Sample records for scale performance studies

  1. Scaling study of the combustion performance of gas—gas rocket injectors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Xiao-Wei; Cai, Guo-Biao; Jin, Ping

    2011-10-01

    To obtain the key subelements that may influence the scaling of gas—gas injector combustor performance, the combustion performance subelements in a liquid propellant rocket engine combustor are initially analysed based on the results of a previous study on the scaling of a gas—gas combustion flowfield. Analysis indicates that inner wall friction loss and heat-flux loss are two key issues in gaining the scaling criterion of the combustion performance. The similarity conditions of the inner wall friction loss and heat-flux loss in a gas—gas combustion chamber are obtained by theoretical analyses. Then the theoretical scaling criterion was obtained for the combustion performance, but it proved to be impractical. The criterion conditions, the wall friction and the heat flux are further analysed in detail to obtain the specific engineering scaling criterion of the combustion performance. The results indicate that when the inner flowfields in the combustors are similar, the combustor wall shear stress will have similar distributions qualitatively and will be directly proportional to pc0.8dt-0.2 quantitatively. In addition, the combustion peformance will remain unchanged. Furthermore, multi-element injector chambers with different geometric sizes and at different pressures are numerically simulated and the wall shear stress and combustion efficiencies are solved and compared with each other. A multielement injector chamber is designed and hot-fire tested at several chamber pressures and the combustion performances are measured in a total of nine hot-fire tests. The numerical and experimental results verified the similarities among combustor wall shear stress and combustion performances at different chamber pressures and geometries, with the criterion applied.

  2. Large-scale optimization-based non-negative computational framework for diffusion equations: Parallel implementation and performance studies

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

    Chang, Justin; Karra, Satish; Nakshatrala, Kalyana B.

    It is well-known that the standard Galerkin formulation, which is often the formulation of choice under the finite element method for solving self-adjoint diffusion equations, does not meet maximum principles and the non-negative constraint for anisotropic diffusion equations. Recently, optimization-based methodologies that satisfy maximum principles and the non-negative constraint for steady-state and transient diffusion-type equations have been proposed. To date, these methodologies have been tested only on small-scale academic problems. The purpose of this paper is to systematically study the performance of the non-negative methodology in the context of high performance computing (HPC). PETSc and TAO libraries are, respectively, usedmore » for the parallel environment and optimization solvers. For large-scale problems, it is important for computational scientists to understand the computational performance of current algorithms available in these scientific libraries. The numerical experiments are conducted on the state-of-the-art HPC systems, and a single-core performance model is used to better characterize the efficiency of the solvers. Furthermore, our studies indicate that the proposed non-negative computational framework for diffusion-type equations exhibits excellent strong scaling for real-world large-scale problems.« less

  3. Large-scale optimization-based non-negative computational framework for diffusion equations: Parallel implementation and performance studies

    DOE PAGES

    Chang, Justin; Karra, Satish; Nakshatrala, Kalyana B.

    2016-07-26

    It is well-known that the standard Galerkin formulation, which is often the formulation of choice under the finite element method for solving self-adjoint diffusion equations, does not meet maximum principles and the non-negative constraint for anisotropic diffusion equations. Recently, optimization-based methodologies that satisfy maximum principles and the non-negative constraint for steady-state and transient diffusion-type equations have been proposed. To date, these methodologies have been tested only on small-scale academic problems. The purpose of this paper is to systematically study the performance of the non-negative methodology in the context of high performance computing (HPC). PETSc and TAO libraries are, respectively, usedmore » for the parallel environment and optimization solvers. For large-scale problems, it is important for computational scientists to understand the computational performance of current algorithms available in these scientific libraries. The numerical experiments are conducted on the state-of-the-art HPC systems, and a single-core performance model is used to better characterize the efficiency of the solvers. Furthermore, our studies indicate that the proposed non-negative computational framework for diffusion-type equations exhibits excellent strong scaling for real-world large-scale problems.« less

  4. A reliability and validity study of the Palliative Performance Scale

    PubMed Central

    Ho, Francis; Lau, Francis; Downing, Michael G; Lesperance, Mary

    2008-01-01

    Background The Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) was first introduced in1996 as a new tool for measurement of performance status in palliative care. PPS has been used in many countries and has been translated into other languages. Methods This study evaluated the reliability and validity of PPS. A web-based, case scenarios study with a test-retest format was used to determine reliability. Fifty-three participants were recruited and randomly divided into two groups, each evaluating 11 cases at two time points. The validity study was based on the content validation of 15 palliative care experts conducted over telephone interviews, with discussion on five themes: PPS as clinical assessment tool, the usefulness of PPS, PPS scores affecting decision making, the problems in using PPS, and the adequacy of PPS instruction. Results The intraclass correlation coefficients for absolute agreement were 0.959 and 0.964 for Group 1, at Time-1 and Time-2; 0.951 and 0.931 for Group 2, at Time-1 and Time-2 respectively. Results showed that the participants were consistent in their scoring over the two times, with a mean Cohen's kappa of 0.67 for Group 1 and 0.71 for Group 2. In the validity study, all experts agreed that PPS is a valuable clinical assessment tool in palliative care. Many of them have already incorporated PPS as part of their practice standard. Conclusion The results of the reliability study demonstrated that PPS is a reliable tool. The validity study found that most experts did not feel a need to further modify PPS and, only two experts requested that some performance status measures be defined more clearly. Areas of PPS use include prognostication, disease monitoring, care planning, hospital resource allocation, clinical teaching and research. PPS is also a good communication tool between palliative care workers. PMID:18680590

  5. 30 CFR 56.3201 - Location for performing scaling.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Location for performing scaling. 56.3201 Section 56.3201 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR METAL AND... Scaling and Support § 56.3201 Location for performing scaling. Scaling shall be performed from a location...

  6. 30 CFR 57.3201 - Location for performing scaling.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Location for performing scaling. 57.3201... Control Scaling and Support-Surface and Underground § 57.3201 Location for performing scaling. Scaling shall be performed from a location which will not expose persons to injury from falling material, or...

  7. Decreased attention to object size information in scale errors performers.

    PubMed

    Grzyb, Beata J; Cangelosi, Angelo; Cattani, Allegra; Floccia, Caroline

    2017-05-01

    Young children sometimes make serious attempts to perform impossible actions on miniature objects as if they were full-size objects. The existing explanations of these curious action errors assume (but never explicitly tested) children's decreased attention to object size information. This study investigated the attention to object size information in scale errors performers. Two groups of children aged 18-25 months (N=52) and 48-60 months (N=23) were tested in two consecutive tasks: an action task that replicated the original scale errors elicitation situation, and a looking task that involved watching on a computer screen actions performed with adequate to inadequate size object. Our key finding - that children performing scale errors in the action task subsequently pay less attention to size changes than non-scale errors performers in the looking task - suggests that the origins of scale errors in childhood operate already at the perceptual level, and not at the action level. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Centrifugal fans: Similarity, scaling laws, and fan performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sardar, Asad Mohammad

    Centrifugal fans are rotodynamic machines used for moving air continuously against moderate pressures through ventilation and air conditioning systems. There are five major topics presented in this thesis: (1) analysis of the fan scaling laws and consequences of dynamic similarity on modelling; (2) detailed flow visualization studies (in water) covering the flow path starting at the fan blade exit to the evaporator core of an actual HVAC fan scroll-diffuser module; (3) mean velocity and turbulence intensity measurements (flow field studies) at the inlet and outlet of large scale blower; (4) fan installation effects on overall fan performance and evaluation of fan testing methods; (5) two point coherence and spectral measurements conducted on an actual HVAC fan module for flow structure identification of possible aeroacoustic noise sources. A major objective of the study was to identity flow structures within the HVAC module that are responsible for noise and in particular "rumble noise" generation. Possible mechanisms for the generation of flow induced noise in the automotive HVAC fan module are also investigated. It is demonstrated that different modes of HVAC operation represent very different internal flow characteristics. This has implications on both fan HVAC airflow performance and noise characteristics. It is demonstrated from principles of complete dynamic similarity that fan scaling laws require that Reynolds, number matching is a necessary condition for developing scale model fans or fan test facilities. The physical basis for the fan scaling laws derived was established from both pure dimensional analysis and also from the fundamental equations of fluid motion. Fan performance was measured in a three times scale model (large scale blower) in air of an actual forward curved automotive HVAC blower. Different fan testing methods (based on AMCA fan test codes) were compared on the basis of static pressure measurements. Also, the flow through an actual HVAC

  9. Performance study of protective clothing against hot water splashes: from bench scale test to instrumented manikin test.

    PubMed

    Lu, Yehu; Song, Guowen; Wang, Faming

    2015-03-01

    Hot liquid hazards existing in work environments are shown to be a considerable risk for industrial workers. In this study, the predicted protection from fabric was assessed by a modified hot liquid splash tester. In these tests, conditions with and without an air spacer were applied. The protective performance of a garment exposed to hot water spray was investigated by a spray manikin evaluation system. Three-dimensional body scanning technique was used to characterize the air gap size between the protective clothing and the manikin skin. The relationship between bench scale test and manikin test was discussed and the regression model was established to predict the overall percentage of skin burn while wearing protective clothing. The results demonstrated strong correlations between bench scale test and manikin test. Based on these studies, the overall performance of protective clothing against hot water spray can be estimated on the basis of the results of the bench scale hot water splashes test and the information of air gap size entrapped in clothing. The findings provide effective guides for the design and material selection while developing high performance protective clothing. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society 2014.

  10. Psychological variables and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV performance.

    PubMed

    Gass, Carlton S; Gutierrez, Laura

    2017-01-01

    The MMPI-2 and WAIS-IV are commonly used together in neuropsychological evaluations yet little is known about their interrelationships. This study explored the potential influence of psychological factors on WAIS-IV performance in a sample of 180 predominantly male veteran referrals that underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological examination in a VA Medical Center. Exclusionary criteria included failed performance validity testing and self-report distortion on the MMPI-2. A Principal Components Analysis was performed on the 15 MMPI-2 content scales, yielding three broader higher-order psychological dimensions: Internalized Emotional Dysfunction (IED), Externalized Emotional Dysfunction (EED), and Fear. Level of IED was not related to performance on the WAIS-IV Full Scale IQ or its four indexes: (Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed). EED was not related to WAIS-IV performance. Level of Fear, which encompasses health preoccupations (HEA) and distorted perceptions (BIZ), was significantly related to WAIS-IV Full Scale IQ and Verbal Comprehension. These results challenge the common use of high scores on the MMPI-2 IED measures (chiefly depression and anxiety) to explain deficient WAIS-IV performance. In addition, they provide impetus for further investigation of the relation between verbal intelligence and Fear.

  11. Final Pilot Performance Rating Scales.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horner, Walter R.; And Others

    These rating scales are intended for evaluation of student pilot performance. Each student is evaluated individually on the basis of video recordings of the student in flight. Ten point rating lines are used for the ten criterion performance elements of each of three maneuvers, (1) Final Turn to Landing, (2) Lazy Eight, and (3) Vertical S "A".…

  12. Full-scale hingeless rotor performance and loads

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peterson, Randall L.

    1995-01-01

    A full-scale BO-105 hingeless rotor system was tested in the NASA Ames 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel on the rotor test apparatus. Rotor performance, rotor loads, and aeroelastic stability as functions of both collective and cyclic pitch, tunnel velocity, and shaft angle were investigated. This test was performed in support of the Rotor Data Correlation Task under the U.S. Army/German Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperative Research in the Field of Helicopter Aeromechanics. The primary objective of this test program was to create a data base for full-scale hingeless rotor performance and structural blade loads. A secondary objective was to investigate the ability to match flight test conditions in the wind tunnel. This data base can be used for the experimental and analytical studies of hingeless rotor systems over large variations in rotor thrust and tunnel velocity. Rotor performance and structural loads for tunnel velocities from hover to 170 knots and thrust coefficients (C(sub T)/sigma) from 0.0 to 0.12 are presented in this report. Thrust sweeps at tunnel velocities of 10, 20, and 30 knots are also included in this data set.

  13. Scaling of Performance in Liquid Propellant Rocket Engine Combustors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hulka, James

    2008-01-01

    The objectives are: a) Re-introduce to you the concept of scaling; b) Describe the scaling research conducted in the 1950s and early 1960s, and present some of their conclusions; c) Narrow the focus to scaling for performance of combustion devices for liquid propellant rocket engines; and d) Present some results of subscale to full-scale performance from historical programs. Scaling is "The ability to develop new combustion devices with predictable performance on the basis of test experience with old devices." Scaling can be used to develop combustion devices of any thrust size from any thrust size. Scaling is applied mostly to increase thrust. Objective is to use scaling as a development tool. - Move injector design from an "art" to a "science"

  14. Development of a performance anxiety scale for music students.

    PubMed

    Çirakoğlu, Okan Cem; Şentürk, Gülce Çoskun

    2013-12-01

    In the present research, the Performance Anxiety Scale for Music Students (PASMS) was developed in three successive studies. In Study 1, the factor structure of PASMS was explored and three components were found: fear of stage (FES), avoidance (AVD) and symptoms (SMP). The internal consistency of the subscales of PASMS, which consisted of 27 items, varied between 0.89 and 0.91. The internal consistency for the whole scale was found to be 0.95. The correlations among PASMS and other anxiety-related measures were significant and in the expected direction, indicating that the scale has convergent validity. The construct validity of the scale was assessed in Study 2 by confirmatory factor analysis. After several revisions, the final tested model achieved acceptable fits. In Study 3, the 14-day test-retest reliability of the final 24-item version of PASMS was tested and found to be extremely high (0.95). In all three studies, the whole scale and subscale scores of females were significantly higher than for males.

  15. Assessing Children's Homework Performance: Development of Multi-Dimensional, Multi-Informant Rating Scales.

    PubMed

    Power, Thomas J; Dombrowski, Stefan C; Watkins, Marley W; Mautone, Jennifer A; Eagle, John W

    2007-06-01

    Efforts to develop interventions to improve homework performance have been impeded by limitations in the measurement of homework performance. This study was conducted to develop rating scales for assessing homework performance among students in elementary and middle school. Items on the scales were intended to assess student strengths as well as deficits in homework performance. The sample included 163 students attending two school districts in the Northeast. Parents completed the 36-item Homework Performance Questionnaire - Parent Scale (HPQ-PS). Teachers completed the 22-item teacher scale (HPQ-TS) for each student for whom the HPQ-PS had been completed. A common factor analysis with principal axis extraction and promax rotation was used to analyze the findings. The results of the factor analysis of the HPQ-PS revealed three salient and meaningful factors: student task orientation/efficiency, student competence, and teacher support. The factor analysis of the HPQ-TS uncovered two salient and substantive factors: student responsibility and student competence. The findings of this study suggest that the HPQ is a promising set of measures for assessing student homework functioning and contextual factors that may influence performance. Directions for future research are presented.

  16. Virus removal retention challenge tests performed at lab scale and pilot scale during operation of membrane units.

    PubMed

    Humbert, H; Machinal, C; Labaye, Ivan; Schrotter, J C

    2011-01-01

    The determination of the virus retention capabilities of UF units during operation is essential for the operators of drinking water treatment facilities in order to guarantee an efficient and stable removal of viruses through time. In previous studies, an effective method (MS2-phage challenge tests) was developed by the Water Research Center of Veolia Environnement for the measurement of the virus retention rates (Log Removal Rate, LRV) of commercially available hollow fiber membranes at lab scale. In the present work, the protocol for monitoring membrane performance was transferred from lab scale to pilot scale. Membrane performances were evaluated during pilot trial and compared to the results obtained at lab scale with fibers taken from the pilot plant modules. PFU culture method was compared to RT-PCR method for the calculation of LRV in both cases. Preliminary tests at lab scale showed that both methods can be used interchangeably. For tests conducted on virgin membrane, a good consistency was observed between lab and pilot scale results with the two analytical methods used. This work intends to show that a reliable determination of the membranes performances based on RT-PCR analytical method can be achieved during the operation of the UF units.

  17. Scaling of Performance in Liquid Propellant Rocket Engine Combustors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hulka, James R.

    2007-01-01

    This paper discusses scaling of combustion and combustion performance in liquid propellant rocket engine combustion devices. In development of new combustors, comparisons are often made between predicted performance in a new combustor and measured performance in another combustor with different geometric and thermodynamic characteristics. Without careful interpretation of some key features, the comparison can be misinterpreted and erroneous information used in the design of the new device. This paper provides a review of this performance comparison, including a brief review of the initial liquid rocket scaling research conducted during the 1950s and 1960s, a review of the typical performance losses encountered and how they scale, a description of the typical scaling procedures used in development programs today, and finally a review of several historical development programs to see what insight they can bring to the questions at hand.

  18. Performance/price estimates for cortex-scale hardware: a design space exploration.

    PubMed

    Zaveri, Mazad S; Hammerstrom, Dan

    2011-04-01

    In this paper, we revisit the concept of virtualization. Virtualization is useful for understanding and investigating the performance/price and other trade-offs related to the hardware design space. Moreover, it is perhaps the most important aspect of a hardware design space exploration. Such a design space exploration is a necessary part of the study of hardware architectures for large-scale computational models for intelligent computing, including AI, Bayesian, bio-inspired and neural models. A methodical exploration is needed to identify potentially interesting regions in the design space, and to assess the relative performance/price points of these implementations. As an example, in this paper we investigate the performance/price of (digital and mixed-signal) CMOS and hypothetical CMOL (nanogrid) technology based hardware implementations of human cortex-scale spiking neural systems. Through this analysis, and the resulting performance/price points, we demonstrate, in general, the importance of virtualization, and of doing these kinds of design space explorations. The specific results suggest that hybrid nanotechnology such as CMOL is a promising candidate to implement very large-scale spiking neural systems, providing a more efficient utilization of the density and storage benefits of emerging nano-scale technologies. In general, we believe that the study of such hypothetical designs/architectures will guide the neuromorphic hardware community towards building large-scale systems, and help guide research trends in intelligent computing, and computer engineering. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Assessing Children’s Homework Performance: Development of Multi-Dimensional, Multi-Informant Rating Scales

    PubMed Central

    Power, Thomas J.; Dombrowski, Stefan C.; Watkins, Marley W.; Mautone, Jennifer A.; Eagle, John W.

    2007-01-01

    Efforts to develop interventions to improve homework performance have been impeded by limitations in the measurement of homework performance. This study was conducted to develop rating scales for assessing homework performance among students in elementary and middle school. Items on the scales were intended to assess student strengths as well as deficits in homework performance. The sample included 163 students attending two school districts in the Northeast. Parents completed the 36-item Homework Performance Questionnaire – Parent Scale (HPQ-PS). Teachers completed the 22-item teacher scale (HPQ-TS) for each student for whom the HPQ-PS had been completed. A common factor analysis with principal axis extraction and promax rotation was used to analyze the findings. The results of the factor analysis of the HPQ-PS revealed three salient and meaningful factors: student task orientation/efficiency, student competence, and teacher support. The factor analysis of the HPQ-TS uncovered two salient and substantive factors: student responsibility and student competence. The findings of this study suggest that the HPQ is a promising set of measures for assessing student homework functioning and contextual factors that may influence performance. Directions for future research are presented. PMID:18516211

  20. Development and Validation of a Rating Scale for Wind Jazz Improvisation Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Derek T.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to construct and validate a rating scale for collegiate wind jazz improvisation performance. The 14-item Wind Jazz Improvisation Evaluation Scale (WJIES) was constructed and refined through a facet-rational approach to scale development. Five wind jazz students and one professional jazz educator were asked to record…

  1. Scaling earthquake ground motions for performance-based assessment of buildings

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Huang, Y.-N.; Whittaker, A.S.; Luco, N.; Hamburger, R.O.

    2011-01-01

    The impact of alternate ground-motion scaling procedures on the distribution of displacement responses in simplified structural systems is investigated. Recommendations are provided for selecting and scaling ground motions for performance-based assessment of buildings. Four scaling methods are studied, namely, (1)geometric-mean scaling of pairs of ground motions, (2)spectrum matching of ground motions, (3)first-mode-period scaling to a target spectral acceleration, and (4)scaling of ground motions per the distribution of spectral demands. Data were developed by nonlinear response-history analysis of a large family of nonlinear single degree-of-freedom (SDOF) oscillators that could represent fixed-base and base-isolated structures. The advantages and disadvantages of each scaling method are discussed. The relationship between spectral shape and a ground-motion randomness parameter, is presented. A scaling procedure that explicitly considers spectral shape is proposed. ?? 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.

  2. Performance of Children on the Community Balance and Mobility Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Marilyn J.; Bos, Cecily

    2012-01-01

    This study describes the performance of children 8-11 years of age on the Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CB&M) and associations between performance and age, body mass index (BMI), and sex. A convenience sample of 84 was recruited. The CB&M was administered using instructions we developed for children. Mean CB&M total scores (95%…

  3. Evaluating Mediated Perception of Narrative Health Messages: The Perception of Narrative Performance Scale

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Jeong Kyu; Hecht, Michael L.; Miller-Day, Michelle; Elek, Elvira

    2011-01-01

    Narrative media health messages have proven effective in preventing adolescents’ substance use but as yet few measures exist to assess perceptions of them. Without such a measure it is difficult to evaluate the role these messages play in health promotion or to differentiate them from other message forms. In response to this need, a study was conducted to evaluate the Perception of Narrative Performance Scale that assesses perceptions of narrative health messages. A sample of 1185 fifth graders in public schools at Phoenix, Arizona completed a questionnaire rating of two videos presenting narrative substance use prevention messages. Confirmatory factor analyses were computed to identify the factor structure of the scale. Consistent with prior studies, results suggest a 3 factor structure for the Perception of Narrative Performance Scale: interest, realism, and identification (with characters). In addition, a path analysis was performed to test the predictive power of the scale. The analysis shows that the scale proves useful in predicting intent to use substances. Finally, practical implications and limitations are discussed. PMID:21822459

  4. Performance evaluation of thin wearing courses through scaled accelerated trafficking.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-01-01

    The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the permanent deformation (rutting) and fatigue performance of : several thin asphalt concrete wearing courses using a scaled-down accelerated pavement testing device. The accelerated testing : was ...

  5. Performance Evaluation of Thin Wearing Courses Through Scaled Accelerated Trafficking.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-01-01

    "The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the permanent deformation (rutting) and fatigue performance of : several thin asphalt concrete wearing courses using a scaled-down accelerated pavement testing device. The accelerated testing : was...

  6. The effect of rater training on scoring performance and scale-specific expertise amongst occupational therapists participating in a multicentre study: a single-group pre-post-test study.

    PubMed

    Hansen, Tina; Elholm Madsen, Esben; Sørensen, Annette

    2016-01-01

    In order to enhance the quality of the data collected in a multicentre validation study of a revised Danish version of the McGill Ingestive Skills Assessment (MISA), the authors developed a rater training programme. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the training on scoring performance and scale-specific expertise amongst raters. During 2 days of rater training, 81 occupational therapists (OTs) were qualified to observe and score dysphagic clients' mealtime performance according to the criteria of 36 MISA-items. The training effects were evaluated pre- to post-training using percentage exact agreement (PA) of scored MISA items of a case-vignette and a Likert scale self-report of scale-specific expertise. PA increased significantly from pre- to post-training (Z = -4.404, p < 0.001), although items for which the case-vignette reflected deficient mealtime performance appeared most difficult to score. The OTs scale-specific expertise improved significantly (knowledge: Z = -7.857, p < 0.001 and confidence: Z = -7.838, p < 0.001). Rater training improved OTs scoring performance when using the Danish MISA as well as their perceived scale-specific expertise. Future rater training should emphasis the items identified as those most difficult to score. Additionally, further studies addressing different training approaches and durations are warranted. When occupational therapists (OTs) use the McGill Ingestive Skills Assessment (MISA) they observe, interpret and record occupational performance of dysphagic clients participating in a meal. This is a highly complex task, which might introduce unwanted variability in measurement scores. A 2-day rater training programme was developed and this builds on the findings of several studies. These suggest that combinations of different training methods tend to yield the most effective results. Participation in the newly developed training programme on how to administer the MISA significantly reduces unwanted

  7. Scaling of Performance in Liquid Propellant Rocket Engine Combustion Devices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hulka, James R.

    2008-01-01

    This paper discusses scaling of combustion and combustion performance in liquid propellant rocket engine combustion devices. In development of new combustors, comparisons are often made between predicted performance in a new combustor and measured performance in another combustor with different geometric and thermodynamic characteristics. Without careful interpretation of some key features, the comparison can be misinterpreted and erroneous information used in the design of the new device. This paper provides a review of this performance comparison, including a brief review of the initial liquid rocket scaling research conducted during the 1950s and 1960s, a review of the typical performance losses encountered and how they scale, a description of the typical scaling procedures used in development programs today, and finally a review of several historical development programs to see what insight they can bring to the questions at hand.

  8. Assessing Performance in Shoulder Arthroscopy: The Imperial Global Arthroscopy Rating Scale (IGARS).

    PubMed

    Bayona, Sofia; Akhtar, Kash; Gupte, Chinmay; Emery, Roger J H; Dodds, Alexander L; Bello, Fernando

    2014-07-02

    Surgical training is undergoing major changes with reduced resident work hours and an increasing focus on patient safety and surgical aptitude. The aim of this study was to create a valid, reliable method for an assessment of arthroscopic skills that is independent of time and place and is designed for both real and simulated settings. The validity of the scale was tested using a virtual reality shoulder arthroscopy simulator. The study consisted of two parts. In the first part, an Imperial Global Arthroscopy Rating Scale for assessing technical performance was developed using a Delphi method. Application of this scale required installing a dual-camera system to synchronously record the simulator screen and body movements of trainees to allow an assessment that is independent of time and place. The scale includes aspects such as efficient portal positioning, angles of instrument insertion, proficiency in handling the arthroscope and adequately manipulating the camera, and triangulation skills. In the second part of the study, a validation study was conducted. Two experienced arthroscopic surgeons, blinded to the identities and experience of the participants, each assessed forty-nine subjects performing three different tests using the Imperial Global Arthroscopy Rating Scale. Results were analyzed using two-way analysis of variance with measures of absolute agreement. The intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated for each test to assess inter-rater reliability. The scale demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach alpha, 0.918). The intraclass correlation coefficient demonstrated high agreement between the assessors: 0.91 (p < 0.001). Construct validity was evaluated using Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance (chi-square test, 29.826; p < 0.001), demonstrating that the Imperial Global Arthroscopy Rating Scale distinguishes significantly between subjects with different levels of experience utilizing a virtual reality simulator. The Imperial Global

  9. Generating Billion-Edge Scale-Free Networks in Seconds: Performance Study of a Novel GPU-based Preferential Attachment Model

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

    Perumalla, Kalyan S.; Alam, Maksudul

    A novel parallel algorithm is presented for generating random scale-free networks using the preferential-attachment model. The algorithm, named cuPPA, is custom-designed for single instruction multiple data (SIMD) style of parallel processing supported by modern processors such as graphical processing units (GPUs). To the best of our knowledge, our algorithm is the first to exploit GPUs, and also the fastest implementation available today, to generate scale free networks using the preferential attachment model. A detailed performance study is presented to understand the scalability and runtime characteristics of the cuPPA algorithm. In one of the best cases, when executed on an NVidiamore » GeForce 1080 GPU, cuPPA generates a scale free network of a billion edges in less than 2 seconds.« less

  10. Optimizing fusion PIC code performance at scale on Cori Phase 2

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

    Koskela, T. S.; Deslippe, J.

    In this paper we present the results of optimizing the performance of the gyrokinetic full-f fusion PIC code XGC1 on the Cori Phase Two Knights Landing system. The code has undergone substantial development to enable the use of vector instructions in its most expensive kernels within the NERSC Exascale Science Applications Program. We study the single-node performance of the code on an absolute scale using the roofline methodology to guide optimization efforts. We have obtained 2x speedups in single node performance due to enabling vectorization and performing memory layout optimizations. On multiple nodes, the code is shown to scale wellmore » up to 4000 nodes, near half the size of the machine. We discuss some communication bottlenecks that were identified and resolved during the work.« less

  11. Performance Evaluation of Wearable Sensor Systems: A Case Study in Moderate-Scale Deployment in Hospital Environment.

    PubMed

    Sun, Wen; Ge, Yu; Zhang, Zhiqiang; Wong, Wai-Choong

    2015-09-25

    A wearable sensor system enables continuous and remote health monitoring and is widely considered as the next generation of healthcare technology. The performance, the packet error rate (PER) in particular, of a wearable sensor system may deteriorate due to a number of factors, particularly the interference from the other wearable sensor systems in the vicinity. We systematically evaluate the performance of the wearable sensor system in terms of PER in the presence of such interference in this paper. The factors that affect the performance of the wearable sensor system, such as density, traffic load, and transmission power in a realistic moderate-scale deployment case in hospital are all considered. Simulation results show that with 20% duty cycle, only 68.5% of data transmission can achieve the targeted reliability requirement (PER is less than 0.05) even in the off-peak period in hospital. We then suggest some interference mitigation schemes based on the performance evaluation results in the case study.

  12. A new scale for the assessment of performance and capacity of hand function in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy: reliability and validity studies.

    PubMed

    Rosa-Rizzotto, M; Visonà Dalla Pozza, L; Corlatti, A; Luparia, A; Marchi, A; Molteni, F; Facchin, P; Pagliano, E; Fedrizzi, E

    2014-10-01

    In hemiplegic children, the recognition of the activity limitation pattern and the possibility of grading its severity are relevant for clinicians while planning interventions, monitoring results, predicting outcomes. Aim of the study is to examine the reliability and validity of Besta Scale, an instrument used to measure in hemiplegic children from 18 months to 12 years of age both grasp on request (capacity) and spontaneous use of upper limb (performance) in bimanual play activities and in ADL. Psychometric analysis of reliability and of validity of the Besta scale was performed. Outpatient study sample Reliability study: A sample of 39 patients was enrolled. The administration of Besta scale was video-recorded in a standardized manner. All videos were scored by 20 independent raters on subsequent viewing. 3 raters randomly selected from the 20-raters group rescored the same video two years later for intra-rater reliability. Intra and inter-rater reliability were calculated using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Kendall's coefficient (K), respectively. Internal consistency reliability was assessed using Alpha's Chronbach coefficient. Validity study: a sample of 105 children was assessed 5 times (at t0 and 2, 3, 6 and 12 months later) by 20 independent raters. Each patient underwent at the same time to QUEST and Besta scale administration and assessment. Criterion validity was calculated using rho-Pearson coefficient. Reliability study: The inter-rater reliability calculated with Kendall's coefficient resulted moderate K=0.47. The intra-rater (or test-retest) reliability for 3 raters was excellent (ICC=0.927). The Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency was 0.972. Validity study: Besta scale showed a good criterion validity compared to QUEST increasing by age and severity of impairment. Rho Pearson's correlation coefficient r was 0.81 (P<0.0001). Limitations. Besta scales in infants finds hard to distinguish between mild to moderately impaired hand

  13. The Development, Test, and Evaluation of Three Pilot Performance Reference Scales.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horner, Walter R.; And Others

    A set of pilot performance reference scales was developed based upon airborne Audio-Video Recording (AVR) of student performance in T-37 undergraduate Pilot Training. After selection of the training maneuvers to be studied, video tape recordings of the maneuvers were selected from video tape recordings already available from a previous research…

  14. Adaptation and learning: characteristic time scales of performance dynamics.

    PubMed

    Newell, Karl M; Mayer-Kress, Gottfried; Hong, S Lee; Liu, Yeou-Teh

    2009-12-01

    A multiple time scales landscape model is presented that reveals structures of performance dynamics that were not resolved in the traditional power law analysis of motor learning. It shows the co-existence of separate processes during and between practice sessions that evolve in two independent dimensions characterized by time scales that differ by about an order of magnitude. Performance along the slow persistent dimension of learning improves often as much and sometimes more during rest (memory consolidation and/or insight generation processes) than during a practice session itself. In contrast, the process characterized by the fast, transient dimension of adaptation reverses direction between practice sessions, thereby significantly degrading performance at the beginning of the next practice session (warm-up decrement). The theoretical model fits qualitatively and quantitatively the data from Snoddy's [Snoddy, G. S. (1926). Learning and stability. Journal of Applied Psychology, 10, 1-36] classic learning study of mirror tracing and other averaged and individual data sets, and provides a new account of the processes of change in adaptation and learning. 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of the Job Performance Scale Instrument.

    PubMed

    Harmanci Seren, Arzu Kader; Tuna, Rujnan; Eskin Bacaksiz, Feride

    2018-02-01

    Objective measurement of the job performance of nursing staff using valid and reliable instruments is important in the evaluation of healthcare quality. A current, valid, and reliable instrument that specifically measures the performance of nurses is required for this purpose. The aim of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Job Performance Instrument. This study used a methodological design and a sample of 240 nurses working at different units in four hospitals in Istanbul, Turkey. A descriptive data form, the Job Performance Scale, and the Employee Performance Scale were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 21.0 and LISREL Version 8.51. On the basis of the data analysis, the instrument was revised. Some items were deleted, and subscales were combined. The Turkish version of the Job Performance Instrument was determined to be valid and reliable to measure the performance of nurses. The instrument is suitable for evaluating current nursing roles.

  16. Administration Modifications on the WISC-R Performance Scale with Different Categories of Deaf Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sullivan, Patricia M.

    1982-01-01

    Two studies investigated the effects of administration modifications on subtest scaled scores of the Wechsler-Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). Performance scale rated different groups of 57 severely/profoundly hearing-impaired children. Total communication was found to result in higher scores on all subtests in the genetic and…

  17. Performance of fully-coupled algebraic multigrid preconditioners for large-scale VMS resistive MHD

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

    Lin, P. T.; Shadid, J. N.; Hu, J. J.

    Here, we explore the current performance and scaling of a fully-implicit stabilized unstructured finite element (FE) variational multiscale (VMS) capability for large-scale simulations of 3D incompressible resistive magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). The large-scale linear systems that are generated by a Newton nonlinear solver approach are iteratively solved by preconditioned Krylov subspace methods. The efficiency of this approach is critically dependent on the scalability and performance of the algebraic multigrid preconditioner. Our study considers the performance of the numerical methods as recently implemented in the second-generation Trilinos implementation that is 64-bit compliant and is not limited by the 32-bit global identifiers of themore » original Epetra-based Trilinos. The study presents representative results for a Poisson problem on 1.6 million cores of an IBM Blue Gene/Q platform to demonstrate very large-scale parallel execution. Additionally, results for a more challenging steady-state MHD generator and a transient solution of a benchmark MHD turbulence calculation for the full resistive MHD system are also presented. These results are obtained on up to 131,000 cores of a Cray XC40 and one million cores of a BG/Q system.« less

  18. Performance of fully-coupled algebraic multigrid preconditioners for large-scale VMS resistive MHD

    DOE PAGES

    Lin, P. T.; Shadid, J. N.; Hu, J. J.; ...

    2017-11-06

    Here, we explore the current performance and scaling of a fully-implicit stabilized unstructured finite element (FE) variational multiscale (VMS) capability for large-scale simulations of 3D incompressible resistive magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). The large-scale linear systems that are generated by a Newton nonlinear solver approach are iteratively solved by preconditioned Krylov subspace methods. The efficiency of this approach is critically dependent on the scalability and performance of the algebraic multigrid preconditioner. Our study considers the performance of the numerical methods as recently implemented in the second-generation Trilinos implementation that is 64-bit compliant and is not limited by the 32-bit global identifiers of themore » original Epetra-based Trilinos. The study presents representative results for a Poisson problem on 1.6 million cores of an IBM Blue Gene/Q platform to demonstrate very large-scale parallel execution. Additionally, results for a more challenging steady-state MHD generator and a transient solution of a benchmark MHD turbulence calculation for the full resistive MHD system are also presented. These results are obtained on up to 131,000 cores of a Cray XC40 and one million cores of a BG/Q system.« less

  19. Development and Initial Validation of the Performance Perfectionism Scale for Sport (PPS-S)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hill, Andrew P.; Appleton, Paul R.; Mallinson, Sarah H.

    2016-01-01

    Valid and reliable instruments are required to appropriately study perfectionism. With this in mind, three studies are presented that describe the development and initial validation of a new instrument designed to measure multidimensional performance perfectionism for use in sport (Performance Perfectionism Scale--Sport [PPS-S]). The instrument is…

  20. Meta-analysis of prediction model performance across multiple studies: Which scale helps ensure between-study normality for the C-statistic and calibration measures?

    PubMed

    Snell, Kym Ie; Ensor, Joie; Debray, Thomas Pa; Moons, Karel Gm; Riley, Richard D

    2017-01-01

    If individual participant data are available from multiple studies or clusters, then a prediction model can be externally validated multiple times. This allows the model's discrimination and calibration performance to be examined across different settings. Random-effects meta-analysis can then be used to quantify overall (average) performance and heterogeneity in performance. This typically assumes a normal distribution of 'true' performance across studies. We conducted a simulation study to examine this normality assumption for various performance measures relating to a logistic regression prediction model. We simulated data across multiple studies with varying degrees of variability in baseline risk or predictor effects and then evaluated the shape of the between-study distribution in the C-statistic, calibration slope, calibration-in-the-large, and E/O statistic, and possible transformations thereof. We found that a normal between-study distribution was usually reasonable for the calibration slope and calibration-in-the-large; however, the distributions of the C-statistic and E/O were often skewed across studies, particularly in settings with large variability in the predictor effects. Normality was vastly improved when using the logit transformation for the C-statistic and the log transformation for E/O, and therefore we recommend these scales to be used for meta-analysis. An illustrated example is given using a random-effects meta-analysis of the performance of QRISK2 across 25 general practices.

  1. Rating Scale Impact on EFL Essay Marking: A Mixed-Method Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barkaoui, Khaled

    2007-01-01

    Educators often have to choose among different types of rating scales to assess second-language (L2) writing performance. There is little research, however, on how different rating scales affect rater performance. This study employed a mixed-method approach to investigate the effects of two different rating scales on EFL essay scores, rating…

  2. Performance Analysis, Design Considerations, and Applications of Extreme-Scale In Situ Infrastructures

    DOE PAGES

    Ayachit, Utkarsh; Bauer, Andrew; Duque, Earl P. N.; ...

    2016-11-01

    A key trend facing extreme-scale computational science is the widening gap between computational and I/O rates, and the challenge that follows is how to best gain insight from simulation data when it is increasingly impractical to save it to persistent storage for subsequent visual exploration and analysis. One approach to this challenge is centered around the idea of in situ processing, where visualization and analysis processing is performed while data is still resident in memory. Our paper examines several key design and performance issues related to the idea of in situ processing at extreme scale on modern platforms: Scalability, overhead,more » performance measurement and analysis, comparison and contrast with a traditional post hoc approach, and interfacing with simulation codes. We illustrate these principles in practice with studies, conducted on large-scale HPC platforms, that include a miniapplication and multiple science application codes, one of which demonstrates in situ methods in use at greater than 1M-way concurrency.« less

  3. Combining performance and outcome indicators can be used in a standardized way: a pilot study of two multidisciplinary, full-scale major aircraft exercises.

    PubMed

    Rådestad, Monica; Nilsson, Heléne; Castrén, Maaret; Svensson, Leif; Rüter, Anders; Gryth, Dan

    2012-08-28

    Disaster medicine is a fairly young scientific discipline and there is a need for the development of new methods for evaluation and research. This includes full-scale disaster exercisers. A standardized concept on how to evaluate these exercises, could lead to easier identification of pitfalls caused by system-errors in the organization. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of using a combination of performance and outcome indicators so that results can be compared in standardized full-scale exercises. Two multidisciplinary, full-scale exercises were studied in 2008 and 2010. The panorama had the same setup. Sets of performance indicators combined with indicators for unfavorable patient outcome were recorded in predesigned templates. Evaluators, all trained in a standardized way at a national disaster medicine centre, scored the results on predetermined locations; at the scene, at hospital and at the regional command and control. All data regarding the performance indicators of the participants during the exercises were obtained as well as all data regarding indicators for patient outcome. Both exercises could therefore be compared regarding performance (processes) as well as outcome indicators. The data from the performance indicators during the exercises showed higher scores for the prehospital command in the second exercise 15 points and 3 points respectively. Results from the outcome indicators, patient survival and patient complications, demonstrated a higher number of preventable deaths and a lower number of preventable complications in the exercise 2010. In the exercise 2008 the number of preventable deaths was lower and the number of preventable complications was higher. Standardized multidisciplinary, full-scale exercises in different settings can be conducted and evaluated with performance indicators combined with outcome indicators enabling results from exercises to be compared. If exercises are performed in a standardized way

  4. LAMMPS strong scaling performance optimization on Blue Gene/Q

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

    Coffman, Paul; Jiang, Wei; Romero, Nichols A.

    2014-11-12

    LAMMPS "Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator" is an open-source molecular dynamics package from Sandia National Laboratories. Significant performance improvements in strong-scaling and time-to-solution for this application on IBM's Blue Gene/Q have been achieved through computational optimizations of the OpenMP versions of the short-range Lennard-Jones term of the CHARMM force field and the long-range Coulombic interaction implemented with the PPPM (particle-particle-particle mesh) algorithm, enhanced by runtime parameter settings controlling thread utilization. Additionally, MPI communication performance improvements were made to the PPPM calculation by re-engineering the parallel 3D FFT to use MPICH collectives instead of point-to-point. Performance testing was done using anmore » 8.4-million atom simulation scaling up to 16 racks on the Mira system at Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF). Speedups resulting from this effort were in some cases over 2x.« less

  5. Learner Autonomy Scale: A Scale Development Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Orakci, Senol; Gelisli, Yücel

    2017-01-01

    The goal of the study is to develop a scale named "Learner Autonomy Scale" (LAS) for determining the learner autonomy of the students toward English lesson. The proposal scale, composed of 29 items, was applied to two study groups in Turkey. The group of Exploratory Factor Analysis that aims to determine the psychometric properties…

  6. Effective Rating Scale Development for Speaking Tests: Performance Decision Trees

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fulcher, Glenn; Davidson, Fred; Kemp, Jenny

    2011-01-01

    Rating scale design and development for testing speaking is generally conducted using one of two approaches: the measurement-driven approach or the performance data-driven approach. The measurement-driven approach prioritizes the ordering of descriptors onto a single scale. Meaning is derived from the scaling methodology and the agreement of…

  7. Relationship Between the Functional Status Scale and the Pediatric Overall Performance Category and Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category Scales FREE

    PubMed Central

    Pollack, Murray M.; Holubkov, Richard; Funai, Tomohiko; Clark, Amy; Moler, Frank; Shanley, Thomas; Meert, Kathy; Newth, Christopher J. L.; Carcillo, Joseph; Berger, John T.; Doctor, Allan; Berg, Robert A.; Dalton, Heidi; Wessel, David L.; Harrison, Rick E.; Dean, J. Michael; Jenkins, Tammara L.

    2015-01-01

    Importance Functional status assessment methods are important as outcome measures for pediatric critical care studies. Objective To investigate the relationships between the 2 functional status assessment methods appropriate for large-sample studies, the Functional Status Scale (FSS) and the Pediatric Overall Performance Category and Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category (POPC/PCPC) scales. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective cohort study with random patient selection at 7 sites and 8 children’s hospitals with general/medical and cardiac/cardiovascular pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in the Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network. Participants included all PICU patients younger than 18 years. Main Outcomes and Measures Functional Status Scale and POPC/PCPC scores determined at PICU admission (baseline) and PICU discharge. We investigated the association between the baseline and PICU discharge POPC/PCPC scores and the baseline and PICU discharge FSS scores, the dispersion of FSS scores within each of the POPC/PCPC ratings, and the relationship between the FSS neurologic components (FSS-CNS) and the PCPC. Results We included 5017 patients. We found a significant (P < .001) difference between FSS scores in each POPC or PCPC interval, with an FSS score increase with each worsening POPC/PCPC rating. The FSS scores for the good and mild disability POPC/PCPC ratings were similar and increased by 2 to 3 points for the POPC/PCPC change from mild to moderate disability, 5 to 6 points for moderate to severe disability, and 8 to 9 points for severe disability to vegetative state or coma. The dispersion of FSS scores within each POPC and PCPC rating was substantial and increased with worsening POPC and PCPC scores. We also found a significant (P < .001) difference between the FSS-CNS scores between each of the PCPC ratings with increases in the FSS-CNS score for each higher PCPC rating. Conclusions and Relevance The FSS and POPC/PCPC system

  8. The Development of Hyper-MNP: Hyper-Media Navigational Performance Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Firat, Mehmet; Yurdakul, Isil Kabakci

    2016-01-01

    The present study aimed at developing a scale to evaluate navigational performance as a whole, which is one of the factors influencing learning in hyper media. In line with this purpose, depending on the related literature, an item pool of 15 factors was prepared, and these variables were decreased to 5 based on the views of 38 field experts. In…

  9. HACC: Extreme Scaling and Performance Across Diverse Architectures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Habib, Salman; Morozov, Vitali; Frontiere, Nicholas; Finkel, Hal; Pope, Adrian; Heitmann, Katrin

    2013-11-01

    Supercomputing is evolving towards hybrid and accelerator-based architectures with millions of cores. The HACC (Hardware/Hybrid Accelerated Cosmology Code) framework exploits this diverse landscape at the largest scales of problem size, obtaining high scalability and sustained performance. Developed to satisfy the science requirements of cosmological surveys, HACC melds particle and grid methods using a novel algorithmic structure that flexibly maps across architectures, including CPU/GPU, multi/many-core, and Blue Gene systems. We demonstrate the success of HACC on two very different machines, the CPU/GPU system Titan and the BG/Q systems Sequoia and Mira, attaining unprecedented levels of scalable performance. We demonstrate strong and weak scaling on Titan, obtaining up to 99.2% parallel efficiency, evolving 1.1 trillion particles. On Sequoia, we reach 13.94 PFlops (69.2% of peak) and 90% parallel efficiency on 1,572,864 cores, with 3.6 trillion particles, the largest cosmological benchmark yet performed. HACC design concepts are applicable to several other supercomputer applications.

  10. Combining performance and outcome indicators can be used in a standardized way: a pilot study of two multidisciplinary, full-scale major aircraft exercises

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Disaster medicine is a fairly young scientific discipline and there is a need for the development of new methods for evaluation and research. This includes full-scale disaster exercisers. A standardized concept on how to evaluate these exercises, could lead to easier identification of pitfalls caused by system-errors in the organization. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of using a combination of performance and outcome indicators so that results can be compared in standardized full-scale exercises. Methods Two multidisciplinary, full-scale exercises were studied in 2008 and 2010. The panorama had the same setup. Sets of performance indicators combined with indicators for unfavorable patient outcome were recorded in predesigned templates. Evaluators, all trained in a standardized way at a national disaster medicine centre, scored the results on predetermined locations; at the scene, at hospital and at the regional command and control. Results All data regarding the performance indicators of the participants during the exercises were obtained as well as all data regarding indicators for patient outcome. Both exercises could therefore be compared regarding performance (processes) as well as outcome indicators. The data from the performance indicators during the exercises showed higher scores for the prehospital command in the second exercise 15 points and 3 points respectively. Results from the outcome indicators, patient survival and patient complications, demonstrated a higher number of preventable deaths and a lower number of preventable complications in the exercise 2010. In the exercise 2008 the number of preventable deaths was lower and the number of preventable complications was higher. Conclusions Standardized multidisciplinary, full-scale exercises in different settings can be conducted and evaluated with performance indicators combined with outcome indicators enabling results from exercises to be compared. If exercises are

  11. The Denver II Scales and the Griffiths Scales of Mental Development: a correlational study.

    PubMed

    Luiz, Dolores M; Foxcroft, Cheryl D; Tukulu, Abigail N

    2004-10-01

    Screening measures aim to minimise the number of children being diagnosed incorrectly; however, many of these measures have been based on the "normal" white population. This study identified the need for a valid developmental assessment of black preschool children. The general aim of the study was to investigate the use of the Denver II and the Griffiths Scales on a pre-school black Xhosa-speaking sample. Specifically, the aim was to investigate the relationship between the Denver II Scales and the Griffiths Scales, in order to provide the first step in establishing the validity of the Denver II Scales on a South African black population. A correlational design was used and the sample was comprised of 60 Xhosa-speaking children between the ages of 3 and 6 years. The findings revealed that there was a significant relationship between the overall performance of the Denver II and the Griffiths Scales. However, the Personal-Social Scale of the Denver II appeared to have items that were culturally biased. Further, the Denver II further identified a higher percentage of the sample to have abnormal or questionable protocols than the Griffiths Scales did.

  12. Effect of micro-scale texturing on the cutting tool performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vasumathy, D.; Meena, Anil

    2018-05-01

    The present study is mainly focused on the cutting performance of the micro-scale textured carbide tools while turning AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel under dry cutting environment. The texture on the rake face of the carbide tools was fabricated by laser machining. The cutting performance of the textured tools was further compared with conventional tools in terms of cutting forces, tool wear, machined surface quality and chip curl radius. SEM and EDS analyses have been also performed to better understand the tool surface characteristics. Results show that the grooves help in breaking the tool-chip contact leading to a lesser tool-chip contact area which results in reduced iron (Fe) adhesion to the tool.

  13. Performance on the Balance Scale by Two-Year Old Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Halford, Graeme S.; Dalton, Cherie

    Twenty-two children ranging in age from 2 to 3 years were tested on their abilities to apply weight and distance rules to the balance scale. This study was performed to test the prediction that 2-year-olds would be able to understand either a weight rule or a distance rule, but not be able to integrate the two. The sample group was instructed in…

  14. Performance Evaluation and Dissolved Oxygen Effect in Deep-bed Denitrification Filter: a Full-scale Plant Case Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hu, Xiang; Hu, Jie; Wu, Ke; Hou, Hongxun

    2018-01-01

    The aims of this study were twofold. Firstly, the denitrificaion performance in deep-bed denitrificaiton filter (DBDF), serving as the advanced total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) removal technology, was evaluated. Secondly, the effect of dissolved oxygen (DO) into the DBDF on both the denitrificaion performance and the external carbon source addition was investigated. The operational results over eight months demonstrated good TN removal efficiency (87.8%) in the studied full-scale plant, in which 70.7% and 17.1% of TN were removed in the pre-denitrifation in oxidation ditch and post-denitrifation in DBDF, respectively. The DO concentration was inversely related to both the external carbon source dosage and the nitrate removed in DBDF. A dose of 3.60Kg methane (97%) was required to remove 1Kg nitrate, with approximately 26.2% of methane dosed was depleted by the DO in DBDF influent. It is suggested to take some measures to eliminate or mitigate the waterfall reoxygenation at process configurations before the DBDF, which is expected to save the cost of external carbon source.

  15. Performance of Extended Local Clustering Organization (LCO) for Large Scale Job-Shop Scheduling Problem (JSP)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Konno, Yohko; Suzuki, Keiji

    This paper describes an approach to development of a solution algorithm of a general-purpose for large scale problems using “Local Clustering Organization (LCO)” as a new solution for Job-shop scheduling problem (JSP). Using a performance effective large scale scheduling in the study of usual LCO, a solving JSP keep stability induced better solution is examined. In this study for an improvement of a performance of a solution for JSP, processes to a optimization by LCO is examined, and a scheduling solution-structure is extended to a new solution-structure based on machine-division. A solving method introduced into effective local clustering for the solution-structure is proposed as an extended LCO. An extended LCO has an algorithm which improves scheduling evaluation efficiently by clustering of parallel search which extends over plural machines. A result verified by an application of extended LCO on various scale of problems proved to conduce to minimizing make-span and improving on the stable performance.

  16. Performance of Linear and Nonlinear Two-Leaf Light Use Efficiency Models at Different Temporal Scales

    DOE PAGES

    Wu, Xiaocui; Ju, Weimin; Zhou, Yanlian; ...

    2015-02-25

    The reliable simulation of gross primary productivity (GPP) at various spatial and temporal scales is of significance to quantifying the net exchange of carbon between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. This study aimed to verify the ability of a nonlinear two-leaf model (TL-LUEn), a linear two-leaf model (TL-LUE), and a big-leaf light use efficiency model (MOD17) to simulate GPP at half-hourly, daily and 8-day scales using GPP derived from 58 eddy-covariance flux sites in Asia, Europe and North America as benchmarks. Model evaluation showed that the overall performance of TL-LUEn was slightly but not significantly better than TL-LUE at half-hourlymore » and daily scale, while the overall performance of both TL-LUEn and TL-LUE were significantly better (p < 0.0001) than MOD17 at the two temporal scales. The improvement of TL-LUEn over TL-LUE was relatively small in comparison with the improvement of TL-LUE over MOD17. However, the differences between TL-LUEn and MOD17, and TL-LUE and MOD17 became less distinct at the 8-day scale. As for different vegetation types, TL-LUEn and TL-LUE performed better than MOD17 for all vegetation types except crops at the half-hourly scale. At the daily and 8-day scales, both TL-LUEn and TL-LUE outperformed MOD17 for forests. However, TL-LUEn had a mixed performance for the three non-forest types while TL-LUE outperformed MOD17 slightly for all these non-forest types at daily and 8-day scales. The better performance of TL-LUEn and TL-LUE for forests was mainly achieved by the correction of the underestimation/overestimation of GPP simulated by MOD17 under low/high solar radiation and sky clearness conditions. TL-LUEn is more applicable at individual sites at the half-hourly scale while TL-LUE could be regionally used at half-hourly, daily and 8-day scales. MOD17 is also an applicable option regionally at the 8-day scale.« less

  17. Performance of Linear and Nonlinear Two-Leaf Light Use Efficiency Models at Different Temporal Scales

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

    Wu, Xiaocui; Ju, Weimin; Zhou, Yanlian

    The reliable simulation of gross primary productivity (GPP) at various spatial and temporal scales is of significance to quantifying the net exchange of carbon between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. This study aimed to verify the ability of a nonlinear two-leaf model (TL-LUEn), a linear two-leaf model (TL-LUE), and a big-leaf light use efficiency model (MOD17) to simulate GPP at half-hourly, daily and 8-day scales using GPP derived from 58 eddy-covariance flux sites in Asia, Europe and North America as benchmarks. Model evaluation showed that the overall performance of TL-LUEn was slightly but not significantly better than TL-LUE at half-hourlymore » and daily scale, while the overall performance of both TL-LUEn and TL-LUE were significantly better (p < 0.0001) than MOD17 at the two temporal scales. The improvement of TL-LUEn over TL-LUE was relatively small in comparison with the improvement of TL-LUE over MOD17. However, the differences between TL-LUEn and MOD17, and TL-LUE and MOD17 became less distinct at the 8-day scale. As for different vegetation types, TL-LUEn and TL-LUE performed better than MOD17 for all vegetation types except crops at the half-hourly scale. At the daily and 8-day scales, both TL-LUEn and TL-LUE outperformed MOD17 for forests. However, TL-LUEn had a mixed performance for the three non-forest types while TL-LUE outperformed MOD17 slightly for all these non-forest types at daily and 8-day scales. The better performance of TL-LUEn and TL-LUE for forests was mainly achieved by the correction of the underestimation/overestimation of GPP simulated by MOD17 under low/high solar radiation and sky clearness conditions. TL-LUEn is more applicable at individual sites at the half-hourly scale while TL-LUE could be regionally used at half-hourly, daily and 8-day scales. MOD17 is also an applicable option regionally at the 8-day scale.« less

  18. Estimation of Crop Gross Primary Production (GPP). 2; Do Scaled (MODIS) Vegetation Indices Improve Performance?

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zhang, Qingyuan; Cheng, Yen-Ben; Lyapustin, Alexei I.; Wang, Yujie; Zhang, Xiaoyang; Suyker, Andrew; Verma, Shashi; Shuai, Yanmin; Middleton, Elizabeth M.

    2015-01-01

    Satellite remote sensing estimates of Gross Primary Production (GPP) have routinely been made using spectral Vegetation Indices (VIs) over the past two decades. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), the green band Wide Dynamic Range Vegetation Index (WDRVIgreen), and the green band Chlorophyll Index (CIgreen) have been employed to estimate GPP under the assumption that GPP is proportional to the product of VI and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) (where VI is one of four VIs: NDVI, EVI, WDRVIgreen, or CIgreen). However, the empirical regressions between VI*PAR and GPP measured locally at flux towers do not pass through the origin (i.e., the zero X-Y value for regressions). Therefore they are somewhat difficult to interpret and apply. This study investigates (1) what are the scaling factors and offsets (i.e., regression slopes and intercepts) between the fraction of PAR absorbed by chlorophyll of a canopy (fAPARchl) and the VIs, and (2) whether the scaled VIs developed in (1) can eliminate the deficiency and improve the accuracy of GPP estimates. Three AmeriFlux maize and soybean fields were selected for this study, two of which are irrigated and one is rainfed. The four VIs and fAPARchl of the fields were computed with the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite images. The GPP estimation performance for the scaled VIs was compared to results obtained with the original VIs and evaluated with standard statistics: the coefficient of determination (R2), the root mean square error (RMSE), and the coefficient of variation (CV). Overall, the scaled EVI obtained the best performance. The performance of the scaled NDVI, EVI and WDRVIgreen was improved across sites, crop types and soil/background wetness conditions. The scaled CIgreen did not improve results, compared to the original CIgreen. The scaled green band indices (WDRVIgreen, CIgreen) did not exhibit superior performance to either the

  19. Predictive accuracy of risk scales following self-harm: multicentre, prospective cohort study.

    PubMed

    Quinlivan, Leah; Cooper, Jayne; Meehan, Declan; Longson, Damien; Potokar, John; Hulme, Tom; Marsden, Jennifer; Brand, Fiona; Lange, Kezia; Riseborough, Elena; Page, Lisa; Metcalfe, Chris; Davies, Linda; O'Connor, Rory; Hawton, Keith; Gunnell, David; Kapur, Nav

    2017-06-01

    Background Scales are widely used in psychiatric assessments following self-harm. Robust evidence for their diagnostic use is lacking. Aims To evaluate the performance of risk scales (Manchester Self-Harm Rule, ReACT Self-Harm Rule, SAD PERSONS scale, Modified SAD PERSONS scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale); and patient and clinician estimates of risk in identifying patients who repeat self-harm within 6 months. Method A multisite prospective cohort study was conducted of adults aged 18 years and over referred to liaison psychiatry services following self-harm. Scale a priori cut-offs were evaluated using diagnostic accuracy statistics. The area under the curve (AUC) was used to determine optimal cut-offs and compare global accuracy. Results In total, 483 episodes of self-harm were included in the study. The episode-based 6-month repetition rate was 30% ( n = 145). Sensitivity ranged from 1% (95% CI 0-5) for the SAD PERSONS scale, to 97% (95% CI 93-99) for the Manchester Self-Harm Rule. Positive predictive values ranged from 13% (95% CI 2-47) for the Modified SAD PERSONS Scale to 47% (95% CI 41-53) for the clinician assessment of risk. The AUC ranged from 0.55 (95% CI 0.50-0.61) for the SAD PERSONS scale to 0.74 (95% CI 0.69-0.79) for the clinician global scale. The remaining scales performed significantly worse than clinician and patient estimates of risk ( P <0.001). Conclusions Risk scales following self-harm have limited clinical utility and may waste valuable resources. Most scales performed no better than clinician or patient ratings of risk. Some performed considerably worse. Positive predictive values were modest. In line with national guidelines, risk scales should not be used to determine patient management or predict self-harm. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017.

  20. SUPERFUND TREATABILITY CLEARINGHOUSE: BENGART AND MEMEL (BENCH-SCALE), GULFPORT (BENCH AND PILOT-SCALE), MONTANA POLE (BENCH-SCALE), AND WESTERN PROCESSING (BENCH-SCALE) TREATABILITY STUDIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    This document presents summary data on the results of various treatability studies (bench and pilot scale), conducted at three different sites where soils were contaminated with dioxins or PCBs. The synopsis is meant to show rough performance levels under a variety of differen...

  1. Performance of the Italian version of the subjective well-being under neuroleptic (SWN) scale in schizophrenic outpatients.

    PubMed

    Balestrieri, M; Giaroli, G; Mazzi, M; Bellantuono, C

    2006-05-01

    Several studies indicate that subjective experience toward antipsychotic drugs (APs) in schizophrenic patients is a key factor in ensuring a smooth recovery from the illness. The principal aim of this study was to establish the psychometric performance of the Subjective Well-being Under Neuroleptic (SWN) scale in its Italian version and to assess, through the SWN scale, the subjective experience of stabilized psychotic outpatients in maintenance with APs. The original short version of SWN, consisting of 20 items, was back translated, and a focus group was also conducted to better improve the comprehension of the scale. The results showed a good performance of the Italian version of the SWN as documented by the internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha; 0.85). A satisfactory subjective experience was reported in the sample of schizophrenic outpatients interviewed (SWN mean total score: 84.95, SD: 17.5). The performance of the SWN scale in the present study was very similar to that reported by Naber et al. in the original validation study. Large multi-center studies are needed to better establish differences in the subjective experience of schizophrenic patients treated with first- and second-generation APs.

  2. Performance Analysis, Modeling and Scaling of HPC Applications and Tools

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

    Bhatele, Abhinav

    2016-01-13

    E cient use of supercomputers at DOE centers is vital for maximizing system throughput, mini- mizing energy costs and enabling science breakthroughs faster. This requires complementary e orts along several directions to optimize the performance of scienti c simulation codes and the under- lying runtimes and software stacks. This in turn requires providing scalable performance analysis tools and modeling techniques that can provide feedback to physicists and computer scientists developing the simulation codes and runtimes respectively. The PAMS project is using time allocations on supercomputers at ALCF, NERSC and OLCF to further the goals described above by performing research alongmore » the following fronts: 1. Scaling Study of HPC applications; 2. Evaluation of Programming Models; 3. Hardening of Performance Tools; 4. Performance Modeling of Irregular Codes; and 5. Statistical Analysis of Historical Performance Data. We are a team of computer and computational scientists funded by both DOE/NNSA and DOE/ ASCR programs such as ECRP, XStack (Traleika Glacier, PIPER), ExaOSR (ARGO), SDMAV II (MONA) and PSAAP II (XPACC). This allocation will enable us to study big data issues when analyzing performance on leadership computing class systems and to assist the HPC community in making the most e ective use of these resources.« less

  3. A Comparison of Change in the 0–10 Numeric Rating Scale to a Pain Relief Scale and Global Medication Performance Scale in a Short-term Clinical Trial of Breakthrough Pain Intensity

    PubMed Central

    Farrar, John T.; Polomano, Rosemary C.; Berlin, Jesse A.; Strom, Brian L.

    2010-01-01

    Background Pain intensity is commonly reported using a 0–10 numeric rating scale in breakthrough pain clinical trials. Analysis of the change on the Pain Intensity Numerical Rating Scale as a proportion as most consistently correlated with clinically important differences reported on the Patient Global Impression of Change. The analysis of data using a different global outcome measures and the pain relief scale will extend our understanding of these measures. Use of the pain relief scale is also explored in this study Methods Data came from the open titration phase of a multiple crossover, randomized, double-blind clinical trial comparing oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate to immediate-release oral morphine sulfate for treatment of cancer-related breakthrough pain. Raw and percent changes in the pain intensity scores on 1,307 from 134 oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate-naive patients were compared to the clinically relevant secondary outcomes of the pain relief verbal response scale and the global medication performance. The changes in raw and percent change were assessed over time and compared to the ordinal pain relief verbal response scale and global medication performance scales. Results The p-value of the interaction between the raw pain intensity difference was significant but not for the percent pain intensity difference score over 4 15 minute time periods (p = 0.034 and p = 0.26 respectively), in comparison with the ordinal pain relief verbal response scale (p = 0.0048 and p = 0.36 respectively), and global medication performance categories (p = 0.048 and p = 0.45 respectively). Conclusion The change in pain intensity in breakthrough pain was more consistent over time and when compared to both the pain relief verbal response scale and global medication performance scale when the percent change is used rather than raw pain intensity difference. PMID:20463579

  4. Performance Assessment of a Large Scale Pulsejet- Driven Ejector System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Paxson, Daniel E.; Litke, Paul J.; Schauer, Frederick R.; Bradley, Royce P.; Hoke, John L.

    2006-01-01

    Unsteady thrust augmentation was measured on a large scale driver/ejector system. A 72 in. long, 6.5 in. diameter, 100 lb(sub f) pulsejet was tested with a series of straight, cylindrical ejectors of varying length, and diameter. A tapered ejector configuration of varying length was also tested. The objectives of the testing were to determine the dimensions of the ejectors which maximize thrust augmentation, and to compare the dimensions and augmentation levels so obtained with those of other, similarly maximized, but smaller scale systems on which much of the recent unsteady ejector thrust augmentation studies have been performed. An augmentation level of 1.71 was achieved with the cylindrical ejector configuration and 1.81 with the tapered ejector configuration. These levels are consistent with, but slightly lower than the highest levels achieved with the smaller systems. The ejector diameter yielding maximum augmentation was 2.46 times the diameter of the pulsejet. This ratio closely matches those of the small scale experiments. For the straight ejector, the length yielding maximum augmentation was 10 times the diameter of the pulsejet. This was also nearly the same as the small scale experiments. Testing procedures are described, as are the parametric variations in ejector geometry. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for general scaling of pulsed thrust ejector systems

  5. Performance evaluation of bimodal thermite composites : nano- vs miron-scale particles

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

    Moore, K. M.; Pantoya, M.; Son, S. F.

    2004-01-01

    In recent years many studies of metastable interstitial composites (MIC) have shown vast combustion improvements over traditional thermite materials. The main difference between these two materials is the size of the fuel particles in the mixture. Decreasing the fuel size from the micron to nanometer range significantly increases the combustion wave speed and ignition sensitivity. Little is known, however, about the critical level of nano-sized fuel particles needed to enhance the performance of the traditional thermite. Ignition sensitivity experiments were performed using Al/MoO{sub 3} pellets at a theoretical maximum density of 50% (2 g/cm{sup 3}). The Al fuel particles weremore » prepared as bi-modal size distributions with micron (i.e., 4 and 20 {micro}m diameter) and nano-scale Al particles. The micron-scale Al was replaced in 10% increments by 80 nm Al particles until the fuel was 100% 80 nm Al. These bi-modal distributions allow the unique characteristics of nano-scale materials to be better understood. The pellets were ignited using a 50-W CO{sub 2} laser. High speed imaging diagnostics were used to measure ignition delay times, and micro-thermocouples were used to measure ignition temperatures. Combustion wave speeds were also examined.« less

  6. Bioreactor Scalability: Laboratory-Scale Bioreactor Design Influences Performance, Ecology, and Community Physiology in Expanded Granular Sludge Bed Bioreactors

    PubMed Central

    Connelly, Stephanie; Shin, Seung G.; Dillon, Robert J.; Ijaz, Umer Z.; Quince, Christopher; Sloan, William T.; Collins, Gavin

    2017-01-01

    Studies investigating the feasibility of new, or improved, biotechnologies, such as wastewater treatment digesters, inevitably start with laboratory-scale trials. However, it is rarely determined whether laboratory-scale results reflect full-scale performance or microbial ecology. The Expanded Granular Sludge Bed (EGSB) bioreactor, which is a high-rate anaerobic digester configuration, was used as a model to address that knowledge gap in this study. Two laboratory-scale idealizations of the EGSB—a one-dimensional and a three- dimensional scale-down of a full-scale design—were built and operated in triplicate under near-identical conditions to a full-scale EGSB. The laboratory-scale bioreactors were seeded using biomass obtained from the full-scale bioreactor, and, spent water from the distillation of whisky from maize was applied as substrate at both scales. Over 70 days, bioreactor performance, microbial ecology, and microbial community physiology were monitored at various depths in the sludge-beds using 16S rRNA gene sequencing (V4 region), specific methanogenic activity (SMA) assays, and a range of physical and chemical monitoring methods. SMA assays indicated dominance of the hydrogenotrophic pathway at full-scale whilst a more balanced activity profile developed during the laboratory-scale trials. At each scale, Methanobacterium was the dominant methanogenic genus present. Bioreactor performance overall was better at laboratory-scale than full-scale. We observed that bioreactor design at laboratory-scale significantly influenced spatial distribution of microbial community physiology and taxonomy in the bioreactor sludge-bed, with 1-D bioreactor types promoting stratification of each. In the 1-D laboratory bioreactors, increased abundance of Firmicutes was associated with both granule position in the sludge bed and increased activity against acetate and ethanol as substrates. We further observed that stratification in the sludge-bed in 1-D laboratory-scale

  7. The effect of primary sedimentation on full-scale WWTP nutrient removal performance.

    PubMed

    Puig, S; van Loosdrecht, M C M; Flameling, A G; Colprim, J; Meijer, S C F

    2010-06-01

    Traditionally, the performance of full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is measured based on influent and/or effluent and waste sludge flows and concentrations. Full-scale WWTP data typically have a high variance which often contains (large) measurement errors. A good process engineering evaluation of the WWTP performance is therefore difficult. This also makes it usually difficult to evaluate effect of process changes in a plant or compare plants to each other. In this paper we used a case study of a full-scale nutrient removing WWTP. The plant normally uses presettled wastewater, as a means to increase the nutrient removal the plant was operated for a period by-passing raw wastewater (27% of the influent flow). The effect of raw wastewater addition has been evaluated by different approaches: (i) influent characteristics, (ii) design retrofit, (iii) effluent quality, (iv) removal efficiencies, (v) activated sludge characteristics, (vi) microbial activity tests and FISH analysis and, (vii) performance assessment based on mass balance evaluation. This paper demonstrates that mass balance evaluation approach helps the WWTP engineers to distinguish and quantify between different strategies, where others could not. In the studied case, by-passing raw wastewater (27% of the influent flow) directly to the biological reactor did not improve the effluent quality and the nutrient removal efficiency of the WWTP. The increase of the influent C/N and C/P ratios was associated to particulate compounds with low COD/VSS ratio and a high non-biodegradable COD fraction. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Hybrid Wing Body Configuration Scaling Study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nickol, Craig L.

