Sample records for reference experiments project

  1. Space Station Biological Research Project: Reference Experiment Book

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, Catherine (Editor); Wade, Charles (Editor)

    1996-01-01

    The Space Station Biological Research Project (SSBRP), which is the combined efforts of the Centrifuge Facility (CF) and the Gravitational Biology Facility (GBF), is responsible for the development of life sciences hardware to be used on the International Space Station to support cell, developmental, and plant biology research. The SSBRP Reference Experiment Book was developed to use as a tool for guiding this development effort. The reference experiments characterize the research interests of the international scientific community and serve to identify the hardware capabilities and support equipment needed to support such research. The reference experiments also serve as a tool for understanding the operational aspects of conducting research on board the Space Station. This material was generated by the science community by way of their responses to reference experiment solicitation packages sent to them by SSBRP scientists. The solicitation process was executed in two phases. The first phase was completed in February of 1992 and the second phase completed in November of 1995. Representing these phases, the document is subdivided into a Section 1 and a Section 2. The reference experiments contained in this document are only representative microgravity experiments. They are not intended to define actual flight experiments. Ground and flight experiments will be selected through the formal NASA Research Announcement (NRA) and Announcement of Opportunity (AO) experiment solicitation, review, and selection process.

  2. Beyond Portfolios: Looking at Students' Projects as Teaching and Evaluation Devices.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sokolik, Maggi; Tillyer, Anthea

    1992-01-01

    Based on classroom experience, this article discusses the advantages of research project writing rather than "portfolio" writing. Projects are more focused and can prepare students for study in their field. (eight references) (KM)

  3. Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP): Experimental Design and Boundary Conditions (Experiment 2)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Haywood, A. M.; Dowsett, H. J.; Robinson, M. M.; Stoll, D. K.; Dolan, A. M.; Lunt, D. J.; Otto-Bliesner, B.; Chandler, M. A.

    2011-01-01

    The Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project has expanded to include a model intercomparison for the mid-Pliocene warm period (3.29 to 2.97 million yr ago). This project is referred to as PlioMIP (the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project). Two experiments have been agreed upon and together compose the initial phase of PlioMIP. The first (Experiment 1) is being performed with atmosphere only climate models. The second (Experiment 2) utilizes fully coupled ocean-atmosphere climate models. Following on from the publication of the experimental design and boundary conditions for Experiment 1 in Geoscientific Model Development, this paper provides the necessary description of differences and/or additions to the experimental design for Experiment 2.

  4. Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP): experimental design and boundary conditions (Experiment 2)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Haywood, A.M.; Dowsett, H.J.; Robinson, M.M.; Stoll, D.K.; Dolan, A.M.; Lunt, D.J.; Otto-Bliesner, B.; Chandler, M.A.

    2011-01-01

    The Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project has expanded to include a model intercomparison for the mid-Pliocene warm period (3.29 to 2.97 million yr ago). This project is referred to as PlioMIP (the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project). Two experiments have been agreed upon and together compose the initial phase of PlioMIP. The first (Experiment 1) is being performed with atmosphere-only climate models. The second (Experiment 2) utilises fully coupled ocean-atmosphere climate models. Following on from the publication of the experimental design and boundary conditions for Experiment 1 in Geoscientific Model Development, this paper provides the necessary description of differences and/or additions to the experimental design for Experiment 2.

  5. EUPOS - Satellite multifunctional system of reference stations in Central and Eastern Europe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sledzinski, J.

    2003-04-01

    The European project EUPOS (European Position Determination System) of establishment of a system of multifunctional satellite reference stations in Central and Eastern Europe is described in the paper. Fifteen countries intend to participate in the project: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovak Republic and Slovenia. One common project will be prepared for all countries, however it will include the existing or developed infrastructure in particular countries. The experiences of establishing and operating of the German network SAPOS as well as experiences gained by other countries will be used. The European network of stations will be compatible with the system SAPOS and future European system Galileo. The network of reference stations will provide signal for both positioning of the geodetic control points and for land, air and marine navigation. Several levels of positioning accuracy will be delivered.

  6. Here, There, and Everywhere: Reference at the Point-of-Need.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trump, Judith F.; Tuttle, Ian P.

    2001-01-01

    Growing numbers of libraries are experimenting with a new form of interactive reference to extend service to their patrons at the point-of-need and time-of-need. Examines digital reference for the altered user culture and point-of-need service products. Describes a pilot project offering chat reference service. Discuses developing service…

  7. Ten Days at Sea: For Grades K through 3

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seddon, Marian

    1977-01-01

    Outlines a 10-day unit in oceanography for the primary grades. Suggest stories, chalkboard work, topics for discussion, coloring projects, experiments, films, reference books, and topics for research projects. (CS)

  8. The Project-Approach to GIS as an Integrative Classroom Technology: An Environmental Case Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gatrell, Jay D.; Oshiro, Kenji K.

    2001-01-01

    Explains how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) influences geography curricula and how project-based learning can be applied to GIS experiences. Introduces a project investigating non-geography college students' design and implementation of a environmental GIS application. (Contains 16 references.) (YDS)

  9. Thought Experiments in Physics Education: A Simple and Practical Example.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lattery, Mark J.

    2001-01-01

    Uses a Galilean thought experiment to enhance learning in a college-level physical science course. Presents both modern and historical perspectives of Galileo's work. As a final project, students explored Galileo's thought experiment in the laboratory using modern detectors with satisfying results. (Contains 25 references.) (Author/ASK)

  10. A Directed Research Project Investigating Territoriality and Aggression in Crickets.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Darling, Ruth A.

    2001-01-01

    Describes a directed research project that examines the territorial and aggressive behavior of crickets. Presents behavioral ecology laboratory experiments in which students test the hypothesis that crickets with established territories are more likely to win confrontations that intruding crickets. (Contains 11 references.) (ASK)

  11. Progress on the Fabric for Frontier Experiments Project at Fermilab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Box, Dennis; Boyd, Joseph; Dykstra, Dave; Garzoglio, Gabriele; Herner, Kenneth; Kirby, Michael; Kreymer, Arthur; Levshina, Tanya; Mhashilkar, Parag; Sharma, Neha

    2015-12-01

    The FabrIc for Frontier Experiments (FIFE) project is an ambitious, major-impact initiative within the Fermilab Scientific Computing Division designed to lead the computing model for Fermilab experiments. FIFE is a collaborative effort between experimenters and computing professionals to design and develop integrated computing models for experiments of varying needs and infrastructure. The major focus of the FIFE project is the development, deployment, and integration of Open Science Grid solutions for high throughput computing, data management, database access and collaboration within experiment. To accomplish this goal, FIFE has developed workflows that utilize Open Science Grid sites along with dedicated and commercial cloud resources. The FIFE project has made significant progress integrating into experiment computing operations several services including new job submission services, software and reference data distribution through CVMFS repositories, flexible data transfer client, and access to opportunistic resources on the Open Science Grid. The progress with current experiments and plans for expansion with additional projects will be discussed. FIFE has taken a leading role in the definition of the computing model for Fermilab experiments, aided in the design of computing for experiments beyond Fermilab, and will continue to define the future direction of high throughput computing for future physics experiments worldwide.

  12. Annotated Selected Bibliography & Index for Teaching African-American Learners: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hilliard, Asa G.

    This annotated bibliography and index presents nearly 2,000 references that are substantially unique to African or African American teaching and learning. Designed to support teacher education, the bibliography features references that were chosen if they were culturally relevant, recognized the African or African American experience, and drew…

  13. Thermal power systems small power systems application project: Siting issues for solar thermal power plants with small community applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Holbeck, H. J.; Ireland, S. J.

    1979-01-01

    The siting issues associated with small, dispersed solar thermal power plants for utility/small community applications of less than 10 MWe are reported. Some specific requirements are refered to the first engineering experiment for the Small Power Systems Applications (SPSA) Project. The background for the subsequent issue discussions is provided. The SPSA Project and the requirements for the first engineering experiment are described, and the objectives and scope for the report as a whole. A overview of solar thermal technologies and some technology options are discussed.

  14. Projection-based motion estimation for cardiac functional analysis with high temporal resolution: a proof-of-concept study with digital phantom experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suzuki, Yuki; Fung, George S. K.; Shen, Zeyang; Otake, Yoshito; Lee, Okkyun; Ciuffo, Luisa; Ashikaga, Hiroshi; Sato, Yoshinobu; Taguchi, Katsuyuki

    2017-03-01

    Cardiac motion (or functional) analysis has shown promise not only for non-invasive diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases but also for prediction of cardiac future events. Current imaging modalities has limitations that could degrade the accuracy of the analysis indices. In this paper, we present a projection-based motion estimation method for x-ray CT that estimates cardiac motion with high spatio-temporal resolution using projection data and a reference 3D volume image. The experiment using a synthesized digital phantom showed promising results for motion analysis.

  15. Reflecting on the challenges of building a rich interconnected metadata database to describe the experiments of phase six of the coupled climate model intercomparison project (CMIP6) for the Earth System Documentation Project (ES-DOC) and anticipating the opportunities that tooling and services based on rich metadata can provide.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pascoe, C. L.

    2017-12-01

    The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) has coordinated climate model experiments involving multiple international modelling teams since 1995. This has led to a better understanding of past, present, and future climate. The 2017 sixth phase of the CMIP process (CMIP6) consists of a suite of common experiments, and 21 separate CMIP-Endorsed Model Intercomparison Projects (MIPs) making a total of 244 separate experiments. Precise descriptions of the suite of CMIP6 experiments have been captured in a Common Information Model (CIM) database by the Earth System Documentation Project (ES-DOC). The database contains descriptions of forcings, model configuration requirements, ensemble information and citation links, as well as text descriptions and information about the rationale for each experiment. The database was built from statements about the experiments found in the academic literature, the MIP submissions to the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), WCRP summary tables and correspondence with the principle investigators for each MIP. The database was collated using spreadsheets which are archived in the ES-DOC Github repository and then rendered on the ES-DOC website. A diagramatic view of the workflow of building the database of experiment metadata for CMIP6 is shown in the attached figure.The CIM provides the formalism to collect detailed information from diverse sources in a standard way across all the CMIP6 MIPs. The ES-DOC documentation acts as a unified reference for CMIP6 information to be used both by data producers and consumers. This is especially important given the federated nature of the CMIP6 project. Because the CIM allows forcing constraints and other experiment attributes to be referred to by more than one experiment, we can streamline the process of collecting information from modelling groups about how they set up their models for each experiment. End users of the climate model archive will be able to ask questions enabled by the interconnectedness of the metadata such as "Which MIPs make use of experiment A?" and "Which experiments use forcing constraint B?".

  16. Progress on the FabrIc for Frontier Experiments project at Fermilab

    DOE PAGES

    Box, Dennis; Boyd, Joseph; Dykstra, Dave; ...

    2015-12-23

    The FabrIc for Frontier Experiments (FIFE) project is an ambitious, major-impact initiative within the Fermilab Scientific Computing Division designed to lead the computing model for Fermilab experiments. FIFE is a collaborative effort between experimenters and computing professionals to design and develop integrated computing models for experiments of varying needs and infrastructure. The major focus of the FIFE project is the development, deployment, and integration of Open Science Grid solutions for high throughput computing, data management, database access and collaboration within experiment. To accomplish this goal, FIFE has developed workflows that utilize Open Science Grid sites along with dedicated and commercialmore » cloud resources. The FIFE project has made significant progress integrating into experiment computing operations several services including new job submission services, software and reference data distribution through CVMFS repositories, flexible data transfer client, and access to opportunistic resources on the Open Science Grid. Hence, the progress with current experiments and plans for expansion with additional projects will be discussed. FIFE has taken a leading role in the definition of the computing model for Fermilab experiments, aided in the design of computing for experiments beyond Fermilab, and will continue to define the future direction of high throughput computing for future physics experiments worldwide« less

  17. Science Goals of the Primary Atomic Reference Clock in Space (PARCS) Experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ashby, N.

    2003-01-01

    The PARCS (Primary Atomic Reference Clock in Space) experiment will use a laser-cooled Cesium atomic clock operating in the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to provide both advanced tests of gravitational theory and to demonstrate a new cold-atom clock technology for space. PARCS is a joint project of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and the University of Colorado (CU). This paper concentrates on the scientific goals of the PARCS mission. The microgravity space environment allows laser-cooled Cs atoms to have Ramsey times in excess of those feasible on Earth, resulting in improved clock performance. Clock stabilities of 5x10(exp -14) at one second, and accuracies better than 10(exp -16) are projected.

  18. The FIFE Project at Fermilab

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

    Box, D.; Boyd, J.; Di Benedetto, V.

    2016-01-01

    The FabrIc for Frontier Experiments (FIFE) project is an initiative within the Fermilab Scientific Computing Division designed to steer the computing model for non-LHC Fermilab experiments across multiple physics areas. FIFE is a collaborative effort between experimenters and computing professionals to design and develop integrated computing models for experiments of varying size, needs, and infrastructure. The major focus of the FIFE project is the development, deployment, and integration of solutions for high throughput computing, data management, database access and collaboration management within an experiment. To accomplish this goal, FIFE has developed workflows that utilize Open Science Grid compute sites alongmore » with dedicated and commercial cloud resources. The FIFE project has made significant progress integrating into experiment computing operations several services including a common job submission service, software and reference data distribution through CVMFS repositories, flexible and robust data transfer clients, and access to opportunistic resources on the Open Science Grid. The progress with current experiments and plans for expansion with additional projects will be discussed. FIFE has taken the leading role in defining the computing model for Fermilab experiments, aided in the design of experiments beyond those hosted at Fermilab, and will continue to define the future direction of high throughput computing for future physics experiments worldwide.« less

  19. The Programme of Experiments in Intercultural Education from 1986 to 1991. Final Educational Evaluation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perotti, Antonio; And Others

    This document reports on a five year series of experiments in intercultural education. The main lessons emerging from the project are summarized under four headings: (1) the new frame of reference in analyzing the problem; (2) new concepts and new educational aims and content; (3) results and limitations of the experiments in relation to the new…

  20. BIOSPEX: Biological space experiments, a compendium of life sciences experiments carried on US spacecraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, M.; Rummel, J. A. (Editor); Deutsch, S. (Editor)

    1979-01-01

    United States space life science experiments, encompassing 27 years of experience beginning with sounding rocket flights carrying primates (1948) to the last U.S. spaceflight, the joint US/USSR Apollo Test Project (1975), are presented. The information for each experiment includes Principal Investigators, the program and mission on which it was flown, the specimens used, the objectives, protocol, equipment, results, conclusions, and bibliographic reference citations for publications derived from each experiment.

  1. Review of potential EGS sites and possible EGS demonstration scenarios

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

    None

    1999-09-01

    Review of potential sites for Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) and development of reference scenarios for EGS demonstration projects are two sub-tasks included in the FY 1999 EGS Research and Development (R&D) Management Task (DOE Task Order Number DE-AT07-99ID60365, included in the Appendix of this report). These sub-tasks are consistent with the EGS Strategic Plan, which includes milestones relating to EGS site selection (Milestone 4, to be completed in 2004) and development of a cost-shared, pilot-scale demonstration project (Milestone 5, to be completed in 2008). The purpose of the present work is to provide some reference points for discussing what typemore » of EGS projects might be undertaken, where they might be located, and what the associated benefits are likely to be. The review of potential EGS sites is presented in Chapter 2 of this report. It draws upon site-selection criteria (and potential project sites that were identified using those criteria) developed at a mini-workshop held at the April 1998 DOE Geothermal Program Review to discuss EGS R&D issues. The criteria and the sites were the focus of a paper presented at the 4th International Hot Dry Rock Forum in Strasbourg in September 1998 (Sass and Robertson-Tait, 1998). The selection criteria, project sites and possible EGS developments discussed in the workshop and paper are described in more detail herein. Input from geothermal operators is incorporated, and water availability and transmission-line access are emphasized. The reference scenarios for EGS demonstration projects are presented in Chapter 3. Three alternative scenarios are discussed: (1) a stand-alone demonstration plant in an area with no existing geothermal development; (2) a separate generating facility adjacent to an existing geothermal development; and (3) an EGS project that supplies an existing geothermal power plant with additional generating capacity. Furthermore, information potentially useful to DOE in framing solicitations and selecting projects for funding is discussed objectively. Although defined as separate sub-tasks, the EGS site review and reference scenarios are closely related. The incremental approach to EGS development that has recently been adopted could logically be expected to yield proposals for studies that lead up to and include production-enhancement experiments in producing geothermal fields in the very near future. However, the strategic plan clearly calls for the development of a more comprehensive demonstration project that can generate up to perhaps 10 MW (gross). It is anticipated that a series of small-scale experiments will define what realistically may be achieved in the near future, thus setting the stage for a successful pilot demonstration. This report continues the process of presenting information on EGS sites and experiments, and begins the process of defining what a demonstration project might be.« less

  2. Internet as a Tool for Reference Work Experiences from the IFLA/Danida Trial Project in Ghana.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kondrup, Ruth

    The basic ideas of the project described in this paper are to establish Internet connections to libraries in developing countries, to give access to information and to organize training of staff. Technical solutions with radio and microwave Internet connections have been established. Access to on-line journals has been established by the PERI…

  3. The Radio JOVE Project - Shoestring Radio Astronomy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thieman, J.; Flagg, R.; Greenman, W.; Higgins, C.; Reyes, F.; Sky, J.

    2010-01-01

    Radio JOVE is an education and outreach project intended to give students and other interested individuals hands-on experience in learning radio astronomy. They can do this through building a radio telescope from a relatively inexpensive kit that includes the parts for a receiver and an antenna as well as software for a computer chart recorder emulator (Radio Skypipe) and other reference materials

  4. Seeking Democracy Inside, and Outside, of Education: Re-Conceptualizing Perceptions and Experiences Related to Democracy and Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carr, Paul R.; Thésée, Gina

    2017-01-01

    This conceptual article underscores the importance of critical engagement in and through education with a view to enhancing education for democracy (EfD). As a centerpiece to illustrating this connection, we refer to our research project, which engages international actors through an analysis of the perceptions, experiences and perspectives of…

  5. Initiating Transdisciplinarity in Academic Case Study Teaching: Experiences from a Regional Development Project in Salzburg, Austria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muhar, Andreas; Vilsmaier, Ulli; Glanzer, Michaela; Freyer, Bernhard

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe experiences with the initiation of transdisciplinarity in academic case study teaching with special reference to regional planning, based on the case study "Leben 2014 (Life 2014)--perspectives for regional development in the national park region Ober-pinz-gau, Salzburg".…

  6. Space Construction System Analysis. Part 2: Executive summary

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1980-01-01

    A detailed, end-to-end analysis of the activities, techniques, equipment and Shuttle provisions required to construct a reference project system is described. Included are: platform definition; construction analysis; cost and programmatics; and space construction experiments concepts.

  7. The openEHR Java reference implementation project.

    PubMed

    Chen, Rong; Klein, Gunnar

    2007-01-01

    The openEHR foundation has developed an innovative design for interoperable and future-proof Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems based on a dual model approach with a stable reference information model complemented by archetypes for specific clinical purposes.A team from Sweden has implemented all the stable specifications in the Java programming language and donated the source code to the openEHR foundation. It was adopted as the openEHR Java Reference Implementation in March 2005 and released under open source licenses. This encourages early EHR implementation projects around the world and a number of groups have already started to use this code. The early Java implementation experience has also led to the publication of the openEHR Java Implementation Technology Specification. A number of design changes to the specifications and important minor corrections have been directly initiated by the implementation project over the last two years. The Java Implementation has been important for the validation and improvement of the openEHR design specifications and provides building blocks for future EHR systems.

  8. Systems engineering real estate development projects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gusakova, Elena; Titarenko, Boris; Stepanov, Vitaliy

    2017-10-01

    In recent years, real estate development has accumulated a wealth of experience in implementing major projects, which requires comprehension and systematization. The scientific instrument of system engineering is studied in the article and is substantively interpreted with reference to real estate development projects. The most perspective approaches and models are substantiated, allowing strategically to plan the life cycle of the project as a whole, and also to solve the engineering butt problems of the project. The relevance of further scientific studies of regularities and specifics of the life cycle of real estate development projects conducted at the Moscow State University of Economics and Management at the ISTA department is shown.

  9. [Thoughts on the Witnessed Audit in Medical Device Single Audit Program].

    PubMed

    Wen, Jing; Xiao, Jiangyi; Wang, Aijun

    2018-02-08

    Medical Device Single Audit Program is one of the key projects in International Medical Device Regulators Forum, which has much experience to be used for reference. This paper briefly describes the procedures and contents of the Witnessed Audit in Medical Device Single Audit Program. Some revelations about the work of Witnessed Audit have been discussed, for reference by the Regulatory Authorities and the Auditing Organizations.

  10. Peer Learning across the Undergraduate Information Systems Curriculum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Granger, Mary J.; Lippert, Susan K.

    1999-01-01

    Focuses on the use of in-class peer learning experiences in several typical Information Systems courses. Provides additional summaries of three semester-long learning projects in Structured Programming, Systems Design, and Database Design. (Contains 29 references.) (Author/ASK)

  11. Subcollicular projections to the auditory thalamus and collateral projections to the inferior colliculus.

    PubMed

    Schofield, Brett R; Mellott, Jeffrey G; Motts, Susan D

    2014-01-01

    Experiments in several species have identified direct projections to the medial geniculate nucleus (MG) from cells in subcollicular auditory nuclei. Moreover, many cochlear nucleus cells that project to the MG send collateral projections to the inferior colliculus (IC) (Schofield et al., 2014). We conducted three experiments to characterize projections to the MG from the superior olivary and the lateral lemniscal regions in guinea pigs. For experiment 1, we made large injections of retrograde tracer into the MG. Labeled cells were most numerous in the superior paraolivary nucleus, ventral nucleus of the trapezoid body, lateral superior olivary nucleus, ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus, ventrolateral tegmental nucleus, paralemniscal region and sagulum. Additional sources include other periolivary nuclei and the medial superior olivary nucleus. The projections are bilateral with an ipsilateral dominance (66%). For experiment 2, we injected tracer into individual MG subdivisions. The results show that the subcollicular projections terminate primarily in the medial MG, with the dorsal MG a secondary target. The variety of projecting nuclei suggest a range of functions, including monaural and binaural aspects of hearing. These direct projections could provide the thalamus with some of the earliest (i.e., fastest) information regarding acoustic stimuli. For experiment 3, we made large injections of different retrograde tracers into one MG and the homolateral IC to identify cells that project to both targets. Such cells were numerous and distributed across many of the nuclei listed above, mostly ipsilateral to the injections. The prominence of the collateral projections suggests that the same information is delivered to both the IC and the MG, or perhaps that a common signal is being delivered as a preparatory indicator or temporal reference point. The results are discussed from functional and evolutionary perspectives.

  12. Subcollicular projections to the auditory thalamus and collateral projections to the inferior colliculus

    PubMed Central

    Schofield, Brett R.; Mellott, Jeffrey G.; Motts, Susan D.

    2014-01-01

    Experiments in several species have identified direct projections to the medial geniculate nucleus (MG) from cells in subcollicular auditory nuclei. Moreover, many cochlear nucleus cells that project to the MG send collateral projections to the inferior colliculus (IC) (Schofield et al., 2014). We conducted three experiments to characterize projections to the MG from the superior olivary and the lateral lemniscal regions in guinea pigs. For experiment 1, we made large injections of retrograde tracer into the MG. Labeled cells were most numerous in the superior paraolivary nucleus, ventral nucleus of the trapezoid body, lateral superior olivary nucleus, ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus, ventrolateral tegmental nucleus, paralemniscal region and sagulum. Additional sources include other periolivary nuclei and the medial superior olivary nucleus. The projections are bilateral with an ipsilateral dominance (66%). For experiment 2, we injected tracer into individual MG subdivisions. The results show that the subcollicular projections terminate primarily in the medial MG, with the dorsal MG a secondary target. The variety of projecting nuclei suggest a range of functions, including monaural and binaural aspects of hearing. These direct projections could provide the thalamus with some of the earliest (i.e., fastest) information regarding acoustic stimuli. For experiment 3, we made large injections of different retrograde tracers into one MG and the homolateral IC to identify cells that project to both targets. Such cells were numerous and distributed across many of the nuclei listed above, mostly ipsilateral to the injections. The prominence of the collateral projections suggests that the same information is delivered to both the IC and the MG, or perhaps that a common signal is being delivered as a preparatory indicator or temporal reference point. The results are discussed from functional and evolutionary perspectives. PMID:25100950

  13. Driver detention times in commercial motor vehicle operations : [research brief].

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-12-01

    The purpose of this project was to better understand : the nature of detention times in the commercial motor : vehicle (CMV) industry. Detention time refers to the : time that CMV operators may experience at shipping : and receiving facilities associ...

  14. Reconstruction method for fringe projection profilometry based on light beams.

    PubMed

    Li, Xuexing; Zhang, Zhijiang; Yang, Chen

    2016-12-01

    A novel reconstruction method for fringe projection profilometry, based on light beams, is proposed and verified by experiments. Commonly used calibration techniques require the parameters of projector calibration or the reference planes placed in many known positions. Obviously, introducing the projector calibration can reduce the accuracy of the reconstruction result, and setting the reference planes to many known positions is a time-consuming process. Therefore, in this paper, a reconstruction method without projector's parameters is proposed and only two reference planes are introduced. A series of light beams determined by the subpixel point-to-point map on the two reference planes combined with their reflected light beams determined by the camera model are used to calculate the 3D coordinates of reconstruction points. Furthermore, the bundle adjustment strategy and the complementary gray-code phase-shifting method are utilized to ensure the accuracy and stability. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons as well as experimental tests demonstrate the performance of our proposed approach, and the measurement accuracy can reach about 0.0454 mm.

  15. Solar Radar Experiments

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1998-01-01

    communications satellites and electric power grids. RELATED PROJECTS Studies with the HAARP radar facility being constructed in Alaska are conducted with...on wave-plasma interactions and also are assessing the possible use of HAARP as a solar radar. REFERENCES James, J. C., Radar studies of the sun, in

  16. Measuring and Modeling Cosmic Ray Showers with an MBL System: An Undergraduate Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jackson, David P.; Welker, Matthew T.

    2001-01-01

    Describes a novel method for inducing and measuring cosmic ray showers using a low-cost, microcomputer-based laboratory system. Uses low counting-rate radiation monitors in the reproduction of Bruno Rossi's classic experiment. (Contains 16 references.) (Author/YDS)

  17. Next Generation Workload Management and Analysis System for Big Data

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

    De, Kaushik

    We report on the activities and accomplishments of a four-year project (a three-year grant followed by a one-year no cost extension) to develop a next generation workload management system for Big Data. The new system is based on the highly successful PanDA software developed for High Energy Physics (HEP) in 2005. PanDA is used by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and the AMS experiment at the space station. The program of work described here was carried out by two teams of developers working collaboratively at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and the University of Texas at Arlingtonmore » (UTA). These teams worked closely with the original PanDA team – for the sake of clarity the work of the next generation team will be referred to as the BigPanDA project. Their work has led to the adoption of BigPanDA by the COMPASS experiment at CERN, and many other experiments and science projects worldwide.« less

  18. THE BEAR BROOK WATERSHED MANIPULATION PROJECT: WATERSHED SCIENCE IN A POLICY PERSPECTIVE

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Bear Brook Watershed Manipulation in Maine is a paired watershed experiment. Monitoring of the paired catchments (East Bear Brook - reference; West Bear Brook - experimental) began in early 1987. Chemical manipulation of West Bear Brook catchment began in November 1989. Proce...

  19. Engaging Australian Aboriginal narratives to challenge attitudes and create empathy in health care: a methodological perspective.

    PubMed

    Wain, Toni; Sim, Moira; Bessarab, Dawn; Mak, Donna; Hayward, Colleen; Rudd, Cobie

    2016-06-02

    Unconscious bias and negative attitudes towards minority groups have detrimental effects on the way health care is, or is not, provided to these groups. Recognition of racist attitudes and behaviours as well as understanding clients' experiences of health and health care are pivotal to developing better health care strategies to positively impact on the quality and safety of care provided to Indigenous people. Indigenous research demands inclusive research processes and the use of culturally appropriate methodologies. This paper presents a methodological account of collecting narratives which accurately and respectfully reflect Aboriginal Australians' experiences with health care in Western Australia. The purpose of these narratives is to provide health students and professionals with an opportunity to 'walk-in the shoes' of Aboriginal people where face-to-face interaction is not feasible. With the incorporation of Indigenous peoples' voices being an important link in cultural safety, the project was led by an Indigenous Reference group, who encouraged active participation of Aboriginal people in all areas of the project. Using a phenomenological approach and guided by the Indigenous Reference group, yarning data collection was implemented to collect stories focusing on Aboriginal people's experiences with health care services. An open-access, on-line website was established to host education resources developed from these "yarns". Yarning provided a rich source of information on personal experiences and encouraged the story provider to recognise their facilitative role in the research process. While the methodology used in this project was lengthy and labour-intensive it afforded a respectful manner for story collection and highlighted several innate flaws when Western methods are applied to an Indigenous context. Engagement of an Indigenous Reference Group was pivotal to designing an appropriate methodology that incorporated the voices of Aboriginal people in a multimedia resource of Aboriginal narratives. However further research is warranted to understand how the resources are being used and integrated into curricula, and their impact on students and health care outcomes.

  20. Advances in Grid Computing for the FabrIc for Frontier Experiments Project at Fermialb

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

    Herner, K.; Alba Hernandex, A. F.; Bhat, S.

    The FabrIc for Frontier Experiments (FIFE) project is a major initiative within the Fermilab Scientic Computing Division charged with leading the computing model for Fermilab experiments. Work within the FIFE project creates close collaboration between experimenters and computing professionals to serve high-energy physics experiments of diering size, scope, and physics area. The FIFE project has worked to develop common tools for job submission, certicate management, software and reference data distribution through CVMFS repositories, robust data transfer, job monitoring, and databases for project tracking. Since the projects inception the experiments under the FIFE umbrella have signicantly matured, and present an increasinglymore » complex list of requirements to service providers. To meet these requirements, the FIFE project has been involved in transitioning the Fermilab General Purpose Grid cluster to support a partitionable slot model, expanding the resources available to experiments via the Open Science Grid, assisting with commissioning dedicated high-throughput computing resources for individual experiments, supporting the eorts of the HEP Cloud projects to provision a variety of back end resources, including public clouds and high performance computers, and developing rapid onboarding procedures for new experiments and collaborations. The larger demands also require enhanced job monitoring tools, which the project has developed using such tools as ElasticSearch and Grafana. in helping experiments manage their large-scale production work ows. This group in turn requires a structured service to facilitate smooth management of experiment requests, which FIFE provides in the form of the Production Operations Management Service (POMS). POMS is designed to track and manage requests from the FIFE experiments to run particular work ows, and support troubleshooting and triage in case of problems. Recently a new certicate management infrastructure called Distributed Computing Access with Federated Identities (DCAFI) has been put in place that has eliminated our dependence on a Fermilab-specic third-party Certicate Authority service and better accommodates FIFE collaborators without a Fermilab Kerberos account. DCAFI integrates the existing InCommon federated identity infrastructure, CILogon Basic CA, and a MyProxy service using a new general purpose open source tool. We will discuss the general FIFE onboarding strategy, progress in expanding FIFE experiments presence on the Open Science Grid, new tools for job monitoring, the POMS service, and the DCAFI project.« less

  1. Advances in Grid Computing for the Fabric for Frontier Experiments Project at Fermilab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Herner, K.; Alba Hernandez, A. F.; Bhat, S.; Box, D.; Boyd, J.; Di Benedetto, V.; Ding, P.; Dykstra, D.; Fattoruso, M.; Garzoglio, G.; Kirby, M.; Kreymer, A.; Levshina, T.; Mazzacane, A.; Mengel, M.; Mhashilkar, P.; Podstavkov, V.; Retzke, K.; Sharma, N.; Teheran, J.

    2017-10-01

    The Fabric for Frontier Experiments (FIFE) project is a major initiative within the Fermilab Scientific Computing Division charged with leading the computing model for Fermilab experiments. Work within the FIFE project creates close collaboration between experimenters and computing professionals to serve high-energy physics experiments of differing size, scope, and physics area. The FIFE project has worked to develop common tools for job submission, certificate management, software and reference data distribution through CVMFS repositories, robust data transfer, job monitoring, and databases for project tracking. Since the projects inception the experiments under the FIFE umbrella have significantly matured, and present an increasingly complex list of requirements to service providers. To meet these requirements, the FIFE project has been involved in transitioning the Fermilab General Purpose Grid cluster to support a partitionable slot model, expanding the resources available to experiments via the Open Science Grid, assisting with commissioning dedicated high-throughput computing resources for individual experiments, supporting the efforts of the HEP Cloud projects to provision a variety of back end resources, including public clouds and high performance computers, and developing rapid onboarding procedures for new experiments and collaborations. The larger demands also require enhanced job monitoring tools, which the project has developed using such tools as ElasticSearch and Grafana. in helping experiments manage their large-scale production workflows. This group in turn requires a structured service to facilitate smooth management of experiment requests, which FIFE provides in the form of the Production Operations Management Service (POMS). POMS is designed to track and manage requests from the FIFE experiments to run particular workflows, and support troubleshooting and triage in case of problems. Recently a new certificate management infrastructure called Distributed Computing Access with Federated Identities (DCAFI) has been put in place that has eliminated our dependence on a Fermilab-specific third-party Certificate Authority service and better accommodates FIFE collaborators without a Fermilab Kerberos account. DCAFI integrates the existing InCommon federated identity infrastructure, CILogon Basic CA, and a MyProxy service using a new general purpose open source tool. We will discuss the general FIFE onboarding strategy, progress in expanding FIFE experiments presence on the Open Science Grid, new tools for job monitoring, the POMS service, and the DCAFI project.

  2. Calibration of an arbitrarily arranged projection moiré system for 3D shape measurement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tang, Ying; Yao, Jun; Zhou, Yihao; Sun, Chen; Yang, Peng; Miao, Hong; Chen, Jubing

    2018-05-01

    An arbitrarily arranged projection moiré system is presented for three-dimensional shape measurement. We develop a model for projection moiré system and derive a universal formula expressing the relation between height and phase variation before and after we put the object on the reference plane. With so many system parameters involved, a system calibration technique is needed. In this work, we provide a robust and accurate calibration method for an arbitrarily arranged projection moiré system. The system no longer puts restrictions on the configuration of the optical setup. Real experiments have been conducted to verify the validity of this method.

  3. Support of experimental high energy physics research at the University of South Carolina. Final technical report, 1980--1992

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

    Childers, R.L.; Darden, C.W.; Rosenfeld, C.

    1992-12-31

    Twelve years of support by the US Department of Energy have turned a two man team with no equipment and no graduate students working on a single experiment into an active group of four professors, one post-doctoral research associate and three graduate students working with appropriate equipment on three major experiments and several other projects. 162 references.

  4. The PMIP4 contribution to CMIP6 - Part 1: Overview and over-arching analysis plan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kageyama, Masa; Braconnot, Pascale; Harrison, Sandy P.; Haywood, Alan M.; Jungclaus, Johann H.; Otto-Bliesner, Bette L.; Peterschmitt, Jean-Yves; Abe-Ouchi, Ayako; Albani, Samuel; Bartlein, Patrick J.; Brierley, Chris; Crucifix, Michel; Dolan, Aisling; Fernandez-Donado, Laura; Fischer, Hubertus; Hopcroft, Peter O.; Ivanovic, Ruza F.; Lambert, Fabrice; Lunt, Daniel J.; Mahowald, Natalie M.; Peltier, W. Richard; Phipps, Steven J.; Roche, Didier M.; Schmidt, Gavin A.; Tarasov, Lev; Valdes, Paul J.; Zhang, Qiong; Zhou, Tianjun

    2018-03-01

    This paper is the first of a series of four GMD papers on the PMIP4-CMIP6 experiments. Part 2 (Otto-Bliesner et al., 2017) gives details about the two PMIP4-CMIP6 interglacial experiments, Part 3 (Jungclaus et al., 2017) about the last millennium experiment, and Part 4 (Kageyama et al., 2017) about the Last Glacial Maximum experiment. The mid-Pliocene Warm Period experiment is part of the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP) - Phase 2, detailed in Haywood et al. (2016).The goal of the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP) is to understand the response of the climate system to different climate forcings for documented climatic states very different from the present and historical climates. Through comparison with observations of the environmental impact of these climate changes, or with climate reconstructions based on physical, chemical, or biological records, PMIP also addresses the issue of how well state-of-the-art numerical models simulate climate change. Climate models are usually developed using the present and historical climates as references, but climate projections show that future climates will lie well outside these conditions. Palaeoclimates very different from these reference states therefore provide stringent tests for state-of-the-art models and a way to assess whether their sensitivity to forcings is compatible with palaeoclimatic evidence. Simulations of five different periods have been designed to address the objectives of the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6): the millennium prior to the industrial epoch (CMIP6 name: past1000); the mid-Holocene, 6000 years ago (midHolocene); the Last Glacial Maximum, 21 000 years ago (lgm); the Last Interglacial, 127 000 years ago (lig127k); and the mid-Pliocene Warm Period, 3.2 million years ago (midPliocene-eoi400). These climatic periods are well documented by palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental records, with climate and environmental changes relevant for the study and projection of future climate changes. This paper describes the motivation for the choice of these periods and the design of the numerical experiments and database requests, with a focus on their novel features compared to the experiments performed in previous phases of PMIP and CMIP. It also outlines the analysis plan that takes advantage of the comparisons of the results across periods and across CMIP6 in collaboration with other MIPs.

  5. Thermal Pollution by Nuclear Power Plants. A Learning Experience for Coastal and Oceanic Awareness Studies, No. 320. [Project COAST].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Delaware Univ., Newark. Coll. of Education.

    This publication includes several activities regarding the use of nuclear power plants and possible effects on the environment. The materials are designed for secondary school students and include reference materials and masters for transparencies. (RH)

  6. Harnessing collaboration to build nursing research capacity: a research team journey.

    PubMed

    Priest, Helena; Segrott, Jeremy; Green, Barbara; Rout, Amelia

    2007-08-01

    This paper discusses a qualitative evaluation study, designed to explore nursing lecturers' research capability development through their engagement as co-researchers in a larger case study project (referred to as the 'main project'). It explores the justification for supporting research capacity development using this collaborative approach, the process and experience of undertaking collaborative research, and the effectiveness of this model of collaboration in developing new researchers. The paper also makes connections between the process of undertaking the research (designed to offer opportunities for inexperienced researchers to be involved) and the main project findings (which explored the ways in which academic schools develop research capacity). We first set the main project in its wider context and map key issues relating to research capacity development and collaboration in the literature, before outlining how we involved neophyte and 'midiphyte' researchers. The evaluative study, which is the focus of this paper, discusses the experiences of the neophyte researchers, and explores the synergies between the main project's key findings and the process of undertaking it. We conclude with some principles for using collaboration to build research capacity, visualised through a conceptual model. While this project was located within two universities in the UK, the development of research skills amongst nurses is likely to have broad international relevance. NB1 References to 'nursing', 'nursing research', and 'nursing education' are taken throughout to apply equally to midwifery, midwifery research, and midwifery education. NB2 For the purpose of this project, neophyte researchers are defined as staff needing formal training in research and involvement in others' research, and 'midiphyte' researchers as those with some training but needing support to develop research ideas.

  7. C++ Coding Standards for the AMP Project

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

    Evans, Thomas M; Clarno, Kevin T

    2009-09-01

    This document provides an initial starting point to define the C++ coding standards used by the AMP nuclear fuel performance integrated code project and a part of AMP's software development process. This document draws from the experiences, and documentation [1], of the developers of the Marmot Project at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Much of the software in AMP will be written in C++. The power of C++ can be abused easily, resulting in code that is difficult to understand and maintain. This document gives the practices that should be followed on the AMP project for all new code that ismore » written. The intent is not to be onerous but to ensure that the code can be readily understood by the entire code team and serve as a basis for collectively defining a set of coding standards for use in future development efforts. At the end of the AMP development in fiscal year (FY) 2010, all developers will have experience with the benefits, restrictions, and limitations of the standards described and will collectively define a set of standards for future software development. External libraries that AMP uses do not have to meet these requirements, although we encourage external developers to follow these practices. For any code of which AMP takes ownership, the project will decide on any changes on a case-by-case basis. The practices that we are using in the AMP project have been in use in the Denovo project [2] for several years. The practices build on those given in References [3-5]; the practices given in these references should also be followed. Some of the practices given in this document can also be found in [6].« less

  8. Transitioning from conceptual design to construction performance specification

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jeffers, Paul; Warner, Mark; Craig, Simon; Hubbard, Robert; Marshall, Heather

    2012-09-01

    On successful completion of a conceptual design review by a funding agency or customer, there is a transition phase before construction contracts can be placed. The nature of this transition phase depends on the Project's approach to construction and the particular subsystem being considered. There are generically two approaches; project retention of design authority and issuance of build to print contracts, or issuance of subsystem performance specifications with controlled interfaces. This paper relates to the latter where a proof of concept (conceptual or reference design) is translated into performance based sub-system specifications for competitive tender. This translation is not a straightforward process and there are a number of different issues to consider in the process. This paper deals with primarily the Telescope mount and Enclosure subsystems. The main subjects considered in this paper are: • Typical status of design at Conceptual Design Review compared with the desired status of Specifications and Interface Control Documents at Request for Quotation. • Options for capture and tracking of system requirements flow down from science / operating requirements and sub-system requirements, and functional requirements derived from reference design. • Requirements that may come specifically from the contracting approach. • Methods for effective use of reference design work without compromising a performance based specification. • Management of project team's expectation relating to design. • Effects on cost estimates from reference design to actual. This paper is based on experience and lessons learned through this process on both the VISTA and the ATST projects.

  9. Mission requirements for a manned earth observatory. Task 2: Reference mission definition and analyiss, volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1973-01-01

    The mission requirements and conceptual design of manned earth observatory payloads for the 1980 time period are discussed. Projections of 1980 sensor technology and user data requirements were used to formulate typical basic criteria pertaining to experiments, sensor complements, and reference missions. The subjects discussed are: (1) mission selection and prioritization, (2) baseline mission analysis, (3) earth observation data handling and contingency plans, and (4) analysis of low cost mission definition and rationale.

  10. Learning about Non-Newtonian Fluids in a Student-Driven Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dounas-Frazer, D. R.; Lynn, J.; Zaniewski, A. M.; Roth, N.

    2013-01-01

    We describe a simple, low-cost experiment and corresponding pedagogical strategies for studying fluids whose viscosities depend on shear rate, referred to as "non-Newtonian fluids." We developed these materials teaching for the Compass Project, an organization that fosters a creative, diverse, and collaborative community of science…

  11. Embodying Diversity: Problems and Paradoxes for Black Feminists

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ahmed, Sara

    2009-01-01

    This paper examines some of the problems and paradoxes of embodying diversity for organisations. With reference to a research project based on interviews with diversity practitioners, as well as personal experience of working within universities as a Black feminist, this paper explores how diversity becomes a commitment that requires that those…

  12. Terminology Standardization in Education and the Construction of Resources: The Welsh Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Andrews, Tegau; Prys, Gruffudd

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes developments in Welsh-language terminology within the education system in Wales. Following an outline of historical terminology work, it concentrates on the consolidation of terminology standardization at the Language Technologies Unit, Bangor University, with particular reference to two projects, one concerned with…

  13. Microgravity Experiments Safety and Integration Requirements Document Tree

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hogan, Jean M.

    1995-01-01

    This report is a document tree of the safety and integration documents required to develop a space experiment. Pertinent document information for each of the top level (tier one) safety and integration documents, and their applicable and reference (tier two) documents has been identified. This information includes: document title, revision level, configuration management, electronic availability, listed applicable and reference documents, source for obtaining the document, and document owner. One of the main conclusions of this report is that no single document tree exists for all safety and integration documents, regardless of the Shuttle carrier. This document also identifies the need for a single point of contact for customers wishing to access documents. The data in this report serves as a valuable information source for the NASA Lewis Research Center Project Documentation Center, as well as for all developers of space experiments.

  14. Peer education in the commons: a new approach to reference services.

    PubMed

    Neal, Ruth E; Ajamie, Lauren F; Harmon, Karen D; Kellerby, Carissa D; Schweikhard, April J

    2010-10-01

    In planning for a new library construction project for the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa, graduate students enrolled in the University of Oklahoma (OU) School of Library and Information Studies collaborated in an innovative effort to develop a commons-based reference service. By first considering a philosophical approach to the need for a commons, blending in the experiences of other libraries that have created similar spaces, and focusing on the workflow issues likely to be encountered by the graduate assistants staffing the commons itself, this planning team developed an uncommon peer-to-peer approach to reference and education services, one focused on the patron as student.

  15. Active solution of homography for pavement crack recovery with four laser lines.

    PubMed

    Xu, Guan; Chen, Fang; Wu, Guangwei; Li, Xiaotao

    2018-05-08

    An active solution method of the homography, which is derived from four laser lines, is proposed to recover the pavement cracks captured by the camera to the real-dimension cracks in the pavement plane. The measurement system, including a camera and four laser projectors, captures the projection laser points on the 2D reference in different positions. The projection laser points are reconstructed in the camera coordinate system. Then, the laser lines are initialized and optimized by the projection laser points. Moreover, the plane-indicated Plücker matrices of the optimized laser lines are employed to model the laser projection points of the laser lines on the pavement. The image-pavement homography is actively determined by the solutions of the perpendicular feet of the projection laser points. The pavement cracks are recovered by the active solution of homography in the experiments. The recovery accuracy of the active solution method is verified by the 2D dimension-known reference. The test case with the measurement distance of 700 mm and the relative angle of 8° achieves the smallest recovery error of 0.78 mm in the experimental investigations, which indicates the application potentials in the vision-based pavement inspection.

  16. Evaluating the Potential of NASA's Earth Science Research Results for Improving Future Operational Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frederick, M. E.; Cox, E. L.; Friedl, L. A.

    2006-12-01

    NASA's Earth Science Theme is charged with implementing NASA Strategic Goal 3A to "study Earth from space to advance scientific understanding and meet societal needs." In the course of meeting this objective, NASA produces research results, such as scientific observatories, research models, advanced sensor and space system technology, data active archives and interoperability technology, high performance computing systems, and knowledge products. These research results have the potential to serve society beyond their intended purpose of answering pressing Earth system science questions. NASA's Applied Sciences Program systematically evaluates the potential of the portfolio of research results to serve society by conducting projects in partnership with regional/national scale operational partners with the statutory responsibility to inform decision makers. These projects address NASA's National Applications and the societal benefit areas under the IEOS and GEOSS. Prototyping methods are used in two ways in NASA's Applied Sciences Program. The first is part of the National Applications program element, referred to as Integrated Systems Solutions (ISS) projects. The approach for these projects is to use high fidelity prototypes to benchmark the assimilation of NASA research results into our partners' decision support systems. The outcome from ISS projects is a prototype system that has been rigorously tested with the partner to understand the scientific uncertainty and improved value of their modified system. In many cases, these completed prototypes are adopted or adapted for use by the operational partners. The second falls under the Crosscutting Solutions program element, referred to as Rapid Prototyping (RP) experiments. The approach for RP experiments is to use low fidelity prototypes that are low cost and quickly produced to evaluate the potential of the breadth of NASA research results to serve society. The outcome from the set of RP experiments is an evaluation of many and varied NASA research results for their potential to be candidates for further development as an ISS project. The intention is to seed the community with many creative ideas for projects that use "un-applied" NASA research results to serve society, such as simulations of future missions.

  17. Impacting Academic Achievement with Student Learners Teaching Digital Storytelling to Others: The ATTTCSE Digital Video Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Figg, Candace; McCartney, Robin

    2010-01-01

    University researchers, teacher candidates, language and technology instructors, student learners, and families from diverse backgrounds partnered in an invitational teaching/learning experience--middle school student learners teaching their VIPs (very important persons) how to create stories and construct digital movies with reference to their…

  18. Students' Framing of a Reading Annotation Tool in the Context of Research-Based Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dahl, Jan Erik

    2016-01-01

    In the studied master's course, students participated both as research objects in a digital annotation experiment and as critical investigators of this technology in their semester projects. The students' role paralleled the researcher's role, opening an opportunity for researcher-student co-learning within what is often referred to as…

  19. Exploring Adventure Therapy as an Early Intervention for Struggling Adolescents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dobud, Will

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents an account of a research project that explored the experiences of adolescents struggling with behavioral and emotional issues, who participated in a 14-day adventure therapy program in Australia referred to by the pseudonym, "Onward Adventures". All participants of this program over the age of 16 who completed within…

  20. Teledermatology: an experience in Tucumán

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rotger, V. I.; Solarz, P. F.; Ruiz, L. M.; Salas, A.; García Mena, M. C.; Olivera, J. M.

    2011-12-01

    Since 2006 projects have been carried out in the Universidad Nacional de Tucuman to introduce Telemedicine in the Provincial System of Health (SIPROSA) in Tucuman, Argentina. These projects aim at improving accessibility to remote populations, providing equity and avoiding costly and unnecessary transfers as well as helping early diagnosis and treatments, timely and appropriate referrals. On the other hand, this consultation has already been set up within the SIPROSA with the application of the system of reference and counter-reference for several years. By applying Telemedicine it is possible to accelerate the times and make this more efficient. This paper presents a prototype Web application for performing consultation in dermatology. These were conducted by professionals in Ranchillos, a small town within the Province, together with specialists from the capital city. After the experience, it can be said that the teledermatological application of the platform has been well received by physicians and dermatologists of rural areas, especially because the interfaces could be adjusted to their requirements. The physicians consider it a useful tool to complete the process of referral and counter-referral.

  1. Finding Freedom: Exploring the Relationship Between Agency, Motility, and Aggression.

    PubMed

    Wooldridge, Tom

    2018-02-01

    After an overview of the opposed concepts of freedom and psychic determinism, and of the compatibilist reconciliation between the two that is most appropriate for psychoanalysis, the importance of agency as a psychoanalytic idea is considered. In particular, two ways in which the term agency may be used are examined: agency as fact and agency as experience. The former refers to the degree of relative freedom an individual possesses from "inner" constraints, whereas the latter refers to the experience of oneself as having an active impact on the self, other people, and/or the world. Importantly, these two senses are not coextensive. With this distinction in place, it is argued that agency as experience is rooted in the infant's earliest experiences of motility. As an extension of Winnicott's reflections (1950) on the relation between motility and aggression, it is argued that inasmuch as it involves the overcoming of opposition, aggression is integral to the developmental unfolding of the experience of agency. Further developmental conditions needed for a full experience of agency are noted. Ultimately, it is suggested, agency is central to the psychoanalytic project itself.

  2. A First Look at the Upcoming SISO Space Reference FOM

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Crues, Edwin; Dexter, Dan; Madden, Michael; Garro, Alfred; Vankov, Alexander; Skuratovskiy, Anton; Moller, Bjorn

    2016-01-01

    Simulation is increasingly used in the space domain for several purposes. One example is analysis and engineering, from the mission level down to individual systems and subsystems. Another example is training of space crew and flight controllers. Several distributed simulations have been developed for example for docking vehicles with the ISS and for mission training, in many cases with participants from several nations. Space based scenarios are also used in the "Simulation Exploration Experience", SISO's university outreach program. We have thus realized that there is a need for a distributed simulation interoperability standard for data exchange within the space domain. Based on these experiences, SISO is developing a Space Reference FOM. Members of the product development group come from several countries and contribute experiences from projects within NASA, ESA and other organizations. Participants represent government, academia and industry. The first version will focus on handling of time and space. The Space Reference FOM will provide the following: (i) a flexible positioning system using reference frames for arbitrary bodies in space, (ii) a naming conventions for well known reference frames, (iii) definitions of common time scales, (iv) federation agreements for common types of time management with focus on time stepped simulation, and (v) support for physical entities, such as space vehicles and astronauts. The Space Reference FOM is expected to make collaboration politically, contractually and technically easier. It is also expected to make collaboration easier to manage and extend.

  3. Object-based connectedness facilitates matching.

    PubMed

    Koning, Arno; van Lier, Rob

    2003-10-01

    In two matching tasks, participants had to match two images of object pairs. Image-based (IB) connectedness refers to connectedness between the objects in an image. Object-based (OB) connectedness refers to connectedness between the interpreted objects. In Experiment 1, a monocular depth cue (shadow) was used to distinguish different relation types between object pairs. Three relation types were created: IB/OB-connected objects, IB/OB-disconnected objects, and IB-connected/OB-disconnected objects. It was found that IB/OB-connected objects were matched faster than IB/OB-disconnected objects. Objects that were IB-connected/OB-disconnected were matched equally to IB/OB-disconnected objects. In Experiment 2, stereoscopic presentation was used. With relation types comparable to those in Experiment 1, it was again found that OB connectedness determined speed of matching, rather than IB connectedness. We conclude that matching of projections of three-dimensional objects depends more on OB connectedness than on IB connectedness.

  4. Determining the True Cost to Deliver Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Over the Full Cycle of Care: Preparing for Bundling and Reference-Based Pricing.

    PubMed

    DiGioia, Anthony M; Greenhouse, Pamela K; Giarrusso, Michelle L; Kress, Justina M

    2016-01-01

    The Affordable Care Act accelerates health care providers' need to prepare for new care delivery platforms and payment models such as bundling and reference-based pricing (RBP). Thriving in this environment will be difficult without knowing the true cost of care delivery at the level of the clinical condition over the full cycle of care. We describe a project in which we identified true costs for both total hip and total knee arthroplasty. With the same tool, we identified cost drivers in each segment of care delivery and collected patient experience information. Combining cost and experience information with outcomes data we already collect allows us to drive costs down while protecting outcomes and experiences, and compete successfully in bundling and RBP programs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Evaluation of chest tomosynthesis for the detection of pulmonary nodules: effect of clinical experience and comparison with chest radiography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zachrisson, Sara; Vikgren, Jenny; Svalkvist, Angelica; Johnsson, Åse A.; Boijsen, Marianne; Flinck, Agneta; Månsson, Lars Gunnar; Kheddache, Susanne; Båth, Magnus

    2009-02-01

    Chest tomosynthesis refers to the technique of collecting low-dose projections of the chest at different angles and using these projections to reconstruct section images of the chest. In this study, a comparison of chest tomosynthesis and chest radiography in the detection of pulmonary nodules was performed and the effect of clinical experience of chest tomosynthesis was evaluated. Three senior thoracic radiologists, with more than ten years of experience of chest radiology and 6 months of clinical experience of chest tomosynthesis, acted as observers in a jackknife free-response receiver operating characteristics (JAFROC-1) study, performed on 42 patients with and 47 patients without pulmonary nodules examined with both chest tomosynthesis and chest radiography. MDCT was used as reference and the total number of nodules found using MDCT was 131. To investigate the effect of additional clinical experience of chest tomosynthesis, a second reading session of the tomosynthesis images was performed one year after the initial one. The JAFROC-1 figure of merit (FOM) was used as the principal measure of detectability. In comparison with chest radiography, chest tomosynthesis performed significantly better with regard to detectability. The observer-averaged JAFROC-1 FOM was 0.61 for tomosynthesis and 0.40 for radiography, giving a statistically significant difference between the techniques of 0.21 (p<0.0001). The observer-averaged JAFROC-1 FOM of the second reading of the tomosynthesis cases was not significantly higher than that of the first reading, indicating no improvement in detectability due to additional clinical experience of tomosynthesis.

  6. Constraints on Covariant Horava-Lifshitz Gravity from frame-dragging experiment

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

    Radicella, Ninfa; Lambiase, Gaetano; Parisi, Luca

    The effects of Horava-Lifshitz corrections to the gravito-magnetic field are analyzed. Solutions in the weak field, slow motion limit, referring to the motion of a satellite around the Earth are considered. The post-newtonian paradigm is used to evaluate constraints on the Horava-Lifshitz parameter space from current satellite and terrestrial experiments data. In particular, we focus on GRAVITY PROBE B, LAGEOS and the more recent LARES mission, as well as a forthcoming terrestrial project, GINGER.

  7. Constraints on Covariant Horava-Lifshitz Gravity from frame-dragging experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Radicella, Ninfa; Lambiase, Gaetano; Parisi, Luca; Vilasi, Gaetano

    2014-12-01

    The effects of Horava-Lifshitz corrections to the gravito-magnetic field are analyzed. Solutions in the weak field, slow motion limit, referring to the motion of a satellite around the Earth are considered. The post-newtonian paradigm is used to evaluate constraints on the Horava-Lifshitz parameter space from current satellite and terrestrial experiments data. In particular, we focus on GRAVITY PROBE B, LAGEOS and the more recent LARES mission, as well as a forthcoming terrestrial project, GINGER.

  8. Evidence for success in health promotion: suggestions for improvement.

    PubMed

    Macdonald, G; Veen, C; Tones, K

    1996-09-01

    This paper argues that health promotion needs to develop an approach to evaluation and effectiveness that values qualitative methodologies. It posits the idea that qualitative research could learn from the experience of quantitative researchers and promote more useful ways of measuring effectiveness by the use of intermediate and indirect indicators. It refers to a European-wide project designed to gather information on the effectiveness of health promotion interventions. This project discovered that there was a need for an instrument that allowed qualitative intervention methodologies to be assessed in the same way as quantitative methods.

  9. JEDI for Advanced Users | Jobs and Economic Development Impact Models |

    Science.gov Websites

    NREL for Advanced Users JEDI for Advanced Users The Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI discussion. Users with more experience with power generation projects and/or economic impact analysis can Economic Analysis provides data for more than 400 economic sectors. Advanced users can refer to these

  10. I Raise My Voice: Promoting Self-Authoring through a Curriculum-Based Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gabay, Lea

    2017-01-01

    Learners of English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) bring an array of backgrounds, identities, and experiences to the classroom. Through exposure to other views, learners can reflect on their own place in their world and engage in "self-authoring"--a term coined by Hernandez-Zamora (2010) that refers to critical-thinking skills…

  11. The Paper Beam: Hands-On Design for Team Work Experience of Freshman in Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kalkani, Efrossini C.; Boussiakou, Iris K.; Boussiakou, Leda G.

    2005-01-01

    The present research refers to the assigning of a hands-on group project to freshman engineering students, evaluating their performance, and deriving conclusions on student benefits and educational advances. The research procedure included action plans for the instructor and the students, instructions to the students on performing the work,…

  12. Chapter 4 - The LANDFIRE Prototype Project reference database

    Treesearch

    John F. Caratti

    2006-01-01

    This chapter describes the data compilation process for the Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools Prototype Project (LANDFIRE Prototype Project) reference database (LFRDB) and explains the reference data applications for LANDFIRE Prototype maps and models. The reference database formed the foundation for all LANDFIRE tasks. All products generated by the...

  13. [Requirements for the successful installation of an data management system].

    PubMed

    Benson, M; Junger, A; Quinzio, L; Hempelmann, G

    2002-08-01

    Due to increasing requirements on medical documentation, especially with reference to the German Social Law binding towards quality management and introducing a new billing system (DRGs), an increasing number of departments consider to implement a patient data management system (PDMS). The installation should be professionally planned as a project in order to insure and complete a successful installation. The following aspects are essential: composition of the project group, definition of goals, finance, networking, space considerations, hardware, software, configuration, education and support. Project and finance planning must be prepared before beginning the project and the project process must be constantly evaluated. In selecting the software, certain characteristics should be considered: use of standards, configurability, intercommunicability and modularity. Our experience has taught us that vaguely defined goals, insufficient project planning and the existing management culture are responsible for the failure of PDMS installations. The software used tends to play a less important role.

