting data analyzed. It was judged to be one of the hundred best books written by an American woman in the last hundred years at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago. The book covers the relevant history of and background on types of variable stars, star charts, catalogs, and the magnitude scale, then describes observing techniques, including visual, photographic, and photoelectric photometry. The work finishes with a discussion of light curves and patterns of variability, with a special emphasis on eclipsing binaries and long period variables. Furness's work is a valuable snapshot of the state of astronomical knowledge, technology, and observing techniques from a century ago. This presentation will analyze both Furness's book and its reception in the scientific community, and draw parallels to current advice given to beginning variable star observers.

Resource Letter MPCVW-1: Modeling Political Conflict, Violence, and Wars: A Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgenstern, Ana P.; Velásquez, Nicolás; Manrique, Pedro; Hong, Qi; Johnson, Nicholas; Johnson, Neil

2013-11-01

This Resource Letter provides a guide into the literature on modeling and explaining political conflict, violence, and wars. Although this literature is dominated by social scientists, multidisciplinary work is currently being developed in the wake of myriad methodological approaches that have sought to analyze and predict political violence. The works covered herein present an overview of this abundance of methodological approaches. Since there is a variety of possible data sets and theoretical approaches, the level of detail and scope of models can vary quite considerably. The review does not provide a summary of the available data sets, but instead highlights recent works on quantitative or multi-method approaches to modeling different forms of political violence. Journal articles and books are organized in the following topics: social movements, diffusion of social movements, political violence, insurgencies and terrorism, and civil wars.

[An Introduction to Methods for Evaluating Health Care Technology].

PubMed

Lee, Ting-Ting

2015-06-01

The rapid and continual advance of healthcare technology makes ensuring that this technology is used effectively to achieve its original goals a critical issue. This paper presents three methods that may be applied by healthcare professionals in the evaluation of healthcare technology. These methods include: the perception/experiences of users, user work-pattern changes, and chart review or data mining. The first method includes two categories: using interviews to explore the user experience and using theory-based questionnaire surveys. The second method applies work sampling to observe the work pattern changes of users. The last method conducts chart reviews or data mining to analyze the designated variables. In conclusion, while evaluative feedback may be used to improve the design and development of healthcare technology applications, the informatics competency and informatics literacy of users may be further explored in future research.

The role of speed versus working memory in predicting learning new information in multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Chiaravalloti, Nancy D; Stojanovic-Radic, Jelena; DeLuca, John

2013-01-01

The most common cognitive impairments in multiple sclerosis (MS) have been documented in specific domains, including new learning and memory, working memory, and information processing speed. However, little attempt has been made to increase our understanding of their relationship to one another. While recent studies have shown that processing speed impacts new learning and memory abilities in MS, the role of working memory in this relationship has received less attention. The present study examines the relative contribution of impaired working memory versus processing speed in new learning and memory functions in MS. Participants consisted of 51 individuals with clinically definite MS. Participants completed two measures of processing speed, two measures of working memory, and two measures of episodic memory. Data were analyzed via correlational and multiple regression analysis. Results indicate that the variance in new learning abilities in this sample was primarily associated with processing speed, with working memory exerting much less of an influence. Results are discussed in terms of the role of cognitive rehabilitation of new learning and memory abilities in persons with MS.

A 6-hour working day--effects on health and well-being.

PubMed

Akerstedt, T; Olsson, B; Ingre, M; Holmgren, M; Kecklund, G

2001-12-01

The effect of the total amount of work hours and the benefits of a shortening is frequently debated, but very little data is available. The present study compared a group (N = 41) that obtained a 9 h reduction of the working week (to a 6 h day) with a comparison group (N = 22) that retained normal work hours. Both groups were constituted of mainly female health care and day care nursery personnel. The experimental group retained full pay and extra personnel were employed to compensate for loss of hours. Questionnaire data were obtained before and 1 year after the change. The data were analyzed using a two-factor ANOVA with the interaction term year*group as the main focus. The results showed a significant interaction of year*group for social factors, sleep quality, mental fatigue, and heart/respiratory complaints, and attitude to work hours. In all cases the experimental group improved whereas the control group did not change. It was concluded that shortened work hours have clear social effects and moderate effects on well-being.

The binomial work-health in the transit of Curitiba city.

PubMed

Tokars, Eunice; Moro, Antonio Renato Pereira; Cruz, Roberto Moraes

2012-01-01

The working activity in traffic of the big cities complex interacts with the environment is often in unsafe and unhealthy imbalance favoring the binomial work - health. The aim of this paper was to analyze the relationship between work and health of taxi drivers in Curitiba, Brazil. This cross-sectional observational study with 206 individuals used a questionnaire on the organization's profile and perception of the environment and direct observation of work. It was found that the majority are male, aged between 26 and 49 years and has a high school degree. They are sedentary, like making a journey from 8 to 12 hours. They consider a stressful profession, related low back pain and are concerned about safety and accidents. 40% are smokers and consume alcoholic drink and 65% do not have or do not use devices of comfort. Risk factors present in the daily taxi constraints cause physical, cognitive and organizational and can affect your performance. It is concluded that the taxi drivers must change the unhealthy lifestyle, requiring a more efficient management of government authorities for this work is healthy and safe for all involved.

A new approach for evaluating flexible working hours.

PubMed

Giebel, Ole; Janssen, Daniela; Schomann, Carsten; Nachreiner, Friedhelm

2004-01-01

Recent studies on flexible working hours show at least some of these working time arrangements seem to be associated with impairing effects of health and well-being. According to available evidence, variability of working hours seems to play an important role. The question, however, is how this variability can be assessed and used to explain or predict impairments. Based on earlier methods used to assess shift-work effects, a time series analysis approach was applied to the matter of flexible working hours. Data on the working hours of 4 week's length of 137 respondents derived from a survey on flexible work hours involving 15 companies of different production and service sectors in Germany were converted to time series and analyzed by spectral analysis. A cluster analysis of the resulting power spectra yielded 5 clusters of flexible work hours. Analyzing these clusters for differences in reported impairments showed that workers who showed suppression of circadian and weekly rhythms experienced severest impairments, especially in circadian controlled functions like sleep and digestion. The results thus indicate that analyzing the periodicity of flexible working hours seems to be a promising approach for predicting impairments which should be investigated further in the future.