    2012-01-01

    The Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) configuration is a subsonic transport aircraft concept with the potential to simultaneously reduce fuel burn, noise and emissions compared to conventional concepts. Initial studies focused on very large applications with capacities for up to 800 passengers. More recent studies have focused on the large, twin-aisle class with passenger capacities in the 300-450 range. Efficiently scaling this concept down to the single aisle or smaller size is challenging due to geometric constraints, potentially reducing the desirability of this concept for applications in the 100-200 passenger capacity range or less. In order to quantify this scaling challenge, five advanced conventional (tube-and-wing layout) concepts were developed, along with equivalent (payload/range/technology) HWB concepts, and their fuel burn performance compared. The comparison showed that the HWB concepts have fuel burn advantages over advanced tube-and-wing concepts in the larger payload/range classes (roughly 767-sized and larger). Although noise performance was not quantified in this study, the HWB concept has distinct noise advantages over the conventional tube-and-wing configuration due to the inherent noise shielding features of the HWB. NASA s Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) project will continue to investigate advanced configurations, such as the HWB, due to their potential to simultaneously reduce fuel burn, noise and emissions.

  9. Comparison of fall prediction by the Hessisch Oldendorf Fall Risk Scale and the Fall Risk Scale by Huhn in neurological rehabilitation: an observational study.

    PubMed

    Hermann, Olena; Schmidt, Simone B; Boltzmann, Melanie; Rollnik, Jens D

    2018-05-01

    To calculate scale performance of the newly developed Hessisch Oldendorf Fall Risk Scale (HOSS) for classifying fallers and non-fallers in comparison with the Risk of Falling Scale by Huhn (FSH), a frequently used assessment tool. A prospective observational trail was conducted. The study was performed in a large specialized neurological rehabilitation facility. The study population ( n = 690) included neurological and neurosurgery patients during neurological rehabilitation with varying levels of disability. Around the half of the study patients were independent and dependent in the activities of daily living (ADL), respectively. Fall risk of each patient was assessed by HOSS and FSH within the first seven days after admission. Event of fall during rehabilitation was compared with HOSS and FSH scores as well as the according fall risk. Scale performance including sensitivity and specificity was calculated for both scales. A total of 107 (15.5%) patients experienced at least one fall. In general, fallers were characterized by an older age, a prolonged length of stay, and a lower Barthel Index (higher dependence in the ADL) on admission than non-fallers. The verification of fall prediction for both scales showed a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 64% for the HOSS scale, and a sensitivity of 98% with a specificity of 12% for the FSH scale, respectively. The HOSS shows an adequate sensitivity, a higher specificity and therefore a better scale performance than the FSH. Thus, the HOSS might be superior to existing assessments.

  10. Hospital for Special Surgery Pediatric Functional Activity Brief Scale predicts physical fitness testing performance.

    PubMed

    Fabricant, Peter D; Robles, Alex; McLaren, Son H; Marx, Robert G; Widmann, Roger F; Green, Daniel W

    2014-05-01

    An eight-item activity scale was recently developed and validated for use as a prognostic tool in clinical research in children and adolescents. It is unclear, however, if this brief questionnaire is predictive of quantitative metrics of physical activity and fitness. The purposes of this study were to prospectively administer the Hospital for Special Surgery Pediatric Functional Activity Brief Scale to a large cohort of healthy adolescents to determine (1) if the activity scale exhibits any floor or ceiling effects; (2) if scores on the activity scale are correlated with standardized physical fitness metrics; and if so, (3) to determine the discrimination ability of the activity scale to differentiate between adolescents with healthy or unhealthy levels of aerobic capacity and calculate an appropriate cutoff value for its use as a screening tool. One hundred eighty-two adolescents (mean, 15.3 years old) prospectively completed the activity scale and four standardized metrics of physical fitness: pushups, sit-ups, shuttle run exercise (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run), and calculated VO2-max. Age, sex, and body mass index were also recorded. Pearson correlations, regression analyses, and receiver operating characteristic analyses were used to evaluate activity scale performance. The activity scale did not exhibit any floor or ceiling effects. Pushups (ρ = 0.28), sit-ups (ρ = 0.23), performance on the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (ρ = 0.44), and VO2-max (ρ = 0.43) were all positively correlated with the activity scale score (Pearson correlations, all p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that those with an activity score of ≤ 14 were at higher risk of having low levels of aerobic capacity. In the current study, activity score was free of floor and ceiling effects and predictive of all four physical fitness metrics. An activity score of ≤ 14 was associated with at-risk aerobic capacity previously

  11. Hover and forward flight acoustics and performance of a small-scale helicopter rotor system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kitaplioglu, C.; Shinoda, P.

    1985-01-01

    A 2.1-m diam., 1/6-scale model helicopter main rotor was tested in hover in the test section of the NASA Ames 40- by 80- Foot Wind Tunnel. Subsequently, it was tested in forward flight in the Ames 7- by 10-Foot Wind Tunnel. The primary objective of the tests was to obtain performance and noise data on a small-scale rotor at various thrust coefficients, tip Mach numbers, and, in the later case, various advance ratios, for comparisons with similar existing data on full-scale helicopter rotors. This comparison yielded a preliminary evaluation of the scaling of helicopter rotor performance and acoustic radiation in hover and in forward flight. Correlation between model-scale and full-scale performance and acoustics was quite good in hover. In forward flight, however, there were significant differences in both performance and acoustic characteristics. A secondary objective was to contribute to a data base that will permit the estimation of facility effects on acoustic testing.

  12. The Effects of Scaling Tennis Equipment on the Forehand Groundstroke Performance of Children

    PubMed Central

    Larson, Emma J.; Guggenheimer, Joshua D.

    2013-01-01

    The modifications that have taken place within youth sports have made games, such as basketball, soccer, or tennis, easier for children to play. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects low compression (LC) tennis balls and scaled tennis courts had on the forehand groundstroke performance of children. The forehand groundstroke performances of eight subjects’ (8.10 ± 0.74 yrs) using LC tennis balls were measured on a scaled tennis court and standard compression balls (SC) on a standard court. Forehand groundstroke performance was assessed by the ForeGround test which measures Velocity Precision Success Index (VPS) and Velocity Precision Index (VP). Participants attempted three different forehand rally patterns on two successive days, using LC balls on the 18.3m court one day and SC balls on the 23.8m court the other. When using LC balls, participants’ recorded higher overall VPS performance scores (p < 0.001) for each non-error stroke as well as higher VP scores (p = 0.01). The results of this study confirmed that the use of modified balls and modified court size may increase the control, velocity and overall success rate of the tennis forehand groundstroke of children. Key Points This study observed the effects of modified tennis balls and court had on the forehand groundstroke performance in children. Modified ball compression and modified court size can increase control, velocity and overall success of tennis performance. Children will have more success learning the game of tennis using modified equipment than using standard equipment. PMID:24149812

  13. Working memory performance inversely predicts spontaneous delta and theta-band scaling relations.

    PubMed

    Euler, Matthew J; Wiltshire, Travis J; Niermeyer, Madison A; Butner, Jonathan E

    2016-04-15

    Electrophysiological studies have strongly implicated theta-band activity in human working memory processes. Concurrently, work on spontaneous, non-task-related oscillations has revealed the presence of long-range temporal correlations (LRTCs) within sub-bands of the ongoing EEG, and has begun to demonstrate their functional significance. However, few studies have yet assessed the relation of LRTCs (also called scaling relations) to individual differences in cognitive abilities. The present study addressed the intersection of these two literatures by investigating the relation of narrow-band EEG scaling relations to individual differences in working memory ability, with a particular focus on the theta band. Fifty-four healthy adults completed standardized assessments of working memory and separate recordings of their spontaneous, non-task-related EEG. Scaling relations were quantified in each of the five classical EEG frequency bands via the estimation of the Hurst exponent obtained from detrended fluctuation analysis. A multilevel modeling framework was used to characterize the relation of working memory performance to scaling relations as a function of general scalp location in Cartesian space. Overall, results indicated an inverse relationship between both delta and theta scaling relations and working memory ability, which was most prominent at posterior sensors, and was independent of either spatial or individual variability in band-specific power. These findings add to the growing literature demonstrating the relevance of neural LRTCs for understanding brain functioning, and support a construct- and state-dependent view of their functional implications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. INFLUENCE OF SCALE RATIO, ASPECT RATIO, AND PLANFORM ON THE PERFORMANCE OF SUPERCAVITATING HYDROFOILS.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    performance of supercavitating hydrofoils. No appreciable scale effect was found for scale ratios up to 3 in the fully-cavitating flow region. The...overall performance of the hydrofoil by increasing the aspect ratio above 3, and (2) moderate taper ratio seems to be advantageous in view of the overall performance of supercavitating hydrofoils. (Author)

  15. Performance Comparison at Mach Numbers 1.8 and 2.0 of Full Scale and Quarter Scale Translating-Spike Inlets

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, B. H.; Dryer, M.; Hearth, D. P.

    1957-01-01

    The performance of a full-scale translating-spike inlet was obtained at Mach numbers of 1.8 and 2.0 and at angles of attach from 0 deg to 6 deg. Comparisons were made between the full-scale production inlet configuration and a geometrically similar quarter-scale model. The inlet pressure-recovery, cowl pressure-distribution, and compressor-face distortion characteristics of the full-scale inlet agreed fairly well with the quarter-scale results. In addition, the results indicated that bleeding around the periphery ahead of the compressor-face station improved pressure recovery and compressor-face distortion, especially at angle of attack.

  16. Do Performance-Safety Tradeoffs Cause Hypometric Metabolic Scaling in Animals?

    PubMed

    Harrison, Jon F

    2017-09-01

    Hypometric scaling of aerobic metabolism in animals has been widely attributed to constraints on oxygen (O 2 ) supply in larger animals, but recent findings demonstrate that O 2 supply balances with need regardless of size. Larger animals also do not exhibit evidence of compensation for O 2 supply limitation. Because declining metabolic rates (MRs) are tightly linked to fitness, this provides significant evidence against the hypothesis that constraints on supply drive hypometric scaling. As an alternative, ATP demand might decline in larger animals because of performance-safety tradeoffs. Larger animals, which typically reproduce later, exhibit risk-reducing strategies that lower MR. Conversely, smaller animals are more strongly selected for growth and costly neurolocomotory performance, elevating metabolism. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Assessing the performance of multi-purpose channel management measures at increasing scales

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilkinson, Mark; Addy, Steve

    2016-04-01

    highlights the importance of structure design (porosity and degree of channel blockage) and placement in zones of high sediment transport to optimise performance. At the large scale, well designed flood embankment lowering can improve connectivity to the floodplain during low to medium return period events. However, ancillary works to stabilise the bank failed thus emphasising the importance of letting natural processes readjust channel morphology and hydrological connections to the floodplain. Although these trial measures demonstrated limited effects, this may be in part owing to restrictions in the range of hydroclimatological conditions during the study period and further work is needed to assess the performance under more extreme conditions. This work will contribute to refining guidance for managing channel coarse sediment problems in the future which in turn could help mitigate flooding using natural approaches.

  18. Scaling studies of solar pumped lasers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Christiansen, W. H.; Chang, J.

    1985-08-01

    A progress report of scaling studies of solar pumped lasers is presented. Conversion of blackbody radiation into laser light has been demonstrated in this study. Parametric studies of the variation of laser mixture composition and laser gas temperature were carried out for CO2 and N2O gases. Theoretical analysis and modeling of the system have been performed. Reasonable agreement between predictions in the parameter variation and the experimental results have been obtained. Almost 200 mW of laser output at 10.6 micron was achieved by placing a small sapphire laser tube inside an oven at 1500 K the tube was filled with CO2 laser gas mixture and cooled by longitudinal nitrogen gas flow.

  19. Scaling studies of solar pumped lasers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Christiansen, W. H.; Chang, J.

    1985-01-01

    A progress report of scaling studies of solar pumped lasers is presented. Conversion of blackbody radiation into laser light has been demonstrated in this study. Parametric studies of the variation of laser mixture composition and laser gas temperature were carried out for CO2 and N2O gases. Theoretical analysis and modeling of the system have been performed. Reasonable agreement between predictions in the parameter variation and the experimental results have been obtained. Almost 200 mW of laser output at 10.6 micron was achieved by placing a small sapphire laser tube inside an oven at 1500 K the tube was filled with CO2 laser gas mixture and cooled by longitudinal nitrogen gas flow.

  20. Indicators of suboptimal performance embedded in the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV).

    PubMed

    Bouman, Zita; Hendriks, Marc P H; Schmand, Ben A; Kessels, Roy P C; Aldenkamp, Albert P

    2016-01-01

    Recognition and visual working memory tasks from the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV) have previously been documented as useful indicators for suboptimal performance. The present study examined the clinical utility of the Dutch version of the WMS-IV (WMS-IV-NL) for the identification of suboptimal performance using an analogue study design. The patient group consisted of 59 mixed-etiology patients; the experimental malingerers were 50 healthy individuals who were asked to simulate cognitive impairment as a result of a traumatic brain injury; the last group consisted of 50 healthy controls who were instructed to put forth full effort. Experimental malingerers performed significantly lower on all WMS-IV-NL tasks than did the patients and healthy controls. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed on the experimental malingerers and the patients. The first model contained the visual working memory subtests (Spatial Addition and Symbol Span) and the recognition tasks of the following subtests: Logical Memory, Verbal Paired Associates, Designs, Visual Reproduction. The results showed an overall classification rate of 78.4%, and only Spatial Addition explained a significant amount of variation (p < .001). Subsequent logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis supported the discriminatory power of the subtest Spatial Addition. A scaled score cutoff of <4 produced 93% specificity and 52% sensitivity for detection of suboptimal performance. The WMS-IV-NL Spatial Addition subtest may provide clinically useful information for the detection of suboptimal performance.

  1. A new method for testing the scale-factor performance of fiber optical gyroscope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Zhengxin; Yu, Haicheng; Li, Jing; Li, Chao; Shi, Haiyang; Zhang, Bingxin

    2015-10-01

    Fiber optical gyro (FOG) is a kind of solid-state optical gyroscope with good environmental adaptability, which has been widely used in national defense, aviation, aerospace and other civilian areas. In some applications, FOG will experience environmental conditions such as vacuum, radiation, vibration and so on, and the scale-factor performance is concerned as an important accuracy indicator. However, the scale-factor performance of FOG under these environmental conditions is difficult to test using conventional methods, as the turntable can't work under these environmental conditions. According to the phenomenon that the physical effects of FOG produced by the sawtooth voltage signal under static conditions is consistent with the physical effects of FOG produced by a turntable in uniform rotation, a new method for the scale-factor performance test of FOG without turntable is proposed in this paper. In this method, the test system of the scale-factor performance is constituted by an external operational amplifier circuit and a FOG which the modulation signal and Y waveguied are disconnected. The external operational amplifier circuit is used to superimpose the externally generated sawtooth voltage signal and the modulation signal of FOG, and to exert the superimposed signal on the Y waveguide of the FOG. The test system can produce different equivalent angular velocities by changing the cycle of the sawtooth signal in the scale-factor performance test. In this paper, the system model of FOG superimposed with an externally generated sawtooth is analyzed, and a conclusion that the effect of the equivalent input angular velocity produced by the sawtooth voltage signal is consistent with the effect of input angular velocity produced by the turntable is obtained. The relationship between the equivalent angular velocity and the parameters such as sawtooth cycle and so on is presented, and the correction method for the equivalent angular velocity is also presented by

  2. Performance Analysis and Scaling Behavior of the Terrestrial Systems Modeling Platform TerrSysMP in Large-Scale Supercomputing Environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kollet, S. J.; Goergen, K.; Gasper, F.; Shresta, P.; Sulis, M.; Rihani, J.; Simmer, C.; Vereecken, H.

    2013-12-01

    In studies of the terrestrial hydrologic, energy and biogeochemical cycles, integrated multi-physics simulation platforms take a central role in characterizing non-linear interactions, variances and uncertainties of system states and fluxes in reciprocity with observations. Recently developed integrated simulation platforms attempt to honor the complexity of the terrestrial system across multiple time and space scales from the deeper subsurface including groundwater dynamics into the atmosphere. Technically, this requires the coupling of atmospheric, land surface, and subsurface-surface flow models in supercomputing environments, while ensuring a high-degree of efficiency in the utilization of e.g., standard Linux clusters and massively parallel resources. A systematic performance analysis including profiling and tracing in such an application is crucial in the understanding of the runtime behavior, to identify optimum model settings, and is an efficient way to distinguish potential parallel deficiencies. On sophisticated leadership-class supercomputers, such as the 28-rack 5.9 petaFLOP IBM Blue Gene/Q 'JUQUEEN' of the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), this is a challenging task, but even more so important, when complex coupled component models are to be analysed. Here we want to present our experience from coupling, application tuning (e.g. 5-times speedup through compiler optimizations), parallel scaling and performance monitoring of the parallel Terrestrial Systems Modeling Platform TerrSysMP. The modeling platform consists of the weather prediction system COSMO of the German Weather Service; the Community Land Model, CLM of NCAR; and the variably saturated surface-subsurface flow code ParFlow. The model system relies on the Multiple Program Multiple Data (MPMD) execution model where the external Ocean-Atmosphere-Sea-Ice-Soil coupler (OASIS3) links the component models. TerrSysMP has been instrumented with the performance analysis tool Scalasca and analyzed

  3. Scale-down/scale-up studies leading to improved commercial beer fermentation.

    PubMed

    Nienow, Alvin W; Nordkvist, Mikkel; Boulton, Christopher A

    2011-08-01

    Scale-up/scale-down techniques are vital for successful and safe commercial-scale bioprocess design and operation. An example is given in this review of recent studies related to beer production. Work at the bench scale shows that brewing yeast is not compromised by mechanical agitation up to 4.5 W/kg; and that compared with fermentations mixed by CO(2) evolution, agitation ≥ 0.04 W/kg is able to reduce fermentation time by about 20%. Work at the commercial scale in cylindroconical fermenters shows that, without mechanical agitation, most of the yeast sediments into the cone for about 50% of the fermentation time, leading to poor temperature control. Stirrer mixing overcomes these problems and leads to a similar reduction in batch time as the bench-scale tests and greatly reduces its variability, but is difficult to install in extant fermenters. The mixing characteristics of a new jet mixer, a rotary jet mixer, which overcomes these difficulties, are reported, based on pilot-scale studies. This change enables the advantages of stirring to be achieved at the commercial scale without the problems. In addition, more of the fermentable sugars are converted into ethanol. This review shows the effectiveness of scale-up/scale-down studies for improving commercial operations. Suggestions for further studies are made: one concerning the impact of homogenization on the removal of vicinal diketones and the other on the location of bubble formation at the commercial scale. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Longitudinal performance of infants with cerebral palsy on the Test of Infant Motor Performance and on the Alberta Infant Motor Scale.

    PubMed

    Barbosa, Vanessa M; Campbell, Suzann K; Sheftel, David; Singh, Jaidep; Beligere, Nagamani

    2003-01-01

    Understanding the natural history of development in children with cerebral palsy (CP) is important for studying the consequences of early intervention. The purpose of this paper is to present results on the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) from 0-4 months of age and on the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) from 3 to 12 months of age in a group of infants later diagnosed as having CP. Ages at which infants with CP were first recognized as having delayed motor performance on each instrument and the stability of performance over time are presented. Clinical implications for using both instruments are discussed.

  5. Evaluation of performance of seasonal precipitation prediction at regional scale over India

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mohanty, U. C.; Nageswararao, M. M.; Sinha, P.; Nair, A.; Singh, A.; Rai, R. K.; Kar, S. C.; Ramesh, K. J.; Singh, K. K.; Ghosh, K.; Rathore, L. S.; Sharma, R.; Kumar, A.; Dhekale, B. S.; Maurya, R. K. S.; Sahoo, R. K.; Dash, G. P.

    2018-03-01

    The seasonal scale precipitation amount is an important ingredient in planning most of the agricultural practices (such as a type of crops, and showing and harvesting schedules). India being an agroeconomic country, the seasonal scale prediction of precipitation is directly linked to the socioeconomic growth of the nation. At present, seasonal precipitation prediction at regional scale is a challenging task for the scientific community. In the present study, an attempt is made to develop multi-model dynamical-statistical approach for seasonal precipitation prediction at the regional scale (meteorological subdivisions) over India for four prominent seasons which are winter (from December to February; DJF), pre-monsoon (from March to May; MAM), summer monsoon (from June to September; JJAS), and post-monsoon (from October to December; OND). The present prediction approach is referred as extended range forecast system (ERFS). For this purpose, precipitation predictions from ten general circulation models (GCMs) are used along with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) rainfall analysis data from 1982 to 2008 for evaluation of the performance of the GCMs, bias correction of the model results, and development of the ERFS. An extensive evaluation of the performance of the ERFS is carried out with dependent data (1982-2008) as well as independent predictions for the period 2009-2014. In general, the skill of the ERFS is reasonably better and consistent for all the seasons and different regions over India as compared to the GCMs and their simple mean. The GCM products failed to explain the extreme precipitation years, whereas the bias-corrected GCM mean and the ERFS improved the prediction and well represented the extremes in the hindcast period. The peak intensity, as well as regions of maximum precipitation, is better represented by the ERFS than the individual GCMs. The study highlights the improvement of forecast skill of the ERFS over 34 meteorological subdivisions

  6. Determining the Influence of Groundwater Composition on the Performance of Arsenic Adsorption Columns Using Rapid Small-Scale Column Tests

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aragon, A. R.; Siegel, M.

    2004-12-01

    The USEPA has established a more stringent drinking water standard for arsenic, reducing the maximum contaminant level (MCL) from 50 μ g/L to 10 μ g/L. This will affect many small communities in the US that lack the appropriate treatment infrastructure and funding to reduce arsenic to such levels. For such communities, adsorption systems are the preferred technology based on ease of operation and relatively lower costs. The performance of adsorption media for the removal of arsenic from drinking water is dependent on site-specific water quality. At certain concentrations, co-occurring solutes will compete effectively with arsenic for sorption sites, potentially reducing the sorption capacity of the media. Due to the site-specific nature of water quality and variations in media properties, pilot scale studies are typically carried out to ensure that a proposed treatment technique is cost effective before installation of a full-scale system. Sandia National Laboratories is currently developing an approach to utilize rapid small-scale columns in lieu of pilot columns to test innovative technologies that could significantly reduce the cost of treatment in small communities. Rapid small-scale column tests (RSSCTs) were developed to predict full-scale treatment of organic contaminants by adsorption onto granular activated carbon (GAC). This process greatly reduced the time and costs required to verify performance of GAC adsorption columns. In this study, the RSSCT methodology is used to predict the removal of inorganic arsenic using mixed metal oxyhydroxide adsorption media. The media are engineered and synthesized from materials that control arsenic behavior in natural and disturbed systems. We describe the underlying theory and application of RSSCTs for the performance evaluation of novel media in several groundwater compositions. Results of small-scale laboratory columns are being used to predict the performance of pilot-scale systems and ultimately to design full-scale

  7. Capturing field-scale variability in crop performance across a regional-scale climosequence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brooks, E. S.; Poggio, M.; Anderson, T. R.; Gasch, C.; Yourek, M. A.; Ward, N. K.; Magney, T. S.; Brown, D. J.; Huggins, D. R.

    2014-12-01

    With the increasing availability of variable rate technology for applying fertilizers and other agrichemicals in dryland agricultural production systems there is a growing need to better capture and understand the processes driving field scale variability in crop yield and soil water. This need for a better understanding of field scale variability has led to the recent designation of the R. J. Cook Agronomy Farm (CAF) (Pullman, WA, USA) as a United States Department of Agriculture Long-Term Agro-Ecosystem Research (LTAR) site. Field scale variability at the CAF is closely monitored using extensive environmental sensor networks and intensive hand sampling. As investigating land-soil-water dynamics at CAF is essential for improving precision agriculture, transferring this knowledge across the regional-scale climosequence is challenging. In this study we describe the hydropedologic functioning of the CAF in relation to five extensively instrumented field sites located within 50 km in the same climatic region. The formation of restrictive argillic soil horizons in the wetter, cooler eastern edge of the region results in the development of extensive perched water tables, surface saturation, and surface runoff, whereas excess water is not an issue in the warmer, drier, western edge of the region. Similarly, crop and tillage management varies across the region as well. We discuss the implications of these regional differences on field scale management decisions and demonstrate how we are using proximal soil sensing and remote sensing imagery to better understand and capture field scale variability at a particular field site.

  8. A comparison of change in the 0-10 numeric rating scale to a pain relief scale and global medication performance scale in a short-term clinical trial of breakthrough pain intensity.

    PubMed

    Farrar, John T; Polomano, Rosemary C; Berlin, Jesse A; Strom, Brian L

    2010-06-01

    Pain intensity is commonly reported using a 0-10 Numeric Rating Scale in pain clinical trials. Analysis of the change on the Pain Intensity Numerical Rating Scale as a proportion has most consistently correlated with clinically important differences reported on the patient's global impression of change. The correlation of data from patients with breakthrough pain with a Pain Relief Scale and a different global outcome measures will extend our understanding of these measures. Data were obtained from the open titration phase of a multiple crossover, randomized, double-blind clinical trial comparing oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate with immediate-release oral morphine sulfate for the treatment of cancer-related breakthrough pain. Raw and percentage changes in the pain intensity scores from 1,307 episodes of pain in 134 oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate-naïve patients were correlated with the clinically relevant secondary outcomes of Pain Relief Verbal Response Scale and the global medication performance scale. The changes in raw and percentage change were assessed over time and compared with the ordinal Pain Relief Verbal Response Scale and Global Medication Performance Scale. The P value of the interaction between the raw pain intensity difference was significant (P = 0.034) for four 15-min time periods but not for the percentage pain intensity difference score (P = 0.26). We found similar results in comparison with the ordinal Pain Relief Verbal Response Scale (P = 0.0048 and P = 0.36 respectively) and global medication performance categories (P = 0.048 and P = 0.45, respectively). The change in pain intensity in breakthrough pain was more consistent over time and when compared with both the Pain Relief Verbal Response Scale and the Global Medication Performance Scale when the percentage change is used rather than raw pain intensity difference.

  9. Do Plot Scale Studies Yield Useful Data When Assessing Field Scale Practices?

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Plot scale data has been used to develop models used to assess field and watershed scale nutrient losses. The objective of this study was to determine if phosphorus (P) loss results from plot scale rainfall simulation studies are “directionally correct” when compared to field scale P losses. Two fie...

  10. Interlaboratory Study Characterizing a Yeast Performance Standard for Benchmarking LC-MS Platform Performance*

    PubMed Central

    Paulovich, Amanda G.; Billheimer, Dean; Ham, Amy-Joan L.; Vega-Montoto, Lorenzo; Rudnick, Paul A.; Tabb, David L.; Wang, Pei; Blackman, Ronald K.; Bunk, David M.; Cardasis, Helene L.; Clauser, Karl R.; Kinsinger, Christopher R.; Schilling, Birgit; Tegeler, Tony J.; Variyath, Asokan Mulayath; Wang, Mu; Whiteaker, Jeffrey R.; Zimmerman, Lisa J.; Fenyo, David; Carr, Steven A.; Fisher, Susan J.; Gibson, Bradford W.; Mesri, Mehdi; Neubert, Thomas A.; Regnier, Fred E.; Rodriguez, Henry; Spiegelman, Cliff; Stein, Stephen E.; Tempst, Paul; Liebler, Daniel C.

    2010-01-01

    Optimal performance of LC-MS/MS platforms is critical to generating high quality proteomics data. Although individual laboratories have developed quality control samples, there is no widely available performance standard of biological complexity (and associated reference data sets) for benchmarking of platform performance for analysis of complex biological proteomes across different laboratories in the community. Individual preparations of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteome have been used extensively by laboratories in the proteomics community to characterize LC-MS platform performance. The yeast proteome is uniquely attractive as a performance standard because it is the most extensively characterized complex biological proteome and the only one associated with several large scale studies estimating the abundance of all detectable proteins. In this study, we describe a standard operating protocol for large scale production of the yeast performance standard and offer aliquots to the community through the National Institute of Standards and Technology where the yeast proteome is under development as a certified reference material to meet the long term needs of the community. Using a series of metrics that characterize LC-MS performance, we provide a reference data set demonstrating typical performance of commonly used ion trap instrument platforms in expert laboratories; the results provide a basis for laboratories to benchmark their own performance, to improve upon current methods, and to evaluate new technologies. Additionally, we demonstrate how the yeast reference, spiked with human proteins, can be used to benchmark the power of proteomics platforms for detection of differentially expressed proteins at different levels of concentration in a complex matrix, thereby providing a metric to evaluate and minimize preanalytical and analytical variation in comparative proteomics experiments. PMID:19858499

  11. Lab and Pore-Scale Study of Low Permeable Soils Diffusional Tortuosity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lekhov, V.; Pozdniakov, S. P.; Denisova, L.

    2016-12-01

    Diffusion plays important role in contaminant spreading in low permeable units. The effective diffusion coefficient of saturated porous medium depends on this coefficient in water, porosity and structural parameter of porous space - tortuosity. Theoretical models of relationship between porosity and diffusional tortuosity are usually derived for conceptual granular models of medium filled by solid particles of simple geometry. These models usually do not represent soils with complex microstructure. The empirical models, like as Archie's law, based on the experimental electrical conductivity data are mostly useful for practical applications. Such models contain empirical parameters that should be defined experimentally for given soil type. In this work, we compared tortuosity values obtained in lab-scale diffusional experiments and pore scale diffusion simulation for the studied soil microstructure and exanimated relationship between tortuosity and porosity. Samples for the study were taken from borehole cores of low-permeable silt-clay formation. Using the samples of 50 cm3 we performed lab scale diffusional experiments and estimated the lab-scale tortuosity. Next using these samples we studied the microstructure with X-ray microtomograph. Shooting performed on undisturbed microsamples of size 1,53 mm with a resolution ×300 (10243 vox). After binarization of each obtained 3-D structure, its spatial correlation analysis was performed. This analysis showed that the spatial correlation scale of the indicator variogram is considerably smaller than microsample length. Then there was the numerical simulation of the Laplace equation with binary coefficients for each microsamples. The total number of simulations at the finite-difference grid of 1753 cells was 3500. As a result the effective diffusion coefficient, tortuosity and porosity values were obtained for all studied microsamples. The results were analyzed in the form of graph of tortuosity versus porosity. The 6

  12. Adaptation of Organizational Justice in Sport Scale into Turkish Language: Validity and Reliability Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sayin, Ayfer; Sahin, Mustafa Yasar

    2017-01-01

    The present study aimed to provide a Turkish adaptation of the Organizational Justice in Sport Scale and perform reliability and validity studies. Answers provided by 260 participants who work as football, male basketball and female basketball coaches in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) were analysed using the original scale that…

  13. Performance of Grey Wolf Optimizer on large scale problems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gupta, Shubham; Deep, Kusum

    2017-01-01

    For solving nonlinear continuous problems of optimization numerous nature inspired optimization techniques are being proposed in literature which can be implemented to solve real life problems wherein the conventional techniques cannot be applied. Grey Wolf Optimizer is one of such technique which is gaining popularity since the last two years. The objective of this paper is to investigate the performance of Grey Wolf Optimization Algorithm on large scale optimization problems. The Algorithm is implemented on 5 common scalable problems appearing in literature namely Sphere, Rosenbrock, Rastrigin, Ackley and Griewank Functions. The dimensions of these problems are varied from 50 to 1000. The results indicate that Grey Wolf Optimizer is a powerful nature inspired Optimization Algorithm for large scale problems, except Rosenbrock which is a unimodal function.

  14. NAEP Validity Studies: Improving the Information Value of Performance Items in Large Scale Assessments. Working Paper No. 2003-08

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pearson, P. David; Garavaglia, Diane R.

    2003-01-01

    The purpose of this essay is to explore both what is known and what needs to be learned about the information value of performance items "when they are used in large scale assessments." Within the context of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), there is substantial motivation for answering these questions. Over the…

  15. Does Goal Attainment Scaling improve satisfaction regarding performance of activities of younger knee arthroplasty patients? Study protocol of the randomized controlled ACTION trial.

    PubMed

    Witjes, Suzanne; Hoorntje, Alexander; Kuijer, P Paul F M; Koenraadt, Koen L M; Blankevoort, Leendert; Kerkhoffs, Gino M M J; van Geenen, Rutger C I

    2016-03-02

    Knee arthroplasty is being increasingly performed, and also more often in a younger patient population (<65 years of age). Up to 20 % of patients remain dissatisfied after knee arthroplasty, despite the apparent technical success of the operation. Recent studies suggest that the fulfilment of patients' expectations plays an important role in achieving satisfaction. Thus, addressing preoperative expectations more explicitly might improve patient satisfaction. The primary aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of a multidisciplinary, goal attained and individualized rehabilitation on satisfaction of activities of younger patients (<65 years) after knee arthroplasty. A single-centre randomized controlled trial will be conducted. In total, 120 patients (<65 years of age) with knee osteoarthritis who will undergo knee arthroplasty, will be randomly allocated to either goal attainment scaling rehabilitation or usual care rehabilitation. Goal attainment scaling rehabilitation includes drafting individually set rehabilitation goals preoperatively and measuring progress of rehabilitation on a six-point scale (-3 to +2). The primary outcome is patient satisfaction concerning activities in daily life, work and leisure time, including sports. Secondary outcome measures include KOOS, OKS, SQUASH and WORQ questionnaires and activity objectively measured with the Activ8® activity monitor. The findings of this study will help to elucidate whether goal attainment scaling is an effective rehabilitation method for achieving higher levels of patient satisfaction, with a focus on activities, in younger patients after knee arthroplasty. This trial is since June 15(th) 2015 registered at the Dutch Trial Register: NTR5251 .

  16. Experiment-scale molecular simulation study of liquid crystal thin films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nguyen, Trung Dac; Carrillo, Jan-Michael Y.; Matheson, Michael A.; Brown, W. Michael

    2014-03-01

    Supercomputers have now reached a performance level adequate for studying thin films with molecular detail at the relevant scales. By exploiting the power of GPU accelerators on Titan, we have been able to perform simulations of characteristic liquid crystal films that provide remarkable qualitative agreement with experimental images. We have demonstrated that key features of spinodal instability can only be observed with sufficiently large system sizes, which were not accessible with previous simulation studies. Our study emphasizes the capability and significance of petascale simulations in providing molecular-level insights in thin film systems as well as other interfacial phenomena.

  17. Performance Studies on Distributed Virtual Screening

    PubMed Central

    Krüger, Jens; de la Garza, Luis; Kohlbacher, Oliver; Nagel, Wolfgang E.

    2014-01-01

    Virtual high-throughput screening (vHTS) is an invaluable method in modern drug discovery. It permits screening large datasets or databases of chemical structures for those structures binding possibly to a drug target. Virtual screening is typically performed by docking code, which often runs sequentially. Processing of huge vHTS datasets can be parallelized by chunking the data because individual docking runs are independent of each other. The goal of this work is to find an optimal splitting maximizing the speedup while considering overhead and available cores on Distributed Computing Infrastructures (DCIs). We have conducted thorough performance studies accounting not only for the runtime of the docking itself, but also for structure preparation. Performance studies were conducted via the workflow-enabled science gateway MoSGrid (Molecular Simulation Grid). As input we used benchmark datasets for protein kinases. Our performance studies show that docking workflows can be made to scale almost linearly up to 500 concurrent processes distributed even over large DCIs, thus accelerating vHTS campaigns significantly. PMID:25032219

  18. Desensitizing Agent Reduces Dentin Hypersensitivity During Ultrasonic Scaling: A Pilot Study.

    PubMed

    Suda, Tomonari; Kobayashi, Hiroaki; Akiyama, Toshiharu; Takano, Takuya; Gokyu, Misa; Sudo, Takeaki; Khemwong, Thatawee; Izumi, Yuichi

    2015-09-01

    Dentin hypersensitivity can interfere with optimal periodontal care by dentists and patients. The pain associated with dentin hypersensitivity during ultrasonic scaling is intolerable for patient and interferes with the procedure, particularly during supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) for patients with gingival recession. This study proposed to evaluate the desensitizing effect of the oxalic acid agent on pain caused by dentin hypersensitivity during ultrasonic scaling. This study involved 12 patients who were incorporated in SPT program and complained of dentin hypersensitivity during ultrasonic scaling. We examined the availability of the oxalic acid agent to compare the degree of pain during ultrasonic scaling with or without the application of the dentin hypersensitivity agent. Evaluation of effects on dentin hypersensitivity was determined by a questionnaire and visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores after ultrasonic scaling. The statistical analysis was performed using the paired Student t-test and Spearman rank correlation coefficient. The desensitizing agent reduced the mean VAS pain score from 69.33 ± 16.02 at baseline to 26.08 ± 27.99 after application. The questionnaire revealed that >80% patients were satisfied and requested the application of the desensitizing agent for future ultrasonic scaling sessions. This study shows that the application of the oxalic acid agent considerably reduces pain associated with dentin hypersensitivity experienced during ultrasonic scaling. This pain control treatment may improve patient participation and treatment efficiency.

  19. SCALE-UP OF RAPID SMALL-SCALE ADSORPTION TESTS TO FIELD-SCALE ADSORBERS: THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BASIS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Design of full-scale adsorption systems typically includes expensive and time-consuming pilot studies to simulate full-scale adsorber performance. Accordingly, the rapid small-scale column test (RSSCT) was developed and evaluated experimentally. The RSSCT can simulate months of f...

  20. Evaluating the Performance of the Goddard Multi-Scale Modeling Framework against GPM, TRMM and CloudSat/CALIPSO Products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chern, J. D.; Tao, W. K.; Lang, S. E.; Matsui, T.; Mohr, K. I.

    2014-12-01

    Four six-month (March-August 2014) experiments with the Goddard Multi-scale Modeling Framework (MMF) were performed to study the impacts of different Goddard one-moment bulk microphysical schemes and large-scale forcings on the performance of the MMF. Recently a new Goddard one-moment bulk microphysics with four-ice classes (cloud ice, snow, graupel, and frozen drops/hail) has been developed based on cloud-resolving model simulations with large-scale forcings from field campaign observations. The new scheme has been successfully implemented to the MMF and two MMF experiments were carried out with this new scheme and the old three-ice classes (cloud ice, snow graupel) scheme. The MMF has global coverage and can rigorously evaluate microphysics performance for different cloud regimes. The results show MMF with the new scheme outperformed the old one. The MMF simulations are also strongly affected by the interaction between large-scale and cloud-scale processes. Two MMF sensitivity experiments with and without nudging large-scale forcings to those of ERA-Interim reanalysis were carried out to study the impacts of large-scale forcings. The model simulated mean and variability of surface precipitation, cloud types, cloud properties such as cloud amount, hydrometeors vertical profiles, and cloud water contents, etc. in different geographic locations and climate regimes are evaluated against GPM, TRMM, CloudSat/CALIPSO satellite observations. The Goddard MMF has also been coupled with the Goddard Satellite Data Simulation Unit (G-SDSU), a system with multi-satellite, multi-sensor, and multi-spectrum satellite simulators. The statistics of MMF simulated radiances and backscattering can be directly compared with satellite observations to assess the strengths and/or deficiencies of MMF simulations and provide guidance on how to improve the MMF and microphysics.

  1. Predicting the performance uncertainty of a 1-MW pilot-scale carbon capture system after hierarchical laboratory-scale calibration and validation

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

    Xu, Zhijie; Lai, Canhai; Marcy, Peter William

    2017-05-01

    A challenging problem in designing pilot-scale carbon capture systems is to predict, with uncertainty, the adsorber performance and capture efficiency under various operating conditions where no direct experimental data exist. Motivated by this challenge, we previously proposed a hierarchical framework in which relevant parameters of physical models were sequentially calibrated from different laboratory-scale carbon capture unit (C2U) experiments. Specifically, three models of increasing complexity were identified based on the fundamental physical and chemical processes of the sorbent-based carbon capture technology. Results from the corresponding laboratory experiments were used to statistically calibrate the physical model parameters while quantifying some of theirmore » inherent uncertainty. The parameter distributions obtained from laboratory-scale C2U calibration runs are used in this study to facilitate prediction at a larger scale where no corresponding experimental results are available. In this paper, we first describe the multiphase reactive flow model for a sorbent-based 1-MW carbon capture system then analyze results from an ensemble of simulations with the upscaled model. The simulation results are used to quantify uncertainty regarding the design’s predicted efficiency in carbon capture. In particular, we determine the minimum gas flow rate necessary to achieve 90% capture efficiency with 95% confidence.« less

  2. Utility of the response bias scale (RBS) and other MMPI-2 validity scales in predicting TOMM performance.

    PubMed

    Whitney, Kriscinda A; Davis, Jeremy J; Shepard, Polly H; Herman, Steven M

    2008-01-01

    The present study represents a replication and extension of the original Response Bias Scale (RBS) validation study. In addition to examining the relationship between the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM), RBS, and several other well-researched Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2) validity scales (i.e., F, Fb, Fp, and the Fake Bad Scale), the present study also included the recently developed Infrequency Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale and the Henry-Heilbronner Index (HHI) of the MMPI-2. Findings from this retrospective data analysis (N=46) demonstrated the superiority of the RBS, and to a certain extent the HHI, over other MMPI-2 validity scales in predicting TOMM failure within the outpatient Veterans Affairs population. Results of the current study confirm the clinical utility of the RBS and suggest that, particularly if the MMPI-2 is an existing part of the neuropsychological assessment, examination of RBS scores is an efficient means of detecting negative response bias.

  3. Performance of some biotic indices in the real variable world: a case study at different spatial scales in North-Western Mediterranean Sea.

    PubMed

    Tataranni, Mariella; Lardicci, Claudio

    2010-01-01

    The aim of this study was to analyse the variability of four different benthic biotic indices (AMBI, BENTIX, H', M-AMBI) in two marine coastal areas of the North-Western Mediterranean Sea. In each coastal area, 36 replicates were randomly selected according to a hierarchical sampling design, which allowed estimating the variance components of the indices associated with four different spatial scales (ranging from metres to kilometres). All the analyses were performed at two different sampling periods in order to evaluate if the observed trends were consistent over the time. The variance components of the four indices revealed complex trends and different patterns in the two sampling periods. These results highlighted that independently from the employed index, a rigorous and appropriate sampling design taking into account different scales should always be used in order to avoid erroneous classifications and to develop effective monitoring programs.

  4. How brain asymmetry relates to performance – a large-scale dichotic listening study

    PubMed Central

    Hirnstein, Marco; Hugdahl, Kenneth; Hausmann, Markus

    2014-01-01

    All major mental functions including language, spatial and emotional processing are lateralized but how strongly and to which hemisphere is subject to inter- and intraindividual variation. Relatively little, however, is known about how the degree and direction of lateralization affect how well the functions are carried out, i.e., how lateralization and task performance are related. The present study therefore examined the relationship between lateralization and performance in a dichotic listening task for which we had data available from 1839 participants. In this task, consonant-vowel syllables are presented simultaneously to the left and right ear, such that each ear receives a different syllable. When asked which of the two they heard best, participants typically report more syllables from the right ear, which is a marker of left-hemispheric speech dominance. We calculated the degree of lateralization (based on the difference between correct left and right ear reports) and correlated it with overall response accuracy (left plus right ear reports). In addition, we used reference models to control for statistical interdependency between left and right ear reports. The results revealed a u-shaped relationship between degree of lateralization and overall accuracy: the stronger the left or right ear advantage, the better the overall accuracy. This u-shaped asymmetry-performance relationship consistently emerged in males, females, right-/non-right-handers, and different age groups. Taken together, the present study demonstrates that performance on lateralized language functions depends on how strongly these functions are lateralized. The present study further stresses the importance of controlling for statistical interdependency when examining asymmetry-performance relationships in general. PMID:24427151

  5. Effects of scaling task constraints on emergent behaviours in children's racquet sports performance.

    PubMed

    Fitzpatrick, Anna; Davids, Keith; Stone, Joseph A

    2018-04-01

    Manipulating task constraints by scaling key features like space and equipment is considered an effective method for enhancing performance development and refining movement patterns in sport. Despite this, it is currently unclear whether scaled manipulation of task constraints would impact emergent movement behaviours in young children, affording learners opportunities to develop relevant skills. Here, we sought to investigate how scaling task constraints during 8 weeks of mini tennis training shaped backhand stroke development. Two groups, control (n = 8, age = 7.2 ± 0.6 years) and experimental (n = 8, age 7.4 ± 0.4 years), underwent practice using constraints-based manipulations, with a specific field of affordances designed for backhand strokes as the experimental treatment. To evaluate intervention effects, pre- and post-test match-play characteristics (e.g. forehand and backhand percentage strokes) and measures from a tennis-specific skills test (e.g. forehand and backhand technical proficiency), were evaluated. Post intervention, the experimental group performed a greater percentage of backhand strokes out of total number of shots played (46.7 ± 3.3%). There was also a significantly greater percentage of backhand winners out of total backhand strokes observed (5.5 ± 3.0%), compared to the control group during match-play (backhands = 22.4 ± 6.5%; backhand winners = 1.0 ± 3.6%). The experimental group also demonstrated improvements in forehand and backhand technical proficiency and the ability to maintain a rally with a coach, compared to the control group. In conclusion, scaled manipulations implemented here elicited more functional performance behaviours than standard Mini Tennis Red constraints. Results suggested how human movement scientists may scale task constraint manipulations to augment young athletes' performance development. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Modified Moral Distress Scale (MDS-11): Validation Study Among Italian Nurses.

    PubMed

    Badolamenti, Sondra; Fida, Roberto; Biagioli, Valentina; Caruso, Rosario; Zaghini, Francesco; Sili, Alessandro; Rea, Teresa

    2017-01-01

    Moral distress (MD) has significant implications on individual and organizational health. However there is a lack of an instrument to assess it among Italian nurses. The main aim of this study was to validate a brief instrument to assess MD, developed from the Corley's Moral Distress Scale (MDS). The modified MDS scale was subjected to content and cultural validity. The scale was administered to 347 nurses. Psychometric analysis were performed to assess construct validity. The scale consists of 11 items, investigating MD in nursing practice in different clinical settings. The dimensionality of the scale was investigated through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), which showed a two-dimensional structure labeled futility and potential damage. The futility refers to feelings of powerlessness and ineffectiveness in some clinical situations; the potential damage dimension captures feelings of powerlessness when nurses are forced to tolerate or perform perceived abusive clinical proceedings. Nurses who experienced higher MD, were more lilely to experience burnout. The modified MDS showed good psychometric properties, and it is valid and reliable for assessing moral distress among Italian nurses. Hence, the modified MDS allows to monitor the distress experienced by nurses and it is an important contribution to the scientific community and all those dealing with well-being of health workers.

  7. Desensitizing Agent Reduces Dentin Hypersensitivity During Ultrasonic Scaling: A Pilot Study

    PubMed Central

    Suda, Tomonari; Akiyama, Toshiharu; Takano, Takuya; Gokyu, Misa; Sudo, Takeaki; Khemwong, Thatawee; Izumi, Yuichi

    2015-01-01

    Background Dentin hypersensitivity can interfere with optimal periodontal care by dentists and patients. The pain associated with dentin hypersensitivity during ultrasonic scaling is intolerable for patient and interferes with the procedure, particularly during supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) for patients with gingival recession. Aim This study proposed to evaluate the desensitizing effect of the oxalic acid agent on pain caused by dentin hypersensitivity during ultrasonic scaling. Materials and Methods This study involved 12 patients who were incorporated in SPT program and complained of dentin hypersensitivity during ultrasonic scaling. We examined the availability of the oxalic acid agent to compare the degree of pain during ultrasonic scaling with or without the application of the dentin hypersensitivity agent. Evaluation of effects on dentin hypersensitivity was determined by a questionnaire and visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores after ultrasonic scaling. The statistical analysis was performed using the paired Student t-test and Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Results The desensitizing agent reduced the mean VAS pain score from 69.33 ± 16.02 at baseline to 26.08 ± 27.99 after application. The questionnaire revealed that >80% patients were satisfied and requested the application of the desensitizing agent for future ultrasonic scaling sessions. Conclusion This study shows that the application of the oxalic acid agent considerably reduces pain associated with dentin hypersensitivity experienced during ultrasonic scaling. This pain control treatment may improve patient participation and treatment efficiency. PMID:26501012

  8. Sleep Disordered Breathing And Daytime Sleepiness Are Associated With Poor Academic Performance In Teenagers. A Study Using The Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS)

    PubMed Central

    Perez-Chada, Daniel; Perez-Lloret, Santiago; Videla, Alejandro J.; Cardinali, Daniel; Bergna, Miguel A.; Fernández-Acquier, Mariano; Larrateguy, Luis; Zabert, Gustavo E.; Drake, Christopher

    2007-01-01

    Study Objectives: Inadequate sleep and sleep disordered breathing (SDB) can impair learning skills. Questionnaires used to evaluate sleepiness in adults are usually inadequate for adolescents. We conducted a study to evaluate the performance of a Spanish version of the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS) and to assess the impact of sleepiness and SDB on academic performance. Design: A cross-sectional survey of students from 7 schools in 4 cities of Argentina. Measurements: A questionnaire with a Spanish version of the PDSS was used. Questions on the occurrence of snoring and witnessed apneas were answered by the parents. Mathematics and language grades were used as indicators of academic performance. Participants: The sample included 2,884 students (50% males; age: 13.3 ± 1.5 years) Results: Response rate was 85%; 678 cases were excluded due to missing data. Half the students slept <9 h per night on weekdays. The mean PDSS value was 15.74 ± 5.93. Parental reporting of snoring occurred in 511 subjects (23%); snoring was occasional in 14% and frequent in 9%. Apneas were witnessed in 237 cases (11%), being frequent in 4% and occasional in 7%. Frequent snorers had higher mean PDSS scores than occasional or nonsnorers (18 ± 5, 15.7 ± 6 and 15.5 ± 6, respectively; P < 0.001). Reported snoring or apneas and the PDSS were significant univariate predictors of failure and remained significant in multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, specific school attended, and sleep habits. Conclusions: Insufficient hours of sleep were prevalent in this population. The Spanish version of the PDSS was a reliable tool in middle–school-aged children. Reports of snoring or witnessed apneas and daytime sleepiness as measured by PDSS were independent predictors of poor academic performance. Citation: Perez-Chada D; Perez-Lloret S; Videla AJ; Cardinali D; Bergna MA; Fernández-Acquier M; Larrateguy L; Zabert GE; Drake C. Sleep

  9. Compressor Performance Scaling in the Presence of Non-Uniform Flow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hill, David Jarrod

    Fuselage-embedded engines in future aircraft will see increased flow distortions due to the ingestion of airframe boundary layers. This reduces the required propulsive power compared to podded engines. Inlet flow distortions mean that localized regions of flow within the fan and first stage compressor are operating at off-design conditions. It is important to weigh the benefit of increased vehicle propulsive efficiency against the resultant reduction in engine efficiency. High computational cost has limited most past research to single distortion studies. The objective of this thesis is to extract scaling laws for transonic compressor performance in the presence of various distortion patterns and intensities. The machine studied is the NASA R67 transonic compressor. Volumetric source terms are used to model rotor and stator blade rows. The modelling approach is an innovative combination of existing flow turning and loss models, combined with a compressible flow correction. This approach allows for a steady calculation to capture distortion transfer; as a result, the computational cost is reduced by two orders of magnitude. At peak efficiency, the rotor work coefficient and isentropic efficiency are matched within 1.4% of previously published experimental results. A key finding of this thesis is that, in non-uniform flow, the state-of-the-art loss model employed is unable to capture the impact of variations in local flow coefficient, limiting the analysis of local entropy generation. New insight explains the mechanism governing the interaction between a total temperature distortion and a compressor rotor. A parametric study comprising 16 inlet distortions reveals that for total temperature distortions, upstream flow redistribution and rotor diffusion factor changes are shown to scale linearly with distortion severity. Linear diffusion factor scaling does not hold true for total pressure distortions. For combined total temperature and total pressure distortions, the

  10. Self-regulation workshop and Occupational Performance Coaching with teachers: A pilot study.

    PubMed

    Hui, Caroline; Snider, Laurie; Couture, Mélanie

    2016-04-01

    Teachers' occupational role and performance can be undermined when working with students with disruptive classroom behaviours. This pilot study aimed to explore the impact of school-based occupational therapy intervention on teachers' classroom management self-efficacy and perceived performance/satisfaction in their management of students with disruptive behaviours. This pilot study used a multiple-case replication study design. A cohort of regular classroom elementary school teachers (n = 11) participated in a 1-day workshop on sensorimotor strategies for supporting student self-regulation followed by eight individual sessions of Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC). Measurement tools were the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), and Teachers' Self-Efficacy Scale-Classroom Management. Improvement in teachers' perception of performance, satisfaction, and classroom management was seen. GAS showed clinically significant improvement. Improvements were sustained at 7 weeks follow-up. Preliminary results support the use of sensorimotor education combined with OPC to enable teachers' occupational performance. © CAOT 2016.

  11. High-Performance Monitoring Architecture for Large-Scale Distributed Systems Using Event Filtering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Maly, K.

    1998-01-01

    Monitoring is an essential process to observe and improve the reliability and the performance of large-scale distributed (LSD) systems. In an LSD environment, a large number of events is generated by the system components during its execution or interaction with external objects (e.g. users or processes). Monitoring such events is necessary for observing the run-time behavior of LSD systems and providing status information required for debugging, tuning and managing such applications. However, correlated events are generated concurrently and could be distributed in various locations in the applications environment which complicates the management decisions process and thereby makes monitoring LSD systems an intricate task. We propose a scalable high-performance monitoring architecture for LSD systems to detect and classify interesting local and global events and disseminate the monitoring information to the corresponding end- points management applications such as debugging and reactive control tools to improve the application performance and reliability. A large volume of events may be generated due to the extensive demands of the monitoring applications and the high interaction of LSD systems. The monitoring architecture employs a high-performance event filtering mechanism to efficiently process the large volume of event traffic generated by LSD systems and minimize the intrusiveness of the monitoring process by reducing the event traffic flow in the system and distributing the monitoring computation. Our architecture also supports dynamic and flexible reconfiguration of the monitoring mechanism via its Instrumentation and subscription components. As a case study, we show how our monitoring architecture can be utilized to improve the reliability and the performance of the Interactive Remote Instruction (IRI) system which is a large-scale distributed system for collaborative distance learning. The filtering mechanism represents an Intrinsic component integrated

  12. Atomic scale simulations for improved CRUD and fuel performance modeling

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

    Andersson, Anders David Ragnar; Cooper, Michael William Donald

    2017-01-06

    A more mechanistic description of fuel performance codes can be achieved by deriving models and parameters from atomistic scale simulations rather than fitting models empirically to experimental data. The same argument applies to modeling deposition of corrosion products on fuel rods (CRUD). Here are some results from publications in 2016 carried out using the CASL allocation at LANL.

  13. Nonverbal cognitive development in children with cochlear implants: relationship between the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and later performance on the Leiter International Performance Scales-Revised.

    PubMed

    Caudle, Susan E; Katzenstein, Jennifer M; Oghalai, John S; Lin, Jerry; Caudle, Donald D

    2014-02-01

    Methodologically, longitudinal assessment of cognitive development in young children has proven difficult because few measures span infancy through school age. This matter is further complicated when the child presents with a sensory deficit such as hearing loss. Few measures are validated in this population, and children who are evaluated for cochlear implantation are often reevaluated annually. The authors sought to evaluate the predictive validity of subscales of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) on Leiter International Performance Scales-Revised (LIPS-R) Full-Scale IQ scores. To further elucidate the relationship of these two measures, comparisons were also made with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale-Second Edition (VABS), which provides a measure of adaptive functioning across the life span. Participants included 35 children (14 female, 21 male) who were evaluated both as part of the precandidacy process for cochlear implantation using the MSEL and VABS and following implantation with the LIPS-R and VABS. Hierarchical linear regression revealed that the MSEL Visual Reception subdomain score significantly predicted 52% of the variance in LIPS-R Full-Scale IQ scores at follow-up, F(1, 34) = 35.80, p < .0001, R (2) = .52, β = .72. This result suggests that the Visual Reception subscale offers predictive validity of later LIPS-R Full-Scale IQ scores. The VABS was also significantly correlated with cognitive variables at each time point.

  14. Adaptive scaling of reward in episodic memory: a replication study.

    PubMed

    Mason, Alice; Ludwig, Casimir; Farrell, Simon

    2017-11-01

    Reward is thought to enhance episodic memory formation via dopaminergic consolidation. Bunzeck, Dayan, Dolan, and Duzel [(2010). A common mechanism for adaptive scaling of reward and novelty. Human Brain Mapping, 31, 1380-1394] provided functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and behavioural evidence that reward and episodic memory systems are sensitive to the contextual value of a reward-whether it is relatively higher or lower-as opposed to absolute value or prediction error. We carried out a direct replication of their behavioural study and did not replicate their finding that memory performance associated with reward follows this pattern of adaptive scaling. An effect of reward outcome was in the opposite direction to that in the original study, with lower reward outcomes leading to better memory than higher outcomes. There was a marginal effect of reward context, suggesting that expected value affected memory performance. We discuss the robustness of the reward memory relationship to variations in reward context, and whether other reward-related factors have a more reliable influence on episodic memory.

  15. PANORAMA: An approach to performance modeling and diagnosis of extreme-scale workflows

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

    Deelman, Ewa; Carothers, Christopher; Mandal, Anirban

    Here we report that computational science is well established as the third pillar of scientific discovery and is on par with experimentation and theory. However, as we move closer toward the ability to execute exascale calculations and process the ensuing extreme-scale amounts of data produced by both experiments and computations alike, the complexity of managing the compute and data analysis tasks has grown beyond the capabilities of domain scientists. Therefore, workflow management systems are absolutely necessary to ensure current and future scientific discoveries. A key research question for these workflow management systems concerns the performance optimization of complex calculation andmore » data analysis tasks. The central contribution of this article is a description of the PANORAMA approach for modeling and diagnosing the run-time performance of complex scientific workflows. This approach integrates extreme-scale systems testbed experimentation, structured analytical modeling, and parallel systems simulation into a comprehensive workflow framework called Pegasus for understanding and improving the overall performance of complex scientific workflows.« less

  16. PANORAMA: An approach to performance modeling and diagnosis of extreme-scale workflows

    DOE PAGES

    Deelman, Ewa; Carothers, Christopher; Mandal, Anirban; ...

    2015-07-14

    Here we report that computational science is well established as the third pillar of scientific discovery and is on par with experimentation and theory. However, as we move closer toward the ability to execute exascale calculations and process the ensuing extreme-scale amounts of data produced by both experiments and computations alike, the complexity of managing the compute and data analysis tasks has grown beyond the capabilities of domain scientists. Therefore, workflow management systems are absolutely necessary to ensure current and future scientific discoveries. A key research question for these workflow management systems concerns the performance optimization of complex calculation andmore » data analysis tasks. The central contribution of this article is a description of the PANORAMA approach for modeling and diagnosing the run-time performance of complex scientific workflows. This approach integrates extreme-scale systems testbed experimentation, structured analytical modeling, and parallel systems simulation into a comprehensive workflow framework called Pegasus for understanding and improving the overall performance of complex scientific workflows.« less

  17. Comparing the Performance Status Scale and MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory as swallowing outcome measures in head and neck cancer: a prospective cohort study.

    PubMed

    Khan, M K; Patterson, J; Owen, S; Rees, S; Gamberini, L; Paleri, V

    2015-08-01

    To examine the relationship between the two disease-specific measures currently in use to assess swallowing outcomes following treatment in patients with head and neck cancer: the Performance Status Scale (PSS) and MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI). A prospective cohort study. Four head and neck cancer multidisciplinary clinics in the North of England Cancer Network. 114 patients with cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract. Measures of swallowing function administered prospectively across 4 timepoints Spearman's correlation coefficients were used to measure the relationship between the two scales. There was statistically significant correlation between the two tools at pre-treatment (rs = 0.428, P < 0.000), 3 months post-treatment (rs = 0.454, P < 0.002), 6 months post-treatment (rs = 0.551, P < 0.000) and 12 months post-treatment (rs = 0.680, P < 0.000). This is the first prospective study comparing the MDADI and PSS questionnaires at multiple time points. Our study shows that these different instruments have a good relationship in measuring swallowing function in patients with head and neck cancer in short and medium term after treatment. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Thermal performance curves, phenotypic plasticity, and the time scales of temperature exposure.

    PubMed

    Schulte, Patricia M; Healy, Timothy M; Fangue, Nann A

    2011-11-01

    Thermal performance curves (TPCs) describe the effects of temperature on biological rate processes. Here, we use examples from our work on common killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) to illustrate some important conceptual issues relating to TPCs in the context of using these curves to predict the responses of organisms to climate change. Phenotypic plasticity has the capacity to alter the shape and position of the TPCs for acute exposures, but these changes can be obscured when rate processes are measured only following chronic exposures. For example, the acute TPC for mitochondrial respiration in killifish is exponential in shape, but this shape changes with acclimation. If respiration rate is measured only at the acclimation temperature, the TPC is linear, concealing the underlying mechanistic complexity at an acute time scale. These issues are particularly problematic when attempting to use TPCs to predict the responses of organisms to temperature change in natural environments. Many TPCs are generated using laboratory exposures to constant temperatures, but temperature fluctuates in the natural environment, and the mechanisms influencing performance at acute and chronic time scales, and the responses of the performance traits at these time scales may be quite different. Unfortunately, our current understanding of the mechanisms underlying the responses of organisms to temperature change is incomplete, particularly with respect to integrating from processes occurring at the level of single proteins up to whole-organism functions across different time scales, which is a challenge for the development of strongly grounded mechanistic models of responses to global climate change. © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. All rights reserved.

  19. Effects of Isometric Scaling on Vertical Jumping Performance

    PubMed Central

    Bobbert, Maarten F.

    2013-01-01

    Jump height, defined as vertical displacement in the airborne phase, depends on vertical takeoff velocity. For centuries, researchers have speculated on how jump height is affected by body size and many have adhered to what has come to be known as Borelli’s law, which states that jump height does not depend on body size per se. The underlying assumption is that the amount of work produced per kg body mass during the push-off is independent of size. However, if a big body is isometrically downscaled to a small body, the latter requires higher joint angular velocities to achieve a given takeoff velocity and work production will be more impaired by the force-velocity relationship of muscle. In the present study, the effects of pure isometric scaling on vertical jumping performance were investigated using a biologically realistic model of the human musculoskeletal system. The input of the model, muscle stimulation over time, was optimized using jump height as criterion. It was found that when the human model was miniaturized to the size of a mouse lemur, with a mass of about one-thousandth that of a human, jump height dropped from 40 cm to only 6 cm, mainly because of the force-velocity relationship. In reality, mouse lemurs achieve jump heights of about 33 cm. By implication, the unfavourable effects of the small body size of mouse lemurs on jumping performance must be counteracted by favourable effects of morphological and physiological adaptations. The same holds true for other small jumping animals. The simulations for the first time expose and explain the sheer magnitude of the isolated effects of isometric downscaling on jumping performance, to be counteracted by morphological and physiological adaptations. PMID:23936494

  20. A study of the reliability of the Nociception Coma Scale.

    PubMed

    Riganello, F; Cortese, M D; Arcuri, F; Candelieri, A; Guglielmino, F; Dolce, G; Sannita, W G; Schnakers, C

    2015-04-01

    In this study, we investigated the reliability of the Nociception Coma Scale which has recently been developed to assess nociception in non-communicative, severely brain-injured patients. Prospective cross-sequential study. Semi-intensive care unit and long-term brain injury care. Forty-four patients diagnosed as being in a vegetative state (n=26) or in a minimally conscious state (n=18). Patients were assessed by two experts (rater A and rater B) on two consecutive weeks to measure inter-rater agreement and test-retest reliability. Total scores and subscores of the Nociception Coma Scale. We performed a total of 176 assessments. The inter-rater agreement was moderate for the total scores (k = 0.57) and fair to substantial for the subscores (0.33 ≤ k ≤ 0.62) on week 2. The test-retest reliability was substantial for the total scores (k = 0.66) and moderate to almost perfect for the subscores (0.53 ≤ k ≤ 0.96) for rater A. The inter-rater agreement was weaker on week 1, whereas the test-retest reliability was lower for the least experienced rater (rater B). This study provides further evidence of the psychometric qualities of the Nociception Coma Scale. Future studies should assess the impact of practical experience and background on administration and scoring of the scale. © The Author(s) 2014.

  1. Performance of granular activated carbon to remove micropollutants from municipal wastewater-A meta-analysis of pilot- and large-scale studies.

    PubMed

    Benstoem, Frank; Nahrstedt, Andreas; Boehler, Marc; Knopp, Gregor; Montag, David; Siegrist, Hansruedi; Pinnekamp, Johannes

    2017-10-01

    For reducing organic micropollutants (MP) in municipal wastewater effluents, granular activated carbon (GAC) has been tested in various studies. We did systematic literature research and found 44 studies dealing with the adsorption of MPs (carbamazepine, diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole) from municipal wastewater on GAC in pilot- and large-scale plants. Within our meta-analysis we plot the bed volumes (BV [m 3 water /m 3 GAC ]) until the breakthrough criterion of MP-BV20% was reached, dependent on potential relevant parameters (empty bed contact time EBCT, influent DOC DOC 0 and manufacturing method). Moreover, we performed statistical tests (ANOVAs) to check the results for significance. Single adsorbers operating time differs i.e. by 2500% until breakthrough of diclofenac-BV20% was reached (800-20,000 BV). There was still elimination of the "very well/well" adsorbable MPs such as carbamazepine and diclofenac even when the equilibrium of DOC had already been reached. No strong statistical significance of EBCT and DOC 0 on MP-BV20% could be found due to lack of data and the high heterogeneity of the studies using GAC of different qualities. In further studies, adsorbers should be operated ≫20,000 BV for exact calculation of breakthrough curves, and the following parameters should be recorded: selected MPs; DOC 0; UVA 254 ; EBCT; product name, manufacturing method and raw material of GAC; suspended solids (TSS); backwash interval; backwash program and pressure drop within adsorber. Based on our investigations we generally recommend using reactivated GAC to reduce the environmental impact and to carry out tests on pilot scale to collect reliable data for process design. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Field-aligned currents' scale analysis performed with the Swarm constellation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lühr, Hermann; Park, Jaeheung; Gjerloev, Jesper W.; Rauberg, Jan; Michaelis, Ingo; Merayo, Jose M. G.; Brauer, Peter

    2015-01-01

    We present a statistical study of the temporal- and spatial-scale characteristics of different field-aligned current (FAC) types derived with the Swarm satellite formation. We divide FACs into two classes: small-scale, up to some 10 km, which are carried predominantly by kinetic Alfvén waves, and large-scale FACs with sizes of more than 150 km. For determining temporal variability we consider measurements at the same point, the orbital crossovers near the poles, but at different times. From correlation analysis we obtain a persistent period of small-scale FACs of order 10 s, while large-scale FACs can be regarded stationary for more than 60 s. For the first time we investigate the longitudinal scales. Large-scale FACs are different on dayside and nightside. On the nightside the longitudinal extension is on average 4 times the latitudinal width, while on the dayside, particularly in the cusp region, latitudinal and longitudinal scales are comparable.

  3. Performance of a system with full- and pilot-scale sludge drying reed bed units treating septic tank sludge in Brazil.

    PubMed

    Calderón-Vallejo, Luisa Fernanda; Andrade, Cynthia Franco; Manjate, Elias Sete; Madera-Parra, Carlos Arturo; von Sperling, Marcos

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated the performance of sludge drying reed beds (SDRB) at full- and pilot-scale treating sludge from septic tanks in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The treatment units, planted with Cynodon spp., were based on an adaptation of the first-stage of the French vertical-flow constructed wetland, originally developed for treating sewage. Two different operational phases were investigated; in the first one, the full-scale unit was used together with six pilot-scale columns in order to test different feeding strategies. For the second phase, only the full-scale unit was used, including a recirculation of the filtered effluent (percolate) to one of the units of the French vertical wetland. Sludge application was done once a week emptying a full truck, during 25 weeks. The sludge was predominantly diluted, leading to low solids loading rates (median values of 18 kgTS m(-2) year(-1)). Chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency in the full-scale unit was reasonable (median of 71%), but the total solids removal was only moderate (median of 44%) in the full-scale unit without recirculation. Recirculation did not bring substantial improvements in the overall performance. The other loading conditions implemented in the pilot columns also did not show statistically different performances.

  4. Development and performance evaluation of frustum cone shaped churn for small scale production of butter.

    PubMed

    Kalla, Adarsh M; Sahu, C; Agrawal, A K; Bisen, P; Chavhan, B B; Sinha, Geetesh

    2016-05-01

    The present research was intended to develop a small scale butter churn and its performance by altering churning temperature and churn speed during butter making. In the present study, the cream was churned at different temperatures (8, 10 and 12 °C) and churn speeds (35, 60 and 85 rpm). The optimum parameters of churning time (40 min), moisture content (16 %) and overrun (19.42 %) were obtained when cream was churned at churning temperature of 10 °C and churn speed of 60 rpm. Using appropriate conditions of churning temperature and churn speed, high quality butter can be produced at cottage scale.

