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Sample records for application central cafeteria

  1. Understanding hospital cafeterias: results from cafeteria manager interviews.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lederer, Ashley; Toner, Cassiopeia; Krepp, Erica M; Curtis, Christine J

    2014-01-01

    To describe the characteristics, nutrition-related knowledge, practices, and attitudes of staff managing cafeterias in New York City (NYC) hospitals. An in-person survey was administered over 7 months to cafeteria managers from hospitals participating in the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Healthy Hospital Food Initiative. The survey assessed nutrition knowledge and attitudes; hospital cafeteria practices; and nutrition standards and policies. The majority of questions required a yes or no response, followed by an open-ended request for details related to the response. Other questions were multiple choice or used 5-point Likert scales to measure respondent perceptions. Seventeen cafeteria managers completed the survey. Less than a third of respondents had training in nutrition, and less than a quarter of hospitals followed nutrition standards for food offered in the cafeteria. Most respondents thought cafeterias could play a role in reducing sodium consumption, yet less than half correctly identified the largest sources of sodium in the average diet. The most commonly cited limitation to making healthy changes in the cafeteria was perceived lack of demand for healthy foods/customer support. Characteristics, nutrition knowledge, practices, and attitudes of hospital cafeteria managers vary. Communication with consumers and education of staff who lack training and experience in nutrition may be important focus areas for hospitals looking to improve their food environment.

  2. Energy intake of rats fed a cafeteria diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prats, E; Monfar, M; Castellà, J; Iglesias, R; Alemany, M

    1989-02-01

    The proportion of lipid, carbohydrate and protein energy self-selected by male and female rats from a cafeteria diet has been studied for a 48-day period (36-day in female rats). The diet consisted in 12 different items and was offered daily, in excess and under otherwise standard conditions, to rats--caged in groups of three--from weaning to adulthood. Groups of control animals were studied in parallel and compared with the cafeteria groups. Cafeteria diet fed groups of rats ingested more energy and lowered their metabolic efficiency with age. Male rats ate more than females and increased their body weight even after female practically stopped growing. There was a wide variation in the aliments consumed each day by the cafeteria-fed rats. However, the proportion of lipid, protein and carbohydrate the rats ate remained constant. Male rats ingested more lipid than females. Carbohydrate consumption was constant in control and cafeteria fed groups of rats independently of sex. Protein consumption was higher in cafeteria rats than in controls, but the differences were not so important as with liquid. Fiber content of the cafeteria diet was lower than that of the control diet. The cafeteria diet selected by the rats was, thus, hypercaloric and hyperlipidic, with practically the same amount of carbohydrate than the control diet, slightly hyperproteic and, nevertheless, remarkably constant in its composition with respect to time. Cafeteria rats had a higher water intake than controls. All these trends were maintained despite the observed changes in the animals' tastes and their differential consumption of the ailments of the diet.

  3. Periodic inventory system in cafeteria using linear programming

    Science.gov (United States)

    Usop, Mohd Fais; Ishak, Ruzana; Hamdan, Ahmad Ridhuan

    2017-11-01

    Inventory management is an important factor in running a business. It plays a big role of managing the stock in cafeteria. If the inventories are failed to be managed wisely, it will affect the profit of the cafeteria. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to find the solution of the inventory management in cafeteria. Most of the cafeteria in Malaysia did not manage their stock well. Therefore, this study is to propose a database system of inventory management and to develop the inventory model in cafeteria management. In this study, new database system to improve the management of the stock in a weekly basis will be provided using Linear Programming Model to get the optimal range of the inventory needed for selected categories. Data that were collected by using the Periodic Inventory System at the end of the week within three months period being analyzed by using the Food Stock-take Database. The inventory model was developed from the collected data according to the category of the inventory in the cafeteria. Results showed the effectiveness of using the Periodic Inventory System and will be very helpful to the cafeteria management in organizing the inventory. Moreover, the findings in this study can reduce the cost of operation and increased the profit.

  4. Bye Bye Cafeteria, Hello Restaurant-Style Dining.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milshtein, Amy

    1999-01-01

    Examines how the university cafeteria is being transformed into restaurant-style dining to attract and retain sophisticated student customers. Harvard's and Seattle Pacific University's dining facilities are briefly highlighted. Concluding comments address planning tips for converting the old cafeteria into a better dining experience. (GR)

  5. Financial incentive policies at workplace cafeterias for preventing obesity--a systematic review and meta-analysis (Protocol).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawada, Kimi; Ota, Erika; Shahrook, Sadequa; Mori, Rintaro

    2014-10-28

    Various studies are currently investigating ways to prevent lifestyle-related diseases and obesity among workers through interventions using incentive strategies, including price discounts for low-fat snacks and sugar-free beverages at workplace cafeterias or vending machines, and the provision of a free salad bar in cafeterias. Rather than assessing individual or group interventions, we will focus on the effectiveness of nutrition education programs at the population level, which primarily incorporate financial incentive strategies to prevent obesity. This paper describes the protocol of a systematic review that will examine the effectiveness of financial incentive programs at company cafeterias in improving dietary habits, nutrient intake, and obesity prevention. We will conduct searches in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO. Interventions will be assessed using data from randomized control trials (RCTs) and cluster RCTs. However, if few such trials exist, we will include quasi-RCTs. We will exclude controlled before-and-after studies and crossover RCTs. We will assess food-based interventions that include financial incentive strategies (discount strategies or social marketing) for workplace cafeterias, vending machines, and kiosks. Two authors will independently review studies for inclusion and will resolve differences by discussion and, if required, through consultation with a third author. We will assess the risk of bias of included studies according to the Cochrane Collaboration's "risk of bias" tool. The purpose of this paper is to outline the study protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis that will investigate the effectiveness of population-level, incentive-focused interventions at the workplace cafeteria that aim to promote and prevent obesity. This review will give an important overview of the available evidence about the effectiveness of incentive-based environmental interventions to

  6. Disinfection efficiency of chlorine dioxide gas in student cafeterias in Taiwan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Ching-Shan; Huang, Da-Ji

    2013-07-01

    In Taiwan, the food and drink requirements of students and faculty members are met by student cafeterias. The air quality within these cafeterias should satisfy the guidelines laid down by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (Taiwan EPA). Accordingly, this study performed an experimental investigation into the efficiency of two different gaseous chlorine dioxide (ClO2) treatments in disinfecting a local student cafeteria, namely a single, one-off application and a twice-daily application. In both cases, the ClO2 was applied using strategically placed aerosol devices. The air quality before and after disinfection was evaluated by measuring the bioaerosol levels of bacteria and fungi. Moreover, a stepwise discriminant analysis method was applied for predicting the residual concentrations of bacteria and fungi, as a function of the environmental parameters and the ClO2 concentration. The experimental results showed that the average background levels of bacteria and fungi prior to ClO2 disinfection were 972.5 +/- 623.6 and 1534.1 +/- 631.8 colony-forming units (CFU)/m3, respectively. A single ClO2 application was found to reduce the bacterial and fungal concentration levels by as much as 65% and 30%, respectively. By contrast, a twice-daily ClO2 application was found to reduce the bacterial and fungal concentration levels by as much as 74% and 38%, respectively. The statistical analysis results showed that the residual bacterial concentration level was determined primarily by the number of individuals present in the cafeteria, the temperature, and the ClO2 concentration, whereas the residual fungal concentration level was determined mainly by the temperature, the total number of suspended particles, and the ClO2 concentration. Thus, the integrated results suggest that the air quality guidelines prescribed by the Taiwan EPA for student cafeteria can best be achieved by applying ClO2 twice daily using an appropriate deployment of aerosol devices. ClO2 gas can

  7. School Cafeteria Operations: Separating Myth from Reality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weeks, Richard

    2011-01-01

    School officials often assume that the food service director or management company should be the one concerned with the cafeteria program's management details. But of course that's not the case. Cafeteria operations affect the school business bottom line, so they indeed fall under the purview of school business officials. Not only should school…

  8. 34 CFR 395.33 - Operation of cafeterias by blind vendors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Operation of cafeterias by blind vendors. 395.33... BLIND ON FEDERAL AND OTHER PROPERTY Federal Property Management § 395.33 Operation of cafeterias by blind vendors. (a) Priority in the operation of cafeterias by blind vendors on Federal property shall be...

  9. [Cafeterias service and health promotion in the school context].

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Padilla, Francisca M; González-Rodríguez, Angustias

    2017-05-01

    To assess the Secondary Schools (IES) cafeterias of Andalusia as services to promote healthy eating among students as well as to check the adequacy of the food supply to the Law on Food Security and Spanish Nutrition, and the knowledge of this law by the school managers. Observational descriptive transversal study. IES of Andalusia's eight provinces. Cafeteria services. Stratified random sample with proportional allocation by province and size of habitat of 95 Andalusian IES with+10% error and confidence level (NC) 95.5. Implementation of the Healthy Food Promotion Guide, validated through a Delphi group, which collects information on: the food supply, the location of the food products and the advertising on healthy eating. Structured interview with a member of the management team. In 84.9% of the cafeterias a deficient healthy eating habits promotion is observed. 100% of the cafeterias offer a wide variety of non-recommended products (candy, soda, snack chips, industrial bakery) breaching the provisions of the Law on Food Safety and Nutrition. 33.68% of the interviewees claim to know the existence of this law. Andalusian IES cafeterias do not promote healthy eating. It can be affirmed that the law has had little impact during its first year. It is a priority to introduce measures in conformity with the law and with recent research in order to promote a healthy school environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  10. Tax treatment of cafeteria plans. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. Final regulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2000-03-23

    This document contains final regulations relating to section 125 cafeteria plans. The final regulations clarify the circumstances under which a section 125 cafeteria plan election may be changed. The final regulations permit an employer to allow a section 125 cafeteria plan participant to revoke an existing election and make a new election during a period of coverage for accident or health coverage or group-term life insurance coverage.

  11. Baseline for food waste generation - A case study in Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia cafeterias

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alias, A. R.; Mokhlis, N. A. Mohd; Zainun, N. Y.

    2017-11-01

    Increasing population and economy status have contributed to the increasing volume of solid wastes produced in Malaysia and it creates problems on the existing solid waste management system. Ineffective waste management system was one of the issues that often discussed. The purpose of this study was to suggest the best method for managing food waste in Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) cafeterias. The scope of the study was to identify the type and quantity of waste generated in each cafeteria. The study area was carried out at six cafeteria in UTHM including residential college cafeteria which are Tun Dr. Ismail (TDI), Tun Fatimah (TF) and Tun Syed Nasir (TSN), G3’s cafeteria, Arked, and Dr. Munie’s cafeteria located at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering (FKAAS). In this study, food waste was quantified in unit of kilogram (kg). Results of the study showed that total food waste in selected UTHM’s cafeterias was 6197.5 kg for two months. Food waste generated in G3’s cafeteria was the highest value with 1823.5 kg among another cafeteria. This is due to strategic location for students and staff to take meals, the variety of food sold and reasonable price were major factors of generating food waste. Meanwhile, the Dr. Munie's Cafeteria located in FKAAS recorded the least total production of food waste as staffs and students take their meals at others cafeterias. Through literature review, there are list of methods on waste management were identified and composting method was suggested for food waste management in UTHM since the waste was produce in very large quantity.

  12. Managers' perceptions of customers' satisfactions with their hospital cafeteria services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston, C M; Upton, E M

    1991-01-01

    It is important that hospital cafeterias deliver products that create customer satisfaction so that financial objectives are met. An exploratory descriptive survey of 12 selected hospital cafeterias used a self-administered questionnaire to determine how satisfied customers were with services provided. It also asked cafeteria managers to give their perceptions of their customers' relative satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the service. Principal components analysis, followed by varimax rotation, identified four underlying constructs of the 15 pre-selected foodservice characteristics used to measure relative satisfaction. A multiple regression model, controlling for country, hospital size and customer demographics, in which the dependent variable was overall rating, found that the independent variables, the underlying rating constructs--food and service--made a much greater impact on overall rating than environment and accessibility. Most cafeteria managers' predictions about their customers' satisfaction were within two standard deviations of their customers' mean scores of satisfaction. While the managers' close association with their service may have accounted for this, it does not necessarily follow that they have the power to implement policy and product improvements.

  13. Microbiological criteria in public catering: sampling and auditing experiences in canteens and cafeterias in Piedmont

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amaranta Traversa

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available In the period 2006-2011 six public catering establishments (3 canteens and 3 cafeterias were monitored, trough audit and sampling, in order to verify the application of good manufacturing and hygiene practices during food production, handling and serving. The compliance to microbiological food safety criteria (Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. and process hygiene criteria were investigated using ISO standards for microbiological analyses. A total of 612 samples were collected: 192 food samples and 288 environmental swab samples from canteens; 33 food samples and 99 swab samples from cafeterias. Regarding food safety, two samples were in disagreement with criteria fixed in EU Regulation as Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from a turkey breast in a canteen and from a sandwich in a cafeteria. Regarding process hygiene criteria, as no microbiological limits are legally defined for catering services, for this study limits were fixed according to the quality standards of tender, scientific literature and laboratory experience. 23.4% foodstuffs and 8.7% swabs resulted non-compliant in canteens; 48.5% foodstuffs and 6.1% swabs resulted non-compliant in cafeterias. The count of coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS was higher of the fixed limits in raw turkey meat and in cooked spinach: the presence among CPS of S. aureus was confirmed, strains were not able to produce enterotoxins. The most common non-compliance in hygiene criteria was represented by aerobic colony count (60.7% of total non-compliance in canteens and 75.0% in cafeterias and coliform bacteria (20.3% in canteens and 25.0% in cafeterias. Nine raw foods or raw readyto- eat food samples were non-compliant for both coliform bacteria and aerobic count; one sample (raw turkey meat was non-compliant for CPS and aerobic count but resulted to be compliant after cooking. Auditing and sampling are the most effective tools to improve food quality standard and to enhance food business

  14. Summer season | Cafeteria closures

    CERN Multimedia

    2013-01-01

    Please note the following cafeteria closures over the summer season: Bldg. 54 closed from 29/07/2013 to 06/09/2013. Bldg. 13: closed from 13/07/2013 to 06/09/2013. Restaurant No. 2, table service (brasserie and restaurant): closed from 01/08/2013 to 06/09/2013. Bldg. 864: closed from 29/07/2013 to 06/09/2013. Bldg. 865: closed from 29/07/2013 to 06/09/2013.

  15. Schools′ cafeteria status: Does it affect snack patterns? a qualitative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatemeh Esfarjani

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate patterns of students′ snacks habits regarding to their schools′ cafeteria status in Tehran by focus group discussion (FGD technique. Methods: Participants were 240 students (12-15 years old, selected from12 middle-schools in Tehran. The field study consisted of 24 FGDs sessions; involving 8-10 participants. Collected data were coded, categorized and analyzed using constant comparative method. Results: Over half of the students believed that snack consumption is necessary. Although, majority of students believed that their schools′ cafeterias are not acceptable, they noted them as one of the necessary parts of school. Nearly half of the children were complaining of unvaried and expensive food items. The most purchased items were: Cookies, sandwiches with mayonnaise and ketchup, soft drinks and chocolate milk. Most of the students were interested in having roles in their cafeterias. Conclusions: Schools′ cafeteria are significant sources of supplying adolescents′ snacks, so developing hygienic stores containing healthy and nutritious food items is a key element to affect their snack selection positively. Reaching this goal requires a multi disciplinary approach through participation of students, school staff, parents, and the support of community and media.

  16. Using nudging and social marketing techniques to create healthy worksite cafeterias in the Netherlands: intervention development and study design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velema, Elizabeth; Vyth, Ellis L; Steenhuis, Ingrid H M

    2017-01-11

    The worksite cafeteria is a suitable setting for interventions focusing on changing eating behavior, because a lot of employees visit the worksite cafeteria regularly and a variety of interventions could be implemented there. The aim of this paper is to describe the intervention development and design of the evaluation of an intervention to make the purchase behavior of employees in the worksite cafeteria healthier. The developed intervention called "the worksite cafeteria 2.0" consists of a set of 19 strategies based on theory of nudging and social marketing (marketing mix). The intervention will be evaluated in a real-life setting, that is Dutch worksite cafeterias of different companies and with a number of contract catering organizations. The study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT), with 34 Dutch worksite cafeterias randomly allocated to the 12-week intervention or to the control group. Primary outcomes are sales data of selected products groups like sandwiches, salads, snacks and bread topping. Secondary outcomes are satisfaction of employees with the cafeteria and vitality. When executed, the described RCT will provide better knowledge in the effect of the intervention "the worksite cafeteria 2.0" on the purchasing behavior of Dutch employees in worksite cafeterias. Dutch Trial register: NTR5372 .

  17. The Comfortable Cafeteria Program for Promoting Student Participation and Enjoyment: An Outcome Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bazyk, Susan; Demirjian, Louise; Horvath, Frances; Doxsey, Lauri

    A mixed-methods design was used to explore the outcomes of a 6-wk, occupational therapist-led Comfortable Cafeteria program designed to build cafeteria supervisors' and students' capacity to create a positive mealtime environment so that all students can successfully participate in and enjoy a healthy meal and socialization with peers. Students whose scores were in the low and mid-range at the outset had statistically significant improvements in pretest-posttest visual analog scale ratings of participation and enjoyment. Cafeteria supervisors demonstrated statistically significant improvements in their perceptions of knowledge and skills to supervise and to encourage healthy eating. Qualitative findings add further insight into the program, suggesting that students learned prosocial values (e.g., being kind, helping others), supervisors actively encouraged positive social interaction, and occupational therapists enjoyed implementing the program and recognized positive supervisor and student changes as a result of integrating services in the cafeteria. Copyright © 2018 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

  18. Using nudging and social marketing techniques to create healthy worksite cafeterias in the Netherlands: intervention development and study design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth Velema

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The worksite cafeteria is a suitable setting for interventions focusing on changing eating behavior, because a lot of employees visit the worksite cafeteria regularly and a variety of interventions could be implemented there. The aim of this paper is to describe the intervention development and design of the evaluation of an intervention to make the purchase behavior of employees in the worksite cafeteria healthier. The developed intervention called “the worksite cafeteria 2.0” consists of a set of 19 strategies based on theory of nudging and social marketing (marketing mix. The intervention will be evaluated in a real-life setting, that is Dutch worksite cafeterias of different companies and with a number of contract catering organizations. Methods/design The study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT, with 34 Dutch worksite cafeterias randomly allocated to the 12-week intervention or to the control group. Primary outcomes are sales data of selected products groups like sandwiches, salads, snacks and bread topping. Secondary outcomes are satisfaction of employees with the cafeteria and vitality. Discussion When executed, the described RCT will provide better knowledge in the effect of the intervention “the worksite cafeteria 2.0” on the purchasing behavior of Dutch employees in worksite cafeterias. Trial registration Dutch Trial register: NTR5372 .

  19. Using the Hospital Nutrition Environment Scan to Evaluate Health Initiative in Hospital Cafeterias.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Derrick, Jennifer Willahan; Bellini, Sarah Gunnell; Spelman, Julie

    2015-11-01

    Health-promoting environments advance health and prevent chronic disease. Hospitals have been charged to promote health and wellness to patients, communities, and 5.3 million adults employed in United States health care environments. In this cross-sectional observational study, the Hospital Nutrition Environment Scan (HNES) was used to measure the nutrition environment of hospital cafeterias and evaluate the influence of the LiVe Well Plate health initiative. Twenty-one hospitals in the Intermountain West region were surveyed between October 2013 and May 2014. Six hospitals participated in the LiVe Well Plate health initiative and were compared with 15 hospitals not participating. The LiVe Well Plate health initiative identified and promoted a healthy meal defined as health initiative branding were also posted at point of purchase. Hospital cafeterias were scored on four subcategories: facilitators and barriers, grab-and-go items, menu offerings, and selection options at point of purchase. Overall, hospitals scored 35.3±13.7 (range=7 to 63) points of 86 total possible points. Cafeterias in health initiative hospitals had significantly higher mean nutrition composite scores compared with non-health initiative hospitals (49.2 vs 29.7; Penvironment of hospital cafeterias. Additional research is needed to quantify and strategize ways to improve nutrition environments within hospital cafeterias and assess the influence on healthy lifestyle behaviors. Copyright © 2015 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. O MERCADO DE FRANQUIAS E PEQUENAS EMPRESAS: UM ESTUDO SOBRE O SEGMENTO CAFETERIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ernani Cesar de Freitas

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available O presente artigo tem como objetivo identificar fatores que influenciam o empreendedor em optar por uma franquia ou por um negócio independente no ramo de cafeteria, demonstrando as possíveis vantagens e desvantagens do sistema de franchising nesse segmento. A pesquisa descritiva realizou-se através de questionários estruturados, aplicados a franqueadores e a franqueados integrantes do sistema franchising de cafeteria no Brasil. Os resultados obtidos na pesquisa demonstram que existem diversos motivos que podem influenciar o empreendedor na escolha desse tipo de negócio; existem vantagens e desvantagens que devem ser avaliadas adequadamente para subsidiar a tomada de decisão do empreendedor. Palavras-chave: Franquias. Franchising. Empreendedor. Cafeteria.

  1. Paying for individual health insurance through tax-sheltered cafeteria plans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Mark A; Monahan, Amy B

    2010-01-01

    When employees without group health insurance buy individual coverage, they do so using after-tax income--costing them from 20% to 50% more than others pay for equivalent coverage. Prior to the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), several states promoted a potential solution that would allow employees to buy individual insurance through tax-sheltered payroll deduction. This technical but creative approach would allow insurers to combine what is known as "list-billing" with a Section 125 "cafeteria plan." However, these state-level reform attempts have failed to gain significant traction because state small-group reform laws and federal restrictions on medical underwriting cloud the legality of tax-sheltered list-billing. Several authorities have taken the position that insurance paid for through a cafeteria plan must meet the nondiscrimination requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act with respect to eligibility, premiums, and benefits. The recently enacted Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act addresses some of the legal uncertainty in this area, but much remains. For health reform to have its greatest effect, federal regulators must clarify whether individual health insurance can be purchased on a pre-tax basis through a cafeteria plan.

  2. Projeto de Investimento para a Criação de uma cafeteria na praia do Tofo

    OpenAIRE

    Cantero, Leydi Mariana Carracedo

    2016-01-01

    presente projeto de investimento tem por finalidade a criação de uma Cafeteria na Praia do Tofo da Cidade de Inhambane, designada por Mascar Lda. A mesma, tem como missão oferecer aos banhistas da praia do Tofo serviços de restauração e bebidas de qualidade, contribuindo desta forma para o desenvolvimento do turismo na Cidade de Inhambane. A ideia central surgiu para responder à necessidade destes serviços sentida pelos visitantes que procuram a praia do Tofo e necessitam de comida rápida,...

  3. 137Cs uptake with cafeteria food after the Chernobyl accident

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Voigt, G.; Paretzke, H.G.

    1992-01-01

    After the Chernobyl accident, the activity concentrations of radiocesium were measured in both the meals served at the cafeteria of a research center and in the employees eating there. The time-dependent means of monthly 137Cs activities in meals and people show a similar distribution pattern with highest values between March and July 1987, i.e., only 1 y after the accident. In meals, the highest activities were found when the menu consisted of pork, milk, or milk products. The 50-y cumulative effective dose calculated from the whole-body measurements is 0.21 mSv for male and 0.15 mSv for female employees. Cafeteria food contributed only a small share to this exposure

  4. Effects of the cafeteria diet on the salivary glands of trained and sedentary Wistar rats=Efeitos da dieta de cafeteria sobre as glândulas salivares de ratos Wistar sedentários e treinados

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sonia Lucy Molinari

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this work was to study the effect of the aerobic physical training and the cafeteria diet introduced after weaning of Wistar rats and on the morphology of the main salivary glands (parotid, submandibular, sublingual. Male rats after weaning were subjected to the cafeteria diet or the standard rodent chow, and either performed aerobic physical training in a treadmill for 100 days, or did not performed any physical activity. Analyses were done considering the response in body weight, adipose tissues and salivary glands, and the data were submitted to statistical treatment (p O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as características morfológicas das glândulas salivares (parótida, submandibular, sublingual apresentadas por ratos submetidos a treinamento físico aeróbio e dieta de cafeteria após o período de lactação. Ratos machos após a lactação consumiram dieta de cafeteria ou ração-padrão para roedores e realizaram treinamento físico aeróbio em esteira rolante por um período de 100 dias, ou não realizaram nenhuma atividade física. Foram feitas análises sobre a resposta do peso corporal, dos tecidos adiposos e das glândulas salivares e os dados submetidos a tratamento estatístico (p < 0,05. A análise morfológica e morfométrica das glândulas salivares foi realizada a partir de cortes histológicos corados com Hematoxilina e Eosina. Apesar do comportamento normofágico, os roedores alimentados com dieta de cafeteria apresentaram maior quantidade de gordura corporal, com repercussão sobre o peso da glândula parótida. A análise morfométrica das glândulas submandibulares indicou redução na proporção dos ácinos serosos como efeito da dieta de cafeteria e do treinamento físico. No entanto, excesso de gordura corporal, dieta de cafeteria e/ou treinamento físico não influenciou a organização histológica das glândulas salivares. Concluiu-se que as glândulas parótidas e submandibulares são mais

  5. Pollution Prevention Opportunity Assessment for the SNL/NM cafeterias.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McCord, Samuel Adam

    2005-12-01

    This Pollution Prevention Opportunity Assessment (PPOA) was conducted for the two Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico cafeteria facilities between May and August 2005. The primary purpose of this PPOA is to assess waste and resource reduction opportunities and issue Pollution Prevention (P2) recommendations for Sandia's food service facilities. This PPOA contains recommendations for energy, water and resource reduction, as well as material substitution based upon environmentally preferable purchasing. Division 3000 has requested the PPOA report as part of the Division's compliance effort to implement the Environmental Management System (EMS) per DOE Order 450.1. This report contains a summary of the information collected and analyses performed with recommended options for implementation. The SNL/NM P2 Group will work with Division 3000 and the respective cafeteria facilities to implement these options.

  6. Ergonomic assessments of three Idaho National Engineering Laboratory cafeterias

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ostrom, L.T.; Romero, H.A.; Gilbert, B.G.; Wilhelmsen, C.A.

    1993-01-01

    The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory is a Department of Energy facility that performs a variety of engineering and research projects. EG G Idaho is the prime contractor for the laboratory and, as such, performs the support functions in addition to technical, research, and development functions. As a part of the EG G Idaho Industrial Hygiene Initiative, ergonomic assessments were conducted at three Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Cafeterias. The purposes of the assessments were to determine whether ergonomic problems existed in the work places and, if so, to make recommendations to improve the work place and task designs. The study showed there were ergonomic problems in all three cafeterias assessed. The primary ergonomic stresses observed included wrist and shoulder stress in the dish washing task, postural stress in the dish washing and food preparation tasks, and back stress in the food handling tasks.

  7. Ergonomic assessments of three Idaho National Engineering Laboratory cafeterias

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ostrom, L.T.; Romero, H.A.; Gilbert, B.G.; Wilhelmsen, C.A.

    1993-05-01

    The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory is a Department of Energy facility that performs a variety of engineering and research projects. EG&G Idaho is the prime contractor for the laboratory and, as such, performs the support functions in addition to technical, research, and development functions. As a part of the EG&G Idaho Industrial Hygiene Initiative, ergonomic assessments were conducted at three Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Cafeterias. The purposes of the assessments were to determine whether ergonomic problems existed in the work places and, if so, to make recommendations to improve the work place and task designs. The study showed there were ergonomic problems in all three cafeterias assessed. The primary ergonomic stresses observed included wrist and shoulder stress in the dish washing task, postural stress in the dish washing and food preparation tasks, and back stress in the food handling tasks.

  8. β3-adrenoceptor agonist prevents alterations of muscle diacylglycerol and adipose tissue phospholipids induced by a cafeteria diet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Darimont Christian

    2004-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Insulin resistance induced by a high fat diet has been associated with alterations in lipid content and composition in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Administration of β3-adrenoceptor (β3-AR agonists was recently reported to prevent insulin resistance induced by a high fat diet, such as the cafeteria diet. The objective of the present study was to determine whether a selective β3-AR agonist (ZD7114 could prevent alterations of the lipid profile of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue lipids induced by a cafeteria diet. Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats fed a cafeteria diet were treated orally with either the β3-AR agonist ZD7114 (1 mg/kg per day or the vehicle for 60 days. Rats fed a chow diet were used as a reference group. In addition to the determination of body weight and insulin plasma level, lipid content and fatty acid composition in gastronemius and in epididymal adipose tissue were measured by gas-liquid chromatography, at the end of the study. Results In addition to higher body weights and plasma insulin concentrations, rats fed a cafeteria diet had greater triacylglycerol (TAG and diacylglycerol (DAG accumulation in skeletal muscle, contrary to animals fed a chow diet. As expected, ZD7114 treatment prevented the excessive weight gain and hyperinsulinemia induced by the cafeteria diet. Furthermore, in ZD7114 treated rats, intramyocellular DAG levels were lower and the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly arachidonic acid, in adipose tissue phospholipids was higher than in animals fed a cafeteria diet. Conclusions These results show that activation of the β3-AR was able to prevent lipid alterations in muscle and adipose tissue associated with insulin resistance induced by the cafeteria diet. These changes in intramyocellular DAG levels and adipose tissue PL composition may contribute to the improved insulin sensitivity associated with β3-AR activation.

  9. The effect of micronized corn fiber on body weight, glycemia, and lipid metabolism in rats fed cafeteria diet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vanessa Barbosa de Moraes THOMPSON

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract During corn industrial dry milling, a residue rich in dietary fibers is generated. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of micronized corn fiber (MCF as part of a cafeteria diet in the macronutrient metabolism and body weight. Wistar male rats, with initial body weight of 249 ± 14 g (n = 13, received AIN-93M diet (Group 1 or cafeteria diet (Groups 2, 3 and 4, composed of commercial ration, cookies, fried potato sticks, milk chocolate, bacon and chicken liver pâté. Groups 3 and 4 received MCF to replace 100 and 50% of the cellulose from the AIN-93M diet, respectively. After 35 days, blood, tissues and feces were collected. Data were analyzed by ANOVA followed by Tukey test (p < 0.10. The weight gain of the animals increased by 25.9%, 20.8% and 22.0%, when fed cafeteria diet or 100 and 50% of MCF respectively, compared to the control group, although food consumption did not differ between them. Body weight and food efficiency ratio did not differ between the groups fed cafeteria diet with or without MCF. The addition of MCF to the cafeteria diet did not alter the animal lipid profile and glycemia, however, the accumulation of lipids in their livers was similar to the control group. The intake of 100% MCF resulted in higher fecal weight and fecal excretion of lipids, and lower fecal nitrogen, lipid absorption and lipid deposition in the liver than the cafeteria diet. In conclusion, MCF has a potential to improve intestinal transit and lipid excretion, but showed no benefit on blood lipid and glucose levels.

  10. Management of Sodium-reduced Meals at Worksite Cafeterias: Perceptions, Practices, Barriers, and Needs among Food Service Personnel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jounghee; Park, Sohyun

    2016-04-01

    The sodium content of meals provided at worksite cafeterias is greater than the sodium content of restaurant meals and home meals. The objective of this study was to assess the relationships between sodium-reduction practices, barriers, and perceptions among food service personnel. We implemented a cross-sectional study by collecting data on perceptions, practices, barriers, and needs regarding sodium-reduced meals at 17 worksite cafeterias in South Korea. We implemented Chi-square tests and analysis of variance for statistical analysis. For post hoc testing, we used Bonferroni tests; when variances were unequal, we used Dunnett T3 tests. This study involved 104 individuals employed at the worksite cafeterias, comprised of 35 men and 69 women. Most of the participants had relatively high levels of perception regarding the importance of sodium reduction (very important, 51.0%; moderately important, 27.9%). Sodium reduction practices were higher, but perceived barriers appeared to be lower in participants with high-level perception of sodium-reduced meal provision. The results of the needs assessment revealed that the participants wanted to have more active education programs targeting the general population. The biggest barriers to providing sodium-reduced meals were use of processed foods and limited methods of sodium-reduced cooking in worksite cafeterias. To make the provision of sodium-reduced meals at worksite cafeterias more successful and sustainable, we suggest implementing more active education programs targeting the general population, developing sodium-reduced cooking methods, and developing sodium-reduced processed foods.

  11. Serving Up Change in School Cafeterias (with Related Video)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capalbo, Mike A.

    2011-01-01

    Today's education institution kitchens are colorful and inviting, designed with curvature and stainless steel to compete with local restaurants, offering more variety and efficiency to the demanding health-conscious "Generation Me" consumer who is short on time and big on selection. In short, campus eateries are less "cafeteria" and more "cafe."…

  12. Using nudging and social marketing techniques to create healthy worksite cafeterias in the Netherlands: intervention development and study design

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Velema, E.; Vyth, E.L.; Steenhuis, I.H.M.

    2017-01-01

    Background: The worksite cafeteria is a suitable setting for interventions focusing on changing eating behavior, because a lot of employees visit the worksite cafeteria regularly and a variety of interventions could be implemented there. The aim of this paper is to describe the intervention

  13. Elemental concentrations in kidney and liver of mice fed with cafeteria or standard diet determined by particle induced X-ray emission

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dimer Leffa, Daniela [Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Health Sciences Unit, University of Southern Santa Catarina, 88806-000 Criciúma, SC (Brazil); Iochims dos Santos, Carla Eliete; Debastiani, Rafaela; Amaral, Livio; Yoneama, Maria Lucia; Ferraz Dias, Johnny [Ion Implantation Laboratory, Physics Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre (Brazil); Moraes Andrade, Vanessa, E-mail: vmoraesdeandrade@yahoo.com.br [Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Health Sciences Unit, University of Southern Santa Catarina, 88806-000 Criciúma, SC (Brazil)

    2014-01-01

    The importance of trace elements in human health is well known and their main source is daily diet. Nowadays, one of the biggest issues is the presence of these micronutrients in levels much higher than required, leading to potential toxic effects. The aim of this work was to investigate the elemental content in organs of mice fed with cafeteria or standard diet using PIXE. Twelve male Swiss mice were divided into two groups: control group (standard chow) and cafeteria group (high-caloric diet). After 17 weeks, samples of different organs (kidney and liver) were collected and prepared for PIXE analysis. The Fe concentration in kidney and liver was statistically higher in animals that received the cafeteria diet (p < 0.001). The Al and Si kidney contents were significantly higher for cafeteria diet in relation to standard diet (p < 0.05). Moreover, the standard diet showed significant differences for Cl and K (p < 0.05) in comparison to cafeteria diet in kidney, and for P, S and Zn (p < 0.005) in liver.

  14. Elemental concentrations in kidney and liver of mice fed with cafeteria or standard diet determined by particle induced X-ray emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dimer Leffa, Daniela; Iochims dos Santos, Carla Eliete; Debastiani, Rafaela; Amaral, Livio; Yoneama, Maria Lucia; Ferraz Dias, Johnny; Moraes Andrade, Vanessa

    2014-01-01

    The importance of trace elements in human health is well known and their main source is daily diet. Nowadays, one of the biggest issues is the presence of these micronutrients in levels much higher than required, leading to potential toxic effects. The aim of this work was to investigate the elemental content in organs of mice fed with cafeteria or standard diet using PIXE. Twelve male Swiss mice were divided into two groups: control group (standard chow) and cafeteria group (high-caloric diet). After 17 weeks, samples of different organs (kidney and liver) were collected and prepared for PIXE analysis. The Fe concentration in kidney and liver was statistically higher in animals that received the cafeteria diet (p < 0.001). The Al and Si kidney contents were significantly higher for cafeteria diet in relation to standard diet (p < 0.05). Moreover, the standard diet showed significant differences for Cl and K (p < 0.05) in comparison to cafeteria diet in kidney, and for P, S and Zn (p < 0.005) in liver

  15. Does a grill menu redesign influence sales, nutrients purchased, and consumer acceptance in a worksite cafeteria?

    OpenAIRE

    Maya K. Vadiveloo; Vasanti S. Malik; Donna Spiegelman; Walter C. Willett; Josiemer Mattei

    2017-01-01

    Worksite cafeterias are compelling venues to improve diet quality through environmental changes.We conducted a pre-post study to evaluate how a cafeteria-initiated grill menu redesign influenced sales, revenue, and nutrient content of foods purchased. Secondly, we evaluated consumer opinions about menu changes to inform practices for worksite environment interventions. Monthly sales data (2012–2015) were used to compute gross sales and revenue of entrées and side dishes pre-post menu changes....

  16. Using smart card technology to monitor the eating habits of children in a school cafeteria: 1. Developing and validating the methodology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lambert, N; Plumb, J; Looise, B; Johnson, I T; Harvey, I; Wheeler, C; Robinson, M; Rolfe, P

    2005-08-01

    The aim of the study was to test the feasibility of using smart card technology to track the eating behaviours of nearly a thousand children in a school cafeteria. Within a large boys' school a smart card based system was developed that was capable of providing a full electronic audit of all the individual transactions that occurred within the cafeteria. This dataset was interfaced to an electronic version of the McCance and Widdowson composition of foods dataset. The accuracy of the smart card generated data and the influence of portion size and wastage were determined empirically during two 5-day trials. The smart card system created succeeded in generating precise data on the food choices made by hundreds of children over an indefinite time period. The data was expanded to include a full nutrient analysis of all the foods chosen. The accuracy of this information was only constrained by the limitations facing all food composition research, e.g. variations in recipes, portion sizes, cooking practices, etc. Although technically possible to introduce wastage correction factors into the software, thereby providing information upon foods consumed, this was not seen as universally practical. The study demonstrated the power of smart card technology for monitoring food/nutrient choice over limitless time in environments such as school cafeterias. The strengths, limitations and applications of such technology are discussed.

  17. Cafeteria factors that influence milk-drinking behaviors of elementary school children: grounded theory approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Connors, P; Bednar, C; Klammer, S

    2001-01-01

    This study was conducted to identify factors that influenced milk-drinking behaviors of elementary school children in North Texas. Ten focus groups with a total of 41 children aged 6 to 11 years were conducted using a grounded theory approach. Based on the principles of Social Learning Theory, milk preferences and health beliefs were identified as personal factors that influenced drinking. Cafeteria rules, milk flavor, product packaging, modeling by adults, and shared experiences were environmental factors. The data suggest that school cafeterias can capitalize on their unique position to offer milk-drinking opportunities that children can share to combine nutrition education with sensory experience.

  18. Altered feeding patterns in rats exposed to a palatable cafeteria diet: increased snacking and its implications for development of obesity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah I Martire

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Rats prefer energy-rich foods over chow and eat them to excess. The pattern of eating elicited by this diet is unknown. We used the behavioral satiety sequence to classify an eating bout as a meal or snack and compared the eating patterns of rats fed an energy rich cafeteria diet or chow. METHODS: Eight week old male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to lab chow or an energy-rich cafeteria diet (plus chow for 16 weeks. After 5, 10 and 15 weeks, home-cage overnight feeding behavior was recorded. Eating followed by grooming then resting or sleeping was classified as a meal; whereas eating not followed by the full sequence was classified as a snack. Numbers of meals and snacks, their duration, and waiting times between feeding bouts were compared between the two conditions. RESULTS: Cafeteria-fed rats ate more protein, fat and carbohydrate, consistently ingesting double the energy of chow-fed rats, and were significantly heavier by week 4. Cafeteria-fed rats tended to take multiple snacks between meals and ate fewer meals than chow-fed rats. They also ate more snacks at 5 weeks, were less effective at compensating for snacking by reducing meals, and the number of snacks in the majority of the cafeteria-fed rats was positively related to terminal body weights. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to a palatable diet had long-term effects on feeding patterns. Rats became overweight because they initially ate more frequently and ultimately ate more of foods with higher energy density. The early increased snacking in young cafeteria-fed rats may represent the establishment of eating habits that promote weight gain.

  19. Pre-sliced fruit in school cafeterias: children's selection and intake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wansink, Brian; Just, David R; Hanks, Andrew S; Smith, Laura E

    2013-05-01

    It is often assumed that children avoid fruit in school cafeterias because of higher relative prices and preferences for other foods. Interviews with children reveal that eating whole fresh fruit can be difficult for those with small mouths or braces. Older girls find whole fruits messy and unattractive to eat. To determine the effect of offering pre-sliced fruit in schools on selection and intake. Three of six schools were assigned randomly to serve apples in slices. Three control schools served apples whole. Selection, consumption, and waste of apples were measured prior to and during treatment. Cafeterias in six public middle schools in Wayne County NY in 2011. Participants included all students who purchased lunch on days when data were collected. Treatment schools were provided with a standard commercial fruit slicer, and cafeteria staff members were instructed to use it when students requested apples. Trained researchers recorded how much of each apple was consumed and how much was wasted in both control and treatment schools. Daily apple sales, percentage of an apple serving consumed per student, and percentage of an apple serving wasted per student. Data were analyzed in 2012. Schools that used fruit slicers to pre-slice fruit increased average daily apple sales by 71% compared to control schools (papples and ate more than half increased by 73% (p=0.02) at schools that served pre-sliced fruit, and the percentage that wasted half or more decreased by 48% (p=0.03). Sliced fruit is more appealing to children than whole fruit because it is easier and tidier to eat. This study applies the principle of convenience from behavioral economics and provides an example of a scalable, low-cost environmental change that promotes healthy eating and decreases waste. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

  20. Nudging and social marketing techniques encourage employees to make healthier food choices: a randomized controlled trial in 30 worksite cafeterias in The Netherlands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velema, Elizabeth; Vyth, Ellis L; Hoekstra, Trynke; Steenhuis, Ingrid H M

    2018-02-01

    Currently, many studies focus on how the environment can be changed to encourage healthier eating behavior, referred to as choice architecture or "nudging." However, to date, these strategies are not often investigated in real-life settings, such as worksite cafeterias, or are only done so on a short-term basis. The objective of this study is to examine the effects of a healthy worksite cafeteria ["worksite cafeteria 2.0" (WC 2.0)] intervention on Dutch employees' purchase behavior over a 12-wk period. We conducted a randomized controlled trial in 30 worksite cafeterias. Worksite cafeterias were randomized to either the intervention or control group. The intervention aimed to encourage employees to make healthier food choices during their daily worksite cafeteria visits. The intervention consisted of 14 simultaneously executed strategies based on nudging and social marketing theories, involving product, price, placement, and promotion. Adjusted multilevel models showed significant positive effects of the intervention on purchases for 3 of the 7 studied product groups: healthier sandwiches, healthier cheese as a sandwich filling, and the inclusion of fruit. The increased sales of these healthier meal options were constant throughout the 12-wk intervention period. This study shows that the way worksite cafeterias offer products affects purchase behavior. Situated nudging and social marketing-based strategies are effective in promoting healthier choices and aim to remain effective over time. Some product groups only indicated an upward trend in purchases. Such an intervention could ultimately help prevent and reduce obesity in the Dutch working population. This trial was registered at the Dutch Trial Register (http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=5372) as NTR5372.

  1. Cafeteria diet-induced insulin resistance is not associated with decreased insulin signaling or AMPK activity and is alleviated by physical training in rats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brandt, Nina; De Bock, Katrien; Richter, Erik

    2010-01-01

    Excess energy intake via a palatable low-fat diet (cafeteria diet) is known to induce obesity and glucose intolerance in rats. However, the molecular mechanisms behind this adaptation are not known, and it is also not known whether exercise training can reverse it. Male Wistar rats were assigned...... to 12-wk intervention groups: chow-fed controls (CON), cafeteria diet (CAF), and cafeteria diet plus swimming exercise during the last 4 wk (CAF(TR)). CAF feeding led to increased body weight (16%, P ...) among the groups. In conclusion, surplus energy intake of a palatable but low-fat cafeteria diet resulted in obesity and insulin resistance that was rescued by exercise training. Interestingly, insulin resistance was not accompanied by major defects in the insulin-signaling cascade or in altered AMPK...

  2. A Diagnostic Approach to Increase Reusable Dinnerware Selection in a Cafeteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manuel, Jennifer C.; Sunseri, Mary Anne; Olson, Ryan; Scolari, Miranda

    2007-01-01

    The current project tested a diagnostic approach to selecting interventions to increase patron selection of reusable dinnerware in a cafeteria. An assessment survey, completed by a sample of 43 patrons, suggested that the primary causes of wasteful behavior were (a) environmental arrangement of dinnerware options and (b) competing motivational…

  3. A foodborne outbreak of brucellosis at a police station cafeteria, Lima, Peru

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Román, Karina; Castillo, Rosa; Gilman, Robert H.; Calderón, Maritza; Vivar, Aldo; Céspedes, Manuel; Smits, Henk L.; Meléndez, Paolo; Gotuzzo, Eduardo; Guerra, Humberto; Maves, Ryan C.; Matthias, Michael A.; Vinetz, Joseph M.; Saito, Mayuko

    2013-01-01

    Brucella melitensis is highly infectious for humans and can be transmitted to humans in a number of epidemiological contexts. Within the context of an ongoing brucellosis surveillance project, an outbreak at a Peruvian police officer cafeteria was discovered, which led to active surveillance

  4. Hypercaloric cafeteria-like diet induced UCP3 gene expression in skeletal muscle is impaired by hypothyroidism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christoffolete M.A.

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available The uncoupling protein UCP3 belongs to a family of mitochondrial carriers located in the inner mitochondrial membrane of certain cell types. It is expressed almost exclusively at high levels in skeletal muscle and its physiological role has not been fully determined in this tissue. In the present study we have addressed the possible interaction between a hypercaloric diet and thyroid hormone (T3, which are strong stimulators of UCP3 gene expression in skeletal muscle. Male Wistar rats weighing 180 ± 20 g were rendered hypothyroid by thyroidectomy and the addition of methimazole (0.05%; w/v to drinking water after surgery. The rats were fed a hypercaloric cafeteria diet (68% carbohydrates, 13% protein and 18% lipids for 10 days and sacrificed by decapitation. Subsequently, the gastrocnemius muscle was dissected, total RNA was isolated with Trizol? and UCP3 gene expression was determined by Northern blotting using a specific probe. Statistical analysis was performed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA followed by the Student-Newman-Keuls post-test. Skeletal muscle UCP3 gene expression was decreased by 60% in hypothyroid rats and UCP3 mRNA expression was increased 70% in euthyroid cafeteria-fed rats compared to euthyroid chow-fed animals, confirming previous studies. Interestingly, the cafeteria diet was unable to stimulate UCP3 gene expression in hypothyroid animals (40% lower as compared to euthyroid cafeteria-fed animals. The results show that a hypercaloric diet is a strong stimulator of UCP3 gene expression in skeletal muscle and requires T3 for an adequate action.

  5. Effect of the Strong4Life School Nutrition Program on Cafeterias and on Manager and Staff Member Knowledge and Practice, Georgia, 2015.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajbhandari-Thapa, Janani; Bennett, Ashley; Keong, Farrah; Palmer, Wendy; Hardy, Trisha; Welsh, Jean

    The goal of the Strong4Life School Nutrition Program is to promote healthy eating in school cafeterias in Georgia by training school nutrition managers and staff members to implement changes in the cafeteria to nudge children to make healthier choices. The objective of our study was to evaluate program effect on (1) school nutrition manager and staff member knowledge of evidence-based strategies and their self-efficacy to make positive changes, (2) the school cafeteria environment, and (3) National School Lunch Program participation. We assessed changes in participant knowledge, beliefs, and self-efficacy by administering a survey before and after training (February-July 2015); a follow-up survey (3 school months posttraining) assessed changes in the cafeteria. A total of 842 school nutrition managers and staff members were trained and completed pre- and posttraining surveys; 325 managers completed the follow-up survey. We used cafeteria records from a subsample of the first schools trained (40 intervention and 40 control) to assess National School Lunch Program participation. From pretraining to posttraining, we found a significant increase in manager and staff member (n = 842) knowledge of strategies for enhancing taste perception through the use of creative menu item names (from 78% to 95%, P managers (n = 325) reported increased use of evidence-based serving strategies: visibility (from 84% to 96% for placing healthy options in >2 locations, P managers and staff members in Smarter Lunchrooms Movement techniques may be an effective way to make changes in the school cafeteria environment to encourage healthier choices among students. Additional studies allowing time for more complex changes to be implemented are needed to assess the full effect of the program.

  6. A nutrition labeling intervention in worksite cafeterias: an implementation evaluation across two large catering companies in the Netherlands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vyth, Ellis L; Van Der Meer, Esther W C; Seidell, Jacob C; Steenhuis, Ingrid H M

    2012-06-01

    By both increasing the availability of healthy foods and labeling these products with the Choices logo, caterers may facilitate employees to make a healthier choice in their worksite cafeterias. The aim of this study was to explore which attributes influence the implementation of the Choices logo in worksite cafeterias in the Netherlands. Questionnaires were completed by catering managers of 316 cafeterias of two large caterers in the Netherlands (response rate 49.8%). Attributes from the Diffusion of Innovations Theory were used to investigate whether they could predict implementation. Compatibility (consistency with the beliefs of the catering manager; OR = 1.52), voluntariness (perception of the implementation as voluntary; OR = 0.50), result demonstrability (ability to communicate the implementation; OR = 1.52) and complexity in the sense of time (time needed for implementation; OR = 0.70) were the best predictors for the frequency of offering fresh Choices products (all significant). For the frequency of using Choices promotion material, voluntariness (OR = 0.54), result demonstrability (OR = 1.51) and relative advantage (perceived advantage of the implementation; OR = 1.44) were the best predictors (all significant). In conclusion, this study provides unique insights into which perceived attributes influence the implementation of a nutrition logo in worksite cafeterias. To increase the implementation, the Choices logo should be consistent with catering managers' ideas about healthy food, the workload of implementing the logo should be limited and it could be recommended to incorporate the logo in the health policy of the caterer.

  7. The process evaluation of two interventions aimed at portion size in worksite cafeterias.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vermeer, W.M.; Leeuwis, F.H.; Koprulu, S.; Zouitni, O.; Seidell, J.C.; Steenhuis, I.H.M.

    2012-01-01

    Background: In a previous study, the effectiveness of introducing a small meal in addition to the existing size and a proportional pricing strategy have been assessed in Dutch worksite cafeterias. To assess the degree of implementation and to inform the design of future interventions, the present

  8. Life-long Maternal Cafeteria Diet Promotes Tissue-Specific Morphological Changes in Male Offspring Adult Rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CAROLYNE D.S. SANTOS

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Here, we evaluated whether the exposure of rats to a cafeteria diet pre- and/or post-weaning, alters histological characteristics in the White Adipose Tissue (WAT, Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT, and liver of adult male offspring. Female Wistar rats were divided into Control (CTL; fed on standard rodent chow and Cafeteria (CAF; fed with the cafeteria diet throughout life, including pregnancy and lactation. After birth, only male offspring (F1 were maintained and received the CTL or CAF diets; originating four experimental groups: CTL-CTLF1; CTL-CAFF1; CAF-CTLF1; CAF-CAFF1. Data of biometrics, metabolic parameters, liver, BAT and WAT histology were assessed and integrated using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA. According to PCA analysis worse metabolic and biometric characteristics in adulthood are associated with the post-weaning CAF diet compared to pre and post weaning CAF diet. Thus, the CTL-CAFF1 group showed obesity, higher deposition of fat in the liver and BAT and high fasting plasma levels of glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol. Interestingly, the association between pre and post-weaning CAF diet attenuated the obesity and improved the plasma levels of glucose and triglycerides compared to CTL-CAFF1 without avoiding the higher lipid accumulation in BAT and in liver, suggesting that the impact of maternal CAF diet is tissue-specific.

  9. The effect of changes in visibility and price on fruit purchasing at a university cafeteria in Lima, Peru.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cárdenas, María Kathia; Benziger, Catherine P; Pillay, Timesh D; Miranda, J Jaime

    2015-10-01

    To determine the effect of increasing fruit visibility, adding information and lowering price on fruit purchasing at a university cafeteria in Lima, Peru. Quasi-experimental pilot study of a three-phase stepped intervention. In Phase 1, fruit was displayed >3 m from the point of purchase with no additional information. Phase 2 consisted in displaying the fruit near the point of purchase with added health and price information. Phase 3 added a 33% price reduction. The duration of each phase was 3 weeks and phases were separated by 2-week breaks. Primary outcomes were total pieces of fruit and number of meals sold daily. A university cafeteria in Lima, Peru. Approximately 150 people, students and non-student adults, who purchased food daily. Twelve students participated in post-intervention interviews. Fruit purchasing doubled from Phase 1 to Phase 3 (Pdaily (Pbuy unhealthy snack foods. Promoting fruit consumption by product placement close to the point of purchase, adding health information and price reduction had a positive effect on fruit purchasing in a university cafeteria, especially in males and non-student adults.

  10. Chocolate Milk Consequences: A Pilot Study Evaluating the Consequences of Banning Chocolate Milk in School Cafeterias

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanks, Andrew S.; Just, David R.; Wansink, Brian

    2014-01-01

    Objectives Currently, 68.3% of the milk available in schools is flavored, with chocolate being the most popular (61.6% of all milk). If chocolate milk is removed from a school cafeteria, what will happen to overall milk selection and consumption? Methods In a before-after study in 11 Oregon elementary schools, flavored milk–which will be referred to as chocolate milk–was banned from the cafeteria. Milk sales, school enrollment, and data for daily participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) were compared year to date. Results Total daily milk sales declined by 9.9% (pchocolate milk was also associated with 6.8% fewer students eating school lunches, and although other factors were also involved, this is consistent with the notion of psychological reactance. Conclusions Removing chocolate milk from school cafeterias may reduce calorie and sugar consumption, but it may also lead students to take less milk overall, drink less (waste more) of the white milk they do take, and no longer purchase school lunch. Food service managers need to carefully weigh the costs and benefits of eliminating chocolate milk and should consider alternative options that make white milk more convenient, attractive, and normal to choose. PMID:24740451

  11. Why are all the white (Asian) kids sitting together in the cafeteria? Resegregation and the role of intergroup attributions and norms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramiah, Ananthi Al; Schmid, Katharina; Hewstone, Miles; Floe, Christina

    2015-03-01

    Over three studies, we identified the phenomenon of ethnic 'resegregation' and assessed the extent to which it was predicted by attributions and norms, among other variables. Study 1, an observational study, showed extensive resegregation between White and Asian students in the cafeteria of a highly mixed school. In Study 2, we found evidence of attributional correspondence for White students, who attributed both their own and the outgroup's contact avoidance more to a lack of interest than fear of rejection, whereas Asian students attributed the outgroup's contact avoidance more to lack of interest, but preferred neither explanation of their own avoidance. In Study 3, we observed a pattern of attributional correspondence among both White and Asian students who attributed both their own and the outgroup's inaction in a hypothetical intergroup cafeteria scenario more to a lack of interest than fear of rejection. Study 3 also demonstrated longitudinally, for both groups, that own lack of interest in the outgroup reduced likelihood of cafeteria contact, whereas having outgroup friends and perceiving positive ingroup norms promoted it. In addition, positive outgroup norms promoted likelihood of cafeteria contact only for Asian students. We discuss how an understanding of the factors driving resegregation is critical to effectively realizing the potential of desegregated settings. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

  12. Consumer attitudes, barriers, and meal satisfaction associated with sodium-reduced meal intake at worksite cafeterias.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jounghee; Park, Sohyun

    2015-12-01

    Targeting consumers who consume lunches at their worksite cafeterias would be a valuable approach to reduce sodium intake in South Korea. To assess the relationships between socio-demographic factors, consumer satisfaction, attitudes, barriers and the frequency of sodium-reduced meal intake. We implemented a cross-sectional research, analyzing data from 738 consumers aged 18 years or older (327 males and 411 females) at 17 worksite cafeterias in South Korea. We used the ordinary least squares regression analysis to determine the factors related to overall satisfaction with sodium-reduced meal. General linear models with LSD tests were employed to examine the variables that differed by the frequency of sodium-reduced meal intake. Most subjects always or usually consumed the sodium-reduced meal (49%), followed by sometimes (34%) and rarely or never (18%). Diverse menus, taste and belief in the helpfulness of the sodium-reduced meal significantly increased overall satisfaction with the sodium-reduced diet (P < 0.05). We found importance of needs in the following order: 1) 'menu diversity' (4.01 points), 2) 'active promotion' (3.97 points), 3) 'display of nutrition labels in a visible location' (3.96 points), 4) 'improvement of taste' (3.88 points), and 5) 'education of sodium-reduction self-care behaviors' (3.82 points). Dietitians could lead consumers to choose sodium-reduced meals by improving their taste and providing diverse menus for the sodium-reduced meals at worksite cafeterias.

  13. Effect of Food Service Nutrition Improvements on Elementary School Cafeteria Lunch Purchase Patterns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cluss, Patricia A.; Fee, LuAnn; Culyba, Rebecca J.; Bhat, Kiran B.; Owen, Kay

    2014-01-01

    Background: Schools can play a major role in prevention and intervention for childhood obesity. We describe changes in elementary school cafeteria lunch sales patterns resulting from nutritional improvements in menu offerings that were part of a community-wide focus on health. Methods: Elementary school lunch sales data were collected for 1 week…

  14. Effect of point-of-purchase calorie labeling on restaurant and cafeteria food choices: a review of the literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harnack, Lisa J; French, Simone A

    2008-10-26

    Eating away from home has increased in prevalence among US adults and now comprises about 50% of food expenditures. Calorie labeling on chain restaurant menus is one specific policy that has been proposed to help consumers make better food choices at restaurants. The present review evaluates the available empirical literature on the effects of calorie information on food choices in restaurant and cafeteria settings. Computer-assisted searches were conducted using the PUBMED database and the Google Scholar world wide web search engine to identify studies published in peer-review journals that evaluated calorie labeling of cafeteria or restaurant menu items. Studies that evaluated labeling only some menu items (e.g. low calorie foods only) were excluded from the review since the influence of selective labeling may be different from that which may be expected from comprehensive labeling. Six studies were identified that met the selection criteria for this review. Results from five of these studies provide some evidence consistent with the hypothesis that calorie information may influence food choices in a cafeteria or restaurant setting. However, results from most of these studies suggest the effect may be weak or inconsistent. One study found no evidence of an effect of calorie labeling on food choices. Each of the studies had at least one major methodological shortcoming, pointing toward the need for better designed studies to more rigorously evaluate the influence of point-of-purchase calorie labeling on food choices. More research is needed that meets minimum standards of methodological quality. Studies need to include behavioral outcomes such as food purchase and eating behaviors. Also, studies need to be implemented in realistic settings such as restaurants and cafeterias.

