STEME: A Robust, Accurate Motif Finder for Large Data Sets

PubMed Central

Reid, John E.; Wernisch, Lorenz

2014-01-01

Motif finding is a difficult problem that has been studied for over 20 years. Some older popular motif finders are not suitable for analysis of the large data sets generated by next-generation sequencing. We recently published an efficient approximation (STEME) to the EM algorithm that is at the core of many motif finders such as MEME. This approximation allows the EM algorithm to be applied to large data sets. In this work we describe several efficient extensions to STEME that are based on the MEME algorithm. Together with the original STEME EM approximation, these extensions make STEME a fully-fledged motif finder with similar properties to MEME. We discuss the difficulty of objectively comparing motif finders. We show that STEME performs comparably to existing prominent discriminative motif finders, DREME and Trawler, on 13 sets of transcription factor binding data in mouse ES cells. We demonstrate the ability of STEME to find long degenerate motifs which these discriminative motif finders do not find. As part of our method, we extend an earlier method due to Nagarajan et al. for the efficient calculation of motif E-values. STEME's source code is available under an open source license and STEME is available via a web interface. PMID:24625410

The Influence of Business and Industry as Drivers for Change in UK Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLernon, Tim

2008-01-01

The rationale underpinning UK higher education (HE) has changed significantly over the last 20 years. Government policy dictates that 50% of 18-30 year-olds should be in HE by the year 2010. Students enter HE almost solely for the exchange value of the qualification and the expectation of enhanced career prospects in business and industry. This…

47 CFR 80.289 - Requirements for radio direction finder.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Requirements for radio direction finder. 80.289 Section 80.289 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO... Requirements for radio direction finder. (a) The radio direction finding apparatus must: (1) Be capable of...

The DLR AsteroidFinder for NEOs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mottola, Stefano; Kuehrt, Ekkehard; Michaelis, Harald; Hoffmann, Harald; Spietz, Peter; Jansen, Frank; Thimo Grundmann, Jan; Hahn, Gerhard; Montenegro, Sergio; Findlay, Ross; Boerner, Anko; Messina, Gabriele; Behnke, Thomas; Tschentscher, Matthias; Scheibe, Karsten; Mertens, Volker; Heidecke, Ansgar

Potential Earth-impacting asteroids that spend most of their time interior to Earth's orbit are extremely difficult to be observed from the ground and remain largely undetected. Firstly, they are mostly located at small solar elongations, where the sky brightness and their faintness due to the large phase angle prevents their discovery. Secondly, these objects tend to have very long synodic orbital periods, which makes observation opportunities rare and impact warning times short. Because of these limitations, even the advent of next generation ground-based asteroid surveys is not likely to radically improve the situation (Veres et al. Icarus 203, p472, 2009). On the other hand, a small satellite with a suitable design can observe close to the Sun and detect these objects efficiently against a dark sky background. For this reason, DLR, the German Aerospace Center, has selected AsteroidFinder as the first experiment to be launched under its new compact satellite national program. The primary goal of the mission is to detect and characterize Near Earth Objects (NEOs), with a particular focus on the population of objects completely contained within Earth's orbit (IEOs or Inner Earth Objects). Current dynamical models predict the existence of more than 1000 such objects down to a size of 100m, of which, due to the abovementioned observation difficulties, only 10 have been discovered to date. Benefitting from the vantage point of a Low Earth Orbit (LEO), AsteroidFinder makes use of a small optical telescope to scan those regions of the sky that are close to the Sun, and therefore beyond the reach of ground based observatories. By estimating the population, the size and the orbital distribution of IEOs, AsteroidFinder will contribute to our knowledge of the inner Solar System, and to the assessment of the impact hazard for the Earth. A secondary goal of the mission is to demonstrate techniques that enable the space-based detection of space debris in the cm size range

Proposed Missions - Terrestrial Planet Finder

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-06-20

NASA Terrestrial Planet Finder will use multiple telescopes working together to take family portraits of stars and their orbiting planets and determine which planets may have the right chemistry to sustain life.

Understanding the importance of permanent and transitory shocks at business cycle horizons for the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narayan, Paresh Kumar

2008-05-01

The goal of this paper is to examine the relative importance of permanent and transitory shocks in explaining variations in macroeconomic aggregates for the UK at business cycle horizons. Using the common trend-common cycle restrictions, we estimate a variance decomposition of shocks, and find that over short horizons the bulk of the variations in income and consumption were due to permanent shocks while transitory shocks explain the bulk of the variations in investment. Our findings for income and consumption are consistent with real business cycle models which emphasize the role of aggregate supply shocks, while our findings for investment are consistent with the Keynesian school of thought, which emphasizes the role of aggregate demand shocks in explaining business cycles.

FACTOR FINDER CD-ROM | Science Inventory | US EPA

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Factor Finder CD-ROM is a user-friendly, searchable tool used to locate exposure factors and sociodemographic data for user-defined populations. Factor Finder improves the exposure assessors and risk assessors (etc.) ability to efficiently locate exposure-related information for a population of concern. Users can either enter keywords into a user-defined search box or use pull-down menus to help pinpoint specific information. The pull-down menu features general categories such as chemicals of concern, contaminated media, geographic region, exposure pathways and routes, age, food categories, and activities to name just a few. Numerous subcategories are available for selection from the pull down menu as well. Factor Finder searches both documents to retrieve the specified data and displays the information on the user's personal computer (PC) screen. Factor Finder is used by exposure assessors, risk assessors, and other concerned communities to locate exposure-related data contained within the Exposure Factors Handbook (EFH) and Sociodemographic Data Used in Identifying Potentially Highly Exposed Populations (HEP). The EFH and the HEP are companion guidance documents produced by the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within EPA's Office of Research and Development. The Exposure Factors Handbook (EFH) summarizes data on exposure factors (values that describe human behaviors and characteristics that affect exposure to environmental cont

Business process re-engineering--saviour or just another fad? One UK health care perspective.

PubMed

Patwardhan, Anjali; Patwardhan, Dhruv

2008-01-01

Pressure to change is politically driven owing to escalating healthcare costs and an emphasis on efficiency gains, value for money and improved performance proof in terms of productivity and recently to some extent by demands from less satisfied patients and stakeholders. In a background of newly immerging expensive techniques and drugs, there is an increasing consumer expectation, i.e. quality services. At the same time, health system managers and practitioners are finding it difficult to cope with demand and quality expectations. Clinicians are frustrated because they are not recognised for their contribution. Managers are frustrated because meaningful dialogue with clinicians is lacking, which has intensified the need for change to a more efficient system that satisfies all arguments about cost effectiveness and sustainable quality services. Various strategies, originally developed by management quality "gurus" for engineering industries, have been applied to health industries with variable success, which largely depends on the type of health care system to which they are applied. Business process re-engineering is examined as a quality management tool using past and recent publications. The paper finds that applying business process re-engineering in the right circumstances and selected settings for quality improvement is critical for its success. It is certainly "not for everybody". The paper provides a critical appraisal of business process re-engineering experiences in UK healthcare. Lessons learned regarding selecting organisations and agreeing realistic expectations are addressed. Business process re-engineering has been evaluated and reviewed since 1987 in US managed health care, with no clear lessons learned possibly because unit selection and simultaneous comparison between two units virtually performing at opposite ends has never been done before. Two UK pilot studies, however, add useful insights.

2. VIEW SOUTHWEST, prime search radar tower, height finder radar ...

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

2. VIEW SOUTHWEST, prime search radar tower, height finder radar towards, height finder radar towers, and radar tower (unknown function) - Fort Custer Military Reservation, P-67 Radar Station, .25 mile north of Dickman Road, east of Clark Road, Battle Creek, Calhoun County, MI

Fault finder

DOEpatents

Bunch, Richard H.

1986-01-01

A fault finder for locating faults along a high voltage electrical transmission line. Real time monitoring of background noise and improved filtering of input signals is used to identify the occurrence of a fault. A fault is detected at both a master and remote unit spaced along the line. A master clock synchronizes operation of a similar clock at the remote unit. Both units include modulator and demodulator circuits for transmission of clock signals and data. All data is received at the master unit for processing to determine an accurate fault distance calculation.

Physical and Mathematical Questions on Signal Processing in Multibase Phase Direction Finders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denisov, V. P.; Dubinin, D. V.; Meshcheryakov, A. A.

2018-02-01

Questions on improving the accuracy of multiple-base phase direction finders by rejecting anomalously large errors in the process of resolving the measurement ambiguities are considered. A physical basis is derived and calculated relationships characterizing the efficiency of the proposed solutions are obtained. Results of a computer simulation of a three-base direction finder are analyzed, along with field measurements of a three-base direction finder along near-ground paths.

IC-Finder: inferring robustly the hierarchical organization of chromatin folding

PubMed Central

Haddad, Noelle

2017-01-01

Abstract The spatial organization of the genome plays a crucial role in the regulation of gene expression. Recent experimental techniques like Hi-C have emphasized the segmentation of genomes into interaction compartments that constitute conserved functional domains participating in the maintenance of a proper cell identity. Here, we propose a novel method, IC-Finder, to identify interaction compartments (IC) from experimental Hi-C maps. IC-Finder is based on a hierarchical clustering approach that we adapted to account for the polymeric nature of chromatin. Based on a benchmark of realistic in silico Hi-C maps, we show that IC-Finder is one of the best methods in terms of reliability and is the most efficient numerically. IC-Finder proposes two original options: a probabilistic description of the inferred compartments and the possibility to explore the various hierarchies of chromatin organization. Applying the method to experimental data in fly and human, we show how the predicted segmentation may depend on the normalization scheme and how 3D compartmentalization is tightly associated with epigenomic information. IC-Finder provides a robust and generic ‘all-in-one’ tool to uncover the general principles of 3D chromatin folding and their influence on gene regulation. The software is available at http://membres-timc.imag.fr/Daniel.Jost/DJ-TIMC/Software.html. PMID:28130423

Leadership at the Top: Some Insights from a Longitudinal Case Study of a UK Business School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Allan P. O.

2009-01-01

A UK business school was researched to record its history and to account for its development. The data collection and interpretation were influenced by the flexible and iterative nature of the methodology. Theories and concepts used to make sense of the findings include: open systems, force fields, and power. The focus is on strategic leadership,…

Design of vein finder with multi tuning wavelength using RGB LED

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandra, Franky; Wahyudianto, Aries; Yasin, M.

2017-05-01

Detection of intra vena is very important technique in the medical clinic applications. For intravenous detection, some nurses usually have a mistake which can cause a pain or injured to the patient. When the nurses are headed with this problem, it becomes dangerous for the patient. To solve the problem, in this paper, vein finder with multi-tuning wavelength for intra vena detection is proposed and investigated. Vein finder is tested to various skin colour and body mass. The results show that vein finder was successfully designed with controllable wavelength in the range of 600-696 nm using RGB LED.

75 FR 6207 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Lost People Finder System

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-08

... information to care providers who are treating the injured (e.g., providing medical history or information... used for reunification during a disaster for information (e.g., the Google Person Finder system that... be much higher. Based on use of the Google Person Finder system during the Haiti earthquake (which...

Test technology on divergence angle of laser range finder based on CCD imaging fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Sheng-bing; Chen, Zhen-xing; Lv, Yao

2016-09-01

Laser range finder has been equipped with all kinds of weapons, such as tank, ship, plane and so on, is important component of fire control system. Divergence angle is important performance and incarnation of horizontal resolving power for laser range finder, is necessary appraised test item in appraisal test. In this paper, based on high accuracy test on divergence angle of laser range finder, divergence angle test system is designed based on CCD imaging, divergence angle of laser range finder is acquired through fusion technology for different attenuation imaging, problem that CCD characteristic influences divergence angle test is solved.

Business Inspiration: Small Business Leadership in Recovery?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rae, David; Price, Liz; Bosworth, Gary; Parkinson, Paul

2012-01-01

Business Inspiration was a short, action-centred leadership and innovation development programme designed for owners and managers of smaller firms to address business survival and repositioning needs arising from the UK's economic downturn. The article examines the design and delivery of Business Inspiration and the impact of the programme on…

Community Businesses--Lessons from Liverpool, UK.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leeming, Karen

2002-01-01

Comparison of community business development in two neighborhoods in Liverpool, England, resulted in the following implications for economic development strategy: (1) social entrepreneurs do not access the same infrastructure as business entrepreneurs; (2) community businesses differ from private enterprise; (3) displacement effects must be…

RxnFinder: biochemical reaction search engines using molecular structures, molecular fragments and reaction similarity.

PubMed

Hu, Qian-Nan; Deng, Zhe; Hu, Huanan; Cao, Dong-Sheng; Liang, Yi-Zeng

2011-09-01

Biochemical reactions play a key role to help sustain life and allow cells to grow. RxnFinder was developed to search biochemical reactions from KEGG reaction database using three search criteria: molecular structures, molecular fragments and reaction similarity. RxnFinder is helpful to get reference reactions for biosynthesis and xenobiotics metabolism. RxnFinder is freely available via: http://sdd.whu.edu.cn/rxnfinder. qnhu@whu.edu.cn.

X-ray beam finder

DOEpatents

Gilbert, H.W.

1983-06-16

An X-ray beam finder for locating a focal spot of an X-ray tube includes a mass of X-ray opaque material having first and second axially-aligned, parallel-opposed faces connected by a plurality of substantially identical parallel holes perpendicular to the faces and a film holder for holding X-ray sensitive film tightly against one face while the other face is placed in contact with the window of an X-ray head.

BS-virus-finder: virus integration calling using bisulfite sequencing data.

PubMed

Gao, Shengjie; Hu, Xuesong; Xu, Fengping; Gao, Changduo; Xiong, Kai; Zhao, Xiao; Chen, Haixiao; Zhao, Shancen; Wang, Mengyao; Fu, Dongke; Zhao, Xiaohui; Bai, Jie; Mao, Likai; Li, Bo; Wu, Song; Wang, Jian; Li, Shengbin; Yang, Huangming; Bolund, Lars; Pedersen, Christian N S

2018-01-01

DNA methylation plays a key role in the regulation of gene expression and carcinogenesis. Bisulfite sequencing studies mainly focus on calling single nucleotide polymorphism, different methylation region, and find allele-specific DNA methylation. Until now, only a few software tools have focused on virus integration using bisulfite sequencing data. We have developed a new and easy-to-use software tool, named BS-virus-finder (BSVF, RRID:SCR_015727), to detect viral integration breakpoints in whole human genomes. The tool is hosted at https://github.com/BGI-SZ/BSVF. BS-virus-finder demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity. It is useful in epigenetic studies and to reveal the relationship between viral integration and DNA methylation. BS-virus-finder is the first software tool to detect virus integration loci by using bisulfite sequencing data. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

UK businesses bag innovation awards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banks, Michael

2015-09-01

Five UK firms have received innovation awards from the Institute of Physics (IOP), which publishes Physics World. Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging, Metrasens, M Squared Lasers, Silixa and Tracerco have all won an IOP award for developing new innovative products.

Recent Improvements to the Finite-Fault Rupture Detector Algorithm: FinDer II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, D.; Boese, M.; Heaton, T. H.

2015-12-01

Constraining the finite-fault rupture extent and azimuth is crucial for accurately estimating ground-motion in large earthquakes. Detecting and modeling finite-fault ruptures in real-time is thus essential to both earthquake early warning (EEW) and rapid emergency response. Following extensive real-time and offline testing, the finite-fault rupture detector algorithm, FinDer (Böse et al., 2012 & 2015), was successfully integrated into the California-wide ShakeAlert EEW demonstration system. Since April 2015, FinDer has been scanning real-time waveform data from approximately 420 strong-motion stations in California for peak ground acceleration (PGA) patterns indicative of earthquakes. FinDer analyzes strong-motion data by comparing spatial images of observed PGA with theoretical templates modeled from empirical ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs). If the correlation between the observed and theoretical PGA is sufficiently high, a report is sent to ShakeAlert including the estimated centroid position, length, and strike, and their uncertainties, of an ongoing fault rupture. Rupture estimates are continuously updated as new data arrives. As part of a joint effort between USGS Menlo Park, ETH Zurich, and Caltech, we have rewritten FinDer in C++ to obtain a faster and more flexible implementation. One new feature of FinDer II is that multiple contour lines of high-frequency PGA are computed and correlated with templates, allowing the detection of both large earthquakes and much smaller (~ M3.5) events shortly after their nucleation. Unlike previous EEW algorithms, FinDer II thus provides a modeling approach for both small-magnitude point-source and larger-magnitude finite-fault ruptures with consistent error estimates for the entire event magnitude range.

Applications of the Integrated High-Performance CMOS Image Sensor to Range Finders — from Optical Triangulation to the Automotive Field

PubMed Central

Wu, Jih-Huah; Pen, Cheng-Chung; Jiang, Joe-Air

2008-01-01

With their significant features, the applications of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors covers a very extensive range, from industrial automation to traffic applications such as aiming systems, blind guidance, active/passive range finders, etc. In this paper CMOS image sensor-based active and passive range finders are presented. The measurement scheme of the proposed active/passive range finders is based on a simple triangulation method. The designed range finders chiefly consist of a CMOS image sensor and some light sources such as lasers or LEDs. The implementation cost of our range finders is quite low. Image processing software to adjust the exposure time (ET) of the CMOS image sensor to enhance the performance of triangulation-based range finders was also developed. An extensive series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of the designed range finders. From the experimental results, the distance measurement resolutions achieved by the active range finder and the passive range finder can be better than 0.6% and 0.25% within the measurement ranges of 1 to 8 m and 5 to 45 m, respectively. Feasibility tests on applications of the developed CMOS image sensor-based range finders to the automotive field were also conducted. The experimental results demonstrated that our range finders are well-suited for distance measurements in this field. PMID:27879789

Western Michigan University Libraries' "Electronic Journal Finder"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gedeon, Randle; Boston, George

2005-01-01

This article describes the development of the "Electronic Journal Finder," a TDNet installation for the University Libraries of Western Michigan University. Topics covered include: rationale for subscription project timeline, content, product customization, set-up, maintenance issues, reporting functions, directing URL links, searching…

Problem-based Learning Using the Online Medicare Part D Plan Finder Tool

PubMed Central

Stebbins, Marilyn R.; Lai, Eric; Smith, Amanda R.; Lipton, Helene Levens

2008-01-01

Objectives To implement didactic and problem-based learning curricular innovations aimed at increasing students' knowledge of Medicare Part D, improving their ability to apply the online Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder tool to a patient case, and improving their attitudes toward patient advocacy for Medicare beneficiaries. Methods A survey instrument and a case-based online Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder tool exercise were administered to a single group (n = 120) of second-year pharmacy graduate students prior to and following completion of a course on health policy. Three domains (knowledge, skill mastery and attitudes) were measured before and after two 90-minute lectures on Medicare Part D. Results The online Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder exercise and Medicare Part D didactic lectures had positive effects on students' knowledge of Part D, attitudes toward patient advocacy, and ability to accurately use the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder tool. Conclusions The success of these didactic and problem-based curricular innovations in improving pharmacy students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding Part D warrants further evaluation to determine their portability to clinical settings and other pharmacy schools. PMID:18698399

Terrestrial Planet Finder coronagraph status and enabling technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ford, Virginia G.; Lisman, Douglas; Shaklan, Stuart B.; Ho, Timothy Y.; Kissil, Andrew; Kwack, Eug-Yun; Lowman, Andrew

2004-01-01

The goal of the Terrestrial Planet Finder Project Mission is to find life-bearing planets around nearby stars. Two types of instruments are competing for flight in 2015: a visible coronagraph and an infrared interferometer.

Applications of the Integrated High-Performance CMOS Image Sensor to Range Finders - from Optical Triangulation to the Automotive Field.

PubMed

Wu, Jih-Huah; Pen, Cheng-Chung; Jiang, Joe-Air

2008-03-13

With their significant features, the applications of complementary metal-oxidesemiconductor (CMOS) image sensors covers a very extensive range, from industrialautomation to traffic applications such as aiming systems, blind guidance, active/passiverange finders, etc. In this paper CMOS image sensor-based active and passive rangefinders are presented. The measurement scheme of the proposed active/passive rangefinders is based on a simple triangulation method. The designed range finders chieflyconsist of a CMOS image sensor and some light sources such as lasers or LEDs. Theimplementation cost of our range finders is quite low. Image processing software to adjustthe exposure time (ET) of the CMOS image sensor to enhance the performance oftriangulation-based range finders was also developed. An extensive series of experimentswere conducted to evaluate the performance of the designed range finders. From theexperimental results, the distance measurement resolutions achieved by the active rangefinder and the passive range finder can be better than 0.6% and 0.25% within themeasurement ranges of 1 to 8 m and 5 to 45 m, respectively. Feasibility tests onapplications of the developed CMOS image sensor-based range finders to the automotivefield were also conducted. The experimental results demonstrated that our range finders arewell-suited for distance measurements in this field.

Surging Seas Risk Finder: A Simple Search-Based Web Tool for Local Sea Level Rise Projections, Coastal Flood Risk Forecasts, and Inundation Exposure Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strauss, B.; Dodson, D.; Kulp, S. A.; Rizza, D. H.

2016-12-01

Surging Seas Risk Finder (riskfinder.org) is an online tool for accessing extensive local projections and analysis of sea level rise; coastal floods; and land, populations, contamination sources, and infrastructure and other assets that may be exposed to inundation. Risk Finder was first published in 2013 for Florida, New York and New Jersey, expanding to all states in the contiguous U.S. by 2016, when a major new version of the tool was released with a completely new interface. The revised tool was informed by hundreds of survey responses from and conversations with planners, local officials and other coastal stakeholders, plus consideration of modern best practices for responsive web design and user interfaces, and social science-based principles for science communication. Overarching design principles include simplicity and ease of navigation, leading to a landing page with Google-like sparsity and focus on search, and to an architecture based on search, so that each coastal zip code, city, county, state or other place type has its own webpage gathering all relevant analysis in modular, scrollable units. Millions of users have visited the Surging Seas suite of tools to date, and downloaded thousands of files, for stated purposes ranging from planning to business to education to personal decisions; and from institutions ranging from local to federal government agencies, to businesses, to NGOs, and to academia.

SysFinder: A customized platform for search, comparison and assisted design of appropriate animal models based on systematic similarity.

PubMed

Yang, Shuang; Zhang, Guoqing; Liu, Wan; Wang, Zhen; Zhang, Jifeng; Yang, Dongshan; Chen, Y Eugene; Sun, Hong; Li, Yixue

2017-05-20

Animal models are increasingly gaining values by cross-comparisons of response or resistance to clinical agents used for patients. However, many disease mechanisms and drug effects generated from animal models are not transferable to human. To address these issues, we developed SysFinder (http://lifecenter.sgst.cn/SysFinder), a platform for scientists to find appropriate animal models for translational research. SysFinder offers a "topic-centered" approach for systematic comparisons of human genes, whose functions are involved in a specific scientific topic, to the corresponding homologous genes of animal models. Scientific topic can be a certain disease, drug, gene function or biological pathway. SysFinder calculates multi-level similarity indexes to evaluate the similarities between human and animal models in specified scientific topics. Meanwhile, SysFinder offers species-specific information to investigate the differences in molecular mechanisms between humans and animal models. Furthermore, SysFinder provides a user-friendly platform for determination of short guide RNAs (sgRNAs) and homology arms to design a new animal model. Case studies illustrate the ability of SysFinder in helping experimental scientists. SysFinder is a useful platform for experimental scientists to carry out their research in the human molecular mechanisms. Copyright © 2017 Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Genetics Society of China. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Novel MEMS Gyro North Finder Design Based on the Rotation Modulation Technique

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yongjian; Zhou, Bin; Song, Mingliang; Hou, Bo; Xing, Haifeng; Zhang, Rong

2017-01-01

Gyro north finders have been widely used in maneuvering weapon orientation, oil drilling and other areas. This paper proposes a novel Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) gyroscope north finder based on the rotation modulation (RM) technique. Two rotation modulation modes (static and dynamic modulation) are applied. Compared to the traditional gyro north finders, only one single MEMS gyroscope and one MEMS accelerometer are needed, reducing the total cost since high-precision gyroscopes and accelerometers are the most expensive components in gyro north finders. To reduce the volume and enhance the reliability, wireless power and wireless data transmission technique are introduced into the rotation modulation system for the first time. To enhance the system robustness, the robust least square method (RLSM) and robust Kalman filter (RKF) are applied in the static and dynamic north finding methods, respectively. Experimental characterization resulted in a static accuracy of 0.66° and a dynamic repeatability accuracy of 1°, respectively, confirming the excellent potential of the novel north finding system. The proposed single gyro and single accelerometer north finding scheme is universal, and can be an important reference to both scientific research and industrial applications. PMID:28452936

Evaluating High-Throughput Ab Initio Gene Finders to Discover Proteins Encoded in Eukaryotic Pathogen Genomes Missed by Laboratory Techniques

PubMed Central

Goodswen, Stephen J.; Kennedy, Paul J.; Ellis, John T.

2012-01-01

Next generation sequencing technology is advancing genome sequencing at an unprecedented level. By unravelling the code within a pathogen’s genome, every possible protein (prior to post-translational modifications) can theoretically be discovered, irrespective of life cycle stages and environmental stimuli. Now more than ever there is a great need for high-throughput ab initio gene finding. Ab initio gene finders use statistical models to predict genes and their exon-intron structures from the genome sequence alone. This paper evaluates whether existing ab initio gene finders can effectively predict genes to deduce proteins that have presently missed capture by laboratory techniques. An aim here is to identify possible patterns of prediction inaccuracies for gene finders as a whole irrespective of the target pathogen. All currently available ab initio gene finders are considered in the evaluation but only four fulfil high-throughput capability: AUGUSTUS, GeneMark_hmm, GlimmerHMM, and SNAP. These gene finders require training data specific to a target pathogen and consequently the evaluation results are inextricably linked to the availability and quality of the data. The pathogen, Toxoplasma gondii, is used to illustrate the evaluation methods. The results support current opinion that predicted exons by ab initio gene finders are inaccurate in the absence of experimental evidence. However, the results reveal some patterns of inaccuracy that are common to all gene finders and these inaccuracies may provide a focus area for future gene finder developers. PMID:23226328

Validation of the Applied Biosystems RapidFinder Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli (STEC) Detection Workflow.

PubMed

Cloke, Jonathan; Matheny, Sharon; Swimley, Michelle; Tebbs, Robert; Burrell, Angelia; Flannery, Jonathan; Bastin, Benjamin; Bird, Patrick; Benzinger, M Joseph; Crowley, Erin; Agin, James; Goins, David; Salfinger, Yvonne; Brodsky, Michael; Fernandez, Maria Cristina

2016-11-01

The Applied Biosystems™ RapidFinder™ STEC Detection Workflow (Thermo Fisher Scientific) is a complete protocol for the rapid qualitative detection of Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 and the "Big 6" non-O157 Shiga-like toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotypes (defined as serogroups: O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145). The RapidFinder STEC Detection Workflow makes use of either the automated preparation of PCR-ready DNA using the Applied Biosystems PrepSEQ™ Nucleic Acid Extraction Kit in conjunction with the Applied Biosystems MagMAX™ Express 96-well magnetic particle processor or the Applied Biosystems PrepSEQ Rapid Spin kit for manual preparation of PCR-ready DNA. Two separate assays comprise the RapidFinder STEC Detection Workflow, the Applied Biosystems RapidFinder STEC Screening Assay and the Applied Biosystems RapidFinder STEC Confirmation Assay. The RapidFinder STEC Screening Assay includes primers and probes to detect the presence of stx1 (Shiga toxin 1), stx2 (Shiga toxin 2), eae (intimin), and E. coli O157 gene targets. The RapidFinder STEC Confirmation Assay includes primers and probes for the "Big 6" non-O157 STEC and E. coli O157:H7. The use of these two assays in tandem allows a user to detect accurately the presence of the "Big 6" STECs and E. coli O157:H7. The performance of the RapidFinder STEC Detection Workflow was evaluated in a method comparison study, in inclusivity and exclusivity studies, and in a robustness evaluation. The assays were compared to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook (MLG) 5.09: Detection, Isolation and Identification of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from Meat Products and Carcass and Environmental Sponges for raw ground beef (73% lean) and USDA/FSIS-MLG 5B.05: Detection, Isolation and Identification of Escherichia coli non-O157:H7 from Meat Products and Carcass and Environmental Sponges for raw beef trim. No statistically significant

Qibla Finder and Sholat Times Based on Digital Compass, GPS and Microprocessor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanjaya, W. S. M.; Anggraeni, D.; Nurrahman, F. I.; Kresnadjaja, W. G.; Dewi, I. P.; Mira; Aliah, H.; Marlina, L.

2018-01-01

To performing Sholat, Muslims around the world are required to pay attention to the requirements of Sholat, such as; determining the direction of the Qibla (Kaaba) and the time of Sholat. In this research will be made a real time Qibla Finder and Sholat Times named Q-Bot Ver3 to help Muslims find a Qibla direction and Time of Sholat anywhere. This Qibla Finder and Sholat Times are developed with robotic technology based on Digital Compass, GPS and Microcontroller. To determine the Qibla direction and Sholat times, latitude and longitude data form GPS module processed used spherical triangle trigonometry method, while the compass module used to show the Qibla direction. Moreover, this system has a buzzer which can sound if the device facing to the Qibla. This system is reliable and accurate in determining the Qibla Finder and Sholat Times. Thus, the advantage of the system is can correct the Qibla of Masjid and can help blind people to facing Qibla around the world.

CellFinder: a cell data repository

PubMed Central

Stachelscheid, Harald; Seltmann, Stefanie; Lekschas, Fritz; Fontaine, Jean-Fred; Mah, Nancy; Neves, Mariana; Andrade-Navarro, Miguel A.; Leser, Ulf; Kurtz, Andreas

2014-01-01

CellFinder (http://www.cellfinder.org) is a comprehensive one-stop resource for molecular data characterizing mammalian cells in different tissues and in different development stages. It is built from carefully selected data sets stemming from other curated databases and the biomedical literature. To date, CellFinder describes 3394 cell types and 50 951 cell lines. The database currently contains 3055 microscopic and anatomical images, 205 whole-genome expression profiles of 194 cell/tissue types from RNA-seq and microarrays and 553 905 protein expressions for 535 cells/tissues. Text mining of a corpus of >2000 publications followed by manual curation confirmed expression information on ∼900 proteins and genes. CellFinder’s data model is capable to seamlessly represent entities from single cells to the organ level, to incorporate mappings between homologous entities in different species and to describe processes of cell development and differentiation. Its ontological backbone currently consists of 204 741 ontology terms incorporated from 10 different ontologies unified under the novel CELDA ontology. CellFinder’s web portal allows searching, browsing and comparing the stored data, interactive construction of developmental trees and navigating the partonomic hierarchy of cells and tissues through a unique body browser designed for life scientists and clinicians. PMID:24304896

DecoyFinder: an easy-to-use python GUI application for building target-specific decoy sets.

PubMed

Cereto-Massagué, Adrià; Guasch, Laura; Valls, Cristina; Mulero, Miquel; Pujadas, Gerard; Garcia-Vallvé, Santiago

2012-06-15

Decoys are molecules that are presumed to be inactive against a target (i.e. will not likely bind to the target) and are used to validate the performance of molecular docking or a virtual screening workflow. The Directory of Useful Decoys database (http://dud.docking.org/) provides a free directory of decoys for use in virtual screening, though it only contains a limited set of decoys for 40 targets.To overcome this limitation, we have developed an application called DecoyFinder that selects, for a given collection of active ligands of a target, a set of decoys from a database of compounds. Decoys are selected if they are similar to active ligands according to five physical descriptors (molecular weight, number of rotational bonds, total hydrogen bond donors, total hydrogen bond acceptors and the octanol-water partition coefficient) without being chemically similar to any of the active ligands used as an input (according to the Tanimoto coefficient between MACCS fingerprints). To the best of our knowledge, DecoyFinder is the first application designed to build target-specific decoy sets. A complete description of the software is included on the application home page. A validation of DecoyFinder on 10 DUD targets is provided as Supplementary Table S1. DecoyFinder is freely available at http://URVnutrigenomica-CTNS.github.com/DecoyFinder.

The Terrestrial Planet Finder coronagraph dynamics error budget

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaklan, Stuart B.; Marchen, Luis; Green, Joseph J.; Lay, Oliver P.

2005-01-01

The Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph (TPF-C) demands extreme wave front control and stability to achieve its goal of detecting earth-like planets around nearby stars. We describe the performance models and error budget used to evaluate image plane contrast and derive engineering requirements for this challenging optical system.

Modeling and Implementation of Multi-Position Non-Continuous Rotation Gyroscope North Finder.

PubMed

Luo, Jun; Wang, Zhiqian; Shen, Chengwu; Kuijper, Arjan; Wen, Zhuoman; Liu, Shaojin

2016-09-20

Even when the Global Positioning System (GPS) signal is blocked, a rate gyroscope (gyro) north finder is capable of providing the required azimuth reference information to a certain extent. In order to measure the azimuth between the observer and the north direction very accurately, we propose a multi-position non-continuous rotation gyro north finding scheme. Our new generalized mathematical model analyzes the elements that affect the azimuth measurement precision and can thus provide high precision azimuth reference information. Based on the gyro's principle of detecting a projection of the earth rotation rate on its sensitive axis and the proposed north finding scheme, we are able to deduct an accurate mathematical model of the gyro outputs against azimuth with the gyro and shaft misalignments. Combining the gyro outputs model and the theory of propagation of uncertainty, some approaches to optimize north finding are provided, including reducing the gyro bias error, constraining the gyro random error, increasing the number of rotation points, improving rotation angle measurement precision, decreasing the gyro and the shaft misalignment angles. According them, a north finder setup is built and the azimuth uncertainty of 18" is obtained. This paper provides systematic theory for analyzing the details of the gyro north finder scheme from simulation to implementation. The proposed theory can guide both applied researchers in academia and advanced practitioners in industry for designing high precision robust north finder based on different types of rate gyroscopes.

Development and implementation of a 'Mental Health Finder' software tool within an electronic medical record system.

PubMed

Swan, D; Hannigan, A; Higgins, S; McDonnell, R; Meagher, D; Cullen, W

2017-02-01

In Ireland, as in many other healthcare systems, mental health service provision is being reconfigured with a move toward more care in the community, and particularly primary care. Recording and surveillance systems for mental health information and activities in primary care are needed for service planning and quality improvement. We describe the development and initial implementation of a software tool ('mental health finder') within a widely used primary care electronic medical record system (EMR) in Ireland to enable large-scale data collection on the epidemiology and management of mental health and substance use problems among patients attending general practice. In collaboration with the Irish Primary Care Research Network (IPCRN), we developed the 'Mental Health Finder' as a software plug-in to a commonly used primary care EMR system to facilitate data collection on mental health diagnoses and pharmacological treatments among patients. The finder searches for and identifies patients based on diagnostic coding and/or prescribed medicines. It was initially implemented among a convenience sample of six GP practices. Prevalence of mental health and substance use problems across the six practices, as identified by the finder, was 9.4% (range 6.9-12.7%). 61.9% of identified patients were female; 25.8% were private patients. One-third (33.4%) of identified patients were prescribed more than one class of psychotropic medication. Of the patients identified by the finder, 89.9% were identifiable via prescribing data, 23.7% via diagnostic coding. The finder is a feasible and promising methodology for large-scale data collection on mental health problems in primary care.

The UK Public Health Skills and Career Framework--could it help to make public health the business of every workforce?

PubMed

Wright, Jenny; Rao, Mala; Walker, Karen

2008-06-01

There is growing recognition of the impact of the wider determinants of health and health inequalities, and an acknowledgement that addressing these root causes of ill health requires public health to be everyone's business and responsibility. Therefore, equipping the whole of the public health workforce and a wide range of other disciplines with the knowledge and skills to have a positive influence on health is a priority. The UK is implementing a competence-based skills framework that addresses this dual need. The aim of this paper is to describe how the UK Public Health Skills and Career Framework was developed, and to invite discussion on its potential usefulness as a tool for facilitating a shared approach to strengthening public health competence within and across countries.

GLS-Finder: A Platform for Fast Profiling of Glucosinolates in Brassica Vegetables.

PubMed

Sun, Jianghao; Zhang, Mengliang; Chen, Pei

2016-06-01

Mass spectrometry combined with related tandem techniques has become the most popular method for plant secondary metabolite characterization. We introduce a new strategy based on in-database searching, mass fragmentation behavior study, formula predicting for fast profiling of glucosinolates, a class of important compounds in brassica vegetables. A MATLAB script-based expert system computer program, "GLS-Finder", was developed. It is capable of qualitative and semi-quantitative analyses of glucosinolates in samples using data generated by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution accurate mass with multi-stage mass fragmentation (UHPLC-HRAM/MS(n)). A suite of bioinformatic tools was integrated into the "GLS-Finder" to perform raw data deconvolution, peak alignment, glucosinolate putative assignments, semi-quantitation, and unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA). GLS-Finder was successfully applied to identify intact glucosinolates in 49 commonly consumed Brassica vegetable samples in the United States. It is believed that this work introduces a new way of fast data processing and interpretation for qualitative and quantitative analyses of glucosinolates, where great efficacy was improved in comparison to identification manually.

FISH Finder: a high-throughput tool for analyzing FISH images

PubMed Central

Shirley, James W.; Ty, Sereyvathana; Takebayashi, Shin-ichiro; Liu, Xiuwen; Gilbert, David M.

2011-01-01

Motivation: Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is used to study the organization and the positioning of specific DNA sequences within the cell nucleus. Analyzing the data from FISH images is a tedious process that invokes an element of subjectivity. Automated FISH image analysis offers savings in time as well as gaining the benefit of objective data analysis. While several FISH image analysis software tools have been developed, they often use a threshold-based segmentation algorithm for nucleus segmentation. As fluorescence signal intensities can vary significantly from experiment to experiment, from cell to cell, and within a cell, threshold-based segmentation is inflexible and often insufficient for automatic image analysis, leading to additional manual segmentation and potential subjective bias. To overcome these problems, we developed a graphical software tool called FISH Finder to automatically analyze FISH images that vary significantly. By posing the nucleus segmentation as a classification problem, compound Bayesian classifier is employed so that contextual information is utilized, resulting in reliable classification and boundary extraction. This makes it possible to analyze FISH images efficiently and objectively without adjustment of input parameters. Additionally, FISH Finder was designed to analyze the distances between differentially stained FISH probes. Availability: FISH Finder is a standalone MATLAB application and platform independent software. The program is freely available from: http://code.google.com/p/fishfinder/downloads/list Contact: gilbert@bio.fsu.edu PMID:21310746

Universities give record level of support to the UK economy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banks, Michael

2009-08-01

Universities in the UK are providing record levels of services to businesses, according to a recent survey by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. The survey concludes that the income earned by universities and higher-education colleges in the UK is now worth a total of £2.812bn - an increase of 6.5% from the previous year.

NASA's terrestial planet finder: the search for (habitable) planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beichman, C. A.

2000-01-01

One of the primary goals of NASA's Origins program is the search for hospitable planets. I will describe how the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) will revolutionize our understanding of the origin and evolution of planetary systems, and possibly even find signs of life beyond Earth.

3. VIEW NORTHWEST, height finder radar towers, and radar tower ...

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

3. VIEW NORTHWEST, height finder radar towers, and radar tower (unknown function) - Fort Custer Military Reservation, P-67 Radar Station, .25 mile north of Dickman Road, east of Clark Road, Battle Creek, Calhoun County, MI

GLS-Finder: An Automated Data-Mining System for Fast Profiling Glucosinolates and its Application in Brassica Vegetables

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A rapid computer-aided program for profiling glucosinolates, “GLS-Finder", was developed. GLS-Finder is a Matlab script based expert system that is capable for qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis of glucosinolates in samples using data generated by ultra-high performance liquid chromatograph...

NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder: The Search for (Habitable) Planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beichman, C.

1999-01-01

One of the primary goals of NASA's Origins program is the search for habitable planets. I will describe how the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) will revolutionize our understanding of the origin and evolution of planetary systems, and possibly even find signs of life beyond the Earth.

Test of the principle of operation of a wideband magnetic direction finder for lightning return strokes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herrman, B. D.; Uman, M. A.; Brantley, R. D.; Krider, E. P.

1976-01-01

The principle of operation of a wideband crossed-loop magnetic-field direction finder is studied by comparing the bearing determined from the NS and EW magnetic fields at various times up to 155 microsec after return stroke initiation with the TV-determined lightning channel base direction. For 40 lightning strokes in the 3 to 12 km range, the difference between the bearings found from magnetic fields sampled at times between 1 and 10 microsec and the TV channel-base data has a standard deviation of 3-4 deg. Included in this standard deviation is a 2-3 deg measurement error. For fields sampled at progressively later times, both the mean and the standard deviation of the difference between the direction-finder bearing and the TV bearing increase. Near 150 microsec, means are about 35 deg and standard deviations about 60 deg. The physical reasons for the late-time inaccuracies in the wideband direction finder and the occurrence of these effects in narrow-band VLF direction finders are considered.

1. VIEW NORTHWEST, operations building, height finder radar tower, and ...

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

1. VIEW NORTHWEST, operations building, height finder radar tower, and radar tower (unknown function) - Fort Custer Military Reservation, P-67 Radar Station, .25 mile north of Dickman Road, east of Clark Road, Battle Creek, Calhoun County, MI

cFinder: definition and quantification of multiple haplotypes in a mixed sample.

PubMed

Niklas, Norbert; Hafenscher, Julia; Barna, Agnes; Wiesinger, Karin; Pröll, Johannes; Dreiseitl, Stephan; Preuner-Stix, Sandra; Valent, Peter; Lion, Thomas; Gabriel, Christian

2015-09-07

Next-generation sequencing allows for determining the genetic composition of a mixed sample. For instance, when performing resistance testing for BCR-ABL1 it is necessary to identify clones and define compound mutations; together with an exact quantification this may complement diagnosis and therapy decisions with additional information. Moreover, that applies not only to oncological issues but also determination of viral, bacterial or fungal infection. The efforts to retrieve multiple haplotypes (more than two) and proportion information from data with conventional software are difficult, cumbersome and demand multiple manual steps. Therefore, we developed a tool called cFinder that is capable of automatic detection of haplotypes and their accurate quantification within one sample. BCR-ABL1 samples containing multiple clones were used for testing and our cFinder could identify all previously found clones together with their abundance and even refine some results. Additionally, reads were simulated using GemSIM with multiple haplotypes, the detection was very close to linear (R(2) = 0.96). Our aim is not to deduce haploblocks over statistics, but to characterize one sample's composition precisely. As a result the cFinder reports the connections of variants (haplotypes) with their readcount and relative occurrence (percentage). Download is available at http://sourceforge.net/projects/cfinder/. Our cFinder is implemented in an efficient algorithm that can be run on a low-performance desktop computer. Furthermore, it considers paired-end information (if available) and is generally open for any current next-generation sequencing technology and alignment strategy. To our knowledge, this is the first software that enables researchers without extensive bioinformatic support to designate multiple haplotypes and how they constitute to a sample.

MinFinder: Locating all the local minima of a function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsoulos, Ioannis G.; Lagaris, Isaac E.

2006-01-01

A new stochastic clustering algorithm is introduced that aims to locate all the local minima of a multidimensional continuous and differentiable function inside a bounded domain. The accompanying software (MinFinder) is written in ANSI C++. However, the user may code his objective function either in C++, C or Fortran 77. We compare the performance of this new method to the performance of Multistart and Topographical Multilevel Single Linkage Clustering on a set of benchmark problems. Program summaryTitle of program:MinFinder Catalogue identifier:ADWU Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/ADWU Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University of Belfast, N. Ireland Computer for which the program is designed and others on which is has been tested:The tool is designed to be portable in all systems running the GNU C++ compiler Installation:University of Ioannina, Greece Programming language used:GNU-C++, GNU-C, GNU Fortran 77 Memory required to execute with typical data:200 KB No. of bits in a word:32 No. of processors used:1 Has the code been vectorized or parallelized?:no No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.:5797 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.:588 121 Distribution format:gzipped tar file Nature of the physical problem:A multitude of problems in science and engineering are often reduced to minimizing a function of many variables. There are instances that a local optimum does not correspond to the desired physical solution and hence the search for a better solution is required. Local optimization techniques can be trapped in any local minimum. Global optimization is then the appropriate tool. For example, solving a non-linear system of equations via optimization, employing a "least squares" type of objective, one may encounter many local minima that do not correspond to solutions, i.e. they are far from zero. Method of solution:Using a uniform pdf, points are sampled from the

PubFinder: a tool for improving retrieval rate of relevant PubMed abstracts.

PubMed

Goetz, Thomas; von der Lieth, Claus-Wilhelm

2005-07-01

Since it is becoming increasingly laborious to manually extract useful information embedded in the ever-growing volumes of literature, automated intelligent text analysis tools are becoming more and more essential to assist in this task. PubFinder (www.glycosciences.de/tools/PubFinder) is a publicly available web tool designed to improve the retrieval rate of scientific abstracts relevant for a specific scientific topic. Only the selection of a representative set of abstracts is required, which are central for a scientific topic. No special knowledge concerning the query-syntax is necessary. Based on the selected abstracts, a list of discriminating words is automatically calculated, which is subsequently used for scoring all defined PubMed abstracts for their probability of belonging to the defined scientific topic. This results in a hit-list of references in the descending order of their likelihood score. The algorithms and procedures implemented in PubFinder facilitate the perpetual task for every scientist of staying up-to-date with current publications dealing with a specific subject in biomedicine.

Is Communications a Strategic Activity in UK Education?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapleo, Chris

2006-01-01

This qualitative exploratory paper investigates whether communications/public relations is regarded by opinion formers in UK education as a strategic business activity or a tactical marketing tool. It is based upon depth interviews with 16 senior managers with strategic roles in UK higher or further education, or Government bodies, conducted…

Laser scanning methods and a phase comparison, modulated laser range finder for terrain sensing on a Mars roving vehicle. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herb, G. T.

1973-01-01

Two areas of a laser range finder for a Mars roving vehicle are investigated: (1) laser scanning systems, and (2) range finder methods and implementation. Several ways of rapidly scanning a laser are studied. Two digital deflectors and a matrix of laser diodes, are found to be acceptable. A complete range finder scanning system of high accuracy is proposed. The problem of incident laser spot distortion on the terrain is discussed. The instrumentation for a phase comparison, modulated laser range finder is developed and sections of it are tested.

The RD-Connect Registry & Biobank Finder: a tool for sharing aggregated data and metadata among rare disease researchers.

PubMed

Gainotti, Sabina; Torreri, Paola; Wang, Chiuhui Mary; Reihs, Robert; Mueller, Heimo; Heslop, Emma; Roos, Marco; Badowska, Dorota Mazena; de Paulis, Federico; Kodra, Yllka; Carta, Claudio; Martìn, Estrella Lopez; Miller, Vanessa Rangel; Filocamo, Mirella; Mora, Marina; Thompson, Mark; Rubinstein, Yaffa; Posada de la Paz, Manuel; Monaco, Lucia; Lochmüller, Hanns; Taruscio, Domenica

2018-05-01

In rare disease (RD) research, there is a huge need to systematically collect biomaterials, phenotypic, and genomic data in a standardized way and to make them findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR). RD-Connect is a 6 years global infrastructure project initiated in November 2012 that links genomic data with patient registries, biobanks, and clinical bioinformatics tools to create a central research resource for RDs. Here, we present RD-Connect Registry & Biobank Finder, a tool that helps RD researchers to find RD biobanks and registries and provide information on the availability and accessibility of content in each database. The finder concentrates information that is currently sparse on different repositories (inventories, websites, scientific journals, technical reports, etc.), including aggregated data and metadata from participating databases. Aggregated data provided by the finder, if appropriately checked, can be used by researchers who are trying to estimate the prevalence of a RD, to organize a clinical trial on a RD, or to estimate the volume of patients seen by different clinical centers. The finder is also a portal to other RD-Connect tools, providing a link to the RD-Connect Sample Catalogue, a large inventory of RD biological samples available in participating biobanks for RD research. There are several kinds of users and potential uses for the RD-Connect Registry & Biobank Finder, including researchers collaborating with academia and the industry, dealing with the questions of basic, translational, and/or clinical research. As of November 2017, the finder is populated with aggregated data for 222 registries and 21 biobanks.

Creativity in Business/Business in Creativity: Transdisciplinary Curricula as an Enabling Strategy in Enterprise Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Penaluna, Andrew; Penaluna, Kathryn

2009-01-01

Recent guidance for UK government policy makers has warned that HEIs face an uncertain future and has advocated transdisciplinary curricula. Earlier, in 2005, two other UK government papers highlighted the advantages of integrating design-related strategies into business environments and addressed the impact creativity could have on business…

Adaptive Nulling for the Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peters, Robert D.; Lay, Oliver P.; Jeganathan, Muthu; Hirai, Akiko

2006-01-01

A description of adaptive nulling for Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer (TPFI) is presented. The topics include: 1) Nulling in TPF-I; 2) Why Do Adaptive Nulling; 3) Parallel High-Order Compensator Design; 4) Phase and Amplitude Control; 5) Development Activates; 6) Requirements; 7) Simplified Experimental Setup; 8) Intensity Correction; and 9) Intensity Dispersion Stability. A short summary is also given on adaptive nulling for the TPFI.