  5. From damselflies to pterosaurs: how burst and sustainable flight performance scale with size.

    PubMed

    Marden, J H

    1994-04-01

    Recent empirical data for short-burst lift and power production of flying animals indicate that mass-specific lift and power output scale independently (lift) or slightly positively (power) with increasing size. These results contradict previous theory, as well as simple observation, which argues for degradation of flight performance with increasing size. Here, empirical measures of lift and power during short-burst exertion are combined with empirically based estimates of maximum muscle power output in order to predict how burst and sustainable performance scale with body size. The resulting model is used to estimate performance of the largest extant flying birds and insects, along with the largest flying animals known from fossils. These estimates indicate that burst flight performance capacities of even the largest extinct fliers (estimated mass 250 kg) would allow takeoff from the ground; however, limitations on sustainable power output should constrain capacity for continuous flight at body sizes exceeding 0.003-1.0 kg, depending on relative wing length and flight muscle mass.

  6. Reliable High Performance Peta- and Exa-Scale Computing

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

    Bronevetsky, G

    2012-04-02

    As supercomputers become larger and more powerful, they are growing increasingly complex. This is reflected both in the exponentially increasing numbers of components in HPC systems (LLNL is currently installing the 1.6 million core Sequoia system) as well as the wide variety of software and hardware components that a typical system includes. At this scale it becomes infeasible to make each component sufficiently reliable to prevent regular faults somewhere in the system or to account for all possible cross-component interactions. The resulting faults and instability cause HPC applications to crash, perform sub-optimally or even produce erroneous results. As supercomputers continuemore » to approach Exascale performance and full system reliability becomes prohibitively expensive, we will require novel techniques to bridge the gap between the lower reliability provided by hardware systems and users unchanging need for consistent performance and reliable results. Previous research on HPC system reliability has developed various techniques for tolerating and detecting various types of faults. However, these techniques have seen very limited real applicability because of our poor understanding of how real systems are affected by complex faults such as soft fault-induced bit flips or performance degradations. Prior work on such techniques has had very limited practical utility because it has generally focused on analyzing the behavior of entire software/hardware systems both during normal operation and in the face of faults. Because such behaviors are extremely complex, such studies have only produced coarse behavioral models of limited sets of software/hardware system stacks. Since this provides little insight into the many different system stacks and applications used in practice, this work has had little real-world impact. My project addresses this problem by developing a modular methodology to analyze the behavior of applications and systems during both normal and

  7. Evaluating Performance Measurement Systems in Nonprofit Agencies: The Program Accountability Quality Scale (PAQS).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Poole, Dennis L.; Nelson, Joan; Carnahan, Sharon; Chepenik, Nancy G.; Tubiak, Christine

    2000-01-01

    Developed and field tested the Performance Accountability Quality Scale (PAQS) on 191 program performance measurement systems developed by nonprofit agencies in central Florida. Preliminary findings indicate that the PAQS provides a structure for obtaining expert opinions based on a theory-driven model about the quality of proposed measurement…

  8. Constructing a Scale to Assess L2 Written Speech Act Performance: WDCT and E-Mail Tasks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Yuan-shan; Liu, Jianda

    2016-01-01

    This study reports the development of a scale to evaluate the speech act performance by intermediate-level Chinese learners of English. A qualitative analysis of the American raters' comments was conducted on learner scripts in response to a total of 16 apology and request written discourse completion task (WDCT) situations. The results showed…

  9. Real scale experimental study for performance evaluation of unidirectional air diffuser perforated panels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tăcutu, Laurenţiu; Nastase, Ilinca; Iordache, Vlad; Catalina, Tiberiu; Croitoru, Cristiana Verona

    2018-02-01

    Nowadays, there is an increasing emphasis on indoor air quality due to technological evolution and the fact that people spend most of the time in enclosed spaces. Also, energy efficiency is another related factor that gains more and more attention. Improving air distribution in an enclosure can lead to achieve these goals. This improvement can be done by adjustingthe air terminals position, theredimensions or the air diffuser perforations. The paper presents the study of 8 types of panels with different perforations shapes. The systems were characterized by flow, pressure loss and noise. Usualand special geometries were chosen, all having the same flowsurface. The perforated panels were mounted in a unidirectional air flow (UAF)diffuser, also called a laminar air flow (LAF)diffuser, that is placed in a real scale operating room (OR) in our laboratory.The purpose of this study is to determine whether changing the shape in the perforated panels can improve the technical parameters of the diffuser.

  10. The Consequences of Perfectionism Scale: Factorial Structure and Relationships with Perfectionism, Performance Perfectionism, Affect, and Depressive Symptoms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stoeber, Joachim; Hoyle, Azina; Last, Freyja

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated the Consequences of Perfectionism Scale (COPS) and its relationships with perfectionism, performance perfectionism, affect, and depressive symptoms in 202 university students using confirmatory factor analysis, correlations, and regression analyses. Results suggest that the COPS is a reliable and valid measure of positive…

  11. Performance on Wechsler intelligence scales in children with Tourette syndrome.

    PubMed

    Debes, Nanette M M M; Lange, Theis; Jessen, Tanja L; Hjalgrim, Helle; Skov, Liselotte

    2011-03-01

    There is some evidence that Tourette syndrome is associated with cognitive disabilities. To examine the cognitive performance of a clinical cohort of children with Tourette syndrome. 266 children with Tourette syndrome have been examined with Wechsler Intelligence Scales. The presence of the co-morbidities attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was assessed using validated diagnostic instruments. Eighty healthy controls matched a part of the TS cohort. The children with Tourette syndrome had a mean verbal IQ (VIQ) of 92.9, performance IQ (PIQ) of 87.1, and full-scale IQ (FSIQ) of 88.8. We found statistically significant higher PIQ and FSIQ in the control group compared with a matched TS cohort and a trend towards a higher VIQ among the healthy controls. There was a statistically significant influence of age at onset of tics on PIQ. The children with co-morbid OCD scored higher on FSIQ compared with the other groups. The children with co-morbid ADHD and OCD showed problems in motor tasks and speed tasks and the children with co-morbid ADHD showed attention deficits. Children with Tourette syndrome have lower IQ scores than the general population (but less than one standard deviation below) and our control group. Early onset of tics and the presence of co-morbidities might cause specific deficits on cognitive performance. Copyright © 2010 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Performance of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) on Large-Scale Hydroprocessed Renewable Jet (HRJ) Fuel Fires

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-12-01

    aqueous film forming foam ( AFFF ) firefighting agents and equipment are capable of...AFRL-RX-TY-TR-2012-0012 PERFORMANCE OF AQUEOUS FILM FORMING FOAM ( AFFF ) ON LARGE-SCALE HYDROPROCESSED RENEWABLE JET (HRJ) FUEL FIRES...Performance of Aqueous Film Forming Foam ( AFFF ) on Large-Scale Hydroprocessed Renewable Jet (HRJ) Fuel Fires FA4819-09-C-0030 0602102F 4915 D0

  13. Space Launch System Base Heating Test: Sub-Scale Rocket Engine/Motor Design, Development & Performance Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mehta, Manish; Seaford, Mark; Kovarik, Brian; Dufrene, Aaron; Solly, Nathan

    2014-01-01

    ATA-002 Technical Team has successfully designed, developed, tested and assessed the SLS Pathfinder propulsion systems for the Main Base Heating Test Program. Major Outcomes of the Pathfinder Test Program: Reach 90% of full-scale chamber pressure Achieved all engine/motor design parameter requirements Reach steady plume flow behavior in less than 35 msec Steady chamber pressure for 60 to 100 msec during engine/motor operation Similar model engine/motor performance to full-scale SLS system Mitigated nozzle throat and combustor thermal erosion Test data shows good agreement with numerical prediction codes Next phase of the ATA-002 Test Program Design & development of the SLS OML for the Main Base Heating Test Tweak BSRM design to optimize performance Tweak CS-REM design to increase robustness MSFC Aerosciences and CUBRC have the capability to develop sub-scale propulsion systems to meet desired performance requirements for short-duration testing.

  14. On the validity of self-report assessment of cognitive abilities: Attentional control scale associations with cognitive performance, emotional adjustment, and personality.

    PubMed

    Williams, Paula G; Rau, Holly K; Suchy, Yana; Thorgusen, Sommer R; Smith, Timothy W

    2017-05-01

    Individual differences in attentional control involve the ability to voluntarily direct, shift, and sustain attention. In studies of the role of attentional control in emotional adjustment, social relationships, and vulnerability to the effects of stress, self-report questionnaires are commonly used to measure this construct. Yet, convincing evidence of the association between self-report scales and actual cognitive performance has not been demonstrated. Across 2 independent samples, we examined associations between self-reported attentional control (Attentional Control Scale; ACS), self-reported emotional adjustment, Five-Factor Model personality traits (NEO Personality Inventory-Revised) and performance measures of attentional control. Study 1 examined behavioral performance on the Attention Network Test (ANT; Fan, McCandliss, Sommer, Raz, & Posner, 2002) and the Modified Switching Task (MST; Suchy & Kosson, 2006) in a large sample (n = 315) of healthy young adults. Study 2 (n = 78) examined behavioral performance on standardized neuropsychological tests of attention, including Conner's Continuous Performance Test-II and subtests from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales, Third Edition (WAIS-III; Psychological Corporation, 1997) and Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS; Delis, Kaplan, & Kramer, 2001). Results indicated that the ACS was largely unrelated to behavioral performance measures of attentional control but was significantly associated with emotional adjustment, neuroticism, and conscientiousness. These findings suggest that although self-reported attentional control may be a useful construct, researchers using the ACS should exercise caution in interpreting it as a proxy for actual cognitive ability or performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  15. A Facet-Factorial Approach towards the Development and Validation of a Jazz Rhythm Section Performance Rating Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wesolowski, Brian C.

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable rating scale to assess jazz rhythm sections in the context of jazz big band performance. The research questions that guided this study included: (a) what central factors contribute to the assessment of a jazz rhythm section? (b) what items should be used to describe and assess a jazz…

  16. Field-aligned Currents' Scale Analysis Performed by the Swarm Constellation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luhr, H.; Park, J.; Gjerloev, J. W.; Rauberg, J.; Michaelis, I.; Le, G.; Merayo, J. M. G.; Brauer, P.

    2014-12-01

    We present a statistical study of the temporal and spatial scale characteristics of different field-aligned current (FAC) types. Very suitable for this purpose is the closely spaced Swarm satellite formation, which existed shortly after launch during the commissioning phase. As dataset we use the standard Level 2 product, Single Satellite FAC, which comes at a data rate of 1 Hz, corresponding to an along-track distance of 7.5 km. FACs are known to cover a wide range of scales from 1km to several hundred kilometres, the smaller the scale the larger the amplitude. We like to divide the FACs into two classes. Those of intermediate scale, some tens of kilometres, which are carried predominantly by kinetic Alfvén waves, while the large-scale FACs are assumed to be stationary current structures on the timescales of a satellite crossing. For distinguishing between the two we first look how the temporal variability changes with scale. For that we consider subsequent measurements at the same point, the orbital cross-over near the geographic poles, and interpret the temporal current changes. Here we focus on observations in the southern hemisphere at locations where the geographic pole lies within the auroral region. In a next step the latitudinal and longitudinal scales of the larger-scale FAC structures are investigated. FACs related to Alfvén waves cannot be studied in this way because we have no simultaneous measurements at the same latitude and longitude. The results from this analysis are different for dayside and nightside. Implications for the FAC characteristics resulting from these observations are interpreted in the end.

  17. Large-scale performance evaluation of Accu-Chek inform II point-of-care glucose meters.

    PubMed

    Jeong, Tae-Dong; Cho, Eun-Jung; Ko, Dae-Hyun; Lee, Woochang; Chun, Sail; Hong, Ki-Sook; Min, Won-Ki

    2016-12-01

    The aim of this study was to report the experience of large-scale performance evaluation of 238 Accu-Chek Inform II point-of-care (POC) glucose meters in a single medical setting. The repeatability of 238 POC devices, the within-site imprecision of 12 devices, and the linearity of 49 devices were evaluated using glucose control solutions. The glucose results of 24 POC devices and central laboratory were compared using patient samples. Mean concentration of control solutions was 2.39 mmol/L for Level 1 and 16.52 mmol/L for Level 2. The pooled repeatability coefficient of variation (CV) of the 238 devices was 2.0% for Level 1 and 1.6% for Level 2. The pooled within-site imprecision CV and reproducibility CV of the 12 devices were 2.7% and 2.7% for Level 1, and 1.9%, and 1.9% for Level 2, respectively. The test results of all 49 devices were linear within analytical measurement range from 1.55-31.02 mmol/L. The correlation coefficient for individual POC devices ranged from 0.9967-0.9985. The total correlation coefficient for the 24 devices was 0.998. The Accu-Chek Inform II POC blood glucose meters performed well in terms of precision, linearity, and correlation evaluations. Consensus guidelines for the large-scale performance evaluations of POC devices are required.

  18. Performance-Based Service Quality Model: An Empirical Study on Japanese Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sultan, Parves; Wong, Ho

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: This paper aims to develop and empirically test the performance-based higher education service quality model. Design/methodology/approach: The study develops 67-item instrument for measuring performance-based service quality with a particular focus on the higher education sector. Scale reliability is confirmed using the Cronbach's alpha.…

  19. Why does offspring size affect performance? Integrating metabolic scaling with life-history theory

    PubMed Central

    Pettersen, Amanda K.; White, Craig R.; Marshall, Dustin J.

    2015-01-01

    Within species, larger offspring typically outperform smaller offspring. While the relationship between offspring size and performance is ubiquitous, the cause of this relationship remains elusive. By linking metabolic and life-history theory, we provide a general explanation for why larger offspring perform better than smaller offspring. Using high-throughput respirometry arrays, we link metabolic rate to offspring size in two species of marine bryozoan. We found that metabolism scales allometrically with offspring size in both species: while larger offspring use absolutely more energy than smaller offspring, larger offspring use proportionally less of their maternally derived energy throughout the dependent, non-feeding phase. The increased metabolic efficiency of larger offspring while dependent on maternal investment may explain offspring size effects—larger offspring reach nutritional independence (feed for themselves) with a higher proportion of energy relative to structure than smaller offspring. These findings offer a potentially universal explanation for why larger offspring tend to perform better than smaller offspring but studies on other taxa are needed. PMID:26559952

  20. Comparison of the Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, 5th Edition, in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grondhuis, Sabrina Nicole; Mulick, James A.

    2013-01-01

    A review of hospital records was conducted for children evaluated for autism spectrum disorders who completed both the Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised (Leiter-R) and Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, 5th Edition (SB5). Participants were between 3 and 12 years of age. Diagnoses were autistic disorder (n = 26, 55%) and pervasive…

  1. Microbiological performance of dairy processing plants is influenced by scale of production and the implemented food safety management system: a case study.

    PubMed

    Opiyo, Beatrice Atieno; Wangoh, John; Njage, Patrick Murigu Kamau

    2013-06-01

    The effects of existing food safety management systems and size of the production facility on microbiological quality in the dairy industry in Kenya were studied. A microbial assessment scheme was used to evaluate 14 dairies in Nairobi and its environs, and their performance was compared based on their size and on whether they were implementing hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) systems and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 22000 recommendations. Environmental samples from critical sampling locations, i.e., workers' hands and food contact surfaces, and from end products were analyzed for microbial quality, including hygiene indicators and pathogens. Microbial safety level profiles (MSLPs) were constructed from the microbiological data to obtain an overview of contamination. The maximum MSLP score for environmental samples was 18 (six microbiological parameters, each with a maximum MSLP score of 3) and that for end products was 15 (five microbiological parameters). Three dairies (two large scale and one medium scale; 21% of total) achieved the maximum MSLP scores of 18 for environmental samples and 15 for the end product. Escherichia coli was detected on food contact surfaces in three dairies, all of which were small scale dairies, and the microorganism was also present in end product samples from two of these dairies, an indication of cross-contamination. Microbial quality was poorest in small scale dairies. Most operations in these dairies were manual, with minimal system documentation. Noncompliance with hygienic practices such as hand washing and cleaning and disinfection procedures, which is common in small dairies, directly affects the microbial quality of the end products. Dairies implementing HACCP systems or ISO 22000 recommendations achieved maximum MSLP scores and hence produced safer products.

  2. Scaling Semantic Graph Databases in Size and Performance

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

    Morari, Alessandro; Castellana, Vito G.; Villa, Oreste

    In this paper we present SGEM, a full software system for accelerating large-scale semantic graph databases on commodity clusters. Unlike current approaches, SGEM addresses semantic graph databases by only employing graph methods at all the levels of the stack. On one hand, this allows exploiting the space efficiency of graph data structures and the inherent parallelism of graph algorithms. These features adapt well to the increasing system memory and core counts of modern commodity clusters. On the other hand, however, these systems are optimized for regular computation and batched data transfers, while graph methods usually are irregular and generate fine-grainedmore » data accesses with poor spatial and temporal locality. Our framework comprises a SPARQL to data parallel C compiler, a library of parallel graph methods and a custom, multithreaded runtime system. We introduce our stack, motivate its advantages with respect to other solutions and show how we solved the challenges posed by irregular behaviors. We present the result of our software stack on the Berlin SPARQL benchmarks with datasets up to 10 billion triples (a triple corresponds to a graph edge), demonstrating scaling in dataset size and in performance as more nodes are added to the cluster.« less

  3. Mineral scale management. Part 1, Case studies

    Treesearch

    Peter W. Hart; Alan W. Rudie

    2006-01-01

    Mineral scale increases operating costs, extends downtime, and increases maintenance requirements. This paper presents several successful case studies detailing how mills have eliminated scale. Cases presented include calcium carbonate scale in a white liquor strainer, calcium oxalate scale in the D0 stage of the bleach plant, enzymatic treatment of brown stock to...

  4. Scale-dependent performances of CMIP5 earth system models in simulating terrestrial vegetation carbon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, L.; Luo, Y.; Yan, Y.; Hararuk, O.

    2013-12-01

    Mitigation of global changes will depend on reliable projection for the future situation. As the major tools to predict future climate, Earth System Models (ESMs) used in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) for the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report have incorporated carbon cycle components, which account for the important fluxes of carbon between the ocean, atmosphere, and terrestrial biosphere carbon reservoirs; and therefore are expected to provide more detailed and more certain projections. However, ESMs are never perfect; and evaluating the ESMs can help us to identify uncertainties in prediction and give the priorities for model development. In this study, we benchmarked carbon in live vegetation in the terrestrial ecosystems simulated by 19 ESMs models from CMIP5 with an observationally estimated data set of global carbon vegetation pool 'Olson's Major World Ecosystem Complexes Ranked by Carbon in Live Vegetation: An Updated Database Using the GLC2000 Land Cover Product' by Gibbs (2006). Our aim is to evaluate the ability of ESMs to reproduce the global vegetation carbon pool at different scales and what are the possible causes for the bias. We found that the performance CMIP5 ESMs is very scale-dependent. While CESM1-BGC, CESM1-CAM5, CESM1-FASTCHEM and CESM1-WACCM, and NorESM1-M and NorESM1-ME (they share the same model structure) have very similar global sums with the observation data but they usually perform poorly at grid cell and biome scale. In contrast, MIROC-ESM and MIROC-ESM-CHEM simulate the best on at grid cell and biome scale but have larger differences in global sums than others. Our results will help improve CMIP5 ESMs for more reliable prediction.

  5. Performance of Gout Impact Scale in a longitudinal observational study of patients with gout

    PubMed Central

    Wallace, Beth; Khanna, Dinesh; Aquino-Beaton, Cleopatra; Singh, Jasvinder A.; Duffy, Erin; Elashoff, David

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Objective. The aim was to evaluate the reliability, validity and responsiveness to change of the Gout Impact Scale (GIS), a disease-specific measure of patient-reported outcomes, in a multicentre longitudinal prospective cohort of gout patients. Methods. Subjects completed the GIS, a 24-item instrument with five scales: Concern Overall, Medication Side Effects, Unmet Treatment Need, Well-Being during Attack, and Concern Over Attack. The total GIS score was calculated by averaging the GIS scale scores. HAQ-Disability Index (HAQ-DI), Short Form (SF)-36 physical and mental component summaries (PCS and MCS) and physician and patient gout severity assessments were also completed. Reliability was assessed with Cronbach’s α. Baseline GIS scores were compared in subjects with and without gout attacks in the past 3 months using Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Multivariate linear regression was used to evaluate predictors of total GIS. Pearson’s correlation coefficients 0.24–0.36 were considered moderate and >0.37 considered large. The effect size for responsiveness to change was interpreted as follows: 0.20–0.49 small, 0.50–0.79 medium and >0.79 large. Results. In 147 subjects, reliability was acceptable for total GIS (0.93) and all GIS scales (0.82–0.94) except Medication Side Effects and Unmet Treatment Need. Total GIS and all scales except Medication Side Effects discriminated between subjects with and without recent gout attacks (P < 0.05). Total GIS showed moderate-to-large correlations with HAQ-DI, SF-36 PCS and MCS (0.33–0.46). Improvement in total GIS tracked with improved physician and patient severity scores. Worsening physician severity score and recent gout attack predicted worsening total GIS. Conclusion. Total GIS score is reliable, valid and responsive to change in patients with gout, and differentiates between subjects with and without recent gout attacks. PMID:26888852

  6. Performance Characterization of Global Address Space Applications: A Case Study with NWChem

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

    Hammond, Jeffrey R.; Krishnamoorthy, Sriram; Shende, Sameer

    The use of global address space languages and one-sided communication for complex applications is gaining attention in the parallel computing community. However, lack of good evaluative methods to observe multiple levels of performance makes it difficult to isolate the cause of performance deficiencies and to understand the fundamental limitations of system and application design for future improvement. NWChem is a popular computational chemistry package which depends on the Global Arrays/ ARMCI suite for partitioned global address space functionality to deliver high-end molecular modeling capabilities. A workload characterization methodology was developed to support NWChem performance engineering on large-scale parallel platforms. Themore » research involved both the integration of performance instrumentation and measurement in the NWChem software, as well as the analysis of one-sided communication performance in the context of NWChem workloads. Scaling studies were conducted for NWChem on Blue Gene/P and on two large-scale clusters using different generation Infiniband interconnects and x86 processors. The performance analysis and results show how subtle changes in the runtime parameters related to the communication subsystem could have significant impact on performance behavior. The tool has successfully identified several algorithmic bottlenecks which are already being tackled by computational chemists to improve NWChem performance.« less

  7. Ice Accretions and Full-Scale Iced Aerodynamic Performance Data for a Two-Dimensional NACA 23012 Airfoil

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Addy, Harold E., Jr.; Broeren, Andy P.; Potapczuk, Mark G.; Lee, Sam; Guffond, Didier; Montreuil, Emmanuel; Moens, Frederic

    2016-01-01

    This report documents the data collected during the large wind tunnel campaigns conducted as part of the SUNSET project (StUdies oN Scaling EffecTs due to ice) also known as the Ice-Accretion Aerodynamics Simulation study: a joint effort by NASA, the Office National d'Etudes et Recherches Aérospatiales (ONERA), and the University of Illinois. These data form a benchmark database of full-scale ice accretions and corresponding ice-contaminated aerodynamic performance data for a two-dimensional (2D) NACA 23012 airfoil. The wider research effort also included an analysis of ice-contaminated aerodynamics that categorized ice accretions by aerodynamic effects and an investigation of subscale, low- Reynolds-number ice-contaminated aerodynamics for the NACA 23012 airfoil. The low-Reynolds-number investigation included an analysis of the geometric fidelity needed to reliably assess aerodynamic effects of airfoil icing using artificial ice shapes. Included herein are records of the ice accreted during campaigns in NASA Glenn Research Center's Icing Research Tunnel (IRT). Two different 2D NACA 23012 airfoil models were used during these campaigns; an 18-in. (45.7-cm) chord (subscale) model and a 72-in. (182.9-cm) chord (full-scale) model. The aircraft icing conditions used during these campaigns were selected from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 25 Appendix C icing envelopes. The records include the test conditions, photographs of the ice accreted, tracings of the ice, and ice depth measurements. Model coordinates and pressure tap locations are also presented. Also included herein are the data recorded during a wind tunnel campaign conducted in the F1 Subsonic Pressurized Wind Tunnel of ONERA. The F1 tunnel is a pressured, high- Reynolds-number facility that could accommodate the full-scale (72-in. (182.9-cm) chord) 2D NACA 23012 model. Molds were made of the ice accreted during selected test runs of the full-scale model

  8. Assessment of the degradation efficiency of full-scale biogas plants: A comparative study of degradation indicators.

    PubMed

    Li, Chao; Nges, Ivo Achu; Lu, Wenjing; Wang, Haoyu

    2017-11-01

    Increasing popularity and applications of the anaerobic digestion (AD) process has necessitated the development and identification of tools for obtaining reliable indicators of organic matter degradation rate and hence evaluate the process efficiency especially in full-scale, commercial biogas plants. In this study, four biogas plants (A1, A2, B and C) based on different feedstock, process configuration, scale and operational performance were selected and investigated. Results showed that the biochemical methane potential (BMP) based degradation rate could be use in incisively gauging process efficiency in lieu of the traditional degradation rate indicators. The BMP degradation rates ranged from 70 to 90% wherein plants A2 and C showed the highest throughput. This study, therefore, corroborates the feasibility of using the BMP degradation rate as a practical tool for evaluating process performance in full-scale biogas processes and spots light on the microbial diversity in full-scale biogas processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Progesterone lipid nanoparticles: Scaling up and in vivo human study.

    PubMed

    Esposito, Elisabetta; Sguizzato, Maddalena; Drechsler, Markus; Mariani, Paolo; Carducci, Federica; Nastruzzi, Claudio; Cortesi, Rita

    2017-10-01

    This investigation describes a scaling up study aimed at producing progesterone containing nanoparticles in a pilot scale. Particularly hot homogenization techniques based on ultrasound homogenization or high pressure homogenization have been employed to produce lipid nanoparticles constituted of tristearin or tristearin in association with caprylic-capric triglyceride. It was found that the high pressure homogenization method enabled to obtain nanoparticles without agglomerates and smaller mean diameters with respect to ultrasound homogenization method. X-ray characterization suggested a lamellar structural organization of both type of nanoparticles. Progesterone encapsulation efficiency was almost 100% in the case of high pressure homogenization method. Shelf life study indicated a double fold stability of progesterone when encapsulated in nanoparticles produced by the high pressure homogenization method. Dialysis and Franz cell methods were performed to mimic subcutaneous and skin administration. Nanoparticles constituted of tristearin in mixture with caprylic/capric triglyceride display a slower release of progesterone with respect to nanoparticles constituted of pure tristearin. Franz cell evidenced a higher progesterone skin uptake in the case of pure tristearin nanoparticles. A human in vivo study, based on tape stripping, was conducted to investigate the performance of nanoparticles as progesterone skin delivery systems. Tape stripping results indicated a decrease of progesterone concentration in stratum corneum within six hours, suggesting an interaction between nanoparticle material and skin lipids. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Investigation of Micro- and Macro-Scale Transport Processes for Improved Fuel Cell Performance

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

    Gu, Wenbin

    2014-08-29

    This report documents the work performed by General Motors (GM) under the Cooperative agreement No. DE-EE0000470, “Investigation of Micro- and Macro-Scale Transport Processes for Improved Fuel Cell Performance,” in collaboration with the Penn State University (PSU), University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK), Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and University of Rochester (UR) via subcontracts. The overall objectives of the project are to investigate and synthesize fundamental understanding of transport phenomena at both the macro- and micro-scales for the development of a down-the-channel model that accounts for all transport domains in a broad operating space. GM as a prime contractor focused onmore » cell level experiments and modeling, and the Universities as subcontractors worked toward fundamental understanding of each component and associated interface.« less

  11. Academic Performance Antecedent Scale: validation with native and recent immigrant children.

    PubMed

    Wang, Ru-Jer; Kuo, Kung-Bin; Cheng, Chien-Ming; Hsieh, Pei-Jung; Wang, Han-Yu; Chang, Ya-Wen; Shen, Chia-Yi

    2013-06-01

    This study aims to assess the measurement invariance of the three subscales of the newly developed Academic Performance Antecedent Scale (APAS)--School Factors, Mother's Parenting Style, and Individual Factors--across native and new immigrant children in Taiwan. The study sample comprised 527 Grade 4 students (M age = 10.4 yr., SD = 0.6), 263 boys and 264 girls. The three groups were urban and rural children of Taiwanese natives (n = 343, 65.1%), and 184 children with non-Taiwanese mothers (34.9%). The four-factor structure of the School Factors Subscale, the three-factor structure of the Mother's Parenting Style Subscale, and the five-factor structure of the Individual Factors Subscale all showed at least acceptable fit for the groups. In addition, metric invariance was confirmed for the School Factors and Individual Factors Subscales. Metric invariance was partially obtained for the Mother's Parenting Style Subscale. The findings provide validity evidences for cross-cultural generalizability of the APAS.

  12. Preferential flow across scales: how important are plot scale processes for a catchment scale model?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glaser, Barbara; Jackisch, Conrad; Hopp, Luisa; Klaus, Julian

    2017-04-01

    Numerous experimental studies showed the importance of preferential flow for solute transport and runoff generation. As a consequence, various approaches exist to incorporate preferential flow in hydrological models. However, few studies have applied models that incorporate preferential flow at hillslope scale and even fewer at catchment scale. Certainly, one main difficulty for progress is the determination of an adequate parameterization for preferential flow at these spatial scales. This study applies a 3D physically based model (HydroGeoSphere) of a headwater region (6 ha) of the Weierbach catchment (Luxembourg). The base model was implemented without preferential flow and was limited in simulating fast catchment responses. Thus we hypothesized that the discharge performance can be improved by utilizing a dual permeability approach for a representation of preferential flow. We used the information of bromide irrigation experiments performed on three 1m2 plots to parameterize preferential flow. In a first step we ran 20.000 Monte Carlo simulations of these irrigation experiments in a 1m2 column of the headwater catchment model, varying the dual permeability parameters (15 variable parameters). These simulations identified many equifinal, yet very different parameter sets that reproduced the bromide depth profiles well. Therefore, in the next step we chose 52 parameter sets (the 40 best and 12 low performing sets) for testing the effect of incorporating preferential flow in the headwater catchment scale model. The variability of the flow pattern responses at the headwater catchment scale was small between the different parameterizations and did not coincide with the variability at plot scale. The simulated discharge time series of the different parameterizations clustered in six groups of similar response, ranging from nearly unaffected to completely changed responses compared to the base case model without dual permeability. Yet, in none of the groups the

  13. Evidences of Validity of a Scale for Mapping Professional as Defining Competences and Performance by Brazilian Tutors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coelho, Francisco Antonio, Jr.; Ferreira, Rodrigo Rezende; Paschoal, Tatiane; Faiad, Cristiane; Meneses, Paulo Murce

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was twofold: to assess evidences of construct validity of the Brazilian Scale of Tutors Competences in the field of Open and Distance Learning and to examine if variables such as professional experience, perception of the student´s learning performance and prior experience influence the development of technical and…

  14. Effects of cadmium on the performance and microbiology of laboratory-scale lagoons treating domestic sewage.

    PubMed

    Bonnet, J L; Bohatier, J; Pépin, D

    1999-06-01

    Two experiments were performed to assess the impact of cadmium on the sewage lagoon wastewater treatment process. For each one, three laboratory-scale pilot plants with one tank receiving the same raw effluent were used; one plant served as control and the other two were contaminated once only with cadmium. In the first study, the effects of a shock load of two concentrations of cadmium chloride (60 and 300 micrograms/l) on the plant performance, microbial populations (protists and bacteria) and enzyme activities were determined. Initially, most of the performance parameters were affected concentration-dependently. A reduction in the protist population density and some influence on the total bacterial population were observed, and the potential enzymatic activities were also modified. A second experiment with a lower cadmium concentration (30 micrograms/l), supplied as chloride or sulphate, still perturbed most of the parameters studied, and the effects of the two cadmium salts were identical.

  15. A priori study of subgrid-scale flux of a passive scalar in isotropic homogeneous turbulence.

    PubMed

    Chumakov, Sergei G

    2008-09-01

    We perform a direct numerical simulation (DNS) of forced homogeneous isotropic turbulence with a passive scalar that is forced by mean gradient. The DNS data are used to study the properties of subgrid-scale flux of a passive scalar in the framework of large eddy simulation (LES), such as alignment trends between the flux, resolved, and subgrid-scale flow structures. It is shown that the direction of the flux is strongly coupled with the subgrid-scale stress axes rather than the resolved flow quantities such as strain, vorticity, or scalar gradient. We derive an approximate transport equation for the subgrid-scale flux of a scalar and look at the relative importance of the terms in the transport equation. A particular form of LES tensor-viscosity model for the scalar flux is investigated, which includes the subgrid-scale stress. Effect of different models for the subgrid-scale stress on the model for the subgrid-scale flux is studied.

  16. Improved technique that allows the performance of large-scale SNP genotyping on DNA immobilized by FTA technology.

    PubMed

    He, Hongbin; Argiro, Laurent; Dessein, Helia; Chevillard, Christophe

    2007-01-01

    FTA technology is a novel method designed to simplify the collection, shipment, archiving and purification of nucleic acids from a wide variety of biological sources. The number of punches that can normally be obtained from a single specimen card are often however, insufficient for the testing of the large numbers of loci required to identify genetic factors that control human susceptibility or resistance to multifactorial diseases. In this study, we propose an improved technique to perform large-scale SNP genotyping. We applied a whole genome amplification method to amplify DNA from buccal cell samples stabilized using FTA technology. The results show that using the improved technique it is possible to perform up to 15,000 genotypes from one buccal cell sample. Furthermore, the procedure is simple. We consider this improved technique to be a promising methods for performing large-scale SNP genotyping because the FTA technology simplifies the collection, shipment, archiving and purification of DNA, while whole genome amplification of FTA card bound DNA produces sufficient material for the determination of thousands of SNP genotypes.

  17. Developing a Three Processes Framework to Analyze Hydrologic Performance of Urban Stormwater Management in a Watershed Scale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lyu, H.; Ni, G.; Sun, T.

    2016-12-01

    Urban stormwater management contributes to recover water cycle to a nearly natural situation. It is a challenge for analyzing the hydrologic performance in a watershed scale, since the measures are various of sorts and scales and work in different processes. A three processes framework is developed to simplify the urban hydrologic process on the surface and evaluate the urban stormwater management. The three processes include source utilization, transfer regulation and terminal detention, by which the stormwater is controlled in order or discharged. Methods for analyzing performance are based on the water controlled proportions by each process, which are calculated using USEPA Stormwater Management Model. A case study form Beijing is used to illustrate how the performance varies under a set of designed events of different return periods. This framework provides a method to assess urban stormwater management as a whole system considering the interaction between measures, and to examine if there is any weak process of an urban watershed to be improved. The results help to make better solutions of urban water crisis.

  18. Cross-Scale: a multi-spacecraft mission to study cross-scale coupling in space plasmas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fujimoto, M.; Schwartz, S.; Horbury, T.; Louarn, P.; Baumjohann, W.

    Collisionless astrophysical plasmas exhibit complexity on many scales if we are to understand their properties and effects we must measure this complexity We can identify a small number of processes and phenomena one of which is dominant in almost every space plasma region of interest shocks reconnection turbulence and boundaries These processes act to transfer energy between locations scales and modes However this transfer is characterised by variability and 3D structures on at least three scales electron kinetic ion kinetic and fluid It is the interaction between physical processes at these scales that is the key to understanding these phenomena and predicting their effects However current and planned multi-spacecraft missions such as Cluster and MMS only study variations on one scale in 3D at any given time We must measure the three scales simultaneously completely to understand the energy transfer processes ESA fs Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 exercise revealed a broad consensus for a mission to study these issues commonly known as M3 In parallel Japanese scientists have been studying a similar mission concept SCOPE We have taken ideas from both of these mission proposals and produced a concept called Cross-Scale Cross-Scale would comprise three nested groups each consisting of four spacecraft with similar instrumentation Each group would have a different spacecraft separation at approximately the electron and ion gyroradii and a larger MHD scale We would therefore be able to measure variations on all three important physical scales

  19. FY10 Report on Multi-scale Simulation of Solvent Extraction Processes: Molecular-scale and Continuum-scale Studies

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

    Wardle, Kent E.; Frey, Kurt; Pereira, Candido

    2014-02-02

    This task is aimed at predictive modeling of solvent extraction processes in typical extraction equipment through multiple simulation methods at various scales of resolution. We have conducted detailed continuum fluid dynamics simulation on the process unit level as well as simulations of the molecular-level physical interactions which govern extraction chemistry. Through combination of information gained through simulations at each of these two tiers along with advanced techniques such as the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) which can bridge these two scales, we can develop the tools to work towards predictive simulation for solvent extraction on the equipment scale (Figure 1). Themore » goal of such a tool-along with enabling optimized design and operation of extraction units-would be to allow prediction of stage extraction effrciency under specified conditions. Simulation efforts on each of the two scales will be described below. As the initial application of FELBM in the work performed during FYl0 has been on annular mixing it will be discussed in context of the continuum-scale. In the future, however, it is anticipated that the real value of FELBM will be in its use as a tool for sub-grid model development through highly refined DNS-like multiphase simulations facilitating exploration and development of droplet models including breakup and coalescence which will be needed for the large-scale simulations where droplet level physics cannot be resolved. In this area, it can have a significant advantage over traditional CFD methods as its high computational efficiency allows exploration of significantly greater physical detail especially as computational resources increase in the future.« less

  20. Opportunities for nonvolatile memory systems in extreme-scale high-performance computing

    DOE PAGES

    Vetter, Jeffrey S.; Mittal, Sparsh

    2015-01-12

    For extreme-scale high-performance computing systems, system-wide power consumption has been identified as one of the key constraints moving forward, where DRAM main memory systems account for about 30 to 50 percent of a node's overall power consumption. As the benefits of device scaling for DRAM memory slow, it will become increasingly difficult to keep memory capacities balanced with increasing computational rates offered by next-generation processors. However, several emerging memory technologies related to nonvolatile memory (NVM) devices are being investigated as an alternative for DRAM. Moving forward, NVM devices could offer solutions for HPC architectures. Researchers are investigating how to integratemore » these emerging technologies into future extreme-scale HPC systems and how to expose these capabilities in the software stack and applications. In addition, current results show several of these strategies could offer high-bandwidth I/O, larger main memory capacities, persistent data structures, and new approaches for application resilience and output postprocessing, such as transaction-based incremental checkpointing and in situ visualization, respectively.« less

  1. Evaluating large-scale propensity score performance through real-world and synthetic data experiments.

    PubMed

    Tian, Yuxi; Schuemie, Martijn J; Suchard, Marc A

    2018-06-22

    Propensity score adjustment is a popular approach for confounding control in observational studies. Reliable frameworks are needed to determine relative propensity score performance in large-scale studies, and to establish optimal propensity score model selection methods. We detail a propensity score evaluation framework that includes synthetic and real-world data experiments. Our synthetic experimental design extends the 'plasmode' framework and simulates survival data under known effect sizes, and our real-world experiments use a set of negative control outcomes with presumed null effect sizes. In reproductions of two published cohort studies, we compare two propensity score estimation methods that contrast in their model selection approach: L1-regularized regression that conducts a penalized likelihood regression, and the 'high-dimensional propensity score' (hdPS) that employs a univariate covariate screen. We evaluate methods on a range of outcome-dependent and outcome-independent metrics. L1-regularization propensity score methods achieve superior model fit, covariate balance and negative control bias reduction compared with the hdPS. Simulation results are mixed and fluctuate with simulation parameters, revealing a limitation of simulation under the proportional hazards framework. Including regularization with the hdPS reduces commonly reported non-convergence issues but has little effect on propensity score performance. L1-regularization incorporates all covariates simultaneously into the propensity score model and offers propensity score performance superior to the hdPS marginal screen.

  2. Adaptation and initial psychometric study of the self-report version of Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS-SR).

    PubMed

    Dos Santos, Larissa Forni; Loureiro, Sonia Regina; Crippa, José Alexandre S; de Lima Osório, Flávia

    2013-06-01

    The objectives of the present study were to adapt the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale from the clinician administered to the self-report version (LSAS-SR) and to perform the initial psychometric studies concerning internal consistency and item analysis. The phase of adaptation was performed by two specialists in the Mental Health area and the face validity was tested by a group of 30 university students. As part of the psychometric study of the LSAS-SR, the internal consistency was assessed and the items were analyzed by applying the scale to 682 university students. The LSAS-SR proved to be easy to understand by the group studied, with no need to make any changes in the instructions for application. The scale showed adequate internal consistency (α = 0.96) as well as an acceptable correlation between items and total score (0.38-0.72). The initial psychometric studies of the LSAS-SR presented adequate indicators, stimulating the continuation of studies involving the validation and reliability of the scale not only when applied to a sample of the general population, but also when applied to clinical groups.

  3. Factor- and Item-Level Analyses of the 38-Item Activities Scale for Kids-Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bagley, Anita M.; Gorton, George E.; Bjornson, Kristie; Bevans, Katherine; Stout, Jean L.; Narayanan, Unni; Tucker, Carole A.

    2011-01-01

    Aim: Children and adolescents highly value their ability to participate in relevant daily life and recreational activities. The Activities Scale for Kids-performance (ASKp) instrument measures the frequency of performance of 30 common childhood activities, and has been shown to be valid and reliable. A revised and expanded 38-item ASKp (ASKp38)…

  4. Effects of different pretreatments on the performance of ceramic ultrafiltration membrane during the treatment of oil sands tailings pond recycle water: a pilot-scale study.

    PubMed

    Loganathan, Kavithaa; Chelme-Ayala, Pamela; El-Din, Mohamed Gamal

    2015-03-15

    Membrane filtration is an effective treatment method for oil sands tailings pond recycle water (RCW); however, membrane fouling and rapid decrease in permeate flux caused by colloids, organic matter, and bitumen residues present in the RCW hinder its successful application. This pilot-scale study investigated the impact of different pretreatment steps on the performance of a ceramic ultrafiltration (CUF) membrane used for the treatment of RCW. Two treatment trains were examined: treatment train 1 consisted of coagulant followed by a CUF system, while treatment train 2 included softening (Multiflo™ system) and coagulant addition, followed by a CUF system. The results indicated that minimum pretreatment (train 1) was required for almost complete solids removal. The addition of a softening step (train 2) provided an additional barrier to membrane fouling by reducing hardness-causing ions to negligible levels. More than 99% removal of turbidity and less than 20% removal of total organic carbon were achieved regardless of the treatment train used. Permeate fluxes normalized at 20 °C of 127-130 L/m(2) h and 111-118 L/m(2) h, with permeate recoveries of 90-93% and 90-94% were observed for the treatment trains 1 and 2, respectively. It was also found that materials deposited onto the membrane surface had an impact on trans-membrane pressure and influenced the required frequencies of chemically enhanced backwashes (CEBs) and clean-in-place (CIP) procedures. The CIP performed was successful in removing fouling and scaling materials such that the CUF performance was restored to baseline levels. The results also demonstrated that due to their low turbidity and silt density index values, permeates produced in this pilot study were suitable for further treatment by high pressure membrane processes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. A scalable silicon photonic chip-scale optical switch for high performance computing systems.

    PubMed

    Yu, Runxiang; Cheung, Stanley; Li, Yuliang; Okamoto, Katsunari; Proietti, Roberto; Yin, Yawei; Yoo, S J B

    2013-12-30

    This paper discusses the architecture and provides performance studies of a silicon photonic chip-scale optical switch for scalable interconnect network in high performance computing systems. The proposed switch exploits optical wavelength parallelism and wavelength routing characteristics of an Arrayed Waveguide Grating Router (AWGR) to allow contention resolution in the wavelength domain. Simulation results from a cycle-accurate network simulator indicate that, even with only two transmitter/receiver pairs per node, the switch exhibits lower end-to-end latency and higher throughput at high (>90%) input loads compared with electronic switches. On the device integration level, we propose to integrate all the components (ring modulators, photodetectors and AWGR) on a CMOS-compatible silicon photonic platform to ensure a compact, energy efficient and cost-effective device. We successfully demonstrate proof-of-concept routing functions on an 8 × 8 prototype fabricated using foundry services provided by OpSIS-IME.

  6. Effect of the presence of oil on foam performance; A field simulation study

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

    Law, D.H.S.; Yang, Z.M.; Stone, T.W.

    1992-05-01

    This paper describes a field-scale sensitivity study of the effect of the presence of oil on foam performance in a steam-foam-drive process. The 2D field-scale simulation was based on a field pilot in the Karamay formation in Zin-Jiang, China. Numerical results showed that the detrimental effect of oil on the foam performance in field operations is significant. The success of a steam-foam process depended mainly on the ability of the foam to divert steam from the depleted zone.

  7. Studying time of flight imaging through scattering media across multiple size scales (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Velten, Andreas

    2017-05-01

    Light scattering is a primary obstacle to optical imaging in a variety of different environments and across many size and time scales. Scattering complicates imaging on large scales when imaging through the atmosphere when imaging from airborne or space borne platforms, through marine fog, or through fog and dust in vehicle navigation, for example in self driving cars. On smaller scales, scattering is the major obstacle when imaging through human tissue in biomedical applications. Despite the large variety of participating materials and size scales, light transport in all these environments is usually described with very similar scattering models that are defined by the same small set of parameters, including scattering and absorption length and phase function. We attempt a study of scattering and methods of imaging through scattering across different scales and media, particularly with respect to the use of time of flight information. We can show that using time of flight, in addition to spatial information, provides distinct advantages in scattering environments. By performing a comparative study of scattering across scales and media, we are able to suggest scale models for scattering environments to aid lab research. We also can transfer knowledge and methodology between different fields.

  8. Performance of a novel wafer scale CMOS active pixel sensor for bio-medical imaging.

    PubMed

    Esposito, M; Anaxagoras, T; Konstantinidis, A C; Zheng, Y; Speller, R D; Evans, P M; Allinson, N M; Wells, K

    2014-07-07

    Recently CMOS active pixels sensors (APSs) have become a valuable alternative to amorphous silicon and selenium flat panel imagers (FPIs) in bio-medical imaging applications. CMOS APSs can now be scaled up to the standard 20 cm diameter wafer size by means of a reticle stitching block process. However, despite wafer scale CMOS APS being monolithic, sources of non-uniformity of response and regional variations can persist representing a significant challenge for wafer scale sensor response. Non-uniformity of stitched sensors can arise from a number of factors related to the manufacturing process, including variation of amplification, variation between readout components, wafer defects and process variations across the wafer due to manufacturing processes. This paper reports on an investigation into the spatial non-uniformity and regional variations of a wafer scale stitched CMOS APS. For the first time a per-pixel analysis of the electro-optical performance of a wafer CMOS APS is presented, to address inhomogeneity issues arising from the stitching techniques used to manufacture wafer scale sensors. A complete model of the signal generation in the pixel array has been provided and proved capable of accounting for noise and gain variations across the pixel array. This novel analysis leads to readout noise and conversion gain being evaluated at pixel level, stitching block level and in regions of interest, resulting in a coefficient of variation ⩽1.9%. The uniformity of the image quality performance has been further investigated in a typical x-ray application, i.e. mammography, showing a uniformity in terms of CNR among the highest when compared with mammography detectors commonly used in clinical practice. Finally, in order to compare the detection capability of this novel APS with the technology currently used (i.e. FPIs), theoretical evaluation of the detection quantum efficiency (DQE) at zero-frequency has been performed, resulting in a higher DQE for this

  9. Design and Performance of Insect-Scale Flapping-Wing Vehicles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whitney, John Peter

    Micro-air vehicles (MAVs)---small versions of full-scale aircraft---are the product of a continued path of miniaturization which extends across many fields of engineering. Increasingly, MAVs approach the scale of small birds, and most recently, their sizes have dipped into the realm of hummingbirds and flying insects. However, these non-traditional biologically-inspired designs are without well-established design methods, and manufacturing complex devices at these tiny scales is not feasible using conventional manufacturing methods. This thesis presents a comprehensive investigation of new MAV design and manufacturing methods, as applicable to insect-scale hovering flight. New design methods combine an energy-based accounting of propulsion and aerodynamics with a one degree-of-freedom dynamic flapping model. Important results include analytical expressions for maximum flight endurance and range, and predictions for maximum feasible wing size and body mass. To meet manufacturing constraints, the use of passive wing dynamics to simplify vehicle design and control was investigated; supporting tests included the first synchronized measurements of real-time forces and three-dimensional kinematics generated by insect-scale flapping wings. These experimental methods were then expanded to study optimal wing shapes and high-efficiency flapping kinematics. To support the development of high-fidelity test devices and fully-functional flight hardware, a new class of manufacturing methods was developed, combining elements of rigid-flex printed circuit board fabrication with "pop-up book" folding mechanisms. In addition to their current and future support of insect-scale MAV development, these new manufacturing techniques are likely to prove an essential element to future advances in micro-optomechanics, micro-surgery, and many other fields.

  10. High-Throughput Microbore UPLC-MS Metabolic Phenotyping of Urine for Large-Scale Epidemiology Studies.

    PubMed

    Gray, Nicola; Lewis, Matthew R; Plumb, Robert S; Wilson, Ian D; Nicholson, Jeremy K

    2015-06-05

    A new generation of metabolic phenotyping centers are being created to meet the increasing demands of personalized healthcare, and this has resulted in a major requirement for economical, high-throughput metabonomic analysis by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Meeting these new demands represents an emerging bioanalytical problem that must be solved if metabolic phenotyping is to be successfully applied to large clinical and epidemiological sample sets. Ultraperformance (UP)LC-MS-based metabolic phenotyping, based on 2.1 mm i.d. LC columns, enables comprehensive metabolic phenotyping but, when employed for the analysis of thousands of samples, results in high solvent usage. The use of UPLC-MS employing 1 mm i.d. columns for metabolic phenotyping rather than the conventional 2.1 mm i.d. methodology shows that the resulting optimized microbore method provided equivalent or superior performance in terms of peak capacity, sensitivity, and robustness. On average, we also observed, when using the microbore scale separation, an increase in response of 2-3 fold over that obtained with the standard 2.1 mm scale method. When applied to the analysis of human urine, the 1 mm scale method showed no decline in performance over the course of 1000 analyses, illustrating that microbore UPLC-MS represents a viable alternative to conventional 2.1 mm i.d. formats for routine large-scale metabolic profiling studies while also resulting in a 75% reduction in solvent usage. The modest increase in sensitivity provided by this methodology also offers the potential to either reduce sample consumption or increase the number of metabolite features detected with confidence due to the increased signal-to-noise ratios obtained. Implementation of this miniaturized UPLC-MS method of metabolic phenotyping results in clear analytical, economic, and environmental benefits for large-scale metabolic profiling studies with similar or improved analytical performance compared to

  11. The Association between Meditation Practice and Job Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study

    PubMed Central

    Sugimoto, Minami; Ishikawa, Yoshiki

    2015-01-01

    Many previous studies have shown that meditation practice has a positive impact on cognitive and non-cognitive functioning, which are related to job performance. Thus, the aims of this study were to (1) estimate the prevalence of meditation practice, (2) identify the characteristics of individuals who practice meditation, and (3) examine the association between meditation practice and job performance. Two population-based, cross-sectional surveys were conducted. In study 1, we examined the prevalence of meditation practice and the characteristics of the persons practicing meditation; in Study 2, we examined the association between meditation practice and job performance. The outcome variables included work engagement, subjective job performance, and job satisfaction. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale was used to assess work engagement, the World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) was used to measure subjective job performance, and a scale developed by the Japanese government was used to assess job satisfaction. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used in Study 2. Demographic characteristics and behavioral risk factors were included as covariates in the analyses. The results of Study 1 indicated that 3.9% of persons surveyed (n = 30,665) practiced meditation; these individuals were younger and had a higher education, higher household income, higher stress level, and lower body mass index than those who did not practice meditation. The results of Study 2 (n = 1,470) indicated that meditation practice was significantly predictive of work engagement (β = 0.112, p < .001), subjective job performance (β = 0.116, p < .001), and job satisfaction (β = 0.079, p = .002), even after adjusting for covariates (β = 0.083, p < .001; β = 0.104, p < .001; β = 0.060, p = .015, respectively). The results indicate that meditation practice may positively influence job performance, including job satisfaction, subjective job performance

  12. The Association between Meditation Practice and Job Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study.

    PubMed

    Shiba, Koichiro; Nishimoto, Masahiro; Sugimoto, Minami; Ishikawa, Yoshiki

    2015-01-01

    Many previous studies have shown that meditation practice has a positive impact on cognitive and non-cognitive functioning, which are related to job performance. Thus, the aims of this study were to (1) estimate the prevalence of meditation practice, (2) identify the characteristics of individuals who practice meditation, and (3) examine the association between meditation practice and job performance. Two population-based, cross-sectional surveys were conducted. In study 1, we examined the prevalence of meditation practice and the characteristics of the persons practicing meditation; in Study 2, we examined the association between meditation practice and job performance. The outcome variables included work engagement, subjective job performance, and job satisfaction. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale was used to assess work engagement, the World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) was used to measure subjective job performance, and a scale developed by the Japanese government was used to assess job satisfaction. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used in Study 2. Demographic characteristics and behavioral risk factors were included as covariates in the analyses. The results of Study 1 indicated that 3.9% of persons surveyed (n = 30,665) practiced meditation; these individuals were younger and had a higher education, higher household income, higher stress level, and lower body mass index than those who did not practice meditation. The results of Study 2 (n = 1,470) indicated that meditation practice was significantly predictive of work engagement (β = 0.112, p < .001), subjective job performance (β = 0.116, p < .001), and job satisfaction (β = 0.079, p = .002), even after adjusting for covariates (β = 0.083, p < .001; β = 0.104, p < .001; β = 0.060, p = .015, respectively). The results indicate that meditation practice may positively influence job performance, including job satisfaction, subjective job performance

  13. Relationship between human resource ability and market access capacity on business performance. (case study of wood craft micro- and small-scale industries in Gianyar Regency, Bali)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sukartini, N. W.; Sudarmini, N. M.; Lasmini, N. K.

    2018-01-01

    The aims of this research are to: (1) analyze the influence of Human Resource Ability on market access capacity in Wood Craft Micro and Small Industry; (2) to analyze the effect of market access capacity on business performance; (3) analyze the influence of Human Resources ability on business performance. Data were collected using questionnaires, interviews, observations, and literature studies. The resulting data were analyzed using Struture Equation Modeling (SEM). The results of the analysis show that (1) there is a positive and significant influence of the ability of Human Resources on market access capacity in Wood Craft Micro-and Small-Scale Industries in Gianyar; (2) there is a positive and significant influence of market access capacity on business performance; and (3) there is a positive and significant influence of Human Resource ability on business performance. To improve the ability to access the market and business performance, it is recommended that human resource ability need to be improved through training; government and higher education institutions are expected to play a role in improving the ability of human resources (craftsmen) through provision of training programs

  14. Propulsion engineering study for small-scale Mars missions

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

    Whitehead, J.

    1995-09-12

    Rocket propulsion options for small-scale Mars missions are presented and compared, particularly for the terminal landing maneuver and for sample return. Mars landing has a low propulsive {Delta}v requirement on a {approximately}1-minute time scale, but at a high acceleration. High thrust/weight liquid rocket technologies, or advanced pulse-capable solids, developed during the past decade for missile defense, are therefore more appropriate for small Mars landers than are conventional space propulsion technologies. The advanced liquid systems are characterize by compact lightweight thrusters having high chamber pressures and short lifetimes. Blowdown or regulated pressure-fed operation can satisfy the Mars landing requirement, but hardwaremore » mass can be reduced by using pumps. Aggressive terminal landing propulsion designs can enable post-landing hop maneuvers for some surface mobility. The Mars sample return mission requires a small high performance launcher having either solid motors or miniature pump-fed engines. Terminal propulsion for 100 kg Mars landers is within the realm of flight-proven thruster designs, but custom tankage is desirable. Landers on a 10 kg scale also are feasible, using technology that has been demonstrated but not previously flown in space. The number of sources and the selection of components are extremely limited on this smallest scale, so some customized hardware is required. A key characteristic of kilogram-scale propulsion is that gas jets are much lighter than liquid thrusters for reaction control. The mass and volume of tanks for inert gas can be eliminated by systems which generate gas as needed from a liquid or a solid, but these have virtually no space flight history. Mars return propulsion is a major engineering challenge; earth launch is the only previously-solved propulsion problem requiring similar or greater performance.« less

  15. Referred Students' Performance on the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Fourth Edition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edwards, Oliver W.; Paulin, Rachel V.

    2007-01-01

    This study investigates the convergent relations of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). Data from counterbalanced administrations of each instrument to 48 elementary school students referred for psychoeducational testing were examined. Analysis of the 96…

  16. MAINTAINING DATA QUALITY IN THE PERFORMANCE OF A LARGE SCALE INTEGRATED MONITORING EFFORT

    EPA Science Inventory

    Macauley, John M. and Linda C. Harwell. In press. Maintaining Data Quality in the Performance of a Large Scale Integrated Monitoring Effort (Abstract). To be presented at EMAP Symposium 2004: Integrated Monitoring and Assessment for Effective Water Quality Management, 3-7 May 200...

  17. A validation study of the psychometric properties of the Groningen Reflection Ability Scale.

    PubMed

    Andersen, Nina Bjerre; O'Neill, Lotte; Gormsen, Lise Kirstine; Hvidberg, Line; Morcke, Anne Mette

    2014-10-10

    Reflection, the ability to examine critically one's own learning and functioning, is considered important for 'the good doctor'. The Groningen Reflection Ability Scale (GRAS) is an instrument measuring student reflection, which has not yet been validated beyond the original Dutch study. The aim of this study was to adapt GRAS for use in a Danish setting and to investigate the psychometric properties of GRAS-DK. We performed a cross-cultural adaptation of GRAS from Dutch to Danish. Next, we collected primary data online, performed a retest, analysed data descriptively, estimated measurement error, performed an exploratory and a confirmatory factor analysis to test the proposed three-factor structure. 361 (69%) of 523 invited students completed GRAS-DK. Their mean score was 88 (SD = 11.42; scale maximum 115). Scores were approximately normally distributed. Measurement error and test-retest score differences were acceptable, apart from a few extreme outliers. However, the confirmatory factor analysis did not replicate the original three-factor model and neither could a one-dimensional structure be confirmed. GRAS is already in use, however we advise that use of GRAS-DK for effect measurements and group comparison awaits further review and validation studies. Our negative finding might be explained by a weak conceptualisation of personal reflection.

  18. Performance analysis of landslide early warning systems at regional scale: the EDuMaP method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Piciullo, Luca; Calvello, Michele

    2016-04-01

    Landslide early warning systems (LEWSs) reduce landslide risk by disseminating timely and meaningful warnings when the level of risk is judged intolerably high. Two categories of LEWSs, can be defined on the basis of their scale of analysis: "local" systems and "regional" systems. LEWSs at regional scale (ReLEWSs) are used to assess the probability of occurrence of landslides over appropriately-defined homogeneous warning zones of relevant extension, typically through the prediction and monitoring of meteorological variables, in order to give generalized warnings to the public. Despite many studies on ReLEWSs, no standard requirements exist for assessing their performance. Empirical evaluations are often carried out by simply analysing the time frames during which significant high-consequence landslides occurred in the test area. Alternatively, the performance evaluation is based on 2x2 contingency tables computed for the joint frequency distribution of landslides and alerts, both considered as dichotomous variables. In all these cases, model performance is assessed neglecting some important aspects which are peculiar to ReLEWSs, among which: the possible occurrence of multiple landslides in the warning zone; the duration of the warnings in relation to the time of occurrence of the landslides; the level of the warning issued in relation to the landslide spatial density in the warning zone; the relative importance system managers attribute to different types of errors. An original approach, called EDuMaP method, is proposed to assess the performance of landslide early warning models operating at regional scale. The method is composed by three main phases: Events analysis, Duration Matrix, Performance analysis. The events analysis phase focuses on the definition of landslide (LEs) and warning events (WEs), which are derived from available landslides and warnings databases according to their spatial and temporal characteristics by means of ten input parameters. The

  19. Monitoring acute equine visceral pain with the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Composite Pain Assessment (EQUUS-COMPASS) and the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Facial Assessment of Pain (EQUUS-FAP): A scale-construction study.

    PubMed

    van Loon, Johannes P A M; Van Dierendonck, Machteld C

    2015-12-01

    Although recognition of equine pain has been studied extensively over the past decades there is still need for improvement in objective identification of pain in horses with acute colic. This study describes scale construction and clinical applicability of the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Composite Pain Assessment (EQUUS-COMPASS) and the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Facial Assessment of Pain (EQUUS-FAP) in horses with acute colic. A cohort follow-up study was performed using 50 adult horses (n = 25 with acute colic, n = 25 controls). Composite pain scores were assessed by direct observations, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores were assessed from video clips. Colic patients were assessed at arrival, and on the first and second mornings after arrival. Both the EQUUS-COMPASS and EQUUS-FAP scores showed high inter-observer reliability (ICC = 0.98 for EQUUS-COMPASS, ICC = 0.93 for EQUUS-FAP, P <0.001), while a moderate inter-observer reliability for the VAS scores was found (ICC = 0.63, P <0.001). The cut-off value for differentiation between healthy and colic horses for the EQUUS-COMPASS was 5, and for differentiation between conservatively treated and surgically treated or euthanased patients it was 11. For the EQUUS-FAP, cut-off values were 4 and 6, respectively. Internal sensitivity and specificity were good for both EQUUS-COMPASS (sensitivity 95.8%, specificity 84.0%) and EQUUS-FAP (sensitivity 87.5%, specificity 88.0%). The use of the EQUUS-COMPASS and EQUUS-FAP enabled repeated and objective scoring of pain in horses with acute colic. A follow-up study with new patients and control animals will be performed to further validate the constructed scales that are described in this study. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Performance of the first Japanese large-scale facility for radon inhalation experiments with small animals.

    PubMed

    Ishimori, Yuu; Mitsunobu, Fumihiro; Yamaoka, Kiyonori; Tanaka, Hiroshi; Kataoka, Takahiro; Sakoda, Akihiro

    2011-07-01

    A radon test facility for small animals was developed in order to increase the statistical validity of differences of the biological response in various radon environments. This paper illustrates the performances of that facility, the first large-scale facility of its kind in Japan. The facility has a capability to conduct approximately 150 mouse-scale tests at the same time. The apparatus for exposing small animals to radon has six animal chamber groups with five independent cages each. Different radon concentrations in each animal chamber group are available. Because the first target of this study is to examine the in vivo behaviour of radon and its effects, the major functions to control radon and to eliminate thoron were examined experimentally. Additionally, radon progeny concentrations and their particle size distributions in the cages were also examined experimentally to be considered in future projects.

  1. Hover performance tests of full scale variable geometry rotors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rorke, J. B.

    1976-01-01

    Full scale whirl tests were conducted to determine the effects of interblade spatial relationships and pitch variations on the hover performance and acoustic signature of a 6-blade main rotor system. The variable geometry rotor (VGR) variations from the conventional baseline were accomplished by: (1) shifting the axial position of alternate blades by one chord-length to form two tip path planes; and (2) varying the relative azimuthal spacing from the upper rotor to the lagging hover rotor in four increments from 25.2 degrees to 62.1 degrees. For each of these four configurations, the differential collective pitch between upper and lower rotors was set at + or - 1 deg, 0 deg and -1 deg. Hover performance data for all configurations were acquired at blade tip Mach numbers of 0.523 and 0.45. Acoustic data were recorded at all test conditions, but analyzed only at 0 deg differential pitch at the higher rotor speed. The VGR configurations tested demonstrated improvements in thrust at constant power as high as 6 percent. Reductions of 3 PNdb in perceived noise level and of 4 db in blade passage frequency noise level were achieved at the higher thrust levels. Consistent correlation exists between performance and acoustic improvements. For any given azimuth spacing, performance was consistently better for the differential pitch condition of + or - 1 degree, i.e. with the upper rotor pitch one degree higher than the lower rotor.

  2. Performance assessment and optimization of an irreversible nano-scale Stirling engine cycle operating with Maxwell-Boltzmann gas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahmadi, Mohammad H.; Ahmadi, Mohammad-Ali; Pourfayaz, Fathollah

    2015-09-01

    Developing new technologies like nano-technology improves the performance of the energy industries. Consequently, emerging new groups of thermal cycles in nano-scale can revolutionize the energy systems' future. This paper presents a thermo-dynamical study of a nano-scale irreversible Stirling engine cycle with the aim of optimizing the performance of the Stirling engine cycle. In the Stirling engine cycle the working fluid is an Ideal Maxwell-Boltzmann gas. Moreover, two different strategies are proposed for a multi-objective optimization issue, and the outcomes of each strategy are evaluated separately. The first strategy is proposed to maximize the ecological coefficient of performance (ECOP), the dimensionless ecological function (ecf) and the dimensionless thermo-economic objective function ( F . Furthermore, the second strategy is suggested to maximize the thermal efficiency ( η), the dimensionless ecological function (ecf) and the dimensionless thermo-economic objective function ( F). All the strategies in the present work are executed via a multi-objective evolutionary algorithms based on NSGA∥ method. Finally, to achieve the final answer in each strategy, three well-known decision makers are executed. Lastly, deviations of the outcomes gained in each strategy and each decision maker are evaluated separately.

  3. Electropolishing effect on roughness metrics of ground stainless steel: a length scale study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakar, Doron; Harel, David; Hirsch, Baruch

    2018-03-01

    Electropolishing is a widely-used electrochemical surface finishing process for metals. The electropolishing of stainless steel has vast commercial application, such as improving corrosion resistance, improving cleanness, and brightening. The surface topography characterization is performed using several techniques with different lateral resolutions and length scales, from atomic force microscopy in the nano-scale (<0.1 µm) to stylus and optical profilometry in the micro- and mesoscales (0.1 µm-1 mm). This paper presents an experimental length scale study of the surface texture of ground stainless steel followed by an electropolishing process in the micro and meso lateral scales. Both stylus and optical profilometers are used, and multiple cut-off lengths of the standard Gaussian filter are adopted. While the commonly used roughness amplitude parameters (Ra, Rq and Rz) fail to characterize electropolished textures, the root mean square slope (RΔq) is found to better describe the electropolished surfaces and to be insensitive to scale.

  4. Replicating the microbial community and water quality performance of full-scale slow sand filters in laboratory-scale filters.

    PubMed

    Haig, Sarah-Jane; Quince, Christopher; Davies, Robert L; Dorea, Caetano C; Collins, Gavin

    2014-09-15

    Previous laboratory-scale studies to characterise the functional microbial ecology of slow sand filters have suffered from methodological limitations that could compromise their relevance to full-scale systems. Therefore, to ascertain if laboratory-scale slow sand filters (L-SSFs) can replicate the microbial community and water quality production of industrially operated full-scale slow sand filters (I-SSFs), eight cylindrical L-SSFs were constructed and were used to treat water from the same source as the I-SSFs. Half of the L-SSFs sand beds were composed of sterilized sand (sterile) from the industrial filters and the other half with sand taken directly from the same industrial filter (non-sterile). All filters were operated for 10 weeks, with the microbial community and water quality parameters sampled and analysed weekly. To characterize the microbial community phyla-specific qPCR assays and 454 pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene were used in conjunction with an array of statistical techniques. The results demonstrate that it is possible to mimic both the water quality production and the structure of the microbial community of full-scale filters in the laboratory - at all levels of taxonomic classification except OTU - thus allowing comparison of LSSF experiments with full-scale units. Further, it was found that the sand type composing the filter bed (non-sterile or sterile), the water quality produced, the age of the filters and the depth of sand samples were all significant factors in explaining observed differences in the structure of the microbial consortia. This study is the first to the authors' knowledge that demonstrates that scaled-down slow sand filters can accurately reproduce the water quality and microbial consortia of full-scale slow sand filters. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. An Italian multicentre validation study of the coma recovery scale-revised.

    PubMed

    Estraneo, A; Moretta, P; De Tanti, A; Gatta, G; Giacino, J T; Trojano, L

    2015-10-01

    Rate of misdiagnosis of disorders of consciousness (DoC) can be reduced by employing validated clinical diagnostic tools, such as the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R). An Italian version of the CRS-R has been recently developed, but its applicability across different clinical settings, and its concurrent validity and diagnostic sensitivity have not been estimated yet. To perform a multicentre validation study of the Italian version of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R). Analysis of inter-rater reliability, concurrent validity and diagnostic sensitivity of the scale. One Intensive Care Unit, 8 Post-acute rehabilitation centres and 2 Long-term facilities Twenty-seven professionals (physicians, N.=11; psychologists, N.=5; physiotherapists, N.=3; speech therapists, N.=6; nurses, N.=2) from 11 Italian Centres. CRS-R and Disability Rating Scale (DRS) applied to 122 patients with clinical diagnosis of Vegetative State (VS) or Minimally Conscious State (MCS). CRS-R has good-to-excellent inter-rater reliability for all subscales, particularly for the communication subscale. The Italian version of the CRS-R showed a high sensitivity and specificity in detecting MCS with reference to clinical consensus diagnosis. The CRS-R showed good concurrent validity with the Disability Rating Scale, which had very low specificity with reference to clinical consensus diagnosis. The Italian version of the CRS-R is a valid scale for use from the sub-acute to chronic stages of DoC. It can be administered reliably by all members of the rehabilitation team with different specialties, levels of experience and settings. The present study promote use of the Italian version of the CRS-R to improve diagnosis of DoC patients, and plan tailored rehabilitation treatment.

  6. Scaling in cognitive performance reflects multiplicative multifractal cascade dynamics

    PubMed Central

    Stephen, Damian G.; Anastas, Jason R.; Dixon, James A.