Cosmological perturbations during the Bose-Einstein condensation of dark matter

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

Freitas, R.C.; Gonçalves, S.V.B., E-mail: rodolfo.camargo@pq.cnpq.br, E-mail: sergio.vitorino@pq.cnpq.br

In the present work, we analyze the evolution of the scalar and tensorial perturbations and the quantities relevant for the physical description of the Universe, as the density contrast of the scalar perturbations and the gravitational waves energy density during the Bose-Einstein condensation of dark matter. The behavior of these parameters during the Bose-Einstein phase transition of dark matter is analyzed in details. To study the cosmological dynamics and evolution of scalar and tensorial perturbations in a Universe with and without cosmological constant we use both analytical and numerical methods. The Bose-Einstein phase transition modifies the evolution of gravitational wavesmore » of cosmological origin, as well as the process of large-scale structure formation.« less

Role of neutrino mixing in accelerated proton decay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blasone, M.; Lambiase, G.; Luciano, G. G.; Petruzziello, L.

2018-05-01

The decay of accelerated protons has been analyzed both in the laboratory frame (where the proton is accelerated) and in the comoving frame (where the proton is at rest and interacts with the Fulling-Davies-Unruh thermal bath of electrons and neutrinos). The equality between the two rates has been exhibited as an evidence of the necessity of Fulling-Davies-Unruh effect for the consistency of quantum field theory formalism. Recently, it has been argued that neutrino mixing can spoil such a result, potentially opening new scenarios in neutrino physics. In the present paper, we analyze in detail this problem, and we find that, assuming flavor neutrinos to be fundamental and working within a certain approximation, the agreement can be restored.

INTEGRAL Studies of Nonthermal Emission From the Supernova Remnants Cassiopeia A, CTA 1, and MSH 11-61A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sturner, S. J.; Beckmann, V.; Bykov, A.; Lebrun, F.; Terrier, R.

2004-01-01

We present the initial results from our study of the nonthermal continuum emission from the supernova remnants Cassiopeia A, MSB 11-61-4, a d CT-4 1. We used the INTEGRAL Core Program data to conduct this study. During the INTEGRAL mission a significant fraction of the total observing time (e.g. 35% in year one) is allocated to the Core Program and is analyzed under the auspices of the INTEGRAL Science Working Team. We report no statistically significant detections thus far but we will continue to analyze the data as more is taken. The results so far are consistent with previous measurements from e.g. RXTE and ASCA.

[Control of the legal practice of euthanasia in Belgium].

PubMed

Englert, M

2015-01-01

The Belgian law legalizing euthanasia under strict conditions came into effect September 22, 2002. Any physician performing euthanasia has to complete a registration document and to send it within four days to a federal commission whose mission is to verify that the legal conditions were fulfilled. From September 22, 2002 to December 31, 2013, 8.767 documents have been registered and analyzed by this commission. They are described in six reports referred to Parliament. The present paper analyzes the work of this commission and answers the criticisms concerning its quality and its efficiency. The allegations that clandestine euthanasia's escaping any control are performed are also discussed. In conclusion, it appears that the legal obligations concerning the practice of euthanasia in Belgium are fully effective.

Structural and magnetic analysis of Cu, Co substituted NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films

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

Sharma, Hakikat; Bala, Kanchan; Negi, N. S.

2016-05-23

In the present work we prepared NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}, Ni{sub 0.95}Cu{sub 0.05}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} and Ni{sub 0.94}Cu{sub 0.05}Co{sub 0.01} Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films by metallo-organic decomposition method (MOD) using spin coating technique. The thin films were analyzed by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and Atomic force microscope (AFM) for structural studies. The XRD patterns confirmed the ferrite phase of thin films. From AFM, we analyzed surface morphology, calculated grain size (GS) and root mean square roughness (RMSR). Room temperature magnetic properties were investigated by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM).

Image quality enhancement for skin cancer optical diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bliznuks, Dmitrijs; Kuzmina, Ilona; Bolocko, Katrina; Lihachev, Alexey

2017-12-01

The research presents image quality analysis and enhancement proposals in biophotonic area. The sources of image problems are reviewed and analyzed. The problems with most impact in biophotonic area are analyzed in terms of specific biophotonic task - skin cancer diagnostics. The results point out that main problem for skin cancer analysis is the skin illumination problems. Since it is often not possible to prevent illumination problems, the paper proposes image post processing algorithm - low frequency filtering. Practical results show diagnostic results improvement after using proposed filter. Along that, filter do not reduces diagnostic results' quality for images without illumination defects. Current filtering algorithm requires empirical tuning of filter parameters. Further work needed to test the algorithm in other biophotonic applications and propose automatic filter parameter selection.

Band structure analysis of a thin plate with periodic arrangements of slender beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serrano, Ó.; Zaera, R.; Fernández-Sáez, J.

2018-04-01

This work analyzes the wave propagation in structures composed of a periodic arrangement of vertical beams rigidly joined to a plate substrate. Three different configurations for the distribution of the beams have been analyzed: square, triangular, and hexagonal. A dimensional analysis of the problem indicates the presence of three dimensionless groups of parameters controlling the response of the system. The main features of the wave propagation have been found using numerical procedures based on the Finite Element Method, through the application of the Bloch's theorem for the corresponding primitive unit cells. Illustrative examples of the effect of the different dimensionless parameters on the dynamic behavior of the system are presented, providing information relevant for design.

Different roles of electron beam in two stream instability in an elliptical waveguide for generation and amplification of THz electromagnetic waves

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

Safari, S.; Jazi, B., E-mail: jaziada@kashanu.ac.ir; Jahanbakht, S.

2016-08-15

In this work, two stream instability in a metallic waveguide with elliptical cross-section and with a hollow annular dielectric layer is studied for generation and amplification of THz electromagnetic waves. Dispersion relation of waves and their dependents to geometric dimensions and characteristics of the electron beam are analyzed. In continuation, the diagrams of growth rate for some operating frequencies are presented, so that effective factors on the growth rates, such as geometrical dimensions, dielectric constant of dielectric layer, accelerating voltage, and applied current intensity are analyzed. It is shown that while an electron beam is responsible for instability, another electronmore » beam plays a stabilizing role.« less

Risk-based Analysis of Construction Accidents in Iran During 2007-2011-Meta Analyze Study.