India Allele Finder: a web-based annotation tool for identifying common alleles in next-generation sequencing data of Indian origin.

PubMed

Zhang, Jimmy F; James, Francis; Shukla, Anju; Girisha, Katta M; Paciorkowski, Alex R

2017-06-27

We built India Allele Finder, an online searchable database and command line tool, that gives researchers access to variant frequencies of Indian Telugu individuals, using publicly available fastq data from the 1000 Genomes Project. Access to appropriate population-based genomic variant annotation can accelerate the interpretation of genomic sequencing data. In particular, exome analysis of individuals of Indian descent will identify population variants not reflected in European exomes, complicating genomic analysis for such individuals. India Allele Finder offers improved ease-of-use to investigators seeking to identify and annotate sequencing data from Indian populations. We describe the use of India Allele Finder to identify common population variants in a disease quartet whole exome dataset, reducing the number of candidate single nucleotide variants from 84 to 7. India Allele Finder is freely available to investigators to annotate genomic sequencing data from Indian populations. Use of India Allele Finder allows efficient identification of population variants in genomic sequencing data, and is an example of a population-specific annotation tool that simplifies analysis and encourages international collaboration in genomics research.

GeneNetFinder2: Improved Inference of Dynamic Gene Regulatory Relations with Multiple Regulators.

PubMed

Han, Kyungsook; Lee, Jeonghoon

2016-01-01

A gene involved in complex regulatory interactions may have multiple regulators since gene expression in such interactions is often controlled by more than one gene. Another thing that makes gene regulatory interactions complicated is that regulatory interactions are not static, but change over time during the cell cycle. Most research so far has focused on identifying gene regulatory relations between individual genes in a particular stage of the cell cycle. In this study we developed a method for identifying dynamic gene regulations of several types from the time-series gene expression data. The method can find gene regulations with multiple regulators that work in combination or individually as well as those with single regulators. The method has been implemented as the second version of GeneNetFinder (hereafter called GeneNetFinder2) and tested on several gene expression datasets. Experimental results with gene expression data revealed the existence of genes that are not regulated by individual genes but rather by a combination of several genes. Such gene regulatory relations cannot be found by conventional methods. Our method finds such regulatory relations as well as those with multiple, independent regulators or single regulators, and represents gene regulatory relations as a dynamic network in which different gene regulatory relations are shown in different stages of the cell cycle. GeneNetFinder2 is available at http://bclab.inha.ac.kr/GeneNetFinder and will be useful for modeling dynamic gene regulations with multiple regulators.

5. VIEW EAST, height finder radar towers, radar tower (unknown ...

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

5. VIEW EAST, height finder radar towers, radar tower (unknown function), prime search radar tower, operations building, and central heating plant - Fort Custer Military Reservation, P-67 Radar Station, .25 mile north of Dickman Road, east of Clark Road, Battle Creek, Calhoun County, MI

PathFinder: reconstruction and dynamic visualization of metabolic pathways.

PubMed

Goesmann, Alexander; Haubrock, Martin; Meyer, Folker; Kalinowski, Jörn; Giegerich, Robert

2002-01-01

Beyond methods for a gene-wise annotation and analysis of sequenced genomes new automated methods for functional analysis on a higher level are needed. The identification of realized metabolic pathways provides valuable information on gene expression and regulation. Detection of incomplete pathways helps to improve a constantly evolving genome annotation or discover alternative biochemical pathways. To utilize automated genome analysis on the level of metabolic pathways new methods for the dynamic representation and visualization of pathways are needed. PathFinder is a tool for the dynamic visualization of metabolic pathways based on annotation data. Pathways are represented as directed acyclic graphs, graph layout algorithms accomplish the dynamic drawing and visualization of the metabolic maps. A more detailed analysis of the input data on the level of biochemical pathways helps to identify genes and detect improper parts of annotations. As an Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) based internet application PathFinder reads a list of EC-numbers or a given annotation in EMBL- or Genbank-format and dynamically generates pathway graphs.

Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph Observatory summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ford, Virginia; Levine-Westa, Marie; Kissila, Andy; Kwacka, Eug; Hoa, Tim; Dumonta, Phil; Lismana, Doug; Fehera, Peter; Cafferty, Terry

2005-01-01

Creating an optical space telescope observatory capable of detecting and characterizing light from extra-solar terrestrial planets poses technical challenges related to extreme wavefront stability. The Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph design team has been developing an observatory based on trade studies, modeling and analysis that has guided us towards design choices to enable this challenging mission. This paper will describe the current flight baseline design of the observatory and the trade studies that have been performed. The modeling and analysis of this design will be described including predicted performance and the tasks yet to be done.

Accurate time delay technology in simulated test for high precision laser range finder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhibin; Xiao, Wenjian; Wang, Weiming; Xue, Mingxi

2015-10-01

With the continuous development of technology, the ranging accuracy of pulsed laser range finder (LRF) is higher and higher, so the maintenance demand of LRF is also rising. According to the dominant ideology of "time analog spatial distance" in simulated test for pulsed range finder, the key of distance simulation precision lies in the adjustable time delay. By analyzing and comparing the advantages and disadvantages of fiber and circuit delay, a method was proposed to improve the accuracy of the circuit delay without increasing the count frequency of the circuit. A high precision controllable delay circuit was designed by combining the internal delay circuit and external delay circuit which could compensate the delay error in real time. And then the circuit delay accuracy could be increased. The accuracy of the novel circuit delay methods proposed in this paper was actually measured by a high sampling rate oscilloscope actual measurement. The measurement result shows that the accuracy of the distance simulated by the circuit delay is increased from +/- 0.75m up to +/- 0.15m. The accuracy of the simulated distance is greatly improved in simulated test for high precision pulsed range finder.

Cutoff Finder: A Comprehensive and Straightforward Web Application Enabling Rapid Biomarker Cutoff Optimization

PubMed Central

Budczies, Jan; Klauschen, Frederick; Sinn, Bruno V.; Győrffy, Balázs; Schmitt, Wolfgang D.; Darb-Esfahani, Silvia; Denkert, Carsten

2012-01-01

Gene or protein expression data are usually represented by metric or at least ordinal variables. In order to translate a continuous variable into a clinical decision, it is necessary to determine a cutoff point and to stratify patients into two groups each requiring a different kind of treatment. Currently, there is no standard method or standard software for biomarker cutoff determination. Therefore, we developed Cutoff Finder, a bundle of optimization and visualization methods for cutoff determination that is accessible online. While one of the methods for cutoff optimization is based solely on the distribution of the marker under investigation, other methods optimize the correlation of the dichotomization with respect to an outcome or survival variable. We illustrate the functionality of Cutoff Finder by the analysis of the gene expression of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR) in breast cancer tissues. This distribution of these important markers is analyzed and correlated with immunohistologically determined ER status and distant metastasis free survival. Cutoff Finder is expected to fill a relevant gap in the available biometric software repertoire and will enable faster optimization of new diagnostic biomarkers. The tool can be accessed at http://molpath.charite.de/cutoff. PMID:23251644

Does Price Matter? Overseas Students in UK Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soo, Kwok Tong; Elliott, Caroline

2010-01-01

This paper explores the determinants of the choice of UK universities by overseas undergraduate applicants. We use data on overseas applicants in Business Studies and Engineering from 2002 to 2007, to 97 UK universities. Estimating using a Hausman-Taylor model to control for the possible correlation between our explanatory variables and…

LipidFinder: A computational workflow for discovery of lipids identifies eicosanoid-phosphoinositides in platelets

PubMed Central

O’Connor, Anne; Brasher, Christopher J.; Slatter, David A.; Meckelmann, Sven W.; Hawksworth, Jade I.; Allen, Stuart M.; O’Donnell, Valerie B.

2017-01-01

Accurate and high-quality curation of lipidomic datasets generated from plasma, cells, or tissues is becoming essential for cell biology investigations and biomarker discovery for personalized medicine. However, a major challenge lies in removing artifacts otherwise mistakenly interpreted as real lipids from large mass spectrometry files (>60 K features), while retaining genuine ions in the dataset. This requires powerful informatics tools; however, available workflows have not been tailored specifically for lipidomics, particularly discovery research. We designed LipidFinder, an open-source Python workflow. An algorithm is included that optimizes analysis based on users’ own data, and outputs are screened against online databases and categorized into LIPID MAPS classes. LipidFinder outperformed three widely used metabolomics packages using data from human platelets. We show a family of three 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid phosphoinositides (16:0/, 18:1/, 18:0/12-HETE-PI) generated by thrombin-activated platelets, indicating crosstalk between eicosanoid and phosphoinositide pathways in human cells. The software is available on GitHub (https://github.com/cjbrasher/LipidFinder), with full userguides. PMID:28405621

PPInterFinder--a mining tool for extracting causal relations on human proteins from literature.

PubMed

Raja, Kalpana; Subramani, Suresh; Natarajan, Jeyakumar

2013-01-01

One of the most common and challenging problem in biomedical text mining is to mine protein-protein interactions (PPIs) from MEDLINE abstracts and full-text research articles because PPIs play a major role in understanding the various biological processes and the impact of proteins in diseases. We implemented, PPInterFinder--a web-based text mining tool to extract human PPIs from biomedical literature. PPInterFinder uses relation keyword co-occurrences with protein names to extract information on PPIs from MEDLINE abstracts and consists of three phases. First, it identifies the relation keyword using a parser with Tregex and a relation keyword dictionary. Next, it automatically identifies the candidate PPI pairs with a set of rules related to PPI recognition. Finally, it extracts the relations by matching the sentence with a set of 11 specific patterns based on the syntactic nature of PPI pair. We find that PPInterFinder is capable of predicting PPIs with the accuracy of 66.05% on AIMED corpus and outperforms most of the existing systems. DATABASE URL: http://www.biomining-bu.in/ppinterfinder/

Applying the ResFinder and VirulenceFinder web-services for easy identification of acquired antibiotic resistance and E. coli virulence genes in bacteriophage and prophage nucleotide sequences

PubMed Central

Kleinheinz, Kortine Annina; Joensen, Katrine Grimstrup; Larsen, Mette Voldby

2014-01-01

Extensive research is currently being conducted on the use of bacteriophages for applications in human medicine, agriculture and food manufacturing. However, phages are important vehicles of horisontal gene transfer and play a significant role in bacterial evolution. As a result, concern has been raised that this increased use and dissemination of phages could result in spread of deleterious genes, e.g., antibiotic resistance and virulence genes. Meanwhile, in the wake of the genomic era, several tools have been developed for characterization of bacterial genomes. Here we describe how two of these tools, ResFinder and VirulenceFinder, can be used to identify acquired antibiotic resistance and virulence genes in phage genomes of interest. The general applicability of the tools is demonstrated on data sets of 1,642 phage genomes and 1,442 predicted prophages. PMID:24575358

MobilomeFINDER: web-based tools for in silico and experimental discovery of bacterial genomic islands

PubMed Central

Ou, Hong-Yu; He, Xinyi; Harrison, Ewan M.; Kulasekara, Bridget R.; Thani, Ali Bin; Kadioglu, Aras; Lory, Stephen; Hinton, Jay C. D.; Barer, Michael R.; Rajakumar, Kumar

2007-01-01

MobilomeFINDER (http://mml.sjtu.edu.cn/MobilomeFINDER) is an interactive online tool that facilitates bacterial genomic island or ‘mobile genome’ (mobilome) discovery; it integrates the ArrayOme and tRNAcc software packages. ArrayOme utilizes a microarray-derived comparative genomic hybridization input data set to generate ‘inferred contigs’ produced by merging adjacent genes classified as ‘present’. Collectively these ‘fragments’ represent a hypothetical ‘microarray-visualized genome (MVG)’. ArrayOme permits recognition of discordances between physical genome and MVG sizes, thereby enabling identification of strains rich in microarray-elusive novel genes. Individual tRNAcc tools facilitate automated identification of genomic islands by comparative analysis of the contents and contexts of tRNA sites and other integration hotspots in closely related sequenced genomes. Accessory tools facilitate design of hotspot-flanking primers for in silico and/or wet-science-based interrogation of cognate loci in unsequenced strains and analysis of islands for features suggestive of foreign origins; island-specific and genome-contextual features are tabulated and represented in schematic and graphical forms. To date we have used MobilomeFINDER to analyse several Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus suis genomes. MobilomeFINDER enables high-throughput island identification and characterization through increased exploitation of emerging sequence data and PCR-based profiling of unsequenced test strains; subsequent targeted yeast recombination-based capture permits full-length sequencing and detailed functional studies of novel genomic islands. PMID:17537813

TagFinder for the quantitative analysis of gas chromatography--mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based metabolite profiling experiments.

PubMed

Luedemann, Alexander; Strassburg, Katrin; Erban, Alexander; Kopka, Joachim

2008-03-01

Typical GC-MS-based metabolite profiling experiments may comprise hundreds of chromatogram files, which each contain up to 1000 mass spectral tags (MSTs). MSTs are the characteristic patterns of approximately 25-250 fragment ions and respective isotopomers, which are generated after gas chromatography (GC) by electron impact ionization (EI) of the separated chemical molecules. These fragment ions are subsequently detected by time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). MSTs of profiling experiments are typically reported as a list of ions, which are characterized by mass, chromatographic retention index (RI) or retention time (RT), and arbitrary abundance. The first two parameters allow the identification, the later the quantification of the represented chemical compounds. Many software tools have been reported for the pre-processing, the so-called curve resolution and deconvolution, of GC-(EI-TOF)-MS files. Pre-processing tools generate numerical data matrices, which contain all aligned MSTs and samples of an experiment. This process, however, is error prone mainly due to (i) the imprecise RI or RT alignment of MSTs and (ii) the high complexity of biological samples. This complexity causes co-elution of compounds and as a consequence non-selective, in other words impure MSTs. The selection and validation of optimal fragment ions for the specific and selective quantification of simultaneously eluting compounds is, therefore, mandatory. Currently validation is performed in most laboratories under human supervision. So far no software tool supports the non-targeted and user-independent quality assessment of the data matrices prior to statistical analysis. TagFinder may fill this gap. TagFinder facilitates the analysis of all fragment ions, which are observed in GC-(EI-TOF)-MS profiling experiments. The non-targeted approach allows the discovery of novel and unexpected compounds. In addition, mass isotopomer resolution is maintained by TagFinder processing. This

Target & Propagation Models for the FINDER Radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cable, Vaughn; Lux, James; Haque, Salmon

2013-01-01

Finding persons still alive in piles of rubble following an earthquake, a severe storm, or other disaster is a difficult problem. JPL is currently developing a victim detection radar called FINDER (Finding Individuals in Emergency and Response). The subject of this paper is directed toward development of propagation & target models needed for simulation & testing of such a system. These models are both physical (real rubble piles) and numerical. Early results from the numerical modeling phase show spatial and temporal spreading characteristics when signals are passed through a randomly mixed rubble pile.

Teaching Small Business Management in the UK Part I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birley, Sue; Gibb, Allan

1984-01-01

Reviews the key factors influencing small business management education in the United Kingdom, particularly government policies encouraging small business development. Postulates a model based on the career cycle and considers training opportunities for various stages. (SK)

CRISPRCasFinder, an update of CRISRFinder, includes a portable version, enhanced performance and integrates search for Cas proteins.

PubMed

Couvin, David; Bernheim, Aude; Toffano-Nioche, Claire; Touchon, Marie; Michalik, Juraj; Néron, Bertrand; C Rocha, Eduardo P; Vergnaud, Gilles; Gautheret, Daniel; Pourcel, Christine

2018-05-22

CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) arrays and their associated (Cas) proteins confer bacteria and archaea adaptive immunity against exogenous mobile genetic elements, such as phages or plasmids. CRISPRCasFinder allows the identification of both CRISPR arrays and Cas proteins. The program includes: (i) an improved CRISPR array detection tool facilitating expert validation based on a rating system, (ii) prediction of CRISPR orientation and (iii) a Cas protein detection and typing tool updated to match the latest classification scheme of these systems. CRISPRCasFinder can either be used online or as a standalone tool compatible with Linux operating system. All third-party software packages employed by the program are freely available. CRISPRCasFinder is available at https://crisprcas.i2bc.paris-saclay.fr.

sapFinder: an R/Bioconductor package for detection of variant peptides in shotgun proteomics experiments.

PubMed

Wen, Bo; Xu, Shaohang; Sheynkman, Gloria M; Feng, Qiang; Lin, Liang; Wang, Quanhui; Xu, Xun; Wang, Jun; Liu, Siqi

2014-11-01

Single nucleotide variations (SNVs) located within a reading frame can result in single amino acid polymorphisms (SAPs), leading to alteration of the corresponding amino acid sequence as well as function of a protein. Accurate detection of SAPs is an important issue in proteomic analysis at the experimental and bioinformatic level. Herein, we present sapFinder, an R software package, for detection of the variant peptides based on tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS)-based proteomics data. This package automates the construction of variation-associated databases from public SNV repositories or sample-specific next-generation sequencing (NGS) data and the identification of SAPs through database searching, post-processing and generation of HTML-based report with visualized interface. sapFinder is implemented as a Bioconductor package in R. The package and the vignette can be downloaded at http://bioconductor.org/packages/devel/bioc/html/sapFinder.html and are provided under a GPL-2 license. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Laser Range and Bearing Finder for Autonomous Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Granade, Stephen R.

2004-01-01

NASA has recently re-confirmed their interest in autonomous systems as an enabling technology for future missions. In order for autonomous missions to be possible, highly-capable relative sensor systems are needed to determine an object's distance, direction, and orientation. This is true whether the mission is autonomous in-space assembly, rendezvous and docking, or rover surface navigation. Advanced Optical Systems, Inc. has developed a wide-angle laser range and bearing finder (RBF) for autonomous space missions. The laser RBF has a number of features that make it well-suited for autonomous missions. It has an operating range of 10 m to 5 km, with a 5 deg field of view. Its wide field of view removes the need for scanning systems such as gimbals, eliminating moving parts and making the sensor simpler and space qualification easier. Its range accuracy is 1% or better. It is designed to operate either as a stand-alone sensor or in tandem with a sensor that returns range, bearing, and orientation at close ranges, such as NASA's Advanced Video Guidance Sensor. We have assembled the initial prototype and are currently testing it. We will discuss the laser RBF's design and specifications. Keywords: laser range and bearing finder, autonomous rendezvous and docking, space sensors, on-orbit sensors, advanced video guidance sensor

Development of the Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph membrane V-grooves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fang, Houfei; Ho, Timothy; Chen, Gun-Shing; Quijano, Ubaldo

2004-01-01

The Terrestrial Planet Finder mission will study all aaspecs of planets outside our solar system: from their formation and development in disks of dust and gas around newly forming stars to the presence of those planets orbiting the nearest stars; from the numbers at various sizes and places to their suitability as an abode for life.

PARALLEL HOP: A SCALABLE HALO FINDER FOR MASSIVE COSMOLOGICAL DATA SETS

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

Skory, Stephen; Turk, Matthew J.; Norman, Michael L.

2010-11-15

Modern N-body cosmological simulations contain billions (10{sup 9}) of dark matter particles. These simulations require hundreds to thousands of gigabytes of memory and employ hundreds to tens of thousands of processing cores on many compute nodes. In order to study the distribution of dark matter in a cosmological simulation, the dark matter halos must be identified using a halo finder, which establishes the halo membership of every particle in the simulation. The resources required for halo finding are similar to the requirements for the simulation itself. In particular, simulations have become too extensive to use commonly employed halo finders, suchmore » that the computational requirements to identify halos must now be spread across multiple nodes and cores. Here, we present a scalable-parallel halo finding method called Parallel HOP for large-scale cosmological simulation data. Based on the halo finder HOP, it utilizes message passing interface and domain decomposition to distribute the halo finding workload across multiple compute nodes, enabling analysis of much larger data sets than is possible with the strictly serial or previous parallel implementations of HOP. We provide a reference implementation of this method as a part of the toolkit {sup yt}, an analysis toolkit for adaptive mesh refinement data that include complementary analysis modules. Additionally, we discuss a suite of benchmarks that demonstrate that this method scales well up to several hundred tasks and data sets in excess of 2000{sup 3} particles. The Parallel HOP method and our implementation can be readily applied to any kind of N-body simulation data and is therefore widely applicable.« less

Providing a USSD location based clinic finder in South Africa: did it work?

PubMed

Parsons, Annie Neo; Timler, Dagmar

2014-01-01

A new mHealth service, Clinic Finder, was designed to provide a location-based service for any cellphone user in South Africa dialing a dedicated USSD string to find the nearest public primary health care facility. The service was funded by a European Union grant to Cell-Life to support the National Department of Health. Clinic Finder's aims were to provide a reliable and accurate service, and to assess both the most effective means of advertising the service as well as interest in the service. Users dialing the USSD string are asked to agree to geo-location (Vodacom and MTN users) or asked to enter their province, town and street (virtual network users and those choosing not to geo-locate). The service provider, AAT, sends the data to Cell-Life where an SMS with details of the nearest public primary health care facility is sent to the user by Cell-Life's open-source Communicate platform. The service was advertised on 3 days in 2014 using two different means: a newspaper ad on 20 May 2014 and Please Call Me ads on 30 July 2014 and 14 August 2014. 28.2% of unique users on 20 May 2014, 10.5% of unique users on 30 July 2014 and 92.8% of unique users on 14 August 2014 who agreed to geo-location successfully received SMSs. However, only 4.2%, 0.5%, and 2.4% of unique users responding to each advertisement who did not geo-locate then received an SMS. A small survey of users following the 20 May 2014 newspaper ad found overall interest in the idea of Clinic Finder, though unsuccessful users were more likely to dislike the service. The overall experience of using location based services and USSD for Clinic Finder suggests a need in the field of mHealth for wider availability of data on service usability and effectiveness.

The Relationship between Kolb's Learning Styles and StrengthsFinder's Talent Themes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caldwell, Adonna B.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate if there were relationships between college students' talent themes as defined by the Clifton StrengthsFinder(TM) Instrument and their learning style as defined by Kolb Learning Styles Inventory. Logistical regression methodology was utilized to assess the relationship between learning styles and talent…

Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer Technology Status and Plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawson, Perter R.; Ahmed, A.; Gappinger, R. O.; Ksendzov, A.; Lay, O. P.; Martin, S. R.; Peters, R. D.; Scharf, D. P.; Wallace, J. K.; Ware, B.

2006-01-01

A viewgraph presentation on the technology status and plans for Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer is shown. The topics include: 1) The Navigator Program; 2) TPF-I Project Overview; 3) Project Organization; 4) Technology Plan for TPF-I; 5) TPF-I Testbeds; 6) Nulling Error Budget; 7) Nulling Testbeds; 8) Nulling Requirements; 9) Achromatic Nulling Testbed; 10) Single Mode Spatial Filter Technology; 11) Adaptive Nuller Testbed; 12) TPF-I: Planet Detection Testbed (PDT); 13) Planet Detection Testbed Phase Modulation Experiment; and 14) Formation Control Testbed.

Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer: 2007-2008 Progress and Plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawson, P. R.; Lay, O. P.; Martin, S. R.; Peters, R. D.; Gappinger, R. O.; Ksendzov, A.; Scharf, D. P.; Booth, A. J.; Beichman, C. A.; Serabyn, E.;

AnimalFinder: A semi-automated system for animal detection in time-lapse camera trap images

USGS Publications Warehouse

Price Tack, Jennifer L.; West, Brian S.; McGowan, Conor P.; Ditchkoff, Stephen S.; Reeves, Stanley J.; Keever, Allison; Grand, James B.

2017-01-01

Although the use of camera traps in wildlife management is well established, technologies to automate image processing have been much slower in development, despite their potential to drastically reduce personnel time and cost required to review photos. We developed AnimalFinder in MATLAB® to identify animal presence in time-lapse camera trap images by comparing individual photos to all images contained within the subset of images (i.e. photos from the same survey and site), with some manual processing required to remove false positives and collect other relevant data (species, sex, etc.). We tested AnimalFinder on a set of camera trap images and compared the presence/absence results with manual-only review with white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), wild pigs (Sus scrofa), and raccoons (Procyon lotor). We compared abundance estimates, model rankings, and coefficient estimates of detection and abundance for white-tailed deer using N-mixture models. AnimalFinder performance varied depending on a threshold value that affects program sensitivity to frequently occurring pixels in a series of images. Higher threshold values led to fewer false negatives (missed deer images) but increased manual processing time, but even at the highest threshold value, the program reduced the images requiring manual review by ~40% and correctly identified >90% of deer, raccoon, and wild pig images. Estimates of white-tailed deer were similar between AnimalFinder and the manual-only method (~1–2 deer difference, depending on the model), as were model rankings and coefficient estimates. Our results show that the program significantly reduced data processing time and may increase efficiency of camera trapping surveys.

General Astrophysics and Comparative Planetology with the Terrestrial Planet Finder Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuchner, Marc J. (Editor)

2005-01-01

This document discusses the potential of the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) for general astrophysics beyond its base mission, focusing on science obtainable with no or minimal modifications to the mission design, but also exploring possible modifications of TPF with high scientific merit and no impact on the basic search for extrasolar Earth analogs.

Metrology system for the Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaklin, Stuart; Marchen, Luis; Zhao, Feng; Peters, Robert D.; Ho, Tim; Holmes, Buck

2004-01-01

The Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) employs an aggressive coronagraph designed to obtain better than 1e-10 contrast inside the third Airy ring. Minute changes in low-order aberration content scatter significant light at this position. One implication is the requirement to control low-order aberrations induced by motion of the secondary mirror relative to the primary mirror; sub-nanometer relative positional stability is required. We propose a 6-beam laser truss to monitor the relative positions of the two mirrors. The truss is based on laser metrology developed for the Space Interferometry Mission.

MacSyFinder: A Program to Mine Genomes for Molecular Systems with an Application to CRISPR-Cas Systems

PubMed Central

Abby, Sophie S.; Néron, Bertrand; Ménager, Hervé; Touchon, Marie; Rocha, Eduardo P. C.

2014-01-01

Motivation Biologists often wish to use their knowledge on a few experimental models of a given molecular system to identify homologs in genomic data. We developed a generic tool for this purpose. Results Macromolecular System Finder (MacSyFinder) provides a flexible framework to model the properties of molecular systems (cellular machinery or pathway) including their components, evolutionary associations with other systems and genetic architecture. Modelled features also include functional analogs, and the multiple uses of a same component by different systems. Models are used to search for molecular systems in complete genomes or in unstructured data like metagenomes. The components of the systems are searched by sequence similarity using Hidden Markov model (HMM) protein profiles. The assignment of hits to a given system is decided based on compliance with the content and organization of the system model. A graphical interface, MacSyView, facilitates the analysis of the results by showing overviews of component content and genomic context. To exemplify the use of MacSyFinder we built models to detect and class CRISPR-Cas systems following a previously established classification. We show that MacSyFinder allows to easily define an accurate “Cas-finder” using publicly available protein profiles. Availability and Implementation MacSyFinder is a standalone application implemented in Python. It requires Python 2.7, Hmmer and makeblastdb (version 2.2.28 or higher). It is freely available with its source code under a GPLv3 license at https://github.com/gem-pasteur/macsyfinder. It is compatible with all platforms supporting Python and Hmmer/makeblastdb. The “Cas-finder” (models and HMM profiles) is distributed as a compressed tarball archive as Supporting Information. PMID:25330359

Progress in four-beam nulling: results from the Terrestrial Planet Finder planet detection testbed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, Stefan

2006-01-01

The Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer (TPF-I) is a large space telescope consisting of four 4 meter diameter telescopes flying in formation in space together with a fifth beam combiner spacecraft.

Progress in four-beam nulling: results from the Terrestrial Planet Finder Planet Detection Testbed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, Stefan

2006-01-01

The Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer (TPF-I) is a large space telescope consisting of four 4 meter diameter telescopes flying in formation in space together with a fifth beam combiner spacecraft.

Is Indonesia Producing Enough Business Graduates to Assist its Development Aspirations?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraser, Kym

2013-01-01

Business plays an important role in most economies around the world, but businesses rely on the higher education system to supply an adequate number of qualified business graduates. In nations such as the USA, the UK and Australia, business degrees are the most popular university qualification; and the growth in the number of Chinese…

Business models and leadership styles in small medical device and bio-science businesses--examples in a region and their implications.

PubMed

Williams, D J; Hourd, P C

2004-01-01

This paper reviews the leadership styles and business models found in small technologically based businesses operating in the healthcare sector within one of the UK regions, the East Midlands. The most frequently encountered business model strands were 1) mixed economies: that fund development with service income; cross-sectoral product portfolios; and decoupled business portfolios led by a single entrepreneur and 2) scale sensitive "stay small" models including the avoidance of venture capital; "early exit"; and virtual business strands. There was found to be little correlation between leadership style and business model for the small number of businesses surveyed. The avoidance of venture capital is in direct contrast to adjacent regions.

SynergyFinder: a web application for analyzing drug combination dose-response matrix data.

PubMed

Ianevski, Aleksandr; He, Liye; Aittokallio, Tero; Tang, Jing

2017-08-01

Rational design of drug combinations has become a promising strategy to tackle the drug sensitivity and resistance problem in cancer treatment. To systematically evaluate the pre-clinical significance of pairwise drug combinations, functional screening assays that probe combination effects in a dose-response matrix assay are commonly used. To facilitate the analysis of such drug combination experiments, we implemented a web application that uses key functions of R-package SynergyFinder, and provides not only the flexibility of using multiple synergy scoring models, but also a user-friendly interface for visualizing the drug combination landscapes in an interactive manner. The SynergyFinder web application is freely accessible at https://synergyfinder.fimm.fi ; The R-package and its source-code are freely available at http://bioconductor.org/packages/release/bioc/html/synergyfinder.html . jing.tang@helsinki.fi. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

State-of-the-Art Fusion-Finder Algorithms Sensitivity and Specificity

PubMed Central

Carrara, Matteo; Beccuti, Marco; Lazzarato, Fulvio; Cavallo, Federica; Cordero, Francesca; Donatelli, Susanna; Calogero, Raffaele A.

2013-01-01

Background. Gene fusions arising from chromosomal translocations have been implicated in cancer. RNA-seq has the potential to discover such rearrangements generating functional proteins (chimera/fusion). Recently, many methods for chimeras detection have been published. However, specificity and sensitivity of those tools were not extensively investigated in a comparative way. Results. We tested eight fusion-detection tools (FusionHunter, FusionMap, FusionFinder, MapSplice, deFuse, Bellerophontes, ChimeraScan, and TopHat-fusion) to detect fusion events using synthetic and real datasets encompassing chimeras. The comparison analysis run only on synthetic data could generate misleading results since we found no counterpart on real dataset. Furthermore, most tools report a very high number of false positive chimeras. In particular, the most sensitive tool, ChimeraScan, reports a large number of false positives that we were able to significantly reduce by devising and applying two filters to remove fusions not supported by fusion junction-spanning reads or encompassing large intronic regions. Conclusions. The discordant results obtained using synthetic and real datasets suggest that synthetic datasets encompassing fusion events may not fully catch the complexity of RNA-seq experiment. Moreover, fusion detection tools are still limited in sensitivity or specificity; thus, there is space for further improvement in the fusion-finder algorithms. PMID:23555082

Status of the Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer (TPF-I)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beichman, Charles; Lawson, Peter; Lay, Oliver; Ahmed, Asif; Unwin, Steve; Johnston, K.

2006-01-01

The interferometric version of the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF-I) has the potential to find and characterize earth-sized planets in the habitable zones of over 250 nearby stars and to search for life using biomarkers in the atmospheres of any planets found. The scientific case for such a mission continues to be strengthened by on-going progress in the detection of planets via indirect means. This paper summarizes the status of TPF-I, illustrative scientific requirements for the mission, and its enabling technologies.

SciRide Finder: a citation-based paradigm in biomedical literature search.

PubMed

Volanakis, Adam; Krawczyk, Konrad

2018-04-18

There are more than 26 million peer-reviewed biomedical research items according to Medline/PubMed. This breadth of information is indicative of the progress in biomedical sciences on one hand, but an overload for scientists performing literature searches on the other. A major portion of scientific literature search is to find statements, numbers and protocols that can be cited to build an evidence-based narrative for a new manuscript. Because science builds on prior knowledge, such information has likely been written out and cited in an older manuscript. Thus, Cited Statements, pieces of text from scientific literature supported by citing other peer-reviewed publications, carry significant amount of condensed information on prior art. Based on this principle, we propose a literature search service, SciRide Finder (finder.sciride.org), which constrains the search corpus to such Cited Statements only. We demonstrate that Cited Statements can carry different information to this found in titles/abstracts and full text, giving access to alternative literature search results than traditional search engines. We further show how presenting search results as a list of Cited Statements allows researchers to easily find information to build an evidence-based narrative for their own manuscripts.

LinkFinder: An expert system that constructs phylogenic trees

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Inglehart, James; Nelson, Peter C.

1991-01-01

An expert system has been developed using the C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) that automates the process of constructing DNA sequence based phylogenies (trees or lineages) that indicate evolutionary relationships. LinkFinder takes as input homologous DNA sequences from distinct individual organisms. It measures variations between the sequences, selects appropriate proportionality constants, and estimates the time that has passed since each pair of organisms diverged from a common ancestor. It then designs and outputs a phylogenic map summarizing these results. LinkFinder can find genetic relationships between different species, and between individuals of the same species, including humans. It was designed to take advantage of the vast amount of sequence data being produced by the Genome Project, and should be of value to evolution theorists who wish to utilize this data, but who have no formal training in molecular genetics. Evolutionary theory holds that distinct organisms carrying a common gene inherited that gene from a common ancestor. Homologous genes vary from individual to individual and species to species, and the amount of variation is now believed to be directly proportional to the time that has passed since divergence from a common ancestor. The proportionality constant must be determined experimentally; it varies considerably with the types of organisms and DNA molecules under study. Given an appropriate constant, and the variation between two DNA sequences, a simple linear equation gives the divergence time.

HPF: The Habitable Zone Planet Finder at the Hobby-Eberly Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, Jason T.; Mahadevan, Suvrath; Hearty, Fred; Monson, Andy; Stefansson, Gudmundur; Ramsey, Larry; Ninan, Joe; Bender, Chad; Kaplan, Kyle; Roy, Arpita; Terrien, Ryan; Robertson, Paul; Halverson, Sam; Schwab, Christian; Kanodia, Shubham

2018-01-01

The Habitable Zone Planet Finder (HPF) is an ultra-stable NIR (ZYJ) high resolution echelle spectrograph on the 10-m Hobby-Eberly Telescope capable of 1-3 m/s Doppler velocimetry on nearby late M dwarfs (M4-M9). This precision is sufficient to detect terrestrial planets in the Habitable Zones of these relatively unexplored stars. Here we present its capabilities and early commissioning results.

Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer: Architecture, Mission Design, and Technology Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henry, Curt

2004-01-01

This slide presentation represents an overview progress report about the system design and technology development of two interferometer concepts studied for the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) project. The two concepts are a structurally-connected interferometer (SCI) intended to fulfill minimum TPF science goals and a formation-flying interferometer (FFI) intended to fulfill full science goals. Described are major trades, analyses, and technology experiments completed. Near term plans are also described. This paper covers progress since August 2003

LC-IMS-MS Feature Finder: detecting multidimensional liquid chromatography, ion mobility and mass spectrometry features in complex datasets.

PubMed

Crowell, Kevin L; Slysz, Gordon W; Baker, Erin S; LaMarche, Brian L; Monroe, Matthew E; Ibrahim, Yehia M; Payne, Samuel H; Anderson, Gordon A; Smith, Richard D

2013-11-01

The addition of ion mobility spectrometry to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry experiments requires new, or updated, software tools to facilitate data processing. We introduce a command line software application LC-IMS-MS Feature Finder that searches for molecular ion signatures in multidimensional liquid chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (LC-IMS-MS) data by clustering deisotoped peaks with similar monoisotopic mass, charge state, LC elution time and ion mobility drift time values. The software application includes an algorithm for detecting and quantifying co-eluting chemical species, including species that exist in multiple conformations that may have been separated in the IMS dimension. LC-IMS-MS Feature Finder is available as a command-line tool for download at http://omics.pnl.gov/software/LC-IMS-MS_Feature_Finder.php. The Microsoft.NET Framework 4.0 is required to run the software. All other dependencies are included with the software package. Usage of this software is limited to non-profit research to use (see README). rds@pnnl.gov. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

75 FR 25864 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Lost People Finder System

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-10

... descriptive information about found (recovered) victims in a structured format, e.g., name (if available), age... person finder systems. NLM would also use the data to evaluate the functioning and utility of the lost... from the public and affected agencies should address one or more of the following points: (1) Evaluate...

Statechart Analysis with Symbolic PathFinder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pasareanu, Corina S.

2012-01-01

We report here on our on-going work that addresses the automated analysis and test case generation for software systems modeled using multiple Statechart formalisms. The work is motivated by large programs such as NASA Exploration, that involve multiple systems that interact via safety-critical protocols and are designed with different Statechart variants. To verify these safety-critical systems, we have developed Polyglot, a framework for modeling and analysis of model-based software written using different Statechart formalisms. Polyglot uses a common intermediate representation with customizable Statechart semantics and leverages the analysis and test generation capabilities of the Symbolic PathFinder tool. Polyglot is used as follows: First, the structure of the Statechart model (expressed in Matlab Stateflow or Rational Rhapsody) is translated into a common intermediate representation (IR). The IR is then translated into Java code that represents the structure of the model. The semantics are provided as "pluggable" modules.

Terrestrial Planet Finder: Technology Development Plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindensmith, Chris

2004-01-01

One of humanity's oldest questions is whether life exists elsewhere in the universe. The Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) mission will survey stars in our stellar neighborhood to search for planets and perform spectroscopic measurements to identify potential biomarkers in their atmospheres. In response to the recently published President's Plan for Space Exploration, TPF has plans to launch a visible-light coronagraph in 2014, and a separated-spacecraft infrared interferometer in 2016. Substantial funding has been committed to the development of the key technologies that are required to meet these goals for launch in the next decade. Efforts underway through industry and university contracts and at JPL include a number of system and subsystem testbeds, as well as components and numerical modeling capabilities. The science, technology, and design efforts are closely coupled to ensure that requirements and capabilities will be consistent and meet the science goals.

Increasing business resilience to flood risk: Developing an effective e-learning tool to bridge the knowledge gap between policy, practice and business owners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wragg, Amanda; McEwen, Lindsey; Harries, Tim

2015-04-01

The focus of this paper is on the use of an innovative co-production process that engages small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and other stakeholders in the development of an e-learning tool that has appeal for business owners as well as being a resource for agents working directly with businesses. It outlines t priorities identified by businesses in relation to the support, advice, and, usefulness of sharing experiences which will be reflected in the 'tool'. The researchers suggest that business adaptation to flood risk is a neglected area and that an information 'hub' for businesses will enable sign-posting to advisory sources, 'science communication', and support for those suffering the trauma of damage to their premises and livelihoods. The flooding of communities is becoming a repeated, widespread issue within the UK, and elsewhere. Significant impacts of extreme floods in 2007 were: loss of life, 48,000 houses and 7,000 businesses flooded, community disruption, and, monetary loss to local economies. The winter floods of 2013/2014 also had devastating impacts. This paper reports on research from a three year multi-disciplinary project funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). In early 2014, SMEs accounted for 99.3% of all private sector businesses in the UK and 47.8% of private sector employment (FSB, 2014), thus they are a crucial part of the UK economy. Whilst some research focuses on 'community resilience', less is focused on the resilience of SMEs. Although SMEs may be vulnerable to fluctuations in turnover and housed in vulnerable premises, they often have the ability to make quick decisions and be innovative in the face of adversity owing to smaller, less complex systems. One key research aim has been to determine attitudes of business owners towards flood resilience and business continuity and barriers and motivators relating to adaptation. The resources SMEs draw on, their understanding of flood risk, and, the

Knickpoint finder: A software tool that improves neotectonic analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Queiroz, G. L.; Salamuni, E.; Nascimento, E. R.

2015-03-01

This work presents a new software tool for morphometric analysis of drainage networks based on the methods of Hack (1973) and Etchebehere et al. (2004). This tool is applicable to studies of morphotectonics and neotectonics. The software used a digital elevation model (DEM) to identify the relief breakpoints along drainage profiles (knickpoints). The program was coded in Python for use on the ArcGIS platform and is called Knickpoint Finder. A study area was selected to test and evaluate the software's ability to analyze and identify neotectonic morphostructures based on the morphology of the terrain. For an assessment of its validity, we chose an area of the James River basin, which covers most of the Piedmont area of Virginia (USA), which is an area of constant intraplate seismicity and non-orogenic active tectonics and exhibits a relatively homogeneous geodesic surface currently being altered by the seismogenic features of the region. After using the tool in the chosen area, we found that the knickpoint locations are associated with the geologic structures, epicenters of recent earthquakes, and drainages with rectilinear anomalies. The regional analysis demanded the use of a spatial representation of the data after processing using Knickpoint Finder. The results were satisfactory in terms of the correlation of dense areas of knickpoints with active lineaments and the rapidity of the identification of deformed areas. Therefore, this software tool may be considered useful in neotectonic analyses of large areas and may be applied to any area where there is DEM coverage.

SCCmecFinder, a Web-Based Tool for Typing of Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec in Staphylococcus aureus Using Whole-Genome Sequence Data.

PubMed

Kaya, Hülya; Hasman, Henrik; Larsen, Jesper; Stegger, Marc; Johannesen, Thor Bech; Allesøe, Rosa Lundbye; Lemvigh, Camilla Koldbæk; Aarestrup, Frank Møller; Lund, Ole; Larsen, Anders Rhod

2018-01-01

Typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is important in infection control and surveillance. The current nomenclature of MRSA includes the genetic background of the S. aureus strain determined by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) or equivalent methods like spa typing and typing of the mobile genetic element staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCC mec ), which carries the mecA or mecC gene. Whereas MLST and spa typing are relatively simple, typing of SCC mec is less trivial because of its heterogeneity. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) provides the essential data for typing of the genetic background and SCC mec , but so far, no bioinformatic tools for SCC mec typing have been available. Here, we report the development and evaluation of SCC mec Finder for characterization of the SCC mec element from S. aureus WGS data. SCC mec Finder is able to identify all SCC mec element types, designated I to XIII, with subtyping of SCC mec types IV (2B) and V (5C2). SCC mec elements are characterized by two different gene prediction approaches to achieve correct annotation, a Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST)-based approach and a k -mer-based approach. Evaluation of SCC mec Finder by using a diverse collection of clinical isolates ( n = 93) showed a high typeability level of 96.7%, which increased to 98.9% upon modification of the default settings. In conclusion, SCC mec Finder can be an alternative to more laborious SCC mec typing methods and is freely available at https://cge.cbs.dtu.dk/services/SCCmecFinder. IMPORTANCE SCC mec in MRSA is acknowledged to be of importance not only because it contains the mecA or mecC gene but also for staphylococcal adaptation to different environments, e.g., in hospitals, the community, and livestock. Typing of SCC mec by PCR techniques has, because of its heterogeneity, been challenging, and whole-genome sequencing has only partially solved this since no good bioinformatic tools have been available. In this

Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph Optical Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Basinger, Scott A.; Redding, David C.

2004-01-01

The Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph will rely heavily on modeling and analysis throughout its mission lifecycle. Optical modeling is especially important, since the tolerances on the optics as well as scattered light suppression are critical for the mission's success. The high contrast imaging necessary to observe a planet orbiting a distant star requires new and innovative technologies to be developed and tested, and detailed optical modeling provides predictions for evaluating design decisions. It also provides a means to develop and test algorithms designed to actively suppress scattered light via deformable mirrors and other techniques. The optical models are used in conjunction with structural and thermal models to create fully integrated optical/structural/thermal models that are used to evaluate dynamic effects of disturbances on the overall performance of the coronagraph. The optical models we have developed have been verified on the High Contrast Imaging Testbed. Results of the optical modeling verification and the methods used to perform full three-dimensional near-field diffraction analysis are presented.

The ecological research needs of business.

PubMed

Armsworth, Paul R; Armsworth, Anastasia N; Compton, Natalie; Cottle, Phil; Davies, Ian; Emmett, Bridget A; Fandrich, Vanessa; Foote, Matthew; Gaston, Kevin J; Gardiner, Phil; Hess, Tim; Hopkins, John; Horsley, Nick; Leaver, Natasha; Maynard, Trevor; Shannon, Delia

2010-04-01

Businesses have an unrivalled ability to mobilize human, physical and financial capital, often manage large land holdings, and draw on resources and supply products that impact a wide array of ecosystems. Businesses therefore have the potential to make a substantial contribution to arresting declines in biodiversity and ecosystem services. To realize this potential, businesses require support from researchers in applied ecology to inform how they measure and manage their impacts on, and opportunities presented to them by, biodiversity and ecosystem services.We reviewed papers in leading applied ecology journals to assess the research contribution from existing collaborations involving businesses. We reviewed applications to, and grants funded by, the UK's Natural Environment Research Council for evidence of public investment in such collaborations. To scope opportunities for expanding collaborations with businesses, we conducted workshops with three sectors (mining and quarrying, insurance and manufacturing) in which participants identified exemplar ecological research questions of interest to their sector.Ten to fifteen per cent of primary research papers in Journal of Applied Ecology and Ecological Applications evidenced business involvement, mostly focusing on traditional rural industries (farming, fisheries and forestry). The review of UK research council funding found that 35% of applications mentioned business engagement, while only 1% of awarded grants met stricter criteria of direct business involvement.Some questions identified in the workshops aim to reduce costs from businesses' impacts on the environment and others to allow businesses to exploit new opportunities. Some questions are designed to inform long-term planning undertaken by businesses, but others would have more immediate commercial applications. Finally, some research questions are designed to streamline and make more effective those environmental policies that affect businesses.Business

Carbon soundings: greenhouse gas emissions of the UK music industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bottrill, C.; Liverman, D.; Boykoff, M.

2010-01-01

Over the past decade, questions regarding how to reduce human contributions to climate change have become more commonplace and non-nation state actors—such as businesses, non-government organizations, celebrities—have increasingly become involved in climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives. For these dynamic and rapidly expanding spaces, this letter provides an accounting of the methods and findings from a 2007 assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the UK music industry. The study estimates that overall GHG emissions associated with the UK music market are approximately 540 000 t CO2e per annum. Music recording and publishing accounted for 26% of these emissions (138 000 t CO2e per annum), while three-quarters (74%) derived from activities associated with live music performances (400 000 t CO2e per annum). These results have prompted a group of music industry business leaders to design campaigns to reduce the GHG emissions of their supply chains. The study has also provided a basis for ongoing in-depth research on CD packaging, audience travel, and artist touring as well as the development of a voluntary accreditation scheme for reducing GHG emissions from activities of the UK music industry.

A neural network gravitational arc finder based on the Mediatrix filamentation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bom, C. R.; Makler, M.; Albuquerque, M. P.; Brandt, C. H.

2017-01-01

Context. Automated arc detection methods are needed to scan the ongoing and next-generation wide-field imaging surveys, which are expected to contain thousands of strong lensing systems. Arc finders are also required for a quantitative comparison between predictions and observations of arc abundance. Several algorithms have been proposed to this end, but machine learning methods have remained as a relatively unexplored step in the arc finding process. Aims: In this work we introduce a new arc finder based on pattern recognition, which uses a set of morphological measurements that are derived from the Mediatrix filamentation method as entries to an artificial neural network (ANN). We show a full example of the application of the arc finder, first training and validating the ANN on simulated arcs and then applying the code on four Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images of strong lensing systems. Methods: The simulated arcs use simple prescriptions for the lens and the source, while mimicking HST observational conditions. We also consider a sample of objects from HST images with no arcs in the training of the ANN classification. We use the training and validation process to determine a suitable set of ANN configurations, including the combination of inputs from the Mediatrix method, so as to maximize the completeness while keeping the false positives low. Results: In the simulations the method was able to achieve a completeness of about 90% with respect to the arcs that are input into the ANN after a preselection. However, this completeness drops to 70% on the HST images. The false detections are on the order of 3% of the objects detected in these images. Conclusions: The combination of Mediatrix measurements with an ANN is a promising tool for the pattern-recognition phase of arc finding. More realistic simulations and a larger set of real systems are needed for a better training and assessment of the efficiency of the method.

Fifteen hundred guidelines and growing: the UK database of clinical guidelines.

PubMed

van Loo, John; Leonard, Niamh

2006-06-01

The National Library for Health offers a comprehensive searchable database of nationally approved clinical guidelines, called the Guidelines Finder. This resource, commissioned in 2002, is managed and developed by the University of Sheffield Health Sciences Library. The authors introduce the historical and political dimension of guidelines and the nature of guidelines as a mechanism to ensure clinical effectiveness in practice. The article then outlines the maintenance and organisation of the Guidelines Finder database itself, the criteria for selection, who publishes guidelines and guideline formats, usage of the Guidelines Finder service and finally looks at some lessons learnt from a local library offering a national service. Clinical guidelines are central to effective clinical practice at the national, organisational and individual level. The Guidelines Finder is one of the most visited resources within the National Library for Health and is successful in answering information needs related to specific patient care, clinical research, guideline development and education.