  14. Evaluation of DFIR and Bush Gauge Snowfall Measurements at Boreal Forest Sites in Saskatchewan/Canada and Valdai/Russia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, D.; Smith, C.

    2013-12-01

    Snowfall is important to cold region climate and hydrology including Canada. Large uncertainties and biases exist in gauge-measured precipitation datasets and products. These uncertainties affect important decision-making, water resources assessments, climate change analyses, and calibrations of remote sensing algorithms and land surface models. Efforts have been made at both the national and international levels to quantity the errors/biases in precipitation measurements, such as the WMO Solid Precipitation Intercomparison Experiment (WMO-SPICE). Both the DFIR (double fence intercomparison reference) and the bush shielded gauge have been used in the past as a reference measurement for solid precipitation and they both have been selected as the references for the current SPICE project. Previous analyses of the DFIR vs. the bush (manual Tretyakov) gauge data collected at the Valdai station in Russia suggest DFIR undercatch of snowfall by up to 10% for high wind conditions. A regression relationship between the 2 systems was derived and used for the last WMO gauge intercomparison. Given the importance of the DFIR as the reference for the WMO SPICE project, it is necessary to re-examine and update the DFIR and bush gauge relationship. As part of Canada's contribution to the WMO SPICE project, a test site has been set up by EC/ASTD/WSDT in the southern Canadian Boreal forest to compare the DFIR and bush gauges. This site, called the Caribou Creek, has been installed within a modified young Jack Pine forest stand - north of Prince Albert in Saskatchewan. This study compiles and analyzes recent DFIR and bush gauge data from both the Valdai and Caribou Creek sites. This presentation summarizes the results of data analyses, and evaluates the performance of both references for snowfall observations in the northern regions. The methods and results of this research will directly support the WMO SPICE project and contribute to cold region hydrology and climate change research.

  15. Statistical inference from multiple iTRAQ experiments without using common reference standards.

    PubMed

    Herbrich, Shelley M; Cole, Robert N; West, Keith P; Schulze, Kerry; Yager, James D; Groopman, John D; Christian, Parul; Wu, Lee; O'Meally, Robert N; May, Damon H; McIntosh, Martin W; Ruczinski, Ingo

    2013-02-01

    Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) is a prominent mass spectrometry technology for protein identification and quantification that is capable of analyzing multiple samples in a single experiment. Frequently, iTRAQ experiments are carried out using an aliquot from a pool of all samples, or "masterpool", in one of the channels as a reference sample standard to estimate protein relative abundances in the biological samples and to combine abundance estimates from multiple experiments. In this manuscript, we show that using a masterpool is counterproductive. We obtain more precise estimates of protein relative abundance by using the available biological data instead of the masterpool and do not need to occupy a channel that could otherwise be used for another biological sample. In addition, we introduce a simple statistical method to associate proteomic data from multiple iTRAQ experiments with a numeric response and show that this approach is more powerful than the conventionally employed masterpool-based approach. We illustrate our methods using data from four replicate iTRAQ experiments on aliquots of the same pool of plasma samples and from a 406-sample project designed to identify plasma proteins that covary with nutrient concentrations in chronically undernourished children from South Asia.

  16. PARCS-Primary Atomic Reference Clock in Space

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ashby, Neil

    2000-04-01

    The purpose of the PARCS project is to place an advanced Cesium clock on the International Space Station (ISS). The project has been approved by NASA at the level of Science Concept Review. Groups at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of Colorado, and Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, University of Torino are collaborating on clock design and construction. The microgravity space environment allows laser-cooled Cs atoms to spend longer times in the beam, resulting in improved clock performance. Clock stabilities of 3 × 10-14 at one second and accuracies of 1 × 10-16 are projected. With improved clock performance, significant improvements in several fundamental special and general relativity experiments are expected. For an ISS orbit at 400 km altitude and eccentricity 0.02, the gravitational frequency shift should be measureable about 35 times better than the previous best, Gravity Probe A. Improvements in testing Local Position Invariance and in a Kennedy-Thorndike experiment are expected. Areas of technology such as world-wide timing and time transfer and navigation will also directly benefit from such a high-performance clock in space. This paper will briefly describe the PARCS clock. The principal limitations on performance of relativity experiments, scientific objectives and benefits, and projected outcomes, will be discussed.

  17. Automated Internet-Based Control of Spacecraft Groundstations: Beacon-Based Health Monitoring Concept

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cantwell, Brian; Twiggs, Robert; Swartwout, Michael

    1997-01-01

    This report serves as an update about the activities of Stanford University's Space Systems Development Laboratory (SSDL) in their beacon-based health monitoring experiment. Section 1 describes the goals of the project and the organization of the team. Section 2 provides an overview of the major components of the system, describing the general approach of automated health monitoring and the beacon signal relay. It also provides background about the SAPPHIRE spacecraft and ASSET operations system, which will be used for the experiment. Specific details about implementation and status of each element of the experiment are found in Section 3. Section 4 describes the experiment and future work, and references are contained in Section 5.

  18. Analytical Chemistry Developmental Work Using a 243Am Solution

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

    Spencer, Khalil J.; Stanley, Floyd E.; Porterfield, Donivan R.

    2015-02-24

    This project seeks to reestablish our analytical capability to characterize Am bulk material and develop a reference material suitable to characterizing the purity and assay of 241Am oxide for industrial use. The tasks associated with this phase of the project included conducting initial separations experiments, developing thermal ionization mass spectrometry capability using the 243Am isotope as an isotope dilution spike , optimizing the spike for the determination of 241Pu- 241 Am radiochemistry, and, additionally, developing and testing a methodology which can detect trace to ultra- trace levels of Pu (both assay and isotopics) in bulk Am samples .

  19. 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…

  20. Overview of the 2014 Edition of the International Handbook of Evaluated Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments (IRPhEP Handbook)

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

    John D. Bess; J. Blair Briggs; Jim Gulliford

    2014-10-01

    The International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project (IRPhEP) is a widely recognized world class program. The work of the IRPhEP is documented in the International Handbook of Evaluated Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments (IRPhEP Handbook). Integral data from the IRPhEP Handbook is used by reactor safety and design, nuclear data, criticality safety, and analytical methods development specialists, worldwide, to perform necessary validations of their calculational techniques. The IRPhEP Handbook is among the most frequently quoted reference in the nuclear industry and is expected to be a valuable resource for future decades.

  1. Renewable Energy Development in Indian Country: A Handbook for Tribes

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

    MacCourt, D. C.

    2010-06-01

    This handbook is designed to be an accessible reference for those who are new to tribal energy project development or seek a refresher on key development issues as they navigate the project development process. It builds upon the wealth of feedback and experiences shared by tribal and other participants in the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's tribal energy training sessions to provide tribal leaders, tribal economic and energy enterprises, and those supporting them with a general overview of the renewable energy project development process as well as detailed guidance on the following: how to structure a renewable energy project transaction tomore » protect tribal interests, with an emphasis on joint project development efforts undertaken with nontribal parties; key energy development agreements, including power sale agreements, transmission and interconnection agreements, and land leases; and ways tribes can finance renewable energy projects, including the sources of funding or financing that may be available, the types of investors that may be available, and federal tax incentives for renewable energy projects.« less

  2. Neurology diagnostics security and terminal adaptation for PocketNeuro project.

    PubMed

    Chemak, C; Bouhlel, M-S; Lapayre, J-C

    2008-09-01

    This paper presents new approaches of medical information security and terminal mobile phone adaptation for the PocketNeuro project. The latter term refers to a project created for the management of neurological diseases. It consists of transmitting information about patients ("desk of patients") to a doctor's mobile phone during a visit and examination of a patient. These new approaches for the PocketNeuro project were analyzed in terms of medical information security and adaptation of the diagnostic images to the doctor's mobile phone. Images were extracted from a DICOM library. Matlab and its library were used as software to test our approaches and to validate our results. Experiments performed on a database of 30 256 x 256 pixel-sized neuronal medical images indicated that our new approaches for PocketNeuro project are valid and support plans for large-scale studies between French and Swiss hospitals using secured connections.

  3. Using Biodiversity Indicators to Assess the Success of Forecasting Adaptive Ecosystem Management: The Newfoundland and Labrador Experience

    Treesearch

    C. Sean Dolter

    2006-01-01

    This paper reports on an initiative referred to as the Biodiversity Assessment Project (BAP). A suite of tools is being developed to assist forest managers in assessing the predicted future forest conditions of Newfoundland and Labrador’s forests under a variety of management scenarios. Since 1999, the Western Newfoundland Model Forest partnership...

  4. Implementing the Second-Order Fermi Process in a Kinetic Monte-Carlo Simulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Summerlin, Errol J.

    2010-01-01

    Radio JOVE is an education and outreach project intended to give students and other interested individuals hands-on experience in learning radio astronomy. They can do this through building a radio telescope from a relatively inexpensive kit that includes the parts for a receiver and an antenna as well as software for a computer chart recorder emulator (Radio Skypipe) and other reference materials

  5. Speckle-metric-optimization-based adaptive optics for laser beam projection and coherent beam combining.

    PubMed

    Vorontsov, Mikhail; Weyrauch, Thomas; Lachinova, Svetlana; Gatz, Micah; Carhart, Gary

    2012-07-15

    Maximization of a projected laser beam's power density at a remotely located extended object (speckle target) can be achieved by using an adaptive optics (AO) technique based on sensing and optimization of the target-return speckle field's statistical characteristics, referred to here as speckle metrics (SM). SM AO was demonstrated in a target-in-the-loop coherent beam combining experiment using a bistatic laser beam projection system composed of a coherent fiber-array transmitter and a power-in-the-bucket receiver. SM sensing utilized a 50 MHz rate dithering of the projected beam that provided a stair-mode approximation of the outgoing combined beam's wavefront tip and tilt with subaperture piston phases. Fiber-integrated phase shifters were used for both the dithering and SM optimization with stochastic parallel gradient descent control.

  6. E-KIT: An Electronic-Knowledge Information Tool for Organizing Site Information and Improving Technical Communication with Stakeholders - 13082

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

    Kautsky, Mark; Findlay, Richard C.; Hodges, Rex A.

    2013-07-01

    Managing technical references for projects that have long histories is hampered by the large collection of documents, each of which might contain discrete pieces of information relevant to the site conceptual model. A database application has been designed to improve the efficiency of retrieving technical information for a project. Although many databases are currently used for accessing analytical and geo-referenced data, applications designed specifically to manage technical reference material for projects are scarce. Retrieving site data from the array of available references becomes an increasingly inefficient use of labor. The electronic-Knowledge Information Tool (e-KIT) is designed as a project-level resourcemore » to access and communicate technical information. The e-KIT is a living tool that grows as new information becomes available, and its value to the project increases as the volume of site information increases. Having all references assembled in one location with complete reference citations and links to elements of the site conceptual model offers a way to enhance communication with outside groups. The published and unpublished references are incorporated into the e-KIT, while the compendium of references serves as a complete bibliography for the project. (authors)« less

  7. Analysis of reference transactions using packaged computer programs.

    PubMed

    Calabretta, N; Ross, R

    1984-01-01

    Motivated by a continuing education class attended by the authors on the measurement of reference desk activities, the reference department at Scott Memorial Library initiated a project to gather data on reference desk transactions and to analyze the data by using packaged computer programs. The programs utilized for the project were SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) and SAS (Statistical Analysis System). The planning, implementation and development of the project are described.

  8. PLUME-FEATHER, Referencing and Finding Software for Research and Education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bénassy, O.; Caron, C.; Ferret-Canape, C.; Cheylus, A.; Courcelle, E.; Dantec, C.; Dayre, P.; Dostes, T.; Durand, A.; Facq, A.; Gambini, G.; Geahchan, E.; Helft, C.; Hoffmann, D.; Ingarao, M.; Joly, P.; Kieffer, J.; Larré, J.-M.; Libes, M.; Morris, F.; Parmentier, H.; Pérochon, L.; Porte, O.; Romier, G.; Rousse, D.; Tournoy, R.; Valeins, H.

    2014-06-01

    PLUME-FEATHER is a non-profit project created to Promote economicaL, Useful and Maintained softwarEFor theHigher Education And THE Research communities. The site references software, mainly Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) from French universities and national research organisations, (CNRS, INRA...), laboratories or departments as well as other FLOSS software used and evaluated by users within these institutions. Each software is represented by a reference card, which describes origin, aim, installation, cost (if applicable) and user experience from the point of view of an academic user for academic users. Presently over 1000 programs are referenced on PLUME by more than 900 contributors. Although the server is maintained by a French institution, it is open to international contributions in the academic domain. All contained and validated contents are visible to anonymous public, whereas (presently more than 2000) registered users can contribute, starting with comments on single software reference cards up to help with the organisation and presentation of the referenced software products. The project has been presented to the HEP community in 2012 for the first time [1]. This is an update of the status and a call for (further) contributions.

  9. Electric energy savings from new technologies. Revision 1

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

    Harrer, B.J.; Kellogg, M.A.; Lyke, A.J.

    1986-09-01

    Purpose of the report is to provide information about the electricity-saving potential of new technologies to OCEP that it can use in developing alternative long-term projections of US electricity consumption. Low-, base-, and high-case scenarios of the electricity savings for 10 technologies were prepared. The total projected annual savings for the year 2000 for all 10 technologies were 137 billion kilowatt hours (BkWh), 279 BkWh, and 470 BkWh, respectively, for the three cases. The magnitude of these savings projections can be gauged by comparing them to the Department's reference case projection for the 1985 National Energy Policy Plan. In themore » Department's reference case, total consumption in 2000 is projected to be 3319 BkWh. Because approximately 75% of the base-case estimate of savings are already incorporated into the reference projection, only 25% of the savings estimated here should be subtracted from the reference projection for analysis purposes.« less

  10. Enhancing Scientific Inquiry Literacy of Prospective Biology Teachers through Inquiry Lab Project in Microbiology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kusnadi, K.; Rustaman, N. Y.; Redjeki, S.; Aryantha, I. N. P.

    2017-09-01

    The implementation of the inquiry laboratory based project to enhance scientific inquiry literacy of prospective biology teachers in Microbiology course has been done. The inquiry lab based project was designed by three stages were debriefing of basic microbiology lab skills, guided inquiry and free inquiry respectively. The Study was quasi experimental with control group pretest-posttest design. The subjects were prospective biology teachers consists of 80 students. The scientific inquiry literacy instrument refers to ScInqLiT by Wenning. The results showed that there was significant difference of scientific inquiry literacy posttest scores between experiment and control (α 0,05) and was obtained N-gain score was 0.49 (medium) to experiment and 0.24 (low) to control. Based on formative assessment showed that development of student’s scientific attitude, research and microbiology lab skills during conducting project were increased. Student’s research skills especially in identification of variables, constructing a hypothesis, communicating and concluding were increased. During implementation of inquiry project also showed that they carried out mind and hands-on and so collaborative group investigation lab activities. Our findings may aid in reforming higher-education, particularly in microbiology laboratory activities to better promote scientific inquiry literacy, scientific attitude, research and laboratory skills.

  11. What makes listening difficult? Factors affecting second language listening comprehension

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-04-01

    idioms in the passage on listening comprehension. The American Heritage Dictionary (2000) defines idiom as “an expression consisting of two or more...years of age and spoke English without a noticeable foreign accent had significantly poorer word recognition scores than monolingual listeners for...of reference: The experience of the Dutch CEFR Construct Project. Language Assessment Quarterly, 3(1), 3–30. American Heritage Dictionary of the

  12. Large-Scale Cooperative Dissemination of Governmental Information in Emergency — An Experiment and Future Strategies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Horiba, Katsuhiro; Okawa, Keiko; Murai, Jun

    On the 11th of March, 2011, a massive earthquake hit the northeast region of Japan. The government of Japan needed to publish information regarding the earthquake and its influences. However, their capacity of Web services overflowed. They called the industry and academia for help for providing stable information service to the people. Industry and academia formed a team to answer the call and named themselves the “EQ project”. This paper describes how the EQ Project was organized and operated, and gives analyses of the statistics. An academic organization took the lead in the EQ Project. Ten organizations which consisted of commercial IT industry and academics specialized in Internet technology, were participating in the EQ Project and they structured the three clusters based on their relationships and technological approach. In WIDE Cluster, one of three clusters in the structure of EQ, the peak number of file accesses per day was over 90 thousand, the mobile browsers was 3.4% and foreign languages (translated contents) were referred 35%. We have also discussed the future information distribution strategies in emergency situation based on the experiences of the EQ Project, and proposed nine suggestions to the MEXT as a future strategy.

  13. Graphic design and scientific research: the experience of the INGV Laboratorio Grafica e Immagini

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Riposati, Daniela; D'Addezio, Giuliana; Chesi, Angela; Di Laura, Francesca; Palone, Sabrina

    2016-04-01

    The Laboratorio Grafica e Immagini is the INGV reference structure for the graphic and visual communication supporting institutional and research activities. Part of the activity is focused on the production of different materials concerning the INGV Educational and Outreach projects on the main themes of Geophysics and natural hazards. The forefront results of research activity, in fact, are periodically transferred to the public through an intense and comprehensive plan of scientific dissemination. In 10 years of activity, the Laboratorio has become an essential point of reference for this production, widely known within the scientific community. Positive experiences are the result of a strict relationship between graphic design and scientific research, in particular the process concerning the collaborative work between designers and researchers. In projects such as the realization of museum exhibition or the production of illustrative brochures, generally designed for broad-spectrum public, the goal is to make easier the understanding and to support the scientific message, making concepts enjoyable and fruitful through the emotional involvement that visual image can arouse. Our graphics and editorial products through composition of signs and images by using differt tools on different media (the use of colors, lettering, graphic design, visual design, web design etc.) link to create a strong identity "INGV style", in order to make them easily recognizable in Educational and Outreach projects: in one words "branding". For example, a project product package might include a logo or other artwork, organized text and pure design elements such as shapes and colour, which unify the piece. Colour is used not only to help the "brand" stand out from the international overview, but in our case to have a unifying outcome across all the INGV sections. We also analysed the restyling project of different materials, one of the most important features of graphic design, especially when using pre-existing product or diverse elements, including web elements.

  14. Making CORDEX accessible to users: case studies in the Middle East

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dubois, Ghislain

    2017-04-01

    The current demand of long term climate projections corresponds to more applied requests from users: climate data and services are supposed to enable robust decision making in very diversified environments…Issues like uncertainty management (elaborating probabilistic projections based on full ensembles analysis) or tailoring of indicators should be central. However, an assessment of a sample of local, regional and national climate change adaptation strategies, in Europe and in the Med (Stoverinck, Dubois and Amelung 2013) highlighted the frequent insufficient robustness of climate information used to inform policy making. Some initiatives only refer to past climate data, use only one SRES or RCP scenario, one model or a too limited set of downscaling techniques. The CORDEX program (Coordinated regional climate downscaling experiment, coordinated by WCRP) forms the largest effort of climate downscaling so far. Its datasets, initially developed for scientific purposes have strong potential to improve regional and local adaptation policies. They can be considered as reference for the coming years, not only reflecting the improvement of our knowledge of climate, but also offering data in a much more harmonized and accessible way. The PROCLIM initiative (www.pro-clim.org) aims at developing a European climate service, proposing territorialized climate projections, supporting local adaptation frameworks, derived from CORDEX. This encompasses several methodological challenges: understanding users' needs at the European level, specifying indices, selecting relevant geographical domains, correcting systematic biases, selecting sub-ensembles of the CORDEX datasets so as to provide a sound uncertainty analysis, representing results in an user-friendly manner. The presentation will detail some features of PROCLIM, based on two recent experiments: the elaboration of long term climate projections, based on AFRICA-CORDEX, supporting the elaboration of the third national communication on climate change of Jordan; and the provision of high resolution hydro-climatic projections for Israel, Palestine and Jordan, which combined post-processing of CORDEX, and some dedicated runs of WRF, configured in climate mode.

  15. Flight Dynamics Analysis Branch

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stengle, Tom; Flores-Amaya, Felipe

    2000-01-01

    This report summarizes the major activities and accomplishments carried out by the Flight Dynamics Analysis Branch (FDAB), Code 572, in support of flight projects and technology development initiatives in fiscal year 2000. The report is intended to serve as a summary of the type of support carried out by the FDAB, as well as a concise reference of key accomplishments and mission experience derived from the various mission support roles. The primary focus of the FDAB is to provide expertise in the disciplines of flight dynamics, spacecraft trajectory, attitude analysis, and attitude determination and control. The FDAB currently provides support for missions and technology development projects involving NASA, government, university, and private industry.

  16. Predicting the response of seven Asian glaciers to future climate scenarios using a simple linear glacier model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ren, Diandong; Karoly, David J.

    2008-03-01

    Observations from seven Central Asian glaciers (35-55°N; 70-95°E) are used, together with regional temperature data, to infer uncertain parameters for a simple linear model of the glacier length variations. The glacier model is based on first order glacier dynamics and requires the knowledge of reference states of forcing and glacier perturbation magnitude. An adjoint-based variational method is used to optimally determine the glacier reference states in 1900 and the uncertain glacier model parameters. The simple glacier model is then used to estimate the glacier length variations until 2060 using regional temperature projections from an ensemble of climate model simulations for a future climate change scenario (SRES A2). For the period 2000-2060, all glaciers are projected to experience substantial further shrinkage, especially those with gentle slopes (e.g., Glacier Chogo Lungma retreats ˜4 km). Although nearly one-third of the year 2000 length will be reduced for some small glaciers, the existence of the glaciers studied here is not threatened by year 2060. The differences between the individual glacier responses are large. No straightforward relationship is found between glacier size and the projected fractional change of its length.

  17. Using the auxiliary camera for system calibration of 3D measurement by digital speckle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xue, Junpeng; Su, Xianyu; Zhang, Qican

    2014-06-01

    The study of 3D shape measurement by digital speckle temporal sequence correlation have drawn a lot of attention by its own advantages, however, the measurement mainly for depth z-coordinate, horizontal physical coordinate (x, y) are usually marked as image pixel coordinate. In this paper, a new approach for the system calibration is proposed. With an auxiliary camera, we made up the temporary binocular vision system, which are used for the calibration of horizontal coordinates (mm) while the temporal sequence reference-speckle-sets are calibrated. First, the binocular vision system has been calibrated using the traditional method. Then, the digital speckles are projected on the reference plane, which is moved by equal distance in the direction of depth, temporal sequence speckle images are acquired with camera as reference sets. When the reference plane is in the first position and final position, crossed fringe pattern are projected to the plane respectively. The control points of pixel coordinates are extracted by Fourier analysis from the images, and the physical coordinates are calculated by the binocular vision. The physical coordinates corresponding to each pixel of the images are calculated by interpolation algorithm. Finally, the x and y corresponding to arbitrary depth value z are obtained by the geometric formula. Experiments prove that our method can fast and flexibly measure the 3D shape of an object as point cloud.

  18. CERN@school: demonstrating physics with the Timepix detector

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whyntie, T.; Bithray, H.; Cook, J.; Coupe, A.; Eddy, D.; Fickling, R. L.; McKenna, J.; Parker, B.; Paul, A.; Shearer, N.

    2015-10-01

    This article shows how the Timepix hybrid silicon pixel detector, developed by the Medipix2 Collaboration, can be used by students and teachers alike to demonstrate some key aspects of any well-rounded physics curriculum with CERN@school. After an overview of the programme, the detector's capabilities for measuring and visualising ionising radiation are examined. The classification of clusters - groups of adjacent pixels - is discussed with respect to identifying the different types of particles. Three demonstration experiments - background radiation measurements, radiation profiles and the attenuation of radiation - are described; these can used as part of lessons or as inspiration for independent research projects. Results for exemplar data-sets are presented for reference, as well as details of ongoing research projects inspired by these experiments. Interested readers are encouraged to join the CERN@school Collaboration and so contribute to achieving the programme's aim of inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.

  19. DOE's Tribal Energy Program Offers Resources

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

    Douglas C. MacCourt, Chair, Indian Law Practice, Ater Wynne LLP

    2010-06-01

    This handbook is an accessible reference for those who are new to tribal energy project development or who seek a refresher on key development issues as they navigate the project development process. Building upon the wealth of feedback and experiences shared by tribal and other participants in tribal energy workshops conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, it is designed to provide tribal leaders, tribal economic and energy enterprises, and those supporting them with a general overview of the renewable energy project development process. It includes information on how to structure a renewable energy project transaction to protect tribal interests,more » with an emphasis on joint project development efforts undertaken with nontribal parties; a general overview of key energy development agreements, including power sale agreements, transmission and interconnection agreements, and land leases; and a detailed discussion of ways tribes can finance renewable energy projects, the sources of funding or financing that may be available, the types of investors that may be available, and federal tax incentives for renewable energy projects. The guide also includes a glossary of some of the most commonly used technical terms.« less

  20. The codesign of an interdisciplinary team-based intervention regarding initiating palliative care in pediatric oncology.

    PubMed

    Hill, Douglas L; Walter, Jennifer K; Casas, Jessica A; DiDomenico, Concetta; Szymczak, Julia E; Feudtner, Chris

    2018-04-07

    Children with advanced cancer are often not referred to palliative or hospice care before they die or are only referred close to the child's death. The goals of the current project were to learn about pediatric oncology team members' perspectives on palliative care, to collaborate with team members to modify and tailor three separate interdisciplinary team-based interventions regarding initiating palliative care, and to assess the feasibility of this collaborative approach. We used a modified version of experience-based codesign (EBCD) involving members of the pediatric palliative care team and three interdisciplinary pediatric oncology teams (Bone Marrow Transplant, Neuro-Oncology, and Solid Tumor) to review and tailor materials for three team-based interventions. Eleven pediatric oncology team members participated in four codesign sessions to discuss their experiences with initiating palliative care and to review the proposed intervention including patient case studies, techniques for managing uncertainty and negative emotions, role ambiguity, system-level barriers, and team communication and collaboration. The codesign process showed that the participants were strong supporters of palliative care, members of different teams had preferences for different materials that would be appropriate for their teams, and that while participants reported frustration with timing of palliative care, they had difficulty suggesting how to change current practices. The current project demonstrated the feasibility of collaborating with pediatric oncology clinicians to develop interventions about introducing palliative care. The procedures and results of this project will be posted online so that other institutions can use them as a model for developing similar interventions appropriate for their needs.

  1. Risk Management in ETS-8 Project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Homma, M.

    2002-01-01

    Engineering Test Satellite - 8 (ETS-8) is the Japanese largest geo-synchronous satellite of 3 tons in mass, of which mission is mobile communications and navigation experiment. It is now in the flight model manufacturing phase. This paper introduces the risk management taken in this project as a reference. The mission success criteria of ETS-8 are described at first. All the risk management activities are planned taking these criteria into consideration. ETS-8 consists of many new technologies such as the large deployable antenna (19m x 17m), 64-bit MPU, 100 V solar paddle and so on. We have to pay attention to control these risk through each phase of development. In system design of ETS - 8, almost components have redundancy and there is some back-up function to avoid fatal failure. What kind of back-up function should be taken is one of the hot issues in this project. The consideration process is described as an actual case. In addition to conventional risk management procedure, FMEA and identification of the critical items so on, we conducted the validation experiment in space by use of a scale model that was launched on Ariane 5. The decision to conduct this kind of experiment is taken after evaluation between risk and cost, because it takes a lot of resources of project. The effect of this experiment is also presented. Failure detection, isolation and reconfiguration in the flight software are more important as the satellite system becomes large and complicated. We did the independent verification and validation to the software. Some remarks are noted with respect to its effectiveness.

  2. International energy outlook 1996

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

    NONE

    1996-05-01

    This International Energy Outlook presents historical data from 1970 to 1993 and EIA`s projections of energy consumption and carbon emissions through 2015 for 6 country groups. Prospects for individual fuels are discussed. Summary tables of the IEO96 world energy consumption, oil production, and carbon emissions projections are provided in Appendix A. The reference case projections of total foreign energy consumption and of natural gas, coal, and renewable energy were prepared using EIA`s World Energy Projection System (WEPS) model. Reference case projections of foreign oil production and consumption were prepared using the International Energy Module of the National Energy Modeling Systemmore » (NEMS). Nuclear consumption projections were derived from the International Nuclear Model, PC Version (PC-INM). Alternatively, nuclear capacity projections were developed using two methods: the lower reference case projections were based on analysts` knowledge of the nuclear programs in different countries; the upper reference case was generated by the World Integrated Nuclear Evaluation System (WINES)--a demand-driven model. In addition, the NEMS Coal Export Submodule (CES) was used to derive flows in international coal trade. As noted above, foreign projections of electricity demand are now projected as part of the WEPS. 64 figs., 62 tabs.« less

  3. The projection of a test genome onto a reference population and applications to humans and archaic hominins.

    PubMed

    Yang, Melinda A; Harris, Kelley; Slatkin, Montgomery

    2014-12-01

    We introduce a method for comparing a test genome with numerous genomes from a reference population. Sites in the test genome are given a weight, w, that depends on the allele frequency, x, in the reference population. The projection of the test genome onto the reference population is the average weight for each x, [Formula: see text]. The weight is assigned in such a way that, if the test genome is a random sample from the reference population, then [Formula: see text]. Using analytic theory, numerical analysis, and simulations, we show how the projection depends on the time of population splitting, the history of admixture, and changes in past population size. The projection is sensitive to small amounts of past admixture, the direction of admixture, and admixture from a population not sampled (a ghost population). We compute the projections of several human and two archaic genomes onto three reference populations from the 1000 Genomes project-Europeans, Han Chinese, and Yoruba-and discuss the consistency of our analysis with previously published results for European and Yoruba demographic history. Including higher amounts of admixture between Europeans and Yoruba soon after their separation and low amounts of admixture more recently can resolve discrepancies between the projections and demographic inferences from some previous studies. Copyright © 2014 by the Genetics Society of America.

  4. Hydro pumped storage, international experience: An overview of ASCE task committee report

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

    Makarechian, A.H.; Rummel, G.

    1995-12-31

    This paper presents an overview of a report that is being prepared by ASCE Task Committee on Pumped Storage, International Experience. The reader is referred to the committee report that will be available in 1996. Many pumped storage projects in Europe, but particularly in Japan are becoming an indispensable resource in management of loads and resources on the electrical system. They serve to enhance reliability of the system and to provide for efficient utilization of thermal resources. Pumped storage is increasingly being used as a system management tool. To serve such purposes and to function in this key role, pumpedmore » storage projects are designed for very fast loading and unloading, for very fast mode reversals from pumping to generating and visa versa, for synchronous generation, and more importantly for load ramping during the pumping mode. This is achieved by use of variable-speed pump turbine units. The use of variable-speed units has proven so successful in Japan that many older projects are retrofitted with this new feature. Other interesting equipment applications are discussed including utilization of multi-stage unregulated pump turbines for very high heads (up to 1,250 m), and continued extension of the experience for high head reversible Francis unit, currently in excess of 750 m.« less

  5. MaCH-Admix: Genotype Imputation for Admixed Populations

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Eric Yi; Li, Mingyao; Wang, Wei; Li, Yun

    2012-01-01

    Imputation in admixed populations is an important problem but challenging due to the complex linkage disequilibrium (LD) pattern. The emergence of large reference panels such as that from the 1,000 Genomes Project enables more accurate imputation in general, and in particular for admixed populations and for uncommon variants. To efficiently benefit from these large reference panels, one key issue to consider in modern genotype imputation framework is the selection of effective reference panels. In this work, we consider a number of methods for effective reference panel construction inside a hidden Markov model and specific to each target individual. These methods fall into two categories: identity-by-state (IBS) based and ancestry-weighted approach. We evaluated the performance on individuals from recently admixed populations. Our target samples include 8,421 African Americans and 3,587 Hispanic Americans from the Women’s Health Initiative, which allow assessment of imputation quality for uncommon variants. Our experiments include both large and small reference panels; large, medium, and small target samples; and in genome regions of varying levels of LD. We also include BEAGLE and IMPUTE2 for comparison. Experiment results with large reference panel suggest that our novel piecewise IBS method yields consistently higher imputation quality than other methods/software. The advantage is particularly noteworthy among uncommon variants where we observe up to 5.1% information gain with the difference being highly significant (Wilcoxon signed rank test P-value < 0.0001). Our work is the first that considers various sensible approaches for imputation in admixed populations and presents a comprehensive comparison. PMID:23074066

  6. Studies Related to the Oregon State University High Temperature Test Facility: Scaling, the Validation Matrix, and Similarities to the Modular High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor

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

    Richard R. Schultz; Paul D. Bayless; Richard W. Johnson

    2010-09-01

    The Oregon State University (OSU) High Temperature Test Facility (HTTF) is an integral experimental facility that will be constructed on the OSU campus in Corvallis, Oregon. The HTTF project was initiated, by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), on September 5, 2008 as Task 4 of the 5 year High Temperature Gas Reactor Cooperative Agreement via NRC Contract 04-08-138. Until August, 2010, when a DOE contract was initiated to fund additional capabilities for the HTTF project, all of the funding support for the HTTF was provided by the NRC via their cooperative agreement. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) beganmore » their involvement with the HTTF project in late 2009 via the Next Generation Nuclear Plant project. Because the NRC interests in HTTF experiments were only centered on the depressurized conduction cooldown (DCC) scenario, NGNP involvement focused on expanding the experimental envelope of the HTTF to include steady-state operations and also the pressurized conduction cooldown (PCC). Since DOE has incorporated the HTTF as an ingredient in the NGNP thermal-fluids validation program, several important outcomes should be noted: 1. The reference prismatic reactor design, that serves as the basis for scaling the HTTF, became the modular high temperature gas-cooled reactor (MHTGR). The MHTGR has also been chosen as the reference design for all of the other NGNP thermal-fluid experiments. 2. The NGNP validation matrix is being planned using the same scaling strategy that has been implemented to design the HTTF, i.e., the hierarchical two-tiered scaling methodology developed by Zuber in 1991. Using this approach a preliminary validation matrix has been designed that integrates the HTTF experiments with the other experiments planned for the NGNP thermal-fluids verification and validation project. 3. Initial analyses showed that the inherent power capability of the OSU infrastructure, which only allowed a total operational facility power capability of 0.6 MW, is inadequate to permit steady-state operation at reasonable conditions. 4. To enable the HTTF to operate at a more representative steady-state conditions, DOE recently allocated funding via a DOE subcontract to HTTF to permit an OSU infrastructure upgrade such that 2.2 MW will become available for HTTF experiments. 5. Analyses have been performed to study the relationship between HTTF and MHTGR via the hierarchical two-tiered scaling methodology which has been used successfully in the past, e.g., APEX facility scaling to the Westinghouse AP600 plant. These analyses have focused on the relationship between key variables that will be measured in the HTTF to the counterpart variables in the MHTGR with a focus on natural circulation, using nitrogen as a working fluid, and core heat transfer. 6. Both RELAP5-3D and computational fluid dynamics (CD-Adapco’s STAR-CCM+) numerical models of the MHTGR and the HTTF have been constructed and analyses are underway to study the relationship between the reference reactor and the HTTF. The HTTF is presently being designed. It has ¼-scaling relationship to the MHTGR in both the height and the diameter. Decisions have been made to design the reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS) simulation as a boundary condition for the HTTF to ensure that (a) the boundary condition is well defined and (b) the boundary condition can be modified easily to achieve the desired heat transfer sink for HTTF experimental operations.« less

  7. Flight Dynamics Analysis Branch End of Fiscal Year 2002 Report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mangus, David (Editor); Mendelsohn, Chad (Editor); Starin, Scott (Editor); Stengle, Tom (Editor); Truong, Son (Editor)

    2002-01-01

    This report summarizes the major activities and accomplishments carried out by the Flight Dynamics Analysis Branch (FDAB), Code 572, in support of flight projects and technology development initiatives in Fiscal Year (FY) 2002. The report is intended to serve as a summary of the type of support carried out by the FDAB, as well as a concise reference of key accomplishments and mission experience derived from the various mission support roles. The primary focus of the FDAB is to provide expertise in the disciplines of flight dynamics including navigation, spacecraft trajectory design, attitude analysis, attitude determination and attitude control. The FDAB currently provides support for missions and technology development projects involving NASA, government, university, and private industry.

  8. Where Did the Reference Desk Go? Transforming Staff and Space to Meet User Needs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bunnett, Brian; Boehme, Andrea; Hardin, Steve; Arvin, Shelley; Evans, Karen; Huey, Paula; LaBella, Carey

    2016-01-01

    A sharp decline in the number of reference queries prompted the library administration at Indiana State University to begin a project to combine the circulation, reference, and IT desks to reduce staffing at a new consolidated service point. All faculty and staff in the reference/instruction and circulation units participated in the project. The…

  9. Projective invariant biplanar registration of a compact modular orthopaedic robot.

    PubMed

    Luan, Sheng; Sun, Lei; Hu, Lei; Hao, Aimin; Li, Changsheng; Tang, Peifu; Zhang, Lihai; Du, Hailong

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents a compact orthopedic robot designed with modular concept. The layout of the modular configuration is adaptive to various conditions such as surgical workspace and targeting path. A biplanar algorithm is adopted for the mapping from the fluoroscopic image to the robot, while the former affine based method is satisfactory only when the projection rays are basically perpendicular to the reference coordinate planes. This paper introduces the area cross-ratio as a projective invariant to improve the registration accuracy for non-orthogonal orientations, so that the robotic system could be applied to more orthopedic procedures under various C-Arm orientation conditions. The system configurations for femoral neck screw and sacroiliac screw fixation are presented. The accuracy of the robotic system and its efficacy for the two typical applications are validated by experiments.

  10. Check-Standard Testing Across Multiple Transonic Wind Tunnels with the Modern Design of Experiments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Deloach, Richard

    2012-01-01

    This paper reports the result of an analysis of wind tunnel data acquired in support of the Facility Analysis Verification & Operational Reliability (FAVOR) project. The analysis uses methods referred to collectively at Langley Research Center as the Modern Design of Experiments (MDOE). These methods quantify the total variance in a sample of wind tunnel data and partition it into explained and unexplained components. The unexplained component is further partitioned in random and systematic components. This analysis was performed on data acquired in similar wind tunnel tests executed in four different U.S. transonic facilities. The measurement environment of each facility was quantified and compared.

  11. [Being cared for and caring: living with multiple chronic diseases (Leila)-a qualitative study about APN contributions to integrated care].

    PubMed

    Müller-Staub, Maria; Zigan, Nicole; Händler-Schuster, Daniela; Probst, Sebastian; Monego, Renate; Imhof, Lorenz

    2015-04-01

    Living with multiple chronic diseases is complex and leads to enhanced care needs. To foster integrated care a project called "Living with chronic disease" (Leila) was initiated. The aim was to develop an Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) service in collaboration with medical centers for persons who are living with multiple chronic diseases. The following research questions were addressed: 1. What are patients' experiences, referring physicians and APNs with the Leila-Service? 2. How are referral processes performed? 3. How do the involved groups experience collaboration and APN role development? A qualitative approach according grounded theory of Corbin and Strauss was used to explore the experiences with the Leila project and the interaction of the persons involved. 38 interviews were conducted with patients who are living with multiple chronic diseases, their APN's and the referring physicians. The findings revealed "Being cared for and caring" as main category. The data demonstrated how patients responded to their involvement into care and that they were taken as serious partners in the care process. The category "organizing everyday life" describes how patients learned to cope with the consequences of living with multiple chronic diseases. "Using all resources" as another category demonstrates how capabilities and strengths were adopted. The results of the cooperation- and allocation processes showed that the APN recognition and APN role performance have to be negotiated. Prospective APN-services for this patient population should be integrated along with physician networks and other service providers including community health nursing.

  12. A proposed coast-wide reference monitoring system for evaluating Wetland restoration trajectories in Louisiana

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Steyer, G.D.; Sasser, C.E.; Visser, J.M.; Swenson, E.M.; Nyman, J.A.; Raynie, R.C.

    2003-01-01

    Wetland restoration efforts conducted in Louisiana under the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act require monitoring the effectiveness of individual projects as well as monitoring the cumulative effects of all projects in restoring, creating, enhancing, and protecting the coastal landscape. The effectiveness of the traditional paired-reference monitoring approach in Louisiana has been limited because of difficulty in finding comparable reference sites. A multiple reference approach is proposed that uses aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling. This approach includes a suite of sites that encompass the range of ecological condition for each stratum, with projects placed on a continuum of conditions found for that stratum. Trajectories in reference sites through time are then compared with project trajectories through time. Plant community zonation complicated selection of indicators, strata, and sample size. The approach proposed could serve as a model for evaluating wetland ecosystems.

  13. A proposed coast-wide reference monitoring system for evaluating wetland restoration trajectories in Louisiana.

    PubMed

    Steyer, Gregory D; Sasser, Charles E; Visser, Jenneke M; Swenson, Erick M; Nyman, John A; Raynie, Richard C

    2003-01-01

    Wetland restoration efforts conducted in Louisiana under the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act require monitoring the effectiveness of individual projects as well as monitoring the cumulative effects of all projects in restoring, creating, enhancing, and protecting the coastal landscape. The effectiveness of the traditional paired-reference monitoring approach in Louisiana has been limited because of difficulty in finding comparable reference sites. A multiple reference approach is proposed that uses aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling. This approach includes a suite of sites that encompass the range of ecological condition for each stratum, with projects placed on a continuum of conditions found for that stratum. Trajectories in reference sites through time are then compared with project trajectories through time. Plant community zonation complicated selection of indicators, strata, and sample size. The approach proposed could serve as a model for evaluating wetland ecosystems.

  14. Asian Carp Survivability Experiments and Water Transport Surveys in the Illinois River. Volume 2

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-01-01

    Reference 3)) have documented the egg and larval stages of grass, black, silver and bighead carps in the Yangtze River. This early paper also reported...rates at controlled tempera- tures to better understand the early egg and larval stages of silver and bighead carp. In the Yangtze River, after the...translated by Duane Chapman 2006, Gezhouba Water Control Project and four famous fishes in Yangtze River, Hubei Science and Technology Press, Wuhan

  15. POLAR/CEPPAD Data Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baker, D. N.; Hoffman, R. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    This final report provides a final report on a NASA sponsored project involving data reduction and scientific analysis related to the Comprehensive Energetic Particle Pitch Angle Distribution (CEPPAD) experiment of POLAR. Dr. D.N. Baker, the chief scientist, has focused primarily on the calibration of CEPPAD sensors and the interpretation of data from the sensors which has led to discoveries regarding storm-substorm relationships in the earth's magnetosphere. The report contains approximately 190 bibliographic references to the activities of Baker and others involved.

  16. Science Goals for the PARCS mission on the International Space Station

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ashby, Neil; Hollberg, Leo; Jefferts, Steven; Klipstein, William; Seidel, David; Sullivan, Donald

    2003-05-01

    The PARCS (Primary Atomic Reference Clock in Space) experiment will use a laser-cooled cesium atomic clock operating in the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to provide both advanced tests of gravitational theory and to demonstrate a new cold-atom clock technology for space. This presentation concentrates on the scientific goals of the PARCS mission. The microgravity space environment allows laser-cooled Cs atoms to have Ramsey times in excess of those feasible on Earth, resulting in improved clock performance. Clock stabilities of 5×10-14 at one second, and uncertainties below 10-16 are projected. The relativistic frequency shift should be measurable at least 40 times better than the previous best measurement made by Gravity Probe A. Significant improvements in testing fundamental assumptions of relativity theory, such as local position invariance (LPI), are expected. PARCS is scheduled for launch in 2007 and may very well fly with the Stanford superconducting microwave oscillator (SUMO) which will allow a Kennedy-Thorndike-type experiment with an improvement of better than three orders of magnitude compared to previous best results. PARCS will also provide a much-improved realization of the second, and a stable time reference in space. PARCS is a joint project by the National Institue of Standards and Technology (NIST), the University of Colorado (CU) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

  17. Global energy and water cycle experiment (GEWEX) continental-scale international project (GCIP); reference data sets CD-ROM

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rea, Alan; Cederstrand, Joel R.

    1994-01-01

    The data sets on this compact disc are a compilation of several geographic reference data sets of interest to the global-change research community. The data sets were chosen with input from the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Continental-Scale International Project (GCIP) Data Committee and the GCIP Hydrometeorology and Atmospheric Subpanels. The data sets include: locations and periods of record for stream gages, reservoir gages, and meteorological stations; a 500-meter-resolution digital elevation model; grid-node locations for the Eta numerical weather-prediction model; and digital map data sets of geology, land use, streams, large reservoirs, average annual runoff, average annual precipitation, average annual temperature, average annual heating and cooling degree days, hydrologic units, and state and county boundaries. Also included are digital index maps for LANDSAT scenes, and for the U.S. Geological Survey 1:250,000, 1:100,000, and 1:24,000-scale map series. Most of the data sets cover the conterminous United States; the digital elevation model also includes part of southern Canada. The stream and reservoir gage and meteorological station files cover all states having area within the Mississippi River Basin plus that part of the Mississippi River Basin lying within Canada. Several data-base retrievals were processed by state, therefore many sites outside the Mississippi River Basin are included.

  18. Bulgarian experience in the establishment of reference dose levels and implementation of a quality control system in diagnostic radiology.

    PubMed

    Vassileva, J; Dimov, A; Slavchev, A; Karadjov, A

    2005-01-01

    Results from a Bulgarian patient dose survey in diagnostic radiology are presented. Reference levels for entrance surface dose (ESD) were 0.9 mGy for chest radiography (PA), 30 mGy for lumbar spine (Lat), 10 mGy for pelvis, 5 mGy for skull (AP), 3 mGy for skull (Lat) and 13 mGy for mammography. Quality control (QC) programmes were proposed for various areas of diagnostic radiology. Film processing QC warranted special attention. Proposed QC programmes included parameters to be tested, level of expertise needed and two action levels: remedial and suspension. Programmes were tested under clinical conditions to assess initial results and draw conclusions for further QC system development. On the basis of international experience, measurement protocols were developed for all parameters tested. QC equipment was provided as part of the PHARE project. A future problem for QC programme implementation may be the small number of medical physics experts in diagnostic radiology.

  19. A history of the INTERNIST-1 and Quick Medical Reference (QMR) computer-assisted diagnosis projects, with lessons learned.

    PubMed

    Miller, R A

    2010-01-01

    The INTERNIST-1/Quick Medical Reference (QMR) diagnostic decision support project spans four decades, from 1971-onward. This paper describes the history of the project and details insights gained of relevance to the general clinical and informatics communities.

  20. 24 CFR 241.251 - Cross-reference.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... SUPPLEMENTARY FINANCING FOR INSURED PROJECT MORTGAGES Contract Rights and Obligations § 241.251 Cross-reference. (a) Projects with a HUD-insured or HUD-held mortgage. All of the provisions of subpart B, part 207 of... force and effect to multifamily project and group practice facility mortgages insured under section 241...

  1. Genotype Imputation for Latinos Using the HapMap and 1000 Genomes Project Reference Panels.

    PubMed

    Gao, Xiaoyi; Haritunians, Talin; Marjoram, Paul; McKean-Cowdin, Roberta; Torres, Mina; Taylor, Kent D; Rotter, Jerome I; Gauderman, William J; Varma, Rohit

    2012-01-01

    Genotype imputation is a vital tool in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and meta-analyses of multiple GWAS results. Imputation enables researchers to increase genomic coverage and to pool data generated using different genotyping platforms. HapMap samples are often employed as the reference panel. More recently, the 1000 Genomes Project resource is becoming the primary source for reference panels. Multiple GWAS and meta-analyses are targeting Latinos, the most populous, and fastest growing minority group in the US. However, genotype imputation resources for Latinos are rather limited compared to individuals of European ancestry at present, largely because of the lack of good reference data. One choice of reference panel for Latinos is one derived from the population of Mexican individuals in Los Angeles contained in the HapMap Phase 3 project and the 1000 Genomes Project. However, a detailed evaluation of the quality of the imputed genotypes derived from the public reference panels has not yet been reported. Using simulation studies, the Illumina OmniExpress GWAS data from the Los Angles Latino Eye Study and the MACH software package, we evaluated the accuracy of genotype imputation in Latinos. Our results show that the 1000 Genomes Project AMR + CEU + YRI reference panel provides the highest imputation accuracy for Latinos, and that also including Asian samples in the panel can reduce imputation accuracy. We also provide the imputation accuracy for each autosomal chromosome using the 1000 Genomes Project panel for Latinos. Our results serve as a guide to future imputation based analysis in Latinos.

  2. The Region 4 collaborative virtual reference project.

    PubMed

    Parker, Sandi K; Johnson, E Diane

    2003-01-01

    In May 2002, the Denison Memorial Library at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library at the University of Missouri-Columbia, with funding from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine-Midcontinental Region, embarked on a collaborative, real-time reference project using the 24/7 Reference, Inc., software package. This paper describes how the project was conceived, and includes details on the service hours, staffing, training, marketing, lessons learned, and future plans for the service.

  3. Combining Laboratory Experiments with Digital Tools to Do Scientific Inquiry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kluge, Anders

    2014-09-01

    This qualitative study investigates the gap between a lab experiment and theory of science. Two groups of 4 students in 2 different classes in 11th grade (15-16 years old) are followed as they process results and experiences from a lab experiment using a digital environment. The experiment is as a part of a larger project about genes and cells, and this study concerns how the digital environment can support students' sensemaking. The study shows how the students only are left with 'how-to' skills before they engage in collaborative processing supported by their own picture from the experiment. The picture becomes a hub for interactive sensemaking and is extensively used for annotation and discussion. Four elements in the digital support are identified as crucial: an extendable point of reference, facilitation to compare and contrast, a pointer to standard science knowledge, and a structure to guide the students to significant issues. The study identifies where the digital support succeeds and fails in this process of sensemaking from a lab experiment.

  4. Apollo-Soyuz test project. Operations handbook command/service/docking modules (CSM 119/DM 1): Operational procedures reference issue

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1974-01-01

    Operational and configuration checks for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project are presented. The checks include: backup crew prelaunch, prime crew prelaunch, boost and insertion, G and C reference data, G and N reference modes, rendezvous, navigation, Apollo-Soyuz operations, abort procedures, and emergency procedures.

  5. Models of Reference Services in Australian Academic Libraries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burke, Liz

    2008-01-01

    This article reports on a project which was undertaken in 2006 to investigate the current modes and methods for delivering reference services in Australian academic libraries. The project included a literature review to assist in providing a definition of reference services as well as a snapshot of statistics showing staff and patron numbers from…

  6. ALARA in European nuclear installations

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

    Lefaure, C.; Croft, J.; Pfeffer, W.

    1995-03-01

    For over a decade the Commission of the European Community has sponsored research projects on the development and practical implementation of the Optimization principle, or as it is often referred to, ALARA. These projects have given rise to a series of successful international Optimization training courses and have provided a significant input to the periodic European Seminars on Optimization, the last one of which took place in April 1993. This paper reviews the approaches to Optimization that have development within Europe and describes the areas of work in the current project. The on-going CEC research project addresses the problem ofmore » ALARA and internal exposures, and tries to define procedures for ALARA implementation, taking account of the perception of the hazard as well as the levels of probability of exposure. The relationships between ALARA and work management, and ALARA and decommissioning of installations appear to be other fruitful research areas. Finally, this paper introduces some software for using ALARA decision aiding techniques and databases containing feed back experience developed in Europe.« less

  7. Lost in translation? Rethinking First Nation education via LUCID insights

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nielsen, Thomas William

    2010-10-01

    This paper reports on findings from the Learning for Understanding through Culturally-Inclusive Imaginative Development project (LUCID). LUCID has been a 5-year (2004-2009) research and implementation endeavour and a partnership between Simon Fraser University (SFU) and three districts in British Columbia, Canada. Via emotionally engaging pedagogies and a culturally-inclusive curriculum, the project aimed at improving students' educational experience, particularly First Nations learners. Using a combination of Actor Network Theory (Latour, 2005, in: Reassembling the social: an introduction to Actor-Network Theory, Oxford University Press, Oxford) and Hermeneutic Phenomenology (Van Manen, 1990, in: Researching lived experience, The State University of New York, New York), site visits and interview data were examined with reference to the (f)actors influencing project objectives. Although each school district was unique, shared themes included: the importance of creating a community with shared intent; the role of executives as potential "change agents"; the problematic nature of emotionally-engaging teaching; and the complex influences of cultural and historical trauma. The latter theme is explored in particular, presenting the argument that language deficiency and a consequent lack of autonomy might be at the root of many problems experienced in First Nations communities.

  8. Implementation of preventive mental health services for children of physically ill parents: experiences in seven European countries and health care systems.

    PubMed

    Kühne, Franziska; Haagen, Miriam; Baldus, Christiane; Diareme, Stavroula; Grether, Andrea; Schmitt, Florence; Stanescu, Dan; Stöckl, Margit; Thastum, Mikael; Möller, Birgit; Romer, Georg

    2013-01-01

    Parental physical disease is a family issue, but families' minor children are seldom considered. The current study analyzed experiences with implementation of counseling for families with physically ill parents and minor children during a European multisite pilot project. Implementation protocols of seven European partner centers collaborating in a joint research project were analyzed by Mayring's qualitative content analysis. Both an inductive approach and a deductive approach were chosen. Satisfaction of families and therapists was considered based on information from three partner centers. Satisfaction with counseling was rather high. Mentioned problems referred to aspects related to liaison partners, family-related aspects and physicians' concerns. Recommendations related to contacting families, liaising with other professions, implementing counseling together with a research project, and training. Results are integrated in the current dissemination literature. Successful implementation was mostly determined by aspects of interdisciplinary cooperation and communication, perceived relative advantage and organizational premises. With regard to this kind of innovative child-centered family mental health services, top-down and bottom-up implementation strategies should be combined, and strategies of maintenance and sustainability should be considered from the very beginning. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Experimenting with Spirituality: Analyzing The God Gene in a Nonmajors Laboratory Course

    PubMed Central

    2008-01-01

    References linking genes to complex human traits, such as personality type or disease susceptibility, abound in the news media and popular culture. In his book The God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired into Our Genes, Dean Hamer argues that a variation in the VMAT2 gene plays a role in one's openness to spiritual experiences. In a nonmajors class, we read and discussed The God Gene and conducted on a small scale an extension of the study it describes. Students used polymerase chain reaction to replicate a portion of their VMAT2 genes, and they analyzed three polymorphic sites in the sequence of these products. Associations between particular VMAT2 alleles and scores on a personality test were assessed by t test. The course, of which this project was a major part, stimulated student learning; scores on a test covering basic genetic concepts, causation/correlation, and laboratory methodology improved after completion of the course. In a survey, students reported the laboratory project aided their learning, especially in the areas of statistics and the linking of genes to behaviors. They reported high levels of engagement with the project, citing in particular its personal nature as motivating their interest. PMID:18316816

  10. Comets in UV

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shustov, B.; Sachkov, M.; Gómez de Castro, A. I.; Vallejo, J. C.; Kanev, E.; Dorofeeva, V.

    2018-04-01

    Comets are important "eyewitnesses" of Solar System formation and evolution. Important tests to determine the chemical composition and to study the physical processes in cometary nuclei and coma need data in the UV range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Comprehensive and complete studies require additional ground-based observations and in situ experiments. We briefly review observations of comets in the ultraviolet (UV) and discuss the prospects of UV observations of comets and exocomets with space-borne instruments. A special reference is made to the World Space Observatory-Ultraviolet (WSO-UV) project.

  11. AIS training manual

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

    Kramer, C.F.; Barancik, J.I.

    1989-05-01

    This Training Manual was developed by the Injury Prevention and Analysis Group (IPAG) as part of a training program in AIS 85 and AIS-EM (Epidemiological Modifications) coding. The IPAG Program is designed primarily to train medical record and other health professionals from diverse backgrounds and experience levels in the use of AIS 85 and AIS 85-EM. The Manual is designed to be used as a reference text after completion of the Program and includes copies of visual projection materials used during the training sessions.

  12. Initial Back-to-Back Fission Chamber Testing in ATRC

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

    Benjamin Chase; Troy Unruh; Joy Rempe

    2014-06-01

    Development and testing of in-pile, real-time neutron sensors for use in Materials Test Reactor experiments is an ongoing project at Idaho National Laboratory. The Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility has sponsored a series of projects to evaluate neutron detector options in the Advanced Test Reactor Critical Facility (ATRC). Special hardware was designed and fabricated to enable testing of the detectors in the ATRC. Initial testing of Self-Powered Neutron Detectors and miniature fission chambers produced promising results. Follow-on testing required more experiment hardware to be developed. The follow-on testing used a Back-to-Back fission chamber with the intent to providemore » calibration data, and a means of measuring spectral indices. As indicated within this document, this is the first time in decades that BTB fission chambers have been used in INL facilities. Results from these fission chamber measurements provide a baseline reference for future measurements with Back-to-Back fission chambers.« less

  13. Delusions of success. How optimism undermines executives' decisions.

    PubMed

    Lovallo, Dan; Kahneman, Daniel

    2003-07-01

    The evidence is disturbingly clear: Most major business initiatives--mergers and acquisitions, capital investments, market entries--fail to ever pay off. Economists would argue that the low success rate reflects a rational assessment of risk, with the returns from a few successes outweighing the losses of many failures. But two distinguished scholars of decision making, Dan Lovallo of the University of New South Wales and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman of Princeton University, provide a very different explanation. They show that a combination of cognitive biases (including anchoring and competitor neglect) and organizational pressures lead managers to make overly optimistic forecasts in analyzing proposals for major investments. By exaggerating the likely benefits of a project and ignoring the potential pitfalls, they lead their organizations into initiatives that are doomed to fall well short of expectations. The biases and pressures cannot be escaped, the authors argue, but they can be tempered by applying a very different method of forecasting--one that takes a much more objective "outside view" of an initiative's likely outcome. This outside view, also known as reference-class forecasting, completely ignores the details of the project at hand; instead, it encourages managers to examine the experiences of a class of similar projects, to lay out a rough distribution of outcomes for this reference class, and then to position the current project in that distribution. The outside view is more likely than the inside view to produce accurate forecasts--and much less likely to deliver highly unrealistic ones, the authors say.

  14. Supporting telemicroscopy and laboratory medicine activities. The Greek "TELE.INFO.MED.LAB" project.

    PubMed

    Miaoulis, G; Protopapa, E; Skourlas, C; Delides, G

    1995-01-01

    In this paper the authors present the basic results of the study for the "TELE.INFO.MED.LAB" project. This study is based on the local experience of the Metaxas Cancer Institute case and on international references. The possibilities rendered by current developments in telemedicine and particularly in telepathology accelerate and facilitate the communication of crucial medical data and creation of "second level" medical services overcoming the geographical particularities of the country. The availability of data transmission (signals, images, texts, etc.) enables the creation of a "uniform market" for various services. This system must take into account the financial realities, geographical aspects transportation problems and technological developments. Organization of this system, the choices of technical standards and the realization of a complete pilot project are described. For this system we also describe the functional and technical aspects, as well as software and hardware components for the different types of units.

  15. FAST20XX: Achievements On European Suborbital Space Flight

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mack, A.; Steelant, J.; Adirim, H.; Lentsch, A.; Marini, M.; Pilz, N.