PubMed

Amiri, Mehran; Ardeshir, Abdollah; Fazel Zarandi, Mohammad Hossein

2014-04-01

The present study aimed to investigate the characteristics of occupational accidents and frequency and severity of work related accidents in the construction industry among Iranian insured workers during the years 20072011. The Iranian Social Security Organization (ISSO) accident database containing 21,864 cases between the years 2007-2011 was applied in this study. In the next step, Total Accident Rate (TRA), Total Severity Index (TSI), and Risk Factor (RF) were defined. The core of this work is devoted to analyzing the data from different perspectives such as age of workers, occupation and construction phase, day of the week, time of the day, seasonal analysis, regional considerations, type of accident, and body parts affected. Workers between 15-19 years old (TAR=13.4%) are almost six times more exposed to risk of accident than the average of all ages (TAR=2.51%). Laborers and structural workers (TAR=66.6%) and those working at heights (TAR=47.2%) experience more accidents than other groups of workers. Moreover, older workers over 65 years old (TSI=1.97%> average TSI=1.60%), work supervisors (TSI=12.20% >average TSI=9.09%), and night shift workers (TSI=1.89% >average TSI=1.47%) are more prone to severe accidents. It is recommended that laborers, young workers, weekend and night shift workers be supervised more carefully in the workplace. Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be compulsory in working environments, and special attention should be undertaken to people working outdoors and at heights. It is also suggested that policymakers pay more attention to the improvement of safety conditions in deprived and cold western regions.

Are status inconsistency, work stress and work-family conflict associated with depressive symptoms? Testing prospective evidence in the lidA study.

PubMed

Peter, Richard; March, Stefanie; du Prel, Jean-Baptist

2016-02-01

Depressive symptoms are common and economically relevant. Women suffer more often than men do. We analyze associations between social status inconsistency, psychosocial factors, and depressive symptoms stratified by gender. In the present study, 3340 employees of two age cohorts (1959, 1965) working in two waves (2011, 2014) of the prospective German lidA-study and who gave written consent to link register data regarding their employment histories were included. Gender-specific influences of social status inconsistency (deviation of observed income from expected average income based on acquired education) on depressive symptoms and mediation of these associations by work stress in terms of effort-reward-imbalance (ERI) and work-family-conflict (WFC) were analyzed with confirmatory cross-lagged path models. Among men, consistent status (i.e., average income in a specific educational group) increased the frequency of depressive symptoms. No association between negative SSI (i.e., income below the average income given a specific educational attainment) or positive SSI (i.e., income above the average income given a specific educational attainment) and depressive symptoms was observed among men or women. ERI and WFC were longitudinally associated with the outcome and differed slightly regarding gender, i.e., showing stronger effects of ERI for women and of WFC for men. Mediation of the association between social status and depressive symptoms was observed for men and for consistent status (path: consistent status → ERI → depressive symptoms) but not for SSI. ERI and WFC increase the risk of future episodes with depressive symptoms in men and in women irrespective of SSI, occupational position, full- or part-time work, regional factors or individual characteristics. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Risk-based Analysis of Construction Accidents in Iran During 2007-2011-Meta Analyze Study

PubMed Central

AMIRI, Mehran; ARDESHIR, Abdollah; FAZEL ZARANDI, Mohammad Hossein

2014-01-01

Abstract Background The present study aimed to investigate the characteristics of occupational accidents and frequency and severity of work related accidents in the construction industry among Iranian insured workers during the years 20072011. Methods The Iranian Social Security Organization (ISSO) accident database containing 21,864 cases between the years 2007-2011 was applied in this study. In the next step, Total Accident Rate (TRA), Total Severity Index (TSI), and Risk Factor (RF) were defined. The core of this work is devoted to analyzing the data from different perspectives such as age of workers, occupation and construction phase, day of the week, time of the day, seasonal analysis, regional considerations, type of accident, and body parts affected. Results Workers between 15-19 years old (TAR=13.4%) are almost six times more exposed to risk of accident than the average of all ages (TAR=2.51%). Laborers and structural workers (TAR=66.6%) and those working at heights (TAR=47.2%) experience more accidents than other groups of workers. Moreover, older workers over 65 years old (TSI=1.97%> average TSI=1.60%), work supervisors (TSI=12.20% >average TSI=9.09%), and night shift workers (TSI=1.89% >average TSI=1.47%) are more prone to severe accidents. Conclusion It is recommended that laborers, young workers, weekend and night shift workers be supervised more carefully in the workplace. Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be compulsory in working environments, and special attention should be undertaken to people working outdoors and at heights. It is also suggested that policymakers pay more attention to the improvement of safety conditions in deprived and cold western regions. PMID:26005662

Measurement of N2O and CH4 soil fluxes from garden, agricultural and natural soils using both closed and open chamber systems coupled with high-precision CRDS analyzer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Yonggang; Jacobson, Gloria; Alexander, Chris; Fleck, Derek; Hoffnagel, John; Del Campo, Bernardo; Rella, Chris

2013-04-01

Studying the emission and uptake of greenhouse gases from soil is essential for understanding, adapting to and ultimately mitigating the effects of climate change. To-date, majority of such studies have been focused on carbon dioxide (CO2 ) , however, in 2006 the EPA estimated that "Agricultural activities currently generate the largest share, 63 percent, of the world's anthropogenic non-carbon dioxide (non-CO2) emissions (84 percent of nitrous oxide [N2O] and 52 percent of methane[CH4]), and make up roughly 15 percent of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions" (Prentice et al., 2001). Therefore, enabling accurate N2O and CH4 flux measurements in the field are clearly critical to our ability to better constrain carbon and nitrogen budgets, characterize soil sensitivities, agricultural practices, and microbial processes like denitrification and nitrification. To aide in these studies, Picarro has developed a new analyzer based on its proven, NIR technology platform, which is capable of measuring both N2O and CH4 down to ppb levels in a single, field-deployable analyzer. This analyzer measures N2O with a 1-sigma, precision of 3.5 ppb and CH4 with a 1-sigma precision of 3ppb on a 5 minute average. The instrument also has extremely low drift to enable accurate measurements with infrequent calibrations. The data rate of the analyzer is on the order of 5 seconds in order to capture fast, episodic emission events. One of the keys to making accurate CRDS measurements is to thoroughly characterize and correct for spectral interfering species. This is especially important for closed system soil chambers used on agricultural soils where a variety of soil amendments may be applied and gases not usually present in ambient air could concentrate to high levels. In this work, we present the results of analyzer interference testing and corrections completed for the interference of carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, ethane, ethylene, acetylene, and water on N2O. In addition, we will present the results of testing done with the analyzer attached to both closed and open chamber systems to quantify fluxes of N2O and CH4 from active soil samples. The soil samples were collected by the University of Iowa from soil test sites used for studying the application of biochar as a soil amendment. Results will compare the two chamber methodologies and results from several soil sample types, garden, agricultural and natural. Preliminary results from laboratory measurements of soil core samples taken from a garden soil sample using the closed-system chamber method show N2O emission to be on the order of 5.67 x 10-2 μg/cm3*hr, which is in good agreement with the open-system chamber method tested on the same soil sample, which yielded fluxes of 6.01 x 10-2 μg/cm3*hr . Additional work presented will verify these initial results and will be compared to literature such as Hutchinsion and Livingston 1993 assessment of the bias of different chamber flux methodologies.