  15. Design of an ARM-based Automatic Rice-Selling Machine for Cafeterias

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhiliang Kang

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available To address the problems of low selling efficiency, poor sanitation conditions, labor-intensive requirement, and quick rice cooling speed in manual rice selling in cafeterias, especially in colleges and secondary schools, this paper presented an Advanced RISC Machines (ARM microprocessor-based rice-selling machine for cafeterias. The machines consisted of a funnel-shaped rice bin, a thermal insulation box, and a conveying and scattering mechanism. Moreover, this machine exerts fuzzy control over stepper motor rpm, and the motor drives the conveyor belt with a scraper to scatter rice, deliver it, and keep it warm. Apart from an external 4*4 keyboard, a point of sale (POS machine, an ARM process and a pressure sensor, the machine is also equipped with card swiping and weighting mechanisms to achieve functions of card swiping payment and precise measurement, respectively. In addition, detection of the right amount of rice and the alarm function are achieved using an ultrasonic sensor and a beeper, respectively. The presence of the rice container on the rice outlet is detected by an optoelectronic switch. Results show that this rice-selling machine achieves precise measurement, quick card swiping, fast rice selling, stable operation, and good rice heat preservation. Therefore, the mechanical design enables the machine to achieve its goals.

  16. Chocolate milk consequences: a pilot study evaluating the consequences of banning chocolate milk in school cafeterias.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew S Hanks

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: Currently, 68.3% of the milk available in schools is flavored, with chocolate being the most popular (61.6% of all milk. If chocolate milk is removed from a school cafeteria, what will happen to overall milk selection and consumption? METHODS: In a before-after study in 11 Oregon elementary schools, flavored milk-which will be referred to as chocolate milk-was banned from the cafeteria. Milk sales, school enrollment, and data for daily participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP were compared year to date. RESULTS: Total daily milk sales declined by 9.9% (p<0.01. Although white milk increased by 161.2 cartons per day (p<0.001, 29.4% of this milk was thrown away. Eliminating chocolate milk was also associated with 6.8% fewer students eating school lunches, and although other factors were also involved, this is consistent with the notion of psychological reactance. CONCLUSIONS: Removing chocolate milk from school cafeterias may reduce calorie and sugar consumption, but it may also lead students to take less milk overall, drink less (waste more of the white milk they do take, and no longer purchase school lunch. Food service managers need to carefully weigh the costs and benefits of eliminating chocolate milk and should consider alternative options that make white milk more convenient, attractive, and normal to choose.

  17. [Effects of a long-term intervention in a work cafeteria on employee vegetable intake].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Misawa, Akemi; Yoshita, Katsushi; Fukumura, Tomoe; Tanaka, Taichiro; Tamaki, Junko; Takebayashi, Toru; Kusaka, Yukinori; Nakagawa, Hideaki; Yamato, Hiroshi; Okayama, Akira; Miura, Katsuyuki; Okamura, Tomonori; Ueshima, Hirotsugu

    2015-01-01

    We examined the effects on employee vegetable intake of a long-term intervention in an employee work cafeteria. The subjects were approximately 1,200 employees (aged 19-61 years) of an industrial company in Fukui prefecture. We promoted the intake of typical Japanese style meals that combined three elements (staple foods, main dishes and vegetable dishes) to increase vegetables intake. We displayed all items on the menus of the employee cafeteria using three colors (yellow, red and green to denote three elements) to indicate healthy food choices for the maintenance of a healthy food environment. We advised employees to choose meals containing the three elements at the time of payment, for nutritional education (appropriate portion choice: APC). We evaluated the ratio of APC at the same time. To calculate the mean daily intake per person, we carried out a questionnaire survey similar to the "semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire" and asked about the frequency and approximate intake of vegetables. The APC was 63.5% after one year of intervention, significantly increased to 82.1% after two years (p breakfast (p < 0.001), lunch (p < 0.001) and dinner (p = 0.011), and from vegetable juice (p = 0.030) significantly increased after three years of intervention. The consumption of pickles significantly decreased after three years of intervention (p = 0.009). It was estimated that the vegetable intake of men increased from 167.3 to 184.6 g, and that of women from 157.9 to 187.7 g. Employee estimated vegetable intake was significantly increased and that of pickles was significantly decreased by a long-term intervention (three years) in the employee work cafeteria.

  18. Effect of point-of-purchase calorie labeling on restaurant and cafeteria food choices: A review of the literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    French Simone A

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Eating away from home has increased in prevalence among US adults and now comprises about 50% of food expenditures. Calorie labeling on chain restaurant menus is one specific policy that has been proposed to help consumers make better food choices at restaurants. The present review evaluates the available empirical literature on the effects of calorie information on food choices in restaurant and cafeteria settings. Methods Computer-assisted searches were conducted using the PUBMED database and the Google Scholar world wide web search engine to identify studies published in peer-review journals that evaluated calorie labeling of cafeteria or restaurant menu items. Studies that evaluated labeling only some menu items (e.g. low calorie foods only were excluded from the review since the influence of selective labeling may be different from that which may be expected from comprehensive labeling. Results Six studies were identified that met the selection criteria for this review. Results from five of these studies provide some evidence consistent with the hypothesis that calorie information may influence food choices in a cafeteria or restaurant setting. However, results from most of these studies suggest the effect may be weak or inconsistent. One study found no evidence of an effect of calorie labeling on food choices. Each of the studies had at least one major methodological shortcoming, pointing toward the need for better designed studies to more rigorously evaluate the influence of point-of-purchase calorie labeling on food choices. Conclusion More research is needed that meets minimum standards of methodological quality. Studies need to include behavioral outcomes such as food purchase and eating behaviors. Also, studies need to be implemented in realistic settings such as restaurants and cafeterias.

  19. Efficiency of Tea Disposal from Cafeteria for Removal Nickel ion from Contaminated Groundwater

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rusul Nasser Mohammed

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available This work aims to study the removal of Nickel from ground water using low cost adsorbent tea waste from cafeteria. The total adsorbed amounts, equilibrium uptakes and overall removal efficiency of Nickel were determined by investigating the breakthrough curve obtained at different inlet Nickel concentrations, various pH value, gain size of waste tea and bed height. Decrease in the grain size of adsorbent tea from 0.3 to 0.05 cm resulted in essential increase in the removal rate and total adsorbed amounts while increasing the bed depth leads the increase of bed capability and the breakthrough period. The experimental data were calibrated using three isotherm models, Dubinin- Radushkevich (DRM Langmuir (LM , Freundlich (FM where the experimental data is well fitted to the Langmuir (LM. Experimental and theoretical breakthrough study showed that the prolonged breakthrough period and maximum capability of nickel is achieved at pH of 3, 125 mg/L of inlet concentration and 0.5 m of bed depth. As a final engineering observation, waste tea from cafeteria is a good and low-cost material that can absorb nickel from groundwater.

  20. Effects of the cafeteria diet on the salivary glands of trained and sedentary Wistar rats - doi: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v34i1.7473

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Raquel Marçal Natali

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this work was to study the effect of the aerobic physical training and the cafeteria diet introduced after weaning of Wistar rats and on the morphology of the main salivary glands (parotid, submandibular, sublingual. Male rats after weaning were subjected to the cafeteria diet or the standard rodent chow, and either performed aerobic physical training in a treadmill for 100 days, or did not performed any physical activity. Analyses were done considering the response in body weight, adipose tissues and salivary glands, and the data were submitted to statistical treatment (p < 0.05. The morphological and morphometric analyses of the salivary glands were performed through histological sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Despite the normophagic behavior, the rodents fed with the cafeteria diet became obese, with repercussions on parotid gland weight. However, this obesity and/or physical training did not influence the histological organization of the salivary glands. The morphometric analysis of the submandibular glands pointed out a reduction in the levels of serous acinar cells as an effect of the diet and physical training. In conclusion, the parotid and the submandibular glands alter themselves due to the nature and consistency of food present in the cafeteria diet as well as due to the aerobic physical training.

  1. Smoking ban in all restaurants and cafeterias on the CERN site

    CERN Multimedia

    CSR

    2006-01-01

    In 2005 the SCC decided that there would be a total smoking ban in all restaurants and satellite cafeterias on the CERN site, except for the designated area in Restaurant No.1. Unfortunately, it seems that this ban is often over-looked, resulting in an unhealthy and unpleasant environment for the users and staff of these facilities. You are asked to respect this ban and are reminded that smoking is only permitted in the room in Restaurant 1 specially installed for this purpose. The CSR Restaurant Monitoring Committee

  2. Consumer Nutrition Environments of Hospitals: An Exploratory Analysis Using the Hospital Nutrition Environment Scan for Cafeterias, Vending Machines, and Gift Shops, 2012

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sallis, James F.; Swartz, Michael D.; Hoelscher, Deanna M.; Peskin, Melissa F.

    2013-01-01

    Introduction Hospitals are the primary worksite of over 5 million adults in the United States, and millions of meals are procured and consumed in this setting. Because many worksite nutrition initiatives use an ecological framework to improve the dietary habits of employees, the nutrition values of foods served in hospitals is receiving attention. Methods This study used the Hospital Nutrition Environment Scan for Cafeterias, Vending Machines, and Gift Shops to quantitatively describe the consumer nutrition environments of 39 hospitals in Southern California. Data were collected by visiting each facility once from February 2012 through May 2012. Results On average, hospitals achieved only 29%, 33%, and less than 1% of the total possible points for their cafeteria, vending machines, and gift shops sections, respectively; overall, hospitals scored 25% of the total possible points. Large facility size and contracted food service operations were associated with some healthy practices in hospital cafeterias, but we found no association between these variables and the sectional or overall nutrition composite scores. Conclusion The average consumer nutrition environment of hospitals in this sample was minimally conducive to healthful eating. Nutrition-related interventions are warranted in hospital settings. PMID:23823699

  3. Consumer nutrition environments of hospitals: an exploratory analysis using the Hospital Nutrition Environment Scan for Cafeterias, Vending Machines, and Gift Shops, 2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winston, Courtney P; Sallis, James F; Swartz, Michael D; Hoelscher, Deanna M; Peskin, Melissa F

    2013-07-03

    Hospitals are the primary worksite of over 5 million adults in the United States, and millions of meals are procured and consumed in this setting. Because many worksite nutrition initiatives use an ecological framework to improve the dietary habits of employees, the nutrition values of foods served in hospitals is receiving attention. This study used the Hospital Nutrition Environment Scan for Cafeterias, Vending Machines, and Gift Shops to quantitatively describe the consumer nutrition environments of 39 hospitals in Southern California. Data were collected by visiting each facility once from February 2012 through May 2012. On average, hospitals achieved only 29%, 33%, and less than 1% of the total possible points for their cafeteria, vending machines, and gift shops sections, respectively; overall, hospitals scored 25% of the total possible points. Large facility size and contracted food service operations were associated with some healthy practices in hospital cafeterias, but we found no association between these variables and the sectional or overall nutrition composite scores. The average consumer nutrition environment of hospitals in this sample was minimally conducive to healthful eating. Nutrition-related interventions are warranted in hospital settings.

  4. Marked increase in rat red blood cell membrane protein glycosylation by one-month treatment with a cafeteria diet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laia Oliva

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objectives. Glucose, an aldose, spontaneously reacts with protein amino acids yielding glycosylated proteins. The compounds may reorganize to produce advanced glycosylation products, which regulatory importance is increasingly being recognized. Protein glycosylation is produced without the direct intervention of enzymes and results in the loss of function. Glycosylated plasma albumin, and glycosylated haemoglobin are currently used as index of mean plasma glucose levels, since higher glucose availability results in higher glycosylation rates. In this study we intended to detect the early changes in blood protein glycosylation elicited by an obesogenic diet.Experimental Design. Since albumin is in constant direct contact with plasma glucose, as are the red blood cell (RBC membranes, we analyzed their degree or glycosylation in female and male rats, either fed a standard diet or subjected to a hyper-energetic self-selected cafeteria diet for 30 days. This model produces a small increase in basal glycaemia and a significant increase in body fat, leaving the animals in the initial stages of development of metabolic syndrome. We also measured the degree of glycosylation of hemoglobin, and the concentration of glucose in contact with this protein, that within the RBC. Glycosylation was measured by colorimetric estimation of the hydroxymethylfurfural liberated from glycosyl residues by incubation with oxalate.Results. Plasma glucose was higher in cafeteria diet and in male rats, both independent effects. However, there were no significant differences induced by sex or diet in either hemoglobin or plasma proteins. Purified RBC membranes showed a marked effect of diet: higher glycosylation in cafeteria rats, which was more marked in females (not in controls. In any case, the number of glycosyl residues per molecule were higher in hemoglobin than in plasma proteins (after correction for molecular weight. The detected levels of glucose in

  5. Anti-obesity activity of chloroform-methanol extract of Premna integrifolia in mice fed with cafeteria diet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prashant Y Mali

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim of the study: Aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-obesity activity of chloroform:methanol extract of P. integrifolia (CMPI in mice fed with cafeteria diet. Materials and Methods: Female Swiss Albino mice were divided into six groups, which received normal and cafeteria diet, standard drug simvastatin (10 mg/kg and CMPI (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg daily for 40 days. Parameters such as body weight, body mass index (BMI, Lee index of obesity (LIO, food consumption, locomotor behavior, serum glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL, low density lipoprotein (LDL, very low density lipoprotein (VLDL, atherogenic index, organ weight and organ fat pad weight were studied for evaluating the anti-obesity activity of P. integrifolia. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC fingerprint profile of chloroform-methanol extract was also studied using quercetin as the reference standard. Results: There was a significant increase in body weight, BMI, LIO, food consumption, organ weight (liver and small intestine, organ fat pad weight (mesenteric and peri-renal fat pad and in the levels of serum glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL and VLDL with a significant decrease in locomotor behavior (ambulation, rearing, grooming and HDL level in cafeteria diet group. Animals treated with CMPI showed dose dependent activity. P. integrifolia (200 mg/kg supplementation attenuated all the above alterations, which indicates the anti-obesity activity. HPLC fingerprint profile of CMPI showed two peaks in the solvent system of 50 mm potassium diphosphate (pH-3 with ortho phosphoric acid: Methanol (30:70 v/v at 360 nm. Conclusion: Present findings suggest that, CMPI possessed anti-obesity activity that substantiated its ethno-medicinal use in the treatment of obesity.

  6. A nutrition labeling intervention in worksite cafeterias : an implementation evaluation across two large catering companies in the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vyth, Ellis L; Van Der Meer, Esther W C; Seidell, Jacob C; Steenhuis, Ingrid H M

    2012-01-01

    By both increasing the availability of healthy foods and labeling these products with the Choices logo, caterers may facilitate employees to make a healthier choice in their worksite cafeterias. The aim of this study was to explore which attributes influence the implementation of the Choices logo in

  7. Planning and development of the Better Bites program: a pricing manipulation strategy to improve healthy eating in a hospital cafeteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liebert, Mina L; Patsch, Amy J; Smith, Jennifer Howard; Behrens, Timothy K; Charles, Tami; Bailey, Taryn R

    2013-07-01

    The Better Bites program, a hospital cafeteria nutrition intervention strategy, was developed by combining evidence-based practices with hospital-specific formative research, including key informant interviews, the Nutrition Environment Measures Study in Restaurants, hospital employee surveys, and nutrition services staff surveys. The primary program components are pricing manipulation and marketing to promote delicious, affordable, and healthy foods to hospital employees and other cafeteria patrons. The pricing manipulation component includes decreasing the price of the healthy items and increasing the price of the unhealthy items using a 35% price differential. Point-of-purchase marketing highlights taste, cost, and health benefits of the healthy items. The program aims to increase purchases of healthy foods and decrease purchases of unhealthy foods, while maintaining revenue neutrality. This article addresses the formative research, planning, and development that informed the Better Bites program.

  8. A study of the importance of education and cost incentives on individual food choices at the Harvard School of Public Health cafeteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michels, Karin B; Bloom, Barry R; Riccardi, Paul; Rosner, Bernard A; Willett, Walter C

    2008-02-01

    To investigate the importance of cost and awareness of health- or disease-promoting properties of foods and meals for choices by customers of a cafeteria. A non-randomized intervention study. A medium size cafeteria in the Harvard School of Public Health. Customers of the cafeteria mainly consisting of public health students, faculty, and school staff and workers from the medical campus. The purchase of healthy foods and dishes was subsidized and their prices reduced by 20%. This promotion was accompanied by the distribution of educational material. Change in consumption of healthy and less healthy foods. The geometric mean was used to calculate the change in consumption. During the intervention, we observed a 6% increase in the consumption of healthy foods (95% confidence interval [CI]; 5% to 8%), and a 2% decline in the consumption of less-healthy foods (95% CI; -1% to -4%). After the prices returned to their original levels, the consumption of healthy foods increased further to 17% (95% CI; 13% to 20%) and a 2% decline in the consumption of less-healthy foods (95% CI; % 1 to -5%) persisted. Subsidizing healthful meals and educating consumers about the importance of a healthy diet can result in a modest increase in the selection of healthy foods and meals that can be maintained beyond the periods of subsidy and promotion.

  9. Process evaluation of two environmental nutrition programmes and an educational nutrition programme conducted at supermarkets and worksite cafeterias in the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    I.H.M. Steenhuis; P. van Assema (Patricia); A. Reubsaet; G.J. Kok (Gerjo)

    2004-01-01

    textabstractThis article describes the process evaluation of two environmental programs and a educational nutrition program, implemented at supermarkets and worksite cafeterias. Studies conducted earlier, indicated that the programs had no effect on consumers’ eating behavior. Consequently, the more

  10. The Relationship between Nutrition Knowledge and School Cafeteria Purchases of Seventh Grade Students in a Rural Indiana School District

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pucciarelli, Deanna; McNeany, Terry; Friesen, Carol

    2013-01-01

    Purpose/Objective: School cafeterias have the potential to positively contribute to the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. The purpose of this project was to assess adolescents' nutrition knowledge and dietary choices, and to measure the relationship between students' nutrition knowledge and the type of food items purchased in their…

  11. [The unnecessary application of central venous catheterization in surgical patients].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uemura, Keiko; Inoue, Satoki; Kawaguchi, Masahiko

    2018-04-06

    Perioperative physicians occasionally encounter situations where central venous catheters placed preoperatively turn out to be unnecessary. The purpose of this retrospective study is to identify the unnecessary application of central venous catheter placement and determine the factors associated with the unnecessary application of central venous catheter placement. Using data from institutional perioperative central venous catheter surveillance, we analysed data from 1,141 patients who underwent central venous catheter placement. We reviewed the central venous catheter registry and medical charts and allocated registered patients into those with the proper or with unnecessary application of central venous catheter according to standard indications. Multivariate analysis was used to identify factors associated with the unnecessary application of central venous catheter placement. In 107 patients, representing 9.38% of the overall population, we identified the unnecessary application of central venous catheter placement. Multivariate analysis identified emergencies at night or on holidays (odds ratio [OR] 2.109, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.021-4.359), low surgical risk (OR=1.729, 95% CI 1.038-2.881), short duration of anesthesia (OR=0.961/10min increase, 95% CI 0.945-0.979), and postoperative care outside of the intensive care unit (OR=2.197, 95% CI 1.402-3.441) all to be independently associated with the unnecessary application of catheterization. Complications related to central venous catheter placement when the procedure consequently turned out to be unnecessary were frequently observed (9/107) compared with when the procedure was necessary (40/1034) (p=0.032, OR=2.282, 95% CI 1.076-4.842). However, the subsequent multivariate logistic model did not hold this significant difference (p=0.0536, OR=2.115, 95% CI 0.988-4.526). More careful consideration for the application of central venous catheter is required in cases of emergency surgery at night or on

  12. A Study of the Importance of Education and Cost Incentives on Individual Food Choices at the Harvard School of Public Health Cafeteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michels, Karin B.; Bloom, Barry R.; Riccardi, Paul; Rosner, Bernard A.; Willett, Walter C.

    2013-01-01

    Objectives To investigate the importance of cost and awareness of health- or disease-promoting properties of foods and meals for choices by customers of a cafeteria. Design A non-randomized intervention study. Setting A medium size cafeteria in the Harvard School of Public Health. Participants Customers of the cafeteria mainly consisting of public health students, faculty, and school staff and workers from the medical campus. Intervention The purchase of healthy foods and dishes was subsidized and their prices reduced by 20%. This promotion was accompanied by the distribution of educational material. Main Outcome Measures Change in consumption of healthy and less healthy foods. Analysis The geometric mean was used to calculate the change in consumption. Results During the intervention, we observed a 6% increase in the consumption of healthy foods (95% confidence interval [CI]; 5% to 8%), and a 2% decline in the consumption of less-healthy foods (95% CI; −1% to −4%). After the prices returned to their original levels, the consumption of healthy foods increased further to 17% (95% CI; 13% to 20%) and a 2% decline in the consumption of less-healthy foods (95% CI; % 1 to −5%) persisted. Conclusions Subsidizing healthful meals and educating consumers about the importance of a healthy diet can result in a modest increase in the selection of healthy foods and meals that can be maintained beyond the periods of subsidy and promotion. PMID:18460476

  13. A Pricing Strategy To Promote Sales of Lower Fat Foods in High School Cafeterias: Acceptability and Sensitivity Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hannan, Peter; French, Simone A.; Story, Mary; Fulkerson, Jayne A.

    2002-01-01

    Examined the purchase patterns of seven targeted foods under conditions in which prices of three high-fat foods were raised and prices of four low-fat foods were lowered in a high school cafeteria over 1 school year. Data collected on food sales and revenues supported the feasibility of a pricing strategy that offered low-fat foods at lower prices…

  14. College cafeteria snack food purchases become less healthy with each passing week of the semester.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wansink, Brian; Cao, Ying; Saini, Prerna; Shimizu, Mitsuru; Just, David R

    2013-07-01

    Snacks, stress and parties all contribute to the weight gain – the elusive ‘Freshman 15’ – that some college-goers unfortunately experience. The present study examines how a` la carte snack choice changes on a university campus during each progressing week of the academic calendar. How a` la carte snack choices change on a university campus with each progressing week of the academic calendar was examined. The data were collected from three large cafeterias (or dining halls) on Cornell University’s campus during four semesters (Fall 2006, Spring 2007, Fall 2007 and Spring 2008), for 18 weeks in each semester. After the a` la carte snack items were divided into healthy snacks and unhealthy snacks, the percentage share for each food category was calculated. Within each semester, the unhealthy snack food choices increased consistently by 0?4% per week (b50?00418, P,0?01). Furthermore, a sharp (8 %) increase occurred in the final two weeks of the semester. In contrast, healthy snack food choices decreased by almost 4% (b520?0408, P,0?01) in the final two weeks during the fall semester. These results demonstrate an increased demand for hedonic, or unhealthy, snack foods as the college semester progresses and in particular at the very end of the semester. To counter this tendency towards unhealthy snacking, cafeterias and stores should make extra effort to promote healthy alternatives during the later weeks of the semester.

  15. Determining the Use and Perceived Effectiveness of a Point-of-Purchase Cafeteria Nutrition Education Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruzansky, ANITA S.; Whiting, Susan; Dobson, JOANNE DESMARAIS

    1998-01-01

    The Eat Smart Heart Beat Cafeteria Program (ESCP) is a point-of-purchase nutrition education program (PPNEP), which was developed by the Ottawa-Carleton Health Department (OCHD). The intent of this program was to increase the awareness and availability of lower-fat, higher-fibre foods in cafeterias. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ESCP using a Feedback Questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed primarily to determine the use of the ESCP manual and to evaluate the users' perceived effectiveness of this program. Purchasers of the ESCP were asked to complete the questionnaire one year after they received the program resources. Forty of the 88 program recipients (45%) returned the questionnaire. Most responses were from nutritionists or dietitians, health service managers and occupational health workers. Most respondents represented large workplaces (more than 250 employees) such as hospitals, government, health units and educational institutions. Of the 40 respondents, 10 implemented the program and indicated that they were moderately to very satisfied with all of the resources and that they would continue using the program. The 30 respondents who reported not using the program indicated that this was mainly due to time constraints. The ESCP has the potential to increase the awareness and availability of lower-fat, higher-fibre foods. Therefore, it is recommended that the program be continued in a ready-to-use format to increase its usability. Further research is needed to clarify the effects of the ESCP on behaviour change.

  16. Effects of Supplemental Acerola Juice on the Mineral Concentrations in Liver and Kidney Tissue Samples of Mice Fed with Cafeteria Diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leffa, Daniela Dimer; dos Santos, Carla Eliete Iochims; Daumann, Francine; Longaretti, Luiza Martins; Amaral, Livio; Dias, Johnny Ferraz; da Silva, Juliana; Andrade, Vanessa Moraes

    2015-09-01

    We evaluated the impact of a supplemental acerola juice (unripe, ripe, and industrial) and its main pharmaceutically active components on the concentrations of minerals in the liver and kidney of mice fed with cafeteria diet. Swiss male mice were fed with a cafeteria (CAF) diet for 13 weeks. The CAF consisted of a variety of supermarket products with high energy content. Subsequently, animals received one of the following food supplements for 1 month: water, unripe acerola juice, ripe acerola juice, industrial acerola juice, vitamin C, or rutin. Mineral concentrations of the tissues were determined by particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). Our study suggests that the simultaneous intake of acerola juices, vitamin C, or rutin in association with a hypercaloric and hyperlipidic diet provides change in the mineral composition of organisms in the conditions of this study, which plays an important role in the antioxidant defenses of the body. This may help to reduce the metabolism of the fat tissue or even to reduce the oxidative stress.

  17. Socio-demographic Characteristics and Food Hygiene Level Assessment of Food Handlers in Cafeterias around a Federal University in Nigeria

    OpenAIRE

    C. E. Aruwa; A. J. Akindusoye; S. I. Awala

    2017-01-01

    Background and Objective: Globally, food hygiene/food borne illnesses remain subjects of great concern. This study sought to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of food hygiene; and to determine the types, prevalence and load of microbial isolates among food handlers’ in cafeterias around a University in South-Western Nigeria. It also highlighted the socio-demographic characteristics of food handlers/respondents. Study Design: A cross sectional descriptive design was used, followe...

  18. Validity and Interrater Reliability of the Visual Quarter-Waste Method for Assessing Food Waste in Middle School and High School Cafeteria Settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Getts, Katherine M; Quinn, Emilee L; Johnson, Donna B; Otten, Jennifer J

    2017-11-01

    Measuring food waste (ie, plate waste) in school cafeterias is an important tool to evaluate the effectiveness of school nutrition policies and interventions aimed at increasing consumption of healthier meals. Visual assessment methods are frequently applied in plate waste studies because they are more convenient than weighing. The visual quarter-waste method has become a common tool in studies of school meal waste and consumption, but previous studies of its validity and reliability have used correlation coefficients, which measure association but not necessarily agreement. The aims of this study were to determine, using a statistic measuring interrater agreement, whether the visual quarter-waste method is valid and reliable for assessing food waste in a school cafeteria setting when compared with the gold standard of weighed plate waste. To evaluate validity, researchers used the visual quarter-waste method and weighed food waste from 748 trays at four middle schools and five high schools in one school district in Washington State during May 2014. To assess interrater reliability, researcher pairs independently assessed 59 of the same trays using the visual quarter-waste method. Both validity and reliability were assessed using a weighted κ coefficient. For validity, as compared with the measured weight, 45% of foods assessed using the visual quarter-waste method were in almost perfect agreement, 42% of foods were in substantial agreement, 10% were in moderate agreement, and 3% were in slight agreement. For interrater reliability between pairs of visual assessors, 46% of foods were in perfect agreement, 31% were in almost perfect agreement, 15% were in substantial agreement, and 8% were in moderate agreement. These results suggest that the visual quarter-waste method is a valid and reliable tool for measuring plate waste in school cafeteria settings. Copyright © 2017 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Prevalence of intestinal parasites among food handlers at cafeteria of Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hundaol Girma

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To assess the prevalence of intestinal parasites and associated risk factors among food-handlers working at cafeteria of Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Jimma, Ethiopia. Methods: Socio-demographic and associated risk factors data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire. Stool and finger-nail specimens were screened for intestinal parasites using direct wet mount and formol-ether concentration sedimentation techniques. Data were edited, cleaned, entered and analyzed using statistical package for social science (SPSS version 20. P ≤ 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. Results: A total of 94 food-handlers working at cafeteria of Jimma University Specialized Hospital were participated in the study. From the total 148 samples (94 stool and 54 fingernails content examined, 31 (33% were positive for one or more parasites. Over all eight types of intestinal parasites were identified. The most prevalent parasite identified was Ascaris lumbricoides (16% followed by Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (4.3%. There was significant association between parasitic infection and food handlers who did not practice hand washing after defecation and before serving food. Conclusions: Relatively high prevalence of intestinal parasites is detected indicating poor hygiene practice of the food-handlers at the study site. The study also identified finger-nail status, hand washing after defecation and before serving food as determinants of intestinal parasitic infection. It is crucial for provision of regular training on strict adherence to good personal hygiene and hygienic food-handling practices as well as regular inspection and medical checkup of food-handlers.

  20. Strategies for Reducing Energy Consumption in a Student Cafeteria in a Hot-Humid Climate: A Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed Alhaji Mohammed

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Increasing attention is being given to energy consumption and potential for energy savings in public buildings in order to improve energy performance. Due to their size and functional requirements, public buildings especially cafeteria facilities tend to consume a significant amount of energy. Furthermore, due to their operational characteristics and construction pattern, unnecessary energy is likely to be used for maintaining acceptable indoor environmental quality. In this study, a student cafeteria at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia, was selected for the assessment of its energy performance and potential energy conservation opportunities. Energy simulation software Visual DOE 4.1 was used to develop an energy performance model for assessing various energy conservation measures pertinent to the building envelope and HVAC system design. Data required for setting up the model were gathered through simple energy audits. The architectural and mechanical drawings and the history of electrical consumption were collected. Various energy conservation strategies were then implemented including standards, single and combined energy conservation measures. These measures resulted in a combined design saving of 27.4%, the HVAC system saving 10.6%, implementation of standards saving about 16.7%, lighting 6.6%, equipment 2.6%, insulation 2.5% and glazing 1.4%. Based on these results, it is apparent that there is a significant potential for improving energy performance and justification to employ the suggested measures for achieving substantial energy savings and minimize energy consumption.

  1. Middle School Cafeteria Food Choice and Waste Prior to Implementation of Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act Changes in the National School Lunch Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Connors, Priscilla; Bednar, Carolyn

    2015-01-01

    Purpose/Objectives: The study objective was to document choices of entrées, vegetables, fruits, grains/breads, and beverages on lunch trays and to determine the amount of each that was discarded after mealtime. Methods: A convenience sample of two urban middle school cafeterias in Texas participated in the study which took place in the 2010-2011…

  2. Foods offered in Quebec school cafeterias: do they promote healthy eating habits? Results of a provincial survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morin, Pascale; Demers, Karine; Gray-Donald, Katherine; Mongeau, Lyne

    2012-06-05

    A school environment that encourages students to opt for food with sound nutritional value is both essential and formative in ensuring that young people adopt healthy eating habits. The aim of this paper is to describe the food offered for lunch in the cafeteria service lines in Quebec schools on regular school days. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between November 2008 and June 2009 with a representative sample of 207 French-speaking schools in the province of Quebec. The response rate was 71%. The cafeteria food available from the service line was observed directly and systematically by research assistants trained in observational procedures. Bivariate and descriptive analyses were performed. While most schools offered a vegetable side dish, only 71% of primary schools, 71% of public secondary schools, and 54% of private secondary schools did not offer cold-cut dishes, stuffed pastry, or a fried food on their daily menus. The sandwiches available were rarely made with whole-grain bread. Public secondary schools had more cookies, biscuits, muffins, and chewing gum than private primary and secondary schools. Milk was available in 85% of the primary schools. Most of the schools had eliminated sodas but were still offering fruit cocktails instead of 100% fruit juice. The school eating environment changed significantly from 2002 to 2009, presumably as a result of the government action plan and the Framework Policy. Improvements must be made with respect to reducing added sugar in beverages and desserts and promoting baked rather than fried snacks. Vigilance is required since many new products are making their way into the market.

  3. Laser photobiomodulation as an adjunct of the wound healing impairment of rats exposed to a cafeteria diet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uzeda, V.; Paraguassu, G. M.; Dos Santos, J. N.; Ramalho, M. J.; Rodriguez, T. T.; Ramalho, L. M. P.

    2014-02-01

    Obesity is associated to a delayed wound healing and prolonged inflammatory phase. Laser light has shown positive results in the photobiomodulation of tissue repair; however, its use associated with systemic disorders such as obesity is still little explored in the literature. The aim of this study was to validate an experimental system for studying weight gaining by consuming a high fat diet called "cafeteria diet" (CD) for the induction of obesity. Forty-eight rats were weaned, divided into two experimental groups: standard diet (SD) and Cafeteria Diet (CD). Free feeding was carried out during 20 weeks and the mass gaining was accompanied. After general anesthesia standardized surgical wounds were created (1cm2) in the dorsal midline region of each animal. Both groups (SD; CD) were divided into 2 subgroups of 12 animals, G1 and G3 (non-irradiated) and G2 and G4 (irradiated). The irradiation protocols (λ660 nm, 40 mW, CW; 24 J/cm2) started immediately after surgery and were repeated every other day during 14 days. The rats were killed at the 8th or 15th days after surgery. The abdominal fat was removed and weighed to verify the success of the induction technique. The specimens were taken and routinely processed histology (hematoxylin/eosin) was performed. It was concluded that the ingestion of fast-food increased abdominal fat in rats and modified the inflammatory pattern of the healing. Laser phototherapy in the parameters employed decreased inflammatory intensity quickening wound healing in obese rats.

  4. Nourishing change. Partnership enlists dozens of hospitals to put healthier food on their menus and kick junk food out of the cafeteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jaimy

    2012-10-08

    More than 150 hospitals have signed on to the Partnership for a Healthier America's push to ditch the deep-fat fryer in their cafeterias and bulk up on fruit and veggies. "Our focus is to ensure that if people want to make a healthy choice, they can," says Larry Soler, left, president and CEO of the partnership, which is working to reduce childhood obesity.

  5. Dietary exposure to acrylamide from cafeteria foods in Jeddah schools and associated risk assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Tawila, Mahmoud M; Al-Ansari, Ahmed M; Alrasheedi, Amani A; Neamatallah, Abdulateef A

    2017-10-01

    Acrylamide (AA) is a carcinogenic and genotoxic food contaminant produced at high temperatures in foods that are rich in carbohydrates. Foods sold in schools in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, are among such carbohydrate-rich foods produced at high cooking temperatures. It is crucial to determine the importance of AA exposure with respect to cafeteria foods and assess the associated risks. The highest mean AA level was measured in chocolate pies (439 µg kg -1 ), followed by custard pies (435 µg kg -1 ) and cheese pies (432 µg kg -1 ). The average and 95th percentile values of AA exposure were 0.51 and 1.17 [µg kg -1 body weight (BW) school day -1 ]. The average exposure significantly decreased with an increase in age, from 0.65 (µg kg -1 BW school day -1 ) in primary school students to 0.37 in secondary school students. Cheese and chocolate pies are the main contributors in AA intake. The contributions of cheese and chocolate pies to the average exposure among primary, middle and secondary school students were 23.1%, 24.7% and 29.4% and 16.9%, 12.1% and 11.9%, respectively. Other products with significant contributions included cheese sandwiches (10.8%, 8.9% and 12.7%), plain cookies (7.7%, 5.6% and 6.7%) and custard pies (7.7%, 4.8% and 8.9%). Other cafeteria products contributed to AA exposure at much lower percentages. The calculated margins of exposure (MOEs) for the average [356 and 614 for both benchmark dose lower confidence limit (BMDL) 0.18 and 0.31 mg kg -1 BW day -1 ] and 95th percentile AA exposure values (154 and 265 for both BMDL 0.18 and 0.31 mg kg -1 BW day -1 ) suggest that there is a health concern with respect to school-aged students. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

  6. Does a grill menu redesign influence sales, nutrients purchased, and consumer acceptance in a worksite cafeteria?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maya K. Vadiveloo

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Worksite cafeterias are compelling venues to improve diet quality through environmental changes.We conducted a pre-post study to evaluate how a cafeteria-initiated grill menu redesign influenced sales, revenue, and nutrient content of foods purchased. Secondly, we evaluated consumer opinions about menu changes to inform practices for worksite environment interventions. Monthly sales data (2012–2015 were used to compute gross sales and revenue of entrées and side dishes pre-post menu changes. Alternative protein sources replaced red meat; nutrient composition and nutrients purchased were compared using Food Pro software. Consumer responses were queried using online surveys; open-ended responses were analyzed using NVivo. Differences in sales and nutrient content pre-post menu redesign were tested with Wilcoxon Rank Sum tests. Gross sales of entrées (61 vs. 222servings/month; p=0.01 and side dishes (120 vs. 365servings/month; p=0.001 increased more than three-fold post-menu changes. Revenue from entrées (312 vs. 1144USD/month; p=0.01 and side dishes (238 vs. 914USD/month; p=0.001 also increased; per entrée, consumers purchased significantly more unsaturated fat (5g, and less saturated fat (3g and sodium (100mg. For side dishes, they purchased fewer calories (48kcal and unsaturated fat (2.9g, but more fiber (1.8g, and sodium (260mg. Four themes emerged from consumer responses: the importance of 1 variety, novelty, choice; 2 cost, affordability, value; 3 health; and 4 food quality, taste. Menu redesign can improve nutrient content, while also increasing sales and revenue. Multi-dimensional assessment of the nutritional, consumer, and retailer implications is desirable practice for enacting similar environmental changes. Keywords: Worksite health promotion, Food environment change, Consumer satisfaction, Menu redesign, Sales and revenue

  7. Does a grill menu redesign influence sales, nutrients purchased, and consumer acceptance in a worksite cafeteria?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vadiveloo, Maya K; Malik, Vasanti S; Spiegelman, Donna; Willett, Walter C; Mattei, Josiemer

    2017-12-01

    Worksite cafeterias are compelling venues to improve diet quality through environmental changes. We conducted a pre-post study to evaluate how a cafeteria-initiated grill menu redesign influenced sales, revenue, and nutrient content of foods purchased. Secondly, we evaluated consumer opinions about menu changes to inform practices for worksite environment interventions. Monthly sales data (2012-2015) were used to compute gross sales and revenue of entrées and side dishes pre-post menu changes. Alternative protein sources replaced red meat; nutrient composition and nutrients purchased were compared using Food Pro software. Consumer responses were queried using online surveys; open-ended responses were analyzed using NVivo. Differences in sales and nutrient content pre-post menu redesign were tested with Wilcoxon Rank Sum tests. Gross sales of entrées (61 vs. 222 servings/month; p = 0.01) and side dishes (120 vs. 365 servings/month; p = 0.001) increased more than three-fold post-menu changes. Revenue from entrées (312 vs. 1144 USD/month; p = 0.01) and side dishes (238 vs. 914 USD/month; p = 0.001) also increased; per entrée, consumers purchased significantly more unsaturated fat (5 g), and less saturated fat (3 g) and sodium (100 mg). For side dishes, they purchased fewer calories (48 kcal) and unsaturated fat (2.9 g), but more fiber (1.8 g), and sodium (260 mg). Four themes emerged from consumer responses: the importance of 1) variety, novelty, choice; 2) cost, affordability, value; 3) health; and 4) food quality, taste. Menu redesign can improve nutrient content, while also increasing sales and revenue. Multi-dimensional assessment of the nutritional, consumer, and retailer implications is desirable practice for enacting similar environmental changes.

  8. Effect of Nutritional Intervention on Food Choices of French Students in Middle School Cafeterias, Using an Interactive Educational Software Program (Nutri-Advice)

    OpenAIRE

    Turnin , Marie-Christine; Buisson , Jean-Christophe; Ahluwalia , Namanjeet; Cazals , Laurent; Bolzonella-Pene , Caroline; Fouquet-Martineau , Caroline; Martini , Pascale; Tauber , Maïté; Hanaire , Hélène

    2016-01-01

    International audience; Objective : To evaluate the impact of interactive Nutri-Advice kiosks on children's nutritional skills and their ability to apply it to food choices in a middle school cafeteria menu (food choice competencies). Design : Quasi-experimental design; pre/post-test. Setting : Freestanding interactive computer terminals (kiosks) were installed in three middle schools in Toulouse, France. Participants : A total of 580 children were enrolled into the study (mean age, 13 ± 1 ye...

  9. Efeitos do exercício crônico sobre a concentração circulante da leptina e grelina em ratos com obesidade induzida por dieta Effects of the chronic exercise on the circulating concentration of leptin and ghrelin in rats With diet-induced obesity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ricardo Eguchi

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available A obesidade vem se tornando uma das maiores epidemias mundiais, dessa forma, conhecer sua etiologia e mecanismos que regulam seu desenvolvimento é de grande relevância para o seu Tratamento. Portanto, o objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar os efeitos da obesidade exógena induzida pela dieta de cafeteria e da atividade física crônica em ratos, sobre a adiposidade e a concentração sérica dos hormônios reguladores do balanço energético (leptina e grelina. Foram utilizados 32 ratos Wistar machos, divididos em quatro grupos: Sedentário alimentado com dieta padrão (SN, sedentário alimentado com dieta de cafeteria (SC, treinado alimentado com dieta padrão (TN e treinado alimentado com dieta de cafeteria (TC. A dieta de cafeteria aumentou significativamente a adiposidade central (RET e visceral (EPI (pObesity is becoming one of the biggest worldwide epidemics. Therefore, knowing its etiology and mechanisms that regulate its development is of great relevance for its treatment. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of obesity induced by the palatable hyperlipidic diet and of the chronic physical activity in rats, on the adiposity and the serum concentration of regulating hormones of the energy balance (leptin and ghrelin. 32 male Wistar rats were divided in four groups: Sedentary fed with chow diet (SN, sedentary fed with cafeteria diet (SC, trained fed with chow diet (TN and trained fed with cafeteria diet (TC. The cafeteria diet led to a significant increase of central (RET and visceral (EPI adiposity (p<0.05. Conversely,the exercise training minimized the effect of the cafeteria diet, diminishing the central and visceral adiposity. Leptin was also increased in the groups fed with the cafeteria diet, suggesting increase of the resistance to the action of this hormone. Chronic physical activity did not hinder the development of hyperleptinemia. Reduction in the serum ghrelin concentration was observed only in

  10. [Frequency of use of school cafeterias in middle and high schools in 3 French districts].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michaud, C; Feur, E; Gerbouin-Rérolle, P; Leynaud-Rouaud, C; Chateil, S; Gourdon, M

    2000-09-01

    Reports from the French Ministry of Education warn of a decrease in the use of school food services, especially in sensitive urban areas. They also suggest that this decline has led to cases of malnutrition. This article describes the characteristics of the current supply of school meals and measures the evolution of demand observed between 1992 and 1996 in relation to the economic situation of students' families. The study was carried out in 3 departments in France: Doubs, Herault, and Val de Marne. The administrators of all public and private middle and high schools in the 3 departments received a questionnaire asking them to describe the services offered in their cafeterias and to provide the corresponding statistical and accounting data. External food services near the schools were also taken into account. Seventy-nine percent of schools responded to the survey. Concerning the services offered, 91% of schools have their own cafeterias, of which 81% are managed by the schools. Concerning the evolution of utilisation, a significant decrease in the number of meals served in seen in middle schools. On the other hand, high schools have observed stable utilisation. The positive changes in utilisation are linked, in middle schools, to characteristics of the schools' internal food services (self-service, choice of main courses, modulation of seats). In high schools, positive changes in the utilisation of school services are linked to the lack of external food services near the schools. As middle schools and high schools control the logistics and management of food services offered to students, they are potentially in a position to influence a policy on this issue. The evolution in utilisation is very different among departments and between middle and high schools. While economic precariousness has a negative structural effect on utilisation, it doesn't seem to be a major factor in the evolution of the decrease observed over the past few years.

  11. A escola promovendo hábitos alimentares saudáveis: uma proposta metodológica de capacitação para educadores e donos de cantina escolar Promotion of healthy eating habits by schools: a methodological proposal for training courses for educators and school cafeteria owners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bethsáida de Abreu Soares Schmitz

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available O projeto A Escola Promovendo Hábitos Alimentares Saudáveis estimula, desde 2001 no Distrito Federal, Brasil, a formação de bons hábitos alimentares na comunidade escolar, no contexto da promoção de estilos de vida saudáveis e prevenção das doenças crônicas não- transmissíveis. Este trabalho apresenta e avalia uma metodologia desenvolvida em 2006, para capacitação de educadores do ensino infantil e fundamental até a 4ª série e donos de cantina escolar. As oficinas tiveram aulas expositivas, atividades práticas, jogos educativos, entre outros. Como indicadores de avaliação analisaram-se itens relacionados à ampliação e aplicabilidade dos conhecimentos, além da implantação dos 10 passos da cantina escolar saudável. As atividades pedagógicas propostas foram verificadas pela análise dos portfólios dos educadores. A avaliação geral foi positiva, houve ampliação dos conhecimentos (p The project entitled Promotion of Health Eating Habits by Schools, operating in the Federal District of Brazil since 2001, encourages good eating habits in the school community within the context of promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing chronic non-communicable diseases. The current article presents and analyzes a methodology to train preschool and elementary educators and school cafeteria owners. The workshops included theoretical classes, practical activities, and educational games and were evaluated on the basis of expansion and applicability of knowledge, in addition to implementation of the 10 steps to a healthy school cafeteria. The proposed pedagogical activities were verified by an analysis of the teachers' workshop folders. The overall evaluation was positive, with expansion of knowledge (p < 0.05 among participants for the three workshop modules. The objectives laid out in the workshop folders were reached by 44% of the teachers. In the implementation of the healthy cafeteria, positive results were observed when comparing

  12. Using smart card technology to monitor the eating habits of children in a school cafeteria: 3. The nutritional significance of beverage and dessert choices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lambert, N; Plumb, J; Looise, B; Johnson, I T; Harvey, I; Wheeler, C; Robinson, M; Rolfe, P

    2005-08-01

    The consumption patterns of beverages and desserts features highly in the current debate surrounding children's nutrition. The aim of this study was to continuously monitor the choice of beverages and desserts made by nearly 1000 children in a school cafeteria. A newly developed smart card system was used to monitor the food choices of diners (7-16-year-old boys) in a school cafeteria over 89 days. A wide variety of beverages and desserts were on offer daily. Despite coming from an affluent, well-educated demographic group, the boys' choices of beverages and desserts mirrored those of children in general. Buns and cookies were over 10 times more popular than fresh fruits and yogurts. Sugary soft-drinks were over 20 times more popular than fresh fruit drinks and milk combined. Appropriate choices could, over a month, reduce intake of added sugar by over 800 g and fat by over 200 g. The smart card system was very effective at monitoring total product choices for nearly 1000 diners. In agreement with a recent national school meal survey, where choice is extensive, children show a preference for products high in fat and/or sugar. The consequences of these preferences are discussed.

  13. Combination of the sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor empagliflozin with orlistat or sibutramine further improves the body-weight reduction and glucose homeostasis of obese rats fed a cafeteria diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vickers, Steven P; Cheetham, Sharon C; Headland, Katie R; Dickinson, Keith; Grempler, Rolf; Mayoux, Eric; Mark, Michael; Klein, Thomas

    2014-01-01

    The present study assessed the potential of the sodium glucose-linked transporter (SGLT)-2 inhibitor empagliflozin to decrease body weight when administered alone or in combination with the clinically effective weight-loss agents orlistat and sibutramine in obese rats fed a cafeteria diet. Female Wistar rats were exposed to a cafeteria diet to induce obesity. Empagliflozin was dosed once daily (10, 30, and 60 mg/kg) for 28 days. Combination studies were subsequently performed using a submaximal empagliflozin dose (10 mg/kg) with either sibutramine or orlistat. Body weight, food, and water intake were recorded daily. The effect of drug treatment on glucose tolerance, relevant plasma parameters, and carcass composition was determined. Empagliflozin dose-dependently reduced body weight, plasma leptin, and body fat though increased urinary glucose excretion. The combination of empagliflozin and orlistat significantly reduced body weight compared to animals treated with either drug alone, and significantly improved glucose tolerance, plasma insulin, and leptin compared to vehicle-treated controls. The effect of sibutramine to improve glycemic control in an oral glucose-tolerance test was also significantly increased, with empagliflozin and combination treatment leading to a reduction in carcass fat greater than that observed with either drug alone. These data demonstrate that empagliflozin reduces body weight in cafeteria-fed obese rats. In combination studies, empagliflozin further improved the body-weight or body-fat loss of animals in comparison to orlistat or sibutramine alone. Such studies may indicate improved strategies for the treatment of obese patients with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.

  14. Nudging Healthier Choices in a Hospital Cafeteria: Results From a Field Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazza, Mary Carol; Dynan, Linda; Siegel, Robert M; Tucker, Anita L

    2017-11-01

    More than two thirds of adults and one third of children are overweight or obese in the United States. These trends have led to initiatives to provide information that supports informed choices. Traffic light labeling has been shown to increase consumer awareness and encourage healthy selections. This article contributes to the literature on healthy choices by comparing the additional contribution of a number of interventions used in combination with traffic light labeling. We conducted a 21-month field study in a workplace cafeteria. We analyzed cash register receipts, focusing on sales of beverages and chips. We found that the traffic light system was effective. The addition of caloric information to traffic light labeling had a positive effect on the purchase of healthy chips. However, other interventions appeared to produce more harm than good, essentially wiping out the benefits from traffic light labeling. These findings suggest that although it is possible to improve on traffic light labeling with selective interventions, caution is in order as some interventions may trigger compensatory behavior that results in the purchase of unhealthy items.

  15. Effects of Acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.) Juice Intake on Brain Energy Metabolism of Mice Fed a Cafeteria Diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leffa, Daniela Dimer; Rezin, Gislaine Tezza; Daumann, Francine; Longaretti, Luiza M; Dajori, Ana Luiza F; Gomes, Lara Mezari; Silva, Milena Carvalho; Streck, Emílio L; de Andrade, Vanessa Moraes

    2017-03-01

    Obesity is a multifactorial disease that comes from an imbalance between food intake and energy expenditure. Moreover, studies have shown a relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and obesity. In the present study, we investigated the effect of acerola juices (unripe, ripe, and industrial) and its main pharmacologically active components (vitamin C and rutin) on the activity of enzymes of energy metabolism in the brain of mice fed a palatable cafeteria diet. Two groups of male Swiss mice were fed on a standard diet (STA) or a cafeteria diet (CAF) for 13 weeks. Afterwards, the CAF-fed animals were divided into six subgroups, each of which received a different supplement for one further month (water, unripe, ripe or industrial acerola juices, vitamin C, or rutin) by gavage. Our results demonstrated that CAF diet inhibited the activity of citrate synthase in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and hypothalamus. Moreover, CAF diet decreased the complex I activity in the hypothalamus, complex II in the prefrontal cortex, complex II-III in the hypothalamus, and complex IV in the posterior cortex and striatum. The activity of succinate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase was not altered by the CAF diet. However, unripe acerola juice reversed the inhibition of the citrate synthase activity in the prefrontal cortex and hypothalamus. Ripe acerola juice reversed the inhibition of citrate synthase in the hypothalamus. The industrial acerola juice reversed the inhibition of complex I activity in the hypothalamus. The other changes were not reversed by any of the tested substances. In conclusion, we suggest that alterations in energy metabolism caused by obesity can be partially reversed by ripe, unripe, and industrial acerola juice.

  16. Behavioral characterization of a model of differential susceptibility to obesity induced by standard and personalized cafeteria diet feeding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gac, L; Kanaly, V; Ramirez, V; Teske, J A; Pinto, M P; Perez-Leighton, C E

    2015-12-01

    Despite the increase in obesity prevalence over the last decades, humans show large inter-individual variability for susceptibility to diet-induced obesity. Understanding the biological basis of this susceptibility could identify new therapeutic alternatives against obesity. We characterized behavioral changes associated with propensity to obesity induced by cafeteria (CAF) diet consumption in mice. We show that Balb/c mice fed a CAF diet display a large inter-individual variability in susceptibility to diet-induced obesity, such that based on changes in adiposity we can classify mice as obesity prone (OP) or obesity resistant (OR). Both OP and OR were hyperphagic relative to control-fed mice but caloric intake was similar between OP and OR mice. In contrast, OR had a larger increase in locomotor activity following CAF diet compared to OP mice. Obesity resistant and prone mice showed similar intake of sweet snacks, but OR ate more savory snacks than OP mice. Two bottle sucrose preference tests showed that OP decreased their sucrose preference compared to OR mice after CAF diet feeding. Finally, to test the robustness of the OR phenotype in response to further increases in caloric intake, we fed OR mice with a personalized CAF (CAF-P) diet based on individual snack preferences. When fed a CAF-P diet, OR increased their calorie intake compared to OP mice fed the standard CAF diet, but did not reach adiposity levels observed in OP mice. Together, our data show the contribution of hedonic intake, individual snack preference and physical activity to individual susceptibility to obesity in Balb/c mice fed a standard and personalized cafeteria-style diet. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Changes in School Food Preparation Methods Result in Healthier Cafeteria Lunches in Elementary Schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behrens, Timothy K; Liebert, Mina L; Peterson, Hannah J; Howard Smith, Jennifer; Sutliffe, Jay T; Day, Aubrey; Mack, Jodi

    2018-05-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a districtwide food best practices and preparation changes in elementary schools lunches, implemented as part of the LiveWell@School childhood obesity program, funded by LiveWell Colorado/Kaiser Permanente Community Health Initiative. Longitudinal study examining how school changes in best practices for food preparation impacted the types of side items offered from 2009 to 2015 in elementary school cafeterias in a high-need school district in southern Colorado. Specifically, this study examined changes in side items (fruits, vegetables, potatoes, breads, and desserts). In Phase 1 (2009-2010), baseline data were collected. During Phase 2 (2010-2011), breaded and processed foods (e.g., frozen nuggets, pre-packaged pizza) were removed and school chefs were trained on scratch cooking methods. Phase 3 (2011-2012) saw an increased use of fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables after a new commodity order. During Phase 4 (2013-2015), chef consulting and training took place. The frequency of side offerings was tracked across phases. Analyses were completed in Fall 2016. Because of limited sample sizes, data from Phases 2 to 4 (intervention phases) were combined for potatoes and desserts. Descriptive statistics were calculated. After adjusting for length of time for each phase, Pearson chi-square tests were conducted to examine changes in offerings of side items by phase. Fresh fruit offerings increased and canned fruit decreased in Phases 1-4 (p=0.001). A significant difference was observed for vegetables (p=0.001), with raw and steamed vegetables increasing and canned vegetables decreasing from Phase 1 to 4. Fresh potatoes (low in sodium) increased and fried potatoes (high in sodium) decreased from Phase 1 to Phases 2-4 (p=0.001). Breads were eliminated entirely in Phase 2, and dessert changes were not significant (p=0.927). This approach to promoting healthier lunch sides is a promising paradigm for improving elementary

  18. Effect of Nutritional Intervention on Food Choices of French Students in Middle School Cafeterias, Using an Interactive Educational Software Program (Nutri-Advice).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turnin, Marie-Christine; Buisson, Jean-Christophe; Ahluwalia, Namanjeet; Cazals, Laurent; Bolzonella-Pene, Caroline; Fouquet-Martineau, Caroline; Martini, Pascale; Tauber, Maïthé; Hanaire, Hélène

    2016-02-01

    To evaluate the impact of interactive Nutri-Advice kiosks on children's nutritional skills and their ability to apply it to food choices in a middle school cafeteria menu (food choice competencies). Quasi-experimental design; pre/post-test. Freestanding interactive computer terminals (kiosks) were installed in three middle schools in Toulouse, France. A total of 580 children were enrolled into the study (mean age, 13 ± 1 years). Each child's physiological profile was stored in a personal barcode card. During 1 school year, once a day, each child could access the kiosk with this card, trying to find the most balanced meal according to his or her profile and the food available on the cafeteria menu. Children's food choice competency changes and body mass index z-score were evaluated. Significance of change in food choice competencies (postintervention vs baseline) was examined using paired t test. Across the study, children chose significantly less cheese and pastry or desserts, and significantly more starchy food and dairy, and tended to choose fruits and vegetables more often. Body mass index z-score decreased significantly during the period. Personalized nutrition counseling through an interactive device has the potential to improve the food choice competencies of children. Copyright © 2016 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. An introduction to central simple algebras and their applications to wireless communication

    CERN Document Server

    Berhuy, Gre�gory

    2013-01-01

    Central simple algebras arise naturally in many areas of mathematics. They are closely connected with ring theory, but are also important in representation theory, algebraic geometry and number theory. Recently, surprising applications of the theory of central simple algebras have arisen in the context of coding for wireless communication. The exposition in the book takes advantage of this serendipity, presenting an introduction to the theory of central simple algebras intertwined with its applications to coding theory. Many results or constructions from the standard theory are presented in classical form, but with a focus on explicit techniques and examples, often from coding theory. Topics covered include quaternion algebras, splitting fields, the Skolem-Noether Theorem, the Brauer group, crossed products, cyclic algebras and algebras with a unitary involution. Code constructions give the opportunity for many examples and explicit computations. This book provides an introduction to the theory of central alg...

  20. Availability of drinking water in US public school cafeterias.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hood, Nancy E; Turner, Lindsey; Colabianchi, Natalie; Chaloupka, Frank J; Johnston, Lloyd D

    2014-09-01

    This study examined the availability of free drinking water during lunchtime in US public schools, as required by federal legislation beginning in the 2011-2012 school year. Data were collected by mail-back surveys in nationally representative samples of US public elementary, middle, and high schools from 2009-2010 to 2011-2012. Overall, 86.4%, 87.4%, and 89.4% of students attended elementary, middle, and high schools, respectively, that met the drinking water requirement. Most students attended schools with existing cafeteria drinking fountains and about one fourth attended schools with water dispensers. In middle and high schools, respondents were asked to indicate whether drinking fountains were clean, and whether they were aware of any water-quality problems at the school. The vast majority of middle and high school students (92.6% and 90.4%, respectively) attended schools where the respondent perceived drinking fountains to be clean or very clean. Approximately one in four middle and high school students attended a school where the survey respondent indicated that there were water-quality issues affecting drinking fountains. Although most schools have implemented the requirement to provide free drinking water at lunchtime, additional work is needed to promote implementation at all schools. School nutrition staff at the district and school levels can play an important role in ensuring that schools implement the drinking water requirement, as well as promote education and behavior-change strategies to increase student consumption of water at school. Copyright © 2014 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. ROLE-PLAYS VS. NATURAL DATA: ASKING FOR A DRINK AT A CAFETERIA IN PENINSULAR SPANISH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rebeca Bataller

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to compare the data collected, via two methods, from two groups of Peninsular Spanish native speakers in a service encounter scenario. The methods chosen are open role-plays and naturally occurring interactions, two frequently used approaches in the field of pragmatics. The naturalistic data from this study consisted of request-for-service transactions at cafeterias in Valencia, Spain; these were recorded with audio equipment and then analyzed at the illocutionary and discourse levels. The features analyzed were the strategies and mitigating devices used in all phases of the interactions. The structure and length of interactions from each dataset were also compared. The results of this comparative study indicate that the role-play data resembled the naturalistic interactions in some respects, but there were also some significant differences between the two datasets that may be attributed to the particular type of collection method.