    2012-01-01

    Self-organized criticality purports to build multi-scaled structures out of local interactions. Evidence of scaling in various domains of biology may be more generally understood to reflect multiplicative interactions weaving together many disparate scales. The self-similarity of power-law scaling entails homogeneity: fluctuations distribute themselves similarly across many spatial and temporal scales. However, this apparent homogeneity can be misleading, especially as it spans more scales. Reducing biological processes to one power-law relationship neglects rich cascade dynamics. We review recent research into multifractality in executive-function cognitive tasks and propose that scaling reflects not criticality but instead interactions across multiple scales and among fluctuations of multiple sizes. PMID:22529819

  7. Statistical analysis of microgravity experiment performance using the degrees of success scale

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Upshaw, Bernadette; Liou, Ying-Hsin Andrew; Morilak, Daniel P.

    1994-01-01

    This paper describes an approach to identify factors that significantly influence microgravity experiment performance. Investigators developed the 'degrees of success' scale to provide a numerical representation of success. A degree of success was assigned to 293 microgravity experiments. Experiment information including the degree of success rankings and factors for analysis was compiled into a database. Through an analysis of variance, nine significant factors in microgravity experiment performance were identified. The frequencies of these factors are presented along with the average degree of success at each level. A preliminary discussion of the relationship between the significant factors and the degree of success is presented.

  8. Aerodynamic performance of two-dimensional, chordwise flexible flapping wings at fruit fly scale in hover flight.

    PubMed

    Sridhar, Madhu; Kang, Chang-kwon

    2015-05-06

    Fruit flies have flexible wings that deform during flight. To explore the fluid-structure interaction of flexible flapping wings at fruit fly scale, we use a well-validated Navier-Stokes equation solver, fully-coupled with a structural dynamics solver. Effects of chordwise flexibility on a two dimensional hovering wing is studied. Resulting wing rotation is purely passive, due to the dynamic balance between aerodynamic loading, elastic restoring force, and inertial force of the wing. Hover flight is considered at a Reynolds number of Re = 100, equivalent to that of fruit flies. The thickness and density of the wing also corresponds to a fruit fly wing. The wing stiffness and motion amplitude are varied to assess their influences on the resulting aerodynamic performance and structural response. Highest lift coefficient of 3.3 was obtained at the lowest-amplitude, highest-frequency motion (reduced frequency of 3.0) at the lowest stiffness (frequency ratio of 0.7) wing within the range of the current study, although the corresponding power required was also the highest. Optimal efficiency was achieved for a lower reduced frequency of 0.3 and frequency ratio 0.35. Compared to the water tunnel scale with water as the surrounding fluid instead of air, the resulting vortex dynamics and aerodynamic performance remained similar for the optimal efficiency motion, while the structural response varied significantly. Despite these differences, the time-averaged lift scaled with the dimensionless shape deformation parameter γ. Moreover, the wing kinematics that resulted in the optimal efficiency motion was closely aligned to the fruit fly measurements, suggesting that fruit fly flight aims to conserve energy, rather than to generate large forces.

  9. The Convergence of High Performance Computing and Large Scale Data Analytics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duffy, D.; Bowen, M. K.; Thompson, J. H.; Yang, C. P.; Hu, F.; Wills, B.

    2015-12-01

    As the combinations of remote sensing observations and model outputs have grown, scientists are increasingly burdened with both the necessity and complexity of large-scale data analysis. Scientists are increasingly applying traditional high performance computing (HPC) solutions to solve their "Big Data" problems. While this approach has the benefit of limiting data movement, the HPC system is not optimized to run analytics, which can create problems that permeate throughout the HPC environment. To solve these issues and to alleviate some of the strain on the HPC environment, the NASA Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS) has created the Advanced Data Analytics Platform (ADAPT), which combines both HPC and cloud technologies to create an agile system designed for analytics. Large, commonly used data sets are stored in this system in a write once/read many file system, such as Landsat, MODIS, MERRA, and NGA. High performance virtual machines are deployed and scaled according to the individual scientist's requirements specifically for data analysis. On the software side, the NCCS and GMU are working with emerging commercial technologies and applying them to structured, binary scientific data in order to expose the data in new ways. Native NetCDF data is being stored within a Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) enabling storage-proximal processing through MapReduce while continuing to provide accessibility of the data to traditional applications. Once the data is stored within HDFS, an additional indexing scheme is built on top of the data and placed into a relational database. This spatiotemporal index enables extremely fast mappings of queries to data locations to dramatically speed up analytics. These are some of the first steps toward a single unified platform that optimizes for both HPC and large-scale data analysis, and this presentation will elucidate the resulting and necessary exascale architectures required for future systems.

  10. Performance of intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) as a reliability index under various distributions in scale reliability studies.

    PubMed

    Mehta, Shraddha; Bastero-Caballero, Rowena F; Sun, Yijun; Zhu, Ray; Murphy, Diane K; Hardas, Bhushan; Koch, Gary

    2018-04-29

    Many published scale validation studies determine inter-rater reliability using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). However, the use of this statistic must consider its advantages, limitations, and applicability. This paper evaluates how interaction of subject distribution, sample size, and levels of rater disagreement affects ICC and provides an approach for obtaining relevant ICC estimates under suboptimal conditions. Simulation results suggest that for a fixed number of subjects, ICC from the convex distribution is smaller than ICC for the uniform distribution, which in turn is smaller than ICC for the concave distribution. The variance component estimates also show that the dissimilarity of ICC among distributions is attributed to the study design (ie, distribution of subjects) component of subject variability and not the scale quality component of rater error variability. The dependency of ICC on the distribution of subjects makes it difficult to compare results across reliability studies. Hence, it is proposed that reliability studies should be designed using a uniform distribution of subjects because of the standardization it provides for representing objective disagreement. In the absence of uniform distribution, a sampling method is proposed to reduce the non-uniformity. In addition, as expected, high levels of disagreement result in low ICC, and when the type of distribution is fixed, any increase in the number of subjects beyond a moderately large specification such as n = 80 does not have a major impact on ICC. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  11. The scaling of performance and losses in miniature internal combustion engines

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Menon, Shyam Kumar

    Miniature glow ignition internal combustion (IC) piston engines are an off--the--shelf technology that could dramatically increase the endurance of miniature electric power supplies and the range and endurance of small unmanned air vehicles provided their overall thermodynamic efficiencies can be increased to 15% or better. This thesis presents the first comprehensive analysis of small (<500 g) piston engine performance. A unique dynamometer system is developed that is capable of making reliable measurements of engine performance and losses in these small engines. Methodologies are also developed for measuring volumetric, heat transfer, exhaust, mechanical, and combustion losses. These instruments and techniques are used to investigate the performance of seven single-cylinder, two-stroke, glow fueled engines ranging in size from 15 to 450 g (0.16 to 7.5 cm3 displacement). Scaling rules for power output, overall efficiency, and normalized power are developed from the data. These will be useful to developers of micro-air vehicles and miniature power systems. The data show that the minimum length scale of a thermodynamically viable piston engine based on present technology is approximately 3 mm. Incomplete combustion is the most important challenge as it accounts for 60-70% of total energy losses. Combustion losses are followed in order of importance by heat transfer, sensible enthalpy, and friction. A net heat release analysis based on in-cylinder pressure measurements suggest that a two--stage combustion process occurs at low engine speeds and equivalence ratios close to 1. Different theories based on burning mode and reaction kinetics are proposed to explain the observed results. High speed imaging of the combustion chamber suggests that a turbulent premixed flame with its origin in the vicinity of the glow plug is the primary driver of combustion. Placing miniature IC engines on a turbulent combustion regime diagram shows that they operate in the 'flamelet in eddy

  12. Sex Differences in Performance over 7 Years on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Revised among Adults with Intellectual Disability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kittler, P.; Krinsky-McHale, S. J.; Devenny, D. A.

    2004-01-01

    The aim of this study was to explore changes related to sex differences on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Revised (WISC-R) subtest performance over a 7-year interval in middle-aged adults with intellectual disability (ID). Cognitive sex differences have been extensively studied in the general population, but there are few reports…

  13. Critical Multicultural Education Competencies Scale: A Scale Development Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Acar-Ciftci, Yasemin

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to develop a scale in order to identify the critical mutlicultural education competencies of teachers. For this reason, first of all, drawing on the knowledge in the literature, a new conceptual framework was created with deductive method based on critical theory, critical race theory and critical multicultural…

  14. Evaluation of medical command and control using performance indicators in a full-scale, major aircraft accident exercise.

    PubMed

    Gryth, Dan; Rådestad, Monica; Nilsson, Heléne; Nerf, Ola; Svensson, Leif; Castrén, Maaret; Rüter, Anders

    2010-01-01

    Large, functional, disaster exercises are expensive to plan and execute, and often are difficult to evaluate objectively. Command and control in disaster medicine organizations can benefit from objective results from disaster exercises to identify areas that must be improved. The objective of this pilot study was to examine if it is possible to use performance indicators for documentation and evaluation of medical command and control in a full-scale major incident exercise at two levels: (1) local level (scene of the incident and hospital); and (2) strategic level of command and control. Staff procedure skills also were evaluated. Trained observers were placed in each of the three command and control locations. These observers recorded and scored the performance of command and control using templates of performance indicators. The observers scored the level of performance by awarding 2, 1, or 0 points according to the template and evaluated content and timing of decisions. Results from 11 performance indicators were recorded at each template and scores greater than 11 were considered as acceptable. Prehospital command and control had the lowest score. This also was expressed by problems at the scene of the incident. The scores in management and staff skills were at the strategic level 15 and 17, respectively; and at the hospital level, 17 and 21, respectively. It is possible to use performance indicators in a full-scale, major incident exercise for evaluation of medical command and control. The results could be used to compare similar exercises and evaluate real incidents in the future.

  15. The Self-Efficacy Scale: A Construct Validity Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sherer, Mark; Adams, Carol

    Self-efficacy is defined as the belief that one can successfully perform a behavior. Self-efficacy theory asserts that self-efficacy expectancies exert powerful influence on behavior and behavior change. The Self-efficacy Scale, which was developed to assess generalized self-efficacy expectations, consists of two subscales: general self-efficacy…

  16. Chance performance and floor effects: threats to the validity of the Wechsler Memory Scale--fourth edition designs subtest.

    PubMed

    Martin, Phillip K; Schroeder, Ryan W

    2014-06-01

    The Designs subtest allows for accumulation of raw score points by chance alone, creating the potential for artificially inflated performances, especially in older patients. A random number generator was used to simulate the random selection and placement of cards by 100 test naive participants, resulting in a mean raw score of 36.26 (SD = 3.86). This resulted in relatively high-scaled scores in the 45-54, 55-64, and 65-69 age groups on Designs II. In the latter age group, in particular, the mean simulated performance resulted in a scaled score of 7, with scores 1 SD below and above the performance mean translating to scaled scores of 5 and 8, respectively. The findings indicate that clinicians should use caution when interpreting Designs II performance in these age groups, as our simulations demonstrated that low average to average range scores occur frequently when patients are relying solely on chance performance. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. Scale factor and noise performance tests of the Bendix Corporation Rate Gyro Assembly (RGA)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, R.; Hoffman, J.

    1980-08-01

    Three Bendix Corporation gyroscopes in a Rate Gyro Assembly (RGA) were tested at the Central Inertial Guidance Test Facility (CIGTF), 6585th Test Group, Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, from 29 May through 19 June 1980, for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. The purpose of the tests was to characterize the noise performance of each gyro in the RGA in the frequency range of 0.01 hertz to 20 hertz. Gyro noise performance was then compared with seismic activity and previous results from Bendix Corporation testing. Eight-point tests were performed to obtain scale factors which were used to scale the Power Spectral Density (PSD) data. The PSD test series consisted of 1, 2.5, 5, 40 and 180 minute tests under various operating conditions (wheels on and off, low and high rate modes, and horizontal and vertical output axis orientations). The data are presented as PSD plots in the frequency domain. These results show a negligible seismic contribution and are comparable with data obtained at the Bendix test facility.

  18. Treatment of methylene blue containing wastewater by a cost-effective micro-scale biochar/polysulfone mixed matrix hollow fiber membrane: Performance and mechanism studies.

    PubMed

    He, Jinsong; Cui, Anan; Deng, Shihuai; Chen, J Paul

    2018-02-15

    Dye containing wastewater has increasingly become an important contamination due to operation of various industries such as textile industry. In this study, a micro-scale biochar particles/polysulfone mixed matrix hollow fiber membrane (MMM) was applied for the removal of methylene blue from water. The static and dynamic adsorption performance was investigated. We found that the MMM exhibited a high removal efficiency of methylene blue under a wide pH range of 4-10. The adsorption process on biochar and MMM obeyed the intraparticle surface diffusion model and Langmuir isotherm model. At neutral pH, the maximum adsorption capacity was 544.459 mg/g for biochar and 165.808 mg/g for MMM. Better regeneration with a desorption rate above 92% was achieved by 1-M NaCl in 90% ethanol aqueous solution. Furthermore, the MMM displayed good performance in treating methylene blue containing wastewater through a continuous filtration mode. More importantly, the MMM showed an excellent reusability for methylene blue removal; it was able to achieve 81% of the permeate yield of the fresh MMM after three regeneration cycles. Finally, the adsorption mechanism studies indicated that the removal of methylene blue was associated with electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. The Performance of Adsorptive Media Full Scale Arsenic Removal Systems - USEPA Arsenic Demonstration Program

    EPA Science Inventory

    The presentation provides information and data on the performance of several full scale, arsenic removal adsorptive media treatment systems operated under the USEPA arsenic removal demonstration program. The summary includes information on the water quality of the source waters,...

  20. Development of the Academic Performance Perception Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gur, Recep

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: While numerous studies about academic performance that focused on only one factor, studies aiming to measure academicians' perceptions across many factors have not been observed in the literature. The current study aims to fill this gap and become a resource for upcoming studies. The aim of this study is to develop a valid and reliable…

  1. Landslide model performance in a high resolution small-scale landscape

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    De Sy, V.; Schoorl, J. M.; Keesstra, S. D.; Jones, K. E.; Claessens, L.

    2013-05-01

    The frequency and severity of shallow landslides in New Zealand threatens life and property, both on- and off-site. The physically-based shallow landslide model LAPSUS-LS is tested for its performance in simulating shallow landslide locations induced by a high intensity rain event in a small-scale landscape. Furthermore, the effect of high resolution digital elevation models on the performance was tested. The performance of the model was optimised by calibrating different parameter values. A satisfactory result was achieved with a high resolution (1 m) DEM. Landslides, however, were generally predicted lower on the slope than mapped erosion scars. This discrepancy could be due to i) inaccuracies in the DEM or in other model input data such as soil strength properties; ii) relevant processes for this environmental context that are not included in the model; or iii) the limited validity of the infinite length assumption in the infinite slope stability model embedded in the LAPSUS-LS. The trade-off between a correct prediction of landslides versus stable cells becomes increasingly worse with coarser resolutions; and model performance decreases mainly due to altering slope characteristics. The optimal parameter combinations differ per resolution. In this environmental context the 1 m resolution topography resembles actual topography most closely and landslide locations are better distinguished from stable areas than for coarser resolutions. More gain in model performance could be achieved by adding landslide process complexities and parameter heterogeneity of the catchment.

  2. SMR Re-Scaling and Modeling for Load Following Studies

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

    Hoover, K.; Wu, Q.; Bragg-Sitton, S.

    2016-11-01

    This study investigates the creation of a new set of scaling parameters for the Oregon State University Multi-Application Small Light Water Reactor (MASLWR) scaled thermal hydraulic test facility. As part of a study being undertaken by Idaho National Lab involving nuclear reactor load following characteristics, full power operations need to be simulated, and therefore properly scaled. Presented here is the scaling analysis and plans for RELAP5-3D simulation.

  3. Designing Performance Measurement For Supply Chain's Actors And Regulator Using Scale Balanced Scorecard And Data Envelopment Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kusrini, Elisa; Subagyo; Aini Masruroh, Nur

    2016-01-01

    This research is a sequel of the author's earlier conducted researches in the fields of designing of integrated performance measurement between supply chain's actors and regulator. In the previous paper, the design of performance measurement is done by combining Balanced Scorecard - Supply Chain Operation Reference - Regulator Contribution model and Data Envelopment Analysis. This model referred as B-S-Rc-DEA model. The combination has the disadvantage that all the performance variables have the same weight. This paper investigates whether by giving weight to performance variables will produce more sensitive performance measurement in detecting performance improvement. Therefore, this paper discusses the development of the model B-S-Rc-DEA by giving weight to its performance'variables. This model referred as Scale B-S-Rc-DEA model. To illustrate the model of development, some samples from small medium enterprises of leather craft industry supply chain in province of Yogyakarta, Indonesia are used in this research. It is found that Scale B-S-Rc-DEA model is more sensitive to detecting performance improvement than B-S- Rc-DEA model.

  4. Adapting the McMaster-Ottawa scale and developing behavioral anchors for assessing performance in an interprofessional Team Observed Structured Clinical Encounter.

    PubMed

    Lie, Désirée; May, Win; Richter-Lagha, Regina; Forest, Christopher; Banzali, Yvonne; Lohenry, Kevin

    2015-01-01

    Current scales for interprofessional team performance do not provide adequate behavioral anchors for performance evaluation. The Team Observed Structured Clinical Encounter (TOSCE) provides an opportunity to adapt and develop an existing scale for this purpose. We aimed to test the feasibility of using a retooled scale to rate performance in a standardized patient encounter and to assess faculty ability to accurately rate both individual students and teams. The 9-point McMaster-Ottawa Scale developed for a TOSCE was converted to a 3-point scale with behavioral anchors. Students from four professions were trained a priori to perform in teams of four at three different levels as individuals and teams. Blinded faculty raters were trained to use the scale to evaluate individual and team performances. G-theory was used to analyze ability of faculty to accurately rate individual students and teams using the retooled scale. Sixteen faculty, in groups of four, rated four student teams, each participating in the same TOSCE station. Faculty expressed comfort rating up to four students in a team within a 35-min timeframe. Accuracy of faculty raters varied (38-81% individuals, 50-100% teams), with errors in the direction of over-rating individual, but not team performance. There was no consistent pattern of error for raters. The TOSCE can be administered as an evaluation method for interprofessional teams. However, faculty demonstrate a 'leniency error' in rating students, even with prior training using behavioral anchors. To improve consistency, we recommend two trained faculty raters per station.

  5. A Confirmatory Study of Rating Scale Category Effectiveness for the Coaching Efficacy Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Myers, Nicholas D.; Feltz, Deborah L.; Wolfe, Edward W.

    2008-01-01

    This study extended validity evidence for measures of coaching efficacy derived from the Coaching Efficacy Scale (CES) by testing the rating scale categorizations suggested in previous research. Previous research provided evidence for the effectiveness of a four-category (4-CAT) structure for high school and collegiate sports coaches; it also…

  6. Dissemination of aerosol and splatter during ultrasonic scaling: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Veena, H R; Mahantesha, S; Joseph, Preethi A; Patil, Sudhir R; Patil, Suvarna H

    2015-01-01

    Routine dental procedures produce aerosol and splatter, which pose a potential risk to the clinician and dental personnel, as well as the immunocompromised patient. Reports indicate that the ultrasonic scaler is the greatest producer of aerosol and splatter. The study aimed to evaluate the contamination distance, contamination amount and contamination duration of aerosol produced during ultrasonic scaling. The study was performed on a mannequin fitted with phantom jaws on a dental chair. Mock scaling was done for 15 min using an auto-tuned magnetostrictive ultrasonic scaler with the simultaneous use of a low volume saliva ejector. An ultrafiltrate-containing fluorescent dye was used in the reservoir supplying the scaler unit. Filter paper discs were placed in different positions and distances in the operatory. Immediately following scaling, the filter paper discs were replaced with new ones. This was done every 30 min for a total duration of 90 min. Maximum contamination was found on the right arm of the operator and left arm of the assistant. Contamination was also found on the head, chest and inner surface of the face mask of the operator and of the assistant. The aerosol was found to remain in the air up to 30 min after scaling. The occupational health hazards of dental aerosols can be minimized by following simple, inexpensive precautions. Copyright © 2014 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Analytical Assessment of the Relationship between 100MWp Large-scale Grid-connected Photovoltaic Plant Performance and Meteorological Parameters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sheng, Jie; Zhu, Qiaoming; Cao, Shijie; You, Yang

    2017-05-01

    This paper helps in study of the relationship between the photovoltaic power generation of large scale “fishing and PV complementary” grid-tied photovoltaic system and meteorological parameters, with multi-time scale power data from the photovoltaic power station and meteorological data over the same period of a whole year. The result indicates that, the PV power generation has the most significant correlation with global solar irradiation, followed by diurnal temperature range, sunshine hours, daily maximum temperature and daily average temperature. In different months, the maximum monthly average power generation appears in August, which related to the more global solar irradiation and longer sunshine hours in this month. However, the maximum daily average power generation appears in October, this is due to the drop in temperature brings about the improvement of the efficiency of PV panels. Through the contrast of monthly average performance ratio (PR) and monthly average temperature, it is shown that, the larger values of monthly average PR appears in April and October, while it is smaller in summer with higher temperature. The results concluded that temperature has a great influence on the performance ratio of large scale grid-tied PV power system, and it is important to adopt effective measures to decrease the temperature of PV plant properly.

  8. Evaluation of motor performance of preterm newborns during the first months of life using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS).

    PubMed

    Manacero, Sônia; Nunes, Magda Lahorgue

    2008-01-01

    To evaluate the motor performance of premature neonates using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) and to investigate the influence of birth weight on motor acquisition. A cross-sectional study was carried out of a prospective cohort of 44 premature newborn infants with gestational ages from 32 to 34 weeks, without neurological disorders, selected from the neonatal intensive care unit at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica's Hospital São Lucas in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The neonates studied were stratified by birth weight and assessed using the AIMS scale at the 40th week of postconceptional age, and at 4 and 8 months of corrected age. The preterm infants studied exhibited a progressive sequence of motor ability acquisition in all of the positions tested (prone, supine, sitting, standing), which occurred variable manner, expressed by the mean percentile of 43.2 to 45.7%, but within the limits of normality defined by the AIMS. It was observed that there was a clear increase in AIMS scores from the first to the last of the three postnatal observation points. The rate at which these scores increased was similar for both groups, irrespective of birth weight category (<1,750 g or >or= 1,750 g). The motor performance of the sample of premature infants studied here was normal according to the AIMS and their scores on that scale were not influenced by birth weight.

  9. Power-scaling performance of a three-dimensional tritium betavoltaic diode

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Baojun; Chen, Kevin P.; Kherani, Nazir P.; Zukotynski, Stefan

    2009-12-01

    Three-dimensional diodes fabricated by electrochemical etching are exposed to tritium gas at pressures from 0.05 to 33 atm at room temperature to examine its power scaling performance. It is shown that the three-dimensional microporous structure overcomes the self-absorption limited saturation of beta flux at high tritium pressures. These results are contrasted against the three-dimensional device powered in one instance by tritium absorbed in the near surface region of the three-dimensional microporous network, and in another by a planar scandium tritide foil. These findings suggest that direct tritium occlusion in the near surface of three-dimensional diode can improve the specific power production.

  10. Performance of an Abbreviated Version of the Lubben Social Network Scale among Three European Community-Dwelling Older Adult Populations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lubben, James; Blozik, Eva; Gillmann, Gerhard; Iliffe, Steve; von Renteln-Kruse, Wolfgang; Beck, John C.; Stuck, Andreas E.

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: There is a need for valid and reliable short scales that can be used to assess social networks and social supports and to screen for social isolation in older persons. Design and Methods: The present study is a cross-national and cross-cultural evaluation of the performance of an abbreviated version of the Lubben Social Network Scale…

  11. Reflective Thinking Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Basol, Gulsah; Evin Gencel, Ilke

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to adapt Reflective Thinking Scale to Turkish and investigate its validity and reliability over a Turkish university students' sample. Reflective Thinking Scale (RTS) is a 5 point Likert scale (ranging from 1 corresponding Agree Completely, 3 to Neutral, and 5 to Not Agree Completely), purposed to measure reflective…

  12. Reservoirs performances under climate variability: a case study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Longobardi, A.; Mautone, M.; de Luca, C.

    2014-09-01

    A case study, the Piano della Rocca dam (southern Italy) is discussed here in order to quantify the system performances under climate variability conditions. Different climate scenarios have been stochastically generated according to the tendencies in precipitation and air temperature observed during recent decades for the studied area. Climate variables have then been filtered through an ARMA model to generate, at the monthly scale, time series of reservoir inflow volumes. Controlled release has been computed considering the reservoir is operated following the standard linear operating policy (SLOP) and reservoir performances have been assessed through the calculation of reliability, resilience and vulnerability indices (Hashimoto et al. 1982), comparing current and future scenarios of climate variability. The proposed approach can be suggested as a valuable tool to mitigate the effects of moderate to severe and persistent droughts periods, through the allocation of new water resources or the planning of appropriate operational rules.

  13. A pilot scale electrical infrared dry-peeling system for tomatoes: design and performance evaluation

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A pilot scale infrared dry-peeling system for tomatoes was designed and constructed. The system consisted of three major sections including the IR heating, vacuum, and pinch roller sections. The peeling performance of the system was examined under different operational conditions using tomatoes with...

  14. Performance evaluation of 388 full-scale waste stabilization pond systems with seven different configurations.

    PubMed

    Espinosa, Maria Fernanda; von Sperling, Marcos; Verbyla, Matthew E

    2017-02-01

    Waste stabilization ponds (WSPs) and their variants are one the most widely used wastewater treatment systems in the world. However, the scarcity of systematic performance data from full-scale plants has led to challenges associated with their design. The objective of this research was to assess the performance of 388 full-scale WSP systems located in Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia and the United States through the statistical analysis of available monitoring data. Descriptive statistics were calculated of the influent and effluent concentrations and the removal efficiencies for 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD 5 ), total suspended solids (TSS), ammonia nitrogen (N-Ammonia), and either thermotolerant coliforms (TTC) or Escherichia coli for each WSP system, leading to a broad characterization of actual treatment performance. Compliance with different water quality and system performance goals was also evaluated. The treatment plants were subdivided into seven different categories, according to their units and flowsheet. The median influent concentrations of BOD 5 and TSS were 431 mg/L and 397 mg/L and the effluent concentrations varied from technology to technology, but median values were 50 mg/L and 47 mg/L, respectively. The median removal efficiencies were 85% for BOD 5 and 75% for TSS. The overall removals of TTC and E. coli were 1.74 and 1.63 log 10 units, respectively. Future research is needed to better understand the influence of design, operational and environmental factors on WSP system performance.

  15. Performance Investigation of a Full-Scale Hybrid Composite Bull Gear

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Laberge, Kelsen E.; Handschuh, Robert F.; Roberts, Gary; Thorp, Scott

    2016-01-01

    Hybrid composite gears have been investigated as a weight saving technology for rotorcraft transmissions. These gears differ from conventional steel gears in that the structural material between the shaft interface and the gear rim is replaced with a lightweight carbon fiber composite. The work discussed here is an extension of previous coupon level hybrid gear tests to a full-scale bull gear. The NASA Glenn Research Center High-Speed Helical Gear Rig was modified for this program, allowing several hybrid gear web configurations to be tested while utilizing the same gear rim. Testing was performed on both a baseline (steel) web configuration and a hybrid (steel-composite) configuration. Vibration, orbit and temperature data were recorded and compared between configurations. Vibration levels did not differ greatly between the hybrid and steel configurations, nor did temperature differential between inlet and outlet. While orbit shape displayed differences between the hybrid and baseline configurations, the general overall amplitude was comparable. The hybrid configuration discussed here successfully ran at 3300 hp (2,460 kW), however, progressive growth of the orbit while running at this test condition discontinued the test. Further studies are planned to determine the cause of this behavior.

  16. Performance and scaling of a novel locomotor structure: adhesive capacity of climbing gobiid fishes.

    PubMed

    Maie, Takashi; Schoenfuss, Heiko L; Blob, Richard W

    2012-11-15

    Many species of gobiid fishes adhere to surfaces using a sucker formed from fusion of the pelvic fins. Juveniles of many amphidromous species use this pelvic sucker to scale waterfalls during migrations to upstream habitats after an oceanic larval phase. However, adults may still use suckers to re-scale waterfalls if displaced. If attachment force is proportional to sucker area and if growth of the sucker is isometric, then increases in the forces that climbing fish must resist might outpace adhesive capacity, causing climbing performance to decline through ontogeny. To test for such trends, we measured pressure differentials and adhesive suction forces generated by the pelvic sucker across wide size ranges in six goby species, including climbing and non-climbing taxa. Suction was achieved via two distinct growth strategies: (1) small suckers with isometric (or negatively allometric) scaling among climbing gobies and (2) large suckers with positively allometric growth in non-climbing gobies. Species using the first strategy show a high baseline of adhesive capacity that may aid climbing performance throughout ontogeny, with pressure differentials and suction forces much greater than expected if adhesion were a passive function of sucker area. In contrast, large suckers possessed by non-climbing species may help compensate for reduced pressure differentials, thereby producing suction sufficient to support body weight. Climbing Sicyopterus species also use oral suckers during climbing waterfalls, and these exhibited scaling patterns similar to those for pelvic suckers. However, oral suction force was considerably lower than that for pelvic suckers, reducing the ability for these fish to attach to substrates by the oral sucker alone.

  17. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition performance in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

    PubMed

    Ryan, Joseph J; Gontkovsky, Samuel T; Kreiner, David S; Tree, Heather A

    2012-01-01

    Forty patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) completed the 10 core Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) subtests. Means for age and education were 42.05 years (SD = 9.94) and 14.33 years (SD = 2.40). For all participants, the native language was English. The mean duration of MS diagnosis was 8.17 years (SD = 7.75), and the mean Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS; Kurtzke, 1983 ) score was 3.73 (SD = 1.41) with a range from 2.0 to 6.5. A control group of healthy individuals with similar demographic characteristics also completed the WAIS-IV and were provided by the test publisher. Compared to controls, patients with MS earned significantly lower subtest and composite scores. The patients' mean scores were consistently in the low-average to average range, and the patterns of performance across groups did not differ significantly, although there was a trend towards higher scores on the Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) and lower scores on the Processing Speed Index (PSI). Approximately 78% of patients had actual Full Scale IQs that were significantly lower than preillness, demographically based IQ estimates.

  18. Validity Studies of the Filial Anxiety Scale.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murray, Paul D.; And Others

    1996-01-01

    Factor analytic and construct validity studies were conducted to explore the validity of Cicirelli's 13-item Filial Anxiety Scale (FAS). The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale were a part of the investigation. Results offer support for the validity of the FAS subscales and the FAS' usefulness as an…

  19. The relationship between study strategies and academic performance.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Yuanyuan; Graham, Lori; West, Courtney

    2016-10-07

    To investigate if and to what extent the Learning and Study Strategy Inventory (LASSI) and the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) yield academic performance predictors; To examine if LASSI findings are consistent with previous research. Medical school students completed the LASSI and SDLRS before their first and second years (n = 168). Correlational and regression analyses were used to determine the predictive value of the LASSI and the SDLRS. Paired t-tests were used to test if the two measurement points differed. Bivariate correlations and R 2 s were compared with five other relevant studies. The SDLRS was moderately correlated with all LASSI subscales in both measures (r (152) =.255, p=.001) to (r (152) =.592, p =.000). The first SDLRS, nor the first LASSI, were predictive of academic performance. The second LASSI measure was a significant predictor of academic performance (R 2 (138) = 0.188, p = .003). Six prior LASSI studies yielded a range of R 2 s from 10-49%. The SDLRS is moderately correlated with all LASSI subscales. However, the predictive value of the SDLRS and LASSI differ. The SDLRS does not appear to be directly related to academic performance, but LASSI subscales: Concentration, Motivation, Time Management, and Test Strategies tend to be correlated. The explained LASSI variance ranges from 10% to 49%, indicating a small to substantial effect. Utilizing the LASSI to provide medical school students with information about their strengths and weaknesses and implementing targeted support in specific study strategies may yield positive academic performance outcomes.

  20. VIDEO BLOGGING AND ENGLISH PRESENTATION PERFORMANCE: A PILOT STUDY.

    PubMed

    Alan Hung, Shao-Ting; Danny Huang, Heng-Tsung

    2015-10-01

    This study investigated the utility of video blogs in improving EFL students' performance in giving oral presentations and, further, examined the students' perceptions toward video blogging. Thirty-six English-major juniors participated in a semester-long video blog project for which they uploaded their 3-min. virtual presentation clips over 18 weeks. Their virtual presentation clips were rated by three raters using a scale for speaking performance that contained 14 presentation skills. Data sources included presentation clips, reflections, and interviews. The results indicated that the students' overall presentation performance improved significantly. In particular, among the 14 presentation skills projection, intonation, posture, introduction, conclusion, and purpose saw the most substantial improvement. Finally, the qualitative data revealed that learners perceived that the video blog project facilitated learning but increased anxiety.

  1. Multisite Studies and Scaling up in Educational Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harwell, Michael

    2012-01-01

    A scale-up study in education typically expands the sample of students, schools, districts, and/or practices or materials used in smaller studies in ways that build in heterogeneity. Yet surprisingly little is known about the factors that promote successful scaling up efforts in education, in large part due to the absence of empirically supported…

  2. Can psychological well-being scales and hormone levels be used to predict acute performance of anaerobic training tasks in elite female volleyball players?

    PubMed

    Mielgo-Ayuso, Juan; Zourdos, Michael C; Clemente-Suárez, Vicente J; Calleja-González, Julio; Shipherd, Amber M

    2017-10-15

    The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between pre-training psychological well-being assessment scales (General Health Questionnaire-28-GHQ-28, Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2-CSAI-2, Sport Competition Anxiety Test-SCAT, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-S-STAI-S, Oviedo Sleep Questionnaire-OSQ and Psychological Characteristics Related to Sport Performance-PCSP), and pre-training stress hormone concentrations (cortisol-C, total testosterone-TT, free testosterone-FT, adrenocorticotropic hormone-ACTH and testosterone/cortisol-T/C ratios), on acute neuromuscular performance (ANP) in female volleyballers. Forty elite female volleyballers (27±4yrs.; 178.3±8.5cm; 67.9±7.2kg) participated. Bivariate correlations were performed between psychological assessments and hormone levels with ANP. All psychological scales presented at least one significant (p<0.05) relationship or prediction of ANP. Contrastingly, among hormones, the only significant relationship was between TT/C ratio and Overhead Medicine Ball Throw (r=0.34; p<0.05). Therefore, our data shows that results of general and sport-specific psychological well-being scales prior to training are more consistently related to performance in elite female volleyballers than pre-training stress hormone concentrations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Study deviance-type scale in the development of Korean elder

    PubMed Central

    Cho, Gun-Sang; Yi, Eun-Surk; Hwang, Hee-Jeong

    2015-01-01

    This research aims to develop a questionnaire of deviant behavior for the Korean elderly people which may make a big contribution to the examination of deviance behavior of the elderly people and may play an important role in providing a methodological basis. In order to accomplish the purpose of the this study, there were three different stages; (a) making preliminary question items, (b) refining the items of the scale through a plot study, and (c) finalizing question items by a main survey. In the first stage, 43 question items were developed using the open-ended questionnaire and structural inquiry of succession from 137 elderly people who are over 65 yr. In the second phase, based on data collected by the 200 elderly people pilot testing was performed through exploratory factor analysis and reliability test. The scale is a 27-item self-report questionnaire. In the main survey conducted by 184 elderly people, 21 items, which consisted of four subfactors, were finalized in order to measure deviance behaviors of the Korean elderly people: social deviance (n=8), economic deviance (n=5), psychological deviance (n=5), and physical deviance (n=3). PMID:26730382

  4. Study deviance-type scale in the development of Korean elder.

    PubMed

    Cho, Gun-Sang; Yi, Eun-Surk; Hwang, Hee-Jeong

    2015-12-01

    This research aims to develop a questionnaire of deviant behavior for the Korean elderly people which may make a big contribution to the examination of deviance behavior of the elderly people and may play an important role in providing a methodological basis. In order to accomplish the purpose of the this study, there were three different stages; (a) making preliminary question items, (b) refining the items of the scale through a plot study, and (c) finalizing question items by a main survey. In the first stage, 43 question items were developed using the open-ended questionnaire and structural inquiry of succession from 137 elderly people who are over 65 yr. In the second phase, based on data collected by the 200 elderly people pilot testing was performed through exploratory factor analysis and reliability test. The scale is a 27-item self-report questionnaire. In the main survey conducted by 184 elderly people, 21 items, which consisted of four subfactors, were finalized in order to measure deviance behaviors of the Korean elderly people: social deviance (n=8), economic deviance (n=5), psychological deviance (n=5), and physical deviance (n=3).

  5. On mechanics and material length scales of failure in heterogeneous interfaces using a finite strain high performance solver

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mosby, Matthew; Matouš, Karel

    2015-12-01

    Three-dimensional simulations capable of resolving the large range of spatial scales, from the failure-zone thickness up to the size of the representative unit cell, in damage mechanics problems of particle reinforced adhesives are presented. We show that resolving this wide range of scales in complex three-dimensional heterogeneous morphologies is essential in order to apprehend fracture characteristics, such as strength, fracture toughness and shape of the softening profile. Moreover, we show that computations that resolve essential physical length scales capture the particle size-effect in fracture toughness, for example. In the vein of image-based computational materials science, we construct statistically optimal unit cells containing hundreds to thousands of particles. We show that these statistically representative unit cells are capable of capturing the first- and second-order probability functions of a given data-source with better accuracy than traditional inclusion packing techniques. In order to accomplish these large computations, we use a parallel multiscale cohesive formulation and extend it to finite strains including damage mechanics. The high-performance parallel computational framework is executed on up to 1024 processing cores. A mesh convergence and a representative unit cell study are performed. Quantifying the complex damage patterns in simulations consisting of tens of millions of computational cells and millions of highly nonlinear equations requires data-mining the parallel simulations, and we propose two damage metrics to quantify the damage patterns. A detailed study of volume fraction and filler size on the macroscopic traction-separation response of heterogeneous adhesives is presented.

  6. Scale effects on propeller cavitating hydrodynamic and hydroacoustic performances with non-uniform inflow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Qiongfang; Wang, Yongsheng; Zhang, Zhihong

    2013-03-01

    Considering the lack of theoretical models and ingredients necessary to explain the scaling of the results of propeller cavitation inception and cavitating hydroacoustics from model tests to full scale currently, and the insufficient reflection of the nuclei effects on cavitation in the numerical methods, the cavitating hydrodynamics and cavitation low frequency noise spectrum of three geometrically similar 7-bladed highly skewed propellers with non-uniform inflow are addressed. In this process, a numerical bridge from the multiphase viscous simulation of propeller cavitation hydrodynamics to its hydro-acoustics is built, and the scale effects on performances and the applicability of exist scaling law are analyzed. The effects of non-condensable gas(NCG) on cavitation inception are involved explicitly in the improved Sauer's cavitation model, and the cavity volume acceleration related to its characteristic length is used to produce the noise spectrum. Results show that, with the same cavitation number, the cavity extension on propeller blades increases with diameter associated with an earlier shift of the beginning point of thrust decline induced by cavitation, while the three decline slopes of thrust breakdown curves are found to be nearly the same. The power of the scaling law based on local Reynolds number around 0.9 R section is determined as 0.11. As for the smallest propeller, the predominant tonal noise is located at blade passing frequency(BPF), whereas 2BPF for the middle and both 2BPF and 3BPF for the largest, which shows the cavitating line spectrum is fully related to the interaction between non-uniform inflow and fluctuated cavity volume. The predicted spectrum level exceedance from the middle to the large propeller is 6.65 dB at BPF and 5.94 dB at 2BPF. Since it just differs less than 2 dB to the increment obtained by empirical scaling law, it is inferred that the scale effects on them are acceptable with a sufficient model scale, and so do the

  7. Effect of High-Fidelity Ice Accretion Simulations on the Performance of a Full-Scale Airfoil Model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Broeren, Andy P.; Bragg, Michael B.; Addy, Harold E., Jr.; Lee, Sam; Moens, Frederic; Guffond, Didier

    2010-01-01

    The simulation of ice accretion on a wing or other surface is often required for aerodynamic evaluation, particularly at small scale or low-Reynolds number. While there are commonly accepted practices for ice simulation, there are no established and validated guidelines. The purpose of this article is to report the results of an experimental study establishing a high-fidelity, full-scale, iced-airfoil aerodynamic performance database. This research was conducted as a part of a larger program with the goal of developing subscale aerodynamic simulation methods for iced airfoils. Airfoil performance testing was carried out at the ONERA F1 pressurized wind tunnel using a 72-in. (1828.8-mm) chord NACA 23012 airfoil over a Reynolds number range of 4.5x10(exp 6) to 16.0 10(exp 6) and a Mach number range of 0.10 to 0.28. The high-fidelity, ice-casting simulations had a significant impact on the aerodynamic performance. A spanwise-ridge ice shape resulted in a maximum lift coefficient of 0.56 compared to the clean value of 1.85 at Re = 15.9x10(exp 6) and M = 0.20. Two roughness and streamwise shapes yielded maximum lift values in the range of 1.09 to 1.28, which was a relatively small variation compared to the differences in the ice geometry. The stalling characteristics of the two roughness and one streamwise ice simulation maintained the abrupt leading-edge stall type of the clean NACA 23012 airfoil, despite the significant decrease in maximum lift. Changes in Reynolds and Mach number over the large range tested had little effect on the iced-airfoil performance.

  8. The small-scale treatability study sample exemption

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

    Coalgate, J.

    1991-01-01

    In 1981, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an interim final rule that conditionally exempted waste samples collected solely for the purpose of monitoring or testing to determine their characteristics or composition'' from RCRA Subtitle C hazardous waste regulations. This exemption (40 CFR 261.4(d)) apples to the transportation of samples between the generator and testing laboratory, temporary storage of samples at the laboratory prior to and following testing, and storage at a laboratory for specific purposes such as an enforcement action. However, the exclusion did not include large-scale samples used in treatability studies or other testing at pilot plants ormore » other experimental facilities. As a result of comments received by the EPA subsequent to the issuance of the interim final rule, the EPA reopened the comment period on the interim final rule on September 18, 1987, and specifically requested comments on whether or not the sample exclusion should be expanded to include waste samples used in small-scale treatability studies. Almost all responders commented favorably on such a proposal. As a result, the EPA issued a final rule (53 FR 27290, July 19, 1988) conditionally exempting waste samples used in small-scale treatability studies from full regulation under Subtitle C of RCRA. The question of whether or not to extend the exclusion to larger scale as proposed by the Hazardous Waste Treatment Council was deferred until a later date. This information Brief summarizes the requirements of the small-scale treatability exemption.« less

  9. A High-Performance Sintered Iron Electrode for Rechargeable Alkaline Batteries to Enable Large-Scale Energy Storage

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

    Yang, Chenguang; Manohar, Aswin K.; Narayanan, S. R.

    Iron-based alkaline rechargeable batteries such as iron-air and nickel-iron batteries are particularly attractive for large-scale energy storage because these batteries can be relatively inexpensive, environment- friendly, and also safe. Therefore, our study has focused on achieving the essential electrical performance and cycling properties needed for the widespread use of iron-based alkaline batteries in stationary and distributed energy storage applications.We have demonstrated for the first time, an advanced sintered iron electrode capable of 3500 cycles of repeated charge and discharge at the 1-hour rate and 100% depth of discharge in each cycle, and an average Coulombic efficiency of over 97%. Suchmore » a robust and efficient rechargeable iron electrode is also capable of continuous discharge at rates as high as 3C with no noticeable loss in utilization. We have shown that the porosity, pore size and thickness of the sintered electrode can be selected rationally to optimize specific capacity, rate capability and robustness. As a result, these advances in the electrical performance and durability of the iron electrode enables iron-based alkaline batteries to be a viable technology solution for meeting the dire need for large-scale electrical energy storage.« less

  10. A High-Performance Sintered Iron Electrode for Rechargeable Alkaline Batteries to Enable Large-Scale Energy Storage

    DOE PAGES

    Yang, Chenguang; Manohar, Aswin K.; Narayanan, S. R.

    2017-01-07

    Iron-based alkaline rechargeable batteries such as iron-air and nickel-iron batteries are particularly attractive for large-scale energy storage because these batteries can be relatively inexpensive, environment- friendly, and also safe. Therefore, our study has focused on achieving the essential electrical performance and cycling properties needed for the widespread use of iron-based alkaline batteries in stationary and distributed energy storage applications.We have demonstrated for the first time, an advanced sintered iron electrode capable of 3500 cycles of repeated charge and discharge at the 1-hour rate and 100% depth of discharge in each cycle, and an average Coulombic efficiency of over 97%. Suchmore » a robust and efficient rechargeable iron electrode is also capable of continuous discharge at rates as high as 3C with no noticeable loss in utilization. We have shown that the porosity, pore size and thickness of the sintered electrode can be selected rationally to optimize specific capacity, rate capability and robustness. As a result, these advances in the electrical performance and durability of the iron electrode enables iron-based alkaline batteries to be a viable technology solution for meeting the dire need for large-scale electrical energy storage.« less

  11. Large-Scale Phase Synchrony Reflects Clinical Status After Stroke: An EEG Study.

    PubMed

    Kawano, Teiji; Hattori, Noriaki; Uno, Yutaka; Kitajo, Keiichi; Hatakenaka, Megumi; Yagura, Hajime; Fujimoto, Hiroaki; Yoshioka, Tomomi; Nagasako, Michiko; Otomune, Hironori; Miyai, Ichiro

    2017-06-01

    Stroke-induced focal brain lesions often exert remote effects via residual neural network activity. Electroencephalographic (EEG) techniques can assess neural network modifications after brain damage. Recently, EEG phase synchrony analyses have shown associations between the level of large-scale phase synchrony of brain activity and clinical symptoms; however, few reports have assessed such associations in stroke patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical relevance of hemispheric phase synchrony in stroke patients by calculating its correlation with clinical status. This cross-sectional study included 19 patients with post-acute ischemic stroke admitted for inpatient rehabilitation. Interhemispheric phase synchrony indices (IH-PSIs) were computed in 2 frequency bands (alpha [α], and beta [β]), and associations between indices and scores of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment (FMA) were analyzed. For further assessments of IH-PSIs, ipsilesional intrahemispheric PSIs (IntraH-PSIs) as well as IH- and IntraH-phase lag indices (PLIs) were also evaluated. IH-PSIs correlated significantly with FIM scores and NIHSS scores. In contrast, IH-PSIs did not correlate with FMA scores. IntraH-PSIs correlate with FIM scores after removal of the outlier. The results of analysis with PLIs were consistent with IH-PSIs. The PSIs correlated with performance on the activities of daily living scale but not with scores on a pure motor impairment scale. These results suggest that large-scale phase synchrony represented by IH-PSIs provides a novel surrogate marker for clinical status after stroke.

  12. Large-scale three-dimensional phase-field simulations for phase coarsening at ultrahigh volume fraction on high-performance architectures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yan, Hui; Wang, K. G.; Jones, Jim E.

    2016-06-01

    A parallel algorithm for large-scale three-dimensional phase-field simulations of phase coarsening is developed and implemented on high-performance architectures. From the large-scale simulations, a new kinetics in phase coarsening in the region of ultrahigh volume fraction is found. The parallel implementation is capable of harnessing the greater computer power available from high-performance architectures. The parallelized code enables increase in three-dimensional simulation system size up to a 5123 grid cube. Through the parallelized code, practical runtime can be achieved for three-dimensional large-scale simulations, and the statistical significance of the results from these high resolution parallel simulations are greatly improved over those obtainable from serial simulations. A detailed performance analysis on speed-up and scalability is presented, showing good scalability which improves with increasing problem size. In addition, a model for prediction of runtime is developed, which shows a good agreement with actual run time from numerical tests.

  13. 3D fully convolutional networks for subcortical segmentation in MRI: A large-scale study.

    PubMed

    Dolz, Jose; Desrosiers, Christian; Ben Ayed, Ismail

    2018-04-15

    This study investigates a 3D and fully convolutional neural network (CNN) for subcortical brain structure segmentation in MRI. 3D CNN architectures have been generally avoided due to their computational and memory requirements during inference. We address the problem via small kernels, allowing deeper architectures. We further model both local and global context by embedding intermediate-layer outputs in the final prediction, which encourages consistency between features extracted at different scales and embeds fine-grained information directly in the segmentation process. Our model is efficiently trained end-to-end on a graphics processing unit (GPU), in a single stage, exploiting the dense inference capabilities of fully CNNs. We performed comprehensive experiments over two publicly available datasets. First, we demonstrate a state-of-the-art performance on the ISBR dataset. Then, we report a large-scale multi-site evaluation over 1112 unregistered subject datasets acquired from 17 different sites (ABIDE dataset), with ages ranging from 7 to 64 years, showing that our method is robust to various acquisition protocols, demographics and clinical factors. Our method yielded segmentations that are highly consistent with a standard atlas-based approach, while running in a fraction of the time needed by atlas-based methods and avoiding registration/normalization steps. This makes it convenient for massive multi-site neuroanatomical imaging studies. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first to study subcortical structure segmentation on such large-scale and heterogeneous data. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Manual of Scaling Methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bond, Thomas H. (Technical Monitor); Anderson, David N.

    2004-01-01

    This manual reviews the derivation of the similitude relationships believed to be important to ice accretion and examines ice-accretion data to evaluate their importance. Both size scaling and test-condition scaling methods employing the resulting similarity parameters are described, and experimental icing tests performed to evaluate scaling methods are reviewed with results. The material included applies primarily to unprotected, unswept geometries, but some discussion of how to approach other situations is included as well. The studies given here and scaling methods considered are applicable only to Appendix-C icing conditions. Nearly all of the experimental results presented have been obtained in sea-level tunnels. Recommendations are given regarding which scaling methods to use for both size scaling and test-condition scaling, and icing test results are described to support those recommendations. Facility limitations and size-scaling restrictions are discussed. Finally, appendices summarize the air, water and ice properties used in NASA scaling studies, give expressions for each of the similarity parameters used and provide sample calculations for the size-scaling and test-condition scaling methods advocated.

  15. Wechsler Memory Scale-III Faces test performance in patients with mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease.

    PubMed

    Seelye, Adriana M; Howieson, Diane B; Wild, Katherine V; Moore, Mindy Milar; Kaye, Jeffrey A

    2009-08-01

    Little is known about the sensitivity of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition (WMS-III) Faces subtest to memory impairment associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In this study, Faces performance was examined in 24 MCI patients, 46 mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, and 98 elderly controls. We hypothesized that participants with diagnoses of MCI or AD would be impaired relative to controls on Faces. Analyses showed that AD participants performed significantly worse than MCI and intact participants, although there were no significant differences between MCI and intact participants. Data suggest that brain areas specialized for face recognition memory may be less affected by MCI and mild AD than regions specialized for verbal memory.

  16. Sign: large-scale gene network estimation environment for high performance computing.

    PubMed

    Tamada, Yoshinori; Shimamura, Teppei; Yamaguchi, Rui; Imoto, Seiya; Nagasaki, Masao; Miyano, Satoru

    2011-01-01

    Our research group is currently developing software for estimating large-scale gene networks from gene expression data. The software, called SiGN, is specifically designed for the Japanese flagship supercomputer "K computer" which is planned to achieve 10 petaflops in 2012, and other high performance computing environments including Human Genome Center (HGC) supercomputer system. SiGN is a collection of gene network estimation software with three different sub-programs: SiGN-BN, SiGN-SSM and SiGN-L1. In these three programs, five different models are available: static and dynamic nonparametric Bayesian networks, state space models, graphical Gaussian models, and vector autoregressive models. All these models require a huge amount of computational resources for estimating large-scale gene networks and therefore are designed to be able to exploit the speed of 10 petaflops. The software will be available freely for "K computer" and HGC supercomputer system users. The estimated networks can be viewed and analyzed by Cell Illustrator Online and SBiP (Systems Biology integrative Pipeline). The software project web site is available at http://sign.hgc.jp/ .

  17. Incorporating Scale-Dependent Fracture Stiffness for Improved Reservoir Performance Prediction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crawford, B. R.; Tsenn, M. C.; Homburg, J. M.; Stehle, R. C.; Freysteinson, J. A.; Reese, W. C.

    2017-12-01

    We present a novel technique for predicting dynamic fracture network response to production-driven changes in effective stress, with the potential for optimizing depletion planning and improving recovery prediction in stress-sensitive naturally fractured reservoirs. A key component of the method involves laboratory geomechanics testing of single fractures in order to develop a unique scaling relationship between fracture normal stiffness and initial mechanical aperture. Details of the workflow are as follows: tensile, opening mode fractures are created in a variety of low matrix permeability rocks with initial, unstressed apertures in the micrometer to millimeter range, as determined from image analyses of X-ray CT scans; subsequent hydrostatic compression of these fractured samples with synchronous radial strain and flow measurement indicates that both mechanical and hydraulic aperture reduction varies linearly with the natural logarithm of effective normal stress; these stress-sensitive single-fracture laboratory observations are then upscaled to networks with fracture populations displaying frequency-length and length-aperture scaling laws commonly exhibited by natural fracture arrays; functional relationships between reservoir pressure reduction and fracture network porosity, compressibility and directional permeabilities as generated by such discrete fracture network modeling are then exported to the reservoir simulator for improved naturally fractured reservoir performance prediction.

  18. Flutter performance of bend-twist coupled large-scale wind turbine blades

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hayat, Khazar; de Lecea, Alvaro Gorostidi Martinez; Moriones, Carlos Donazar; Ha, Sung Kyu

    2016-05-01

    The bend-twist coupling (BTC) is proven to be effective in mitigating the fatigue loads for large-scale wind turbine blades, but at the same time it may cause the risk of flutter instability. The BTC is defined as a feature of twisting of the blade induced by the primary bending deformation. In the classical flutter, the BTC arises from the aerodynamic loads changing with the angle of attack. In this study, the effects of the structural BTC on the flutter are investigated by considering the layup unbalances (ply angle, material and thickness of the composite laminates) in the NREL 5-MW wind turbine rotor blade of glass fiber/epoxy [02/+45/-45]S laminates. It is numerically shown that the flutter speed may decrease by about 5 percent with unbalanced ply-angle only (one side angle, from 45° to 25°). It was then demonstrated that the flutter performance of the wind turbine blade can be increased by using lighter and stiffer carbon fibers which ensures the higher structural BTC at the same time.

  19. Intra-operative disruptions, surgeon's mental workload, and technical performance in a full-scale simulated procedure.

    PubMed

    Weigl, Matthias; Stefan, Philipp; Abhari, Kamyar; Wucherer, Patrick; Fallavollita, Pascal; Lazarovici, Marc; Weidert, Simon; Euler, Ekkehard; Catchpole, Ken

    2016-02-01

    Surgical flow disruptions occur frequently and jeopardize perioperative care and surgical performance. So far, insights into subjective and cognitive implications of intra-operative disruptions for surgeons and inherent consequences for performance are inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the effect of surgical flow disruption on surgeon's intra-operative workload and technical performance. In a full-scale OR simulation, 19 surgeons were randomly allocated to either of the two disruption scenarios (telephone call vs. patient discomfort). Using a mixed virtual reality simulator with a computerized, high-fidelity mannequin, all surgeons were trained in performing a vertebroplasty procedure and subsequently performed such a procedure under experimental conditions. Standardized measures on subjective workload and technical performance (trocar positioning deviation from expert-defined standard, number, and duration of X-ray acquisitions) were collected. Intra-operative workload during simulated disruption scenarios was significantly higher compared to training sessions (p < .01). Surgeons in the telephone call scenario experienced significantly more distraction compared to their colleagues in the patient discomfort scenario (p < .05). However, workload tended to be increased in surgeons who coped with distractions due to patient discomfort. Technical performance was not significantly different between both disruption scenarios. We found a significant association between surgeons' intra-operative workload and technical performance such that surgeons with increased mental workload tended to perform worse (β = .55, p = .04). Surgical flow disruptions affect surgeons' intra-operative workload. Increased mental workload was associated with inferior technical performance. Our simulation-based findings emphasize the need to establish smooth surgical flow which is characterized by a low level of process deviations and disruptions.

  20. The Study of Validity and Reliability of the Perceived Value Scale of Prospective Teachers in Terms of Teaching Profession

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Demir, Engin; Budak, Yusuf; Demir, Cennet Gologlu

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to develop "Perceived Value Scale in regard to Teaching Profession of Prospective Teachers." The validity and reliability analysis of the scale, developed for prospective elementary school teachers, was performed. In order to determine the values of the teaching profession, first of all, the related literature…

  1. Development of the Nonverbal Communication Skills of School Administrators Scale (NCSSAS): Validity, Reliability and Implementation Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Uzun, Tevfik

    2017-01-01

    The main purpose of this study is to develop a scale intended for identifying the school administrators' nonverbal communication skills, and establish the relationship between the nonverbal communication skills of school administrators and job performance of teachers. The study was conducted in three stages. The first stage involved the creation…

  2. Increasing Performance of Professional Soccer Players and Elite Track and Field Athletes with Peak Performance Training and Biofeedback: A Pilot Study.

    PubMed

    Rijken, Noortje H; Soer, Remko; de Maar, Ewold; Prins, Hilco; Teeuw, Wouter B; Peuscher, Jan; Oosterveld, Frits G J

    2016-12-01

    The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effects of an intervention consisting of mental coaching combined with either electro encephalogram (EEG) alpha power feedback or heart rate variability (HRV) feedback on HRV, EEG outcomes and self-reported factors related to stress, performance, recovery and sleep quality in elite athletes. A prospective pilot study was performed with two distinct cohorts. Soccer players were provided with four sessions of mental coaching combined with daily HRV biofeedback (Group A); track and field athletes were provided with four sessions of mental coaching in combination with daily neurofeedback (Group B). Measurements were performed at baseline, post intervention and at 5 weeks follow-up. Objective measures: EEG and ECG. Subjective measures: Numeric Rating Scale for performance, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Rest and Stress Questionnaire and Sports Improvement-60. Group characteristics were too distinct to compare the interventions. Linear mixed models were used to analyze differences within groups over time. In Group A, significant changes over time were present in alpha power at 5 of 7 EEG locations (p < 0.01-0.03). LF/HF ratio significantly increased (p = 0.02) and the concentration (p = 0.02) and emotional scale (p = 0.03) of the SIM-60 increased significantly (p = 0.04). In Group B, the HRV low frequency power and recovery scale of the REST-Q significantly increased (p = 0.02 and <0.01 resp.). Other measures remained stable or improved non-significantly. A mental coaching program combined with either HRV or EEG alpha power feedback may increase HRV and alpha power and may lead to better performance-related outcomes and stress reduction. Further research is needed to elucidate the effects of either type of feedback and to compare effects with a control group.

  3. The Case for Modular Redundancy in Large-Scale High Performance Computing Systems

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

    Engelmann, Christian; Ong, Hong Hoe; Scott, Stephen L

    2009-01-01

    Recent investigations into resilience of large-scale high-performance computing (HPC) systems showed a continuous trend of decreasing reliability and availability. Newly installed systems have a lower mean-time to failure (MTTF) and a higher mean-time to recover (MTTR) than their predecessors. Modular redundancy is being used in many mission critical systems today to provide for resilience, such as for aerospace and command \\& control systems. The primary argument against modular redundancy for resilience in HPC has always been that the capability of a HPC system, and respective return on investment, would be significantly reduced. We argue that modular redundancy can significantly increasemore » compute node availability as it removes the impact of scale from single compute node MTTR. We further argue that single compute nodes can be much less reliable, and therefore less expensive, and still be highly available, if their MTTR/MTTF ratio is maintained.« less

  4. A comparative study of bio-inspired protective scales using 3D printing and mechanical testing.

    PubMed

    Martini, Roberto; Balit, Yanis; Barthelat, Francois

    2017-06-01

    Flexible natural armors from fish, alligators or armadillo are attracting an increasing amount of attention for their unique combinations of hardness, flexibility and light weight. The extreme contrast of stiffness between hard scales and surrounding soft tissues gives rise to unusual and attractive mechanisms, which now serve as models for the design of bio-inspired armors. Despite this growing interest, there is little guideline for the choice of materials, optimum thickness, size, shape and arrangement for the protective scales. In this work, we explore how the geometry and arrangement of hard scales can be tailored to promote scale-scale interactions. We use 3D printing to fabricate arrays of scales with increasingly complex geometries and arrangements, from simple squares with no overlap to complex ganoid-scales with overlaps and interlocking features. We performed puncture tests and flexural tests on each of the 3D printed materials, and we report the puncture resistance - compliance characteristics of each design on an Ashby chart. The interactions between the scales can significantly increase the resistance to puncture, and these interactions can be maximized by tuning the geometry and arrangement of the scales. Interestingly, the designs that offer the best combinations of puncture resistance and flexural compliance are similar to the geometry and arrangement of natural teleost and ganoid scales, which suggests that natural evolution has shaped these systems to maximize flexible protection. This study yields new insights into the mechanisms of natural dermal armor, and also suggests new designs for personal protective systems. Flexible natural armors from fishes, alligators or armadillos are attracting an increasing amount of attention for their unique and attractive combinations of hardness, flexibility and low weight. Despite a growing interest in bio-inspired flexible protection, there is still little guideline for the choice of materials, optimum

  5. Local scale comparisons of biodiversity as a test for global protected area ecological performance: a meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Coetzee, Bernard W T; Gaston, Kevin J; Chown, Steven L

    2014-01-01

    Terrestrial protected areas (PAs) are cornerstones of global biodiversity conservation. Their efficacy in terms of maintaining biodiversity is, however, much debated. Studies to date have been unable to provide a general answer as to PA conservation efficacy because of their typically restricted geographic and/or taxonomic focus, or qualitative approaches focusing on proxies for biodiversity, such as deforestation. Given the rarity of historical data to enable comparisons of biodiversity before/after PA establishment, many smaller scale studies over the past 30 years have directly compared biodiversity inside PAs to that of surrounding areas, which provides one measure of PA ecological performance. Here we use a meta-analysis of such studies (N = 86) to test if PAs contain higher biodiversity values than surrounding areas, and so assess their contribution to determining PA efficacy. We find that PAs generally have higher abundances of individual species, higher assemblage abundances, and higher species richness values compared with alternative land uses. Local scale studies in combination thus show that PAs retain more biodiversity than alternative land use areas. Nonetheless, much variation is present in the effect sizes, which underscores the context-specificity of PA efficacy.

  6. Energy Feedback at the City-Wide Scale A comparison to building scale studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carter, Richard Allan

    Climate change is a growing concern throughout the world. In the United States, leadership has so far failed to establish targeted reductions and agreement on mitigation strategies. Despite this, many large cities are taking on the challenge of measuring their emissions, establishing targeted reductions, and defining strategies for mitigation in the form of Climate Action Plans. Reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by these cities is usually based on a one-time, annual calculation. Many studies have been conducted on the impact of providing energy use data or feedback to households, and in some cases, institutional or commercial businesses. In most of those studies, the act of providing feedback has resulted in a reduction of energy use, ranging from 2% to 15%, depending upon the features of the feedback. Many of these studies included only electric use. Studies where all energy use was reported are more accurate representations of GHG emissions. GHG emissions and energy use are not the same, depending on the fuel source and in the case of this paper, the focus is on reducing energy use. This research documents the characteristics of the feedback provided in those studies in order to determine which are most effective and should be considered for application to the community-wide scale. Eleven studies, including five primary and six secondary research papers, were reviewed and analyzed for the features of the feedback. Trends were established and evaluated with respect to their effectiveness and potential for use at the community-wide scale. This paper concludes that additional research is required to determine if the use of energy feedback at the city scale could result in savings similar to those observed at the household scale. This additional research could take advantage of the features assessed here in order to be more effective and to implement the features that are best able to scale up. Further research is needed to determine whether combining city

  7. SOLVENT EXTRACTION AND SOIL WASHING TREATMENT OF CONTAMINATED SOILS FROM WOOD PRESERVING SITES: BENCH SCALE STUDIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Bench-scale solvent extraction and soil washing studies were performed on soil samples obtained from three abandoned wood preserving sites that included in the NPL. The soil samples from these sites were contaminated with high levels of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pentachlo...

  8. A thermal scale modeling study for Apollo and Apollo applications, volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shannon, R. L.

    1972-01-01

    The program is reported for developing and demonstrating the capabilities of thermal scale modeling as a thermal design and verification tool for Apollo and Apollo Applications Projects. The work performed for thermal scale modeling of STB; cabin atmosphere/spacecraft cabin wall thermal interface; closed loop heat rejection radiator; and docked module/spacecraft thermal interface are discussed along with the test facility requirements for thermal scale model testing of AAP spacecraft. It is concluded that thermal scale modeling can be used as an effective thermal design and verification tool to provide data early in a spacecraft development program.

  9. Sensitivity of School-Performance Ratings to Scaling Decisions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ng, Hui Leng; Koretz, Daniel

    2015-01-01

    Policymakers usually leave decisions about scaling the scores used for accountability to their appointed technical advisory committees and the testing contractors. However, scaling decisions can have an appreciable impact on school ratings. Using middle-school data from New York State, we examined the consistency of school ratings based on two…

  10. Application of fundamental principles to mineral scale reduction : case studies

    Treesearch

    Peter W. Hart; Alan W. Rudie

    2005-01-01

    This paper will present several successful case studies where scale has been eliminated in mills including calcium carbonate scale in a white liquor strainer, calcium oxalate scale in the D0 stage, enzymatic treatment of brown stock to eliminate oxalate scale, and control of barium sulfate scale.

  11. Performance on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III in Japanese patients with schizophrenia.

    PubMed

    Fujino, Haruo; Sumiyoshi, Chika; Sumiyoshi, Tomiki; Yasuda, Yuka; Yamamori, Hidenaga; Ohi, Kazutaka; Fujimoto, Michiko; Umeda-Yano, Satomi; Higuchi, Arisa; Hibi, Yumiko; Matsuura, Yukako; Hashimoto, Ryota; Takeda, Masatoshi; Imura, Osamu

    2014-07-01

    Patients with schizophrenia have been reported to perform worse than non-schizophrenic populations on neuropsychological tests, which may be affected by cultural factors. The aim of this study was to examine the performance of a sizable number of patients with schizophrenia on the Japanese version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (WAIS-III) compared with healthy controls. Performance on the WAIS-III was evaluated in 157 Japanese patients with schizophrenia and in 264 healthy control subjects. All IQ scores and four indices from the WAIS-III were impaired for patients with schizophrenia compared with healthy controls. Processing Speed was markedly disturbed, approximately 2 SD below that of the healthy control group. Among the 13 subtests, Comprehension (z = -1.70, d = 1.55), Digit Symbol Coding (z = -1.84, d = 1.88), and Symbol Search (z = -1.85, d = 1.77) were profoundly impaired relative to the healthy controls. These results indicate that the pattern and degree of impairment, as evaluated by the WAIS-III, in Japanese patients are similar to those previously reported in English-speaking patients and that the deficits of some neuropsychological domains relevant to functional outcomes are universally characteristic of schizophrenia. © 2014 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2014 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

  12. Prelude to rational scale-up of penicillin production: a scale-down study.

    PubMed

    Wang, Guan; Chu, Ju; Noorman, Henk; Xia, Jianye; Tang, Wenjun; Zhuang, Yingping; Zhang, Siliang

    2014-03-01

    Penicillin is one of the best known pharmaceuticals and is also an important member of the β-lactam antibiotics. Over the years, ambitious yields, titers, productivities, and low costs in the production of the β-lactam antibiotics have been stepwise realized through successive rounds of strain improvement and process optimization. Penicillium chrysogenum was proven to be an ideal cell factory for the production of penicillin, and successful approaches were exploited to elevate the production titer. However, the industrial production of penicillin faces the serious challenge that environmental gradients, which are caused by insufficient mixing and mass transfer limitations, exert a considerably negative impact on the ultimate productivity and yield. Scale-down studies regarding diverse environmental gradients have been carried out on bacteria, yeasts, and filamentous fungi as well as animal cells. In accordance, a variety of scale-down devices combined with fast sampling and quenching protocols have been established to acquire the true snapshots of the perturbed cellular conditions. The perturbed metabolome information stemming from scale-down studies contributed to the comprehension of the production process and the identification of improvement approaches. However, little is known about the influence of the flow field and the mechanisms of intracellular metabolism. Consequently, it is still rather difficult to realize a fully rational scale-up. In the future, developing a computer framework to simulate the flow field of the large-scale fermenters is highly recommended. Furthermore, a metabolically structured kinetic model directly related to the production of penicillin will be further coupled to the fluid flow dynamics. A mathematical model including the information from both computational fluid dynamics and chemical reaction dynamics will then be established for the prediction of detailed information over the entire period of the fermentation process and

  13. PILOT-SCALE STUDIES ON THE INCINERATION OF ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY WASTE

    EPA Science Inventory

    The paper describes experiments performed on a pilot-scale rotary kiln incinerator to investigate the emissions and operational behavior during the incineration of consumer electronics waste. These experiments were targeted at destroying the organic components of printed circuit ...