Life satisfaction of Swedish pediatric oncologists: The role of personality, work-related aspects, and emotional distress.

PubMed

Stenmarker, Margaretha; Palmérus, Kerstin; Márky, Ildikó

2009-12-15

The first nationwide, population-based study of Swedish pediatric oncologists was conducted in 2006 and it revealed that various aspects of their life satisfaction obviously influenced their stress-resilience. This second part of the study, with a response rate of 89% in the target group, therefore, focused on their life satisfaction and the role of personality, work-related aspects, and emotional distress related to type of medical center and gender. This descriptive study was based on a cross-sectional mail survey with questionnaires involving 90 pediatric oncologists. Using hierarchical regression models, their total, present, past, and future life satisfaction was analyzed. The vast majority (76.7%) stated that working in this medical field was very stimulating for their personal development. Male pediatricians were more satisfied with their present lives and physicians working at academic medical centers were more confident about the future. Some oncologists (13.4%), in particular females at non-academic medical centers, needed professional help dealing with work-related psychological problems. Personality trait (Hedonic Capacity) and low levels of depression contributed to every aspect of overall life satisfaction. Work-related aspects influenced present and future life satisfaction. The models explained between 5% and 43% of the variance in life satisfaction in the whole group. Pediatric oncologists face life-threatening conditions and psychosocial issues factors that may negatively influence their life satisfaction. This study group, a single population of physicians, is characterized by an optimistic attitude and stable emotional status pointing to a high level of satisfaction, which is probably a main basic condition when meeting seriously ill children. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Comment on "Spontaneous liquid-liquid phase separation of water"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limmer, David T.; Chandler, David

2015-01-01

Yagasaki et al. [Phys. Rev. E 89, 020301 (2014), 10.1103/PhysRevE.89.020301] present results from a molecular dynamics trajectory illustrating coarsening of ice, which they interpret as evidence of transient coexistence between two distinct supercooled phases of liquid water. We point out that neither two distinct liquids nor criticality are demonstrated in this simulation study. Instead, the illustrated trajectory is consistent with coarsening behaviors analyzed and predicted in earlier work by others.

Questionnaire Construction Manual Annex. Questionnaires: Literature Survey and Bibliography

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-01

from the work of Hamel, Braby, Terrell, and Thomas (1·983). 𔃺’ lIFormat models on which learning aids are based present guidance on how to apply...alternatives in a survey. Sources of information about federal involvement in a model city. project was the topic area. A modified example of their...these sets of descriptions are then analyzed using conjoint measurement in order to find a mathematical model that describes the person’s ordering. This

Review: Authentication and traceability of foods from animal origin by polymerase chain reaction-based capillary electrophoresis.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Ramírez, Roberto; González-Córdova, Aarón F; Vallejo-Cordoba, Belinda

2011-01-31

This work presents an overview of the applicability of PCR-based capillary electrophoresis (CE) in food authentication and traceability of foods from animal origin. Analytical approaches for authenticating and tracing meat and meat products and fish and seafood products are discussed. Particular emphasis will be given to the usefulness of genotyping in food tracing by using CE-based genetic analyzers. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of the prevailing physics codes: LEOPARD, LASER, and EPRI-CELL

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

Lan, J.S.

1981-01-01

In order to analyze core performance and fuel management, it is necessary to verify reactor physics codes in great detail. This kind of work not only serves the purpose of understanding and controlling the characteristics of each code, but also ensures the reliability as codes continually change due to constant modifications and machine transfers. This paper will present the results of a comprehensive verification of three code packages - LEOPARD, LASER, and EPRI-CELL.

Glucose as the Sole Metabolic Fuel: A Study on the Possible Influence of Teachers' Knowledge on the Establishment of a Misconception among Brazilian High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

da Luz, Mauricio Roberto Motta Pinto

2008-01-01

In the present work, I investigated the origin of the misconception that glucose is the sole metabolic fuel previously described among Brazilian high school students. The results of a multiple-choice test composed of 24 questions about a broad range of biology subjects were analyzed. The test was part of a contest and was answered by a sample…

Nondestructive study of corrosion by the analysis of diffused light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogert, Elsa N.; Landau, Monica R.; Marengo, Jose A.; Ruiz Gale, Maria F.; Gaggioli, Nestor G.; Paiva, Raul D., Jr.; Soga, Diogo; Muramatsu, Mikiya

1999-07-01

This work describes the application of mean intensity diffusion analysis to detect and analyze metallic corrosion phenomena. We present some new results in the characterization of the corrosion process using a model based in electroerosion phenomena. Valuable information is provided about surface microrelief changes, which is also useful for numerous engineering applications. The quality of our results supports the idea that this technique can contribute to a better analysis of corrosion processes, in particular in real time.

Using robotics construction kits as metacognitive tools: a research in an Italian primary school.

PubMed

La Paglia, Filippo; Caci, Barbara; La Barbera, Daniele; Cardaci, Maurizio

2010-01-01

The present paper is aimed at analyzing the process of building and programming robots as a metacognitive tool. Quantitative data and qualitative observations from a research performed in a sample of children attending an Italian primary school are described in this work. Results showed that robotics activities may be intended as a new metacognitive environment that allows children to monitor themselves and control their learning actions in an autonomous and self-centered way.

