36 CFR 218.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW PROCESSES Predecisional Administrative Review Process for Hazardous Fuel Reduction Projects... reduction project: A hazardous fuel reduction project authorized by the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of... reduction project pursuant to the HFRA. Decision notice (DN): A concise written record of a responsible...

The Feasibility and Impact of Delivering a Mind-Body Intervention in a Virtual World

PubMed Central

Hoch, Daniel B.; Watson, Alice J.; Linton, Deborah A.; Bello, Heather E.; Senelly, Marco; Milik, Mariola T.; Baim, Margaret A.; Jethwani, Kamal; Fricchione, Gregory L.; Benson, Herbert; Kvedar, Joseph C.

2012-01-01

Introduction Mind-body medical approaches may ameliorate chronic disease. Stress reduction is particularly helpful, but face-to-face delivery systems cannot reach all those who might benefit. An online, 3-dimensional virtual world may be able to support the rich interpersonal interactions required of this approach. In this pilot study, we explore the feasibility of translating a face-to-face stress reduction program into an online virtual setting and estimate the effect size of the intervention. Methods and Findings Domain experts in virtual world technology joined with mind body practitioners to translate an existing 8 week relaxation response-based resiliency program into an 8-week virtual world-based program in Second Life™ (SL). Twenty-four healthy volunteers with at least one month's experience in SL completed the program. Each subject filled out the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Symptom Checklist 90- Revised (SCL-90-R) before and after taking part. Participants took part in one of 3 groups of about 10 subjects. The participants found the program to be helpful and enjoyable. Many reported that the virtual environment was an excellent substitute for the preferred face-to-face approach. On quantitative measures, there was a general trend toward decreased perceived stress, (15.7 to 15.0), symptoms of depression, (57.6 to 57.0) and anxiety (56.8 to 54.8). There was a significant decrease of 2.8 points on the SCL-90-R Global Severity Index (p<0.05). Conclusions This pilot project showed that it is feasible to deliver a typical mind-body medical intervention through a virtual environment and that it is well received. Moreover, the small reduction in psychological distress suggests further research is warranted. Based on the data collected for this project, a randomized trial with less than 50 subjects would be appropriately powered if perceived stress is the primary outcome. PMID:22470483

The feasibility and impact of delivering a mind-body intervention in a virtual world.

PubMed

Hoch, Daniel B; Watson, Alice J; Linton, Deborah A; Bello, Heather E; Senelly, Marco; Milik, Mariola T; Baim, Margaret A; Jethwani, Kamal; Fricchione, Gregory L; Benson, Herbert; Kvedar, Joseph C

2012-01-01

Mind-body medical approaches may ameliorate chronic disease. Stress reduction is particularly helpful, but face-to-face delivery systems cannot reach all those who might benefit. An online, 3-dimensional virtual world may be able to support the rich interpersonal interactions required of this approach. In this pilot study, we explore the feasibility of translating a face-to-face stress reduction program into an online virtual setting and estimate the effect size of the intervention. Domain experts in virtual world technology joined with mind body practitioners to translate an existing 8 week relaxation response-based resiliency program into an 8-week virtual world-based program in Second Life™ (SL). Twenty-four healthy volunteers with at least one month's experience in SL completed the program. Each subject filled out the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Symptom Checklist 90- Revised (SCL-90-R) before and after taking part. Participants took part in one of 3 groups of about 10 subjects. The participants found the program to be helpful and enjoyable. Many reported that the virtual environment was an excellent substitute for the preferred face-to-face approach. On quantitative measures, there was a general trend toward decreased perceived stress, (15.7 to 15.0), symptoms of depression, (57.6 to 57.0) and anxiety (56.8 to 54.8). There was a significant decrease of 2.8 points on the SCL-90-R Global Severity Index (p<0.05). This pilot project showed that it is feasible to deliver a typical mind-body medical intervention through a virtual environment and that it is well received. Moreover, the small reduction in psychological distress suggests further research is warranted. Based on the data collected for this project, a randomized trial with less than 50 subjects would be appropriately powered if perceived stress is the primary outcome.

Perverse effects of carbon markets on HFC-23 and SF6 abatement projects in Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Lambert; Kollmuss, Anja

2015-12-01

Carbon markets are considered a key policy tool to achieve cost-effective climate mitigation. Project-based carbon market mechanisms allow private sector entities to earn tradable emissions reduction credits from mitigation projects. The environmental integrity of project-based mechanisms has been subject to controversial debate and extensive research, in particular for projects abating industrial waste gases with a high global warming potential (GWP). For such projects, revenues from credits can significantly exceed abatement costs, creating perverse incentives to increase production or generation of waste gases as a means to increase credit revenues from waste gas abatement. Here we show that all projects abating HFC-23 and SF6 under the Kyoto Protocol’s Joint Implementation mechanism in Russia increased waste gas generation to unprecedented levels once they could generate credits from producing more waste gas. Our results suggest that perverse incentives can substantially undermine the environmental integrity of project-based mechanisms and that adequate regulatory oversight is crucial. Our findings are critical for mechanisms in both national jurisdictions and under international agreements.

Combating Terrorism Within Local Policing Through Crime Reduction: Using Real-Time, Situational Awareness Within a Distributed Common Operating Picture to Combat all Crime and Terrorism V2I2SION Process and SAFECOP Pilot Project

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

Occurred on: Jul-07-2011 (Tbu.) 248 Approved on: Jul-07-2011 (Tbu.) by: 42505 - BAXTER, ROBERT M Report submitted by: 45158 - CHARBONNEAU , PETER A...Text Page(s) Document: CASE SUM:MARY Author: 45158- CHARBONNEAU , PETER A Subject: CASE SUM:MARY Related date/time: Jul-07-2011 (Tbu.) 248 On the

Focused Ultrasound Lipolysis in the Treatment of Abdominal Cellulite: An Open-Label Study

PubMed Central

Moravvej, Hamideh; Akbari, Zahra; Mohammadian, Shahrzad; Razzaghi, Zahra

2015-01-01

Introduction: Despite a growing popularity of noninvasive ultrasonic lipolysis procedure, there is a lack of evidence about the efficacy of this method. This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of focused ultrasonic lipolysis on abdominal cellulite treatment. Methods: Twenty-eight consecutive subjects (age: 37.8 ± 8 years) underwent weekly transdermal focused ultrasonic lipolysis (Med Contour, General Project Ltd., Florence, Italy) and vacuum drainage for a maximum of eight sessions. Largest abdominal girth and 2 lines at 4 cm to 7 cm distance above and under it were located as fixed points of measurements. The mean value of the three fixed lines was considered as the abdominal circumference. Subjects were evaluated using measurements of circumference, immediately after and 3 weeks after the final treatment and compared using paired t test. Results: One hundred ninety-four ultrasonic lipolysis procedures were performed on 28 subjects. A statistically significant (P < .001) average of 1.89 cm (95% CI: 1.63-2.02 cm) decrease of circumference value was observed in each session of ultrasonic lipolysis. The mean pretreatment to posttreatment circumference reduction was 8.21 cm (95% CI: 6.38-10.04, P < .001) that declined to 7 cm (95% CI: 3.2-10.8, P < .001) at the 3-month follow-up visit. Conclusion: Focused ultrasonic lipolysis appears to be an effective method for reduction of abdominal cellulite, although some amount of circumference reduction reversal may be observed in long term follow-up visit. PMID:26464776

Sequentially reweighted TV minimization for CT metal artifact reduction.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaomeng; Xing, Lei

2013-07-01

Metal artifact reduction has long been an important topic in x-ray CT image reconstruction. In this work, the authors propose an iterative method that sequentially minimizes a reweighted total variation (TV) of the image and produces substantially artifact-reduced reconstructions. A sequentially reweighted TV minimization algorithm is proposed to fully exploit the sparseness of image gradients (IG). The authors first formulate a constrained optimization model that minimizes a weighted TV of the image, subject to the constraint that the estimated projection data are within a specified tolerance of the available projection measurements, with image non-negativity enforced. The authors then solve a sequence of weighted TV minimization problems where weights used for the next iteration are computed from the current solution. Using the complete projection data, the algorithm first reconstructs an image from which a binary metal image can be extracted. Forward projection of the binary image identifies metal traces in the projection space. The metal-free background image is then reconstructed from the metal-trace-excluded projection data by employing a different set of weights. Each minimization problem is solved using a gradient method that alternates projection-onto-convex-sets and steepest descent. A series of simulation and experimental studies are performed to evaluate the proposed approach. Our study shows that the sequentially reweighted scheme, by altering a single parameter in the weighting function, flexibly controls the sparsity of the IG and reconstructs artifacts-free images in a two-stage process. It successfully produces images with significantly reduced streak artifacts, suppressed noise and well-preserved contrast and edge properties. The sequentially reweighed TV minimization provides a systematic approach for suppressing CT metal artifacts. The technique can also be generalized to other "missing data" problems in CT image reconstruction.

Mexico's path towards the Sustainable Development Goal for health: an assessment of the feasibility of reducing premature mortality by 40% by 2030.

PubMed

González-Pier, Eduardo; Barraza-Lloréns, Mariana; Beyeler, Naomi; Jamison, Dean; Knaul, Felicia; Lozano, Rafael; Yamey, Gavin; Sepúlveda, Jaime

2016-10-01

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal for health (SDG3) poses complex challenges for signatory countries that will require clear roadmaps to set priorities over the next 15 years. Building upon the work of the Commission on Investing in Health and published estimates of feasible global mortality SDG3 targets, we analysed Mexico's mortality to assess the feasibility of reducing premature (0-69 years) mortality and propose a path to meet SDG3. We developed a baseline scenario applying 2010 age-specific and cause-specific mortality rates from the Mexican National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) to the 2030 UN Population Division (UNPD) population projections. In a second scenario, INEGI age-specific and cause-specific trends in death rates from 2000 to 2014 were projected to 2030 and adjusted to match the UNPD 2030 mortality projections. A third scenario assumed a 40% reduction in premature deaths across all ages and causes. By comparing these scenarios we quantified shortfalls in mortality reductions by age group and cause, and forecasted life expectancy pathways for Mexico to converge to better performing countries. UNPD-projected death rates yield a 25·9% reduction of premature mortality for Mexico. Accelerated reductions in adult mortality are necessary to reach a 40% reduction by 2030. Mortality declines aggregated across all age groups mask uneven gains across health disorders. Injuries, particularly road traffic accidents and homicides, are the main health challenge for young adults (aged 20-49 years) whereas unabated diabetes mortality is the single most important health concern for older adults (aged 50-69 years). Urgent action is now required to control non-communicable diseases and reduce fatal injuries in Mexico, making a 40% reduction in premature mortality by 2030 feasible and putting Mexico back on a track of substantial life expectancy convergence with better performing countries. Our study provides a roadmap for setting national health priorities. Further analysis of the equity implications of following the suggested pathway remains a subject of future research. Mexico's Ministry of Health, University of California, San Francisco, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Workshop on Jet Exhaust Noise Reduction for Tactical Aircraft - NASA Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huff, Dennis L.; Henderson, Brenda S.

2007-01-01

Jet noise from supersonic, high performance aircraft is a significant problem for takeoff and landing operations near air bases and aircraft carriers. As newer aircraft with higher thrust and performance are introduced, the noise tends to increase due to higher jet exhaust velocities. Jet noise has been a subject of research for over 55 years. Commercial subsonic aircraft benefit from changes to the engine cycle that reduce the exhaust velocities and result in significant noise reduction. Most of the research programs over the past few decades have concentrated on commercial aircraft. Progress has been made by introducing new engines with design features that reduce the noise. NASA has recently started a new program called "Fundamental Aeronautics" where three projects (subsonic fixed wing, subsonic rotary wing, and supersonics) address aircraft noise. For the supersonics project, a primary goal is to understand the underlying physics associated with jet noise so that improved noise prediction tools and noise reduction methods can be developed for a wide range of applications. Highlights from the supersonics project are presented including prediction methods for broadband shock noise, flow measurement methods, and noise reduction methods. Realistic expectations are presented based on past history that indicates significant jet noise reduction cannot be achieved without major changes to the engine cycle. NASA s past experience shows a few EPNdB (effective perceived noise level in decibels) can be achieved using low noise design features such as chevron nozzles. Minimal thrust loss can be expected with these nozzles (< 0.5%) and they may be retrofitted on existing engines. In the long term, it is desirable to use variable cycle engines that can be optimized for lower jet noise during takeoff operations and higher thrust for operational performance. It is also suggested that noise experts be included early in the design process for engine nozzle systems to participate in decisions that may impact the jet noise.

The Complexity of Human Walking: A Knee Osteoarthritis Study

PubMed Central

Kotti, Margarita; Duffell, Lynsey D.; Faisal, Aldo A.; McGregor, Alison H.

2014-01-01

This study proposes a framework for deconstructing complex walking patterns to create a simple principal component space before checking whether the projection to this space is suitable for identifying changes from the normality. We focus on knee osteoarthritis, the most common knee joint disease and the second leading cause of disability. Knee osteoarthritis affects over 250 million people worldwide. The motivation for projecting the highly dimensional movements to a lower dimensional and simpler space is our belief that motor behaviour can be understood by identifying a simplicity via projection to a low principal component space, which may reflect upon the underlying mechanism. To study this, we recruited 180 subjects, 47 of which reported that they had knee osteoarthritis. They were asked to walk several times along a walkway equipped with two force plates that capture their ground reaction forces along 3 axes, namely vertical, anterior-posterior, and medio-lateral, at 1000 Hz. Data when the subject does not clearly strike the force plate were excluded, leaving 1–3 gait cycles per subject. To examine the complexity of human walking, we applied dimensionality reduction via Probabilistic Principal Component Analysis. The first principal component explains 34% of the variance in the data, whereas over 80% of the variance is explained by 8 principal components or more. This proves the complexity of the underlying structure of the ground reaction forces. To examine if our musculoskeletal system generates movements that are distinguishable between normal and pathological subjects in a low dimensional principal component space, we applied a Bayes classifier. For the tested cross-validated, subject-independent experimental protocol, the classification accuracy equals 82.62%. Also, a novel complexity measure is proposed, which can be used as an objective index to facilitate clinical decision making. This measure proves that knee osteoarthritis subjects exhibit more variability in the two-dimensional principal component space. PMID:25232949

77 FR 40410 - Open Meeting of Taxpayer Advocacy Panel Taxpayer Burden Reduction Project Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-09

... Taxpayer Burden Reduction Project Committee AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION... Project Committee will be conducted. The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel is soliciting public comments, ideas and... Reduction Project Committee will be held Wednesday, August 15, 2012, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time via telephone...

SIM Lite Astrometric Observatory progress report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marr, James C., IV; Shao, Michael; Goullioud, Renaud

2010-07-01

The SIM Lite Astrometric Observatory (aka SIM Lite), a micro-arcsecond astrometry space mission, has been developed in response to NASA's indefinite deferral of the SIM PlanetQuest mission. The SIM Lite mission, while significantly more affordable than the SIM PlanetQuest mission concept, still addresses the full breadth of SIM science envisioned by two previous National Research Council (NRC) Astrophysics Decadal Surveys at the most stringent "Goal" level of astrometric measurement performance envisioned in those surveys. Over the past two years, the project has completed the conceptual design of the SIM Lite mission using only the completed SIM technology; published a 250 page book describing the science and mission design (available at the SIM website: http://sim.jpl.nasa.gov); been subject to an independent cost and technical readiness assessment by the Aerospace Corporation; and submitted a number of information responses to the NRC Astro2010 Decadal Survey. The project also conducted an exoplanet-finding capability double blind study that clearly demonstrated the ability of the mission to survey 60 to 100 nearby sun-like dwarf stars for terrestrial, habitable zone planets in complex planetary systems. Additionally, the project has continued Engineering Risk Reduction activities by building brassboard (form, fit & function to flight) version of key instrument elements and subjecting them to flight qualification environmental and performance testing. This paper summarizes the progress over the last two years and the current state of the SIM Lite project.

Energy efficiency system development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leman, A. M.; Rahman, K. A.; Chong, Haw Jie; Salleh, Mohd Najib Mohd; Yusof, M. Z. M.

2017-09-01

By subjecting to the massive usage of electrical energy in Malaysia, energy efficiency is now one of the key areas of focus in climate change mitigation. This paper focuses on the development of an energy efficiency system of household electrical appliances for residential areas. Distribution of Questionnaires and pay a visit to few selected residential areas are conducted during the fulfilment of the project as well as some advice on how to save energy are shared with the participants. Based on the collected data, the system developed by the UTHM Energy Team is then evaluated from the aspect of the consumers' behaviour in using electrical appliances and the potential reduction targeted by the team. By the end of the project, 60% of the participants had successfully reduced the electrical power consumption set by the UTHM Energy Team. The reasons for whether the success and the failure is further analysed in this project.

Project ARGO: Gas phase formation in simulated microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Powell, Michael R.; Waligora, James M.; Norfleet, William T.; Kumar, K. Vasantha

1993-01-01

The ARGO study investigated the reduced incidence of joint pain decompression sickness (DCS) encountered in microgravity as compared with an expected incidence of joint pain DCS experienced by test subjects in Earth-based laboratories (unit gravity) with similar protocols. Individuals who are decompressed from saturated conditions usually acquire joint pain DCS in the lower extremities. Our hypothesis is that the incidence of joint pain DCS can be limited by a significant reduction in the tissue gas micronuclei formed by stress-assisted nucleation. Reductions in dynamic and kinetic stresses in vivo are linked to hypokinetic and adynamic conditions of individuals in zero g. We employed the Doppler ultrasound bubble detection technique in simulated microgravity studies to determine quantitatively the degree of gas phase formation in the upper and lower extremities of test subjects during decompression. We found no evidence of right-to-left shunting through pulmonary vasculature. The volume of gas bubble following decompression was examined and compared with the number following saline contrast injection. From this, we predict a reduced incidence of DCS on orbit, although the incidence of predicted mild DCS still remains larger than that encountered on orbit.

Immediate and Six-month Effects of Project EX Russia: A Smoking Cessation Intervention Pilot Program

PubMed Central

Sun, Ping; Akhmadeeva, Leila; Arpawong, Thalida Em; Kukhareva, Polina

2013-01-01

This study evaluates the performance of the Project EX tobacco use cessation program in Russian summer recreational camps. An eight-session clinic-based tobacco use cessation program for adolescents was tested during the summer of 2011 in an experimental pilot trial that involved different youth that rotated through camps. Conditions were nested within camps. Two rotations of unique subject groups of smokers (program and standard care control) through each of five camps provided the means of controlling for campsite by condition. Assignment of condition by rotation was random (by a flip of a coin), achieving reasonable baseline comparability (total n=164 smokers at baseline, 76 program group, 88 standard care control group). Evaluation involved an immediate pretest and posttest and a six-month telephone follow-up. At immediate posttest, Project EX was moderately well-received, significantly reduced future smoking expectation (46% reduction in EX Program Condition versus 8% in Control, p<.0001), decreased intention to not quit smoking (−5.2% in EX versus +1.4% in Control, p<.05), and increased motivation to quit smoking (0.72 versus −0.04, p<.0001). At the six-month follow-up, program subjects reported a higher intent-to-treat quit rate during the last 30 days (7.5% versus 0.1%, p<.05). For the subjects who remained monthly smokers at the six-month follow-up, Project EX reduced subjects’ level of nicotine dependence (−0.53 versus +0.15, p<.001). The results were quite promising for this program, which included motivation enhancement, coping skill, and alternative medicine material. However, further research on teen tobacco use cessation programming in Russia with larger sample sizes, involving other locations of the country, and with stronger research designs is needed. PMID:23639851

Assessing the impact of harm reduction programs on law enforcement in Southeast Asia: a description of a regional research methodology.

PubMed

Thomson, Nick; Moore, Tim; Crofts, Nick

2012-07-09

For over 15 years the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) has been a leading donor for harm reduction projects in Southeast Asia. The recent AusAID-supported harm reduction projects of greatest significance have included the Asia Regional HIV/AIDS Project (AHRP), from 2002 until 2007,1 and the HIV/AIDS Asia Regional Program (HAARP), from 2007 until 2015.2 Both projects included in their design specific strategies for engaging with law enforcement agencies at country level. The main focus of these strategies has been to develop law enforcement harm reduction policy and curriculum, and the design and implementation of specific harm reduction training for law enforcement officers.In July 2008, the Australian Development Research Awards (ADRA) funded the Nossal Institute for Global Health at the University of Melbourne to establish a research project created to assess the influence of harm reduction programs on the policy and operational practices of law enforcement agencies in Southeast Asia, known as the LEHRN Project (Law Enforcement, Harm Reduction, Nossal Institute Project). The ADRA is a unique grant research mechanism that specifically funds development research to improve the understanding and informed decision making of the implementation of Australian aid effectiveness.While the need to engage law enforcement when establishing harm reduction programs was well documented, little was known about the impact or influence of harm reduction programs on policy and practices of law enforcement agencies. The LEHRN Project provided the opportunity to assess the impact of harm reduction programs on law enforcement in Southeast Asia, with a focus on Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR.

Assessing the impact of harm reduction programs on law enforcement in Southeast Asia: a description of a regional research methodology

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

For over 15 years the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) has been a leading donor for harm reduction projects in Southeast Asia. The recent AusAID-supported harm reduction projects of greatest significance have included the Asia Regional HIV/AIDS Project (AHRP), from 2002 until 2007,1 and the HIV/AIDS Asia Regional Program (HAARP), from 2007 until 2015.2 Both projects included in their design specific strategies for engaging with law enforcement agencies at country level. The main focus of these strategies has been to develop law enforcement harm reduction policy and curriculum, and the design and implementation of specific harm reduction training for law enforcement officers. In July 2008, the Australian Development Research Awards (ADRA) funded the Nossal Institute for Global Health at the University of Melbourne to establish a research project created to assess the influence of harm reduction programs on the policy and operational practices of law enforcement agencies in Southeast Asia, known as the LEHRN Project (Law Enforcement, Harm Reduction, Nossal Institute Project). The ADRA is a unique grant research mechanism that specifically funds development research to improve the understanding and informed decision making of the implementation of Australian aid effectiveness. While the need to engage law enforcement when establishing harm reduction programs was well documented, little was known about the impact or influence of harm reduction programs on policy and practices of law enforcement agencies. The LEHRN Project provided the opportunity to assess the impact of harm reduction programs on law enforcement in Southeast Asia, with a focus on Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR. PMID:22769050

Regional air quality management aspects of climate change: impact of climate mitigation options on regional air emissions.

PubMed

Rudokas, Jason; Miller, Paul J; Trail, Marcus A; Russell, Armistead G

2015-04-21

We investigate the projected impact of six climate mitigation scenarios on U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOX) associated with energy use in major sectors of the U.S. economy (commercial, residential, industrial, electricity generation, and transportation). We use the EPA U.S. 9-region national database with the MARKet Allocation energy system model to project emissions changes over the 2005 to 2050 time frame. The modeled scenarios are two carbon tax, two low carbon transportation, and two biomass fuel choice scenarios. In the lower carbon tax and both biomass fuel choice scenarios, SO2 and NOX achieve reductions largely through pre-existing rules and policies, with only relatively modest additional changes occurring from the climate mitigation measures. The higher carbon tax scenario projects greater declines in CO2 and SO2 relative to the 2050 reference case, but electricity sector NOX increases. This is a result of reduced investments in power plant NOX controls in earlier years in anticipation of accelerated coal power plant retirements, energy penalties associated with carbon capture systems, and shifting of NOX emissions in later years from power plants subject to a regional NOX cap to those in regions not subject to the cap.

Space Radiation Cancer Risk Projections for Exploration Missions: Uncertainty Reduction and Mitigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cucinotta, Francis; Badhwar, Gautam; Saganti, Premkumar; Schimmerling, Walter; Wilson, John; Peterson, Leif; Dicello, John

2002-01-01

In this paper we discuss expected lifetime excess cancer risks for astronauts returning from exploration class missions. For the first time we make a quantitative assessment of uncertainties in cancer risk projections for space radiation exposures. Late effects from the high charge and energy (HZE) ions present in the galactic cosmic rays including cancer and the poorly understood risks to the central nervous system constitute the major risks. Methods used to project risk in low Earth orbit are seen as highly uncertain for projecting risks on exploration missions because of the limited radiobiology data available for estimating HZE ion risks. Cancer risk projections are described as a product of many biological and physical factors, each of which has a differential range of uncertainty due to lack of data and knowledge. Monte-Carlo sampling from subjective error distributions represents the lack of knowledge in each factor to quantify risk projection overall uncertainty. Cancer risk analysis is applied to several exploration mission scenarios. At solar minimum, the number of days in space where career risk of less than the limiting 3% excess cancer mortality can be assured at a 95% confidence level is found to be only of the order of 100 days.

Speckle measuring instrument based on biological characteristics of the human eyes and speckle reduction with advanced electromagnetic micro-scanning mirror

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Yuan; Fang, Tao; Sun, Min Yuan; Gao, Wei Nan; Zhang, Shuo; Bi, Yong

2018-07-01

Laser speckle is a major issue for laser projection displays. In various techniques of speckle reduction, speckle is quantified with a speckle contrast value. However, the measured speckle contrast is poorly suited for the subjective speckle perception of a human observer. Here, we investigate the characteristics of human eyes and propose a simplified optical transfer function of human eyes. Accordingly, two human-eye-modeled speckle measuring sets are configured. Based on the experimental set, an advanced electromagnetic micro-scanning mirror (EM-MSM) is exploited; which is of 6.5 mm in diameter and its half angle is 7.8° for a horizontal scan and 6.53° for a vertical scan. Finally, we quantitatively show that images generated with an EM-MSM exhibit superior quality. By providing human-eye-modeled speckle measuring instruments and an EM-MSM for speckle reduction, it has a promising promotion to laser projector development.

Model-based iterative reconstruction for reduction of radiation dose in abdominopelvic CT: comparison to adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction.

PubMed

Yasaka, Koichiro; Katsura, Masaki; Akahane, Masaaki; Sato, Jiro; Matsuda, Izuru; Ohtomo, Kuni

2013-12-01

To evaluate dose reduction and image quality of abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) reconstructed with model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) compared to adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR). In this prospective study, 85 patients underwent referential-, low-, and ultralow-dose unenhanced abdominopelvic CT. Images were reconstructed with ASIR for low-dose (L-ASIR) and ultralow-dose CT (UL-ASIR), and with MBIR for ultralow-dose CT (UL-MBIR). Image noise was measured in the abdominal aorta and iliopsoas muscle. Subjective image analyses and a lesion detection study (adrenal nodules) were conducted by two blinded radiologists. A reference standard was established by a consensus panel of two different radiologists using referential-dose CT reconstructed with filtered back projection. Compared to low-dose CT, there was a 63% decrease in dose-length product with ultralow-dose CT. UL-MBIR had significantly lower image noise than L-ASIR and UL-ASIR (all p<0.01). UL-MBIR was significantly better for subjective image noise and streak artifacts than L-ASIR and UL-ASIR (all p<0.01). There were no significant differences between UL-MBIR and L-ASIR in diagnostic acceptability (p>0.65), or diagnostic performance for adrenal nodules (p>0.87). MBIR significantly improves image noise and streak artifacts compared to ASIR, and can achieve radiation dose reduction without severely compromising image quality.

Lessons Learned From Community-Based Approaches to Sodium Reduction

PubMed Central

Kane, Heather; Strazza, Karen; Losby PhD, Jan L.; Lane, Rashon; Mugavero, Kristy; Anater, Andrea S.; Frost, Corey; Margolis, Marjorie; Hersey, James

2017-01-01

Purpose This article describes lessons from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initiative encompassing sodium reduction interventions in six communities. Design A multiple case study design was used. Setting This evaluation examined data from programs implemented in six communities located in New York (Broome County, Schenectady County, and New York City); California (Los Angeles County and Shasta County); and Kansas (Shawnee County). Subjects Participants (n = 80) included program staff, program directors, state-level staff, and partners. Measures Measures for this evaluation included challenges, facilitators, and lessons learned from implementing sodium reduction strategies. Analysis The project team conducted a document review of program materials and semi structured interviews 12 to 14 months after implementation. The team coded and analyzed data deductively and inductively. Results Five lessons for implementing community-based sodium reduction approaches emerged: (1) build relationships with partners to understand their concerns, (2) involve individuals knowledgeable about specific venues early, (3) incorporate sodium reduction efforts and messaging into broader nutrition efforts, (4) design the program to reduce sodium gradually to take into account consumer preferences and taste transitions, and (5) identify ways to address the cost of lower-sodium products. Conclusion The experiences of the six communities may assist practitioners in planning community-based sodium reduction interventions. Addressing sodium reduction using a community-based approach can foster meaningful change in dietary sodium consumption. PMID:24575726

Reduction of urogenital schistosomiasis with an integrated control project in Sudan.

PubMed

Lee, Young-Ha; Jeong, Hoo Gn; Kong, Woo Hyun; Lee, Soon-Hyung; Cho, Han-Ik; Nam, Hae-Sung; Ismail, Hassan Ahmed Hassan Ahmed; Alla, Gibril Nouman Abd; Oh, Chung Hyeon; Hong, Sung-Tae

2015-01-01

Schistosomiasis remains a major public health concern in Sudan, particularly Schistosoma haematobium infection. This study presents the disease-reduction outcomes of an integrated control program for schistosomiasis in Al Jabalain locality of White Nile State, Sudan from 2009 through 2011. The total population of the project sites was 482,902, and the major target group for intervention among them was 78,615 primary school students. For the cross-sectional study of the prevalence, urine and stool specimens were examined using the urine sedimentation method and the Kato cellophane thick smear method, respectively. To assess the impacts of health education for students and a drinking water supply facility at Al Hidaib village, questionnaire survey was done. The overall prevalence for S. haematobium and S. mansoni at baseline was 28.5% and 0.4%, respectively. At follow-up survey after 6-9 months post-treatment, the prevalence of S. haematobium infection was reduced to 13.5% (95% CI = 0.331-0.462). A higher reduction in prevalence was observed among girls, those with moderately infected status (around 20%), and residents in rural areas, than among boys, those with high prevalence (>40%), and residents in urban areas. After health education, increased awareness about schistosomiasis was checked by questionnaire survey. Also, a drinking water facility was constructed at Al Hidaib village, where infection rate was reduced more compared to that in a neighboring village within the same unit. However, we found no significant change in the prevalence of S. mansoni infection between baseline and follow-up survey (95% CI = 0.933-6.891). At the end of the project, the prevalence of S. haematobium infection was reduced by more than 50% in comparison with the baseline rate. Approximately 200,000 subjects had received either praziquantel therapy, health education, or supply of clean water. To consolidate the achievements of this project, the integrated intervention should be adapted continuously.

Reduction of Urogenital Schistosomiasis with an Integrated Control Project in Sudan

PubMed Central

Lee, Young-Ha; Jeong, Hoo Gn; Kong, Woo Hyun; Lee, Soon-Hyung; Cho, Han-Ik; Nam, Hae-Sung; Ismail, Hassan Ahmed Hassan Ahmed; Alla, Gibril Nouman Abd; Oh, Chung Hyeon; Hong, Sung-Tae

2015-01-01

Purpose Schistosomiasis remains a major public health concern in Sudan, particularly Schistosoma haematobium infection. This study presents the disease-reduction outcomes of an integrated control program for schistosomiasis in Al Jabalain locality of White Nile State, Sudan from 2009 through 2011. Methods The total population of the project sites was 482,902, and the major target group for intervention among them was 78,615 primary school students. For the cross-sectional study of the prevalence, urine and stool specimens were examined using the urine sedimentation method and the Kato cellophane thick smear method, respectively. To assess the impacts of health education for students and a drinking water supply facility at Al Hidaib village, questionnaire survey was done. Results The overall prevalence for S. haematobium and S. mansoni at baseline was 28.5% and 0.4%, respectively. At follow-up survey after 6–9 months post-treatment, the prevalence of S. haematobium infection was reduced to 13.5% (95% CI = 0.331–0.462). A higher reduction in prevalence was observed among girls, those with moderately infected status (around 20%), and residents in rural areas, than among boys, those with high prevalence (>40%), and residents in urban areas. After health education, increased awareness about schistosomiasis was checked by questionnaire survey. Also, a drinking water facility was constructed at Al Hidaib village, where infection rate was reduced more compared to that in a neighboring village within the same unit. However, we found no significant change in the prevalence of S. mansoni infection between baseline and follow-up survey (95% CI = 0.933–6.891). Conclusions At the end of the project, the prevalence of S. haematobium infection was reduced by more than 50% in comparison with the baseline rate. Approximately 200,000 subjects had received either praziquantel therapy, health education, or supply of clean water. To consolidate the achievements of this project, the integrated intervention should be adapted continuously. PMID:25569278

Project identification for methane reduction options

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

Kerr, T.

1996-12-31

This paper discusses efforts directed at reduction in emission of methane to the atmosphere. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, which on a 20 year timeframe may present a similar problem to carbon dioxide. In addition, methane causes additional problems in the form of smog and its longer atmospheric lifetime. The author discusses strategies for reducing methane emission from several major sources. This includes landfill methane recovery, coalbed methane recovery, livestock methane reduction - in the form of ruminant methane reduction and manure methane recovery. The author presents examples of projects which have implemented these ideas, the economics of themore » projects, and additional gains which come from the projects.« less

Space-time least-squares Petrov-Galerkin projection in nonlinear model reduction.

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

Choi, Youngsoo; Carlberg, Kevin Thomas

Our work proposes a space-time least-squares Petrov-Galerkin (ST-LSPG) projection method for model reduction of nonlinear dynamical systems. In contrast to typical nonlinear model-reduction methods that first apply Petrov-Galerkin projection in the spatial dimension and subsequently apply time integration to numerically resolve the resulting low-dimensional dynamical system, the proposed method applies projection in space and time simultaneously. To accomplish this, the method first introduces a low-dimensional space-time trial subspace, which can be obtained by computing tensor decompositions of state-snapshot data. The method then computes discrete-optimal approximations in this space-time trial subspace by minimizing the residual arising after time discretization over allmore » space and time in a weighted ℓ 2-norm. This norm can be de ned to enable complexity reduction (i.e., hyper-reduction) in time, which leads to space-time collocation and space-time GNAT variants of the ST-LSPG method. Advantages of the approach relative to typical spatial-projection-based nonlinear model reduction methods such as Galerkin projection and least-squares Petrov-Galerkin projection include: (1) a reduction of both the spatial and temporal dimensions of the dynamical system, (2) the removal of spurious temporal modes (e.g., unstable growth) from the state space, and (3) error bounds that exhibit slower growth in time. Numerical examples performed on model problems in fluid dynamics demonstrate the ability of the method to generate orders-of-magnitude computational savings relative to spatial-projection-based reduced-order models without sacrificing accuracy.« less

The use of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) technique in evaluation of patients with cervical spine trauma: impact on radiation dose reduction and image quality

PubMed Central

Sheikh, Adnan

2016-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) technique on the image quality and radiation dose reduction. The comparison was made with the traditional filtered back projection (FBP) technique. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 78 patients, who underwent cervical spine CT for blunt cervical trauma between 1 June 2010 and 30 November 2010. 48 patients were imaged using traditional FBP technique and the remaining 30 patients were imaged using the ASiR technique. The patient demographics, radiation dose, objective image signal and noise were recorded; while subjective noise, sharpness, diagnostic acceptability and artefacts were graded by two radiologists blinded to the techniques. Results: We found that the ASiR technique was able to reduce the volume CT dose index, dose–length product and effective dose by 36%, 36.5% and 36.5%, respectively, compared with the FBP technique. There was no significant difference in the image noise (p = 0.39), signal (p = 0.82) and signal-to-noise ratio (p = 0.56) between the groups. The subjective image quality was minimally better in the ASiR group but not statistically significant. There was excellent interobserver agreement on the subjective image quality and diagnostic acceptability for both groups. Conclusion: The use of ASiR technique allowed approximately 36% radiation dose reduction in the evaluation of cervical spine without degrading the image quality. Advances in knowledge: The present study highlights that the ASiR technique is extremely helpful in reducing the patient radiation exposure while maintaining the image quality. It is highly recommended to utilize this novel technique in CT imaging of different body regions. PMID:26882825

The use of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) technique in evaluation of patients with cervical spine trauma: impact on radiation dose reduction and image quality.

PubMed

Patro, Satya N; Chakraborty, Santanu; Sheikh, Adnan

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) technique on the image quality and radiation dose reduction. The comparison was made with the traditional filtered back projection (FBP) technique. We retrospectively reviewed 78 patients, who underwent cervical spine CT for blunt cervical trauma between 1 June 2010 and 30 November 2010. 48 patients were imaged using traditional FBP technique and the remaining 30 patients were imaged using the ASiR technique. The patient demographics, radiation dose, objective image signal and noise were recorded; while subjective noise, sharpness, diagnostic acceptability and artefacts were graded by two radiologists blinded to the techniques. We found that the ASiR technique was able to reduce the volume CT dose index, dose-length product and effective dose by 36%, 36.5% and 36.5%, respectively, compared with the FBP technique. There was no significant difference in the image noise (p = 0.39), signal (p = 0.82) and signal-to-noise ratio (p = 0.56) between the groups. The subjective image quality was minimally better in the ASiR group but not statistically significant. There was excellent interobserver agreement on the subjective image quality and diagnostic acceptability for both groups. The use of ASiR technique allowed approximately 36% radiation dose reduction in the evaluation of cervical spine without degrading the image quality. The present study highlights that the ASiR technique is extremely helpful in reducing the patient radiation exposure while maintaining the image quality. It is highly recommended to utilize this novel technique in CT imaging of different body regions.

Sound transit climate risk reduction project.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-09-01

The Climate Risk Reduction Project assessed how climate change may affect Sound Transit commuter rail, light rail, and express bus : services. The project identified potential climate change impacts on agency operations, assets, and long-term plannin...

DNAPL Remediation: Selected Projects Approaching Regulatory Closure

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This paper is a status update on the use of DNAPL source reduction remedial technologies, and provides information about recent projects where regulatory closure has been reached or projects are approaching regulatory closure, following source reduction.

EVALUATION OF FULL-FIELD ELECTRORETINOGRAM REDUCTIONS AFTER OCRIPLASMIN TREATMENT

PubMed Central

Benz, Matthew S.; Miller, Daniel M.; Antoszyk, Andrew N.; Markoff, Joseph; Kozma, Petra; Meunier, Esmeralda; Sergott, Robert C.

2018-01-01

Purpose: To explore a possible association between full-field electroretinograms with vitreomacular adhesion resolution and best-corrected visual acuity as part of the prospective, randomized, double-masked, sham-controlled Ocriplasmin for Treatment for Symptomatic Vitreomacular Adhesion Including Macular Hole (OASIS) trial studying ocriplasmin. Methods: The ERG substudy enrolled 62 of 220 OASIS subjects (randomized 2:1) and analyzed full-field electroretinograms and their association with both vitreomacular adhesion resolution and best-corrected visual acuity from baseline through Month 24. Electroretinogram reductions were defined as acute full-field electroretinogram reductions in amplitude of ≥40% from baseline occurring at postinjection Day 7 or Day 28. Results: In the ocriplasmin group, 16/40 (40%) subjects developed ERG reductions, compared to 1/21 (4.8%) in the sham group; 13/16 (81.3%) and 1/1 (100%) resolved by study end, respectively. A total of 11/16 (68.8%) ocriplasmin-treated subjects with ERG reductions achieved vitreomacular adhesion resolution, compared to those without (9/24, 37.5%). The ocriplasmin-treated subjects with ERG reductions also gained more letters on average (11.3 vs. 9.3 letters) from baseline and had a difference of 6.7 letters in mean best-corrected visual acuity by study end compared to those without ERG reductions. Conclusion: Ocriplasmin-treated subjects with ERG reductions had a higher rate of vitreomacular adhesion resolution and showed better visual improvement than their counterparts without ERG reductions or sham subjects by study end. PMID:28198785

Improved Image Quality in Head and Neck CT Using a 3D Iterative Approach to Reduce Metal Artifact.

PubMed

Wuest, W; May, M S; Brand, M; Bayerl, N; Krauss, A; Uder, M; Lell, M

2015-10-01

Metal artifacts from dental fillings and other devices degrade image quality and may compromise the detection and evaluation of lesions in the oral cavity and oropharynx by CT. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of iterative metal artifact reduction on CT of the oral cavity and oropharynx. Data from 50 consecutive patients with metal artifacts from dental hardware were reconstructed with standard filtered back-projection, linear interpolation metal artifact reduction (LIMAR), and iterative metal artifact reduction. The image quality of sections that contained metal was analyzed for the severity of artifacts and diagnostic value. A total of 455 sections (mean ± standard deviation, 9.1 ± 4.1 sections per patient) contained metal and were evaluated with each reconstruction method. Sections without metal were not affected by the algorithms and demonstrated image quality identical to each other. Of these sections, 38% were considered nondiagnostic with filtered back-projection, 31% with LIMAR, and only 7% with iterative metal artifact reduction. Thirty-three percent of the sections had poor image quality with filtered back-projection, 46% with LIMAR, and 10% with iterative metal artifact reduction. Thirteen percent of the sections with filtered back-projection, 17% with LIMAR, and 22% with iterative metal artifact reduction were of moderate image quality, 16% of the sections with filtered back-projection, 5% with LIMAR, and 30% with iterative metal artifact reduction were of good image quality, and 1% of the sections with LIMAR and 31% with iterative metal artifact reduction were of excellent image quality. Iterative metal artifact reduction yields the highest image quality in comparison with filtered back-projection and linear interpolation metal artifact reduction in patients with metal hardware in the head and neck area. © 2015 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Development of South Dakota accident reduction factors

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-08-01

This report offers the methodology and findings of the first project to develop Accident Reduction Factors (ARFs) and Severity Reduction Ratios (SRRs) for the state of South Dakota. The ARFs and SRRs of this project focused on Hazard Elimination and ...

A projection pursuit algorithm to classify individuals using fMRI data: Application to schizophrenia.

PubMed

Demirci, Oguz; Clark, Vincent P; Calhoun, Vince D

2008-02-15

Schizophrenia is diagnosed based largely upon behavioral symptoms. Currently, no quantitative, biologically based diagnostic technique has yet been developed to identify patients with schizophrenia. Classification of individuals into patient with schizophrenia and healthy control groups based on quantitative biologically based data is of great interest to support and refine psychiatric diagnoses. We applied a novel projection pursuit technique on various components obtained with independent component analysis (ICA) of 70 subjects' fMRI activation maps obtained during an auditory oddball task. The validity of the technique was tested with a leave-one-out method and the detection performance varied between 80% and 90%. The findings suggest that the proposed data reduction algorithm is effective in classifying individuals into schizophrenia and healthy control groups and may eventually prove useful as a diagnostic tool.

The Impact of Pollution Prevention on Toxic Environmental Releases from U.S. Manufacturing Facilities.

PubMed

Ranson, Matthew; Cox, Brendan; Keenan, Cheryl; Teitelbaum, Daniel

2015-11-03

Between 1991 and 2012, the facilities that reported to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Program conducted 370,000 source reduction projects. We use this data set to conduct the first quasi-experimental retrospective evaluation of how implementing a source reduction (pollution prevention) project affects the quantity of toxic chemicals released to the environment by an average industrial facility. We use a differences-in-differences methodology, which measures how implementing a source reduction project affects a facility's releases of targeted chemicals, relative to releases of (a) other untargeted chemicals from the same facility, or (b) the same chemical from other facilities in the same industry. We find that the average source reduction project causes a 9-16% decrease in releases of targeted chemicals in the year of implementation. Source reduction techniques vary in effectiveness: for example, raw material modification causes a large decrease in releases, while inventory control has no detectable effect. Our analysis suggests that in aggregate, the source reduction projects carried out in the U.S. since 1991 have prevented between 5 and 14 billion pounds of toxic releases.

44 CFR 361.6 - Documentation of matching contributions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PREPAREDNESS NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION ASSISTANCE TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS Earthquake Hazards Reduction Assistance Program § 361.6 Documentation of matching... comprising its earthquake hazards reduction project, including the project budget, shall reflect a level of...

44 CFR 361.6 - Documentation of matching contributions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PREPAREDNESS NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION ASSISTANCE TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS Earthquake Hazards Reduction Assistance Program § 361.6 Documentation of matching... comprising its earthquake hazards reduction project, including the project budget, shall reflect a level of...

44 CFR 361.6 - Documentation of matching contributions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PREPAREDNESS NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION ASSISTANCE TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS Earthquake Hazards Reduction Assistance Program § 361.6 Documentation of matching... comprising its earthquake hazards reduction project, including the project budget, shall reflect a level of...

44 CFR 361.6 - Documentation of matching contributions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PREPAREDNESS NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION ASSISTANCE TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS Earthquake Hazards Reduction Assistance Program § 361.6 Documentation of matching... comprising its earthquake hazards reduction project, including the project budget, shall reflect a level of...

44 CFR 361.6 - Documentation of matching contributions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PREPAREDNESS NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION ASSISTANCE TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS Earthquake Hazards Reduction Assistance Program § 361.6 Documentation of matching... comprising its earthquake hazards reduction project, including the project budget, shall reflect a level of...

77 FR 16048 - Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB Public/Private Partnerships for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-19

...The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal. The 1998 Public Housing Reform Act allowed the Mixed-Finance development of public housing units. This meant that Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) could create public housing projects using public housing grant or capital funds and non-HUD sources of funds, subject to HUD's approval. This Information Collection pertains to the information that HUD collects to perform due diligence in order to approve the mixed-finance development of public housing prior to a financial closing and the start of construction or rehabilitation activities. Applicants describe ownership, the type, size, and number of units, construction schedule, construction and permanent financing, property management, how public housing operating subsidy will be provided to the project and other operation plans. New developments may be made up of a variety of housing types: rental, homeownership, private, subsidized, and public housing. These new communities are built for residents with a wide range of incomes, and are designed to fit into the surrounding community.

77 FR 1497 - Notice of Proposed Information for Public Comment for: Public/Private Partnerships for the Mixed...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-10

...The proposed information collection requirement described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal. The 1998 Public Housing Reform Act allowed the Mixed-Finance development of public housing units. This meant that Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) could create public housing projects using public housing grant or capital funds and non-HUD sources of funds, subject to HUD's approval. This Information Collection pertains to the information that HUD collects to perform due diligence in order to approve the mixed-finance development of public housing prior to a financial closing and the start of construction or rehabilitation activities. Applicants describe ownership, the type, size, and number of units, construction schedule, construction and permanent financing, property management, how public housing operating subsidy will be provided to the project and other operation plans. New developments may be made up of a variety of housing types: rental, homeownership, private, subsidized, and public housing. These new communities are built for residents with a wide range of incomes, and are designed to fit into the surrounding community.

The Role of Education in Agricultural Projects for Food Security and Poverty Reduction in Kenya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walingo, Mary Khakoni

2006-05-01

Agricultural development projects have been promoted in many places as a feature of poverty-reduction strategies. Such projects have often been implemented without a strong in-built education component, and hence have had little success. Agricultural projects seek to improve food security by diversifying a household's resource base and facilitating the social and economic empowerment of women. The present study presents a survey designed to assess the relationship between education level and ability to benefit from dairy-development projects in Kenya. Results reveal higher occupation and employment levels among beneficiary than non-beneficiary households. On the other hand, beneficiaries of poverty-reduction schemes require specialized training. Apart from project-specific training, the level of general education alone cannot predict the attainment of project objectives.

Voting strategy for artifact reduction in digital breast tomosynthesis.

PubMed

Wu, Tao; Moore, Richard H; Kopans, Daniel B

2006-07-01

Artifacts are observed in digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) reconstructions due to the small number of projections and the narrow angular range that are typically employed in tomosynthesis imaging. In this work, we investigate the reconstruction artifacts that are caused by high-attenuation features in breast and develop several artifact reduction methods based on a "voting strategy." The voting strategy identifies the projection(s) that would introduce artifacts to a voxel and rejects the projection(s) when reconstructing the voxel. Four approaches to the voting strategy were compared, including projection segmentation, maximum contribution deduction, one-step classification, and iterative classification. The projection segmentation method, based on segmentation of high-attenuation features from the projections, effectively reduces artifacts caused by metal and large calcifications that can be reliably detected and segmented from projections. The other three methods are based on the observation that contributions from artifact-inducing projections have higher value than those from normal projections. These methods attempt to identify the projection(s) that would cause artifacts by comparing contributions from different projections. Among the three methods, the iterative classification method provides the best artifact reduction; however, it can generate many false positive classifications that degrade the image quality. The maximum contribution deduction method and one-step classification method both reduce artifacts well from small calcifications, although the performance of artifact reduction is slightly better with the one-step classification. The combination of one-step classification and projection segmentation removes artifacts from both large and small calcifications.

Evaluation of a cleanser for petroleum-contaminated skin.

PubMed

Phieffer, Laura S; Banks, David M; Bosse, Michael J; Meyer, Martha H; Meyer, Ralph A; Smith, Kevin

2003-12-01

Extremity injuries contaminated with petroleum products pose clinical dilemmas. This project was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a dioctyl sulfosuccinate (DS) solution for cleansing petroleum-contaminated skin. One hundred Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a contamination protocol followed by a cleansing procedure. Four petroleum contaminants and five cleansing solutions were selected. The protocol consisted of shaving, initial punch biopsy, contamination, precleansing punch biopsy, standardized scrub protocol, and postcleansing punch biopsy. Biopsy samples were analyzed for petroleum residue using fluorometry. The 10% DS solution had the highest reduction of crude oil, grease, and tar: 99.6 +/- 0.4% (mean +/- SD) contaminant reduction for crude oil, 99.8 +/- 0.2% for grease, and 99.8 +/- 0.2% for tar. The other cleansers showed less efficacy (p < 0.05). Concentrated DS appears to be significantly more effective at cleaning petroleum products from skin than the commonly chosen surgical and commercial cleansers.

SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION MERCURY FIELD SAMPLING PROJECT

EPA Science Inventory

A lack of data still exists as to the effect of selective catalytic reduction (SCR), selective noncatalytic reduction (SNCR), and flue gas conditioning on the speciation and removal of mercury (Hg) at power plants. This project investigates the impact that SCR, SNCR, and flue gas...

Propulsion Noise Reduction Research in the NASA Advanced Air Transport Technology Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Van Zante, Dale; Nark, Douglas; Fernandez, Hamilton

2017-01-01

The Aircraft Noise Reduction (ANR) sub-project is focused on the generation, development, and testing of component noise reduction technologies progressing toward the NASA far term noise goals while providing associated near and mid-term benefits. The ANR sub-project has efforts in airframe noise reduction, propulsion (including fan and core) noise reduction, acoustic liner technology, and propulsion airframe aeroacoustics for candidate conventional and unconventional aircraft configurations. The current suite of propulsion specific noise research areas is reviewed along with emerging facility and measurement capabilities. In the longer term, the changes in engine and aircraft configuration will influence the suite of technologies necessary to reduce noise in next generation systems.

Effects of recent energy system changes on CO2 projections for the United States.

PubMed

Lenox, Carol S; Loughlin, Daniel H

2017-09-21

Recent projections of future United States carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions are considerably lower than projections made just a decade ago. A myriad of factors have contributed to lower forecasts, including reductions in end-use energy service demands, improvements in energy efficiency, and technological innovations. Policies that have encouraged these changes include renewable portfolio standards, corporate vehicle efficiency standards, smart growth initiatives, revisions to building codes, and air and climate regulations. Understanding the effects of these and other factors can be advantageous as society evaluates opportunities for achieving additional CO 2 reductions. Energy system models provide a means to develop such insights. In this analysis, the MARKet ALlocation (MARKAL) model was applied to estimate the relative effects of various energy system changes that have happened since the year 2005 on CO 2 projections for the year 2025. The results indicate that transformations in the transportation and buildings sectors have played major roles in lowering projections. Particularly influential changes include improved vehicle efficiencies, reductions in projected travel demand, reductions in miscellaneous commercial electricity loads, and higher efficiency lighting. Electric sector changes have also contributed significantly to the lowered forecasts, driven by demand reductions, renewable portfolio standards, and air quality regulations.

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

Ashford, Mike

The report describes the prospects for energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions reductions in Mexico, along with renewable energy potential. A methodology for developing emissions baselines is shown, in order to prepare project emissions reductions calculations. An application to the USIJI program was also prepared through this project, for a portfolio of energy efficiency projects.

Numerical Simulation of One-and Two-Phase Flows in Propulsion Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blankson, Isaiah M. (Technical Monitor); Gilinsky, Mikhail

2002-01-01

In this report, we present some results of problems investigated during joint research between the Hampton University Fluid Mechanics and Acoustics Laboratory (FM&AL), NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and the Hyper-X Program of the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). The main areas of current scientific interest of the FM&AL include an investigation of the proposed and patented advanced methods for aircraft engine thrust and noise benefits. These methods are based on nontraditional 3D corrugated and composite nozzle, inlet, propeller and screw designs such as the Bluebell and Telescope nozzles, Mobius-shaped screws, etc. These are the main subject of our other projects, of which one is the NASA MURED's FAR Award. Working jointly with this project team, our team also analyzes additional methods for exhaust jet noise reduction. These methods are without essential thrust loss and even with thrust augmentation.

36 CFR 218.12 - Timing of authorized hazardous fuel reduction project decision.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PREDECISIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW PROCESSES Predecisional Administrative Review Process for Hazardous Fuel Reduction Projects Authorized by the Healthy Forests Restoration...

Application of Delphi expert panel in joint venture projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adnan, H.; Rosman, M. R.; Rashid, Z. Z. Ahmad; Mohamad Yusuwan, N.; Bakhary, N. A.

2018-02-01

This study was conducted with the aim to identify the application of the Delphi Technique in validating findings obtained from questionnaire surveys and interviews done in- depth on the subject of joint venture projects in Malaysia. The Delphi technique aims to achieve a consensus of opinion amongst expert panellist that were selected on the primary factors in JV projects. To achieve research objectives, a progressive series of questions was designed where a selected panel of expert to confirm and validate the final findings. The rationale, benefits, limitations and recommendations for the use of Delphi were given in this study. From the literature review done, twenty-one factors were identified as critical factors to the making any joint venture project successful. Detail information from contractors were obtained by using the questionnaire survey method and forty-three in-depth interviews were carried out. Trust between partners, mutual understanding, partner selection criteria, agreement of contract, objective compatibility, conflict, and commitment were confirmed by the Delphi panel to be the critical success factors besides another fourteen factors which were found to be the Failure Reduction Criteria. Delphi techniques has proven to successfully assist in recognising the main factors and would be beneficial in supplementing the success of joint venture arrangements application for construction projects in Malaysia.

The effect of feedback-assisted reduction in heart rate reactivity on videogame performance.

PubMed

Larkin, K T; Manuck, S B; Kasprowicz, A L

1990-12-01

In 67 male volunteers, we examined the reduction of cardiovascular responsivity to a psychomotor challenge (videogame) achieved by use of heart rate (HR) feedback and effects of these procedures on concomitant behavioral performance. Each subject participated in a pretraining assessment of his cardiovascular responses to the videogame, a training condition, and a posttraining assessment identical to the initial evaluation. During training, subjects were assigned to one of four conditions: (a) a habituation control group receiving no instructions to alter HR (HC); (b) an instructions-only control group receiving instructions to maintain a low or unchanged HR during videogame presentations (IC); (c) a feedback group receiving instructions to reduce HR using ongoing HR feedback (FB-); or (d) a feedback group receiving instructions to lower HR and given HR feedback plus a score contingency in which total game score was jointly determined by subjects' game performance and success at HR control (FB+). Subjects receiving feedback (FB+, FB-) exhibited greater reductions in HR response to the videogame in the posttraining assessment than control (HC, IC) subjects; FB+ subjects showed greater HR reductions than subjects in any other group. FB+ and FB- subjects showed a lower SBP at posttraining relative to the two control groups, but no reduction in task-induced blood pressure reactivity. There were no group differences in videogame performance, either before or following training.

Exon expression in lymphoblastoid cell lines from subjects with schizophrenia before and after glucose deprivation

PubMed Central

Martin, Maureen V; Rollins, Brandi; Sequeira, P Adolfo; Mesén, Andrea; Byerley, William; Stein, Richard; Moon, Emily A; Akil, Huda; Jones, Edward G; Watson, Stanley J; Barchas, Jack; DeLisi, Lynn E; Myers, Richard M; Schatzberg, Alan; Bunney, William E; Vawter, Marquis P

2009-01-01

Background The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of glucose reduction stress on lymphoblastic cell line (LCL) gene expression in subjects with schizophrenia compared to non-psychotic relatives. Methods LCLs were grown under two glucose conditions to measure the effects of glucose reduction stress on exon expression in subjects with schizophrenia compared to unaffected family member controls. A second aim of this project was to identify cis-regulated transcripts associated with diagnosis. Results There were a total of 122 transcripts with significant diagnosis by probeset interaction effects and 328 transcripts with glucose deprivation by probeset interaction probeset effects after corrections for multiple comparisons. There were 8 transcripts with expression significantly affected by the interaction between diagnosis and glucose deprivation and probeset after correction for multiple comparisons. The overall validation rate by qPCR of 13 diagnosis effect genes identified through microarray was 62%, and all genes tested by qPCR showed concordant up- or down-regulation by qPCR and microarray. We assessed brain gene expression of five genes found to be altered by diagnosis and glucose deprivation in LCLs and found a significant decrease in expression of one gene, glutaminase, in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). One SNP with previously identified regulation by a 3' UTR SNP was found to influence IRF5 expression in both brain and lymphocytes. The relationship between the 3' UTR rs10954213 genotype and IRF5 expression was significant in LCLs (p = 0.0001), DLPFC (p = 0.007), and anterior cingulate cortex (p = 0.002). Conclusion Experimental manipulation of cells lines from subjects with schizophrenia may be a useful approach to explore stress related gene expression alterations in schizophrenia and to identify SNP variants associated with gene expression. PMID:19772658

The Impact of Variable Wind Shear Coefficients on Risk Reduction of Wind Energy Projects

PubMed Central

Thomson, Allan; Yoonesi, Behrang; McNutt, Josiah

2016-01-01

Estimation of wind speed at proposed hub heights is typically achieved using a wind shear exponent or wind shear coefficient (WSC), variation in wind speed as a function of height. The WSC is subject to temporal variation at low and high frequencies, ranging from diurnal and seasonal variations to disturbance caused by weather patterns; however, in many cases, it is assumed that the WSC remains constant. This assumption creates significant error in resource assessment, increasing uncertainty in projects and potentially significantly impacting the ability to control gird connected wind generators. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge relating to the evaluation and assessment of wind speed, with particular emphasis on the development of techniques to improve the accuracy of estimated wind speed above measurement height. It presents an evaluation of the use of a variable wind shear coefficient methodology based on a distribution of wind shear coefficients which have been implemented in real time. The results indicate that a VWSC provides a more accurate estimate of wind at hub height, ranging from 41% to 4% reduction in root mean squared error (RMSE) between predicted and actual wind speeds when using a variable wind shear coefficient at heights ranging from 33% to 100% above the highest actual wind measurement. PMID:27872898

Physical Exercise Restores the Generation of Newborn Neurons in an Animal Model of Chronic Epilepsy

PubMed Central

Mendonça, Fabricio N.; Santos, Luiz E. C.; Rodrigues, Antônio M.; Gomes da Silva, Sérgio; Arida, Ricardo M.; da Silveira, Gilcélio A.; Scorza, Fulvio A.; Almeida, Antônio-Carlos G.