  14. An analysis of alumni performance: A study of the quality of nursing education.

    PubMed

    Altuntaş, Serap; Baykal, Ülkü

    2017-02-01

    The professional performance level of their alumni is one of the quality indicators of educational institutions. Nursing education institutions can use their alumni's performance analysis results to enhance their curricula, eliminate deficiencies, improve the quality of education and graduate more highly qualified nurses. This is a descriptive, cross-sectional and comparative study, which aimed to determine the professional performances of nurses who graduated from the same nursing faculty. The study sample included alumni of Turkey's first nursing faculty, part of the nation's first public university in Istanbul, and their administrative supervisors. The study data were collected using the self-assessment forms of 314 alumni who worked as bedside nurses in 36 Istanbul hospitals, and 314 evaluations by the 195 nurse managers who supervised them. The study's response rate was 82.6%. To collect the study data, the researchers created a performance evaluation form based on the relevant literature. The same form was administered both to the nurse managers and the alumni. The researchers obtained ethical board approval and official permissions from the relevant hospitals to conduct the study. The study data were analyzed by a statistics expert. According to the study results, the alumni's perceptions of themselves as well as the nurse managers' perceptions of the alumni were different from those of the other nurses with undergraduate degrees in terms of professional knowledge, expectations and ideals. The performance evaluation results showed that the alumni evaluated themselves more positively than their managers did. It was determined that there were highly significant differences (p=0.000) between the values provided by the five sub-dimensions of the scale and the total scale. In addition, the performance level was low in the sub-dimension focusing on research, and there was a significant difference in this sub-dimension (p=0.040). The study found that the alumni

  15. Towards Portable Large-Scale Image Processing with High-Performance Computing.

    PubMed

    Huo, Yuankai; Blaber, Justin; Damon, Stephen M; Boyd, Brian D; Bao, Shunxing; Parvathaneni, Prasanna; Noguera, Camilo Bermudez; Chaganti, Shikha; Nath, Vishwesh; Greer, Jasmine M; Lyu, Ilwoo; French, William R; Newton, Allen T; Rogers, Baxter P; Landman, Bennett A

    2018-05-03

    High-throughput, large-scale medical image computing demands tight integration of high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure for data storage, job distribution, and image processing. The Vanderbilt University Institute for Imaging Science (VUIIS) Center for Computational Imaging (CCI) has constructed a large-scale image storage and processing infrastructure that is composed of (1) a large-scale image database using the eXtensible Neuroimaging Archive Toolkit (XNAT), (2) a content-aware job scheduling platform using the Distributed Automation for XNAT pipeline automation tool (DAX), and (3) a wide variety of encapsulated image processing pipelines called "spiders." The VUIIS CCI medical image data storage and processing infrastructure have housed and processed nearly half-million medical image volumes with Vanderbilt Advanced Computing Center for Research and Education (ACCRE), which is the HPC facility at the Vanderbilt University. The initial deployment was natively deployed (i.e., direct installations on a bare-metal server) within the ACCRE hardware and software environments, which lead to issues of portability and sustainability. First, it could be laborious to deploy the entire VUIIS CCI medical image data storage and processing infrastructure to another HPC center with varying hardware infrastructure, library availability, and software permission policies. Second, the spiders were not developed in an isolated manner, which has led to software dependency issues during system upgrades or remote software installation. To address such issues, herein, we describe recent innovations using containerization techniques with XNAT/DAX which are used to isolate the VUIIS CCI medical image data storage and processing infrastructure from the underlying hardware and software environments. The newly presented XNAT/DAX solution has the following new features: (1) multi-level portability from system level to the application level, (2) flexible and dynamic software

  16. A PILOT-SCALE STUDY ON THE COMBUSTION OF WASTE ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Symposium Paper Post-consumer carpet is a potential substitute fuel for high temperature thermal processes such as cement kilns and boilers.This paper reports on results examining emissions of PCDDs/Fs from a series of pilot-scale experiments performed on the EPA's rotary kiln incinerator simulator facility in Research triangle Park, NC.

  17. A Study of the Effects of Large Scale Gust Generation in a Small Scale Atmospheric Wind Tunnel: Application to Micro Aerial Vehicles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roadman, Jason; Mohseni, Kamran

    2009-11-01

    Modern technology operating in the atmospheric boundary layer could benefit from more accurate wind tunnel testing. While scaled atmospheric boundary layer tunnels have been well developed, tunnels replicating portions of the turbulence of the atmospheric boundary layer at full scale are a comparatively new concept. Testing at full-scale Reynolds numbers with full-scale turbulence in an ``atmospheric wind tunnel'' is sought. Many programs could utilize such a tool including that of Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) and other unmanned aircraft, the wind energy industry, fuel efficient vehicles, and the study of bird and insect fight. The construction of an active ``gust generator'' for a new atmospheric tunnel is reviewed and the turbulence it generates is measured utilizing single and cross hot wires. Results from this grid are compared to atmospheric turbulence and it is shown that various gust strengths can be produced corresponding to days ranging from calm to quite gusty. An initial test is performed in the atmospheric wind tunnel whereby the effects of various turbulence conditions on transition and separation on the upper surface of a MAV wing is investigated using oil flow visualization.

  18. A high-performance dual-scale porous electrode for vanadium redox flow batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, X. L.; Zeng, Y. K.; Zhu, X. B.; Wei, L.; Zhao, T. S.

    2016-09-01

    In this work, we present a simple and cost-effective method to form a dual-scale porous electrode by KOH activation of the fibers of carbon papers. The large pores (∼10 μm), formed between carbon fibers, serve as the macroscopic pathways for high electrolyte flow rates, while the small pores (∼5 nm), formed on carbon fiber surfaces, act as active sites for rapid electrochemical reactions. It is shown that the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area of the carbon paper is increased by a factor of 16 while maintaining the same hydraulic permeability as that of the original carbon paper electrode. We then apply the dual-scale electrode to a vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) and demonstrate an energy efficiency ranging from 82% to 88% at current densities of 200-400 mA cm-2, which is record breaking as the highest performance of VRFB in the open literature.

  19. Comparative performance evaluation of full-scale anaerobic and aerobic wastewater treatment processes in Brazil.

    PubMed

    von Sperling, M; Oliveira, S C

    2009-01-01

    This article evaluates and compares the actual behavior of 166 full-scale anaerobic and aerobic wastewater treatment plants in operation in Brazil, providing information on the performance of the processes in terms of the quality of the generated effluent and the removal efficiency achieved. The observed results of effluent concentrations and removal efficiencies of the constituents BOD, COD, TSS (total suspended solids), TN (total nitrogen), TP (total phosphorus) and FC (faecal or thermotolerant coliforms) have been compared with the typical expected performance reported in the literature. The treatment technologies selected for study were: (a) predominantly anaerobic: (i) septic tank + anaerobic filter (ST + AF), (ii) UASB reactor without post-treatment (UASB) and (iii) UASB reactor followed by several post-treatment processes (UASB + POST); (b) predominantly aerobic: (iv) facultative pond (FP), (v) anaerobic pond followed by facultative pond (AP + FP) and (vi) activated sludge (AS). The results, confirmed by statistical tests, showed that, in general, the best performance was achieved by AS, but closely followed by UASB reactor, when operating with any kind of post-treatment. The effluent quality of the anaerobic processes ST + AF and UASB reactor without post-treatment was very similar to the one presented by facultative pond, a simpler aerobic process, regarding organic matter.

  20. Skin and scales of teleost fish: Simple structure but high performance and multiple functions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vernerey, Franck J.; Barthelat, Francois

    2014-08-01

    Natural and man-made structural materials perform similar functions such as structural support or protection. Therefore they rely on the same types of properties: strength, robustness, lightweight. Nature can therefore provide a significant source of inspiration for new and alternative engineering designs. We report here some results regarding a very common, yet largely unknown, type of biological material: fish skin. Within a thin, flexible and lightweight layer, fish skins display a variety of strain stiffening and stabilizing mechanisms which promote multiple functions such as protection, robustness and swimming efficiency. We particularly discuss four important features pertaining to scaled skins: (a) a strongly elastic tensile behavior that is independent from the presence of rigid scales, (b) a compressive response that prevents buckling and wrinkling instabilities, which are usually predominant for thin membranes, (c) a bending response that displays nonlinear stiffening mechanisms arising from geometric constraints between neighboring scales and (d) a robust structure that preserves the above characteristics upon the loss or damage of structural elements. These important properties make fish skin an attractive model for the development of very thin and flexible armors and protective layers, especially when combined with the high penetration resistance of individual scales. Scaled structures inspired by fish skin could find applications in ultra-light and flexible armor systems, flexible electronics or the design of smart and adaptive morphing structures for aerospace vehicles.

  1. A high performance lithium–sulfur battery enabled by a fish-scale porous carbon/sulfur composite and symmetric fluorinated diethoxyethane electrolyte

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

    Gao, Mengyao; Su, ChiCheung; He, Meinan

    A high performance lithium–sulfur (Li–S) battery comprising a symmetric fluorinated diethoxyethane electrolyte coupled with a fish-scale porous carbon/S composite electrode was demonstrated. 1,2-Bis(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethoxy)ethane (TFEE) was first studied as a new electrolyte solvent for Li–S chemistry. When co-mixed with 1,3-dioxolane (DOL), the DOL/TFEE electrolyte suppressed the polysulfide dissolution and shuttling reaction. Lastly, when coupled with a fish-scale porous carbon/S composite electrode, the Li–S cell exhibited a significantly high capacity retention of 99.5% per cycle for 100 cycles, which is far superior to the reported numerous systems.

  2. A high performance lithium–sulfur battery enabled by a fish-scale porous carbon/sulfur composite and symmetric fluorinated diethoxyethane electrolyte

    DOE PAGES

    Gao, Mengyao; Su, ChiCheung; He, Meinan; ...

    2017-03-07

    A high performance lithium–sulfur (Li–S) battery comprising a symmetric fluorinated diethoxyethane electrolyte coupled with a fish-scale porous carbon/S composite electrode was demonstrated. 1,2-Bis(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethoxy)ethane (TFEE) was first studied as a new electrolyte solvent for Li–S chemistry. When co-mixed with 1,3-dioxolane (DOL), the DOL/TFEE electrolyte suppressed the polysulfide dissolution and shuttling reaction. Lastly, when coupled with a fish-scale porous carbon/S composite electrode, the Li–S cell exhibited a significantly high capacity retention of 99.5% per cycle for 100 cycles, which is far superior to the reported numerous systems.

  3. LABORATORY SCALE STEAM INJECTION TREATABILITY STUDIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Laboratory scale steam injection treatability studies were first developed at The University of California-Berkeley. A comparable testing facility has been developed at USEPA's Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Center. Experience has already shown that many volatile organic...

  4. Scaling up access to oral rehydration solution for diarrhea: Learning from historical experience in low- and high-performing countries.

    PubMed

    Wilson, Shelby E; Morris, Saul S; Gilbert, Sarah Skye; Mosites, Emily; Hackleman, Rob; Weum, Kristoffer L M; Pintye, Jillian; Manhart, Lisa E; Hawes, Stephen E

    2013-06-01

    This paper aims to identify factors that systematically predict why some countries that have tried to scale up oral rehydration solution (ORS) have succeeded, and others have not. We examined ORS coverage over time, across countries, and through case studies. We conducted expert interviews and literature and data searches to better understand the history of ORS scale-up efforts and why they failed or succeeded in nine countries. We used qualitative, pairwise (or three-country) comparisons of geographically or otherwise similar countries that had different outcomes in terms of ORS scale-up. An algorithm was developed which scored country performance across key supply, demand and financing activities to quantitatively assess the scale-up efforts in each country. The vast majority of countries have neither particularly low nor encouragingly high ORS use rates. We observed three clearly identifiable contrasts between countries that achieved and sustained high ORS coverage and those that did not. Key partners across sectors have critical roles to play to effectively address supply- and demand-side barriers. Efforts must synchronize demand generation, private provider outreach and public sector work. Many donor funds are either suspended or redirected in the event of political instability, exacerbating the health challenges faced by countries in these contexts. We found little information on the cost of scale-up efforts. We identified a number of characteristics of successful ORS scale-up programs, including involvement of a broad range of key players, addressing supply and demand generation together, and working with both public and private sectors. Dedicated efforts are needed to launch and sustain success, including monitoring and evaluation plans to track program costs and impacts. These case studies were designed to inform programmatic decision-making; thus, rigorous academic methods to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate country ORS scale-up programs might

  5. Aerodynamic Performance of Scale-Model Turbofan Outlet Guide Vanes Designed for Low Noise

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hughes, Christopher E.

    2001-01-01

    The design of effective new technologies to reduce aircraft propulsion noise is dependent on an understanding of the noise sources and noise generation mechanisms in the modern turbofan engine. In order to more fully understand the physics of noise in a turbofan engine, a comprehensive aeroacoustic wind tunnel test programs was conducted called the 'Source Diagnostic Test.' The text was cooperative effort between NASA and General Electric Aircraft Engines, as part of the NASA Advanced Subsonic Technology Noise Reduction Program. A 1/5-scale model simulator representing the bypass stage of a current technology high bypass ratio turbofan engine was used in the test. The test article consisted of the bypass fan and outlet guide vanes in a flight-type nacelle. The fan used was a medium pressure ratio design with 22 individual, wide chord blades. Three outlet guide vane design configurations were investigated, representing a 54-vane radial Baseline configuration, a 26-vane radial, wide chord Low Count configuration and a 26-vane, wide chord Low Noise configuration with 30 deg of aft sweep. The test was conducted in the NASA Glenn Research Center 9 by 15-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel at velocities simulating the takeoff and approach phases of the aircraft flight envelope. The Source Diagnostic Test had several acoustic and aerodynamic technical objectives: (1) establish the performance of a scale model fan selected to represent the current technology turbofan product; (2) assess the performance of the fan stage with each of the three distinct outlet guide vane designs; (3) determine the effect of the outlet guide vane configuration on the fan baseline performance; and (4) conduct detailed flowfield diagnostic surveys, both acoustic and aerodynamic, to characterize and understand the noise generation mechanisms in a turbofan engine. This paper addresses the fan and stage aerodynamic performance results from the Source Diagnostic Test.

  6. Robust regression for large-scale neuroimaging studies.

    PubMed

    Fritsch, Virgile; Da Mota, Benoit; Loth, Eva; Varoquaux, Gaël; Banaschewski, Tobias; Barker, Gareth J; Bokde, Arun L W; Brühl, Rüdiger; Butzek, Brigitte; Conrod, Patricia; Flor, Herta; Garavan, Hugh; Lemaitre, Hervé; Mann, Karl; Nees, Frauke; Paus, Tomas; Schad, Daniel J; Schümann, Gunter; Frouin, Vincent; Poline, Jean-Baptiste; Thirion, Bertrand

    2015-05-01

    Multi-subject datasets used in neuroimaging group studies have a complex structure, as they exhibit non-stationary statistical properties across regions and display various artifacts. While studies with small sample sizes can rarely be shown to deviate from standard hypotheses (such as the normality of the residuals) due to the poor sensitivity of normality tests with low degrees of freedom, large-scale studies (e.g. >100 subjects) exhibit more obvious deviations from these hypotheses and call for more refined models for statistical inference. Here, we demonstrate the benefits of robust regression as a tool for analyzing large neuroimaging cohorts. First, we use an analytic test based on robust parameter estimates; based on simulations, this procedure is shown to provide an accurate statistical control without resorting to permutations. Second, we show that robust regression yields more detections than standard algorithms using as an example an imaging genetics study with 392 subjects. Third, we show that robust regression can avoid false positives in a large-scale analysis of brain-behavior relationships with over 1500 subjects. Finally we embed robust regression in the Randomized Parcellation Based Inference (RPBI) method and demonstrate that this combination further improves the sensitivity of tests carried out across the whole brain. Altogether, our results show that robust procedures provide important advantages in large-scale neuroimaging group studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Conceptual design and analysis of a dynamic scale model of the Space Station Freedom

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davis, D. A.; Gronet, M. J.; Tan, M. K.; Thorne, J.

    1994-01-01

    This report documents the conceptual design study performed to evaluate design options for a subscale dynamic test model which could be used to investigate the expected on-orbit structural dynamic characteristics of the Space Station Freedom early build configurations. The baseline option was a 'near-replica' model of the SSF SC-7 pre-integrated truss configuration. The approach used to develop conceptual design options involved three sets of studies: evaluation of the full-scale design and analysis databases, conducting scale factor trade studies, and performing design sensitivity studies. The scale factor trade study was conducted to develop a fundamental understanding of the key scaling parameters that drive design, performance and cost of a SSF dynamic scale model. Four scale model options were estimated: 1/4, 1/5, 1/7, and 1/10 scale. Prototype hardware was fabricated to assess producibility issues. Based on the results of the study, a 1/4-scale size is recommended based on the increased model fidelity associated with a larger scale factor. A design sensitivity study was performed to identify critical hardware component properties that drive dynamic performance. A total of 118 component properties were identified which require high-fidelity replication. Lower fidelity dynamic similarity scaling can be used for non-critical components.

  8. NASA/GE Energy Efficient Engine low pressure turbine scaled test vehicle performance report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bridgeman, M. J.; Cherry, D. G.; Pedersen, J.

    1983-01-01

    The low pressure turbine for the NASA/General Electric Energy Efficient Engine is a highly loaded five-stage design featuring high outer wall slope, controlled vortex aerodynamics, low stage flow coefficient, and reduced clearances. An assessment of the performance of the LPT has been made based on a series of scaled air-turbine tests divided into two phases: Block 1 and Block 2. The transition duct and the first two stages of the turbine were evaluated during the Block 1 phase from March through August 1979. The full five-stage scale model, representing the final integrated core/low spool (ICLS) design and incorporating redesigns of stages 1 and 2 based on Block 1 data analysis, was tested as Block 2 in June through September 1981. Results from the scaled air-turbine tests, reviewed herein, indicate that the five-stage turbine designed for the ICLS application will attain an efficiency level of 91.5 percent at the Mach 0.8/10.67-km (35,000-ft), max-climb design point. This is relative to program goals of 91.1 percent for the ICLS and 91.7 percent for the flight propulsion system (FPS).

  9. The impact of pH inhomogeneities on CHO cell physiology and fed-batch process performance - two-compartment scale-down modelling and intracellular pH excursion.

    PubMed

    Brunner, Matthias; Braun, Philipp; Doppler, Philipp; Posch, Christoph; Behrens, Dirk; Herwig, Christoph; Fricke, Jens

    2017-07-01

    Due to high mixing times and base addition from top of the vessel, pH inhomogeneities are most likely to occur during large-scale mammalian processes. The goal of this study was to set-up a scale-down model of a 10-12 m 3 stirred tank bioreactor and to investigate the effect of pH perturbations on CHO cell physiology and process performance. Short-term changes in extracellular pH are hypothesized to affect intracellular pH and thus cell physiology. Therefore, batch fermentations, including pH shifts to 9.0 and 7.8, in regular one-compartment systems are conducted. The short-term adaption of the cells intracellular pH are showed an immediate increase due to elevated extracellular pH. With this basis of fundamental knowledge, a two-compartment system is established which is capable of simulating defined pH inhomogeneities. In contrast to state-of-the-art literature, the scale-down model is included parameters (e.g. volume of the inhomogeneous zone) as they might occur during large-scale processes. pH inhomogeneity studies in the two-compartment system are performed with simulation of temporary pH zones of pH 9.0. The specific growth rate especially during the exponential growth phase is strongly affected resulting in a decreased maximum viable cell density and final product titer. The gathered results indicate that even short-term exposure of cells to elevated pH values during large-scale processes can affect cell physiology and overall process performance. In particular, it could be shown for the first time that pH perturbations, which might occur during the early process phase, have to be considered in scale-down models of mammalian processes. Copyright © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Cohort Profile of the Goals Study: A Large-Scale Research of Physical Activity in Dutch Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Groot, Renate H. M.; van Dijk, Martin L.; Kirschner, Paul A.

    2015-01-01

    The GOALS study (Grootschalig Onderzoek naar Activiteiten van Limburgse Scholieren [Large-scale Research of Activities in Dutch Students]) was set up to investigate possible associations between different forms of physical activity and inactivity with cognitive performance, academic achievement and mental well-being. It was conducted at a…

  11. PROMIS GH (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Global Health) Scale in Stroke: A Validation Study.

    PubMed

    Katzan, Irene L; Lapin, Brittany

    2018-01-01

    The International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement recently included the 10-item PROMIS GH (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Global Health) scale as part of their recommended Standard Set of Stroke Outcome Measures. Before collection of PROMIS GH is broadly implemented, it is necessary to assess its performance in the stroke population. The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of PROMIS GH in patients with ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage. PROMIS GH and 6 PROMIS domain scales measuring same/similar constructs were electronically collected on 1102 patients with ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes at various stages of recovery from their stroke who were seen in a cerebrovascular clinic from October 12, 2015, through June 2, 2017. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to evaluate the adequacy of 2-factor structure of component scores. Test-retest reliability and convergent validity of PROMIS GH items and component scores were assessed. Discriminant validity and responsiveness were compared between PROMIS GH and PROMIS domain scales measuring the same or related constructs. Analyses were repeated stratified by stroke subtype and modified Rankin Scale score <2 versus ≥2. There was moderate internal reliability (ordinal α, 0.82-0.88) and marginal model fit for the 2-factor solution for component scores (root mean square error of approximation, 0.11). Convergent validity was good with significant correlations between all PROMIS GH items and PROMIS domain scales ( P <0.001 for all). There was excellent discrimination for all PROMIS GH items and component scores across modified Rankin Scale levels. Good responsiveness (effect size, >0.5) was demonstrated for 8 of the 10 PROMIS GH items. Reliability and validity remained consistent across stroke subtype and disability level (modified Rankin Scale, <2 versus ≥2). PROMIS GH exhibits acceptable performance in patients with stroke. Our findings

  12. Sustainability at the local scale: defining highly aggregated indices for assessing environmental performance. The province of Reggio Emilia (Italy) as a case study.

    PubMed

    Clerici, Nicola; Bodini, Antonio; Ferrarini, Alessandro

    2004-10-01

    In order to achieve improved sustainability, local authorities need to use tools that adequately describe and synthesize environmental information. This article illustrates a methodological approach that organizes a wide suite of environmental indicators into few aggregated indices, making use of correlation, principal component analysis, and fuzzy sets. Furthermore, a weighting system, which includes stakeholders' priorities and ambitions, is applied. As a case study, the described methodology is applied to the Reggio Emilia Province in Italy, by considering environmental information from 45 municipalities. Principal component analysis is used to condense an initial set of 19 indicators into 6 fundamental dimensions that highlight patterns of environmental conditions at the provincial scale. These dimensions are further aggregated in two indices of environmental performance through fuzzy sets. The simple form of these indices makes them particularly suitable for public communication, as they condensate a wide set of heterogeneous indicators. The main outcomes of the analysis and the potential applications of the method are discussed.

  13. Evaluation of Reading Habits of Teacher Candidates: Study of Scale Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Erkan, Senem Seda Sahenk; Dagal, Asude Balaban; Tezcan, Özlem

    2016-01-01

    The main purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable scale for printed and digital competencies ("The Printed and Digital Reading Habits Scale"). The problem statement of this research can be expressed as: "The Printed and Digital Reading Habits Scale: is a valid and reliable scale?" In this study, the scale…

  14. Scaling maximal oxygen uptake to predict performance in elite-standard men cross-country skiers.

    PubMed

    Carlsson, Tomas; Carlsson, Magnus; Felleki, Majbritt; Hammarström, Daniel; Heil, Daniel; Malm, Christer; Tonkonogi, Michail

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to: 1) establish the optimal body-mass exponent for maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2)max) to indicate performance in elite-standard men cross-country skiers; and 2) evaluate the influence of course inclination on the body-mass exponent. Twelve elite-standard men skiers completed an incremental treadmill roller-skiing test to determine VO(2)max and performance data came from the 2008 Swedish National Championship 15-km classic-technique race. Log-transformation of power-function models was used to predict skiing speeds. The optimal models were found to be: Race speed = 7.86 · VO(2)max · m(-0.48) and Section speed = 5.96 · [VO(2)max · m(-(0.38 + 0.03 · α)) · e(-0.003 · Δ) (where m is body mass, α is the section's inclination and Δ is the altitude difference of the previous section), that explained 68% and 84% of the variance in skiing speed, respectively. A body-mass exponent of 0.48 (95% confidence interval: 0.19 to 0.77) best described VO(2)max as an indicator of performance in elite-standard men skiers. The confidence interval did not support the use of either "1" (simple ratio-standard scaled) or "0" (absolute expression) as body-mass exponents for expressing VO(2)max as an indicator of performance. Moreover, results suggest that course inclination increases the body-mass exponent for VO(2)max.

  15. Overview of large scale experiments performed within the LBB project in the Czech Republic

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

    Kadecka, P.; Lauerova, D.

    1997-04-01

    During several recent years NRI Rez has been performing the LBB analyses of safety significant primary circuit pipings of NPPs in Czech and Slovak Republics. The analyses covered the NPPs with reactors WWER 440 Type 230 and 213 and WWER 1000 Type 320. Within the relevant LBB projects undertaken with the aim to prove the fulfilling of the requirements of LBB, a series of large scale experiments were performed. The goal of these experiments was to verify the properties of the components selected, and to prove the quality and/or conservatism of assessments used in the LBB-analyses. In this poster, amore » brief overview of experiments performed in Czech Republic under guidance of NRI Rez is presented.« less

  16. A Study on Developing "An Attitude Scale for Project and Performance Tasks for Turkish Language Leaching Course"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Demir, Tazegul

    2013-01-01

    The main purpose of this study is to demonstrate the students' attitudes towards project and performance tasks in Turkish Lessons and to develop a reliable and valid measurement tool. A total of 461 junior high school students participated in this study. In this study, firstly the preparation of items, specialist be consulted (content…

  17. Cardiovascular performance of adult breeding sows fails to obey allometric scaling laws.

    PubMed

    van Essen, G J; Vernooij, J C M; Heesterbeek, J A P; Anjema, D; Merkus, D; Duncker, D J

    2011-02-01

    In view of the remarkable decrease of the relative heart weight (HW) and the relative blood volume in growing pigs, we investigated whether HW, cardiac output (CO), and stroke volume (SV) of modern growing pigs are proportional to BW, as predicted by allometric scaling laws: HW (or CO or SV) = a·BW(b), in which a and b are constants, and constant b is a multiple of 0.25 (quarter-power scaling law). Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that both HW and CO scale with BW to the power of 0.75 (HW or CO = a·BW(0.75)) and SV scales with BW to the power of 1.00 (SV = a·BW(1.0)). For this purpose, 2 groups of pigs (group 1, consisting of 157 pigs of 50 ± 1 kg; group 2, consisting of 45 pigs of 268 ± 18 kg) were surgically instrumented with a flow probe or a thermodilution dilution catheter, under open-chest anesthetized conditions to measure CO and SV, after which HW was determined. The 95% confidence intervals of power-coefficient b for HW were 0.74 to 0.80, encompassing the predicted value of 0.75, suggesting that HW increased proportionally with BW, as predicted by the allometric scaling laws. In contrast, the 95% confidence intervals of power-coefficient b for CO and SV as measured with flow probes were 0.40 to 0.56 and 0.39 to 0.61, respectively, and values obtained with the thermodilution technique were 0.34 to 0.53 and 0.40 to 0.62, respectively. Thus, the 95% confidence limits failed to encompass the predicted values of b for CO and SV of 0.75 and 1.0, respectively. In conclusion, although adult breeding sows display normal heart growth, cardiac performance appears to be disproportionately low for BW. This raises concern regarding the health status of adult breeding sows.

  18. Laryngeal manual therapy palpatory evaluation scale: A preliminary study to examine its usefulness in diagnosis of occupational dysphonia.

    PubMed

    Woźnicka, Ewelina; Niebudek-Bogusz, Ewa; Morawska, Joanna; Wiktorowicz, Justyna; Śliwińska-Kowalska, Mariola

    2017-03-24

    The aim of this study has been to assess the larynx and soft tissue around the vocal tract in a group of people with healthy voice, and in a group of patients with occupational dysphonia using the new laryngeal manual therapy palpatory evaluation scale (LMTPE). The examinations were performed in a study (dysphonic) group of professional voice users who had developed voice disorders (N = 51) and in the control group of normophonic subjects (N = 50). All the participants underwent perceptual voice assessment and examination by means of the LMTPE scale. Additionally, phoniatric examination including VHI (Voice Handicap Index) questionnaire, GRBAS (the Grade of hoarseness, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenic, Strained) perceptual evaluation, maximum phonation time (MPT) measurement and videostroboscopy was performed in the study group. The comparison of the LMTPE total score showed that the results of the study group were significantly poorer than those of controls (p < 0.001). In the study group, correlations were found between the LMTPE results and the VHI scores (p < 0.05), perceptual evaluation by the GRBAS (p < 0.05) and the objective parameter MPT (p < 0.05). The study has proven that the LMTPE scale is characterized by the high score of Cronbach's α ratio estimating the reliability of the test. The results have confirmed that the LMTPE scale seems to be a valuable tool, useful in diagnostics of occupational dysphonia, particularly of hyperfunction origin. Med Pr 2017;68(2):179-188. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

  19. Insight into Evolution, Processing and Performance of Multi-length-scale Structures in Planar Heterojunction Perovskite Solar Cells.

    PubMed

    Huang, Yu-Ching; Tsao, Cheng-Si; Cho, Yi-Ju; Chen, Kuan-Chen; Chiang, Kai-Ming; Hsiao, Sheng-Yi; Chen, Chang-Wen; Su, Chun-Jen; Jeng, U-Ser; Lin, Hao-Wu

    2015-09-04

    The structural characterization correlated to the processing control of hierarchical structure of planar heterojunction perovskite layer is still incomplete due to the limitations of conventional microscopy and X-ray diffraction. This present study performed the simultaneously grazing-incidence small-angle scattering and wide-angle scattering (GISAXS/GIWAXS) techniques to quantitatively probe the hierarchical structure of the planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells. The result is complementary to the currently microscopic study. Correlation between the crystallization behavior, crystal orientation, nano- and meso-scale internal structure and surface morphology of perovskite film as functions of various processing control parameters is reported for the first time. The structural transition from the fractal pore network to the surface fractal can be tuned by the chloride percentage. The GISAXS/GIWAXS measurement provides the comprehensive understanding of concurrent evolution of the film morphology and crystallization correlated to the high performance. The result can provide the insight into formation mechanism and rational synthesis design.

  20. Insight into Evolution, Processing and Performance of Multi-length-scale Structures in Planar Heterojunction Perovskite Solar Cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Yu-Ching; Tsao, Cheng-Si; Cho, Yi-Ju; Chen, Kuan-Chen; Chiang, Kai-Ming; Hsiao, Sheng-Yi; Chen, Chang-Wen; Su, Chun-Jen; Jeng, U.-Ser; Lin, Hao-Wu

    2015-09-01

    The structural characterization correlated to the processing control of hierarchical structure of planar heterojunction perovskite layer is still incomplete due to the limitations of conventional microscopy and X-ray diffraction. This present study performed the simultaneously grazing-incidence small-angle scattering and wide-angle scattering (GISAXS/GIWAXS) techniques to quantitatively probe the hierarchical structure of the planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells. The result is complementary to the currently microscopic study. Correlation between the crystallization behavior, crystal orientation, nano- and meso-scale internal structure and surface morphology of perovskite film as functions of various processing control parameters is reported for the first time. The structural transition from the fractal pore network to the surface fractal can be tuned by the chloride percentage. The GISAXS/GIWAXS measurement provides the comprehensive understanding of concurrent evolution of the film morphology and crystallization correlated to the high performance. The result can provide the insight into formation mechanism and rational synthesis design.

  1. The Development of the Functional Literacy Experience Scale Based upon Ecological Theory (FLESBUET) and Validity-Reliability Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Özenç, Emine Gül; Dogan, M. Cihangir

    2014-01-01

    This study aims to perform a validity-reliability test by developing the Functional Literacy Experience Scale based upon Ecological Theory (FLESBUET) for primary education students. The study group includes 209 fifth grade students at Sabri Taskin Primary School in the Kartal District of Istanbul, Turkey during the 2010-2011 academic year.…

  2. Sleep disordered breathing and daytime sleepiness are associated with poor academic performance in teenagers. A study using the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS).

    PubMed

    Perez-Chada, Daniel; Perez-Lloret, Santiago; Videla, Alejandro J; Cardinali, Daniel; Bergna, Miguel A; Fernández-Acquier, Mariano; Larrateguy, Luis; Zabert, Gustavo E; Drake, Christopher

    2007-12-01

    Inadequate sleep and sleep disordered breathing (SDB) can impair learning skills. Questionnaires used to evaluate sleepiness in adults are usually inadequate for adolescents. We conducted a study to evaluate the performance of a Spanish version of the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS) and to assess the impact of sleepiness and SDB on academic performance. A cross-sectional survey of students from 7 schools in 4 cities of Argentina. A questionnaire with a Spanish version of the PDSS was used. Questions on the occurrence of snoring and witnessed apneas were answered by the parents. Mathematics and language grades were used as indicators of academic performance. The sample included 2,884 students (50% males; age: 13.3 +/- 1.5 years) Response rate was 85%; 678 cases were excluded due to missing data. Half the students slept <9 h per night on weekdays. The mean PDSS value was 15.74 +/- 5.93. Parental reporting of snoring occurred in 511 subjects (23%); snoring was occasional in 14% and frequent in 9%. Apneas were witnessed in 237 cases (11%), being frequent in 4% and occasional in 7%. Frequent snorers had higher mean PDSS scores than occasional or nonsnorers (18 +/- 5, 15.7 +/- 6 and 15.5 +/- 6, respectively; P < 0.001). Reported snoring or apneas and the PDSS were significant univariate predictors of failure and remained significant in multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, specific school attended, and sleep habits. Insufficient hours of sleep were prevalent in this population. The Spanish version of the PDSS was a reliable tool in middle-school-aged children. Reports of snoring or witnessed apneas and daytime sleepiness as measured by PDSS were independent predictors of poor academic performance.

  3. Analytical study of nano-scale logical operations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Patra, Moumita; Maiti, Santanu K.

    2018-07-01

    A complete analytical prescription is given to perform three basic (OR, AND, NOT) and two universal (NAND, NOR) logic gates at nano-scale level using simple tailor made geometries. Two different geometries, ring-like and chain-like, are taken into account where in each case the bridging conductor is coupled to a local atomic site through a dangling bond whose site energy can be controlled by means of external gate electrode. The main idea is that when injecting electron energy matches with site energy of local atomic site transmission probability drops exactly to zero, whereas the junction exhibits finite transmission for other energies. Utilizing this prescription we perform logical operations, and, we strongly believe that the proposed results can be verified in laboratory. Finally, we numerically compute two-terminal transmission probability considering general models and the numerical results match exactly well with our analytical findings.

  4. Study of structural colour of Hebomoia glaucippe butterfly wing scales

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shur, V. Ya; Kuznetsov, D. K.; Pryakhina, V. I.; Kosobokov, M. S.; Zubarev, I. V.; Boymuradova, S. K.; Volchetskaya, K. V.

    2017-10-01

    Structural colours of Hebomoia glaucippe butterfly wing scales have been studied experimentally using high resolution scanning electron microscopy. Visualization of scales structures and computer simulation allowed distinguishing correlation between nanostructures on the scales and their colour.

  5. Role of Academic Managers in Workload and Performance Management of Academic Staff: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Graham, Andrew T.

    2016-01-01

    This small-scale case study focused on academic managers to explore the ways in which they control the workload of academic staff and the extent to which they use the workload model in performance management of academic staff. The links that exist between the workload and performance management were explored to confirm or refute the conceptual…

  6. The Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE): translation and validation study of the Iranian version

    PubMed Central

    Tavoli, Azadeh; Melyani, Mahdiyeh; Bakhtiari, Maryam; Ghaedi, Gholam Hossein; Montazeri, Ali

    2009-01-01

    Background The Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE) is a commonly used instrument to measure social anxiety. This study aimed to translate and to test the reliability and validity of the BFNE in Iran. Methods The English language version of the BFNE was translated into Persian (Iranian language) and was used in this study. The questionnaire was administered to a consecutive sample of 235 students with (n = 33, clinical group) and without social phobia (n = 202, non-clinical group). In addition to the BFNE, two standard instruments were used to measure social phobia severity: the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS). All participants completed a brief background information questionnaire, the SPIN, the SIAS and the BFNE scales. Statistical analysis was performed to test the reliability and validity of the BFNE. Results In all 235 students were studied (111 male and 124 female). The mean age for non-clinical group was 22.2 (SD = 2.1) years and for clinical sample it was 22.4 (SD = 1.8) years. Cronbach's alpha coefficient (to test reliability) was acceptable for both non-clinical and clinical samples (α = 0.90 and 0.82 respectively). In addition, 3-week test-retest reliability was performed in non-clinical sample and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was quite high (ICC = 0.71). Validity as performed using convergent and discriminant validity showed satisfactory results. The questionnaire correlated well with established measures of social phobia such as the SPIN (r = 0.43, p < 0.001) and the SIAS (r = 0.54, p < 0.001). Also the BFNE discriminated well between men and women with and without social phobia in the expected direction. Factor analysis supported a two-factor solution corresponding to positive and reverse-worded items. Conclusion This validation study of the Iranian version of BFNE proved that it is an acceptable, reliable and valid measure of social phobia. However, since the scale showed a

  7. The Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE): translation and validation study of the Iranian version.

    PubMed

    Tavoli, Azadeh; Melyani, Mahdiyeh; Bakhtiari, Maryam; Ghaedi, Gholam Hossein; Montazeri, Ali

    2009-07-09

    The Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE) is a commonly used instrument to measure social anxiety. This study aimed to translate and to test the reliability and validity of the BFNE in Iran. The English language version of the BFNE was translated into Persian (Iranian language) and was used in this study. The questionnaire was administered to a consecutive sample of 235 students with (n = 33, clinical group) and without social phobia (n = 202, non-clinical group). In addition to the BFNE, two standard instruments were used to measure social phobia severity: the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS). All participants completed a brief background information questionnaire, the SPIN, the SIAS and the BFNE scales. Statistical analysis was performed to test the reliability and validity of the BFNE. In all 235 students were studied (111 male and 124 female). The mean age for non-clinical group was 22.2 (SD = 2.1) years and for clinical sample it was 22.4 (SD = 1.8) years. Cronbach's alpha coefficient (to test reliability) was acceptable for both non-clinical and clinical samples (alpha = 0.90 and 0.82 respectively). In addition, 3-week test-retest reliability was performed in non-clinical sample and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was quite high (ICC = 0.71). Validity as performed using convergent and discriminant validity showed satisfactory results. The questionnaire correlated well with established measures of social phobia such as the SPIN (r = 0.43, p < 0.001) and the SIAS (r = 0.54, p < 0.001). Also the BFNE discriminated well between men and women with and without social phobia in the expected direction. Factor analysis supported a two-factor solution corresponding to positive and reverse-worded items. This validation study of the Iranian version of BFNE proved that it is an acceptable, reliable and valid measure of social phobia. However, since the scale showed a two-factor structure and this does

  8. The Examination of Reliability According to Classical Test and Generalizability on a Job Performance Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yelboga, Atilla; Tavsancil, Ezel

    2010-01-01

    In this research, the classical test theory and generalizability theory analyses were carried out with the data obtained by a job performance scale for the years 2005 and 2006. The reliability coefficients obtained (estimated) from the classical test theory and generalizability theory analyses were compared. In classical test theory, test retest…

  9. Full-scale S-76 rotor performance and loads at low speeds in the NASA Ames 80- by 120-Foot Wind Tunnel. Vol. 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shinoda, Patrick M.

    1996-01-01

    A full-scale helicopter rotor test was conducted in the NASA Ames 80- by 120-Foot Wind Tunnel with a four-bladed S-76 rotor system. Rotor performance and loads data were obtained over a wide range of rotor shaft angles-of-attack and thrust conditions at tunnel speeds ranging from 0 to 100 kt. The primary objectives of this test were (1) to acquire forward flight rotor performance and loads data for comparison with analytical results; (2) to acquire S-76 forward flight rotor performance data in the 80- by 120-Foot Wind Tunnel to compare with existing full-scale 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel test data that were acquired in 1977; (3) to evaluate the acoustic capability of the 80- by 120- Foot Wind Tunnel for acquiring blade vortex interaction (BVI) noise in the low speed range and compare BVI noise with in-flight test data; and (4) to evaluate the capability of the 80- by 120-Foot Wind Tunnel test section as a hover facility. The secondary objectives were (1) to evaluate rotor inflow and wake effects (variations in tunnel speed, shaft angle, and thrust condition) on wind tunnel test section wall and floor pressures; (2) to establish the criteria for the definition of flow breakdown (condition where wall corrections are no longer valid) for this size rotor and wind tunnel cross-sectional area; and (3) to evaluate the wide-field shadowgraph technique for visualizing full-scale rotor wakes. This data base of rotor performance and loads can be used for analytical and experimental comparison studies for full-scale, four-bladed, fully articulated rotor systems. Rotor performance and structural loads data are presented in this report.

  10. Propfan test assessment testbed aircraft stability and control/performance 1/9-scale wind tunnel tests

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Little, B. H., Jr.; Tomlin, K. H.; Aljabri, A. S.; Mason, C. A.

    1988-01-01

    One-ninth scale wind tunnel model tests of the Propfan Test Assessment (PTA) aircraft were performed in three different NASA facilities. Wing and propfan nacelle static pressures, model forces and moments, and flow field at the propfan plane were measured in these tests. Tests started in June 1985 and were completed in January 1987. These data were needed to assure PTA safety of flight, predict PTA performance, and validate analytical codes that will be used to predict flow fields in which the propfan will operate.

  11. Profiling and Improving I/O Performance of a Large-Scale Climate Scientific Application

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liu, Zhuo; Wang, Bin; Wang, Teng; Tian, Yuan; Xu, Cong; Wang, Yandong; Yu, Weikuan; Cruz, Carlos A.; Zhou, Shujia; Clune, Tom; hide

    2013-01-01

    Exascale computing systems are soon to emerge, which will pose great challenges on the huge gap between computing and I/O performance. Many large-scale scientific applications play an important role in our daily life. The huge amounts of data generated by such applications require highly parallel and efficient I/O management policies. In this paper, we adopt a mission-critical scientific application, GEOS-5, as a case to profile and analyze the communication and I/O issues that are preventing applications from fully utilizing the underlying parallel storage systems. Through in-detail architectural and experimental characterization, we observe that current legacy I/O schemes incur significant network communication overheads and are unable to fully parallelize the data access, thus degrading applications' I/O performance and scalability. To address these inefficiencies, we redesign its I/O framework along with a set of parallel I/O techniques to achieve high scalability and performance. Evaluation results on the NASA discover cluster show that our optimization of GEOS-5 with ADIOS has led to significant performance improvements compared to the original GEOS-5 implementation.

  12. A study of large scale gust generation in a small scale atmospheric wind tunnel with applications to Micro Aerial Vehicles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roadman, Jason Markos

    Modern technology operating in the atmospheric boundary layer can always benefit from more accurate wind tunnel testing. While scaled atmospheric boundary layer tunnels have been well developed, tunnels replicating portions of the atmospheric boundary layer turbulence at full scale are a comparatively new concept. Testing at full-scale Reynolds numbers with full-scale turbulence in an "atmospheric wind tunnel" is sought. Many programs could utilize such a tool including Micro Aerial Vehicle(MAV) development, the wind energy industry, fuel efficient vehicle design, and the study of bird and insect flight, to name just a few. The small scale of MAVs provide the somewhat unique capability of full scale Reynolds number testing in a wind tunnel. However, that same small scale creates interactions under real world flight conditions, atmospheric gusts for example, that lead to a need for testing under more complex flows than the standard uniform flow found in most wind tunnels. It is for these reasons that MAVs are used as the initial testing application for the atmospheric gust tunnel. An analytical model for both discrete gusts and a continuous spectrum of gusts is examined. Then, methods for generating gusts in agreement with that model are investigated. Previously used methods are reviewed and a gust generation apparatus is designed. Expected turbulence and gust characteristics of this apparatus are compared with atmospheric data. The construction of an active "gust generator" for a new atmospheric tunnel is reviewed and the turbulence it generates is measured utilizing single and cross hot wires. Results from this grid are compared to atmospheric turbulence and it is shown that various gust strengths can be produced corresponding to weather ranging from calm to quite gusty. An initial test is performed in the atmospheric wind tunnel whereby the effects of various turbulence conditions on transition and separation on the upper surface of a MAV wing is investigated

  13. Performance evaluation of a full-scale innovative swine waste-to-energy system.

    PubMed

    Xu, Jiele; Adair, Charles W; Deshusses, Marc A

    2016-09-01

    Intensive monitoring was carried out to evaluate the performance of a full-scale innovative swine waste-to-energy system at a commercial swine farm with 8640 heads of swine. Detailed mass balances over each unit of the system showed that the system, which includes a 7600m(3) anaerobic digester, a 65-kW microturbine, and a 4200m(3) aeration basin, was able to remove up to 92% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD), 99% of the biological oxygen demand (BOD), 77% of the total nitrogen (TN), and 82% of the total phosphorous (TP) discharged into the system as fresh pig waste. The overall biogas yield based on the COD input was 64% of the maximum theoretical, a value that indicates that even greater environmental benefits could be obtained with process optimization. Overall, the characterization of the materials fluxes in the system provides a greater understanding of the fate of organics and nutrients in large scale animal waste management systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. The revised Generalized Expectancy for Success Scale: a validity and reliability study.

    PubMed

    Hale, W D; Fiedler, L R; Cochran, C D

    1992-07-01

    The Generalized Expectancy for Success Scale (GESS; Fibel & Hale, 1978) was revised and assessed for reliability and validity. The revised version was administered to 199 college students along with other conceptually related measures, including the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Life Orientation Test, and Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale. One subsample of students also completed the Eysenck Personality Inventory, while another subsample performed a criterion-related task that involved risk taking. Item analysis yielded 25 items with correlations of .45 or higher with the total score. Results indicated high internal consistency and test-retest reliability.

  15. Experimental study of detonation of large-scale powder-droplet-vapor mixtures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bai, C.-H.; Wang, Y.; Xue, K.; Wang, L.-F.

    2018-05-01

    Large-scale experiments were carried out to investigate the detonation performance of a 1600-m3 ternary cloud consisting of aluminum powder, fuel droplets, and vapor, which were dispersed by a central explosive in a cylindrically stratified configuration. High-frame-rate video cameras and pressure gauges were used to analyze the large-scale explosive dispersal of the mixture and the ensuing blast wave generated by the detonation of the cloud. Special attention was focused on the effect of the descending motion of the charge on the detonation performance of the dispersed ternary cloud. The charge was parachuted by an ensemble of apparatus from the designated height in order to achieve the required terminal velocity when the central explosive was detonated. A descending charge with a terminal velocity of 32 m/s produced a cloud with discernably increased concentration compared with that dispersed from a stationary charge, the detonation of which hence generates a significantly enhanced blast wave beyond the scaled distance of 6 m/kg^{1/3}. The results also show the influence of the descending motion of the charge on the jetting phenomenon and the distorted shock front.

  16. Environmental and Economic Performance of Commercial-scale Solar Photovoltaic Systems: A Field Study of Complex Energy Systems at the Desert Research Institute (DRI)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, X.

    2014-12-01

    Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are being aggressively deployed at residential, commercial, and utility scales to complement power generation from conventional sources. This is motivated both by the desire to reduce carbon footprints and by policy-driven financial incentives. Although several life cycle analyses (LCA) have investigated environmental impacts and energy payback times of solar PV systems, most results are based on hypothetical systems rather than actual, deployed systems that can provide measured performance data. Over the past five years, Desert Research Institute (DRI) in Nevada has installed eight solar PV systems of scales from 3 to 1000 kW, the sum of which supply approximately 40% of the total power use at DRI's Reno and Las Vegas campuses. The goal of this work is to explore greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts and examine the economic performance of DRI's PV systems by developing and applying a comprehensive LCA and techno-economic (TEA) model. This model is built using data appropriate for each type of panel used in the DRI systems. Power output is modeled using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) model PVWatts. The performance of PVWatts is verified by the actual measurements from DRI's PV systems. Several environmental and economic metrics are quantified for the DRI systems, including life cycle GHG emissions and energy return. GHG results are compared with Nevada grid-based electricity. Initial results indicate that DRI's solar-derived electricity offers clear GHG benefits compared to conventional grid electricity. DRI's eight systems have GHG intensity values of 29-56 gCO2e/kWh, as compared to the GHG intensity of 212 gCO2e/kWh of national average grid power. The major source of impacts (82-92% of the total) is the upstream life cycle burden of manufacturing PV panels, which are made of either mono-crystalline or multi-crystalline silicon. Given the same type of PV panel, GHG intensity decreases as the scale of the system increases

  17. Understanding urban water performance at the city-region scale using an urban water metabolism evaluation framework.

    PubMed

    Renouf, Marguerite A; Kenway, Steven J; Lam, Ka Leung; Weber, Tony; Roux, Estelle; Serrao-Neumann, Silvia; Choy, Darryl Low; Morgan, Edward A

    2018-06-15

    Water sensitive interventions are being promoted to reduce the adverse impacts of urban development on natural water cycles. However it is currently difficult to know the best strategy for their implementation because current and desired urban water performance is not well quantified. This is particularly at the city-region scale, which is important for strategic urban planning. This work aimed to fill this gap by quantifying the water performance of urban systems within city-regions using 'urban water metabolism' evaluation, to inform decisions about water sensitive interventions. To do this we adapted an existing evaluation framework with new methods. In particular, we used land use data for defining system boundaries, and for estimating natural hydrological flows. The criteria for gauging the water performance were water efficiency (in terms of water extracted externally) and hydrological performance (how much natural hydrological flows have changed relative to a nominated pre-urbanised state). We compared these performance criteria for urban systems within three Australian city-regions (South East Queensland, Melbourne and Perth metropolitan areas), under current conditions, and after implementation of example water sensitive interventions (demand management, rainwater/stormwater harvesting, wastewater recycling and increasing perviousness). The respective water efficiencies were found to be 79, 90 and 133 kL/capita/yr. In relation to hydrological performance, stormwater runoff relative to pre-urbanised flows was of most note, estimated to be 2-, 6- and 3- fold, respectively. The estimated performance benefits from water sensitive interventions suggested different priorities for each region, and that combined implementation of a range of interventions may be necessary to make substantive gains in performance. We concluded that the framework is suited to initial screening of the type and scale of water sensitive interventions needed to achieve desired water

  18. Performance upgrades to the MCNP6 burnup capability for large scale depletion calculations

    DOE PAGES

    Fensin, M. L.; Galloway, J. D.; James, M. R.

    2015-04-11

    The first MCNP based inline Monte Carlo depletion capability was officially released from the Radiation Safety Information and Computational Center as MCNPX 2.6.0. With the merger of MCNPX and MCNP5, MCNP6 combined the capability of both simulation tools, as well as providing new advanced technology, in a single radiation transport code. The new MCNP6 depletion capability was first showcased at the International Congress for Advancements in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP) meeting in 2012. At that conference the new capabilities addressed included the combined distributive and shared memory parallel architecture for the burnup capability, improved memory management, physics enhancements, and newmore » predictability as compared to the H.B Robinson Benchmark. At Los Alamos National Laboratory, a special purpose cluster named “tebow,” was constructed such to maximize available RAM per CPU, as well as leveraging swap space with solid state hard drives, to allow larger scale depletion calculations (allowing for significantly more burnable regions than previously examined). As the MCNP6 burnup capability was scaled to larger numbers of burnable regions, a noticeable slowdown was realized.This paper details two specific computational performance strategies for improving calculation speedup: (1) retrieving cross sections during transport; and (2) tallying mechanisms specific to burnup in MCNP. To combat this slowdown new performance upgrades were developed and integrated into MCNP6 1.2.« less

  19. Choice of time-scale in Cox's model analysis of epidemiologic cohort data: a simulation study.

    PubMed

    Thiébaut, Anne C M; Bénichou, Jacques

    2004-12-30

    Cox's regression model is widely used for assessing associations between potential risk factors and disease occurrence in epidemiologic cohort studies. Although age is often a strong determinant of disease risk, authors have frequently used time-on-study instead of age as the time-scale, as for clinical trials. Unless the baseline hazard is an exponential function of age, this approach can yield different estimates of relative hazards than using age as the time-scale, even when age is adjusted for. We performed a simulation study in order to investigate the existence and magnitude of bias for different degrees of association between age and the covariate of interest. Age to disease onset was generated from exponential, Weibull or piecewise Weibull distributions, and both fixed and time-dependent dichotomous covariates were considered. We observed no bias upon using age as the time-scale. Upon using time-on-study, we verified the absence of bias for exponentially distributed age to disease onset. For non-exponential distributions, we found that bias could occur even when the covariate of interest was independent from age. It could be severe in case of substantial association with age, especially with time-dependent covariates. These findings were illustrated on data from a cohort of 84,329 French women followed prospectively for breast cancer occurrence. In view of our results, we strongly recommend not using time-on-study as the time-scale for analysing epidemiologic cohort data. 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  20. Tinetti and Berg balance scales correlate with disability in hereditary peripheral neuropathies: a preliminary study.

    PubMed

    Monti Bragadin, M; Francini, L; Bellone, E; Grandis, M; Reni, L; Canneva, S; Gemelli, C; Ursino, G; Maggi, G; Mori, L; Schenone, A

    2015-08-01

    The combination of distal muscle weakness, sensory defects and feet deformities leads to disequilibrium in patients affected by Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) neuropathy. Studies relating the outcome of balance scales and clinical severity of CMT are lacking. To evaluate the accuracy of the Tinetti Balance scale (TBS) and Berg Balance scale (BBS) in identifying balance disorders and quantifying disease severity in CMT patients. Observational study. University of Genoa-IRCCS AOU San Martino IST-Department of Neurology, Italy. Nineteen individuals with a diagnosis of CMT (12 females, 7 males, age 41.26±12.42). All subjects underwent an evaluation with both TBS and BBS. Disability was quantified with CMT neuropathy score (CMTNS). Moreover, a complete neurophysiological study was performed. Distal lower limbs strength was evaluated with MRC scale. Pearson rank order correlation was used to determine the correlation between the scores on the two tests and to identify an eventual correlation between TBS or BBS and the CMTNS. Both scales showed a highly significant negative correlation with the CMTNS (r=-0.78, P<0.0005 and r=-0.77, P<0.001, respectively) and distal weakness on the anterior tibial muscles (AT) (TBS: AT left: r=0.65, P<0.005 and AT right: 0.59, P<0.01; BBS: AT left r=+0.71, P<0.001 and AT right r=+0.66, P<0.005). We found also a highly significant, positive correlation between the two different balance scales (r=+0.9, P<0.0001). TBS and BBS strongly correlate with disease disability and distal muscular weakness. Both TBS and BBS may play a relevant role in the assessment of disability in patients affected by CMT. Further studies are needed to validate our results in a larger population.

  1. Does national scale economic and environmental indicators spur logistics performance? Evidence from UK.

    PubMed

    Khan, Syed Abdul Rehman; Qianli, Dong

    2017-12-01

    The aim of this study is to examine the association between national economic and environmental indicators with green logistics performance in a time series data of UK since 1981 to 2016. The research used autoregressive distributed lag method to understand the long-run and short-run relationships of national scale economic (foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, per capita income) and environmental indicators (total greenhouse gases, fossil fuel, and renewable energy) on green logistics. In the short run, the research findings indicate that the green logistics and renewable energy have positive relationship, while fossil fuel is negatively correlated with green logistics operations. On the other hand, in the long run, the results show that FDI inflows, renewable energy sources, and per capita income have statistically significant and positive association with green logistics activities, while foreign investments attracted by environmental friendly policies and practices adopted in global logistics operations, which not only increase the environmental sustainability but also enhance economic activities with greater export opportunities in the region.

  2. Curriculum Design Orientations Preference Scale of Teachers: Validity and Reliability Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bas, Gokhan

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable scale for preferences of teachers in regard of their curriculum design orientations. Because there was no scale development study similar to this one in Turkey, it was considered as an urgent need to develop such a scale in the study. The sample of the research consisted of 300…

  3. Extreme Postnatal Scaling in Bat Feeding Performance: A View of Ecomorphology from Ontogenetic and Macroevolutionary Perspectives.

    PubMed

    Santana, Sharlene E; Miller, Kimberly E

    2016-09-01

    Ecomorphology studies focus on understanding how anatomical and behavioral diversity result in differences in performance, ecology, and fitness. In mammals, the determinate growth of the skeleton entails that bite performance should change throughout ontogeny until the feeding apparatus attains its adult size and morphology. Then, interspecific differences in adult phenotypes are expected to drive food resource partitioning and patterns of lineage diversification. However, Formal tests of these predictions are lacking for the majority of mammal groups, and thus our understanding of mammalian ecomorphology remains incomplete. By focusing on a fundamental measure of feeding performance, bite force, and capitalizing on the extraordinary morphological and dietary diversity of bats, we discuss how the intersection of ontogenetic and macroevolutionary changes in feeding performance may impact ecological diversity in these mammals. We integrate data on cranial morphology and bite force gathered through longitudinal studies of captive animals and comparative studies of free-ranging individuals. We demonstrate that ontogenetic trajectories and evolutionary changes in bite force are highly dependent on changes in body and head size, and that bats exhibit dramatic, allometric increases in bite force during ontogeny. Interspecific variation in bite force is highly dependent on differences in cranial morphology and function, highlighting selection for ecological specialization. While more research is needed to determine how ontogenetic changes in size and bite force specifically impact food resource use and fitness in bats, interspecific diversity in cranial morphology and bite performance seem to closely match functional differences in diet. Altogether, these results suggest direct ecomorphological relationships at ontogenetic and macroevolutionary scales in bats. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative

  4. Optimal performance of generalized heat engines with finite-size baths of arbitrary multiple conserved quantities beyond independent-and-identical-distribution scaling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ito, Kosuke; Hayashi, Masahito

    2018-01-01

    In quantum thermodynamics, effects of finiteness of the baths have been less considered. In particular, there is no general theory which focuses on finiteness of the baths of multiple conserved quantities. Then, we investigate how the optimal performance of generalized heat engines with multiple conserved quantities alters in response to the size of the baths. In the context of general theories of quantum thermodynamics, the size of the baths has been given in terms of the number of identical copies of a system, which does not cover even such a natural scaling as the volume. In consideration of the asymptotic extensivity, we deal with a generic scaling of the baths to naturally include the volume scaling. Based on it, we derive a bound for the performance of generalized heat engines reflecting finite-size effects of the baths, which we call fine-grained generalized Carnot bound. We also construct a protocol to achieve the optimal performance of the engine given by this bound. Finally, applying the obtained general theory, we deal with simple examples of generalized heat engines. As for an example of non-independent-and-identical-distribution scaling and multiple conserved quantities, we investigate a heat engine with two baths composed of an ideal gas exchanging particles, where the volume scaling is applied. The result implies that the mass of the particle explicitly affects the performance of this engine with finite-size baths.

  5. Happiness Scale Interval Study. Methodological Considerations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kalmijn, W. M.; Arends, L. R.; Veenhoven, R.

    2011-01-01

    The Happiness Scale Interval Study deals with survey questions on happiness, using verbal response options, such as "very happy" and "pretty happy". The aim is to estimate what degrees of happiness are denoted by such terms in different questions and languages. These degrees are expressed in numerical values on a continuous…

  6. Dynamic modeling and validation of a lignocellulosic enzymatic hydrolysis process--a demonstration scale study.

    PubMed

    Prunescu, Remus Mihail; Sin, Gürkan

    2013-12-01

    The enzymatic hydrolysis process is one of the key steps in second generation biofuel production. After being thermally pretreated, the lignocellulosic material is liquefied by enzymes prior to fermentation. The scope of this paper is to evaluate a dynamic model of the hydrolysis process on a demonstration scale reactor. The following novel features are included: the application of the Convection-Diffusion-Reaction equation to a hydrolysis reactor to assess transport and mixing effects; the extension of a competitive kinetic model with enzymatic pH dependency and hemicellulose hydrolysis; a comprehensive pH model; and viscosity estimations during the course of reaction. The model is evaluated against real data extracted from a demonstration scale biorefinery throughout several days of operation. All measurements are within predictions uncertainty and, therefore, the model constitutes a valuable tool to support process optimization, performance monitoring, diagnosis and process control at full-scale studies. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale (Sheehan-STS)

    PubMed Central

    2009-01-01

    Objective: Accurate and prospective assessments of treatment-emergent suicidal thoughts and behaviors are essential to both clinical care and randomized clinical trials. The Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale is a prospective, patient self-report or clinician-administered rating scale that tracks both treatment-emergent suicidal ideation and behaviors. The Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale was incorporated into a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and active comparator study examining the efficacy of an experimental corticotropin-releasing factor antagonist (BMS-562086) for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Method: The Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale was administered to subjects at baseline, Week 2, Week 4, and Week 8 or early termination. Subjects completed theSheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale by self report. The Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale was designated as an exploratory outcome measure in the study protocol, and post-hoc analyses were performed to examine the performance of the Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale. Results: A total of 82 subjects completed the Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale during the course of the study. Altogether, these subjects provided 297 completed Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale ratings across the study time points. Sixty-one subjects (n=25 placebo, n=24 BMS-562086, and n=12 escitalopram) had a baseline and at least one post-baseline Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale measurement. The mean change from baseline at Week 8 in the Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale total score was -0.10, -0.02, and -0.06 for escitalopram, placebo, and BMS-562086 groups, respectively. The sensitivity of the Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale and HAM-D Item #3 (suicide) for identifying subjects with suicidal thoughts or behaviors was 100 percent and 63 percent, respectively. Conclusions: The Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale may be a sensitive psychometric tool to prospectively assess for treatment

  8. Study of LANDSAT-D thematic mapper performance as applied to hydrocarbon exploration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Everett, J. R. (Principal Investigator)

    1983-01-01

    Two fully processed test tapes were enhanced and evaluated at scales up to 1:10,000, using both hardcopy output and interactive screen display. A large scale, the Detroit, Michigan scene shows evidence of an along line data slip every sixteenth line in TM channel 2. Very large scale products generated in false color using channels 1,3, and 4 should be very acceptable for interpretation at scales up to 1:50,000 and useful for change mapping probably up to scale 1:24,000. Striping visible in water bodies for both natural and color products indicates that the detector calibration is probably performing below preflight specification. For a set of 512 x 512 windows within the NE Arkansas scene, the variance-covariance matrices were computed and principal component analyses performed. Initial analysis suggests that the shortwave infrared TM 5 and 6 channels are a highly significant data source. The thermal channel (TM 7) shows negative correlation with TM 1 and 4.

  9. Monitoring acute equine visceral pain with the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Composite Pain Assessment (EQUUS-COMPASS) and the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Facial Assessment of Pain (EQUUS-FAP): A validation study.

    PubMed

    VanDierendonck, Machteld C; van Loon, Johannes P A M

    2016-10-01

    This study presents the validation of two recently described pain scales, the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Composite Pain Assessment (EQUUS-COMPASS) and the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Facial Assessment of Pain (EQUUS-FAP), in horses with acute colic. A follow-up cohort study of 46 adult horses (n = 23 with acute colic; n = 23 healthy control horses) was performed for validation and refinement of the constructed scales. Both pain scales showed statistically significant differences between horses with colic and healthy control horses, and between horses with colic that could be treated conservatively and those that required surgical treatment or were euthanased. Sensitivity and specificity were good for both EQUUS-COMPASS (87% and 71%, respectively) and EQUUS-FAP (77% and 100%, respectively) and were not substantially influenced by applying weighting factors to the individual parameters. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  10. WImpiBLAST: web interface for mpiBLAST to help biologists perform large-scale annotation using high performance computing.

    PubMed

    Sharma, Parichit; Mantri, Shrikant S

    2014-01-01

    The function of a newly sequenced gene can be discovered by determining its sequence homology with known proteins. BLAST is the most extensively used sequence analysis program for sequence similarity search in large databases of sequences. With the advent of next generation sequencing technologies it has now become possible to study genes and their expression at a genome-wide scale through RNA-seq and metagenome sequencing experiments. Functional annotation of all the genes is done by sequence similarity search against multiple protein databases. This annotation task is computationally very intensive and can take days to obtain complete results. The program mpiBLAST, an open-source parallelization of BLAST that achieves superlinear speedup, can be used to accelerate large-scale annotation by using supercomputers and high performance computing (HPC) clusters. Although many parallel bioinformatics applications using the Message Passing Interface (MPI) are available in the public domain, researchers are reluctant to use them due to lack of expertise in the Linux command line and relevant programming experience. With these limitations, it becomes difficult for biologists to use mpiBLAST for accelerating annotation. No web interface is available in the open-source domain for mpiBLAST. We have developed WImpiBLAST, a user-friendly open-source web interface for parallel BLAST searches. It is implemented in Struts 1.3 using a Java backbone and runs atop the open-source Apache Tomcat Server. WImpiBLAST supports script creation and job submission features and also provides a robust job management interface for system administrators. It combines script creation and modification features with job monitoring and management through the Torque resource manager on a Linux-based HPC cluster. Use case information highlights the acceleration of annotation analysis achieved by using WImpiBLAST. Here, we describe the WImpiBLAST web interface features and architecture, explain design

  11. WImpiBLAST: Web Interface for mpiBLAST to Help Biologists Perform Large-Scale Annotation Using High Performance Computing

    PubMed Central

    Sharma, Parichit; Mantri, Shrikant S.

    2014-01-01

    The function of a newly sequenced gene can be discovered by determining its sequence homology with known proteins. BLAST is the most extensively used sequence analysis program for sequence similarity search in large databases of sequences. With the advent of next generation sequencing technologies it has now become possible to study genes and their expression at a genome-wide scale through RNA-seq and metagenome sequencing experiments. Functional annotation of all the genes is done by sequence similarity search against multiple protein databases. This annotation task is computationally very intensive and can take days to obtain complete results. The program mpiBLAST, an open-source parallelization of BLAST that achieves superlinear speedup, can be used to accelerate large-scale annotation by using supercomputers and high performance computing (HPC) clusters. Although many parallel bioinformatics applications using the Message Passing Interface (MPI) are available in the public domain, researchers are reluctant to use them due to lack of expertise in the Linux command line and relevant programming experience. With these limitations, it becomes difficult for biologists to use mpiBLAST for accelerating annotation. No web interface is available in the open-source domain for mpiBLAST. We have developed WImpiBLAST, a user-friendly open-source web interface for parallel BLAST searches. It is implemented in Struts 1.3 using a Java backbone and runs atop the open-source Apache Tomcat Server. WImpiBLAST supports script creation and job submission features and also provides a robust job management interface for system administrators. It combines script creation and modification features with job monitoring and management through the Torque resource manager on a Linux-based HPC cluster. Use case information highlights the acceleration of annotation analysis achieved by using WImpiBLAST. Here, we describe the WImpiBLAST web interface features and architecture, explain design

  12. Paying for performance: Performance incentives increase desire for the reward object.

    PubMed

    Hur, Julia D; Nordgren, Loran F

    2016-09-01

    The current research examines how exposure to performance incentives affects one's desire for the reward object. We hypothesized that the flexible nature of performance incentives creates an attentional fixation on the reward object (e.g., money), which leads people to become more desirous of the rewards. Results from 5 laboratory experiments and 1 large-scale field study provide support for this prediction. When performance was incentivized with monetary rewards, participants reported being more desirous of money (Study 1), put in more effort to earn additional money in an ensuing task (Study 2), and were less willing to donate money to charity (Study 4). We replicated the result with nonmonetary rewards (Study 5). We also found that performance incentives increased attention to the reward object during the task, which in part explains the observed effects (Study 6). A large-scale field study replicated these findings in a real-world setting (Study 7). One laboratory experiment failed to replicate (Study 3). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  13. The birth satisfaction scale: Turkish adaptation, validation and reliability study

    PubMed Central

    Cetin, Fatma Cosar; Sezer, Ayse; Merih, Yeliz Dogan

    2015-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to investigate the validity and the reliability of Birth Satisfaction Scale (BSS) and to adapt it into the Turkish language. This scale is used for measuring maternal satisfaction with birth in order to evaluate women’s birth perceptions. METHODS: In this study there were 150 women who attended to inpatient postpartum clinic. The participants filled in an information form and the BSS questionnaire forms. The properties of the scale were tested by conducting reliability and validation analyses. RESULTS: BSS entails 30 Likert-type questions. It was developed by Hollins Martin and Fleming. Total scale scores ranged between 30–150 points. Higher scores from the scale mean increases in birth satisfaction. Three overarching themes were identified in Scale: service provision (home assessment, birth environment, support, relationships with health care professionals); personal attributes (ability to cope during labour, feeling in control, childbirth preparation, relationship with baby); and stress experienced during labour (distress, obstetric injuries, receiving sufficient medical care, obstetric intervention, pain, prolonged labour and baby’s health). Cronbach’s alfa coefficient was 0.62. CONCLUSION: According to the present study, BSS entails 30 Likert-type questions and evaluates women’s birth perceptions. The Turkish version of BSS has been proven to be a valid and a reliable scale. PMID:28058355

  14. The influence of fine-scale habitat features on regional variation in population performance of alpine White-tailed Ptarmigan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fedy, B.; Martin, K.

    2011-01-01

    It is often assumed (explicitly or implicitly) that animals select habitat features to maximize fitness. However, there is often a mismatch between preferred habitats and indices of individual and population measures of performance. We examined the influence of fine-scale habitat selection on the overall population performance of the White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura), an alpine specialist, in two subdivided populations whose habitat patches are configured differently. The central region of Vancouver Island, Canada, has more continuous and larger habitat patches than the southern region. In 2003 and 2004, using paired logistic regression between used (n = 176) and available (n = 324) sites, we identified food availability, distance to standing water, and predator cover as preferred habitat components . We then quantified variation in population performance in the two regions in terms of sex ratio, age structure (n = 182 adults and yearlings), and reproductive success (n = 98 females) on the basis of 8 years of data (1995-1999, 2002-2004). Region strongly influenced females' breeding success, which, unsuccessful hens included, was consistently higher in the central region (n = 77 females) of the island than in the south (n = 21 females, P = 0.01). The central region also had a much higher proportion of successful hens (87%) than did the south (55%, P < 0.001). In light of our findings, we suggest that population performance is influenced by a combination of fine-scale habitat features and coarse-scale habitat configuration. ?? The Cooper Ornithological Society 2011.

  15. Study of Velocity and Magnetic Field Fluctuations at Kinetic Scale with the DSCOVR Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vech, D.; Kasper, J. C.; Klein, K. G.; Hegedus, A. M.; Stevens, M. L.; Case, A. W.; Szabo, A.; Koval, A.