    2011-05-01

    In Europe, the EC co-funded project FAST20XX aims at exploring the borderline between aviation and space by investigating suborbital vehicles. The main focus is the identification and mastering of critical technologies for such vehicles rather than the vehicle development itself. Besides the objectives and overall layout of the project, the paper addresses also the progress made during the first period of the project. Two vehicle concepts are considered. A first one is a space vehicle launched from an airplane providing a low-energy ballistic flight experience using hybrid propulsion. The second is a vertically starting two-stage rocket space vehicle system concept taken as a basis to identify the conditions and constraints experienced during high- energy suborbital ultra-fast transport. The paper mainly discusses the two actual reference vehicles and the technical aspects of prerequisites for commercial operation including safety, human spaceflight, business cases, environmental and legal issues.

  16. Robust Depth Image Acquisition Using Modulated Pattern Projection and Probabilistic Graphical Models

    PubMed Central

    Kravanja, Jaka; Žganec, Mario; Žganec-Gros, Jerneja; Dobrišek, Simon; Štruc, Vitomir

    2016-01-01

    Depth image acquisition with structured light approaches in outdoor environments is a challenging problem due to external factors, such as ambient sunlight, which commonly affect the acquisition procedure. This paper presents a novel structured light sensor designed specifically for operation in outdoor environments. The sensor exploits a modulated sequence of structured light projected onto the target scene to counteract environmental factors and estimate a spatial distortion map in a robust manner. The correspondence between the projected pattern and the estimated distortion map is then established using a probabilistic framework based on graphical models. Finally, the depth image of the target scene is reconstructed using a number of reference frames recorded during the calibration process. We evaluate the proposed sensor on experimental data in indoor and outdoor environments and present comparative experiments with other existing methods, as well as commercial sensors. PMID:27775570

  17. Analysis of Data in Accordance with Space Flight Mission Environmental Requirements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shei, Monica

    2011-01-01

    The Environmental Assurance Program sets forth standards to ensure that all flight hardware is compatible with the environments that will be encountered during a spacecraft mission. It outlines the design, test and analysis, and risk control standards for the mission and certifies that it will survive in any external or self-induced environments that the spacecraft may experience. The Environmental Requirements Document (ERD) is the most important document in the Environmental Assurance Program, providing the design and test requirements for the project's flight system, subsystems, assemblies, and instruments. This summer's project was to assist Environmental Requirements Engineers (ERE's) in completing the Environmental Assurance Program Summary Report for both the Juno Project and Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Project. The Summary Report is a document summarizing the environmental tests and analyses of each spacecraft at both the assembly and system level. It compiles a source of all relevant information such as waivers and Problem/Failure Reports (PFRs) into a single report for easy reference of how well the spacecraft met the requirements of the project.

  18. Command generator tracker based direct model reference adaptive control of a PUMA 560 manipulator. Thesis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Swift, David C.

    1992-01-01

    This project dealt with the application of a Direct Model Reference Adaptive Control algorithm to the control of a PUMA 560 Robotic Manipulator. This chapter will present some motivation for using Direct Model Reference Adaptive Control, followed by a brief historical review, the project goals, and a summary of the subsequent chapters.

  19. A Survey of New Zealand Academic Reference Librarians: Current and Future Skills and Competencies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chawner, Brenda; Oliver, Gillian

    2013-01-01

    A survey of New Zealand academic subject/reference librarians was conducted in mid-2011 to identify the most highly valued knowledge, skills and competencies of reference librarians working in libraries in the tertiary sector. The project was part of an international collaborative project involving 13 countries. The results from New Zealand show…

  20. On the Execution Control of HLA Federations using the SISO Space Reference FOM

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moller, Bjorn; Garro, Alfredo; Falcone, Alberto; Crues, Edwin Z.; Dexter, Daniel E.

    2017-01-01

    In the Space domain the High Level Architecture (HLA) is one of the reference standard for Distributed Simulation. However, for the different organizations involved in the Space domain (e.g. NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, and JAXA) and their industrial partners, it is difficult to implement HLA simulators (called Federates) able to interact and interoperate in the context of a distributed HLA simulation (called Federation). The lack of a common FOM (Federation Object Model) for the Space domain is one of the main reasons that precludes a-priori interoperability between heterogeneous federates. To fill this lack a Product Development Group (PDG) has been recently activated in the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO) with the aim to provide a Space Reference FOM (SRFOM) for international collaboration on Space systems simulations. Members of the PDG come from several countries and contribute experiences from projects within NASA, ESA and other organizations. Participants represent government, academia and industry. The paper presents an overview of the ongoing Space Reference FOM standardization initiative by focusing on the solution provided for managing the execution of an SRFOM-based Federation.

  1. Field Research in the Teaching of Undergraduate Soil Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brevik, Eric C.; Senturklu, Songul; Landblom, Douglas

    2015-04-01

    Several studies have demonstrated that undergraduate students benefit from research experiences. Benefits of undergraduate research include 1) personal and intellectual development, 2) more and closer contact with faculty, 3) the use of active learning techniques, 4) creation of high expectations, 5) development of creative and problem-solving skills, 6) greater independence and intrinsic motivation to learn, and 7) exposure to practical skills. The scientific discipline also benefits, as studies have shown that undergraduates who engage in research experiences are more likely to remain science majors and finish their degree program (Lopatto, 2007). Research experiences come as close as possible to allowing undergraduates to experience what it is like to be an academic or research member of their profession working to advance their discipline. Soils form in the field, therefore, field experiences are very important in developing a complete and holistic understanding of soil science. Combining undergraduate research with field experiences can provide extremely beneficial outcomes to the undergraduate student, including increased understanding of and appreciation for detailed descriptions and data analysis as well as an enhanced ability to see how various parts of their undergraduate education come together to understand a complex problem. The experiences of the authors in working with undergraduate students on field-based research projects will be discussed, along with examples of some of the undergraduate research projects that have been undertaken. In addition, student impressions of their research experiences will be presented. Reference Lopatto, D. 2007. Undergraduate research experiences support science career decisions and active learning. CBE -- Life Sciences Education 6:297-306.

  2. Automated distress surveys : analysis of network-level data.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2017-04-01

    TxDOT Project 0-6663, Phase 1: Rutting : Applus, Dynatest, Fugro, Pathway and TxDOT : Reference: detailed project level (24 550-ft sections) : Phase 2: Distresses : Dynatest, Fugro, WayLink-OSU and TxDOT : Reference: detailed proj...

  3. [Review and analysis of the review results of Taiwan nurses association nursing projects (2011~2013)].

    PubMed

    Chang, Li-Yin; Chen, Yu-Chih; Huang, Kuang-Chi; Huang, Jui-Lan; Lee, Tso-Ying

    2015-04-01

    Nursing projects are a key part of N4 professional competency training for nursing personnel. Low passage rates for these projects have been shown to negatively affect the intent of nursing personnel to advance further in the nursing ladder system. This study analyzes the scores for nursing projects between 2011 and 2013, the passage rate for these projects, and the differences in passage rates between different types of projects. This retrospective and descriptive study collected data on nursing projects conducted under the auspices of the Taiwan Nurses Association between 2011 and 2013. Furthermore, the comments of reviewers on 100 nursing projects were randomly selected and subjected to content analysis. A total of 3,359 nursing projects were examined. Eliminating unqualified nursing projects left a total of 3,246 projects for the dataset. A total of 1,099 projects were scored with passing grades, giving a passing rate of 33.9%. The authors of these passing projects worked primarily in northern Taiwan, worked in medical centers, and worked in intensive care departments. The projects submitted by authors in central Taiwan had the highest average score and passing rate, while those living in offshore islands had the lowest average score and passing rate. Most of the project topics belonged to the category: "improvement of nursing service skills or quality" (77.3%). Items with the lowest scores were: validation of questions, analysis of the current situation, and evaluation of results. The topics of nursing projects did not relate significantly to passing rate. However, years of experience, geographic location of hospital, level of institution, and department each had a statistically significant impact on the passage rate. A content analysis of reviewer comments was used to extract common problems. Most of the positive comments were related to the category of "literature review and reference", while most of the negative comments were related to the categories of "literature review and reference", "analysis of current situation", "problem result and process", "evaluation of results", and "validation of questions". This study analyzed the types of nursing projects, the trends in submission, and the comments of project reviewers. The results indicate that the validation of problems in project writing and current situation analysis and the evaluation of results should be improved. These findings may be referenced by nursing personnel for executing projects in the future and for developing improved criteria / methodologies for the clinical ladder system for nursing personnel.

  4. An Environmental Management Maturity Model of Construction Programs Using the AHP-Entropy Approach.

    PubMed

    Bai, Libiao; Wang, Hailing; Huang, Ning; Du, Qiang; Huang, Youdan

    2018-06-23

    The accelerating process of urbanization in China has led to considerable opportunities for the development of construction projects, however, environmental issues have become an important constraint on the implementation of these projects. To quantitatively describe the environmental management capabilities of such projects, this paper proposes a 2-dimensional Environmental Management Maturity Model of Construction Program (EMMMCP) based on an analysis of existing projects, group management theory and a management maturity model. In this model, a synergetic process was included to compensate for the lack of consideration of synergies in previous studies, and it was involved in the construction of the first dimension, i.e., the environmental management index system. The second dimension, i.e., the maturity level of environment management, was then constructed by redefining the hierarchical characteristics of construction program (CP) environmental management maturity. Additionally, a mathematical solution to this proposed model was derived via the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)-entropy approach. To verify the effectiveness and feasibility of this proposed model, a computational experiment was conducted, and the results show that this approach could not only measure the individual levels of different processes, but also achieve the most important objective of providing a reference for stakeholders when making decisions on the environmental management of construction program, which reflects this model is reasonable for evaluating the level of environmental management maturity in CP. To our knowledge, this paper is the first study to evaluate the environmental management maturity levels of CP, which would fill the gap between project program management and environmental management and provide a reference for relevant management personnel to enhance their environmental management capabilities.

  5. Evaluation of Nuclear Facility Decommissioning Projects program: a reference research reactor. Project summary report

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

    Baumann, B.L.; Miller, R.L.

    1983-10-01

    This document presents, in summary form, generic conceptual information relevant to the decommissioning of a reference research reactor (RRR). All of the data presented were extracted from NUREG/CR-1756 and arranged in a form that will provide a basis for future comparison studies for the Evaluation of Nuclear Facility Decommissioning Projects (ENFDP) program.

  6. Chapter 10 - Using simulation modeling to assess historical reference conditions for vegetation and fire regimes for the LANDFIRE Prototype Project

    Treesearch

    Sarah Pratt; Lisa Holsinger; Robert E. Keane

    2006-01-01

    A critical component of the Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools Prototype Project, or LANDFIRE Prototype Project, was the development of a nationally consistent method for estimating historical reference conditions for vegetation composition and structure and wildland fire regimes. These estimates of past vegetation composition and condition are used...

  7. A lunar base reference mission for the phased implementation of bioregenerative life support system components

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dittmer, Laura N.; Drews, Michael E.; Lineaweaver, Sean K.; Shipley, Derek E.; Hoehn, A.

    1991-01-01

    Previous design efforts of a cost effective and reliable regenerative life support system (RLSS) provided the foundation for the characterization of organisms or 'biological processors' in engineering terms and a methodology was developed for their integration into an engineered ecological LSS in order to minimize the mass flow imbalances between consumers and producers. These techniques for the design and the evaluation of bioregenerative LSS have now been integrated into a lunar base reference mission, emphasizing the phased implementation of components of such a BLSS. In parallel, a designers handbook was compiled from knowledge and experience gained during past design projects to aid in the design and planning of future space missions requiring advanced RLSS technologies. The lunar base reference mission addresses in particular the phased implementation and integration of BLS parts and includes the resulting infrastructure burdens and needs such as mass, power, volume, and structural requirements of the LSS. Also, operational aspects such as manpower requirements and the possible need and application of 'robotics' were addressed.

  8. Study of the comprehension of the scientific method by members of a university health research laboratory.

    PubMed

    Burlamaque-Neto, A C; Santos, G R; Lisbôa, L M; Goldim, J R; Machado, C L B; Matte, U; Giugliani, R

    2012-02-01

    In Brazil, scientific research is carried out mainly at universities, where professors coordinate research projects with the active participation of undergraduate and graduate students. However, there is no formal program for the teaching/learning of the scientific method. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the comprehension of the scientific method by students of health sciences who participate in scientific projects in an academic research laboratory. An observational descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using Edgar Morin complexity as theoretical reference. In a semi-structured interview, students were asked to solve an abstract logical puzzle - TanGram. The collected data were analyzed using the hermeneutic-dialectic analysis method proposed by Minayo and discussed in terms of the theoretical reference of complexity. The students' concept of the scientific method is limited to participation in projects, stressing the execution of practical procedures as opposed to scientific thinking. The solving of the TanGram puzzle revealed that the students had difficulties in understanding questions and activities focused on subjects and their processes. Objective answers, even when dealing with personal issues, were also reflected on the students' opinions about the characteristics of a successful researcher. Students' difficulties concerning these issues may affect their scientific performance and result in poorly designed experiments. This is a preliminary study that should be extended to other centers of scientific research.

  9. Study of the comprehension of the scientific method by members of a university health research laboratory

    PubMed Central

    Burlamaque-Neto, A.C.; Santos, G.R.; Lisbôa, L.M.; Goldim, J.R.; Machado, C.L.B.; Matte, U.; Giugliani, R.

    2012-01-01

    In Brazil, scientific research is carried out mainly at universities, where professors coordinate research projects with the active participation of undergraduate and graduate students. However, there is no formal program for the teaching/learning of the scientific method. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the comprehension of the scientific method by students of health sciences who participate in scientific projects in an academic research laboratory. An observational descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using Edgar Morin complexity as theoretical reference. In a semi-structured interview, students were asked to solve an abstract logical puzzle - TanGram. The collected data were analyzed using the hermeneutic-dialectic analysis method proposed by Minayo and discussed in terms of the theoretical reference of complexity. The students' concept of the scientific method is limited to participation in projects, stressing the execution of practical procedures as opposed to scientific thinking. The solving of the TanGram puzzle revealed that the students had difficulties in understanding questions and activities focused on subjects and their processes. Objective answers, even when dealing with personal issues, were also reflected on the students' opinions about the characteristics of a successful researcher. Students' difficulties concerning these issues may affect their scientific performance and result in poorly designed experiments. This is a preliminary study that should be extended to other centers of scientific research. PMID:22249427

  10. A Practical Approach to Governance and Optimization of Structured Data Elements.

    PubMed

    Collins, Sarah A; Gesner, Emily; Morgan, Steven; Mar, Perry; Maviglia, Saverio; Colburn, Doreen; Tierney, Diana; Rocha, Roberto

    2015-01-01

    Definition and configuration of clinical content in an enterprise-wide electronic health record (EHR) implementation is highly complex. Sharing of data definitions across applications within an EHR implementation project may be constrained by practical limitations, including time, tools, and expertise. However, maintaining rigor in an approach to data governance is important for sustainability and consistency. With this understanding, we have defined a practical approach for governance of structured data elements to optimize data definitions given limited resources. This approach includes a 10 step process: 1) identification of clinical topics, 2) creation of draft reference models for clinical topics, 3) scoring of downstream data needs for clinical topics, 4) prioritization of clinical topics, 5) validation of reference models for clinical topics, and 6) calculation of gap analyses of EHR compared against reference model, 7) communication of validated reference models across project members, 8) requested revisions to EHR based on gap analysis, 9) evaluation of usage of reference models across project, and 10) Monitoring for new evidence requiring revisions to reference model.

  11. Carroll County Competency Based Teacher Certification Project. Librarian's Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coker, Homer; Coker, Joan G.

    Reference materials, slides, cassettes, books, pamphlets, materials from other states, and articles used in the Carroll County, Georgia, Competency Based Teacher Certification Project, 1973-74, are listed. Brief annotations are included for both the reference materials and articles. (MJM)

  12. Can abstract screening workload be reduced using text mining? User experiences of the tool Rayyan.

    PubMed

    Olofsson, Hanna; Brolund, Agneta; Hellberg, Christel; Silverstein, Rebecca; Stenström, Karin; Österberg, Marie; Dagerhamn, Jessica

    2017-09-01

    One time-consuming aspect of conducting systematic reviews is the task of sifting through abstracts to identify relevant studies. One promising approach for reducing this burden uses text mining technology to identify those abstracts that are potentially most relevant for a project, allowing those abstracts to be screened first. To examine the effectiveness of the text mining functionality of the abstract screening tool Rayyan. User experiences were collected. Rayyan was used to screen abstracts for 6 reviews in 2015. After screening 25%, 50%, and 75% of the abstracts, the screeners logged the relevant references identified. A survey was sent to users. After screening half of the search result with Rayyan, 86% to 99% of the references deemed relevant to the study were identified. Of those studies included in the final reports, 96% to 100% were already identified in the first half of the screening process. Users rated Rayyan 4.5 out of 5. The text mining function in Rayyan successfully helped reviewers identify relevant studies early in the screening process. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  13. Flight Dynamics Analysis Branch 2005 Technical Highlights

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2005-01-01

    This report summarizes the major activities and accomplishments carried out by the Flight Dynamics Analysis Branch (FDAB), Code 595, in support of flight projects and technology development initiatives in Fiscal Year (FY) 2005. The report is intended to serve as a summary of the type of support carried out by the FDAB, as well as a concise reference of key accomplishments and mission experience derived from the various mission support roles. The primary focus of the FDAB is to provide expertise in the disciplines of flight dynamics including spacecraft navigation (autonomous and ground based); spacecraft trajectory design and maneuver planning; attitude analysis; attitude determination and sensor calibration; and attitude control subsystem (ACS) analysis and design. The FDAB currently provides support for missions and technology development projects involving NASA, other government agencies, academia, and private industry.

  14. Indigenous students transitioning to school: responses to pre-foundational mathematics.

    PubMed

    Sarra, Grace; Ewing, Bronwyn

    2014-01-01

    Australian Indigenous students' mathematics performance continues to be below that of non-Indigenous students. This occurs from the early years of school, due largely to knowledge and social differences on entry to formal schooling. This paper reports on a mathematics research project conducted in one Aboriginal community school in New South Wales, Australia. The project aimed to identify and explain the ways that young Australian Indigenous students (age 2-4 years) learn number language and processes, specifically attribute language, sorting, 1-1 correspondence and, counting. The project adopted a mixed methods approach. That is, the methodology was decolonising (Smith 1999) in that it collaborated with and gave benefit back to the Indigenous community and school being researched. It was qualitative and interpretative (Burns 2000) and incorporated an action-research teaching-experiment approach where and teachers collaborated with the researchers to try new teaching methods. This paper draws on data pertaining to students' response to diagnostic interview questions, the pre- and post-test results of the interview and photographic evidence as observations during mathematics learning time. Participants referred to in this paper include one female principal (N = 1), and the transition class of students' pre- (N = 6) and post-test (N = 3) results of the pre-foundational processes (also referred to as attributes). The results were encouraging with improvements in colour (34%), patterns (33%) and capacity (38%). As a result of this project, our epistemology regarding the importance of finding out about students' pre-foundational knowledge and understandings and providing a culturally appropriate learning environment with resources has been built upon.

  15. Standardization of protein biomarker measurements: is it feasible?

    PubMed

    Schimmel, Heinz; Zegers, Ingrid; Emons, Hendrik

    2010-01-01

    The standardisation of measurements of protein biomarkers, which are potentially heterogeneous in terms of fragmentation, modification, substitution, primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure, is a demanding task. However, they are a prime target for standardisation efforts due to the importance of protein biomarkers in diagnostics and health care and the typically observed significant discrepancies in measurement results obtained with non-standardized platforms. Based on the experience gathered during successfully completed projects for the production of reference materials, pragmatic approaches are described how standardisation could become feasible despite the fuzziness of the target analytes.

  16. Neural-Thyroid Interaction on Skeletal Isomyosin in Zero Gravity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baldwin, Kenneth M.

    2000-01-01

    The primary goal of the project was to develop a ground based model to first study the role of the nerve and of thyroid hormone (T3) in the regulation of body growth and skeletal muscle growth and differentiation in rodents. A primary objective was to test the hypothesis that normal weight bearing activity is essential for the development of antigravity, slow twitch skeletal muscle and the corresponding slow myosin heavy chain (MHC) gene; whereas, T3 was obligatory for general body and muscle growth and the establishment of fast MHC phenotype in typically fast locomoter muscles. These ground based experiments would provide both the efficacy and background for a spaceflight experiment (referred to as the Neurolab Mission) jointly sponsored by the NIH and NASA.

  17. Distortion of depth perception in virtual environments using stereoscopic displays: quantitative assessment and corrective measures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kleiber, Michael; Winkelholz, Carsten

    2008-02-01

    The aim of the presented research was to quantify the distortion of depth perception when using stereoscopic displays. The visualization parameters of the used virtual reality system such as perspective, haploscopic separation and width of stereoscopic separation were varied. The experiment was designed to measure distortion in depth perception according to allocentric frames of reference. The results of the experiments indicate that some of the parameters have an antithetic effect which allows to compensate the distortion of depth perception for a range of depths. In contrast to earlier research which reported underestimation of depth perception we found that depth was overestimated when using true projection parameters according to the position of the eyes of the user and display geometry.

  18. Automatic Non-Destructive Growth Measurement of Leafy Vegetables Based on Kinect

    PubMed Central

    Hu, Yang; Wang, Le; Xiang, Lirong; Wu, Qian; Jiang, Huanyu

    2018-01-01

    Non-destructive plant growth measurement is essential for plant growth and health research. As a 3D sensor, Kinect v2 has huge potentials in agriculture applications, benefited from its low price and strong robustness. The paper proposes a Kinect-based automatic system for non-destructive growth measurement of leafy vegetables. The system used a turntable to acquire multi-view point clouds of the measured plant. Then a series of suitable algorithms were applied to obtain a fine 3D reconstruction for the plant, while measuring the key growth parameters including relative/absolute height, total/projected leaf area and volume. In experiment, 63 pots of lettuce in different growth stages were measured. The result shows that the Kinect-measured height and projected area have fine linear relationship with reference measurements. While the measured total area and volume both follow power law distributions with reference data. All these data have shown good fitting goodness (R2 = 0.9457–0.9914). In the study of biomass correlations, the Kinect-measured volume was found to have a good power law relationship (R2 = 0.9281) with fresh weight. In addition, the system practicality was validated by performance and robustness analysis. PMID:29518958

  19. Building and critiquing qualitative research websites: a cyberspace project to connect undergraduate nursing students in Canada and the United States.

    PubMed

    Teel, Cynthia S; Shaw, Judith A

    2005-01-01

    This project had a dual purpose: 1) to facilitate student learning about qualitative research methods, and 2) to promote collegiality and professional development among senior nursing students in Canada and the United States through the use of distance technology. In each of three project years, students at St. Francis Xavier University (STFX) in Nova Scotia initiated the experience by working in small groups to develop websites about different methodological approaches in qualitative research. Site information included an overview of the selected approach, discussion of trustworthiness issues, citation of journal articles in which authors used the approach, additional references, and some personal information about the student developers. Also working in small groups, University of Kansas students identified and read related research articles, reviewed website information, and responded to the STFX groups about the usefulness of site information in increasing understanding of qualitative methods and using the information for evaluation of research. The experience promoted active use of qualitative research concepts and facilitated the development of skills in evaluating research article content and website content. Participation in the activity fostered positive perceptions about the value and use of research and helped students appreciate the similarities in courses, programs, and professional requirements and values among international peers.

  20. Integrated response toward HIV: a health promotion case study from China.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Zhen; Wang, Debin; Yang, Sen; Duan, Mingyue; Bu, Pengbin; Green, Andrew; Zhang, Xuejun

    2011-06-01

    Integrated HIV response refers to a formalized, collaborative process among organizations in communities with HIV at-risk populations. It is a both comprehensive and flexible scheme, which may include community-based environment promotion, skill coalition, fund linkage, human resource collaboration and service system jointly for both HIV prevention and control. It enables decisions and actions responds over time. In 1997, the Chinese government developed a 10-year HIV project supported by World Bank Loan (H9-HIV/AIDS/STIs). It was the first integrated STI/HIV intervention project in China and provides a unique opportunity to explore the long-term comprehensive STI/HIV intervention in a low-middle income country setting. Significant outcomes were identified as development and promotion of the national strategic plan and its ongoing implementation; positive knowledge, behavioral and STI/HIV prevalence rate change; and valuable experiences for managing integrated HIV/STI intervention projects. Essential factors for the success of the project and the key tasks for the next step were identified and included well-designed intervention in rural and low economic regions, unified program evaluation framework and real-time information collection and assessment.

  1. Enterprise Reference Library

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bickham, Grandin; Saile, Lynn; Havelka, Jacque; Fitts, Mary

    2011-01-01

    Introduction: Johnson Space Center (JSC) offers two extensive libraries that contain journals, research literature and electronic resources. Searching capabilities are available to those individuals residing onsite or through a librarian s search. Many individuals have rich collections of references, but no mechanisms to share reference libraries across researchers, projects, or directorates exist. Likewise, information regarding which references are provided to which individuals is not available, resulting in duplicate requests, redundant labor costs and associated copying fees. In addition, this tends to limit collaboration between colleagues and promotes the establishment of individual, unshared silos of information The Integrated Medical Model (IMM) team has utilized a centralized reference management tool during the development, test, and operational phases of this project. The Enterprise Reference Library project expands the capabilities developed for IMM to address the above issues and enhance collaboration across JSC. Method: After significant market analysis for a multi-user reference management tool, no available commercial tool was found to meet this need, so a software program was built around a commercial tool, Reference Manager 12 by The Thomson Corporation. A use case approach guided the requirements development phase. The premise of the design is that individuals use their own reference management software and export to SharePoint when their library is incorporated into the Enterprise Reference Library. This results in a searchable user-specific library application. An accompanying share folder will warehouse the electronic full-text articles, which allows the global user community to access full -text articles. Discussion: An enterprise reference library solution can provide a multidisciplinary collection of full text articles. This approach improves efficiency in obtaining and storing reference material while greatly reducing labor, purchasing and duplication costs. Most importantly, increasing collaboration across research groups provides unprecedented access to information relevant to NASA s mission. Conclusion: This project is an expansion and cost-effective leveraging of the existing JSC centralized library. Adding key word and author search capabilities and an alert function for notifications about new articles, based on users profiles, represent examples of future enhancements.

  2. Experience of the nuclear reactors (environmental impact assessment for decommissioning) regulations 1999, as amended, in Great Britain

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

    Brown, Sarah; Mattress, Elaine; Nettleton, Jo

    2007-07-01

    Available in abstract form only. Full text of publication follows: In Great Britain, the Nuclear Reactors (Environmental Impact Assessment for Decommissioning) Regulations 1999 as amended 2006 (EIADR) requires assessment of the potential environmental impacts of projects to decommission nuclear power stations and reactors. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the competent authority for EIADR. The EIADR implement European Council Directive 85/337/EEC (the EIA Directive) as amended by Council Directive 97/11/EC and Council Directive 2003/35/EC the (Public Participation Directive). The purpose of the EIADR is to assess environmental effects of nuclear reactor decommissioning projects, involve the public through consultation, andmore » make the decision-making process open and transparent. Under the regulations, any licensee wishing to begin to decommission or dismantle a nuclear power station, or other civil nuclear reactor, must apply to HSE for consent to carry out the decommissioning project, undertake an environmental impact assessment and prepare an environmental statement that summarises the environmental effects of the project. HSE will consult on the environmental statement. So far under the EIADR there have been six consents granted for decommissioning projects for Magnox Power Stations. These stations have been required as a condition of consent to submit an Environmental Management Plan on an annual basis. This allows the project to be continually reviewed and assessed to ensure that the licensee can provide detail as agreed during the review of the environmental statement and that any changes to mitigation measures are detailed. This paper summarises the EIADR process, giving particular emphasis to public participation and the decision making process, and discusses HSE's experience of EIADR with reference to specific environmental issues raised by stakeholders and current developments. (authors)« less

  3. An Interprofessional Collaborative Practice model for preparation of clinical educators.

    PubMed

    Scarvell, Jennie M; Stone, Judy

    2010-07-01

    Work-integrated learning is essential to health professional education, but faces increasing academic and industry resource pressures. The aim of this pilot "Professional Practice Project" was to develop and implement an innovative education intervention for clinical educators across several health disciplines. The project used interprofessional collaboration as its underlying philosophy, and a participatory action research methodology in four cycles: Cycle 1: Formation of an interprofessional project executive and working party from academic staff. Data collection of student insights into work integrated learning. Cycle 2: Formation of an interprofessional reference group to inform curriculum development for a series of clinical education workshops. Cycle 3: Delivery of workshops; 174 clinical educators, supervisors and preceptors attended two workshops: "Introduction to experiential learning" and " utilizing available resources for learning". Cycle 4: Seminar discussion of the Professional Practice Project at a national health-education conference. This pilot project demonstrated the advantages of using collaborative synergies to allow innovation around clinical education, free from the constraints of traditional discipline-specific education models. The planning, delivery and evaluation of clinical education workshops describe the benefits of interprofessional collaboration through enhanced creative thinking, sharing of clinical education models and a broadening of experience for both learners and facilitators.

  4. Project-based learning methodology in the area of microbiology applied to undergraduate medical research.

    PubMed

    Mateo, Estibaliz; Sevillano, Elena

    2018-07-01

    In the recent years, there has been a decrease in the number of medical professionals dedicated to a research career. There is evidence that students with a research experience during their training acquire knowledge and skills that increase the probability of getting involved in research more successfully. In the Degree of Medicine (University of the Basque Country) the annual core subject 'Research Project' introduces students to research. The aim of this work was to implement a project-based learning methodology, with the students working on microbiology, and to analyse its result along time. Given an initial scenario, the students had to come up with a research idea related to medical microbiology and to carry out a research project, including writing a funding proposal, developing the experimental assays and analyzing and presenting their results to a congress organized by the University. Summative assessment was performed by both students and teachers. A satisfaction survey was carried out to gather the students' opinion. The overall results regarding to the classroom dynamics, learning results and motivation after the implementation were favourable. Students referred a greater interest about research than they had before. They would choose the project based methodology versus the traditional one.

  5. The Many Dimensions of Program Management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dean, Edwin B.

    1992-01-01

    For the purposes of this paper, program refers to a collection of activities or projects which must be performed according to a plan or schedule. The Space Exploration Initiative within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an example. Dimensionality refers to both the various perspectives of a program and to the components within that perspective. It is, thus, appropriate to think of dimensions of dimensionality. For example, one dimension or perspective of a program is the projects which perform the program. Within the project dimension, the individual projects are the components of that dimensionality. The number of projects defines the spatial dimensionality of the project dimension. Thus, each perspective or dimension has a dimensionality of its own. The structure and associated values of all the various perspectives of a program define the program. A project refers to the collection of activities required to conceive, sell, design, develop, evaluate, produce, operate, support, evolve, and retire a given system. A project thus effects the life cycle of given system. A project is, thus, the system to conceive, sell, design, develop, evaluate, produce, operate, support, evolve, and retire a system. A program, thus, effects the life cycle of the collection of projects required to effect the collection of systems required to implement the program.

  6. International Energy Agency Ocean Energy Systems Task 10 Wave Energy Converter Modeling Verification and Validation: Preprint

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

    Wendt, Fabian F; Yu, Yi-Hsiang; Nielsen, Kim

    This is the first joint reference paper for the Ocean Energy Systems (OES) Task 10 Wave Energy Converter modeling verification and validation group. The group is established under the OES Energy Technology Network program under the International Energy Agency. OES was founded in 2001 and Task 10 was proposed by Bob Thresher (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) in 2015 and approved by the OES Executive Committee EXCO in 2016. The kickoff workshop took place in September 2016, wherein the initial baseline task was defined. Experience from similar offshore wind validation/verification projects (OC3-OC5 conducted within the International Energy Agency Wind Task 30)more » [1], [2] showed that a simple test case would help the initial cooperation to present results in a comparable way. A heaving sphere was chosen as the first test case. The team of project participants simulated different numerical experiments, such as heave decay tests and regular and irregular wave cases. The simulation results are presented and discussed in this paper.« less

  7. Exploring teachers' perspectives on the impact of out-of-school science-based programs for secondary level physics classrooms in Nebraska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baquerizo-Birth, Marisol

    This exploratory phenomenological study investigates the lived experiences of six high school physics teachers in Nebraska regarding their perceptions on the impact of participating in a science-based out-of-school program. By exploring the research question, we discover how this experience relates to these teachers' self-concept and professional growth. Open-ended, semi-structured, one-on-one interviews are used as the data collection method to explore teachers' perceptions. Responses reveal that teachers participating in the Cosmic Ray Observatory Project (CROP) as a means of exploring advanced, extracurricular physics projects perceive their participation as an opportunity for enrichment, collaboration, helping their students, and empowerment. Intertwined in the presented narratives, teachers refer to their schools' limited administrative support as a source of struggle tied to the challenge of balancing school and teaching responsibilities with CROP participants' responsibilities. This study proposes teachers must feel confident with their specific subject area to achieve a progressive view of self, and that supplemental professional development opportunities are crucial to physics teaching.

  8. The role of observational reference data for climate downscaling: Insights from the VALUE COST Action

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kotlarski, Sven; Gutiérrez, José M.; Boberg, Fredrik; Bosshard, Thomas; Cardoso, Rita M.; Herrera, Sixto; Maraun, Douglas; Mezghani, Abdelkader; Pagé, Christian; Räty, Olle; Stepanek, Petr; Soares, Pedro M. M.; Szabo, Peter

    2016-04-01

    VALUE is an open European network to validate and compare downscaling methods for climate change research (http://www.value-cost.eu). A key deliverable of VALUE is the development of a systematic validation framework to enable the assessment and comparison of downscaling methods. Such assessments can be expected to crucially depend on the existence of accurate and reliable observational reference data. In dynamical downscaling, observational data can influence model development itself and, later on, model evaluation, parameter calibration and added value assessment. In empirical-statistical downscaling, observations serve as predictand data and directly influence model calibration with corresponding effects on downscaled climate change projections. We here present a comprehensive assessment of the influence of uncertainties in observational reference data and of scale-related issues on several of the above-mentioned aspects. First, temperature and precipitation characteristics as simulated by a set of reanalysis-driven EURO-CORDEX RCM experiments are validated against three different gridded reference data products, namely (1) the EOBS dataset (2) the recently developed EURO4M-MESAN regional re-analysis, and (3) several national high-resolution and quality-controlled gridded datasets that recently became available. The analysis reveals a considerable influence of the choice of the reference data on the evaluation results, especially for precipitation. It is also illustrated how differences between the reference data sets influence the ranking of RCMs according to a comprehensive set of performance measures.

  9. SOME POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS OF PROJECT OUTCOMES RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

    DTIC Science & Technology

    Section I, refers to the possibility of using the theory and methodology of Project Outcomes to problems of strategic information. It is felt that...purposes of assessing present and future organizational effectiveness . Section IV, refers to the applications that our study may have for problems of

  10. A reference Pelton turbine design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Solemslie, B. W.; Dahlhaug, O. G.

    2012-09-01

    The designs of hydraulic turbines are usually close kept corporation secrets. Therefore, the possibility of innovation and co-operation between different academic institutions regarding a specific turbine geometry is difficult. A Ph.D.-project at the Waterpower Laboratory, NTNU, aim to design several model Pelton turbines where all measurements, simulations, the design strategy, design software in addition to the physical model will be available to the public. In the following paper a short description of the methods and the test rig that are to be utilized in the project are described. The design will be based on empirical data and NURBS will be used as the descriptive method for the turbine geometry. In addition CFX and SPH simulations will be included in the design process. Each turbine designed and produced in connection to this project will be based on the experience and knowledge gained from the previous designs. The first design will be based on the philosophy to keep a near constant relative velocity through the bucket.

  11. Reviews Book: Extended Project Student Guide Book: My Inventions Book: ASE Guide to Research in Science Education Classroom Video: The Science of Starlight Software: SPARKvue Book: The Geek Manifesto Ebook: A Big Ball of Fire Apps

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2014-05-01

    WE RECOMMEND Level 3 Extended Project Student Guide A non-specialist, generally useful and nicely put together guide to project work ASE Guide to Research in Science Education Few words wasted in this handy introduction and reference The Science of Starlight Slow but steady DVD covers useful ground SPARKvue Impressive software now available as an app WORTH A LOOK My Inventions and Other Writings Science, engineering, autobiography, visions and psychic phenomena mixed in a strange but revealing concoction The Geek Manifesto: Why Science Matters More enthusiasm than science, but a good motivator and interesting A Big Ball of Fire: Your questions about the Sun answered Free iTunes download made by and for students goes down well APPS Collider visualises LHC experiments ... Science Museum app enhances school trips ... useful information for the Cambridge Science Festival

  12. A real-time photogrammetric algorithm for sensor and synthetic image fusion with application to aviation combined vision

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lebedev, M. A.; Stepaniants, D. G.; Komarov, D. V.; Vygolov, O. V.; Vizilter, Yu. V.; Zheltov, S. Yu.

    2014-08-01

    The paper addresses a promising visualization concept related to combination of sensor and synthetic images in order to enhance situation awareness of a pilot during an aircraft landing. A real-time algorithm for a fusion of a sensor image, acquired by an onboard camera, and a synthetic 3D image of the external view, generated in an onboard computer, is proposed. The pixel correspondence between the sensor and the synthetic images is obtained by an exterior orientation of a "virtual" camera using runway points as a geospatial reference. The runway points are detected by the Projective Hough Transform, which idea is to project the edge map onto a horizontal plane in the object space (the runway plane) and then to calculate intensity projections of edge pixels on different directions of intensity gradient. The performed experiments on simulated images show that on a base glide path the algorithm provides image fusion with pixel accuracy, even in the case of significant navigation errors.

  13. Hydrogen use projections and supply options

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Manvi, R.; Fujita, T.

    1976-01-01

    Reference and expanded use projections were developed to estimate future hydrogen demand. The rationale in the development of these projections, which estimate the growth of hydrogen usage of approximately 1 X 10 to the fifteenth power Btu in 1973 to approximately 5.5 X 10 to the fifteenth power for reference use and 22 X 10 to the fifteenth power Btu for expanded use projections in year 2000. Primary energy sources required to produce these demands are discussed in the light of transition from a low merchant to high merchant supply option.

  14. The AC 2000.2 Catalogue

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Urban, S. E.; Corbin, T. E.; Wycoff, G. L.; Makarov, V. V.; Høg, E.; Fabricius, C.

    2001-12-01

    For over 100 years, the international project known as the Astrographic Catalogue -- which involved 20 observatories tasked to photograph the sky -- has held an unfulfilled promised of yielding a wealth of astrometric information. This promise was not realized due to the inadequate reductions of the project's plates. However, in 1997 the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) completed the reductions of the 22,660 plates. That catalogue, named the AC 2000, contained positions and magnitudes for 4.6 million stars down to about v magnitude 12.5. Due to the early epochs of the data -- averaging 1907 -- and the positional accuracies -- between 150 and 400 milliarcseconds -- the data are extremely valuable in computing proper motions. In 1997, these positions were used to form the proper motions of the ACT Reference Catalogue. In 1999, USNO and Copenhagen University Observatory (CUO) partnered to create the Tycho-2 Catalogue. The CUO group re-analyzed the data from the Tycho experiment on the Hipparcos satellite. The USNO group re-analyzed over 140 positional catalogs which were combined with the expanded Tycho positions from the CUO group to compute the Tycho-2 proper motions. The largest contributor to these proper motions was the re-analyzed Astrographic Catalogue; the latest version being known as the AC 2000.2 Catalogue. There are two major differences between the AC 2000 and the AC 2000.2. First, the reference catalog used in AC 2000.2 was an expanded version of the Astrographic Catalogue Reference Stars that was rigorously derived on the Hipparcos Celestial Reference Frame. The second is that AC 2000.2 contains photometry from Tycho-2, where available. A description of the AC 2000.2 Catalogue, the reduction techniques used, how it compares with the 1997 version, and information on obtaining the data will be presented.

  15. Key and Driving Requirements for the Juno Payload of Instruments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dodge, Randy; Boyles, Mark A.; Rasbach, Chuck E.

    2007-01-01

    The Juno Mission was selected in the summer of 2005 via NASA's New Frontiers competitive AO process (refer to http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2005/jun/HQ_05138_New_Frontiers_2.html). The Juno project is led by a Principle Investigator based at Southwest Research Institute [SwRI] in San Antonio, Texas, with project management based at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory [JPL] in Pasadena, California, while the Spacecraft design and Flight System Integration are under contract to Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company [LM-SSC] in Denver, Colorado. the payload suite consists of a large number of instruments covering a wide spectrum of experimentation. The science team includes a lead Co-investigator for each one of the following experiments: A Magnetometer experiment (consisting of both a FluxGate Magnetometer (FGM) built at Goddard Space Flight Center GSFC] and a Scalar Helium Magnetometer (SHM) built at JPL, a MicroWave Radiometer (MWR) also built at JPL, a Gravity Science experiment (GS) implemented via the telecom subsystem, two complementary particle instruments (Jovian Auroral Distribution Experiment, JADE developed by SwRI and Juno Energetic-particle Detector Instrument, JEDI from the Applied Physics Lab (APL)--JEDI and JADE both measure electrons and ions), an Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS) also developed at SwRI, and a radio and plasma (WAVES) experiment (from the University of Iowa). In addition, a visible camera (JunoCam) is included in the payload to facilitate education and public outreach (designed & fabricated by Malin Space Science Systems [MSSS]).

  16. Hardware architecture for projective model calculation and false match refining using random sample consensus algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Azimi, Ehsan; Behrad, Alireza; Ghaznavi-Ghoushchi, Mohammad Bagher; Shanbehzadeh, Jamshid

    2016-11-01

    The projective model is an important mapping function for the calculation of global transformation between two images. However, its hardware implementation is challenging because of a large number of coefficients with different required precisions for fixed point representation. A VLSI hardware architecture is proposed for the calculation of a global projective model between input and reference images and refining false matches using random sample consensus (RANSAC) algorithm. To make the hardware implementation feasible, it is proved that the calculation of the projective model can be divided into four submodels comprising two translations, an affine model and a simpler projective mapping. This approach makes the hardware implementation feasible and considerably reduces the required number of bits for fixed point representation of model coefficients and intermediate variables. The proposed hardware architecture for the calculation of a global projective model using the RANSAC algorithm was implemented using Verilog hardware description language and the functionality of the design was validated through several experiments. The proposed architecture was synthesized by using an application-specific integrated circuit digital design flow utilizing 180-nm CMOS technology as well as a Virtex-6 field programmable gate array. Experimental results confirm the efficiency of the proposed hardware architecture in comparison with software implementation.

  17. Comparison of cooperative and non-cooperative adaptive optics reference performance for propagation with thermal blooming effects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Edwards, Brian E.; Nitkowski, Arthur; Lawrence, Ryan; Horton, Kasey; Higgs, Charles

    2004-10-01

    Atmospheric turbulence and laser-induced thermal blooming effects can degrade the beam quality of a high-energy laser (HEL) weapon, and ultimately limit the amount of energy deliverable to a target. Lincoln Laboratory has built a thermal blooming laboratory capable of emulating atmospheric thermal blooming and turbulence effects for tactical HEL systems. The HEL weapon emulation hardware includes an adaptive optics beam delivery system, which utilizes a Shack-Hartman wavefront sensor and a 349 actuator deformable mirror. For this experiment, the laboratory was configured to emulate an engagement scenario consisting of sea skimming target approaching directly toward the HEL weapon at a range of 10km. The weapon utilizes a 1.5m aperture and radiates at a 1.62 micron wavelength. An adaptive optics reference beam was provided as either a point source located at the target (cooperative) or a projected point source reflected from the target (uncooperative). Performance of the adaptive optics system was then compared between reference sources. Results show that, for operating conditions with a thermal blooming distortion number of 75 and weak turbulence (Rytov of 0.02 and D/ro of 3), cooperative beacon AO correction experiences Phase Compensation Instability, resulting in lower performance than a simple, open-loop condition. The uncooperative beacon resulted in slightly better performance than the open-loop condition.

  18. Nuclear facility decommissioning and site remedial actions: a selected bibliography. Volume 5

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

    Owen, P.T.; Knox, N.P.; Chilton, B.D.

    1984-09-01

    This bibliography of 756 references with abstracts on the subject of nuclear facility decommissioning, uranium mill tailings management, and site remedial actions is the fifth in a series of annual reports prepared for the US Department of Energy, Division of Remedial Action Projects. Foreign as well as domestic literature of all types - technical reports, progress reports, journal articles, conference papers, symposium proceedings, theses, books, patents, legislation, and research project descriptions - has been included in this publication. The bibliography contains scientific (basic research as well as applied technology), economic, regulatory, and legal literature pertinent to the US Department ofmore » Energy's Remedial Action Program. Major chapters are: (1) Surplus Facilities Management Program; (2) Nuclear Facilities Decommissioning; (3) Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program; (4) Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Program; (5) Grand Junction Remedial Action Program; (6) Uranium Mill Tailings Management; and (7) Technical Measurements Center. Chapter sections for chapters 1, 2, 4, and 6 include Design, Planning, and Regulations; Environmental Studies and Site Surveys; Decontamination Studies; Dismantlement and Demolition; Site Stabilization and Reclamation; Waste Disposal; Remedial Action Experience; and General Studies. The references within each chapter or section are arranged alphabetically by leading author. References having no individual author are arranged by corporate author or by title. Indexes are provided for the categories of author, corporate affiliation, title, publication description, geographic location, and keywords. The Appendix contains a list of frequently used acronyms.« less

  19. EGASP: the human ENCODE Genome Annotation Assessment Project

    PubMed Central

    Guigó, Roderic; Flicek, Paul; Abril, Josep F; Reymond, Alexandre; Lagarde, Julien; Denoeud, France; Antonarakis, Stylianos; Ashburner, Michael; Bajic, Vladimir B; Birney, Ewan; Castelo, Robert; Eyras, Eduardo; Ucla, Catherine; Gingeras, Thomas R; Harrow, Jennifer; Hubbard, Tim; Lewis, Suzanna E; Reese, Martin G

    2006-01-01

    Background We present the results of EGASP, a community experiment to assess the state-of-the-art in genome annotation within the ENCODE regions, which span 1% of the human genome sequence. The experiment had two major goals: the assessment of the accuracy of computational methods to predict protein coding genes; and the overall assessment of the completeness of the current human genome annotations as represented in the ENCODE regions. For the computational prediction assessment, eighteen groups contributed gene predictions. We evaluated these submissions against each other based on a 'reference set' of annotations generated as part of the GENCODE project. These annotations were not available to the prediction groups prior to the submission deadline, so that their predictions were blind and an external advisory committee could perform a fair assessment. Results The best methods had at least one gene transcript correctly predicted for close to 70% of the annotated genes. Nevertheless, the multiple transcript accuracy, taking into account alternative splicing, reached only approximately 40% to 50% accuracy. At the coding nucleotide level, the best programs reached an accuracy of 90% in both sensitivity and specificity. Programs relying on mRNA and protein sequences were the most accurate in reproducing the manually curated annotations. Experimental validation shows that only a very small percentage (3.2%) of the selected 221 computationally predicted exons outside of the existing annotation could be verified. Conclusion This is the first such experiment in human DNA, and we have followed the standards established in a similar experiment, GASP1, in Drosophila melanogaster. We believe the results presented here contribute to the value of ongoing large-scale annotation projects and should guide further experimental methods when being scaled up to the entire human genome sequence. PMID:16925836

  20. Statistical Reference Datasets

    National Institute of Standards and Technology Data Gateway

    Statistical Reference Datasets (Web, free access)   The Statistical Reference Datasets is also supported by the Standard Reference Data Program. The purpose of this project is to improve the accuracy of statistical software by providing reference datasets with certified computational results that enable the objective evaluation of statistical software.

  1. An E-Learning Framework for Assessment (FREMA)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wills, Gary B.; Bailey, Christopher P.; Davis, Hugh C.; Gilbert, Lester; Howard, Yvonne; Jeyes, Steve; Millard, David E.; Price, Joseph; Sclater, Niall; Sherratt, Robert; Tulloch, Iain; Young, Rowin

    2009-01-01

    This article reports on the e-Framework Reference Model for Assessment (FREMA) project that aimed at creating a reference model for the assessment domain: a guide to what resources (standards, projects, people, organisations, software, services and use cases) exist for the domain, aimed at helping strategists understand the state of e-learning…

  2. Project Management for International Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Axelrod, Valija M.; Magisos, Joel H.

    A project developed a content model for international project management training. It also compiled a bibliography of project management references, identified specific project management training needs based upon a survey of international sponsors and contractor personnel, and documented the training needs of international project managers. Data…

  3. Flight Dynamics Analysis Branch End of Fiscal Year 2004 Report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    DeLion, Anne (Editor); Stengle, Thomas

    2005-01-01

    This report summarizes the major activities and accomplishments carried out by the Flight Dynamics Analysis Branch (FDAB), Code 595, in support of flight projects and technology development initiatives in Fiscal Year (FY) 2004. The report is intended to serve as a summary of the type of support carried out by the FDAB, as well as a concise reference of key accomplishments and mission experience derived from the various mission support roles. The primary focus of the FDAB is to provide expertise in the disciplines of flight dynamics including spacecraft navigation (autonomous and ground based); spacecraft trajectory design and maneuver planning; attitude analysis; attitude determination and sensor calibration; and attitude control subsystem (ACS) analysis and design. The FDAB currently provides support for missions and technology development projects involving NASA, other government agencies, academia, and private industry.

  4. Flight Dynamics Analysis Branch End of Fiscal Year 2005 Report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2006-01-01

    This report summarizes the major activities and accomplishments carried out by the Flight Dynamics Analysis Branch (FDAB), Code 595, in support of flight projects and technology development initiatives in Fiscal Year (FY) 2005. The report is intended to serve as a summary of the type of support carried out by the FDAB, as well as a concise reference of key accomplishments and mission experience derived from the various mission support roles. The primary focus of the FDAB is to provide expertise in the disciplines of flight dynamics including spacecraft navigation (autonomous and ground based), spacecraft trajectory design and maneuver planning, attitude analysis, attitude determination and sensor calibration, and attitude control subsystem (ACS) analysis and design. The FDAB currently provides support for missions and technology development projects involving NASA, other government agencies, academia, and private industry.

  5. [Projective identification, mimesis and the analytical situation. Preliminary observations].

    PubMed

    Ruberto, A; Lucchi, N; Senesi, P; Gaston, A

    1990-01-01

    In an attempt to underline the need to refer to an imaginary setting, in which the analytical relationship is acted out, the Authors have considered the possible relations between the concept of projective identification, as defined by Klein and further developed by Bion, and the idea of "Mimesis", which is inevitably involved in every story, and which confronts the imaginary at the very moment in which it is produced. The "fusion" between subject and object, which may occur in a more or less partial manner, is defined as a phenomenal demonstration of the participation of the two poles of the relationship in a "super-individual" experience which embraces them both. The mythical image of the hunter. Anyone is, in our opinion, a paradigmatic clement in this from of "meeting" which takes place within an impersonal and illusionary dimension.

  6. Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    2010-01-01

    In 1990, the U.S. Congress enacted the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) in response to growing awareness of a land loss crisis in Louisiana. Projects funded by CWPPRA require monitoring and evaluation of project effectiveness, and there is also a need to assess the cumulative effects of all projects to achieve a sustainable coastal environment. In 2003, the Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration (OCPR) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) received approval from the CWPPRA Task Force to implement the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) as a mechanism to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of CWPPRA projects at the project, region, and coastwide levels. The CRMS design implements a multiple reference approach by using aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling. The CRMS program is as dynamic as the coastal habitats it monitors. The program is currently funded through CWPPRA and provides data for a variety of user groups, including resource managers, academics, landowners, and researchers.

  7. An ethnically relevant consensus Korean reference genome is a step towards personal reference genomes

    PubMed Central

    Cho, Yun Sung; Kim, Hyunho; Kim, Hak-Min; Jho, Sungwoong; Jun, JeHoon; Lee, Yong Joo; Chae, Kyun Shik; Kim, Chang Geun; Kim, Sangsoo; Eriksson, Anders; Edwards, Jeremy S.; Lee, Semin; Kim, Byung Chul; Manica, Andrea; Oh, Tae-Kwang; Church, George M.; Bhak, Jong

    2016-01-01

    Human genomes are routinely compared against a universal reference. However, this strategy could miss population-specific and personal genomic variations, which may be detected more efficiently using an ethnically relevant or personal reference. Here we report a hybrid assembly of a Korean reference genome (KOREF) for constructing personal and ethnic references by combining sequencing and mapping methods. We also build its consensus variome reference, providing information on millions of variants from 40 additional ethnically homogeneous genomes from the Korean Personal Genome Project. We find that the ethnically relevant consensus reference can be beneficial for efficient variant detection. Systematic comparison of human assemblies shows the importance of assembly quality, suggesting the necessity of new technologies to comprehensively map ethnic and personal genomic structure variations. In the era of large-scale population genome projects, the leveraging of ethnicity-specific genome assemblies as well as the human reference genome will accelerate mapping all human genome diversity. PMID:27882922

  8. Student Transitions Project: Mobility of Transfer Students Sub-Committee Terms of Reference

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ministry of Advanced Education, 2007

    2007-01-01

    The Student Transitions Project Steering Committee's terms of reference allow it to appoint sub-committees to provide advice. Recently, the committee appointed a Mobility of Transfer Students Sub-Committee (formerly the Enrolment Planning Data Sub-Committee, a sub-committee of the British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer). The…

  9. Cultural Reflections. Papers from the Project Contact Literature in Cross-National Perspective.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sharrad, Paul, Ed.

    Ten papers discuss the relationship between cultural awareness and literature, with specific references to cultural resonances between East and West and between developed and developing nations. The papers represent seminar presentations of the Contact Literature Project in Honolulu in 1981. Contact literature refers to the study of literary…

  10. Women, Islam, and Pakistan: A Selected Annotated Bibliography. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phillips, Brenda

    This bibliography features selected books, book chapters, research projects, and journal articles, published between 1953 and 1994, about the social, legal, economic, educational political, and professional position of Muslim Pakistani women. Sixteen of the references are annotated. An additional 41 bibliographic references to other materials, not…

  11. Stratton Sagebrush Hydrology Study Area: An annotated bibliography of research conducted 1968-1990

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Burgess, Leah M.; Schoenecker, Kathryn A.

    2004-01-01

    This annotated bibliography provides an overview of research projects conducted on the Stratton Sagebrush Hydrology Study Area (Stratton) since its designation as such in 1967. Sources include the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station records storage room, Laramie, Wyoming, the USGS and USFS online reference libraries, and scientific journal databases at the University of Wyoming and Colorado State University. This annotated bibliography summarizes publications from research conducted at Stratton during the prime of its tenure as a research lab from 1968 to 1990. In addition, an appendix is included that catalogues all data on file at the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station in Laramie, Wyoming. Each file folder was searched and its contents recorded here for the researcher seeking original data sets, charts, photographs and records.

  12. CLIVAR Asian-Australian Monsoon Panel Report to Scientific Steering Group-18

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

    Sperber, Ken R.; Hendon, Harry H.

    2011-05-04

    These are a set of slides on CLIVAR Asian-Australian Monsoon Panel Report to Scientific Steering Group-18. These are the major topics covered within: major activities over the past year, AAMP Monsoon Diagnostics/Metrics Task Team, Boreal Summer Asian Monsoon, Workshop on Modelling Monsoon Intraseasonal Variability, Workshop on Interdecadal Variability and Predictability of the Asian-Australian Monsoon, Evidence of Interdecadal Variability of the Asian-Australian Monsoon, Development of MJO metrics/process-oriented diagnostics/model evaluation/prediction with MJOTF and GCSS, YOTC MJOTF, GEWEX GCSS, AAMP MJO Diabatic Heating Experiment, Hindcast Experiment for Intraseasonal Prediction, Support and Coordination for CINDY2011/DYNAMO, Outreach to CORDEX, Interaction with FOCRAII, WWRP/WCRP Multi-Week Predictionmore » Project, Major Future Plans/Activities, Revised AAMP Terms of Reference, Issues and Challenges.« less

  13. No Sunset and Extended Policies Cases (released in AEO2010)

    EIA Publications

    2010-01-01

    The Annual Energy Outlook 2010 Reference case is best described as a current laws and regulations case, because it generally assumes that existing laws and fully promulgated regulations will remain unchanged throughout the projection period, unless the legislation establishing them specifically calls for them to end or change. The Reference case often serves as a starting point for the analysis of proposed legislative or regulatory changes, a task that would be difficult if the Reference case included projected legislative or regulatory changes.

  14. Of Substance: The Nature of Language Effects on Entity Construal

    PubMed Central

    Li, Peggy; Dunham, Yarrow; Carey, Susan

    2009-01-01

    Shown an entity (e.g., a plastic whisk) labeled by a novel noun in neutral syntax, speakers of Japanese, a classifier language, are more likely to assume the noun refers to the substance (plastic) than are speakers of English, a count/mass language, who are instead more likely to assume it refers to the object kind (whisk; Imai and Gentner, 1997). Five experiments replicated this language type effect on entity construal, extended it to quite different stimuli from those studied before, and extended it to a comparison between Mandarin-speakers and English-speakers. A sixth experiment, which did not involve interpreting the meaning of a noun or a pronoun that stands for a noun, failed to find any effect of language type on entity construal. Thus, the overall pattern of findings supports a non-Whorfian, language on language account, according to which sensitivity to lexical statistics in a count/mass language leads adults to assign a novel noun in neutral syntax the status of a count noun, influencing construal of ambiguous entities. The experiments also document and explore cross-linguistically universal factors that influence entity construal, and favor Prasada's (1999) hypothesis that features indicating non-accidentalness of an entity's form lead participants to a construal of object-kind rather than substance-kind. Finally, the experiments document the age at which the language type effect emerges in lexical projection. The details of the developmental pattern are consistent with the lexical statistics hypothesis, along with a universal increase in sensitivity to material kind. PMID:19230873

  15. Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis of Marine and Hydrokinetic Reference Models: Preprint

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

    Jenne, D. S.; Yu, Y. H.; Neary, V.

    2015-04-24

    In 2010 the U.S. Department of Energy initiated the development of six marine energy converter reference models. The reference models are point designs of well-known marine energy converters. Each device was designed to operate in a specific marine resource, instead of a generic device that can be deployed at any location. This method allows each device to be used as a benchmark for future reference model to benchmark future devices. The six designs consist of three current energy converters and three wave energy converters. The reference model project has generated both technical and economic data sets that are available inmore » the public domain. The methodology to calculate the levelized cost of energy for the reference model project and an overall comparison of the cost of energy from these six reference-model designs are presented in this paper.« less

  16. Identifying the effective evidence sources to use in developing Clinical Guidelines for Acute Stroke Management: lived experiences of the search specialist and project manager.

    PubMed

    Parkhill, Anne; Hill, Kelvin

    2009-03-01

    The Australian National Stroke Foundation appointed a search specialist to find the best available evidence for the second edition of its Clinical Guidelines for Acute Stroke Management. To identify the relative effectiveness of differing evidence sources for the guideline update. We searched and reviewed references from five valid evidence sources for clinical and economic questions: (i) electronic databases; (ii) reference lists of relevant systematic reviews, guidelines, and/or primary studies; (iii) table of contents of a number of key journals for the last 6 months; (iv) internet/grey literature; and (v) experts. Reference sources were recorded, quantified, and analysed. In the clinical portion of the guidelines document, there was a greater use of previous knowledge and sources other than electronic databases for evidence, while there was a greater use of electronic databases for the economic section. The results confirmed that searchers need to be aware of the context and range of sources for evidence searches. For best available evidence, searchers cannot rely solely on electronic databases and need to encompass many different media and sources.