2017-01-01

Neurogenesis impairment is associated with the chronic phase of the epilepsy in humans and also observed in animal models. Recent studies with animal models have shown that physical exercise is capable of improving neurogenesis in adult subjects, alleviating cognitive impairment and depression. Here, we show that there is a reduction in the generation of newborn granule cells in the dentate gyrus of adult rats subjected to a chronic model of epilepsy during the postnatal period of brain development. We also show that the physical exercise was capable to restore the number of newborn granule cells in this animals to the level observed in the control group. Notably, a larger number of newborn granule cells exhibiting morphological characteristics indicative of correct targeting into the hippocampal circuitry and the absence of basal dendrite projections was also observed in the epileptic animals subjected to physical exercise compared to the epileptic animals. The results described here could represent a positive interference of the physical exercise on the neurogenesis process in subjects with chronic epilepsy. The results may also help to reinterpret the benefits of the physical exercise in alleviating symptoms of depression and cognitive dysfunction. PMID:28298884

Optimisation and establishment of diagnostic reference levels in paediatric plain radiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paulo, Graciano do Nascimento Nobre

Purpose: This study aimed to propose Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs) in paediatric plain radiography and to optimise the most frequent paediatric plain radiography examinations in Portugal following an analysis and evaluation of current practice. Methods and materials: Anthropometric data (weight, patient height and thickness of the irradiated anatomy) was collected from 9,935 patients referred for a radiography procedure to one of the three dedicated paediatric hospitals in Portugal. National DRLs were calculated for the three most frequent X-ray procedures at the three hospitals: chest AP/PA projection; abdomen AP projection; pelvis AP projection. Exposure factors and patient dose were collected prospectively at the clinical sites. In order to analyse the relationship between exposure factors, the use of technical features and dose, experimental tests were made using two anthropomorphic phantoms: a) CIRSTM ATOM model 705; height: 110cm, weight: 19kg and b) Kyoto kagakuTM model PBU-60; height: 165cm, weight: 50kg. After phantom data collection, an objective image analysis was performed by analysing the variation of the mean value of the standard deviation, measured with OsiriX software (Pixmeo, Switzerland). After proposing new exposure criteria, a Visual Grading Characteristic image quality evaluation was performed blindly by four paediatric radiologists, each with a minimum of 10 years of professional experience, using anatomical criteria scoring. Results: DRLs by patient weight groups have been established for the first time. ESAKP75 DRLs for both patient age and weight groups were also obtained and are described in the thesis. Significant dose reduction was achieved through the implementation of an optimisation programme: an average reduction of 41% and 18% on KAPP75 and ESAKP75, respectively for chest plain radiography; an average reduction of 58% and 53% on KAPP75 and ESAKP75, respectively for abdomen plain radiography; and an average reduction of 47% and 48% on KAPP75 and ESAKP75, respectively for pelvis plain radiography. Conclusion: Portuguese DRLs for plain radiography were obtained for paediatric plain radiography (chest AP/PA, abdomen and pelvis). Experimental phantom tests identified adequate plain radiography exposure criteria, validated by objective and subjective image quality analysis. The new exposure criteria were put into practice in one of the paediatric hospitals, by introducing an optimisation programme. The implementation of the optimisation programme allowed a significant dose reduction to paediatric patients, without compromising image quality. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

Research and proposal on selective catalytic reduction reactor optimization for industrial boiler.

PubMed

Yang, Yiming; Li, Jian; He, Hong

2017-08-24

The advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software STAR-CCM+ was used to simulate a denitrification (De-NOx) project for a boiler in this paper, and the simulation result was verified based on a physical model. Two selective catalytic reduction (SCR) reactors were developed: reactor 1 was optimized and reactor 2 was developed based on reactor 1. Various indicators, including gas flow field, ammonia concentration distribution, temperature distribution, gas incident angle, and system pressure drop were analyzed. The analysis indicated that reactor 2 was of outstanding performance and could simplify developing greatly. Ammonia injection grid (AIG), the core component of the reactor, was studied; three AIGs were developed and their performances were compared and analyzed. The result indicated that AIG 3 was of the best performance. The technical indicators were proposed for SCR reactor based on the study. Flow filed distribution, gas incident angle, and temperature distribution are subjected to SCR reactor shape to a great extent, and reactor 2 proposed in this paper was of outstanding performance; ammonia concentration distribution is subjected to ammonia injection grid (AIG) shape, and AIG 3 could meet the technical indicator of ammonia concentration without mounting ammonia mixer. The developments above on the reactor and the AIG are both of great application value and social efficiency.

Do substantial BMI reduction episodes among Swedish schoolchildren have any impact on their final height?

PubMed

Nilsen, Bente B; Yngve, Agneta; Werner, Bo

2018-07-01

This study investigated whether substantial body mass index (BMI) reductions in Swedish schoolchildren aged seven years to 19 years, caused by disease, healthy or unhealthy behaviour, had any impact on their final height. We used height and weight data on 6572 subjects from two nationally representative longitudinal samples of Swedish children born in 1973 and 1981. These provided information on their final height and any BMI reduction episodes. Of the 6572 subjects (50.9% boys), among individuals with information on final height, 1118 had a BMI reduction of 5% and <10%, and 346 had at least one substantial BMI reduction of 10% or more. On a group level, there was no statistically significant difference in the final height of individuals with BMI reductions of 10% or more and those without. The findings were independent of age and the subject's BMI at the start of the reduction episode. However, there were a number of cases where a substantial BMI reduction probably had an impact on the subject's final height. Our study found no evidence that a substantial BMI reduction had any impact on final height on a group level, but further analyses of specific case studies are necessary to determine whether substantial BMI reduction might have an impact on final height. ©2018 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Advanced pumped storage hydroelectric power may reduce NO{sub x} and VOC emissions

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

NONE

As a severe ozone nonattainment area, the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area faces the difficult challange of reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO{sub x}) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the primary precursors of ground-level ozone. An ambitious,more » $$2.4 billion undertaking, known as the Mt. Hope project, may help the metropolitan area - and the entire Mid-Atlantic Ozone Transport Region (OTR) - attain ozone compliance. The project includes a new 2,000-MW electricity storage facility, which would allow thermal power plants in the region to run more efficiently and reduce NO{sub x} and VOC emissions, especially at times of critical ozone levels. The Mt. Hope project is the subject of a recent study that analyzed, potential reductions in ozone precursors from project implementation. According to the study, NO{sub x} emissions could be reduced by up to 50 tons per day and $$91 million per year could potentially be saved if the project is implemented. Advanced pumped storage (APS) improves significantly on the conventional method. The Mt. Hope project, for example, is expected to consume only 22% more electricity than it generates. APS facilities are designed to switch from power-receiving to power-generating modes frequently in response to demand - up to 20 times a day in the Mt. Hope design. 1 ref., 1 fig.« less

The Talking Sex Project: descriptions of the study population and correlates of sexual practices at baseline.

PubMed

Myers, T; Tudiver, F G; Kurtz, R G; Jackson, E A; Orr, K W; Rowe, C J; Bullock, S L

1992-01-01

The Talking Sex Project is an HIV risk reduction education project for gay and bisexual men. It was developed to evaluate two types of small discussion groups using a randomized control study design. This paper reports on the baseline measures of knowledge, attitudes and sexual practices. The 612 subjects had a mean age of 32 years, were all English speaking and were relatively highly educated. Bivariate analyses found that younger men, those in a relationship, those reporting bisexual activity and those with higher levels of substance use were significantly more likely to have unprotected anal intercourse. While overall knowledge was not associated with sexual behaviour, a significant relationship was found with knowledge of risk of anal sex. Attitudes, in particular, the belief in the efficacy of condoms and the enjoyment of safer sex were found to have the strongest associations with protected anal intercourse. The paper provides an understanding of some of the factors which may be important to behaviour change and clues for the targeting of programs.

Radioactive fallout projections and arms control agreements: INF (Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces) and START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty)

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

Shapiro, C.S.

1988-02-01

Projections of levels of radioactive fallout from a nuclear war are sensitive to assumptions about the structure of the nuclear stockpiles as well as the assumed scenarios for a nuclear war. Recent arms control proposals would change these parameters. This paper examines the implications of the proposed (Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces) INF treaty and (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) START on fallout projections from a major nuclear war. We conclude that the INF reductions are likely to have negligible effects on estimates of global and local fallout, whereas the START reductions could result in reductions in estimates of local fallout that rangemore » from significant to dramatic, depending upon the nature of the reduced strategic forces. Should a major war occur, projections of total fatalities from direct effects of blast, thermal radiation, a nd fallout, and the phenomenon known as nuclear winter, would not be significantly affected by INF and START initiatives as now drafted. 14 refs.« less

Population PK-PD analyses of CD25 occupancy, CD56bright NK cell expansion, and regulatory T cell reduction by daclizumab HYP in subjects with multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Diao, Lei; Hang, Yaming; Othman, Ahmed A; Mehta, Devangi; Amaravadi, Lakshmi; Nestorov, Ivan; Tran, Jonathan Q

2016-11-01

Daclizumab high yield process (HYP) is a humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody that binds to the α-subunit of the interleukin-2 receptor and is being developed for treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). This manuscript characterized the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) relationships of daclizumab HYP in subjects with MS. Approximately 1400 subjects and 7000 PD measurements for each of three biomarkers [CD25 occupancy, CD56 bright natural killer (NK) cell count, regulatory T cell (Treg) count] from four clinical trials were analyzed using non-linear mixed effects modelling. Evaluated regimens included 150 or 300 mg subcutaneous (s.c.) every 4 weeks. CD25 occupancy was characterized using a sigmoidal maximum response (E max ) model. Upon daclizumab HYP treatment, CD25 saturation was rapid with complete saturation occurring after approximately 7 h and maintained when daclizumab HYP serum concentration was ≥5 mg l -1 . After the last 150 mg s.c. dose, unoccupied CD25 returned to baseline levels in approximately 24 weeks, with daclizumab HYP serum concentration approximately ≤1 mgl -1 1L. CD56 bright NK cell expansion was characterized using an indirect response model. Following daclizumab HYP 150 mg s.c. every 4 weeks, expansion plateaus approximately at week 36, at which the average maximum expansion ratio is 5.2. After the last dose, CD56 bright NK cells gradually declined to baseline levels within 24 weeks. Treg reduction was characterized by a sigmoidal E max model. Average maximum reduction of 60% occurred approximately 4 days post 150 mg s.c. dose. After the last dose, Tregs were projected to return to baseline levels in approximately 20 weeks. Robust PK-PD models of CD25 occupancy, CD56 bright NK cell expansion and Treg reduction by daclizumab HYP were developed to characterize its key pharmacodynamic effects in the target patient population. © 2016 The British Pharmacological Society.

Coyote Creek Trash Reduction Project: Clean Creeks, Healthy Communities

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Information about the SFBWQP Coyote Creek Trash Reduction Project, part of an EPA competitive grant program to improve SF Bay water quality focused on restoring impaired waters and enhancing aquatic resources.

Effects of diet-induced moderate weight reduction on intrahepatic and intramyocellular triglycerides and glucose metabolism in obese subjects.

PubMed

Sato, Fumihiko; Tamura, Yoshifumi; Watada, Hirotaka; Kumashiro, Naoki; Igarashi, Yasuhiro; Uchino, Hiroshi; Maehara, Tadayuki; Kyogoku, Shinsuke; Sunayama, Satoshi; Sato, Hiroyuki; Hirose, Takahisa; Tanaka, Yasushi; Kawamori, Ryuzo

2007-08-01

Although moderate weight reduction is recommended as primary therapy of metabolic syndrome, little information is known regarding metabolic changes associated with moderate weight reduction in nondiabetic obese subjects. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a moderate weight reduction program on intracellular lipid and glucose metabolism in muscle and liver. Data for 13 nondiabetic obese subjects were evaluated. Subjects were put on a 3-month mildly hypocaloric diet therapy (approximately 35 kcal/kg of ideal body weight). Intrahepatic lipid (IHL) and intramyocellular lipid were measured by using (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Peripheral insulin sensitivity and splanchnic glucose uptake were evaluated by euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp with oral glucose load. Diet therapy for 3 months resulted in 6% reduction in body weight (from 99.9 +/- 7.3 to 93.8 +/- 6.6 kg, P < 0.0001). This change was accompanied by reduction of plasma glucose and insulin excursions during 75-g oral glucose tolerance tests, decrease in diastolic blood pressure, glycated hemoglobin, serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride. These changes were also accompanied by a decrease in IHL (from 12.9 to 8.2%, P < 0.01) and increase in splanchnic glucose uptake (from 13.5 to 35.0%, P < 0.03). On the other hand, the diet program did not affect intramyocellular lipid or glucose infusion rate during euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp. Our results suggest that moderate weight reduction in obese subjects decreased IHL and augmented splanchnic glucose uptake. This mechanism is at least in part involved in improvement of glucose metabolism by moderate weight reduction in obese subjects.

A Prospective Study of Axillary Hair Reduction in Patients Treated With Microwave Technology.

PubMed

Brauer, Jeremy A; Neckman, Julia P; Zelickson, Brian; Vasily, David B; Geronemus, Roy G

2017-04-01

Removing unwanted body hair is a growing trend in society today, and there are many laser-based devices for hair reduction. There are some limitations to those methods, including the lack of efficacy for lighter color hair. The objective was to quantify hair reduction in the axillae after treatment with a noninvasive microwave energy device. A prospective, multicenter study was performed at 3 private dermatology clinics. Fifty-six adult subjects seeking axillary hair reduction were enrolled and treated with the device in 1 or 2 treatment sessions 3 months apart at various energy levels, and followed for 12 months. The primary analysis was monitoring reduction of hair counts from baseline to follow-up visits. A subject assessment of overall satisfaction, odor ratings, and sweat reduction ratings was provided at follow-up visits. Fifty-six subjects received treatment, with an average total underarm hair reduction of approximately 70% for both light and dark hair. Percentage of patients with hair reduction of 30% or more was significantly higher than 50% at all follow-up visits. Half of treated subjects reported expected mild transient post-treatment effects such as localized edema, discomfort, and bruising. Other reported events were mild. This clinical study provides evidence for safe and permanent axillary hair reduction, showing stable average reduction that lasted through the year of follow-up. Most notably, the study has shown the treatment's efficacy for reduction of light-colored axillary hair.

Effect of a sustained reduction in plasma free fatty acid concentration on insulin signalling and inflammation in skeletal muscle from human subjects

PubMed Central

Liang, Hanyu; Tantiwong, Puntip; Sriwijitkamol, Apiradee; Shanmugasundaram, Karthigayan; Mohan, Sumathy; Espinoza, Sara; DeFronzo, Ralph A; Dubé, John J; Musi, Nicolas

2013-01-01

Free fatty acids (FFAs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance. Reducing plasma FFA concentration in obese and type 2 diabetic (T2DM) subjects improves insulin sensitivity. However, the molecular mechanism by which FFA reduction improves insulin sensitivity in human subjects is not fully understood. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that pharmacological FFA reduction enhances insulin action by reducing local (muscle) inflammation, leading to improved insulin signalling. Insulin-stimulated total glucose disposal (TGD), plasma FFA species, muscle insulin signalling, IκBα protein, c-Jun phosphorylation, inflammatory gene (toll-like receptor 4 and monocyte chemotactic protein 1) expression, and ceramide and diacylglycerol (DAG) content were measured in muscle from a group of obese and T2DM subjects before and after administration of the antilipolytic drug acipimox for 7 days, and the results were compared to lean individuals. We found that obese and T2DM subjects had elevated saturated and unsaturated FFAs in plasma, and acipimox reduced all FFA species. Acipimox-induced reductions in plasma FFAs improved TGD and insulin signalling in obese and T2DM subjects. Acipimox increased IκBα protein (an indication of decreased IκB kinase–nuclear factor κB signalling) in both obese and T2DM subjects, but did not affect c-Jun phosphorylation in any group. Acipimox also decreased inflammatory gene expression, although this reduction only occurred in T2DM subjects. Ceramide and DAG content did not change. To summarize, pharmacological FFA reduction improves insulin signalling in muscle from insulin-resistant subjects. This beneficial effect on insulin action could be related to a decrease in local inflammation. Notably, the improvements in insulin action were more pronounced in T2DM, indicating that these subjects are more susceptible to the toxic effect of FFAs. PMID:23529132

Effect of a sustained reduction in plasma free fatty acid concentration on insulin signalling and inflammation in skeletal muscle from human subjects.

PubMed

Liang, Hanyu; Tantiwong, Puntip; Sriwijitkamol, Apiradee; Shanmugasundaram, Karthigayan; Mohan, Sumathy; Espinoza, Sara; Defronzo, Ralph A; Dubé, John J; Musi, Nicolas

2013-06-01

Free fatty acids (FFAs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance. Reducing plasma FFA concentration in obese and type 2 diabetic (T2DM) subjects improves insulin sensitivity. However, the molecular mechanism by which FFA reduction improves insulin sensitivity in human subjects is not fully understood. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that pharmacological FFA reduction enhances insulin action by reducing local (muscle) inflammation, leading to improved insulin signalling. Insulin-stimulated total glucose disposal (TGD), plasma FFA species, muscle insulin signalling, IBα protein, c-Jun phosphorylation, inflammatory gene (toll-like receptor 4 and monocyte chemotactic protein 1) expression, and ceramide and diacylglycerol (DAG) content were measured in muscle from a group of obese and T2DM subjects before and after administration of the antilipolytic drug acipimox for 7 days, and the results were compared to lean individuals. We found that obese and T2DM subjects had elevated saturated and unsaturated FFAs in plasma, and acipimox reduced all FFA species. Acipimox-induced reductions in plasma FFAs improved TGD and insulin signalling in obese and T2DM subjects. Acipimox increased IBα protein (an indication of decreased IB kinase-nuclear factor B signalling) in both obese and T2DM subjects, but did not affect c-Jun phosphorylation in any group. Acipimox also decreased inflammatory gene expression, although this reduction only occurred in T2DM subjects. Ceramide and DAG content did not change. To summarize, pharmacological FFA reduction improves insulin signalling in muscle from insulin-resistant subjects. This beneficial effect on insulin action could be related to a decrease in local inflammation. Notably, the improvements in insulin action were more pronounced in T2DM, indicating that these subjects are more susceptible to the toxic effect of FFAs.

Subjective analysis of energy-management projects

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

Morris, R.

The most successful energy conservation projects always reflect human effort to fine-tune engineering and technological improvements. Subjective analysis is a technique for predicting and measuring human interaction before a project begins. The examples of a subjective analysis for office buildings incorporate evaluative questions that are structured to produce numeric values for computer scoring. Each project would need to develop its own pertinent questions and determine appropriate values for the answers.

18 CFR 16.18 - Annual licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Annual licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act. 16.18 Section 16.18 Conservation of Power... Projects Subject to Sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act § 16.18 Annual licenses for projects...

18 CFR 16.18 - Annual licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Annual licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act. 16.18 Section 16.18 Conservation of Power... Projects Subject to Sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act § 16.18 Annual licenses for projects...

18 CFR 16.18 - Annual licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Annual licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act. 16.18 Section 16.18 Conservation of Power... Projects Subject to Sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act § 16.18 Annual licenses for projects...

18 CFR 16.18 - Annual licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Annual licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act. 16.18 Section 16.18 Conservation of Power... Projects Subject to Sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act § 16.18 Annual licenses for projects...

18 CFR 16.18 - Annual licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Annual licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act. 16.18 Section 16.18 Conservation of Power... Projects Subject to Sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act § 16.18 Annual licenses for projects...

Rethink Disposable: Packaging Waste Source Reduction Pilot Project

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Information about the SFBWQP Rethink Disposable: Packaging Waste Source Reduction Pilot Project, part of an EPA competitive grant program to improve SF Bay water quality focused on restoring impaired waters and enhancing aquatic resources.

DUV light source availability improvement via further enhancement of gas management technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riggs, Daniel J.; O'Brien, Kevin; Brown, Daniel J. W.

2011-04-01

The continuous evolution of the semiconductor market necessitates ever-increasing improvements in DUV light source uptime as defined in the SEMI E10 standard. Cymer is developing technologies to exceed current and projected light source availability requirements via significant reduction in light source downtime. As an example, consider discharge chamber gas management functions which comprise a sizable portion of DUV light source downtime. Cymer's recent introduction of Gas Lifetime Extension (GLXTM) as a productivity improvement technology for its DUV lithography light sources has demonstrated noteworthy reduction in downtime. This has been achieved by reducing the frequency of full gas replenishment events from once per 100 million pulses to as low as once per 2 billion pulses. Cymer has continued to develop relevant technologies that target further reduction in downtime associated with light source gas management functions. Cymer's current subject is the development of technologies to reduce downtime associated with gas state optimization (e.g. total chamber gas pressure) and gas life duration. Current gas state optimization involves execution of a manual procedure at regular intervals throughout the lifetime of light source core components. Cymer aims to introduce a product enhancement - iGLXTM - that eliminates the need for the manual procedure and, further, achieves 4 billion pulse gas lives. Projections of uptime on DUV light sources indicate that downtime associated with gas management will be reduced by 70% when compared with GLX2. In addition to reducing downtime, iGLX reduces DUV light source cost of operation by constraining gas usage. Usage of fluorine rich Halogen gas mix has been reduced by 20% over GLX2.

14 CFR 158.93 - Public agencies subject to reduction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... (CONTINUED) AIRPORTS PASSENGER FACILITY CHARGES (PFC'S) Reduction in Airport Improvement Program Apportionment § 158.93 Public agencies subject to reduction. The funds apportioned under 49 U.S.C. 47114 to a... airport enplanes 0.25 percent or more of the total annual enplanements in the U.S., and (b) The public...

14 CFR 158.93 - Public agencies subject to reduction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... (CONTINUED) AIRPORTS PASSENGER FACILITY CHARGES (PFC'S) Reduction in Airport Improvement Program Apportionment § 158.93 Public agencies subject to reduction. The funds apportioned under 49 U.S.C. 47114 to a... airport enplanes 0.25 percent or more of the total annual enplanements in the U.S., and (b) The public...

14 CFR 158.93 - Public agencies subject to reduction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... (CONTINUED) AIRPORTS PASSENGER FACILITY CHARGES (PFC'S) Reduction in Airport Improvement Program Apportionment § 158.93 Public agencies subject to reduction. The funds apportioned under 49 U.S.C. 47114 to a... airport enplanes 0.25 percent or more of the total annual enplanements in the U.S., and (b) The public...

14 CFR 158.93 - Public agencies subject to reduction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... (CONTINUED) AIRPORTS PASSENGER FACILITY CHARGES (PFC'S) Reduction in Airport Improvement Program Apportionment § 158.93 Public agencies subject to reduction. The funds apportioned under 49 U.S.C. 47114 to a... airport enplanes 0.25 percent or more of the total annual enplanements in the U.S., and (b) The public...

14 CFR 158.93 - Public agencies subject to reduction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... (CONTINUED) AIRPORTS PASSENGER FACILITY CHARGES (PFC'S) Reduction in Airport Improvement Program Apportionment § 158.93 Public agencies subject to reduction. The funds apportioned under 49 U.S.C. 47114 to a... airport enplanes 0.25 percent or more of the total annual enplanements in the U.S., and (b) The public...

The Maui's Dolphin Challenge: Lessons from a School-Based Litter Reduction Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Townrow, Carly S.; Laurence, Nick; Blythe, Charlotte; Long, Jenny; Harré, Niki

2016-01-01

The Maui's Dolphin Challenge was a litter reduction project that was run twice at a secondary school in Aotearoa New Zealand. The project drew on a theoretical framework encompassing four psycho-social principles: values, embodied learning, efficacy, and perceived social norms. It challenged students to reduce the litter at the school by offering…

Beaver Brook, Keene, New Hampshire. Flood Damage Reduction Project. Detailed Project Report for Water Resources Development.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-02-01

Project Report/ Environmental Assessment Beaver Brook, Keene, New Hampshire I ~ j~j~i iii ii.. A Flood Damage Reduction AD-A 14 3 376 I 𔃾, W " FEBRUARY...STATEMENT (of tme abestwee enteed to Sleok I0. Of dlfieme W booer IS. SUPPLEMENTARY MOTES 2 volume set: vol 1- Flood Damage Reduction - vol 2- Flood Damage...that are considered reasonably characteristic of the region, excluding extremely rare combinations. 2 ,4INN (0 ( w a 12 7’ PLATE * -..- ~ -- - 7 ’ k 47

Image quality comparison of two adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR, ASiR-V) algorithms and filtered back projection in routine liver CT.

PubMed

Chen, Li-Hong; Jin, Chao; Li, Jian-Ying; Wang, Ge-Liang; Jia, Yong-Jun; Duan, Hai-Feng; Pan, Ning; Guo, Jianxin

2018-06-06

To compare image quality of two adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR and ASiR-V) algorithms using objective and subjective metrics for routine liver CT, with the conventional filtered back projection (FBP) reconstructions as reference standards. This institutional review board-approved study included 52 patients with clinically suspected hepatic metastases. Patients were divided equally into ASiR and ASiR-V groups with same scan parameters. Images were reconstructed with ASiR and ASiR-V from 0 (FBP) to 100% blending percentages at 10% interval in its respective group. Mean and standard deviation of CT numbers for liver parenchyma were recorded. Two experienced radiologists reviewed all images for image quality blindly and independently. Data were statistically analyzed. There was no difference in CT dose index between ASiR and ASiR-V groups. As the percentage of ASiR and ASiR-V increased from 10 to 100% , image noise reduced by 8.6 -57.9% and 8.9-81.6%, respectively, compared with FBP. There was substantial interobserver agreement in image quality assessment for ASiR and ASiR-V images. Compared with FBP reconstruction, subjective image quality scores of ASiR and ASiR-V improved significantly as percentage increased from 10 to 80% for ASiR (peaked at 50% with 32.2% noise reduction) and from 10 to 90% (peaked at 60% with 51.5% noise reduction) for ASiR-V. Both ASiR and ASiR-V improved the objective and subjective image quality for routine liver CT compared with FBP. ASiR-V provided further image quality improvement with higher acceptable percentage than ASiR, and ASiR-V60% had the highest image quality score. Advances in knowledge: (1) Both ASiR and ASiR-V significantly reduce image noise compared with conventional FBP reconstruction. (2) ASiR-V with 60 blending percentage provides the highest image quality score in routine liver CT.

Iterative metal artefact reduction in CT: can dedicated algorithms improve image quality after spinal instrumentation?

PubMed

Aissa, J; Thomas, C; Sawicki, L M; Caspers, J; Kröpil, P; Antoch, G; Boos, J

2017-05-01

To investigate the value of dedicated computed tomography (CT) iterative metal artefact reduction (iMAR) algorithms in patients after spinal instrumentation. Post-surgical spinal CT images of 24 patients performed between March 2015 and July 2016 were retrospectively included. Images were reconstructed with standard weighted filtered back projection (WFBP) and with two dedicated iMAR algorithms (iMAR-Algo1, adjusted to spinal instrumentations and iMAR-Algo2, adjusted to large metallic hip implants) using a medium smooth kernel (B30f) and a sharp kernel (B70f). Frequencies of density changes were quantified to assess objective image quality. Image quality was rated subjectively by evaluating the visibility of critical anatomical structures including the central canal, the spinal cord, neural foramina, and vertebral bone. Both iMAR algorithms significantly reduced artefacts from metal compared with WFBP (p<0.0001). Results of subjective image analysis showed that both iMAR algorithms led to an improvement in visualisation of soft-tissue structures (median iMAR-Algo1=3; interquartile range [IQR]:1.5-3; iMAR-Algo2=4; IQR: 3.5-4) and bone structures (iMAR-Algo1=3; IQR:3-4; iMAR-Algo2=4; IQR:4-5) compared to WFBP (soft tissue: median 2; IQR: 0.5-2 and bone structures: median 2; IQR: 1-3; p<0.0001). Compared with iMAR-Algo1, objective artefact reduction and subjective visualisation of soft-tissue and bone structures were improved with iMAR-Algo2 (p<0.0001). Both iMAR algorithms reduced artefacts compared with WFBP, however, the iMAR algorithm with dedicated settings for large metallic implants was superior to the algorithm specifically adjusted to spinal implants. Copyright © 2016 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Radiation dose reduction in soft tissue neck CT using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR).

PubMed

Vachha, Behroze; Brodoefel, Harald; Wilcox, Carol; Hackney, David B; Moonis, Gul

2013-12-01

To compare objective and subjective image quality in neck CT images acquired at different tube current-time products (275 mAs and 340 mAs) and reconstructed with filtered-back-projection (FBP) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR). HIPAA-compliant study with IRB approval and waiver of informed consent. 66 consecutive patients were randomly assigned to undergo contrast-enhanced neck CT at a standard tube-current-time-product (340 mAs; n = 33) or reduced tube-current-time-product (275 mAs, n = 33). Data sets were reconstructed with FBP and 2 levels (30%, 40%) of ASIR-FBP blending at 340 mAs and 275 mAs. Two neuroradiologists assessed subjective image quality in a blinded and randomized manner. Volume CT dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length-product (DLP), effective dose, and objective image noise were recorded. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was computed as mean attenuation in a region of interest in the sternocleidomastoid muscle divided by image noise. Compared with FBP, ASIR resulted in a reduction of image noise at both 340 mAs and 275 mAs. Reduction of tube current from 340 mAs to 275 mAs resulted in an increase in mean objective image noise (p=0.02) and a decrease in SNR (p = 0.03) when images were reconstructed with FBP. However, when the 275 mAs images were reconstructed using ASIR, the mean objective image noise and SNR were similar to those of the standard 340 mAs CT images reconstructed with FBP (p>0.05). Subjective image noise was ranked by both raters as either average or less-than-average irrespective of the tube current and iterative reconstruction technique. Adapting ASIR into neck CT protocols reduced effective dose by 17% without compromising image quality. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

18 CFR 16.21 - Operation of projects with a minor or minor part license not subject to sections 14 and 15 of the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... with a minor or minor part license not subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act after... TAKEOVER AND RELICENSING OF LICENSED PROJECTS Projects With Minor and Minor Part Licenses Not Subject to Sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act § 16.21 Operation of projects with a minor or minor part...

18 CFR 16.21 - Operation of projects with a minor or minor part license not subject to sections 14 and 15 of the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... with a minor or minor part license not subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act after... TAKEOVER AND RELICENSING OF LICENSED PROJECTS Projects With Minor and Minor Part Licenses Not Subject to Sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act § 16.21 Operation of projects with a minor or minor part...

40 CFR 63.5830 - What are my options for meeting the standards for pultrusion operations subject to the 60 weight...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... standards for pultrusion operations subject to the 60 weight percent organic HAP emissions reductions... National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Reinforced Plastic Composites Production Options... operations subject to the 60 weight percent organic HAP emissions reductions requirement? You must use one or...

41 CFR 102-80.55 - Are Federal agencies responsible for managing the execution of risk reduction projects?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Management Risks and Risk Reduction Strategies § 102-80.55 Are Federal agencies responsible for managing the... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Are Federal agencies responsible for managing the execution of risk reduction projects? 102-80.55 Section 102-80.55 Public...

40 CFR 35.1650-3 - Conditions on award.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... non-Federal share of the project costs. (b) Phase 1. Phase 1 projects are subject to the following conditions: (1) The recipient must receive EPA project officer approval on any changes to satisfy the... additional work under the project. (c) Phase 2. Phase 2 projects are subject to the following conditions: (1...

40 CFR 35.1650-3 - Conditions on award.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... non-Federal share of the project costs. (b) Phase 1. Phase 1 projects are subject to the following conditions: (1) The recipient must receive EPA project officer approval on any changes to satisfy the... additional work under the project. (c) Phase 2. Phase 2 projects are subject to the following conditions: (1...

40 CFR 35.1650-3 - Conditions on award.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... non-Federal share of the project costs. (b) Phase 1. Phase 1 projects are subject to the following conditions: (1) The recipient must receive EPA project officer approval on any changes to satisfy the... additional work under the project. (c) Phase 2. Phase 2 projects are subject to the following conditions: (1...

40 CFR 35.1650-3 - Conditions on award.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... non-Federal share of the project costs. (b) Phase 1. Phase 1 projects are subject to the following conditions: (1) The recipient must receive EPA project officer approval on any changes to satisfy the... additional work under the project. (c) Phase 2. Phase 2 projects are subject to the following conditions: (1...

40 CFR 35.1650-3 - Conditions on award.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... non-Federal share of the project costs. (b) Phase 1. Phase 1 projects are subject to the following conditions: (1) The recipient must receive EPA project officer approval on any changes to satisfy the... additional work under the project. (c) Phase 2. Phase 2 projects are subject to the following conditions: (1...

Gaussian diffusion sinogram inpainting for X-ray CT metal artifact reduction.

PubMed

Peng, Chengtao; Qiu, Bensheng; Li, Ming; Guan, Yihui; Zhang, Cheng; Wu, Zhongyi; Zheng, Jian

2017-01-05

Metal objects implanted in the bodies of patients usually generate severe streaking artifacts in reconstructed images of X-ray computed tomography, which degrade the image quality and affect the diagnosis of disease. Therefore, it is essential to reduce these artifacts to meet the clinical demands. In this work, we propose a Gaussian diffusion sinogram inpainting metal artifact reduction algorithm based on prior images to reduce these artifacts for fan-beam computed tomography reconstruction. In this algorithm, prior information that originated from a tissue-classified prior image is used for the inpainting of metal-corrupted projections, and it is incorporated into a Gaussian diffusion function. The prior knowledge is particularly designed to locate the diffusion position and improve the sparsity of the subtraction sinogram, which is obtained by subtracting the prior sinogram of the metal regions from the original sinogram. The sinogram inpainting algorithm is implemented through an approach of diffusing prior energy and is then solved by gradient descent. The performance of the proposed metal artifact reduction algorithm is compared with two conventional metal artifact reduction algorithms, namely the interpolation metal artifact reduction algorithm and normalized metal artifact reduction algorithm. The experimental datasets used included both simulated and clinical datasets. By evaluating the results subjectively, the proposed metal artifact reduction algorithm causes fewer secondary artifacts than the two conventional metal artifact reduction algorithms, which lead to severe secondary artifacts resulting from impertinent interpolation and normalization. Additionally, the objective evaluation shows the proposed approach has the smallest normalized mean absolute deviation and the highest signal-to-noise ratio, indicating that the proposed method has produced the image with the best quality. No matter for the simulated datasets or the clinical datasets, the proposed algorithm has reduced the metal artifacts apparently.

Projected Impact of a Sodium Consumption Reduction Initiative in Argentina: An Analysis from the CVD Policy Model – Argentina

PubMed Central

Konfino, Jonatan; Mekonnen, Tekeshe A.; Coxson, Pamela G.; Ferrante, Daniel; Bibbins-Domingo, Kirsten

2013-01-01

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in adults in Argentina. Sodium reduction policies targeting processed foods were implemented in 2011 in Argentina, but the impact has not been evaluated. The aims of this study are to use Argentina-specific data on sodium excretion and project the impact of Argentina’s sodium reduction policies under two scenarios - the 2-year intervention currently being undertaken or a more persistent 10 year sodium reduction strategy. Methods We used Argentina-specific data on sodium excretion by sex and projected the impact of the current strategy on sodium consumption and blood pressure decrease. We assessed the projected impact of sodium reduction policies on CVD using the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Policy Model, adapted to Argentina, modeling two alternative policy scenarios over the next decade. Results Our study finds that the initiative to reduce sodium consumption currently in place in Argentina will have substantial impact on CVD over the next 10 years. Under the current proposed policy of 2-year sodium reduction, the mean sodium consumption is projected to decrease by 319–387 mg/day. This decrease is expected to translate into an absolute reduction of systolic blood pressure from 0.93 mmHg to 1.81 mmHg. This would avert about 19,000 all-cause mortality, 13,000 total myocardial infarctions, and 10,000 total strokes over the next decade. A more persistent sodium reduction strategy would yield even greater CVD benefits. Conclusion The impact of the Argentinean initiative would be effective in substantially reducing mortality and morbidity from CVD. This paper provides evidence-based support to continue implementing strategies to reduce sodium consumption at a population level. PMID:24040085

24 CFR 245.416 - Initial submission of materials to HUD: Conversion from project-paid utilities to tenant-paid...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... HUD: Conversion from project-paid utilities to tenant-paid utilities or a reduction in tenant utility... Covered Action § 245.416 Initial submission of materials to HUD: Conversion from project-paid utilities to tenant-paid utilities or a reduction in tenant utility allowances. In the case of a conversion from...

Exposure Knowledge and Risk Perception of RF EMF

PubMed Central

Freudenstein, Frederik; Wiedemann, Peter M.; Varsier, Nadège

2015-01-01

The presented study is part of the EU-Project Low EMF Exposure Future Networks (LEXNET), which deals among other things with the issue of whether a reduction of the radiofrequency (RF) electro-magnetic fields (EMF) exposure will result in more acceptance of wireless communication networks in the public sphere. We assume that the effects of any reduction of EMF exposure will depend on the subjective link between exposure perception and risk perception (RP). Therefore we evaluated respondents’ RP of different RF EMF sources and their subjective knowledge about various exposure characteristics with regard to their impact on potential health risks. The results show that participants are more concerned about base stations than about all other RF EMF sources. Concerning the subjective exposure knowledge the results suggest that people have a quite appropriate impact model. The question how RF EMF RP is actually affected by the knowledge about the various exposure characteristics was tested in a linear regression analysis. The regression indicates that these features – except distance – do influence people’s general RF EMF RP. In addition, we analyzed the effect of the quality of exposure knowledge on RF EMF RP of various sources. The results show a tendency that better exposure knowledge leads to higher RP, especially for mobile phones. The study provides empirical support for models of the relationships between exposure perception and RP. It is not the aim to extrapolate these findings to the whole population because the samples are not exactly representative for the general public in the participating countries. PMID:25629026

Weight loss and waist reduction is associated with improvement in gastroesophageal disease reflux symptoms: A longitudinal study of 15 295 subjects undergoing health checkups.

PubMed

Park, S-K; Lee, T; Yang, H-J; Park, J H; Sohn, C I; Ryu, S; Park, D I

2017-05-01

General obesity and abdominal obesity is an established risk factor of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, the influence of weight or waist change on improvement of GERD is unclear. Our aim was to investigate if weight loss or waist reduction improves GERD symptoms and esophagitis. A retrospective longitudinal study of 15 295 subjects who underwent gastroscopy for a health checkup and reported GERD symptoms between 2011 and 2013, and repeated a checkup until 2014 was conducted. The improvement of GERD symptoms and esophagitis according to weight loss (≥-2, -0.5 to -2 kg/m 2 in body mass index [BMI]), waist reduction (≥-5, -0.1 to -0.5 cm) and baseline BMI/waist circumference (WC) categories was assessed using logistic regression. Weight loss or waist reduction was associated with improvement in GERD symptoms only in subjects with general or abdominal obesity. Among subjects with general obesity (BMI ≥25 kg/m 2 ) and decreased ≥2 kg/m 2 in BMI, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of improvement in GERD symptoms was 2.34 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.70-2.83). Among subjects with abdominal obesity (WC ≥90 cm) and decreased ≥5 cm in WC, the corresponding OR was 2.16 (95% CI 1.56-2.90). There was no association between weight loss or waist reduction and improvement in esophagitis. Weight loss or waist reduction was associated with improvement in GERD symptoms only in subjects with general or abdominal obesity. Weight loss or waist reduction will be an important treatment option in obese patients. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Two-treatment protocol for skin laxity using 90-Watt dynamic monopolar radiofrequency device with real-time impedance intelligence monitoring.

PubMed

McDaniel, David; Weiss, Robert; Weiss, Margaret; Mazur, Chris; Griffen, Charmaine

2014-09-01

Multiple devices are currently on the market that employ radiofrequency to non-invasively treat skin laxity and wrinkle reduction. The study device was a unique monopolar radiofrequency device FDA cleared for the treatment of wrinkles and rhytids. The delivery system allows constant monitoring of the real-time local skin impedance changes, which allows radiofrequency energy to be more uniformly dosed over an entire treatment area. The objective was to validate effectiveness of a modified treatment protocol for a unique monopolar radiofrequency device, which has been engineered with greater power and self-monitoring circuitry. Twenty-four female subjects received bilateral monopolar radiofrequency treatments to the mid and lower face from the sub malar region to the submentum. Subjects completed 1 and 3 month follow ups with digital imaging. Skin biopsies (on 4 subjects) and ultrasound measurements (on 12 subjects) were completed. Assessments demonstrated a reduction in skin laxity of 35%, a reduction in fine lines/wrinkles of 42%, and a reduction in the appearance of global photodamage of 33%. Expert photograding demonstrated 92% of subjects showing at least a mild improvement in skin laxity at three months post treatment. 50 MHz ultrasound measurements in 12 subjects showed an increase of 19% in skin density. Histology showed a marked increase in dermal collagen and elastin fibers in two subjects who demonstrated a clinically noticeable reduction in skin laxity and minimal changes in two subjects who demonstrated minimal clinical improvements. There were no significant adverse events reported. This modified radiofrequency device and treatment protocol was well tolerated and produced improvements in the appearance of skin laxity and overall anti-aging effects in the majority of subjects. Objective measurements including ultrasound and histology help explain the clinical outcome.

Technical Guidance Manual: Contaminant Flux Reduction Barriers for Managing Difficult-to-Treat Source Zones in Unconsolidated Media

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-20

was to evaluate if inexpensive flow reduction agents delivered via permeation grouting technology could help manage difficult-to-treat chlorinated...30  Table 4.  Description of Case Study Site ................................................................................... 30  Table 5...Intentionally Left Blank ES-1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Project Objective The overall objective of this project was to evaluate if inexpensive flow reduction

Characteristics and Causes for Non-Accrued Clinical Research (NACR) at an Academic Medical Institution

PubMed Central

Tice, Debra G.; Carroll, Kelly A.; Bhatt, Karishma H.; Belknap, Steven M.; Mai, David; Gipson, Heather J.; West, Dennis P.

2013-01-01

Background The impact of non-accrued clinical research (NACR) represents an important economic burden that is under consideration as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services looks into reforming the regulations governing IRB review. NACR refers to clinical research projects that fail to enroll subjects. A delineation of the issues surrounding NACR is expected to enhance subject accrual and to minimize occurrence of NACR. The authors assessed demographics, characteristics, and reasons for NACR at an academic medical center, including time trends, funding source, research team (principal investigator, department), IRB resource utilization (IRB level of review, number of required IRB reviews, initial IRB turn-around time, and duration of NACR). Methods The authors analyzed data from 848 clinical research study closures during 2010 and 2011 to determine proportion, incidence, and characteristics of NACR. Studies with subject enrollment during the same time period were used as a comparative measure. Results Data from 704 (83.0%) study closures reported enrollment of 1 or more subjects while 144 (17.0 %) reported NACR (zero enrollment). PI-reported reasons for NACR included: 32 (22.2%) contract or funding issues; 43 (30.0%) insufficient study-dedicated resources; 41 (28.4%) recruitment issues; 17 (11.8%) sponsor-initiated study closure and 11 (7.6%) were “other/reason unreported”. Conclusions NACR is not uncommon, affecting about one in six clinical research projects in the study population and reported to be more common in some other institutions. The complex and fluid nature of research conduct, non-realistic enrollment goals, and delays in both the approval and/or accrual processes contribute to NACR. Results suggest some simple strategies that investigators and institutions may use to reduce NACR, including careful feasibility assessment, reduction of institutional delays, and prompt initiation of subject accrual for multi-center studies using competitive enrollment. Institutional action to support investigators in the conduct clinical research is also encouraged to reduce likelihood of NACR. PMID:23671544

Characteristics and Causes for Non-Accrued Clinical Research (NACR) at an Academic Medical Institution.

PubMed

Tice, Debra G; Carroll, Kelly A; Bhatt, Karishma H; Belknap, Steven M; Mai, David; Gipson, Heather J; West, Dennis P

2013-06-01

The impact of non-accrued clinical research (NACR) represents an important economic burden that is under consideration as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services looks into reforming the regulations governing IRB review. NACR refers to clinical research projects that fail to enroll subjects. A delineation of the issues surrounding NACR is expected to enhance subject accrual and to minimize occurrence of NACR. The authors assessed demographics, characteristics, and reasons for NACR at an academic medical center, including time trends, funding source, research team (principal investigator, department), IRB resource utilization (IRB level of review, number of required IRB reviews, initial IRB turn-around time, and duration of NACR). The authors analyzed data from 848 clinical research study closures during 2010 and 2011 to determine proportion, incidence, and characteristics of NACR. Studies with subject enrollment during the same time period were used as a comparative measure. Data from 704 (83.0%) study closures reported enrollment of 1 or more subjects while 144 (17.0 %) reported NACR (zero enrollment). PI-reported reasons for NACR included: 32 (22.2%) contract or funding issues; 43 (30.0%) insufficient study-dedicated resources; 41 (28.4%) recruitment issues; 17 (11.8%) sponsor-initiated study closure and 11 (7.6%) were "other/reason unreported". NACR is not uncommon, affecting about one in six clinical research projects in the study population and reported to be more common in some other institutions. The complex and fluid nature of research conduct, non-realistic enrollment goals, and delays in both the approval and/or accrual processes contribute to NACR. Results suggest some simple strategies that investigators and institutions may use to reduce NACR, including careful feasibility assessment, reduction of institutional delays, and prompt initiation of subject accrual for multi-center studies using competitive enrollment. Institutional action to support investigators in the conduct clinical research is also encouraged to reduce likelihood of NACR.

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

Melaina, Marc; Warner, Ethan; Sun, Yongling

The Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technologies Program (ARFVTP) supports a wide range of alternative, low-carbon fuel and vehicle projects in California. This report focuses on two types of ARFVTP benefits. Expected benefits reflect successful deployment of vehicles and fuels supported through program projects. Market transformation benefits represent benefits resulting from project influences on future market conditions to accelerated technology adoption rates. Data collected directly from ARFVTP projects funded from 2009 to first quarter 2014 are used as inputs to the benefits analysis, where possible. Expected benefit estimation methods rely primarily upon project-level data and result in year single-pointmore » estimates within the 2011 to 2025 analysis period. Results suggest that the 178 projects evaluated for expected benefits, representing an investment of $351.3 million in ARFVTP funds, could result in a reduction in petroleum fuel use by 236 million gallons per year and greenhouse gases (GHGs) by 1.7 million metric tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) per year by 2025. Market transformation benefits are described as accruing in addition to expected benefits. They are inherently more uncertain and theoretical than expected benefits, and are therefore reported as high and low ranges, with results suggesting reductions of 1.1 MMTCO2e to 2.5 MMTCO2e per year in GHG reductions and 102 million to 330 million gallons per year in petroleum fuel reductions by 2025. Taking both benefit types into account, results suggest that ARFVTP projects have the potential to make substantial progress toward meeting California's long-term GHG and petroleum fuel use reduction goals. As additional project data become available and market success with alternative and renewable fuels and vehicles grows, the analytic framework relied upon to develop these estimates will become more rigorous and will have a greater capacity to inform future ARFVTP activities.« less

Sexual Safety Planning as an HIV Prevention Strategy for Survivors of Domestic Violence.

PubMed

Foster, Jill; Núñez, Ana; Spencer, Susan; Wolf, Judith; Robertson-James, Candace

2016-06-01

Victims of domestic violence (DV) are not only subject to physical and emotional abuse but may also be at increased risk for less recognized dangers from infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted pathogens. Because of the close link between DV and sexual risk, women need to be educated about the consequences of acquiring a life-threatening sexually transmitted infection, risk reduction measures, and how to access appropriate HIV services for diagnosis and treatment. It is therefore critical for DV workers to receive sufficient training about the link between DV and HIV risk so that sexual safety planning can be incorporated into activities with their clients in the same way as physical safety plans. In this article, we discuss how the Many Hands Working Together project provides interactive training for workers in DV and DV-affiliated agencies to increase their knowledge about HIV and teach sexual safety planning skills to achieve HIV risk reduction.

Sexual Safety Planning as an HIV Prevention Strategy for Survivors of Domestic Violence

PubMed Central

Foster, Jill; Spencer, Susan; Wolf, Judith; Robertson-James, Candace

2016-01-01

Abstract Victims of domestic violence (DV) are not only subject to physical and emotional abuse but may also be at increased risk for less recognized dangers from infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted pathogens. Because of the close link between DV and sexual risk, women need to be educated about the consequences of acquiring a life-threatening sexually transmitted infection, risk reduction measures, and how to access appropriate HIV services for diagnosis and treatment. It is therefore critical for DV workers to receive sufficient training about the link between DV and HIV risk so that sexual safety planning can be incorporated into activities with their clients in the same way as physical safety plans. In this article, we discuss how the Many Hands Working Together project provides interactive training for workers in DV and DV-affiliated agencies to increase their knowledge about HIV and teach sexual safety planning skills to achieve HIV risk reduction. PMID:26595667

Manufacture of astroloy turbine disk shapes by hot isostatic pressing, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eng, R. D.; Evans, D. J.

1978-01-01

The Materials in Advanced Turbine Engines project was conducted to demonstrate container technology and establish manufacturing procedures for fabricating direct Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) of low carbon Astroloy to ultrasonic disk shapes. The HIP processing procedures including powder manufacture and handling, container design and fabrication, and HIP consolidation techniques were established by manufacturing five HIP disks. Based upon dimensional analysis of the first three disks, container technology was refined by modifying container tooling which resulted in closer conformity of the HIP surfaces to the sonic shape. The microstructure, chemistry and mechanical properties of two HIP low carbon Astroloy disks were characterized. One disk was subjected to a ground base experimental engine test, and the results of HIP low carbon Astroloy were analyzed and compared to conventionally forged Waspaloy. The mechanical properties of direct HIP low carbon Astroloy exceeded all property goals and the objectives of reduction in material input weight and reduction in cost were achieved.

Effects of Academic Service Learning in Drug Misuse and Addiction on Students’ Learning Preferences and Attitudes Toward Harm Reduction

PubMed Central

Kabli, Noufissa; Liu, Ben; Seifert, Tricia

2013-01-01

Objective. To examine academic service-learning pedagogy on student learning and perceptions of drug misuse and addiction. Design. Third- and fourth-year pharmacology students were exposed to an academic service-learning pedagogy that integrated a community service experience with lectures, in-class discussions and debates, group projects, a final paper, and an examination. Reflective writing assignments throughout the course required students to assimilate and apply what they had learned in the classroom to what they learned in their community placement. Assessment. Changes in students’ responses on pre- and post-course survey instruments reflected shifts toward higher-order thinking. Also, subjective student-learning modalities shifted toward learning by writing. Students’ perspectives and attitudes allowed improved context of issues associated with drug misuse and harm reduction models. Conclusion. Academic service-learning pedagogy contributes to developing adaptable, well-rounded, engaged learners who become more compassionate and pragmatic in addressing scientific and social questions relating to drug addiction. PMID:23610481

Report: Assessment of EPA’s Projected Pollutant Reductions Resulting from Enforcement Actions and Settlements

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report #2007-B-00002, July 24, 2007. The accuracy and reliability of EPA’s projected pollutant reductions for Fiscal Years 2003-2006 were dependent on the specific program in which the enforcement action took place.

[Psychological project supporting weight reduction as a significant element in the prevention of secondary obesity].

PubMed

Bak-Sosnowska, Monika; Zahorska-Markiewicz, Barbara; Bargiel-Matusiewicz, Kamilla

2004-01-01

Psychological factors may contribute in creating and maintaining of overweight that often results of disturbances of individual's psychosocial functioning. That is why psychological impact should be a significant element of both obesity treatment and prevention of recurrence. The article presents a project implemented in the Obesity Treatment Centre "Waga" in Katowice. The project acts as a part of a group, complex treatment process leading to weight reduction. Design, target group and the achieved results are presented as well a psychological aspects helping the process of reduction of body weight.

A retrospective photometric study of 82 published reports of mastopexy and breast reduction.

PubMed

Swanson, Eric

2011-12-01

Numerous publications claim to improve breast projection and upper pole fullness after mastopexy or breast reduction. Fascial sutures and "autoaugmentation" with local flaps are advocated. However, there is no objective evidence that these efforts are effective. The author has proposed a measuring system to quantitate results. Not only is this system useful for assessing one's own results, but it may also be used to assess and compare results in published studies. Eighty-two international publications on mastopexies and breast reductions were analyzed. The studies were grouped by technique: inverted-T (superior/medial, central, and inferior pedicles), vertical, periareolar, inframammary, lateral, and "other." Measurements were made using the definitions and terminology reported separately and included breast projection, upper pole projection, lower pole level, nipple level, breast convexity, breast parenchymal ratio, and lower pole ratio. Areola shape was assessed. Breast projection and upper pole projection were not increased significantly by any of the mastopexy/reduction procedures or by the use of fascial sutures or autoaugmentation techniques. Nipple overelevation was common (41.9 percent). The incidence of the teardrop areola deformity (53.8 percent) was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in patients treated with the open technique of nipple placement. There was no significant difference in results when compared by follow-up times, resection weights, year of publication, or geographic region. Existing mastopexy/reduction techniques do not significantly increase breast projection or upper pole projection. Fascial sutures and autoaugmentation techniques are ineffective. Nipple overelevation and the teardrop areola deformity are common problems and should be avoided.

Optimization-based image reconstruction from sparse-view data in offset-detector CBCT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bian, Junguo; Wang, Jiong; Han, Xiao; Sidky, Emil Y.; Shao, Lingxiong; Pan, Xiaochuan

2013-01-01

The field of view (FOV) of a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) unit in a single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CBCT system can be increased by offsetting the CBCT detector. Analytic-based algorithms have been developed for image reconstruction from data collected at a large number of densely sampled views in offset-detector CBCT. However, the radiation dose involved in a large number of projections can be of a health concern to the imaged subject. CBCT-imaging dose can be reduced by lowering the number of projections. As analytic-based algorithms are unlikely to reconstruct accurate images from sparse-view data, we investigate and characterize in the work optimization-based algorithms, including an adaptive steepest descent-weighted projection onto convex sets (ASD-WPOCS) algorithms, for image reconstruction from sparse-view data collected in offset-detector CBCT. Using simulated data and real data collected from a physical pelvis phantom and patient, we verify and characterize properties of the algorithms under study. Results of our study suggest that optimization-based algorithms such as ASD-WPOCS may be developed for yielding images of potential utility from a number of projections substantially smaller than those used currently in clinical SPECT/CBCT imaging, thus leading to a dose reduction in CBCT imaging.

CF6 Jet Engine Performance Improvement Program: High Pressure Turbine Aerodynamic Performance Improvement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fasching, W. A.

1980-01-01

The improved single shank high pressure turbine design was evaluated in component tests consisting of performance, heat transfer and mechanical tests, and in core engine tests. The instrumented core engine test verified the thermal, mechanical, and aeromechanical characteristics of the improved turbine design. An endurance test subjected the improved single shank turbine to 1000 simulated flight cycles, the equivalent of approximately 3000 hours of typical airline service. Initial back-to-back engine tests demonstrated an improvement in cruise sfc of 1.3% and a reduction in exhaust gas temperature of 10 C. An additional improvement of 0.3% in cruise sfc and 6 C in EGT is projected for long service engines.

The Need For Ongoing Surveys About Physician Practice Costs.

PubMed

Berk, Marc L

2016-09-01

Physicians continue to be the subject of many survey efforts asking them about a wide range of issues including training, retirement plans, satisfaction with practice, practice organization, and practice costs. The resources dedicated to the collection of different types of data have changed over time. Collection efforts have both expanded and contracted. Here I discuss this phenomenon for several types of physician surveys, with particular focus on the reduction in ongoing survey efforts about physician practice costs. The diminution of efforts to collect information about these costs represents an important challenge since the lack of timely, high-quality data could impair the correct calculation of reimbursement rates. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Quantum State Reduction by Matter-Phase-Related Measurements in Optical Lattices

PubMed Central

Kozlowski, Wojciech; Caballero-Benitez, Santiago F.; Mekhov, Igor B.

2017-01-01

A many-body atomic system coupled to quantized light is subject to weak measurement. Instead of coupling light to the on-site density, we consider the quantum backaction due to the measurement of matter-phase-related variables such as global phase coherence. We show how this unconventional approach opens up new opportunities to affect system evolution. We demonstrate how this can lead to a new class of final states different from those possible with dissipative state preparation or conventional projective measurements. These states are characterised by a combination of Hamiltonian and measurement properties thus extending the measurement postulate for the case of strong competition with the system’s own evolution. PMID:28225012

Quantum State Reduction by Matter-Phase-Related Measurements in Optical Lattices.

PubMed

Kozlowski, Wojciech; Caballero-Benitez, Santiago F; Mekhov, Igor B

2017-02-22

A many-body atomic system coupled to quantized light is subject to weak measurement. Instead of coupling light to the on-site density, we consider the quantum backaction due to the measurement of matter-phase-related variables such as global phase coherence. We show how this unconventional approach opens up new opportunities to affect system evolution. We demonstrate how this can lead to a new class of final states different from those possible with dissipative state preparation or conventional projective measurements. These states are characterised by a combination of Hamiltonian and measurement properties thus extending the measurement postulate for the case of strong competition with the system's own evolution.

75 FR 16821 - Housing Finance Agency Risk-Sharing Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-02

...The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal. Section 542(c) of the Risk Sharing Program authorizes qualified Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) to underwrite and process loans. HUD provides full mortgage insurance on affordable multifamily housing project processed by HFAs under this program. Qualified HFAs are vested with the maximum amount of processing responsibilities. By entering into Risk-Sharing Agreement with HUD, HFAs contract to reimburse HUD for a portion of the loss from any defaults that occur while HUD insurance is in force.