Landing site rationality scaling for subsurface sampling on Mars—Case study for ExoMars Rover-like missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kereszturi, Akos

2012-11-01

Subsurface sampling will be important in the robotic exploration of Mars in the future, and this activity requires a somewhat different approach in landing site selection than earlier, surface analysis focused missions. In this work theoretical argumentation for the selection of ideal sites is summarized, including various parameters that were defined as examples for the earlier four candidate landing sites of Mars Science Laboratory. The aim here was to compare interesting sites; the decision on the final site does not affect this work. Analyzing the theoretical background, to identify ideal locations for subsurface analysis, several factors could be identified by remote sensing, including the dust and dune coverage, the cap layer distribution as well as the location of probable important outcrops. Beyond the fact that image based information on the rock hardness on Mars is lacking, more work would be also useful to put the interesting sites into global context and to understand the role of secondary cratering in age estimation. More laboratory work would be also necessary to improve our knowledge on the extraction and preservation of organic materials under different conditions. Beyond the theoretical argumentation mentioned above, the size and accessibility of possible important shallow subsurface materials were analyzed at the four earlier candidate landing sites of Mars Science Laboratory. At the sample terrains, interesting but inaccessible, interesting and sideward accessible, and interesting and from above accessible outcrops were identified. Surveying these outcrop types at the sample terrains, the currently available datasets showed only 3-9% of exposed strata over the entire analyzed area is present at Eberswalde and Holden crater, and individual outcrops have an average diameter between 100 and 400 m there. For Gale crater and Mawrth Valles region, these parameters were 46-35% of exposed strata, with an average outcrop diameter of ˜300 m. In the case of the first two sites smaller and elongated outcrops were present in larger number, while in the second group average sizes of outcrops were around 3000 m in diameter. The analysis suggests that for future missions aimed at subsurface sampling, different exploration strategies would be ideal at different terrains, and the target terrain's characteristics should be taken into account during the planning phase of the mission.

Contributions of speech-language therapy to the integration of individuals with Down syndrome in the workplace.

PubMed

Barbosa, Talita Maria Monteiro Farias; Lima, Ivonaldo Leidson Barbosa; Alves, Giorvan Ânderson Dos Santos; Delgado, Isabelle Cahino

2018-03-01

To analyze the contributions of speech-language therapy in the integration of young individuals with Down syndrome (DS) into the workplace, with reference to their professionalization. A questionnaire was distributed to eight undergraduate students (tutors) who participated in a project with individuals with DS, five mothers of individuals with DS, and five employees from the institution in which the present study was conducted. The questionnaire assessed the communication, memory, behavior, social interaction, autonomy and independence of the participants with DS, called "trainees". The trainees were employed in one of five routine work sectors at the university that conducted the present study. The data collected in this descriptive and cross-sectional study were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The Research Ethics Committee of the affiliated institute approved the project. Mothers and tutors rated the trainees' language skills as "good". However, their ratings differed from those of the participating employees. After the trainees with DS were placed in a work environment, significant changes were observed in their communication and autonomy. There was no improvement in the trainees' independence, but after training noticeable changes were observed in their social behavior and autonomy. Speech-language therapy during vocational training led to positive changes in the social behavior of individuals with DS, as evidenced by an increase in their autonomy and communication.

Experiences of experts about the instances of plagiarism.

PubMed

Keyvanara, Mahmod; Ojaghi, Rezvan; Sohrabi, Mozafar Cheshmeh; Papi, Ahmad

2013-01-01

Plagiarism is defined as intentional deceiving or lack of honesty, which deprives others from both material and spiritual possessions. Ethics is considered as one of the most important aspects of evaluating the quality of higher education. Moreover, scientific ethics should be reflected from university values, as a specialized institution, rather than being a reflection of the others cares. Therefore, the main aim of the present study is explore of expert experiences about plagiarism in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. This study employed qualitative method with using in-deep interview. The research participants consisted of 21, who tend to this work. Semi structure interview were conducted and recorded. The method of analyzing data was 'thematic analysis'. The data were transcribed and saved on computer after each interview. Themes and sub-themes were extracted. Finally, relevant sub-themes were arranged in a category and suggested were presented. Analyzing data showed 600 primary codes, 40 sub-themes and 6 themes. The main themes included repeated works, non-normative adoption, non-normative adaptation, shares distribution, forging, and profit-seeking, each of which consisted of one or several subgroups. The findings of this study show that since, there are numerous ways of cheating, the universities' research committees must create institutions in order to educate the individuals how to avoid plagiarism. In addition, providing information about different types of scientific violations, as well as their following punishments might lead to the decrease of such misbehaviors.

Automation on the generation of genome-scale metabolic models.

PubMed

Reyes, R; Gamermann, D; Montagud, A; Fuente, D; Triana, J; Urchueguía, J F; de Córdoba, P Fernández

2012-12-01

Nowadays, the reconstruction of genome-scale metabolic models is a nonautomatized and interactive process based on decision making. This lengthy process usually requires a full year of one person's work in order to satisfactory collect, analyze, and validate the list of all metabolic reactions present in a specific organism. In order to write this list, one manually has to go through a huge amount of genomic, metabolomic, and physiological information. Currently, there is no optimal algorithm that allows one to automatically go through all this information and generate the models taking into account probabilistic criteria of unicity and completeness that a biologist would consider. This work presents the automation of a methodology for the reconstruction of genome-scale metabolic models for any organism. The methodology that follows is the automatized version of the steps implemented manually for the reconstruction of the genome-scale metabolic model of a photosynthetic organism, Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. The steps for the reconstruction are implemented in a computational platform (COPABI) that generates the models from the probabilistic algorithms that have been developed. For validation of the developed algorithm robustness, the metabolic models of several organisms generated by the platform have been studied together with published models that have been manually curated. Network properties of the models, like connectivity and average shortest mean path of the different models, have been compared and analyzed.

Gesture Analysis for Astronomy Presentation Software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, Marc A.