  17. 32 GHz Celestial Reference Frame Survey for Dec < -45 deg.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Horiuchi, Shinji; Phillips, Chris; Stevens, Jamie; Jacobs, Christopher; Sotuela, Ioana; Garcia miro, Cristina

    2014-04-01

    (We resubmit this proposal to extend from the previous semester. The 24 hour blocks for ATCA and Mopra were granted in May 2012 but canceled because fringe test before the scheduled experiment failed although fringes were detected between Mopra and Tidbinbilla. During the last scheduled LBA session for this project we discovered ATCA/Mopra had an issue with frequency standard, which has now been resolved.) We propose to conduct a LBA survey of compact radio sources at 32 GHz near the south pole region. This is the first attempt to fill the gap in the existing 32 GHz catalogue establish by NASA Deep Space Network toward completing the full sky celestial reference frame at 32 GHz. The catalogue will be used for future spacecraft navigation by NASA and other space agencies as well as for radio astronomical observations with southern radio telescope arrays such as ATCA and LBA.

  18. Rationale, Scenarios, and Profiles for the Application of the Internet Protocol Suite (IPS) in Space Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Benbenek, Daniel B.; Walsh, William

    2010-01-01

    This greenbook captures some of the current, planned and possible future uses of the Internet Protocol (IP) as part of Space Operations. It attempts to describe how the Internet Protocol is used in specific scenarios. Of primary focus is low-earth-orbit space operations, which is referred to here as the design reference mission (DRM). This is because most of the program experience drawn upon derives from this type of mission. Application profiles are provided. This includes parameter settings programs have proposed for sending IP datagrams over CCSDS links, the minimal subsets and features of the IP protocol suite and applications expected for interoperability between projects, and the configuration, operations and maintenance of these IP functions. Of special interest is capturing the lessons learned from the Constellation Program in this area, since that program included a fairly ambitious use of the Internet Protocol.

  19. Numerical Simulation Applications in the Design of EGS Collab Experiment 1

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

    Johnston, Henry; White, Mark D.; Fu, Pengcheng

    The United States Department of Energy, Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) is funding a collaborative investigation of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) processes at the meso-scale. This study, referred to as the EGS Collab project, is a unique opportunity for scientists and engineers to investigate the creation of fracture networks and circulation of fluids across those networks under in-situ stress conditions. The EGS Collab project is envisioned to comprise three experiments and the site for the first experiment is on the 4850 Level (4,850 feet below ground surface) in phyllite of the Precambrian Poorman formation, at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, locatedmore » at the former Homestake Gold Mine, in Lead, South Dakota. Principal objectives of the project are to develop a number of intermediate-scale field sites and to conduct well-controlled in situ experiments focused on rock fracture behavior and permeability enhancement. Data generated during these experiments will be compared against predictions of a suite of computer codes specifically designed to solve problems involving coupled thermal, hydrological, geomechanical, and geochemical processes. Comparisons between experimental and numerical simulation results will provide code developers with direction for improvements and verification of process models, build confidence in the suite of available numerical tools, and ultimately identify critical future development needs for the geothermal modeling community. Moreover, conducting thorough comparisons of models, modelling approaches, measurement approaches and measured data, via the EGS Collab project, will serve to identify techniques that are most likely to succeed at the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE), the GTO's flagship EGS research effort. As noted, outcomes from the EGS Collab project experiments will serve as benchmarks for computer code verification, but numerical simulation additionally plays an essential role in designing these meso-scale experiments. This paper describes specific numerical simulations supporting the design of Experiment 1, a field test involving hydraulic stimulation of two fractures from notched sections of the injection borehole and fluid circulation between sub-horizontal injection and production boreholes in each fracture individually and collectively, including the circulation of chilled water. Whereas the mine drift allows for accurate and close placement of monitoring instrumentation to the developed fractures, active ventilation in the drift cooled the rock mass within the experimental volume. Numerical simulations were executed to predict seismic events and magnitudes during stimulation, initial fracture orientations for smooth horizontal wellbores, pressure requirements for fracture initiation from notched wellbores, fracture propagation during stimulation between the injection and production boreholes, tracer travel times between the injection and production boreholes, produced fluid temperatures with chilled water injections, pressure limits on fluid circulation to avoid fracture growth, temperature environment surrounding the 4850 Level drift, and fracture propagation within a stress field altered by drift excavation, ventilation cooling, and dewatering.« less

  20. Opportunities and Efficiencies in Building a New Service Desk Model.

    PubMed

    Mayo, Alexa; Brown, Everly; Harris, Ryan

    2017-01-01

    In July 2015, the Health Sciences and Human Services Library (HS/HSL) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), merged its reference and circulation services, creating the Information Services Department and Information Services Desk. Designing the Information Services Desk with a team approach allowed for the re-examination of the HS/HSL's service model from the ground up. With the creation of a single service point, the HS/HSL was able to create efficiencies, improve the user experience by eliminating handoffs, create a collaborative team environment, and engage information services staff in a variety of new projects.

  1. View of Endeavour's STBD longeron and MEPSI deploy during STS-113

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2002-12-02

    STS113-370-012 (2 December 2002) --- The horizon of a blue and white Earth and the blackness of space form the backdrop for this view, as two miniature satellites are released from the Space Shuttle Endeavour as part of an experiment referred to as MEPSI. Funded by the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the two small satellites, which are tethered together, were released from Endeavour’s payload bay (visible in foreground) to fly free for three days as a technology demonstration of the launcher and use of micro- and nano-technologies in space systems.

  2. OMIP contribution to CMIP6: experimental and diagnostic protocol for the physical component of the Ocean Model Intercomparison Project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Griffies, Stephen M.; Danabasoglu, Gokhan; Durack, Paul J.; Adcroft, Alistair J.; Balaji, V.; Böning, Claus W.; Chassignet, Eric P.; Curchitser, Enrique; Deshayes, Julie; Drange, Helge; Fox-Kemper, Baylor; Gleckler, Peter J.; Gregory, Jonathan M.; Haak, Helmuth; Hallberg, Robert W.; Heimbach, Patrick; Hewitt, Helene T.; Holland, David M.; Ilyina, Tatiana; Jungclaus, Johann H.; Komuro, Yoshiki; Krasting, John P.; Large, William G.; Marsland, Simon J.; Masina, Simona; McDougall, Trevor J.; Nurser, A. J. George; Orr, James C.; Pirani, Anna; Qiao, Fangli; Stouffer, Ronald J.; Taylor, Karl E.; Treguier, Anne Marie; Tsujino, Hiroyuki; Uotila, Petteri; Valdivieso, Maria; Wang, Qiang; Winton, Michael; Yeager, Stephen G.

    2016-09-01

    The Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (OMIP) is an endorsed project in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). OMIP addresses CMIP6 science questions, investigating the origins and consequences of systematic model biases. It does so by providing a framework for evaluating (including assessment of systematic biases), understanding, and improving ocean, sea-ice, tracer, and biogeochemical components of climate and earth system models contributing to CMIP6. Among the WCRP Grand Challenges in climate science (GCs), OMIP primarily contributes to the regional sea level change and near-term (climate/decadal) prediction GCs.OMIP provides (a) an experimental protocol for global ocean/sea-ice models run with a prescribed atmospheric forcing; and (b) a protocol for ocean diagnostics to be saved as part of CMIP6. We focus here on the physical component of OMIP, with a companion paper (Orr et al., 2016) detailing methods for the inert chemistry and interactive biogeochemistry. The physical portion of the OMIP experimental protocol follows the interannual Coordinated Ocean-ice Reference Experiments (CORE-II). Since 2009, CORE-I (Normal Year Forcing) and CORE-II (Interannual Forcing) have become the standard methods to evaluate global ocean/sea-ice simulations and to examine mechanisms for forced ocean climate variability. The OMIP diagnostic protocol is relevant for any ocean model component of CMIP6, including the DECK (Diagnostic, Evaluation and Characterization of Klima experiments), historical simulations, FAFMIP (Flux Anomaly Forced MIP), C4MIP (Coupled Carbon Cycle Climate MIP), DAMIP (Detection and Attribution MIP), DCPP (Decadal Climate Prediction Project), ScenarioMIP, HighResMIP (High Resolution MIP), as well as the ocean/sea-ice OMIP simulations.

  3. Milestones for Selection, Characterization, and Analysis of the Performance of a Repository for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain.

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

    Rechard, Robert P.

    This report presents a concise history in tabular form of events leading up to site identification in 1978, site selection in 1987, subsequent characterization, and ongoing analysis through 2009 of the performance of a repository for spent nuclear fuel and high - level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain in southern Nevada. The tabulated events generally occurred in five periods: (1) commitment to mined geologic disposal and identification of sites; (2) site selection and analysis, based on regional geologic characterization through literature and analogous data; (3) feasibility analysis demonstrating calculation procedures and importance of system components, based on rough measures ofmore » performance using surface exploration, waste process knowledge, and general laboratory experiments; (4) suitability analysis demonstrating viability of disposal system, based on environment - specific laboratory experiments, in - situ experiments, and underground disposal system characterization; and (5) compliance analysis, based on completed site - specific characterization . The current sixth period beyond 2010 represents a new effort to set waste management policy in the United States. Because the relationship is important to understanding the evolution of the Yucca Mountain Project , the tabulation also shows the interaction between the policy realm and technical realm using four broad categories of events : (a) Regulatory requirements and related federal policy in laws and court decisions, (c) Presidential and agency directives, (c) technical milestones of implementing institutions, and (d) critiques of the Yucca Mountain Project and pertinent national and world events related to nuclear energy and radioactive waste. Preface The historical progression of technical milestones for the Yucca Mountain Project was originally developed for 10 journal articles in a special issue of Reliability Engineering System Safety on the performance assessment for the Yucca Mountain license application [1-10]. The listing of mile stones, a distinct feature of those articles, has been collected and tabulated here. A lthough a brief description is presented here (based on the summaries in the 10 journal articles), the emphasis remains on the tabulation because of its usefulness in providing a comprehensive but concise history of the Yucca Mountain Project. The tabulation presented here is more elaborate than originally presented in that many of the interactions that occurred between the technical realm and policy realm can be depicted in separate columns. The usefulness of the milestones table is due in part to L.A. Connolly, for editorial and reference support, and S.K. Best, Raytheon, and L. Mays, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), for illustration support. Reviewers P.N. Swift, SNL, and K. Gupta, University of Oklahoma, helped improve the discussion. The historical perspective presented is that of the author and is not necessarily held by reviewers, Sandia National Laboratories , and the US Department of Energy. As a historic perspective, the author is reporting on the work of others; however, any interpretative error s of the documentation are those of the author alone. The characterization and modeling of the Yucca Mountain disposal system required numerous participants with expertise in many areas of science and technology, as evident from the extensive reference list. Their diligent efforts are generally acknowledged here and through the many references to their impressive work, but the 10 journal articles acknowledge by name many of the numerous participants that contributed to the Yucca Mountain Project .« less

  4. GROWTH OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRITICALITY SAFETY AND REACTOR PHYSICS EXPERIMENT EVALUATION PROJECTS

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

    J. Blair Briggs; John D. Bess; Jim Gulliford

    2011-09-01

    Since the International Conference on Nuclear Criticality Safety (ICNC) 2007, the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) and the International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project (IRPhEP) have continued to expand their efforts and broaden their scope. Eighteen countries participated on the ICSBEP in 2007. Now, there are 20, with recent contributions from Sweden and Argentina. The IRPhEP has also expanded from eight contributing countries in 2007 to 16 in 2011. Since ICNC 2007, the contents of the 'International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments1' have increased from 442 evaluations (38000 pages), containing benchmark specifications for 3955 critical ormore » subcritical configurations to 516 evaluations (nearly 55000 pages), containing benchmark specifications for 4405 critical or subcritical configurations in the 2010 Edition of the ICSBEP Handbook. The contents of the Handbook have also increased from 21 to 24 criticality-alarm-placement/shielding configurations with multiple dose points for each, and from 20 to 200 configurations categorized as fundamental physics measurements relevant to criticality safety applications. Approximately 25 new evaluations and 150 additional configurations are expected to be added to the 2011 edition of the Handbook. Since ICNC 2007, the contents of the 'International Handbook of Evaluated Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments2' have increased from 16 different experimental series that were performed at 12 different reactor facilities to 53 experimental series that were performed at 30 different reactor facilities in the 2011 edition of the Handbook. Considerable effort has also been made to improve the functionality of the searchable database, DICE (Database for the International Criticality Benchmark Evaluation Project) and verify the accuracy of the data contained therein. DICE will be discussed in separate papers at ICNC 2011. The status of the ICSBEP and the IRPhEP will be discussed in the full paper, selected benchmarks that have been added to the ICSBEP Handbook will be highlighted, and a preview of the new benchmarks that will appear in the September 2011 edition of the Handbook will be provided. Accomplishments of the IRPhEP will also be highlighted and the future of both projects will be discussed. REFERENCES (1) International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments, NEA/NSC/DOC(95)03/I-IX, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development-Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD-NEA), September 2010 Edition, ISBN 978-92-64-99140-8. (2) International Handbook of Evaluated Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments, NEA/NSC/DOC(2006)1, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development-Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD-NEA), March 2011 Edition, ISBN 978-92-64-99141-5.« less

  5. Worldwide Spacecraft Crew Hatch History

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, Gary

    2009-01-01

    The JSC Flight Safety Office has developed this compilation of historical information on spacecraft crew hatches to assist the Safety Tech Authority in the evaluation and analysis of worldwide spacecraft crew hatch design and performance. The document is prepared by SAIC s Gary Johnson, former NASA JSC S&MA Associate Director for Technical. Mr. Johnson s previous experience brings expert knowledge to assess the relevancy of data presented. He has experience with six (6) of the NASA spacecraft programs that are covered in this document: Apollo; Skylab; Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP), Space Shuttle, ISS and the Shuttle/Mir Program. Mr. Johnson is also intimately familiar with the JSC Design and Procedures Standard, JPR 8080.5, having been one of its original developers. The observations and findings are presented first by country and organized within each country section by program in chronological order of emergence. A host of reference sources used to augment the personal observations and comments of the author are named within the text and/or listed in the reference section of this document. Careful attention to the selection and inclusion of photos, drawings and diagrams is used to give visual association and clarity to the topic areas examined.

  6. LDRD Final Report: Advanced Hohlraum Concepts

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

    Jones, Ogden S.

    Indirect drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments to date have mostly used cylindrical, laser-heated, gas-filled hohlraums to produce the radiation drive needed to symmetrically implode DT-filled fusion capsules. These hohlraums have generally been unable to produce a symmetric radiation drive through the end of the desired drive pulse, and are plagued with complications due to laser-plasma interactions (LPI) that have made it difficult to predict their performance. In this project we developed several alternate hohlraum concepts. These new hohlraums utilize different hohlraum geometries, radiation shields, and foam materials in an attempt to improve performance relative to cylindrical hohlraums. Each alternatemore » design was optimized using radiation hydrodynamic (RH) design codes to implode a reference DT capsule with a high-density carbon (HDC) ablator. The laser power and energy required to produce the desired time-dependent radiation drive, and the resulting time-dependent radiation symmetry for each new concept were compared to the results for a reference cylindrical hohlraum. Since several of the new designs needed extra laser entrance holes (LEHs), techniques to keep small LEHs open longer, including high-Z foam liners and low-Z wires at the LEH axis, were investigated numerically. Supporting experiments and target fabrication efforts were also done as part of this project. On the Janus laser facility plastic tubes open at one end (halfraums) and filled with SiO 2 or Ta 2O 5 foam were heated with a single 2w laser. Laser propagation and backscatter were measured. Generally the measured propagation was slower than calculated, and the measured laser backscatter was less than calculated. A comparable, scaled up experiment was designed for the NIF facility and four targets were built. Since low density gold foam was identified as a desirable material for lining the LEH and the hohlraum wall, a technique was developed to produce 550 mg/cc gold foam, and a sample of this material was successfully manufactured.« less

  7. Understanding Suicidal Behaviour in Young People Referred to Specialist CAMHS: A Qualitative Psychoanalytic Clinical Research Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Jan; Hurst, Margaret; Marques, Ana; Millar, David; Moya, Sue; Pover, Lesley; Stewart, Sue

    2012-01-01

    A qualitative psychoanalytic clinical research project using a post-Kleinian contemporary approach was undertaken by a team of seven qualified and experienced child psychotherapists working in community Tier 3 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). A number of referred young people who deliberately harmed themselves or attempted…

  8. "State of the Nation": A Discussion of Some of the Project's Key Findings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Earley, Peter

    2010-01-01

    This paper considers several of the key findings of the State of the Nation research. Specific reference is made to three areas--impact evaluation, strategic leadership of professional development, and barriers and constraints to effective CPD practice--which are considered with reference to findings from the other TDA-funded projects conducted at…

  9. DECOVALEX-THMC Task D: Long-Term Permeability/Porosity Changes inthe EDZ and Near Field due to THM and THC Processes in Volcanic andCrystaline-Bentonite Systems, Status Report October 2005

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

    Birkholzer, J.; Rutqvist, J.; Sonnenthal, E.

    The DECOVALEX project is an international cooperativeproject initiated by SKI, the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate, withparticipation of about 10 international organizations. The name DECOVALEXstands for DEvelopment of COupled models and their VALidation againstExperiments. The general goal of this project is to encouragemultidisciplinary interactive and cooperative research on modelingcoupled processes in geologic formations in support of the performanceassessment for underground storage of radioactive waste. Three multi-yearproject stages of DECOVALEX have been completed in the past decade,mainly focusing on coupled thermal-hydrological-mechanicalprocesses.Currently, a fourth three-year project stage of DECOVALEX isunder way, referred to as DECOVALEX-THMC. THMC stands for Thermal,Hydrological, Mechanical, and Chemical processes.more » The new project stageaims at expanding the traditional geomechanical scope of the previousDECOVALEX project stages by incorporating geochemical processes importantfor repository performance. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) leadsTask D of the new DECOVALEX phase, entitled "Long-termPermeability/Porosity Changes in the EDZ and Near Field due to THC andTHM Processes for Volcanic and Crystalline-Bentonite Systems." In itsleadership role for Task D, DOE coordinates and sets the direction forthe cooperative research activities of the international research teamsengaged in Task D.« less

  10. International Organization for Migration: experience on the need for medical evacuation of refugees during the Kosovo crisis in 1999.

    PubMed

    Szilard, Istvan; Cserti, Arpad; Hoxha, Ruhija; Gorbacheva, Olga; O'Rourke, Thomas

    2002-04-01

    The International Organization for Migration (IOM) developed and implemented a three-month project entitled Priority Medical Screening of Kosovar Refugees in Macedonia, within the Humanitarian Evacuation Program (HEP) for Kosovar refugees from FR Yugoslavia, which was adopted in May 1999. The project was based on an agreement with the office of United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and comprised the entry of registration data of refugees with medical condition (Priority Medical Database), and classification (Priority Medical Screening) and medical evacuation of refugees (Priority Medical Evacuation) in Macedonia. To realize the Priority Medical Screening project plan, IOM developed and set up a Medical Database linked to IOM/UNHCR HEP database, recruited and trained a four-member data entry team, worked out and set up a referral system for medical cases from the refugee camps, and established and staffed medical contact office for refugees in Skopje and Tetovo. Furthermore, it organized and staffed a mobile medical screening team, developed and implemented the system and criteria for the classification of referred medical cases, continuously registered and classified the incoming medical reports, contacted regularly the national delegates and referred to them the medically prioritized cases asking for acceptance and evacuation, and co-operated and continuously exchanged the information with UNHCR Medical Co-ordination and HEP team. Within the timeframe of the project, 1,032 medical cases were successfully evacuated for medical treatment to 25 host countries throughout the world. IOM found that those refugees suffering from health problems, who at the time of the termination of the program were still in Macedonia and had not been assisted by the project, were not likely to have been priority one cases, whose health problems could be solved only in a third country. The majority of these vulnerable people needed social rather than medical care and assistance a challenge that international aid agencies needed to address in Macedonia and will need to address elsewhere.

  11. How government can support protection of “dark skies” as a public policy: the experience of Chile

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rodriguez, Gabriel

    2015-08-01

    For more than fifty years Chile has been the host of world-leading optical and radio astronomical observatories because of the exceptional atmospheric conditions and the existence of isolated areas in the northern desert regions. As of today, Chile, through agreements with foreign governments and international research institutions around the world concentrates almost 30% of the total radio and optical observation capabilities of the planet, scattered in different sites. With the new projects already planned or in construction, the country will be the host of almost 70% of the total world-wide observational facilities by 2021-2022Since the beginning of the astronomical research activities in Chile, the government has played an increasing role in attracting and facilitating the installation of these projects. The presentation shows how the relationship between the government and international consortia has evolved with special reference to designing policies to protect “dark skies” and to manage the relationship between the observations sites, the local productive activities to be developed in the same areas, mainly mining and energy, and the relationship with local communities and aboriginal populations and traditions. Special reference will be made to recent initiatives connected with World Heritage program of UNESCO, new laws and regulations and public awareness and education.

  12. Telecentric 3D profilometry based on phase-shifting fringe projection.

    PubMed

    Li, Dong; Liu, Chunyang; Tian, Jindong

    2014-12-29

    Three dimensional shape measurement in the microscopic range becomes increasingly important with the development of micro manufacturing technology. Microscopic fringe projection techniques offer a fast, robust, and full-field measurement for field sizes from approximately 1 mm2 to several cm2. However, the depth of field is very small due to the imaging of non-telecentric microscope, which is often not sufficient to measure the complete depth of a 3D-object. And the calibration of phase-to-depth conversion is complicated which need a precision translation stage and a reference plane. In this paper, we propose a novel telecentric phase-shifting projected fringe profilometry for small and thick objects. Telecentric imaging extends the depth of field approximately to millimeter order, which is much larger than that of microscopy. To avoid the complicated phase-to-depth conversion in microscopic fringe projection, we develop a new system calibration method of camera and projector based on telecentric imaging model. Based on these, a 3D reconstruction of telecentric imaging is presented with stereovision aided by fringe phase maps. Experiments demonstrated the feasibility and high measurement accuracy of the proposed system for thick object.

  13. Annual Energy Outlook 2016 With Projections to 2040

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

    None, None

    The Annual Energy Outlook 2016 (AEO2016), prepared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), presents long-term projections of energy supply, demand, and prices through 2040. The projections, focused on U.S. energy markets, are based on results from EIA’s National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). NEMS enables EIA to make projections under alternative, internallyconsistent sets of assumptions. The analysis in AEO2016 focuses on the Reference case and 17 alternative cases. EIA published an Early Release version of the AEO2016 Reference case (including U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan (CPP)) and a No CPP case (excluding the CPP) in May 2016.

  14. ACTS: Technology Description and Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gedney, Richard T.; Schertler, Ronald; Gargione, Frank

    2000-01-01

    The ACTS Project was originated at NASA Glenn Research Center in the early 1980's to sponsor the development and application of technology that was intended to be used by the private sector. The program was formulated with the underlying philosophy of maintaining US leadership in satellite communications while focusing technology development for efficient use of the frequency spectrum. This report chronicles the execution and results of the program from the perspective of its technology managers, from inception through hardware and system development to on-orbit experiments and demonstrations of the technology. The first eight sections of the report discuss programmatic background, the specific satellite and ground terminal technology and the results generated by the program including industry relevance. A federally funded program of this type attracted strong advocates and adversaries and the resulting impact on the project schedule is also discussed. The last two sections are a list of useful acronyms and extensive references.

  15. Probing the neutrino mass ordering with KM3NeT-ORCA: analysis and perspectives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Capozzi, Francesco; Lisi, Eligio; Marrone, Antonio

    2018-02-01

    The discrimination of the two possible options for the neutrino mass ordering (normal or inverted) is a major goal for current and future neutrino oscillation experiments. Such a goal might be reached by observing high-statistics energy-angle spectra of events induced by atmospheric neutrinos and antineutrinos propagating in the Earth matter. Large volume water-Cherenkov detectors envisaged to this purpose include the so-called KM3NeT-ORCA project (in seawater) and the IceCube-PINGU project (in ice). Building upon a previous work focused on PINGU, we study in detail the effects of various systematic uncertainties on the ORCA sensitivity to the mass ordering, for the reference configuration with 9 m vertical spacing. We point out the need to control spectral shape uncertainties at the percent level, the effects of better priors on the {θ }23 mixing parameter, and the benefits of an improved flavor identification in reconstructed ORCA events.

  16. Lunar lander ground support system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1991-01-01

    This year's project, like the previous Aerospace Group's project, involves a lunar transportation system. The basic time line will be the years 2010-2030 and will be referred to as a second generation system, as lunar bases would be present. The project design completed this year is referred to as the Lunar Lander Ground Support System (LLGSS). The area chosen for analysis encompasses a great number of vehicles and personnel. The design of certain elements of the overall lunar mission are complete projects in themselves. For this reason the project chosen for the Senior Aerospace Design is the design of specific servicing vehicles and additions or modifications to existing vehicles for the area of concern involving servicing and maintenance of the lunar lander while on the surface.

  17. Childhood memories of threatening experiences and submissiveness and its relationship to hallucination proneness and ideas of reference: The mediating role of dissociation.

    PubMed

    Bellido-Zanin, Gloria; Perona-Garcelán, Salvador; Senín-Calderón, Cristina; López-Jiménez, Ana María; Ruiz-Veguilla, Miguel; Rodríguez-Testal, Juan Francisco

    2018-05-29

    Recent studies have emphasized the importance of childhood memories of threatening experiences and submissiveness in a diversity of psychological disorders. The purpose of this work was to study their specific relationship with hallucination proneness and ideas of reference in healthy subjects. The ELES scale for measuring memory of adverse childhood experiences, the DES-II scale for measuring dissociation, the LSHS-R scale for measuring hallucination proneness, and the REF for ideas of reference were applied to a sample of 472 subjects. A positive association was found between childhood memories of adverse experiences and hallucination proneness and ideas of reference, on one hand, and dissociation on the other. A mediation analysis showed that dissociation was a mediator between the memory of adverse childhood experiences and hallucination proneness on one hand, and ideas of reference on the other. When the role of mediator of the types of dissociative experiences was studied, it was found that absorption and depersonalization mediated between adverse experiences and hallucination proneness. However, this mediating effect was not found between adverse experiences and ideas of reference. The relationship between these last two variables was direct. The results suggest that childhood memories of adverse experiences are a relevant factor in understanding hallucination proneness and ideas of reference. Similarly, dissociation is a specific mediator between adverse childhood experiences and hallucination proneness. © 2018 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Certification of a reference material for determination of total cyanide in soil to support implementation of the International Standard ISO 11262:2011.

    PubMed

    Scharf, Holger; Bremser, Wolfram

    2015-04-01

    Cyanides are among the most important inorganic pollutants to be tested and monitored in environmental compartments. They can be distinguished and determined as free cyanide, weak acid dissociable cyanide or as total cyanide. However, in any case obtained, measurement results are operationally defined referring to the applied analytical method. In 2011, the International Standard ISO 11262 has been published which specifies a normative analytical method for the determination of total cyanide in soil. The objective of the project described in this paper was to provide the first soil reference material (CRM) certified for its mass fraction of total cyanide on the basis of this standard. A total of 12 German laboratories with proven experience in the determination of cyanides in environmental samples participated in the certification study. Measurement results were evaluated in full compliance with the requirements of ISO Guide 35. Taking into account the results of the inter-laboratory comparison as well as the outcome of the homogeneity and stability studies, a certified mass fraction of total cyanide of 21.1 mg/kg and an expanded uncertainty (k = 2) of 1.3 mg/kg were assigned to the material. The reference material has been issued as CRM BAM-U114.

  19. An Overview of the Smart Sensor Inter-Agency Reference Testbench (SSIART)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wagner, Raymond S.; Braham, Stephen P.; Dufour, Jean-Francois; Barton, Richard J.

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, we present an overview of a proposed collaboration between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA), which is designed to facilitate the introduction of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) radios for smart-sensing applications into international spaceflight programs and projects. The proposed work will produce test hardware reference designs, test software reference architectures and example implementations, test plans in reference test environments, and test results, all of which will be shared between the agencies and documented for future use by mission planners. The proposed collaborative structure together with all of the anticipated tools and results produced under the effort is collectively referred to as the Smart Sensor Inter-agency Reference Testbench or SSIART. It is intended to provide guidance in technology selection and in increasing the related readiness levels of projects and missions as well as the space industry.

  20. How (and why) the visual control of action differs from visual perception

    PubMed Central

    Goodale, Melvyn A.

    2014-01-01

    Vision not only provides us with detailed knowledge of the world beyond our bodies, but it also guides our actions with respect to objects and events in that world. The computations required for vision-for-perception are quite different from those required for vision-for-action. The former uses relational metrics and scene-based frames of reference while the latter uses absolute metrics and effector-based frames of reference. These competing demands on vision have shaped the organization of the visual pathways in the primate brain, particularly within the visual areas of the cerebral cortex. The ventral ‘perceptual’ stream, projecting from early visual areas to inferior temporal cortex, helps to construct the rich and detailed visual representations of the world that allow us to identify objects and events, attach meaning and significance to them and establish their causal relations. By contrast, the dorsal ‘action’ stream, projecting from early visual areas to the posterior parietal cortex, plays a critical role in the real-time control of action, transforming information about the location and disposition of goal objects into the coordinate frames of the effectors being used to perform the action. The idea of two visual systems in a single brain might seem initially counterintuitive. Our visual experience of the world is so compelling that it is hard to believe that some other quite independent visual signal—one that we are unaware of—is guiding our movements. But evidence from a broad range of studies from neuropsychology to neuroimaging has shown that the visual signals that give us our experience of objects and events in the world are not the same ones that control our actions. PMID:24789899

  1. The Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project (THBP): a prospective longitudinal examination of the effect of university-level education in older adults in preventing age-related cognitive decline and reducing the risk of dementia.

    PubMed

    Summers, Mathew J; Saunders, Nichole L J; Valenzuela, Michael J; Summers, Jeffery J; Ritchie, Karen; Robinson, Andrew; Vickers, James C

    2013-07-01

    Differences in the level of cognitive compromise between individuals following brain injury are thought to arise from underlying differences in cognitive reserve. The level of cognitive reserve attained by an individual is influenced by both genetic and life experience factors such as educational attainment and occupational history. The Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project (THBP) is a world-first prospective study examining the capacity of university-level education to enhance cognitive reserve in older adults and subsequently reduce age-related cognitive decline and risk for neurodegenerative disease. Up to 1,000 adults aged 50-79 years at the time of entry into the study will be recruited to participate in the THBP. All participants will be healthy and free of significant medical, psychological, or psychiatric illness. Of the participant sample, 90% will undertake a minimum of 12 months part-time university-level study as an intervention. The remaining 10% will act as a control reference group. Participants will complete an annual comprehensive assessment of neuropsychological function, medical health, socialization, and personal well-being. Premorbid estimates of past cognitive, education, occupational, and physical function will be used to account for the mediating influence of prior life experience on outcomes. Potential contributing genetic factors will also be explored. Participant results will be assessed annually. Participants displaying evidence of dementia on the comprehensive neuropsychological assessment will be referred to an independent psycho-geriatrician for screening and diagnosis. The THBP commenced in 2011 and is expected to run for 10-20 years duration. To date, a total of 383 participants have been recruited into the THBP.

  2. The Planteome database: an integrated resource for reference ontologies, plant genomics and phenomics

    PubMed Central

    Cooper, Laurel; Meier, Austin; Laporte, Marie-Angélique; Elser, Justin L; Mungall, Chris; Sinn, Brandon T; Cavaliere, Dario; Carbon, Seth; Dunn, Nathan A; Smith, Barry; Qu, Botong; Preece, Justin; Zhang, Eugene; Todorovic, Sinisa; Gkoutos, Georgios; Doonan, John H; Stevenson, Dennis W; Arnaud, Elizabeth

    2018-01-01

    Abstract The Planteome project (http://www.planteome.org) provides a suite of reference and species-specific ontologies for plants and annotations to genes and phenotypes. Ontologies serve as common standards for semantic integration of a large and growing corpus of plant genomics, phenomics and genetics data. The reference ontologies include the Plant Ontology, Plant Trait Ontology and the Plant Experimental Conditions Ontology developed by the Planteome project, along with the Gene Ontology, Chemical Entities of Biological Interest, Phenotype and Attribute Ontology, and others. The project also provides access to species-specific Crop Ontologies developed by various plant breeding and research communities from around the world. We provide integrated data on plant traits, phenotypes, and gene function and expression from 95 plant taxa, annotated with reference ontology terms. The Planteome project is developing a plant gene annotation platform; Planteome Noctua, to facilitate community engagement. All the Planteome ontologies are publicly available and are maintained at the Planteome GitHub site (https://github.com/Planteome) for sharing, tracking revisions and new requests. The annotated data are freely accessible from the ontology browser (http://browser.planteome.org/amigo) and our data repository. PMID:29186578

  3. 101 Computer Projects for Libraries. 101 Micro Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dewey, Patrick R.

    The projects collected in this book represent a wide cross section of the way microcomputers are used in libraries. Each project description includes organization and contact information, hardware and software used, cost and project length estimates, and Web or print references when available. Projects come from academic and public libraries,…

  4. 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,…

  5. Getting the Picture: Iconicity Does Not Affect Representation-Referent Confusion

    PubMed Central

    Wimmer, Marina C.; Robinson, Elizabeth J.; Koenig, Laura; Corder, Emma

    2014-01-01

    Three experiments examined 3- to 5-year-olds' (N = 428) understanding of the relationship between pictorial iconicity (photograph, colored drawing, schematic drawing) and the real world referent. Experiments 1 and 2 explored pictorial iconicity in picture-referent confusion after the picture-object relationship has been established. Pictorial iconicity had no effect on referential confusion when the referent changed after the picture had been taken/drawn (Experiment 1) and when the referent and the picture were different from the outset (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 investigated whether children are sensitive to iconicity to begin with. Children deemed photographs from a choice of varying iconicity representations as best representations for object reference. Together, findings suggest that iconicity plays a role in establishing a picture-object relation per se but is irrelevant once children have accepted that a picture represents an object. The latter finding may reflect domain general representational abilities. PMID:25247708

  6. A reference radiosonde system for climate and weather research: IHOP experience

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Junhong; Hock, Terry F.; Lauritsen, Dean; Cole, Harold L.; Beierle, Kathryn; Chamberlain, Ned; Parsons, David B.; Carlson, David J.

    2003-04-01

    Global radiosonde data are required by meteorological analysis centers for initializing numerical prediction models for weather forecasting, and represent an increasingly valuable resource for studies of climate change and in the development, calibration and validation of retrieval techniques for atmospheric temperature and water vapor profiles from satellite. Unfortunately, the usefulness of radiosonde data is limited by sensor accuracy, by data reporting practices, and by the fact that sonde and sensor types vary by location and with time. Numerous studies and reports have called for a reference sonde to serve as a transfer standard to compare and connect data from past, present and future sonde systems. We are working on developing a reference radiosonde system at the Atmospheric Technology Division (ATD) at NCAR. The reference radiosonde system will carry the best sensors, have a flexible infrastructure to host multiple and different user-provided sensors and will be recoverable to reduce costs. The first version of the reference radiosonde system was deployed in the Oklahoma panhandle and Dodge City, KS (NWS radiosonde site) during the International H2O Project (IHOP_2002). A total of sixteen reference sondes were launched during IHOP either with Vaisala RS80 or Sippican (VIZ) radiosondes. The humidity data from the reference humidity sensor (Snow White, SW) are compared with Vaisala and VIZ data. The comparisons show that (a) VIZ carbon hygristor fails to respond to humidity changes in the upper troposphere, (b) the carbon hygristor inside the reference sonde has slower response than that inside NWS VIZ sonde, (c) Vaisala RS80-H agrees with SW very well in the middle and lower troposphere, and (d) SW can detect cirrus clouds near the tropopause and possibly estimate their ice water content (IWC). The climate impacts of these results are also discussed.

  7. Step styles of pedestrians at different densities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jiayue; Weng, Wenguo; Boltes, Maik; Zhang, Jun; Tordeux, Antoine; Ziemer, Verena

    2018-02-01

    Stepping locomotion is the basis of human movement. The investigation of stepping locomotion and its affecting factors is necessary for a more realistic knowledge of human movement, which is usually referred to as walking with equal step lengths for the right and left leg. To study pedestrians’ stepping locomotion, a set of single-file movement experiments involving 39 participants of the same age walking on a highly curved oval course is conducted. The microscopic characteristics of the pedestrians including 1D Voronoi density, speed, and step length are calculated based on a projected coordinate. The influence of the projection lines with different radii on the measurement of these quantities is investigated. The step lengths from the straight and curved parts are compared using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. During the experiments, six different step styles are observed and the proportions of different step styles change with the density. At low density, the main step style is the stable-large step style and the step lengths of one pedestrian are almost constant. At high density, some pedestrians adjust and decrease their step lengths. Some pedestrians take relatively smaller and larger steps alternately to adapt to limited space.

  8. Rational's experience using Ada for very large systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Archer, James E., Jr.; Devlin, Michael T.

    1986-01-01

    The experience using the Rational Environment has confirmed the advantages forseen when the project was started. Interactive syntatic and semantic information makes a tremendous difference in the ease of constructing programs and making changes to them. The ability to follow semantic references makes it easier to understand exisiting programs and the impact of changes. The integrated debugger makes it much easier to find bugs and test fixes quickly. Taken together, these facilites have helped greatly in reducing the impact of ongoing maintenance of the ability to produce a new code. Similar improvements are anticipated as the same level of integration and interactivity are achieved for configuration management and version control. The environment has also proven useful in introducing personnel to the project and existing personnel to new parts of the system. Personnel benefit from the assistance with syntax and semantics; everyone benefits from the ability to traverse and understand the structure of unfamiliar software. It is often possible for someone completely unfamiliar with a body of code to use these facilities, to understand it well enough to successfully with a body of code to use these facilities to understand it well enough to successfully diagnose and fix bugs in a matter of minutes.

  9. Supporting Teachers to Automatically Build Accessible Pedagogical Resources: The APEINTA Project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iglesias, Ana; Moreno, Lourdes; Jiménez, Javier

    Most of the universities in Europe have started their process of adaptation towards a common educational space according to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The social dimension of the Bologna Process is a constituent part of the EHEA and it is a necessary condition for the attractiveness and competitiveness of the EHEA. Two of the main features of the social dimension are the equal access for all the students and the lifelong learning. One of the main problems of the adaptation process to the EHEA is that the teachers have no previous references and models to develop new pedagogical experiences accessible to all the students, nevertheless of their abilities, capabilities or accessibility characteristics. The APEINTA project presented in this paper can be used as a helpful tool for teachers in order to cope with the teaching demands of EHEA, helping the teachers to automatically build accessible pedagogical resources even when the teachers are not accessibility experts. This educational project has been successfully used in 2009 in two different degrees at the Carlos III University of Madrid: Computer Science and Library and Information Science.

  10. Using Dedal to share and reuse distributed engineering design information

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baya, Vinod; Baudin, Catherine; Mabogunje, Ade; Das, Aseem; Cannon, David M.; Leifer, Larry J.

    1994-01-01

    The overall goal of the project is to facilitate the reuse of previous design experience for the maintenance, repair and redesign of artifacts in the electromechanical engineering domain. An engineering team creates information in the form of meeting summaries, project memos, progress reports, engineering notes, spreadsheet calculations and CAD drawings. Design information captured in these media is difficult to reuse because the way design concepts are referred to evolve over the life of a project and because decisions, requirements and structure are interrelated but rarely explicitly linked. Based on protocol analysis of the information seeking behavior of designer's, we defined a language to describe the content and the form of design records and implemented this language in Dedal, a tool for indexing, modeling and retrieving design information. We first describe the approach to indexing and retrieval in Dedal. Next we describe ongoing work in extending Dedal's capabilities to a distributed environment by integrating it with World Wide Web. This will enable members of a design team who are not co-located to share and reuse information.

  11. Qualification Testing of Engineering Camera and Platinum Resistance Thermometer (PRT) Sensors for Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Project under Extreme Temperatures to Assess Reliability and to Enhance Mission Assurance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ramesham, Rajeshuni; Maki, Justin N.; Cucullu, Gordon C.

    2008-01-01

    Package Qualification and Verification (PQV) of advanced electronic packaging and interconnect technologies and various other types of qualification hardware for the Mars Exploration Rover/Mars Science Laboratory flight projects has been performed to enhance the mission assurance. The qualification of hardware (Engineering Camera and Platinum Resistance Thermometer, PRT) under extreme cold temperatures has been performed with reference to various project requirements. The flight-like packages, sensors, and subassemblies have been selected for the study to survive three times (3x) the total number of expected temperature cycles resulting from all environmental and operational exposures occurring over the life of the flight hardware including all relevant manufacturing, ground operations and mission phases. Qualification has been performed by subjecting above flight-like qual hardware to the environmental temperature extremes and assessing any structural failures or degradation in electrical performance due to either overstress or thermal cycle fatigue. Experiments of flight like hardware qualification test results have been described in this paper.

  12. Results from the ESA-funded project 'Height System Unification with GOCE'

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sideris, M. G.; Rangelova, E. V.; Gruber, T.; Rummel, R. F.; Woodworth, P. L.; Hughes, C. W.; Ihde, J.; Liebsch, G.; Schäfer, U.; Rülke, A.; Gerlach, C.; Haagmans, R.

    2013-12-01

    The paper summarizes the main results of a project, supported by the European Space Agency, whose main goal is to identify the impact of GOCE gravity field models on height system unification. In particular, the Technical University Munich, the University of Calgary and the National Oceanography Centre in Liverpool, together with the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, the Federal German Agency for Cartography and Geodesy, and the Geodetic Surveys of Canada, USA and Mexico, have investigated the role of GOCE-derived gravity and geoid models for regional and global height datum connection. GOCE provides three important components of height unification: highly accurate potential differences (geopotential numbers), a global geoid- or quasi-geoid-based reference surface for elevations that is independent of inaccuracies and inconsistencies of local and regional data, and a consistent way to refer to the same datum all the relevant gravimetric, topographic and oceanographic data. We introduce briefly the methodology that has been applied in order to unify height system in North America, North Atlantic Ocean and Europe, and present results obtained using the available GOCE-derived satellite-only geopotential models, and their combination with terrestrial data and ocean models. The effects of various factors, such as data noise, omission errors, indirect bias terms, ocean models and temporal variations, on height datum unification are also presented, highlighting their magnitude and importance in the estimation of offsets between vertical datums. Based on the experiences gained in this project, a general roadmap has been developed for height datum unification in regions with good, as well as poor, coverage in gravity and geodetic height and tide gauge control stations.

  13. Moving Reference to the Web.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGlamery, Susan; Coffman, Steve

    2000-01-01

    Explores the possibility of using Web contact center software to offer reference assistance to remote users. Discusses a project by the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System/Santiago Library System consortium to test contact center software and to develop a virtual reference network. (Author/LRW)

  14. ACTS Ka-Band Earth Stations: Technology, Performance, and Lessons Learned

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reinhart, Richard C.; Struharik, Steven J.; Diamond, John J.; Stewart, David

    2000-01-01

    The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) Project invested heavily in prototype Ka-band satellite ground terminals to conduct an experiments program with ACTS. The ACTS experiments program proposed to validate Ka-band satellite and ground-station technology, demonstrate future telecommunication services, demonstrate commercial viability and market acceptability of these new services, evaluate system networking and processing technology, and characterize Ka-band propagation effects, including development of techniques to mitigate signal fading. This paper will present a summary of the fixed ground terminals developed by the NASA Glenn Research Center and its industry partners, emphasizing the technology and performance of the terminals and the lessons learned throughout their 6-year operation, including the inclined orbit phase-of-operations. The fixed ground stations used for experiments by government, academic, and commercial entities used reflector-based offset-fed antenna systems with antennas ranging in size from 0.35 to 3.4 in. in diameter. Gateway earth stations included two systems referred to as the NASA Ground Station (NGS) and the Link Evaluation Terminal (LET).

  15. Project Fog Drops 5. Task 1: A numerical model of advection fog. Task 2: Recommendations for simplified individual zero-gravity cloud physics experiments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rogers, C. W.; Eadie, W. J.; Katz, U.; Kocmond, W. C.

    1975-01-01

    A two-dimensional numerical model was used to investigate the formation of marine advection fog. The model predicts the evolution of potential temperature, horizontal wind, water vapor content, and liquid water content in a vertical cross section of the atmosphere as determined by vertical turbulent transfer and horizontal advection, as well as radiative cooling and drop sedimentation. The model is designed to simulate the formation, development, or dissipation of advection fog in response to transfer of heat and moisture between the atmosphere and the surface as driven by advection over horizontal discontinuities in the surface temperature. Results from numerical simulations of advection fog formation are discussed with reference to observations of marine fog. A survey of candidate fog or cloud microphysics experiments which might be performed in the low gravity environment of a shuttle-type spacecraft in presented. Recommendations are given for relatively simple experiments which are relevent to fog modification problems.

  16. GridAPPS-D Conceptual Design v1.0

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

    Melton, Ronald B.; Schneider, Kevin P.; McDermott, Thomas E.

    2017-05-31

    The purpose of this document is to provide a conceptual design of the distribution system application development platform being developed for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) Program by the Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium project GM0063. The platform will be referred to as GridAPPS-D. This document provides a high level, conceptual view of the platform and provides related background and contextual information. This document is intended to both educate readers about the technical work of the project and to serve as a point of reference for the project team. The document will be updated as themore » project progresses.« less

  17. Alignment of 1000 Genomes Project reads to reference assembly GRCh38.

    PubMed

    Zheng-Bradley, Xiangqun; Streeter, Ian; Fairley, Susan; Richardson, David; Clarke, Laura; Flicek, Paul

    2017-07-01

    The 1000 Genomes Project produced more than 100 trillion basepairs of short read sequence from more than 2600 samples in 26 populations over a period of five years. In its final phase, the project released over 85 million genotyped and phased variants on human reference genome assembly GRCh37. An updated reference assembly, GRCh38, was released in late 2013, but there was insufficient time for the final phase of the project analysis to change to the new assembly. Although it is possible to lift the coordinates of the 1000 Genomes Project variants to the new assembly, this is a potentially error-prone process as coordinate remapping is most appropriate only for non-repetitive regions of the genome and those that did not see significant change between the two assemblies. It will also miss variants in any region that was newly added to GRCh38. Thus, to produce the highest quality variants and genotypes on GRCh38, the best strategy is to realign the reads and recall the variants based on the new alignment. As the first step of variant calling for the 1000 Genomes Project data, we have finished remapping all of the 1000 Genomes sequence reads to GRCh38 with alternative scaffold-aware BWA-MEM. The resulting alignments are available as CRAM, a reference-based sequence compression format. The data have been released on our FTP site and are also available from European Nucleotide Archive to facilitate researchers discovering variants on the primary sequences and alternative contigs of GRCh38. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

  18. Analysis of heat wave occurrences in the Carpathian basin using regional climate model simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bartha, E. B.; Pongracz, R.; Bartholy, J.

    2012-04-01

    Human health is very likely affected by regional consequences of global warming. One of the most severe impacts is probably associated to temperature-related climatological extremes, such as heat waves. In the coming decades hot conditions in most regions of the world are very likely to occur more frequently and more intensely than in the recent decades. In order to develop adaptation and mitigation strategies on local scale, it is essential to analyze the projected changes related to warming climatic conditions including heat waves. In 2004, a Heat Health Watch Warning System was developed in Hungary on the basis of a retrospective analysis of mortality and meteorological data to anticipate heat waves that may result in a large excess of mortality. In the frame of this recently introduced Health Watch System, three levels of heat wave warning are applied. They are associated to the daily mean temperature values, and defined as follows: - Warning level 1 (advisory for internal use) is issued when the daily mean temperature exceeds 25 °C. - Warning level 2 (heat wave watch) is issued when the daily mean temperature for at least 3 consecutive days exceeds 25 °C. - Warning level 3 (heat wave alert) is issued when the daily mean temperature for at least 3 consecutive days exceeds 27 °C. In the present study, frequency of the above climatic conditions are analyzed using regional climate model (RCM) experiments are analyzed for the recent past and the coming decades (1961-2100) for the Carpathian basin. At the Dept. of Meteorology, Eotvos Lorand University two different RCMs have been adapted: RegCM (with 10 km horizontal resolution, originally developed by Giorgi et al., currently, available from the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, ICTP) and PRECIS (with 25 km horizontal resolution, developed at the UK Met Office, Hadley Centre). Their initial and lateral boundary conditions have been provided by global climate models ECHAM and HadCM3, respectively. For both RCMs A1B emission scenario was used. The climatic conditions of 1961-1990 (as a reference), and 2021-2050, 2071-2100 future periods are evaluated using bias corrected daily mean temperature outputs of both RegCM and PRECIS. Based on the results the following main conclusions can be drawn: (i) Heat waves are very likely to occur more frequently in the 21st century than in the reference period, 1961-1990. (ii) By the end of the 21st century heat warning level 3 is projected to occur with similar frequency as the heat warning level 1 in the reference period. (iii) By the end of the 21st century the average first occurrence of the heat warning days is simulated to shift earlier, and the average last occurrence later, than in the reference period - thus the length of the heat wave season is projected to become remarkably larger. (iv) For each time slices (both reference and future periods), PRECIS simulations suggest a more often occurrence of heat warning cases in the Carpathian basin than the RegCM experiments.

  19. Illustrating Geology With Customized Video in Introductory Geoscience Courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Magloughlin, J. F.

    2008-12-01

    For the past several years, I have been creating short videos for use in large-enrollment introductory physical geology classes. The motivation for this project included 1) lack of appropriate depth in existing videos, 2) engagement of non-science students, 3) student indifference to traditional textbooks, 4) a desire to share the visual splendor of geology through virtual field trips, and 5) a desire to meld photography, animation, narration, and videography in self-contained experiences. These (HD) videos are information-intensive but short, allowing a focus on relatively narrow topics from numerous subdisciplines, incorporation into lectures to help create variety while minimally interrupting flow and holding students' attention, and manageable file sizes. Nearly all involve one or more field locations, including sites throughout the western and central continental U.S., as well as Hawaii, Italy, New Zealand, and Scotland. The limited scope of the project and motivations mentioned preclude a comprehensive treatment of geology. Instead, videos address geologic processes, locations, features, and interactions with humans. The videos have been made available via DVD and on-line streaming. Such a project requires an array of video and audio equipment and software, a broad knowledge of geology, very good computing power, adequate time, creativity, a substantial travel budget, liability insurance, elucidation of the separation (or non-separation) between such a project and other responsibilities, and, preferably but not essentially, the support of one's supervisor or academic unit. Involving students in such projects entails risks, but involving necessary technical expertise is virtually unavoidable. In my own courses, some videos are used in class and/or made available on-line as simply another aspect of the educational experience. Student response has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly when expectations of students regarding the content of the videos is made clear, and appropriate materials accompany the videos. Retention of primary concepts presented within videos is at least as high as ordinary lecture material, and student questions reference the videos more than any other matter. Use of the videos has created more variety in the course, a better connection to real world geology, and a more palatable experience for students who increasingly describe themselves as visual learners.

  20. Human factors in space telepresence

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Akin, D. L.; Howard, R. D.; Oliveria, J. S.

    1983-01-01

    The problems of interfacing a human with a teleoperation system, for work in space are discussed. Much of the information presented here is the result of experience gained by the M.I.T. Space Systems Laboratory during the past two years of work on the ARAMIS (Automation, Robotics, and Machine Intelligence Systems) project. Many factors impact the design of the man-machine interface for a teleoperator. The effects of each are described in turn. An annotated bibliography gives the key references that were used. No conclusions are presented as a best design, since much depends on the particular application desired, and the relevant technology is swiftly changing.

  1. System Data Bases In European Satellites Programs: Lessons Learned and Recommendations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Passot, X.; Denuault, D.; Guiral, Ph.; Kerjean, L.; Lebreton, D.; Lecrvain, C.; Valera, S.

    2007-08-01

    This paper is intended for European space eningeers who must design or interact with all or part of a system database, hereafter referred to as 'SDB'. The document presents the objectives of a system database (SDB), describes the development of an SDB project from the specification stage until operations, and preovides recommendations so that an effective system can be obtained. As part of return on experience, the document gives an overview of exisiting systems in the European space industry. To prepare the new systems, it presents the services to be provided, the tools available and the emerging standars towards which SDBs must converge.

  2. Research and Applications Modules (RAM), phase B study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1972-01-01

    The research and applications modules (RAM) system is discussed. The RAM is a family of payload carrier modules that can be delivered to and retrieved from earth orbit by the space shuttle. The RAM's capability for implementing a wide range of manned and man-tended missions is described. The rams have evolved into three types; (1) pressurized RAMs, (2) unpressurized RAMs, and (3) pressurizable free-flying RAMs. A reference experiment plan for use as a baseline in the derivation and planning of the RAM project is reported. The plan describes the number and frequency of shuttle flights dedicated to RAM missions and the RAM payloads for the identified flights.

  3. Final mission design for IRAS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mclaughlin, W. I.

    1984-01-01

    The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) was operated on orbit from 26 January to 22 November 1983 (GMT). Its primary purpose, successfully accomplished, was to conduct an all-sky survey in the infrared from 8 to 120 microns. The mission design for this project featured orbit selection; numerous exercises in the geometry of the sphere; computer simulation of mission, sky, and telescope; and an active interface with the IRAS Science Team. In addition to mission design, the subject of mission planning after launch is addressed. The paper makes extensive use of reference to other works on the topic and seeks to derive some general conclusions on the subject based upon the IRAS experience.

  4. Citation patterns of a controversial and high-impact paper: Worm et al. (2006) "Impacts of biodiversity loss on ocean ecosystem services".

    PubMed

    Branch, Trevor A

    2013-01-01

    Citation patterns were examined for Worm et al. 2006 (Science 314:787-790), a high-impact paper that focused on relationships between marine biodiversity and ecosystem services. This paper sparked much controversy through its projection, highlighted in the press release, that all marine fisheries would be collapsed by 2048. Analysis of 664 citing papers revealed that only a small percentage (11%) referred to the 2048 projection, while 39% referred to fisheries collapse in general, and 40% to biodiversity and ecosystem services. The 2048 projection was mentioned more often in papers published soon after the original paper, in low-impact journals, and in journals outside of fields that would be expected to focus on biodiversity. Citing papers also mentioned the 2048 projection more often if they had few authors (28% of single-author papers vs. 2% of papers with 10 or more authors). These factors suggest that the more knowledgeable the authors of citing papers were about the controversy over the 2048 projection, the less likely they were to refer to it. A noteworthy finding was that if the original authors were also involved in the citing papers, they rarely (1 of 55 papers, 2%) mentioned the 2048 projection. Thus the original authors have emphasized the broader concerns about biodiversity loss, rather than the 2048 projection, as the key result of their study.

  5. Prototype development and demonstration for integrated dynamic transit operations.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-01-01

    This document serves as the Final Report specific to the Integrated Dynamic Transit Operations (IDTO) Prototype Development and Deployment Project, hereafter referred to as IDTO Prototype Deployment or IDTO PD project. This project was performed unde...

  6. Forest loss in New England: A projection of recent trends

    PubMed Central

    Thompson, Jonathan R.; Plisinski, Joshua S.; Olofsson, Pontus; Holden, Christopher E.; Duveneck, Matthew J.

    2017-01-01

    New England has lost more than 350,000 ha of forest cover since 1985, marking a reversal of a two-hundred-year trend of forest expansion. We a cellular land-cover change model to project a continuation of recent trends (1990–2010) in forest loss across six New England states from 2010 to 2060. Recent trends were estimated using a continuous change detection algorithm applied to twenty years of Landsat images. We addressed three questions: (1) What would be the consequences of a continuation of the recent trends in terms of changes to New England's forest cover mosaic? (2) What social and biophysical attributes are most strongly associated with recent trends in forest loss, and how do these vary geographically? (3) How sensitive are projections of forest loss to the reference period—i.e. how do projections based on the period spanning 1990-to-2000 differ from 2000-to-2010, or from the full period, 1990-to-2010? Over the full reference period, 8201 ha yr-1 and 468 ha yr-1 of forest were lost to low- and high-density development, respectively. Forest loss was concentrated in suburban areas, particularly near Boston. Of the variables considered, 'distance to developed land' was the strongest predictor of forest loss. The next most important predictor varied geographically: 'distance to roads' ranked second in the more developed regions in the south and 'population density' ranked second in the less developed north. The importance and geographical variation in predictor variables were relatively stable between reference periods. In contrast, there was 55% more forest loss during the 1990-to-2000 reference period compared to the 2000-to-2010 period, highlighting the importance of understanding the variation in reference periods when projecting land cover change. The projection of recent trends is an important baseline scenario with implications for the management of forest ecosystems and the services they provide. PMID:29240810

  7. Forest loss in New England: A projection of recent trends.

    PubMed

    Thompson, Jonathan R; Plisinski, Joshua S; Olofsson, Pontus; Holden, Christopher E; Duveneck, Matthew J

    2017-01-01

    New England has lost more than 350,000 ha of forest cover since 1985, marking a reversal of a two-hundred-year trend of forest expansion. We a cellular land-cover change model to project a continuation of recent trends (1990-2010) in forest loss across six New England states from 2010 to 2060. Recent trends were estimated using a continuous change detection algorithm applied to twenty years of Landsat images. We addressed three questions: (1) What would be the consequences of a continuation of the recent trends in terms of changes to New England's forest cover mosaic? (2) What social and biophysical attributes are most strongly associated with recent trends in forest loss, and how do these vary geographically? (3) How sensitive are projections of forest loss to the reference period-i.e. how do projections based on the period spanning 1990-to-2000 differ from 2000-to-2010, or from the full period, 1990-to-2010? Over the full reference period, 8201 ha yr-1 and 468 ha yr-1 of forest were lost to low- and high-density development, respectively. Forest loss was concentrated in suburban areas, particularly near Boston. Of the variables considered, 'distance to developed land' was the strongest predictor of forest loss. The next most important predictor varied geographically: 'distance to roads' ranked second in the more developed regions in the south and 'population density' ranked second in the less developed north. The importance and geographical variation in predictor variables were relatively stable between reference periods. In contrast, there was 55% more forest loss during the 1990-to-2000 reference period compared to the 2000-to-2010 period, highlighting the importance of understanding the variation in reference periods when projecting land cover change. The projection of recent trends is an important baseline scenario with implications for the management of forest ecosystems and the services they provide.