Loglines. September-October 2014

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Defense Logistics Agency,8725 John J...retention stock, [Harnitchek] has asked us to look at our projected demand reductions and the lead times we use to award contracts.” Christensen added...fficials are tentatively projecting an additional $1 billion in inventory reductions per year through fiscal 2019, Christensen said. He added

Towards a More Complete Picture: Dissimilatory Metal Reduction by Anaeromyxobacter Species

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

Loeffler, Frank E.

2005-06-01

Towards a More Complete Picture: Dissimilatory Metal Reduction by Anaeromyxobacter Species The overarching goal of this 3-year project is to explore uranium reduction in Anaeromyxobacter species. Specifically, we explore the physiological requirements of available Anaeromyxobacter isolates, design molecular biology tools to detect and quantify Anaeromyxobacter in pure cultures, consortia, and environmental samples, assess their diversity, distribution, and abundance in the environment, including DOE sites, and attempt the isolation of additional Anaeromyxobacter species from the Oak Ridge Field Research Center (FRC). The performers on this project include Frank Loeffler (PI), Robert Sanford (Co-PI), Qingzhong Wu (postdoc), Sara Henry (graduate student withmore » fellowship, no charges to NABIR project), Ivy Thomson (graduate student, no charges to NABIR project), and Ryan Wagner (''Special Topics'' bioinformatics undergraduate student, no charges to NABIR project). Exploratory MALDI-TOF MS experiments for the specific detection of Anaeromyxobacter species were performed by Kerry Preston (graduate student, no charges to NABIR project).« less

Development and Applications of a Self-Contained, Non-Invasive EVA Joint Angle and Muscle Fatigue Sensor System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ranniger, C. U.; Sorenson, E. A.; Akin, D. L.

1995-01-01

The University of Maryland Space Systems Laboratory, as a participant in NASA's INSTEP program, is developing a non-invasive, self-contained sensor system which can provide quantitative measurements of joint angles and muscle fatigue in the hand and forearm. The goal of this project is to develop a system with which hand/forearm motion and fatigue metrics can be determined in various terrestrial and zero-G work environments. A preliminary study of the prototype sensor systems and data reduction techniques for the fatigue measurement system are presented. The sensor systems evaluated include fiberoptics, used to measure joint angle, surface electrodes, which measure the electrical signals created in muscle as it contracts; microphones, which measure the noise made by contracting muscle; and accelerometers, which measure the lateral muscle acceleration during contraction. The prototype sensor systems were used to monitor joint motion of the metacarpophalangeal joint and muscle fatigue in flexor digitorum superficialis and flexor carpi ulnaris in subjects performing gripping tasks. Subjects were asked to sustain a 60-second constant-contraction (isometric) exercise and subsequently to perform a repetitive handgripping task to failure. Comparison of the electrical and mechanical signals of the muscles during the different tasks will be used to evaluate the applicability of muscle signal measurement techniques developed for isometric contraction tasks to fatigue prediction in quasi-dynamic exercises. Potential data reduction schemes are presented.

Using Single-trial EEG to Predict and Analyze Subsequent Memory

PubMed Central

Noh, Eunho; Herzmann, Grit; Curran, Tim; de Sa, Virginia R.

2013-01-01

We show that it is possible to successfully predict subsequent memory performance based on single-trial EEG activity before and during item presentation in the study phase. Two-class classification was conducted to predict subsequently remembered vs. forgotten trials based on subjects’ responses in the recognition phase. The overall accuracy across 18 subjects was 59.6 % by combining pre- and during-stimulus information. The single-trial classification analysis provides a dimensionality reduction method to project the high-dimensional EEG data onto a discriminative space. These projections revealed novel findings in the pre- and during-stimulus period related to levels of encoding. It was observed that the pre-stimulus information (specifically oscillatory activity between 25–35Hz) −300 to 0 ms before stimulus presentation and during-stimulus alpha (7–12 Hz) information between 1000–1400 ms after stimulus onset distinguished between recollection and familiarity while the during-stimulus alpha information and temporal information between 400–800 ms after stimulus onset mapped these two states to similar values. PMID:24064073

Role of Colgate Total toothpaste in helping control plaque and gingivitis.

PubMed

Rover, Jo-Ann; Leu-Wai-See, Petal

2014-06-01

To assess the anti-plaque and anti-gingivitis effects of a dentifrice containing 0.3% triclosan, 2% copolymer and 0.243% (1,100 ppm) sodium fluoride in subjects with moderate plaque-induced gingivitis. This was a single center, monadic study. Subjects had at least 20 teeth remaining in the functional dentition, excluding third molars. Following a baseline examination for plaque, gingival inflammation and bleeding, 75 qualified healthy adult males and females, ages 18-70 were selected to participate in the study. Dental prophylaxis was performed and subjects were provided with two tubes of toothpaste (Colgate Total) and a soft-bristle toothbrush (Colgate Wave Toothbrush). The subjects were instructed to brush twice daily using a modified Bass brushing technique. At the end of the 6- to 8-week period subjects returned for collection of clinical and subjective data. 75 subjects completed the study. Both clinical and subjective reductions were significant. The results showed statistically significant reductions in plaque index, gingival inflammation and bleeding on probing. The overall conclusion was that Colgate Total was a comprehensive dentifrice that produced a significant reduction in gingivitis, plaque, and bleeding.

36 CFR 218.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Authorized by the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 § 218.2 Definitions. Address: An individual's or organization's current physical mailing address. An e-mail address is not sufficient. Authorized hazardous fuel reduction project: A hazardous fuel reduction project authorized by the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of...

36 CFR 218.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Authorized by the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 § 218.2 Definitions. Address: An individual's or organization's current physical mailing address. An e-mail address is not sufficient. Authorized hazardous fuel reduction project: A hazardous fuel reduction project authorized by the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of...

Program Benefits Guidance: Analysis of Benefits Associated with Projects and Technologies Supported by the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program

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

Melaina, Marc; Warner, Ethan; Sun, Yongling

The Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technologies Program (ARFVTP) supports a wide range of alternative, low-carbon fuel and vehicle projects in California. This report focuses on two types of ARFVTP benefits. Expected benefits reflect successful deployment of vehicles and fuels supported through program projects. Market transformation benefits represent benefits resulting from project influences on future market conditions to accelerated technology adoption rates. Data collected directly from ARFVTP projects funded from 2009 to first quarter 2014 are used as inputs to the benefits analysis, where possible. Expected benefit estimation methods rely primarily upon project-level data and result in year single-pointmore » estimates within the 2011 to 2025 analysis period. Results suggest that the 178 projects evaluated for expected benefits, representing an investment of $351.3 million in ARFVTP funds, could result in a reduction in petroleum fuel use by 236 million gallons per year and greenhouse gases (GHGs) by 1.7 million metric tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) per year by 2025. Market transformation benefits are described as accruing in addition to expected benefits. They are inherently more uncertain and theoretical than expected benefits, and are therefore reported as high and low ranges, with results suggesting reductions of 1.1 MMTCO2e to 2.5 MMTCO2e per year in GHG reductions and 102 million to 330 million gallons per year in petroleum fuel reductions by 2025. Taking both benefit types into account, results suggest that ARFVTP projects have the potential to make substantial progress toward meeting California's long-term GHG and petroleum fuel use reduction goals. As additional project data become available and market success with alternative and renewable fuels and vehicles grows, the analytic framework relied upon to develop these estimates will become more rigorous and will have a greater capacity to inform future ARFVTP activities.« less

34 CFR 75.681 - Protection of human research subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Protection of human research subjects. 75.681 Section... Conditions Must Be Met by a Grantee? Other Requirements for Certain Projects § 75.681 Protection of human research subjects. If a grantee uses a human subject in a research project, the grantee shall protect the...

34 CFR 75.681 - Protection of human research subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Protection of human research subjects. 75.681 Section... Conditions Must Be Met by a Grantee? Other Requirements for Certain Projects § 75.681 Protection of human research subjects. If a grantee uses a human subject in a research project, the grantee shall protect the...

34 CFR 75.681 - Protection of human research subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Protection of human research subjects. 75.681 Section... Conditions Must Be Met by a Grantee? Other Requirements for Certain Projects § 75.681 Protection of human research subjects. If a grantee uses a human subject in a research project, the grantee shall protect the...

34 CFR 75.681 - Protection of human research subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Protection of human research subjects. 75.681 Section... Conditions Must Be Met by a Grantee? Other Requirements for Certain Projects § 75.681 Protection of human research subjects. If a grantee uses a human subject in a research project, the grantee shall protect the...

EFFECT OF SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION ON MERCURY, 2002 FIELD STUDIES UPDATE

EPA Science Inventory

The report documents the 2002 "Selective Catalytic Reduction Mercury Field Sampling Project." An overall evaluation of the results from both 2001 and 2002 testing is also provided. The project was sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the U.S. Department of...

Alternative Fuels Data Center

Science.gov Websites

) provides U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funding for projects that reduce diesel emissions in New Hampshire. Funding for between 25% and 100% of eligible project , or adding idle reduction equipment. For more information, including funding amounts and how to apply

Developing and Evaluating a Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brownson, Ross C.; Mayer, Jeffrey P.; Dusseault, Patricia; Dabney, Sue; Wright, Kathleen; Jackson-Thompson, Jeannette; Malone, Bernard; Goodman, Robert

1997-01-01

Describes the development and baseline evaluation data from the Ozark Heart Health Project, a community-based cardiovascular disease risk reduction program in rural Missouri that targeted smoking, physical inactivity, and poor diet. Several Ozark counties participated in either intervention or control groups, and researchers conducted surveillance…

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options in ISEEM Global Energy Model: 2010-2050 Scenario Analysis for Least-Cost Carbon Reduction in Iron and Steel Sector

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

Karali, Nihan; Xu, Tengfang; Sathaye, Jayant

The goal of the modeling work carried out in this project was to quantify long-term scenarios for the future emission reduction potentials in the iron and steel sector. The main focus of the project is to examine the impacts of carbon reduction options in the U.S. iron and steel sector under a set of selected scenarios. In order to advance the understanding of carbon emission reduction potential on the national and global scales, and to evaluate the regional impacts of potential U.S. mitigation strategies (e.g., commodity and carbon trading), we also included and examined the carbon reduction scenarios in China’smore » and India’s iron and steel sectors in this project. For this purpose, a new bottom-up energy modeling framework, the Industrial Sector Energy Efficiency Modeling (ISEEM), (Karali et al. 2012) was used to provide detailed annual projections starting from 2010 through 2050. We used the ISEEM modeling framework to carry out detailed analysis, on a country-by-country basis, for the U.S., China’s, and India’s iron and steel sectors. The ISEEM model applicable to iron and steel section, called ISEEM-IS, is developed to estimate and evaluate carbon emissions scenarios under several alternative mitigation options - including policies (e.g., carbon caps), commodity trading, and carbon trading. The projections will help us to better understand emission reduction potentials with technological and economic implications. The database for input of ISEEM-IS model consists of data and information compiled from various resources such as World Steel Association (WSA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), China Steel Year Books, India Bureau of Mines (IBM), Energy Information Administration (EIA), and recent LBNL studies on bottom-up techno-economic analysis of energy efficiency measures in the iron and steel sector of the U.S., China, and India, including long-term steel production in China. In the ISEEM-IS model, production technology and manufacturing details are represented, in addition to the extensive data compiled from recent studies on bottom-up representation of efficiency measures for the sector. We also defined various mitigation scenarios including long-term production trends to project country-specific production, energy use, trading, carbon emissions, and costs of mitigation. Such analyses can provide useful information to assist policy-makers when considering and shaping future emissions mitigation strategies and policies. The technical objective is to analyze the costs of production and CO 2 emission reduction in the U.S, China, and India’s iron and steel sectors under different emission reduction scenarios, using the ISEEM-IS as a cost optimization model. The scenarios included in this project correspond to various CO 2 emission reduction targets for the iron and steel sector under different strategies such as simple CO 2 emission caps (e.g., specific reduction goals), emission reduction via commodity trading, and emission reduction via carbon trading.« less

Radiation dose reduction with the adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) technique for chest CT in children: an intra-individual comparison.

PubMed

Lee, Seung Hyun; Kim, Myung-Joon; Yoon, Choon-Sik; Lee, Mi-Jung

2012-09-01

To retrospectively compare radiation dose and image quality of pediatric chest CT using a routine dose protocol reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP) (the Routine study) and a low-dose protocol with 50% adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) (the ASIR study). We retrospectively reviewed chest CT performed in pediatric patients who underwent both the Routine study and the ASIR study on different days between January 2010 and August 2011. Volume CT dose indices (CTDIvol), dose length products (DLP), and effective doses were obtained to estimate radiation dose. The image quality was evaluated objectively as noise measured in the descending aorta and paraspinal muscle, and subjectively by three radiologists for noise, sharpness, artifacts, and diagnostic acceptability using a four-point scale. The paired Student's t-test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used for statistical analysis. Twenty-six patients (M:F=13:13, mean age 11.7) were enrolled. The ASIR studies showed 60.3%, 56.2%, and 55.2% reductions in CTDIvol (from 18.73 to 7.43 mGy, P<0.001), DLP (from 307.42 to 134.51 mGy×cm, P<0.001), and effective dose (from 4.12 to 1.84 mSv, P<0.001), respectively, compared with the Routine studies. The objective noise was higher in the paraspinal muscle of the ASIR studies (20.81 vs. 16.67, P=0.004), but was not different in the aorta (18.23 vs. 18.72, P=0.726). The subjective image quality demonstrated no difference between the two studies. A low-dose protocol with 50% ASIR allows radiation dose reduction in pediatric chest CT by more than 55% while maintaining image quality. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hypertension control in industrial employees: findings from SHIMSCO study

PubMed Central

Khosravi, Ali Reza; Rowzati, Mohsen; Gharipour, Mojgan; Fesharaki, Mohammad Gholami; Shirani, Shahin; Shahrokhi, Shahnaz; Jozan, Mahnaz; Khosravi, Elham; Khosravi, Zahra; Sarrafzadegan, Nizal

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND: Hypertension prevention and control are among the most important public health priorities. We evaluated the impacts of a workplace intervention project “Stop Hypertension in Mobarakeh Steel Company” (SHIMSCO) on controlling hypertension in industrial workers. METHODS: The study was carried out in Mobarakeh Steel Company in Isfahan among 7286 male workers and employees. All individuals were evaluated for the presence of hypertension (HTN). According to examinations, 500 subjects with systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 140 mmHg, and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ 90 mmHg, and/or those using antihypertensive medications were confirmed to have HTN and thus included in this study. They were questioned for sociodemographic characteristics, past medical history and medication use. They received an educational program including healthy lifestyle and self-care recommendations of HTN management and control as well as training for accurate blood pressure measurement and home monitoring for two years. SBP, DBP, weight, height and routine lab tests were measured for all hypertensive subjects before and after the interventions. Paired t-test, generalized estimation equation (GEE) and ordinary linear regression (OLR) were used for statistical analysis in SPSS. RESULTS: The comparison of SBP and DBP before and after the educational program showed significant reductions in both parameters (−7.97 ± 14.72 and −2.66 ± 9.96 mmHg, respectively). However, a greater decrease was detected in case of DBP. GEE showed SBP and DBP to decrease about −0.115 and −0.054 mmHg/month. OLR also revealed reductions of 4.88 and 2.57 mmHg respectively in SBP and DBP upon adding each antihypertensive drug. CONCLUSION: SHIMSCO, a 3-year interventional project in workplaces, was effective in reducing SBP and DBP among hypertensive employees and workers. We conclude that implementing simple educational programs in worksites can improve the management and control of hypertension and perhaps other chronic diseases. PMID:23205054

Personal Project Content and Stress: Relations to Subjective Health and Depressive Mood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallenius, Marjut A.

2007-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine how personal project stress and stress related to different personal project contents are associated with subjective health and depressive mood among adults. Participants were 343 men and women (20-76 years old), who responded to the questionnaire including the Little's Personal Project Analysis, and health and…

Special Diabetes Program for Indians: Retention in Cardiovascular Risk Reduction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manson, Spero M.; Jiang, Luohua; Zhang, Lijing; Beals, Janette; Acton, Kelly J.; Roubideaux, Yvette

2011-01-01

Purpose: This study examined the associations between participant and site characteristics and retention in a multisite cardiovascular disease risk reduction project. Design and Methods: Data were derived from the Special Diabetes Program for Indians Healthy Heart Demonstration Project, an intervention to reduce cardiovascular risk among American…

Development and validation of a building design waste reduction model.

PubMed

Llatas, C; Osmani, M

2016-10-01

Reduction in construction waste is a pressing need in many countries. The design of building elements is considered a pivotal process to achieve waste reduction at source, which enables an informed prediction of their wastage reduction levels. However the lack of quantitative methods linking design strategies to waste reduction hinders designing out waste practice in building projects. Therefore, this paper addresses this knowledge gap through the design and validation of a Building Design Waste Reduction Strategies (Waste ReSt) model that aims to investigate the relationships between design variables and their impact on onsite waste reduction. The Waste ReSt model was validated in a real-world case study involving 20 residential buildings in Spain. The validation process comprises three stages. Firstly, design waste causes were analyzed. Secondly, design strategies were applied leading to several alternative low waste building elements. Finally, their potential source reduction levels were quantified and discussed within the context of the literature. The Waste ReSt model could serve as an instrumental tool to simulate designing out strategies in building projects. The knowledge provided by the model could help project stakeholders to better understand the correlation between the design process and waste sources and subsequently implement design practices for low-waste buildings. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Statistical CT noise reduction with multiscale decomposition and penalized weighted least squares in the projection domain

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

Tang Shaojie; Tang Xiangyang; School of Automation, Xi'an University of Posts and Telecommunications, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710121

2012-09-15

Purposes: The suppression of noise in x-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging is of clinical relevance for diagnostic image quality and the potential for radiation dose saving. Toward this purpose, statistical noise reduction methods in either the image or projection domain have been proposed, which employ a multiscale decomposition to enhance the performance of noise suppression while maintaining image sharpness. Recognizing the advantages of noise suppression in the projection domain, the authors propose a projection domain multiscale penalized weighted least squares (PWLS) method, in which the angular sampling rate is explicitly taken into consideration to account for the possible variation ofmore » interview sampling rate in advanced clinical or preclinical applications. Methods: The projection domain multiscale PWLS method is derived by converting an isotropic diffusion partial differential equation in the image domain into the projection domain, wherein a multiscale decomposition is carried out. With adoption of the Markov random field or soft thresholding objective function, the projection domain multiscale PWLS method deals with noise at each scale. To compensate for the degradation in image sharpness caused by the projection domain multiscale PWLS method, an edge enhancement is carried out following the noise reduction. The performance of the proposed method is experimentally evaluated and verified using the projection data simulated by computer and acquired by a CT scanner. Results: The preliminary results show that the proposed projection domain multiscale PWLS method outperforms the projection domain single-scale PWLS method and the image domain multiscale anisotropic diffusion method in noise reduction. In addition, the proposed method can preserve image sharpness very well while the occurrence of 'salt-and-pepper' noise and mosaic artifacts can be avoided. Conclusions: Since the interview sampling rate is taken into account in the projection domain multiscale decomposition, the proposed method is anticipated to be useful in advanced clinical and preclinical applications where the interview sampling rate varies.« less

Changes in peak oxygen uptake and plasma volume in fit and unfit subjects following exposure to a simulation of microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Convertino, V. A.

1998-01-01

To test the hypothesis that the magnitude of reduction in plasma volume and work capacity following exposure to simulated microgravity is dependent on the initial level of aerobic fitness, peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) was measured in a group of physically fit subjects and compared with VO2peak in a group of relatively unfit subjects before and after 10 days of continuous 6 degrees head-down tilt (HDT). Ten fit subjects (40 +/- 2 year) with mean +/- SE VO2peak = 48.9 +/- 1.7 mL kg-1 min-1 were matched for age, height, and lean body weight with 10 unfit subjects (VO2peak = 37.7 +/- 1.6 mL kg-1 min-1). Before and after HDT, plasma, blood, and red cell volumes and body composition were measured and all subjects underwent a graded supine cycle ergometer test to determine VO2peak period needed. Reduced VO2peak in fit subjects (-16.2%) was greater than that of unfit subjects (-6.1%). Similarly, reductions in plasma (-18.3%) and blood volumes (-16.0%) in fit subjects were larger than those of unfit subjects (blood volume = -5.6%; plasma volume = -6.6%). Reduced plasma volume was associated with greater negative body fluid balance during the initial 24 h of HDT in the fit group (912 +/- 154 mL) compared with unfit subjects (453 +/- 200 mL). The percentage change for VO2peak correlated with percentage change in plasma volume (r = +0.79). Following exposure to simulated microgravity, fit subjects demonstrated larger reductions in VO2peak than unfit subjects which was associated with larger reductions in plasma and blood volume. These data suggest that the magnitude of physical deconditioning induced by exposure to microgravity without intervention of countermeasures was influenced by the initial fitness of the subjects.

Case-control Studies on the Effectiveness of Breast Cancer Screening: Insights from the UK Age Trial.

PubMed

van der Waal, Daniëlle; Broeders, Mireille J M; Verbeek, André L M; Duffy, Stephen W; Moss, Sue M

2015-07-01

Ongoing breast cancer screening programs can only be evaluated using observational study designs. Most studies have observed a reduction in breast cancer mortality, but design differences appear to have resulted in different estimates. Direct comparison of case-control and trial analyses gives more insight into this variation. Here, we performed case-control analyses within the randomized UK Age Trial. The Age Trial assessed the effect of screening on breast cancer mortality in women ages 40-49 years. In our approach, case subjects were defined as breast cancer deaths between trial entry (1991-1997) and 2004. Women were ages 39-41 years at entry. For every case subject, five control subjects were selected. All case subjects were included in analyses of screening invitation (356 case subjects, 1,780 controls), whereas analyses of attendance were restricted to women invited to screening (105 case subjects, 525 age-matched controls). Odds ratios (OR) were estimated with conditional logistic regression. We used and compared two methods to correct for self-selection bias. Screening invitation resulted in a breast cancer mortality reduction of 17% (95% confidence interval [CI]: -36%, +6%), similar to trial results. Different exposure definitions and self-selection adjustments influenced the observed breast cancer mortality reduction. Depending on the method, "ever screened" appeared to be associated with a small reduction (OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.40, 1.89) or no reduction (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 0.48, 2.14) using the two methods of correction. Recent attendance resulted in an adjusted mortality reduction of 36% (95% CI: -69%, +31%) or 45% (95% CI: -71%, +5%). Observational studies, and particularly case-control studies, are an important monitoring tool for breast cancer screening programs. The focus should be on diminishing bias in observational studies and gaining a better understanding of the influence of study design on estimates of mortality reduction.

Conservation Science Fair Projects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soil Conservation Society of America, Ankeny, IA.

Included are ideas, suggestions, and examples for selecting and designing conservation science projects. Over 70 possible conservation subject areas are presented with suggested projects. References are cited with each of these subject areas, and a separate list of annotated references is included. The references pertain to general subject…

Local plantar pressure relief in therapeutic footwear: design guidelines from finite element models.

PubMed

Erdemir, Ahmet; Saucerman, Jeffrey J; Lemmon, David; Loppnow, Bryan; Turso, Brie; Ulbrecht, Jan S; Cavanagh, Peter Re

2005-09-01

A major goal of therapeutic footwear in patients with pain or those at risk for skin injury is to relieve focal loading under prominent metatarsal heads. One frequent approach is to place plugs of compliant material into the midsole of the shoe. This study investigated 36 plug designs, a combination of three materials, six geometries, and two placements using a two-dimensional (2D) finite element model. Realistic loading conditions were obtained from plantar pressures (PP) recorded during walking in five subjects who wore control midsoles manufactured using Microcell Puff. Measured peak pressures underneath the second metatarsal head were similar to the results of the control model. PP obtained from simulations with the plugs built into a firm midsole were compared to the simulation results of the control midsole. Large plugs (e.g. 40 mm width), made out of Microcell Puff Lite or Plastazote Medium, placed at peak pressure sites, resulted in highest reductions in peak pressures (18-28%). Smaller plugs benefited from tapering when placed at high pressure areas. Case studies were completed on a healthy male subject and a diabetic female patient to address the efficacy of a plug design favored by our simulations (pressure based placement, 40 x 20 mm, Plastazote Medium). Successful reductions of second metatarsal head pressures were observed with a mediolateral load redistribution that was not represented by our model. 2D computer simulations allowed systematic investigation of plug properties without the need for high volume experimentation on human subjects and established basic guidelines for plug selection. In particular, plugs that are placed based on plantar pressure measurements were proven to be more effective when compared to those positioned according to the projection of the bony landmark on the foot-shoe plantar contact area.

Percutaneous Closure of Patent Foramen Ovale in Patients With Migraine: The PREMIUM Trial.

PubMed

Tobis, Jonathan M; Charles, Andrew; Silberstein, Stephen D; Sorensen, Sherman; Maini, Brijeshwar; Horwitz, Phillip A; Gurley, John C

2017-12-05

Migraine is a prevalent and disabling disorder. Patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been associated with migraine, but its role in the disorder remains poorly understood. This study examined the efficacy of percutaneous PFO closure as a therapy for migraine with or without aura. The PREMIUM (Prospective, Randomized Investigation to Evaluate Incidence of Headache Reduction in Subjects With Migraine and PFO Using the AMPLATZER PFO Occluder to Medical Management) was a double-blind study investigating migraine characteristics over 1 year in subjects randomized to medical therapy with a sham procedure (right heart catheterization) versus medical therapy and PFO closure with the Amplatzer PFO Occluder device (St. Jude Medical, St. Paul, Minnesota). Subjects had 6 to 14 days of migraine per month, had failed at least 3 migraine preventive medications, and had significant right-to-left shunt defined by transcranial Doppler. Primary endpoints were responder rate defined as 50% reduction in migraine attacks and adverse events. Secondary endpoints included reduction in migraine days and efficacy in patients with versus without aura. Of 1,653 subjects consented, 230 were enrolled. There was no difference in responder rate in the PFO closure (45 of 117) versus control (33 of 103) groups. One serious adverse event (transient atrial fibrillation) occurred in 205 subjects who underwent PFO closure. Subjects in the PFO closure group had a significantly greater reduction in headache days (-3.4 vs. -2.0 days/month, p = 0.025). Complete migraine remission for 1 year occurred in 10 patients (8.5%) in the treatment group versus 1 (1%) in the control group (p = 0.01). PFO closure did not meet the primary endpoint of reduction in responder rate in patients with frequent migraine. (Prospective, Randomized Investigation to Evaluate Incidence of Headache Reduction in Subjects With Migraine and PFO Using the AMPLATZER PFO Occluder to Medical Management [PREMIUM]; NCT00355056). Copyright © 2017 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Projecting effects of improvements in passive safety of the New Zealand light vehicle fleet.

PubMed

Keall, Michael; Newstead, Stuart; Jones, Wayne

2007-09-01

In the year 2000, as part of the process for setting New Zealand road safety targets, a projection was made for a reduction in social cost of 15.5 percent associated with improvements in crashworthiness, which is a measure of the occupant protection of the light passenger vehicle fleet. Since that document was produced, new estimates of crashworthiness have become available, allowing for a more accurate projection. The objective of this paper is to describe a methodology for projecting changes in casualty rates associated with passive safety features and to apply this methodology to produce a new prediction. The shape of the age distribution of the New Zealand light passenger vehicle fleet was projected to 2010. Projected improvements in crashworthiness and associated reductions in social cost were also modeled based on historical trends. These projections of changes in the vehicle fleet age distribution and of improvements in crashworthiness together provided a basis for estimating the future performance of the fleet in terms of secondary safety. A large social cost reduction of about 22 percent for 2010 compared to the year 2000 was predicted due to the expected huge impact of improvements in passive vehicle features on road trauma in New Zealand. Countries experiencing improvements in their vehicle fleets can also expect significant reductions in road injury compared to a less crashworthy passenger fleet. Such road safety gains can be analyzed using some of the methodology described here.

Adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet and mortality in subjects with diabetes. Prospective results from the MOLI-SANI study.

PubMed

Bonaccio, Marialaura; Di Castelnuovo, Augusto; Costanzo, Simona; Persichillo, Mariarosaria; De Curtis, Amalia; Donati, Maria Benedetta; de Gaetano, Giovanni; Iacoviello, Licia

2016-03-01

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower mortality in a general population but limited evidence exists on the effect of a Mediterranean diet on mortality in subjects with diabetes. We aim to examine the association between the Mediterranean diet and mortality in diabetic individuals. Prospective cohort study on 1995 type 2 diabetic subjects recruited within the MOLI-SANI study. Food intake was recorded by the European Project Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition food frequency questionnaire. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was appraised by the Greek Mediterranean diet score. Hazard ratios were calculated using multivariable Cox-proportional hazard models. During follow-up (median 4.0 years), 109 all-cause including 51 cardiovascular deaths occurred. A 2-unit increase in Mediterranean diet score was associated with 37% (19%-51%) lower overall mortality. Data remained unchanged when restricted to those being on a hypoglycaemic diet or on antidiabetic drug treatment. A similar reduction was observed when cardiovascular mortality only was considered (hazard ratio = 0.66; 0.46-0.95). A Mediterranean diet-like pattern, originated from principal factor analysis, indicated a reduced risk of overall death (hazard ratio = 0.81; 0.62-1.07). The effect of Mediterranean diet score was mainly contributed by moderate alcohol drinking (14.7% in the reduction of the effect), high intake of cereals (12.2%), vegetables (5.8%) and reduced consumption of dairy and meat products (13.4% and 3.4% respectively). The traditional Mediterranean diet was associated with reduced risk of both total and cardiovascular mortality in diabetic subjects, independently of the severity of the disease. Major contributions were offered by moderate alcohol intake, high consumption of cereals, fruits and nuts and reduced intake of dairy and meat products. © The European Society of Cardiology 2015.

Effectiveness of Misattribution (Projection) of Arousal in Coping with Stress.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burish, Thomas G.; And Others

Subjects in five stress groups were threatened with electric shock while subjects in a sixth group were not. In one of the stress groups subjects were encouraged to misattribute (i.e., project) their feelings from the threat of shock to the experimenter instead of to the shock, while subjects in the remaining stress groups were not encouraged to…

Blood Pressure-Attained Analysis of ATACH 2 Trial.

PubMed

Qureshi, Adnan I; Palesch, Yuko Y; Foster, Lydia D; Barsan, William G; Goldstein, Joshua N; Hanley, Daniel F; Hsu, Chung Y; Moy, Claudia S; Qureshi, Mushtaq H; Silbergleit, Robert; Suarez, Jose I; Toyoda, Kazunori; Yamamoto, Haruko

2018-06-01

We compared the rates of death or disability, defined by modified Rankin Scale score of 4 to 6, at 3 months in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage according to post-treatment systolic blood pressure (SBP)-attained status. We divided 1000 subjects with SBP ≥180 mm Hg who were randomized within 4.5 hours of symptom onset as follows: SBP <140 mm Hg achieved or not achieved within 2 hours; subjects in whom SBP <140 mm Hg was achieved within 2 hours were further divided: SBP <140 mm Hg for 21 to 22 hours (reduced and maintained) or SBP was ≥140 mm Hg for at least 2 hours during the period between 2 and 24 hours (reduced but not maintained). Compared with subjects without reduction of SBP <140 mm Hg within 2 hours, subjects with reduction and maintenance of SBP <140 mm Hg within 2 hours had a similar rate of death or disability (relative risk of 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.74-1.29). The rates of neurological deterioration within 24 hours were significantly higher in reduced and maintained group (10.4%; relative risk, 1.98; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-3.62) and in reduced but not maintained group (11.5%; relative risk, 2.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-3.75) compared with reference group. The rates of cardiac-related adverse events within 7 days were higher among subjects with reduction and maintenance of SBP <140 mmHg compared to subjects without reduction (11.2% versus 6.4%). No decline in death or disability but higher rates of neurological deterioration and cardiac-related adverse events were observed among intracerebral hemorrhage subjects with reduction with and without maintenance of intensive SBP goals. URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01176565. © 2018 American Heart Association, Inc.

NASA's International Lunar Network Anchor Nodes and Robotic Lunar Lander Project Update

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Barbara A.; Bassler, Julie A.; Ballard, Benjamin; Chavers, Greg; Eng, Doug S.; Hammond, Monica S.; Hill, Larry A.; Harris, Danny W.; Hollaway, Todd A.; Kubota, Sanae;

The effectiveness of dental health education tools for visually impaired students in Bukit Mertajam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahabudin, Saadiah; Hashim, Hasnah; Omar, Maizurah

2016-12-01

Oral health is a vital component of overall health. It is important in adults and children alike, however, it is even more crucial for children with special needs as they have limited ability to perform oral health practices. Disabled children deserve the same opportunity for oral health as normal children. Unfortunately, oral health care is the most unattended health needs of the disabled children. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of dental health education tools for visually impaired students in two schools in Bukit Mertajam, Penang. The project utilized dental health education tools consisting of an oral health module (printed in braille for the blind and in font 18px for the partially blind), an audio narration of the module were prepared and content-validated by an expert panel. Baseline plaque scores of 38 subjects aged 6-17 years were determined by a trained dental staff nurse. The module was then administered to the subjects facilitated by the teachers. Post intervention plaque scores were recorded again after one month. The pre and post intervention data were analyzed using Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test with a significant p value set at < 0.05. The results showed that there was a reduction in the overall median plaque score in both partially blind (n = 22) and totally blind (n = 16) subjects (2.2 (IQR 0.7) to 1.8 (IQR 0.5) and 2.1 (IQR 0.4) to 2.0 0 (IQR 0.7) respectively). The score difference in the totally blind group was significant (p=0.025). Reductions in plaque scores were also observed in stratified data (based on age); with the partially blind aged 12-17 years showing the greatest reduction. However, the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.067). At younger age, tooth brushing should be supervised by parents as their manual dexterity and cognitive ability is still low. In addition, the younger subjects are less motivated if compared to the older ones. These factors could affect the result of the overall mean OHI-score in this study. In conclusion, the tools appeared to have a positive effect on promoting good oral hygiene among students with visual impairment. We recommend for further studies to be conducted on a bigger sample.

Double blind controlled trial of deanol in tardive dyskinesia.

PubMed

George, J; Pridmore, S; Aldous, D

1981-03-01

Thirty three chronic psychiatric hospital subjects with oral tardive dyskinesia were divided into three groups. The subjects were matched for severity of symptoms then randomly assigned to treatment with a placebo, 1 g deanol or 2 g deanol per day. Statistical analysis showed that after 30 days treatment, there was a significant reduction in the mean rating of the movements of the group of 11 subjects on 2 g deanol per day. Six of these subjects showed substantial reduction in movement. Further studies using this dosage of deanol are unwarranted.

Experiences with three different fiber supplements in weight reduction.

PubMed

Birketvedt, Grethe Støa; Shimshi, Mona; Erling, Thom; Florholmen, Jon

2005-01-01

Fiber supplements added to a caloric diet have additional effects on weight reduction in overweight subjects. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of various commercial fiber supplements (glucomannan, guar gum and alginate) on weight reduction in healthy overweight subjects. One hundred and seventy six men and women were included to receive either active fiber substance or placebo in randomized placebo-controlled studies. The fiber supplements consisted of the viscous fibers glucomannan (Chrombalance), glucomannan and guar gum (Appe-Trim) and glucomannan, guar gum and alginat (Glucosahl). All fiber supplements plus a balanced 1200 kcal diet induced significantly weight reduction more than placebo and diet alone, during a five week observation period. However, there were no significant differences between the different fibers in their ability to induce weight reduction, which was approximately 0.8 kg/week (3.8 +/- 0.9, 4.4 +/- 2.0, 4.1 +/- 0.6 in the Chrombalance, Appe-Trim and Glucosahl group, respectively). Glucomannan induced body weight reduction in healthy overweight subjects, whereas the addition of guar gum and alginate did not seem to cause additional loss of weight.

75 FR 28777 - Information Collection; Pre-Decisional Objection Process for Hazardous Fuel Reduction Projects...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-24

... the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 is the minimum necessary for an individual or organization... for Hazardous Fuel Reduction Projects Authorized by the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 AGENCY... organizations on the extension, with no revision, of a currently approved information collection, OMB 0596-0172...

Industrial Technology Modernization Program. Project 44. Modernize Facility Equipment and Processes. Volume 2. Revision 2. Phase 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-05-01

not be implemented. A change in foreign exchange rates (which increase the equipment cost) and a reduction in marketing forecast resulted in an...project will not be implemented due to unfavorable changes in foreign exchange rates (which increase the equipment costs) and a reduction in market

Reaction-Based Reactive Transport Modeling of Iron Reduction and Uranium Immobilization at Area 2 of the NABIR Field Research Center

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

Burgos, W.D.

2009-09-02

This report summarizes research conducted in conjunction with a project entitled “Reaction-Based Reactive Transport Modeling of Iron Reduction and Uranium Immobilization at Area 2 of the NABIR Field Research Center”, which was funded through the Integrative Studies Element of the former NABIR Program (now the Environmental Remediation Sciences Program) within the Office of Biological and Environmental Research. Dr. William Burgos (The Pennsylvania State University) was the overall PI/PD for the project, which included Brian Dempsey (Penn State), Gour-Tsyh (George) Yeh (Central Florida University), and Eric Roden (formerly at The University of Alabama, now at the University of Wisconsin) as separately-fundedmore » co-PIs. The project focused on development of a mechanistic understanding and quantitative models of coupled Fe(III)/U(VI) reduction in FRC Area 2 sediments. The work builds on our previous studies of microbial Fe(III) and U(VI) reduction, and was directly aligned with the Scheibe et al. ORNL FRC Field Project at Area 2.« less

NASA Aerosciences Perspective on Proposed De-Scope of Ares I-X Development Flight Instrumentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schuster, David M.

2009-01-01

This position paper is written as a result of a number of emails and a presentation that have recently been circulated concerning the potential reduction of Development Flight Instrumentation (DFI) to be included on the Ares I-X flight test vehicle. A reduction in instrumentation has been proposed presumably to reduce project costs and relieve project schedule pressures. This proposal has generated a significant amount of discussion on both sides of the issue, primarily from those within the project. The intention here is to provide a perspective on this issue from outside the mainline project.

Large Scale Reduction of Graphite Oxide Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calle, Carlos; Mackey, Paul; Falker, John; Zeitlin, Nancy

2015-01-01

This project seeks to develop an optical method to reduce graphite oxide into graphene efficiently and in larger formats than currently available. Current reduction methods are expensive, time-consuming or restricted to small, limited formats. Graphene has potential uses in ultracapacitors, energy storage, solar cells, flexible and light-weight circuits, touch screens, and chemical sensors. In addition, graphite oxide is a sustainable material that can be produced from any form of carbon, making this method environmentally friendly and adaptable for in-situ reduction.

Evaluating the effect of increased pitch, iterative reconstruction and dual source CT on dose reduction and image quality.

PubMed

Gariani, Joanna; Martin, Steve P; Botsikas, Diomidis; Becker, Christoph D; Montet, Xavier

2018-06-14

To compare radiation dose and image quality of thoracoabdominal scans obtained with a high-pitch protocol (pitch 3.2) and iterative reconstruction (Sinogram Affirmed Iterative Reconstruction) in comparison to standard pitch reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP) using dual source CT. 114 CT scans (Somatom Definition Flash, Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany), 39 thoracic scans, 54 thoracoabdominal scans and 21 abdominal scans were performed. Analysis of three protocols was undertaken; pitch of 1 reconstructed with FBP, pitch of 3.2 reconstructed with SAFIRE, pitch of 3.2 with stellar detectors reconstructed with SAFIRE. Objective and subjective image analysis were performed. Dose differences of the protocols used were compared. Dose was reduced when comparing scans with a pitch of 1 reconstructed with FBP to high-pitch scans with a pitch of 3.2 reconstructed with SAFIRE with a reduction of volume CT dose index of 75% for thoracic scans, 64% for thoracoabdominal scans and 67% for abdominal scans. There was a further reduction after the implementation of stellar detectors reflected in a reduction of 36% of the dose-length product for thoracic scans. This was not at the detriment of image quality, contrast-to-noise ratio, signal-to-noise ratio and the qualitative image analysis revealed a superior image quality in the high-pitch protocols. The combination of a high pitch protocol with iterative reconstruction allows significant dose reduction in routine chest and abdominal scans whilst maintaining or improving diagnostic image quality, with a further reduction in thoracic scans with stellar detectors. Advances in knowledge: High pitch imaging with iterative reconstruction is a tool that can be used to reduce dose without sacrificing image quality.

24 CFR 954.502 - Applicability of uniform administrative requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

..., 85.36, 85.43, 85.44, 85.51, and 85.52. (b) Non-profit organizations. The requirements of OMB Circular... 20 percent of the total contract price, subject to reduction during the warranty period, commensurate... payable upon demand of the grantee, subject to reduction during the warranty period commensurate with...

24 CFR 954.502 - Applicability of uniform administrative requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., 85.36, 85.43, 85.44, 85.51, and 85.52. (b) Non-profit organizations. The requirements of OMB Circular... 20 percent of the total contract price, subject to reduction during the warranty period, commensurate... payable upon demand of the grantee, subject to reduction during the warranty period commensurate with...

Sustainable growth rate 2013: time for definitive intervention.

PubMed

Hirsch, Joshua A; Rosman, David A; Liu, Raymond W; Ding, Alexander; Manchikanti, Laxmaiah

2013-07-01

Federal healthcare spending has been a subject of intense concern as the US Congress continues to search for ways to reduce the budget deficit. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that, even though it is growing more slowly than previously projected, federal spending on Medicare, Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) will reach nearly $900 billion in 2013. In 2011 the Medicare program paid $68 billion for physicians and other health professional services, 12% of total Medicare spending. Since 2002 the sustainable growth rate (SGR) correction has called for reductions to physician reimbursements; however, Congress has typically staved off these reductions, although the situation remains precarious for physicians who accept Medicare. The fiscal cliff agreement that came into focus at the end of 2012 averted a 26.5% reduction to physician reimbursements related to the SGR correction. Nonetheless, the threat of these devastating cuts continues to loom. The Administration, Congress and others have devised many options to fix this unsustainable situation. This review explores the historical development of the SGR, touches on elements of the formula itself and outlines current proposals for fixing the SGR problem. A recent CBO estimate reduces the potential cost of a 10-year fix of SGR system to $138 billion. This has provided new hope for resolution of this long-standing issue.

Efficacy of apolipoprotein B synthesis inhibition in subjects with mild-to-moderate hyperlipidaemia.

PubMed

Akdim, Fatima; Tribble, Diane L; Flaim, JoAnn D; Yu, Rosie; Su, John; Geary, Richard S; Baker, Brenda F; Fuhr, Rainard; Wedel, Mark K; Kastelein, John J P

2011-11-01

Mipomersen, an apolipoprotein (apo) B synthesis inhibitor, has been shown to produce potent reductions in apoB and LDL-cholesterol levels in animal models as well as healthy human volunteers. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mipomersen monotherapy with or without dose loading in subjects with mild-to-moderate hyperlipidaemia. Fifty subjects with LDL-cholesterol levels between 119 and 266 mg/dL were enrolled into five cohorts at a 4:1 randomization ratio of active to placebo. Two 13-week dose regimens were evaluated at doses ranging from 50 to 400 mg/week. Mipomersen produced dose-dependent reductions in all apoB containing lipoproteins. In the 200 and 300 mg/week dose cohorts, mean reductions from baseline in LDL cholesterol were -45 ± 10% (P= 0.000) and -61 ± 8% (P= 0.000), corresponding to a -46 ± 11% (P= 0.000) and -61 ± 7% (P= 0.000) decrease in apoB levels. Triglyceride levels were also lowered with median reductions up to 53% (P= 0.021). The most common adverse events were injection site reactions. Seven of 40 subjects (18%) showed consecutive transaminase elevations >3× upper limit of normal. Five of these subjects received 400 mg/week, four of whom had apoB levels below the limit of detection. As a consequence, the 400 mg/week cohort was discontinued. Mipomersen administered as monotherapy in subjects with mild-to-moderate hyperlipidaemia produced potent reductions in all apoB-containing lipoproteins. Higher doses were associated with hepatic transaminase increases.

Modeling to Improve the Risk Reduction Process for Command File Errors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meshkat, Leila; Bryant, Larry; Waggoner, Bruce

2013-01-01

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory has learned that even innocuous errors in the spacecraft command process can have significantly detrimental effects on a space mission. Consequently, such Command File Errors (CFE), regardless of their effect on the spacecraft, are treated as significant events for which a root cause is identified and corrected. A CFE during space mission operations is often the symptom of imbalance or inadequacy within the system that encompasses the hardware and software used for command generation as well as the human experts and processes involved in this endeavor. As we move into an era of increased collaboration with other NASA centers and commercial partners, these systems become more and more complex. Consequently, the ability to thoroughly model and analyze CFEs formally in order to reduce the risk they pose is increasingly important. In this paper, we summarize the results of applying modeling techniques previously developed to the DAWN flight project. The original models were built with the input of subject matter experts from several flight projects. We have now customized these models to address specific questions for the DAWN flight project and formulating use cases to address their unique mission needs. The goal of this effort is to enhance the project's ability to meet commanding reliability requirements for operations and to assist them in managing their Command File Errors.

Contingencies of the will: Uses of harm reduction and the disease model of addiction among health care practitioners

PubMed Central

Szott, Kelly

2015-01-01

The concept of addiction as a disease is becoming firmly established in medical knowledge and practice at the same time as the logics of the harm reduction approach are gaining broader acceptance. How health care practitioners understand and intervene upon drug use among their patients is complicated by these two models. While harm reduction can be understood as a form of governmentality wherein drug-taking individuals express their regulated autonomy through self-governance, the notion of addiction as a disease removes the option of self-governance through negating the will of the individual. Through analysis of qualitative interviews conducted with 13 health care practitioners who provide care for economically marginalized people who use drugs in New York City, it was found that the absence of will articulated in constructions of addiction as disease offered a gateway through which health care practitioners could bring in ideological commitments associated with harm reduction, such as the de-stigmatization of drug use. Despite differences in the attribution of agency, sewing together these two approaches allowed health care practitioners to work with drug-using patients in practical and compassionate ways. This resembles the strategic deployment of diverse subjectivities found in feminist, post-structural liberatory projects wherein differential subjectification proves tactical and productive. Although drug-using patients may enjoy the benefits of practical and compassionate health care, the conjoint facilitation and denouncement of their will occasioned by the use of both harm reduction and the disease model of addiction imply their management by both pastoral and disciplinary technologies of power. PMID:25394654

Efficient principal component analysis for multivariate 3D voxel-based mapping of brain functional imaging data sets as applied to FDG-PET and normal aging.

PubMed

Zuendorf, Gerhard; Kerrouche, Nacer; Herholz, Karl; Baron, Jean-Claude

2003-01-01

Principal component analysis (PCA) is a well-known technique for reduction of dimensionality of functional imaging data. PCA can be looked at as the projection of the original images onto a new orthogonal coordinate system with lower dimensions. The new axes explain the variance in the images in decreasing order of importance, showing correlations between brain regions. We used an efficient, stable and analytical method to work out the PCA of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) images of 74 normal subjects using [(18)F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) as a tracer. Principal components (PCs) and their relation to age effects were investigated. Correlations between the projections of the images on the new axes and the age of the subjects were carried out. The first two PCs could be identified as being the only PCs significantly correlated to age. The first principal component, which explained 10% of the data set variance, was reduced only in subjects of age 55 or older and was related to loss of signal in and adjacent to ventricles and basal cisterns, reflecting expected age-related brain atrophy with enlarging CSF spaces. The second principal component, which accounted for 8% of the total variance, had high loadings from prefrontal, posterior parietal and posterior cingulate cortices and showed the strongest correlation with age (r = -0.56), entirely consistent with previously documented age-related declines in brain glucose utilization. Thus, our method showed that the effect of aging on brain metabolism has at least two independent dimensions. This method should have widespread applications in multivariate analysis of brain functional images. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A diagnostic approach in Alzheimer`s disease using three-dimensional stereotactic surface projections of Fluorine-18-FDG PET

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

Minoshima, S.; Frey, K.A.; Koeppe, R.A.

1995-07-01

To improve the diagnostic performance of PET as an aid in evaluating patients suspected of having Alzheimer`s disease, the authors developed a fully automated method which generates comprehensive image presentations and objective diagnostic indices. Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose PET image sets were collected from 37 patients with probable Alzheimer`s disease (including questionable and mild dementia), 22 normal subjects and 5 patients with cerebrovascular disease. Following stereotactic anatomic standardization, metabolic activity on an individual`s PET image set was extracted to a set of predefined surface pixels (three-dimensional stereotactic surface projection, 3D-SSP), which was used in the subsequent analysis. A normal database was created bymore » averaging extracted datasets of the normal subjects. Patients` datasets were compared individually with the normal database by calculating a Z-score on a pixel-by-pixel basis and were displayed in 3D-SSP views for visual inspections. Diagnostic indices were then generated based on averaged Z-scores for the association cortices. Patterns and severities of metabolic reduction in patients with probable Alzheimer`s disease were seen in the standard 3D-SSP views of extracted raw data and statistical Z-scores. When discriminating patients with probable Alzheimer`s disease from normal subjects, diagnostic indices of the parietal association cortex and unilaterally averaged parietal-temporal-frontal cortex showed sensitivities of 95% and 97%, respectively, with a specificity of 100%. Neither index yielded false-positive results for cerebrovascular disease. 3D-SSP enables quantitative data extraction and reliable localization of metabolic abnormalities by means of stereotactic coordinates. The proposed method is a promising approach for interpreting functional brain PET scans. 45 refs., 5 figs.« less

Primary prevention of cardiovascular events with low-dose aspirin and vitamin E in type 2 diabetic patients: results of the Primary Prevention Project (PPP) trial.

PubMed

Sacco, Michele; Pellegrini, Fabio; Roncaglioni, Maria C; Avanzini, Fausto; Tognoni, Gianni; Nicolucci, Antonio

2003-12-01

We investigated in general practice the efficacy of antiplatelets and antioxidants in primary prevention of cardiovascular events in people with type 2 diabetes. The Primary Prevention Project (PPP) is a randomized, open trial with a two-by-two factorial design aimed to investigate low-dose aspirin (100 mg/day) and vitamin E (300 mg/day) in the prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with one or more cardiovascular risk factors. The primary end point was a composite end point of cardiovascular death, stroke, or myocardial infarction. A total of 1,031 people with diabetes in the PPP, aged >/=50 years, without a previous cardiovascular event were enrolled by 316 general practitioners and 14 diabetes outpatient clinics. The PPP trial was prematurely stopped (after a median of 3.7 years) by the independent data safety and monitoring board because of a consistent benefit of aspirin compared with the control group in a population of 4,495 patients with one or more major cardiovascular risk factors. In diabetic patients, aspirin treatment was associated with a nonsignificant reduction in the main end point (relative risk [RR] = 0.90, 95% CI 0.50-1.62) and in total cardiovascular events (0.89, 0.62-1.26) and with a nonsignificant increase in cardiovascular deaths (1.23, 0.69-2.19). In nondiabetic subjects, RRs for the main end point, total cardiovascular events, and cardiovascular deaths were 0.59 (0.37-0.94), 0.69 (0.53-0.90), and 0.32 (0.14-0.72), respectively. No significant reduction in any of the end points considered could be found with vitamin E in either diabetic or nondiabetic subjects. Our data suggest a lower effect of primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) with low-dose aspirin in diabetic patients as opposed to subjects with other cardiovascular risk factors. If confirmed, these findings might indicate that the antiplatelet effects of aspirin in diabetic patients are overwhelmed by aspirin-insensitive mechanisms of platelet activation and thrombus formation, thus making the balance between benefits and harms of aspirin treatment unfavorable. Further large-scale trials investigating the role of aspirin in the primary prevention of CVD in diabetic patients are urgently needed.

Component model reduction via the projection and assembly method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernard, Douglas E.

1989-01-01

The problem of acquiring a simple but sufficiently accurate model of a dynamic system is made more difficult when the dynamic system of interest is a multibody system comprised of several components. A low order system model may be created by reducing the order of the component models and making use of various available multibody dynamics programs to assemble them into a system model. The difficulty is in choosing the reduced order component models to meet system level requirements. The projection and assembly method, proposed originally by Eke, solves this difficulty by forming the full order system model, performing model reduction at the the system level using system level requirements, and then projecting the desired modes onto the components for component level model reduction. The projection and assembly method is analyzed to show the conditions under which the desired modes are captured exactly; to the numerical precision of the algorithm.

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

David Brien

The Forest County Potawatomi Community (FCPC or Tribe) owns a six-story parking facility adjacent to its Potawatomi Bingo Casino (the Casino) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as well as a valet parking facility under the Casino (collectively, the Parking Facility). The Parking Facility contained 205-watt metal halide-type lights that, for security reasons, operated 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Starting on August 30, 2010, the Tribe replaced these fixtures with 1,760 state-of-the-art, energy efficient 55-Watt LED lights. This project resulted in an immediate average reduction in monthly peak demand of 238 kW over the fourth quarter of 2010. The averagemore » reduction in monthly peak demand from October 1 through December 31, 2010 translates into a forecast annual electrical energy reduction of approximately 1,995,000 kWh or 47.3% of the pre-project demand. This project was technically effective, economically feasible, and beneficial to the public not only in terms of long term energy efficiency and associated emissions reductions, but also in the short-term jobs provided for the S.E. Wisconsin region. The project was implemented, from approval by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to completion, in less than 6 months. The project utilized off-the-shelf proven technologies that were fabricated locally and installed by local trade contractors.« less

Health Benefits of Reducing Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake in High Risk Populations of California: Results from the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Policy Model

PubMed Central

Mekonnen, Tekeshe A.; Odden, Michelle C.; Coxson, Pamela G.; Guzman, David; Lightwood, James; Wang, Y. Claire; Bibbins-Domingo, Kirsten

2013-01-01

Background Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) has risen over the past two decades, with over 10 million Californians drinking one or more SSB per day. High SSB intake is associated with risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and coronary heart disease (CHD). Reduction of SSB intake and the potential impact on health outcomes in California and among racial, ethnic, and low-income sub-groups has not been quantified. Methods We projected the impact of reduced SSB consumption on health outcomes among all Californians and California subpopulations from 2013 to 2022. We used the CVD Policy Model – CA, an established computer simulation of diabetes and heart disease adapted to California. We modeled a reduction in SSB intake by 10–20% as has been projected to result from proposed penny-per-ounce excise tax on SSB and modeled varying effects of this reduction on health parameters including body mass index, blood pressure, and diabetes risk. We projected avoided cases of diabetes and CHD, and associated health care cost savings in 2012 US dollars. Results Over the next decade, a 10–20% SSB consumption reduction is projected to result in a 1.8–3.4% decline in the new cases of diabetes and an additional drop of 0.5–1% in incident CHD cases and 0.5–0.9% in total myocardial infarctions. The greatest reductions are expected in African Americans, Mexican Americans, and those with limited income regardless of race and ethnicity. This reduction in SSB consumption is projected to yield $320–620 million in medical cost savings associated with diabetes cases averted and an additional savings of $14–27 million in diabetes-related CHD costs avoided. Conclusions A reduction of SSB consumption could yield substantial population health benefits and cost savings for California. In particular, racial, ethnic, and low-income subgroups of California could reap the greatest health benefits. PMID:24349119

GEMS Project: A Platform to Investigate Multiple Sclerosis Risk

PubMed Central

Xia, Zongqi; White, Charles C.; Owen, Emily K.; Von Korff, Alina; Clarkson, Sarah R.; McCabe, Cristin A.; Cimpean, Maria; Winn, Phoebe A.; Hoesing, Ashley; Steele, Sonya U.; Cortese, Irene C. M.; Chitnis, Tanuja; Weiner, Howard L.; Reich, Daniel S.; Chibnik, Lori B.; De Jager, Philip L.

2015-01-01

The Genes and Environment in Multiple Sclerosis (GEMS) project establishes a platform to investigate the events leading to MS in at-risk individuals. It has recruited 2,632 first-degree relatives from across the USA. Using an integrated genetic and environmental risk score, we identified subjects with twice the MS risk when compared to the average family member, and we report an initial incidence rate in these subjects that is 30 times greater than that of sporadic MS. We discuss the feasibility of large-scale studies of asymptomatic at-risk subjects that leverage modern tools of subject recruitment to execute collaborative projects. PMID:26583565

Remission as perceived by people with schizophrenia, family members and psychiatrists.

PubMed

Karow, A; Naber, D; Lambert, M; Moritz, S

2012-08-01

Studies indicate that patient-rated outcomes and symptomatic remission as defined by the remission in schizophrenia working group rely on different assumptions. The aim of this observational study was to assess symptomatic remission by patients with schizophrenia, family members and psychiatrists and to compare their assessments with standardized criteria and clinical measures. One hundred and thirty-one patients with schizophrenia (DSM-IV), family members and psychiatrists assessed remission within the European Group on Functional Outcomes and Remission in Schizophrenia (EGOFORS) project. Symptoms (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale [PANSS]), functional outcome (Functional Recovery Scale in Schizophrenia [FROGS]), subjective well-being (SWN-K) and demographic characteristics were investigated. Remission assessed by psychiatrists showed the best accordance with standardized remission (80%), followed by remission assessed by family members (52%) and patients (43%). Only in 18%, patients, relatives and psychiatrists agreed in their assessments. Good subjective well-being was most important for remission estimated by patients, good subjective well-being and symptom reduction by family members, and finally better symptom scores, well-being and functioning by psychiatrists. Self- and expert-rated clinical outcomes differ markedly, with a preference on the patients' side for subjective outcome. Symptomatic remission as assessed by the standardized criteria plays a secondary role for patients and relatives in daily clinical practice. A more thorough consideration of patients' and caregivers' perspectives should supplement the experts' assessment. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Liquid radwaste in-leakage reduction at TVA's Browns Ferry nuclear plant

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

Smith, A.C.; Roccasano, J.J.

1987-01-01

Early in 1985, Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA's) Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant (BFNP) decided to initiate a liquid radwaste in-leakage reduction project as part of their chemistry improvement program. The purpose of this project was to reduce the overall volume of water processed by the radwaste system at BFNP by restricting uncontrolled in-leakage through the floor drain system. Impell Corporation was contracted to perform the project, which consisted of several tasks, each design to provide data for the reduction of in-leakage or to reduce the in-leakage directly. The program was begun in March 1985. Buy July of that same year, liquidmore » input to radwaste through the floor drain system had been reduced by --30%.« less

Cingi Steps for preoperative computer-assisted image editing before reduction rhinoplasty.

