Automated Pilot Advisory System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parks, J. L., Jr.; Haidt, J. G.

1981-01-01

An Automated Pilot Advisory System (APAS) was developed and operationally tested to demonstrate the concept that low cost automated systems can provide air traffic and aviation weather advisory information at high density uncontrolled airports. The system was designed to enhance the see and be seen rule of flight, and pilots who used the system preferred it over the self announcement system presently used at uncontrolled airports.

40 CFR 60.543 - Performance test and compliance provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... organic solvent-based sprays are used, each Michelin-A operation, each Michelin-B operation, and each Michelin-C-automatic operation where the owner or operator seeks to comply with the uncontrolled monthly... sprays are used, each Michelin-A operation, each Michelin-B operation, and each Michelin-C-automatic...

40 CFR 60.543 - Performance test and compliance provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... organic solvent-based sprays are used, each Michelin-A operation, each Michelin-B operation, and each Michelin-C-automatic operation where the owner or operator seeks to comply with the uncontrolled monthly... sprays are used, each Michelin-A operation, each Michelin-B operation, and each Michelin-C-automatic...

40 CFR 60.543 - Performance test and compliance provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... organic solvent-based sprays are used, each Michelin-A operation, each Michelin-B operation, and each Michelin-C-automatic operation where the owner or operator seeks to comply with the uncontrolled monthly... sprays are used, each Michelin-A operation, each Michelin-B operation, and each Michelin-C-automatic...

Design considerations for medical devices in the home environment.

PubMed

Kaufman-Rivi, Diana; Collins-Mitchell, Janette; Jetley, Raoul

2010-01-01

Patient demographics, economic forces, and technological advancements contribute to the rise in home care services. Advanced medical devices and equipment originally designed for use by trained personnel in hospitals and clinics are increasingly migrating into the home. Unlike the clinical setting, the home is an uncontrolled environment with additional hazards. The compatibility of the device with the recipient's knowledge, abilities, lifestyle, and home environment plays a significant role in their therapy and rehabilitation. The advent of new device technologies such as wireless devices and interoperability of systems lends a new and complex perspective for medical device use in the home that must also be addressed. Adequately assessing and matching the patient and their caregiver with the appropriate device technology while considering the suitability of the home environment for device operation and maintenance is a challenge that relies on good human factors principles. There is a need to address these challenges in the growing home care sector In this article, the authors take a look at some important considerations and design issues for medical devices used in the home care environment.

Automatic spacecraft detumbling by internal mass motion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edwards, T. L.; Kaplan, M. H.

1974-01-01

In the operation of future manned space vehicles, there will always be a finite probability that an accident will occur which results in uncontrolled tumbling of a craft. Hard docking by a manned rescue vehicle is not acceptable because of the hazardous environment to which rescue crewmen would be exposed and excessive maneuvering accelerations during docking operations. A movable-mass control concept, which is activated upon initiation of tumbling and is autonomous, can convert tumbling motion into simple spin. The complete equations of motion for an asymmetric rigid spacecraft containing a movable mass are presented, and appropriate control law and system parameters are selected to minimize kinetic energy, resulting in simple spin about the major principal axis. Simulations indicate that for a large space station experiencing a collision, which results in tumbling, a 1% movable mass is capable of stabilizing motion in 2 hr.

Learned helplessness: effects of response requirement and interval between treatment and testing.

PubMed

Hunziker, M H L; Dos Santos, C V

2007-11-01

Three experiments investigated learned helplessness in rats manipulating response requirements, shock duration, and intervals between treatment and testing. In Experiment 1, rats previously exposed to uncontrollable or no shocks were tested under one of four different contingencies of negative reinforcement: FR 1 or FR 2 escape contingency for running, and FR1 escape contingency for jumping (differing for the maximum shock duration of 10s or 30s). The results showed that the uncontrollable shocks produced a clear operant learning deficit (learned helplessness effect) only when the animals were tested under the jumping FR 1 escape contingency with 10-s max shock duration. Experiment 2 isolated of the effects of uncontrollability from shock exposure per se and showed that the escape deficit observed using the FR 1 escape jumping response (10-s shock duration) was produced by the uncontrollability of shock. Experiment 3 showed that using the FR 1 jumping escape contingency in the test, the learned helplessness effect was observed one, 14 or 28 days after treatment. These results suggest that running may not be an appropriate test for learned helplessness, and that many diverging results found in the literature might be accounted for by the confounding effects of respondent and operant contingencies present when running is required of rats.

Learned helplessness and learned prevalence: exploring the causal relations among perceived controllability, reward prevalence, and exploration.

PubMed

Teodorescu, Kinneret; Erev, Ido

2014-10-01

Exposure to uncontrollable outcomes has been found to trigger learned helplessness, a state in which the agent, because of lack of exploration, fails to take advantage of regained control. Although the implications of this phenomenon have been widely studied, its underlying cause remains undetermined. One can learn not to explore because the environment is uncontrollable, because the average reinforcement for exploring is low, or because rewards for exploring are rare. In the current research, we tested a simple experimental paradigm that contrasts the predictions of these three contributors and offers a unified psychological mechanism that underlies the observed phenomena. Our results demonstrate that learned helplessness is not correlated with either the perceived controllability of one's environment or the average reward, which suggests that reward prevalence is a better predictor of exploratory behavior than the other two factors. A simple computational model in which exploration decisions were based on small samples of past experiences captured the empirical phenomena while also providing a cognitive basis for feelings of uncontrollability. © The Author(s) 2014.

The Environment of Crises in the Nigerian Education System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nwagwu, Cordelia C.

1997-01-01

During 1960-95, unplanned and uncontrolled educational expansion in Nigeria, coupled with a population explosion, military coups, and a depressed economy, created an environment of crisis in the educational system. Problems included poor funding; inadequate facilities; corruption in admissions, certification, and examination practices; emergence…

Preflight screening techniques for centrifuge-simulated suborbital spaceflight.

PubMed

Pattarini, James M; Blue, Rebecca S; Castleberry, Tarah L; Vanderploeg, James M

2014-12-01

Historically, space has been the venue of the healthy individual. With the advent of commercial spaceflight, we face the novel prospect of routinely exposing spaceflight participants (SPFs) with multiple comorbidities to the space environment. Preflight screening procedures must be developed to identify those individuals at increased risk during flight. We examined the responses of volunteers to centrifuge accelerations mimicking commercial suborbital spaceflight profiles to evaluate how potential SFPs might tolerate such forces. We evaluated our screening process for medical approval of subjects for centrifuge participation for applicability to commercial spaceflight operations. All registered subjects completed a medical questionnaire, physical examination, and electrocardiogram. Subjects with identified concerns including cardiopulmonary disease, hypertension, and diabetes were required to provide documentation of their conditions. There were 335 subjects who registered for the study, 124 who completed all prescreening, and 86 subjects who participated in centrifuge trials. Due to prior medical history, five subjects were disqualified, most commonly for psychiatric reasons or uncontrolled medical conditions. Of the subjects approved, four individuals experienced abnormal physiological responses to centrifuge profiles, including one back strain and three with anxiety reactions. The screening methods used were judged to be sufficient to identify individuals physically capable of tolerating simulated suborbital flight. Improved methods will be needed to identify susceptibility to anxiety reactions. While severe or uncontrolled disease was excluded, many subjects successfully participated in centrifuge trials despite medical histories of disease that are disqualifying under historical spaceflight screening regimes. Such screening techniques are applicable for use in future commercial spaceflight operations.

Data acquisition and analysis of range-finding systems for spacing construction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shen, C. N.

1981-01-01

For space missions of future, completely autonomous robotic machines will be required to free astronauts from routine chores of equipment maintenance, servicing of faulty systems, etc. and to extend human capabilities in hazardous environments full of cosmic and other harmful radiations. In places of high radiation and uncontrollable ambient illuminations, T.V. camera based vision systems cannot work effectively. However, a vision system utilizing directly measured range information with a time of flight laser rangefinder, can successfully operate under these environments. Such a system will be independent of proper illumination conditions and the interfering effects of intense radiation of all kinds will be eliminated by the tuned input of the laser instrument. Processing the range data according to certain decision, stochastic estimation and heuristic schemes, the laser based vision system will recognize known objects and thus provide sufficient information to the robot's control system which can develop strategies for various objectives.

Environmental confounding in gene-environment interaction studies.

PubMed

Vanderweele, Tyler J; Ko, Yi-An; Mukherjee, Bhramar

2013-07-01

We show that, in the presence of uncontrolled environmental confounding, joint tests for the presence of a main genetic effect and gene-environment interaction will be biased if the genetic and environmental factors are correlated, even if there is no effect of either the genetic factor or the environmental factor on the disease. When environmental confounding is ignored, such tests will in fact reject the joint null of no genetic effect with a probability that tends to 1 as the sample size increases. This problem with the joint test vanishes under gene-environment independence, but it still persists if estimating the gene-environment interaction parameter itself is of interest. Uncontrolled environmental confounding will bias estimates of gene-environment interaction parameters even under gene-environment independence, but it will not do so if the unmeasured confounding variable itself does not interact with the genetic factor. Under gene-environment independence, if the interaction parameter without controlling for the environmental confounder is nonzero, then there is gene-environment interaction either between the genetic factor and the environmental factor of interest or between the genetic factor and the unmeasured environmental confounder. We evaluate several recently proposed joint tests in a simulation study and discuss the implications of these results for the conduct of gene-environment interaction studies.

Two-tier Haddon matrix approach to fault analysis of accidents and cybernetic search for relationship to effect operational control: a case study at a large construction site.

PubMed

Mazumdar, Atmadeep; Sen, Krishna Nirmalya; Lahiri, Balendra Nath

2007-01-01

The Haddon matrix is a potential tool for recognizing hazards in any operating engineering system. This paper presents a case study of operational hazards at a large construction site. The fish bone structure helps to visualize and relate the chain of events, which led to the failure of the system. The two-tier Haddon matrix approach helps to analyze the problem and subsequently prescribes preventive steps. The cybernetic approach has been undertaken to establish the relationship among event variables and to identify the ones with most potential. Those event variables in this case study, based on the cybernetic concepts like control responsiveness and controllability salience, are (a) uncontrolled swing of sheet contributing to energy, (b) slippage of sheet from anchor, (c) restricted longitudinal and transverse swing or rotation about the suspension, (d) guilt or uncertainty of the crane driver, (e) safe working practices and environment.

[Perioperative and postoperative management of two patients with uncontrolled hyperthyroidism using short acting beta blocker, landiolol].

PubMed

Fujita, Yasuki; Shimizu, Tomoaki; Matsumoto, Atsuhiro; Aoki, Motoaki

2008-09-01

Thyroid storm, sudden onset of life-threatening manifestations of hyperthyroidism, often appears during and after surgery in patients with uncontrolled hyperthyroidism. We report perioperative and postoperative management of two such cases with uncontrolled hyperthyroidism. The first patient is a 41-year-old man with a past history of uncontrolled Graves disease, and was scheduled for emergency video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax. The second patient is a 25-year-old man with a past history of hypertension, and was scheduled for open reduction and internal fixation for mandibular fracture. In both patients, tachycardia and hypertension were observed at admission to the operating room. Therapy included the use of landiolol infusion, a short acting beta blocker, for control of tachycardia. Heart rate was controlled around 90 beats x min(-1) using landiolol during surgery. In each case, landiolol was administered until they can take long acting beta blocker and antithyroid drug orally. In the postoperative period, delirium appeared for a few hours in the first case, but no severe complications were observed in each case. Short acting beta blocker was useful for control of tachycardia in the perioperative and postoperative management of the patient with uncontrolled hyperthyroidism.

Integrated Logistics Support Analysis of the International Space Station Alpha: An Overview of the Maintenance Time Dependent Parameter Prediction Methods Enhancement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sepehry-Fard, F.; Coulthard, Maurice H.

1995-01-01

The objective of this publication is to introduce the enhancement methods for the overall reliability and maintainability methods of assessment on the International Space Station. It is essential that the process to predict the values of the maintenance time dependent variable parameters such as mean time between failure (MTBF) over time do not in themselves generate uncontrolled deviation in the results of the ILS analysis such as life cycle costs, spares calculation, etc. Furthermore, the very acute problems of micrometeorite, Cosmic rays, flares, atomic oxygen, ionization effects, orbital plumes and all the other factors that differentiate maintainable space operations from non-maintainable space operations and/or ground operations must be accounted for. Therefore, these parameters need be subjected to a special and complex process. Since reliability and maintainability strongly depend on the operating conditions that are encountered during the entire life of the International Space Station, it is important that such conditions are accurately identified at the beginning of the logistics support requirements process. Environmental conditions which exert a strong influence on International Space Station will be discussed in this report. Concurrent (combined) space environments may be more detrimental to the reliability and maintainability of the International Space Station than the effects of a single environment. In characterizing the logistics support requirements process, the developed design/test criteria must consider both the single and/or combined environments in anticipation of providing hardware capability to withstand the hazards of the International Space Station profile. The effects of the combined environments (typical) in a matrix relationship on the International Space Station will be shown. The combinations of the environments where the total effect is more damaging than the cumulative effects of the environments acting singly, may include a combination such as temperature, humidity, altitude, shock, and vibration while an item is being transported. The item's acceptance to its end-of-life sequence must be examined for these effects.

Novel Heat Controller for Thermogenerators Working on Uncontrolled Stoves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juanicó, Luis E.; Rinalde, Fabián; Taglialavore, Eduardo; Molina, Marcelo

2013-07-01

This paper describes the development of a thermogenerator designed for uncontrolled firewood household stoves. It was built on BiTe thermoelectric (TE) modules, and it uses a water pot as a cooling device that also serves as a hot water source. An original heat controller was developed; it has low thermal resistance ( R) during low-power operation, but its R can be continuously increased according to the stove temperature so that the TE never overheats while its power generation is optimized.

Summary of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

CERCLA provides a Federal Superfund to clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous-waste sites as well as accidents, spills, and other emergency releases of pollutants and contaminants into the environment

Environmental effects of heavy metals derived from the e-waste recycling activities in China: a systematic review.

PubMed

Song, Qingbin; Li, Jinhui

2014-12-01

As the world's leading manufacturing country, China has become the largest dumping ground for e-waste, resulting in serious pollution of heavy metals in China. This study reviews recent studies on environmental effects of heavy metals from the e-waste recycling sites in China, especially Taizhou, Guiyu, and Longtang. The intensive uncontrolled processing of e-waste in China has resulted in the release of large amounts of heavy metals in the local environment, and caused high concentrations of metals to be present in the surrounding air, dust, soils, sediments and plants. Though the pollution of many heavy metals was investigated in the relevant researches, the four kinds of heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Cd and Cr) from e-waste recycling processes attracted more attention. The exceedance of various national and international standards imposed negative effects to the environment, which made the local residents face with the serious heavy metal exposure. In order to protect the environment and human health, there is an urgent need to control and monitor the informal e-waste recycling operations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Ronald D.

2018-01-01

UTM is an 'air traffic management' ecosystem for uncontrolled operations. UTM utilizes industry's ability to supply services under FAA's regulatory authority where these services do not exist. UTM development will ultimately enable the management of large scale, low-altitude UAS operations. Operational concept will address beyond visual line of sight UAS operations under 400 ft. AGL. Information architecture, data exchange protocols, software functions. Roles/responsibilities of FAA and operators. Performance requirements.

Self regulating formulations for safe hydrogen gettering

DOEpatents

Shepodd, Timothy Jon

2002-01-01

A method and composition are disclosed for preventing uncontrolled exothermic reaction in the presence of a catalyst. A catalyst deployed as a finely divided powder which is attached to the surface of a low melting point wax or wax-like material which is utilized as a carrier for the catalyst. During operation should the catalyst overheat due to uncontrolled conditions brought about by a run-away reaction the heat of reaction melts the low melting point wax which would itself wet the surface of the catalyst and prevent further catalysis.

Aircraft Accident Report; Uncontrolled Impact with Terrain, Fine Airlines Flight 101, Douglas DC-8-61, N27UA, Miami, Florida, August 7, 1997

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-06-16

Transcolombiana de Carga ATI Air Transport International ATOS Air Transportation Oversight System ATP airline transport pilot CAM cockpit area microphone...495,000 fine against Aero Transcolombiana de Carga (ATC) for operating a DC-8-51 "over the weight limits set forth in its FAA-approved flight manual...PB98-910402 NTSB/AAR-98/02 DCA97MA059 NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 20594 AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT c>C== UNCONTROLLED IMPACT

Sludge management modeling to enhance P-recovery as struvite in wastewater treatment plants.

PubMed

Martí, N; Barat, R; Seco, A; Pastor, L; Bouzas, A

2017-07-01

Interest in phosphorus (P) recovery and reuse has increased in recent years as supplies of P are declining. After use, most of the P remains in wastewater, making Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) a vital part of P recycling. In this work, a new sludge management operation was studied by modeling in order to recover P in the form of struvite and minimize operating problems due to uncontrolled P precipitation in WWTPs. During the study, intensive analytical campaigns were carried out on the water and sludge lines. The results identified the anaerobic digester as a "hot spot" of uncontrolled P precipitation (9.5 gP/kg sludge) and highlighted possible operating problems due to the accumulation of precipitates. A new sludge line management strategy was simulated therefore using DESASS © software, consisting of the elutriation of the mixed sludge in the mixing chamber, to reduce uncontrolled P precipitation and to obtain a P-rich stream (primary thickener supernatant) to be used in a crystallization process. The key operating parameters were found to be: the elutriation flow from the mixing chamber to the primary thickener, the digestion flow and the sludge blanket height of the primary thickener, with optimized values between 70 and 80 m 3 /d, 90-100 m 3 /d and 1.4-1.5 m, respectively. Under these operating conditions, the preliminary results showed that P concentration in the primary thickener overflow significantly increased (from 38 to 100 mg PO 4 -P/L), which shows that this stream is suitable for use in a subsequent crystallization reactor to recover P in the form of struvite. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

26 CFR 1.482-6 - Profit split method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... business activity. Under this method, each uncontrolled taxpayer's percentage of the combined operating... general. Under this method, the combined operating profit or loss from the relevant business activity is... 26 Internal Revenue 6 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Profit split method. 1.482-6 Section 1.482-6...

CHARACTERIZATION OF AIR EMISSIONS AND RESIDUAL ASH FROM OPEN BURNING OF ELECTRONIC WASTES DURING SIMULATED RUDIMENTALRY RECYCLING OPERATIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Air emissions and residual ash measurements were made from open, uncontrolled combustion of electronic waste (e-waste) during simulations of practices associated with rudimentary e-waste recycling operations. Circuit boards and insulated wires were separately burned to simulate p...

Certification of windshear performance with RTCA class D radomes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mathews, Bruce D.; Miller, Fran; Rittenhouse, Kirk; Barnett, Lee; Rowe, William

1994-01-01

Superposition testing of detection range performance forms a digital signal for input into a simulation of signal and data processing equipment and algorithms to be employed in a sensor system for advanced warning of hazardous windshear. For suitable pulse-Doppler radar, recording of the digital data at the input to the digital signal processor furnishes a realistic operational scenario and environmentally responsive clutter signal including all sidelobe clutter, ground moving target indications (GMTI), and large signal spurious due to mainbeam clutter and/or RFI respective of the urban airport clutter and aircraft scenarios (approach and landing antenna pointing). For linear radar system processes, a signal at the same point in the process from a hazard phenomena may be calculated from models of the scattering phenomena, for example, as represented in fine 3 dimensional reflectivity and velocity grid structures. Superposition testing furnishes a competing signal environment for detection and warning time performance confirmation of phenomena uncontrollable in a natural environment.

Homogeneous photocatalytic oxidation of UV filter para-aminobenzoic acid in aqueous solutions.

PubMed

Tsoumachidou, Sophia; Lambropoulou, Dimitra; Poulios, Ioannis

2017-01-01

The presence of personal care product (PCP) residues in the aquatic environment is an emerging issue due to their uncontrolled release through graywater; for this reason, efforts are being made to develop methods to inactivate or eliminate this class of substances in the environment. In this work, homogeneous photocatalysis has been applied for the degradation of UV filter para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), which exists in several types of PCPs, in order to identify the optimum degradation conditions. The oxidation of PABA by photo-Fenton and oxalate-induced photo-Fenton (ferrioxalate) processes was investigated, and the effect of various operating variables has been assessed, i.e., Fe 3+ (0.0035-0.014 g L -1 ), H 2 O 2 (0.025-0.2 g L -1 ), T (280-323 K), and type of radiation (UV-A, visible). Furthermore, experiments under optimal conditions have been performed in order to evaluate the transformation pathways and phytotoxicity of the treated PABA solution.

Synthesis and Characterization of Environmentally Benign Nanoparticles

EPA Science Inventory

There has been a growing interest in replacing current non-biodegradable and toxic nanosystems with environmentally benign biopolymer based ones to minimize post-utilization hazards due to uncontrolled accumulation of nanoparticles in the environment. Lignin based nanoparticles (...

Exploring the CAESAR database using dimensionality reduction techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendoza-Schrock, Olga; Raymer, Michael L.

2012-06-01

The Civilian American and European Surface Anthropometry Resource (CAESAR) database containing over 40 anthropometric measurements on over 4000 humans has been extensively explored for pattern recognition and classification purposes using the raw, original data [1-4]. However, some of the anthropometric variables would be impossible to collect in an uncontrolled environment. Here, we explore the use of dimensionality reduction methods in concert with a variety of classification algorithms for gender classification using only those variables that are readily observable in an uncontrolled environment. Several dimensionality reduction techniques are employed to learn the underlining structure of the data. These techniques include linear projections such as the classical Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and non-linear (manifold learning) techniques, such as Diffusion Maps and the Isomap technique. This paper briefly describes all three techniques, and compares three different classifiers, Naïve Bayes, Adaboost, and Support Vector Machines (SVM), for gender classification in conjunction with each of these three dimensionality reduction approaches.

Incinerator technology overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santoleri, Joseph J.

1993-03-01

Many of the major chemical companies in the U.S. who regarded a safe environment as their responsibility installed waste treatment and disposal facilities on their plant sites in the last two decades. Many of these plants elected to use incinerators as the treatment process. This was not always the most economical method, but in many cases it was the only method of disposal that provided a safe and sure method of maximum destruction. Environmental concern over contamination from uncontrolled land disposal sites, and the emergence of tougher regulations for land disposal provide incentives for industry to employ a wide variety of traditional and advanced technologies for managing hazardous wastes. Incineration systems utilizing proper design, operation, and maintenance provides the safest, and in the long run, the most economical avenue to the maximum level of destruction of organic hazardous wastes.

Investigation of tenuous plasma environment using Active Spacecraft Potential Control (ASPOC) on Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Rumi; Jeszenszky, Harald; Torkar, Klaus; Andriopoulou, Maria; Fremuth, Gerhard; Taijmar, Martin; Scharlemann, Carsten; Svenes, Knut; Escoubet, Philippe; Prattes, Gustav; Laky, Gunter; Giner, Franz; Hoelzl, Bernhard

2015-04-01

The NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission is planned to be launched on March 12, 2015. The scientific objectives of the MMS mission are to explore and understand the fundamental plasma physics processes of magnetic reconnection, particle acceleration and turbulence in the Earth's magnetosphere. The region of scientific interest of MMS is in a tenuous plasma environment where the positive spacecraft potential reaches an equilibrium at several tens of Volts. An Active Spacecraft Potential Control (ASPOC) instrument neutralizes the spacecraft potential by releasing positive charge produced by indium ion emitters. ASPOC thereby reduces the potential in order to improve the electric field and low-energy particle measurement. The method has been successfully applied on other spacecraft such as Cluster and Double Star. Two ASPOC units are present on each of the MMS spacecraft. Each unit contains four ion emitters, whereby one emitter per instrument is operated at a time. ASPOC for MMS includes new developments in the design of the emitters and the electronics enabling lower spacecraft potentials, higher reliability, and a more uniform potential structure in the spacecraft's sheath compared to previous missions. Model calculations confirm the findings from previous applications that the plasma measurements will not be affected by the beam's space charge. A perfectly stable spacecraft potential precludes the utilization of the spacecraft as a plasma probe, which is a conventional technique used to estimate ambient plasma density from the spacecraft potential. The small residual variations of the potential controlled by ASPOC, however, still allow to determine ambient plasma density by comparing two closely separated spacecraft and thereby reconstructing the uncontrolled potential variation from the controlled potential. Regular intercalibration of controlled and uncontrolled potentials is expected to increase the reliability of this new method.

SITE TECHNOLOGY CAPSULE: TEXACO GASIFICATION PROCESS

EPA Science Inventory

In 1980, the U.S. Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund. to protect human health and the environment from uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. CERCLA was amended by the Superfund Amendments and R...

Uncontrolled burning of solid waste by households in Mexico is a significant contributor to climate change in the country.

PubMed

Reyna-Bensusan, Natalia; Wilson, David C; Smith, Stephen R

2018-05-01

Uncontrolled burning of municipal solid waste (MSW) is an important source of air pollution and is wide spread in many developing countries, but only limited data quantify the extent of domestic open burning of household waste. Here, we present some of the first field data to be reported on the uncontrolled domestic burning of waste. A representative community of Mexico (Huejutla de Reyes Municipality) was investigated and household surveys, interviews with waste operators and a waste characterisation analysis were completed to assess the extent of, and factors controlling, the open burning of waste. Waste collection provision to rural communities was very limited and, consequently 92% of households in rural areas reported that they disposed of waste by uncontrolled burning in backyards or unofficial dumps. Overall, 24% of the total MSW generated in the Municipality was disposed by uncontrolled burning. Urban and periurban areas received twice-weekly collections and the rate of uncontrolled burning was considerably smaller compared to rural households, corresponding to approximately 2% of total waste generation. Carbon equivalency calculations showed that burning waste in backyards represented approximately 6% of the total and 8.5% of fuel related CO 2 Eq emissions by the municipality. Moreover, the equivalent carbon dioxide (CO 2 Eq) from black carbon (BC) emitted by uncontrolled burning in backyards was over fifteen times larger compared to methane (CH 4 ) potentially released from equivalent amounts of combustible biodegradable waste disposal at the official dumpsite. An assessment of local respiratory health data showed the incidence of disease was higher in rural than in urban areas, when the opposite trend is typically observed in the international literature; given the high rate of burning activity found in rural areas we suggest that open burning of waste could be a major reason for the apparent poorer respiratory health status of the rural population and requires further investigation. The results emphasise the importance of including BC from uncontrolled burning of waste in international emission inventories of greenhouse gases and in the assessment of the health status of local communities in developing countries where this practice is prevalent. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

14 CFR 135.205 - VFR: Visibility requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... REQUIREMENTS: COMMUTER AND ON DEMAND OPERATIONS AND RULES GOVERNING PERSONS ON BOARD SUCH AIRCRAFT VFR/IFR... operate an airplane under VFR in uncontrolled airspace when the ceiling is less than 1,000 feet unless... airspace at an altitude of 1,200 feet or less above the surface or within the lateral boundaries of the...

14 CFR 135.205 - VFR: Visibility requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... REQUIREMENTS: COMMUTER AND ON DEMAND OPERATIONS AND RULES GOVERNING PERSONS ON BOARD SUCH AIRCRAFT VFR/IFR... operate an airplane under VFR in uncontrolled airspace when the ceiling is less than 1,000 feet unless... airspace at an altitude of 1,200 feet or less above the surface or within the lateral boundaries of the...

Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM): Conflict Mitigation Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Marcus

2018-01-01

This is a presentation that describes the UAS Traffic Management Approach to an alternate means of compliance with 91.113 right of way regulations. UTM is an "air traffic management" ecosystem for uncontrolled operations.

40 CFR Table 1 to Subpart Uuuu of... - Emission Limits and Work Practice Standards

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... cellulosic sponge operation i. reduce total uncontrolled sulfide emissions (reported as carbon disulfide) by... process unit” mean “cellulose food casing, rayon, cellulosic sponge, cellophane, or cellulose ether...

Risk factors for obstetric anal sphincter injuries and postpartum anal and urinary incontinence: a case-control trial.

PubMed

Burrell, Madeline; Dilgir, Sapna; Patton, Vicki; Parkin, Katrina; Karantanis, Emmanuel

2015-03-01

Obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) cause serious maternal morbidity for mothers. A clearer understanding of aetiological factors is needed. We aimed to determine the risk factors for OASIS . Birth details of 222 primiparous women sustaining OASIS were compared with 174 women who did not sustain OASIS (controls) to determine the relevant risk factors. The data underwent univariate analysis and logistic regression analysis. Asian or Indian ethnicity, operative vaginal birth (p = 0.00), persistent occipito-posterior position (p = 0.038) and rapid uncontrolled delivery of the head were identified as risk factors for OASIS. Pushing time, use of epidural, episiotomy and head circumference were not predictors of OASIS. Women with Asian or Indian ethnicity, operative vaginal birth, persistent occipito-posterior position and rapid uncontrolled delivery of the fetal head were likely to sustain OASIS. Awareness of these factors may help to minimise the incidence of OASIS.

Computational Modeling to Limit the Impact Displays and Indicator Lights Have on Habitable Volume Operational Lighting Constraints

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, T. A.; Salazar, G. A.; Brainard, G. C.; Kolomenski, A.; Hanifin, J.; Schwin, B. M.

2017-01-01

NASA has demonstrated an interest in improving astronaut health and performance through the installment of a new lighting countermeasure on the International Space Station. The Solid State Lighting Assembly (SSLA) system is designed to positively influence astronaut health by providing a daily change to light spectrum to improve circadian entrainment. Unfortunately, existing NASA standards and requirements define ambient light level requirements for crew sleep and other tasks, yet the number of light-emitting diode (LED) indicators and displays within a habitable volume is currently uncontrolled. Because each of these light sources has its own unique spectral properties, the additive lighting environment ends up becoming something different from what was planned or researched. Restricting the use of displays and indicators is not a solution because these systems provide beneficial crew feedback.

Effects of wildland fire on regional and global carbon stocks in a changing environment

Treesearch

Allen M. Solomon

2009-01-01

Every year tens of millions of hectares of forests, woodlands, and grasslands burn globally. Some are burned intentionally for land conversion, pasture renewal or hazard reduction, or wildlife habitat improvement, but most are burned by uncontrolled wildfire. Estimates of...

The medical antigravity suit for management of surgically uncontrollable bleeding associated with abdominal pregnancy.

PubMed

Sandberg, E C; Pelligra, R

1983-07-01

Three patients with abdominal pregnancy have been treated at Stanford University Hospital in recent years. Common to each was surgically uncontrolled hemorrhage for which circumferential pneumatic compression (supplied by a medical antigravity suit) was used to stop the bleeding. In each patient, the hemostatic effect of treatment was dramatic. In published accounts of the use of the garment in other severely hemorrhaging patients, the effects have been similarly dramatic and equally successful. These observations lead to a compelling consideration in regard to optimum management of patients with abdominal pregnancy. If our experience is confirmed by others, optimum management in abdominal pregnancy hereafter should regularly and routinely include removal of the placenta at the primary operation. This approach would anticipate use of the medical antigravity suit to provide hemostasis if surgically uncontrollable bleeding is encountered. Theoretically, the complications and long-term morbidity associated with retention of the placenta would be eliminated by this means while the previous disadvantage of placental removal, the potential for exsanguinating hemorrhage, would be circumvented.

CONTAMINATION OF PUBLIC GROUND WATER SUPPLIES BY SUPERFUND SITES

EPA Science Inventory

Multiple sources of contamination can affect ground water supplies, including municipal landfills, industrial operations, leaking underground storage tanks, septic tank systems, and prioritized uncontrolled hazardous waste sites known as “Superfund” sites. A review of Superfund R...

TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION REPORT: CHEMFIX TECHNOLOGIES, INC. - SOLIDIFICATION/STABILIZATION PROCESS - CLACKAMAS, OREGON - VOLUME I

EPA Science Inventory

The CHEMFIX solidification/stabilization process was evaluated in the U.S. Environment Protection Agency's SITE program. Waste from an uncontrolled hazardous waste site was treated by the CHEMFIX process and subjected to a variety of physical and chemical test methods. Physical t...

U.S. Immigration Policy and the National Interest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fauriol, Georges

1984-01-01

The national security of the United States depends upon its domestic strength and international stability. This strength requires an ability to control national borders, the maintenance of an independent foreign policy, a prosperous economy, and a cohesive domestic political environment. Uncontrolled migration is undermining this strength. (RM)

Uncontrolled diabetes as a potential risk factor in tibiotalocalcaneal fusion using a retrograde intramedullary nail.

PubMed

Lee, Moses; Choi, Woo Jin; Han, Seung Hwan; Jang, Jinyoung; Lee, Jin Woo

2017-07-22

Tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) fusion using a retrograde intramedullary (IM) nail is an effective salvage option for terminal-stage hindfoot problems. However, as many patients who receive TTC fusion bear unfavorable medical comorbidities, the risk of nonunion, infection and other complications increases. This study was performed to identify the factors influencing outcomes after TTC fusion using a retrograde IM nail. Between September 2008 and February 2012, 34 consecutive patients received TTC fusion using a retrograde IM nail for limb salvage. All patients had a minimum follow-up of two years. Throughout follow-up, standard ankle radiography was performed along with clinical outcome assessment using a visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Ankle-Hind Foot Scale (AOFAS A/H scale) and the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS). For the retrospective analysis, demographic factors, preoperative medical status, laboratory markers, and etiology were comprehensively reviewed using medical records. The success of the index operation was determined using clinical and radiological outcomes. Finally, the effect of each factor on failure after the operation was analyzed using univariate logistic regression. In a mean of seven months, 82% (28/34) achieved union, as evaluated by standard radiography. All clinical outcome parameters improved significantly after the operation, including VAS, AOFAS A/H scale, and FAOS (P<0.001). At the last follow-up, five cases of nonunion with less than AOFAS A/H scale of 80 and two cases of below knee amputation due to uncontrolled infection were determined to be failures. None of the factors (etiology, demographics, laboratory markers and medical status) significantly influenced failures. However, uncontrolled DM significantly increased the failure rate with an odds ratio of 10 (P=0.029). TTC fusion with a retrograde intramedullary nail is a successful treatment for complicated hindfoot problems such as traumatic osteoarthritis, Charcot arthropathy and failed TAA. However, it should be used judiciously in patients with uncontrolled DM, as the risk of failure increases. Retrospective cohort study. Copyright © 2017 European Foot and Ankle Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bending creep and load duration of Douglas-fir 2 by 4s under constant load for up to 12-plus years

Treesearch

Charles C. Gerhards

2000-01-01

This paper finalizes research on graded Douglas-fir 2 by 4 beams subjected to constant bending loads of various levels and durations. Compared to results for testing in a controlled environment, results confirm that load duration did not appear to be shortened by tests in an uncontrolled environment, at least extending out to 12-plus years. By the same comparison,...

Breakthrough Performance: Creating the Innovative Enterprise.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanson, Diane; Bapst, Jerry

1998-01-01

Illustrates a new model for innovative enterprises by reviewing the process an instruments and control systems manufacturer used to implement changes in its corporate operating philosophy. Outlines the "Quantum Model": spheres of control, influence, interest, and UNs (unknown, unpredictable, uncontrollable, uncomfortable). Discusses…

The Polish Education System and Issues of Violence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wojciechowski, Mirek

2005-01-01

Uncontrolled outbursts of violence, of both an individual and group nature, are distinctive elements of social and economic changes occurring in Poland. They affect all social environments and institutions in this country, and unfortunately many people believe in violent solutions of problems (at least as represented in the media). Between…

SITE TECHNOLOGY CAPSULE: METAL-ENHANCED DECHLORI- NATION OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS USING AN ABOVE-GROUND REACTOR - ENVIROMETAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

EPA Science Inventory

In 1980 the U.S. Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund, to protect human health and the environment from uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. CERCLA was amended by the Superfund Amendments an...

DISSOCIATION OF SULFUR HEXAFLUORIDE TRACER GAS IN THE PRESENCE OF AN INDOOR COMBUSTION SOURCE

EPA Science Inventory

As an odorless, non-toxic, and inert compound, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is one of the most widely used tracer gases in indoor air quality studies in both controlled and uncontrolled environments. This compound may be subject to hydrolysis under elevated temperature to form acidi...

An ethnographic study of differentiated practice in an operating room.

PubMed

Graff, C; Roberts, K; Thornton, K

1999-01-01

An ethnographic study was conducted to investigate implementation of the clinical nurse III or team leader (TL) role as part of a newly executed nursing differentiated practice model. The six TLs studied were employed in the operating room (OR). Through participant observation, interviews, and document analysis, the TL role--as well as perceptions of the role by the TLs and OR staff--were studied. Problems related to performance of the role and its evolutionary process were delineated. Data analysis involved identifying categories and subcategories of data and developing a coding system to identify themes. Salient themes were related to the culture of the OR. Because of the OR's highly technical environment, the TLs defined their roles in relation to the organizational and technical needs of their surgical service. Refinement of surgeon "preference cards" and "instrument count sheets" was considered the initial priority for the TLs. Various controllable and uncontrollable factors were identified that affected implementation of the new TL role. Findings suggest that introduction of the role requires insight into setting and an emphasis on staging and orientation of employees to the new role.

Managing an Uncontrolled Vocabulary Ex Post Factor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lefever, Maureen; And Others

1972-01-01

The operational retrospective retrieval service offered by BIOSIS exploits a file created essentially without vocabulary control. A pragmatic program of file building criteria has been persued which has provided improved retrieval and an annual summary of the vocabulary of the literature. (11 references) (Author/KE)

75 FR 71613 - Mandatory Reliability Standards for Interconnection Reliability Operating Limits

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-24

... Reliability Standards. The proposed Reliability Standards were designed to prevent instability, uncontrolled... Reliability Standards.\\2\\ The proposed Reliability Standards were designed to prevent instability... the SOLs, which if exceeded, could expose a widespread area of the bulk electric system to instability...

The association between environmental quality and uncontrolled diabetes among older adults in the U.S.

EPA Science Inventory

From 1990 to 2014, the diagnosed diabetes rate in the U.S. rose 111% among adults 65-74 and 140% among adults 75 or older. Recent studies have suggested factors such as air quality, neighborhood characteristics, and the social environment are associated with diabetes in older adu...

Bringing Them into the Tent--Student Association and the Neutered Academy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rochford, Francine

2014-01-01

Following the trend of many comparable countries, Australian universities are now part of a massified system which is a significant contributor to the national economy. The commercial university is solicitous as to its product and its position in the market, but must also navigate the regulatory environment. Uncontrollable aspects of the…

Adaptive error correction codes for face identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussein, Wafaa R.; Sellahewa, Harin; Jassim, Sabah A.

2012-06-01

Face recognition in uncontrolled environments is greatly affected by fuzziness of face feature vectors as a result of extreme variation in recording conditions (e.g. illumination, poses or expressions) in different sessions. Many techniques have been developed to deal with these variations, resulting in improved performances. This paper aims to model template fuzziness as errors and investigate the use of error detection/correction techniques for face recognition in uncontrolled environments. Error correction codes (ECC) have recently been used for biometric key generation but not on biometric templates. We have investigated error patterns in binary face feature vectors extracted from different image windows of differing sizes and for different recording conditions. By estimating statistical parameters for the intra-class and inter-class distributions of Hamming distances in each window, we encode with appropriate ECC's. The proposed approached is tested for binarised wavelet templates using two face databases: Extended Yale-B and Yale. We shall demonstrate that using different combinations of BCH-based ECC's for different blocks and different recording conditions leads to in different accuracy rates, and that using ECC's results in significantly improved recognition results.

Reference point detection for camera-based fingerprint image based on wavelet transformation.

PubMed

Khalil, Mohammed S

2015-04-30

Fingerprint recognition systems essentially require core-point detection prior to fingerprint matching. The core-point is used as a reference point to align the fingerprint with a template database. When processing a larger fingerprint database, it is necessary to consider the core-point during feature extraction. Numerous core-point detection methods are available and have been reported in the literature. However, these methods are generally applied to scanner-based images. Hence, this paper attempts to explore the feasibility of applying a core-point detection method to a fingerprint image obtained using a camera phone. The proposed method utilizes a discrete wavelet transform to extract the ridge information from a color image. The performance of proposed method is evaluated in terms of accuracy and consistency. These two indicators are calculated automatically by comparing the method's output with the defined core points. The proposed method is tested on two data sets, controlled and uncontrolled environment, collected from 13 different subjects. In the controlled environment, the proposed method achieved a detection rate 82.98%. In uncontrolled environment, the proposed method yield a detection rate of 78.21%. The proposed method yields promising results in a collected-image database. Moreover, the proposed method outperformed compare to existing method.

A fiber optic temperature sensor based on multi-core microstructured fiber with coupled cores for a high temperature environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makowska, A.; Markiewicz, K.; Szostkiewicz, L.; Kolakowska, A.; Fidelus, J.; Stanczyk, T.; Wysokinski, K.; Budnicki, D.; Ostrowski, L.; Szymanski, M.; Makara, M.; Poturaj, K.; Tenderenda, T.; Mergo, P.; Nasilowski, T.

2018-02-01

Sensors based on fiber optics are irreplaceable wherever immunity to strong electro-magnetic fields or safe operation in explosive atmospheres is needed. Furthermore, it is often essential to be able to monitor high temperatures of over 500°C in such environments (e.g. in cooling systems or equipment monitoring in power plants). In order to meet this demand, we have designed and manufactured a fiber optic sensor with which temperatures up to 900°C can be measured. The sensor utilizes multi-core fibers which are recognized as the dedicated medium for telecommunication or shape sensing, but as we show may be also deployed advantageously in new types of fiber optic temperature sensors. The sensor presented in this paper is based on a dual-core microstructured fiber Michelson interferometer. The fiber is characterized by strongly coupled cores, hence it acts as an all-fiber coupler, but with an outer diameter significantly wider than a standard fused biconical taper coupler, which significantly increases the coupling region's mechanical reliability. Owing to the proposed interferometer imbalance, effective operation and high-sensitivity can be achieved. The presented sensor is designed to be used at high temperatures as a result of the developed low temperature chemical process of metal (copper or gold) coating. The hermetic metal coating can be applied directly to the silica cladding of the fiber or the fiber component. This operation significantly reduces the degradation of sensors due to hydrolysis in uncontrolled atmospheres and high temperatures.

Detecting free-living steps and walking bouts: validating an algorithm for macro gait analysis.

PubMed

Hickey, Aodhán; Del Din, Silvia; Rochester, Lynn; Godfrey, Alan

2017-01-01

Research suggests wearables and not instrumented walkways are better suited to quantify gait outcomes in clinic and free-living environments, providing a more comprehensive overview of walking due to continuous monitoring. Numerous validation studies in controlled settings exist, but few have examined the validity of wearables and associated algorithms for identifying and quantifying step counts and walking bouts in uncontrolled (free-living) environments. Studies which have examined free-living step and bout count validity found limited agreement due to variations in walking speed, changing terrain or task. Here we present a gait segmentation algorithm to define free-living step count and walking bouts from an open-source, high-resolution, accelerometer-based wearable (AX3, Axivity). Ten healthy participants (20-33 years) wore two portable gait measurement systems; a wearable accelerometer on the lower-back and a wearable body-mounted camera (GoPro HERO) on the chest, for 1 h on two separate occasions (24 h apart) during free-living activities. Step count and walking bouts were derived for both measurement systems and compared. For all participants during a total of almost 20 h of uncontrolled and unscripted free-living activity data, excellent relative (rho  ⩾  0.941) and absolute (ICC (2,1)   ⩾  0.975) agreement with no presence of bias were identified for step count compared to the camera (gold standard reference). Walking bout identification showed excellent relative (rho  ⩾  0.909) and absolute agreement (ICC (2,1)   ⩾  0.941) but demonstrated significant bias. The algorithm employed for identifying and quantifying steps and bouts from a single wearable accelerometer worn on the lower-back has been demonstrated to be valid and could be used for pragmatic gait analysis in prolonged uncontrolled free-living environments.

Behavior coordination of mobile robotics using supervisory control of fuzzy discrete event systems.

PubMed

Jayasiri, Awantha; Mann, George K I; Gosine, Raymond G

2011-10-01

In order to incorporate the uncertainty and impreciseness present in real-world event-driven asynchronous systems, fuzzy discrete event systems (DESs) (FDESs) have been proposed as an extension to crisp DESs. In this paper, first, we propose an extension to the supervisory control theory of FDES by redefining fuzzy controllable and uncontrollable events. The proposed supervisor is capable of enabling feasible uncontrollable and controllable events with different possibilities. Then, the extended supervisory control framework of FDES is employed to model and control several navigational tasks of a mobile robot using the behavior-based approach. The robot has limited sensory capabilities, and the navigations have been performed in several unmodeled environments. The reactive and deliberative behaviors of the mobile robotic system are weighted through fuzzy uncontrollable and controllable events, respectively. By employing the proposed supervisory controller, a command-fusion-type behavior coordination is achieved. The observability of fuzzy events is incorporated to represent the sensory imprecision. As a systematic analysis of the system, a fuzzy-state-based controllability measure is introduced. The approach is implemented in both simulation and real time. A performance evaluation is performed to quantitatively estimate the validity of the proposed approach over its counterparts.

The Uncontrolled Economic Engine of the Developing Economies, Speeding up the Climate Shift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, K. M.; Khan, M. A.

2014-12-01

As we progress into the 21st century, the world faces challenges of truly global nature bearing implications on the whole world in one way or another. The global economic engine has shifted from the western world (Developed Economies) to the eastern world (Developing Economies) which has brought about tremendous change in the climate related variables in this part of the world. As uncontrolled carbon emissions grow in the developing economies, the phenomenon of global warming and climate shifts become more and more prevalent. While this economic activity provides income for millions of households, it is contributing generously to the rapid degradation of the environment. Developing economies as it has been seen do not employ or abide by stringent regulations regarding emissions which result in uncontrolled emissions. In this particular scenario, it is a tedious task to convince governments in the developing economies to implement regulations regarding emissions because businesses in these economies deem such regulations to be economically unviable. The other side of the problem is that these uncontrolled emission are causing evident climate shifts which has had adverse impacts on the agricultural societies where shifting climates are leading to reduced agricultural output and productivity. Consequently the lives of millions associated directly or indirectly with agriculture are affected and on a more global level, the agricultural produce is decreasing which increases the chances of famine in parts of the world. The situation could have devastating impacts on the global economy and environmental standards and therefore needs to be addressed on emergency basis. The first step towards betterment could be the introduction of the carbon trading economy in the developing economies which would incentivize emission reduction and become more attractive and in the process sustaining minimum possible damage to the environment. Though carbon trading is a formidable first step in the right direction, it is in no way the only step and many other steps need to be taken. Agricultural economies have to study climate changes in detail and inculcate findings into their agricultural practices in order to keep the productivity from reducing.

33 CFR 127.319 - LNG transfer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... that— (1) The marine transfer area for LNG is under the supervision of a person in charge, who has no other assigned duties during the transfer operation; (2) Personnel transferring fuel or oily waste are... discontinued— (i) Before electrical storms or uncontrolled fires are adjacent to the marine transfer area for...

33 CFR 127.319 - LNG transfer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... that— (1) The marine transfer area for LNG is under the supervision of a person in charge, who has no other assigned duties during the transfer operation; (2) Personnel transferring fuel or oily waste are... discontinued— (i) Before electrical storms or uncontrolled fires are adjacent to the marine transfer area for...

40 CFR 86.884-5 - Test procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... New Diesel Heavy-Duty Engines; Smoke Exhaust Test Procedure § 86.884-5 Test procedures. The procedures..., or eliminating smoke emissions and to uncontrolled engines. (b) The test is designed to determine the opacity of smoke in exhaust emissions during those engine operating conditions which tend to promote smoke...

40 CFR 86.884-5 - Test procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... New Diesel Heavy-Duty Engines; Smoke Exhaust Test Procedure § 86.884-5 Test procedures. The procedures..., or eliminating smoke emissions and to uncontrolled engines. (b) The test is designed to determine the opacity of smoke in exhaust emissions during those engine operating conditions which tend to promote smoke...

40 CFR 86.884-5 - Test procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... New Diesel Heavy-Duty Engines; Smoke Exhaust Test Procedure § 86.884-5 Test procedures. The procedures..., or eliminating smoke emissions and to uncontrolled engines. (b) The test is designed to determine the opacity of smoke in exhaust emissions during those engine operating conditions which tend to promote smoke...

46 CFR 56.20-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... accordance with § 56.60-1 of this part. (2) Valves must be designed so that the maximum allowable working... permits this; (ii) Subjecting a representative model to a proof test or experimental stress analysis... uncontrollable rise in pressure can result, means must be provided in the design, installation, and operation of...

Sustainable Practices for Landfill Design and Operation (Part of book series Waste Management Principles and Practice)

EPA Science Inventory

The management of municipal solid waste (MSW) in many countries throughout the world has changed significantly over the past fifty years, with a shift from uncontrolled dumping or burning to complex systems that integrate multiple processes to recover materials or energy and prov...

75 FR 47461 - Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Elizabeth River, Eastern Branch, Norfolk, VA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-06

... public comments. The test period was in effect during the entire Notice of Proposed Rulemaking comment... NPRM. Many responses stated that planned openings would permit motorists to better plan their commutes... vessel movements is affected by a number of uncontrollable and external factors. The effects of winds...

OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY, PRESENT STATUS, AND FUTURE DIRECTION OF SOLIDIFICATION/STABILIZATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR HAZARDOUS WASTE TREATMENT

EPA Science Inventory

Solidification/stabilization (S/S) technology processes are currently being utilized in the United States to treat inorganic and organic hazardous waste and radioactive waste. These wastes are generated from operating industry or have resulted from the uncontrolled management of ...

Evolution of Collective Behaviors for a Real Swarm of Aquatic Surface Robots.

PubMed

Duarte, Miguel; Costa, Vasco; Gomes, Jorge; Rodrigues, Tiago; Silva, Fernando; Oliveira, Sancho Moura; Christensen, Anders Lyhne

2016-01-01

Swarm robotics is a promising approach for the coordination of large numbers of robots. While previous studies have shown that evolutionary robotics techniques can be applied to obtain robust and efficient self-organized behaviors for robot swarms, most studies have been conducted in simulation, and the few that have been conducted on real robots have been confined to laboratory environments. In this paper, we demonstrate for the first time a swarm robotics system with evolved control successfully operating in a real and uncontrolled environment. We evolve neural network-based controllers in simulation for canonical swarm robotics tasks, namely homing, dispersion, clustering, and monitoring. We then assess the performance of the controllers on a real swarm of up to ten aquatic surface robots. Our results show that the evolved controllers transfer successfully to real robots and achieve a performance similar to the performance obtained in simulation. We validate that the evolved controllers display key properties of swarm intelligence-based control, namely scalability, flexibility, and robustness on the real swarm. We conclude with a proof-of-concept experiment in which the swarm performs a complete environmental monitoring task by combining multiple evolved controllers.

Evolution of Collective Behaviors for a Real Swarm of Aquatic Surface Robots

PubMed Central

Duarte, Miguel; Costa, Vasco; Gomes, Jorge; Rodrigues, Tiago; Silva, Fernando; Oliveira, Sancho Moura; Christensen, Anders Lyhne

2016-01-01

Swarm robotics is a promising approach for the coordination of large numbers of robots. While previous studies have shown that evolutionary robotics techniques can be applied to obtain robust and efficient self-organized behaviors for robot swarms, most studies have been conducted in simulation, and the few that have been conducted on real robots have been confined to laboratory environments. In this paper, we demonstrate for the first time a swarm robotics system with evolved control successfully operating in a real and uncontrolled environment. We evolve neural network-based controllers in simulation for canonical swarm robotics tasks, namely homing, dispersion, clustering, and monitoring. We then assess the performance of the controllers on a real swarm of up to ten aquatic surface robots. Our results show that the evolved controllers transfer successfully to real robots and achieve a performance similar to the performance obtained in simulation. We validate that the evolved controllers display key properties of swarm intelligence-based control, namely scalability, flexibility, and robustness on the real swarm. We conclude with a proof-of-concept experiment in which the swarm performs a complete environmental monitoring task by combining multiple evolved controllers. PMID:26999614

All Fiber-Coupled OH Planar Laser-Induced-Fluorescence (OH-PLIF)-Based Two-Dimensional Thermometry.

PubMed

Hsu, Paul S; Jiang, Naibo; Patnaik, Anil K; Katta, Vish; Roy, Sukesh; Gord, James R

2018-04-01

Two-color, planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF)-based two-dimensional (2D) thermometry techniques for reacting flows, which are typically developed in the laboratory conditions, face a stiff challenge in their practical implementation in harsh environments such as combustion rigs. In addition to limited optical access, the critical experimental conditions (i.e., uncontrolled humidity, vibration, and large thermal gradients) often restrict sensitive laser system operation and cause difficulties maintaining beam-overlap. Thus, an all fiber-coupled, two-color OH-PLIF system has been developed, employing two long optical fibers allowing isolation of the laser and signal-collection systems. Two OH-excitation laser beams (∼283 nm and ∼286 nm) are delivered through a common 6 m long, 400 µm core, deep ultraviolet (UV)-enhanced multimode fiber. The fluorescence signal (∼310 nm) is collected by a 3 m long, UV-grade imaging fiber. Proof-of-principle temperature measurements are demonstrated in atmospheric pressure, near adiabatic, CH 4 /O 2 /N 2 jet flames. The effects of the excitation pulse interval on fiber transmission are investigated. The proof-of-principle measurements show significant promise for thermometry in harsh environments such as gas turbine engine tests.

Phase VI Glove Durability Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, Kathryn

2011-01-01

The current state-of-the-art space suit gloves, the Phase VI gloves, have an operational life of 25 -- 8 hour Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) in a dust free, manufactured microgravity EVA environment. Future planetary outpost missions create the need for space suit gloves which can endure up to 90 -- 8 hour traditional EVAs or 576 -- 45 minute suit port-based EVAs in a dirty, uncontrolled planetary environment. Prior to developing improved space suit gloves for use in planetary environments, it is necessary to understand how the current state-of-the-art performs in these environments. The Phase VI glove operational life has traditionally been certified through cycle testing consisting of International Space Station (ISS)-based EVA tasks in a clean environment, and glove durability while performing planetary EVA tasks in a dirty environment has not previously been characterized. Testing was performed in the spring of 2010 by the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) Crew and Thermal Systems Division (CTSD) to characterize the durability of the Phase VI Glove and identify areas of the glove design which need improvement to meet the requirements of future NASA missions. Lunar simulant was used in this test to help replicate the dirty lunar environment, and generic planetary surface EVA tasks were performed during testing. A total of 50 manned, pressurized test sessions were completed in the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) using one pair of Phase VI gloves as the test article. The 50 test sessions were designed to mimic the total amount of pressurized cycling the gloves would experience over a 6 month planetary outpost mission. The gloves were inspected periodically throughout testing, to assess their condition at various stages in the test and to monitor the gloves for failures. Additionally, motion capture and force data were collected during 18 of the 50 test sessions to assess the accuracy of the cycle model predictions used in testing and to feed into the development of improved cycle model tables. This paper provides a detailed description of the test hardware and methodology, shares the results of the testing, and provides recommendations for future work.

Aircraft accident report : uncontrolled flight into terrain, ABX Air (Airborne Express), Douglas DC-8-63, N827AX Narrows, Virginia, December 22, 1996

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-07-15

This report explains the accident involving a Douglas DC-8-63, operated by ABX Air Inc. (Airborne Express), that impacted mountainous terrain near Narrows, Virginia, while on a post-modification functional evaluation flight on December 22, 1996. Safe...

40 CFR 63.8005 - What requirements apply to my process vessels?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... condensers, as defined in § 63.1251, are not considered to be control devices for process vessels. (d... vessels. (2) For the initial compliance demonstration for condensers, you must determine uncontrolled... process condenser is properly operated according to the procedures specified in § 63.1257(d)(2)(i)(C)(4...

75 FR 9557 - Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Elizabeth River, Eastern Branch, Norfolk, VA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-03

... proposed schedule and to obtain data and public comments. The test period was in effect during the entire... deviation and NPRM. Many responses stated travelers could better plan their commutes and allowed them the... uncontrollable and external factors. The effects of winds, currents, and tides have an important impact on safe...

Technology: The Culture of Machine Living. Program in American History and Civilization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tufts Univ., Medford, MA. Lincoln Filene Center for Citizenship and Public Affairs.

The readings in this narrative unit are concerned with the machine's role today and its future use in shaping man's environment. The general teaching objectives are to enable the student: 1) to adapt to a society directed toward total living, rather than one in which he earns a living; 2) to understand that uncontrolled technological advance may…

The input and output management of solid waste using DEA models: A case study at Jengka, Pahang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, Siti Rosiah; Ghazali, Nur Fadzrina Mohd; Mohd, Ainun Hafizah

2017-08-01

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) as a tool for obtaining performance indices has been used extensively in several of organizations sector. The ways to improve the efficiency of Decision Making Units (DMUs) is impractical because some of inputs and outputs are uncontrollable and in certain situation its produce weak efficiency which often reflect the impact for operating environment. Based on the data from Alam Flora Sdn. Bhd Jengka, the researcher wants to determine the efficiency of solid waste management (SWM) in town Jengka Pahang using CCRI and CCRO model of DEA and duality formulation with vector average input and output. Three input variables (length collection in meter, frequency time per week in hour and number of garbage truck) and 2 outputs variables (frequency collection and the total solid waste collection in kilogram) are analyzed. As a conclusion, it shows only three roads from 23 roads are efficient that achieve efficiency score 1. Meanwhile, 20 other roads are in an inefficient management.

Single pilot IFR accident data analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harris, D. F.; Morrisete, J. A.

1982-01-01

The aircraft accident data recorded and maintained by the National Transportation Safety Board for 1964 to 1979 were analyzed to determine what problems exist in the general aviation single pilot instrument flight rules environment. A previous study conducted in 1978 for the years 1964 to 1975 provided a basis for comparison. The purpose was to determine what changes, if any, have occurred in trends and cause-effect relationships reported in the earlier study. The increasing numbers have been tied to measures of activity to produce accident rates which in turn were analyzed in terms of change. Where anomalies or unusually high accident rates were encountered, further analysis was conducted to isolate pertinent patterns of cause factors and/or experience levels of involved pilots. The bulk of the effort addresses accidents in the landing phase of operations. A detailed analysis was performed on controlled/uncontrolled collisions and their unique attributes delineated. Estimates of day vs. night general aviation activity and accident rates were obtained.

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

Miller, D. H.; Reigel, M. M.

A full-scale formed core sampler was designed and functionally tested for use in the Saltstone Disposal Facility (SDF). Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) was requested to compare properties of the formed core samples and core drilled samples taken from adjacent areas in the full-scale sampler. While several physical properties were evaluated, the primary property of interest was hydraulic conductivity. Differences in hydraulic conductivity between the samples from the formed core sampler and those representing the bulk material were noted with respect to the initial handling and storage of the samples. Due to testing conditions, the site port samples were exposedmore » to uncontrolled temperature and humidity conditions prior to testing whereas the formed core samples were kept in sealed containers with minimal exposure to an uncontrolled environment prior to testing. Based on the results of the testing, no significant differences in porosity or density were found between the formed core samples and those representing the bulk material in the test stand.« less

Application of a prospective model for calculating worker exposure due to the air pathway for operations in a laboratory.

PubMed

Grimbergen, T W M; Wiegman, M M

2007-01-01

In order to arrive at recommendations for guidelines on maximum allowable quantities of radioactive material in laboratories, a proposed mathematical model was used for the calculation of transfer fractions for the air pathway. A set of incident scenarios was defined, including spilling, leakage and failure of the fume hood. For these 'common incidents', dose constraints of 1 mSv and 0.1 mSv are proposed in case the operations are being performed in a controlled area and supervised area, respectively. In addition, a dose constraint of 1 microSv is proposed for each operation under regular working conditions. Combining these dose constraints and the transfer fractions calculated with the proposed model, maximum allowable quantities were calculated for different laboratory operations and situations. Provided that the calculated transfer fractions can be experimentally validated and the dose constraints are acceptable, it can be concluded from the results that the dose constraint for incidents is the most restrictive one. For non-volatile materials this approach leads to quantities much larger than commonly accepted. In those cases, the results of the calculations in this study suggest that limitation of the quantity of radioactive material, which can be handled safely, should be based on other considerations than the inhalation risks. Examples of such considerations might be the level of external exposure, uncontrolled spread of radioactive material by surface contamination, emissions in the environment and severe accidents like fire.

Design optimization for cost and quality: The robust design approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Unal, Resit

1990-01-01

Designing reliable, low cost, and operable space systems has become the key to future space operations. Designing high quality space systems at low cost is an economic and technological challenge to the designer. A systematic and efficient way to meet this challenge is a new method of design optimization for performance, quality, and cost, called Robust Design. Robust Design is an approach for design optimization. It consists of: making system performance insensitive to material and subsystem variation, thus allowing the use of less costly materials and components; making designs less sensitive to the variations in the operating environment, thus improving reliability and reducing operating costs; and using a new structured development process so that engineering time is used most productively. The objective in Robust Design is to select the best combination of controllable design parameters so that the system is most robust to uncontrollable noise factors. The robust design methodology uses a mathematical tool called an orthogonal array, from design of experiments theory, to study a large number of decision variables with a significantly small number of experiments. Robust design also uses a statistical measure of performance, called a signal-to-noise ratio, from electrical control theory, to evaluate the level of performance and the effect of noise factors. The purpose is to investigate the Robust Design methodology for improving quality and cost, demonstrate its application by the use of an example, and suggest its use as an integral part of space system design process.

Department of Defense Environmental Policy in Afghanistan During Operation Enduring Freedom

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-08-31

20 to 50 trucks can still be seen per day on the main Kunar roads." 62 In other areas, pistachio and almond trees "are valuable sources of nuts for...governments in the 1970s to protect pistachio trees, the system broke down after 1979, "leaving a management void and an opportunity for uncontrolled

Validating and Verifying Biomathematical Models of Human Fatigue

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martinez, Siera Brooke; Quintero, Luis Ortiz; Flynn-Evans, Erin

2015-01-01

Airline pilots experience acute and chronic sleep deprivation, sleep inertia, and circadian desynchrony due to the need to schedule flight operations around the clock. This sleep loss and circadian desynchrony gives rise to cognitive impairments, reduced vigilance and inconsistent performance. Several biomathematical models, based principally on patterns observed in circadian rhythms and homeostatic drive, have been developed to predict a pilots levels of fatigue or alertness. These models allow for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and commercial airlines to make decisions about pilot capabilities and flight schedules. Although these models have been validated in a laboratory setting, they have not been thoroughly tested in operational environments where uncontrolled factors, such as environmental sleep disrupters, caffeine use and napping, may impact actual pilot alertness and performance. We will compare the predictions of three prominent biomathematical fatigue models (McCauley Model, Harvard Model, and the privately-sold SAFTE-FAST Model) to actual measures of alertness and performance. We collected sleep logs, movement and light recordings, psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), and urinary melatonin (a marker of circadian phase) from 44 pilots in a short-haul commercial airline over one month. We will statistically compare with the model predictions to lapses on the PVT and circadian phase. We will calculate the sensitivity and specificity of each model prediction under different scheduling conditions. Our findings will aid operational decision-makers in determining the reliability of each model under real-world scheduling situations.

Assessment of leachates from uncontrolled landfill: Tangier case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elmaghnougi, I.; Afilal Tribak, A.; Maatouk, M.

2018-05-01

Landfill site of Tangier City is non-engineered low lying open dump. It has neither bottom liner nor leachate collection and treatment system. Therefore, all the leachate generated finds its paths into the surrounding environment Leachate samples of landfill site were collected and analyzed to estimate its pollution potential. The analyzed samples contained a high concentration of organic and inorganic compounds, beyond the permissible limits.

Silica Nanofiber Combat Hemostat (SINCH)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-13

1.5mg 0.6 65 205 High aspect ratio silica fibers (30um x 60nm) 9mg 0.63 58.9 140 Kaolin (TEG control) 0.2mg n/a 59.8 155 TiO2 high aspect ratio...high surface area to volume ratio and thus the material is difficult to handle in an uncontrolled environment. It is easily dispersed and is not easy

Rescue pre-operative treatment with Lugol's solution in uncontrolled Graves' disease.

PubMed

Calissendorff, Jan; Falhammar, Henrik

2017-05-01

Graves' disease is a common cause of hyperthyroidism. Three therapies have been used for decades: pharmacologic therapy, surgery and radioiodine. In case of adverse events, especially agranulocytosis or hepatotoxicity, pre-treatment with Lugol's solution containing iodine/potassium iodide to induce euthyroidism before surgery could be advocated, but this has rarely been reported. All patients hospitalised due to uncontrolled hyperthyroidism at the Karolinska University Hospital 2005-2015 and treated with Lugol's solution were included. All electronic files were carefully reviewed manually, with focus on the cause of treatment and admission, demographic data, and effects of iodine on thyroid hormone levels and pulse frequency. Twenty-seven patients were included. Lugol's solution had been chosen due to agranulocytosis in 9 (33%), hepatotoxicity in 2 (7%), other side effects in 11 (41%) and poor adherence to medication in 5 (19%). Levels of free T4, free T3 and heart rate decreased significantly after 5-9 days of iodine therapy (free T4 53-20 pmol/L, P  = 0.0002; free T3 20-6.5 pmol/L, P  = 0.04; heart rate 87-76 beats/min P  = 0.0007), whereas TSH remained unchanged. Side effects were noted in 4 (15%) (rash n  = 2, rash and vomiting n  = 1, swelling of fingers n  = 1). Thyroidectomy was performed in 26 patients (96%) and one was treated with radioiodine; all treatments were without serious complications. Treatment of uncontrolled hyperthyroidism with Lugol's solution before definitive treatment is safe and it decreases thyroid hormone levels and heart rate. Side effects were limited. Lugol's solution could be recommended pre-operatively in Graves' disease with failed medical treatment, especially if side effects to anti-thyroid drugs have occurred. © 2017 The authors.

Atmospheric Baseline Monitoring Data Losses Due to the Samoa Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnell, R. C.; Cunningham, M. C.; Vasel, B. A.; Butler, J. H.