    2016-12-01

    The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR), launched in 2015, performs high resolution measurements of the solar wind at the L1 vantage point. The Faraday cup onboard DSCOVR is capable of sampling solar wind velocity distribution functions at cadences up to 1 Hz, which is complemented by the 50 samples/sec magnetic field experiment. The combined usage of these data makes it possible to study kinetic scale physics, in particular turbulent fluctuations and the associated dissipation processes with unprecedented resolution. In this work we investigate recently obtained data sets and analyze correlations between the magnetic field and the measured currents in different energy/charge windows. The goal of the study is to search for active wave-particle interactions at specific locations in phase space. We estimate the significance of these correlations and discuss the implications for our understanding of kinetic scale physics of the solar wind.

  16. FLARE: a New User Facility for Studies of Magnetic Reconnection Through Simultaneous, in-situ Measurements on MHD Scales, Ion Scales and Electron Scales

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ji, H.; Bhattacharjee, A.; Goodman, A.; Prager, S.; Daughton, W. S.; Cutler, R.; Fox, W.; Hoffmann, F.; Kalish, M.; Kozub, T.; Jara-Almonte, J.; Myers, C. E.; Ren, Y.; Sloboda, P.; Yamada, M.; Yoo, J.; Bale, S. D.; Carter, T.; Dorfman, S. E.; Drake, J. F.; Egedal, J.; Sarff, J.; Wallace, J.

    2017-12-01

    The FLARE device (Facility for Laboratory Reconnection Experiments; flare.pppl.gov) is a new laboratory experiment under construction at Princeton for the studies of magnetic reconnection in the multiple X-line regimes directly relevant to space, solar, astrophysical, and fusion plasmas, as guided by a reconnection phase diagram [Ji & Daughton, (2011)]. The whole device has been successfully assembled with rough leak check completed. The first plasmas are expected in the fall to winter. The main diagnostic is an extensive set of magnetic probe arrays to cover multiple scales from local electron scales ( ˜2 mm), to intermediate ion scales ( ˜10 cm), and global MHD scales ( ˜1 m), simultaneously providing in-situ measurements over all these relevant scales. By using these laboratory data, not only the detailed spatial profiles around each reconnecting X-line are available for direct comparisons with spacecraft data, but also the global conditions and consequences of magnetic reconnection, which are often difficult to quantify in space, can be controlled or studied systematically. The planned procedures and example topics as a user facility will be discussed in detail.

  17. Landscape Scale Hydrologic Performance Measures for the South Florida Everglades

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, R. A.; Kotun, K.; Engel, V.

    2008-05-01

    Large scale drainage and land reclamation activities began in the south Florida Everglades around 1905. By 1920 four large canals were constructed across the Everglades to drain Lake Okeechobee to the Atlantic Ocean. In 1930, following two major hurricanes, construction began on a levee system around Lake Okeechobee, and two additional coastal outlets were created to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers. These activities significantly lowered water levels in the lake and reduced natural surface water flows to the downstream Everglades. Throughout the 1930s and early 1940s, a network of uncontrolled canals were excavated along the Atlantic Coastal Ridge that penetrated the permeable Biscayne Aquifer, further draining the Everglades and local groundwater to the ocean. Early hydrologic studies documented the detrimental affects of this over-drainage on urban and agricultural water supply, including the abandonment of wellfields because of saltwater intrusion. In the interior marshes the loss of soil moisture in the Everglades organic soils also caused widespread soil subsidence and increased fire frequency. Following a third major hurricane in 1947, which resulted in loss of life and widespread economic losses, the U.S. Congress authorized the Army Corps of Engineers to begin construction of the Central and Southern Florida Project. The C&SF Project was designed to correct the flooding and water supply problems in south Florida, as well as providing adequate water supply to protect fish and wildlife resources of the Everglades. By 1953 most of the major drainage canals had control structures added to prevent excessive drainage, and an East Coast Protective Levee was constructed from Lake Okeechobee to Everglades National Park, to reduce flooding along the Atlantic Coastal Ridge and retain water in the Everglades. By the late 1950's most of the northern Everglades was diked and drained to form the Everglades Agricultural Area, and by 1963 the central Everglades were

  18. Examiners and Content and Site: Oh My! a National Organization's Investigation of Score Variation in Large-Scale Performance Assessments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sebok, Stefanie S.; Roy, Marguerite; Klinger, Don A.; De Champlain, André F.

    2015-01-01

    Examiner effects and content specificity are two well known sources of construct irrelevant variance that present great challenges in performance-based assessments. National medical organizations that are responsible for large-scale performance based assessments experience an additional challenge as they are responsible for administering…

  19. Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Community-Scale Solar Feasibility Study

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

    Rapp, Jim; Knight, Tawnie

    2014-01-30

    Parametrix Inc. conducted a feasibility study for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe to determine whether or not a community-scale solar farm would be feasible for the community. The important part of the study was to find where the best fit for the solar farm could be. In the end, a 3MW community-scale solar farm was found best fit with the location of two hayfield sites.

  20. Perceived Coach Attitudes and Behaviors Scale: Development and Validation Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Üzüm, Hanifi; Karli, Ünal; Yildiz, Nuh Osman

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to develop a scale, which will serve to determine how attitudes and behaviors of the coaches are perceived by the athletes. The scale, named as "Perceived Coach Attitudes and Behaviors Scale" (PCABS) was developed through various processes including exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Following the…

  1. Effect of Home Exercise Program Performance in Patients with Osteoarthritis of the Knee or the Spine on the Visual Analog Scale after Discharge from Physical Therapy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Hamilton; Onishi, Kentaro

    2012-01-01

    The aim of our study was to assess the effect of the frequency of home exercise program (HEP) performance on pain [10-point visual analog scale (VAS)] in patients with osteoarthritis of the spine or knee after more than 6 months discharge from physical therapy (PT). We performed a retrospective chart review of 48 adult patients with a clinical…

  2. Development and Validation of a Clarinet Performance Adjudication Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abeles, Harold F.

    1973-01-01

    A basic assumption of this study is that there are generally agreed upon performance standards as evidenced by the use of adjudicators for evaluations at contests and festivals. An evaluation instrument was developed to enable raters to measure effectively those aspects of performance that have common standards of proficiency. (Author/RK)

  3. Reliability of Multi-Category Rating Scales

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parker, Richard I.; Vannest, Kimberly J.; Davis, John L.

    2013-01-01

    The use of multi-category scales is increasing for the monitoring of IEP goals, classroom and school rules, and Behavior Improvement Plans (BIPs). Although they require greater inference than traditional data counting, little is known about the inter-rater reliability of these scales. This simulation study examined the performance of nine…

  4. A performance analysis of ensemble averaging for high fidelity turbulence simulations at the strong scaling limit

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

    Makarashvili, Vakhtang; Merzari, Elia; Obabko, Aleksandr

    We analyze the potential performance benefits of estimating expected quantities in large eddy simulations of turbulent flows using true ensembles rather than ergodic time averaging. Multiple realizations of the same flow are simulated in parallel, using slightly perturbed initial conditions to create unique instantaneous evolutions of the flow field. Each realization is then used to calculate statistical quantities. Provided each instance is sufficiently de-correlated, this approach potentially allows considerable reduction in the time to solution beyond the strong scaling limit for a given accuracy. This study focuses on the theory and implementation of the methodology in Nek5000, a massively parallelmore » open-source spectral element code.« less

  5. A performance analysis of ensemble averaging for high fidelity turbulence simulations at the strong scaling limit

    DOE PAGES

    Makarashvili, Vakhtang; Merzari, Elia; Obabko, Aleksandr; ...

    2017-06-07

    We analyze the potential performance benefits of estimating expected quantities in large eddy simulations of turbulent flows using true ensembles rather than ergodic time averaging. Multiple realizations of the same flow are simulated in parallel, using slightly perturbed initial conditions to create unique instantaneous evolutions of the flow field. Each realization is then used to calculate statistical quantities. Provided each instance is sufficiently de-correlated, this approach potentially allows considerable reduction in the time to solution beyond the strong scaling limit for a given accuracy. This study focuses on the theory and implementation of the methodology in Nek5000, a massively parallelmore » open-source spectral element code.« less

  6. V/STOL tilt rotor aircraft study. Volume 10: Performance and stability test of A 1-14.622 Froude scaled Boeing Vertol Model 222 tilt rotor aircraft (Phase 1)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mchugh, F. J.; Eason, W.; Alexander, H. R.; Mutter, H.

    1973-01-01

    Wind tunnel test data obtained from a 1/4.622 Froude scale Boeing Model 222 with a full span, two prop, tilt rotor, powered model in the Boeing V/STOL wind tunnel are reported. Data were taken in transition and cruise flight conditions and include performance, stability and control and blade loads information. The effects of the rotors, tail surfaces and airframe on the performance and stability are isolated as are the effects of the airframe on the rotors.

  7. Examining related influential factors for dental calculus scaling utilization among people with disabilities in Taiwan, a nationwide population-based study.

    PubMed

    Lai, Hsien-Tang; Kung, Pei-Tseng; Su, Hsun-Pi; Tsai, Wen-Chen

    2014-09-01

    Limited studies with large samples have been conducted on the utilization of dental calculus scaling among people with physical or mental disabilities. This study aimed to investigate the utilization of dental calculus scaling among the national disabled population. This study analyzed the utilization of dental calculus scaling among the disabled people, using the nationwide data between 2006 and 2008. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were performed to analyze related influential factors for dental calculus scaling utilization. The dental calculus scaling utilization rate among people with physical or mental disabilities was 16.39%, and the annual utilization frequency was 0.2 times. Utilization rate was higher among the female and non-aboriginal samples. Utilization rate decreased with increased age and disability severity while utilization rate increased with income, education level, urbanization of residential area and number of chronic illnesses. Related influential factors for dental calculus scaling utilization rate were gender, age, ethnicity (aboriginal or non-aboriginal), education level, urbanization of residence area, income, catastrophic illnesses, chronic illnesses, disability types, and disability severity significantly influenced the dental calculus scaling utilization rate. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. A wind tunnel study on the effects of complex topography on wind turbine performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howard, Kevin; Hu, Stephen; Chamorro, Leonardo; Guala, Michele

    2012-11-01

    A set of wind tunnel experiments were conducted to study the response of a wind turbine under flow conditions typically observed at the wind farm scale, in complex terrain. A scale model wind turbine was placed in a fully developed turbulent boundary layer flow obtained in the SAFL Wind Tunnel. Experiments focused on the performance of a turbine model, under the effects induced by a second upwind turbine or a by three-dimensional, sinusoidal hill, peaking at the turbine hub height. High frequency measurements of fluctuating streamwise and wall normal velocities were obtained with a X-wire anemometer simultaneously with the rotor angular velocity and the turbine(s) voltage output. Velocity measurements in the wake of the first turbine and of the hill were used to determine the inflow conditions for the downwind test turbine. Turbine performance was inferred by the mean and fluctuating voltage statistics. Specific experiments were devoted to relate the mean voltage to the mean hub velocity, and the fluctuating voltage to the unsteadiness in the rotor kinematics induced by the perturbed (hill or turbine) or unperturbed (boundary layer) large scales of the incoming turbulent flow. Results show that the voltage signal can be used to assess turbine performance in complex flows.

  9. Evaluating Large-Scale Studies to Accurately Appraise Children's Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ernest, James M.

    2012-01-01

    Educational policy is often developed using a top-down approach. Recently, there has been a concerted shift in policy for educators to develop programs and research proposals that evolve from "scientific" studies and focus less on their intuition, aided by professional wisdom. This article analyzes several national and international…

  10. Fabrication of coronagraph masks and laboratory scale star-shade masks: characteristics, defects, and performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Balasubramanian, Kunjithapatham; Riggs, A. J. Eldorado; Cady, Eric; White, Victor; Yee, Karl; Wilson, Daniel; Echternach, Pierre; Muller, Richard; Mejia Prada, Camilo; Seo, Byoung-Joon; Shi, Fang; Ryan, Daniel; Fregoso, Santos; Metzman, Jacob; Wilson, Robert Casey

    2017-09-01

    NASA WFIRST mission has planned to include a coronagraph instrument to find and characterize exoplanets. Masks are needed to suppress the host star light to better than 10-8 - 10-9 level contrast over a broad bandwidth to enable the coronagraph mission objectives. Such masks for high contrast coronagraphic imaging require various fabrication technologies to meet a wide range of specifications, including precise shapes, micron scale island features, ultra-low reflectivity regions, uniformity, wave front quality, etc. We present the technologies employed at JPL to produce these pupil plane and image plane coronagraph masks, and lab-scale external occulter masks, highlighting accomplishments from the high contrast imaging testbed (HCIT) at JPL and from the high contrast imaging lab (HCIL) at Princeton University. Inherent systematic and random errors in fabrication and their impact on coronagraph performance are discussed with model predictions and measurements.

  11. Treatment of radioactive liquid effluents by reverse osmosis membranes: From lab-scale to pilot-scale.

    PubMed

    Combernoux, Nicolas; Schrive, Luc; Labed, Véronique; Wyart, Yvan; Carretier, Emilie; Moulin, Philippe

    2017-10-15

    The recent use of the reverse osmosis (RO) process at the damaged Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant generated a growing interest in the application of this process for decontamination purposes. This study focused on the development of a robust RO process for decontamination of two kinds of liquid effluents: a contaminated groundwater after a nuclear disaster and a contaminated seawater during a nuclear accident. The SW30 HR membrane was selected among other in this study due to higher retentions (96% for Cs and 98% for Sr) in a true groundwater. Significant fouling and scaling phenomenon, attributed to calcium and strontium precipitation, were evidenced in this work: this underscored the importance of the lab scale experiment in the process. Validation of the separation performances on trace radionuclides concentration was performed with similar retention around 96% between surrogates Cs (inactive) and 137 Cs (radioactive). The scale up to a 2.6 m 2 spiral wound membrane led to equivalent retentions (around 96% for Cs and 99% for Sr) but lower flux values: this underlined that the hydrodynamic parameters (flowrate/cross-flow velocity) should be optimized. This methodology was also applied on the reconstituted seawater effluent: retentions were slightly lower than for the groundwater and the same hydrodynamic effects were observed on the pilot scale. Then, ageing of the membrane through irradiation experiments were performed. Results showed that the membrane active layer composition influenced the membrane resistance towards γ irradiation: the SW30 HR membrane performances (retention and permeability) were better than the Osmonics SE at 1 MGy. Finally, to supplement the scale up approach, the irradiation of a spiral wound membrane revealed a limited effect on the permeability and retention. This indicated that irradiation conditions need to be controlled for a further development of the process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Startup pattern and performance enhancement of pilot-scale biofilm process for raw water pretreatment.

    PubMed

    Yang, Guang-Feng; Feng, Li-Juan; Yang, Qi; Zhu, Liang; Xu, Jian; Xu, Xiang-Yang

    2014-11-01

    The quality of raw water is getting worse in developing countries because of the inadequate treatment of municipal sewage, industrial wastewater and agricultural runoff. Aiming at the biofilm enrichment and pollutant removal, two pilot-scale biofilm reactors were built with different biological carriers. Results showed that compared with the blank carrier, the biofilm was easily enriched on the biofilm precoated carrier and less nitrite accumulation occurred. The removal efficiencies of NH4(+)-N, DOC and UV254 increased under the aeration condition, and a optimum DO level for the adequate nitrification was 1.0-2.6mgL(-1) with the suitable temperature range of 21-22°C. Study on the trihalomethane prediction model indicated that the presentence of algae increased the risk of disinfection by-products production, which could be effectively controlled via manual algae removing and light shading. In this study, the performance of biofilm pretreatment process could be enhanced under the optimized condition of DO level and biofilm carrier. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Value-Eroding Teacher Behaviors Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arseven, Zeynep; Kiliç, Abdurrahman; Sahin, Seyma

    2016-01-01

    In the present study, it is aimed to develop a valid and reliable scale for determining value-eroding behaviors of teachers, hence their values of judgment. The items of the "Value-eroding Teacher Behaviors Scale" were designed in the form of 5-point likert type rating scale. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to…

  14. Chip-scale integrated optical interconnects: a key enabler for future high-performance computing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haney, Michael; Nair, Rohit; Gu, Tian

    2012-01-01

    High Performance Computing (HPC) systems are putting ever-increasing demands on the throughput efficiency of their interconnection fabrics. In this paper, the limits of conventional metal trace-based inter-chip interconnect fabrics are examined in the context of state-of-the-art HPC systems, which currently operate near the 1 GFLOPS/W level. The analysis suggests that conventional metal trace interconnects will limit performance to approximately 6 GFLOPS/W in larger HPC systems that require many computer chips to be interconnected in parallel processing architectures. As the HPC communications bottlenecks push closer to the processing chips, integrated Optical Interconnect (OI) technology may provide the ultra-high bandwidths needed at the inter- and intra-chip levels. With inter-chip photonic link energies projected to be less than 1 pJ/bit, integrated OI is projected to enable HPC architecture scaling to the 50 GFLOPS/W level and beyond - providing a path to Peta-FLOPS-level HPC within a single rack, and potentially even Exa-FLOPSlevel HPC for large systems. A new hybrid integrated chip-scale OI approach is described and evaluated. The concept integrates a high-density polymer waveguide fabric directly on top of a multiple quantum well (MQW) modulator array that is area-bonded to the Silicon computing chip. Grayscale lithography is used to fabricate 5 μm x 5 μm polymer waveguides and associated novel small-footprint total internal reflection-based vertical input/output couplers directly onto a layer containing an array of GaAs MQW devices configured to be either absorption modulators or photodetectors. An external continuous wave optical "power supply" is coupled into the waveguide links. Contrast ratios were measured using a test rider chip in place of a Silicon processing chip. The results suggest that sub-pJ/b chip-scale communication is achievable with this concept. When integrated into high-density integrated optical interconnect fabrics, it could provide

  15. A modeling understanding on the phosphorous removal performances of A2O and reversed A2O processes in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant.

    PubMed

    Xie, Wen-Ming; Zeng, Raymond J; Li, Wen-Wei; Wang, Guo-Xiang; Zhang, Li-Min

    2018-05-31

    Reversed A 2 O process (anoxic-anaerobic-aerobic) and conventional A 2 O process (anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic) are widely used in many wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Asia. However, at present, there are still no consistent results to figure out which process has better total phosphorous (TP) removal performance and the mechanism for this difference was not clear yet. In this study, the treatment performances of both processes were compared in the same full-scale WWTP and the TP removal dynamics was analyzed by a modeling method. The treatment performance of full-scale WWTP showed the TP removal efficiency of the reversed A 2 O process was more efficient than in the conventional A 2 O process. The modeling results further reveal that the TP removal depends highly on the concentration and composition of influent COD. It had more efficient TP removal than the conventional A 2 O process only under conditions of sufficient influent COD and high fermentation products content. This study may lay a foundation for appropriate selection and optimization of treatment processes to suit practical wastewater properties.

  16. Scaling a Convection-Resolving RCM to Near-Global Scales

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leutwyler, D.; Fuhrer, O.; Chadha, T.; Kwasniewski, G.; Hoefler, T.; Lapillonne, X.; Lüthi, D.; Osuna, C.; Schar, C.; Schulthess, T. C.; Vogt, H.

    2017-12-01

    In the recent years, first decade-long kilometer-scale resolution RCM simulations have been performed on continental-scale computational domains. However, the size of the planet Earth is still an order of magnitude larger and thus the computational implications of performing global climate simulations at this resolution are challenging. We explore the gap between the currently established RCM simulations and global simulations by scaling the GPU accelerated version of the COSMO model to a near-global computational domain. To this end, the evolution of an idealized moist baroclinic wave has been simulated over the course of 10 days with a grid spacing of up to 930 m. The computational mesh employs 36'000 x 16'001 x 60 grid points and covers 98.4% of the planet's surface. The code shows perfect weak scaling up to 4'888 Nodes of the Piz Daint supercomputer and yields 0.043 simulated years per day (SYPD) which is approximately one seventh of the 0.2-0.3 SYPD required to conduct AMIP-type simulations. However, at half the resolution (1.9 km) we've observed 0.23 SYPD. Besides formation of frontal precipitating systems containing embedded explicitly-resolved convective motions, the simulations reveal a secondary instability that leads to cut-off warm-core cyclonic vortices in the cyclone's core, once the grid spacing is refined to the kilometer scale. The explicit representation of embedded moist convection and the representation of the previously unresolved instabilities exhibit a physically different behavior in comparison to coarser-resolution simulations. The study demonstrates that global climate simulations using kilometer-scale resolution are imminent and serves as a baseline benchmark for global climate model applications and future exascale supercomputing systems.

  17. The Culturally Responsive Teacher Preparedness Scale: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsiao, Yun-Ju

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the competencies of culturally responsive teaching and construct a Culturally Responsive Teacher Preparedness Scale (CRTPS) for the use of teacher preparation programs and preservice teachers. Competencies listed in the scale were identified through literature reviews and input from experts. The…

  18. Minimal detectable change of the Personal and Social Performance scale in individuals with schizophrenia.

    PubMed

    Lee, Shu-Chun; Tang, Shih-Fen; Lu, Wen-Shian; Huang, Sheau-Ling; Deng, Nai-Yu; Lue, Wen-Chyn; Hsieh, Ching-Lin

    2016-12-30

    The minimal detectable change (MDC) of the Personal and Social Performance scale (PSP) has not yet been investigated, limiting its utility in data interpretation. The purpose of this study was to determine the MDCs of the PSP administered by the same rater or different raters in individuals with schizophrenia. Participants with schizophrenia were recruited from two psychiatric community rehabilitation centers to complete the PSP assessments twice, 2 weeks apart, by the same rater or 2 different raters. MDC values were calculated from the coefficients of intra- and inter-rater reliability (i.e., intraclass correlation coefficients). Forty patients (mean age 36.9 years, SD 9.7) from one center participated in the intra-rater reliability study. Another 40 patients (mean age 44.3 years, SD 11.1) from the other center participated in the inter-rater study. The MDCs (MDC%) of the PSP were 10.7 (17.1%) for the same rater and 16.2 (24.1%) for different raters. The MDCs of the PSP appeared appropriate for clinical trials aiming to determine whether a real change in social functioning has occurred in people with schizophrenia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. A Study of the Perceptions of Performance Skills of Middle School Principals by Selected Teachers and Principals.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meyer, Calvin F.; Van Hoose, John J.

    This study investigates hypotheses about differences in the perceptions of middle school principals and teachers concerning those principal performance skills that are practiced and those that should be practiced. A survey instrument consisting of 37 principal performance skills on a five-point Likert-like scale was sent to the principals and…

  20. Channel geometric scales effect on performance and optimization for serpentine proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Youcef, Kerkoub; Ahmed, Benzaoui; Ziari, Yasmina; Fadila, Haddad

    2017-02-01

    A three dimensional computational fluid dynamics model is proposed in this paper to investigate the effect of flow field design and dimensions of bipolar plates on performance of serpentine proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). A complete fuel cell of 25 cm2 with 25 channels have been used. The aim of the work is to investigate the effect of flow channels and ribs scales on overall performance of PEM fuel cell. Therefore, geometric aspect ratio parameter defined as (width of flow channel/width of rib) is used. Influences of the ribs and openings current collector scales have been studied and analyzed in order to find the optimum ratio between them to enhance the production of courant density of PEM fuel cell. Six kind of serpentine designs have been used in this paper included different aspect ratio varying from 0.25 to 2.33 while the active surface area and number of channels are keeping constant. Aspect ratio 0.25 corresponding of (0.4 mm channel width/ 1.6mm ribs width), and Aspect ratio2.33 corresponding of (0.6 mm channel width/ 1.4mm ribs width. The results show that the best flow field designs (giving the maximum density of current) are which there dimensions of channels width is minimal and ribs width is maximal (Γ≈0.25). Also decreasing width of channels enhance the pressure drop inside the PEM fuel cell, this causes an increase of gazes velocity and enhance convection process, therefore more power generation.

  1. Psychometric evaluation of the Swedish version of the pure procrastination scale, the irrational procrastination scale, and the susceptibility to temptation scale in a clinical population.

    PubMed

    Rozental, Alexander; Forsell, Erik; Svensson, Andreas; Forsström, David; Andersson, Gerhard; Carlbring, Per

    2014-01-01

    Procrastination is a prevalent self-regulatory failure associated with stress and anxiety, decreased well-being, and poorer performance in school as well as work. One-fifth of the adult population and half of the student population describe themselves as chronic and severe procrastinators. However, despite the fact that it can become a debilitating condition, valid and reliable self-report measures for assessing the occurrence and severity of procrastination are lacking, particularly for use in a clinical context. The current study explored the usefulness of the Swedish version of three Internet-administered self-report measures for evaluating procrastination; the Pure Procrastination Scale, the Irrational Procrastination Scale, and the Susceptibility to Temptation Scale, all having good psychometric properties in English. In total, 710 participants were recruited for a clinical trial of Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy for procrastination. All of the participants completed the scales as well as self-report measures of depression, anxiety, and quality of life. Principal Component Analysis was performed to assess the factor validity of the scales, and internal consistency and correlations between the scales were also determined. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, Minimal Detectable Change, and Standard Error of Measurement were calculated for the Irrational Procrastination Scale. The Swedish version of the scales have a similar factor structure as the English version, generated good internal consistencies, with Cronbach's α ranging between .76 to .87, and were moderately to highly intercorrelated. The Irrational Procrastination Scale had an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient of .83, indicating excellent reliability. Furthermore, Standard Error of Measurement was 1.61, and Minimal Detectable Change was 4.47, suggesting that a change of almost five points on the scale is necessary to determine a reliable change in self-reported procrastination severity. The

  2. Energy performance evaluation of ultrasonic pretreatment of organic solid waste in a pilot-scale digester.

    PubMed

    Rasapoor, Mazdak; Adl, Mehrdad; Baroutian, Saeid; Iranshahi, Zeynab; Pazouki, Mohammad

    2018-04-30

    It has been proven that ultrasonic pretreatment (UP) has positive effect on biogas generation from previous lab-scale studies. However, that is not always the case in larger scale processes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of UP to biogas generation in terms of anaerobic digestion process and energy efficiency. Parameters including total solids (TS) and ultrasonic treatment operational parameters of organic solid waste (OSW) resulted from our past lab scale UP studies were applied in this study. OSW with 6-10% TS was treated using a lab-scale ultrasonic processor using various power densities (0.2-0.6 W/mL) at different time periods up to 30 min. Results of lab scale confirmed that OSW with 6% TS sonicated with 0.2 W/mL power density in 30 min gave the best outcome for the pilot scale experiment. To simulate the condition of an actual scale, in addition to energy analysis, two different organic loading rates (OLR), namely 500 and 1500 gVS/m 3 day were examined. The pilot digester was fed with OSW with or without the pretreatment based on the aforementioned specifications. The results showed that UP effectively improves biogas generation in terms of quantity and quality (CH 4 /CO 2 ). Furthermore, it decreases the time to reach the maximum cumulative biogas volume comparing to the untreated feed. The key achievement of this research has confirmed that although the relative increase in the energy gain by the influence of UP was more remarkable under the 500 gVS/m 3 day OLR, energy analysis showed a better energy gain and energy benefit as well as jumping in biogas yield up to 80% for UP treated OSW under 1500 gVS/m 3 day OLR. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Parallel steady state studies on a milliliter scale accelerate fed-batch bioprocess design for recombinant protein production with Escherichia coli.

    PubMed

    Schmideder, Andreas; Cremer, Johannes H; Weuster-Botz, Dirk

    2016-11-01

    In general, fed-batch processes are applied for recombinant protein production with Escherichia coli (E. coli). However, state of the art methods for identifying suitable reaction conditions suffer from severe drawbacks, i.e. direct transfer of process information from parallel batch studies is often defective and sequential fed-batch studies are time-consuming and cost-intensive. In this study, continuously operated stirred-tank reactors on a milliliter scale were applied to identify suitable reaction conditions for fed-batch processes. Isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) induction strategies were varied in parallel-operated stirred-tank bioreactors to study the effects on the continuous production of the recombinant protein photoactivatable mCherry (PAmCherry) with E. coli. Best-performing induction strategies were transferred from the continuous processes on a milliliter scale to liter scale fed-batch processes. Inducing recombinant protein expression by dynamically increasing the IPTG concentration to 100 µM led to an increase in the product concentration of 21% (8.4 g L -1 ) compared to an implemented high-performance production process with the most frequently applied induction strategy by a single addition of 1000 µM IPGT. Thus, identifying feasible reaction conditions for fed-batch processes in parallel continuous studies on a milliliter scale was shown to be a powerful, novel method to accelerate bioprocess design in a cost-reducing manner. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:1426-1435, 2016. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

  4. Liver stiffness measurements with supersonic shear wave elastography in the diagnosis of biliary atresia: a comparative study with grey-scale US.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Lu-Yao; Jiang, Hong; Shan, Quan-Yuan; Chen, Dong; Lin, Xiao-Na; Liu, Bao-Xian; Xie, Xiao-Yan

    2017-08-01

    To prospectively assess the diagnostic performance of supersonic shear wave elastography (SSWE) in identifying biliary atresia (BA) among infants with conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia by comparing this approach with grey-scale ultrasonography (US). Forty infants were analysed as the control group to determine normal liver stiffness values. The use of SSWE values for identifying BA was investigated in 172 infants suspected of having BA, and results were compared with the results obtained by grey-scale US. The Mann-Whitney U test, unpaired t-test, Spearman correlation and linear regression were also performed. The success rates of SSWE measurements in the control and study group were 100% (40/40) and 96.4% (244/253), respectively. Age, direct bilirubin, and indirect bilirubin all significantly correlated with SSWE in the liver (all P < 0.001). Linear regression showed that age had a greater effect on SSWE values than direct or indirect bilirubin. The diagnostic performance of liver stiffness values in identifying BA was lower than that of grey-scale US (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC], 0.790 vs 0.893, P < 0.001). SSWE is feasible and valuable in differentiating BA from non-BA. However, its diagnostic performance does not exceed that of grey-scale US. • SSWE could be successfully performed in an infant population. • For infants, the liver stiffness will increase as age increases. • SSWE is potentially useful in assessing infants suspected of biliary atresia. • SSWE is inferior to grey-scale US in identifying biliary atresia.

  5. Scale factor management in the studies of affine models of shockproof garment elements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Denisov, Oleg; Pleshko, Mikhail; Ponomareva, Irina; Merenyashev, Vitaliy

    2018-03-01

    New samples of protective garment for performing construction work at height require numerous tests in conditions close to real conditions of extreme vital activity. The article presents some results of shockproof garment element studies and a description of a patented prototype. The tests were carried out on a model which geometric dimensions were convenient for manufacturing it in a limited batch. In addition, the used laboratory equipment (for example, a unique power pendulum), blanks made of a titanium-nickel alloy with a shape memory effect also imposed their limitations. The problem of the adequacy of the obtained experimental results transfer to mass-produced products was solved using tools of the classical similarity theory. Scale factor management influence in the affine modeling of the shockproof element, studied on the basis of the equiatomic titanium-nickel alloy with the shape memory effect, allowed us to assume, with a sufficient degree of reliability, the technical possibility of extrapolating the results of experimental studies to full-scale objects for the formation of the initial data of the mathematical model of shockproof garment dynamics elastoplastic deformation (while observing the similarity of the features of external loading).

  6. Impact of quantum confinement on transport and the electrostatic driven performance of silicon nanowire transistors at the scaling limit

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Al-Ameri, Talib; Georgiev, Vihar P.; Sadi, Toufik; Wang, Yijiao; Adamu-Lema, Fikru; Wang, Xingsheng; Amoroso, Salvatore M.; Towie, Ewan; Brown, Andrew; Asenov, Asen

    2017-03-01

    In this work we investigate the impact of quantum mechanical effects on the device performance of n-type silicon nanowire transistors (NWT) for possible future CMOS applications at the scaling limit. For the purpose of this paper, we created Si NWTs with two channel crystallographic orientations <1 1 0> and <1 0 0> and six different cross-section profiles. In the first part, we study the impact of quantum corrections on the gate capacitance and mobile charge in the channel. The mobile charge to gate capacitance ratio, which is an indicator of the intrinsic performance of the NWTs, is also investigated. The influence of the rotating of the NWTs cross-sectional geometry by 90° on charge distribution in the channel is also studied. We compare the correlation between the charge profile in the channel and cross-sectional dimension for circular transistor with four different cross-sections diameters: 5 nm, 6 nm, 7 nm and 8 nm. In the second part of this paper, we expand the computational study by including different gate lengths for some of the Si NWTs. As a result, we establish a correlation between the mobile charge distribution in the channel and the gate capacitance, drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) and the subthreshold slope (SS). All calculations are based on a quantum mechanical description of the mobile charge distribution in the channel. This description is based on the solution of the Schrödinger equation in NWT cross sections along the current path, which is mandatory for nanowires with such ultra-scale dimensions.

  7. Linking climate projections to performance: A yield-based decision scaling assessment of a large urban water resources system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Turner, Sean W. D.; Marlow, David; Ekström, Marie; Rhodes, Bruce G.; Kularathna, Udaya; Jeffrey, Paul J.

    2014-04-01

    Despite a decade of research into climate change impacts on water resources, the scientific community has delivered relatively few practical methodological developments for integrating uncertainty into water resources system design. This paper presents an application of the "decision scaling" methodology for assessing climate change impacts on water resources system performance and asks how such an approach might inform planning decisions. The decision scaling method reverses the conventional ethos of climate impact assessment by first establishing the climate conditions that would compel planners to intervene. Climate model projections are introduced at the end of the process to characterize climate risk in such a way that avoids the process of propagating those projections through hydrological models. Here we simulated 1000 multisite synthetic monthly streamflow traces in a model of the Melbourne bulk supply system to test the sensitivity of system performance to variations in streamflow statistics. An empirical relation was derived to convert decision-critical flow statistics to climatic units, against which 138 alternative climate projections were plotted and compared. We defined the decision threshold in terms of a system yield metric constrained by multiple performance criteria. Our approach allows for fast and simple incorporation of demand forecast uncertainty and demonstrates the reach of the decision scaling method through successful execution in a large and complex water resources system. Scope for wider application in urban water resources planning is discussed.

  8. Turkish Metalinguistic Awareness Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Varisoglu, Behice

    2018-01-01

    The aim of this study is to develop a useful, valid and reliable measurement tool that will help teacher candidates determine their Turkish metalinguistic awareness. During the development of the scale, a pool of items was created by scanning the relevant literature and examining other awareness scales. The materials prepared were re-examined…

  9. Group intervention for burnout in parents of chronically ill children - a small-scale study.

    PubMed

    Lindström, Caisa; Åman, Jan; Anderzén-Carlsson, Agneta; Lindahl Norberg, Annika

    2016-12-01

    Long-term stress leading to burnout symptoms is prevalent in parents of chronically ill children. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of a group intervention by measuring changes in self-rated clinical burnout and performance-based self-esteem. In addition, the parental perceptions of the acceptability of the intervention were explored. Previously, we have explored the prevalence of clinical burnout in parents of patients 1-18 years with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the county of Örebro. All parents who exhibited clinical burnout symptoms in accordance with the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Questionnaire (SMBQ) were then invited to participate in a group intervention, which was evaluated in the present small-scale study. The group intervention consisted of eight sessions over a 12-week period, including education about behaviour, cognition and symptoms associated with burnout, intending to help the parents to develop adequate strategies for coping with and reducing stress. We evaluated the effect of the intervention in terms of self-rated clinical burnout and performance-based self-esteem (PBSE). In addition, the acceptability of the intervention was evaluated by analyses of recruitment and retention and self-reports from parents. Sixteen parents (13 of children with TIDM and three of children with IBD) out of 104 reporting clinical burnout participated in the intervention. All participants completed the intervention, and the mean attendance rate at all sessions was 90%. Parents' subjective evaluations were mainly positive, and SMBQ (p = 0.01) and PBSE scale (p = 0.04) measurements were significantly reduced, which effects remained 6 months after completion of the intervention. Despite the small-scale study, we consider that this intervention for parents with clinical burnout was appreciated and well accepted. The significant reduction in clinical burnout symptoms requires further evaluation in randomised

  10. Scale effect on overland flow connectivity at the plot scale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peñuela, A.; Javaux, M.; Bielders, C. L.

    2012-06-01

    A major challenge in present-day hydrological sciences is to enhance the performance of existing distributed hydrological models through a better description of subgrid processes, in particular the subgrid connectivity of flow paths. The relative surface connection function (RSC) was proposed by Antoine et al. (2009) as a functional indicator of runoff flow connectivity. For a given area, it expresses the percentage of the surface connected to the outflow boundary (C) as a function of the degree of filling of the depression storage. This function explicitly integrates the flow network at the soil surface and hence provides essential information regarding the flow paths' connectivity. It has been shown that this function could help improve the modeling of the hydrogram at the square meter scale, yet it is unknown how the scale affects the RSC function, and whether and how it can be extrapolated to other scales. The main objective of this research is to study the scale effect on overland flow connectivity (RSC function). For this purpose, digital elevation data of a real field (9 × 3 m) and three synthetic fields (6 × 6 m) with contrasting hydrological responses were used, and the RSC function was calculated at different scales by changing the length (l) or width (w) of the field. Border effects, at different extents depending on the microtopography, were observed for the smaller scales, when decreasing l or w, which resulted in a strong decrease or increase of the maximum depression storage, respectively. There was no scale effect on the RSC function when changing w. On the contrary, a remarkable scale effect was observed in the RSC function when changing l. In general, for a given degree of filling of the depression storage, C decreased as l increased. This change in C was inversely proportional to the change in l. This observation applied only up to approx. 50-70% (depending on the hydrological response of the field) of filling of depression storage, after which

  11. Scale effect on overland flow connectivity at the plot scale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peñuela, A.; Javaux, M.; Bielders, C. L.

    2013-01-01

    A major challenge in present-day hydrological sciences is to enhance the performance of existing distributed hydrological models through a better description of subgrid processes, in particular the subgrid connectivity of flow paths. The Relative Surface Connection (RSC) function was proposed by Antoine et al. (2009) as a functional indicator of runoff flow connectivity. For a given area, it expresses the percentage of the surface connected to the outflow boundary (C) as a function of the degree of filling of the depression storage. This function explicitly integrates the flow network at the soil surface and hence provides essential information regarding the flow paths' connectivity. It has been shown that this function could help improve the modeling of the hydrograph at the square meter scale, yet it is unknown how the scale affects the RSC function, and whether and how it can be extrapolated to other scales. The main objective of this research is to study the scale effect on overland flow connectivity (RSC function). For this purpose, digital elevation data of a real field (9 × 3 m) and three synthetic fields (6 × 6 m) with contrasting hydrological responses were used, and the RSC function was calculated at different scales by changing the length (l) or width (w) of the field. To different extents depending on the microtopography, border effects were observed for the smaller scales when decreasing l or w, which resulted in a strong decrease or increase of the maximum depression storage, respectively. There was no scale effect on the RSC function when changing w, but a remarkable scale effect was observed in the RSC function when changing l. In general, for a given degree of filling of the depression storage, C decreased as l increased, the change in C being inversely proportional to the change in l. However, this observation applied only up to approx. 50-70% (depending on the hydrological response of the field) of filling of depression storage, after which no

  12. Pore-scale study of multiphase reactive transport in fibrous electrodes of vanadium redox flow batteries

    DOE PAGES

    Chen, Li; He, YaLing; Tao, Wen -Quan; ...

    2017-07-21

    The electrode of a vanadium redox flow battery generally is a carbon fibre-based porous medium, in which important physicochemical processes occur. In this work, pore-scale simulations are performed to study complex multiphase flow and reactive transport in the electrode by using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). Four hundred fibrous electrodes with different fibre diameters and porosities are reconstructed. Both the permeability and diffusivity of the reconstructed electrodes are predicted and compared with empirical relationships in the literature. Reactive surface area of the electrodes is also evaluated and it is found that existing empirical relationship overestimates the reactive surface under lowermore » porosities. Further, a pore-scale electrochemical reaction model is developed to study the effects of fibre diameter and porosity on electrolyte flow, V II/V III transport, and electrochemical reaction at the electrolyte-fibre surface. Finally, evolution of bubble cluster generated by the side reaction is studied by adopting a LB multiphase flow model. Effects of porosity, fibre diameter, gas saturation and solid surface wettability on average bubble diameter and reduction of reactive surface area due to coverage of bubbles on solid surface are investigated in detail. It is found that gas coverage ratio is always lower than that adopted in the continuum model in the literature. Furthermore, the current pore-scale studies successfully reveal the complex multiphase flow and reactive transport processes in the electrode, and the simulation results can be further upscaled to improve the accuracy of the current continuum-scale models.« less

  13. E-ELT M5 field stabilisation unit scale 1 demonstrator design and performances evaluation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Casalta, J. M.; Barriga, J.; Ariño, J.; Mercader, J.; San Andrés, M.; Serra, J.; Kjelberg, I.; Hubin, N.; Jochum, L.; Vernet, E.; Dimmler, M.; Müller, M.

    2010-07-01

    The M5 Field stabilization Unit (M5FU) for European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) is a fast correcting optical system that shall provide tip-tilt corrections for the telescope dynamic pointing errors and the effect of atmospheric tiptilt and wind disturbances. A M5FU scale 1 demonstrator (M5FU1D) is being built to assess the feasibility of the key elements (actuators, sensors, mirror, mirror interfaces) and the real-time control algorithm. The strict constraints (e.g. tip-tilt control frequency range 100Hz, 3m ellipse mirror size, mirror first Eigen frequency 300Hz, maximum tip/tilt range +/- 30 arcsec, maximum tiptilt error < 40 marcsec) have been a big challenge for developing the M5FU Conceptual Design and its scale 1 demonstrator. The paper summarises the proposed design for the final unit and demonstrator and the measured performances compared to the applicable specifications.

  14. A comparison of global rating scale and checklist scores in the validation of an evaluation tool to assess performance in the resuscitation of critically ill patients during simulated emergencies (abbreviated as "CRM simulator study IB").

    PubMed

    Kim, John; Neilipovitz, David; Cardinal, Pierre; Chiu, Michelle

    2009-01-01

    Crisis resource management (CRM) skills are a set of nonmedical skills required to manage medical emergencies. There is currently no gold standard for evaluation of CRM performance. A prior study examined the use of a global rating scale (GRS) to evaluate CRM performance. This current study compared the use of a GRS and a checklist as formal rating instruments to evaluate CRM performance during simulated emergencies. First-year and third-year residents participated in two simulator scenarios each. Three raters then evaluated resident performance in CRM using edited video recordings using both a GRS and a checklist. The Ottawa GRS provides a seven-point anchored ordinal scale for performance in five categories of CRM, and an overall performance score. The Ottawa CRM checklist provides 12 items in the five categories of CRM, with a maximum cumulative score of 30 points. Construct validity was measured on the basis of content validity, response process, internal structure, and response to other variables. T-test analysis of Ottawa GRS scores was conducted to examine response to the variable of level of training. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) scores were used to measure inter-rater reliability for both scenarios. Thirty-two first-year and 28 third-year residents participated in the study. Third-year residents produced higher mean scores for overall CRM performance than first-year residents (P < 0.05), and in all individual categories within the Ottawa GRS (P < 0.05) and the Ottawa CRM checklist (P < 0.05). This difference was noted for both scenarios and for each individual rater (P < 0.05). No statistically significant difference in resident scores was observed between scenarios for both instruments. ICC scores of 0.59 and 0.61 were obtained for Scenarios 1 and 2 with the Ottawa GRS, whereas ICC scores of 0.63 and 0.55 were obtained with the Ottawa CRM checklist. Users indicated a strong preference for the Ottawa GRS given ease of scoring, presence of an

  15. Scaling Lean in primary care: impacts on system performance.

    PubMed

    Hung, Dorothy Y; Harrison, Michael I; Martinez, Meghan C; Luft, Harold S

    2017-03-01

    We examined a wide range of performance outcomes after Lean methodology-a leading strategy to enhance efficiency and patient value-was implemented and scaled across all primary care clinics in a nonprofit, ambulatory care delivery system. Using a stepped wedge approach, we assessed changes associated with the phased introduction of Lean-based redesigns across 46 primary care departments in 17 different clinic locations. Longitudinal analysis of operational metrics included: workflow efficiency, physician productivity, operating expenses, clinical quality, and satisfaction among patients, physicians, and staff. We used interrupted time series analysis with generalized linear mixed models to estimate Lean impacts over time. Projected outcomes in the absence of changes (ie, counterfactuals) were compared with observed outcomes after Lean redesigns were implemented, and mean differences were assessed using 95% bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals (CIs). We observed systemwide improvements in workflow efficiencies (eg, 95% CI, 5.8-10.4) and physician productivity (95% CI, 3.9-27.2), with no adverse effects on clinical quality. Patient satisfaction increased with respect to access to care (95% CI, 15.2-20.7), handling of personal issues (95% CI, 2.1-6.9), and overall experience of care (95% CI, 11.0-17.0), but decreased with respect to interactions with care providers (95% CI, -13.4 to -5.7). Departmental operating costs decreased, and annual staff and physician satisfaction scores increased particularly among early adopters, with key improvements in employee engagement, connection to purpose, relationships with staff, and physician time spent working. Lean redesigns can benefit primary care patients, physicians, and staff without negatively impacting the quality of clinical care. Study results may lead other delivery system leaders to innovate using Lean techniques and may further enhance support for Lean learning among public and private payers.

  16. Encouragement of Early Academic Skills at Home during Early Childhood Period: Validity and Reliability Study of the EASYC Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kara, H. Gözde Ertürk; Çoksoyluer, Seyda Kiliç

    2017-01-01

    The current study aims to perform the adaptation of the Encouragement of Academic Skills of Young Children (EASYC) Scale into Turkish. The study group was determined by means of the convenience sampling technique. A total of 124 students aged at 48-84 months were included in the sampling of the study. The data collection tools of the study are the…

  17. Inside the small-scale composting of kitchen and garden wastes: Thermal performance and stratification effect in vertical compost bins.

    PubMed

    Arrigoni, Juan Pablo; Paladino, Gabriela; Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro; Laos, Francisca

    2018-06-01

    Decentralized composting has been proposed as a best available practice, with a highly positive impact on municipal solid wastes management plans. However, in cold climates, decentralized small-scale composting performance to reach thermophilic temperatures (required for the product sanitization) could be poor, due to a lack of critical mass to retain heat. In addition, in these systems the composting process is usually disturbed when new portions of fresh organic waste are combined with previous batches. This causes modifications in the well-known composting evolution pattern. The objective of this work was to improve the understanding of these technical aspects through a real-scale decentralized composting experience carried out under cold climate conditions, in order to assess sanitization performance and to study the effects of fresh feedstock additions in the process evolution. Kitchen and garden organic wastes were composted in 500 L-static compost bins (without turning) for 244 days under cold climate conditions (Bariloche, NW Patagonia, Argentina), using pine wood shavings in a ratio of 1.5:1 v: v (waste: bulking agent). Temperature profile, stability indicators (microbial activity, carbon and nitrogen contents and ratio) and other variables (pH and electrical conductivity), were monitored throughout the experience. Our results indicate that small-scale composting (average generation rate of 7 kg d -1 ) is viable under cold weather conditions, since thermophilic sanitization temperatures (> 55 °C) were maintained for 3 consecutive days in most of the composting mass, according to available USEPA regulations commonly used as a reference for pathogens control in sewage sludge. On the other hand, stability indicators showed a differentiated organic matter degradation process along the compost bins height. Particularly, in the bottommost composting mix layer the process took a longer period to achieve compost stability than the upper layers, suggesting

  18. The Interference of Introversion-Extraversion and Depressive Symptomatology with Reasoning Performance: A Behavioural Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Papageorgiou, Charalabos; Rabavilas, Andreas D.; Stachtea, Xanthy; Giannakakis, Giorgos A.; Kyprianou, Miltiades; Papadimitriou, George N.; Stefanis, Costas N.

    2012-01-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the link between the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) scores and depressive symptomatology with reasoning performance induced by a task including valid and invalid Aristotelian syllogisms. The EPQ and the Zung Depressive Scale (ZDS) were completed by 48 healthy subjects (27 male, 21 female)…

  19. A large-scale, long-term study of scale drift: The micro view and the macro view

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, W.; Li, S.; Kingsbury, G. G.

    2016-11-01

    The development of measurement scales for use across years and grades in educational settings provides unique challenges, as instructional approaches, instructional materials, and content standards all change periodically. This study examined the measurement stability of a set of Rasch measurement scales that have been in place for almost 40 years. In order to investigate the stability of these scales, item responses were collected from a large set of students who took operational adaptive tests using items calibrated to the measurement scales. For the four scales that were examined, item samples ranged from 2183 to 7923 items. Each item was administered to at least 500 students in each grade level, resulting in approximately 3000 responses per item. Stability was examined at the micro level analysing change in item parameter estimates that have occurred since the items were first calibrated. It was also examined at the macro level, involving groups of items and overall test scores for students. Results indicated that individual items had changes in their parameter estimates, which require further analysis and possible recalibration. At the same time, the results at the total score level indicate substantial stability in the measurement scales over the span of their use.

  20. Complex three dimensional modelling of porous media using high performance computing and multi-scale incompressible approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martin, R.; Orgogozo, L.; Noiriel, C. N.; Guibert, R.; Golfier, F.; Debenest, G.; Quintard, M.

    2013-05-01

    In the context of biofilm growth in porous media, we developed high performance computing tools to study the impact of biofilms on the fluid transport through pores of a solid matrix. Indeed, biofilms are consortia of micro-organisms that are developing in polymeric extracellular substances that are generally located at a fluid-solid interfaces like pore interfaces in a water-saturated porous medium. Several applications of biofilms in porous media are encountered for instance in bio-remediation methods by allowing the dissolution of organic pollutants. Many theoretical studies have been done on the resulting effective properties of these modified media ([1],[2], [3]) but the bio-colonized porous media under consideration are mainly described following simplified theoretical media (stratified media, cubic networks of spheres ...). Therefore, recent experimental advances have provided tomography images of bio-colonized porous media which allow us to observe realistic biofilm micro-structures inside the porous media [4]. To solve closure system of equations related to upscaling procedures in realistic porous media, we solve the velocity field of fluids through pores on complex geometries that are described with a huge number of cells (up to billions). Calculations are made on a realistic 3D sample geometry obtained by X micro-tomography. Cell volumes are coming from a percolation experiment performed to estimate the impact of precipitation processes on the properties of a fluid transport phenomena in porous media [5]. Average permeabilities of the sample are obtained from velocities by using MPI-based high performance computing on up to 1000 processors. Steady state Stokes equations are solved using finite volume approach. Relaxation pre-conditioning is introduced to accelerate the code further. Good weak or strong scaling are reached with results obtained in hours instead of weeks. Factors of accelerations of 20 up to 40 can be reached. Tens of geometries can now be

  1. Evacuated load-bearing high performance insulation study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parmley, R. T.; Cunnington, G. R.

    1977-01-01

    A light weight, vacuum jacketed, load bearing cryogenic insulation system was developed and tested on a 1.17-m (46-in.) spherical test tank. The vacuum jacket consists of 0.08 mm (0.003 in.) thick 321 stainless steel formed into a wedge design that allows elastic jacket movements as the tank shrinks (cools) or expands (warms up or is pressurized). Hollow glass spheres, approximately 80 micrometers in diameter with a bulk density of 0.069 g/cc (4.3 lb cubic foot), provide the insulating qualities and one atmosphere load bearing capability required. The design, fabrication, and test effort developed the manufacturing methods and engineering data needed to scale the system to other tank sizes, shapes, and applications. The program demonstrated that thin wall jackets can be formed and welded to maintain the required vacuum level of .013 Pa yet flex elastically for multiple reuses. No significant shifting or breakage of the microspheres occurred after 13 simulated Space Tug flight cycles on the test tank and a hundred 1 atmosphere load cycles in a flat plate calorimeter. The test data were then scaled to the Space Tug LO2 and LH2 tanks, and weight, thermal performance, payload performance, and costs were compared with a helium purged multilayer insulation system.

  2. Analog and RF performance of a multigate FinFET at nano scale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, Abhishek

    2016-12-01

    In this paper, analog and RF performance of the Fin field effect transistor (FET) at Nano scale is observed through 3D simulation. FinFET devices like rectangular gate all around (RE-GAA) FinFET, cylindrical gate all around (CY-GAA) FinFET and triple gate (TG) FinFET are observed. The figure of merit (FOMs) such as input-output characteristics, trans-conductance (gm), output-conductance (gd), intrinsic gain (gm/gd), gate capacitance (gate to source and total gate capacitance), unity gain cut-off frequency (ft), trans-conductance generation factor (TGF), gain frequency product (GFP), gain bandwidth product (GBP) and gain transconductance frequency product (GTFP) are observed. The analog performance of a FinFETs are observed by realising source follower circuit with NMOS transistor as a current source. The source follower circuit gain is observed. It has been observed that maximum capacitance is observed in case gate all around condition. Rectangular gate all around has the highest transconductance. In the source follower circuit, the gain curve (Vout/Vin) is sharper for TG-FinFET.

  3. A Preliminary Study of Ice-Accretion Scaling for SLD Conditions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, David N.

    2003-01-01

    Proposed changes to aircraft icing certification rules are being considered by European, Canadian, and American regulatory agencies to include operation in super-cooled large droplet conditions (SLD). This paper reports results of an experimental study in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) to evaluate how well scaling methods developed for Appendix C conditions might apply to SLD conditions. Until now, scaling studies have been confined to the FAA FAR-25 Appendix C envelope of atmospheric cloud conditions. Tests were made in which it was attempted to scale to a droplet MVD of 50 microns from clouds having droplet MVDs of 175, 120, 100, and 70 microns. Scaling was based on the Ruff method with scale velocities found either by maintaining constant Weber number or by using the average of the velocities obtained by maintaining constant Weber number and constant Reynolds number. Models were unswept NACA 0012 wing sections. The reference model had a chord of 91.4 cm. Scale models had chords of 91.4, 80.0, and 53.3 cm. Tests were conducted with reference airspeeds of 100 and 150 kt (52 and 77 m/s) and with freezing fractions of 1.0, 0.6, and 0.3. It was demonstrated that the scaled 50-micron cloud simulated well the non-dimensional ice shapes accreted in clouds with MVD's of 120 microns or less.

  4. Does the UKCAT predict performance on exit from medical school? A national cohort study

    PubMed Central

    Cleland, J A; Ayansina, D; Nicholson, S

    2016-01-01

    Objectives Most UK medical programmes use aptitude tests during student selection, but large-scale studies of predictive validity are rare. This study assesses the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT: http://www.ukcat.ac.uk), and 4 of its subscales, along with individual and contextual socioeconomic background factors, as predictors of performance during, and on exit from, medical school. Methods This was an observational study of 6294 medical students from 30 UK medical programmes who took the UKCAT from 2006 to 2008, for whom selection data from the UK Foundation Programme (UKFPO), the next stage of UK medical education training, were available in 2013. We included candidate demographics, UKCAT (cognitive domains; total scores), UKFPO Educational Performance Measure (EPM) and national exit situational judgement test (SJT). Multilevel modelling was used to assess relationships between variables, adjusting for confounders. Results The UKCAT—as a total score and in terms of the subtest scores—has significant predictive validity for performance on the UKFPO EPM and SJT. UKFPO performance was also affected positively by female gender, maturity, white ethnicity and coming from a higher social class area at the time of application to medical school An inverse pattern was seen for a contextual measure of school, with those attending fee-paying schools performing significantly more weakly on the EPM decile, the EPM total and the total UKFPO score, but not the SJT, than those attending other types of school. Conclusions This large-scale study, the first to link 2 national databases—UKCAT and UKFPO, has shown that UKCAT is a predictor of medical school outcome. The data provide modest supportive evidence for the UKCAT's role in student selection. The conflicting relationships of socioeconomic contextual measures (area and school) with outcome adds to wider debates about the limitations of these measures, and indicates the need for further research. PMID:27855088

  5. A Programming Model Performance Study Using the NAS Parallel Benchmarks

    DOE PAGES

    Shan, Hongzhang; Blagojević, Filip; Min, Seung-Jai; ...

    2010-01-01

    Harnessing the power of multicore platforms is challenging due to the additional levels of parallelism present. In this paper we use the NAS Parallel Benchmarks to study three programming models, MPI, OpenMP and PGAS to understand their performance and memory usage characteristics on current multicore architectures. To understand these characteristics we use the Integrated Performance Monitoring tool and other ways to measure communication versus computation time, as well as the fraction of the run time spent in OpenMP. The benchmarks are run on two different Cray XT5 systems and an Infiniband cluster. Our results show that in general the threemore » programming models exhibit very similar performance characteristics. In a few cases, OpenMP is significantly faster because it explicitly avoids communication. For these particular cases, we were able to re-write the UPC versions and achieve equal performance to OpenMP. Using OpenMP was also the most advantageous in terms of memory usage. Also we compare performance differences between the two Cray systems, which have quad-core and hex-core processors. We show that at scale the performance is almost always slower on the hex-core system because of increased contention for network resources.« less

  6. Large-scale network integration in the human brain tracks temporal fluctuations in memory encoding performance.

    PubMed

    Keerativittayayut, Ruedeerat; Aoki, Ryuta; Sarabi, Mitra Taghizadeh; Jimura, Koji; Nakahara, Kiyoshi

    2018-06-18

    Although activation/deactivation of specific brain regions have been shown to be predictive of successful memory encoding, the relationship between time-varying large-scale brain networks and fluctuations of memory encoding performance remains unclear. Here we investigated time-varying functional connectivity patterns across the human brain in periods of 30-40 s, which have recently been implicated in various cognitive functions. During functional magnetic resonance imaging, participants performed a memory encoding task, and their performance was assessed with a subsequent surprise memory test. A graph analysis of functional connectivity patterns revealed that increased integration of the subcortical, default-mode, salience, and visual subnetworks with other subnetworks is a hallmark of successful memory encoding. Moreover, multivariate analysis using the graph metrics of integration reliably classified the brain network states into the period of high (vs. low) memory encoding performance. Our findings suggest that a diverse set of brain systems dynamically interact to support successful memory encoding. © 2018, Keerativittayayut et al.

  7. The stroke impact scale: performance as a quality of life measure in a community-based stroke rehabilitation setting.

    PubMed

    Richardson, Marina; Campbell, Nerissa; Allen, Laura; Meyer, Matthew; Teasell, Robert

    2016-07-01

    The objective of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS). Data was derived from a study assessing a community-based stroke rehabilitation program. Patients were administered the SIS and Euroqol-5D (EQ-5D-5L) on admission to the study, and at six month and 12 month follow-up. The psychometric performance of each domain of the SIS was assessed at each time point. A total of 164 patients completed outcome measures at baseline, 108 patients at six months and 37 patients at 12 months. Correlation of the SIS domains with the EQ-5D-5L suggested that the dimensions of health contributing to a patient's perception of health-related quality of life changes over time. The SIS performed well in a sample of patients undergoing stroke rehabilitation in the community. Our findings suggest that the multidimensionality of the SIS may allow health professionals to track patient progress and tailor rehabilitation interventions to target the dimensions of health that are most important to a patient's overall health and perceived quality of life over time. Implications for Rehabilitation There is an increased need for valid and reliable measures to evaluate the outcomes of patients recovering from stroke in the community. The Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) measures multiple domains of health and is well-suited for use in patients recovering from stroke in the community. There is a high level of internal consistency in the eight SIS domains with no evidence of floor effects; ceiling effects were noted for several domains. Correlation of the SIS with the Euroqol-5D suggested that the dimensions of health contributing to a patient's perception of health related quality of life changes over time.

  8. Measured Boundary Layer Transition and Rotor Hover Performance at Model Scale

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Overmeyer, Austin D.; Martin, Preston B.

    2017-01-01

    An experiment involving a Mach-scaled, 11:08 f t: diameter rotor was performed in hover during the summer of 2016 at NASA Langley Research Center. The experiment investigated the hover performance as a function of the laminar to turbulent transition state of the boundary layer, including both natural and fixed transition cases. The boundary layer transition locations were measured on both the upper and lower aerodynamic surfaces simultaneously. The measurements were enabled by recent advances in infrared sensor sensitivity and stability. The infrared thermography measurement technique was enhanced by a paintable blade surface heater, as well as a new high-sensitivity long wave infrared camera. The measured transition locations showed extensive amounts, x=c>0:90, of laminar flow on the lower surface at moderate to high thrust (CT=s > 0:068) for the full blade radius. The upper surface showed large amounts, x=c > 0:50, of laminar flow at the blade tip for low thrust (CT=s < 0:045). The objective of this paper is to provide an experimental data set for comparisons to newly developed and implemented rotor boundary layer transition models in CFD and rotor design tools. The data is expected to be used as part of the AIAA Rotorcraft SimulationWorking Group

  9. Integrative approaches for large-scale transcriptome-wide association studies

    PubMed Central

    Gusev, Alexander; Ko, Arthur; Shi, Huwenbo; Bhatia, Gaurav; Chung, Wonil; Penninx, Brenda W J H; Jansen, Rick; de Geus, Eco JC; Boomsma, Dorret I; Wright, Fred A; Sullivan, Patrick F; Nikkola, Elina; Alvarez, Marcus; Civelek, Mete; Lusis, Aldons J.; Lehtimäki, Terho; Raitoharju, Emma; Kähönen, Mika; Seppälä, Ilkka; Raitakari, Olli T.; Kuusisto, Johanna; Laakso, Markku; Price, Alkes L.; Pajukanta, Päivi; Pasaniuc, Bogdan

    2016-01-01

    Many genetic variants influence complex traits by modulating gene expression, thus altering the abundance levels of one or multiple proteins. Here, we introduce a powerful strategy that integrates gene expression measurements with summary association statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify genes whose cis-regulated expression is associated to complex traits. We leverage expression imputation to perform a transcriptome wide association scan (TWAS) to identify significant expression-trait associations. We applied our approaches to expression data from blood and adipose tissue measured in ~3,000 individuals overall. We imputed gene expression into GWAS data from over 900,000 phenotype measurements to identify 69 novel genes significantly associated to obesity-related traits (BMI, lipids, and height). Many of the novel genes are associated with relevant phenotypes in the Hybrid Mouse Diversity Panel. Our results showcase the power of integrating genotype, gene expression and phenotype to gain insights into the genetic basis of complex traits. PMID:26854917

  10. a Model Study of Small-Scale World Map Generalization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Y.; Yin, Y.; Li, C. M.; Wu, W.; Guo, P. P.; Ma, X. L.; Hu, F. M.

    2018-04-01

    With the globalization and rapid development every filed is taking an increasing interest in physical geography and human economics. There is a surging demand for small scale world map in large formats all over the world. Further study of automated mapping technology, especially the realization of small scale production on a large scale global map, is the key of the cartographic field need to solve. In light of this, this paper adopts the improved model (with the map and data separated) in the field of the mapmaking generalization, which can separate geographic data from mapping data from maps, mainly including cross-platform symbols and automatic map-making knowledge engine. With respect to the cross-platform symbol library, the symbol and the physical symbol in the geographic information are configured at all scale levels. With respect to automatic map-making knowledge engine consists 97 types, 1086 subtypes, 21845 basic algorithm and over 2500 relevant functional modules.In order to evaluate the accuracy and visual effect of our model towards topographic maps and thematic maps, we take the world map generalization in small scale as an example. After mapping generalization process, combining and simplifying the scattered islands make the map more explicit at 1 : 2.1 billion scale, and the map features more complete and accurate. Not only it enhance the map generalization of various scales significantly, but achieve the integration among map-makings of various scales, suggesting that this model provide a reference in cartographic generalization for various scales.

  11. Turkish Adaptation of the Mentorship Effectiveness Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yirci, Ramazan; Karakose, Turgut; Uygun, Harun; Ozdemir, Tuncay Yavuz

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to adapt the Mentoring Relationship Effectiveness Scale to Turkish, and to conduct validity and reliability tests regarding the scale. The study group consisted of 156 university science students receiving graduate education. Construct validity and factor structure of the scale was analyzed first through exploratory…

  12. Persian version of the Moorong Self-Efficacy Scale: psychometric study among subjects with physical disability.

    PubMed

    Rajati, Fatemeh; Ghanbari, Masoud; Hasandokht, Tolou; Hosseini, Seyed Younes; Akbarzadeh, Rasool; Ashtarian, Hossein

    2017-11-01

    Self-efficacy plays a key role in varying areas of human conditions which can be measured by different scales. The present study was aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of Moorong Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES) in Iranian Subjects with Physical Disability (SWPD). Data were collected by face-to-face interviews and self-report surveys from 214 subjects. The face and content validity, and reliability were evaluated. Discriminates were evaluated between the sub-groups of disability levels, physical activity, and health condition levels. The concurrent, convergent, divergent, and construct validity were assessed by short form health survey scale (SF-36), general self-efficacy scale (GSES), hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), respectively. Replaceable exploratory factor analysis was evaluated. SPSS software was used for statistical analysis. There were acceptable face and content validity, and reliability. Furthermore, significant correlation was found between PSES and SF-36 (p < 0.001). Self-efficacy was statistically different among the disability levels (p = 0.02), physical activity levels (p < 0.001), and health status (p = 0.001). The correlation of Persian Self-Efficacy Scale (PSES) scores with GSES (r = 0.61, p < 0.001), and HADS (R = -0.53, p < 0.001) was significant. This scale yielded a two-dimensional structure, with a good internal replicability. The external replicability was satisfactory when we compared factor loadings with the original study. The PSES is a valid, reliable and sensitive tool to measure the self-efficacy among SWPD for planning and managing of disability problems. Implications for rehabilitation Psychometric properties of the Persian version of self-Efficacy scale (PSES) appear to be similar to original, English version. The PSES has been shown to have validity and reliability in Persian physical disables and can be used for patients with more different types of physical disability than

  13. Nitrification performance and microbial ecology of nitrifying bacteria in a full-scale membrane bioreactor treating TFT-LCD wastewater.

    PubMed

    Whang, Liang-Ming; Wu, Yi-Ju; Lee, Ya-Chin; Chen, Hong-Wei; Fukushima, Toshikazu; Chang, Ming-Yu; Cheng, Sheng-Shung; Hsu, Shu-Fu; Chang, Cheng-Huey; Shen, Wason; Huang, Chung Kai; Fu, Ryan; Chang, Barkley

    2012-10-01

    This study investigated nitrification performance and nitrifying community in one full-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) treating TFT-LCD wastewater. For the A/O MBR system treating monoethanolamine (MEA) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), no nitrification was observed, due presumably to high organic loading, high colloidal COD, low DO, and low hydraulic retention time (HRT) conditions. By including additional A/O or O/A tanks, the A/O/A/O MBR and the O/A/O MBR were able to perform successful nitrification. The real-time PCR results for quantification of nitrifying populations showed a high correlation to nitrification performance, and can be a good indicator of stable nitrification. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) results of functional gene, amoA, suggest that Nitrosomonas oligotropha-like AOB seemed to be important to a good nitrification in the MBR system. In the MBR system, Nitrobacter- and Nitrospira-like NOB were both abundant, but the low nitrite environment is likely to promote the growth of Nitrospira-like NOB. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Influence of sludge properties and hydraulic loading on the performance of secondary settling tanks--full-scale operational results.

    PubMed

    Vestner, R J; Günthert, F Wolfgang

    2004-01-01

    Full-scale investigations at a WWTP with a two-stage secondary settling tank process revealed relationships between significant operating parameters and performance in terms of effluent suspended solids concentration. Besides common parameters (e.g. surface overflow rate and sludge volume loading rate) feed SS concentration and flocculation time must be considered. Concentration of the return activated sludge may help to estimate the performance of existing secondary settling tanks.

  15. Embedded Sensors and Controls to Improve Component Performance and Reliability -- Loop-scale Testbed Design Report

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

    Melin, Alexander M.; Kisner, Roger A.

    2016-09-01

    Embedded instrumentation and control systems that can operate in extreme environments are challenging to design and operate. Extreme environments limit the options for sensors and actuators and degrade their performance. Because sensors and actuators are necessary for feedback control, these limitations mean that designing embedded instrumentation and control systems for the challenging environments of nuclear reactors requires advanced technical solutions that are not available commercially. This report details the development of testbed that will be used for cross-cutting embedded instrumentation and control research for nuclear power applications. This research is funded by the Department of Energy's Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologymore » program's Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation topic. The design goal of the loop-scale testbed is to build a low temperature pump that utilizes magnetic bearing that will be incorporated into a water loop to test control system performance and self-sensing techniques. Specifically, this testbed will be used to analyze control system performance in response to nonlinear and cross-coupling fluid effects between the shaft axes of motion, rotordynamics and gyroscopic effects, and impeller disturbances. This testbed will also be used to characterize the performance losses when using self-sensing position measurement techniques. Active magnetic bearings are a technology that can reduce failures and maintenance costs in nuclear power plants. They are particularly relevant to liquid salt reactors that operate at high temperatures (700 C). Pumps used in the extreme environment of liquid salt reactors provide many engineering challenges that can be overcome with magnetic bearings and their associated embedded instrumentation and control. This report will give details of the mechanical design and electromagnetic design of the loop-scale embedded instrumentation and control testbed.« less

  16. Measuring euthymia within the Neuroticism Scale from the NEO Personality Inventory: A Mokken analysis of the Norwegian general population study for scalability.