Enceladus Life Finder (ELF): A Proposed Mission to Assess the Habitability of a Plume-Bearing World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cable, M. L.; Spilker, L. J.; Postberg, F.; Waite, J. H.; Kempf, S.; Clark, K.; Reh, K.; Sherwood, B.; Lunine, J. I.

2017-11-01

Enceladus is a uniquely accessible ocean world due to its plume emanating from the south polar terrain. Here we discuss the Enceladus Life Finder mission concept and its implications for this and other ocean worlds.

Locating Direction Finders in a Generalized Search and Rescue Network

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-03-01

David A . Drake and Alfred B. Marsb. Conv-ersation at NationalI Security Agenc, 29 September 1990. 7. Daskin , Mark S. " A M-admum Fpeced Co-:efing...91 7 19 134 .flT/GORjEnSj9I-M LOCATING DIRECTION FIND’RS IN A GENERALIZED SEARCH AND RESCUE NETWORK THESIS Jean M. Steppe Captain, USAF AFIT/GOR/EN S...91-Mk-7 APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELI ASE: DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED. 1191-05734 .. 91.. .7 19 134 i i . nMIGOR4M.S/91-MI LOCATING DIRECTION FINDERS IW A

Jovian Planet Finder optical system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krist, John E.; Clampin, Mark; Petro, Larry; Woodruff, Robert A.; Ford, Holland C.; Illingworth, Garth D.; Ftaclas, Christ

2003-02-01

The Jovian Planet Finder (JPF) is a proposed NASA MIDEX mission to place a highly optimized coronagraphic telescope on the International Space Station (ISS) to image Jupiter-like planets around nearby stars. The optical system is an off-axis, unobscured telescope with a 1.5 m primary mirror. A classical Lyot coronagraph with apodized occulting spots is used to reduce diffracted light from the central star. In order to provide the necessary contrast for detection of a planet, scattered light from mid-spatial-frequency errors is reduced by using super-smooth optics. Recent advances in polishing optics for extreme-ultraviolet lithography have shown that a factor of >30 reduction in midfrequency errors relative to those in the Hubble Space Telescope is possible (corresponding to a reduction in scattered light of nearly 1000x). The low level of scattered and diffracted light, together with a novel utilization of field rotation introduced by the alt-azimuth ISS telescope mounting, will provide a relatively low-cost facility for not only imaging extrasolar planets, but also circumstellar disks, host galaxies of quasars, and low-mass substellar companions such as brown dwarfs.

Captain Cook, the Terrestrial Planet Finder and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beichman, C.

2002-01-01

A recently completed NASA study has concluded that a Terrestrial Planet Finder could be launched within a decade to detect terrestrial planets around nearby stars. Such a mission, complemented by projects (Kepler and Eddington) that will provide statistical information on the frequency of Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone, will determine key terms in the Drake equation that describes the number of intelligent civilizations in the Universe.

UK Higher Education Institutions and the Third Stream Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clough, Stephen; Bagley, Carl A.

2012-01-01

This article focuses upon the adoption and implementation of United Kingdom government support for third stream business-facing activities in UK higher education institutions (HEIs). The article, concerned with income generation and the creation and application of knowledge beyond the confines of the academy, draws on policy literature and…

Design and Performance of the Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, Mary L.; Shaklan, Stuart; Lisman, P. Doulas; Ho, Timothy; Mouroulis, Pantazis; Basinger, Scott; Ledeboer, Bill; Kwack, Eug; Kissil, Andy; Mosier, Gary;

Echo tracker/range finder for radars and sonars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Constantinides, N. J. (Inventor)

1982-01-01

An echo tracker/range finder or altimeter is described. The pulse repetition frequency (PFR) of a predetermined plurality of transmitted pulses is adjusted so that echo pulses received from a reflecting object are positioned between transmitted pulses and divided their interpulse time interval into two time intervals having a predetermined ratio with respect to each other. The invention described provides a means whereby the arrival time of a plurality of echo pulses is defined as the time at which a composite echo pulse formed of a sum of the individual echo pulses has the highest amplitude. The invention is applicable to radar systems, sonar systems, or any other kind of system in which pulses are transmitted and echoes received therefrom.

A view finder control system for an earth observation satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steyn, H.

2004-11-01

A real time TV view finder is used on-board a low earth orbiting (LEO) satellite to manually select targets for imaging from a ground station within the communication footprint of the satellite. The attitude control system on the satellite is used to steer the satellite using commands from the groundstation and a television camera onboard the satellite will then downlink a television signal in real time to a monitor screen in the ground station. The operator in the feedback loop will be able to manually steer the boresight of the satellite's main imager towards interested target areas e.g. to avoid clouds or correct for any attitude pointing errors. Due to a substantial delay (in the order of a second) in the view finding feedback loop and the narrow field of view of the main imager, the operator has to be assisted by the onboard attitude control system to stabilise and track the target area visible on the monitor screen. This paper will present the extended Kalman filter used to estimate the satellite's attitude angles using quaternions and the bias vector component of the 3-axis inertial rate sensors (gyros). Absolute attitude sensors (i.e. sun, horizon and magnetic) are used to supply the measurement vectors to correct the filter states during the view finder manoeuvres. The target tracking and rate steering reaction wheel controllers to accurately point and stabilise the satellite will be presented. The reference generator for the satellite to target attitude and rate vectors as used by the reaction wheel controllers will be derived.

Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer: Architecture, Mission Design and Technology Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henry, Curt; Lay, Oliver; Aung, MiMi; Gunter, Steven M.; Dubovitsky, Serge; Blackwood, Gary

2004-01-01

This overview paper is a progress report about the system design and technology development of two interferometer concepts studied for the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) project. The two concepts are a structurally-connected interferometer (SCI) intended to fulfill minimum TPF science goals and a formation-flying interferometer (FFI) intended to fulfill full science goals. Described are major trades, analyses, and technology experiments completed. Near term plans are also described. This paper covers progress since August 2003 and serves as an update to a paper presented at that month's SPIE conference, 'Techniques and Instrumentation for Detection of Exoplanets.

Advanced computer graphic techniques for laser range finder (LRF) simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedkowski, Janusz; Jankowski, Stanislaw

2008-11-01

This paper show an advanced computer graphic techniques for laser range finder (LRF) simulation. The LRF is the common sensor for unmanned ground vehicle, autonomous mobile robot and security applications. The cost of the measurement system is extremely high, therefore the simulation tool is designed. The simulation gives an opportunity to execute algorithm such as the obstacle avoidance[1], slam for robot localization[2], detection of vegetation and water obstacles in surroundings of the robot chassis[3], LRF measurement in crowd of people[1]. The Axis Aligned Bounding Box (AABB) and alternative technique based on CUDA (NVIDIA Compute Unified Device Architecture) is presented.

Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer Science Working Group Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawson, Peter R. (Editor); Lay, Oliver P. (Editor); Johnston, Kenneth J. (Editor); Beichman, Charles A. (Editor)

2007-01-01

Over the past two years, the focus of the project for the interferometric version of the Terrestrial Planet Finder(TPF-I) has been on the development of the scientific rational for the mission, the assessment of TPF-I architectures, the laboratory demonstration of key technologies, and the development of a detailed technology roadmap. The Science Working Group (SWG), in conjunction with European colleagues working on the European Space Agency's (ESA's) Darwin project, has reaffirmed the goals of TPF-I as part of a broad vision for the detection and characterization of Earth-like planets orbiting nearby stars and for the search for life on those planets. The SWG also helped to assess the performance of different interferometric configurations for TPF-I/Darwin. Building on earlier SWG reports, this document restates the scientific case for TPF-I, assesses suitable target stars and relevant wavelengths for observation, discusses dramatic new capabilities for general astrophysical observations, and summarizes how Spitzer has improved our knowledge of the incidence of zodiacal emission on the search for planets. This document discusses in some detail on laboratory advances in interferometric nulling and formation flying. Laboratory experiments have now achieved stable narrow- and broad-band nulling the levels of 10-6 and 2.0x10-5, respectively. A testbed has demonstrated formation flying using two realistic spacecraft mockups. With a suitably funded program of technology development, as summarized herein and described in more detail in the Technology Plan for the Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer (2005), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and ESA would be able to start within the coming decade a full-scale TPF-I/Darwin mission capable of finding Earths orbiting more than 150 nearby stars, or a scaled back interferometer capable of studying more than 30 stars. Finding evidence for life on just one of those planets would revolutionize our

Laser Range and Bearing Finder with No Moving Parts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryan, Thomas C.; Howard, Richard T.; Book, Michael L.

2007-01-01

A proposed laser-based instrument would quickly measure the approximate distance and approximate direction to the closest target within its field of view. The instrument would not contain any moving parts and its mode of operation would not entail scanning over of its field of view. Typically, the instrument would be used to locate a target at a distance on the order of meters to kilometers. The instrument would be best suited for use in an uncluttered setting in which the target is the only or, at worst, the closest object in the vicinity; for example, it could be used aboard an aircraft to detect and track another aircraft flying nearby. The proposed instrument would include a conventional time-of-flight or echo-phase-shift laser range finder, but unlike most other range finders, this one would not generate a narrow cylindrical laser beam; instead, it would generate a conical laser beam spanning the field of view. The instrument would also include a quadrant detector, optics to focus the light returning from the target onto the quadrant detector, and circuitry to synchronize the acquisition of the quadrant-detector output with the arrival of laser light returning from the nearest target. A quadrant detector constantly gathers information from the entire field of view, without scanning; its output is a direct measure of the position of the target-return light spot on the focal plane and is thus a measure of the direction to the target. The instrument should be able to operate at a repetition rate high enough to enable it to track a rapidly moving target. Of course, a target that is not sufficiently reflective could not be located by this instrument. Preferably, retroreflectors should be attached to the target to make it sufficiently reflective.

Evaluation of the status of canine hydrotherapy in the UK.

PubMed

Waining, M; Young, I S; Williams, S B

2011-04-16

To establish the current status of canine hydrotherapy in the UK and to ascertain information regarding the current use of hydrotherapy, a questionnaire was sent to 152 hydrotherapy centres throughout the UK, from which 89 responded. Hydrotherapy was found to be a rapidly growing business. Stand-alone centres were in existence; however, many centres were connected to other businesses, including boarding kennels and general practice veterinary surgeries. The dogs using the facility were mainly pedigree breeds, particularly labrador retrievers (30 per cent), and the most commonly encountered conditions were rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament (25 per cent), hip dysplasia (24 per cent) and osteoarthritis (18 per cent). The proportion of qualified versus unqualified staff varied between centres, highlighting a need for improved regulation of this aspect of the industry. However, all the dogs treated by the hydrotherapy centres surveyed were direct veterinary referrals, suggesting a good degree of professionalism in the field and a high regard for the benefits of hydrotherapy.

Terrestrial Planet Finder: science overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Unwin, Stephen C.; Beichman, C. A.

2004-01-01

The Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) seeks to revolutionize our understanding of humanity's place in the universe - by searching for Earth-like planets using reflected light, or thermal emission in the mid-infrared. Direct detection implies that TPF must separate planet light from glare of the nearby star, a technical challenge which has only in recent years been recognized as surmountable. TPF will obtain a low-resolution spectra of each planets it detects, providing some of its basic physical characteristics and its main atmospheric constituents, thereby allowing us to assess the likelihood that habitable conditions exist there. NASA has decided the scientific importance of this research is so high that TPF will be pursued as two complementary space observatories: a visible-light coronagraph and a mid-infrared formation flying interferometer. The combination of spectra from both wavebands is much more valuable than either taken separately, and it will allow a much fuller understanding of the wide diversity of planetary atmospheres that may be expected to exist. Measurements across a broad wavelength range will yield not only physical properties such as size and albedo, but will also serve as the foundations of a reliable and robust assessment of habitability and the presence of life.

Digitally Included: Business-Community Partnerships To Promote the Use of Information and Communication Technologies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2003

This publication describes efforts in the United Kingdom (UK) to develop mutually beneficial, collaborative partnerships between businesses and communities that promote digital inclusion (access to information and communication technologies). Case studies of different kinds of relationships are listed, including UK online centers, schools, events…

Use of an online portal to facilitate clinical trial recruitment: a preliminary analysis of Fox Trial Finder.

PubMed

Rocker, Charlotte; Cappelletti, Lily; Marshall, Claudia; Meunier, Claire C; Brooks, Deborah W; Sherer, Todd; Chowdhury, Sohini

2015-01-01

As in other therapeutic areas, clinical studies in Parkinson's disease (PD) face significant recruitment challenges. However, qualitative surveys suggest that individuals with PD are willing to participate in clinical research. The Michael J. Fox Foundation therefore established Fox Trial Finder in 2011 to facilitate connection between PD research teams and volunteers. Characterize the research volunteers (with and without PD) registered on Fox Trial Finder as of June 2014, and the published, recruiting studies to identify trends and highlight gaps between research requirements and available volunteers. Profiles of volunteers with and without PD were analyzed to explore trends in geography, demographics, family history and, for those volunteers with PD, disease progression and treatment history. Clinical study profiles were analyzed to determine study type, phase, sponsor, focus, location and eligibility criteria. The analysis focused on volunteers and studies based in the United States. The database contained 26,261 US-based volunteers, including 19,243 volunteers (73%) with PD and 7,018 (27%) controls without PD. The average time since diagnosis for PD volunteers was 5.7 years and the average age at diagnosis was 58 years. Control volunteers were more likely than volunteers with PD to be female (67% vs. 35%) and to have a family history of PD (49% vs. 12%). Fox Trial Finder's registration history to date demonstrates the high level of willingness among individuals affected by PD to participate in clinical research and provide a significant amount of personal health information to facilitate that participation.

Joining the Club: The Ideology of Quality and Business School Badging

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Emma; Taylor, Scott

2005-01-01

The ideology of quality and the frameworks used to measure it can profoundly affect academic identity. This article explores the role of quality frameworks in UK business schools, focusing on the way that individuals confront the logic of accreditation when they are subject to its discipline. By defining business schools as an institutional field,…

The Terrestrial Planet Finder and Darwin Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Danchi, William C.

2004-01-01

Both in the United States and in Europe, teams of scientists and engineers are exploring the feasibility of the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) and Darwin missions, which are designed to search for Earth-like planets in the habitable zone of nearby stars. In the US, the TPF Science Working Group is studying four options - small (4m by 6 m primary mirror) and large (4m by 10 m primary mirror) coronagraphs for planet detection at visible wavelengths, and structurally connected and free-flyer interferometers at thermal infrared wavelengths. The US TPF-SWG is charged with selecting an option for NASA by the end of 2006. In Europe the Darwin Terrestrial Exo-planet Advisory Team (TE- SAT) is exploring the free-flyer interferometer option only at this time. I will discuss the vurtures and difficulties of detecting and characterizing extra-solar planets in both wavelength regions as well as some of the technical challenges and progress in the past year.

Increased facial width-to-height ratio and perceived dominance in the faces of the UK's leading business leaders.

PubMed

Alrajih, Shuaa; Ward, Jamie

2014-05-01

The relative proportion of the internal features of a face (the facial width-to-height ratio, FWH) has been shown to be related to individual differences in behaviour in males, specifically competitiveness and aggressiveness. In this study, we show that the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the leading UK businesses have greater FWHs than age- and sex-matched controls. We demonstrate that perceivers, naive as to the nature of the stimuli, rate the faces of CEOs as higher in dominance or success, and that ratings of dominance or success are themselves correlated with the FWH ratio. We find no association with other inferred traits such as trustworthiness, attraction or aggression. The latter is surprising given previous research demonstrating a link between FWH and ratings of aggression. We speculate that the core association may be between FWH and drive for dominance or power, but this can be interpreted as aggression only in particular circumstances (e.g., when the stimuli are comprised of faces of young, as opposed to middle-aged, men). © 2013 The British Psychological Society.

CpG PatternFinder: a Windows-based utility program for easy and rapid identification of the CpG methylation status of DNA.

PubMed

Xu, Yi-Hua; Manoharan, Herbert T; Pitot, Henry C

2007-09-01

The bisulfite genomic sequencing technique is one of the most widely used techniques to study sequence-specific DNA methylation because of its unambiguous ability to reveal DNA methylation status to the order of a single nucleotide. One characteristic feature of the bisulfite genomic sequencing technique is that a number of sample sequence files will be produced from a single DNA sample. The PCR products of bisulfite-treated DNA samples cannot be sequenced directly because they are heterogeneous in nature; therefore they should be cloned into suitable plasmids and then sequenced. This procedure generates an enormous number of sample DNA sequence files as well as adding extra bases belonging to the plasmids to the sequence, which will cause problems in the final sequence comparison. Finding the methylation status for each CpG in each sample sequence is not an easy job. As a result CpG PatternFinder was developed for this purpose. The main functions of the CpG PatternFinder are: (i) to analyze the reference sequence to obtain CpG and non-CpG-C residue position information. (ii) To tailor sample sequence files (delete insertions and mark deletions from the sample sequence files) based on a configuration of ClustalW multiple alignment. (iii) To align sample sequence files with a reference file to obtain bisulfite conversion efficiency and CpG methylation status. And, (iv) to produce graphics, highlighted aligned sequence text and a summary report which can be easily exported to Microsoft Office suite. CpG PatternFinder is designed to operate cooperatively with BioEdit, a freeware on the internet. It can handle up to 100 files of sample DNA sequences simultaneously, and the total CpG pattern analysis process can be finished in minutes. CpG PatternFinder is an ideal software tool for DNA methylation studies to determine the differential methylation pattern in a large number of individuals in a population. Previously we developed the CpG Analyzer program; CpG PatternFinder

StrengthsFinder Signature Themes of Talent in Doctor of Pharmacy Students in Five Midwestern Pharmacy Schools.

PubMed

Janke, Kristin K; Farris, Karen B; Kelley, Katherine A; Marshall, Vincent D; Plake, Kimberly S; Scott, Steven A; Sorensen, Todd D; Yee, Gary C

2015-05-25

To describe student pharmacists' Signature Themes from the Clifton StrengthsFinder across 5 Midwestern pharmacy institutions and to compare themes by gender, institution, and undergraduate population. Student pharmacists completed the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment and received their top 5 Signature Themes. Themes were organized and examined by domains (Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building, Strategic Thinking). The distribution of the themes was compared between student pharmacists and undergraduates and themes and domains were compared by institution and gender. Although results varied by institution, the top 5 themes among the 1244 of 1250 students (99.5%) who completed the assessment were: Achiever, Harmony, Learner, Responsibility, and Empathy. Female student pharmacists had more themes in Executing and Relationship Building, while males had more themes in Influencing and Strategic Thinking. Pharmacy students exhibit more Executing domain talents and fewer Influencing domain talents compared with undergraduates. Signature Themes were consistent among student pharmacists across 5 Midwestern colleges of pharmacy.

Forecast-based Integrated Flood Detection System for Emergency Response and Disaster Risk Reduction (Flood-FINDER)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arcorace, Mauro; Silvestro, Francesco; Rudari, Roberto; Boni, Giorgio; Dell'Oro, Luca; Bjorgo, Einar

2016-04-01

Most flood prone areas in the globe are mainly located in developing countries where making communities more flood resilient is a priority. Despite different flood forecasting initiatives are now available from academia and research centers, what is often missing is the connection between the timely hazard detection and the community response to warnings. In order to bridge the gap between science and decision makers, UN agencies play a key role on the dissemination of information in the field and on capacity-building to local governments. In this context, having a reliable global early warning system in the UN would concretely improve existing in house capacities for Humanitarian Response and the Disaster Risk Reduction. For those reasons, UNITAR-UNOSAT has developed together with USGS and CIMA Foundation a Global Flood EWS called "Flood-FINDER". The Flood-FINDER system is a modelling chain which includes meteorological, hydrological and hydraulic models that are accurately linked to enable the production of warnings and forecast inundation scenarios up to three weeks in advance. The system is forced with global satellite derived precipitation products and Numerical Weather Prediction outputs. The modelling chain is based on the "Continuum" hydrological model and risk assessments produced for GAR2015. In combination with existing hydraulically reconditioned SRTM data and 1D hydraulic models, flood scenarios are derived at multiple scales and resolutions. Climate and flood data are shared through a Web GIS integrated platform. First validation of the modelling chain has been conducted through a flood hindcasting test case, over the Chao Phraya river basin in Thailand, using multi temporal satellite-based analysis derived for the exceptional flood event of 2011. In terms of humanitarian relief operations, the EO-based services of flood mapping in rush mode generally suffer from delays caused by the time required for their activation, programming, acquisitions and

Small image laser range finder for planetary rover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wakabayashi, Yasufumi; Honda, Masahisa; Adachi, Tadashi; Iijima, Takahiko

1994-01-01

A variety of technical subjects need to be solved before planetary rover navigation could be a part of future missions. The sensors which will perceive terrain environment around the rover will require critical development efforts. The image laser range finder (ILRF) discussed here is one of the candidate sensors because of its advantage in providing range data required for its navigation. The authors developed a new compact-sized ILRF which is a quarter of the size of conventional ones. Instead of the current two directional scanning system which is comprised of nodding and polygon mirrors, the new ILRF is equipped with the new concept of a direct polygon mirror driving system, which successfully made its size compact to accommodate the design requirements. The paper reports on the design concept and preliminary technical specifications established in the current development phase.

PubDNA Finder: a web database linking full-text articles to sequences of nucleic acids.

PubMed

García-Remesal, Miguel; Cuevas, Alejandro; Pérez-Rey, David; Martín, Luis; Anguita, Alberto; de la Iglesia, Diana; de la Calle, Guillermo; Crespo, José; Maojo, Víctor

2010-11-01

PubDNA Finder is an online repository that we have created to link PubMed Central manuscripts to the sequences of nucleic acids appearing in them. It extends the search capabilities provided by PubMed Central by enabling researchers to perform advanced searches involving sequences of nucleic acids. This includes, among other features (i) searching for papers mentioning one or more specific sequences of nucleic acids and (ii) retrieving the genetic sequences appearing in different articles. These additional query capabilities are provided by a searchable index that we created by using the full text of the 176 672 papers available at PubMed Central at the time of writing and the sequences of nucleic acids appearing in them. To automatically extract the genetic sequences occurring in each paper, we used an original method we have developed. The database is updated monthly by automatically connecting to the PubMed Central FTP site to retrieve and index new manuscripts. Users can query the database via the web interface provided. PubDNA Finder can be freely accessed at http://servet.dia.fi.upm.es:8080/pubdnafinder

Surging Seas Risk Finder: A Tool for Local-Scale Flood Risk Assessments in Coastal Cities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulp, S. A.; Strauss, B.

2015-12-01

Local decision makers in coastal cities require accurate, accessible, and thorough assessments of flood exposure risk within their individual municipality, in their efforts to mitigate against damage due to future sea level rise. To fill this need, we have developed Climate Central's Surging Seas Risk Finder, an interactive data toolkit which presents our sea level rise and storm surge analysis for every coastal town, city, county, and state within the USA. Using this tool, policy makers can easily zoom in on their local place of interest to receive a detailed flood risk assessment, which synthesizes a wide range of features including total population, socially vulnerable population, housing, property value, road miles, power plants, schools, hospitals, and many other critical facilities. Risk Finder can also be used to identify specific points of interest in danger of exposure at different flood levels. Additionally, this tool provides localized storm surge probabilities and sea level rise projections at tidal gauges along the coast, so that users can quickly understand the risk of flooding in their area over the coming decades.

Life Finder Detectors: An Overview of Detector Technologies for Detecting Life on Other Worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rauscher, Bernard J.; Domagal-Goldman, Shawn; Greenhouse, Matthew A.; Hsieh, Wen-Ting; McElwain, Michael W.; Moseley, Samuel H.; Noroozian, Omid; Norton, Tim; Kutyrev, Alexander; Rinehart, Stephen; stock, Joseph

2015-01-01

Future large space telescopes will seek evidence for life on other worlds by searching for spectroscopic biosignatures. Atmospheric biosignature gases include oxygen, ozone, water vapor, and methane. Non-biological gases, including carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, are important for discriminating false positives. All of these gases imprint spectroscopic features in the UV through mid-IR that are potentially detectable using future space based coronagraphs or star shades for starlight suppression.Direct spectroscopic biosignature detection requires sensors capable of robustly measuring photon arrival rates on the order of 10 per resolution element per hour. Photon counting is required for some wavefront sensing and control approaches to achieve the requisite high contrast ratios. We review life finder detector technologies that either exist today, or are under development, that have the potential to meet these challenging requirements. We specifically highlight areas where more work or development is needed.Life finder detectors will be invaluable for a wide variety of other major science programs. Because of its cross cutting nature; UV, optical, and infrared (UVOIR) detector development features prominently in the 2010 National Research Council Decadal Survey, 'New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics', and the NASA Cosmic Origins Program Technology Roadmap.

Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph : technology and mission design studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ford, Virginia G.

2004-01-01

The Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) coronagraph study involves exploring the technologies that enable a coronagraph style instrument to image and characterize earth-like planets orbiting nearby stars. Testbeds have been developed to demonstrate the emerging technologies needed for this effort and an architecture study has resulted in designs of a facility that will provide the environment needed for the technology to function in this role. A broad community of participants is involved in this work through studies, analyses, fabrication of components, and participation in the design effort. The scope of activities - both on the technology side and in the architecture study side - will be presented in this paper. The status and the future plans of the activities will be reviewed.

The Big Bang: UK Young Scientists' and Engineers' Fair 2010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allison, Simon

2010-01-01

The Big Bang: UK Young Scientists' and Engineers' Fair is an annual three-day event designed to promote science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers to young people aged 7-19 through experiential learning. It is supported by stakeholders from business and industry, government and the community, and brings together people from various…

Assessing climate risks across different business sectors and industries: an investigation of methodological challenges at national scale for the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surminski, Swenja; Di Mauro, Manuela; Baglee, J. Alastair R.; Connell, Richenda K.; Hankinson, Joel; Haworth, Anna R.; Ingirige, Bingunath; Proverbs, David

2018-06-01

Climate change poses severe risks for businesses, which companies as well as governments need to understand in order to take appropriate steps to manage those. This, however, represents a significant challenge as climate change risk assessment is itself a complex, dynamic and geographically diverse process. A wide range of factors including the nature of production processes and value chains, the location of business sites as well as relationships and interdependencies with customers and suppliers play a role in determining if and how companies are impacted by climate risks. This research explores the methodological challenges for a national-scale assessment of climate risks through the lens of the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (UKCCRA) process and compares the approaches adopted in the first and second UKCCRA (2011, 2016), while also reflecting on international experiences elsewhere. A review of these issues is presented, drawing on a wide body of contemporary evidence from a range of sources including the research disciplines, grey literature and government policy. The study reveals the methodological challenges and highlights six broad themes, namely scale, evidence base, adaptation responses, scope, interdependencies and public policy. The paper concludes by identifying suitable lessons for future national climate risk assessments, which should guide the next phase of research in preparation for UKCCRA3 and those of national-level risk assessments elsewhere. This article is part of the theme issue `Advances in risk assessment for climate change adaptation policy'.

Assessing climate risks across different business sectors and industries: an investigation of methodological challenges at national scale for the UK.

PubMed

Surminski, Swenja; Di Mauro, Manuela; Baglee, J Alastair R; Connell, Richenda K; Hankinson, Joel; Haworth, Anna R; Ingirige, Bingunath; Proverbs, David

2018-06-13

Climate change poses severe risks for businesses, which companies as well as governments need to understand in order to take appropriate steps to manage those. This, however, represents a significant challenge as climate change risk assessment is itself a complex, dynamic and geographically diverse process. A wide range of factors including the nature of production processes and value chains, the location of business sites as well as relationships and interdependencies with customers and suppliers play a role in determining if and how companies are impacted by climate risks. This research explores the methodological challenges for a national-scale assessment of climate risks through the lens of the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (UKCCRA) process and compares the approaches adopted in the first and second UKCCRA (2011, 2016), while also reflecting on international experiences elsewhere. A review of these issues is presented, drawing on a wide body of contemporary evidence from a range of sources including the research disciplines, grey literature and government policy. The study reveals the methodological challenges and highlights six broad themes, namely scale, evidence base, adaptation responses, scope, interdependencies and public policy. The paper concludes by identifying suitable lessons for future national climate risk assessments, which should guide the next phase of research in preparation for UKCCRA3 and those of national-level risk assessments elsewhere.This article is part of the theme issue 'Advances in risk assessment for climate change adaptation policy'. © 2018 The Author(s).

The future of flood insurance in the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horn, Diane

2013-04-01

Approximately one in seven properties in the UK (3.6 million homes and businesses) are at risk of flooding. The Adaptation Sub-Committee of the UK Committee on Climate Change reported in 2012 that development on the floodplain grew at a faster rate than elsewhere in England over the past ten years, with one in five properties in the floodplain in areas of significant risk. They concluded that current levels of investment will not keep pace with the increasing risk, noting that without additional action, climate change could almost double the number of properties at significant risk by 2035. Flood insurance can contribute to risk reduction by using pricing or restrictions on availability of cover to discourage new development in flood risk areas, or to encourage the uptake of flood resilience measures. The UK insurance market currently offers flood cover as a standard feature of domestic and small business policies, with central government providing physical protection backed up by financial protection provided by the insurance industry. This approach is unusual in not passing all or part of the flood risk to government schemes. At present, flood insurance in the UK is conducted under a series of informal agreements established between the insurance industry and the Government known as the Statement of Principles. Members of the Association of British Insurers (ABI) currently agree to cover homes at risk of flooding in return for government commitment to manage flood risk. However, this arrangement is now under threat, as the insurance industry is increasingly reluctant to bear the financial burden of flooding alone. The current Statement of Principles ends on 30 June 2013 and will not be renewed. High-risk properties may be unable to obtain insurance after the Statement of Principles expires. Unusually, insurers are arguing against a free market solution, arguing that no country in the world provides universal flood cover without some form of government-led support

Technology Plan for the Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawson, Peter R. (Editor); Dooley, Jennifer A. (Editor)

2005-01-01

The technology plan for the Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer (TPF-I) describes the breadth of technology development currently envisaged to enable TPF-I to search for habitable worlds around nearby stars. TPF-I is currently in Pre-Phase A (the Advanced Study Phase) of its development. For planning purposes, it is expected to enter into Phase A in 2010 and be launched sometime before 2020. TPF-I is being developed concurrently with the Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph (TPF-C), whose launch is anticipated in 201 6. The missions are being designed with the capability to detect Earth-like planets should they exist in the habitable zones of Sun-like (F,G, and K) stars out to a distance of about 60 light-years. Each mission will have the starlight-suppression and spectroscopic capability to enable the characterization of extrasolar planetary atmospheres, identifying biomarkers and signs of life. TPF-C is designed as a visible-light coronagraph; TPF-I is designed as a mid-infrared formation-flying interferometer. The two missions, working together, promise to yield unambiguous detections and characterizations of Earth-like planets. The challenges of planet detections with mid-infrared formation-flying interferometry are described within this technology plan. The approach to developing the technology is described through roadmaps that lead from our current state of the art through the different phases of mission development to launch. Technology metrics and milestones are given to measure progress. The emphasis of the plan is development and acquisition of technology during pre-Phase A to establish feasibility of the mission to enter Phase A sometime around 2010. Plans beyond 2010 are outlined. The plan contains descriptions of the development of new component technology as well as testbeds that demonstrate the viability of new techniques and technology required for the mission. Starlight-suppression (nulling) and formation-flying technology are highlighted

PathogenFinder--distinguishing friend from foe using bacterial whole genome sequence data.

PubMed

Cosentino, Salvatore; Voldby Larsen, Mette; Møller Aarestrup, Frank; Lund, Ole

2013-01-01

Although the majority of bacteria are harmless or even beneficial to their host, others are highly virulent and can cause serious diseases, and even death. Due to the constantly decreasing cost of high-throughput sequencing there are now many completely sequenced genomes available from both human pathogenic and innocuous strains. The data can be used to identify gene families that correlate with pathogenicity and to develop tools to predict the pathogenicity of newly sequenced strains, investigations that previously were mainly done by means of more expensive and time consuming experimental approaches. We describe PathogenFinder (http://cge.cbs.dtu.dk/services/PathogenFinder/), a web-server for the prediction of bacterial pathogenicity by analysing the input proteome, genome, or raw reads provided by the user. The method relies on groups of proteins, created without regard to their annotated function or known involvement in pathogenicity. The method has been built to work with all taxonomic groups of bacteria and using the entire training-set, achieved an accuracy of 88.6% on an independent test-set, by correctly classifying 398 out of 449 completely sequenced bacteria. The approach here proposed is not biased on sets of genes known to be associated with pathogenicity, thus the approach could aid the discovery of novel pathogenicity factors. Furthermore the pathogenicity prediction web-server could be used to isolate the potential pathogenic features of both known and unknown strains.

In campus location finder using mobile application services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fai, Low Weng; Audah, Lukman

2017-09-01

Navigation services become very common in this era, the application include Google Map, Waze and etc. Although navigation application contains the main routing service in open area but not all of the buildings are recorded in the database. In this project, an application is made for the indoor and outdoor navigation in Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM). It is used to help outsider and new incoming students by navigating them from their current location to destination using mobile application name "U Finder". Thunkable website has been used to build the application for outdoor and indoor navigation. Outdoor navigation is linked to the Google Map and indoor navigation is using the QR code for positioning and routing picture for navigation. The outdoor navigation can route user to the main faculties in UTHM and indoor navigation is only done for the G1 building in UTHM.

Terrestrial Planet Finder: Coda to 10 Years of Technology Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawson, Peter R.

2009-01-01

The Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) was proposed as a mission concept to the 2000 Decadal Survey, and received a very high ranking amongst the major initiatives that were then reviewed. As proposed, it was a formation flying array of four 3-m class mid-infrared telescopes, linked together as an interferometer. Its science goal was to survey 150 nearby stars for the presence of Earth-like planets, to detect signs of life or habitability, and to enable revolutionary advances in high angular resolution astrophysics. The Decadal Survey Committee recommended that $200M be invested to advance TPF technology development in the Decade of 2000-2010. This paper presents the results of NASA's investment.

IsoCleft Finder – a web-based tool for the detection and analysis of protein binding-site geometric and chemical similarities

PubMed Central

Najmanovich, Rafael

2013-01-01

IsoCleft Finder is a web-based tool for the detection of local geometric and chemical similarities between potential small-molecule binding cavities and a non-redundant dataset of ligand-bound known small-molecule binding-sites. The non-redundant dataset developed as part of this study is composed of 7339 entries representing unique Pfam/PDB-ligand (hetero group code) combinations with known levels of cognate ligand similarity. The query cavity can be uploaded by the user or detected automatically by the system using existing PDB entries as well as user-provided structures in PDB format. In all cases, the user can refine the definition of the cavity interactively via a browser-based Jmol 3D molecular visualization interface. Furthermore, users can restrict the search to a subset of the dataset using a cognate-similarity threshold. Local structural similarities are detected using the IsoCleft software and ranked according to two criteria (number of atoms in common and Tanimoto score of local structural similarity) and the associated Z-score and p-value measures of statistical significance. The results, including predicted ligands, target proteins, similarity scores, number of atoms in common, etc., are shown in a powerful interactive graphical interface. This interface permits the visualization of target ligands superimposed on the query cavity and additionally provides a table of pairwise ligand topological similarities. Similarities between top scoring ligands serve as an additional tool to judge the quality of the results obtained. We present several examples where IsoCleft Finder provides useful functional information. IsoCleft Finder results are complementary to existing approaches for the prediction of protein function from structure, rational drug design and x-ray crystallography. IsoCleft Finder can be found at: http://bcb.med.usherbrooke.ca/isocleftfinder. PMID:24555058

Teenage Pregnancy: An Intensive and Critical Problem in Search of a Solution. Student Fact Finder Leaflet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glover-Smith, Alma

This document presents materials from a course designed to teach adolescents about teenage pregnancy and parenting. The materials are organized into nine modules, each of which contains instructions on how to use the module; a pre- and post-test on the information presented in the module; a fact finder leaflet of information; and relevant…

Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph 2005: Overview of Technology Development and System Design Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ford, Virginia G.

2005-01-01

Technology research, design trades, and modeling and analysis guide the definition of a Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph Mission that will search for and characterize earth-like planets around near-by stars. Operating in visible wavebands, this mission will use coronagraphy techniques to suppress starlight to enable capturing and imaging the reflected light from a planet orbiting in the habitable zone of its parent star. The light will be spectrally characterized to determine the presence of life-indicating chemistry in the planet atmosphere.

Barriers to e-health business processes.

PubMed

Mieczkowska, Suzanne; Hinton, Matthew; Barnes, David

2004-01-01

This paper builds from recent case study research in commercial organisations to develop the hypothesis that many of the barriers to e-health processes are similar to those encountered by commercial businesses. The paper reports findings from a case study within the pathology department of a UK National Health Service (NHS) Trust. The NHS has a risk-averse culture where many individuals practice defensive behaviour and there are deeply embedded working practices. The paper suggests that if the NHS is to seize the opportunities offered by substantial new investments in e-health systems that utilise internet-based ICTs, greater effort needs to be made to understand and address the socio-cultural factors affecting the UK healthcare system.

Applying Foreign Entry Market Strategies to UK Higher Education Transnational Education Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindsay, Victoria; Antoniou, Christos

2016-01-01

We take a multidisciplinary approach mapping the models used by UK higher education (HE) institutions against established international business foreign market entry strategies. We review the conditions in host markets that facilitate market entry and consider how these will determine foreign market entry strategy. We specifically consider four…

Sensitivity of the terrestrial planet finder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beichman, Charles

1998-01-01

A key long-term goal of NASA's Origins program is the detection and characterization of habitable planets orbiting stars within the solar neighborhood. A cold, space-borne interferometer operating in the mid-infrared with a approx. 75 m baseline can null the light of a parent star and detect the million-times fainter radiation from an Earth-like planet located in the "habitable zone" around stars as far as 15 pc away. Such an interferometer, designated the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) by NASA, could even detect atmospheric signatures of species such as CO2, O3, and H2O indicative of either the possibility or presence of primitive life. This talk highlights some of the sensitivity issues affecting the detectability of terrestrial planets. Sensitivity calculations show that a system consisting of 2 m apertures operating at 5 AU or 4 m apertures operating at 1 AU can detect terrestrial planets in reasonable integration times for levels of exo-zodiacal emission up to 10 times that seen in our solar system (hereafter denoted as 10xSS). Additionally, simulations show that confusion noise from structures in the exo-zodiacal cloud should not impede planet detection until the exo-zodiacal emission reaches the 10xSS level.

Enriching the Values of Micro and Small Business Research Projects: Co-Creation Service Provision as Perceived by Academic, Business and Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thatcher, James; Alao, Hanan; Brown, Christopher J.; Choudhary, Shahriar

2016-01-01

The National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (1996) chaired by Lord Dearing envisioned a university sector central to the UK's knowledge-based economy. With successive government support the university-business partnership ideology has been put into practice. Widening participation has increased in emphasis over recent years, providing…

Knowledge Management Systems and Open Innovation in Second Tier UK Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chaston, Ian

2012-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine the performance of second tier UK universities in relation to the effectiveness of their knowledge management systems and involvement in open innovation. Data were acquired using a mail survey of academic staff in social science and business faculties in second tier institutions. The results indicate that…

The Business Model of E-Learning in UK Higher Education: Optimization through Outsourcing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinberg, David Charles

2004-01-01

E-learning is not just an application of technology to teaching, but a new business model for higher education. By approaching e-learning as a business model, educational policymakers can begin to appreciate the scope of the integrated technology and services required to run a successful online degree programme or a blended programme that includes…

Evaluating business value of IT towards optimisation of the application portfolio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Lily; Liu, Kecheng; Indrayani Jambari, Dian; Michell, Vaughan

2016-05-01

Information technology has become heavily embedded in business operations. As business needs change over time, IT applications are expected to continue providing required support. Whether the existing IT applications are still fit for the business purpose they were intended or new IT applications should be introduced is a strategic decision for business, IT and business-aligned IT. In this article, we present a method that aims to analyse business functions and IT roles and to evaluate business-aligned IT from both social and technical perspectives. The method introduces a set of techniques that systematically supports the evaluation of the existing IT applications in relation to their technical capabilities for maximising business value. Furthermore, we discuss the evaluation process and results that are illustrated and validated through a real-life case study of a UK borough council and followed by discussion on implications for researchers and practitioners.

Design, development and validation of a new laryngo-pharyngeal endoscopic esthesiometer and range-finder based on the assessment of air-pulse variability determinants.

PubMed

Giraldo-Cadavid, Luis F; Agudelo-Otalora, Luis Mauricio; Burguete, Javier; Arbulu, Mario; Moscoso, William Daniel; Martínez, Fabio; Ortiz, Andrés Felipe; Diaz, Juan; Pantoja, Jaime A; Rueda-Arango, Andrés Felipe; Fernández, Secundino

2016-05-10

Laryngo-pharyngeal mechano-sensitivity (LPMS) is involved in dysphagia, sleep apnea, stroke, irritable larynx syndrome and cough hypersensitivity syndrome among other disorders. These conditions are associated with a wide range of airway reflex abnormalities. However, the current device for exploring LPMS is limited because it assesses only the laryngeal adductor reflex during fiber-optic endoscopic evaluations of swallowing and requires a high degree of expertise to obtain reliable results, introducing intrinsic expert variability and subjectivity. We designed, developed and validated a new air-pulse laryngo-pharyngeal endoscopic esthesiometer with a built-in laser range-finder (LPEER) based on the evaluation and control of air-pulse variability determinants and on intrinsic observer variability and subjectivity determinants of the distance, angle and site of stimulus impact. The LPEER was designed to be capable of delivering precise and accurate stimuli with a wide range of intensities that can explore most laryngo-pharyngeal reflexes. We initially explored the potential factors affecting the reliability of LPMS tests and included these factors in a multiple linear regression model. The following factors significantly affected the precision and accuracy of the test (P < 0.001): the tube conducting the air-pulses, the supply pressure of the system, the duration of the air-pulses, and the distance and angle between the end of the tube conducting the air-pulses and the site of impact. To control all of these factors, an LPEER consisting of an air-pulse generator and an endoscopic laser range-finder was designed and manufactured. We assessed the precision and accuracy of the LPEER's stimulus and range-finder according to the coefficient of variation (CV) and by looking at the differences between the measured properties and the desired values, and we performed a pilot validation on ten human subjects. The air-pulses and range-finder exhibited good precision and

Application of the FINDER system to the search for epithermal vein gold-silver deposits : Kushikino, Japan, a case study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Singer, Donald A.; Kouda, Ryoichi

1991-01-01

The FINDER system employs geometric probability, Bayesian statistics, and the normal probability density function to integrate spatial and frequency information to produce a map of probabilities of target centers. Target centers can be mineral deposits, alteration associated with mineral deposits, or any other target that can be represented by a regular shape on a two dimensional map. The size, shape, mean, and standard deviation for each variable are characterized in a control area and the results applied by means of FINDER to the study area. The Kushikino deposit consists of groups of quartz-calcite-adularia veins that produced 55 tonnes of gold and 456 tonnes of silver since 1660. Part of a 6 by 10 km area near Kushikino served as a control area. Within the control area, data plotting, contouring, and cluster analysis were used to identify the barren and mineralized populations. Sodium was found to be depleted in an elliptically shaped area 3.1 by 1.6 km, potassium was both depleted and enriched locally in an elliptically shaped area 3.0 by 1.3 km, and sulfur was enriched in an elliptically shaped area 5.8 by 1.6 km. The potassium, sodium, and sulfur content from 233 surface rock samples were each used in FINDER to produce probability maps for the 12 by 30 km study area which includes Kushikino. High probability areas for each of the individual variables are over and offset up to 4 km eastward from the main Kushikino veins. In general, high probability areas identified by FINDER are displaced from the main veins and cover not only the host andesite and the dacite-andesite that is about the same age as the Kushikino mineralization, but also younger sedimentary rocks, andesite, and tuff units east and northeast of Kushikino. The maps also display the same patterns observed near Kushikino, but with somewhat lower probabilities, about 1.5 km east of the old gold prospect, Hajima, and in a broad zone 2.5 km east-west and 1 km north-south, centered 2 km west of the

Rethinking UK Small Employers' Skills Policies and the Role of Workplace Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kitching, John

2008-01-01

Small business employers in the UK are widely perceived as adopting a reactive, ad hoc approach to employee skill formation. Employer reliance on workplace learning is often treated, explicitly or implicitly, as evidence of such an approach. Small employers' approaches to skill creation are investigated using data from two employer samples. Three…

The Project Of Another Low-Cost Metaphase Finder.

PubMed

Furukawa, Akira

2016-12-01

The most popular and 'gold standard' phenomenon in Biological dosimetry is the appearance of dicentric chromosomes in metaphase in white blood cells. The metaphase finder is a tool for biological dosimetry that finds metaphase cells on slide glasses. The author and a software company were using new special software that was faster than conventional systems. A Nikon Eclipse Ni-E microscope with motorised X-Y stage, 4× objective lens and 1920 × 1024 pixels colour camera for hardware were used. The software uses mathematical morphology filters. The new system was compact and low-priced. And the remarkable point is, this system can be applicable not only to human blood, but also to non-human samples. The speed was 208-236 s per 5 × 20 mm area, while capturing 378 images, which achieved the aim of the project. The false-positive ratio achieved below 5% in some slides. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Simulations in site error estimation for direction finders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López, Raúl E.; Passi, Ranjit M.

1991-08-01

The performance of an algorithm for the recovery of site-specific errors of direction finder (DF) networks is tested under controlled simulated conditions. The simulations show that the algorithm has some inherent shortcomings for the recovery of site errors from the measured azimuth data. These limitations are fundamental to the problem of site error estimation using azimuth information. Several ways for resolving or ameliorating these basic complications are tested by means of simulations. From these it appears that for the effective implementation of the site error determination algorithm, one should design the networks with at least four DFs, improve the alignment of the antennas, and increase the gain of the DFs as much as it is compatible with other operational requirements. The use of a nonzero initial estimate of the site errors when working with data from networks of four or more DFs also improves the accuracy of the site error recovery. Even for networks of three DFs, reasonable site error corrections could be obtained if the antennas could be well aligned.

The convergence of European business cycles 1978-2000

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ormerod, Paul; Mounfield, Craig

2002-05-01

The degree of convergence of the business cycles of the economies of the European Union (EU) is a key policy issue. In particular, a substantial degree of convergence is needed if the European Central Bank is to be capable of setting a monetary policy which is appropriate to the stage of the cycle of the Euro zone economies. We consider the annual rates of real GDP growth on a quarterly basis in the large core economies of the EU (France, Germany and Italy, plus The Netherlands) over the period 1978Q1-2000Q3. An important empirical question is the degree to which the correlations between these growth rates contain true information rather than noise. The technique of random matrix theory is able to answer this question, and has been recently applied successfully in the physics journals to financial markets data. We find that the correlations between the growth rates of the core EU economies contain substantial amounts of true information, and exhibit considerable stability over time. Even in the late 1970s and early 1980s, these economies moved together closely over the course of the business cycle. There was a slight loosening at the time of German re-unification, but the economies are now, if anything, even more closely correlated. As a benchmark for comparison, we add a series to the EU core data set which by construction is uncorrelated with these business cycles. We then analyse the EU core plus Spain, a country which has attached great importance to greater integration with Europe. In the early part of the period examined, the results are very similar to those obtained with the data set of the EU core plus the random series. However, there is a clear trend in the results, which provide strong evidence to support the view that the Spanish economy has now become closely converged with the core EU economies in terms of its movements over the business cycle. In contrast, the results obtained with a data set of the EU core plus the UK show no such trend. In the

Ethnic Minority Graduate Entrepreneurs in the UK: Characteristics, Motivation and Access to Finance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hussain, Javed; Millman, Cindy; Scott, Jonathan; Hannon, Paul; Matlay, Harry

2007-01-01

Small ethnic minority businesses make an important contribution to the UK economy, and this is reflected in their rapid growth over the last decade. A considerable proportion of the growth in new venture creation can be attributed to ethnic minority graduates, who increasingly embark on entrepreneurship as a rewarding and fulfilling alternative to…

The Business Benefits of Apprenticeships: The English Employers' Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kenyon, Rod

2005-01-01

Purpose - This paper seeks to present the Apprenticeships Task Forces ATFs evaluation of the business case for recruiting and training apprentices. The focus is on whether they provide employers in the UK with a positive return on investment in key performance areas. Design/methodology/approach - The ATF asked nine members, senior executives of…

Occulting focal plane masks for Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph: design, fabrication, simulations and test results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balasubramanian, Kunjithapatham; Hoppe, Daniel J.; Halverson, Peter G.; Wilson, Daniel W.; Echternach, Pierre M.; Shi, Fang; Lowman, Andrew E.; Niessner, Albert F.; Trauger, John T.; Shaklan, Stuart B.

2005-01-01

Occulting focal plane masks for the Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph (TPF-C) could be designed with continuous gray scale profile of the occulting pattern such as 1-sinc2 on a suitable material or with micron-scale binary transparent and opaque structures of metallic pattern on glass. We have designed, fabricated and tested both kinds of masks. The fundamental characteristics of such masks and initial test results from the High Contrast Imaging Test bed (HCIT) at JPL are presented.