  8. Effect of Transitioning from Standard Reference Material 2806a to Standard Reference Material 2806b for Light Obscuration Particle Countering

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-04-01

    Reference Material 2806b for Light Obscuration Particle Countering April 2016 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED Joel Schmitigal 27809 Standard Form 298 (Rev...Standard Reference Material 2806b for Light Obscuration Particle Countering 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6...Reference Material 2806a to Standard Reference Material 2806b for Light Obscuration Particle Countering Joel Schmitigal Force Projection

  9. Getting DNA copy numbers without control samples

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background The selection of the reference to scale the data in a copy number analysis has paramount importance to achieve accurate estimates. Usually this reference is generated using control samples included in the study. However, these control samples are not always available and in these cases, an artificial reference must be created. A proper generation of this signal is crucial in terms of both noise and bias. We propose NSA (Normality Search Algorithm), a scaling method that works with and without control samples. It is based on the assumption that genomic regions enriched in SNPs with identical copy numbers in both alleles are likely to be normal. These normal regions are predicted for each sample individually and used to calculate the final reference signal. NSA can be applied to any CN data regardless the microarray technology and preprocessing method. It also finds an optimal weighting of the samples minimizing possible batch effects. Results Five human datasets (a subset of HapMap samples, Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), Ovarian, Prostate and Lung Cancer experiments) have been analyzed. It is shown that using only tumoral samples, NSA is able to remove the bias in the copy number estimation, to reduce the noise and therefore, to increase the ability to detect copy number aberrations (CNAs). These improvements allow NSA to also detect recurrent aberrations more accurately than other state of the art methods. Conclusions NSA provides a robust and accurate reference for scaling probe signals data to CN values without the need of control samples. It minimizes the problems of bias, noise and batch effects in the estimation of CNs. Therefore, NSA scaling approach helps to better detect recurrent CNAs than current methods. The automatic selection of references makes it useful to perform bulk analysis of many GEO or ArrayExpress experiments without the need of developing a parser to find the normal samples or possible batches within the data. The method is available in the open-source R package NSA, which is an add-on to the aroma.cn framework. http://www.aroma-project.org/addons. PMID:22898240

  10. Getting DNA copy numbers without control samples.

    PubMed

    Ortiz-Estevez, Maria; Aramburu, Ander; Rubio, Angel

    2012-08-16

    The selection of the reference to scale the data in a copy number analysis has paramount importance to achieve accurate estimates. Usually this reference is generated using control samples included in the study. However, these control samples are not always available and in these cases, an artificial reference must be created. A proper generation of this signal is crucial in terms of both noise and bias.We propose NSA (Normality Search Algorithm), a scaling method that works with and without control samples. It is based on the assumption that genomic regions enriched in SNPs with identical copy numbers in both alleles are likely to be normal. These normal regions are predicted for each sample individually and used to calculate the final reference signal. NSA can be applied to any CN data regardless the microarray technology and preprocessing method. It also finds an optimal weighting of the samples minimizing possible batch effects. Five human datasets (a subset of HapMap samples, Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), Ovarian, Prostate and Lung Cancer experiments) have been analyzed. It is shown that using only tumoral samples, NSA is able to remove the bias in the copy number estimation, to reduce the noise and therefore, to increase the ability to detect copy number aberrations (CNAs). These improvements allow NSA to also detect recurrent aberrations more accurately than other state of the art methods. NSA provides a robust and accurate reference for scaling probe signals data to CN values without the need of control samples. It minimizes the problems of bias, noise and batch effects in the estimation of CNs. Therefore, NSA scaling approach helps to better detect recurrent CNAs than current methods. The automatic selection of references makes it useful to perform bulk analysis of many GEO or ArrayExpress experiments without the need of developing a parser to find the normal samples or possible batches within the data. The method is available in the open-source R package NSA, which is an add-on to the aroma.cn framework. http://www.aroma-project.org/addons.

  11. The Influence of the Tri-reference Points on Fairness and Satisfaction Perception

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Lei; Ye, Junhui; Wu, Xuexian; Hu, Fengpei

    2018-01-01

    We examined the influence of three reference points (minimum requirements [MR], the status quo [SQ], and goal [G]) proposed by the tri-reference point (TRP) theory on fairness and satisfaction perceptions of pay in three laboratory experiments. To test the effects, we manipulated these three reference points both implicitly (Experiment 1) and explicitly (Experiments 2 and 3). We also provided the information of the salary offered to a peer person that was lower than, equal to, or higher than the salary offer to the participant. As hypothesized, the results demonstrated the important role of these reference points in judging the fairness of and satisfaction with pay when they were explicitly set (an interaction between reference points and social comparison in Experiments 2 and 3, but not in Experiment 1). Participants altered their judgments when the salary was in different regions. When the salary was below MR, participants perceived very low fairness and satisfaction, even when the offer was equal to/exceeded others. When the salary was above G, participants perceived much higher fairness and satisfaction, even with disadvantageous inequality. Participants were more impacted when they were explicitly instructed of the reference points (Experiments 2 and 3) than when they were not (Experiment 1). Moreover, MR appeared to be the most important, followed by G. A Salary below MR was judged as very unacceptable, with very low fairness and satisfaction ratings. PMID:29515503

  12. Spatial Reasoning in Tenejapan Mayans

    PubMed Central

    Li, Peggy; Abarbanell, Linda; Gleitman, Lila; Papafragou, Anna

    2011-01-01

    Language communities differ in their stock of reference frames (coordinate systems for specifying locations and directions). English typically uses egocentrically defined axes (e.g., “left-right”), especially when describing small-scale relationships. Other languages such as Tseltal Mayan prefer to use geocentrically-defined axes (e.g., “north-south”) and do not use any type of projective body-defined axes. It has been argued that the availability of specific frames of reference in language determines the availability or salience of the corresponding spatial concepts. In four experiments, we explored this hypothesis by testing Tseltal speakers’ spatial reasoning skills. Whereas most prior tasks in this domain were open-ended (allowing several correct solutions), the present tasks required a unique solution that favored adopting a frame of reference that was either congruent or incongruent with what is habitually lexicalized in the participants’ language. In these tasks, Tseltal speakers easily solved the language-incongruent problems, and performance was generally more robust for these than for the language-congruent problems that favored geocentrically-defined coordinates. We suggest thatlisteners’ probabilistic inferences when instruction is open to more than one interpretation account for why there are greater cross-linguistic differences in the solutions to open-ended spatial problems than to less ambiguous ones. PMID:21481854

  13. High-precision angle sensor based on a Köster’s prism with absolute zero-point

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ullmann, V.; Oertel, E.; Manske, E.

    2018-06-01

    In this publication, a novel approach will be presented to use a compact white-light interferometer based on a Köster’s prism for angle measurements. Experiments show that the resolution of this angle interferometer is in the range of a commercial digital autocollimator, with a focal length of f  =  300 mm, but with clearly reduced signal noise and without overshoot artifacts in the signal caused by digital filters. The angle detection of the reference mirror in the Köster’s interferometer is based on analysing the rotation angle of the fringe pattern, which is projected on a CMOS-matrix. The fringe pattern is generated by two displaced spherical wave fronts coming from one fiber-coupled white-light source and getting divided into a reference and a measurement beam by the Köster’s prism. The displacement correlates with the reference angle mirror in one linear direction and with the angle aberrations of the prism in the other orthogonal direction on the CMOS sensor. We will present the experimental and optical setup, the method and algorithms for the image-to-angle processing as well as the experimental results obtained in calibration and long-term measurements.

  14. Alternative Fuels Data Center

    Science.gov Websites

    Utility Company Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Load Projection Requirement The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority requires electric distribution companies to integrate EV charging load projections into the EV charging load projections for the company's distribution planning. (Reference Connecticut

  15. Vehicle Integrated Performance Analysis, the VIPA Experience: Reconnecting with Technical Integration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McGhee, David S.

    2005-01-01

    Today's NASA is facing significant challenges and changes. The Exploration initiative indicates a large increase in projects with limited increase in budget. The Columbia report has criticized NASA for its lack of insight and technical integration impacting its ability to provide safety. The Aldridge report is advocating NASA find new ways of doing business. Very early in the Space Launch Initiative (SLI) program a small team of engineers at MSFC were asked to propose a process for performing a system level assessment of a launch vehicle. The request was aimed primarily at providing insight and making NASA a "smart buyer." Out of this effort the VIPA team was created. The difference between the VIPA effort and many integration attempts is that VIPA focuses on using experienced people from various disciplines and a process which focuses them on a technically integrated assessment. Most previous attempts have focused on developing an all encompassing software tool. In addition, VIPA anchored its process formulation in the experience of its members and in early developmental Space Shuttle experience. The primary reference for this is NASA-TP-2001-210092, "Launch Vehicle Design Process: Characterization, Technical Integration, and Lessons Learned," and discussions with its authors. The foundations of VIPA's process are described. The VIPA team also recognized the need to drive detailed analysis earlier in the design process. Analyses and techniques typically done in later design phases, are brought forward using improved computing technology. The intent is to allow the identification of significant sensitivities, trades, and design issues much earlier in the program. This process is driven by the T-model for Technical Integration described in the aforementioned reference. VIPA's approach to performing system level technical integration is discussed in detail. Proposed definitions are offered to clarify this discussion and the general systems integration dialog. VIPA's capabilities and process can now be used to significantly enhance the development and monitoring of realizable project requirements. This is done through the use of VIPA's V-model. Starting with a given concept, VIPA's assessment validates the concept's stated performance, identifies significant issues either with the concept or the requirements, and then re-integrates these issues to determine impacts. This process is discussed along with a description of how it may be integrated into a program's insight and review process. The VIPA process has been employed successfully on several projects including SLI, Orbital Space Plane (OSP), and several heavy lift concepts for Exploration. It has also been proposed for use on the Jupiter Icy Moon (JIMO) spacecraft. The VIPA process has gained favor with both engineering and project organizations for being responsive and insightful. Selected results from these assessments will be presented.

  16. Night Owl: Maryland's After-Hours Reference Service.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duke, Deborah C.

    1994-01-01

    Discusses "Night Owl," a Maryland public library's after hours telephone reference service. Issues include project start-up, user profiles, types of questions, volume, after hours reference accessibility, security, costs, service limits, publicity, staffing, and employee turnover. Similar services in other states are cited. (Contains six…

  17. High Resolution Image Reconstruction from Projection of Low Resolution Images DIffering in Subpixel Shifts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mareboyana, Manohar; Le Moigne-Stewart, Jacqueline; Bennett, Jerome

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, we demonstrate a simple algorithm that projects low resolution (LR) images differing in subpixel shifts on a high resolution (HR) also called super resolution (SR) grid. The algorithm is very effective in accuracy as well as time efficiency. A number of spatial interpolation techniques using nearest neighbor, inverse-distance weighted averages, Radial Basis Functions (RBF) etc. used in projection yield comparable results. For best accuracy of reconstructing SR image by a factor of two requires four LR images differing in four independent subpixel shifts. The algorithm has two steps: i) registration of low resolution images and (ii) shifting the low resolution images to align with reference image and projecting them on high resolution grid based on the shifts of each low resolution image using different interpolation techniques. Experiments are conducted by simulating low resolution images by subpixel shifts and subsampling of original high resolution image and the reconstructing the high resolution images from the simulated low resolution images. The results of accuracy of reconstruction are compared by using mean squared error measure between original high resolution image and reconstructed image. The algorithm was tested on remote sensing images and found to outperform previously proposed techniques such as Iterative Back Projection algorithm (IBP), Maximum Likelihood (ML), and Maximum a posterior (MAP) algorithms. The algorithm is robust and is not overly sensitive to the registration inaccuracies.

  18. Primary-care based participatory rehabilitation: users' views of a horticultural and arts project.

    PubMed

    Barley, Elizabeth A; Robinson, Susan; Sikorski, Jim

    2012-02-01

    Participation in horticulture and arts may improve wellbeing in those with mental and physical illness. To conduct an in-depth exploration of the views and experience of participants of a primary-care-based horticultural and participatory arts rehabilitation project (Sydenham Garden). Qualitative interview study of a primary-care-based horticultural and participatory arts rehabilitation project in South London. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 participants (referred to as 'coworkers') of Sydenham Garden. Seven were female. Participants were aged between 38 and 91 years and had a range of severe mental and physical health problems; most had depression. The interviews were analysed using constant comparison and thematic analysis. Data were overwhelmingly positive concerning participation. Coworkers considered participation in the project to promote wellbeing by providing purposeful and enjoyable activity and interest, improving mood and self-perceptions, and providing an escape from life's pressures. Being outdoors was considered therapeutic. The most-valued aspect of participation was the social contact derived as a result of it. Many of the coworkers who were interviewed developed transferable skills, including nationally recognised qualifications, which they valued highly. Delivery of horticultural therapy and participatory arts is a feasible model for improving wellbeing in patients in primary care who have serious illness. Longer-term studies are needed to address what happens to people after leaving such projects.

  19. Primary-care based participatory rehabilitation: users’ views of a horticultural and arts project

    PubMed Central

    Barley, Elizabeth A; Robinson, Susan; Sikorski, Jim

    2012-01-01

    Background Participation in horticulture and arts may improve wellbeing in those with mental and physical illness. Aim To conduct an in-depth exploration of the views and experience of participants of a primary-care-based horticultural and participatory arts rehabilitation project (Sydenham Garden). Design and setting Qualitative interview study of a primary-care-based horticultural and participatory arts rehabilitation project in South London. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 participants (referred to as ‘coworkers’) of Sydenham Garden. Seven were female. Participants were aged between 38 and 91 years and had a range of severe mental and physical health problems; most had depression. The interviews were analysed using constant comparison and thematic analysis. Results Data were overwhelmingly positive concerning participation. Coworkers considered participation in the project to promote wellbeing by providing purposeful and enjoyable activity and interest, improving mood and self-perceptions, and providing an escape from life’s pressures. Being outdoors was considered therapeutic. The most-valued aspect of participation was the social contact derived as a result of it. Many of the coworkers who were interviewed developed transferable skills, including nationally recognised qualifications, which they valued highly. Conclusion Delivery of horticultural therapy and participatory arts is a feasible model for improving wellbeing in patients in primary care who have serious illness. Longer-term studies are needed to address what happens to people after leaving such projects. PMID:22520790

  20. FY16 Safeguards Technology Cart-Portable Mass Spectrometer Project Final Report

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

    Thompson, Cyril V.; Whitten, William B.

    The Oak Ridge National Laboratory project for the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative Safeguards Technology Development Subprogram has been involved in the development of a cart portable mass spectrometer based on a Thermo ITQ ion trap mass spectrometer (referred to simply as the ITQ) for the field analysis of 235U/238U ratios in UF6. A recent discovery of the project was that combining CO2 with UF6 and introducing the mixture to the mass spectrometer (MS) appeared to increase the ionization efficiency and, thus, reduce the amount of UF6 needed for an analysis while also reducing the corrosive effects of the sample. However,more » initial experimentation indicated that mixing parameters should be closely controlled to ensure reproducible results. To this end, a sample manifold (SM) that would ensure the precise mixing of UF6 and CO2 was designed and constructed. A number of experiments were outlined and conducted to determine optimum MS and SM conditions which would provide the most stable isotope ratio analysis. The principal objective of the project was to provide a retrofit ITQ mass spectrometer operating with a SM capable of achieving a variation in precision of less than 1% over 1 hour of sampling. This goal was achieved by project end with a variation in precision of 0.5 to 0.8% over 1 hour of sampling.« less

  1. Development of Ground Reference GIS for Assessing Land Cover Maps of Northeast Yellowstone National Park

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spruce, Joe; Warner, Amanda; Terrie, Greg; Davis, Bruce

    2001-01-01

    GIS technology and ground reference data often play vital roles in assessing land cover maps derived from remotely sensed data. This poster illustrates these roles, using results from a study done in Northeast Yellowstone National Park. This area holds many forest, range, and wetland cover types of interest to park managers. Several recent studies have focused on this locale, including the NASA Earth Observations Commercial Applications Program (EOCAP) hyperspectral project performed by Yellowstone Ecosystems Studies (YES) on riparian and in-stream habitat mapping. This poster regards a spin-off to the EOCAP project in which YES and NASA's Earth Science Applications Directorate explored the potential for synergistic use of hyperspecral, synthetic aperture radar, and multiband thermal imagery in mapping land cover types. The project included development of a ground reference GIS for site-specific data needed to evaluate maps from remotely sensed imagery. Field survey data included reflectance of plant communities, native and exotic plant species, and forest health conditions. Researchers also collected GPS points, annotated aerial photographs, and took hand held photographs of reference sites. The use of ESRI, ERDAS, and ENVI software enabled reference data entry into a GIS for comparision to georeferenced imagery and thematic maps. The GIS-based ground reference data layers supported development and assessment of multiple maps from remotely sensed data sets acquired over the study area.

  2. Modernizing the National Spatial Reference System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, D. A.

    2016-12-01

    The National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) is that system of datums, reference frames, shorelines, software and standards which serve the entire federal civilian geospatial community. It is the mission of the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) to define, maintain and provide access to the NSRS. Currently the NSRS contains three geometric reference frames (NAD 83(2011), NAD 83(PA11) and NAD 83(MA11)), one dynamic height datum (IGLD 85) and 6 vertical datums (NAVD 88, PRVD02, ASVD02, NMVD03, GUVD04, VIVD09). All of these datums are built on aging technology and contain systematic errors that grow more noticeable as access to accurate positioning becomes more widespread. It was determined by NGS in 2007 that this was not sustainable and as such, all datums and reference frames are scheduled to be replaced in 2022. [At the time of this abstract, the exact names of the replacements are being finalized and are expected to be announced by the AGU fall meeting.] Replacing the official datums and reference frames requires a carefully coordinated effort of dozens of interrelated technical projects spanning years (over a decade in some cases) and involving a majority of NGS employees. This talk will cover the plans thus far, projects completed, projects underway and will summarize the NSRS as it is expected to look and be accessed in 2022 and beyond.

  3. Restored low-dose digital breast tomosynthesis: a perception study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borges, Lucas R.; Bakic, Predrag R.; Maidment, Andrew D. A.; Vieira, Marcelo A. C.

    2018-03-01

    This work investigates the perception of noise from restored low-dose digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) images. First, low-dose DBT projections were generated using a dose reduction simulation algorithm. A dataset of clinical images from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania was used for this purpose. Low-dose projections were then denoised with a denoising pipeline developed specifically for DBT images. Denoised and noisy projections were combined to generate images with signal-to-noise ratio comparable to the full-dose images. The quality of restored low-dose and full-dose projections were first compared in terms of an objective no-reference image quality metric previously validated for mammography. In the second analysis, regions of interest (ROIs) were selected from reconstructed full-dose and restored low-dose slices, and were displayed side-by-side on a high-resolution medical display. Five medical physics specialists were asked to choose the image containing less noise and less blur using a 2-AFC experiment. The objective metric shows that, after the proposed image restoration framework was applied, images with as little as 60% of the AEC dose yielded similar quality indices when compared to images acquired with the full-dose. In the 2-AFC experiments results showed that when the denoising framework was used, 30% reduction in dose was possible without any perceived difference in noise or blur. Note that this study evaluated the observers perception to noise and blur and does not claim that the dose of DBT examinations can be reduced with no harm to the detection of cancer. Future work is necessary to make any claims regarding detection, localization and characterization of lesions.

  4. Word learning in adults with second-language experience: effects of phonological and referent familiarity.

    PubMed

    Kaushanskaya, Margarita; Yoo, Jeewon; Van Hecke, Stephanie

    2013-04-01

    The goal of this research was to examine whether phonological familiarity exerts different effects on novel word learning for familiar versus unfamiliar referents and whether successful word learning is associated with increased second-language experience. Eighty-one adult native English speakers with various levels of Spanish knowledge learned phonologically familiar novel words (constructed using English sounds) or phonologically unfamiliar novel words (constructed using non-English and non-Spanish sounds) in association with either familiar or unfamiliar referents. Retention was tested via a forced-choice recognition task. A median-split procedure identified high-ability and low-ability word learners in each condition, and the two groups were compared on measures of second-language experience. Findings suggest that the ability to accurately match newly learned novel names to their appropriate referents is facilitated by phonological familiarity only for familiar referents but not for unfamiliar referents. Moreover, more extensive second-language learning experience characterized superior learners primarily in one word-learning condition: in which phonologically unfamiliar novel words were paired with familiar referents. Together, these findings indicate that phonological familiarity facilitates novel word learning only for familiar referents and that experience with learning a second language may have a specific impact on novel vocabulary learning in adults.

  5. Word learning in adults with second language experience: Effects of phonological and referent familiarity

    PubMed Central

    Kaushanskaya, Margarita; Yoo, Jeewon; Van Hecke, Stephanie

    2014-01-01

    Purpose The goal of this research was to examine whether phonological familiarity exerts different effects on novel word learning for familiar vs. unfamiliar referents, and whether successful word-learning is associated with increased second-language experience. Method Eighty-one adult native English speakers with various levels of Spanish knowledge learned phonologically-familiar novel words (constructed using English sounds) or phonologically-unfamiliar novel words (constructed using non-English and non-Spanish sounds) in association with either familiar or unfamiliar referents. Retention was tested via a forced-choice recognition-task. A median-split procedure identified high-ability and low-ability word-learners in each condition, and the two groups were compared on measures of second-language experience. Results Findings suggest that the ability to accurately match newly-learned novel names to their appropriate referents is facilitated by phonological familiarity only for familiar referents but not for unfamiliar referents. Moreover, more extensive second-language learning experience characterized superior learners primarily in one word-learning condition: Where phonologically-unfamiliar novel words were paired with familiar referents. Conclusions Together, these findings indicate that phonological familiarity facilitates novel word learning only for familiar referents, and that experience with learning a second language may have a specific impact on novel vocabulary learning in adults. PMID:22992709

  6. Software Engineering Research/Developer Collaborations in 2004 (C104)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pressburger, Tom; Markosian, Lawrance

    2005-01-01

    In 2004, six collaborations between software engineering technology providers and NASA software development personnel deployed a total of five software engineering technologies (for references, see Section 7.2) on the NASA projects. The main purposes were to benefit the projects, infuse the technologies if beneficial into NASA, and give feedback to the technology providers to improve the technologies. Each collaboration project produced a final report (for references, see Section 7.1). Section 2 of this report summarizes each project, drawing from the final reports and communications with the software developers and technology providers. Section 3 indicates paths to further infusion of the technologies into NASA practice. Section 4 summarizes some technology transfer lessons learned. Section 6 lists the acronyms used in this report.

  7. Linguistic analysis of project ownership for undergraduate research experiences.

    PubMed

    Hanauer, D I; Frederick, J; Fotinakes, B; Strobel, S A

    2012-01-01

    We used computational linguistic and content analyses to explore the concept of project ownership for undergraduate research. We used linguistic analysis of student interview data to develop a quantitative methodology for assessing project ownership and applied this method to measure degrees of project ownership expressed by students in relation to different types of educational research experiences. The results of the study suggest that the design of a research experience significantly influences the degree of project ownership expressed by students when they describe those experiences. The analysis identified both positive and negative aspects of project ownership and provided a working definition for how a student experiences his or her research opportunity. These elements suggest several features that could be incorporated into an undergraduate research experience to foster a student's sense of project ownership.

  8. Genome Improvement at JGI-HAGSC

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

    Grimwood, Jane; Schmutz, Jeremy J.; Myers, Richard M.

    Since the completion of the sequencing of the human genome, the Joint Genome Institute (JGI) has rapidly expanded its scientific goals in several DOE mission-relevant areas. At the JGI-HAGSC, we have kept pace with this rapid expansion of projects with our focus on assessing, assembling, improving and finishing eukaryotic whole genome shotgun (WGS) projects for which the shotgun sequence is generated at the Production Genomic Facility (JGI-PGF). We follow this by combining the draft WGS with genomic resources generated at JGI-HAGSC or in collaborator laboratories (including BAC end sequences, genetic maps and FLcDNA sequences) to produce an improved draft sequence.more » For eukaryotic genomes important to the DOE mission, we then add further information from directed experiments to produce reference genomic sequences that are publicly available for any scientific researcher. Also, we have continued our program for producing BAC-based finished sequence, both for adding information to JGI genome projects and for small BAC-based sequencing projects proposed through any of the JGI sequencing programs. We have now built our computational expertise in WGS assembly and analysis and have moved eukaryotic genome assembly from the JGI-PGF to JGI-HAGSC. We have concentrated our assembly development work on large plant genomes and complex fungal and algal genomes.« less

  9. SatCom Systems for Health and Medical Care

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Diez, Hubert

    2002-01-01

    Convinced since 1997 that the satellite was capable of providing a real added value either autonomously or as a complement to terrestrial infrastructures, CNES (the French Space Agency) began a determined study, validation and demonstration procedure for new satellite services. At a national but also European and worldwide level, several experiments or projects have been set-up. In each of them (tele-consultations, distant education, tele-epidemiology, tele-echography, assistance to people, training and therapeutic assistance, disaster telemedicine, etc...) well suited satcoms are used. (telecommunications for broadcasting, multicasting, downloading,...- localization, positioning, - low medium and high data rate bidirectional systems,). Medical reference people are associated in each pilot projects first to define the needs but also to manage the medical validation aspects. Our aim is always to test, validate and adapt these new services to bring them into line with the users' expectations. The value added of these technologies in sustainable healthcare services are systematically demonstrated in real situations, with real users, both in terms of quality of service and of economic validity. For several projects CNES has developed typical hardware, or technical on as technical platform. The main projects and their relevant satcom systems will be presented and discussed : - Tele-consultation, - Distance learning and training, - Assistance to people, - Tele-epidemiology, - Disaster telemedicine.

  10. Adapting land management to emergence of novel site conditions on the continental lowlands of SE Europe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mátyás, Csaba; Berki, Imre; Bidlo, Andras; Czimber, Kornel.; Gálos, Borbala; Gribovszki, Zoltan; Lakatos, Ferenc; Borovics, Attila; Csóka, György; Führer, Ernő; Illés, Gábor; Rasztovits, Ervin; Somogyi, Zoltán; Bartholy, Judit

    2017-04-01

    The rapid progress of site potential change, caused by the shift of climate zones is a serious problem of lowland management in Southeast Europe. In forestry, the resilience potential of main, climate-dependent tree species (e.g. spruce, beech, sessile oak) and ecosystems is limited at their lower (xeric) limits of distribution. A conventional mitigation measure for adaptive forest management is the return to nature-close management. Severe drought- and biotic impacts in forests indicate however the urgency of fundamental changes in forest policy. To provide assistance in selecting climate-tolerant provenances, species and adaptive technologies for future site conditions is therefore critical. A simplified Decision Support System has been developed for Hungary, keeping conventional elements of site potential assessment. Projections are specified for discrete site types. Processing forest inventory, landcover and geodata, the System provides GIS-supported site information and projections for individual forest compartments, options for tree species better tolerating future climate scenarios as well as their expected yield and risks. Data respectively projections are available for recent and current conditions, and for future reference periods until 2100. Also non-forest site conditions in the novel grassland (steppe) climate zone appear in projections. Experiences for proper management on these sites are however scarce.

  11. Byers Peninsula: A reference site for coastal, terrestrial and limnetic ecosystem studies in maritime Antarctica

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Quesada, A.; Camacho, A.; Rochera, C.; Velázquez, D.

    2009-11-01

    This article describes the development of an international and multidisciplinary project funded by the Spanish Polar Programme on Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island, South Shetlands). The project adopted Byers Peninsula as an international reference site for coastal and terrestrial (including inland waters) research within the framework of the International Polar Year initiative. Over 30 scientists from 12 countries and 26 institutions participated in the field work, and many others participated in the processing of the samples. The main themes investigated were: Holocene changes in climate, using both lacustrine sediment cores and palaeo-nests of penguins; limnology of the lakes, ponds, rivers and wetlands; microbiology of microbial mats, ecology of microbial food webs and viral effects on aquatic ecosystems; ornithology, with investigations on a Gentoo penguin rookery ( Pygoscelis papua) as well as the flying ornithofauna; biocomplexity and life cycles of species from different taxonomic groups; analysis of a complete watershed unit from a landscape perspective; and human impacts, specifically the effect of trampling on soil characteristics and biota. Byers Peninsula offers many features as an international reference site given it is one of the largest ice-free areas in the Antarctic Peninsula region, it has a variety of different landscape units, and it hosts diverse aquatic ecosystems. Moreover, the Byers Peninsula is a hotspot for Antarctic biodiversity, and because of its high level of environmental protection, it has been very little affected by human activities. Finally, the proximity to the Spanish polar installations on Livingston Island and the experience derived from previous expeditions to the site make it logistically feasible as a site for ongoing monitoring and research.

  12. Woody Vegetation on Levees? - Research Experiences and Design Suggestions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lammeranner, Walter

    2013-04-01

    Recent flood events in Austria have reawakened practical and scientific interest in the stability of levees. One focus amongst others has been taken on the relationship between vegetation and levee stability with special reference to the role of woody plants. The effects of woody plants are undoubtedly manifold: On the one hand they can potentially have a negative influence and endanger levees, which is why many guidelines ban woody vegetation to preserve stability, visual inspection and unhindered flood-fight access. On the other hand woody vegetation can have several positive impacts on soil stability and which effects prevail depends largely on types and characteristics of plants. This shows how controversially woody plants on levees can be discussed and the strong need for further research in this field. In order to obtain new insights and widen horizons for this controversial issue, a research project carried out by the Institute of Soil Bioengineering and Landscape Construction - at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna - was launched. This project deals with several aspects of effects of woody plants have on levees and focuses particularly on shrubby woody plants. The examined vegetation type is a dense stand of willows - Purple-Willows (Salix purpurea L.) - commonly used for stabilization of river embankments. The proposed contribution discusses the gained results with reference to levee stability and existing levee vegetation guidelines and gives design suggestions for compatible woody vegetation on levees.

  13. The International Reference Ionosphere 2012 - a model of international collaboration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bilitza, Dieter; Altadill, David; Zhang, Yongliang; Mertens, Chris; Truhlik, Vladimir; Richards, Phil; McKinnell, Lee-Anne; Reinisch, Bodo

    2014-02-01

    The International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) project was established jointly by the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) and the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) in the late sixties with the goal to develop an international standard for the specification of plasma parameters in the Earth's ionosphere. COSPAR needed such a specification for the evaluation of environmental effects on spacecraft and experiments in space, and URSI for radiowave propagation studies and applications. At the request of COSPAR and URSI, IRI was developed as a data-based model to avoid the uncertainty of theory-based models which are only as good as the evolving theoretical understanding. Being based on most of the available and reliable observations of the ionospheric plasma from the ground and from space, IRI describes monthly averages of electron density, electron temperature, ion temperature, ion composition, and several additional parameters in the altitude range from 60 km to 2000 km. A working group of about 50 international ionospheric experts is in charge of developing and improving the IRI model. Over time as new data became available and new modeling techniques emerged, steadily improved editions of the IRI model have been published. This paper gives a brief history of the IRI project and describes the latest version of the model, IRI-2012. It also briefly discusses efforts to develop a real-time IRI model. The IRI homepage is at http://IRImodel.org.

  14. Atmosphere aerosol satellite project Aerosol-UA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Milinevsky, Gennadi; Yatskiv, Yaroslav; Syniavskyi, Ivan; Bovchaliuk, Andrii; Degtyaryov, Oleksandr; Sosonkin, Mikhail; Mishchenko, Michael; Danylevsky, Vassyl; Ivanov, Yury; Oberemok, Yevgeny; Masley, Volodymyr; Rosenbush, Vera; Moskalev, Sergii

    2017-04-01

    The experiment Aerosol-UA is Ukrainian space mission aimed to the terrestrial atmospheric aerosol spatial distribution and microphysics investigations. The experiment concept is based on idea of Glory/APS mission of precise orbital measurements of polarization and intensity of the sunlight scattered by the atmosphere, aerosol and the surface the multichannel Scanning Polarimeter (ScanPol) with narrow field-of-view. ScanPol measurements will be accompanied by the wide-angle MultiSpectral Imager-Polarimeter (MSIP). The ScanPol is designed to measure Stokes parameters I, Q, U within the spectral range from the UV to the SWIR in a wide range of phase angles along satellite ground path. Expected ScanPol polarimetric accuracy is 0.15%. A high accuracy measurement of the degree of linear polarization is provided by on-board calibration of the ScanPol polarimeter. On-board calibration is performed for each scan of the mirror scanning system. A set of calibrators is viewed during the part of the scan range when the ScanPol polarimeter looks in the direction opposite to the Earth's surface. These reference assemblies provide calibration of the zero of the polarimetric scale (unpolarized reference assembly) and the scale factor for the polarimetric scale (polarized reference assembly). The zero of the radiometric scale is provided by the dark reference assembly.The spectral channels of the ScanPol are used to estimate the tropospheric aerosol absorption, the aerosol over the ocean and the land surface, the signals from cirrus clouds, stratospheric aerosols caused by major volcanic eruptions, and the contribution of the Earth's surface. The imager-polarimeter MSIP will collect 60°x60° field-of-view images on the state of the atmosphere and surface in the area, where the ScanPol polarimeter will measure, to retrieve aerosol optical depth and polarization properties of aerosol by registration of three Stokes parameters simultaneously in three spectral channels. The two more channels of the MSIP are the intensity channels that serve to obtain images in eight spectral wavebands to retrieve the aerosol optical depth. The main feature of the each MSIP channel is the splitting of the image by a special prism-splitter to four images on the same CCD detector. In that way we can simultaneously measure four polarization components at 0°, 45°, 90° and 135° as images in each of three polarization channels. One of the special features of ScanPol/MSIP concept is calibration of the MSIP using ScanPol data in the same field-of-view with 1% expected polarization accuracy. The Aerosol-UA experiment is planned to be launched in 2020 at the new satellite platform YuzhSat developed in the Yuzhnoye Design Office. The GRASP algorithm (Dubovik et al. 2014, doi: 10.1117/2.1201408.005558) is planned for Aerosol-UA data processing and AERONET sun photometers observations for validation. Acknowledgements. The work was partly supported by the Special Complex Program for Space Research 2012-2016 of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, by the project 16BF051-02 of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, and by the grant of the State Fund for Fundamental Research, project F73/115-2016.

  15. Advanced Practice Nursing in Pediatric Urology: experience report in the Federal District.

    PubMed

    Souza, Bruna Marcela Lima de; Salviano, Cristiane Feitosa; Martins, Gisele

    2018-01-01

    To describe the creation and implementation of the extension program Advanced Practice Nursing in Pediatric Urology, developed in the outpatient clinic of a teaching hospital in the Federal District. This is an experience report regarding the implementation of an outpatient service aimed at children and adolescents with symptoms of bladder and bowel dysfunction. Because it is an extension program linked to the university, it follows a different model of care, valuing empowerment, informed and shared decision making, which results in a stronger bond between patients, family and the Pediatric Urology nursing team. It has also become a privileged space for the production and use of scientific knowledge, associated with the principles of evidence-based practice. This project shows a different performance of the nurse-specialist-professor-researcher in Pediatric Urology Nursing, and it has become a reference in the Federal District, mainly for undergraduate and graduate nursing students.

  16. Galileo Attitude Determination: Experiences with a Rotating Star Scanner

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Merken, L.; Singh, G.

    1991-01-01

    The Galileo experience with a rotating star scanner is discussed in terms of problems encountered in flight, solutions implemented, and lessons learned. An overview of the Galileo project and the attitude and articulation control subsystem is given and the star scanner hardware and relevant software algorithms are detailed. The star scanner is the sole source of inertial attitude reference for this spacecraft. Problem symptoms observed in flight are discussed in terms of effects on spacecraft performance and safety. Sources of thse problems include contributions from flight software idiosyncrasies and inadequate validation of the ground procedures used to identify target stars for use by the autonomous on-board star identification algorithm. Problem fixes (some already implemented and some only proposed) are discussed. A general conclusion is drawn regarding the inherent difficulty of performing simulation tests to validate algorithms which are highly sensitive to external inputs of statistically 'rare' events.

  17. 23 CFR 180.1 - Cross-reference to credit assistance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 23 Highways 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Cross-reference to credit assistance. 180.1 Section 180.1 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PAYMENT PROCEDURES CREDIT ASSISTANCE FOR SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS § 180.1 Cross-reference to credit assistance. The regulations...

  18. 23 CFR 180.1 - Cross-reference to credit assistance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 23 Highways 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Cross-reference to credit assistance. 180.1 Section 180.1 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PAYMENT PROCEDURES CREDIT ASSISTANCE FOR SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS § 180.1 Cross-reference to credit assistance. The regulations...

  19. 23 CFR 180.1 - Cross-reference to credit assistance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 23 Highways 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Cross-reference to credit assistance. 180.1 Section 180.1 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PAYMENT PROCEDURES CREDIT ASSISTANCE FOR SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS § 180.1 Cross-reference to credit assistance. The regulations...

  20. 23 CFR 180.1 - Cross-reference to credit assistance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 23 Highways 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Cross-reference to credit assistance. 180.1 Section 180.1 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PAYMENT PROCEDURES CREDIT ASSISTANCE FOR SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS § 180.1 Cross-reference to credit assistance. The regulations...

  1. CD-ROM + Fax = Shared Reference Resources.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fitzwater, Diana; Fradkin, Bernard

    1988-01-01

    Describes the Reference by GammaFax Project, which joined nine area libraries to provide cooperative reference access to optical disk databases. The configuration of disk players, microcomputers, and facsimile equipment used by the libraries is explained, and the improvements in cost effectiveness, provision of service, and librarian expertise are…

  2. Going Prime Time with Live Chat Reference.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoag, Tara J.; Cichanowicz, Edana McCaffrey

    2001-01-01

    Describes the development of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System's live, online chat reference service, a pilot project for public libraries in Suffolk County (New York). Topics include chat software selection; a virtual reference collection; marketing; funding; staffing; evaluation; expanded hours of service; email; and extracting data from…

  3. Why do Alzheimer patients have difficulty with pronouns? Working memory, semantics, and reference in comprehension and production in Alzheimer's disease.

    PubMed

    Almor, A; Kempler, D; MacDonald, M C; Andersen, E S; Tyler, L K

    1999-05-01

    Three experiments investigated the extent to which semantic and working-memory deficits contribute to Alzheimer patients' impairments in producing and comprehending referring expressions. In Experiment 1, the spontaneous speech of 11 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) contained a greater ratio of pronouns to full noun phrases than did the spontaneous speech produced by 9 healthy controls. Experiments 2 and 3 used a cross-modal naming methodology to compare reference comprehension in another group of 10 patients and 10 age-matched controls. In Experiment 2, patients were less sensitive than healthy controls to the grammatical information necessary for processing pronouns. In Experiment 3, patients were better able to remember referent information in short paragraphs when reference was maintained with full noun phrases rather than pronouns, but healthy controls showed the reverse pattern. Performance in all three experiments was linked to working memory performance but not to word finding difficulty. We discuss these findings in terms of a theory of reference processing, the Informational Load Hypothesis, which views referential impairments in AD as the consequence of normal discourse processing in the context of a working memory impairment. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

  4. Re-Construction of Reference Population and Generating Weights by Decision Tree

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-07-21

    2017 Claflin University Orangeburg, SC 29115 DEFENSE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND STRATEGIC...Original Dataset 32 List of Figures in Appendix B Figure 1: Flow and Components of Project 20 Figure 2: Decision Tree 31 Figure 3: Effects of Weight...can compare the sample data. The dataset of this project has the reference population on unit level for group and gender, which is in red-dotted box

  5. Determinants of project success

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Murphy, D. C.; Baker, B. N.; Fisher, D.

    1974-01-01

    The interactions of numerous project characteristics, with particular reference to project performance, were studied. Determinants of success are identified along with the accompanying implications for client organization, parent organization, project organization, and future research. Variables are selected which are found to have the greatest impact on project outcome, and the methodology and analytic techniques to be employed in identification of those variables are discussed.

  6. The PDA as a reference tool: libraries' role in enhancing nursing education.

    PubMed

    Scollin, Patrick; Callahan, John; Mehta, Apurva; Garcia, Elizabeth

    2006-01-01

    "The PDA as a Reference Tool: The Libraries' Role in Enhancing Nursing Education" is a pilot project funded by the University of Massachusetts President's Office Information Technology Council through their Professional Development Grant program in 2004. The project's goal is to offer faculty and students in nursing programs at two University of Massachusetts campuses access to an array of medical reference information, such as handbooks, dictionaries, calculators, and diagnostic tools, on small handheld computers called personal digital assistants. Through exposure to the variety of information resources in this digital format, participants can discover and explore these resources at no personal financial cost. Participants borrow handhelds from the University Library's circulation desks. The libraries provide support in routine resynchronizing of handhelds to update information. This report will discuss how the projects were administered, what we learned about what did and did not work, the problems and solutions, and where we hope to go from here.

  7. U.S. Geological Survey Standard Reference Sample Project: Performance Evaluation of Analytical Laboratories

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Long, H. Keith; Daddow, Richard L.; Farrar, Jerry W.

    1998-01-01

    Since 1962, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has operated the Standard Reference Sample Project to evaluate the performance of USGS, cooperator, and contractor analytical laboratories that analyze chemical constituents of environmental samples. The laboratories are evaluated by using performance evaluation samples, called Standard Reference Samples (SRSs). SRSs are submitted to laboratories semi-annually for round-robin laboratory performance comparison purposes. Currently, approximately 100 laboratories are evaluated for their analytical performance on six SRSs for inorganic and nutrient constituents. As part of the SRS Project, a surplus of homogeneous, stable SRSs is maintained for purchase by USGS offices and participating laboratories for use in continuing quality-assurance and quality-control activities. Statistical evaluation of the laboratories results provides information to compare the analytical performance of the laboratories and to determine possible analytical deficiences and problems. SRS results also provide information on the bias and variability of different analytical methods used in the SRS analyses.

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

    Not Available

    The study was funded by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency on behalf of the Municipality of Greater Istanbul. Summarized in the report are the results of two feasibility studies. The first, referred to as Task No. 6, was conducted to develop technical specifications and terms of reference for the design, construction, and operation of a landfill gas-to-electrical energy project at a new European landfill. The second, the Umraniye Dump Stabilization Project (Task No. 7), addresses the stabilization measures necessary to prevent future failure at the Umraniye dump site. The summary report is divided into the following sections: Task No.more » 6-(1) Terms of reference for the DBOT Contract; (2) Estimated Value of the DBOT Contracts; (3) Foreign Trade Potential; (4) Project Financing; Task No. 7-(1) Results of the Services; (2) Foreign Trade Potential. Also included is a list of U.S. solid waste firms, landfill gas recovery and energy generation firms, and equipment and product suppliers.« less

  9. Thermal Hydraulic Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations and Experimental Investigation of Deformed Fuel Assemblies

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

    Mays, Brian; Jackson, R. Brian

    2017-03-08

    The project, Toward a Longer Life Core: Thermal Hydraulic CFD Simulations and Experimental Investigation of Deformed Fuel Assemblies, DOE Project code DE-NE0008321, was a verification and validation project for flow and heat transfer through wire wrapped simulated liquid metal fuel assemblies that included both experiments and computational fluid dynamics simulations of those experiments. This project was a two year collaboration between AREVA, TerraPower, Argonne National Laboratory and Texas A&M University. Experiments were performed by AREVA and Texas A&M University. Numerical simulations of these experiments were performed by TerraPower and Argonne National Lab. Project management was performed by AREVA Federal Services.more » The first of a kind project resulted in the production of both local point temperature measurements and local flow mixing experiment data paired with numerical simulation benchmarking of the experiments. The project experiments included the largest wire-wrapped pin assembly Mass Index of Refraction (MIR) experiment in the world, the first known wire-wrapped assembly experiment with deformed duct geometries and the largest numerical simulations ever produced for wire-wrapped bundles.« less

  10. Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration : KYTC—Roundabout Installation Project in London, Kentucky.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2017-11-01

    This document serves as the final report on the construction and opening of the Roundabout Project in London, Kentucky (Kentucky Item Number 11904.1). This project (hereafter referred to as the London Roundabout) was constructed on the authority o...

  11. Pre-Project Planning of Capital Facilities at NASA

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1999-12-01

    recognize the unfailing love and support of my extended family; Jim and Nancy Marasco , Dan and Monica Mustard, Jimmy and Jodi Marasco , Irene Brekelmans...completion Attachment B 116 Bibliography/References Dumont, Peter R. (1995). Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI) for Industrial Projects. Austin

  12. Ladybirds as Teaching Aids: 2. Potential for Practical and Project Work.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Majerus, M. E. N.; And Others

    1989-01-01

    Presented are several ideas for projects involving ladybird beetles. Discussed is background information about the insects; and projects involving life histories, intra-specific variation, taxonomy, genetics, behavior, ecology, habitat surveys, population biology, and overwintering biology. Lists 12 references. (CW)

  13. Seeing the Forest for the Trees: A Qualitative Synthesis Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beck, Cheryl Tatano

    2003-01-01

    Describes a project that required graduate nursing students to conduct qualitative meta-synthesis of ethnographic research, using Noblit and Hare's approach. Discusses the process of meta-synthesis, interpretation of outcomes, and students' reactions to the project. (Contains 16 references.) (SK)

  14. Ecotourism: The Santa Elena Rainforest Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wearing, Stephen

    1993-01-01

    Describes an ecotourism project in which the community of Santa Elena, Costa Rica, are developing a rainforest reserve on government land leased permanently to the local high school. Discusses the impact of the project on the community's economy and environment. (Contains 30 references.) (MDH)

  15. Virtual Reference, Real Money: Modeling Costs in Virtual Reference Services

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eakin, Lori; Pomerantz, Jeffrey

    2009-01-01

    Libraries nationwide are in yet another phase of belt tightening. Without an understanding of the economic factors that influence library operations, however, controlling costs and performing cost-benefit analyses on services is difficult. This paper describes a project to develop a cost model for collaborative virtual reference services. This…

  16. Circuit Riding: A Method for Providing Reference Services.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Plunket, Linda; And Others

    1983-01-01

    Discussion of the design and implementation of the Circuit Rider Librarian Program, a shared services project for delivering reference services to eight hospitals in Maine, includes a cost analysis of services and description of user evaluation survey. Five references, composite results of the survey, and postgrant options proposal are appended.…

  17. The Radiative Forcing Model Intercomparison Project (RFMIP): Assessment and characterization of forcing to enable feedback studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pincus, R.; Stevens, B. B.; Forster, P.; Collins, W.; Ramaswamy, V.

    2014-12-01

    The Radiative Forcing Model Intercomparison Project (RFMIP): Assessment and characterization of forcing to enable feedback studies An enormous amount of attention has been paid to the diversity of responses in the CMIP and other multi-model ensembles. This diversity is normally interpreted as a distribution in climate sensitivity driven by some distribution of feedback mechanisms. Identification of these feedbacks relies on precise identification of the forcing to which each model is subject, including distinguishing true error from model diversity. The Radiative Forcing Model Intercomparison Project (RFMIP) aims to disentangle the role of forcing from model sensitivity as determinants of varying climate model response by carefully characterizing the radiative forcing to which such models are subject and by coordinating experiments in which it is specified. RFMIP consists of four activities: 1) An assessment of accuracy in flux and forcing calculations for greenhouse gases under past, present, and future climates, using off-line radiative transfer calculations in specified atmospheres with climate model parameterizations and reference models 2) Characterization and assessment of model-specific historical forcing by anthropogenic aerosols, based on coordinated diagnostic output from climate models and off-line radiative transfer calculations with reference models 3) Characterization of model-specific effective radiative forcing, including contributions of model climatology and rapid adjustments, using coordinated climate model integrations and off-line radiative transfer calculations with a single fast model 4) Assessment of climate model response to precisely-characterized radiative forcing over the historical record, including efforts to infer true historical forcing from patterns of response, by direct specification of non-greenhouse-gas forcing in a series of coordinated climate model integrations This talk discusses the rationale for RFMIP, provides an overview of the four activities, and presents preliminary motivating results.

  18. Specification and evaluation of a regional PACS in the SaxTeleMed project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lemke, Heinz U.; Niederlag, W.; Heuser, H.

    2002-05-01

    During the early development phase of PACS, its implementation was mainly a matter of the radiological department of a hospital. This is changing rapidly and PACS planning and realization is increasingly seen in the context of a hospital-wide approach. With a growth of networking amongst healthcare institutions and the growing relevance of teleradiological scenarios, new strategies must be followed which take not only local but also regional and global aspects of PACS into consideration. One such regional PACS project was initiated by the Ministry of Social Welfare of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. This 'reference model program for the digitization of imaging procedures and communication of images between hospitals in the free state of Saxony' (SaxTeleMed) covers seven regional projects distributed throughout Saxony. Each regional project is organized around so called lead hospitals, which network with other cooperating hospitals and medical practices. The regional reference projects are designed to be largely independent from one another. In some instances, however, a network connection between reference projects is also considered. Altogether, 39 hospitals and medical centers are involved in the model program. The aim of this program is to test the technical, organizational, legal and economic problems in the area of digitization and networking within the free State of Saxony. With the knowledge gained it is expected to improve future investment decisions in healthcare and above all to implement secure systems.

  19. A transportation economics reference for practitioners : final report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-03-01

    Transportation projects and policies are rooted in economic considerations and consequences. This report : documents the development of a relatively comprehensive transportation economics reference for practitioners, : entitled The Economics of Trans...

  20. The AuScope Project and Trans-Tasman VLBI

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lovell, Jim; Dickey, John; Gulyaev, Sergei; Natusch, Tim; Titov, Oleg; Tingay, Steven

    2010-01-01

    Three 12-meter radio telescopes are being built in Australia (the AuScope project) and one in New Zealand. These facilities will be fully-equipped for undertaking S and X-band geodetic VLBI observations and correlation will take place on a software correlator (part of the AuScope project). All sites are equipped with permanent GPS receivers to provide co-location of several space geodetic techniques. The following scientific tasks of geodesy and astrometry are considered. 1. Improvement and densification of the International Celestial Reference Frame in the southern hemisphere; 2. Improvement of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame in the region; 3. Measurement of intraplate deformation of the Australian tectonic plate.

  1. Mapping the zone of eye-height utility for seated and standing observers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wraga, M.; Proffitt, D. R.; Kaiser, M. K. (Principal Investigator)

    2000-01-01

    In a series of experiments, we delimited a region within the vertical axis of space in which eye height (EH) information is used maximally to scale object heights, referred to as the "zone of eye height utility" (Wraga, 1999b Journal of Experimental Psychology, Human Perception and Performance 25 518-530). To test the lower limit of the zone, linear perspective (on the floor) was varied via introduction of a false perspective (FP) gradient while all sources of EH information except linear perspective were held constant. For seated (experiment 1a) observers, the FP gradient produced overestimations of height for rectangular objects up to 0.15 EH tall. This value was taken to be just outside the lower limit of the zone. This finding was replicated in a virtual environment, for both seated (experiment 1b) and standing (experiment 2) observers. For the upper limit of the zone, EH information itself was manipulated by lowering observers' center of projection in a virtual scene. Lowering the effective EH of standing (experiment 3) and seated (experiment 4) observers produced corresponding overestimations of height for objects up to about 2.5 EH. This zone of approximately 0.20-2.5 EH suggests that the human visual system weights size information differentially, depending on its efficacy.

  2. Rapid prototyping, astronaut training, and experiment control and supervision: distributed virtual worlds for COLUMBUS, the European Space Laboratory module

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Freund, Eckhard; Rossmann, Juergen

    2002-02-01

    In 2004, the European COLUMBUS Module is to be attached to the International Space Station. On the way to the successful planning, deployment and operation of the module, computer generated and animated models are being used to optimize performance. Under contract of the German Space Agency DLR, it has become IRF's task to provide a Projective Virtual Reality System to provide a virtual world built after the planned layout of the COLUMBUS module let astronauts and experimentators practice operational procedures and the handling of experiments. The key features of the system currently being realized comprise the possibility for distributed multi-user access to the virtual lab and the visualization of real-world experiment data. Through the capabilities to share the virtual world, cooperative operations can be practiced easily, but also trainers and trainees can work together more effectively sharing the virtual environment. The capability to visualize real-world data will be used to introduce measured data of experiments into the virtual world online in order to realistically interact with the science-reference model hardware: The user's actions in the virtual world are translated into corresponding changes of the inputs of the science reference model hardware; the measured data is than in turn fed back into the virtual world. During the operation of COLUMBUS, the capabilities for distributed access and the capabilities to visualize measured data through the use of metaphors and augmentations of the virtual world may be used to provide virtual access to the COLUMBUS module, e.g. via Internet. Currently, finishing touches are being put to the system. In November 2001 the virtual world shall be operational, so that besides the design and the key ideas, first experimental results can be presented.

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

    Wissemann, Chris; White, Stanley M

    The primary objective of the project was to develop a innovative Gravity Base Foundation (GBF) concepts, including fabrication yards, launching systems and installation equipment, for a 500MW utility scale project in the Great Lakes (Lake Erie). The goal was to lower the LCOE by 25%. The project was the first to investigate an offshore wind project in the Great Lakes and it has furthered the body of knowledge for foundations and installation methods within Lake Erie. The project collected historical geotechnical information for Lake Erie and also used recently obtained data from the LEEDCo Icebreaker Project (FOA DE-EE0005989) geotechnical programmore » to develop the conceptual designs. Using these data-sets, the project developed design wind and wave conditions from actual buoy data in order to develop a concept that would de-risk a project using a GBF. These wind and wave conditions were then utilized to create reference designs for various foundations specific to installation in Lake Erie. A project partner on the project (Weeks Marine) provided input for construction and costing the GBF fabrication and installation. By having a marine contractor with experience with large marine projects as part of the team provides credibility to the LCOE developed by NREL. NREL then utilized the design and construction costing information as part of the LCOE model. The report summarizes the findings of the project; Developed a cost model and “baseline” LCOE; Documented Site Conditions within Lake Erie; Developed Fabrication, Installation and Foundations Innovative Concept Designs; Evaluated LCOE Impact of Innovations; Developed Assembly line “Rail System” for GBF Construction and Staging; Developed Transit-Inspired Foundation Designs which incorporated: Semi-Floating Transit with Supplemental Pontoons Barge mounted Winch System; Developed GBF with “Penetration Skirt”; Developed Integrated GBF with Turbine Tower; Developed Turbine, Plant Layout and O&M Strategies. The report details lowering LCOE by 22.3% and identified additional strategies that could further lower LCOE when building an utility scale wind farm in the Great Lakes.« less

  4. Learning through projects in the training of biomedical engineers: an application experience

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gambi, José Antonio Li; Peme, Carmen

    2011-09-01

    Learning through Projects in the curriculum consists of both the identification and analysis of a problem, and the design of solution, execution and evaluation strategies, with teams of students. The project is conceived as the creation of a set of strategies articulated and developed during a certain amount of time to solve a problem contextualized in situations continually changing, where the constant evaluation provides feedback to make adjustments. In 2009, Learning through Projects was applied on the subject Hospital Facilities and three intervention projects were developed in health centers. This first stage is restricted to the analysis of the aspects that are considered to be basic to the professional training: a) Context knowledge: The future biomedical engineers must be familiarized with the complex health system where they will develop their profession; b) Team work: This is one of the essential skills in the training of students, since Biomedical Engineering connects the knowledge of sciences of life with the knowledge of exact sciences and technology; c) Regulations: The activities related to the profession require the implementation of regulations; therefore, to be aware of and to apply these regulations is a fundamental aspect to be analyzed in this stage; d) Project evaluation: It refers to the elaboration and studying of co-evaluation reports, which helps to find out if Learning through Projects contributes to the training. This new line of investigation has the purpose of discovering if the application of this learning strategy makes changes in the training of students in relation to their future professional career. The findings of this ongoing investigation will allow for the analysis of the possibility of extending its application. Key words: engineering, biomedical, learning, projects, strategies.

  5. Trilateral South-American project: a reference system for measuring electric power up to 100 kHz – progress report II

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kyriazis, G. A.; Di Lillo, L.; Slomovitz, D.; Iuzzolino, R.; Yasuda, E.; Trigo, L.; de Souza, R. M.; Laiz, H.; Debatin, R. M.; Afonso, E.

    2018-03-01

    Three countries in South America are jointly developing a reference system for measuring electric power up to 100 kHz. The objective is the construction of three similar measuring systems, one for each institute. This project will contribute to provide calibration services in measuring ranges still not covered by the three institutes. The status of its development by the end of 2017 is described here.

  6. Laboratory twinning to build capacity for rabies diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Fooks, Anthony R; Drew, Trevor W; Tu, Changchun

    2016-03-05

    In 2009, the UK's OIE Reference Laboratory for rabies, based at the APHA in Weybridge, was awarded a project to twin with the Changchun Veterinary Research Institute in the People's Republic of China to help the institute develop the skills and methods necessary to become an OIE Reference Laboratory itself. Here, Tony Fooks, Trevor Drew and Changchun Tu describe the OIE's twinning project and the success that has since been realised in China. British Veterinary Association.

  7. Iterative optimizing quantization method for reconstructing three-dimensional images from a limited number of views

    DOEpatents

    Lee, Heung-Rae

    1997-01-01

    A three-dimensional image reconstruction method comprises treating the object of interest as a group of elements with a size that is determined by the resolution of the projection data, e.g., as determined by the size of each pixel. One of the projections is used as a reference projection. A fictitious object is arbitrarily defined that is constrained by such reference projection. The method modifies the known structure of the fictitious object by comparing and optimizing its four projections to those of the unknown structure of the real object and continues to iterate until the optimization is limited by the residual sum of background noise. The method is composed of several sub-processes that acquire four projections from the real data and the fictitious object: generate an arbitrary distribution to define the fictitious object, optimize the four projections, generate a new distribution for the fictitious object, and enhance the reconstructed image. The sub-process for the acquisition of the four projections from the input real data is simply the function of acquiring the four projections from the data of the transmitted intensity. The transmitted intensity represents the density distribution, that is, the distribution of absorption coefficients through the object.

  8. NASA Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Handbook

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fleming, Jon F.; Poole, Kenneth W.

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this document is to provide program/project teams necessary instruction and guidance in the best practices for Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and WBS dictionary development and use for project implementation and management control. This handbook can be used for all types of NASA projects and work activities including research, development, construction, test and evaluation, and operations. The products of these work efforts may be hardware, software, data, or service elements (alone or in combination). The aim of this document is to assist project teams in the development of effective work breakdown structures that provide a framework of common reference for all project elements. The WBS and WBS dictionary are effective management processes for planning, organizing, and administering NASA programs and projects. The guidance contained in this document is applicable to both in-house, NASA-led effort and contracted effort. It assists management teams from both entities in fulfilling necessary responsibilities for successful accomplishment of project cost, schedule, and technical goals. Benefits resulting from the use of an effective WBS include, but are not limited to: providing a basis for assigned project responsibilities, providing a basis for project schedule and budget development, simplifying a project by dividing the total work scope into manageable units, and providing a common reference for all project communication.

  9. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Handbook

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this document is to provide program/project teams necessary instruction and guidance in the best practices for Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and WBS dictionary development and use for project implementation and management control. This handbook can be used for all types of NASA projects and work activities including research, development, construction, test and evaluation, and operations. The products of these work efforts may be hardware, software, data, or service elements (alone or in combination). The aim of this document is to assist project teams in the development of effective work breakdown structures that provide a framework of common reference for all project elements. The WBS and WBS dictionary are effective management processes for planning, organizing, and administering NASA programs and projects. The guidance contained in this document is applicable to both in-house, NASA-led effort and contracted effort. It assists management teams from both entities in fulfilling necessary responsibilities for successful accomplishment of project cost, schedule, and technical goals. Benefits resulting from the use of an effective WBS include, but are not limited to: providing a basis for assigned project responsibilities, providing a basis for project schedule development, simplifying a project by dividing the total work scope into manageable units, and providing a common reference for all project communication.

  10. A Directory of Research and Curriculum Development Projects in Social Science Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lester, Sid; And Others

    This directory is designed as a reference for the educator on the activities of the new social studies research and curriculum development projects. It is not an analysis or an evaluation; it merely reports the information supplied by the 100 various projects --name, director, address, purpose, grade, subject, and products. These projects cover…

  11. Project Manager Performance and the Decision to Backsource the Project Management Office

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lively, William R.