    PubMed

    Bech, P; Carrozzino, D; Austin, S F; Møller, S B; Vassend, O

    2016-03-15

    Whereas the Eysenck Neuroticism Scale only contains items covering negative mental health to measure dysthymia, the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI) contains neuroticism items covering both negative mental health and positive mental health (or euthymia). The consequence of wording items both positively and negatively within the NEO-PI has never been psychometrically investigated. The aim of this study was to perform a validation analysis of the NEO-PI neuroticism scale. Using a Norwegian general population study we examined the structure of the negatively and positively formulated items by principal component analysis (PCA). The scalability of the identified two groups of euthymia versus dysthymia items was examined by Mokken analysis. With a response rate of 90%, 1082 individuals with a completed NEO-PI were available. The PCA identified the neuroticism scale as the most distinct where 14 items had acceptable loadings for the euthymia subscale, another 14 items for the dysthymia subscale. However, the Mokken analysis coefficient of homogeneity only found acceptable scalability for the euthymia subscale. A comparison with the Eysenck Neuroticism Scale was not performed. The NEO-PI neuroticism scale contains two subscales consisting of items worded in an opposite direction where only the positive euthymia items have an acceptable scalability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. EVALUATING THE PERFORMANCE OF REGIONAL-SCALE PHOTOCHEMICAL MODELING SYSTEMS: PART I--METEOROLOGICAL PREDICTIONS. (R825260)

    EPA Science Inventory

    In this study, the concept of scale analysis is applied to evaluate two state-of-science meteorological models, namely MM5 and RAMS3b, currently being used to drive regional-scale air quality models. To this end, seasonal time series of observations and predictions for temperatur...

  18. Age Effects on Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised Tests.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sattler, Jerome M.

    1982-01-01

    Studied age norms for 11 individual Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) tests. Digit Symbol showed the most decline. Results suggest that fluid intelligence, as measured by the performance scale tests, shows more of a decline with age than crystallized intelligence, as measured by the verbal scale tests. (Author)

  19. An Examination of Coach and Player Relationships According to the Adapted LMX 7 Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Caliskan, Gokhan

    2015-01-01

    The current study aims to test the reliability and validity of the Leader-Member Exchange (LMX 7) scale with regard to coach--player relationships in sports settings. A total of 330 professional soccer players from the Turkish Super League as well as from the First and Second Leagues participated in this study. Factor analyses were performed to…

  20. Occupational performance and the transition to powered mobility: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Buning, M E; Angelo, J A; Schmeler, M R

    2001-01-01

    This quantitative study describes the transition from manual to powered mobility and its influence on occupational performance (organization of daily tasks, assumption of responsibility, roles, interests) and feelings of competence, adaptability, and self-esteem. The Occupational Performance History Interview (OPHI) was used with a convenience sample of 8 participants with both static and progressive conditions to measure retrospectively changes in occupational performance after the change from a manual wheelchair to a powered mobility device (PMD). The Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Device Scale (PIADS) was used to measure participants' perceptions of the impact of the PMD on their competence, adaptability, and self-esteem. A comparison of the pretest and posttest means on the OPHI scores showed a significant improvement in occupational performance (p = .001) after the introduction of PMDs. The PIADS scores showed a positive impact of 2 or greater for 75% of the participants on 19 of 26 items. Scores were similar to scores in a PIADS database of persons with comparable conditions. No significant relationship between occupational performance and psychosocial impact was demonstrated. Results suggest that the transition to a PMD enhances occupational performance, competence, adaptability, and self-esteem for persons with severe mobility impairments.

  1. Depression and work performance: an ecological study using web-based screening.

    PubMed

    Harvey, S B; Glozier, N; Henderson, M; Allaway, S; Litchfield, P; Holland-Elliott, K; Hotopf, M

    2011-05-01

    Depression is reported to be a major cause of illness-related sub-optimal work performance (presenteeism). However, the majority of studies examining presenteeism have relied on self-report measures of work performance. Furthermore, employers currently face a number of practical challenges in attempting to facilitate early identification of depression. To test whether a web-based screening tool for depression could be used successfully in the workplace and whether it was possible to detect an association between rates of depression and objective measures of impaired workgroup performance. All permanent employees of a telecommunications company with UK-based call centres were encouraged to complete a web-based psychological assessment using the Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ-9). In addition to confidential individual level results, the tool was able to provide anonymized summary statistics for each workgroup. Four objective measures of work performance were collected for each workgroup. During the study period, 1161 web-based PHQ-9 questionnaires were completed. There was a negative linear relationship between rates of depressive symptoms and the overall performance of a workgroup (P < 0.001). The linear relationship between depression and workgroup performance remained after controlling for gender balance, percent of temporary staff, employees' perceived level of engagement and satisfaction with their line manager (P < 0.01). Workgroups with high levels of depressive symptoms tend to perform poorly. Computer-aided web-based screening for symptoms of depression is feasible in a work setting.

  2. Adolescent Time Attitude Scale: Adaptation into Turkish

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Çelik, Eyüp; Sahranç, Ümit; Kaya, Mehmet; Turan, Mehmet Emin

    2017-01-01

    This research is aimed at examining the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Time Attitude Scale. Data was collected from 433 adolescents; 206 males and 227 females participated in the study. Confirmatory factor analysis performed to discover the structural validity of the scale. The internal consistency method was used for…

  3. High-performance bio-piezoelectric nanogenerator made with fish scale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghosh, Sujoy Kumar; Mandal, Dipankar

    2016-09-01

    Energy harvesting performance of an efficient flexible bio-piezoelectric nanogenerator (BPNG) is demonstrated, where "bio-waste" transparent fish scale (FSC), composed of self-assembled and ordered collagen nano-fibrils, serves as a self-poled piezoelectric active component, exhibiting intrinsic piezoelectric strength of -5.0 pC/N. The dipolar orientation (˜19%) of the self-polarized FSC collagen is confirmed by the angular dependent near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The BPNG is able to scavenge several types of ambient mechanical energies such as body movements, machine and sound vibrations, and wind flow which are abundant in living environment. Furthermore, as a power source, it generates the output voltage of 4 V, the short circuit current of 1.5 μA, and the maximum output power density of 1.14 μW/cm2 under repeated compressive normal stress of 0.17 MPa. In addition, serially integrated four BPNGs are able to produce enhanced output voltage of 14 V that turn on more than 50 blue light emitting diodes instantly, proving its essentiality as a sustainable green power source for next generation self-powered implantable medical devices as well as for personal portable electronics with reduced e-waste elements.

  4. An Appraisal of Performance Appraisal Summary Results of a Large Scale Study.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-05-01

    subordinate to M 6 28 66 put in more effort S 9 28 62 Mutual planning of future M 22 22 58 work goas S 9 29 62 M = PerrcenLtage of manager resposes S...some), subordinates believe it forms a larger Both managors and stibordinates agree that self -appraisal is not a frequontly used basis of evaluation...made M=2.0 S=3.0 1 Self -appraisal completed before the interview M=2.5 S=2.4 -20- 𔃻________________ SECTION 4 EVALUATI NG PERFORMANCE APPRA I SAL

  5. Multi-scale theory-assisted nano-engineering of plasmonic-organic hybrid electro-optic device performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elder, Delwin L.; Johnson, Lewis E.; Tillack, Andreas F.; Robinson, Bruce H.; Haffner, Christian; Heni, Wolfgang; Hoessbacher, Claudia; Fedoryshyn, Yuriy; Salamin, Yannick; Baeuerle, Benedikt; Josten, Arne; Ayata, Masafumi; Koch, Ueli; Leuthold, Juerg; Dalton, Larry R.

    2018-02-01

    Multi-scale (correlated quantum and statistical mechanics) modeling methods have been advanced and employed to guide the improvement of organic electro-optic (OEO) materials, including by analyzing electric field poling induced electro-optic activity in nanoscopic plasmonic-organic hybrid (POH) waveguide devices. The analysis of in-device electro-optic activity emphasizes the importance of considering both the details of intermolecular interactions within organic electro-optic materials and interactions at interfaces between OEO materials and device architectures. Dramatic improvement in electro-optic device performance-including voltage-length performance, bandwidth, energy efficiency, and lower optical losses have been realized. These improvements are critical to applications in telecommunications, computing, sensor technology, and metrology. Multi-scale modeling methods illustrate the complexity of improving the electro-optic activity of organic materials, including the necessity of considering the trade-off between improving poling-induced acentric order through chromophore modification and the reduction of chromophore number density associated with such modification. Computational simulations also emphasize the importance of developing chromophore modifications that serve multiple purposes including matrix hardening for enhanced thermal and photochemical stability, control of matrix dimensionality, influence on material viscoelasticity, improvement of chromophore molecular hyperpolarizability, control of material dielectric permittivity and index of refraction properties, and control of material conductance. Consideration of new device architectures is critical to the implementation of chipscale integration of electronics and photonics and achieving the high bandwidths for applications such as next generation (e.g., 5G) telecommunications.

  6. Scaled test statistics and robust standard errors for non-normal data in covariance structure analysis: a Monte Carlo study.

    PubMed

    Chou, C P; Bentler, P M; Satorra, A

    1991-11-01

    Research studying robustness of maximum likelihood (ML) statistics in covariance structure analysis has concluded that test statistics and standard errors are biased under severe non-normality. An estimation procedure known as asymptotic distribution free (ADF), making no distributional assumption, has been suggested to avoid these biases. Corrections to the normal theory statistics to yield more adequate performance have also been proposed. This study compares the performance of a scaled test statistic and robust standard errors for two models under several non-normal conditions and also compares these with the results from ML and ADF methods. Both ML and ADF test statistics performed rather well in one model and considerably worse in the other. In general, the scaled test statistic seemed to behave better than the ML test statistic and the ADF statistic performed the worst. The robust and ADF standard errors yielded more appropriate estimates of sampling variability than the ML standard errors, which were usually downward biased, in both models under most of the non-normal conditions. ML test statistics and standard errors were found to be quite robust to the violation of the normality assumption when data had either symmetric and platykurtic distributions, or non-symmetric and zero kurtotic distributions.

  7. Final waste forms project: Performance criteria for phase I treatability studies

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

    Gilliam, T.M.; Hutchins, D.A.; Chodak, P. III

    1994-06-01

    This document defines the product performance criteria to be used in Phase I of the Final Waste Forms Project. In Phase I, treatability studies will be performed to provide {open_quotes}proof-of-principle{close_quotes} data to establish the viability of stabilization/solidification (S/S) technologies. This information is required by March 1995. In Phase II, further treatability studies, some at the pilot scale, will be performed to provide sufficient data to allow treatment alternatives identified in Phase I to be more fully developed and evaluated, as well as to reduce performance uncertainties for those methods chosen to treat a specific waste. Three main factors influence themore » development and selection of an optimum waste form formulation and hence affect selection of performance criteria. These factors are regulatory, process-specific, and site-specific waste form standards or requirements. Clearly, the optimum waste form formulation will require consideration of performance criteria constraints from each of the three categories. Phase I will focus only on the regulatory criteria. These criteria may be considered the minimum criteria for an acceptable waste form. In other words, a S/S technology is considered viable only if it meet applicable regulatory criteria. The criteria to be utilized in the Phase I treatability studies were primarily taken from Environmental Protection Agency regulations addressed in 40 CFR 260 through 265 and 268; and Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations addressed in 10 CFR 61. Thus the majority of the identified criteria are independent of waste form matrix composition (i.e., applicable to cement, glass, organic binders etc.).« less

  8. Characterizing the performance of ecosystem models across time scales: A spectral analysis of the North American Carbon Program site-level synthesis

    Treesearch

    Michael C. Dietze; Rodrigo Vargas; Andrew D. Richardson; Paul C. Stoy; Alan G. Barr; Ryan S. Anderson; M. Altaf Arain; Ian T. Baker; T. Andrew Black; Jing M. Chen; Philippe Ciais; Lawrence B. Flanagan; Christopher M. Gough; Robert F. Grant; David Hollinger; R. Cesar Izaurralde; Christopher J. Kucharik; Peter Lafleur; Shugang Liu; Erandathie Lokupitiya; Yiqi Luo; J. William Munger; Changhui Peng; Benjamin Poulter; David T. Price; Daniel M. Ricciuto; William J. Riley; Alok Kumar Sahoo; Kevin Schaefer; Andrew E. Suyker; Hanqin Tian; Christina Tonitto; Hans Verbeeck; Shashi B. Verma; Weifeng Wang; Ensheng Weng

    2011-01-01

    Ecosystem models are important tools for diagnosing the carbon cycle and projecting its behavior across space and time. Despite the fact that ecosystems respond to drivers at multiple time scales, most assessments of model performance do not discriminate different time scales. Spectral methods, such as wavelet analyses, present an alternative approach that enables the...

  9. Comparison of NASA-TLX scale, Modified Cooper-Harper scale and mean inter-beat interval as measures of pilot mental workload during simulated flight tasks.

    PubMed

    Mansikka, Heikki; Virtanen, Kai; Harris, Don

    2018-04-30

    The sensitivity of NASA-TLX scale, modified Cooper-Harper (MCH) scale and the mean inter-beat interval (IBI) of successive heart beats, as measures of pilot mental workload (MWL), were evaluated in a flight training device (FTD). Operational F/A-18C pilots flew instrument approaches with varying task loads. Pilots' performance, subjective MWL ratings and IBI were measured. Based on the pilots' performance, three performance categories were formed; high-, medium- and low-performance. Values of the subjective rating scales and IBI were compared between categories. It was found that all measures were able to differentiate most task conditions and there was a strong, positive correlation between NASA-TLX and MCH scale. An explicit link between IBI, NASA-TLX, MCH and performance was demonstrated. While NASA-TLX, MCH and IBI have all been previously used to measure MWL, this study is the first one to investigate their association in a modern FTD, using a realistic flying mission and operational pilots.

  10. The Validity and Reliability Study of Turkish Version of the Sentiments, Attitudes, and Concerns about Inclusive Education Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cansiz, Nurcan; Cansiz, Mustafa

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to translate and adapt the Sentiments Attitudes and Concerns about Inclusive Education Scale (SACIE) for use in the Turkish context. For this purpose, translated version of SACIE was administered to 304 and 368 preservice teachers (PTs) to perform exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis respectively. The result of…

  11. Study of multi-functional precision optical measuring system for large scale equipment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Wei; Lao, Dabao; Zhou, Weihu; Zhang, Wenying; Jiang, Xingjian; Wang, Yongxi

    2017-10-01

    The effective application of high performance measurement technology can greatly improve the large-scale equipment manufacturing ability. Therefore, the geometric parameters measurement, such as size, attitude and position, requires the measurement system with high precision, multi-function, portability and other characteristics. However, the existing measuring instruments, such as laser tracker, total station, photogrammetry system, mostly has single function, station moving and other shortcomings. Laser tracker needs to work with cooperative target, but it can hardly meet the requirement of measurement in extreme environment. Total station is mainly used for outdoor surveying and mapping, it is hard to achieve the demand of accuracy in industrial measurement. Photogrammetry system can achieve a wide range of multi-point measurement, but the measuring range is limited and need to repeatedly move station. The paper presents a non-contact opto-electronic measuring instrument, not only it can work by scanning the measurement path but also measuring the cooperative target by tracking measurement. The system is based on some key technologies, such as absolute distance measurement, two-dimensional angle measurement, automatically target recognition and accurate aiming, precision control, assembly of complex mechanical system and multi-functional 3D visualization software. Among them, the absolute distance measurement module ensures measurement with high accuracy, and the twodimensional angle measuring module provides precision angle measurement. The system is suitable for the case of noncontact measurement of large-scale equipment, it can ensure the quality and performance of large-scale equipment throughout the process of manufacturing and improve the manufacturing ability of large-scale and high-end equipment.

  12. Pilot scale biodiesel production from microbial oil of Rhodosporidium toruloides DEBB 5533 using sugarcane juice: Performance in diesel engine and preliminary economic study.

    PubMed

    Soccol, Carlos Ricardo; Dalmas Neto, Carlos José; Soccol, Vanete Thomaz; Sydney, Eduardo Bittencourt; da Costa, Eduardo Scopel Ferreira; Medeiros, Adriane Bianchi Pedroni; Vandenberghe, Luciana Porto de Souza

    2017-01-01

    A successful pilot-scale process for biodiesel production from microbial oil (Biooil) produced by Rhodosporidium toruloides DEBB 5533 is presented. Using fed-batch strategy (1000L working volume), a lipid productivity of 0.44g/L.h was obtained using a low-cost medium composed by sugarcane juice and urea. The microbial oil was used for biodiesel production and its performance was evaluated in diesel engine tests, showing very good performance, especially for the blend B20 SCO, when operating at 2500rpm with lower pollutant emissions (CO 2 - 220% less; CO - 7-fold less; NO X 50% less and no detectable HC emissions (<0.11ppm)) when compared with the blends of standard biofuel from soybean oil. A preliminary analysis showed that microbial biodiesel is economically competitive (US$ 0.76/L) when compared to the vegetable biodiesel (US$ 0.81/L). Besides, the yield of biodiesel from microbial oil is higher (4172L/ha of cultivated sugarcane) that represents 6.3-fold the yield of standard biodiesel (661L/ha of cultivated soybean). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Study of an engine flow diverter system for a large scale ejector powered aircraft model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Springer, R. J.; Langley, B.; Plant, T.; Hunter, L.; Brock, O.

    1981-01-01

    Requirements were established for a conceptual design study to analyze and design an engine flow diverter system and to include accommodations for an ejector system in an existing 3/4 scale fighter model equipped with YJ-79 engines. Model constraints were identified and cost-effective limited modification was proposed to accept the ejectors, ducting and flow diverter valves. Complete system performance was calculated and a versatile computer program capable of analyzing any ejector system was developed.

  14. Comparative performance of a genetically-encoded voltage indicator and a blue voltage sensitive dye for large scale cortical voltage imaging

    PubMed Central

    Mutoh, Hiroki; Mishina, Yukiko; Gallero-Salas, Yasir; Knöpfel, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    Traditional small molecule voltage sensitive dye indicators have been a powerful tool for monitoring large scale dynamics of neuronal activities but have several limitations including the lack of cell class specific targeting, invasiveness and difficulties in conducting longitudinal studies. Recent advances in the development of genetically-encoded voltage indicators have successfully overcome these limitations. Genetically-encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs) provide sufficient sensitivity to map cortical representations of sensory information and spontaneous network activities across cortical areas and different brain states. In this study, we directly compared the performance of a prototypic GEVI, VSFP2.3, with that of a widely used small molecule voltage sensitive dye (VSD), RH1691, in terms of their ability to resolve mesoscopic scale cortical population responses. We used three synchronized CCD cameras to simultaneously record the dual emission ratiometric fluorescence signal from VSFP2.3 and RH1691 fluorescence. The results show that VSFP2.3 offers more stable and less invasive recording conditions, while the signal-to-noise level and the response dynamics to sensory inputs are comparable to RH1691 recordings. PMID:25964738

  15. Out of the net: An agent-based model to study human movements influence on local-scale malaria transmission.

    PubMed

    Pizzitutti, Francesco; Pan, William; Feingold, Beth; Zaitchik, Ben; Álvarez, Carlos A; Mena, Carlos F

    2018-01-01

    Though malaria control initiatives have markedly reduced malaria prevalence in recent decades, global eradication is far from actuality. Recent studies show that environmental and social heterogeneities in low-transmission settings have an increased weight in shaping malaria micro-epidemiology. New integrated and more localized control strategies should be developed and tested. Here we present a set of agent-based models designed to study the influence of local scale human movements on local scale malaria transmission in a typical Amazon environment, where malaria is transmission is low and strongly connected with seasonal riverine flooding. The agent-based simulations show that the overall malaria incidence is essentially not influenced by local scale human movements. In contrast, the locations of malaria high risk spatial hotspots heavily depend on human movements because simulated malaria hotspots are mainly centered on farms, were laborers work during the day. The agent-based models are then used to test the effectiveness of two different malaria control strategies both designed to reduce local scale malaria incidence by targeting hotspots. The first control scenario consists in treat against mosquito bites people that, during the simulation, enter at least once inside hotspots revealed considering the actual sites where human individuals were infected. The second scenario involves the treatment of people entering in hotspots calculated assuming that the infection sites of every infected individual is located in the household where the individual lives. Simulations show that both considered scenarios perform better in controlling malaria than a randomized treatment, although targeting household hotspots shows slightly better performance.

  16. A Study on Fast Gates for Large-Scale Quantum Simulation with Trapped Ions.

    PubMed

    Taylor, Richard L; Bentley, Christopher D B; Pedernales, Julen S; Lamata, Lucas; Solano, Enrique; Carvalho, André R R; Hope, Joseph J

    2017-04-12

    Large-scale digital quantum simulations require thousands of fundamental entangling gates to construct the simulated dynamics. Despite success in a variety of small-scale simulations, quantum information processing platforms have hitherto failed to demonstrate the combination of precise control and scalability required to systematically outmatch classical simulators. We analyse how fast gates could enable trapped-ion quantum processors to achieve the requisite scalability to outperform classical computers without error correction. We analyze the performance of a large-scale digital simulator, and find that fidelity of around 70% is realizable for π-pulse infidelities below 10 -5 in traps subject to realistic rates of heating and dephasing. This scalability relies on fast gates: entangling gates faster than the trap period.

  17. Light sources for high-volume manufacturing EUV lithography: technology, performance, and power scaling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fomenkov, Igor; Brandt, David; Ershov, Alex; Schafgans, Alexander; Tao, Yezheng; Vaschenko, Georgiy; Rokitski, Slava; Kats, Michael; Vargas, Michael; Purvis, Michael; Rafac, Rob; La Fontaine, Bruno; De Dea, Silvia; LaForge, Andrew; Stewart, Jayson; Chang, Steven; Graham, Matthew; Riggs, Daniel; Taylor, Ted; Abraham, Mathew; Brown, Daniel

    2017-06-01

    Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is expected to succeed in 193-nm immersion multi-patterning technology for sub-10-nm critical layer patterning. In order to be successful, EUV lithography has to demonstrate that it can satisfy the industry requirements in the following critical areas: power, dose stability, etendue, spectral content, and lifetime. Currently, development of second-generation laser-produced plasma (LPP) light sources for the ASML's NXE:3300B EUV scanner is complete, and first units are installed and operational at chipmaker customers. We describe different aspects and performance characteristics of the sources, dose stability results, power scaling, and availability data for EUV sources and also report new development results.

  18. Large-scale, high-performance and cloud-enabled multi-model analytics experiments in the context of the Earth System Grid Federation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fiore, S.; Płóciennik, M.; Doutriaux, C.; Blanquer, I.; Barbera, R.; Williams, D. N.; Anantharaj, V. G.; Evans, B. J. K.; Salomoni, D.; Aloisio, G.

    2017-12-01

    The increased models resolution in the development of comprehensive Earth System Models is rapidly leading to very large climate simulations output that pose significant scientific data management challenges in terms of data sharing, processing, analysis, visualization, preservation, curation, and archiving.Large scale global experiments for Climate Model Intercomparison Projects (CMIP) have led to the development of the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF), a federated data infrastructure which has been serving the CMIP5 experiment, providing access to 2PB of data for the IPCC Assessment Reports. In such a context, running a multi-model data analysis experiment is very challenging, as it requires the availability of a large amount of data related to multiple climate models simulations and scientific data management tools for large-scale data analytics. To address these challenges, a case study on climate models intercomparison data analysis has been defined and implemented in the context of the EU H2020 INDIGO-DataCloud project. The case study has been tested and validated on CMIP5 datasets, in the context of a large scale, international testbed involving several ESGF sites (LLNL, ORNL and CMCC), one orchestrator site (PSNC) and one more hosting INDIGO PaaS services (UPV). Additional ESGF sites, such as NCI (Australia) and a couple more in Europe, are also joining the testbed. The added value of the proposed solution is summarized in the following: it implements a server-side paradigm which limits data movement; it relies on a High-Performance Data Analytics (HPDA) stack to address performance; it exploits the INDIGO PaaS layer to support flexible, dynamic and automated deployment of software components; it provides user-friendly web access based on the INDIGO Future Gateway; and finally it integrates, complements and extends the support currently available through ESGF. Overall it provides a new "tool" for climate scientists to run multi-model experiments. At the

  19. Advances in compact manufacturing for shape and performance controllability of large-scale components-a review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qin, Fangcheng; Li, Yongtang; Qi, Huiping; Ju, Li

    2017-01-01

    Research on compact manufacturing technology for shape and performance controllability of metallic components can realize the simplification and high-reliability of manufacturing process on the premise of satisfying the requirement of macro/micro-structure. It is not only the key paths in improving performance, saving material and energy, and green manufacturing of components used in major equipments, but also the challenging subjects in frontiers of advanced plastic forming. To provide a novel horizon for the manufacturing in the critical components is significant. Focused on the high-performance large-scale components such as bearing rings, flanges, railway wheels, thick-walled pipes, etc, the conventional processes and their developing situations are summarized. The existing problems including multi-pass heating, wasting material and energy, high cost and high-emission are discussed, and the present study unable to meet the manufacturing in high-quality components is also pointed out. Thus, the new techniques related to casting-rolling compound precise forming of rings, compact manufacturing for duplex-metal composite rings, compact manufacturing for railway wheels, and casting-extruding continuous forming of thick-walled pipes are introduced in detail, respectively. The corresponding research contents, such as casting ring blank, hot ring rolling, near solid-state pressure forming, hot extruding, are elaborated. Some findings in through-thickness microstructure evolution and mechanical properties are also presented. The components produced by the new techniques are mainly characterized by fine and homogeneous grains. Moreover, the possible directions for further development of those techniques are suggested. Finally, the key scientific problems are first proposed. All of these results and conclusions have reference value and guiding significance for the integrated control of shape and performance in advanced compact manufacturing.

  20. Psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS): secondary analysis of the Mexican Health and Aging Study.

    PubMed

    López-Ortega, Mariana; Torres-Castro, Sara; Rosas-Carrasco, Oscar

    2016-12-09

    The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) has been widely used and has proven to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing satisfaction with life in diverse population groups, however, research on satisfaction with life and validation of different measuring instruments in Mexican adults is still lacking. The objective was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) in a representative sample of Mexican adults. This is a methodological study to evaluate a satisfaction with life scale in a sample of 13,220 Mexican adults 50 years of age or older from the 2012 Mexican Health and Aging Study. The scale's reliability (internal consistency) was analysed using Cronbach's alpha and inter-item correlations. An exploratory factor analysis was also performed. Known-groups validity was evaluated comparing good-health and bad-health participants. Comorbidity, perceived financial situation, self-reported general health, depression symptoms, and social support were included to evaluate the validity between these measures and the total score of the scale using Spearman's correlations. The analysis of the scale's reliability showed good internal consistency (α = 0.74). The exploratory factor analysis confirmed the existence of a unique factor structure that explained 54% of the variance. SWLS was related to depression, perceived health, financial situation, and social support, and these relations were all statistically significant (P < .01). There was significant difference in life satisfaction between the good- and bad-health groups. Results show good internal consistency and construct validity of the SWLS. These results are comparable with results from previous studies. Meeting the study's objective to validate the scale, the results show that the Spanish version of the SWLS is a reliable and valid measure of satisfaction with life in the Mexican context.

  1. Variability in Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV subtest performance across age.

    PubMed

    Wisdom, Nick M; Mignogna, Joseph; Collins, Robert L

    2012-06-01

    Normal Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)-IV performance relative to average normative scores alone can be an oversimplification as this fails to recognize disparate subtest heterogeneity that occurs with increasing age. The purpose of the present study is to characterize the patterns of raw score change and associated variability on WAIS-IV subtests across age groupings. Raw WAIS-IV subtest means and standard deviations for each age group were tabulated from the WAIS-IV normative manual along with the coefficient of variation (CV), a measure of score dispersion calculated by dividing the standard deviation by the mean and multiplying by 100. The CV further informs the magnitude of variability represented by each standard deviation. Raw mean scores predictably decreased across age groups. Increased variability was noted in Perceptual Reasoning and Processing Speed Index subtests, as Block Design, Matrix Reasoning, Picture Completion, Symbol Search, and Coding had CV percentage increases ranging from 56% to 98%. In contrast, Working Memory and Verbal Comprehension subtests were more homogeneous with Digit Span, Comprehension, Information, and Similarities percentage of the mean increases ranging from 32% to 43%. Little change in the CV was noted on Cancellation, Arithmetic, Letter/Number Sequencing, Figure Weights, Visual Puzzles, and Vocabulary subtests (<14%). A thorough understanding of age-related subtest variability will help to identify test limitations as well as further our understanding of cognitive domains which remain relatively steady versus those which steadily decline.

  2. Use of a shoulder abduction brace after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: A study on gait performance and falls.

    PubMed

    Sonoda, Yuma; Nishioka, Takashi; Nakajima, Ryo; Imai, Shinji; Vigers, Piers; Kawasaki, Taku

    2018-04-01

    Fall prevention is essential in patients after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair because of the high risk of re-rupture. However, there are no reports related to falls that occur during the early postoperative period, while the affected limb is immobilized. This study assessed gait performance and falls in patients using a shoulder abduction brace after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Prospective cohort and postoperative repeated measures. This study included 29 patients (mean age, 67.1 ± 7.4 years) who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair followed by rehabilitation. The timed up and go test, Geriatric Depression Scale, and Falls Efficacy Scale were measured, and the numbers of falls were compared between those shoulder abduction brace users and patients who had undergone total hip or knee arthroplasty. In arthroscopic rotator cuff repair patients, there were significant improvements in timed up and go test and Geriatric Depression Scale, but no significant differences in Falls Efficacy Scale, between the second and fifth postoperative weeks ( p < 0.05). Additionally, arthroscopic rotator cuff repair patients fell more often than patients with total hip arthroplasty or total knee arthroplasty during the same period. The findings suggest that rehabilitation in arthroscopic rotator cuff repair patients is beneficial, but decreased gait performance due to the immobilizing shoulder abduction brace can lead to falls. Clinical relevance Although rehabilitation helps motor function and mental health after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, shoulder abduction brace use is associated with impaired gait performance, high Falls Efficacy Scale scores, and risk of falls, so awareness of risk factors including medications and lower limb dysfunctions is especially important after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.

  3. The viability and performance characterization of nano scale energetic materials on a semiconductor bridge (SCB)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Strohm, Gianna Sophia

    The move from conventional energetic composites to nano scale energetic mixtures (nano energetics) has shown dramatic improvement in energy release rate and sensitivity to ignition. A possible application of nano energetics is on a semiconductor bridge (SCB). An SCB typically requires a tenth of the energy input as compared to a bridge wire design with the same no-fire and is capable of igniting in tens of microseconds. For very low energy applications, SCBs can be manufactured to extremely small sizes and it is necessary to find materials with particle sizes that are even smaller to function. Reactive particles of comparable size to the bridge can lead to problems with ignition reliability for small bridges. Nano-energetic composites and the use of SCBs have been significantly studied individually, however, the process of combining nano energetics with an SCB has not been investigated extensively and is the focus of this work. Goals of this study are to determine if nano energetics can be used with SCBs to further reduce the minimum energy required and improve reliability. The performance of nano-scale aluminum (nAl) and bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) with nitrocellulose (NC), Fluorel(TM) FC 2175 (chemically equivalent to VitonRTM) and Glycidyl Azide Polymer (GAP) as binders where quantified initially using the SenTest(TM) algorithm at three weight fractions (5, 7, and 9%) of binder. The threshold energy was calculated and compared to previous data using conventional materials such as zirconium potassium chlorate (ZPC), mercuric 5-Nitrotetrazol (DXN-1) and titanium sub-hydride potassium per-chlorate (TSPP). It was found that even though there where only slight differences in performance between the binders with nAl/Bi2O 3 at any of the three binder weight fractions, the results show that these nano energetic materials require about half of the threshold energy compared to conventional materials using an SCB with an 84x42 mum bridge. Binder limit testing was conducted to

  4. Array-scale performance of TES X-ray Calorimeters Suitable for Constellation-X

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kilbourne, C. A.; Bandler, S. R.; Brown, A. D.; Chervenak, J. A.; Eckart, M. E.; Finkbeiner, F. M.; Iyomoto, N.; Kelley, R. L.; Porter, F. S.; Smith, S. J.; hide

    2008-01-01

    Having developed a transition-edge-sensor (TES) calorimeter design that enables high spectral resolution in high fill-factor arrays, we now present array-scale results from 32-pixel arrays of identical closely packed TES pixels. Each pixel in such an array contains a Mo/Au bilayer with a transition temperature of 0.1 K and an electroplated Au or Au/Bi xray absorber. The pixels in an array have highly uniform physical characteristics and performance. The arrays are easy to operate due to the range of bias voltages and heatsink temperatures over which solution better than 3 eV at 6 keV can be obtained. Resolution better than 3 eV has also been obtained with 2x8 time-division SQUID multiplexing. We will present the detector characteristics and show spectra acquired through the read-out chain from the multiplexer electronics through the demultiplexer software to real-time signal processing. We are working towards demonstrating this performance over the range of count rates expected in the observing program of the Constellation-X observatory. We mill discuss the impact of increased counting rate on spectral resolution, including the effects of crosstalk and optimal-filtering dead time.

  5. Scaling: An Items Module

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tong, Ye; Kolen, Michael J.

    2010-01-01

    "Scaling" is the process of constructing a score scale that associates numbers or other ordered indicators with the performance of examinees. Scaling typically is conducted to aid users in interpreting test results. This module describes different types of raw scores and scale scores, illustrates how to incorporate various sources of…

  6. Rating scales for musician's dystonia

    PubMed Central

    Berque, Patrice; Jabusch, Hans-Christian; Altenmüller, Eckart; Frucht, Steven J.

    2013-01-01

    Musician's dystonia (MD) is a focal adult-onset dystonia most commonly involving the hand. It has much greater relative prevalence than non-musician’s focal hand dystonias, exhibits task specificity at the level of specific musical passages, and is a particularly difficult form of dystonia to treat. For most MD patients, the diagnosis confirms the end of their music performance careers. Research on treatments and pathophysiology is contingent upon measures of motor function abnormalities. In this review, we comprehensively survey the literature to identify the rating scales used in MD and the distribution of their use. We also summarize the extent to which the scales have been evaluated for their clinical utility, including reliability, validity, sensitivity, specificity to MD, and practicality for a clinical setting. Out of 135 publications, almost half (62) included no quantitative measures of motor function. The remaining 73 studies used a variety of choices from among 10 major rating scales. Most used subjective scales involving either patient or clinician ratings. Only 25% (18) of the studies used objective scales. None of the scales has been completely and rigorously evaluated for clinical utility. Whether studies involved treatments or pathophysiologic assays, there was a heterogeneous choice of rating scales used with no clear standard. As a result, the collective interpretive value of those studies is limited because the results are confounded by measurement effects. We suggest that the development and widespread adoption of a new clinically useful rating scale is critical for accelerating basic and clinical research in MD. PMID:23884039

  7. Wear and performance: An experimental study on PDC bits

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

    Villa, O.; Azar, J.J.

    1997-07-01

    Real-time drilling data, gathered under full-scale conditions, was analyzed to determine the influence of cutter dullness on PDC-bit rate of penetration. It was found that while drilling in shale, the cutters` wearflat area was not a controlling factor on rate of penetration; however, when drilling in limestone, wearflat area significantly influenced PDC bit penetration performance. Similarly, the presence of diamond lips on PDC cutters was found to be unimportant while drilling in shale, but it greatly enhanced bit performance when drilling in limestone.

  8. Headaches and academic performance in university students: a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Souza-e-Silva, Hugo R; Rocha-Filho, Pedro A S

    2011-01-01

    To estimate the 1-year prevalence of headache, its repercussion and its association with the academic performance of university students. Cross-sectional study. Three hundred eighty students were randomly selected out of the 1718, 90.5% of them were interviewed. A semi-structured interview, the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were used. The variables related to academic performance: absenteeism, performance coefficient and number of failures in disciplines, were obtained by consulting the academic records. Three hundred forty-four students were interviewed. The headache prevalence was 87.2%. Migraine prevalence was 48.5%. Tension-type headache prevalence was 42.4%. During the 3 months prior to the interview, 8.7% sought emergency services, 30.8% missed class, and 30.8% had a reduction in their productive capacity because of headache. HIT-6: substantial/severe impact = 49%. Multiple linear regressions have shown that serious/very serious-impact headaches are significantly related to greater number of discipline failure and absenteeism. There was no association between student grades and headaches. A high prevalence of headache in the studied population was verified. A high headache impact on a student's life was associated with worse academic performance. © 2011 American Headache Society.

  9. Performance regression manager for large scale systems

    DOEpatents

    Faraj, Daniel A.

    2017-10-17

    System and computer program product to perform an operation comprising generating, based on a first output generated by a first execution instance of a command, a first output file specifying a value of at least one performance metric, wherein the first output file is formatted according to a predefined format, comparing the value of the at least one performance metric in the first output file to a value of the performance metric in a second output file, the second output file having been generated based on a second output generated by a second execution instance of the command, and outputting for display an indication of a result of the comparison of the value of the at least one performance metric of the first output file to the value of the at least one performance metric of the second output file.

  10. Variations of characteristic time scales in rotating stratified turbulence using a large parametric numerical study.

    PubMed

    Rosenberg, D; Marino, R; Herbert, C; Pouquet, A

    2016-01-01

    We study rotating stratified turbulence (RST) making use of numerical data stemming from a large parametric study varying the Reynolds, Froude and Rossby numbers, Re, Fr and Ro in a broad range of values. The computations are performed using periodic boundary conditions on grids of 1024(3) points, with no modeling of the small scales, no forcing and with large-scale random initial conditions for the velocity field only, and there are altogether 65 runs analyzed in this paper. The buoyancy Reynolds number defined as R(B) = ReFr2 varies from negligible values to ≈ 10(5), approaching atmospheric or oceanic regimes. This preliminary analysis deals with the variation of characteristic time scales of RST with dimensionless parameters, focusing on the role played by the partition of energy between the kinetic and potential modes, as a key ingredient for modeling the dynamics of such flows. We find that neither rotation nor the ratio of the Brunt-Väisälä frequency to the inertial frequency seem to play a major role in the absence of forcing in the global dynamics of the small-scale kinetic and potential modes. Specifically, in these computations, mostly in regimes of wave turbulence, characteristic times based on the ratio of energy to dissipation of the velocity and temperature fluctuations, T(V) and T(P), vary substantially with parameters. Their ratio γ=T(V)/T(P) follows roughly a bell-shaped curve in terms of Richardson number Ri. It reaches a plateau - on which time scales become comparable, γ≈0.6 - when the turbulence has significantly strengthened, leading to numerous destabilization events together with a tendency towards an isotropization of the flow.

  11. A comparative study of all-vanadium and iron-chromium redox flow batteries for large-scale energy storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zeng, Y. K.; Zhao, T. S.; An, L.; Zhou, X. L.; Wei, L.

    2015-12-01

    The promise of redox flow batteries (RFBs) utilizing soluble redox couples, such as all vanadium ions as well as iron and chromium ions, is becoming increasingly recognized for large-scale energy storage of renewables such as wind and solar, owing to their unique advantages including scalability, intrinsic safety, and long cycle life. An ongoing question associated with these two RFBs is determining whether the vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) or iron-chromium redox flow battery (ICRFB) is more suitable and competitive for large-scale energy storage. To address this concern, a comparative study has been conducted for the two types of battery based on their charge-discharge performance, cycle performance, and capital cost. It is found that: i) the two batteries have similar energy efficiencies at high current densities; ii) the ICRFB exhibits a higher capacity decay rate than does the VRFB; and iii) the ICRFB is much less expensive in capital costs when operated at high power densities or at large capacities.

  12. Identifying Optimal Temporal Scale for the Correlation of AOD and Ground Measurements of PM2.5 to Improve the Model Performance in a Real-time Air Quality Estimation System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Li, Hui; Faruque, Fazlay; Williams, Worth; Al-Hamdan, Mohammad; Luvall, Jeffrey C.; Crosson, William; Rickman, Douglas; Limaye, Ashutosh

    2009-01-01

    Aerosol optical depth (AOD), an indirect estimate of particle matter using satellite observations, has shown great promise in improving estimates of PM 2.5 air quality surface. Currently, few studies have been conducted to explore the optimal way to apply AOD data to improve the model accuracy of PM 2.5 surface estimation in a real-time air quality system. We believe that two major aspects may be worthy of consideration in that area: 1) the approach to integrate satellite measurements with ground measurements in the pollution estimation, and 2) identification of an optimal temporal scale to calculate the correlation of AOD and ground measurements. This paper is focused on the second aspect on the identifying the optimal temporal scale to correlate AOD with PM2.5. Five following different temporal scales were chosen to evaluate their impact on the model performance: 1) within the last 3 days, 2) within the last 10 days, 3) within the last 30 days, 4) within the last 90 days, and 5) the time period with the highest correlation in a year. The model performance is evaluated for its accuracy, bias, and errors based on the following selected statistics: the Mean Bias, the Normalized Mean Bias, the Root Mean Square Error, Normalized Mean Error, and the Index of Agreement. This research shows that the model with the temporal scale of within the last 30 days displays the best model performance in this study area using 2004 and 2005 data sets.

  13. Pilot-scale cooling tower to evaluate corrosion, scaling, and biofouling control strategies for cooling system makeup water.

    PubMed

    Chien, S H; Hsieh, M K; Li, H; Monnell, J; Dzombak, D; Vidic, R

    2012-02-01

    Pilot-scale cooling towers can be used to evaluate corrosion, scaling, and biofouling control strategies when using particular cooling system makeup water and particular operating conditions. To study the potential for using a number of different impaired waters as makeup water, a pilot-scale system capable of generating 27,000 kJ∕h heat load and maintaining recirculating water flow with a Reynolds number of 1.92 × 10(4) was designed to study these critical processes under conditions that are similar to full-scale systems. The pilot-scale cooling tower was equipped with an automatic makeup water control system, automatic blowdown control system, semi-automatic biocide feeding system, and corrosion, scaling, and biofouling monitoring systems. Observed operational data revealed that the major operating parameters, including temperature change (6.6 °C), cycles of concentration (N = 4.6), water flow velocity (0.66 m∕s), and air mass velocity (3660 kg∕h m(2)), were controlled quite well for an extended period of time (up to 2 months). Overall, the performance of the pilot-scale cooling towers using treated municipal wastewater was shown to be suitable to study critical processes (corrosion, scaling, biofouling) and evaluate cooling water management strategies for makeup waters of complex quality.

  14. Prognostic value of nutritional risk screening 2002 scale in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A large-scale cohort study.

    PubMed

    Peng, Hao; Chen, Bin-Bin; Tang, Ling-Long; Chen, Lei; Li, Wen-Fei; Zhang, Yuan; Mao, Yan-Ping; Sun, Ying; Liu, Li-Zhi; Tian, Li; Guo, Ying; Ma, Jun

    2018-06-01

    Little is known about the value of the nutritional risk screening 2002 (NRS2002) scale in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). We conducted a large-scale study to address this issue. We employed a big-data intelligence database platform at our center and identified 3232 eligible patients treated between 2009 and 2013. Of the 3232 (12.9% of 24 986) eligible patients, 469 (14.5%), 13 (0.4%), 953 (29.5%), 1762 (54.5%) and 35 (1.1%) had NRS2002 scores of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively. Survival outcomes were comparable between patients with NRS2002 <3 and ≥3 (original scale). However, patients with NRS2002 ≤3 vs >3 (regrouping scale) had significantly different 5-year disease-free survival (DFS; 82.7% vs 75.0%, P < .001), overall survival (OS; 88.8% vs 84.1%, P = .001), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS; 90.2% vs 85.9%, P = .001) and locoregional relapse-free survival (LRRFS; 91.6% vs 87.2%, P = .001). Therefore, we proposed a revised NRS2002 scale, and found that it provides a better risk stratification than the original or regrouping scales for predicting DFS (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.530 vs 0.554 vs 0.577; P < .05), OS (AUC = 0.534 vs 0.563 vs 0.582; P < .05), DMFS (AUC = 0.531 vs 0.567 vs 0.590; P < .05) and LRRFS (AUC = 0.529 vs 0.542 vs 0.564; P < .05 except scale A vs B). Our proposed NRS2002 scale represents a simple, clinically useful tool for nutritional risk screening in NPC. © 2018 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.

  15. The performance of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in English speaking and non-English speaking populations in Australia.

    PubMed

    Small, Rhonda; Lumley, Judith; Yelland, Jane; Brown, Stephanie

    2007-01-01

    The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) has been widely used to assess maternal depression following childbirth in a range of English speaking countries, and increasingly also in translation in non-English speaking ones. It has performed satisfactorily in most validation studies, has proved easy to administer, is acceptable to women, and rates of depression in the range of 10-20% have been consistently found. The performance of the EPDS was compared across different population samples in Australia: (i) Women born in Australia or in another English speaking country who completed the EPDS in English as part of the 1994 postal Survey of Recent Mothers (SRM) 6-7 months after birth (n = 1166); (ii) Women born in non-English speaking countries who also completed the EPDS in English in the same survey (n = 142); and (iii) Women born in Vietnam (n = 103), Turkey (n = 104) and the Philippines (n = 106) who completed the EPDS 6-9 months after birth in translation in the Mothers in a New Country Study (MINC) study (total n = 313). The pattern of item responses on the EPDS was assessed in various ways across the samples and internal reliability coefficients were calculated. Exploratory factor analyses were also conducted to assess the similarity in the factor solutions across the samples. The EPDS had good construct validity and item endorsement by women was similar across the samples. Internal reliability of the scale was also very satisfactory with Cronbach's alpha for each sample being > or = 8. Between 39 and 46% of the variance in each of the three main samples was accounted for by one principal factor 'depression' (6-7 items loading), with two supplementary factors 'loss of enjoyment' (2 items loading) and 'despair/self-harm' (2-3 items loading) accounting for a further 20-25% of the variance. Alternative one and two factor solutions also showed a great deal of consistency between the samples. The good item consistency of the EPDS and the relative stability of

  16. The Job Responsibilities Scale: Invariance in a Longitudinal Prospective Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ludlow, Larry H.; Lunz, Mary E.

    1998-01-01

    The degree of invariance of the Job Responsibilities Scale for medical technologists was studied for 1993 and 1995, conducting factor analyses of data from each year (1063 and 665 individuals, respectively). Nearly identical factor patterns were found, and Rasch rating scale analyses found nearly identical pairs of item estimates. Implications are…

  17. Digital Reading Disposition Scale: A Study of Validity and Reliability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bulut, Berker; Karasakaloglu, Nuri

    2018-01-01

    In this study, "a Digital Reading Disposition Scale" was developed to determine undergraduate pre-service teacher students' dispositions towards digital reading, opposed to a preference for printed reading material. Initially, a 20-items trial version of the scale was administered to a total sample of N = 301 undergraduate pre-service…

  18. Performance regression manager for large scale systems

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

    Faraj, Daniel A.

    System and computer program product to perform an operation comprising generating, based on a first output generated by a first execution instance of a command, a first output file specifying a value of at least one performance metric, wherein the first output file is formatted according to a predefined format, comparing the value of the at least one performance metric in the first output file to a value of the performance metric in a second output file, the second output file having been generated based on a second output generated by a second execution instance of the command, and outputtingmore » for display an indication of a result of the comparison of the value of the at least one performance metric of the first output file to the value of the at least one performance metric of the second output file.« less

  19. A Reliability Generalization Study of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beretvas, S, Natasha; Meyers, Jason L.; Leite, Walter L.

    2002-01-01

    Conducted a reliability generalization study of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (D. Crowne and D. Marlowe, 1960). Analysis of 93 studies show that the predicted score reliability for male adolescents was 0.53, and reliability for men's responses was lower than for women's. Discusses the need for further analysis of the scale. (SLD)

  20. Competency-based assessment in surgeon-performed head and neck ultrasonography: A validity study.

    PubMed

    Todsen, Tobias; Melchiors, Jacob; Charabi, Birgitte; Henriksen, Birthe; Ringsted, Charlotte; Konge, Lars; von Buchwald, Christian

    2018-06-01

    Head and neck ultrasonography (HNUS) increasingly is used as a point-of-care diagnostic tool by otolaryngologists. However, ultrasonography (US) is a very operator-dependent image modality. Hence, this study aimed to explore the diagnostic accuracy of surgeon-performed HNUS and to establish validity evidence for an objective structured assessment of ultrasound skills (OSAUS) used for competency-based assessment. A prospective experimental study. Six otolaryngologists and 11 US novices were included in a standardized test setup for which they had to perform focused HNUS of eight patients suspected for different head and neck lesions. Their diagnostic accuracy was calculated based on the US reports, and two blinded raters assessed the video-recorded US performance using the OSAUS scale. The otolaryngologists obtained a high diagnostic accuracy on 88% (range 63%-100%) compared to the US novices on 38% (range 0-63%); P < 0.001. The OSAUS score demonstrated good inter-case reliability (0.85) and inter-rater reliability (0.76), and significant discrimination between otolaryngologist and US novices; P < 0.001. A strong correlation between the OSAUS score and the diagnostic accuracy was found (Spearman's ρ, 0.85; P < P 0.001), and a pass/fail score was established at 2.8. Strong validity evidence supported the use of the OSAUS scale to assess HNUS competence with good reliability, significant discrimination between US competence levels, and a strong correlation of assessment score to diagnostic accuracy. An OSAUS pass/fail score was established and could be used for competence-based assessment in surgeon-performed HNUS. NA. Laryngoscope, 128:1346-1352, 2018. © 2017 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

  1. [Factor structure validity of the social capital scale used at baseline in the ELSA-Brasil study].

    PubMed

    Souto, Ester Paiva; Vasconcelos, Ana Glória Godoi; Chor, Dora; Reichenheim, Michael E; Griep, Rosane Härter

    2016-07-21

    This study aims to analyze the factor structure of the Brazilian version of the Resource Generator (RG) scale, using baseline data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Health Study in Adults (ELSA-Brasil). Cross-validation was performed in three random subsamples. Exploratory factor analysis using exploratory structural equation models was conducted in the first two subsamples to diagnose the factor structure, and confirmatory factor analysis was used in the third to corroborate the model defined by the exploratory analyses. Based on the 31 initial items, the model with the best fit included 25 items distributed across three dimensions. They all presented satisfactory convergent validity (values greater than 0.50 for the extracted variance) and precision (values greater than 0.70 for compound reliability). All factor correlations were below 0.85, indicating full discriminative factor validity. The RG scale presents acceptable psychometric properties and can be used in populations with similar characteristics.

  2. Examination of factor structure for the consumers' responses to the Value Consciousness Scale.

    PubMed

    Conrad, C A; Williams, J R

    2000-12-01

    The psychometric properties of the Value Consciousness Scale developed by Lichtenstein, Netemeyer, and Burton in 1990 were examined in a retail grocery study (N = 497). Original assessment of scale properties was undertaken using two convenience samples in a nonretail setting and additional scale performance has been documented by the scale authors. This study furthers previous research by (1) examining performance on the items in the retail grocery setting and (2) utilizing an appropriately rigorous sampling procedure. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the Value Consciousness Scale does not exhibit unidimensional properties, and one must be cautious if this scale is used in applications of market segmentation until further clarification can be provided.

  3. Cognitive performance in women with fibromyalgia: A case-control study.

    PubMed

    Pérez de Heredia-Torres, Marta; Huertas-Hoyas, Elisabet; Máximo-Bocanegra, Nuria; Palacios-Ceña, Domingo; Fernández-De-Las-Peñas, César

    2016-10-01

    This study aimed to evaluate the differences in cognitive skills between women with fibromyalgia and healthy women, and the correlations between functional independence and cognitive limitations. A cross-sectional study was performed. Twenty women with fibromyalgia and 20 matched controls participated. Outcomes included the Numerical Pain Rating Scale, the Functional Independence Measure, the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire and Gradior © software. The Student's t-test and the Spearman's rho test were applied to the data. Women affected required a greater mean time (P < 0.020) and maximum time (P < 0.015) during the attention test than the healthy controls. In the memory test they displayed greater execution errors (P < 0.001), minimal time (P < 0.001) and mean time (P < 0.001) whereas, in the perception tests, they displayed a greater mean time (P < 0.009) and maximum time (P < 0.048). Correlations were found between the domains of the functional independence measure and the cognitive abilities assessed. Women with fibromyalgia exhibited a decreased cognitive ability compared to healthy controls, which negatively affected the performance of daily activities, such as upper limb dressing, feeding and personal hygiene. Patients required more time to perform activities requiring both attention and perception, decreasing their functional independence. Also, they displayed greater errors when performing activities requiring the use of memory. Occupational therapists treating women with fibromyalgia should consider the negative impact of possible cognitive deficits on the performance of daily activities and offer targeted support strategies. © 2016 Occupational Therapy Australia.

  4. Evolution of scaling emergence in large-scale spatial epidemic spreading.

    PubMed

    Wang, Lin; Li, Xiang; Zhang, Yi-Qing; Zhang, Yan; Zhang, Kan

    2011-01-01

    Zipf's law and Heaps' law are two representatives of the scaling concepts, which play a significant role in the study of complexity science. The coexistence of the Zipf's law and the Heaps' law motivates different understandings on the dependence between these two scalings, which has still hardly been clarified. In this article, we observe an evolution process of the scalings: the Zipf's law and the Heaps' law are naturally shaped to coexist at the initial time, while the crossover comes with the emergence of their inconsistency at the larger time before reaching a stable state, where the Heaps' law still exists with the disappearance of strict Zipf's law. Such findings are illustrated with a scenario of large-scale spatial epidemic spreading, and the empirical results of pandemic disease support a universal analysis of the relation between the two laws regardless of the biological details of disease. Employing the United States domestic air transportation and demographic data to construct a metapopulation model for simulating the pandemic spread at the U.S. country level, we uncover that the broad heterogeneity of the infrastructure plays a key role in the evolution of scaling emergence. The analyses of large-scale spatial epidemic spreading help understand the temporal evolution of scalings, indicating the coexistence of the Zipf's law and the Heaps' law depends on the collective dynamics of epidemic processes, and the heterogeneity of epidemic spread indicates the significance of performing targeted containment strategies at the early time of a pandemic disease.

  5. Nonlinear effects of microtopography on macroscopic rainfall-runoff partitioning a the hillslope scale: a modelling study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caviedes-Voullième, Daniel; Domin, Andrea; Hinz, Christoph

    2017-04-01

    The quantitative description and prediction of hydrological response of hillslopes or hillslope-scale catchments to rainfall events is becoming evermore relevant. At the hillslope scale, the onset of runoff and the overall rainfall-runoff transformation are controlled by multiple interacting small-scale processes, that, when acting together produce a response described in terms of hydrological variables well-defined at the catchment and hillslope scales. We hypothesize that small scale features such microtopography of the land surface will will govern large scale signatures of temporal runoff evolution. This can be tested directly by numerical modelling of well-defined surface geometries and adequate process description. It requires a modelling approach consistent with fundamental fluid mechanics, well-designed numerical methods, and computational efficiency. In this work, an idealized rectangular domain representing a hillslope with an idealized 2D sinusoidal microtopography is studied by simulating surface water redistribution by means of a 2D diffusive-wave (zero-inertia) shallow water model. By studying more than 500 surfaces and performing extensive sensitivity analysis forced by a single rainfall pulse, the dependency of characteristic hydrological responses to microtopographical properties was assessed. Despite of the simplicity of periodic surface and the rain event, results indicate complex surface flow dynamics during the onset of runoff observed at the macro and micro scales. Macro scale regimes were defined in terms of characteristics hydrograph shapes and those were related to surface geometry. The reference regime was defined for smooth topography and consisted of a simple hydrograph with smoothly rising and falling limbs with an intermediate steady state. In constrast, rough surface geometry yields stepwise rising limbs and shorter steady states. Furthermore, the increase in total infiltration over the whole domain relative to the smooth reference

  6. High-Performance Complementary Transistors and Medium-Scale Integrated Circuits Based on Carbon Nanotube Thin Films.

    PubMed

    Yang, Yingjun; Ding, Li; Han, Jie; Zhang, Zhiyong; Peng, Lian-Mao

    2017-04-25

    Solution-derived carbon nanotube (CNT) network films with high semiconducting purity are suitable materials for the wafer-scale fabrication of field-effect transistors (FETs) and integrated circuits (ICs). However, it is challenging to realize high-performance complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) FETs with high yield and stability on such CNT network films, and this difficulty hinders the development of CNT-film-based ICs. In this work, we developed a doping-free process for the fabrication of CMOS FETs based on solution-processed CNT network films, in which the polarity of the FETs was controlled using Sc or Pd as the source/drain contacts to selectively inject carriers into the channels. The fabricated top-gated CMOS FETs showed high symmetry between the characteristics of n- and p-type devices and exhibited high-performance uniformity and excellent scalability down to a gate length of 1 μm. Many common types of CMOS ICs, including typical logic gates, sequential circuits, and arithmetic units, were constructed based on CNT films, and the fabricated ICs exhibited rail-to-rail outputs because of the high noise margin of CMOS circuits. In particular, 4-bit full adders consisting of 132 CMOS FETs were realized with 100% yield, thereby demonstrating that this CMOS technology shows the potential to advance the development of medium-scale CNT-network-film-based ICs.

  7. Understanding green roof spatial dynamics: results from a scale based hydrologic study and introduction of a low-cost method for wide-range monitoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hakimdavar, Raha; Culligan, Patricia J.; Guido, Aida

    2014-05-01

    Green roofs have the potential, if implemented on a wide scale and with proper foresight, to become an important supplement to traditional urban water management infrastructure, while also helping to change the face of cities from concrete draped, highly modified environments, to hybrid places where nature is more closely integrated into designs rather than pushed out of them. The ability of these systems to act as a decentralized rainwater handling network has been the topic of many recent studies. While these studies have attempted to quantify the hydrologic performance of green roofs, it's clear that they are dynamic systems whose responses are difficult to generalize. What also seems to be lacking from many studies is a discussion on the effects of green roof scale, spatial planning and configuration. This research aims to understand how rainfall characteristics and green roof scale impact its hydrologic performance. Three extensive green roof systems in New York City, with the same engineered components, age and regional climatic conditions, but different drainage areas, are analyzed. We find that rainfall volume and event duration are two of the parameters that most affect green roof performance, while rainfall intensity and antecedent dry weather period are less significant. We also find that green roof scale does in fact affect hydrologic performance, but mainly in reducing runoff peaks, with rainfall retention and lag time being much less affected by drainage area. We also introduce a low-cost monitoring method, termed the Soil Water Apportioning (SWA) method, which uses a water balance approach to analytically link precipitation to substrate moisture, and enable inference of green runoff and evapotranspiration from information on substrate moisture changes over time. Twelve months of in situ rainfall and soil moisture observations from three different green roof systems - extensive vegetated mat, semi-intensive vegetated mat, and semi-intensive tray - are

  8. Model-Scale Aerodynamic Performance Testing of Proposed Modifications to the NASA Langley Low Speed Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Booth, Earl R., Jr.; Coston, Calvin W., Jr.

    2005-01-01

    Tests were performed on a 1/20th-scale model of the Low Speed Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel to determine the performance effects of insertion of acoustic baffles in the tunnel inlet, replacement of the existing collector with a new collector design in the open jet test section, and addition of flow splitters to the acoustic baffle section downstream of the test section. As expected, the inlet baffles caused a reduction in facility performance. About half of the performance loss was recovered by addition the flow splitters to the downstream baffles. All collectors tested reduced facility performance. However, test chamber recirculation flow was reduced by the new collector designs and shielding of some of the microphones was reduced owing to the smaller size of the new collector. Overall performance loss in the facility is expected to be a 5 percent top flow speed reduction, but the facility will meet OSHA limits for external noise levels and recirculation in the test section will be reduced.

  9. Combustion performance and scale effect from N2O/HTPB hybrid rocket motor simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shan, Fanli; Hou, Lingyun; Piao, Ying

    2013-04-01

    HRM code for the simulation of N2O/HTPB hybrid rocket motor operation and scale effect analysis has been developed. This code can be used to calculate motor thrust and distributions of physical properties inside the combustion chamber and nozzle during the operational phase by solving the unsteady Navier-Stokes equations using a corrected compressible difference scheme and a two-step, five species combustion model. A dynamic fuel surface regression technique and a two-step calculation method together with the gas-solid coupling are applied in the calculation of fuel regression and the determination of combustion chamber wall profile as fuel regresses. Both the calculated motor thrust from start-up to shut-down mode and the combustion chamber wall profile after motor operation are in good agreements with experimental data. The fuel regression rate equation and the relation between fuel regression rate and axial distance have been derived. Analysis of results suggests improvements in combustion performance to the current hybrid rocket motor design and explains scale effects in the variation of fuel regression rate with combustion chamber diameter.

  10. Length scale effects of friction in particle compaction using atomistic simulations and a friction scaling model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stone, T. W.; Horstemeyer, M. F.

    2012-09-01

    The objective of this study is to illustrate and quantify the length scale effects related to interparticle friction under compaction. Previous studies have shown as the length scale of a specimen decreases, the strength of a single crystal metal or ceramic increases. The question underlying this research effort continues the thought—If there is a length scale parameter related to the strength of a material, is there a length scale parameter related to friction? To explore the length scale effects of friction, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using an embedded atom method potential were performed to analyze the compression of two spherical FCC nickel nanoparticles at different contact angles. In the MD model study, we applied a macroscopic plastic contact formulation to determine the normal plastic contact force at the particle interfaces and used the average shear stress from the MD simulations to determine the tangential contact forces. Combining this information with the Coulomb friction law, we quantified the MD interparticle coefficient of friction and showed good agreement with experimental studies and a Discrete Element Method prediction as a function of contact angle. Lastly, we compared our MD simulation friction values to the tribological predictions of Bhushan and Nosonovsky (BN), who developed a friction scaling model based on strain gradient plasticity and dislocation-assisted sliding that included a length scale parameter. The comparison revealed that the BN elastic friction scaling model did a much better job than the BN plastic scaling model of predicting the coefficient of friction values obtained from the MD simulations.

  11. Development and Validation of a Risk Scale for Emergence Agitation After General Anesthesia in Children: A Prospective Observational Study.

    PubMed

    Hino, Maai; Mihara, Takahiro; Miyazaki, Saeko; Hijikata, Toshiyuki; Miwa, Takaaki; Goto, Takahisa; Ka, Koui

    2017-08-01

    Emergence agitation (EA) is a common complication in children after general anesthesia. The goal of this 2-phase study was (1) to develop a predictive model (EA risk scale) for the incidence of EA in children receiving sevoflurane anesthesia by performing a retrospective analysis of data from our previous study (phase 1) and (2) to determine the validity of the EA risk scale in a prospective observational cohort study (phase 2). Using data collected from 120 patients in our previous study, logistic regression analysis was used to predict the incidence of EA in phase 1. The optimal combination of the predictors was determined by a stepwise selection procedure using Akaike information criterion. The β-coefficient for the selected predictors was calculated, and scores for predictors determined. The predictive ability of the EA risk scale was assessed by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the area under the ROC curve (c-index) was calculated with a 95% confidence interval (CI). In phase 2, the validity of the EA risk scale was confirmed using another data set of 100 patients (who underwent minor surgery under general anesthesia). The ROC curve, the c-index, the best cutoff point, and the sensitivity and specificity at the point were calculated. In addition, we calculated the gray zone, which ranges between the two points where sensitivity and specificity, respectively, become 90%. In phase 1, the final model of the multivariable logistic regression analysis included the following 4 predictors: age (logarithm odds ratios [OR], -0.38; 95% CI, -0.81 to 0.00), Pediatric Anesthesia Behavior score (logarithm OR, 0.65; 95% CI, -0.09 to 1.40), anesthesia time (logarithm OR, 0.60; 95% CI, -0.18 to 1.19), and operative procedure (logarithm OR, 2.53; 95% CI, 1.30-3.75 for strabismus surgery and logarithm OR, 2.71; 95% CI, 0.99-4.45 for tonsillectomy). The EA risk scale included these 4 predictors and ranged from 1 to 23 points. In phase 2, the incidence of EA

  12. Adventure Behavior Seeking Scale

    PubMed Central

    Próchniak, Piotr

    2017-01-01

    This article presents a new tool—the Adventure Behavior Seeking Scale (ABSS). The Adventure Behavior Seeking Scale was developed to assess individuals’ highly stimulating behaviors in natural environments. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted with 466 participants and resulted in one factor. The internal consistency was 0.80. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed using another sample of 406 participants, and results verified the one-factor structure. The findings indicate that people with a lot of experience in outdoor adventure have a higher score on the ABSS scale than control groups without such experience. The results also suggest that the 8-item ABSS scores were highly related to sensation seeking. The author discusses findings in regard to the ABSS as an instrument to measure outdoor adventure. However, further studies need to be carried out in other sample groups to further validate the scale. PMID:28555018

  13. Cyber Victim and Bullying Scale: A Study of Validity and Reliability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cetin, Bayram; Yaman, Erkan; Peker, Adem

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to develop a reliable and valid scale, which determines cyber victimization and bullying behaviors of high school students. Research group consisted of 404 students (250 male, 154 male) in Sakarya, in 2009-2010 academic years. In the study sample, mean age is 16.68. Content validity and face validity of the scale was…

  14. Performance of a commercial industrial-scale UF-based process for treatment of oily wastewaters.

    PubMed

    Karhu, M; Kuokkanen, T; Rämö, J; Mikola, M; Tanskanen, J

    2013-10-15

    An evaluation was made of the performance of a commercial industrial-scale ultrafiltration (UF)-based process for treatment of highly concentrated oily wastewaters. Wastewater samples were gathered from two plants treating industrial wastewaters in 2008, and in 2011 (only from one of the plants), from three points of a UF-based treatment train. The wastewater samples were analyzed by measuring the BOD7, COD, TOC and total surface charge (TSC). The inorganic content and zeta potentials of the samples were analyzed and GC-FID/MS analyses were performed. The removal performances of BOD7, COD, TOC and TSC in 2008 and 2011 for both plants were very high. Initial concentrations of contaminants in 2011 were lower than in 2008, therefore the COD and TSC reductions were also lower in 2011 than three years before. Regardless of the high performance of UF-based processes in both plants, at times the residual concentrations were considerable. This could be explained by the high initial concentrations and also by the presence of the dissolved compounds that were characterized. Linear correlation was observed between COD and TOC, and between COD and TSC. The correlation between COD and TSC could be utilized for process control purposes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. A Study on Fast Gates for Large-Scale Quantum Simulation with Trapped Ions

    PubMed Central

    Taylor, Richard L.; Bentley, Christopher D. B.; Pedernales, Julen S.; Lamata, Lucas; Solano, Enrique; Carvalho, André R. R.; Hope, Joseph J.

    2017-01-01

    Large-scale digital quantum simulations require thousands of fundamental entangling gates to construct the simulated dynamics. Despite success in a variety of small-scale simulations, quantum information processing platforms have hitherto failed to demonstrate the combination of precise control and scalability required to systematically outmatch classical simulators. We analyse how fast gates could enable trapped-ion quantum processors to achieve the requisite scalability to outperform classical computers without error correction. We analyze the performance of a large-scale digital simulator, and find that fidelity of around 70% is realizable for π-pulse infidelities below 10−5 in traps subject to realistic rates of heating and dephasing. This scalability relies on fast gates: entangling gates faster than the trap period. PMID:28401945

  16. Environmental performance evaluation of large-scale municipal solid waste incinerators using data envelopment analysis

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

    Chen, H.-W.; Chang, N.-B., E-mail: nchang@mail.ucf.ed; Chen, J.-C.

    2010-07-15

    Limited to insufficient land resources, incinerators are considered in many countries such as Japan and Germany as the major technology for a waste management scheme capable of dealing with the increasing demand for municipal and industrial solid waste treatment in urban regions. The evaluation of these municipal incinerators in terms of secondary pollution potential, cost-effectiveness, and operational efficiency has become a new focus in the highly interdisciplinary area of production economics, systems analysis, and waste management. This paper aims to demonstrate the application of data envelopment analysis (DEA) - a production economics tool - to evaluate performance-based efficiencies of 19more » large-scale municipal incinerators in Taiwan with different operational conditions. A 4-year operational data set from 2002 to 2005 was collected in support of DEA modeling using Monte Carlo simulation to outline the possibility distributions of operational efficiency of these incinerators. Uncertainty analysis using the Monte Carlo simulation provides a balance between simplifications of our analysis and the soundness of capturing the essential random features that complicate solid waste management systems. To cope with future challenges, efforts in the DEA modeling, systems analysis, and prediction of the performance of large-scale municipal solid waste incinerators under normal operation and special conditions were directed toward generating a compromised assessment procedure. Our research findings will eventually lead to the identification of the optimal management strategies for promoting the quality of solid waste incineration, not only in Taiwan, but also elsewhere in the world.« less

  17. Environmental performance evaluation of large-scale municipal solid waste incinerators using data envelopment analysis.