Quality Assurance in UK Higher Education: Issues of Trust, Control, Professional Autonomy and Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoecht, Andreas

2006-01-01

This article explores the issues of trust, control, professional autonomy and accountability in higher education quality assurance in the UK. The main part of this article is conceptual, but it includes results from semi-structured interviews with academic staff that were conducted at two "new university" business schools. Both…

International Entrepreneurship Education: Postgraduate Business Student Experiences of Entrepreneurship Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rae, David; Woodier-Harris, Naomi

2012-01-01

Purpose: International postgraduate education in business-related subjects has grown substantially in the UK. Both MBA and specialist Masters' programmes increasingly offer entrepreneurship as a core or option. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in meeting the expectations and motivations of…

Transitions to material efficiency in the UK steel economy.

PubMed

Allwood, Julian M

2013-03-13

Steel production is energy intensive so already has achieved impressive levels of energy efficiency. If the emissions associated with steel must be reduced in line with the requirements of the UK Climate Change Act, demand for new steel must be reduced. The strategies of 'material efficiency' aim to achieve such a reduction, while delivering the same final services. To meet the emissions targets set into UK law, UK consumption of steel must be reduced to 30 per cent of present levels by 2050. Previous work has revealed six strategies that could contribute to this target, and this paper presents an approximate analysis of the required transition. A macro-economic analysis of steel in the UK shows that while the steel industry is relatively small, the construction and manufacturing sectors are large, and it would be politically unacceptable to pursue options that lead to a major contraction in other sectors. Alternative business models are therefore required, and these are explored through four representative products--one for each final sector with particular emphasis given to options for reducing product weight, and extending product life. Preliminary evidence on the triggers that would lead to customers preferring these options is presented and organized in order to predict required policy measures. The estimated analysis of transitions explored in this paper is used to define target questions for future research in the area.

Social Firms as a means of vocational recovery for people with mental illness: a UK survey.

PubMed

Gilbert, Eleanor; Marwaha, Steven; Milton, Alyssa; Johnson, Sonia; Morant, Nicola; Parsons, Nicholas; Fisher, Adrian; Singh, Swaran; Cunliffe, Di

2013-07-11

Employment is associated with better quality of life and wellbeing in people with mental illness. Unemployment is associated with greater levels of psychological illness and is viewed as a core part of the social exclusion faced by people with mental illness. Social Firms offer paid employment to people with mental illness but are under-investigated in the UK. The aims of this phase of the Social Firms A Route to Recovery (SoFARR) project were to describe the availability and spread of Social Firms across the UK, to outline the range of opportunities Social Firms offer people with severe mental illness and to understand the extent to which they are employed within these firms. A UK national survey of Social Firms, other social enterprises and supported businesses was completed to understand the extent to which they provide paid employment for the mentally ill. A study-specific questionnaire was developed. It covered two broad areas asking employers about the nature of the Social Firm itself and about the employees with mental illness working there. We obtained returns from 76 Social Firms and social enterprises / supported businesses employing 692 people with mental illness. Forty per cent of Social Firms were in the south of England, 24% in the North and the Midlands, 18% in Scotland and 18% in Wales. Other social enterprises/supported businesses were similarly distributed. Trading activities were confined mainly to manufacturing, service industry, recycling, horticulture and catering. The number of employees with mental illness working in Social Firms and other social enterprises/supported businesses was small (median of 3 and 6.5 respectively). Over 50% employed people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, though the greatest proportion of employees with mental illness had depression or anxiety. Over two thirds of Social Firms liaised with mental health services and over a quarter received funding from the NHS or a mental health charity. Most workers with

Social firms as a means of vocational recovery for people with mental illness: a UK survey

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Employment is associated with better quality of life and wellbeing in people with mental illness. Unemployment is associated with greater levels of psychological illness and is viewed as a core part of the social exclusion faced by people with mental illness. Social Firms offer paid employment to people with mental illness but are under-investigated in the UK. The aims of this phase of the Social Firms A Route to Recovery (SoFARR) project were to describe the availability and spread of Social Firms across the UK, to outline the range of opportunities Social Firms offer people with severe mental illness and to understand the extent to which they are employed within these firms. Method A UK national survey of Social Firms, other social enterprises and supported businesses was completed to understand the extent to which they provide paid employment for the mentally ill. A study-specific questionnaire was developed. It covered two broad areas asking employers about the nature of the Social Firm itself and about the employees with mental illness working there. Results We obtained returns from 76 Social Firms and social enterprises / supported businesses employing 692 people with mental illness. Forty per cent of Social Firms were in the south of England, 24% in the North and the Midlands, 18% in Scotland and 18% in Wales. Other social enterprises/supported businesses were similarly distributed. Trading activities were confined mainly to manufacturing, service industry, recycling, horticulture and catering. The number of employees with mental illness working in Social Firms and other social enterprises/supported businesses was small (median of 3 and 6.5 respectively). Over 50% employed people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, though the greatest proportion of employees with mental illness had depression or anxiety. Over two thirds of Social Firms liaised with mental health services and over a quarter received funding from the NHS or a mental health

Risk factors for UK Plasmodium falciparum cases.

PubMed

Pinsent, Amy; Read, Jonathan M; Griffin, Jamie T; Smith, Valerie; Gething, Peter W; Ghani, Azra C; Pasvol, Geoffrey; Hollingsworth, T Déirdre

2014-08-04

An increasing proportion of malaria cases diagnosed in UK residents with a history of travel to malaria endemic areas are due to Plasmodium falciparum. In order to identify travellers at most risk of acquiring malaria a proportional hazards model was used to estimate the risk of acquiring malaria stratified by purpose of travel and age whilst adjusting for entomological inoculation rate (EIR) and duration of stay in endemic countries. Travellers visiting friends and relatives and business travellers were found to have significantly higher hazard of acquiring malaria (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) relative to that of holiday makers 7.4, 95% CI 6.4-8.5, p < 0. 0001 and HR 3.4, 95% CI 2.9-3.8, p < 0. 0001, respectively). All age-groups were at lower risk than children aged 0-15 years. These estimates of the increased risk for business travellers and those visiting friends and relatives should be used to inform programmes to improve awareness of the risks of malaria when travelling.

Reflections on "Creative" Action Learning in Business Education: Some Issues in Its Theory and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brook, Cheryl; Milner, Christopher

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to consider some issues in the uses of what we have termed "creative" action learning in a business education context, and to review some aspects of its practice. A review of the literature, including its use in higher education, is followed by a case illustration of its use in a UK business school with…

Understanding Student Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction: An Interpretive Study in the UK Higher Education Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Douglas, Jacqueline Ann; Douglas, Alexander; McClelland, Robert James; Davies, John

2015-01-01

This article represents a cross-sectional study of undergraduate students across two north-west university business schools in the UK. A purposefully designed questionnaire was collected from 350 students. The student experience was described in the form of hand-written narratives by first and final year students and had been identified by the…

Strategic marketing in the UK tobacco industry.

PubMed

Anderson, Susan; Hastings, Gerard; MacFadyen, Lynn

2002-08-01

Tobacco-industry marketing has played a central part in the global spread of tobacco use and addiction. Although the absolute size of the tobacco market has dwindled, the industry is still immensely successful, largely due to sophisticated and manipulative marketing strategies. The UK tobacco industry identifies target groups and builds enduring relationships based on careful brand management. Potential customers are exposed to brands which are likely to appeal to them most. Tobacco companies tailor their products to target markets by altering the content of tar and nicotine, and by adding flavourings to produce a distinctive taste. Marketing strategies ensure that the products are promoted heavily at the point of sale, and directed advertising and sponsorship agreements are used to increase the visibility of the brand and strengthen its image. Tobacco companies also target non-consumer organisations such as retailers and policy makers with the aim of creating the best possible business environment for tobacco sales. We review published evidence, internal-advertising-agency documents, and observational data about tobacco promotion, and discuss the use of targeted marketing strategies in the UK.

Enceladus Life Finder: the Search for Life in a Habitable Moon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cable, Morgan L.; Clark, Karla; Lunine, Jonathan I.; Postberg, Frank; Reh, Kim; Spilker, Linda; Waite, J. Hunter

2016-01-01

Enceladus is one of the most intriguing bodies in the solar system. In addition to having one of the brightest and youngest surfaces, this small Saturnian moon was recently discovered to have a plume erupting from its south polar terrain and a global subsurface ocean. The Cassini Mission discovered organics and nitrogen-bearing molecules in the plume, as well as salts and silicates that strongly suggest ocean water in contact with a rocky core. However, Cassini's instruments lack sufficient resolution and mass range to determine if these organics are of biotic origin. The Enceladus Life Finder (ELF) is a Discovery-class mission that would use two state-of-the-art mass spectrometers to target the gas and grains of the plume and search for evidence of life in this alien ocean.

Simulation-Based Verification of Autonomous Controllers via Livingstone PathFinder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindsey, A. E.; Pecheur, Charles

2004-01-01

AI software is often used as a means for providing greater autonomy to automated systems, capable of coping with harsh and unpredictable environments. Due in part to the enormous space of possible situations that they aim to addrs, autonomous systems pose a serious challenge to traditional test-based verification approaches. Efficient verification approaches need to be perfected before these systems can reliably control critical applications. This publication describes Livingstone PathFinder (LPF), a verification tool for autonomous control software. LPF applies state space exploration algorithms to an instrumented testbed, consisting of the controller embedded in a simulated operating environment. Although LPF has focused on NASA s Livingstone model-based diagnosis system applications, the architecture is modular and adaptable to other systems. This article presents different facets of LPF and experimental results from applying the software to a Livingstone model of the main propulsion feed subsystem for a prototype space vehicle.

Strengthening Student Engagement with Quantitative Subjects in a Business Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warwick, Jon; Howard, Anna

2014-01-01

This paper reflects on the results of research undertaken at a large UK university relating to the teaching of quantitative subjects within a Business Faculty. It builds on a simple model of student engagement and, through the description of three case studies, describes research undertaken and developments implemented to strengthen aspects of the…

Optimal Jet Finder (v1.0 C++)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chumakov, S.; Jankowski, E.; Tkachov, F. V.

2006-10-01

We describe a C++ implementation of the Optimal Jet Definition for identification of jets in hadronic final states of particle collisions. We explain interface subroutines and provide a usage example. The source code is available from http://www.inr.ac.ru/~ftkachov/projects/jets/. Program summaryTitle of program: Optimal Jet Finder (v1.0 C++) Catalogue identifier: ADSB_v2_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/ADSB_v2_0 Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University of Belfast, N. Ireland Computer: any computer with a standard C++ compiler Tested with:GNU gcc 3.4.2, Linux Fedora Core 3, Intel i686; Forte Developer 7 C++ 5.4, SunOS 5.9, UltraSPARC III+; Microsoft Visual C++ Toolkit 2003 (compiler 13.10.3077, linker 7.10.30777, option /EHsc), Windows XP, Intel i686. Programming language used: C++ Memory required:˜1 MB (or more, depending on the settings) No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 3047 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 17 884 Distribution format: tar.gz Nature of physical problem: Analysis of hadronic final states in high energy particle collision experiments often involves identification of hadronic jets. A large number of hadrons detected in the calorimeter is reduced to a few jets by means of a jet finding algorithm. The jets are used in further analysis which would be difficult or impossible when applied directly to the hadrons. Grigoriev et al. [D.Yu. Grigoriev, E. Jankowski, F.V. Tkachov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 91 (2003) 061801] provide brief introduction to the subject of jet finding algorithms and a general review of the physics of jets can be found in [R. Barlow, Rep. Prog. Phys. 36 (1993) 1067]. Method of solution: The software we provide is an implementation of the so-called Optimal Jet Definition (OJD). The theory of OJD was developed in [F.V. Tkachov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 73 (1994) 2405; Erratum, Phys. Rev. Lett. 74 (1995) 2618; F.V. Tkachov, Int. J. Modern Phys

Formative Feedback in a Business School: Understanding the Student Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poppitt, Nicola J.; Iqbal, Yasser

2009-01-01

Inspired by a desire to improve the student experience, this paper reviews primary research carried out into the use of formative feedback within a Business School at a "new" university in the UK. The research adopted a qualitative approach with key objectives to gain staff and student perspectives on the role and practice of feedback…

UK Environmental Prediction - integration and evaluation at the convective scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, Huw; Brunet, Gilbert; Harris, Chris; Best, Martin; Saulter, Andrew; Holt, Jason; Bricheno, Lucy; Brerton, Ashley; Reynard, Nick; Blyth, Eleanor; Martinez de la Torre, Alberto

2015-04-01

It has long been understood that accurate prediction and warning of the impacts of severe weather requires an integrated approach to forecasting. This was well demonstrated in the UK throughout winter 2013/14 when an exceptional run of severe winter storms, often with damaging high winds and intense rainfall led to significant damage from the large waves and storm surge along coastlines, and from saturated soils, high river flows and significant flooding inland. The substantial impacts on individuals, businesses and infrastructure indicate a pressing need to understand better the value that might be delivered through more integrated environmental prediction. To address this need, the Met Office, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and National Oceanography Centre have begun to develop the foundations of a coupled high resolution probabilistic forecast system for the UK at km-scale. This links together existing model components of the atmosphere, coastal ocean, land surface and hydrology. Our initial focus on a 2-year Prototype project will demonstrate the UK coupled prediction concept in research mode, including an analysis of the winter 2013/14 storms and its impacts. By linking science development to operational collaborations such as the UK Natural Hazards Partnership, we can ensure that science priorities are rooted in user requirements. This presentation will provide an overview of UK environmental prediction activities and an update on progress during the first year of the Prototype project. We will present initial results from the coupled model development and discuss the challenges to realise the potential of integrated regional coupled forecasting for improving predictions and applications.

Impact of Cultural Exposure on Young Chinese Students' Adaptation in a UK Business School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Yi; Harding, Richard; Mai, Li-Wei

2012-01-01

This study examines young Chinese students' (born post 1985) adaptation to cultural exposure in the UK. Built from data collected from in-depth interviews, the research establishes that, through direct communication with students from various cultural backgrounds during teamwork, the Chinese students adapt to varying degrees in ideology,…

Optimization of Planet Finder Observing Strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinukoff, E.

2014-03-01

We evaluate radial velocity observing strategies to be considered for future planethunting surveys with the Automated Planet Finder, a new 2.4-m telescope at Lick Observatory. Observing strategies can be optimized to mitigate stellar noise, which can mask and imitate the weak Doppler signals of low-mass planets. We estimate and compare sensitivities of 5 different observing strategies to planets around G2-M2 dwarfs, constructing RV noise models for each stellar spectral type, accounting for acoustic, granulation, and magnetic activity modes. The strategies differ in exposure time, nightly and monthly cadence, and number of years. Synthetic RV time-series are produced by injecting a planet signal onto the stellar noise, sampled according to each observing strategy. For each star and each observing strategy, thousands of planet injection recovery trials are conducted to determine the detection efficiency as a function of orbital period, minimum mass, and eccentricity. We find that 4-year observing strategies of 10 nights per month are sensitive to planets ~25-40% lower in mass than the corresponding 1 year strategies of 30 nights per month. Three 5-minute exposures spaced evenly throughout each night provide a 10% gain in sensitivity over the corresponding single 15-minute exposure strategies. All strategies are sensitive to planets of lowest mass around the modeled K7 dwarf. This study indicates that APF surveys adopting the 4-year strategies should detect Earth-mass planets on < 10-day orbits around quiet late-K dwarfs as well as > 1.6 Earth-mass planets in their habitable zones.

Placement Learning in the Creative Industries: Engaging Students with Micro-Businesses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McConnell, Catherine

2010-01-01

This paper outlines an action research project developed to investigate the gap in teaching and learning placement materials available to students, academics and practitioners in the art, design and media sector, particularly with respect to micro-businesses. Previous research, funded by the UK's Higher Education Subject Centre for Art Design…

A comparative assessment of waste incinerators in the UK.

PubMed

Nixon, J D; Wright, D G; Dey, P K; Ghosh, S K; Davies, P A

2013-11-01

The uptake in Europe of Energy from Waste (EfW) incinerator plants has increased rapidly in recent years. In the UK, 25 municipal waste incinerators with energy recovery are now in operation; however, their waste supply chains and business practices vary significantly. With over a hundred more plant developments being considered it is important to establish best business practices for ensuring efficient environmental and operational performance. By reviewing the 25 plants we identify four suitable case study plants to compare technologies (moving grate, fluidised bed and rotary kiln), plant economics and operations. Using data collected from annual reports and through interviews and site visits we provide recommendations for improving the supply chain for waste incinerators and highlight the current issues and challenges faced by the industry. We find that plants using moving grate have a high availability of 87-92%. However, compared to the fluidised bed and rotary kiln, quantities of bottom ash and emissions of hydrogen chloride and carbon monoxide are high. The uptake of integrated recycling practices, combined heat and power, and post incineration non-ferrous metal collections needs to be increased among EfW incinerators in the UK. We conclude that one of the major difficulties encountered by waste facilities is the appropriate selection of technology, capacity, site, waste suppliers and heat consumers. This study will be of particular value to EfW plant developers, government authorities and researchers working within the sector of waste management. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

M-Finder: Uncovering functionally associated proteins from interactome data integrated with GO annotations

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) play a key role in understanding the mechanisms of cellular processes. The availability of interactome data has catalyzed the development of computational approaches to elucidate functional behaviors of proteins on a system level. Gene Ontology (GO) and its annotations are a significant resource for functional characterization of proteins. Because of wide coverage, GO data have often been adopted as a benchmark for protein function prediction on the genomic scale. Results We propose a computational approach, called M-Finder, for functional association pattern mining. This method employs semantic analytics to integrate the genome-wide PPIs with GO data. We also introduce an interactive web application tool that visualizes a functional association network linked to a protein specified by a user. The proposed approach comprises two major components. First, the PPIs that have been generated by high-throughput methods are weighted in terms of their functional consistency using GO and its annotations. We assess two advanced semantic similarity metrics which quantify the functional association level of each interacting protein pair. We demonstrate that these measures outperform the other existing methods by evaluating their agreement to other biological features, such as sequence similarity, the presence of common Pfam domains, and core PPIs. Second, the information flow-based algorithm is employed to discover a set of proteins functionally associated with the protein in a query and their links efficiently. This algorithm reconstructs a functional association network of the query protein. The output network size can be flexibly determined by parameters. Conclusions M-Finder provides a useful framework to investigate functional association patterns with any protein. This software will also allow users to perform further systematic analysis of a set of proteins for any specific function. It is available online at http

Risk factors for UK Plasmodium falciparum cases

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background An increasing proportion of malaria cases diagnosed in UK residents with a history of travel to malaria endemic areas are due to Plasmodium falciparum. Methods In order to identify travellers at most risk of acquiring malaria a proportional hazards model was used to estimate the risk of acquiring malaria stratified by purpose of travel and age whilst adjusting for entomological inoculation rate (EIR) and duration of stay in endemic countries. Results Travellers visiting friends and relatives and business travellers were found to have significantly higher hazard of acquiring malaria (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) relative to that of holiday makers 7.4, 95% CI 6.4–8.5, p < 0. 0001 and HR 3.4, 95% CI 2.9-3.8, p < 0. 0001, respectively). All age-groups were at lower risk than children aged 0–15 years. Conclusions These estimates of the increased risk for business travellers and those visiting friends and relatives should be used to inform programmes to improve awareness of the risks of malaria when travelling. PMID:25091803

Relational Capabilities to Leverage New Knowledge: Managing Directors' Perceptions in UK and Portugal Old Industrial Regions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martins, Jorge Tiago

2016-01-01

Purpose: Focusing on the specific context of two European old industrial regions--South Yorkshire (UK) and North Region of Portugal--this paper aims to identify and conceptualise a set of relational capabilities that business leaders perceive to play a key role in industrial rejuvenation. Design/Methodology/Approach: A qualitative research design…

Commercial and Corporate Activities of New University Business Schools: A Critical Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prince, Christopher; Beaver, Graham

2004-01-01

Commercial and corporate activities and the income they generate are of increasing importance to all UK higher education institutions. For new or modern university business schools in particular, the falling unit of resource attaching to undergraduate student teaching income and the virtual disappearance of research revenues as a result of the…

Characterising freeze in the UK: applications for the insurance industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raven, E. K.; Keef, C.; Busby, K.

2012-04-01

The UK winters of 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 were characterised by prolonged and widespread low temperatures. This was challenging for the UK insurance industry and organisations such as the emergency services, the Highways Agency and British Gas who had to manage the extra demands that resulted. In the 6-day period running to Christmas Eve 2010, British Gas reported 100,000 boiler repair call-outs, whilst those 190,000 homes and businesses left with frozen and subsequently burst pipes contributed to the ABI's estimated £ 900 million in insured losses for December 2010 alone; the highest payout by the industry for damages associated with cold weather. Unfortunately, the severity of these winters made the difference between profit and loss for some primary UK insurance companies. To enable better pricing of premiums in the future, insurance companies are looking to understand the potential risk from cold waves at a local, postcode-level, whilst reinsurance firms seek to determine the accumulated loss across the UK associated with spatially coherent events. Other industry sectors also strive to improve their understanding of weather extremes for planning and management. Underpinning this is the need to statistically characterise the physical hazard. Aimed primarily at the re/insurance industry, we have applied an established methodology for developing statistical event sets and applied this to generate a UK freeze event set. An event set provides a stochastic set of several thousand events over 10's of 1000's of years and is typically applied within probabilistic catastrophe models. Our method applies extreme value theory and dependence modelling to explain low-temperature relationships across the UK and over time using historical records. The resulting event set represents the spatial and temporal dependence of cold waves in the UK and is modelled against household factors that increase the vulnerability to freezing conditions, such as property type, age and condition

The ecological research needs of business

PubMed Central

Armsworth, Paul R; Armsworth, Anastasia N; Compton, Natalie; Cottle, Phil; Davies, Ian; Emmett, Bridget A; Fandrich, Vanessa; Foote, Matthew; Gaston, Kevin J; Gardiner, Phil; Hess, Tim; Hopkins, John; Horsley, Nick; Leaver, Natasha; Maynard, Trevor; Shannon, Delia

2010-01-01

Businesses have an unrivalled ability to mobilize human, physical and financial capital, often manage large land holdings, and draw on resources and supply products that impact a wide array of ecosystems. Businesses therefore have the potential to make a substantial contribution to arresting declines in biodiversity and ecosystem services. To realize this potential, businesses require support from researchers in applied ecology to inform how they measure and manage their impacts on, and opportunities presented to them by, biodiversity and ecosystem services. We reviewed papers in leading applied ecology journals to assess the research contribution from existing collaborations involving businesses. We reviewed applications to, and grants funded by, the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council for evidence of public investment in such collaborations. To scope opportunities for expanding collaborations with businesses, we conducted workshops with three sectors (mining and quarrying, insurance and manufacturing) in which participants identified exemplar ecological research questions of interest to their sector. Ten to fifteen per cent of primary research papers in Journal of Applied Ecology and Ecological Applications evidenced business involvement, mostly focusing on traditional rural industries (farming, fisheries and forestry). The review of UK research council funding found that 35% of applications mentioned business engagement, while only 1% of awarded grants met stricter criteria of direct business involvement. Some questions identified in the workshops aim to reduce costs from businesses’ impacts on the environment and others to allow businesses to exploit new opportunities. Some questions are designed to inform long-term planning undertaken by businesses, but others would have more immediate commercial applications. Finally, some research questions are designed to streamline and make more effective those environmental policies that affect businesses

Stakeholder perspectives on managing the occupational health of UK business drivers: a qualitative approach.

PubMed

Sang, Katherine J C; Gyi, Diane E; Haslam, Cheryl O

2011-03-01

Musculoskeletal disorders are one of the leading causes of work related ill health and sickness absence. Those who drive as part of their job may be at particular risk, with evidence suggesting that prolonged exposure to driving is associated with increased absence from work due to low back pain. Business drivers often work away from a traditional office environment. Such mobile working may pose greater risks to occupational health due to increased ergonomic risks, for example working from the car, longer working hours and a lack of concern amongst drivers about health and safety. It has been suggested that occupational health practices have not adapted to meet the needs of peripatetic workers. The current study explored how occupational health services are delivered to business drivers. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with a sample of 31 stakeholders in 4 organisations. Respondents included, health and safety professionals, occupational health nurses, fleet managers and high mileage business drivers. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using 'Template Analysis'. The data revealed that, within these organisations, the provision of occupational health services was often fragmented and drivers and other key stakeholders were often unaware of the existing systems within their organisations. The peripatetic nature of business drivers meant that they were difficult for occupational health teams to reach. The paper concludes by presenting recommendations for occupational health professionals and researchers engaged with improving the health of peripatetic workers, namely that occupational health policies should be integrated in company strategy and widely disseminated to drivers and those with responsibility for managing their occupational health provision. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

The Convergence of European Business Cycles 1980--2004

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ormerod, P.

2005-09-01

The degree of convergence of the business cycles of the economies of the European Union is a key policy issue. In particular, a substantial degree of convergence is needed if the European Central Bank is to be capable of setting a monetary policy which is appropriate to the stage of the cycle of the Euro zone economies. I consider the annual rates of real GDP growth on a quarterly basis in the main economies of the EU (France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands) over the period 1980Q1--2004Q4. An important empirical question is the degree to which the correlations between these growth rates contain true information rather than noise. The technique of random matrix theory is able to answer this question, and has been applied successfully in the physics journals to financial markets data. I find that the correlations between the growth rates of most of the core EU economies contain substantial amounts of true information, and exhibit considerable stability over time. Even in the late 1970s and early 1980s, these economies moved together closely over the course of the business cycle. There was a slight loosening at the time of German re-unification, but the economies have moved back into close synchronisation. The same result holds when Spain is added to the group of core EU countries. However, the problems of the German economy which arose from the early 1990s onwards has led to Germany becoming increasingly less synchronised with the rest of the core EU. Further, the results obtained with a data set of the converged EU core plus the UK show no real convergence between the UK and this group of economies.

Mentoring for Business Engagement as Continuing Professional Development of University Academic Staff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helyer, Ruth; Lee, Dionne

2012-01-01

This paper reports an innovative continuing professional development (CPD) project for academic staff in a UK university. The aim of the project is to develop academics' skills in relating to the business environment. The project has a number of strands, but the principal focus of this paper is upon a mentoring initiative. Much CPD in universities…

The Impediments to the Change to UK University Accounting Education, a Comparison to the USA Pathways Commission

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellington, Peter

2017-01-01

There is much debate in the literature concerning the changes necessary for university accounting education to meet the needs of the business environment and broader society. In the USA the Pathways Commission has responded by implementing a programme of evaluation and improvement. In the UK there is no formal agenda for change. This paper…

KF-finder: identification of key factors from host-microbial networks in cervical cancer.

PubMed

Hu, Jialu; Gao, Yiqun; Zheng, Yan; Shang, Xuequn

2018-04-24

The human body is colonized by a vast number of microbes. Microbiota can benefit many normal life processes, but can also cause many diseases by interfering the regular metabolism and immune system. Recent studies have demonstrated that the microbial community is closely associated with various types of cell carcinoma. The search for key factors, which also refer to cancer causing agents, can provide an important clue in understanding the regulatory mechanism of microbiota in uterine cervix cancer. In this paper, we investigated microbiota composition and gene expression data for 58 squamous and adenosquamous cell carcinoma. A host-microbial covariance network was constructed based on the 16s rRNA and gene expression data of the samples, which consists of 259 abundant microbes and 738 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). To search for risk factors from host-microbial networks, the method of bi-partite betweenness centrality (BpBC) was used to measure the risk of a given node to a certain biological process in hosts. A web-based tool KF-finder was developed, which can efficiently query and visualize the knowledge of microbiota and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the network. Our results suggest that prevotellaceade, tissierellaceae and fusobacteriaceae are the most abundant microbes in cervical carcinoma, and the microbial community in cervical cancer is less diverse than that of any other boy sites in health. A set of key risk factors anaerococcus, hydrogenophilaceae, eubacterium, PSMB10, KCNIP1 and KRT13 have been identified, which are thought to be involved in the regulation of viral response, cell cycle and epithelial cell differentiation in cervical cancer. It can be concluded that permanent changes of microbiota composition could be a major force for chromosomal instability, which subsequently enables the effect of key risk factors in cancer. All our results described in this paper can be freely accessed from our website at http://www.nwpu-bioinformatics.com/KF-finder/ .

An Introduction to ESERO-UK, the UK Space Education Office

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clements, Allan; Mather, Edward

2012-01-01

This article introduces the UK branch of the European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO-UK), also known as the UK Space Education Office. It is a teaching project designed to use space to enthuse primary and secondary students to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. The office is funded by the European Space…

Implementing business continuity management systems and sharing best practices at a European bank.

PubMed

Aronis, Stelios; Stratopoulos, Georgios

2016-01-01

This paper provides an overview of the methodology applied by the Alpha Bank Group in order to implement a business continuity management (BCM) programme to its parent company (Alpha Bank SA), as well as to its subsidiaries in Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Greece, Romania, Serbia, UK and Ukraine. It also reviews the problems faced, how they were overcome and the lessons learned. When implementing a BCM programme in a large organisation, it is very important to follow the methodology described by BCM standard ISO 22301, otherwise the business continuity plan is unlikely to work efficiently or comply with the business recovery requirements, as well as with the requirements of other interested parties, such as customers, regulatory authorities, vendors, service providers, critical associates, etc.

LC-IMS-MS Feature Finder. Detecting Multidimensional Liquid Chromatography, Ion Mobility, and Mass Spectrometry Features in Complex Datasets

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

Crowell, Kevin L.; Slysz, Gordon W.; Baker, Erin Shammel

2013-09-05

We introduce a command line software application LC-IMS-MS Feature Finder that searches for molecular ion signatures in multidimensional liquid chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (LC-IMS-MS) data by clustering deisotoped peaks with similar monoisotopic mass, charge state, LC elution time, and ion mobility drift time values. The software application includes an algorithm for detecting and quantifying co-eluting chemical species, including species that exist in multiple conformations that may have been separated in the IMS dimension.

Range estimation techniques in single-station thunderstorm warning sensors based upon gated, wideband, magnetic direction finder technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pifer, Alburt E.; Hiscox, William L.; Cummins, Kenneth L.; Neumann, William T.

1991-01-01

Gated, wideband, magnetic direction finders (DFs) were originally designed to measure the bearing of cloud-to-ground lightning relative to the sensor. A recent addition to this device uses proprietary waveform discrimination logic to select return stroke signatures and certain range dependent features in the waveform to provide an estimate of range of flashes within 50 kms. The enhanced ranging techniques are discussed which were designed and developed for use in single station thunderstorm warning sensor. Included are the results of on-going evaluations being conducted under a variety of meteorological and geographic conditions.

The Development and Positioning of Business Related University Tourism Education: A UK Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Nigel

2001-01-01

Categorization and analysis of articles on tourism research provided evidence that tourism is not a discipline but a field. A case study of a travel and tourism management program at a British university shows how business studies are emphasized in preparing for the field. (Contains 50 references.) (SK)

A Gendered Approach to Science Ethics for US and UK Physicists.

PubMed

Ecklund, Elaine Howard; Di, Di

2017-02-01

Some research indicates that women professionals-when compared to men-may be more ethical in the workplace. Existing literature that discusses gender and ethics is confined to the for-profit business sector and primarily to a US context. In particular, there is little attention paid to gender and ethics in science professions in a global context. This represents a significant gap, as science is a rapidly growing and global professional sector, as well as one with ethically ambiguous areas. Adopting an international comparative perspective, this paper relies on 121 semi-structured interviews with US and UK academic physicists to examine how physicists perceive the impact of gender on science ethics. Findings indicate that some US and UK physicists believe that female scientists handle ethical issues within science in a feminine way whereas their male colleagues approach ethics in a masculine way. Some of these physicists further claim that these different approaches to science ethics lead to male and female scientists' different levels of competitiveness in academic physics. In both the US and the UK, there are "gender-blind" physicists, who do not think gender is related to professional ethics. Relying on physicists' nuanced descriptions this paper contributes to the current understanding of gender and science and engineering ethics.

Everywhere in Japan: an international approach to working with commercial gay businesses in HIV prevention.

PubMed

Sherriff, Nigel; Koerner, Jane; Kaneko, Noriyo; Shiono, Satoshi; Takaku, Michiko; Boseley, Ross; Ichikawa, Seiichi

2017-06-01

In the UK and Japan, there is concern regarding rising rates of annual new HIV infections among Men who have Sex with Men (MSM). Whilst in the UK and Europe, gay businesses are increasingly recognized as being important settings through which to deliver HIV prevention and health promotion interventions to target vulnerable populations; in Japan such settings-based approaches are relatively underdeveloped. This article draws on qualitative data from a recently completed study conducted to explore whether it is feasible, acceptable and desirable to build on the recent European Everywhere project for adaptation and implementation in Japan. A series of expert workshops were conducted in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka with intersectoral representatives from Japanese and UK non-governmental organizations (NGOs), gay businesses, universities and gay communities (n = 46). Further discussion groups and meetings were held with NGO members and researchers from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Research Group on HIV Prevention Policy, Programme Implementation and Evaluation among MSM (n = 34). The results showed that it is desirable, feasible and acceptable to adapt and implement a Japanese version of Everywhere. Such a practical, policy-relevant, settings-based HIV prevention framework for gay businesses may help to facilitate the necessary scale up of prevention responses among MSM in Japan. Given the high degree of sexual mobility between countries in Asia, there is considerable potential for the Everywhere Project (or its Japanese variant) to be expanded and adapted to other countries within the Asia-Pacific region. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Government as Institutional Entrepreneur: Extending Working Life in the UK and Japan.

PubMed

Flynn, Matthew; Schröder, Heike; Higo, Masa; Yamada, Atsuhiro

2014-07-01

Through the lens of Institutional Entrepreneurship, this paper discusses how governments use the levers of power afforded through business and welfare systems to affect change in the organisational management of older workers. It does so using national stakeholder interviews in two contrasting economies: the United Kingdom and Japan. Both governments have taken a 'light-touch' approach to work and retirement. However, the highly institutionalised Japanese system affords the government greater leverage than that of the liberal UK system in changing employer practices at the workplace level.

Perceptions of the News Media's Societal Roles: How the Views of U.K. Journalism Students Changed during Their Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanna, Mark; Sanders, Karen

2012-01-01

A longitudinal study of U.K. journalism undergraduates records how their attitudes on societal roles of the news media changed during university education. Students became more likely to endorse an adversarial approach toward public officials and businesses as extremely important. Yet students did not support these roles as strongly as an older…

UK Environmental Prediction - integration and evaluation at the convective scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fallmann, Joachim; Lewis, Huw; Castillo, Juan Manuel; Pearson, David; Harris, Chris; Saulter, Andy; Bricheno, Lucy; Blyth, Eleanor

2016-04-01

Traditionally, the simulation of regional ocean, wave and atmosphere components of the Earth System have been considered separately, with some information on other components provided by means of boundary or forcing conditions. More recently, the potential value of a more integrated approach, as required for global climate and Earth System prediction, for regional short-term applications has begun to gain increasing research effort. In the UK, this activity is motivated by an understanding that accurate prediction and warning of the impacts of severe weather requires an integrated approach to forecasting. The substantial impacts on individuals, businesses and infrastructure of such events indicate a pressing need to understand better the value that might be delivered through more integrated environmental prediction. To address this need, the Met Office, NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and NERC National Oceanography Centre have begun to develop the foundations of a coupled high resolution probabilistic forecast system for the UK at km-scale. This links together existing model components of the atmosphere, coastal ocean, land surface and hydrology. Our initial focus has been on a 2-year Prototype project to demonstrate the UK coupled prediction concept in research mode. This presentation will provide an update on UK environmental prediction activities. We will present the results from the initial implementation of an atmosphere-land-ocean coupled system, including a new eddy-permitting resolution ocean component, and discuss progress and initial results from further development to integrate wave interactions in this relatively high resolution system. We will discuss future directions and opportunities for collaboration in environmental prediction, and the challenges to realise the potential of integrated regional coupled forecasting for improving predictions and applications.

The impact of the business cycle on occupational injuries in the UK.

PubMed

Davies, Rhys; Jones, Paul; Nuñez, Imanol

2009-07-01

This paper investigates the cyclical fluctuations in rates of workplace injury for the UK from 1986 to 2005. Time series analysis shows that, in aggregate terms, the rate of minor injuries is pro-cyclical whilst the rate of major injury is not affected by the level of economic activity. Analysis by sector reveals that cyclical fluctuations are sharper in the construction and manufacturing sectors. Using panel data, we find that fluctuations in both the rates of minor and major injury are related to the level of new hiring and the ratio of actual to usual hours worked. However, only minor injuries are related to variables that control for workers' bargaining power. The analysis demonstrates the importance of both compositional effects and individual reporting behaviour to understanding cyclical variations in workplace injury rates.

Business/Marketing Education. Business Analysis/Business Computer Applications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Education Dept., Albany. Div. of Occupational Education Programs.

This document contains 12 modules: 4 on business analysis and 8 on business computer applications. The business analysis modules are as follows: (1) the framework of business; (2) universal activities of business; (3) selected business subsystems; and (4) your place in business. Computer applications modules are on the following topics: (1)…

Developing the Reflective Practitioner: Placement and the Ways of Knowing of Business and Accounting Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucas, Ursula; Tan, Phaik Leng

2014-01-01

This study aims to identify how students' epistemological beliefs or ways of knowing (comprising cognitive, intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects) develop during work-based placement. Data comprise 32 semi-structured interviews with 17 business and accounting students at a UK university. Findings show that the taking of responsibility is the key…

Connecting Entrepreneurial and Action Learning in Student-Initiated New Business Ventures: The Case of SPEED

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rae, David

2009-01-01

The Student Placements for Entrepreneurs in Education (SPEED) project ran in 12 higher education institutes in the UK between 2006 and 2008, providing an innovative, action learning-based route that enabled students to start new business ventures as self-started work experience, and has influenced successor programmes. The paper addresses three…

Modelling future impacts of air pollution using the multi-scale UK Integrated Assessment Model (UKIAM).

PubMed

Oxley, Tim; Dore, Anthony J; ApSimon, Helen; Hall, Jane; Kryza, Maciej

2013-11-01

Integrated assessment modelling has evolved to support policy development in relation to air pollutants and greenhouse gases by providing integrated simulation tools able to produce quick and realistic representations of emission scenarios and their environmental impacts without the need to re-run complex atmospheric dispersion models. The UK Integrated Assessment Model (UKIAM) has been developed to investigate strategies for reducing UK emissions by bringing together information on projected UK emissions of SO2, NOx, NH3, PM10 and PM2.5, atmospheric dispersion, criteria for protection of ecosystems, urban air quality and human health, and data on potential abatement measures to reduce emissions, which may subsequently be linked to associated analyses of costs and benefits. We describe the multi-scale model structure ranging from continental to roadside, UK emission sources, atmospheric dispersion of emissions, implementation of abatement measures, integration with European-scale modelling, and environmental impacts. The model generates outputs from a national perspective which are used to evaluate alternative strategies in relation to emissions, deposition patterns, air quality metrics and ecosystem critical load exceedance. We present a selection of scenarios in relation to the 2020 Business-As-Usual projections and identify potential further reductions beyond those currently being planned. © 2013.

PLAB and UK graduates' performance on MRCP(UK) and MRCGP examinations: data linkage study.

PubMed

McManus, I C; Wakeford, Richard

2014-04-17

To assess whether international medical graduates passing the two examinations set by the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB1 and PLAB2) of the General Medical Council (GMC) are equivalent to UK graduates at the end of the first foundation year of medical training (F1), as the GMC requires, and if not, to assess what changes in the PLAB pass marks might produce equivalence. Data linkage of GMC PLAB performance data with data from the Royal Colleges of Physicians and the Royal College of General Practitioners on performance of PLAB graduates and UK graduates at the MRCP(UK) and MRCGP examinations. Doctors in training for internal medicine or general practice in the United Kingdom. 7829, 5135, and 4387 PLAB graduates on their first attempt at MRCP(UK) Part 1, Part 2, and PACES assessments from 2001 to 2012 compared with 18,532, 14,094, and 14,376 UK graduates taking the same assessments; 3160 PLAB1 graduates making their first attempt at the MRCGP AKT during 2007-12 compared with 14,235 UK graduates; and 1411 PLAB2 graduates making their first attempt at the MRCGP CSA during 2010-12 compared with 6935 UK graduates. Performance at MRCP(UK) Part 1, Part 2, and PACES assessments, and MRCGP AKT and CSA assessments in relation to performance on PLAB1 and PLAB2 assessments, as well as to International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores. MRCP(UK), MRCGP, and PLAB results were analysed as marks relative to the pass mark at the first attempt. PLAB1 marks were a valid predictor of MRCP(UK) Part 1, MRCP(UK) Part 2, and MRCGP AKT (r=0.521, 0.390, and 0.490; all P<0.001). PLAB2 marks correlated with MRCP(UK) PACES and MRCGP CSA (r=0.274, 0.321; both P<0.001). PLAB graduates had significantly lower MRCP(UK) and MRCGP assessments (Glass's Δ=0.94, 0.91, 1.40, 1.01, and 1.82 for MRCP(UK) Part 1, Part 2, and PACES and MRCGP AKT and CSA), and were more likely to fail assessments and to progress more slowly than UK medical graduates. IELTS scores correlated

PLAB and UK graduates’ performance on MRCP(UK) and MRCGP examinations: data linkage study

PubMed Central

Wakeford, Richard

2014-01-01

Objectives To assess whether international medical graduates passing the two examinations set by the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB1 and PLAB2) of the General Medical Council (GMC) are equivalent to UK graduates at the end of the first foundation year of medical training (F1), as the GMC requires, and if not, to assess what changes in the PLAB pass marks might produce equivalence. Design Data linkage of GMC PLAB performance data with data from the Royal Colleges of Physicians and the Royal College of General Practitioners on performance of PLAB graduates and UK graduates at the MRCP(UK) and MRCGP examinations. Setting Doctors in training for internal medicine or general practice in the United Kingdom. Participants 7829, 5135, and 4387 PLAB graduates on their first attempt at MRCP(UK) Part 1, Part 2, and PACES assessments from 2001 to 2012 compared with 18 532, 14 094, and 14 376 UK graduates taking the same assessments; 3160 PLAB1 graduates making their first attempt at the MRCGP AKT during 2007-12 compared with 14 235 UK graduates; and 1411 PLAB2 graduates making their first attempt at the MRCGP CSA during 2010-12 compared with 6935 UK graduates. Main outcome measures Performance at MRCP(UK) Part 1, Part 2, and PACES assessments, and MRCGP AKT and CSA assessments in relation to performance on PLAB1 and PLAB2 assessments, as well as to International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores. MRCP(UK), MRCGP, and PLAB results were analysed as marks relative to the pass mark at the first attempt. Results PLAB1 marks were a valid predictor of MRCP(UK) Part 1, MRCP(UK) Part 2, and MRCGP AKT (r=0.521, 0.390, and 0.490; all P<0.001). PLAB2 marks correlated with MRCP(UK) PACES and MRCGP CSA (r=0.274, 0.321; both P<0.001). PLAB graduates had significantly lower MRCP(UK) and MRCGP assessments (Glass’s Δ=0.94, 0.91, 1.40, 1.01, and 1.82 for MRCP(UK) Part 1, Part 2, and PACES and MRCGP AKT and CSA), and were more likely to fail assessments

Chance UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGrath, Gracia

2003-01-01

Chance UK is a unique charity in the UK that specialises in mentoring programmes for primary schoolchildren with behavioural problems. It was founded in 1995 by a policeman, Chief Superintendent Paul Mathias, who believed that by stepping in early, young children with behavioural difficulties could be given the chance to develop the necessary…

Analogous detection of circulating tumor cells using the AccuCyte® -CyteFinder® system and ISET system in patients with locally advanced and metastatic prostate cancer.

PubMed

van der Toom, Emma E; Groot, Vincent P; Glavaris, Stephanie A; Gemenetzis, Georgios; Chalfin, Heather J; Wood, Laura D; Wolfgang, Christopher L; de la Rosette, Jean J M C H; de Reijke, Theo M; Pienta, Kenneth J

2018-03-01

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can provide important information on patient's prognosis and treatment efficacy. Currently, a plethora of methods is available for the detection of these rare cells. We compared the outcomes of two of those methods to enumerate and characterize CTCs in patients with locally advanced and metastatic prostate cancer (PCa). First, the selection-free AccuCyte ® - CyteFinder ® system (RareCyte ® , Inc., Seattle, WA) and second, the ISET system (Rarecells Diagnostics, France), a CTC detection method based on cell size-exclusion. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 15 patients with metastatic PCa and processed in parallel, using both methods according to manufacturer's protocol. CTCs were identified by immunofluorescence, using commercially available antibodies to pancytokeratin (PanCK), EpCAM, CD45/CD66b/CD34/CD11b/CD14 (AccuCyte ® - CyteFinder ® system), and pancytokeratin, vimentin (Vim) and CD45 (ISET system). The median CTC count was 5 CTCs/7.5 mL (range, 0-20) for the AccuCyte ® - CyteFinder ® system and 37 CTCs/7.5 mL (range, 8-139) for the ISET system (P < 0.001). Total CTC counts obtained for the two methods were correlated (r = 0.750, P = 0.001). When separating the total CTC count obtained with the ISET system in PanCK+/Vim- and PanCK+/Vim+ CTCs, the total CTC count obtained with the AccuCyte ® - CyteFinder ® system was moderately correlated with the PanCK+/Vim- CTCs, and strongly correlated with the PanCK+/Vim+ CTCs (r = 0.700, P = 0.004 and r = 0.810, P < 0.001, respectively). Our results highlight significant disparities in the enumeration and phenotype of CTCs detected by both techniques. Although the median amount of CTCs/7.5 mL differed significantly, total CTC counts of both methods were strongly correlated. For future studies, a more uniform approach to the isolation and definition of CTCs based on immunofluorescent stains is needed to provide reproducible results that can

The Integrated Cluster Finder for the ARCHES project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mints, Alexey; Schwope, Axel; Rosen, Simon; Pineau, François-Xavier; Carrera, Francisco

2017-01-01

Context. Clusters of galaxies are important for cosmology and astrophysics. They may be discovered through either the summed optical/IR radiation originating from their member galaxies or via X-ray emission originating from the hot intracluster medium. X-ray samples are not affected by projection effects but a redshift determination typically needs optical and infrared follow-up to then infer X-ray temperatures and luminosities. Aims: We want to confirm serendipitously discovered X-ray emitting cluster candidates and measure their cosmological redshift through the analysis and exploration of multi-wavelength photometric catalogues. Methods: We developed a tool, the Integrated Cluster Finder (ICF), to search for clusters by determining overdensities of potential member galaxies in optical and infrared catalogues. Based on a spectroscopic meta-catalogue we calibrated colour-redshift relations that combine optical (SDSS) and IR data (UKIDSS, WISE). The tool is used to quantify the overdensity of galaxies against the background via a modified redMaPPer technique and to quantify the confidence of a cluster detection. Results: Cluster finding results are compared to reference catalogues found in the literature. The results agree to within 95-98%. The tool is used to confirm 488 out of 830 cluster candidates drawn from 3XMMe in the footprint of the SDSS and CFHT catalogues. Conclusions: The ICF is a flexible and highly efficient tool to search for galaxy clusters in multiple catalogues and is freely available to the community. It may be used to identify the cluster content in future X-ray catalogues from XMM-Newton and eventually from eROSITA.

Medical nanotechnology in the UK: a perspective from the London Centre for Nanotechnology.

PubMed

Horton, Michael A; Khan, Abid

2006-03-01

Nanotechnology research is booming worldwide, and the general belief is that medical and biological applications will form the greatest sector of expansion over the next decade, driven by an attempt to bring radical solutions to areas of unmet medical need. What is true in the United States is also being fulfilled in Europe. This, though, is generally at a significantly lower investment level, even if for "large" capital infrastructure and interdisciplinary centers. Against this, the United Kingdom and its European partners are following the maxim "small is beautiful" and are attempting to identify and develop academic research and commercial businesses in areas that traditional nanotechnology developments involving engineering or physics find challenging. Thus in London-University College London (UCL) in a major joint project with Imperial College and linked to other UK and European centers of excellence-we are building upon our internationally competitive medical research (the two universities together form one of the largest centers of biomedical research outside the United States) to focus on and develop medical nanotechnology as a major sector of our research activity. A novel approach to commercialization has been the establishment with government and private equity funds of a "BioNanotechnology Centre" that will act as a portal for UK industry to access specialist skills to solve issues relating to developing nanotechnology-based medical applications, for example, for environmental screening, diagnostics, and therapy. This article reviews our academic and business strategy with examples from our current biomedical research portfolio.