2009-12-01

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operates an Atmospheric Baseline Observatory at Cape Matatula on the north-eastern point of American Samoa, opened in 1973. The manned observatory conducts continuous measurements of a wide range of climate forcing and atmospheric composition data including greenhouse gas concentrations, solar radiation, CFC and HFC concentrations, aerosols and ozone as well as less frequent measurements of many other parameters. The onset of September 29, 2009 earthquake is clearly visible in the continuous data streams in a variety of ways. The station electrical generator came online when the Samoa power grid failed so instruments were powered during and subsequent to the earthquake. Some instruments ceased operation in a spurt of spurious data followed by silence. Other instruments just stopped sending data abruptly when the shaking from the earthquake broke a data or power links, or an integral part of the instrument was damaged. Others survived the shaking but were put out of calibration. Still others suffered damage after the earthquake as heaters ran uncontrolled or rotating shafts continued operating in a damaged environment grinding away until they seized up or chewed a new operating space. Some instruments operated as if there was no earthquake, others were brought back online within a few days. Many of the more complex (and in most cases, most expensive) instruments will be out of service, some for at least 6 months or more. This presentation will show these results and discuss the impact of the earthquake on long-term measurements of climate forcing agents and other critical climate measurements.

Uncontrolled hypertension among patients managed in primary healthcare facilities in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

PubMed

Kika, T M; Lepira, F B; Kayembe, P K; Makulo, J R; Sumaili, E K; Kintoki, E V; M'Buyamba-Kabangu, J R

Uncontrolled hypertension remains an important issue in daily clinical practice worldwide. Although the majority of patients are treated in primary care, most of the data on blood pressure control originate from population-based studies or secondary healthcare. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of uncontrolled hypertension and associated risk factors among hypertensive patients followed at primary care facilities in Kinshasa, the capital city of Democratic Republic of the Congo. A sample of 298 hypertensive patients seen at primary healthcare facilities, 90 men and 208 women, aged ≥ 18 years, were consecutively included in this cross-sectional study. The majority (66%) was receiving monotherapy, and diuretics (43%) were the most used drugs. According to 2007 European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology hypertension guidelines, uncontrolled hypertension was defined as blood pressure ≥ 140/90 or ≥ 130/80 mmHg (diabetes or chronic kidney disease). Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the determinants of uncontrolled hypertension. Uncontrolled hypertension was observed in 231 patients (77.5%), 72 men and 159 women. Uncontrolled systolic blood pressure (SBP) was more frequent than uncontrolled diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and increased significantly with advancing age (p = 0.002). The proportion of uncontrolled SBP and DBP was significantly higher in patients with renal failure (p = 0.01) and those with high (p = 0.03) to very high (p = 0.02) absolute cardiovascular risk. The metabolic syndrome (OR 2.40; 95% CI 1.01-5.74; p = 0.04) emerged as the main risk factor associated with uncontrolled hypertension. Uncontrolled hypertension was common in this case series and was associated with factors related to lifestyle and diet, which interact with blood pressure control.

Movement - uncontrolled or slow

MedlinePlus

Dystonia; Involuntary slow and twisting movements; Choreoathetosis; Leg and arm movements - uncontrollable; Arm and leg movements - uncontrollable; Slow involuntary movements of large muscle groups; Athetoid movements

Crew Survivability After a Rapid Cabin Depressurization Event

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sargusingh, Miriam J.

2012-01-01

Anecdotal evidence acquired through historic failure investigations involving rapid cabin decompression (e.g. Challenger, Columbia and Soyuz 11) show that full evacuation of the cabin atmosphere may occur within seconds. During such an event, the delta-pressure between the sealed suit ventilation system and the cabin will rise at the rate of the cabin depressurization; potentially at a rate exceeding the capability of the suit relief valve. It is possible that permanent damage to the suit pressure enclosure and ventilation loop components may occur as the integrated system may be subjected to delta pressures in excess of the design-to pressures. Additionally, as the total pressure of the suit ventilation system decreases, so does the oxygen available to the crew. The crew may be subjected to a temporarily incapacitating, but non-lethal, hypoxic environment. It is expected that the suit will maintain a survivable atmosphere on the crew until the vehicle pressure control system recovers or the cabin has otherwise attained a habitable environment. A common finding from the aforementioned reports indicates that the crew would have had a better chance at surviving the event had they been in a protective configuration, that is, in a survival suit. Making use of these lessons learned, the Constellation Program implemented a suit loop in the spacecraft design and required that the crew be in a protective configuration, that is suited with gloves on and visors down, during dynamic phases of flight that pose the greatest risk for a rapid and uncontrolled cabin depressurization event: ascent, entry, and docking. This paper details the evaluation performed to derive suit pressure garment and ventilation system performance parameters that would lead to the highest probability of crew survivability after an uncontrolled crew cabin depressurization event while remaining in the realm of practicality for suit design. This evaluation involved: (1) assessment of stakeholder expectations to validate the functionality being imposed; (2) review/refinement of concept of operations to establish the potential triggers for such an event and define the response of the spacecraft and suit ventilation loop pressure control systems; and (3) assessment of system capabilities with respect to structural capability and pressure control.

Studies on potential emission of hazardous gases due to uncontrolled open-air burning of waste vehicle tyres and their possible impacts on the environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shakya, Pawan R.; Shrestha, Pratima; Tamrakar, Chirika S.; Bhattarai, Pradeep K.

Uncontrolled open-air burning of waste vehicle tyres causing environmental pollution has become a popular practice in Nepal despite official ban considering the environment and public health hazards. In this study, an experimental model was set up in a laboratory scale in an attempt to understand the potential emission of hazardous gases such as CO, SO 2 and NO 2 due to such activities in Kathmandu Valley and their possible impacts on the environment. For this purpose, four types of tyre were collected representing two from passenger car and two from motorbike category. The emission level of CO in the tyre smoke was measured with a CO gas detector tube while SO 2 and NO 2 were determined by UV-visible spectrophotometer. Among the three types of the gases analyzed, SO 2 was emitted in significantly high levels by all the representative tyre samples. The emission levels of CO, SO 2 and NO 2 ranged from 21to 49, 102to 820 and 3to 9 μg g -1, respectively. Results revealed that the emission levels also varied with the tyre types and qualities. The potential emission of the hazardous gases per representative scrap tyre mass was also estimated. Results indicate that the gaseous pollutants due to the tyre fires could make a significant contribution for deterioration of the environmental condition of the Valley or elsewhere.

Robust Tomato Recognition for Robotic Harvesting Using Feature Images Fusion

PubMed Central

Zhao, Yuanshen; Gong, Liang; Huang, Yixiang; Liu, Chengliang

2016-01-01

Automatic recognition of mature fruits in a complex agricultural environment is still a challenge for an autonomous harvesting robot due to various disturbances existing in the background of the image. The bottleneck to robust fruit recognition is reducing influence from two main disturbances: illumination and overlapping. In order to recognize the tomato in the tree canopy using a low-cost camera, a robust tomato recognition algorithm based on multiple feature images and image fusion was studied in this paper. Firstly, two novel feature images, the  a*-component image and the I-component image, were extracted from the L*a*b* color space and luminance, in-phase, quadrature-phase (YIQ) color space, respectively. Secondly, wavelet transformation was adopted to fuse the two feature images at the pixel level, which combined the feature information of the two source images. Thirdly, in order to segment the target tomato from the background, an adaptive threshold algorithm was used to get the optimal threshold. The final segmentation result was processed by morphology operation to reduce a small amount of noise. In the detection tests, 93% target tomatoes were recognized out of 200 overall samples. It indicates that the proposed tomato recognition method is available for robotic tomato harvesting in the uncontrolled environment with low cost. PMID:26840313

Evaluating officially reported polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions in the Athabasca oil sands region with a multimedia fate model.

PubMed

Parajulee, Abha; Wania, Frank

2014-03-04

Emissions of organic substances with potential toxicity to humans and the environment are a major concern surrounding the rapid industrial development in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR). Although concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in some environmental samples have been reported, a comprehensive picture of organic contaminant sources, pathways, and sinks within the AOSR has yet to be elucidated. We sought to use a dynamic multimedia environmental fate model to reconcile the emissions and residue levels reported for three representative PAHs in the AOSR. Data describing emissions to air compiled from two official sources result in simulated concentrations in air, soil, water, and foliage that tend to fall close to or below the minimum measured concentrations of phenanthrene, pyrene, and benzo(a)pyrene in the environment. Accounting for evaporative emissions (e.g., from tailings pond disposal) provides a more realistic representation of PAH distribution in the AOSR. Such indirect emissions to air were found to be a greater contributor of PAHs to the AOSR atmosphere relative to reported direct emissions to air. The indirect pathway transporting uncontrolled releases of PAHs to aquatic systems via the atmosphere may be as significant a contributor of PAHs to aquatic systems as other supply pathways. Emission density estimates for the three PAHs that account for tailings pond disposal are much closer to estimated global averages than estimates based on the available emissions datasets, which fall close to the global minima. Our results highlight the need for improved accounting of PAH emissions from oil sands operations, especially in light of continued expansion of these operations.

Environmental Planning While Deployed: Mission Hindrance or Enhancement?

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

unsani- tary conditions and close quarters such as dysentery, typhoid fever , pneumonia, and influenza were responsible for DNBI. As early as the...illness such as hepatitis, typhoid fever , plague, malaria, or cholera.7 During Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom from 2001 to 2006...Peloponnesian War, Thucydides documented vomiting, convulsions, painful sores, uncontrollable diarrhea, and extreme fever among Athenians jammed

Air Force Female Pilots Program: Initial Performance and Attitudes

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-02-01

you conduct most of your training? a. Controlled (Control Tower) b. FSS (Airport Advisory Service) c. Unicorn d. Uncontrolled (No Unicom or FSS) 9...Travel_____ b. Business c, Employment _____ d. Sport_____ e. Education_____ f. Other (Specify) ____________________ 26...Ceiling 6. High Winds 3. Turbulence 7. Mud or Snow 4. Airframe Icing 8. Darkness d. Equipment Failure 1. Engine Operations 3. Malfunction(s): Equipment

Pilot randomised trial of a healthy eating behavioural intervention in uncontrolled asthma.

PubMed

Ma, Jun; Strub, Peg; Lv, Nan; Xiao, Lan; Camargo, Carlos A; Buist, A Sonia; Lavori, Philip W; Wilson, Sandra R; Nadeau, Kari C; Rosas, Lisa G

2016-01-01

Rigorous research on the benefit of healthy eating patterns for asthma control is lacking.We randomised 90 adults with objectively confirmed uncontrolled asthma and a low-quality diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) scores <6 out of 9) to a 6-month DASH behavioural intervention (n=46) or usual-care control (n=44). Intention-to-treat analyses used repeated-measures mixed models.Participants were middle-aged, 67% female and multiethnic. Compared with controls, intervention participants improved on DASH scores (mean change (95% CI) 0.6 (0, 1.1) versus -0.3 (-0.8, 0.2); difference 0.8 (0.2, 1.5)) and the primary outcome, Asthma Control Questionnaire scores (-0.2 (-0.5, 0) versus 0 (-0.3, 0.3); difference -0.2 (-0.5, 0.1)) at 6 months. The mean group differences in changes in Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire overall and subdomain scores consistently favoured the intervention over the control group: overall 0.4 (95% CI 0, 0.8), symptoms 0.5 (0, 0.9), environment 0.4 (-0.1, 1.0), emotions 0.4 (-0.2, 0.9) and activities 0.3 (0, 0.7). These differences were modest, but potentially clinical significant.The DASH behavioural intervention improved diet quality with promising clinical benefits for better asthma control and functional status among adults with uncontrolled asthma. A full-scale efficacy trial is warranted. Copyright ©ERS 2016.

A comparison of results from two simulators used for studies of astronaut maneuvering units. [with application to Skylab program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, E. C.; Cannaday, R. L.

1973-01-01

A comparison of the results from a fixed-base, six-degree-of -freedom simulator and a moving-base, three-degree-of-freedom simulator was made for a close-in, EVA-type maneuvering task in which visual cues of a target spacecraft were used for guidance. The maneuvering unit (the foot-controlled maneuvering unit of Skylab Experiment T020) employed an on-off acceleration command control system operated entirely by the feet. Maneuvers by two test subjects were made for the fixed-base simulator in six and three degrees of freedom and for the moving-base simulator in uncontrolled and controlled, EVA-type visual cue conditions. Comparisons of pilot ratings and 13 different quantitative parameters from the two simulators are made. Different results were obtained from the two simulators, and the effects of limited degrees of freedom and uncontrolled visual cues are discussed.

Improved wheal detection from skin prick test images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bulan, Orhan

2014-03-01

Skin prick test is a commonly used method for diagnosis of allergic diseases (e.g., pollen allergy, food allergy, etc.) in allergy clinics. The results of this test are erythema and wheal provoked on the skin where the test is applied. The sensitivity of the patient against a specific allergen is determined by the physical size of the wheal, which can be estimated from images captured by digital cameras. Accurate wheal detection from these images is an important step for precise estimation of wheal size. In this paper, we propose a method for improved wheal detection on prick test images captured by digital cameras. Our method operates by first localizing the test region by detecting calibration marks drawn on the skin. The luminance variation across the localized region is eliminated by applying a color transformation from RGB to YCbCr and discarding the luminance channel. We enhance the contrast of the captured images for the purpose of wheal detection by performing principal component analysis on the blue-difference (Cb) and red-difference (Cr) color channels. We finally, perform morphological operations on the contrast enhanced image to detect the wheal on the image plane. Our experiments performed on images acquired from 36 different patients show the efficiency of the proposed method for wheal detection from skin prick test images captured in an uncontrolled environment.

Healthcare utilization and costs in adults with stable and uncontrolled epilepsy.

PubMed

Cramer, Joyce A; Wang, Zhixiao J; Chang, Eunice; Powers, Annette; Copher, Ronda; Cherepanov, Dasha; Broder, Michael S

2014-02-01

Despite the availability of numerous antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), some epilepsies remain resistant to treatment. We compared utilization and costs in patients with uncontrolled epilepsy to those with stable epilepsy. Claims data (2007-2009) were used to identify adults with epilepsy requiring additional AED therapy (having uncontrolled epilepsy) and those not requiring additional AED therapy (having stable epilepsy). The date in 2008 on which an additional AED was started was the index date for patients with uncontrolled epilepsy, and a randomly selected date was used for patients with stable epilepsy, whose AED use was unchanged in the preceding year. In the postindex year, all pharmacy and medical claims were used to estimate overall utilization and costs; claims with epilepsy in any diagnosis field were used to estimate epilepsy-related outcomes. Outcomes were adjusted using multivariate analyses. We identified 1536 patients with uncontrolled epilepsy and 8571 patients with stable epilepsy (mean age: 42.8years; female: 48%). Patients with uncontrolled epilepsy had higher comorbidity rates (p<.02). A greater proportion of patients with uncontrolled epilepsy had ≥1 hospitalization or emergency department visit (p<.001). Patients with uncontrolled epilepsy had a greater mean length of hospital stay and more physician office visits (p<.034). After adjustment, the odds of hospitalization (OR: 1.8, any diagnosis; 2.2, epilepsy-related) and emergency department visit (OR: 1.6, any diagnosis; 1.9, epilepsy-related) were greater for patients with uncontrolled epilepsy. Annual overall ($23,238 vs. $13,839) and epilepsy-related ($12,399 vs. $5511) costs were higher in patients with uncontrolled epilepsy and remained higher after adjustment (p<.001). Patients with uncontrolled epilepsy use more services and incur higher costs compared with those with stable epilepsy. Epilepsy-related costs accounted for <50% of the total costs, suggesting that comorbid conditions and/or underidentification of utilization may substantially contribute to costs. © 2013.

Influence of a municipal solid waste landfill in the surrounding environment: toxicological risk and odor nuisance effects.

PubMed

Palmiotto, Marinella; Fattore, Elena; Paiano, Viviana; Celeste, Giorgio; Colombo, Andrea; Davoli, Enrico

2014-07-01

The large amounts of treated waste materials and the complex biological and physicochemical processes make the areas in the proximity of landfills vulnerable not only to emissions of potential toxic compounds but also to nuisance such as odor pollution. All these factors have a dramatic impact in the local environment producing environmental quality degradation. Most of the human health problems come from the landfill gas, from its non-methanic volatile organic compounds and from hazardous air pollutants. In addition several odorants are released during landfill operations and uncontrolled emissions. In this work we present an integrated risk assessment for emissions of hazard compounds and odor nuisance, to describe environmental quality in the landfill proximity. The study was based on sampling campaigns to acquire emission data for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, dioxin-like polychlorobiphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene and vinyl chloride monomer and odor. All concentration values in the emissions from the landfill were measured and used in an air dispersion model to estimate maximum concentrations and depositions in correspondence to five sensitive receptors located in proximity of the landfill. Results for the different scenarios and cancer and non-cancer effects always showed risk estimates which were orders of magnitude below those accepted from the main international agencies (WHO, US EPA). Odor pollution was significant for a limited downwind area near the landfill appearing to be a significant risk factor of the damage to the local environment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

46 CFR 32.63-5 - Barge hull classifications-B/ALL.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... the uncontrolled release of the cargo to the waterways and/or atmosphere. (2) Type II barge hull... measures to preclude uncontrolled release to the atmosphere, but whose uncontrolled release to the...

46 CFR 32.63-5 - Barge hull classifications-B/ALL.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... the uncontrolled release of the cargo to the waterways and/or atmosphere. (2) Type II barge hull... measures to preclude uncontrolled release to the atmosphere, but whose uncontrolled release to the...

Direct costs of asthma in Brazil: a comparison between controlled and uncontrolled asthmatic patients.

PubMed

Santos, L A; Oliveira, M A; Faresin, S M; Santoro, I L; Fernandes, A L G

2007-07-01

Asthma is a common chronic illness that imposes a heavy burden on all aspects of the patient's life, including personal and health care cost expenditures. To analyze the direct cost associated to uncontrolled asthma patients, a cross-sectional study was conducted to determine costs related to patients with uncontrolled and controlled asthma. Uncontrolled patient was defined by daytime symptoms more than twice a week or nocturnal symptoms during two consecutive nights or any limitations of activities, or need for relief rescue medication more than twice a week, and an ACQ score less than 2 points. A questionnaire about direct cost stratification in health services, including emergency room visits, hospitalization, ambulatory visits, and asthma medications prescribed, was applied. Ninety asthma patients were enrolled (45 uncontrolled/45 controlled). Uncontrolled asthmatics accounted for higher health care expenditures than controlled patients, US$125.45 and US$15.58, respectively [emergency room visits (US$39.15 vs US$2.70) and hospitalization (US$86.30 vs US$12.88)], per patient over 6 months. The costs with medications in the last month for patients with mild, moderate and severe asthma were US$1.60, 9.60, and 25.00 in the uncontrolled patients, respectively, and US$6.50, 19.00 and 49.00 in the controlled patients. In view of the small proportion of uncontrolled subjects receiving regular maintenance medication (22.2%) and their lack of resources, providing free medication for uncontrolled patients might be a cost-effective strategy for the public health system.

Developing 21st Century Senior Leaders

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

idealistic and supernatural qualities that render them capable of leading organizations in the face of uncontrollable operational forces. But, senior...we must change if we are to develop better senior leaders.45 In the Armed Forces Journal article calling to keep the service colleges open, the...SS .., http://ss-peiper.narod.ru/ articles /Beginning_of_the_end-The_Leadership_of_SS-Obersturmbahnfuhrer_Jochen_ Peiper.pdf (accessed March 29

Tension and relaxation in the individual.

PubMed

Newbury, C R

1979-06-01

Increasing materialism in society is resulting in more wide spread nervous tension in all age groups. While some degree of nervous tension is necessary in everyday living, its adverse effects require that we must learn to bring it under control. Total tension is shown to have two components: a controllable element arising from factors in the environment and the inbuilt uncontrollable residue which is basic in the individual temperament. The effects of excessive or uncontrolled stress can be classified as 1) emotional reactions such as neurotic behaviour (anxiety hypochondria, hysteria, phobia, depression obsessions and compulsions) or psychotic behaviour and 2) psychosomatic reactions (nervous asthma, headache, insomnia, heart attack). Nervous energy can be wastefully expended by such factors as loss of temper, wrong attitudes to work, job frustration and marital strains. Relaxation is the only positive way to control undesirable nervous tension and its techniques require to be learned. A number of techniques (progressive relaxation, differential relaxation, hypnosis, the use of biofeedback, Yoga and Transcendental Meditation) are described and their application to dental practice is discussed.

Real-Time Control of Lean Blowout in a Turbine Engine for Minimizing No(x) Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zinn, Ben

2004-01-01

This report describes research on the development and demonstration of a controlled combustor operates with minimal NO, emissions, thus meeting one of NASA s UEET program goals. NO(x) emissions have been successfully minimized by operating a premixed, lean burning combustor (modeling a lean prevaporized, premixed LPP combustor) safely near its lean blowout (LBO) limit over a range of operating conditions. This was accomplished by integrating the combustor with an LBO precursor sensor and closed-loop, rule-based control system that allowed the combustor to operate far closer to the point of LBO than an uncontrolled combustor would be allowed to in a current engine. Since leaner operation generally leads to lower NO, emissions, engine NO, was reduced without loss of safety.

Modeling posttraumatic growth among cancer patients: The roles of social support, appraisals, and adaptive coping.

PubMed

Cao, Weidan; Qi, Xiaona; Cai, Deborah A; Han, Xuanye

2018-01-01

The purpose of the study was to build a model to explain the relationships between social support, uncontrollability appraisal, adaptive coping, and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among cancer patients in China. The participants who were cancer patients in a cancer hospital in China filled out a survey. The final sample size was 201. Structural equation modeling was used to build a model explaining PTG. Structural equation modeling results indicated that higher levels of social support predicted higher levels of adaptive coping, higher levels of uncontrollability appraisal predicted lower levels of adaptive coping, and higher levels of adaptive coping predicted higher levels of PTG. Moreover, adaptive coping was a mediator between social support and growth, as well as a mediator between uncontrollability and growth. The direct effects of social support and uncontrollability on PTG were insignificant. The model demonstrated the relationships between social support, uncontrollability appraisal, adaptive coping, and PTG. It could be concluded that uncontrollability appraisal was a required but not sufficient condition for PTG. Neither social support nor uncontrollability appraisal had direct influence on PTG. However, social support and uncontrollability might indirectly influence PTG, through adaptive coping. It implies that both internal factors (eg, cognitive appraisal and coping) and external factors (eg, social support) are required in order for growth to happen. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A longitudinal analysis of the influence of the neighborhood built environment on walking for transportation: the RESIDE study.

PubMed

Knuiman, Matthew W; Christian, Hayley E; Divitini, Mark L; Foster, Sarah A; Bull, Fiona C; Badland, Hannah M; Giles-Corti, Billie

2014-09-01

The purpose of the present analysis was to use longitudinal data collected over 7 years (from 4 surveys) in the Residential Environments (RESIDE) Study (Perth, Australia, 2003-2012) to more carefully examine the relationship of neighborhood walkability and destination accessibility with walking for transportation that has been seen in many cross-sectional studies. We compared effect estimates from 3 types of logistic regression models: 2 that utilize all available data (a population marginal model and a subject-level mixed model) and a third subject-level conditional model that exclusively uses within-person longitudinal evidence. The results support the evidence that neighborhood walkability (especially land-use mix and street connectivity), local access to public transit stops, and variety in the types of local destinations are important determinants of walking for transportation. The similarity of subject-level effect estimates from logistic mixed models and those from conditional logistic models indicates that there is little or no bias from uncontrolled time-constant residential preference (self-selection) factors; however, confounding by uncontrolled time-varying factors, such as health status, remains a possibility. These findings provide policy makers and urban planners with further evidence that certain features of the built environment may be important in the design of neighborhoods to increase walking for transportation and meet the health needs of residents. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

JSC Orbital Debris Website Description

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Nicholas L.

2006-01-01

Purpose: The website provides information about the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office at JSC, which is the lead NASA center for orbital debris research. It is recognized world-wide for its leadership in addressing orbital debris issues. The NASA Orbital Debris Program Office has taken the international lead in conducting measurements of the environment and in developing the technical consensus for adopting mitigation measures to protect users of the orbital environment. Work at the center continues with developing an improved understanding of the orbital debris environment and measures that can be taken to control its growth. Major Contents: Orbital Debris research is divided into the following five broad efforts. Each area of research contains specific information as follows: 1) Modeling - NASA scientists continue to develop and upgrade orbital debris models to describe and characterize the current and future debris environment. Evolutionary and engineering models are described in detail. Downloadable items include a document in PDF format and executable software. 2) Measurements - Measurements of near-Earth orbital debris are accomplished by conducting ground-based and space-based observations of the orbital debris environment. The data from these sources provide validation of the environment models and identify the presence of new sources. Radar, optical and surface examinations are described. External links to related topics are provided. 3) Protection - Orbital debris protection involves conducting hypervelocity impact measurements to assess the risk presented by orbital debris to operating spacecraft and developing new materials and new designs to provide better protection from the environment with less weight penalty. The data from this work provides the link between the environment defined by the models and the risk presented by that environment to operating spacecraft and provides recommendations on design and operations procedures to reduce the risk as required. These data also help in the analysis and interpretation of impact features on returned spacecraft surfaces. 4) Mitigation - Controlling the growth of the orbital debris population is a high priority for NASA, the United States, and the major space-faring nations of the world to preserve near-Earth space for future generations. Mitigation measures can take the form of curtailing or preventing the creation of new debris, designing satellites to withstand impacts by small debris, and implementing operational procedures ranging from utilizing orbital regimes with less debris, adopting specific spacecraft attitudes, and even maneuvering to avoid collisions with debris. Downloadable items include several documents in PDF format and executable software.and 5) Reentry - Because of the increasing number of objects in space, NASA has adopted guidelines and assessment procedures to reduce the number of non-operational spacecraft and spent rocket upper stages orbiting the Earth. One method of postmission disposal is to allow reentry of these spacecraft, either from orbital decay (uncontrolled entry) or with a controlled entry. Orbital decay may be achieved by firing engines to lower the perigee altitude so that atmospheric drag will eventually cause the spacecraft to enter. However, the surviving debris impact footprint cannot be guaranteed to avoid inhabited landmasses. Controlled entry normally occurs by using a larger amount of propellant with a larger propulsion system to drive the spacecraft to enter the atmosphere at a steeper flight path angle. It will then enter at a more precise latitude, longitude, and footprint in a nearly uninhabited impact region, generally located in the ocean.

Radiation resistence of microorganisms from radiation sterilization processing environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabovljev, Svetlana A.; Žunić, Zora S.

The radiation resistance of microorganisms was examined on the samples of dust collected from the radiation sterilization processing environments including assembly, storage, and sterilization plant areas. The isolation of radiation resistant strains was performed by irradiation with screening doses ranging from 10 to 35 kGy and test pieces containing 10 6 to 10 8 CFU in dried serum-broth, representing 100 to 5000 colonies of primary cultures of microorganisms from 7 different sites. In an examination of 16900 colonies of aerobic microorganisms from 3 hygienically controlled production sites and 4 uncontrolled ones, 30 strains of bacteria were isolated. Of those 15 were classified as genus Bacillus, 9 as Micrococcus and 6 as Sarcina. All of the 15 strains of Gram positive sporeforming aerobic rods exhibited an exponential decrease in the surviving fraction as a function of dose, indicating that the inactivation of spores of aerobic rods is a consequence of a single energy deposition into the target. All strains were found to be moderately resistant to radiation with D-6 values (dose required to reduce survival to 6 log cycles) between 18 and 26 kGy. All of the isolated Gram positive cocci showed inactivation curves having a shoulder, indicating that different processes are involved in the inactivation of these cells, e.g. accumulation of sublethal lesions, or final repair capacity of potential lethal lesions. Moderate radiation resistance was observed in 13 strains with D-6 values between 16 to 30 kGy. Two slow-growing, red pigmented strains tentatively classified as genus Micrococcus isolated from uncontrolled sites (human dwellings) were exceptionally resistant with D-6 more than 45 kGy. For hygienically controlled sites, Gram positive spereforming rods composed two thirds of the resistant microflora, while Gram positive cocci comprised one third. For hygienically uncontrolled sites this ratio was reversed. An assumption is made that one isolated strain has grown up from one CFU in the original microflora. In the light of the observed proportion of radiation resistant bacteria in microflora from hygienically controlled radiation sterilization processing environments, and assuming an initial contamination of 50 CFU per product unit, there is no more than one chance of a contaminated item remaining within a population of 10 7 items subjected to sterilization by exposure to a radiation dose of 25 kGy.

Hamiltonian quantum simulation with bounded-strength controls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bookatz, Adam D.; Wocjan, Pawel; Viola, Lorenza

2014-04-01

We propose dynamical control schemes for Hamiltonian simulation in many-body quantum systems that avoid instantaneous control operations and rely solely on realistic bounded-strength control Hamiltonians. Each simulation protocol consists of periodic repetitions of a basic control block, constructed as a modification of an ‘Eulerian decoupling cycle,’ that would otherwise implement a trivial (zero) target Hamiltonian. For an open quantum system coupled to an uncontrollable environment, our approach may be employed to engineer an effective evolution that simulates a target Hamiltonian on the system while suppressing unwanted decoherence to the leading order, thereby allowing for dynamically corrected simulation. We present illustrative applications to both closed- and open-system simulation settings, with emphasis on simulation of non-local (two-body) Hamiltonians using only local (one-body) controls. In particular, we provide simulation schemes applicable to Heisenberg-coupled spin chains exposed to general linear decoherence, and show how to simulate Kitaev's honeycomb lattice Hamiltonian starting from Ising-coupled qubits, as potentially relevant to the dynamical generation of a topologically protected quantum memory. Additional implications for quantum information processing are discussed.

Concealed weapons detection using electromagnetic resonances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunt, Allen R.; Hogg, R. Douglas; Foreman, William

1998-12-01

Concealed weapons pose a significant threat to both law enforcement and security agency personnel. The uncontrolled environments associated with peacekeeping and the move toward relaxation of concealed weapons laws here in the U.S. provide a strong motivation for developing weapons detection technologies which are noninvasive and can function noncooperatively. Existing weapons detection systems are primarily oriented to detecting metal and require the cooperation of the person being searched. The new generation of detectors under development that focuses primarily on imaging methods, faces problems associated with privacy issues. There remains a need for a weapons detector which is portable, detects weapons remotely, avoids the issues associated with privacy rights, can tell the difference between car keys and a knife, and is affordable enough that one can be issued to every peacekeeper and law enforcement officer. AKELA is developing a concealed weapons detector that uses wideband radar techniques to excite natural electromagnetic resonances that characterize the size, shape, and material composition of an object. Neural network processing is used to classify the difference between weapons and nuisance objects. We have constructed both time and frequency domain test systems and used them to gather experimental data on a variety of armed and unarmed individuals. These experiments have been performed in an environment similar to the operational environment. Preliminary results from these experiments show that it is possible to detect a weapon being carried by an individual from a distance of 10 to 15 feet, and to detect a weapon being concealed behind the back. The power required is about 100 milliwatts. A breadboard system is being fabricated and will be used by AKELA and our law enforcement partner to gather data in operationally realistic situations. While a laptop computer will control the breadboard system, the wideband radar electronics will fit in a box the size of a CD ROM drive of a computer.

Pilot randomised trial of a healthy eating behavioural intervention in uncontrolled asthma

PubMed Central

Ma, Jun; Strub, Peg; Lv, Nan; Xiao, Lan; Camargo, Carlos A.; Buist, A. Sonia; Lavori, Philip W.; Wilson, Sandra R.; Nadeau, Kari C.; Rosas, Lisa G.

2016-01-01

Rigorous research on the benefit of healthy eating patterns for asthma control is lacking. We randomised 90 adults with objectively confirmed uncontrolled asthma and a low-quality diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) scores <6 out of 9) to a 6-month DASH behavioural intervention (n=46) or usual-care control (n=44). Intention-to-treat analyses used repeated-measures mixed models. Participants were middle-aged, 67% female and multiethnic. Compared with controls, intervention participants improved on DASH scores (mean change (95% CI) 0.6 (0, 1.1) versus −0.3 (−0.8, 0.2); difference 0.8 (0.2, 1.5)) and the primary outcome, Asthma Control Questionnaire scores (−0.2 (−0.5, 0) versus 0 (−0.3, 0.3); difference −0.2 (−0.5, 0.1)) at 6 months. The mean group differences in changes in Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire overall and subdomain scores consistently favoured the intervention over the control group: overall 0.4 (95% CI 0, 0.8), symptoms 0.5 (0, 0.9), environment 0.4 (−0.1, 1.0), emotions 0.4 (−0.2, 0.9) and activities 0.3 (0, 0.7). These differences were modest, but potentially clinical significant. The DASH behavioural intervention improved diet quality with promising clinical benefits for better asthma control and functional status among adults with uncontrolled asthma. A full-scale efficacy trial is warranted. PMID:26493792

A robot control architecture supported on contraction theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, Jorge; Sequeira, João; Santos, Cristina

2017-01-01

This paper proposes fundamentals for stability and success of a global system composed by a mobile robot, a real environment and a navigation architecture with time constraints. Contraction theory is a typical framework that provides tools and properties to prove the stability and convergence of the global system to a unique fixed point that identifies the mission success. A stability indicator based on the combination contraction property is developed to identify the mission success as a stability measure. The architecture is fully designed through C1 nonlinear dynamical systems and feedthrough maps, which makes it amenable for contraction analysis. Experiments in a realistic and uncontrolled environment are realised to verify if inherent perturbations of the sensory information and of the environment affect the stability and success of the global system.

Evaluating officially reported polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions in the Athabasca oil sands region with a multimedia fate model

PubMed Central

Parajulee, Abha; Wania, Frank

2014-01-01

Emissions of organic substances with potential toxicity to humans and the environment are a major concern surrounding the rapid industrial development in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR). Although concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in some environmental samples have been reported, a comprehensive picture of organic contaminant sources, pathways, and sinks within the AOSR has yet to be elucidated. We sought to use a dynamic multimedia environmental fate model to reconcile the emissions and residue levels reported for three representative PAHs in the AOSR. Data describing emissions to air compiled from two official sources result in simulated concentrations in air, soil, water, and foliage that tend to fall close to or below the minimum measured concentrations of phenanthrene, pyrene, and benzo(a)pyrene in the environment. Accounting for evaporative emissions (e.g., from tailings pond disposal) provides a more realistic representation of PAH distribution in the AOSR. Such indirect emissions to air were found to be a greater contributor of PAHs to the AOSR atmosphere relative to reported direct emissions to air. The indirect pathway transporting uncontrolled releases of PAHs to aquatic systems via the atmosphere may be as significant a contributor of PAHs to aquatic systems as other supply pathways. Emission density estimates for the three PAHs that account for tailings pond disposal are much closer to estimated global averages than estimates based on the available emissions datasets, which fall close to the global minima. Our results highlight the need for improved accounting of PAH emissions from oil sands operations, especially in light of continued expansion of these operations. PMID:24596429

78 FR 68345 - Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-14

... of the outboard actuator load path, could result in uncontrolled retraction of the outboard flap... outboard actuator load path, if not corrected, could result in uncontrolled retraction of the outboard flap..., combined with loss of the outboard actuator load path, could result in uncontrolled retraction of the...

Determination of land use in Minnesota by automatic interpretation of ERTS MSS data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zirkle, R. E.; Pile, D. R.

1973-01-01

This program aims to determine the feasibility of identifying land use in Minnesota by automatic interpretation of ERTS-MSS data. Ultimate objectives include establishment of land use delineation and quantification by computer processing with a minimum of human operator interaction. This implies not only that reflectivity as a function of calendar time can be catalogued effectively, but also that the effects of uncontrolled variables can be identified and compensated. Clouds are the major uncontrollable data pollutant, so part of the initial effort is devoted to determining their effect and the construction of a model to help correct or justifiably ignore affected data. Other short range objectives are to identify and verify measurements giving results of importance to land managers. Lake-counting is a prominent example. Open water is easily detected in band 7 data with some support from either band 4 or band 5 to remove ambiguities. Land managers and conservationists commission studies periodically to measure water bodies and total water count within specified areas.

Alternative control techniques document: NOx emissions from industrial/commercial/institutional (ICI) boilers

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

Not Available

1994-03-01

Industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) boilers have been identified as a category that emits more than 25 tons of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) per year. This alternative control techniques (ACT) document provides technical information for use by State and local agencies to develop and implement regulatory programs to control NOx emissions from ICI boilers. Additional ACT documents are being developed for other stationary source categories. Chapter 2 summarizes the findings of this study. Chapter 3 presents information on the ICI boiler types, fuels, operation, and industry applications. Chapter 4 discusses NOx formation and uncontrolled NOx emission factors. Chapter 5 coversmore » alternative control techniques and achievable controlled emission levels. Chapter 6 presents the cost and cost effectiveness of each control technique. Chapter 7 describes environmental and energy impacts associated with implementing the NOx control techniques. Finally, Appendices A through G provide the detailed data used in this study to evaluate uncontrolled and controlled emissions and the costs of controls for several retrofit scenarios.« less

Collaborative Commercial Space Situational Awareness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelso, T. S.; Hendrix, D.; Sibert, D.; Hall, R. A.; Therien, W.

2013-09-01

There is an increasing recognition by commercial and civil space operators of the need for space situational awareness (SSA) data to support ongoing conjunction analysis, maneuver planning, and radio frequency interference mitigation as part of daily operations. While some SSA data is available from the Joint Space Operations Center via the Space Track web site, access to raw observations and photometric data is limited due to national security considerations. These data, however, are of significant value in calibrating intra- and inter-operator orbit determination results, determining inter-system biases, and assessing operating profiles in the geostationary orbit. This paper details an ongoing collaborative effort to collect and process optical observations and photometric data using a network of low-cost telescope installations and shows how these data are being used to support ongoing operations in the Space Data Center. This presentation will demonstrate how by leveraging advance photometric processing algorithms developed for Missile Defense Agency and the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) mission ExoAnalytic and AGI have been able to provide actionable SSA for satellite operators from small telescopes in less than optimal viewing conditions. Space has become an increasingly cluttered environment requiring satellite operators to remain forever vigilant in order to prevent collisions to preserve their assets and prevent further cluttering the space environment. The Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC), which tracks all objects in earth orbit, reports possible upcoming conjunctions to operators by providing Conjunction Summary Messages (CSMs). However due to large positional uncertainties in the forward predicted position of space objects at the time closest approach the volume of CSMs is excessive to the point that maneuvers in response to CSMs without additional screening is cost prohibitive. CSSI and the Space Data Association have been able to screen most CSMs by using more accurate operator ephemeris. By screening with operator ephemeris alone they have been able to demonstrate that safety limits will not be exceeded in a good number of these encounters and that extra delta-V need to not be expended in a Collision Avoidance (COLA) maneuver. However there remains a decent portion of alerts that may warrant action especially when the secondary object is an uncontrolled space object such as a dead satellite or rocket body. By dynamically tasking the ESpOC observatories to provide real-time tracking and photometric characterization of the secondary objects in response to these CSMs satellite operators benefit from an additional method of conjunction screening. The refined tracks and conjunction assessments obtained by ESpOC screening allows operators to safely reduce the number of COLAs performed in response to safe close approaches and provide optimized COLA maneuver planning in response to validated threats.

Uncontrolled Hypertension and Its Determinants in Patients with Concomitant Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) in Rural South Africa.

PubMed

Adeniyi, Oladele Vincent; Yogeswaran, Parimalaranie; Longo-Mbenza, Benjamin; Ter Goon, Daniel

2016-01-01

Paucity of data on the prevalence, treatment and control of hypertension in individuals living with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the rural communities of South Africa may undermine efforts to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovascular diseases. This study examines the socio-demographic and clinical determinants of uncontrolled hypertension among individuals living with T2DM in the rural communities of Mthatha, South Africa. This cross-sectional study involved a serially selected sample of 265 individuals living with T2DM and hypertension at Mthatha General Hospital, Mthatha. Uncontrolled hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 90mmHg in accordance with the Eight Joint National Committee Report (JNC 8) (2014). We performed univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to identify the significant determinants of uncontrolled hypertension. Of the total participants (n = 265), the prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension was 75.5% (n = 200). In univariate analysis of all participants, male gender (p = 0.029), age≥65 years (p = 0.016), unemployed status (p<0.0001), excessive alcohol intake (p = 0.005) and consumption of western-type diet (p<0.0001) were positively associated with uncontrolled hypertension. In multivariate logistic regression (LR method) analysis, unemployed status (p<0.0001), excessive alcohol intake (p = 0.007) and consumption of western-type diet (p<0.0001) were independently and significantly associated with uncontrolled hypertension. There is significant association between increasing number and classes of anti-hypertensive drugs and uncontrolled hypertension (p = 0.05 and 0.02, respectively). Prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension was high in individuals with concomitant hypertension and T2DM in the study population. Male sex, aging, clinic inertia, unemployed status and nutritional transitions are the most important determinants of uncontrolled hypertension in T2DM in Mthatha, South Africa. Treatment to blood pressure targets, though feasible in our setting, would require concerted efforts by addressing these determinants and clinic inertia.

Soft systems methodology and the ecosystem approach: a system study of the Cooum River and environs in Chennai, India.

PubMed

Bunch, Martin J

2003-02-01

This paper discusses the integration of soft systems methodology (SSM) within an ecosystem approach in research to support rehabilitation and management of the Cooum River and environs in Chennai, India. The Cooum is an extremely polluted urban stream. Its management is complicated by high rates of population growth, poverty, uncontrolled urban development, jurisdictional conflicts, institutional culture, flat topography, tidal action, blockage of the river mouth, and monsoon flooding. The situation is characterized by basic uncertainty about main processes and activities, and the nature of relationships among actors and elements in the system.SSM is an approach for dealing with messy or ill-structured problematic situations involving human activity. In this work SSM contributed techniques (such as "rich picture" and "CATWOE" tools) to description of the Cooum situation as a socioecological system and informed the approach itself at a theoretical level. Application of three general phases in SSM is discussed in the context of the Cooum River research: (1) problem definition and exploration of the problem situation, (2) development of conceptual models of relevant systems, and (3) the use of these to generate insight and stimulate debate about desirable and feasible change. Its use here gives weight to the statement by others that SSM would be a particularly appropriate methodology to operate the ecosystem approach. As well as informing efforts at management of the Cooum system, this work led the way to explore an adaptive ecosystem approach more broadly to management of the urban environment for human health in Chennai.

Solar energy system performance evaluation: Seasonal report for Colt Yosemite, Yosemite National Park, California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The system's operational performance from May 1979 through April 1980 is described. Solar energy satisfied 23 percent of the total performance load, which was significantly below the design value of 56 percent. A fossil savings of 80.89 million Btu's or 578 gallons of fuel oil is estimated. If uncontrolled losses could have been reduced to an inconsequential level, the system's efficiency would have been improved considerably.

Solar energy system performance evaluation. Seasonal report for Wormser, Columbia, South Carolina

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The Wormser Solar Energy System's operational performance from April 1979 through March 1980 was evaluated. The space heating subsystem met 42 percent of the measured space heating load and the hot water subsystem met 23 percent of the measured hot water demand. Net electrical energy savings were 4.36 million Btu's or 1277 kwh. Fossil energy savings will increase considerably if the uncontrolled solar energy input to the building is considered.

Orbital Debris: A Chronology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Portree, Davis S. F. (Editor); Loftus, Joseph P., Jr. (Editor)

1999-01-01

This chronology covers the 37-year history of orbital debris concerns. It tracks orbital debris hazard creation, research, observation, experimentation, management, mitigation, protection, and policy. Included are debris-producing, events; U.N. orbital debris treaties, Space Shuttle and space station orbital debris issues; ASAT tests; milestones in theory and modeling; uncontrolled reentries; detection system development; shielding development; geosynchronous debris issues, including reboost policies: returned surfaces studies, seminar papers reports, conferences, and studies; the increasing effect of space activities on astronomy; and growing international awareness of the near-Earth environment.

Orbital Debris Quarterly News. Volume 13; No. 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liou, J.-C. (Editor); Shoots, Debi (Editor)

2009-01-01

Topics discussed include: new debris from a decommissioned satellite with a nuclear power source; debris from the destruction of the Fengyun-1C meteorological satellite; quantitative analysis of the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle 'Jules Verne' reentry event; microsatellite impact tests; solar cycle 24 predictions and other long-term projections and geosynchronus (GEO) environment for the Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM2008). Abstracts from the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office, examining satellite reentry risk assessments and statistical issues for uncontrolled reentry hazards, are also included.

Virtually the ultimate research lab.

PubMed

Kulik, Alexander

2018-04-26

Virtual reality (VR) can serve as a viable platform for psychological research. The real world with many uncontrolled variables can be masked to immerse participants in complex interactive environments that are under full experimental control. However, as any other laboratory setting, these simulations are not perceived equally to reality and they also afford different behaviour. We need a better understanding of these differences, which are often related to parameters of the technical setup, to support valid interpretations of experimental results. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

Females do not express learned helplessness like males do.

PubMed

Dalla, Christina; Edgecomb, Carol; Whetstone, Abigail S; Shors, Tracey J

2008-06-01

Women are more likely than men to suffer from stress-related mental disorders, such as depression. In the present experiments, we identified sex differences in one of the most common animal models of depression, that of learned helplessness. Male and female rats were trained to escape a mild footshock each day for 7 days (controllable stress). Each rat was yoked to another rat that could not escape (uncontrollable stress), but was exposed to the same amount of shock. One day later, all stressed rats and unstressed controls were tested on a more difficult escape task in a different context. Most males exposed to uncontrollable stress did not learn to escape and were therefore helpless. In contrast, most females did learn to escape on the more difficult escape task, irrespective of whether they had been exposed to controllable or uncontrollable stress. The sex differences in helplessness behavior were not dependent on the presence of sex hormones in adulthood, because neither ovariectomy of females nor castration of males abolished them. The absence of helplessness in females was neither dependent on organizational effects of testosterone during the day of birth, because masculinized females did not express helplessness as adults. Thus, sex differences in helplessness behavior are independent of gonadal hormones in adulthood and testosterone exposure during perinatal development. Learned helplessness may not constitute a valid model for depressive behavior in women, at least as reflected by the response of female rats to operant conditioning procedures after stressful experience.

Comparative assessment for future prediction of urban water environment using WEAP model: A case study of Kathmandu, Manila and Jakarta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Pankaj; Yoshifumi, Masago; Ammar, Rafieiemam; Mishra, Binaya; Fukushi, Ken

2017-04-01

Uncontrolled release of pollutants, increasing extreme weather condition, rapid urbanization and poor governance posing a serious threat to sustainable water resource management in developing urban spaces. Considering half of the world's mega-cities are in the Asia and the Pacific with 1.7 billion people do not access to improved water and sanitation, water security through its proper management is both an increasing concern and an imperative critical need. This research work strives to give a brief glimpse about predicted future water environment in Bagmati, Pasig and Ciliwung rivers from three different cities viz. Manila, Kathmandu and Jakarta respectively. Hydrological model used here to foresee the collective impacts of rapid population growth because of urbanization as well as climate change on unmet demand and water quality in near future time by 2030. All three rivers are major source of water for different usage viz. domestic, industrial, agriculture and recreation but uncontrolled withdrawal and sewerage disposal causing deterioration of water environment in recent past. Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model was used to model river water quality pollution future scenarios using four indicator species i.e. Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Nitrate (NO3). Result for simulated water quality as well as unmet demand for year 2030 when compared with that of reference year clearly indicates that not only water quality deteriorates but also unmet demands is increasing in future course of time. This also suggests that current initiatives and policies for water resource management are not sufficient enough and hence immediate and inclusive action through transdisciplinary research.

Uncontrollable Stress, Coping, and Subjective Well-Being in Urban Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coyle, Laura D.; Vera, Elizabeth M.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether uncontrollable stress related to levels of subjective well-being (SWB) in a group of ethnically diverse urban adolescents. Additionally, the researchers examined what types of coping skills were utilized in the face of high levels of uncontrollable stress. Finally, a moderation model was proposed,…

Heavy Metal Pollution from Gold Mines: Environmental Effects and Bacterial Strategies for Resistance.

PubMed

Fashola, Muibat Omotola; Ngole-Jeme, Veronica Mpode; Babalola, Olubukola Oluranti

2016-10-26

Mining activities can lead to the generation of large quantities of heavy metal laden wastes which are released in an uncontrolled manner, causing widespread contamination of the ecosystem. Though some heavy metals classified as essential are important for normal life physiological processes, higher concentrations above stipulated levels have deleterious effects on human health and biota. Bacteria able to withstand high concentrations of these heavy metals are found in the environment as a result of various inherent biochemical, physiological, and/or genetic mechanisms. These mechanisms can serve as potential tools for bioremediation of heavy metal polluted sites. This review focuses on the effects of heavy metal wastes generated from gold mining activities on the environment and the various mechanisms used by bacteria to counteract the effect of these heavy metals in their immediate environment.

Heavy Metal Pollution from Gold Mines: Environmental Effects and Bacterial Strategies for Resistance

PubMed Central

Fashola, Muibat Omotola; Ngole-Jeme, Veronica Mpode; Babalola, Olubukola Oluranti

2016-01-01

Mining activities can lead to the generation of large quantities of heavy metal laden wastes which are released in an uncontrolled manner, causing widespread contamination of the ecosystem. Though some heavy metals classified as essential are important for normal life physiological processes, higher concentrations above stipulated levels have deleterious effects on human health and biota. Bacteria able to withstand high concentrations of these heavy metals are found in the environment as a result of various inherent biochemical, physiological, and/or genetic mechanisms. These mechanisms can serve as potential tools for bioremediation of heavy metal polluted sites. This review focuses on the effects of heavy metal wastes generated from gold mining activities on the environment and the various mechanisms used by bacteria to counteract the effect of these heavy metals in their immediate environment. PMID:27792205

Patient Perspectives on Quality of Life With Uncontrolled Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Meta-synthesis.

PubMed

Vanstone, Meredith; Rewegan, Alex; Brundisini, Francesca; Dejean, Deirdre; Giacomini, Mita

2015-01-01

Patients with uncontrolled type 1 diabetes mellitus may be candidates for pancreatic islet cell transplantation. This report synthesizes qualitative research on how patients with uncontrolled type 1 diabetes perceive their quality of life. The objective of this analysis was to examine the perceptions of patients with uncontrolled type 1 diabetes on how it affects their lived experience and quality of life. This report synthesizes 31 primary qualitative studies to examine quality of life from the perspectives of adult patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and their families or partners. We performed a qualitative meta-synthesis to integrate findings across primary research studies. Long- and short-term negative consequences of uncontrolled type 1 diabetes affect all aspects of patients' lives: physical, emotional, practical, and social. The effect on each domain is far-reaching, and effects interact across domains. Uncontrolled blood sugar levels lead to substantial psychological distress, negative moods, cognitive difficulties, irritable or aggressive behaviour, and closely associated problems with relationships, self-image, and confidence. Emotional distress is pervasive and under-addressed by health care providers. Patients live in fear of complications from diabetes over the long term. In the shorter term, they are anxious about the personal, social, and professional consequences of hypoglycemic episodes (e.g., injury, humiliation), and may curtail normal activities such as driving or socializing because they are worried about having an episode. The quality of life for patients' family members is also negatively impacted by uncontrolled type 1 diabetes. Uncontrolled type 1 diabetes has significant negative impacts on the quality of life of both people with the disease and their families.

Reasons for uncontrolled seizures in children: the impact of pseudointractability.

PubMed

Asadi-Pooya, Ali A; Emami, Mehrdad

2012-11-01

We investigated the various possible reasons for uncontrolled seizures in patients under 18 years of age to determine the impact of pseudointractability. We also investigated the various forms of pseudointractability in children with uncontrolled seizures. In this cross-sectional retrospective chart review study, all patients under 18 years of age with their first seizure occurring at least 6 months prior to the referral date, taking at least one antiepileptic drug (AED), and having at least one seizure in the past 3 months were studied. The presumed reason for uncontrolled seizures was arbitrarily considered to be one of these five categories: poor adherence; wrong medication; wrong dose of the correct medication; diagnosis other than epilepsy; and finally, medically refractory epilepsy. Statistical analyses were performed using Chi-square and Fisher's Exact tests to determine potentially significant differences, and a P value less than 0.05 was considered significant. During the study period, 198 patients were referred to us due to uncontrolled seizures. Ninety patients (45%) were taking one AED, 55 (28%) were taking two AEDs, and 53 (27%) patients were taking more than two AEDs at the time of referral. Four percent of these patients did not have epilepsy. Forty-seven percent of the children with uncontrolled seizures had medically refractory epilepsy; 37% were taking the wrong AEDs; 10% were taking suboptimal doses of AEDs; and 2% had poor drug adherence. Uncontrolled seizures in children are a commonly encountered problem, particularly at epilepsy clinics. One should consider all possible reasons for these uncontrolled seizures, including non-epileptic seizures, pseudointractability, and medically refractory epilepsy. The mainstay for making a correct diagnosis is a detailed clinical history. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexual murderers' implicit theories.

PubMed

Beech, Anthony; Fisher, Dawn; Ward, Tony

2005-11-01

Interviews with 28 sexual murderers were subjected to grounded theory analysis. Five implicit theories (ITs) were identified: dangerous world, male sex drive is uncontrollable, entitlement, women as sexual objects, and women as unknowable. These ITs were found to be identical to those identified in the literature as being present in rapists. The presence of dangerous world and male sex drive is uncontrollable were present, or absent, such that three groups could be identified: (a) dangerous world plus male sex drive is uncontrollable; (b) dangerous world, in the absence of male sex drive is uncontrollable; (c) male sex drive is uncontrollable in the absence of dangerous world. These three groups were found to differ in motivation: (a) were motivated by urges to rape and murder; (b) were motivated by grievance, resentment and/or anger toward women; (c) were motivated to sexually offend but were prepared to kill to avoid detection, or secure compliance.

Lagrangian-based Backtracking of Oil Spill Dynamics from SAR Images: Application to Montara Case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gautama, Budhi Gunadharma; Mercier, Gregoire; Fablet, Ronan; Longepe, Nicolas

2016-08-01

Within the framework of INDESO project (Infrastructure Development Space Oceanography), we address the issue of oilspill and aim at developing an operational SAR- based system for monitoring this issue in Indonesian waters from space. In this work, we focus on the backtrack- ing of an oilspill detected from SAR observations. As a case-study, we consider one large oil spill event that happened in Indonesian waters in 2009, referred to as the Montara oilspill. On 21 August 2009, the Montara Wellhead Platform had an uncontrolled release of hydrocarbons from one of the platform wells. It was estimated that 400 barrels (or approximately 64 tonnes) of crude oil were being lost per day. The uncontrolled release continued until 3 November 2009 and response operations continued until 3 December 2009. In this work, we develop a Langragian analysis and associated numerical inversion tools with a view to further analyzing the oil spread due to the Montara Wellhead Platform. Our model relies on a 2D Lagrangian transport model developed by CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellite). Our model involves four main parameters : the weights of wind- related and current-related advection, the origin and the duration of the oil leakage. Given SAR oilspill detections, we propose a numerical inversion of the parameters of the Lagrangian model, so that the simulated drift match the SAR observations of the oil spill. We demonstrate the relevance of the proposed model and numerical scheme for the Montara oilspill and further discuss their operational interest for the space-based oilspill backtracking and forecasting.

Justification and good practice in using handheld portable dental X-ray equipment: a position paper prepared by the European Academy of DentoMaxilloFacial Radiology (EADMFR)

PubMed Central

Suomalainen, A; Brüllmann, D; Jacobs, R; Horner, K; Stamatakis, H C

2015-01-01

Handheld portable X-ray devices are increasingly used for intraoral radiography. This development introduces new challenges to staff and patient safety, for which new or revised risk assessments must be made and acted upon prior to use. Major issues might be: difficulties in using rectangular collimation with beam aiming devices, more complex matching of exposure settings to the X-ray receptor used (e.g. longer exposure times), movements owing to the units' weight, protection of the operator and third persons, and the use in uncontrolled environments. These problems may result in violation of the “as low as reasonably achievable’’, that is, ALARA principle by an increase in (re)exposures compared with the other available intraoral X-ray devices. Hence, the use of handheld portable X-ray devices should be considered only after careful and documented evaluation (which might be performed based on medical physics support), when there is evidence that handheld operation has benefits over traditional modalities and when no new risks to the operators and/or third parties are caused. It is expected that the use of handheld portable X-ray devices will be very exceptional, and for justified situations only. Special attention should be drawn to beam-aiming devices, rectangular collimation, the section of the X-ray receptor, focus–skin distance, and backscatter shielding, and that the unit delivers reproducible dose over the full set of environmental conditions (e.g. battery status and temperature). PMID:25710118

Retained weapon injuries: experience from a civilian metropolitan trauma service in South Africa.

PubMed

Kong, V; Khan, Z; Cacala, S; Oosthuizen, G; Clarke, D

2015-04-01

Retained weapon (RW) injuries are uncommon, but there is no current consensus on the best management approach. We reviewed our experience of 102 consecutive patients with non-missile RWs in a high-volume metropolitan trauma service managed over a 10-year period. Of the 102 patients, 95 were males (93%), 7 were females (7%), and median age was 24 (21-28) years. Weapons: 73% (74/102) knives, 17% (17/102) screwdrivers, 5% spears, 6% (6/102) others [axe (1), glass fragment (1), stick (1), sickle blade (1), wire (1) and stone (1)]. 8% (8/102) head, 20% (20/102) in the face, 9% (9/102) neck, 14% (14/102) thorax, 25% (26/102) abdomen, 23% (23/102) upper limb, 2% (2/102) lower limb. Four per cent (4/102) were haemodynamically unstable and proceed immediately to the operating theatre for operative exploration and weapon extraction. Imagining: 88 (86%) plain radiographs, 65 (64%) non-contrast CT scans, 41 (40%) contrast CT angiography, 4 (4%) formal angiography. Seventy-two underwent simple extraction, and 29 underwent extract plus open operation. One patient absconded. Specialist surgeons involved in extraction: trauma surgeons (74), neurosurgeons (10), ophthalmic surgeons (11) and ENT surgeons (4). Overall, 92% (94/102) survived to discharge. The vast majority of patients with RWs will be admitted in a stable condition and haemodynamic instability was almost exclusively seen in the anterior thorax. The most common site was the posterior abdomen. Detailed imagining should be used liberally in stable patients and unplanned extraction in an uncontrolled environment should be strongly discouraged.

Requirements for an Integrated UAS CNS Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Templin, Fred; Jain, Raj; Sheffield, Greg; Taboso, Pedro; Ponchak, Denise

2017-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) is investigating revolutionary and advanced universal, reliable, always available, cyber secure and affordable Communication, Navigation, Surveillance (CNS) options for all altitudes of UAS operations. In Spring 2015, NASA issued a Call for Proposals under NASA Research Announcements (NRA) NNH15ZEA001N, Amendment 7 Subtopic 2.4. Boeing was selected to conduct a study with the objective to determine the most promising candidate technologies for Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) air-to-air and air-to-ground data exchange and analyze their suitability in a post-NextGen NAS environment. The overall objectives are to develop UAS CNS requirements and then develop architectures that satisfy the requirements for UAS in both controlled and uncontrolled air space. This contract is funded under NASAs Aeronautics Research Mission Directorates (ARMD) Aviation Operations and Safety Program (AOSP) Safe Autonomous Systems Operations (SASO) project and proposes technologies for the Unmanned Air Systems Traffic Management (UTM) service. Communications, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) requirements must be developed in order to establish a CNS architecture supporting Unmanned Air Systems integration in the National Air Space (UAS in the NAS). These requirements must address cybersecurity, future communications, satellite-based navigation APNT, and scalable surveillance and situational awareness. CNS integration, consolidation and miniaturization requirements are also important to support the explosive growth in small UAS deployment. Air Traffic Management (ATM) must also be accommodated to support critical Command and Control (C2) for Air Traffic Controllers (ATC). This document therefore presents UAS CNS requirements that will guide the architecture.

Loose Words, Not Nukes: The Impact of U.S. Nuclear Force Structure Debate on NATO Perceptions of Extended Deterrence

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-02-15

institutional mechanisms that may result in uncontrollable escalation in the belief there must be an irrevocable structural element of uncertainty...intentionally downplay the role of nuclear capabilities. Current U.S. strategy documents obliquely whisper nuclear linkages (if they are mentioned at...formally distance itself from the legacy (but still operative) NATO first-use declaratory policy.11 The express U.S. distinction exposes a fault line in

Non-Lethal Weapons in Noncombatant Evacuation Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-12-01

against your small squad of peacekeepers. If any of the three men decides to shoot, your rules of engagement unambiguously allow you to shoot back in...personnel (Siegel, pp. 7-8). By 30 December, Mogadishu resembled a war zone, with shells being fired into tribal neighborhoods, and uncontrolled small arms...his sentiments changed during his New Year’s Day jog in the compound; the constant small arms fire outside the walls forced him to reconsider the

Simulation and assessment of SO2 toxic environment after ignition of uncontrolled sour gas flow of well blowout in hills.

PubMed

Zhu, Yuan; Chen, Guo-ming

2010-06-15

To study the sulfur dioxide (SO(2)) toxic environment after the ignition of uncontrolled sour gas flow of well blowout, we propose an integrated model to simulate the accident scenario and assess the consequences of SO(2) poisoning. The accident simulation is carried out based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD), which is composed of well blowout dynamics, combustion of sour gas, and products dispersion. Furthermore, detailed complex terrains are built and boundary layer flows are simulated according to Pasquill stability classes. Then based on the estimated exposure dose derived from the toxic dose-response relationship, quantitative assessment is carried out by using equivalent emergency response planning guideline (ERPG) concentration. In this case study, the contaminated areas are graded into three levels, and the areas, maximal influence distances, and main trajectories are predicted. We show that wind drives the contamination and its distribution to spread downwind, and terrains change the distribution shape through spatial aggregation and obstacles. As a result, the most dangerous regions are the downwind areas, the foot of the slopes, and depression areas such as valleys. These cause unfavorable influences on emergency response for accident control and public evacuation. In addition, the effectiveness of controlling the number of deaths by employing ignition is verified in theory. Based on the assessment results, we propose some suggestions for risk assessment, emergency response and accident decision making. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chronic Health Outcomes and Prescription Drug Copayments in Medicaid.

PubMed

Kostova, Deliana; Fox, Jared

2017-05-01

Prescription drug copayments and cost-sharing have been linked to reductions in prescription drug use and expenditures. However, little is known about their effect on specific health outcomes. To evaluate the association between prescription drug copayments and uncontrolled hypertension, uncontrolled hypercholesterolemia, and prescription drug utilization among Medicaid beneficiaries with these conditions. Select adults aged 20-64 from NHANES 1999-2012 in 18 states. Uncontrolled hypertension, uncontrolled hypercholesterolemia, and taking medication for each of these conditions. A differencing regression model was used to evaluate health outcomes among Medicaid beneficiaries in 4 states that introduced copayments during the study period, relative to 2 comparison groups-Medicaid beneficiaries in 14 states unaffected by shifts in copayment policy, and a within-state counterfactual group of low-income adults not on Medicaid, while controlling for individual demographic factors and unobserved state-level characteristics. Although uncontrolled hypertension and hypercholesterolemia declined among all low-income persons during the study period, the trend was less pronounced in Medicaid beneficiaries affected by copayments. After netting out concurrent trends in health outcomes of low-income persons unaffected by Medicaid copayment changes, we estimated that introduction of drug copayments in Medicaid was associated with an average rise in uncontrolled hypertension and uncontrolled hypercholesterolemia of 7.7 and 13.2 percentage points, respectively, and with reduced drug utilization for hypercholesterolemia. As Medicaid programs change in the years following the Affordable Care Act, prescription drug copayments may play a role as a lever for controlling hypertension and hypercholesterolemia at the population level.

Assessment of asthma control: the SERENA study.

PubMed

Corrado, Antonio; Renda, Teresa; Polese, Guido; Rossi, Andrea

2013-11-01

Several studies suggest that many asthmatic subjects have uncontrolled asthma. The control of asthma is now considered the major goal of therapy. to ascertain the level of asthma control, by Asthma Control Test (ACT), in "real-life" clinical practice and the potential risk factors for uncontrolled disease in patients treated with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and long-acting beta-adrenergic agonists (LABA). SERENA is a multi-centre, cross-sectional, 6-month observational, non-interventional study carried out in 16 Pulmonary Units in Italy. Asthmatic outpatients aged over 18, undergoing treatment with ICS at medium-high daily doses associated with LABA, were enrolled. The patients were divided in 3 subgroups according to the level of asthma control by ACT score (25:controlled; 20-24:partly controlled; <20: uncontrolled). Out of a total of 548 patients, 396 met the inclusion criteria. Only 9.1% of patients had asthma controlled, while partly controlled and uncontrolled asthma accounted for 39.6% and 51.3% respectively. The mean age was 54.5 ± 15.8 and the mean duration of asthma was 16.1 ± 14.1 years. There were more females than males (63% vs 37%) and females had highest prevalence of uncontrolled asthma (63.1%). The mean values of FEV1% predicted were lower in the uncontrolled group (p < 0.001). The percentage of patients with at least 1 exacerbation, unscheduled visit and/or admissions was lower in controlled (22.2%, 8.3%, 8.3%) than in partly controlled (50%, 38.6%, 9.2%) and uncontrolled (83.2%, 66.2%, 27.8%) groups (p < 0.0001). The multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis identified female sex, FEV1 and exacerbations as the strongest independent factors associated with the uncontrolled disease. This study highlights the importance in clinical practice of a periodic assessment by a validated asthma control instrument and exacerbations/health care contacts during previous year. Clinicians should be aware that a significant proportion of patients can have uncontrolled asthma, despite regular pharmacological treatment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[A case report of Ebstein's anomaly treated with Hetzer's procedure].

PubMed

Sako, H; Hadama, T; Shigemitsu, O; Miyamoto, S; Anai, H; Wada, T; Iwata, E; Mori, Y; Soeda, T; Takakura, K

2001-02-01

A 27-year-old male who had been diagnosed with Ebstein's anomaly was admitted with uncontrollable congestive heart failure. The echocardiogram revealed severe tricuspid valve incompetence and the electrocardiogram showed atrial fibrillation. He underwent Hetzer's repair procedure for tricuspid valve incompetence and Minzioni's right atrial isolation technique to restore sinus rhythm. His congestive heart failure quickly disappeared and sinus rhythm was restored after operation. He was discharged 3 weeks postoperatively and remains well 22 months after his operation. Hetzer's technique for tricuspid valve repair in Ebstein's anomaly restructures the valve mechanism at the level of the true tricuspid anulus by using the most mobile leaflet for valve closure without plication of the atrialized chamber. We conclude that Hetzer's procedure is an effective operation for Ebstein's anomaly.

Analysis characteristics determination of electrohydraulic control system operation to reduce the operation time of a powered roof support

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szurgacz, Dawid

2018-01-01

The article discusses basic functions of a powered roof support in a longwall unit. The support function is to provide safety by protecting mine workings against uncontrolled falling of rocks. The subject of the research includes the measures to shorten the time of roof support shifting. The roof support is adapted to transfer, in hazard conditions of rock mass tremors, dynamic loads caused by mining exploitation. The article presents preliminary research results on the time reduction of the unit advance to increase the extraction process and thus reduce operating costs. Conducted stand tests showed the ability to increase the flow for 3/2-way valve cartridges. The level of fluid flowing through the cartridges is adequate to control individual actuators.