Astronomy presentation software in a planetarium setting provides a visually stimulating way to introduce varied scientific concepts, including computer science concepts, to a wide audience. However, the underlying computational complexity and opportunities for discussion are often overshadowed by the brilliance of the presentation itself. To bring this discussion back out into the open, a method needs to be developed to make the computer science applications more visible. This thesis introduces the GAAPS system, which endeavors to implement free-hand gesture-based control of astronomy presentation software, with the goal of providing that talking point to begin the discussion of computer science concepts in a planetarium setting. The GAAPS system incorporates gesture capture and analysis in a unique environment presenting unique challenges, and introduces a novel algorithm called a Bounding Box Tree to create and select features for this particular gesture data. This thesis also analyzes several different machine learning techniques to determine a well-suited technique for the classification of this particular data set, with an artificial neural network being chosen as the implemented algorithm. The results of this work will allow for the desired introduction of computer science discussion into the specific setting used, as well as provide for future work pertaining to gesture recognition with astronomy presentation software.

Inspection of defects of composite materials in inner cylindrical surfaces using endoscopic shearography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macedo, Fabiano Jorge; Benedet, Mauro Eduardo; Fantin, Analucia Vieira; Willemann, Daniel Pedro; da Silva, Fábio Aparecido Alves; Albertazzi, Armando

2018-05-01

This work presents the development of a special shearography system with radial sensitivity and explores its applicability for detecting adhesion flaws on internal surfaces of flanged joints of composite material pipes. The inspection is performed from the inner surface of the tube where the flange is adhered. The system uses two conical mirrors to achieve radial sensitivity. A primary 45° conical mirror is responsible for promoting the inspection of the internal tubular surface on its 360° A special Michelson interferometer is formed replacing one of the plane mirrors by a conical mirror. The image reflected by this conical mirror is shifted away from the image center in a radial way and a radial shear is produced on the images. The concept was developed and a prototype built and tested. First, two tubular steel specimens internally coated with composite material and having known artificial defects were analyzed to test the ability of the system to detect the flaws. After the principle validation, two flanged joints were then analyzed: (a) a reference one, without any artificial defects and (b) a test one with known artificial defects, simulating adhesion failures with different dimensions and locations. In all cases, thermal loading was applied through a hot air blower on the outer surface of the joint. The system presented very good results on all inspected specimens, being able to detect adhesion flaws present in the flanged joints. The experimental results obtained in this work are promising and open a new front for inspections of inner surfaces of pipes with shearography.

Evaluation and Improvement of Liquid Propellant Rocket Chugging Analysis Techniques. Part 1: A One-Dimensional Analysis of Low Frequency Combustion Instability in the Fuel Preburner of the Space Shuttle Main Engine. Final Report M.S. Thesis - Aug. 1986

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lim, Kair Chuan

1986-01-01

Low frequency combustion instability, known as chugging, is consistently experienced during shutdown in the fuel and oxidizer preburners of the Space Shuttle Main Engines. Such problems always occur during the helium purge of the residual oxidizer from the preburner manifolds during the shutdown sequence. Possible causes and triggering mechanisms are analyzed and details in modeling the fuel preburner chug are presented. A linearized chugging model, based on the foundation of previous models, capable of predicting the chug occurrence is discussed and the predicted results are presented and compared to experimental work performed by NASA. Sensitivity parameters such as chamber pressure, fuel and oxidizer temperatures, and the effective bulk modulus of the liquid oxidizer are considered in analyzing the fuel preburner chug. The computer program CHUGTEST is utilized to generate the stability boundary for each sensitivity study and the region for stable operation is identified.

Deriving the solar activity cycle modulation on cosmic ray intensity observed by Nagoya muon detector from October 1970 until December 2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Mendonça, Rafael R. S.; Braga, Carlos. R.; Echer, Ezequiel; Dal Lago, Alisson; Rockenbach, Marlos; Schuch, Nelson J.; Munakata, Kazuoki

2017-10-01

It is well known that the cosmic ray intensity observed at the Earth's surface presents an 11 and 22-yr variations associated with the solar activity cycle. However, the observation and analysis of this modulation through ground muon detectors datahave been difficult due to the temperature effect. Furthermore, instrumental changes or temporary problems may difficult the analysis of these variations. In this work, we analyze the cosmic ray intensity observed since October 1970 until December 2012 by the Nagoya muon detector. We show the results obtained after analyzing all discontinuities and gaps present in this data and removing changes not related to natural phenomena. We also show the results found using the mass weighted method for eliminate the influence of atmospheric temperature changes on muon intensity observed at ground. As a preliminary result of our analyses, we show the solar cycle modulation in the muon intensity observed for more than 40 years.

Live biospeckle laser imaging of root tissues.

PubMed

Braga, Roberto A; Dupuy, L; Pasqual, M; Cardoso, R R

2009-06-01

Live imaging is now a central component for the study of plant developmental processes. Currently, most techniques are extremely constraining: they rely on the marking of specific cellular structures which generally apply to model species because they require genetic transformations. The biospeckle laser (BSL) system was evaluated as an instrument to measure biological activity in plant tissues. The system allows collecting biospeckle patterns from roots which are grown in gels. Laser illumination has been optimized to obtain the images without undesirable specular reflections from the glass tube. Data on two different plant species were obtained and the ability of three different methods to analyze the biospeckle patterns are presented. The results showed that the biospeckle could provide quantitative indicators of the molecular activity from roots which are grown in gel substrate in tissue culture. We also presented a particular experimental configuration and the optimal approach to analyze the images. This may serve as a basis to further works on live BSL in order to study root development.

Comparison of floods non-stationarity detection methods: an Austrian case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salinas, Jose Luis; Viglione, Alberto; Blöschl, Günter

2016-04-01

Non-stationarities in flood regimes have a huge impact in any mid and long term flood management strategy. In particular the estimation of design floods is very sensitive to any kind of flood non-stationarity, as they should be linked to a return period, concept that can be ill defined in a non-stationary context. Therefore it is crucial when analyzing existent flood time series to detect and, where possible, attribute flood non-stationarities to changing hydroclimatic and land-use processes. This works presents the preliminary results of applying different non-stationarity detection methods on annual peak discharges time series over more than 400 gauging stations in Austria. The kind of non-stationarities analyzed include trends (linear and non-linear), breakpoints, clustering beyond stochastic randomness, and detection of flood rich/flood poor periods. Austria presents a large variety of landscapes, elevations and climates that allow us to interpret the spatial patterns obtained with the non-stationarity detection methods in terms of the dominant flood generation mechanisms.