UK-trained junior doctors' intentions to work in UK medicine: questionnaire surveys, three years after graduation

PubMed Central

Surman, Geraldine; Goldacre, Michael J

2017-01-01

Objective To report on the career intentions, three years after qualification, of 12 national cohorts of UK-trained doctors who qualified between 1974 and 2012, and, specifically, to compare recent UK medical graduates’ intentions to work in medicine in the UK with earlier graduates. Design Questionnaire surveys of cohorts of UK medical graduates defined by year of graduation. Setting UK. Participants 30,272 UK medical graduates. Main outcome measures Stated level of intention to pursue a long-term career in medicine in the UK. Results The response rate was 62% (30,272/48,927). We examined responses to the question ‘Apart from temporary visits abroad, do you intend to practise medicine in the United Kingdom for the foreseeable future?' Of doctors from UK homes, 90% had specified that they would ‘definitely or probably’ practise medicine in the UK in the surveys of 1977–1986, 81% in 1996–2011 and 64% in 2015. Those who said that they would probably or definitely not practise medicine in the UK comprised 5% in 1977–1986, 8% in 1996–2011 and 15% in 2015. Most who were not definite about a future career in UK medicine indicated that they would wish to practise medicine outside the UK rather than to leave medicine. Conclusions The wish to remain in UK medical practice in the 2015 survey was unprecedentedly low in this unique series of 40 years of surveys. PMID:29116902

UK-trained junior doctors' intentions to work in UK medicine: questionnaire surveys, three years after graduation.

PubMed

Surman, Geraldine; Goldacre, Michael J; Lambert, Trevor W

2017-12-01

Objective To report on the career intentions, three years after qualification, of 12 national cohorts of UK-trained doctors who qualified between 1974 and 2012, and, specifically, to compare recent UK medical graduates' intentions to work in medicine in the UK with earlier graduates. Design Questionnaire surveys of cohorts of UK medical graduates defined by year of graduation. Setting UK. Participants 30,272 UK medical graduates. Main outcome measures Stated level of intention to pursue a long-term career in medicine in the UK. Results The response rate was 62% (30,272/48,927). We examined responses to the question ' Apart from temporary visits abroad, do you intend to practise medicine in the United Kingdom for the foreseeable future?' Of doctors from UK homes, 90% had specified that they would 'definitely or probably' practise medicine in the UK in the surveys of 1977-1986, 81% in 1996-2011 and 64% in 2015. Those who said that they would probably or definitely not practise medicine in the UK comprised 5% in 1977-1986, 8% in 1996-2011 and 15% in 2015. Most who were not definite about a future career in UK medicine indicated that they would wish to practise medicine outside the UK rather than to leave medicine. Conclusions The wish to remain in UK medical practice in the 2015 survey was unprecedentedly low in this unique series of 40 years of surveys.

An Overview of the Formation and Attitude Control System for the Terrestrial Planet Finder Formation Flying Interferometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scharf, Daniel P.; Hadaegh, Fred Y.; Rahman, Zahidul H.; Shields, Joel F.; Singh, Gurkipal; Wette, Matthew R.

2004-01-01

The Terrestrial Planet Finder formation flying Interferometer (TPF-I) will be a five-spacecraft, precision formation operating near the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point. As part of technology development for TPF-I, a formation and attitude control system (FACS) is being developed that achieves the precision and functionality needed for the TPF-I formation and that will be demonstrated in a distributed, real-time simulation environment. In this paper we present an overview of FACS and discuss in detail its formation estimation, guidance and control architectures and algorithms. Since FACS is currently being integrated into a high-fidelity simulation environment, component simulations demonstrating algorithm performance are presented.

An Overview of the Formation and Attitude Control System for the Terrestrial Planet Finder Formation Flying Interferometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scharf, Daniel P.; Hadaegh, Fred Y.; Rahman, Zahidul H.; Shields, Joel F.; Singh, Gurkipal

2004-01-01

The Terrestrial Planet Finder formation flying Interferometer (TPF-I) will be a five-spacecraft, precision formation operating near a Sun-Earth Lagrange point. As part of technology development for TPF-I, a formation and attitude control system (FACS) is being developed that achieves the precision and functionality associated with the TPF-I formation. This FACS will be demonstrated in a distributed, real-time simulation environment. In this paper we present an overview of the FACS and discuss in detail its constituent formation estimation, guidance and control architectures and algorithms. Since the FACS is currently being integrated into a high-fidelity simulation environment, component simulations demonstrating algorithm performance are presented.

UK Business School Rankings over the Last 30 Years (1980-2010): Trends and Explanations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkins, Stephen; Huisman, Jeroen

2012-01-01

Business schools globally operate in a market-driven environment and rankings are very much part of that environment. Rankings have a significant impact on a school's ability to attract the top scholars, the most able students and research funding. Schools use rankings to support claims of excellence and "world class" status. The purpose…

Forest Fire Finder - DOAS application to long-range forest fire detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valente de Almeida, Rui; Vieira, Pedro

2017-06-01

Fires are an important factor in shaping Earth's ecosystems. Plant and animal life, in almost every land habitat, are at least partially dependent on the effects of fire. However, their destructive force, which has often proven uncontrollable, is one of our greatest concerns, effectively resulting in several policies in the most important industrialised regions of the globe. This paper aims to comprehensively characterise the Forest Fire Finder (FFF), a forest fire detection system based mainly upon a spectroscopic technique called differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS). The system is designed and configured with the goal of detecting higher-than-the-horizon smoke columns by measuring and comparing scattered sunlight spectra. The article covers hardware and software, as well as their interactions and specific algorithms for day mode operation. An analysis of data retrieved from several installations deployed in the course of the last 5 years is also presented. Finally, this paper features a discussion on the most prominent future improvements planned for the system, as well as its ramifications and adaptations, such as a thermal imaging system for short-range fire seeking or environmental quality control.

Promoting SETI in the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penny, Alan

2013-10-01

MEETING REPORT What does the UK presently do in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and what are the plans for the future? Alan Penny reports on a meeting of UK academics active in SETI, held as sessions in the recent National Astronomy Meeting in Scotland - and the formation of the UK SETI Research Network to promote UK academic work.

Required competencies of occupational physicians: a Delphi survey of UK customers.

PubMed

Reetoo, K N; Harrington, J M; Macdonald, E B

2005-06-01

Occupational physicians can contribute to good management in healthy enterprises. The requirement to take into account the needs of the customers when planning occupational health services is well established. To establish the priorities of UK employers, employees, and their representatives regarding the competencies they require from occupational physicians; to explore the reasons for variations of the priorities in different groups; and to make recommendations for occupational medicine training curricula in consideration of these findings. This study involved a Delphi survey of employers and employees from public and private organisations of varying business sizes, and health and safety specialists as well as trade union representatives throughout the UK. It was conducted in two rounds by a combination of computer assisted telephone interview (CATI) and postal survey techniques, using a questionnaire based on the list of competencies described by UK and European medical training bodies. There was broad consensus about the required competencies of occupational physicians among the respondent subgroups. All the competencies in which occupational physicians are trained were considered important by the customers. In the order of decreasing importance, the competencies were: Law and Ethics, Occupational Hazards, Disability and Fitness for Work, Communication, Environmental Exposures, Research Methods, Health Promotion, and Management. The priorities of customers differed from previously published occupational physicians' priorities. Existing training programmes for occupational physicians should be regularly reviewed and where necessary, modified to ensure that the emphasis of training meets customer requirements.

UK Environmental Prediction - integration and evaluation at the convective scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fallmann, Joachim; Lewis, Huw; Castillo, Juan Manuel; Pearson, David; Harris, Chris; Saulter, Andy; Bricheno, Lucy; Blyth, Eleanor

2016-04-01

It has long been understood that accurate prediction and warning of the impacts of severe weather requires an integrated approach to forecasting. For example, high impact weather is typically manifested through various interactions and feedbacks between different components of the Earth System. Damaging high winds can lead to significant damage from the large waves and storm surge along coastlines. The impact of intense rainfall can be translated through saturated soils and land surface processes, high river flows and flooding inland. The substantial impacts on individuals, businesses and infrastructure of such events indicate a pressing need to understand better the value that might be delivered through more integrated environmental prediction. To address this need, the Met Office, NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and NERC National Oceanography Centre have begun to develop the foundations of a coupled high resolution probabilistic forecast system for the UK at km-scale. This links together existing model components of the atmosphere, coastal ocean, land surface and hydrology. Our initial focus has been on a 2-year Prototype project to demonstrate the UK coupled prediction concept in research mode. This presentation will provide an update on UK environmental prediction activities. We will present the results from the initial implementation of an atmosphere-land-ocean coupled system and discuss progress and initial results from further development to integrate wave interactions. We will discuss future directions and opportunities for collaboration in environmental prediction, and the challenges to realise the potential of integrated regional coupled forecasting for improving predictions and applications.

Evaluating the Prince's Trust's Young People's Business Start-Up Programme, 1994?1999: Reflections and Policy Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koutsoukos, Stratis; Shutt, John; Sutherland, John

2005-01-01

The authors were the principals in the evaluation of the Prince's Trust's Young People's Business Start-up Programme, 1994?1999, as it operated nationally in the UK and in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. In this paper they report the methodologies used in the evaluation and the key findings. They then use their reflections on both…

The UK water crisis: What actions the government and private sector need to take.

PubMed

Skelton, Emmeline

2015-01-01

The paper discusses why resilience is increasingly important for companies to measure and address, thinking about relevant issues such as climate change and extreme weather. It gives insight on how companies measure their resilience and that it is more than a business continuity issue; indeed, it is a board issue. The paper looks at the role of regulation for companies with national critical infrastructure in putting in resilience guidelines and discusses the benefits of regulation in resilience, presenting a case study of the UK Water Services Regulation Authority resilience guidelines.

Dyslexic entrepreneurs: the incidence; their coping strategies and their business skills.

PubMed

Logan, Julie

2009-11-01

This comparative study explores the incidence of dyslexia in entrepreneurs, corporate managers and the general population. It examines the suggestion that dyslexic entrepreneurs develop coping strategies to manage their weaknesses, which are subsequently of benefit in the new venture creation process. Results of this study suggest that there is a significantly higher incidence of dyslexia in entrepreneurs than in the corporate management and general US and UK populations and some of the strategies they adopt to overcome dyslexia (such as delegation of tasks) may be useful in business. The study was undertaken in two parts. First, entrepreneurs and corporate managers completed an online questionnaire, which combined questions about their company, their management or leadership role and their business skills together with questions that were designed to explore the likely incidence of dyslexia. A follow-up study that made use of a semi-structured questionnaire explored business issues and educational experience in more depth with those who had been diagnosed as dyslexic and those who did not have any history of dyslexia or any other learning difficulty.

Precursor Science for the Terrestrial Planet Finder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawson, P. R. (Editor); Unwin, S. C. (Editor); Beichman, C. A. (Editor)

2004-01-01

This document outlines a path for the development of the field of extrasolar planet research, with a particular emphasis on the goals of the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF). Over the past decade, a new field of research has developed, the study of extrasolar planetary systems, driven by the discovery of massive planets around nearby stars. The planet count now stands at over 130. Are there Earth-like planets around nearby stars? Might any of those planets be conducive to the formation and maintenance of life? These arc the questions that TPF seeks to answer. TPF will be implemented as a suite of two space observatories, a 6-m class optical coronagraph, to be launched around 20 14, and a formation flying mid-infrared interferometer, to be launched sometime prior to 2020. These facilities will survey up to 165 or more nearby stars and detect planets like Earth should they be present in the 'habitable zone' around each star. With observations over a broad wavelength range, TPF will provide a robust determination of the atmospheric composition of planets to assess habitability and the presence of life. At this early stage of TPF's development, precursor observational and theoretical programs are essential to help define the mission, to aid our understanding of the planets that TPF could discover, and to characterize the stars that TPF will eventually study. This document is necessarily broad in scope because the significance of individual discoveries is greatly enhanced when viewed in thc context of the field as a whole. This document has the ambitious goal of taking us from our limited knowledge today, in 2004, to the era of TPF observations in the middle of the next decade. We must use the intervening years wisely. This document will be reviewed annually and updated as needed. The most recent edition is available online at http://tpf.jpl.nasa.gov/ or by email request to lawson@hucy.jpl.nasa.gov

Human Splicing Finder: an online bioinformatics tool to predict splicing signals.

PubMed

Desmet, François-Olivier; Hamroun, Dalil; Lalande, Marine; Collod-Béroud, Gwenaëlle; Claustres, Mireille; Béroud, Christophe

2009-05-01

Thousands of mutations are identified yearly. Although many directly affect protein expression, an increasing proportion of mutations is now believed to influence mRNA splicing. They mostly affect existing splice sites, but synonymous, non-synonymous or nonsense mutations can also create or disrupt splice sites or auxiliary cis-splicing sequences. To facilitate the analysis of the different mutations, we designed Human Splicing Finder (HSF), a tool to predict the effects of mutations on splicing signals or to identify splicing motifs in any human sequence. It contains all available matrices for auxiliary sequence prediction as well as new ones for binding sites of the 9G8 and Tra2-beta Serine-Arginine proteins and the hnRNP A1 ribonucleoprotein. We also developed new Position Weight Matrices to assess the strength of 5' and 3' splice sites and branch points. We evaluated HSF efficiency using a set of 83 intronic and 35 exonic mutations known to result in splicing defects. We showed that the mutation effect was correctly predicted in almost all cases. HSF could thus represent a valuable resource for research, diagnostic and therapeutic (e.g. therapeutic exon skipping) purposes as well as for global studies, such as the GEN2PHEN European Project or the Human Variome Project.

Human Splicing Finder: an online bioinformatics tool to predict splicing signals

PubMed Central

Desmet, François-Olivier; Hamroun, Dalil; Lalande, Marine; Collod-Béroud, Gwenaëlle; Claustres, Mireille; Béroud, Christophe

2009-01-01

Thousands of mutations are identified yearly. Although many directly affect protein expression, an increasing proportion of mutations is now believed to influence mRNA splicing. They mostly affect existing splice sites, but synonymous, non-synonymous or nonsense mutations can also create or disrupt splice sites or auxiliary cis-splicing sequences. To facilitate the analysis of the different mutations, we designed Human Splicing Finder (HSF), a tool to predict the effects of mutations on splicing signals or to identify splicing motifs in any human sequence. It contains all available matrices for auxiliary sequence prediction as well as new ones for binding sites of the 9G8 and Tra2-β Serine-Arginine proteins and the hnRNP A1 ribonucleoprotein. We also developed new Position Weight Matrices to assess the strength of 5′ and 3′ splice sites and branch points. We evaluated HSF efficiency using a set of 83 intronic and 35 exonic mutations known to result in splicing defects. We showed that the mutation effect was correctly predicted in almost all cases. HSF could thus represent a valuable resource for research, diagnostic and therapeutic (e.g. therapeutic exon skipping) purposes as well as for global studies, such as the GEN2PHEN European Project or the Human Variome Project. PMID:19339519

Prospects for Groundwater Drought Termination in the UK in 2017-18

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parry, S.; McKenzie, A.; Prudhomme, C.; Wilby, R.; Wood, P.

2017-12-01

The recovery of groundwater levels towards the end of a drought can lag behind surface water stores such as reservoirs or snowpack - as was the case for California in 2016/17. Groundwater replenishment is an important precursor to the ending of water restrictions, and an improved understanding of the range of plausible groundwater recovery scenarios would be useful for a range of stakeholders, including water managers, farmers and businesses. A method for characterising drought termination in hydrological data is applied systematically here to long time series of groundwater levels (some from the mid-1800s) for the UK. This analysis capitalises on the comprehensive perspective of post-drought recovery in the historical record to provide various outlooks of recovery in groundwater levels over seasonal to multi-year timeframes and to better understand how present conditions are likely to evolve. Rainfall deficiencies in the UK since summer 2016 limited replenishment during the 2016/17 winter recharge season. As a consequence, groundwater levels in south-east England were notably below normal in summer 2017. The possibility of an abrupt termination as occurred in 2012 can already be excluded, and extrapolating recent patterns suggests that very gradual recoveries may be underway. At many sites, normal conditions are not expected to return during 2017, and later still for sites in less responsive aquifers. This is supported by the multi-year drought durations typically found in the historical record, much more prolonged than those observed during the currently developing event. The rainfall rates that have driven historical drought termination events are also assessed for their likelihood across a range of timeframes and start months. Overall results underline the importance of the typical recharge season during the wetter winter half-year in averting multi-year groundwater drought events that would threaten water resources in the populous south-east of the UK. The

Mobile phone collection, reuse and recycling in the UK

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

Ongondo, F.O.; Williams, I.D., E-mail: idw@soton.ac.uk

accessories); and incentives flow. Over 100 voluntary schemes offering online takeback of mobile phone handsets were identified. The schemes are operated by manufacturers, retailers, mobile phone network service operators, charities and by mobile phone reuse, recycling and refurbishing companies. The latter two scheme categories offer the highest level of convenience and ease of use to their customers. Approximately 83% of the schemes are either for-profit/commercial-oriented and/or operate to raise funds for charities. The voluntary schemes use various methods to collect mobile phones from consumers, including postal services, courier and in-store. The majority of schemes utilise and finance pre-paid postage to collect handsets. Incentives offered by the takeback schemes include monetary payments, donation to charity and entry into prize draws. Consumers from whom handsets and related equipment are collected include individuals, businesses, schools, colleges, universities, charities and clubs with some schemes specialising on collecting handsets from one target group. The majority (84.3%) of voluntary schemes did not provide information on their websites about the quantities of mobile phones they collect. The operations of UK takeback schemes are decentralised in nature. Comparisons are made between the UK's decentralised collection system versus Australia's centralised network for collection of mobile phones. The significant principal conclusions from the study are: there has been a significant rise in the number of takeback schemes operating in the UK since the initial scheme was launched in 1997; the majority of returned handsets seem to be of low quality; and there is very little available information on the quantities of mobile phones collected by the various schemes. Irrespective of their financial motives, UK takeback schemes increasingly play an important role in sustainable waste management by diverting EoL mobile phones from landfills and encouraging reuse and

Development of Measurement Device of Working Radius of Crane Based on Single CCD Camera and Laser Range Finder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nara, Shunsuke; Takahashi, Satoru

In this paper, what we want to do is to develop an observation device to measure the working radius of a crane truck. The device has a single CCD camera, a laser range finder and two AC servo motors. First, in order to measure the working radius, we need to consider algorithm of a crane hook recognition. Then, we attach the cross mark on the crane hook. Namely, instead of the crane hook, we try to recognize the cross mark. Further, for the observation device, we construct PI control system with an extended Kalman filter to track the moving cross mark. Through experiments, we show the usefulness of our device including new control system of mark tracking.

Recognition of three dimensional obstacles by an edge detection scheme. [for Mars roving vehicle using laser range finder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reed, M. A.

1974-01-01

The need for an obstacle detection system on the Mars roving vehicle was assumed, and a practical scheme was investigated and simulated. The principal sensing device on this vehicle was taken to be a laser range finder. Both existing and original algorithms, ending with thresholding operations, were used to obtain the outlines of obstacles from the raw data of this laser scan. A theoretical analysis was carried out to show how proper value of threshold may be chosen. Computer simulations considered various mid-range boulders, for which the scheme was quite successful. The extension to other types of obstacles, such as craters, was considered. The special problems of bottom edge detection and scanning procedure are discussed.

Mobile phone collection, reuse and recycling in the UK.

PubMed

Ongondo, F O; Williams, I D

2011-06-01

for charities. The voluntary schemes use various methods to collect mobile phones from consumers, including postal services, courier and in-store. The majority of schemes utilise and finance pre-paid postage to collect handsets. Incentives offered by the takeback schemes include monetary payments, donation to charity and entry into prize draws. Consumers from whom handsets and related equipment are collected include individuals, businesses, schools, colleges, universities, charities and clubs with some schemes specialising on collecting handsets from one target group. The majority (84.3%) of voluntary schemes did not provide information on their websites about the quantities of mobile phones they collect. The operations of UK takeback schemes are decentralised in nature. Comparisons are made between the UK's decentralised collection system versus Australia's centralised network for collection of mobile phones. The significant principal conclusions from the study are: there has been a significant rise in the number of takeback schemes operating in the UK since the initial scheme was launched in 1997; the majority of returned handsets seem to be of low quality; and there is very little available information on the quantities of mobile phones collected by the various schemes. Irrespective of their financial motives, UK takeback schemes increasingly play an important role in sustainable waste management by diverting EoL mobile phones from landfills and encouraging reuse and recycling. Recommendations for future actions to improve the management of end-of-life mobile phone handsets and related accessories are made. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Have women born outside the U.K. driven the rise in U.K. births since 2001?

PubMed

Tromans, Nicola; Natamba, Eva; Jefferie, Julie

2009-01-01

The number of births in the U.K. has increased each year since 2001. This article examines the demographic drivers underlying this rise, assessing the contribution of U.K. born and foreign born women. It brings together key information from across the U.K. to provide a coherent picture of childbearing trends among U.K. born and foreign born women since 2001. Geographical variations in the proportion of births to foreign born women are also explored at the local authority level.

Innovative UK Approaches to Acquisition Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-01

Financial and Operational Imperatives Size of UK armed forces UK Industry ? Political influence PFI / PPP Increased Scrutiny - NAO “ Commercialisation “ of the...acquisition KNOWLEDGE (EXPERIENCE – Lessons learned) KNOWLEDGE (Training) KNOWLEDGE ( Education ) OPTIMAL OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE Operational Capability UK

Report on primate supply for biomedical scientific work in the UK. EUPREN UK Working Party.

PubMed

Owen, S; Thomas, C; West, P; Wolfensohn, S; Wood, M

1997-10-01

A Working Party of the UK group of European Primate Resources Network (EUPREN) considered primate supply for scientific work in the UK. Through a questionnaire, which achieved a very good response, it obtained details of primate use, sources and breeding in the UK and it put forward options to ensure that animal welfare is the best possible whilst ensuring continued supply. The questionnaire showed that contract research laboratories and pharmaceutical companies use about 80% of the 4233 primates used annually at the moment, with the rest accounted for by academic establishments and public sector laboratories. Fifty-four per cent are cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis), of which nearly 90% are captive-bred outside the European Union (EU), the remainder being bred in the UK. Nearly 90% of cynomolgus macaques are used by only five institutions. Thirty-seven per cent of primates used are marmosets (Callithrix jacchus jacchus), all of which are bred in the UK. Most of the rest are rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), about half of which are captive-bred outside the EU, the other half being bred in the UK. Overall primate use has increased from about 3000 per year in 1990 and users predict that requirements for all species except baboons (Papio sp.) will be maintained or increase. Marmoset breeding in the UK is already closely matched to use, and it could be increased reasonably easily if necessary. Some of the existing breeding centres of macaques in the UK would be prepared to consider expanding to supply others, although investment and imported breeding stock would be needed and it is likely that a large investment would be needed to breed a significant fraction of the macaque use in the UK. A further problem is that the users of only about 10% of the cynomolgus macaques said that they could replace this species by rhesus macaques, which are easier to breed in the UK. The questionnaire showed that much of the use of macaques would be transferred to other countries

Changes needed to medicine in the UK before senior UK-trained doctors, working outside the UK, will return: questionnaire surveys undertaken between 2004 and 2015.

PubMed

Lambert, Trevor W; Smith, Fay; Goldacre, Michael J

2017-12-01

To report the changes to UK medicine which doctors who have emigrated tell us would increase their likelihood of returning to a career in UK medicine. Questionnaire survey. UK-trained medical graduates. Questionnaires were sent 11 years after graduation to 7158 doctors who qualified in 1993 and 1996 in the UK: 4763 questionnaires were returned. Questionnaires were sent 17 and 19 years after graduation to the same cohorts: 4554 questionnaires were returned. Comments from doctors working abroad about changes needed to UK medicine before they would return. Eleven years after graduation, 290 (6%) of respondents were working in medicine abroad; 277 (6%) were doing so 17/19 years after graduation. Eleven years after graduation, 53% of doctors working abroad indicated that they did not intend to return, and 71% did so 17/19 years after graduation. These respondents reported a number of changes which would need to be made to UK medicine in order to increase the likelihood of them returning. The most frequently mentioned changes cited concerned 'politics/management/funding', 'pay/pension', 'posts/security/opportunities', 'working conditions/hours', and 'factors outside medicine'. Policy attention to factors including funding, pay, management and particularly the clinical-political interface, working hours, and work-life balance may pay dividends for all, both in terms of persuading some established doctors to return and, perhaps more importantly, encouraging other, younger doctors to believe that the UK and the National Health Service can offer them a satisfying and rewarding career.

Cancer survivorship and return to work: UK occupational physician experience.

PubMed

Amir, Ziv; Wynn, Philip; Whitaker, Stuart; Luker, Karen

2009-09-01

Survivorship following diagnosis of cancer is increasing in prevalence. However, cancer survivors continue to report difficulty re-entering the workplace after diagnosis and treatment. To survey UK occupational health physicians (OHPs) regarding their role in rehabilitation of employed survivors of cancer. Following a pilot study, a questionnaire exploring opinions of OHPs regarding supporting cancer survivors' return to work was posted to all members of the UK Society of Occupational Medicine, with a repeat posting 2 months later. Responses were analyzed for significant correlations with OHP age, sex, qualification level, size of businesses advised and years of experience. There were 797 respondents (response rate 51%). Responses suggested opportunities for developing the knowledge base in relation to prognosis and functional outcomes in patients with a cancer diagnosis; instituting information resources on cancer and work for OHPs and developing communications skills training. Most respondents felt managers treated referral to occupational health (OH) differently for employees with cancer compared with management referral for employees with other diagnoses, with 45% of respondents indicating referral may take place too late to be effective in securing a return to work. A significant lack of understanding of the information requirements of employers and the role of OH by treating doctors was identified. This survey raises several possible significant barriers to return to work by cancer survivors. Recommendations to ameliorate these are made.

ProGeRF: Proteome and Genome Repeat Finder Utilizing a Fast Parallel Hash Function

PubMed Central

Moraes, Walas Jhony Lopes; Rodrigues, Thiago de Souza; Bartholomeu, Daniella Castanheira

2015-01-01

Repetitive element sequences are adjacent, repeating patterns, also called motifs, and can be of different lengths; repetitions can involve their exact or approximate copies. They have been widely used as molecular markers in population biology. Given the sizes of sequenced genomes, various bioinformatics tools have been developed for the extraction of repetitive elements from DNA sequences. However, currently available tools do not provide options for identifying repetitive elements in the genome or proteome, displaying a user-friendly web interface, and performing-exhaustive searches. ProGeRF is a web site for extracting repetitive regions from genome and proteome sequences. It was designed to be efficient, fast, and accurate and primarily user-friendly web tool allowing many ways to view and analyse the results. ProGeRF (Proteome and Genome Repeat Finder) is freely available as a stand-alone program, from which the users can download the source code, and as a web tool. It was developed using the hash table approach to extract perfect and imperfect repetitive regions in a (multi)FASTA file, while allowing a linear time complexity. PMID:25811026

Advanced Carbon Materials Center Established At UK

Science.gov Websites

UK Home Academics Athletics Medical Center Research Site Index Search UK University Master ] [research at UK] Advanced Carbon Materials Center Established At UK The tiny but mighty nanotube will continue to be the subject of several research projects at the University of Kentucky, thanks in part to a

Changes needed to medicine in the UK before senior UK-trained doctors, working outside the UK, will return: questionnaire surveys undertaken between 2004 and 2015

PubMed Central

Lambert, Trevor W; Goldacre, Michael J

2017-01-01

Objective To report the changes to UK medicine which doctors who have emigrated tell us would increase their likelihood of returning to a career in UK medicine. Design Questionnaire survey. Setting UK-trained medical graduates. Participants Questionnaires were sent 11 years after graduation to 7158 doctors who qualified in 1993 and 1996 in the UK: 4763 questionnaires were returned. Questionnaires were sent 17 and 19 years after graduation to the same cohorts: 4554 questionnaires were returned. Main outcome measures Comments from doctors working abroad about changes needed to UK medicine before they would return. Results Eleven years after graduation, 290 (6%) of respondents were working in medicine abroad; 277 (6%) were doing so 17/19 years after graduation. Eleven years after graduation, 53% of doctors working abroad indicated that they did not intend to return, and 71% did so 17/19 years after graduation. These respondents reported a number of changes which would need to be made to UK medicine in order to increase the likelihood of them returning. The most frequently mentioned changes cited concerned ‘politics/management/funding’, ‘pay/pension’, ‘posts/security/opportunities’, ‘working conditions/hours’, and ‘factors outside medicine’. Conclusions Policy attention to factors including funding, pay, management and particularly the clinical–political interface, working hours, and work–life balance may pay dividends for all, both in terms of persuading some established doctors to return and, perhaps more importantly, encouraging other, younger doctors to believe that the UK and the National Health Service can offer them a satisfying and rewarding career. PMID:29230305

UK Announces Intention to Join ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2000-11-01

Summary The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) , the UK's strategic science investment agency, today announced that the government of the United Kingdom is making funds available that provide a baseline for this country to join the European Southern Observatory (ESO) . The ESO Director General, Dr. Catherine Cesarsky , and the ESO Community warmly welcome this move towards fuller integration in European astronomy. "With the UK as a potential member country of ESO, our joint opportunities for front-line research and technology will grow significantly", she said. "This announcement is a clear sign of confidence in ESO's abilities, most recently demonstrated with the construction and operation of the unique Very Large Telescope (VLT) on Paranal. Together we will look forward with confidence towards new, exciting projects in ground-based astronomy." It was decided earlier this year to place the 4-m UK Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope (VISTA) at Paranal, cf. ESO Press Release 03/00. Following negotiations between ESO and PPARC, a detailed proposal for the associated UK/ESO Agreement with the various entry modalities will now be presented to the ESO Council for approval. Before this Agreement can enter into force, the ESO Convention and associated protocols must also be ratified by the UK Parliament. Research and key technologies According to the PPARC press release, increased funding for science, announced by the UK government today, will enable UK astronomers to prepare for the next generation of telescopes and expand their current telescope portfolio through membership of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The uplift to its baseline budget will enable PPARC to enter into final negotiations for UK membership of the ESO. This will ensure that UK astronomers, together with their colleagues in the ESO member states, are actively involved in global scale preparations for the next generation of astronomy facilities. among these are ALMA

Factors Influencing Depression Endpoints Research (FINDER): baseline results of Italian patients with depression

PubMed Central

Grassi, Luigi; Rossi, Andrea; Barraco, Alessandra

2009-01-01

Background Factors Influencing Depression Endpoints Research (FINDER) is a 6-month, prospective, observational study carried out in 12 European countries aimed at investigating health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in outpatients receiving pharmacological treatment for a first or new depressive episode. Baseline characteristics of patients enrolled in Italy are presented. Methods All treatment decisions were at the discretion of the investigator. Data were collected at baseline and after 3 and 6 months of treatment. Baseline evaluations included demographics, medical and psychiatric history, and medications used in the last 24 months and prescribed at enrolment. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), was adopted to evaluate depressive symptoms, while somatic and painful physical symptoms were assessed by using the Somatic Symptom Inventory (SSI) and a 0 to 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS), HRQoL via 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the European Quality of Life 5-Dimensions (EQ-5D) instrument. Results A total of 513 patients were recruited across 38 sites. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) age at first depressive episode was 38.7 ± 15.9 years, the mean duration of depression 10.6 ± 12.3 years. The most common psychiatric comorbidities in the previous 24 months were anxiety/panic (72.6%) and obsessive/compulsive disorders (13.4%), while 35.9% had functional somatic syndromes. Most patients (65.1%) reported pain from any cause. Monotherapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) was prescribed at enrolment in 64.5% and 6.4% of the cases, respectively. The most commonly prescribed agents were sertraline (17.3%), escitalopram (16.2%), venlaflaxine (15.6%) and paroxetine (14.8%). The mean HADS subscores for depression and anxiety were 13.3 ± 4.2 and 12.2 ± 3.9, respectively; 76.4% of patients could be defined as being 'probable cases' for depression and 66.2% for anxiety. The mean total

48 CFR 970.1907 - Subcontracting with Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business and Woman-Owned Small Business...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Business, Small Disadvantaged Business and Woman-Owned Small Business Concerns. 970.1907 Section 970.1907... MANAGEMENT AND OPERATING CONTRACTS Small, Small Disadvantaged and Women-Owned Small Business Concerns 970.1907 Subcontracting with Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business and Woman-Owned Small Business...

The UK population: how does it compare?

PubMed

Matheson, Jil

2010-01-01

This is the fourth demographic report for the UK, providing an overview of the latest statistics on the population. This year's article compares the UK with other European countries and a range of nations from around the world. Statistical comparisons are made for fertility, mortality, ageing, migration and population density. The UK has an ageing population, but one that is not ageing as rapidly as some other countries such as Germany, Italy and Japan. Although life expectation in the UK is improving in line with most western European countries, relatively high levels of fertility ensure that the proportion of the population that is young remains high. Around one in ten residents of the UK are foreign born, a lower proportion than many developed countries. UK population density has increased steadily and is the fourth highest in the EU.

Effects of climate change on water abstraction restrictions for irrigation during droughts - The UK case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rey Vicario, D.; Holman, I.

2016-12-01

The use of water for irrigation and on-farm reservoir filling is globally important for agricultural production. In humid climates, like the UK, supplemental irrigation can be critical to buffer the effects of rainfall variability and to achieve high quality crops. Given regulatory efforts to secure sufficient environmental river flows and meet rising water demands due to population growth and climate change, increasing water scarcity is likely to compound the drought challenges faced by irrigated agriculture in this region. Currently, water abstraction from surface waters for agricultural irrigation can be restricted by the Environment Agency during droughts under Section 57 of the Water Resources Act (1991), based on abnormally low river flow levels and rainfall forecast, causing significant economic impacts on irrigated agricultural production. The aim of this study is to assess the impact that climate change may have on agricultural abstraction in the UK within the context of the abstraction restriction triggers currently in place. These triggers have been applied to the `Future Flows hydrology' database to assess the likelihood of increasing restrictions on agricultural abstraction in the future by comparing the probability of voluntary and compulsory restrictions in the baseline (1961-1990) and future period (2071-2098) for 282 catchments throughout the whole of the UK. The results of this study show a general increase in the probability of future agricultural irrigation abstraction restrictions in the UK in the summer, particularly in the South West, although there is significant variability between the 11 ensemble members. The results also indicate that UK winters are likely to become wetter in the future, although in some catchments the probability of abstraction restriction in the reservoir refilling winter months (November-February) could increase slightly. An increasing frequency of drought events due to climate change is therefore likely to lead to

Passive isolator design for jitter reduction in the Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blaurock, Carl; Liu, Kuo-Chia; Dewell, Larry; Alexander, James

2005-01-01

Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) is a mission to locate and study extrasolar Earth-like planets. The TPF Coronagraph (TPF-C), planned for launch in the latter half of the next decade, will use a coronagraphic mask and other optics to suppress the light of the nearby star in order to collect visible light from such planets. The required contrast ratio of 5e-11 can only be achieved by maintaining pointing accuracy to 4 milli-arcseconds, and limiting optics jitter to below 5 nm. Numerous mechanical disturbances act to induce jitter. This paper concentrates on passive isolation techniques to minimize the optical degradation introduced by disturbance sources. A passive isolation system, using compliant mounts placed at an energy bottleneck to reduce energy transmission above a certain frequency, is a low risk, flight proven design approach. However, the attenuation is limited, compared to an active system, so the feasibility of the design must be demonstrated by analysis. The paper presents the jitter analysis for the baseline TPF design, using a passive isolation system. The analysis model representing the dynamics of the spacecraft and telescope is described, with emphasis on passive isolator modeling. Pointing and deformation metrics, consistent with the TPF-C error budget, are derived. Jitter prediction methodology and results are presented. Then an analysis of the critical design parameters that drive the TPF-C jitter response is performed.

The instrument control software package for the Habitable-Zone Planet Finder spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bender, Chad F.; Robertson, Paul; Stefansson, Gudmundur Kari; Monson, Andrew; Anderson, Tyler; Halverson, Samuel; Hearty, Frederick; Levi, Eric; Mahadevan, Suvrath; Nelson, Matthew; Ramsey, Larry; Roy, Arpita; Schwab, Christian; Shetrone, Matthew; Terrien, Ryan

2016-08-01

We describe the Instrument Control Software (ICS) package that we have built for The Habitable-Zone Planet Finder (HPF) spectrometer. The ICS controls and monitors instrument subsystems, facilitates communication with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope facility, and provides user interfaces for observers and telescope operators. The backend is built around the asynchronous network software stack provided by the Python Twisted engine, and is linked to a suite of custom hardware communication protocols. This backend is accessed through Python-based command-line and PyQt graphical frontends. In this paper we describe several of the customized subsystem communication protocols that provide access to and help maintain the hardware systems that comprise HPF, and show how asynchronous communication benefits the numerous hardware components. We also discuss our Detector Control Subsystem, built as a set of custom Python wrappers around a C-library that provides native Linux access to the SIDECAR ASIC and Hawaii-2RG detector system used by HPF. HPF will be one of the first astronomical instruments on sky to utilize this native Linux capability through the SIDECAR Acquisition Module (SAM) electronics. The ICS we have created is very flexible, and we are adapting it for NEID, NASA's Extreme Precision Doppler Spectrometer for the WIYN telescope; we will describe this adaptation, and describe the potential for use in other astronomical instruments.

P-Finder: Reconstruction of Signaling Networks from Protein-Protein Interactions and GO Annotations.

PubMed

Young-Rae Cho; Yanan Xin; Speegle, Greg

2015-01-01

Because most complex genetic diseases are caused by defects of cell signaling, illuminating a signaling cascade is essential for understanding their mechanisms. We present three novel computational algorithms to reconstruct signaling networks between a starting protein and an ending protein using genome-wide protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and gene ontology (GO) annotation data. A signaling network is represented as a directed acyclic graph in a merged form of multiple linear pathways. An advanced semantic similarity metric is applied for weighting PPIs as the preprocessing of all three methods. The first algorithm repeatedly extends the list of nodes based on path frequency towards an ending protein. The second algorithm repeatedly appends edges based on the occurrence of network motifs which indicate the link patterns more frequently appearing in a PPI network than in a random graph. The last algorithm uses the information propagation technique which iteratively updates edge orientations based on the path strength and merges the selected directed edges. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithms achieve higher accuracy than previous methods when they are tested on well-studied pathways of S. cerevisiae. Furthermore, we introduce an interactive web application tool, called P-Finder, to visualize reconstructed signaling networks.

School-Business Partnerships: Understanding Business Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Badgett, Kevin

2016-01-01

School-business partnerships have been shown to enhance educational experiences for students. There has, however, been limited research demonstrating the priorities and perspectives of for-profit business leaders on those partnerships. In order to address that gap, the researcher interviewed business leaders in two different areas of Texas. After…

Lightning Radio Source Retrieval Using Advanced Lightning Direction Finder (ALDF) Networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koshak, William J.; Blakeslee, Richard J.; Bailey, J. C.

1998-01-01

A linear algebraic solution is provided for the problem of retrieving the location and time of occurrence of lightning ground strikes from an Advanced Lightning Direction Finder (ALDF) network. The ALDF network measures field strength, magnetic bearing and arrival time of lightning radio emissions. Solutions for the plane (i.e., no Earth curvature) are provided that implement all of tile measurements mentioned above. Tests of the retrieval method are provided using computer-simulated data sets. We also introduce a quadratic planar solution that is useful when only three arrival time measurements are available. The algebra of the quadratic root results are examined in detail to clarify what portions of the analysis region lead to fundamental ambiguities in source location. Complex root results are shown to be associated with the presence of measurement errors when the lightning source lies near an outer sensor baseline of the ALDF network. In the absence of measurement errors, quadratic root degeneracy (no source location ambiguity) is shown to exist exactly on the outer sensor baselines for arbitrary non-collinear network geometries. The accuracy of the quadratic planar method is tested with computer generated data sets. The results are generally better than those obtained from the three station linear planar method when bearing errors are about 2 deg. We also note some of the advantages and disadvantages of these methods over the nonlinear method of chi(sup 2) minimization employed by the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) and discussed in Cummins et al.(1993, 1995, 1998).

Supporting UK adaptation: building services for the next set of UK climate projections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fung, Fai; Lowe, Jason

2016-04-01

As part of the Climate Change Act 2008, the UK Government sets out a national adaptation programme to address the risks and opportunities identified in a national climate change risk assessment (CCRA) every five years. The last risk assessment in 2012 was based on the probabilistic projections for the UK published in 2009 (UKCP09). The second risk assessment will also use information from UKCP09 alongside other evidence on climate projections. However, developments in the science of climate projeciton, and evolving user needs (based partly on what has been learnt about the diverse user requirements of the UK adaptation community from the seven years of delivering and managing UKCP09 products, market research and the peer-reviewed literature) suggest now is an appropriate time to update the projections and how they are delivered. A new set of UK climate projections are now being produced to upgrade UKCP09 to reflect the latest developments in climate science, the first phase of which will be delivered in 2018 to support the third CCRA. A major component of the work is the building of a tailored service to support users of the new projections during their development and to involve users in key decisions so that the projections are of most use. We will set out the plan for the new climate projections that seek to address the evolving user need. We will also present a framework which aims to (i) facilitate the dialogue between users, boundary organisations and producers, reflecting their different decision-making roles (ii) produce scientifically robust, user-relevant climate information (iii) provide the building blocks for developing further climate services to support adaptation activities in the UK.

SMALL BUSINESS: Status of Small Disadvantaged Business Certifications

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-01-01

Management and Budget. We will also make copies available to others on request.Page 13 GAO-01-273 Small Business If you have questions regarding this...GAO United States General Accounting OfficeReport to Congressional RequestersJanuary 2001 SMALL BUSINESS Status of Small Disadvantaged Business ...34) Title and Subtitle SMALL BUSINESS Status of Small Disadvantaged Business Certifications Contract or Grant Number Program Element Number Authors

Third Party Services for Enabling Business-to-Business Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shrivastava, Santosh

Business-to-business (B2B) interactions concerned with the fulfilment of a given business function (e.g., order processing) requires business partners to exchange electronic business documents and to act on them. This activity can be viewed as the business partners taking part in the execution of a shared business process, where each partner is responsible for performing their part in the process. Naturally, business process executions at each partner must be coordinated at run-time to ensure that the partners are performing mutually consistent actions (e.g., the seller is not hipping a product when the corresponding order has been cancelled by the buyer). A number of factors combine to make the task of business process coordination surprisingly hard:

The Business of Business is "English"!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horning, Alice S.

A current trend indicates that credentials in English can and do move people successfully into business related careers. Colleges of business administration and English departments might take an important cue from the trend and work together to offer a double major or co-major in English business. Such a program would offer undergraduate students…

Enceladus Life Finder: Search for Life in a Habitable Moon.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lunine, J. I.; Waite, J. H., Jr.; Spilker, L. J.; Postberg, F.; Cable, M. L.; Srama, R.; Clark, K.; Lee, S. W.

2015-12-01

A thousand times smaller in mass than Ganymede, Enceladus was known from Voyager data to be extremely bright and a dearth of craters on some parts of its surface suggested geologic activity. Cassini discovered the presence and composition of a plume erupting from the south polar terrain of Enceladus, approximately 100 narrow, distinct "geysers" or "jets" that feed it, and anomalous thermal signatures along fractures from which the geysers erupt. Cassini discovered organic and nitrogen-bearing molecules in the plume vapor, and detected salts in the plume icy grains, arguing strongly for ocean water being in contact with a rocky core. As much as Cassini has done, it cannot tell us whether the ocean of Enceladus hosts an active biota today. Enceladus Life Finder (ELF) is a Discovery-class solar-powered Saturn orbiter designed to fly multiple times through the plume of Enceladus. It carries two state-of-the-art mass spectrometers designed to analyze the gas and grains in the plume. The goals of the mission are derived directly from the most recent decadal survey: first, to determine primordial sources of organics and sites of organic synthesis today, second, to determine if there are modern habitats in the solar system beyond Earth where the conditions for life exist today and third, if life exists there now. ELF conducts three tests for life. The first test looks for a non-abiotic distribution of amino acids, the second determines whether the carbon number distribution in fatty acids or isoprenoids is biased toward a particular rule, and the third measures carbon and hydrogen isotopic ratios, together with the abundance of methane relative to other alkanes, to assess whether the values fall in the range for biological processes. The ELF mission spacecraft conducts ten science plume fly-throughs; the baseline science is completed in the first five plume passages.

The medline UK filter: development and validation of a geographic search filter to retrieve research about the UK from OVID medline.

PubMed

Ayiku, Lynda; Levay, Paul; Hudson, Tom; Craven, Jenny; Barrett, Elizabeth; Finnegan, Amy; Adams, Rachel

2017-07-13

A validated geographic search filter for the retrieval of research about the United Kingdom (UK) from bibliographic databases had not previously been published. To develop and validate a geographic search filter to retrieve research about the UK from OVID medline with high recall and precision. Three gold standard sets of references were generated using the relative recall method. The sets contained references to studies about the UK which had informed National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance. The first and second sets were used to develop and refine the medline UK filter. The third set was used to validate the filter. Recall, precision and number-needed-to-read (NNR) were calculated using a case study. The validated medline UK filter demonstrated 87.6% relative recall against the third gold standard set. In the case study, the medline UK filter demonstrated 100% recall, 11.4% precision and a NNR of nine. A validated geographic search filter to retrieve research about the UK with high recall and precision has been developed. The medline UK filter can be applied to systematic literature searches in OVID medline for topics with a UK focus. © 2017 Crown copyright. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2017 Health Libraries GroupThis article is published with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland.

Patch Finder Plus (PFplus): a web server for extracting and displaying positive electrostatic patches on protein surfaces.

PubMed

Shazman, Shula; Celniker, Gershon; Haber, Omer; Glaser, Fabian; Mandel-Gutfreund, Yael

2007-07-01

Positively charged electrostatic patches on protein surfaces are usually indicative of nucleic acid binding interfaces. Interestingly, many proteins which are not involved in nucleic acid binding possess large positive patches on their surface as well. In some cases, the positive patches on the protein are related to other functional properties of the protein family. PatchFinderPlus (PFplus) http://pfp.technion.ac.il is a web-based tool for extracting and displaying continuous electrostatic positive patches on protein surfaces. The input required for PFplus is either a four letter PDB code or a protein coordinate file in PDB format, provided by the user. PFplus computes the continuum electrostatics potential and extracts the largest positive patch for each protein chain in the PDB file. The server provides an output file in PDB format including a list of the patch residues. In addition, the largest positive patch is displayed on the server by a graphical viewer (Jmol), using a simple color coding.

Patch Finder Plus (PFplus): A web server for extracting and displaying positive electrostatic patches on protein surfaces

PubMed Central

Shazman, Shula; Celniker, Gershon; Haber, Omer; Glaser, Fabian; Mandel-Gutfreund, Yael

2007-01-01

Positively charged electrostatic patches on protein surfaces are usually indicative of nucleic acid binding interfaces. Interestingly, many proteins which are not involved in nucleic acid binding possess large positive patches on their surface as well. In some cases, the positive patches on the protein are related to other functional properties of the protein family. PatchFinderPlus (PFplus) http://pfp.technion.ac.il is a web-based tool for extracting and displaying continuous electrostatic positive patches on protein surfaces. The input required for PFplus is either a four letter PDB code or a protein coordinate file in PDB format, provided by the user. PFplus computes the continuum electrostatics potential and extracts the largest positive patch for each protein chain in the PDB file. The server provides an output file in PDB format including a list of the patch residues. In addition, the largest positive patch is displayed on the server by a graphical viewer (Jmol), using a simple color coding. PMID:17537808

The Geomatics.org.UK Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bramald, Tom; Powell, Jonathan

2006-01-01

In this article, the authors describe how pupils can benefit from some unusual and exciting free resources of geomatics.org.uk. Geomatics.org.uk is a project that provides free resources to support teaching and learning in a variety of subjects including maths and geography, often in a cross-curricular way. Via the project website, it is possible,…

Results from an exploratory study to identify the factors that contribute to success for UK medical device small- and medium-sized enterprises.

PubMed

Hourd, P C; Williams, D J

2008-07-01

This paper reports the results from an exploratory study that sets out to identify and compare the strategic approaches and patterns of business practice employed by 14 UK small- and medium-sized enterprises to achieve success in the medical device sector of the health-care industry. An interview-based survey was used to construct individual case studies of the medical device technology (MDT) companies. A cross-case analysis was performed to search for patterns and themes that cut across these individual cases. Exploratory results revealed the heterogeneity of MDT companies and the distinctive features of the MDT innovation process that emphasize the importance of a strategic approach for achieving milestones in the product development and exploitation process and for creating value for the company and its stakeholders. Recognizing the heterogeneity of MDT companies, these exploratory findings call for further investigation to understand better the influence of components of the MDT innovation process on the commercialization life cycle and value trajectory. This is required to assist start-up or spin-out MDT companies in the UK and worldwide to navigate the critical transitions that determine access to financial and consumer markets and enhance the potential to build a successful business. This will be important not only for bioscience-based companies but also for engineering-based companies aiming to convert their activities into medical devices and the health- and social-care market.

Scrambling and modal noise mitigation in the Habitable Zone Planet Finder fiber feed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Arpita; Halverson, Samuel; Mahadevan, Suvrath; Ramsey, Lawrence W.