Urinary incontinence

MedlinePlus

Loss of bladder control; Uncontrollable urination; Urination - uncontrollable; Incontinence - urinary ... have diabetes, keep your blood sugar under good control. For urine leaks, wear absorbent pads or undergarments. ...

Movement - uncontrollable

MedlinePlus

... movements; Body movements - uncontrollable; Dyskinesia; Athetosis; Myoclonus; Ballismus Images Central nervous system and peripheral nervous system References Jankovic J, Lang AE. Diagnosis and assessment of Parkinson disease ...

Uncontrolled eating in adolescents: The role of impulsivity and automatic approach bias for food.

PubMed

Booth, Charlotte; Spronk, Desiree; Grol, Maud; Fox, Elaine

2018-01-01

Obesity is a global problem reaching epidemic proportions and can be explained by unhealthy eating and sedentary lifestyles. Understanding the psychological processes underlying unhealthy eating behaviour is crucial for the development of effective obesity prevention programmes. Dual-process models implicate the interplay between impaired cognitive control and enhanced automatic responsivity to rewarding food cues as key risk factors. The current study assessed the influence of four different components of trait impulsivity (reflecting impaired cognitive control) and automatic approach bias for food (reflecting automatic responsivity to food) on uncontrolled eating in a large sample (N = 504) of young adolescents. Of the four impulsivity factors, negative urgency was found to be the strongest predictor of uncontrolled eating. Interestingly, we found that lack of premeditation was a key risk factor for uncontrolled eating, but only when approach bias for food was high, supporting a dual-process model. Lack of perseverance showed a similar interactive pattern to a lesser degree and sensation-seeking did not predict uncontrolled eating. Together, our results show that distinct components of trait impulsivity are differentially associated with uncontrolled eating behaviour in adolescents, and that automatic processing of food cues may be an important factor in modulating this relationship. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Emotional and uncontrolled eating styles and chocolate chip cookie consumption. A controlled trial of the effects of positive mood enhancement.

PubMed

Turner, Sally Ann; Luszczynska, Aleksandra; Warner, Lisa; Schwarzer, Ralf

2010-02-01

The study tested the effects of positive mood enhancement on chocolate chip cookie consumption in the context of emotional and uncontrolled eating styles. The relationship between emotional eating style and chocolate chip cookie intake was assumed to be mediated by uncontrolled eating style. Further, it was hypothesized that the effectiveness of the positive mood enhancement may be more salient among those who have effective control of their eating. In this experimental study, respondents (N=106, 70% women, aged 16-45 years old) were assigned by means of cluster randomization to the control or positive mood enhancement condition (a comedy movie clip). Compared to the control condition, positive mood enhancement resulted in consuming on average 53.86 kcal less. Relationships between emotional eating style and cookie intake were mediated by uncontrolled eating. Moderated mediation analysis indicated that the effect of a mediator (uncontrolled eating) on cookie intake was moderated by the group assignment. Positive mood enhancement resulted in eating on average 3.3 cookies less among individuals with a more controlled eating style. By contrast, among those who presented uncontrolled eating, positive mood enhancement led to consuming an average of 1.7 cookies more. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

Kuang, Xingya; Shankar, T.J.; Bi, X.T.

Wood pellets emit CO, CO2, CH4 and other volatiles during storage. Increased concentration of these gases in a sealed storage causes depletion of concentration of oxygen. The storage environment becomes toxic to those who operate in and around these storages. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of temperature, moisture and storage headspace on emissions from wood pellets in an enclosed space. Twelve 10-liter plastic containers were used to study the effects of headspace ratio (25%, 50%, and 75% of container volume) and temperatures (10-50oC). Another eight containers were set in uncontrolled storage relative humidity and temperature.more » Concentrations of CO2, CO and CH4 were measured by a gas chromatography (GC). The results showed that emissions of CO2, CO and CH4 from stored wood pellets are most sensitive to storage temperature. Higher peak emission factors are associated with higher temperatures. Increased headspace volume ratio increases peak off-gas emissions because of the availability of oxygen for pellet decomposition. Increased relative humidity in the enclosed container increases the rate of off-gas emissions of CO2, CO and CH4 and oxygen depletion.« less

Telecommunications, politics, economics, and national sovereignty: A new game

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

Bugliarello, G.

1996-12-31

The impact of telecommunications on politics, economics and national sovereignty is creating a new game. Political and economic power may operate over the same territory, as in the now-rare case of isolated economies, but, more often, their domains do not coincide. Increasingly, telecommunications create major challenges for countries preoccupied with issues of national sovereignty because the national state has only a limited ability to control these intrinsic and at times potentially destabilizing powers of telecommunications and the {open_quotes}telecommunities{close_quotes} they make possible. As many traditional aspects of sovereignty are becoming weakened by telecommunications, and as the intense dynamics of networks andmore » the expansion of telecommunities revolutionize business and politics, there is a need to prevent the situation from becoming chaotic and uncontrollable, even while recognizing the possibilities of enhanced opportunities. This requires focusing on a more flexible conception of sovereignty which can enhance the state`s attractiveness for telecommunications infrastructure, while addressing issues of ethics and morality in the new telecommications environment. A new, broad socio-technological research agenda needs to be developed - with the ultimate purpose of providing society with the tools to play the new game and thrive. 10 refs., 3 tabs.« less

A half century of scalloping in the work habits of the United States Congress.

PubMed Central

Critchfield, Thomas S; Haley, Rebecca; Sabo, Benjamin; Colbert, Jorie; Macropoulis, Georgette

2003-01-01

It has been suggested that the work environment of the United States Congress bears similarity to a fixed-interval reinforcement schedule. Consistent with this notion, Weisberg and Waldrop (1972) described a positively accelerating pattern in annual congressional bill production (selected years from 1947 to 1968) that is reminiscent of the scalloped response pattern often attributed to fixed-interval schedules, but their analysis is now dated and does not bear on the functional relations that might yield scalloping. The present study described annual congressional bill production over a period of 52 years and empirically evaluated predictions derived from four hypotheses about the mechanisms that underlie scalloping. Scalloping occurred reliably in every year. The data supported several predictions about congressional productivity based on fixed-interval schedule performance, but did not consistently support any of three alternative accounts. These findings argue for the external validity of schedule-controlled operant behavior as measured in the laboratory. The present analysis also illustrates a largely overlooked role for applied behavior analysis: that of shedding light on the functional properties of behavior in uncontrolled settings of considerable interest to the public. PMID:14768667

Prevalence of pesticides in postconsumer agrochemical polymeric packaging.

PubMed

Eras, J; Costa, J; Vilaró, F; Pelacho, A M; Canela-Garayoa, R; Martin-Closas, L

2017-02-15

Pesticide remains contained in agrochemical packaging waste are a source of uncontrolled risk for human health; they are also a quality feedstock for the plastic recycling industry. Many governments have recently started to establish laws and regulations to develop systems for recovering and recycling the polymeric packages used for pesticides. There is also a demand in having a procedure to control the suitability of the pesticide packages to be reused. We have developed a two-step operation process to assess the pesticide residues in agricultural containers made of a variety of polymeric matrices. The procedure is based on an extraction with a solvent mixture followed by UPLC-MS/MS determination. Solvents for neutral pesticides were selected considering the Hildebrand solubility (δ) of solvents and polymers together with those estimated for the pesticides. The proposed technique is effective in recovering imbibed pesticides in polymeric matrices. Also, a simplified extraction procedure has been tested to become a routine method for these wastes. We have found that in many cases a significant amount of pesticides remain into the polymeric matrix, even after a standardized cleaning; the impact of releasing these hazardous compounds into the environment is to be of further consideration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Notch filtering the nuclear environment of a spin qubit.

PubMed

Malinowski, Filip K; Martins, Frederico; Nissen, Peter D; Barnes, Edwin; Cywiński, Łukasz; Rudner, Mark S; Fallahi, Saeed; Gardner, Geoffrey C; Manfra, Michael J; Marcus, Charles M; Kuemmeth, Ferdinand

2017-01-01

Electron spins in gate-defined quantum dots provide a promising platform for quantum computation. In particular, spin-based quantum computing in gallium arsenide takes advantage of the high quality of semiconducting materials, reliability in fabricating arrays of quantum dots and accurate qubit operations. However, the effective magnetic noise arising from the hyperfine interaction with uncontrolled nuclear spins in the host lattice constitutes a major source of decoherence. Low-frequency nuclear noise, responsible for fast (10 ns) inhomogeneous dephasing, can be removed by echo techniques. High-frequency nuclear noise, recently studied via echo revivals, occurs in narrow-frequency bands related to differences in Larmor precession of the three isotopes 69 Ga, 71 Ga and 75 As (refs 15,16,17). Here, we show that both low- and high-frequency nuclear noise can be filtered by appropriate dynamical decoupling sequences, resulting in a substantial enhancement of spin qubit coherence times. Using nuclear notch filtering, we demonstrate a spin coherence time (T 2 ) of 0.87 ms, five orders of magnitude longer than typical exchange gate times, and exceeding the longest coherence times reported to date in Si/SiGe gate-defined quantum dots.

Increased metabolic activity in the septum and habenula during stress is linked to subsequent expression of learned helplessness behavior.

PubMed

Mirrione, Martine M; Schulz, Daniela; Lapidus, Kyle A B; Zhang, Samuel; Goodman, Wayne; Henn, Fritz A

2014-01-01

Uncontrollable stress can have a profound effect on an organism's ability to respond effectively to future stressful situations. Behavior subsequent to uncontrollable stress can vary greatly between individuals, falling on a spectrum between healthy resilience and maladaptive learned helplessness. It is unclear whether dysfunctional brain activity during uncontrollable stress is associated with vulnerability to learned helplessness; therefore, we measured metabolic activity during uncontrollable stress that correlated with ensuing inability to escape future stressors. We took advantage of small animal positron emission tomography (PET) and 2-deoxy-2[(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose ((18)FDG) to probe in vivo metabolic activity in wild type Sprague Dawley rats during uncontrollable, inescapable, unpredictable foot-shock stress, and subsequently tested the animals response to controllable, escapable, predictable foot-shock stress. When we correlated metabolic activity during the uncontrollable stress with consequent behavioral outcomes, we found that the degree to which animals failed to escape the foot-shock correlated with increased metabolic activity in the lateral septum and habenula. When used a seed region, metabolic activity in the habenula correlated with activity in the lateral septum, hypothalamus, medial thalamus, mammillary nuclei, ventral tegmental area, central gray, interpeduncular nuclei, periaqueductal gray, dorsal raphe, and rostromedial tegmental nucleus, caudal linear raphe, and subiculum transition area. Furthermore, the lateral septum correlated with metabolic activity in the preoptic area, medial thalamus, habenula, interpeduncular nuclei, periaqueductal gray, dorsal raphe, and caudal linear raphe. Together, our data suggest a group of brain regions involved in sensitivity to uncontrollable stress involving the lateral septum and habenula.

Increased metabolic activity in the septum and habenula during stress is linked to subsequent expression of learned helplessness behavior

PubMed Central

Mirrione, Martine M.; Schulz, Daniela; Lapidus, Kyle A. B.; Zhang, Samuel; Goodman, Wayne; Henn, Fritz A.

2013-01-01

Uncontrollable stress can have a profound effect on an organism's ability to respond effectively to future stressful situations. Behavior subsequent to uncontrollable stress can vary greatly between individuals, falling on a spectrum between healthy resilience and maladaptive learned helplessness. It is unclear whether dysfunctional brain activity during uncontrollable stress is associated with vulnerability to learned helplessness; therefore, we measured metabolic activity during uncontrollable stress that correlated with ensuing inability to escape future stressors. We took advantage of small animal positron emission tomography (PET) and 2-deoxy-2[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (18FDG) to probe in vivo metabolic activity in wild type Sprague Dawley rats during uncontrollable, inescapable, unpredictable foot-shock stress, and subsequently tested the animals response to controllable, escapable, predictable foot-shock stress. When we correlated metabolic activity during the uncontrollable stress with consequent behavioral outcomes, we found that the degree to which animals failed to escape the foot-shock correlated with increased metabolic activity in the lateral septum and habenula. When used a seed region, metabolic activity in the habenula correlated with activity in the lateral septum, hypothalamus, medial thalamus, mammillary nuclei, ventral tegmental area, central gray, interpeduncular nuclei, periaqueductal gray, dorsal raphe, and rostromedial tegmental nucleus, caudal linear raphe, and subiculum transition area. Furthermore, the lateral septum correlated with metabolic activity in the preoptic area, medial thalamus, habenula, interpeduncular nuclei, periaqueductal gray, dorsal raphe, and caudal linear raphe. Together, our data suggest a group of brain regions involved in sensitivity to uncontrollable stress involving the lateral septum and habenula. PMID:24550809

GNC architecture for autonomous robotic capture of a non-cooperative target: Preliminary concept design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jankovic, Marko; Paul, Jan; Kirchner, Frank

2016-04-01

Recent studies of the space debris population in low Earth orbit (LEO) have concluded that certain regions have already reached a critical density of objects. This will eventually lead to a cascading process called the Kessler syndrome. The time may have come to seriously consider active debris removal (ADR) missions as the only viable way of preserving the space environment for future generations. Among all objects in the current environment, the SL-8 (Kosmos 3M second stages) rocket bodies (R/Bs) are some of the most suitable targets for future robotic ADR missions. However, to date, an autonomous relative navigation to and capture of an non-cooperative target has never been performed. Therefore, there is a need for more advanced, autonomous and modular systems that can cope with uncontrolled, tumbling objects. The guidance, navigation and control (GNC) system is one of the most critical ones. The main objective of this paper is to present a preliminary concept of a modular GNC architecture that should enable a safe and fuel-efficient capture of a known but uncooperative target, such as Kosmos 3M R/B. In particular, the concept was developed having in mind the most critical part of an ADR mission, i.e. close range proximity operations, and state of the art algorithms in the field of autonomous rendezvous and docking. In the end, a brief description of the hardware in the loop (HIL) testing facility is made, foreseen for the practical evaluation of the developed architecture.

An Experiment to Evaluate Transfer of Upset-Recovery Training Conducted Using Two Different Flight Simulation Devices

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

air transport operations, causing almost 25% of all crashes and nearly 40% of all fatalities.1 During the years 1991 - 2000, statistics for general...several reports result from research at the Calspan In-Flight Upset-Recovery Training Program in Roswell , Nm.5 a second set of articles focuses on...resulted in air transport upsets leading to uncontrolled crashes . gawron used Calspan’s Learjet to test five groups of airline pilots with varying

No Slackers in Tourniquet Use to Stop Bleeding

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

d L o st ( m l) Iteration No Slack 8" Slack Power (No Slack ) Power (8" Slack ) 16 Journal of Special Operations Medicine Volume 13, Edition 2/Summer...12 ABStRAct Background: Tourniquets on casualties in war have been loose in 4%–9% of uses, and such slack risks death from uncontrolled bleeding. A...tourniquet evidence gap persists if there is a mechanical slack –performance as- sociation. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to

A Workshop on Environmental Technology Assessment Held at the University of Cambridge, England Held on 24-26 April, 1985,

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-01-01

almost immediately upon corona onset, the current starts to flow uncontrollably with an immediate decrease in voltage which stops the ESP from...operating. With large diameter electrodes, the current starts to flow at the corona onset point and there is a range where it varies with increasing voltage...Modal. WEST GERMANY - Use of a Pibersape for Control Purpoaes in toe sarixo uitr3ioutioa bysta. -Special Cent Mortar Lining of Ductile Cat Iron Pipes

Incarceration of umbilical hernia after radiological insertion of a Denver peritoneovenous shunt.

PubMed

Ohta, Kengo; Shimohira, Masashi; Hashizume, Takuya; Kawai, Tatsuya; Kurosaka, Kenichiro; Suzuki, Kazushi; Watanabe, Kenichi; Shibamoto, Yuta

2013-03-01

We report a rare complication of incarceration of an umbilical hernia after Denver peritoneovenous shunt placement. A 50-year-old man presented with refractory ascites from liver cirrhosis. He also had an umbilical hernia. Because the ascites became uncontrollable, Denver peritoneovenous shunting was performed. The operation was successful and the ascites decreased. Ten days later, however, incarceration of the umbilical hernia occurred. A surgical repair was performed, but he died 2 days later. The cause of death was considered to be sepsis.

Verification and Validation of Autonomy Software at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pecheur, Charles

2000-01-01

Autonomous software holds the promise of new operation possibilities, easier design and development and lower operating costs. However, as those system close control loops and arbitrate resources on board with specialized reasoning, the range of possible situations becomes very large and uncontrollable from the outside, making conventional scenario-based testing very inefficient. Analytic verification and validation (V&V) techniques, and model checking in particular, can provide significant help for designing autonomous systems in a more efficient and reliable manner, by providing a better coverage and allowing early error detection. This article discusses the general issue of V&V of autonomy software, with an emphasis towards model-based autonomy, model-checking techniques and concrete experiments at NASA.

Verification and Validation of Autonomy Software at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pecheur, Charles

2000-01-01

Autonomous software holds the promise of new operation possibilities, easier design and development, and lower operating costs. However, as those system close control loops and arbitrate resources on-board with specialized reasoning, the range of possible situations becomes very large and uncontrollable from the outside, making conventional scenario-based testing very inefficient. Analytic verification and validation (V&V) techniques, and model checking in particular, can provide significant help for designing autonomous systems in a more efficient and reliable manner, by providing a better coverage and allowing early error detection. This article discusses the general issue of V&V of autonomy software, with an emphasis towards model-based autonomy, model-checking techniques, and concrete experiments at NASA.

Urban adolescent stress and hopelessness.

PubMed

Landis, Dana; Gaylord-Harden, Noni K; Malinowski, Sara L; Grant, Kathryn E; Carleton, Russell A; Ford, Rebecca E

2007-12-01

This study sought to explore potential mechanisms through which uncontrollable, chronic stressors may lead to hopelessness in low-income, urban adolescents. In particular, the roles of specific coping strategies as moderators and/or mediators of the association between stressors and hopelessness were examined. Results suggest that chronic, uncontrollable stressors were significantly and positively related to hopelessness in this sample. Active coping, distraction coping, and social-support-seeking coping emerged as moderators for males, such that uncontrollable stressors were more highly associated with hopelessness for those boys who reported using more active, distraction, and social-support-seeking coping strategies. An analogous moderating effect was found for ruminative coping for girls. Ruminative coping also emerged as a mediator of the relation between uncontrollable stressors and hopelessness for girls.

Passive Smoking Impairs Histone Deacetylase-2 in Children With Severe Asthma

PubMed Central

Kobayashi, Yoshiki; Bossley, Cara; Gupta, Atul; Akashi, Kenichi; Tsartsali, Lemonia; Mercado, Nicolas; Barnes, Peter J.; Bush, Andrew

2014-01-01

Background: Parental smoking is known to worsen asthma symptoms in children and to make them refractory to asthma treatment, but the molecular mechanism is unclear. Oxidative stress from tobacco smoke has been reported to impair histone deacetylase-2 (HDAC2) via phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt activation and, thus, to reduce corticosteroid sensitivity. The aim of this study was to investigate passive smoking-dependent molecular abnormalities in alveolar macrophages (AMs) by comparing passive smoke-exposed children and non-passive smoke-exposed children with uncontrolled severe asthma. Methods: BAL fluid (BALF) was obtained from 19 children with uncontrolled severe asthma (10 non-passive smoking-exposed subjects and nine passive smoking-exposed subjects), and HDAC2 expression/activity, Akt/HDAC2 phosphorylation levels, and corticosteroid responsiveness in AMs were evaluated. Results: Parental smoking reduced HDAC2 protein expression by 54% and activity by 47%, with concomitant enhancement of phosphorylation of Akt1 and HDAC2. In addition, phosphorylation levels of Akt1 correlated positively with HDAC2 phosphorylation levels and negatively with HDAC2 activity. Furthermore, passive smoke exposure reduced the inhibitory effects of dexamethasone on tumor necrosis factor-α-induced CXCL8 release in AMs. There were relatively higher neutrophil counts and CXCL8 concentrations in BALF and lower Asthma Control Test scores compared with non-passive smoke-exposed children with uncontrolled severe asthma. Conclusions: Passive smoking impairs HDAC2 function via PI3K signaling activation, which could contribute to corticosteroid-insensitive inflammation in children with severe asthma. This novel mechanism will be a treatment target in children with severe asthma and stresses the need for a smoke-free environment for asthmatic children. PMID:24030221

Robot-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery versus Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery for Lung Lobectomy: Can a Robotic Approach Improve Short-Term Outcomes and Operative Safety?

PubMed

Mahieu, Julien; Rinieri, Philippe; Bubenheim, Michael; Calenda, Emile; Melki, Jean; Peillon, Christophe; Baste, Jean-Marc

2016-06-01

Background Minimally invasive surgery has been recently recommended for treatment of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. Despite the recent increase of robotic surgery, the place and potential advantages of the robot in thoracic surgery has not been well defined until now. Methods We reviewed our prospective database for retrospective comparison of our first 28 video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomies (V group) and our first 28 robotic lobectomies (R group). Results No significant difference was shown in median operative time between the two groups (185 vs. 190 minutes, p = 0.56). Median preincision time was significantly longer in the R group (80 vs. 60 minutes, P < 0.0001). The rate of emergency conversion for uncontrolled bleeding was lower in the R group (one vs. four). Median length of stay was comparable (6 days in the R group vs. 7 days in the V group, p = 0.4) with no significant difference in the rate of postoperative complications (eight Grade I in both groups, four Grade III or IV in the V group vs. six in the R group, according to the Clavien-Dindo classification, p = 0.93). No postoperative cardiac morbidity was observed in the R group. Median drainage time was similar (5 days, p = 0.78), with a rate of prolonged air leak slightly higher in the R group (25 vs. 17.8%, p = 0.74). Conclusion Perioperative outcomes are similar even in the learning period but robotic approach seems to offer more operative safety with fewer conversions for uncontrolled bleeding. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Association of Glycemic Status with Bone Turnover Markers in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

PubMed

Kulkarni, Sweta Vilas; Meenatchi, Suruthi; Reeta, R; Ramesh, Ramasamy; Srinivasan, A R; Lenin, C

2017-01-01

Type 2 diabetes mellitus has profound implications on the skeleton. Even though bone mineral density is increased in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, they are more prone for fractures. The weakening of bone tissue in type 2 diabetes mellitus can be due to uncontrolled blood sugar levels leading to high levels of bone turnover markers in blood. The aim of this study is to find the association between glycemic status and bone turnover markers in type 2 diabetes mellitus. This case-control study was carried out in a tertiary health care hospital. Fifty clinically diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in the age group between 30 and 50 years were included as cases. Fifty age- and gender-matched healthy nondiabetics were included as controls. Patients with complications and chronic illness were excluded from the study. Depending on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, patients were grouped into uncontrolled (HbA1c >7%, n = 36) and controlled (HbA1c <7%, n = 14) diabetics. Based on duration of diabetes, patients were grouped into newly diagnosed, 1-2 years, 3-5 years, and >5 years. Serum osteocalcin (OC), bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), acid phosphatase (ACP), and HbA1c levels were estimated. OC/BAP and OC/ACP ratio was calculated. Student's t -test, analysis of variance, and Chi-square tests were used for analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was done for OC/BAP and OC/ACP ratios. Serum OC, HbA1c, and OC/BAP ratio were increased in cases when compared to controls and were statistically significant ( P < 0.001). OC/ACP ratio was decreased in type 2 diabetes mellitus and was statistically significant ( P = 0.01). In patients with >5-year duration of diabetes, HbA1c level was high and was statistically significant ( P < 0.042). BAP levels were high in uncontrolled diabetics but statistically not significant. ROC curve showed OC/BAP ratio better marker than OC/ACP ratio. Uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus affects bone tissue resulting in variations in bone turnover markers. Bone turnover markers are better in predicting recent changes in bone morphology and are cost effective.

Street music or the blues? The lived experience and social environment of depression.

PubMed

Poslusny, S M

2000-01-01

Life's complexity is a haunting melody of continuously interacting variables .... Professional practice in nursing seeks to promote symphonic interaction between man [sic] and environment. . . (Rogers, 1970, pp. 41, 122). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of clinical depression for women in the context of their social relations and environment. Twelve ethnically diverse female friend dyads were interviewed and completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Seventeen of these women had experienced a major depression in the past or were in treatment for clinical depression at the time of the study. This depression was characterized by dissonance experienced in childhood abuse and incest, uncontrollable moods despite self-medication, abusive or negligent therapy, failed social relationships in adulthood, and a lack of resources in the environment. In contrast, seven healthy women described their social environment as generally resonant and connected. Prevention of childhood abuse and racism, relief from economic hardships, early diagnosis, and safe, effective treatment are essential in helping women to survive clinical depression. Nurses in the community are in a unique position to affect this public health problem.

Determinants of Uncontrolled Hypertension in Rural Communities in South Asia - Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Jafar, Tazeen H; Gandhi, Mihir; Jehan, Imtiaz; Naheed, Aliya; de Silva, H Asita; Shahab, Hunaina; Alam, Dewan; Luke, Nathasha; Lim, Ching Wee

2018-04-26

Uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) is a leading risk factor for death and disability in South Asia. We aimed to determine the cross-country variation, and the factors associated with uncontrolled BP among adults treated for hypertension in rural South Asia. We enrolled 1718 individuals aged ≥40 years treated for hypertension in a cross-sectional study from rural communities in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to determine the factors associated with uncontrolled BP (systolic BP ≥140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg). Among hypertensive individuals, 58.0% (95% confidence interval 55.7, 60.4) had uncontrolled BP: 52.8% (49.0, 56.6) in Bangladesh, 70.6% (65.7, 75.1) in Pakistan, and 56.5% (52.7, 60.1) in Sri Lanka. The odds (odds ratio (95% confidence interval)) of uncontrolled BP were significantly higher in individuals with lower wealth index (1.17 (1.02, 1.35)); single vs married (1.46 (1.10, 1.93)); higher log urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (1.41 (1.24, 1.60)); lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (1.23 (1.01, 1.49)); low vs high adherence to antihypertensive medication (1.50 (1.16, 1.94)); and Pakistan (2.91 (1.60, 5.28)) vs Sri Lanka. However, the odds were lower in those with vs without self-reported kidney disease (0.51 (0.28, 0.91)); and receiving vs not receiving statins (0.62 (0.44, 0.87)). The majority of individuals with treated hypertension have uncontrolled BP in rural Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka with significant disparities among and within countries. Urgent public health efforts are needed to improve access and adherence to antihypertensive medications in disadvantaged populations in rural South Asia.

Reasons for uncontrolled seizures in adults; the impact of pseudointractability.

PubMed

Asadi-Pooya, Ali A; Emami, Mehrdad; Ashjazadeh, Nahid; Nikseresht, Alireza; Shariat, Abdolhamid; Petramfar, Peyman; Yousefipour, Gholamali; Borhani-Haghighi, Afshin; Izadi, Sadegh; Rahimi-Jaberi, Abbas

2013-05-01

We investigated the various possible reasons for uncontrolled seizures in patients 18 years of age and older to determine the impact of pseudointractability. We also tried to investigate the various forms of pseudointractability. In this cross-sectional study, all patients 18 years of age and older with their first seizure occurring at least six months prior to the referral date, taking at least one antiepileptic drug (AED) and having at least one seizure in the past three months were studied. The presumed reason for uncontrolled seizures was arbitrarily considered to be one of these five categories: Poor compliance; Wrong medication (misclassification); Wrong dose of the correct medication; Diagnosis other than epilepsy; and finally, Medically-refractory epilepsy. Statistical analyses were performed using Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, and a P value less than 0.05 was considered significant. 350 patients were referred to us due to uncontrolled seizures. One hundred ninety-one (55%) were male and 159 (45%) were female. Twelve percent of the patients had diagnoses other than epilepsy, 40% had indeed medically-refractory epilepsy; 29% were taking the wrong AEDs (misclassified epilepsy); 18% were taking suboptimal doses of AEDs; and 1% had poor drug compliance. The most common reason for uncontrolled seizures among patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy was taking the wrong AED. However, among patients with focal epilepsy, true medically-refractory epilepsy was the most common reason. Uncontrolled seizures are a commonly encountered problem, especially at epilepsy clinics and one should consider all possible reasons for these uncontrolled seizures. The mainstay for making a correct diagnosis is a detailed clinical history. Copyright © 2013 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficacy of FDA-Approved Hemostatic Drugs to Improve Survival and Reduce Bleeding in Rat Models of Uncontrolled Hemorrhage

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-07-01

drugs are used to reduce surgical bleeding. This series of studies tested whether these drugs (aprotinin, desmopressin, tranexamic acid , e- aminocaproic ...desmopressin, tranexamic acid , 8- aminocaproic acid ) could reduce bleeding due to traumatic injuries in two models of uncontrolled hemorrhage in rats... acid ) could reduce bleeding due to traumatic injuries in two models of uncontrolled hemorrhage in rats. In the first phase of each study, a lethal

Glycated hemoglobin correlates with arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction in patients with resistant hypertension and uncontrolled diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Moreno, Beatriz; de Faria, Ana Paula; Ritter, Alessandra Mileni Versuti; Yugar, Lara Buonalumi Tacito; Ferreira-Melo, Silvia Elaine; Amorim, Rivadavio; Modolo, Rodrigo; Fattori, André; Yugar-Toledo, Juan Carlos; Coca, Antonio; Moreno, Heitor

2018-05-01

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c ) on flow-mediated dilation, intima-media thickness, pulse wave velocity, and left ventricular mass index in patients with resistant hypertension (RHTN) comparing RHTN-controlled diabetes mellitus and RHTN-uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus. Two groups were formed: HbA 1c <7.0% (RHTN-controlled diabetes mellitus: n = 98) and HbA 1c ≥7.0% (RHTN-uncontrolled diabetes mellitus: n = 122). Intima-media thickness and flow-mediated dilation were measured by high-resolution ultrasound, left ventricular mass index by echocardiography, and arterial stiffness by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity. No differences in blood pressure levels were found between the groups but body mass index was higher in patients with RHTN-uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. Endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness were worse in patients with RHTN-uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. Intima-media thickness and left ventricular mass index measurements were similar between the groups. After adjustments, multiple linear regression analyses showed that HbA 1c was an independent predictor of flow-mediated dilation and pulse wave velocity in all patients with RHTN. In conclusion, HbA 1c may predict the grade of arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction in patients with RHTN, and superimposed uncontrolled diabetes mellitus implicates further impairment of vascular function. ©2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Prevalence of pseudoresistant hypertension due to inaccurate blood pressure measurement

PubMed Central

Bhatt, Hemal; Siddiqui, Mohammed; Judd, Eric; Oparil, Suzanne; Calhoun, David

2016-01-01

Background The prevalence of pseudoresistant hypertension (HTN) due to inaccurate BP measurement remains unknown. Methods Triage BP measurements and measurements obtained at the same clinic visit by trained physicians were compared in consecutive adult patients referred for uncontrolled resistant HTN (RHTN). Triage BP measurements were taken by the clinic staff during normal intake procedures. BP measurements were obtained by trained physicians using the BpTRU device. The prevalence of uncontrolled RHTN and differences in BP measurements were compared. Results Of 130 patients with uncontrolled RHTN, 33.1% (n=43) were falsely identified as having uncontrolled RHTN based on triage BP measurements. The median (IQR) of differences in systolic BP between pseudoresistant and true resistant groups were 23 (17 – 33) mm Hg and 13 (6 – 21) mm Hg, respectively (P=0.0001). The median (IQR) of differences in diastolic BP between the two groups were 12 (7 – 18) mm Hg and 8 (4 – 11) mm Hg, respectively (P=0.001). Conclusion Triage BP technique overestimated the prevalence of uncontrolled RHTN in approximately 33% of the patients emphasizing the importance of obtaining accurate BP measurements. PMID:27129931

Persistent toxic substances released from uncontrolled e-waste recycling and actions for the future.

PubMed

Man, Ming; Naidu, Ravi; Wong, Ming H

2013-10-01

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal was adopted on March 22, 1989 and enforced on May 5, 1992. Since then, the USA, one of the world's largest e-waste producers, has not ratified this Convention or the Basel Ban Amendment. Communities are still debating the legal loophole, which permits the export of whole products to other countries provided it is not for recycling. In January 2011, China's WEEE Directive was implemented, providing stricter control over e-waste imports to China, including Hong Kong, while emphasizing that e-waste recycling is the producers' responsibility. China is expected to supersede the USA as the principal e-waste producer, by 2020, according to the UNEP. Uncontrolled e-waste recycling activities generate and release heavy metals and POPs into the environment, which may be re-distributed, bioaccumulated and biomagnified, with potentially adverse human health effects. Greater efforts and scientific approaches are needed for future e-product designs of minimal toxic metal and compound use, reaping greater benefits than debating the definition and handling responsibilities of e-waste recycling. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A sensitivity model for energy consumption in buildings. Part 1: Effect of exterior environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lansing, F. L.

1981-01-01

A simple analytical model is developed for the simulation of seasonal heating and cooling loads of any class of buildings to complement available computerized techniques which make hourly, daily, and monthly calculations. An expression for the annual energy utilization index, which is a common measure of rating buildings having the same functional utilization, is derived to include about 30 parameters for both building interior and exterior environments. The sensitivity of a general class building to either controlled or uncontrolled weather parameters is examined. A hypothetical office type building, located at the Goldstone Space Communication Complex, Goldstone, California, is selected as an example for the numerical sensitivity evaluations. Several expressions of variations in local outside air temperature, pressure, solar radiation, and wind velocity are presented.

Pollution Impact and Alternative Treatment for Produced Water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hedar, Yusran; Budiyono

2018-02-01

Oil and gas exploration and production are two of the activities that potentially cause pollution and environmental damage. The largest waste generated from this activity is produced water. Produced water contains hazardous pollutants of both organic and inorganic materials, so that the produced water of oil and gas production cannot be discharged directly to the environment. Uncontrolled discharge can lead to the environmental damage, killing the life of water and plants. The produced water needs to be handled and fulfill the quality standards before being discharged to the environment. Several studies to reduce the contaminants in the produced water were conducted by researchers. Among them were gravity based separation - flotation, separation technique based on filtration, and biological process treatment. Therefore, some of these methods can be used as an alternative waste handling of produced water.

Environmental interventions to reduce fear of crime: systematic review of effectiveness.

PubMed

Lorenc, Theo; Petticrew, Mark; Whitehead, Margaret; Neary, David; Clayton, Stephen; Wright, Kath; Thomson, Hilary; Cummins, Steven; Sowden, Amanda; Renton, Adrian

2013-05-12

Fear of crime is associated with negative health and wellbeing outcomes, and may mediate some impacts of the built environment on public health. A range of environmental interventions have been hypothesized to reduce the fear of crime. This review aimed to synthesize the literature on the effectiveness of interventions in the built environment to reduce the fear of crime. Systematic review methodology, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidance, was used. Studies of environmental interventions which reported a fear of crime outcome and used any prospective evaluation design (randomized controlled trial (RCT), trial or uncontrolled before-and-after study) were included. Eighteen databases were searched. The Hamilton tool was used to assess quality. A narrative synthesis of findings was undertaken. A total of 47 studies were included, 22 controlled and 25 uncontrolled, with total sample sizes ranging from n = 52 to approximately n = 23,000. Thirty-six studies were conducted in the UK, ten studies in the USA and one study in the Netherlands. The quality of the evidence overall is low. There are some indications that home security improvements and non-crime-related environmental improvements may be effective for some fear of crime outcomes. There is little evidence that the following reduce fear of crime: street lighting improvements, closed-circuit television (CCTV), multi-component environmental crime prevention programs or regeneration programs. There is some evidence for the effectiveness of specific environmental interventions in reducing some indicators of fear of crime, but more attention to the context and possible confounders is needed in future evaluations of complex social interventions such as these.

Proximity operations considerations affecting spacecraft design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Staas, Steven K.

1991-01-01

Experience from several recent spacecraft development programs, such as Space Station Freedom (SSF) and the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) has shown the need for factoring proximity operations considerations into the vehicle design process. Proximity operations, those orbital maneuvers and procedures which involve operation of two or more spacecraft at ranges of less than one nautical mile, are essential to the construction, servicing, and operation of complex spacecraft. Typical proximity operations considerations which drive spacecraft design may be broken into two broad categories; flight profile characteristics and concerns, and use of various spacecraft systems during proximity operations. Proximity operations flight profile concerns include the following: (1) relative approach/separation line; (2) relative orientation of the vehicles; (3) relative translational and rotational rates; (4) vehicle interaction, in the form of thruster plume impingement, mating or demating operations, or uncontrolled contact/collision; and (5) active vehicle piloting. Spacecraft systems used during proximity operations include the following: (1) sensors, such as radar, laser ranging devices, or optical ranging systems; (2) effector hardware, such as thrusters; (3) flight control software; and (4) mating hardware, needed for docking or berthing operations. A discussion of how these factors affect vehicle design follows, addressing both active and passive/cooperative vehicles.

The Role of Neuropeptide Y (NPY) in Uncontrolled Alcohol Drinking and Relapse Behavior Resulting from Exposure to Stressful Events

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

effects of stressors on excessive and uncontrolled drinking and relapse-like drinking. We proposed to use foot-shock as the stressor to elicit increase...did significantly increase deprivation-induced relapse-like drinking, and that this effect was more robust in mutant mice lacking the NPY Y1R. Thus...ethanol consumption using a models of excessive uncontrolled drinking, and mutant mice lacking NPY or the Y1R were more sensitive to the effects of

Attitude control concepts for precision-pointing nonrigid spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Likins, P. W.

1974-01-01

Literal criteria are developed for the controllability and observability of general models of flexible spacecraft. Results are interpreted in special cases and in physical terms, permitting in some cases the identification of uncontrollable and unobservable states simply by examination of scalars composed of modal parameters and location matrices for sensors and actuators. A procedure is established for isolation of uncontrollable states, whereby sensor and actuator configurations assure that uncontrollable flexible mode states are also unobservable; in many applications such states can then be removed by coordinate truncation.

Burden of uncontrolled epilepsy in patients requiring an emergency room visit or hospitalization.

PubMed

Manjunath, Ranjani; Paradis, Pierre Emmanuel; Parisé, Hélène; Lafeuille, Marie-Hélène; Bowers, Brian; Duh, Mei Sheng; Lefebvre, Patrick; Faught, Edward

2012-10-30

To quantify the clinical and economic burden of uncontrolled epilepsy in patients requiring emergency department (ED) visit or hospitalization. Health insurance claims from a 5-state Medicaid database (1997Q1-2009Q2) and 55 self-insured US companies ("employer," 1999Q1 and 2008Q4) were analyzed. Adult patients with epilepsy receiving antiepileptic drugs (AED) were selected. Using a retrospective matched-cohort design, patients were categorized into cohorts of "uncontrolled" (≥ 2 changes in AED therapy, then ≥ 1 epilepsy-related ED visit/hospitalization within 1 year) and "well-controlled" (no AED change, no epilepsy-related ED visit/hospitalization) epilepsy. Matched cohorts were compared for health care resource utilization and costs using multivariate conditional regression models and nonparametric methods. From 110,312 (Medicaid) and 36,529 (employer) eligible patients, 3,454 and 602 with uncontrolled epilepsy were matched 1:1 to patients with well-controlled epilepsy, respectively. In both populations, uncontrolled epilepsy cohorts presented about 2 times more fractures and head injuries (all p values < 0.0001) and higher health care resource utilization (ranges of adjusted incidence rate ratios [IRRs] [all-cause utilization]: AEDs = 1.8-1.9, non-AEDs = 1.3-1.5, hospitalizations = 5.4-6.7, length of hospital stays = 7.3-7.7, ED visits = 3.7-5.0, outpatient visits = 1.4-1.7, neurologist visits = 2.3-3.1; all p values < 0.0001) than well-controlled groups. Total direct health care costs were higher in patients with uncontrolled epilepsy (adjusted cost difference [95% confidence interval (CI)] Medicaid = $12,258 [$10,482-$14,083]; employer = $14,582 [$12,019-$17,097]) vs well-controlled patients. Privately insured employees with uncontrolled epilepsy lost 2.5 times more work days, with associated indirect costs of $2,857 (95% CI $1,042-$4,581). Uncontrolled epilepsy in patients requiring ED visit or hospitalization was associated with significantly greater health care resource utilization and increased direct and indirect costs compared to well-controlled epilepsy in both publicly and privately insured settings.

Perceptions of diabetes control among people with type 2 diabetes treated with basal insulin in Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Brod, Meryl; Pfeiffer, Kathryn M; Barnett, Anthony H; Berntorp, Kerstin; Vilsbøll, Tina; Weissenberger, Benno

2016-07-11

To investigate perceptions of control among people with uncontrolled and well controlled type 2 diabetes (T2D) treated with basal insulin, as well as differences in perceptions and diabetes management practices between the two groups. Web surveys of 1012 people with uncontrolled T2D (HbA 1c >8.0% or 64 mmol/mol) on basal insulin in Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK and 295 people with well controlled T2D (HbA 1c <7.5% or 58 mmol/mol) on basal insulin in the UK were conducted. People with uncontrolled T2D perceived a wide range of factors as very/extremely important for deciding whether they are well controlled, including diet (80.7%), HbA 1c value (78.9%), times per day insulin taken (78.8%), insulin units taken per day (77.6%), and energy levels (74.5%). Fifty-one percent of uncontrolled respondents considered the past week or more recently when thinking about control. Perceived major obstacles to control included stress (75.4%), other health issues (70.8%), medicine side effects (69.9%), food cravings (69.8%), doctor not understanding individual situation (67.6%), and life crises (66.9%). Many uncontrolled respondents reported that diabetes was very/extremely interfering with their lives, including energy level (71.0%), performance at work (70.0%), general health (69.9%), and doing what one wants (69.3%). Analyses showed significant differences between well controlled and uncontrolled UK respondents. Compared to the uncontrolled, people with well controlled T2D were significantly more likely to consider the last 24 hours/current time when thinking about control (50% vs. 21%, p < 0.001) and reported greater healthcare contact related to diabetes and more frequent glucose measurement. Study limits include potential selection bias of web surveys and possible recall bias in patient-reported data. The results illuminate how people with T2D treated with basal insulin perceive control and show important differences between the well controlled and uncontrolled. Findings may have implications for improving patient and physician education and diabetes management.

Pilot preference and procedures at uncontrolled airports

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, L. C.

1975-01-01

The report presents the results of a pilot questionnaire utilized at the 1974 Reading, Pennsylvania Air Show to obtain data on pilot procedures and preference in the terminal airspace of uncontrolled airports.

Air pollution and asthma control in the Epidemiological study on the Genetics and Environment of Asthma.

PubMed

Jacquemin, Bénédicte; Kauffmann, Francine; Pin, Isabelle; Le Moual, Nicole; Bousquet, Jean; Gormand, Frédéric; Just, Jocelyne; Nadif, Rachel; Pison, Christophe; Vervloet, Daniel; Künzli, Nino; Siroux, Valérie

2012-09-01

The associations between exposure to air pollution and asthma control are not well known. The objective of this study was to assess the association between long-term exposure to NO(2), O(3) and PM(10) and asthma control in the follow-up of the Epidemiological study on the Genetics and Environment of Asthma (EGEA2) (2003-2007). Modelled outdoor NO(2), O(3) and PM(10) estimates were linked to each residential address using the 4 km grid air pollutant surface developed by the French Institute of Environment in 2004. Asthma control was assessed in 481 subjects with current asthma using a multidimensional approach following the 2006-2009 Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines. Multinomial and ordinal logistic regressions were conducted adjusted for sex, age, body mass index, education, smoking and use of inhaled corticosteroids. The association between air pollution and the three domains of asthma control (symptoms, exacerbations and lung function) was assessed. ORs are reported per IQR. Median concentrations (in micrograms per cubic metre) were 32 (IQR 25-38) for NO(2) (n=465), 46 (41-52) for O(3) and 21 (18-21) for PM(10) (n=481). In total, 44%, 29% and 27% had controlled, partly controlled and uncontrolled asthma, respectively. The ordinal ORs for O(3) and PM(10) with asthma control were 1.69 (95% CI 1.22 to 2.34) and 1.35 (95% CI 1.13 to 1.64), respectively. When including both pollutants in the same model, both associations persisted. Associations were not modified by sex, smoking status, use of inhaled corticosteroids, atopy, season of examination or body mass index. Both pollutants were associated with each of the three main domains of control. The results suggest that long-term exposure to PM(10) and O(3) is associated with uncontrolled asthma in adults, defined by symptoms, exacerbations and lung function.

Measurement of asthma control according to global initiative for asthma guidelines: a comparison with the asthma control questionnaire

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Introduction Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) is a validated tool to measure asthma control. Cut-off points that best discriminate “well-controlled” or “not well-controlled” asthma have been suggested from the analysis of a large randomized clinical trial but they may not be adequate for daily clinical practice. Aims To establish cut-off points of the ACQ that best discriminate the level of control according to Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) 2006 guidelines in patients with asthma managed at Allergology and Pulmonology Departments as well as Primary Care Centers in Spain. Patients and methods An epidemiological descriptive study, with prospective data collection. Asthma control following GINA-2006 classification and 7-item ACQ was assessed. The study population was split in two parts: 2/3 for finding the cut-off points (development population) and 1/3 for validating the results (validation population). Results A total of 1,363 stable asthmatic patients were included (mean age 38 ± 14 years, 60.3% women; 69.1% non-smokers). Patient classification according to GINA-defined asthma control was: controlled 13.6%, partially controlled 34.2%, and uncontrolled 52.3%. The ACQ cut-off points that better agreed with GINA-defined asthma control categories were calculated using receiver operating curves (ROC). The analysis showed that ACQ < 0.5 was the optimal cut-off point for “controlled asthma” (sensitivity 74.1%, specificity 77.5%) and 1.00 for “uncontrolled asthma” (sensitivity 73%, specificity 88.2%). Kappa index between GINA categories and ACQ was 0.62 (p < 0.001). Conclusion The ACQ cut-off points associated with GINA-defined asthma control in a real-life setting were <0.5 for controlled asthma and ≥1 for uncontrolled asthma. PMID:22726416

Explaining the relationship between attachment anxiety, eating behaviour and BMI.

PubMed

Wilkinson, Laura L; Rowe, Angela C; Robinson, Eric; Hardman, Charlotte A

2018-05-05

Previous research indicates that attachment anxiety (fear of abandonment) is predictive of overeating and higher body mass index (BMI). The current study explored the nature of the mechanisms underpinning this relationship. Study 1 assessed the relative contribution of 'emotional eating', 'susceptibility to hunger' and 'uncontrolled eating'. Study 2 assessed whether misperception of emotion and poor emotion management would mediate the relationship between attachment anxiety and stress-induced eating (and then BMI). Two cross-sectional online questionnaire studies were conducted (Study 1 N = 665, & Study 2 N = 548), in UK and US-based samples, which assessed attachment orientation and BMI alongside the potential mediators. The relative contribution of emotional eating, susceptibility to hunger and uncontrolled eating (Study 1) and difficulties in emotion regulation and stress-induced eating (Study 2) as mediators of this relationship were examined. In Study 1, parallel multiple mediation analysis (PROCESS) showed that emotional eating and susceptibility to hunger (but not uncontrolled eating) were significant mediators of the relationship between attachment anxiety and BMI. In Study 2, serial mediation analysis showed that difficulties in 'engaging with goal directed behaviours when upset' and stress-induced eating operated in series to significantly mediate the relationship between attachment anxiety and BMI. These findings suggest that attachment anxious individuals feel less capable in disengaging from negative emotions and go on to try to soothe themselves through eating which has a negative impact on their BMI. There was less support for an explanation of the relationship between attachment anxiety and BMI based around the misperception of emotion. Taken together, the findings highlight attachment anxiety and emotion regulation strategies as key targets for interventions that aim to reduce overeating and excess body weight. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measurement of asthma control according to Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines: a comparison with the Asthma Control Questionnaire.

PubMed

Olaguibel, José María; Quirce, Santiago; Juliá, Berta; Fernández, Cristina; Fortuna, Ana María; Molina, Jesús; Plaza, Vicente

2012-06-22

Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) is a validated tool to measure asthma control. Cut-off points that best discriminate "well-controlled" or "not well-controlled" asthma have been suggested from the analysis of a large randomized clinical trial but they may not be adequate for daily clinical practice. To establish cut-off points of the ACQ that best discriminate the level of control according to Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) 2006 guidelines in patients with asthma managed at Allergology and Pulmonology Departments as well as Primary Care Centers in Spain. An epidemiological descriptive study, with prospective data collection. Asthma control following GINA-2006 classification and 7-item ACQ was assessed. The study population was split in two parts: 2/3 for finding the cut-off points (development population) and 1/3 for validating the results (validation population). A total of 1,363 stable asthmatic patients were included (mean age 38 ± 14 years, 60.3% women; 69.1% non-smokers). Patient classification according to GINA-defined asthma control was: controlled 13.6%, partially controlled 34.2%, and uncontrolled 52.3%. The ACQ cut-off points that better agreed with GINA-defined asthma control categories were calculated using receiver operating curves (ROC). The analysis showed that ACQ < 0.5 was the optimal cut-off point for "controlled asthma" (sensitivity 74.1%, specificity 77.5%) and 1.00 for "uncontrolled asthma" (sensitivity 73%, specificity 88.2%). Kappa index between GINA categories and ACQ was 0.62 (p < 0.001). The ACQ cut-off points associated with GINA-defined asthma control in a real-life setting were <0.5 for controlled asthma and ≥1 for uncontrolled asthma.

Laboratory-induced learned helplessness attenuates approach motivation as indexed by posterior versus frontal theta activity.

PubMed

Reznik, Samantha J; Nusslock, Robin; Pornpattananangkul, Narun; Abramson, Lyn Y; Coan, James A; Harmon-Jones, Eddie

2017-08-01

Research suggests that midline posterior versus frontal electroencephalographic (EEG) theta activity (PFTA) may reflect a novel neurophysiological index of approach motivation. Elevated PFTA has been associated with approach-related tendencies both at rest and during laboratory tasks designed to enhance approach motivation. PFTA is sensitive to changes in dopamine signaling within the fronto-striatal neural circuit, which is centrally involved in approach motivation, reward processing, and goal-directed behavior. To date, however, no studies have examined PFTA during a laboratory task designed to reduce approach motivation or goal-directed behavior. Considerable animal and human research supports the hypothesis put forth by the learned helplessness theory that exposure to uncontrollable aversive stimuli decreases approach motivation by inducing a state of perceived uncontrollability. Accordingly, the present study examined the effect of perceived uncontrollability (i.e., learned helplessness) on PFTA. EEG data were collected from 74 participants (mean age = 19.21 years; 40 females) exposed to either Controllable (n = 26) or Uncontrollable (n = 25) aversive noise bursts, or a No-Noise Condition (n = 23). In line with prediction, individuals exposed to uncontrollable aversive noise bursts displayed a significant decrease in PFTA, reflecting reduced approach motivation, relative to both individuals exposed to controllable noise bursts or the No-Noise Condition. There was no relationship between perceived uncontrollability and frontal EEG alpha asymmetry, another commonly used neurophysiological index of approach motivation. Results have implications for understanding the neurophysiology of approach motivation and establishing PFTA as a neurophysiological index of approach-related tendencies.

Helplessness and perceived pain intensity: relations to cortisol concentrations after electrocutaneous stimulation in healthy young men

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Uncontrollable aversive events are associated with feelings of helplessness and cortisol elevation and are suitable as a model of depression. The high comorbidity of depression and pain symptoms and the importance of controllability in both conditions are clinically well-known but empirical studies are scarce. The study investigated the relationship of pain experience, helplessness, and cortisol secretion after controllable vs. uncontrollable electric skin stimulation in healthy male individuals. Methods Sixty-four male volunteers were randomly assigned to receive 30 controllable (self-administered) or uncontrollable (experimenter-administered) painful electric skin stimuli. Perceived pain intensity (PPI), subjective helplessness ratings, and salivary cortisol concentrations were assessed. PPI was assessed after stress exposure. For salivary cortisol concentrations and subjective helplessness ratings, areas under the response curve (AUC) were calculated. Results After uncontrollable vs. controllable stress exposure significantly higher PPI ratings (P = 0.023), higher subjective helplessness AUC (P < 0.0005) and higher salivary cortisol AUC (P = 0.004, t-tests) were found. Correlation analyses revealed a significant correlation between subjective helplessness AUC and PPI (r = 0.500, P < 0.0005), subjective helplessness AUC and salivary cortisol AUC (r = 0.304, P = 0.015) and between PPI and salivary cortisol AUC (r = 0.298, P = 0.017). Conclusions The results confirm the impact of uncontrollability on stress responses in humans; the relationship of PPI with subjective helplessness and salivary cortisol suggests a cognitive-affective sensitization of pain perception, particularly under uncontrollable conditions. PMID:21718526

Mice subjected to uncontrollable electric shocks show depression-like behaviors irrespective of their state of helplessness.

PubMed

Kim, Jin Yong; Yang, Soo Hyun; Kwon, Jihyun; Lee, Hyun Woo; Kim, Hyun

2017-03-30

The unpredictable and inescapable electric shock-induced "learned helplessness" paradigm has long been used to produce an animal model of depression to identify the molecules associated with depressive symptoms or to assess the efficacy of pharmacological treatments for depression. After exposure to unpredictable and inescapable shocks (uncontrollable stress), most of mice showed defect in escape behavior in active avoidance test (learned helplessness, LH), while others did not (non-learned helplessness, NLH). Here, we investigated whether mice with LH or NLH exhibited depressive symptoms, including anhedonia, anxiety, and despair. We found that compared with control naïve mice, both uncontrollable shocks-induced LH and NLH mice showed increased anhedonia- and anxiety- but not despair-like behaviors. Notably, mice subjected to uncontrollable shocks showed similar behaviors, irrespective of whether they also showed LH or NLH. Furthermore, since both LH and NLH mice showed only anhedonia- and anxiety- but not despair-like behaviors, this model may be generally inadequate for classic depression-like behavior assessment. In conclusion, uncontrollable electric shock induces depression-like behavior, irrespective of the state of helplessness. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Antihypertensive Efficacy of Fixed Combination Azilsartan Medoxomil / Chlorthalidone in Patients With Uncontrolled Arterial Hypertension].

PubMed

Kobalava, Z D; Villevalde, S V; Kulakov, V V

2017-11-01

To study effects of a fixed azilsartan medoxomil/chlorthalidone combination (Edarbi Clo) on clinical, ambulatory and central blood pressure (BP) in patients with uncontrolled arterial hypertension (AH)). Patients (n=25) with uncontrolled AH were given fixed azilsartan medoxomil/chlorthalidone combination (40 / 12.5 mg / day) for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, in patients who did not achieve target BP levels the dose was increased up to 40 / 25 mg / day. Duration of the study was 12 weeks. After 12 weeks of treatment 88 % of patients achieved target clinical BP (.

Considerations in the Integration of Small Aircraft Transportation System Higher Volume Operations (SATSHVO) in the National Airspace System (NAS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lohr, Gary W.; Williams, Dan; Abbott, Terence; Baxley, Brian; Greco, Adam; Ridgway, Richard

2005-01-01

The Small Aircraft Transportation System Higher Volume Operations (SATS HVO) concept holds the promise for increased efficiency and throughput at many of the nations under-used airports. This concept allows for concurrent operations at uncontrolled airports that under today s procedures are restricted to one arrival or one departure operation at a time, when current-day IFR separation standards are applied. To allow for concurrent operations, SATS HVO proposes several fundamental changes to today's system. These changes include: creation of dedicated airspace, development of new procedures and communications (phraseologies), and assignment of roles and responsibilities for pilots and controllers, among others. These changes would affect operations on the airborne side (pilot) as well as the groundside (controller and air traffic flow process). The focus of this paper is to discuss some of the issues and potential problems that have been considered in the development of the SATS HVO concept, in particular from the ground side perspective. Reasonable solutions to the issues raised here have been proposed by the SATS HVO team, and are discussed in this paper.

Uncontrolled asthma: assessing quality of life and productivity of children and their caregivers using a cross-sectional Internet-based survey.

PubMed

Dean, Bonnie B; Calimlim, Brian C; Sacco, Patricia; Aguilar, Daniel; Maykut, Robert; Tinkelman, David

2010-09-08

Results of a national survey of asthmatic children that evaluated management goals established in 2004 by the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) indicated that asthma symptom control fell short on nearly every goal. An Internet-based survey was administered to adult caregivers of children aged 6-12 years with moderate to severe asthma. Asthma was categorized as uncontrolled when the caregiver reported pre-specified criteria for daytime symptoms, nighttime awakening, activity limitation, or rescue medication based on the NAEPP guidelines. Children's health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and caregivers' quality of life (QOL) were assessed using the Child Health Questionnaire Parent Form 28 (CHQ-PF28) and caregiver's work productivity using a modified Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire. Children with uncontrolled vs. controlled asthma were compared. 360 caregivers of children with uncontrolled asthma and 113 of children with controlled asthma completed the survey. Children with uncontrolled asthma had significantly lower CHQ-PF28 physical (mean 38.1 vs 49.8, uncontrolled vs controlled, respectively) and psychosocial (48.2 vs 53.8) summary measure scores. They were more likely to miss school (5.5 vs 2.2 days), arrive late or leave early (26.7 vs 7.1%), miss school-related activities (40.6 vs 6.2%), use a rescue inhaler at school (64.2 vs 31.0%), and visit the health office or school nurse (22.5 vs 8.8%). Caregivers of children with uncontrolled asthma reported significantly greater work and activity impairment and lower QOL for emotional, time-related and family activities. Poorly controlled asthma symptoms impair HRQOL of children, QOL of their caregivers, and productivity of both. Proper treatment and management to improve symptom control may reduce humanistic and economic burdens on asthmatic children and their caregivers.

AIR EMISSIONS FROM SCRAP TIRE COMBUSTION

EPA Science Inventory

The report discusses air emissions from two types of scrap tire combustion: uncontrolled and controlled. Uncontrolled sources are open tire fires, which produce many unhealthful products of incomplete combustion and release them directly into the atmosphere. Controlled combustion...

EMISSIONS OF PCDD/F FROM UNCONTROLLED, DOMESTIC WASTE BURNING

EPA Science Inventory

Emissions of polychlorinated bibenzodioxin and dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) result from inefficiencies of combustion processes, most typically waste combustion. Uncontrolled combustion, such as occurs during so-called "backyard burning" of domestic waste, may therefore produce optimal ...

Young-age gender differences in mathematics mediated by independent control or uncontrollability.

PubMed

Zirk-Sadowski, Jan; Lamptey, Charlotte; Devine, Amy; Haggard, Mark; Szűcs, Dénes

2014-05-01

We studied whether the origins of math anxiety can be related to a biologically supported framework of stress induction: (un)controllability perception, here indicated by self-reported independent efforts in mathematics. Math anxiety was tested in 182 children (8- to 11-year-olds). Latent factor modeling was used to test hypotheses on plausible causal processes and mediations within competing models in quasi-experimental contrasts. Uncontrollability perception in mathematics, or (in)dependence of efforts, best fit the data as an antecedent of math anxiety. In addition, the relationship of math anxiety with gender was fully mediated by adaptive perception of control (i.e. controllability). That is, young boys differ from girls in terms of their experience of control in mathematics learning. These differences influence math anxiety. Our findings are consistent with recent suggestions in clinical literature according to which uncontrollability makes women more susceptible to fear and anxiety disorders. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Merging analytic and empirical GEO debris synchronization dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Paul V.; McKnight, Darren S.; Di Pentino, Frank; Schaub, Hanspeter

2016-09-01

The motion of abandoned satellites near the geostationary (GEO) region has been extensively studied, modeled, and compared to the motion of station-kept, operational satellites, providing insights into the evolution of uncontrolled orbits at GEO. Analytic developments produced a family of curves represented in the ascending node versus inclination space describing the long-term precession of the orbit plane at GEO, and forecasted the clustering of objects at the geopotential wells. However, recent investigations were undertaken to characterize apparent anomalistic behavior of GEO objects and classification of objects into related families. This paper provides a unifying summary of early bottom-up analytical theory with more recent top-down operational observations, highlighting the common linkage between these dimensions of GEO object behavior. This paper also identifies the relevance of these patterns of life tendencies for future operations at and near GEO, and discusses the long-term implications of these patterns of life for space situational awareness activities in this regime.

A Compact, Soft-Switching DC-DC Converter for Electric Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Button, Robert; Redilla, Jack; Ayyanar, Raja

2003-01-01

A hybrid, soft-switching, DC-DC converter has been developed with superior soft switching characteristics, high efficiency, and low electro-magnetic interference. This hybrid topology is comprised of an uncontrolled bridge operating at full pulse-width, and a controlled section operating as a conventional phase modulated converter. The unique topology is able to maintain zero voltage switching down to no load operating conditions. A breadboard prototype was developed and tested to demonstrate the benefits of the topology. Improvements were then made to reduce the size of passive components and increase efficiency in preparation for packaging. A packaged prototype was then designed and built, and several innovative packaging techniques are presented. Performance test data is presented that reveals deficiencies in the design of the power transformer. A simple redesign of the transformer windings eliminated the deficiency. Future plans to improve the converter and packaging design are presented along with several conclusions.

Smart Sensor Node Development, Testing and Implementation for ISHM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mengers, Timothy; Shipley, John; Merrill, Richard; Eggett, Mark; Lemon, Leon; Johnson, Mont; Morris, Jonathan; Figueroa, Fernando; Schmalzel, John; Turowski, Mark

2007-01-01

A main design criterion for a robust Integrated Systems Health Management (ISHM) system is summed up best by the statement "No data is better than bad data". Traditional data acquisition systems are calibrated in a controlled environment and guaranteed to perform bounded by their tested conditions. To successfully design and implement a real world ISHM system, the data acquisition and signal conditioning needs to function in an uncontrolled environment. Development and testing focuses on a design with the ability to self check in order to extend calibration times, report internal faults and drifts and notify the overall system when the data acquisition is not performing as it should. All of this will be designed in a system that is flexible, requiring little redesign to be deployed on a wide variety of systems. Development progress and testing results will be reported.

Cancer Cell Biology: A Student-Centered Instructional Module Exploring the Use of Multimedia to Enrich Interactive, Constructivist Learning of Science

PubMed Central

Bockholt, Susanne M.; West, J. Paige; Bollenbacher, Walter E.

2003-01-01

Multimedia has the potential of providing bioscience education novel learning environments and pedagogy applications to foster student interest, involve students in the research process, advance critical thinking/problem-solving skills, and develop conceptual understanding of biological topics. Cancer Cell Biology, an interactive, multimedia, problem-based module, focuses on how mutations in protooncogenes and tumor suppressor genes can lead to uncontrolled cell proliferation by engaging students as research scientists/physicians with the task of diagnosing the molecular basis of tumor growth for a group of patients. The process of constructing the module, which was guided by scientist and student feedback/responses, is described. The completed module and insights gained from its development are presented as a potential “multimedia pedagogy” for the development of other multimedia science learning environments. PMID:12822037

Active control of bearing preload using piezoelectric translators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nye, Ted W.

1990-01-01

In many spacecraft applications, mechanisms are required to perform precision pointing operations or to sometimes dither about or track a moving object. These mechanisms perform in a predictable and repeatable manner in benign temperature environments. Severe thermal gradients experienced in actual space applications however, cause assemblies to expand and contract around their bearings. This results in unpredictable changes in bearing preload, and hence bearing friction. This becomes a limitation for servos controlling pointing accuracy. Likewise, uncontrollable vibrations may couple into fixed preload (hence, fixed stiffness) mechanisms and limit pointing accuracy. Consequently, a complex problem faced today is how to design mechanisms that remain insensitive to changing thermal and vibrational spacecraft environments. Research presented involves the simplified modeling and test results of an actuator module that used piezoelectrically preload controlled bearings. The feasibility of actively controlling bearing preload was demonstrated. Because bearing friction is related to preload, a thermally active system designed with aluminum components and a 440 C bearing, was friction tested at temperatures ranging from 0 to 70 C (32 to 158 F). Effectiveness of the translators were demonstrated by mapping a controllable friction range throughout tested temperatures. It was learned that constant preload for this system could be maintained over an approximate 44 C (79 F) temperature span. From testing, it was also discovered that at the more deviate temperatures, expansions were so large that radial clearances were taken up and the duplex bearing became radially preloaded. Thus, active control of bearing preload is feasible but may be limited by inherent geometry constraints and materials used in the system.

Impact of biodiesel on regulated and unregulated emissions, and redox and proinflammatory properties of PM emitted from heavy-duty vehicles.

PubMed

Karavalakis, Georgios; Gysel, Nicholas; Schmitz, Debra A; Cho, Arthur K; Sioutas, Constantinos; Schauer, James J; Cocker, David R; Durbin, Thomas D

2017-04-15

The emissions and the potential health effects of particulate matter (PM) were assessed from two heavy-duty trucks with and without emission control aftertreatment systems when operating on CARB ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and three different biodiesel blends. The CARB ULSD was blended with soy-based biodiesel, animal fat biodiesel, and waste cooking oil biodiesel at 50vol%. Testing was conducted over the EPA Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS) in triplicate for both trucks. The aftertreatment controls effectively decreased PM mass and number emissions, as well as the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) compared to the uncontrolled truck. Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO x ) exhibited increases with the biodiesel blends, showing some feedstock dependency for the controlled truck. The oxidative potential of the emitted PM, measured by means of the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay, showed reductions with the use of biodiesel blends relative to CARB ULSD for the uncontrolled truck. Overall, the cellular responses to the particles from each fuel were reflective of the chemical content, i.e., particles from CARB ULSD were the most reactive and exhibited the highest cellular responses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Risk of Impaired Control of Spacecraft/Associated Systems and Decreased Mobility Due to Vestibular/Sensorimotor Alterations Associated with Space flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloomberg, Jacob J.; Reschke, Millard F.; Clement, Gilles R.; Mulavara, Ajitkumar P.; Taylor, Laura C..