  2. Combination of the sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor empagliflozin with orlistat or sibutramine further improves the body-weight reduction and glucose homeostasis of obese rats fed a cafeteria diet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vickers SP

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Steven P Vickers,1 Sharon C Cheetham,1 Katie R Headland,1 Keith Dickinson,1 Rolf Grempler,2 Eric Mayoux,2 Michael Mark,2 Thomas Klein2 1RenaSci, BioCity Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; 2Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma, Biberach an der Riss, Germany Abstract: The present study assessed the potential of the sodium glucose-linked transporter (SGLT-2 inhibitor empagliflozin to decrease body weight when administered alone or in combination with the clinically effective weight-loss agents orlistat and sibutramine in obese rats fed a cafeteria diet. Female Wistar rats were exposed to a cafeteria diet to induce obesity. Empagliflozin was dosed once daily (10, 30, and 60 mg/kg for 28 days. Combination studies were subsequently performed using a submaximal empagliflozin dose (10 mg/kg with either sibutramine or orlistat. Body weight, food, and water intake were recorded daily. The effect of drug treatment on glucose tolerance, relevant plasma parameters, and carcass composition was determined. Empagliflozin dose-dependently reduced body weight, plasma leptin, and body fat though increased urinary glucose excretion. The combination of empagliflozin and orlistat significantly reduced body weight compared to animals treated with either drug alone, and significantly improved glucose tolerance, plasma insulin, and leptin compared to vehicle-treated controls. The effect of sibutramine to improve glycemic control in an oral glucose-tolerance test was also significantly increased, with empagliflozin and combination treatment leading to a reduction in carcass fat greater than that observed with either drug alone. These data demonstrate that empagliflozin reduces body weight in cafeteria-fed obese rats. In combination studies, empagliflozin further improved the body-weight or body-fat loss of animals in comparison to orlistat or sibutramine alone. Such studies may indicate improved strategies for the treatment of obese patients with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Keywords

  3. Rats eat a cafeteria-style diet to excess but eat smaller amounts and less frequently when tested with chow.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Timothy South

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with excessive consumption of palatable, energy dense foods. The present study used an animal model to examine feeding patterns during exposure to and withdrawal from these foods. METHODS: Male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to standard lab chow only (Chow rats or a range of cafeteria-style foods eaten by people (Caf rats. After 1, 4, 7 and 10 weeks of diet in their home cage, rats were subjected to 24-hour test sessions in a Comprehensive Lab Animal Monitoring System (CLAMS. In the first two test sessions, Chow rats were exposed to standard lab chow only while Caf rats were exposed to a biscuit and high-fat chow diet. In the final two test sessions, half the rats in each group were switched to the opposing diet. In each session we recorded numbers of bouts, energy consumed per bout, and intervals between bouts across the entire 24 hours. RESULTS: Relative to Chow rats, Caf rats initiated fewer bouts but consumed more energy per bout; however, their motivation to feed in the CLAMS declined over time, which was attributed to reduced variety of foods relative to their home cage diet. This decline in motivation was especially pronounced among Caf rats switched from the palatable CLAMS diet to standard lab chow only: the reduced energy intake in this group was due to a modest decline in bout frequency and a dramatic decline in bout size. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to a cafeteria-diet, rich in variety, altered feeding patterns, reduced rats' motivation to consume palatable foods in the absence of variety, and further diminished motivation to feed when palatable foods were withdrawn and replaced with chow. Hence, variety is a key factor in driving excessive consumption of energy dense foods, and therefore, excessive weight gain.

  4. Does point-of-purchase nutrition labeling influence meal selections? A test in an Army cafeteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sproul, Allen D; Canter, Deborah D; Schmidt, Jeffrey B

    2003-07-01

    This study assessed the effectiveness of nutrition labeling on sales of targeted entrees and measured the perceived influence that factors such as taste, quality, appearance, fat content, calorie content, and price had on meal selection behavior within an Army cafeteria. A quasi-experimental design was used to compare targeted entrée sales between a 1-year baseline period and two 30-day postintervention periods, after the placement of entrée nutrition labels. A brief questionnaire, distributed to 149 patrons, measured the perceived influence of the aforementioned factors on selections. Analysis of variance detected no significant differences in sales between baseline and the two intervention periods; the factors of taste and quality were rated most influential to meal selection (p < 0.000). A marketing campaign focusing on the health attributes of targeted entrée items was not successful in boosting sales. Sensory attributes (i.e., taste, quality, and appearance) appear to be more influential to meal selection.

  5. A cafeteria diet alters the decision making strategy and metabolic markers in Sprague-Dawley male rats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Virtuoso, Alessandro; Forkman, Björn; Sarruf, David A.

    2018-01-01

    of completion of a task, both of which can be influenced by the physiological changes induced by obesity. Here we assess the effects of an energy rich diet (Cafeteria Diet, CAF) on the performance of male Sprague-Dawley rats in the Decision Making paradigm, an operant conditioning task using water...... as a reinforcer and based on the patch depletion paradigm of optimal foraging in a test that is independent from motivation and time budget. As expected, CAF diet resulted in increased body weight and circulating leptin and insulin levels. Our results show that the decision rule of rats fed a CAF is altered......Consumption of diets rich in refined sugar and saturated fat has been linked with development of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in humans. Most cognitive paradigms used in biomedical research to investigate the relationship between obesity and cognition rely on food motivation and speed...

  6. SACFIR: SDN-Based Application-Aware Centralized Adaptive Flow Iterative Reconfiguring Routing Protocol for WSNs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aslam, Muhammad; Hu, Xiaopeng; Wang, Fan

    2017-12-13

    Smart reconfiguration of a dynamic networking environment is offered by the central control of Software-Defined Networking (SDN). Centralized SDN-based management architectures are capable of retrieving global topology intelligence and decoupling the forwarding plane from the control plane. Routing protocols developed for conventional Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) utilize limited iterative reconfiguration methods to optimize environmental reporting. However, the challenging networking scenarios of WSNs involve a performance overhead due to constant periodic iterative reconfigurations. In this paper, we propose the SDN-based Application-aware Centralized adaptive Flow Iterative Reconfiguring (SACFIR) routing protocol with the centralized SDN iterative solver controller to maintain the load-balancing between flow reconfigurations and flow allocation cost. The proposed SACFIR's routing protocol offers a unique iterative path-selection algorithm, which initially computes suitable clustering based on residual resources at the control layer and then implements application-aware threshold-based multi-hop report transmissions on the forwarding plane. The operation of the SACFIR algorithm is centrally supervised by the SDN controller residing at the Base Station (BS). This paper extends SACFIR to SDN-based Application-aware Main-value Centralized adaptive Flow Iterative Reconfiguring (SAMCFIR) to establish both proactive and reactive reporting. The SAMCFIR transmission phase enables sensor nodes to trigger direct transmissions for main-value reports, while in the case of SACFIR, all reports follow computed routes. Our SDN-enabled proposed models adjust the reconfiguration period according to the traffic burden on sensor nodes, which results in heterogeneity awareness, load-balancing and application-specific reconfigurations of WSNs. Extensive experimental simulation-based results show that SACFIR and SAMCFIR yield the maximum scalability, network lifetime and stability

  7. SACFIR: SDN-Based Application-Aware Centralized Adaptive Flow Iterative Reconfiguring Routing Protocol for WSNs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Aslam

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Smart reconfiguration of a dynamic networking environment is offered by the central control of Software-Defined Networking (SDN. Centralized SDN-based management architectures are capable of retrieving global topology intelligence and decoupling the forwarding plane from the control plane. Routing protocols developed for conventional Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs utilize limited iterative reconfiguration methods to optimize environmental reporting. However, the challenging networking scenarios of WSNs involve a performance overhead due to constant periodic iterative reconfigurations. In this paper, we propose the SDN-based Application-aware Centralized adaptive Flow Iterative Reconfiguring (SACFIR routing protocol with the centralized SDN iterative solver controller to maintain the load-balancing between flow reconfigurations and flow allocation cost. The proposed SACFIR’s routing protocol offers a unique iterative path-selection algorithm, which initially computes suitable clustering based on residual resources at the control layer and then implements application-aware threshold-based multi-hop report transmissions on the forwarding plane. The operation of the SACFIR algorithm is centrally supervised by the SDN controller residing at the Base Station (BS. This paper extends SACFIR to SDN-based Application-aware Main-value Centralized adaptive Flow Iterative Reconfiguring (SAMCFIR to establish both proactive and reactive reporting. The SAMCFIR transmission phase enables sensor nodes to trigger direct transmissions for main-value reports, while in the case of SACFIR, all reports follow computed routes. Our SDN-enabled proposed models adjust the reconfiguration period according to the traffic burden on sensor nodes, which results in heterogeneity awareness, load-balancing and application-specific reconfigurations of WSNs. Extensive experimental simulation-based results show that SACFIR and SAMCFIR yield the maximum scalability, network lifetime

  8. Sunkist. Edificio Central – (EE. UU.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Albert C. Martin, Asociados

    1972-04-01

    Full Text Available Sunkist central building – (U.S.A. Architects: Albert C. Martin and Associates It consists of three floors: — the ground floor includes an auditorium, kitchen and cafeteria, a private diningroom, office area, etc.; — on the first floor are the sales department and the electronic data processing department, and — on the second floor, the firm's executive personnel department, and three kitchens for experimenting with products and developing formulas. This building was planned with the idea of reviving, by the design and the materials used, the memory and character of Old California.Consta de tres plantas: — la baja comprende: un auditorio, cocina y cafetería; un comedor privado, una zona dedicada a oficinas, etc.; — la segunda planta contiene: los departamentos de ventas y de proceso electrónico de datos, y — en la tercera planta se distribuyen: el departamento de personal ejecutivo de la empresa; y tres cocinas para la experimentación de productos y de fórmulas a desarrollar. El edificio fue proyectado pensando en que, por sus materiales y diseño, suscitase el recuerdo y el carácter de la antigua California.

  9. Cafeteria diet induces obesity and insulin resistance associated with oxidative stress but not with inflammation: improvement by dietary supplementation with a melon superoxide dismutase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carillon, Julie; Romain, Cindy; Bardy, Guillaume; Fouret, Gilles; Feillet-Coudray, Christine; Gaillet, Sylvie; Lacan, Dominique; Cristol, Jean-Paul; Rouanet, Jean-Max

    2013-12-01

    Oxidative stress is involved in obesity. However, dietary antioxidants could prevent oxidative stress-induced damage. We have previously shown the preventive effects of a melon superoxide dismutase (SODB) on oxidative stress. However, the mechanism of action of SODB is still unknown. Here, we evaluated the effects of a 1-month curative supplementation with SODB on the liver of obese hamsters. Golden Syrian hamsters received either a standard diet or a cafeteria diet composed of high-fat, high-sugar, and high-salt supermarket products, for 15 weeks. This diet resulted in insulin resistance and in increased oxidative stress in the liver. However, inflammatory markers (IL-6, TNF-α, and NF-κB) were not enhanced and no liver steatosis was detected, although these are usually described in obesity-induced insulin resistance models. After the 1-month supplementation with SODB, body weight and insulin resistance induced by the cafeteria diet were reduced and hepatic oxidative stress was corrected. This could be due to the increased expression of the liver antioxidant defense proteins (manganese and copper/zinc superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase). Even though no inflammation was detected in the obese hamsters, inflammatory markers were decreased after SODB supplementation, probably through the reduction of oxidative stress. These findings suggest for the first time that SODB could exert its antioxidant properties by inducing the endogenous antioxidant defense. The mechanisms underlying this induction need to be further investigated. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. 76 FR 13173 - Jersey Central Power & Light Company and PSEG Fossil, LLC; Notice of Application Tendered for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-10

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 2309-019] Jersey Central Power & Light Company and PSEG Fossil, LLC; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the.... Date Filed: February 18, 2011. d. Applicant: Jersey Central Power & Light Company and PSEG Fossil, LLC...

  11. Gamification of dietary decision-making in an elementary-school cafeteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Brooke A; Madden, Gregory J; Wengreen, Heidi J; Aguilar, Sheryl S; Desjardins, E Anne

    2014-01-01

    Despite the known health benefits of doing so, most US children do not consume enough fruits and vegetables (FV). School-based interventions can be effective in increasing FV consumption, but the most effective of these require that schools allocate their time, effort, and financial resources to implementing the program: expenditures that schools may be reluctant to provide in climates of academic accountability and economic austerity. The present demonstration project used a behaviorally based gamification approach to develop an intervention designed to increase FV consumption while minimizing material and labor costs to the school. During the intervention, the school (N = 180 students in grades K-8) played a cooperative game in which school-level goals were met by consuming higher-than-normal amounts of either fruit or vegetables (alternating-treatments experimental design). School-level consumption was quantified using a weight-based waste measure in the cafeteria. Over a period of 13 school days, fruit consumption increased by 66% and vegetable consumption by 44% above baseline levels. Use of an alternating-treatment time-series design with differential levels of FV consumption on days when fruit or vegetable was targeted for improvement supported the role of the intervention in these overall consumption increases. In post-intervention surveys, teachers rated the intervention as practical in the classroom and enjoyed by their students. Parent surveys revealed that children were more willing to try new FV at home and increased their consumption of FV following the intervention. These findings suggest that a behaviorally based gamification approach may prove practically useful in addressing concerns about poor dietary decision-making by children in schools.

  12. Gamification of dietary decision-making in an elementary-school cafeteria.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brooke A Jones

    Full Text Available Despite the known health benefits of doing so, most US children do not consume enough fruits and vegetables (FV. School-based interventions can be effective in increasing FV consumption, but the most effective of these require that schools allocate their time, effort, and financial resources to implementing the program: expenditures that schools may be reluctant to provide in climates of academic accountability and economic austerity. The present demonstration project used a behaviorally based gamification approach to develop an intervention designed to increase FV consumption while minimizing material and labor costs to the school. During the intervention, the school (N = 180 students in grades K-8 played a cooperative game in which school-level goals were met by consuming higher-than-normal amounts of either fruit or vegetables (alternating-treatments experimental design. School-level consumption was quantified using a weight-based waste measure in the cafeteria. Over a period of 13 school days, fruit consumption increased by 66% and vegetable consumption by 44% above baseline levels. Use of an alternating-treatment time-series design with differential levels of FV consumption on days when fruit or vegetable was targeted for improvement supported the role of the intervention in these overall consumption increases. In post-intervention surveys, teachers rated the intervention as practical in the classroom and enjoyed by their students. Parent surveys revealed that children were more willing to try new FV at home and increased their consumption of FV following the intervention. These findings suggest that a behaviorally based gamification approach may prove practically useful in addressing concerns about poor dietary decision-making by children in schools.

  13. Gamification of Dietary Decision-Making in an Elementary-School Cafeteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Brooke A.; Madden, Gregory J.; Wengreen, Heidi J.; Aguilar, Sheryl S.; Desjardins, E. Anne

    2014-01-01

    Despite the known health benefits of doing so, most US children do not consume enough fruits and vegetables (FV). School-based interventions can be effective in increasing FV consumption, but the most effective of these require that schools allocate their time, effort, and financial resources to implementing the program: expenditures that schools may be reluctant to provide in climates of academic accountability and economic austerity. The present demonstration project used a behaviorally based gamification approach to develop an intervention designed to increase FV consumption while minimizing material and labor costs to the school. During the intervention, the school (N = 180 students in grades K-8) played a cooperative game in which school-level goals were met by consuming higher-than-normal amounts of either fruit or vegetables (alternating-treatments experimental design). School-level consumption was quantified using a weight-based waste measure in the cafeteria. Over a period of 13 school days, fruit consumption increased by 66% and vegetable consumption by 44% above baseline levels. Use of an alternating-treatment time-series design with differential levels of FV consumption on days when fruit or vegetable was targeted for improvement supported the role of the intervention in these overall consumption increases. In post-intervention surveys, teachers rated the intervention as practical in the classroom and enjoyed by their students. Parent surveys revealed that children were more willing to try new FV at home and increased their consumption of FV following the intervention. These findings suggest that a behaviorally based gamification approach may prove practically useful in addressing concerns about poor dietary decision-making by children in schools. PMID:24718587

  14. Reliability of the hospital nutrition environment scan for cafeterias, vending machines, and gift shops.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winston, Courtney P; Sallis, James F; Swartz, Michael D; Hoelscher, Deanna M; Peskin, Melissa F

    2013-08-01

    According to ecological models, the physical environment plays a major role in determining individual health behaviors. As such, researchers have started targeting the consumer nutrition environment of large-scale foodservice operations when implementing obesity-prevention programs. In 2010, the American Hospital Association released a call-to-action encouraging health care facilities to join in this movement and improve their facilities' consumer nutrition environments. The Hospital Nutrition Environment Scan (HNES) for Cafeterias, Vending Machines, and Gift Shops was developed in 2011, and the present study evaluated the inter-rater reliability of this instrument. Two trained raters visited 39 hospitals in southern California and completed the HNES. Percent agreement, kappa statistics, and intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated. Percent agreement between raters ranged from 74.4% to 100% and kappa statistics ranged from 0.458 to 1.0. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the overall nutrition composite scores was 0.961. Given these results, the HNES demonstrated acceptable reliability metrics and can now be disseminated to assess the current state of hospital consumer nutrition environments. Copyright © 2013 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Recycled Water Reuse Permit Renewal Application for the Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lewis, Mike [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

    2014-09-01

    This renewal application for a Recycled Water Reuse Permit is being submitted in accordance with the Idaho Administrative Procedures Act 58.01.17 “Recycled Water Rules” and the Municipal Wastewater Reuse Permit LA-000141-03 for continuing the operation of the Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant located at the Idaho National Laboratory. The permit expires March 16, 2015. The permit requires a renewal application to be submitted six months prior to the expiration date of the existing permit. For the Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant, the renewal application must be submitted by September 16, 2014. The information in this application is consistent with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality’s Guidance for Reclamation and Reuse of Municipal and Industrial Wastewater and discussions with Idaho Department of Environmental Quality personnel.

  16. Application of human engineering to design of central control room and evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tani, Mamoru

    1986-01-01

    The central control room of a nuclear power station is the center of the operation control, monitoring and management of the plant, therefore, the design by the application of human engineering has been performed on the basis of the experience and achievement in thermal power stations and other industries. In this report, the application of human engineering to the development of the new control boards for PWRs and the evaluation are described. In a nuclear power station, the number of the machinery and equipment composing it is large, and the interrelation among them is complex, accordingly, in the information processing system for operation monitoring and control, the man-machine interface works with high density. The concept of multiple protection design requires to show numerous plant parameters on a central control board, and this also complicates the man-machine interface. The introduction of human engineering was seriously studied after the TMI accident. In order to increase the safety and reliability of a plant, the new central control and monitoring system aims at facilitating operation and monitoring, and lightening burden and preventing mistakes in handling and judgement. The operational sequence diagram and mock-up varification, the application of human engineering and the evaluation, the synthetic real-time verification at the time of abnormality and accident, and the evaluation of the reliability improvement of men are reported. (Kako, I.)

  17. A Holistic Approach to Healthy School Meals: "How Hopkins High School Looked Beyond its Cafeteria when it Changed Meal Service from Fast Food to Nutritional Food. IssueTrak": A CEFPI Brief on Educational Facility Issues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dufault, Timothy; Parsons, Meg

    2006-01-01

    The new cafeteria at Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota is part restaurant, part study hall, part lounge area and part health-food store. From the beginning, the superintendent and food service leaders planned the facility to ensure that balanced diets with quickly prepared, but healthy, foods are offered to students to help them…

  18. Developing cloud applications using the e-Science Central platform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiden, Hugo; Woodman, Simon; Watson, Paul; Cala, Jacek

    2013-01-28

    This paper describes the e-Science Central (e-SC) cloud data processing system and its application to a number of e-Science projects. e-SC provides both software as a service (SaaS) and platform as a service for scientific data management, analysis and collaboration. It is a portable system and can be deployed on both private (e.g. Eucalyptus) and public clouds (Amazon AWS and Microsoft Windows Azure). The SaaS application allows scientists to upload data, edit and run workflows and share results in the cloud, using only a Web browser. It is underpinned by a scalable cloud platform consisting of a set of components designed to support the needs of scientists. The platform is exposed to developers so that they can easily upload their own analysis services into the system and make these available to other users. A representational state transfer-based application programming interface (API) is also provided so that external applications can leverage the platform's functionality, making it easier to build scalable, secure cloud-based applications. This paper describes the design of e-SC, its API and its use in three different case studies: spectral data visualization, medical data capture and analysis, and chemical property prediction.

  19. Measuring food intake with digital photography

    OpenAIRE

    Martin, Corby K.; Nicklas, Theresa; Gunturk, Bahadir; Correa, John B.; Allen, H. Raymond; Champagne, Catherine

    2013-01-01

    The Digital Photography of Foods Method accurately estimates the food intake of adults and children in cafeterias. When using this method, imags of food selection and leftovers are quickly captured in the cafeteria. These images are later compared to images of “standard” portions of food using a computer application. The amount of food selected and discarded is estimated based upon this comparison, and the application automatically calculates energy and nutrient intake. Herein, we describe th...

  20. Hanford Central Waste Complex: Radioactive mixed waste storage facility dangerous waste permit application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-10-01

    The Hanford Site is owned by the US Government and operated by the US Department of Energy Field Office, Richland. The Hanford Site manages and produces dangerous waste and mixed waste (containing both radioactive and dangerous components). The dangerous waste is regulated in accordance with the Resource Conversation and Recovery Act of 1976 and the State of Washington Hazardous Waste Management Act of 1976. The radioactive component of mixed waste is interpreted by the US Department of Energy to be regulated under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954; the nonradioactive dangerous component of mixed waste is interpreted to be regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 and Washington Administrative Code 173--303. Westinghouse Hanford Company is a major contractor to the US Department of Energy Field Office, Richland and serves as co-operator of the Hanford Central Waste Complex. The Hanford Central Waste Complex is an existing and planned series of treatment, storage, and/or disposal units that will centralize the management of solid waste operations at a single location on the Hanford facility. The Hanford Central Waste Complex units include the Radioactive Mixed Waste Storage Facility, the unit addressed by this permit application, and the Waste Receiving and Processing Facility. The Waste Receiving and Processing Facility is covered in a separate permit application submittal

  1. INTERGEO - Central/East European Collaboration Network on direct application of geothermal energy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Popovski, K [Central/East European Collaboration Network on Direct Application of Geothermal Energy, Bitola (Yugoslavia); Arpasi, M [International Geothermal Association - European Branch, Budapest (Hungary)

    1997-12-01

    A proposal for organisation of a Network to be known as INTERGEO is presented, which should extend and reinforce the cooperation for the development of the direct application of geothermal energy between the developed EC countries and the ones of the so called Central/East European region. Unter the term `developed countries` for this particular energy source utilisation mainly Italy, France and Germany should be understood. The Central/East European region consists the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Belarus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lituania, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Roumania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine and Yugoslavia. The idea itself, the need and possibilities for organisation, possible plan of action and expected benefits for the EC and Central/East European countries are elaborated in order to come to the conclusions for the proposal justifiableness and feasibility for realisation. (orig.)

  2. A hospital cafeteria-related food-borne outbreak due to Bacillus cereus: unique features.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baddour, L M; Gaia, S M; Griffin, R; Hudson, R

    1986-09-01

    Although Bacillus cereus is a well-known cause of food-borne illness, hospital-related outbreaks of food-borne disease due to B. cereus have rarely been documented. We report a hospital employee cafeteria outbreak due to foods contaminated with B. cereus in which an outside caterer was employed to prepare the suspect meals. Data were collected from 249 of 291 employees who had eaten either of the two meals. With a mean incubation period of 12.5 hours, 64% (160 of 249) of employees manifested illness. Symptoms, which averaged 24.3 hours in duration, included diarrhea (96.3%), abdominal cramps (90%), nausea (50.6%), weakness (24.7%), and vomiting (13.8%). Eighty-seven employees sought medical attention, 84 of whom were seen in an emergency room. Although a significant difference was not demonstrated in food-specific attack rates, B. cereus was cultured from both rice and chicken items that were served at both meals. Sixty-three employees submitted stools for culture that grew no enteric pathogens, but none were examined for B. cereus. This food-borne outbreak demonstrates: the need for hospital kitchen supervisors to ensure proper handling of food when outside caterers are employed; that significant differences in food-specific attack rates may not be demonstrated in outbreaks, which may be related to several factors; and the importance of notifying microbiology laboratory personnel when B. cereus is a suspect enteric pathogen, since many laboratories do not routinely attempt to identify this organism in stool specimens.

  3. Liraglutide suppression of caloric intake competes with the intake-promoting effects of a palatable cafeteria diet, but does not impact food or macronutrient selection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hyde, Kellie M; Blonde, Ginger D; le Roux, Carel W; Spector, Alan C

    2017-08-01

    Liraglutide, a Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, is used as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity because it improves glycemia and decreases food intake. Here, we tested whether chronic activation of the GLP-1 receptor system with liraglutide would induce decreases in intake accompanied by changes in proportional food or macronutrient intake similar to those seen following RYGB in rats when a variety of palatable food options are available. A "cafeteria diet" was used that included: laboratory rodent chow, refried beans (low-fat/low-sugar), low-fat yogurt (low-fat/high-sugar), peanut butter (high-fat/low-sugar) and sugar-fat whip (high-fat/high-sugar). Liraglutide (1mg/kg daily, sc, n=6) induced significant reductions in body weight and total caloric intake compared to saline-injected control rats (n=6). Although access to a cafeteria diet induced increases in caloric intake in both groups relative to chow alone, liraglutide still effectively decreased intake compared with saline-injected rats suggesting that chronic GLP-1 activation competes with the energy density and palatability of available food options in modulating ingestive behavior. Even with the substantial effects on overall intake, liraglutide did not change food choice or relative macronutrient intake when compared to pre-treatment baseline. When drug treatment was discontinued, the liraglutide group increased caloric intake and rapidly gained body weight to match that of the saline group. These results demonstrate that, while liraglutide effectively decreases caloric intake and body weight in rats, it does not cause adjustments in relative macronutrient consumption. Our data also show that drug-induced decreases in intake and body weight are not maintained following termination of treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Inflamação renal, alterações metabólicas e oxidativas após 6 semanas de dieta de cafeteria em ratos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Eugênia Lopes Navarro

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Resumo Introdução: A obesidade é uma doença em que a inflamação está inteiramente envolvida e pode causar insuficiência renal. Objetivo: Avaliar a influência da exposição a curto prazo de uma dieta de cafeteria sobre a inflamação no tecido renal e a formação de produtos de glicação avançada (AGEs no plasma de rato. Métodos: Ratos Wistar machos (10 semanas de idade, pesando 350 g foram designados para receber dieta de ração comercial (C; n = 8 animais/grupo, 5% de energia a partir de gordura ou dieta de cafeteria (CAF-D, n = 8 animais/grupo: 29% de energia de gordura e de sacarose em água (300 g/L de beber durante 6 semanas. Resultados: Índice de adiposidade em seis semanas foi maior no grupo CAF-D em comparação com C. O mesmo comportamento foi observado para os níveis plasmáticos de glicose, triglicerídeos, leptina, insulina e AGEs. A expressão do gene de IL-6 e TNF-α em tecido renal foi maior no grupo D-CAF e nenhuma diferença significativa no tecido adiposo. Não houve aumento destas citocinas no plasma ou rim. Houve uma diminuição significativa de adiponectina no grupo CAF-D. Conclusão: A exposição a curto prazo da CAF-D reflete alterações no metabolismo, aumento dos níveis plasmáticos de AGEs, o que pode refletir o aumento expressão de citocinas inflamatórias no rim.

  5. 76 FR 35201 - Jersey Central Power and Light; PSEG Fossil LLC; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-16

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 2309-019] Jersey Central Power and Light; PSEG Fossil LLC; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, Soliciting Motions To...: Jersey Central Power and Light and PSEG Fossil LLC. e. Name of Project: Yards Creek Pumped Storage...

  6. PROPOSED ARCHITECTURE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF NFCAFE: AN NFC-BASED ANDROID MOBILE APPLICATIONS FOR TRADING TRANSACTION SYSTEM IN CAFETARIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fikrul Arif Nadra

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available The development of mobile technology and RFID leads to an innovative mobile payment technology by using NFC. One of the popular mobile device platforms today is Android. This research proposes an architecture of NFC-based payment system in cafeteria – which is called NFCafe – and the implementation of it in Android applications. It is a closed payment systems – without involving third parties such as banks. The security issue is handled by using symmetric and asymmetric encryptions, they are RSA and AES. The application has been developed and successfully passed the testing conducted by several respondents.

  7. Exposure to a maternal cafeteria diet changes open-field behaviour in the developing offspring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Speight, Abigail; Davey, William G; McKenna, Emily; Voigt, Jörg-Peter W

    2017-04-01

    The early postnatal period is a sensitive period in rodents as behavioural systems are developing and maturing during this time. However, little is currently known about the behavioural effects of feeding a hyper-energetic cafeteria diet (CD) during the lactational period when offspring behaviour is tested during early adolescence. To this end, 23days old offspring from dams (Wistar) fed on CD during lactation were tested in either the open-field or the elevated plus-maze for exploration and anxiety-related behaviour. On postnatal day 9, maternal behaviour and non-maternal behaviour of the dam was assessed. It was hypothesized that lactational CD feeding would reduce anxiety in the offspring. CD-fed dams had a higher energy intake, due to an overconsumption of sugars and fats. When offspring from these dams were exposed to the open field after weaning, their locomotor activity was increased. They entered the more aversive inner zone of the open-field after a shorter latency, made more entries into and spent more time in the inner zone. Anxiety-related behaviour was not affected upon exposure to the elevated plus maze, suggesting anxiolysis in the open-field only. Increased maternal licking/grooming behaviour could possibly contribute to the anxiolytic phenotype as observed in the offspring from the CD group. In conclusion, we demonstrate that lactational overfeeding impacts on the development of behaviour in the early adolescent rat. Copyright © 2016 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. PROPOSED ARCHITECTURE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF NFCAFE: AN NFC-BASED ANDROID MOBILE APPLICATIONS FOR TRADING TRANSACTION SYSTEM IN CAFETARIA

    OpenAIRE

    Fikrul Arif Nadra; Heri Kurniawan; Muhammad Hafizhuddin Hilman

    2013-01-01

    The development of mobile technology and RFID leads to an innovative mobile payment technology by using NFC. One of the popular mobile device platforms today is Android. This research proposes an architecture of NFC-based payment system in cafeteria – which is called NFCafe – and the implementation of it in Android applications. It is a closed payment systems – without involving third parties such as banks. The security issue is handled by using symmetric and asymmetric encryptions, they are ...

  9. Security central processing unit applications in the protection of nuclear facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goetzke, R.E.

    1987-01-01

    New or upgraded electronic security systems protecting nuclear facilities or complexes will be heavily computer dependent. Proper planning for new systems and the employment of new state-of-the-art 32 bit processors in the processing of subsystem reports are key elements in effective security systems. The processing of subsystem reports represents only a small segment of system overhead. In selecting a security system to meet the current and future needs for nuclear security applications the central processing unit (CPU) applied in the system architecture is the critical element in system performance. New 32 bit technology eliminates the need for program overlays while providing system programmers with well documented program tools to develop effective systems to operate in all phases of nuclear security applications

  10. Acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.) juice intake protects against alterations to proteins involved in inflammatory and lipolysis pathways in the adipose tissue of obese mice fed a cafeteria diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dias, Fernando Milanez; Leffa, Daniela Dimer; Daumann, Francine; Marques, Schérolin de Oliveira; Luciano, Thais F; Possato, Jonathan Correa; de Santana, Aline Alves; Neves, Rodrigo Xavier; Rosa, José Cesar; Oyama, Lila Missae; Rodrigues, Bruno; de Andrade, Vanessa Moraes; de Souza, Cláudio Teodoro; de Lira, Fabio Santos

    2014-02-04

    Obesity has been studied as a metabolic and an inflammatory disease and is characterized by increases in the production of pro-inflammatory adipokines in the adipose tissue.To elucidate the effects of natural dietary components on the inflammatory and metabolic consequences of obesity, we examined the effects of unripe, ripe and industrial acerola juice (Malpighia emarginata DC.) on the relevant inflammatory and lipolysis proteins in the adipose tissue of mice with cafeteria diet-induced obesity. Two groups of male Swiss mice were fed on a standard diet (STA) or a cafeteria diet (CAF) for 13 weeks. Afterwards, the CAF-fed animals were divided into five subgroups, each of which received a different supplement for one further month (water, unripe acerola juice, ripe acerola juice, industrial acerola juice, or vitamin C) by gavage. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, Western blotting, a colorimetric method and histology were utilized to assess the observed data. The CAF water (control obese) group showed a significant increase in their adiposity indices and triacylglycerol levels, in addition to a reduced IL-10/TNF-α ratio in the adipose tissue, compared with the control lean group. In contrast, acerola juice and Vitamin C intake ameliorated the weight gain, reducing the TAG levels and increasing the IL-10/TNF-α ratio in adipose tissue. In addition, acerola juice intake led to reductions both in the level of phosphorylated JNK and to increases in the phosphorylation of IκBα and HSLser660 in adipose tissue. Taken together, these results suggest that acerola juice reduces low-grade inflammation and ameliorates obesity-associated defects in the lipolytic processes.

  11. Naloxone treatment alters gene expression in the mesolimbic reward system in 'junk food' exposed offspring in a sex-specific manner but does not affect food preferences in adulthood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gugusheff, J R; Ong, Z Y; Muhlhausler, B S

    2014-06-22

    We have previously reported that the opioid receptor blocker, naloxone, is less effective in reducing palatable food intake in offspring exposed to a maternal cafeteria diet during the perinatal period, implicating a desensitization of the central opioid pathway in the programming of food preferences. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a maternal cafeteria diet and naloxone treatment on the development of the mesolimbic reward pathway and food choices in adulthood. We measured mRNA expression of key components of the reward pathway (mu-opioid receptor, proenkephalin, tyrosine hydroxylase, D1 and D2 receptors and the dopamine active transporter (DAT)) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the offspring of control and cafeteria fed (JF) dams at weaning and after a 10-day naloxone treatment post-weaning and determined food preferences in adulthood in the remaining offspring. Naloxone treatment decreased the expression of DAT by 8.2 fold in female control offspring but increased it by 4.3 fold in female offspring of JF dams relative to the saline-injected reference groups. Proenkephalin mRNA expression was higher in the NAc of female JF offspring compared to controls, independent of naloxone treatment (Pfood preferences in adulthood in either control or JF offspring. These data indicate that prenatal exposure to a cafeteria diet alters the impact of opioid signaling blockade in the early post-weaning period on gene expression in the central reward pathway in a sex specific manner, but that these changes in gene expression do not appear to have any persistent impact on food preferences in adulthood. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Hanford Central Waste Complex: Waste Receiving and Processing Facility dangerous waste permit application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-10-01

    The Hanford Central Waste Complex is an existing and planned series of treatment, and/or disposal (TSD) unites that will centralize the management of solid waste operations at a single location on the Hanford Facility. The Complex includes two units: the WRAP Facility and the Radioactive Mixed Wastes Storage Facility (RMW Storage Facility). This Part B permit application addresses the WRAP Facility. The Facility will be a treatment and storage unit that will provide the capability to examine, sample, characterize, treat, repackage, store, and certify radioactive and/or mixed waste. Waste treated and stored will include both radioactive and/or mixed waste received from onsite and offsite sources. Certification will be designed to ensure and demonstrate compliance with waste acceptance criteria set forth by onsite disposal units and/or offsite facilities that subsequently are to receive waste from the WRAP Facility. This permit application discusses the following: facility description and general provisions; waste characterization; process information; groundwater monitoring; procedures to prevent hazards; contingency plant; personnel training; exposure information report; waste minimization plan; closure and postclosure requirements; reporting and recordkeeping; other relevant laws; certification

  13. Social jet-lag potentiates obesity and metabolic syndrome when combined with cafeteria diet in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Espitia-Bautista, Estefania; Velasco-Ramos, Mario; Osnaya-Ramírez, Iván; Ángeles-Castellanos, Manuel; Buijs, Ruud M; Escobar, Carolina

    2017-07-01

    Modern lifestyle promotes shifted sleep onset and shifted wake up time between weekdays and weekends, producing a condition termed "social-jet lag." Disrupted sleep promotes increased appetite for carbohydrate and fat-rich food, which in long term leads to overweight, obesity and metabolic syndrome. In order to mimic the human situation we produced an experimental model of social-jet lag (Sj-l). With this model, we explored the link between shifted sleep time with consumption of a cafeteria diet (CafD) and the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome. The first experiment was designed to create and confirm the model of Sj-l. Rats (n=8-10/group) were exposed to a shifted sleep time protocol achieved by placing the rats in slow rotating wheels from Monday to Friday during the first 4h of the light period, while on weekends they were left undisturbed. The second experiment (n=8-12/group) explored the combined effect of Sj-l with the opportunity to ingest CafD. All protocols lasted 12weeks. We evaluated the development of overweight and indicators of metabolic syndrome. The statistical significance for all variables was set at Pdislipidemia. Present data provide an experimental model of social-jet lag that combined with overconsumption of CafD, and maximized the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Importantly, access to CafD during the night did not lead to overweight nor metabolic syndrome. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. A Novel Role of SIRT1/ FGF-21 in Taurine Protection Against Cafeteria Diet-Induced Steatohepatitis in Rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azza H. Abd Elwahab

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD is one of the alarmingly rising clinical problems in the 21st century with no effective drug treatment until now. Taurine is an essential amino acid in humans that proved efficacy as a non-pharmacological therapy in a plethora of diseases; however, its impact on NAFLD remains elusive. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the protective mechanism of taurine in experimental steatohepatitis induced by junk food given as cafeteria-diet (CAF-D in male albino rats. Methods: Forty adult male albino rats of local strain between 8-10 weeks old, weighing 150 ± 20 g, were divided into four equal groups: Group I (control group, Group II (Taurine group, Group III (CAF-D for 12 weeks and Group IV (CAF-D +Taurine. CAF-D was given in addition to the standard chow for 12 weeks, where each rat was given one piece of beef burger fried in 15 g of sunflower oil, one teaspoonful of mayonnaise, and one piece of petit pan bread, weighing 60g/ piece. In the serum, liver function tests; ALT, AST, ALP, GGT and the lipid profile; TG, TC, HDL-C added to reduced glutathione (GSH were assessed colorimetrically, while fibroblast growth factor (FGF-21, adiponectin & interleukin (IL-6 via ELISA. The same technique was used for the assays of the hepatic levels of FGF-21, silent information regulator (SIRT1, malondialdehyde (MDA,IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α as well as the apoptotic markers; caspase-3 and B-cell lymphoma (Bcl-2. Results: The cafeteria-diet induced steatohepatitis was reflected by significantly increased body and liver weight gain, elevation of liver enzymes; ALT, AST, ALP and GGT added to the dyslipidemic panel, presented as increased TC, TG, LDL-C and decreased HDL-C levels. The steatosis-induced inflammatory milieu, marked by elevated serum levels of FGF-21, IL-6, hepatic TNF-α, as well as reduced IL-10 and adiponectin, was associated with steatosis- induced hepatic oxidative stress

  15. A Novel Role of SIRT1/ FGF-21 in Taurine Protection Against Cafeteria Diet-Induced Steatohepatitis in Rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abd Elwahab, Azza H; Ramadan, Basma K; Schaalan, Mona F; Tolba, Amina M

    2017-01-01

    Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the alarmingly rising clinical problems in the 21st century with no effective drug treatment until now. Taurine is an essential amino acid in humans that proved efficacy as a non-pharmacological therapy in a plethora of diseases; however, its impact on NAFLD remains elusive. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the protective mechanism of taurine in experimental steatohepatitis induced by junk food given as cafeteria-diet (CAF-D) in male albino rats. Forty adult male albino rats of local strain between 8-10 weeks old, weighing 150 ± 20 g, were divided into four equal groups: Group I (control group), Group II (Taurine group), Group III (CAF-D for 12 weeks) and Group IV (CAF-D +Taurine). CAF-D was given in addition to the standard chow for 12 weeks, where each rat was given one piece of beef burger fried in 15 g of sunflower oil, one teaspoonful of mayonnaise, and one piece of petit pan bread, weighing 60g/ piece. In the serum, liver function tests; ALT, AST, ALP, GGT and the lipid profile; TG, TC, HDL-C added to reduced glutathione (GSH) were assessed colorimetrically, while fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-21, adiponectin & interleukin (IL)-6 via ELISA. The same technique was used for the assays of the hepatic levels of FGF-21, silent information regulator (SIRT1), malondialdehyde (MDA),IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) as well as the apoptotic markers; caspase-3 and B-cell lymphoma (Bcl-2). The cafeteria-diet induced steatohepatitis was reflected by significantly increased body and liver weight gain, elevation of liver enzymes; ALT, AST, ALP and GGT added to the dyslipidemic panel, presented as increased TC, TG, LDL-C and decreased HDL-C levels. The steatosis-induced inflammatory milieu, marked by elevated serum levels of FGF-21, IL-6, hepatic TNF-α, as well as reduced IL-10 and adiponectin, was associated with steatosis- induced hepatic oxidative stress, reflected by increased hepatic MDA and

  16. HERE'S HOW TO DESIGN A SCHOOL CAFETERIA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    POWERS, ALICE

    A DISCUSSION IS PRESENTED OF THE FACTORS INVOLVED IN DESIGNING A SYSTEM OF "UNIT KITCHENS." REASONS FOR CHOICE OF A UNIT SYSTEM OVER A CENTRAL KITCHEN ARE GIVEN, AND A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS INVOLVED IN DESIGNING AND EQUIPPING SUCH FACILITIES IS PRESENTED. THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 1964 ISSUE OF THE SCHOOL LUNCH…

  17. [Peripheral vertigo versus central vertigo. Application of the HINTS protocol].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Batuecas-Caletrío, Ángel; Yáñez-González, Raquel; Sánchez-Blanco, Carmen; González-Sánchez, Enrique; Benito, José; Gómez, José Carlos; Santa Cruz-Ruiz, Santiago

    2014-10-16

    One of the most important dilemmas concerning vertigo in emergency departments is its differential diagnosis. There are highly sensitive warning signs in the examination that can put us on the path towards finding ourselves before a case of central vertigo. To determine how effective the application of the HINTS protocol is in the diagnosis of cerebrovascular accidents that mimics peripheral vertigo. We conducted a descriptive observation-based study on patients admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of acute vestibular syndrome in the emergency department. All the patients were monitored on a day-to-day basis until their symptoms improved, with information about nystagmus, the oculocephalic manoeuvre and the skew test. The results from the magnetic resonance imaging study were compared with the alteration of any of those three signs during the time the patient was hospitalised. Altogether 91 patients were examined, with a mean age of 55.8 years. A cerebrovascular accident was observed in eight cases. Of these (mean age: 71 years), in seven of them there were alterations in some of the HINTS signs, and in one case the study was normal (sensitivity: 0.88; specificity: 0.96). All of them had some vascular risk factor. Faced with a patient who visits the emergency department with an acute vestibular syndrome, a suitably directed examination is essential to be able to establish the differential diagnosis between peripheral and central pathology, since some cerebrovascular accidents can present with the appearance of acute vertigo. Applying a protocol like HINTS makes it possible to suspect the central pathology with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity.

  18. STATE OF NEW YORK STANDARD PLAN TYPE A-1, ONE-STORY 14-21 CLASSROOM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

    Science.gov (United States)

    King and King, Syracuse, NY.

    THE PROGRAM FOR AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FACILITY REQUIRED 14 CLASSROOMS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR ACCOMMODATING AN INCREASE OF SEVEN CLASSROOMS. THE EXPANSION POTENTIAL ALSO INVOLVED ADDITION OF A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF NON-TEACHING AREAS. THE DESIGN FEATURED A CENTRAL CORE CONTAINING ADMINISTRATION, PLAYROOM, CAFETERIA, AND KITCHEN FACILITIES WITH TWO…

  19. Early effects of a high-caloric diet and physical exercise on brain volumetry and behavior: a combined MRI and histology study in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sack, Markus; Lenz, Jenny N; Jakovcevski, Mira; Biedermann, Sarah V; Falfán-Melgoza, Claudia; Deussing, Jan; Bielohuby, Maximilian; Bidlingmaier, Martin; Pfister, Frederik; Stalla, Günter K; Sartorius, Alexander; Gass, Peter; Weber-Fahr, Wolfgang; Fuss, Johannes; Auer, Matthias K

    2017-10-01

    Excessive intake of high-caloric diets as well as subsequent development of obesity and diabetes mellitus may exert a wide range of unfavorable effects on the central nervous system (CNS) in the long-term. The potentially harmful effects of such diets were suggested to be mitigated by physical exercise. Here, we conducted a study investigating early effects of a cafeteria-diet on gray and white brain matter volume by means of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and region-of-interest (ROI) analysis. Half of the mice performed voluntary wheel running to study if regular physical exercise prevents unfavorable effects of a cafeteria-diet. In addition, histological analyses for myelination and neurogenesis were performed. As expected, wheel running resulted in a significant increase of gray matter volume in the CA1-3 areas, the dentate gyrus and stratum granulosum of the hippocampus in the VBM analysis, while a positive effect of the cafeteria-diet was shown for the whole hippocampal CA1-3 area only in the ROI analysis, indicating a regional volume effect. It was earlier found that hippocampal neurogenesis may be related to volume increases after exercise. Interestingly, while running resulted in a significant increase in neurogenesis assessed by doublecortin (DCX)-labeling, this was not true for cafeteria diet. This indicates different underlying mechanisms for gray matter increase. Moreover, animals receiving cafeteria diet only showed mild deficits in long-term memory assessed by the puzzle-box paradigm, while executive functioning and short term memory were not affected. Our data therefore highlight that high caloric diet impacts on the brain and behavior. Physical exercise seems not to interact with these mechanisms.

  20. Hanford facility dangerous waste Part A, Form 3 and Part B permit application documentation, Central Waste Complex (WA7890008967)(TSD: TS-2-4)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saueressig, D.G.

    1998-05-20

    The Hanford Facility Dangerous Waste Permit Application is considered to be a single application organized into a General Information Portion (document number DOE/RL-91-28) and a Unit-Specific Portion. The scope of the Unit-Specific Portion is limited to Part B permit application documentation submitted for individual, operating, treatment, storage, and/or disposal units, such as the Central Waste Complex (this document, DOE/RL-91-17). Both the General Information and Unit-Specific portions of the Hanford Facility Dangerous Waste Permit Application address the content of the Part B permit application guidance prepared by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology 1996) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (40 Code of Federal Regulations 270), with additional information needed by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments and revisions of Washington Administrative Code 173-303. For ease of reference, the Washington State Department of Ecology alpha-numeric section identifiers from the permit application guidance documentation (Ecology 1996) follow, in brackets, the chapter headings and subheadings. A checklist indicating where information is contained in the Central Waste Complex permit application documentation, in relation to the Washington State Department of Ecology guidance, is located in the Contents section. Documentation contained in the General Information Portion is broader in nature and could be used by multiple treatment, storage, and/or disposal units (e.g., the glossary provided in the General Information Portion). Wherever appropriate, the Central Waste Complex permit application documentation makes cross-reference to the General Information Portion, rather than duplicating text. Information provided in this Central Waste Complex permit application documentation is current as of May 1998.

  1. Determination of non-ionizing radiation at Ibrahim Yaakub College cafeteria facility, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohamad Najmi Jahaya

    2012-01-01

    Radiation is a form of energy emitted by molecules or atoms and transmitted through matter in the form of a magnetic particle or wave. Every day we are exposed to various forms of radiation around us either we are aware of or not. Radiation is divided into two which are ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. Non-ionizing radiation is a radiation that cannot ionize the particles which pass through it such as electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic waves consist of radio waves, micro waves, ultraviolet rays and infra-red. Radio frequency has range between 3 kHz and 300 GHz. The study was carried out at the cafeteria facility in Ibrahim Yaakub College. This study used RF EMF Strength Meter which can measure radio frequency (RF) in the range of 10 MHz to 8 GHz. Contour mapping is made 12 meters far and each interval with 2 meters far. Readings are taken every day for one month and taken at three different times which are at morning (8:00 am), lunch (12:00 noon) and afternoon (5:00 pm). This survey is to obtain radio frequency reading. Monitoring results will be compared with the standards sets by the Suruhanjaya Komunikasi Dan Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM) or Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), which is 450 x 104 μW/ m 2 , compared with exposure limit in New Zealand and Canada, which is 200 x 104 μW/ m 2 and 300 x 104 μW/ cm 2 , and also will be compared with the results of this study which has been done before with a different tool. The results showed only 0.188 %, 0.422 % and 0.281 % of the standard dose are radiated and this will not harm the students and staffs of Ibrahim Yaakub College. (author)

  2. 40 CFR 180.501 - Hydroprene; tolerances for residues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... prescribed conditions: (1) Application shall be limited to spot, crack and crevice, perimeter and ultra low..., food service, manufacturing, and processing establishments such as restaurants, cafeterias...

  3. An application-layer based centralized information access control for VPN

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    OUYANG Kai; ZHOU Jing-li; XIA Tao; YU Sheng-sheng

    2006-01-01

    With the rapid development of Virtual Private Network (VPN), many companies and organizations use VPN to implement their private communication. Traditionally, VPN uses security protocols to protect the confidentiality of data, the message integrity and the endpoint authentication. One core technique of VPN is tunneling, by which clients can access the internal servers traversing VPN. However, the tunneling technique also introduces a concealed security hole. It is possible that ifone vicious user can establish tunneling by the VPN server, he can compromise the internal servers behind the VPN server. So this paper presents a novel Application-layer based Centralized Information Access Control (ACIAC) for VPN to solve this problem.To implement an efficient, flexible and multi-decision access control model, we present two key techniques to ACIAC-the centralized management mechanism and the stream-based access control. Firstly, we implement the information center and the constraints/events center for ACIAC. By the two centers, we can provide an abstract access control mechanism, and the material access control can be decided dynamically by the ACIAC's constraint/event mechanism. Then we logically classify the VPN communication traffic into the access stream and the data stream so that we can tightly couple the features of VPN communication with the access control model. We also provide the design of our ACIAC prototype in this paper.

  4. Determination of hot-spot susceptibility of multistring photovoltaic modules in a central-station application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez, C. C.; Weaver, R. W.; Ross, R. G., Jr.; Spencer, R.; Arnett, J. C.

    1984-01-01

    Part of the effort of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Flat-Plate Solar Array Project (FSA) includes a program to improve module and array reliability. A collaborative activity with industry dealing with the problem of hot-spot heating due to the shadowing of photovoltaic cells in modules and arrays containing several paralleled cell strings is described. The use of multiparallel strings in large central-station arrays introduces the likelihood of unequal current sharing and increased heating levels. Test results that relate power dissipated, current imbalance, cross-strapping frequency, and shadow configuration to hot-spot heating levels are presented. Recommendations for circuit design configurations appropriate to central-station applications that reduce the risk of hot-spot problems are offered. Guidelines are provided for developing hot-spot tests for arrays when current imbalance is a threat.

  5. Implementing healthier foodservice guidelines in hospital and federal worksite cafeterias: barriers, facilitators and keys to success.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jilcott Pitts, S B; Graham, J; Mojica, A; Stewart, L; Walter, M; Schille, C; McGinty, J; Pearsall, M; Whitt, O; Mihas, P; Bradley, A; Simon, C

    2016-12-01

    Healthy foodservice guidelines are being implemented in worksites and healthcare facilities to increase access to healthy foods by employees and public populations. However, little is known about the barriers to and facilitators of implementation. The present study aimed to examine barriers to and facilitators of implementation of healthy foodservice guidelines in federal worksite and hospital cafeterias. Using a mixed-methods approach, including a quantitative survey followed by a qualitative, in-depth interview, we examined: (i) barriers to and facilitators of implementation; (ii) behavioural design strategies used to promote healthier foods and beverages; and (iii) how implementation of healthy foodservice guidelines influenced costs and profitability. We used a purposive sample of five hospital and four federal worksite foodservice operators who recently implemented one of two foodservice guidelines: the United States Department of Health and Human Services/General Services Administration Health and Sustainability Guidelines ('Guidelines') in federal worksites or the Partnership for a Healthier America Hospital Healthier Food Initiative ('Initiative') in hospitals. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative survey data. Qualitative data were analysed using a deductive approach. Implementation facilitators included leadership support, adequate vendor selections and having dietitians assist with implementation. Implementation barriers included inadequate selections from vendors, customer complaints and additional expertise required for menu labelling. Behavioural design strategies used most frequently included icons denoting healthier options, marketing using social media and placement of healthier options in prime locations. Lessons learned can guide subsequent steps for future healthy foodservice guideline implementation in similar settings. © 2016 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.

  6. E-business and its Application in Conditions of Central European Market

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naci Tolga Saruc

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Aim of this paper is highlighting possibilities in effective utilization of Information and Communication Technologies for supporting entrepreneurship (e-business for Small and Medium enterprises. The core research carried on for duration of twelve months covered analysis and following presentation of possibilities of practical utilization of e-business applications. Furthermore research was oriented towards innovative forms of marketing communication in Real Corporation conducting business in Central European market. Analyzing data on collected findings can add value towards gaining a significant competitive advantage in form of better understanding of real facts influencing entrepreneurship in principle. This can lead consequently to positive influence on corporate effectiveness in the environment of Small and Medium enterprises.

  7. Hanford facility dangerous waste Part A, Form 3, and Part B permit application documentation for the Central Waste Complex (WA7890008967) (TSD: TS-2-4)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saueressig, D.G.

    1998-01-01

    The Hanford Facility Dangerous Waste Permit Application is considered to be a single application organized into a General Information Portion (document number DOE/RL-91-28) and a Unit-Specific Portion. The scope of the Unit-Specific Portion is limited to Part B permit application documentation submitted for individual, operating, treatment, storage, and/or disposal units, such as the Central Waste Complex (this document, DOE/RL-91-17). Both the General Information and Unit-Specific portions of the Hanford Facility Dangerous Waste Permit Application address the content of the Part B permit application guidance prepared by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology 1996) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (40 Code of Federal Regulations 270), with additional information needed by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments and revisions of Washington Administrative Code 173-303. For ease of reference, the Washington State Department of Ecology alpha-numeric section identifiers from the permit application guidance documentation (Ecology 1996) follow, in brackets, the chapter headings and subheadings. A checklist indicating where information is contained in the Central Waste Complex permit application documentation, in relation to the Washington State Department of Ecology guidance, is located in the Contents section. Documentation contained in the General Information Portion is broader in nature and could be used by multiple treatment, storage, and/or disposal units (e.g., the glossary provided in the General Information Portion). Wherever appropriate, the Central Waste Complex permit application documentation makes cross-reference to the General Information Portion, rather than duplicating text. Information provided in this Central Waste Complex permit application documentation is current as of May 1998

  8. Impact of a cafeteria diet and daily physical training on the rat serum metabolome.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susana Suárez-García

    Full Text Available Regular physical activity and healthy dietary patterns are commonly recommended for the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome (MetS, which is diagnosed at an alarmingly increasing rate, especially among adolescents. Nevertheless, little is known regarding the relevance of physical exercise on the modulation of the metabolome in healthy people and those with MetS. We have previously shown that treadmill exercise ameliorated different symptoms of MetS. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a MetS-inducing diet and different intensities of aerobic training on the overall serum metabolome of adolescent rats. For 8 weeks, young rats were fed either standard chow (ST or cafeteria diet (CAF and were subjected to a daily program of training on a treadmill at different speeds. Non-targeted metabolomics was used to identify changes in circulating metabolites, and a combination of multivariate analysis techniques was implemented to achieve a holistic understanding of the metabolome. Among all the identified circulating metabolites influenced by CAF, lysophosphatidylcholines were the most represented family. Serum sphingolipids, bile acids, acylcarnitines, unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E and A derivatives also changed significantly in CAF-fed rats. These findings suggest that an enduring systemic inflammatory state is induced by CAF. The impact of physical training on the metabolome was less striking than the impact of diet and mainly altered circulating bile acids and glycerophospholipids. Furthermore, the serum levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 were increased in CAF-fed rats, and C-reactive protein was decreased in trained groups. The leptin/adiponectin ratio, a useful marker of MetS, was increased in CAF groups, but decreased in proportion to training intensity. Multivariate analysis revealed that ST-fed animals were more susceptible to exercise-induced changes in metabolites than animals with MetS, in which

  9. Impact of a cafeteria diet and daily physical training on the rat serum metabolome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suárez-García, Susana; Del Bas, Josep M; Caimari, Antoni; Escorihuela, Rosa M; Arola, Lluís; Suárez, Manuel

    2017-01-01

    Regular physical activity and healthy dietary patterns are commonly recommended for the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome (MetS), which is diagnosed at an alarmingly increasing rate, especially among adolescents. Nevertheless, little is known regarding the relevance of physical exercise on the modulation of the metabolome in healthy people and those with MetS. We have previously shown that treadmill exercise ameliorated different symptoms of MetS. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a MetS-inducing diet and different intensities of aerobic training on the overall serum metabolome of adolescent rats. For 8 weeks, young rats were fed either standard chow (ST) or cafeteria diet (CAF) and were subjected to a daily program of training on a treadmill at different speeds. Non-targeted metabolomics was used to identify changes in circulating metabolites, and a combination of multivariate analysis techniques was implemented to achieve a holistic understanding of the metabolome. Among all the identified circulating metabolites influenced by CAF, lysophosphatidylcholines were the most represented family. Serum sphingolipids, bile acids, acylcarnitines, unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E and A derivatives also changed significantly in CAF-fed rats. These findings suggest that an enduring systemic inflammatory state is induced by CAF. The impact of physical training on the metabolome was less striking than the impact of diet and mainly altered circulating bile acids and glycerophospholipids. Furthermore, the serum levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 were increased in CAF-fed rats, and C-reactive protein was decreased in trained groups. The leptin/adiponectin ratio, a useful marker of MetS, was increased in CAF groups, but decreased in proportion to training intensity. Multivariate analysis revealed that ST-fed animals were more susceptible to exercise-induced changes in metabolites than animals with MetS, in which moderate

  10. Path integral methods via the use of the central limit theorem and application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thrapsaniotis, E G

    2008-01-01

    We consider a path integral in the phase space possibly with an influence functional in it and we use a method based on the use of the central limit theorem on the phase of the path integral representation to extract an equivalent expression which can be used in numerical calculations. Moreover we give conditions under which we can extract closed analytical results. As a specific application we consider a general system of two coupled and forced harmonic oscillators with coupling of the form x 1 x α 2 and we derive the relevant sign solved propagator

  11. DESIGN APPLICATIONS BASED ON WEB MOBILE AT GAYA BARU SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, CENTRAL LAMPUNG REGENCY AS PROMOTIONAL MEDIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Yudi

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Gaya Baru Senior High School is one of the educational institutions in Lampung which is a less favorite institution in the area is precisely located in the district of Seputih Surabaya Central Lampung Regency. Gaya Baru Senior High School has already had a website but not many known. This Senior High School is also no information system through mobile web to promote the institution. Nevertheless, in its development, students or community want to find information about the school can be directly through the mobile web application. So in its development requires fast service. From research that conducted in Gaya Baru High School, existence of new mobile web application system will facilitate student or society of that area, especially in subdistrict Seputih Surabaya district Central Lampung, and present information about the info about situation in high school of new style it can be accessed directly through the mobile web media.