PubMed

Cingi, Can Cemal; Cingi, Cemal; Bayar Muluk, Nuray

2014-04-01

The aim of this work is to provide a stepwise systematic guide for a preoperative photo-editing procedure for rhinoplasty cases involving the cooperation of a graphic artist and a surgeon. One hundred female subjects who planned to undergo a reduction rhinoplasty operation were included in this study. The Cingi Steps for Preoperative Computer Imaging (CS-PCI) program, a stepwise systematic guide for image editing using Adobe PhotoShop's "liquify" effect, was applied to the rhinoplasty candidates. The stages of CS-PCI are as follows: (1) lowering the hump; (2) shortening the nose; (3) adjusting the tip projection, (4) perfecting the nasal dorsum, (5) creating a supratip break, and (6) exaggerating the tip projection and/or dorsal slope. Performing the Cingi Steps allows the patient to see what will happen during the operation and observe the final appearance of his or her nose. After the application of described steps, 71 patients (71%) accepted step 4, and 21 (21%) of them accepted step 5. Only 10 patients (10%) wanted to make additional changes to their operation plans. The main benefits of using this method is that it decreases the time needed by the surgeon to perform a graphic analysis, and it reduces the time required for the patient to reach a decision about the procedure. It is an easy and reliable method that will provide improved physician-patient communication, increased patient confidence, and enhanced surgical planning while limiting the time needed for planning. © 2014 ARS-AAOA, LLC.

Does provider adherence to a treatment guideline change clinical outcomes for patients with bipolar disorder? Results from the Texas Medication Algorithm Project.

PubMed

Dennehy, Ellen B; Suppes, Trisha; Rush, A John; Miller, Alexander L; Trivedi, Madhukar H; Crismon, M Lynn; Carmody, Thomas J; Kashner, T Michael

2005-12-01

Despite increasing adoption of clinical practice guidelines in psychiatry, there is little measurement of provider implementation of these recommendations, and the resulting impact on clinical outcomes. The current study describes one effort to measure these relationships in a cohort of public sector out-patients with bipolar disorder. Participants were enrolled in the algorithm intervention of the Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP). Study methods and the adherence scoring algorithm have been described elsewhere. The current paper addresses the relationships between patient characteristics, provider experience with the algorithm, provider adherence, and clinical outcomes. Measurement of provider adherence includes evaluation of visit frequency, medication choice and dosing, and response to patient symptoms. An exploratory composite 'adherence by visit' score was developed for these analyses. A total of 1948 visits from 141 subjects were evaluated, and utilized a two-stage declining effects model. Providers with more experience using the algorithm tended to adhere less to treatment recommendations. Few patient factors significantly impacted provider adherence. Increased adherence to algorithm recommendations was associated with larger decreases in overall psychiatric symptoms and depressive symptoms over time, but did not impact either immediate or long-term reductions in manic symptoms. Greater provider adherence to treatment guideline recommendations was associated with greater reductions in depressive symptoms and overall psychiatric symptoms over time. Additional research is needed to refine measurement and to further clarify these relationships.

Mycophenolate Mofetil Treatment of Systemic Sclerosis Reduces Myeloid Cell Numbers and Attenuates the Inflammatory Gene Signature in Skin.

PubMed

Hinchcliff, Monique; Toledo, Diana M; Taroni, Jaclyn N; Wood, Tammara A; Franks, Jennifer M; Ball, Michael S; Hoffmann, Aileen; Amin, Sapna M; Tan, Ainah U; Tom, Kevin; Nesbeth, Yolanda; Lee, Jungwha; Ma, Madeleine; Aren, Kathleen; Carns, Mary A; Pioli, Patricia A; Whitfield, Michael L

2018-01-31

Fewer than half of patients with systemic sclerosis demonstrate modified Rodnan skin score improvement during mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) treatment. To understand the molecular basis for this observation, we extended our prior studies and characterized molecular and cellular changes in skin biopsies from subjects with systemic sclerosis treated with MMF. Eleven subjects completed ≥24 months of MMF therapy. Two distinct skin gene expression trajectories were observed across six of these subjects. Three of the six subjects showed attenuation of the inflammatory signature by 24 months, paralleling reductions in CCL2 mRNA expression in skin and reduced numbers of macrophages and myeloid dendritic cells in skin biopsies. MMF cessation at 24 months resulted in an increased inflammatory score, increased CCL2 mRNA and protein levels, modified Rodnan skin score rebound, and increased numbers of skin myeloid cells in these subjects. In contrast, three other subjects remained on MMF >24 months and showed a persistent decrease in inflammatory score, decreasing or stable modified Rodnan skin score, CCL2 mRNA reductions, sera CCL2 protein levels trending downward, reduction in monocyte migration, and no increase in skin myeloid cell numbers. These data summarize molecular changes during MMF therapy that suggest reduction of innate immune cell numbers, possibly by attenuating expression of chemokines, including CCL2. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Geothermal Risk Reduction via Geothermal/Solar Hybrid Power Plants. Final Report

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

Wendt, Daniel; Mines, Greg; Turchi, Craig

There are numerous technical merits associated with a renewable geothermal-solar hybrid plant concept. The performance of air-cooled binary plants is lowest when ambient temperatures are high due to the decrease in air-cooled binary plant performance that occurs when the working fluid condensing temperature, and consequently the turbine exhaust pressure, increases. Electrical power demand is generally at peak levels during periods of elevated ambient temperature and it is therefore especially important to utilities to be able to provide electrical power during these periods. The time periods in which air-cooled binary geothermal power plant performance is lowest generally correspond to periods ofmore » high solar insolation. Use of solar heat to increase air-cooled geothermal power plant performance during these periods can improve the correlation between power plant output and utility load curves. While solar energy is a renewable energy source with long term performance that can be accurately characterized, on shorter time scales of hours or days it can be highly intermittent. Concentrating solar power (CSP), aka solar-thermal, plants often incorporate thermal energy storage to ensure continued operation during cloud events or after sunset. Hybridization with a geothermal power plant can eliminate the need for thermal storage due to the constant availability of geothermal heat. In addition to the elimination of the requirement for solar thermal storage, the ability of a geothermal/solar-thermal hybrid plant to share a common power block can reduce capital costs relative to separate, stand-alone geothermal and solar-thermal power plant installations. The common occurrence of long-term geothermal resource productivity decline provides additional motivation to consider the use of hybrid power plants in geothermal power production. Geothermal resource productivity decline is a source of significant risk in geothermal power generation. Many, if not all, geothermal resources are subject to decreasing productivity manifested in the form of decreasing production fluid temperature, flow rate, or both during the life span of the associated power generation project. The impacts of geothermal production fluid temperature decline on power plant performance can be significant; a reduction in heat input to a power plant not only decreases the thermal energy available for conversion to electrical power, but also adversely impacts the power plant efficiency. The impact of resource productivity decline on power generation project economics can be equally detrimental. The reduction in power generation is directly correlated to a reduction in revenues from power sales. Further, projects with Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) contracts in place may be subject to significant economic penalties if power generation falls below a specified default level. While the magnitude of PPA penalties varies on a case-by-case basis, it is not unrealistic for these penalties to be on the order of the value of the deficit power sales such that the utility may purchase the power elsewhere. This report evaluates the use of geothermal/solar-thermal hybrid plant technology for mitigation of resource productivity decline, which has not been a primary topic of investigation in previous analyses in the open literature.« less

Dewey Decimal Classification Online Project: Evaluation of a Library Schedule and Index Integrated into the Subject Searching Capabilities of an Online Catalog. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markey, Karen; Demeyer, Anh N.

In this research project, subject terms from the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) Schedules and Relative Index were incorporated into an online catalog as searcher's tools for subject access, browsing, and display. Four features of the DDC were employed to help searchers browse for and match their own subject terms with the online catalog's…

Volume reduction of the corpus callosum and its relationship with deficits in interhemispheric transfer of information in recent-onset psychosis.

PubMed

Chaim, Tiffany M; Schaufelberger, Maristela S; Ferreira, Luiz K; Duran, Fábio L S; Ayres, Adriana M; Scazufca, Marcia; Menezes, Paulo R; Amaro, Edson; Leite, Claudia C; Murray, Robin M; McGuire, Philip K; Rushe, Teresa M; Busatto, Geraldo F

2010-10-30

The present study aimed to investigate the presence of corpus callosum (CC) volume deficits in a population-based recent-onset psychosis (ROP) sample, and whether CC volume relates to interhemispheric communication deficits. For this purpose, we used voxel-based morphometry comparisons of magnetic resonance imaging data between ROP (n =122) and healthy control (n = 94) subjects. Subgroups (38 ROP and 39 controls) were investigated for correlations between CC volumes and performance on the Crossed Finger Localization Test (CFLT). Significant CC volume reductions in ROP subjects versus controls emerged after excluding substance misuse and non-right-handedness. CC reductions retained significance in the schizophrenia subgroup but not in affective psychoses subjects. There were significant positive correlations between CC volumes and CFLT scores in ROP subjects, specifically in subtasks involving interhemispheric communication. From these results, we can conclude that CC volume reductions are present in association with ROP. The relationship between such deficits and CFLT performance suggests that interhemispheric communication impairments are directly linked to CC abnormalities in ROP. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adaptive iterative dose reduction (AIDR) 3D in low dose CT abdomen-pelvis: Effects on image quality and radiation exposure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ang, W. C.; Hashim, S.; Karim, M. K. A.; Bahruddin, N. A.; Salehhon, N.; Musa, Y.

2017-05-01

The widespread use of computed tomography (CT) has increased the medical radiation exposure and cancer risk. We aimed to evaluate the impact of AIDR 3D in CT abdomen-pelvic examinations based on image quality and radiation dose in low dose (LD) setting compared to standard dose (STD) with filtered back projection (FBP) reconstruction. We retrospectively reviewed the images of 40 patients who underwent CT abdomen-pelvic using a 80 slice CT scanner. Group 1 patients (n=20, mean age 41 ± 17 years) were performed at LD with AIDR 3D reconstruction and Group 2 patients (n=20, mean age 52 ± 21 years) were scanned with STD using FBP reconstruction. Objective image noise was assessed by region of interest (ROI) measurements in the liver and aorta as standard deviation (SD) of the attenuation value (Hounsfield Unit, HU) while subjective image quality was evaluated by two radiologists. Statistical analysis was used to compare the scan length, CT dose index volume (CTDIvol) and image quality of both patient groups. Although both groups have similar mean scan length, the CTDIvol significantly decreased by 38% in LD CT compared to STD CT (p<0.05). Objective and subjective image quality were statistically improved with AIDR 3D (p<0.05). In conclusion, AIDR 3D enables significant dose reduction of 38% with superior image quality in LD CT abdomen-pelvis.

Use of the posteroanterior projection: a method of reducing x-ray exposure to specific radiosensitive organs

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

Frank, E.D.; Stears, J.G.; Gray, J.E.

The posteroanterior projection was studied to determine if it could be a substitute for the commonly used anteroposterior projection as a method of reducing x-ray exposure to specific radiosensitive organs during intracranial tomography and scoliosis radiography. The use of the posteroanterior projection resulted in a reduction of 95% in exposure to the lens of the eye during intracranial tomography and of more than 90% to the thyroid, sternum, and breasts during scoliosis radiography. In addition to the major reduction in radiation exposure, the diagnostic capability of the examination was not reduced and comfort in most patients was not affected.

A financing model to solve financial barriers for implementing green building projects.

PubMed

Lee, Sanghyo; Lee, Baekrae; Kim, Juhyung; Kim, Jaejun

2013-01-01

Along with the growing interest in greenhouse gas reduction, the effect of greenhouse gas energy reduction from implementing green buildings is gaining attention. The government of the Republic of Korea has set green growth as its paradigm for national development, and there is a growing interest in energy saving for green buildings. However, green buildings may have financial barriers that have high initial construction costs and uncertainties about future project value. Under the circumstances, governmental support to attract private funding is necessary to implement green building projects. The objective of this study is to suggest a financing model for facilitating green building projects with a governmental guarantee based on Certified Emission Reduction (CER). In this model, the government provides a guarantee for the increased costs of a green building project in return for CER. And this study presents the validation of the model as well as feasibility for implementing green building project. In addition, the suggested model assumed governmental guarantees for the increased cost, but private guarantees seem to be feasible as well because of the promising value of the guarantee from CER. To do this, certification of Clean Development Mechanisms (CDMs) for green buildings must be obtained.

A Financing Model to Solve Financial Barriers for Implementing Green Building Projects

PubMed Central

Lee, Baekrae; Kim, Juhyung; Kim, Jaejun

2013-01-01

Along with the growing interest in greenhouse gas reduction, the effect of greenhouse gas energy reduction from implementing green buildings is gaining attention. The government of the Republic of Korea has set green growth as its paradigm for national development, and there is a growing interest in energy saving for green buildings. However, green buildings may have financial barriers that have high initial construction costs and uncertainties about future project value. Under the circumstances, governmental support to attract private funding is necessary to implement green building projects. The objective of this study is to suggest a financing model for facilitating green building projects with a governmental guarantee based on Certified Emission Reduction (CER). In this model, the government provides a guarantee for the increased costs of a green building project in return for CER. And this study presents the validation of the model as well as feasibility for implementing green building project. In addition, the suggested model assumed governmental guarantees for the increased cost, but private guarantees seem to be feasible as well because of the promising value of the guarantee from CER. To do this, certification of Clean Development Mechanisms (CDMs) for green buildings must be obtained. PMID:24376379

Efficacy of continuous positive airway pressure for treatment of hypernasality.

PubMed

Kuehn, David P; Imrey, Peter B; Tomes, Lucrezia; Jones, David L; O'Gara, Mary M; Seaver, Earl J; Smith, Bonnie E; Van Demark, D R; Wachtel, Jayne M

2002-05-01

To determine whether speech hypernasality in subjects born with cleft palate can be reduced by graded velopharyngeal resistance training against continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Pretreatment versus immediate posttreatment comparison study. Eight university and hospital speech clinics. Forty-three subjects born with cleft palate, aged 3 years 10 months to 23 years 8 months, diagnosed with speech hypernasality. Eight weeks of 6 days per week in-home speech exercise sessions, increasing from 10 to 24 minutes, speaking against transnasal CPAP increasing from 4 to 8.5 cm H(2)0. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Pretreatment to immediate posttherapy change in perceptual nasality score based on blinded comparisons of subjects' speech samples to standard reference samples by six expert clinician-investigators. Participating clinical centers treated from two to nine eligible subjects, and results differed significantly across centers (interaction p =.004). Overall, there was statistically significant reduction in mean nasality score after 8 weeks of CPAP therapy, whether weighted equally across patients (mean reduction = 0.20 units on a scale of 1.0 to 7.0, p =.016) or across clinical centers (mean = 0.19, p =.046). This change was about one-sixth the maximum possible reduction from pretreatment. Nine patients showed reductions of at least half the maximum possible, but hypernasality of eight patients increased at least 30% above pretreatment level. Most improvement was seen during the second month when therapy was more intense (p =.045 for nonlinearity). No interactions with age or sex were detected. Patients receiving 8 weeks of velopharyngeal CPAP resistance training showed a net overall reduction in speech hypernasality, although response was quite variable across patients and clinical centers. The net reduction in hypernasality is not readily explainable by random variability, subject maturation, placebo effect, or regression to the mean. CPAP appears capable of substantially reducing speech hypernasality for some subjects with cleft palate.

Analysing the impact of myopia on the Stiles-Crawford effect of the first kind using a digital micromirror device.

PubMed

Carmichael Martins, Alessandra; Vohnsen, Brian

2018-05-01

Photoreceptor light acceptance is closely tied to the Stiles-Crawford effect of the first kind (SCE-I). Whether the SCE-I plays a role in myopic development remains unclear although a reduction in directionality has been predicted for high myopia. The purpose of this study is to analyse the relationship between foveal SCE-I directionality, axial eye length, and defocus for emmetropic subjects wearing ophthalmic trial lenses during psychophysical measurements and for myopic subjects with their natural correction. A novel uniaxial flicker system has been implemented making use of a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) to flicker between a 2.3 visual degrees circular reference and a set of circular test patterns in a monocular Maxwellian view at 0.5 Hz. The brightness of the test is adjusted by the duty cycle of the projected light to an upper limit of 22 727 Hz. The wavelength and bandwidth are set by a tuneable liquid-crystal filter centred at 550 nm. A total of four measurement series for 11 pupil entrance points have been realized for the right eye of 6 emmetropic and 10 myopic subjects whose pupils were dilated with tropicamide. Five of the emmetropic subjects wore ophthalmic trial lenses in the range of -3 to +9 dioptres to mimic hyperopic to highly myopic vision and resulting visibility plots have been fitted to a Gaussian SCE-I function. In turn, the myopic subjects wore their natural correction during the analysis of the SCE-I. All subjects had their axial eye length determined with an ultrasound device. A SCE-I directionality parameter in the range of 0.03 to 0.06/mm 2 was found for the emmetropic subjects with corrected vision in fair agreement to values in the literature. The results also revealed a marked reduction in directionality in the range from 16% to 30% with every 3 dioptre increase of simulated myopia, as well as a 10% increased directionality in simulated hyperopic eyes. For both emmetropic and myopic subjects, a decrease in directionality with increase in axial length was found in agreement with theoretical expectations. The study confirms a clear link between SCE-I directionality, uncorrected defocus, and axial eye length. This may play a role for emmetropization and thus myopic progression as cone photoreceptors capture light from a wider pupil area in elongated eyes due to a geometrical scaling. © 2018 The Authors Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics © 2018 The College of Optometrists.

Electric-acoustic stimulation suppresses tinnitus in a subject with high-frequency single-sided deafness.

PubMed

Mertens, Griet; Van Rompaey, Vincent; Van de Heyning, Paul

2018-05-17

A suggested solution to suppress tinnitus is to restore the normal sensory input. This is based on the auditory deprivation hypothesis. It is known that hearing aids can provide sufficient activation of the auditory nervous system and reduce tinnitus in subjects with mild to moderate hearing loss and that cochlear implantation can reduce tinnitus in subjects with severe to profound hearing loss. This applies to subjects with single-sided deafness (SSD) or bilateral hearing loss. To investigate if electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) can reduce severe tinnitus in a subject with residual hearing in the ipsilateral ear and contralateral normal hearing (high-frequency SSD) by restoring the auditory input. Tinnitus reduction was investigated for 1 year after implantation in a subject with high-frequency SSD, who uses EAS, and was compared to 11 subjects with a cochlear implant (CI) with SSD. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ) were administered pre-operatively and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after implantation. Significant tinnitus reduction was observed 1 month after implantation on the VAS in the subjects with SSD using a CI. Tinnitus reduction was also observed in the subject with high-frequency SSD using EAS. A further decrease was observed 3 months after implantation. The TQ and VAS scores remained stable up to 1 year after implantation. A CI can significantly reduce ipsilateral severe tinnitus in a subject with SSD. Ipsilateral severe tinnitus can also be reduced using EAS in subjects with high-frequency SSD.

Assessment of the Performance Potential of Advanced Subsonic Transport Concepts for NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nickol, Craig L.; Haller, William J.

2016-01-01

NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) project has matured technologies to enable simultaneous reductions in fuel burn, noise, and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions for future subsonic commercial transport aircraft. The fuel burn reduction target was a 50% reduction in block fuel burn (relative to a 2005 best-in-class baseline aircraft), utilizing technologies with an estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4-6 by 2020. Progress towards this fuel burn reduction target was measured through the conceptual design and analysis of advanced subsonic commercial transport concepts spanning vehicle size classes from regional jet (98 passengers) to very large twin aisle size (400 passengers). Both conventional tube-and-wing (T+W) concepts and unconventional (over-wing-nacelle (OWN), hybrid wing body (HWB), mid-fuselage nacelle (MFN)) concepts were developed. A set of propulsion and airframe technologies were defined and integrated onto these advanced concepts which were then sized to meet the baseline mission requirements. Block fuel burn performance was then estimated, resulting in reductions relative to the 2005 best-in-class baseline performance ranging from 39% to 49%. The advanced single-aisle and large twin aisle T+W concepts had reductions of 43% and 41%, respectively, relative to the 737-800 and 777-200LR aircraft. The single-aisle OWN concept and the large twin aisle class HWB concept had reductions of 45% and 47%, respectively. In addition to their estimated fuel burn reduction performance, these unconventional concepts have the potential to provide significant noise reductions due, in part, to engine shielding provided by the airframe. Finally, all of the advanced concepts also have the potential for significant NOx emissions reductions due to the use of advanced combustor technology. Noise and NOx emissions reduction estimates were also generated for these concepts as part of the ERA project.

Derivation of an analytic expression for the error associated with the noise reduction rating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, William J.

2005-04-01

Hearing protection devices are assessed using the Real Ear Attenuation at Threshold (REAT) measurement procedure for the purpose of estimating the amount of noise reduction provided when worn by a subject. The rating number provided on the protector label is a function of the mean and standard deviation of the REAT results achieved by the test subjects. If a group of subjects have a large variance, then it follows that the certainty of the rating should be correspondingly lower. No estimate of the error of a protector's rating is given by existing standards or regulations. Propagation of errors was applied to the Noise Reduction Rating to develop an analytic expression for the hearing protector rating error term. Comparison of the analytic expression for the error to the standard deviation estimated from Monte Carlo simulation of subject attenuations yielded a linear relationship across several protector types and assumptions for the variance of the attenuations.

Subject order-independent group ICA (SOI-GICA) for functional MRI data analysis.

PubMed

Zhang, Han; Zuo, Xi-Nian; Ma, Shuang-Ye; Zang, Yu-Feng; Milham, Michael P; Zhu, Chao-Zhe

2010-07-15

Independent component analysis (ICA) is a data-driven approach to study functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. Particularly, for group analysis on multiple subjects, temporally concatenation group ICA (TC-GICA) is intensively used. However, due to the usually limited computational capability, data reduction with principal component analysis (PCA: a standard preprocessing step of ICA decomposition) is difficult to achieve for a large dataset. To overcome this, TC-GICA employs multiple-stage PCA data reduction. Such multiple-stage PCA data reduction, however, leads to variable outputs due to different subject concatenation orders. Consequently, the ICA algorithm uses the variable multiple-stage PCA outputs and generates variable decompositions. In this study, a rigorous theoretical analysis was conducted to prove the existence of such variability. Simulated and real fMRI experiments were used to demonstrate the subject-order-induced variability of TC-GICA results using multiple PCA data reductions. To solve this problem, we propose a new subject order-independent group ICA (SOI-GICA). Both simulated and real fMRI data experiments demonstrated the high robustness and accuracy of the SOI-GICA results compared to those of traditional TC-GICA. Accordingly, we recommend SOI-GICA for group ICA-based fMRI studies, especially those with large data sets. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The relative importance of noise and vibration from railways.

PubMed

Howarth, H V; Griffin, M J

1990-06-01

An experiment was conducted to determine the subjective equivalence of railway noise and railway-induced building vibration, and hence the relative importance of the two stimuli. Six magnitudes of whole-body, vertical (z-axis) vibration and six levels of noise were presented simultaneously to each of 30 subjects in all 36 possible paired combinations. The stimuli were reproductions of the noise and vibration recorded inside a house during the passage of a train. The subjects were asked to indicate, after each presentation, which of the two stimuli (noise and vibration) they would prefer to be reduced. A seven-point scale was employed to indicate the total annoyance produced by the two stimuli. A subjective equivalence contour was determined from the levels at which 50% of the subjects preferred the reduction of noise and 50% preferred the reduction of vibration. The contour may be described by the relation L(AE) = 29.3 log10 VDV + 89.2, where L(AE) is the sound exposure level and VDV is the vibration dose value. This relation may be used to determine whether a reduction of noise or a reduction of vibration would be more beneficial to residents near railways. The total annoyance due to simultaneous noise and vibration was shown to depend on the magnitude of both stimuli.

Sensitivities of projected 1980 photovoltaic system costs to major system cost drivers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zimmerman, L. W.; Smith, J. L.

1984-01-01

The sensitivity of projected 1990 photovoltaic (PV) system costs to major system cost drivers was examined. It includes: (1) module costs and module efficiencies; (2) area related balance of system (BOS) costs; (3) inverter costs and efficiencies; and (4) module marketing and distribution markups and system integration fees. Recent PV system cost experiences and the high costs of electricity from the systems are reviewed. The 1990 system costs are projected for five classes of PV systems, including four ground mounted 5-MWp systems and one residential 5-kWp system. System cost projections are derived by first projecting costs and efficiencies for all subsystems and components. Sensitivity analyses reveal that reductions in module cost and engineering and system integration fees seem to have the greatest potential for contributing to system cost reduction. Although module cost is clearly the prime candidate for fruitful PV research and development activities, engineering and system integration fees seem to be more amenable to reduction through appropriate choice of system size and market strategy. Increases in inverter and module efficiency yield significant benefits, especially for systems with high area related costs.

Energy efficient engine component development and integration program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

The technology that will improve the energy efficiency of propulsion systems for subsonic commercial aircraft is investigated. A reduction of 14.4% in cruise installed sfc (0.572 versus 0.668 for the CF6-50C) and a direct operation cost reduction in excess of the 5% goal is projected. Noise and emissions projections are consistent with the established goals.

Reducing HIV infection among new injecting drug users in the China-Vietnam Cross Border Project.

PubMed

Des Jarlais, Don C; Kling, Ryan; Hammett, Theodore M; Ngu, Doan; Liu, Wei; Chen, Yi; Binh, Kieu Thanh; Friedmann, Patricia

2007-12-01

To assess an HIV prevention programme for injecting drug users (IDU) in the crossborder area between China and Vietnam. Serial cross-sectional surveys (0, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months) of community-recruited current IDU. The project included peer educator outreach and the large-scale distribution of sterile injection equipment. Serial cross-sectional surveys with HIV testing of community recruited IDU were conducted at baseline (before implementation) and 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months post-baseline. HIV prevalence and estimated HIV incidence among new injectors (individuals injecting drugs for < 3 years) in each survey wave were the primary outcome measures. The percentages of new injectors among all subjects declined across each survey waves in both Ning Ming and Lang Son. HIV prevalence and estimated incidence fell by approximately half at the 24-month survey and by approximately three quarters at the 36-month survey in both areas (all P < 0.01). The implementation of large-scale outreach and syringe access programmes was followed by substantial reductions in HIV infection among new injectors, with no evidence of any increase in individuals beginning to inject drugs. This project may serve as a model for large-scale HIV prevention programming for IDU in China, Vietnam, and other developing/transitional countries.

The effects of anticipated funding changes on maternal and child health projects: a case study of uncertainty.

PubMed

Schlesinger, E R; Skoner, M M; Trooskin, E D; Markel, J R; North, A F

1976-04-01

A questionnaire survey of Title V special projects--Maternal and Infant Care (M&I), Comprehensive Care for Children and Youth (C&Y), Neonatal Intensive Care and Children's Dental Care--indicated that the anticipated change from federal project grants to state formula grants caused anxiety among project directors, low morale and high turnover in project staff, difficulty in filling staff positions, and anticipation of service reductions. These effects were much more prevalent and severe in projects which could realistically be expected to suffer budget cuts as a result of the shift in funding method. Despite the widespread anxiety, low morale and adverse effects reported by program directors, there was no reduction in the number of patients served, the scope of services offered, or the number of staff employed.

Incorporating modern neuroscience findings to improve brain-computer interfaces: tracking auditory attention.

PubMed

Wronkiewicz, Mark; Larson, Eric; Lee, Adrian Kc

2016-10-01

Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology allows users to generate actions based solely on their brain signals. However, current non-invasive BCIs generally classify brain activity recorded from surface electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes, which can hinder the application of findings from modern neuroscience research. In this study, we use source imaging-a neuroimaging technique that projects EEG signals onto the surface of the brain-in a BCI classification framework. This allowed us to incorporate prior research from functional neuroimaging to target activity from a cortical region involved in auditory attention. Classifiers trained to detect attention switches performed better with source imaging projections than with EEG sensor signals. Within source imaging, including subject-specific anatomical MRI information (instead of using a generic head model) further improved classification performance. This source-based strategy also reduced accuracy variability across three dimensionality reduction techniques-a major design choice in most BCIs. Our work shows that source imaging provides clear quantitative and qualitative advantages to BCIs and highlights the value of incorporating modern neuroscience knowledge and methods into BCI systems.

Observing control and data reduction at the UKIRT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bridger, Alan; Economou, Frossie; Wright, Gillian S.; Currie, Malcolm J.

1998-07-01

For the past seven years observing with the major instruments at the United Kingdom IR Telescope (UKIRT) has been semi-automated, using ASCII files top configure the instruments and then sequence a series of exposures and telescope movements to acquire the data. For one instrument automatic data reduction completes the cycle. The emergence of recent software technologies has suggested an evolution of this successful system to provide a friendlier and more powerful interface to observing at UKIRT. The Observatory Reduction and Acquisition Control (ORAC) project is now underway to construct this system. A key aim of ORAC is to allow a more complete description of the observing program, including the target sources and the recipe that will be used to provide on-line data reduction. Remote observation preparation and submission will also be supported. In parallel the observatory control system will be upgraded to use these descriptions for more automatic observing, while retaining the 'classical' interactive observing mode. The final component of the project is an improved automatic data reduction system, allowing on-line reduction of data at the telescope while retaining the flexibility to cope with changing observing techniques and instruments. The user will also automatically be provided with the scripts used for the real-time reduction to help provide post-observing data reduction support. The overall project goal is to improve the scientific productivity of the telescope, but it should also reduce the overall ongoing support requirements, and has the eventual goal of supporting the use of queue- scheduled observing.

Conservation status of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in relation to projected sea-ice declines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laidre, K. L.; Regehr, E. V.; Akcakaya, H. R.; Amstrup, S. C.; Atwood, T.; Lunn, N.; Obbard, M.; Stern, H. L., III; Thiemann, G.; Wiig, O.

2016-12-01

Loss of Arctic sea ice due to climate change is the most serious threat to polar bears (Ursus maritimus) throughout their circumpolar range. We performed a data-based sensitivity analysis with respect to this threat by evaluating the potential response of the global polar bear population to projected sea-ice conditions. We conducted 1) an assessment of generation length for polar bears, 2) developed of a standardized sea-ice metric representing important habitat characteristics for the species; and 3) performed population projections over three generations, using computer simulation and statistical models representing alternative relationships between sea ice and polar bear abundance. Using three separate approaches, the median percent change in mean global population size for polar bears between 2015 and 2050 ranged from -4% (95% CI = -62%, 50%) to -43% (95% CI = -76%, -20%). Results highlight the potential for large reductions in the global population if sea-ice loss continues. They also highlight the large amount of uncertainty in statistical projections of polar bear abundance and the sensitivity of projections to plausible alternative assumptions. The median probability of a reduction in the mean global population size of polar bears greater than 30% over three generations was approximately 0.71 (range 0.20-0.95. The median probability of a reduction greater than 50% was approximately 0.07 (range 0-0.35), and the probability of a reduction greater than 80% was negligible.

A numerical study of different projection-based model reduction techniques applied to computational homogenisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soldner, Dominic; Brands, Benjamin; Zabihyan, Reza; Steinmann, Paul; Mergheim, Julia

2017-10-01

Computing the macroscopic material response of a continuum body commonly involves the formulation of a phenomenological constitutive model. However, the response is mainly influenced by the heterogeneous microstructure. Computational homogenisation can be used to determine the constitutive behaviour on the macro-scale by solving a boundary value problem at the micro-scale for every so-called macroscopic material point within a nested solution scheme. Hence, this procedure requires the repeated solution of similar microscopic boundary value problems. To reduce the computational cost, model order reduction techniques can be applied. An important aspect thereby is the robustness of the obtained reduced model. Within this study reduced-order modelling (ROM) for the geometrically nonlinear case using hyperelastic materials is applied for the boundary value problem on the micro-scale. This involves the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) for the primary unknown and hyper-reduction methods for the arising nonlinearity. Therein three methods for hyper-reduction, differing in how the nonlinearity is approximated and the subsequent projection, are compared in terms of accuracy and robustness. Introducing interpolation or Gappy-POD based approximations may not preserve the symmetry of the system tangent, rendering the widely used Galerkin projection sub-optimal. Hence, a different projection related to a Gauss-Newton scheme (Gauss-Newton with Approximated Tensors- GNAT) is favoured to obtain an optimal projection and a robust reduced model.

Strategic focus on 3R principles reveals major reductions in the use of animals in pharmaceutical toxicity testing.

PubMed

Törnqvist, Elin; Annas, Anita; Granath, Britta; Jalkesten, Elisabeth; Cotgreave, Ian; Öberg, Mattias

2014-01-01

The principles of the 3Rs, Replacement, Reduction and Refinement, are being increasingly incorporated into legislations, guidelines and practice of animal experiments in order to safeguard animal welfare. In the present study we have studied the systematic application of 3R principles to toxicological research in the pharmaceutical industry, with particular focus on achieving reductions in animal numbers used in regulatory and investigatory in vivo studies. The work also details major factors influencing these reductions including the conception of ideas, cross-departmental working and acceptance into the work process. Data from 36 reduction projects were collected retrospectively from work between 2006 and 2010. Substantial reduction in animal use was achieved by different strategies, including improved study design, method development and project coordination. Major animal savings were shown in both regulatory and investigative safety studies. If a similar (i.e. 53%) reduction had been achieved simultaneously within the twelve largest pharmaceutical companies, the equivalent reduction world-wide would be about 150,000 rats annually. The results point at the importance of a strong 3R culture, with scientific engagement, collaboration and a responsive management being vital components. A strong commitment in leadership for the 3R is recommended to be translated into cross-department and inter-profession involvement in projects for innovation, validation and implementation. Synergies between all the three Rs are observed and conclude that in silico-, in vitro- and in vivo-methods all hold the potential for applying the reduction R and should be consequently coordinated at a strategic level.

Strategic Focus on 3R Principles Reveals Major Reductions in the Use of Animals in Pharmaceutical Toxicity Testing

PubMed Central

Törnqvist, Elin; Annas, Anita; Granath, Britta; Jalkesten, Elisabeth; Cotgreave, Ian; Öberg, Mattias

2014-01-01

The principles of the 3Rs, Replacement, Reduction and Refinement, are being increasingly incorporated into legislations, guidelines and practice of animal experiments in order to safeguard animal welfare. In the present study we have studied the systematic application of 3R principles to toxicological research in the pharmaceutical industry, with particular focus on achieving reductions in animal numbers used in regulatory and investigatory in vivo studies. The work also details major factors influencing these reductions including the conception of ideas, cross-departmental working and acceptance into the work process. Data from 36 reduction projects were collected retrospectively from work between 2006 and 2010. Substantial reduction in animal use was achieved by different strategies, including improved study design, method development and project coordination. Major animal savings were shown in both regulatory and investigative safety studies. If a similar (i.e. 53%) reduction had been achieved simultaneously within the twelve largest pharmaceutical companies, the equivalent reduction world-wide would be about 150,000 rats annually. The results point at the importance of a strong 3R culture, with scientific engagement, collaboration and a responsive management being vital components. A strong commitment in leadership for the 3R is recommended to be translated into cross-department and inter-profession involvement in projects for innovation, validation and implementation. Synergies between all the three Rs are observed and conclude that in silico-, in vitro- and in vivo-methods all hold the potential for applying the reduction R and should be consequently coordinated at a strategic level. PMID:25054864

Impact of aerosol emission controls on future Arctic sea ice cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagné, M.-Ã..; Gillett, N. P.; Fyfe, J. C.

2015-10-01

We examine the response of Arctic sea ice to projected aerosol and aerosol precursor emission changes under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios in simulations of the Canadian Earth System Model. The overall decrease in aerosol loading causes a warming, largest over the Arctic, which leads to an annual mean reduction in sea ice extent of approximately 1 million km2 over the 21st century in all RCP scenarios. This accounts for approximately 25% of the simulated reduction in sea ice extent in RCP 4.5, and 40% of the reduction in RCP 2.5. In RCP 4.5, the Arctic ocean is projected to become ice-free during summertime in 2045, but it does not become ice-free until 2057 in simulations with aerosol precursor emissions held fixed at 2000 values. Thus, while reductions in aerosol emissions have significant health and environmental benefits, their substantial contribution to projected Arctic climate change should not be overlooked.

Variability in climate change simulations affects needed long-term riverine nutrient reductions for the Baltic Sea.

PubMed

Bring, Arvid; Rogberg, Peter; Destouni, Georgia

2015-06-01

Changes to runoff due to climate change may influence management of nutrient loading to the sea. Assuming unchanged river nutrient concentrations, we evaluate the effects of changing runoff on commitments to nutrient reductions under the Baltic Sea Action Plan. For several countries, climate projections point to large variability in load changes in relation to reduction targets. These changes either increase loads, making the target more difficult to reach, or decrease them, leading instead to a full achievement of the target. The impact of variability in climate projections varies with the size of the reduction target and is larger for countries with more limited commitments. In the end, a number of focused actions are needed to manage the effects of climate change on nutrient loads: reducing uncertainty in climate projections, deciding on frameworks to identify best performing models with respect to land surface hydrology, and increasing efforts at sustained monitoring of water flow changes.

Variability in climate change simulations affects needed long-term riverine nutrient reductions for the Baltic Sea

DOE PAGES

Bring, Arvid; Rogberg, Peter; Destouni, Georgia

2015-05-28

Changes to runoff due to climate change may influence management of nutrient loading to the sea. Assuming unchanged river nutrient concentrations, we evaluate the effects of changing runoff on commitments to nutrient reductions under the Baltic Sea Action Plan. For several countries, climate projections point to large variability in load changes in relation to reduction targets. These changes either increase loads, making the target more difficult to reach, or decrease them, leading instead to a full achievement of the target. The impact of variability in climate projections varies with the size of the reduction target and is larger for countriesmore » with more limited commitments. Finally, in the end, a number of focused actions are needed to manage the effects of climate change on nutrient loads: reducing uncertainty in climate projections, deciding on frameworks to identify best performing models with respect to land surface hydrology, and increasing efforts at sustained monitoring of water flow changes.« less

Variability in climate change simulations affects needed long-term riverine nutrient reductions for the Baltic Sea

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

Bring, Arvid; Rogberg, Peter; Destouni, Georgia

Changes to runoff due to climate change may influence management of nutrient loading to the sea. Assuming unchanged river nutrient concentrations, we evaluate the effects of changing runoff on commitments to nutrient reductions under the Baltic Sea Action Plan. For several countries, climate projections point to large variability in load changes in relation to reduction targets. These changes either increase loads, making the target more difficult to reach, or decrease them, leading instead to a full achievement of the target. The impact of variability in climate projections varies with the size of the reduction target and is larger for countriesmore » with more limited commitments. Finally, in the end, a number of focused actions are needed to manage the effects of climate change on nutrient loads: reducing uncertainty in climate projections, deciding on frameworks to identify best performing models with respect to land surface hydrology, and increasing efforts at sustained monitoring of water flow changes.« less

Comparison of a Restricted and Unrestricted Vegan Diet Plan with a Restricted Omnivorous Diet Plan on Health-Specific Measures.

PubMed

Bloomer, Richard J; Gunnels, Trint A; Schriefer, JohnHenry M

2015-07-14

We have previously noted beneficial health outcomes when individuals follow a dietary restriction plan in accordance with the Daniel Fast (DF). This is true whether individuals eliminate all animal products or include small amounts of meat and dairy in their plan. The present study sought to compare anthropometric and biochemical measures of health in individuals following a traditional DF (i.e., restricted vegan) or modified DF (i.e., restricted omnivorous; inclusive of ad libitum meat and skim milk consumption), with those following an unrestricted vegan diet plan. 35 subjects (six men; 29 women; 33 ± 2 years; range: 18-67 years) completed a 21-day diet plan. Subjects reported to the lab for pre- (day 1) and post-intervention testing (day 22) in a 10 h fasted state. Blood samples were collected and assayed for complete blood count, metabolic panel, lipid panel, insulin, HOMA-IR, C-reactive protein, and oxidative stress biomarkers (malondialdehyde, advanced oxidation protein products, and nitrate/nitrite). Heart rate and blood pressure were measured and body composition was determined via dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Subjects' self-reported compliance, mental and physical health, and satiety in relation to the dietary modification were recorded. No interaction effects were noted for our outcome measures (p > 0.05). However, subjects in the traditional DF group reported an approximate 10% increase in perceived mental and physical health, with a 25% reduction in malondialdehyde and a 33% reduction in blood insulin. Systolic BP was reduced approximately 7 mmHg in subjects assigned to the traditional DF, with an approximate 5 mmHg reduction in subjects assigned to the modified DF and the unrestricted vegan plan. A small (2 mmHg) reduction in diastolic BP was noted for subjects in both DF groups; a slight increase in diastolic BP was noted for subjects assigned to the unrestricted vegan group. An approximate 20% reduction was noted in total and LDL cholesterol for subjects in the traditional DF group, with an approximate 10% decrease for subjects in the modified DF group. No decrease in total or LDL cholesterol was noted for subjects in the unrestricted vegan group. These data indicate that both a traditional or modified DF may improve blood pressure and blood lipids in a clinically meaningful manner if these results are sustained over the long term. A traditional DF also results in a significant reduction in blood insulin and oxidative stress. An unrestricted vegan diet may improve systolic blood pressure, but in the absence of measures to strictly monitor adherence, it does not favorably impact other markers of health measured in the present study.

The Baker's Yeast Reduction of Keto-Esters in Organic Solvents: A One Week Research Project for Undergraduate Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

North, Michael

1998-05-01

An experiment has been designed which allows final year undergraduate students to carry out a mini-research project in one week and thus get a flavour of the joys and tribulations of conducting chemical research before they undertake a major research project. The experiment is an investigation into the reduction of alpha- or beta-keto esters using non-fermenting Baker's yeast in petroleum ether. There are a number of advantages to this method of using Baker's yeast, including a reduction in the amount of organic solvent used, and a much simplified purification procedure. During the course of the mini-project, the substrate specificity of the yeast is investigated, and the conditions for the optimisation of a particular keto ester are determined. Each product is analysed by a variety of analytical techniques including polarimetry, IR, NMR, and GC. In addition, the use of correct stereochemical nomenclature to describe prochiral, and chiral compounds as well as chemical reactions are discussed.

An analysis of subject areas and country participation for all health-related projects in the EU's FP5 and FP6 programmes.

PubMed

Galsworthy, Michael J; Irwin, Rachel; Charlesworth, Kate; Ernst, Kelly; Hristovski, Dimitar; Wismar, Matthias; McKee, Martin

2014-06-01

Previous analyses concerning health components of European Union (EU)-funded research have shown low project participation levels of the 12 newest member states (EU-12). Additionally, there has been a lack of subject-area analysis. In the Health Research for Europe project, we screened all projects of the EU's Framework Programmes for research FP5 and FP6 (1998-2006) to identify health research projects and describe participation by country and subject area. FP5 and FP6 project databases were acquired and screened by coders to identify health-related projects, which were then categorized according to the 47 divisions of the EU Health Portal (N = 2728 projects) plus an extra group of 'basic/biotech' projects (N = 1743). Country participation and coordination rates for projects were also analyzed. Approximately 20% of the 26 946 projects (value €29.2bn) were health-related (N = 4756. Value €6.04bn). Within the health categories, the largest expenditures were cancer (11.9%), 'other' (i.e. not mental health or cardiovascular) non-communicable diseases (9.5%) and food safety (9.4%). One hundred thirty-two countries participated in these projects. Of the 27 EU countries (and five partner countries), north-western and Nordic states acquired more projects per capita. The UK led coordination with > 20% of projects. EU-12 countries were generally under-represented for participation and coordination. Combining our findings with the associated literature, we comment on drivers determining distribution of participation and funds across countries and subject areas. Additionally, we discuss changes needed in the core EU projects database to provide greater transparency, data exploitation and return on investment in health research. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Manipulating presence influences the magnitude of virtual reality analgesia.

PubMed

Hoffman, Hunter G; Sharar, Sam R; Coda, Barbara; Everett, John J; Ciol, Marcia; Richards, Todd; Patterson, David R

2004-09-01

Excessive pain during medical procedures performed in unanesthetized patients is frequently reported, but can be reduced with virtual reality (VR) distraction. Increasing the person's illusion of going into the virtual world may increase how effectively VR distracts pain. Healthy volunteers aged 18-20 years participated in a double-blind between-groups design. Each subject received a brief baseline thermal pain stimulus, and the same stimulus again minutes later with either a Low Tech or a High Tech VR distraction. Each subject provided subjective 0-10 ratings of cognitive, sensory and affective components of pain, and rated their illusion of going inside the virtual world. Subjects in the High Tech VR group reported a stronger illusion of going into the virtual world (VR presence) than subjects in the Low Tech VR group, (4.2 vs. 2.5, respectively, P = 0.009) and more pain reduction (reduction of worst pain is 3.1 for High Tech VR vs. 0.7 for Low Tech VR, P < 0.001). Across groups, the amount of pain reduction was positively and significantly correlated with VR presence levels reported by subjects ( r = 0.48 for 'worst pain', P < 0.005).

Uncertainties in Projecting Risks of Late Effects from Space Radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cucinotta, F.; Schimmerling, W.; Peterson, L.; Wilson, J.; Saganti, P.; Dicello, J.

The health risks faced by astronauts from space radiation include cancer, cataracts, hereditary effects, CNS risks, and non - cancer morbidity and mortality risks related to the diseases of the old age. Methods used to project risks in low -Earth orbit are of questionable merit for exploration missions because of the limited radiobiology data and knowledge of galactic cosmic ray (GCR) heavy ions, which causes estimates of the risk of late effects to be highly uncertain. Risk projections involve a product of many biological and physical factors, each of which has a differential range of uncertainty due to lack of data and knowledge. Within the linear-additivity model, we use Monte-Carlo sampling from subjective uncertainty distributions in each factor to obtain a maximum likelihood estimate of the overall uncertainty in risk projections. The resulting methodology is applied to several human space exploration mission scenarios including ISS, lunar station, deep space outpost, and Mar's missions of duration of 360, 660, and 1000 days. The major results are the quantification of the uncertainties in current risk estimates, the identification of the primary factors that dominate risk projection uncertainties, and the development of a method to quantify candidate approaches to reduce uncertainties or mitigate risks. The large uncertainties in GCR risk projections lead to probability distributions of risk that mask any potential risk reduction using the "optimization" of shielding materials or configurations. In contrast, the design of shielding optimization approaches for solar particle events and trapped protons can be made at this time, and promising technologies can be shown to have merit using our approach. The methods used also make it possible to express risk management objectives in terms of quantitative objectives, i.e., number of days in space without exceeding a given risk level within well defined confidence limits

Uncertainties in estimates of the risks of late effects from space radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cucinotta, F. A.; Schimmerling, W.; Wilson, J. W.; Peterson, L. E.; Saganti, P. B.; Dicello, J. F.

2004-01-01

Methods used to project risks in low-Earth orbit are of questionable merit for exploration missions because of the limited radiobiology data and knowledge of galactic cosmic ray (GCR) heavy ions, which causes estimates of the risk of late effects to be highly uncertain. Risk projections involve a product of many biological and physical factors, each of which has a differential range of uncertainty due to lack of data and knowledge. Using the linear-additivity model for radiation risks, we use Monte-Carlo sampling from subjective uncertainty distributions in each factor to obtain an estimate of the overall uncertainty in risk projections. The resulting methodology is applied to several human space exploration mission scenarios including a deep space outpost and Mars missions of duration of 360, 660, and 1000 days. The major results are the quantification of the uncertainties in current risk estimates, the identification of factors that dominate risk projection uncertainties, and the development of a method to quantify candidate approaches to reduce uncertainties or mitigate risks. The large uncertainties in GCR risk projections lead to probability distributions of risk that mask any potential risk reduction using the "optimization" of shielding materials or configurations. In contrast, the design of shielding optimization approaches for solar particle events and trapped protons can be made at this time and promising technologies can be shown to have merit using our approach. The methods used also make it possible to express risk management objectives in terms of quantitative metrics, e.g., the number of days in space without exceeding a given risk level within well-defined confidence limits.

Using SMS as a Harm Reduction Strategy: An Evaluation of the RAGE (Register and Get Educated) Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crockett, Belinda; Keleher, Helen; Rudd, Annette; Klein, Ruth; Locke, Beth; Roussy, Véronique

2013-01-01

The RAGE (Register And Get Educated) project explored the feasibility of SMS (Short Messaging Service) as a means for communicating harm reduction messages in relation to alcohol and other drugs to young people residing in the City of Knox, Victoria. Almost 700 young people aged 12-26 years registered their mobile phone numbers to receive a series…

Effects of fertilization and three years of throughfall reduction on leaf physiology of loblolly pine

Treesearch

Charles J. Pell; Lisa J. Samuelson

2016-01-01

Climate models project decreased soil water availability in the southeastern United States, which may impact loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) productivity. In conjunction with an interdisciplinary project known as PINEMAP, the objective of this study was to investigate the interactive effects of fertilization and a 30 percent reduction in throughfall on physiological...

Demand reduction analysis for Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Aberdeen, Maryland. Final report

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

NONE

1996-06-01

The objectives of the project are to research, identify, evaluate, and define energy saving projects that meet the Army`s criteria and lead to energy savings at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Aberdeen campus, with respect to electrical demand reduction. Details of the authorization and objectives of this report, which delineates our contractual arrangement with the government, may be found in Section 8.11.

Technologies for Aircraft Noise Reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huff, Dennis L.

2006-01-01

Technologies for aircraft noise reduction have been developed by NASA over the past 15 years through the Advanced Subsonic Technology (AST) Noise Reduction Program and the Quiet Aircraft Technology (QAT) project. This presentation summarizes highlights from these programs and anticipated noise reduction benefits for communities surrounding airports. Historical progress in noise reduction and technologies available for future aircraft/engine development are identified. Technologies address aircraft/engine components including fans, exhaust nozzles, landing gear, and flap systems. New "chevron" nozzles have been developed and implemented on several aircraft in production today that provide significant jet noise reduction. New engines using Ultra-High Bypass (UHB) ratios are projected to provide about 10 EPNdB (Effective Perceived Noise Level in decibels) engine noise reduction relative to the average fleet that was flying in 1997. Audio files are embedded in the presentation that estimate the sound levels for a 35,000 pound thrust engine for takeoff and approach power conditions. The predictions are based on actual model scale data that was obtained by NASA. Finally, conceptual pictures are shown that look toward future aircraft/propulsion systems that might be used to obtain further noise reduction.

30 CFR 75.1404 - Automatic brakes; speed reduction gear.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Automatic brakes; speed reduction gear. 75.1404... Automatic brakes; speed reduction gear. [Statutory Provisions] Each locomotive and haulage car used in an... permit automatic brakes, locomotives and haulage cars shall be subject to speed reduction gear, or other...

30 CFR 75.1404 - Automatic brakes; speed reduction gear.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Automatic brakes; speed reduction gear. 75.1404... Automatic brakes; speed reduction gear. [Statutory Provisions] Each locomotive and haulage car used in an... permit automatic brakes, locomotives and haulage cars shall be subject to speed reduction gear, or other...

Effect of sonic boom asymmetry on subjective loudness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leatherwood, Jack D.; Sullivan, Brenda M.

1992-01-01

The NASA Langley Research Center's sonic boom apparatus was used in an experimental study to quantify subjective loudness response to a wide range of asymmetrical N-wave sonic boom signatures. Results were used to assess the relative performance of several metrics as loudness estimators for asymmetrical signatures and to quantify in detail the effects on subjective loudness of varying both the degree and direction of signature loudness asymmetry. Findings of the study indicated that Perceived Level (Steven's Mark 7) and A-weighted sound exposure level were the best metrics for quantifying asymmetrical boom loudness. Asymmetrical signatures were generally rated as being less loud than symmetrical signatures of equivalent Perceived Level. The magnitude of the loudness reductions increased as the degree of boom asymmetry increased, and depended upon the direction of asymmetry. These loudness reductions were not accounted for by any of the metrics. Corrections were determined for use in adjusting calculated Perceived Level values to account for these reductions. It was also demonstrated that the subjects generally incorporated the loudness components of the complete signatures when making their subjective judgments.

SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION MERCURY FIELD SAMPLING PROJECT

EPA Science Inventory

The report details an investigation on the effect of selective catalytic reduction (SCR), selective noncatalytic reduction (SNCR), and flue gas conditioning on the speciation and removal of mercury at power plants. If SCR and/or SNCR systems enhance mercury conversion/capture, t...

An Analysis of Prospective Chemistry Teachers' Cognitive Structures through Flow Map Method: The Subject of Oxidation and Reduction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Temel, Senar

2016-01-01

This study aims to analyse prospective chemistry teachers' cognitive structures related to the subject of oxidation and reduction through a flow map method. Purposeful sampling method was employed in this study, and 8 prospective chemistry teachers from a group of students who had taken general chemistry and analytical chemistry courses were…

Inocoterone and acne. The effect of a topical antiandrogen: results of a multicenter clinical trial.

PubMed

Lookingbill, D P; Abrams, B B; Ellis, C N; Jegasothy, B V; Lucky, A W; Ortiz-Ferrer, L C; Savin, R C; Shupack, J L; Stiller, M J; Zone, J J

1992-09-01

Because acne is androgen dependent, antiandrogen therapy might improve the condition. Inocoterone acetate (RU 882) is a nonsteroidal antiandrogen that binds to the androgen receptor and has antiandrogenic activity in animal models. To test its topical effect on acne, 126 male subjects with facial acne completed a 16-week, multi-center, double-blind study in which the twice-daily application of a 10% solution of inocoterone was compared with vehicle solution. Baseline and monthly examinations included acne lesion counts and general and endocrine laboratory tests. Inflammatory papules and pustules showed greater reduction in the inocoterone-treated subjects than in the subjects treated with vehicle. This difference achieved statistical significance by week 12 (24% reduction vs 10%) and week 16 (26% reduction vs 13%) and, with longitudinal analysis, throughout the course of the study. Global assessments and changes in comedo counts and sebum excretion rates were not significantly different between the groups. No serious adverse reactions were encountered. In this double-blind study of 126 male subjects with acne, a topical solution of the antiandrogen inocoterone, compared with vehicle, produced a modest but statistically significant reduction in the number of inflammatory acne lesions.

Evaluation of the impact of noise metrics on tiltrotor aircraft design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sternfeld, H.; Spencer, R.; Ziegenbein, P.

1995-01-01

A subjective noise evaluation was conducted in which the test participants evaluated the annoyance of simulated sounds representative of future civil tiltrotor aircraft. The subjective responses were correlated with the noise metrics of A-weighted sound pressure level, overall sound pressure level, and perceived level. The results indicated that correlation between subjective response and A-weighted sound pressure level is considerably enhanced by combining it in a multiple regression with overall sound pressure level. As a single metric, perceived level correlated better than A-weighted sound pressure level due to greater emphasis on low frequency noise components. This latter finding was especially true for indoor noise where the mid and high frequency noise components are attenuated by typical building structure. Using the results of the subjective noise evaluation, the impact on tiltrotor aircraft design was also evaluated. While A-weighted sound pressure level can be reduced by reduction in tip speed, an increase in number of rotor blades is required to achieve significant reduction of low frequency noise as measured by overall sound pressure level. Additional research, however, is required to achieve comparable reductions in impulsive noise due to blade-vortex interaction, and also to achieve reduction in broad band noise.

A randomized trial of peer coach and office staff support to reduce coronary heart disease risk in African-Americans with uncontrolled hypertension.

PubMed

Turner, Barbara J; Hollenbeak, Christopher S; Liang, Yuanyuan; Pandit, Kavita; Joseph, Shelly; Weiner, Mark G

2012-10-01

Adopting features of the Chronic Care Model may reduce coronary heart disease risk and blood pressure in vulnerable populations. We evaluated a peer and practice team intervention on reduction in 4-year coronary heart disease risk and systolic blood pressure. A single blind, randomized, controlled trial in two adjacent urban university-affiliated primary care practices. Two hundred eighty African-American subjects aged 40 to 75 with uncontrolled hypertension. Three monthly calls from trained peer patients with well-controlled hypertension and, on alternate months, two practice staff visits to review a personalized 4-year heart disease risk calculator and slide shows about heart disease risks. All subjects received usual physician care and brochures about healthy cooking and heart disease. Change in 4-year coronary heart disease risk (primary) and change in systolic blood pressure, both assessed at 6 months. At baseline, the 136 intervention and 144 control subjects' mean 4-year coronary heart disease risk did not differ (intervention=5.8 % and control=6.4 %, P=0.39), and their mean systolic blood pressure was the same (140.5 mmHg, p=0.83). Endpoint data for coronary heart disease were obtained for 69 % of intervention and 82 % of control subjects. After multiple imputation for missing endpoint data, the reduction in risk among all 280 subjects favored the intervention, but was not statistically significant (difference -0.73 %, 95 % confidence interval: -1.54 % to 0.09 %, p=0.08). Among the 247 subjects with a systolic blood pressure endpoint (85 % of intervention and 91 % of control subjects), more intervention than control subjects achieved a >5 mmHg reduction (61 % versus 45 %, respectively, p=0.01). After multiple imputation, the absolute reduction in systolic blood pressure was also greater for the intervention group (difference -6.47 mmHg, 95 % confidence interval: -10.69 to -2.25, P=0.003). One patient died in each study arm. Peer patient and office-based behavioral support for African-American patients with uncontrolled hypertension did not result in a significantly greater reduction in coronary heart disease risk but did significantly reduce systolic blood pressure.

Framework for Testing the Effectiveness of Bat and Eagle Impact-Reduction Strategies at Wind Energy Projects

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

Sinclair, Karin; DeGeorge, Elise

2016-04-13

The objectives of this framework are to facilitate the study design and execution to test the effectiveness of bat and eagle impact-reduction strategies at wind energy sites. Through scientific field research, the wind industry and its partners can help determine if certain strategies are ready for operational deployment or require further development. This framework should be considered a living document to be improved upon as fatality-reduction technologies advance from the initial concepts to proven readiness (through project- and technology-specific testing) and as scientific field methods improve.

Geologic report on the Sand Wash Drilling Project, Moffat and Routt Counties, Colorado

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

Carter, T.E.; Wayland, T.E.