2015-01-01

Control of vehicles and other complex systems is a high-level integrative function of the central nervous system (CNS). It requires well-functioning subsystem performance, including good visual acuity, eye-hand coordination, spatial and geographic orientation perception, and cognitive function. Evidence from space flight research demonstrates that the function of each of these subsystems is altered by removing gravity, a fundamental orientation reference, which is sensed by vestibular, proprioceptive, and haptic receptors and used by the CNS for spatial orientation, posture, navigation, and coordination of movements. The available evidence also shows that the degree of alteration of each subsystem depends on a number of crew- and mission-related factors. There is only limited operational evidence that these alterations cause functional impacts on mission-critical vehicle (or complex system) control capabilities. Furthermore, while much of the operational performance data collected during space flight has not been available for independent analysis, those that have been reviewed are somewhat equivocal owing to uncontrolled (and/or unmeasured) environmental and/or engineering factors. Whether this can be improved by further analysis of previously inaccessible operational data or by development of new operational research protocols remains to be seen. The true operational risks will be estimable only after we have filled the knowledge gaps and when we can accurately assess integrated performance in off-nominal operational settings (Paloski et al. 2008). Thus, our current understanding of the Risk of Impaired Control of Spacecraft/Associated Systems and Decreased Mobility Due to Vestibular/Sensorimotor Alterations Associated with Space flight is limited primarily to extrapolation of scientific research findings, and, since there are limited ground-based analogs of the sensorimotor and vestibular changes associated with space flight, observation of their functional impacts is limited to studies performed in the space flight environment. Fortunately, many sensorimotor and vestibular experiments have been performed during and/or after space flight missions since 1959 (Reschke et al. 2007). While not all of these experiments were directly relevant to the question of vehicle/complex system control, most provide insight into changes in aspects of sensorimotor control that might bear on the physiological subsystems underlying this high-level integrated function.

Laser Spot Tracking Based on Modified Circular Hough Transform and Motion Pattern Analysis

PubMed Central

Krstinić, Damir; Skelin, Ana Kuzmanić; Milatić, Ivan

2014-01-01

Laser pointers are one of the most widely used interactive and pointing devices in different human-computer interaction systems. Existing approaches to vision-based laser spot tracking are designed for controlled indoor environments with the main assumption that the laser spot is very bright, if not the brightest, spot in images. In this work, we are interested in developing a method for an outdoor, open-space environment, which could be implemented on embedded devices with limited computational resources. Under these circumstances, none of the assumptions of existing methods for laser spot tracking can be applied, yet a novel and fast method with robust performance is required. Throughout the paper, we will propose and evaluate an efficient method based on modified circular Hough transform and Lucas–Kanade motion analysis. Encouraging results on a representative dataset demonstrate the potential of our method in an uncontrolled outdoor environment, while achieving maximal accuracy indoors. Our dataset and ground truth data are made publicly available for further development. PMID:25350502

Laser spot tracking based on modified circular Hough transform and motion pattern analysis.

PubMed

Krstinić, Damir; Skelin, Ana Kuzmanić; Milatić, Ivan

2014-10-27

Laser pointers are one of the most widely used interactive and pointing devices in different human-computer interaction systems. Existing approaches to vision-based laser spot tracking are designed for controlled indoor environments with the main assumption that the laser spot is very bright, if not the brightest, spot in images. In this work, we are interested in developing a method for an outdoor, open-space environment, which could be implemented on embedded devices with limited computational resources. Under these circumstances, none of the assumptions of existing methods for laser spot tracking can be applied, yet a novel and fast method with robust performance is required. Throughout the paper, we will propose and evaluate an efficient method based on modified circular Hough transform and Lucas-Kanade motion analysis. Encouraging results on a representative dataset demonstrate the potential of our method in an uncontrolled outdoor environment, while achieving maximal accuracy indoors. Our dataset and ground truth data are made publicly available for further development.

Eating traits questionnaires as a continuum of a single concept. Uncontrolled eating.

PubMed

Vainik, Uku; Neseliler, Selin; Konstabel, Kenn; Fellows, Lesley K; Dagher, Alain

2015-07-01

Research on eating behaviour has identified several potentially relevant eating-related traits captured by different questionnaires. Often, these questionnaires predict Body Mass Index (BMI), but the relationship between them has not been explicitly studied. We studied the unity and diversity of questionnaires capturing five common eating-related traits: Power of Food, Eating Impulsivity, emotional eating, Disinhibition, and binge eating in women from Estonia (n = 740) and Canada (n = 456). Using bifactor analysis, we showed that a) these questionnaires are largely explained by a single factor, and b) relative to this shared factor, only some questionnaires offered additional variance in predicting BMI. Hence, these questionnaires seemed to characterise a common factor, which we label Uncontrolled Eating. Item Response Theory techniques were then applied to demonstrate that c) within this common factor, the questionnaires could be placed on a continuum of Uncontrolled Eating. That is, Eating Impulsivity focused on the milder degree, Power of Food Scale, emotional eating scales, and Disinhibition on intermediate degrees, and the Binge Eating Scale on the most severe degrees of Uncontrolled Eating. In sum, evidence from two samples showed that questionnaires capturing five common BMI-related traits largely reflected the same underlying latent trait - Uncontrolled Eating. In Estonia, some questionnaires focused on different severities of this common construct, supporting a continuum model of Uncontrolled Eating. These findings provide a starting point for developing better questionnaires of the neurobehavioural correlates of obesity, and provide a unifying perspective from which to view the existing literature. R scripts and data used for the analysis are provided. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Deficits in episodic memory are related to uncontrolled eating in a sample of healthy adults.

PubMed

Martin, A A; Davidson, T L; McCrory, M A

2018-05-01

Despite a substantial amount of animal data linking deficits in memory inhibition to the development of overeating and obesity, few studies have investigated the relevance of memory inhibition to uncontrolled eating in humans. Further, although memory for recent eating has been implicated as an important contributor to satiety and energy intake, the possibility that variations in episodic memory relate to individual differences in food intake control has been largely neglected. To examine these relationships, we recruited ninety-three adult subjects to attend a single lab session where we assessed body composition, dietary intake, memory performance, and eating behaviors (Three Factor Eating Questionnaire). Episodic recall and memory inhibition were assessed using a well-established measure of memory interference (Retrieval Practice Paradigm). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that memory inhibition was largely unrelated to participants' eating behaviors; however, episodic recall was reliably predicted by restrained vs. uncontrolled eating: recall was positively associated with strategic dieting (β = 2.45, p = 0.02), avoidance of fatty foods (β = 3.41, p = 0.004), and cognitive restraint (β = 1.55, p = 0.04). In contrast, recall was negatively associated with uncontrolled eating (β = -1.15, p = 0.03) and emotional eating (β = -2.46, p = 0.04). These findings suggest that episodic memory processing is related to uncontrolled eating in humans. The possibility that deficits in episodic memory may contribute to uncontrolled eating by disrupting memory for recent eating is discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantifying Uncontrolled Air Emissions from Two Florida Landfills

EPA Science Inventory

Landfill gas emissions, if left uncontrolled, contribute to air toxics, climate change, trospospheric ozone, and urban smog. Measuring emissions from landfills presents unique challenges due to the large and variable source area, spatial and temporal variability of emissions, and...

Establishing procedures and guidelines for pedestrian treatments at uncontrolled locations

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-08-01

Pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users. The risks to pedestrians crossing at uncontrolled locations are much higher than at signalized intersections. There has been an increasing trend in pedestrian deaths during the past decade. Specifically...

Framework for the quality assurance of 'omics technologies considering GLP requirements.

PubMed

Kauffmann, Hans-Martin; Kamp, Hennicke; Fuchs, Regine; Chorley, Brian N; Deferme, Lize; Ebbels, Timothy; Hackermüller, Jörg; Perdichizzi, Stefania; Poole, Alan; Sauer, Ursula G; Tollefsen, Knut E; Tralau, Tewes; Yauk, Carole; van Ravenzwaay, Ben

2017-12-01

'Omics technologies are gaining importance to support regulatory toxicity studies. Prerequisites for performing 'omics studies considering GLP principles were discussed at the European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals (ECETOC) Workshop Applying 'omics technologies in Chemical Risk Assessment. A GLP environment comprises a standard operating procedure system, proper pre-planning and documentation, and inspections of independent quality assurance staff. To prevent uncontrolled data changes, the raw data obtained in the respective 'omics data recording systems have to be specifically defined. Further requirements include transparent and reproducible data processing steps, and safe data storage and archiving procedures. The software for data recording and processing should be validated, and data changes should be traceable or disabled. GLP-compliant quality assurance of 'omics technologies appears feasible for many GLP requirements. However, challenges include (i) defining, storing, and archiving the raw data; (ii) transparent descriptions of data processing steps; (iii) software validation; and (iv) ensuring complete reproducibility of final results with respect to raw data. Nevertheless, 'omics studies can be supported by quality measures (e.g., GLP principles) to ensure quality control, reproducibility and traceability of experiments. This enables regulators to use 'omics data in a fit-for-purpose context, which enhances their applicability for risk assessment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Real-time mandibular angle reduction surgical simulation with haptic rendering.

PubMed

Wang, Qiong; Chen, Hui; Wu, Wen; Jin, Hai-Yang; Heng, Pheng-Ann

2012-11-01

Mandibular angle reduction is a popular and efficient procedure widely used to alter the facial contour. The primary surgical instruments, the reciprocating saw and the round burr, employed in the surgery have a common feature: operating at a high-speed. Generally, inexperienced surgeons need a long-time practice to learn how to minimize the risks caused by the uncontrolled contacts and cutting motions in manipulation of instruments with high-speed reciprocation or rotation. A virtual reality-based surgical simulator for the mandibular angle reduction was designed and implemented on a CUDA-based platform in this paper. High-fidelity visual and haptic feedbacks are provided to enhance the perception in a realistic virtual surgical environment. The impulse-based haptic models were employed to simulate the contact forces and torques on the instruments. It provides convincing haptic sensation for surgeons to control the instruments under different reciprocation or rotation velocities. The real-time methods for bone removal and reconstruction during surgical procedures have been proposed to support realistic visual feedbacks. The simulated contact forces were verified by comparing against the actual force data measured through the constructed mechanical platform. An empirical study based on the patient-specific data was conducted to evaluate the ability of the proposed system in training surgeons with various experiences. The results confirm the validity of our simulator.

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

Tinmaz, Esra; Demir, Ibrahim

Over the past decades, uncontrolled population growth and rapid urbanization and industrialization have resulted in environmental problems in Corlu Town, Turkey. One of the most important problems is solid waste due to inadequate management practices. Nowadays, increasing public awareness of the environment compels local authorities to define and to adopt new solutions for waste management. This paper presents a general overview of current solid waste management practices in Corlu Town and principles of the recommended municipal solid waste (MSW) management system. In Corlu, 170 tonnes of municipal solid waste are generated each day, or 1.150 kg per capita per day.more » Approximately one-half of the municipal solid waste generated is organic material and 30% of the MSW consists of recyclable materials. The recommended system deals with maximizing recycling and minimizing landfilling of municipal solid waste, and consists of separation at source, collection, sorting, recycling, composting and sanitary landfilling. This study also analyzed the recommended system with respect to feasibility and economics. To evaluate whether the suggested system is cost effective or not, the operating cost of the recommended system and market prices of recyclable materials were compared, and the results show that the recommended system will reduce required landfill volume up to 27% of compared to the present situation. The profit of the recommended system is estimated to be about 80 million US dollars.« less

Environmental interventions to reduce fear of crime: systematic review of effectiveness

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Fear of crime is associated with negative health and wellbeing outcomes, and may mediate some impacts of the built environment on public health. A range of environmental interventions have been hypothesized to reduce the fear of crime. Methods This review aimed to synthesize the literature on the effectiveness of interventions in the built environment to reduce the fear of crime. Systematic review methodology, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidance, was used. Studies of environmental interventions which reported a fear of crime outcome and used any prospective evaluation design (randomized controlled trial (RCT), trial or uncontrolled before-and-after study) were included. Eighteen databases were searched. The Hamilton tool was used to assess quality. A narrative synthesis of findings was undertaken. Results A total of 47 studies were included, 22 controlled and 25 uncontrolled, with total sample sizes ranging from n = 52 to approximately n = 23,000. Thirty-six studies were conducted in the UK, ten studies in the USA and one study in the Netherlands. The quality of the evidence overall is low. There are some indications that home security improvements and non-crime-related environmental improvements may be effective for some fear of crime outcomes. There is little evidence that the following reduce fear of crime: street lighting improvements, closed-circuit television (CCTV), multi-component environmental crime prevention programs or regeneration programs. Conclusions There is some evidence for the effectiveness of specific environmental interventions in reducing some indicators of fear of crime, but more attention to the context and possible confounders is needed in future evaluations of complex social interventions such as these. PMID:23663285

Self-administered hearing loss screening using an interactive, tablet play audiometer with ear bud headphones.

PubMed

Yeung, Jeffrey C; Heley, Sophie; Beauregard, Yves; Champagne, Sandra; Bromwich, Matthew A

2015-08-01

The timely diagnosis and treatment of acquired hearing loss in the pediatric population has significant implications for a child's development. Audiological assessment in children, however, carries both technological and logistical challenges. Typically, specialized methods (such as play audiometry) are required to maintain the child's attention and can be resource intensive. These challenges were previously addressed by a novel, calibrated, interactive play audiometer for Apple(®) iOS(®) called "ShoeBOX Audiometry". This device has potential applications for deployment in environments where traditional clinical audiometry is either unavailable or impractical. The objective of this study was to assess the screening capability of the tablet audiometer in an uncontrolled environment using consumer ear-bud headphones. Consecutive patients presenting to the Audiology Clinic at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (ages 4 and older) were recruited. Participants' hearing was evaluted using the tablet audiometer calibrated to Apple(®) In-Ear headphones. The warble tone thresholds obtained were compared to gold standard measurements taken with a traditional clinical audiometer inside a soundbooth. 80 patients were enrolled. The majority of participants were capable of completing an audiologic assessment using the tablet computer. Due to ambient noise levels outside a soundbooth, thresholds obtained at 500Hz were not consistent with traditional audiometry. Excluding 500Hz threholds, the tablet audiometer demonstrated strong negative predictive value (89.7%) as well as strong sensitivity (91.2%) for hearing loss. Thresholds obtained in an uncontrolled setting are not reflective of diagnostic thresholds due to the uncalibrated nature of the headphones and variability of the setting without a booth. Nevertheless, the tablet audiometer proved to be both a valid and sensitive instrument for unsupervised screening of warble-tone thresholds in children. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Results of clinical lung transplant from uncontrolled non-heart-beating donors.

PubMed

de Antonio, David Gómez; Marcos, Roberto; Laporta, Rosalía; Mora, Gema; García-Gallo, Cristina; Gámez, Pablo; Córdoba, Mar; Moradiellos, Javier; Ussetti, Piedad; Carreño, María C; Núñez, José R; Calatayud, Joaquín; Del Río, Francisco; Varela, Andrés

2007-05-01

The scarcity of grafts for lung transplant and the growing number of candidates expecting an organ has led to an increase of deaths in patients waiting for lung transplantation. Non-heart-beating donors (NHBD) represent a promising source of grafts for those who are involved in clinical lung transplantation. We present the results of our series of 17 out-of-hospital NHBD lung transplantations performed since 2002. We have collected data from 17 donors and recipients involved in NHBD lung transplants since 2002, as well as data referring to the type of procedure and peri-operative events. We describe the incidence of post-operative complications with special attention to primary graft disfunction (PGD), bronchial healing, bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), and survival. We used Kaplan-Meier method to obtain the survival curve. G2-G3 PGD was reported in 9 patients (53%), with a complete restoration of the partial pressure of arterial oxygen/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio in 170 hours for G2 and 168 hours for G3. There were no deaths directly related to PGD. Acute rejection was detected in 7 patients (41%), 4 of which exceeded grade 1. The incidence of BOS after transplantation was 1 (7%) of 14 patients during the first year, 2 (11%) of 9 in the second year, and 2 (50%) of 4 in the third year. Hospital mortality rate was 17%. The survival rates were 82% at 3 months, 69%, at 1 year, and 58% at 3 years. Mid-term results confirm the adequacy of uncontrolled NHBD as a promising complementary source of lung donors for clinical transplant.

EMISIONES AL AIRE DE LA COMBUSTION DE LLANTAS USADAS (SPANISH VERSION)

EPA Science Inventory

The report discusses air emissions from two types of scrap tire combustion: uncontrolled and controlled. Uncontrolled sources are open tire fires, which produce many unhealthful products of incomplete combustion and release them directly into the atmosphere. Controlled combustion...

26 CFR 1.482-6 - Profit split method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... consistency between the controlled and uncontrolled taxpayers in accounting practices that materially affect... result. Thus, for example, if differences in inventory and other cost accounting practices would... between the controlled and uncontrolled transactions increases, the relative weight accorded the analysis...

26 CFR 1.482-6 - Profit split method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... consistency between the controlled and uncontrolled taxpayers in accounting practices that materially affect... result. Thus, for example, if differences in inventory and other cost accounting practices would... between the controlled and uncontrolled transactions increases, the relative weight accorded the analysis...

26 CFR 1.482-6 - Profit split method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... consistency between the controlled and uncontrolled taxpayers in accounting practices that materially affect... result. Thus, for example, if differences in inventory and other cost accounting practices would... between the controlled and uncontrolled transactions increases, the relative weight accorded the analysis...

26 CFR 1.482-6 - Profit split method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... consistency between the controlled and uncontrolled taxpayers in accounting practices that materially affect... result. Thus, for example, if differences in inventory and other cost accounting practices would... between the controlled and uncontrolled transactions increases, the relative weight accorded the analysis...

Schockmed Valve: A Novel Surgical Option for Uncontrolled Glaucoma in Eyes with Poor Conjunctiva and Encircling Bands.

PubMed

Fleischman, David; Kim, Bryan

2017-01-01

Surgical management of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in an eye with scarred conjunctiva, an encircling band, and silicone oil has limited options. By combining the flow restrictor of the Ahmed Glaucoma Valve (New World Medical, Rancho Cucamonga, California) and the capsule of the encircling band as a conduit for aqueous flow, immediate pressure reduction could theoretically be achieved in eyes with limited conjunctival mobilization. This is a description of a surgical technique in a case of a patient with multiple ocular surgeries with uncontrolled multimechanism glaucoma despite using all available topical and oral glaucoma medications. A combination of the Ahmed valve with a modification of the Schocket shunt technique was used in this case of an encircling band and poor conjunctiva. At 10-month follow-up, the patient maintains controlled pressures on dorzolamide-timolol drops. The combined Ahmed-Schocket (or Schockmed) technique may be another surgical option for management of uncontrolled IOP in cases of scarred conjunctiva and encircling bands needing immediate pressure reduction. A novel surgical option for uncontrolled glaucoma in eyes with poor conjunctiva and encircling bands. How to cite this article: Fleischman D, Kim B. Schockmed Valve: A Novel Surgical Option for Uncontrolled Glaucoma in Eyes with Poor Conjunctiva and Encircling Bands. J Curr Glaucoma Pract 2017;11(3):120-124.

Effect of acute tryptophan depletion on the response to controllable and uncontrollable noise stress.

PubMed

Richell, Rebecca A; Deakin, J F William; Anderson, Ian M

2005-02-01

Previous research provides evidence linking serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) with stress and depression. The controllable/uncontrollable (C/UC) stress paradigm aims to generate a state/condition, namely a feeling of lack of control in the context of a stressor, which might be an important factor in precipitating a negative mood state. Acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) is a technique that produces a decrease in central 5-HT levels in vivo. This study investigated the role of 5-HT in the behavioral response to a C/UC stress paradigm with ATD. Healthy adult volunteers were randomly assigned to receive either a TRP-supplemented (n = 15) or TRP-deficient (n = 13) amino acid drink. At 5 hours postdrink, volunteers were subjected to sessions of controllable and uncontrollable noise stress (100-dB white noise). Subjective ratings of mood were obtained before and after the interventions. Participants who received the tryptophan-depleting drink had greater self-report ratings of negative mood on visual analogue scales and the Profile of Mood States after the uncontrollable stress than did participants who received the balanced drink. The results suggest that 5-HT might play a role in providing resilience to uncontrollable stress. Additional studies with specific 5-HT pharmacologic probes will further clarify the results.

Associations of metabolic disorder factors with the risk of uncontrolled hypertension: a follow-up cohort in rural China.

PubMed

Xiao, Jing; Hua, Tianqi; Shen, Huan; Zhang, Min; Wang, Xiao-Jian; Gao, Yue-Xia; Lu, Qinyun; Wu, Chuanli

2017-04-07

We evaluated how metabolic disorders affected antihypertension therapy. 2,912 rural Chinese patients with hypertension who provided blood samples, demographic and clinical data at baseline and after 1 year of antihypertension therapy were evaluated. At baseline, 1,515 patients (52.0%) were already receiving drug therapy and 11.4% of them had controlled blood pressure (BP). After 1 year, all 2,912 patients were receiving antihypertension therapy that was administered by community physicians, and 59.42% of them had controlled BP. Central obesity and abnormal triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glucose were associated with 15-70% higher risks of uncontrolled hypertension. Metabolic syndrome using the JIS criteria was associated with poor BP control (odds ratio: 1.71 and 1.54 for the baseline and follow-up datasets, respectively). The risk of uncontrolled hypertension increased with the number of metabolic disorders (p for trend <0.01). The presence of ≥3 metabolic disorder factors was associated with higher risks of poor BP control. The associations of metabolic factors and uncontrolled hypertension were stronger for the standard and modified ATP III criteria, compared to the IDF and JIS criteria. Metabolic factors were associated with less effective antihypertension therapy, and all definitions of metabolic syndrome helped identify patients with elevated risks of uncontrolled hypertension.

Isolation, purification and analysis of dissolved organic carbon from Gohagoda uncontrolled open dumpsite leachate, Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Vithanage, Meththika; Wijesekara, Hasintha; Mayakaduwa, S S

2017-07-01

Extract and analysis of the Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) fractions were analyzed from the leachate of an uncontrolled dumpsite at Gohagoda, Sri Lanka. DOC fractions, humic acid (HA), fulvic acid (FA) and the hydrophilic (Hyd) fractions were isolated and purified with the resin techniques. Spectroscopic techniques and elemental analysis were performed to characterize DOCs. Maximum TOC and DOC values recorded were 56,955 and 28,493 mg/L, respectively. Based on the total amount of DOC fractionation, Hyd dominated accounting for ∼60%, and HA and FA constituted ∼22% and ∼17%, respectively, exhibiting the mature phase of the dumpsite. The elemental analysis of DOCs revealed carbon variation following HA > FA > Hyd, while hydrogen and nitrogen were similar in each fraction. The N/C ratio for HA was recorded as 0.18, following a similar trend in old dumpsite leachate elsewhere. The O/C ratios for HA and FA were recorded higher as much as 1.0 and 9.3, respectively, indicating high degree of carbon mineralization in the leachates. High content of carboxylic, phenolic and lactone groups in all DOCs was observed disclosing their potential for toxic substances transportation. The results strongly suggest the risk associated with DOCs in dumpsite leachate to the aquatic and terrestrial environment.

Coal reburning for cyclone boiler NO{sub x} control demonstration. Quarterly report No. 6, July--September, 1991

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

Not Available

1991-12-31

It is the objective of the Coal Reburning for Cyclone Boiler NO{sub x} Control Project to fully establish that the cola reburning clean coal technology offers cost-effective alternatives to cyclone operating electric utilities for overall oxides of nitrogen control. The project will evaluate the applicability of the reburning technology for reducing NO{sub x} emissions in full scale cyclone-fired boilers which use coal as a primary fuel. The performance goals while burning coal are: (1) Greater than 50 percent reduction in NO{sub x} emissions, as referenced to the uncontrolled (baseline) conditions at full load. (2) No serious impact on cyclone combustormore » operation, boiler efficiency or boiler fireside performance (corrosion and deposition), or boiler ash removal system performance.« less

Coal reburning for cyclone boiler NO sub x control demonstration

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

Not Available

1991-01-01

It is the objective of the Coal Reburning for Cyclone Boiler NO{sub x} Control Project to fully establish that the cola reburning clean coal technology offers cost-effective alternatives to cyclone operating electric utilities for overall oxides of nitrogen control. The project will evaluate the applicability of the reburning technology for reducing NO{sub x} emissions in full scale cyclone-fired boilers which use coal as a primary fuel. The performance goals while burning coal are: (1) Greater than 50 percent reduction in NO{sub x} emissions, as referenced to the uncontrolled (baseline) conditions at full load. (2) No serious impact on cyclone combustormore » operation, boiler efficiency or boiler fireside performance (corrosion and deposition), or boiler ash removal system performance.« less

Design of a secure remote management module for a software-operated medical device.

PubMed

Burnik, Urban; Dobravec, Štefan; Meža, Marko

2017-12-09

Software-based medical devices need to be maintained throughout their entire life cycle. The efficiency of after-sales maintenance can be improved by managing medical systems remotely. This paper presents how to design the remote access function extensions in order to prevent risks imposed by uncontrolled remote access. A thorough analysis of standards and legislation requirements regarding safe operation and risk management of medical devices is presented. Based on the formal requirements, a multi-layer machine design solution is proposed that eliminates remote connectivity risks by strict separation of regular device functionalities from remote management service, deploys encrypted communication links and uses digital signatures to prevent mishandling of software images. The proposed system may also be used as an efficient version update of the existing medical device designs.

DIOXIN EMISSIONS FROM OPEN AND UNCONTROLLED BURNING OF BIOMASS AND WASTE

EPA Science Inventory

Emissions of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenszofurans (PCDD/PCDF) from uncontrolled burring of biomass and waste are responsible for a significant, if not major, portion of the global releases. Limited testing for emissions, coupled with activity factors, shows that som...

Dynamics of heart rate variability in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus during spinal anaesthesia: prospective observational study.

PubMed

Lee, Su Hyun; Lee, Dong Hoon; Ha, Dong Hoon; Oh, Young Jun

2015-10-08

Little is known about the changes in autonomic function during spinal anaesthesia in type 2 diabetic patients. The purpose of the study was to assess the influence of spinal anaesthesia on the heart rate variability in type 2 diabetic patients according to the glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level. Sixty-six patients who were scheduled for elective orthostatic lower limb surgery were assigned to three groups (n = 22, each) according to HbA1c; controlled diabetes mellitus (HbA1c < 7 %), uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (HbA1c > 7 %) and the control group. The heart rate variability was measured 10 min before (T0), and at10 min (T1), 20 min (T2) and 30 min (T3) after spinal anaesthesia. Before spinal anaesthesia, total, low-and high-frequency power were significantly lower in the uncontrolled diabetec group than in other group (p < 0.05). During spinal anaesthesia, total, low- and high-frequency powers were did not change in the uncontrolled diabetec group while the low-frequency power in the controlled diabetec group was significantly depressed (p < 0.05). The ratio of low-to high-frequency was comparable among the groups, while it was reduced at T1-2 than at T0 in all the groups. The blood pressures were higher in the uncontrolled diabetec group than in the other groups. Spinal anaesthesia had an influence on the cardiac autonomic modulation in controlled diabetec patients, but not in uncontrolled diabetec patients. There were no differences in all haemodynamic variables during an adequate level of spinal anaesthesia in controlled and uncontrolled type 2 DM. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02137057.

Impact of Behavioral Control on the Processing of Nociceptive Stimulation

PubMed Central

Grau, James W.; Huie, J. Russell; Garraway, Sandra M.; Hook, Michelle A.; Crown, Eric D.; Baumbauer, Kyle M.; Lee, Kuan H.; Hoy, Kevin C.; Ferguson, Adam R.

2012-01-01

How nociceptive signals are processed within the spinal cord, and whether these signals lead to behavioral signs of neuropathic pain, depends upon their relation to other events and behavior. Our work shows that these relations can have a lasting effect on spinal plasticity, inducing a form of learning that alters the effect of subsequent nociceptive stimuli. The capacity of lower spinal systems to adapt, in the absence of brain input, is examined in spinally transected rats that receive a nociceptive shock to the tibialis anterior muscle of one hind leg. If shock is delivered whenever the leg is extended (controllable stimulation), it induces an increase in flexion duration that minimizes net shock exposure. This learning is not observed in subjects that receive the same amount of shock independent of leg position (uncontrollable stimulation). These two forms of stimulation have a lasting, and divergent, effect on subsequent learning: controllable stimulation enables learning whereas uncontrollable stimulation disables it (learning deficit). Uncontrollable stimulation also enhances mechanical reactivity. We review evidence that training with controllable stimulation engages a brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-dependent process that can both prevent and reverse the consequences of uncontrollable shock. We relate these effects to changes in BDNF protein and TrkB signaling. Controllable stimulation is also shown to counter the effects of peripheral inflammation (from intradermal capsaicin). A model is proposed that assumes nociceptive input is gated at an early sensory stage. This gate is sensitive to current environmental relations (between proprioceptive and nociceptive input), allowing stimulation to be classified as controllable or uncontrollable. We further propose that the status of this gate is affected by past experience and that a history of uncontrollable stimulation will promote the development of neuropathic pain. PMID:22934018

Asthma control in Saudi Arabia: Gender implications.

PubMed

Torchyan, Armen A

2017-05-01

Gender-related factors in asthma control should be considered in clinical consultations to substantially improve asthma control in women. Meanwhile, a limited number of studies have been reported on gender differences in factors related to asthma control, especially in Saudi Arabia. To study the potential gender differences in factors associated with asthma control among adult patients with physician-diagnosed asthma. A cross-sectional study was conducted in adult patients with asthma who attended primary care clinics at three major hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Asthma control was measured by using the Asthma Control Test. Asthma control status was classified as either controlled (Asthma Control Test score of >19) or uncontrolled (Asthma Control Test score of ≤19). Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed. In this study, 58.9% of men and 77.0% of women had uncontrolled asthma (p = 0.002). Factors associated with uncontrolled asthma were different between men and women, except for household income. Reporting higher levels of stress (odds ratio [OR] 4.3 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.7-11.1]), daily tobacco smoking (OR 5.8 [95% CI, 1.5-23.5]), and a monthly household income of <15,000 Saudi Arabian Riyals (OR 4.5 [95% CI, 1.9-10.5]) were associated with uncontrolled asthma in men. Being unemployed (OR 3.4 [95% CI, 1.3-9.4]), being obese (OR 3.2 [95% CI, 1.1-9.2]), or having a monthly household income of <15,000 Saudi Arabian Riyals (OR 3.1 [95% CI, 1.2-8.0]) were associated with uncontrolled asthma in women. This study demonstrated that many factors, such as stress, occupation, and obesity, had a differential relationship with uncontrolled asthma among men and women in Saudi Arabia that could provide more insight into methods of improving asthma control, especially in women.

Computational Modeling to Limit the Impact Displays and Indicator Lights Have on Habitable Volume Operational Lighting Constraints

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, T. A.; Brainard, G.; Salazar, G.; Johnston, S.; Schwing, B.; Litaker, H.; Kolomenski, A.; Venus, D.; Tran, K.; Hanifin, J.;

APPROACHES FOR REMEDIATION OF UNCONTROLLED WOOD PRESERVING SITES

EPA Science Inventory

This document provides an overview of remediation of uncontrolled wood preserving sites. It is, in part, a distillation of discussions that took place at a Forum on Wood Preserving Waste that was held in San Francisco, California, in October 1988. Information from this workshop h...

The influence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes on periodontal disease progression: prospective results from the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP).

PubMed

Demmer, Ryan T; Holtfreter, Birte; Desvarieux, Moïse; Jacobs, David R; Kerner, Wolfgang; Nauck, Matthias; Völzke, Henry; Kocher, Thomas

2012-10-01

To explore associations between diabetes etiology (type 1 diabetes mellitus [T1DM] vs. T2DM) and glycemic control in the prediction of 5-year periodontal status change. The Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) is a population-based stratified sample of German men and women. Healthy participants and those determined to have T2DM arose from the SHIP cohort, and T1DM participants were recruited from diabetes clinics in the catchment area that gave rise to SHIP. Dentate participants (n = 2,626; 53% women; 20-81 years of age) were included. Diabetes was determined via physician diagnosis and/or HbA(1c) ≥6.5% (uncontrolled diabetes >7.0%). Examiners blinded to diabetes status performed random half-mouth periodontal examinations, assessing probing depth (PD) and attachment loss (AL) (four sites/tooth) at baseline and follow-up. Participants were categorized into six groups as follows: 1) diabetes free (n = 2,280), 2) incident T2DM (n = 79), 3) controlled T2DM (n = 80), 4) uncontrolled T2DM (n = 72), 5) controlled T1DM (n = 43), and 6) uncontrolled T1DM (n = 72). In multivariable regressions, mean PD change (ΔMPD), mean AL change (ΔMAL), or incident tooth-loss values were regressed across the aforementioned diabetes categories. Mean (SD) ΔMPD and ΔMAL values among all participants were -0.08 ± 0.5 mm and 0.08 ± 1.03 mm, respectively, and 34% lost one or more teeth. Relative to diabetes-free participants, those with uncontrolled T2DM experienced greater ΔMPD ± SE (P < 0.05), whereas participants with either uncontrolled T1DM or uncontrolled T2DM realized greater ΔMAL (P < 0.05). Uncontrolled T1DM and T2DM were both associated with an increased risk of future tooth loss (P < 0.05). Diabetes control, but not etiology, was associated with future tooth loss and accelerated AL progression.

Mars Sample Quarantine Protocol Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeVincenzi, Donald L. (Editor); Bagby, John (Editor); Race, Margaret (Editor); Rummel, John (Editor)

1999-01-01

The Mars Sample Quarantine Protocol (QP) Workshop was convened to deal with three specific aspects of the initial handling of a returned Mars sample: 1) biocontainment, to prevent uncontrolled release of sample material into the terrestrial environment; 2) life detection, to examine the sample for evidence of live organisms; and 3) biohazard testing, to determine if the sample poses any threat to terrestrial life forms and the Earth's biosphere. During the first part of the Workshop, several tutorials were presented on topics related to the workshop in order to give all participants a common basis in the technical areas necessary to achieve the objectives of the Workshop.

[Prehospital use of haemostatic dressing QuikClot ACS+™ for hemorrhage control of a perineal trauma].

PubMed

Travers, S; Dubourg, O; Ribeiro Parenti, L; Lefort, H; Albarello, S; Domanski, L

2012-12-01

First responders are sometimes confronted with external uncontrolled haemorrhage despite compression, bandages, and tourniquets. Several topical haemostatic agents were developed to try to face these situations. Their application was mainly described and studied in military environment. We report the case of a worker victim of an accident of construction site with hemorrhagic perineal trauma for whom the use of a haemostatic bandage QuikClot ACS+™ (Z-Medica) seemed to us particularly useful in prehospital setting. Copyright © 2012 Société française d’anesthésie et de réanimation (Sfar). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Reliability and Validity of Ambulatory Cognitive Assessments

PubMed Central

Sliwinski, Martin J.; Mogle, Jacqueline A.; Hyun, Jinshil; Munoz, Elizabeth; Smyth, Joshua M.; Lipton, Richard B.

2017-01-01

Mobile technologies are increasingly used to measure cognitive function outside of traditional clinic and laboratory settings. Although ambulatory assessments of cognitive function conducted in people’s natural environments offer potential advantages over traditional assessment approaches, the psychometrics of cognitive assessment procedures have been understudied. We evaluated the reliability and construct validity of ambulatory assessments of working memory and perceptual speed administered via smartphones as part of an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol in a diverse adult sample (N=219). Results indicated excellent between-person reliability (≥.97) for average scores, and evidence of reliable within-person variability across measurement occasions (.41–.53). The ambulatory tasks also exhibited construct validity, as evidence by their loadings on working memory and perceptual speed factors defined by the in-lab assessments. Our findings demonstrate that averaging across brief cognitive assessments made in uncontrolled naturalistic settings provide measurements that are comparable in reliability to assessments made in controlled laboratory environments. PMID:27084835

Dental Office Waste – Public Health and Ecological Risk

PubMed Central

Muhamedagic, Belma; Muhamedagic, Lejla; Masic, Izet

2009-01-01

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: NONE DECLARED Waste management is one of the key ecological challenges of the modern world. As dental practitioners, we must recognize that some of the materials and procedures we use to provide dental health services may present challenges to the environment. Realizing this, we can begin to take measures to minimize the production of these wastes and their potential environmental effects. Dental office waste typically cause toxic chemicals to enter our streams, sewers, and landfills. This paper identifies some common wastes produced by dental offices (dental amalgam, silver, lead, biomedical and general office waste) and provides practical suggestions for reducing the impact of our profession on the environment. To dispose of dental wastes, if recycling is not an option, proper disposal as hazardous waste is necessary. But, problem is that dental waste is in most cases dumped at uncontrolled disposal sites, and that is public health and ecological risk. PMID:24133379

Rodent models of depression: learned helplessness induced in mice.

PubMed

Anisman, H; Merali, Z

2001-05-01

Uncontrollable stressors induce a variety of behavioral disturbances that are in many ways reminiscent of the symptoms that characterize clinical depression. These deficits are evident across a range of species, including mice. Given the increasing focus on genetic techniques involving mice to identify the mechanisms subserving these behavioral disturbances (e.g., recombinant, knockout, and transgenic strains), it is of particular interest to provide a detailed description of the method to induce behavioral deficits in response to uncontrollable stressors. This unit describes the procedure used to assess the effects of controllable and uncontrollable shock on subsequent shock escape performance in mice using an escape-delay procedure.

DECONTAMINATION OF HAZARDOUS WASTE SUBSTANCES FROM SPILLS AND UNCONTROLLED WASTE SITES BY RADIO FREQUENCY IN SITU HEATING

EPA Science Inventory

The radio frequency (RF) heating process can be used to volumetrically heat and thus decontaminate uncontrolled landfills and hazardous substances from spills. After the landfills are heated, decontamination of the hazardous substances occurs due to thermal decomposition, vaporiz...

Effects of Prolonged Deprivation on Learned Helplessness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mal, Suraj; And Others

1990-01-01

Investigated influence of prolonged deprivation on responses to uncontrollable outcome among 104 Indian students in the tenth grade. Finds high-deprived and female students displayed greater helplessness than did their low-deprived and male counterparts. Females and high-deprives students attributed uncontrollable outcome more to internal, stable,…

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and arterial hypertension--a complicated relationship? The role of controlling blood pressure values in patients with OSAS.

PubMed

Deleanu, Oana-Claudia; Mălăuţ, Andra Elena; Nebunoiu, Ana Maria; Micheu, Miruna Mihaela; Mihălţan, Florin Dumitru

2014-01-01

Arterial hypertension (HT) and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) are associated through cause-effect relationship. We aimed to study the effect of medication controlled hypertension on OSAS patients. From 483 followed patients with OSAS, 252 associating HT; 142 patients of them (56.34%) received antihypertensive medication, 59 patients (41.54%) had controlled HT, 83 patients (58.46%) had uncontrolled HT. Demographic and anthropometric data, OSAS symptoms, comorbidities, apnea index (IA), apnea-hypopnea index (IAH), desaturation index, CPAP titration, CPAP failure rate were studiated regarding differences between patients with controlled and uncontrolled HT. Fifty nine patients with controlled HT were: 20 women (33.9%), 39 men (66.1%), with mean age of 56.08 years +/- 11.33, with an average AHI of 53.61 +/- 34.42/hour, an average of CPAP pressure prediction of 10.15 +/- 243 cm H2O. Eighty three patients with uncontrolled HT were: 18 women (21.7%), 65 men (78.3%), with mean age 55 +/- 9.06 years, with an average AHl of 61.91 +/- 43.61/hour, an average of CPAP pressure prediction of 10.47 +/- 2cm H2O. Comparing with the controlled HT group, patients with uncontrolled HT reported morning headaches, morning fatigue and impotency in a higher rate (p = 0.020, 0.018, 0.011 respectively); Epworth Sleepiness Scale was under 10 (cut-off for daytime sleepiness) in patients with controlled HT(p = 0.001) and higher in those with uncontrolled HT. Patients with uncontrolled HT were diagnosed with HT for a longer period (p = 0.006), had higher values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure at the time of the presentation. Statistically significant differences were found only for AHI post-CPAP (11.89/h vs. 22.30/h, p = 0.013) and nocturnal desaturation index post-CPAP (6.03/h vs. 16.55/h, p = 0.017), both higher in patients with uncontrolled HT. The hypothesis regarding existing differences related to the cardiovascular comorbidities was not supported. Controlled blood pressure deletes sleepiness, a defining symptom for OSAS and reduces remaining symptoms (headaches, impotency and morning fatigue). Presence of OSAS symptoms is less common in the controlled HT group, making the OSAS more difficult to suspect. These patients may have a grater benefit from CPAP therapy--they have AHI post-CPAP and desaturations post-CPAP significantly lower than patients with uncontrolled HT.

A plea to control medical tourism.

PubMed

Niechajev, Igor; Frame, James

2012-02-01

The growing phenomenon of patients seeking medical procedures abroad (MPA), formerly known as a medical tourism, is discussed. The dark side of the trend is exemplified by the tragic case of a 31-year-old Swedish woman who upon seeing a web advertisement went to Gdansk, Poland, to have breast augmentation. The operation was performed in an old hospital quite different from the modern hospital depicted in the ad. As a result of the grave mistakes in anesthetic care and lack of a postoperative recovery routine, the patient sustained severe brain injury because of prolonged hypoxia. Now, 6 months after the fateful operation, the patient is decorticated and has only vegetative functioning of the left side of the brain. Firm managers, who do not have any medical training, entice patients to believe that the doctors and the facilities abroad have the same technical and safety standards as at home. We question the gap in the law that allows a lay person to screen the candidates for surgery and decide who will operate and in what kind of environment. The trade in human organs is internationally banned but brokering operations on organs goes uncontrolled. Twenty other patients were operated on abroad at different facilities, but all told the same story: lack of adequate postoperative care, unfriendly nursing staff, and the feeling of abandonment upon the return home. The four facets of the ISAPS Patient Safety Diamond--the patient, the procedure, the facility, and the surgeon--are described. ISAPS decided to support the MPA policy with prescreening of the prospective patient, travel and medical insurance for the patient, and surgery abroad, but only if the surgeon is an ISAPS member in a fully accredited facility. This policy will be available first for UK residents who travel abroad for surgery, and later for patients and ISAPS surgeons worldwide. Many plastic surgeons have seen or heard of various tragedies or disasters following medical treatments in foreign countries. We propose to raise the plea for the introduction of legislation forbidding lay persons to trade in or act as an intermediary or broker of medical treatments abroad.

Nitrate-rich beetroot juice selectively lowers ambulatory pressures and LDL cholesterol in uncontrolled but not controlled hypertension: a pilot study.

PubMed

Kerley, C P; Dolan, E; Cormican, L

2017-11-01

Dietary nitrate has been shown to increase nitrate/nitrite levels in multiple populations, with potential blood pressure lowering effects. However, there are few reports among hypertensives. We aimed to assess the effect of daily nitrate in subjects with controlled hypertension vs. uncontrolled hypertension. On day 0, hypertensives wore an ambulatory BP monitor (ABPM) for 24 h and fasting blood was taken. Subjects then consumed concentrated beetroot juice (12.9 mmol nitrate) for 14 consecutive days. On day 14 subjects consumed their last nitrate dose after fasting blood was drawn and again had an ABPM for 24 h. According to baseline ABPM, 11 subjects had controlled BP while 8 had uncontrolled BP. There were similar, significant increases in serum nitrate/nitrite in both groups. We observed little change in BP variables among controlled hypertensives. However, there were reductions in BP variables in uncontrolled hypertensives where decreases in nighttime DBP (-6 ± 4.8 mmHg), arterial stiffness (-0.08 ± 0.03 ambulatory arterial stiffness index) and LDL (-0.36 ± 0.42 mmol/L) reached significance (p = 003, 0.05 and 0.046, respectively). Our results support the existing data suggesting an anti-hypertensive effect of nitrate-containing beetroot juice, but only among those with uncontrolled hypertension.

Factors Associated with Uncontrolled Hypertension among Renal Transplant Recipients Attending Nephrology Clinics in Nairobi, Kenya

PubMed Central

Kubo, Mary N.; Kayima, Joshua K.; Were, Anthony J.; McLigeyo, Seth O.; Ogola, Elijah N.

2015-01-01

Objective. To determine the factors associated with poor blood pressure control among renal transplant recipients in a resource-limited setting. Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out on renal transplant recipients at the Kenyatta National Hospital. Sociodemographic details, blood pressure, urine albumin : creatinine ratio, and adherence using the MMAS-8 questionnaire were noted. Independent factors associated with uncontrolled hypertension were determined using logistic regression analysis. Results. 85 subjects were evaluated. Mean age was 42.4 (SD ± 12.2) years, with a male : female ratio of 1.9 : 1. Fifty-five patients (64.7%) had uncontrolled hypertension (BP ≥ 130/80 mmHg). On univariate analysis, male sex (OR 3.7, 95% CI 1.4–9.5, p = 0.006), higher levels of proteinuria (p = 0.042), and nonadherence to antihypertensives (OR 18, 95% CI 5.2–65.7, p < 0.001) were associated with uncontrolled hypertension. On logistic regression analysis, male sex (adjusted OR 4.6, 95% CI 1.1–19.0, p = 0.034) and nonadherence (adjusted OR 33.8, 95% CI 8.6–73.0, p < 0.001) were independently associated with uncontrolled hypertension. Conclusion. Factors associated with poor blood pressure control in this cohort were male sex and nonadherence to antihypertensives. Emphasis on adherence to antihypertensive therapy must be pursued within this population. PMID:26257920

Lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes activity in controlled and uncontrolled Type 2 diabetic patients.

PubMed

Zarei, Mahnaz; Farahnak, Zahra; Hosseinzadeh-Attar, Mohammad Javad; Javanbakht, Mohammad Hassan; Hosseinzadeh, Payam; Derakhshanian, Hoda; Farahbakhsh-Farsi, Payam; Djalali, Mahmoud

2016-05-01

This study was designed to compare lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes activity in Type 2 diabetes patients with good or weak glycemic control. In this case-control study, 62 Type 2 diabetic patients with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) between 6 and 8 were enrolled as the controlled group and 55 patients with HbA1c > 8 were selected as an uncontrolled group. Patients were all referred to Iranian Diabetes Association in Tehran, Iran, from 2010 onward. Groups were chosen by convenience sampling and were matched based on age, sex and duration of disease. Demographic questionnaire, two 24-hour food recall, HbA1c, insulin, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase were measured in blood samples. Data were analyzed by Food Processor II and SPSS software. A mean daily consumption of energy, carbohydrate, protein, and fat was not significantly different between two groups. MDA in the uncontrolled group was significantly higher than controlled group (2.03 ± 0.88 vs. 1.65 ± 1.01 nmol/ml; P = 0.030). A mean SOD was slightly higher in the uncontrolled group comparing to the control group (843.3 ± 101.9 vs. 828.0 ± 127.3 U/g Hb; P = 0.400). These data suggest that MDA as a lipid peroxidation indicator is higher in uncontrolled diabetes probably due to chronic high blood sugar followed by higher oxidative stress.

VARIABLES AFFECTING EMISSIONS OF PCDDS/FS FROM UNCONTROLLED COMBUSTION OF HOUSEHOLD WASTE IN BARRELS

EPA Science Inventory

The uncontrolled burning of household waste in barrels has recently been implicated as a major source of airborne emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDDs/Fs). Based on the need to generate a more accurate emission factor for burn ba...

40 CFR 63.1386 - Notification, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... temperature above the molten glass in an uncontrolled cold top electric furnace, including any period when the... glass surface, the date and time of the exceedance, when corrective actions were initiated, the cause of... was corrected; (iv) Uncontrolled glass-melting furnace (that is not a cold top electric furnace...

40 CFR 63.1386 - Notification, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... temperature above the molten glass in an uncontrolled cold top electric furnace, including any period when the... glass surface, the date and time of the exceedance, when corrective actions were initiated, the cause of... was corrected; (iv) Uncontrolled glass-melting furnace (that is not a cold top electric furnace...

40 CFR 63.1386 - Notification, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... temperature above the molten glass in an uncontrolled cold top electric furnace, including any period when the... glass surface, the date and time of the exceedance, when corrective actions were initiated, the cause of... was corrected; (iv) Uncontrolled glass-melting furnace (that is not a cold top electric furnace...

40 CFR 63.1386 - Notification, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... temperature above the molten glass in an uncontrolled cold top electric furnace, including any period when the... glass surface, the date and time of the exceedance, when corrective actions were initiated, the cause of... was corrected; (iv) Uncontrolled glass-melting furnace (that is not a cold top electric furnace...

E-Waste and Harm to Vulnerable Populations: A Growing Global Problem.

PubMed

Heacock, Michelle; Kelly, Carol Bain; Asante, Kwadwo Ansong; Birnbaum, Linda S; Bergman, Åke Lennart; Bruné, Marie-Noel; Buka, Irena; Carpenter, David O; Chen, Aimin; Huo, Xia; Kamel, Mostafa; Landrigan, Philip J; Magalini, Federico; Diaz-Barriga, Fernando; Neira, Maria; Omar, Magdy; Pascale, Antonio; Ruchirawat, Mathuros; Sly, Leith; Sly, Peter D; Van den Berg, Martin; Suk, William A

2016-05-01

Electronic waste (e-waste) is produced in staggering quantities, estimated globally to be 41.8 million tonnes in 2014. Informal e-waste recycling is a source of much-needed income in many low- to middle-income countries. However, its handling and disposal in underdeveloped countries is often unsafe and leads to contaminated environments. Rudimentary and uncontrolled processing methods often result in substantial harmful chemical exposures among vulnerable populations, including women and children. E-waste hazards have not yet received the attention they deserve in research and public health agendas. We provide an overview of the scale and health risks. We review international efforts concerned with environmental hazards, especially affecting children, as a preface to presenting next steps in addressing health issues stemming from the global e-waste problem. The e-waste problem has been building for decades. Increased observation of adverse health effects from e-waste sites calls for protecting human health and the environment from e-waste contamination. Even if e-waste exposure intervention and prevention efforts are implemented, legacy contamination will remain, necessitating increased awareness of e-waste as a major environmental health threat. Global, national, and local levels efforts must aim to create safe recycling operations that consider broad security issues for people who rely on e-waste processing for survival. Paramount to these efforts is reducing pregnant women and children's e-waste exposures to mitigate harmful health effects. With human environmental health in mind, novel dismantling methods and remediation technologies and intervention practices are needed to protect communities. Heacock M, Kelly CB, Asante KA, Birnbaum LS, Bergman AL, Bruné MN, Buka I, Carpenter DO, Chen A, Huo X, Kamel M, Landrigan PJ, Magalini F, Diaz-Barriga F, Neira M, Omar M, Pascale A, Ruchirawat M, Sly L, Sly PD, Van den Berg M, Suk WA. 2016. E-waste and harm to vulnerable populations: a growing global problem. Environ Health Perspect 124:550-555; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1509699.

Comparison of Orbital Parameters for GEO Debris Predicted by LEGEND and Observed by MODEST: Can Sources of Orbital Debris be Identified?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barker, Edwin S.; Matney, M. J.; Liou, J.-C.; Abercromby, K. J.; Rodriquez, H. M.; Seitzer, P.

2006-01-01

Since 2002 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has carried out an optical survey of the debris environment in the geosynchronous Earth-orbit (GEO) region with the Michigan Orbital Debris Survey Telescope (MODEST) in Chile. The survey coverage has been similar for 4 of the 5 years allowing us to follow the orbital evolution of Correlated Targets (CTs), both controlled and un-controlled objects, and Un-Correlated Targets (UCTs). Under gravitational perturbations the distributions of uncontrolled objects, both CTs and UCTs, in GEO orbits will evolve in predictable patterns, particularly evident in the inclination and right ascension of the ascending node (RAAN) distributions. There are several clusters (others have used a "cloud" nomenclature) in observed distributions that show evolution from year to year in their inclination and ascending node elements. However, when MODEST is in survey mode (field-of-view approx.1.3deg) it provides only short 5-8 minute orbital arcs which can only be fit under the assumption of a circular orbit approximation (ACO) to determine the orbital parameters. These ACO elements are useful only in a statistical sense as dedicated observing runs would be required to obtain sufficient orbital coverage to determine a set of accurate orbital elements and then to follow their evolution. Identification of the source(s) for these "clusters of UCTs" would be advantageous to the overall definition of the GEO orbital debris environment. This paper will set out to determine if the ACO elements can be used to in a statistical sense to identify the source of the "clustering of UCTs" roughly centered on an inclination of 12deg and a RAAN of 345deg. The breakup of the Titan 3C-4 transtage on February 21, 1992 has been modeled using NASA s LEGEND (LEO-to-GEO Environment Debris) code to generate a GEO debris cloud. Breakup fragments are created based on the NASA Standard Breakup Model (including fragment size, area-to-mass (A/M), and delta-V distributions). Once fragments are created, they are propagated forward in time with a subroutine GEOPROP. Perturbations included in GEOPROP are those due to solar/lunar gravity, radiation pressure, and major geopotential terms. The question to be addressed: are the UCTs detected by MODEST in this inclination/RAAN region related to the Titan 3C-4 breakup? Discussion will include the observational biases in attempting to detect a specific, uncontrolled target during given observing session. These restrictions include: (1) the length of the observing session which is 8 hours or less at any given date or declination; (2) the assumption of ACO elements for detected object when the breakup model predicts debris with non-zero eccentricities; (3) the size and illumination or brightness of the debris predicted by the model and the telescope/sky limiting magnitude.

Chaotic dynamical aperture

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

Lee, S.Y.; Tepikian, S.

1985-01-01

Nonlinear magnetic forces become more important for particles in the modern large accelerators. These nonlinear elements are introduced either intentionally to control beam dynamics or by uncontrollable random errors. Equations of motion in the nonlinear Hamiltonian are usually non-integrable. Because of the nonlinear part of the Hamiltonian, the tune diagram of accelerators is a jungle. Nonlinear magnet multipoles are important in keeping the accelerator operation point in the safe quarter of the hostile jungle of resonant tunes. Indeed, all the modern accelerator designs have taken advantages of nonlinear mechanics. On the other hand, the effect of the uncontrollable random multipolesmore » should be evaluated carefully. A powerful method of studying the effect of these nonlinear multipoles is using a particle tracking calculation, where a group of test particles are tracing through these magnetic multipoles in the accelerator hundreds to millions of turns in order to test the dynamical aperture of the machine. These methods are extremely useful in the design of a large accelerator such as SSC, LEP, HERA and RHIC. These calculations unfortunately take a tremendous amount of computing time. In this review the method of determining chaotic orbit and applying the method to nonlinear problems in accelerator physics is discussed. We then discuss the scaling properties and effect of random sextupoles.« less

Mediating role of activity level in the depressive realism effect.

PubMed

Blanco, Fernando; Matute, Helena; A Vadillo, Miguel

2012-01-01

Several classic studies have concluded that the accuracy of identifying uncontrollable situations depends heavily on depressive mood. Nondepressed participants tend to exhibit an optimistic illusion of control, whereas depressed participants tend to better detect a lack of control. Recently, we suggested that the different activity levels (measured as the probability of responding during a contingency learning task) exhibited by depressed and nondepressed individuals is partly responsible for this effect. The two studies presented in this paper provide further support for this mediational hypothesis, in which mood is the distal cause of the illusion of control operating through activity level, the proximal cause. In Study 1, the probability of responding, P(R), was found to be a mediator variable between the depressive symptoms and the judgments of control. In Study 2, we intervened directly on the mediator variable: The P(R) for both depressed and nondepressed participants was manipulated through instructions. Our results confirm that P(R) manipulation produced differences in the participants' perceptions of uncontrollability. Importantly, the intervention on the mediator variable cancelled the effect of the distal cause; the participants' judgments of control were no longer mood dependent when the P(R) was manipulated. This result supports the hypothesis that the so-called depressive realism effect is actually mediated by the probability of responding.

An arc control and protection system for the JET lower hybrid antenna based on an imaging system.

PubMed

Figueiredo, J; Mailloux, J; Kirov, K; Kinna, D; Stamp, M; Devaux, S; Arnoux, G; Edwards, J S; Stephen, A V; McCullen, P; Hogben, C

2014-11-01

Arcs are the potentially most dangerous events related to Lower Hybrid (LH) antenna operation. If left uncontrolled they can produce damage and cause plasma disruption by impurity influx. To address this issue an arc real time control and protection imaging system for the Joint European Torus (JET) LH antenna has been implemented. The LH system is one of the additional heating systems at JET. It comprises 24 microwave generators (klystrons, operating at 3.7 GHz) providing up to 5 MW of heating and current drive to the JET plasma. This is done through an antenna composed of an array of waveguides facing the plasma. The protection system presented here is based primarily on an imaging arc detection and real time control system. It has adapted the ITER like wall hotspot protection system using an identical CCD camera and real time image processing unit. A filter has been installed to avoid saturation and spurious system triggers caused by ionization light. The antenna is divided in 24 Regions Of Interest (ROIs) each one corresponding to one klystron. If an arc precursor is detected in a ROI, power is reduced locally with subsequent potential damage and plasma disruption avoided. The power is subsequently reinstated if, during a defined interval of time, arcing is confirmed not to be present by image analysis. This system was successfully commissioned during the restart phase and beginning of the 2013 scientific campaign. Since its installation and commissioning, arcs and related phenomena have been prevented. In this contribution we briefly describe the camera, image processing, and real time control systems. Most importantly, we demonstrate that an LH antenna arc protection system based on CCD camera imaging systems works. Examples of both controlled and uncontrolled LH arc events and their consequences are shown.

Open questions: The disrupted circuitry of the cancer cell

DOE PAGES

Wiley, H. Steven

2014-10-18

Every new decade of biology brings with it a change in outlook driven by new technologies and fresh perspectives. Such is the case for cancer and how we consider the disease. The advent of molecular biology led to the identification of altered signaling molecules and 'oncogenes' that were proposed to drive uncontrolled cell proliferation. The rise of cell biology and new imaging and culturing technologies led to the idea that disruptions in the extracellular environment prime cells for transformation. In the current genomics era, cancer is most commonly seen as a genetic disorder where an unstable genome gives rise tomore » a variety of different cell variants that are selected for proliferation and survival. All of these views are partially correct, of course, and are simply different ways of saying that genetic alterations in cancer cells result in a loss of growth homeostasis. They also take the view that molecular changes 'drive' a cell to grow uncontrollably, rather than tip the balance from one normal state (quiescence) to another (proliferation). Underlying this oversimplification is a profound ignorance of what controls homeostatic cell growth in the first place and how specific mutations impact it. Normal, proliferation-competent cells can accurately monitor their environment and respond appropriately to perturbation, whether it is a loss of neighbors or an inflammatory stimulus. Cancer cells either proliferate or refuse to die where and when they should not, which clearly indicates that they have problems in detecting or responding to their environment. Thus, an enormous amount of effort has gone into defining the signaling pathways that can trigger a proliferative response and the biochemical mechanisms underlying these pathways. Far less work has focused on understanding the higher-order logic of these pathways and the roles played by all of the components as part of an integrated system. In other words, we do not really understand how cells process information and make decisions and thus cannot predict how any given molecular change will alter what a cell does.« less

Renal angioplasty and stenting: is it still indicated after ASTRAL and STAR studies?

PubMed

Henry, M; Benjelloun, A; Henry, I; Polydorou, A; Hugel, M

2010-10-01

A renal artery stenosis (RAS) is common among patients with atherosclerosis, up to a third of patients undergoing cardiac catheterization. Fibromuscular dysplasia is the next cause of RAS, commonly found in young women. Atherosclerosis RAS generally progresses overtime and is often associated with loss of renal mass and worsening renal function (RF). Percutaneous renal artery stent placement is the preferred method of revascularization for hemodynamically significant RAS according to ACC and AHA guidelines. Several randomized trials have shown the superiority of endovascular procedures to medical therapy alone. However, two studies ASTRAL and STAR studies were recently published and did not find any difference between renal stenting and medical therapy. But these studies have a lot of limitations and flaws as we will discuss (poor indications, poor results, numerous complications, failures, poor technique, inexperienced operators, ecc.). Despite these questionable studies, renal stenting keeps indications in patients with: uncontrolled hypertension; ischemic nephropathy; cardiac disturbance syndrome (e.g. "flash" pulmonary edema, uncontrolled heart failure or uncontrolled angina pectoris); solitary kidney. To improve the clinical response rates, a better selection of the patients and lesions is mandatory with: good non-invasive or invasive imaging; physiologic lesion assessment using transluminal pressure gradients; measurements of biomarkers (e.g., BNP); fractional flow reserve study. A problem remains after renal angioplasty stenting, the deterioration of the RF in 20-30% of the patients. Atheroembolism seems to play an important role and is probably the main cause of this R.F deterioration. The use of protection devices alone or in combination with IIb IIa inhibitors has been proposed and seems promising as shown in different recent reports. Renal angioplasty and stenting is still indicated but we need: a better patient and lesion selection; improvements in techniques and maybe the use of protection devices to reduce the risk of RF deterioration after renal stenting.

Determinants of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in hypertensive patients.

PubMed

Nazário Leão, R; Marques da Silva, P; Marques Pocinho, R; Alves, M; Virella, D; Palma Dos Reis, R

2018-02-02

The progression of hypertensive heart disease leads to the left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD), which is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this analysis is to explore the determinants for LVDD in patients with hypertension. This is a secondary analysis of data of Impedance Cardiography in the Evaluation of Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction in Patients with Arterial Hypertension (IMPEDDANS) Study. Mann-Whitney and Chi-square tests were used for univariable analysis. Multiple logistic regression was used to model for LVDD occurrence and discriminative capacity of the model assessed by the value of the area under the curve given by the receiver-operating characteristic curve. Older age (65 vs. 58 years, p<0.001), longer duration of hypertension (160 vs. 48 months, p<0.001), uncontrolled hypertension (59.8 vs. 15.9%, p<0.001), tobacco smoking (17.8 vs. 3.8%, p=0.016), higher systolic blood pressure (133 vs. 124mmHg, p=0.001) and slower heart rate (62 vs. 66bpm, p=0.023) were associated with LVDD. Multivariate model identified uncontrolled hypertension (AdjOR 36.90; 95% CI 7.94-171.58; p<0.001), smoking (AdjOR 6.66; 95% CI 1.63-27.26; p=0.008), eccentric hypertrophy (AdjOR 3.59; 95% CI 0.89-14.39; p=0.072), duration of hypertension (AdjOR 1.03; 95% CI 1.02-1.05; p<0.001) and concentric remodeling (AdjOR 0.19; 95% CI 0.04-0.93; p=0.041) as the more determinant for occurrence of LVDD. The discriminative capacity of the model was AUC=0.95 (95% CI 0.91-0.98). The occurrence of LVDD in hypertensive patients was strongly associated to long-lasting, uncontrolled hypertension, tobacco smoking, concentric remodeling and eccentric hypertrophy. Copyright © 2017 SEH-LELHA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

A technique for evaluating the oil/heavy-oil viscosity changes under ultrasound in a simulated porous medium.

PubMed

Hamidi, Hossein; Mohammadian, Erfan; Junin, Radzuan; Rafati, Roozbeh; Manan, Mohammad; Azdarpour, Amin; Junid, Mundzir

2014-02-01

Theoretically, Ultrasound method is an economical and environmentally friendly or "green" technology, which has been of interest for more than six decades for the purpose of enhancement of oil/heavy-oil production. However, in spite of many studies, questions about the effective mechanisms causing increase in oil recovery still existed. In addition, the majority of the mechanisms mentioned in the previous studies are theoretical or speculative. One of the changes that could be recognized in the fluid properties is viscosity reduction due to radiation of ultrasound waves. In this study, a technique was developed to investigate directly the effect of ultrasonic waves (different frequencies of 25, 40, 68 kHz and powers of 100, 250, 500 W) on viscosity changes of three types of oil (Paraffin oil, Synthetic oil, and Kerosene) and a Brine sample. The viscosity calculations in the smooth capillary tube were based on the mathematical models developed from the Poiseuille's equation. The experiments were carried out for uncontrolled and controlled temperature conditions. It was observed that the viscosity of all the liquids was decreased under ultrasound in all the experiments. This reduction was more significant for uncontrolled temperature condition cases. However, the reduction in viscosity under ultrasound was higher for lighter liquids compare to heavier ones. Pressure difference was diminished by decreasing in the fluid viscosity in all the cases which increases fluid flow ability, which in turn aids to higher oil recovery in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations. Higher ultrasound power showed higher liquid viscosity reduction in all the cases. Higher ultrasound frequency revealed higher and lower viscosity reduction for uncontrolled and controlled temperature condition experiments, respectively. In other words, the reduction in viscosity was inversely proportional to increasing the frequency in temperature controlled experiments. It was concluded that cavitation, heat generation, and viscosity reduction are three of the promising mechanisms causing increase in oil recovery under ultrasound. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Unpredictable and Uncontrollable Events: A New Perspective on Experimental Neurosis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kihlstrom, John F.; Mineka, Susan

1978-01-01

Recent work has shown that unpredictable and/or uncontrollable events can produce a variety of cognitive, affective, and somatic disturbances to the organism. These disturbances are compared to and found to be quite similar to the symptoms of the classic cases of experimental neurosis described by Pavlov, Gantt, Liddell, Masserman, and Wolpe.…

Term Based Comparison Metrics for Controlled and Uncontrolled Indexing Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Good, B. M.; Tennis, J. T.

2009-01-01

Introduction: We define a collection of metrics for describing and comparing sets of terms in controlled and uncontrolled indexing languages and then show how these metrics can be used to characterize a set of languages spanning folksonomies, ontologies and thesauri. Method: Metrics for term set characterization and comparison were identified and…

Glutathione synthesis is diminished in patients with uncontrolled diabetes and restored by dietary supplementation with cysteine and glycine

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Sustained hyperglycemia is associated with low cellular levels of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH), which leads to tissue damage attributed to oxidative stress. We tested the hypothesis that diminished GSH in adult patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes is attributed to decreased synthesis and ...

Conditions that Influence Drivers' Yielding Behavior for Uncontrolled Crossings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bourquin, Eugene; Emerson, Robert Wall; Sauerburger, Dona

2011-01-01

Pedestrians with visual impairments need to cross streets where traffic signals and traffic signage are not present. This study examined the influences of several interventions, including a pedestrian's use of a mobility cane, on the behavior of drivers when they were expected to yield to a pedestrian crossing at an uncontrolled crossing.…

Probing safety of nanoparticles by outlining sea urchin sensing and signaling cascades.

PubMed

Alijagic, Andi; Pinsino, Annalisa

2017-10-01

Among currently identified issues presenting risks and benefits to human and ocean health, engineered nanoparticles (ENP) represent a priority. Predictions of their economic and social impact appear extraordinary, but their release in the environment at an uncontrollable rate is in striking contrast with the extremely limited number of studies on environmental impact, especially on the marine environment. The sea urchin has a remarkable sensing environmental system whose function and diversity came into focus during the recent years, after sea urchin genome sequencing. The complex immune system may be the basis wherefore sea urchins can adapt to a dynamic environment and survive even in hazardous conditions both in the adult and in the embryonic life. This review is aimed at discussing the literature in nanotoxicological/ecotoxicological studies with a focus on stress and innate immune signaling in sea urchins. In addition, here we introduce our current development of in vitro-driven probes that could be used to dissect ENP aftermaths, suggesting their future use in immune-nanotoxicology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New roads toward North-South cooperation.