  12. Evaluation of Soil Flushing for Application to the Deep Vadose Zone in the Hanford Central Plateau

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Truex, Michael J.; Oostrom, Martinus; Zhang, Z. F.; Carroll, Kenneth C.; Schramke, Janet A.; Wietsma, Thomas W.; Tartakovsky, Guzel D.; Gordon, Kathryn A.; Last, George V.

    2010-11-01

    Soil flushing was included in the Deep Vadose Zone Treatability Test Plan for the Hanford Central Plateau as a technology with the potential to remove contaminants from the vadose zone. Soil flushing operates through the addition of water, and if necessary an appropriate mobilizing agent, to mobilize contaminants and flush them from the vadose zone and into the groundwater where they are subsequently captured by a pump-and-treat system. There are uncertainties associated with applying soil flushing technology to contaminants in the deep vadose zone at the Hanford Central Plateau. The modeling and laboratory efforts reported herein are intended to provide a quantitative assessment of factors that impact water infiltration and contaminant flushing through the vadose zone and into the underlying groundwater. Once in the groundwater, capture of the contaminants would be necessary, but this aspect of implementing soil flushing was not evaluated in this effort. Soil flushing was evaluated primarily with respect to applications for technetium and uranium contaminants in the deep vadose zone of the Hanford Central Plateau.

  13. Central station market development strategies for photovoltaics

    Science.gov (United States)

    1980-01-01

    Federal market development strategies designed to accelerate the market penetration of central station applications of photovoltaic energy system are analyzed. Since no specific goals were set for the commercialization of central station applications, strategic principles are explored which, when coupled with specific objectives for central stations, can produce a market development implementation plan. The study includes (1) background information on the National Photovoltaic Program, photovoltaic technology, and central stations; (2) a brief market assessment; (3) a discussion of the viewpoints of the electric utility industry with respect to solar energy; (4) a discussion of commercialization issues; and (5) strategy principles. It is recommended that a set of specific goals and objectives be defined for the photovoltaic central station program, and that these goals and objectives evolve into an implementation plan that identifies the appropriate federal role.

  14. Electrochemical techniques application in corrosion problems of fossil power plants; Aplicacion de tecnicas electroquimicas en problemas de corrosion en centrales termoelectricas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cano Castillo, Ulises; Garcia Ochoa, Esteban Miguel; Martinez Villafane, Alberto; Mariaca Rodriguez, Liboria; Malo Tamayo, Jose Maria; Uruchurtu Chavarin, Jorge [Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas, Cuernavaca (Mexico)

    1991-12-31

    Some aspects of the electrochemical techniques employed to evaluate the corrosion at low temperature in fossil power plants are commented, as well as the results obtained with the application of them in three power plants of this type. [Espanol] Se comentan algunos aspectos de tecnicas electroquimicas utilizadas para evaluar la corrosion en baja temperatura en centrales termoelectricas, asi como los resultados de la aplicacion de las mismas en tres centrales de este tipo.

  15. Electrochemical techniques application in corrosion problems of fossil power plants; Aplicacion de tecnicas electroquimicas en problemas de corrosion en centrales termoelectricas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cano Castillo, Ulises; Garcia Ochoa, Esteban Miguel; Martinez Villafane, Alberto; Mariaca Rodriguez, Liboria; Malo Tamayo, Jose Maria; Uruchurtu Chavarin, Jorge [Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas, Cuernavaca (Mexico)

    1990-12-31

    Some aspects of the electrochemical techniques employed to evaluate the corrosion at low temperature in fossil power plants are commented, as well as the results obtained with the application of them in three power plants of this type. [Espanol] Se comentan algunos aspectos de tecnicas electroquimicas utilizadas para evaluar la corrosion en baja temperatura en centrales termoelectricas, asi como los resultados de la aplicacion de las mismas en tres centrales de este tipo.

  16. Correlation between centrality metrics and their application to the opinion model

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Li, C.; Li, Q.; Van Mieghem, P.F.A.; Stanley, H.E.; Wang, H.

    2015-01-01

    In recent decades, a number of centrality metrics describing network properties of nodes have been proposed to rank the importance of nodes. In order to understand the correlations between centrality metrics and to approximate a high-complexity centrality metric by a strongly correlated

  17. Traffic-light labels and choice architecture: promoting healthy food choices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thorndike, Anne N; Riis, Jason; Sonnenberg, Lillian M; Levy, Douglas E

    2014-02-01

    Preventing obesity requires maintenance of healthy eating behaviors over time. Food labels and strategies that increase visibility and convenience of healthy foods (choice architecture) promote healthier choices, but long-term effectiveness is unknown. Assess effectiveness of traffic-light labeling and choice architecture cafeteria intervention over 24 months. Longitudinal pre-post cohort follow-up study between December 2009 and February 2012. Data were analyzed in 2012. Large hospital cafeteria with a mean of 6511 transactions daily. Cafeteria sales were analyzed for (1) all cafeteria customers and (2) a longitudinal cohort of 2285 hospital employees who used the cafeteria regularly. After a 3-month baseline period, cafeteria items were labeled green (healthy); yellow (less healthy); or red (unhealthy) and rearranged to make healthy items more accessible. Proportion of cafeteria sales that were green or red during each 3-month period from baseline to 24 months. Changes in 12- and 24-month sales were compared to baseline for all transactions and transactions by the employee cohort. The proportion of sales of red items decreased from 24% at baseline to 20% at 24 months (pchoice architecture cafeteria intervention resulted in sustained healthier choices over 2 years, suggesting that food environment interventions can promote long-term changes in population eating behaviors. © 2013 American Journal of Preventive Medicine Published by American Journal of Preventive Medicine All rights reserved.

  18. 75 FR 13457 - Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-22

    ..., seat selection, boarding passes, or ordering food in restaurants and cafeterias. The Board has... check-out, seat selection, boarding passes, or ordering food in restaurants and cafeterias. In 2006, the... selection, boarding passes, or ordering food in restaurants and cafeterias. This would include point of sale...

  19. Identification of a nutrient-sensing transcriptional network in monocytes by using inbred rat models on a cafeteria diet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neus Martínez-Micaelo

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Obesity has reached pandemic levels worldwide. The current models of diet-induced obesity in rodents use predominantly high-fat based diets that do not take into account the consumption of variety of highly palatable, energy-dense foods that are prevalent in Western society. We and others have shown that the cafeteria (CAF diet is a robust and reproducible model of human metabolic syndrome with tissue inflammation in the rat. We have previously shown that inbred rat strains such as Wistar Kyoto (WKY and Lewis (LEW show different susceptibilities to CAF diets with distinct metabolic and morphometric profiles. Here, we show a difference in plasma MCP-1 levels and investigate the effect of the CAF diet on peripheral blood monocyte transcriptome, as powerful stress-sensing immune cells, in WKY and LEW rats. We found that 75.5% of the differentially expressed transcripts under the CAF diet were upregulated in WKY rats and were functionally related to the activation of the immune response. Using a gene co-expression network constructed from the genes differentially expressed between CAF diet-fed LEW and WKY rats, we identified acyl-CoA synthetase short-chain family member 2 (Acss2 as a hub gene for a nutrient-sensing cluster of transcripts in monocytes. The Acss2 genomic region is significantly enriched for previously established metabolism quantitative trait loci in the rat. Notably, monocyte expression levels of Acss2 significantly correlated with plasma glucose, triglyceride, leptin and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA levels as well as morphometric measurements such as body weight and the total fat following feeding with the CAF diet in the rat. These results show the importance of the genetic background in nutritional genomics and identify inbred rat strains as potential models for CAF-diet-induced obesity.

  20. Cafeteria diet is a robust model of human metabolic syndrome with liver and adipose inflammation: comparison to high-fat diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sampey, Brante P; Vanhoose, Amanda M; Winfield, Helena M; Freemerman, Alex J; Muehlbauer, Michael J; Fueger, Patrick T; Newgard, Christopher B; Makowski, Liza

    2011-06-01

    Obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide and reports estimate that American children consume up to 25% of calories from snacks. Several animal models of obesity exist, but studies are lacking that compare high-fat diets (HFD) traditionally used in rodent models of diet-induced obesity (DIO) to diets consisting of food regularly consumed by humans, including high-salt, high-fat, low-fiber, energy dense foods such as cookies, chips, and processed meats. To investigate the obesogenic and inflammatory consequences of a cafeteria diet (CAF) compared to a lard-based 45% HFD in rodent models, male Wistar rats were fed HFD, CAF or chow control diets for 15 weeks. Body weight increased dramatically and remained significantly elevated in CAF-fed rats compared to all other diets. Glucose- and insulin-tolerance tests revealed that hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, and glucose intolerance were exaggerated in the CAF-fed rats compared to controls and HFD-fed rats. It is well-established that macrophages infiltrate metabolic tissues at the onset of weight gain and directly contribute to inflammation, insulin resistance, and obesity. Although both high fat diets resulted in increased adiposity and hepatosteatosis, CAF-fed rats displayed remarkable inflammation in white fat, brown fat and liver compared to HFD and controls. In sum, the CAF provided a robust model of human metabolic syndrome compared to traditional lard-based HFD, creating a phenotype of exaggerated obesity with glucose intolerance and inflammation. This model provides a unique platform to study the biochemical, genomic and physiological mechanisms of obesity and obesity-related disease states that are pandemic in western civilization today.

  1. Nanotechnology applications and approaches for neuroregeneration and drug delivery to the central nervous system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Gabriel A

    2010-06-01

    Nanotechnology is the science and engineering concerned with the design, synthesis, and characterization of materials and devices that have a functional organization in at least one dimension on the nanometer (i.e., one billionth of a meter) scale. The potential impact of bottom up self-assembling nanotechnology, custom made molecules that self-assemble or self-organize into higher ordered structures in response to a defined chemical or physical cue, and top down lithographic type technologies where detail is engineered at smaller scales starting from bulk materials, stems from the fact that these nanoengineered materials and devices exhibit emergent mesocale and macroscale chemical and physical properties that are often different than their constituent nanoscale building block molecules or materials. As such, applications of nanotechnology to medicine and biology allow the interaction and integration of cells and tissues with nanoengineered substrates at a molecular (i.e., subcellular) level with a very high degree of functional specificity and control. This review considers applications of nanotechnology aimed at the neuroprotection and functional regeneration of the central nervous system (CNS) following traumatic or degenerative insults, and nanotechnology approaches for delivering drugs and other small molecules across the blood-brain barrier. It also discusses developing platform technologies that may prove to have broad applications to medicine and physiology, including some being developed for rescuing or replacing anatomical and/or functional CNS structures.

  2. Parallel Algorithm for Incremental Betweenness Centrality on Large Graphs

    KAUST Repository

    Jamour, Fuad Tarek

    2017-10-17

    Betweenness centrality quantifies the importance of nodes in a graph in many applications, including network analysis, community detection and identification of influential users. Typically, graphs in such applications evolve over time. Thus, the computation of betweenness centrality should be performed incrementally. This is challenging because updating even a single edge may trigger the computation of all-pairs shortest paths in the entire graph. Existing approaches cannot scale to large graphs: they either require excessive memory (i.e., quadratic to the size of the input graph) or perform unnecessary computations rendering them prohibitively slow. We propose iCentral; a novel incremental algorithm for computing betweenness centrality in evolving graphs. We decompose the graph into biconnected components and prove that processing can be localized within the affected components. iCentral is the first algorithm to support incremental betweeness centrality computation within a graph component. This is done efficiently, in linear space; consequently, iCentral scales to large graphs. We demonstrate with real datasets that the serial implementation of iCentral is up to 3.7 times faster than existing serial methods. Our parallel implementation that scales to large graphs, is an order of magnitude faster than the state-of-the-art parallel algorithm, while using an order of magnitude less computational resources.

  3. Approximating centrality in evolving graphs: toward sublinearity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Priest, Benjamin W.; Cybenko, George

    2017-05-01

    The identification of important nodes is a ubiquitous problem in the analysis of social networks. Centrality indices (such as degree centrality, closeness centrality, betweenness centrality, PageRank, and others) are used across many domains to accomplish this task. However, the computation of such indices is expensive on large graphs. Moreover, evolving graphs are becoming increasingly important in many applications. It is therefore desirable to develop on-line algorithms that can approximate centrality measures using memory sublinear in the size of the graph. We discuss the challenges facing the semi-streaming computation of many centrality indices. In particular, we apply recent advances in the streaming and sketching literature to provide a preliminary streaming approximation algorithm for degree centrality utilizing CountSketch and a multi-pass semi-streaming approximation algorithm for closeness centrality leveraging a spanner obtained through iteratively sketching the vertex-edge adjacency matrix. We also discuss possible ways forward for approximating betweenness centrality, as well as spectral measures of centrality. We provide a preliminary result using sketched low-rank approximations to approximate the output of the HITS algorithm.

  4. Biological restoration of central nervous system architecture and function: part 3-stem cell- and cell-based applications and realities in the biological management of central nervous system disorders: traumatic, vascular, and epilepsy disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farin, Azadeh; Liu, Charles Y; Langmoen, Iver A; Apuzzo, Michael L J

    2009-11-01

    STEM CELL THERAPY has emerged as a promising novel therapeutic endeavor for traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, and epilepsy in experimental studies. A few preliminary clinical trials have further supported its safety and early efficacy after transplantation into humans. Although not yet clinically available for central nervous system disorders, stem cell technology is expected to evolve into one of the most powerful tools in the biological management of complex central nervous system disorders, many of which currently have limited treatment modalities. The identification of stem cells, discovery of neurogenesis, and application of stem cells to treat central nervous system disorders represent a dramatic evolution and expansion of the neurosurgeon's capabilities into the neurorestoration and neuroregeneration realms. In Part 3 of a 5-part series on stem cells, we discuss the theory, experimental evidence, and clinical data pertaining to the use of stem cells for the treatment of traumatic, vascular, and epileptic disorders.

  5. Quality Assurance Project Plan for Closure of the Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant Lagoon 3 and Land Application Area

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lewis, Michael G.

    2016-01-01

    This quality assurance project plan describes the technical requirements and quality assurance activities of the environmental data collection/analyses operations to close Central Facilities Area Sewage treatment Plant Lagoon 3 and the land application area. It describes the organization and persons involved, the data quality objectives, the analytical procedures, and the specific quality control measures to be employed. All quality assurance project plan activities are implemented to determine whether the results of the sampling and monitoring performed are of the right type, quantity, and quality to satisfy the requirements for closing Lagoon 3 and the land application area.

  6. Quality Assurance Project Plan for Closure of the Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant Lagoon 3 and Land Application Area

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lewis, Michael G. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

    2016-10-01

    This quality assurance project plan describes the technical requirements and quality assurance activities of the environmental data collection/analyses operations to close Central Facilities Area Sewage treatment Plant Lagoon 3 and the land application area. It describes the organization and persons involved, the data quality objectives, the analytical procedures, and the specific quality control measures to be employed. All quality assurance project plan activities are implemented to determine whether the results of the sampling and monitoring performed are of the right type, quantity, and quality to satisfy the requirements for closing Lagoon 3 and the land application area.

  7. The central nervous system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holmes, R.A.

    1984-01-01

    The first section presents a comprehensive evaluation of radionuclide imaging of the central nervous system and provides a comparison of the detection accuracies of radionuclide imaging (RNI) and XCT in certain lesions, realizing that the XCT results may vary when radiocontrast or newer generation XCT scanners are used. Although conventional radionuclide imaging of the central nervous system has experienced no significant changes over the last 7 years except for mild refinements, a new section has been added on positron emission tomography (PET). Most positron radiopharmaceuticals passively cross the intact blood-brain barrier, and their localization has catalyzed renewed interest in our ability to metabolically study and obtain images of the central nervous system. The section on radionuclide cisternography has been rewritten to reflect present day practice and the wider application of XCT in describing conditions affecting the ventricular system

  8. Education in a homeless shelter to improve the nutrition of young children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yousey, Yvonne; Leake, Jacquelyn; Wdowik, Melissa; Janken, Janice K

    2007-01-01

    To improve the nutritional status of homeless children by implementing an educational program for their mothers and the cafeteria staff at a homeless shelter. Program evaluation including before and after measures of mothers' nutritional knowledge and nutritional quality of foods served in the cafeteria. Fifty-six mothers with children aged 18 months to 6 years and 3 cafeteria staff. Four nutrition classes developed by a registered nutritionist were taught to mothers by clinic nurses; 3 nutrition classes were taught to the cafeteria staff by the nutritionist. Mothers scored higher on posttests than on pretests, indicating improved nutritional knowledge. Minimal differences in the nutritional quality of foods served to residents were observed after staff education. This project demonstrates the challenges of altering the nutritional status of children in a homeless shelter. Despite mothers showing better knowledge of nutritional requirements for children, the types of food served in the cafeteria were an obstacle to them in practicing what they had learned. The cafeteria staff's ability to demonstrate their learning was impeded by the constraints of food donations. Educational strategies may need to be augmented by policies to improve the nutritional status of children in homeless shelters.

  9. Postnatal development of plasma amino acids in hyperphagic rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salvadó, M J; Segués, T; Arola, L

    1991-01-01

    The effect of feeding a highly palatable high-energy cafeteria diet on individual amino acid levels in plasma during postnatal development of the rat has been evaluated and compared to chow-fed controls. The cafeteria diet selected by the rats was hypercaloric and hyperlipidic, with practically the same amount of carbohydrate as the control diet, and slightly hyperproteic. In response to cafeteria feeding, significant decreases were observed in plasma serine and cysteine along the period studied. Significant changes with age during the growth period were shown by cafeteria-fed animals, which were not observed in control rats. Citrulline levels were lower on days 10 and 14 in cafeteria pups than in chow pups. Methionine was highest on day 30. Threonine was also higher at days 20 and 30, as was valine but with a nadir at day 10. Lysine showed maximal values on days 14 and 30.

  10. Cannabis, Cannabinoids, and Cerebral Metabolism: Potential Applications in Stroke and Disorders of the Central Nervous System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latorre, Julius Gene S; Schmidt, Elena B

    2015-09-01

    No compound has generated more attention in both the scientific and recently in the political arena as much as cannabinoids. These diverse groups of compounds referred collectively as cannabinoids have both been vilified due to its dramatic and potentially harmful psychotropic effects and glorified due to its equally dramatic and potential application in a number of acute and chronic neurological conditions. Previously illegal to possess, cannabis, the plant where natural form of cannabinoids are derived, is now accepted in a growing number of states for medicinal purpose, and some even for recreational use, increasing opportunities for more scientific experimentation. The purpose of this review is to summarize the growing body of literature on cannabinoids and to present an overview of our current state of knowledge of the human endocannabinoid system in the hope of defining the future of cannabinoids and its potential applications in disorders of the central nervous system, focusing on stroke.

  11. Improving U.S. Navy Foodservice Management Training. Part 1. Evaluation of the Current System

    Science.gov (United States)

    1985-11-01

    Experience in civilian foodservice before joining Navy? FAST FOOD FRANCHISE BAKERY RESTAURANT COFFEE SHOP CAFETERIA DELICATESSEN NONE WORKED AS...civilian foodservice since joining Navy? FAST FOOD FRANCHISE 12 8 BAKERY 15 5 RESTAURANT 12 18 COFFEE SHOP 8 — CAFETERIA 8 — DELICATESSEN — NONE...food service before joining the Navy? (PLEASE CHECK l^ THAT APPLY TO WHERE YOU WORKED) Fast Food Franchise Cafeteria Bakery Delieateesan

  12. Foodborne Pathogens Recovered from Ready-to-Eat Foods from Roadside Cafeterias and Retail Outlets in Alice, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa: Public Health Implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nyenje, Mirriam E.; Odjadjare, Collins E.; Tanih, Nicoline F.; Green, Ezekiel; Ndip, Roland N.

    2012-01-01

    This study assessed the microbiological quality of various ready-to-eat foods sold in Alice, South Africa. Microbiological analysis was conducted on 252 samples which included vegetables, potatoes, rice, pies, beef and chicken stew. The isolates were identified using biochemical tests and the API 20E, API 20NE and API Listeria kits; results were analyzed using the one-way-ANOVA test. Bacterial growth was present in all the food types tested; high levels of total aerobic count were observed in vegetables, 6.8 ± 0.07 followed by rice, 6.7 ± 1.7 while pies had the lowest count (2.58 ± 0.24). Organisms isolated included: Listeria spp. (22%), Enterobacter spp. (18%), Aeromonas hydrophila (12%), Klebsiella oxytoca (8%), Proteus mirabilis (6.3%), Staphylococcus aureus (3.2%) and Pseudomonas luteola (2.4%). Interestingly, Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli were not isolated in any of the samples. There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in the prevalence of foodborne pathogens from hygienic and unhygienic cafeterias. The results indicated that most of the ready-to-eat food samples examined in this study did not meet bacteriological quality standards, therefore posing potential risks to consumers. This should draw the attention of the relevant authorities to ensure that hygienic standards are improved to curtain foodborne infections. PMID:23066386

  13. Betweenness centrality and its applications from modeling traffic flows to network community detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Yihui

    network and we demonstrate that the changes can propagate globally, affecting traffic several hundreds of miles away. Because of its principled nature, this method can inform many applications related to human mobility driven flows in spatial networks, ranging from transportation, through urban planning to mitigation of the effects of catastrophic events. In the second part of the thesis we focus on network deconstruction and community detection problems, both intensely studied topics in network science, using a weighted betweenness centrality approach. We present an algorithm that solves both problems efficiently and accurately and demonstrate that on both benchmark networks and data networks.

  14. Compressive sensing of high betweenness centrality nodes in networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahyar, Hamidreza; Hasheminezhad, Rouzbeh; Ghalebi K., Elahe; Nazemian, Ali; Grosu, Radu; Movaghar, Ali; Rabiee, Hamid R.

    2018-05-01

    Betweenness centrality is a prominent centrality measure expressing importance of a node within a network, in terms of the fraction of shortest paths passing through that node. Nodes with high betweenness centrality have significant impacts on the spread of influence and idea in social networks, the user activity in mobile phone networks, the contagion process in biological networks, and the bottlenecks in communication networks. Thus, identifying k-highest betweenness centrality nodes in networks will be of great interest in many applications. In this paper, we introduce CS-HiBet, a new method to efficiently detect top- k betweenness centrality nodes in networks, using compressive sensing. CS-HiBet can perform as a distributed algorithm by using only the local information at each node. Hence, it is applicable to large real-world and unknown networks in which the global approaches are usually unrealizable. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated by extensive simulations on several synthetic and real-world networks. The experimental results demonstrate that CS-HiBet outperforms the best existing methods with notable improvements.

  15. D Central Line Extraction of Fossil Oyster Shells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Djuricic, A.; Puttonen, E.; Harzhauser, M.; Mandic, O.; Székely, B.; Pfeifer, N.

    2016-06-01

    Photogrammetry provides a powerful tool to digitally document protected, inaccessible, and rare fossils. This saves manpower in relation to current documentation practice and makes the fragile specimens more available for paleontological analysis and public education. In this study, high resolution orthophoto (0.5 mm) and digital surface models (1 mm) are used to define fossil boundaries that are then used as an input to automatically extract fossil length information via central lines. In general, central lines are widely used in geosciences as they ease observation, monitoring and evaluation of object dimensions. Here, the 3D central lines are used in a novel paleontological context to study fossilized oyster shells with photogrammetric and LiDAR-obtained 3D point cloud data. 3D central lines of 1121 Crassostrea gryphoides oysters of various shapes and sizes were computed in the study. Central line calculation included: i) Delaunay triangulation between the fossil shell boundary points and formation of the Voronoi diagram; ii) extraction of Voronoi vertices and construction of a connected graph tree from them; iii) reduction of the graph to the longest possible central line via Dijkstra's algorithm; iv) extension of longest central line to the shell boundary and smoothing by an adjustment of cubic spline curve; and v) integration of the central line into the corresponding 3D point cloud. The resulting longest path estimate for the 3D central line is a size parameter that can be applied in oyster shell age determination both in paleontological and biological applications. Our investigation evaluates ability and performance of the central line method to measure shell sizes accurately by comparing automatically extracted central lines with manually collected reference data used in paleontological analysis. Our results show that the automatically obtained central line length overestimated the manually collected reference by 1.5% in the test set, which is deemed

  16. Traffic-Light Labels and Choice Architecture Promoting Healthy Food Choices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thorndike, Anne N.; Riis, Jason; Sonnenberg, Lillian M.; Levy, Douglas E.

    2014-01-01

    Background Preventing obesity requires maintenance of healthy eating behaviors over time. Food labels and strategies that increase visibility and convenience of healthy foods (choice architecture) promote healthier choices, but long-term effectiveness is unknown. Purpose Assess effectiveness of traffic-light labeling and choice architecture cafeteria intervention over 24 months. Design Longitudinal pre–post cohort follow-up study between December 2009 and February 2012. Data were analyzed in 2012. Setting/participants Large hospital cafeteria with mean of 6511 transactions daily. Cafeteria sales were analyzed for: (1) all cafeteria customers and (2) longitudinal cohort of 2285 hospital employees who used the cafeteria regularly. Intervention After 3-month baseline period, cafeteria items were labeled green (healthy), yellow (less healthy) or red (unhealthy) and rearranged to make healthy items more accessible. Main outcome measures Proportion of cafeteria sales that were green or red during each 3-month period from baseline to 24 months. Changes in 12- and 24-month sales were compared to baseline for all transactions and transactions by the employee cohort. Results The proportion of sales of red items decreased from 24% at baseline to 20% at 24 months (p<0.001), and green sales increased from 41% to 46% (p<0.001). Red beverages decreased from 26% of beverage sales at baseline to 17% at 24 months (p<0.001); green beverages increased from 52% to 60% (p<0.001). Similar patterns were observed for the cohort of employees, with largest change for red beverages (23% to 14%, p<0.001). Conclusions A traffic-light and choice architecture cafeteria intervention resulted in sustained healthier choices over 2 years, suggesting food environment interventions can promote long-term changes in population eating behaviors. PMID:24439347

  17. Applying IFRS 9 to Central Banks Foreign Reserves

    OpenAIRE

    World Bank

    2016-01-01

    Effective January 1, 2018, IFRS 9 Financial Instruments will replace IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement (IAS 39). Unlike most publications on IFRS 9, this paper focuses primarily on the application of the new standard on central banks’ foreign reserve assets, which increasingly constitute a substantial part of central banks’ balance sheet. Based on IFRS 9 implementa...

  18. Effects of design on cost of flat-plate solar photovoltaic arrays for terrestrial central station power applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsou, P.; Stolte, W.

    1978-01-01

    The paper examines the impact of module and array designs on the balance-of-plant costs for flat-plate terrestrial central station power applications. Consideration is given to the following types of arrays: horizontal, tandem, augmented, tilt adjusted, and E-W tracking. The life-cycle cost of a 20-year plant life serves as the costing criteria for making design and cost tradeoffs. A tailored code of accounts is developed for determining consistent photovoltaic power plant costs and providing credible photovoltaic system cost baselines for flat-plate module and array designs by costing several varying array design approaches.

  19. Initial TMX central-cell ICRH experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Molvik, A.W.; Coffield, F.E.; Falabella, S.; Griffin, D.; McVey, B.; Pickles, W.; P.

    1980-01-01

    Four topics are discussed in this report: the feasibility of applying ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) in the TMX central cell, some applications of heating, the results of preliminary experiments, and plans for further ICRH experiments

  20. BWR plant advanced central control panel PODIA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujii, K.; Hayakawa, H.; Ikeda, Y.; Neda, T.; Suto, O.; Takamiya, S.

    1983-01-01

    BWR plant central control panels have become more and more enlarged and complicated recently due to the magnification of the scale of a plant and the requirement to reinforce safety. So, it is important to make communication between men and the complicated central control panel smooth. Toshiba has developed an advanced central control panel, named PODIA, which uses many computers and color CRTs, and PODIA is now in the stage of application to practical plants. In this article, the writers first touch upon control functions transition in the central control room, the PODIA position concerning the world-wide trend in this technology phase and the human engineering on the design. Then they present concrete design concepts for the control board and computer system which constitute PODIA

  1. Nonadditive entropy and nonextensive statistical mechanics - Some central concepts and recent applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsallis, Constantino; Tirnakli, Ugur

    2010-01-01

    We briefly review central concepts concerning nonextensive statistical mechanics, based on the nonadditive entropy shown. Among others, we focus on possible realizations of the q-generalized Central Limit Theorem, including at the edge of chaos of the logistic map, and for quasi-stationary states of many-body long-range-interacting Hamiltonian systems.

  2. On Deciding How to Decide: To Centralize or Decentralize.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaffee, Ellen Earle

    Issues concerning whether to centralize or decentralize decision-making are addressed, with applications for colleges. Centralization/decentralization (C/D) must be analyzed with reference to a particular decision. Three components of C/D are locus of authority, breadth of participation, and relative contribution by the decision-maker's staff. C/D…

  3. Foodborne Pathogens Recovered from Ready-to-Eat Foods from Roadside Cafeterias and Retail Outlets in Alice, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa: Public Health Implications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roland N. Ndip

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available This study assessed the microbiological quality of various ready-to-eat foods sold in Alice, South Africa. Microbiological analysis was conducted on 252 samples which included vegetables, potatoes, rice, pies, beef and chicken stew. The isolates were identified using biochemical tests and the API 20E, API 20NE and API Listeria kits; results were analyzed using the one-way-ANOVA test. Bacterial growth was present in all the food types tested; high levels of total aerobic count were observed in vegetables, 6.8 ± 0.07 followed by rice, 6.7 ± 1.7 while pies had the lowest count (2.58 ± 0.24. Organisms isolated included: Listeria spp. (22%, Enterobacter spp. (18%, Aeromonas hydrophila (12%, Klebsiella oxytoca (8%, Proteus mirabilis (6.3%, Staphylococcus aureus (3.2% and Pseudomonas luteola (2.4%. Interestingly, Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli were not isolated in any of the samples. There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05 in the prevalence of foodborne pathogens from hygienic and unhygienic cafeterias. The results indicated that most of the ready-to-eat food samples examined in this study did not meet bacteriological quality standards, therefore posing potential risks to consumers. This should draw the attention of the relevant authorities to ensure that hygienic standards are improved to curtain foodborne infections.

  4. 3D CENTRAL LINE EXTRACTION OF FOSSIL OYSTER SHELLS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Djuricic

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Photogrammetry provides a powerful tool to digitally document protected, inaccessible, and rare fossils. This saves manpower in relation to current documentation practice and makes the fragile specimens more available for paleontological analysis and public education. In this study, high resolution orthophoto (0.5 mm and digital surface models (1 mm are used to define fossil boundaries that are then used as an input to automatically extract fossil length information via central lines. In general, central lines are widely used in geosciences as they ease observation, monitoring and evaluation of object dimensions. Here, the 3D central lines are used in a novel paleontological context to study fossilized oyster shells with photogrammetric and LiDAR-obtained 3D point cloud data. 3D central lines of 1121 Crassostrea gryphoides oysters of various shapes and sizes were computed in the study. Central line calculation included: i Delaunay triangulation between the fossil shell boundary points and formation of the Voronoi diagram; ii extraction of Voronoi vertices and construction of a connected graph tree from them; iii reduction of the graph to the longest possible central line via Dijkstra’s algorithm; iv extension of longest central line to the shell boundary and smoothing by an adjustment of cubic spline curve; and v integration of the central line into the corresponding 3D point cloud. The resulting longest path estimate for the 3D central line is a size parameter that can be applied in oyster shell age determination both in paleontological and biological applications. Our investigation evaluates ability and performance of the central line method to measure shell sizes accurately by comparing automatically extracted central lines with manually collected reference data used in paleontological analysis. Our results show that the automatically obtained central line length overestimated the manually collected reference by 1.5% in the test set, which

  5. Community centrality and social science research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allman, Dan

    2015-12-01

    Community centrality is a growing requirement of social science. The field's research practices are increasingly expected to conform to prescribed relationships with the people studied. Expectations about community centrality influence scholarly activities. These expectations can pressure social scientists to adhere to models of community involvement that are immediate and that include community-based co-investigators, advisory boards, and liaisons. In this context, disregarding community centrality can be interpreted as failure. This paper considers evolving norms about the centrality of community in social science. It problematises community inclusion and discusses concerns about the impact of community centrality on incremental theory development, academic integrity, freedom of speech, and the value of liberal versus communitarian knowledge. Through the application of a constructivist approach, this paper argues that social science in which community is omitted or on the periphery is not failed science, because not all social science requires a community base to make a genuine and valuable contribution. The utility of community centrality is not necessarily universal across all social science pursuits. The practices of knowing within social science disciplines may be difficult to transfer to a community. These practices of knowing require degrees of specialisation and interest that not all communities may want or have.

  6. Inventory Centralization Decision Framework for Spare Parts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gregersen, Nicklas; Herbert-Hansen, Zaza Nadja Lee

    2018-01-01

    Within the current literature, there is a lack of a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to managing spare parts and their inventory configuration. This paper addresses this research gap by examining the key contextual factors which influence the degree of inventory centralization and proposes...... a novel holistic theoretical framework, the Inventory Centralization Decision Framework (ICDF), useful for practitioners. Through an extensive review of inventory management literature, six contextual factors influencing the degree of inventory centralization have been identified. Using the ICDF...... practitioners can assess the most advantageous inventory configuration of spare parts. The framework is tested on a large global company which, as a result, today actively uses the ICDF; thus showing its practical applicability....

  7. Improved high temperature solar absorbers for use in Concentrating Solar Power central receiver applications.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stechel, Ellen Beth; Ambrosini, Andrea; Hall, Aaron Christopher; Lambert, Timothy L.; Staiger, Chad Lynn; Bencomo, Marlene

    2010-09-01

    Concentrating solar power (CSP) systems use solar absorbers to convert the heat from sunlight to electric power. Increased operating temperatures are necessary to lower the cost of solar-generated electricity by improving efficiencies and reducing thermal energy storage costs. Durable new materials are needed to cope with operating temperatures >600 C. The current coating technology (Pyromark High Temperature paint) has a solar absorptance in excess of 0.95 but a thermal emittance greater than 0.8, which results in large thermal losses at high temperatures. In addition, because solar receivers operate in air, these coatings have long term stability issues that add to the operating costs of CSP facilities. Ideal absorbers must have high solar absorptance (>0.95) and low thermal emittance (<0.05) in the IR region, be stable in air, and be low-cost and readily manufacturable. We propose to utilize solution-based synthesis techniques to prepare intrinsic absorbers for use in central receiver applications.

  8. Prevalence of intestinal parasites, salmonella and shigella among apparently health food handlers of Addis Ababa University student's cafeteria, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aklilu, Addis; Kahase, Daniel; Dessalegn, Mekonnen; Tarekegn, Negatu; Gebremichael, Saba; Zenebe, Seyfe; Desta, Kassu; Mulugeta, Gebru; Mamuye, Yeshiwodim; Mama, Mohammedaman

    2015-01-24

    Food contamination may occur at any point during its journey through production, processing, distribution, and preparation. The risk of food getting contaminated depends largely on the health status of the food handlers, their personal hygiene, knowledge and practice of food hygiene. Food borne diseases are a public health problem in developed and developing countries like Ethiopia. A cross sectional study was conducted among food handlers in Addis Ababa student's cafeteria from January to May 2013. Structured questionnaire was used to collect socio demographic data and associated risk factors. Stool specimens were examined for bacteria and intestinal parasites following standard procedures. Biochemical tests were done to identify the species of bacterial isolates. Sensitivity testing was done using Kirby- Baur disk diffusion method. A total of 172 food handlers were enrolled in the study. The majority of study participants were females 134 (77.9%). About 78 (45.3%) of food handlers were found to be positive for different intestinal parasites with the most abundant parasite of Entameoba histolytica/dispar 68 (70.8%) followed by Giardia lamblia 18 (18.8%), Taenia species 5 (5.2%), Ascaris lumbricoides 2 (2.1%), hookworm 2 (2.1%) and Trichuris trichiura 1 (1.1%). Stool cultures revealed 3.5% of Salmonella isolates (Sero-grouping on Salmonella isolate was not done), while Shigella species was not isolated from any of the stool samples obtained from Food handlers. All isolates of Salmonella were sensitive to ciprofloxacin, amikacin and gentamicin but resistant to ampicillin, clindamycin, and erythromycin. The present study revealed a high prevalence of intestinal parasite in asymptomatic (apparently health) food handlers. Such infected food handlers can contaminate food, drinks and could serve as source of infection to consumers via food chain.

  9. Central Asia in a Changing World: From a Peripheral Region to an Area of Policy Generation and Application. Actors, Policy and Security

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nora Sainz Gsell

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available This work deals with Central Asia, beginning with an analysis of the characteristics of international insertion of the area as a whole and of the former Soviet republics that comprise it. In a general way, it aims to analyse the evolution of Central Asia from a peripheral region to an area that generates behaviours and receives the application of policies on the part ofinternational actors. In the first part of the study, it mentions a series of particularities of the republics that have determined the relationships in the region(the Central Asian order and those between the region and the outside world; it indicates geo-historical and economic-strategic aspects. In the second part, it examines the foreign policy of the republics in the post-Cold War era from the singularities of domestic policy. And, in the third part, it analyses, according to the aforementioned peculiarities, the policies that the area and each State has generated in international actors, both regional ones and global ones, and which have transformed the region from a peripheral one to a geopolitically emerging one.

  10. NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-DNOV-01-2150 [SEVENS

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available CBRC-DNOV-01-2150 ref|NP_051152.1| ribosomal protein S4 [Cafeteria roenbergensis] g...b|AAF05803.1|AF193903_26 ribosomal protein S4 [Cafeteria roenbergensis] NP_051152.1 0.86 27% ...

  11. NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-DNOV-01-2064 [SEVENS

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available CBRC-DNOV-01-2064 ref|NP_051147.1| NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 [Cafeteria roenberg...ensis] gb|AAF05798.1|AF193903_21 NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 [Cafeteria roenbergensis] NP_051147.1 0.009 24% ...

  12. Effect of road salt application on seasonal chloride concentrations and toxicity in south-central Indiana streams.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardner, Kristin M; Royer, Todd V

    2010-01-01

    Contemporary information on road salt runoff is needed for management of water resources in regions experiencing urbanization and increased road density. We investigated seasonal Cl(-) concentrations among five streams in south-central Indiana that drained watersheds varying in degree of urbanization and ranging in size from 9.3 to 27 km(2). We also conducted acute toxicity tests with Daphnia pulex to assess the potential effects of the observed Cl(-) concentrations on aquatic life. Periods of elevated Cl(-) concentrations were observed during the winters of 2007-08 and 2008-09 at all sites except the reference site. The highest Cl(-) concentration observed during the study was 2100 mg L(-1) and occurred at the most urbanized site. The Cl(-) concentration at the reference site never exceeded 22 mg L(-1). The application of road salt caused large increases in stream Cl(-) concentrations, but the elevated Cl(-) levels did not appear to be a significant threat to aquatic life based on our toxicity testing. Only the most urbanized site showed evidence of salt retention within the watershed, whereas the other sites exported the road salt relatively quickly after its application, suggesting storm drains and impervious surfaces minimized interaction between soils and salt-laden runoff. During winter at these sites, the response in stream Cl(-) concentrations appeared to be controlled by the timing and intensity of road salt application, the magnitude of precipitation, and the occurrence of air temperatures that caused snowmelt and generated runoff.

  13. School canteens in the Federal District, Brazil and the promotion of healthy eating

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erika Blamires Santos Porto

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To characterize the school cafeterias in the Federal District of Brazil with respect to the promotion of healthy eating in schools. Methods: This is a descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional study, with a representative sample of schools with cafeterias in the Federal District, Brazil (n=202. The data were collected from April to November 2010 by means of on-site interviews and a structured questionnaire. The Pearson's chi-squared and Student's t tests were used. Results: A higher prevalence of outsourcing, and few employees and dieticians were observed. The prevailing foods were baked sausage, cheese, or chicken rolls or pastries. It was also found that 42.2% of the schools influence the menu of the cafeterias, and 58.6% of the representatives believe in the possibility of influencing the students' eating habits. However, 68.0% of the respondents do not believe in the economic feasibility of completely healthful school cafeterias. Approximately 30.0% of the respondents carry out activities to promote healthy eating. Conclusion: Most of the school cafeterias in the Federal District do not encourage healthful eating. The high prevalence of outsourced services with little interference from the school community gives high autonomy to the cafeteria's owner, whose priority is the pursuit of profit at the expense of the students' nutritional education. Improving the nutritional quality of school foods should be a continuous interactive effort of the food suppliers, principals, students, parents, and government authorities.

  14. NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-CREM-01-0003 [SEVENS

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available CBRC-CREM-01-0003 ref|NP_051147.1| NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 [Cafeteria roenberg...ensis] gb|AAF05798.1|AF193903_21 NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 [Cafeteria roenbergensis] NP_051147.1 1e-04 27% ...

  15. NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-CBRE-01-1180 [SEVENS

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available CBRC-CBRE-01-1180 ref|NP_051147.1| NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 [Cafeteria roenberg...ensis] gb|AAF05798.1|AF193903_21 NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 [Cafeteria roenbergensis] NP_051147.1 2e-05 24% ...

  16. Network centrality measures and systemic risk: An application to the Turkish financial crisis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuzubaş, Tolga Umut; Ömercikoğlu, Inci; Saltoğlu, Burak

    2014-07-01

    In this paper, we analyze the performance of several network centrality measures in detecting systemically important financial institutions (SIFI) using data from the Turkish Interbank market during the financial crisis in 2000. We employ various network investigation tools such as volume, transactions, links, connectivity and reciprocity to gain a clearer picture of the network topology of the interbank market. We study the main borrower role of Demirbank in the crash of the banking system with network centrality measures which are extensively used in the network theory. This ex-post analysis of the crisis shows that centrality measures perform well in identifying and monitoring systemically important financial institutions which provide useful insights for financial regulations.

  17. Application of dental nanomaterials: potential toxicity to the central nervous system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Xiaoli; Chen, Aijie; Zhang, Yanli; Wang, Jianfeng; Shao, Longquan; Wei, Limin

    2015-01-01

    Nanomaterials are defined as materials with one or more external dimensions with a size of 1-100 nm. Such materials possess typical nanostructure-dependent properties (eg, chemical, biological, optical, mechanical, and magnetic), which may differ greatly from the properties of their bulk counterparts. In recent years, nanomaterials have been widely used in the production of dental materials, particularly in light polymerization composite resins and bonding systems, coating materials for dental implants, bioceramics, endodontic sealers, and mouthwashes. However, the dental applications of nanomaterials yield not only a significant improvement in clinical treatments but also growing concerns regarding their biosecurity. The brain is well protected by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which separates the blood from the cerebral parenchyma. However, in recent years, many studies have found that nanoparticles (NPs), including nanocarriers, can transport through the BBB and locate in the central nervous system (CNS). Because the CNS may be a potential target organ of the nanomaterials, it is essential to determine the neurotoxic effects of NPs. In this review, possible dental nanomaterials and their pathways into the CNS are discussed, as well as related neurotoxicity effects underlying the in vitro and in vivo studies. Finally, we analyze the limitations of the current testing methods on the toxicological effects of nanomaterials. This review contributes to a better understanding of the nano-related risks to the CNS as well as the further development of safety assessment systems.

  18. NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-TTRU-01-1294 [SEVENS

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available CBRC-TTRU-01-1294 ref|NP_051157.1| ATP synthase F0 subunit 6 [Cafeteria roenbergens...is] gb|AAF05808.1|AF193903_31 ATP synthase F0 subunit 6 [Cafeteria roenbergensis] NP_051157.1 0.057 29% ...

  19. NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-DNOV-01-0972 [SEVENS

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available CBRC-DNOV-01-0972 ref|NP_051157.1| ATP synthase F0 subunit 6 [Cafeteria roenbergens...is] gb|AAF05808.1|AF193903_31 ATP synthase F0 subunit 6 [Cafeteria roenbergensis] NP_051157.1 0.001 29% ...

  20. The Shorelands: General Policies Plan Amendment 83-23, Zone Change Application 83-24. Volume 2. Appendices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1987-03-01

    with backstretch activities, shops, an administration building for officials, cafeteria, fire station, security offices, equine veterinary clinic and...phase). b) Veterinary Clinic A first class equine veterinary clinic will be provided in the backstretch. The facility will include surgery, x-ray...Box"). When the track is operating, either for training or racing, a nurse is on duty. During racing events, in addition to the nurse , a physician

  1. Optimizing the distribution of centralizers; Otimizacao da distribuicao de centralizadores

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fonseca, Carlos Fernando H; Salies, Jacques Braile [PETROBRAS, XX (Brazil). Dept. de Perfuracao. Div. de Revestimento de Cimentacao

    1990-12-31

    There are two procedures for the distribution of centralizers on casing: rules of thumb for vertical wells and the well-know theoretical model developed in API SPEC 10D. This paper presents a new approach for the disposition of centralizers. Casing deflection is modeled more realistically than in the API algorithm, using better boundary conditions. A computer application was developed to integrate information on hole trajectory, casing properties and the performance of centralizers, in order to optimize centralizer spacing. The paper also presents a few comparative examples, and the results obtained are less conservative than those of the API model, thus reducing the number of centralizers to be run in a particular well. (author) 6 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs.

  2. Optimizing the distribution of centralizers; Otimizacao da distribuicao de centralizadores

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fonseca, Carlos Fernando H.; Salies, Jacques Braile [PETROBRAS, XX (Brazil). Dept. de Perfuracao. Div. de Revestimento de Cimentacao

    1989-12-31

    There are two procedures for the distribution of centralizers on casing: rules of thumb for vertical wells and the well-know theoretical model developed in API SPEC 10D. This paper presents a new approach for the disposition of centralizers. Casing deflection is modeled more realistically than in the API algorithm, using better boundary conditions. A computer application was developed to integrate information on hole trajectory, casing properties and the performance of centralizers, in order to optimize centralizer spacing. The paper also presents a few comparative examples, and the results obtained are less conservative than those of the API model, thus reducing the number of centralizers to be run in a particular well. (author) 6 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs.

  3. Centralized vs. de-centralized multinationals and taxes

    OpenAIRE

    Nielsen, Søren Bo; Raimondos-Møller, Pascalis; Schjelderup, Guttorm

    2005-01-01

    The paper examines how country tax differences affect a multinational enterprise's choice to centralize or de-centralize its decision structure. Within a simple model that emphasizes the multiple conflicting roles of transfer prices in MNEs – here, as a strategic pre-commitment device and a tax manipulation instrument –, we show that (de-)centralized decisions are more profitable when tax differentials are (small) large. Keywords: Centralized vs. de-centralized decisions, taxes, MNEs. ...

  4. Application of the 137Cs technique to quantify soil redistribution rates in paleohumults from Central-South Chile

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schuller, P.; Sepulveda, A.; Trumper, R.E.; Castillo, A.

    2000-01-01

    The objective of the present study was to evaluate the applicability of the 137 Cs technique in obtaining spatial distributed information on mean soil redistribution rates in Central-South Chile. For this purpose four fields of Palehumult soil and contrasting land use and management were selected in the Coastal Mountain Range of the 9th Region: Crop fields under subsistence and commercial management and non-permanent prairies under subsistence and commercial management. The spatial distribution of the soil redistribution rates obtained by the 137 Cs method was similar to the one obtained by pedological observations. Also, annual sediment fluxes measured at experimental plots were similar to the erosion rates determined by the 137 Cs method at adjacent points. The 137 Cs technique is seen as an efficient method to obtain long-term soil redistribution rates under the climatic conditions and the soil type selected in Chile. In the future, it is necessary to study the applicability of the method under other climatic conditions and soil types occurring in Chile in which erosion is not so evident, and to adjust the method to optimise costs and benefits. (author) [es

  5. 76 FR 73647 - National Healthy Worksite Program; Information Webinar Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-29

    ... seven locations where the program will take place and the criteria used for selection; and (2) the... more physically active, and offering more healthy food choices in worksite cafeterias and vending..., nutrition counseling/education, menu labeling on healthy foods, healthy foods in cafeterias and vending...

  6. HTA Implementation Roadmap in Central and Eastern European Countries

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kaló, Zoltán; Gheorghe, Adrian; Huic, Mirjana

    2016-01-01

    The opportunity cost of inappropriate health policy decisions is greater in Central and Eastern European (CEE) compared with Western European (WE) countries because of poorer population health and more limited healthcare resources. Application of health technology assessment (HTA) prior to health......The opportunity cost of inappropriate health policy decisions is greater in Central and Eastern European (CEE) compared with Western European (WE) countries because of poorer population health and more limited healthcare resources. Application of health technology assessment (HTA) prior......, use of local data, scope of mandatory HTA, decision criteria, and international collaboration in HTA. Although HTA implementation strategies from the region can be relevant examples for other CEE countries with similar cultural environment and economic status, HTA roadmaps are not still fully...

  7. Measuring food intake with digital photography

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Digital Photography of Foods Method accurately estimates the food intake of adults and children in cafeterias. With this method, images of food selection and leftovers are quickly captured in the cafeteria. These images are later compared with images of 'standard' portions of food using computer...

  8. Clinical application of MRI to fetal central nervous system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Guangbing; Chen Liguang; Ma Yuxiang; Liu Wen; Lin Xiangtao; Shi Hao; Yang Zhenzhen; Qu Jun

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To explore the value of MRI on fetal central nervous system. Methods: Twenty-four women with complicated pregnancies, aged from 22 to 32 years (average 27 years) and with gestation from 23-39 weeks (average 30 weeks) were studied with a 1.5T superconductive MR unit within 24 hours after ultrasound studies. T 2 -weighted MR imaging was performed using HASTE and T 1 -weighted MR imaging was using FLASH. Comparison of the diagnosis of MRI and ultrasound were done with autopsy or postnatal follow-up MRI. Results: Of the 24 cases, 24 fetus were found. The fetal brain, gyrus, sulcus, corpus callosum, thalamus, cerebellum, brain stem, and spinal cord were shown more clearly on MR T 2 -weighted images. T 1 -weighted images were not as good as T 2 -weighted images. Twenty-seven lesions were visualized by ultrasound and thirty-one by MRI in these twenty-four fetuses. By MRI study, two cases were conformed their ultrasound diagnosis, ten cases were completed their ultrasound diagnosis, and twelve cases were made the same diagnosis as ultrasound. Conclusion: MR has advantages in displaying fetal central nervous system anatomy over ultrasound, the quality of MR images is not affected by maternal somatotype, volume of amniotic fluid, fetal skull and the pelvic skeleton of pregnant women. Based on ultrasound, MR imaging is a valuable complement to sonography in difficult cases, it can conforming, completing, even more correcting the diagnosis made by ultrasound. (authors)

  9. Using smart card technology to monitor the eating habits of children in a school cafeteria: 2. The nutrient contents of all meals chosen by a group of 8- to 11-year-old boys over 78 days.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lambert, N; Plumb, J; Looise, B; Johnson, I T; Harvey, I; Wheeler, C; Robinson, M; Rolfe, P

    2005-08-01

    The aim of the study was to test the abilities of the newly created smart card system to track the nutrient contents of foods chosen over several months by individual diners in a school cafeteria. From the food choice and composition of food data sets, an Access database was created encompassing 30 diners (aged 8-11 years), 78 days and eight nutrients. Data were available for a total of 1909 meals. Based upon population mean values the cohort were clearly choosing meals containing higher than the recommended maximum amounts for sugar and lower than the recommended minimum amounts of fibre, iron and vitamin A. Protein and vitamin C contents of meals chosen were well above minimum requirements. Over the 1909 meals, nutrient requirements were met 41% of the time. The system created was very effective at continually monitoring food choices of individual diners over limitless time. The data generated raised questions on the common practice of presenting nutrient intakes as population mean values calculated over a few days. The impact of heavily fortified foods on such studies in general is discussed.

  10. The application of Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy for the study of diseased central nervous system tissue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caine, Sally; Heraud, Philip; Tobin, Mark J; McNaughton, Donald; Bernard, Claude C A

    2012-02-15

    In the last two decades the field of infrared spectroscopy has seen enormous advances in both instrumentation and the development of bioinformatic methods for spectral analysis, allowing the examination of a large variety of healthy and diseased samples, including biological fluids, isolated cells, whole tissues, and tissue sections. The non-destructive nature of the technique, together with the ability to directly probe biochemical changes without the addition of stains or contrast agents, enables a range of complementary analyses. This review focuses on the application of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy to analyse central nervous system tissues, with the aim of understanding the biochemical and structural changes associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, multiple sclerosis, as well as brain tumours. Modern biospectroscopic methods that combine FTIR microspectroscopy with bioinformatic analysis constitute a powerful new methodology that can discriminate pathology from normal healthy tissue in a rapid, unbiased fashion, with high sensitivity and specificity. Notably, the ability to detect protein secondary structural changes associated with Alzheimer's plaques, neurons in Parkinson's disease, and in some spectra from meningioma, as well as in the animal models of Alzheimer's disease, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, and multiple sclerosis, illustrates the power of this technology. The capacity to offer insight into the biochemical and structural changes underpinning aetio-pathogenesis of diseases in tissues provides both a platform to investigate early pathologies occurring in a variety of experimentally induced and naturally occurring central nervous system diseases, and the potential to evaluate new therapeutic approaches. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Vectorised Spreading Activation algorithm for centrality measurement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Troussov

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Spreading Activation is a family of graph-based algorithms widely used in areas such as information retrieval, epidemic models, and recommender systems. In this paper we introduce a novel Spreading Activation (SA method that we call Vectorised Spreading Activation (VSA. VSA algorithms, like “traditional” SA algorithms, iteratively propagate the activation from the initially activated set of nodes to the other nodes in a network through outward links. The level of the node’s activation could be used as a centrality measurement in accordance with dynamic model-based view of centrality that focuses on the outcomes for nodes in a network where something is flowing from node to node across the edges. Representing the activation by vectors allows the use of the information about various dimensionalities of the flow and the dynamic of the flow. In this capacity, VSA algorithms can model multitude of complex multidimensional network flows. We present the results of numerical simulations on small synthetic social networks and multi­dimensional network models of folksonomies which show that the results of VSA propagation are more sensitive to the positions of the initial seed and to the community structure of the network than the results produced by traditional SA algorithms. We tentatively conclude that the VSA methods could be instrumental to develop scalable and computationally efficient algorithms which could achieve synergy between computation of centrality indexes with detection of community structures in networks. Based on our preliminary results and on improvements made over previous studies, we foresee advances and applications in the current state of the art of this family of algorithms and their applications to centrality measurement.

  12. Distributed Design of a Central Service to Ensure Deterministic Behavior

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Imran Ali Jokhio

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available A central authentication service to EPC (Electronic Product Code system architecture is proposed in our previous work. A challenge for a central service always arises that how it can ensure a certain level of delay while processing emergent data. The increasing data in the EPC system architecture is tags data. Therefore, authenticating increasing number of tag in the central authentication service with a deterministic time response is investigated and a distributed authentication service is designed in a layered approach. A distributed design of tag searching services in SOA (Service Oriented Architecture style is also presented. Using the SOA architectural style a self-adaptive authentication service over Cloud is also proposed for the central authentication service, that may also be extended for other applications.