1981-09-01

The Sand Wash Basin Drilling Project comprises twenty-seven (27) drill holes located in Moffat and Routt Counties, northwest Colorado, having an aggregate depth of 26,107.5 feet (7957.6 m). The holes penetrate the Browns Park Formation of Miocene age, which is a tuffaceous continental sandstone deposited in fluvial, eolian, and lacustrine environments. Partly based on project drilling results, uranium potential resource estimates for this formation in the $50/lb U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ forward-cost category have been increased by 34,476 tons U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ (35,036 metric tons). Three areas between Maybell and Craig, Colorado, considered favorable for uranium occurrences were verified as favorablemore » by project drilling, and a fourth favorable area northwest of Maybell has been expanded. In addition, project drilling results indicate two new favorable areas, one north and northwest and one south of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Anomalous radioactivity was detected in drill holes in all six study areas of the project. The most important factor in concentrating significant amounts of uranium in the target formation appears to be the availability of gaseous or liquid hydrocarbons and/or hydrogen sulfide gas as reductants. Where subjacent formations supply these reductants to the Browns Park Formation, project drilling encountered 0.05 percent to 0.01 percent uranium concentrations. Potential, though unproven, sources of these reductants are believed to underlie parts of all six project study areas.« less

18 CFR 16.9 - Applications for new licenses and nonpower licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... (except that the Director of the Office of Energy Projects may provide more than 90 days in which to... licenses and nonpower licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act. 16.9 Section 16.9 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF...

18 CFR 16.9 - Applications for new licenses and nonpower licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (except that the Director of the Office of Energy Projects may provide more than 90 days in which to... licenses and nonpower licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act. 16.9 Section 16.9 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF...

18 CFR 16.9 - Applications for new licenses and nonpower licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... (except that the Director of the Office of Energy Projects may provide more than 90 days in which to... licenses and nonpower licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act. 16.9 Section 16.9 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF...

18 CFR 16.9 - Applications for new licenses and nonpower licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... (except that the Director of the Office of Energy Projects may provide more than 90 days in which to... licenses and nonpower licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act. 16.9 Section 16.9 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF...

18 CFR 16.9 - Applications for new licenses and nonpower licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... (except that the Director of the Office of Energy Projects may provide more than 90 days in which to... licenses and nonpower licenses for projects subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act. 16.9 Section 16.9 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF...

Phase-shifting response to light in older adults

PubMed Central

Kim, Seong Jae; Benloucif, Susan; Reid, Kathryn Jean; Weintraub, Sandra; Kennedy, Nancy; Wolfe, Lisa F; Zee, Phyllis C

2014-01-01

Abstract Age-related changes in circadian rhythms may contribute to the sleep disruption observed in older adults. A reduction in responsiveness to photic stimuli in the circadian timing system has been hypothesized as a possible reason for the advanced circadian phase in older adults. This project compared phase-shifting responses to 2 h of broad-spectrum white light at moderate and high intensities in younger and older adults. Subjects included 29 healthy young (25.1 ± 4.1 years; male to female ratio: 8: 21) and 16 healthy older (66.5 ± 6.0 years; male to female ratio: 5: 11) subjects, who participated in two 4-night and 3-day laboratory stays, separated by at least 3 weeks. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three different time-points, 8 h before (−8), 3 h before (−3) or 3 h after (+3) the core body temperature minimum (CBTmin) measured on the baseline night. For each condition, subjects were exposed in a randomized order to 2 h light pulses of two intensities (2000 lux and 8000 lux) during the two different laboratory stays. Phase shifts were analysed according to the time of melatonin midpoint on the nights before and after light exposure. Older subjects in this study showed an earlier baseline phase and lower amplitude of melatonin rhythm compared to younger subjects, but there was no evidence of age-related changes in the magnitude or direction of phase shifts of melatonin midpoint in response to 2 h of light at either 2000 lux or 8000 lux. These results indicate that the acute phase-shifting response to moderate- or high-intensity broad spectrum light is not significantly affected by age. PMID:24144880

Overview of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Hazardous Air Pollutant Early Reduction Program.

PubMed

Laznow, J; Daniel, J

1992-01-01

Under provision of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 Title III, the EPA has proposed a regulation (Early Reduction Program) to allow a six-year compliance extension from Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards for sources that voluntarily reduce emissions of Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) by 90 percent or more (95 percent or more for particulates) from a base year of 1987 or later. The emission reduction must be made before the applicable MACT standard is proposed for the source category or be subject to an enforceable commitment to achieve the reduction by January 1, 1994 for sources subject to MACT standards prior to 1994. The primary purpose of this program is to encourage reduction of HAPs emissions sooner than otherwise required. Industry would be allowed additional time in evaluating emission reduction options and developing more cost-effective compliance strategies, although, under strict guidelines to ensure actual, significant and verifiable emission reductions occur.

Arousal from sleep - The physiological and subjective effects of a 15 dB/A/ reduction in aircraft flyover noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levere, T. E.; Davis, N.

1977-01-01

The present research was concerned with whether or not a 15 dB(A) reduction in overall noise level would lessen the sleep disturbing properties of jet aircraft flyover noise and, if less disturbing, whether this would be subjectively appreciated by the sleeping individual. The results indicate that a reduction of 15 dB (A) does result in less sleep disruption but only during sleep characterized by fast-wave electroencephalographic activity. During sleep characterized by slow-wave electroencephalographic activity, such a reduction in the sleep-disturbing properties of jet aircraft noise has little effect. Moreover, even when effective during fast-wave sleep, the decreased arousal produced by the lower noise levels is not subjectively appreciated by the individual in terms of his estimate of the quality of his night's sleep. Thus, reducing the overall noise level of jet aircraft flyovers by some 15 dB(A), is, at best, minimally beneficial to sleep.

Benefits of Integration of Aerojet Rocketdyne and RTI Advanced Gasification Technologies for Hydrogen-Rich Syngas Production

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

Gupta, Vijay; Denton, David; SHarma, Pradeep

The key objective for this project was to evaluate the potential to achieve substantial reductions in the production cost of H 2-rich syngas via coal gasification with near-zero emissions due to the cumulative and synergistic benefits realized when multiple advanced technologies are integrated into the overall conversion process. In this project, Aerojet Rocketdyne’s (AR’s) advanced gasification technology (currently being offered as R-GAS™) and RTI International’s (RTI’s) advanced warm syngas cleanup technologies were evaluated via a number of comparative techno-economic case studies. AR’s advanced gasification technology consists of a dry solids pump and a compact gasifier system. Based on the uniquemore » design of this gasifier, it has been shown to reduce the capital cost of the gasification block by between 40 and 50%. At the start of this project, actual experimental work had been demonstrated through pilot plant systems for both the gasifier and dry solids pump. RTI’s advanced warm syngas cleanup technologies consist primarily of RTI’s Warm Gas Desulfurization Process (WDP) technology, which effectively allows decoupling of the sulfur and CO 2 removal allowing for more flexibility in the selection of the CO 2 removal technology, plus associated advanced technologies for direct sulfur recovery and water gas shift (WGS). WDP has been demonstrated at pre-commercial scale using an activated amine carbon dioxide recovery process which would not have been possible if a majority of the sulfur had not been removed from the syngas by WDP. This pre-commercial demonstration of RTI’s advanced warm syngas cleanup system was conducted in parallel to the activities on this project. The technical data and cost information from this pre-commercial demonstration were extensively used in this project during the techno-economic analysis. With this project, both of RTI’s advanced WGS technologies were investigated. Because RT’s advanced fixed-bed WGS (AFWGS) process was successfully implemented in the WDP pre-commercial demonstration test mentioned above, this technology was used as part of RTI’s advanced warm syngas technology package for the techno-economic analyses for this project. RTI’s advanced transport-reactor-based WGS (ATWGS) process was still conceptual at the start of this project, but one of the tasks for this project was to evaluate the technical feasibility of this technology. In each of the three application-based comparison studies conducted as part of this project, the reference case was based on an existing Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE/NETL) system study. Each of these references cases used existing commercial technology and the system resulted in > 90% carbon capture. In the comparison studies for the use of the hydrogen-rich syngas generated in either an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) or a Coal-to-Methanol (CTM) plant, the comparison cases consisted of the reference case, a case with the integration of each individual advanced technology (either AR or RTI), and finally a case with the integration of all the advanced technologies (AR and RTI combined). In the Coal-to-Liquids (CTL) comparison study, the comparison study consisted of only three cases, which included a reference case, a case with just RTI’s advanced syngas cleaning technology, and a case with AR’s and RTI’s advanced technologies. The results from these comparison studies showed that the integration of the advanced technologies did result in substantial benefits, and by far the greatest benefits were achieved for cases integrating all the advanced technologies. For the IGCC study, the fully integrated case resulted in a 1.4% net efficiency improvement, an 18% reduction in capital cost per kW of capacity, a 12% reduction in the operating cost per kWh, and a 75–79% reduction in sulfur emissions. For the CTM case, the fully integrated plant resulted in a 22% reduction in capital cost, a 13% reduction in operating costs, a > 99% net reduction in sulfur emissions, and a reduction of 13–15% in CO 2 emissions. Because the capital cost represents over 60% of the methanol Required Selling Price (RSP), the significant reduction in the capital cost for the advanced technology case resulted in an 18% reduction in methanol RSP. For the CTL case, the fully integrated plant resulted in a 16% reduction in capital cost, which represented a 13% reduction in diesel RSP. Finally, the technical feasibility analysis of RTI’s ATWGS process demonstrated that a fluid-bed catalyst with sufficient attrition resistance and WGS activity could be made and that the process achieved about a 24% reduction in capital cost compared to a conventional fixed-bed commercial process.« less

Comparison of a Restricted and Unrestricted Vegan Diet Plan with a Restricted Omnivorous Diet Plan on Health-Specific Measures

PubMed Central

Bloomer, Richard J.; Gunnels, Trint A.; Schriefer, JohnHenry M.

2015-01-01

Background: We have previously noted beneficial health outcomes when individuals follow a dietary restriction plan in accordance with the Daniel Fast (DF). This is true whether individuals eliminate all animal products or include small amounts of meat and dairy in their plan. The present study sought to compare anthropometric and biochemical measures of health in individuals following a traditional DF (i.e., restricted vegan) or modified DF (i.e., restricted omnivorous; inclusive of ad libitum meat and skim milk consumption), with those following an unrestricted vegan diet plan. Methods: 35 subjects (six men; 29 women; 33 ± 2 years; range: 18–67 years) completed a 21-day diet plan. Subjects reported to the lab for pre- (day 1) and post-intervention testing (day 22) in a 10 h fasted state. Blood samples were collected and assayed for complete blood count, metabolic panel, lipid panel, insulin, HOMA-IR, C-reactive protein, and oxidative stress biomarkers (malondialdehyde, advanced oxidation protein products, and nitrate/nitrite). Heart rate and blood pressure were measured and body composition was determined via dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Subjects’ self-reported compliance, mental and physical health, and satiety in relation to the dietary modification were recorded. Results: No interaction effects were noted for our outcome measures (p > 0.05). However, subjects in the traditional DF group reported an approximate 10% increase in perceived mental and physical health, with a 25% reduction in malondialdehyde and a 33% reduction in blood insulin. Systolic BP was reduced approximately 7 mmHg in subjects assigned to the traditional DF, with an approximate 5 mmHg reduction in subjects assigned to the modified DF and the unrestricted vegan plan. A small (2 mmHg) reduction in diastolic BP was noted for subjects in both DF groups; a slight increase in diastolic BP was noted for subjects assigned to the unrestricted vegan group. An approximate 20% reduction was noted in total and LDL cholesterol for subjects in the traditional DF group, with an approximate 10% decrease for subjects in the modified DF group. No decrease in total or LDL cholesterol was noted for subjects in the unrestricted vegan group. Conclusion: These data indicate that both a traditional or modified DF may improve blood pressure and blood lipids in a clinically meaningful manner if these results are sustained over the long term. A traditional DF also results in a significant reduction in blood insulin and oxidative stress. An unrestricted vegan diet may improve systolic blood pressure, but in the absence of measures to strictly monitor adherence, it does not favorably impact other markers of health measured in the present study. PMID:27417779

TH-A-18C-03: Noise Correlation in CBCT Projection Data and Its Application for Noise Reduction in Low-Dose CBCT

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

ZHANG, H; Huang, J; Ma, J

2014-06-15

Purpose: To study the noise correlation properties of cone-beam CT (CBCT) projection data and to incorporate the noise correlation information to a statistics-based projection restoration algorithm for noise reduction in low-dose CBCT. Methods: In this study, we systematically investigated the noise correlation properties among detector bins of CBCT projection data by analyzing repeated projection measurements. The measurements were performed on a TrueBeam on-board CBCT imaging system with a 4030CB flat panel detector. An anthropomorphic male pelvis phantom was used to acquire 500 repeated projection data at six different dose levels from 0.1 mAs to 1.6 mAs per projection at threemore » fixed angles. To minimize the influence of the lag effect, lag correction was performed on the consecutively acquired projection data. The noise correlation coefficient between detector bin pairs was calculated from the corrected projection data. The noise correlation among CBCT projection data was then incorporated into the covariance matrix of the penalized weighted least-squares (PWLS) criterion for noise reduction of low-dose CBCT. Results: The analyses of the repeated measurements show that noise correlation coefficients are non-zero between the nearest neighboring bins of CBCT projection data. The average noise correlation coefficients for the first- and second- order neighbors are about 0.20 and 0.06, respectively. The noise correlation coefficients are independent of the dose level. Reconstruction of the pelvis phantom shows that the PWLS criterion with consideration of noise correlation (PWLS-Cor) results in a lower noise level as compared to the PWLS criterion without considering the noise correlation (PWLS-Dia) at the matched resolution. Conclusion: Noise is correlated among nearest neighboring detector bins of CBCT projection data. An accurate noise model of CBCT projection data can improve the performance of the statistics-based projection restoration algorithm for low-dose CBCT.« less

7 CFR 4288.21 - Application review and scoring.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... projects based on the cost, cost-effectiveness, and capacity of projects to reduce fossil fuels. The cost... economically produce energy from renewable biomass to replace its dependence on fossil fuels. Projects with... projects on simple payback as well as the percentage of fossil fuel reduction. (a) Review. The Agency will...

7 CFR 4288.21 - Application review and scoring.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... projects based on the cost, cost-effectiveness, and capacity of projects to reduce fossil fuels. The cost... economically produce energy from renewable biomass to replace its dependence on fossil fuels. Projects with... projects on simple payback as well as the percentage of fossil fuel reduction. (a) Review. The Agency will...

7 CFR 4288.21 - Application review and scoring.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... projects based on the cost, cost-effectiveness, and capacity of projects to reduce fossil fuels. The cost... economically produce energy from renewable biomass to replace its dependence on fossil fuels. Projects with... projects on simple payback as well as the percentage of fossil fuel reduction. (a) Review. The Agency will...

Perry Pinyon Pines Protection Project

Treesearch

Daniel McCarthy

2012-01-01

Fuel reduction treatments around pinyon pine trees began as a simple project but ended in something more complex, enjoyable, and rewarding. The project eventually led to pinyon species (Pinus monophylla and P. quadrifolia) reforestation efforts, something that has been tried in the past with disappointing results. The Perry Pinyon Pines Protection Project and current...

Energy Technology and Market Risk Reduction | Integrated Energy Solutions |

Science.gov Websites

Leveraging our market and project development expertise, NREL offers a broad range of advisory services to policy and regulatory analysis, financing alternatives, project management, proposal reviews, and project , solar permitting standards, and more. Project Financing Alternatives We can help your organization

Aircraft Noise Reduction Subproject Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fernandez, Hamilton; Nark, Douglas M.; Van Zante, Dale E.

2016-01-01

The material presents highlights of propulsion and airframe noise research being completed for the Advanced Air Transport Technology Project. The basis of noise reduction plans along with representative work for the airframe, propulsion, and propulsion-airframe integration is discussed for the Aircraft Noise reduction Subproject.

Comparison of multi-subject ICA methods for analysis of fMRI data

PubMed Central

Erhardt, Erik Barry; Rachakonda, Srinivas; Bedrick, Edward; Allen, Elena; Adali, Tülay; Calhoun, Vince D.

2010-01-01

Spatial independent component analysis (ICA) applied to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data identifies functionally connected networks by estimating spatially independent patterns from their linearly mixed fMRI signals. Several multi-subject ICA approaches estimating subject-specific time courses (TCs) and spatial maps (SMs) have been developed, however there has not yet been a full comparison of the implications of their use. Here, we provide extensive comparisons of four multi-subject ICA approaches in combination with data reduction methods for simulated and fMRI task data. For multi-subject ICA, the data first undergo reduction at the subject and group levels using principal component analysis (PCA). Comparisons of subject-specific, spatial concatenation, and group data mean subject-level reduction strategies using PCA and probabilistic PCA (PPCA) show that computationally intensive PPCA is equivalent to PCA, and that subject-specific and group data mean subject-level PCA are preferred because of well-estimated TCs and SMs. Second, aggregate independent components are estimated using either noise free ICA or probabilistic ICA (PICA). Third, subject-specific SMs and TCs are estimated using back-reconstruction. We compare several direct group ICA (GICA) back-reconstruction approaches (GICA1-GICA3) and an indirect back-reconstruction approach, spatio-temporal regression (STR, or dual regression). Results show the earlier group ICA (GICA1) approximates STR, however STR has contradictory assumptions and may show mixed-component artifacts in estimated SMs. Our evidence-based recommendation is to use GICA3, introduced here, with subject-specific PCA and noise-free ICA, providing the most robust and accurate estimated SMs and TCs in addition to offering an intuitive interpretation. PMID:21162045

36 CFR 218.6 - Reviewing officer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW PROCESSES Predecisional Administrative Review Process for Hazardous Fuel Reduction Projects... the administrative review processes of other Federal agencies, for authorized hazardous fuel reduction... administrative review. ...

The VIDA Framework as an Education Tool: Leveraging Volcanology Data for Educational Purposes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faied, D.; Sanchez, A.

2009-04-01

The VIDA Framework as an Education Tool: Leveraging Volcanology Data for Educational Purposes Dohy Faied, Aurora Sanchez (on behalf of SSP08 VAPOR Project Team) While numerous global initiatives exist to address the potential hazards posed by volcanic eruption events and assess impacts from a civil security viewpoint, there does not yet exist a single, unified, international system of early warning and hazard tracking for eruptions. Numerous gaps exist in the risk reduction cycle, from data collection, to data processing, and finally dissemination of salient information to relevant parties. As part of the 2008 International Space University's Space Studies Program, a detailed gap analysis of the state of volcano disaster risk reduction was undertaken, and this paper presents the principal results. This gap analysis considered current sensor technologies, data processing algorithms, and utilization of data products by various international organizations. Recommendations for strategies to minimize or eliminate certain gaps are also provided. In the effort to address the gaps, a framework evolved at system level. This framework, known as VIDA, is a tool to develop user requirements for civil security in hazardous contexts, and a candidate system concept for a detailed design phase. While the basic intention of VIDA is to support disaster risk reduction efforts, there are several methods of leveraging raw science data to support education across a wide demographic. Basic geophysical data could be used to educate school children about the characteristics of volcanoes, satellite mappings could support informed growth and development of societies in at-risk areas, and raw sensor data could contribute to a wide range of university-level research projects. Satellite maps, basic geophysical data, and raw sensor data are combined and accessible in a way that allows the relationships between these data types to be explored and used in a training environment. Such a resource naturally lends itself to research efforts in the subject but also research in operational tools, system architecture, and human/machine interaction in civil protection or emergency scenarios.

A Classroom Demonstration of Potential Biases in the Subjective Interpretation of Projective Tests.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiederman, Michael W.

1999-01-01

Suggests that instructors teaching psychological assessment can use a demonstration to illustrate potential biases when subjectively interpreting response to projective stimuli. Outlines the classroom procedure, notes styles of learning involved, and presents a summary of student evaluations. (DSK)

Process Improvement Project Using Tranexamic Acid Is Cost-Effective in Reducing Blood Loss and Transfusions After Total Hip and Total Knee Arthroplasty.

PubMed

Demos, Harry A; Lin, Zilan X; Barfield, William R; Wilson, Sylvia H; Robertson, Dawn C; Pellegrini, Vincent D

2017-08-01

Tranexamic acid (TXA) has been associated with decreased blood loss and transfusion after total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The purpose of this study was to examine both transfusion utilization and the economic impact of a Process Improvement Project implementing TXA for THA and TKA. After standardization of TXA administration in THA and TKA patients, retrospective data were compared from 12 consecutive months before (group A, n = 336 procedures) and after (group B, n = 436 procedures) project initiation. TXA administration increased with project implementation (group A = 3.57%, group B = 86.01%) and was associated with reductions in perioperative hemoglobin decrement (20.2%), patients transfused (45%), and number of units transfused per patient (61.9%). Cost savings were notable per patient ($128) and annually program wide ($55,884) with the primary THA subgroup contributing the most to the savings. No increase in adverse effects was observed. Standardized administration of TXA is an effective and economically favorable blood-reduction strategy for patients undergoing elective THA or TKA. Although reduction in transfusions with TXA may be greater after TKA, the economic and clinical impact of transfusion reduction is more substantial in THA patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radiation dose reduction using a CdZnTe-based computed tomography system: Comparison to flat-panel detectors

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

Le, Huy Q.; Ducote, Justin L.; Molloi, Sabee

2010-03-15

Purpose: Although x-ray projection mammography has been very effective in early detection of breast cancer, its utility is reduced in the detection of small lesions that are occult or in dense breasts. One drawback is that the inherent superposition of parenchymal structures makes visualization of small lesions difficult. Breast computed tomography using flat-panel detectors has been developed to address this limitation by producing three-dimensional data while at the same time providing more comfort to the patients by eliminating breast compression. Flat panels are charge integrating detectors and therefore lack energy resolution capability. Recent advances in solid state semiconductor x-ray detectormore » materials and associated electronics allow the investigation of x-ray imaging systems that use a photon counting and energy discriminating detector, which is the subject of this article. Methods: A small field-of-view computed tomography (CT) system that uses CdZnTe (CZT) photon counting detector was compared to one that uses a flat-panel detector for different imaging tasks in breast imaging. The benefits afforded by the CZT detector in the energy weighting modes were investigated. Two types of energy weighting methods were studied: Projection based and image based. Simulation and phantom studies were performed with a 2.5 cm polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) cylinder filled with iodine and calcium contrast objects. Simulation was also performed on a 10 cm breast specimen. Results: The contrast-to-noise ratio improvements as compared to flat-panel detectors were 1.30 and 1.28 (projection based) and 1.35 and 1.25 (image based) for iodine over PMMA and hydroxylapatite over PMMA, respectively. Corresponding simulation values were 1.81 and 1.48 (projection based) and 1.85 and 1.48 (image based). Dose reductions using the CZT detector were 52.05% and 49.45% for iodine and hydroxyapatite imaging, respectively. Image-based weighting was also found to have the least beam hardening effect. Conclusions: The results showed that a CT system using an energy resolving detector reduces the dose to the patient while maintaining image quality for various breast imaging tasks.« less

The Effect of a Vegetarian vs Conventional Hypocaloric Diabetic Diet on Thigh Adipose Tissue Distribution in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Study.

PubMed

Kahleova, Hana; Klementova, Marta; Herynek, Vit; Skoch, Antonin; Herynek, Stepan; Hill, Martin; Mari, Andrea; Pelikanova, Terezie

2017-07-01

The aim of our study was to compare the effects of a vegetarian and a conventional diet on thigh adipose tissue distribution in subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Seventy-four subjects with T2D were randomly assigned to either follow a vegetarian diet (V, n = 37) or a control group who followed an isocaloric conventional anti-diabetic diet (C, n = 37). Both diets were calorie restricted (-500 kcal/day). To measure insulin sensitivity, the hyperinsulinemic (1 mU.kg -1 .min -1 ) isoglycemic clamp was conducted. β-Cell function was assessed using a mathematical model after a test meal. Magnetic resonance imaging of the thigh was performed. All subjects were examined at 0, 3, and 6 months. Statistical analyses were performed using repeated measures analysis of variance and a multivariate regression model. Greater reduction was observed in total leg area in V (-13.6 cm 2 [95% confidence interval [CI], -14.2 to -12.9] in V vs -9.9 cm 2 [95% CI, -10.6 to -9.2] in C; Gxt p < 0.001). The reduction in subcutaneous fat was comparable in response to both diets (Gxt, p = 0.64). Subfascial fat was reduced only in response to a vegetarian diet (-0.82 [95% CI, -1.13 to -0.55] cm 2 in V vs -0.44 [95% CI, -0.78 to +0.02] cm 2 in C; Gxt, p = 0.04). The reduction in intramuscular fat tended to be greater in response to a vegetarian diet (-1.78 [95% CI, -2.26 to -1.27] cm 2 in V vs -0.57 [95% CI, -1.06 to -0.09] cm 2 in C; Gxt, p = 0.12). Changes in subcutaneous and subfascial fat correlated with changes in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose, and β-cell insulin sensitivity. After adjustment for changes in body mass index (BMI), correlations remained significant for changes in fasting plasma glucose and β-cell insulin sensitivity and with changes in triglycerides. Our data indicate the importance of both subcutaneous and subfascial fat in relationship to glucose and lipid metabolism. BMI , body mass index; C , control group; FPG , fasting plasma glucose; Gxt , interaction between group and time; HbA1c , glycated hemoglobin; MCR , metabolic clearance rate of glucose; OPLS , orthogonal projections to latent structure; T2D , type 2 diabetes; V , vegetarian group.

U.S. Coastal Flood Damage Reduction Projects: Federal Authorization and Investment Trends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, N. T.

2015-12-01

The 2015 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report Climate Change in the United States: Benefits of Global Action estimated the potential cumulative future economic impacts of storm surge and sea-level rise on U.S. coasts during this century at 5 trillion (2014 dollars) if no adaptation measures are implemented. These impacts drop to 0.8 trillion if investments are made in cost-effective adaptations and protections. Awareness of flood risk and its long-term fiscal impact historically has proven insufficient to motivate pre-disaster land use changes and investments in mitigation and protection. While many adaptations and protections fall largely under state and local authority, some stakeholders are interested in federal coastal flood protection projects, including projects by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Since the 1950s, Congress has authorized the Corps to construct specific coastal projects. The broad vision, strategy, and priorities for the federal role in coastal flood damage reduction projects nonetheless remain ill-defined. This research analyzes (1) the authorization and appropriations trends for Corps coastal storm damage reduction projects, and (2) how Corps feasibility studies account for and address coastal flood hazards. Identified trends include: emergency appropriations for storm-damaged areas outstrip annual investments in coastal flood projects; the rate at which projects are congressionally approved for construction outpaces the rate at which construction is funded; and how coastal protection projects are evaluated in Corps feasibility studies shows variation and change in agency practices. These trends have consequences; they affect public and local expectations when projects begin providing protection benefits, and may influence investments in other adaptation measures. These trends also raise questions for policymakers at all levels and for scientists and practitioners interested in coastal flood resilience.

Iterative metal artefact reduction (MAR) in postsurgical chest CT: comparison of three iMAR-algorithms.

PubMed

Aissa, Joel; Boos, Johannes; Sawicki, Lino Morris; Heinzler, Niklas; Krzymyk, Karl; Sedlmair, Martin; Kröpil, Patric; Antoch, Gerald; Thomas, Christoph

2017-11-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of three novel iterative metal artefact (iMAR) algorithms on image quality and artefact degree in chest CT of patients with a variety of thoracic metallic implants. 27 postsurgical patients with thoracic implants who underwent clinical chest CT between March and May 2015 in clinical routine were retrospectively included. Images were retrospectively reconstructed with standard weighted filtered back projection (WFBP) and with three iMAR algorithms (iMAR-Algo1 = Cardiac algorithm, iMAR-Algo2 = Pacemaker algorithm and iMAR-Algo3 = ThoracicCoils algorithm). The subjective and objective image quality was assessed. Averaged over all artefacts, artefact degree was significantly lower for the iMAR-Algo1 (58.9 ± 48.5 HU), iMAR-Algo2 (52.7 ± 46.8 HU) and the iMAR-Algo3 (51.9 ± 46.1 HU) compared with WFBP (91.6 ± 81.6 HU, p < 0.01 for all). All iMAR reconstructed images showed significantly lower artefacts (p < 0.01) compared with the WFPB while there was no significant difference between the iMAR algorithms, respectively. iMAR-Algo2 and iMAR-Algo3 reconstructions decreased mild and moderate artefacts compared with WFBP and iMAR-Algo1 (p < 0.01). All three iMAR algorithms led to a significant reduction of metal artefacts and increase in overall image quality compared with WFBP in chest CT of patients with metallic implants in subjective and objective analysis. The iMARAlgo2 and iMARAlgo3 were best for mild artefacts. IMARAlgo1 was superior for severe artefacts. Advances in knowledge: Iterative MAR led to significant artefact reduction and increase image-quality compared with WFBP in CT after implementation of thoracic devices. Adjusting iMAR-algorithms to patients' metallic implants can help to improve image quality in CT.

Radiation dose reduction using 100-kVp and a sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction algorithm in adolescent head CT: Impact on grey-white matter contrast and image noise.

PubMed

Nagayama, Yasunori; Nakaura, Takeshi; Tsuji, Akinori; Urata, Joji; Furusawa, Mitsuhiro; Yuki, Hideaki; Hirarta, Kenichiro; Kidoh, Masafumi; Oda, Seitaro; Utsunomiya, Daisuke; Yamashita, Yasuyuki

2017-07-01

To retrospectively evaluate the image quality and radiation dose of 100-kVp scans with sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (IR) for unenhanced head CT in adolescents. Sixty-nine patients aged 12-17 years underwent head CT under 120- (n = 34) or 100-kVp (n = 35) protocols. The 120-kVp images were reconstructed with filtered back-projection (FBP), 100-kVp images with FBP (100-kVp-F) and sinogram-affirmed IR (100-kVp-S). We compared the effective dose (ED), grey-white matter (GM-WM) contrast, image noise, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between protocols in supratentorial (ST) and posterior fossa (PS). We also assessed GM-WM contrast, image noise, sharpness, artifacts, and overall image quality on a four-point scale. ED was 46% lower with 100- than 120-kVp (p < 0.001). GM-WM contrast was higher, and image noise was lower, on 100-kVp-S than 120-kVp at ST (p < 0.001). CNR of 100-kVp-S was higher than of 120-kVp (p < 0.001). GM-WM contrast of 100-kVp-S was subjectively rated as better than of 120-kVp (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the other criteria between 100-kVp-S and 120-kVp (p = 0.072-0.966). The 100-kVp with sinogram-affirmed IR facilitated dramatic radiation reduction and better GM-WM contrast without increasing image noise in adolescent head CT. • 100-kVp head CT provides 46% radiation dose reduction compared with 120-kVp. • 100-kVp scanning improves subjective and objective GM-WM contrast. • Sinogram-affirmed IR decreases head CT image noise, especially in supratentorial region. • 100-kVp protocol with sinogram-affirmed IR is suited for adolescent head CT.

Speckle reduction in laser projection using a dynamic deformable mirror.

PubMed

Tran, Thi-Kim-Trinh; Chen, Xuyuan; Svensen, Øyvind; Akram, Muhammad Nadeem

2014-05-05

Despite of much effort and significant progress in recent years, speckle removal is still a challenge for laser projection technology. In this paper, speckle reduction by dynamic deformable mirror was investigated. Time varying independent speckle patterns were generated due to the angle diversity introduced by the dynamic mirror, and these speckle patterns were averaged out by the camera or human eyes, thus reducing speckle contrast in the final image. The speckle reduction by the wavelength diversity of the lasers was also studied. Both broadband lasers and narrowband laser were used for experiment. It is experimentally shown that speckle suppression can be attained by the widening of the spectrum of the lasers. Lower speckle contrast reduction was attained by the wavelength diversity for narrowband laser compared to the broadband lasers. This method of speckle reduction is suitable in laser projectors for wide screen applications where high power laser illumination is needed.

New Similarity Reductions and Compacton Solutions for Boussinesq-Like Equations with Fully Nonlinear Dispersion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Zhen-Ya

2001-10-01

In this paper, similarity reductions of Boussinesq-like equations with nonlinear dispersion (simply called B(m,n) equations) utt=(u^n)xx+(u^m)xxxx, which is a generalized model of Boussinesq equation utt=(u^2)xx+uxxxx and modified Bousinesq equation utt=(u^3)xx+uxxxx, are considered by using the direct reduction method. As a result, several new types of similarity reductions are found. Based on the reduction equations and some simple transformations, we obtain the solitary wave solutions and compacton solutions (which are solitary waves with the property that after colliding with other compacton solutions, they re-emerge with the same coherent shape) of B(1,n) equations and B(m,m) equations, respectively. The project supported by National Key Basic Research Development Project Program of China under Grant No. G1998030600 and Doctoral Foundation of China under Grant No. 98014119

Reducing the gradient artefact in simultaneous EEG-fMRI by adjusting the subject's axial position.

PubMed

Mullinger, Karen J; Yan, Winston X; Bowtell, Richard

2011-02-01

Large artefacts that compromise EEG data quality are generated when electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are carried out concurrently. The gradient artefact produced by the time-varying magnetic field gradients is the largest of these artefacts. Although average artefact correction (AAS) and related techniques can remove the majority of this artefact, the need to avoid amplifier saturation necessitates the use of a large dynamic range and strong low-pass filtering in EEG recording. Any intrinsic reduction in the gradient artefact amplitude would allow data with a higher bandwidth to be acquired without amplifier saturation, thus increasing the frequency range of neuronal activity that can be investigated using combined EEG-fMRI. Furthermore, gradient artefact correction methods assume a constant artefact morphology over time, so their performance is compromised by subject movement. Since the resulting, residual gradient artefacts can easily swamp signals from brain activity, any reduction in their amplitude would be highly advantageous for simultaneous EEG-fMRI studies. The aim of this work was to investigate whether adjustment of the subject's axial position in the MRI scanner can reduce the amplitude of the induced gradient artefact, before and after artefact correction using AAS. The variation in gradient artefact amplitude as a function of the subject's axial position was first investigated in six subjects by applying gradient pulses along the three Cartesian axes. The results of this study showed that a significant reduction in the gradient artefact magnitude can be achieved by shifting the subject axially by 4 cm towards the feet relative to the standard subject position (nasion at iso-centre). In a further study, the 4-cm shift was shown to produce a 40% reduction in the RMS amplitude (and a 31% reduction in the range) of the gradient artefact generated during the execution of a standard multi-slice, EPI sequence. By picking out signals occurring at harmonics of the slice acquisition frequency, it was also shown that the 4-cm shift led to a 36% reduction in the residual gradient artefact after AAS. Functional and anatomical MR data quality is not affected by the 4-cm shift, as the head remains in the homogeneous region of the static magnet field and gradients. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fighting Testing ACAT/FRRP: Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology/Fighter Risk Reduction Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skoog, Mark A.

2009-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the work of the Flight testing Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology/Fighter Risk Reduction Project (ACAT/FRRP). The goal of this project is to develop common modular architecture for all aircraft, and to enable the transition of technology from research to production as soon as possible to begin to reduce the rate of mishaps. The automated Ground Collision Avoidance System (GCAS) system is designed to prevent collision with the ground, by avionics that project the future trajectory over digital terrain, and request an evasion maneuver at the last instance. The flight controls are capable of automatically performing a recovery. The collision avoidance is described in the presentation. Also included in the presentation is a description of the flight test.

Implementation of project based learning on the Prakerin subject of vocational high school students of the building engineering to enhance employment skill readiness of graduates in the construction services field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugandi, Machmud

2017-09-01

Implementation of the Prakerin subject in the field of Building Engineering study program in vocational high school (VHS) are facing many issues associated to non-compliance unit of work in the industry and the expected competencies in learning at school. Project Based Learning (PBL) is an appropriate model learning used for Prakerin subject to increase student competence as the extension of the Prakerin implementation in the construction industry services. Assignments based on the selected project during their practical industry work were given to be completed by student. VHS students in particular field of Building Engineering study program who has been completed Prakerin subject will have a better job readiness, and therefore they will have an understanding on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes and good vision on the construction project in accordance with their experience during Prakerin work in the industry.

Does the length of uvula affect the palatal implant outcome in the management of habitual snoring?

PubMed

Akpinar, Meltem Esen; Yigit, Ozgur; Kocak, Ismail; Altundag, Aytug

2011-05-01

To evaluate the impact of the uvular length on the efficacy of palatal implants in primary snoring. Prospective case series, tertiary hospital, snoring and respiratory sleep disorders center. Forty subjects with inserted palatal implants and diagnoses of primary snoring were included. All met the inclusion criteria of age >18 years, body mass index <30, apnea-hypopnea index <5, tonsil grade <3, soft-palate length >25 mm, and Friedman tongue position <3 following clinical, endoscopic, and polysomnographic evaluation. Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) and the snoring-intensity visual analogue scale (VAS) were recorded before and 9 months after the implant. Four subjects with extruded implants were excluded; the remaining 36 subjects were divided into two groups, Group I and Group II, with uvular lengths of ≤15 mm and >15 mm, respectively. The study assessed and compared subjective outcome measures including the partner's satisfaction (PS), partner's reported improvement (PRI), 50% VAS and ESS reduction, and subjective success (SS) defined as 50% VAS reduction. The Student t test, χ(2) test, and logistic regression models were used for statistical evaluation. SS (50% VAS reduction), PS, PRI, and 50% ESS reduction were significantly higher in Group I (P < .001, P = .0257, P = .027, P < .001). The overall SS, PRI, PS, and 50% ESS reduction were 33%, 78%, 50%, and 50%, respectively. The uvular length was found to be the determinant factor of SS (P = .005; odds ratio = 0.75), PRI (P = .039; odds ratio = 0.83), and 50% ESS reduction (P = .038; odds ratio: 0.84) following implant insertion through stepwise logistic regression analysis. Excess uvular length (>15 mm) is an important anatomic feature decreasing the efficacy of palatal implants in snoring, and additional measures, such as uvulectomy, should be considered simultaneously for better outcomes (level 4). Copyright © 2011 The American Laryngological, Rhinological, and Otological Society, Inc.

Projected Impacts of Climate, Urbanization, Water Management, and Wetland Restoration on Waterbird Habitat in California’s Central Valley

PubMed Central

Fleskes, Joseph P.

2017-01-01

The Central Valley of California is one of the most important regions for wintering waterbirds in North America despite extensive anthropogenic landscape modification and decline of historical wetlands there. Like many other mediterranean-climate ecosystems across the globe, the Central Valley has been subject to a burgeoning human population and expansion and intensification of agricultural and urban development that have impacted wildlife habitats. Future effects of urban development, changes in water supply management, and precipitation and air temperature related to global climate change on area of waterbird habitat in the Central Valley are uncertain, yet potentially substantial. Therefore, we modeled area of waterbird habitats for 17 climate, urbanization, water supply management, and wetland restoration scenarios for years 2006–2099 using a water resources and scenario modeling framework. Planned wetland restoration largely compensated for adverse effects of climate, urbanization, and water supply management changes on habitat areas through 2065, but fell short thereafter for all except one scenario. Projected habitat reductions due to climate models were more frequent and greater than under the recent historical climate and their magnitude increased through time. After 2065, area of waterbird habitat in all scenarios that included severe warmer, drier climate was projected to be >15% less than in the “existing” landscape most years. The greatest reduction in waterbird habitat occurred in scenarios that combined warmer, drier climate and plausible water supply management options affecting priority and delivery of water available for waterbird habitats. This scenario modeling addresses the complexity and uncertainties in the Central Valley landscape, use and management of related water supplies, and climate to inform waterbird habitat conservation and other resource management planning. Results indicate that increased wetland restoration and additional conservation and climate change adaptation strategies may be warranted to maintain habitat adequate to support waterbirds in the Central Valley. PMID:28068411

Projected Impacts of Climate, Urbanization, Water Management, and Wetland Restoration on Waterbird Habitat in California's Central Valley.

PubMed

Matchett, Elliott L; Fleskes, Joseph P

2017-01-01

The Central Valley of California is one of the most important regions for wintering waterbirds in North America despite extensive anthropogenic landscape modification and decline of historical wetlands there. Like many other mediterranean-climate ecosystems across the globe, the Central Valley has been subject to a burgeoning human population and expansion and intensification of agricultural and urban development that have impacted wildlife habitats. Future effects of urban development, changes in water supply management, and precipitation and air temperature related to global climate change on area of waterbird habitat in the Central Valley are uncertain, yet potentially substantial. Therefore, we modeled area of waterbird habitats for 17 climate, urbanization, water supply management, and wetland restoration scenarios for years 2006-2099 using a water resources and scenario modeling framework. Planned wetland restoration largely compensated for adverse effects of climate, urbanization, and water supply management changes on habitat areas through 2065, but fell short thereafter for all except one scenario. Projected habitat reductions due to climate models were more frequent and greater than under the recent historical climate and their magnitude increased through time. After 2065, area of waterbird habitat in all scenarios that included severe warmer, drier climate was projected to be >15% less than in the "existing" landscape most years. The greatest reduction in waterbird habitat occurred in scenarios that combined warmer, drier climate and plausible water supply management options affecting priority and delivery of water available for waterbird habitats. This scenario modeling addresses the complexity and uncertainties in the Central Valley landscape, use and management of related water supplies, and climate to inform waterbird habitat conservation and other resource management planning. Results indicate that increased wetland restoration and additional conservation and climate change adaptation strategies may be warranted to maintain habitat adequate to support waterbirds in the Central Valley.

Projected impacts of climate, urbanization, water management, and wetland restoration on waterbird habitat in California’s Central Valley

USGS Publications Warehouse

Matchett, Elliott L.; Fleskes, Joseph

2017-01-01

The Central Valley of California is one of the most important regions for wintering waterbirds in North America despite extensive anthropogenic landscape modification and decline of historical wetlands there. Like many other mediterranean-climate ecosystems across the globe, the Central Valley has been subject to a burgeoning human population and expansion and intensification of agricultural and urban development that have impacted wildlife habitats. Future effects of urban development, changes in water supply management, and precipitation and air temperature related to global climate change on area of waterbird habitat in the Central Valley are uncertain, yet potentially substantial. Therefore, we modeled area of waterbird habitats for 17 climate, urbanization, water supply management, and wetland restoration scenarios for years 2006–2099 using a water resources and scenario modeling framework. Planned wetland restoration largely compensated for adverse effects of climate, urbanization, and water supply management changes on habitat areas through 2065, but fell short thereafter for all except one scenario. Projected habitat reductions due to climate models were more frequent and greater than under the recent historical climate and their magnitude increased through time. After 2065, area of waterbird habitat in all scenarios that included severe warmer, drier climate was projected to be >15% less than in the “existing” landscape most years. The greatest reduction in waterbird habitat occurred in scenarios that combined warmer, drier climate and plausible water supply management options affecting priority and delivery of water available for waterbird habitats. This scenario modeling addresses the complexity and uncertainties in the Central Valley landscape, use and management of related water supplies, and climate to inform waterbird habitat conservation and other resource management planning. Results indicate that increased wetland restoration and additional conservation and climate change adaptation strategies may be warranted to maintain habitat adequate to support waterbirds in the Central Valley.

A randomized comparison of patients' understanding of number needed to treat and other common risk reduction formats.

PubMed

Sheridan, Stacey L; Pignone, Michael P; Lewis, Carmen L

2003-11-01

Commentators have suggested that patients may understand quantitative information about treatment benefits better when they are presented as numbers needed to treat (NNT) rather than as absolute or relative risk reductions. To determine whether NNT helps patients interpret treatment benefits better than absolute risk reduction (ARR), relative risk reduction (RRR), or a combination of all three of these risk reduction presentations (COMBO). Randomized cross-sectional survey. University internal medicine clinic. Three hundred fifty-seven men and women, ages 50 to 80, who presented for health care. Subjects were given written information about the baseline risk of a hypothetical "disease Y" and were asked (1) to compare the benefits of two drug treatments for disease Y, stating which provided more benefit; and (2) to calculate the effect of one of those drug treatments on a given baseline risk of disease. Risk information was presented to each subject in one of four randomly allocated risk formats: NNT, ARR, RRR, or COMBO. When asked to state which of two treatments provided more benefit, subjects who received the RRR format responded correctly most often (60% correct vs 43% for COMBO, 42% for ARR, and 30% for NNT, P =.001). Most subjects were unable to calculate the effect of drug treatment on the given baseline risk of disease, although subjects receiving the RRR and ARR formats responded correctly more often (21% and 17% compared to 7% for COMBO and 6% for NNT, P =.004). Patients are best able to interpret the benefits of treatment when they are presented in an RRR format with a given baseline risk of disease. ARR also is easily interpreted. NNT is often misinterpreted by patients and should not be used alone to communicate risk to patients.

[Comparison Analysis of Economic and Engineering Control of Industrial VOCs].

PubMed

Wang, Yu-fei; Liu, Chang-xin; Cheng, Jie; Hao, Zheng-ping; Wang, Zheng

2015-04-01

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) pollutant has become China's major air pollutant in key urban areas like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. It is mainly produced from industry sectors, and engineering control is one of the most important reduction measures. During the 12th Five-Year Plan, China decides to invest 40 billion RMB to build pollution control projects in key industry sectors with annual emission reduction of 605 000 t x a(-1). It shows that China attaches a great importance to emission reduction by engineering projects and highlights the awareness of engineering reduction technologies. In this paper, a macroeconomic model, namely computable general equilibrium model, (CGE model) was employed to simulate engineering control and economic control (imposing environmental tax). We aim to compare the pros and cons of the two reduction policies. Considering the economic loss of the whole country, the environmental tax has more impacts on the economy system than engineering reduction measures. We suggest that the central government provides 7 500 RMB x t(-1) as subsidy for enterprises in industry sectors to encourage engineering reduction.

Using the integrated nurse leadership program to reduce sepsis mortality.

PubMed

Kliger, Julie; Singer, Sara J; Hoffman, Frank H

2015-06-01

The Integrated Nurse Leadership Program (INLP) is a collaborative improvement model focused on developing practical leadership skills of nurses and other frontline clinicians to lead quality improvement efforts. Sepsis is a major challenge to treat because it arises unpredictably and can progress rapidly. Nine San Francisco Bay Area hospitals participated in a 22-month INLP Sepsis Mortality Reduction Project to improve sepsis detection and management. The INLP focused on developing leadership and process improvement skills of nurses and other frontline clinicians. Teams of trained clinicians then implemented three strategies to improve early identification and timely treatment of sepsis: (1) sepsis screening of all patients, with diagnostic testing according to protocol; (2) timely treatment on the basis of key elements of Early Goal-Directed Therapy (EGDT); and (3) ongoing data review. Each hospital agreed to pursue the goal of reducing sepsis mortality by 15% by the end of the project. In the data collection period (baseline, July-December 2008 and project completion, January-June 2011), team members showed strong improvement in perceived leadership skills, team effectiveness, and ability to improve care quality. During this period, sepsis mortality for eight of the participating hospitals (Hospital 9 joined the project six months after it began) decreased by 43.7%-from 28% in the baseline period to 16% at project completion. Sepsis mortality rates trended downward for all hospitals, significantly decreasing (p<.05 at one hospital, p<.01 for four hospitals). In addition to improvement in safety culture and management of septic patients, hospitals participating in the INLP Sepsis Mortality Reduction Project achieved reductions in sepsis mortality during the study period and sustained reductions for more than one year later. The INLP model can be readily applied beyond sepsis management and mortality to other quality problems.

Health Project Management. A Manual of Procedures for Formulating and Implementing Health Projects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bainbridge, J.; Sapirie, S.

The manual presents 16 main steps for health project management, from project formulation through termination. The manual defines a health project as a temporary intensive effort to set up and put into operation a new or revised service that will result in the reduction of specific health or health-related problems. (Typical examples include the…

A component modes projection and assembly model reduction methodology for articulated, multi-flexible body structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Allan Y.; Tsuha, Walter S.

1993-01-01

A two-stage model reduction methodology, combining the classical Component Mode Synthesis (CMS) method and the newly developed Enhanced Projection and Assembly (EP&A) method, is proposed in this research. The first stage of this methodology, called the COmponent Modes Projection and Assembly model REduction (COMPARE) method, involves the generation of CMS mode sets, such as the MacNeal-Rubin mode sets. These mode sets are then used to reduce the order of each component model in the Rayleigh-Ritz sense. The resultant component models are then combined to generate reduced-order system models at various system configurations. A composite mode set which retains important system modes at all system configurations is then selected from these reduced-order system models. In the second stage, the EP&A model reduction method is employed to reduce further the order of the system model generated in the first stage. The effectiveness of the COMPARE methodology has been successfully demonstrated on a high-order, finite-element model of the cruise-configured Galileo spacecraft.

Hawaii English Program: Project End Evaluation Report 1970-1971.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawaii State Dept. of Education, Honolulu.

This report is comprised of two reports: the Final Audit Report of the Hawaii English Project, submitted by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, and the main report, the Hawaii English Program Project End Evaluation Report by the Hawaii English Project Staff. The Audit Report is limited to a review of data reduction, analysis, and…

Report: EPA Needs to Better Document Project Delays for Recovery Act Diesel Emission Reduction Act Grants

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report #11-R-0179, March 28, 2011. While DERA project officers were aware of Recovery Act grant project delays, they did not always document delays in EPA’s grants management system or, in some cases, take action to reduce the impact of project delays.

The Chicago Project: An Alternative Resettlement Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Refugee Policy Group, Washington, DC.

This document reports on a model refugee resettlement project implemented in Chicago by the United States Catholic Conference. The project was initiated to document the incorrectness of the claim that the current dramatic reduction in U.S. refugee admissions is necessary due to the purported high cost of resettlement. The project served all…

Projects to Improve Air Quality at Ports – 2014 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Funding Opportunity - Closed Announcement FY 2014

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

OTAQ is soliciting proposals that achieve reductions in diesel emissions produced by diesel engines and diesel emissions exposure, from fleets operating at marine and inland water ports under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA).

Projects to Improve Air Quality at Ports – 2013 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Funding Opportunity - Closed Announcement FY 2014

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

OTAQ is soliciting proposals that achieve reductions in diesel emissions produced by diesel engines and diesel emissions exposure, from fleets operating at marine and inland water ports under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA).

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

NONE

The Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program, required by Section 1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, records the results of voluntary measures to reduce, avoid, or sequester greenhouse gas emissions. In 1998, 156 US companies and other organizations reported to the Energy information Administration that, during 1997, they had achieved greenhouse gas emission reductions and carbon sequestration equivalent to 166 million tons of carbon dioxide, or about 2.5% of total US emissions for the year. For the 1,229 emission reduction projects reported, reductions usually were measured by comparing an estimate of actual emissions with an estimate of whatmore » emissions would have been had the project not been implemented.« less

Reduction of nocturnal slow-wave activity affects daytime vigilance lapses and memory encoding but not reaction time or implicit learning.

PubMed

Van Der Werf, Ysbrand D; Altena, Ellemarije; Vis, José C; Koene, Teddy; Van Someren, Eus J W

2011-01-01

Total sleep deprivation in healthy subjects has a profound effect on the performance on tasks measuring sustained attention or vigilance. We here report how a selective disruption of deep sleep only, that is, selective slow-wave activity (SWA) reduction, affects the performance of healthy well-sleeping subjects on several tasks: a "simple" and a "complex" vigilance task, a declarative learning task, and an implicit learning task despite unchanged duration of sleep. We used automated electroencephalogram (EEG) dependent acoustic feedback aimed at selective interference with-and reduction of-SWA. In a within-subject repeated measures crossover design, performance on the tasks was assessed in 13 elderly adults without sleep complaints after either SWA-reduction or after normal sleep. The number of vigilance lapses increased as a result of SWA reduction, irrespective of the type of vigilance task. Recognition on the declarative memory task was also affected by SWA reduction, associated with a decreased activation of the right hippocampus on encoding (measured with fMRI) suggesting a weaker memory trace. SWA reduction, however, did not affect reaction time on either of the vigilance tasks or implicit memory task performance. These findings suggest a specific role of slow oscillations in the subsequent daytime ability to maintain sustained attention and to encode novel declarative information but not to maintain response speed or to build implicit memories. Of particular interest is that selective SWA reduction can mimic some of the effects of total sleep deprivation, while not affecting sleep duration. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Plaque reduction over time of an integrated oral hygiene system.

PubMed

Nunn, Martha E; Ruhlman, C Douglas; Mallatt, Philip R; Rodriguez, Sally M; Ortblad, Katherine M

2004-10-01

This article compares the efficacy of a prototype integrated system (the IntelliClean System from Sonicare and Crest) in the reduction of supragingival plaque to that of a manual toothbrush and conventional toothpaste. The integrated system was compared to a manual toothbrush with conventional toothpaste in a randomized, single-blinded, parallel, 4-week, controlled clinical trial with 100 subjects randomized to each treatment group. There was a low dropout rate, with 89 subjects in the manual toothbrush group (11% loss to follow-up) and 93 subjects in the integrated system group (7% loss to follow-up) completing the study. The Turesky modification of the Quigley and Hein Plaque Index was used to assess full-mouth plaque scores for each subject. Prebrushing plaque scores were obtained at baseline and at 4 weeks after 14 to 20 hours of plaque accumulation. A survey also was conducted at the conclusion of the study to determine the attitude toward the two oral hygiene systems. The integrated system was found to significantly reduce overall and interproximal prebrushing plaque scores over 4 weeks, both by 8.6%, demonstrating statistically significant superiority in overall plaque reduction (P = .002) and interproximal plaque reduction (P < .001) compared to the manual toothbrush with conventional toothpaste, which showed no significant reduction in either overall plaque or interproximal plaque. This study demonstrates that the IntelliClean System from Sonicare and Crest is superior to a manual toothbrush with conventional toothpaste in reducing overall plaque and interproximal plaque over time.

The effect of Neuragen PN® on Neuropathic pain: A randomized, double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background A double blind, randomized, placebo controlled study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the naturally derived topical oil, "Neuragen PN®" for the treatment of neuropathic pain. Methods Sixty participants with plantar cutaneous (foot sole) pain due to all cause peripheral neuropathy were recruited from the community. Each subject was randomly assigned to receive one of two treatments (Neuragen PN® or placebo) per week in a crossover design. The primary outcome measure was acute spontaneous pain level as reported on a visual analog scale. Results There was an overall pain reduction for both treatments from pre to post application. As compared to the placebo, Neuragen PN® led to significantly (p < .05) greater pain reduction. Fifty six of sixty subjects (93.3%) receiving Neuragen PN® reported pain reduction within 30 minutes. This reduction within 30 minutes occurred in only twenty one of sixty (35.0%) subjects receiving the placebo. In a break out analysis of the diabetic only subgroup, 94% of subjects in the Neuragen PN® group achieved pain reduction within 30 minutes vs 11.0% of the placebo group. No adverse events were observed. Conclusions This randomized, placebo controlled, clinical trial with crossover design revealed that the naturally derived oil, Neuragen PN®, provided significant relief from neuropathic pain in an all cause neuropathy group. Participants with diabetes within this group experienced similar pain relief. Trial registration ISRCTN registered: ISRCTN13226601 PMID:20487567

Adaptation to walking with an exoskeleton that assists ankle extension.

PubMed

Galle, S; Malcolm, P; Derave, W; De Clercq, D

2013-07-01

The goal of this study was to investigate adaptation to walking with bilateral ankle-foot exoskeletons with kinematic control that assisted ankle extension during push-off. We hypothesized that subjects would show a neuromotor and metabolic adaptation during a 24min walking trial with a powered exoskeleton. Nine female subjects walked on a treadmill at 1.36±0.04ms(-1) during 24min with a powered exoskeleton and 4min with an unpowered exoskeleton. Subjects showed a metabolic adaptation after 18.5±5.0min, followed by an adapted period. Metabolic cost, electromyography and kinematics were compared between the unpowered condition, the beginning of the adaptation and the adapted period. In the beginning of the adaptation (4min), a reduction in metabolic cost of 9% was found compared to the unpowered condition. This reduction was accompanied by reduced muscular activity in the plantarflexor muscles, as the powered exoskeleton delivered part of the necessary ankle extension moment. During the adaptation this metabolic reduction further increased to 16%, notwithstanding a constant exoskeleton assistance. This increased reduction is the result of a neuromotor adaptation in which subjects adapt to walking with the exoskeleton, thereby reducing muscular activity in all leg muscles. Because of the fast adaptation and the significant reductions in metabolic cost we want to highlight the potential of an ankle-foot exoskeleton with kinematic control that assists ankle extension during push-off. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reduction in spread of excitation from current focusing at multiple cochlear locations in cochlear implant users.

PubMed

Padilla, Monica; Landsberger, David M

2016-03-01

Channel interaction from a broad spread of excitation is likely to be a limiting factor in performance by cochlear implant users. Although partial tripolar stimulation has been shown to reduce spread of excitation, the magnitude of the reduction is highly variable across subjects. Because the reduction in spread of excitation is typically only measured at one electrode for a given subject, the degree of variability across cochlear locations is unknown. The first goal of the present study was to determine if the reduction in spread of excitation observed from partial tripolar current focusing systematically varies across the cochlea. The second goal was to measure the variability in reduction of spread of excitation relative to monopolar stimulation across the cochlea. The third goal was to expand upon previous results that suggest that scaling of verbal descriptors can be used to predict the reduction in spread of excitation, by increasing the limited number of sites previously evaluated and verify the relationships remain with the larger dataset. The spread of excitation for monopolar and partial tripolar stimulation was measured at 5 cochlear locations using a psychophysical forward masking task. Results of the present study suggest that although partial tripolar stimulation typically reduces spread of excitation, the degree of reduction in spread of excitation was found to be highly variable and no effect of cochlear location was found. Additionally, subjective scaling of certain verbal descriptors (Clean/Dirty, Pure/Noisy) correlated with the reduction in spread of excitation suggesting sound quality scaling might be used as a quick clinical estimate of channels providing a reduction in spread of excitation. This quick scaling technique might help clinicians determine which patients would be most likely to benefit from a focused strategy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reduction in Spread of Excitation from Current Focusing at Multiple Cochlear Locations in Cochlear Implant Users

PubMed Central

Padilla, Monica; Landsberger, David M.

2016-01-01

Channel interaction from a broad spread of excitation is likely to be a limiting factor in performance by cochlear implant users. Although partial tripolar stimulation has been shown to reduce spread of excitation, the magnitude of the reduction is highly variable across subjects. Because the reduction in spread of excitation is typically only measured at one electrode for a given subject, the degree of variability across cochlear locations is unknown. The first goal of the present study was to determine if the reduction in spread of excitation observed from partial tripolar current focusing systematically varies across the cochlea. The second goal was to measure the variability in reduction of spread of excitation relative to monopolar stimulation across the cochlea. The third goal was to expand upon previous results that suggest that scaling of verbal descriptors can be used to predict the reduction in spread of excitation, by increasing the limited number of sites previously evaluated and verify the relationships remain with the larger dataset. The spread of excitation for monopolar and partial tripolar stimulation was measured at 5 cochlear locations using a psychophysical forward masking task. Results of the present study suggest that although partial tripolar stimulation typically reduces spread of excitation, the degree of reduction in spread of excitation was found to be highly variable and no effect of cochlear location was found. Additionally, subjective scaling of certain verbal descriptors (Clean/Dirty, Pure/Noisy) correlated with the reduction in spread of excitation suggesting sound quality scaling might be used as a quick clinical estimate of channels providing a reduction in spread of excitation. This quick scaling technique might help clinicians determine which patients would be most likely to benefit from a focused strategy. PMID:26778546

Effect of advanced aircraft noise reduction technology on the 1990 projected noise environment around Patrick Henry Airport. [development of noise exposure forecast contours for projected traffic volume and aircraft types

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cawthorn, J. M.; Brown, C. G.