2014-07-01

We present the baseline fiber feed design for the Habitable-zone Planet Finder (HPF), a precision radial velocity (RV) spectrograph designed to detect Earth analogs around M-dwarfs. HPF is a stabilized, fiber-fed, R˜50,000 spectrograph operating in the near-infrared (NIR) from 0.82 to 1.3 µm, and will be deployed on the Hobby- Eberly Telescope (HET) in Texas. While the essential function of the optical fibers is to deliver high throughput, this mode of light transport also provides the opportunity to introduce radial and azimuthal scrambling, which boosts instrument stability and thereby RV precision. Based on the unique requirements of HPF on the HET, we present initial tests showing very high scrambling gains via a compact scrambler in conjunction with octagonal fibers. Conversely, the propagation of light through the fibers injects modal noise, which can limit achievable RV precision. Laboratory tests of a custom-built mechanical agitator show significant gains over a static fiber feed. Overall, the fiber feed is designed to provide high relative throughput, excellent scrambling, and reliable modal noise suppression. We will also attempt to minimize focal ratio degradation (FRD) to the extent possible with the chosen configuration. HPF inculcates several other new technologies developed by the Penn State Optical-Infrared instrumentation group, including a rigorous calibration system, which are discussed separately in these proceedings.

Paediatric home care in the UK.

PubMed Central

Tatman, M A; Woodroffe, C

1993-01-01

Paediatric home care services in the UK were ascertained in 1991 and 1992. Respondents from 209 (97%) UK health districts and boards identified 62 general and 124 specialist paediatric home care services by January 1993, 15% having opened in the previous year. Of all UK children, 30% lived in a district with a general home care service. Five health regions had only specialist services. Districts differed widely in the availability of home care for different disorders. The home care services were small, general services employing a mean (SD) of 2.5 (1.6) whole time equivalent (WTE) nurses, and specialist services 1.3 (0.8) WTE nurses. Few services were available 24 hours a day. Funding arrangements were diverse and some services had difficulties in obtaining consumables and equipment for home use. Despite rapid growth there remains considerable scope for the development of paediatric home care throughout the UK. PMID:8285782

The Habitability of Enceladus from Cassini and Enceladus Life Finder as the Next Step

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spilker, L. J.; Lunine, J. I.

2016-12-01

Enceladus is a tiny moon circling Saturn. Through Cassini's discoveries we now know that it has a global, geologically long-lived salt-water ocean inside, in contact with the silicate core, at which interface there is moderate-temperature hydrothermal activity perhaps akin to the Lost City vent structure on Earth's seafloor, which hosts a rich ecology. The ocean water, containing nanosilica grains from the hydrothermal vents, and large organic molecules not yet identified, is expressed directly and continuously into space via fissures in Enceladus' south polar region. Cassini has analyzed the composition of ice grains and gas by repeatedly flying through this plume on multiple flybys, so now we know how to detect unmistakable signs of ocean life with modern instruments on a subsequent mission. This makes Enceladus a natural laboratory for understanding how life - carbon- and water-based but not sharing Earth life's origin -arose. To do so quickly without waiting for the next Flagship opportunity requires a focussed mission that applies the most focussed and robust analytic techniques on the most easily accessed samples of the ocean—the plume itself. Enceladus Life Finder (ELF) was proposed to do just this, and we describe why a graceful, elvish approach to life detection is optimal.

The Returns to UK Degrees for Foreign-Educated Graduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valbuena, Javier; Zhu, Yu

2018-01-01

Exploiting information on foreign qualifications for the first time, we estimate the returns to obtaining UK higher degrees for foreign graduates who migrated to the UK in their 20s. Accounting for direct measures of foreign and UK qualifications and country-of-origin fixed effects, we find substantial returns to obtaining UK (higher) degrees on…

Business Education--Business Law: Grades 10-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Instructional Objectives Exchange, Los Angeles, CA.

Thirty-seven objectives and related test items for business law courses taught in grades 10 through 12 are organized into the following categories: (1) foundations of law; (2) law of contracts, property, and negotiable instruments; (3) business relations and business organizations; and (4) vocabulary. Each objective contains three elements: the…

Comparison of factors influencing patient choice of community pharmacy in Poland and in the UK, and identification of components of pharmaceutical care

PubMed Central

Merks, Piotr; Kaźmierczak, Justyna; Olszewska, Aleksandra Elzbieta; Kołtowska-Häggström, Maria

2014-01-01

Background Several factors, which are components of pharmaceutical care, can influence a patient’s choice of a community pharmacy store and contribute to frequent visits to the same pharmacy. Objectives To compare factors that influence a patient’s choice of pharmacy in Poland and in the UK, to identify which of them are components of pharmaceutical care, and to relate them to patient loyalty to the same pharmacy. Methods A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was distributed to clients visiting pharmacies in Poland and the UK January–August 2011. Comparisons were performed using chi-square tests and logistic regression. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 20.0. Results The response rate was 55.6% (n=417/750; 36 pharmacies) and 54.0% (n=405/750; 56 pharmacies) in Poland and in the UK, respectively. The most frequently reported factors, as defined by a percentage of responders, were in Poland: 1) location (84%); 2) professional and high-quality of service (82%); 3) good price of medicines (78%); and 4) promotions on medicines (66%). In the UK, the most commonly reported factors were: 1) professional and high quality of service (90%); 2) location (89%); 3) good advice received from the pharmacist (86%); and 4) option of discussing and consulting all health issues in a consultation room (80%). Good advice and an option of discussing personal concerns with a pharmacist are components of pharmaceutical care. Thirty-eight percent of patients in Poland and 61% in the UK declared visiting the same pharmacy. Conclusion Components of pharmaceutical care are important factors influencing the patient’s choice of pharmacy in the UK and, to a lesser degree, in Poland. Additionally, more patients in the UK than in Poland are committed to a single pharmacy. Therefore, implementing the full pharmaceutical care in Poland may contribute to an increase in patient loyalty and thus strengthen competitiveness of pharmacy businesses. PMID:24868150

SSTL UK-DMC SLIM-6 data quality assessment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chander, G.; Saunier, S.; Choate, M.J.; Scaramuzza, P.L.

2009-01-01

Satellite data from the Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) United Kingdom (UK) Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) were assessed for geometric and radiometric quality. The UK-DMC Surrey Linear Imager 6 (SLIM-6) sensor has a 32-m spatial resolution and a ground swath width of 640 km. The UK-DMC SLIM-6 design consists of a three-band imager with green, red, and near-infrared bands that are set to similar bandpass as Landsat bands 2, 3, and 4. The UK-DMC data consisted of imagery registered to Landsat orthorectified imagery produced from the GeoCover program. Relief displacements within the UK-DMC SLIM-6 imagery were accounted for by using global 1-km digital elevation models available through the Global Land One-km Base Elevation (GLOBE) Project. Positional accuracy and relative band-to-band accuracy were measured. Positional accuracy of the UK-DMC SLIM-6 imagery was assessed by measuring the imagery against digital orthophoto quadrangles (DOQs), which are designed to meet national map accuracy standards at 1 : 24 000 scales; this corresponds to a horizontal root-mean-square accuracy of about 6 m. The UK-DMC SLIM-6 images were typically registered to within 1.0-1.5 pixels to the DOQ mosaic images. Several radiometric artifacts like striping, coherent noise, and flat detector were discovered and studied. Indications are that the SSTL UK-DMC SLIM-6 data have few artifacts and calibration challenges, and these can be adjusted or corrected via calibration and processing algorithms. The cross-calibration of the UK-DMC SLIM-6 and Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus was performed using image statistics derived from large common areas observed by the two sensors.

The inclusion of a business management module within the master of pharmacy degree: a route to asset enrichment?

PubMed

Davies, Michael J; Fleming, Hannah; Jones, Richard; Menzie, Kate; Smallwood, Christine; Surendar, Sebastian

2013-04-01

Over the past decade the profession of pharmacy has steadily evolved. The New Pharmacy Contract exposed pharmacists to a fundamental change in traditional pharmacy business models. This study will consider whether community pharmacists, pharmacy undergraduates and academic staff within the United Kingdom believe it would be beneficial to incorporate a business management module within the Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) undergraduate degree along with potential mechanisms of delivery. Further to ethical approval, the questionnaire was distributed to UK registered pharmacists (n=600), MPharm undergraduates (n=441) and academic staff at Liverpool John Moores University (n=44). The questions were formatted as multiple choice questions, Likert scales or the open answer type. On questionnaire completion and return, data were analysed using simple frequencies, cross tabulations and non-parametric techniques in the SPSS (v18). The majority of pharmacists (84.9%) confirmed that business skills affect their everyday responsibilities to a considerable extent. A high proportion of undergraduate students (92.8%) believed that business management skills will impact on their future role. In total, 64.3% of this cohort declared that if a module were introduced they would study it. The majority of staff (79%) agreed that business skills are gaining increased importance within the field of pharmacy. Data suggest that business skills are of relevance to the practice of pharmacy. Appropriate staff to deliver the taught material would include business owners / lecturers and teaching practitioners covering topics including management, leadership, interpersonal skills and regulation. We suggest the inclusion of a business module with the MPharm degree would be of great value in preparing individuals for practice within a modern day healthcare setting.

The inclusion of a business management module within the master of pharmacy degree: a route to asset enrichment?

PubMed Central

Davies, Michael J.; Fleming, Hannah; Jones, Richard; Menzie, Kate; Smallwood, Christine; Surendar, Sebastian

Background Over the past decade the profession of pharmacy has steadily evolved. The New Pharmacy Contract exposed pharmacists to a fundamental change in traditional pharmacy business models. Objective This study will consider whether community pharmacists, pharmacy undergraduates and academic staff within the United Kingdom believe it would be beneficial to incorporate a business management module within the Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) undergraduate degree along with potential mechanisms of delivery. Methods Further to ethical approval, the questionnaire was distributed to UK registered pharmacists (n=600), MPharm undergraduates (n=441) and academic staff at Liverpool John Moores University (n=44). The questions were formatted as multiple choice questions, Likert scales or the open answer type. On questionnaire completion and return, data were analysed using simple frequencies, cross tabulations and non-parametric techniques in the SPSS (v18). Results The majority of pharmacists (84.9%) confirmed that business skills affect their everyday responsibilities to a considerable extent. A high proportion of undergraduate students (92.8%) believed that business management skills will impact on their future role. In total, 64.3% of this cohort declared that if a module were introduced they would study it. The majority of staff (79%) agreed that business skills are gaining increased importance within the field of pharmacy. Conclusions Data suggest that business skills are of relevance to the practice of pharmacy. Appropriate staff to deliver the taught material would include business owners / lecturers and teaching practitioners covering topics including management, leadership, interpersonal skills and regulation. We suggest the inclusion of a business module with the MPharm degree would be of great value in preparing individuals for practice within a modern day healthcare setting. PMID:24155858

Small Business Management; Business Education: 7739.11.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCool, Felix J.

This curriculum guide gives a brief review of the relation of business to the community and an introduction to problems in organizing a small business. These problems include basic long-range decisions: type of financing, need for the business, and method of financing. The document also focuses on the more immediate problems of location, housing,…

Science education reforms in the UK.

PubMed

2012-10-01

As children return to school at the end of the summer in the UK, planned reforms aim to increase their science and maths literacy. A comprehensive foundation in these essential subjects is necessary to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of science and technology for decades to come.

Care coordination in a business-to-business and a business-to-consumer model for telemonitoring patients with chronic diseases.

PubMed

Grustam, Andrija S; Vrijhoef, Hubertus; Cordella, Antonio; Koymans, Ron; Severens, Johan L

2017-12-01

For telemonitoring to support care coordination, a sound business model is conditional. The aim of this study is to explore the systemic and economic differences in care coordination via business-to-business and business-to-consumer models for telemonitoring patients with chronic diseases. We performed a literature search in order to design the business-to-business and business-to-consumer telemonitoring models, and to assess the design elements and themes by applying the activity system theory, and describe the transaction costs in each model. The design elements are content, structure, and governance, while the design themes are novelty, lock-in, complementarities, and efficiency. In the transaction cost analysis, we looked into all the elements of a transaction in both models. Care coordination in the business-to-business model is designed to be organized between the places of activity, rather than the participants in the activity. The design of the business-to-business model creates a firm lock-in but for a limited time. In the business-to-consumer model, the interdependencies are to be found between the persons in the care process and not between the places of care. The differences between the models were found in both the design elements and the design themes. Care coordination in the business-to-business and business-to-consumer models for telemonitoring chronic diseases differs in principle in terms of design elements and design themes. Based on the theoretical models, the transaction costs could potentially be lower in the business-to-consumer model than in the business-to-business, which could be a promoting economic principle for the implementation of telemonitoring.

Developing "Green" Business Plans: Using Entrepreneurship to Teach Science to Business Administration Majors and Business to Biology Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Letovsky, Robert; Banschbach, Valerie S.

2011-01-01

Biology majors team with business administration majors to develop proposals for "green" enterprise for a business plan competition. The course begins with a series of student presentations so that science students learn about the fundamentals of business, and business students learn about environmental biology. Then mixed biology-business student…

Latest Results From the QuakeFinder Statistical Analysis Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kappler, K. N.; MacLean, L. S.; Schneider, D.; Bleier, T.

2017-12-01

Since 2005 QuakeFinder (QF) has acquired an unique dataset with outstanding spatial and temporal sampling of earth's magnetic field along several active fault systems. This QF network consists of 124 stations in California and 45 stations along fault zones in Greece, Taiwan, Peru, Chile and Indonesia. Each station is equipped with three feedback induction magnetometers, two ion sensors, a 4 Hz geophone, a temperature sensor, and a humidity sensor. Data are continuously recorded at 50 Hz with GPS timing and transmitted daily to the QF data center in California for analysis. QF is attempting to detect and characterize anomalous EM activity occurring ahead of earthquakes. There have been many reports of anomalous variations in the earth's magnetic field preceding earthquakes. Specifically, several authors have drawn attention to apparent anomalous pulsations seen preceding earthquakes. Often studies in long term monitoring of seismic activity are limited by availability of event data. It is particularly difficult to acquire a large dataset for rigorous statistical analyses of the magnetic field near earthquake epicenters because large events are relatively rare. Since QF has acquired hundreds of earthquakes in more than 70 TB of data, we developed an automated approach for finding statistical significance of precursory behavior and developed an algorithm framework. Previously QF reported on the development of an Algorithmic Framework for data processing and hypothesis testing. The particular instance of algorithm we discuss identifies and counts magnetic variations from time series data and ranks each station-day according to the aggregate number of pulses in a time window preceding the day in question. If the hypothesis is true that magnetic field activity increases over some time interval preceding earthquakes, this should reveal itself by the station-days on which earthquakes occur receiving higher ranks than they would if the ranking scheme were random. This can

The future of learning disabilities nursing in the UK.

PubMed

Clapham, Anthony

2014-07-02

This article appraises the report Strengthening the Commitment, which is a UK-wide review of learning disabilities nursing by the UK's four chief nursing officers. Strengthening the Commitment has strategic importance in reviewing progress in the care of people with learning disabilities in the UK. It also has a role in helping to guide future strategies and initiatives addressing the continuing health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities throughout the UK.

Grade Inflation in UK Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bachan, Ray

2017-01-01

This paper examines the continual increase in the proportion of "good" honour degrees awarded by UK universities since the mid-2000s. This trend has brought with it the charge of "grade inflation" that may reflect falling standards in UK higher education. This issue has been raised in the national press and in government which…

AsteroidFinder - the space-borne telescope to search for NEO Asteroids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartl, M.; Mosebach, H.; Schubert, J.; Michaelis, H.; Mottola, S.; Kührt, E.; Schindler, K.

2017-11-01

This paper presents the mission profile as well as the optical configuration of the space-borne AsteroidFinder telescope. Its main objective is to retrieve asteroids with orbits interior to the earth's orbit. The instrument requires high sensitivity to detect asteroids with a limiting magnitude of equal or larger than 18.5mag (V-Band) and astrometric accuracy of 1arcsec (1σ). This requires a telescope aperture greater than 400cm2, high image stability, detector with high quantum efficiency (peak > 90%) and very low noise, which is only limited by zodiacal background. The telescope will observe the sky between 30° and 60° in solar elongation. The telescope optics is based on a Cook type TMA. An effective 2°×2° field of view (FOV) is achieved by a fast F/3.4 telescope with near diffraction-limited performance. The absence of centre obscuration or spiders in combination with an accessible intermediate field plane and exit pupil allow for efficient stray light mitigation. Design drivers for the telescope are the required point spread function (PSF) values, an extremely efficient stray light suppression (due to the magnitude requirement mentioned above), the detector performance, and the overall optical and mechanical stability for all orientations of the satellite. To accommodate the passive thermal stabilization scheme and the necessary structural stability, the materials selection for the telescope main structure and the mirrors are of vital importance. A focal plane with four EMCCD detectors is envisaged. The EMCCD technology features shorter integration times, which is in favor regarding the pointing performance of the satellite. The launch of the mission is foreseen for the year 2013 with a subsequent mission lifetime of at least 1 year.

"#discrimination": The Online Response to a Case of a Breastfeeding Mother Being Ejected from a UK Retail Premises.

PubMed

Grant, Aimee

2016-02-01

Stigma is a significant barrier to breastfeeding. Internationally, mothers have reported stigma surrounding public breastfeeding. In the United Kingdom, the Equality Act 2010 gives women the right to breastfeed in public, including within private businesses. In April 2014, a woman who was breastfeeding in a UK sports shop was asked to leave, resulting in a localized protest by breastfeeding mothers. This resulted in the issue of public breastfeeding being highlighted in local, national, and social media. To examine online opinion regarding breastfeeding in public and protesting about the right to breastfeed in public within the context of a single case. Online user-generated content relating to the case of Wioletta Komar was downloaded from Twitter and the comments section of a UK online news source, Mail Online. Data comprised 884 comments and 1210 tweets, collected within 24 hours of the incident. Semiotic and thematic analysis was facilitated by NVivo 10. Comments from Twitter were supportive (76%) or neutral (22%) regarding the protesting women and public breastfeeding. Conversely, Mail Online comments were mostly negative (85%). Mail Online posters questioned the legality of public breastfeeding, while Twitter comments acknowledged and supported women's legal right to breastfeed publicly. Many Mail Online commenters stated that they found it uncomfortable to watch breastfeeding or thought it was unnecessary to breastfeed in public. If the UK government is serious about increasing breastfeeding, interventions to promote public support for public breastfeeding are urgently required. © The Author(s) 2015.

Testing Realistic Disaster Scenarios for Space Weather: The Economic Impacts of Electricity Transmission Infrastructure Failure in the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibbs, M.; Oughton, E. J.; Hapgood, M. A.

2017-12-01

The socio-economic impacts of space weather have been under-researched, despite this threat featuring on the UK's National Risk Register. In this paper, a range of Realistic Disaster Scenarios due to failure in electricity transmission infrastructure are tested. We use regional Geomagnetically Induced Current (GIC) studies to identify areas in the UK high-voltage power system deemed to be high-risk. The potential level of disruption arising from a large geomagnetic disturbance in these `hot spots' on local economic activity is explored. Electricity is a necessary factor of production without which businesses cannot operate, so even short term power loss can cause significant loss of value. We utilise a spatially disaggregated approach that focuses on quantifying employment disruption by industrial sector, and relating this to direct Gross Value Added loss. We then aggregate this direct loss into a set of shocks to undertake macroeconomic modelling of different scenarios, to obtain the total economic impact which includes both direct and indirect supply chain disruption effects. These results are reported for a range of temporal periods, with the minimum increment being a one-hour blackout. This work furthers our understanding of the economic impacts of space weather, and can inform future reviews of the UK's National Risk Register. The key contribution of the paper is that the results can be used in the future cost-benefit analysis of investment in space weather forecasting.

Genetics, lifestyle and environment. UK Biobank is an open access resource following the lives of 500,000 participants to improve the health of future generations.

PubMed

Trehearne, Andrew

2016-03-01

UK Biobank is a long-term prospective epidemiology study having recruited and now following the lives of 500,000 people in England, Scotland and Wales, aged 40-69 years when they joined the study (Sudlow et al., PLoS Med 12(3):e1001779, 2015). Participants were recruited by letter and asked to attend one of 22 assessment centres in towns and cities across Britain, where they provided consent, answered detailed questions about their health and lifestyle, had body measures taken and donated blood, urine and saliva. Participants provided consent for the long-term follow-up of their health via medical records, such as general practice and hospital records, cancer and death records. Samples are being stored long term for a wide range of analyses, including genetic. The resource is open to all bona fide scientists from the UK and overseas, academic and industry who register via its access management system. Summary of UK Biobank data can be viewed via its Data Showcase and the resource will be strengthened over time as the results of new analyses and studies are returned, health links and participants provide additional information about themselves. Some will attend full repeat assessment visits. UK Biobank is open for business, and it hopes researchers will find it a valuable tool to improve the health of future generations.

The risk of hydraulic fracturing on public health in the UK and the UK's fracking legislation.

PubMed

Reap, Elisabeth

2015-01-01

Hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas from shale rock is a new, rapidly expanding industry in the United States (US). However, there is concern that these operations could be having large negative impacts such as groundwater contamination, increased air pollution and seismic events. The United Kingdom (UK) is looking at the potential for emulating the success of 'shale gas' in the US. Differences in population density and geological conditions mean that the public health impacts recorded in the US cannot be directly extrapolated to the UK. There is limited academic literature available but findings suggest that the UK government is not fully recognising the inherent risks of hydraulic fracturing exposed by this literature. Government reports suggest a reliance on engineering solutions and better practice to overcome problems found in the US when evidence suggests that there are inherent risks and impacts that cannot be eliminated. This study applies US results to approximate the impact of one exposure pathway, inhalation of hydrocarbons by the public from operational air emissions over the 30 year lifetime of a well and finds that 7.2 extra cancer cases from exposure to air contamination would be expected in the UK if all test sites, approved test sites and test sites awaiting approval as of January 2015 went on to extract gas. In conclusion, limited assessment of the public health implications of hydraulic fracturing operations is available but the UK government appears to not be applying the precautionary principle to potentially significant legislation.

76 FR 8221 - Small Business Size Regulations; 8(a) Business Development/Small Disadvantaged Business Status...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-11

..., the Small Business Act and SBA's regulation do not contain performance requirements applicable to.... 121.406 that the nonmanufacturer rule applies to women-owned small business (WOSB) and economically disadvantaged women-owned small business (EDSOB) requirements for supplies. Again, Sec. 127.505 of SBA's...

Education Business Plan 2008-11: Ministry Business Plan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Education, 2008

2008-01-01

The Ministry of Education has identified one core business that is an ongoing key responsibility. It is called "Core Business One: Lead and Support the Education System So That All Students Are Successful at Learning." The core business includes three goals with specific outcomes that describe the end results the Ministry wants to…

Incorporating Business Communication in an Integrative Business Seminar.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luse, Donna W.

1999-01-01

Describes the Integrative Business Seminar in the College of Business Administration at Northeast Louisiana University in which the principal courses in business communication, management, marketing, and finance as well as a segment in problem solving, are taught as one 15-credit hour block in which subject areas are treated as an integrated…

Business and Technology Concepts--Business Computations. Teacher's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois State Board of Education, Springfield. Dept. of Adult, Vocational and Technical Education.

This Illinois State Board of Education teacher's guide on business computations is for students enrolled in the 9th or 10th grade. The course provides a foundation in arithmetic skills and their applications to common business problems for the senior high school vocational business courses. The curriculum guide includes teacher and student…

Recognition of flow in everyday life using sensor agent robot with laser range finder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goshima, Misa; Mita, Akira

2011-04-01

In the present paper, we suggest an algorithm for a sensor agent robot with a laser range finder to recognize the flows of residents in the living spaces in order to achieve flow recognition in the living spaces, recognition of the number of people in spaces, and the classification of the flows. House reform is or will be demanded to prolong the lifetime of the home. Adaption for the individuals is needed for our aging society which is growing at a rapid pace. Home autonomous mobile robots will become popular in the future for aged people to assist them in various situations. Therefore we have to collect various type of information of human and living spaces. However, a penetration in personal privacy must be avoided. It is essential to recognize flows in everyday life in order to assist house reforms and aging societies in terms of adaption for the individuals. With background subtraction, extra noise removal, and the clustering based k-means method, we got an average accuracy of more than 90% from the behavior from 1 to 3 persons, and also confirmed the reliability of our system no matter the position of the sensor. Our system can take advantages from autonomous mobile robots and protect the personal privacy. It hints at a generalization of flow recognition methods in the living spaces.

Can a More User-Friendly Medicare Plan Finder Improve Consumers' Selection of Medicare Plans?

PubMed

Martino, Steven C; Kanouse, David E; Miranda, David J; Elliott, Marc N

2017-10-01

To evaluate the efficacy for consumers of two potential enhancements to the Medicare Plan Finder (MPF)-a simplified data display and a "quick links" home page designed to match the specific tasks that users seek to accomplish on the MPF. Participants (N = 641) were seniors and adult caregivers of seniors who were recruited from a national online panel. Participants browsed a simulated version of the MPF, made a hypothetical plan choice, and reported on their experience. Participants were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions in a fully factorial design: 2 home pages (quick links, current MPF home page) × 2 data displays (simplified, current MPF display) × 2 plan types (stand-alone prescription drug plan [PDP], Medicare Advantage plan with prescription drug coverage [MA-PD]). The quick links page resulted in more favorable perceptions of the MPF, improved users' understanding of the information, and increased the probability of choosing the objectively best plan. The simplified data display resulted in a more favorable evaluation of the website, better comprehension of the displayed information, and, among those choosing a PDP only, an increased probability of choosing the best plan. Design enhancements could markedly improve average website users' understanding, ability to use, and experience of using the MPF. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Transposon Insertion Finder (TIF): a novel program for detection of de novo transpositions of transposable elements.

PubMed

Nakagome, Mariko; Solovieva, Elena; Takahashi, Akira; Yasue, Hiroshi; Hirochika, Hirohiko; Miyao, Akio

2014-03-14

Transposition event detection of transposable element (TE) in the genome using short reads from the next-generation sequence (NGS) was difficult, because the nucleotide sequence of TE itself is repetitive, making it difficult to identify locations of its insertions by alignment programs for NGS. We have developed a program with a new algorithm to detect the transpositions from NGS data. In the process of tool development, we used next-generation sequence (NGS) data of derivative lines (ttm2 and ttm5) of japonica rice cv. Nipponbare, regenerated through cell culture. The new program, called a transposon insertion finder (TIF), was applied to detect the de novo transpositions of Tos17 in the regenerated lines. TIF searched 300 million reads of a line within 20 min, identifying 4 and 12 de novo transposition in ttm2 and ttm5 lines, respectively. All of the transpositions were confirmed by PCR/electrophoresis and sequencing. Using the program, we also detected new transposon insertions of P-element from NGS data of Drosophila melanogaster. TIF operates to find the transposition of any elements provided that target site duplications (TSDs) are generated by their transpositions.

Toward Regional Clusters: Networking Events, Collaborative Research, and the Business Finder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reichling, Tim; Moos, Benjamin; Rohde, Markus; Wulf, Volker

Networks of regionally collocated organizations improve the competitiveness of their member companies. This is not only a result of lower transportation costs when delivering or purchasing physical goods but also other matters such as mutual trust or a higher diffusion of specialized knowledge among companies that have emerged as important aspects of regional networks. Even increased competition among collocated companies can lead to comparative advantages over externals as a result of an increased pressure for innovation. While the reasons why regional networks of companies offer comparative advantages has been widely investigated, the question arises as to how networks can be developed in terms of higher interconnectedness and deeper connections.

Business Speech, Language Arts, Business English: 5128.21.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL.

Developed as part of a high school quinmester unit on business speech, this guide provides the teacher with teaching strategies for a course designed to help people in the business world. The course covers the preparation and delivery of a speech and other business situations which require skill in speaking (sales techniques, committee and group…

Basic Business and Economics: Students Learn to Begin a Business.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gruber, James

1979-01-01

A simulated advertising compaign and other business management experiences in a high school business organization course are described. In deciding what kind of business to start, how to obtain capital, and how to organize and operate successfully, students learned the importance of human relations and caution in business. (MF)

Rethinking How Business Purpose Is Taught in Catholic Business Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Lyman; Naughton, Michael; Bojan, William

2013-01-01

Business education at a Catholic university should engage students and faculty across the university in critically examining the purpose of business in society. Following the best practices of leading business schools, the Catholic business curriculum has mostly focused on the shareholder and stakeholder approaches--with the shareholder approach…

The carbon component of the UK power price

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

Kris Voorspools

2006-08-01

CO{sub 2} emissions trading is in full swing in Europe and is already having an impact on the price of power in the UK. If EU allowances (EUAs) trade at euro 20/t-CO{sub 2}, the EUA component in the power price is estimated to be slightly < euro 10/MW.h. In the case of UK power for delivery 1 year ahead, this is {approximately} 10% of the market price of power. The introduction of a carbon components into the UK power prices took place along before the 'official' start of ETS in 2005. Analysis of historical data of the price of power,more » gas, coal and EUAs shows that the first trace of a CO{sub 2} component in UK power dates back to August 2003, shortly after EUAs first started to trade. In April 2004, CO{sub 2} was fully integrated into the UK power price. 4 refs., 5 figs.« less

Management of the Business Classroom. National Business Education Association Yearbook, No. 39.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Betty J., Ed.

This document contains 15 papers devoted to the theme of management of business education. "Management of Business Education: A Perspective" (Betty J. Brown) discusses business education as education about business and education for business. The following papers explore the theme of managing the curriculum: "The Basic Business and Economic…

Development of the UK Engagement Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kandiko Howson, Camille; Buckley, Alex

2017-01-01

Student engagement has become a key feature of UK higher education, but until recently there has been a lack of data to track, benchmark and drive enhancement. In 2015 the first full administration ran in the UK a range of survey items drawn from the US-based National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). This is the latest example of international…

Beyond business process redesign: redefining Baxter's business network.

PubMed

Short, J E; Venkatraman, N

1992-01-01

Business process redesign has focused almost exclusively on improving the firm's internal operations. Although internal efficiency and effectiveness are important objectives, the authors argue that business network redesign--reconceptualizing the role of the firm and its key business processes in the larger business network--is of greater strategic importance. To support their argument, they analyze the evolution of Baxter's ASAP system, one of the most publicized but inadequately understood strategic information systems of the 1980s. They conclude by examining whether ASAP's early successes have positioned the firm well for the changing hospital supplies marketplace of the 1990s.

Basic Business and Economics: Rationale for a Course in Small Business Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Robert A.

1979-01-01

Stating that small business represents most of the nation's business but that business courses focus on corporate giants, the author presents arguments for a course in small business management. This course could prepare students for small business opportunities and provide an understanding of the nature of small business management and ownership.…

Teaching weather and climate science in primary schools - a pilot project from the UK Met Office

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orrell, Richard; Liggins, Felicity; Challenger, Lesley; Lethem, Dom; Campbell, Katy

2017-04-01

Wow Schools is a pilot project from the Met Office with an aim to inspire and educate the next generation of scientists and, uniquely, use the data collected by schools to improve weather forecasts and warnings across the UK. Wow Schools was launched in late 2015 with a competition open to primary schools across the UK. 74 schools entered the draw, all hoping to be picked as one of the ten lucky schools taking part in the pilot scheme. Each winning school received a fully automatic weather station (AWS), enabling them to transmit real-time local weather observations to the Met Office's Weather Observation Website (WOW - wow.metoffice.gov.uk), an award winning web portal for uploading and sharing a range of environmental observations. They were also given a package of materials designed to get students out of the classroom to observe the weather, get hands-on with the science underpinning weather forecasting, and analyse the data they are collecting. The curriculum-relevant materials were designed with the age group 7 to 11 in mind, but could be extended to support other age groups. Each school was offered a visit by a Wow Schools Ambassador (a Met Office employee) to bring the students' learning to life, and access to a dedicated forecast for its location generated by our new supercomputer. These forecasts are improved by the school's onsite AWS reinforcing the link between observations and forecast production. The Wow Schools pilot ran throughout 2016. Here, we present the initial findings of the project, examining the potential benefits and challenges of working with schools across the UK to: enrich students' understanding of the science of weather forecasting; to source an ongoing supply of weather observations and discover how these might be used in the forecasting process; and explore what materials and business model(s) would be most useful and affordable if a wider roll-out of the initiative was undertaken.

A preliminary design for the GMT-Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szentgyorgyi, Andrew; Barnes, Stuart; Bean, Jacob; Bigelow, Bruce; Bouchez, Antonin; Chun, Moo-Young; Crane, Jeffrey D.; Epps, Harland; Evans, Ian; Evans, Janet; Frebel, Anna; Furesz, Gabor; Glenday, Alex; Guzman, Dani; Hare, Tyson; Jang, Bi-Ho; Jang, Jeong-Gyun; Jeong, Ueejong; Jordan, Andres; Kim, Kang-Min; Kim, Jihun; Li, Chih-Hao; Lopez-Morales, Mercedes; McCracken, Kenneth; McLeod, Brian; Mueller, Mark; Nah, Jakyung; Norton, Timothy; Oh, Heeyoung; Oh, Jae Sok; Ordway, Mark; Park, Byeong-Gon; Park, Chan; Park, Sung-Joon; Phillips, David; Plummer, David; Podgorski, William; Rodler, Florian; Seifahrt, Andreas; Tak, Kyung-Mo; Uomoto, Alan; Van Dam, Marcos A.; Walsworth, Ronald; Yu, Young Sam; Yuk, In-Soo

2014-08-01

The GMT-Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF) is an optical-band echelle spectrograph that has been selected as the first light instrument for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). G-CLEF is a general-purpose, high dispersion spectrograph that is fiber fed and capable of extremely precise radial velocity measurements. The G-CLEF Concept Design (CoD) was selected in Spring 2013. Since then, G-CLEF has undergone science requirements and instrument requirements reviews and will be the subject of a preliminary design review (PDR) in March 2015. Since CoD review (CoDR), the overall G-CLEF design has evolved significantly as we have optimized the constituent designs of the major subsystems, i.e. the fiber system, the telescope interface, the calibration system and the spectrograph itself. These modifications have been made to enhance G-CLEF's capability to address frontier science problems, as well as to respond to the evolution of the GMT itself and developments in the technical landscape. G-CLEF has been designed by applying rigorous systems engineering methodology to flow Level 1 Scientific Objectives to Level 2 Observational Requirements and thence to Level 3 and Level 4. The rigorous systems approach applied to G-CLEF establishes a well defined science requirements framework for the engineering design. By adopting this formalism, we may flexibly update and analyze the capability of G-CLEF to respond to new scientific discoveries as we move toward first light. G-CLEF will exploit numerous technological advances and features of the GMT itself to deliver an efficient, high performance instrument, e.g. exploiting the adaptive optics secondary system to increase both throughput and radial velocity measurement precision.

Small Business Specialists.

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-12-01

located throughout the United States. Each service and agency has an Office of the Director of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. They also...have small business specialists at each of their procurement and contract management offices to assist small businesses , small disadvantaged businesses ...and women-owned small businesses firms in marketing their products and services with the DoD. These specialists provide information and guidance on (1

Business Mathematics for Business Education Departments in Pennsylvania's Public Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parfet, James A.

This document is meant to be used as a teaching aid to help business teachers in Pennsylvania high schools prepare pupils to assume positions in business offices. Methods are suggested by which business mathematics may be presented to develop the greatest level of pupil achievement. The chapters outline business mathematics in the high school…

Minimum Description Length Block Finder, a Method to Identify Haplotype Blocks and to Compare the Strength of Block Boundaries

PubMed Central

Mannila, H.; Koivisto, M.; Perola, M.; Varilo, T.; Hennah, W.; Ekelund, J.; Lukk, M.; Peltonen, L.; Ukkonen, E.

2003-01-01

We describe a new probabilistic method for finding haplotype blocks that is based on the use of the minimum description length (MDL) principle. We give a rigorous definition of the quality of a segmentation of a genomic region into blocks and describe a dynamic programming algorithm for finding the optimal segmentation with respect to this measure. We also describe a method for finding the probability of a block boundary for each pair of adjacent markers: this gives a tool for evaluating the significance of each block boundary. We have applied the method to the published data of Daly and colleagues. The results expose some problems that exist in the current methods for the evaluation of the significance of predicted block boundaries. Our method, MDL block finder, can be used to compare block borders in different sample sets, and we demonstrate this by applying the MDL-based method to define the block structure in chromosomes from population isolates. PMID:12761696

Minimum description length block finder, a method to identify haplotype blocks and to compare the strength of block boundaries.

PubMed

Mannila, H; Koivisto, M; Perola, M; Varilo, T; Hennah, W; Ekelund, J; Lukk, M; Peltonen, L; Ukkonen, E

2003-07-01

We describe a new probabilistic method for finding haplotype blocks that is based on the use of the minimum description length (MDL) principle. We give a rigorous definition of the quality of a segmentation of a genomic region into blocks and describe a dynamic programming algorithm for finding the optimal segmentation with respect to this measure. We also describe a method for finding the probability of a block boundary for each pair of adjacent markers: this gives a tool for evaluating the significance of each block boundary. We have applied the method to the published data of Daly and colleagues. The results expose some problems that exist in the current methods for the evaluation of the significance of predicted block boundaries. Our method, MDL block finder, can be used to compare block borders in different sample sets, and we demonstrate this by applying the MDL-based method to define the block structure in chromosomes from population isolates.

Biofortification of UK food crops with selenium.

PubMed

Broadley, Martin R; White, Philip J; Bryson, Rosie J; Meacham, Mark C; Bowen, Helen C; Johnson, Sarah E; Hawkesford, Malcolm J; McGrath, Steve P; Zhao, Fang-Jie; Breward, Neil; Harriman, Miles; Tucker, Mark

2006-05-01

Se is an essential element for animals. In man low dietary Se intakes are associated with health disorders including oxidative stress-related conditions, reduced fertility and immune functions and an increased risk of cancers. Although the reference nutrient intakes for adult females and males in the UK are 60 and 75 microg Se/d respectively, dietary Se intakes in the UK have declined from >60 microg Se/d in the 1970s to 35 microg Se/d in the 1990s, with a concomitant decline in human Se status. This decline in Se intake and status has been attributed primarily to the replacement of milling wheat having high levels of grain Se and grown on high-Se soils in North America with UK-sourced wheat having low levels of grain Se and grown on low-Se soils. An immediate solution to low dietary Se intake and status is to enrich UK-grown food crops using Se fertilisers (agronomic biofortification). Such a strategy has been adopted with success in Finland. It may also be possible to enrich food crops in the longer term by selecting or breeding crop varieties with enhanced Se-accumulation characteristics (genetic biofortification). The present paper will review the potential for biofortification of UK food crops with Se.

UK114, a YjgF/Yer057p/UK114 family protein highly conserved from bacteria to mammals, is localized in rat liver peroxisomes.

PubMed

Antonenkov, Vasily D; Ohlmeier, Steffen; Sormunen, Raija T; Hiltunen, J Kalervo

2007-05-25

Mammalian UK114 belongs to a highly conserved family of proteins with unknown functions. Although it is believed that UK114 is a cytosolic or mitochondrial protein there is no detailed study of its intracellular localization. Using analytical subcellular fractionation, electron microscopic colloidal gold technique, and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of peroxisomal matrix proteins combined with mass spectrometric analysis we show here that a large portion of UK114 is present in rat liver peroxisomes. The peroxisomal UK114 is a soluble matrix protein and it is not inducible by the peroxisomal proliferator clofibrate. The data predict involvement of UK114 in peroxisomal metabolism.

Integrated Business Process Adaptation towards Friction-Free Business-to-Business Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shan, Zhe

2011-01-01

One key issue in process-aware E-commerce collaboration is the orchestration of business processes of multiple business partners throughout a supply chain network in an automated and seamless way. Since each partner has its own internal processes with different control flow structures and message interfaces, the real challenge lies in verifying…

Community Business in Scotland: An Alternative Vision of 'Enterprise Culture', 1979-97.

PubMed

Murray, Gillian

2018-06-09

The force and coherency with which Margaret Thatcher and her inner circle outlined their vision for 'enterprise culture', like so many aspects of Thatcherism, have masked the complexity of its origins and the histories of alternative responses. This article provides a history of an alternative vision for enterprise culture by examining the community business movement in Scotland, the largest experiment of its kind in the UK in the 1980s and a forerunner of social enterprise. Working across Scotland, but with a hub of activity in the Strathclyde region, practitioners worked with local people to find ways to develop their neighbourhood economy while improving their environment, creating jobs, and developing services needed in their area. This article outlines the origins of the movement, the shared values of its founding members, and how their training in community development informed the community business model. It analyses how practitioners put their ideas into practice and the reasons behind the fragmentation of the movement in the 1990s. It argues that although at face value the concept of community business may appear to chime with the dominant political rhetoric of Thatcher's 'enterprise culture', the history of the movement provides a signpost to an alternative, if unrealised, vision for Scotland's recovery from social and economic depression. Where previous historical research has focused on the political consequences of Thatcher's policies in Scotland, this research connects this discussion to the transformation of Scotland's civic society in the wake of deindustrialization.

Cost viability of 3D printed house in UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tobi, A. L. Mohd; Omar, S. A.; Yehia, Z.; Al-Ojaili, S.; Hashim, A.; Orhan, O.

2018-03-01

UK has been facing housing crisis due to the rising price of the property on sale. This paper will look into the viability of 3D printing technology as an alternative way for house construction on UK. The analysis will be carried out based on the data until the year of 2014 due to limited resources availability. Details cost breakdown on average size house construction cost in UK were analysed and relate to the cost viability of 3D printing technology in reducing the house price in UK. It is found that the 3D printing generates saving of up to around 35% out of total house price in UK. This cost saving comes from the 3D printed construction of walls and foundations for material and labour cost.

Project SEARCH UK - Evaluating Its Employment Outcomes.

PubMed

Kaehne, Axel

2016-11-01

The study reports the findings of an evaluation of Project SEARCH UK. The programme develops internships for young people with intellectual disabilities who are about to leave school or college. The aim of the evaluation was to investigate at what rate Project SEARCH provided employment opportunities to participants. The evaluation obtained data from all sites operational in the UK at the time of evaluation (n = 17) and analysed employment outcomes. Data were available for 315 young people (n = 315) in the programme and pay and other employment related data were available for a subsample. The results of the analysis suggest that Project SEARCH achieves on average employment rates of around 50 per cent. Project SEARCH UK represents a valuable addition to the supported employment provision in the UK. Its unique model should inform discussions around best practice in supported employment. Implications for other supported employment programmes are discussed. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

78 FR 48537 - Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-08

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION [Docket Number: 2013-0008] Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs Commercialization Benchmark AGENCY: Small Business Administration. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Small Business Administration (SBA) is publishing the Small Business...

78 FR 59410 - Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-26

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION [Docket Number: 2013-0008] Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs Commercialization Benchmark AGENCY: Small Business... Business Administration (SBA) is reopening the comment period for the Small Business Innovation Research...

Business Ethics

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-06-01

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL Monterey, California THESIS Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. BUSINESS ETHICS by Wojciech...Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Business Ethics. 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHOR (S) Wojciech Górski 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS...INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iii Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. BUSINESS

Leadership Practices in German and UK Organisations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Grace

2005-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this research was to determine whether leadership practices vary between German and UK organisations. Design/methodology/approach: The author used self-assessment documents submitted by German and UK organisations to the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), to identify leadership practices in both countries. A…

Do Business Schools Value the Competencies that Businesses Value?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abraham, Steven Eric; Karns, Lanny A.

2009-01-01

The authors used survey research to determine the congruence among the competencies that businesses identify as being indicative of successful managers, the competencies that business schools identify as being indicative of successful graduates, and the competencies that are emphasized in business school curricula. The results show that although…

The cost of pressure ulcers in the UK.

PubMed

Bennett, Gerry; Dealey, Carol; Posnett, John

2004-05-01

To estimate the annual cost of treating pressure ulcers in the UK. Costs were derived from a bottom-up methodology, based on the daily resources required to deliver protocols of care reflecting good clinical practice. Health and social care system in the UK. Patients developing a pressure ulcer. A bottom-up costing approach is used to estimate treatment cost per episode of care and per patient for ulcers of different grades and level of complications. Also, total treatment cost to the health and social care system in the UK. The cost of treating a pressure ulcer varies from pound 1,064 (Grade 1) to pound 10,551 (Grade 4). Costs increase with ulcer grade because the time to heal is longer and because the incidence of complications is higher in more severe cases. The total cost in the UK is pound 1.4- pound 2.1 billion annually (4% of total NHS expenditure). Most of this cost is nurse time. Pressure ulcers represent a very significant cost burden in the UK. Without concerted effort this cost is likely to increase in the future as the population ages. To the extent that pressure ulcers are avoidable, pressure damage may be indicative of clinical negligence and there is evidence that litigation could soon become a significant threat to healthcare providers in the UK, as it is in the USA.

Research investments for UK infectious disease research 1997-2013: A systematic analysis of awards to UK institutions alongside national burden of disease.

PubMed

Head, Michael G; Brown, Rebecca J; Clarke, Stuart C

2018-01-01

Infectious disease remains a significant burden in the UK and the focus of significant amounts of research investment each year. The Research Investments in Global Health study has systematically assessed levels of funding for infection research, and here considers investment alongside UK burden of individual infectious diseases. The study included awards to UK institutions between 1997 and 2013 that were related to infectious disease. Awards related to global health projects were excluded here. UK burden data (mortality, years lived with disability, and disability adjusted life years) was sourced from the Global Burden of Disease study (IHME, USA). Awards were categorised by pathogen, disease, disease area and by type of science along the research pipeline (pre-clinical, phase I-III trials, product development, public health, cross-disciplinary research). New metrics present relative levels of funding by comparing sum investment with measures of disease burden. There were 5685 relevant awards comprising investment of £2.4 billion. By disease, HIV received most funding (£369.7m; 15.6% of the total investment). Pre-clinical science was the predominant type of science (£1.6 billion, 68.7%), with the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) the largest funder (£714.8 million, 30.1%). There is a broad temporal trend to increased fundingper annum. Antimicrobial resistance received (£102.8 million, 4.2%), whilst sepsis received £23.6 million (1.0%). Compared alongside disease burden, acute hepatitis C and measles typically were relatively well-funded, whilst pneumonia, syphilis and gonorrhoea were poorly-funded. The UK has a broad research portfolio across a wide range of infectious diseases and disciplines. There are notable strengths including HIV, some respiratory infections and in pre-clinical science, though there was less funding for UK-relevant trials and public health research. Compared to the UK burden of disease, syphilis, gonorrhoea and pneumonia appear

Business Value Game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchenko, Artem; Duarte, Vasco

Agile teams want to deliver maximum business value. That’s easy if the on-site Ccstomer assigns business value to each story. But how does the customer do that? How can you estimate business value? This workshop is run as a game, where teams have to make tough business decisions for their ”organizations”. Teams have to decide which orders to take and what to deliver first in order to earn more. The session gives the participants basic business value estimation techniques, but the main point is to make people live through the business situation and to help them feel the consequences of various choices.

The UK Haemophilia Doctors Organisation triennial audit of UK Comprehensive Care Haemophilia Centres.

PubMed

Wilde, J T

2012-07-01

Under the auspices of the United Kingdom Haemophilia Doctors Organisation (UKHCDO) the UK Comprehensive Care Haemophilia Centres (CCCs) have undergone a three yearly formal audit assessment since 1993. This report describes the evolution of the audit process and details the findings of the most recent audit round, the sixth since inception. The audit reports from the 2009 audit round were reviewed by the audit organizing group and a structured analysis of the data was compiled. CCCs in the UK offer a high standard of comprehensive care services. The main areas of concern were the state of the premises (seven centres), lack of dental services (seven centres), physiotherapy (seven centres) and social work support (11 centres). Major concerns were identified at eight centres requiring a formal letter from the chairman of UKHCDO to the chief executive of the host trust. Since inception of the triennial audit process centre report recommendations have resulted in major improvements in the services available at UK CCCs. The audit process is considered to be a highly effective means of improving the quality of care for patients with bleeding disorders and can be used as a model for the introduction of a similar process in other countries. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Partnering with the Business School: The Business and Professional Communication Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnett, Ronald C.; McKendree, Amanda; Fritz, Janie Harden; Roberts, Kathleen Glenister

2008-01-01

Duquesne University's Department of Communication & Rhetorical Studies offers a course in business and professional communication to students in the School of Business. To develop that partnership, professors had to persuade the business school of the centrality of rhetoric/persuasion in business and professional communication. In short, this…

Equine uveitis: a UK perspective.

PubMed

Lowe, R C

2010-03-01

Uveitis in the equine population of the UK does not appear to be as prevalent or disastrous as seen across regions of Europe and the USA. Some cases perceived to be recurrent uveitis may be poorly resolved single episodes of uveitis and care should be taken not to make the diagnosis of recurrence without ensuring effective control of the initial episode. Leptospira spp. appear to play only a minor role ERU in the UK which is probably the main reason for the prevalence of the disease being much lower compared to the USA and mainland Europe. Actual data are relatively few on the ground as far as disease surveillance in concerned. This has 2 implications. Firstly unless we are able to effectively monitor the levels of uveitic disease, it will be difficult to pick up early changes in the trend which may allow quicker intervention. Secondly, it is difficult to secure funding for further research if the prevalence of the problem is poorly defined. This may leave the UK equine population at risk should the disease profile suddenly alter for the worse.