  13. Duke Surgery Research Central: an open-source Web application for the improvement of compliance with research regulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pietrobon, Ricardo; Shah, Anand; Kuo, Paul; Harker, Matthew; McCready, Mariana; Butler, Christeen; Martins, Henrique; Moorman, C T; Jacobs, Danny O

    2006-07-27

    Although regulatory compliance in academic research is enforced by law to ensure high quality and safety to participants, its implementation is frequently hindered by cost and logistical barriers. In order to decrease these barriers, we have developed a Web-based application, Duke Surgery Research Central (DSRC), to monitor and streamline the regulatory research process. The main objective of DSRC is to streamline regulatory research processes. The application was built using a combination of paper prototyping for system requirements and Java as the primary language for the application, in conjunction with the Model-View-Controller design model. The researcher interface was designed for simplicity so that it could be used by individuals with different computer literacy levels. Analogously, the administrator interface was designed with functionality as its primary goal. DSRC facilitates the exchange of regulatory documents between researchers and research administrators, allowing for tasks to be tracked and documents to be stored in a Web environment accessible from an Intranet. Usability was evaluated using formal usability tests and field observations. Formal usability results demonstrated that DSRC presented good speed, was easy to learn and use, had a functionality that was easily understandable, and a navigation that was intuitive. Additional features implemented upon request by initial users included: extensive variable categorization (in contrast with data capture using free text), searching capabilities to improve how research administrators could search an extensive number of researcher names, warning messages before critical tasks were performed (such as deleting a task), and confirmatory e-mails for critical tasks (such as completing a regulatory task). The current version of DSRC was shown to have excellent overall usability properties in handling research regulatory issues. It is hoped that its release as an open-source application will promote improved

  14. Duke Surgery Research Central: an open-source Web application for the improvement of compliance with research regulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martins Henrique

    2006-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Although regulatory compliance in academic research is enforced by law to ensure high quality and safety to participants, its implementation is frequently hindered by cost and logistical barriers. In order to decrease these barriers, we have developed a Web-based application, Duke Surgery Research Central (DSRC, to monitor and streamline the regulatory research process. Results The main objective of DSRC is to streamline regulatory research processes. The application was built using a combination of paper prototyping for system requirements and Java as the primary language for the application, in conjunction with the Model-View-Controller design model. The researcher interface was designed for simplicity so that it could be used by individuals with different computer literacy levels. Analogously, the administrator interface was designed with functionality as its primary goal. DSRC facilitates the exchange of regulatory documents between researchers and research administrators, allowing for tasks to be tracked and documents to be stored in a Web environment accessible from an Intranet. Usability was evaluated using formal usability tests and field observations. Formal usability results demonstrated that DSRC presented good speed, was easy to learn and use, had a functionality that was easily understandable, and a navigation that was intuitive. Additional features implemented upon request by initial users included: extensive variable categorization (in contrast with data capture using free text, searching capabilities to improve how research administrators could search an extensive number of researcher names, warning messages before critical tasks were performed (such as deleting a task, and confirmatory e-mails for critical tasks (such as completing a regulatory task. Conclusion The current version of DSRC was shown to have excellent overall usability properties in handling research regulatory issues. It is hoped that its

  15. LCA Applications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Owsianiak, Mikołaj; Bjørn, Anders; Laurent, Alexis

    2018-01-01

    The chapter gives examples of applications of LCA by the central societal actors in government, industry and citizens, and discusses major motivations and challenges for the use of LCA to support science-based decision-making from their respective perspectives. We highlight applications of LCA...... environmental impacts of products and systems and support decisions around production and consumption and highlights factors that prevent its even more widespread application....

  16. 26 CFR 1.132-7 - Employer-operated eating facilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... Employer-operated eating facilities. (a) In general—(1) Condition for exclusion—(i) General rule. The value... dining room or cafeteria in which meals are served is treated as a separate eating facility, whether each such dining room or cafeteria has its own kitchen or other food-preparation area. (2) Employer-operated...

  17. Field Sampling Plan for Closure of the Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant Lagoon 3 and Land Application Area

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lewis, Michael George

    2016-01-01

    This field sampling plan describes sampling of the soil/liner of Lagoon 3 at the Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant. The lagoon is to be closed, and samples obtained from the soil/liner will provide information to determine if Lagoon 3 and the land application area can be closed in a manner that renders it safe to human health and the environment. Samples collected under this field sampling plan will be compared to Idaho National Laboratory background soil concentrations. If the concentrations of constituents of concern exceed the background level, they will be compared to Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act preliminary remediation goals and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act levels. If the concentrations of constituents of concern are lower than the background levels, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act levels, or the preliminary remediation goals, then Lagoon 3 and the land application area will be closed. If the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act levels and/or the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act preliminary remediation goals are exceeded, additional sampling and action may be required.

  18. Field Sampling Plan for Closure of the Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant Lagoon 3 and Land Application Area

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lewis, Michael George [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

    2016-10-01

    This field sampling plan describes sampling of the soil/liner of Lagoon 3 at the Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant. The lagoon is to be closed, and samples obtained from the soil/liner will provide information to determine if Lagoon 3 and the land application area can be closed in a manner that renders it safe to human health and the environment. Samples collected under this field sampling plan will be compared to Idaho National Laboratory background soil concentrations. If the concentrations of constituents of concern exceed the background level, they will be compared to Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act preliminary remediation goals and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act levels. If the concentrations of constituents of concern are lower than the background levels, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act levels, or the preliminary remediation goals, then Lagoon 3 and the land application area will be closed. If the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act levels and/or the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act preliminary remediation goals are exceeded, additional sampling and action may be required.

  19. Non-viral Nucleic Acid Delivery Strategies to the Central Nervous System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James-Kevin Tan

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available With an increased prevalence and understanding of central nervous system injuries and neurological disorders, nucleic acid therapies are gaining promise as a way to regenerate lost neurons or halt disease progression. While more viral vectors have been used clinically as tools for gene delivery, non-viral vectors are gaining interest due to lower safety concerns and the ability to deliver all types of nucleic acids. Nevertheless, there are still a number of barriers to nucleic acid delivery. In this focused review, we explore the in vivo challenges hindering non-viral nucleic acid delivery to the central nervous system and the strategies and vehicles used to overcome them. Advantages and disadvantages of different routes of administration including: systemic injection, cerebrospinal fluid injection, intraparenchymal injection, and peripheral administration are discussed. Non-viral vehicles and treatment strategies that have overcome delivery barriers and demonstrated in vivo gene transfer to the central nervous system are presented. These approaches can be used as guidelines in developing synthetic gene delivery vectors for central nervous system applications and will ultimately bring non-viral vectors closer to clinical application.

  20. Changes in Consumer Attitudes toward Broad-Based and Environment-Specific Sodium Policies—SummerStyles 2012 and 2015

    Science.gov (United States)

    Odom, Erika C.; Whittick, Corine; Tong, Xin; Cogswell, Mary E.

    2017-01-01

    We examined temporal changes in consumer attitudes toward broad-based actions and environment-specific policies to limit sodium in restaurants, manufactured foods, and school and workplace cafeterias from the 2012 and 2015 SummerStyle surveys. We used two online, national research panel surveys to conduct a cross-sectional analysis of 7845 U.S. adults. Measures included self-reported agreement with broad-based actions and environment-specific policies to limit sodium in restaurants, manufactured foods, school cafeterias, workplace cafeterias, and quick-serve restaurants. Wald Chi-square tests were used to examine the difference between the two survey years and multivariate logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios. Agreement with broad-based actions to limit sodium in restaurants (45.9% agreed in 2015) and manufactured foods (56.5% agreed in 2015) did not change between 2012 and 2015. From 2012 to 2015, there was a significant increase in respondents that supported environment-specific policies to lower sodium in school cafeterias (80.0% to 84.9%; p < 0.0001), workplace cafeterias (71.2% to 76.6%; p < 0.0001), and quick-serve restaurants (70.8% to 76.7%; p < 0.0001). Results suggest substantial agreement and support for actions to limit sodium in commercially-processed and prepared foods since 2012, with most consumers ready for actions to lower sodium in foods served in schools, workplaces, and quick-serve restaurants. PMID:28777339

  1. Ablation of TRPM5 in Mice Results in Reduced Body Weight Gain and Improved Glucose Tolerance and Protects from Excessive Consumption of Sweet Palatable Food when Fed High Caloric Diets.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marie H Larsson

    Full Text Available The calcium activated cation channel transient receptor potential channel type M5 (TRPM5 is part of the downstream machinery of the taste receptors and have been shown to play a central role in taste signalling. In addition it is also found in other types of chemosensory cells in various parts of the body as well as in pancreatic β-cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of TRPM5 gene ablation on body weight, insulin sensitivity and other metabolic parameters in long-term high caloric diet induced obesity. Trpm5-/- mice gained significantly less body weight and fat mass on both palatable carbohydrate and fat rich cafeteria diet and 60% high fat diet (HFD and developed less insulin resistance compared to wild type mice. A main finding was the clearly improved glucose tolerance in Trpm5-/- mice compared to wild type mice on cafeteria diet, which was independent of body weight. In addition, it was shown that Trpm5-/- mice consumed the same amount of calories when fed a HFD only or a HFD in combination with a palatable chocolate ball, which is in contrast to wild type mice that increased their caloric intake when fed the combination, mainly due to excessive consumption of the chocolate ball. Thus the palatable sugar containing diet induced overeating was prevented in Trpm5-/- mice. This indicates that sweet taste induced overeating may be a cause for the increased energy intake and glucose intolerance development seen for wild type mice on a sugar and high fat rich cafeteria diet compared to when on a high fat diet. This study point to an important role for the taste signalling system and TRPM5 in diet induced glucose intolerance.

  2. Modern 'junk food' and minimally-processed 'natural food' cafeteria diets alter the response to sweet taste but do not impair flavor-nutrient learning in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palframan, Kristen M; Myers, Kevin P

    2016-04-01

    Animals learn to prefer and increase consumption of flavors paired with postingestive nutrient sensing. Analogous effects have been difficult to observe in human studies. One possibility is experience with the modern, processed diet impairs learning. Food processing manipulates flavor, texture, sweetness, and nutrition, obscuring ordinary correspondences between sensory cues and postingestive consequences. Over time, a diet of these processed 'junk' foods may impair flavor-nutrient learning. This 'flavor-confusion' hypothesis was tested by providing rats long-term exposure to cafeteria diets of unusual breadth (2 or 3 foods per day, 96 different foods over 3 months, plus ad libitum chow). One group was fed processed foods (PF) with added sugars/fats and manipulated flavors, to mimic the sensory-nutrient properties of the modern processed diet. Another group was fed only 'natural' foods (NF) meaning minimally-processed foods without manipulated flavors or added sugars/fats (e.g., fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains) ostensibly preserving the ordinary correspondence between flavors and nutrition. A CON group was fed chow only. In subsequent tests of flavor-nutrient learning, PF and NF rats consistently acquired strong preferences for novel nutrient-paired flavors and PF rats exhibited enhanced learned acceptance, contradicting the 'flavor-confusion' hypothesis. An unexpected finding was PF and NF diets both caused lasting reduction in ad lib sweet solution intake. Groups did not differ in reinforcing value of sugar in a progressive ratio task. In lick microstructure analysis the NF group paradoxically showed increased sucrose palatability relative to PF and CON, suggesting the diets have different effects on sweet taste evaluation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. 75 FR 18781 - Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-13

    ..., check-in or check-out, seat selection, boarding passes, or ordering food in restaurants and cafeterias... machines used for ticketing, check-in or check- out, seat selection, boarding passes, or ordering food in restaurants and cafeterias. 75 FR 13457 (March 22, 2010). The Board has released for public comment a draft of...

  4. BridgeRank: A novel fast centrality measure based on local structure of the network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salavati, Chiman; Abdollahpouri, Alireza; Manbari, Zhaleh

    2018-04-01

    Ranking nodes in complex networks have become an important task in many application domains. In a complex network, influential nodes are those that have the most spreading ability. Thus, identifying influential nodes based on their spreading ability is a fundamental task in different applications such as viral marketing. One of the most important centrality measures to ranking nodes is closeness centrality which is efficient but suffers from high computational complexity O(n3) . This paper tries to improve closeness centrality by utilizing the local structure of nodes and presents a new ranking algorithm, called BridgeRank centrality. The proposed method computes local centrality value for each node. For this purpose, at first, communities are detected and the relationship between communities is completely ignored. Then, by applying a centrality in each community, only one best critical node from each community is extracted. Finally, the nodes are ranked based on computing the sum of the shortest path length of nodes to obtained critical nodes. We have also modified the proposed method by weighting the original BridgeRank and selecting several nodes from each community based on the density of that community. Our method can find the best nodes with high spread ability and low time complexity, which make it applicable to large-scale networks. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, we use the SIR diffusion model. Finally, experiments on real and artificial networks show that our method is able to identify influential nodes so efficiently, and achieves better performance compared to other recent methods.

  5. Profile of central research and application laboratory of Aǧrı İbrahim Çeçen University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Türkoǧlu, Emir Alper; Kurt, Murat; Tabay, Dilruba

    2016-04-01

    Aǧrı İbrahim Çeçen University built a central research and application laboratory (CRAL) in the east of Turkey. The CRAL possesses 7 research and analysis laboratories, 12 experts and researchers, 8 standard rooms for guest researchers, a restaurant, a conference hall, a meeting room, a prey room and a computer laboratory. The CRAL aims certain collaborations between researchers, experts, clinicians and educators in the areas of biotechnology, bioimagining, food safety & quality, omic sciences such as genomics, proteomics and metallomics. It also intends to develop sustainable solutions in agriculture and animal husbandry, promote public health quality, collect scientific knowledge and keep it for future generations, contribute scientific awareness of all stratums of society, provide consulting for small initiatives and industries. It has been collaborated several scientific foundations since 2011.

  6. Profile of central research and application laboratory of Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Türkoğlu, Emir Alper; Kurt, Murat; Tabay, Dilruba

    2016-01-01

    Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University built a central research and application laboratory (CRAL) in the east of Turkey. The CRAL possesses 7 research and analysis laboratories, 12 experts and researchers, 8 standard rooms for guest researchers, a restaurant, a conference hall, a meeting room, a prey room and a computer laboratory. The CRAL aims certain collaborations between researchers, experts, clinicians and educators in the areas of biotechnology, bioimagining, food safety & quality, omic sciences such as genomics, proteomics and metallomics. It also intends to develop sustainable solutions in agriculture and animal husbandry, promote public health quality, collect scientific knowledge and keep it for future generations, contribute scientific awareness of all stratums of society, provide consulting for small initiatives and industries. It has been collaborated several scientific foundations since 2011.

  7. Profile of central research and application laboratory of Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Türkoğlu, Emir Alper, E-mail: eaturkoglu@yandex.com [Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Ağrı (Turkey); Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University, Central Research and Application Laboratory, Ağrı (Turkey); Kurt, Murat, E-mail: muratkurt60@hotmail.com; Tabay, Dilruba, E-mail: dtabay@agri.edu.tr [Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University, Central Research and Application Laboratory, Ağrı (Turkey)

    2016-04-18

    Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University built a central research and application laboratory (CRAL) in the east of Turkey. The CRAL possesses 7 research and analysis laboratories, 12 experts and researchers, 8 standard rooms for guest researchers, a restaurant, a conference hall, a meeting room, a prey room and a computer laboratory. The CRAL aims certain collaborations between researchers, experts, clinicians and educators in the areas of biotechnology, bioimagining, food safety & quality, omic sciences such as genomics, proteomics and metallomics. It also intends to develop sustainable solutions in agriculture and animal husbandry, promote public health quality, collect scientific knowledge and keep it for future generations, contribute scientific awareness of all stratums of society, provide consulting for small initiatives and industries. It has been collaborated several scientific foundations since 2011.

  8. Discovering Central Practitioners in a Medical Discussion Forum Using Semantic Web Analytics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajabi, Enayat; Abidi, Syed Sibte Raza

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to investigate semantic web based methods to enrich and transform a medical discussion forum in order to perform semantics-driven social network analysis. We use the centrality measures as well as semantic similarity metrics to identify the most influential practitioners within a discussion forum. The centrality results of our approach are in line with centrality measures produced by traditional SNA methods, thus validating the applicability of semantic web based methods for SNA, particularly for analyzing social networks for specialized discussion forums.

  9. Central Bank autonomy in Europe and Latin America: analysis of differences and applications Autonomía de la banca central en Europa y América Latina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rollinat Robert

    1996-06-01

    Full Text Available This article makes a comparative analysis of the experiences of the independent central bank in Latin America and Europe. After reviewing the problems and theories of central bank autonomy, it studies the recent evolution of the Latin American central bank in comparison with the European central bank, high lights the perverse effects of the reforms, and shows that their objective is more the stability of the financial system than the stability of prices. Finally, it describes the tests to which the new Latin American central banks have been subjected and the effects on their credibility. It concludes that these entities have had to correct and pay for the incoherences and errors of the market, and that their independence or autonomy depends on their continuing to ful fill this role, not only for economíc or monetary reasons but for the needs of political and social democracy.Este artículo hace un análisis comparativo de las experiencias de la banca central independiente en América Latina y Europa. Después de revisar los problemas y las teorías de la autonompia de los bancos centrales, estudia la reciente evolución de la banca central latinoamericana en comparación con la europea, destaca los efectos perversos de estas reformas u muestra que sus objetivo es más la estabilidad del sistema financiero que la de los precios. Finalmente, describe las pruebas a que han sido sometidos los nuevos bancos centrales latinomaericanos y los efectos de sus credibilidad. Concluye que estas entidades han tenido que corregir y pagar las incoherencias y los errrores del mercado, y que su 'independencia' o autonomía depende de que sigan cumpliendo con ese papel no sólo por razones económicas o monetarias sino por las necesidades de la democracia política y social.

  10. DNA methylation-based classification of central nervous system tumours

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Capper, David; Jones, David T.W.; Sill, Martin

    2018-01-01

    Accurate pathological diagnosis is crucial for optimal management of patients with cancer. For the approximately 100 known tumour types of the central nervous system, standardization of the diagnostic process has been shown to be particularly challenging - with substantial inter-observer variabil......Accurate pathological diagnosis is crucial for optimal management of patients with cancer. For the approximately 100 known tumour types of the central nervous system, standardization of the diagnostic process has been shown to be particularly challenging - with substantial inter......-observer variability in the histopathological diagnosis of many tumour types. Here we present a comprehensive approach for the DNA methylation-based classification of central nervous system tumours across all entities and age groups, and demonstrate its application in a routine diagnostic setting. We show...

  11. Introduction to the LaRC central scientific computing complex

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shoosmith, John N.

    1993-01-01

    The computers and associated equipment that make up the Central Scientific Computing Complex of the Langley Research Center are briefly described. The electronic networks that provide access to the various components of the complex and a number of areas that can be used by Langley and contractors staff for special applications (scientific visualization, image processing, software engineering, and grid generation) are also described. Flight simulation facilities that use the central computers are described. Management of the complex, procedures for its use, and available services and resources are discussed. This document is intended for new users of the complex, for current users who wish to keep appraised of changes, and for visitors who need to understand the role of central scientific computers at Langley.

  12. Application of Central Upwind Scheme for Solving Special Relativistic Hydrodynamic Equations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yousaf, Muhammad; Ghaffar, Tayabia; Qamar, Shamsul

    2015-01-01

    The accurate modeling of various features in high energy astrophysical scenarios requires the solution of the Einstein equations together with those of special relativistic hydrodynamics (SRHD). Such models are more complicated than the non-relativistic ones due to the nonlinear relations between the conserved and state variables. A high-resolution shock-capturing central upwind scheme is implemented to solve the given set of equations. The proposed technique uses the precise information of local propagation speeds to avoid the excessive numerical diffusion. The second order accuracy of the scheme is obtained with the use of MUSCL-type initial reconstruction and Runge-Kutta time stepping method. After a discussion of the equations solved and of the techniques employed, a series of one and two-dimensional test problems are carried out. To validate the method and assess its accuracy, the staggered central and the kinetic flux-vector splitting schemes are also applied to the same model. The scheme is robust and efficient. Its results are comparable to those obtained from the sophisticated algorithms, even in the case of highly relativistic two-dimensional test problems. PMID:26070067

  13. Comparison of student's satisfaction on school food service environment by the eating place and gender

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Jisook; Oh, Yu-jin

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare student's satisfaction with school food service environment to improve the quality of middle school meal service. A survey was conducted of 680 students (boys 246, girls 433) from 6 middle schools providing school meals from October to November 2007. The questionnaires were directly distributed to the subjects for comparison of satisfaction of school meals depending on the eating place. As for the quantity of food, classroom group (3.40) expressed significantly higher satisfaction than cafeteria group (3.16, P < 0.01), but as for the satisfaction on hygiene, classroom group (2.76) showed significantly lower satisfaction than cafeteria group (3.03, P < 0.01). About the satisfaction of school meal environment, classroom group showed more satisfaction on distribution time, eating place, eating atmosphere (P < 0.001). The classroom group showed higher satisfaction than cafeteria group in cases of quantity, diversity of types of soup, dessert, and the cost of school meal. To improve eating place and hygiene of school meal, sufficient cafeteria space and pleasant environment is needed to be established. PMID:20098582

  14. Changes in Consumer Attitudes toward Broad-Based and Environment-Specific Sodium Policies-SummerStyles 2012 and 2015.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Odom, Erika C; Whittick, Corine; Tong, Xin; John, Katherine A; Cogswell, Mary E

    2017-08-04

    We examined temporal changes in consumer attitudes toward broad-based actions and environment-specific policies to limit sodium in restaurants, manufactured foods, and school and workplace cafeterias from the 2012 and 2015 SummerStyle surveys. We used two online, national research panel surveys to conduct a cross-sectional analysis of 7845 U.S. adults. Measures included self-reported agreement with broad-based actions and environment-specific policies to limit sodium in restaurants, manufactured foods, school cafeterias, workplace cafeterias, and quick-serve restaurants. Wald Chi-square tests were used to examine the difference between the two survey years and multivariate logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios. Agreement with broad-based actions to limit sodium in restaurants (45.9% agreed in 2015) and manufactured foods (56.5% agreed in 2015) did not change between 2012 and 2015. From 2012 to 2015, there was a significant increase in respondents that supported environment-specific policies to lower sodium in school cafeterias (80.0% to 84.9%; p consumers ready for actions to lower sodium in foods served in schools, workplaces, and quick-serve restaurants.

  15. Central Air-Conditioning Plant (CAP) extension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shetty, P.S.; Kaul, S.K.; Mishra, H.

    2017-01-01

    Central Air-Conditioning Plant (CAP) and its associated chilled water network of BARC is one among the largest central plants in India for such application. The plant was planned in 1960s to cater to the air-conditioning and process water requirements of laboratories, workshops and buildings spread over a distance of 1.5 Km in three directions from CAP through underground network of chilled water pipelines. The plant was designed for a total capacity of 6600 TR. The present installed capacity of the plant is 7250 TR. The connected load at present is 9800 TR. After the XII plan capacity will be augmented to 7650 TR. The connected load is expected to cross 11,000 TR after the commissioning of new Engg. Halls 9, 10 and 11

  16. Heterogenous customer satisfaction index for evaluating university food service

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aziz, Nazrina; Zain, Zakiyah; Syarifi, Nadia Asyikin Mohammad; Klivon, Julia; Ap, Nurasiah Che; Zaki, Mahirah

    2017-11-01

    This paper aims to measure the performance of university food service based on students' perception. Two cafeterias were chosen for comparison: one located at student residential hall (Café 1) and another at the university administration centre (Café 2). By considering the components of importance and satisfaction, the Heterogeneous Customer Satisfaction Index-HCSI was computed to measure the performance of quality items in both cafeterias. Stratified sampling method was used to select 278 students and the DINESERVE instrument was used to assess customer perception on service quality. The findings show that the customer rate these two cafeterias as quite satisfied only, with the HCSI for Café 1 slightly higher than that for Café 2.

  17. Centralized cement solidification technique for low-level radioactive wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuda, Masami; Nishi, Takashi; Izumida, Tatsuo; Tsuchiya, Hiroyuki.

    1996-01-01

    A centralized cement solidification system has been developed to enable a single facility to solidify such low-level radioactive wastes as liquid waste, spent ion exchange resin, incineration ash, and miscellaneous solid wastes. Since the system uses newly developed high-performance cement, waste loading is raised and deterioration of waste forms after land burial prevented. This paper describes the centralized cement solidification system and the features of the high-performance cement. Results of full-scale pilot plant tests are also shown from the viewpoint of industrial applicability. (author)

  18. 77 FR 59679 - Central Vermont Public Service Corporation (Millstone Power Station, Unit 3); Order Approving...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-28

    ... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2012-0044; Docket No. 50-423] Central Vermont Public Service Corporation (Millstone Power Station, Unit 3); Order Approving Application Regarding Corporate Restructuring and Conforming Amendment I Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. (DNC), Central Vermont Public Service...

  19. Volcanic hazards in Central America

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rose, William I.; Bluth, Gregg J.S.; Carr, Michael J.; Ewert, John W.; Patino, Lina C.; Vallance, James W.

    2006-01-01

    This volume is a sampling of current scientific work about volcanoes in Central America with specific application to hazards. The papers reflect a variety of international and interdisciplinary collaborations and employ new methods. The book will be of interest to a broad cross section of scientists, especially volcanologists. The volume also will interest students who aspire to work in the field of volcano hazards mitigation or who may want to work in one of Earth’s most volcanically active areas.

  20. Nonradioactive Air Emissions Notice of Construction (NOC) Application for the Central Waste Complex (CSC) for Storage of Vented Waste Containers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    KAMBERG, L.D.

    2000-01-01

    This Notice of Construction (NOC) application is submitted for the storage and management of waste containers at the Central Waste Complex (CWC) stationary source. The CWC stationary source consists of multiple sources of diffuse and fugitive emissions, as described herein. This NOC is submitted in accordance with the requirements of Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 173-400-110 (criteria pollutants) and 173-460-040 (toxic air pollutants), and pursuant to guidance provided by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology). Transuranic (TRU) mixed waste containers at CWC are vented to preclude the build up of hydrogen produced as a result of radionuclide decay, not as safety pressure releases. The following activities are conducted within the CWC stationary source: Storage and inspection; Transfer and staging; Packaging; Treatment; and Sampling. This NOC application is intended to cover all existing storage structures within the current CWC treatment, storage, and/or disposal (TSD) boundary, as well as any storage structures, including waste storage pads and staging areas, that might be constructed in the future within the existing CWC boundary

  1. Centralization and decentralization in energy systems and associated risks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rehm, W.; Schinner, F.; Kromp, W.

    1998-01-01

    centralization in energy systems with a view to application to nuclear fusion will be presented. (authors)

  2. Centralization and decentralization in energy systems and associated risks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rehm, W.; Schinner, F.; Kromp, W. [Vienna Univ., Institute of Risk Research, IRR (Austria)

    1998-07-01

    centralization in energy systems with a view to application to nuclear fusion will be presented. (authors)

  3. An information model of a centralized admission campaign in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The aim of the work is to structure individual application environments of the information model of a centralized admission campaign in higher education institutions in Russia by modifying the corresponding structure of the Federal information system supporting state final examination and admission procedures. , The ...

  4. Cooperation with Central and Eastern Europe in Language Engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersen, Poul

    This paper outlines trends and activities in Central and Eastern European language research and language-related software development (language engineering) and briefly describes some specific projects. The language engineering segment of the European Union's Fourth Framework Programme, intended to facilitate use of telematics applications and…

  5. Centralization vs. Decentralization: A Location Analysis Approach for Librarians

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raffel, Jeffrey; Shishko, Robert

    1972-01-01

    An application of location theory to the question of centralized versus decentralized library facilities for a university, with relevance for special libraries is presented. The analysis provides models for a single library, for two or more libraries, or for decentralized facilities. (6 references) (Author/NH)

  6. Applications of CRISPR/Cas9 in the Mammalian Central Nervous System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savell, Katherine E; Day, Jeremy J

    2017-12-01

    Within the central nervous system, gene regulatory mechanisms are crucial regulators of cellular development and function, and dysregulation of these systems is commonly observed in major neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders. However, due to a lack of tools to specifically modulate the genome and epigenome in the central nervous system, many molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying cognitive function and behavior are still unknown. Although genome editing tools have been around for decades, the recent emergence of inexpensive, straightforward, and widely accessible CRISPR/Cas9 systems has led to a revolution in gene editing. The development of the catalytically dead Cas9 (dCas9) expanded this flexibility even further by acting as an anchoring system for fused effector proteins, structural scaffolds, and RNAs. Together, these advances have enabled robust, modular approaches for specific targeting and modification of the local chromatin environment at a single gene. This review highlights these advancements and how the combination of powerful modulatory tools paired with the versatility of CRISPR-Cas9-based systems offer great potential for understanding the underlying genetic and epigenetic contributions of neuronal function, behavior, and neurobiological diseases.

  7. Central sleep apnea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sleep apnea - central; Obesity - central sleep apnea; Cheyne-Stokes - central sleep apnea; Heart failure - central sleep apnea ... Central sleep apnea results when the brain temporarily stops sending signals to the muscles that control breathing. The condition ...

  8. Application of Canal Automation at the Central Arizona Irrigation and Drainage District

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Central Arizona Irrigation and Drainage District (CAIDD) began delivering water to users in 1987. Although designed for automatic control, the system was run manually until a homemade SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system was developed by a district employee. In 2002, problem...

  9. [Application of 3D virtual reality technology with multi-modality fusion in resection of glioma located in central sulcus region].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, T N; Yin, X T; Li, X G; Zhao, J; Wang, L; Mu, N; Ma, K; Huo, K; Liu, D; Gao, B Y; Feng, H; Li, F

    2018-05-08

    Objective: To explore the clinical and teaching application value of virtual reality technology in preoperative planning and intraoperative guide of glioma located in central sulcus region. Method: Ten patients with glioma in the central sulcus region were proposed to surgical treatment. The neuro-imaging data, including CT, CTA, DSA, MRI, fMRI were input to 3dgo sczhry workstation for image fusion and 3D reconstruction. Spatial relationships between the lesions and the surrounding structures on the virtual reality image were obtained. These images were applied to the operative approach design, operation process simulation, intraoperative auxiliary decision and the training of specialist physician. Results: Intraoperative founding of 10 patients were highly consistent with preoperative simulation with virtual reality technology. Preoperative 3D reconstruction virtual reality images improved the feasibility of operation planning and operation accuracy. This technology had not only shown the advantages for neurological function protection and lesion resection during surgery, but also improved the training efficiency and effectiveness of dedicated physician by turning the abstract comprehension to virtual reality. Conclusion: Image fusion and 3D reconstruction based virtual reality technology in glioma resection is helpful for formulating the operation plan, improving the operation safety, increasing the total resection rate, and facilitating the teaching and training of the specialist physician.

  10. Investigation on Fuzzy Logic Based Centralized Control in Four-Port SEPIC/ZETA Bidirectional Converter for Photovoltaic Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    VENMATHI, M.

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a new four-port DC-DC converter topology is proposed to interface renewable energy sources and the load along with the energy storage device. The proposed four-port SEPIC/ZETA bidirectional converter (FP-SEPIC/ZETA BDC converter comprises an isolated output port with two unidirectional and one bidirectional input ports. This converter topology is obtained by the fusion of SEPIC/ZETA BDC and full-bridge converter. This converter topology ensures the non-reversal of output voltage hence it is preferred mostly for battery charging applications. In this work, photovoltaic (PV source is considered and the power balance in the system is achieved by means of distributed maximum power point tracking (DMPPT in the PV ports. The centralized controller is implemented using fuzzy logic controller (FLC and the performance is compared with conventional proportional integral (PI controller. The results offer useful information to obtain the desired output under line and load regulations. Experimental results are also provided to validate the simulation results.

  11. Relative potentials of concentrating and two-axis tracking flat-plate photovoltaic arrays for central-station applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borden, C. S.; Schwartz, D. L.

    1984-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to assess the relative economic potentials of concenrating and two-axis tracking flat-plate photovoltaic arrays for central-station applications in the mid-1990's. Specific objectives of this study are to provide information on concentrator photovoltaic collector probabilistic price and efficiency levels to illustrate critical areas of R&D for concentrator cells and collectors, and to compare concentrator and flat-plate PV price and efficiency alternatives for several locations, based on their implied costs of energy. To deal with the uncertainties surrounding research and development activities in general, a probabilistic assessment of commercially achievable concentrator photovoltaic collector efficiencies and prices (at the factory loading dock) is performed. The results of this projection of concentrator photovoltaic technology are then compared with a previous flat-plate module price analysis (performed early in 1983). To focus this analysis on specific collector alternatives and their implied energy costs for different locations, similar two-axis tracking designs are assumed for both concentrator and flat-plate options.

  12. Ultrasonic Guided Insertion of Central Venous Catheter in Infants ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background/Purpose: ultrasound is licensed for application of regional blocks and insertion of vascular access. We aimed to compare ultrasonic guided (USG) and anatomical landmark technique (ALT) for insertion of central venous catheter (CVC) as regard success rate and rate of complications in infants and children.

  13. Prospects for a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Potter, W.C.

    1997-01-01

    This paper examines the concept of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (NWFZ) as an approach to nuclear nonproliferation with special reference to Central Asia . 20 More specifically, it describes the evolution of a NWFZ in the region, the potential benefits of a zone, the principal obstacles in the path of its implementation, and the practical steps that need to be taken if a NWFZ in Central Asia is to be realized. The paper concludes that a NWFZ in Central Asia, as with prior NWFZ, would likely lead to advances in the application of an important nonproliferation approach. One innovative aspect of the zone in Central Asia might be its treatment of environmental issues. Although it will not be a simple process to rally support from all of the P-5 states for a new NWFZ, all countries of Central Asia - as well as global community of nations - should profit from creation of a zone which reinforces the international nonproliferation regime improves prospects for political and economic stability in a region of growing importance

  14. Changes in alanine turnover rate due to nutritional and genetic obesity in the rat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yebras, M; Salvadó, J; Arola, L; Remesar, X; Segués, T

    1994-08-01

    The changes in alanine turnover were determined in Zucker rats, which were either genetically obese (fa/fa) or rendered obese by dietary treatment (cafeteria fed). The whole body rate of alanine turnover was higher in genetically obese rats than in rats in which obesity was induced by diet (cafeteria). This is possibly due to variations in the rate of the amino acid incorporation into proteins, since the rate of whole body alanine degradation is the same for both groups. Thus, the different pattern followed by alanine turnover rate in these types of obese animals reflects the differences in the nitrogen economy of these animals, pointing to a higher alanine utilization in the genetically obese animals and a conservative management of alanine in the cafeteria-fed animals.

  15. Who is afraid of smoking bans? An evaluation of the effects of the Spanish clean air law on expenditure at hospitality venues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Villar, Jaume; López-Nicolás, Ángel

    2015-11-01

    In January 2011 Spain modified clean air legislation in force since 2006, removing all existing exceptions applicable to hospitality venues. Although this legal reform was backed by all political parties with parliamentary representation, the government's initiative was contested by the tobacco industry and its allies in the hospitality industry. One of the most voiced arguments against the reform was its potentially disruptive effect on the revenue of hospitality venues. This paper evaluates the impact of this reform on household expenditure at restaurants and bars and cafeterias. We used household expenditure micro-data for years 2006-2012 to estimate models for the probability of observing expenditures and the expected level of expenditure. We applied a before-after analysis with a wide range of controls for confounding factors and a flexible modeling of time effects in order to identify the effects of the reform. Our results suggest that the reform caused a 2% reduction in the proportion of households containing smokers but did not cause reductions in households' expenditures on restaurant services or on bars and cafeteria services.

  16. Orden monetario y bancos centrales Monetary order and Central Banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aglietta Michel

    1996-06-01

    Full Text Available Con el enfoque evolucionista e institucionalista de la economía de las convenciones francesa, este trabajo analiza el surgimiento histórico de la banca central y la creación institucional del 'arte de la banca central'. El artículo estudia los modelos formales del orden monetario, la banca libre y la banca central, y analiza los eventos históricos que llevaron a que el Banco de Inglaterra inventara el arte de manejar los bancos centrales en conjunción con el aprendizaje colectivo e institucional que lo hizo posible. Aglietta muestra que la banca central no es una creación del Estado sino una creación institucional endógena al sistema de mercado.With the evolutionist and institutionalist focus of the economics of the French conventions, this paper analyzes the historical rise of the central bank and the institutional creation of the 'art of the central bank'. The article studies formal models of the monetary order, free banking and the central bank, and analyzes the historie events that led to the Bank of England inventing the art of managing the central banks, in conjunction with the collective and institutional learning that made it possible. Aglietta shows that the central bank is not a creation of the State, but rather aninstitutional creation endogenous to the market system.

  17. The Regional Centrality of Vietnam’s Central Highlands

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Salemink, Oscar

    2018-01-01

    strategic value turned it into a battleground among various Vietnamese parties, France, and the United States. It was here that the outcome of the Indochina wars was determined, but at a terrible price for the local population. After the adoption of economic reforms in reunified Vietnam the Central......Vietnam’s Central Highlands—or Tây Nguyên—area is usually described as remote, backward, and primitive, but this region has played a central role in the history of the surrounding states and the wider East and Southeast Asia region. Far from isolated, the Central Highlands engaged in trade...... various rivalrous polities now known as Vietnam, Champa, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, the area occupied a strategic position in the wider mainland Southeast Asia region. With the emergence of a unified, neo-Confucianist Vietnamese state the region lost its centrality until the late colonial era, when its...

  18. Junk food diet-induced obesity increases D2 receptor autoinhibition in the ventral tegmental area and reduces ethanol drinking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cook, Jason B; Hendrickson, Linzy M; Garwood, Grant M; Toungate, Kelsey M; Nania, Christina V; Morikawa, Hitoshi

    2017-01-01

    Similar to drugs of abuse, the hedonic value of food is mediated, at least in part, by the mesostriatal dopamine (DA) system. Prolonged intake of either high calorie diets or drugs of abuse both lead to a blunting of the DA system. Most studies have focused on DAergic alterations in the striatum, but little is known about the effects of high calorie diets on ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA neurons. Since high calorie diets produce addictive-like DAergic adaptations, it is possible these diets may increase addiction susceptibility. However, high calorie diets consistently reduce psychostimulant intake and conditioned place preference in rodents. In contrast, high calorie diets can increase or decrease ethanol drinking, but it is not known how a junk food diet (cafeteria diet) affects ethanol drinking. In the current study, we administered a cafeteria diet consisting of bacon, potato chips, cheesecake, cookies, breakfast cereals, marshmallows, and chocolate candies to male Wistar rats for 3-4 weeks, producing an obese phenotype. Prior cafeteria diet feeding reduced homecage ethanol drinking over 2 weeks of testing, and transiently reduced sucrose and chow intake. Importantly, cafeteria diet had no effect on ethanol metabolism rate or blood ethanol concentrations following 2g/kg ethanol administration. In midbrain slices, we showed that cafeteria diet feeding enhances DA D2 receptor (D2R) autoinhibition in VTA DA neurons. These results show that junk food diet-induced obesity reduces ethanol drinking, and suggest that increased D2R autoinhibition in the VTA may contribute to deficits in DAergic signaling and reward hypofunction observed with obesity.

  19. The central monitoring station of Indian Environmental Radiation Monitoring Network (IERMON): the architecture and functions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garg, Saurabh; Ratheesh, M.P.; Mukundan, T.; Patel, M.D.; Nair, C.K.G.; Puranik, V.D.

    2010-01-01

    The Indian Environmental Radiation Monitoring Network (IERMON) is being established across the country by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai. The network consists of stations with automated systems for environmental radiation monitoring with online data communication facility. Currently about 100 stations are operational and additional 500 stations are expected to be installed by March, 2012. The network is established with different objectives, the main objective being the detection and reporting of any nuclear emergency anywhere in the country. The central monitoring station of the network is established in Mumbai. This paper describes the architecture and functions of IERMON Central Station. The Central Station consists of server room for online data collection from remote stations and maintenance of databases for various applications; central monitoring room for user interaction with database and IERMON website maintenance and development room for the development of new applications. The functions of IERMON Central Station include detection and reporting of nuclear emergency, maintenance of remote stations, enhancement of public awareness on environmental radiation through public display systems and website, etc. The details on system layout and data protocols can be found in the paper. (author)

  20. MINED GEOLOGIC DISPOSAL SYSTEM (MGDS) MONITORING AND CONTROL SYSTEMS CENTRALIZATION TECHNICAL REPORT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    M.J. McGrath

    1998-01-01

    The objective of this report is to identify and document Mined Geologic Disposal System (MGDS) requirements for centralized command and control. Additionally, to further develop the MGDS monitoring and control functions. This monitoring and control report provides the following information: (1) Determines the applicable requirements for a monitoring and control system for repository operations and construction (excluding Performance Confirmation). (2) Makes a determination as to whether or not centralized command and control is required

  1. Mall di Central Park Kuala Namu

    OpenAIRE

    Mauliza, Eny

    2016-01-01

    This shopping center is designed in the business district of Kuala Namu Central Park, where there is a hotel and an office in it. This shopping center was built in the area Kualanamu Aerotropolis plan, and the theme is recreation. Application of recreational theme in this shopping center in order to create a special attraction for tourists and people passing through the area this shopping center, causing a desire to visit. The increase in tourists coming to North Sumatra, the ...

  2. Towards the application of seismogeodesy in central Italy: a case study for the 2016 August 24 Mw 6.1 Italy earthquake modelling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Kejie; Liu, Zhen; Liang, Cunren; Song, Y. Tony

    2018-06-01

    Dense strong motion and high-rate Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) networks have been deployed in central Italy for rapid seismic source determination and corresponding hazard mitigation. Different from previous studies for the consistency between two kinds of sensor at collocated stations, here we focus on the combination of high-rate GNSS displacement waveforms with collocated seismic strong motion accelerators, and investigate its application to image rupture history. Taking the 2016 August 24 Mw 6.1 Central Italy earthquake as a case study, we first generate more accurate and longer period seismogeodetic displacement waveforms by a Kalman filter, then model the rupture behaviour through a joint inversion including seismogeodetic waveforms and InSAR observations. Our results reveal that strong motion data alone can overestimate the magnitude and mismatch the GNSS observations, while 1 Hz sampling rate GNSS is insufficient and the displacement is too noisy to depict rupture process. By contrast, seismogeodetic data enhances temporal resolution and maintains the static offsets that provide vital constraint to the reliable estimation of earthquake magnitude. The obtained model is close to the jointly inverted one. Our work demonstrates the unique usefulness of seismogeodesy for fast seismic hazard response.

  3. Shoreline changes in and around the Thubon River mouth, Central Vietnam

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Mau, L.D.; Nayak, G.N.; SanilKumar, V.

    Application of GENESIS model (GENEralized model for Simulating Shoreline change) for studying the shoreline change in and around the Thubon River Mouth, Central Vietnam is presented in this paper The input parameters used are the near shore wave...

  4. Centralized vs. De-centralized Multinationals and Taxes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Søren Bo; Raimondos-Møller, Pascalis; Schjelderup, Guttorm

    2005-01-01

    The paper examines how country tax differences affect a multinational enterprise's choice to centralize or de-centralize its decision structure. Within a simple model that emphasizes the multiple conflicting roles of transfer prices in MNEs - here, as a strategic pre-commitment device and a tax...

  5. Molecular prey identification in Central European piscivores.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thalinger, Bettina; Oehm, Johannes; Mayr, Hannes; Obwexer, Armin; Zeisler, Christiane; Traugott, Michael

    2016-01-01

    Diet analysis is an important aspect when investigating the ecology of fish-eating animals and essential for assessing their functional role in food webs across aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The identification of fish remains in dietary samples, however, can be time-consuming and unsatisfying using conventional morphological analysis of prey remains. Here, we present a two-step multiplex PCR system, comprised of six assays, allowing for rapid, sensitive and specific detection of fish DNA in dietary samples. This approach encompasses 78 fish and lamprey species native to Central European freshwaters and enables the identification of 31 species, six genera, two families, two orders and two fish family clusters. All targeted taxa were successfully amplified from 25 template molecules, and each assay was specific when tested against a wide range of invertebrates and vertebrates inhabiting aquatic environments. The applicability of the multiplex PCR system was evaluated in a feeding trial, wherein it outperformed morphological prey analysis regarding species-specific prey identification in faeces of Eurasian otters. Additionally, a wide spectrum of fish species was detected in field-collected faecal samples and regurgitated pellets of Common Kingfishers and Great Cormorants, demonstrating the broad applicability of the approach. In conclusion, this multiplex PCR system provides an efficient, easy to use and cost-effective tool for assessing the trophic ecology of piscivores in Central Europe. Furthermore, the multiplex PCRs and the primers described therein will be applicable wherever DNA of the targeted fish species needs to be detected at high sensitivity and specificity. © 2015 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Resources Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Aspects of Professional Training at Local and Central Public Administration Institutions from Romania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tudorel ANDREI

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available The article aims to identify some characteristics  of the training process of the central and local  public administration employees. For comments  formulation we used the information obtained  from the central and local public administration  civil servants, which was collected by applying a  statistical questionnaire. The study emphasizes a  series of positive and negative aspects related to  the application of some instruments for consulting  the actors involved in the training process, the  curricula content of the training programs  addressing the public sector personnel at central  and local levels.  

  7. Neurochemical Architecture of the Central Complex Related to Its Function in the Control of Grasshopper Acoustic Communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kunst, Michael; Pförtner, Ramona; Aschenbrenner, Katja; Heinrich, Ralf

    2011-01-01

    The central complex selects and coordinates the species- and situation-specific song production in acoustically communicating grasshoppers. Control of sound production is mediated by several neurotransmitters and modulators, their receptors and intracellular signaling pathways. It has previously been shown that muscarinic cholinergic excitation in the central complex promotes sound production whereas both GABA and nitric oxide/cyclic GMP signaling suppress its performance. The present immunocytochemical and pharmacological study investigates the question whether GABA and nitric oxide mediate inhibition of sound production independently. Muscarinic ACh receptors are expressed by columnar output neurons of the central complex that innervate the lower division of the central body and terminate in the lateral accessory lobes. GABAergic tangential neurons that innervate the lower division of the central body arborize in close proximity of columnar neurons and thus may directly inhibit these central complex output neurons. A subset of these GABAergic tangential neurons accumulates cyclic GMP following the release of nitric oxide from neurites in the upper division of the central body. While sound production stimulated by muscarine injection into the central complex is suppressed by co-application of sodium nitroprusside, picrotoxin-stimulated singing was not affected by co-application of this nitric oxide donor, indicating that nitric oxide mediated inhibition requires functional GABA signaling. Hence, grasshopper sound production is controlled by processing of information in the lower division of the central body which is subject to modulation by nitric oxide released from neurons in the upper division. PMID:21980504

  8. Visual Servoing of Mobile Microrobot with Centralized Camera

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kiswanto Gandjar

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a mechanism of visual servoing for mobile microrobot with a centralized camera is developed. Especially for the development of swarm AI applications. In the fields of microrobots the size of robots is minimal and the amount of movement is also small. By replacing various sensors that is needed with a single centralized vision sensor we can eliminate a lot of components and the need for calibration on every robot. A study and design for a visual servoing mobile microrobot has been developed. This system can use multi object tracking and hough transform to identify the positions of the robots. And can control multiple robots at once with an accuracy of 5-6 pixel from the desired target.

  9. Healthy Foodservice Benchmarking and Leading Practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-01

    cafeterias, managed by the Military and companies such Healthy Foodservice Benchmarking and Leading Practices | 7 as ARAMARK (Rolfsen, 2010) and...machine, a cafeteria line, a table where a patron gives his or her selection to a waiter , a cashier’s counter, a drive-thru window, a phone where orders...Nutrition and Weight Management Center at Boston Medical Center, the Medical Director of the Obesity Consult Center at Tufts University School of

  10. Centralized treatment facility for L/ILW produced in Iran

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ettehadian, M.; Momenzadeh, S.; Ansar, M.; Burcl, R.

    2001-01-01

    Full text: Normal operation of 5 MW research reactor, and radioisotope application in medicine, industry and research institutes generate a significant amount of low level radioactive waste. The volume is expected to increase with the expansion of nuclear application. This paper describes the establishing of centralized waste treatment facility developed by Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) using IAEA technical assistance and recommendation. The new treatment facility will enable the currently produced RW to be treated conditioned and stored until a national repository becomes available. The centralized facility consists of a waste processing and storage buildings, which will be used to store conditioned waste drums. The treatment methods used for liquid wastes are precipitation, ion exchange and ultra filtration followed by In-drum cementation of residues. An In-drum compactor will be used for compaction of solid wastes. Safe management of low and intermediate radioactive waste, better protection of environment and population and applying suitable and economical processes for treatment of L/ILW are the other objectives of this activity. (author)

  11. Centralized database for interconnection system design. [for spacecraft

    Science.gov (United States)

    Billitti, Joseph W.

    1989-01-01

    A database application called DFACS (Database, Forms and Applications for Cabling and Systems) is described. The objective of DFACS is to improve the speed and accuracy of interconnection system information flow during the design and fabrication stages of a project, while simultaneously supporting both the horizontal (end-to-end wiring) and the vertical (wiring by connector) design stratagems used by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) project engineering community. The DFACS architecture is centered around a centralized database and program methodology which emulates the manual design process hitherto used at JPL. DFACS has been tested and successfully applied to existing JPL hardware tasks with a resulting reduction in schedule time and costs.

  12. THE IMPACT OF CENTRALIZATION, CORRUPTION AND INSTITUTIONAL QUALITY ON PROCUREMENT PRICES: AN APPLICATION TO PHARMACEUTICAL PURCHASING IN ITALY

    OpenAIRE

    Simona, Baldi; Davide, Vannoni

    2014-01-01

    This paper deals with the open issue about the choice between a centralized versus a decentralized public procurement strategy. Using a unique dataset on tender prices of selected drugs for hospital usage awarded by a sample of 52 Italian local health service providers (ASLs) between 2009 and 2012, we test which procurement system (centralized, decentralized or hybrid) performs better. Controlling for several covariates, we always find that centralized and hybrid procurers pay lower prices as...

  13. Formal Pseudodifferential Operators in One and Several Variables, Central Extensions, and Integrable Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jarnishs Beltran

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available We review some aspects of the theory of Lie algebras of (twisted and untwisted formal pseudodifferential operators in one and several variables in a general algebraic context. We focus mainly on the construction and classification of nontrivial central extensions. As applications, we construct hierarchies of centrally extended Lie algebras of formal differential operators in one and several variables, Manin triples and hierarchies of nonlinear equations in Lax and zero curvature form.

  14. System design package for the solar heating and cooling central data processing system

    Science.gov (United States)

    1978-01-01

    The central data processing system provides the resources required to assess the performance of solar heating and cooling systems installed at remote sites. These sites consist of residential, commercial, government, and educational types of buildings, and the solar heating and cooling systems can be hot-water, space heating, cooling, and combinations of these. The instrumentation data associated with these systems will vary according to the application and must be collected, processed, and presented in a form which supports continuity of performance evaluation across all applications. Overall software system requirements were established for use in the central integration facility which transforms raw data collected at remote sites into performance evaluation information for assessing the performance of solar heating and cooling systems.

  15. From Structure to Activity: Using Centrality Measures to Predict Neuronal Activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fletcher, Jack McKay; Wennekers, Thomas

    2018-03-01

    It is clear that the topological structure of a neural network somehow determines the activity of the neurons within it. In the present work, we ask to what extent it is possible to examine the structural features of a network and learn something about its activity? Specifically, we consider how the centrality (the importance of a node in a network) of a neuron correlates with its firing rate. To investigate, we apply an array of centrality measures, including In-Degree, Closeness, Betweenness, Eigenvector, Katz, PageRank, Hyperlink-Induced Topic Search (HITS) and NeuronRank to Leaky-Integrate and Fire neural networks with different connectivity schemes. We find that Katz centrality is the best predictor of firing rate given the network structure, with almost perfect correlation in all cases studied, which include purely excitatory and excitatory-inhibitory networks, with either homogeneous connections or a small-world structure. We identify the properties of a network which will cause this correlation to hold. We argue that the reason Katz centrality correlates so highly with neuronal activity compared to other centrality measures is because it nicely captures disinhibition in neural networks. In addition, we argue that these theoretical findings are applicable to neuroscientists who apply centrality measures to functional brain networks, as well as offer a neurophysiological justification to high level cognitive models which use certain centrality measures.

  16. Farmer evaluation of phosphorus fertilizer application to annual legumes in Chisepo, Central Malawi

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kamanga, B.C.G.; Whitbread, A.M.; Wall, P.; Waddington, S.R.; Almekinders, C.J.M.; Giller, K.E.

    2010-01-01

    Building from the perception that farmers have an intimate knowledge of their local environment, production problems, crop priorities and criteria for evaluation, an on-farm experiment was conducted with farmers in 2003/4 in Chisepo, central Malawi, to evaluate the response of six annual legumes to

  17. The design and construction of the ZEUS central tracking detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Foster, B.; Malos, J.; Saxon, D.H.; Clark, D.E.; Jamdagni, A.K.; Markou, C.; Miller, D.B.; Miller, D.G.; Toudup, L.W.; Auty, C.G.; Blair, G.A.; Brooks, C.B.; Cashmore, R.J.; Hanford, A.T.; Harnew, N.; Holmes, A.R.; Linford, W.; Martin, N.C.; McArthur, I.C.; Nash, J.; Nobbs, K.N.; Wastie, R.L.; Williams, M.T.; Wilson, F.F.; Wilson, R.D.; Hart, J.C.; Hatley, R.W.; Hiddleston, J.W.; Gibson, M.D.; McCubbin, N.A.; Middleton, A.; Morrissey, M.C.; Morrow, D.; O' Brien, P.; Payne, B.T.; Roberts, J.C.H.; Shaw, T.B.; Sinclair, C.K.; Wallis, E.W.G.; White, D.J.; Yeo, K.L.; Bullock, F.W.; Dumper, J.; Fraser, T.J.; Hayes, D.; Jones, T.W.; Strachan, D.E.; Vine, I.A. (H.H. Wills Physics Lab., Univ. of Bristol (United Kingdom) Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Univ. of Glasgow (United Kingdom) Blackett Lab., Physics Dept., Imperial Coll., London (United Kingdom) Dept. of Physics, Nuclear Physics Lab., Univ. of Oxford (United Kingdom) Rutherford Appleton Lab., Chilton (United Kingdom) Dept. of Physics an

    1994-01-15

    The mechanical, electrical and electronic design and construction of the ZEUS central tracking detector are described, together with the chamber monitoring and environmental control. This cylindrical drift chamber is designed for track reconstruction, electron identification and fast event triggering in a high beam-crossing rate, high magnetic field application. (orig.)

  18. Tectonic recherche of the central, south and sotheast regions of the peninsula

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Capote, R.; Goy, J.L.; Zazo, C.; Carbo, A.; Gonzalez de Vallejo, L.; Hernandez Enrile, J.L.; Urbanell, A.G.; Vegas, R.

    1984-01-01

    The research works done on neotectonics and its applications in the central region of the Peninsule (Central System, Tajo and Duero Tertiary Basins and Iberian Range), in the South and Southeast Regions (Provinces of Cadiz, Huelva, Almeria and Murcia) and in the Eastern Region (Province of Valencia and northern part of Alicante) are presented. In these regions, the analysis of the postmiocene tectonic is studied in the continental and coastal areas, using several different technics, from tectonic, geophysic and remote sensing methods to geomorphologic methods. (author)

  19. Nociceptive transmission and modulation via P2X receptors in central pain syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuan, Yung-Hui; Shyu, Bai-Chuang

    2016-05-26

    Painful sensations are some of the most frequent complaints of patients who are admitted to local medical clinics. Persistent pain varies according to its causes, often resulting from local tissue damage or inflammation. Central somatosensory pathway lesions that are not adequately relieved can consequently cause central pain syndrome or central neuropathic pain. Research on the molecular mechanisms that underlie this pathogenesis is important for treating such pain. To date, evidence suggests the involvement of ion channels, including adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-gated cation channel P2X receptors, in central nervous system pain transmission and persistent modulation upon and following the occurrence of neuropathic pain. Several P2X receptor subtypes, including P2X2, P2X3, P2X4, and P2X7, have been shown to play diverse roles in the pathogenesis of central pain including the mediation of fast transmission in the peripheral nervous system and modulation of neuronal activity in the central nervous system. This review article highlights the role of the P2X family of ATP receptors in the pathogenesis of central neuropathic pain and pain transmission. We discuss basic research that may be translated to clinical application, suggesting that P2X receptors may be treatment targets for central pain syndrome.

  20. Morfologia testicular de ratos Wistar obesos sedentários e submetidos a treinamento físico - doi: 10.4025/actascihealthsci.v33i1.7698 Testicular morphology in obese and sedentary Wistar rats submitted to physical training - doi: 10.4025/actascihealthsci.v33i1.7698

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Solange Marta Franzói de Moraes

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar morfologicamente os efeitos da dieta de cafeteria e o treinamento físico em esteira sobre o testículo de ratos Wistar. Ratos machos adultos foram divididos em grupos (sedentário-controle; sedentário-cafeteria; treinado-controle; e treinado-cafeteria. Para comprovar a instalação da obesidade calculou-se o índice de Lee e o peso dos tecidos adiposos periepididimal e retroperitoneal. A análise testicular envolveu o peso da gônada e após processamento histológico e coloração por Hematoxilina-Eosina, os parâmetros de diâmetro tubular, altura do epitélio seminífero, identificação dos tipos celulares presentes nos túbulos seminíferos, contagem de células e rendimento geral da espermatogênese. O aumento significativo do Índice de Lee e do peso dos tecidos adiposos, nos grupos que receberam dieta de cafeteria, comprovou a instalação da obesidade e indicou ser este um modelo adequado para induzir obesidade experimental. Não houve efeito da dieta ou do treinamento sobre o peso testicular, diâmetro tubular e altura do epitélio seminífero não havendo também diferenças na organização histológica dos testículos e túbulos seminíferos. Após quantificação celular e cálculo dos índices mitótico e meiótico e da capacidade total de suporte das células de Sertoli, verificamos efeito positivo do treinamento físico, independente da dieta recebida, sobre o rendimento geral da espermatogênese.The aim of this study was to morphologically evaluate the effects of the cafeteria diet and physical training on the testicles of adult Wistar rats. Adult male rats were divided into groups (sedentary-control, sedentary-cafeteria, trained-control, and trained-cafeteria In order to state the obesity condition both the Lee index and the weight of retroperitoneal and periepididymal adipose tissues were calculated. The testicular analysis involved the gonad weight and after the histological processing

  1. Nuclear insurance in Central and Eastern Europe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Warren, G.

    1998-01-01

    In the world outside the former Soviet Union, insurance industries in their respective domestic markets have pooled their resources so as to provide a secure and cost-effective conduit for the transaction of insurance business on behalf of the nuclear industry. These are the so-called nuclear pools. This paper explains the four main principles behind nuclear liability insurance and discusses their application to Central Europe and in particular to the problems facing the nuclear industry in Eastern Europe. (author)

  2. Centralized and Modular Architectures for Photovoltaic Panels with Improved Efficiency: Preprint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dhakal, B.; Mancilla-David, F.; Muljadi, E.