PubMed

Terpstra, E G

1989-12-01

A Netherlands Parliament member gives a European Perspective on population and development, problems in urban development, and methods of cooperation between industrialized and developing countries. On population and development, the relationship between population explosion and poverty, underdevelopment, environment, social infrastructure, and food shortages is pointed out. Most population growth in the years ahead will be in developing countries. Rampant population growth and burgeoning poverty strain the world's carrying capacity and environment, both in industrial and developing countries. Development policy and cooperation will fail in the absence of efforts to stem population growth. On this front, religious and political leaders have groundbreaking cooperative steps in supporting international family planning efforts through the global forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival. Economic development, environment, and population issues are inexorably tied together. The numerous problems faced by uncontrolled Third World urbanization are discussed with potential solutions for change. Incorporating women in the development process is strongly encouraged. The interdependent North-South relationship is discussed. All nations, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and women must cooperate to find solutions and effect positive change on a case-by-case basis.

Three-dimensional imaging in degraded visual field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oran, A.; Ozharar, S.; Ozdur, I.

2016-04-01

Imaging at degraded visual environments is one of the biggest challenges in today’s imaging technologies. Especially military and commercial rotary wing aviation is suffering from impaired visual field in sandy, dusty, marine and snowy environments. For example during landing the rotor churns up the particles and creates dense clouds of highly scattering medium, which limits the vision of the pilot and may result in an uncontrolled landing. The vision in such environments is limited because of the high ratio of scattered photons over the ballistic photons which have the image information. We propose to use optical spatial filtering (OSF) method in order to eliminate the scattered photons and only collect the ballistic photons at the receiver. OSF is widely used in microscopy, to the best of our knowledge this will be the first application of OSF for macroscopic imaging. Our experimental results show that most of the scattered photons are eliminated using the spatial filtering in a highly scattering impaired visual field. The results are compared with a standard broad area photo detector which shows the effectiveness of spatial filtering.

A Novel Event-Based Incipient Slip Detection Using Dynamic Active-Pixel Vision Sensor (DAVIS)

PubMed Central

Rigi, Amin

2018-01-01

In this paper, a novel approach to detect incipient slip based on the contact area between a transparent silicone medium and different objects using a neuromorphic event-based vision sensor (DAVIS) is proposed. Event-based algorithms are developed to detect incipient slip, slip, stress distribution and object vibration. Thirty-seven experiments were performed on five objects with different sizes, shapes, materials and weights to compare precision and response time of the proposed approach. The proposed approach is validated by using a high speed constitutional camera (1000 FPS). The results indicate that the sensor can detect incipient slippage with an average of 44.1 ms latency in unstructured environment for various objects. It is worth mentioning that the experiments were conducted in an uncontrolled experimental environment, therefore adding high noise levels that affected results significantly. However, eleven of the experiments had a detection latency below 10 ms which shows the capability of this method. The results are very promising and show a high potential of the sensor being used for manipulation applications especially in dynamic environments. PMID:29364190

Cognitive Collaboration Found in Cardiac Physiology: Study in Classroom Environment

PubMed Central

Cowley, Benjamin; Torniainen, Jari; Ukkonen, Antti; Vihavainen, Arto; Puolamäki, Kai

2016-01-01

It is known that periods of intense social interaction result in shared patterns in collaborators’ physiological signals. However, applied quantitative research on collaboration is hindered due to scarcity of objective metrics of teamwork effectiveness. Indeed, especially in the domain of productive, ecologically-valid activity such as programming, there is a lack of evidence for the most effective, affordable and reliable measures of collaboration quality. In this study we investigate synchrony in physiological signals between collaborating computer science students performing pair-programming exercises in a class room environment. We recorded electrocardiography over the course of a 60 minute programming session, using lightweight physiological sensors. We employ correlation of heart-rate variability features to study social psychophysiological compliance of the collaborating students. We found evident physiological compliance in collaborating dyads’ heart-rate variability signals. Furthermore, dyads’ self-reported workload was associated with the physiological compliance. Our results show viability of a novel approach to field measurement using lightweight devices in an uncontrolled environment, and suggest that self-reported collaboration quality can be assessed via physiological signals. PMID:27416036

Shear Ram Verification Test Protocol (VTP) Best Practices

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

Lindley, Roy A.; Braun, Joseph C.

A blowout preventer (BOP) is a critical component used on subsea oil and gas wells during drilling, completion, and workover operations on the U. S. outer continental shelf (OCS). The purpose of the BOP is to seal oil and gas wells, and in the case of an emergency well-control event, to prevent the uncontrolled release of hydrocarbons. One of the most important components of the BOP is the hydraulically operated blind shear ram (BSR) that shears drilling-related components, such as drill pipes, casings, tubings, and wire-related tools that may have been placed in the well. In addition to shearing thesemore » components, the BSR must form a seal to keep hydrocarbons within the well bore, even when under the highest well-fluid pressures expected. The purpose of this document is for Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to provide an independent view, based on current regulations, and best practices for testing and confirming the operability and suitability of BSRs under realistic (or actual) well conditions.« less

ICAROUS - Integrated Configurable Algorithms for Reliable Operations Of Unmanned Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Consiglio, María; Muñoz, César; Hagen, George; Narkawicz, Anthony; Balachandran, Swee

2016-01-01

NASA's Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) project aims at enabling near-term, safe operations of small UAS vehicles in uncontrolled airspace, i.e., Class G airspace. A far-term goal of UTM research and development is to accommodate the expected rise in small UAS traffic density throughout the National Airspace System (NAS) at low altitudes for beyond visual line-of-sight operations. This paper describes a new capability referred to as ICAROUS (Integrated Configurable Algorithms for Reliable Operations of Unmanned Systems), which is being developed under the UTM project. ICAROUS is a software architecture comprised of highly assured algorithms for building safety-centric, autonomous, unmanned aircraft applications. Central to the development of the ICAROUS algorithms is the use of well-established formal methods to guarantee higher levels of safety assurance by monitoring and bounding the behavior of autonomous systems. The core autonomy-enabling capabilities in ICAROUS include constraint conformance monitoring and contingency control functions. ICAROUS also provides a highly configurable user interface that enables the modular integration of mission-specific software components.

A 12-year prognosis of adult-onset asthma: Seinäjoki Adult Asthma Study.

PubMed

Tuomisto, Leena E; Ilmarinen, Pinja; Niemelä, Onni; Haanpää, Jussi; Kankaanranta, Terhi; Kankaanranta, Hannu

2016-08-01

Long-term prognosis of adult-onset asthma is poorly known. To evaluate 12-year prognosis of adult-onset asthma and the factors associated with disease prognosis. Seinäjoki Adult-onset Asthma Study (SAAS) is a 12-year real-life single-center follow-up study of new-onset asthma diagnosed at adult age and treated in primary and specialized care. Remission was defined by no symptoms and no asthma medication use for 6 months. Asthma control was evaluated according to Global Initiative for Asthma 2010. Factors associated with current asthma control were analyzed by multinomial multivariate logistic regression. A total of 203 patients (79% of the baseline population) were followed for 12 years. Remission occurred in 6 (3%) patients. In 34% asthma was controlled, in 36% it was partially controlled and in 30% uncontrolled. Uncontrolled asthma was predicted by elevated body-mass index at baseline, smoking (pack-years) and current allergic or persistent rhinitis. Elevated blood eosinophils and good lung function (FEV1) at baseline protected from uncontrolled asthma. In contrast, gender, age at the onset or baseline symptoms (Airways Questionnaire 20) were not significant predictors of uncontrolled disease. During a 12-year follow-up, remission of adult-onset asthma was rare occurring in only 3% of patients. The majority of patients (66%) presented either with uncontrolled or partially controlled asthma. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with identifier number NCT02733016. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cross-sectional study of patients with type 2 diabetes in OR Tambo district, South Africa

PubMed Central

Yogeswaran, Parimalaranie; Longo-Mbenza, Benjamin; Ter Goon, Daniel; Ajayi, Anthony Idowu

2016-01-01

Objectives South Africa has pledged to the sustainable development goal of promoting good health and well-being to all residents. While this is laudable, paucity of reliable epidemiological data for different regions on diabetes and treatment outcomes may further widen the inequalities of access and quality of healthcare services across the country. This study examines the sociodemographic and clinical determinants of uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in individuals attending primary healthcare in OR Tambo district, South Africa. Design A cross-sectional analytical study. Setting Primary healthcare setting in OR Tambo district, South Africa. Participants Patients treated for T2DM for 1 or more years (n=327). Primary outcome measure Prevalence of uncontrolled T2DM. Secondary outcome measure Determinants of uncontrolled T2DM (glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) ≥7%). Results Out of the 327 participants, 274 had HbA1c≥7% (83.8%). Female sex (95% CI 1.3 to 4.2), overweight/obesity (95% CI 1.9 to 261.2), elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (95% CI 4.4 to 23.8), sedentary habits (95% CI 7.2 to 61.3), lower monthly income (95% CI 1.3 to 6.5), longer duration of T2DM (95% CI 4.4 to 294.2) and diabetes information from non-health workers (95% CI 1.4 to 7.0) were the significant determinants of uncontrolled T2DM. There was a significant positive correlation of uncontrolled T2DM with increasing duration of T2DM, estimated glomerular filtration rate and body mass index. However, a significant negative correlation exists between monthly income and increasing HbA1c. Conclusions We found a significantly high prevalence (83.8%) of uncontrolled T2DM among the patients, possibly attributable to overweight/obesity, sedentary living, lower income and lack of information on diabetes. Addressing these determinants will require re-engineering of primary healthcare in the district. PMID:27473948

Poor sleep quality has an adverse effect on childhood asthma control and lung function measures.

PubMed

Sheen, Youn Ho; Choi, Sun Hee; Jang, Sun Jung; Baek, Ji Hyeon; Jee, Hye Mi; Kim, Mi Ae; Chae, Kyu Young; Han, Man Yong

2017-08-01

It is unclear as to whether sleep respiratory breathing disorder (SRBD) is a risk factor for uncontrolled asthma in children. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate whether SRBD may have an adverse effect on childhood asthma control and lung function measures. This was a cross-sectional study of 220 children with well-controlled (n = 108), partly controlled (n = 92), and uncontrolled asthma (n = 20) according to the Global Initiative for Asthma guideline. SRBD was assessed using the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ). The association of SRBD with partly controlled/uncontrolled asthma was investigated on multivariate logistic regression analysis. Of 220 children with asthma, 43 (19.6%) had SRBD: well-controlled, 16.7% (18/108); partly controlled, 21.7% (20/92); and uncontrolled, 25.0% (5/20; P = 0.54). There was a significant difference in forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity (FEV 1 /FVC; P = 0.007) and childhood asthma control test (C-ACT) score (P < 0.001) according to asthma control status, but not in PSQ score (P = 0.18). Children with obstructive sleep apnea (PSQ >0.33) had a lower C-ACT score compared with controls (PSQ ≤0.33; 19.6 ± 5.1 vs 22.0 ± 4.2, P = 0.002). PSQ score was negatively correlated with FEV 1 /FVC (r = -0.16, P = 0.02). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, high PSQ score increased the odds of having partly controlled/uncontrolled asthma by 9.12 (95% CI: 1.04-79.72, P = 0.046) after adjusting for confounding factors. SRBD is an independent risk factor for partly controlled/uncontrolled asthma and has an adverse effect on lung function measures in children. Further research is warranted to determine whether the improvement of sleep quality may also enhance level of asthma control and lung function in children. © 2017 Japan Pediatric Society.

Impact of 5-HT(3) RA selection within triple antiemetic regimens on uncontrolled highly emetogenic chemotherapy-induced nausea/vomiting.

PubMed

Schwartzberg, Lee; Jackson, James; Jain, Gagan; Balu, Sanjeev; Buchner, Deborah

2011-08-01

It is recommended that patients initiate triple antiemetic therapy with one of the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor antagonists (5-HT(3) RAs), aprepitant (or its intravenous prodrug fosaprepitant) and dexamethasone prior to the start of highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC). However, the impact of 5-HT(3) RA selection within triple antiemetic regimens on the risk of uncontrolled chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) with HEC has not been well studied. To assess the likelihood of an uncontrolled CINV event following antiemetic prophylaxis with the 5-HT(3) RA palonosetron + aprepitant/fosaprepitant + dexamethasone (palonosetron cohort) versus any of the other 5-HT(3) RAs + aprepitant/fosaprepitant + dexamethasone (other 5-HT(3) RA cohort) among single-day HEC cycles. Single-day HEC cycles (a gap of at least 5 days between two administrations) among patients with a cancer diagnosis and receiving antiemetic prophylaxis with the aforementioned regimens between 1/1/2006 and 6/30/2010 were identified from the IMS LifeLink claims database. Uncontrolled CINV events were identified through ICD-9-CM codes (nausea and vomiting), Current Procedural Terminology codes (hydration), rescue medications and/or use of antiemetic therapy from days 2-5 following HEC administration. Risks for an uncontrolled CINV event among all patients, and within breast cancer and multiple cancer subpopulations, were analyzed at cycle level using logistic multivariate regression models. A total of 8018 cycles for the palonosetron cohort and 1926 cycles for the other 5-HT(3) RA cohort (3574 and 978 patients, respectively) were analyzed. Single-day HEC cycles received by the palonosetron cohort had a significantly lower unadjusted risk of an uncontrolled CINV event (17.5 vs 20.7% for the other 5-HT(3) RA cohort; p = 0.0010), with a 17% lower adjusted risk for palonosetron-administered cycles (odds ratio: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.73-0.94; p = 0.0042). Results in the breast cancer and multiple cancer subgroups were consistent with those for the overall population. In this retrospective claims data analysis, single-day HEC cycles administered with palonosetron + aprepitant/fosaprepitant + dexamethasone had a lower risk for an uncontrolled CINV event versus other 5-HT(3) RAs + aprepitant/fosaprepitant + dexamethasone.

Self-management Experiences of Older Korean Women With Urinary Incontinence: A Descriptive Qualitative Study Using Focus Groups.

PubMed

Park, Sunah; Yeoum, SoonGyo; Kim, Yoonjung; Kwon, Hye Jin

The purpose of this study was to explore the self-management experiences of Korean women with urinary incontinence (UI). Descriptive, qualitative study using focus groups. Twenty-two community-dwelling women, 65 years and older, participated in 3 focus-group interviews. Participants were recruited from 2 elderly halls and 1 senior welfare center in South Korea. Three focus group interviews comprising 6 to 8 individuals were conducted in a quiet venue at the elderly hall or senior welfare center. Two investigators performed the interviews; one acted as moderator and one as notetaker; interviews began with scripted open-ended questions. All interviews were electronically recorded and transcribed verbatim. Using an inductive thematic approach, data were first analyzed by the first and second authors; and all 4 authors contributed to coding and agreed on final themes. Korean women perceived UI as a loss of dignity, an odor problem, an uncontrollable disease, and a life impairment. Thematic analysis revealed 4 themes regarding the self-management experience of UI: preserving self-respect in the sociocultural environment, deodorizing the smell, keeping the secret of uncontrollability, and adjusting to an impaired life. Women in this study used various daily-living strategies to manage UI, but they mainly implemented strategies to keep UI a secret, including restrictions in activities of daily living. Educational approaches are needed to inform women with UI about more effective management skills.

Alcohol use, risky sexual behavior, and condom possession among bar patrons.

PubMed

Chaney, Beth H; Vail-Smith, Karen; Martin, Ryan J; Cremeens-Matthews, Jennifer

2016-09-01

The current study seeks to: 1) assess the relationship between alcohol consumption and intentions to engage in unprotected sex in an uncontrolled environment, and 2) to identify if covariates (race, age, sex, breath alcohol content (BrAC), intentions to engage in sex, hazardous drinking rates) are significant predictors of condom possession during time of uncontrolled alcohol consumption. Data were collected from 917 bar patrons to assess alcohol use using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C), BrAC levels, intentions to engage in risky sex, and condom possession. Correlational analysis and hierarchical binary logistic regression was conducted using SPSS. Correlational analyses indicated a negative relationship between AUDIT-C scores (r=-0.115, p=0.001), BrAC (r=-0.08, p=0.015), and intentions to use a condom. Over 70% of participants intended to use a condom if they engaged in sex; however, only 28.4% had a condom to use. The regression analysis indicated the predictive model (χ(2)=114.5, df=8, p<0.001) was statistically significant, and correctly classified 72.9% of those in possession of a condom. Alcohol consumption was associated with intentions to have unprotected sex; however, intentions to engage in protected sex and condom possession were higher for males and those with higher BrAC levels. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving the Energy Saving Process with High-Resolution Data: A Case Study in a University Building.

PubMed

Han, Jeongyun; Lee, Eunjung; Cho, Hyunghun; Yoon, Yoonjin; Lee, Hyoseop; Rhee, Wonjong

2018-05-17

In this paper, we provide findings from an energy saving experiment in a university building, where an IoT platform with 1 Hz sampling sensors was deployed to collect electric power consumption data. The experiment was a reward setup with daily feedback delivered by an energy delegate for one week, and energy saving of 25.4% was achieved during the experiment. Post-experiment sustainability, defined as 10% or more of energy saving, was also accomplished for 44 days without any further intervention efforts. The saving was possible mainly because of the data-driven intervention designs with high-resolution data in terms of sampling frequency and number of sensors, and the high-resolution data turned out to be pivotal for an effective waste behavior investigation. While the quantitative result was encouraging, we also noticed many uncontrollable factors, such as exams, papers due, office allocation shuffling, graduation, and new-comers, that affected the result in the campus environment. To confirm that the quantitative result was due to behavior changes, rather than uncontrollable factors, we developed several data-driven behavior detection measures. With these measures, it was possible to analyze behavioral changes, as opposed to simply analyzing quantitative fluctuations. Overall, we conclude that the space-time resolution of data can be crucial for energy saving, and potentially for many other data-driven energy applications.

Exploiting Orbital Data and Observation Campaigns to Improve Space Debris Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braun, V.; Horstmann, A.; Reihs, B.; Lemmens, S.; Merz, K.; Krag, H.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has been developing the Meteoroid and Space Debris Terrestrial Environment Reference (MASTER) software as the European reference model for space debris for more than 25 years. It is an event-based simulation of all known individual debris-generating events since 1957, including breakups, solid rocket motor firings and nuclear reactor core ejections. In 2014, the upgraded Debris Risk Assessment and Mitigation Analysis (DRAMA) tool suite was released. In the same year an ESA instruction made the standard ISO 24113:2011 on space debris mitigation requirements, adopted via the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS), applicable to all ESA missions. In order to verify the compliance of a space mission with those requirements, the DRAMA software is used to assess collision avoidance statistics, estimate the remaining orbital lifetime and evaluate the on-ground risk for controlled and uncontrolled reentries. In this paper, the approach to validate the MASTER and DRAMA tools is outlined. For objects larger than 1 cm, thus potentially being observable from ground, the MASTER model has been validated through dedicated observation campaigns. Recent campaign results shall be discussed. Moreover, catalogue data from the Space Surveillance Network (SSN) has been used to correlate the larger objects. In DRAMA, the assessment of collision avoidance statistics is based on orbit uncertainty information derived from Conjunction Data Messages (CDM) provided by the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC). They were collected for more than 20 ESA spacecraft in the recent years. The way this information is going to be used in a future DRAMA version is outlined and the comparison of estimated manoeuvre rates with real manoeuvres from the operations of ESA spacecraft is shown.

Sensitive naked eye detection and quantification assay for nitrite by a fluorescence probe in various water resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Fengyuan; Zhu, Xinyue; Jiao, Zhijuan; Liu, Xiaoyan; Zhang, Haixia

2018-07-01

An uncontrolled increase of nitrite concentration in groundwater, rivers and lakes is a growing threat to public health and environment. It is important to monitor the nitrite levels in water and clinical diagnosis. Herein, we developed a switch-off fluorescence probe (PyI) for the sensitive detection of nitrite ions in the aqueous media. This probe selectively recognizes nitrite ions through a distinct visual color change from colorless to pink with a detection limit of 0.1 μM. This method has been successfully applied to the determination of nitrites in tap water, lake water and Yellow River water with recoveries in the range of 94.8%-105.4%.

Degradation of soils as a result of human-induced transformation of their water regime and soil-protective practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaidel'Man, F. R.

2009-01-01

The adverse human-induced changes in the water regime of soils leading to their degradation are considered. Factors of the human activity related to the water industry, agriculture, and silviculture are shown to play the most active role in the soil degradation. Among them are the large-scale hydraulic works on rivers, drainage and irrigation of soils, ameliorative and agricultural impacts, road construction, and uncontrolled impacts of industry and silviculture on the environment. The reasons for each case of soil degradation related to changes in the soil water regime are considered, and preventive measures are proposed. The role of secondary soil degradation processes is shown.

Controlled and Uncontrolled Subject Descriptions in the CF Database: A Comparison of Optimal Cluster-Based Retrieval Results.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaw, W. M., Jr.

1993-01-01

Describes a study conducted on the cystic fibrosis (CF) database, a subset of MEDLINE, that investigated clustering structure and the effectiveness of cluster-based retrieval as a function of the exhaustivity of the uncontrolled subject descriptions. Results are compared to calculations for controlled descriptions based on Medical Subject Headings…

40 CFR Table 3 to Subpart Uuuu of... - Initial Compliance With Emission Limits and Work Practice Standards

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) you prepare a material balance that includes the pertinent data used to determine the percent... uncontrolled total sulfide emissions were reduced by at least 75%; (3) you prepare a material balance that... uncontrolled total sulfide emissions were reduced by at least 35%; (3) you prepare a material balance that...

40 CFR Table 3 to Subpart Uuuu of... - Initial Compliance With Emission Limits and Work Practice Standards

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) you prepare a material balance that includes the pertinent data used to determine the percent... uncontrolled total sulfide emissions were reduced by at least 75%; (3) you prepare a material balance that... uncontrolled total sulfide emissions were reduced by at least 35%; (3) you prepare a material balance that...

40 CFR Table 3 to Subpart Uuuu of... - Initial Compliance With Emission Limits and Work Practice Standards

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) you prepare a material balance that includes the pertinent data used to determine the percent... uncontrolled total sulfide emissions were reduced by at least 75%; (3) you prepare a material balance that... uncontrolled total sulfide emissions were reduced by at least 35%; (3) you prepare a material balance that...

Young-Age Gender Differences in Mathematics Mediated by Independent Control or Uncontrollability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zirk-Sadowski, Jan; Lamptey, Charlotte; Devine, Amy; Haggard, Mark; Szucs, Dénes

2014-01-01

We studied whether the origins of math anxiety can be related to a biologically supported framework of stress induction: (un)controllability perception, here indicated by self-reported independent efforts in mathematics. Math anxiety was tested in 182 children (8- to 11-year-olds). "Latent factor modeling" was used to test hypotheses on…

40 CFR Table 2 to Subpart Ffff of... - Emission Limits and Work Practice Standards for Batch Process Vents

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Pollutants: Miscellaneous Organic Chemical Manufacturing Pt. 63, Subpt. FFFF, Table 2 Table 2 to Subpart FFFF... Group 1 batch process vents a. Reduce collective uncontrolled organic HAP emissions from the sum of all... a flare); or Not applicable. b. Reduce collective uncontrolled organic HAP emissions from the sum of...

Research on solid waste management system: to improve existing situation in Corlu Town of Turkey.

PubMed

Tinmaz, Esra; Demir, Ibrahim

2006-01-01

Over the past decades, uncontrolled population growth and rapid urbanization and industrialization have resulted in environmental problems in Corlu Town, Turkey. One of the most important problems is solid waste due to inadequate management practices. Nowadays, increasing public awareness of the environment compels local authorities to define and to adopt new solutions for waste management. This paper presents a general overview of current solid waste management practices in Corlu Town and principles of the recommended municipal solid waste (MSW) management system. In Corlu, 170 tonnes of municipal solid waste are generated each day, or 1.150 kg per capita per day. Approximately one-half of the municipal solid waste generated is organic material and 30% of the MSW consists of recyclable materials. The recommended system deals with maximizing recycling and minimizing landfilling of municipal solid waste, and consists of separation at source, collection, sorting, recycling, composting and sanitary landfilling. This study also analyzed the recommended system with respect to feasibility and economics. To evaluate whether the suggested system is cost effective or not, the operating cost of the recommended system and market prices of recyclable materials were compared, and the results show that the recommended system will reduce required landfill volume up to 27% of compared to the present situation. The profit of the recommended system is estimated to be about 80 million US dollars.

A Generalized Precharging Strategy for Soft Startup Process of the Modular Multilevel Converter-Based HVDC Systems

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Lei; Qin, Jiangchao; Wu, Xiajie; ...

2017-01-01

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) has become one of the most promising converter technologies for medium/high-power applications, specifically for highvoltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems. One of the technical challenges associated with the operation and control of the MMC-based system is to precharge the submodule (SM) capacitors to their nominal voltage during the startup process. In this paper, considering various SM circuits, a generalized precharging strategy is proposed for the MMC-based systems, which can implement soft stratup from dc or ac side. Furthermore, the proposed precharging strategy can be applicabe for various SM circuits and MMC configurations. The proposed startupmore » strategy does not require extra measurements and/or auxiliary power supplies. The charging current is controlled by adjusting the changing rate of the number of blocked and bypassed SM capacitors. Based on the proposed startup strategy, the startup processes of MMC/MMC-HVDC systems based on various SM circuits are analyzed and a generalized startup procedure for various MMC-HVDC systems is proposed. In addition, the uncontrollable steady-state SM capacitor voltages of various MMC-based systems are analyzed and determined, potentially useful in SM design. Our performance of the proposed strategy for various MMC-HVDC systems is evaluated based on time-domain simulation studies in the PSCAD/EMTDC software environment and experimental results based on a scaled-down prototype.« less

A Generalized Precharging Strategy for Soft Startup Process of the Modular Multilevel Converter-Based HVDC Systems

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

Zhang, Lei; Qin, Jiangchao; Wu, Xiajie

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) has become one of the most promising converter technologies for medium/high-power applications, specifically for highvoltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems. One of the technical challenges associated with the operation and control of the MMC-based system is to precharge the submodule (SM) capacitors to their nominal voltage during the startup process. In this paper, considering various SM circuits, a generalized precharging strategy is proposed for the MMC-based systems, which can implement soft stratup from dc or ac side. Furthermore, the proposed precharging strategy can be applicabe for various SM circuits and MMC configurations. The proposed startupmore » strategy does not require extra measurements and/or auxiliary power supplies. The charging current is controlled by adjusting the changing rate of the number of blocked and bypassed SM capacitors. Based on the proposed startup strategy, the startup processes of MMC/MMC-HVDC systems based on various SM circuits are analyzed and a generalized startup procedure for various MMC-HVDC systems is proposed. In addition, the uncontrollable steady-state SM capacitor voltages of various MMC-based systems are analyzed and determined, potentially useful in SM design. Our performance of the proposed strategy for various MMC-HVDC systems is evaluated based on time-domain simulation studies in the PSCAD/EMTDC software environment and experimental results based on a scaled-down prototype.« less

Controlled Bulk Properties of Composite Polymeric Solutions for Extensive Structural Order of Honeycomb Polysulfone Membranes

PubMed Central

Gugliuzza, Annarosa; Perrotta, Maria Luisa; Drioli, Enrico

2016-01-01

This work provides additional insights into the identification of operating conditions necessary to overcome a current limitation to the scale-up of the breath figure method, which is regarded as an outstanding manufacturing approach for structurally ordered porous films. The major restriction concerns, indeed, uncontrolled touching droplets at the boundary. Herein, the bulk of polymeric solutions are properly managed to generate honeycomb membranes with a long-range structurally ordered texture. Water uptake and dynamics are explored as chemical environments are changed with the intent to modify the hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance and local water floatation. In this context, a model surfactant such as the polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate is used in combination with alcohols at different chain length extents and a traditional polymer such as the polyethersufone. Changes in the interfacial tension and kinematic viscosity taking place in the bulk of composite solutions are explored and examined in relation to competitive droplet nucleation and growth rate. As a result, extensive structurally ordered honeycomb textures are obtained with the rising content of the surfactant while a broad range of well-sized pores is targeted as a function of the hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance and viscosity of the composite polymeric mixture. The experimental findings confirm the consistency of the approach and are expected to give propulsion to the commercially production of breath figures films shortly. PMID:27196938

Controlled Bulk Properties of Composite Polymeric Solutions for Extensive Structural Order of Honeycomb Polysulfone Membranes.

PubMed

Gugliuzza, Annarosa; Perrotta, Maria Luisa; Drioli, Enrico

2016-05-16

This work provides additional insights into the identification of operating conditions necessary to overcome a current limitation to the scale-up of the breath figure method, which is regarded as an outstanding manufacturing approach for structurally ordered porous films. The major restriction concerns, indeed, uncontrolled touching droplets at the boundary. Herein, the bulk of polymeric solutions are properly managed to generate honeycomb membranes with a long-range structurally ordered texture. Water uptake and dynamics are explored as chemical environments are changed with the intent to modify the hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance and local water floatation. In this context, a model surfactant such as the polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate is used in combination with alcohols at different chain length extents and a traditional polymer such as the polyethersufone. Changes in the interfacial tension and kinematic viscosity taking place in the bulk of composite solutions are explored and examined in relation to competitive droplet nucleation and growth rate. As a result, extensive structurally ordered honeycomb textures are obtained with the rising content of the surfactant while a broad range of well-sized pores is targeted as a function of the hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance and viscosity of the composite polymeric mixture. The experimental findings confirm the consistency of the approach and are expected to give propulsion to the commercially production of breath figures films shortly.

Effects of laser interaction with living human tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molchanova, O. E.; Protasov, E. A.; Protasov, D. E.; Smirnova, A. V.

2016-09-01

With the help of a highly sensitive laser device with the wavelength λ = 0.808 pm, which is optimal for deep penetration of the radiation into biological tissues, the effects associated with the appearance of uncontrolled human infrasonic vibrations of different frequencies were investigated. It was established that the observed fluctuations are associated with the vascular system which is characterized by its own respiratory movements, occurring synchronously with the movements of the respiratory muscles, the operation of the heart muscle, and the effect of compression ischemia. The effect of “enlightenment” of a tissue is observed with stopping of blood flow in vessels by applying a tourniquet on the wrist.

Analysis of potential hazards associated with 241Am loaded resins from nitrate media

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

Schulte, Louis D.; Rubin, Jim; Fife, Keith William

2016-02-19

LANL has been contacted to provide possible assistance in safe disposition of a number of 241Am-bearing materials associated with local industrial operations. Among the materials are ion exchange resins which have been in contact with 241Am and nitric acid, and which might have potential for exothermic reaction. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and define the resin forms and quantities to the extent possible from available data to allow better bounding of the potential reactivity hazard of the resin materials. An additional purpose is to recommend handling procedures to minimize the probability of an uncontrolled exothermic reaction.

Job strain, blood pressure and response to uncontrollable stress.

PubMed

Steptoe, A; Cropley, M; Joekes, K

1999-02-01

The association between cardiovascular disease risk and job strain (high-demand, low-control work) may be mediated by heightened physiological stress responsivity. We hypothesized that high levels of job strain lead to increased cardiovascular responses to uncontrollable but not controllable stressors. Associations between job strain and blood pressure reductions after the working day (unwinding) were also assessed. Assessment of cardiovascular responses to standardized behavioral tasks, and ambulatory monitoring of blood pressure and heart rate during a working day and evening. We studied 162 school teachers (60 men, 102 women) selected from a larger survey as experiencing high or low job strain. Blood pressure, heart rate and electrodermal responses to an externally paced (uncontrollable) task and a self-paced (controllable) task were assessed. Blood pressure was monitored using ambulatory apparatus from 0900 to 2230 h on a working day. The groups of subjects with high and low job strain did not differ in demographic factors, body mass or resting cardiovascular activity. Blood pressure reactions to the uncontrollable task were greater in high than low job-strain groups, but responses to the controllable task were not significantly different between groups. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure did not differ between groups over the working day, but decreased to a greater extent in the evening in subjects with low job strain. Job strain is associated with a heightened blood pressure response to uncontrollable but not controllable tasks. The failure of subjects with high job strain to show reduced blood pressure in the evening may be a manifestation of chronic allostatic load.

An attributional analysis of excuse giving: studies of a naive theory of emotion.

PubMed

Weiner, B; Amirkhan, J; Folkes, V S; Verette, J A

1987-02-01

We conducted four studies that pertained to excuses given for a broken social contract. In an initial field investigation, participants recalled occasions in which they had given true and false reasons for not fulfilling a social obligation. Communicated reasons tended to be external to the person, uncontrollable, and unintentional (e.g., "My car broke down"), whereas withheld reasons tended to be internal, controllable, and either intentional (e.g., "I did not want to go") or unintentional (e.g., "I forgot"). The external uncontrollable excuses were anticipated to lessen the anger of the wronged party. In a subsequent simulation study, excuses based on the categories detected in Experiment 1 were manipulated and related to anger ratings. The same pattern of results was displayed, with intent and negligence provoking the highest anger ratings. The final two studies involved laboratory manipulation of a communicated reason for coming late to an experiment. In Experiment 3, a confederate conveyed either an internal controllable, an external uncontrollable, or no reason for making a subject wait, whereas in Experiment 4, subjects were detained and created their own good, bad, any, or no excuse for being tardy, which was communicated to a second, waiting subject. A consistent pattern of good excuse/external uncontrollable reason and bad excuse/internal controllable reason was displayed; offering no excuse resulted in the same judgments as giving a poor excuse. Relative to the external uncontrollable reasons, internal controllable excuses for being late augmented aversive emotional reactions, increased negative personality ratings, and resulted in a desire for no further social contact.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Primary care physicians behaviour on hypertensive patients with poor blood pressure control. The PRESCAP 2006 study].

PubMed

Alonso-Moreno, F J; Llisterri Caro, J L; Rodríguez-Roca, G C; Ferreiro Madueño, M; González-Segura Alsina, D; Divisón Garrote, J A; Banegas, J R; Barrios Alonso, V; Lou Arnal, S; Sánchez Ruiz, T; Santos Rodríguez, J A; Durá Belinchón, R

2008-09-01

There is little information available on Therapeutic Inertia in Primary Care (PC). This study aimed to know the therapeutic behavior of the physician for uncontrolled hypertensive patients. Cross-sectional, multicenter study that included hypertensive patients of both genders, under pharmacological treatment who were recruited consecutively in the PC out-patient clinic in all of Spain. Social-demographic, clinical and treatment data were recorded, as well as the motives for eventual therapeutic modification. Adequate BP control was considered when BP values were below 140/90 mmHg in general, and below 130/80 mmHg in diabetes, renal insufficiency or cardiovascular disease. A total of 10,520 patients (53.7% women) were included with average age of 64.6 (11.3 years). Of these, 44.4% the patients were receiving monotherapy and 55.6% were treated with combined therapy (two drugs 41.2%, three drugs 11.7%, and more than three 2.8%). Uncontrolled hypertension was found in 58.6% (95% CI. 57.6-59.5) of the patients. Treatment was modified by physicians in 30.4% (95% CI. 29.2-31.6) of the uncontrolled patients, combination with another drug being the most frequent behavior (46.3%), followed by dose increase (26.1%), and antihypertensive drug switch (22.8%). The perception of the physician of good BP control was the factor most associated with not modifying the treatment in uncontrolled patients. Study results showed that the PC physician modified antihypertensive treatment in only 3 out of 10 uncontrolled patients. When treatment modification was made, association of drugs was the most frequent behavior.

Considerations for an Integrated UAS CNS Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Templin, Fred L.; Jain, Raj; Sheffield, Greg; Taboso-Bellesteros, Pedro; Ponchak, Denise

2017-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) is investigating revolutionary and advanced universal, reliable, always available, cyber secure and affordable Communication, Navigation, Surveillance (CNS) options for all altitudes of UAS operations. In Spring 2015, NASA issued a Call for Proposals under NASA Research Announcements (NRA) NNH15ZEA001N, Amendment 7 Subtopic 2.4. Boeing was selected to conduct a study with the objective to determine the most promising candidate technologies for Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) air-to-air and air-to-ground data exchange and analyze their suitability in a post-NextGen NAS environment. The overall objectives are to develop UAS CNS requirements and then develop architectures that satisfy the requirements for UAS in both controlled and uncontrolled air space. This contract is funded under NASAs Aeronautics Research Mission Directorates (ARMD) Aviation Operations and Safety Program (AOSP) Safe Autonomous Systems Operations (SASO) project and proposes technologies for the Unmanned Air Systems Traffic Management (UTM) service.There is a need for accommodating large-scale populations of Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) in the national air space. Scale obviously impacts capacity planning for Communication, Navitation, and Surveillance (CNS) technologies. For example, can wireless communications data links provide the necessary capacity for accommodating millions of small UASs (sUAS) nationwide? Does the communications network provide sufficient Internet Protocol (IP) address space to allow air traffic control to securely address both UAS teams as a whole as well as individual UAS within each team? Can navigation and surveillance approaches assure safe route planning and safe separation of vehicles even in crowded skies?Our objective is to identify revolutionary and advanced CNS alternatives supporting UASs operating at all altitudes and in all airspace while accurately navigating in the absence of navigational aids. These CNS alternatives must be reliable, redundant, always available, cyber-secure, and affordable for all types of vehicles including small UAS to large transport category aircraft. The approach will identify CNS technology candidates that can meet the needs of the range of UAS missions to specific air traffic management applications where they will be most beneficial and cost effective.

Considerations for an Integrated UAS CNS Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Templin, Fred L.; Jain, Raj; Sheffield, Greg; Taboso-Bellesteros, Pedro; Ponchak, Denise

2017-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) is investigating revolutionary and advanced universal, reliable, always available, cyber secure and affordable Communication, Navigation, Surveillance (CNS) options for all altitudes of UAS operations. In Spring 2015, NASA issued a Call for Proposals under NASA Research Announcements (NRA) NNH15ZEA001N, Amendment 7 Subtopic 2.4. Boeing was selected to conduct a study with the objective to determine the most promising candidate technologies for Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) air-to-air and air-to-ground data exchange and analyze their suitability in a post-NextGen NAS environment. The overall objectives are to develop UAS CNS requirements and then develop architectures that satisfy the requirements for UAS in both controlled and uncontrolled air space. This contract is funded under NASAs Aeronautics Research Mission Directorates (ARMD) Aviation Operations and Safety Program (AOSP) Safe Autonomous Systems Operations (SASO) project and proposes technologies for the Unmanned Air Systems Traffic Management (UTM) service.There is a need for accommodating large-scale populations of Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) in the national air space. Scale obviously impacts capacity planning for Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance (CNS) technologies. For example, can wireless communications data links provide the necessary capacity for accommodating millions of small UASs (sUAS) nationwide? Does the communications network provide sufficient Internet Protocol (IP) address space to allow air traffic control to securely address both UAS teams as a whole as well as individual UAS within each team? Can navigation and surveillance approaches assure safe route planning and safe separation of vehicles even in crowded skies?Our objective is to identify revolutionary and advanced CNS alternatives supporting UASs operating at all altitudes and in all airspace while accurately navigating in the absence of navigational aids. These CNS alternatives must be reliable, redundant, always available, cyber-secure, and affordable for all types of vehicles including small UAS to large transport category aircraft. The approach will identify CNS technology candidates that can meet the needs of the range of UAS missions to specific air traffic management applications where they will be most beneficial and cost effective.

Automation under suspicion--case flight AF-447 Air France.

PubMed

Martins, Edgard; Soares, Marcelo

2012-01-01

The probes allow the pilot to control the aircraft speed was essential to the balance of the flight. Opinions of experts who claim that "the design of the plane would have exercised a not inconsiderable role in the occurrence of a disaster." These messages revealed a series of important operating errors in a zone of turbulence, "making the plane uncontrollable, leading to a rapid depressurization device, according to these reports. A lawsuit in Toulouse and in Brazil aims to recognition of the liability of Air France and Airbus not insignificant role in the design and operation of the aircraft in the event of catastrophe. Opinions are taken from senior pilots that no commercial aviation training for certain situations abnormal flight that, if realized, could have influenced the pilots of the AF-447 to remove the plane's fatal dive show what experiments performed in simulators for military pilots, who are permanently subject to critical flight situations.

Impacts of gas drilling on human and animal health.

PubMed

Bamberger, Michelle; Oswald, Robert E

2012-01-01

Environmental concerns surrounding drilling for gas are intense due to expansion of shale gas drilling operations. Controversy surrounding the impact of drilling on air and water quality has pitted industry and lease-holders against individuals and groups concerned with environmental protection and public health. Because animals often are exposed continually to air, soil, and groundwater and have more frequent reproductive cycles, animals can be used as sentinels to monitor impacts to human health. This study involved interviews with animal owners who live near gas drilling operations. The findings illustrate which aspects of the drilling process may lead to health problems and suggest modifications that would lessen but not eliminate impacts. Complete evidence regarding health impacts of gas drilling cannot be obtained due to incomplete testing and disclosure of chemicals, and nondisclosure agreements. Without rigorous scientific studies, the gas drilling boom sweeping the world will remain an uncontrolled health experiment on an enormous scale.

Radiation shielding of the Fermilab 16 GeV proton driver

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

Nikolai V. Mokhov, Alexander I. Drozhdin and Oleg E. Krivosheev

2001-07-12

The radiation transport analysis in the proposed Fermi-lab 1.2 MWProton Driver (PD) [1] is fundamentally important because of the impact on machine performance, conventional facility design, maintenance operations, and related costs. The strategy adopted in the PD design is that the beam losses in the machine are localized and controlled as much as possible via the dedicated beam collimation system, with a high loss rate localized in that section and drastically lower uncontrolled beam loss rate in the rest of the lattice. Results of thorough Monte Carlo calculations of prompt and residual radiation in and around the PD components aremore » presented for realistic assumptions and geometry under normal operation and accidental conditions. This allowed one to conduct shielding design and analysis to meet regulatory requirements [2] for external shielding, hands-on maintenance and ground-water activation.« less

40 CFR Table 2 to Subpart Ffff of... - Emission Limits and Work Practice Standards for Batch Process Vents

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...: Miscellaneous Organic Chemical Manufacturing Pt. 63, Subpt. FFFF, Table 2 Table 2 to Subpart FFFF of Part 63... vents a. Reduce collective uncontrolled organic HAP emissions from the sum of all batch process vents... applicable. b. Reduce collective uncontrolled organic HAP emissions from the sum of all batch process vents...

40 CFR Table 2 to Subpart Ffff of... - Emission Limits and Work Practice Standards for Batch Process Vents

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...: Miscellaneous Organic Chemical Manufacturing Pt. 63, Subpt. FFFF, Table 2 Table 2 to Subpart FFFF of Part 63... vents a. Reduce collective uncontrolled organic HAP emissions from the sum of all batch process vents... applicable. b. Reduce collective uncontrolled organic HAP emissions from the sum of all batch process vents...

Transvenous Embolization to Treat Uncontrolled Hemobilia and Peritoneal Bleeding After Transjugular Liver Biopsy

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

Koshy, Chiramel George, E-mail: gkchiramel@gmail.co; Eapen, C. E.; Lakshminarayan, Raghuram

2010-06-15

Hemobilia is one of the complications that can occur after a transjugular liver biopsy. Various treatment options have been described for the management of this condition, including transarterial embolization and open surgery. We describe a patient who developed uncontrolled hemobilia after a transjugular liver biopsy that required a transvenous approach for embolization and treatment purposes.

Level of asthma control and its relationship with medication use in asthma patients in Brazil*

PubMed Central

Marchioro, Josiane; Gazzotti, Mariana Rodrigues; Nascimento, Oliver Augusto; Montealegre, Federico; Fish, James; Jardim, José Roberto

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To assess asthma patients in Brazil in terms of the level of asthma control, compliance with maintenance treatment, and the use of rescue medication. METHODS: We used data from a Latin American survey of a total of 400 asthma patients in four Brazilian state capitals, all of whom completed a questionnaire regarding asthma control and treatment. RESULTS: In that sample, the prevalence of asthma was 8.8%. Among the 400 patients studied, asthma was classified, in accordance with the Global Initiative for Asthma criteria, as controlled, partially controlled, and uncontrolled in 37 (9.3%), 226 (56.5%), and 137 (34.3%), respectively. In those three groups, the proportion of patients on maintenance therapy in the past four weeks was 5.4%, 19.9%, and 41.6%, respectively. The use of rescue medication was significantly more common in the uncontrolled asthma group (86.9%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that, in accordance with the established international criteria, asthma is uncontrolled in the vast majority of asthma patients in Brazil. Maintenance medications are still underutilized in Brazil, and patients with partially controlled or uncontrolled asthma are more likely to use rescue medications and oral corticosteroids. PMID:25410836

Long-term effect of pH on short-chain fatty acids accumulation and microbial community in sludge fermentation systems.

PubMed

Yuan, Yue; Wang, Shuying; Liu, Ye; Li, Baikun; Wang, Bo; Peng, Yongzhen

2015-12-01

Long-term effect of pH (4, 10, and uncontrolled) on short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) accumulation, microbial community and sludge reduction were investigated in waste activated sludge (WAS) fermentors for over 90days. The average SCFAs accumulation was 1721.4 (at pH 10), 114.2 (at pH 4), and 58.1 (at uncontrolled pH) mg chemical oxygen demand (COD)/L. About 31.65mgCOD/L was produced at pH 10, accounting for 20% of the influent COD. Illumina MiSeq sequencing revealed that Alcaligenes (hydrolic bacteria) and Erysipelothrix (acidogenic bacteria) were enriched at pH 10, while less acidogenic bacteria existed at pH 4 than pH 10, and no acidogenic bacteria were detected at the uncontrolled pH. The ratios of archaea to bacteria were 1:41, 1:16, and 1:9 at the pH of 10, 4, and uncontrolled. This study elucidated the effects of pH on WAS fermentation, and established the correlation of microbial structure with SCFAs accumulations and sludge reduction. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Creatinine plasma at uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus and controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus patients at primary health care in Binjai city, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusdiana; Savira, M.; Syahputra, M.; Santoso, A.

2018-03-01

The aim of the study knowing the comparison creatinine plasma levels at uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus and controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus patients at Primary Health Care in Binjai city of North Sumatera in Indonesia. This cross-sectional study was conductedon 40 type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients who attended Primary Health Care in Binjai. Patients with age > 40 years old, (both sexes) were included in the study. We recorded different demographic parameter as age, Body Mass Index, Blood Pressure, and personal history status. And we examined the biochemicalparameters including Hba1c, Fasting Blood Sugar Levels (FBL) and creatinine serum. We separated into two groups base on HbA1c test, controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus and uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus. We measured FBL by using the portable measuring instrument, and Thamrin clinical laboratory measured Hba1c, andwe measured creatinine plasmaby spectrophotometry in Biochemistry laboratory. With statistical analysis using T-test found that there was asignificant differencein creatinine plasma levels between uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus with controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus (p<0.005).

The Comparison of Dietary Behaviors among Rural Controlled and Uncontrolled Hypertensive Patients.

PubMed

Kamran, Aziz; Shekarchi, Ali Akbar; Sharifian, Elham; Heydari, Heshmatolah

2016-01-01

Nutrition is a dominant peripheral factor in increasing blood pressure; however, little information is available about the nutritional status of hypertensive patients in Iran. This study aimed to compare nutritional behaviors of the rural controlled and uncontrolled hypertensive patients and to determine the predictive power of nutritional behaviors from blood pressure. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 671 rural hypertensive patients, using multistage random sampling method in Ardabil city in 2013. Data were collected by a 3-day food record questionnaire. Nutritional data were extracted by Nutritionist 4 software and analyzed by the SPSS 18 software using Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression, ANOVA, and independent t-test. A significant difference was observed in the means of fat intake, cholesterol, saturated fat, sodium, energy, calcium, vitamin C, fiber, and nutritional knowledge between controlled and uncontrolled groups. In the controlled group, sodium, saturated fats, vitamin C, calcium, and energy intake explained 30.6% of the variations in blood pressure and, in the uncontrolled group, sodium, carbohydrate, fiber intake, and nutritional knowledge explained 83% of the variations in blood pressure. There was a significant difference in the nutritional behavior between the two groups and changes in blood pressure could be explained significantly by nutritional behaviors.

Load shift potential of electric vehicles in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babrowski, Sonja; Heinrichs, Heidi; Jochem, Patrick; Fichtner, Wolf

2014-06-01

Many governments highly encourage electric mobility today, aiming at a high market penetration. This development would bring forth an impact on the energy system, which strongly depends on the driving and charging behavior of the users. While an uncontrolled immediate charging might strain the local grid and/or higher peak loads, there are benefits to be gained by a controlled charging. We examine six European mobility studies in order to display the effects of controlled and uncontrolled unidirectional charging. Taking into account country-specific driving patterns, we generate for each country a charging load curve corresponding to uncontrolled charging and consider the corresponding parking time at charging facilities in order to identify load shift potentials. The main results are that besides the charging power of the vehicles, the possibility to charge at the work place has a significant influence on the uncontrolled charging curve. Neither national nor regional differences are as significant. When charging is only possible at home, the vehicle availability at charging facilities during the day for all countries is at least 24%. With the additional possibility to charge at work, at least 45% are constantly available. Accordingly, we identified a big potential for load shifting through controlled charging.

Assessment of tools for protection of quality of water: Uncontrollable discharges of pollutants.

PubMed

Dehghani Darmian, Mohsen; Hashemi Monfared, Seyed Arman; Azizyan, Gholamreza; Snyder, Shane A; Giesy, John P

2018-06-06

Selecting an appropriate crisis management plans during uncontrollable loading of pollution to water systems is crucial. In this research the quality of water resources against uncontrollable pollution is protected by use of suitable tools. Case study which was chosen in this investigation was a river-reservoir system. Analytical and numerical solutions of pollutant transport equation were considered as the simulation strategy to calculate the efficient tools to protect water quality. These practical instruments are dilution flow and a new tool called detention time which is proposed and simulated for the first time in this study. For uncontrollable pollution discharge which was approximately 130% of the river's assimilation capacity, as long as the duration of contact (T c ) was considered as a constraint, by releasing 30% of the base flow of the river from the upstream dilution reservoir, the unallowable pollution could be treated. Moreover, when the affected distance (X c ) was selected as a constraint, the required detention time that the rubber dam should detained the water to be treated was equal to 187% of the initial duration of contact. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Association of Controlled and Uncontrolled Hypertension With Workplace Productivity.

PubMed

Unmuessig, Victoria; Fishman, Paul A; Vrijhoef, Hubertus J M; Elissen, Arianne M J; Grossman, David C

2016-03-01

The authors estimated the lost productive time (LPT) due to absenteeism and presenteeism among employees at the Group Health Cooperative with controlled and uncontrolled hypertension compared with normotensive patients. The patients responded to a survey inquiring about health behaviors with links to their medical record to identify diagnoses, blood pressure measurement, and prescription drug dispenses. Individuals with controlled hypertension were more likely to report any LPT relative to individuals with uncontrolled hypertension (40.6% vs 32.6%, P<.05). There were no significant differences in the average hours of LPT due to presenteeism among individuals regardless of their hypertension status but individuals with hypertension were more likely to report hours of LPT due to absenteeism compared with normotensive individuals (1.04 vs 0.59 hours; P=.001). Individuals with uncontrolled hypertension were more likely to report LPT due to absenteeism compared with individuals with controlled hypertension (1.35 vs 0.72 hours; P=.001). There were no significant differences between individuals with hypertension whose blood pressure was controlled and normotensive individuals with respect to the likelihood of reporting any LPT or in the amounts of absenteeism and presenteeism. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hypertensive Crisis, Burden, Management, and Outcome at a Tertiary Care Center in Karachi.

PubMed

Almas, Aysha; Ghouse, Ayaz; Iftikhar, Ahmed Raza; Khursheed, Munawwar

2014-01-01

Objectives. Hypertension, if uncontrolled, can lead to hypertensive crisis. We aim to determine the prevalence of hypertensive crisis, its management, and outcome in patients presenting to a tertiary care center in Karachi. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. Adult inpatients (>18 yrs) presenting to the ER who were known hypertensive and had uncontrolled hypertension were included. Results. Out of 1336 patients, 28.6% (387) had uncontrolled hypertension. The prevalence of hypertensive crisis among uncontrolled hypertensive was 56.3% (218). Per oral calcium channel blocker; 35.4% (137) and intravenous nitrate; 22.7% (88) were the most commonly administered medication in the ER. The mean (SD) drop in SBP in patients with hypertensive crisis on intravenous treatment was 53.1 (29) mm Hg and on per oral treatment was 43 (27) mm Hg. The maximum mean (SD) drop in blood pressure was seen by intravenous sodium nitroprusside; 80 (51) mm Hg in SBP. Acute renal failure was the most common complication with a prevalence of 11.5% (24). Conclusion. The prevalence of hypertensive crisis is high. Per oral calcium channel blocker and intravenous nitrate are the most commonly administered medications in our setup.

Studies of uncontrolled air traffic patterns, phase 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baxa, E. G., Jr.; Scharf, L. L.; Ruedger, W. H.; Modi, J. A.; Wheelock, S. L.; Davis, C. M.

1975-01-01

The general aviation air traffic flow patterns at uncontrolled airports are investigated and analyzed and traffic pattern concepts are developed to minimize the midair collision hazard in uncontrolled airspace. An analytical approach to evaluate midair collision hazard probability as a function of traffic densities is established which is basically independent of path structure. Two methods of generating space-time interrelationships between terminal area aircraft are presented; one is a deterministic model to generate pseudorandom aircraft tracks, the other is a statistical model in preliminary form. Some hazard measures are presented for selected traffic densities. It is concluded that the probability of encountering a hazard should be minimized independently of any other considerations and that the number of encounters involving visible-avoidable aircraft should be maximized at the expense of encounters in other categories.

Clinical and Economic Burden of Elevated Blood Eosinophils in Patients With and Without Uncontrolled Asthma.

PubMed

Casciano, Julian; Krishnan, Jerry; Dotiwala, Zenobia; Li, Chenghui; Sun, Shawn X

2017-01-01

The European Respiratory Society and American Thoracic Society (ERS/ATS) published guidelines in 2014 for the evaluation and treatment of asthma. These guidelines draw attention to management of patients with asthma that remains uncontrolled despite therapy. One phenotypic characteristic of therapy-resistant asthma is eosinophil elevation. It is important to better understand the burden of care gaps in this patient subgroup in order to support improved treatment strategies in the future. To quantify the economic burden of asthma patients with and without peripheral blood eosinophil elevation. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from patients aged 12 years or older with a diagnosis of asthma using electronic health records of over 2 million patients between 2004-2010. Patients with a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Churg Strauss syndrome/Wegener's granulomatosis, eosinophilia, cystic/pulmonary fibrosis, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, or lung cancer in the 12-month period before the date of asthma diagnosis were excluded. Patients with asthma were followed for 12 months after their initial asthma diagnosis to identify those with controlled versus uncontrolled asthma based on ERS/ATS criteria. Patients with at least 1 peripheral blood eosinophil test result of ≥ 400 cells/µL were classified as those with elevated eosinophils. Total annual paid-claim cost was compared by eosinophil levels within the controlled and uncontrolled asthma subgroups. Costs were adjusted to 2015 U.S. dollars. Patients were stratified by control level, and generalized linear modeling regressions were used to assess the magnitude of increase in cost of the elevated eosinophil group. A total of 2,701 patients were included in the study, of which 17% had uncontrolled asthma and 21% had elevated eosinophils. The mean total annual cost of patients with uncontrolled asthma was more than 2 times the cost of those with controlled asthma ($18,341 vs. $8,670, P < 0.001). Patients with uncontrolled asthma in the elevated eosinophil group had almost double the total cost ($28,644 vs. $14,188, P = 0.008) compared with those with blood eosinophil levels in a normal range. Similarly, patients classified as those with controlled asthma in the elevated eosinophil group had almost twice the average costs as those without elevated eosinophils ($14,754 vs. $7,203, P < 0.001). Uncontrolled asthma with elevated eosinophils had 4 times greater hospital admissions and over 4 times higher total costs than controlled asthma without elevated eosinophils. Among patients with uncontrolled asthma, patients with elevated eosinophils had a 53% increase in mean cost ($17,723 vs. $11,581, P < 0.001) compared with patients without elevated eosinophils. Among patients with controlled asthma, patients with elevated eosinophils had a 62% increase in mean cost ($8,897 vs. $5,486, P < 0.001) compared with patients without elevated eosinophils. Elevated peripheral blood eosinophil level is associated with higher cost irrespective of disease control status. This study was funded by Teva Pharmaceuticals. Dotiwala and Casciano report consulting and writing fees from Teva Pharmaceuticals for work on this study. Sun is an employee and stockholder of Teva Pharmaceuticals. Li reports consulting fees from eMAX Health. All authors contributed to study design. Dotiwala took the lead in data collection, along with the other authors, and data interpretation was performed primarily by Krishnan, Sun, and Li, along with Casciano and Dotiwala. The manuscript was written by Casciano, Dotiwala, and Li, along with Sun and Krishnan, and revised by Casciano, Dotiwala, Sun, and Li, with assistance from Krishnan.

Air pollution and asthma control in the Epidemiological study on the Genetics and Environment of Asthma

PubMed Central

Jacquemin, Bénédicte; Kauffmann, Francine; Pin, Isabelle; Le Moual, Nicole; Bousquet, Jean; Gormand, Frédéric; Just, Jocelyne; Nadif, Rachel; Pison, Christophe; Vervloet, Daniel; Künzli, Nino; Siroux, Valérie

2012-01-01

Background The associations between exposure to air pollution and asthma control are not well known. The objective is to assess the association between long term exposure to NO2, O3 and PM10 and asthma control in the EGEA2 study (2003–2007). Methods Modeled outdoor NO2, O3 and PM10 estimates were linked to each residential address using the 4-km grid air pollutant surface developed by the French Institute of Environment for 2004. Asthma control was assessed in 481 subjects with current asthma using a multidimensional approach following the 2006–2009 GINA guidelines. Multinomial and ordinal logistic regressions were conducted adjusted on sex, age, BMI, education, smoking and use of inhaled corticosteroids. The association between air pollution and the three domains of asthma control (symptoms, exacerbations and lung function) was assessed. Odds Ratios (ORs) are reported per Inter Quartile Range (IQR). Results Median concentrations (μg.m−3) were 32(IQR 25–38) for NO2 (n=465), 46(41–52) for O3 and 21(18–21) for PM10 (n=481). In total, 44%, 29% and 27% had controlled, partly-controlled and uncontrolled asthma. The ordinal ORs for O3 and PM10 with asthma control were 1.69(95%CI 1.22–2.34) and 1.35(95%CI 1.13–1.64) respectively. When including both pollutants in the same model, both associations persisted. Associations were not modified by sex, smoking status, use of inhaled corticosteroids, atopy, season of examination or BMI. Both pollutants were associated with each of the three main domains of control. Conclusions The results suggest that long-term exposure to PM10 and O3 is associated with uncontrolled asthma in adults, defined by symptoms, exacerbations and lung function. Abstract Word count: 250 Key words: air pollution, asthma, asthma control PMID:21690606

Resuspension of sediment, a new approach for remediation of contaminated sediment.

PubMed

Pourabadehei, Mehdi; Mulligan, Catherine N

2016-06-01

Natural events and anthropogenic activities are the reasons of undesirable resuspension of contaminated sediments in aquatic environment. Uncontrolled resuspension could remobilize weakly bound heavy metals into overlying water and pose a potential risk to aquatic ecosystem. Shallow harbours, with contaminated sediments are subjected to the risk of uncontrolled resuspension. Remediation of sediments in these areas cannot be performed by conventional in situ methods (e.g. capping with or without reactive amendment). Ex situ remediation also requires dredging of sediment, which could increase the risk of spreading contaminants. Alternatively, the resuspension technique was introduced to address these issues. The concept of the resuspension method is that finer sediments have a greater tendency to adsorb the contamination. Therefore, finer sediments, believed carry more concentration of contaminants, were targeted for removal from aquatic environment by a suspension mechanism in a confined water column. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the resuspension technique as a new approach for remediation of contaminated sediment and a viable option to reduce the risk of remobilization of contaminants in harbours due to an undesirable resuspension event. Unlike the common in situ techniques, the resuspension method could successfully reduce the total concentration of contaminants in almost all samples below the probable effect level (PEL) with no significant change in the quality of overlying water. The results indicated that removal efficiency could be drastically enhanced for metals in sediment with a higher enrichment factor. Moreover, availability of metals (e.g. Cd and Pb) with a high concentration in labile fractions was higher in finer sediments with a high enrichment factor. Consequently, removal of contaminants from sediment through the resuspension method could reduce the risk of mobility and availability of metals under changing environmental conditions. Potential dredging in harbours could be performed safer and more cost-effective afterward. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Challenges to effective cancer control in China, India, and Russia.

PubMed

Goss, Paul E; Strasser-Weippl, Kathrin; Lee-Bychkovsky, Brittany L; Fan, Lei; Li, Junjie; Chavarri-Guerra, Yanin; Liedke, Pedro E R; Pramesh, C S; Badovinac-Crnjevic, Tanja; Sheikine, Yuri; Chen, Zhu; Qiao, You-lin; Shao, Zhiming; Wu, Yi-Long; Fan, Daiming; Chow, Louis W C; Wang, Jun; Zhang, Qiong; Yu, Shiying; Shen, Gordon; He, Jie; Purushotham, Arnie; Sullivan, Richard; Badwe, Rajendra; Banavali, Shripad D; Nair, Reena; Kumar, Lalit; Parikh, Purvish; Subramanian, Somasundarum; Chaturvedi, Pankaj; Iyer, Subramania; Shastri, Surendra Srinivas; Digumarti, Raghunadhrao; Soto-Perez-de-Celis, Enrique; Adilbay, Dauren; Semiglazov, Vladimir; Orlov, Sergey; Kaidarova, Dilyara; Tsimafeyeu, Ilya; Tatishchev, Sergei; Danishevskiy, Kirill D; Hurlbert, Marc; Vail, Caroline; St Louis, Jessica; Chan, Arlene

2014-04-01

Cancer is one of the major non-communicable diseases posing a threat to world health. Unfortunately, improvements in socioeconomic conditions are usually associated with increased cancer incidence. In this Commission, we focus on China, India, and Russia, which share rapidly rising cancer incidence and have cancer mortality rates that are nearly twice as high as in the UK or the USA, vast geographies, growing economies, ageing populations, increasingly westernised lifestyles, relatively disenfranchised subpopulations, serious contamination of the environment, and uncontrolled cancer-causing communicable infections. We describe the overall state of health and cancer control in each country and additional specific issues for consideration: for China, access to care, contamination of the environment, and cancer fatalism and traditional medicine; for India, affordability of care, provision of adequate health personnel, and sociocultural barriers to cancer control; and for Russia, monitoring of the burden of cancer, societal attitudes towards cancer prevention, effects of inequitable treatment and access to medicine, and a need for improved international engagement. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antibiotic use and abuse: A threat to mitochondria and chloroplasts with impact on research, health, and environment

PubMed Central

Wang, Xu; Ryu, Dongryeol

2015-01-01

Recently, several studies have demonstrated that tetracyclines, the antibiotics most intensively used in livestock and that are also widely applied in biomedical research, interrupt mitochondrial proteostasis and physiology in animals ranging from round worms, fruit flies, and mice to human cell lines. Importantly, plant chloroplasts, like their mitochondria, are also under certain conditions vulnerable to these and other antibiotics that are leached into our environment. Together these endosymbiotic organelles are not only essential for cellular and organismal homeostasis stricto sensu, but also have an important role to play in the sustainability of our ecosystem as they maintain the delicate balance between autotrophs and heterotrophs, which fix and utilize energy, respectively. Therefore, stricter policies on antibiotic usage are absolutely required as their use in research confounds experimental outcomes, and their uncontrolled applications in medicine and agriculture pose a significant threat to a balanced ecosystem and the well‐being of these endosymbionts that are essential to sustain health. Also watch the Video Abstract. PMID:26347282

Monitoring the expansion of built-up areas in Seberang Perai region, Penang State, Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samat, N.

2014-02-01

Rapid urbanization has caused land use transformation and encroachment of built environment into arable agriculture land. Uncontrolled expansion could bring negative impacts to society, space and the environment. Therefore, information on expansion and future spatial pattern of built-up areas would be useful for planners and decision makers in formulating policies towards managing and planning for sustainable urban development. This study demonstrates the usage of Geographic Information System in monitoring the expansion of built-up area in Seberang Perai region, Penang State, Malaysia. Built-up area has increased by approximately 20% between 1990 and 2001 and further increased by 12% between 2001 and 2007. New development is expected to continue encroach into existing open space and agriculture area since those are the only available land in this study area. The information on statistics of the expansion of built-up area and future spatial pattern of urban expansion were useful in planning and managing urban spatial growth.

Antibiotic use and abuse: a threat to mitochondria and chloroplasts with impact on research, health, and environment.

PubMed

Wang, Xu; Ryu, Dongryeol; Houtkooper, Riekelt H; Auwerx, Johan

2015-10-01

Recently, several studies have demonstrated that tetracyclines, the antibiotics most intensively used in livestock and that are also widely applied in biomedical research, interrupt mitochondrial proteostasis and physiology in animals ranging from round worms, fruit flies, and mice to human cell lines. Importantly, plant chloroplasts, like their mitochondria, are also under certain conditions vulnerable to these and other antibiotics that are leached into our environment. Together these endosymbiotic organelles are not only essential for cellular and organismal homeostasis stricto sensu, but also have an important role to play in the sustainability of our ecosystem as they maintain the delicate balance between autotrophs and heterotrophs, which fix and utilize energy, respectively. Therefore, stricter policies on antibiotic usage are absolutely required as their use in research confounds experimental outcomes, and their uncontrolled applications in medicine and agriculture pose a significant threat to a balanced ecosystem and the well-being of these endosymbionts that are essential to sustain health. © 2015 The Authors. Bioessays published by WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

Mitigating oil spills in the water column

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

Barry, Edward; Libera, Joseph A.; Mane, Anil U.

The scale and scope of uncontrolled oil spills can be devastating. Diverse marine environments and fragile ecologies are some of the most susceptible to the many ill effects, while the economic costs can be crippling. A notoriously difficult challenge with no known technological solution is the successful removal of oil dispersed in the water column. Here, we address this problem through cheap and reusable oil sorbents based on the chemical modification of polymer foams. Interfacial chemistry was optimized and subsequently tested in a simulated marine environment at the National Oil Spill Response Research & Renewable Energy Test Facility, Ohmsett. Wemore » find favorable performance for surface oil mitigation and, for the first time, demonstrate the advanced sorbent's efficiency and efficacy at pilot scale in extraction of crude oil and refined petroleum products dispersed in the water column. As a result, this is a potentially disruptive technology, opening a new field of environmental science focused on sub-surface pollutant sequestration.« less

Mitigating oil spills in the water column

DOE PAGES

Barry, Edward; Libera, Joseph A.; Mane, Anil U.; ...