UK Schools, CCTV and the Data Protection Act 1998

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Emmeline

2011-01-01

The use of CCTV in schools is now commonplace in the UK. It is estimated that 85% of all UK secondary schools currently have CCTV systems in operation. The introduction of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) (enacted in March 2000) meant that for the first time CCTV had direct legislation governing its use in the UK. This paper attempts to apply…

Extracting business vocabularies from business process models: SBVR and BPMN standards-based approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skersys, Tomas; Butleris, Rimantas; Kapocius, Kestutis

2013-10-01

Approaches for the analysis and specification of business vocabularies and rules are very relevant topics in both Business Process Management and Information Systems Development disciplines. However, in common practice of Information Systems Development, the Business modeling activities still are of mostly empiric nature. In this paper, basic aspects of the approach for business vocabularies' semi-automated extraction from business process models are presented. The approach is based on novel business modeling-level OMG standards "Business Process Model and Notation" (BPMN) and "Semantics for Business Vocabularies and Business Rules" (SBVR), thus contributing to OMG's vision about Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) and to model-driven development in general.

Is the work flow model a suitable candidate for an observatory supervisory control infrastructure?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daly, Philip N.; Schumacher, Germán.

2016-08-01

This paper reports on the early investigation of using the work flow model for observatory infrastructure software. We researched several work ow engines and identified 3 for further detailed, study: Bonita BPM, Activiti and Taverna. We discuss the business process model and how it relates to observatory operations and identify a path finder exercise to further evaluate the applicability of these paradigms.

The English of Business Is the Business of English.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Versluis, Edward B.

Three arguments lead to the conclusion that the English of business is the business of English. First, reluctance to fully appreciate the English of Business stems in part from a serious misunderstanding about the development of written language in the Western tradition. While studying folktales and the origins of myths has made an awareness of…

Teaching Business Ethics or Teaching Business Ethically?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stablein, Ralph

2003-01-01

Notes that one of the most important contexts for ethical decision-making is the nature and operation of "contemporary capitalisms." Suggests that rather than issuing a call for teaching business ethics, the author emphasizes the need for more ethical business teaching. (SG)

Changing the Environmental Behaviour of Small Business Owners: The Business Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Beth; Redmond, Janice

2014-01-01

The importance of the environment is something of a cracked record to many small business owners, as historically any calls to business to change or improve their practices or behaviours were from the "environmental" or "green" perspective, rather than from a business perspective. As a consequence, many small businesses have…

Development of a parent version of the Manchester-Minneapolis quality of life survey for use by parents and carers of UK children: MMQL-UK (PF)

PubMed Central

Hutchings, Hayley A; Upton, Penney; Cheung, Wai-Yee; Maddocks, Alison; Eiser, Christine; Williams, John G; Russell, Ian T; Jackson, Sonia; Jenney, Meriel EM

2008-01-01

Background Although it is now widely endorsed that children should as far as possible rate their own health related quality of life (HRQL), there are situations where proxy information on child HRQL may be useful, especially where a child is too ill or young to provide their own HRQL assessment. There is limited availability of generic HRQL scales that have a parallel child and parent version and that are reliable, valid, brief, comprehensible and suitable for use in UK populations. The aims of this study were therefore to develop and validate a parent version of the anglicised Manchester-Minneapolis Quality of Life child form (MMQL-UK (CF)) and to determine the level of association between the child and parent versions of this form. Methods This study was undertaken concurrently with the anglicisation and validation of the MMQL, a measure of HRQL developed for use with children in North America. At that time, no parent version existed, so the MMQL form for children (MMQL-UK (CF)) was used as the basis for the development of the MMQL-UK parent form (PF). The sample included a control group of healthy children and their parents and five exemplar groups; children diagnosed with asthma, diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease and their parents, children in remission from cancer and their parents and children in public care and their carers. Consistency of the MMQL-UK (PF) components were assessed by calculating Cronbach's alpha. Validation of the parent questionnaire was undertaken by comparing MMQL-UK (PF) component scores with comparable components on the proxy PedsQL™ quality of life scales, comparing MMQL-UK (PF) component scores between parents of healthy and chronic disease children and by comparison of component scores from children and their parents or carers. Reproducibility and responsiveness were assessed by retesting parents by follow-up questionnaires. Results A total of 874 children (completing MMQL-UK (CF)) and 572 parents or carers (completing MMQL-UK

Learning the law: practical proposals for UK medical education.

PubMed

Margetts, J K

2016-02-01

Ongoing serious breaches in medical professionalism might be avoided if UK doctors rethink their approach to law. UK medical education has a role in creating a climate of change by re-examining how law is taught to medical students. Adopting a more insightful approach in the UK to the impact of The Human Rights Act and learning to manipulate legal concepts, such as conflict of interest, need to be taught to medical students now if UK doctors are to manage complex decision-making in the NHS of the future. The literature is reviewed from a unique personal perspective of a doctor and lawyer, and practical proposals for developing medical education in law in the UK are suggested. 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/

Tobacco imagery on prime time UK television.

PubMed

Lyons, Ailsa; McNeill, Ann; Britton, John

2014-05-01

Smoking in films is a common and well documented cause of youth smoking experimentation and uptake and hence a significant health hazard. The extent of exposure of young people to tobacco imagery in television programming has to date been far less investigated. We have therefore measured the extent to which tobacco content occurs in prime time UK television, and estimated exposure of UK youth. The occurrence of tobacco, categorised as actual tobacco use, implied tobacco use, tobacco paraphernalia, other reference to tobacco, tobacco brand appearances or any of these, occurring in all prime time broadcasting on the five most popularly viewed UK television stations during 3 separate weeks in 2010 were measured by 1-minute interval coding. Youth exposure to tobacco content in the UK was estimated using media viewing figures. Actual tobacco use, predominantly cigarette smoking, occurred in 73 of 613 (12%) programmes, particularly in feature films and reality TV. Brand appearances were rare, occurring in only 18 programmes, of which 12 were news or other factual genres, and 6 were episodes of the same British soap opera. Tobacco occurred with similar frequency before as after 21:00, the UK watershed for programmes suitable for youth. The estimated number of incidences of exposure of the audience aged less than 18 years for any tobacco, actual tobacco use and tobacco branding were 59 million, 16 million and 3 million, respectively on average per week. Television programming is a source of significant exposure of youth to tobacco imagery, before and after the watershed. Tobacco branding is particularly common in Coronation Street, a soap opera popular among youth audiences. More stringent controls on tobacco in prime time television therefore have the potential to reduce the uptake of youth smoking in the UK.

Tobacco imagery on prime time UK television

PubMed Central

Lyons, Ailsa; McNeill, Ann; Britton, John

2014-01-01

Background Smoking in films is a common and well documented cause of youth smoking experimentation and uptake and hence a significant health hazard. The extent of exposure of young people to tobacco imagery in television programming has to date been far less investigated. We have therefore measured the extent to which tobacco content occurs in prime time UK television, and estimated exposure of UK youth. Methods The occurrence of tobacco, categorised as actual tobacco use, implied tobacco use, tobacco paraphernalia, other reference to tobacco, tobacco brand appearances or any of these, occurring in all prime time broadcasting on the five most popularly viewed UK television stations during 3 separate weeks in 2010 were measured by 1-minute interval coding. Youth exposure to tobacco content in the UK was estimated using media viewing figures. Findings Actual tobacco use, predominantly cigarette smoking, occurred in 73 of 613 (12%) programmes, particularly in feature films and reality TV. Brand appearances were rare, occurring in only 18 programmes, of which 12 were news or other factual genres, and 6 were episodes of the same British soap opera. Tobacco occurred with similar frequency before as after 21:00, the UK watershed for programmes suitable for youth. The estimated number of incidences of exposure of the audience aged less than 18 years for any tobacco, actual tobacco use and tobacco branding were 59 million, 16 million and 3 million, respectively on average per week. Conclusions Television programming is a source of significant exposure of youth to tobacco imagery, before and after the watershed. Tobacco branding is particularly common in Coronation Street, a soap opera popular among youth audiences. More stringent controls on tobacco in prime time television therefore have the potential to reduce the uptake of youth smoking in the UK. PMID:23479113

Business diversification - In the businesses of desk calculator, semiconductor and liquid crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asada, Atsushi

This is a record of the lecture at the 27th Annual Meeting on Information Science and Technology. Lecturer, a staff member of Sharp, Corp., explained its business diversification. The Company started with electric appliances. After coping with the application of computer technology, it made a success in the business of desk calculator. Aiming at making calculator for personal use, it coped with the business in semiconductor, and developed its business in liquid crystal for making calculator thinner. Based on these businesses, it expanded its business in OA appliances, and developed the business in combining electric appliances and information including distribution and marketing. The businesses in the age of 1990s will be requested to provide services by customizing hardware, software and system with efforts to enhance valued-added to them.

Deficiencies in provision of integrated multidisciplinary podiatry care for patients with inflammatory arthritis: a UK district general hospital experience.

PubMed

Juarez, M; Price, E; Collins, D; Williamson, L

2010-01-01

Foot problems are highly prevalent in inflammatory arthritis (IA), especially rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Chronic inflammation can lead to permanent structural changes, deformity and disability. Early podiatry intervention in RA improves long term outcomes. National guidelines recommend that patients should be treated by a multidisciplinary team with dedicated podiatry services. In clinical practice funding constraints limit availability of these services. To assess prevalence of foot problems and quality and availability of foot care services at a UK district general hospital. 1200 IA patients in Swindon (Wiltshire, UK) were invited to complete an anonymised questionnaire regarding access to foot care services and education/information on foot problems. 448 patients. Prevalence of foot problems: 68%. Only 31% of patients had access to appropriate foot specialist. 24% had received foot assessment within 3 months of diagnosis of IA and 17% yearly review thereafter. Despite high prevalence of foot problems in our population we identified significant deficiencies in provision of integrated multidisciplinary podiatry care. The data we present could be used by others to support business cases to obtain funding to improve the links between rheumatology and podiatry services. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accelerated technology transfer: the UK quantum initiative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennett, Simon D.

2016-10-01

A new generation of quantum technology based systems, exploiting effects such as superposition and entanglement, will enable widespread, highly disruptive applications which are expected to be of great economic significance. However, the technology is only just emerging from the physics laboratory and generally remains at low TRLs. The question is: where, and when, will this impact be first manifest? The UK, with substantial Government backing, has embarked on an ambitious national program to accelerate the process of technology transfer with the objective of seizing a significant and sustainable share of the future economic benefit for the UK. Many challenges and uncertainties remain but the combined and co-ordinated efforts of Government, Industry and Academia are making great progress. The level of collaboration is unusually high and the goal of embedding a "QT Ecosystem" in the UK looks to be attainable. This paper describes the UK national programme, its key players, and their respective roles. It will illustrate some of the likely first commercial applications and provide a status update. Some of the challenges that might prevent realisation of the goal will be highlighted.

Referral Finder: Saving Time and Improving The Quality of In-hospital Referrals.

PubMed

Cathcart, Jennifer; Cowan, Neil; Tully, Vicki

2016-01-01

Making referrals to other hospital specialties is one of the key duties of the foundation doctor, which can be difficult and time consuming. In Ninewells hospital, Scotland, in our experience the effectiveness of referrals is limited by contact details not being readily accessible and foundation doctors not knowing what information is relevant to each specialty. We surveyed foundation doctors on their experience of the existing referral process to identify where we needed to focus to improve the process. The doctors reported significant delays in obtaining contact details from the operator, and found they did not know the specific information needed in each referral. To increase the information available to foundation doctors, we set up a page on the staff intranet called 'Referral Finder'. This page includes contact details, guidelines for referral, and links to relevant protocols for each specialty. By making this information readily accessible our objective was to increase the speed and quality of referrals. When surveyed two months after the web page was established, foundation doctors reported a reduction in calls to operator from baseline and reported achieving more effective referrals. When asked to comment, many doctors asked if the page could include details for other hospitals in our health board and provide more specialty specific information. This feedback prompted us to extend the scope of the page to include the district general hospital in our region, and update many of the existing details. Doctors were then surveyed after the updates, 100% agreed that the website saved time and there was a 49.3% reduction in doctors who reported not knowing the specific information needed for a referral. Having adequate information improved referrals and resulted in time saved. This would allow more time for patient care. The quality improvement project was praised among doctors as a useful, innovative and replicable project.

Gas-fired power in the UK: Bridging supply gaps and implications of domestic shale gas exploitation for UK climate change targets.

PubMed

Turk, Jeremy K; Reay, David S; Haszeldine, R Stuart

2018-03-01

There is a projected shortcoming in the fourth carbon budget of 7.5%. This shortfall may be increased if the UK pursues a domestic shale gas industry to offset projected decreases in traditional gas supply. Here we estimate that, if the project domestic gas supply gap for power generation were to be met by UK shale gas with low fugitive emissions (0.08%), an additional 20.4MtCO 2 e 1 would need to be accommodated during carbon budget periods 3-6. We find that a modest fugitive emissions rate (1%) for UK shale gas would increase global emissions compared to importing an equal quantity of Qatari liquefied natural gas. Additionally, we estimate that natural gas electricity generation would emit 420-466MtCO 2 e (460 central estimate) during the same time period within the traded EU emissions cap. We conclude that domestic shale gas production with even a modest 1% fugitive emissions rate would risk exceedance of UK carbon budgets. We also highlight that, under the current production-based greenhouse gas accounting system, the UK is incentivized to import natural gas rather than produce it domestically. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Motivation Types and Mental Health of UK Hospitality Workers.

PubMed

Kotera, Yasuhiro; Adhikari, Prateek; Van Gordon, William

2018-01-01

The primary purposes of this study were to (i) assess levels of different types of work motivation in a sample of UK hospitality workers and make a cross-cultural comparison with Chinese counterparts and (ii) identify how work motivation and shame-based attitudes towards mental health explain the variance in mental health problems in UK hospitality workers. One hundred three UK hospitality workers completed self-report measures, and correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify significant relationships. Findings demonstrate that internal and external motivation levels were higher in UK versus Chinese hospitality workers. Furthermore, external motivation was more significantly associated with shame and mental health problems compared to internal motivation. Motivation accounted for 34-50% of mental health problems. This is the first study to explore the relationship between motivation, shame, and mental health in UK hospitality workers. Findings suggest that augmenting internal motivation may be a novel means of addressing mental health problems in this worker population.

Business Development Process

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-10-31

832-4736. DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A Approved for Public Release Distribution Unlimited Attorney Docket No. 83042 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROCESS TO... BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROCESS 3 4 STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST 5 The invention described herein may be manufactured and used 6 by or for the...INVENTION 11 (1) Field of the Invention 12 This invention generally relates to a business 13 development process for assessing new business ideas

The GMT-Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF) : An Optical Echelle Spectrograph for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) with Multi-Object Spectroscopy (MOS) Capability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szentgyorgyi, Andrew

2017-09-01

"The GMT-Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF) is an optical band echelle spectrograph that has been selected as the first light instrument for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). G-CLEF is a general purpose, high dispersion instrument that is fiber fed and capable of extremely precise radial velocity (PRV) measurements. G-CLEF will have a novel multi-object spectroscopy (MOS) capability that will be useful for a number of exoplanet science programs. I describe the general properties of G-CLEF and the systems engineering analyses, especially for PRV, that drove the current G-CLEF design. The requirements for calibration of the MOS channel are presented along with several novel approaches for achieving moderate radial velocity precision in the MOS mode."

Globalisation of Researcher Mobility within the UK Higher Education: Explaining the Presence of Overseas Academics in the UK Academia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khattab, Nabil; Fenton, Steve

2016-01-01

In this paper, we argue that the power structure that lies within the UK elite universities dictates a division of labour through which the inflows of overseas academics into the UK academic labour markets are skewed towards these elite academic institutions where they are employed primarily in research-only posts. These posts, are less valued and…

Solar wind modulation of UK lightning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Chris; Harrison, Giles; Lockwood, Mike; Owens, Mathew; Barnard, Luke

2013-04-01

The response of lightning rates in the UK to arrival of high speed solar wind streams at Earth is investigated using a superposed epoch analysis. The fast solar wind streams' arrivals are determined from modulation of the solar wind Vy component, measured by the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft. Lightning rate changes around these event times are then determined from the very low frequency Arrival Time Difference (ATD) system of the UK Met Office. Arrival of high speed streams at Earth is found to be preceded by a decrease in total solar irradiance and an increase in sunspot number and Mg II emissions. These are consistent with the high speed stream's source being co-located with an active region appearing on the Eastern solar limb and rotating at the 27 day rate of the Sun. Arrival of the high speed stream at Earth also coincides with a rapid decrease in cosmic ray flux and an increase in lightning rates over the UK, persisting for around 40 days. The lightning rate increase is corroborated by an increase in the total number of thunder days observed by UK Met stations, again for around 40 days after the arrival of a high speed solar wind stream. This increase in lightning may be beneficial to medium range forecasting of hazardous weather.

Food advertising during children's television in Canada and the UK.

PubMed

Adams, J; Hennessy-Priest, K; Ingimarsdóttir, S; Sheeshka, J; Ostbye, T; White, M

2009-09-01

Television advertisements for less healthy foods are thought to contribute to overweight and obesity in children. In the UK, new regulations on television food advertising to children came into effect in April 2007. These prohibit advertisements for "less healthy" foods during or around programmes "of particular appeal to" (OPAT) children. In Canada, self-regulated codes of practice on television food advertising to children were recently strengthened. To document the nutritional content of food advertised and number of advertisements OPAT children broadcast in the UK and central Canada before the introduction of the new UK regulations. All food advertisements broadcast on four popular channels in Canada and the three terrestrial commercial channels in the UK during 1 week in 2006 were identified and linked to relevant nutritional data. Food advertisements OPAT children and for "less healthy" products were identified using the criteria in the UK regulations. 2315 food related advertisements broadcast in Canada and 1365 broadcast in the UK were included. 52-61% were for "less healthy" products; 5-11% were OPAT children. Around 5% of food advertisements would have been prohibited under the new UK regulations. There were few differences in the nutritional content of food described in advertisements that were and were not OPAT children. There was little evidence that food described in advertisements OPAT children were any less healthy than those that were not. Few food advertisements are likely to be prohibited by the new UK regulations.

Tensions Generated by Business Issues in Farm Business-Owning Couples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Danes, Sharon M.; Lee, Yoon G.

2004-01-01

Business tensions were investigated for farm couples. Wives reported higher tension in four out of seven business tensions. Profit was the highest priority for husbands, whereas wives identified good family relationships as the highest priority. Transferring family financial resources to the business and having preschool children was associated…

UK Renal Registry 16th annual report: chapter 9 adequacy of haemodialysis in UK adult patients in 2012: national and centre-specific analyses.

PubMed

Shaw, Catriona; Steenkamp, Retha; Davenport, Andrew

2013-01-01

Outcomes in patients treated with haemodialysis (HD) are influenced by the delivered dose of dialysis. The UK Renal Association (RA) publishes clinical practice guidelines which include recommendations for dialysis dose. The urea reduction ratio (URR) is a widely used measure of dialysis dose and has historically been the measure of adequacy reported by the UKRR. This chapter aims to determine the extent to which patients achieved the recommended UK target. All 71 UK renal centres submitted data to the UK Renal Registry (UKRR). Two groups of patients were included in the analyses: the prevalent HD patient population on 30st September 2012 and the incident HD patient population for 2011. Centres returning data on <50% of their patient population or centres with <20 patients were excluded from centrespecific comparisons. Data regarding URR were available from 63 renal centres in the UK. Forty nine centres provided URR data on more than 90% of prevalent HD patients. The proportion of patients in the UK who met the UK clinical practice guideline for URR (>65%) increased from 69% in 2000 to 88% in 2012. There was persistent variation observed between centres, with 21 centres attaining the RA clinical practice guideline in >90% of patients, 38 centres attaining the guideline in 70-90% of patients and one centre in less than 70% of patients. The overall proportion of prevalent HD patients with a URR >65% has continued to improve over time. The delivered dose of HD, as measured by URR for patients with established renal failure, has increased over the last decade. Whilst the majority of UK patients achieved the target URR there was considerable variation between centres in the percentage of patients achieving the current guideline. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

76 FR 362 - Inquiry To Learn Whether Businesses Assert Business Confidentiality Claims

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-04

... Businesses Assert Business Confidentiality Claims AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION... participate or have participated. The purpose of this notice is to inform ``affected businesses'' about the documents or data sought by these types of FOIA requests in order to provide the businesses with the...

75 FR 44951 - Inquiry To Learn Whether Businesses Assert Business Confidentiality Claims

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-30

... Businesses Assert Business Confidentiality Claims AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION... participate or have participated. The purpose of this notice is to inform ``affected businesses'' about the documents or data sought by these types of FOIA requests in order to provide the businesses with the...

Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garrison, Lynn; Jasper, Gwen

2015-01-01

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA's needs as described in the annual Solicitations and have significant potential for successful commercialization. The only eligible participants are small business concern (SBC) with 500 or fewer employees or a nonprofit research institute such as a university or a research laboratory with ties to an SBC. These programs are potential sources of seed funding for the development of small business innovations.

Nutritional Knowledge of UK Coaches

PubMed Central

Cockburn, Emma; Fortune, Alistair; Briggs, Marc; Rumbold, Penny

2014-01-01

Athletes obtain nutritional information from their coaches, yet their competency in this area is lacking. Currently, no research exists in the UK which has a different coach education system to many other countries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the sports nutrition knowledge of UK coaching certificate (UKCC) level 2 and 3, hockey and netball qualified coaches. All coaches (n = 163) completed a sports nutrition questionnaire to identify: (a) if they provided nutritional advice; (b) their level of sport nutrition knowledge; and (c) factors that may have contributed to their level of knowledge. Over half the coaches provided advice to their athletes (n = 93, 57.1%), even though they were not competent to do so. Coaches responded correctly to 60.3 ± 10.5% of all knowledge questions with no differences between those providing advice and those who did not (p > 0.05). Those coaches who had undertaken formal nutrition training achieved higher scores than those who had not (p < 0.05). In conclusion, UK sports coaches would benefit from continued professional development in sports nutrition to enhance their coaching practice. PMID:24727434

Business continuity 2014: From traditional to integrated Business Continuity Management.

PubMed

Ee, Henry

As global change continues to generate new challenges and potential threats to businesses, traditional business continuity management (BCM) slowly reveals its limitations and weak points to ensuring 'business resiliency' today. Consequently, BCM professionals also face the challenge of re-evaluating traditional concepts and introducing new strategies and industry best practices. This paper points to why traditional BCM is no longer sufficient in terms of enabling businesses to survive in today's high-risk environment. It also looks into some of the misconceptions about BCM and other stumbling blocks to establishing effective BCM today. Most importantly, however, this paper provides tips based on the Business Continuity Institute's (BCI) Good Practices Guideline (GPG) and the latest international BCM standard ISO 22301 on how to overcome the issues and challenges presented.

A Survey of the Use of Business Games in Academia and Business.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faria, A. J.

1987-01-01

Designed to determine the number of business simulation game users in universities and the business community, this study is based on a survey of business school deans and faculty and business and consulting firms. Results indicate fairly high current usage with good potential for further growth. (LRW)

75 FR 4812 - Inquiry To Learn Whether Businesses Assert Business Confidentiality Claims

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-29

... Businesses Assert Business Confidentiality Claims AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION... purpose of this notice is to inform ``affected businesses'' about the documents or data sought by these types of FOIA requests in order to provide the businesses with the opportunity to assert claims that any...

Business as a Vocation: Catholic Social Teaching and Business Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turkson, Peter K. A.

2012-01-01

Building on "Vocation of the Business Leader," the recently released document from the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, along with input from Catholic business and educational leaders from around the world, this essay examines five pillars on which a Catholic business school should build its mission: foundations; the purpose of…

Improving Business-IT Alignment through Business Architecture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Chingmei

2010-01-01

The business and Information Technology (IT) alignment issue has become one of the Top-10 IT management issues since 1980. IT has continually strived to achieve alignment with business goals and objectives. These IT efforts include ERP implementation to benefit from the best practices; data center consolidation and server virtualization to keep…

Assisted dying - should the UK change its stance?

PubMed

Gordon, Daniel; Raphael, Claire E; Vassiliou, Vassilios

2015-04-01

Along with an increasing interest in assisted dying by many European and North American countries, some of which have already modified their existing laws to accommodate this, the interest in assisted dying in the UK has increased once again following Lord Falconer's Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill. Drawing on examples from countries where similar assisted dying laws are already in place, this article analyses and contextualises the proposed bill and discusses its potential pitfalls and benefits for the UK. © The European Society of Cardiology 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Questions raised over future of UK research council

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banks, Michael

2010-02-01

Five senior physicists have written to the UK science minister, Lord Drayson, about the "dismal future" for researchers in the country in the wake of a £40m shortfall in the budget of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). The physicists, who chair the STFC's five advisory panels, have also called for structural reforms to be made to the council. They warn that unless the government takes action to reverse the situation, the UK will be "perceived as an untrustworthy partner in global projects" and predict that a brain drain of the best UK scientists to positions overseas will ensue.

Better by design: business preferences for environmental regulatory reform.

PubMed

Taylor, Christopher M; Pollard, Simon J T; Rocks, Sophie A; Angus, Andrew J

2015-04-15

We present the preferences for environmental regulatory reform expressed by 30 UK businesses and industry bodies from 5 sectors. While five strongly preferred voluntary regulation, seven expressed doubts about its effectiveness, and 18 expressed no general preference between instrument types. Voluntary approaches were valued for flexibility and lower burdens, but direct regulation offered stability and a level playing field. Respondents sought regulatory frameworks that: are coherent; balance clarity, prescription and flexibility; are enabled by positive regulatory relationships; administratively efficient; targeted according to risk magnitude and character; evidence-based and that deliver long-term market stability for regulatees. Anticipated differences in performance between types of instrument can be undermined by poor implementation. Results underline the need for policy makers and regulators to tailor an effective mix of instruments for a given sector, and to overcome analytical, institutional and political barriers to greater coherence, to better coordinate existing instruments and tackle new environmental challenges as they emerge. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Attainment of Ethnic Minority Students in UK Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, John T. E.

2008-01-01

Recent studies have suggested that academic attainment by ethnic minority graduates at UK institutions of higher education is lower than that by White graduates. This was confirmed using a database of all UK-domiciled graduates from UK higher education institutions in 2004-05. The trend was greater in older students than in younger students, in…

The Teaching of Business Ethics: An Imperative at Business Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crane, Frederick G.

2004-01-01

This study reports the findings of an investigation of MBAs and their views on the teaching of business ethics. The author found that tomorrow's business leaders believe that there are ethical standards that should be followed in business but that current ethical standards do not meet society's needs adequately. Moreover, although most respondents…

Achieving Success in Small Business: A Self-Instruction Program for Small Business Owner-Managers. Assessing the Health of Your Business.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg. Div. of Vocational-Technical Education.

This self-instructional module on assessing the health of your business is the eleventh in a set of twelve modules designed for small business owner-managers. The competency for this module is to assess the financial condition of your business. Provided are information sections (key business records, balance sheet and profit and loss statements,…

Achieving Success in Small Business: A Self-Instruction Program for Small Business Owner-Managers. Business Records: Good Medicine Tastes Bad.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg. Div. of Vocational-Technical Education.

This self-instructional module on business records is the ninth in a set of twelve modules designed for small business owner-managers. Competencies for this module are (1) identify the records required for business operations and (2) describe the important uses of business records. Provided are information sections (reasons for records, parts of a…

How a Regional Broker Can Improve Industry Demand for University Interaction: A Case Study of the London Technology Network

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reid, Peter; Schofield, Matt

2006-01-01

UK university research produces highly cited publications (DTI, 2004), but demand from UK business for commercial ideas from academia is weak (HM Treasury, 2003). This paper reviews factors in the development of one regional UK technology broker, the London Technology Network (LTN), which has achieved significant and audited business demand. The…

48 CFR 52.204-5 - Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business). 52.204-5 Section 52.204-5 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL... Provisions and Clauses 52.204-5 Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business). As prescribed in 4.607(b...

48 CFR 52.204-5 - Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business). 52.204-5 Section 52.204-5 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL... Provisions and Clauses 52.204-5 Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business). As prescribed in 4.607(b...

48 CFR 52.204-5 - Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business). 52.204-5 Section 52.204-5 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL... Provisions and Clauses 52.204-5 Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business). As prescribed in 4.607(a...

48 CFR 52.204-5 - Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business). 52.204-5 Section 52.204-5 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL... Provisions and Clauses 52.204-5 Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business). As prescribed in 4.607(a...

48 CFR 52.204-5 - Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business). 52.204-5 Section 52.204-5 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL... Provisions and Clauses 52.204-5 Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business). As prescribed in 4.607(b...

Business Ownership and Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaser, Ken, Ed.

1991-01-01

Includes five articles: "Women in Management" (Zimmerer); "Business Boot Camp (interviews with young entrepreneurs)" (Kaser); "Plan Your Own Business Project" (Kohns); "Business Education and the Middle Level Student" (Patterson, Leblanc); and "Small Business Ownership Planning" (Fiber). (SK)

Taking Care of Business: Equipping Students to Become Business Journalists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hannis, Grant

2016-01-01

Informed, critical business journalism is vital to a well-functioning society. But students are typically reluctant to study business journalism, often finding the topic intimidating. This article outlines how the author has taught a business journalism course in New Zealand and the United States. The course uses a variety of methods to help the…

Mental health in-reach in an urban UK remand prison.

PubMed

Forrester, Andrew; Singh, Jagmohan; Slade, Karen; Exworthy, Tim; Sen, Piyal

2014-01-01

Prison mental health in-reach teams (MHITs) have developed in England and Wales over the last decade. Services have been nationally reviewed, but detailed descriptions of their work have been scarce. The purpose of this paper is to describe the functions of one MHIT in a busy, ethnically diverse, male remand prison in London, UK. Clinical and demographic data were collected for prisoners referred to the MHIT using a retrospective design over an 18-week period in 2008/2009 (n=111). Foreign national prisoners and sentenced prisoners were significantly under-referred. Most referrals were already known to community mental health services, although around a quarter accessed services for the first time in prison. Around a third presented with self-harm/suicide risks. Substance misuse problems were common. Although the MHIT had evolved systems to promote service access, prisoner self-referrals were limited. Foreign national prisoners require enhanced investment to improve service access. MHITs identify people with mental disorders for the first time in prisons, but better screening arrangements are needed across systems. An evaluation of multiple MHIT models could inform a wider delivery template. Originality/value - One of the first ground-level evaluations of MHITs in England and Wales.

Minding the Business of Business: Tools and Models to Design and Measure Wealth Creation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernardez, Mariano L.

2009-01-01

What is the business of business? How can planners and investors anticipate the true chances of failure and success of a business idea? This article describes a rationale for developing successful new business on the basis of a simple, sensible idea: the business of any business is to make its clients successful enough to continue purchasing and…

History of UK contribution to astronautics: Politics and government

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hicks CB, Colin

2009-12-01

In all developed countries, once it emerged from the amateur era, Space (and especially rocketry) moved on the public agenda because of its potential significance for both the civil and military policies of governments (coupled with its appetite for new money). In the UK the policy treatment of Space broadly paralleled that in other countries until the post-Empire trauma, the burn-out of the White-Hot Technological revolution of Harold Wilson, and the financial crises of the 1970s exhausted the public appetite for large scale publicly funded projects in high technology. The culmination for Space of these pressures came in 1986-1987 when the UK rejected the emerging international consensus and, almost alone, stayed outside the manned space commitments which developed into the International Space Station. In this paper, Colin Hicks will review the UK political developments which led up to the 1986-1987 decision and how the politics and organisation of UK space activity have developed since then to the point where in 2008 a major government review of the UK involvement in manned space was commissioned.

Characteristics and practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine retail shops in London, UK: A cross-sectional study using an observational approach.

PubMed

Teng, Lida; Shaw, Debbie; Barnes, Joanne

2015-09-15

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a popular form of ethnomedicine in the UK, and is accessed by Western, Chinese and other ethnic groups. The current regulatory regime does not effectively protect the public against poor-quality and unsafe TCMs. Understanding ethnopharmacological information on how TCM is promoted and practiced may help to inform initiatives aimed at ensuring the safe use of TCMs in the UK, and put laboratory-based ethnopharmacological investigations of TCMs in a broader context. This study aimed to examine the characteristics and practices of TCM retail outlets in London, UK, and to identify factors relevant to the safe use of TCM in the UK. TCM retail outlets ('shops') in London, UK, were identified using a systematic approach. A structured questionnaire including questions on shop business type was used to recruit participant shops. Shops consenting to participate were visited within six weeks of providing consent. A piloted semi-structured questionnaire on shop characteristics was used for data collection following observation. The British National Formulary 53 was used to classify medical conditions/uses for TCMs promoted in the shops. Data were stored and analysed using MS Access 2003, MS Excel 2003 and SPSS 13. In total, 54 TCM shops in London were identified, of which 94% offered TCM consultations with a TCM practitioner. Detailed characteristics were described within 35/50 shops that gave consent to observing their premises. Most shops labelled and displayed over 150 Chinese Materia Medica (CMMs; crude materials, particularly herbs) for dispensing after consultations with a TCM practitioner. Medical conditions/uses and Patent Chinese Medicines (PCMs) were commonly promoted. In total, 794 occurrences of 205 different medical conditions/uses (median=32, QL=19, QU=48) were identified. These conditions/uses most commonly related to the following therapeutic systems: central nervous system (160/794, 20.2%); musculoskeletal and joint disease

75 FR 11918 - Hewlett Pachard Company, Business Critical Systems, Mission Critical Business Software Division...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-12

... Pachard Company, Business Critical Systems, Mission Critical Business Software Division, Openvms Operating... Business Software Division, Openvms Operating System Development Group, Including an Employee Operating Out... Company, Business Critical Systems, Mission Critical Business Software Division, OpenVMS Operating System...

The Great Divide between Business School Research and Business Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dostaler, Isabelle; Tomberlin, Thomas J.

2013-01-01

In their 2005 "Harvard Business Review" article, Bennis and O'Toole described business schools as being "on the wrong track" as a result of their focus on so-called scientific research. Some commentators argue that business schools have slowly lost their relevance since the end of the 1950s when they undertook a major overhaul in response to the…

A Network Implementation Class Exercise: BusinessQuest Business Incubator, LLC

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arling, Priscilla A.

2009-01-01

One way to bring concepts to life in an introductory data networks course is for students to physically build a network that addresses a real business problem. However it can be challenging to find a suitable business problem, particularly if the network can exist only during the class period. This case presents a realistic business scenario and…

Business Process Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hantry, Francois; Papazoglou, Mike; van den Heuvel, Willem-Jan; Haque, Rafique; Whelan, Eoin; Carroll, Noel; Karastoyanova, Dimka; Leymann, Frank; Nikolaou, Christos; Lammersdorf, Winfried; Hacid, Mohand-Said

Business process management is one of the core drivers of business innovation and is based on strategic technology and capable of creating and successfully executing end-to-end business processes. The trend will be to move from relatively stable, organization-specific applications to more dynamic, high-value ones where business process interactions and trends are examined closely to understand more accurately an application's requirements. Such collaborative, complex end-to-end service interactions give rise to the concept of Service Networks (SNs).

Comparing market orientation culture of businesses and schools of business: an extension and refinement.

PubMed

Webster, Robert L; Hammond, Kevin L; Harmon, Harry A

2005-04-01

This study extends previous work concerning the market orientation culture within specialty businesses and schools of business. Specifically, member schools of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International are separated into public and private universities. Data were collected via a mailed survey to business schools holding membership. 106 public school deans and 35 private school deans responded, for a 23% response rate. Input from the deans was sought on their perceptions of the market orientation culture within the schools. Respondents' perceptions, rated on a 7-point scale, measured four dimensions of market orientation: customer orientation, competitor orientation, organizational coordination, and overall market orientation. Data for specialty businesses were drawn from a previous study. Comparison testing between the public and private business schools' deans and business managers was conducted. Analysis indicated perceived market orientation was significantly higher for deans of private business schools than public business schools. Compared with business managers, private school deans were statistically different on only one of the four dimensions, whereas public business school deans' scores were significantly different from those of business managers on all four. Compared with each other, business school deans were statistically different on three dimensions, with private school deans reporting greater market orientation.

National Small Business Conference

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-06-02

Untitled Document 2005 National Small Business Conference.html[8/30/2016 1:07:10 PM] National Small Business Conference “Opening New Frontiers...Through Effective Partnering” Los Angeles, CA 31 May - 2 June 2005 AGENDA Wednesday, 23 March 2005 Small Business and the Defense Industrial Base, Mr...Frank Ramos, Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, DoD The Hill: How It Can Help Your Small Business , Mr. Ron Perlman

Unsynchronized scanning with a low-cost laser range finder for real-time range imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatipoglu, Isa; Nakhmani, Arie

2017-06-01

Range imaging plays an essential role in many fields: 3D modeling, robotics, heritage, agriculture, forestry, reverse engineering. One of the most popular range-measuring technologies is laser scanner due to its several advantages: long range, high precision, real-time measurement capabilities, and no dependence on lighting conditions. However, laser scanners are very costly. Their high cost prevents widespread use in applications. Due to the latest developments in technology, now, low-cost, reliable, faster, and light-weight 1D laser range finders (LRFs) are available. A low-cost 1D LRF with a scanning mechanism, providing the ability of laser beam steering for additional dimensions, enables to capture a depth map. In this work, we present an unsynchronized scanning with a low-cost LRF to decrease scanning period and reduce vibrations caused by stop-scan in synchronized scanning. Moreover, we developed an algorithm for alignment of unsynchronized raw data and proposed range image post-processing framework. The proposed technique enables to have a range imaging system for a fraction of the price of its counterparts. The results prove that the proposed method can fulfill the need for a low-cost laser scanning for range imaging for static environments because the most significant limitation of the method is the scanning period which is about 2 minutes for 55,000 range points (resolution of 250x220 image). In contrast, scanning the same image takes around 4 minutes in synchronized scanning. Once faster, longer range, and narrow beam LRFs are available, the methods proposed in this work can produce better results.

A Business-to-Business Interoperability Testbed: An Overview

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

Kulvatunyou, Boonserm; Ivezic, Nenad; Monica, Martin

In this paper, we describe a business-to-business (B2B) testbed co-sponsored by the Open Applications Group, Inc. (OAGI) and the National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST) to advance enterprise e-commerce standards. We describe the business and technical objectives and initial activities within the B2B Testbed. We summarize our initial lessons learned to form the requirements that drive the next generation testbed development. We also give an overview of a promising testing framework architecture in which to drive the testbed developments. We outline the future plans for the testbed development.

What's in a name? Nominative determinism in the UK dental workforce.

PubMed

Sleigh, J

2016-12-16

Background Nominative determinism describes the theory that people are more likely to pursue careers that are connected to their names. Compelling research has been carried out across the medical professions that provides strong evidence for this phenomenon, but as yet its applicability to the UK dental workforce remains unknown.Aim The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of dentally-related surnames in the UK dental workforce (dentists and dental care professionals) and compare this to the UK population.Results Dentistry may provide a surprising counter-example to prevailing theories of nominative determinism, as UK dentists are significantly less likely than the UK general population to have dentally-related surnames. This new phenomenon of 'nominative antideterminism' was not observed in the dental care professional (DCP) cohort, for whom the prevalence of dentally-related surnames was similar to that in the wider UK population.

UK medical selection: lottery or meritocracy?

PubMed

Harris, Benjamin H L; Walsh, Jason L; Lammy, Simon

2015-02-01

From senior school through to consultancy, a plethora of assessments shape medical careers. Multiple methods of assessment are used to discriminate between applicants. Medical selection in the UK appears to be moving increasingly towards non-knowledge-based testing at all career stages. We review the evidence for non-knowledge-based tests and discuss their perceived benefits. We raise the question: is the current use of non-knowledge-based tests within the UK at risk of undermining more robust measures of medical school and postgraduate performance? © 2015 Royal College of Physicians.

Business Center

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Learn how to do business with EPA's Clean Air Markets, including registering to use the Emissions Collection and Monitoring Plan System (ECMPS), the CAMD Business System (CBS), and learn how to submit monitored emissions data.

Students' Perceptions of Computer-Based Learning Environments, Their Attitude towards Business Statistics, and Their Academic Achievement: Implications from a UK University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, ThuyUyen H.; Charity, Ian; Robson, Andrew

2016-01-01

This study investigates students' perceptions of computer-based learning environments, their attitude towards business statistics, and their academic achievement in higher education. Guided by learning environments concepts and attitudinal theory, a theoretical model was proposed with two instruments, one for measuring the learning environment and…

Patterns and Trends in UK Higher Education 2016

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Universities UK, 2016

2016-01-01

This report provides an interim update to the Universities UK "Patterns" series, before the publication of the full "Patterns and Trends" publication in spring 2017. It includes updates of the main charts included in the 2015 publication, covering trends in student and staff numbers and finances of the UK higher education…

The IB Diploma and UK University Degree Qualifications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frank-Gemmill, Gerda

2013-01-01

In recent years the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma has become widely accepted as a university-entry qualification in the UK, but there has been little quantitative research into the achievements of IB students at degree level. This study investigates IB students from one selective independent school who entered UK universities between…

76 FR 5680 - Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, HUBZone, and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-02

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 13 CFR Parts 121, 124, 125, 126, and 134 RIN 3245-AF65 Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, HUBZone, and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Status Protest and Appeal Regulations. AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The U...

UK Hazard Assessment for a Laki-type Volcanic Eruption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witham, Claire; Felton, Chris; Daud, Sophie; Aspinall, Willy; Braban, Christine; Loughlin, Sue; Hort, Matthew; Schmidt, Anja; Vieno, Massimo

2014-05-01

Following the impacts of the Eyjafjallajokull eruption in 2010, two types of volcanic eruption have been added to the UK Government's National Risk Register for Civil Emergencies. One of these, a large gas-rich volcanic eruption, was identified as a high impact natural hazard, one of the three highest priority natural hazards faced by the UK. This eruption scenario is typified by the Laki eruption in Iceland in 1783-1784. The Civil Contingency Secretariat (CCS) of the UK's Cabinet Office, responsible for Civil Protection in the UK, has since been working on quantifying the risk and better understanding its potential impacts. This involves cross-cutting work across UK Government departments and the wider scientific community in order to identify the capabilities needed to respond to an effusive eruption, to exercise the response and develop increased resilience where possible. As part of its current work, CCS has been working closely with the UK Met Office and other UK agencies and academics (represented by the co-authors and others) to generate and assess the impacts of a 'reasonable worst case scenario', which can be used for decision making and preparation in advance of an eruption. Information from the literature and the findings of an expert elicitation have been synthesised to determine appropriate eruption source term parameters and associated uncertainties. This scenario is then being used to create a limited ensemble of model simulations of the dispersion and chemical conversion of the emissions of volcanic gases during such an eruption. The UK Met Office's NAME Lagrangian dispersion model and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology's EMEP4UK Eulerian model are both being used. Modelling outputs will address the likelihood of near-surface concentrations of sulphur and halogen species being above specified health thresholds. Concentrations at aviation relevant altitudes will also be evaluated, as well as the effects of acid deposition of volcanic species on

76 FR 81521 - Vendor Outreach Workshop for Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Zone Small Businesses

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-28

... Underutilized Business (HUB) Zone Small Businesses AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Interior. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization of the Department of the Interior are hosting a Vendor Outreach Workshop for HUB Zone small businesses that are interested in doing business...

77 FR 109 - Inquiry To Learn Whether Businesses Assert Business Confidentiality Claims Regarding Waste Import...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-03

... definition of ``affected business,'' and are not covered by today's notice. They consist of any business that.... Certain businesses, however, do not meet the definition of ``affected business,'' and are not covered by... Businesses Assert Business Confidentiality Claims Regarding Waste Import and Export AGENCY: Environmental...

Defense Business Transformation

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

Defense Business Transformation by Jacques S. Gansler and William Lucyshyn The Center for Technology and National...REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2009 to 00-00-2009 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Defense Business Transformation 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER...vii Part One: DoD Business Transformation

Validated School Business Practices That Work. Volume III: Sharing Business Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association of School Business Officials of the United States and Canada, Park Ridge, IL. Research Corp.

Seventeen validated school business practices are described in this document. The practices were selected through the Sharing Business Success (SBS) program, in which the Federal Department of Education, 41 state education agencies, and State Associations of School Business Officials cooperate to identify successful school district practices,…

13 CFR 121.405 - May a business concern self-certify its small business size status?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false May a business concern self-certify its small business size status? 121.405 Section 121.405 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION SMALL BUSINESS SIZE REGULATIONS Size Eligibility Provisions and Standards Size...

Stress among UK Academics: Identifying Who Copes Best

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darabi, Mitra; Macaskill, Ann; Reidy, Lisa

2017-01-01

This article examined levels of stress and associated coping strategies among UK academics. Adopting a positive psychology approach, the influence of the character strengths of hope, optimism, gratitude and self-efficacy on stress, subjective well-being (SWB), and mental health was examined in 216 academics in a UK university. The study explored…

BUSINESS NEEDS AND GRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOL OFFERINGS IN MARKETING.

PubMed

Thams, Meg; Glueck, Deborah

2007-04-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if a gap exists in the skill and knowledge businesses require of marketing employees and what the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited schools actually provide. In this quantitative study, two set of data were collected and compared, and a gap analysis conducted. A questionnaire was used to obtain data from members of the Business Marketing Association (BMA) regarding course preferences that would best prepare students for positions in marketing. Records analysis was then undertaken of the marketing course offerings of AACSB accredited MBA programs offering an emphasis in Marketing. Gap analysis was conducted by applying a test of difference to the results of the two data collection efforts. Results of the study suggest that some misalignment between school offerings and business needs exists.

Business owners' action planning and its relationship to business success in three African countries.

PubMed

Frese, Michael; Krauss, Stefanie I; Keith, Nina; Escher, Susanne; Grabarkiewicz, Rafal; Luneng, Siv Tonje; Heers, Constanze; Unger, Jens; Friedrich, Christian

2007-11-01

A model of business success was developed with motivational resources (locus of control, self-efficacy, achievement motivation, and self-reported personal initiative) and cognitive resources (cognitive ability and human capital) as independent variables, business owners' elaborate and proactive planning as a mediator, and business size and growth as dependent variables. Three studies with a total of 408 African micro and small-scale business owners were conducted in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Structural equation analyses partially supported the hypotheses on the importance of psychological planning by the business owners. Elaborate and proactive planning was substantially related to business size and to an external evaluation of business success and was a (partial) mediator for the relationship between cognitive resources and business success. The model carries important implications for selection, training, and coaching of business owners. (c) 2007 APA

LobeFinder: A Convex Hull-Based Method for Quantitative Boundary Analyses of Lobed Plant Cells1[OPEN

PubMed Central

Wu, Tzu-Ching; Belteton, Samuel A.; Szymanski, Daniel B.; Umulis, David M.

2016-01-01

Dicot leaves are composed of a heterogeneous mosaic of jigsaw puzzle piece-shaped pavement cells that vary greatly in size and the complexity of their shape. Given the importance of the epidermis and this particular cell type for leaf expansion, there is a strong need to understand how pavement cells morph from a simple polyhedral shape into highly lobed and interdigitated cells. At present, it is still unclear how and when the patterns of lobing are initiated in pavement cells, and one major technological bottleneck to addressing the problem is the lack of a robust and objective methodology to identify and track lobing events during the transition from simple cell geometry to lobed cells. We developed a convex hull-based algorithm termed LobeFinder to identify lobes, quantify geometric properties, and create a useful graphical output of cell coordinates for further analysis. The algorithm was validated against manually curated images of pavement cells of widely varying sizes and shapes. The ability to objectively count and detect new lobe initiation events provides an improved quantitative framework to analyze mutant phenotypes, detect symmetry-breaking events in time-lapse image data, and quantify the time-dependent correlation between cell shape change and intracellular factors that may play a role in the morphogenesis process. PMID:27288363

Linear Thermal Expansion Measurements of Lead Magnesium Niobate (PMN) Electroceramic Material for the Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karlmann, Paul B.; Halverson, Peter G.; Peters, Robert D.; Levine, Marie B.; VanBuren, David; Dudik, Matthew J.

2005-01-01

Linear thermal expansion measurements of nine samples of Lead Magnesium Niobate (PMN) electroceramic material were recently performed in support of NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph (TPF-C) mission. The TPF-C mission is a visible light coronagraph designed to look at roughly 50 stars pre- selected as good candidates for possessing earth-like planets. Upon detection of an earth-like planet, TPF-C will analyze the visible-light signature of the planet's atmosphere for specific spectroscopic indicators that life may exist there. With this focus, the project's primary interest in PMN material is for use as a solid-state actuator for deformable mirrors or compensating optics. The nine test samples were machined from three distinct boules of PMN ceramic manufactured by Xinetics Inc. Thermal expansion measurements were performed in 2005 at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in their Cryogenic Dilatometer Facility. All measurements were performed in vacuum with sample temperature actively controlled over the range of 270K to 3 10K. Expansion and contraction of the test samples with temperature was measured using a JPL developed interferometric system capable of sub-nanometer accuracy. Presented in this paper is a discussion of the sample configuration, test facilities, test method, data analysis, test results, and future plans.

Small Business Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Wendell, Ed.