    2012-07-01

    The most common type of photovoltaic installation in residential applications is the centralized architecture, but the performance of a centralized architecture is adversely affected when it is subject to partial shading effects due to clouds or surrounding obstacles, such as trees. An alternative modular approach can be implemented using several power converters with partial throughput power processing capability. This paper presents a detailed study of these two architectures for the same throughput power level and compares the overall efficiencies using a set of rapidly changing real solar irradiance data collected by the Solar Radiation Research Laboratory at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

  3. A Novel Entropy-Based Centrality Approach for Identifying Vital Nodes in Weighted Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tong Qiao

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Measuring centrality has recently attracted increasing attention, with algorithms ranging from those that simply calculate the number of immediate neighbors and the shortest paths to those that are complicated iterative refinement processes and objective dynamical approaches. Indeed, vital nodes identification allows us to understand the roles that different nodes play in the structure of a network. However, quantifying centrality in complex networks with various topological structures is not an easy task. In this paper, we introduce a novel definition of entropy-based centrality, which can be applicable to weighted directed networks. By design, the total power of a node is divided into two parts, including its local power and its indirect power. The local power can be obtained by integrating the structural entropy, which reveals the communication activity and popularity of each node, and the interaction frequency entropy, which indicates its accessibility. In addition, the process of influence propagation can be captured by the two-hop subnetworks, resulting in the indirect power. In order to evaluate the performance of the entropy-based centrality, we use four weighted real-world networks with various instance sizes, degree distributions, and densities. Correspondingly, these networks are adolescent health, Bible, United States (US airports, and Hep-th, respectively. Extensive analytical results demonstrate that the entropy-based centrality outperforms degree centrality, betweenness centrality, closeness centrality, and the Eigenvector centrality.

  4. Stimulation of S14 mRNA and lipogenesis in brown fat by hypothyroidism, cold exposure, and cafeteria feeding: evidence supporting a general role for S14 in lipogenesis and lipogenesis in the maintenance of thermogenesis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Freake, H.C.; Oppenheimer, J.H.

    1987-05-01

    In liver, thyroid hormone rapidly induces S14 mRNA, which encodes a small acidic protein. This sequence is abundantly expressed only in lipogenic tissues and is thought to have some function in fat metabolism. In the euthyroid rat, we measured 20-fold higher levels of S14 mRNA in interscapular brown adipose tissue than liver. Furthermore, whereas in liver or epididymal fat, hypothyroidism resulted in an 80% fall in S14 mRNA, in brown fat the level of this sequence increased a further 3-fold. In all three tissues, the expression of S14 mRNA correlated well with lipogenesis, as assessed by /sup 3/H/sub 2/O incorporation. Physiological activation of brown fat by chronic cold exposure or cafeteria feeding increased the concentration of S14 mRNA in this tissue and again this was accompanied by a greater rate of fatty acid synthesis. Overall, in liver and white and brown adipose tissue, S14 mRNA and lipogenesis were well correlated and strongly suggest a function of the S14 protein related to fat synthesis. These studies suggest that the S14 protein and lipogenesis may be important for thyroid hormone-induced and brown adipose tissue thermogenesis and that stimulation of these functions in hypothyroid brown fat is a consequence of decreased thyroid hormone-induced thermogenesis elsewhere.

  5. Stimulation of S14 mRNA and lipogenesis in brown fat by hypothyroidism, cold exposure, and cafeteria feeding: evidence supporting a general role for S14 in lipogenesis and lipogenesis in the maintenance of thermogenesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Freake, H.C.; Oppenheimer, J.H.

    1987-01-01

    In liver, thyroid hormone rapidly induces S14 mRNA, which encodes a small acidic protein. This sequence is abundantly expressed only in lipogenic tissues and is thought to have some function in fat metabolism. In the euthyroid rat, we measured 20-fold higher levels of S14 mRNA in interscapular brown adipose tissue than liver. Furthermore, whereas in liver or epididymal fat, hypothyroidism resulted in an 80% fall in S14 mRNA, in brown fat the level of this sequence increased a further 3-fold. In all three tissues, the expression of S14 mRNA correlated well with lipogenesis, as assessed by 3 H 2 O incorporation. Physiological activation of brown fat by chronic cold exposure or cafeteria feeding increased the concentration of S14 mRNA in this tissue and again this was accompanied by a greater rate of fatty acid synthesis. Overall, in liver and white and brown adipose tissue, S14 mRNA and lipogenesis were well correlated and strongly suggest a function of the S14 protein related to fat synthesis. These studies suggest that the S14 protein and lipogenesis may be important for thyroid hormone-induced and brown adipose tissue thermogenesis and that stimulation of these functions in hypothyroid brown fat is a consequence of decreased thyroid hormone-induced thermogenesis elsewhere

  6. Branch-Based Centralized Data Collection for Smart Grids Using Wireless Sensor Networks

    OpenAIRE

    Kwangsoo Kim; Seong-il Jin

    2015-01-01

    A smart grid is one of the most important applications in smart cities. In a smart grid, a smart meter acts as a sensor node in a sensor network, and a central device collects power usage from every smart meter. This paper focuses on a centralized data collection problem of how to collect every power usage from every meter without collisions in an environment in which the time synchronization among smart meters is not guaranteed. To solve the problem, we divide a tree that a sensor network co...

  7. Facility Energy Performance Benchmarking in a Data-Scarce Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-08-01

    0.10 0.43 Commercial Studies Barracks Dining Facilities Vehicle Maintenance CBECS - 2003 •Dormitory •Fraternity •Sorority • Restaurant •Cafeteria...Vehicle service/repair shop CTS •Residence Hall/Dormitory •Food service • Restaurant /cafeteria •Vehicle service/repair •Vehicle DC - 2013 •Residence...Hall/Dormitory N/A N/A NYC - 2013 •Residence Hall/Dormitory • Restaurant •Food service •Automobile dealership CEUS •Lodging • Restaurant N/A CEC

  8. Measuring Financial Performance in Infrastructure: An Application to Europe and Central Asia

    OpenAIRE

    Ebinger, Jane O.

    2006-01-01

    Unintentional implicit subsidies (hidden costs) to public utilities can be considered an illegitimate claim on public resources. This paper examines the role and sources of hidden costs in the energy and water sectors in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region. It reviews available data and introduces a model-the Hidden Costs Calculator-that can be used to quantify the burden on governments of infrastructure policy and implementation decisions. This simple-to-apply model provides insight int...

  9. Increasing portion sizes of fruits and vegetables in an elementary school lunch program can increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Nicole; Reicks, Marla; Redden, Joseph P; Mann, Traci; Mykerezi, Elton; Vickers, Zata

    2015-08-01

    Increasing portion size can increase children's consumption of food. The goal of this study was to determine whether increasing the portion sizes of fruits and vegetables in an elementary school cafeteria environment would increase children's consumption of them. We measured each child's consumption of the fruit and vegetables served in a cafeteria line on a control day (normal cafeteria procedures) and on two intervention days. When we increased the portion size of 3 of the 4 fruits and vegetables by about 50%, children who took those foods increased their consumption of them. Although this was an effective strategy for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among students who took those foods, many children chose not to take any fruits or vegetables. Further efforts are needed to increase children's selection and consumption of fruits and vegetables in an environment of competing foods of higher palatability. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Exploring Permission-Induced Risk in Android Applications for Malicious Application Detection

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Wei; Wang, Xing; Feng, Dawei; Liu, Jiqiang; Han, Zhen; Zhang, Xiangliang

    2014-01-01

    Android has been a major target of malicious applications (malapps). How to detect and keep the malapps out of the app markets is an ongoing challenge. One of the central design points of Android security mechanism is permission control

  11. [ANDALIES project: consumption, offer and promotion of healthy eating habits within secondary schools in Andalusia].

    Science.gov (United States)

    González Rodríguez, Angustias; García Padilla, Francisca M; Martos Cerezuela, Ildefonso; Silvano Arranz, Agustina; Fernández Lao, Isabel

    2015-04-01

    The school context stands out as one of the factors influencing the food practices of adolescents. Food consumption during the school day, the cafeterias' supply and the promotional activities proposed by the centers are objects of increasing attention to community health services. To describe students' eating habits during the school day; to analyze the food on offer by the cafeterias and surrounding establishments; and to assess whether secondary schools are suitable environments for the promotion of healthy eating habits. Cross-sectional study during 2010-2012 courses. Sampling units: public secondary schools (95) and students (8.068). Multistage cluster sampling: random and stratified selection by province and habitat size. Selection of students: systematic sampling of classrooms. 77.5% of students have breakfast at home: cereals and a dairy product (40.9%) or a liquid (29.2%); 70.3% eat something at school and most of them choose a cold meat sandwich. Fruit consumption is infrequent (2.5%) while packed juices are very common (63.3%). 75% eat sweets, the figure increasing significantly in schools with cafeterias. Cafeterias offer a large number of non-recommended products: soft drinks (97,3%), cold meats (91,8%), sweets and chips (89%). Lack of control of the products on offer is common (68.42%); only 28.4% of the managers know the law. 72.5% of the centers undertake isolated activities for the promotion of healthy eating habits. 71.5% of the centers are surrounded by shops that supply the students. Low protection of students' food health is evident, resulting from: students' nutritional deficits, the low quality of the food offered by the cafeterias and the lack of activities to encourage healthy habits. For which reason, educational, health and local administrations must accept shared responsibility on this subject. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

  12. On tokamak equilibria with a zero current or negative current central region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chu, M.S.; Parks, P.B.

    2002-01-01

    Several tokamak experiments have reported the development of a central region with vanishing currents (the current hole). The straightforward application of results from the work of Greene, Johnson and Weimer [Phys. Fluids 14, 671 (1971)] on a tokamak equilibrium to these plasmas leads to the apparent singularities in several physical quantities including the Shafranov shift and casts doubts on the existence of this type of equilibria. In this paper, the above quoted equilibrium theory is re-examined and extended to include equilibria with a current hole. It is shown that singularities can be circumvented and that equilibria with a central current hole do satisfy the magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium condition with regular behavior for all the physical quantities and do not lead to infinitely large Shafranov shifts. Isolated equilibria with negative current in the central region could exist. But equilibria with negative currents in general do not have neighboring equilibria and thus cannot have experimental realization, i.e., no negative currents can be driven in the central region

  13. [Centralized management strategy of the infant incubators in NICUs].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Hong-cheng

    2005-07-01

    There are many problems existing at present in the incubator applications and management. Among them, the prominent problems are their cleaning and disinfection. We hope to find, through the centralized management and clinical engineering, an efficient strategy in order to get more reasonable and better maintenance, cleaning and training for infant incubators in NICUs. Scientific management will provide an excellent service to infant patients.

  14. Focal lesions in the central nervous system: stereotaxic radioneurosurgery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fabrikant, J.I.; Budinger, T.f.; Hosobuchi, Y.; Born, J.L.; Tobias, C.A.

    1981-01-01

    The application of heavy-ion beams for fundamental and applied brain research has unusual potential. Methods are being developed in our laboratory for producing focal lesions in the central nervous system (e.g., the hypothalamus, thalamus, pituitary gland) to investigate nerve pathways and neuroendocrine responses, and for treating certain pathological disorders of the brain with stereotaxic Bragg peak heavy-ion radiosurgery. Studies in animals are demonstrating the value of this neuroscience tool for investigating mammalian brain response to induction of discrete focal lesions in the hypothalamus or in the cerebral cortex. These studies are also elucidating the neuroendocrinological response follwing ablation of various portions of the midbrain, without requiring complex neurosurgical preparations. Clinical studies are demonstrating the feasibility of stereotaxic neurological radiosurgery for treating certain inoperable vascular disorders of the brain [e.g., arteriovenous malformations (AVM), internal carotid artery-cavernous sinus fistulas and other cerebrovascular disorders] in patients who are already demonstrating progressive neurological deficit. Further applications of focal lesion production with the Bragg ionization peak can be extended to include localized radiation to centers of the brain and spinal cord for treatment of such disorders as Parkinson's disease, pituitary microadenomas, acoustic neuromas, and the control of pain. The eventual application of radioactive beams will provide accurate localization of the stopping points of the beam, thereby making it feasible to stop the beam accurately at a defined depth within the central nervous system

  15. Fuzzy central tendency measure for time series variability analysis with application to fatigue electromyography signals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Hong-Bo; Dokos, Socrates

    2013-01-01

    A new method, namely fuzzy central tendency measure (fCTM) analysis, that could enable measurement of the variability of a time series, is presented in this study. Tests on simulated data sets show that fCTM is superior to the conventional central tendency measure (CTM) in several respects, including improved relative consistency and robustness to noise. The proposed fCTM method was applied to electromyograph (EMG) signals recorded during sustained isometric contraction for tracking local muscle fatigue. The results showed that the fCTM increased significantly during the development of muscle fatigue, and it was more sensitive to the fatigue phenomenon than mean frequency (MNF), the most commonly-used muscle fatigue indicator.

  16. 4. International Symposium and Exhibition on Environmental Contamination in Central and Eastern Europe. Symposium Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-01-01

    The Fourth International Symposium and Exhibition on Environmental Contamination in Central and Eastern Europe was part of an on-going series of symposia which focus on the environmental problems of Central and Eastern Europe. The presentations concerned radiological contamination, hazardous waste management, environmental monitoring, modeling and computer applications for environmental studies, site remediation. Many works presented human health effects of environmental pollution by heavy metals, radionuclides and other xenobiotics

  17. The Central American Regional Payment System: Reasons for its Failure and Reconversion (1989-1993

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafael de Juan Peñalosa

    1995-11-01

    Full Text Available This article, entitled “The Central American regional payment system: focusses and its reconversion”, is placed in the context of the recent strengthening of those mechanisms responsible for the reactivation of the Central American process of regional economic integration. With the aim of starting up a Central American regional payment system within the framework of the evolution and development of the regional integration of the Central American isthmus, the member countries of the Central American Common Market asked the European Community for technical assistance regarding its creationand application. After careful study by the EC this petition met with a positive response fitting as it did within the context of the policy of cooperation between the European Union and the countries of the Central American region. This in turn led to the signing of the Central American Payment System Financing Treaty in the Irish capital, Dublin, coinciding as it did with the San Jose VI Conference (9/10 March, 1990 which subsequently enjoyed diplomatic as well as financial and technical support as well as an intense development throughout the latter years of the Nineties.

  18. Radioisotope applications in GDR industries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leonhardt, J.W.

    1984-01-01

    Contributions of the Central Institute for Isotope and Radiation Research in the field of isotope techniques in the industries are reviewed. Results of basic research in radiation application and tracer techniques are presented. Progress and trends of radionuclide techniques in important fields of application like chemical engineering, power industries, and microelectronics are analysed. (author)

  19. COSMO: a decision-support system for the central open space, the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Harms, W.B.; Knaapen, J.P.; Roos-Klein-Lankhorst sic, J.

    1995-01-01

    To evaluate scenarios for nature restoration, a landscape ecological decision-support system has been developed, a knowledge-based system integrated in a geographical information system. The grid-based application in the Central Open Space of the Netherlands (the COSMO model) is presented here. Four

  20. A Robust Function to Return the Cumulative Density of Non-Central F Distributions in Microsoft Office Excel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, James Byron

    2016-01-01

    The manuscript presents a Visual Basic[superscript R] for Applications function that operates within Microsoft Office Excel[superscript R] to return the area below the curve for a given F within a specified non-central F distribution. The function will be of use to Excel users without programming experience wherever a non-central F distribution is…

  1. Is banking supervision central to central banking?

    OpenAIRE

    Joe Peek; Eric S. Rosengren; Geoffrey M. B. Tootell

    1997-01-01

    Whether central banks should play an active role in bank supervision and regulation is being debated both in the United States and abroad. While the Bank of England has recently been stripped of its supervisory responsibilities and several proposals in the United States have advocated removing bank supervision from the Federal Reserve System, other countries are considering enhancing central bank involvement in this area. Many of the arguments for and against these proposals hinge on the effe...

  2. Log ASCII Standard (LAS) Files for Geophysical Wireline Well Logs and Their Application to Geologic Cross Sections Through the Central Appalachian Basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crangle, Robert D.

    2007-01-01

    Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) uses geophysical wireline well logs for a variety of purposes, including stratigraphic correlation (Hettinger, 2001, Ryder, 2002), petroleum reservoir analyses (Nelson and Bird, 2005), aquifer studies (Balch, 1988), and synthetic seismic profiles (Kulander and Ryder, 2005). Commonly, well logs are easier to visualize, manipulate, and interpret when available in a digital format. In recent geologic cross sections E-E' and D-D', constructed through the central Appalachian basin (Ryder, Swezey, and others, in press; Ryder, Crangle, and others, in press), gamma ray well log traces and lithologic logs were used to correlate key stratigraphic intervals (Fig. 1). The stratigraphy and structure of the cross sections are illustrated through the use of graphical software applications (e.g., Adobe Illustrator). The gamma ray traces were digitized in Neuralog (proprietary software) from paper well logs and converted to a Log ASCII Standard (LAS) format. Once converted, the LAS files were transformed to images through an LAS-reader application (e.g., GeoGraphix Prizm) and then overlain in positions adjacent to well locations, used for stratigraphic control, on each cross section. This report summarizes the procedures used to convert paper logs to a digital LAS format using a third-party software application, Neuralog. Included in this report are LAS files for sixteen wells used in geologic cross section E-E' (Table 1) and thirteen wells used in geologic cross section D-D' (Table 2).

  3. Combination of low energy and mechanical cooling technologies for buildings in Central Europe

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lain, M.; Hensen, J.L.M.

    2004-01-01

    This paper discusses options for incorporating low energy cooling technologies combined with standard mechanical cooling in buildings in central Europe. Case studies, design recommendations and role of computer simulation of building and system in the design process are presented. Applicability of

  4. Cafeteria e sua Influência no Consumo do Café na Cidade de São PauloThe Coffee Shop Influence on Coffee Consumption in the City of Sao PauloCafetería y su Influencia en el Consumo de Café en la Ciudad de São Paulo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    BAZANINI, Roberto

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available RESUMOO café é um produto de forte apelo nacional e tem estado presente nos hábitos do consumidor deste produto, denotando uma busca por cafés diferenciados e de qualidade. As avaliações do produto se baseiam nas posições descritivas, dedutivas e de informações do mesmo. As características percebidas podem ser intrínsecas como o sabor, o aroma, a cor, a aparência e a consistência e extrínsecas, que referem-se a parte externa e que envolve o produto, tais como o ambiente, a embalagem, a marca e também o país de origem. Este estudo teve por objetivo investigar se as características intrínsecas (sabor, aroma, cor, aparência e consistência da bebida café e às características extrínsecas associadas ao produto estimulam o consumidor em freqüentar cafeterias (ambiente especializado em café. Para tal foi realizada uma pesquisa de caráter exploratória, com levantamento de campo e bibliográfico cujos resultados foram tratados por meio da análise de conteúdo. Utilizou-se como instrumento de coleta de dados um roteiro de entrevistas e foram entrevistadas 87 pessoas, freqüentadores de cafeterias. As cafeterias pesquisadas estão localizadas na cidade de São Paulo sendo: duas num Shopping Center do bairro de Higienópolis e uma cafeteria em uma universidade no centro da capital. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que o sabor, prioritariamente e, depois o aroma do café foram as características intrínsecas consideradas mais relevantes entre os respondentes. Por outro lado, um ambiente agradável, confortável e requintado foram fatores valorizados pelos entrevistados. Ambas características se mostraram complementares e estes fatores citados foram os apontados como aqueles que estimulam o consumidor a freqüentar as cafeterias. ABSTRACTCoffee is a product of high national demand and has been present in the consumer habits, indicating a great search for distinguished and quality coffees. The evaluations of this product are

  5. [Venous thrombosis associated with central venous catheter use in patients with cancer].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iglesias Rey, Leticia; Fernández Pérez, Isaura; Barbagelata López, Cristina; Rivera Gallego, Alberto

    2015-01-01

    The use of central venous catheters for various applications (administration of chemotherapy, blood products and others) in patients with cancer is increasingly frequent. The association between thrombosis and catheter use has been fully established but aspects such as its causes, diagnosis, prophylaxis and treatment have not. We describe a case of thrombosis in a patient with cancer treated with chemotherapy who carried a central venous catheter. We also perform a review of the risk factors, the role of the prophylaxis and the treatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  6. In rats fed high-energy diets, taste, rather than fat content, is the key factor increasing food intake: a comparison of a cafeteria and a lipid-supplemented standard diet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laia Oliva

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Background Food selection and ingestion both in humans and rodents, often is a critical factor in determining excess energy intake and its related disorders. Methods Two different concepts of high-fat diets were tested for their obesogenic effects in rats; in both cases, lipids constituted about 40% of their energy intake. The main difference with controls fed standard lab chow, was, precisely, the lipid content. Cafeteria diets (K were self-selected diets devised to be desirable to the rats, mainly because of its diverse mix of tastes, particularly salty and sweet. This diet was compared with another, more classical high-fat (HF diet, devised not to be as tasty as K, and prepared by supplementing standard chow pellets with fat. We also analysed the influence of sex on the effects of the diets. Results K rats grew faster because of a high lipid, sugar and protein intake, especially the males, while females showed lower weight but higher proportion of body lipid. In contrast, the weight of HF groups were not different from controls. Individual nutrient’s intake were analysed, and we found that K rats ingested large amounts of both disaccharides and salt, with scant differences of other nutrients’ proportion between the three groups. The results suggest that the key differential factor of the diet eliciting excess energy intake was the massive presence of sweet and salty tasting food. Conclusions The significant presence of sugar and salt appears as a powerful inducer of excess food intake, more effective than a simple (albeit large increase in the diet’s lipid content. These effects appeared already after a relatively short treatment. The differential effects of sex agree with their different hedonic and obesogenic response to diet.

  7. Salmonella and fecal indicator bacteria in tile waters draining poultry litter application fields in central Iowa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hruby, C.; Soupir, M.

    2012-12-01

    E. coli and enterococci are commonly used as pathogen indicators in surface waters. Along with these indicators, pathogenic Salmonella are prevalent in poultry litter, and have the potential to be transported from land-application areas to tile waters and ultimately to impact waters that are used for drinking-water and recreation. The fate and transport of these bacteria to drainage tiles from application fields, and the correlation of fecal indicator bacteria to pathogens in this setting, is poorly understood. In this field study, samples were obtained from poultry litter, soil, and drainage tile waters below chisel-plowed and no-till cornfields in central Iowa where poultry litter was applied each year in late spring prior to planting. Litter was applied at three different rates; commercial fertilizer with no litter, a low application rate based on the nitrogen requirements of the corn (PL1), and double the low rate (PL2). This site is characterized by low sloping (0-9%) Clarion and Nicollet soils, which are derived from glacial till. Samples were collected from April to September for three years (2010-12) when tiles were flowing. Record high precipitation fell during the sampling period in 2010, while 2011 and 2012 were exceptionally dry years at this location. Grab samples were taken directly from flowing tiles after every rainfall event (>2 cm in less than 24 hours) and samples were collected hourly throughout selected events using an automatic sampling device. Concentrations of E. coli, enterococci and Salmonella spp. were quantified by membrane filtration and growth on selective agars. Peak bacteria concentrations following rainfall events were often one order of magnitude higher in tile waters discharging from no-till plots, despite the smaller size and lower tile flow rates at these plots compared to the chisel-plowed plots. Bacteria concentrations regularly varied by two orders of magnitude in response to rainfall events. Bacteria transport via macropores

  8. Spatially distributed pesticide exposure assessment in the Central Valley, California, USA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Luo Yuzhou [Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 (United States); Zhang Minghua, E-mail: mhzhang@ucdavis.ed [Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 (United States)

    2010-05-15

    Field runoff is an important transport mechanism by which pesticides move into the hydrologic environment of intensive agricultural regions such as California's Central Valley. This study presents a spatially explicit modeling approach to extend Pesticide Root Zone Model (PRZM), a field-scale pesticide transport model, into basin level. The approach was applied to simulate chlorpyrifos use in the Central Valley during 2003-2007. The average value of loading as percent of use (LAPU) is 0.031%. Results of this study provide strong evidence that surface runoff generation and pesticide application timing are the two influencing factors on the spatial and temporal variability of chlorpyrifos sources from agricultural fields. This is one of the first studies in coupling GIS and field-scale models and providing simulations for the dynamics of pesticides over an agriculturally dominated landscape. The demonstrated modeling approach may be useful for implementations of best management practice (BMP) and total maximum daily load (TMDL). - Runoff generation and application timing are governing factors on spatiotemporal variability of pesticide sources.

  9. Spatially distributed pesticide exposure assessment in the Central Valley, California, USA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luo Yuzhou; Zhang Minghua

    2010-01-01

    Field runoff is an important transport mechanism by which pesticides move into the hydrologic environment of intensive agricultural regions such as California's Central Valley. This study presents a spatially explicit modeling approach to extend Pesticide Root Zone Model (PRZM), a field-scale pesticide transport model, into basin level. The approach was applied to simulate chlorpyrifos use in the Central Valley during 2003-2007. The average value of loading as percent of use (LAPU) is 0.031%. Results of this study provide strong evidence that surface runoff generation and pesticide application timing are the two influencing factors on the spatial and temporal variability of chlorpyrifos sources from agricultural fields. This is one of the first studies in coupling GIS and field-scale models and providing simulations for the dynamics of pesticides over an agriculturally dominated landscape. The demonstrated modeling approach may be useful for implementations of best management practice (BMP) and total maximum daily load (TMDL). - Runoff generation and application timing are governing factors on spatiotemporal variability of pesticide sources.

  10. Revisiting the Central Dogma One Molecule at a Time

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bustamante, Carlos; Cheng, Wei; Meija, Yara

    2011-01-01

    The faithful relay and timely expression of genetic information depend on specialized molecular machines, many of which function as nucleic acid translocases. The emergence over the last decade of single-molecule fluorescence detection and manipulation techniques with nm and Å resolution, and their application to the study of nucleic acid translocases are painting an increasingly sharp picture of the inner workings of these machines, the dynamics and coordination of their moving parts, their thermodynamic efficiency, and the nature of their transient intermediates. Here we present an overview of the main results arrived at by the application of single-molecule methods to the study of the main machines of the central dogma. PMID:21335233

  11. Central Nervous System Vasculitis

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... of Vasculitis / Central Nervous System (CNS) Vasculitis Central Nervous System (CNS) Vasculitis Swap out your current Facebook Profile ... Facebook personal page. Replace with this image. Central nervous system (CNS) vasculitis is inflammation of blood vessel walls ...

  12. A strong-motion database from the Central American subduction zone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arango, Maria Cristina; Strasser, Fleur O.; Bommer, Julian J.; Hernández, Douglas A.; Cepeda, Jose M.

    2011-04-01

    Subduction earthquakes along the Pacific Coast of Central America generate considerable seismic risk in the region. The quantification of the hazard due to these events requires the development of appropriate ground-motion prediction equations, for which purpose a database of recordings from subduction events in the region is indispensable. This paper describes the compilation of a comprehensive database of strong ground-motion recordings obtained during subduction-zone events in Central America, focusing on the region from 8 to 14° N and 83 to 92° W, including Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. More than 400 accelerograms recorded by the networks operating across Central America during the last decades have been added to data collected by NORSAR in two regional projects for the reduction of natural disasters. The final database consists of 554 triaxial ground-motion recordings from events of moment magnitudes between 5.0 and 7.7, including 22 interface and 58 intraslab-type events for the time period 1976-2006. Although the database presented in this study is not sufficiently complete in terms of magnitude-distance distribution to serve as a basis for the derivation of predictive equations for interface and intraslab events in Central America, it considerably expands the Central American subduction data compiled in previous studies and used in early ground-motion modelling studies for subduction events in this region. Additionally, the compiled database will allow the assessment of the existing predictive models for subduction-type events in terms of their applicability for the Central American region, which is essential for an adequate estimation of the hazard due to subduction earthquakes in this region.

  13. A new centrality measure for identifying influential nodes in social networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhouma, Delel; Ben Romdhane, Lotfi

    2018-04-01

    The identification of central nodes has been a key problem in the field of social network analysis. In fact, it is a measure that accounts the popularity or the visibility of an actor within a network. In order to capture this concept, various measures, either sample or more elaborate, has been developed. Nevertheless, many of "traditional" measures are not designed to be applicable to huge data. This paper sets out a new node centrality index suitable for large social network. It uses the amount of the neighbors of a node and connections between them to characterize a "pivot" node in the graph. We presented experimental results on real data sets which show the efficiency of our proposal.

  14. Outsourcing central banking

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Khoury, Sarkis Joseph; Wihlborg, Clas

    2005-01-01

    The literature on Currency Boards (CB) stops at the water edge in terms of dealing with the totality of the functions of a central bank. Monetary policy, and banking supervisioncan be "outsourced" in an open economy with substantial foreign direct investment (FDI)in the banking sector if political...... nationalism does not trump economic rationality. An orthodox CB renders the central banking function redundant in terms of interest rate and exchange rate determination. FDI in banking could perform the same role for the supervisory function of central banks. We use the case of Estonia to illustrate...... the feasibility of, and constraints on, outsourcing of central bank functions. A brief discussion of the Argentinian experience is used for contrast.Key words: Currency Board, Foreign Banks, Supervision, Regional Integration,outsourcing....

  15. NIDDK Central Repository

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The NIDDK Central Repository stores biosamples, genetic and other data collected in designated NIDDK-funded clinical studies. The purpose of the NIDDK Central...

  16. Use of linkage mapping and centrality analysis across habitat gradients to conserve connectivity of gray wolf populations in western North America.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carroll, Carlos; McRae, Brad H; Brookes, Allen

    2012-02-01

    Centrality metrics evaluate paths between all possible pairwise combinations of sites on a landscape to rank the contribution of each site to facilitating ecological flows across the network of sites. Computational advances now allow application of centrality metrics to landscapes represented as continuous gradients of habitat quality. This avoids the binary classification of landscapes into patch and matrix required by patch-based graph analyses of connectivity. It also avoids the focus on delineating paths between individual pairs of core areas characteristic of most corridor- or linkage-mapping methods of connectivity analysis. Conservation of regional habitat connectivity has the potential to facilitate recovery of the gray wolf (Canis lupus), a species currently recolonizing portions of its historic range in the western United States. We applied 3 contrasting linkage-mapping methods (shortest path, current flow, and minimum-cost-maximum-flow) to spatial data representing wolf habitat to analyze connectivity between wolf populations in central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming). We then applied 3 analogous betweenness centrality metrics to analyze connectivity of wolf habitat throughout the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada to determine where it might be possible to facilitate range expansion and interpopulation dispersal. We developed software to facilitate application of centrality metrics. Shortest-path betweenness centrality identified a minimal network of linkages analogous to those identified by least-cost-path corridor mapping. Current flow and minimum-cost-maximum-flow betweenness centrality identified diffuse networks that included alternative linkages, which will allow greater flexibility in planning. Minimum-cost-maximum-flow betweenness centrality, by integrating both land cost and habitat capacity, allows connectivity to be considered within planning processes that seek to maximize species protection at minimum cost

  17. A hybrid symplectic principal component analysis and central tendency measure method for detection of determinism in noisy time series with application to mechanomyography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Hong-Bo; Dokos, Socrates

    2013-06-01

    We present a hybrid symplectic geometry and central tendency measure (CTM) method for detection of determinism in noisy time series. CTM is effective for detecting determinism in short time series and has been applied in many areas of nonlinear analysis. However, its performance significantly degrades in the presence of strong noise. In order to circumvent this difficulty, we propose to use symplectic principal component analysis (SPCA), a new chaotic signal de-noising method, as the first step to recover the system dynamics. CTM is then applied to determine whether the time series arises from a stochastic process or has a deterministic component. Results from numerical experiments, ranging from six benchmark deterministic models to 1/f noise, suggest that the hybrid method can significantly improve detection of determinism in noisy time series by about 20 dB when the data are contaminated by Gaussian noise. Furthermore, we apply our algorithm to study the mechanomyographic (MMG) signals arising from contraction of human skeletal muscle. Results obtained from the hybrid symplectic principal component analysis and central tendency measure demonstrate that the skeletal muscle motor unit dynamics can indeed be deterministic, in agreement with previous studies. However, the conventional CTM method was not able to definitely detect the underlying deterministic dynamics. This result on MMG signal analysis is helpful in understanding neuromuscular control mechanisms and developing MMG-based engineering control applications.

  18. CENTRAL PLATEAU REMEDIATION

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    ROMINE, L.D.

    2006-01-01

    A systematic approach to closure planning is being implemented at the Hanford Site's Central Plateau to help achieve the goal of closure by the year 2035. The overall objective of Central Plateau remediation is to protect human health and the environment from the significant quantity of contaminated material that resulted from decades of plutonium production in support of the nation's defense. This goal will be achieved either by removing contaminants or placing the residual contaminated materials in a secure configuration that minimizes further migration to the groundwater and reduces the potential for inadvertent intrusion into contaminated sites. The approach to Central Plateau cleanup used three key concepts--closure zones, closure elements, and closure process steps--to create an organized picture of actions required to complete remediation. These actions were merged with logic ties, constraints, and required resources to produce an integrated time-phased schedule and cost profile for Central Plateau closure. Programmatic risks associated with implementation of Central Plateau closure were identified and analyzed. Actions to mitigate the most significant risks are underway while high priority remediation projects continue to make progress

  19. Aerial view of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-01-01

    The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center, shown in this aerial view looking south, sprawls across 70 acres on Florida's Space Coast , and is located off State Road 405, NASA Parkway, six miles inside the Space Center entrance. SR 405 can be seen at the bottom of the photo. Just above the roadway, from left can be seen the Shuttle/Gantry mockup; the Post Show Dome; the Astronaut Memorial; and to the far right, the Center for Space Education. Behind the Memorial are a cluster of buildings that include the Theater Complex, Cafeteria, Space Flight Exhibit Building, Souvenir Sales Building, Spaceport Central, and Ticket Pavilion. At the upper right are various rockets that have played a significant role in the growth of the space program.

  20. Watershed Central: Harnessing a social media tool to organize local technical knowledge and find the right watershed resources for your watershed

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watershed Central was developed to be a bridge between sharing and searching for information relating to watershed issues. This is dependent upon active user support through additions and updates to the Watershed Central Wiki. Since the wiki is user driven, the content and applic...

  1. Traditional culture of Slovakian minorities in Central and Southeastern Europe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Slavkovski Peter

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Throughout Europe and within various historical and socio-economic conditions, Slovaks have formed many enclaves and diasporas. In order to investigate common cultural and ethnic characteristics and/or differences between Slovaks in Slovakia and the various diasporas that they formed in relationship with majorities of their host countries, we suggest the usage of the cartographic method. Namely, during the 1997-1999 the Institute of Ethnology of the Slovakian Academy of Science used the cartographic method to analyze various complex questions relating to the traditional culture and ethnic history of many Slovakian minorities in the countries of Central Europe: in Poland, Ukraine, Romania and Hungary. The project was named Traditional Culture of Slovakian Minorities in Central Europe - the application of ethno-cartographic method in research and comparison of cultural manifestation. The project yield positive results and in 2000-2002 proceeded with yet another scientific project: Traditional Culture of Slovakian Minorities in Southeastern Europe - the application of the cartographic method in research and comparison of cultural manifestations once more, the data were obtained on the traditional folk culture of the Slovakian enclaves in Vojvodina and Croatia. The cartographic method used in both projects enabled researchers to document relevant data in a relatively short period of time. A solid foundation was created for a scientific synthesis of selected topics that deal with the traditional culture of Slovakian minorities in Central and Southeastern Europe, and its comparisons with the parent country culture. The cartographic method is widely used in Slovakia, in some 250 sites. Further, the scientific project of the Institute of Ethnology of the Slovakian Academy of Science named Traditional Culture of Slovakian Minorities in Central and Southern Europe as an integral part of their cultural inheritance (In between cultural stability and

  2. Rechecking the Centrality-Lethality Rule in the Scope of Protein Subcellular Localization Interaction Networks.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoqing Peng

    Full Text Available Essential proteins are indispensable for living organisms to maintain life activities and play important roles in the studies of pathology, synthetic biology, and drug design. Therefore, besides experiment methods, many computational methods are proposed to identify essential proteins. Based on the centrality-lethality rule, various centrality methods are employed to predict essential proteins in a Protein-protein Interaction Network (PIN. However, neglecting the temporal and spatial features of protein-protein interactions, the centrality scores calculated by centrality methods are not effective enough for measuring the essentiality of proteins in a PIN. Moreover, many methods, which overfit with the features of essential proteins for one species, may perform poor for other species. In this paper, we demonstrate that the centrality-lethality rule also exists in Protein Subcellular Localization Interaction Networks (PSLINs. To do this, a method based on Localization Specificity for Essential protein Detection (LSED, was proposed, which can be combined with any centrality method for calculating the improved centrality scores by taking into consideration PSLINs in which proteins play their roles. In this study, LSED was combined with eight centrality methods separately to calculate Localization-specific Centrality Scores (LCSs for proteins based on the PSLINs of four species (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Homo sapiens, Mus musculus and Drosophila melanogaster. Compared to the proteins with high centrality scores measured from the global PINs, more proteins with high LCSs measured from PSLINs are essential. It indicates that proteins with high LCSs measured from PSLINs are more likely to be essential and the performance of centrality methods can be improved by LSED. Furthermore, LSED provides a wide applicable prediction model to identify essential proteins for different species.

  3. ITER central solenoid manufacturing R and D

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jay Jayakumar, R.; Tsuji, H.; Ohsaki, O.

    2001-01-01

    The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Engineering Design Activity (EDA) includes the development of high performance superconductors, high current joints between superconducting cables and insulating materials. Also in the EDA, the resulting products of this R and D are incorporated in a Central Solenoid Model Coil which utilizes full size conductors. The manufacturing of the model coil and components has led to the development of the design, materials, tooling and process which are fully applicable to the manufacture of the ITER relevant CS coil. The R and D is essentially complete and final stages of the CS Model Coil manufacturing are underway. (author)

  4. ITER central solenoid manufacturing R and D

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jayakumar, R.J.; Tsuji, H.; Ohsaki, O.

    1999-01-01

    The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Engineering Design Activity (EDA) includes the development of high performance superconductors, high current joints between superconducting cables and insulating materials. Also in the EDA, the resulting products of this R and D are incorporated in a Central Solenoid Model Coil which utilizes full size conductors. The manufacturing of the model coil and components has led to the development of the design, materials, tooling and process which are fully applicable to the manufacture of the ITER relevant CS coil. The R and D is essentially complete and final stages of the CS Model Coil manufacturing are underway. (author)

  5. The Mediterranean fruit fly in Central America

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vail, V.; Moore, I.; Nadel, D.

    1976-01-01

    Various methods of controlling the medfly are available and include the use of insecticides, bait sprays and the sterile insect technique (SIT). Each of these control strategies may be used alone or in sequence. With regard to the application of the SIT, the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Atomic Energy in Food and Agriculture through its Insect and Pest Control Section and Entomology Laboratory is in an excellent position to assist in containing the medfly in Central America. For the past 12 years, the laboratory has participated in all phases of medfly control by sterile insect releases in various climates. This involvement has included planning of medfly campaigns, development of pre-release techniques (bait spraying, trapping, etc.) and shipment and release of sterilized medflies. Small-scale field tests utilizing the SIT have been carried out by nine countries: Italy (Procida, Capri), Spain, Cyprus, Israel, Tunisia, Peru, Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Other field projects presently being counselled and serviced are located in Argentina, Venezuela and the Canary Islands. The research and development that are still needed to effectively stabilize and gain control of the medfly situation in Central America include: The development and use of effective quarantine procedures in various countries; Development of effective conventional medfly control procedures under the conditions found in Central America; Development of methods to determine the geographic origin of medflies introduced into new areas; Medfly mass production (viz. all aspects of rearing Central American strains); Assessing the performance (competitiveness, etc.) of various strains; Logistics, including the development of systems for releasing pre-adult stages; Genetic rearing methods: developmental research in this area is particularly promising since the preferential production of males would allow considerable savings in the rearing costs of medflies for release; Development of adequate surveillance

  6. Eigenvector centrality mapping for analyzing connectivity patterns in fMRI data of the human brain.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriele Lohmann

    Full Text Available Functional magnetic resonance data acquired in a task-absent condition ("resting state" require new data analysis techniques that do not depend on an activation model. In this work, we introduce an alternative assumption- and parameter-free method based on a particular form of node centrality called eigenvector centrality. Eigenvector centrality attributes a value to each voxel in the brain such that a voxel receives a large value if it is strongly correlated with many other nodes that are themselves central within the network. Google's PageRank algorithm is a variant of eigenvector centrality. Thus far, other centrality measures - in particular "betweenness centrality" - have been applied to fMRI data using a pre-selected set of nodes consisting of several hundred elements. Eigenvector centrality is computationally much more efficient than betweenness centrality and does not require thresholding of similarity values so that it can be applied to thousands of voxels in a region of interest covering the entire cerebrum which would have been infeasible using betweenness centrality. Eigenvector centrality can be used on a variety of different similarity metrics. Here, we present applications based on linear correlations and on spectral coherences between fMRI times series. This latter approach allows us to draw conclusions of connectivity patterns in different spectral bands. We apply this method to fMRI data in task-absent conditions where subjects were in states of hunger or satiety. We show that eigenvector centrality is modulated by the state that the subjects were in. Our analyses demonstrate that eigenvector centrality is a computationally efficient tool for capturing intrinsic neural architecture on a voxel-wise level.

  7. Central $L$-values of elliptic curves and local polynomials

    OpenAIRE

    Ehlen, Stephan; Guerzhoy, Pavel; Kane, Ben; Rolen, Larry

    2018-01-01

    Here we study the recently introduced notion of a locally harmonic Maass form and its applications to the theory of $L$-functions. In particular, we find finite formulas for certain twisted central $L$-values of a family of elliptic curves in terms of finite sums over canonical binary quadratic forms. This yields vastly simpler formulas related to work of Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer for such $L$-values, and extends beyond their framework to special non-CM elliptic curves.

  8. Actual versus Perceived Central Bank Transparency : The Case of the European Central Bank

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Cruijsen, C.A.B.; Eijffinger, S.C.W.

    2007-01-01

    Central banks have become more and more transparent about their monetary policy making process. In the central bank transparency lit- erature the distinction between actual and perceived central bank trans- parency is often lacking. However, as perceptions are crucial for the ac- tions of economic

  9. Decentralized vs. centralized economic coordination of resource allocation in grids

    OpenAIRE

    Eymann, Torsten; Reinicke, Michael; Ardáiz Villanueva, Óscar; Artigas Vidal, Pau; Díaz de Cerio Ripalda, Luis Manuel; Freitag, Fèlix; Meseguer Pallarès, Roc; Navarro Moldes, Leandro; Royo Vallés, María Dolores; Sanjeevan, Kanapathipillai

    2003-01-01

    Application layer networks are software architectures that allow the provisioning of services requiring a huge amount of resources by connecting large numbers of individual computers, like in Grid or Peer-to-Peer computing. Controlling the resource allocation in those networks is nearly impossible using a centralized arbitrator. The network simulation project CATNET will evaluate a decentralized mechanism for resource allocation, which is based on the economic paradigm of th...

  10. Optimization of a recompression supercritical carbon dioxide cycle for an innovative central receiver solar power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reyes-Belmonte, M.A.; Sebastián, A.; Romero, M.; González-Aguilar, J.

    2016-01-01

    Peculiar thermodynamic properties of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) when it is held at or above its critical condition (stated as supercritical CO 2 or sCO 2 ) have attracted the attention of many researchers. Its excellent thermophysical properties at medium-to-moderate temperature range have made it to be considered as the alternative working fluid for next power plant generation. Among those applications, future nuclear reactors, solar concentrated thermal energy or waste energy recovery have been shown as the most promising ones. In this paper, a recompression sCO 2 cycle for a solar central particles receiver application has been optimized, observing net cycle efficiency close to 50%. However, small changes on cycle parameters such as working temperatures, recuperators efficiencies or mass flow distribution between low and high temperature recuperators were found to drastically modify system overall efficiency. In order to mitigate these uncertainties, an optimization analysis based on recuperators effectiveness definition was performed observing that cycle efficiency could lie among 40%–50% for medium-to-moderate temperature range of the studied application (630 °C–680 °C). Due to the lack of maturity of current sCO 2 technologies and no power production scale demonstrators, cycle boundary conditions based on the solar application and a detailed literature review were chosen. - Highlights: • Mathematical modelling description for recompression sCO 2 cycle. • Split fraction and recuperators effectiveness effect into sCO 2 cycle performance. • Optimization methodology of sCO 2 cycle for an innovative solar central receiver. • Power generation using particles central receiver.

  11. Torque Control During Intrusion on Upper Central Incisor in Labial and Lingual bracket System - A 3D Finite Element Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pol, Tejas R; Vandekar, Meghna; Patil, Anuradha; Desai, Sanjana; Shetty, Vikram; Hazarika, Saptarshi

    2018-01-01

    The aim of present study was to investigate the difference of torque control during intrusive force on upper central incisors with normal, under and high torque in lingual and labial orthodontic systems through 3D finite element analysis. Six 3D models of an upper right central incisor with different torque were designed in Solid Works 2006. Software ANSYS Version 16.0 was used to evaluate intrusive force on upper central incisor model . An intrusive force of 0.15 N was applied to the bracket slot in different torque models and the displacements along a path of nodes in the upper central incisor was assessed. On application of Intrusive force on under torqued upper central incisor in Labial system produce labial crown movement but in Lingual system caused lingual movement in the apical and incisal parts. The same intrusive force in normal-torqued central incisor led to a palatal movement in apical and labial displacement of incisal edge in Lingual system and a palatal displacement in apical area and a labial movement in the incisal edge in Labial systemin. In overtorqued upper central incisor, the labial crown displacement in Labial system is more than Lingual system. In labial and lingual system on application of the same forces in upper central incisor with different inclinations showed different responses. The magnitudes of torque Loss during intrusive loads in incisors with normal, under and over-torque were higher in Labial system than Lingual orthodontic appliances. Key words: FEM, lingual orthodontics, intrusion, torque control, labial bracket systems.

  12. Web Application Development Utilizing Cloud Virtual Machine

    OpenAIRE

    Muukka, Olli

    2014-01-01

    The thesis goes through a development project where a web application was implemented to support the start-up company business operations. The main reason to implement a web application was the company needed a system where business data is centrally managed with cost-efficient, simple and easy tool. The deployed cloud service provided a platform for the web application. The alternative to the web application development was to deploy commercial customer relationship management tool, but the ...

  13. Borda application of selection planning scheduling method in dock engineering consultants in Central Sulawesi province Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siti Fatimah

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper to find out the planning scheduling method that used in dock engineering consultants as a project supervisor dock. This research use qualitative approach to find the most preferred method by engineering consultants, this research was explorative that test and find out the most preferred method. This research showed that dock engineering consultants in Palu City, Central Sulawesi most preferred curve-s method than method such as CPM, PERT, PDM, and Bar Chart. This research can help further research to determine differences and similarities the project planning scheduling method and being basic for The New Dock Engineering Consultans. This research looking for the most preferred method with limited respondents dock engineering consultans in Palu City, Central Sulawesi.

  14. Biogeografía histórica de la familia Curculionidae (Coleoptera en las subregiones Subantártica y Chilena Central Historical biogeography of family Curculionidae (Coleoptera on Subantarctic and Central Chilean subregions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paula Posadas

    2003-07-01

    Full Text Available El análisis de los patrones de distribución y la información filogenética de 71 especies de Curculionidae, distribuidas en las subregiones Subantártica y Chilena Central, aplicando los métodos biogeográficos de los árboles reconciliados y análisis de parsimonia de Brooks (BPA, resulta en un único cladograma general de áreas: ((Chile Central (Maule, Bosque Valdiviano (Islas Malvinas (Páramo Magallánico, Bosque Magallánico. La aplicación del análisis de dispersión-vicarianza (DIVA muestra que el evento vicariante más frecuente es el que separa las Islas Malvinas de las otras dos provincias subantárticas meridionales. Por otra parte, de acuerdo con los resultados del DIVA, se evidencia que las relaciones entre el Maule, Bosque Valdiviano y Chile Central no se deberían a eventos de vicarianza sino a eventos de dispersión, ya que el 61% del total de los eventos de dispersión implica a estas tres áreas. Aún más, los eventos de dispersión más frecuentes implican al Maule, ya sea en relación con Chile Central o con el Bosque Valdiviano, por lo que se deduce que la aparente complejidad de las relaciones biogeográficas del Maule podría estar relacionada con dichos eventos de dispersión.The application of the historical biogeographic techniques of reconciled trees and Brooks parsimony analysis (BPA to the distributional and phylogenetic information of 71 species of Curculionidae ranged in the Subantarctic and Central Chilean subregions results in a single general area cladogram: ((Central Chile (Maule, Valdivian Forest (Malvinas Islands (Magellanic Moorland, Magellanic Forest. The application of dispersal-vicariance analysis (DIVA to the same data set shows as the most frequent vicariant event the split of Islas Malvinas from the two southern Subantarctic provinces. In addition, DIVA results evidenced that the relationship among Maule, Valdivian Forest, and Central Chile did not arise from vicariance events (common history

  15. Healthy convenience: nudging students toward healthier choices in the lunchroom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanks, Andrew S; Just, David R; Smith, Laura E; Wansink, Brian

    2012-08-01

    In the context of food, convenience is generally associated with less healthy foods. Given the reality of present-biased preferences, if convenience was associated with healthier foods and less healthy foods were less convenient, people would likely consume healthier foods. This study examines the application of this principle in a school lunchroom where healthier foods were made more convenient relative to less healthy foods. One of two lunch lines in a cafeteria was arranged so as to display only healthier foods and flavored milk. Trained field researchers collected purchase and consumption data before and after the conversion. Mean comparisons were used to identify differences in selection and consumption of healthier foods, less healthy foods and chocolate milk. Sales of healthier foods increased by 18% and grams of less healthy foods consumed decreased by nearly 28%. Also, healthier foods' share of total consumption increased from 33 to 36%. Lastly, we find that students increased their consumption of flavored milk, but flavored milk's share of total consumption did not increase. In a school lunchroom, a convenience line that offered only healthier food options nudged students to consume fewer unhealthy foods. This result has key implications for encouraging healthy behavior in public schools nation wide, cafeterias and other food establishments.

  16. Multi-omics approach to elucidate the gut microbiota activity: Metaproteomics and metagenomics connection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guirro, Maria; Costa, Andrea; Gual-Grau, Andreu; Mayneris-Perxachs, Jordi; Torrell, Helena; Herrero, Pol; Canela, Núria; Arola, Lluís

    2018-02-10

    Over the last few years, the application of high-throughput meta-omics methods has provided great progress in improving the knowledge of the gut ecosystem and linking its biodiversity to host health conditions, offering complementary support to classical microbiology. Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in relevant diseases such as obesity or cardiovascular disease (CVD), and its regulation is closely influenced by several factors, such as dietary composition. In fact, polyphenol-rich diets are the most palatable treatment to prevent hypertension associated with CVD, although the polyphenol-microbiota interactions have not been completely elucidated. For this reason, the aim of this study was to evaluate microbiota effect in obese rats supplemented by hesperidin, after being fed with cafeteria or standard diet, using a multi meta-omics approaches combining strategy of metagenomics and metaproteomics analysis. We reported that cafeteria diet induces obesity, resulting in changes in the microbiota composition, which are related to functional alterations at proteome level. In addition, hesperidin supplementation alters microbiota diversity and also proteins involved in important metabolic pathways. Overall, going deeper into strategies to integrate omics sciences is necessary to understand the complex relationships between the host, gut microbiota, and diet. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Central chorioretinopathy associated with topical use of minoxidil 2% for treatment of baldness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scarinci, Fabio; Mezzana, Paolo; Pasquini, Paola; Colletti, Michelle; Cacciamani, Andrea

    2012-06-01

    Minoxidil is one of the drugs approved for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. This article presents a case of central serous chorioretinopathy after application of topical minoxidil solution. We examined a 37-year-old man who complained of a positive relative scotoma, metamorphopsia and impaired dark adaptation involving the right eye. The patient reported an 8 month history of daily topical use but denied previous treatment with other drugs. Dilated fundus examination of right eye revealed central swelling located over the macula. Optical coherence tomography showed the presence of subretinal fluid. Fluorescein angiography disclosed one focal hyperfluorescent spot in the foveal area with minimal pigmentary changes limitated to that area. The patient was diagnosed with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) potentially related to an 8 month topical minoxidil solution administration. One month after the drug was discontinued, normal findings were found upon reexamination. The patient reported no previous episode of CSC. Major systemic side effects from topical solution of minoxidil are rare. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a central serous chorioretinopathy associated with long-term use of this drug.

  18. Towards a closed-loop cochlear implant system: application of embedded monitoring of peripheral and central neural activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mc Laughlin, Myles; Lu, Thomas; Dimitrijevic, Andrew; Zeng, Fan-Gang

    2012-07-01

    Although the cochlear implant (CI) is widely considered the most successful neural prosthesis, it is essentially an open-loop system that requires extensive initial fitting and frequent tuning to maintain a high, but not necessarily optimal, level of performance. Two developments in neuroscience and neuroengineering now make it feasible to design a closed-loop CI. One development is the recording and interpretation of evoked potentials (EPs) from the peripheral to the central nervous system. The other is the embedded hardware and software of a modern CI that allows recording of EPs. We review EPs that are pertinent to behavioral functions from simple signal detection and loudness growth to speech discrimination and recognition. We also describe signal processing algorithms used for electric artifact reduction and cancellation, critical to the recording of electric EPs. We then present a conceptual design for a closed-loop CI that utilizes in an innovative way the embedded implant receiver and stimulators to record short latency compound action potentials ( ~1 ms), auditory brainstem responses (1-10 ms) and mid-to-late cortical potentials (20-300 ms). We compare EPs recorded using the CI to EPs obtained using standard scalp electrodes recording techniques. Future applications and capabilities are discussed in terms of the development of a new generation of closed-loop CIs and other neural prostheses.

  19. Suppression of grasshopper sound production by nitric oxide-releasing neurons of the central complex

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weinrich, Anja; Kunst, Michael; Wirmer, Andrea; Holstein, Gay R.

    2008-01-01

    The central complex of acridid grasshoppers integrates sensory information pertinent to reproduction-related acoustic communication. Activation of nitric oxide (NO)/cyclic GMP-signaling by injection of NO donors into the central complex of restrained Chorthippus biguttulus females suppresses muscarine-stimulated sound production. In contrast, sound production is released by aminoguanidine (AG)-mediated inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the central body, suggesting a basal release of NO that suppresses singing in this situation. Using anti-citrulline immunocytochemistry to detect recent NO production, subtypes of columnar neurons with somata located in the pars intercerebralis and tangential neurons with somata in the ventro-median protocerebrum were distinctly labeled. Their arborizations in the central body upper division overlap with expression patterns for NOS and with the site of injection where NO donors suppress sound production. Systemic application of AG increases the responsiveness of unrestrained females to male calling songs. Identical treatment with the NOS inhibitor that increased male song-stimulated sound production in females induced a marked reduction of citrulline accumulation in central complex columnar and tangential neurons. We conclude that behavioral situations that are unfavorable for sound production (like being restrained) activate NOS-expressing central body neurons to release NO and elevate the behavioral threshold for sound production in female grasshoppers. PMID:18574586

  20. A centralized information management system for environmental science and technology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Namboodiri, K. [Martin Marietta Technical Services, Inc., Bay City, MI (United States)

    1995-12-31

    During the past few decades there have been several serious initiatives focusing on the applications of computational technology towards understanding the diverse fields of environmental research such as environmental monitoring, pollution prevention, and hazardous chemical mitigation. Recently, due to the widespread application of high performance computer technology and the renewed interest of the industrial community in environmental protection, we are witnessing an era of environmental information explosion. In light of these large-scale computer-driven developments, the author identifies a highly desirable initiative for this field, which is solely devoted to a centralized environmental database and information management system. This talk will focus on some design aspects of such an information management system.

  1. Potential application of a centralized solar water-heating system for a high-rise residential building in Hong Kong

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chow, T.T.; Fong, K.F.; Chan, A.L.S.; Lin, Z.

    2006-01-01

    There is a growing, government-led trend of applying renewable energy in Hong Kong. One area of interest lies in the wider use of solar-energy systems. The worldwide fast development of building-integrated solar technology has prompted the design alternative of fixing the solar panels on the external facades of buildings. In Hong Kong, high-rise buildings are found everywhere in the urban districts. How to make full use of the vertical facades of these buildings to capture the most solar radiation can be an important area in the technology promotion. In this numerical study, the potential application of a centralized solar water-heating system in high-rise residence was evaluated. Arrays of solar thermal collectors, that occupied the top two-third of the south and west facades of a hypothetical high-rise residence, were proposed for supporting the domestic hot-water system. Based on typical meteorological data, it was found that the annual efficiency of the vertical solar collectors could reach 38.4% on average, giving a solar fraction of 53.4% and a payback period of 9.2 years. Since the solar collectors were able to reduce the heat transmission through the building envelope, the payback was in fact even shorter if the energy saving in air-conditioner operation was considered

  2. NO{sub x} controls for coal-fired utility boilers in East Central Europe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eskinazi, D. [Electric Power Research Inst., Washington, DC (United States); Tavoulareas, E.S. [Energy Technologies Enterprises Corp., McLean, VA (United States)

    1995-12-01

    Increasing environmental pressures worldwide, including East Central Europe are placing greater emphasis on NO{sub x} emission controls in utility power plants. Western Europe, Japan and the U.S. have significant experience in applying NO{sub x} controls, especially in boilers firing hard coal. Some countries in Europe (i.e., Germany and Austria), have gained experience in applying NO{sub x} controls in boilers firing low-rank coal. This experience can be applied to East Central European countries in providing the basis for planning NO{sub x} control projects, suggesting cost-effective solutions, and providing lessons learned. However, while the experience is generally applicable to East Central European countries, differences in boiler design, operation and coal characteristics also need to be considered. This paper begins with a comparison of the NO{sub x} regulations, identifies the key NO{sub x} control technologies and the worldwide experience with them, and discusses the achievable NO{sub x} reduction, O&M impacts, and retrofit costs for each technology. Emphasis is placed on retrofit applications for existing boilers, because new coal-fired power plants are not expected to be built for the next 5-10 years. This paper also focuses on technologies with relatively low cost and operational simplicity: combustion system tuning/optimization. low-NO{sub x} burners (LNB), overfire air (OFA), selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR), and reburning.