2017-10-05

The scale and scope of uncontrolled oil spills can be devastating. Diverse marine environments and fragile ecologies are some of the most susceptible to the many ill effects, while the economic costs can be crippling. A notoriously difficult challenge with no known technological solution is the successful removal of oil dispersed in the water column. Here, we address this problem through cheap and reusable oil sorbents based on the chemical modification of polymer foams. Interfacial chemistry was optimized and subsequently tested in a simulated marine environment at the National Oil Spill Response Research & Renewable Energy Test Facility, Ohmsett. Wemore » find favorable performance for surface oil mitigation and, for the first time, demonstrate the advanced sorbent's efficiency and efficacy at pilot scale in extraction of crude oil and refined petroleum products dispersed in the water column. As a result, this is a potentially disruptive technology, opening a new field of environmental science focused on sub-surface pollutant sequestration.« less

MEASUREMENTS OF THE CONFINEMENT LEAKTIGHTNESS AT THE KOLA NUCLEAR POWER STATION (UNIT 2) IN RUSSIA

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

GREENE,G.A.; GUPPY,J.G.

1998-08-01

This is the final report on the INSP project entitled, ``Kola Confinement Leaktightness'' conducted by BNL under the authorization of Project Work Plan WBS 1.2.2.1. This project was initiated in February 1993 to assist the Russians to reduce risks associated with the continued operation of older Soviet-designed nuclear power plants, specifically the Kola VVER-440/230 Units 1 and 2, through upgrades in the confinement performance to reduce the uncontrolled leakage rate. The major technical objective of this-project was to improve the leaktightness of the Kola NPP VVER confinement boundaries, through the application of a variety of sealants to penetrations, doors andmore » hatches, seams and surfaces, to the extent that current technology permitted. A related objective was the transfer, through training of Russian staff, of the materials application procedures to the staff of the Kola NPP. This project was part of an overall approach to minimizing uncontrolled releases from the Kola NPP VVER440/230s in the event of a serious accident, and to thereby significantly mitigate the consequences of such an accident. The US provided materials, application technology, and applications equipment for application of sealant materials, surface coatings, potting materials and gaskets, to improve the confinement leaktightness of the Kola VVER-440/23Os. The US provided for training of Russian personnel in the applications technology.« less

Stability-Augmentation Devices for Miniature Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, RIchard M.

2005-01-01

Non-aerodynamic mechanical devices are under consideration as means to augment the stability of miniature autonomous and remotely controlled aircraft. Such aircraft can be used for diverse purposes, including military reconnaissance, radio communications, and safety-related monitoring of wide areas. The need for stability-augmentation devices arises because adverse meteorological conditions generally affect smaller aircraft more strongly than they affect larger aircraft: Miniature aircraft often become uncontrollable under conditions that would not be considered severe enough to warrant grounding of larger aircraft. The need for the stability-augmentation devices to be non-aerodynamic arises because there is no known way to create controlled aerodynamic forces sufficient to counteract the uncontrollable meteorological forces on miniature aircraft. A stability-augmentation device of the type under consideration includes a mass pod (a counterweight) at the outer end of a telescoping shaft, plus associated equipment to support the operation of the aircraft. The telescoping shaft and mass pod are stowed in the rear of the aircraft. When deployed, they extend below the aircraft. Optionally, an antenna for radio communication can be integrated into the shaft. At the time of writing this article, the deployment of the telescoping shaft and mass pod was characterized as passive and automatic, but information about the deployment mechanism(s) was not available. The feasibility of this stability-augmentation concept was demonstrated in flights of hand-launched prototype aircraft.

Surface heat loads on the ITER divertor vertical targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunn, J. P.; Carpentier-Chouchana, S.; Escourbiac, F.; Hirai, T.; Panayotis, S.; Pitts, R. A.; Corre, Y.; Dejarnac, R.; Firdaouss, M.; Kočan, M.; Komm, M.; Kukushkin, A.; Languille, P.; Missirlian, M.; Zhao, W.; Zhong, G.

2017-04-01

The heating of tungsten monoblocks at the ITER divertor vertical targets is calculated using the heat flux predicted by three-dimensional ion orbit modelling. The monoblocks are beveled to a depth of 0.5 mm in the toroidal direction to provide magnetic shadowing of the poloidal leading edges within the range of specified assembly tolerances, but this increases the magnetic field incidence angle resulting in a reduction of toroidal wetted fraction and concentration of the local heat flux to the unshadowed surfaces. This shaping solution successfully protects the leading edges from inter-ELM heat loads, but at the expense of (1) temperatures on the main loaded surface that could exceed the tungsten recrystallization temperature in the nominal partially detached regime, and (2) melting and loss of margin against critical heat flux during transient loss of detachment control. During ELMs, the risk of monoblock edge melting is found to be greater than the risk of full surface melting on the plasma-wetted zone. Full surface and edge melting will be triggered by uncontrolled ELMs in the burning plasma phase of ITER operation if current models of the likely ELM ion impact energies at the divertor targets are correct. During uncontrolled ELMs in pre-nuclear deuterium or helium plasmas at half the nominal plasma current and magnetic field, full surface melting should be avoided, but edge melting is predicted.

Temporary abdominal closure and delayed biliary reconstruction due to massive bleeding in patients undergoing liver transplantation: an old trick in a new indication

PubMed Central

Komorowski, Andrzej L.; Li, Wei‐Feng; Millan, Carlos A.; Huang, Tun‐Sung; Yong, Chee‐Chien; Lin, Tsan‐Shiun; Lin, Ting‐Lung; Jawan, Bruno; Chen, Chao‐Long

2016-01-01

Abstract Background Massive bleeding during liver transplantation (LT) is difficult to manage surgical event. Perihepatic packing (PP) and temporary abdominal closure (TAC) with delayed biliary reconstruction (DBR) can be applied in these circumstances. Method A prospective database of LT in a major transplant center was analyzed to identify patients with massive uncontrollable bleeding during LT that was resolved by PP, TAC, and DBR. Results From January 2009 to July 2013, 20 (3.6%) of 547 patients who underwent LT underwent DBR. Mean intraoperative blood loss was 20,500 ml at the first operation. The DBR was performed with a mean of 55.2 h (16–110) after LT. Biliary reconstruction included duct‐to‐duct (n = 9) and hepatico‐jejunostomy (n = 11). Complications occurred in eight patients and included portal vein thrombosis, cholangitis, severe bacteremia, pneumonia. There was one in‐hospital death. In the follow‐up of 18 to 33 months we have seen one patient died 9 months after transplantation. The remaining 18 patients are alive and well. Conclusions In case of massive uncontrollable bleeding and bowel edema during LT, the combined procedures of PP, TAC, and DBR offer an alternatively surgical option to solve the tough situation. PMID:26692574

SET: a pupil detection method using sinusoidal approximation

PubMed Central

Javadi, Amir-Homayoun; Hakimi, Zahra; Barati, Morteza; Walsh, Vincent; Tcheang, Lili

2015-01-01

Mobile eye-tracking in external environments remains challenging, despite recent advances in eye-tracking software and hardware engineering. Many current methods fail to deal with the vast range of outdoor lighting conditions and the speed at which these can change. This confines experiments to artificial environments where conditions must be tightly controlled. Additionally, the emergence of low-cost eye tracking devices calls for the development of analysis tools that enable non-technical researchers to process the output of their images. We have developed a fast and accurate method (known as “SET”) that is suitable even for natural environments with uncontrolled, dynamic and even extreme lighting conditions. We compared the performance of SET with that of two open-source alternatives by processing two collections of eye images: images of natural outdoor scenes with extreme lighting variations (“Natural”); and images of less challenging indoor scenes (“CASIA-Iris-Thousand”). We show that SET excelled in outdoor conditions and was faster, without significant loss of accuracy, indoors. SET offers a low cost eye-tracking solution, delivering high performance even in challenging outdoor environments. It is offered through an open-source MATLAB toolkit as well as a dynamic-link library (“DLL”), which can be imported into many programming languages including C# and Visual Basic in Windows OS (www.eyegoeyetracker.co.uk). PMID:25914641

40 CFR Table 2 to Subpart Mmm of... - Standards for New and Existing PAI Sources

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... TOC. Processes having uncontrolled HCl and chlorine emissions ≥6.8 Mg/yr 94% for HCl and chlorine per... November 10, 1997 98% gaseous organic HAP control per vent or ≤20 ppmv TOC outlet limit. New: Processes having uncontrolled organic HAP emissions ≥0.15 Mg/yr 98% for organic HAP per process or ≤20 ppmv TOC...

Ideal resuscitation pressure for uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock in different ages and sexes of rats

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Introduction Our previous studies demonstrated that 50-60 mmHg mean arterial blood pressure was the ideal target hypotension for uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock during the active hemorrhage in sexually mature rats. The ideal target resuscitation pressure for immature and older rats has not been determined. Methods To elucidate this issue, using uncontrolled hemorrhagic-shock rats of different ages and sexes (6 weeks, 14 weeks and 1.5 years representing pre-adult, adult and older rats, respectively), the resuscitation effects of different target pressures (40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 mmHg) on uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock during active hemorrhage and the age and sex differences were observed. Results Different target resuscitation pressures had different resuscitation outcomes for the same age and sex of rats. The optimal target resuscitation pressures for 6-week-old, 14-week-old and 1.5-year-old rats were 40 to 50 mmHg, 50 to 60 mmHg and 70 mmHg respectively. Ideal target resuscitation pressures were significantly superior to other resuscitation pressures in improving the hemodynamics, blood perfusion, organ function and animal survival of uncontrolled hemorrhagic-shock rats (P < 0.01). For same target resuscitation pressures, the beneficial effect on hemorrhagic shock had a significant age difference (P < 0.01) but no sex difference (P > 0.05). Different resuscitation pressures had no effect on coagulation function. Conclusion Hemorrhagic-shock rats at different ages have different target resuscitation pressures during active hemorrhage. The ideal target resuscitation hypotension for 6-week-old, 14-week-old and 1.5-year-old rats was 40 to 50 mmHg, 50 to 60 mmHg and 70 mmHg, respectively. Their resuscitation effects have significant age difference but had no sex difference. PMID:24020401

Recognizing Disordered Eating in Primary Care Patients with Obesity

PubMed Central

Chacko, Sara A.; Chiodi, Sarah N.; Wee, Christina C.

2015-01-01

Objective In clinical practice, behavioral approaches to obesity treatment focus heavily on diet and exercise recommendations. However, these approaches may not be effective for patients with disordered eating behaviors. Little is known about the prevalence of disordered eating behaviors in primary care patients with obesity or whether they affect difficulty making dietary changes. Methods We conducted a telephone interview of 337 primary care patients aged 18–65 years with BMI≥35kg/m2 in Greater-Boston, 2009–2011 (58% response rate, 69% women). We administered the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire R-18 (Scores 0–100) and the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite (IWQOL-lite) (Scores 0–100). We measured difficulty making dietary changes using four questions regarding perceived difficulty changing diet (Scores 0–10). Results 50% of patients reported high emotional eating (score>50) and 28% reported high uncontrolled eating (score>50). Women were more likely to report emotional [OR=4.14 (2.90, 5.92)] and uncontrolled eating [OR=2.11 (1.44, 3.08)] than men. African Americans were less likely than Caucasians to report emotional [OR=0.29 (95% CI: 0.19, 0.44)] and uncontrolled eating [OR=0.11 (0.07, 0.19)]. For every 10-point reduction in QOL score (IWQOL-lite), emotional and uncontrolled eating scores rose significantly by 7.82 and 5.48, respectively. Furthermore, participants who reported emotional and uncontrolled eating reported greater difficulty making dietary changes. Conclusions Disordered eating behaviors are prevalent among obese primary care patients and disproportionately affect women, Caucasians, and patients with poor QOL. These eating behaviors may impair patients' ability to make clinically recommended dietary changes. Clinicians should consider screening for disordered eating behaviors and tailoring obesity treatment accordingly. PMID:25572624

White-Coat Effect Is Uncommon in Patients With Refractory Hypertension.

PubMed

Siddiqui, Mohammed; Judd, Eric K; Oparil, Suzanne; Calhoun, David A

2017-09-01

Refractory hypertension is a recently described phenotype of antihypertensive treatment failure defined as uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) despite the use of ≥5 different antihypertensive agents, including chlorthalidone and spironolactone. Recent studies indicate that refractory hypertension is uncommon, with a prevalence of ≈5% to 10% of patients referred to a hypertension specialty clinic for uncontrolled hypertension. The prevalence of white-coat effect, that is, uncontrolled automated office BP ≥135/85 mm Hg and controlled out-of-office BP <135/85 mm Hg, by awake ambulatory BP monitor in hypertensive patients overall is ≈30% to 40%. The prevalence of white-coat effect among patients with refractory hypertension has not been previously reported. In this prospective evaluation, consecutive patients referred to the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hypertension Clinic for uncontrolled hypertension were enrolled. Refractory hypertension was defined as uncontrolled automated office BP ≥135/85 mm Hg with the use of ≥5 antihypertensive agents, including chlorthalidone and spironolactone. Automated office BP measurements were based on 6 serial readings, done automatically with the use of a BpTRU device unobserved in the clinic. Out-of-office BP measurements were done by 24-hour ambulatory BP monitor. Thirty-four patients were diagnosed with refractory hypertension, of whom 31 had adequate ambulatory BP monitor readings. White-coat effect was present in only 2 patients, or 6.5% of the 31 patients with refractory hypertension, suggesting that white-coat effect is largely absent in patients with refractory hypertension. These findings suggest that white-coat effect is not a common cause of apparent lack of BP control in patients failing maximal antihypertensive treatment. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Freewheel running prevents learned helplessness/behavioral depression: role of dorsal raphe serotonergic neurons.

PubMed

Greenwood, Benjamin N; Foley, Teresa E; Day, Heidi E W; Campisi, Jay; Hammack, Sayamwong H; Campeau, Serge; Maier, Steven F; Fleshner, Monika

2003-04-01

Serotonin (5-HT) neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) are implicated in mediating learned helplessness (LH) behaviors, such as poor escape responding and expression of exaggerated conditioned fear, induced by acute exposure to uncontrollable stress. DRN 5-HT neurons are hyperactive during uncontrollable stress, resulting in desensitization of 5-HT type 1A (5-HT1A) inhibitory autoreceptors in the DRN. 5-HT1A autoreceptor downregulation is thought to induce transient sensitization of DRN 5-HT neurons, resulting in excessive 5-HT activity in brain areas that control the expression of learned helplessness behaviors. Habitual physical activity has antidepressant/anxiolytic properties and results in dramatic alterations in physiological stress responses, but the neurochemical mediators of these effects are unknown. The current study determined the effects of 6 weeks of voluntary freewheel running on LH behaviors, uncontrollable stress-induced activity of DRN 5-HT neurons, and basal expression of DRN 5-HT1A autoreceptor mRNA. Freewheel running prevented the shuttle box escape deficit and the exaggerated conditioned fear that is induced by uncontrollable tail shock in sedentary rats. Furthermore, double c-Fos/5-HT immunohistochemistry revealed that physical activity attenuated tail shock-induced activity of 5-HT neurons in the rostral-mid DRN. Six weeks of freewheel running also resulted in a basal increase in 5-HT1A inhibitory autoreceptor mRNA in the rostral-mid DRN. Results suggest that freewheel running prevents behavioral depression/LH and attenuates DRN 5-HT neural activity during uncontrollable stress. An increase in 5-HT1A inhibitory autoreceptor expression may contribute to the attenuation of DRN 5-HT activity and the prevention of LH in physically active rats.

Optimal Reservoir Operation using Stochastic Model Predictive Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahu, R.; McLaughlin, D.

2016-12-01

Hydropower operations are typically designed to fulfill contracts negotiated with consumers who need reliable energy supplies, despite uncertainties in reservoir inflows. In addition to providing reliable power the reservoir operator needs to take into account environmental factors such as downstream flooding or compliance with minimum flow requirements. From a dynamical systems perspective, the reservoir operating strategy must cope with conflicting objectives in the presence of random disturbances. In order to achieve optimal performance, the reservoir system needs to continually adapt to disturbances in real time. Model Predictive Control (MPC) is a real-time control technique that adapts by deriving the reservoir release at each decision time from the current state of the system. Here an ensemble-based version of MPC (SMPC) is applied to a generic reservoir to determine both the optimal power contract, considering future inflow uncertainty, and a real-time operating strategy that attempts to satisfy the contract. Contract selection and real-time operation are coupled in an optimization framework that also defines a Pareto trade off between the revenue generated from energy production and the environmental damage resulting from uncontrolled reservoir spills. Further insight is provided by a sensitivity analysis of key parameters specified in the SMPC technique. The results demonstrate that SMPC is suitable for multi-objective planning and associated real-time operation of a wide range of hydropower reservoir systems.

Interaction between Japanese flowering cherry trees and some wild animals observed during physiological experiment in fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nakamura, Teruko

2003-01-01

We have studied the weeping habit of Japanese flowering cherry tree in the field of Tama Forest Science Garden, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute at the foot of Mt. Takao. Since cherry trees at various age were the materials for our plant physiology experiments, our studies were conducted in the fields where we experienced certain difficulties. Even under such difficult environment that was rather unexpected and uncontrollable, we could obtain fruitful results on the growth of cherry tree, and found them scientifically significant, especially in terms of biological effects of gravity on earth. Moreover, a lot of interesting interactions of cherry trees with various kinds of animals were observed in parallel to the plant physiology.

ARCH: Adaptive recurrent-convolutional hybrid networks for long-term action recognition

PubMed Central

Xin, Miao; Zhang, Hong; Wang, Helong; Sun, Mingui; Yuan, Ding

2017-01-01

Recognition of human actions from digital video is a challenging task due to complex interfering factors in uncontrolled realistic environments. In this paper, we propose a learning framework using static, dynamic and sequential mixed features to solve three fundamental problems: spatial domain variation, temporal domain polytrope, and intra- and inter-class diversities. Utilizing a cognitive-based data reduction method and a hybrid “network upon networks” architecture, we extract human action representations which are robust against spatial and temporal interferences and adaptive to variations in both action speed and duration. We evaluated our method on the UCF101 and other three challenging datasets. Our results demonstrated a superior performance of the proposed algorithm in human action recognition. PMID:29290647

A Biocompatible Near-Infrared 3D Tracking System*

PubMed Central

Decker, Ryan S.; Shademan, Azad; Opfermann, Justin D.; Leonard, Simon; Kim, Peter C. W.; Krieger, Axel

2017-01-01

A fundamental challenge in soft-tissue surgery is that target tissue moves and deforms, becomes occluded by blood or other tissue, and is difficult to differentiate from surrounding tissue. We developed small biocompatible near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) markers with a novel fused plenoptic and NIR camera tracking system, enabling 3D tracking of tools and target tissue while overcoming blood and tissue occlusion in the uncontrolled, rapidly changing surgical environment. In this work, we present the tracking system and marker design and compare tracking accuracies to standard optical tracking methods using robotic experiments. At speeds of 1 mm/s, we observe tracking accuracies of 1.61 mm, degrading only to 1.71 mm when the markers are covered in blood and tissue. PMID:28129145

Biocompatible Near-Infrared Three-Dimensional Tracking System.

PubMed

Decker, Ryan S; Shademan, Azad; Opfermann, Justin D; Leonard, Simon; Kim, Peter C W; Krieger, Axel

2017-03-01

A fundamental challenge in soft-tissue surgery is that target tissue moves and deforms, becomes occluded by blood or other tissue, and is difficult to differentiate from surrounding tissue. We developed small biocompatible near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) markers with a novel fused plenoptic and NIR camera tracking system, enabling three-dimensional tracking of tools and target tissue while overcoming blood and tissue occlusion in the uncontrolled, rapidly changing surgical environment. In this work, we present the tracking system and marker design and compare tracking accuracies to standard optical tracking methods using robotic experiments. At speeds of 1 mm/s, we observe tracking accuracies of 1.61 mm, degrading only to 1.71 mm when the markers are covered in blood and tissue.

Outcomes from peptic ulcer surgery have not benefited from advances in medical therapy.

PubMed

Towfigh, Shirin; Chandler, Charles; Hines, Oscar J; McFadden, David W

2002-04-01

Given the advancements in medical treatment of peptic ulcer disease such as Helicobacter pylori eradication and proton-pump inhibitors, we sought to assess their impact on the need for surgical intervention. Patients who underwent peptic ulcer surgery between 1981 and 1998 were evaluated in a retrospective chart review from a tertiary-care hospital (n = 222). The number of operations performed for peptic ulcers decreased annually (24 vs 11.3). Seventy-seven per cent of all cases were done urgently; most were performed for acute perforated ulcers. The overall 30-day mortality rate was 13 per cent, which remained unchanged over the past two decades. The highest mortality rate (82%) was in the transplanted population (n = 11). Our institutional experience demonstrates that despite the lower volume of patients requiring operative management a greater percentage of these patients are presenting with urgent need for surgery. Also despite the aggressive endoscopic management of acutely bleeding ulcers there was no change in the percentage of patients taken to the operating room for uncontrollable hemorrhage. Improvements in medical management of peptic ulcer disease have decreased the surgical volume; nevertheless we show a rising proportion of urgent operations performed annually, and mortality remains high.

Full-motion video analysis for improved gender classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flora, Jeffrey B.; Lochtefeld, Darrell F.; Iftekharuddin, Khan M.

2014-06-01

The ability of computer systems to perform gender classification using the dynamic motion of the human subject has important applications in medicine, human factors, and human-computer interface systems. Previous works in motion analysis have used data from sensors (including gyroscopes, accelerometers, and force plates), radar signatures, and video. However, full-motion video, motion capture, range data provides a higher resolution time and spatial dataset for the analysis of dynamic motion. Works using motion capture data have been limited by small datasets in a controlled environment. In this paper, we explore machine learning techniques to a new dataset that has a larger number of subjects. Additionally, these subjects move unrestricted through a capture volume, representing a more realistic, less controlled environment. We conclude that existing linear classification methods are insufficient for the gender classification for larger dataset captured in relatively uncontrolled environment. A method based on a nonlinear support vector machine classifier is proposed to obtain gender classification for the larger dataset. In experimental testing with a dataset consisting of 98 trials (49 subjects, 2 trials per subject), classification rates using leave-one-out cross-validation are improved from 73% using linear discriminant analysis to 88% using the nonlinear support vector machine classifier.

Dissociation of learned helplessness and fear conditioning in mice: a mouse model of depression.

PubMed

Landgraf, Dominic; Long, Jaimie; Der-Avakian, Andre; Streets, Margo; Welsh, David K

2015-01-01

The state of being helpless is regarded as a central aspect of depression, and therefore the learned helplessness paradigm in rodents is commonly used as an animal model of depression. The term 'learned helplessness' refers to a deficit in escaping from an aversive situation after an animal is exposed to uncontrollable stress specifically, with a control/comparison group having been exposed to an equivalent amount of controllable stress. A key feature of learned helplessness is the transferability of helplessness to different situations, a phenomenon called 'trans-situationality'. However, most studies in mice use learned helplessness protocols in which training and testing occur in the same environment and with the same type of stressor. Consequently, failures to escape may reflect conditioned fear of a particular environment, not a general change of the helpless state of an animal. For mice, there is no established learned helplessness protocol that includes the trans-situationality feature. Here we describe a simple and reliable learned helplessness protocol for mice, in which training and testing are carried out in different environments and with different types of stressors. We show that with our protocol approximately 50% of mice develop learned helplessness that is not attributable to fear conditioning.

Solar energy system performance evaluation. Seasonal report for Colt Pueblo, Pueblo, Colorado

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The Colt-Pueblo solar energy system, designed to provide space heating and hot water preheating, is described and its operational performance for a 12 month period from February 1979 through January 1980 is evaluated. The space heating subsystem met 31 percent of the measured space heating load which was close to the expected 34 percent solar fraction. Although the hot water solar fraction was 79 percent, the overall energy saving capability was reduced because of the low hot water demand. The measured heating subsystem performance would have improved considerably if the uncontrolled losses primarily from transport piping could have been reduced to an inconsequential level. Fossil energy savings of 70.31 million BTUs are estimated.

Coming to terms with fear

PubMed Central

LeDoux, Joseph E.

2014-01-01

The brain mechanisms of fear have been studied extensively using Pavlovian fear conditioning, a procedure that allows exploration of how the brain learns about and later detects and responds to threats. However, mechanisms that detect and respond to threats are not the same as those that give rise to conscious fear. This is an important distinction because symptoms based on conscious and nonconscious processes may be vulnerable to different predisposing factors and may also be treatable with different approaches in people who suffer from uncontrolled fear or anxiety. A conception of so-called fear conditioning in terms of circuits that operate nonconsciously, but that indirectly contribute to conscious fear, is proposed as way forward. PMID:24501122

Study of the Spacecraft Potential Under Active Control and Plasma Density Estimates During the MMS Commissioning Phase

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andriopoulou, M.; Nakamura, R.; Torkar, K.; Baumjohann, W.; Torbert, R. B.; Lindqvist, P.-A.; Khotyaintsev, Y. V.; Dorelli, John Charles; Burch, J. L.; Russell, C. T.

2016-01-01

Each spacecraft of the recently launched magnetospheric multiscale MMS mission is equipped with Active Spacecraft Potential Control (ASPOC) Instruments, which control the spacecraft potential in order to reduce spacecraft charging effects. ASPOC typically reduces the spacecraft potential to a few volts. On several occasions during the commissioning phase of the mission, the ASPOC instruments were operating only on one spacecraft at a time. Taking advantage of such intervals, we derive photoelectron curves and also perform reconstructions of the uncontrolled spacecraft potential for the spacecraft with active control and estimate the electron plasma density during those periods. We also establish the criteria under which our methods can be applied.

Design of an electrostatic phase shifting device for biological transmission electron microscopy.

PubMed

Koeck, Philip J B

2018-04-01

I suggest an electrostatic phase plate designed to broaden the contrast transfer function of a transmission electron microscope operated close to Scherzer defocus primarily in the low resolution direction. At higher defocus the low frequency behavior is equal to that close to Scherzer defocus, but CTF-correction becomes necessary to extend image interpretation to higher resolution. One simple realization of the phase plate consists of two ring shaped electrodes symmetrically surrounding the central beam. Since no physical components come into contact with the central beam and charge on the electrodes is controlled by an external voltage supply, problems with uncontrolled charging are expected to be reduced. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Shock progression and survival after use of a condom uterine balloon tamponade package in women with uncontrolled postpartum hemorrhage.

PubMed

Burke, Thomas F; Danso-Bamfo, Sandra; Guha, Moytrayee; Oguttu, Monica; Tarimo, Vincent; Nelson, Brett D

2017-10-01

To examine the outcomes of women in advanced shock from uncontrolled postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) who underwent placement of an Every Second Matters for Mothers and Babies Uterine Balloon Tamponade (ESM-UBT) device. In a prospective case series, data were collected for women who received an ESM-UBT device at healthcare facilities in Kenya, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania between September 1, 2012, and September 30, 2016. Shock class was assigned on the basis of recorded blood pressures and mental status at the time of UBT placement. Data for 306 women with uncontrolled PPH from uterine atony across 117 facilities were analyzed. Normal vital signs or class I/II shock were reported for 166 (54.2%). In this group, one death occurred and was attributed to PPH (survival rate 99.4%). There were no cases of shock progression. One hundred and eleven (36.3%) were in class III shock and 29 (9.5%) in class IV shock; the respective survival rates were 97.3% (n=108) and 86.2% (n=25). The ESM-UBT device arrests hemorrhage, prevents shock progression, and is associated with high survival rates among women with uncontrolled PPH from uterine atony. © 2017 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

Hypertensive Crisis, Burden, Management, and Outcome at a Tertiary Care Center in Karachi

PubMed Central

Almas, Aysha; Ghouse, Ayaz; Iftikhar, Ahmed Raza; Khursheed, Munawwar

2014-01-01

Objectives. Hypertension, if uncontrolled, can lead to hypertensive crisis. We aim to determine the prevalence of hypertensive crisis, its management, and outcome in patients presenting to a tertiary care center in Karachi. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. Adult inpatients (>18 yrs) presenting to the ER who were known hypertensive and had uncontrolled hypertension were included. Results. Out of 1336 patients, 28.6% (387) had uncontrolled hypertension. The prevalence of hypertensive crisis among uncontrolled hypertensive was 56.3% (218). Per oral calcium channel blocker; 35.4% (137) and intravenous nitrate; 22.7% (88) were the most commonly administered medication in the ER. The mean (SD) drop in SBP in patients with hypertensive crisis on intravenous treatment was 53.1 (29) mm Hg and on per oral treatment was 43 (27) mm Hg. The maximum mean (SD) drop in blood pressure was seen by intravenous sodium nitroprusside; 80 (51) mm Hg in SBP. Acute renal failure was the most common complication with a prevalence of 11.5% (24). Conclusion. The prevalence of hypertensive crisis is high. Per oral calcium channel blocker and intravenous nitrate are the most commonly administered medications in our setup. PMID:26464857

ICAROUS: Integrated Configurable Architecture for Unmanned Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Consiglio, Maria C.

2016-01-01

NASA's Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) project aims at enabling near-term, safe operations of small UAS vehicles in uncontrolled airspace, i.e., Class G airspace. A far-term goal of UTM research and development is to accommodate the expected rise in small UAS traffic density throughout the National Airspace System (NAS) at low altitudes for beyond visual line-of-sight operations. This video describes a new capability referred to as ICAROUS (Integrated Configurable Algorithms for Reliable Operations of Unmanned Systems), which is being developed under the auspices of the UTM project. ICAROUS is a software architecture comprised of highly assured algorithms for building safety-centric, autonomous, unmanned aircraft applications. Central to the development of the ICAROUS algorithms is the use of well-established formal methods to guarantee higher levels of safety assurance by monitoring and bounding the behavior of autonomous systems. The core autonomy-enabling capabilities in ICAROUS include constraint conformance monitoring and autonomous detect and avoid functions. ICAROUS also provides a highly configurable user interface that enables the modular integration of mission-specific software components.

Legal Consequences of the Pollution of Outer Space with Space Debris

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stubbe, Peter

2017-07-01

Space debris has grown to be a significant problem for outer space activities. The remnants of human activities in space are very diverse; they can be tiny paint flakes, all sorts of fragments, or entirely intact—but otherwise nonfunctional spacecraft and rocket bodies. The amount of debris is increasing at a growing pace, thus raising the risk of collision with operational satellites. Due to the relative high velocities involved in on-orbit collisions, their consequences are severe; collisions lead to significant damage or the complete destruction of the affected spacecraft. Protective measures and collision avoidance have thus become a major concern for spacecraft operators. The pollution of space with debris must, however, not only be seen as an unfavorable circumstance that accompanies space activities and increases the costs and complexity of outer space activities. Beyond this rather technical perspective, the presence of man-made, nonfunctional objects in space represents a global environmental concern. Similar to the patterns of other environmental problems on Earth, debris generation appears to have surpassed the absorption capacity of the space environment. Studies indicate that the evolution of the space object environment has crossed the tipping point to a runaway situation in which an increasing number of collisions―mostly among debris―leads to an uncontrolled population growth. It is thus in the interest of all mankind to address the debris problem in order to preserve the space environment for future generations. International space law protects the space environment. Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty obligates States to avoid the harmful contamination of outer space. The provision corresponds to the obligation to protect the environment in areas beyond national jurisdiction under the customary "no harm" rule of general environmental law. These norms are applicable to space debris and establish the duty not to pollute outer space by limiting the generation of debris. They become all the more effective when the principles of sustainable development are taken into account, which infuse considerations of intra- as well as inter-generational justice into international law. In view of the growing debris pollution and its related detrimental effects, it is obvious that questions of liability and responsibility will become increasingly relevant. The Liability Convention offers a remedy for victims having suffered damage caused by space debris. The launching State liability that it establishes is even absolute for damage occurring on the surface of the Earth. The secondary rules of international responsibility law go beyond mere compensation: States can also be held accountable for the environmental pollution event itself, entailing a number of consequential obligations, among them―under certain circumstances―a duty to active debris removal. While international law is, therefore, generally effective in addressing the debris problem, growing use and growing risks necessitate the establishment of a comprehensive traffic management regime for outer space. It would strengthen the rule of law in outer space and ensure the sustainability of space utilization.

Mediation and modification of genetic susceptibility to obesity by eating behaviors.

PubMed

de Lauzon-Guillain, Blandine; Clifton, Emma Ad; Day, Felix R; Clément, Karine; Brage, Soren; Forouhi, Nita G; Griffin, Simon J; Koudou, Yves Akoli; Pelloux, Véronique; Wareham, Nicholas J; Charles, Marie-Aline; Heude, Barbara; Ong, Ken K

2017-10-01

Background: Many genetic variants show highly robust associations with body mass index (BMI). However, the mechanisms through which genetic susceptibility to obesity operates are not well understood. Potentially modifiable mechanisms, including eating behaviors, are of particular interest to public health. Objective: Here we explore whether eating behaviors mediate or modify genetic susceptibility to obesity. Design: Genetic risk scores for BMI (BMI-GRSs) were calculated for 3515 and 2154 adults in the Fenland and EDEN (Etude des déterminants pré et postnatals de la santé et du développement de l'enfant) population-based cohort studies, respectively. The eating behaviors-emotional eating, uncontrolled eating, and cognitive restraint-were measured through the use of a validated questionnaire. The mediating effect of each eating behavior on the association between the BMI-GRS and measured BMI was assessed by using the Sobel test. In addition, we tested for interactions between each eating behavior and the BMI-GRS on BMI. Results: The association between the BMI-GRS and BMI was mediated by both emotional eating (EDEN: P- Sobel = 0.01; Fenland: P- Sobel = 0.02) and uncontrolled eating (EDEN: P- Sobel = 0.04; Fenland: P -Sobel = 0.0006) in both sexes combined. Cognitive restraint did not mediate this association ( P -Sobel > 0.10), except among EDEN women ( P -Sobel = 0.0009). Cognitive restraint modified the relation between the BMI-GRS and BMI among men (EDEN: P -interaction = 0.0001; Fenland: P -interaction = 0.04) and Fenland women ( P -interaction = 0.0004). By tertiles of cognitive restraint, the association between the BMI-GRS and BMI was strongest in the lowest tertile of cognitive restraint, and weakest in the highest tertile. Conclusions: Genetic susceptibility to obesity was partially mediated by the "appetitive" eating behavior traits (uncontrolled and emotional eating) and, in 3 of the 4 population groups studied, was modified by cognitive restraint. High levels of cognitive control over eating appear to attenuate the genetic susceptibility to obesity. Future research into interventions designed to support restraint may help to protect genetically susceptible individuals from weight gain. © 2017 American Society for Nutrition.

Relating small airways to asthma control by using impulse oscillometry in children.

PubMed

Shi, Yixin; Aledia, Anna S; Tatavoosian, Ahramahzd V; Vijayalakshmi, Shruthi; Galant, Stanley P; George, Steven C

2012-03-01

Previous reports suggest that the peripheral airways are associated with asthma control. Patient history, although subjective, is used largely to assess asthma control in children because spirometric results are many times normal values. Impulse oscillometry (IOS) is an objective and noninvasive measurement of lung function that has the potential to examine independently both small- and large-airway obstruction. We sought to determine the utility of IOS in assessing asthma control in children. Asthmatic and healthy children (6-17 years) were enrolled in the study. Spirometric and IOS (resistance of the respiratory system at 5 Hz [R5] and 20 Hz [R20], reactance of the respiratory system at 5 Hz [X5], resonant frequency of reactance [Fres], and area under the reactance curve between 5 Hz and Fres [reactance area {AX}]) values were collected in triplicate before and after a bronchodilator was administered. The physicians were blinded to the IOS measurements and assessed asthma control using American Thoracic Society guidelines. Small-airway IOS measurements, including the difference of R5 and R20 [R5-20], X5, Fres, and AX, of children with uncontrolled asthma (n = 44) were significantly different from those of children with controlled asthma (n = 57) and healthy children (n = 14), especially before the administration of a bronchodilator. However, there was no difference in large-airway IOS values (R20). No differences were found between children with controlled asthma and healthy children in any of the end points. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed cut points for baseline R5-20 (1.5 cm H(2)O · L(-1) · s) and AX (9.5 cm H(2)O · L(-1)) that effectively discriminated controlled versus uncontrolled asthma (area under the curve, 0.86 and 0.84) and correctly classified more than 80% of the population. Uncontrolled asthma is associated with small-airways dysfunction, and IOS might be a reliable and noninvasive method to assess asthma control in children. Copyright © 2011 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Detecting Motor Impairment in Early Parkinson’s Disease via Natural Typing Interaction With Keyboards: Validation of the neuroQWERTY Approach in an Uncontrolled At-Home Setting

PubMed Central

Ledesma-Carbayo, María J; Butterworth, Ian; Matarazzo, Michele; Montero-Escribano, Paloma; Puertas-Martín, Verónica; Gray, Martha L

2018-01-01

Background Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease and one of the most common forms of movement disorder. Although there is no known cure for PD, existing therapies can provide effective symptomatic relief. However, optimal titration is crucial to avoid adverse effects. Today, decision making for PD management is challenging because it relies on subjective clinical evaluations that require a visit to the clinic. This challenge has motivated recent research initiatives to develop tools that can be used by nonspecialists to assess psychomotor impairment. Among these emerging solutions, we recently reported the neuroQWERTY index, a new digital marker able to detect motor impairment in an early PD cohort through the analysis of the key press and release timing data collected during a controlled in-clinic typing task. Objective The aim of this study was to extend the in-clinic implementation to an at-home implementation by validating the applicability of the neuroQWERTY approach in an uncontrolled at-home setting, using the typing data from subjects’ natural interaction with their laptop to enable remote and unobtrusive assessment of PD signs. Methods We implemented the data-collection platform and software to enable access and storage of the typing data generated by users while using their computer at home. We recruited a total of 60 participants; of these participants 52 (25 people with Parkinson’s and 27 healthy controls) provided enough data to complete the analysis. Finally, to evaluate whether our in-clinic-built algorithm could be used in an uncontrolled at-home setting, we compared its performance on the data collected during the controlled typing task in the clinic and the results of our method using the data passively collected at home. Results Despite the randomness and sparsity introduced by the uncontrolled setting, our algorithm performed nearly as well in the at-home data (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] of 0.76 and sensitivity/specificity of 0.73/0.69) as it did when used to evaluate the in-clinic data (AUC 0.83 and sensitivity/specificity of 0.77/0.72). Moreover, the keystroke metrics presented a strong correlation between the 2 typing settings, which suggests a minimal influence of the in-clinic typing task in users’ normal typing. Conclusions The finding that an algorithm trained on data from an in-clinic setting has comparable performance with that tested on data collected through naturalistic at-home computer use reinforces the hypothesis that subtle differences in motor function can be detected from typing behavior. This work represents another step toward an objective, user-convenient, and quasi-continuous monitoring tool for PD. PMID:29581092

Local uncontrollability for affine control systems with jumps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Treanţă, Savin

2017-09-01

This paper investigates affine control systems with jumps for which the ideal If(g1, …, gm) generated by the drift vector field f in the Lie algebra L(f, g1, …, gm) can be imbedded as a kernel of a linear first-order partial differential equation. It will lead us to uncontrollable affine control systems with jumps for which the corresponding reachable sets are included in explicitly described differentiable manifolds.

Development and implementation of a navigator-facilitated care coordination algorithm to improve clinical outcomes of underserved Latino patients with uncontrolled diabetes.

PubMed

Congdon, Heather Brennan; Eldridge, Barbara Hoffman; Truong, Hoai-An

2013-11-01

Development and implementation of an interprofessional navigator-facilitated care coordination algorithm (NAVCOM) for low-income, uninsured patients with uncontrolled diabetes at a safety-net clinic resulted in improvement of disease control as evidenced by improvement in hemoglobin A1C. This report describes the process and lessons learned from the development and implementation of NAVCOM and patient success stories.

Acute compartment syndrome caused by uncontrolled hypothyroidism.

PubMed

Modi, Anar; Amin, Hari; Salzman, Matthew; Morgan, Farah

2017-06-01

Acute compartment syndrome is increased tissue pressure exceeding perfusion pressure in a closed compartment resulting in nerve and muscle ischemia. Common precipitating causes are crush injuries, burns, substance abuse, osseous or vascular limb trauma. This is a case of 42year old female with history of hypothyroidism who presented to emergency room with acute onset of severe pain and swelling in right lower extremity. Physical examination was concerning for acute compartment syndrome of right leg which was confirmed by demonstration of elevated compartmental pressures. No precipitating causes were readily identified. Further laboratory testing revealed uncontrolled hypothyroidism. Management included emergent fasciotomy and initiating thyroid hormone replacement. This case represents a rare association between acute compartment syndrome and uncontrolled hypothyroidism. We also discuss the pathogenesis of compartment syndrome in hypothyroid patients and emphasize the importance of evaluating for less common causes, particularly in setting of non-traumatic compartment syndrome. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Counterfactual reasoning for regretted situations involving controllable versus uncontrollable events: the modulating role of contingent self-esteem.

PubMed

Wilkinson, Meredith R; Ball, Linden J; Alford, David

2015-01-01

We report a study that examined the modulating impact of contingent self-esteem on regret intensity for regretted outcomes associated with controllable versus uncontrollable events. The Contingent Self-Esteem Scale (e.g., Kernis & Goldman, 2006) was used to assess the extent to which a person's sense of self-worth is based on self and others' expectations. We found that there was an influence of self-esteem contingency for controllable but not for uncontrollable regret types. For controllable regret types individuals with a high contingent (i.e., unstable) self-esteem reported greater regret intensity than those with a low contingent (i.e., stable) self-esteem. We interpret this finding as reflecting a functional and adaptive role of high contingent self-esteem in terms of mobilizing the application of counterfactual reasoning and planning mechanisms that can enable personal expectations to be achieved in the future.

Ethical, legal, and societal issues and recommendations for controlled and uncontrolled DCD.

PubMed

Haase, Bernadette; Bos, Michael; Boffa, Catherine; Lewis, Penney; Rudge, Chris; Valero, Ricard; Wind, Tineke; Wright, Linda

2016-07-01

This report deals with organ retrieval procedures in both controlled and uncontrolled DCD, looking at the ethical, legal, and psychosocial aspects during the different phases of the process. A recently published report by the UK Donation Ethics Committee (UKDEC) has served as an important reference document to outline the steps in the controlled DCD patient-donor pathway (Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. UK Donation Ethics Committee. An ethical framework for controlled donation after circulatory death. December 2011). For uncontrolled DCD, the UKDEC pathway description was adapted. At the 6th International Conference in Organ Donation held in Paris in 2013, an established expert European Working Group reviewed the UKDEC reports, which were then considered along with the available published literature. Along this pathway, the crucial ethical, legal, and psychosocial aspects have been flagged, and relevant recommendations have been formulated based on a consensus of the working group. © 2015 Steunstichting ESOT.

Counterfactual Reasoning for Regretted Situations Involving Controllable Versus Uncontrollable Events: The Modulating Role of Contingent Self-Esteem

PubMed Central

Wilkinson, Meredith R.; Ball, Linden J.; Alford, David

2015-01-01

We report a study that examined the modulating impact of contingent self-esteem on regret intensity for regretted outcomes associated with controllable versus uncontrollable events. The Contingent Self-Esteem Scale (e.g., Kernis & Goldman, 2006) was used to assess the extent to which a person’s sense of self-worth is based on self and others’ expectations. We found that there was an influence of self-esteem contingency for controllable but not for uncontrollable regret types. For controllable regret types individuals with a high contingent (i.e., unstable) self-esteem reported greater regret intensity than those with a low contingent (i.e., stable) self-esteem. We interpret this finding as reflecting a functional and adaptive role of high contingent self-esteem in terms of mobilizing the application of counterfactual reasoning and planning mechanisms that can enable personal expectations to be achieved in the future. PMID:25883697

Social Network Resources and Management of Hypertension*

PubMed Central

Cornwell, Erin York; Waite, Linda J.

2013-01-01

Hypertension is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases among older adults, but rates of blood pressure control are low. In this paper, we explore the role of social network ties and network-based resources (e.g., information and support) in hypertension diagnosis and management. We use data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) to identify older adults with undiagnosed or uncontrolled hypertension. We find that network characteristics and emotional support are associated with hypertension diagnosis and control. Importantly, the risks of undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension are lower among those with larger social networks -- if they discuss health issues with their network members. When these lines of communication are closed, network size is associated with greater risk of undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension. Health care utilization partially mediates associations with diagnosis, but the benefits of network resources for hypertension control do not seem to stem from health-related behaviors. PMID:22660826

E-Waste and Harm to Vulnerable Populations: A Growing Global Problem

PubMed Central

Heacock, Michelle; Kelly, Carol Bain; Asante, Kwadwo Ansong; Birnbaum, Linda S.; Bergman, Åke Lennart; Bruné, Marie-Noel; Buka, Irena; Carpenter, David O.; Chen, Aimin; Huo, Xia; Kamel, Mostafa; Landrigan, Philip J.; Magalini, Federico; Diaz-Barriga, Fernando; Neira, Maria; Omar, Magdy; Pascale, Antonio; Ruchirawat, Mathuros; Sly, Leith; Sly, Peter D.; Van den Berg, Martin; Suk, William A.

2015-01-01

Background: Electronic waste (e-waste) is produced in staggering quantities, estimated globally to be 41.8 million tonnes in 2014. Informal e-waste recycling is a source of much-needed income in many low- to middle-income countries. However, its handling and disposal in underdeveloped countries is often unsafe and leads to contaminated environments. Rudimentary and uncontrolled processing methods often result in substantial harmful chemical exposures among vulnerable populations, including women and children. E-waste hazards have not yet received the attention they deserve in research and public health agendas. Objectives: We provide an overview of the scale and health risks. We review international efforts concerned with environmental hazards, especially affecting children, as a preface to presenting next steps in addressing health issues stemming from the global e-waste problem. Discussion: The e-waste problem has been building for decades. Increased observation of adverse health effects from e-waste sites calls for protecting human health and the environment from e-waste contamination. Even if e-waste exposure intervention and prevention efforts are implemented, legacy contamination will remain, necessitating increased awareness of e-waste as a major environmental health threat. Conclusion: Global, national, and local levels efforts must aim to create safe recycling operations that consider broad security issues for people who rely on e-waste processing for survival. Paramount to these efforts is reducing pregnant women and children’s e-waste exposures to mitigate harmful health effects. With human environmental health in mind, novel dismantling methods and remediation technologies and intervention practices are needed to protect communities. Citation: Heacock M, Kelly CB, Asante KA, Birnbaum LS, Bergman AL, Bruné MN, Buka I, Carpenter DO, Chen A, Huo X, Kamel M, Landrigan PJ, Magalini F, Diaz-Barriga F, Neira M, Omar M, Pascale A, Ruchirawat M, Sly L, Sly PD, Van den Berg M, Suk WA. 2016. E-waste and harm to vulnerable populations: a growing global problem. Environ Health Perspect 124:550–555; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1509699 PMID:26418733

An arc control and protection system for the JET lower hybrid antenna based on an imaging system

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

Figueiredo, J., E-mail: joao.figueiredo@jet.efda.org; Mailloux, J.; Kirov, K.

Arcs are the potentially most dangerous events related to Lower Hybrid (LH) antenna operation. If left uncontrolled they can produce damage and cause plasma disruption by impurity influx. To address this issue an arc real time control and protection imaging system for the Joint European Torus (JET) LH antenna has been implemented. The LH system is one of the additional heating systems at JET. It comprises 24 microwave generators (klystrons, operating at 3.7 GHz) providing up to 5 MW of heating and current drive to the JET plasma. This is done through an antenna composed of an array of waveguidesmore » facing the plasma. The protection system presented here is based primarily on an imaging arc detection and real time control system. It has adapted the ITER like wall hotspot protection system using an identical CCD camera and real time image processing unit. A filter has been installed to avoid saturation and spurious system triggers caused by ionization light. The antenna is divided in 24 Regions Of Interest (ROIs) each one corresponding to one klystron. If an arc precursor is detected in a ROI, power is reduced locally with subsequent potential damage and plasma disruption avoided. The power is subsequently reinstated if, during a defined interval of time, arcing is confirmed not to be present by image analysis. This system was successfully commissioned during the restart phase and beginning of the 2013 scientific campaign. Since its installation and commissioning, arcs and related phenomena have been prevented. In this contribution we briefly describe the camera, image processing, and real time control systems. Most importantly, we demonstrate that an LH antenna arc protection system based on CCD camera imaging systems works. Examples of both controlled and uncontrolled LH arc events and their consequences are shown.« less

Need for a network of observatories for space debris dynamical and physical characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piergentili, Fabrizio; Santoni, Fabio; Castronuovo, Marco; Portelli, Claudio; Cardona, Tommaso; Arena, Lorenzo; Sciré, Gioacchino; Seitzer, Patrick

2016-01-01

Space debris represents a major concern for space missions since the risk of impact with uncontrolled objects has increased dramatically in recent years. Passive and active mitigation countermeasures are currently under consideration but, at the base of any of such corrective actions is the space debris continuous monitoring through ground based surveillance systems.At the present, many space agencies have the capability to get optical measurements of space orbiting objects mainly relaying on single observatories. The recent research in the field of space debris, demonstrated how it is possible to increase the effectiveness of optical measurements exploitation by using joint observations of the same target from different sites.The University of Rome "La Sapienza", in collaboration with Italian Space Agency (ASI), is developing a scientific network of observatories dedicated to Space Debris deployed in Italy (S5Scope at Rome and SPADE at Matera) and in Kenya at the Broglio Space Center in Malindi (EQUO). ASI founded a program dedicated to space debris, in order to spread the Italian capability to deal with different aspects of this issue. In this framework, the University of Rome is in charge of coordinating the observatories network both in the operation scheduling and in the data analysis. This work describes the features of the observatories dedicated to space debris observation, highlighting their capabilities and detailing their instrumentation. Moreover, the main features of the scheduler under development, devoted to harmonizing the operations of the network, will be shown. This is a new system, which will autonomously coordinate the observations, aiming to optimize results in terms of number of followed targets, amount of time dedicated to survey, accuracy of orbit determination and feasibility of attitude determination through photometric data.Thus, the authors will describe the techniques developed and applied (i) to implement the multi-site orbit determination and (ii) to solve the attitude motion of uncontrolled orbiting objects by exploiting photometric quasi-simultaneous measurements.

Development of a fed-batch process for a recombinant Pichia pastoris Δoch1 strain expressing a plant peroxidase.

PubMed

Gmeiner, Christoph; Saadati, Amirhossein; Maresch, Daniel; Krasteva, Stanimira; Frank, Manuela; Altmann, Friedrich; Herwig, Christoph; Spadiut, Oliver

2015-01-08

Pichia pastoris is a prominent host for recombinant protein production, amongst other things due to its capability of glycosylation. However, N-linked glycans on recombinant proteins get hypermannosylated, causing problems in subsequent unit operations and medical applications. Hypermannosylation is triggered by an α-1,6-mannosyltransferase called OCH1. In a recent study, we knocked out OCH1 in a recombinant P. pastoris CBS7435 Mut(S) strain (Δoch1) expressing the biopharmaceutically relevant enzyme horseradish peroxidase. We characterized the strain in the controlled environment of a bioreactor in dynamic batch cultivations and identified the strain to be physiologically impaired. We faced cell cluster formation, cell lysis and uncontrollable foam formation.In the present study, we investigated the effects of the 3 process parameters temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen concentration on 1) cell physiology, 2) cell morphology, 3) cell lysis, 4) productivity and 5) product purity of the recombinant Δoch1 strain in a multivariate manner. Cultivation at 30°C resulted in low specific methanol uptake during adaptation and the risk of methanol accumulation during cultivation. Cell cluster formation was a function of the C-source rather than process parameters and went along with cell lysis. In terms of productivity and product purity a temperature of 20°C was highly beneficial. In summary, we determined cultivation conditions for a recombinant P. pastoris Δoch1 strain allowing high productivity and product purity.

Dehydrins Impart Protection against Oxidative Stress in Transgenic Tobacco Plants

PubMed Central

Halder, Tanmoy; Upadhyaya, Gouranga; Basak, Chandra; Das, Arup; Chakraborty, Chandrima; Ray, Sudipta

2018-01-01

Environmental stresses generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) which might be detrimental to the plants when produced in an uncontrolled way. However, the plants ameliorate such stresses by synthesizing antioxidants and enzymes responsible for the dismutation of ROS. Additionally, the dehydrins were also able to protect the inactivation of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase against hydroxyl radicals (OH⋅) generated during Fenton’s reaction. SbDhn1 and SbDhn2 overexpressing transgenic tobacco plants were able to protect against oxidative damage. Transgenic tobacco lines showed better photosynthetic efficiency along with high chlorophyll content, soluble sugar and proline. However, the malonyl dialdehyde (MDA) content was significantly lower in transgenic lines. Experimental evidence demonstrates the protective effect of dehydrins on electron transport chain in isolated chloroplast upon methyl viologen (MV) treatment. The transgenic tobacco plants showed significantly lower superoxide radical generation () upon MV treatment. The accumulation of the H2O2 was also lower in the transgenic plants. Furthermore, in the transgenic plants the expression of ROS scavenging enzymes was higher compared to non-transformed (NT) or vector transformed (VT) plants. Taken together these data, during oxidative stress dehydrins function by scavenging the () directly and also by rendering protection to the enzymes responsible for the dismutation of () thereby significantly reducing the amount of hydrogen peroxides formed. Increase in proline content along with other antioxidants might also play a significant role in stress amelioration. Dehydrins thus function co-operatively with other protective mechanisms under oxidative stress conditions rendering protection in stress environment. PMID:29491874

Monitoring and Control of Human Effects on the Water Quality in Special Environment Protection Areas (SEPA), Fethiye-Gocek Measurements in Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cizmeli, Ahmet; Alp, Emre; Duzgun, Sebnem; Orek, Hasan; Cevdet Yalciner, Ahmet

2010-05-01

Fethiye-Göcek region, the unique marine area having numerous calm bays for safe and enjoyable navigation, sailing and yachting is one of those Specially Protected Areas in Turkey. Göcek Bay, which has a remarkable tourism potential has became one of the most important destinations of the both Turkish and International blue voyagers. The bays of Göcek are used by significant number of yachts during summer season (May-September). Göcek Bay is the nearest bay having marinas for serving those yachts using the nearby bays. The increase in tourism capacity resulted in increase in economical activities as well as environmental problems. The pollution level of the area is affected by the uncontrolled waste disposals from the yachts, the circulation pattern and ecological characteristics of the area. In a previously conducted study, in order to develop proper management strategies, the number of yachts using Göcek Bay area has been determined. The research project involves the development of state-of-the-art remote sensing tools that will be used in the operational monitoring of the ecosystem and was funded by the Turkish Governmental Agency EPASA and the Middle East Technical University, Ankara. There are two general objectives of the project; (i) the development of an operational environmental surveillance system that makes regular use of optical remote sensing images backed with regularly collected in-situ ground truth data (ii) to characterize the chemical nature of the pollutants through in-situ measurements and design and build a water collection, treatment and discharge system for the domestic and bilge waters of the boats. Seawater samples were collected at 3 locations representing different pollution levels in Göcek Bay. One of the locations is in open sea which represents low pollution level (almost clean water). The concentrations of the measured parameters in seawater are below the limit values indicated in Water Pollution and Control Regulation and relatively high concentration of Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen at one location indicate that yacht traffic around that particular location is high. Fecal Coliform concentrations are compared with the mandatory and guide limit values listed in Bathing Water Directive (76/160/AB). Results show that even though fecal colifom (FC) concentrations are below mandatory values, FC concentrations are high above the guide values. This suggests that untreated and uncontrolled dirty water discharged from yachts threaten the biological and chemical integrity of seawater in Göcek Bay area. Results of the analysis of bilge water samples also indicate that high concentrations of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Oil and Grease and hydrocarbons would deteriorate the seawater quality if bilge water is not treated. Results of this preliminary study suggest that yachts with increasing numbers every year in Göcek Bay an attractive bay will continue to threaten seawater quality if necessary measures are not taken. This study is supported by METU Research Grant BAP 07.02.2009.05

Task shifting in the management of hypertension in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Lulebo, Aimée M; Kaba, Didine K; Atake, Silvestre E-H; Mapatano, Mala A; Mafuta, Eric M; Mampunza, Julien M; Coppieters, Yves

2017-12-04

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is characterized by a high prevalence of hypertension (HTN) and a high proportion of uncontrolled HTN, which is indicative of poor HTN management. Effective management of HTN in the African region is challenging due to limited resources, particularly human resources for health. To address the shortage of health workers, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends task shifting for better disease management and treatment. Although task shifting from doctors to nurses is being implemented in the DRC, there are no studies, to the best of our knowledge, that document the association between task shifting and HTN control. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between task shifting and HTN control in Kinshasa, DRC. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Kinshasa from December 2015 to January 2016 in five general referral hospitals (GRHs) and nine health centers (HCs). A total of 260 hypertensive patients participated in the study. Sociodemographic, clinical, health care costs and perceived health care quality assessment data were collected using a structured questionnaire. To examine the association between task shifting and HTN control, we assessed differences between GRH and HC patients using bivariate and multivariate analyses. Almost half the patients were female (53.1%), patients' mean age was 59.5 ± 11.4 years. Over three-fourths of patients had uncontrolled HTN. There was no significant difference in the proportion of GRH and HC patients with uncontrolled HTN (76.2% vs 77.7%, p = 0.771). Uncontrolled HTN was associated with co-morbidity (OR = 10.3; 95% CI: 3.8-28.3) and the type of antihypertensive drug used (OR = 4.6; 95% CI: 1.3-16.1). The mean healthcare costs in the GRHs were significantly higher than costs in the HCs (US$ 34.2 ± US$3.34 versus US$ 7.7 ± US$ 0.6, respectively). Uncontrolled HTN was not associated with the type of health facility. This finding suggests that the management of HTN at primary healthcare level might be just as effective as at secondary level. However, the high proportion of patients with uncontrolled HTN underscores the need for HTN management guidelines at all healthcare levels.

Progression to Uncontrolled Severe Asthma: A Novel Risk Equation.

PubMed

Casciano, Julian; Krishnan, Jerry; Small, Mary Buatti; Li, Chenghui; Dotiwala, Zenobia; Martin, Bradley C

2017-01-01

Recently published asthma guidelines by the European Respiratory Society and the American Thoracic Society (ERS-ATS) define severe disease based on medication use and control level. These guidelines also emphasize that asthma severity involves certain biomarker phenotypes, one of them being eosinophilic phenotype. The quantification of the influence of eosinophil level toward predicting disease severity can help decision makers manage therapy better earlier. To develop a risk-scoring algorithm to identify patients at greater risk of developing uncontrolled severe asthma as defined by ERS-ATS guidelines. Data on asthma patients were extracted from the EMRClaims + database from January 2004 to July 2011. Patients with continuous enrollment 12 months before and after the date of the first encounter with a diagnosis of asthma (index date) with at least 1 blood eosinophil test result in the 12 months after the index date, but before the development of uncontrolled severe asthma or the study end date, were included. Uncontrolled severe asthma was defined as the first date on which all criteria of the ERS-ATS definition were first satisfied in the 12 months after the index date. Age (≥ 50 years vs. < 50 years), race, and sex were measured at index, and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score (> 0 vs. 0) was measured in the pre-index period. Elevated eosinophil level was defined as a test result with ≥ 400 cells/µL. The study cohort was randomly split 50-50 into derivation and validation samples. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to develop the risk score for uncontrolled severe asthma using the derivation cohort with independent variables of eosinophil level, age, sex, race, and CCI. A bootstrapping procedure was used to generate 1,000 samples from the derivation cohort. Variables significant in ≥ 50% of the samples were retained in the final regression model. A risk score was then calculated based on the coefficient estimates of the final model. C-statistic was used to test the model's discrimination power. The study included 2,405 patients, 147 (6%) of whom developed uncontrolled severe asthma. Higher eosinophil level and CCI score > 0 were significantly and independently associated with an increased risk of uncontrolled severe asthma in the derivation cohort (HR = 1.90, 95% CI = 1.17-3.08 and HR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.28-3.13, respectively); findings were similar in the validation cohort. Total risk score was categorized as 0, 2, and 4. All models showed good C-statistics (0.79-0.80), indicating favorable model discrimination. There was a significantly greater number of patients with uncontrolled severe asthma in the risk score segments of 2 and 4 compared with 0 (each P < 0.0001). A risk stratification tool using peripheral eosinophil counts and CCI can be used to predict the development of uncontrolled severe asthma. This study was funded by Teva Pharmaceuticals. eMAX Health Systems was a consultant to Teva Pharmaceuticals for this study and received payment from Teva Pharmaceuticals for work on this study. Casciano and Dotiwala are employed by eMAX Health Systems. Krishnan, Li, and Martin received payment from eMAX Health Systems for work on this study. Small was employed by Teva Pharmaceuticals at the time of this study. Study concept and design were contributed primarily by Casciano, Krishnan, Small, and Martin, along with Li and Dotiwala. Dotiwala, Casciano, Small, and Li collected the data, along with Martin and Li and Krishnan. Data interpretation was provided by Martin, Casciano, and Li, with assistance from the other authors. The manuscript was written by Li, Casciano, Dotiwala, and Small, with assistance from the other authors, and revised by Dotiwala, Small, Li, and Martin, with assistance from Krishnan and Casciano.

Reducing or stopping the uncontrolled flow of fluid such as oil from a well

DOEpatents

Hermes, Robert E

2014-02-18

The uncontrolled flow of fluid from an oil or gas well may be reduced or stopped by injecting a composition including 2-cyanoacrylate ester monomer into the fluid stream. Injection of the monomer results in a rapid, perhaps instantaneous, polymerization of the monomer within the flow stream of the fluid. This polymerization results in formation of a solid plug that reduces or stops the flow of additional fluid from the well.

Endo-Perio Lesion and Uncontrolled Diabetes.

PubMed

Dhoum, Sara; Laslami, Kaoutar; Rouggani, Fatimazahraa; El Ouazzani, Amal; Jabri, Mouna

2018-01-01

This work is to discuss the management of an endo-perio lesion, which represents a challenge to clinicians when it comes to diagnosis and prognosis of the involved teeth and especially with an altered general condition. A 50-year-old female patient with uncontrolled diabetes type 2 is suffering from a purulent discharge coming from the upper right canine. Endodontic and periodontal treatments were realized with 36 months radiological and clinical follow-up with the collaboration of her internist doctor.

Mucormycosis pulmonary abscess, containment in a patient with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Jaffer, Faraz; Beatty, Norman; Ahmad, Kareem

2017-01-18

A 56-year-old Hispanic male with solo risk factor of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus presented with recurrent haemoptysis. Initial concern was for malignancy with postobstructive pneumonia; however, invasive testing and biopsy confirmed infectious mass of fungal aetiology requiring surgical resection followed by a prolonged course of anti-fungal therapy. Discussion centred on approach to, progression of and course of action in the management of pulmonary abscess due to mucormycosis. 2017 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

[Application of classic formulae in treatment of hypertension].

PubMed

Xiong, Xing-Jiang; Wang, Jie

2013-06-01

Classic formulae have a wide prospect in the treatment of hypertension with such advantages as symposium relief, improvement of body constitution and uncontrollable blood pressure factors. The paper systematically reviews the application of classic formula in pre-hypertension, different stages of hypertension, special type of hypertension, secondary hypertension, and uncontrollable blood pressure factors. It is believed that classic formulae are effective under the premise of their in-depth understanding of objective indications, modern pathogenesis and evolvement regularity.

Dispositional mindfulness and reward motivated eating: The role of emotion regulation and mental habit.

PubMed

Fisher, Naomi R; Mead, Bethan R; Lattimore, Paul; Malinowski, Peter

2017-11-01

Evidence regarding the effectiveness of mindfulness based interventions (MBIs) for eating disorders, weight management and food craving is emerging and further studies are required to understand the underlying mechanisms of MBIs in these domains. The current study was designed to establish the role of specific mechanisms underlying the putative relationship between mindfulness and reward motivated eating. We predicted that mindfulness would be negatively related to features of reward motivated eating and that this association would be mediated by emotion regulation and habitual negative self-thinking. A cross-sectional survey measuring uncontrolled and emotional eating, mindfulness, emotion regulation and habitual negative self-thinking was completed by female and male meditators and non-meditators (N = 632). Lower levels of dispositional mindfulness were associated with difficulties in emotion regulation, habitual negative self-thinking and both emotional and uncontrolled eating. Difficulties in emotion regulation significantly mediated the mindfulness-uncontrolled eating relationship. Habitual negative self-thinking significantly mediated the mindfulness-emotional eating relationship. Participants with meditation experience reported greater levels of dispositional mindfulness, fewer difficulties with emotion regulation and habitual negative self-thinking and reduced uncontrolled eating tendencies, compared to non-meditators. The findings suggest that MBIs designed to change reward motivated eating and weight control should focus on emotion regulation and mental habits as underlying mechanisms. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Candida species and other yeasts in the oral cavities of type 2 diabetic patients in Cali, Colombia

PubMed Central

Álvarez, María Inés; de Bernal, Matilde; Collazos, Andrés

2013-01-01

Objective: To determine the prevalence of Candida species and to study factors associated to oral cavity colonization in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: A total of 107 diabetics were classified into controlled and uncontrolled according to glycosylated hemoglobin values. Each patient was assessed for stimulated salivary flow rates, pH, and an oral rinse to search for yeast. The study also determined the state of oral health via Klein and Palmer CPO indexes for permanent dentition, dental plaque by O'Leary, and a periodontal chart. Results: We found yeasts in 74.8% of the patients. A total of 36 of the 52 subjects with controlled diabetes presented yeasts and 44 in the uncontrolled; no significant differences (p = 0.2) were noted among the presence of yeasts and the control of blood glucose. The largest number of isolates corresponded to C. albicans, followed by C. parapsilosis. Uncontrolled individuals presented a significantly higher percentage of yeast different from C. albicans (p = 0.049). Conclusions: We found a high percentage of Candida colonization and uncontrolled individuals had greater diversity of species. The wide range of CFU/mL found both in patients with oral candidiasis, as well as in those without it did not permit distinguishing between colonization and disease. We only found association between isolation of yeasts and the low rate of salivary flow. PMID:24892318

Dietary nitrate lowers ambulatory blood pressure in treated, uncontrolled hypertension: a 7-d, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial.