    2014-01-01

    This paper reviews a management decision of an Information Technology Outsource (ITO) provider to backshore the management oversight of its Project Management Office (PMO) after only one year of offshore operations. Governance is a term used in project management to refer to management oversight. The review is a quantitative analysis of existing…

  12. Office of Maternal and Child Health Active Projects FY 1989. An Annotated Listing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health, Washington, DC.

    An annotated listing is presented of projects offering maternal and child health care services. These projects, referred to as special projects of regional and national significance (SPRANS), are supported by the Office of Maternal and Child Health of the Department of Health and Human Services. The first section provides information on services…

  13. The impact of anthropometric patient-phantom matching on organ dose: A hybrid phantom study for fluoroscopy guided interventions

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

    Johnson, Perry B.; Geyer, Amy; Borrego, David

    Purpose: To investigate the benefits and limitations of patient-phantom matching for determining organ dose during fluoroscopy guided interventions. Methods: In this study, 27 CT datasets representing patients of different sizes and genders were contoured and converted into patient-specific computational models. Each model was matched, based on height and weight, to computational phantoms selected from the UF hybrid patient-dependent series. In order to investigate the influence of phantom type on patient organ dose, Monte Carlo methods were used to simulate two cardiac projections (PA/left lateral) and two abdominal projections (RAO/LPO). Organ dose conversion coefficients were then calculated for each patient-specific andmore » patient-dependent phantom and also for a reference stylized and reference hybrid phantom. The coefficients were subsequently analyzed for any correlation between patient-specificity and the accuracy of the dose estimate. Accuracy was quantified by calculating an absolute percent difference using the patient-specific dose conversion coefficients as the reference. Results: Patient-phantom matching was shown most beneficial for estimating the dose to heavy patients. In these cases, the improvement over using a reference stylized phantom ranged from approximately 50% to 120% for abdominal projections and for a reference hybrid phantom from 20% to 60% for all projections. For lighter individuals, patient-phantom matching was clearly superior to using a reference stylized phantom, but not significantly better than using a reference hybrid phantom for certain fields and projections. Conclusions: The results indicate two sources of error when patients are matched with phantoms: Anatomical error, which is inherent due to differences in organ size and location, and error attributed to differences in the total soft tissue attenuation. For small patients, differences in soft tissue attenuation are minimal and are exceeded by inherent anatomical differences. For large patients, difference in soft tissue attenuation can be large. In these cases, patient-phantom matching proves most effective as differences in soft tissue attenuation are mitigated. With increasing obesity rates, overweight patients will continue to make up a growing fraction of all patients undergoing medical imaging. Thus, having phantoms that better represent this population represents a considerable improvement over previous methods. In response to this study, additional phantoms representing heavier weight percentiles will be added to the UFHADM and UFHADF patient-dependent series.« less

  14. Seismic Risk Assessment of Italian Seaports Using GIS

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

    Bartolomei, Anna; Corigliano, Mirko; Lai, Carlo G.

    Seaports are crucial elements in the export and import of goods and/or on the flow of travellers in the tourism industry of many industrialised nations included Italy. Experience gained from recent earthquakes (e.g. 1989 Loma Prieta in USA, 1995 Hyogoken-Nanbu and 2003 Tokachi-Oki in Japan) have dramatically demonstrated the seismic vulnerability of seaport structures and the severe damage that can be caused by ground shaking. In Italy, the Department of Civil Protection has funded a research project to develop a methodology for the seismic design of new marginal wharves and assessment of existing structures at seaports located in areas ofmore » medium or high seismicity. This paper shows part of the results of this research project, currently underway, with particular reference to the seismic risk assessment through an interactive, geographically referenced database (GIS). Standard risk assessment have been carried out for the Gioia Tauro port in Calabria (Italy) using the empirical curves implemented by the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS, 2004)« less

  15. The Predicted Cross Value for Genetic Introgression of Multiple Alleles

    PubMed Central

    Han, Ye; Cameron, John N.; Wang, Lizhi; Beavis, William D.

    2017-01-01

    We consider the plant genetic improvement challenge of introgressing multiple alleles from a homozygous donor to a recipient. First, we frame the project as an algorithmic process that can be mathematically formulated. We then introduce a novel metric for selecting breeding parents that we refer to as the predicted cross value (PCV). Unlike estimated breeding values, which represent predictions of general combining ability, the PCV predicts specific combining ability. The PCV takes estimates of recombination frequencies as an input vector and calculates the probability that a pair of parents will produce a gamete with desirable alleles at all specified loci. We compared the PCV approach with existing estimated-breeding-value approaches in two simulation experiments, in which 7 and 20 desirable alleles were to be introgressed from a donor line into a recipient line. Results suggest that the PCV is more efficient and effective for multi-allelic trait introgression. We also discuss how operations research can be used for other crop genetic improvement projects and suggest several future research directions. PMID:28122824

  16. Practitioner Perspectives on a Disaster Management Architecture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moe, K.; Evans, J. D.

    2012-12-01

    The Committee on Earth Observing Satellites (CEOS) Working Group on Information Systems and Services (WGISS) is constructing a high-level reference model for the use of satellites, sensors, models, and associated data products from many different global data and service providers in disaster response and risk assessment. To help streamline broad, effective access to satellite information, the reference model provides structured, shared, holistic views of distributed systems and services - in effect, a common vocabulary describing the system-of-systems building blocks and how they are composed for disaster management. These views are being inferred from real-world experience, by documenting and analyzing how practitioners have gone about using or providing satellite data to manage real disaster events or to assess or mitigate hazard risks. Crucial findings and insights come from case studies of three kinds of experience: - Disaster response and recovery (such as the 2008 Sichuan/Wenchuan earthquake in China; and the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan); - Technology pilot projects (such as NASA's Flood Sensor Web pilot in Namibia, or the interagency Virtual Mission Operation Center); - Information brokers (such as the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters, or the U.K.-based Disaster Management Constellation). Each of these experiences sheds light on the scope and stakeholders of disaster management; the information requirements for various disaster types and phases; and the services needed for effective access to information by a variety of users. They also highlight needs and gaps in the supply of satellite information for disaster management. One need stands out: rapid and effective access to complex data from multiple sources, across inter-organizational boundaries. This is the near-real-time challenge writ large: gaining access to satellite data resources from multiple organizationally distant and geographically disperse sources, to meet an urgent need. The case studies and reference model will highlight gaps in data supply and data delivery technologies, and suggest recommended priorities for satellite missions, ground data systems, and third-party service providers.

  17. The reference frame of figure-ground assignment.

    PubMed

    Vecera, Shaun P

    2004-10-01

    Figure-ground assignment involves determining which visual regions are foreground figures and which are backgrounds. Although figure-ground processes provide important inputs to high-level vision, little is known about the reference frame in which the figure's features and parts are defined. Computational approaches have suggested a retinally based, viewer-centered reference frame for figure-ground assignment, but figural assignment could also be computed on the basis of environmental regularities in an environmental reference frame. The present research used a newly discovered cue, lower region, to examine the reference frame of figure-ground assignment. Possible reference frames were misaligned by changing the orientation of viewers by having them tilt their heads (Experiments 1 and 2) or turn them upside down (Experiment 3). The results of these experiments indicated that figure-ground perception followed the orientation of the viewer, suggesting a viewer-centered reference frame for figure-ground assignment.

  18. Memory systems interaction in the pigeon: working and reference memory.

    PubMed

    Roberts, William A; Strang, Caroline; Macpherson, Krista

    2015-04-01

    Pigeons' performance on a working memory task, symbolic delayed matching-to-sample, was used to examine the interaction between working memory and reference memory. Reference memory was established by training pigeons to discriminate between the comparison cues used in delayed matching as S+ and S- stimuli. Delayed matching retention tests then measured accuracy when working and reference memory were congruent and incongruent. In 4 experiments, it was shown that the interaction between working and reference memory is reciprocal: Strengthening either type of memory leads to a decrease in the influence of the other type of memory. A process dissociation procedure analysis of the data from Experiment 4 showed independence of working and reference memory, and a model of working memory and reference memory interaction was shown to predict the findings reported in the 4 experiments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  19. Telemedicine in support of peacekeeping operations overseas: an audit.

    PubMed

    Navein, J; Hagmann, J; Ellis, J

    1997-01-01

    Since 1993, the Department of Defense has augmented the medical support for Army units on peacekeeping operations in Macedonia through the medium of telemedicine. This project, known as Operation Primetime 1, was the first satellite-based telemedicine system deployed in support of remote primary-care physician in the U.S. military. Its declared aims are: (1) to improve the standard of care; (2) to reduce evacuations; (3) to support junior physicians in the field; and (4) to improve the military effectiveness of the deployed units. This paper audits the success in attaining those goals for the period January 1994 to April 1995. A log was collated from the referring units and questionnaires completed by both referring and consulting physicians. The referring physicians were interviewed on their return from Macedonia, and a more detailed study was undertaken of cases in which a change in outcome was noted. Follow-up interview of consultants was not possible. A total of 53 consults were undertaken on 47 patients. The use of telemedicine affected the decision to evacuate 13 times (13/47), with a net reduction of 9 evacuations. Management of individual cases was changed in 30 of the 47 cases in which telemedicine was used. Physician confidence and military effectiveness were also improved. The level of utilization of the system was largely dependent on a training and sustainment program. Units and General Medical Officers who were trained in the clinical use of telemedicine and the technical sustainment of the equipment used the system; those who were not, did not. Most patients (45/47) were treated satisfactorily with a single consult. Telemedicine under these circumstances seems to be cost effective. The deployed sites chose the referral centers that provided the best service. Telemedicine is a valuable tool capable of augmenting medical support to deployed military units. A successful deployed telemedicine project requires an integrated support package that includes adequate provision for training and equipment sustainment at both ends of the link. Experience with telemedicine in Operation Primetime indicates the potential for substantial cost savings as well as cost-effective medical care. Further application of telemedicine should be encouraged. Successful deployment of telemedicine projects may hinge on an integrated support package.

  20. Left lower lobe sleeve lobectomy for lung cancer using the Da Vinci surgical system.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Yandong; Jiao, Wenjie; Ren, Xiaoyang; Zhang, Liangdong; Qiu, Tong; Fu, Bo; Wang, Lei

    2016-04-12

    Despite the robotic surgery is widely applied, sleeve lobectomy for lung cancer using the Da Vinci surgical system is still less performed. We described a sleeve lobectomy for adenocarcinoma located at the left lower lobe using the Da Vinci surgical system. A case of 57-year old female referred to our hospital. Computed tomography scan showed an occupation located at the left lower lobe and adenocarcinoma project from the lobe bronchus was diagnosed by bronchoscope examination. A sleeve lobectomy was performed using the Da Vinci surgical system and the postoperative recovery was uneventful. Robotic thoracic surgery is feasible to perform sleeve lobectomy inspite of inadequate experience.

  1. Results on angular distributions of thermal dileptons in nuclear collisions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Usai, Gianluca; NA60 Collaboration

    2009-11-01

    The NA60 experiment at the CERN SPS has studied dimuon production in 158 AGeV In-In collisions. The strong pair excess above the known sources found in the mass region 0.2

  2. First Results on Angular Distributions of Thermal Dileptons in Nuclear Collisions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arnaldi, R.; Banicz, K.; Castor, J.; Chaurand, B.; Cicalò, C.; Colla, A.; Cortese, P.; Damjanovic, S.; David, A.; de Falco, A.; Devaux, A.; Ducroux, L.; En'Yo, H.; Fargeix, J.; Ferretti, A.; Floris, M.; Förster, A.; Force, P.; Guettet, N.; Guichard, A.; Gulkanian, H.; Heuser, J. M.; Keil, M.; Kluberg, L.; Lourenço, C.; Lozano, J.; Manso, F.; Martins, P.; Masoni, A.; Neves, A.; Ohnishi, H.; Oppedisano, C.; Parracho, P.; Pillot, P.; Poghosyan, T.; Puddu, G.; Radermacher, E.; Ramalhete, P.; Rosinsky, P.; Scomparin, E.; Seixas, J.; Serci, S.; Shahoyan, R.; Sonderegger, P.; Specht, H. J.; Tieulent, R.; Usai, G.; Veenhof, R.; Wöhri, H. K.

    2009-06-01

    The NA60 experiment at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron has studied dimuon production in 158AGeV In-In collisions. The strong excess of pairs above the known sources found in the complete mass region 0.2

  3. RUBI -a Reference mUltiscale Boiling Investigation for the Fluid Science Laboratory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schweizer, Nils; Stelzer, Marco; Schoele-Schulz, Olaf; Picker, Gerold; Ranebo, Hans; Dettmann, Jan; Minster, Olivier; Toth, Balazs; Winter, Josef; Tadrist, Lounes; Stephan, Peter; Grassi, Walter; di Marco, Paolo; Colin, Catherine; Piero Celata, Gian; Thome, John; Kabov, Oleg

    Boiling is a two-phase heat transfer process where large heat fluxes can be transferred with small driving temperature differences. The high performance of boiling makes the process very interesting for heat transfer applications and it is widely used in industry for example in power plants, refrigeration systems, and electronics cooling. Nevertheless, due to the large number of involved phenomena and their often highly dynamic nature a fundamental understanding and closed theoretical description is not yet accomplished. The design of systems incorporating the process is generally based on empirical correlations, which are commonly accompanied by large uncertainties and, thus, has to be verified by expensive test campaigns. Hence, strong efforts are currently made to develop applicable numerical tools for a reliable prediction of the boiling heat transfer performance and limits. In order to support and validate this development and, in particular as a precondition, to enhance the basic knowledge about boiling the comprehensive multi-scale experiment RUBI (Reference mUlti-scale Boiling Investigation) for the Fluid Science Laboratory on board the ISS is currently in preparation. The scientific objectives and requirements of RUBI have been defined by the members of the ESA topical team "Boiling and Multiphase Flow" and addresses fundamental aspects of boiling phenomena. The main objectives are the measurement of wall temperature and heat flux distribution underneath vapour bubbles with high spatial and tem-poral resolution by means of IR thermography accompanied by the synchronized high-speed observation of the bubble shapes. Furthermore, the fluid temperature in the vicinity and inside of the bubbles will be measured by a micro sensor array. Additional stimuli are the generation of an electric field above the heating surface and a shear flow created by a forced convection loop. The objective of these stimuli is to impose forces on the bubbles and investigate the resulting bubble behaviour such as bubble sliding on and detaching from the surface. The experiments benefits from the absence of vapour buoyancy and natural convection in the high quality and long-term microgravity of the ISS. Effects and phenomena like thermocapillary convection that are hardly observable in normal gravity conditions can be investigated. Clearly predefined conditions particularly of the thermal layer at the heating surface can be established without disturbances by natural convection. Vapour buoyancy as the main detaching force in normal gravity is missing. Hence, it is possible to study stationary, attached bubbles and alternative detaching forces. With RUBI a long history of boiling experiments is perpetuated that used microgravity as a tool for a deeper understanding of the fundamental phenomena. Several precursor experiments closely related to the RUBI project have already been conducted on parabolic flights. The subject of the paper is to provide an overview on the RUBI project, its scientific objectives and the corresponding experimental principle. The current design of the experiment container that is under development at ASTRIUM Space Transportation in Friedrichshafen will be introduced. Furthermore, results from the precursor experiments are presented. The industrial activities of the RUBI project are funded and the science team is supported by ESA.

  4. A Bubble Mixture Experiment Project for Use in an Advanced Design of Experiments Class

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steiner, Stefan H.; Hamada, Michael; White, Bethany J.Giddings; Kutsyy, Vadim; Mosesova, Sofia; Salloum, Geoffrey

    2007-01-01

    This article gives an example of how student-conducted experiments can enhance a course in the design of experiments. We focus on a project whose aim is to find a good mixture of water, soap and glycerin for making soap bubbles. This project is relatively straightforward to implement and understand. At its most basic level the project introduces…

  5. The Artists-in-the-Classroom Project: A Closer Look.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fogg, Terry L.; Smith, Marilyn

    2001-01-01

    Interviews with teachers involved in an elementary school's artists-in-the-classroom project revealed a range of attitudes: enthusiasts, supporters, skeptics, individualists, and tired teachers. Test scores, school climate, and attendance improved. Teachers' willingness to participate was crucial to the project's success. (Contains 23 references.)…

  6. 8. Center bay of the east elevation (Note project supervisor ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    8. Center bay of the east elevation (Note project supervisor Mary Ellen Strain and project historian James Jacobs discussing the extant house in reference to a 1758 drawing of the structure). - John Bartram House & Garden, House, 54th Street & Lindbergh Boulevard, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA

  7. 18 CFR 5.18 - Application content.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... other reference point; describe the topography and climate; and discuss major land uses and economic... development of project works or changes in project operation. This analysis must be based on the information... environmental measures, including, but not limited to, changes in the project design or operations, to address...

  8. Group Projects and the Computer Science Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Joy, Mike

    2005-01-01

    Group projects in computer science are normally delivered with reference to good software engineering practice. The discipline of software engineering is rapidly evolving, and the application of the latest 'agile techniques' to group projects causes a potential conflict with constraints imposed by regulating bodies on the computer science…

  9. Female Project Managers' Workplace Problems: a Survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duong, Thuong Thi; Skitmore, Martin

    This article examines the extent to which challenges in the workplace may cause female project managers to be in a significantly small minority. A survey of members of the Australian Institute of Project Management in Queensland is described. This compares the experiences and observations of both men and women on various issues related to technical and gender aspects in project management workplaces. The results show that although female project managers experience many problems, male project managers also experience most of the same problems. Likewise, there are also few differences between more and less experience, the level of management, and types of industries. The differences that do occur involve discrimination against women in general, differences in project management styles, and support from other project managers.

  10. Bibliography. Computer-Oriented Projects, 1987.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Richard L., Comp.

    1988-01-01

    Provides an annotated list of references on computer-oriented projects. Includes information on computers; hands-on versus simulations; games; instruction; students' attitudes and learning styles; artificial intelligence; tutoring; and application of spreadsheets. (RT)

  11. Quantifying hydrological responses of small Mediterranean catchments under climate change projections.

    PubMed

    Sellami, Haykel; Benabdallah, Sihem; La Jeunesse, Isabelle; Vanclooster, Marnik

    2016-02-01

    Catchment flow regimes alteration is likely to be a prominent consequence of climate change projections in the Mediterranean. Here we explore the potential effects of climatic change on the flow regime of the Thau and the Chiba catchments which are located in Southern France and Northeastern Tunisia, respectively. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrological model is forced with projections from an ensemble of 4 climate model (CM) to assess changes and uncertainty in relevant hydrological indicators related to water balance, magnitude, frequency and timing of the flow between a reference (1971-2000) and future (2041-2071) periods. Results indicate that both catchments are likely to experience a decrease in precipitation and increase in temperature in the future. Consequently, runoff and soil water content are projected to decrease whereas potential evapotranspiration is likely to increase in both catchments. Yet uncertain, the projected magnitudes of these changes are higher in the wet period than in the dry period. Analyses of extreme flow show similar trend in both catchments, projecting a decrease in both high flow and low flow magnitudes for various time durations. Further, significant increase in low flow frequency as a proxy for hydrological droughts is projected for both catchments but with higher uncertainty in the wet period than in the dry period. Although no changes in the average timing of maximum and minimum flow events for different flow durations are projected, substantial uncertainty remains in the hydrological projections. While the results in both catchments show consistent trend of change for most of the hydrologic indicators, the overall degree of alteration on the flow regime of the Chiba catchment is projected to be higher than that of the Thau catchment. The projected magnitudes of alteration as well as their associated uncertainty vary depending on the catchment characteristics and flow seasonality. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Title II Task Force Issues Reading and Media Selection Aid; ESEA Title II and the Right to Read Notable Reading Projects.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Office of Education (DHEW), Washington, DC.

    The 21 reading projects described in this report range from a bilingual reading project for second-grade students to a secondary school reading project in career education. Objectives of some of the other projects described include: to motivate pupils to read for pleasure, to develop skill in reading and learn the use of reference materials in the…

  13. Reference Model 6 (RM6): Oscillating Wave Energy Converter.

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

    Bull, Diana L; Smith, Chris; Jenne, Dale Scott

    This report is an addendum to SAND2013-9040: Methodology for Design and Economic Analysis of Marine Energy Conversion (MEC) Technologies. This report describes an Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy Converter reference model design in a complementary manner to Reference Models 1-4 contained in the above report. In this report, a conceptual design for an Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy Converter (WEC) device appropriate for the modeled reference resource site was identified, and a detailed backward bent duct buoy (BBDB) device design was developed using a combination of numerical modeling tools and scaled physical models. Our team used the methodology in SAND2013-9040more » for the economic analysis that included costs for designing, manufacturing, deploying, and operating commercial-scale MEC arrays, up to 100 devices. The methodology was applied to identify key cost drivers and to estimate levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for this RM6 Oscillating Water Column device in dollars per kilowatt-hour ($/kWh). Although many costs were difficult to estimate at this time due to the lack of operational experience, the main contribution of this work was to disseminate a detailed set of methodologies and models that allow for an initial cost analysis of this emerging technology. This project is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Wind and Water Power Technologies Program Office (WWPTO), within the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE). Sandia National Laboratories, the lead in this effort, collaborated with partners from National Laboratories, industry, and universities to design and test this reference model.« less

  14. Our Experiment in Online, Real-Time Reference.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Broughton, Kelly

    2001-01-01

    Describes experiences in providing real-time online reference services to users with remote Web access at the Bowling Green State University library. Discusses the decision making process first used to select HumanClick software to communicate via chat; and the selection of a fee-based customer service product, Virtual Reference Desk. (LRW)

  15. Experimentation for the Maturation of Deep Space Cryogenic Refueling Technologies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chato, David J.

    2008-01-01

    This report describes the results of the "Experimentation for the Maturation of Deep Space Cryogenic Refueling Technology" study. This study identifies cryogenic fluid management technologies that require low-gravity flight experiments bring technology readiness levels to 5 to 6; examines many possible flight experiment options; and develops near-term low-cost flight experiment concepts to mature the core technologies. A total of 25 white papers were prepared by members of the project team in the course of this study. The full text of each white paper is included and 89 relevant references are cited. The team reviewed the white papers that provided information on new or active concepts of experiments to pursue and assessed them on the basis of technical need, cost, return on investment, and flight platform. Based on on this assessment the "Centaur Test Bed for Cryogenic Fluid Management" was rated the highest. "Computational Opportunities for Cryogenics for Cryogenic and Low-g Fluid Systems" was ranked second, based on its high scores in state of the art and return on investment, even though scores in cost and time were second to last. "Flight Development Test Objective Approach for In-space Propulsion Elements" was ranked third.

  16. Identification of reference genes for quantitative expression analysis using large-scale RNA-seq data of Arabidopsis thaliana and model crop plants.

    PubMed

    Kudo, Toru; Sasaki, Yohei; Terashima, Shin; Matsuda-Imai, Noriko; Takano, Tomoyuki; Saito, Misa; Kanno, Maasa; Ozaki, Soichi; Suwabe, Keita; Suzuki, Go; Watanabe, Masao; Matsuoka, Makoto; Takayama, Seiji; Yano, Kentaro

    2016-10-13

    In quantitative gene expression analysis, normalization using a reference gene as an internal control is frequently performed for appropriate interpretation of the results. Efforts have been devoted to exploring superior novel reference genes using microarray transcriptomic data and to evaluating commonly used reference genes by targeting analysis. However, because the number of specifically detectable genes is totally dependent on probe design in the microarray analysis, exploration using microarray data may miss some of the best choices for the reference genes. Recently emerging RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) provides an ideal resource for comprehensive exploration of reference genes since this method is capable of detecting all expressed genes, in principle including even unknown genes. We report the results of a comprehensive exploration of reference genes using public RNA-seq data from plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis), Glycine max (soybean), Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) and Oryza sativa (rice). To select reference genes suitable for the broadest experimental conditions possible, candidates were surveyed by the following four steps: (1) evaluation of the basal expression level of each gene in each experiment; (2) evaluation of the expression stability of each gene in each experiment; (3) evaluation of the expression stability of each gene across the experiments; and (4) selection of top-ranked genes, after ranking according to the number of experiments in which the gene was expressed stably. Employing this procedure, 13, 10, 12 and 21 top candidates for reference genes were proposed in Arabidopsis, soybean, tomato and rice, respectively. Microarray expression data confirmed that the expression of the proposed reference genes under broad experimental conditions was more stable than that of commonly used reference genes. These novel reference genes will be useful for analyzing gene expression profiles across experiments carried out under various experimental conditions.

  17. 18 CFR 16.8 - Consultation requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ....6 of this chapter. (4) The Director of the Office of Energy Projects will, upon request, provide a... otherwise extended by the Director of Office of Energy Projects pursuant to paragraph (b)(6) of this section... Office of Energy Projects (Director) for resolution. (ii) The entity referring the dispute must serve a...

  18. 18 CFR 16.8 - Consultation requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ....6 of this chapter. (4) The Director of the Office of Energy Projects will, upon request, provide a... otherwise extended by the Director of Office of Energy Projects pursuant to paragraph (b)(6) of this section... Office of Energy Projects (Director) for resolution. (ii) The entity referring the dispute must serve a...

  19. 18 CFR 16.8 - Consultation requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ....6 of this chapter. (4) The Director of the Office of Energy Projects will, upon request, provide a... otherwise extended by the Director of Office of Energy Projects pursuant to paragraph (b)(6) of this section... Office of Energy Projects (Director) for resolution. (ii) The entity referring the dispute must serve a...

  20. Cost/Schedule Control Systems Criteria: A Reference Guide to C/SCSC information

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-09-01

    Smith, Larry A. "Mainframe ARTEMIS: More than a Project Management Tool -- Earned Value Analysis ( PEVA )," Project Management Journal, 19:23-28 (April 1988...A. "Mainframe ARTEMIS: More than a Project Management Tool - Earned Value Analysis ( PEVA )," Project Management Journal, 19:23-28 (April 1988). 14...than a Project Management Tool -- Earned Value Analysis ( PEVA )," Project Management Journal, 19:23-28 (April 1988). 17. Trufant, Thomas M. and Robert

  1. Drought and heatwaves in Europe: historical reconstruction and future projections

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Samaniego, Luis; Thober, Stephan; Kumar, Rohini; Rakovec, Olda; Wood, Eric; Sheffield, Justin; Pan, Ming; Wanders, Niko; Prudhomme, Christel

    2017-04-01

    Heat waves and droughts are creeping hydro-meteorological events that may bring societies and natural systems to their limits by inducing large famines, increasing health risks to the population, creating drinking and irrigation water shortfalls, inducing natural fires and degradation of soil and water quality, and in many cases causing large socio-economic losses. Europe, in particular, has endured large scale drought-heat-wave events during the recent past (e.g., 2003 European drought), which have induced enormous socio-economic losses as well as casualties. Recent studies showed that the prediction of droughts and heatwaves is subject to large-scale forcing and parametric uncertainties that lead to considerable uncertainties in the projections of extreme characteristics such as drought magnitude/duration and area under drought, among others. Future projections are also heavily influenced by the RCP scenario uncertainty as well as the coarser spatial resolution of the models. The EDgE project funded by the Copernicus programme (C3S) provides an unique opportunity to investigate the evolution of droughts and heatwaves from 1950 until 2099 over the Pan-EU domain at a scale of 5x5 km2. In this project, high-resolution multi-model hydrologic simulations with the mHM (www.ufz.de/mhm), Noah-MP, VIC and PCR-GLOBWB have been completed for the historical period 1955-2015. Climate projections have been carried out with five CMIP-5 GCMs: GFDL-ESM2M, HadGEM2-ES, IPSL-CM5A-LR, MIROC-ESM-CHEM, NorESM1-M from 2006 to 2099 under RCP2.6 and RCP8.5. Using these multi-model unprecedented simulations, daily soil moisture index and temperature anomalies since 1955 until 2099 will be estimated. Using the procedure proposed by Samaniego et al. (2013), the probabilities of exceeding the benchmark events in the reference period 1980-2010 will be estimated for each RCP scenario. References http://climate.copernicus.eu/edge-end-end-demonstrator-improved-decision-making-water-sector-europe Samaniego, L., R. Kumar, and M. Zink, 2013: Implications of parameter uncertainty on soil moisture drought analysis in Germany. J. Hydrometeor., 14, 47-68, doi:10.1175/JHM-D-12-075.1. Samaniego, L., et al. 2016: Propagation of forcing and model uncertainties on to hydrological drought characteristics in a multi-model century-long experiment in large river basins. Climatic Change. 1-15.

  2. Quantitative determination of zero-gravity effects on electronic materials processing germanium crystal growth with simultaneous interface demarcation. Experiment MA-060

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gatos, H. C.; Witt, A. F.

    1977-01-01

    Experiment MA-060 was designed to establish the crystal growth and segregation characteristics of a melt in a directional solidification configuration under near zero-g conditions. The interface demarcation technique was incorporated into the experiment since it constitutes a unique tool for recording the morphology of the growth rate throughout solidification, and for establishing an absolute time reference framework for all stages of the solidification process. An extensive study was performed of the germanium crystals grown during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission. It was found that single crystal growth was achieved and that the interface demarcation functioned successfully. There was no indication that convection driven by thermal or surface tension gradients was present in the melt. The gallium segregation, in the absence of gravity, was found to be fundamentally different in its initial and its subsequent stages from that of the ground-based tests. None of the existing theoretical models for growth and segregation can account for the observed segregation behavior in the absence of gravity.

  3. The XENONnT Dark Matter Experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aprile, Elena; Xenon Collaboration

    2017-01-01

    With XENON1T ready to search for dark matter with the highest sensivity of any experiment to-date the XENON collaboration started to secure funding and resources to upgrade the detector by the end of 2018- phase which we refer to as XENONnT. The XENONnT experiment will utilize the already-built-and-tested XENON1T infrastructures, such as the cryogenic system, Kr distillation system and Xe storage and recovery system, with the main upgrade of the time projection chamber (TPC). The upgraded XENONnT detector will be filled with 7.5-ton ultra-pure liquid xenon, tripling the active liquid xenon target mass of XENON1T. About 500 low-radioactive three-inch R11410 PMTs will be used. Background from internal sources such as radon will be reduced. It will enable another order of magnitude improvement in dark matter search sensitivity compared to that of XENON1T, or accumulate statistics if a positive dark matter signal is observed by XENON1T. The detailed TPC upgrade plan, the background control and reduction techniques, the predicted sensitivity reach will be presented.

  4. Implementing active-learning strategies to improve physics learning in Latin America

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alarcon, Hugo; Zavala, G.; Fernandez, R.; Benegas, J.

    2006-12-01

    It is evident that the most effective active-learning strategies to improve physics learning at the college level have been developed in the United States. Recently, some universities in Latin America have begun adopting such methods as a part of institutional projects, or motivated by national projects led by education authorities. In this work we will present two cases, a large-scale implementation of Tutorials in Introductory Physics (1) in Mexico supported by the institution as a part of a change in its educational model, and a medium-scale implementation of this method in Chile supported by the national government. In both experiences, the professors involved in the educational experience have previously participated in a training workshop that prepared them for implementing this strategy in the classroom. The training workshop, described elsewhere (2), was designed also under active learning premises, so teachers completed the proposed activities in the same way as their students will do. We will present the first results of these two projects. References: (1) McDermott, L. C., Shaffer, P. S., & PER (1998). "Tutorials in Introductory Physics", Prentice Hall, translated as "Tutoriales para Física Introductoria" (2001) Prentice Hall, Buenos Aires.. (2) Zavala, G., Alarcón, H. and Benegas, J. (2005). "Innovative training of in-service teachers for active learning: A short teacher development course based on Physics Education Research", accepted for publication, J. of Sc. Teach. Ed. This work has been partially supported by Tecnológico de Monterrey through the Chair in Physics Education Research and by MECE Educación Superior Program (Chile).

  5. A review of the LATEX project: mesoscale to submesoscale processes in a coastal environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Petrenko, Anne A.; Doglioli, Andrea M.; Nencioli, Francesco; Kersalé, Marion; Hu, Ziyuan; d'Ovidio, Francesco

    2017-04-01

    The main objective of the LAgrangian Transport EXperiment (LATEX) project was to study the influence of coastal mesoscale and submesoscale physical processes on circulation dynamics, cross-shelf exchanges, and biogeochemistry in the western continental shelf of the Gulf of Lion, Northwestern Mediterranean Sea. LATEX was a five-year multidisciplinary project based on the combined analysis of numerical model simulations and multi-platform field experiments. The model component included a ten-year realistic 3D numerical simulation, with a 1 km horizontal resolution over the gulf, nested in a coarser 3 km resolution model. The in situ component involved four cruises, including a large-scale multidisciplinary campaign with two research vessels in 2010. This review concentrates on the physics results of LATEX, addressing three main subjects: (1) the investigation of the mesoscale to submesoscale processes. The eddies are elliptic, baroclinic, and anticyclonic; the strong thermal and saline front is density compensated. Their generation processes are studied; (2) the development of sampling strategies for their direct observations. LATEX has implemented an adaptive strategy Lagrangian tool, with a reference software available on the web, to perform offshore campaigns in a Lagrangian framework; (3) the quantification of horizontal mixing and cross-shelf exchanges. Lateral diffusivity coefficients, calculated in various ways including a novel technique, are in the range classically encountered for their associated scales. Cross-shelf fluxes have been calculated, after retrieving the near-inertial oscillation contribution. Further perspectives are discussed, especially for the ongoing challenge of studying submesoscale features remotely and from in situ data.

  6. Evaluation of Nuclear Facility Decommissioning Projects program: a reference test reactor. Project summary report

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

    Boing, L.E.; Miller, R.L.

    1983-10-01

    This document presents, in summary form, generic conceptual information relevant to the decommissioning of a reference test reactor (RTR). All of the data presented were extracted from NUREG/CR-1756 and arranged in a form that will provide a basis for future comparison studies for the Evaluation of Nuclear Facility Decommissioning Projects (ENFDP) program. During the data extraction process no attempt was made to challenge any of the assumptions used in the original studies nor was any attempt made to update assumed methods or processes to state-of-the-art decommissioning techniques. In a few instances obvious errors were corrected after consultation with the studymore » author.« less

  7. Central projections of gustatory receptor neurons in the medial and the lateral sensilla styloconica of Helicoverpa armigera larvae.

    PubMed

    Tang, Qing-Bo; Zhan, Huan; Cao, Huan; Berg, Bente G; Yan, Feng-Ming; Zhao, Xin-Cheng

    2014-01-01

    Food selection behavior of lepidopteran larvae is predominantly governed by the activation of taste neurons present in two sensilla styloconica located on the galea of the maxilla. In this study, we present the ultrastructure of the sensilla styloconica and the central projection pattern of their associated receptor neurons in larvae of the heliothine moth, Helicoverpa armigera. By means of light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, the previous findings of two morphologically fairly similar sensilla comprising a socketed conic tip inserted into a large peg were confirmed. However, the peg size of the medial sensillum was found to be significantly bigger than that of the lateral sensillum. The sensory neurons derived from each sensillum styloconicum were mapped separately using anterograde staining experiments combined with confocal laser-scanning microscopy. For determining the afferents' target regions relative to each other, we reconstructed the labeled axons and placed them into a common reference framework. The sensory axons from both sensilla projected via the ipsilateral maxillary nerve to the suboesophageal ganglion and further through the ipsilateral circumoesophageal connective to the brain. In the suboesophageal ganglion, the sensory projections targeted two areas of the ipsilateral maxillary neuropil, one located in the ventrolateral neuromere and the other adjacent to the neuromere midline. In the brain, the axon terminals targeted the dorso-anterior area of the ipsilateral tritocerebrum. As confirmed by the three-dimensional reconstructions, the target regions of the neural projections originating from each of the two sensilla styloconica were identical.

  8. Building a multidisciplinary team for burn treatment - Lessons learned from the Montreal tendon transfer experience.

    PubMed

    Karam, E; Lévesque, M C; Jacquemin, G; Delure, A; Robidoux, I; Laramée, M T; Odobescu, A; Harris, P G; Danino, A M

    2014-03-31

    Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) represent a recognized component of care in the treatment of complex conditions such as burns. However, most institutions do not provide adequate support for the formation of these teams. Furthermore, the majority of specialists lack the managerial skills required to create a team and have difficulties finding the proper tools. Our objective is to provide an insight for health care professionals, who wish to form a MDT for burn treatment, on the challenges that are likely to be faced, and to identify key elements that may facilitate the establishment of such a project. The setting for this was a plastic surgery department and rehabilitation center at a national reference center. A qualitative analysis was performed on all correspondences related to our tetraplegia project, from 2006 to 2008. To guide our thematic analysis, we used a form of systems theory known as the complexity theory. The qualitative analysis was performed using the NVivo software (Version 8.0 QSR International Melbourne, Australia). Lastly, the data was organized in chronologic order. Three main themes emerged from the results: knowledge acquisition, project organizational setup and project steps design. These themes represented respectively 24%, 50% and 26% of all correspondences. Project steps design and knowledge acquisition correspondences increased significantly after the introduction of the mentor team to our network. We conclude that an early association with a mentor team is beneficial for the establishment of a MDT.

  9. [Interdisciplinary teleconsultation: first practical experiences with 100 patients].

    PubMed

    Gollnick, I; Frehiwot, M; Krause, E M; Schaller, S; Limpert, E; Strauß, G; Lipp, T; Scherz, M; Injac, Z

    2013-06-01

    PROBLEM DEFINITION: Increasing specialization can be observed in the various medical fields and as a consequence there is little professional exchange between ear nose and throat (ENT) specialists and general practitioners. At the same time there has been significant technological development in telemedicine over the last 5 years; however, this potential is not being sufficiently exploited. The objective of this project is to implement a practicable solution for teleconsulation between ENT specialists and general practitioners. The connection is based on a secure broadband internet connection, the corresponding server structure and a video endoscopic system. In the period from 01 January 2011 to 30 June 2012 (18 months) a total of 102 patients were included in the study in which 4 general practitioners and 5 ENT specialists participated. The protocol comprised the following parameters: indications and typical questions, number of patients presenting to the ENT specialist due to the available teleconsultation service (CBO), number of patients referred to the ENT specialist after teleconsultation (CIO), assessment of the quality of the additional expert opinion (LOQ GP), assessment of the accuracy of the specialist physician tele-diagnosis (TDS-FA) and assessment of the impact of the expert physician diagnosis on the general medical treatment (COS). Teleconsultation was most frequently used for diagnostics on tonsils (37% of the presented cases), the external auditory canal (32%) and the inner nose (15%). Of the patients analyzed were 53.9% presented to the ENT specialist only because the teleconsultation service provided an effortless opportunity and after teleconsultation 40.1% of the patients were referred to the ENT specialist. General practitioners assessed the benefit from the specialist opinion with 64 points. Diagnostic certainty of the specialist opinion, i.e. the validity scale of the diagnosis made, was on average 2.0. In approximately 35.3% of the cases (36 out of 102 patients) participating general practitioners documented a considerable impact of teleconsultation on the diagnosis and/or therapy. Teleconsultation between general practitioners and ENT specialists can provide an advantage in treatment quality and patient comfort. According to the experience gained there is a very low risk of diminishing the professional competency of ENT medicine and the involvement of the expert group in the early project stage allows a greater leeway in project implementation. This could also have an impact on future medical performance specifications. According to the ENT experts involved in the project further applications of teleconsultation are very conceivable.

  10. A regional assessment of salt marsh restoration and monitoring in the Gulf of Maine

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Konisky, R.A.; Burdick, D.M.; Dionne, M.; Neckles, H.A.

    2006-01-01

    We compiled salt marsh monitoring datasets from 36 complete or imminent restoration projects in the Gulf of Maine to assess regional monitoring and restoration practices. Data were organized by functional indicators and restoration project types (culvert replacement, excavation works, or ditch plugging) then pooled to generate mean values for indicators before restoration, after restoration, and at reference sites. Monitoring data were checked against the regional standards of a voluntary protocol for the Gulf of Maine. Data inventories showed that vegetation and salinity indicators were most frequently collected (89 and 78% of sites, respectively), whereas nekton, bird, and hydrologic measures were collected at only about half of the sites. Reference conditions were monitored at 72% of sites. Indicators were analyzed to see if project sites were degraded relative to reference areas and to detect ecological responses to restoration activities. Results showed that compared to reference areas, prerestoration sites had smaller tidal ranges, reduced salinity levels, greater cover of brackish plants species, and lower cover of halophyte plants. Following restoration, physical factors rebounded rapidly with increased flood and salinity levels after about one year, especially for culvert projects. Biological responses were less definitive and occurred over longer time frames. Plant communities trended toward recovered halophytes and reduced brackish species at 3+ years following restoration. Nekton and avian indicators were indistinguishable among reference, impacted, and restored areas. The protocol was successful in demonstrating restoration response for the region, but results were limited by regional inconsistencies in field practices and relatively few multiyear datasets. To improve future assessment capabilities, we encourage greater adherence to the standard protocol throughout the Gulf of Maine salt marsh restoration community.

  11. 1000 Norms Project: protocol of a cross-sectional study cataloging human variation.

    PubMed

    McKay, Marnee J; Baldwin, Jennifer N; Ferreira, Paulo; Simic, Milena; Vanicek, Natalie; Hiller, Claire E; Nightingale, Elizabeth J; Moloney, Niamh A; Quinlan, Kate G; Pourkazemi, Fereshteh; Sman, Amy D; Nicholson, Leslie L; Mousavi, Seyed J; Rose, Kristy; Raymond, Jacqueline; Mackey, Martin G; Chard, Angus; Hübscher, Markus; Wegener, Caleb; Fong Yan, Alycia; Refshauge, Kathryn M; Burns, Joshua

    2016-03-01

    Clinical decision-making regarding diagnosis and management largely depends on comparison with healthy or 'normal' values. Physiotherapists and researchers therefore need access to robust patient-centred outcome measures and appropriate reference values. However there is a lack of high-quality reference data for many clinical measures. The aim of the 1000 Norms Project is to generate a freely accessible database of musculoskeletal and neurological reference values representative of the healthy population across the lifespan. In 2012 the 1000 Norms Project Consortium defined the concept of 'normal', established a sampling strategy and selected measures based on clinical significance, psychometric properties and the need for reference data. Musculoskeletal and neurological items tapping the constructs of dexterity, balance, ambulation, joint range of motion, strength and power, endurance and motor planning will be collected in this cross-sectional study. Standardised questionnaires will evaluate quality of life, physical activity, and musculoskeletal health. Saliva DNA will be analysed for the ACTN3 genotype ('gene for speed'). A volunteer cohort of 1000 participants aged 3 to 100 years will be recruited according to a set of self-reported health criteria. Descriptive statistics will be generated, creating tables of mean values and standard deviations stratified for age and gender. Quantile regression equations will be used to generate age charts and age-specific centile values. This project will be a powerful resource to assist physiotherapists and clinicians across all areas of healthcare to diagnose pathology, track disease progression and evaluate treatment response. This reference dataset will also contribute to the development of robust patient-centred clinical trial outcome measures. Copyright © 2015 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Project Leadership Lived Experiences with Web-Based Social Networking: A Phenomenological Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scroggins, Charles W.

    2010-01-01

    This study explores the lived experiences of project leaders adopting and using Web-2.0 social networking collaboration applications for their project leadership activities. The experiences of 20 project leaders in a Fortune 500 aerospace and defense enterprise in the northeastern United States of America were explored using a qualitative…

  13. 7 CFR 1209.40 - Programs, plans, and projects.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... requirements for quality control, grade standards, supply management programs, or other programs that would..., plan, or project, no reference to a brand name, trade name, or State or regional identification of any...

  14. Implementing Financial Assurance for Mitigation Project Success

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The Institute for Water Resources (IWR) prepared this white paper on financial assurance for mitigation project success to provide a reference resource for Corps district staff involved with establishing and overseeing financial assurances.

  15. Public dashboard

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2003-03-19

    This website provides information on road construction projects in Virginia. The Dashboard is divided into four sections. The far left hand column is referred to as the Advertisement Section. This column deals with planned projects that are being pre...

  16. A guide to federal-aid programs and projects

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-05-01

    This guide provides basic information about Federal-aid programs, projects, and other program characteristics. The information sheets contained in the guide provide fiscal information, statutory and regulatory references, general eligibility and back...

  17. Reference-free ground truth metric for metal artifact evaluation in CT images.

    PubMed

    Kratz, Bärbel; Ens, Svitlana; Müller, Jan; Buzug, Thorsten M

    2011-07-01

    In computed tomography (CT), metal objects in the region of interest introduce data inconsistencies during acquisition. Reconstructing these data results in an image with star shaped artifacts induced by the metal inconsistencies. To enhance image quality, the influence of the metal objects can be reduced by different metal artifact reduction (MAR) strategies. For an adequate evaluation of new MAR approaches a ground truth reference data set is needed. In technical evaluations, where phantoms can be measured with and without metal inserts, ground truth data can easily be obtained by a second reference data acquisition. Obviously, this is not possible for clinical data. Here, an alternative evaluation method is presented without the need of an additionally acquired reference data set. The proposed metric is based on an inherent ground truth for metal artifacts as well as MAR methods comparison, where no reference information in terms of a second acquisition is needed. The method is based on the forward projection of a reconstructed image, which is compared to the actually measured projection data. The new evaluation technique is performed on phantom and on clinical CT data with and without MAR. The metric results are then compared with methods using a reference data set as well as an expert-based classification. It is shown that the new approach is an adequate quantification technique for artifact strength in reconstructed metal or MAR CT images. The presented method works solely on the original projection data itself, which yields some advantages compared to distance measures in image domain using two data sets. Beside this, no parameters have to be manually chosen. The new metric is a useful evaluation alternative when no reference data are available.

  18. The HEPEX Seasonal Streamflow Forecast Intercomparison Project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wood, A. W.; Schepen, A.; Bennett, J.; Mendoza, P. A.; Ramos, M. H.; Wetterhall, F.; Pechlivanidis, I.

    2016-12-01

    The Hydrologic Ensemble Prediction Experiment (HEPEX; www.hepex.org) has launched an international seasonal streamflow forecasting intercomparison project (SSFIP) with the goal of broadening community knowledge about the strengths and weaknesses of various operational approaches being developed around the world. While some of these approaches have existed for decades (e.g. Ensemble Streamflow Prediction - ESP - in the United States and elsewhere), recent years have seen the proliferation of new operational and experimental streamflow forecasting approaches. These have largely been developed independently in each country, thus it is difficult to assess whether the approaches employed in some centers offer more promise for development than others. This motivates us to establish a forecasting testbed to facilitate a diagnostic evaluation of a range of different streamflow forecasting approaches and their components over a common set of catchments, using a common set of validation methods. Rather than prescribing a set of scientific questions from the outset, we are letting the hindcast results and notable differences in methodologies on a watershed-specific basis motivate more targeted analyses and sub-experiments that may provide useful insights. The initial pilot of the testbed involved two approaches - CSIRO's Bayesian joint probability (BJP) and NCAR's sequential regression - for two catchments, each designated by one of the teams (the Murray River, Australia, and Hungry Horse reservoir drainage area, USA). Additional catchments/approaches are in the process of being added to the testbed. To support this CSIRO and NCAR have developed data and analysis tools, data standards and protocols to formalize the experiment. These include requirements for cross-validation, verification, reference climatologies, and common predictands. This presentation describes the SSFIP experiments, pilot basin results and scientific findings to date.

  19. SU-D-BRF-04: Digital Tomosynthesis for Improved Daily Setup in Treatment of Liver Lesions

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

    Armstrong, H; Jones, B; Miften, M

    Purpose: Daily localization of liver lesions with cone-beam CT (CBCT) is difficult due to poor image quality caused by scatter, respiratory motion, and the lack of radiographic contrast between the liver parenchyma and the lesion(s). Digital tomosynthesis (DTS) is investigated as a modality to improve liver visualization and lesion/parenchyma contrast for daily setup. Methods: An in-house tool was developed to generate DTS images using a point-by-point filtered back-projection method from on-board CBCT projection data. DTS image planes are generated in a user defined orientation to visualize the anatomy at various depths. Reference DTS images are obtained from forward projection ofmore » the planning CT dataset at each projection angle. The CBCT DTS image set can then be registered to the reference DTS image set as a means for localization. Contour data from the planning CT's associate RT Structure file and forward projected similarly to the planning CT data. DTS images are created for each contoured structure, which can then be overlaid onto the DTS images for organ volume visualization. Results: High resolution DTS images generated from CBCT projections show fine anatomical detail, including small blood vessels, within the patient. However, the reference DTS images generated from forward projection of the planning CT lacks this level of detail due to the low resolution of the CT voxels as compared to the pixel size in the projection images; typically 1mm-by-1mm-by-3mm (lat, vrt, lng) for the planning CT vs. 0.4mm-by-0.4mm for CBCT projections. Overlaying of the contours onto the DTS image allows for visualization of structures of interest. Conclusion: The ability to generate DTS images over a limited range of projection angles allows for reduction in the amount of respiratory motion within each acquisition. DTS may provide improved visualization of structures and lesions as compared to CBCT for highly mobile tumors.« less

  20. Visual search strategies of experienced and nonexperienced swimming coaches.

    PubMed

    Moreno, Francisco J; Saavedra, José M; Sabido, Rafael; Luis, Vicente; Reina, Raúl

    2006-12-01

    The aim of this study consists of the application of an experimental protocol that allows information to be obtained about the visual search strategies elaborated by swimming coaches. 16 swimming coaches participated. The Experienced group (n=8) had 16.1 yr. (SD=8.2) of coaching experience and at least five years of experience in underwater vision. The Nonexperienced group in underwater vision (n= 8) had 4.2 yr. (SD= 4.0) of coaching experience. Participants were tested in a laboratory environment using a video-projected sample of the crawl stroke of an elite swimmer. This work discusses the main areas of the swimmer's body used by coaches to identify and analyse errors in technique from overhead and underwater perspectives. In front-underwater videos, body roll and mid-water were the locations of the display with higher percentages of fixation time. In the side-underwater slow videos, the upper body was the location with higher percentages of visual fixation time and was used to detect the low elbow fault. Side-overhead takes were not the best perspectives to pick up information directly about performance of the arms; coaches attended to the head as a reference for their visual search. The observation and technical analysis of the hands and arms were facilitated by an underwater perspective. Visual fixation on the elbow served as a reference to identify errors in the upper body. The side-underwater perspective may be an adequate way to identify correct knee angles in leg kicking and the alignment of a swimmer's body and leg actions.

  1. Glucose Measurement: Time for a Gold Standard

    PubMed Central

    Hagvik, Joakim

    2007-01-01

    There is no internationally recognized reference method for the measurement of blood glucose. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlighted the need for standardization some years ago when a project was started. The project objectives were to (1) investigate whether there are significant differences in calibration levels among currently used glucose monitors for home use and (2) develop a reference method for glucose determination. A first study confirmed the assumption that currently used home-use monitors differ significantly and that standardization is necessary in order to minimize variability and to improve patient care. As a reference method, CDC recommended a method based on isotope dilution gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, an assay that has received support from clinical chemists worldwide. CDC initiated a preliminary study to establish the suitability of this method, but then the project came to a halt. It is hoped that CDC, with support from the industry, as well as academic and professional organizations such as the American Association for Clinical Chemistry and International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, will be able to finalize the project and develop the long-awaited and much needed “gold standard” for glucose measurement. PMID:19888402

  2. Nuclear facility decommissioning and site remedial actions: A selected bibliography: Volume 8

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

    Owen, P.T.; Michelson, D.C.; Knox, N.P.

    1987-09-01

    The 553 abstracted references on nuclear facility decommissioning, uranium mill tailings management, and site remedial actions constitute the eighth in a series of reports. Foreign and domestic literature of all types - technical reports, progress reports, journal articles, symposia proceedings, theses, books, patents, legislation, and research project descriptions - has been included. The bibliography contains scientific, technical, economic, regulatory, and legal information pertinent to the US Department of energy's remedial action program. Major chapters are Surplus Facilities Management Program, Nuclear Facilities Decommissioning, Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program, Facilities Contaminated with Naturally Occurring Radionuclides, Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Program,more » Uranium Mill Tailings Management, Technical Measurements Center, and General Remedial Action Program Studies. Chapter sections for chapters 1, 2, 5, and 6 include Design, Planning, and Regulations; Environmental Studies and Site Surveys; Health, Safety, and Biomedical Studies; Decontamination Studies; Dismantlement and Demolition; Site Stabilization and Reclamation; Waste Disposal; Remedial Action Experience; and General Studies. Within these categories, references are arranged alphabetically by first author. Those references having no individual author are listed by corporate affiliation or by publication description. Indexes are provided for author, corporate affiliation, title word, publication description, geographic location, and keywords. The appendix contains a list of frequently used acronyms and abbreviations.« less

  3. MinION Analysis and Reference Consortium: Phase 1 data release and analysis

    PubMed Central

    Eccles, David A.; Zalunin, Vadim; Urban, John M.; Piazza, Paolo; Bowden, Rory J.; Paten, Benedict; Mwaigwisya, Solomon; Batty, Elizabeth M.; Simpson, Jared T.; Snutch, Terrance P.

    2015-01-01

    The advent of a miniaturized DNA sequencing device with a high-throughput contextual sequencing capability embodies the next generation of large scale sequencing tools. The MinION™ Access Programme (MAP) was initiated by Oxford Nanopore Technologies™ in April 2014, giving public access to their USB-attached miniature sequencing device. The MinION Analysis and Reference Consortium (MARC) was formed by a subset of MAP participants, with the aim of evaluating and providing standard protocols and reference data to the community. Envisaged as a multi-phased project, this study provides the global community with the Phase 1 data from MARC, where the reproducibility of the performance of the MinION was evaluated at multiple sites. Five laboratories on two continents generated data using a control strain of Escherichia coli K-12, preparing and sequencing samples according to a revised ONT protocol. Here, we provide the details of the protocol used, along with a preliminary analysis of the characteristics of typical runs including the consistency, rate, volume and quality of data produced. Further analysis of the Phase 1 data presented here, and additional experiments in Phase 2 of E. coli from MARC are already underway to identify ways to improve and enhance MinION performance. PMID:26834992

  4. Reduced variability of visual left ventricular ejection fraction assessment with reference images: The Japanese Association of Young Echocardiography Fellows multicenter study.

    PubMed

    Kusunose, Kenya; Shibayama, Kentaro; Iwano, Hiroyuki; Izumo, Masaki; Kagiyama, Nobuyuki; Kurosawa, Koji; Mihara, Hirotsugu; Oe, Hiroki; Onishi, Tetsuari; Onishi, Toshinari; Ota, Mitsuhiko; Sasaki, Shunsuke; Shiina, Yumi; Tsuruta, Hikaru; Tanaka, Hidekazu

    2018-07-01

    Visual estimation of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is widely applied to confirm quantitative EF. However, visual assessment is subjective, and variability may be influenced by observer experience. We hypothesized that a learning session might reduce the misclassification rate. Protocol 1: Visual LVEFs for 30 cases were measured by 79 readers from 13 cardiovascular tertiary care centers. Readers were divided into 3 groups by their experience: limited (1-5 years, n=28), intermediate (6-11 years, n=26), and highly experienced (12-years, n=25). Protocol 2: All readers were randomized to assess the effect of a learning session with reference images only or feedback plus reference images. After the session, 20 new cases were shown to all readers following the same methodology. To assess the concordance and accuracy pre- and post-intervention, each visual LVEF measurement was compared to overall average values as a reference. Experience affected the concordance in visual EF values among the readers. Groups with intermediate and high experience showed significantly better mean difference (MD), standard deviation (SD), and coefficient of variation (CV) than those with limited experience at baseline. The learning session with reference image reduced the MD, SD, and CV in readers with limited experience. The learning session with reference images plus feedback also reduced proportional bias. Importantly, the misclassification rate for mid-range EF cases was reduced regardless of experience. This large multicenter study suggested that a simple learning session with reference images can successfully reduce the misclassification rate for LVEF assessment. Copyright © 2018 Japanese College of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Ten years of experience from interactive ergonomics projects.

    PubMed

    Eklund, J; Karltun, J

    2012-01-01

    This paper highlights experiences from ergonomics projects, applying an interactive research approach. The aim of this paper is to summarise experiences from seven interactive ergonomics projects with the aim to improve ergonomics and organizational performance jointly. Results from these seven projects were analysed with a model for assessing sustainable change, including the factors active ownership, professional management, competent project leadership, and involved participants. All factors were found giving support to impact and sustainability of the change projects. However, the role of the researcher is difficult and demanding.

  6. Share Your Solar Project Experience

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The Local Government Solar Project Portal's Share Your Solar Project Experience page includes details on how municipalities can be listed in the Portal and update EPA with their solar project development achievements and progress.

  7. The African Reference Frame (AFREF) project: a fundamental geodetic tool for Africa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Farah, H.

    2009-04-01

    AFREF has as objective the establishment and maintenance of a unified geodetic reference frame for Africa, which will support and facilitate fundamental scientific and technical projects. The installation of observation systems all over Africa will provide important data that can be used in many different scientific fields (e.g., geodynamics, meteorological). Furthermore, AFREF will create an uniform frame that will support development projects, uniform environmental and mapping programmes as well as aid in resolving current and future international boundary disputes. This reference frame will be based on the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) and will be realised through the establishment of a network of permanent Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. In close collaboration with several institutional role players, AFREF is an initiative of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Committee on Development Information (CODI). A steering committee is currently responsible for the over-all management and coordination of the implementation of AFREF. Implementation of AFREF is envisaged to be at national level in collaboration with National Mapping Organizations. Furthermore, many scientific Institutions are contributing for the densification of the network. The current status of the AFREF network will be discussed in detail. Several CORS systems have been installed to support AFREF specifically. In addition, most or all of the IGS stations located in Africa will automatically qualify as AFREF core stations. Furthermore, we will show examples of interaction between specific projects and AFREF that are contributing for the development of science in Africa.

  8. Orsphere: Physics Measurments For Bare, HEU(93.2)-Metal Sphere

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

    Marshall, Margaret A.; Bess, John D.; Briggs, J. Blair

    In the early 1970s Dr. John T. Mihalczo (team leader), J.J. Lynn, and J.R. Taylor performed experiments at the Oak Ridge Critical Experiments Facility (ORCEF) with highly enriched uranium (HEU) metal (called Oak Ridge Alloy or ORALLOY) in an attempt to recreate GODIVA I results with greater accuracy than those performed at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the 1950s (HEU-MET-FAST-001). The purpose of the Oak Ridge ORALLOY Sphere (ORSphere) experiments was to estimate the unreflected and unmoderated critical mass of an idealized sphere of uranium metal corrected to a density, purity, and enrichment such that it could be compared withmore » the GODIVA I experiments. “The very accurate description of this sphere, as assembled, establishes it as an ideal benchmark for calculational methods and cross-section data files” (Reference 1). While performing the ORSphere experiments care was taken to accurately document component dimensions (±0.0001 inches), masses (±0.01 g), and material data. The experiment was also set up to minimize the amount of structural material in the sphere proximity. Two, correlated spheres were evaluated and judged to be acceptable as criticality benchmark experiments. This evaluation is given in HEU-MET-FAST-100. The second, smaller sphere was used for additional reactor physics measurements. Worth measurements (Reference 1, 2, 3 and 4), the delayed neutron fraction (Reference 3, 4 and 5) and surface material worth coefficient (Reference 1 and 2) are all measured and judged to be acceptable as benchmark data. The prompt neutron decay (Reference 6), relative fission density (Reference 7) and relative neutron importance (Reference 7) were measured, but are not evaluated. Information for the evaluation was compiled from References 1 through 7, the experimental logbooks 8 and 9 ; additional drawings and notes provided by the experimenter; and communication with the lead experimenter, John T. Mihalczo.« less

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

    Marshall, Margaret A.