  3. SECURITY THREATS IN CENTRAL ASIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Çağla Gül Yesevi

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available This study will analyze main security threats in Central Asia. It is obvious thatsince the end of Cold War, there have been many security threats in Central Asiaas internal weakness of Central Asian states, terrorism, transnational crime,economic insecurity, environmental issues, drug trafficking, ethnic violence,regional instability. This study will propose thatwith increasing interdependence,states need each other to solve these global security problems. In that sense,regional and sub-regional cooperation between Central Asian states and with otherregional actors has been witnessed. It is clear that the withdrawal of NATO fromAfghanistan will destabilize Central Asia. This study will investigate overallsecurity situation in Central Asia and affects andcontributions of regionalorganizations to Eurasian security

  4. The Influence of Palatable Diets in Reward System Activation: A Mini Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isabel Cristina de Macedo

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The changes in eating patterns that have occurred in recent decades are an important cause of obesity. Food intake and energy expenditure are controlled by a complex neural system involving the hypothalamic centers and peripheral satiety system (gastrointestinal and pancreatic hormones. Highly palatable and caloric food disrupts appetite regulation; however, palatable foods induce pleasure and reward. The cafeteria diet is such a palatable diet and has been shown consistently to increase body weight and induce hyperplasia in animal obesity models. Moreover, palatable high-fat foods (such as those of the cafeteria diet can induce addiction-like deficits in brain reward function and are considered to be an important source of motivation that might drive overeating and contribute to the development of obesity. The mechanism of neural adaptation triggered by palatable foods is similar to those that have been reported for nondrug addictions and long-term drug use. Thus, this review attempts to describe the potential mechanisms that might lead to highly palatable diets, such as the cafeteria diet, triggering addiction, or compulsion through the reward system.

  5. A water availability intervention in New York City public schools: influence on youths' water and milk behaviors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elbel, Brian; Mijanovich, Tod; Abrams, Courtney; Cantor, Jonathan; Dunn, Lillian; Nonas, Cathy; Cappola, Kristin; Onufrak, Stephen; Park, Sohyun

    2015-02-01

    We determined the influence of "water jets" on observed water and milk taking and self-reported fluid consumption in New York City public schools. From 2010 to 2011, before and 3 months after water jet installation in 9 schools, we observed water and milk taking in cafeterias (mean 1000 students per school) and surveyed students in grades 5, 8, and 11 (n=2899) in the 9 schools that received water jets and 10 schools that did not. We performed an observation 1 year after implementation (2011-2012) with a subset of schools. We also interviewed cafeteria workers regarding the intervention. Three months after implementation we observed a 3-fold increase in water taking (increase of 21.63 events per 100 students; Pschools. At 1 year, relative to baseline, there was a similar increase in water taking and no decrease in milk taking. Cafeteria workers reported that the water jets were simple to clean and operate. An environmental intervention in New York City public schools increased water taking and was simple to implement.

  6. A Water Availability Intervention in New York City Public Schools: Influence on Youths’ Water and Milk Behaviors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mijanovich, Tod; Abrams, Courtney; Cantor, Jonathan; Dunn, Lillian; Nonas, Cathy; Cappola, Kristin; Onufrak, Stephen; Park, Sohyun

    2015-01-01

    Objectives. We determined the influence of “water jets” on observed water and milk taking and self-reported fluid consumption in New York City public schools. Methods. From 2010 to 2011, before and 3 months after water jet installation in 9 schools, we observed water and milk taking in cafeterias (mean 1000 students per school) and surveyed students in grades 5, 8, and 11 (n = 2899) in the 9 schools that received water jets and 10 schools that did not. We performed an observation 1 year after implementation (2011–2012) with a subset of schools. We also interviewed cafeteria workers regarding the intervention. Results. Three months after implementation we observed a 3-fold increase in water taking (increase of 21.63 events per 100 students; P schools. At 1 year, relative to baseline, there was a similar increase in water taking and no decrease in milk taking. Cafeteria workers reported that the water jets were simple to clean and operate. Conclusions. An environmental intervention in New York City public schools increased water taking and was simple to implement. PMID:25521867

  7. Demographic tensions in Central America.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1986-08-01

    This discussion of Central America focuses on the rapid growth of its population, its stagnating economy, and those countries that are socioeconomically advanced. Between 1950-85 the population of Central America tripled, from 9.1 million to 26. 4 million, due to marked mortality declines and the absence of off-setting fertility declines. The distribution of Central Americas's growing populations sets its population growth apart from that of other developing regions. Currently, almost half of all Central Americans live in cities. Although the average growth rate for Central American countries has fallen and is expected to drop further, the decline does not counterbalance the effect of the absolute rise in population numbers. The average annual growth rate of more than 3% annually in the 1960s fell to about 2.6% in recent years, but this decline is due primarily to socioeconomically advanced Costa Rica and Panama. Central America's age structure further complicates the population crisis. About 43% of Central Americans are under the age of 15. When the increasingly larger young population group enters it reproductive years, the potential for future growth (albeit the falling rate of population increase) is unparalleled. UN population projections show the region's population at 40 million by the year 2000. The 1973 oil crisis began a downward spiral for the buoyant post World War II Central American economy. Between 1950-79, real per capita income growth in Central America doubled, with Central American economies growing an average of 5.3% annually. By the early 1980s, overseas markets of the trade-dependent countries of Central America had dried up due to protectionism abroad and slumping basic commodity prices. These and other factors plunged Central America into its current economic malaise of falling real per capita income, rising unemployment, curtailed export led economic growth, and a rising cost of living. In general, economic growth in Central America

  8. Evaluating application of the National Healthcare Safety Network central line-associated bloodstream infection surveillance definition: a survey of pediatric intensive care and hematology/oncology units.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaur, Aditya H; Miller, Marlene R; Gao, Cuilan; Rosenberg, Carol; Morrell, Gloria C; Coffin, Susan E; Huskins, W Charles

    2013-07-01

    To evaluate the application of the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) definition in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) and pediatric hematology/oncology units (PHOUs) participating in a multicenter quality improvement collaborative to reduce CLABSIs; to identify sources of variability in the application of the definition. Online survey using 18 standardized case scenarios. Each described a positive blood culture in a patient and required a yes- or-no answer to the question "Is this a CLABSI?" NHSN staff responses were the reference standard. Sixty-five US PICUs and PHOUs. Staff who routinely adjudicate CLABSIs using NHSN definitions. Sixty responses were received from 58 (89%) of 65 institutions; 78% of respondents were infection preventionists, infection control officers, or infectious disease physicians. Responses matched those of NHSN staff for 78% of questions. The mean (SE) percentage of concurring answers did not differ for scenarios evaluating application of 1 of the 3 criteria ("known pathogen," 78% [1.7%]; "skin contaminant, >1 year of age," 76% [SE, 2.5%]; "skin contaminant, ≤1 year of age," 81% [3.8%]; [Formula: see text]). The mean percentage of concurring answers was lower for scenarios requiring respondents to determine whether a CLABSI was present or incubating on admission (64% [4.6%]; [Formula: see text]) or to distinguish between primary and secondary bacteremia (65% [2.5%]; [Formula: see text]). The accuracy of application of the CLABSI definition was suboptimal. Efforts to reduce variability in identifying CLABSIs that are present or incubating on admission and in distinguishing primary from secondary bloodstream infection are needed.

  9. Central subspace dimensionality reduction using covariance operators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Minyoung; Pavlovic, Vladimir

    2011-04-01

    We consider the task of dimensionality reduction informed by real-valued multivariate labels. The problem is often treated as Dimensionality Reduction for Regression (DRR), whose goal is to find a low-dimensional representation, the central subspace, of the input data that preserves the statistical correlation with the targets. A class of DRR methods exploits the notion of inverse regression (IR) to discover central subspaces. Whereas most existing IR techniques rely on explicit output space slicing, we propose a novel method called the Covariance Operator Inverse Regression (COIR) that generalizes IR to nonlinear input/output spaces without explicit target slicing. COIR's unique properties make DRR applicable to problem domains with high-dimensional output data corrupted by potentially significant amounts of noise. Unlike recent kernel dimensionality reduction methods that employ iterative nonconvex optimization, COIR yields a closed-form solution. We also establish the link between COIR, other DRR techniques, and popular supervised dimensionality reduction methods, including canonical correlation analysis and linear discriminant analysis. We then extend COIR to semi-supervised settings where many of the input points lack their labels. We demonstrate the benefits of COIR on several important regression problems in both fully supervised and semi-supervised settings.

  10. Optimized optical clearing method for imaging central nervous system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Tingting; Qi, Yisong; Gong, Hui; Luo, Qingming; Zhu, Dan

    2015-03-01

    The development of various optical clearing methods provides a great potential for imaging entire central nervous system by combining with multiple-labelling and microscopic imaging techniques. These methods had made certain clearing contributions with respective weaknesses, including tissue deformation, fluorescence quenching, execution complexity and antibody penetration limitation that makes immunostaining of tissue blocks difficult. The passive clarity technique (PACT) bypasses those problems and clears the samples with simple implementation, excellent transparency with fine fluorescence retention, but the passive tissue clearing method needs too long time. In this study, we not only accelerate the clearing speed of brain blocks but also preserve GFP fluorescence well by screening an optimal clearing temperature. The selection of proper temperature will make PACT more applicable, which evidently broaden the application range of this method.

  11. Approach of the value of an annuity when non-central moments of the capitalization factor are known: an R application with interest rates following normal and beta distributions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salvador Cruz Rambaud

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes an expression of the value of an annuity with payments of 1 unit each when the interest rate is random. In order to attain this objective, we proceed on the assumption that the non-central moments of the capitalization factor are known. Specifically, to calculate the value of these annuities, we propose two different expressions. First, we suppose that the random interest rate is normally distributed; then, we assume that it follows the beta distribution. A practical application of these two methodologies is also implemented using the R statistical software.

  12. DNA methylation-based classification of central nervous system tumours.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capper, David; Jones, David T W; Sill, Martin; Hovestadt, Volker; Schrimpf, Daniel; Sturm, Dominik; Koelsche, Christian; Sahm, Felix; Chavez, Lukas; Reuss, David E; Kratz, Annekathrin; Wefers, Annika K; Huang, Kristin; Pajtler, Kristian W; Schweizer, Leonille; Stichel, Damian; Olar, Adriana; Engel, Nils W; Lindenberg, Kerstin; Harter, Patrick N; Braczynski, Anne K; Plate, Karl H; Dohmen, Hildegard; Garvalov, Boyan K; Coras, Roland; Hölsken, Annett; Hewer, Ekkehard; Bewerunge-Hudler, Melanie; Schick, Matthias; Fischer, Roger; Beschorner, Rudi; Schittenhelm, Jens; Staszewski, Ori; Wani, Khalida; Varlet, Pascale; Pages, Melanie; Temming, Petra; Lohmann, Dietmar; Selt, Florian; Witt, Hendrik; Milde, Till; Witt, Olaf; Aronica, Eleonora; Giangaspero, Felice; Rushing, Elisabeth; Scheurlen, Wolfram; Geisenberger, Christoph; Rodriguez, Fausto J; Becker, Albert; Preusser, Matthias; Haberler, Christine; Bjerkvig, Rolf; Cryan, Jane; Farrell, Michael; Deckert, Martina; Hench, Jürgen; Frank, Stephan; Serrano, Jonathan; Kannan, Kasthuri; Tsirigos, Aristotelis; Brück, Wolfgang; Hofer, Silvia; Brehmer, Stefanie; Seiz-Rosenhagen, Marcel; Hänggi, Daniel; Hans, Volkmar; Rozsnoki, Stephanie; Hansford, Jordan R; Kohlhof, Patricia; Kristensen, Bjarne W; Lechner, Matt; Lopes, Beatriz; Mawrin, Christian; Ketter, Ralf; Kulozik, Andreas; Khatib, Ziad; Heppner, Frank; Koch, Arend; Jouvet, Anne; Keohane, Catherine; Mühleisen, Helmut; Mueller, Wolf; Pohl, Ute; Prinz, Marco; Benner, Axel; Zapatka, Marc; Gottardo, Nicholas G; Driever, Pablo Hernáiz; Kramm, Christof M; Müller, Hermann L; Rutkowski, Stefan; von Hoff, Katja; Frühwald, Michael C; Gnekow, Astrid; Fleischhack, Gudrun; Tippelt, Stephan; Calaminus, Gabriele; Monoranu, Camelia-Maria; Perry, Arie; Jones, Chris; Jacques, Thomas S; Radlwimmer, Bernhard; Gessi, Marco; Pietsch, Torsten; Schramm, Johannes; Schackert, Gabriele; Westphal, Manfred; Reifenberger, Guido; Wesseling, Pieter; Weller, Michael; Collins, Vincent Peter; Blümcke, Ingmar; Bendszus, Martin; Debus, Jürgen; Huang, Annie; Jabado, Nada; Northcott, Paul A; Paulus, Werner; Gajjar, Amar; Robinson, Giles W; Taylor, Michael D; Jaunmuktane, Zane; Ryzhova, Marina; Platten, Michael; Unterberg, Andreas; Wick, Wolfgang; Karajannis, Matthias A; Mittelbronn, Michel; Acker, Till; Hartmann, Christian; Aldape, Kenneth; Schüller, Ulrich; Buslei, Rolf; Lichter, Peter; Kool, Marcel; Herold-Mende, Christel; Ellison, David W; Hasselblatt, Martin; Snuderl, Matija; Brandner, Sebastian; Korshunov, Andrey; von Deimling, Andreas; Pfister, Stefan M

    2018-03-22

    Accurate pathological diagnosis is crucial for optimal management of patients with cancer. For the approximately 100 known tumour types of the central nervous system, standardization of the diagnostic process has been shown to be particularly challenging-with substantial inter-observer variability in the histopathological diagnosis of many tumour types. Here we present a comprehensive approach for the DNA methylation-based classification of central nervous system tumours across all entities and age groups, and demonstrate its application in a routine diagnostic setting. We show that the availability of this method may have a substantial impact on diagnostic precision compared to standard methods, resulting in a change of diagnosis in up to 12% of prospective cases. For broader accessibility, we have designed a free online classifier tool, the use of which does not require any additional onsite data processing. Our results provide a blueprint for the generation of machine-learning-based tumour classifiers across other cancer entities, with the potential to fundamentally transform tumour pathology.

  13. Centrality measures in temporal networks with time series analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Qiangjuan; Zhao, Chengli; Zhang, Xue; Wang, Xiaojie; Yi, Dongyun

    2017-05-01

    The study of identifying important nodes in networks has a wide application in different fields. However, the current researches are mostly based on static or aggregated networks. Recently, the increasing attention to networks with time-varying structure promotes the study of node centrality in temporal networks. In this paper, we define a supra-evolution matrix to depict the temporal network structure. With using of the time series analysis, the relationships between different time layers can be learned automatically. Based on the special form of the supra-evolution matrix, the eigenvector centrality calculating problem is turned into the calculation of eigenvectors of several low-dimensional matrices through iteration, which effectively reduces the computational complexity. Experiments are carried out on two real-world temporal networks, Enron email communication network and DBLP co-authorship network, the results of which show that our method is more efficient at discovering the important nodes than the common aggregating method.

  14. Effects of physical activity calorie expenditure (PACE) labeling: study design and baseline sample characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viera, Anthony J; Tuttle, Laura; Olsson, Emily; Gras-Najjar, Julie; Gizlice, Ziya; Hales, Derek; Linnan, Laura; Lin, Feng-Chang; Noar, Seth M; Ammerman, Alice

    2017-09-12

    Obesity and physical inactivity are responsible for more than 365,000 deaths per year and contribute substantially to rising healthcare costs in the US, making clear the need for effective public health interventions. Calorie labeling on menus has been implemented to guide consumer ordering behaviors, but effects on calories purchased has been minimal. In this project, we tested the effect of physical activity calorie expenditure (PACE) food labels on actual point-of-decision food purchasing behavior as well as physical activity. Using a two-group interrupted time series cohort study design in three worksite cafeterias, one cafeteria was assigned to the intervention condition, and the other two served as controls. Calories from food purchased in the cafeteria were assessed by photographs of meals (accompanied by notes made on-site) using a standardized calorie database and portion size-estimation protocol. Primary outcomes will be average calories purchased and minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) by individuals in the cohorts. We will compare pre-post changes in study outcomes between study groups using piecewise generalized linear mixed model regressions (segmented regressions) with a single change point in our interrupted time-series study. The results of this project will provide evidence of the effectiveness of worksite cafeteria menu labeling, which could potentially inform policy intervention approaches. Labels that convey information in a more readily understandable manner may be more effective at motivating behavior change. Strengths of this study include its cohort design and its robust data capture methods using food photographs and accelerometry.

  15. Europa central

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karel BARTOSEK

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available La investigación francesa continúa interesándose por Europa Central. Desde luego, hay límites a este interés en el ambiente general de mi nueva patria: en la ignorancia, producto del largo desinterés de Francia por este espacio después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, y en el comportamiento y la reflexión de la clase política y de los medios de comunicación (una anécdota para ilustrar este ambiente: durante la preparación de nuestro coloquio «Refugiados e inmigrantes de Europa Central en el movimiento antifascista y la Resistencia en Francia, 1933-1945», celebrado en París en octubre de 1986, el problema de la definición fue planteado concreta y «prácticamente». ¡Y hubo entonces un historiador eminente, para quién Alemania no formaría parte de Europa Central!.

  16. Application of a process-based shallow landslide hazard model over a broad area in Central Italy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gioia, Eleonora; Speranza, Gabriella; Ferretti, Maurizio; Godt, Jonathan W.; Baum, Rex L.; Marincioni, Fausto

    2015-01-01

    Process-based models are widely used for rainfall-induced shallow landslide forecasting. Previous studies have successfully applied the U.S. Geological Survey’s Transient Rainfall Infiltration and Grid-Based Regional Slope-Stability (TRIGRS) model (Baum et al. 2002) to compute infiltration-driven changes in the hillslopes’ factor of safety on small scales (i.e., tens of square kilometers). Soil data input for such models are difficult to obtain across larger regions. This work describes a novel methodology for the application of TRIGRS over broad areas with relatively uniform hydrogeological properties. The study area is a 550-km2 region in Central Italy covered by post-orogenic Quaternary sediments. Due to the lack of field data, we assigned mechanical and hydrological property values through a statistical analysis based on literature review of soils matching the local lithologies. We calibrated the model using rainfall data from 25 historical rainfall events that triggered landslides. We compared the variation of pressure head and factor of safety with the landslide occurrence to identify the best fitting input conditions. Using calibrated inputs and a soil depth model, we ran TRIGRS for the study area. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, comparing the model’s output with a shallow landslide inventory, shows that TRIGRS effectively simulated the instability conditions in the post-orogenic complex during historical rainfall scenarios. The implication of this work is that rainfall-induced landslides over large regions may be predicted by a deterministic model, even where data on geotechnical and hydraulic properties as well as temporal changes in topography or subsurface conditions are not available.

  17. Gas reactor international cooperative program. HTR-synfuel application assessment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1979-09-01

    This study assesses the technical, environmental and economic factors affecting the application of the High Temperature Gas-Cooled Thermal Reactor (HTR) to: synthetic fuel production; and displacement of fossil fuels in other industrial and chemical processes. Synthetic fuel application considered include coal gasification, direct coal liquefaction, oil shale processing, and the upgrading of syncrude to motor fuel. A wide range of other industrial heat applications was also considered, with emphasis on the use of the closed-loop thermochemical energy pipeline to supply heat to dispersed industrial users. In this application syngas (H/sub 2/ +CO/sub 2/) is produced at the central station HTR by steam reforming and the gas is piped to individual methanators where typically 1000/sup 0/F steam is generated at the industrial user sites. The products of methanation (CH/sub 4/ + H/sub 2/O) are piped back to the reformer at the central station HTR.

  18. Gas reactor international cooperative program. HTR-synfuel application assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1979-09-01

    This study assesses the technical, environmental and economic factors affecting the application of the High Temperature Gas-Cooled Thermal Reactor (HTR) to: synthetic fuel production; and displacement of fossil fuels in other industrial and chemical processes. Synthetic fuel application considered include coal gasification, direct coal liquefaction, oil shale processing, and the upgrading of syncrude to motor fuel. A wide range of other industrial heat applications was also considered, with emphasis on the use of the closed-loop thermochemical energy pipeline to supply heat to dispersed industrial users. In this application syngas (H 2 +CO 2 ) is produced at the central station HTR by steam reforming and the gas is piped to individual methanators where typically 1000 0 F steam is generated at the industrial user sites. The products of methanation (CH 4 + H 2 O) are piped back to the reformer at the central station HTR

  19. Farmers' indicators for soil erosion mapping and crop yield estimation in central highlands of Kenya

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Okoba, B.O.

    2005-01-01

    The central highlands of Kenya is characterised by abundant rainfall and fertile volcanic soils that support agricultural activities but problems of soil erosion are widespread in the region. Past efforts to control the soil erosion problems were through application of regulations that enforced

  20. Determinação de elementos minerais e traços por ativação neutrônica, em refeições servidas no restaurante da Faculdade de Saúde Pública/USP Determination of mineral and trace elements by neutron activation analysis, in meals served at the central cafeteria of Faculty of Public Health/USP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Déborah I.T. FÁVARO

    2000-08-01

    estes elementos nos dias estudados.The objective of this research was to check the nutritional adequacy of diets served to University students related to essential elements and also to monitor for some toxic elements. Within this framework, the aim was to determine the levels of these elements in meals served at the Cafeteria of the School of Public Health at USP used by students and workers along one week. The 5 meals served along the week at the Cafeteria were analyzed separately. Three trays per meal were used to collect the food according to a duplicate portion technique. The centesimal composition of the meals was determined according to the methods suggested by AOAC. Neutron Activation Analysis was used and the concentration of the following elements was determined: Ba, Br, Ca, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se and Zn. The calculated intake obtained in the present work was compared to the daily recommended values set by RDA, WHO and Reference Man. Regarding macronutrients, the protein and lipid levels were high in some cases. The fiber content of the meals was adequate. Concerning the mineral contents of Br, Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, Rb, Se and Zn, the intake was adequate, but for the elements K, Mo, Na, Cl and Cr, the intake was too high concerning to recommendations. For the elements Ba, Co, Cs and Sb the daily intakes were compared to the values set by Reference Man. There are no recommendations for Ce and Sc elements. A great variability was also observed in the concentrations of these elements during the period of this study.

  1. Inequalities with applications to engineering

    CERN Document Server

    Cloud, Michael J; Lebedev, Leonid P

    2014-01-01

    This book offers a concise introduction to mathematical inequalities for graduate students and researchers in the fields of engineering and applied mathematics. It begins by reviewing essential facts from algebra and calculus and proceeds with a presentation of the central inequalities of applied analysis, illustrating a wide variety of practical applications. The text provides a gentle introduction to abstract spaces, such as metric, normed, and inner product spaces. It also provides full coverage of the central inequalities of applied analysis, such as Young's inequality, the inequality of the means, Hölder's inequality, Minkowski's inequality, the Cauchy–Schwarz inequality, Chebyshev's inequality, Jensen's inequality, and the triangle inequality. The second edition features extended coverage of applications, including continuum mechanics and interval analysis. It also includes many additional examples and exercises with hints and full solutions that may appeal to upper-level undergraduate and graduate...

  2. Central Banking after the Crisis

    OpenAIRE

    Frederick S. Mishkin

    2013-01-01

    This paper explores where central banking is heading after the recent financial crisis. First it discusses the central bank consensus before the crisis and then outlines the key facts learned from the crisis that require changes in the way central banks conduct their business. Finally, it discusses four main areas in which central banks are altering their policy frameworks: 1) the interaction between monetary and financial stability policies, 2) nonconventional monetary policy, 3) risk manage...

  3. Central ignition scenarios for TFTR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zweben, S.J.; Redi, M.H.; Bateman, G.

    1986-03-01

    The possibility of obtaining ignition in TFTR by means of very centrally peaked density profiles is examined. It is shown that local central alpha heating can be made to exceed local central energy losses (''central ignition'') under global conditions for which Q greater than or equal to 1. Time dependent 1-D transport simulations show that the normal global ignition requirements are substantially relaxed for plasmas with peaked density profiles. 18 refs., 18 figs

  4. Bayesian inversion of surface-wave data for radial and azimuthal shear-wave anisotropy, with applications to central Mongolia and west-central Italy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ravenna, Matteo; Lebedev, Sergei

    2018-04-01

    Seismic anisotropy provides important information on the deformation history of the Earth's interior. Rayleigh and Love surface-waves are sensitive to and can be used to determine both radial and azimuthal shear-wave anisotropies at depth, but parameter trade-offs give rise to substantial model non-uniqueness. Here, we explore the trade-offs between isotropic and anisotropic structure parameters and present a suite of methods for the inversion of surface-wave, phase-velocity curves for radial and azimuthal anisotropies. One Markov chain Monte Carlo (McMC) implementation inverts Rayleigh and Love dispersion curves for a radially anisotropic shear velocity profile of the crust and upper mantle. Another McMC implementation inverts Rayleigh phase velocities and their azimuthal anisotropy for profiles of vertically polarized shear velocity and its depth-dependent azimuthal anisotropy. The azimuthal anisotropy inversion is fully non-linear, with the forward problem solved numerically at different azimuths for every model realization, which ensures that any linearization biases are avoided. The computations are performed in parallel, in order to reduce the computing time. The often challenging issue of data noise estimation is addressed by means of a Hierarchical Bayesian approach, with the variance of the noise treated as an unknown during the radial anisotropy inversion. In addition to the McMC inversions, we also present faster, non-linear gradient-search inversions for the same anisotropic structure. The results of the two approaches are mutually consistent; the advantage of the McMC inversions is that they provide a measure of uncertainty of the models. Applying the method to broad-band data from the Baikal-central Mongolia region, we determine radial anisotropy from the crust down to the transition-zone depths. Robust negative anisotropy (Vsh < Vsv) in the asthenosphere, at 100-300 km depths, presents strong new evidence for a vertical component of asthenospheric

  5. A centralized informatics infrastructure for the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Jeng-Jong; Nahm, Meredith; Wakim, Paul; Cushing, Carol; Poole, Lori; Tai, Betty; Pieper, Carl F.

    2009-01-01

    Background Clinical trial networks were created to provide a sustaining infrastructure for the conduct of multisite clinical trials. As such, they must withstand changes in membership. Centralization of infrastructure including knowledge management, portfolio management, information management, process automation, work policies, and procedures in clinical research networks facilitates consistency and ultimately research. Purpose In 2005, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network (CTN) transitioned from a distributed data management model to a centralized informatics infrastructure to support the network’s trial activities and administration. We describe the centralized informatics infrastructure and discuss our challenges to inform others considering such an endeavor. Methods During the migration of a clinical trial network from a decentralized to a centralized data center model, descriptive data were captured and are presented here to assess the impact of centralization. Results We present the framework for the informatics infrastructure and evaluative metrics. The network has decreased the time from last patient-last visit to database lock from an average of 7.6 months to 2.8 months. The average database error rate decreased from 0.8% to 0.2%, with a corresponding decrease in the interquartile range from 0.04%–1.0% before centralization to 0.01%–0.27% after centralization. Centralization has provided the CTN with integrated trial status reporting and the first standards-based public data share. A preliminary cost-benefit analysis showed a 50% reduction in data management cost per study participant over the life of a trial. Limitations A single clinical trial network comprising addiction researchers and community treatment programs was assessed. The findings may not be applicable to other research settings. Conclusions The identified informatics components provide the information and infrastructure needed for our clinical trial

  6. Colloquium on Central Asia; Colloque sur l'Asie centrale

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2005-07-01

    This colloquium on Azerbaijan was organized by the direction of international relations of the French Senate and the French center of foreign trade (CFCE). This document gathers the interventions of the participants and the debates with the audience following these interventions. The topics treated concern: - the present day political-economical situation of Central Asia countries (problem of borders, relations with Russia and China); - the economies of Central Asia countries: short term problems and medium-term perspectives; - the relations with the European Union (political, economical, trade and investments, perspectives); - the European energy stakes of Caspian sea (oil and gas reserves, development of hydrocarbon resources, exploitation and transport constraints, stakes for Europe and France); - TotalFinaElf company in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, enclavement problem); - the economical impacts of the TRACECA pathway (Transport Corridor Europe Caucasus Asia). (J.S.)

  7. Alpha current flow betweenness centrality

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Avrachenkov, K.; Litvak, Nelli; Medyanikov, V.; Sokol, M.

    2013-01-01

    A class of centrality measures called betweenness centralities reflects degree of participation of edges or nodes in communication between different parts of the network. The original shortest-path betweenness centrality is based on counting shortest paths which go through a node or an edge. One of

  8. Centralized radiation protection in the chemical industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kistner, A.C.

    2006-01-01

    At Novartis the so-called ''ZSS'' department (''Zentraler Strahlenschutz'') respectively (''central radiation protection'') administrates all in-house data concerning radiation. When the time for a contemporary and thus more flexible software solution had come, the heterogenous company had many demands to be met - for example reorganizational ability, multi-client capability, device-specific scalability as well as customizability and individual data entries concerning all employees exposed to ionized radiation. A customized software-solution was then developed and build by Sirius Technologies AG from Basel. The application is composed modularly and therefore adapts well to miscellaneous data sets of various working areas, devices, radiation sources, factories, partners, approvals, isotopes etc. The conception even contains future enhancement and supplementation. (orig.)

  9. Observations of central stars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lutz, J.H.

    1978-01-01

    Difficulties occurring in the observation of central stars of planetary nebulae are reviewed with emphasis on spectral classifications and population types, and temperature determination. Binary and peculiar central stars are discussed. (U.M.G.)

  10. [Central diabetes insipidus: diagnostic difficulties].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matoussi, N; Aissa, K; Fitouri, Z; Hajji, M; Makni, S; Bellagha, I; Ben Becher, S

    2008-06-01

    Central diabetes insipidus is rare in children. Characteristic features include polyuria and polydipsia due to arginine vasopressin deficiency. The differential diagnosis of polyuric states may be difficult. Etiologic diagnosis of central diabetes insipidus may be an equally difficult task. To specify the difficulties encountered in the diagnosis of central diabetes insipidus and to point out features of the etiologic work-up and of long-term follow-up of children with idiopathic central diabetes insipidus. A retrospective study of 12 children admitted with a polyuria/polydipsia syndrome to the pediatric - consultation and emergency unit of the children's hospital of Tunis between 1988 and 2005. Children with acquired nephrogenic central diabetes insipidus were excluded. Fourteen-hour fluid restriction test and/or desmopressin test were used without plasma vasopressin measurement. Eight patients were classified as having central diabetes insipidus, which was severe in seven children and partial in one girl. One patient was classified as having primary polydipsia. The diagnosis remains unclear in three patients. The etiological work-up in eight patients with central diabetes insipidus enabled the identification of Langerhan's-cell histiocytosis in two patients and neurosurgical trauma in one. The cause was considered idiopathic in five patients. The median follow-up of the five patients with idiopathic central diabetes insipidus was five years two months plus or minus six years seven months (range five months, 14.5 years). During this follow-up, neither brain magnetic resonance imaging scans findings nor anterior pituitary function have changed. Fluid restriction and desmopressin tests did not enable an accurate distinction between partial diabetes insipidus and primary polydipsia. Regular surveillance is warranted in patients with idiopathic central diabetes insipidus to identify potential etiologies.

  11. An attempt to understand glioma stem cell biology through centrality analysis of a protein interaction network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mallik, Mrinmay Kumar

    2018-02-07

    Biological networks can be analyzed using "Centrality Analysis" to identify the more influential nodes and interactions in the network. This study was undertaken to create and visualize a biological network comprising of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) amongst proteins which are preferentially over-expressed in glioma cancer stem cell component (GCSC) of glioblastomas as compared to the glioma non-stem cancer cell (GNSC) component and then to analyze this network through centrality analyses (CA) in order to identify the essential proteins in this network and their interactions. In addition, this study proposes a new centrality analysis method pertaining exclusively to transcription factors (TFs) and interactions amongst them. Moreover the relevant molecular functions, biological processes and biochemical pathways amongst these proteins were sought through enrichment analysis. A protein interaction network was created using a list of proteins which have been shown to be preferentially expressed or over-expressed in GCSCs isolated from glioblastomas as compared to the GNSCs. This list comprising of 38 proteins, created using manual literature mining, was submitted to the Reactome FIViz tool, a web based application integrated into Cytoscape, an open source software platform for visualizing and analyzing molecular interaction networks and biological pathways to produce the network. This network was subjected to centrality analyses utilizing ranked lists of six centrality measures using the FIViz application and (for the first time) a dedicated centrality analysis plug-in ; CytoNCA. The interactions exclusively amongst the transcription factors were nalyzed through a newly proposed centrality analysis method called "Gene Expression Associated Degree Centrality Analysis (GEADCA)". Enrichment analysis was performed using the "network function analysis" tool on Reactome. The CA was able to identify a small set of proteins with consistently high centrality ranks that

  12. 15 Years of R&D in Central Solar Heating in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heller, Alfred

    2000-01-01

    Danish R&D activities during the last two decades in the field of Central Solar Heating Plants and Thermal Energy Storage Technologies are presented. The most relevant central solar heating plants (CSHPs), with and without seasonal storage, are examined and essential experiences highlighted....... The Saltum and Ry plants represent the type of CSHPs with preheating the return stream of a district heating net and no storage involved. The Marstal plant represents an alternative approach, connecting the CSHP to the delivery pipe for summer operation. Here the plant involves short-term storage...... and the application of variable flow that lead to novelties in the control strategy. The plant is described and experiences are analysed. The presented cases show that the technology, under special conditions, can be economically competitive with other heating technologies. Under normal conditions, public funding...

  13. Gangs in Central America

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Ribando, Clare

    2005-01-01

    ... activities of Central American gangs. Citizens in several Central American countries have identified crime and gang violence among the top issues of popular concern, and Honduras and El Salvador have recently enacted tough anti-gang legislation...

  14. Influence of arm movement on central tip location of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Connolly, Bairbre; Amaral, Joao; Walsh, Sharon; Temple, Michael; Chait, Peter; Stephens, Derek

    2006-01-01

    PICCs are increasingly employed in children. Some of their risks relate to the location of the central tip. Despite care when placing lines, they sometimes move. To evaluate the influence of arm movement on the central tip location of PICCs placed in children. The central tip location of PICCs was studied in 85 children, with the arm placed in six positions. The variables of side, vein, site and arm position were examined to measure the direction and range of tip movement. The side, site or vein used did not influence the range of movement of the central tip. Change in position of the arm had a significant influence on the central tip location, moving it an average of 2.2 rib spaces, a maximum of 3.5 ribs. Elbow bending and adduction of the arm caused the central tip to move deeper into the chest, compared to when the arm was straight and abducted 90 . Arm position is the significant variable influencing PICC movement. Side, site and vein do not influence the range of movement significantly. Most PICCs descend deeper into the chest with arm adduction and elbow bending. (orig.)

  15. Central presbycusis: an emerging view.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gates, George A

    2012-07-01

    Age-related dysfunction of the central auditory system (central presbycusis) is common but rarely looked for by those who provide aural rehabilitation. Patients who complain of difficulty hearing in noise--the key symptom of central presbycusis--are generally disadvantaged with conventional rehabilitation. This symptom should be documented with commercially available speech-in-noise tests, which use materials that are uncomplicated to administer. Those patients who perform poorly on such tests should have a customized rehabilitation program aimed at optimizing their remaining communication abilities. Otolaryngologists who provide auditory rehabilitation may wish to consider expanding their practices to meet the communication needs of older patients with central presbycusis. Central presbycusis is an emerging area for basic and clinical research in auditory neurotology, particularly in the relation of cognitive dysfunction to impaired auditory processing.

  16. Modeling Social Influence via Combined Centralized and Distributed Planning Control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaccaro, James; Guest, Clark

    2010-01-01

    Real world events are driven by a mixture of both centralized and distributed control of individual agents based on their situational context and internal make up. For example, some people have partial allegiances to multiple, contradictory authorities, as well as to their own goals and principles. This can create a cognitive dissonance that can be exploited by an appropriately directed psychological influence operation (PSYOP). An Autonomous Dynamic Planning and Execution (ADP&E) approach is proposed for modeling both the unperturbed context as well as its reaction to various PSYOP interventions. As an illustrative example, the unrest surrounding the Iranian elections in the summer of 2009 is described in terms applicable to an ADP&E modeling approach. Aspects of the ADP&E modeling process are discussed to illustrate its application and advantages for this example.

  17. Central Diffraction in ALICE

    CERN Document Server

    Schicker, R

    2012-01-01

    The ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN consists of a central barrel, a muon spectrometer and of additional detectors for trigger and event classification purposes. The low transverse momentum threshold of the central barrel gives ALICE a unique opportunity to study the low mass sector of central production at the LHC. I will report on first analysis results of meson production in double gap events in minimum-bias proton-proton collisions at sqrt{s} = 7 TeV, and will describe a dedicated double gap trigger for future data taking.

  18. About opportunities of the sharing of city infrastructure centralized warmly - and water supply

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zamaleev, M. M.; Gubin, I. V.; Sharapov, V. I.

    2017-11-01

    It is shown that joint use of engineering infrastructure of centralized heat and water supply of consumers will be the cost-efficient decision for municipal services of the city. The new technology for regulated heating of drinking water in the condenser of steam turbines of combined heat and power plant is offered. Calculation of energy efficiency from application of new technology is executed.

  19. An Intervention to Increase Availability of Healthy Foods and Beverages in New York City Hospitals: The Healthy Hospital Food Initiative, 2010-2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moran, Alyssa; Krepp, Erica M; Johnson Curtis, Christine; Lederer, Ashley

    2016-06-09

    Hospitals serve millions of meals and snacks each year; however, hospital food is often unhealthy. Hospitals are ideal settings for modeling healthy eating, but few programs have sought to improve nutrition in all venues where food is served. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene created the Healthy Hospital Food Initiative (HHFI) to improve the healthfulness of food served in hospitals. The HHFI built on prior work implementing mandatory nutrition standards for patient meals and vending in public hospitals. Public hospitals joined the HHFI by voluntarily adopting standards for cafeterias and cafés. Private hospitals joined by implementing nutrition standards for patient meals, food and beverage vending machines, and cafeterias and cafés. Hospitals were recruited from 2010 through 2014 and provided technical assistance from health department staff. Implementation in each of the 4 areas was monitored through on-site assessments and menu review. Twenty-eight hospital cafeterias and cafés were evaluated at baseline and at the end of the HHFI to assess changes. Sixteen public hospitals and 24 private hospitals joined the HHFI. Most (n = 18) private hospitals implemented standards in at least 2 areas. In cafeterias, most hospitals introduced a healthy value meal (n = 19), removed unhealthy items from the entrance and checkout (n = 18), increased whole grains to at least half of all grains served (n = 17), and reduced calories in pastries and desserts (n = 15). Most New York City hospitals joined the HHFI and voluntarily adopted rigorous nutrition standards. Partnerships between hospitals and local government are feasible and can lead to significant improvements in hospital food environments.

  20. An Intervention to Increase Availability of Healthy Foods and Beverages in New York City Hospitals: The Healthy Hospital Food Initiative, 2010–2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krepp, Erica M.; Johnson Curtis, Christine; Lederer, Ashley

    2016-01-01

    Background Hospitals serve millions of meals and snacks each year; however, hospital food is often unhealthy. Hospitals are ideal settings for modeling healthy eating, but few programs have sought to improve nutrition in all venues where food is served. Community Context The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene created the Healthy Hospital Food Initiative (HHFI) to improve the healthfulness of food served in hospitals. The HHFI built on prior work implementing mandatory nutrition standards for patient meals and vending in public hospitals. Public hospitals joined the HHFI by voluntarily adopting standards for cafeterias and cafés. Private hospitals joined by implementing nutrition standards for patient meals, food and beverage vending machines, and cafeterias and cafés. Methods Hospitals were recruited from 2010 through 2014 and provided technical assistance from health department staff. Implementation in each of the 4 areas was monitored through on-site assessments and menu review. Twenty-eight hospital cafeterias and cafés were evaluated at baseline and at the end of the HHFI to assess changes. Outcome Sixteen public hospitals and 24 private hospitals joined the HHFI. Most (n = 18) private hospitals implemented standards in at least 2 areas. In cafeterias, most hospitals introduced a healthy value meal (n = 19), removed unhealthy items from the entrance and checkout (n = 18), increased whole grains to at least half of all grains served (n = 17), and reduced calories in pastries and desserts (n = 15). Interpretation Most New York City hospitals joined the HHFI and voluntarily adopted rigorous nutrition standards. Partnerships between hospitals and local government are feasible and can lead to significant improvements in hospital food environments. PMID:27281392

  1. 2013 Annual Wastewater Reuse Report for the Idaho National Laboratory Site’s Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mike Lewis

    2014-02-01

    This report describes conditions, as required by the state of Idaho Wastewater Reuse Permit (#LA-000141-03), for the wastewater land application site at the Idaho National Laboratory Site’s Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant from November 1, 2012, through October 31, 2013. The report contains, as applicable, the following information: • Site description • Facility and system description • Permit required monitoring data and loading rates • Status of compliance conditions and activities • Discussion of the facility’s environmental impacts. During the 2013 permit year, no wastewater was land-applied to the irrigation area of the Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant and therefore, no effluent flow volumes or samples were collected from wastewater sampling point WW-014102. However, soil samples were collected in October from soil monitoring unit SU-014101.

  2. X window terminals in TRIUMF's central control system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kadantsev, S.G.; Kadantseva, T.P.; Davison, B.; Diel, D.A.; Grant, P.A.; Klassen, E.; Lee, K.S.; Mouat, M.M.; Richards, J.E.; Yogendran, P.J.

    1994-08-01

    TRIUMF's Central Control System is being upgraded. In this process, an environment that suits the needs of cyclotron operational use and the Controls Group's development and maintenance duties has been sought. Over the years since TRIUMF's inception, workstations and a variety of dedicated input/output devices have been introduced into the main console of the Control Room and into the offices of the Controls Group personnel. A number of factors including the overhead of system management, price/performance, time to obsolescence, flexibility, and reliability have affected the suitability of workstations and the other I/O devices. In the new configuration, a generic display device plays a very important role in the Central Control System. X terminals have proven to be superior to workstations and other display devices and are now the display medium of choice in TRIUMF's Controls Group. This paper reviews the TRIUMF Controls Group's experiences with X terminals. A number of aspects of X terminal use in a particle accelerator environment are discussed. Topics include functionality, hardware configuration, software management, relative cost, performance, reliability, boot mechanisms, application suitability, and operator acceptance. (author). 8 refs., 3 figs

  3. Healthy hospital food initiatives in the United States: time to ban sugar sweetened beverages to reduce childhood obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wojcicki, Janet M

    2013-06-01

    While childhood obesity is a global problem, the extent and severity of the problem in United States, has resulted in a number of new initiatives, including recent hospital initiatives to limit the sale of sweetened beverages and other high calorie drinks in hospital vending machines and cafeterias. These proposed policy changes are not unique to United States, but are more comprehensive in the number of proposed hospitals that they will impact. Meanwhile, however, it is advised, that these initiatives should focus on banning sugar sweetened beverages, including sodas, 100% fruit juice and sports drinks, from hospital cafeterias and vending machines instead of limiting their presence, so as to ensure the success of these programs in reducing the prevalence of childhood obesity. If US hospitals comprehensively remove sugar sweetened beverages from their cafeterias and vending machines, these programs could subsequently become a model for efforts to address childhood obesity in other areas of the world. Hospitals should be a model for health care reform in their communities and removing sugar sweetened beverages is a necessary first step. ©2013 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  4. 75 FR 64303 - Vermont Marble Power, Division of Omya Inc.; Central Vermont Public Service Corporation; Notice...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-19

    ...-029; 2445-023; 2558-029] Vermont Marble Power, Division of Omya Inc.; Central Vermont Public Service... Soliciting Comments and Motions To Intervene October 12, 2010. On August 31, 2010, Vermont Marble Power... relicensing. Applicant Contacts: For transferor: Todd Allard, Operations Engineer Omya, Inc., Vermont Marble...

  5. Central control of body temperature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrison, Shaun F

    2016-01-01

    Central neural circuits orchestrate the behavioral and autonomic repertoire that maintains body temperature during environmental temperature challenges and alters body temperature during the inflammatory response and behavioral states and in response to declining energy homeostasis. This review summarizes the central nervous system circuit mechanisms controlling the principal thermoeffectors for body temperature regulation: cutaneous vasoconstriction regulating heat loss and shivering and brown adipose tissue for thermogenesis. The activation of these thermoeffectors is regulated by parallel but distinct efferent pathways within the central nervous system that share a common peripheral thermal sensory input. The model for the neural circuit mechanism underlying central thermoregulatory control provides a useful platform for further understanding of the functional organization of central thermoregulation, for elucidating the hypothalamic circuitry and neurotransmitters involved in body temperature regulation, and for the discovery of novel therapeutic approaches to modulating body temperature and energy homeostasis.

  6. A global central banker competency model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David W. Brits

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Orientation: No comprehensive, integrated competency model exists for central bankers. Due to the importance of central banks in the context of the ongoing global financial crisis, it was deemed necessary to design and validate such a model. Research purpose: To craft and validate a comprehensive, integrated global central banker competency model (GCBCM and to assess whether central banks using the GCBCM for training have a higher global influence. Motivation for the study: Limited consensus exists globally about what constitutes a ‘competent’ central banker. A quantitatively validated GCBCM would make a significant contribution to enhancing central banker effectiveness, and also provide a solid foundation for effective people management. Research approach, design and method: A blended quantitative and qualitative research approach was taken. Two sets of hypotheses were tested regarding the relationships between the GCBCM and the training offered, using the model on the one hand, and a central bank’s global influence on the other. Main findings: The GCBCM was generally accepted across all participating central banks globally, although some differences were found between central banks with higher and lower global influence. The actual training offered by central banks in terms of the model, however, is generally limited to technical-functional skills. The GCBCM is therefore at present predominantly aspirational. Significant differences were found regarding the training offered. Practical/managerial implications: By adopting the GCBCM, central banks would be able to develop organisation-specific competency models in order to enhance their organisational capabilities and play their increasingly important global role more effectively. Contribution: A generic conceptual framework for the crafting of a competency model with evaluation criteria was developed. A GCBCM was quantitatively validated.

  7. 40 CFR 437.20 - Applicability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... recovery of oil from both oily wastes received from off-site and other CWT wastewater associated with the treatment of, or recovery of oily wastes. (b) In order to ensure appropriate treatment rather than dilution... CENTRALIZED WASTE TREATMENT POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Oils Treatment and Recovery § 437.20 Applicability. (a...

  8. CENTRAL BANKING IN THE NEW ERA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bilal Bagis

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper analyzes the evolution of central banking, and in particular the American experience of central banking. It provides projections for the future of central banking in the new era of post 2008. The paper initially demonstrates recent improvements in the financial and banking sectors, regulations and different measures of monetary and financial rules both in the USA and the rest of the advanced economies. Then, it claims institutions, such as central banks, will gain new objectives and more significance in this new era and thus will be given new roles, over time and along with the improvements and deepening in the financial system. The paper argues centuries long central bank evolution is not complete yet and that more objectives should be expected to come forward. In that line, there is need for a shift in the conventional policy measures. New trends in central banking such as the helicopter money, popular nominal GDP targeting regime and the retro developmental central banking are all critically analyzed. The paper provides a breakdown of financial development and central banking activities in a historical context and provides a rationale and a new basis for possible future innovations.

  9. Actual versus perceived central bank transparency: the case of the European Central Bank

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Cruijsen, C.; Eijffinger, S.

    2008-01-01

    Central banks have become more and more transparent about their monetary policy making process. In the central bank transparency literature the distinction between actual and perceived transparency is often lacking. However, as perceptions are crucial for the actions of economic agents this

  10. Electronic Out-fall Inspection Application - 12007

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weymouth, A Kent III; Pham, Minh; Messick, Chuck [Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, Aiken, South Carolina 29808 (United States)

    2012-07-01

    In early 2009 an exciting opportunity was presented to the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) team at the Savannah River Site (SRS). The SRS maintenance group was directed to maintain all Out-falls on Site, increasing their workload from 75 to 183 out-falls with no additional resources. The existing out-fall inspection system consisted of inspections performed manually and documented via paper trail. The inspections were closed out upon completion of activities and placed in file cabinets with no central location for tracking/trending maintenance activities. A platform for meeting new improvements required for documentation by the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) out-fall permits was needed to replace this current system that had been in place since the 1980's. This was accomplished by building a geographically aware electronic application that improved reliability of site out-fall maintenance and ensured consistent standards were maintained for environmental excellence and worker efficiency. Inspections are now performed via tablet and uploaded to a central point. Work orders are completed and closed either in the field using tablets (mobile application) or in their offices (via web portal) using PCs. And finally completed work orders are now stored in a central database allowing trending of maintenance activities. (authors)

  11. Optimal Central Bank Transparency

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Cruijsen, C.A.B.; Eijffinger, S.C.W.; Hoogduin, L.H.

    2008-01-01

    Should central banks increase their degree of transparency any further? We show that there is likely to be an optimal intermediate degree of central bank transparency. Up to this optimum more transparency is desirable: it improves the quality of private sector inflation forecasts. But beyond the

  12. Optimal central bank transparency

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Cruijsen, C.A.B.; Eijffinger, S.C.W.; Hoogduin, L.

    2008-01-01

    Should central banks increase their degree of transparency any further? We show that there is likely to be an optimal intermediate degree of central bank transparency. Up to this optimum more transparency is desirable: it improves the quality of private sector inflation forecasts. But beyond the

  13. Optimal central bank transparency

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Cruijsen, C.A.B.; Eijffinger, S.C.W.; Hoogduin, L.H.

    2010-01-01

    Should central banks increase their degree of transparency any further? We show that there is likely to be an optimal intermediate degree of central bank transparency. Up to this optimum more transparency is desirable: it improves the quality of private sector inflation forecasts. But beyond the

  14. Development, features and application of DIET ASSESS & PLAN (DAP) software in supporting public health nutrition research in Central Eastern European Countries (CEEC).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gurinović, Mirjana; Milešević, Jelena; Kadvan, Agnes; Nikolić, Marina; Zeković, Milica; Djekić-Ivanković, Marija; Dupouy, Eleonora; Finglas, Paul; Glibetić, Maria

    2018-01-01

    In order to meet growing public health nutrition challenges in Central Eastern European Countries (CEEC) and Balkan countries, development of a Research Infrastructure (RI) and availability of an effective nutrition surveillance system are a prerequisite. The building block of this RI is an innovative tool called DIET ASSESS & PLAN (DAP), which is a platform for standardized and harmonized food consumption collection, comprehensive dietary intake assessment and nutrition planning. Its unique structure enables application of national food composition databases (FCDBs) from the European food composition exchange platform (28 national FCDBs) developed by EuroFIR (http://www.eurofir.org/) and in addition allows communication with other tools. DAP is used for daily menu and/or long-term diet planning in diverse public sector settings, foods design/reformulation, food labelling, nutrient intake assessment and calculation of the dietary diversity indicator, Minimum Dietary Diversity-Women (MDD-W). As a validated tool in different national and international projects, DAP represents an important RI in public health nutrition epidemiology in the CEEC region. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. El «Edificio Central» en las Palmas de Gran Canaria – España

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ruiz Duerto, A.

    1972-11-01

    Full Text Available A description is given of the program, characteristics, and building solutions for this unique building, situated in downtown Las Palmas. The building complex is composed of two underground levels for parking, a ground-floor and mezzanine for commercial purposes, and open plaza with swimming pool, dressing rooms, cafeteria, restaurant, dance spot, playground, and a block of 15 floors containing 137 apartments of varying size arranged so as to minimize sun overexposure and maximize privacy. The structure is of reinforced concrete and lightweight slabs, and enjoys quality fixtures which assure excellent functioning.Se describe el programa, características y solución constructiva de este edificio singular, situado en el centro cívico de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Se compone de: — dos plantas de sótano para estacionamiento de vehículos; planta baja comercial; — entreplanta comercial; — planta libre ajardinada con piscina, vestuarios-aseos, cafetería, restaurante, club de baile, juego de niños, guardería, etc.; — un bloque de 15 plantas con 137 apartamentos, de superficie variada, y dispuesto de forma que evite perjuicios de soleamiento y vistas a los edificios circundantes. Estructura de hormigón armado y losas aligeradas, con toda suerte de instalaciones que aseguren su perfecto funcionamiento.

  16. Optimal power flow application issues in the Pool paradigm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gross, G.; Bompard, E.

    2004-01-01

    This paper focuses on the application of the Optimal Power Flow (OPF) to competitive markets. Since the OPF is a central decision-making tool its application to the more decentralized decision-making in the competitive electricity markets requires considerable care. There are some intrinsic challenges associated with the effective OPF application in the competitive environment due to the inherent characteristics of the OPF formulation. Two such characteristics are the flatness of the optimum surface and the consequent continuum associated with the optimum. In addition to these OPF structural characteristics, the level of authority vested in the central decision-making entity has major ramifications. These factors have wide ranging economic impacts, whose implications are very pronounced due to the fact that, unlike in the old vertically integrated utility environment, various market players are affected differently. The effects include price volatility, financial health of various players and the integrity of the market itself. We apply appropriate metrics to evaluate market efficiency and how the various players fare. We study the impacts of OPF applications in the Pool paradigm, with both supply and demand side explicitly modeled, and provide extensive numerical results on systems based on IEEE 30-bus and 118-bus networks. The results show the variability of nodal prices and the skew possible in different 'optimal' allocations among competing suppliers. Such variability in the results may lead to serious disputes among the players and the central decision-making authority. Directions for future research are discussed. (author)

  17. Central Facilities Area Sewage Lagoon Evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Giesbrecht, Alan [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

    2015-03-01

    The Central Facilities Area (CFA) located in Butte County, Idaho at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has an existing wastewater system to collect and treat sanitary wastewater and non contact cooling water from the facility. The existing treatment facility consists of three cells: Cell 1 has a surface area of 1.7 acres, Cell 2 has a surface area of 10.3 acres, and Cell 3 has a surface area of 0.5 acres. If flows exceed the evaporative capacity of the cells, wastewater is discharged to a 73.5 acre land application site that utilizes a center pivot irrigation sprinkler system. The purpose of this current study is to update the analysis and conclusions of the December 2013 study. In this current study, the new seepage rate and influent flow rate data have been used to update the calculations, model, and analysis.

  18. Molecular bioinformatics: algorithms and applications

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Schulze-Kremer, S

    1996-01-01

    ... on molecular biology, especially D N A sequence analysis and protein structure prediction. These two issues are also central to this book. Other application areas covered here are: interpretation of spectroscopic data and discovery of structure-function relationships in D N A and proteins. Figure 1 depicts the interdependence of computer science,...

  19. Central venous pressure monitoring via peripherally or centrally inserted central catheters: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanfilippo, Filippo; Noto, Alberto; Martucci, Gennaro; Farbo, Marco; Burgio, Gaetano; Biasucci, Daniele G

    2017-07-14

    The central venous pressure (CVP) is the most commonly used static marker of preload for guiding fluid therapy in critically ill patients, though its usefulness remains controversial. Centrally inserted central catheters (CICCs) are the gold-standard devices for CVP monitoring but peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) may represent a valid alternative. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis with the aim to investigate whether the difference between PICC- and CICC-measured CVP is not significant. We searched for clinical studies published in PubMed and EMBASE databases from inception until December 21st 2016. We included studies providing data on paired and simultaneous CVP measurement from PICCs and CICCs. We conducted two analyses on the values of CVP, the first one according to the total number of CVP assessments, the second one considering the number of patients recruited. Four studies matched the inclusion criteria, but only three of them provided data for the meta-analyses. Both analyses showed non-significant differences between PICC-measured and CICC-measured CVP: 1489 paired simultaneous CVP assessments (MD 0.16, 95%CI -0.14, 0.45, p = 0.30) on a total of 57 patients (MD 0.22, 95%CI -1.46, 1.91, p = 0.80). Both analyses showed no heterogeneity (I2 = 0%). Available evidence supports that CVP monitoring with PICCs is accurate and reproduces similar values to those obtained from CICCs. The possibility to monitor CVP should not be used among clinical criteria for preferring a CICC over a PICC line.

  20. Controlling centrality in complex networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicosia, V.; Criado, R.; Romance, M.; Russo, G.; Latora, V.

    2012-01-01

    Spectral centrality measures allow to identify influential individuals in social groups, to rank Web pages by popularity, and even to determine the impact of scientific researches. The centrality score of a node within a network crucially depends on the entire pattern of connections, so that the usual approach is to compute node centralities once the network structure is assigned. We face here with the inverse problem, that is, we study how to modify the centrality scores of the nodes by acting on the structure of a given network. We show that there exist particular subsets of nodes, called controlling sets, which can assign any prescribed set of centrality values to all the nodes of a graph, by cooperatively tuning the weights of their out-going links. We found that many large networks from the real world have surprisingly small controlling sets, containing even less than 5 – 10% of the nodes. PMID:22355732

  1. TuBaFrost 5: multifunctional central database application for a European tumor bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isabelle, M; Teodorovic, I; Morente, M M; Jaminé, D; Passioukov, A; Lejeune, S; Therasse, P; Dinjens, W N M; Oosterhuis, J W; Lam, K H; Oomen, M H A; Spatz, A; Ratcliffe, C; Knox, K; Mager, R; Kerr, D; Pezzella, F; van de Vijver, M; van Boven, H; Alonso, S; Kerjaschki, D; Pammer, J; Lopez-Guerrero, J A; Llombart Bosch, A; Carbone, A; Gloghini, A; van Veen, E-B; van Damme, B; Riegman, P H J

    2006-12-01

    Developing a tissue bank database has become more than just logically arranging data in tables combined with a search engine. Current demand for high quality samples and data, and the ever-changing legal and ethical regulations mean that the application must reflect TuBaFrost rules and protocols for the collection, exchange and use of tissue. To ensure continuation and extension of the TuBaFrost European tissue bank, the custodianship of the samples, and hence the decision over whether to issue samples to requestors, remains with the local collecting centre. The database application described in this article has been developed to facilitate this open structure virtual tissue bank model serving a large group. It encompasses many key tasks, without the requirement for personnel, hence minimising operational costs. The Internet-accessible database application enables search, selection and request submission for requestors, whereas collectors can upload and edit their collection. Communication between requestor and involved collectors is started with automatically generated e-mails.

  2. Aligning Application Architecture to the Business Context

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wieringa, Roelf J.; Blanken, Henk; Fokkinga, M.M.; Grefen, P.W.P.J.; Eder, J.; Missikoff, M.