1974-01-01

A study has been conducted of the future noise environment of Patric Henry Airport and its neighboring communities projected for the year 1990. An assessment was made of the impact of advanced noise reduction technologies which are currently being considered. These advanced technologies include a two-segment landing approach procedure and aircraft hardware modifications or retrofits which would add sound absorbent material in the nacelles of the engines or which would replace the present two- and three-stage fans with a single-stage fan of larger diameter. Noise Exposure Forecast (NEF) contours were computed for the baseline (nonretrofitted) aircraft for the projected traffic volume and fleet mix for the year 1990. These NEF contours are presented along with contours for a variety of retrofit options. Comparisons of the baseline with the noise reduction options are given in terms of total land area exposed to 30 and 40 NEF levels. Results are also presented of the effects on noise exposure area of the total number of daily operations.

Small Class Size and Its Effects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biddle, Bruce J.; Berliner, David C.

2002-01-01

Describes several prominent early grades small-class-size projects and their effects on student achievement: Indiana's Project Prime Time, Tennessee's Project STAR (Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio), Wisconsin's SAGE (Student Achievement Guarantee in Education) Program, and the California class-size-reduction program. Lists several conclusions,…

Potential of wind power projects under the Clean Development Mechanism in India

PubMed Central

Purohit, Pallav; Michaelowa, Axel

2007-01-01

Background So far, the cumulative installed capacity of wind power projects in India is far below their gross potential (≤ 15%) despite very high level of policy support, tax benefits, long term financing schemes etc., for more than 10 years etc. One of the major barriers is the high costs of investments in these systems. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol provides industrialized countries with an incentive to invest in emission reduction projects in developing countries to achieve a reduction in CO2 emissions at lowest cost that also promotes sustainable development in the host country. Wind power projects could be of interest under the CDM because they directly displace greenhouse gas emissions while contributing to sustainable rural development, if developed correctly. Results Our estimates indicate that there is a vast theoretical potential of CO2 mitigation by the use of wind energy in India. The annual potential Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) of wind power projects in India could theoretically reach 86 million. Under more realistic assumptions about diffusion of wind power projects based on past experiences with the government-run programmes, annual CER volumes by 2012 could reach 41 to 67 million and 78 to 83 million by 2020. Conclusion The projections based on the past diffusion trend indicate that in India, even with highly favorable assumptions, the dissemination of wind power projects is not likely to reach its maximum estimated potential in another 15 years. CDM could help to achieve the maximum utilization potential more rapidly as compared to the current diffusion trend if supportive policies are introduced. PMID:17663772

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

Tu, Qingshi; Zhu, Chao; McAvoy, Drew C., E-mail: mcavoydm@ucmail.uc.edu

Highlights: • A case study to show the benefits of waste-to-energy projects at a university. • Evaluated the technical and economic feasibilities as well as GHG reduction. • A tool for other universities/communities to evaluate waste-to-energy projects. - Abstract: This paper evaluates the implementation of three waste-to-energy projects at the University of Cincinnati: waste cooking oil-to-biodiesel, waste paper-to-fuel pellets and food waste-to-biogas, respectively. The implementation of these waste-to-energy (WTE) projects would lead to the improvement of campus sustainability by minimizing waste management efforts and reducing GHG emissions via the displacement of fossil fuel usage. Technical and economic aspects of theirmore » implementation were assessed and the corresponding GHG reduction was estimated. Results showed that on-site implementation of these projects would: (1) divert 3682 L (974 gallons) of waste cooking oil to 3712 L (982 gallons) of biodiesel; (2) produce 138 tonnes of fuel pellets from 133 tonnes of waste paper (with the addition of 20.75 tonnes of plastics) to replace121 tonnes of coal; and (3) produce biogas that would be enough to replace 12,767 m{sup 3} natural gas every year from 146 tonnes of food waste. The economic analysis determined that the payback periods for the three projects would be 16 months for the biodiesel, 155 months for the fuel pellet, and 74 months for the biogas projects. The reduction of GHG emission from the implementation of the three WTE projects was determined to be 9.37 (biodiesel), 260.49 (fuel pellets), and 11.36 (biogas) tonnes of CO{sub 2}-eq per year, respectively.« less

40 CFR 93.165 - Early emission reduction credit programs at Federal facilities and installation subject to...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Early emission reduction credit... Federal Actions to State or Federal Implementation Plans § 93.165 Early emission reduction credit programs... the SIP or TIP in that area, create an early emissions reductions credit program. The Federal agency...

40 CFR 93.165 - Early emission reduction credit programs at Federal facilities and installation subject to...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Early emission reduction credit... Federal Actions to State or Federal Implementation Plans § 93.165 Early emission reduction credit programs... the SIP or TIP in that area, create an early emissions reductions credit program. The Federal agency...

Changes in gallbladder bile composition and crystal detection time in morbidly obese subjects after bariatric surgery.

PubMed

Gustafsson, Ulf; Benthin, Lisbet; Granström, Lars; Groen, Albert K; Sahlin, Staffan; Einarsson, Curt

2005-06-01

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the mechanisms of development of cholesterol crystals and gallstones during weight reduction in obese subjects. Twenty-five morbidly obese, gallstone-free subjects underwent vertical-banded gastroplasty. Gallbladder bile was collected at the time of the operation via needle aspiration and 1.1-7.3 months after the operation via ultrasound-guided transhepatic puncture of the gallbladder. The mean weight loss was 17 kg. Two patients developed gallstones and 10 patients displayed cholesterol crystals in their bile. In patients with a follow-up time of less than 2 months (n = 13), cholesterol saturation increased from 90% to 114% but tended to decrease in the patients with a follow-up time of more than 2 months. The extraction of the concanavalin-A-binding fraction from gallbladder bile obtained after weight reduction in 7 patients prolonged crystallization detection time from 6 to 10 days. The hexosamine concentration, a marker for mucin, was increased by about 100% in bile obtained in 6 of 7 patients after weight reduction. In conclusion, the results indicate that crystallization-promoting compounds (mucin) are of great importance in the development of cholesterol crystals and gallstones in obese subjects during weight reduction, probably because of defective gallbladder emptying.

Brain-responsive neurostimulation in patients with medically intractable mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

PubMed

Geller, Eric B; Skarpaas, Tara L; Gross, Robert E; Goodman, Robert R; Barkley, Gregory L; Bazil, Carl W; Berg, Michael J; Bergey, Gregory K; Cash, Sydney S; Cole, Andrew J; Duckrow, Robert B; Edwards, Jonathan C; Eisenschenk, Stephan; Fessler, James; Fountain, Nathan B; Goldman, Alicia M; Gwinn, Ryder P; Heck, Christianne; Herekar, Aamar; Hirsch, Lawrence J; Jobst, Barbara C; King-Stephens, David; Labar, Douglas R; Leiphart, James W; Marsh, W Richard; Meador, Kimford J; Mizrahi, Eli M; Murro, Anthony M; Nair, Dileep R; Noe, Katherine H; Park, Yong D; Rutecki, Paul A; Salanova, Vicenta; Sheth, Raj D; Shields, Donald C; Skidmore, Christopher; Smith, Michael C; Spencer, David C; Srinivasan, Shraddha; Tatum, William; Van Ness, Paul C; Vossler, David G; Wharen, Robert E; Worrell, Gregory A; Yoshor, Daniel; Zimmerman, Richard S; Cicora, Kathy; Sun, Felice T; Morrell, Martha J

2017-06-01

Evaluate the seizure-reduction response and safety of mesial temporal lobe (MTL) brain-responsive stimulation in adults with medically intractable partial-onset seizures of mesial temporal lobe origin. Subjects with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) were identified from prospective clinical trials of a brain-responsive neurostimulator (RNS System, NeuroPace). The seizure reduction over years 2-6 postimplantation was calculated by assessing the seizure frequency compared to a preimplantation baseline. Safety was assessed based on reported adverse events. There were 111 subjects with MTLE; 72% of subjects had bilateral MTL onsets and 28% had unilateral onsets. Subjects had one to four leads placed; only two leads could be connected to the device. Seventy-six subjects had depth leads only, 29 had both depth and strip leads, and 6 had only strip leads. The mean follow-up was 6.1 ± (standard deviation) 2.2 years. The median percent seizure reduction was 70% (last observation carried forward). Twenty-nine percent of subjects experienced at least one seizure-free period of 6 months or longer, and 15% experienced at least one seizure-free period of 1 year or longer. There was no difference in seizure reduction in subjects with and without mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS), bilateral MTL onsets, prior resection, prior intracranial monitoring, and prior vagus nerve stimulation. In addition, seizure reduction was not dependent on the location of depth leads relative to the hippocampus. The most frequent serious device-related adverse event was soft tissue implant-site infection (overall rate, including events categorized as device-related, uncertain, or not device-related: 0.03 per implant year, which is not greater than with other neurostimulation devices). Brain-responsive stimulation represents a safe and effective treatment option for patients with medically intractable epilepsy, including patients with unilateral or bilateral MTLE who are not candidates for temporal lobectomy or who have failed a prior MTL resection. © 2017 The Authors. Epilepsia published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International League Against Epilepsy.

Clinician-led, peer-led, and internet-delivered dissonance-based eating disorder prevention programs: Acute effectiveness of these delivery modalities.

PubMed

Stice, Eric; Rohde, Paul; Shaw, Heather; Gau, Jeff M

2017-09-01

Because independent trials have provided evidence for the efficacy and effectiveness of the dissonance-based Body Project eating disorder prevention program, the present trial tested whether clinicians produce the largest intervention effects, or whether delivery can be task-shifted to less expensive undergraduate peer educators or to Internet delivery without effect size attenuation, focusing on acute effects. In this study, 680 young women (M age = 22.2 years, SD = 7.1) recruited at colleges in 2 states were randomized to clinician-led Body Project groups, peer-led Body Project groups, the Internet-based eBody Project, or an educational video control condition. Participants in all 3 variants of the Body Project intervention showed significantly greater reductions in eating disorder risk factors and symptoms than did educational video controls. Participants in clinician-led and peer-led Body Project groups showed significantly greater reductions in risk factors than did eBody Project participants, but effects for the 2 types of groups were similar. Eating disorder onset over 7-month follow-up was significantly lower for peer-led Body Project group participants versus eBody Project participants (2.2% vs. 8.4%) but did not differ significantly between other conditions. The evidence that all 3 dissonance-based prevention programs outperformed an educational video condition, that both group-based interventions outperformed the Internet-based intervention in risk factor reductions, and that the peer-led groups showed lower eating disorder onset over follow-up than did the Internet-based intervention is novel. These acute-effects data suggest that both group-based interventions produce superior eating disorder prevention effects than does the Internet-based intervention and that delivery can be task-shifted to peer leaders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Reductions in biomarkers of exposure (BoE) to harmful or potentially harmful constituents (HPHCs) following partial or complete substitution of cigarettes with electronic cigarettes in adult smokers.

PubMed

O'Connell, Grant; Graff, Donald W; D'Ruiz, Carl D

2016-07-01

Changes in fifteen urine, blood and exhaled breath BoEs of HPHCs representing classes of compounds reported by FDA to be significant contributors to smoking-associated disease risks were measured in 105 clinical-confined subjects following randomization and a five-day forced-switch from usual brand conventional combustible cigarettes to: (i) exclusive commercial e-cigarette use; (ii) dual-use of commercial e-cigarettes and the subject's usual cigarette brand; or (iii) discontinued use of all tobacco or nicotine products. Levels of urinary biomarkers in subjects that completely substituted their usual cigarette with e-cigarettes were significantly lower (29-95%) after 5 days. Percent reductions in eight of nine urinary BoEs were indistinguishable to smokers who had quit smoking, except for nicotine equivalents, which declined by 25-40%. Dual users who halved self-reported daily cigarette consumption with e-cigarettes exhibited reductions (7-38%) in eight of nine urinary biomarkers, but had increase (1-20%) in nicotine equivalents. Reductions were broadly proportional to the reduced numbers of cigarettes smoked. Dual user urinary nicotine equivalents were slightly higher, but not statistically significant. After 5 days, blood nicotine biomarker levels were lower in the cessation (75-96%) and exclusive use groups (11-83%); with dual users experiencing no significant reductions. All subjects experienced significant decreases in exhaled CO. Decreases in the cessation and exclusive groups ranged from 88-89% and 27-32% in dual users. Exhaled NO increased in the cessation and exclusive groups (46-63% respectively), whereas the dual users experienced minimal changes. Overall, smokers who completely or partially substituted conventional cigarettes with e-cigarettes over five days, experienced reductions in HPHCs.

Fatigue Behavior of AM60B Subjected to Variable Amplitude Loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, H.; Kari, K.; Khosrovaneh, A. K.; Nayaki, R.; Su, X.; Zhang, L.; Lee, Y.-L.

Magnesium alloys are considered as an alternative material to reduce vehicle weight due to their weight which are 33% lighter than aluminum alloys. There has been a significant expansion in the applications of magnesium alloys in automotives components in an effort to improve fuel efficiency through vehicle mass reduction. In this project, a simple front shock tower of passenger vehicle is constructed with various magnesium alloys. To predict the fatigue behavior of the structure, fatigue properties of the magnesium alloy (AM60B) were determined from strain controlled fatigue tests. Notched specimens were also tested with three different variable amplitude loading profiles obtained from the shock tower of the similar size of vehicle. The test results were compared with various fatigue prediction results. The effect of mean stress and fatigue prediction method were discussed.

Making Sparklers: An Introductory Laboratory Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keeney, Allen; Walters, Christina; Cornelius, Richard D.

1995-07-01

A laboratory experiment consisting of the preparation of sparklers has been developed as part of a project which organizes the general chemistry sequence according to subjects with which students are familiar. This laboratory makes use of oxidation/reduction chemistry to produce a product familiar to students. The result is a mixture rather than a compound, but the composition must be carefully measured to produce a sparkler that will stay lit and produce sparks. The dramatic reaction may be the most impressive and memorable experience that students encounter in the laboratory. Sparklers are formulated from iron, magnesium, and aluminum powders, plus potassium chlorate and barium nitrate held on thick iron wire by a starch paste. At elevated temperatures metal nitrates and chlorates decompose to produces gases, providing the necessary force to eject bits of powdered, burning metal into the air.

Prospective, randomized study of one, two, or three trabecular bypass stents in open-angle glaucoma subjects on topical hypotensive medication

PubMed Central

Katz, L Jay; Erb, Carl; Carceller, Guillamet Amadeu; Fea, Antonio M; Voskanyan, Lilit; Wells, Jeffrey M; Giamporcaro, Jane Ellen

2015-01-01

Purpose To assess the safety and efficacy of one, two, or three trabecular microbypass stents in eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma (OAG) not controlled on ocular hypotensive medication. A total of 119 subjects were followed for 18 months postoperatively. Materials and methods Subjects with medicated intraocular pressure (IOP) 18–30 mmHg and postmedication-washout baseline IOP 22–38 mmHg were randomized to implantation of one, two, or three stents. Ocular hypotensive medication was to be used if postoperative IOP exceeded 18 mmHg. Results A total of 38 subjects were implanted with one stent, 41 subjects with two stents, and 40 subjects with three stents. Both month 12 IOP reduction ≥20% without ocular hypotensive medication vs baseline unmedicated IOP and month 12 unmedicated IOP ≤18 mmHg were achieved by 89.2%, 90.2%, and 92.1% of one-, two-, and three-stent eyes, respectively. Furthermore, 64.9%, 85.4%, and 92.1% of the three respective groups achieved unmedicated IOP ≤15 mmHg. Over the 18-month follow-up period, medication was required in seven one-stent subjects, four two-stent subjects, and three three-stent subjects. At 18 months, mean unmedicated IOP was 15.9±0.9 mmHg in one-stent subjects, 14.1±1.0 mmHg in two-stent subjects, and 12.2±1.1 mmHg in three-stent subjects. Month 18 IOP reduction was significantly greater (P<0.001) with implantation of each additional stent, with mean differences in reduction of 1.84 mmHg (95% confidence interval 0.96–2.73) for three-stent vs two-stent groups and 1.73 mmHg (95% confidence interval 0.83–2.64) for two-stent vs one-stent groups. Adverse events through 18 months were limited to cataract progression with best-corrected visual acuity loss and subsequent cataract surgery. Conclusion In this series, implantation of each additional stent resulted in significantly greater IOP reduction with reduced medication use. Titratability of stents as a sole procedure was shown to be effective and safe, with sustained effect through 18 months postoperatively in OAG not controlled with medication. PMID:26715834

Effects of Weight Reduction on Obesity STUDIES OF LIPID AND CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM IN NORMAL AND HYPERLIPOPROTEINEMIC SUBJECTS

PubMed Central

Olefsky, Jerrold; Reaven, Gerald M.; Farquhar, John W.

1974-01-01

Considerable controversy exists over the purported role of obesity in causing hyperglycemia, hyperlipemia, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance; and the potential beneficial effects of weight reduction remain incompletely defined. Hypertriglyceridemia is one of the metabolic abnormalities proposed to accompany obesity, and in order to help explain the mechanisms leading to this abnormality we have proposed the following sequential hypothesis: insulin resistance → hyperinsulinemia → accelerated hepatic triglyceride(TG) production → elevated plasma TG concentrations. To test this hypothesis and to gain insight into both the possible role of obesity in causing the above metabolic abnormalities and the potential benefit of weight reduction we studied the effects of weight loss on various aspects of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in a group of 36 normal and hyperlipoproteinemic subjects. Only weak to absent correlations (r = 0.03 — 0.46) were noted between obesity and the metabolic variables measured. This points out that in our study group obesity cannot be the sole, or even the major, cause of these abnormalities in the first place. Further, we have observed marked decreases after weight reduction in fasting plasma TG (mean value: pre-weight reduction, 319 mg/100 ml; post-weight reduction, 180 mg/100 ml) and cholesterol (mean values: pre-weight reduction, 282 mg/100 ml; post-weight reduction, 223 mg/100 ml) levels, with a direct relationship between the magnitude of the fall in plasma lipid values and the height of the initial plasma TG level. We have also noted significant decreases after weight reduction in the insulin and glucose responses during the oral glucose tolerance test (37% decrease and 12% decrease, respectively). Insulin and glucose responses to liquid food before and after weight reduction were also measured and the overall post-weight reduction decrease in insulin response was 48% while the glucose response was relatively unchanged. In a subgroup of patients we studied both the degree of cellular insulin resistance and the rate of hepatic very low density (VLDL) TG production before and after weight reduction. These subjects demonstrated significant decreases after weight reduction in both degree of insulin resistance (33% decrease) and VLDL-TG production rates (40% decrease). Thus, weight reduction has lowered each of the antecedent variables (insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, and VLDL-TG production) that according to the above hypothesis lead to hypertriglyceridemia, and we believe the overall scheme is greatly strengthened. Furthermore, the consistent decreases in plasma TG and cholesterol levels seen in all subjects lead us to conclude that weight reduction is an important therapeutic modality for patients with endogenous hypertriglyceridemia. Images PMID:4357617

Second Class Resolver: a retrospective analysis.

PubMed

D'Attilio, M; Rodolfino, D; Filippakos, A; Saccucci, M; Festa, F; Tripodi, D

2014-03-01

To evaluate the use of Second Class Resolver (SCR), a new fixed orthopaedic appliance, for the treatment of skeletal Class II malocclusion in growing subjects. Design Retrospective analysis. Forty subjects were treated with Second Class Resolver (SCR). The mean age was 8 years at the beginning of treatment and 10 years at the end of treatment. Digital cephalometric superimpositions on lateral radiographs taken at start and end of treatment were assessed. The cephalometric values were statistically analysed. Cephalometric analysis of changes during treatment shows reduction of ANB angle (mean 2°); reduction of Witts Index (mean 3 mm); reduction of Maxillo-Mandibular angle (MM) (mean 1°); reduction of SNA (angle mean 3°); reduction of gonial angle (mean 1.8°); increase of the mandibular branch length (mean 5 mm); increase of mandibular body (mean 2.9°). The Second Class Resolver can be beneficially used for the treatment of Class II malocclusion.

Linking Sculpture to Core Subjects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khilnani, Sharda; Culhane, Douglas

1995-01-01

This article describes a cooperative project between a teacher and sculptor to link sculpture with academic subjects within a self-contained class for 13-year-old students with learning disabilities. The nine-week project focused on biological habitats and included the construction of three-dimensional habitats on pieces of wood. (DB)

34 CFR 97.114 - Cooperative research.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Cooperative research. 97.114 Section 97.114 Education... Protection of Human Subjects (Basic ED Policy for Protection of Human Research Subjects) § 97.114 Cooperative research. Cooperative research projects are those projects covered by this policy which involve more than...

34 CFR 97.114 - Cooperative research.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Cooperative research. 97.114 Section 97.114 Education... Protection of Human Subjects (Basic ED Policy for Protection of Human Research Subjects) § 97.114 Cooperative research. Cooperative research projects are those projects covered by this policy which involve more than...

34 CFR 97.114 - Cooperative research.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Cooperative research. 97.114 Section 97.114 Education... Protection of Human Subjects (Basic ED Policy for Protection of Human Research Subjects) § 97.114 Cooperative research. Cooperative research projects are those projects covered by this policy which involve more than...

34 CFR 97.114 - Cooperative research.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Cooperative research. 97.114 Section 97.114 Education... Protection of Human Subjects (Basic ED Policy for Protection of Human Research Subjects) § 97.114 Cooperative research. Cooperative research projects are those projects covered by this policy which involve more than...

34 CFR 97.114 - Cooperative research.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Cooperative research. 97.114 Section 97.114 Education... Protection of Human Subjects (Basic ED Policy for Protection of Human Research Subjects) § 97.114 Cooperative research. Cooperative research projects are those projects covered by this policy which involve more than...

Project Laboratory for First-Year Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Planinsic, Gorazd

2007-01-01

This paper reports the modification of an existing experimental subject into a project laboratory for first-year physics students studying in the first cycle of university level and at a higher professional level. The subject is aimed at developing important science-related competences and skills through concrete steps under circumstances that are…

Differences in flood hazard projections in Europe – their causes and consequences for decision making

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kundzewicz, Z. W.; Krysanova, V.; Dankers, R.; Hirabayashi, Y.; Kanae, S.; Hattermann, F. F.; Huang, S.; Milly, Paul C.D.; Stoffel, M.; Driessen, P.P.J.; Matczak, P.; Quevauviller, P.; Schellnhuber, H.-J.

2017-01-01

This paper interprets differences in flood hazard projections over Europe and identifies likely sources of discrepancy. Further, it discusses potential implications of these differences for flood risk reduction and adaptation to climate change. The discrepancy in flood hazard projections raises caution, especially among decision makers in charge of water resources management, flood risk reduction, and climate change adaptation at regional to local scales. Because it is naïve to expect availability of trustworthy quantitative projections of future flood hazard, in order to reduce flood risk one should focus attention on mapping of current and future risks and vulnerability hotspots and improve the situation there. Although an intercomparison of flood hazard projections is done in this paper and differences are identified and interpreted, it does not seems possible to recommend which large-scale studies may be considered most credible in particular areas of Europe.

[Evaluation on cost-effectiveness of snail control project by environmental modification in hilly regions].

PubMed

Li, Shui-Ming; Chen, Shi-Jun; Wu, Xiao-Jun; Chen, Xi-Qing; Zhang, Rong-Ping; Zhang, Jian-Rong

2011-02-01

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the snail control project by environmental modification in order to provide the evidence for quickly interrupting the transmission of schistosomiasis in hilly regions. Field investigations were carried out. The changes of the snail habitat areas were compared before and after the snail control project. The direct costs of the snail control were calculated. The reduction rates of snail area and snail density were regarded as the evaluation indexes of the effectiveness. The costs for reduction of 1% of snail area and 1% of snail density were used as the unit for cost-effectiveness analysis. After the 15 projects were implemented, there were no snails in 12 areas. The reduction rates of snail areas were 72.22% to 100%. The reduction rates of the snail area and density were both 100% in the areas with digging new ditches to fill up the old ones and building reservoirs. The total cost of 15 projects was 1 450 800 Yuan. The average cost per unit was 0.56 Yuan/m2. After the snail control project by digging new ditches to fill up the old ones was implemented, the costs of snail area and density decreased by one unit were 300 -700 Yuan, by building reservoirs, the costs were 600 -2 600 Yuan, by building fishpond, the costs were 1 200 - 1 500 Yuan, by watershed comprehensive measures, the costs were 900 - 2 700 Yuan. The cost of digging new ditches to fill up the old ones was significantly lower than that of building reservoirs or watershed comprehensive measures, but there was no significant difference between building reservoirs and watershed comprehensive measures. In hilly regions, the implementation of snail control project by environmental modification combined with construction of water conservancy is effective, and the cost-effectiveness of the snail control with digging new ditches to fill up the old ones is excellent.

Critical Propulsion and Noise reduction Technologies for Future Commercial Subsonic Engines. Area of Interest 14.3: Separate Flow Exhaust System Noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Janardan, B. A.; Hoff, G. E.; Barter, J. W.; Brausch, J. F.; Gliebe, P. R.; Coffin, R. S.; Martens, S.; Delaney, B. R.; Dalton, W. N.; Mengle, V. G.

2000-01-01

This presentation discusses: Project Objectives, Approach and Goal; Baseline Nozzles and Test Cycle Definition; Repeatability and Baseline Nozzle Results; Noise Reduction Concepts; Noise Reduction Tests Configurations of BPR=5 Internal Plug Nozzle adn Acoustic Results; Noise Reduction Test Configurations of BPR=5 External Plug Nozzle and Acoustic Results; and Noise Reduction Tests Configurations of BPR=8 External Plug Nozzle and Acoustic Results.

Teaching methodologies to promote creativity in the professional skills related to optics knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Oliveras, Alicia; Fernandez, Paz; Peña-García, Antonio; Oliveras, Maria L.

2014-07-01

We present the methodologies proposed and applied in the context of a teaching-innovation project developed at the University of Granada, Spain. The main objective of the project is the implementation of teaching methodologies that promote the creativity in the learning process and, subsequently, in the acquisition of professional skills. This project involves two subjects related with optics knowledge in undergraduate students. The subjects are "Illumination Engineering" (Bachelor's degree in Civil-Engineering) and "Optical and Optometric Instrumentation" (Bachelor's degree in and Optics and Optometry). For the first subject, the activities of our project were carried out in the theoretical classes. By contrast, in the case of the second subject, such activities were designed for the laboratory sessions. For "Illumination Engineering" we applied the maieutic technique. With this method the students were encouraged to establish relationships between the main applications of the subject and concepts that apparently unrelated with the subject framework. By means of several examples, the students became aware of the importance of cross-curricular and lateral thinking. We used the technique based on protocols of control and change in "Optical and Optometric Instrumentation". The modus operandi was focused on prompting the students to adopt the role of the professionals and to pose questions to themselves concerning the practical content of the subject from that professional role. This mechanism boosted the critical capacity and the independent-learning ability of the students. In this work, we describe in detail both subject proposals and the results of their application in the 2011-2012 academic course.

Bookending the Opportunity to Lower Wind’s LCOE by Reducing the Uncertainty Surrounding Annual Energy Production

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

Bolinger, Mark

Reducing the performance risk surrounding a wind project can potentially lead to a lower weighted-average cost of capital (WACC), and hence a lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE), through an advantageous shift in capital structure, and possibly also a reduction in the cost of capital. Specifically, a reduction in performance risk will move the 1-year P99 annual energy production (AEP) estimate closer to the P50 AEP estimate, which in turn reduces the minimum debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) required by lenders, thereby allowing the project to be financed with a greater proportion of low-cost debt. In addition, a reduction inmore » performance risk might also reduce the cost of one or more of the three sources of capital that are commonly used to finance wind projects: sponsor or cash equity, tax equity, and/or debt. Preliminary internal LBNL analysis of the maximum possible LCOE reduction attainable from reducing the performance risk of a wind project found a potentially significant opportunity for LCOE reduction of ~$10/MWh, by reducing the P50 DSCR to its theoretical minimum value of 1.0 (Bolinger 2015b, 2014) and by reducing the cost of sponsor equity and debt by one-third to one-half each (Bolinger 2015a, 2015b). However, with FY17 funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Atmosphere to Electrons (A2e) Performance Risk, Uncertainty, and Finance (PRUF) initiative, LBNL has been revisiting this “bookending” exercise in more depth, and now believes that its earlier preliminary assessment of the LCOE reduction opportunity was overstated. This reassessment is based on two new-found understandings: (1) Due to ever-present and largely irreducible inter-annual variability (IAV) in the wind resource, the minimum required DSCR cannot possibly fall to 1.0 (on a P50 basis), and (2) A reduction in AEP uncertainty will not necessarily lead to a reduction in the cost of capital, meaning that a shift in capital structure is perhaps the best that can be expected (perhaps along with a modest decline in the cost of cash equity as new investors enter the market).« less

Preliminary assessment of potential CDM early start projects in Brazil

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

Meyers, S.; Sathaye, J.; Lehman, B.

2000-11-01

The Brazil/US Aspen Global Forum on Climate Change Policies and Programs has facilitated a dialogue between key Brazil and US public and private sector leaders on the subject of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). With support from the US government, a cooperative effort between Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of Sao Paulo conducted an assessment of a number of projects put forth by Brazilian sponsors. Initially, we gathered information and conducted a screening assessment for ten projects in the energy sector and six projects in the forestry sector. Some of the projects appeared to offer greater potential tomore » be attractive for CDM, or had better information available. We then conducted a more detailed assessment of 12 of these projects, and two other projects that were submitted after the initial screening. An important goal was to assess the potential impact of Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) on the financial performance of projects. With the exception of the two forestry-based fuel displacement projects, the impact of CERs on the internal rate of return (IRR) is fairly small. This is true for both the projects that displace grid electricity and those that displace local (diesel-based) electricity production. The relative effect of CERs is greater for projects whose IRR without CERs is low. CERs have a substantial effect on the IRR of the two short-rotation forestry energy substitution projects. One reason is that the biofuel displaces coke and oil, both of which are carbon-intensive. Another factor is that the product of these projects (charcoal and woodfuel, respectively) is relatively low value, so the revenue from carbon credits has a strong relative impact. CERs also have a substantial effect on the NPV of the carbon sequestration projects. Financial and other barriers pose a challenge for implementation of most of the projects. In most cases, the sponsor lacks sufficient capital, and loans are available only at high interest rate and with substantial guarantee. A few of the projects might go ahead without the benefit of CERs, but most probably would not. Whether the projected revenue from CERs would be sufficient to induce sponsors to proceed with the projects is an important issue that requires further investigation. All of the projects contribute to economic development in Brazil. The forestry projects in particular would create a significant number of rural jobs, and contribute income to rural communities. Some of the carbon sequestration projects would provide environmental benefits with respect to protection of biodiversity and soil.« less

Human Activity Recognition in AAL Environments Using Random Projections.

PubMed

Damaševičius, Robertas; Vasiljevas, Mindaugas; Šalkevičius, Justas; Woźniak, Marcin

2016-01-01

Automatic human activity recognition systems aim to capture the state of the user and its environment by exploiting heterogeneous sensors attached to the subject's body and permit continuous monitoring of numerous physiological signals reflecting the state of human actions. Successful identification of human activities can be immensely useful in healthcare applications for Ambient Assisted Living (AAL), for automatic and intelligent activity monitoring systems developed for elderly and disabled people. In this paper, we propose the method for activity recognition and subject identification based on random projections from high-dimensional feature space to low-dimensional projection space, where the classes are separated using the Jaccard distance between probability density functions of projected data. Two HAR domain tasks are considered: activity identification and subject identification. The experimental results using the proposed method with Human Activity Dataset (HAD) data are presented.

Human Activity Recognition in AAL Environments Using Random Projections

PubMed Central

Damaševičius, Robertas; Vasiljevas, Mindaugas; Šalkevičius, Justas; Woźniak, Marcin

2016-01-01

Automatic human activity recognition systems aim to capture the state of the user and its environment by exploiting heterogeneous sensors attached to the subject's body and permit continuous monitoring of numerous physiological signals reflecting the state of human actions. Successful identification of human activities can be immensely useful in healthcare applications for Ambient Assisted Living (AAL), for automatic and intelligent activity monitoring systems developed for elderly and disabled people. In this paper, we propose the method for activity recognition and subject identification based on random projections from high-dimensional feature space to low-dimensional projection space, where the classes are separated using the Jaccard distance between probability density functions of projected data. Two HAR domain tasks are considered: activity identification and subject identification. The experimental results using the proposed method with Human Activity Dataset (HAD) data are presented. PMID:27413392

The epistemic culture in an online citizen science project: Programs, antiprograms and epistemic subjects.

PubMed

Kasperowski, Dick; Hillman, Thomas

2018-05-01

In the past decade, some areas of science have begun turning to masses of online volunteers through open calls for generating and classifying very large sets of data. The purpose of this study is to investigate the epistemic culture of a large-scale online citizen science project, the Galaxy Zoo, that turns to volunteers for the classification of images of galaxies. For this task, we chose to apply the concepts of programs and antiprograms to examine the 'essential tensions' that arise in relation to the mobilizing values of a citizen science project and the epistemic subjects and cultures that are enacted by its volunteers. Our premise is that these tensions reveal central features of the epistemic subjects and distributed cognition of epistemic cultures in these large-scale citizen science projects.

75 FR 32960 - Hazardous Fire Risk Reduction, East Bay Hills, CA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-10

... program. The Strawberry Canyon Vegetation Management Project involves the removal of eucalyptus and other... tree sprouts from the area. The Claremont Canyon Vegetation Management Project involves the removal of... the Strawberry Canyon Vegetation Management Project for public comment. The draft environmental...

Uncertainties in estimates of the risks of late effects from space radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cucinotta, F. A.; Schimmerling, W.; Wilson, J. W.; Peterson, L. E.; Saganti, P. B.; Dicello, J. F.

2004-01-01

Methods used to project risks in low-Earth orbit are of questionable merit for exploration missions because of the limited radiobiology data and knowledge of galactic cosmic ray (GCR) heavy ions, which causes estimates of the risk of late effects to be highly uncertain. Risk projections involve a product of many biological and physical factors, each of which has a differential range of uncertainty due to lack of data and knowledge. Using the linear-additivity model for radiation risks, we use Monte-Carlo sampling from subjective uncertainty distributions in each factor to obtain an estimate of the overall uncertainty in risk projections. The resulting methodology is applied to several human space exploration mission scenarios including a deep space outpost and Mars missions of duration of 360, 660, and 1000 days. The major results are the quantification of the uncertainties in current risk estimates, the identification of factors that dominate risk projection uncertainties, and the development of a method to quantify candidate approaches to reduce uncertainties or mitigate risks. The large uncertainties in GCR risk projections lead to probability distributions of risk that mask any potential risk reduction using the "optimization" of shielding materials or configurations. In contrast, the design of shielding optimization approaches for solar particle events and trapped protons can be made at this time and promising technologies can be shown to have merit using our approach. The methods used also make it possible to express risk management objectives in terms of quantitative metrics, e.g., the number of days in space without exceeding a given risk level within well-defined confidence limits. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of COSPAR.

Uncertainties in Estimates of the Risks of Late Effects from Space Radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cucinotta, F. A.; Schimmerling, W.; Wilson, J. W.; Peterson, L. E.; Saganti, P.; Dicelli, J. F.

2002-01-01

The health risks faced by astronauts from space radiation include cancer, cataracts, hereditary effects, and non-cancer morbidity and mortality risks related to the diseases of the old age. Methods used to project risks in low-Earth orbit are of questionable merit for exploration missions because of the limited radiobiology data and knowledge of galactic cosmic ray (GCR) heavy ions, which causes estimates of the risk of late effects to be highly uncertain. Risk projections involve a product of many biological and physical factors, each of which has a differential range of uncertainty due to lack of data and knowledge. Within the linear-additivity model, we use Monte-Carlo sampling from subjective uncertainty distributions in each factor to obtain a Maximum Likelihood estimate of the overall uncertainty in risk projections. The resulting methodology is applied to several human space exploration mission scenarios including ISS, lunar station, deep space outpost, and Mar's missions of duration of 360, 660, and 1000 days. The major results are the quantification of the uncertainties in current risk estimates, the identification of factors that dominate risk projection uncertainties, and the development of a method to quantify candidate approaches to reduce uncertainties or mitigate risks. The large uncertainties in GCR risk projections lead to probability distributions of risk that mask any potential risk reduction using the "optimization" of shielding materials or configurations. In contrast, the design of shielding optimization approaches for solar particle events and trapped protons can be made at this time, and promising technologies can be shown to have merit using our approach. The methods used also make it possible to express risk management objectives in terms of quantitative objective's, i.e., the number of days in space without exceeding a given risk level within well defined confidence limits.

Effects of chronic fluvoxamine on ethanol- and food-maintained behaviors

PubMed Central

Ginsburg, Brett C.; Lamb, R.J.

2011-01-01

Acute treatment with fluvoxamine reduces responding for ethanol more than responding for food. However, pharmacotherapy for alcoholism is likely to require chronic treatment. These experiments were performed to assess the effects of chronic fluvoxamine on ethanol- and food-maintained behaviors. Effects of chronic fluvoxamine (10 and 17.8 mg/kg/day × 30 days) on ethanol- and food-maintained responding were compared to responding during saline treatment in four Sprague-Dawley rats responding for ethanol and food under a multiple fixed-ratio 5, fixed-ratio 5 schedule. In two subjects, chronic fluvoxamine reduced ethanol-maintained responding more than food-maintained responding; however this effect was transient. In another subject, treatment persistently decreased food-maintained responding relative to ethanol-maintained responding. Finally, in one subject, fluvoxamine nonspecifically disrupted responding for food and ethanol. Similar to results in humans, outbred Sprague-Dawley rats had differential responses to chronic fluvoxamine. The effect was transient in rats that responded favorably (greater reduction of ethanol relative to food responding), while response reductions persisted throughout treatment in rats that responded unfavorably (greater reduction of food relative to ethanol or nonspecific reductions). PMID:16647721

Directional hearing aid using hybrid adaptive beamformer (HAB) and binaural ITE array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaw, Scott T.; Larow, Andy J.; Gibian, Gary L.; Sherlock, Laguinn P.; Schulein, Robert

2002-05-01

A directional hearing aid algorithm called the Hybrid Adaptive Beamformer (HAB), developed for NIH/NIA, can be applied to many different microphone array configurations. In this project the HAB algorithm was applied to a new array employing in-the-ear microphones at each ear (HAB-ITE), to see if previous HAB performance could be achieved with a more cosmetically acceptable package. With diotic output, the average benefit in threshold SNR was 10.9 dB for three HoH and 11.7 dB for five normal-hearing subjects. These results are slightly better than previous results of equivalent tests with a 3-in. array. With an innovative binaural fitting, a small benefit beyond that provided by diotic adaptive beamforming was observed: 12.5 dB for HoH and 13.3 dB for normal-hearing subjects, a 1.6 dB improvement over the diotic presentation. Subjectively, the binaural fitting preserved binaural hearing abilities, giving the user a sense of space, and providing left-right localization. Thus the goal of creating an adaptive beamformer that simultaneously provides excellent noise reduction and binaural hearing was achieved. Further work remains before the HAB-ITE can be incorporated into a real product, optimizing binaural adaptive beamforming, and integrating the concept with other technologies to produce a viable product prototype. [Work supported by NIH/NIDCD.

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

Sumner, Dennis; Vosburg, Tom; Brunner, Steve

This project titled “Research, Development and Demonstration of Peak Load Reduction on Distribution Feeders Using Distributed Energy Resources for the City of Fort Collins” evolved in response to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number DE-PS26-07NT43119. Also referred to as the Fort Collins Renewable and Distributed System Integration (RDSI) Project, the effort was undertaken by a diverse group of local government, higher education and business organizations; and was driven by three overarching goals: I. Fulfill the requirements of the DOE FOA’s Area of Interest 2: Renewable and Distributed System Integration; most notably, to demonstrate the ability tomore » reduce electric system distribution feeder peak load by 15% or more through the coordinated use of Distributed Energy Resources (DER). II. Advance the expertise, technologies and infrastructure necessary to support the long term vision of the Fort Collins Zero Energy District (FortZED) and move towards creating a zero energy district in the Fort Collins “Old Town” area. III. Further the goals of the City of Fort Collins Energy Policy, including the development of a Smart Grid-enabled distribution system in Fort Collins, expanded use of renewable energy, increased energy conservation, and peak load reduction. Through the collaborative efforts of the partner organizations, the Fort Collins RDSI project was successful in achieving all three of these goals. This report is organized into two distinct sections corresponding to the two phases of the project: • Part 1: Feeder Peak Load Reduction and the FortZED Initiative. • Part 2: Forming and Operating Utility Microgrids and Managing Load and Production Variability The original project scope addressed the Part 1 feeder peak load reduction. That work took place from 2009 through 2011 and was largely complete when the project scope was amended to include a demonstration of microgrid operations. While leveraging the assets, partner relationships, and lessons learned from Part 1, Part 2 was managed and executed as a distinct and substantially independent sub-project during the spring and summer of 2013. Both Parts 1 and 2 of the overall RDSI project can be viewed as cohesive stand-alone bodies of work and are presented as such within this report. In addition to the narratives, this document includes two Appendices that were compiled to supplement information about the various aspects of activities performed during Parts 1 and 2 of the project. Moreover, these Appendices are organized (as outlined below) so as to directly relate to the narratives in Part 1 and 2 of this report. • Appendix - Part 1: describes the roles of each project participant in regards to the feeder peak load reduction effort, and • Appendix - Part 2: deals with the microgrid research/demonstration.« less

An ultrastructural study of the effect of neomycin on the colon in the human subject and in the conventional and the germ-free mouse.

PubMed

Aluwihare, A P

1971-05-01

An electron microscopic study of the colon of normal mice and human subjects and those treated with neomycin is reported; there is a close resemblance between the mouse and human colons. After rapid disinfection of the colon, there is epithelial cell damage due to a toxic effect of the drug, a reduction in epithelial turnover accompanying the change in flora, and an important reduction in the cellularity of the lamina propria mainly due to a reduction in inflammatory cells. The changes in the lamina propria probably represent changes in the antipathogenetic defences of the host.

A Comparison of the Effect of Two Power Toothbrushes on the Gingival Health and Plaque Status of Subjects with Moderate Gingivitis.

PubMed

Starke, Michelle; Delaurenti, Marcia; Ward, Marilyn; Souza, Sonia; Milleman, Kimberly R; Milleman, Jeffery L

2017-03-01

To compare the effect of the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean plus Premium plaque control brush head with the Oral-B 7000 plus CrossAction brush head on gingivitis and supragingival plaque reduction following a 42-day period of home use. This was a randomized, parallel, examiner-blind, prospective clinical trial conducted on generally healthy subjects. Eligible subjects met the following eligibility criteria: age 18-65, non-smoker, routine manual toothbrush user, ≥ 50 sites of gingival bleeding per the Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI), and ≥ 1.8 plaque score per the Modified Plaque Index (MPI), assessed three to six hours following the last oral hygiene procedure. Eligible subjects were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to use either a Philips Sonicare DiamondClean with Premium plaque control brush head power toothbrush (SPC) or an Oral-B® 7000 with CrossAction™ brush head power toothbrush (OCA), for twice daily home use over a period of 42 days. All subjects were dispensed a standard fluoride-containing dentifrice and both toothbrushes were to be used in their respective Deep Clean modes. Safety and efficacy evaluations were performed at 14 and 42 days following Baseline. Two-hundred eighty-four subjects completed this trial (142 subjects per treatment group). Least squares mean (95% CI) estimates for reduction and percent reduction of gingivitis per Modified Gingival Index (MGI) following 42 days of product use for the SPC group were 1.17 (1.10, 1.24) and 45.68% (42.95%, 48.40%); for the OCA group they were 0.69 (0.62, 0.76) and 26.83% (24.10%, 29.56%). The mean difference (95% CI) between the two treatment groups was 0.48 (0.38, 0.58) and 18.85% (14.99%, 22.70%) for reduction and percent reduction, respectively. The lower limit of the 95% CI for the difference in Overall score between the two treatment groups was greater than the predefined non-inferiority margin (i.e., -0.10 or -5%); therefore SPC was declared non-inferior to OCA. In addition, since the 95% CI for the difference did not include zero, SPC was declared superior to OCA in the reduction of gingivitis per MGI at Day 42 (p-value < 0.0001). Similarly, for MGI at Day 14 and for GBI and MPI at Day 14 and Day 42, significantly larger reductions were observed for SPC compared to OCA (p-value < 0.0001). Philips Sonicare DiamondClean with Premium plaque control brush head (SPC) was statistically superior to the Oral-B 7000 with CrossAction brush head (OCA) in reducing gingival inflammation, gingival bleeding, and supragingival plaque following 14 and 42 days of home use. Both products were safe for use.

Reduction of astrometric plates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stock, J.

1984-01-01

A rapid and accurate method for the reduction of comet or asteroid plates is described. Projection equations, scale length correction, rotation of coordinates, linearization, the search for additional reference stars, and the final solution are examined.

75 FR 60772 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Transportation Entry and Manifest of Goods Subject to...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-01

... Activities: Transportation Entry and Manifest of Goods Subject to CBP Inspection and Permit AGENCY: U.S... the Paperwork Reduction Act: Transportation Entry and Manifest of Goods Subject to CBP Inspection and... techniques or other forms of information. Title: Transportation Entry and Manifest of Goods Subject to CBP...

Symmetry Reductions, Integrability and Solitary Wave Solutions to High-Order Modified Boussinesq Equations with Damping Term

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Zhen-Ya; Xie, Fu-Ding; Zhang, Hong-Qing

2001-07-01

Both the direct method due to Clarkson and Kruskal and the improved direct method due to Lou are extended to reduce the high-order modified Boussinesq equation with the damping term (HMBEDT) arising in the general Fermi-Pasta-Ulam model. As a result, several types of similarity reductions are obtained. It is easy to show that the nonlinear wave equation is not integrable under the sense of Ablowitz's conjecture from the reduction results obtained. In addition, kink-shaped solitary wave solutions, which are of important physical significance, are found for HMBEDT based on the obtained reduction equation. The project supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 19572022, the National Key Basic Research Development Project Program of China under Grant No. G1998030600 and Doctoral Foundation of China under Grant No. 98014119

28 CFR 34.3 - Selection criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... achievement of project objectives; (4) The project management structure is adequate to the successful conduct....3 Selection criteria. (a) All individual project applications will, at a minimum, be subject to... to be addressed by the project is clearly stated; (2) The objectives of the proposed project are...

28 CFR 34.3 - Selection criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... achievement of project objectives; (4) The project management structure is adequate to the successful conduct....3 Selection criteria. (a) All individual project applications will, at a minimum, be subject to... to be addressed by the project is clearly stated; (2) The objectives of the proposed project are...

28 CFR 34.3 - Selection criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... achievement of project objectives; (4) The project management structure is adequate to the successful conduct....3 Selection criteria. (a) All individual project applications will, at a minimum, be subject to... to be addressed by the project is clearly stated; (2) The objectives of the proposed project are...

28 CFR 34.3 - Selection criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... achievement of project objectives; (4) The project management structure is adequate to the successful conduct....3 Selection criteria. (a) All individual project applications will, at a minimum, be subject to... to be addressed by the project is clearly stated; (2) The objectives of the proposed project are...

75 FR 13549 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-22

... directly to the following: Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, Fax: 202-395-7285... OMB Review; Comment Request Title: ANA Project Impact Assessment Survey. OMB No.: New Collection. Description: The information collected by the Project Impact Assessment Survey is needed for two main reasons...

PREPARATION AIDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CATEGORY II QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECT PLANS

EPA Science Inventory

Data collection activities performed for the Risk Reduction Engineering aboratory (RREL) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are divided into tour categories, depending on the intended use of the data. uality Assurance (QA) Project Plans are written to ensure that project...

PREPARATION AIDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CATEGORY I QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECT PLANS

EPA Science Inventory

Data collection activities performed for the Risk Reduction Engineering aboratory (RREL) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are divided into tour categories, depending on the intended use of the data. uality Assurance (QA) Project Plans are written to ensure that project...

BEMRP: Conducting research, sharing results

Treesearch

Greg Jones

2007-01-01

A couple of years ago the Bitterroot National Forest began planning the Trapper Bunkhouse Land Stewardship Project (Trapper-Bunkhouse Project). This project includes fuels reduction, watershed improvements, noncommercial thinning in plantations to improve resiliency to insects and disease, and commercial timber harvest to provide economic value to the community and...

Noise correlation in CBCT projection data and its application for noise reduction in low-dose CBCT

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

Zhang, Hua; Ouyang, Luo; Wang, Jing, E-mail: jhma@smu.edu.cn, E-mail: jing.wang@utsouthwestern.edu

2014-03-15

Purpose: To study the noise correlation properties of cone-beam CT (CBCT) projection data and to incorporate the noise correlation information to a statistics-based projection restoration algorithm for noise reduction in low-dose CBCT. Methods: In this study, the authors systematically investigated the noise correlation properties among detector bins of CBCT projection data by analyzing repeated projection measurements. The measurements were performed on a TrueBeam onboard CBCT imaging system with a 4030CB flat panel detector. An anthropomorphic male pelvis phantom was used to acquire 500 repeated projection data at six different dose levels from 0.1 to 1.6 mAs per projection at threemore » fixed angles. To minimize the influence of the lag effect, lag correction was performed on the consecutively acquired projection data. The noise correlation coefficient between detector bin pairs was calculated from the corrected projection data. The noise correlation among CBCT projection data was then incorporated into the covariance matrix of the penalized weighted least-squares (PWLS) criterion for noise reduction of low-dose CBCT. Results: The analyses of the repeated measurements show that noise correlation coefficients are nonzero between the nearest neighboring bins of CBCT projection data. The average noise correlation coefficients for the first- and second-order neighbors are 0.20 and 0.06, respectively. The noise correlation coefficients are independent of the dose level. Reconstruction of the pelvis phantom shows that the PWLS criterion with consideration of noise correlation (PWLS-Cor) results in a lower noise level as compared to the PWLS criterion without considering the noise correlation (PWLS-Dia) at the matched resolution. At the 2.0 mm resolution level in the axial-plane noise resolution tradeoff analysis, the noise level of the PWLS-Cor reconstruction is 6.3% lower than that of the PWLS-Dia reconstruction. Conclusions: Noise is correlated among nearest neighboring detector bins of CBCT projection data. An accurate noise model of CBCT projection data can improve the performance of the statistics-based projection restoration algorithm for low-dose CBCT.« less

Scatter Reduction In Conventional Radiographic Tomography Using Rotating Apertures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudin, Stephen; Bednarek, Daniel R.

1981-08-01

Since images in conventional radiographic tomography are in-herently low in subject contrast, it is essential that scattered radiation be prevented from reaching the image receptor. Scanning beam or slit radiographic techniques are known to be the most efficient scatter elimination methods, yet have been inapplicable to this area of radiography. In this work it is shown that the scanning beam method using rotating aperture wheel (RAW) devices can be used in conventional tomography. One coder wheel between the x-ray tube and patient and two scatter discriminator wheels between the patient and image recep-tor form sections of the RAW "projection cone" with the lines of radia-tion from the x-ray source forming the "flux pyramid." As long as the projection cone follows the motion of the x-ray flux pyramid (with the ratios of the distances between the x-ray source, RAWs, patient, and image receptor kept constant throughout the motion) any RAW pattern may be used. Simple relations are given which describe the geometric constraints for various tomographic motions. As in any application of scanning slit techniques, it is possible to use the excellent scatter elimination capabilities of a RAW device either to improve image contrast or to reduce patient dose.

Climate extremes and predicted warming threaten Mediterranean Holocene firs forests refugia

PubMed Central

Camarero, J. Julio; Carrer, Marco; Gutiérrez, Emilia; Alla, Arben Q.; Andreu-Hayles, Laia; Hevia, Andrea; Koutavas, Athanasios; Martínez-Sancho, Elisabet; Nola, Paola; Papadopoulos, Andreas; Pasho, Edmond; Toromani, Ervin

2017-01-01

Warmer and drier climatic conditions are projected for the 21st century; however, the role played by extreme climatic events on forest vulnerability is still little understood. For example, more severe droughts and heat waves could threaten quaternary relict tree refugia such as Circum-Mediterranean fir forests (CMFF). Using tree-ring data and a process-based model, we characterized the major climate constraints of recent (1950–2010) CMFF growth to project their vulnerability to 21st-century climate. Simulations predict a 30% growth reduction in some fir species with the 2050s business-as-usual emission scenario, whereas growth would increase in moist refugia due to a longer and warmer growing season. Fir populations currently subjected to warm and dry conditions will be the most vulnerable in the late 21st century when climatic conditions will be analogous to the most severe dry/heat spells causing dieback in the late 20th century. Quantification of growth trends based on climate scenarios could allow defining vulnerability thresholds in tree populations. The presented predictions call for conservation strategies to safeguard relict tree populations and anticipate how many refugia could be threatened by 21st-century dry spells. PMID:29109266

Climate extremes and predicted warming threaten Mediterranean Holocene firs forests refugia.

PubMed

Sánchez-Salguero, Raúl; Camarero, J Julio; Carrer, Marco; Gutiérrez, Emilia; Alla, Arben Q; Andreu-Hayles, Laia; Hevia, Andrea; Koutavas, Athanasios; Martínez-Sancho, Elisabet; Nola, Paola; Papadopoulos, Andreas; Pasho, Edmond; Toromani, Ervin; Carreira, José A; Linares, Juan C

2017-11-21

Warmer and drier climatic conditions are projected for the 21st century; however, the role played by extreme climatic events on forest vulnerability is still little understood. For example, more severe droughts and heat waves could threaten quaternary relict tree refugia such as Circum-Mediterranean fir forests (CMFF). Using tree-ring data and a process-based model, we characterized the major climate constraints of recent (1950-2010) CMFF growth to project their vulnerability to 21st-century climate. Simulations predict a 30% growth reduction in some fir species with the 2050s business-as-usual emission scenario, whereas growth would increase in moist refugia due to a longer and warmer growing season. Fir populations currently subjected to warm and dry conditions will be the most vulnerable in the late 21st century when climatic conditions will be analogous to the most severe dry/heat spells causing dieback in the late 20th century. Quantification of growth trends based on climate scenarios could allow defining vulnerability thresholds in tree populations. The presented predictions call for conservation strategies to safeguard relict tree populations and anticipate how many refugia could be threatened by 21st-century dry spells.

FRAM (FRontiers in Arctic marine Monitoring: The FRAM Ocean Observing System) planned efforts for integrated water column biogeochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nielsdóttir, Maria; Salter, Ian; Kanzow, Torsten; Boetius, Antje

2015-04-01

The Arctic is a region undergoing rapid environmental change and will be subject to multiple stressors in the coming decades. Reductions in sea ice concentration; warming, increased terrigenous inputs and Atlantification are all expected to exert a significant impact on the structure and function of Arctic ecosystems. The Fram Strait is a particularly important region because it acts as a gateway in the exchange of Atlantic and Arctic water masses. The logistical constraints in conducting year round biogeochemical measurements in such areas impose a significant limitation to our understanding of these complicated ecosystems. To address these important challenges the German ministry of research has funded a multi-million Euro infrastructure project (FRAM). Over the next five years FRAM will develop a remote access and autonomous sampling infrastructure to improve the temporal and spatial resolution of biogeochemical measurements in the Fram Strait and central Arctic. Here we present a summary of sampling strategies, technological innovations and biogeochemical parameters that will be addressed over the duration of the project. Specific emphasis will be placed on platforms for monitoring nutrient dynamics, carbonate chemistry, organic carbon flux and the development of a sustained microbial observatory.

Potential Subjective Effectiveness of Active Interior Noise Control in Propeller Airplanes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Powell, Clemans A.; Sullivan, Brenda M.

2000-01-01

Active noise control technology offers the potential for weight-efficient aircraft interior noise reduction, particularly for propeller aircraft. However, there is little information on how passengers respond to this type of interior noise control. This paper presents results of two experiments that use sound quality engineering practices to determine the subjective effectiveness of hypothetical active noise control (ANC) systems in a range of propeller aircraft. The two experiments differed by the type of judgments made by the subjects: pair comparisons based on preference in the first and numerical category scaling of noisiness in the second. Although the results of the two experiments were in general agreement that the hypothetical active control measures improved the interior noise environments, the pair comparison method appears to be more sensitive to subtle changes in the characteristics of the sounds which are related to passenger preference. The reductions in subjective response due to the ANC conditions were predicted with reasonable accuracy by reductions in measured loudness level. Inclusion of corrections for the sound quality characteristics of tonality and fluctuation strength in multiple regression models improved the prediction of the ANC effects.

Scalp stratum corneum histamine levels: novel sampling method reveals association with itch resolution in dandruff/seborrhoeic dermatitis treatment.

PubMed

Kerr, Kathy; Schwartz, James R; Filloon, Thomas; Fieno, Angela; Wehmeyer, Ken; Szepietowski, Jacek C; Mills, Kevin J

2011-06-01

Dandruff and seborrhoeic dermatitis are accompanied by bothersome itch. We have established a novel non-invasive methodology to sample histamine levels in the stratum corneum in order to facilitate an understanding of pruritogenesis in this condition. Histamine levels were assessed in two groups of subjects with dandruff before and after 3 weeks of treatment with a commercial potentiated zinc pyrithione shampoo. A comparative population without dandruff was also studied. Itch self-perception was quantified on a visual analogue scale. The histamine level in subjects with dandruff was more than twice that in those who did not have dandruff. Under conditions known to resolve flaking symptoms, the shampoo led to a reduction in histamine in subjects with dandruff to a level that was statistically indistinguishable from those who did not have dandruff. This reduction in histamine was accompanied by a highly significant reduction in the perception of itch intensity. These findings suggest an association between the subjective perception of itch in the scalp and the level of histamine in the skin.