    In the early 1970s Dr. John T. Mihalczo (team leader), J.J. Lynn, and J.R. Taylor performed experiments at the Oak Ridge Critical Experiments Facility (ORCEF) with highly enriched uranium (HEU) metal (called Oak Ridge Alloy or ORALLOY) in an attempt to recreate GODIVA I results with greater accuracy than those performed at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the 1950s (HEU-MET-FAST-001). The purpose of the Oak Ridge ORALLOY Sphere (ORSphere) experiments was to estimate the unreflected and unmoderated critical mass of an idealized sphere of uranium metal corrected to a density, purity, and enrichment such that it could be compared withmore » the GODIVA I experiments. “The very accurate description of this sphere, as assembled, establishes it as an ideal benchmark for calculational methods and cross-section data files” (Reference 1). While performing the ORSphere experiments care was taken to accurately document component dimensions (±0.0001 inches), masses (±0.01 g), and material data. The experiment was also set up to minimize the amount of structural material in the sphere proximity. Two, correlated spheres were evaluated and judged to be acceptable as criticality benchmark experiments. This evaluation is given in HEU-MET-FAST-100. The second, smaller sphere was used for additional reactor physics measurements. Worth measurements (Reference 1, 2, 3 and 4), the delayed neutron fraction (Reference 3, 4 and 5) and surface material worth coefficient (Reference 1 and 2) are all measured and judged to be acceptable as benchmark data. The prompt neutron decay (Reference 6), relative fission density (Reference 7) and relative neutron importance (Reference 7) were measured, but are not evaluated. Information for the evaluation was compiled from References 1 through 7, the experimental logbooks 8 and 9 ; additional drawings and notes provided by the experimenter; and communication with the lead experimenter, John T. Mihalczo.« less

  10. Iterative optimizing quantization method for reconstructing three-dimensional images from a limited number of views

    DOEpatents

    Lee, H.R.

    1997-11-18

    A three-dimensional image reconstruction method comprises treating the object of interest as a group of elements with a size that is determined by the resolution of the projection data, e.g., as determined by the size of each pixel. One of the projections is used as a reference projection. A fictitious object is arbitrarily defined that is constrained by such reference projection. The method modifies the known structure of the fictitious object by comparing and optimizing its four projections to those of the unknown structure of the real object and continues to iterate until the optimization is limited by the residual sum of background noise. The method is composed of several sub-processes that acquire four projections from the real data and the fictitious object: generate an arbitrary distribution to define the fictitious object, optimize the four projections, generate a new distribution for the fictitious object, and enhance the reconstructed image. The sub-process for the acquisition of the four projections from the input real data is simply the function of acquiring the four projections from the data of the transmitted intensity. The transmitted intensity represents the density distribution, that is, the distribution of absorption coefficients through the object. 5 figs.

  11. Final report on COOMET.QM-S1 (COOMET project no 483/RU/09): Supplementary comparison of primary standard gas mixtures: Nitrogen monoxide in nitrogen (50 µmol/mol)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Konopelko, L. A.; Kustikov, Y. A.; Kolobova, A. V.; Shor, N. B.; Efremova, O. V.; Rozhnov, M. S.; Melnyk, D. M.; Kozia, V. G.; Shpilnyi, S. A.; Petryshyn, P. V.; Iakubov, S. E.; Kluchits, A. S.; Ananyin, V. N.; Mironchik, A. M.; Mokhnach, M. V.; Valkova, M.; Stovcik, V.; Walden, J.; Augusto, C. R.; Fioravante, A. L.; Ribeiro, C. C.; Sobrinho, D. C. G.; Oudwater, R. J.; da Cunha, V. S.

    2014-01-01

    Nitrogen monoxide is one of the main contaminants present in the atmospheric air due to emissions of vehicles and power stations. Taking into account the positive experience of VNIIM in the pilot study CCQM-P73 (Nitrogen monoxide gas standards, 30 µmol/mol to 70 µmol/mol), a COOMET project (No 483/RU/09) on the subject was decided and registered in the KCDB as supplementary comparison COOMET.QM-S1. This involved six National Metrology Institutes, aiming to consolidate or support their Calibration and Measurement Capabilities in this field. It was found that most of the results were consistent with the reference (gravimetric) values, with observed differences not exceeding ±1.3% and not exceeding either the appropriate assigned expanded uncertainties. There was, however, one exception: the INMETRO difference from the reference value is slightly higher than the expended uncertainty. The mixtures prepared for this exercise were found to be stable during about one year within the uncertainty of the measurements. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by COOMET, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).

  12. A combined reference panel from the 1000 Genomes and UK10K projects improved rare variant imputation in European and Chinese samples

    PubMed Central

    Chou, Wen-Chi; Zheng, Hou-Feng; Cheng, Chia-Ho; Yan, Han; Wang, Li; Han, Fang; Richards, J. Brent; Karasik, David; Kiel, Douglas P.; Hsu, Yi-Hsiang

    2016-01-01

    Imputation using the 1000 Genomes haplotype reference panel has been widely adapted to estimate genotypes in genome wide association studies. To evaluate imputation quality with a relatively larger reference panel and a reference panel composed of different ethnic populations, we conducted imputations in the Framingham Heart Study and the North Chinese Study using a combined reference panel from the 1000 Genomes (N = 1,092) and UK10K (N = 3,781) projects. For rare variants with 0.01% < MAF ≤ 0.5%, imputation in the Framingham Heart Study with the combined reference panel increased well-imputed genotypes (with imputation quality score ≥0.4) from 62.9% to 76.1% when compared to imputation with the 1000 Genomes. For the North Chinese samples, imputation of rare variants with 0.01% < MAF ≤ 0.5% with the combined reference panel increased well-imputed genotypes by from 49.8% to 61.8%. The predominant European ancestry of the UK10K and the combined reference panels may explain why there was less of an increase in imputation success in the North Chinese samples. Our results underscore the importance and potential of larger reference panels to impute rare variants, while recognizing that increasing ethnic specific variants in reference panels may result in better imputation for genotypes in some ethnic groups. PMID:28004816

  13. Historical trends and high-resolution future climate projections in northern Tuscany (Italy)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    D'Oria, Marco; Ferraresi, Massimo; Tanda, Maria Giovanna

    2017-12-01

    This paper analyzes the historical precipitation and temperature trends and the future climate projections with reference to the northern part of Tuscany (Italy). The trends are identified and quantified at monthly and annual scale at gauging stations with data collected for long periods (60-90 years). An ensemble of 13 Regional Climate Models (RCMs), based on two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5), was then used to assess local scale future precipitation and temperature projections and to represent the uncertainty in the results. The historical data highlight a general decrease of the annual rainfall at a mean rate of 22 mm per decade but, in many cases, the tendencies are not statistically significant. Conversely, the annual mean temperature exhibits an upward trend, statistically significant in the majority of cases, with a warming rate of about 0.1 °C per decade. With reference to the model projections and the annual precipitation, the results are not concordant; the deviations between models in the same period are higher than the future changes at medium- (2031-2040) and long-term (2051-2060) and highlight that the model uncertainty and variability is high. According to the climate model projections, the warming of the study area is unequivocal; a mean positive increment of 0.8 °C at medium-term and 1.1 °C at long-term is expected with respect to the reference period (2003-2012) and the scenario RCP4.5; the increments grow to 0.9 °C and 1.9 °C for the RCP8.5. Finally, in order to check the observed climate change signals, the climate model projections were compared with the trends based on the historical data. A satisfactory agreement is obtained with reference to the precipitation; a systematic underestimation of the trend values with respect to the models, at medium- and long-term, is observed for the temperature data.

  14. Modeling the Acceleration of Global Surface Temperture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, B.

    2017-12-01

    A mathematical projection focusing on the changing rate of acceleration of Global Surface Temperatures. Using historical trajectory and informed expert near-term prediction, it is possible to extend this further forward drawing a reference arc of acceleration. Presented here is an example of this technique based on data found in the Summary of Findings of A New Estimate of the Average Earth Surface Land Temperature Spanning 1753 to 2011 and that same team's stated prediction to 2050. With this, we can project a curve showing future acceleration: Decade (midpoint) Change in Global Land Temp Degrees C Known Slope Projected Trend 1755 0.000 1955 0.600 0.0030 2005 1.500 0.0051 2045 3.000 0.0375 2095 5.485 0.0497 2145 8.895 0.0682 2195 13.488 0.0919 Observations: Slopes are getting steeper and doing so faster in an "acceleration of the acceleration" or an "arc of acceleration". This is consistent with the non-linear accelerating feedback loops of global warming. Such projected temperatures threaten human civilization and human life. This `thumbnail' projection is consistent with the other long term predictions based on anthropogenic greenhouse gases. This projection is low when compared to those whose forecasts include greenhouse gases released from thawing permafrost and clathrate hydrates. A reference line: This curve should be considered a point of reference. In the near term and absent significant drawdown of greenhouse gases, my "bet" for this AGU session is that future temperatures will generally be above this reference curve. For example, the decade ending 2020 - more than 1.9C and the decade ending 2030 - more than 2.3C - again measured from the 1750 start point. *Caveat: The long term curve and prediction assumes that mankind does not move quickly away from high cost fossil fuels and does not invent, mobilize and take actions drawing down greenhouse gases. Those seeking a comprehensive action plan are directed to drawdown.org

  15. How Cognitive Load Influences Speakers' Choice of Referring Expressions.

    PubMed

    Vogels, Jorrig; Krahmer, Emiel; Maes, Alfons

    2015-08-01

    We report on two experiments investigating the effect of an increased cognitive load for speakers on the choice of referring expressions. Speakers produced story continuations to addressees, in which they referred to characters that were either salient or non-salient in the discourse. In Experiment 1, referents that were salient for the speaker were non-salient for the addressee, and vice versa. In Experiment 2, all discourse information was shared between speaker and addressee. Cognitive load was manipulated by the presence or absence of a secondary task for the speaker. The results show that speakers under load are more likely to produce pronouns, at least when referring to less salient referents. We take this finding as evidence that speakers under load have more difficulties taking discourse salience into account, resulting in the use of expressions that are more economical for themselves. © 2014 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  16. Federal lands highway project development and design manual

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2002-11-01

    This manual has been developed to provide information and guidance to engineering staffs involved with project development and design of highways. It identifies those standards, specifications, guides, and references approved for use in carrying out ...

  17. A Cooperative Conversion Project from Vertical File Hardcopy to Jacketed Microfiche.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Worden, Diane D.

    1981-01-01

    Describes a cooperative project to convert a library's hardcopy materials to microfiche, including the steps involved in conversion, conversion costs, sources of funding, and staff performance rates. Six references are listed. (FM)

  18. Advanced transportation management technologies : participant reference guide : Demonstration Project No. 105

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-04-01

    This demonstration project will provide an opportunity for policy and decision makers from transportation agencies including State and local Departments of Transportation (DOTs), Departments of Public Works (DPWs), and Metropolitan Planning Organizat...

  19. Investing in Preschool.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bracey, Gerald W.

    2003-01-01

    Reviews several studies examining long-term academic, economic, and social benefits of investment in early childhood education. Includes the High/Scope Perry Preschool Project, the Chicago Child-Parent Center Program, the Abecedarian Project, and Head Start. (Contains 10 references.) (PKP)

  20. Concentrating Solar Power Projects - Aurora Solar Energy Project |

    Science.gov Websites

    development Start Year: 2020 Do you have more information, corrections, or comments? Background Technology : 495,000 MWh/yr (Expected) Contact(s): Webmaster Solar Key References: Fact sheet Break Ground: 2018 Start

  1. Concentrating Solar Power Projects - Tamarugal Solar Energy Project |

    Science.gov Websites

    Gross: 450.0 MW Status: Under development Start Year: 2021 Do you have more information, corrections, or Key References: Fact sheet Break Ground: 2018 Start Production: 2021 Participants Developer(s): Solar

  2. THE COLUMBIA-HARVAD-YALE MEDICAL LIBRARIES COMPUTERIZATION PROJECT, A REVIEW WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE PHASE I OF THE PROJECT.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    BREGZIS, RITVARS

    THE PRINCIPAL GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS THE ACTIVATION OF A REAL- TIME MEDICAL LITERATURE SYSTEM, WITH THE CONCEPT FOR THE PROJECT BASED ON RECENT TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS AND AN APPRAISAL OF EXPECTED FUTURE INFORMATION SYSTEMS. DURING THE FIRST PHASE, A DATA FILE HAS BEEN CREATED WHICH, WITH SOME ADJUSTMENTS, CAN BE EMPLOYED FOR TIME-SHARED…

  3. Same Planet, Different Worlds: Why Projects Continue to Fail. A Generalist Review of Project Management with Special Reference to Electronic Research Administration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCormick, Ian

    2006-01-01

    Implementation of IT "solutions" in the context of changes to business processes and efficiency is a common trigger for using formalised project management techniques. The trigger may include topical activities such as job evaluation schemes or quality assurance accreditation. This has led to a blurring of the boundary between projects and…

  4. Evolutionary space platform concept study. Volume 3: Programmatics for manned space platform concepts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1982-01-01

    The programmatic data for the reference concept of the Manned Space Platform is presented. Details regarding work breakdown structure (WBS) and dictionary, the facilities and equipment required to produce the modules, the project schedule and logic diagram, a preliminary assessment of environmental impacts and details regarding the estimated costs for the reference concept are included. The proposed WBS which was developed to provide summary and system level segregation of the nonrecurring and recurring portions of the Manned Space Platform project is also included. The accompanying dictionary outlines the function and activities contained within each WBS element. The facility and equipment required to produce the various modules is discussed. Generally, required equipment is within the existing state of the art although the size of some of the items to be manufactured is a consideration. A preliminary manufacturing flow was also provided. The project schedules presented consist of the Master Project Summary Schedule, the Master Project Phasing Chart and the Logic Network.

  5. MetroFission: New high-temperature references and sensors for the nuclear industry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sadli, M.; del Campo, D.; de Podesta, M.; Deuzé, T.; Failleau, G.; Elliott, C. J.; Fourrez, S.; García, C.; Pearce, J. V.

    2013-09-01

    The European metrology research programme (EMRP) allows funding for metrology-oriented projects in the frame of targeted calls aimed at improving metrology for important contemporary and future needs in different fields such as energy, environment and industry. A joint research project (JRP), called "MetroFission", was selected for funding in the "Energy" call of 2010. This JRP, led by NPL (UK), aims to anticipate and to start addressing the metrological needs of the next generation of nuclear power plants. The need for improving the accuracy and reliability of temperature measurements at temperatures higher than those currently measured in nuclear power plants is dealt with in the first workpackage of the project. This project started in September 2010 and will last for three years. This paper summarizes the activities of the first half of the project and the expected final achievements, which will be essentially oriented towards new temperature references and new devices, adapted to the high temperature range as well as the particularly harsh working conditions.

  6. Building a Unified Information Network.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Avram, Henriette D.

    1988-01-01

    Discusses cooperative efforts between research organizations and libraries to create a national information network. Topics discussed include the Linked System Project (LSP); technical processing versus reference and research functions; Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model; the National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET); and…

  7. National Bone Health Alliance Bone Turnover Marker Project: current practices and the need for US harmonization, standardization, and common reference ranges.

    PubMed

    Bauer, D; Krege, J; Lane, N; Leary, E; Libanati, C; Miller, P; Myers, G; Silverman, S; Vesper, H W; Lee, D; Payette, M; Randall, S

    2012-10-01

    This position paper reviews how the National Bone Health Alliance (NBHA) will execute a project to help assure health professionals of the clinical utility of bone turnover markers; the current clinical approaches concerning osteoporosis and the status and use of bone turnover markers in the USA; the rationale for focusing this effort around two specific bone turnover markers; the need to standardize bone marker sample collection procedures, reference ranges, and bone turnover marker assays in clinical laboratories; and the importance of harmonization for future research of bone turnover markers. Osteoporosis is a major global health problem, with the prevalence and incidence of osteoporosis for at-risk populations estimated to be 44 million Americans. The potential of bone markers as an additional tool for health care professionals to improve patient outcomes and impact morbidity and mortality is crucial in providing better health care and addressing rising health care costs. This need to advance the field of bone turnover markers has been recognized by a number of organizations, including the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), National Osteoporosis Foundation, International Federation of Clinical Chemistry, and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC), and the NBHA. This position paper elucidates how this project will standardize bone turnover marker sample collection procedures in the USA, establish a USA reference range for one bone formation (serum procollagen type I N propeptide, s-PINP) and one bone resorption (serum C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen, s-CTX) marker, and standardize bone turnover marker assays used in clinical laboratories. This effort will allow clinicians from the USA to have confidence in their use of bone turnover markers to help monitor osteoporosis treatment and assess future fracture risk. This project builds on the recommendations of the IOF/IFCC Bone Marker Standards Working Group by developing USA reference standards for s-PINP and s-CTX, the markers identified as most promising for use as reference markers. The goals of this project will be realized through the NBHA and will include its governmental, academic, for-profit, and non-profit sector stakeholders as well as major academic and commercial laboratories. Upon completion, a parallel effort will be pursued to make bone turnover marker measurements reliable and accepted by all health care professionals for facilitating treatment decisions and ultimately be reimbursed by all health insurance payers. Successful completion of this project will help assure health professionals from the USA of the clinical utility of bone turnover markers and ties in with the parallel effort of the IOF/IFCC to develop worldwide bone turnover reference ranges.

  8. Placement Component, Lincoln Career Education Project. Final Report. March, 1973-June, 1976.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Novak, Carl D.; And Others

    The goal of the placement component of the 3-year Lincoln Career Education Project, Nebraska, was to establish placement services for youth of participating project schools. "Placement" referred not only to helping exiting senior high youth find employment, but also to developing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes which lead to…

  9. Industrially-Situated Project-Based Learning: A Study of Feedback and Diffusion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gilbuena, Debra M.

    2013-01-01

    The Virtual Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) Process Development Project provides the context for the two areas of the research presented in this dissertation. The first area, generally referred to as feedback in this dissertation, focuses on student learning and the interactions of students and instructors that take place in the project,…

  10. Lessons from an International e-Learning Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Breen, Paul

    2007-01-01

    This paper offers a critical examination of an e-learning project in the context of a Distance Education training program delivered to teacher trainers in Rwanda. In examining the successes and failures of the project, it uses a framework based on ideas promulgated by Moore (1995) and strives to provide guidance and reference for future projects…

  11. 18 CFR 16.5 - Site access for a competing applicant.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... in providing access, including energy generation lost as a result of modification of project... the Office of Energy Projects for resolution in the manner specified in § 16.8(b)(5) prior to the... access may be referred to the Director of the Office of Energy Projects for resolution in the manner...

  12. 18 CFR 16.5 - Site access for a competing applicant.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... in providing access, including energy generation lost as a result of modification of project... the Office of Energy Projects for resolution in the manner specified in § 16.8(b)(5) prior to the... access may be referred to the Director of the Office of Energy Projects for resolution in the manner...

  13. 18 CFR 16.5 - Site access for a competing applicant.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... in providing access, including energy generation lost as a result of modification of project... the Office of Energy Projects for resolution in the manner specified in § 16.8(b)(5) prior to the... access may be referred to the Director of the Office of Energy Projects for resolution in the manner...

  14. 18 CFR 16.5 - Site access for a competing applicant.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... in providing access, including energy generation lost as a result of modification of project... the Office of Energy Projects for resolution in the manner specified in § 16.8(b)(5) prior to the... access may be referred to the Director of the Office of Energy Projects for resolution in the manner...

  15. 18 CFR 16.5 - Site access for a competing applicant.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... in providing access, including energy generation lost as a result of modification of project... the Office of Energy Projects for resolution in the manner specified in § 16.8(b)(5) prior to the... access may be referred to the Director of the Office of Energy Projects for resolution in the manner...

  16. ARSENIC REMOVAL FROM DRINKING WATER BY ADSORPTIVE MEDIA. USEPA DEMONSTRATION PROJECT AT VALLEY VISTA, AZ FINAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATION REPORT

    EPA Science Inventory

    This report documents the activities performed during and the results obtained from the arsenic removal treatment technology demonstration project at an Arizona Water Company (AWC) facility in Sedona, AZ, commonly referred to as Valley Vista. The objectives of the project were t...

  17. Supplemental Tables to the Annual Energy Outlook

    EIA Publications

    2017-01-01

    The Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) Supplemental tables were generated for the reference case of the AEO using the National Energy Modeling System, a computer-based model which produces annual projections of energy markets. Most of the tables were not published in the AEO, but contain regional and other more detailed projections underlying the AEO projections.

  18. 76 FR 62400 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Focus Groups as...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-07

    ... Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Focus Groups as Used by EPA for Economics Projects (Renewal... used by EPA for Economics Projects (Renewal). ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2205.07, OMB Control No. 2090... interviews (hereafter jointly referred to as focus groups) related to economics projects. Over the next three...

  19. 76 FR 61475 - Environmental Impact Statement: Walton and Bay Counties, Florida

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-04

    ...) will be prepared for a proposed highway project in Walton and Bay Counties, Florida. FOR FURTHER... public and agency review and comment. Additional project information can be found at the following web... 98) in Walton County, FL. The FDOT refers to this project as West Bay Parkway, Segment 1. This...

  20. A Transition from a Traditional to a Project-Like Physical Chemistry Laboratory via a Heterogeneous Catalysis Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldwasser, M. R.; Leal, O.

    1979-01-01

    Outlines an approach for instruction in a physical chemistry laboratory which combines traditional and project-like experiments. An outline of laboratory experiments and examples of project-like experiments are included. (BT)

  1. Simulating the impact of climate, land use and human water use on the hydrological system over the period 1850-2100 using PCR-GLOBWB

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bosmans, Joyce; van Beek, Rens; Bierkens, Marc

    2015-04-01

    In this study we investigate the impact of humans on the global hydrological system by separating the impacts of climate change, land use and land cover change, and human water use in a series of experiments with the PCR-GLOBWB hydrological model (e.g. van Beek et al., 2011; Sutanudjaja et al., 2014). We force PCR-GLOBWB with input from the EC-Earth and CESM GCMs, allowing us to extend our experiments from the pre-industrial (1850) to the end of the century (2099). Two greenhouse gas emission scenarios are used for the coming century: Representative Concentration Pathway 2.6 (RCP2.6), a low-end scenario, as well as the high-end RCP8.5 scenario. Precipitation, temperature and reference potential evapotranspiration are applied to PCR-GLOBWB, after bias-correction using the ISI-MIP method (Hempel et al., 2013). The reference potential evapotranspiration is computed using the Penman-Monteith equation with GCM wind, radiation, temperature, humidity and pressure as opposed to the Hamon method used as default in PCR-GLOBWB. To evaluate the impacts of climate change as well as land use and land cover (LULC) change, we apply a combination of fixed and transient LULC scenarios. First, LULC is kept fixed at 1850 values, so the hydrological model is only experiencing changes in precipitation, temperature and reference potential evapotranspiration. Then, LULC is allowed to vary according to historical reconstructions (HYDE) and future projections per RCP (Hurtt et al., 2011). In these experiments, anthropogenic effects are excluded. This is the first study to evaluate PCR-GLOBWB with pre-industrial or transient LULC in combination with present and future climate change. The next step is to investigate human impacts on the water system, by comparing the experiment with varying LULC to an experiment that additionally includes reservoir operations, human water abstractions including irrigation (paddy and non-paddy) and subsequent return flows. We aim to project future human impacts using information based on Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). In previous studies, domestic, industrial and irrigation water demand were varied over the past decades in PCR-GLOBWB. Here we improve the analyses of human impacts on the hydrological system by looking further into the past and the future, as well as by comparing the impact of human water use to impacts of climate and LULC change. van Beek et al (2011), Global monthly water stress: 1. Water balance and water availability. Water Resources Research, Vol 47. Hempel et al (2013), A trend-preserving bias correction - the ISI-MIP approach. Earth System Dynamics, Vol 4. Hurtt et al (2011), Harmonization of land-use scenarios for the period 1500-2100: 600 years of global gridded annual land-use transitions, wood harvest, and resulting secondary lands. Climatic Change, Vol 109. Sutanudjaja et al (2014), Development and validation of PCR-GLOBWB 2.0: a 5 arc min resolution global hydrology and water resources model. EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts

  2. An Overview of the International H2O Project (IHOP_2002) and Some Preliminary Highlights.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weckwerth, Tammy M.; Parsons, David B.; Koch, Steven E.; Moore, James A.; Lemone, Margaret A.; Demoz, Belay B.; Flamant, Cyrille; Geerts, Bart; Wang, Junhong; Feltz, Wayne F.

    2004-02-01

    The International H2O Project (IHOP_2002) is one of the largest North American meteorological field experiments in history. From 13 May to 25 June 2002, over 250 researchers and technical staff from the United States, Germany, France, and Canada converged on the Southern Great Plains to measure water vapor and other atmospheric variables. The principal objective of IHOP_2002 is to obtain an improved characterization of the time-varying three-dimensional water vapor field and evaluate its utility in improving the understanding and prediction of convective processes. The motivation for this objective is the combination of extremely low forecast skill for warm-season rainfall and the relatively large loss of life and property from flash floods and other warm-season weather hazards. Many prior studies on convective storm forecasting have shown that water vapor is a key atmospheric variable that is insufficiently measured. Toward this goal, IHOP_2002 brought together many of the existing operational and new state-of-the-art research water vapor sensors and numerical models.The IHOP_2002 experiment comprised numerous unique aspects. These included several instruments fielded for the first time (e.g., reference radiosonde); numerous upgraded instruments (e.g., Wyo-ming Cloud Radar); the first ever horizontal-pointing water vapor differential absorption lidar (DIAL; i.e., Leandre II on the Naval Research Laboratory P-3), which required the first onboard aircraft avoidance radar; several unique combinations of sensors (e.g., multiple profiling instruments at one field site and the German water vapor DIAL and NOAA/Environmental Technology Laboratory Doppler lidar on board the German Falcon aircraft); and many logistical challenges. This article presents a summary of the motivation, goals, and experimental design of the project, illustrates some preliminary data collected, and includes discussion on some potential operational and research implications of the experiment.

  3. GEOdetic Data assimilation and EStimation of references for climate change InvEstigation. An overall presentation of the French GEODESIE project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nahmani, S.; Coulot, D.; Biancale, R.; Bizouard, C.; Bonnefond, P.; Bouquillon, S.; Collilieux, X.; Deleflie, F.; Garayt, B.; Lambert, S. B.; Laurent-Varin, S.; Marty, J. C.; Mercier, F.; Metivier, L.; Meyssignac, B.; Pollet, A.; Rebischung, P.; Reinquin, F.; Richard, J. Y.; Tertre, F.; Woppelmann, G.

    2017-12-01

    Many major indicators of climate change are monitored with space observations. This monitoring is highly dependent on references that only geodesy can provide. The current accuracy of these references does not permit to fully support the challenges that the constantly evolving Earth system gives rise to, and can consequently limit the accuracy of these indicators. Thus, in the framework of the GGOS, stringent requirements are fixed to the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) for the next decade: an accuracy at the level of 1 mm and a stability at the level of 0.1 mm/yr. This means an improvement of the current quality of ITRF by a factor of 5-10. Improving the quality of the geodetic references is an issue which requires a thorough reassessment of the methodologies involved. The most relevant and promising method to improve this quality is the direct combination of the space-geodetic measurements used to compute the official references of the IERS. The GEODESIE project aims at (i) determining highly-accurate global and consistent references and (ii) providing the geophysical and climate research communities with these references, for a better estimation of geocentric sea level rise, ice mass balance and on-going climate changes. Time series of sea levels computed from altimetric data and tide gauge records with these references will also be provided. The geodetic references will be essential bases for Earth's observation and monitoring to support the challenges of the century. The geocentric time series of sea levels will permit to better apprehend (i) the drivers of the global mean sea level rise and of regional variations of sea level and (ii) the contribution of the global climate change induced by anthropogenic greenhouse gases emissions to these drivers. All the results and computation and quality assessment reports will be available at geodesie_anr.ign.fr.This project, supported by the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) for the period 2017-2020, will be an unprecedented opportunity to provide the French Groupe de Recherche de Géodésie Spatiale (GRGS) with complete simulation and data processing capabilities to prepare the future arrival of space missions such as the European Geodetic Reference Antenna in SPace (E-GRASP) and to significantly contribute to the GGOS with accurate references.

  4. Assisting Your Preservice Teacher to Be Successful during Field Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brett, Christine

    2006-01-01

    Field experience (junior practicum and student teaching) is considered by many to be the most influential part of a teacher preparation program (Cruickshank & Aramalin, 1986; Tannehill & Zakrajsek, 1988). During field experiences, preservice teachers (hereafter referred to as PSTs) are guided by a cooperating teacher (hereafter referred to as a…

  5. Population-Based Pediatric Reference Intervals in General Clinical Chemistry: A Swedish Survey.

    PubMed

    Ridefelt, Peter

    2015-01-01

    Very few high quality studies on pediatric reference intervals for general clinical chemistry and hematology analytes have been performed. Three recent prospective community-based projects utilising blood samples from healthy children in Sweden, Denmark and Canada have substantially improved the situation. The Swedish survey included 701 healthy children. Reference intervals for general clinical chemistry and hematology were defined.

  6. Projecting Images of the "Good" and the "Bad School": Top Scorers in Educational Large-Scale Assessments as Reference Societies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waldow, Florian

    2017-01-01

    Researchers interested in the global flow of educational ideas and programmes have long been interested in the role of so-called "reference societies." The article investigates how top scorers in large-scale assessments are framed as positive or negative reference societies in the education policy-making debate in German mass media and…

  7. What's in a "research passport"? A collaborative autoethnography of institutional approvals in public involvement in research.

    PubMed

    Laterza, Vito; Evans, David; Davies, Rosemary; Donald, Christine; Rice, Cathy

    2016-01-01

    The article analyses the process of securing permissions for members of the public (we refer to them as "research partners") and academics involved in a qualitative study of public involvement in research (PIR) across eight health sciences projects in England and Wales. All researchers, including research partners, need to obtain a "research passport" from UK NHS trusts where they intend to carry out research. The article presents the experiences and observations of the authors, who all went through the process.Research partners encountered many challenges, as the overall bureaucratic procedures proved burdensome. The effects were felt by the academics too who had to manage the whole process. This influenced the way research partners and academics built social and personal relationships required for the successful conduct of the project. We also discuss the tensions that emerged around the issue of whether research partners should be treated as a professional category on their own, and other issues that influenced the PIR processes.In the concluding section, we make a number of practical recommendations. Project teams should allow enough time to go through all the hurdles and steps required for institutional permissions, and should plan in advance for the right amount of time and capacity needed from project leaders and administrators. Bureaucratic and organisational processes involved in PIR can sometimes produce unanticipated and unwanted negative effects on research partners. Our final recommendation to policy makers is to focus their efforts on making PIR bureaucracy more inclusive and ultimately more democratic. Background In the growing literature on public involvement in research (PIR), very few works analyse PIR organizational and institutional dimensions in depth. We explore the complex interactions of PIR with institutions and bureaucratic procedures, with a focus on the process of securing institutional permissions for members of the public (we refer to them as "research partners") and academics involved in health research. Methods We employ a collaborative autoethnographic approach to describe the process of validating "research passports" required by UK NHS trusts, and the individual experiences of the authors who went through this journey - research partners and academics involved in a qualitative study of PIR across eight health sciences projects in England and Wales. Results Our findings show that research partners encountered many challenges, as the overall bureaucratic procedures and the emotional work required to deal with them proved burdensome. The effects were felt by the academics too who had to manage the whole process at an early stage of team building in the project. Our thematic discussion focuses on two additional themes: the emerging tensions around professionalisation of research partners, and the reflexive effects on PIR processes. Conclusions In the concluding section, we make a number of practical recommendations. Project teams should allow enough time to go through all the hurdles and steps required for institutional permissions, and should plan in advance for the right amount of time and capacity needed from project leaders and administrators. Our findings are a reminder that the bureaucratic and organisational structures involved in PIR can sometimes produce unanticipated and unwanted negative effects on research partners, hence affecting the overall quality and effectiveness of PIR. Our final recommendation to policy makers is to focus their efforts on making PIR bureaucracy more inclusive and ultimately more democratic.

  8. Curriculum Alignment Projects: Toward Developing a Need To Know.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pinkerton, K. David

    2001-01-01

    Describes the Curriculum Alignment Projects (CAPs) with the example of Bicarbonate Squeeze Play, which is an 18-week curriculum. Describes the three important outcomes of the CAPs; motivation, achievement, and teaching. Includes 16 references. (YDS)

  9. Environmentally sensitive maintenance for dirt and gravel roads

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2007-10-01

    This is a nonpoint source pollution project that identifies, documents, and encourages the use of environmentally sensitive maintenance of dirt and gravel roads. Specifically, this project involved the development of a reference manual and related te...

  10. Classroom Environment in the Implementation of an Innovative Curriculum Project in Science Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Suarez, Mercedes; Pias, Rosa; Membiela, Pedro; Dapia, Dolores

    1998-01-01

    Analyzes the perceptions of students, teachers, and external observers in order to study the influence of classroom environment on the implementation of an innovative project in science education. Contains 33 references. (DDR)

  11. A Sneak Preview of the E-ELT Design Reference Science Plan Questionnaire Results

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kissler-Patig, M.; Küpcü Yoldaş, A.; Liske, J.

    2009-12-01

    The European Extremely Large Telescope is in its detailed design phase until the end of 2010. During this period, the telescope design is being consolidated and instrument and operation concepts are being studied. The scientific users are feeding back requirements into the project in numerous ways. One of them, the Design Reference Science Plan, was an opportunity for the entire community to provide direct feedback to the project. Here, we summarise the first results from this study. The full report will appear in the first half of 2010.

  12. Radio tuning effects on visual and driving performance measures : simulator and test track studies.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-05-01

    Existing driver distraction guidelines for visual-manual device interface operation specify traditional : manual radio tuning as a reference task. This project evaluated the radio tuning reference task through two activities. : The first activity con...

  13. High-precision reflectivity measurements: improvements in the calibration procedure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jupe, Marco; Grossmann, Florian; Starke, Kai; Ristau, Detlev

    2003-05-01

    The development of high quality optical components is heavily depending on precise characterization procedures. The reflectance and transmittance of laser components are the most important parameters for advanced laser applications. In the industrial fabrication of optical coatings, quality management is generally insured by spectral photometric methods according to ISO/DIS 15386 on a medium level of accuracy. Especially for high reflecting mirrors, a severe discrepancy in the determination of the absolute reflectivity can be found for spectral photometric procedures. In the first part of the CHOCLAB project, a method for measuring reflectance and transmittance with an enhanced precision was developed, which is described in ISO/WD 13697. In the second part of the CHOCLAB project, the evaluation and optimization for the presented method is scheduled. Within this framework international Round-Robin experiment is currently in progress. During this Round-Robin experiment, distinct deviations could be observed between the results of high precision measurement facilities of different partners. Based on the extended experiments, the inhomogeneity of the sample reflectivity was identified as one important origin for the deviation. Consequently, this inhomogeneity is also influencing the calibration procedure. Therefore, a method was developed that allows the calibration of the chopper blade using always the same position on the reference mirror. During the investigations, the homogeneity of several samples was characterized by a surface mapping procedure for 1064 nm. The measurement facility was extended to the additional wavelength 532 nm and a similar set-up was assembled at 10.6 μm. The high precision reflectivity procedure at the mentioned wavelengths is demonstrated for exemplary measurements.

  14. Testing the causal theory of reference.

    PubMed

    Domaneschi, Filippo; Vignolo, Massimiliano; Di Paola, Simona

    2017-04-01

    Theories of reference are a crucial research topic in analytic philosophy. Since the publication of Kripke's Naming and Necessity, most philosophers have endorsed the causal/historical theory of reference. The goal of this paper is twofold: (i) to discuss a method for testing experimentally the causal theory of reference for proper names by investigating linguistic usage and (ii) to present the results from two experiments conducted with that method. Data collected in our experiments confirm the causal theory of reference for people proper names and for geographical proper names. A secondary but interesting result is that the semantic domain affects reference assignment: while with people proper names speakers tend to assign the semantic reference, with geographical proper names they are prompted to assign the speaker's reference. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. PubMed searches: overview and strategies for clinicians.

    PubMed

    Lindsey, Wesley T; Olin, Bernie R

    2013-04-01

    PubMed is a biomedical and life sciences database maintained by a division of the National Library of Medicine known as the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). It is a large resource with more than 5600 journals indexed and greater than 22 million total citations. Searches conducted in PubMed provide references that are more specific for the intended topic compared with other popular search engines. Effective PubMed searches allow the clinician to remain current on the latest clinical trials, systematic reviews, and practice guidelines. PubMed continues to evolve by allowing users to create a customized experience through the My NCBI portal, new arrangements and options in search filters, and supporting scholarly projects through exportation of citations to reference managing software. Prepackaged search options available in the Clinical Queries feature also allow users to efficiently search for clinical literature. PubMed also provides information regarding the source journals themselves through the Journals in NCBI Databases link. This article provides an overview of the PubMed database's structure and features as well as strategies for conducting an effective search.

  16. Comparative analysis of student self-reflections on course projects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pomales-García, Cristina; Cortés Barreto, Kenneth

    2014-11-01

    This study presents the skills, experiences, and values identified in project self-reflections of 161 undergraduate engineering students. Self-reflections from two different engineering design courses, which provide experiences in project-based learning (PBL), are analysed through the content analysis methodology. Results show that 'application', 'true life', 'satisfaction', and 'communication' are the common keywords shared in the reflections. Multiple hypothesis tests to identify differences between courses, project types, years, and gender suggest that there are no significant differences between experiences, skills, and values self-reported by students who completed either a case study or an industry project. Based on research findings, recommendations will be provided to enhance the engineering curriculum based on PBL experiences to support the development of relevant professional skills and experiences.

  17. Calculation and analysis of shear resistance of segment ring joint with shear pin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Shengzhi; Huang, Haibin; Wang, Mingnian; Xiao, Shihui; Liu, Dagang

    2018-03-01

    In order to get the effect of shear pins between segments on the shear resistance of segment girth joints. Take the Maliuzhou traffic tunnel project of Zhuhai which with super large diameter and Marine Composite strata as the research object, the longitudinal shear stiffness of tunnel shear considering the shear rigidity of shear pins was obtained through the finite element shear experiment of segment ring. By comparing the calculation results of shear pin and non shear pin between segment ring connections, the conclusion that shear pin setting can effectively decompose and transfer shear force and control the dislocation between segment ring blocks is obtained. The study can be used as reference for the design and construction of shield tunnel.

  18. METERON end-to-end Network for Robotic Experiments: Objectives and first operations at B.USOC.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    This, N.; Michel, A.; Litefti, K.; Muller, C.; Moreau, D.

    2012-09-01

    METERON an international collaboration between ESA, NASA (University of Colorado), Roskosmos and DLR. It intends to use the ISS as a test bed to simulate an orbiter around another heavenly body (for example Mars), under directives from Mission Control on Earth. Astronauts on the orbiter will project their human initiative and instinct, in realtime, onto the surface of the heavenly body (simulated by an analog site on the Earth) through robotic device(s) to perform science or engineering tasks. This type of real-time control is not possible directly from Earth due to the One Way Light Time delay in communications. METERON operations are managed by B.USOC since December 2011 as Facility Reference Centre.

  19. Assessment of the geoavailability of trace elements from minerals in mine wastes: analytical techniques and assessment of selected copper minerals

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Driscoll, Rhonda; Hageman, Phillip L.; Benzel, William M.; Diehl, Sharon F.; Adams, David T.; Morman, Suzette; Choate, LaDonna M.

    2012-01-01

    In this study, four randomly selected copper-bearing minerals were examined—azurite, malachite, bornite, and chalcopyrite. The objectives were to examine and enumerate the crystalline and chemical properties of each of the minerals, to determine which, if any, of the Cu-bearing minerals might adversely affect systems biota, and to provide a multi-procedure reference. Laboratory work included use of computational software for quantifying crystalline and amorphous material and optical and electron imaging instruments to model and project crystalline structures. Chemical weathering, human fluid, and enzyme simulation studies were also conducted. The analyses were conducted systematically: X-ray diffraction and microanalytical studies followed by a series of chemical, bio-leaching, and toxicity experiments.

  20. [Video technology--a medium for milieu therapy?].

    PubMed

    Wormstall, H; Günthner, A; Balg, S; Schwärzler, F

    2000-07-01

    Video technology has been in use in the psychiatric field for more than 20 years for diagnostic, scientific, co-therapeutic or educational purposes. However, little is known of its potential applications and impact as an instrument in psychotherapy or environmental therapy. For this reason a new cinematographic project applying widespread video technology in environmental therapy, too, has been launched. All patients at our psychiatric hospital are involved in film selection, can cooperate at different organizational levels, and have regular opportunities to see films. The technical, the organizational and, in particular, the legal preconditions are set out, followed by a report on experience gained in use of video films within the setting of a psychiatric hospital. Reference is also made to economic aspects, therapeutic effects and contraindications.

  1. First Results on Angular Distributions of Thermal Dileptons in Nuclear Collisions

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

    Arnaldi, R.; Colla, A.; Cortese, P.

    The NA60 experiment at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron has studied dimuon production in 158A GeV In-In collisions. The strong excess of pairs above the known sources found in the complete mass region 0.2

  2. The path to an experiment in space (from concept to flight)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Salzman, Jack A.

    1994-01-01

    The following are discussed in this viewgraph presentation on developing flight experiments for NASA's Microgravity Science and Applications Program: time from flight PI selection to launch; key flight experiment phases and schedule drivers; microgravity experiment definition/development process; definition and engineering development phase; ground-based reduced gravity research facilities; project organization; responsibilities and duties of principle investigator/co-investigators, project scientist, and project manager; the science requirements document; flight development phase; experiment cost and schedule; and keys to experiment success.

  3. Lessons for livestock genomics from genome and transcriptome sequencing in cattle and other mammals.

    PubMed

    Taylor, Jeremy F; Whitacre, Lynsey K; Hoff, Jesse L; Tizioto, Polyana C; Kim, JaeWoo; Decker, Jared E; Schnabel, Robert D

    2016-08-17

    Decreasing sequencing costs and development of new protocols for characterizing global methylation, gene expression patterns and regulatory regions have stimulated the generation of large livestock datasets. Here, we discuss experiences in the analysis of whole-genome and transcriptome sequence data. We analyzed whole-genome sequence (WGS) data from 132 individuals from five canid species (Canis familiaris, C. latrans, C. dingo, C. aureus and C. lupus) and 61 breeds, three bison (Bison bison), 64 water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and 297 bovines from 17 breeds. By individual, data vary in extent of reference genome depth of coverage from 4.9X to 64.0X. We have also analyzed RNA-seq data for 580 samples representing 159 Bos taurus and Rattus norvegicus animals and 98 tissues. By aligning reads to a reference assembly and calling variants, we assessed effects of average depth of coverage on the actual coverage and on the number of called variants. We examined the identity of unmapped reads by assembling them and querying produced contigs against the non-redundant nucleic acids database. By imputing high-density single nucleotide polymorphism data on 4010 US registered Angus animals to WGS using Run4 of the 1000 Bull Genomes Project and assessing the accuracy of imputation, we identified misassembled reference sequence regions. We estimate that a 24X depth of coverage is required to achieve 99.5 % coverage of the reference assembly and identify 95 % of the variants within an individual's genome. Genomes sequenced to low average coverage (e.g., <10X) may fail to cover 10 % of the reference genome and identify <75 % of variants. About 10 % of genomic DNA or transcriptome sequence reads fail to align to the reference assembly. These reads include loci missing from the reference assembly and misassembled genes and interesting symbionts, commensal and pathogenic organisms. Assembly errors and a lack of annotation of functional elements significantly limit the utility of the current draft livestock reference assemblies. The Functional Annotation of Animal Genomes initiative seeks to annotate functional elements, while a 70X Pac-Bio assembly for cow is underway and may result in a significantly improved reference assembly.

  4. Improved imputation accuracy in Hispanic/Latino populations with larger and more diverse reference panels: applications in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

    PubMed Central

    Nelson, Sarah C.; Stilp, Adrienne M.; Papanicolaou, George J.; Taylor, Kent D.; Rotter, Jerome I.; Thornton, Timothy A.; Laurie, Cathy C.

    2016-01-01

    Imputation is commonly used in genome-wide association studies to expand the set of genetic variants available for analysis. Larger and more diverse reference panels, such as the final Phase 3 of the 1000 Genomes Project, hold promise for improving imputation accuracy in genetically diverse populations such as Hispanics/Latinos in the USA. Here, we sought to empirically evaluate imputation accuracy when imputing to a 1000 Genomes Phase 3 versus a Phase 1 reference, using participants from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Our assessments included calculating the correlation between imputed and observed allelic dosage in a subset of samples genotyped on a supplemental array. We observed that the Phase 3 reference yielded higher accuracy at rare variants, but that the two reference panels were comparable at common variants. At a sample level, the Phase 3 reference improved imputation accuracy in Hispanic/Latino samples from the Caribbean more than for Mainland samples, which we attribute primarily to the additional reference panel samples available in Phase 3. We conclude that a 1000 Genomes Project Phase 3 reference panel can yield improved imputation accuracy compared with Phase 1, particularly for rare variants and for samples of certain genetic ancestry compositions. Our findings can inform imputation design for other genome-wide association studies of participants with diverse ancestries, especially as larger and more diverse reference panels continue to become available. PMID:27346520

  5. The Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders. I: overview and methodology for assessment of validity.

    PubMed

    Schiffman, Eric L; Truelove, Edmond L; Ohrbach, Richard; Anderson, Gary C; John, Mike T; List, Thomas; Look, John O

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) Validation Project was to assess the diagnostic validity of this examination protocol. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the project's methodology, descriptive statistics, and data for the study participant sample. This article also details the development of reliable methods to establish the reference standards for assessing criterion validity of the Axis I RDC/TMD diagnoses. The Axis I reference standards were based on the consensus of two criterion examiners independently performing a comprehensive history, clinical examination, and evaluation of imaging. Intersite reliability was assessed annually for criterion examiners and radiologists. Criterion examination reliability was also assessed within study sites. Study participant demographics were comparable to those of participants in previous studies using the RDC/TMD. Diagnostic agreement of the criterion examiners with each other and with the consensus-based reference standards was excellent with all kappas > or = 0.81, except for osteoarthrosis (moderate agreement, k = 0.53). Intrasite criterion examiner agreement with reference standards was excellent (k > or = 0.95). Intersite reliability of the radiologists for detecting computed tomography-disclosed osteoarthrosis and magnetic resonance imaging-disclosed disc displacement was good to excellent (k = 0.71 and 0.84, respectively). The Validation Project study population was appropriate for assessing the reliability and validity of the RDC/TMD Axis I and II. The reference standards used to assess the validity of Axis I TMD were based on reliable and clinically credible methods.

  6. Satellite Applications for Public Service: Project Summaries.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lauffer, Sandra; And Others

    Summaries of 18 different projects involving the use of satellite communications are presented in this report, including PEACESAT Education and Communication Experiments, USP Network Satellite Communication Project, Project Satellite, Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE), Appalachian Education Satellite Program, Alaska Education…

  7. Terrain Correction on the moving equal area cylindrical map projection of the surface of a reference ellipsoid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ardalan, A.; Safari, A.; Grafarend, E.

    2003-04-01

    An operational algorithm for computing the ellipsoidal terrain correction based on application of closed form solution of the Newton integral in terms of Cartesian coordinates in the cylindrical equal area map projected surface of a reference ellipsoid has been developed. As the first step the mapping of the points on the surface of a reference ellipsoid onto the cylindrical equal area map projection of a cylinder tangent to a point on the surface of reference ellipsoid closely studied and the map projection formulas are computed. Ellipsoidal mass elements with various sizes on the surface of the reference ellipsoid is considered and the gravitational potential and the vector of gravitational intensity of these mass elements has been computed via the solution of Newton integral in terms of ellipsoidal coordinates. The geographical cross section areas of the selected ellipsoidal mass elements are transferred into cylindrical equal area map projection and based on the transformed area elements Cartesian mass elements with the same height as that of the ellipsoidal mass elements are constructed. Using the close form solution of the Newton integral in terms of Cartesian coordinates the potential of the Cartesian mass elements are computed and compared with the same results based on the application of the ellipsoidal Newton integral over the ellipsoidal mass elements. The results of the numerical computations show that difference between computed gravitational potential of the ellipsoidal mass elements and Cartesian mass element in the cylindrical equal area map projection is of the order of 1.6 × 10-8m^2/s^2 for a mass element with the cross section size of 10 km × 10 km and the height of 1000 m. For a 1 km × 1 km mass element with the same height, this difference is less than 1.5 × 10-4 m^2}/s^2. The results of the numerical computations indicate that a new method for computing the terrain correction based on the closed form solution of the Newton integral in terms of Cartesian coordinates and with accuracy of ellipsoidal terrain correction has been achieved! In this way one can enjoy the simplicity of the solution of the Newton integral in terms of Cartesian coordinates and at the same time the accuracy of the ellipsoidal terrain correction, which is needed for the modern theory of geoid computations.

  8. Space Mechanisms Lessons Learned Study. Volume 2: Literature Review

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shapiro, Wilbur; Murray, Frank; Howarth, Roy; Fusaro, Robert

    1995-01-01

    Hundreds of satellites have been launched to date. Some have operated extremely well and others have not. In order to learn from past operating experiences, a study was conducted to determine the conditions under which space mechanisms (mechanically moving components) have previously worked or failed. The study consisted of an extensive literature review that included both government contractor reports and technical journals, communication and visits (when necessary) to the various NASA and DOD centers and their designated contractors (this included contact with project managers of current and prior NASA satellite programs as well as their industry counterparts), requests for unpublished information to NASA and industry, and a mail survey designed to acquire specific mechanism experience. The information obtained has been organized into two volumes. Volume 1 provides a summary of the lesson learned, the results of a needs analysis, responses to the mail survey, a listing of experts, a description of some available facilities, and a compilation of references. Volume 2 contains a compilation of the literature review synopsis.

  9. Space Mechanisms Lessons Learned Study. Volume 1: Summary

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shapiro, Wilbur; Murray, Frank; Howarth, Roy; Fusaro, Robert

    1995-01-01

    Hundreds of satellites have been launched to date. Some have operated extremely well and others have not. In order to learn from past operating experiences, a study was conducted to determine the conditions under which space mechanisms (mechanically moving components) have previously worked or failed. The study consisted of: (1) an extensive literature review that included both government contractor reports and technical journals; (2) communication and visits (when necessary) to the various NASA and DOD centers and their designated contractors (this included contact with project managers of current and prior NASA satellite programs as well as their industry counterparts); (3) requests for unpublished information to NASA and industry; and (4) a mail survey designed to acquire specific mechanism experience. The information obtained has been organized into two volumes. Volume 1 provides a summary of the lessons learned, the results of a needs analysis, responses to the mail survey, a listing of experts, a description of some available facilities and a compilation of references. Volume 2 contains a compilation of the literature review synopsis.

  10. Hypersonic Navier Stokes Comparisons to Orbiter Flight Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Campbell, Charles H.; Nompelis, Ioannis; Candler, Graham; Barnhart, Michael; Yoon, Seokkwan

    2009-01-01

    Hypersonic chemical nonequilibrium simulations of low earth orbit entry flow fields are becoming increasingly commonplace as software and computational capabilities become more capable. However, development of robust and accurate software to model these environments will always encounter a significant barrier in developing a suite of high quality calibration cases. The US3D hypersonic nonequilibrium Navier Stokes analysis capability has been favorably compared to a number of wind tunnel test cases. Extension of the calibration basis for this software to Orbiter flight conditions will provide an incremental increase in confidence. As part of the Orbiter Boundary Layer Transition Flight Experiment and the Hypersonic Thermodynamic Infrared Measurements project, NASA is performing entry flight testing on the Orbiter to provide valuable aerothermodynamic heating data. An increase in interest related to orbiter entry environments is resulting from this activity. With the advent of this new data, comparisons of the US3D software to the new flight testing data is warranted. This paper will provide information regarding the framework of analyses that will be applied with the US3D analysis tool. In addition, comparisons will be made to entry flight testing data provided by the Orbiter BLT Flight Experiment and HYTHIRM projects. If data from digital scans of the Orbiter windward surface become available, simulations will also be performed to characterize the difference in surface heating between the CAD reference OML and the digitized surface provided by the surface scans.

  11. World market: A survey of opportunities for advanced coal-fired systems

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

    Holt, N.A.H.

    1995-06-01

    Although there is a wide range of forecasts for the future of World energy demand and consumption over the next 25 years, all forecasts show marked increases being required for all forms of fossil fuels even when optimistic projections are made for the future adoption of Nuclear and Renewable energy. It is also generally expected that coal usage will in this period experience its greatest growth (a doubling) in the Asia-Pacific region dominated demographically by China and India. In this paper, energy projections and the extent and nature of the coal reserves available worldwide are examined. While most coal technologiesmore » can handle a variety of feedstocks, there are often economic factors that will determine the preferred selection. The matching of technology to coal type and other factors is examined with particular reference to the Asia Pacific region. Oil usage is similarly forecast to experience a comparable growth in this region. Over 70% of the World`s oil reserves are heavy oils and refinery crudes are increasing in gravity and sulfur content. The clean coal technologies of gasification and fluid bed combustion can also use low value petroleum residuals as feedstocks. There is therefore a nearer term market opportunity to incorporate such technologies into cogeneration and coproduction schemes adjacent to refineries resulting in extremely efficient use of these resources.« less

  12. Consideration of Experimental Approaches in the Physical and Biological Sciences in Designing Long-Term Watershed Studies in Forested Landscapes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stallard, R. F.

    2011-12-01

    The importance of biological processes in controlling weathering, erosion, stream-water composition, soil formation, and overall landscape development is generally accepted. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets (WEBB) Project in eastern Puerto Rico and Panama and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) Panama Canal Watershed Experiment (PCWE) are landscape-scale studies based in the humid tropics where the warm temperatures, moist conditions, and luxuriant vegetation promote especially rapid biological and chemical processes - photosynthesis, respiration, decay, and chemical weathering. In both studies features of small-watershed, large-watershed, and landscape-scale-biology experiments are blended to satisfy the research needs of the physical and biological sciences. The WEBB Project has successfully synthesized its first fifteen years of data, and has addressed the influence of land cover, geologic, topographic, and hydrologic variability, including huge storms on a wide range of hydrologic, physical, and biogeochemical processes. The ongoing PCWE should provide a similar synthesis of a moderate-sized humid tropical watershed. The PCWE and the Agua Salud Project (ASP) within the PCWE are now addressing the role of land cover (mature forests, pasture, invasive-grass dominated, secondary succession, native species plantation, and teak) at scales ranging from small watersheds to the whole Panama Canal watershed. Biologists have participated in the experimental design at both watershed scales, and small (0.1 ha) to large (50 ha) forest-dynamic plots have a central role in interfacing between physical scientists and biologists. In these plots, repeated, high-resolution mapping of all woody plants greater than 1-cm diameter provides a description of population changes through time presumably reflecting individual life histories, interactions with other organisms and the influence of landscape processes and climate, thereby bridging the research needs and conceptual scales of hydrologists and biogeochemists with those of biologists. Both experiments are embedded in larger data-collection networks: the WEBB within the hydrological and meteorological monitoring programs of the USGS and other federal agencies, and the PCWE in the long-term monitoring conducted by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), its antecedents, and STRI. Examination of landscape-scale processes in a changing world requires the development of detailed landscape-scale data sets, including a formulation of reference states that can act as surrogate experimental controls. For example, the concept of a landscape steady state provides a convenient reference in which present-day observations can be interpreted. Extreme hydrological states must also be described, and both WEBB and PCWE have successfully examined the role of droughts and large storms and their impact on geomorphology, biogeochemistry, and biology. These experiments also have provided platforms for research endeavors never contemplated in the original objectives, a testament to the importance of developing approaches that consider the needs of physical and biological sciences.

  13. EVALUATION OF THE EOA REMEDIAL INSTRUCTION PROJECT FOR HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS--1966-67. RESEARCH REPORT.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    HAKKARAINEN, EDWARD A.

    A REMEDIAL READING INSTRUCTION PROJECT TO IMPROVE THE SKILLS OF HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS IS EVALUATED. CENTERS WERE ESTABLISHED AT THREE SITES TO SERVE 750 DROPOUTS REFERRED BY VARIOUS COMMUNITY AGENCIES. THE PROJECT WAS STAFFED BY SIX REMEDIAL READING TEACHERS, SEVEN COMMUNITY AIDES, AND ONE LIAISON WORKER. INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION USING A VARIETY…

  14. Preventive Rehabilitation; A Promise for the Future.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rhode Island State Dept. of Education, Providence. Div. of Vocational-Technical Education.

    To provide preventive treatment, counselors from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) worked through a school project to serve adolescents with disabilities which might make job adjustment difficult. During the 5-year project, over 5,000 adolescents were referred; 1,800 or 40% of whom were in the school project; more than 1,000 or 55%…

  15. Chapter 8 - Mapping existing vegetation composition and structure for the LANDFIRE Prototype Project

    Treesearch

    Zhiliang Zhu; James Vogelmann; Donald Ohlen; Jay Kost; Xuexia Chen; Brian Tolk

    2006-01-01

    The Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools Prototype Project, or LANDFIRE Prototype Project, required the mapping of existing vegetation composition (cover type) and structural stages at a 30-m spatial resolution to provide baseline vegetation data for the development of wildland fuel maps and for comparison to simulated historical vegetation reference...

  16. A Window on Science: Exploring the JASON Project and Student Conceptions of Science.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moss, David M.

    2003-01-01

    Describes how the JASON project was implemented in a self-contained 4th grade classroom and examines this project within the overall context of student-scientist partnership (SSP) models of science education reform. Examines changes in student conceptions of the nature of science as a result of participating in science. (Contains 24 references.)…

  17. Two Different Approaches to Teaching Final-Year Projects for Mechanical Engineers and Biotechnologists at Ngee Ann Polytechnic--Case Studies Approach.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walsh, Kath; Rebaczonok-Padulo, Michael

    1993-01-01

    Ngee Ann Polytechnic, a leading postsecondary technical institution in Singapore, offers English for academic and occupational purposes to prepare students for writing their final year projects. This article discusses the approaches used in Mechanical Engineering and Biotechnology projects. A sample exercise is appended. (Contains two references.)…

  18. The Administration of Sponsored Programs. Handbook for Developing and Managing Research Activities and Other Projects.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beasley, Kenneth L.; And Others

    Designed as a standard reference and training resource for administrators and project managers, this handbook discusses how to plan, organize, and manage sponsored projects in any organizational setting. It provides detailed, how-to-do-it information and many resources for: negotiating grants, awards, and contracts; organizing a sponsored projects…

  19. Advancing Project Management in Learning Organizations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bourne, Lynda; Walker, Derek H. T.

    2004-01-01

    Effective project managers are required to have both "hard" technical skills to help control the iron triangle of time, cost and functional scope as well as relationship management skills to work effectively with people and get the best out of them. This paper argues that project managers also need a third skill: we refer to it as tapping into the…

  20. Software conversion history of the Flight Dynamics System (FDS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liu, K.