PubMed

Kerley, Conor P; Dolan, Eamon; James, Philip E; Cormican, Liam

2018-03-01

Dietary nitrate has been shown to increase nitrate/nitrite levels and decrease blood pressure (BP) in multiple populations. There are few reports among hypertensives and these reports have provided conflicting evidence. We aimed to assess the effect of daily nitrate compared with placebo in subjects with uncontrolled hypertension (HTN). On day 0, hypertensives wore an ambulatory BP monitor (ABPM) for 24 h and blood was taken. Subjects were then randomised to 7-d nitrate-rich beetroot juice (NO3 -) (12·9 mmol nitrate) followed by 7-d nitrate-depleted beetroot juice (0·5 mmol nitrate) or vice versa. ABPM and blood were assessed before and after both conditions. In all, twenty subjects with treated yet uncontrolled HTN entered and completed the trial (mean age=62·5 years, mean BMI=30·7 kg/m2). Baseline BP was 137/80 (sd 7/7) mmHg. Dietary nitrate was well tolerated and resulted in significantly increased plasma nitrite (P=0·0004) and decreased 24-h systolic BP and diastolic BP compared with placebo (-8 mmHg; P=0·012 and -4 mmHg; P=0·018, respectively). Our results support the existing data suggesting an anti-hypertensive effect of dietary nitrate in treated yet uncontrolled hypertensives. Targeted dietary strategies appear promising contributors to BP control.

Out of control mortality matters: the effect of perceived uncontrollable mortality risk on a health-related decision.

PubMed

Pepper, Gillian V; Nettle, Daniel

2014-01-01

Prior evidence from the public health literature suggests that both control beliefs and perceived threats to life are important for health behaviour. Our previously presented theoretical model generated the more specific hypothesis that uncontrollable, but not controllable, personal mortality risk should alter the payoff from investment in health protection behaviours. We carried out three experiments to test whether altering the perceived controllability of mortality risk would affect a health-related decision. Experiment 1 demonstrated that a mortality prime could be used to alter a health-related decision: the choice between a healthier food reward (fruit) and an unhealthy alternative (chocolate). Experiment 2 demonstrated that it is the controllability of the mortality risk being primed that generates the effect, rather than mortality risk per se. Experiment 3 showed that the effect could be seen in a surreptitious experiment that was not explicitly health related. Our results suggest that perceptions about the controllability of mortality risk may be an important factor in people's health-related decisions. Thus, techniques for adjusting perceptions about mortality risk could be important tools for use in health interventions. More importantly, tackling those sources of mortality that people perceive to be uncontrollable could have a dual purpose: making neighbourhoods and workplaces safer would have the primary benefit of reducing uncontrollable mortality risk, which could lead to a secondary benefit from improved health behaviours.

OPERA- A CNES Tool to Monitor Short and Middle Term Uncontrolled Re-Entries Using Mean Theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolado, J. C.; Agueda, A.; Aivar, L.; Tirado, J.

2013-09-01

Objects in Low-Earth Orbits (LEO) and Highly Elliptical Orbits (HEO) are subjected to decay and re- entry into the atmosphere due mainly to the drag force. While being this process the best solution to avoid the proliferation of debris in space and ensure the sustainability of future space activities, it implies a threat to the population on ground. Thus, the prediction of the in-orbit lifetime of an object and the evaluation of the risk on population and ground assets constitutes a crucial task. This paper will concentrate on the first of these tasks.Unfortunately the lifetime of an object in space is remarkably difficult to predict. This is mainly due to the dependence of the atmospheric drag on a number of uncertain elements such as the density profile and its dependence on the solar activity, the atmospheric conditions, the mass and surface area of the object (very difficult to evaluate), its uncontrolled attitude, etc.In this paper we will present a method for the prediction of this lifetime based on publicly available Two-Line Elements (TLEs) from the American USSTRATCOM's Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC). TLEs constitute an excellent source to access routinely orbital information for thousands of objects even though of their reduced and unpredictable accuracy.Additionally, the implementation of the method on a CNES's Java-based tool will be presented. This tool (OPERA) is executed routinely at CNES to predict the orbital lifetime of a whole catalogue of objects.

Improving Blood Pressure Control Using Smart Technology.

PubMed

Ciemins, Elizabeth L; Arora, Anupama; Coombs, Nicholas C; Holloway, Barbara; Mullette, Elizabeth J; Garland, Robin; Walsh Bishop-Green, Shannon; Penso, Jerry; Coon, Patricia J

2018-03-01

The authors sought to determine if wireless oscillometric home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) that integrates with smartphone technology improves blood pressure (BP) control among patients with new or existing uncontrolled hypertension (HTN). A prospective observational cohort study monitored BP control before and after an educational intervention and introduction to HBPM. Patients in the intervention group were instructed to track their BP using a smartphone device three to seven times per week. Cases were matched to controls at a 1:3 allocation ratio on several clinical characteristics over the same period and received usual care. The proportion of patients with controlled BP was compared between groups at pre- and postintervention, ∼9 months later. Results and Materials: The total study population included 484 patients with mean age 60 years (range 23-102 years), 47.7% female, and 84.6% Caucasian. Mean preintervention BP was 137.8 mm Hg systolic and 81.4 mm Hg diastolic. Mean BP control rates improved for patients who received HBPM from 42% to 67% compared with matched control patients who improved from 59% to 67% (p < 0.01). HBPM with smartphone technology has the potential to improve HTN management among patients with uncontrolled or newly diagnosed HTN. Technology needs to be easy to use and operate and would work best when integrated into local electronic health record systems. In systems without this capability, medical assistants or other personnel may be trained to facilitate the process. Nurse navigator involvement was instrumental in bridging communication between the patients and provider.

Ambient atomic resolution atomic force microscopy with qPlus sensors: Part 1.

PubMed

Wastl, Daniel S

2017-01-01

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an enormous tool to observe nature in highest resolution and understand fundamental processes like friction and tribology on the nanoscale. Atomic resolution in highest quality was possible only in well-controlled environments like ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) or controlled buffer environments (liquid conditions) and more specified for long-term high-resolution analysis at low temperatures (∼4 K) in UHV where drift is nearly completely absent. Atomic resolution in these environments is possible and is widely used. However, in uncontrolled environments like air, with all its pollutants and aerosols, unspecified thin liquid films as thin as a single molecular water-layer of 200 pm or thicker condensation films with thicknesses up to hundred nanometer, have been a problem for highest resolution since the invention of the AFM. The goal of true atomic resolution on hydrophilic as well as hydrophobic samples was reached recently. In this manuscript we want to review the concept of ambient AFM with atomic resolution. The reader will be introduced to the phenomenology in ambient conditions and the problems will be explained and analyzed while a method for scan parameter optimization will be explained. Recently developed concepts and techniques how to reach atomic resolution in air and ultra-thin liquid films will be shown and explained in detail, using several examples. Microsc. Res. Tech. 80:50-65, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Neurophysiological Pathways to Obesity: Below Awareness and Beyond Individual Control

PubMed Central

Cohen, Deborah A.

2008-01-01

A global obesity epidemic is occurring simultaneously with ongoing increases in the availability and salience of food in the environment. Obesity is increasing across all socioeconomic groups and educational levels and occurs even among individuals with the highest levels of education and expertise in nutrition and related fields. Given these circumstances, it is plausible that excessive food consumption occurs in ways that defy personal insight or are below individual awareness. The current food environment stimulates automatic reflexive responses that enhance the desire to eat and increase caloric intake, making it exceedingly difficult for individuals to resist, especially because they may not be aware of these influences. This article identifies 10 neurophysiological pathways that can lead people to make food choices subconsciously or, in some cases, automatically. These pathways include reflexive and uncontrollable neurohormonal responses to food images, cues, and smells; mirror neurons that cause people to imitate the eating behavior of others without awareness; and limited cognitive capacity to make informed decisions about food. Given that people have limited ability to shape the food environment individually and no ability to control automatic responses to food-related cues that are unconsciously perceived, it is incumbent upon society as a whole to regulate the food environment, including the number and types of food-related cues, portion sizes, food availability, and food advertising. PMID:18586908

Automated visual inspection system based on HAVNET architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burkett, K.; Ozbayoglu, Murat A.; Dagli, Cihan H.

1994-10-01

In this study, the HAusdorff-Voronoi NETwork (HAVNET) developed at the UMR Smart Engineering Systems Lab is tested in the recognition of mounted circuit components commonly used in printed circuit board assembly systems. The automated visual inspection system used consists of a CCD camera, a neural network based image processing software and a data acquisition card connected to a PC. The experiments are run in the Smart Engineering Systems Lab in the Engineering Management Dept. of the University of Missouri-Rolla. The performance analysis shows that the vision system is capable of recognizing different components under uncontrolled lighting conditions without being effected by rotation or scale differences. The results obtained are promising and the system can be used in real manufacturing environments. Currently the system is being customized for a specific manufacturing application.

Sensitive naked eye detection and quantification assay for nitrite by a fluorescence probe in various water resources.

PubMed

Zhang, Fengyuan; Zhu, Xinyue; Jiao, Zhijuan; Liu, Xiaoyan; Zhang, Haixia

2018-07-05

An uncontrolled increase of nitrite concentration in groundwater, rivers and lakes is a growing threat to public health and environment. It is important to monitor the nitrite levels in water and clinical diagnosis. Herein, we developed a switch-off fluorescence probe (PyI) for the sensitive detection of nitrite ions in the aqueous media. This probe selectively recognizes nitrite ions through a distinct visual color change from colorless to pink with a detection limit of 0.1 μM. This method has been successfully applied to the determination of nitrites in tap water, lake water and Yellow River water with recoveries in the range of 94.8%-105.4%. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

How to deal with benign hilar or interlobar lymphadenopathy during video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy.

PubMed

Yan, Shi; Lv, Chao; Wang, Xing; Wu, Nan

2016-01-01

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) surgery has changed the way lobectomy procedure was performed over the past few decades. However, some difficulties impede the accomplishment of VATS lobectomy, which of them, benign lymphadenopathy may pose a threat to safety of surgery. We reported a case with enlarged hilar and interlobar lymph nodes. The video showed the instrumentation and techniques that we had adopted to deal with the complicated dilemma during the operation. Critical experience was also suggested in some hypothetical scenarios. AS techniques were further refined, successful VATS segmentectomy or lobectomy with challenging hilar or interlobar lymphadenopathy could be performed without uncontrolled bleeding or unexpected conversion. A VATS approach is acceptable in the management of benign hilar or interlobar lymphadenopathy. However, facile technique is necessary to deal with intraoperative dilemma. To those who are not sure about the practicability of the VATS procedure, planned conversion is still an effective method to ensure safety of the operation.

[Use of "NovoSeven" (rFVIIa) hemostatic in patients operated with extracorporeal blood circulation].

PubMed

Dement'eva, I I; Sandrikov, V A; Charnaia, M A; Morozov, Iu A; Trekova, N A; Eremenko, A A

2004-01-01

The "NovoSeven" drug was used in 25 patients (male - 18, female - 7) operated on the heart and main vessels including with artificial extracorporeal circulation (AEC). Patients did not have any clinically significant impairment in blood circulation before surgery. Perioperatively, all of them and, immediately after surgery, 4 them had uncontrollable hemorrhages at 10-25 ml/min in spite of extensive hemostatic therapy, including freshly frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate, thromboconcentrate, trasilol and ?-amine acid. Yet in 30 min after "NovoSeven" administration, hemorrhages seized virtually in all patients irrespective of a surgical intervention. It normalized the hemostasis by it differential action on an impairment depending on an activated or suppressed coagulation. Thus, the conclusion is that the "NovoSeven" (rFVIIa) is an effective hemostatic ensuring the correction of massive intra- and postoperative blood losses in cardiosurgery patients. The drug cuts the need in using the donor-blood components, thus, diminishing the risk of multi organ failure that can develop immediately after surgery.

Programs To Optimize Spacecraft And Aircraft Trajectories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brauer, G. L.; Petersen, F. M.; Cornick, D.E.; Stevenson, R.; Olson, D. W.

1994-01-01

POST/6D POST is set of two computer programs providing ability to target and optimize trajectories of powered or unpowered spacecraft or aircraft operating at or near rotating planet. POST treats point-mass, three-degree-of-freedom case. 6D POST treats more-general rigid-body, six-degree-of-freedom (with point masses) case. Used to solve variety of performance, guidance, and flight-control problems for atmospheric and orbital vehicles. Applications include computation of performance or capability of vehicle in ascent, or orbit, and during entry into atmosphere, simulation and analysis of guidance and flight-control systems, dispersion-type analyses and analyses of loads, general-purpose six-degree-of-freedom simulation of controlled and uncontrolled vehicles, and validation of performance in six degrees of freedom. Written in FORTRAN 77 and C language. Two machine versions available: one for SUN-series computers running SunOS(TM) (LAR-14871) and one for Silicon Graphics IRIS computers running IRIX(TM) operating system (LAR-14869).

A Pilot Study on Telephone Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Patients Six-Months Post-Bariatric Surgery

PubMed Central

Cassin, Stephanie E.; Wnuk, Susan; Du, Chau; Jackson, Timothy; Hawa, Raed; Parikh, Sagar V.

2017-01-01

Objective This study aimed to determine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a post-operative telephone-based cognitive behavioral therapy intervention (Tele-CBT) in improving eating pathology and psychosocial functioning. Methods Six-month post-operative bariatric surgery patients (n = 19) received six sessions of Tele-CBT. Study outcome variables included binge eating (BES), emotional eating (EES), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), and anxiety symptoms (GAD-7). Results Retention was 73.7 % post-intervention. Tele-CBT resulted in significant reductions in mean difference scores on BES, EES-Total, EES-Anxiety, EES-Anger, PHQ9, and GAD7. Tele-CBT patients experienced a mean weight loss of 8.62 ± 15.02 kg between 6-months post-surgery (pre-Tele-CBT) and 12-months post-surgery. Conclusions These preliminary results suggest that post-surgery Tele-CBT is feasible and can improve post-surgery symptoms of psychopathology in this uncontrolled study, supporting the need for a randomized controlled trial. PMID:27491293

Equivocating on the polluter-pays principle: The consequences for Pakistan.

PubMed

Luken, Ralph A

2009-08-01

The polluter-pays principle has been widely implemented in OECD countries and credited for bring about a significant reduction in pollutant discharge. However, it has had only limited implementation in developing countries. The consequences of not implementing it in developing countries, to the extent they are documented, are limited to estimating the economic damages of environmental degradation. Yet there are several other but seldom documented negative consequences of the failure to implement the polluter-pays principle. These consequences are documented in the case of Pakistan. They include limited construction of effluent treatment plants, heavy dependence on the government and international donors for funding the only two operational common effluent treatment plants, significant operational issues at the two common effluent treatment plants, missed opportunities to build cost-effective common effluent treatment plants and minimal environmental improvements from isolated investments in individual effluent treatment plants in addition to the already documented significant level of environmental degradation due to uncontrolled pollutant discharge.

Analysis of a Panel of 48 Cytokines in BAL Fluids Specifically Identifies IL-8 Levels as the Only Cytokine that Distinguishes Controlled Asthma from Uncontrolled Asthma, and Correlates Inversely with FEV1

PubMed Central

Qi, Huibin; Kurosky, Alexander; Jennings, Kristofer; Sun, Qian; Boldogh, Istvan; Sur, Sanjiv

2015-01-01

We sought to identify cells and cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids that distinguish asthma from healthy control subjects and those that distinguish controlled asthma from uncontrolled asthma. Following informed consent, 36 human subjects were recruited for this study. These included 11 healthy control subjects, 15 subjects with controlled asthma with FEV1≥80% predicted and 10 subjects with uncontrolled asthma with FEV1 <80% predicted. BAL fluid was obtained from all subjects. The numbers of different cell types and the levels of 48 cytokines were measured in these fluids. Compared to healthy control subjects, patients with asthma had significantly more percentages of eosinophils and neutrophils, IL-1RA, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2Rα, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, G-CSF, GROα (CXCL1), MIP-1β (CCL4), MIG (CXCL9), RANTES (CCL5) and TRAIL in their BAL fluids. The only inflammatory markers that distinguished controlled asthma from uncontrolled asthma were neutrophil percentage and IL-8 levels, and both were inversely correlated with FEV1. We examined whether grouping asthma subjects on the basis of BAL eosinophil % or neutrophil % could identify specific cytokine profiles. The only differences between neutrophil-normal asthma (neutrophil≤2.4%) and neutrophil-high asthma (neutrophils%>2.4%) were a higher BAL fluid IL-8 levels, and a lower FEV1 in the latter group. By contrast, compared to eosinophil-normal asthma (eosinophils≤0.3%), eosinophil-high asthma (eosinophils>0.3%) had higher levels of IL-5, IL-13, IL-16, and PDGF-bb, but same neutrophil percentage, IL-8, and FEV1. Our results identify neutrophils and IL-8 are the only inflammatory components in BAL fluids that distinguish controlled asthma from uncontrolled asthma, and both correlate inversely with FEV1. PMID:26011707

Risk factors and predictors of uncontrolled hyperglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus in Jeddah, western Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Sayed, Mohamed Hesham; Hegazi, Moustafa Abdelaal; Abdulwahed, Khairyah; Moussa, Khairya; El-Deek, Basem Salama; Gabel, Hala; Ragheb, Rana

2017-02-01

Little is known about levels of glycemic control and risk factors for uncontrolled hyperglycemia in Saudi children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The aim of the present study was to identify levels of glycemic control, risk factors and predictors of uncontrolled hyperglycemia (HG) and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in children with T1DM. A retrospective study was performed on Saudi children and adolescents with confirmed T1DM who were followed at the Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic of the Maternity and Children Hospital, Jeddah, from 2000 to 2014. Data collection included all possible factors that may be associated with uncontrolled T1DM. Patients were classified according to American Diabetes Association guidelines for target HbA1c levels per age group. Comparisons were made between well-controlled (WC) patients, HG patients, and DKA patients. Calculation of odds ratios and logistic regression allowed for estimation of the role of each risk factor in uncontrolled T1DM. Only 31.2 % of children and adolescents with T1DM were well controlled. Better glycemic control was associated with age < 6 years, urban residence, and T1DM duration <5 years. Glycemic control was not affected by gender, insulin therapy, or comorbidities. The most significant independent predictors of hyperglycemia and DKA were poor compliance with a healthy lifestyle (adjusted hazards ratio [AHR] 28.94; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 8.37-100.04) and an excess intake of sweets (AHR 3.31; 95 % CI 1.54-7.11). The most significant independent predictor for poor glycemic control (particularly DKA rather than hyperglycemia) in Saudi children and adolescents was poor compliance with a healthy lifestyle with an excessive intake of sweets. © 2016 Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

An Electronic Adherence Measurement Intervention to Reduce Clinical Inertia in the Treatment of Uncontrolled Hypertension: The MATCH Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Kronish, Ian M; Moise, Nathalie; McGinn, Thomas; Quan, Yan; Chaplin, William; Gallagher, Benjamin D; Davidson, Karina W

2016-11-01

To appropriately manage uncontrolled hypertension, clinicians must decide whether blood pressure (BP) is above goal due to a need for additional medication or to medication nonadherence. Yet, clinicians are poor judges of adherence, and uncertainty about adherence may promote inertia with respect to medication modification. We aimed to determine the effect of sharing electronically-measured adherence data with clinicians on the management of uncontrolled hypertension. This was a cluster randomized trial. Twenty-four primary care providers (12 intervention, 12 usual care; cluster units) and 100 patients with uncontrolled hypertension (65 intervention, 35 usual care) were included in the study. At one visit per patient, clinicians in the intervention group received a report summarizing electronically measured adherence to the BP regimen and recommended clinical actions. Clinicians in the control group did not receive a report. The primary outcome was the proportion of visits with appropriate clinical management (i.e., treatment intensification among adherent patients and adherence counseling among nonadherent patients). Secondary outcomes included patient-rated quality of care and communication during the visit. The proportion of visits with appropriate clinical management was higher in the intervention group than the control group (45 out of 65; 69 %) versus (12 out of 35; 34 %; p = 0.001). A higher proportion of adherent patients in the intervention group had their regimen intensified (p = 0.01), and a higher proportion of nonadherent patients in the intervention group received adherence counseling (p = 0.005). Patients in the intervention group were more likely to give their clinician high ratings on quality of care (p = 0.05), and on measures of patient-centered (p = 0.001) and collaborative communication (p = 0.02). Providing clinicians with electronically-measured antihypertensive adherence reports reduces inertia in the management of uncontrolled hypertension. NCT01257347 ; http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/ NCT01257347.

Providing Interactive Access to Cave Geology for All Students, Regardless of Physical Ability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atchison, C. `; Stredney, D.; Hittle, B.; Irving, K.; Toomey, R. S., III; Lemon, N. N.; Price, A.; Kerwin, T.

2013-12-01

Based on an identified need to accommodate students with mobility impairments in field-based instructional experiences, this presentation will discuss current efforts to promote participation, broaden diversity, and impart a historical perspective in the geosciences through the use of an interactive virtual environment. Developed through the integration of emerging simulation technologies, this prototypical virtual environment is created from LIDAR data of the Historic Tour route of Mammoth Cave National Park. The educational objectives of the simulation focus on four primary locations within the tour route that provide evidence of the hydrologic impact on the cave and karst formation. The overall objective is to provide a rich experience of a geological field-based learning for all students, regardless of their physical abilities. Employing a virtual environment that interchangeably uses two and three-dimensional representation of geoscience content, this synthetic field-based cave and karst module will provide an opportunity to assess the effectiveness in engaging the student community, and its efficacy in the curriculum when used as an alternative representation of a traditional field experience. The expected outcome is that based on the level of interactivity, the simulated environment will provide adequate pedagogical representation for content transfer without the need for physical experience in the uncontrolled field environment. Additionally, creating such an environment will impact all able-bodied students by providing supplemental resources that can both precede a traditional field experience and allow for students to re-examine a field site long after a the field experience, in both current formal and informal educational settings.

Successfully use agglomeration for size enlargement

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

Pietsch, W.

1996-04-01

The processing of fine and ultrafine particles by size enlargement finds an ever increasing application. At the same time, undesirable agglomeration such as buildup, caking, bridging, and uncontrolled aggregation of fine particles can occur during processing and handling of these particulate solids. This article will provide a survey of the phenomena of agglomeration and discuss the unit operation of size enlargement by agglomeration. This article is also an invitation, particularly to young engineers, to become interested in agglomeration. Considering that mechanical process technologies are requiring more energy every year than any other group of consumers and efficiencies are typically inmore » the single digits or teens at best, considerable rewards can be expected from the development of scientifically modified, more energy-efficient methods and equipment.« less

Remote Spacecraft Attitude Control by Coulomb Charging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevenson, Daan

The possibility of inter-spacecraft collisions is a serious concern at Geosynchronous altitudes, where many high-value assets operate in proximity to countless debris objects whose orbits experience no natural means of decay. The ability to rendezvous with these derelict satellites would enable active debris removal by servicing or repositioning missions, but docking procedures are generally inhibited by the large rotational momenta of uncontrolled satellites. Therefore, a contactless means of reducing the rotation rate of objects in the space environment is desired. This dissertation investigates the viability of Coulomb charging to achieve such remote spacecraft attitude control. If a servicing craft imposes absolute electric potentials on a nearby nonspherical debris object, it will impart electrostatic torques that can be used to gradually arrest the object's rotation. In order to simulate the relative motion of charged spacecraft with complex geometries, accurate but rapid knowledge of the Coulomb interactions is required. To this end, a new electrostatic force model called the Multi-Sphere Method (MSM) is developed. All aspects of the Coulomb de-spin concept are extensively analyzed and simulated using a system with simplified geometries and one dimensional rotation. First, appropriate control algorithms are developed to ensure that the nonlinear Coulomb torques arrest the rotation with guaranteed stability. Moreover, the complex interaction of the spacecraft with the plasma environment and charge control beams is modeled to determine what hardware requirements are necessary to achieve the desired electric potential levels. Lastly, the attitude dynamics and feedback control development is validated experimentally using a scaled down terrestrial testbed. High voltage power supplies control the potential on two nearby conductors, a stationary sphere and a freely rotating cylinder. The nonlinear feedback control algorithms developed above are implemented to achieve rotation rate and absolute attitude control. Collectively, these studies decisively validate the feasibility of Coulomb charging for remote spacecraft attitude control.

Determination of safety distance limits for a human near a cellular base station antenna, adopting the IEEE standard or ICNIRP guidelines.

PubMed

Cooper, Justin; Marx, Bernd; Buhl, Johannes; Hombach, Volker

2002-09-01

This paper investigates the minimum distance for a human body in the near field of a cellular telephone base station antenna for which there is compliance with the IEEE or ICNIRP threshold values for radio frequency electromagnetic energy absorption in the human body. First, local maximum specific absorption rates (SARs), measured and averaged over volumes equivalent to 1 and to 10 g tissue within the trunk region of a physical, liquid filled shell phantom facing and irradiated by a typical GSM 900 base station antenna, were compared to corresponding calculated SAR values. The calculation used a homogeneous Visible Human body model in front of a simulated base station antenna of the same type. Both real and simulated base station antennas operated at 935 MHz. Antenna-body distances were between 1 and 65 cm. The agreement between measurements and calculations was excellent. This gave confidence in the subsequent calculated SAR values for the heterogeneous Visible Human model, for which each tissue was assigned the currently accepted values for permittivity and conductivity at 935 MHz. Calculated SAR values within the trunk of the body were found to be about double those for the homogeneous case. When the IEEE standard and the ICNIRP guidelines are both to be complied with, the local SAR averaged over 1 g tissue was found to be the determining parameter. Emitted power values from the antenna that produced the maximum SAR value over 1 g specified in the IEEE standard at the base station are less than those needed to reach the ICNIRP threshold specified for the local SAR averaged over 10 g. For the GSM base station antenna investigated here operating at 935 MHz with 40 W emitted power, the model indicates that the human body should not be closer to the antenna than 18 cm for controlled environment exposure, or about 95 cm for uncontrolled environment exposure. These safe distance limits are for SARs averaged over 1 g tissue. The corresponding safety distance limits under the ICNIRP guidelines for SAR taken over 10 g tissue are 5 cm for occupational exposure and about 75 cm for general-public exposure. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

An Investigation of the Causes of the Coronary-Prone (Type A) Behavior Pattern and Coronary Heart Disease.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-09-01

experiences. Uncontrollable Stress Uncontrollable stress arises when an individual’s outcome is not determined by his/her response to a situation. Seligman ... Linda Hervig, and Ray H. Rosenman. "Heritability of Type A Behavior," Psychosomatic Medicine, 40, No. 6 (1978), pp. 478-486. , Robert T. Rubin, and...Performance, 25 (1980), pp. 184-215. Seligman , M. E. P. Helplessness: On Depression, Develop- ment, and Death. San Francisco: Freeman, 1975. Tamir, I., G

Uncontrolled Hemorrhage Differs From Volume- or Pressure-Matched Controlled Hemorrhage in Swine

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-10-01

differences between these models, we evaluated the relationship between blood volume loss and blood pressure in controlled versus uncontrolled hemorrhage...aortotomy; (2) group P, controlled hemorrhage matched to the blood pressure profile of group U; or (3) group V, controlled hemorrhage matched to the...hemorrhage and received no fluid resuscitation. Group U resulted in a blood loss of 17.6 T 0.7 mL kgj1 and a reduction in blood pressure to 28 T 3 mmHg at

Endo-Perio Lesion and Uncontrolled Diabetes

PubMed Central

Laslami, Kaoutar; Rouggani, Fatimazahraa; El Ouazzani, Amal; Jabri, Mouna

2018-01-01

This work is to discuss the management of an endo-perio lesion, which represents a challenge to clinicians when it comes to diagnosis and prognosis of the involved teeth and especially with an altered general condition. A 50-year-old female patient with uncontrolled diabetes type 2 is suffering from a purulent discharge coming from the upper right canine. Endodontic and periodontal treatments were realized with 36 months radiological and clinical follow-up with the collaboration of her internist doctor. PMID:29888011

General aviation air traffic pattern safety analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, L. C.

1973-01-01

A concept is described for evaluating the general aviation mid-air collision hazard in uncontrolled terminal airspace. Three-dimensional traffic pattern measurements were conducted at uncontrolled and controlled airports. Computer programs for data reduction, storage retrieval and statistical analysis have been developed. Initial general aviation air traffic pattern characteristics are presented. These preliminary results indicate that patterns are highly divergent from the expected standard pattern, and that pattern procedures observed can affect the ability of pilots to see and avoid each other.

A Hemoglobin Based Oxygen Carrier, Bovine Polymerized Hemoglobin (HBOC-201) versus Hetastarch (HEX) in an Uncontrolled Liver Injury Hemorrhagic Shock Swine Model with Delayed Evacuation

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-10-01

A Hemoglobin Based Oxygen Carrier, Bovine Polymerized Hemoglobin (HBOC-201) versus Hetastarch (HEX) in an Uncontrolled Liver Injury Hemorrhagic Shock...Transcutaneous tis- sue oxygenation was restored more rap- idly in HBOC-201 pigs, there was a trend to lower lactic acid, and base deficit was less...lactic acidosis and base deficit (BD) abnormalities, indicating on-going hypoperfusion.2–4 As these abnormalities measured upon hospital arrival

The Study of Productivity Measurement and Incentive Methodology (Phase III - Paper Test). Volume 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-03-14

possible to measure explicitly, in terms of dollars the profit impacts of these uncontrollable as well as controllable factors and to de - termine and...the rate of engineering changes increases. • Production processes arc be- coming less reliant on direct la - bor as the primary factor in pro...MFPMM makes it •: —.sibie to measure explicitly, in terms of dollars the profit impacts of these uncontrollable as well as controllable factors and to de

Combined treatment of toxic cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa with hydrogen peroxide and microcystin biodegradation agents results in quick toxin elimination.

PubMed

Dziga, Dariusz; Maksylewicz, Anna; Maroszek, Magdalena; Marek, Sylwia

2018-01-01

Under some conditions the growth of toxic cyanobacteria must be controlled by treatment with algicidal compounds. Hydrogen peroxide has been proposed as an efficient and relatively safe chemical which can remove cyanobacteria from the environment selectively, without affecting other microorganisms. However, the uncontrolled release of secondary metabolites, including toxins may occur after such a treatment. Our proposal presented in this paper concerns fast biodegradation of microcystin released after cell lysis induced by hydrogen peroxide. The effectiveness of both, Sphingomonas sp. and heterologously expressed MlrA enzyme, in the removal of the toxin from Microcystis aeruginosa culture was investigated. The results indicate that neither Sphingomonas cells nor MlrA are affected by hydrogen peroxide at the concentrations which stop the growth of cyanobacteria. A several-fold reduction in microcystin levels was documented in the presence of these agents with biodegradation ability. Our results provide evidence that such a combined treatment of water reservoirs dominated by microcystin-producing cyanobacteria may be a promising alternative which allows fast elimination of both, the bloom forming species and toxins, from the environment.

Strategies for mHealth research: lessons from 3 mobile intervention studies.

PubMed

Ben-Zeev, Dror; Schueller, Stephen M; Begale, Mark; Duffecy, Jennifer; Kane, John M; Mohr, David C

2015-03-01

The capacity of Mobile Health (mHealth) technologies to propel healthcare forward is directly linked to the quality of mobile interventions developed through careful mHealth research. mHealth research entails several unique characteristics, including collaboration with technologists at all phases of a project, reliance on regional telecommunication infrastructure and commercial mobile service providers, and deployment and evaluation of interventions "in the wild", with participants using mobile tools in uncontrolled environments. In the current paper, we summarize the lessons our multi-institutional/multi-disciplinary team has learned conducting a range of mHealth projects using mobile phones with diverse clinical populations. First, we describe three ongoing projects that we draw from to illustrate throughout the paper. We then provide an example for multidisciplinary teamwork and conceptual mHealth intervention development that we found to be particularly useful. Finally, we discuss mHealth research challenges (i.e. evolving technology, mobile phone selection, user characteristics, the deployment environment, and mHealth system "bugs and glitches"), and provide recommendations for identifying and resolving barriers, or preventing their occurrence altogether.

A Worldwide Web-portal for Aquatic Mesocosm Facilities: WWW.MESOCOSM.EU

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berger, S. A.; Nejstgaard, J. C.

2016-02-01

Experimental mesocosms are valuable tools to fill the gap between highly controlled/replicated lab experiments and uncontrolled/non-replicated natural environments such as rivers, lakes and oceans. WWW.MESOCOSM.EU is an open web-portal for leading aquatic mesocosm facilities around the world. It was created within the FP7 EU-project MESOAQUA (A network of leading MESOcosm facilities to advance the studies of future AQUAtic ecosystems from the Arctic to the Mediterranean). The goal of the portal is to increase international knowledge about existing mesocosm facilities, including information on locations, environment, equipment, contacts, research opportunities and mesocosm-based publications. MESOCOSM.EU specifically aims to be a tool to enhance the quality of research by facilitating international cooperative network building, announcement of new research initiatives, transfer of best practice, and dissemination of knowledge, public information and press releases. As an open platform for all aquatic ecosystem scale science (marine and freshwater), MESOCOSM.EU aims to fill the lack of a centralized, coordinating virtual infrastructure for international aquatic mesocosm research, from the mountains to the ocean and from polar to tropical regions.

Smart Sensor Node Development, Testing and Implementation for Rocket Propulsion Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mengers, Timothy R.; Shipley, John; Merrill, Richard; Eggett, Leon; Johnson, Mont; Morris, Jonathan; Figueroa, Fernando; Schmalzel, John; Turowski, Mark P.

2007-01-01

Successful design and implementation of an Integrated System Health Management (ISHM) approach for rocket propulsion systems requires the capability improve the reliability of complex systems by detecting and diagnosing problems. One of the critical elements in the ISHM is an intelligent sensor node for data acquisition that meets specific requirements for rocket motor testing including accuracy, sample rate and size/weight. Traditional data acquisition systems are calibrated in a controlled environment and guaranteed to perform bounded by their tested conditions. In a real world ISHM system, the data acquisition and signal conditioning needs to function in an uncontrolled environment. Development and testing of this sensor node focuses on a design with the ability to self check in order to extend calibration times, report internal faults and drifts and notify the overall system when the data acquisition is not performing as it should. All of this will be designed within a system that is flexible, requiring little re-design to be deployed on a wide variety of systems. Progress in this design and initial testing of prototype units will be reported.

Fusion of footsteps and face biometrics on an unsupervised and uncontrolled environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vera-Rodriguez, Ruben; Tome, Pedro; Fierrez, Julian; Ortega-Garcia, Javier

2012-06-01

This paper reports for the first time experiments on the fusion of footsteps and face on an unsupervised and not controlled environment for person authentication. Footstep recognition is a relatively new biometric based on signals extracted from people walking over floor sensors. The idea of the fusion between footsteps and face starts from the premise that in an area where footstep sensors are installed it is very simple to place a camera to capture also the face of the person that walks over the sensors. This setup may find application in scenarios like ambient assisted living, smart homes, eldercare, or security access. The paper reports a comparative assessment of both biometrics using the same database and experimental protocols. In the experimental work we consider two different applications: smart homes (small group of users with a large set of training data) and security access (larger group of users with a small set of training data) obtaining results of 0.9% and 5.8% EER respectively for the fusion of both modalities. This is a significant performance improvement compared with the results obtained by the individual systems.

Competition favors elk over beaver in a riparian willow ecosystem

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baker, B.W.; Peinetti, H.R.; Coughenour, M.C.; Johnson, T.L.

2012-01-01

Beaver (Castor spp.) conservation requires an understanding of their complex interactions with competing herbivores. Simulation modeling offers a controlled environment to examine long-term dynamics in ecosystems driven by uncontrollable variables. We used a new version of the SAVANNA ecosystem model to investigate beaver (C. Canadensis) and elk (Cervus elapses) competition for willow (Salix spp.). We initialized the model with field data from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA, to simulate a 4-ha riparian ecosystem containing beaver, elk, and willow. We found beaver persisted indefinitely when elk density was or = 30 elk km_2. The loss of tall willow preceded rapid beaver declines, thus willow condition may predict beaver population trajectory in natural environments. Beaver were able to persist with slightly higher elk densities if beaver alternated their use of foraging sites in a rest-rotation pattern rather than maintained continuous use. Thus, we found asymmetrical competition for willow strongly favored elk over beaver in a simulated montane ecosystem. Finally, we discuss application of the SAVANNA model and mechanisms of competition relative to beaver persistence as metapopulations, ecological resistance and alternative state models, and ecosystem regulation.

Export of toxic chemicals - a review of the case of uncontrolled electronic-waste recycling.

PubMed

Wong, M H; Wu, S C; Deng, W J; Yu, X Z; Luo, Q; Leung, A O W; Wong, C S C; Luksemburg, W J; Wong, A S

2007-09-01

This paper reviews the concentrations of persistent organic pollutants such as flame retardants (PBDEs), dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals/metalloid concentrations of different environmental media at Guiyu, a traditional rice-growing village located in southeastern Guangdong Province (PR China), which has turned into an intensive electronic-waste (e-waste) recycling site. Incomplete combustion of e-waste in open air and dumping of processed materials are the major sources of various toxic chemicals. By comparing with existing data available in other areas and also guidelines adopted in different countries, it is obvious that the environment is highly contaminated by these toxic chemicals derived from the recycling processes. For example, the monthly concentration of the sum of 22 PBDE congeners contained in PM(2.5) (16.8ngm(-3)) of air samples at Guiyu was 100 times higher than published data. In order to safeguard the environment and human health, detailed investigations are urgently needed, especially on tracking the exposure pathways of different toxic chemicals which may affect the workers and local residents especially mothers, infants and children.

Ergonomics solution for crossing collisions based on field assessment of visual environment at urban intersections in Japan.

PubMed

Mori, Midori; Horino, Sadao; Kitajima, Sou; Ueyama, Masaru; Ebara, Takeshi; Itani, Toru

2008-11-01

This paper aims to assess quantitatively the actual visual environment of uncontrolled urban downtown intersections in Japan in relation to frequently occurring crossing collisions and to discuss the safety countermeasures for them. In Field Study 1 dealing with direct visibility, our ultra-wide-angle photograph analysis revealed that most of the right/left-ward visible range at 11 intersections were insufficient to check safety, and the quality of direct visibility was closely associated with causing crossing collisions. The countermeasures to reduce a blind area were determined to be a top priority. In Field Study 2 dealing with indirect visibility, more than half of the 25 traffic convex mirrors had marked shortcomings for preventive safety, and ergonomics guidelines ensuring indirect visibility were proposed for installing traffic convex mirrors. Low-cost/low-technology-oriented countermeasures are highly recommended to obtain clear/sufficient images of crucial information satisfying drivers' requirements on traffic convex mirrors in accordance with those ergonomics guidelines was highly recommended. Crossing collisions could be prevented by improvement of poor direct and indirect visibility.

Strategies for mHealth research: lessons from 3 mobile intervention studies

PubMed Central

Ben-Zeev, Dror; Schueller, Stephen M.; Begale, Mark; Duffecy, Jennifer; Kane, John M.; Mohr, David C.

2014-01-01

The capacity of Mobile Health (mHealth) technologies to propel healthcare forward is directly linked to the quality of mobile interventions developed through careful mHealth research. mHealth research entails several unique characteristics, including collaboration with technologists at all phases of a project, reliance on regional telecommunication infrastructure and commercial mobile service providers, and deployment and evaluation of interventions “in the wild”, with participants using mobile tools in uncontrolled environments. In the current paper, we summarize the lessons our multi-institutional/multi-disciplinary team has learned conducting a range of mHealth projects using mobile phones with diverse clinical populations. First, we describe three ongoing projects that we draw from to illustrate throughout the paper. We then provide an example for multidisciplinary teamwork and conceptual mHealth intervention development that we found to be particularly useful. Finally, we discuss mHealth research challenges (i.e. evolving technology, mobile phone selection, user characteristics, the deployment environment, and mHealth system “bugs and glitches”), and provide recommendations for identifying and resolving barriers, or preventing their occurrence altogether. PMID:24824311

ENTRYSAT: A 3U Cubesat to Study the Re-Entry Atmospheric Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, R. F.; Chaix, J.; Mimoun, D.; EntrySat student Team

2014-04-01

The EntrySat is a 3U CubeSat designed to study the uncontrolled atmospheric re-entry. The project, developed by ISAE in collaboration with ONERA, is funded by CNES and is intended to be launched in January 2016, in the context of the QB50 network. The scientific goal is to relate the kinematics of the satellite with the aerothermodynamic environment during re-entry. In particular, data will be compared with the computations of MUSIC/FAST, a new 6-degree of freedom code developed by ONERA to predict the trajectory of space debris. According to these requirements, the satellite will measure the temperature, pressure, heat flux, and drag force during re-entry, as well as the trajectory and attitude of the satellite. One of the major technological challenges is the retrieval of data during the re-entry phase, which will be based on the Iridium satellite network. The system design is based on the use of commercial COTS components, and is mostly developed by students from ISAE. As such, the EntrySat has an important educational value in the formation of young engineers.

Simultaneous scalp electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG), and whole-body segmental inertial recording for multi-modal neural decoding.

PubMed

Bulea, Thomas C; Kilicarslan, Atilla; Ozdemir, Recep; Paloski, William H; Contreras-Vidal, Jose L

2013-07-26

Recent studies support the involvement of supraspinal networks in control of bipedal human walking. Part of this evidence encompasses studies, including our previous work, demonstrating that gait kinematics and limb coordination during treadmill walking can be inferred from the scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) with reasonably high decoding accuracies. These results provide impetus for development of non-invasive brain-machine-interface (BMI) systems for use in restoration and/or augmentation of gait- a primary goal of rehabilitation research. To date, studies examining EEG decoding of activity during gait have been limited to treadmill walking in a controlled environment. However, to be practically viable a BMI system must be applicable for use in everyday locomotor tasks such as over ground walking and turning. Here, we present a novel protocol for non-invasive collection of brain activity (EEG), muscle activity (electromyography (EMG)), and whole-body kinematic data (head, torso, and limb trajectories) during both treadmill and over ground walking tasks. By collecting these data in the uncontrolled environment insight can be gained regarding the feasibility of decoding unconstrained gait and surface EMG from scalp EEG.

Use of Eichhornia crassipes modified Nano-chitosan as a biosorbent for lead (II), cadmium (II), and copper (II) ion removal from aqueous solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alkaff, A. H.; Hendri, H.; Farozy, I. H.; Annisa, M.; Aritonang, R. P.

2018-01-01

Industrial waste in a major city poses a considerable threat to water environment from the accumulation of heavy metals. Additionally, uncontrolled growth of Eichhornia crassipes will also damage the water environment by lowering the levels of dissolved oxygen. Therefore, we conduct research to not only treat industrial waste in water but also reduce the population of E. crassipes in water. We made this biosorbent by mixing E. crassipes with nano-chitosan in various compositions. Its absorptivity was tested against single metal solutions of lead (II), cadmium (II), and copper (II) to get the best biosorbent composition. The chosen biosorbent then went through an adsorptivity test against a mixture of three solutions, with each test was carried at various pH. The best biosorbent composition is the mixture of 1 g of E. crassipes with 30 mL of nano-chitosan 0.01%, while adsorption tests in single or three metals solution show that the biosorbent performs better in neutral pH.

Apparatus and method for modifying the operation of a robotic vehicle in a real environment, to emulate the operation of the robotic vehicle operating in a mixed reality environment

DOEpatents

Garretson, Justin R [Albuquerque, NM; Parker, Eric P [Albuquerque, NM; Gladwell, T Scott [Albuquerque, NM; Rigdon, J Brian [Edgewood, NM; Oppel, III, Fred J.

2012-05-29

Apparatus and methods for modifying the operation of a robotic vehicle in a real environment to emulate the operation of the robotic vehicle in a mixed reality environment include a vehicle sensing system having a communications module attached to the robotic vehicle for communicating operating parameters related to the robotic vehicle in a real environment to a simulation controller for simulating the operation of the robotic vehicle in a mixed (live, virtual and constructive) environment wherein the affects of virtual and constructive entities on the operation of the robotic vehicle (and vice versa) are simulated. These effects are communicated to the vehicle sensing system which generates a modified control command for the robotic vehicle including the effects of virtual and constructive entities, causing the robot in the real environment to behave as if virtual and constructive entities existed in the real environment.

One year in review 2016: Behçet's syndrome.

PubMed

Hatemi, Gulen; Seyahi, Emire; Fresko, Izzet; Talarico, Rosaria; Hamuryudan, Vedat

2016-01-01

Several articles highlighting the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, treatment modalities and disease assessment of Behçet's syndrome (BS) have been published during the last year. Clinical and radiological features of lower extremity deep vein thrombosis due to BS can be quite different than those found in thrombosis due to other causes; additionally, frequency of post-thrombotic syndrome is significantly increased in BS. Some clinical and colonoscopic features are useful in differentiating BS from Crohn's disease. Barkhof criteria may be helpful in differentiating neurologic involvement due to BS from multiple sclerosis. Anatomical localization of papulopustular lesions but not histology has been found to be helpful in differentiating papulopustular lesions of BS from those found in acne vulgaris. Several studies looked at the ovarian reserve with contradicting results. A population-based cohort study found higher risk of hematological malignancies only among female BS patients living in Taiwan. The role of genetic factors and environment is discussed and both autoimmune and autoinflammatory features are underlined in the pathogenesis of BS. New data on the epistatic interactions between ERAP and HLA B51 is available and information on the microbiome have started to appear. New uncontrolled data suggest beneficial effects of anti-TNFs for refractory extra-ocular complications of BS such as pulmonary artery, gastrointestinal and central nervous system involvement. Uncontrolled studies suggest promising results with interleukin-1 inhibition but gevokizumab, a humanised anti IL-1β antibody, failed to meet the primary endpoint of time to first ocular exacerbation in a phase III trial. The debate on anticoagulation continues with new observational data.

Evaluation of uncontrolled confounding in studies of environmental exposures and neurobehavioral testing in children.

PubMed

Mink, Pamela J; Goodman, Michael; Barraj, Leila M; Imrey, Harriet; Kelsh, Michael A; Yager, Janice

2004-07-01

Neurobehavioral tests are commonly used in studies of children exposed to low-level environmental concentrations of compounds known to be neurotoxic at higher levels. However, uncontrolled or incomplete control for confounding makes interpretation of results problematic because effects of confounders are often stronger than the effects of primary interest. We examined a priori the potential impact of confounding in a hypothetical study evaluating the association of a potentially neurotoxic environmental exposure with neurobehavioral function in children. We used 2 outcome measures: the Bayley Scales of Infant Development Mental Development Index and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale Composite Score. We selected 3 potential confounders: maternal intelligence, home environment, and socioeconomic status as measured by years of parental education. We conducted 3 sets of analyses measuring the effect of each of the 3 confounding factors alone, 2 confounders acting simultaneously, and all 3 confounders acting simultaneously. Relatively small differences (0.5 standard deviations) in confounding variables between "exposed" and "unexposed" groups, if unmeasured and unaccounted for in the analysis, could produce spurious differences in cognitive test scores. The magnitude of this difference (3-10 points) has been suggested to have a meaningful impact in populations. The method of measuring confounders (eg, maternal intelligence) could also substantially affect the results. It is important to carefully consider the impact of potential confounders during the planning stages of an observational study. Study-to-study differences in neurobehavioral outcomes with similar environmental exposures could be partially explained by differences in the adjustment for confounding variables. Copyright 2004 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins

Flood risk management in the Souss watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouaakkaz, Brahim; El Abidine El Morjani, Zine; Bouchaou, Lhoussaine; Elhimri, Hamza

2018-05-01

Flooding is the most devasting natural hazards that causes more damage throughout the world. In 2016, for the fourth year in a row, it was the most costly natural disaster, in terms of global economic losses: 62 billion, according to a Benfield's 2016 annual report on climate and natural disasters [1]. The semi-arid to arid Souss watershed is vulnerable to floods, whose the intensity is becoming increasingly alarming and this area does not escape to the effects of this extreme event.. Indeed, the susceptibility of this region to this type of hazard is accentuated by its rapid evolution in terms of demography, uncontrolled land use, anthropogenic actions (uncontrolled urbanization, encroachment of the hydraulic public domain, overgrazing, clearing and deforestation).), and physical behavior of the environment (higher slope, impermeable rocks, etc.). It is in this context, that we have developed a strategic plan of action to manage this risk in the Souss basin in order to reduce the human, economic and environmental losses, after the modeling of the flood hazard in the study area, using georeferenced information systems (GIS), satellite remote sensing space and multi-criteria analysis techniques, as well as the history of major floods. This study, which generated the high resolution 30m flood hazard spatial distribution map of with accuracy of 85%, represents a decision tool to identify and prioririze area with high probability of hazard occurrence. It can also serve as a basis for urban evacuation plans for anticipating and preventing flood risk in the region, in order to ovoid any dramatic disaster.

Retinal complications of gout: a case report and review of the literature.

PubMed

Jiang, Ying; Brenner, Jason E; Foster, William J

2018-01-19

There have been few reported findings of posterior segment complications of gout. While exudative lesions, an increased risk of macular degeneration, and vascular occlusions have been previously reported, to our knowledge, refractile macular lesions have not been reported in a patient with chronic uncontrolled gout. Highly refractile, crystal-like lesions were found in the macula of a 62 year old male patient with chronically uncontrolled gout. The lesions appeared at the termination of retinal arterioles and were located at the level of the retinal pigment epithelium. The lesions did not stain with fluorescein and were associated with larger areas geographic atrophy. Review of the patient's blood tests revealed well-controlled vasculopathic risk factors. Fundus appearance and best-corrected visual acuity remained stable over 12 months of follow-up during which the uric acid levels were well controlled. Retinopathy may be associated with chronically uncontrolled gout and patients with visual complaints should undergo a dilated examination in addition to the typical anterior segment slit-lamp exam.

Predictability of uncontrollable multifocal seizures - towards new treatment options

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehnertz, Klaus; Dickten, Henning; Porz, Stephan; Helmstaedter, Christoph; Elger, Christian E.

2016-04-01

Drug-resistant, multifocal, non-resectable epilepsies are among the most difficult epileptic disorders to manage. An approach to control previously uncontrollable seizures in epilepsy patients would consist of identifying seizure precursors in critical brain areas combined with delivering a counteracting influence to prevent seizure generation. Predictability of seizures with acceptable levels of sensitivity and specificity, even in an ambulatory setting, has been repeatedly shown, however, in patients with a single seizure focus only. We did a study to assess feasibility of state-of-the-art, electroencephalogram-based seizure-prediction techniques in patients with uncontrollable multifocal seizures. We obtained significant predictive information about upcoming seizures in more than two thirds of patients. Unexpectedly, the emergence of seizure precursors was confined to non-affected brain areas. Our findings clearly indicate that epileptic networks, spanning lobes and hemispheres, underlie generation of seizures. Our proof-of-concept study is an important milestone towards new therapeutic strategies based on seizure-prediction techniques for clinical practice.

Physician and patient characteristics associated with clinical inertia in blood pressure control.

PubMed

Harle, Christopher A; Harman, Jeffrey S; Yang, Shuo

2013-11-01

Clinical inertia, the failure to adjust antihypertensive medications during patient visits with uncontrolled hypertension, is thought to be a common problem. This retrospective study used 5 years of electronic medical records from a multispecialty group practice to examine the association between physician and patient characteristics and clinical inertia. Hierarchical linear models (HLMs) were used to examine (1) differences in physician and patient characteristics among patients with and without clinical inertia, and (2) the association between clinical inertia and future uncontrolled hypertension. Overall, 66% of patients experienced clinical inertia. Clinical inertia was associated with one physician characteristic, patient volume (odds ratio [OR]=0.998). However, clinical inertia was associated with multiple patient characteristics, including patient age (OR=1.021), commercial insurance (OR=0.804), and obesity (OR=1.805). Finally, patients with clinical inertia had 2.9 times the odds of uncontrolled hypertension at their final visit in the study period. These findings may aid the design of interventions to reduce clinical inertia. ©2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[Learned helplessness, generalized self-efficacy, and immune function].

PubMed

Kuno, Mayumi; Yazawa, Hisashi; Ohira, Hideki

2003-02-01

Generalized self-efficacy is considered one of important personality traits that determine psychological and physiological stress responses. The present study examined the interaction effects of generalized self-efficacy and controllability of acute stress on salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA), task performance, and psychological stress responses in a typical learned helplessness paradigm. Twenty low and 19 high self-efficacy undergraduate women performed two response selection tasks one after another. In the first task, they were exposed to controllable or uncontrollable aversive noise. The second task was identical for all, but perceived controllability was higher for the high self-efficacy group than the low. Performance under uncontrollable condition was lower than controllable condition. The interaction of self-efficacy and controllability was observed only on the s-IgA variable; increase of secretion of s-IgA secretion under stressor uncontrollability was more prominent in the low self-efficacy group than the high. These results suggested that generalized self-efficacy was a moderator of the stressor controllability effect on secretory immunity.

Coordinated management of combined sewer overflows by means of environmental decision support systems.

PubMed

Murla, Damian; Gutierrez, Oriol; Martinez, Montse; Suñer, David; Malgrat, Pere; Poch, Manel

2016-04-15

During heavy rainfall, the capacity of sewer systems and wastewater treatment plants may be surcharged producing uncontrolled wastewater discharges and a depletion of the environmental quality. Therefore there is a need of advanced management tools to tackle with these complex problems. In this paper an environmental decision support system (EDSS), based on the integration of mathematical modeling and knowledge-based systems, has been developed for the coordinated management of urban wastewater systems (UWS) to control and minimize uncontrolled wastewater spills. Effectiveness of the EDSS has been tested in a specially designed virtual UWS, including two sewers systems, two WWTP and one river subjected to typical Mediterranean rain conditions. Results show that sewer systems, retention tanks and wastewater treatment plants improve their performance under wet weather conditions and that EDSS can be very effective tools to improve the management and prevent the system from possible uncontrolled wastewater discharges. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Radiological impact assessment to the environment due to waste from disposal of porcelain.

PubMed

Morsi, Tarek; Hegazy, Rehab; Badawy, Wael

2017-06-01

The present study aimed to assess the radiological parameters from gamma rays due to the uncontrolled disposal of porcelain waste to the environment. Qualitative and quantitative identification of radionuclides in the investigated samples was carried out by means of a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. The average activity concentrations of the local porcelain samples were measured as 208.28 Bq/kg for 226 Ra, 125.73 Bq/kg for 238 U, 84.94 Bq/kg for 232 Th and 1033.61 Bq/kg for 40 K, respectively. The imported samples had an average activity of 240.57 Bq/kg for 226 Ra, 135.56 Bq/kg for 238 U, 115.74 Bq/kg for 232 Th and 1312.49 Bq/kg for 40 K, respectively. Radiological parameters and the radium equivalent Ra eq for the investigated samples were calculated. The external and internal hazard indices, representative level index (I γ ), alpha index (I α ), and the exemption level (I x ), were estimated to be higher than the recommended value (unity), while the average activity concentrations for the studied samples were higher than recommended levels. In conclusion, we are concerned that disposal of porcelain in the environment might be a significant hazard.

Dissociation of Learned Helplessness and Fear Conditioning in Mice: A Mouse Model of Depression

PubMed Central

Landgraf, Dominic; Long, Jaimie; Der-Avakian, Andre; Streets, Margo; Welsh, David K.

2015-01-01

The state of being helpless is regarded as a central aspect of depression, and therefore the learned helplessness paradigm in rodents is commonly used as an animal model of depression. The term ‘learned helplessness’ refers to a deficit in escaping from an aversive situation after an animal is exposed to uncontrollable stress specifically, with a control/comparison group having been exposed to an equivalent amount of controllable stress. A key feature of learned helplessness is the transferability of helplessness to different situations, a phenomenon called ‘trans-situationality’. However, most studies in mice use learned helplessness protocols in which training and testing occur in the same environment and with the same type of stressor. Consequently, failures to escape may reflect conditioned fear of a particular environment, not a general change of the helpless state of an animal. For mice, there is no established learned helplessness protocol that includes the trans-situationality feature. Here we describe a simple and reliable learned helplessness protocol for mice, in which training and testing are carried out in different environments and with different types of stressors. We show that with our protocol approximately 50% of mice develop learned helplessness that is not attributable to fear conditioning. PMID:25928892

Numerical Ergonomics Analysis in Operation Environment of CNC Machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, S. F.; Yang, Z. X.

2010-05-01

The performance of operator will be affected by different operation environments [1]. Moreover, poor operation environment may cause health problems of the operator [2]. Physical and psychological considerations are two main factors that will affect the performance of operator under different conditions of operation environment. In this paper, applying scientific and systematic methods find out the pivot elements in the field of physical and psychological factors. There are five main factors including light, temperature, noise, air flow and space that are analyzed. A numerical ergonomics model has been built up regarding the analysis results which can support to advance the design of operation environment. Moreover, the output of numerical ergonomic model can provide the safe, comfortable, more productive conditions for the operator.

[Knowledge level of hypertensive patients about hypertension. Relationship between knowledge level and hypertension control].

PubMed

Benítez Camps, M; Egocheaga Cabello, M Isabel; Dalfó Baqué, A; Bajo García, J; Vara González, L; Sanchis Doménech, C; Martín Rioboo, E; Ureña Fernández, T; Domínguez Sardiña, M; Bonet Pla, A

2015-01-01

To assess the knowledge of the hypertensive patients about their hypertension and their relation to its control. Cross-sectional study among 400 hypertensive patients, all over 18 years, selected from 50 primary-care centres, who responded to an hypertension-related survey. Included variables were survey items, age, gender, educational level, professional occupation, blood pressure data and antihypertensive treatment. The obtained differences were analyzed using the chi-square test, Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon, Anova and Bonferroni methods. There were 323 valid surveys. 52.9% of respondents were women, the average age: 65.4 years (SD: 11.2), 54.8% of them had primary education. 39.6% were aware of the objectives of systolic BP control. Only 19.6% having knowledge of those for diastolic BP control, with no differences between controlled and uncontrolled (systolic BP: 39% vs 38.1%, P=.887; diastolic BP: 19.2% vs 21%, P=.721). Over 70% knew about lifestyle changes, without significant differences between controlled and uncontrolled respondents. 82% of controlled respondents, and 79% of those uncontrolled, recognized the chronical nature of the treatment (P=.548), but 15.1% of the controlled respondents and 12.4% of uncontrolled respondents did not see the relation between the treatment and hypertension control (P=.525). 31.1% believed to be well-controlled, but in fact was not. Our patients doesn't know blood pressure targets of control. There isn't relationship between this knowledge and control of hypertension. Copyright © 2014 SEHLELHA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

BDNF action in the brain attenuates diabetic hyperglycemia via insulin-independent inhibition of hepatic glucose production.

PubMed

Meek, Thomas H; Wisse, Brent E; Thaler, Joshua P; Guyenet, Stephan J; Matsen, Miles E; Fischer, Jonathan D; Taborsky, Gerald J; Schwartz, Michael W; Morton, Gregory J

2013-05-01

Recent evidence suggests that central leptin administration fully normalizes hyperglycemia in a rodent model of uncontrolled insulin-deficient diabetes by reducing hepatic glucose production (HGP) and by increasing glucose uptake. The current studies were undertaken to determine whether brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) action in the brain lowers blood glucose in uncontrolled insulin-deficient diabetes and to investigate the mechanisms mediating this effect. Adult male rats implanted with cannulas to either the lateral cerebral ventricle or the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMN) received either vehicle or streptozotocin to induce uncontrolled insulin-deficient diabetes. Three days later, animals received daily intracerebroventricular or intra-VMN injections of either BDNF or its vehicle. We found that repeated daily intracerebroventricular administration of BDNF attenuated diabetic hyperglycemia independent of changes in food intake. Instead, using tracer dilution techniques during a basal clamp, we found that BDNF lowered blood glucose levels by potently suppressing HGP, without affecting tissue glucose uptake, an effect associated with normalization of both plasma glucagon levels and hepatic expression of gluconeogenic genes. Moreover, BDNF microinjection directly into the VMN also lowered fasting blood glucose levels in uncontrolled insulin-deficient diabetes, but this effect was modest compared with intracerebroventricular administration. We conclude that central nervous system BDNF attenuates diabetic hyperglycemia via an insulin-independent mechanism. This action of BDNF likely involves the VMN and is associated with inhibition of glucagon secretion and a decrease in the rate of HGP.

Ratiometric analysis of optical coherence tomography-measured in vivo retinal layer thicknesses for the detection of early diabetic retinopathy.

PubMed

Bhaduri, Basanta; Shelton, Ryan L; Nolan, Ryan M; Hendren, Lucas; Almasov, Alexandra; Labriola, Leanne T; Boppart, Stephen A

2017-11-01

Influence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) on parafoveal retinal thicknesses and their ratios was evaluated. Six retinal layer boundaries were segmented from spectral-domain optical coherence tomography images using open-source software. Five study groups: (1) healthy control (HC) subjects, and subjects with (2) controlled DM, (3) uncontrolled DM, (4) controlled DR and (5) uncontrolled DR, were identified. The one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) between adjacent study groups (i. e. 1 with 2, 2 with 3, etc) indicated differences in retinal thicknesses and ratios. Overall retinal thickness, ganglion cell layer (GCL) thickness, inner plexiform layer (IPL) thickness, and their combination (GCL+ IPL), appeared to be significantly less in the uncontrolled DM group when compared to controlled DM and controlled DR groups. Although the combination of nerve fiber layer (NFL) and GCL, and IPL thicknesses were not different, their ratio, (NFL+GCL)/IPL, was found to be significantly higher in the controlled DM group compared to the HC group. Comparisons of the controlled DR group with the controlled DM group, and with the uncontrolled DR group, do not show any differences in the layer thicknesses, though several significant ratios were obtained. Ratiometric analysis may provide more sensitive parameters for detecting changes in DR. Picture: A representative segmented OCT image of the human retina is shown. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The burden of conscientiousness? Examining brain activation and cortisol response during social evaluative stress.

PubMed

Dahm, Anne-Sophie; Schmierer, Phöbe; Veer, Ilya M; Streit, Fabian; Görgen, Anna; Kruschwitz, Johann; Wüst, Stefan; Kirsch, Peter; Walter, Henrik; Erk, Susanne

2017-04-01

Although conscientiousness has for a long time been considered generally adaptive, there are findings challenging this view, suggesting that conscientiousness might be less advantageous during uncontrollable stress. We here examined the impact of conscientiousness on brain activation during and the cortisol response following an uncontrollable social evaluative stress task in order to test this hypothesis. Brain activation and cortisol levels were measured during an fMRI stress task, where subjects (n=86) performed cognitive tasks containing preprogrammed failure under time pressure, while being monitored by a panel of experts inducing social-evaluative threat. The degree of conscientiousness was measured using the NEO-FFI. We observed a positive correlation between conscientiousness and salivary cortisol levels in response to the stressful task in male subjects only. In male subjects conscientiousness correlated positively with activation in right amygdala and left insula, and, moreover, mediated the influence of amygdala and insula activation on cortisol output. This pattern of brain activation can be interpreted as a disadvantageous response to uncontrollable stress to which highly conscientious individuals might be predisposed. This is the first study showing the effect of conscientiousness on physiology and brain activation to an uncontrollable psychosocial stressor. Our results provide neurobiological evidence for the hypothesis that conscientiousness should not just be seen as beneficial, but rather as a trait associated with either costs or benefits depending on the extent to which one is in control of the situation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of a medical education intervention to treat hypertension in primary care.

PubMed

Martínez-Valverde, Silvia; Castro-Ríos, Angélica; Pérez-Cuevas, Ricardo; Klunder-Klunder, Miguel; Salinas-Escudero, Guillermo; Reyes-Morales, Hortensia

2012-04-01

In Mexico, hypertension is among the top five causes for visits to primary care clinics; its complications are among the main causes of emergency and hospital care. The present study reports the effectiveness of a continuing medical education (CME) intervention to improve appropriate care for hypertension, on blood pressure control of hypertensive patients in primary care clinics. A secondary data analysis was carried out using data of hypertensive patients treated by family doctors who participated in the CME intervention. The evaluation was designed as a pre-/post-intervention study with control group in six primary care clinics. The effect of the CME intervention was analysed using multiple logistic regression modelling in which the dependent variable was uncontrolled blood pressure in the post-intervention patient measurement. After the CME intervention, the net reduction of uncontrolled blood pressure between stages in the intervention group was 10.3%. The model results were that being treated by a family doctor who participated in the CME intervention reduced by 53% the probability of lack of control of blood pressure; receiving dietary recommendations reduced 57% the probability of uncontrolled blood pressure. Having uncontrolled blood pressure at the baseline stage increased the probability of lack of control in 166%, and per each unit of increase in body mass index the lack of control increased 7%. CME intervention improved the medical decision-making process to manage hypertension, thus increasing the probability of hypertensive patients to have blood pressure under control. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Subgingival biodiversity in subjects with uncontrolled type-2 diabetes and chronic periodontitis.

PubMed

Casarin, R C V; Barbagallo, A; Meulman, T; Santos, V R; Sallum, E A; Nociti, F H; Duarte, P M; Casati, M Z; Gonçalves, R B

2013-02-01

There is a bidirectional relationship between periodontal disease and type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Inflammatory mediators may negatively affect glycemic control, and increased glucose levels and resultant glycation end-products may alter the host response against bacterial infection. However, no agreement has been reached regarding the effect of DM on periodontal subgingival microbiota. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to compare the subgingival biodiversity in deep periodontal pockets of subjects with chronic periodontitis and either uncontrolled type-2 diabetes or no diabetes using 16S rRNA gene cloning and sequencing. Twelve subjects with uncontrolled type-2 diabetes (glycated hemoglobin > 8%) and eleven nondiabetic subjects presenting severe and generalized chronic periodontitis were selected. Subgingival biofilm from periodontal pockets > 5 mm were assessed using the 16S rRNA gene cloning and sequencing technique. Significant differences were observed in subgingival microbiota between diabetic and nondiabetic subjects. Diabetic subjects presented higher percentages of total clones of TM7, Aggregatibacter, Neisseria, Gemella, Eikenella, Selenomonas, Actinomyces, Capnocytophaga, Fusobacterium, Veillonella and Streptococcus genera, and lower percentages of Porphyromonas, Filifactor, Eubacterium, Synergistetes, Tannerella and Treponema genera than nondiabetic individuals (p < 0.05). Moreover, some phylotypes, such as Fusobacterium nucleatum, Veillonella parvula, V. dispar and Eikenella corrodens were detected significantly more often in diabetic subjects than in nondiabetic subjects (p < 0.05). Subjects with uncontrolled type-2 diabetes and chronic periodontitis presented significant dissimilarities in subgingival biodiversity compared with nondiabetic subjects. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

The transmyocardial laser revascularization international registry report.