    PubMed

    Chen, Ho-Wen; Chang, Ni-Bin; Chen, Jeng-Chung; Tsai, Shu-Ju

    2010-07-01

    Limited to insufficient land resources, incinerators are considered in many countries such as Japan and Germany as the major technology for a waste management scheme capable of dealing with the increasing demand for municipal and industrial solid waste treatment in urban regions. The evaluation of these municipal incinerators in terms of secondary pollution potential, cost-effectiveness, and operational efficiency has become a new focus in the highly interdisciplinary area of production economics, systems analysis, and waste management. This paper aims to demonstrate the application of data envelopment analysis (DEA)--a production economics tool--to evaluate performance-based efficiencies of 19 large-scale municipal incinerators in Taiwan with different operational conditions. A 4-year operational data set from 2002 to 2005 was collected in support of DEA modeling using Monte Carlo simulation to outline the possibility distributions of operational efficiency of these incinerators. Uncertainty analysis using the Monte Carlo simulation provides a balance between simplifications of our analysis and the soundness of capturing the essential random features that complicate solid waste management systems. To cope with future challenges, efforts in the DEA modeling, systems analysis, and prediction of the performance of large-scale municipal solid waste incinerators under normal operation and special conditions were directed toward generating a compromised assessment procedure. Our research findings will eventually lead to the identification of the optimal management strategies for promoting the quality of solid waste incineration, not only in Taiwan, but also elsewhere in the world. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Possibility Study of Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) Algorithm Application to Spine Magnetic Resonance Imaging

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Dong-Hoon; Lee, Do-Wan; Han, Bong-Soo

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study is an application of scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) algorithm to stitch the cervical-thoracic-lumbar (C-T-L) spine magnetic resonance (MR) images to provide a view of the entire spine in a single image. All MR images were acquired with fast spin echo (FSE) pulse sequence using two MR scanners (1.5 T and 3.0 T). The stitching procedures for each part of spine MR image were performed and implemented on a graphic user interface (GUI) configuration. Moreover, the stitching process is performed in two categories; manual point-to-point (mPTP) selection that performed by user specified corresponding matching points, and automated point-to-point (aPTP) selection that performed by SIFT algorithm. The stitched images using SIFT algorithm showed fine registered results and quantitatively acquired values also indicated little errors compared with commercially mounted stitching algorithm in MRI systems. Our study presented a preliminary validation of the SIFT algorithm application to MRI spine images, and the results indicated that the proposed approach can be performed well for the improvement of diagnosis. We believe that our approach can be helpful for the clinical application and extension of other medical imaging modalities for image stitching. PMID:27064404

  19. Predictive and construct validity of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence with the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study instrument.

    PubMed

    Lung, For-Wey; Chen, Po-Fei; Shu, Bih-Ching

    2012-08-01

    This study aimed to investigate the concurrent validity of the parent-report Taiwan Birth Cohort Study Developmental Instrument (TBCS-DI) with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-Second Edition (BSID-II) and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised (WPPSI-R) at 6, 18, 36, and 60 months. 100 children were recruited at 6 months, 88 children followed-up at 18 months, 71 at 36 months, and 53 at 60 months. Longitudinally, the parent-report TBCS-DI, with the professional psychological assessments of the BSID-II and the WPPSI-R showed predictive validity. Looking at each time point in cross section, at 6 and 18 months the TBCS-DI had good concurrent validity with the BSID-II, and at 36 and 60 months the TBCS-DI was correlated only with the motor and performance domains of the BSID-II and WPPSI-R. With further investigation, the TBCS-DI may be used both in research and in clinical settings.

  20. The Abbreviated Injury Scale and its correlation with preventable traumatic accidental deaths: a study from South Delhi.

    PubMed

    Rautji, R; Bhardwaj, D N; Dogra, T D

    2006-04-01

    Anatomic trauma scoring systems are fundamental to trauma research. The Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) and its derivative, the Injury Severity Score (ISS), are the most frequently used scales. In a prospective study, 400 autopsies of road traffic accident victims performed between January 2002 and December 2003 were coded according to the AIS and ISS methods. All the cases were classified into different injury groups according to the Injury Severity Scale. Fifty-eight cases (14.5%) were assigned an ISS value of <25; 244 (61%) cases were valued between 25-49; 38 cases (9.5%) were valued between 50-74 and 60 (15%) cases had a value of 75. On analysis of medical care, in cases with ISS<50, about 96% of the victims did not receive optimal care quickly enough with a lack of pre-hospital resuscitation measures and lengthy transportation time to hospital being of major importance.

  1. Foster Wheeler's Solutions for Large Scale CFB Boiler Technology: Features and Operational Performance of Łagisza 460 MWe CFB Boiler

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hotta, Arto

    During recent years, once-through supercritical (OTSC) CFB technology has been developed, enabling the CFB technology to proceed to medium-scale (500 MWe) utility projects such as Łagisza Power Plant in Poland owned by Poludniowy Koncern Energetyczny SA. (PKE), with net efficiency nearly 44%. Łagisza power plant is currently under commissioning and has reached full load operation in March 2009. The initial operation shows very good performance and confirms, that the CFB process has no problems with the scaling up to this size. Also the once-through steam cycle utilizing Siemens' vertical tube Benson technology has performed as predicted in the CFB process. Foster Wheeler has developed the CFB design further up to 800 MWe with net efficiency of ≥45%.

  2. Performance regression manager for large scale systems

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

    Faraj, Daniel A.

    Methods comprising generating, based on a first output generated by a first execution instance of a command, a first output file specifying a value of at least one performance metric, wherein the first output file is formatted according to a predefined format, comparing the value of the at least one performance metric in the first output file to a value of the performance metric in a second output file, the second output file having been generated based on a second output generated by a second execution instance of the command, and outputting for display an indication of a result ofmore » the comparison of the value of the at least one performance metric of the first output file to the value of the at least one performance metric of the second output file.« less

  3. Performance Investigation of a Full-Scale Hybrid Composite Bull Gear

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    LaBerge, Kelsen; Handschuh, Robert; Roberts, Gary; Thorp, Scott

    2016-01-01

    Hybrid composite gears have been investigated as a weight saving technology for rotorcraft transmissions. These gears differ from conventional steel gears in that the structural material between the shaft interface and the gear rim is replaced with a lightweight carbon fiber composite. The work discussed here is an extension of previous coupon level hybrid gear tests to a full-scale bull gear. The NASA Glenn Research Center High-Speed Helical Gear Rig was modified for this program allowing several hybrid gear web configurations to be tested while utilizing the same gear rim. Testing was performed on both a baseline (steel) web configuration and a hybrid (steel-composite)configuration. Vibration, orbit and temperature data were recorded and compared between configurations. Vibration levels did not differ greatly between the hybrid and steel configurations, nor did temperature differential between inlet and outlet. While orbit shape displayed differences between the hybrid and baseline configurations, the general overall amplitude was comparable. The hybrid configuration discussed here successfully ran at 3300 hp(2,460 kW), however, progressive growth of the orbit while running at this test condition discontinued the test. Researchers continue to search for the cause of this orbit shift.

  4. End-effects-regime in full scale and lab scale rocket nozzles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rojo, Raymundo; Tinney, Charles; Baars, Woutijn; Ruf, Joseph

    2014-11-01

    Modern rockets utilize a thrust-optimized parabolic-contour design for their nozzles for its high performance and reliability. However, the evolving internal flow structures within these high area ratio rocket nozzles during start up generate a powerful amount of vibro-acoustic loads that act on the launch vehicle. Modern rockets must be designed to accommodate for these heavy loads or else risk a catastrophic failure. This study quantifies a particular moment referred to as the ``end-effects regime,'' or the largest source of vibro-acoustic loading during start-up [Nave & Coffey, AIAA Paper 1973-1284]. Measurements from full scale ignitions are compared with aerodynamically scaled representations in a fully anechoic chamber. Laboratory scale data is then matched with both static and dynamic wall pressure measurements to capture the associating shock structures within the nozzle. The event generated during the ``end-effects regime'' was successfully reproduced in the both the lab-scale models, and was characterized in terms of its mean, variance and skewness, as well as the spectral properties of the signal obtained by way of time-frequency analyses.

  5. A design study for a medium-scale field demonstration of the viscous barrier technology

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

    Moridis, G.; Yen, P.; Persoff, P.

    1996-09-01

    This report is the design study for a medium-scale field demonstration of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory`s new subsurface containment technology for waste isolation using a new generation of barrier liquids. The test site is located in central California in a quarry owned by the Los Banos Gravel Company in Los Banos, California, in heterogeneous unsaturated deposits of sand, silt, and -ravel typical of many of the and DOE cleanup sites and particularly analogous to the Hanford site. The coals of the field demonstration are (a) to demonstrate the ability to create a continuous subsurface barrier isolating a medium-scale volume (30more » ft long by 30 ft wide by 20 ft deep, i.e. 1/10th to 1/8th the size of a buried tank at the Hanford Reservation) in the subsurface, and (b) to demonstrate the continuity, performance, and integrity of the barrier.« less

  6. DEM GPU studies of industrial scale particle simulations for granular flow civil engineering applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pizette, Patrick; Govender, Nicolin; Wilke, Daniel N.; Abriak, Nor-Edine

    2017-06-01

    The use of the Discrete Element Method (DEM) for industrial civil engineering industrial applications is currently limited due to the computational demands when large numbers of particles are considered. The graphics processing unit (GPU) with its highly parallelized hardware architecture shows potential to enable solution of civil engineering problems using discrete granular approaches. We demonstrate in this study the pratical utility of a validated GPU-enabled DEM modeling environment to simulate industrial scale granular problems. As illustration, the flow discharge of storage silos using 8 and 17 million particles is considered. DEM simulations have been performed to investigate the influence of particle size (equivalent size for the 20/40-mesh gravel) and induced shear stress for two hopper shapes. The preliminary results indicate that the shape of the hopper significantly influences the discharge rates for the same material. Specifically, this work shows that GPU-enabled DEM modeling environments can model industrial scale problems on a single portable computer within a day for 30 seconds of process time.

  7. Has the Performance of Regional-Scale Photochemical Modelling Systems Changed over the Past Decade?

    EPA Science Inventory

    This study analyzed summertime ozone concentrations that have been simulated by various regional-scale photochemical modelling systems over the Eastern U.S. as part of more than ten independent studies. Results indicate that there has been a reduction of root mean square errors ...

  8. Allometric scaling of lung volume and its consequences for marine turtle diving performance.

    PubMed

    Hochscheid, Sandra; McMahon, Clive R; Bradshaw, Corey J A; Maffucci, Fulvio; Bentivegna, Flegra; Hays, Graeme C

    2007-10-01

    Marine turtle lungs have multiple functions including respiration, oxygen storage and buoyancy regulation, so lung size is an important indicator of dive performance. We determined maximum lung volumes (V(L)) for 30 individuals from three species (Caretta caretta n=13; Eretmochelys imbricata n=12; Natator depressus n=5) across a range of body masses (M(b)): 0.9 to 46 kg. V(L) was 114 ml kg(-1) and increased with M(b) with a scaling factor of 0.92. Based on these values for V(L) we demonstrated that diving capacities (assessed via aerobic dive limits) of marine turtles were potentially over-estimated when the V(L)-body mass effect was not considered (by 10 to 20% for 5 to 25 kg turtles and by >20% for turtles > or =25 kg). While aerobic dive limits scale with an exponent of 0.6, an analysis of average dive durations in free-ranging chelonian marine turtles revealed that dive duration increases with a mass exponent of 0.51, although there was considerable scatter around the regression line. While this highlights the need to determine more parameters that affect the duration-body mass relationship, our results provide a reference point for calculating oxygen storage capacities and air volumes available for buoyancy control.

  9. Full-scale performance of selected starch-based biodegradable polymers in sludge dewatering and recommendation for applications.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Kuangxin; Stüber, Johan; Schubert, Rabea-Luisa; Kabbe, Christian; Barjenbruch, Matthias

    2018-01-01

    Agricultural reuse of dewatered sludge is a valid route for sludge valorization for small and mid-size wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) due to the direct utilization of nutrients. A more stringent of German fertilizer ordinance requires the degradation of 20% of the synthetic additives like polymeric substance within two years, which came into force on 1 January 2017. This study assessed the use of starch-based polymers for full-scale dewatering of municipal sewage sludge. The laboratory-scale and pilot-scale trials paved the way for full-scale trials at three WWTPs in Germany. The general feasibility of applying starch-based 'green' polymers in full-scale centrifugation was demonstrated. Depending on the sludge type and the process used, the substitution potential was up to 70%. Substitution of 20-30% of the polyacrylamide (PAM)-based polymer was shown to achieve similar total solids (TS) of the dewatered sludge. Optimization of operational parameters as well as machinery set up in WWTPs is recommended in order to improve the shear stability force of sludge flocs and to achieve higher substitution potential. This study suggests that starch-based biodegradable polymers have great potential as alternatives to synthetic polymers in sludge dewatering.

  10. Assessing the performance of a plastic optical fibre turbidity sensor for measuring post-fire erosion from plot to catchment scale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Keizer, J. J.; Martins, M. A. S.; Prats, S. A.; Santos, L. F.; Vieira, D. C. S.; Nogueira, R.; Bilro, L.

    2015-09-01

    This study is the first comprehensive testing of a novel plastic optical fibre turbidity sensor with runoff samples collected in the field and, more specifically, with a total of 158 streamflow samples and 925 overland flow samples from a recently burnt forest area in north-central Portugal, collected mainly during the first year after the wildfire, as well as with 56 overland flow samples from a nearby long-unburnt study site. Sediment concentrations differed less between overland flow and streamflow samples than between study sites and, at one study site, between plots with and without effective erosion mitigation treatments. Maximum concentrations ranged from 0.91 to 8.19 g L-1 for the micro-plot overland flow samples from the six burnt sites, from 1.74 to 8.99 g L-1 for the slope-scale overland flow samples from these same sites, and amounted to 4.55 g L-1 for the streamflow samples. Power functions provided (reasonably) good fits to the - expected - relationships of increasing normalized light loss with increasing sediment concentrations for the different sample types from individual study sites. The corresponding adjusted R2 values ranged from 0.64 to 0.81 in the case of the micro-plot samples from the six burnt sites, from 0.72 to 0.89 in the case of the slope-scale samples from these same sites, and was 0.85 in the case of the streamflow samples. While the overall performance of the sensor was thus rather satisfactory, the results pointed to the need for scale of site-specific calibrations to maximize the reliability of the predictions of sediment concentration by the POF (plastic optical fibre) sensor. This especially applied to the cases in which sediment concentrations were comparatively low, for example following mulching with forest residues.

  11. Digestion performance and microbial community in full-scale methane fermentation of stillage from sweet potato-shochu production.

    PubMed

    Kobayashi, Tsutomu; Tang, Yueqin; Urakami, Toyoshi; Morimura, Shigeru; Kida, Kenji

    2014-02-01

    Sweet potato shochu is a traditional Japanese spirit produced mainly in the South Kyushu area in Japan. The amount of stillage reaches approximately 8 x 10(5) tons per year. Wastewater mainly containing stillage from the production of sweet potato-shochu was treated thermophilically in a full-scale treatment plant using fixed-bed reactors (8 reactors x 283 m3). Following the addition of Ni2+ and Co2+, the reactors have been stably operated for six years at a high chemical oxygen demand (COD) loading rate of 14 kg/(m3 x day). Analysis of coenzyme content and microbial communities indicated that similar microbial communities were present in the liquid phase and on the fiber carriers installed in reactors. Bacteria in the phyla Firmicutes as well as Bacteroidetes were dominant bacteria, and Methanosarcina thermophila as well as Methanothermobacter crinale were dominant methanogens in the reactors. This study reveals that stillage from sweet potato-shochu production can be treated effectively in a full-scale fixed-bed reactor under thermophilic conditions with the help of Ni2+ and Co2+. The high diversity of bacterial community and the coexistence of both aceticlastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogens contributed to the excellent fermentation performance.

  12. Predictive accuracy of risk scales following self-harm: multicentre, prospective cohort study†

    PubMed Central

    Quinlivan, Leah; Cooper, Jayne; Meehan, Declan; Longson, Damien; Potokar, John; Hulme, Tom; Marsden, Jennifer; Brand, Fiona; Lange, Kezia; Riseborough, Elena; Page, Lisa; Metcalfe, Chris; Davies, Linda; O'Connor, Rory; Hawton, Keith; Gunnell, David; Kapur, Nav

    2017-01-01

    Background Scales are widely used in psychiatric assessments following self-harm. Robust evidence for their diagnostic use is lacking. Aims To evaluate the performance of risk scales (Manchester Self-Harm Rule, ReACT Self-Harm Rule, SAD PERSONS scale, Modified SAD PERSONS scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale); and patient and clinician estimates of risk in identifying patients who repeat self-harm within 6 months. Method A multisite prospective cohort study was conducted of adults aged 18 years and over referred to liaison psychiatry services following self-harm. Scale a priori cut-offs were evaluated using diagnostic accuracy statistics. The area under the curve (AUC) was used to determine optimal cut-offs and compare global accuracy. Results In total, 483 episodes of self-harm were included in the study. The episode-based 6-month repetition rate was 30% (n = 145). Sensitivity ranged from 1% (95% CI 0–5) for the SAD PERSONS scale, to 97% (95% CI 93–99) for the Manchester Self-Harm Rule. Positive predictive values ranged from 13% (95% CI 2–47) for the Modified SAD PERSONS Scale to 47% (95% CI 41–53) for the clinician assessment of risk. The AUC ranged from 0.55 (95% CI 0.50–0.61) for the SAD PERSONS scale to 0.74 (95% CI 0.69–0.79) for the clinician global scale. The remaining scales performed significantly worse than clinician and patient estimates of risk (P<0.001). Conclusions Risk scales following self-harm have limited clinical utility and may waste valuable resources. Most scales performed no better than clinician or patient ratings of risk. Some performed considerably worse. Positive predictive values were modest. In line with national guidelines, risk scales should not be used to determine patient management or predict self-harm. PMID:28302702

  13. Microbial community activities during establishment, performance, and decline of bench-scale passive treatment systems for mine drainage.

    PubMed

    Logan, Miranda V; Reardon, Kenneth F; Figueroa, Linda A; McLain, Jean E T; Ahmann, Dianne M

    2005-11-01

    Permeable reactive barrier (PRB) technology, in which sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) facilitate precipitation of metal sulfides, is a promising approach for remediation of sulfate- and metal-laden mine drainage. While PRBs are easily established, they often decline for reasons not well understood. SRB depend on or compete with multiple dynamic microbial populations within a PRB; as a result, performance depends on the changing PRB chemical composition and on succession and competition within the microbial community. To investigate these interactions, we constructed and monitored eight bench-scale PRBs to define periods of establishment, performance, and decline. We then conducted short-term batch studies, using substrate-supplemented column materials, on Days 0 (pre-establishment), 27 (establishment), 41 (performance), and 99 (decline) to reveal potential activities of cellulolytic bacteria, fermenters + anaerobic respirers, SRB, and methanogens. PRBs showed active sulfate reduction, with sulfate removal rates (SRR) of approximately 1-3 mol/m3/d, as well as effective removal of Zn2+. Potential activities of fermentative + anaerobic respiratory bacteria were initially high but diminished greatly during establishment and dropped further during performance and decline. In contrast, potential SRB activity rose during establishment, peaked during performance, and diminished as performance declined. Potential methanogen activity was low; in addition, SRB-methanogen substrate competition was shown not to limit SRB activity. Cellulolytic bacteria showed no substrate limitation at any time. However, fermenters experienced substrate limitation by Day 0, SRB by Day 27, and methanogens by Day 41, showing the dependence of each group on upstream populations to provide substrates. All potential activities, except methanogenesis, were ultimately limited by cellulose hydrolysis; in addition, all potential activities except methanogenesis declined substantially by Day 99, showing

  14. The allometric exponent for scaling clearance varies with age: a study on seven propofol datasets ranging from preterm neonates to adults.

    PubMed

    Wang, Chenguang; Allegaert, Karel; Peeters, Mariska Y M; Tibboel, Dick; Danhof, Meindert; Knibbe, Catherijne A J

    2014-01-01

    For scaling clearance between adults and children, allometric scaling with a fixed exponent of 0.75 is often applied. In this analysis, we performed a systematic study on the allometric exponent for scaling propofol clearance between two subpopulations selected from neonates, infants, toddlers, children, adolescents and adults. Seven propofol studies were included in the analysis (neonates, infants, toddlers, children, adolescents, adults1 and adults2). In a systematic manner, two out of the six study populations were selected resulting in 15 combined datasets. In addition, the data of the seven studies were regrouped into five age groups (FDA Guidance 1998), from which four combined datasets were prepared consisting of one paediatric age group and the adult group. In each of these 19 combined datasets, the allometric scaling exponent for clearance was estimated using population pharmacokinetic modelling (nonmem 7.2). The allometric exponent for propofol clearance varied between 1.11 and 2.01 in cases where the neonate dataset was included. When two paediatric datasets were analyzed, the exponent varied between 0.2 and 2.01, while it varied between 0.56 and 0.81 when the adult population and a paediatric dataset except for neonates were selected. Scaling from adults to adolescents, children, infants and neonates resulted in exponents of 0.74, 0.70, 0.60 and 1.11 respectively. For scaling clearance, ¾ allometric scaling may be of value for scaling between adults and adolescents or children, while it can neither be used for neonates nor for two paediatric populations. For scaling to neonates an exponent between 1 and 2 was identified. © 2013 The British Pharmacological Society.

  15. EEHG Performance and Scaling Laws

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

    Penn, Gregory

    This note will calculate the idealized performance of echo-enabled harmonic generation performance (EEHG), explore the parameter settings, and look at constraints determined by incoherent synchrotron radiation (ISR) and intrabeam scattering (IBS). Another important effect, time-of-flight variations related to transverse emittance, is included here but without detailed explanation because it has been described previously. The importance of ISR and IBS is that they lead to random energy shifts that lead to temporal shifts after the various beam manipulations required by the EEHG scheme. These effects give competing constraints on the beamline. For chicane magnets which are too compact for a givenmore » R56, the magnetic fields will be sufficiently strong that ISR will blur out the complex phase space structure of the echo scheme to the point where the bunching is strongly suppressed. The effect of IBS is more omnipresent, and requires an overall compact beamline. It is particularly challenging for the second pulse in a two-color attosecond beamline, due to the long delay between the first energy modulation and the modulator for the second pulse.« less

  16. A study of regional-scale aerosol assimilation using a Stretch-NICAM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Misawa, S.; Dai, T.; Schutgens, N.; Nakajima, T.

    2013-12-01

    Although aerosol is considered to be harmful to human health and it became a social issue, aerosol models and emission inventories include large uncertainties. In recent studies, data assimilation is applied to aerosol simulation to get more accurate aerosol field and emission inventory. Most of these studies, however, are carried out only on global scale, and there are only a few researches about regional scale aerosol assimilation. In this study, we have created and verified an aerosol assimilation system on regional scale, in hopes to reduce an error associated with the aerosol emission inventory. Our aerosol assimilation system has been developed using an atmospheric climate model, NICAM (Non-hydrostaric ICosahedral Atmospheric Model; Satoh et al., 2008) with a stretch grid system and coupled with an aerosol transport model, SPRINTARS (Takemura et al., 2000). Also, this assimilation system is based on local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF). To validate this system, we used a simulated observational data by adding some artificial errors to the surface aerosol fields constructed by Stretch-NICAM-SPRINTARS. We also included a small perturbation in original emission inventory. This assimilation with modified observational data and emission inventory was performed in Kanto-plane region around Tokyo, Japan, and the result indicates the system reducing a relative error of aerosol concentration by 20%. Furthermore, we examined a sensitivity of the aerosol assimilation system by varying the number of total ensemble (5, 10 and 15 ensembles) and local patch (domain) size (radius of 50km, 100km and 200km), both of which are the tuning parameters in LETKF. The result of the assimilation with different ensemble number 5, 10 and 15 shows that the larger the number of ensemble is, the smaller the relative error become. This is consistent with ensemble Kalman filter theory and imply that this assimilation system works properly. Also we found that assimilation system

  17. Individual differences in infant fearfulness and cognitive performance: a testing, performance, or competence effect?

    PubMed

    Rieser-Danner, Loretta A

    2003-02-01

    The author conducted 2 studies to examine the relations between infant fear and cognitive testing performance in 12-month-old infants. In Study 1, fear was assessed by using 2 standard temperament questionnaires and a laboratory-based, standardized stranger approach. Individual differences in cognitive development were assessed using the Object Permanence Scale of the Infant Psychological Development Scales (I. C. Uzgiris & J. M. Hunt, 1975). All 3 assessments of fear significantly predicted object permanence performance, with correlations ranging from -.32 to -.35. In Study 2, fear was assessed via a maternal report questionnaire, and habituation performance was assessed via a basic-level categorization task. Familiarity with the examiner and with the testing environment was manipulated to test for a familiarity influence on performance. Testing revealed individual differences in both fear and habituation. Results suggest that highly fearful infants required more trials to habituate and were less likely to meet the habituation criterion than infants who were less fearful. Methodological and conceptual implications of these results are discussed.

  18. On the scaling of small-scale jet noise to large scale

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Soderman, Paul T.; Allen, Christopher S.

    1992-01-01

    An examination was made of several published jet noise studies for the purpose of evaluating scale effects important to the simulation of jet aeroacoustics. Several studies confirmed that small conical jets, one as small as 59 mm diameter, could be used to correctly simulate the overall or PNL noise of large jets dominated by mixing noise. However, the detailed acoustic spectra of large jets are more difficult to simulate because of the lack of broad-band turbulence spectra in small jets. One study indicated that a jet Reynolds number of 5 x 10 exp 6 based on exhaust diameter enabled the generation of broad-band noise representative of large jet mixing noise. Jet suppressor aeroacoustics is even more difficult to simulate at small scale because of the small mixer nozzles with flows sensitive to Reynolds number. Likewise, one study showed incorrect ejector mixing and entrainment using small-scale, short ejector that led to poor acoustic scaling. Conversely, fairly good results were found with a longer ejector and, in a different study, with a 32-chute suppressor nozzle. Finally, it was found that small-scale aeroacoustic resonance produced by jets impacting ground boards does not reproduce at large scale.

  19. Fuel cell performance of palladium-platinum core-shell electrocatalysts synthesized in gram-scale batches

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

    Khateeb, Siddique; Su, Dong; Guerreo, Sandra

    This article presents the performance of palladium-platinum core-shell catalysts (Pt/Pd/C) for oxygen reduction synthesized in gram-scale batches in both liquid cells and polymer-electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Core-shell catalyst synthesis and characterization, ink fabrication, and cell assembly details are discussed. The Pt mass activity of the Pt/Pd core-shell catalyst was 0.95 A mg –1 at 0.9 V measured in liquid cells (0.1 M HClO4), which was 4.8 times higher than a commercial Pt/C catalyst. The performances of Pt/Pd/C and Pt/C in large single cells (315 cm 2) were assessed under various operating conditions. The core-shell catalyst showed consistently higher performance thanmore » commercial Pt/C in fuel cell testing. A 20–60 mV improvement across the whole current density range was observed on air. Sensitivities to temperature, humidity, and gas composition were also investigated and the core-shell catalyst showed a consistent benefit over Pt under all conditions. However, the 4.8 times activity enhancement predicated by liquid cell measurements was not fully realized in fuel cells.« less

  20. Fuel cell performance of palladium-platinum core-shell electrocatalysts synthesized in gram-scale batches

    DOE PAGES

    Khateeb, Siddique; Su, Dong; Guerreo, Sandra; ...

    2016-05-03

    This article presents the performance of palladium-platinum core-shell catalysts (Pt/Pd/C) for oxygen reduction synthesized in gram-scale batches in both liquid cells and polymer-electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Core-shell catalyst synthesis and characterization, ink fabrication, and cell assembly details are discussed. The Pt mass activity of the Pt/Pd core-shell catalyst was 0.95 A mg –1 at 0.9 V measured in liquid cells (0.1 M HClO4), which was 4.8 times higher than a commercial Pt/C catalyst. The performances of Pt/Pd/C and Pt/C in large single cells (315 cm 2) were assessed under various operating conditions. The core-shell catalyst showed consistently higher performance thanmore » commercial Pt/C in fuel cell testing. A 20–60 mV improvement across the whole current density range was observed on air. Sensitivities to temperature, humidity, and gas composition were also investigated and the core-shell catalyst showed a consistent benefit over Pt under all conditions. However, the 4.8 times activity enhancement predicated by liquid cell measurements was not fully realized in fuel cells.« less

  1. Effect of Violating Unidimensional Item Response Theory Vertical Scaling Assumptions on Developmental Score Scales

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Topczewski, Anna Marie

    2013-01-01

    Developmental score scales represent the performance of students along a continuum, where as students learn more they move higher along that continuum. Unidimensional item response theory (UIRT) vertical scaling has become a commonly used method to create developmental score scales. Research has shown that UIRT vertical scaling methods can be…

  2. A non-isotropic multiple-scale turbulence model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, C. P.

    1990-01-01

    A newly developed non-isotropic multiple scale turbulence model (MS/ASM) is described for complex flow calculations. This model focuses on the direct modeling of Reynolds stresses and utilizes split-spectrum concepts for modeling multiple scale effects in turbulence. Validation studies on free shear flows, rotating flows and recirculating flows show that the current model perform significantly better than the single scale k-epsilon model. The present model is relatively inexpensive in terms of CPU time which makes it suitable for broad engineering flow applications.

  3. Analytical design and performance studies of nuclear furnace tests of small nuclear light bulb models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Latham, T. S.; Rodgers, R. J.

    1972-01-01

    Analytical studies were continued to identify the design and performance characteristics of a small-scale model of a nuclear light bulb unit cell suitable for testing in a nuclear furnace reactor. Emphasis was placed on calculating performance characteristics based on detailed radiant heat transfer analyses, on designing the test assembly for ease of insertion, connection, and withdrawal at the reactor test cell, and on determining instrumentation and test effluent handling requirements. In addition, a review of candidate test reactors for future nuclear light bulb in-reactor tests was conducted.

  4. Development and Validation of the Short Use of Creative Cognition Scale in Studying

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rogaten, Jekaterina; Moneta, Giovanni B.

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports the development and validation of a short Use of Creative Cognition Scale in Studying (UCCS) that was inspired by the Cognitive Processes Associated with Creativity (CPAC) scale. In Study 1, items from two of the six subscales of the CPAC were excluded due to conceptual and psychometric issues to create a 21-item CPAC scale,…

  5. A Scale for Measuring Teachers' Mathematics-Related Beliefs: A Validity and Reliability Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Purnomo,Yoppy Wahyu

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a scale of teacher beliefs related to mathematics, namely, beliefs about the nature of mathematics, mathematics teaching, and assessment in mathematics learning. A scale development study was used to achieve it. The draft scale consisted of 54 items in which 16 items related to beliefs about…

  6. Estimating premorbid general cognitive functioning for children and adolescents using the American Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition: demographic and current performance approaches.

    PubMed

    Schoenberg, Mike R; Lange, Rael T; Brickell, Tracey A; Saklofske, Donald H

    2007-04-01

    Neuropsychologic evaluation requires current test performance be contrasted against a comparison standard to determine if change has occurred. An estimate of premorbid intelligence quotient (IQ) is often used as a comparison standard. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) is a commonly used intelligence test. However, there is no method to estimate premorbid IQ for the WISC-IV, limiting the test's utility for neuropsychologic assessment. This study develops algorithms to estimate premorbid Full Scale IQ scores. Participants were the American WISC-IV standardization sample (N = 2172). The sample was randomly divided into 2 groups (development and validation). The development group was used to generate 12 algorithms. These algorithms were accurate predictors of WISC-IV Full Scale IQ scores in healthy children and adolescents. These algorithms hold promise as a method to predict premorbid IQ for patients with known or suspected neurologic dysfunction; however, clinical validation is required.

  7. Concordance of Barthel Index, ECOG-PS, and Palliative Performance Scale in the assessment of functional status in patients with advanced medical diseases.

    PubMed

    Hernández-Quiles, C; Bernabeu-Wittel, M; Pérez-Belmonte, L M; Macías-Mir, P; Camacho-González, D; Massa, B; Maiz-Jiménez, M; Ollero-Baturone, M

    2017-09-01

    Analysing most relevant clinical features and concordance between different functional scales in patients with advanced medical diseases (PAMD). Cross-sectional multicentre study that included PAMD (heart, lung, kidney, liver, and neurological diseases) in hospital settings from February 2009 to October 2010. We analysed clinical, biological and functional features in performing activities of daily living (ADL) by medians of Barthel Index (BI); additionally we assessed their performance status by medians of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group-Performance Status (ECOG-PS) and Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) scores. We evaluated the concordance of these instruments in assessing functional impairment by κ and intraclass correlation coefficient tests. 1847 patients were included (average age 79 years, 50.1% men). Most common symptoms were dyspnoea (62.31%), asthenia (23%) and delirium (20.14%). Functional assessment showed a high prevalence of severe or total impairment in performing basic ADL by medians of used instruments (BI median=35 (IQR=70), and 52.1% of patients with severe-total impairment; ECOG-PS median=2 (IQR 30), and 44% of patients with severe-total impairment; and PPS median=50 (IQR 30), and 32% of patients with severe-total impairment). Concordance among these instruments was acceptably good ( κ indexes ranging from 0.653 to 0.745 (p<0.0001)). PAMD represent a population with severe functional impairment, which requires a multidisciplinary approach for proper management. Assessment of functional ability in this population by BI, ECOG-PS, and PPS showed good concordance. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  8. Effect of nano-scale characteristics of graphene on electrochemical performance of activated carbon supercapacitor electrodes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jasni, M. R. M.; Deraman, M.; Suleman, M.; Hamdan, E.; Sazali, N. E. S.; Nor, N. S. M.; Shamsudin, S. A.

    2016-02-01

    Graphene with its typical nano-scale characteristic properties has been widely used as an additive in activated carbon electrodes in order to enhance the performance of the electrodes for their use in high performance supercapacitors. Activated carbon monoliths (ACMs) electrodes have been prepared by carbonization and activation of green monoliths (GMs) of pre-carbonized fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches or self-adhesive carbon grains (SACGs) and SACGs added with 6 wt% of KOH-treated multi-layer graphene. ACMs electrodes have been assembled in symmetrical supercapacitor cells that employed aqueous KOH electrolyte (6 M). The cells have been tested with cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and galvanostatic charge discharge methods to investigate the effect of graphene addition on the specific capacitance (Csp), specific energy (E), specific power (P), equivalent series resistance (ESR) and response time (τo) of the supercapacitor cells. The results show that the addition of graphene in the GMs change the values of Csp, Emax, Pmax, ESR and τo from (61-96) F/g, 2 Wh/kg, 104 W/kg, 2.6 Ω and 38 s, to the respective values of (110-124) F/g, 3 Wh/kg, 156 W/kg, 3.4 Ω and 63 s. This study demonstrates that the graphene addition in the GMs has a significant effect on the electrochemical behavior of the electrodes.

  9. Evolution of Scaling Emergence in Large-Scale Spatial Epidemic Spreading

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Lin; Li, Xiang; Zhang, Yi-Qing; Zhang, Yan; Zhang, Kan

    2011-01-01

    Background Zipf's law and Heaps' law are two representatives of the scaling concepts, which play a significant role in the study of complexity science. The coexistence of the Zipf's law and the Heaps' law motivates different understandings on the dependence between these two scalings, which has still hardly been clarified. Methodology/Principal Findings In this article, we observe an evolution process of the scalings: the Zipf's law and the Heaps' law are naturally shaped to coexist at the initial time, while the crossover comes with the emergence of their inconsistency at the larger time before reaching a stable state, where the Heaps' law still exists with the disappearance of strict Zipf's law. Such findings are illustrated with a scenario of large-scale spatial epidemic spreading, and the empirical results of pandemic disease support a universal analysis of the relation between the two laws regardless of the biological details of disease. Employing the United States domestic air transportation and demographic data to construct a metapopulation model for simulating the pandemic spread at the U.S. country level, we uncover that the broad heterogeneity of the infrastructure plays a key role in the evolution of scaling emergence. Conclusions/Significance The analyses of large-scale spatial epidemic spreading help understand the temporal evolution of scalings, indicating the coexistence of the Zipf's law and the Heaps' law depends on the collective dynamics of epidemic processes, and the heterogeneity of epidemic spread indicates the significance of performing targeted containment strategies at the early time of a pandemic disease. PMID:21747932

  10. Rankings, Standards, and Competition: Task vs. Scale Comparisons

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garcia, Stephen M.; Tor, Avishalom

    2007-01-01

    Research showing how upward social comparison breeds competitive behavior has so far conflated local comparisons in "task" performance (e.g. a test score) with comparisons on a more general "scale" (i.e. an underlying skill). Using a ranking methodology (Garcia, Tor, & Gonzalez, 2006) to separate task and scale comparisons, Studies 1-2 reveal that…

  11. Performance of the Swedish version of the Revised Piper Fatigue Scale.

    PubMed

    Jakobsson, Sofie; Taft, Charles; Östlund, Ulrika; Ahlberg, Karin

    2013-12-01

    The Revised Piper Fatigue scale is one of the most widely used instruments internationally to assess cancer-related fatigue. The aim of the present study was to evaluate selected psychometric properties of a Swedish version of the RPFS (SPFS). An earlier translation of the SPFS was further evaluated and developed. The new version was mailed to 300 patients undergoing curative radiotherapy. The internal validity was assessed using Principal Axis Factor Analysis with oblimin rotation and multitrait analysis. External validity was examined in relation to the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20 (MFI-20) and in known-groups analyses. Totally 196 patients (response rate = 65%) returned evaluable questionnaires. Principal axis factoring analysis yielded three factors (74% of the variance) rather than four as in the original RPFS. Multitrait analyses confirmed the adequacy of scaling assumptions. Known-groups analyses failed to support the discriminative validity. Concurrent validity was satisfactory. The new Swedish version of the RPFS showed good acceptability, reliability and convergent and- discriminant item-scale validity. Our results converge with other international versions of the RPFS in failing to support the four-dimension conceptual model of the instrument. Hence, RPFS suitability for use in international comparisons may be limited which also may have implications for cross-cultural validity of the newly released 12-item version of the RPFS. Further research on the Swedish version should address reasons for high missing rates for certain items in the subscale of affective meaning, further evaluation of the discriminative validity and assessment of its sensitivity in detecting changes over time. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Holistic Watershed-Scale Approach for Studying Agricultural Chemicals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Capel, P. D.; Domagalski, J. L.

    2006-05-01

    The USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program studied the water quality of 51 areas across the United States during its first decade (1991-2001). Analyses of results from that phase of the NAWQA Program indicated that detailed studies of the processes affecting water quality could aid in the interpretation of these data, help to determine the direction and scope of future monitoring studies, and add to the understanding of the sources, transport and fate of non-point source chemicals, such as from agriculture. Now in the second decade of investigations, the NAWQA Program has initiated new process-based detailed studies to increase our understanding at the scale of a small watershed (about 3-15 square kilometers), nested within the larger basins studied during the first decade. The holistic, mass-budget approach for small agricultural watersheds that was adopted includes processes, and measures water and chemicals in the atmosphere, surface water, tile drains, overland flow, and within various sub-surface environments including the vadose, saturated, and hyporheic zones. The primary chemicals of interest were nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous), the triazine and acetanilide herbicides, and the organophosphorus insecticides. Extensive field observations were made, and numerical models were developed to simulate important environmental compartments and interfaces associated with the transport and fate of agricultural chemicals. It is well recognized that these field measurements and simulations cannot fully achieve a full mass budget at this scale, but the approach provides a useful means for comparisons of various processes in different environmental settings. The results gained using this approach will add to the general knowledge of environmental transport and fate processes, and have transfer value to unstudied areas and different scales of investigation. The five initial study areas started in 2002, included watersheds in California, Indiana

  13. Acculturation and the Center For Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale for Hispanic women.

    PubMed

    McCabe, Brian E; Vermeesch, Amber L; Hall, Rosemary F; Peragallo, Nilda P; Mitrani, Victoria B

    2011-01-01

    Culturally valid measures of depression for Spanish-speaking Hispanic women are important for developing and implementing effective interventions to reduce health disparities. The Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) is a widely used measure of depression. Differential item functioning has been studied using language preference as a proxy for acculturation, but it is unknown if the results were due to acculturation or the language of administration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of acculturation, defined with a dimensional measure, to Spanish CES-D item responses. Spanish-speaking Hispanic women (n = 504) were recruited for a randomized controlled trial of Salud, Educación, Prevención y Autocuidado (Health, Education, Prevention, and Self-Care). Acculturation, an important dimension of variation within the diverse U.S. Hispanic community, was defined by high or low scores on the Americanism subscale of the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale. Differential item functioning for each of the 20 CES-D items between more acculturated and less acculturated women was tested using ordinal logistic regression. No items on the Depressed Affect, Somatic Activity, or Positive Affect subscales showed meaningful differential item functioning, but 1 item ("People were unfriendly") on the Interpersonal subscale had small results (R = 1.1%). The majority of CES-D items performed similarly for Spanish-speaking Hispanic women with high and low acculturation. Less acculturated women responded more positively to "People were unfriendly," despite having an equivalent level of depression, than did more acculturated women. Possibilities for improving this item are proposed.

  14. Abridged geriatric assessment is a better predictor of overall survival than the Karnofsky Performance Scale and Physical Performance Test in elderly patients with cancer.

    PubMed

    Ghosn, Marwan; Ibrahim, Tony; El Rassy, Elie; Nassani, Najib; Ghanem, Sassine; Assi, Tarek

    2017-03-01

    Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is a complex and interdisciplinary approach to evaluate the health status of elderly patients. The Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) and Physical Performance Test (PPT) are less time-consuming tools that measure functional status. This study was designed to assess and compare abridged geriatric assessment (GA), KPS and PPT as predictive tools of mortality in elderly patients with cancer. This prospective interventional study included all individuals aged >70years who were diagnosed with cancer during the study period. Subjects were interviewed directly using a procedure that included a clinical test and a questionnaire composed of the KPS, PPT and abridged GCA. Overall survival (OS) was the primary endpoint. The log rank test was used to compare survival curves, and Cox's regression model (forward procedure) was used for multivariate survival analysis. One hundred patients were included in this study. Abridged GA was the only tool found to predict mortality [median OS for unfit patients (at least two impairments) 467days vs 1030days for fit patients; p=0.04]. Patients defined as fit by mean PPT score (>20) had worse median OS (560 vs 721days); however, this difference was not significant (p=0.488 on log rank). Although median OS did not differ significantly between patients with low (≤80) and high (>80) KPS scores (467 and 795days, respectively; p=0.09), survival curves diverged after nearly 120days of follow-up. Visual and hearing impairments were the only components of abridged GA of prognostic value. Neither KPS nor PPT were shown to predict mortality in elderly patients with cancer whereas abridged GA was predictive. This study suggests a possible role for visual and hearing assessment as screening for patients requiring CGA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Perceptıon scale of barrıers to contraceptıve use: a methodologıcal study.

    PubMed

    Sen, Selma; Cetinkaya, Aynur; Cavuslar, Aysel

    2017-01-01

    The objective of this study was to design and develop the Perception Scale of Barriers to Contraceptive Use (PSBCU) as a measurement tool for the qualitative assessment of the barriers and obstacles women perceived with regard to contraceptive use or low rates of contraceptive use in women using family planning services. The data for this methodological study were collected using the face-to-face interview technique from 320 married women between the ages of 15-49 who were attending clinics at the Hafsa Sultan Hospital, CBU. The data collection tools used in the study, which was carried out from May to September 2014, were the "Introductory Information Form" and the "Perception Scale of Barriers to Contraceptive Use". Language validity and construct validity (explanatory factor analysis) were applied in order to test the validity of the Perception Scale of Barriers to Contraceptive Use. Kaiser Meier Olkin (KMO) analysis was performed to determine the availability of the scale for the size of participants. The sample adequacy calculated as the KMO value was 0.916 and the Bartlett's Test of Sphericity (X 2  = 6721.793 p  < 0.000) sample size analysis value was found to be sufficient for factor analysis. The total Cronbach's Alpha coefficient of 34 items which included three factors explaining 54.95% of the variance after Varimax rotation was calculated to be 0.95. The largest factor was the "cognitive domain" explaining 18.89% of the variance, followed by the "emotional domain" explaining 18.05% of the variance, and finally the "social domain" explaining 18.01% of the variance. Item-total score correlation coefficients of scale items were found to be between 0.54 and 0.83. The study demonstrateded that the "Perception Scale of Barriers to Contraceptive Use" was valid and reliable. We believe that the scale is suitable for use by women in a family planning education and training programs in order to evaluate their situation. It should also be assessed for validity

  16. Human Rights Attitude Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ercan, Recep; Yaman, Tugba; Demir, Selcuk Besir

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this study is to develop a valid and reliable attitude scale having quality psychometric features that can measure secondary school students' attitudes towards human rights. The study group of the research is comprised by 710 6th, 7th and 8th grade students who study at 4 secondary schools in the centre of Sivas. The study group…

  17. Integration of Host Strain Bioengineering and Bioprocess Development Using Ultra-Scale Down Studies to Select the Optimum Combination: An Antibody Fragment Primary Recovery Case Study

    PubMed Central

    Aucamp, Jean P; Davies, Richard; Hallet, Damien; Weiss, Amanda; Titchener-Hooker, Nigel J

    2014-01-01

    An ultra scale-down primary recovery sequence was established for a platform E. coli Fab production process. It was used to evaluate the process robustness of various bioengineered strains. Centrifugal discharge in the initial dewatering stage was determined to be the major cause of cell breakage. The ability of cells to resist breakage was dependant on a combination of factors including host strain, vector, and fermentation strategy. Periplasmic extraction studies were conducted in shake flasks and it was demonstrated that key performance parameters such as Fab titre and nucleic acid concentrations were mimicked. The shake flask system also captured particle aggregation effects seen in a large scale stirred vessel, reproducing the fine particle size distribution that impacts the final centrifugal clarification stage. The use of scale-down primary recovery process sequences can be used to screen a larger number of engineered strains. This can lead to closer integration with and better feedback between strain development, fermentation development, and primary recovery studies. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 1971–1981. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:24838387

  18. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III profile in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease: performance in subtests sensitive to and resistant to normal decline with ageing.

    PubMed

    Matsuda, Osamu; Saito, Masahiko; Kato, Mayumi; Azami, Hiroki; Shido, Emi

    2015-03-01

    This study examined the significance of age-related subtest scores from the Japanese version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III in patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The subjects of this study included 58 elderly Japanese persons classified into two groups: AD group (n = 29) and control group (n = 29). These groups did not differ in age, years of education, gender ratio, Hasegawa's Dementia Scale-Revised score, or Full-Scale IQ score. No subject scored below the cut-off point on Hasegawa's Dementia Scale-Revised, a frequently used dementia screen test in Japan. At the index score level, General Ability Index scores were the only scores that differed significantly between the groups, with the AD group scoring significantly lower than the control group (P < 0.05, Hedges' g = 0.54). At the subtest level, information scores were the only scores that differed significantly between the groups, with the AD group significantly lower than the control group (P < 0.01, Hedges' g = 0.74). The General Ability Index is a composite score that deducts components of working memory and processing speed, which are sensitive to decline with normal ageing, from the Full-Scale IQ. It also served as a subtest measuring crystallized intelligence, especially of acquired knowledge of general and factual information. Therefore, the results of this study seem to suggest that Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III profile of very early AD may be characterized by weak performance on subtests normally resistant to decline with ageing. © 2014 The Authors. Psychogeriatrics © 2014 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.

  19. Scaling of graphene integrated circuits.

    PubMed

    Bianchi, Massimiliano; Guerriero, Erica; Fiocco, Marco; Alberti, Ruggero; Polloni, Laura; Behnam, Ashkan; Carrion, Enrique A; Pop, Eric; Sordan, Roman

    2015-05-07

    The influence of transistor size reduction (scaling) on the speed of realistic multi-stage integrated circuits (ICs) represents the main performance metric of a given transistor technology. Despite extensive interest in graphene electronics, scaling efforts have so far focused on individual transistors rather than multi-stage ICs. Here we study the scaling of graphene ICs based on transistors from 3.3 to 0.5 μm gate lengths and with different channel widths, access lengths, and lead thicknesses. The shortest gate delay of 31 ps per stage was obtained in sub-micron graphene ROs oscillating at 4.3 GHz, which is the highest oscillation frequency obtained in any strictly low-dimensional material to date. We also derived the fundamental Johnson limit, showing that scaled graphene ICs could be used at high frequencies in applications with small voltage swing.

  20. Large scale in vivo recordings to study neuronal biophysics.

    PubMed

    Giocomo, Lisa M

    2015-06-01

    Over the last several years, technological advances have enabled researchers to more readily observe single-cell membrane biophysics in awake, behaving animals. Studies utilizing these technologies have provided important insights into the mechanisms generating functional neural codes in both sensory and non-sensory cortical circuits. Crucial for a deeper understanding of how membrane biophysics control circuit dynamics however, is a continued effort to move toward large scale studies of membrane biophysics, in terms of the numbers of neurons and ion channels examined. Future work faces a number of theoretical and technical challenges on this front but recent technological developments hold great promise for a larger scale understanding of how membrane biophysics contribute to circuit coding and computation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Stormbow: A Cloud-Based Tool for Reads Mapping and Expression Quantification in Large-Scale RNA-Seq Studies

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Shanrong; Prenger, Kurt; Smith, Lance

    2013-01-01

    RNA-Seq is becoming a promising replacement to microarrays in transcriptome profiling and differential gene expression study. Technical improvements have decreased sequencing costs and, as a result, the size and number of RNA-Seq datasets have increased rapidly. However, the increasing volume of data from large-scale RNA-Seq studies poses a practical challenge for data analysis in a local environment. To meet this challenge, we developed Stormbow, a cloud-based software package, to process large volumes of RNA-Seq data in parallel. The performance of Stormbow has been tested by practically applying it to analyse 178 RNA-Seq samples in the cloud. In our test, it took 6 to 8 hours to process an RNA-Seq sample with 100 million reads, and the average cost was $3.50 per sample. Utilizing Amazon Web Services as the infrastructure for Stormbow allows us to easily scale up to handle large datasets with on-demand computational resources. Stormbow is a scalable, cost effective, and open-source based tool for large-scale RNA-Seq data analysis. Stormbow can be freely downloaded and can be used out of box to process Illumina RNA-Seq datasets. PMID:25937948

  2. Stormbow: A Cloud-Based Tool for Reads Mapping and Expression Quantification in Large-Scale RNA-Seq Studies.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Shanrong; Prenger, Kurt; Smith, Lance

    2013-01-01

    RNA-Seq is becoming a promising replacement to microarrays in transcriptome profiling and differential gene expression study. Technical improvements have decreased sequencing costs and, as a result, the size and number of RNA-Seq datasets have increased rapidly. However, the increasing volume of data from large-scale RNA-Seq studies poses a practical challenge for data analysis in a local environment. To meet this challenge, we developed Stormbow, a cloud-based software package, to process large volumes of RNA-Seq data in parallel. The performance of Stormbow has been tested by practically applying it to analyse 178 RNA-Seq samples in the cloud. In our test, it took 6 to 8 hours to process an RNA-Seq sample with 100 million reads, and the average cost was $3.50 per sample. Utilizing Amazon Web Services as the infrastructure for Stormbow allows us to easily scale up to handle large datasets with on-demand computational resources. Stormbow is a scalable, cost effective, and open-source based tool for large-scale RNA-Seq data analysis. Stormbow can be freely downloaded and can be used out of box to process Illumina RNA-Seq datasets.

  3. Cross-flow turbines: progress report on physical and numerical model studies at large laboratory scale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wosnik, Martin; Bachant, Peter

    2016-11-01

    Cross-flow turbines show potential in marine hydrokinetic (MHK) applications. A research focus is on accurately predicting device performance and wake evolution to improve turbine array layouts for maximizing overall power output, i.e., minimizing wake interference, or taking advantage of constructive wake interaction. Experiments were carried with large laboratory-scale cross-flow turbines D O (1 m) using a turbine test bed in a large cross-section tow tank, designed to achieve sufficiently high Reynolds numbers for the results to be Reynolds number independent with respect to turbine performance and wake statistics, such that they can be reliably extrapolated to full scale and used for model validation. Several turbines of varying solidity were employed, including the UNH Reference Vertical Axis Turbine (RVAT) and a 1:6 scale model of the DOE-Sandia Reference Model 2 (RM2) turbine. To improve parameterization in array simulations, an actuator line model (ALM) was developed to provide a computationally feasible method for simulating full turbine arrays inside Navier-Stokes models. Results are presented for the simulation of performance and wake dynamics of cross-flow turbines and compared with experiments and body-fitted mesh, blade-resolving CFD. Supported by NSF-CBET Grant 1150797, Sandia National Laboratories.

  4. A Perception Scale on the Use of Webquests in Mathematics Teaching: A Study of Scale Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Demir, Mevhibe Kobak; Gür, Hülya

    2016-01-01

    This study was aimed to develop a valid and reliable perception scale in order to determine the perceptions of pre-service teachers towards the use of WebQuest in mathematics teaching. The study was conducted with 115 junior and senior pre-service teachers at Balikesir University's Faculty of Education, Computer Education and Instructional…

  5. Barriers to using eHealth data for clinical performance feedback in Malawi: A case study.

    PubMed

    Landis-Lewis, Zach; Manjomo, Ronald; Gadabu, Oliver J; Kam, Matthew; Simwaka, Bertha N; Zickmund, Susan L; Chimbwandira, Frank; Douglas, Gerald P; Jacobson, Rebecca S

    2015-10-01

    Sub-optimal performance of healthcare providers in low-income countries is a critical and persistent global problem. The use of electronic health information technology (eHealth) in these settings is creating large-scale opportunities to automate performance measurement and provision of feedback to individual healthcare providers, to support clinical learning and behavior change. An electronic medical record system (EMR) deployed in 66 antiretroviral therapy clinics in Malawi collects data that supervisors use to provide quarterly, clinic-level performance feedback. Understanding barriers to provision of eHealth-based performance feedback for individual healthcare providers in this setting could present a relatively low-cost opportunity to significantly improve the quality of care. The aims of this study were to identify and describe barriers to using EMR data for individualized audit and feedback for healthcare providers in Malawi and to consider how to design technology to overcome these barriers. We conducted a qualitative study using interviews, observations, and informant feedback in eight public hospitals in Malawi where an EMR system is used. We interviewed 32 healthcare providers and conducted seven hours of observation of system use. We identified four key barriers to the use of EMR data for clinical performance feedback: provider rotations, disruptions to care processes, user acceptance of eHealth, and performance indicator lifespan. Each of these factors varied across sites and affected the quality of EMR data that could be used for the purpose of generating performance feedback for individual healthcare providers. Using routinely collected eHealth data to generate individualized performance feedback shows potential at large-scale for improving clinical performance in low-resource settings. However, technology used for this purpose must accommodate ongoing changes in barriers to eHealth data use. Understanding the clinical setting as a complex adaptive

  6. Barriers to using eHealth data for clinical performance feedback in Malawi: A case study

    PubMed Central

    Landis-Lewis, Zach; Manjomo, Ronald; Gadabu, Oliver J; Kam, Matthew; Simwaka, Bertha N; Zickmund, Susan L; Chimbwandira, Frank; Douglas, Gerald P; Jacobson, Rebecca S

    2016-01-01

    Introduction Sub-optimal performance of healthcare providers in low-income countries is a critical and persistent global problem. The use of electronic health information technology (eHealth) in these settings is creating large-scale opportunities to automate performance measurement and provision of feedback to individual healthcare providers, to support clinical learning and behavior change. An electronic medical record system (EMR) deployed in 66 antiretroviral therapy clinics in Malawi collects data that supervisors use to provide quarterly, clinic-level performance feedback. Understanding barriers to provision of eHealth-based performance feedback for individual healthcare providers in this setting could present a relatively low-cost opportunity to significantly improve the quality of care. Objective The aims of this study were to identify and describe barriers to using EMR data for individualized audit and feedback for healthcare providers in Malawi and to consider how to design technology to overcome these barriers. Methods We conducted a qualitative study using interviews, observations, and informant feedback in eight public hospitals in Malawi where an EMR is used. We interviewed 32 healthcare providers and conducted seven hours of observation of system use. Results We identified four key barriers to the use of EMR data for clinical performance feedback: provider rotations, disruptions to care processes, user acceptance of eHealth, and performance indicator lifespan. Each of these factors varied across sites and affected the quality of EMR data that could be used for the purpose of generating performance feedback for individual healthcare providers. Conclusion Using routinely collected eHealth data to generate individualized performance feedback shows potential at large-scale for improving clinical performance in low-resource settings. However, technology used for this purpose must accommodate ongoing changes in barriers to eHealth data use. Understanding

  7. Bench-Scale Testing and Process Performance Projections of CO2 Capture by CO2–Binding Organic Liquids (CO2BOLs) With and Without Polarity-Swing-Assisted Regeneration

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

    Zheng, Feng; Heldebrant, David J.; Mathias, Paul M.

    This manuscript provides a detailed analysis of a continuous flow, bench scale study of the CO2BOL solvent platform with and without its Polarity Swing Assisted Regeneration (PSAR). This study encompassed four months of continuous flow testing of a candidate CO2BOL with a thermal regeneration and PSAR regeneration using decane antisolvent. In both regeneration schemes, steady state capture of >90 %CO2 was achieved using simulated flue gas at acceptable L/G ratios. Aspen Plus™ modeling was performed to assess process performance compared to previous equilibrium performance projections. This paper also includes net power projections, and comparisons to DOE’s Case 10 amine baseline.

  8. Cross-scale: multi-scale coupling in space plasmas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schwartz, Steven J.; Horbury, Timothy; Owen, Christopher; Baumjohann, Wolfgang; Nakamura, Rumi; Canu, Patrick; Roux, Alain; Sahraoui, Fouad; Louarn, Philippe; Sauvaud, Jean-André; Pinçon, Jean-Louis; Vaivads, Andris; Marcucci, Maria Federica; Anastasiadis, Anastasios; Fujimoto, Masaki; Escoubet, Philippe; Taylor, Matt; Eckersley, Steven; Allouis, Elie; Perkinson, Marie-Claire

    2009-03-01

    Most of the visible universe is in the highly ionised plasma state, and most of that plasma is collision-free. Three physical phenomena are responsible for nearly all of the processes that accelerate particles, transport material and energy, and mediate flows in systems as diverse as radio galaxy jets and supernovae explosions through to solar flares and planetary magnetospheres. These processes in turn result from the coupling amongst phenomena at macroscopic fluid scales, smaller ion scales, and down to electron scales. Cross-Scale, in concert with its sister mission SCOPE (to be provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency—JAXA), is dedicated to quantifying that nonlinear, time-varying coupling via the simultaneous in-situ observations of space plasmas performed by a fleet of 12 spacecraft in near-Earth orbit. Cross-Scale has been selected for the Assessment Phase of Cosmic Vision by the European Space Agency.

  9. Cross-Scale: multi-scale coupling in space plasmas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vaivads, A.; Taylor, M. G.

    2009-12-01

    Most of the visible universe is in the highly ionised plasma state, and most of that plasma is collision-free. Three physical phenomena are responsible for nearly all of the processes that accelerate particles, transport material and energy, and mediate flows in systems as diverse as radio galaxy jets and supernovae explosions through to solar flares and planetary magnetospheres. These processes in turn result from the coupling amongst phenomena at macroscopic fluid scales, smaller ion scales, and down to electron scales. Cross-Scale, in concert with its sister mission SCOPE (to be provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency—JAXA in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency), is dedicated to quantifying that nonlinear, time-varying coupling via the simultaneous in-situ observations of space plasmas performed by a fleet of 12 spacecraft in near-Earth orbit. Cross-Scale is currently in the Assessment Phase of ESA's Cosmic Vision.

  10. Timed activity performance in persons with upper limb amputation: A preliminary study.

    PubMed

    Resnik, Linda; Borgia, Mathew; Acluche, Frantzy

    55 subjects with upper limb amputation were administered the T-MAP twice within one week. To develop a timed measure of activity performance for persons with upper limb amputation (T-MAP); examine the measure's internal consistency, test-retest reliability and validity; and compare scores by prosthesis use. Measures of activity performance for persons with upper limb amputation are needed The time required to perform daily activities is a meaningful metric that implication for participation in life roles. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated. Construct validity was examined by comparing scores by amputation level. Exploratory analyses compared sub-group scores, and examined correlations with other measures. Scale alpha was 0.77, ICC was 0.93. Timed scores differed by amputation level. Subjects using a prosthesis took longer to perform all tasks. T-MAP was not correlated with other measures of dexterity or activity, but was correlated with pain for non-prosthesis users. The timed scale had adequate internal consistency and excellent test-retest reliability. Analyses support reliability and construct validity of the T-MAP. 2c "outcomes" research. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  11. The UKCAT-12 study: educational attainment, aptitude test performance, demographic and socio-economic contextual factors as predictors of first year outcome in a cross-sectional collaborative study of 12 UK medical schools.

    PubMed

    McManus, I C; Dewberry, Chris; Nicholson, Sandra; Dowell, Jonathan S

    2013-11-14

    Most UK medical schools use aptitude tests during student selection, but large-scale studies of predictive validity are rare. This study assesses the United Kingdom Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT), and its four sub-scales, along with measures of educational attainment, individual and contextual socio-economic background factors, as predictors of performance in the first year of medical school training. A prospective study of 4,811 students in 12 UK medical schools taking the UKCAT from 2006 to 2008 as a part of the medical school application, for whom first year medical school examination results were available in 2008 to 2010. UKCAT scores and educational attainment measures (General Certificate of Education (GCE): A-levels, and so on; or Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA): Scottish Highers, and so on) were significant predictors of outcome. UKCAT predicted outcome better in female students than male students, and better in mature than non-mature students. Incremental validity of UKCAT taking educational attainment into account was significant, but small. Medical school performance was also affected by sex (male students performing less well), ethnicity (non-White students performing less well), and a contextual measure of secondary schooling, students from secondary schools with greater average attainment at A-level (irrespective of public or private sector) performing less well. Multilevel modeling showed no differences between medical schools in predictive ability of the various measures. UKCAT sub-scales predicted similarly, except that Verbal Reasoning correlated positively with performance on Theory examinations, but negatively with Skills assessments. This collaborative study in 12 medical schools shows the power of large-scale studies of medical education for answering previously unanswerable but important questions about medical student selection, education and training. UKCAT has predictive validity as a predictor of medical school outcome

  12. The UKCAT-12 study: educational attainment, aptitude test performance, demographic and socio-economic contextual factors as predictors of first year outcome in a cross-sectional collaborative study of 12 UK medical schools

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Most UK medical schools use aptitude tests during student selection, but large-scale studies of predictive validity are rare. This study assesses the United Kingdom Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT), and its four sub-scales, along with measures of educational attainment, individual and contextual socio-economic background factors, as predictors of performance in the first year of medical school training. Methods A prospective study of 4,811 students in 12 UK medical schools taking the UKCAT from 2006 to 2008 as a part of the medical school application, for whom first year medical school examination results were available in 2008 to 2010. Results UKCAT scores and educational attainment measures (General Certificate of Education (GCE): A-levels, and so on; or Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA): Scottish Highers, and so on) were significant predictors of outcome. UKCAT predicted outcome better in female students than male students, and better in mature than non-mature students. Incremental validity of UKCAT taking educational attainment into account was significant, but small. Medical school performance was also affected by sex (male students performing less well), ethnicity (non-White students performing less well), and a contextual measure of secondary schooling, students from secondary schools with greater average attainment at A-level (irrespective of public or private sector) performing less well. Multilevel modeling showed no differences between medical schools in predictive ability of the various measures. UKCAT sub-scales predicted similarly, except that Verbal Reasoning correlated positively with performance on Theory examinations, but negatively with Skills assessments. Conclusions This collaborative study in 12 medical schools shows the power of large-scale studies of medical education for answering previously unanswerable but important questions about medical student selection, education and training. UKCAT has predictive validity as a

  13. On the scaling of small-scale jet noise to large scale

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Soderman, Paul T.; Allen, Christopher S.

    1992-01-01

    An examination was made of several published jet noise studies for the purpose of evaluating scale effects important to the simulation of jet aeroacoustics. Several studies confirmed that small conical jets, one as small as 59 mm diameter, could be used to correctly simulate the overall or perceived noise level (PNL) noise of large jets dominated by mixing noise. However, the detailed acoustic spectra of large jets are more difficult to simulate because of the lack of broad-band turbulence spectra in small jets. One study indicated that a jet Reynolds number of 5 x 10(exp 6) based on exhaust diameter enabled the generation of broad-band noise representative of large jet mixing noise. Jet suppressor aeroacoustics is even more difficult to simulate at small scale because of the small mixer nozzles with flows sensitive to Reynolds number. Likewise, one study showed incorrect ejector mixing and entrainment using a small-scale, short ejector that led to poor acoustic scaling. Conversely, fairly good results were found with a longer ejector and, in a different study, with a 32-chute suppressor nozzle. Finally, it was found that small-scale aeroacoustic resonance produced by jets impacting ground boards does not reproduce at large scale.

  14. Experimental performance evaluation of software defined networking (SDN) based data communication networks for large scale flexi-grid optical networks.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Yongli; He, Ruiying; Chen, Haoran; Zhang, Jie; Ji, Yuefeng; Zheng, Haomian; Lin, Yi; Wang, Xinbo

    2014-04-21

    Software defined networking (SDN) has become the focus in the current information and communication technology area because of its flexibility and programmability. It has been introduced into various network scenarios, such as datacenter networks, carrier networks, and wireless networks. Optical transport network is also regarded as an important application scenario for SDN, which is adopted as the enabling technology of data communication networks (DCN) instead of general multi-protocol label switching (GMPLS). However, the practical performance of SDN based DCN for large scale optical networks, which is very important for the technology selection in the future optical network deployment, has not been evaluated up to now. In this paper we have built a large scale flexi-grid optical network testbed with 1000 virtual optical transport nodes to evaluate the performance of SDN based DCN, including network scalability, DCN bandwidth limitation, and restoration time. A series of network performance parameters including blocking probability, bandwidth utilization, average lightpath provisioning time, and failure restoration time have been demonstrated under various network environments, such as with different traffic loads and different DCN bandwidths. The demonstration in this work can be taken as a proof for the future network deployment.

  15. The Self-Consciousness Scale: A Discriminant Validity Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carver, Charles S.; Glass, David C.

    1976-01-01

    A validity study is conducted of the Self-Consciousness Scale components with male undergraduates. The components, Private and Public Self Consciousness and Social Anxiety did not correlate with any other measures used to establish their validity and thus seem to be independent of other measures tested. (Author/DEP)

  16. REMOVAL OF METHYL T-BUTYL ETHER (MTBE) FROM WATER BY PERVAPORATION: BENCH-SCALE AND PILOT SCALE EVALUATIONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The ability of pervaporation to remove methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE) from water was evaluated at bench- and pilot-scales. Process parameters studied included flow rate, temperature, MTBE concentration, membrane module type, and permeate pressure. Pervaporation performance was ass...

  17. Heritability of MMPI-2 scales in the UCSF Family Alcoholism Study

    PubMed Central

    Gizer, Ian R.; Seaton-Smith, Kimberley L.; Ehlers, Cindy L.; Vietan, Cassandra; Wilhelmsen, Kirk C.

    2009-01-01

    The present study evaluated the heritability of personality traits and psychopathology symptoms assessed by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Interview 2nd edition (MMPI-2) in a family-based sample selected for alcohol dependence. Participants included 950 probands and 1204 first-degree relatives recruited for the UCSF Family Alcoholism Study. Heritability estimates (h2) for MMPI-2 scales ranged from .25–.49. When alcohol dependence was used as a covariate, heritability estimates remained significant but generally declined. However, when the MMPI-2 scales were used as covariates to estimate the heritability of alcohol dependence, scales measuring antisocial behavior (ASP), depressive symptoms (DEP), and addictive behavior (MAC-R) led to moderate increases in the heritability of alcohol dependence. This suggests that the ASP, DEP, and MAC-R scales may explain some of the non-genetic variance in the alcohol dependence diagnosis in this population when utilized as covariates, and thus may serve to produce a more homogeneous and heritable alcohol dependence phenotype. PMID:20390702

  18. A French validation study of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R).

    PubMed

    Schnakers, Caroline; Majerus, Steve; Giacino, Joseph; Vanhaudenhuyse, Audrey; Bruno, Marie-Aurelie; Boly, Melanie; Moonen, Gustave; Damas, Pierre; Lambermont, Bernard; Lamy, Maurice; Damas, Francois; Ventura, Manfredi; Laureys, Steven

    2008-09-01

    The aim of the present study was to explore the concurrent validity, inter-rater agreement and diagnostic sensitivity of a French adaptation of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) as compared to other coma scales such as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), the Full Outline of UnResponsiveness scale (FOUR) and the Wessex Head Injury Matrix (WHIM). Multi-centric prospective study. To test concurrent validity and diagnostic sensitivity, the four behavioural scales were administered in a randomized order in 77 vegetative and minimally conscious patients. Twenty-four clinicians with different professional backgrounds, levels of expertise and CRS-R experience were recruited to assess inter-rater agreement. Good concurrent validity was obtained between the CRS-R and the three other standardized behavioural scales. Inter-rater reliability for the CRS-R total score and sub-scores was good, indicating that the scale yields reproducible findings across examiners and does not appear to be systematically biased by profession, level of expertise or CRS-R experience. Finally, the CRS-R demonstrated a significantly higher sensitivity to detect MCS patients, as compared to the GCS, the FOUR and the WHIM. The results show that the French version of the CRS-R is a valid and sensitive scale which can be used in severely brain damaged patients by all members of the medical staff.

  19. Development of a scaled-down aerobic fermentation model for scale-up in recombinant protein vaccine manufacturing.

    PubMed

    Farrell, Patrick; Sun, Jacob; Gao, Meg; Sun, Hong; Pattara, Ben; Zeiser, Arno; D'Amore, Tony

    2012-08-17

    A simple approach to the development of an aerobic scaled-down fermentation model is presented to obtain more consistent process performance during the scale-up of recombinant protein manufacture. Using a constant volumetric oxygen mass transfer coefficient (k(L)a) for the criterion of a scale-down process, the scaled-down model can be "tuned" to match the k(L)a of any larger-scale target by varying the impeller rotational speed. This approach is demonstrated for a protein vaccine candidate expressed in recombinant Escherichia coli, where process performance is shown to be consistent among 2-L, 20-L, and 200-L scales. An empirical correlation for k(L)a has also been employed to extrapolate to larger manufacturing scales. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Scale and scaling in agronomy and environmental sciences

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Scale is of paramount importance in environmental studies, engineering, and design. The unique course covers the following topics: scale and scaling, methods and theories, scaling in soils and other porous media, scaling in plants and crops; scaling in landscapes and watersheds, and scaling in agro...