    1984-01-01

    This report summarizes the overall history of the Flight Dynamics System (FDS) applications software conversion project. It describes the background and nature of the project; traces the actual course of conversion; assesses the process, product, and personnel involved; and offers suggestions for future projects. It also contains lists of pertinent reference material and examples of supporting data.

  1. Using Community Health Workers in Community-Based Growth Promotion: What Stakeholders Think

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Afulani, Patience A.; Awoonor-Williams, John K.; Opoku, Ernest C.; Asunka, Joseph

    2012-01-01

    The Nutrition and Malaria Control for Child Survival Project is a community-based growth promotion project that utilizes Community Health Workers (CHWs), referred to as Community Child Growth Promoters (CCGPs), as the principal change agents. The purpose of this study was to identify perceptions of key stakeholders about the project and the role…

  2. Inspector's manual for mechanically stabilized earth walls.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-06-01

    The scope of the project is to develop a condition rating system, creation of an inspector's manual to reference during : inspection or address any training for inspectors at the district level. The research project will develop a MSE wall : conditio...

  3. Innovative Remediation Technologies: Field-Scale Demonstration Projects in North America, 2nd Edition

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This report consolidates key reference information in a matrix that allows project mangers to quickly identify new technologies that may answer their cleanup needs and contacts for obtaining technology demonstration results and other information.

  4. Evaluation of public-private partnership contract types for roadway construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-12-31

    Public-private partnerships (PPPs) in transportation infrastructure projects refer to contractual agreements formed : between a public Agency and a private sector entity to allow for greater private sector participation in project : delivery. At the ...

  5. Summary of Prometheus Radiation Shielding Nuclear Design Analysis

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

    J. Stephens

    2006-01-13

    This report transmits a summary of radiation shielding nuclear design studies performed to support the Prometheus project. Together, the enclosures and references associated with this document describe NRPCT (KAPL & Bettis) shielding nuclear design analyses done for the project.

  6. Project Management Professional Development: An Industry Led Programme.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gale, Andrew; Brown, Mike

    2003-01-01

    Describes a modular master's program in project management. Explores relationships between return on investment, management competencies, and learning outcomes in the context of industry-academic partnerships. Discusses the managed learning environment using WebCT. (Contains 40 references.) (SK)

  7. Lander Propulsion Overview and Technology Requirements Discussion

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brown, Thomas M.

    2007-01-01

    This viewgraph presentation reviews the lunar lander propulsion requirements. It includes discussion on: Lander Project Overview, Project Evolution/Design Cycles, Lunar Architecture & Lander Reference Missions, Lander Concept Configurations, Descent and Ascent propulsion reviews, and a review of the technology requirements.

  8. International Multidisciplinary Artificial Gravity (IMAG) Project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Laurini, Kathy

    2007-01-01

    This viewgraph presentation reviews the efforts of the International Multidisciplinary Artificial Gravity Project. Specifically it reviews the NASA Exploration Planning Status, NASA Exploration Roadmap, Status of Planning for the Moon, Mars Planning, Reference health maintenance scenario, and The Human Research Program.

  9. Competition between multiple words for a referent in cross-situational word learning

    PubMed Central

    Benitez, Viridiana L.; Yurovsky, Daniel; Smith, Linda B.

    2016-01-01

    Three experiments investigated competition between word-object pairings in a cross-situational word-learning paradigm. Adults were presented with One-Word pairings, where a single word labeled a single object, and Two-Word pairings, where two words labeled a single object. In addition to measuring learning of these two pairing types, we measured competition between words that refer to the same object. When the word-object co-occurrences were presented intermixed in training (Experiment 1), we found evidence for direct competition between words that label the same referent. Separating the two words for an object in time eliminated any evidence for this competition (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 demonstrated that adding a linguistic cue to the second label for a referent led to different competition effects between adults who self-reported different language learning histories, suggesting both distinctiveness and language learning history affect competition. Finally, in all experiments, competition effects were unrelated to participants’ explicit judgments of learning, suggesting that competition reflects the operating characteristics of implicit learning processes. Together, these results demonstrate that the role of competition between overlapping associations in statistical word-referent learning depends on time, the distinctiveness of word-object pairings, and language learning history. PMID:27087742

  10. Memory systems in the rat: effects of reward probability, context, and congruency between working and reference memory.

    PubMed

    Roberts, William A; Guitar, Nicole A; Marsh, Heidi L; MacDonald, Hayden

    2016-05-01

    The interaction of working and reference memory was studied in rats on an eight-arm radial maze. In two experiments, rats were trained to perform working memory and reference memory tasks. On working memory trials, they were allowed to enter four randomly chosen arms for reward in a study phase and then had to choose the unentered arms for reward in a test phase. On reference memory trials, they had to learn to visit the same four arms on the maze on every trial for reward. Retention was tested on working memory trials in which the interval between the study and test phase was 15 s, 15 min, or 30 min. At each retention interval, tests were performed in which the correct WM arms were either congruent or incongruent with the correct RM arms. Both experiments showed that congruency interacted with retention interval, yielding more forgetting at 30 min on incongruent trials than on congruent trials. The effect of reference memory strength on the congruency effect was examined in Experiment 1, and the effect of associating different contexts with working and reference memory on the congruency effect was studied in Experiment 2.

  11. Annual energy outlook 1998 : with projections to 2020

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-12-01

    The analysis in AEO98 focuses primarily on a reference case and four other cases that assume higher and lower economic growth and higher and lower world oil prices than in the reference case. Forecast tables for these cases are provided in Appendixes...

  12. Energy Guide: A Directory of Information Resources.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bemis, Virginia; And Others

    This guide is a collection of various information sources pertaining to energy. The chapters separate references according to the type of material (instructional aids, texts, periodicals, reference materials), or the issuing organization (non-government organizations, government services, courses, programs, centers, and research projects). One…

  13. Using NASA's Reference Architecture: Comparing Polar and Geostationary Data Processing Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ullman, Richard; Burnett, Michael

    2013-01-01

    The JPSS and GOES-R programs are housed at NASA GSFC and jointly implemented by NASA and NOAA to NOAA requirements. NASA's role in the JPSS Ground System is to develop and deploy the system according to NOAA requirements. NASA's role in the GOES-R ground segment is to provide Systems Engineering expertise and oversight for NOAA's development and deployment of the system. NASA's Earth Science Data Systems Reference Architecture is a document developed by NASA's Earth Science Data Systems Standards Process Group that describes a NASA Earth Observing Mission Ground system as a generic abstraction. The authors work within the respective ground segment projects and are also separately contributors to the Reference Architecture document. Opinions expressed are the author's only and are not NOAA, NASA or the Ground Projects' official positions.

  14. High-bandwidth and flexible tracking control for precision motion with application to a piezo nanopositioner.

    PubMed

    Feng, Zhao; Ling, Jie; Ming, Min; Xiao, Xiao-Hui

    2017-08-01

    For precision motion, high-bandwidth and flexible tracking are the two important issues for significant performance improvement. Iterative learning control (ILC) is an effective feedforward control method only for systems that operate strictly repetitively. Although projection ILC can track varying references, the performance is still limited by the fixed-bandwidth Q-filter, especially for triangular waves tracking commonly used in a piezo nanopositioner. In this paper, a wavelet transform-based linear time-varying (LTV) Q-filter design for projection ILC is proposed to compensate high-frequency errors and improve the ability to tracking varying references simultaneously. The LVT Q-filter is designed based on the modulus maximum of wavelet detail coefficients calculated by wavelet transform to determine the high-frequency locations of each iteration with the advantages of avoiding cross-terms and segmenting manually. The proposed approach was verified on a piezo nanopositioner. Experimental results indicate that the proposed approach can locate the high-frequency regions accurately and achieve the best performance under varying references compared with traditional frequency-domain and projection ILC with a fixed-bandwidth Q-filter, which validates that through implementing the LTV filter on projection ILC, high-bandwidth and flexible tracking can be achieved simultaneously by the proposed approach.

  15. Appreciating the Complexity of Project Management Execution: Using Simulation in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hartman, Nathan S.; Watts, Charles A.; Treleven, Mark D.

    2013-01-01

    As the popularity and importance of project management increase, so does the need for well-prepared project managers. This article discusses our experiences using a project management simulation in undergraduate and MBA classes to help students better grasp the complexity of project management. This approach gives students hands-on experience with…

  16. Virtues in participatory design: cooperation, curiosity, creativity, empowerment and reflexivity.

    PubMed

    Steen, Marc

    2013-09-01

    In this essay several virtues are discussed that are needed in people who work in participatory design (PD). The term PD is used here to refer specifically to an approach in designing information systems with its roots in Scandinavia in the 1970s and 1980s. Through the lens of virtue ethics and based on key texts in PD, the virtues of cooperation, curiosity, creativity, empowerment and reflexivity are discussed. Cooperation helps people in PD projects to engage in cooperative curiosity and cooperative creativity. Curiosity helps them to empathize with others and their experiences, and to engage in joint learning. Creativity helps them to envision, try out and materialize ideas, and to jointly create new products and services. Empowerment helps them to share power and to enable other people to flourish. Moreover, reflexivity helps them to perceive and to modify their own thoughts, feelings and actions. In the spirit of virtue ethics-which focuses on specific people in concrete situations-several examples from one PD project are provided. Virtue ethics is likely to appeal to people in PD projects because it is practice-oriented, provides room for exploration and experimentation, and promotes professional and personal development. In closing, some ideas for practical application, for education and for further research are discussed.

  17. Performance and policy dimensions in internet routing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mills, David L.; Boncelet, Charles G.; Elias, John G.; Schragger, Paul A.; Jackson, Alden W.; Thyagarajan, Ajit

    1995-01-01

    The Internet Routing Project, referred to in this report as the 'Highball Project', has been investigating architectures suitable for networks spanning large geographic areas and capable of very high data rates. The Highball network architecture is based on a high speed crossbar switch and an adaptive, distributed, TDMA scheduling algorithm. The scheduling algorithm controls the instantaneous configuration and swell time of the switch, one of which is attached to each node. In order to send a single burst or a multi-burst packet, a reservation request is sent to all nodes. The scheduling algorithm then configures the switches immediately prior to the arrival of each burst, so it can be relayed immediately without requiring local storage. Reservations and housekeeping information are sent using a special broadcast-spanning-tree schedule. Progress to date in the Highball Project includes the design and testing of a suite of scheduling algorithms, construction of software reservation/scheduling simulators, and construction of a strawman hardware and software implementation. A prototype switch controller and timestamp generator have been completed and are in test. Detailed documentation on the algorithms, protocols and experiments conducted are given in various reports and papers published. Abstracts of this literature are included in the bibliography at the end of this report, which serves as an extended executive summary.

  18. Nuclear Systems Kilopower Overview

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Palac, Don; Gibson, Marc; Mason, Lee; Houts, Michael; McClure, Patrick; Robinson, Ross

    2016-01-01

    The Nuclear Systems Kilopower Project was initiated by NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorate Game Changing Development Program in fiscal year 2015 to demonstrate subsystem-level technology readiness of small space fission power in a relevant environment (Technology Readiness Level 5) for space science and human exploration power needs. The Nuclear Systems Kilopower Project consists of two elements. The primary element is the Kilopower Prototype Test, also called the Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology(KRUSTY) Test. This element consists of the development and testing of a fission ground technology demonstrator of a 1 kWe fission power system. A 1 kWe system matches requirements for some robotic precursor exploration systems and future potential deep space science missions, and also allows a nuclear ground technology demonstration in existing nuclear test facilities at low cost. The second element, the Mars Kilopower Scalability Study, consists of the analysis and design of a scaled-up version of the 1 kWe reference concept to 10 kWe for Mars surface power projected requirements, and validation of the applicability of the KRUSTY experiment to key technology challenges for a 10 kWe system. If successful, these two elements will lead to initiation of planning for a technology demonstration of a 10 kWe fission power capability for Mars surface outpost power.

  19. Theme-Based Project Learning: Design and Application of Convergent Science Experiments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chun, Man-Seog; Kang, Kwang Il; Kim, Young H.; Kim, Young Mee

    2015-01-01

    This case study aims to verify the benefits of theme-based project learning for convergent science experiments. The study explores the possibilities of enhancing creative, integrated and collaborative teaching and learning abilities in science-gifted education. A convergent project-based science experiment program of physics, chemistry and biology…

  20. Teaching as Improvisational Experience: Student Music Teachers' Reflections on Learning during an Intercultural Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Westerlund, Heidi; Partti, Heidi; Karlsen, Sidsel

    2015-01-01

    This qualitative instrumental case study explores Finnish student music teachers' experiences of teaching and learning as participants in an intercultural project in Cambodia. The Multicultural Music University project aimed at increasing master's level music education students' intercultural competencies by providing experiences of teaching and…

  1. Relating Women's Experience and Skills to Competencies Required in Selected Occupations and Vocational Education Programs. Project Report, Task C1, Revised Competency Analysis: Credentialing Women's Life Experiences (Project ACCESS).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ekstrom, Ruth B.; And Others

    Competency scales were developed for 10 direct-entry occupations and 10 vocational education programs as part of Project ACCESS, a project to assess women's life experience learning for entrance into employment and for advanced placement in vocational education programs. Development of the occupational scales involved employer interviews, followed…

  2. On the semantic content of grammatical gender and its impact on the representation of human referents.

    PubMed

    Irmen, Lisa; Kurovskaja, Julia

    2010-01-01

    Grammatical gender has been shown to provide natural gender information about human referents. However, due to formal and conceptual differences between masculine and feminine forms, it remains an open question whether these gender categories influence the processing of person information to the same degree. Experiment 1 compared the semantic content of masculine and feminine grammatical gender by combining masculine and feminine role names with either gender congruent or incongruent referents (e.g., Dieser Lehrer [masc.]/Diese Lehrerin [fem.] ist mein Mann/meine Frau; This teacher is my husband/my wife). Participants rated sentences in terms of correctness and customariness. In Experiment 2, in addition to ratings reading times were recorded to assess processing more directly. Both experiments were run in German. Sentences with grammatically feminine role names and gender incongruent referents were rated as less correct and less customary than those with masculine forms and incongruent referents. Combining a masculine role name with an incongruent referent slowed down reading to a greater extent than combining a feminine role name with an incongruent referent. Results thus specify the differential effects of masculine and feminine grammatical gender in denoting human referents.

  3. Modular space station Phase B extension preliminary performance specification. Volume 2: Project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1971-01-01

    The four systems of the modular space station project are described, and the interfaces between this project and the shuttle project, the tracking and data relay satellite project, and an arbitrarily defined experiment project are defined. The experiment project was synthesized from internal experiments, detached research and application modules, and attached research and application modules to derive a set of interface requirements which will support multiple combinations of these elements expected during the modular space station mission. The modular space station project element defines a 6-man orbital program capable of growth to a 12-man orbital program capability. The modular space station project element specification defines the modular space station system, the premission operations support system, the mission operations support system, and the cargo module system and their interfaces.

  4. Conceptual knowledge in the interpretation of idioms.

    PubMed

    Nayak, N P; Gibbs, R W

    1990-09-01

    The authors examined how people determine the contextual appropriateness of idioms. In Experiment 1, idioms referring to the same temporal stage of a conceptual prototype were judged to be more similar in meaning than idioms referring to different temporal stages. In Experiment 2, idioms in a prototypical temporal sequence were more meaningful than idioms in sentences that violated the temporal sequence. In Experiment 3, idioms referring to the same stage of a conceptual prototype were differentiable on the basis of conceptual information. The conceptual coherence between idioms and contexts facilitated the processing speed of idioms in Experiment 4. Experiment 5 showed that speakers can recover the underlying conceptual metaphors that link an idiom to its figurative meaning. Experiment 6 showed that the metaphoric information reflected in the lexical makeup of idioms also determined the metaphoric appropriateness of idioms in certain contexts.

  5. Involving consumers and the community in the development of a diagnostic instrument for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in Australia

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Australia’s commitment to consumer and community participation in health and medical research has grown over the past decade. Participatory research models of engagement are the most empowering for consumers. Methods As part of a project to develop a diagnostic instrument for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in Australia (FASD Project), the Australian FASD Collaboration (Collaboration), including a consumer advocate and two consumer representatives, was established. On completion of the FASD Project an on-line survey of Collaboration members was conducted to assess their views on consumer involvement. Women in the community were also invited to participate in Community Conversations to discuss real life situations regarding communications with health professionals about alcohol and pregnancy. Community Conversation feedback was analysed qualitatively and attendees were surveyed about their views of the Community Conversation process. Results The on-line survey was completed by 12 members of the Collaboration (71%). Consumer and community participation was considered important and essential, worked well, and was integral to the success of the project. The 32 women attending the Community Conversations generated 500 statements that made reference to prevention, how information and messages are delivered, and appropriate support for women. Nearly all the attendees at the Community Conversations (93%) believed that they had an opportunity to put forward their ideas and 96% viewed the Community Conversations as a positive experience. Conclusions The successful involvement of consumers and the community in the FASD Project can be attributed to active consumer and community participation, which included continued involvement throughout the project, funding of participation activities, and an understanding of the various contributions by the Collaboration members. PMID:23898969

  6. Parallelized Bayesian inversion for three-dimensional dental X-ray imaging.

    PubMed

    Kolehmainen, Ville; Vanne, Antti; Siltanen, Samuli; Järvenpää, Seppo; Kaipio, Jari P; Lassas, Matti; Kalke, Martti

    2006-02-01

    Diagnostic and operational tasks based on dental radiology often require three-dimensional (3-D) information that is not available in a single X-ray projection image. Comprehensive 3-D information about tissues can be obtained by computerized tomography (CT) imaging. However, in dental imaging a conventional CT scan may not be available or practical because of high radiation dose, low-resolution or the cost of the CT scanner equipment. In this paper, we consider a novel type of 3-D imaging modality for dental radiology. We consider situations in which projection images of the teeth are taken from a few sparsely distributed projection directions using the dentist's regular (digital) X-ray equipment and the 3-D X-ray attenuation function is reconstructed. A complication in these experiments is that the reconstruction of the 3-D structure based on a few projection images becomes an ill-posed inverse problem. Bayesian inversion is a well suited framework for reconstruction from such incomplete data. In Bayesian inversion, the ill-posed reconstruction problem is formulated in a well-posed probabilistic form in which a priori information is used to compensate for the incomplete information of the projection data. In this paper we propose a Bayesian method for 3-D reconstruction in dental radiology. The method is partially based on Kolehmainen et al. 2003. The prior model for dental structures consist of a weighted l1 and total variation (TV)-prior together with the positivity prior. The inverse problem is stated as finding the maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimate. To make the 3-D reconstruction computationally feasible, a parallelized version of an optimization algorithm is implemented for a Beowulf cluster computer. The method is tested with projection data from dental specimens and patient data. Tomosynthetic reconstructions are given as reference for the proposed method.

  7. Innovating in the teaching of Chemical Equilibrium: Taking effective advantage of Information and Communication Technologies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fonseca, Susana Cristina Morais da

    Chemical Equilibrium (CE) is a good example of the specific nature of chemistry. The understanding of this theme requires the conceptualization of macroscopic events, as well as explanations of sub microscopic nature, application of symbolic language and mathematics. CE is commonly identified as a topic suitable for the pedagogical use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). However, the growth in the roll of digital resources for the teaching of CE, that took place in the last decades, was not accompanied by a decrease in the signalling of students' difficulties and misconceptions in the subject. This fact, points out the relevance of clarifying the circumstances under which digital resources turn out to be useful in the teaching of CE and develop educative modules that take into account the findings and recommendations from the literature. This project aims to bring a contribution to take advantage form ICT potential in the teaching of CE. The objectives underlying the main purpose of the project were defined according to literature review, which crosses three fundamental dimensions (scientific, pedagogical and technological). The project also benefited from the previous experience of the group and the collaboration with an European project (CROSSNET). The level of abstraction necessary for the understanding of the scientific model is pointed out as the major source of difficulties in the learning of CE, while also referred as a privileged target for the intervention of ICT. In this context, we introduce the expression "facilitating abstraction" to summarize the idea of supporting students' abstract thinking process during the learning of formal concepts. This idea has gained importance throughout the project leading to the development of a pedagogical approach to facilitate abstraction in the learning of CE. Although based on the use of ICT, the main purpose wasn't to introduce new digital resources in the saturated field of CE. Instead, the innovation resides in applying those resources in a properly planned approach, centred in promoting 'facilitated abstraction. The research model was designed in partnership with the CROSSNET project, consisting of the conduction of a case study for gathering information on the operation of the approach in classroom context (the major advantages, difficulties associated') Based on the results, a list of recommendations was established, as well as indicators for the upgrade of the resources used. Some hypotheses for further studies were also raised. The ultimate product of the project is the pedagogical approach that we refer to as 'FACE - Facilitating Abstraction in Chemical Equilibrium (learning), available online in Portuguese/English, uploaded on educational platforms based on Web 2.0. Keywords: Chemical Equilibrium, facilitated abstraction, digital resources, learning difficulties/ misconceptions, educational modules, case study, CROSSNET project. None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None

  8. Building a Recycling Program: A Case Study in Success.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sabol, Laurie

    1992-01-01

    Presents the development and ongoing operation of a library recycling program established at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Discusses the initiation and projects of the library recycling committee, logistics, and future projections for library recycling operations. (two references) (MCO)

  9. Meteor Beliefs Project: Shakespeare revisited and the Elizabethan stage's `blazing star'

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gheorghe, Andrei Dorian; McBeath, Alastair

    2007-06-01

    Some fresh Shakespearean citations of meteors, further to those given previously in the Project, are presented, along with a discussion of the Elizabethan stage's use of the `blazing star', with especial reference to the great comet of 1577.

  10. Overhead View of Area Surrounding Pathfinder

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1997-01-01

    Overhead view of the area surrounding the Pathfinder lander illustrating the Sojourner traverse. Red rectangles are rover positions at the end of sols 1-30. Locations of soil mechanics experiments, wheel abrasion experiments, and APXS measurements are shown. The A numbers refer to APXS measurements as discussed in the paper by Rieder et al. (p. 1770, Science Magazine, see image note). Coordinates are given in the LL frame.

    The photorealistic, interactive, three-dimensional virtual reality (VR) terrain models were created from IMP images using a software package developed for Pathfinder by C. Stoker et al. as a participating science project. By matching features in the left and right camera, an automated machine vision algorithm produced dense range maps of the nearfield, which were projected into a three-dimensional model as a connected polygonal mesh. Distance and angle measurements can be made on features viewed in the model using a mouse-driven three-dimensional cursor and a point-and-click interface. The VR model also incorporates graphical representations of the lander and rover and the sequence and spatial locations at which rover data were taken. As the rover moved, graphical models of the rover were added for each position that could be uniquely determined using stereo images of the rover taken by the IMP. Images taken by the rover were projected into the model as two-dimensional 'billboards' to show the proper perspective of these images.

    NOTE: original caption as published in Science Magazine

    Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

  11. The Garden Banks 388 horizontal tree design and development

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

    Granhaug, O.; Soul, J.

    1995-12-31

    This paper describes the Horizontal Subsea Production Tree System, later referred to as a SpoolTree{trademark}, developed for the Enserch Garden Banks 388 field in the Gulf of Mexico. The paper starts with a project overview followed by a comparison between the SpoolTree and the Conventional Tree design. A brief discussion explains why Enserch elected to use the SpoolTree for this field development, including available technology, workover frequency, cost etc. The rigorous safety analysis carried out for the subsea production equipment is then explained in depth. The paper continues with a technical discussion of the main features specific to the SpoolTreemore » design and the Garden Banks 388 field development. Issues discussed include the SpoolTree itself, BOP Adapter Plate (for control during installation, workover and production), Tubing Hanger and pressure barrier design, debris cap design, downhole communication (SCSSV, chemical injection, pressure and temperature) ROV intervention, template wellbay insert design and other relevant issues. The use of computer based 3-D modelling tool is also briefly described. The experience and results described in this paper have direct application to numerous subsea development prospects worldwide, particularly in deep water. In addition, the ``system development`` aspect of the project is relevant to most marine equipment development projects. This includes the use of safety analysis techniques, 3-D computer modelling tools and clearly defined engineering procedures. A full account of the final design configuration of the SpoolTree system is given in the paper. A summary of the experience gained during the extensive testing at the factory and during the template integration tests is also provided.« less

  12. Improved imputation of low-frequency and rare variants using the UK10K haplotype reference panel.

    PubMed

    Huang, Jie; Howie, Bryan; McCarthy, Shane; Memari, Yasin; Walter, Klaudia; Min, Josine L; Danecek, Petr; Malerba, Giovanni; Trabetti, Elisabetta; Zheng, Hou-Feng; Gambaro, Giovanni; Richards, J Brent; Durbin, Richard; Timpson, Nicholas J; Marchini, Jonathan; Soranzo, Nicole

    2015-09-14

    Imputing genotypes from reference panels created by whole-genome sequencing (WGS) provides a cost-effective strategy for augmenting the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) content of genome-wide arrays. The UK10K Cohorts project has generated a data set of 3,781 whole genomes sequenced at low depth (average 7x), aiming to exhaustively characterize genetic variation down to 0.1% minor allele frequency in the British population. Here we demonstrate the value of this resource for improving imputation accuracy at rare and low-frequency variants in both a UK and an Italian population. We show that large increases in imputation accuracy can be achieved by re-phasing WGS reference panels after initial genotype calling. We also present a method for combining WGS panels to improve variant coverage and downstream imputation accuracy, which we illustrate by integrating 7,562 WGS haplotypes from the UK10K project with 2,184 haplotypes from the 1000 Genomes Project. Finally, we introduce a novel approximation that maintains speed without sacrificing imputation accuracy for rare variants.

  13. Solar Arrays for Low-Irradiance Low-Temperature and High-Radiation Environments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Boca, Andreea (Principal Investigator); Stella, Paul; Kerestes, Christopher; Sharps, Paul

    2017-01-01

    This is the Base Period final report DRAFT for the JPL task 'Solar Arrays for Low-Irradiance Low-Temperature and High-Radiation Environments', under Task Plan 77-16518 TA # 21, for NASA's Extreme Environments Solar Power (EESP) project. This report covers the Base period of performance, 7/18/2016 through 5/2/2017.The goal of this project is to develop an ultra-high efficiency lightweight scalable solar array technology for low irradiance, low temperature and high-radiation (LILT/Rad) environments. The benefit this technology will bring to flight systems is a greater than 20 reduction in solar array surface area, and a six-fold reduction in solar array mass and volume. The EESP project objectives are summarized in the 'NRA Goal' column of Table 1. Throughout this report, low irradiance low temperature (LILT) refers to 5AU -125 C test conditions; beginning of life (BOL) refers to the cell state prior to radiation exposure; and end of life (EOL) refers to the test article condition after exposure to a radiation dose of 4e15 1MeV e(-)/cm(exp 2).

  14. Central Projections of Gustatory Receptor Neurons in the Medial and the Lateral Sensilla Styloconica of Helicoverpa armigera Larvae

    PubMed Central

    Tang, Qing-Bo; Zhan, Huan; Cao, Huan; Berg, Bente G.; Yan, Feng-Ming; Zhao, Xin-Cheng

    2014-01-01

    Food selection behavior of lepidopteran larvae is predominantly governed by the activation of taste neurons present in two sensilla styloconica located on the galea of the maxilla. In this study, we present the ultrastructure of the sensilla styloconica and the central projection pattern of their associated receptor neurons in larvae of the heliothine moth, Helicoverpa armigera. By means of light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, the previous findings of two morphologically fairly similar sensilla comprising a socketed conic tip inserted into a large peg were confirmed. However, the peg size of the medial sensillum was found to be significantly bigger than that of the lateral sensillum. The sensory neurons derived from each sensillum styloconicum were mapped separately using anterograde staining experiments combined with confocal laser-scanning microscopy. For determining the afferents’ target regions relative to each other, we reconstructed the labeled axons and placed them into a common reference framework. The sensory axons from both sensilla projected via the ipsilateral maxillary nerve to the suboesophageal ganglion and further through the ipsilateral circumoesophageal connective to the brain. In the suboesophageal ganglion, the sensory projections targeted two areas of the ipsilateral maxillary neuropil, one located in the ventrolateral neuromere and the other adjacent to the neuromere midline. In the brain, the axon terminals targeted the dorso-anterior area of the ipsilateral tritocerebrum. As confirmed by the three-dimensional reconstructions, the target regions of the neural projections originating from each of the two sensilla styloconica were identical. PMID:24740428

  15. Mars Pathfinder Project: Planetary Constants and Models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vaughan, Robin

    1995-01-01

    This document provides a common set of astrodynamic constants and planetary models for use by the Mars Pathfinder Project. It attempts to collect in a single reference all the quantities and models in use across the project during development and for mission operations. These models are central to the navigation and mission design functions, but they are also used in other aspects of the project such as science observation planning and data reduction.

  16. Consideration of climate change on environmental impact assessment in Spain

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

    Enríquez-de-Salamanca, Álvaro, E-mail: aenriquez@draba.org; Martín-Aranda, Rosa M., E-mail: rmartin@ccia.uned.es; Díaz-Sierra, Rubén, E-mail: sierra@dfmf.uned.es

    Most of the projects subject to environmental impact assessment (EIA) are closely related to climate change, as they contribute to or are affected by it. The growing certainty about climate change and its impacts makes its consideration an essential part of the EIA process, as well as in strategic environmental assessment (SEA). This paper examines how climate change (CC) has been taken into account in EIA in Spain through the analysis of 1713 environmental records of decision (RODs) of projects submitted for EIA. In 2013 Spain approved one of the most advanced laws in terms of CC consideration in environmentalmore » assessment, although it had not yet accumulated extensive practice on the issue. This contrasts with the situation of countries like Canada or the USA, which have a significant body of experience without specific legal requirements. Only 14% of the RODs analysed included references to CC, and in more than half of the cases it was a mere citation. Thermal power plants, which are subject to specific GHG regulations, show the highest consideration, while transport infrastructures, which are important contributors to CC, show a very low consideration. Almost all the references are related to their contribution to CC, while consideration of the effects of CC is minimal. The increasingly common incorporation of CC into SEA, should not imply its exclusion from EIA, because both processes have different aims and uses. Including the obligation to consider CC in the EIA regulations is highly desirable, but probably not enough without other measures, such as practical guidance, training and motivational programmes for practitioners and evaluators. But even these actions cannot ensure effective and adequate assessments of CC. Probably more resources should be spent on creating greater awareness in all the agents involved in EIA. - Highlights: • We analyse how the climate change is considered in EIA in Spain. • Few projects seriously assess climate change. • Transport infrastructure projects barely consider climate change. • Assessing climate change in SEA should not imply that it is excluded from EIA.« less

  17. SNiPlay: a web-based tool for detection, management and analysis of SNPs. Application to grapevine diversity projects.

    PubMed

    Dereeper, Alexis; Nicolas, Stéphane; Le Cunff, Loïc; Bacilieri, Roberto; Doligez, Agnès; Peros, Jean-Pierre; Ruiz, Manuel; This, Patrice

    2011-05-05

    High-throughput re-sequencing, new genotyping technologies and the availability of reference genomes allow the extensive characterization of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertion/deletion events (indels) in many plant species. The rapidly increasing amount of re-sequencing and genotyping data generated by large-scale genetic diversity projects requires the development of integrated bioinformatics tools able to efficiently manage, analyze, and combine these genetic data with genome structure and external data. In this context, we developed SNiPlay, a flexible, user-friendly and integrative web-based tool dedicated to polymorphism discovery and analysis. It integrates:1) a pipeline, freely accessible through the internet, combining existing softwares with new tools to detect SNPs and to compute different types of statistical indices and graphical layouts for SNP data. From standard sequence alignments, genotyping data or Sanger sequencing traces given as input, SNiPlay detects SNPs and indels events and outputs submission files for the design of Illumina's SNP chips. Subsequently, it sends sequences and genotyping data into a series of modules in charge of various processes: physical mapping to a reference genome, annotation (genomic position, intron/exon location, synonymous/non-synonymous substitutions), SNP frequency determination in user-defined groups, haplotype reconstruction and network, linkage disequilibrium evaluation, and diversity analysis (Pi, Watterson's Theta, Tajima's D).Furthermore, the pipeline allows the use of external data (such as phenotype, geographic origin, taxa, stratification) to define groups and compare statistical indices.2) a database storing polymorphisms, genotyping data and grapevine sequences released by public and private projects. It allows the user to retrieve SNPs using various filters (such as genomic position, missing data, polymorphism type, allele frequency), to compare SNP patterns between populations, and to export genotyping data or sequences in various formats. Our experiments on grapevine genetic projects showed that SNiPlay allows geneticists to rapidly obtain advanced results in several key research areas of plant genetic diversity. Both the management and treatment of large amounts of SNP data are rendered considerably easier for end-users through automation and integration. Current developments are taking into account new advances in high-throughput technologies.SNiPlay is available at: http://sniplay.cirad.fr/.

  18. 36 CFR 328.3 - References.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ....3 Parks, Forests, and Public Property CORPS OF ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY REGULATION OF SEAPLANE OPERATIONS AT CIVIL WORKS WATER RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS ADMINISTERED BY THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS § 328.3 References. (a) Title 36 CFR, part 327, Rules and Regulations Governing Public Use of...

  19. Enhancing the effectiveness of antismoking messages via self-congruent appeals.

    PubMed

    Chang, Chingching

    2009-01-01

    A self-congruent effect model was applied to understand adolescents' responses to antismoking advertising that referred to the self or others. Experiment 1 showed that self-referring ads generated more negative smoking attitudes than other-referring ads among adolescents with independent self-construals, whereas other-referring ads generated more negative smoking attitudes than self-referring ads among adolescents with interdependent self-construals. A survey further showed that smokers rated themselves higher on a measure of independent self-construal than nonsmokers. Experiment 2 then found that self-referring ads are more effective than other-referring ads for smokers, who have independent self-construals. Findings supported the idea that health communication campaign designers can maximize message effectiveness by developing different messages for different target segments of the population based on their self-construals.

  20. Japanese experiments for medical and educational broadcasts by Kiku satellite (PARTNERS Project using ETS-V)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Onishi, Yuji

    The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT), the National Space Development Agency (NASDA), and others have proposed joint space communication experiments based on the Engineering Test Satellite ETS-V. This joint international project is registered as the Peacesat Expansion / Pan-Pacific Information Network at the United Nations Space Agency Forum for the International Space Year. To make the project more recognizable, it was renamed PARTNERS (Pan-Pacific Regional Telecommunication Network Research Satellite) Project. Under the project, researchers in Japan and developing countries will perform experiments aimed at verifying satellite use technologies. The experiments are intended to promote international cooperation by providing an opportunity for technology transfer and exchange.

  1. Networking consumer health information: bringing the patient into the medical information loop.

    PubMed

    Martin, E R; Lanier, D

    1996-04-01

    The Library of the Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago obtained a grant from the Illinois State Library to implement a statewide demonstration project that would provide consumer health information (CHI) using InfoTrac's Health Reference Center CD-ROM database. The goals of the project were to cooperate with targeted public libraries and clinics in providing CHI at the earliest point of need; to provide access to the database via a dial-up network server and a toll-free telephone number; and to work with targeted sites on database training, core CHI reference sources, and referral procedures. This paper provides background information about the project; describes the major systems and technical issues encountered; and discusses the outcomes, impact, and envisioned enhancements.

  2. Using RxNorm and NDF-RT to classify medication data extracted from electronic health records: experiences from the Rochester Epidemiology Project.

    PubMed

    Pathak, Jyotishman; Murphy, Sean P; Willaert, Brian N; Kremers, Hilal M; Yawn, Barbara P; Rocca, Walter A; Chute, Christopher G

    2011-01-01

    RxNorm and NDF-RT published by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and Veterans Affairs (VA), respectively, are two publicly available federal medication terminologies. In this study, we evaluate the applicability of RxNorm and National Drug File-Reference Terminology (NDF-RT) for extraction and classification of medication data retrieved using structured querying and natural language processing techniques from electronic health records at two different medical centers within the Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP). Specifically, we explore how mappings between RxNorm concept codes and NDF-RT drug classes can be leveraged for hierarchical organization and grouping of REP medication data, identify gaps and coverage issues, and analyze the recently released NLM's NDF-RT Web service API. Our study concludes that RxNorm and NDF-RT can be applied together for classification of medication extracted from multiple EHR systems, although several issues and challenges remain to be addressed. We further conclude that the Web service APIs developed by the NLM provide useful functionalities for such activities.

  3. Search for eV sterile neutrinos at a nuclear reactor — the Stereo project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haser, J.; Stereo Collaboration

    2016-05-01

    The re-analyses of the reference spectra of reactor antineutrinos together with a revised neutrino interaction cross section enlarged the absolute normalization of the predicted neutrino flux. The tension between previous reactor measurements and the new prediction is significant at 2.7 σ and is known as “reactor antineutrino anomaly”. In combination with other anomalies encountered in neutrino oscillation measurements, this observation revived speculations about the existence of a sterile neutrino in the eV mass range. Mixing of this light sterile neutrino with the active flavours would lead to a modification of the detected antineutrino flux. An oscillation pattern in energy and space could be resolved by a detector at a distance of few meters from a reactor core: the neutrino detector of the Stereo project will be located at about 10 m distance from the ILL research reactor in Grenoble, France. Lengthwise separated in six target cells filled with 2 m3 Gd-loaded liquid scintillator in total, the experiment will search for a position-dependent distortion in the energy spectrum.

  4. Systematic land climate and evapotranspiration biases in CMIP5 simulations.

    PubMed

    Mueller, B; Seneviratne, S I

    2014-01-16

    [1] Land climate is important for human population since it affects inhabited areas. Here we evaluate the realism of simulated evapotranspiration (ET), precipitation, and temperature in the CMIP5 multimodel ensemble on continental areas. For ET, a newly compiled synthesis data set prepared within the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment-sponsored LandFlux-EVAL project is used. The results reveal systematic ET biases in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) simulations, with an overestimation in most regions, especially in Europe, Africa, China, Australia, Western North America, and part of the Amazon region. The global average overestimation amounts to 0.17 mm/d. This bias is more pronounced than in the previous CMIP3 ensemble (overestimation of 0.09 mm/d). Consistent with the ET overestimation, precipitation is also overestimated relative to existing reference data sets. We suggest that the identified biases in ET can explain respective systematic biases in temperature in many of the considered regions. The biases additionally display a seasonal dependence and are generally of opposite sign (ET underestimation and temperature overestimation) in boreal summer (June-August).

  5. Increasing use of mental health services in remote areas using mobile technology: a pre–post evaluation of the SMART Mental Health project in rural India

    PubMed Central

    Maulik, Pallab K; Kallakuri, Sudha; Devarapalli, Siddhardha; Vadlamani, Vamsi Krishna; Jha, Vivekanand; Patel, Anushka

    2017-01-01

    Background About 25% of the Indian population experience common mental disorders (CMD) but only 15–25% of them receive any mental health care. Stigma, lack of adequate mental health professionals and mental health services account for this treatment gap, which is worse in rural areas. Our project evaluated task shifting and mobile–technology based electronic decision support systems to enhance the ability of primary care health workers to provide evidence–based mental health care for stress, depression, and suicidal risk in 30 remote villages in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Methods The Systematic Medical Appraisal Referral and Treatment (SMART) Mental Health project between May 2014 and April 2016 trained lay village health workers (Accredited Social Health Activists – ASHAs) and primary care doctors to screen, diagnose and manage individuals with common mental disorders using an electronic decision support system. An anti–stigma campaign using multi–media approaches was conducted across the villages at the outset of the project. A pre–post evaluation using mixed methods assessed the change in mental health service utilization by screen positive individuals. This paper reports on the quantitative aspects of that evaluation. Results Training was imparted to 21 ASHAs and 2 primary care doctors. 5007 of 5167 eligible individuals were screened, and 238 were identified as being positive for common mental disorders and referred to the primary care doctors for further management. Out of them, 2 (0.8%) had previously utilized mental health services. During the intervention period, 30 (12.6%) visited the primary care doctor for further diagnosis and treatment, as advised. There was a significant reduction in the depression and anxiety scores between start and end of the intervention among those who had screened positive at the beginning. Stigma and mental health awareness in the broader community improved during the project. Conclusions The intervention led to individuals being screened for common mental disorders by village health workers and increase in mental health service use by those referred to the primary care doctor. The model was deemed feasible and acceptable. The effectiveness of the intervention needs to be demonstrated using more robust randomized controlled trials, while addressing the issues identified that will facilitate scale up. PMID:28400954

  6. Increasing use of mental health services in remote areas using mobile technology: a pre-post evaluation of the SMART Mental Health project in rural India.

    PubMed

    Maulik, Pallab K; Kallakuri, Sudha; Devarapalli, Siddhardha; Vadlamani, Vamsi Krishna; Jha, Vivekanand; Patel, Anushka

    2017-06-01

    About 25% of the Indian population experience common mental disorders (CMD) but only 15-25% of them receive any mental health care. Stigma, lack of adequate mental health professionals and mental health services account for this treatment gap, which is worse in rural areas. Our project evaluated task shifting and mobile-technology based electronic decision support systems to enhance the ability of primary care health workers to provide evidence-based mental health care for stress, depression, and suicidal risk in 30 remote villages in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Systematic Medical Appraisal Referral and Treatment (SMART) Mental Health project between May 2014 and April 2016 trained lay village health workers (Accredited Social Health Activists - ASHAs) and primary care doctors to screen, diagnose and manage individuals with common mental disorders using an electronic decision support system. An anti-stigma campaign using multi-media approaches was conducted across the villages at the outset of the project. A pre-post evaluation using mixed methods assessed the change in mental health service utilization by screen positive individuals. This paper reports on the quantitative aspects of that evaluation. Training was imparted to 21 ASHAs and 2 primary care doctors. 5007 of 5167 eligible individuals were screened, and 238 were identified as being positive for common mental disorders and referred to the primary care doctors for further management. Out of them, 2 (0.8%) had previously utilized mental health services. During the intervention period, 30 (12.6%) visited the primary care doctor for further diagnosis and treatment, as advised. There was a significant reduction in the depression and anxiety scores between start and end of the intervention among those who had screened positive at the beginning. Stigma and mental health awareness in the broader community improved during the project. The intervention led to individuals being screened for common mental disorders by village health workers and increase in mental health service use by those referred to the primary care doctor. The model was deemed feasible and acceptable. The effectiveness of the intervention needs to be demonstrated using more robust randomized controlled trials, while addressing the issues identified that will facilitate scale up.

  7. Location memory biases reveal the challenges of coordinating visual and kinesthetic reference frames

    PubMed Central

    Simmering, Vanessa R.; Peterson, Clayton; Darling, Warren; Spencer, John P.

    2008-01-01

    Five experiments explored the influence of visual and kinesthetic/proprioceptive reference frames on location memory. Experiments 1 and 2 compared visual and kinesthetic reference frames in a memory task using visually-specified locations and a visually-guided response. When the environment was visible, results replicated previous findings of biases away from the midline symmetry axis of the task space, with stability for targets aligned with this axis. When the environment was not visible, results showed some evidence of bias away from a kinesthetically-specified midline (trunk anterior–posterior [a–p] axis), but there was little evidence of stability when targets were aligned with body midline. This lack of stability may reflect the challenges of coordinating visual and kinesthetic information in the absence of an environmental reference frame. Thus, Experiments 3–5 examined kinesthetic guidance of hand movement to kinesthetically-defined targets. Performance in these experiments was generally accurate with no evidence of consistent biases away from the trunk a–p axis. We discuss these results in the context of the challenges of coordinating reference frames within versus between multiple sensori-motor systems. PMID:17703284

  8. Projection of Summer Climate on Tokyo Metropolitan Area using Pseudo Global Warming Method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adachi, S. A.; Kimura, F.; Kusaka, H.; Hara, M.

    2010-12-01

    Recent surface air temperature observations in most of urban areas show the remarkable increasing trend affected by the global warming and the heat island effects. There are many populous areas in Japan. In such areas, the effects of land-use change and urbanization on the local climate are not negligible (Fujibe, 2010). The heat stress for citizen there is concerned to swell moreover in the future. Therefore, spatially detailed climate projection is required for making adaptation and mitigation plans. This study focuses on the Tokyo metropolitan area (TMA) in summer and aims to estimate the local climate change over the TMA in 2070s using a regional climate model. The Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) was used for downscaling. A single layer urban canopy model (Kusaka et al., 2001) is built into RAMS as a parameterization expressing the features of urban surface. We performed two experiments for estimating present and future climate. In the present climate simulation, the initial and boundary conditions for RAMS are provided from the JRA-25/JCDAS. On the other hand, the Pseudo Global Warming (PGW) method (Sato et al., 2007) is applied to estimate the future climate, instead of the conventional dynamical downscaling method. The PGW method is expected to reduce the model biases in the future projection estimated by Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Models (AOGCM). The boundary conditions used in the PGW method is given by the PGW data, which are obtained by adding the climate monthly difference between 1990s and 2070s estimated by AOGCMs to the 6-hourly reanalysis data. In addition, the uncertainty in the regional climate projection depending on the AOGCM projections is estimated from additional downscaling experiments using the different PGW data obtained from five AOGCMs. Acknowledgment: This work was supported by the Global Environment Research Fund (S-5-3) of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan. References: 1. Fujibe, F., Int. J. Climatol., doi:10.1002/joc.2142 (2010). 2. Kusaka, H., H. Kondo, Y. Kikegawa, and F. Kimura, Bound.-Layer Meteor., 101, 329-358 (2001). 3. Sato, T., F. Kimura, and A. Kitoh, J. Hydrology, 144-154 (2007).

  9. Assessing the contribution of different factors in RegCM4.3 regional climate model projections using the Factor Separation method over the Med-CORDEX domain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zsolt Torma, Csaba; Giorgi, Filippo

    2014-05-01

    A set of regional climate model (RCM) simulations applying dynamical downscaling of global climate model (GCM) simulations over the Mediterranean domain specified by the international initiative Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) were completed with the Regional Climate Model RegCM, version RegCM4.3. Two GCMs were selected from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) ensemble to provide the driving fields for the RegCM: HadGEM2-ES (HadGEM) and MPI-ESM-MR (MPI). The simulations consist of an ensemble including multiple physics configurations and different "Reference Concentration Pathways" (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). In total 15 simulations were carried out with 7 model physics configurations with varying convection and land surface schemes. The horizontal grid spacing of the RCM simulations is 50 km and the simulated period in all cases is 1970-2100 (1970-2099 in case of HadGEM driven simulations). This ensemble includes a combination of experiments in which different model components are changed individually and in combination, and thus lends itself optimally to the application of the Factor Separation (FS) method. This study applies the FS method to investigate the contributions of different factors, along with their synergy, on a set of regional climate model (RCM) projections for the Mediterranean region. The FS method is applied to 6 projections for the period 1970-2100 performed with the regional model RegCM4.3 over the Med-CORDEX domain. Two different sets of factors are intercompared, namely the driving global climate model (HadGEM and MPI) boundary conditions against two model physics settings (convection scheme and irrigation). We find that both the GCM driving conditions and the model physics provide important contributions, depending on the variable analyzed (surface air temperature and precipitation), season (winter vs. summer) and time horizon into the future, while the synergy term mostly tends to counterbalance the contributions of the individual factors. We demonstrate the usefulness of the FS method to assess different sources of uncertainty in RCM-based regional climate projections.

  10. Correlational Study of Project Managers' Competence Experience, Education, and Technology Experience on Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hosford, Bryan

    2017-01-01

    Organizations continue to rely on information technology (IT) as a foundational element, yet poor IT project success continues to impact growth and innovation. Research into IT project success is widespread yet has focused on high-level project management attributes, not specific IT solutions. A review of the research literature revealed that the…

  11. U.S. Outdoor Recreation Participation Projections to 2060

    Treesearch

    J.M. Bowker; Ashley Askew

    2012-01-01

    In this chapter, we develop and present national outdoor recreation participation projections for 17 recreation activities or activity composites through 2060. (The projections are for the population of Americans age 16 and older, referred to hereafter in this section as “adults.”) This charge is consistent with the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act...

  12. CIG-P: Circular Interaction Graph for Proteomics.

    PubMed

    Hobbs, Christopher K; Leung, Michelle; Tsang, Herbert H; Ebhardt, H Alexander

    2014-10-31

    A typical affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry (AP-MS) experiment includes the purification of a target protein (bait) using an antibody and subsequent mass spectrometry analysis of all proteins co-purifying with the bait (aka prey proteins). Like any other systems biology approach, AP-MS experiments generate a lot of data and visualization has been challenging, especially when integrating AP-MS experiments with orthogonal datasets. We present Circular Interaction Graph for Proteomics (CIG-P), which generates circular diagrams for visually appealing final representation of AP-MS data. Through a Java based GUI, the user inputs experimental and reference data as file in csv format. The resulting circular representation can be manipulated live within the GUI before exporting the diagram as vector graphic in pdf format. The strength of CIG-P is the ability to integrate orthogonal datasets with each other, e.g. affinity purification data of kinase PRPF4B in relation to the functional components of the spliceosome. Further, various AP-MS experiments can be compared to each other. CIG-P aids to present AP-MS data to a wider audience and we envision that the tool finds other applications too, e.g. kinase - substrate relationships as a function of perturbation. CIG-P is available under: http://sourceforge.net/projects/cig-p/

  13. The Composition of Dramatic Experience: The Play Element in Student Electronic Projects.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rouzie, Albert

    2000-01-01

    Analyzes two student group Hypertext projects and a MOO (multiuser domain, object-oriented) project. Finds the play element can enrich readerly experience through the creation of a dramatic experience of information. Suggests that composition instructors need to recognize the play element in computer-based composition and encourage the development…

  14. The project ownership survey: measuring differences in scientific inquiry experiences.

    PubMed

    Hanauer, David I; Dolan, Erin L

    2014-01-01

    A growing body of research documents the positive outcomes of research experiences for undergraduates, including increased persistence in science. Study of undergraduate lab learning experiences has demonstrated that the design of the experience influences the extent to which students report ownership of the project and that project ownership is one of the psychosocial factors involved in student retention in the sciences. To date, methods for measuring project ownership have not been suitable for the collection of larger data sets. The current study aims to rectify this by developing, presenting, and evaluating a new instrument for measuring project ownership. Eighteen scaled items were generated based on prior research and theory related to project ownership and combined with 30 items shown to measure respondents' emotions about an experience, resulting in the Project Ownership survey (POS). The POS was analyzed to determine its dimensionality, reliability, and validity. The POS had a coefficient alpha of 0.92 and thus has high internal consistency. Known-groups validity was analyzed through the ability of the instrument to differentiate between students who studied in traditional versus research-based laboratory courses. The POS scales as differentiated between the groups and findings paralleled previous results in relation to the characteristics of project ownership.

  15. Reference Data Layers for Earth and Environmental Science: History, Frameworks, Science Needs, Approaches, and New Technologies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lenhardt, W. C.

    2015-12-01

    Global Mapping Project, Web-enabled Landsat Data (WELD), International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP), hydrology, solid earth dynamics, sedimentary geology, climate modeling, integrated assessments and so on all have needs for or have worked to develop consistently integrated data layers for Earth and environmental science. This paper will present an overview of an abstract notion of data layers of this types, what we are referring to as reference data layers for Earth and environmental science, highlight some historical examples, and delve into new approaches. The concept of reference data layers in this context combines data availability, cyberinfrastructure and data science, as well as domain science drivers. We argue that current advances in cyberinfrastructure such as iPython notebooks and integrated science processing environments such as iPlant's Discovery Environment coupled with vast arrays of new data sources warrant another look at the how to create, maintain, and provide reference data layers. The goal is to provide a context for understanding science needs for reference data layers to conduct their research. In addition, to the topics described above this presentation will also outline some of the challenges to and present some ideas for new approaches to addressing these needs. Promoting the idea of reference data layers is relevant to a number of existing related activities such as EarthCube, RDA, ESIP, the nascent NSF Regional Big Data Innovation Hubs and others.

  16. Electrochemical Sensing for a Rapidly Evolving World

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mullen, Max Robertson

    This dissertation focuses on three projects involving the development of harsh environment gas sensors. The first project discusses the development of a multipurpose oxygen sensor electrode for use in sealing with the common electrolyte yttria stabilized zirconia. The purpose of the sealing function is to produce an internal reference environment maintained by a metal/metal oxide mixture, a criteria for miniaturization of potentiometric oxygen sensing technology. This sensor measures a potential between the internal reference and a sensing environment. The second project discusses the miniaturization of an oxygen sensor and the fabrication of a more generalized electrochemical sensing platform. The third project discusses the discovery of a new mechanism in the electrochemical sensing of ammonia through molecular recognition and the utilization of a sensor taking advantage of the new mechanism. An initial study involving the development of a microwave synthesized La0.8Sr0.2Al0.9Mn0.1O3 sensor electrode material illustrates the ability of the material developed to meet ionic and electronic conducting requirements for effective and Nernstian oxygen sensing. In addition the material deforms plastically under hot isostatic pressing conditions in a similar temperature and pressure regime with yttria stabilized zirconia to produce a seal and survive temperatures up to 1350 °C. In the second project we show novel methods to seal an oxygen environment inside a device cavity to produce an electrochemical sensor body using room temperature plasma-activated bonding and low temperature and pressure assisted plasma-activated bonding with silicon bodies, both in a clean room environment. The evolution from isostatic hot pressing methods towards room temperature complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) compatible technologies using single crystal silicon substrates in the clean room allows the sealing of devices on a much larger scale. Through this evolution in bonding technology we move from performing non-scalable experiments to produce one sensor at a time to scalable experiments producing six. The bonding methods we use are compatible with wafer scale processing. Practically speaking this means that the oxygen sensor design is scalable to produce thousands of sensors from one single bond. Using this bonding technology we develop a generalized sensing platform that could be used for a variety of sensing applications, including oxygen sensing, but also potentially involving CO2 or NOx as well. Future efforts will involve completing of O2 sensor construction and adaption of the design for CO2 and NOx sensing. The final project focuses on a novel ammonia sensor and sensing mechanism in Ag loaded zeolite Y. The sensor resistance changes upon exposure to ammonia due to the molecular recognition of Ag+ and ammonia, producing Ag(NH3)x+ species. The sensing mechanism is a Grothuss like mechanism based on the hoping of Ag+ centers. The hopping frequency of Ag+ changes upon introduction of ammonia due to the reduced electrostatic interactions between Ag+ and the negatively charged zeolite framework upon formation of Ag(NH3) x+. The change in hopping frequency results in a measurable change in impedance.

  17. Construction of Hierarchical Models for Fluid Dynamics in Earth and Planetary Sciences : DCMODEL project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takahashi, Y. O.; Takehiro, S.; Sugiyama, K.; Odaka, M.; Ishiwatari, M.; Sasaki, Y.; Nishizawa, S.; Ishioka, K.; Nakajima, K.; Hayashi, Y.

    2012-12-01

    Toward the understanding of fluid motions of planetary atmospheres and planetary interiors by performing multiple numerical experiments with multiple models, we are now proceeding ``dcmodel project'', where a series of hierarchical numerical models with various complexity is developed and maintained. In ``dcmodel project'', a series of the numerical models are developed taking care of the following points: 1) a common ``style'' of program codes assuring readability of the software, 2) open source codes of the models to the public, 3) scalability of the models assuring execution on various scales of computational resources, 4) stressing the importance of documentation and presenting a method for writing reference manuals. The lineup of the models and utility programs of the project is as follows: Gtool5, ISPACK/SPML, SPMODEL, Deepconv, Dcpam, and Rdoc-f95. In the followings, features of each component are briefly described. Gtool5 (Ishiwatari et al., 2012) is a Fortran90 library, which provides data input/output interfaces and various utilities commonly used in the models of dcmodel project. A self-descriptive data format netCDF is adopted as a IO format of Gtool5. The interfaces of gtool5 library can reduce the number of operation steps for the data IO in the program code of the models compared with the interfaces of the raw netCDF library. Further, by use of gtool5 library, procedures for data IO and addition of metadata for post-processing can be easily implemented in the program codes in a consolidated form independent of the size and complexity of the models. ``ISPACK'' is the spectral transformation library and ``SPML (SPMODEL library)'' (Takehiro et al., 2006) is its wrapper library. Most prominent feature of SPML is a series of array-handling functions with systematic function naming rules, and this enables us to write codes with a form which is easily deduced from the mathematical expressions of the governing equations. ``SPMODEL'' (Takehiro et al., 2006) is a collection of various sample programs using ``SPML''. These sample programs provide the basekit for simple numerical experiments of geophysical fluid dynamics. For example, SPMODEL includes 1-dimensional KdV equation model, 2-dimensional barotropic, shallow water, Boussinesq models, 3-dimensional MHD dynamo models in rotating spherical shells. These models are written in the common style in harmony with SPML functions. ``Deepconv'' (Sugiyama et al., 2010) and ``Dcpam'' are a cloud resolving model and a general circulation model for the purpose of applications to the planetary atmospheres, respectively. ``Deepconv'' includes several physical processes appropriate for simulations of Jupiter and Mars atmospheres, while ``Dcpam'' does for simulations of Earth, Mars, and Venus-like atmospheres. ``Rdoc-f95'' is a automatic generator of reference manuals of Fortran90/95 programs, which is an extension of ruby documentation tool kit ``rdoc''. It analyzes dependency of modules, functions, and subroutines in the multiple program source codes. At the same time, it can list up the namelist variables in the programs.

  18. Time Projection Compton Spectrometer (TPCS). User`s guide

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

    Landron, C.O.; Baldwin, G.T.

    1994-04-01

    The Time Projection Compton Spectrometer (TPCS) is a radiation diagnostic designed to determine the time-integrated energy spectrum between 100 keV -- 2 MeV of flash x-ray sources. This guide is intended as a reference for the routine operator of the TPCS. Contents include a brief overview of the principle of operation, detailed component descriptions, detailed assembly and disassembly procedures, guide to routine operations, and troubleshooting flowcharts. Detailed principle of operation, signal analysis and spectrum unfold algorithms are beyond the scope of this guide; however, the guide makes reference to sources containing this information.

  19. Classifications for Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) site-specific projects: 2010

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Jones, William R.; Garber, Adrienne

    2013-01-01

    The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) funds over 100 wetland restoration projects across Louisiana. Integral to the success of CWPPRA is its long-term monitoring program, which enables State and Federal agencies to determine the effectiveness of each restoration effort. One component of this monitoring program is the classification of high-resolution, color-infrared aerial photography at the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, Louisiana. Color-infrared aerial photography (9- by 9-inch) is obtained before project construction and several times after construction. Each frame is scanned on a photogrametric scanner that produces a high-resolution image in Tagged Image File Format (TIFF). By using image-processing software, these TIFF files are then orthorectified and mosaicked to produce a seamless image of a project area and its associated reference area (a control site near the project that has common environmental features, such as marsh type, soil types, and water salinities.) The project and reference areas are then classified according to pixel value into two distinct classes, land and water. After initial land and water ratios have been established by using photography obtained before and after project construction, subsequent comparisons can be made over time to determine land-water change.

  20. Consultant Learning: A Model for Student-Directed Learning in Management Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kunkel, Scott W.

    2002-01-01

    Consultant learning turns the management classroom into a laboratory for free enterprise. Students determine their own grades by earning consulting fees for completing projects they design and propose. Project work becomes a portfolio for future employment. (Contains 15 references.) (SK)

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