Rocket Science: 50 Flying, Floating, Flipping, Spinning Gadgets Kids Create Themselves.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiese, Jim

This book is divided into chapters based on the general subjects of mechanics, air power, water power, electricity and magnetism, chemistry, acoustics, and optics. Each chapter includes groups of projects designed to teach specific scientific ideas within the general subject. Some projects include a section that allows students to try different…

45 CFR 2102.12 - Responses of Commission to submissions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... concept application submitted for a project subject to the Old Georgetown Act (§ 2101.1(c)), the... may submit a new concept application requesting to extend the approval for one more year. The... case of a concept application for a project subject to the Shipstead-Luce Act (§ 2101.1(b)), the...

Comparing estimates of child mortality reduction modelled in LiST with pregnancy history survey data for a community-based NGO project in Mozambique

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background There is a growing body of evidence that integrated packages of community-based interventions, a form of programming often implemented by NGOs, can have substantial child mortality impact. More countries may be able to meet Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 targets by leveraging such programming. Analysis of the mortality effect of this type of programming is hampered by the cost and complexity of direct mortality measurement. The Lives Saved Tool (LiST) produces an estimate of mortality reduction by modelling the mortality effect of changes in population coverage of individual child health interventions. However, few studies to date have compared the LiST estimates of mortality reduction with those produced by direct measurement. Methods Using results of a recent review of evidence for community-based child health programming, a search was conducted for NGO child health projects implementing community-based interventions that had independently verified child mortality reduction estimates, as well as population coverage data for modelling in LiST. One child survival project fit inclusion criteria. Subsequent searches of the USAID Development Experience Clearinghouse and Child Survival Grants databases and interviews of staff from NGOs identified no additional projects. Eight coverage indicators, covering all the project’s technical interventions were modelled in LiST, along with indicator values for most other non-project interventions in LiST, mainly from DHS data from 1997 and 2003. Results The project studied was implemented by World Relief from 1999 to 2003 in Gaza Province, Mozambique. An independent evaluation collecting pregnancy history data estimated that under-five mortality declined 37% and infant mortality 48%. Using project-collected coverage data, LiST produced estimates of 39% and 34% decline, respectively. Conclusions LiST gives reasonably accurate estimates of infant and child mortality decline in an area where a package of community-based interventions was implemented. This and other validation exercises support use of LiST as an aid for program planning to tailor packages of community-based interventions to the epidemiological context and for project evaluation. Such targeted planning and assessments will be useful to accelerate progress in reaching MDG4 targets. PMID:21501454

Reduction of Subjective and Objective System Complexity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, Michael D.

2015-01-01

Occam's razor is often used in science to define the minimum criteria to establish a physical or philosophical idea or relationship. Albert Einstein is attributed the saying "everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler". These heuristic ideas are based on a belief that there is a minimum state or set of states for a given system or phenomena. In looking at system complexity, these heuristics point us to an idea that complexity can be reduced to a minimum. How then, do we approach a reduction in complexity? Complexity has been described as a subjective concept and an objective measure of a system. Subjective complexity is based on human cognitive comprehension of the functions and inter relationships of a system. Subjective complexity is defined by the ability to fully comprehend the system. Simplifying complexity, in a subjective sense, is thus gaining a deeper understanding of the system. As Apple's Jonathon Ive has stated," It's not just minimalism or the absence of clutter. It involves digging through the depth of complexity. To be truly simple, you have to go really deep". Simplicity is not the absence of complexity but a deeper understanding of complexity. Subjective complexity, based on this human comprehension, cannot then be discerned from the sociological concept of ignorance. The inability to comprehend a system can be either a lack of knowledge, an inability to understand the intricacies of a system, or both. Reduction in this sense is based purely on a cognitive ability to understand the system and no system then may be truly complex. From this view, education and experience seem to be the keys to reduction or eliminating complexity. Objective complexity, is the measure of the systems functions and interrelationships which exist independent of human comprehension. Jonathon Ive's statement does not say that complexity is removed, only that the complexity is understood. From this standpoint, reduction of complexity can be approached in finding the optimal or 'best balance' of the system functions and interrelationships. This is achievable following von Bertalanffy's approach of describing systems as a set of equations representing both the system functions and the system interrelationships. Reduction is found based on an objective function defining the system output given variations in the system inputs and the system operating environment. By minimizing the objective function with respect to these inputs and environments, a reduced system can be found. Thus, a reduction of the system complexity is feasible.

Artistic Tasks Outperform Nonartistic Tasks for Stress Reduction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abbott, Kayleigh A.; Shanahan, Matthew J.; Neufeld, Richard W. J.

2013-01-01

Art making has been documented as an effective stress reduction technique. In this between-subjects experimental study, possible mechanisms of stress reduction were examined in a sample of 52 university students randomly assigned to one of four conditions generated by factorially crossing Activity Type (artistic or nonartistic) with Coping…

U.S. Virgin Islands Transportation Petroleum Reduction Plan

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

Johnson, C.

2011-09-01

This NREL technical report determines a way for USVI to meet its petroleum reduction goal in the transportation sector. It does so first by estimating current petroleum use and key statistics and characteristics of USVI transportation. It then breaks the goal down into subordinate goals and estimates the petroleum impacts of these goals with a wedge analysis. These goals focus on reducing vehicle miles, improving fuel economy, improving traffic flow, using electric vehicles, using biodiesel and renewable diesel, and using 10% ethanol in gasoline. The final section of the report suggests specific projects to achieve the goals, and ranks themore » projects according to cost, petroleum reduction, time frame, and popularity.« less

GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE REMEDIATION BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-07

adoption. The technologies covered include air sparging, biosparging, soil vapor extraction (SVE), enhanced reductive dechlorination (ERD), in situ...RPM Remedial Project Manager SCR selective catalytic reduction SEE steam enhanced extraction SVE soil vapor extraction TCE trichloroethene...further promote their adoption. The technologies covered include air sparging, biosparging, soil vapor extraction (SVE), enhanced reductive

Developing an Effective Intervention for IDU Women: A Harm Reduction Approach to Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Nancy L.; Luna, Veronica; Ramirez, M. Heliana; Vail, Kenneth A.; Williams, Clark A.

2005-01-01

Harm reduction is fundamentally a movement intended to empower the patient and consumer of health services. This project applied harm reduction theory as a strategy to empower collaborating community partners and researchers to overcome their preconceptions about each other in order to create a successful HIV prevention intervention and evaluation…

24 CFR 990.165 - Computation of project expense level (PEL).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

...) Ownership type (profit, non-profit, or limited dividend); and (10) Geographic. (c) Cost adjustments. HUD... ceiling; (3) Application of a four percent reduction for any PEL calculated over $325 PUM, with the reduction limited so that a PEL will not be reduced to less than $325; and (4) The reduction of audit costs...

Noise Reduction by Signal Accumulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kraftmakher, Yaakov

2006-01-01

The aim of this paper is to show how the noise reduction by signal accumulation can be accomplished with a data acquisition system. This topic can be used for student projects. In many cases, the noise reduction is an unavoidable part of experimentation. Several techniques are known for this purpose, and among them the signal accumulation is the…

NASA Processes and Requirements for Conducting Human-in-the-Loop Closed Chamber Tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barta, Daniel J.; Montz, Michael E.

2004-01-01

NASA has specific processes and requirements that must be followed for tests involving human subjects to be conducted in a safe and effective manner. There are five distinct phases of test operations. Phase one, the test request phase, consists of those activities related to initiating, processing, reviewing, and evaluating the test request. Phase two, the test preparation phase consists of those activities related to planning, coordinating, documenting, and building up the test. Phase three, the test readiness phase consists of those activities related to verifying and reviewing the planned test operations. Phase four, the test activity phase, consists of all pretest operations, functional checkouts, emergency drills, and test operations. Phase five, the post test activity phase, consists of those activities performed once the test is completed, including briefings, documentation of anomalies, data reduction and archiving, and reporting. Project management processes must be followed for facility modifications and major test buildup, which include six phases: initiation and assessment, requirements evaluation, preliminary design, detailed design, use readiness review (URR) and acceptance. Compliance with requirements for safety and quality assurance are documented throughout the test buildup and test operation processes. Tests involving human subjects must be reviewed by the applicable Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Smartphone-Enabled Health Coach Intervention for People With Diabetes From a Modest Socioeconomic Strata Community: Single-Arm Longitudinal Feasibility Study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Lower socioeconomic strata (SES) populations have higher chronic disease risks. Smartphone-based interventions can support adoption of health behaviors that may, in turn, reduce the risks of type 2 diabetes-related complications, overcoming the obstacles that some patients may have with regular clinical contact (eg, shiftwork, travel difficulties, miscommunication). Objective The intent of the study was to develop and test a smartphone-assisted intervention that improves behavioral management of type 2 diabetes in an ethnically diverse, lower SES population within an urban community health setting. Methods This single-arm pilot study assessed a smartphone application developed with investigator assistance and delivered by health coaches. Participants were recruited from the Black Creek Community Health Centre in Toronto and had minimal prior experience with smartphones. Results A total of 21 subjects consented and 19 participants completed the 6-month trial; 12 had baseline glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels >7.0% and these subjects demonstrated a mean reduction of 0.43% (SD 0.63) (P<.05) with minimal changes in medication. Conclusions This project supported the feasibility of smartphone-based health coaching for individuals from lower SES with minimal prior smartphone experience. PMID:24907918

Smartphone-enabled health coach intervention for people with diabetes from a modest socioeconomic strata community: single-arm longitudinal feasibility study.

PubMed

Wayne, Noah; Ritvo, Paul

2014-06-06

Lower socioeconomic strata (SES) populations have higher chronic disease risks. Smartphone-based interventions can support adoption of health behaviors that may, in turn, reduce the risks of type 2 diabetes-related complications, overcoming the obstacles that some patients may have with regular clinical contact (eg, shiftwork, travel difficulties, miscommunication). The intent of the study was to develop and test a smartphone-assisted intervention that improves behavioral management of type 2 diabetes in an ethnically diverse, lower SES population within an urban community health setting. This single-arm pilot study assessed a smartphone application developed with investigator assistance and delivered by health coaches. Participants were recruited from the Black Creek Community Health Centre in Toronto and had minimal prior experience with smartphones. A total of 21 subjects consented and 19 participants completed the 6-month trial; 12 had baseline glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels >7.0% and these subjects demonstrated a mean reduction of 0.43% (SD 0.63) (P<.05) with minimal changes in medication. This project supported the feasibility of smartphone-based health coaching for individuals from lower SES with minimal prior smartphone experience.

Pilot study investigating the effects of Ayurvedic Abhyanga massage on subjective stress experience.

PubMed

Basler, Annetrin Jytte

2011-05-01

Many providers of Ayurvedic massage treatments make unsubstantiated claims regarding their potential psychologic and physiologic benefits. While these claims are based on ancient traditions of the Indian medical system as well as personal experience, no attempt had yet been made to verify the effect of Ayurvedic oil massage within the Western-scientific context. This pilot study assessed the single-dose effect of Abhyanga, the classic Ayurvedic oil massage, in terms of its impact on subjective stress experience. Ten (10) healthy women (mean [M] 36.4 years, standard deviation [SD] 4.62) and 10 healthy men (M 37.0 years, SD 3.23) underwent a 1-hour Abhyanga massage treatment. The study employed a repeated-measures design for the collection of stress data using a validated and published questionnaire, as well as for the collection of heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) values, immediately pre- and postintervention. Subjects showed high statistically and clinically significant reductions in subjective stress experience. A consequent analysis of physiologic data indicated likewise reductions in HR, while a BP reduction was not recorded for the total sample, but was only found in the prehypertensive subgroup. Findings indicate that Abhyanga massage is promising in reducing subjective stress experience. It may be beneficial in lowering HR in all, and BP in prehypertensive subjects. The results of this pilot study encourage further research with more stringent methodology.

Breast mass detection in tomosynthesis projection images using information-theoretic similarity measures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Swatee; Tourassi, Georgia D.; Lo, Joseph Y.

2007-03-01

The purpose of this project is to study Computer Aided Detection (CADe) of breast masses for digital tomosynthesis. It is believed that tomosynthesis will show improvement over conventional mammography in detection and characterization of breast masses by removing overlapping dense fibroglandular tissue. This study used the 60 human subject cases collected as part of on-going clinical trials at Duke University. Raw projections images were used to identify suspicious regions in the algorithm's high-sensitivity, low-specificity stage using a Difference of Gaussian (DoG) filter. The filtered images were thresholded to yield initial CADe hits that were then shifted and added to yield a 3D distribution of suspicious regions. These were further summed in the depth direction to yield a flattened probability map of suspicious hits for ease of scoring. To reduce false positives, we developed an algorithm based on information theory where similarity metrics were calculated using knowledge databases consisting of tomosynthesis regions of interest (ROIs) obtained from projection images. We evaluated 5 similarity metrics to test the false positive reduction performance of our algorithm, specifically joint entropy, mutual information, Jensen difference divergence, symmetric Kullback-Liebler divergence, and conditional entropy. The best performance was achieved using the joint entropy similarity metric, resulting in ROC A z of 0.87 +/- 0.01. As a whole, the CADe system can detect breast masses in this data set with 79% sensitivity and 6.8 false positives per scan. In comparison, the original radiologists performed with only 65% sensitivity when using mammography alone, and 91% sensitivity when using tomosynthesis alone.

The role of humidity in determining scenarios of perceived temperature extremes in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scoccimarro, Enrico; Fogli, Pier Giuseppe; Gualdi, Silvio

2017-11-01

An increase of the 2 m temperature over Europe is expected within the current century. In order to consider health impacts, it is important to evaluate the combined effect of temperature and humidity on the human body. To achieve this, projections of a basic index—the humidex—representative of the perceived temperature, under different scenarios and periods, have been investigated. The simultaneous occurrence of observed extreme temperature events and perceived extreme temperature events is seldom found within the present climate, reinforcing the importance of investigating the combination of the two fields. A set of 10 km resolution regional climate simulations, provided within the EURO-CORDEX multi-model effort, demonstrates an ability in representing moderate to extreme events of perceived temperature over the present climate, and to be useful as a tool for quantifying future changes in geographical patterns of exposed areas over Europe. Following the RCP8.5 emission scenario, an expansion of the area subject to dangerous conditions is suggested from the middle of the current century, reaching 60 °N. The most significant increase of perceived extreme temperature conditions is found comparing the 2066-2095 projections to the 1976-2005 period; bearing in mind that changes in relative humidity may either amplify or offset the health effects of temperature, a less pronounced projected reduction of relative humidity in the north-eastern part of Europe, associated with extreme humidex events, makes northern Europe the most prone region to an increase of moderate to extreme values of perceived temperature. This is in agreement with a pronounced projected specific humidity increase.

Treatment of acute, non-traumatic pain using a combination of diclofenac-cholestyramine, uridine triphosphate, cytidine monophosphate, and hydroxycobalamin.

PubMed

Mibielli, Marco Antonio; Nunes, Carlos Pereira; Cohen, José Carlos; Scussel, Ari Boulanger; Higashi, Rafael; Bendavit, Gabriel Gherman; Oliveira, Lisa; Geller, Mauro

2010-01-01

This randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical study in parallel groups evaluated the safety and efficacy of an oral combination diclofenac-cholestyramine, nucleotides (uridine and cytidine) and vitamin B12 versus the oral combination of nucleotides and vitamin B12 in the treatment of acute, non-traumatic pain. Subjects received twice-daily, 10-day oral administration of diclofenac-cholestyramine + uridine + cytidine + vitamin B12 (Group DN, n=40) or uridine + cytidine + vitamin B12 (Group NB, n=41). The primary study endpoint was the number of subjects with VAS reduction of >30mm after 10 days of treatment. Secondary endpoints included the number of patients with improvement >5 points in the Patient Functionality Questionnaire after 10 days of treatment, and the number of subjects presenting adverse events. Treatment with the combination of diclofenac-cholestyramine, nucleotides and Vitamin B12 resulted in a higher number of subjects with VAS score reductions >30mm after 10 days of treatment (87.5% subjects) than in the control group administered nucleotides and Vitamin B12 (51.23% of subjects), (p>0.0006). A significantly higher number of subjects in the DN group (80%) had a score reduction of >5 points in the Patient Functionality Questionnaire at after 10 days of treatment compared to Group NB (29.3%), (p<0.001). The number of subjects presenting AEs did not vary significantly between treatment groups (p=0.587). The combination of diclofenac-cholestyramine with uridine, cytidine and vitamin B12 was well-tolerated over a 10-day treatment period. The combination reduced pain and improved functionality among subjects presenting acute, non-traumatic pain in the lower back, hips, and neck.

Clean Diesel National Grants

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

National Funding Assistance Program administers competitive grants for clean diesel projects. The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) appropriates funds for these projects. Publication numbers: EPA-420-B-13-025 and EPA-420-P-11-001.

Simulation-Based Educational Module Improves Intern and Medical Student Performance of Closed Reduction and Percutaneous Pinning of Pediatric Supracondylar Humeral Fractures.

PubMed

Butler, Bennet A; Lawton, Cort D; Burgess, Jamie; Balderama, Earvin S; Barsness, Katherine A; Sarwark, John F

2017-12-06

Simulation-based education has been integrated into many orthopaedic residency programs to augment traditional teaching models. Here we describe the development and implementation of a combined didactic and simulation-based course for teaching medical students and interns how to properly perform a closed reduction and percutaneous pinning of a pediatric supracondylar humeral fracture. Subjects included in the study were either orthopaedic surgery interns or subinterns at our institution. Subjects all completed a combined didactic and simulation-based course on pediatric supracondylar humeral fractures. The first part of this course was an electronic (e)-learning module that the subjects could complete at home in approximately 40 minutes. The second part of the course was a 20-minute simulation-based skills learning session completed in the simulation center. Subject knowledge of closed reduction and percutaneous pinning of supracondylar humeral fractures was tested using a 30-question, multiple-choice, written test. Surgical skills were tested in the operating room or in a simulated operating room. Subject pre-intervention and post-intervention scores were compared to determine if and how much they had improved. A total of 21 subjects were tested. These subjects significantly improved their scores on both the written, multiple-choice test and skills test after completing the combined didactic and simulation module. Prior to the module, intern and subintern multiple-choice test scores were significantly worse than postgraduate year (PGY)-2 to PGY-5 resident scores (p < 0.01); after completion of the module, there was no significant difference in the multiple-choice test scores. After completing the module, there was no significant difference in skills test scores between interns and PGY-2 to PGY-5 residents. Both tests were validated using the scores obtained from PGY-2 to PGY-5 residents. Our combined didactic and simulation course significantly improved intern and subintern understanding of supracondylar humeral fractures and their ability to perform a closed reduction and percutaneous pinning of these fractures.

Metropolitan Planning Project, 1977-78. Final Performance Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnoff, Steven M.

This document provides a description of the Metropolitan Planning Project (MPP), its objectives, strategies, and an evaluation of its implementation in the Boston area. In order to encourage the voluntary elimination, reduction, and prevention of minority group isolation in elementary and secondary schools in Boston, the project focuses on two…

The Adolescent Smoking and Health Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sutherland, Mary; And Others

This project was designed to specifically apply a health planning management system to a school based health education risk reduction program. Additionally, the Adolescent Smoking and Alcohol Project assisted youth in making informed decisions about the use/abuse of alcohol and cigarettes. Program components included a related knowledge base;…

Atlanta congestion reduction demonstration national evaluation plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-04-01

This report provides an analytic framework for evaluating the Atlanta Congestion Reduction Demonstration (CRD) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) and CRD Programs. The Atlanta CRD project...

Diesel emission reduction in construction equipment.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-01

The state of Rhode Island general law : The Diesel Emission Reduction Act : required a pilot project be undertaken to : gain a better understanding of the : impact of this legislative act. : The Rhode Island Department of : Transportation (RIDO...

AMD NOX REDUCTION IMPACTS

EPA Science Inventory

This is the first phase of a potentially multi-phase project aimed at identifying scientific methodologies that will lead to the development of innnovative analytical tools supporting the analysis of control strategy effectiveness, namely. accountabilty. Significant reductions i...

E3 Success Story - Plastic Molding Technology, Inc.

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Customer surveys prompted PMT to address new areas which included sustainability issues and reduction goals for energy, water and solid wastes; they were looking for a way to link their reduction projects into their system.

The creation of science projects in the physics teachers preparation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horváthová, Daniela; Rakovská, Mária; Zelenický, Ľubomír

2017-01-01

Terms - project, projecting and the method of projecting - are nowadays frequently used in different relations. Those terms, especially as methods (of a cognitive process), are also transferred to the educational process. Before a new educational method comes to practice, the teacher should be familiar with it and preferably when it is done so during his university studies. An optional subject called Physics in a system of science subjects has been included into physics curricula for students of the fourth year of their studies at the Faculty of Science of Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra. Its task is to make students aware of ways how to coordinate knowledge and instructions presented in these subjects through analysis of curricula and textbooks. As a part of their seminars students are asked to create integrated tasks and experiments which can be assessed from the point of view of either physics or chemistry or biology and which can motivate pupils and form their complex view on various phenomena in the nature. Therefore the article discusses theoretical and also practical questions related to experience that originates from placing the mentioned method and the subject Physics in a system of science subjects into the preparation of a natural sciences teacher in our workplace.

Measure Projection Analysis: A Probabilistic Approach to EEG Source Comparison and Multi-Subject Inference

PubMed Central

Bigdely-Shamlo, Nima; Mullen, Tim; Kreutz-Delgado, Kenneth; Makeig, Scott

2013-01-01

A crucial question for the analysis of multi-subject and/or multi-session electroencephalographic (EEG) data is how to combine information across multiple recordings from different subjects and/or sessions, each associated with its own set of source processes and scalp projections. Here we introduce a novel statistical method for characterizing the spatial consistency of EEG dynamics across a set of data records. Measure Projection Analysis (MPA) first finds voxels in a common template brain space at which a given dynamic measure is consistent across nearby source locations, then computes local-mean EEG measure values for this voxel subspace using a statistical model of source localization error and between-subject anatomical variation. Finally, clustering the mean measure voxel values in this locally consistent brain subspace finds brain spatial domains exhibiting distinguishable measure features and provides 3-D maps plus statistical significance estimates for each EEG measure of interest. Applied to sufficient high-quality data, the scalp projections of many maximally independent component (IC) processes contributing to recorded high-density EEG data closely match the projection of a single equivalent dipole located in or near brain cortex. We demonstrate the application of MPA to a multi-subject EEG study decomposed using independent component analysis (ICA), compare the results to k-means IC clustering in EEGLAB (sccn.ucsd.edu/eeglab), and use surrogate data to test MPA robustness. A Measure Projection Toolbox (MPT) plug-in for EEGLAB is available for download (sccn.ucsd.edu/wiki/MPT). Together, MPA and ICA allow use of EEG as a 3-D cortical imaging modality with near-cm scale spatial resolution. PMID:23370059

Soy in hypercholesterolaemia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

PubMed

Puska, P; Korpelainen, V; Høie, L H; Skovlund, E; Lahti, T; Smerud, K T

2002-04-01

To study whether Abacor, a product based on isolated soy protein with high and standardised levels of isoflavones and cotyledon soy fibres, was more effective in lowering total and LDL cholesterol than placebo. Randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel group, single centre study. Primary care in Joensuu, North Karelia, Finland. Subjects were screened from the patient database of the health centre; 30 were randomised to the Abacor group and 30 subjects to placebo. Eight subjects were withdrawn, six from the active group, two from the placebo group. The preparations were given as two daily liquid supplements in addition to the subjects' regular diets for 6 weeks. Abacor showed a statistically significant lipid-lowering effect as compared to placebo, although an unexpected reduction was seen in the placebo group. The estimated difference between active treatment and placebo was 0.25 mmol/l (95% CI 0.01, 0.50; P=0.049) for total cholesterol, corresponding to reductions of 8.3 and 5.1%, respectively. The difference in reduction of LDL-cholesterol was 0.27 mmol/l (95% CI 0.06, 0.49; P=0.014) and corresponded to a reduction of 13.2% in the active treatment group, and 8.0% in the placebo group. Abacor showed a rapid onset of effect, as compared with placebo. During a wash-out period of 4 weeks after treatment, the subjects returned to pre-treatment cholesterol levels. Added to a regular diet, Abacor significantly reduced LDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol. These beneficial effects occurred within 6 weeks of treatment.

Aircraft noise reduction technology. [to show impact on individuals and communities, component noise sources, and operational procedures to reduce impact

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

Aircraft and airport noise reduction technology programs conducted by NASA are presented. The subjects discussed are: (1) effects of aircraft noise on individuals and communities, (2) status of aircraft source noise technology, (3) operational procedures to reduce the impact of aircraft noise, and (4) NASA relations with military services in aircraft noise problems. References to more detailed technical literature on the subjects discussed are included.

Clean Diesel National Grants Awarded

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

National Funding Assistance Program administers competitive grants for clean diesel projects. The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) appropriates funds for these projects. Publication numbers: EPA-420-B-13-025 and EPA-420-P-11-001.

A geometric method for nipple localization

PubMed Central

Khan, Humayun Ayub; Bayat, Ardeshir

2008-01-01

BACKGROUND: An important part of preoperative assessment in breast reduction surgery is to locate the site of the nipple-areola complex for the newly structured breast. Inappropriate location is difficult to correct secondarily. Traditional methods of nipple localization taught and practiced suggest the nipple to be located anterior to the inframammary fold. Trying to project this point on the anterior surface of the breast requires either large calipers or feeling the posteriorly placed finger on the anterior surface of a large breast. This certainly introduces some subjectivity to the calculation. OBJECTIVES: To introduce an easy and accurate method of nipple localization to reduce the learning curve for trainee surgeons. METHODS: Aesthetic placement of the nipples is at the lower angles of an equilateral or a short isosceles triangle on the chest with its apex at the sternal angle. This triangle can be thought of as two right-angled triangles with their Y-axis on the median plane. The base and vertical limb are measured, and the hypotenuse is calculated. The location of the lower angle is marked on the anterior surface of the breast and represents the new position of the nipple. RESULTS: Forty patients had nipple localization performed in the above-described manner, with satisfactory placement of the nipple-areola complex. CONCLUSIONS: The above technique introduces some objective measurements to the localization of the nipple in breast reduction surgery. It is easy to practice, and infuses confidence in trainees marking their initial breast reductions. PMID:19554165

Comfort parameters - Ventilation of a subway wagon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petr, Pavlíček; Ladislav, Tříska

2017-09-01

Research and development of a ventilation system is being carried out as a part of project TA04030774 of the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. Name of the project is "Research and Development of Mass-optimized Components for Rail Vehicles". Problems being solved are development and testing of a new concept for ventilation systems for public transport vehicles. The main improvements should be a reduction of the mass of the whole system, easy installation and reduction of the noise of the ventilation system. This article is focused on the comfort parameters in a subway wagon (measurement and evaluation carried out on a function sample in accordance with the regulations). The input to the project is a ventilator hybrid casing for a subway wagon, which was manufactured and tested during the Ministry of Industry and Trade project TIP FR-TI3/449.

Evaluation de l'effet des concepts de la production allegee dans une entreprise aeronautique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moknine, Myriam

This research focuses on a project to implement a Lean approach in Quebec's aerospace business, that of Bombardier Aerospace. Developed for the automobile industry since the 1950s, the Lean has expanded its practices to various industry sectors, including the international aircraft industry, and more specifically the Quebec aircraft industry. Today, numerous companies turn more and more to the Lean Manufacturing approach to improve their competitiveness and their performance levels. The review of the literature on the Lean has allowed us to further understand the topic and more specifically its application in the aerospace sector. The Lean approach allows the improvement of operational performance indicators such as the reduction of production costs, cycle times, travel and inventories, as well as the improvement of the versatility of employees. The Lean has succeeded where many other organisational models have failed. Several success factors such as employee involvement, leadership commitment, proper integration of all tools and many others must be used in the implementation of such production practice. However, this approach is sometimes criticized by some authors who suggest that the improvements made by the Lean result in an increase in the workload of employees and a deterioration of their stress levels. Our research on the Lean has revealed gaps in available and existing research and data on the subject, particularly in the aerospace sector. This research has helped to fill this important gap, by documenting the context and highlighting the impact of the Lean on a production system in the Quebec aerospace components. A machining center having deployed a Lean approach was chosen to conduct a case study in post-implantation. Tools for data collection such as observations on the production floor, semi-structured interviews, as well as the Lean checklist, were used to perform this case study. The case study has confirmed the positive impact of Lean on operational performance indicators of the company. The results of this case study showed a reduction of cycle time of 49%, a reduction of unnecessary employee travels of 50% and a reduction of production costs by about 50%. In addition to these positive discoveries, our study has highlighted an important human benefit in the business such as an improvement in the versatility of employees by 25%. In addition, the study also demonstrated that the integration and assimilation of the Lean concepts is made with a proven success. Indeed, analysis on results from the checklist showed that the level of Lean concepts maturity progressed favorably in the period from pre-project until that in post-project. This research brings an added value to the scientific literature. It thus helps to disseminate data in a Lean implementation in a production area of Quebec aerospace products.

TAFE Projects in Progress. No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skott, Diana, Comp.

1982-01-01

This publication contains a listing of educational research and development projects currently in progress in Australia, which is the first of a planned twice-yearly listing of projects in progress. Projects are listed by territories and are indexed by author and by subject. Information supplied for each project includes a reference number,…

Demonstration Project for a Multi-Material Lightweight Prototype Vehicle as Part of the Clean Energy Dialogue with Canada

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

Skszek, Tim

2015-12-29

The intent of the Multi-Material Lightweight Vehicle (“MMLV”) was to assess the feasibility of achieving a significant level of vehicle mass reduction, enabling engine downsizing resulting in a tangible fuel reduction and environmental benefit. The MMLV project included the development of two (2) lightweight vehicle designs, referred to as Mach-I and Mach-II MMLV variants, based on a 2013 Ford production C/D segment production vehicle (Fusion). Weight comparison, life cycle assessment and limited full vehicle testing are included in the project scope. The Mach-I vehicle variant was comprised of materials and processes that are commercially available or previously demonstrated. The 363more » kg mass reduction associated with the Mach-I design enabled use of a one-liter, three-cylinder, gasoline turbocharged direct injection engine, maintaining the performance and utility of the baseline vehicle. The full MMLV project produced seven (7) MMLV Mach-I “concept vehicles” which were used for testing and evaluation. The full vehicle tests confirmed that MMLV Mach-I concept vehicle performed approximately equivalent to the baseline 2013 Ford Fusion vehicle thereby validating the design of the multi material lightweight vehicle design. The results of the Life Cycle Assessment, conducted by third party consultant, indicated that if the MMLV Mach-I design was built and operated in North America for 250,000 km (155,343 miles) it would produce significant environmental and fuel economy benefits including a 16% reduction in Global Warming Potential (GWP) and 16% reduction in Total Primary Energy (TPE). The LCA calculations estimated the combined fuel economy of 34 mpg (6.9 l/100 km) associated with the MMLV Mach-I Design compared to 28 mpg (8.4 l/100 km) for the 2013 Ford Fusion.« less

Characteristics of people with self-reported stress-precipitated seizures.

PubMed

Privitera, Michael; Walters, Michael; Lee, Ikjae; Polak, Emily; Fleck, Adrienne; Schwieterman, Donna; Haut, Sheryl R

2014-12-01

Stress is the most common patient-reported seizure precipitant. We aimed to determine mood and epilepsy characteristics of people who report stress-precipitated seizures. Sequential patients at a tertiary epilepsy center were surveyed about stress as a seizure precipitant. We asked whether acute (lasting minutes-hours) or chronic (lasting days-months) stress was a seizure precipitant, whether stress reduction had been tried, and what effect stress reduction had on seizure frequency. We collected information on antiepileptic drugs, history of depression and anxiety disorder, prior or current treatment for depression or anxiety, and scores on the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory (NDDI-E) and Generalized Anxiety Disorders-7 (GAD-7) instruments, which are administered at every visit in our Epilepsy Center. We also asked whether respondents thought that they could predict their seizures to determine if stress as a seizure precipitant was correlated with seizure self-prediction. Two hundred sixty-six subjects were included: 219 endorsed stress as a seizure precipitant [STRESS (+)] and 47 did not [STRESS (-)]. Among STRESS (+) subjects, 85% endorsed chronic stress as a seizure precipitant, and 68% endorsed acute stress as a seizure precipitant. In STRESS (+) subjects, 57% had used some type of relaxation or stress reduction method (most commonly yoga, exercise and meditation), and, of those who tried, 88% thought that these methods improved seizures. Among STRESS (-) subjects, 25% had tried relaxation or stress reduction, and 71% thought that seizures improved. Although univariate analysis showed multiple associations with stress as a seizure precipitant, in the multivariable logistic regression, only the GAD-7 score was associated with STRESS (+) (OR = 1.18 [1.03-1.35], p = 0.017). Subjects who reported stress as a seizure precipitant were more likely to report an ability to self-predict seizures (p < 0.001). Stress-precipitated seizures are commonly reported by patients, may be associated with either acute stress or chronic stress, and are associated with higher scores on anxiety tests. Patients frequently use stress reduction methods to self-treat and report high success rates. A prospective, randomized trial of stress reduction for seizures is indicated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A LATIN-based model reduction approach for the simulation of cycling damage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharyya, Mainak; Fau, Amelie; Nackenhorst, Udo; Néron, David; Ladevèze, Pierre

2017-11-01

The objective of this article is to introduce a new method including model order reduction for the life prediction of structures subjected to cycling damage. Contrary to classical incremental schemes for damage computation, a non-incremental technique, the LATIN method, is used herein as a solution framework. This approach allows to introduce a PGD model reduction technique which leads to a drastic reduction of the computational cost. The proposed framework is exemplified for structures subjected to cyclic loading, where damage is considered to be isotropic and micro-defect closure effects are taken into account. A difficulty herein for the use of the LATIN method comes from the state laws which can not be transformed into linear relations through an internal variable transformation. A specific treatment of this issue is introduced in this work.

Prenatal exposure to mercury and longitudinally assessed fetal growth: Relation and effect modifiers.

PubMed

Ballester, Ferran; Iñiguez, Carmen; Murcia, Mario; Guxens, Mònica; Basterretxea, Mikel; Rebagliato, Marisa; Vioque, Jesús; Lertxundi, Aitana; Fernandez-Somoano, Ana; Tardon, Adonina; Sunyer, Jordi; Llop, Sabrina

2018-01-01

Prenatal mercury exposure has been related to reductions in anthropometry at birth. Levels of mercury have been reported as being relatively elevated in the Spanish population. To investigate the relation between prenatal exposure to mercury and fetal growth. Study subjects were pregnant women and their newborns (n:1867) participating in a population-based birth cohort study set up in four Spanish regions from the INMA Project. Biparietal diameter (BPD), femur length (FL), abdominal circumference (AC), and estimated fetal weight (EFW) were measured by ultrasounds at 12, 20, and 34 weeks of gestation. Size at and growth between these points were assessed by standard deviation (SD) scores adjusted for constitutional characteristics. Total mercury (T-Hg) was determined in cord blood. Associations were investigated by linear regression models, adjusted by sociodemographic, environmental, nutritional - including four seafood groups - and lifestyle-related variables in each sub-cohort. Final estimates were obtained using meta-analysis. Effect modification by sex, seafood intake and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congener 153 concentration was assessed. Geometric mean of cord blood T-Hg was 8.2μg/L. All the estimates of the association between prenatal Hg and growth from 0 to 12 weeks showed reductions in SD-scores, which were only statistically significant for BPD. A doubling of cord blood T-Hg was associated with a 0.58% reduction in size of BPD at week 12 (95% confidence interval -CI-: - 1.10, - 0.07). Size at week 34 showed estimates suggestive of a small reduction in EFW, i.e., a doubling of T-Hg levels was associated with a reduction of 0.38% (95% CI: - 0.91, 0.15). An interaction between PCB153 and T-Hg was found, with statistically significant negative associations of T-Hg with AC and EFW in late pregnancy among participants with PCB153 below the median. Exposure to mercury during pregnancy was associated with early reductions in BPD. Moreover, an antagonism with PCB 153 was observed with noteworthy reductions late in pregnancy in AC and EFW in the group with lower PCB153. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using analogues to quantify geological uncertainty in stochastic reserve modelling

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

Wells, B.; Brown, I.

1995-08-01

The petroleum industry seeks to minimize exploration risk by employing the best possible expertise, methods and tools. Is it possible to quantify the success of this process of risk reduction? Due to inherent uncertainty in predicting geological reality and due to changing environments for hydrocarbon exploration, it is not enough simply to record the proportion of successful wells drilled; in various parts of the world it has been noted that pseudo-random drilling would apparently have been as successful as the actual drilling programme. How, then, should we judge the success of risk reduction? For many years the E&P industry hasmore » routinely used Monte Carlo modelling to generate a probability distribution for prospect reserves. One aspect of Monte Carlo modelling which has received insufficient attention, but which is essential for quantifying risk reduction, is the consistency and repeatability with which predictions can be made. Reducing the subjective element inherent in the specification of geological uncertainty allows better quantification of uncertainty in the prediction of reserves, in both exploration and appraisal. Building on work reported at the AAPG annual conventions in 1994 and 1995, the present paper incorporates analogue information with uncertainty modelling. Analogues provide a major step forward in the quantification of risk, but their significance is potentially greater still. The two principal contributors to uncertainty in field and prospect analysis are the hydrocarbon life-cycle and the geometry of the trap. These are usually treated separately. Combining them into a single model is a major contribution to the reduction risk. This work is based in part on a joint project with Oryx Energy UK Ltd., and thanks are due in particular to Richard Benmore and Mike Cooper.« less

In vitro evaluation of a new iterative reconstruction algorithm for dose reduction in coronary artery calcium scoring

PubMed Central

Allmendinger, Thomas; Kunz, Andreas S; Veyhl-Wichmann, Maike; Ergün, Süleyman; Bley, Thorsten A; Petritsch, Bernhard

2017-01-01

Background Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring is a widespread tool for cardiac risk assessment in asymptomatic patients and accompanying possible adverse effects, i.e. radiation exposure, should be as low as reasonably achievable. Purpose To evaluate a new iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithm for dose reduction of in vitro coronary artery calcium scoring at different tube currents. Material and Methods An anthropomorphic calcium scoring phantom was scanned in different configurations simulating slim, average-sized, and large patients. A standard calcium scoring protocol was performed on a third-generation dual-source CT at 120 kVp tube voltage. Reference tube current was 80 mAs as standard and stepwise reduced to 60, 40, 20, and 10 mAs. Images were reconstructed with weighted filtered back projection (wFBP) and a new version of an established IR kernel at different strength levels. Calcifications were quantified calculating Agatston and volume scores. Subjective image quality was visualized with scans of an ex vivo human heart. Results In general, Agatston and volume scores remained relatively stable between 80 and 40 mAs and increased at lower tube currents, particularly in the medium and large phantom. IR reduced this effect, as both Agatston and volume scores decreased with increasing levels of IR compared to wFBP (P < 0.001). Depending on selected parameters, radiation dose could be lowered by up to 86% in the large size phantom when selecting a reference tube current of 10 mAs with resulting Agatston levels close to the reference settings. Conclusion New iterative reconstruction kernels may allow for reduction in tube current for established Agatston scoring protocols and consequently for substantial reduction in radiation exposure. PMID:28607763

Projecting the cost, utilization, and patient care impact of prescribing extended release non-abuse-deterrent opioids to chronic pain patients.

PubMed

Yenikomshian, Mihran Ara; White, Alan G; Carson, Michael E; Garrison, Louis P; Oderda, Gary M; Biskupiak, Joseph E; Hlavacek, Patrick R; Roland, Carl L

To estimate healthcare resource utilization, associated costs, and number needed to harm (NNH) from a physician's decision to prescribe extended-release (ER) non-abuse-deterrent opioids (non-ADO) as compared to ER ADOs in a chronic pain population. A 12-month probabilistic simulation model was developed to estimate the reduction of misuse and/or abuse from a physician's prescribing decisions for 10,000 patients. Model inputs included probabilities for opioid misuse and/or abuse-related events, opioid discontinuation, and switching from ADO to non-ADO. Estimated reductions in abuse associated with ADOs were obtained from positive subjective measures using human abuse liability studies. The model was run separately for commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, and Veterans Administration (VA) populations. The difference in healthcare resource utilization and associated costs (2015 USD) between the ADO and non-ADO simulations was calculated. NNH for non-ADO was also calculated. Misuse and/or abuse-related events for patients prescribed ER non-ADOs ranged from 223-1,410 and associated costs ranged from $20-$98 per patient for commercial and Medicare populations, respectively. Prescribing ER ADOs were associated with 87, 289, 264, and 417 fewer misuse and/or abuse-related events, saving $8, $35, $21, and $29 per patient in commercial, VA, Medicaid, and Medicare populations, respectively. NNH ranged from 185 in the commercial population to 40 in the Medicare population. Results were sensitive to decreases in the probability of misuse and/or abuse events but showed reductions. A physician's decision to prescribe ER ADOs could lead to large reductions in misuse and/or abuse-related events and associated costs across many patient populations.

Awareness of disaster reduction frameworks and risk perception of natural disaster: a questionnaire survey among Philippine and Indonesian health care personnel and public health students.

PubMed

Usuzawa, Motoki; O Telan, Elizabeth; Kawano, Razel; S Dizon, Carmela; Alisjahbana, Bachti; Ashino, Yugo; Egawa, Shinichi; Fukumoto, Manabu; Izumi, Takako; Ono, Yuichi; Hattori, Toshio

2014-05-01

As the impacts of natural disasters have grown more severe, the importance of education for disaster medicine gains greater recognition. We launched a project to establish an international educational program for disaster medicine. In the present study, we surveyed medical personnel and medical/public health students in the Philippines (n = 45) and Indonesia (n = 67) for their awareness of the international frameworks related to disaster medicine: the Human Security (securing individual life and health), the Sphere Project (international humanitarian response), and the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 (international strategy for disaster reduction). In both countries, more than 50% responders were aware of human security, but only 2 to 12% were aware of the latter two. The survey also contained questions about the preferred subjects in prospective educational program, and risk perception on disaster and disaster-related infections. In the Philippines, significant disasters were geophysical (31.0%), hydrological (33.3%), or meteorological (24.8%), whereas in Indonesia, geophysical (63.0%) and hydrological (25.3%) were significant. Moreover, in the Philippines, leptospirosis (27.1%), dengue (18.6%), diarrhea (15.3%), and cholera (10.2%) were recognized common disaster-related infections. In Indonesia, diarrhea (22.0%) and respiratory infection (20.3%) are major disaster-related infections. Water-related infections were the major ones in both countries, but the profiles of risk perception were different (Pearson's chi-square test, p = 1.469e-05). The responders tended to overestimate the risk of low probability and high consequence such as geophysical disaster. These results are helpful for the development of a postgraduate course for disaster medicine in Asia Pacific countries.

Postnatal dietary fatty acid composition permanently affects the structure of hypothalamic pathways controlling energy balance in mice.

PubMed

Schipper, Lidewij; Bouyer, Karine; Oosting, Annemarie; Simerly, Richard B; van der Beek, Eline M

2013-12-01

We previously reported that dietary lipid quality during early life can have long-lasting effects on metabolic health and adiposity. Exposure to a postnatal diet with low dietary omega-6 (n-6) or high omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid (FA) content resulted in reduced body fat accumulation when challenged with a moderate Western-style diet (WSD) beginning in adolescence. We determined whether this programming effect is accompanied by changes in hypothalamic neural projections or modifications in the postnatal leptin surge, which would indicate the altered development of hypothalamic circuits that control energy balance. Neonatal mice were subjected to a control diet (CTR) or experimental diet with altered relative n-6 and n-3 FA contents [ie, a diet with a relative reduction in n-6 fatty acid (LOW n-6) or a diet with a relative increase in n-3 fatty acid (HIGH n-3) compared with the CTR from postnatal day (PN) 2 to 42]. Compared with CTR mice, mice fed a LOW n-6 or HIGH n-3 during postnatal life showed significant reductions in the density of both orexigenic and anorexigenic neural projections to the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus at PN 28. These impairments persisted into adulthood and were still apparent after the WSD challenge between PNs 42 and 98. However, the neuroanatomical changes were not associated with changes in the postnatal leptin surge. Although the exact mechanism remains to be elucidated, our data indicate that the quality of dietary FA during postnatal life affects the development of the central regulatory circuits that control energy balance and may do so through a leptin-independent mechanism.

Non-Formal Education as a Factor in Civilizational Development of Educational Space Subject in the Cross-Border Region

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dugarova, Dulma T.; Starostina, Svetlana E.; Namsarayev, Sergey D.; Dagbaeva, Nina Zh.; Malanov, Innokentiy A.

2016-01-01

The research is aimed at determining the organizational and pedagogical conditions of nonformal education implementation as a factor in civilizational development of subjects, joint international projects performers, in the educational space of the cross-border region. New integration projects forming the need for effective models implementation…

Transport Phenomena Projects: Natural Convection between Porous, Concentric Cylinders--A Method to Learn and to Innovate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saatadjian, Esteban; Lesage, Francois; Mota, Jose Paulo B.

2013-01-01

A project that involves the numerical simulation of transport phenomena is an excellent method to teach this subject to senior/graduate chemical engineering students. The subject presented here has been used in our senior/graduate course, it concerns the study of natural convection heat transfer between two concentric, horizontal, saturated porous…

Using Capstones to Develop Research Skills and Graduate Capabilities: A Case Study from Physiology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Julien, Brianna L.; Lexis, Louise; Schuijers, Johannes; Samiric, Tom; McDonald, Stuart

2012-01-01

In 2011, the Department of Human Biosciences introduced two physiology capstone subjects as part of the Design for Learning Project at La Trobe University. Consistent with the project, the aims of these subjects were to provide an effective culmination point for the Bachelor of Health Science course and to offer students orientation to…

A Subject Librarian's Guide to Collaborating on E-Science Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garritano, Jeremy R.; Carlson, Jake R.

2009-01-01

For liaison or subject librarians, entering into the emerging area of providing researchers with data services or partnering with them on cyberinfrastructure projects can be a daunting task. This article will provide some advice as to what to expect and how providing data services can be folded into other liaison duties. New skills for librarians…

An International Comparison of Final-Year Design Project Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kentish, Sandra E.; Shallcross, David C.

2006-01-01

This paper reviews design teaching at a total of 15 chemical engineering departments across Australia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. The emphasis is on the capstone Design Project, which can be viewed as a major transition subject for students as they move into the workplace. The study shows that this subject has evolved to act as an…

Clinical Validation of a miRNA Blood Test to Identify High-Risk Individuals Eligible for Low-Dose Computed Tomography Screening for Lung Cancer Early Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

screening. The project requires the use of serum samples obtained from at-risk subjects (heavy smokers with defined characteristics) undergoing...screening. The project requires the use of serum samples obtained from at-risk subjects (heavy smokers with defined characteristics) that were collected

"The Writing Writes Itself": Deleuzian Desire and the Creative Writing MFA Degree

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Ginger Marie

2017-01-01

This post-qualitative inquiry project investigated subjectivity (sense of self) among graduates of creative writing Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs. The project asked how subjectivity is involved in the creative writing process and how that process fuels further writing after a creative piece (such as the MFA thesis) is completed. A…

Robust Projected Weakening of Winter Monsoon Winds Over the Arabian Sea Under Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parvathi, V.; Suresh, I.; Lengaigne, M.; Izumo, T.; Vialard, J.

2017-10-01

The response of the Indian winter monsoon to climate change has received considerably less attention than that of the summer monsoon. We show here that all Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) models display a consistent reduction (of 6.5% for Representative Concentration Pathways 8.5 and 3.5% for 4.5, on an average) of the winter monsoon winds over the Arabian Sea at the end of 21st century. This projected reduction weakens but remains robust when corrected for overestimated winter Arabian Sea winds in CMIP5. This weakening is driven by a reduction in the interhemispheric sea level pressure gradient resulting from enhanced warming of the dry Arabian Peninsula relative to the southern Indian Ocean. The wind weakening reduces winter oceanic heat losses to the atmosphere and deepening of convective mixed layer in the northern Arabian Sea and hence can potentially inhibit the seasonal chlorophyll bloom that contributes substantially to the Arabian Sea annual productivity.

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

NONE

The Voluntary Reporting Program, developed pursuant to Section 1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, permits corporations, government agencies, households, and voluntary organizations to report on their emissions of greenhouse gases, and on actions taken that have reduced or avoided emissions or sequestered carbon, to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). This, the second annual report of the Voluntary Reporting Program, describes information provided by the participating organizations on their aggregate emissions and emissions reductions, as well as their emissions reduction or avoidance projects, through 1995. This information has been compiled into a database that includes reports from 142 organizationsmore » and descriptions of 967 projects that either reduced greenhouse gas emissions or sequestered carbon. Fifty-one reporters also provided estimates of emissions, and emissions reductions achieved, for their entire organizations. The projects described actions taken to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide from energy production and use; to reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions from energy use, waste management, and agricultural processes; to reduce emissions of halocarbons, such as CFCs and their replacements; and to increase carbon sequestration.« less

Working with grocers to reduce dietary sodium: lessons learned from the Broome County Sodium Reduction in Communities pilot project.

PubMed

Johnston, Yvonne A; McFadden, Mary; Lamphere, Marissa; Buch, Karen; Stark, Beth; Salton, Judith Lynn

2014-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe implementation of and lessons learned from the Broome County Sodium Reduction in Communities grocery store initiative. This pilot project was conducted in collaboration with a regional supermarket chain and endeavored to develop population-based strategies for reducing sodium intake. Key interventions included marketing strategies, taste test demonstrations, and a public media campaign. Project staff worked closely with corporate registered dietitian nutritionists, a nutrition specialist, and an advertising agency in its development and implementation. A social marketing approach was used to educate consumers about the hidden sources of dietary sodium, to raise awareness of the adverse health effects of excess sodium intake, to encourage consumers to read food labels, and to urge them to purchase food items lower in sodium. The lessons learned from this experience may be of assistance to other communities that seek to implement similar sodium-reduction strategies in the grocery store environment.

Meeting the challenge of the 80's cost reduction measures at the Iron Ore Company of Canada's Carol Project 1980-85

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

Tinto, I.A.

1985-01-01

The mining facilities, crushing plant, and concentrator of the Iron Ore Company of Canada were in operation by 1962. Today, the Carol Project has the capacity to produce 20 million tonnes of concentrate from which 10.5 million tonnes of pellets can be produced. The period 1980-85 spans a period of energy crisis, world-wide recession, and a consequent re-structuring of the North American steel industry as it struggles to survive in an arena of excess world stell making capacity, government subsidized industries, and the increasing competition from overseas and from developing countries. This paper reviews cost reduction programs implemented by themore » Iron Ore Company of Canada at its 'Carol Project' and emphasizes improvements made in labour productivity, energy conservation, mining strategy, quality control, and reduced cost through technical innovations over this difficult period. The cost reduction program is reviewed under the headings of labor productivity, energy conservation, mining strategy, technical innovations and quality control.« less

The eta Carinae Treasury Project and the HST/STIS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, John C.; Davidson, Kris

2006-01-01

The HST Eta Carinae Treasury Project made extensive use of the HST/STIS from 1998 to the time of its failure in 2004. As one of the most prolific users of that instrument, the Treasury Project used the cross-dispersed spatial resolution of the STIS as few projects did. We present several enhancements to the existing STIS data reduction methods that are applicable to non-Treasury Project data in the STIS archive.

Refining Landsat classification results using digital terrain data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, Wayne A.; Shasby, Mark

1982-01-01

 Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey's Earth Resources Observation systems (EROS) Data Center have recently completed two land-cover mapping projects in which digital terrain data were used to refine Landsat classification results. Digital ter rain data were incorporated into the Landsat classification process using two different procedures that required developing decision criteria either subjectively or quantitatively. The subjective procedure was used in a vegetation mapping project in Arizona, and the quantitative procedure was used in a forest-fuels mapping project in Montana. By incorporating digital terrain data into the Landsat classification process, more spatially accurate landcover maps were produced for both projects.

CASH--an innovative approach to sustainable OSH improvement at workplace.

PubMed

Pingle, S; Shanbhag, S

2006-01-01

Occupational health department of a large private enterprise located in India launched Project CASH--Change Agents for Safety and Health, at manufacturing units of the enterprise to bring about a positive change in work environment and improvement in work practices to reduce occupational health risk. Multidisciplinary teams of change agents were constituted and were given intensive training inputs. Reduction in exposure to noise, dust and heat stress were identified as specific objectives after a baseline survey of the work environment. Occupational safety and health knowledge and training was imparted to all field personnel to improve their work practices and attitudes. The focus of the actions was on engineering control measures and process engineering changes necessary for workplace improvement. Noise levels were reduced by an average of more than 9dBA in most of the top ten high noise locations. Out of two locations identified for dust exposure, one was fully eliminated and dust levels at other location were significantly reduced. Heat stress was reduced in all three identified locations with an average reduction of more than 3 degrees C in WBGT levels. Thus, final evaluation of workplace environments revealed significant reduction in exposure to all identified agents, viz noise, dust and heat fulfilling the project objectives. Educating and empowering the team led to reduction of occupational health risks in the work environment. There was positive attitudinal and behavioural change in safety and occupational health awareness & practices among employees. The monetary savings resulting from improvements far outweighed the investments. Success of this pilot project was followed up with further similar projects and their number has grown in geometric proportion for the last three years indicating the sustainability of the project.

Medicare's Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program in Surgery May Disproportionately Affect Minority-serving Hospitals.

PubMed

Shih, Terry; Ryan, Andrew M; Gonzalez, Andrew A; Dimick, Justin B

2015-06-01

To project readmission penalties for hospitals performing cardiac surgery and examine how these penalties will affect minority-serving hospitals. The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program will potentially expand penalties for higher-than-predicted readmission rates to cardiac procedures in the near future. The impact of these penalties on minority-serving hospitals is unknown. We examined national Medicare beneficiaries undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting in 2008 to 2010 (N = 255,250 patients, 1186 hospitals). Using hierarchical logistic regression, we calculated hospital observed-to-expected readmission ratios. Hospital penalties were projected according to the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program formula using only coronary artery bypass grafting readmissions with a 3% maximum penalty of total Medicare revenue. Hospitals were classified into quintiles according to proportion of black patients treated. Minority-serving hospitals were defined as hospitals in the top quintile whereas non-minority-serving hospitals were those in the bottom quintile. Projected readmission penalties were compared across quintiles. Forty-seven percent of hospitals (559 of 1186) were projected to be assessed a penalty. Twenty-eight percent of hospitals (330 of 1186) would be penalized less than 1% of total Medicare revenue whereas 5% of hospitals (55 of 1186) would receive the maximum 3% penalty. Minority-serving hospitals were almost twice as likely to be penalized than non-minority-serving hospitals (61% vs 32%) and were projected almost triple the reductions in reimbursement ($112 million vs $41 million). Minority-serving hospitals would disproportionately bear the burden of readmission penalties if expanded to include cardiac surgery. Given these hospitals' narrow profit margins, readmission penalties may have a profound impact on these hospitals' ability to care for disadvantaged patients.

Atlanta congestion reduction demonstration : national evaluation report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-03-01

This document presents the final report on the national evaluation of the Atlanta Congestion Reduction Demonstration (CRD) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) CRD Program. The Atlanta CRD projects focus on reducing congest...

Massport Air Emission Reduction Efforts and Community Enhancement Projects

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This page describes efforts at Massport to reduce their emissions, including their Clean Truck Replacement program at Conley Terminal, their rubber tire gantry crane repower, idle and truck trip reductions, park creation, and dedicated freight corridor.

Conflicting Discourses on Content Reduction in South Korea's National Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

So, Kyunghee; Kang, Jiyoung

2014-01-01

This study examines the discourses on content reduction of South Korea's national curriculum shaped by policymakers and subject specialists, as well as compares the two discourses to uncover the differences between the two. For this purpose, the paper collected academic articles that discuss the issue of content reduction from the past thirty…

77 FR 32969 - Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission Under Delegated...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-04

... by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), the Federal Communications... failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that does not display a valid OMB control number. DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should...

75 FR 31436 - Notice of Public Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-03

... by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501 - 3520. Comments are requested... of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that does not display a currently valid OMB control number. DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be submitted on or...

78 FR 77678 - Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission Under Delegated...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-24

... by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501--3520), the Federal Communications... for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that does not display a valid OMB control number. DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments...

43 CFR 3103.4-3 - Heavy oil royalty reductions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... must certify that the API oil gravity for the initial and subsequent 12-month periods was not subject... reduction for a property if BLM determines that the API oil gravity was manipulated or adulterated by the... effective date of the royalty rate reduction resulting from a manipulated or adulterated API oil gravity so...

43 CFR 3103.4-3 - Heavy oil royalty reductions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... must certify that the API oil gravity for the initial and subsequent 12-month periods was not subject... reduction for a property if BLM determines that the API oil gravity was manipulated or adulterated by the... effective date of the royalty rate reduction resulting from a manipulated or adulterated API oil gravity so...

43 CFR 3103.4-3 - Heavy oil royalty reductions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... must certify that the API oil gravity for the initial and subsequent 12-month periods was not subject... reduction for a property if BLM determines that the API oil gravity was manipulated or adulterated by the... effective date of the royalty rate reduction resulting from a manipulated or adulterated API oil gravity so...

43 CFR 3103.4-3 - Heavy oil royalty reductions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... must certify that the API oil gravity for the initial and subsequent 12-month periods was not subject... reduction for a property if BLM determines that the API oil gravity was manipulated or adulterated by the... effective date of the royalty rate reduction resulting from a manipulated or adulterated API oil gravity so...

Cardiovascular effects of vasopressin following V(1) receptor blockade compared to effects of nitroglycerin.

PubMed

Cooke, C R; Wall, B M; Huch, K M; Mangold, T

2001-09-01

Studies to more clearly determine the mechanisms associated with arginine vasopressin (AVP)-induced vasodilation were performed in normal subjects and in quadriplegic subjects with impaired efferent sympathetic responses. Studies to compare the effects of AVP with the hemodynamic effects of nitroglycerin, an agent that primarily affects venous capacitance vessels, were also performed in normal subjects. Incremental infusions of AVP following V(1)-receptor blockade resulted in equivalent reductions in systemic vascular resistance (SVRI) in normal and in quadriplegic subjects. However, there were major differences in the effect on mean arterial pressure (MAP), which was reduced in quadriplegic subjects but did not change in normal subjects. This difference in MAP can be attributed to a difference in the magnitude of increase in cardiac output (CI), which was twofold greater in normal than in quadriplegic subjects. These observations are consistent with AVP-induced vasodilation of arterial resistance vessels with reflex sympathetic enhancement of CI and are clearly different from the hemodynamic effects of nitroglycerin, i.e., reductions in MAP, CI, and indexes of cardiac preload, with only minor changes in SVRI.