Evolving landscape of low-energy nuclear physics publications

DOE PAGES

Pritychenko, B.

2016-10-01

Evolution of low-energy nuclear physics publications over the last 120 years has been analyzed using nuclear physics databases. An extensive study of Nuclear Science References, Experimental Nuclear Reaction Data (EXFOR), and Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data File (ENSDF) contents provides a unique picture of refereed and non-refereed nuclear physics references. Significant fractional contributions of non-refereed reports, private communications and conference proceedings in EXFOR and ENSDF databases in the 1970’s reflect extensive experimental campaigns and an insufficient number of research journals. This trend has been reversed in recent years because the number of measurements is much lower, while number of journals ismore » higher. In addition, nuclear physics results are mainly published in a limited number of journals, such as Physical Review C and Nuclear Physics A. In the present work, historic publication trends and averages have been extracted and analyzed using nuclear data mining techniques. Lastly, the results of this study and implications are discussed and conclusions presented.« less

Evolving landscape of low-energy nuclear physics publications

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

Pritychenko, B.

Evolution of low-energy nuclear physics publications over the last 120 years has been analyzed using nuclear physics databases. An extensive study of Nuclear Science References, Experimental Nuclear Reaction Data (EXFOR), and Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data File (ENSDF) contents provides a unique picture of refereed and non-refereed nuclear physics references. Significant fractional contributions of non-refereed reports, private communications and conference proceedings in EXFOR and ENSDF databases in the 1970’s reflect extensive experimental campaigns and an insufficient number of research journals. This trend has been reversed in recent years because the number of measurements is much lower, while number of journals ismore » higher. In addition, nuclear physics results are mainly published in a limited number of journals, such as Physical Review C and Nuclear Physics A. In the present work, historic publication trends and averages have been extracted and analyzed using nuclear data mining techniques. Lastly, the results of this study and implications are discussed and conclusions presented.« less

Vector network analyzer ferromagnetic resonance spectrometer with field differential detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamaru, S.; Tsunegi, S.; Kubota, H.; Yuasa, S.

2018-05-01

This work presents a vector network analyzer ferromagnetic resonance (VNA-FMR) spectrometer with field differential detection. This technique differentiates the S-parameter by applying a small binary modulation field in addition to the DC bias field to the sample. By setting the modulation frequency sufficiently high, slow sensitivity fluctuations of the VNA, i.e., low-frequency components of the trace noise, which limit the signal-to-noise ratio of the conventional VNA-FMR spectrometer, can be effectively removed, resulting in a very clean FMR signal. This paper presents the details of the hardware implementation and measurement sequence as well as the data processing and analysis algorithms tailored for the FMR spectrum obtained with this technique. Because the VNA measures a complex S-parameter, it is possible to estimate the Gilbert damping parameter from the slope of the phase variation of the S-parameter with respect to the bias field. We show that this algorithm is more robust against noise than the conventional algorithm based on the linewidth.

Intelligent control of a planning system for astronaut training.

PubMed

Ortiz, J; Chen, G

1999-07-01

This work intends to design, analyze and solve, from the systems control perspective, a complex, dynamic, and multiconstrained planning system for generating training plans for crew members of the NASA-led International Space Station. Various intelligent planning systems have been developed within the framework of artificial intelligence. These planning systems generally lack a rigorous mathematical formalism to allow a reliable and flexible methodology for their design, modeling, and performance analysis in a dynamical, time-critical, and multiconstrained environment. Formulating the planning problem in the domain of discrete-event systems under a unified framework such that it can be modeled, designed, and analyzed as a control system will provide a self-contained theory for such planning systems. This will also provide a means to certify various planning systems for operations in the dynamical and complex environments in space. The work presented here completes the design, development, and analysis of an intricate, large-scale, and representative mathematical formulation for intelligent control of a real planning system for Space Station crew training. This planning system has been tested and used at NASA-Johnson Space Center.

Quantum and Information Thermodynamics: A Unifying Framework Based on Repeated Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strasberg, Philipp; Schaller, Gernot; Brandes, Tobias; Esposito, Massimiliano

2017-04-01

We expand the standard thermodynamic framework of a system coupled to a thermal reservoir by considering a stream of independently prepared units repeatedly put into contact with the system. These units can be in any nonequilibrium state and interact with the system with an arbitrary strength and duration. We show that this stream constitutes an effective resource of nonequilibrium free energy, and we identify the conditions under which it behaves as a heat, work, or information reservoir. We also show that this setup provides a natural framework to analyze information erasure ("Landauer's principle") and feedback-controlled systems ("Maxwell's demon"). In the limit of a short system-unit interaction time, we further demonstrate that this setup can be used to provide a thermodynamically sound interpretation to many effective master equations. We discuss how nonautonomously driven systems, micromasers, lasing without inversion and the electronic Maxwell demon can be thermodynamically analyzed within our framework. While the present framework accounts for quantum features (e.g., squeezing, entanglement, coherence), we also show that quantum resources do not offer any advantage compared to classical ones in terms of the maximum extractable work.

Sensitivity analysis of Repast computational ecology models with R/Repast.

PubMed

Prestes García, Antonio; Rodríguez-Patón, Alfonso

2016-12-01

Computational ecology is an emerging interdisciplinary discipline founded mainly on modeling and simulation methods for studying ecological systems. Among the existing modeling formalisms, the individual-based modeling is particularly well suited for capturing the complex temporal and spatial dynamics as well as the nonlinearities arising in ecosystems, communities, or populations due to individual variability. In addition, being a bottom-up approach, it is useful for providing new insights on the local mechanisms which are generating some observed global dynamics. Of course, no conclusions about model results could be taken seriously if they are based on a single model execution and they are not analyzed carefully. Therefore, a sound methodology should always be used for underpinning the interpretation of model results. The sensitivity analysis is a methodology for quantitatively assessing the effect of input uncertainty in the simulation output which should be incorporated compulsorily to every work based on in-silico experimental setup. In this article, we present R/Repast a GNU R package for running and analyzing Repast Simphony models accompanied by two worked examples on how to perform global sensitivity analysis and how to interpret the results.