PubMed

Burns, S M; Sharples, L D; Tait, S; Caine, N; Wallwork, J; Schofield, P M

1999-01-01

This report aimed to provide an analysis of the data submitted from Europe and Asia on transmyocardial laser revascularization. Prospective data was recorded on 967 patients with intractable angina not amenable to conventional revascularization in 21 European and Asian centres performing transmyocardial laser revascularization using the PLC Medical Systems CO2 laser. Patient characteristics, operative details and early complications following transmyocardial laser revascularization were recorded. The in-hospital death rate was 9.7% (95% confidence interval 7.8% to 11.6%). Other early complications were consistent with similar cardiothoracic surgical procedures. There was a decrease of two or more Canadian Cardiovascular Score angina classes in 47.3%, 45.4% and 34.0% of survivors at 3, 6 and 12 months follow-up, respectively (P=0.001 for each). Treadmill exercise time increased by 42 s at 3 months (P=0.008), 1 min 43 s at 6 months (P<0.001) and 1 min 50 s at 12 months (P<0.001) against pre-operative times of 6 min. Uncontrolled registry data suggest that transmyocardial laser revascularization may lead to a decrease in angina and improved exercise tolerance. It does, however, have a risk of peri-operative morbidity and mortality. Definitive results from randomized controlled trials are awaited.

Results after laparoscopic Heller-Dor operation for esophageal achalasia in 100 consecutive patients.

PubMed

Tsuboi, Kazuto; Omura, Nobuo; Yano, Fumiaki; Kashiwagi, Hideyuki; Yanaga, Katsuhiko

2009-01-01

The laparoscopic Heller-Dor operation has been the procedure of choice for the treatment of achalasia. However, because the incidence of achalasia is low, reports on the outcome of surgical treatment for achalasia are limited. In this study, the therapeutic results after laparoscopic Heller-Dor operation for achalasia at a single university hospital were evaluated. Between August 1994 and July 2006, 100 consecutive patients underwent laparoscopic Heller-Dor operation. The therapeutic results after laparoscopic Heller-Dor operation were assessed based on complications, operation time, blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, and the standardized questionnaire for satisfaction by telephone or outpatient clinic interview. With respect to perioperative complications, lower esophageal mucosal perforation occurred in 14 patients, but all of them could be suture-obliterated laparoscopically. One patient was converted to laparotomy because of uncontrolled bleeding from the short gastric artery. The mean operative time was 169 minutes, and the mean perioperative blood loss was 22 mL. The median postoperative hospital stay was 7 days. Reflux esophagitis, which was seen in five patients, was treated successfully with a proton pump inhibitor. According to the standardized questionnaire for satisfaction, 77 patients rated their recovery as 'excellent', 17 as 'good', 4 as 'fair', and 2 as 'poor'; thus, the overall success rate was 94%. There were no significant differences in surgical outcomes by morphologic type and severity of esophageal dilatation; however, the success rate deteriorated significantly with progression of the morphologic type. Laparoscopic Heller-Dor operation is a safe and effective surgical treatment for achalasia.

NASA Microgravity Combustion Science Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Merrill K.

1999-01-01

Combustion has been a subject of increasingly vigorous scientific research for over a century, not surprising considering that combustion accounts for approximately 85% of the world's energy production and is a key element of many critical technologies used by contemporary society. Although combustion technology is vital to our standard of living, it also poses great challenges to maintaining a habitable environment. A major goal of combustion research is production of fundamental (foundational) knowledge that can be used in developing accurate simulations of complex combustion processes, replacing current "cut-and-try" approaches and allowing developers to improve the efficiency of combustion devices, to reduce the production of harmful emissions, and to reduce the incidence of accidental uncontrolled combustion. With full understanding of the physics and chemistry involved in a given combustion process, including details of the unit processes and their interactions, physically accurate models which can then be used for parametric exploration of new combustion domains via computer simulation can be developed, with possible resultant definition of radically different approaches to accomplishment of various combustion goals. Effects of gravitational forces on earth impede combustion studies more than they impede most other areas of science. The effects of buoyancy are so ubiquitous that we often do not appreciate the enormous negative impact that they have had on the rational development of combustion science. Microgravity offers potential for major gains in combustion science understanding in that it offers unique capability to establish the flow environment rather than having it dominated by uncontrollable (under normal gravity) buoyancy effects and, through this control, to extend the range of test conditions that can be studied. It cannot be emphasized too strongly that our program is dedicated to taking advantage of microgravity to untangle complications caused by gravity, allowing major strides in our understanding of combustion processes and in subsequent development of improved combustion devices leading to improved quality of life on Earth. Fire and/or explosion events aboard spacecraft could be devastating to international efforts to expand the human presence in space. Testing to date has shown that ignition and flame spread on fuel surfaces (e.g., paper, wire insulation) behave quite differently under partial gravity and microgravity conditions. In addition, fire signatures-i.e., heat release, smoke production, flame visibility, and radiation-are now known to be quite different in reduced gravity environments; this research has provided data to improve the effectiveness of fire prevention practices, smoke and fire detectors, and fire extinguishment systems. The more we can apply our scientific and technological understanding to potential fire behavior in microgravity and partial gravity, the more assurance can be given to those people whose lives depend on the environment aboard spacecraft or eventually on habitats on the Moon or Mars.

Hearing Tests on Mobile Devices: Evaluation of the Reference Sound Level by Means of Biological Calibration.

PubMed

Masalski, Marcin; Kipiński, Lech; Grysiński, Tomasz; Kręcicki, Tomasz

2016-05-30

Hearing tests carried out in home setting by means of mobile devices require previous calibration of the reference sound level. Mobile devices with bundled headphones create a possibility of applying the predefined level for a particular model as an alternative to calibrating each device separately. The objective of this study was to determine the reference sound level for sets composed of a mobile device and bundled headphones. Reference sound levels for Android-based mobile devices were determined using an open access mobile phone app by means of biological calibration, that is, in relation to the normal-hearing threshold. The examinations were conducted in 2 groups: an uncontrolled and a controlled one. In the uncontrolled group, the fully automated self-measurements were carried out in home conditions by 18- to 35-year-old subjects, without prior hearing problems, recruited online. Calibration was conducted as a preliminary step in preparation for further examination. In the controlled group, audiologist-assisted examinations were performed in a sound booth, on normal-hearing subjects verified through pure-tone audiometry, recruited offline from among the workers and patients of the clinic. In both the groups, the reference sound levels were determined on a subject's mobile device using the Bekesy audiometry. The reference sound levels were compared between the groups. Intramodel and intermodel analyses were carried out as well. In the uncontrolled group, 8988 calibrations were conducted on 8620 different devices representing 2040 models. In the controlled group, 158 calibrations (test and retest) were conducted on 79 devices representing 50 models. Result analysis was performed for 10 most frequently used models in both the groups. The difference in reference sound levels between uncontrolled and controlled groups was 1.50 dB (SD 4.42). The mean SD of the reference sound level determined for devices within the same model was 4.03 dB (95% CI 3.93-4.11). Statistically significant differences were found across models. Reference sound levels determined in the uncontrolled group are comparable to the values obtained in the controlled group. This validates the use of biological calibration in the uncontrolled group for determining the predefined reference sound level for new devices. Moreover, due to a relatively small deviation of the reference sound level for devices of the same model, it is feasible to conduct hearing screening on devices calibrated with the predefined reference sound level.

Health care use and costs for participants in a diabetes disease management program, United States, 2007-2008.

PubMed

Dall, Timothy M; Roary, Mary; Yang, Wenya; Zhang, Shiping; Chen, Yaozhu J; Arday, David R; Gantt, Cynthia J; Zhang, Yiduo

2011-05-01

The Disease Management Association of America identifies diabetes as one of the chronic conditions with the greatest potential for management. TRICARE Management Activity, which administers health care benefits for US military service personnel, retirees, and their dependents, created a disease management program for beneficiaries with diabetes. The objective of this study was to determine whether participation intensity and prior indication of uncontrolled diabetes were associated with health care use and costs for participants enrolled in TRICARE's diabetes management program. This ongoing, opt-out study used a quasi-experimental approach to assess program impact for beneficiaries (n = 37,370) aged 18 to 64 living in the United States. Inclusion criteria were any diabetes-related emergency department visits or hospitalizations, more than 10 diabetes-related ambulatory visits, or more than twenty 30-day prescriptions for diabetes drugs in the previous year. Beginning in June 2007, all participants received educational mailings. Participants who agreed to receive a baseline telephone assessment and telephone counseling once per month in addition to educational mailings were considered active, and those who did not complete at least the baseline telephone assessment were considered passive. We categorized the diabetes status of each participant as "uncontrolled" or "controlled" on the basis of medical claims containing diagnosis codes for uncontrolled diabetes in the year preceding program eligibility. We compared observed outcomes to outcomes predicted in the absence of diabetes management. Prediction equations were based on regression analysis of medical claims for a historical control group (n = 23,818) that in October 2004 met the eligibility criteria for TRICARE's program implemented June 2007. We conducted regression analysis comparing historical control group patient outcomes after October 2004 with these baseline characteristics. Per-person total annual medical savings for program participants, calculated as the difference between observed and predicted outcomes, averaged $783. Active participants had larger reductions in inpatient days and emergency department visits, larger increases in ambulatory visits, and larger increases in receiving retinal examinations, hemoglobin A1c tests, and urine microalbumin tests compared with passive participants. Participants with prior indication of uncontrolled diabetes had higher per-person total annual medical savings, larger reduction in inpatient days, and larger increases in ambulatory visits than did participants with controlled diabetes. Greater intensity of participation in TRICARE's diabetes management program was associated with lower medical costs and improved receipt of recommended testing. That patients who were categorized as having uncontrolled diabetes realized greater program benefits suggests diabetes management programs should consider indication of uncontrolled diabetes in their program candidate identification criteria.

Critical operations capabilities in a high cost environment: a multiple case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sansone, C.; Hilletofth, P.; Eriksson, D.

2018-04-01

Operations capabilities have been a popular research area for many years and several frameworks have been proposed in the literature. The current frameworks do not take specific contexts into consideration, for instance a high cost environment. This research gap is of particular interest since a manufacturing relocation process has been ongoing the last decades, leading to a huge amount of manufacturing being moved from high to low cost environments. The purpose of this study is to identify critical operations capabilities in a high cost environment. The two research questions were: What are the critical operations capabilities dimensions in a high cost environment? What are the critical operations capabilities in a high cost environment? A multiple case study was conducted and three Swedish manufacturing firms were selected. The study was based on the investigation of an existing framework of operations capabilities. The main dimensions of operations capabilities included in the framework were: cost, quality, delivery, flexibility, service, innovation and environment. Each of the dimensions included two or more operations capabilities. The findings confirmed the validity of the framework and its usefulness in a high cost environment and a new operations capability was revealed (employee flexibility).

Pediatric intensive care treatment of uncontrolled status epilepticus.

PubMed

Wilkes, Ryan; Tasker, Robert C

2013-04-01

The critically ill mechanically ventilated child with ongoing seizures that are refractory to any treatment presents a distinct challenge in pediatric neurocritical care. The evidence base from randomized controlled trials on which anti-epileptic drug (AED) strategy should be used is inadequate. This review of refractory and super-refractory status epilepticus summarizes recent pediatric case series regarding definitions, the second-tier AED therapies once initial anticonvulsants have failed, and the experience of high-dose midazolam, barbiturate anesthesia, and volatile anesthetics for uncontrolled status epilepticus. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Satellite recovery - Attitude dynamics of the targets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cochran, J. E., Jr.; Lahr, B. S.

1986-01-01

The problems of categorizing and modeling the attitude dynamics of uncontrolled artificial earth satellites which may be targets in recovery attempts are addressed. Methods of classification presented are based on satellite rotational kinetic energy, rotational angular momentum and orbit and on the type of control present prior to the benign failure of the control system. The use of approximate analytical solutions and 'exact' numerical solutions to the equations governing satellite attitude motions to predict uncontrolled attitude motion is considered. Analytical and numerical results are presented for the evolution of satellite attitude motions after active control termination.

Properties influencing fat, oil, and grease deposit formation.

PubMed

Keener, Kevin M; Ducoste, Joel J; Holt, Leon M

2008-12-01

Fat, oil, and grease (FOG) deposits are the reported cause of 50 to 75% of sanitary sewer overflows in the United States, resulting in 1.8 X 10(6) m3 (500 mil. gal) of raw wastewater released into the environment annually. The objective of this research was to characterize the chemical and physical properties of FOG deposits. Twenty-three cities from around the United States contributed FOG samples for the study. The FOG deposits showed a wide range in yield strength (4 to 34 kPa), porosity (10 to 24%), and moisture content (10 to 60%), suggesting uncontrolled formation processes. A majority of these deposits display hard, sandstonelike texture, with distinct layering effects, suggesting a discontinuous formation process. The results found that 84% of FOG deposits contained high concentrations of saturated fatty acids and calcium, suggesting preferential accumulation.

Resilient Core Networks for Energy Distribution

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

Kuntze, Nicolai; Rudolph, Carsten; Leivesley, Sally

2014-07-28

Abstract—Substations and their control are crucial for the availability of electricity in today’s energy distribution. Ad- vanced energy grids with Distributed Energy Resources require higher complexity in substations, distributed functionality and communication between devices inside substations and between substations. Also, substations include more and more intelligent devices and ICT based systems. All these devices are connected to other systems by different types of communication links or are situated in uncontrolled environments. Therefore, the risk of ICT based attacks on energy grids is growing. Consequently, security measures to counter these risks need to be an intrinsic part of energy grids. Thismore » paper introduces the concept of a Resilient Core Network to interconnected substations. This core network provides essen- tial security features, enables fast detection of attacks and allows for a distributed and autonomous mitigation of ICT based risks.« less

Medico legal investigations into sudden sniffing deaths linked with trichloroethylene.

PubMed

Da Broi, Ugo; Colatutto, Antonio; Sala, Pierguido; Desinan, Lorenzo

2015-08-01

Sudden deaths attributed to sniffing trichloroethylene are caused by the abuse of this solvent which produces pleasant inebriating effects with rapid dissipation. In the event of repeated cycles of inhalation, a dangerous and uncontrolled systemic accumulation of trichloroethylene may occur, followed by central nervous system depression, coma and lethal cardiorespiratory arrest. Sometimes death occurs outside the hospital environment, without medical intervention or witnesses and without specific necroscopic signs. Medico legal investigations into sudden sniffing deaths associated with trichloroethylene demand careful analysis of the death scene and related circumstances, a detailed understanding of the deceased's medical history and background of substance abuse and an accurate evaluation of all autopsy and laboratory data, with close cooperation between the judiciary, coroners and toxicologists. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Impact of magnetic fields on the morphology of hybrid perovskite films for solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corpus-Mendoza, Asiel N.; Moreno-Romero, Paola M.; Hu, Hailin

2018-05-01

The impact of magnetic fields on the morphology of hybrid perovskite films is assessed via scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Small-grain non-uniform perovskite films are obtained when a large magnetic flux density is applied to the sample during reaction of PbI2 and methylammonium iodide (chloride). Similarly, X-ray diffraction reveals a change of preferential crystalline planes when large magnetic fields are applied. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate that the quality of the perovskite film is affected by the magnetic field induced by the magnetic stirring system of the hot plate where the samples are annealed. As a consequence, optimization of the perovskite layer varies with magnetic field and annealing temperature. Finally, we prove that uncontrolled magnetic fields on the environment of preparation can severely influence the reproducibility of results.

Mild Diabetes Models and Their Maternal-Fetal Repercussions

PubMed Central

Damasceno, D. C.; Sinzato, Y. K.; Bueno, A.; Netto, A. O.; Dallaqua, B.; Gallego, F. Q.; Iessi, I. L.; Corvino, S. B.; Serrano, R. G.; Marini, G.; Piculo, F.; Calderon, I. M. P.; Rudge, M. V. C.

2013-01-01

The presence of diabetes in pregnancy leads to hormonal and metabolic changes making inappropriate intrauterine environment, favoring the onset of maternal and fetal complications. Human studies that explore mechanisms responsible for changes caused by diabetes are limited not only for ethical reasons but also by the many uncontrollable variables. Thus, there is a need to develop appropriate experimental models. The diabetes induced in laboratory animals can be performed by different methods depending on dose, route of administration, and the strain and age of animal used. Many of these studies are carried out in neonatal period or during pregnancy, but the results presented are controversial. So this paper, addresses the review about the different models of mild diabetes induction using streptozotocin in pregnant rats and their repercussions on the maternal and fetal organisms to propose an adequate model for each approached issue. PMID:23878822

Intrinsically motivated reinforcement learning for human-robot interaction in the real-world.

PubMed

Qureshi, Ahmed Hussain; Nakamura, Yutaka; Yoshikawa, Yuichiro; Ishiguro, Hiroshi

2018-03-26

For a natural social human-robot interaction, it is essential for a robot to learn the human-like social skills. However, learning such skills is notoriously hard due to the limited availability of direct instructions from people to teach a robot. In this paper, we propose an intrinsically motivated reinforcement learning framework in which an agent gets the intrinsic motivation-based rewards through the action-conditional predictive model. By using the proposed method, the robot learned the social skills from the human-robot interaction experiences gathered in the real uncontrolled environments. The results indicate that the robot not only acquired human-like social skills but also took more human-like decisions, on a test dataset, than a robot which received direct rewards for the task achievement. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Restaurant eating in nonpurge binge-eating women.

PubMed

Timmerman, Gayle M

2006-11-01

This study describes restaurant-eating behaviors for nonpurge binge-eating women in comparison to dieters. Restaurant-eating behaviors were determined from a content analysis of 14-day food diaries using a convenience sample of 71 women who reported binging without purging and 46 dieters without a recent binge history. Comparing bingers to dieters, there were no significant differences in frequency of eating out, dessert consumption at restaurants, or fast food eating. Bingers more often perceived restaurant eating to be uncontrolled and excessive. Both bingers and dieters consumed significantly more calories (226-253 kcal) and fat (10.4-16.0 gm) on restaurant days. Extra calories consumed on restaurant-eating days may contribute to weight gain over time, especially with frequent restaurant eating. Restaurants may present a high-risk food environment for bingers and dieters, contributing to loss of control and excess consumption.

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

Carlson, J.J.; Bouchard, A.M.; Osbourn, G.C.

Future generation automated human biometric identification and verification will require multiple features/sensors together with internal and external information sources to achieve high performance, accuracy, and reliability in uncontrolled environments. The primary objective of the proposed research is to develop a theoretical and practical basis for identifying and verifying people using standoff biometric features that can be obtained with minimal inconvenience during the verification process. The basic problem involves selecting sensors and discovering features that provide sufficient information to reliably verify a person`s identity under the uncertainties caused by measurement errors and tactics of uncooperative subjects. A system was developed formore » discovering hand, face, ear, and voice features and fusing them to verify the identity of people. The system obtains its robustness and reliability by fusing many coarse and easily measured features into a near minimal probability of error decision algorithm.« less

Task-specific noise exposure during manual concrete surface grinding in enclosed areas-influence of operation variables and dust control methods.

PubMed

Akbar-Khanzadeh, Farhang; Ames, April L; Milz, Sheryl A; Akbar-Khanzadeh, Mahboubeh

2013-01-01

Noise exposure is a distinct hazard during hand-held concrete grinding activities, and its assessment is challenging because of the many variables involved. Noise dosimeters were used to examine the extent of personal noise exposure while concrete grinding was performed with a variety of grinder sizes, types, accessories, and available dust control methods. Noise monitoring was conducted in an enclosed area covering 52 task-specific grinding sessions lasting from 6 to 72 minutes. Noise levels, either in minute average noise level (Lavg, dBA) or in minute peak (dBC), during concrete grinding were significantly (P < 0.01) correlated with general ventilation (GV: on, off), dust control methods (uncontrolled, wet, Shop-Vac, HEPA, HEPA-Cyclone), grinding cup wheel (blade) sizes of 4-inch (100 mm), 5-inch (125 mm) and 6-inch (150 mm), and surface orientation (horizontal, inclined). Overall, minute Lavg during grinding was 97.0 ± 3.3 (mean ± SD), ranging from 87.9 to 113. The levels of minute Lavg during uncontrolled grinding (98.9 ± 5.2) or wet-grinding (98.5 ± 2.7) were significantly higher than those during local exhaust ventilation (LEV) grinding (96.2 ± 2.8). A 6-inch grinding cup wheel generated significantly higher noise levels (98.7 ± 2.8) than 5-inch (96.3 ± 3.2) or 4-inch (95.3 ± 3.5) cup wheels. The minute peak noise levels (dBC) during grinding was 113 ± 5.2 ranging from 104 to 153. The minute peak noise levels during uncontrolled grinding (119 ± 10.2) were significantly higher than those during wet-grinding (115 ± 4.5) and LEV-grinding (112 ± 3.4). A 6-inch grinding cup wheel generated significantly higher minute peak noise levels (115 ± 5.3) than 5-inch (112 ± 4.5) or 4-inch (111 ± 5.4) cup wheels. Assuming an 8-hour work shift, the results indicated that noise exposure levels during concrete grinding in enclosed areas exceeded the recommended permissible exposure limits and workers should be protected by engineering control methods, safe work practices, and/or personal protective devices.

The chaotic dynamical aperture

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

Lee, S.Y.; Tepikian, S.

1985-10-01

Nonlinear magnetic forces become more important for particles in the modern large accelerators. These nonlinear elements are introduced either intentionally to control beam dynamics or by uncontrollable random errors. Equations of motion in the nonlinear Hamiltonian are usually non-integrable. Because of the nonlinear part of the Hamiltonian, the tune diagram of accelerators is a jungle. Nonlinear magnet multipoles are important in keeping the accelerator operation point in the safe quarter of the hostile jungle of resonant tunes. Indeed, all the modern accelerator design have taken advantages of nonlinear mechanics. On the other hand, the effect of the uncontrollable random multipolesmore » should be evaluated carefully. A powerful method of studying the effect of these nonlinear multipoles is using a particle tracking calculation, where a group of test particles are tracing through these magnetic multipoles in the accelerator hundreds to millions of turns in order to test the dynamical aperture of the machine. These methods are extremely useful in the design of a large accelerator such as SSC, LEP, HERA and RHIC. These calculations unfortunately take tremendous amount of computing time. In this paper, we try to apply the existing method in the nonlinear dynamics to study the possible alternative solution. When the Hamiltonian motion becomes chaotic, the tune of the machine becomes undefined. The aperture related to the chaotic orbit can be identified as chaotic dynamical aperture. We review the method of determining chaotic orbit and apply the method to nonlinear problems in accelerator physics. We then discuss the scaling properties and effect of random sextupoles.« less

A Pharmacy Student-Facilitated Interprofessional Diabetes Clinic With the Penobscot Nation.

PubMed

Martin, Sarah Levin; Williams, Evan; Huerth, Benjamin; Robinson, J Daniel

2015-11-05

American Indians/Alaska Natives have a greater increased risk for diabetes than non-Hispanic whites. Lifestyle interventions are effective in preventing and treating diabetes, and an interprofessional approach is important in diabetes management. The Penobscot Nation has a health center with a wide range of services. Our goal with the Nation was to 1) establish an interprofessional, student-facilitated diabetes clinic in the health center; 2) assess the clinic's preliminary impact. Relationship building and problem solving was instrumental in working toward the first goal. A survey was developed to assess satisfaction with the clinic. The clinical outcomes, mean and median values of HbA1c, were calculated at baseline (spring 2013) and were used to establish 2 groups of patients: those with controlled levels (<7%) and those with uncontrolled levels (≥ 7%). HbA1c was reassessed in fall 2013. Changes in HbA1c were calculated and compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The student-facilitated, interprofessional diabetes clinic has operated for 2 years, and changes are under way. More than 90% of participants reported being well satisfied with the clinic in the first year. Among the group with uncontrolled HbA1c (n = 18), mean HbA1c values declined from 9.3% to 7.6% (P = .004). Among the group with controlled HbA1c (n = 30), 83% were controlled at follow-up. The Penobscot diabetes clinic is evolving to meet the needs of community members, and pharmacy students have an interprofessional practice site well suited for experiential learning.

Resonant dampers for parametric instabilities in gravitational wave detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gras, S.; Fritschel, P.; Barsotti, L.; Evans, M.

2015-10-01

Advanced gravitational wave interferometric detectors will operate at their design sensitivity with nearly ˜1 MW of laser power stored in the arm cavities. Such large power may lead to the uncontrolled growth of acoustic modes in the test masses due to the transfer of optical energy to the mechanical modes of the arm cavity mirrors. These parametric instabilities have the potential to significantly compromise the detector performance and control. Here we present the design of "acoustic mode dampers" that use the piezoelectric effect to reduce the coupling of optical to mechanical energy. Experimental measurements carried on an Advanced LIGO-like test mass have shown a tenfold reduction in the amplitude of several mechanical modes, thus suggesting that this technique can greatly mitigate the impact of parametric instabilities in advanced detectors.

The status of the strong coupling from tau decays in 2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boito, Diogo; Golterman, Maarten; Maltman, Kim; Peris, Santiago

2017-06-01

While the idea of using the operator product expansion (OPE) to extract the strong coupling from hadronic τ decay data is not new, there is an ongoing controversy over how to include quark-hadron ;duality violations; (i.e., resonance effects) which are not described by the OPE. One approach attempts to suppress duality violations enough that they might become negligible, but pays the price of an uncontrolled OPE truncation. We critically examine a recent analysis using this approach and show that it fails to properly account for non-perturbative effects, making the resulting determination of the strong coupling unreliable. In a different approach duality violations are taken into account with a model, avoiding the OPE truncation. This second approach provides a self-consistent determination of the strong coupling from τ decays.

Anesthetic management of patient with myasthenia gravis and uncontrolled hyperthyroidism for thymectomy.

PubMed

Datt, Vishnu; Tempe, Deepak K; Singh, Baljit; Tomar, Akhlesh S; Banerjee, Amit; Dutta, Devesh; Bhandari, Hricha

2010-01-01

The relationship between myasthenia gravis (MG) and other autoimmune disorders like hyperthyroidism is well known. It may manifest earlier, concurrently or after the appearance of MG. The effect of treatment of hyperthyroidism on the control of MG is variable. There may be resolution or conversely, deterioration of the symptoms also. We present a patient who was diagnosed to be hyperthyroid two and half years before the appearance of myasthenic symptoms. Pharmacotherapy for three months neither improved the myasthenic symptoms nor the thyroid function tests. Thymectomy resulted in control of MG as well as hyperthyroidism. In conclusion, effective control of hyperthyroidism in the presence of MG may be difficult. The authors opine that careful peri-operative management of thymectomy is possible in a hyperthyroid state.

Using the attitude response of aerostable spacecraft to measure thermospheric wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Virgili-Llop, Josep; Roberts, Peter C. E.; Hao, Zhou

2018-03-01

In situ measurements of the thermospheric wind can be obtained by observing the attitude response of an aerostable spacecraft. In the proposed method, the aerostable spacecraft is left uncontrolled, freely reacting to the aerodynamic torques, and oscillating around its equilibrium attitude. The wind's magnitude and direction is determined by combining the attitude observations with estimates of the other perturbing torques, atmospheric density, and spacecraft's aerodynamic properties. The spatial resolution of the measurements is proportional to the natural frequency of the attitude's oscillation. Spacecraft with high aerodynamic stiffness to inertia ratios operating at low altitudes exhibit higher natural frequencies, making them particularly suited for this method. A one degree-of-freedom case is used to present and illustrate the proposed method as well as to analyze its performance.

Explicating an Evidence-Based, Theoretically Informed, Mobile Technology-Based System to Improve Outcomes for People in Recovery for Alcohol Dependence

PubMed Central

Gustafson, David H.; Isham, Andrew; Baker, Timothy; Boyle, Michael G.; Levy, Michael

2011-01-01

Post treatment relapse to uncontrolled alcohol use is common. More cost-effective approaches are needed. We believe currently available communication technology can use existing models for relapse prevention to cost-effectively improve long-term relapse prevention. This paper describes: 1) research-based elements of alcohol related relapse prevention and how they can be encompassed in Self Determination Theory (SDT) and Marlatt’s Cognitive Behavioral Relapse Prevention Model, 2) how technology could help address the needs of people seeking recovery, 3) a technology-based prototype, organized around Self Determination Theory and Marlatt’s model and 4) how we are testing a system based on the ideas in this article and related ethical and operational considerations. PMID:21190410

76 FR 17145 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Business Transformation-Automated Integrated Operating...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-28

... Collection Activities: Business Transformation--Automated Integrated Operating Environment (IOE), New... Transformation--Integrated Operating Environment (IOE); OMB Control No. 1615-NEW. SUMMARY: USCIS is developing an automated Integrated Operating Environment (IOE) to process benefit applications. The IOE will collect...

Testing virtual reality-based cue-exposure software: Which cue-elicited responses best discriminate between patients with eating disorders and healthy controls?

PubMed

Pla-Sanjuanelo, Joana; Ferrer-García, Marta; Vilalta-Abella, Ferran; Riva, Giuseppe; Dakanalis, Antonios; Ribas-Sabaté, Joan; Andreu-Gracia, Alexis; Fernandez-Aranda, Fernando; Sanchez-Diaz, Isabel; Escandón-Nagel, Neli; Gomez-Tricio, Osane; Tena, Virgínia; Gutiérrez-Maldonado, José

2017-07-27

Virtual reality (VR) technologies have been proposed as a new tool able to improve on in vivo exposure in patients with eating disorders. This study assessed the validity of a VR-based software for cue exposure therapy (CET) in people with bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED). Fifty eight outpatients (33 BN and 25 BED) and 135 healthy participants were exposed to 10 craved virtual foods and a neutral cue in four experimental virtual environments (kitchen, dining room, bedroom, and cafeteria). After exposure to each VR scenario, food craving and anxiety were assessed. The frequency/severity of episodes of uncontrollable overeating was also assessed and body mass index was measured prior to the exposure. In both groups, craving and anxiety responses when exposed to the food-related virtual environments were significantly higher than in the neutral-cue virtual environment. However, craving and anxiety levels were higher in the clinical group. Furthermore, cue-elicited anxiety was better at discriminating between clinical and healthy groups than cue-elicited craving. This study provides evidence of the ability of food-related VR environments to provoke food craving and anxiety responses in BN and BED patients and highlights the need to consider both responses during treatment. The results support the use of VR-CET in the treatment of eating disorder patients characterized by binge-eating and people with high bulimic symptoms.

The PCDD/PCDF Dioxin releases in the climate of environment of Jordan in the period (2000-2008)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Dabbas, Mohammed Awwad

2010-04-01

Many environment problems of the full using of several categories of processing include mining, heat generators, direct combustion of forest fires, cement production, power plant, transport, medical waste. Dioxin/furan releases from these categories are one of these environment problems. Possible lines of reducing the PCDD/PCDF (Polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins/Polychlorinated dibenzofurans) releases from these categories are elucidated. The contribution of this paper is present the identification and estimation of the latest figure of dioxin/furan releases in the climate of environment of Jordan in the period 2000-2008 from the following categories (cement, aluminum, ceramic, medical waste, power plant, land fill, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, uncontrolled combustion process (biomass burning, waste burning, accidental fires in house, transport). These finding shows the sign of growth of estimated PCDD/PCDF releases from categories which did not calculated and followed after 2003. The result shows the highest PCDD/PCDF release from landfill fires (62.75 g TEQ/year), medical waste (8.8264 g TEQ/year), and transport (3.0145 g TEQ/year). Jordan seeks by next years, a reduction in total releases of dioxins and furans from sources resulting from human activity. This challenge will apply to the aggregate of releases to the air nationwide and of releases to the water within the Jordan area. Jordan should conduct air monitoring for dioxin in order to track fluctuations in atmospheric deposition levels.

Incinerator technology overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santoleri, Joseph J.

1991-04-01

In the 1960's, much effort was expended on cleaning up the air and water. Air Quality and Water Quality Acts were written and inpleinented in many states and coninunities. New products such as unleaded gasoline and water base paints were developed to aid in minimizing pollution. Conversion from oil fired combustion systems to natural gas fired for comfort and industrial heating was the normal practice. In 1970, the Clean Air Act was passed. There was concern on how to safely dispose of hazardous wastes. Indiscriminate dumping of chemical process wastes had been the practice since the birth of the chemical industry in the USA. Land dumping, inadequate landfills, and river-ocean dumping were the most economical ways to dispose of chemical wastes. Processes that would have reduced or eliminated wastes were disregarded as being too costly. Many of the major chemical companies who regarded a safe environment as their responsibility installed waste treatment and disposal facilities on their plant sites. Many of these plants elected to use incinerators as the treatment process. This was not always the most economical method, but in many cases it was the only method of disposal that provided a safe and sure method of maximum destruction. Environmental concern over contamination from uncontrolled land disposal sites, and the emergence of tougher regulations for land disposal provide incentives for industry to employ a wide variety of traditional and advanced technologies for managing hazardous wastes. Incineration systems utilizing proper design, operation, and maintenance provides the safest and in the long run, the most economical avenue to the maximum level of destruction of organic hazardous wastes.

Presumed consent for organ preservation in uncontrolled donation after cardiac death in the United States: a public policy with serious consequences

PubMed Central

Verheijde, Joseph L; Rady, Mohamed Y; McGregor, Joan

2009-01-01

Organ donation after cessation of circulation and respiration, both controlled and uncontrolled, has been proposed by the Institute of Medicine as a way to increase opportunities for organ procurement. Despite claims to the contrary, both forms of controlled and uncontrolled donation after cardiac death raise significant ethical and legal issues. Identified causes for concern include absence of agreement on criteria for the declaration of death, nonexistence of universal guidelines for duration before stopping resuscitation efforts and techniques, and assumption of presumed intent to donate for the purpose of initiating temporary organ-preservation interventions when no expressed consent to donate is present. From a legal point of view, not having scientifically valid criteria of cessation of circulation and respiration for declaring death could lead to a conclusion that organ procurement itself is the proximate cause of death. Although the revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act of 2006 provides broad immunity to those involved in organ-procurement activities, courts have yet to provide an opinion on whether persons can be held liable for injuries arising from the determination of death itself. Preserving organs in uncontrolled donation after cardiac death requires the administration of life-support systems such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. These life-support systems can lead to return of signs of life that, in turn, have to be deliberately suppressed by the administration of pharmacological agents. Finally, allowing temporary organ-preservation interventions without expressed consent is inherently a violation of the principle of respect for a person's autonomy. Proponents of organ donation from uncontrolled donation after cardiac death, on the other hand, claim that these nonconsensual interventions enhance respect for autonomy by allowing people, through surrogate decision making, to execute their right to donate organs. However, the lack of transparency and the absence of protection of individual autonomy, for the sake of maximizing procurement opportunities, have placed the current organ-donation system of opting-in in great jeopardy. Equally as important, current policies enabling and enhancing organ procurement practices, pose challenges to the constitutional rights of individuals in a pluralistic society as these policies are founded on flawed medical standards for declaring death. PMID:19772617

Presumed consent for organ preservation in uncontrolled donation after cardiac death in the United States: a public policy with serious consequences.

PubMed

Verheijde, Joseph L; Rady, Mohamed Y; McGregor, Joan

2009-09-22

Organ donation after cessation of circulation and respiration, both controlled and uncontrolled, has been proposed by the Institute of Medicine as a way to increase opportunities for organ procurement. Despite claims to the contrary, both forms of controlled and uncontrolled donation after cardiac death raise significant ethical and legal issues. Identified causes for concern include absence of agreement on criteria for the declaration of death, nonexistence of universal guidelines for duration before stopping resuscitation efforts and techniques, and assumption of presumed intent to donate for the purpose of initiating temporary organ-preservation interventions when no expressed consent to donate is present. From a legal point of view, not having scientifically valid criteria of cessation of circulation and respiration for declaring death could lead to a conclusion that organ procurement itself is the proximate cause of death. Although the revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act of 2006 provides broad immunity to those involved in organ-procurement activities, courts have yet to provide an opinion on whether persons can be held liable for injuries arising from the determination of death itself. Preserving organs in uncontrolled donation after cardiac death requires the administration of life-support systems such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. These life-support systems can lead to return of signs of life that, in turn, have to be deliberately suppressed by the administration of pharmacological agents. Finally, allowing temporary organ-preservation interventions without expressed consent is inherently a violation of the principle of respect for a person's autonomy. Proponents of organ donation from uncontrolled donation after cardiac death, on the other hand, claim that these nonconsensual interventions enhance respect for autonomy by allowing people, through surrogate decision making, to execute their right to donate organs. However, the lack of transparency and the absence of protection of individual autonomy, for the sake of maximizing procurement opportunities, have placed the current organ-donation system of opting-in in great jeopardy. Equally as important, current policies enabling and enhancing organ procurement practices, pose challenges to the constitutional rights of individuals in a pluralistic society as these policies are founded on flawed medical standards for declaring death.

Effects of stressor controllability on psychophysiological, cognitive and behavioural responses in patients with major depression and dysthymia

PubMed Central

Diener, C.; Kuehner, C.; Brusniak, W.; Struve, M.; Flor, H.

2009-01-01

Background The experience of uncontrollability and helplessness in the face of stressful life events is regarded as an important determinant in the development and maintenance of depression. The inability to successfully deal with stressors might be linked to dysfunctional prefrontal functioning. We assessed cognitive, behavioural and physiological effects of stressor uncontrollability in depressed and healthy individuals. In addition, relationships between altered cortical processing and cognitive vulnerability traits of depression were analysed. Method A total of 26 unmedicated depressed patients and 24 matched healthy controls were tested in an expanded forewarned reaction (S1–S2) paradigm. In a factorial design, stressor controllability varied across three consecutive conditions: (a) control, (b) loss of control and (c) restitution of control. Throughout the experiment, error rates, ratings of controllability, arousal, emotional valence and helplessness were assessed together with the post-imperative negative variation (PINV) of the electroencephalogram. Results Depressed participants showed an enhanced frontal PINV as an electrophysiological index of altered information processing during both loss of control and restitution of control. They also felt more helpless than controls. Furthermore, frontal PINV magnitudes were associated with habitual rumination in the depressed subsample. Conclusions These findings indicate that depressed patients are more susceptible to stressor uncontrollability than healthy subjects. Moreover, the experience of uncontrollability seems to bias subsequent information processing in a situation where control is objectively re-established. Alterations in prefrontal functioning appear to contribute to this vulnerability and are also linked to trait markers of depression. PMID:18466665

Stressful life events, social support, attachment security and alexithymia in vitiligo. A case-control study.

PubMed

Picardi, A; Pasquini, P; Cattaruzza, M S; Gaetano, P; Melchi, C F; Baliva, G; Camaioni, D; Tiago, A; Abeni, D; Biondi, M

2003-01-01

It has often been suggested that stress might trigger vitiligo. However, only one study supported this hypothesis, and no study explored the role of other personality or social factors. Out-patients experiencing a recent onset or exacerbation of vitiligo (n = 31) were compared with out-patients with skin conditions in which psychosomatic factors are commonly were regarded as negligible (n = 116). Stressful events during the last 12 months were assessed with Paykel's Interview for Recent Life Events. Attachment style, alexithymia and social support were assessed with the 'Experiences in Close Relationships' questionnaire, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, respectively. Cases and controls did not differ regarding the total number of events and the number of undesirable, uncontrollable or major events. Three or more uncontrollable events had occurred more frequently among cases than controls. Perceived social support was lower in cases than in controls. Cases scored higher than controls on anxious attachment, tended towards higher scores on avoidant attachment and were classified more often as insecure. Cases scored higher than controls on the TAS-20 and were classified more often as alexithymic or borderline alexithymic. The occurrence of many uncontrollable events, alexithymia and anxious attachment were associated with vitiligo also in multiple logistic regression analysis. These findings suggest that vulnerability to vitiligo is not increased by stressful events, except for many uncontrollable events. Alexithymia, insecure attachment and poor social support appear to increase susceptibility to vitiligo, possibly through deficits in emotion regulation or reduced ability to cope effectively with stress. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel

Immunomodulatory Effects of Soybeans and Processed Soy Food Compounds.

PubMed

Tezuka, Hiroyuki; Imai, Shinjiro

2015-01-01

Inflammation is an immune response against both internal and external antigens in organisms, particularly in mammals, and includes both uncontrolled chronic and low-grade inflammations. Uncontrolled chronic inflammation often leads to severe diseases such as vascular disease, arthritis, cancer, diabete, allergy, and autoimmunity. On the other hand, low-grade inflammation is recognized as a relationship between obesity and risk of metabolic syndrome. Elevated production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators is commonly observed in patients with uncontrolled or low-grade inflammation-associated diseases. Plants have been generated phytochemicals to overcome inflammations and infections through evolution. Phytochemicals belong to alkaloids, polyphenols, flavonoids, coumarins, and terpenoids. The consumption of soybeans plays a role in immune modulation through their components such as isoflavones, saponins, and anthocyanins. Recently, it was reported that the application of phytochemicals into patients with inflammatory diseases improves their symptoms. Therefore, it is important to identify novel phytochemicals with immunomodulatory activities. This review introduces and discusses recent advances and patents regarding soybean or processed soy food compounds which exhibit immunomodulatory activity in immune diseases, particularly allergy, by mediating the suppression of inflammatory pathways.

Comparison of ambulatory blood pressure-lowering effects of higher doses of different calcium antagonists in uncontrolled hypertension: the Calcium Antagonist Controlled-Release High-Dose Therapy in Uncontrolled Refractory Hypertensive Patients (CARILLON) Study.

PubMed

Mizuno, Hiroyuki; Hoshide, Satoshi; Tomitani, Naoko; Kario, Kazuomi

2017-10-01

Data are sparse regarding ambulatory blood pressure (BP) reduction of up-titration from a standard dose to a high dose in both nifedipine controlled-release (CR) and amlodipine. This was a prospective, randomized, multicenter, open-label trial. Fifty-one uncontrolled hypertensives medicated by two or more antihypertensive drugs including a renin-angiotensin system inhibitor and a calcium antagonist were randomly assigned to either the nifedipine CR (80 mg)/candesartan (8 mg) group or the amlodipine (10 mg)/candesartan (8 mg) group. The changes in 24-hr BP were comparable between the groups. The nifedipine group demonstrated a significant decrease in their urinary albumin creatinine ratio, whereas the amlodipine group demonstrated a significant decrease in their NTproBNP level. However, there was no significant difference in any biomarkers between the two groups. Nifedipine showed an almost equal effect on ambulatory blood pressure as amlodipine. Their potentially differential effects on renal protection and NTproBNP should be tested in larger samples.

Robust crop and weed segmentation under uncontrolled outdoor illumination.

PubMed

Jeon, Hong Y; Tian, Lei F; Zhu, Heping

2011-01-01

An image processing algorithm for detecting individual weeds was developed and evaluated. Weed detection processes included were normalized excessive green conversion, statistical threshold value estimation, adaptive image segmentation, median filter, morphological feature calculation and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The developed algorithm was validated for its ability to identify and detect weeds and crop plants under uncontrolled outdoor illuminations. A machine vision implementing field robot captured field images under outdoor illuminations and the image processing algorithm automatically processed them without manual adjustment. The errors of the algorithm, when processing 666 field images, ranged from 2.1 to 2.9%. The ANN correctly detected 72.6% of crop plants from the identified plants, and considered the rest as weeds. However, the ANN identification rates for crop plants were improved up to 95.1% by addressing the error sources in the algorithm. The developed weed detection and image processing algorithm provides a novel method to identify plants against soil background under the uncontrolled outdoor illuminations, and to differentiate weeds from crop plants. Thus, the proposed new machine vision and processing algorithm may be useful for outdoor applications including plant specific direct applications (PSDA).

Silage review: Unique challenges of silages made in hot and cold regions.

PubMed

Bernardes, T F; Daniel, J L P; Adesogan, A T; McAllister, T A; Drouin, P; Nussio, L G; Huhtanen, P; Tremblay, G F; Bélanger, G; Cai, Y

2018-05-01

Silage making can be conveniently divided into field, ensiling, storage, and feed-out phases. In all of these stages, controllable and uncontrollable components can affect silage quality. For instance, silages produced in hot or cold regions are strongly influenced by uncontrollable climate-related factors. In hot regions, crops for silage are influenced by (1) high temperatures negatively affecting corn yield (whole-crop and grain) and nutritive value, (2) butyric and alcoholic fermentations in warm-season grasses (Panicum, Brachiaria, and Pennisetum genera) and sugarcane, respectively, and (3) accelerated aerobic deterioration of silages. Ensiling expertise and economic factors that limit mechanization also impair silage production and utilization in hot environments. In cold regions, a short and cool growing season often limits the use of crops sensitive to cool temperature, such as corn. The fermentation triggered by epiphytic and inoculated microorganisms can also be functionally impaired at lower temperature. Although the use of silage inoculants has increased in Northern Europe, acid-based additives are still a good option in difficult weather conditions to ensure good fermentation quality, nutritive value, and high intake potential of silages. Acid-based additives have enhanced the quality of round bale silage, which has become a common method of forage preservation in Northern Europe. Although all abiotic factors can affect silage quality, the ambient temperature is a factor that influences all stages of silage making from production in the field to utilization at the feed bunk. This review identifies challenges and obstacles to producing silages under hot and cold conditions and discusses strategies for addressing these challenges. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Everyday Dangers - The Impact Infectious Disease has on the Health of Paramedics: A Scoping Review.

PubMed

Thomas, Brodie; O'Meara, Peter; Spelten, Evelien

2017-04-01

Paramedics respond to emergency scenes in often uncontrolled settings without being aware of potential risks. This makes paramedicine one of the most dangerous occupations. One of these dangers is the risk of contracting infectious diseases. Research in this area is predominantly focused on compliance in the use of protective equipment, attitudes and perceptions of paramedics, infectious disease policy, and exposure rates to blood and body fluids. The purpose of this scoping review was to determine what is known about the impact of infectious disease on the health of paramedics. Using the Arskey and O'Malley methodological framework, a scoping review was undertaken, which allows for a broad search of the available evidence. The literature search identified eight articles for review that reported on paramedic exposure trends; the lack of reported blood-borne infections contracted, such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); instances of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) infections; and the higher prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal infections amongst paramedics. Exposure to infectious diseases is decreasing, yet it remains significant. The decrease is attributed to prevention strategies; however, paramedic knowledge and attitudes as well as the uncontrolled environment paramedics work in can be a barrier. Contraction of infectious diseases is generally low; exceptions to this are MRSA colonization, influenza, and SARS. Paramedics are at greater risk of acquiring these infectious diseases compared to the general public. The effect on the health of paramedics is not well reported. Thomas B , O'Meara P , Spelten E . Everyday dangers - the impact infectious disease has on the health of paramedics: a scoping review. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(2):217-223.

Guidance and Navigation for Rendezvous and Proximity Operations with a Non-Cooperative Spacecraft at Geosynchronous Orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barbee, Brent William; Carpenter, J. Russell; Heatwole, Scott; Markley, F. Landis; Moreau, Michael; Naasz, Bo J.; VanEepoel, John

2010-01-01

The feasibility and benefits of various spacecraft servicing concepts are currently being assessed, and all require that the servicer spacecraft perform rendezvous, proximity, and capture operations with the target spacecraft to be serviced. Many high-value spacecraft, which would be logical targets for servicing from an economic point of view, are located in geosynchronous orbit, a regime in which autonomous rendezvous and capture operations are not commonplace. Furthermore, existing GEO spacecraft were not designed to be serviced. Most do not have cooperative relative navigation sensors or docking features, and some servicing applications, such as de-orbiting of a non-functional spacecraft, entail rendezvous and capture with a spacecraft that may be non-functional or un-controlled. Several of these challenges have been explored via the design of a notional mission in which a nonfunctional satellite in geosynchronous orbit is captured by a servicer spacecraft and boosted into super-synchronous orbit for safe disposal. A strategy for autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations, and capture is developed, and the Orbit Determination Toolbox (ODTBX) is used to perform a relative navigation simulation to assess the feasibility of performing the rendezvous using a combination of angles-only and range measurements. Additionally, a method for designing efficient orbital rendezvous sequences for multiple target spacecraft is utilized to examine the capabilities of a servicer spacecraft to service multiple targets during the course of a single mission.

Protection of the CERN Large Hadron Collider

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, R.; Assmann, R.; Carlier, E.; Dehning, B.; Denz, R.; Goddard, B.; Holzer, E. B.; Kain, V.; Puccio, B.; Todd, B.; Uythoven, J.; Wenninger, J.; Zerlauth, M.

2006-11-01

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN will collide two counter-rotating proton beams, each with an energy of 7 TeV. The energy stored in the superconducting magnet system will exceed 10 GJ, and each beam has a stored energy of 362 MJ which could cause major damage to accelerator equipment in the case of uncontrolled beam loss. Safe operation of the LHC will therefore rely on a complex system for equipment protection. The systems for protection of the superconducting magnets in case of quench must be fully operational before powering the magnets. For safe injection of the 450 GeV beam into the LHC, beam absorbers must be in their correct positions and specific procedures must be applied. Requirements for safe operation throughout the cycle necessitate early detection of failures within the equipment, and active monitoring of the beam with fast and reliable beam instrumentation, mainly beam loss monitors (BLM). When operating with circulating beams, the time constant for beam loss after a failure extends from apms to a few minutes—failures must be detected sufficiently early and transmitted to the beam interlock system that triggers a beam dump. It is essential that the beams are properly extracted on to the dump blocks at the end of a fill and in case of emergency, since the beam dump blocks are the only elements of the LHC that can withstand the impact of the full beam.

Beyond the bulk: disclosing the life of single microbial cells

PubMed Central

Rosenthal, Katrin; Oehling, Verena

2017-01-01

Abstract Microbial single cell analysis has led to discoveries that are beyond what can be resolved with population-based studies. It provides a pristine view of the mechanisms that organize cellular physiology, unbiased by population heterogeneity or uncontrollable environmental impacts. A holistic description of cellular functions at the single cell level requires analytical concepts beyond the miniaturization of existing technologies, defined but uncontrolled by the biological system itself. This review provides an overview of the latest advances in single cell technologies and demonstrates their potential. Opportunities and limitations of single cell microbiology are discussed using selected application-related examples. PMID:29029257

[Control of asthma symptoms and cellular markers of inflammation in induced sputum in children and adolescents with chronic asthma].

PubMed

Ciółkowski, Janusz; Stasiowska, Barbara; Mazurek, Henryk

2009-03-01

After the GINA 2006 publication, asthma therapy is based on control of symptoms. However there are suggestions of monitoring of airway inflammation. Aim of the study was to compare clinical criteria of asthma control with cellular markers of lower airway inflammation in induced sputum in a group of young asthmatics. To assess relationship between sputum eosinophilia, asthma severity and spirometry. A group of 154 young patients with chronic asthma (8-21 years) underwent sputum induction by inhalation of 4,5% saline solution. Sputum induction was effective in 121 patients (78%), and in this group control of clinical symptoms was assessed according to GINA 2006 criteria. Asthma was controlled in 82 subjects (67.8%) and uncontrolled in 39 (32.2%). Patients with controlled asthma had higher FEV1/FVC (79.8 +/- 7.1% vs 74.2 +/- 9.9%; p = 0.004) and MMEF (80.7 +/- 23.0% vs 65.3 +/- 21.8%; p < 0.001) than those with uncontrolled disease, but the average FEV1 (as percent predicted) did not differ between the two groups. Patients with controlled asthma had lower sputum eosinophil count than those with uncontrolled asthma (3.5 +/- 6.3% vs 7.2 +/- 8.7%; p = 0.01), but difference in neutrophil count was borderline (27.3 +/- 15.5% vs 34.5 +/- 21.0%; p = 0.05). High sputum eosinophil count (> 3%) was observed in 24.4% of patients with controlled asthma and in 61.5% with uncontrolled asthma (p < 0.001). Increased sputum neutrophil count was more frequent in a group of uncontrolled asthma (2.4 vs 15.4%; p = 0.022). Mean sputum eosinophil count was lower in patients with mild astma than in patients with moderate-severe disease (3.1 +/- 5.7% vs 7.1% +/- 8.8; p = 0.006). Patients with high sputum eosinophil count had lower FEV1 (89.4 +/- 14.9% vs 94.9 +/- 13.9%; p = 0.047), FEV1/FVC (74.5 +/- 10.1% vs 79.2 +/- 9.3%; p = 0.01) and MMEF (68.7 +/- 23.3% vs 81.7 +/- 23.1%; p = 0.004). In this study of young asthmatics, control of asthma symptoms was observed in 67.8% of patients. However, cellular markers of lower airway inflammation were present in 1/4 of patients with controlled asthma and in 3/4 with uncontrolled disease. Sputum eosinophilia was related to asthma severity. FEV1/FVC and MMEF were more important that FEV1 for estimating control of asthma. Improvement of asthma control scoring is needed as well as availability of simple methods of inflammation monitoring.

Abdominal and General Adiposity and Level of Asthma Control in Adults with Uncontrolled Asthma

PubMed Central

Lv, Nan; Xiao, Lan; Camargo, Carlos A.; Wilson, Sandra R.; Buist, A. Sonia; Strub, Peg; Nadeau, Kari C.

2014-01-01

Rationale: Abdominal adiposity may be an important risk factor for uncontrolled asthma in adults, controlling for general obesity. Whether the relationship, if present, is explained by other factors (e.g., asthma onset age, sex, and/or coexisting conditions) is unclear. Objectives: To examine whether clinically applicable anthropometric measures of abdominal adiposity—waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR)—are related to poorer asthma control in adults with uncontrolled asthma controlling for body mass index (BMI), and whether the relationship (if present) is explained by gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), sleep quality, or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or differs by age of asthma onset or sex. Methods: Patients aged 18 to 70 years with uncontrolled asthma (n = 90) participated in a 6-month randomized clinical trial. Measurements and Main Results: Baseline measures included sociodemographics, standardized anthropometrics, Asthma Control Test (ACT), GERD Symptom Assessment Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Berlin Questionnaire for Sleep Apnea. Participants (mean [SD] age, 52 [12] yr) were racially and ethnically diverse, 67% women, and 69% overweight or obese, and 71% reported their age of asthma onset was 12 years or older. Participants had uncontrolled asthma (mean [SD] ACT score, 14.9 [3.7]) and low GERD symptoms score (0.6 [0.4]); 67% reported poor sleep quality, and 42% had a high OSA risk. General linear regression results showed that worse ACT scores were significantly associated with every SD increase in waist circumference (β= −1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], −1.96 to −0.16; P = 0.02) and waist-to-height ratio (β= −1.16; 95% CI, −2.00 to −0.33; P = 0.008), controlling for sociodemographics. Waist-to-height ratio remained correlated with ACT (β= −2.30; 95% CI, −4.16 to −0.45; P = 0.02) after further adjusting for BMI. The BMI-controlled relationship between WHtR and ACT did not differ by age of asthma onset or sex (P > 0.05 for interactions) and persisted after additional adjustment for GERD, sleep quality, or OSA scores. Poor sleep quality was associated with worse ACT scores (β= −0.87; 95% CI, −1.71 to −0.03; P = 0.045) controlling for waist-to-height ratio, BMI, and sociodemographics. Conclusions: Abdominal adiposity by waist-to-height ratio and poor sleep quality correlated with poorer asthma control in adults with uncontrolled asthma, after controlling for BMI and sociodemographics. These results warrant replication in larger studies of diverse populations. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 01725945). PMID:25343191

Using Campylobacter spp. and Escherichia coli data and Bayesian microbial risk assessment to examine public health risks in agricultural watersheds under tile drainage management.

PubMed

Schmidt, P J; Pintar, K D M; Fazil, A M; Flemming, C A; Lanthier, M; Laprade, N; Sunohara, M D; Simhon, A; Thomas, J L; Topp, E; Wilkes, G; Lapen, D R

2013-06-15

Human campylobacteriosis is the leading bacterial gastrointestinal illness in Canada; environmental transmission has been implicated in addition to transmission via consumption of contaminated food. Information about Campylobacter spp. occurrence at the watershed scale will enhance our understanding of the associated public health risks and the efficacy of source water protection strategies. The overriding purpose of this study is to provide a quantitative framework to assess and compare the relative public health significance of watershed microbial water quality associated with agricultural BMPs. A microbial monitoring program was expanded from fecal indicator analyses and Campylobacter spp. presence/absence tests to the development of a novel, 11-tube most probable number (MPN) method that targeted Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and Campylobacter lari. These three types of data were used to make inferences about theoretical risks in a watershed in which controlled tile drainage is widely practiced, an adjacent watershed with conventional (uncontrolled) tile drainage, and reference sites elsewhere in the same river basin. E. coli concentrations (MPN and plate count) in the controlled tile drainage watershed were statistically higher (2008-11), relative to the uncontrolled tile drainage watershed, but yearly variation was high as well. Escherichia coli loading for years 2008-11 combined were statistically higher in the controlled watershed, relative to the uncontrolled tile drainage watershed, but Campylobacter spp. loads for 2010-11 were generally higher for the uncontrolled tile drainage watershed (but not statistically significant). Using MPN data and a Bayesian modelling approach, higher mean Campylobacter spp. concentrations were found in the controlled tile drainage watershed relative to the uncontrolled tile drainage watershed (2010, 2011). A second-order quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) was used, in a relative way, to identify differences in mean Campylobacter spp. infection risks among monitoring sites for a hypothetical exposure scenario. Greater relative mean risks were obtained for sites in the controlled tile drainage watershed than in the uncontrolled tile drainage watershed in each year of monitoring with pair-wise posterior probabilities exceeding 0.699, and the lowest relative mean risks were found at a downstream drinking water intake reference site. The second-order modelling approach was used to partition sources of uncertainty, which revealed that an adequate representation of the temporal variation in Campylobacter spp. concentrations for risk assessment was achieved with as few as 10 MPN data per site. This study demonstrates for the first time how QMRA can be implemented to evaluate, in a relative sense, the public health implications of controlled tile drainage on watershed-scale water quality. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Space Adaptation Back Pain: A Retrospective Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerstman, Eric

2009-01-01

Astronaut back pain is frequently reported in the early phase of space flight as they adapt to microgravity. The epidemiology of space adaptation back pain (SABP) has not been well established. This presentation seeks to determine the exact incidence of SABP among astronauts, develop a case definition of SABP, delineate the nature and pattern of SABP, review available treatments and their effectiveness in relieving SABP; and identify any operational impact of SABP. A retrospective review of all available mission medical records of astronauts in the U.S. space program was performed. It was revealed that the incidence of SABP has been determined to be 53% among astronauts in the U.S. space program; most cases of SABP are mild, self-limited, or respond to available treatment; there are no currently accepted preventive measures for SABP; it is difficult to predict who will develop SABP; the precise mechanism and spinal structures responsible for SABP are uncertain; there was no documented evidence of direction operational mission impact related to SABP; and, that there was the potential for mission impact related to uncontrolled pain, sleep disturbance, or the adverse side effects pf anti-inflammatory medications

Mexico City's Petroleos Mexicanos explosion: disaster management and air medical transport.

PubMed

Urquieta, Emmanuel; Varon, Joseph

2014-01-01

Mexico City is the largest metropolitan area in the Americas and 1 of the largest in the world; its geographic location and uncontrolled population and industrial growth make this metropolis prone to natural and human-made disasters. Mass casualty disaster responses in Mexico City tend to have complications from multiple logistical and operational challenges. This article focuses on the experiences and lessons learned from an explosion that occurred in a government building in Mexico City and the current status of mass casualty disaster risks and response strategies in Mexico City as well as air medical evacuation, which is a critical component and was shown to be extremely useful in the evacuation of 15 critically ill and polytraumatized patients (Injury Severity Score > 15). Several components of the public and privately owned emergency medical services and health care systems among Mexico City pose serious logistical and operational complications, which finally will be addressed by a joint emergency preparedness council to unify criteria in communications, triage, and incident/disaster command post establishment. Copyright © 2014 Air Medical Journal Associates. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison and Validation of Operational Cost in Smart Houses with the Introduction of a Heat Pump or a Gas Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimoji, Tsubasa; Tahara, Hayato; Matayoshi, Hidehito; Yona, Atsushi; Senjyu, Tomonobu

2015-02-01

Due to the concerns of global warming and the depletion of energy resources, renewable energies such as wind generation (WG) and photovoltaic generation (PV) are gaining attention in distribution systems. Efficient electric equipment such as heat pumps (HP) not only contribute low levels of carbon to society, but are also beneficial for consumers. In addition, gas instruments such as the gas engine (GE) and fuel cells (FC) are expected to reduce electricity cost by exhaust heat. Thus, it is important to clarify which systems (HP or GE) are more beneficial for consumers throughout the year. This paper compares the operational cost for the smart house between using the HP and the GE. Current electricity and gas prices are used to calculate the cost of the smart house. The system considered in this research comprises a PV, battery, solar collector (SC), uncontrolled load and either an HP or a GE. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed system, MATLAB is used for simulations.

Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis, Fear Generalization, and Stress

PubMed Central

Besnard, Antoine; Sahay, Amar

2016-01-01

The generalization of fear is an adaptive, behavioral, and physiological response to the likelihood of threat in the environment. In contrast, the overgeneralization of fear, a cardinal feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), manifests as inappropriate, uncontrollable expression of fear in neutral and safe environments. Overgeneralization of fear stems from impaired discrimination of safe from aversive environments or discernment of unlikely threats from those that are highly probable. In addition, the time-dependent erosion of episodic details of traumatic memories might contribute to their generalization. Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying the overgeneralization of fear will guide development of novel therapeutic strategies to combat PTSD. Here, we conceptualize generalization of fear in terms of resolution of interference between similar memories. We propose a role for a fundamental encoding mechanism, pattern separation, in the dentate gyrus (DG)–CA3 circuit in resolving interference between ambiguous or uncertain threats and in preserving episodic content of remote aversive memories in hippocampal–cortical networks. We invoke cellular-, circuit-, and systems-based mechanisms by which adult-born dentate granule cells (DGCs) modulate pattern separation to influence resolution of interference and maintain precision of remote aversive memories. We discuss evidence for how these mechanisms are affected by stress, a risk factor for PTSD, to increase memory interference and decrease precision. Using this scaffold we ideate strategies to curb overgeneralization of fear in PTSD. PMID:26068726

The Relation of Environmental Quality and Fishery Sector in Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oktavilia, Shanty; Habibah Yusfi, Reikha; Firmansyah; Sugiyanto, FX

2018-02-01

The condition of fishery sector is currently stagnating, even tending to decline, which is indicated by the decrease of production in some areas in Indonesia. Environmental degradation in marine waters is due to global climate change and uncontrolled fish exploitation impact on the decline of marine fisheries production. While in aquaculture, the environmental quality is also indicated to influence the production. Nevertheless, the increase of production of both marine and terrestrial fisheries has an effect on the quality of the environment. This study aims to analyze the interrelationship between the influence of environmental quality on the production of fishery sub-sector and the influence of fishery subsector production on environmental quality. This research employs environmental quality data and output of fishery of 34 provinces in Indonesia during 2011-2015. The study finds that output of fishery sector affects the environmental quality, which proves the Environment Kuznets Curve in the fishery sector in Indonesia. Since a certain threshold is achieved, the increase in revenue followed by the increase in environmental quality. The study also finds that the environmental quality has a positive effect on the production of fishery. Implication of the study is the increase of income of fishery households can be encouraged the ability of the community to protect the environment and increases the willingness of households to sacrifice other goods to environmental protection.

Lethal toxicity of industrial chemicals to early life stages of Tilapia guineensis.

PubMed

Ezemonye, L I N; Ogeleka, D F; Okieimen, F E

2008-08-30

The toxic effects of industrial chemicals on three early life stages of an economically important fish, Tilapia guineensis were investigated using the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) # 203 recommended semi-static renewal bioassay. The assessment was necessary for the uncontrollable disposal of Neatex (liquid detergent) and Norust CR 486 (corrosion inhibitor) into the Niger Delta environment of Nigeria. The estimated 96-h LC(50) for 7-, 14- and 28-day-old fish in Norust CR 486 exposure was considered "more toxic" than Neatex in all life stages and was dependent on species age, exposure duration and environment. In the fresh water test, for Neatex and Norust CR 486 exposures for day 7, 14 and 28, the 96-h LC50 were 8.79, 17.10 and 82.42 mg/l and 5.55, 13.58 and 20.21 mg/l, respectively. In the brackish test, 15.42 and 46.52 mg/l, not determined (ND) and 7.35, 13.95 and 24.50mg/l were obtained. Differential toxicity was observed in the fresh and brackish water fish for the two chemicals and controls at p<0.05. The high sensitivity of the 7-day-old test organisms to both chemicals provides a rationale for regulatory surveillance and monitoring of both chemicals in the fragile Niger Delta environment.

Wide-area decontamination in an urban environment after radiological dispersion: A review and perspectives.

PubMed

Kaminski, Michael D; Lee, Sang Don; Magnuson, Matthew

2016-03-15

Nuclear or radiological terrorism in the form of uncontrolled radioactive contamination presents a unique challenge in the field of nuclear decontamination. Potential targets require an immediate decontamination response, or mitigation plan to limit the social and economic impact. To date, experience with urban decontamination of building materials - specifically hard, porous, external surfaces - is limited to nuclear weapon fallout and nuclear reactor accidents. Methods are lacking for performing wide-area decontamination in an urban environment so that in all release scenarios the area may be re-occupied without evaluation and/or restriction. Also lacking is experience in developing mitigation strategies, that is, methods of mitigating contamination and its resultant radiation dose in key areas during the immediate aftermath of an event and after lifesaving operations. To date, the tremendous strategy development effort primarily by the European community has focused on the recovery phase, which extends years beyond the release event. In this review, we summarize the methods and data collected over the past 70 years in the field of hard, external surface decontamination of radionuclide contaminations, with emphasis on methods suitable for response to radiological dispersal devices and their potentially unique physico-chemical characteristics. This review concludes that although a tremendous amount of work has been completed primarily by the European Community (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK), the few studies existing on each technique permit only very preliminary estimates of decontamination factors for various building materials and methods and extrapolation of those values for use in environments outside the EU and UK. This data shortage prevents us from developing an effective and detailed mitigation response plan and remediation effort. Perhaps most importantly, while the data available does include valuable information on the practical aspects of performing the various remediation methods including costs, coverage rates, manpower, pitfalls, etc., it lacks the details on lessons learned, best practices, and standard procedures, for instance, that would be required to develop a mitigation strategy. While the urban decontamination problem is difficult and there is much more research to do, the existing literature provides a framework for a response plan. Using this framework, in conjunction with computer modeling and relevant data collection, can lead to development of appropriate plans and exercises that would permit development of a mitigation and remediation response. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.