Intended as a resource for both experienced businesspeople and those new to business, this annotated bibliography provides a list of books, pamphlets, periodicals, and videotapes of value in solving specific business problems. The bibliography begins with a list of resources recommended for the library of every small business and a survey of…

The Integration of Intercultural Business Communication Training and Business English Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jingzi, Deng; Wenzhong, Zhu; Dimond, Elizabeth Elendor

2016-01-01

The cultural information transferred by language is an important part of Business English teaching. Therefore, teachers of Business English should not only improve the language level of the students, but also develop the students' cross-cultural understanding. The cultivation of intercultural business communication (IBC) competence could not be…

47 CFR 90.1017 - Bidding credits for small businesses and very small businesses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Bidding credits for small businesses and very small businesses. 90.1017 Section 90.1017 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED... the 220 MHz Service § 90.1017 Bidding credits for small businesses and very small businesses. A...

47 CFR 90.1017 - Bidding credits for small businesses and very small businesses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Bidding credits for small businesses and very small businesses. 90.1017 Section 90.1017 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED... the 220 MHz Service § 90.1017 Bidding credits for small businesses and very small businesses. A...

47 CFR 90.1017 - Bidding credits for small businesses and very small businesses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Bidding credits for small businesses and very small businesses. 90.1017 Section 90.1017 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED... the 220 MHz Service § 90.1017 Bidding credits for small businesses and very small businesses. A...

47 CFR 90.1017 - Bidding credits for small businesses and very small businesses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Bidding credits for small businesses and very small businesses. 90.1017 Section 90.1017 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED... the 220 MHz Service § 90.1017 Bidding credits for small businesses and very small businesses. A...

47 CFR 90.1017 - Bidding credits for small businesses and very small businesses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Bidding credits for small businesses and very small businesses. 90.1017 Section 90.1017 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED... the 220 MHz Service § 90.1017 Bidding credits for small businesses and very small businesses. A...

Determination of beryllium concentrations in UK ambient air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goddard, Sharon L.; Brown, Richard J. C.; Ghatora, Baljit K.

2016-12-01

Air quality monitoring of ambient air is essential to minimise the exposure of the general population to toxic substances such as heavy metals, and thus the health risks associated with them. In the UK, ambient air is already monitored under the UK Heavy Metals Monitoring Network for a number of heavy metals, including nickel (Ni), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) to ensure compliance with legislative limits. However, the UK Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards (EPAQS) has highlighted a need to limit concentrations of beryllium (Be) in air, which is not currently monitored, because of its toxicity. The aim of this work was to analyse airborne particulate matter (PM) sampled onto filter papers from the UK Heavy Metals Monitoring Network for quantitative, trace level beryllium determination and compare the results to the guideline concentration specified by EPAQS. Samples were prepared by microwave acid digestion in a matrix of 2% sulphuric acid and 14% nitric acid, verified by the use of Certified Reference Materials (CRMs). The digested samples were then analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The filters from the UK Heavy Metals Monitoring Network were tested using this procedure and the average beryllium concentration across the network for the duration of the study period was 7.87 pg m-3. The highest site average concentration was 32.0 pg m-3 at Scunthorpe Low Santon, which is significantly lower than levels that are thought to cause harm. However the highest levels were observed at sites monitoring industrial point sources, indicating that beryllium is being used and emitted, albeit at very low levels, from these point sources. Comparison with other metals concentrations and data from the UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory suggests that current emissions of beryllium may be significantly overestimated.

The "grep" command but not FusionMap, FusionFinder or ChimeraScan captures the CIC-DUX4 fusion gene from whole transcriptome sequencing data on a small round cell tumor with t(4;19)(q35;q13).

PubMed

Panagopoulos, Ioannis; Gorunova, Ludmila; Bjerkehagen, Bodil; Heim, Sverre

2014-01-01

Whole transcriptome sequencing was used to study a small round cell tumor in which a t(4;19)(q35;q13) was part of the complex karyotype but where the initial reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) examination did not detect a CIC-DUX4 fusion transcript previously described as the crucial gene-level outcome of this specific translocation. The RNA sequencing data were analysed using the FusionMap, FusionFinder, and ChimeraScan programs which are specifically designed to identify fusion genes. FusionMap, FusionFinder, and ChimeraScan identified 1017, 102, and 101 fusion transcripts, respectively, but CIC-DUX4 was not among them. Since the RNA sequencing data are in the fastq text-based format, we searched the files using the "grep" command-line utility. The "grep" command searches the text for specific expressions and displays, by default, the lines where matches occur. The "specific expression" was a sequence of 20 nucleotides from the coding part of the last exon 20 of CIC (Reference Sequence: NM_015125.3) chosen since all the so far reported CIC breakpoints have occurred here. Fifteen chimeric CIC-DUX4 cDNA sequences were captured and the fusion between the CIC and DUX4 genes was mapped precisely. New primer combinations were constructed based on these findings and were used together with a polymerase suitable for amplification of GC-rich DNA templates to amplify CIC-DUX4 cDNA fragments which had the same fusion point found with "grep". In conclusion, FusionMap, FusionFinder, and ChimeraScan generated a plethora of fusion transcripts but did not detect the biologically important CIC-DUX4 chimeric transcript; they are generally useful but evidently suffer from imperfect both sensitivity and specificity. The "grep" command is an excellent tool to capture chimeric transcripts from RNA sequencing data when the pathological and/or cytogenetic information strongly indicates the presence of a specific fusion gene.

Comparative Review of UK-USA Industry-University Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Decter, Moira H.

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore significant historical changes, legislation and policy in the UK and USA from the 1960s to present day relating to university-industry relationships. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents a review of papers, reports and policy documents from the UK and USA drawing comparisons of…

Mapping the Information Systems Curricula in UK Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stefanidis, Angelos; Fitzgerald, Guy

2010-01-01

Information Systems (IS) undergraduate student numbers in the UK have reduced by half in the last five years. An increasing number of researchers have been pondering the possible relationship between the modernity of IS curricula and its attractiveness to potential students. To support the debate about IS curricula in the UK and elsewhere, this…

Universities UK Submission to the 2010 Spending Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Universities UK, 2010

2010-01-01

This document represents the submission of Universities UK to the 2010 Spending Review. It sets out why the authors believe universities are critical to the UK's future economic growth, what the impact of cuts to the budget for higher education would be, and the activities which universities are currently pursuing to secure national economic…

Business Management Course Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh. Div. of Vocational Education.

This course guide is designed for teaching about the U.S. business system. Students are introduced to management functions and the background knowledge/skills necessary to be a successful manager. The guide contains 10 competency goals: (1) nature of U.S. business; (2) environment of business; (3) types of business ownership; (4) management…

UK parliamentary debate analysis: bombing ISIL in Syria.

PubMed

Rashed, Haifa

2016-01-01

This paper examines the arguments presented for and against the UK government's motion for the UK to intervene militarily in Syria in the House of Commons debate on ISIL in Syria that took place on 2 December 2015. It considers what the most common arguments were in favour of and in opposition to the motion as well as which arguments were given the most emphasis, in order to understand the prime justifications given that led to the decision to approve the motion. It suggests that due to the shadow of the 2003 Iraq war, politicians in the debate placed a considerable emphasis on the legal justification for military intervention. It argues that the focus on the national security of the UK and its allies in this particular debate seems to contrast with previous military interventions where humanitarian motives were more widely stated. This paper calls for further comparative research of parliamentary debates in order to track such changes in the rhetoric used by UK politicians to defend their support for military intervention.

Globalization and the Business Schools: Toward Business and World-Sustainable Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dieck-Assad, María de Lourdes

2013-01-01

Globalization is a force that produces deep changes in business and society. Business schools face great challenges and opportunities in educating future leaders who can work across countries and cultures. This article presents some strategic issues regarding the type of education that business schools should offer from a global perspective, aimed…

Business Opportunities

Science.gov Websites

United States Census Bureau Topics Population Latest Information Age and Sex Ancestry Children Mobility Population Estimates Population Projections Race Veterans Economy Latest Information Portal Other Economic Programs Business Latest Information Business Characteristics Classification Codes

Enhancing International Business Education through Restructuring Business Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jain, Subhash C.

2009-01-01

Many scholars have found fault with the way business schools conduct their business (Pfeffer & Fong, 2002; Mintzberg, 2004; Bennis & O'Toole, 2005; Andrews & Tyson, 2006). This article argues that B-schools should overhaul their curriculum and encourage faculty to undertake research which is useful for practitioners. Suggestions are made for…

13 CFR 123.202 - How much can my business borrow with a physical disaster business loan?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... with a physical disaster business loan? 123.202 Section 123.202 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DISASTER LOAN PROGRAM Physical Disaster Business Loans § 123.202 How much can my business borrow with a physical disaster business loan? (a) Disaster business loans, including both...

13 CFR 123.202 - How much can my business borrow with a physical disaster business loan?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... with a physical disaster business loan? 123.202 Section 123.202 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DISASTER LOAN PROGRAM Physical Disaster Business Loans § 123.202 How much can my business borrow with a physical disaster business loan? (a) Disaster business loans, including both...

13 CFR 123.202 - How much can my business borrow with a physical disaster business loan?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... with a physical disaster business loan? 123.202 Section 123.202 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DISASTER LOAN PROGRAM Physical Disaster Business Loans § 123.202 How much can my business borrow with a physical disaster business loan? (a) Disaster business loans, including both...

13 CFR 123.202 - How much can my business borrow with a physical disaster business loan?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... with a physical disaster business loan? 123.202 Section 123.202 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DISASTER LOAN PROGRAM Physical Disaster Business Loans § 123.202 How much can my business borrow with a physical disaster business loan? (a) Disaster business loans, including both...

13 CFR 123.202 - How much can my business borrow with a physical disaster business loan?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... with a physical disaster business loan? 123.202 Section 123.202 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DISASTER LOAN PROGRAM Physical Disaster Business Loans § 123.202 How much can my business borrow with a physical disaster business loan? (a) Disaster business loans, including both...

Why business models matter.

PubMed

Magretta, Joan

2002-05-01

"Business model" was one of the great buzz-words of the Internet boom. A company didn't need a strategy, a special competence, or even any customers--all it needed was a Web-based business model that promised wild profits in some distant, ill-defined future. Many people--investors, entrepreneurs, and executives alike--fell for the fantasy and got burned. And as the inevitable counterreaction played out, the concept of the business model fell out of fashion nearly as quickly as the .com appendage itself. That's a shame. As Joan Magretta explains, a good business model remains essential to every successful organization, whether it's a new venture or an established player. To help managers apply the concept successfully, she defines what a business model is and how it complements a smart competitive strategy. Business models are, at heart, stories that explain how enterprises work. Like a good story, a robust business model contains precisely delineated characters, plausible motivations, and a plot that turns on an insight about value. It answers certain questions: Who is the customer? How do we make money? What underlying economic logic explains how we can deliver value to customers at an appropriate cost? Every viable organization is built on a sound business model, but a business model isn't a strategy, even though many people use the terms interchangeably. Business models describe, as a system, how the pieces of a business fit together. But they don't factor in one critical dimension of performance: competition. That's the job of strategy. Illustrated with examples from companies like American Express, EuroDisney, WalMart, and Dell Computer, this article clarifies the concepts of business models and strategy, which are fundamental to every company's performance.

Business owners' optimism and business performance after a natural disaster.

PubMed

Bronson, James W; Faircloth, James B; Valentine, Sean R

2006-12-01

Previous work indicates that individuals' optimism is related to superior performance in adverse situations. This study examined correlations after flooding for measures of business recovery but found only weak support (very small common variance) for business owners' optimism scores and sales recovery. Using traditional measures of recovery, in this study was little empirical evidence that optimism would be of value in identifying businesses at risk after a natural disaster.

First Business Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Small Business Administration, Washington, DC. Office of Business Development.

This guide offers first-time business persons information as well as administrative and operational techniques for one-person business enterprises that have low initial start-up costs and low operational and overhead costs. These one-person businesses can be home based or have site locations outside the home. Included in this guide is a list of…

Minority Business Enterprises and Woman Business Enterprises Grant Utilization

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The policy goal of the MBE/WBE Programs is to assure that minority business enterprises and woman business enterprises are given the opportunity to participate in contract and procurement for supplies, construction, equipment & services under any EPA grant

Reality-Based Learning: How to get Business Students down to Business

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knutsson, Hans; Thomasson, Anna; Nilsson, Carl-Henric

2010-01-01

Reality-Based Learning, RBL, is a teacher-driven initiative introducing the core business administration subjects to first-year business students by means of making business plans. This paper empirically accounts for the development of RBL over three years. RBL is scrutinized for pros and cons by a proposed education development framework. When…

Small Business Management. Getting a Small Business Management Education Program Started.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota Univ., St. Paul. Dept. of Agricultural Education.

This set of materials was developed to assist with the dissemination of the Minnesota model for small business management education, five sections of information are presented. The first of five sections is on small business management needs assessment and describes a method of determining the number of small businesses that would constitute a…

Devalued, deskilled and diversified: explaining the proliferation of the strip industry in the UK.

PubMed

Sanders, Teela; Hardy, Kate

2012-09-01

This paper looks beyond the debates that focus on the objectification of the female body to examine the question as to why strip clubs have proliferated and found a permanent place in the night-time economy in the UK. Using empirical qualitative and quantitative data from the largest study into the strip industry in the UK to date, we challenge the common assumption that 'demand' is responsible for the rise in erotic dance. Instead, we argue that the proliferation of strip clubs is largely due to the internal economic structures of the industry which have developed partly in response to the financial crisis beginning in 2008. First, we argue that clubs profit from individual dancers through an exploitative system of fees and fines, rendering a strip club business a low cost investment with high returns and little risk to club owners. Second, we note that the last decade has seen diversification of the industry accompanied by deskilling and devaluing of dancing and dancers' labour. Third, we demonstrate that despite the negative effects of these changes on workers, there has been an expansion of the industry as the ability to make profit, even during a financial crisis was ensured through the transferral of risk to workers. Overall, we suggest that far from proliferating as a response to demand, the industry has maintained its market presence due to its ability to establish highly financially exploitation employment relationships with dancers at a time of economic fragility. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2012.

The UK-DALE dataset, domestic appliance-level electricity demand and whole-house demand from five UK homes.

PubMed

Kelly, Jack; Knottenbelt, William

2015-01-01

Many countries are rolling out smart electricity meters. These measure a home's total power demand. However, research into consumer behaviour suggests that consumers are best able to improve their energy efficiency when provided with itemised, appliance-by-appliance consumption information. Energy disaggregation is a computational technique for estimating appliance-by-appliance energy consumption from a whole-house meter signal. To conduct research on disaggregation algorithms, researchers require data describing not just the aggregate demand per building but also the 'ground truth' demand of individual appliances. In this context, we present UK-DALE: an open-access dataset from the UK recording Domestic Appliance-Level Electricity at a sample rate of 16 kHz for the whole-house and at 1/6 Hz for individual appliances. This is the first open access UK dataset at this temporal resolution. We recorded from five houses, one of which was recorded for 655 days, the longest duration we are aware of for any energy dataset at this sample rate. We also describe the low-cost, open-source, wireless system we built for collecting our dataset.

Event and Apparent Horizon Finders for 3 + 1 Numerical Relativity.

PubMed

Thornburg, Jonathan

2007-01-01

Event and apparent horizons are key diagnostics for the presence and properties of black holes. In this article I review numerical algorithms and codes for finding event and apparent horizons in numerically-computed spacetimes, focusing on calculations done using the 3 + 1 ADM formalism. The event horizon of an asymptotically-flat spacetime is the boundary between those events from which a future-pointing null geodesic can reach future null infinity and those events from which no such geodesic exists. The event horizon is a (continuous) null surface in spacetime. The event horizon is defined nonlocally in time : it is a global property of the entire spacetime and must be found in a separate post-processing phase after all (or at least the nonstationary part) of spacetime has been numerically computed. There are three basic algorithms for finding event horizons, based on integrating null geodesics forwards in time, integrating null geodesics backwards in time, and integrating null surfaces backwards in time. The last of these is generally the most efficient and accurate. In contrast to an event horizon, an apparent horizon is defined locally in time in a spacelike slice and depends only on data in that slice, so it can be (and usually is) found during the numerical computation of a spacetime. A marginally outer trapped surface (MOTS) in a slice is a smooth closed 2-surface whose future-pointing outgoing null geodesics have zero expansion Θ. An apparent horizon is then defined as a MOTS not contained in any other MOTS. The MOTS condition is a nonlinear elliptic partial differential equation (PDE) for the surface shape, containing the ADM 3-metric, its spatial derivatives, and the extrinsic curvature as coefficients. Most "apparent horizon" finders actually find MOTSs. There are a large number of apparent horizon finding algorithms, with differing trade-offs between speed, robustness, accuracy, and ease of programming. In axisymmetry, shooting algorithms work well

Patterns and Trends in UK Higher Education, 2011

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Universities UK, 2011

2011-01-01

This report builds on the time series data produced annually since 2001 under the title "Patterns of higher education institutions in the UK." It offers a unique overview of provision at publicly-funded higher education institutions in the UK. All charts and tables in the report are now also available to download from the Universities UK…

Safer Schools in the UK--A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayden, Carol; Holt, Amanda; Martin, Denise; Nee, Claire

2011-01-01

This article reports a research that is based on a European Safer Schools Partnership that included ten countries and specifically the UK case study which was located in London. The initiators of this partnership had been involved in early SSPs in the UK and the educationalists were very much focussed on work that would address problematic…

UK report on waste management

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

Ferguson, J.

1995-09-01

Arising jointly from the National and European Union requirements for more intensive attention to be paid to the environment, the United Kingdom (UK) has taken many strides forward in protecting the environment from pollution and preventing harm to human health arising from the handling, transport and disposal of wastes. Major adjustments are taking place in Europe following the opening up of the Eastern European countries. The consequences of the illegal movement of wastes and its mistreatment and disposal are now recognised within the European Union. The UK as a member State is well aware of the consequences which arise frommore » the lack of proper waste management. This paper discusses waste management and legislation pertaining to waste management in the United Kingdom.« less

BUSINESS NEEDS AND GRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOL OFFERINGS IN MARKETING

PubMed Central

Thams, Meg; Glueck, Deborah

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if a gap exists in the skill and knowledge businesses require of marketing employees and what the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited schools actually provide. In this quantitative study, two set of data were collected and compared, and a gap analysis conducted. A questionnaire was used to obtain data from members of the Business Marketing Association (BMA) regarding course preferences that would best prepare students for positions in marketing. Records analysis was then undertaken of the marketing course offerings of AACSB accredited MBA programs offering an emphasis in Marketing. Gap analysis was conducted by applying a test of difference to the results of the two data collection efforts. Results of the study suggest that some misalignment between school offerings and business needs exists. PMID:26726319

Development and validation of the Overlap Muon Track Finder for the CMS experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobosz, J.; Mietki, P.; Zawistowski, K.; Żarnecki, G.

2016-09-01

Present article is a description of the authors contribution in upgrade and analysis of performance of the Level-1 Muon Trigger of the CMS experiment. The authors are students of University of Warsaw and Gdansk University of Technology. They are collaborating with the CMS Warsaw Group. This article summarises students' work presented during the Students session during the Workshop XXXVIII-th IEEE-SPIE Joint Symposium Wilga 2016. In the first section the CMS experiment is briefly described and the importance of the trigger system is explained. There is also shown basic difference between old muon trigger strategy and the upgraded one. The second section is devoted to Overlap Muon Track Finder (OMTF). This is one of the crucial components of the Level-1 Muon Trigger. The algorithm of OMTF is described. In the third section there is discussed one of the event selection aspects - cut on the muon transverse momentum pT . Sometimes physical muon with pT bigger than a certain threshold is unnecessarily cut and physical muon with lower pT survives. To improve pT selection modified algorithm was proposed and its performance was studied. One of the features of the OMTF is that one physical muon often results in several muon candidates. The Ghost-Buster algorithm is designed to eliminate surplus candidates. In the fourth section this algorithm and its performance on different data samples are discussed. In the fifth section Local Data Acquisition System (Local DAQ) is briefly described. It supports initial system commissioning. The test done with OMTF Local DAQ are described. In the sixth section there is described development of web application used for the control and monitoring of CMS electronics. The application provides access to graphical user interface for manual control and the connection to the CMS hierarchical Run Control.

76 FR 46853 - International Business Machines Corporation, ITD Business Unit, Division 7, E-mail and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-03

...] International Business Machines Corporation, ITD Business Unit, Division 7, E-mail and Collaboration Group... Business Machines Corporation (IBM), ITD Business Unit, Division 7, E- mail and Collaboration Group... Business Unit, Division 7, E-mail and Collaboration [[Page 46854

Minority Business Enterprise/Women's Business Enterprise (MBE/WBE) overview

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The data base allows Minority Business Enterprise/Women's Business Enterprise (MBE/WBE) Coordinators to input fair share goals negotiated by EPA and the recipient. This system also provides to all users the ability to see recipient fair share goals.

A Guide to Business Course Competencies. The Business Program in Virginia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henrico County Public Schools, Glen Allen, VA. Virginia Vocational Curriculum and Resource Center.

This curriculum guide was developed as a model for schools in Virginia to prepare local programs of studies in business education. The Business Program contains 21 courses plus a 4-year sequence of courses for office specialist and a local option for students with disabilities. This guide contains an overview of the Business Program, information…

Integrating International Business Law Concepts into a High School Business Law Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Golden, Cathleen J.; McDonald, Michael L.

1998-01-01

Outlines international business content for a high school business law curriculum: history of international business law, World Trade Organization, international disputes, contracts and sales, financing/banking, currency, taxation, intellectual property, transportation, and multinational corporations. Considers whether to teach international…

Malnutrition in the UK.

PubMed

Blades, Mabel

2013-05-01

Malnutrition is estimated to cost the UK twice that of obesity every year, but it is still an often overlooked problem. Dr Mabel Blades, a freelance Registered Dietician and Nutritionist, looks at the problems that malnutrition presents and the solutions that we can use to combat it.

An Analysis of the e-Business Program in the School of Business Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarkar, Shyamalendu; Reddy, Surender

2007-01-01

The article analyzes various present and future aspects of e-business as it is or should be incorporated in the school of business curriculum. The study uses both primary and secondary data. The results indicate that e-business courses are currently taught across the traditional disciplines of business schools. The courses are primarily taught as…

Partnerships in Pharma--An Economist Intelligence Unit Seminar--Building Innovation into Alliances and Business Models. 1 October 2010, London, UK.

PubMed

Kibble, Alexandra

2010-12-01

The Partnerships in Pharma seminar, held in London, included topics related to building innovation into alliances and business models within the pharmaceutical industry. This conference report highlights selected presentations on strategies for successful partnering, partnering alongside an evolving CRO industry, considering the pharma value chain, and partnerships between industry and academia. Approaches used by Ipsen, Merck Serono, Pfizer and ViiV Healthcare are also described.

Gendered Discourse about Family Business

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Danes, Sharon M.; Haberman, Heather R.; McTavish, Donald

2005-01-01

Language patterns of family business owners were explored by identifying discourse styles and emphasized ideas in four presenting contexts: business, family, intersection of family and business, and business success. The content analysis supports the existence of a general discourse style within family businesses and of similarities and…

Basic Business 20-30. Business Education Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Branch.

This curriculum guide is one of nine such guides developed for an Alberta high school business education program. Its content covers the main subject area or strand of basic business. Subject to the constraints outlined in the guide, the modules are to be formatted into three- or four-credit courses within each strand. Introductory materials…

Environmental health impacts: occurrence, exposure and significance, Lancaster University, UK, 9-10 September 2003.

PubMed

Martin, Francis L; Semple, Kirk T

2004-09-01

Speakers: John Ashby (Syngenta CTL, UK), Peter A. Behnisch (Eurofins GfA, Germany), Paul L. Carmichael (Unilever Colworth, UK), Curtis C.Harris (National Cancer Institute, USA), Kevin C. Jones (Lancaster University, UK), Andreas Kortenkamp (School of Pharmacy, London, UK), Caroline J. Langdon (Reading University, UK), Anthony M. Lynch (GlaxoSmithKline, UK), Francis L. Martin (Lancaster University, UK), Trevor J. McMillan (Lancaster University, UK), David H. Phillips (Institute of Cancer Research, UK), Huw J. Ricketts (University of Cardiff, UK), Michael N. Routledge (University of Leeds, UK), J. Thomas Sanderson (Utrecht University, The Netherlands) and Kirk T. Semple (Lancaster University, UK) The effects of many environmental exposures to either single contaminants or to mixtures still remain to be properly assessed in ecotoxicological and human toxicological settings. Such assessments need to be carried out using relevant biological assays. On a mechanistic basis, future studies need to be able to extrapolate exposure to disease risk. It is envisaged that such an approach would lead to the development of appropriate strategies to either reduce exposures or to initiate preventative measures in susceptible individuals or populations. To mark the opening of a new Institute, the Lancaster Environmental Centre, an environmental health workshop was held over 2 days (9-10 September 2003) at Lancaster University, UK. The fate, behaviour and movement of chemicals in the environment, together with environmental exposures and human health, biomarkers of such exposures, hormone-like compounds and appropriate genetic toxicology methodologies, were discussed.

Food Business Entrepreneurship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, Peter

Though not a very traditional career path for food scientists, one option is to go into business for yourself by starting a food business. Food business entrepreneurship is a difficult career that entails long work hours, extensive decision making, and tasks that require knowledge beyond food science. However, there is high potential for rewards, including financial rewards, career progression, and personal flexibility.

Factors Affecting Business-to-Business Electronic Commerce Success: An Empirical Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Chun-I Philip

2010-01-01

It is generally believed that Business to Business (B2B) e-commerce has a great impact on business performance improvement. Considerable research also shows that another dependent variable, B2B e-commerce success, can be a good overall measure of B2B systems. This paper investigated and examined the impact of several factors, which are either…

UK School Students' Attitudes towards Science and Potential Science-Based Careers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Emelia L.; Harrison, Timothy G.

2012-01-01

This is a review of literature pertaining to UK secondary school students, their uptake of science at higher levels and their consideration of careers as scientists. As with all countries, the continued uptake of sufficient numbers of science at all levels is in the UK's interest. Unfortunately too many UK secondary students see science as…

Continuous bioprocessing: the real thing this time? 10(th) Annual bioProcessUK Conference, December 3-4, 2013, London, UK.

PubMed

Farid, Suzanne S; Thompson, Bill; Davidson, Andrew

2014-01-01

The Annual bioProcessUK Conference has acted as the key networking event for bioprocess scientists and engineers in the UK for the past 10 years. The following article is a report from the sessions that focused on continuous bioprocessing during the 10(th) Annual bioProcessUK Conference (London, December 2013). These sessions were organized by the 'EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Emergent Macromolecular Therapies' hosted at University College London. A plenary lecture and workshop provided a forum for participants to debate topical issues in roundtable discussions with industry and academic experts from institutions such as Genzyme, Janssen, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Merck, GE Healthcare and University College London. The aim of these particular sessions was to understand better the challenges and opportunities for continuous bioprocessing in the bioprocessing sector.

17 CFR 230.610a - Schedule A: Contents of offering circular for small business investment companies; Schedule B...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... remuneration of each of the three highest-paid persons who are officers or directors of the issuer and all... relationship between the finder and the issuer, its officers, directors, promoters, principal stockholders and... directors, officers, members of any advisory board of the issuer and any person who owns more than 5 percent...

Quantifying UK emissions of carbon dioxide using an integrative measurement strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzi, S.; Palmer, P.

2015-12-01

The main objective of the Greenhouse gAs Uk and Global Emissions (GAUGE) programme is to quantify the magnitude and uncertainty of CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes from the UK. GAUGE builds on the tall tower network established by the UK Government to estimate fluxes from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The GAUGE measurement programme includes two additional tall tower sites (one in North Yorkshire and one downwind of London); regular measurements of CO2 and CH4 isotopologues; instrumentation installed on a ferry that travels daily along the eastern coast of the UK from Scotland to Belgium; a research aircraft that has been deployed on a campaign basis; and a high-density network over East Anglia that is primarily focused on the agricultural sector. We have also included satellite observations from the Japanese Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) through ongoing activities within the UK National Centre for Earth Observation. In this presentation, we will present new CO2 flux estimates for the UK inferred from GAUGE measurements using a nested, high-resolution (25 km) version of the GEOS-Chem atmospheric transport model and an ensemble Kalman filter. We will present our current best estimate for CO2 fluxes and a preliminary assessment of the efficacy of individual GAUGE data sources to spatially resolve CO2 flux estimates over the UK. We will also discuss how flux estimates inferred from the different models used within GAUGE can help to assess the role of transport model error and to determine an ensemble CO2 flux estimate for the UK.

Semiannual Business Research Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-09-30

SEMIANNUAL BUSINES! o CO o ISiARCI A Compendium Prepared By: Air Force Business Research Management Center i.: lit’ - * <■ .^-.V...B n ■ m 7 IJfT 30 SEPTEM3ER 1976 SEMIANNUAL BUSINESS RESEARCH REPORT A Compendium Prepared By: Air Force Business Research...Requirements** 2 Systems Requirements Management 6 II. Business Strategy . 8 Role of the Contracting Officer ...... 8 Acquisition Communication ... 9

Capital Improvements Business Line

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-08

NAVFAC Southwest Dan Waid Program & Business Mgmt NAVFAC SW Capital Improvements Business Line NAVFAC SW 8 August 2012 1 Report...REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2012 to 00-00-2012 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Capital Improvements Business Line 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT...AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release; distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES Presented at the 2012 Navy Gold Coast Small Business

Business Opportunities Guide

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-01-01

Electronic Systems Division Business Opportunities Guide. We remain committed to providing industry the best information possible on pending ESD...Commander Justific ill,):, By_ D.is’ * . ’ . Dist, : :,. ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS DIVISION BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES GUIDE The complex Command, Control...Communications (C) systems necessary for tomorrow’s Air Foice can only be developed by a stronq’ESD/industry team. Our first Business Opportunities Guide

Monitoring Business Activity

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-03-01

AFRL-IF-RS-TR-2006-88 Final Technical Report March 2006 MONITORING BUSINESS ACTIVITY New York University...REPORT DATE MARCH 2006 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED Final Sep 01 – Oct 05 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE MONITORING BUSINESS ACTIVITY 6. AUTHOR(S...Accepted to Journal of Machine Learning Research, pending revisions. CeDER Working Paper #CeDER-04-08, Stern School of Business , New York University

Business Process Design Method Based on Business Event Model for Enterprise Information System Integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobayashi, Takashi; Komoda, Norihisa

The traditional business process design methods, in which the usecase is the most typical, have no useful framework to design the activity sequence with. Therefore, the design efficiency and quality vary widely according to the designer’s experience and skill. In this paper, to solve this problem, we propose the business events and their state transition model (a basic business event model) based on the language/action perspective, which is the result in the cognitive science domain. In the business process design, using this model, we decide event occurrence conditions so that every event synchronizes with each other. We also propose the design pattern to decide the event occurrence condition (a business event improvement strategy). Lastly, we apply the business process design method based on the business event model and the business event improvement strategy to the credit card issue process and estimate its effect.

UK to support open access

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banks, Michael

2012-08-01

The UK government has "widely accepted" the recommendations of a major report into open-access publishing that was released in June by a 15-strong working group led by the British sociologist Janet Finch.

ELIXIR-UK role in bioinformatics training at the national level and across ELIXIR.

PubMed

Larcombe, L; Hendricusdottir, R; Attwood, T K; Bacall, F; Beard, N; Bellis, L J; Dunn, W B; Hancock, J M; Nenadic, A; Orengo, C; Overduin, B; Sansone, S-A; Thurston, M; Viant, M R; Winder, C L; Goble, C A; Ponting, C P; Rustici, G

2017-01-01

ELIXIR-UK is the UK node of ELIXIR, the European infrastructure for life science data. Since its foundation in 2014, ELIXIR-UK has played a leading role in training both within the UK and in the ELIXIR Training Platform, which coordinates and delivers training across all ELIXIR members. ELIXIR-UK contributes to the Training Platform's coordination and supports the development of training to address key skill gaps amongst UK scientists. As part of this work it acts as a conduit for nationally-important bioinformatics training resources to promote their activities to the ELIXIR community. ELIXIR-UK also leads ELIXIR's flagship Training Portal, TeSS, which collects information about a diverse range of training and makes it easily accessible to the community. ELIXIR-UK also works with others to provide key digital skills training, partnering with the Software Sustainability Institute to provide Software Carpentry training to the ELIXIR community and to establish the Data Carpentry initiative, and taking a lead role amongst national stakeholders to deliver the StaTS project - a coordinated effort to drive engagement with training in statistics.

Staffing UK University Campuses Overseas: Lessons from MNE Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salt, John; Wood, Peter

2014-01-01

This article suggests that as their internal labor markets become more multinational in scope, UK universities may acquire similar staffing characteristics to commercial multinational enterprises (MNEs). Comparing evidence from four UK universities with several surveys of MNEs it concludes that, although there are broad similarities in the…

US/UK Loan Account Project Status PMOD477

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

Stevens, Patrice A.

2012-07-12

The viewgraphs describe the status of PMOD477 for LANL. The meeting will occur at DOE-HQ with NA-11 and Military Applications personnel in attendance. Serves to repatriate material with a balance to zero by December 2012. Phase 1 -- Establish formality of operations for War Reserve (WR): Complete surrogate taskings to A90 through a Materials Channel and perform US/UK lessons learned; Complete the US/UK agreed Quality Acceptance Plan, Materials Plan, Shipping procedure, and establish the formal UK/US point of contacts. Phase 2 -- Metal Manufacture (WR): Process material and store material as electrorefined metal (ER) rings, with initial assay and isotopicmore » analysis, prior to manufacturing. Material is cast into accepted configuration and appropriate acceptance document for each aliquot will be generated. Phase 3 -- Intermediate Material Manufacture, Packaging and Shipping (WR): Continue processing of the material in accepted configuration with appropriate acceptance documentation for each aliquot. Provide an initial tasking of the material owed to UK including appropriate quality acceptance documentation. Phase 4 -- Complete Tasking (WR). Phase 5 -- Residue Processing (Non-WR): Complete processing of residue material and waste into accepted configuration with appropriate acceptance document for disposal.« less

Mutual learning and research messages: India, UK, and Europe

PubMed Central

Kalra, Gurvinder; Bhugra, Dinesh

2010-01-01

India and UK have had a long history together, since the times of the British Raj. Most of what Indian psychiatry is today, finds its roots in ancient Indian texts and medicine systems as much as it is influenced by the European system. Psychiatric research in India is growing. It is being influenced by research in the UK and Europe and is influencing them at the same time. In addition to the sharing of ideas and the know-how, there has also been a good amount of sharing of mental health professionals and research samples in the form of immigrants from India to the UK. The Indian mental health professionals based in UK have done a good amount of research with a focus on these Indian immigrants, giving an insight into cross-cultural aspects of some major psychiatric disorders. This article discusses the impact that research in these countries has had on each other and the contributions that have resulted from it. PMID:21836716

The UK Stem Cell Bank: a UK government-funded, international resource center for stem cell research.

PubMed

Stacey, Glyn; Hunt, Charles J

2006-01-01

The UK Stem Cell Bank is a UK Research Council-funded initiative that aims to provide ethically sourced and quality controlled stocks of cells for researchers and also establish seed stocks of cell lines for clinical trials. Whilst the Bank is prohibited from carrying out basic stem cell research (to avoid conflicts of interest) it is working to improve stem cell banking procedures including cryopreservation, characterization and quality control. The Bank also supports training activities and has provided the hub for the International Stem Cell Initiative, which includes 17 expert stem cell centers aiming to characterize a large number of human embryonic stem cell lines in a standardized way to improve our understanding of the characteristics of these cells.

Learning Business Etiquette at Dinner.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McPherson, William

1998-01-01

Describes helping business students prepare for job interviews and other business events by learning and practicing business etiquette at a dinner set up by business-communication instructors and the university food service. (SR)

Business Acquisition and Implementation

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

I am proposing that this technical paper be broken down into two phases. Phase one will consist of business and land acquisition. Phase two will...consist of business implementation. The business acquisition phase will document the process of forming a limited liability company (LLC) from a sole...proprietorship with the intention of real estate development and personal asset protection. I do not require a business license but I will need to

The alcohol industry, charities and policy influence in the UK

PubMed Central

Lyness, Sarah M

2014-01-01

Background: Charities exist to pursue a public benefit, whereas corporations serve the interests of their shareholders. The alcohol industry uses corporate social responsibility activities to further its interests in influencing alcohol policy. Many charities also seek to influence alcohol and other policy. The aim of this study was to explore relationships between the alcohol industry and charities in the UK and whether these relationships may be used as a method of influencing alcohol policy. Methods: The charity regulator websites for England and Wales and for Scotland were the main data sources used to identify charities involved in UK alcohol policy making processes and/or funded by the alcohol industry. Results: Five charities were identified that both receive alcohol industry funding and are active in UK alcohol policy processes: Drinkaware; the Robertson Trust; British Institute of Innkeeping; Mentor UK and Addaction. The latter two are the sole remaining non-industry non-governmental members of the controversial responsibility deal alcohol network, from which all other public health interests have resigned. Conclusion: This study raises questions about the extent to which the alcohol industry is using UK charities as vehicles to further their own interests in UK alcohol policy. Mechanisms of industry influence in alcohol policy making globally is an important target for further investigations designed to assist the implementation of evidenced-based policies. PMID:24913316

The health of UK civilians deployed to Iraq

PubMed Central

Fear, Nicola T.; Cawkill, Paul; Jones, Norman; Greenberg, Neil; Wessely, Simon

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: Modern military operations have incorporated deployed civilians in a variety of roles (e.g. diplomats, private security staff). Many of these roles expose individuals to potentially dangerous or traumatic events. Evidence has shown that such exposures can cause psychological health problems in military personnel. It is likely that the same would be seen among civilians working in such environments. There is however limited research into the health of civilians deployed to war zones. This study compared health outcomes and related behaviours among UK regular and reserve Army personnel with UK civilian personnel deployed in direct support of the UK military in Iraq. Methods: The study sample comprised of 159 Ministry of Defence civilians, 1542 Army regulars and 408 Army reservists, all of whom served in non-combat roles. Data were gathered by questionnaires which asked about deployment experiences, lifestyle factors and health outcomes [i.e. post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), general health, multiple physical symptoms and alcohol use]. Results: Fewer deployed UK civilians smoked than regular Army personnel (adjusted OR 0.83 95% CI 0.70–0.98). UK civilians had better overall health and were less likely to report multiple physical symptoms compared with reservists (adjusted ORs 0.64 95% CI 0.44–0.93 and 0.60 95% CI 0.39–0.93, respectively). Conclusions: Overall, the psychological health of deployed civilians appears to be better than that of Army personnel deployed in non-combat roles. Civilians are also less likely to engage in some risky behaviours. PMID:27452892

Incremental Validity of WISC-IV[superscript UK] Factor Index Scores with a Referred Irish Sample: Predicting Performance on the WIAT-II[superscript UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canivez, Gary L.; Watkins, Marley W.; James, Trevor; Good, Rebecca; James, Kate

2014-01-01

Background: Subtest and factor scores have typically provided little incremental predictive validity beyond the omnibus IQ score. Aims: This study examined the incremental validity of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth UK Edition (WISC-IV[superscript UK]; Wechsler, 2004a, "Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth UK…

Unfinished Business in Bereavement

PubMed Central

Klingspon, Kara L.; Holland, Jason M.; Neimeyer, Robert A.; Lichtenthal, Wendy G.

2016-01-01

Unfinished business (incomplete, unexpressed or unresolved relationship issues with the deceased) is frequently discussed as a risk factor for chronic and severe grief reactions. However, few empirical studies have examined this construct. The present study aimed to address this gap in the literature by examining the presence and severity of unfinished business as well as common themes of unfinished business reported in open-ended qualitative narratives among a sample of 224 bereaved individuals. In bivariate analyses, self-reported presence of unfinished business and the severity of distress due to unfinished business were both found to be associated with poorer bereavement outcomes. However, after controlling for potential confounds, distress related to unresolved issues with the deceased emerged as a more robust correlate of these outcomes. Qualitative responses were categorized, and the type of reported unfinished business was not significantly related to the degree of unfinished business distress or other bereavement outcomes. These findings provide preliminary justification for bereavement interventions that aim to ameliorate distress related to unresolved relational issues with the deceased. PMID:26057117

Unfinished Business in Bereavement.

PubMed

Klingspon, Kara L; Holland, Jason M; Neimeyer, Robert A; Lichtenthal, Wendy G

2015-01-01

Unfinished business (incomplete, unexpressed or unresolved relationship issues with the deceased) is frequently discussed as a risk factor for chronic and severe grief reactions. However, few empirical studies have examined this construct. The present study aimed to address this gap in the literature by examining the presence and severity of unfinished business as well as common themes of unfinished business reported in open-ended qualitative narratives among a sample of 224 bereaved individuals. In bivariate analyses, self-reported presence of unfinished business and the severity of distress due to unfinished business were both found to be associated with poorer bereavement outcomes. However, after controlling for potential confounds, distress related to unresolved issues with the deceased emerged as a more robust correlate of these outcomes. Qualitative responses were categorized, and the type of reported unfinished business was not significantly related to the degree of unfinished business distress or other bereavement outcomes. These findings provide preliminary justification for bereavement interventions that aim to ameliorate distress related to unresolved relational issues with the deceased.

Researchers dodge UK migration cap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dacey, James

2011-03-01

Research scientists are among those to be prioritized under the UK government's new immigration rules that will impose an annual cap on the number of work visas issued to those from outside the European Union (EU).

Undergraduate teaching in UK general practice: a geographical snapshot.

PubMed

Derbyshire, Helen; Rees, Eliot; Gay, Simon P; McKinley, Robert K

2014-06-01

Learning in general practice is an essential component of undergraduate medical education; currently, on average, 13% of clinical placements in the UK are in general practice. However, whether general practice can sustainably deliver more undergraduate placements is uncertain. To identify the geographical distribution of undergraduate teaching practices and their distance from the host medical school. National survey of all medical schools in the UK. All 33 UK medical schools were invited to provide the postcodes of their undergraduate teaching practices. These were collated, de-duplicated, and mapped. The distance in kilometres and journey times by car and public transport between each medical school and its teaching practices was estimated using Transport Direct (www.transportdirect.info). The postcodes of every practice in the UK were obtained from the UK's health departments. All 33 UK medical schools responded; 4392 practices contributed to teaching, with a median (minimum-maximum) of 142 (17-385) practices per school. The median (minimum-maximum) distance between a school and a teaching practice was 28 km (0-1421 km), 41 (0:00-23:26) minutes' travel by car and 1 hour 12 (0:00-17:29) minutes' travel by public transport. All teaching practices were accessible by public transport in one school and 90-99% were in a further four schools; 24 schools had >20% of practices that were inaccessible by public transport. The 4392 undergraduate teaching general practices are widely distributed and potentially any practice, no matter how isolated, could contribute to undergraduate education. However, this is, at the price of a considerable travel burden. © British Journal of General Practice 2014.

Are UK undergraduate Forensic Science degrees fit for purpose?

PubMed

Welsh, Charles; Hannis, Marc

2011-09-01

In October 2009 Skills for Justice published the social research paper 'Fit for purpose?: Research into the provision of Forensic Science degree programmes in UK Higher Education Institutions.' The research engaged employers representing 95% of UK Forensic Science providers and 79% of UK universities offering Forensic Science or Crime Scene degree programmes. In addition to this, the research collected the views of 430 students studying these degrees. In 2008 there were approximately 9000 people working in the Forensic Science sector in the UK. The research found that the numbers of students studying Forensic Science or Crime Scene degrees in the UK have more than doubled since 2002-03, from 2191 in to 5664 in 2007-08. Over the same period there were twice as many females as males studying for these degrees. The research concluded that Forensic Science degree programmes offered by UK universities were of a good quality and they provided the student with a positive learning experience but the content was not relevant for Forensic Science employers. This echoed similar research by the former Government Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills on graduates from wider science, technology, engineering and mathematics degree programmes. The research also found that 75% of students studying Forensic Science or Crime Scene degrees expected to have a career in the Forensic Science sector, meaning that ensuring these courses are relevant for employers is a key challenge for universities. This paper reflects on the original research and discusses the implications in light of recent government policy. Copyright © 2011 Forensic Science Society. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Student Managed Businesses to Integrate the Business Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massad, Victor J.; Tucker, Joanne M.

2009-01-01

To teach business today requires that we go beyond classroom learning and encourage real world, cross-functional experiences and applied management decision-making. This paper describes an innovative approach that requires students to apply their function-specific knowledge of business, integrated with other functional areas, to an authentic…

Training, Innovation and Business Performance: An Analysis of the Business Longitudinal Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dockery, A. Michael

This paper uses the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Business Longitudinal Survey to explore relationships between training, innovation, and firm performance for Australian businesses with less than 200 employees. The longitudinal nature of the data is used to test various hypotheses about the nature of the link between training, business changes,…

Small Business Awards Program

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-01-12

Department of Defense - ’ ’> INSTRUCTION SAD-A269 980 o493 04199’ J3anuary 12, 1987 NUMBIPR 13 !•.SD (A) SUBJECT: Small Business Awards Program...References: (a) DoD Directive 4205.1, "DoD Small Business and Small Disadvantaged Business Utilization Programs," June 21, 1984 (b) DoD Federal Acquisition...the Department of Defense who have made significant contribution to the Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Program. 2. Prescribes

ASC Small Business Office

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-05-23

Aeronautical Systems Center Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today ASC Small Business Office 23 May 2006 Teresa Rendon ASC/BC...1. REPORT DATE 23 MAY 2006 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2006 to 00-00-2006 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE ASC Small Business Office 5a...Limitation on Subcontracting • Teaming • Source Selection of Small Business Participation • Role of the Small Business Office • Questions 3 Dominant Air

The UK-DALE dataset, domestic appliance-level electricity demand and whole-house demand from five UK homes

PubMed Central

Kelly, Jack; Knottenbelt, William

2015-01-01

Many countries are rolling out smart electricity meters. These measure a home’s total power demand. However, research into consumer behaviour suggests that consumers are best able to improve their energy efficiency when provided with itemised, appliance-by-appliance consumption information. Energy disaggregation is a computational technique for estimating appliance-by-appliance energy consumption from a whole-house meter signal. To conduct research on disaggregation algorithms, researchers require data describing not just the aggregate demand per building but also the ‘ground truth’ demand of individual appliances. In this context, we present UK-DALE: an open-access dataset from the UK recording Domestic Appliance-Level Electricity at a sample rate of 16 kHz for the whole-house and at 1/6 Hz for individual appliances. This is the first open access UK dataset at this temporal resolution. We recorded from five houses, one of which was recorded for 655 days, the longest duration we are aware of for any energy dataset at this sample rate. We also describe the low-cost, open-source, wireless system we built for collecting our dataset. PMID:25984347

The UK-DALE dataset, domestic appliance-level electricity demand and whole-house demand from five UK homes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelly, Jack; Knottenbelt, William

2015-03-01

Many countries are rolling out smart electricity meters. These measure a home’s total power demand. However, research into consumer behaviour suggests that consumers are best able to improve their energy efficiency when provided with itemised, appliance-by-appliance consumption information. Energy disaggregation is a computational technique for estimating appliance-by-appliance energy consumption from a whole-house meter signal. To conduct research on disaggregation algorithms, researchers require data describing not just the aggregate demand per building but also the ‘ground truth’ demand of individual appliances. In this context, we present UK-DALE: an open-access dataset from the UK recording Domestic Appliance-Level Electricity at a sample rate of 16 kHz for the whole-house and at 1/6 Hz for individual appliances. This is the first open access UK dataset at this temporal resolution. We recorded from five houses, one of which was recorded for 655 days, the longest duration we are aware of for any energy dataset at this sample rate. We also describe the low-cost, open-source, wireless system we built for collecting our dataset.

Teaching Business Chinese Online.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Hang

2002-01-01

Discusses a comprehensive approach to teaching business Chinese online that is beng developed in the language learning laboratory at the University of Illinois. The courseware consists of two complementary parts: a business Chinese workbook and a business Chinese simulation. (Author/VWL)

The State of Small Business: A Report of the President. Together with the Annual Report on Small Business and Competition of the Small Business Administration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Executive Office of the President, Washington, DC.

This volume consists of a report of the President concerning the state of small businesses as well as the U.S. Small Business Administration annual report on small business and competition. Addressed in the President's report are the following issues: the role of small business in the economy; the foundations of small business policy; and problems…

Use of non‐invasive ventilation in UK emergency departments

PubMed Central

Browning, J; Atwood, B; Gray, A

2006-01-01

Aim To describe the current use of non‐invasive ventilation in UK emergency departments. Methods A structured questionnaire was sent to all UK emergency departments assessing 25,000 new patients annually. Results 222 of 233 departments completed the questionnaire. 148 currently use non‐invasive ventilation (NIV). Most used NIV for either cardiogenic pulmonary oedema (n = 128) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 115). Only 49 departments have protocols for NIV use and 23 audited practice. Conclusion NIV is commonly used in UK emergency departments. Practices vary significantly. One solution would be the development of guidelines on when and how to use NIV in emergency medicine practice. PMID:17130599