3D Flow visualization in virtual reality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pietraszewski, Noah; Dhillon, Ranbir; Green, Melissa

2017-11-01

By viewing fluid dynamic isosurfaces in virtual reality (VR), many of the issues associated with the rendering of three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional screen can be addressed. In addition, viewing a variety of unsteady 3D data sets in VR opens up novel opportunities for education and community outreach. In this work, the vortex wake of a bio-inspired pitching panel was visualized using a three-dimensional structural model of Q-criterion isosurfaces rendered in virtual reality using the HTC Vive. Utilizing the Unity cross-platform gaming engine, a program was developed to allow the user to control and change this model's position and orientation in three-dimensional space. In addition to controlling the model's position and orientation, the user can ``scroll'' forward and backward in time to analyze the formation and shedding of vortices in the wake. Finally, the user can toggle between different quantities, while keeping the time step constant, to analyze flow parameter relationships at specific times during flow development. The information, data, or work presented herein was funded in part by an award from NYS Department of Economic Development (DED) through the Syracuse Center of Excellence.

Toward development of mobile application for hand arthritis screening.

PubMed

Akhbardeh, Farhad; Vasefi, Fartash; Tavakolian, Kouhyar; Bradley, David; Fazel-Rezai, Reza

2015-01-01

Arthritis is one of the most common health problems affecting people throughout the world. The goal of the work presented in this paper is to provide individuals, who may be developing or have developed arthritis, with a mobile application to assess and monitor the progress of their disease using their smartphone. The image processing algorithm includes finger border detection algorithm to monitor joint thickness and angular deviation abnormalities, which are common symptoms of arthritis. In this work, we have analyzed and compared gradient, thresholding and Canny algorithms for border detection. The effect of image spatial resolution (down-sampling) is also investigated. The results calculated based on 36 joint measurements show that the mean errors for gradient, thresholding, and Canny methods are 0.20, 2.13, and 2.03 mm, respectively. In addition, the average error for different image resolutions is analyzed and the minimum required resolution is determined for each method. The results confirm that recent smartphone imaging capabilities can provide enough accuracy for hand border detection and finger joint analysis based on gradient method.

Control Valve Trajectories for SOFC Hybrid System Startup

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

Gorrell, Megan; Banta, Larry; Rosen, William

2012-07-01

Control and management of cathode airflow in a solid oxide fuel cell gas turbine hybrid power system was analyzed using the Hybrid Performance (HyPer) hardware simulation at the National Energy Technology (NETL), U.S. Department of Energy. This work delves into previously unexplored operating practices for HyPer, via simultaneous manipulation of bypass valves and the electric load on the generator. The work is preparatory to the development of a Multi-Input, Multi-Output (MIMO) controller for HyPer. A factorial design of experiments was conducted to acquire data for 81 different combinations of the manipulated variables, which consisted of three air flow control valvesmore » and the electric load on the turbine generator. From this data the response surface for the cathode airflow with respect to bypass valve positions was analyzed. Of particular interest is the control of airflow through the cathode during system startup and during large load swings. This paper presents an algorithm for controlling air mass flow through the cathode based on a modification of the steepest ascent method.« less

Microstructure and degradation performance of biodegradable Mg-Si-Sr implant alloys.

PubMed

Gil-Santos, Andrea; Marco, Iñigo; Moelans, Nele; Hort, Norbert; Van der Biest, Omer

2017-02-01

In this work the microstructure and degradation behavior of several as-cast alloy compositions belonging to the Mg rich corner of the Mg-Si-Sr system are presented and related. The intermetallic phases are identified and analyzed describing the microstructure evolution during solidification. It is intended in this work to obtain insight in the behavior of the ternary alloys in in vitro tests and to analyze the degradation behavior of the alloys under physiologically relevant conditions. The as-cast specimens have been exposed to immersion tests, both mass loss (ML) and potentiodynamic polarization (PDP). The degradation rate (DR) have been assessed and correlated to microstructure features, impurity levels and alloy composition. The initial reactions resulted to be more severe while the degradation stabilizes with time. A higher DR is related with a high content of the Mg 17 Sr 2 phase and with the presence of coarse particles of the intermetallics Mg 2 Si, MgSiSr and MgSi 2 Sr. Specimens with a higher DR typically have higher levels of impurities and alloy contents. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Concept Analysis of Health Care Transition in Adolescents with Chronic Conditions.

PubMed

Ladores, Sigrid

2015-01-01

Children with chronic conditions are living into adulthood and present with unique needs. One such need is their transition from pediatric to adult health care. This paper examined the literature to analyze and synthesize the concept of transition within two contexts, health care and adolescents with chronic conditions. Fifty multidisciplinary sources were included for analysis. A refined, working definition of the concept of health care transition in adolescents with chronic conditions is presented. Results will enable the scientific community to discuss salient issues using well-defined, uniform terminology. Nursing implications are delineated to ensure that these youths thrive into adulthood. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A method of automatic control procedures cardiopulmonary resuscitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bureev, A. Sh.; Zhdanov, D. S.; Kiseleva, E. Yu.; Kutsov, M. S.; Trifonov, A. Yu.

2015-11-01

The study is to present the results of works on creation of methods of automatic control procedures of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). A method of automatic control procedure of CPR by evaluating the acoustic data of the dynamics of blood flow in the bifurcation of carotid arteries and the dynamics of air flow in a trachea according to the current guidelines for CPR is presented. Evaluation of the patient is carried out by analyzing the respiratory noise and blood flow in the interspaces between the chest compressions and artificial pulmonary ventilation. The device operation algorithm of automatic control procedures of CPR and its block diagram has been developed.

Impact of infrasound atmospheric noise on gravity detectors used for astrophysical and geophysical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiorucci, Donatella; Harms, Jan; Barsuglia, Matteo; Fiori, Irene; Paoletti, Federico

2018-03-01

Density changes in the atmosphere produce a fluctuating gravity field that affects gravity strainmeters or gravity gradiometers used for the detection of gravitational waves and for geophysical applications. This work addresses the impact of the atmospheric local gravity noise on such detectors, extending previous analyses. In particular we present the effect introduced by the building housing the detectors, and we analyze local gravity-noise suppression by constructing the detector underground. We present also new sound spectra and correlation measurements. The results obtained are important for the design of future gravitational-wave detectors and gravity gradiometers used to detect prompt gravity perturbations from earthquakes.