Research and Development Project Summaries, October 1991

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-10-01

delivery methods, training cost reduction, demonstration of technology’ effectiveness, and the reduction of acquisition risk . The majority of the work...demonstrations, risk reduction developments, and cost-effectiveness investigations in simulator and training technologzv. This advanced development program is a...systems. The program is organized around specific demonstration tasks that target critical technical risks that confront future weapons system

Optical microtopographic inspection of the surface of tooth subjected to stripping reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa, Manuel F.; Pereira, Pedro B.

2011-05-01

In orthodontics, the decreasing of tooth-size by reducing interproximal enamel surfaces (stripping) of teeth is a common procedure which allows dental alignment with minimal changes in the facial profile and no arch expansion. In order to achieve smooth surfaces, clinicians have been testing various methods and progressively improved this therapeutic technique. In order to evaluate the surface roughness of teeth subject to interproximal reduction through the five most commonly used methods, teeth were inspected by scanning electron microscopy and microtopographically measured using the optical active triangulation based microtopographer MICROTOP.06.MFC. The metrological procedure will be presented as well as the comparative results concluding on the most suitable tooth interproximal reduction method.

Causes of the triglyceride-lowering effect of exercise training in rats

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mondon, C. E.; Dolkas, C. B.; Tobey, T.; Reaven, G. M.

1984-01-01

Studies conducted with human subjects and laboratory animals have consistently shown a reduction in serum triglyceride (TG) in exercise-trained subjects. The obtained data have suggested that this decrease was due to a reduction in hepatic TG secretion. The present investigation, which was conducted with rats trained to attain a high level of spontaneous running activity, provides support for the earlier results. In addition, insights are obtained regarding the mechanism by which exercise lowers TG levels. Since the liver accounts for the vast majority of endogenous very low density lipoprotein (VLDL)-TG secretion, the fall in TG secretion rate seen in exercise-trained (ET) rats must be due to a reduction in hepatic TG secretion.

The role of service learning in teaching and research for disaster-risk reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suckale, J.; Saiyed, Z.; Alvisyahrin, T.; Hilley, G. E.; Muhari, A.; Zoback, M. L. C.; Truebe, S.

2016-12-01

An important motivation for natural-hazards research is to reduce threats posed by natural disasters to at-risk communities. Yet, we rarely teach students how research may be used to construct implementable solutions that reduce disaster risk. The goal of this contribution is to evaluate the potential of service learning to impart students with both the scientific background and the skills necessary to navigate real-world constraints of disaster risk reduction. We present results from a service-learning class taught at Stanford in the Winter quarter of 2016 in collaboration with the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and Syiah Kuala University, Banda Aceh. The main deliverable of the class was a final project in which students developed a specific idea of how to contribute to tsunami-risk reduction in Indonesia. A common critique of the service-learning approach posits that it may implicitly embed social and political perspectives within risk-reduction strategies that may be inappropriate within a particular culture. We attempted to avoid this problem using three strategies: First, we paired students from Stanford with students at Syiah Kuala University, Banda Aceh, to facilitate a close dialogue. Second, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries provided a list of current risk-reduction strategies without requiring students to contribute to one specific project to minimally precondition project suggestions. Third, our community partners provided ongoing feedback on the scope and feasibility of the proposed projects and students were assessed based on their ability to integrate the feedback. Preliminary results from our class suggest significant promise for a service-learning approach to teaching disaster-risk reduction. There was substantial student interest in service learning, particularly among undergraduates. Pre-and post-assessment surveys showed that over 75% of students adjusted previous notions about disaster-risk reduction during the class. The course evaluations also provided several suggestions for improvement such as enabling more dialogue with community partners and better preparation prior to the class for our partner students at Syiah Kuala University that we will adopt in future iterations of the class.

Impact of different tongue cleaning methods on the bacterial load of the tongue dorsum.

PubMed

Bordas, Alice; McNab, Rod; Staples, Angela M; Bowman, Jim; Kanapka, Joe; Bosma, Marylynn P

2008-04-01

To assess the extent and duration of the effect of tongue cleaning procedures on bacterial load on the dorsal surface of the tongue. 19 subjects participated in this blinded crossover study. Subjects abstained from oral hygiene, eating and drinking from 22:00 h the previous evening. Tongue samples were collected at baseline and within 15 minutes of one of three procedures: teeth brushing alone; teeth brushing plus tongue scraping; teeth brushing plus tongue cleaning using a high speed vacuum ejector and irrigation with 20 ml antibacterial mouthwash. Subjects then brushed twice daily for 3 days apart from the second group who additionally scraped their tongue twice daily. On day 4, baseline and post-treatment samples were collected as per day 1. Bacteria (total anaerobes, Gram-negative anaerobes, VSC-producing bacteria and Streptococcus saliuarius) were enumerated using appropriate selective media. The tongue dorsum was colonized by all 4 bacterial categories (log(10) 6-8 cfu/sample). For subjects who brushed their teeth only, there was a significant reduction from baseline for S. saliuarius only. In contrast, tooth brushing plus tongue scraping resulted in statistically significant reductions from baseline for all bacterial categories (range log(10) 0.11-0.40 cfu/sample). Highly statistically significant reductions (log(10) 1.11-1.96 cfu/sample) were observed for subjects who underwent thorough tongue cleaning with the saliva ejector/mouthwash. To determine longevity of treatment effects, baseline bacterial loads for days 1 and 4 were compared. Only daily tongue scraping resulted in statistical significant reduction in baseline microbial loads on day 4. While mechanical tongue cleaning with or without chemical intervention can reduce bacterial load on the tongue, this effect is transient, and regular tongue cleaning is required to provide a long lasting (overnight) reduction in bacterial numbers. Nevertheless, tongue cleaning is an oral hygiene procedure that is little practiced due to discomfort and/or lack of awareness on the part of dental professionals and their patients.

An Evaluation of Plaque and Gingivitis Reduction Following Home Use of Sonicare FlexCare Platinum with Premium Plaque Control Brush Head and a Manual Toothbrush.

PubMed

Jenkins, Wendy; Souza, Sonia; Ward, Marilyn; Defenbaugh, Jodi; Milleman, Kimberly R; Milleman, Jeffery L

2017-03-01

To assess the effect of the Philips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum with Premium plaque control brush head on gingival inflammation, bleeding, and supragingival plaque reduction following a six-week period of home use compared to a manual toothbrush. This was a randomized, single-blind, parallel-design clinical trial. Subjects included in the study were routine manual toothbrush users who were generally healthy non-smokers, aged 18-65 years, with mild to moderate gingivitis. Subjects with advanced periodontal disease, excessive gingival recession, and heavy deposits of calculus or rampant decay were excluded from the study. Eligible participants were dispensed either Philips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum with Premium plaque control brush head (PC), or an ADA Reference manual toothbrush (MTB) for twice-daily home oral hygiene procedures for six weeks. Efficacy measures included the Lobene and Soparker Modification of Quigley and Hein Plaque Index (MPI), the Modified Gingival Index (MGI), and Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI). Safety was evaluated by oral examination and subject report. Efficacy and safety were assessed at Baseline, and at two and six weeks following product home use. Of 154 subjects randomized, 143 subjects completed the study. For the primary endpoint, MGI at Week 2, statistically significantly larger reductions in MGI were observed for PC versus MTB, p < 0.0001. The adjusted mean reduction and standard error estimates (SE) for MGI, expressed as percent reduction versus Baseline to Week 2, were 41.73% (2.00%) for PC and 7.38% (2.02%) for MTB. Statistically significant differences were also observed for MPI and GBI at Week 2, and for all metrics at Week 6. Philips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum with Premium plaque control brush head statistically significantly reduces gingival inflammation, gingival bleeding, and plaque following two and six weeks of home use, compared to manual tooth brushing alone.

Clean Diesel National Grants Awarded 2008-2011

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

National Funding Assistance Program administers competitive grants for clean diesel projects. The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) appropriates funds for these projects. Publication numbers: EPA-420-B-13-025 and EPA-420-P-11-001.

Hayward Youth-Based Trash Capture, Reduction, and Watershed Education Project

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Information about the SFBWQP City of Hayward, CA Trash Managment Project, part of an EPA competitive grant program to improve SF Bay water quality focused on restoring impaired waters and enhancing aquatic resources.

Overview of Levee Setback Projects and Benefits

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-07-31

VII-17 July 2017 2 Levee setback projects do not necessarily remove or relocate an entire levee (USACE 2012). Levee alterations that create “ managed ...reduction or environmental improvement. For individual projects , there may also be additional economic and societal benefits. Flood Risk Management ...ERDC/CHL CHETN-VII-17 July 2017 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Overview of Levee Setback Projects and Benefits by

Effectiveness of Oral Antiseptics on Tooth Biofilm: A Study in vivo.

PubMed

Mouchrek Junior, José Carlos Elias; Nunes, Lívia Helena de Araújo Castro; Arruda, Cleidiane Silveira; Rizzi, Claudia de Castro; Mouchrek, Adriana Quinzeiro E Silva; Tavarez, Rudys Rodolfo De Jesus; Tonetto, Mateus Rodrigues; Bandeca, Matheus Coelho; Maia Filho, Etevaldo Matos

2015-08-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of five different mouthwashes through measurement of the plaque index. Fifty subjects took part in this blind study, randomized into blocks of five groups according to the active ingredient of the mouthwash: CHX group (0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate), essential oils (EO) group, cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) group, Tri group (triclosan) and Hamamelis virginiana (HV) group. All subjects were evaluated for a reduction in the bacterial plaque index at 7, 14 and 21 days. There was a significant reduction in the mean plaque index during the period of evaluation (p < 0.01), and the reduction during the period of evaluation was different between mouthwashes (p < 0.01). The reduction in the plaque index at the end of 21 days was, in decreasing order, CHX > EO > CPC > Tri > HV. The reduction in the plaque index during the period of evaluation was different between the types of mouth-wash. The mouthwash containing the active ingredient chlorhexidine was the most effective, followed by the essential oil, cetylpyridinium chloride, triclosan and H. virginiana.

Inventory of Federal energy-related environment and safety research for FY 1979. Volume II. Project listings and indexes

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

None

This volume contains summaries of FY 1979 government-sponsored environment and safety research related to energy arranged by log number, which groups the projects by reporting agency. The log number is a unique number assigned to each project from a block of numbers set aside for each contributing agency. Information elements included in the summary listings are project title, principal investigators, research organization, project number, contract number, supporting organization, funding level, related energy sources with numbers indicating percentages of effort devoted to each, and R and D categories. A brief description of each project is given, and this is followed bymore » subject index terms that were assigned for computer searching and for generating the printed subject index in the back of this volume.« less

Theory of quantized systems: formal basis for DEVS/HLA distributed simulation environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeigler, Bernard P.; Lee, J. S.

1998-08-01

In the context of a DARPA ASTT project, we are developing an HLA-compliant distributed simulation environment based on the DEVS formalism. This environment will provide a user- friendly, high-level tool-set for developing interoperable discrete and continuous simulation models. One application is the study of contract-based predictive filtering. This paper presents a new approach to predictive filtering based on a process called 'quantization' to reduce state update transmission. Quantization, which generates state updates only at quantum level crossings, abstracts a sender model into a DEVS representation. This affords an alternative, efficient approach to embedding continuous models within distributed discrete event simulations. Applications of quantization to message traffic reduction are discussed. The theory has been validated by DEVSJAVA simulations of test cases. It will be subject to further test in actual distributed simulations using the DEVS/HLA modeling and simulation environment.

Embedded sparse representation of fMRI data via group-wise dictionary optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Dajiang; Lin, Binbin; Faskowitz, Joshua; Ye, Jieping; Thompson, Paul M.

2016-03-01

Sparse learning enables dimension reduction and efficient modeling of high dimensional signals and images, but it may need to be tailored to best suit specific applications and datasets. Here we used sparse learning to efficiently represent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from the human brain. We propose a novel embedded sparse representation (ESR), to identify the most consistent dictionary atoms across different brain datasets via an iterative group-wise dictionary optimization procedure. In this framework, we introduced additional criteria to make the learned dictionary atoms more consistent across different subjects. We successfully identified four common dictionary atoms that follow the external task stimuli with very high accuracy. After projecting the corresponding coefficient vectors back into the 3-D brain volume space, the spatial patterns are also consistent with traditional fMRI analysis results. Our framework reveals common features of brain activation in a population, as a new, efficient fMRI analysis method.

Building America Case Study: Project Overcoat: Airtightness Strategies and Impacts for 1-1/2 Story Homes, Minneapolis, Minnesota (Fact Sheet)

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

None, None

In this second study on solutions to ice dams in 1-1/2 story homes, five test homes located in both cold and very cold climates were analyzed for air leakage reduction rates following modifications by independent contractors on owner-occupied homes. The reason for choosing this house type was they are very common in our area and very difficult to air seal and insulate effectively. Two projects followed a roof-only Exterior Thermal Moisture Management System (ETMMS) process. One project used an interior-only approach to roof air sealing and insulation. The remaining two projects used a deep energy retrofit approach for whole housemore » (foundation wall, above grade wall, roof) air leakage and heat loss reduction. All were asked to provide information regarding project goals, process, and pre and post-blower door test results. Additional air leakage reduction data was provided by several NorthernSTAR Building America industry partners for interior-applied, roof-only modifications on 1-1/2 story homes. The data represents homes in the general market as well as homes that were part of the state of Minnesota weatherization program. A goal was to compare exterior air sealing methods with interior approaches. This pool of data enabled us to compare air tightness data from over 220 homes using similar air seal methods.« less

Estimating the Organizational Cost of Sexual Assault in the U.S. Military

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank...ASSUMPTIONS AND DATA ANALYSIS ..........................35 1. Overall Project Assumptions ............................................................35 2...Overall Project Calculations .............................................................36 a. Calculations Using Data from FY 2012 WGRA Tabular

High Impact Anti-Crime Program: A Framework for Assessing Project-Level Evaluation Plans.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kupersmith, Gerrie

The pamphlet describes an evaluation model for crime reduction projects developed by National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice sponsored research. It is meant to assist justice agency and project managers in determining completeness of evaluation planning by providing a framework against which to measure their evaluation…

Acute Mountain Sickness at 4500 m is not Altered by Repeated Eight-Hour Exposures to 3200-3550 m Normobaric Hypoxic Equivalent,

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-09-10

subject had his own numbered device, which was disassembled, washed and disinfected ( benzalkonium chloride , 1:1000 v/v) each evening. 4 Subjects...fluctuations throughout the 10-day period after the reduction in altitude equivalent which occurred during day I, either in the group mean values (shown) or...significant reduction in hemoglobin concentration in the control group over the sea level treatment period, with a concomitant, but non-significant

Recent advances in reduction methods for nonlinear problems. [in structural mechanics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noor, A. K.

1981-01-01

Status and some recent developments in the application of reduction methods to nonlinear structural mechanics problems are summarized. The aspects of reduction methods discussed herein include: (1) selection of basis vectors in nonlinear static and dynamic problems, (2) application of reduction methods in nonlinear static analysis of structures subjected to prescribed edge displacements, and (3) use of reduction methods in conjunction with mixed finite element models. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of reduction methods in nonlinear problems. Also, a number of research areas which have high potential for application of reduction methods are identified.

25 CFR 1000.240 - What construction programs included in an AFA are subject to this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., coordination, responsibility for the construction project, day-to-day on-site management on site-management and administration of the project, which may include cost management, project budgeting, project scheduling and... Tribal, facilities and projects. (b) The following programs and activities are not construction programs...

Inventory of Federal energy-related environment and safety research for FY 1978. Volume II. Project listings and indexes

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

None

1979-12-01

This volume contains summaries of FY-1978 government-sponsored environment and safety research related to energy. Project summaries were collected by Aerospace Corporation under contract with the Department of Energy, Office of Program Coordination, under the Assistant Secretary for Environment. Summaries are arranged by log number, which groups the projects by reporting agency. The log number is a unique number assigned to each project from a block of numbers set aside for each agency. Information about the projects is included in the summary listings. This includes the project title, principal investigators, research organization, project number, contract number, supporting organization, funding level ifmore » known, related energy sources with numbers indicating percentages of effort devoted to each, and R and D categories. A brief description of each project is given, and this is followed by subject index terms that were assigned for computer searching and for generating the printed subject index in Volume IV.« less

FY 2015 Request for Proposals for the Source Reduction Assistance Grant Program

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA is announcing the availability of SRA grants and/or cooperative agreements to fund projects supporting p2/source reduction and resource conservation; it is anticipated up to $1,200,000 will be available collectively.

Driving reduction and cessation : transitioning to not driving.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-09-01

This project examined the process of driving reduction and cessation from the perspective of older adults (current and former drivers) and adult children. The objectives were to identify common markers of the process of driving cessation and to gain ...

44 CFR 361.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... SECURITY PREPAREDNESS NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION ASSISTANCE TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS Earthquake Hazards Reduction Assistance Program § 361.2 Definitions. Cash Contribution means the State cash... to States under this section. They include specific activities or projects related to earthquake...

44 CFR 361.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... SECURITY PREPAREDNESS NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION ASSISTANCE TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS Earthquake Hazards Reduction Assistance Program § 361.2 Definitions. Cash Contribution means the State cash... to States under this section. They include specific activities or projects related to earthquake...

44 CFR 361.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... SECURITY PREPAREDNESS NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION ASSISTANCE TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS Earthquake Hazards Reduction Assistance Program § 361.2 Definitions. Cash Contribution means the State cash... to States under this section. They include specific activities or projects related to earthquake...

44 CFR 361.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... SECURITY PREPAREDNESS NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION ASSISTANCE TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS Earthquake Hazards Reduction Assistance Program § 361.2 Definitions. Cash Contribution means the State cash... to States under this section. They include specific activities or projects related to earthquake...

Exercise Countermeasures Demonstration Project During the Lunar-Mars Life Support Test Project Phase 2A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Stuart M. C.; Guilliams, Mark E.; Moore, Alan D., Jr.; Williams, W. Jon; Greenisen, M. C.; Fortney, S. M.

1998-01-01

This demonstration project assessed the crew members' compliance to a portion of the exercise countermeasures planned for use onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and the outcomes of their performing these countermeasures. Although these countermeasures have been used separately in other projects and investigations, this was the first time they'd been used together for an extended period (60 days) in an investigation of this nature. Crew members exercised every day for six days, alternating every other day between aerobic and resistive exercise, and rested on the seventh day. On the aerobic exercise days, subjects exercised on an electronically braked cycle ergometer using a protocol that has been previously shown to maintain aerobic capacity in subjects exposed to a space flight analogue. On the resistive exercise days, crew members performed five major multijoint resistive exercises in a concentric mode, targeting those muscle groups and bones we believe are most severely affected by space flight. The subjects favorably tolerated both exercise protocols, with a 98% compliance to aerobic exercise prescription and a 91% adherence to the resistive exercise protocol. After 60 days, the crew members improved their peak aerobic capacity by an average 7%, and strength gains were noted in all subjects. These results suggest that these exercise protocols can be performed during ISS, lunar, and Mars missions, although we anticipate more frequent bouts with both protocols for long-duration spaceflight. Future projects should investigate the impact of increased exercise duration and frequency on subject compliance, and the efficacy of such exercise prescriptions.

Developing and Testing a Model to Predict Outcomes of Organizational Change

PubMed Central

Gustafson, David H; Sainfort, François; Eichler, Mary; Adams, Laura; Bisognano, Maureen; Steudel, Harold

2003-01-01

Objective To test the effectiveness of a Bayesian model employing subjective probability estimates for predicting success and failure of health care improvement projects. Data Sources Experts' subjective assessment data for model development and independent retrospective data on 221 healthcare improvement projects in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands collected between 1996 and 2000 for validation. Methods A panel of theoretical and practical experts and literature in organizational change were used to identify factors predicting the outcome of improvement efforts. A Bayesian model was developed to estimate probability of successful change using subjective estimates of likelihood ratios and prior odds elicited from the panel of experts. A subsequent retrospective empirical analysis of change efforts in 198 health care organizations was performed to validate the model. Logistic regression and ROC analysis were used to evaluate the model's performance using three alternative definitions of success. Data Collection For the model development, experts' subjective assessments were elicited using an integrative group process. For the validation study, a staff person intimately involved in each improvement project responded to a written survey asking questions about model factors and project outcomes. Results Logistic regression chi-square statistics and areas under the ROC curve demonstrated a high level of model performance in predicting success. Chi-square statistics were significant at the 0.001 level and areas under the ROC curve were greater than 0.84. Conclusions A subjective Bayesian model was effective in predicting the outcome of actual improvement projects. Additional prospective evaluations as well as testing the impact of this model as an intervention are warranted. PMID:12785571

Comparison of single-microphone noise reduction schemes: can hearing impaired listeners tell the difference?

PubMed

Huber, Rainer; Bisitz, Thomas; Gerkmann, Timo; Kiessling, Jürgen; Meister, Hartmut; Kollmeier, Birger

2018-06-01

The perceived qualities of nine different single-microphone noise reduction (SMNR) algorithms were to be evaluated and compared in subjective listening tests with normal hearing and hearing impaired (HI) listeners. Speech samples added with traffic noise or with party noise were processed by the SMNR algorithms. Subjects rated the amount of speech distortions, intrusiveness of background noise, listening effort and overall quality, using a simplified MUSHRA (ITU-R, 2003 ) assessment method. 18 normal hearing and 18 moderately HI subjects participated in the study. Significant differences between the rating behaviours of the two subject groups were observed: While normal hearing subjects clearly differentiated between different SMNR algorithms, HI subjects rated all processed signals very similarly. Moreover, HI subjects rated speech distortions of the unprocessed, noisier signals as being more severe than the distortions of the processed signals, in contrast to normal hearing subjects. It seems harder for HI listeners to distinguish between additive noise and speech distortions or/and they might have a different understanding of the term "speech distortion" than normal hearing listeners have. The findings confirm that the evaluation of SMNR schemes for hearing aids should always involve HI listeners.

Projection Reduction Exposure with Variable Axis Immersion Lenses (PREVAIL)-A High Throughput E-Beam Projection Approach for Next Generation Lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfeiffer, Hans

1999-12-01

Projection reduction exposure with variable axis immersion lenses (PREVAIL) represents the high throughput e-beam projection approach to next generation lithography (NGL), which IBM is pursuing in cooperation with Nikon Corporation as an alliance partner. This paper discusses the challenges and accomplishments of the PREVAIL project. The supreme challenge facing all e-beam lithography approaches has been and still is throughput. Since the throughput of e-beam projection systems is severely limited by the available optical field size, the key to success is the ability to overcome this limitation. The PREVAIL technique overcomes field-limiting off-axis aberrations through the use of variable axis lenses, which electronically shift the optical axis simultaneously with the deflected beam, so that the beam effectively remains on axis. The resist images obtained with the proof-of-concept (POC) system demonstrate that PREVAIL effectively eliminates off-axis aberrations affecting both the resolution and placement accuracy of pixels. As part of the POC system a high emittance gun has been developed to provide uniform illumination of the patterned subfield, and to fill the large numerical aperture projection optics designed to significantly reduce beam blur caused by Coulombinteraction.

Contrast adaptive total p-norm variation minimization approach to CT reconstruction for artifact reduction in reduced-view brain perfusion CT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Chang-Won; Kim, Jong-Hyo

2011-03-01

Perfusion CT (PCT) examinations are getting more frequently used for diagnosis of acute brain diseases such as hemorrhage and infarction, because the functional map images it produces such as regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV), and mean transit time (MTT) may provide critical information in the emergency work-up of patient care. However, a typical PCT scans the same slices several tens of times after injection of contrast agent, which leads to much increased radiation dose and is inevitability of growing concern for radiation-induced cancer risk. Reducing the number of views in projection in combination of TV minimization reconstruction technique is being regarded as an option for radiation reduction. However, reconstruction artifacts due to insufficient number of X-ray projections become problematic especially when high contrast enhancement signals are present or patient's motion occurred. In this study, we present a novel reconstruction technique using contrast-adaptive TpV minimization that can reduce reconstruction artifacts effectively by using different p-norms in high contrast and low contrast objects. In the proposed method, high contrast components are first reconstructed using thresholded projection data and low p-norm total variation to reflect sparseness in both projection and reconstruction spaces. Next, projection data are modified to contain only low contrast objects by creating projection data of reconstructed high contrast components and subtracting them from original projection data. Then, the low contrast projection data are reconstructed by using relatively high p-norm TV minimization technique, and are combined with the reconstructed high contrast component images to produce final reconstructed images. The proposed algorithm was applied to numerical phantom and a clinical data set of brain PCT exam, and the resultant images were compared with those using filtered back projection (FBP) and conventional TV reconstruction algorithm. Our results show the potential of the proposed algorithm for image quality improvement, which in turn may lead to dose reduction.

MO-DE-207A-10: One-Step CT Reconstruction for Metal Artifact Reduction by a Modification of Penalized Weighted Least-Squares (PWLS)

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

Kim, H; Chen, J

Purpose: Metal objects create severe artifacts in kilo-voltage (kV) CT image reconstructions due to the high attenuation coefficients of high atomic number objects. Most of the techniques devised to reduce this artifact utilize a two-step approach, which do not reliably yield the qualified reconstructed images. Thus, for accuracy and simplicity, this work presents a one-step reconstruction method based on a modified penalized weighted least-squares (PWLS) technique. Methods: Existing techniques for metal artifact reduction mostly adopt a two-step approach, which conduct additional reconstruction with the modified projection data from the initial reconstruction. This procedure does not consistently perform well due tomore » the uncertainties in manipulating the metal-contaminated projection data by thresholding and linear interpolation. This study proposes a one-step reconstruction process using a new PWLS operation with total-variation (TV) minimization, while not manipulating the projection. The PWLS for CT reconstruction has been investigated using a pre-defined weight, based on the variance of the projection datum at each detector bin. It works well when reconstructing CT images from metal-free projection data, which does not appropriately penalize metal-contaminated projection data. The proposed work defines the weight at each projection element under the assumption of a Poisson random variable. This small modification using element-wise penalization has a large impact in reducing metal artifacts. For evaluation, the proposed technique was assessed with two noisy, metal-contaminated digital phantoms, against the existing PWLS with TV minimization and the two-step approach. Result: The proposed PWLS with TV minimization greatly improved the metal artifact reduction, relative to the other techniques, by watching the results. Numerically, the new approach lowered the normalized root-mean-square error about 30 and 60% for the two cases, respectively, compared to the two-step method. Conclusion: A new PWLS operation shows promise for improving metal artifact reduction in CT imaging, as well as simplifying the reconstructing procedure.« less

A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial to Evaluate Extrinsic Stain Removal of a Whitening Dentifrice.

PubMed

Terézhalmy, Géza; He, Tao; Anastasia, Mary Kay; Eusebio, Rachelle

2016-12-01

To evaluate the extrinsic stain removal efficacy of a new whitening dentifrice containing sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) over a two-week period. This study used a controlled and randomized, examiner-blind, single-center, two-treatment, parallel group design. Subjects with visible extrinsic dental stain on facial surfaces of their anterior teeth, and meeting all study criteria, were entered into the trial. The test group received the whitening dentifrice with sodium fluoride and SHMP and an ADA reference soft manual toothbrush. Subjects in the control group received a dental prophylaxis after the initial examination at Baseline and were instructed to use their usual oral hygiene products at home. Subjects returned at Day 3 and Week 2 for re-evaluation of extrinsic dental stain. Extrinsic stain was measured using the Interproximal Modified Lobene (IML) Stain Index; safety was assessed based on clinical examination. Fifty subjects (mean age 32.0 years) completed the study, with 25 in each group. Statistically significant reductions in composite stain for whole tooth, as well as interproximal, gingival, and body surfaces were observed for both groups at Day 3 and Week 2 (p < 0.0001) with no significant differences between the two groups (p > 0.3). At Day 3, median percent reductions in composite IML stain from Baseline were 98% for the prophylaxis group and 100% for the test dentifrice group. At Week 2, median percent reductions in composite IML stain were 100% compared to Baseline for both groups. No adverse events were reported for either group. The whitening dentifrice demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in IML stain after three days and two weeks of use relative to baseline. Stain reduction with the toothpaste was comparable to a dental prophylaxis.

Contactless Abdominal Fat Reduction With Selective RF™ Evaluated by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): Case Study.

PubMed

Downie, Jeanine; Kaspar, Miroslav

2016-04-01

Noninvasive body shaping methods seem to be an ascending part of the aesthetics market. As a result, the pressure to develop reliable methods for the collection and presentation of their results has also increased. The most used techniques currently include ultrasound measurements of fat thickness in the treated area, caliper measurements, bioimpedance-based scale measurements or circumferential tape measurements. Although these are the most used techniques, almost all of them have some limitations in reproducibility and/or accuracy. This study shows Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as the new method for the presentation of results in the body shaping industry. Six subjects were treated by a contactless selective radiofrequency device (BTL Vanquish ME, BTL Industries Inc., Boston, MA). The MRI fat thickness was measured at the baseline and at 4-weeks following the treatment. In addition to MRI images and measurements, digital photographs and anthropometric evaluations such as weight, abdominal circumference, and caliper fat thickness measurements were recorded. Abdominal fat thickness measurements from the MRI were performed from the same slices determined by the same tissue artefacts. The MRI fat thickness difference between the baseline measurement and follow up visit showed an average reduction of 5.36 mm as calculated from the data of 5 subjects. One subject dropped out of study due to non-study related issues. The results were statistically significant based on the Student's T-test evaluation. Magnetic resonance imaging abdominal fat thickness measurements seems to be the best method for the evaluation of fat thickness reduction after non-invasive body shaping treatments. In this study, this method shows average fat thickness reduction of 5.36 mm while the weight of the subjects didn't change significantly. A large spot size measuring 1317 cm(2) (204 square inches) covers the abdomen flank to flank. The average thickness of 5.36 mm of the fat layer reduced under the applicator translates into significant cumulative circumferential reduction. The reduction was not related with dieting.

Teacher's Guide to Paddle-to-the-Sea: The MATCH Box Project; Prototype Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bever, Buz; Kresse, Frederick H.

The Materials and Activities for Teachers and Children (MATCH Box) project provides for a two-week intensive treatment of a subject on the elementary school level. Each MATCH Box contains materials, equipment and activities that work together to foster the teaching/learning of the particular subject matter. PADDLE-TO-THE-SEA is a social studies…

Using ICT to Teach "Hard to Teach" Topics in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oakes, Malcolm

2009-01-01

Science is a wonderful subject to teach. Often characterised as "hard", it is a subject that has evolved constantly over the years by adopting new practices. In recent years, these have included many aspects of ICT, which was the starting point for the author and his team's project. The basic principles of the project were that: (1) subject…

Risk Reduction for Use of Complex Devices in Space Projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berg, Melanie; Poivey, Christian; Friendlich, Mark; Petrick, Dave; LaBel, Kenneth; Stansberry, Scott

2007-01-01

We present guidel!nes to reduce risk to an acceptable level when using complex devices in space applications. Application to Virtex 4 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) on Express Logistic Carrier (ELC) project is presented.

Annoyance judgements of aircraft with and without acoustically treated nacelles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borsky, P. N.; Leonard, S.

1973-01-01

A series of subjective response laboratory tests were conducted to determine the effectiveness of reducing aircraft noise by treating the aircraft engine nacelles with acoustically absorbent material. A total of 108 subjects participated in the magnitude estimation tests. The subjects were selected from persons who had previously been interviewed and classified according to selected psychological characteristics. The subjects lived in three general areas located at three specified distances from New York's Kennedy Airport. The aircraft signals used in the tests consisted of tape recordings of the landing approach noise of a B-727 aircraft under normal operating conditions. These recordings were electronically altered to simulate an aircraft with acoustically treated nacelles to achieve noise reductions of approximately 6 EPNdB and 12 EPNdB. The results from these tests indicate that significant reductions in annoyance resulted from the synthesized nacelle treatments.

Safety, efficacy, and usage compliance of home-use device utilizing RF and light energies for treating periorbital wrinkles.

PubMed

Gold, Michael H; Biron, Julie; Levi, Liora; Sensing, Whitney

2017-03-01

The aging process is often associated with undesirable effects on facial skin such as skin redundancy, reduction of elasticity, and increased wrinkling. Radiofrequency (RF) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are widely used, clinically proven technologies for skin rejuvenation. This study aimed to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and usage compliance of the home-use device, utilizing RF and LED energies, for self-treatment of periorbital wrinkles and improvement of skin appearance. Thirty-three subjects performed 21 treatment sessions every other day, over 6 weeks on the periorbital areas. In addition, two maintenance treatments were conducted 1 and 2 months following treatment end. Each subject served as his/her own control, comparing results before treatment, and 3 months following treatment end. Thirty subjects completed the study. A blinded, independent photographs assessment of three dermatologists demonstrated an average reduction of 1.49 Fitzpatrick scores (P < 0.001). Analysis revealed improvement (downgrade of at least 1 score) in almost all subjects. No unexpected adverse events were reported. Post-treatment erythema was seen in all subjects and disappeared within 1 h. In some subjects, post-treatment edema was detected and resolved within 24 h. High satisfaction with the device operation, ease of treatments, safety, and wrinkle reduction was reported. The Silk'n Home Skin Tightening (HST) device offers a safe and effective in-home noninvasive technique to improve the appearance of age-related periorbital wrinkles. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

NOx emissions in China: historical trends and future perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, B.; Wang, S. X.; Liu, H.; Xu, J. Y.; Fu, K.; Klimont, Z.; Hao, J. M.; He, K. B.; Cofala, J.; Amann, M.

2013-10-01

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are key pollutants for the improvement of ambient air quality. Within this study we estimated the historical NOx emissions in China for the period 1995-2010, and calculated future NOx emissions every five years until 2030 under six emission scenarios. Driven by the fast growth of energy consumption, we estimate the NOx emissions in China increased rapidly from 11.0 Mt in 1995 to 26.1 Mt in 2010. Power plants, industry and transportation were major sources of NOx emissions, accounting for 28.4%, 34.0%, and 25.4% of the total NOx emissions in 2010, respectively. Two energy scenarios, a business as usual scenario (BAU) and an alternative policy scenario (PC), were developed to project future energy consumption. In 2030, total energy consumption is projected to increase by 64% and 27% from 2010 level respectively. Three sets of end-of-pipe pollution control measures, including baseline, progressive, and stringent control case, were developed for each energy scenario, thereby constituting six emission scenarios. By 2030, the total NOx emissions are projected to increase (compared to 2010) by 36% in the baseline while policy cases result in reduction up to 61% in the most ambitious case with stringent control measures. More than a third of the reduction achieved by 2030 between least and most ambitious scenario comes from power sector, and more than half is distributed equally between industry and transportation sectors. Selective catalytic reduction dominates the NOx emission reductions in power plants, while life style changes, control measures for industrial boilers and cement production are major contributors to reductions in industry. Timely enforcement of legislation on heavy-duty vehicles would contribute significantly to NOx emission reductions. About 30% of the NOx emission reduction in 2020 and 40% of the NOx emission reduction in 2030 could be treated as the ancillary benefit of energy conservation. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to explore the impact of key factors on future emissions.

Plaque and gingivitis reduction efficacy of an advanced pulsonic toothbrush: a 4-week randomized and controlled clinical trial.

PubMed

Sharma, Naresh C; Qaqish, Jimmy G; He, Tao; Walters, Patricia A; Grender, Julie M; Biesbrock, Aaron R

2010-12-01

To compare the safety and efficacy of a novel sonic power toothbrush and a manual toothbrush in the reduction of gingivitis and plaque over a 4-week period. This study employed a randomized two treatment, examiner-blinded, parallel group design. Subjects with evidence of gingivitis were randomly assigned to 4 weeks' twice daily home use of either the Oral-B Pulsonic sonic toothbrush or an ADA reference manual toothbrush. At baseline (Visit 1) and again after product use at Week 4, subjects received gingivitis evaluations with the Modified Gingival Index (MGI) and Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI) examinations, followed by plaque assessment using the Rustogi Modified Navy Plaque Index (RMNPI). For 12 hours before both visits, subjects abstained from all oral hygiene, and ceased eating, drinking and smoking 4 hours prior. Both brushes significantly reduced gingivitis, gingival bleeding and plaque compared with baseline, and were well-tolerated by the 129 subjects completing the study. The sonic toothbrush was statistically significantly (P < 0.0001) more effective than the manual brush, with greater relative mean reductions in MGI, GBI and RMNPI of 11.9%, 62.3% and 46.5%, respectively.

Evaluation of the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of an over-the-counter acne regimen containing benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid in subjects with acne.

PubMed

Kircik, Leon H; Gwazdauskas, Jennifer; Butners, Victoria; Eastern, Joseph; Green, Lawrence J

2013-03-01

Benzoyl peroxide (BPO) is a widely used over-the-counter (OTC) topical acne treatment often used in combination with salicylic acid (SA) to achieve better comedone control than that achieved with BPO alone. MaxClarity™ is an OTC acne treatment system comprising BPO and SA in an aqueous foam delivery vehicle, VersaFoam AF™. This paper describes 2 open-label, single-arm studies conducted to assess the efficacy, safety, tolerability, and patient preference of MaxClarity in the treatment of mild, moderate, and severe acne. Subjects applied MaxClarity twice daily for 8 weeks in study 402 and for 12 weeks in study 405. Reductions in all lesion types were seen throughout both studies. At week 8 (study 402), there was a mean reduction from baseline of -56.9 ± 32.7% in total lesions in subjects with mild, moderate, or severe acne. At week 12 (study 405), there was a reduction from baseline of -61.6 ± 22.0% in total lesions in subjects with moderate or severe acne. Overall, both studies demonstrated that MaxClarity is a generally well tolerated and effective treatment for mild, moderate, and severe acne.

The Iodine Satellite (iSAT) Hall Thruster Demonstration Mission Concept and Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dankanich, John W.; Polzin, Kurt A.; Calvert, Derek; Kamhawi, Hani

2014-01-01

The use of iodine propellant for Hall thrusters has been studied and proposed by multiple organizations due to the potential mission benefits over xenon. In 2013, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center competitively selected a project for the maturation of an iodine flight operational feed system through the Technology Investment Program. Multiple partnerships and collaborations have allowed the team to expand the scope to include additional mission concept development and risk reduction to support a flight system demonstration, the iodine Satellite (iSAT). The iSAT project was initiated and is progressing towards a technology demonstration mission preliminary design review. The current status of the mission concept development and risk reduction efforts in support of this project is presented.

Iterative methods for dose reduction and image enhancement in tomography

DOEpatents

Miao, Jianwei; Fahimian, Benjamin Pooya

2012-09-18

A system and method for creating a three dimensional cross sectional image of an object by the reconstruction of its projections that have been iteratively refined through modification in object space and Fourier space is disclosed. The invention provides systems and methods for use with any tomographic imaging system that reconstructs an object from its projections. In one embodiment, the invention presents a method to eliminate interpolations present in conventional tomography. The method has been experimentally shown to provide higher resolution and improved image quality parameters over existing approaches. A primary benefit of the method is radiation dose reduction since the invention can produce an image of a desired quality with a fewer number projections than seen with conventional methods.

X-rays of inner worlds: the mid-twentieth-century American projective test movement.

PubMed

Lemov, Rebecca

2011-01-01

This essay begins to tell the neglected history of the projective test movement in the U.S. behavioral sciences from approximately 1941 to 1968. This cross-disciplinary enterprise attempted to use projective techniques as "X-ray" machines to see into the psyches of subjects tested around the world. The aim was to gather subjective materials en masse, pursuing data on a scope, scale, and manner rarely hazarded before in any science. In particular, the targeted data included the traces of the inner life and elusive aspects of subjective experience including dreams, life stories, and myriad test results from a battery of tests. This essay explores how the movement and the experimental data bank that resulted were unlikely yet telling sites for the practice and pursuit of the Cold War human sciences. To look closely at the encounters that resulted is to show how the most out-of-the-way places and seemingly insignificant moments played a role in heady scientific ambitions and global geopolitical projects. At times, the projective test movement became a mirror of Cold War rationality itself, as tests were employed at the very limits of their possible extension. The essay argues for an off-kilter centrality in the movement itself, shedding light on the would-be unified social sciences after World War II and the "subjective turn" they took. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

76 FR 2376 - Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-13

...(s), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520 Comments are... comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that does not display a valid OMB control number. DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be...

76 FR 16624 - Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Submitted for Review and Approval to the Office...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-24

... following information collection(s), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 44 U.S.C... failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that does not display a currently valid OMB control number. DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA...

75 FR 58385 - Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-24

...(s), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501 - 3520. Comments are... failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that does not display a currently valid OMB control number. DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA...

40 CFR 76.5 - NOX emission limitations for Group 1 boilers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) ACID RAIN NITROGEN OXIDES EMISSION REDUCTION PROGRAM § 76.5 NOX emission limitations..., the date on which the unit is required to meet Acid Rain emission reduction requirements for SO2, the... subject to section 404(d) of the Act, the date the unit is required to meet Acid Rain emissions reduction...

The European, Japanese and US protective helmet, gloves and boots for firefighters: thermoregulatory and psychological evaluations.

PubMed

Lee, Joo-Young; Yamamoto, Yota; Oe, Riichi; Son, Su-Young; Wakabayashi, Hitoshi; Tochihara, Yutaka

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiological and subjective responses of the European, Japanese (JPN) and US firefighters' helmet, gloves and boots for international standardisation. Three experimental conditions were evaluated (clothing mass: 9.4, 8.2 and 10.1 kg for the three conditions, respectively) at the air temperature of 32°C and 60% relative humidity. The results showed that there was no significant difference among the three conditions in oxygen consumption, heart rate, total sweat rate, rectal temperature and mean skin temperature, whereas peripheral temperatures and subjective perceptions were lower in the JPN condition than in the other conditions (P < 0.05). These results indicate that a 0.5-kg reduction in helmet mass and a 1.1-kg reduction in boot mass during exercise resulted in a significant decrease in head and leg temperatures and subjective perceptions, while a 1.9-kg reduction in total clothing mass had insignificant influences on the metabolic burden and overall body temperature.

18 CFR 4.21 - Reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... PROJECT COSTS Determination of Cost of Constructed Projects not Subject to Section 23(a) of the Act § 4.21 Reports. Representatives of the Commission will inspect the project works, engineering reports, and other records of the project, check the inventory and estimated depreciation, make an audit of the books...

18 CFR 4.21 - Reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... PROJECT COSTS Determination of Cost of Constructed Projects not Subject to Section 23(a) of the Act § 4.21 Reports. Representatives of the Commission will inspect the project works, engineering reports, and other records of the project, check the inventory and estimated depreciation, make an audit of the books...

7 CFR 632.18 - Special projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Special projects. 632.18 Section 632.18 Agriculture... AGRICULTURE LONG TERM CONTRACTING RURAL ABANDONED MINE PROGRAM Qualifications § 632.18 Special projects. (a) The NRCS State conservationist may approve the following types of special projects subject to the...

7 CFR 632.18 - Special projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 6 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Special projects. 632.18 Section 632.18 Agriculture... AGRICULTURE LONG TERM CONTRACTING RURAL ABANDONED MINE PROGRAM Qualifications § 632.18 Special projects. (a) The NRCS State conservationist may approve the following types of special projects subject to the...

7 CFR 632.18 - Special projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 6 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Special projects. 632.18 Section 632.18 Agriculture... AGRICULTURE LONG TERM CONTRACTING RURAL ABANDONED MINE PROGRAM Qualifications § 632.18 Special projects. (a) The NRCS State conservationist may approve the following types of special projects subject to the...

7 CFR 632.18 - Special projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 6 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Special projects. 632.18 Section 632.18 Agriculture... AGRICULTURE LONG TERM CONTRACTING RURAL ABANDONED MINE PROGRAM Qualifications § 632.18 Special projects. (a) The NRCS State conservationist may approve the following types of special projects subject to the...

The entropy reduction engine: Integrating planning, scheduling, and control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drummond, Mark; Bresina, John L.; Kedar, Smadar T.

1991-01-01

The Entropy Reduction Engine, an architecture for the integration of planning, scheduling, and control, is described. The architecture is motivated, presented, and analyzed in terms of its different components; namely, problem reduction, temporal projection, and situated control rule execution. Experience with this architecture has motivated the recent integration of learning. The learning methods are described along with their impact on architecture performance.

Reductions in Transmission Risk Behaviors in HIV-Positive Clients Receiving Prevention Case Management Services: Findings from a Community Demonstration Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gasiorowicz, Mari; Llanas, Michelle R.; DiFranceisco, Wayne; Benotsch, Eric G.; Brondino, Michael J.; Catz, Sheryl L.; Hoxie, Neil J.; Reiser, William J.; Vergeront, James M.

2005-01-01

Prevention case management (PCM) for HIV-infected persons is an HIV risk reduction intervention designed to assist clients who are aware of their HIV infection and who continue to engage in risk transmission behaviors. PCM combines individual risk reduction counseling with case management to address the psychosocial factors affecting HIV…

Redskins in Bluecoats: A Strategic and Cultural Analysis of General George Crooks Use of Apache Scouts in the Second Apache Campaign, 1882-1886

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-31

Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the O ffice of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington...Jafferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0100...General William T. Sherman, upon Crook’s death, said he was, "the greatest Indian-fighter and manager the army of the United States ever had.,,4

Detailed Project Report and Environmental Assessment on Upper Gordons Creek, Urban Flood Damage Reduction Measures at Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-09-01

REDUCTION MEASURES AT HATTIESBURG, MISSISSIPPI US Army Corps SEPTEMBER 1986 of Engineers Mobile District DTIC South Atlantic Division O ELECTE S APR 14S1 87...8. CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMBER(&) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile 9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS 10. PROGRAM ELEMENT, PROJECT. TASK U.S...Army Corps of Enineers AREA & WORK UNIT NUMBERS ATTN: SAMPD-FW 1 P.O. Box 2288, Mobile , AL 36628 $1. CONTROLLING OFFICE NAME AND ADDRESS 12. REPORT

Using Radiation Risk Models in Cancer Screening Simulations: Important Assumptions and Effects on Outcome Projections

PubMed Central

Lee, Janie M.; McMahon, Pamela M.; Lowry, Kathryn P.; Omer, Zehra B.; Eisenberg, Jonathan D.; Pandharipande, Pari V.; Gazelle, G. Scott

2012-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of incorporating radiation risk into microsimulation (first-order Monte Carlo) models for breast and lung cancer screening to illustrate effects of including radiation risk on patient outcome projections. Materials and Methods: All data used in this study were derived from publicly available or deidentified human subject data. Institutional review board approval was not required. The challenges of incorporating radiation risk into simulation models are illustrated with two cancer screening models (Breast Cancer Model and Lung Cancer Policy Model) adapted to include radiation exposure effects from mammography and chest computed tomography (CT), respectively. The primary outcome projected by the breast model was life expectancy (LE) for BRCA1 mutation carriers. Digital mammographic screening beginning at ages 25, 30, 35, and 40 years was evaluated in the context of screenings with false-positive results and radiation exposure effects. The primary outcome of the lung model was lung cancer–specific mortality reduction due to annual screening, comparing two diagnostic CT protocols for lung nodule evaluation. The Metropolis-Hastings algorithm was used to estimate the mean values of the results with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). Results: Without radiation exposure effects, the breast model indicated that annual digital mammography starting at age 25 years maximized LE (72.03 years; 95% UI: 72.01 years, 72.05 years) and had the highest number of screenings with false-positive results (2.0 per woman). When radiation effects were included, annual digital mammography beginning at age 30 years maximized LE (71.90 years; 95% UI: 71.87 years, 71.94 years) with a lower number of screenings with false-positive results (1.4 per woman). For annual chest CT screening of 50-year-old females with no follow-up for nodules smaller than 4 mm in diameter, the lung model predicted lung cancer–specific mortality reduction of 21.50% (95% UI: 20.90%, 22.10%) without radiation risk and 17.75% (95% UI: 16.97%, 18.41%) with radiation risk. Conclusion: Because including radiation exposure risk can influence long-term projections from simulation models, it is important to include these risks when conducting modeling-based assessments of diagnostic imaging. © RSNA, 2012 Supplemental material: http://radiology.rsna.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/radiol.11110352/-/DC1 PMID:22357897

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Clean Cities Project Awards

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

2016-08-01

Each Clean Cities project award under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included a diverse group of stakeholders who worked together to lay the foundation for their communities to adopt alternative fuels and petroleum reduction strategies. This document provides a snapshot of the impact of each project and highlights the partners and Clean Cities coalitions who helped transform local and regional transportation markets through 25 projects impacting 45 states.

WASTE MINIMIZATION OPPORTUNITY ASSESSMENT: PHILADELPHIA NAVAL SHIPYARD

EPA Science Inventory

The Waste Reduction Evaluation at Federal Sites (WREAFS) Program consists of a series of demonstration and evaluation projects for waste reduction conducted cooperatively by EPA and various parts of the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE), and other Federal ag...

Impact of climate change on water resources status: A case study for Crete Island, Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koutroulis, Aristeidis G.; Tsanis, Ioannis K.; Daliakopoulos, Ioannis N.; Jacob, Daniela

2013-02-01

SummaryAn assessment of the impact of global climate change on the water resources status of the island of Crete, for a range of 24 different scenarios of projected hydro-climatological regime is presented. Three "state of the art" Global Climate Models (GCMs) and an ensemble of Regional Climate Models (RCMs) under emission scenarios B1, A2 and A1B provide future precipitation (P) and temperature (T) estimates that are bias adjusted against observations. The ensemble of RCMs for the A1B scenario project a higher P reduction compared to GCMs projections under A2 and B1 scenarios. Among GCMs model results, the ECHAM model projects a higher P reduction compared to IPSL and CNCM. Water availability for the whole island at basin scale until 2100 is estimated using the SAC-SMA rainfall-runoff model And a set of demand and infrastructure scenarios are adopted to simulate potential water use. While predicted reduction of water availability under the B1 emission scenario can be handled with water demand stabilized at present values and full implementation of planned infrastructure, other scenarios require additional measures and a robust signal of water insufficiency is projected. Despite inherent uncertainties, the quantitative impact of the projected changes on water availability indicates that climate change plays an important role to water use and management in controlling future water status in a Mediterranean island like Crete. The results of the study reinforce the necessity to improve and update local water management planning and adaptation strategies in order to attain future water security.

18 CFR 4.22 - Service of report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... PROJECT COSTS Determination of Cost of Constructed Projects not Subject to Section 23(a) of the Act § 4.22... the Governor of the State where such project is located, and to such other parties as the Commission...

18 CFR 4.22 - Service of report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... PROJECT COSTS Determination of Cost of Constructed Projects not Subject to Section 23(a) of the Act § 4.22... the State where such project is located, and to such other parties as the Commission shall prescribe...

18 CFR 4.22 - Service of report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... PROJECT COSTS Determination of Cost of Constructed Projects not Subject to Section 23(a) of the Act § 4.22... the State where such project is located, and to such other parties as the Commission shall prescribe...

18 CFR 4.22 - Service of report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... PROJECT COSTS Determination of Cost of Constructed Projects not Subject to Section 23(a) of the Act § 4.22... the State where such project is located, and to such other parties as the Commission shall prescribe...

18 CFR 4.22 - Service of report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... PROJECT COSTS Determination of Cost of Constructed Projects not Subject to Section 23(a) of the Act § 4.22... the State where such project is located, and to such other parties as the Commission shall prescribe...

Streamlining project delivery through risk analysis.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-08-01

Project delivery is a significant area of concern and is subject to several risks throughout Plan Development : Process (PDP). These risks are attributed to major areas of project development, such as environmental : analysis, right-of-way (ROW) acqu...

An assessment of collections at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Health Sciences Libraries: drug resistance.

PubMed

Bergen, P L; Nemec, D

1999-01-01

In December 1997, the authors completed an in-depth collection assessment project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Health Sciences Libraries. The purpose was to develop a framework for future collection assessment projects by completing a multifaceted evaluation of the libraries' monograph and serial collections in the subject area of drug resistance. Evaluators adapted and synthesized several traditional collection assessment tools, including shelflist measurement, bibliography and standard list checking, and citation analysis. Throughout the project, evaluators explored strategies to overcome some of the problems inherent in the application of traditional collection assessment methods to the evaluation of biomedical collections. Their efforts resulted in the identification of standard monographs and core journals for the subject area, a measurement of the collections' strength relative to the collections of benchmark libraries, and a foundation for future collection development within the subject area. The project's primary outcome was a collection assessment methodology that has potential application to both internal and cooperative collection development in medical, pharmaceutical, and other health sciences libraries.

An Opportunity to Lead Sustainably: The Benefits and Considerations of Student-Led Green Revolving Fund Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kononenko, Kevin

2012-01-01

In recent years, energy- and resource-reduction projects have compelled student leaders to create sustainability projects on campuses across the country. This paper examines the role that students play in green revolving funds, including identification, approval, and management. After speaking with numerous students on a variety of campuses, it is…

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 10: The NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinelli, Thomas E.; Kennedy, John M.; Barclay, Rebecca O.

1991-01-01

The role of the NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge DIffusion Research Project in helping to maintain U.S. competitiveness is addressed. The phases of the project are examined in terms of the focus, emphasis, subjects, methods, and desired outcomes. The importance of the project to aerospace R&D is emphasized.

Recent Status of SIM Lite Astrometric Observatory Mission: Flight Engineering Risk Reduction Activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goullioud, Renaud; Dekens, Frank; Nemati, Bijan; An, Xin; Carson, Johnathan

2010-01-01

The SIM Lite Astrometric Observatory is a mission concept for a space-borne instrument to perform micro-arc-second narrow-angle astrometry to search 60 to 100 nearby stars for Earth-like planets, and to perform global astrometry for a broad astrophysics program. The instrument consists of two Michelson stellar interferometers and a telescope. The first interferometer chops between the target star and a set of reference stars. The second interferometer monitors the attitude of the instrument in the direction of the target star. The telescope monitors the attitude of the instrument in the other two directions. The main enabling technology development for the mission was completed during phases A & B. The project is currently implementing the developed technology onto flight-ready engineering models. These key engineering tasks will significantly reduce the implementation risks during the flight phases C & D of the mission. The main optical interferometer components, including the astrometric beam combiner, the fine steering optical mechanism, the path-length-control and modulation optical mechanisms, focal-plane camera electronics and cooling heat pipe, are currently under development. Main assemblies are built to meet flight requirements and will be subjected to flight qualification level environmental testing (random vibration and thermal cycling) and performance testing. This paper summarizes recent progress in engineering risk reduction activities.

Providing Decision-Relevant Information for a State Climate Change Action Plan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wake, C.; Frades, M.; Hurtt, G. C.; Magnusson, M.; Gittell, R.; Skoglund, C.; Morin, J.

2008-12-01

Carbon Solutions New England (CSNE), a public-private partnership formed to promote collective action to achieve a low carbon society, has been working with the Governor appointed New Hampshire Climate Change Policy Task Force (NHCCTF) to support the development of a state Climate Change Action Plan. CSNE's role has been to quantify the potential carbon emissions reduction, implementation costs, and cost savings at three distinct time periods (2012, 2025, 2050) for a range of strategies identified by the Task Force. These strategies were developed for several sectors (transportation and land use, electricity generation and use, building energy use, and agriculture, forestry, and waste).New Hampshire's existing and projected economic and population growth are well above the regional average, creating additional challenges for the state to meet regional emission reduction targets. However, by pursuing an ambitious suite of renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies, New Hampshire may be able to continue growing while reducing emissions at a rate close to 3% per year up to 2025. This suite includes efficiency improvements in new and existing buildings, a renewable portfolio standard for electricity generation, avoiding forested land conversion, fuel economy gains in new vehicles, and a reduction in vehicle miles traveled. Most (over 80%) of these emission reduction strategies are projected to provide net economic savings in 2025.A collaborative and iterative process was developed among the key partners in the project. The foundation for the project's success included: a diverse analysis team with leadership that was committed to the project, an open source analysis approach, weekly meetings and frequent communication among the partners, interim reporting of analysis, and an established and trusting relationship among the partners, in part due to collaboration on previous projects.To develop decision-relevant information for the Task Force, CSNE addressed several challenges, including: allocating the emission reduction and economic impacts of local- to state-scale mitigation strategies that are in reality integrated on regional and/or national scales; incorporating changes to the details of the strategies over time; identifying and quantifying key variables; choosing appropriate levels of detail for over 100 strategies within the limited analysis timeframe; integrating individual strategies into a coherent whole; and structuring data presentation to maximize transparency of analysis without confusing or overwhelming decision makers.

Emission projections for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Section 812 second prospective Clean Air Act cost/benefit analysis.

PubMed

Wilson, James H; Mullen, Maureen A; Bollman, Andrew D; Thesing, Kirstin B; Salhotra, Manish; Divita, Frank; Neumann, James E; Price, Jason C; DeMocker, James

2008-05-01

Section 812 of the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) of 1990 requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to perform periodic, comprehensive analyses of the total costs and total benefits of programs implemented pursuant to the CAAA. The first prospective analysis was completed in 1999. The second prospective analysis was initiated during 2005. The first step in the second prospective analysis was the development of base and projection year emission estimates that will be used to generate benefit estimates of CAAA programs. This paper describes the analysis, methods, and results of the recently completed emission projections. There are several unique features of this analysis. One is the use of consistent economic assumptions from the Department of Energy's Annual Energy Outlook 2005 (AEO 2005) projections as the basis for estimating 2010 and 2020 emissions for all sectors. Another is the analysis of the different emissions paths for both with and without CAAA scenarios. Other features of this analysis include being the first EPA analysis that uses the 2002 National Emission Inventory files as the basis for making 48-state emission projections, incorporating control factor files from the Regional Planning Organizations (RPOs) that had completed emission projections at the time the analysis was performed, and modeling the emission benefits of the expected adoption of measures to meet the 8-hr ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), the Clean Air Visibility Rule, and the PM2.5 NAAQS. This analysis shows that the 1990 CAAA have produced significant reductions in criteria pollutant emissions since 1990 and that these emission reductions are expected to continue through 2020. CAAA provisions have reduced volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions by approximately 7 million t/yr by 2000, and are estimated to produce associated VOC emission reductions of 16.7 million t by 2020. Total oxides of nitrogen (NO(x)) emission reductions attributable to the CAAA are 5, 12, and 17 million t in 2000, 2010, and 2020, respectively. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission benefits during the study period are dominated by electricity-generating unit (EGU) SO2 emission reductions. These EGU emission benefits go from 7.5 million t reduced in 2000 to 15 million t reduced in 2020.