    Alignment of application architecture to business architecture is a central problem in the design, acquisition and implementation of information systems in current large-scale information-processing organizations. Current research in architecture alignment is either too strategic or too software

  3. Workflow and web application for annotating NCBI BioProject transcriptome data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vera Alvarez, Roberto; Medeiros Vidal, Newton; Garzón-Martínez, Gina A; Barrero, Luz S; Landsman, David; Mariño-Ramírez, Leonardo

    2017-01-01

    The volume of transcriptome data is growing exponentially due to rapid improvement of experimental technologies. In response, large central resources such as those of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) are continually adapting their computational infrastructure to accommodate this large influx of data. New and specialized databases, such as Transcriptome Shotgun Assembly Sequence Database (TSA) and Sequence Read Archive (SRA), have been created to aid the development and expansion of centralized repositories. Although the central resource databases are under continual development, they do not include automatic pipelines to increase annotation of newly deposited data. Therefore, third-party applications are required to achieve that aim. Here, we present an automatic workflow and web application for the annotation of transcriptome data. The workflow creates secondary data such as sequencing reads and BLAST alignments, which are available through the web application. They are based on freely available bioinformatics tools and scripts developed in-house. The interactive web application provides a search engine and several browser utilities. Graphical views of transcript alignments are available through SeqViewer, an embedded tool developed by NCBI for viewing biological sequence data. The web application is tightly integrated with other NCBI web applications and tools to extend the functionality of data processing and interconnectivity. We present a case study for the species Physalis peruviana with data generated from BioProject ID 67621. URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/physalis/. Published by Oxford University Press 2017. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

  4. A preliminary analysis of the reduction of chemotherapy waste in the treatment of cancer with centralization of drug preparation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hyeda, Adriano; Costa, Elide Sbardellotto Mariano da

    2015-08-01

    chemotherapy is essential to treat most types of cancer. Often, there is chemotherapy waste in the preparation of drugs prescribed to the patient. Leftover doses result in toxic waste production. the aim of the study was to analyze chemotherapy waste reduction at a centralized drug preparation unit. the study was cross-sectional, observational and descriptive, conducted between 2010 and 2012. The data were obtained from chemotherapy prescriptions made by oncologists linked to a health insurance plan in Curitiba, capital of the state of Paraná, in southern Brazil. Dose and the cost of chemotherapy waste were calculated in each application, considering the dose prescribed by the doctor and the drug dosages available for sale. The variables were then calculated considering a hypothetical centralized drug preparation unit. there were 176 patients with a cancer diagnosis, 106 of which underwent treatment with intravenous chemotherapy. There were 1,284 applications for intravenous anticancer medications. There was a total of 63,824mg in chemotherapy waste, the cost of which was BRL 448,397.00. The average cost of chemotherapy waste per patient was BRL 4,607.00. In the centralized model, there was 971.80mg of chemotherapy waste, costing BRL 13,991.64. The average cost of chemotherapy waste per patient was BRL 132.00. the use of centralized drug preparation units may be a strategy to reduce chemotherapy waste.

  5. Experimental verification of Advanced Collapsed-cone Engine for use with a multichannel vaginal cylinder applicator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cawston-Grant, Brie; Morrison, Hali; Menon, Geetha; Sloboda, Ron S

    2017-05-01

    Model-based dose calculation algorithms have recently been incorporated into brachytherapy treatment planning systems, and their introduction requires critical evaluation before clinical implementation. Here, we present an experimental evaluation of Oncentra ® Brachy Advanced Collapsed-cone Engine (ACE) for a multichannel vaginal cylinder (MCVC) applicator using radiochromic film. A uniform dose of 500 cGy was specified to the surface of the MCVC using the TG-43 dose formalism under two conditions: (a) with only the central channel loaded or (b) only the peripheral channels loaded. Film measurements were made at the applicator surface and compared to the doses calculated using TG-43, standard accuracy ACE (sACE), and high accuracy ACE (hACE). When the central channel of the applicator was used, the film measurements showed a dose increase of (11 ± 8)% (k = 2) above the two outer grooves on the applicator surface. This increase in dose was confirmed with the hACE calculations, but was not confirmed with the sACE calculations at the applicator surface. When the peripheral channels were used, a periodic azimuthal variation in measured dose was observed around the applicator. The sACE and hACE calculations confirmed this variation and agreed within 1% of each other at the applicator surface. Additionally for the film measurements with the central channel used, a baseline dose variation of (10 ± 4)% (k = 2) of the mean dose was observed azimuthally around the applicator surface, which can be explained by offset source positioning in the central channel. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  6. EIGENVECTOR-BASED CENTRALITY MEASURES FOR TEMPORAL NETWORKS*

    Science.gov (United States)

    TAYLOR, DANE; MYERS, SEAN A.; CLAUSET, AARON; PORTER, MASON A.; MUCHA, PETER J.

    2017-01-01

    Numerous centrality measures have been developed to quantify the importances of nodes in time-independent networks, and many of them can be expressed as the leading eigenvector of some matrix. With the increasing availability of network data that changes in time, it is important to extend such eigenvector-based centrality measures to time-dependent networks. In this paper, we introduce a principled generalization of network centrality measures that is valid for any eigenvector-based centrality. We consider a temporal network with N nodes as a sequence of T layers that describe the network during different time windows, and we couple centrality matrices for the layers into a supra-centrality matrix of size NT × NT whose dominant eigenvector gives the centrality of each node i at each time t. We refer to this eigenvector and its components as a joint centrality, as it reflects the importances of both the node i and the time layer t. We also introduce the concepts of marginal and conditional centralities, which facilitate the study of centrality trajectories over time. We find that the strength of coupling between layers is important for determining multiscale properties of centrality, such as localization phenomena and the time scale of centrality changes. In the strong-coupling regime, we derive expressions for time-averaged centralities, which are given by the zeroth-order terms of a singular perturbation expansion. We also study first-order terms to obtain first-order-mover scores, which concisely describe the magnitude of nodes’ centrality changes over time. As examples, we apply our method to three empirical temporal networks: the United States Ph.D. exchange in mathematics, costarring relationships among top-billed actors during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and citations of decisions from the United States Supreme Court. PMID:29046619

  7. Central gain control in tinnitus and hyperacusis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin D Auerbach

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Sensorineural hearing loss induced by noise or ototoxic drug exposure reduces the neural activity transmitted from the cochlea to the central auditory system. Despite a reduced cochlear output, neural activity from more central auditory structures is paradoxically enhanced at suprathreshold intensities. This compensatory increase in the central auditory activity in response to the loss of sensory input is referred to as central gain enhancement. Enhanced central gain is hypothesized to be a potential mechanism that gives rise to hyperacusis and tinnitus, two debilitating auditory perceptual disorders that afflict millions of individuals. This review will examine the evidence for gain enhancement in the central auditory system in response to cochlear damage. Further, it will address the potential cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this enhancement and discuss the contribution of central gain enhancement to tinnitus and hyperacusis. Current evidence suggests that multiple mechanisms with distinct temporal and spectral profiles are likely to contribute to central gain enhancement. Dissecting the contributions of these different mechanisms at different levels of the central auditory system is essential for elucidating the role of central gain enhancement in tinnitus and hyperacusis and, most importantly, the development of novel treatments for these disorders.

  8. Central Gain Control in Tinnitus and Hyperacusis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Auerbach, Benjamin D.; Rodrigues, Paulo V.; Salvi, Richard J.

    2014-01-01

    Sensorineural hearing loss induced by noise or ototoxic drug exposure reduces the neural activity transmitted from the cochlea to the central auditory system. Despite a reduced cochlear output, neural activity from more central auditory structures is paradoxically enhanced at suprathreshold intensities. This compensatory increase in the central auditory activity in response to the loss of sensory input is referred to as central gain enhancement. Enhanced central gain is hypothesized to be a potential mechanism that gives rise to hyperacusis and tinnitus, two debilitating auditory perceptual disorders that afflict millions of individuals. This review will examine the evidence for gain enhancement in the central auditory system in response to cochlear damage. Further, it will address the potential cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this enhancement and discuss the contribution of central gain enhancement to tinnitus and hyperacusis. Current evidence suggests that multiple mechanisms with distinct temporal and spectral profiles are likely to contribute to central gain enhancement. Dissecting the contributions of these different mechanisms at different levels of the central auditory system is essential for elucidating the role of central gain enhancement in tinnitus and hyperacusis and, most importantly, the development of novel treatments for these disorders. PMID:25386157

  9. Granuloma central de células gigantes Giant cells central granuloma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ayelén María Portelles Massó

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available El granuloma reparativo central de células gigantes es una lesión proliferativa no neoplásica de etiología desconocida. Se presenta un paciente masculino de 40 años de edad, portador de prótesis parcial superior. Fue remitido al Servicio de Cirugía Maxilofacial del Hospital "V. I. Lenin" por presentar aumento de volumen en reborde alveolar superior, de color rojo grisáceo y que provocaba expansión de corticales óseas. Una vez analizados los exámenes clínicos, radiográficos e histopatológicos se diagnosticó un granuloma reparativo central de células gigantes Se realizó exéresis quirúrgica de la lesión y extracción de dientes adyacentes con una evolución satisfactoria sin señales de recidivas luego de tres años del tratamiento. El granuloma reparativo central de células gigantes se presentó como respuesta a un trauma. La correcta interpretación de los datos clínicos, radiográficos e histopatológicos nos permitió llegar al correcto diagnóstico y plan de tratamiento.Giant-cell central reparative granuloma is non neoplastic proliferative lesion of unknown etiology. We report a 40 years old male patient who was admitted at the Maxillofacial Service of the "V. I. Lenin" Hospital. The patient had partial upper prosthesis and was complaining of red-grey volume increase lesion in upper alveolar ridge which led to the expansion of cortical bone. Having analyzed clinical, radiographic and histopathological findings the case was concluded as a giant-cell central reparative granuloma. Surgical exeresis and adjunct tooth extraction were done. After three years of treatment, satisfactory follow up without recurrence is reported.

  10. AAPT Diagnostic Criteria for Central Neuropathic Pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Widerstrom-Noga, Eva; Loeser, John D.; Jensen, Troels Staehelin

    2017-01-01

    Central neuropathic pain, which is pain caused by a lesion or disease of the central somatosensory nervous system, is a serious consequence of spinal cord injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions affecting the central nervous system. A collaborative effort between the Analgesic....... This article focuses on central neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury, stroke, and multiple sclerosis, but the AAPT framework can be extended to central pain due to other causes such as traumatic brain injury. The classification of central neuropathic pain is organized according to the AAPT...

  11. Idiopathic central diabetes Insipidus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grace, Mary; Balachandran, Venu; Menon, Sooraj

    2011-10-01

    Idiopathic central diabetes insipidus (CDI) is a rare disorder characterized clinically by polyuria and polydipsia, and an abnormal urinary concentration without any identified etiology. We report a case of central diabetes insipidus in a 60-year-old lady in the absence of secondary causes like trauma, infection, and infiltrative disorders of brain.

  12. Central Diabetes Insipidus, Central Hypothyroidism, Renal Tubular ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    readmitted to the hospital because of jaundice and failure to thrive, for which he was investigated and diagnosed to have central congenital hypothyroidism. Shortly thereafter, he was admitted to our institute with a history of vomiting, decreased oral intake, polyuria, and dehydration having lasted 5 days. He was investigated ...

  13. The design and synthesis of biologically active organophosphorus compounds--the role of a central research laboratory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Roger G

    2010-01-01

    The properties and benefits offered by incorporating phosphorus into molecules are varied and numerous as shown by the many divisional research programs within Ciba-Geigy in the early eighties. This paper describes how a Central Research Group developed new materials in organophosphorous chemistry and identified new leads for life science applications.

  14. Short exposure to a diet rich in both fat and sugar or sugar alone impairs place, but not object recognition memory in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beilharz, Jessica E; Maniam, Jayanthi; Morris, Margaret J

    2014-03-01

    High energy diets have been shown to impair cognition however, the rapidity of these effects, and the dietary component/s responsible are currently unclear. We conducted two experiments in rats to examine the effects of short-term exposure to a diet rich in sugar and fat or rich in sugar on object (perirhinal-dependent) and place (hippocampal-dependent) recognition memory, and the role of inflammatory mediators in these responses. In Experiment 1, rats fed a cafeteria style diet containing chow supplemented with lard, cakes, biscuits, and a 10% sucrose solution performed worse on the place, but not the object recognition task, than chow fed control rats when tested after 5, 11, and 20 days. In Experiment 2, rats fed the cafeteria style diet either with or without sucrose and rats fed chow supplemented with sucrose also performed worse on the place, but not the object recognition task when tested after 5, 11, and 20 days. Rats fed the cafeteria diets consumed five times more energy than control rats and exhibited increased plasma leptin, insulin and triglyceride concentrations; these were not affected in the sucrose only rats. Rats exposed to sucrose exhibited both increased hippocampal inflammation (TNF-α and IL-1β mRNA) and oxidative stress, as indicated by an upregulation of NRF1 mRNA compared to control rats. In contrast, these markers were not significantly elevated in rats that received the cafeteria diet without added sucrose. Hippocampal BDNF and neuritin mRNA were similar across all groups. These results show that relatively short exposures to diets rich in both fat and sugar or rich in sugar, impair hippocampal-dependent place recognition memory prior to the emergence of weight differences, and suggest a role for oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in this impairment. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Smart-card-based automatic meal record system intervention tool for analysis using data mining approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zenitani, Satoko; Nishiuchi, Hiromu; Kiuchi, Takahiro

    2010-04-01

    The Smart-card-based Automatic Meal Record system for company cafeterias (AutoMealRecord system) was recently developed and used to monitor employee eating habits. The system could be a unique nutrition assessment tool for automatically monitoring the meal purchases of all employees, although it only focuses on company cafeterias and has never been validated. Before starting an interventional study, we tested the reliability of the data collected by the system using the data mining approach. The AutoMealRecord data were examined to determine if it could predict current obesity. All data used in this study (n = 899) were collected by a major electric company based in Tokyo, which has been operating the AutoMealRecord system for several years. We analyzed dietary patterns by principal component analysis using data from the system and extracted 5 major dietary patterns: healthy, traditional Japanese, Chinese, Japanese noodles, and pasta. The ability to predict current body mass index (BMI) with dietary preference was assessed with multiple linear regression analyses, and in the current study, BMI was positively correlated with male gender, preference for "Japanese noodles," mean energy intake, protein content, and frequency of body measurement at a body measurement booth in the cafeteria. There was a negative correlation with age, dietary fiber, and lunchtime cafeteria use (R(2) = 0.22). This regression model predicted "would-be obese" participants (BMI >or= 23) with 68.8% accuracy by leave-one-out cross validation. This shows that there was sufficient predictability of BMI based on data from the AutoMealRecord System. We conclude that the AutoMealRecord system is valuable for further consideration as a health care intervention tool. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. [Purchase of local foods for school meals in Andalusia, the Canary Islands and the Principality of Asturias (Spain)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soares, Panmela; Caballero, Pablo; Davó-Blanes, Mari Carmen

    To explore and compare the characteristics of Primary Education Centres (PEC) in Andalusia, the Canary Islands and the Principality of Asturias depending on whether or not they make local food purchases (LFP) for school meals and to explore the opinion of cafeteria managers about the benefits and challenges of this type of purchase. Information on the characteristics of 186 PECs and opinions of cafeteria managers about the benefits/challenges of LFP was collected through an electronic questionnaire. Data were stratified according to how the products were purchased (LFP: yes/no), and the chi square test was applied. 38.2% of the PECs studied make LFP. This is more frequent in rural areas (51.0 with self-managed cafeterias (80.0%), and their own kitchen (65.5%). These centres have less expensive menus than their peers (69.8%), participate more frequently in healthy eating programmes (81.5%) and purchase more organic food products (65.8%). According to the majority of the participants whose centres engage in LFP, the benefits include: supporting the local economy (97.2%), the offer of fresh foods (97.2%) and environmental sustainability (93.0%). The challenges include: productive capacity of the region (50.7%), the seasonal variation in food production (71.8%), and the lack of support (42.3%) and information from the government (46.5%). The location of the centres, the management of the cafeteria and the availability of a kitchen on site can influence the development of LFP in schools. Government support could help to integrate LFP in schools, improving school meals at a lower economic and environmental cost. Copyright © 2017 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  17. Validity of energy intake estimated by digital photography plus recall in overweight and obese young adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ptomey, Lauren T; Willis, Erik A; Honas, Jeffery J; Mayo, Matthew S; Washburn, Richard A; Herrmann, Stephen D; Sullivan, Debra K; Donnelly, Joseph E

    2015-09-01

    Recent reports have questioned the adequacy of self-report measures of dietary intake as the basis for scientific conclusions regarding the associations of dietary intake and health, and reports have recommended the development and evaluation of better methods for the assessment of dietary intake in free-living individuals. We developed a procedure that used pre- and post-meal digital photographs in combination with dietary recalls (DP+R) to assess energy intake during ad libitum eating in a cafeteria setting. To compare mean daily energy intake of overweight and obese young adults assessed by a DP+R method with mean total daily energy expenditure assessed by doubly labeled water (TDEE(DLW)). Energy intake was assessed using the DP+R method in 91 overweight and obese young adults (age = 22.9±3.2 years, body mass index [BMI; calculated as kg/m(2)]=31.2±5.6, female=49%) over 7 days of ad libitum eating in a university cafeteria. Foods consumed outside the cafeteria (ie, snacks, non-cafeteria meals) were assessed using multiple-pass recall procedures, using food models and standardized, neutral probing questions. TDEE(DLW) was assessed in all participants over the 14-day period. The mean energy intakes estimated by DP+R and TDEE(DLW) were not significantly different (DP+R=2912±661 kcal/d; TDEE(DLW)=2849±748 kcal/d, P=0.42). The DP+R method overestimated TDEE(DLW) by 63±750 kcal/d (6.8±28%). Results suggest that the DP+R method provides estimates of energy intake comparable to those obtained by TDEE(DLW). Copyright © 2015 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. [Application of central lymph node dissection to surgical operation for clinical stage n0 papillary thyroid carcinoma].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Wei; Shi, Jun-Yi; Sheng, Yuan; Ll, Li

    2008-03-01

    The treatment for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) without cervical lymph node metastasis (cN0) is controversial. This study was to explore a suitable method to dissect cervical lymph nodes for stage cN0 PTC patients. Eighty-four stage cN0 PTC patients, diagnosed by B ultrasound or cervical MRI from 2005--2006, were randomly divided into two groups. Thyroidectomy and ipsilateral central lymph node dissection were performed in Group A, while only thyroidectomy was performed in Group B. Each group contained 42 patients. Both groups took thyroxin tablets after operation. An average of 3 lymph nodes were found in each case of Group A, and the lymph node metastasis rate was 47.62%. The occurrence rates of complications were not significantly different between the two groups (P<0.05). Thyroidectomy plus ipsilateral central lymph node dissection is recommended for the treatment of stage cN0 PTC. It can also avoid damage of recurrent laryngeal nerve in re-dissection.

  19. Application-Defined Decentralized Access Control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yuanzhong; Dunn, Alan M.; Hofmann, Owen S.; Lee, Michael Z.; Mehdi, Syed Akbar; Witchel, Emmett

    2014-01-01

    DCAC is a practical OS-level access control system that supports application-defined principals. It allows normal users to perform administrative operations within their privilege, enabling isolation and privilege separation for applications. It does not require centralized policy specification or management, giving applications freedom to manage their principals while the policies are still enforced by the OS. DCAC uses hierarchically-named attributes as a generic framework for user-defined policies such as groups defined by normal users. For both local and networked file systems, its execution time overhead is between 0%–9% on file system microbenchmarks, and under 1% on applications. This paper shows the design and implementation of DCAC, as well as several real-world use cases, including sandboxing applications, enforcing server applications’ security policies, supporting NFS, and authenticating user-defined sub-principals in SSH, all with minimal code changes. PMID:25426493

  20. Central bank independence and inflation revisited

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klomp, Jeroen; de Haan, Jakob

    We re-examine the relationship between central bank independence (CBI), proxied by the central bank governor's turnover rate and an indicator based on central bank laws in place, and inflation using a random coefficient model with the Hildreth-Houck estimator for more than 100 countries in the

  1. Central bank independence and inflation revisited

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klomp, J.G.; Haan, de J.

    2010-01-01

    We re-examine the relationship between central bank independence (CBI), proxied by the central bank governor's turnover rate and an indicator based on central bank laws in place, and inflation using a random coefficient model with the Hildreth-Houck estimator for more than 100 countries in the

  2. Contrasted continental rifting via plume-craton interaction: Applications to Central East African Rift

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Koptev

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The East African Rift system (EARS provides a unique system with the juxtaposition of two contrasting yet simultaneously formed rift branches, the eastern, magma-rich, and the western, magma-poor, on either sides of the old thick Tanzanian craton embedded in a younger lithosphere. Data on the pre-rift, syn-rift and post-rift far-field volcanic and tectonic activity show that the EARS formed in the context of the interaction between a deep mantle plume and a horizontally and vertically heterogeneous lithosphere under far-field tectonic extension. We bring quantitative insights into this evolution by implementing high-resolution 3D thermo-mechanical numerical deformation models of a lithosphere of realistic rheology. The models focus on the central part of the EARS. We explore scenarios of plume-lithosphere interaction with plumes of various size and initial position rising beneath a tectonically pre-stretched lithosphere. We test the impact of the inherited rheological discontinuities (suture zones along the craton borders, of the rheological structure, of lithosphere plate thickness variations, and of physical and mechanical contrasts between the craton and the embedding lithosphere. Our experiments indicate that the ascending plume material is deflected by the cratonic keel and preferentially channeled along one of its sides, leading to the formation of a large rift zone along the eastern side of the craton, with significant magmatic activity and substantial melt amount derived from the mantle plume material. We show that the observed asymmetry of the central EARS, with coeval amagmatic (western and magmatic (eastern branches, can be explained by the splitting of warm material rising from a broad plume head whose initial position is slightly shifted to the eastern side of the craton. In that case, neither a mechanical weakness of the contact between the craton and the embedding lithosphere nor the presence of second plume are required to

  3. The UNIX/XENIX Advantage: Applications in Libraries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordon, Kelly L.

    1988-01-01

    Discusses the application of the UNIX/XENIX operating system to support administrative office automation functions--word processing, spreadsheets, database management systems, electronic mail, and communications--at the Central Michigan University Libraries. Advantages and disadvantages of the XENIX operating system and system configuration are…

  4. Estimating regional pore pressure distribution using 3D seismic velocities in the Dutch Central North Sea Graben

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Winthaegen, P.L.A.; Verweij, J.M.

    2003-01-01

    The application of the empirical Eaton method to calibrated sonic well information and 3D seismic interval velocity data in the southeastern part of the Central North Sea Graben, using the Japsen (Glob. Planet. Change 24 (2000) 189) normal velocitydepth trend, resulted in the identification of an

  5. Performance contracting in central government in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristiansen, Mads Bøge

    2015-01-01

    ) are observed across central government agencies, when the content of the performance contracts is compared. This makes it interesting to examine how variation in the content of the performance contracts across agencies can be explained? Based on a broad theoretical framework in which variation......This paper looks into performance contracting in Danish central government. Management by Objectives and Results (MBOR) was adopted in central government in Denmark during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1991, performance contracts between parent ministries and their agencies were introduced...... in Danish central government. Since their introduction, performance contracts have become central elements in the steering and management of agencies in central government in Denmark, and today they are nearly universally adopted in central government. In Denmark, the Ministry of Finance is responsible...

  6. Lights, Camera, Action ... and Cooling - The case for centralized low carbon energy at Fox Studios

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Robinson, Alastair [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Regnier, Cindy [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2013-10-01

    Fox Studios partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop and implement solutions to retrofit two production stages and one of its central cooling plants, to reduce energy consumption by at least 30% as part of DOE’s Commercial Building Partnerships (CBP) Program. Although this case study reports expected savings arising from proposed design recommendations for a unique building type and the unusual load characteristics associated with its use, the EEMs implemented for the central plant are applicable to any large campus, office and higher education facility. The intent is that by making the energy-efficiency measures (EEMs) set that were assessed as cost-effective from this project applicable to a larger number of buildings on the campus Fox Studios will be able to implement an integrated campus-wide energy strategy for the long term. The significant challenges for this project in the design phase included identifying how to assess and analyze multiple system types, develop a coherent strategy for assessment and analysis, implement the measurement and verification activities to collect the appropriate data (in terms of capturing ‘normal’ operating characteristics and granularity) and determine the best approach to providing cooling to the site buildings based on the nature of existing systems and the expected improvement in energy performance of the central cooling plant. The analytical framework adopted provides a blueprint for similar projects at other large commercial building campuses.

  7. What it took to get an NRC license for centralized incineration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    DiSalvo, R.; Zielenbach, W.

    1987-01-01

    In 1982, Battelle joined five other commercial generators of low level radioactive waste in conducting a study of the technical and economic feasibility and the licensability of a central facility for incinerating LLW. The project generated a license application to the USNRC and supporting documentation related to the safety and environmental impacts of the facility. After thorough review, the NRC has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact and the associated license authorization, which is the first of its kind for an incineration facility

  8. Central Bank independence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vasile DEDU

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we present the key aspects regarding central bank’s independence. Most economists consider that the factor which positively influences the efficiency of monetary policy measures is the high independence of the central bank. We determined that the National Bank of Romania (NBR has a high degree of independence. NBR has both goal and instrument independence. We also consider that the hike of NBR’s independence played an important role in the significant disinflation process, as headline inflation dropped inside the targeted band of 3% ± 1 percentage point recently.

  9. Central Venous Access

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ganeshan, Arul; Warakaulle, Dinuke R.; Uberoi, Raman

    2007-01-01

    Central venous access plays an important role in the management of an ever-increasing population of patients ranging from those that are critically ill to patients with difficult clinical access. Interventional radiologists are key in delivering this service and should be familiar with the wide range of techniques and catheters now available to them. A comprehensive description of these catheters with regard to indications, technical aspects of catheterization, success rates, and associated early and late complications, as well as a review of various published guidelines on central venous catheter insertion are given in this article

  10. Risk Premium and Central Bank Intervention

    OpenAIRE

    Pinar Ozlu

    2006-01-01

    This study examines the relation between the risk premium and central bank intervention. Forward rates are calculated for the Turkish Lira-USD exchange market and then the effect of central bank intervention on the risk premium is estimated. Using high quality daily intervention data from the Central Bank of Turkey as well as implied forward rates, an MA (21)-GARCH (1,1) model is estimated. Both purchases and sales of US dollars by the Central Bank of Turkey appear to have no effect on the si...

  11. Central configurations, periodic orbits, and Hamiltonian systems

    CERN Document Server

    Llibre, Jaume; Simó, Carles

    2015-01-01

    The notes of this book originate from three series of lectures given at the Centre de Recerca Matemàtica (CRM) in Barcelona. The first one is dedicated to the study of periodic solutions of autonomous differential systems in Rn via the Averaging Theory and was delivered by Jaume Llibre. The second one, given by Richard Moeckel, focusses on methods for studying Central Configurations. The last one, by Carles Simó, describes the main mechanisms leading to a fairly global description of the dynamics in conservative systems. The book is directed towards graduate students and researchers interested in dynamical systems, in particular in the conservative case, and aims at facilitating the understanding of dynamics of specific models. The results presented and the tools introduced in this book include a large range of applications.

  12. Big Data and central banks

    OpenAIRE

    David Bholat

    2015-01-01

    This commentary recaps a Centre for Central Banking Studies event held at the Bank of England on 2–3 July 2014. The article covers three main points. First, it situates the Centre for Central Banking Studies event within the context of the Bank’s Strategic Plan and initiatives. Second, it summarises and reflects on major themes from the event. Third, the article links central banks’ emerging interest in Big Data approaches with their broader uptake by other economic agents.

  13. Big Data and central banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Bholat

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available This commentary recaps a Centre for Central Banking Studies event held at the Bank of England on 2–3 July 2014. The article covers three main points. First, it situates the Centre for Central Banking Studies event within the context of the Bank’s Strategic Plan and initiatives. Second, it summarises and reflects on major themes from the event. Third, the article links central banks’ emerging interest in Big Data approaches with their broader uptake by other economic agents.

  14. Design of central control system for large helical device (LHD)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamazaki, K.; Kaneko, H.; Yamaguchi, S.; Watanabe, K.Y.; Taniguchi, Y.; Motojima, O.

    1993-11-01

    The world largest superconducting fusion machine LHD (Large Helical Device) is under construction in Japan, aiming at steady state operations. Its basic control system consists of UNIX computers, FDDI/Ethernet LANs, VME multiprocessors and VxWorks real-time OS. For flexible and reliable operations of the LHD machine a cooperative distributed system with more than 30 experimental equipments is controlled by the central computer and the main timing system, and is supervised by the main protective interlock system. Intelligent control systems, such as applications of fuzzy logic and neural networks, are planed to be adopted for flexible feedback controls of plasma configurations besides the classical PID control scheme. Design studies of its control system and related R and D programs with coil-plasma simulation systems are now being performed. The construction of the LHD Control Building in a new site will begin in 1995 after finishing the construction of the LHD Experimental Building, and the hardware construction of the LHD central control equipments will be started in 1996. A first plasma production by means of this control system is expected in 1997. (author)

  15. Experience with a modular application system with central data base for scientific-technical calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruehle, R.; Wohland, H.; Reyer, G.

    1976-01-01

    The basic principles of the application system RSYST are presented. This programme system is developed and used in the Institut fuer Kernenergetik (IKE). Data base, structure, and connection of data, and the application language are described. The process of problem formulation typical for RSYST is discussed. Just now the system is being extended to dialogue and remote data processing. (orig.) [de

  16. Curved planar reformation images for identification of the central sulcus of affected hemispheres. Comparison with functional magnetic resonance imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishimoto, Hideaki; Inoue, Takashi

    2006-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to evaluate the curved planar reformation (CPR) for identification of the central sulcus on affected hemispheres. Thirty four patients with an intracranial lesion adjacent to the central sulcus underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). fMRI was performed with a 3.0 Tesla scanner during repetitive opening and closing of each hand. The central sulcus was defined as the nearest sulcus to the highest activation spots. Three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging date sets were processed using the CPR method to create brain surface reformatted images. We evaluated five anatomical features widely used for clinical identification of the central sulcus: 1, termination of the superior frontal sulcus in the precentral sulcus; 2, the intraparietal sulcus joining the postcentral sulcus; 3, the precentral gyros thicker than the postcentral gyrus; 4, inverted omega-shape of the precentral gyrus; and 5, the central sulcus as an isolated sulcus. fMRI and CPR coincided in defining the central sulcus in 34 hemispheres of patients. Applicability of each of the five signs was 61.8, 73.5, 58.8, 50.0 and 67.6%, respectively. The present study indicates that the CPR method successfully defined the central sulcus in most patients with brain tumors. For identification of the central sulcus, the CPR method will be recommended. (author)

  17. An information and communication technology-based centralized clinical trial to determine the efficacy and safety of insulin dose adjustment education based on a smartphone personal health record application: a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Gyuri; Bae, Ji Cheol; Yi, Byoung Kee; Hur, Kyu Yeon; Chang, Dong Kyung; Lee, Moon-Kyu; Kim, Jae Hyeon; Jin, Sang-Man

    2017-07-18

    A Personal Health Record (PHR) is an online application that allows patients to access, manage, and share their health data. PHRs not only enhance shared decision making with healthcare providers, but also enable remote monitoring and at-home-collection of detailed data. The benefits of PHRs can be maximized in insulin dose adjustment for patients starting or intensifying insulin regimens, as frequent self-monitoring of glucose, self-adjustment of insulin dose, and precise at-home data collection during the visit-to-visit period are important for glycemic control. The aim of this study is to examine the efficacy and safety of insulin dose adjustment based on a smartphone PHR application in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and to confirm the validity and stability of an information and communication technology (ICT)-based centralized clinical trial monitoring system. This is a 24-week, open-label, randomized, multi-center trial. There are three follow-up measures: baseline, post-intervention at week 12, and at week 24. Subjects diagnosed with type 1 DM, type 2 DM, and/or post-transplant DM who initiate basal insulin or intensify their insulin regimen to a basal-bolus regimen are included. After education on insulin dose titration and prevention for hypoglycemia and a 1-week acclimation period, subjects are randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either an ICT-based intervention group or a conventional intervention group. Subjects in the conventional intervention group will save and send their health information to the server via a PHR application, whereas those in ICT-based intervention group will receive additional algorithm-based feedback messages. The health information includes level of blood glucose, insulin dose, details on hypoglycemia, food diary, and step count. The primary outcome will be the proportion of patients who reach an optimal insulin dose within 12 weeks of study enrollment, without severe hypoglycemia or unscheduled clinic visits. This clinical trial

  18. Central collisions of heavy ion physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fung, S.Y.

    1985-09-01

    The research program concentrates on correlation studies in central collisions. The investigation includes: multi-pion production, total event structure, application of the Vlasov-Uehling-Uhlenbeck model (VUU) to the data and energy dependence of thermalization and nuclear stopping power. The initial analysis on the Uranium-Uranium exposure at 960 MeV/nucleon is completed. In place of the conventional sphericity analysis, global transverse momentum as a function of rapidity and azimuthal angle is a more appropriate parameter for these data in the total event analysis. This transverse momentum analysis is extended to other projectile/target systems with initial results for Ar on KCl, BaI 2 , Pb, and U on U. In the area of pion production, results for Kr on RbBr at the Darmstadt Heavy Ion Study are reported. Early findings that the source size is related to the emitted pion momentum is confirmed. 17 refs

  19. Central Bank Independence, Centralization of Wage Bargaining, Inflation and Unemployment - Theory and Some Evidence

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cukierman, A.; Lippi, F.

    1998-01-01

    This paper proposes a conceptual framework to investigate the effects of central bank independence, of the degree of centralization of wage bargaining and of the interaction between those institutional variables, on real wages, unemployment and inflation, in a framework in which unions are averse to

  20. Central Asia's raging waters the prospects of water conflict in Central Asia

    OpenAIRE

    Hartman, William B.

    2007-01-01

    This thesis examines the prospects of conflict caused by water scarcity in Central Asia. The thesis analyzes the three most recent political eras of Central Asia, Tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union and independence, utilizing indicators of water tensions including: water quality, water quantity, the management of water for multiple uses, the political divisions and geopolitical setting, state institutions and national water ethos. Although water is not likely to be the sole cause of a majo...

  1. D-MSR: A Distributed Network Management Scheme for Real-Time Monitoring and Process Control Applications in Wireless Industrial Automation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zand, P.; Dilo, Arta; Havinga, Paul J.M.

    2013-01-01

    Current wireless technologies for industrial applications, such as WirelessHART and ISA100.11a, use a centralized management approach where a central network manager handles the requirements of the static network. However, such a centralized approach has several drawbacks. For example, it cannot

  2. Simultaneous Replacement of Maxillary Central Incisors with CEREC Biogeneric Reference Technique: A Case Report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gokhan Akgungor

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Biogeneric Reference Technique (BRT of the CEREC 3D v.3.8 software is an effective technique for single anterior ceramic crowns because it provides computer-controlled match of the tooth form to the contralateral tooth. BRT also enables the fabrication of two or more anterior all-ceramic crowns simultaneously. This clinical report demonstrates the clinical application of BRT for designing and milling two central incisors in one appointment using a single optical impression. After completing the virtual design of the first central incisor, it was copied and a mirror image was created. The second central incisor was designed using this replicated image and therefore a computer-controlled symmetry was obtained. The crowns were milled from monolithic feldspathic ceramic blocks and adhesively luted with dual-cured resin cement following dentin conditioning. At the two-year follow-up appointment, the restorations were intact, no adverse effects were noted, and the resultant appearance was highly satisfactory for the patient. A step-by-step protocol is described from design to cementation of these restorations.

  3. Differential response of marine flagellate communities to prokaryotic food quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Corte, D.; Paredes, G.; Sintes, E.; Herndl, G. J.

    2016-02-01

    Marine prokaryotes play a major role in the biogeochemical cycles. The main predators of prokaryotes are heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF). HNF are thus a major link connecting dissolved organic material through prokaryotic grazing to the higher trophic levels. However, little is known about the grazing specificity of HNF on specific prokaryotic taxa. Bacterial and archaeal microbes may have different nutritive values for the HNF communities, thus affecting growth rates and community composition of HNFs. In this study we investigated the influence of prey food quality on Cafeteria roenbergensis and on a natural HNF community isolated in the northern Adriatic Sea. Two Nitrosopumilus maritimus-related strains isolated from the northern Adriatic Sea (Nitrosopumilus adriaticus, Nitrosopumilus piranensis), two Nitrosococcus strains and two fast growing marine Bacteria (Pseudomonas marina and Marinobacter algicola) were fed to the HNFs. The two fast growing bacterial strains resulted in high growth rates of Cafeteria roenbergensis and the mixed HNF community, while the two Nitrosococcus strains did not. Cafeteria roenbergensis fed on N. adriaticus but it did not graze N. piranensis, suggesting that the subtle metabolic and physiological differences between these two closely related thaumarchaeal strains affect the grazing pressure to which they are exposed. Our study also indicates that prokaryotic community composition influences the composition of the HNF community.

  4. Location of food consumption and travelers' diarrhea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tjoa, W S; DuPont, H L; Sullivan, P; Pickering, L K; Holguin, A H; Olarte, J; Evans, D G; Evans, D J

    1977-07-01

    Daily food histories for one month were obtained in summer, 1975, from students attending a Mexican university to determine the influence of food consumption on the development and etiology of diarrhea. In newly-arrived students from the U.S. who ate half or more of their meals in the school cafeteria and public restaurants there were significant increases in diarrhea (p less than 0.005); shigella infection (p less than 0.05) and toxigenic E. coli infection (p less than 0.025) compared to the students eating a comparable number of meals in private homes. In the summer U.S. students there was also an association of diarrhea and eating from street vendors (p less than 0.05). In full-time U.S. students who had lived in Mexico a year or longer as well as in Latin American students a relationship between location of meals and occurrence of enteric disease was not apparent. High numbers of enteric bacteria were recovered from food from the school's cafeteria, public restaurants, street vendors and small grocery stores. Shigella were isolated from cooked and uncooked hamburger patties from the school cafeteria. Four shigella carriers were found among kitchen personnel at the school. This study demonstrates that food serves as a major vehicle through which travelers' diarrhea occurs.

  5. Antiobesogenic and Antiatherosclerotic Properties of Caralluma fimbriata Extract

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soundararajan Kamalakkannan

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available There is evidence that the principles present in the widely consumed Indian food plant C. fimbriata extract (CFE suppress appetite, and provide antiobesogenic and metabolic benefits. The Diet-Induced Obesity (DIO rat model was used to investigate CFE's anorexigenic effects. Rats were randomly divided into three groups: (i untreated control (C, (ii control for cafeteria diet (CA, and (iii cafeteria diet fed + CFE treated. Rats in the test group received cafeteria diet and CFE from day one onwards. CFE was administered by gavage at three doses (25, 50, 100 mg/Kg BW per day for 90 days. The antiobesogenic effects of CFE were evaluated by monitoring changes in feed intake, body weight, serum lipid and hormonal (leptin profiles, fat pads, and liver weight. Antiatherosclerotic effects were measured by histology. CFE induced significant and dose-dependent inhibition of food intake, with dose-related prevention of gains in body weight, liver weight, and fat pad mass. Alterations in serum lipid profiles associated with weight gain were similarly inhibited, as were the typical increases in serum leptin levels. These data substantiate CFE's reported anorexigenic effects. CFE treatment also conferred protection against atherogenesis. We conclude that CFE possesses antiobesogenic and antiatherosclerotic properties.

  6. DAMT - DISTRIBUTED APPLICATION MONITOR TOOL (HP9000 VERSION)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keith, B.

    1994-01-01

    Typical network monitors measure status of host computers and data traffic among hosts. A monitor to collect statistics about individual processes must be unobtrusive and possess the ability to locate and monitor processes, locate and monitor circuits between processes, and report traffic back to the user through a single application program interface (API). DAMT, Distributed Application Monitor Tool, is a distributed application program that will collect network statistics and make them available to the user. This distributed application has one component (i.e., process) on each host the user wishes to monitor as well as a set of components at a centralized location. DAMT provides the first known implementation of a network monitor at the application layer of abstraction. Potential users only need to know the process names of the distributed application they wish to monitor. The tool locates the processes and the circuit between them, and reports any traffic between them at a user-defined rate. The tool operates without the cooperation of the processes it monitors. Application processes require no changes to be monitored by this tool. Neither does DAMT require the UNIX kernel to be recompiled. The tool obtains process and circuit information by accessing the operating system's existing process database. This database contains all information available about currently executing processes. Expanding the information monitored by the tool can be done by utilizing more information from the process database. Traffic on a circuit between processes is monitored by a low-level LAN analyzer that has access to the raw network data. The tool also provides features such as dynamic event reporting and virtual path routing. A reusable object approach was used in the design of DAMT. The tool has four main components; the Virtual Path Switcher, the Central Monitor Complex, the Remote Monitor, and the LAN Analyzer. All of DAMT's components are independent, asynchronously executing

  7. Central blood pressure and chronic kidney disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohno, Yoichi; Kanno, Yoshihiko; Takenaka, Tsuneo

    2016-01-01

    In this review, we focused on the relationship between central blood pressure and chronic kidney diseases (CKD). Wave reflection is a major mechanism that determines central blood pressure in patients with CKD. Recent medical technology advances have enabled non-invasive central blood pressure measurements. Clinical trials have demonstrated that compared with brachial blood pressure, central blood pressure is a stronger risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) and renal diseases. CKD is characterized by a diminished renal autoregulatory ability, an augmented direct transmission of systemic blood pressure to glomeruli, and an increase in proteinuria. Any elevation in central blood pressure accelerates CKD progression. In the kidney, interstitial inflammation induces oxidative stress to handle proteinuria. Oxidative stress facilitates atherogenesis, increases arterial stiffness and central blood pressure, and worsens the CV prognosis in patients with CKD. A vicious cycle exists between CKD and central blood pressure. To stop this cycle, vasodilator antihypertensive drugs and statins can reduce central blood pressure and oxidative stress. Even in early-stage CKD, mineral and bone disorders (MBD) may develop. MBD promotes oxidative stress, arteriosclerosis, and elevated central blood pressure in patients with CKD. Early intervention or prevention seems necessary to maintain vascular health in patients with CKD. PMID:26788468

  8. A cohomological characterization of Leibniz central extensions of Lie algebras

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu Naihong; Pei Yufeng; Liu Dong

    2006-12-01

    Motivated by Pirashvili's spectral sequences on a Leibniz algebra, some notions such as invariant symmetric bilinear forms, dual space derivations and the Cartan-Koszul homomorphism are connected together to give a description of the second Leibniz cohomology groups with trivial coefficients of Lie algebras (as Leibniz objects), which leads to a concise approach to determining one-dimensional Leibniz central extensions of Lie algebras. As applications, we contain the discussions for some interesting classes of infinite-dimensional Lie algebras. In particular, our results include the cohomological version of Gao's main Theorem for Kac-Moody algebras and answer a question. (author)

  9. Field Scale Groundwater Nitrate Loading Model for the Central Valley, California, 1945-Current

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harter, T.; Dzurella, K.; Bell, A.; Kourakos, G.

    2015-12-01

    Anthropogenic groundwater nitrate contamination in the Central Valley aquifer system, California, is widespread, with over 40% of domestic wells in some counties exceeding drinking water standards. Sources of groundwater nitrate include leaky municipal wastewater systems, municipal wastewater recharge, onsite wastewater treatment (septic) systems, atmospheric nitrogen deposition, animal farming, application of organic waste materials (sludge, biosolids, animal manure) to agricultural lands, and synthetic fertilizer. At the site or field scale, nitrogen inputs to the landscape are balanced by plant nitrogen uptake and harvest, atmospheric nitrogen losses, surface runoff of nitrogen, soil nitrogen storage changes, and leaching to groundwater. Irrigated agriculture is a dominant player in the Central Valley nitrogen cycle: The largest nitrogen fluxes are synthetic fertilizer and animal manure applications to cropland, crop nitrogen uptake, and groundwater nitrogen losses. We construct a historic field/parcel scale groundwater nitrogen loading model distinguishing urban and residential areas, individual animal farming areas, leaky wastewater lagoons, and approximately 50 different categories of agricultural crops. For non-agricultural landuses, groundwater nitrate loading is based on reported leaching values, animal population, and human population. For cropland, groundwater nitrate loading is computed from mass balance, taking into account diverse and historically changing management practices between different crops. Groundwater nitrate loading is estimated for 1945 to current. Significant increases in groundwater nitrate loading are associated with the expansion of synthetic fertilizer use in the 1950s to 1970s. Nitrate loading from synthetic fertilizer use has stagnated over the past 20 years due to improvements in nutrient use efficiency. However, an unbroken 60 year exponential increase in dairy production until the late 2000s has significantly impacted the

  10. Payments and Central Bank Policy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Korsgaard, Søren

    This thesis consists of three chapters. The rst, "Paying for Payments", examines the role of interchange fees in payment card networks. The second, "Bank Liquidity and the Interbank Market" (co-authored with Mikael Reimer Jensen), investigates how banks' liquidity holdings at the central bank a ect...... outcomes in the money market. The third, "Collateralized Lending and Central Bank Collateral Policy", considers the emergence of credit constraints under collateralized lending, and how central banks use collateral policy to mitigate these constraints. While the chapters can be read independently......, they share common themes. Each chapter is concerned with payments in one way or another, each is concerned with the e ciency of market outcomes, and, to the extent that there is scope for improving these outcomes, each discusses the appropriate role for policy, in particular central bank policy....

  11. Quantitative analysis of residual protein contamination of podiatry instruments reprocessed through local and central decontamination units

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramage Gordon

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The cleaning stage of the instrument decontamination process has come under increased scrutiny due to the increasing complexity of surgical instruments and the adverse affects of residual protein contamination on surgical instruments. Instruments used in the podiatry field have a complex surface topography and are exposed to a wide range of biological contamination. Currently, podiatry instruments are reprocessed locally within surgeries while national strategies are favouring a move toward reprocessing in central facilities. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of local and central reprocessing on podiatry instruments by measuring residual protein contamination of instruments reprocessed by both methods. Methods The residual protein of 189 instruments reprocessed centrally and 189 instruments reprocessed locally was determined using a fluorescent assay based on the reaction of proteins with o-phthaldialdehyde/sodium 2-mercaptoethanesulfonate. Results Residual protein was detected on 72% (n = 136 of instruments reprocessed centrally and 90% (n = 170 of instruments reprocessed locally. Significantly less protein (p Conclusions Overall, the results show the superiority of central reprocessing for complex podiatry instruments when protein contamination is considered, though no significant difference was found in residual protein between local decontamination unit and central decontamination unit processes for Blacks files. Further research is needed to undertake qualitative identification of protein contamination to identify any cross contamination risks and a standard for acceptable residual protein contamination applicable to different instruments and specialities should be considered as a matter of urgency.

  12. 2015 Annual Wastewater Reuse Report for the Idaho National Laboratory Site’s Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lewis, Michael George [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

    2016-02-01

    This report describes conditions, as required by the state of Idaho Wastewater Reuse Permit (#LA-000141-03), for the wastewater land application site at the Idaho National Laboratory Site’s Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant from November 1, 2014, through October 31, 2015.

  13. A preliminary analysis of the reduction of chemotherapy waste in the treatment of cancer with centralization of drug preparation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriano Hyeda

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available SummaryIntroduction:chemotherapy is essential to treat most types of cancer. Often, there is chemotherapy waste in the preparation of drugs prescribed to the patient. Leftover doses result in toxic waste production.Objective:the aim of the study was to analyze chemotherapy waste reduction at a centralized drug preparation unit.Methods:the study was cross-sectional, observational and descriptive, conducted between 2010 and 2012. The data were obtained from chemotherapy prescriptions made by oncologists linked to a health insurance plan in Curitiba, capital of the state of Paraná, in southern Brazil. Dose and the cost of chemotherapy waste were calculated in each application, considering the dose prescribed by the doctor and the drug dosages available for sale. The variables were then calculated considering a hypothetical centralized drug preparation unit.Results:there were 176 patients with a cancer diagnosis, 106 of which underwent treatment with intravenous chemotherapy. There were 1,284 applications for intravenous anticancer medications. There was a total of 63,824mg in chemotherapy waste, the cost of which was BRL 448,397.00. The average cost of chemotherapy waste per patient was BRL 4,607.00. In the centralized model, there was 971.80mg of chemotherapy waste, costing BRL 13,991.64. The average cost of chemotherapy waste per patient was BRL 132.00.Conclusion:the use of centralized drug preparation units may be a strategy to reduce chemotherapy waste.

  14. Scattered radiation from applicators in clinical electron beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Battum, L J van; Zee, W van der; Huizenga, H

    2003-01-01

    In radiotherapy with high-energy (4-25 MeV) electron beams, scattered radiation from the electron applicator influences the dose distribution in the patient. In most currently available treatment planning systems for radiotherapy this component is not explicitly included and handled only by a slight change of the intensity of the primary beam. The scattered radiation from an applicator changes with the field size and distance from the applicator. The amount of scattered radiation is dependent on the applicator design and on the formation of the electron beam in the treatment head. Electron applicators currently applied in most treatment machines are essentially a set of diaphragms, but still do produce scattered radiation. This paper investigates the present level of scattered dose from electron applicators, and as such provides an extensive set of measured data. The data provided could for instance serve as example input data or benchmark data for advanced treatment planning algorithms which employ a parametrized initial phase space to characterize the clinical electron beam. Central axis depth dose curves of the electron beams have been measured with and without applicators in place, for various applicator sizes and energies, for a Siemens Primus, a Varian 2300 C/D and an Elekta SLi accelerator. Scattered radiation generated by the applicator has been found by subtraction of the central axis depth dose curves, obtained with and without applicator. Scattered radiation from Siemens, Varian and Elekta electron applicators is still significant and cannot be neglected in advanced treatment planning. Scattered radiation at the surface of a water phantom can be as high as 12%. Scattered radiation decreases almost linearly with depth. Scattered radiation from Varian applicators shows clear dependence on beam energy. The Elekta applicators produce less scattered radiation than those of Varian and Siemens, but feature a higher effective angular variance. The scattered

  15. Do central bank law reforms affect the term in office of central bank governors?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klomp, J.G.; de Haan, J.

    In this paper we confirm the hypothesis that central bank independence reforms reduce the likelihood that a central bank governor will be replaced. However, the strength of this effect depends on the rule of law and the degree of political polarization. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Current status of laparoscopic central pancreatectomy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CAO Yang

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Central pancreatectomy is an ideal surgical procedure for the treatment of benign or low-grade malignant tumors in the pancreatic neck or the proximal body of the pancreas, and it can preserve more normal pancreatic tissue in order to reduce the incidence of endocrine and exocrine insufficiency after surgery. Although some clinical studies have demonstrated the feasibility and safety of this procedure, laparoscopic central pancreatectomy was technically challenging with a few number of cases. This article reviews the current status of laparoscopic central pancreatectomy and introduces our clinical experience of laparoscopic central pancreatectomy and pancreaticojejunostomy.

  17. Central cell confinement in MFTF-B

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jong, R.A.

    1981-01-01

    The point code TANDEM has been used to survey the range of plasma parameters which can be attained in MFTF-B. The code solves for the electron and ion densities and temperatures in the central cell, yin-yang, barrier, and A-cell regions as well as the plasma potential in each region. In these studies, the A-cell sloshing ion beams were fixed while the neutral beams in the yin-yang and central cell, the gas feed in the central cell, and the applied ECRH power β, central cell ion density and temperature, and the confining potential are discussed

  18. Central Hypothyroidism in Miniature Schnauzers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Voorbij, Annemarie M W Y; Leegwater, Peter A J; Buijtels, Jenny J C W M; Daminet, Sylvie; Kooistra, Hans S

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Primary hypothyroidism is a common endocrinopathy in dogs. In contrast, central hypothyroidism is rare in this species. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this article is to describe the occurrence and clinical presentation of central hypothyroidism in Miniature Schnauzers. Additionally, the

  19. Seismic evaluation of buildings in the Eastern and Central United States

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malley, J.O.; Poland, C.D.

    1991-01-01

    The vast majority of the existing buildings in the Central and Eastern United States have not been designed to resist seismic forces, even though it is becoming widely accepted that there is a potential for damaging earthquakes in these regions for the country. These buildings, therefore, may constitute a serious threat to life safety in the event of a major earthquake. The ATC-14 procedure for the seismic evaluation of existing buildings has begun to gain wide acceptance since its publication in 1987. The National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (NCEER) funded a project to critically assess the applicability of ATC-14 to buildings in the Eastern and Central United States. This NCEER project developed a large volume of recommended modifications to ATC-14 which are intended to improve the modifications to ATC-14 procedure's recommendations for the seismic evaluation of buildings in regions of low siesmicity. NCEER is sponsoring a second project which will produce a separate document for the seismic evaluation of existing buildings which specifically focuses on structures in these areas of the country. This report, which should be completed in 1991, will provide a valuable tool for practicing engineers performing these evaluations in the Eastern and Central United States. This paper will present the results of these NCEER projects and introduce the revised ATC-14 methodology

  20. Complications of central venous stenosis due to permanent central venous catheters in children on hemodialysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rinat, Choni; Ben-Shalom, Efrat; Becker-Cohen, Rachel; Feinstein, Sofia; Frishberg, Yaacov

    2014-11-01

    Central venous catheters are frequently used as access for hemodialysis (HD) in children. One of the known complications is central venous stenosis. Although this complication is not rare, it is often asymptomatic and therefore unacknowledged. Superior vena cava (SVC) stenosis is obviously suspected in the presence of upper body edema, but several other signs and symptoms are often unrecognized as being part of this syndrome. We describe four patients with various manifestations of central venous stenosis and SVC syndrome. These sometimes life- or organ-threatening conditions include obstructive sleep apnea, unresolving stridor, increased intracranial pressure, increased intraocular pressure, right-sided pleural effusion, protein-losing enteropathy and lymphadenopathy. The temporal relationship of these complications associated with the use of central venous catheters and documentation of venous stenosis, together with their resolution after alleviation of high venous pressure, points to a causal role. We suggest pathophysiological mechanisms for the formation of each of these complications. In patients with occlusion of the SVC, various unexpected clinical entities can be caused by high central venous pressure. As often the etiology is not obvious, a high index of suspicion is needed as in some cases prompt alleviation of the high pressure is mandatory.

  1. Research and application of an intelligent control system in central air-conditioning based on energy consumption simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Ling; Che, Wenbin

    2018-05-01

    For the central air-conditioning energy-saving, it is common practice to use a wide range of PTD controllers in engineering to optimize energy savings. However, the shortcomings of the PTD controller have also been magnified on this issue, such as: calculation accuracy is not enough, the calculation time is too long. Particle swarm optimization has the advantage of fast convergence. This paper is based on Particle Swarm Optimization apply in PTD controller tuning parameters in order to achieve the purpose of saving energy while ensuring comfort. The algorithm proposed in this paper can adjust the weight according to the change of population fitness, reduce the weights of particles with lower fitness and enhance the weights of particles with higher fitness in the population, and fully release the population vitality. The method in this paper is validated by the TRNSYS model based on the central air-conditioning system. The experimental results show that the room temperature fluctuation is small, the overshoot is small, the adjustment speed is fast, and the energy-saving fluctuates at 10%.

  2. Application of pathways analyses for site performance prediction for the Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plant and Oak Ridge Central Waste Disposal Facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pin, F.G.; Oblow, E.M.

    1984-01-01

    The suitability of the Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plant and the Oak Ridge Central Waste Disposal Facility for shallow-land burial of low-level radioactive waste is evaluated using pathways analyses. The analyses rely on conservative scenarios to describe the generation and migration of contamination and the potential human exposure to the waste. Conceptual and numerical models are developed using data from comprehensive laboratory and field investigations and are used to simulate the long-term transport of contamination to man. Conservatism is built into the analyses when assumptions concerning future events have to be made or when uncertainties concerning site or waste characteristics exist. Maximum potential doses to man are calculated and compared to the appropriate standards. The sites are found to provide adequate buffer to persons outside the DOE reservations. Conclusions concerning site capacity and site acceptability are drawn. In reaching these conclusions, some consideration is given to the uncertainties and conservatisms involved in the analyses. Analytical methods to quantitatively assess the probability of future events to occur and the sensitivity of the results to data uncertainty may prove useful in relaxing some of the conservatism built into the analyses. The applicability of such methods to pathways analyses is briefly discussed. 18 refs., 9 figs

  3. Application of Total Innovation Management to Chinese Small and ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Application of Total Innovation Management to Chinese Small and Medium Enterprises. Innovation is ... Country(s). China, Far East Asia, Central Asia, South Asia ... Call for new OWSD Fellowships for Early Career Women Scientists now open.

  4. Bat activity following restoration prescribed burning in the central Appalachian Upland and riparian habitats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Austin, Lauren V.; Silvis, Alexander; Ford, W. Mark; Muthersbaugh, Michael; Powers, Karen E.

    2018-01-01

    After decades of fire suppression in eastern North America, land managers now are prioritizing prescribed fire as a management tool to restore or maintain fire-adapted vegetation communities. However, in long—fire-suppressed landscapes, such as the central and southern Appalachians, it is unknown how bats will respond to prescribed fire in both riparian and upland forest habitats. To address these concerns, we conducted zero-crossing acoustic surveys of bat activity in burned, unburned, riparian, and non-riparian areas in the central Appalachians, Virginia, USA. Burn and riparian variables had model support (ΔAICc fire differently between upland and riparian forest habitats, but overall, large landscape-level prescribed fire has a slightly positive to neutral impact on all bats species identified at our study site post—fire application.

  5. Accountability of central banks: aspects and quantification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. DE HAAN

    1999-06-01

    Full Text Available The work examines the relationship between central bank independence and accountability. The authors do this by using an indicator for central bank accountability based on the laws of 16 central banks. Central bank accountability is identified as having three distinct features, namely, the explicit definition and ranking of the objectives of monetary policy, the transparency of the actual monetary policy, and the final responsibility to monetary policy.

  6. Colloquium on Central Asia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2005-01-01

    This colloquium on Azerbaijan was organized by the direction of international relations of the French Senate and the French center of foreign trade (CFCE). This document gathers the interventions of the participants and the debates with the audience following these interventions. The topics treated concern: - the present day political-economical situation of Central Asia countries (problem of borders, relations with Russia and China); - the economies of Central Asia countries: short term problems and medium-term perspectives; - the relations with the European Union (political, economical, trade and investments, perspectives); - the European energy stakes of Caspian sea (oil and gas reserves, development of hydrocarbon resources, exploitation and transport constraints, stakes for Europe and France); - TotalFinaElf company in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, enclavement problem); - the economical impacts of the TRACECA pathway (Transport Corridor Europe Caucasus Asia). (J.S.)

  7. The Naive Central Banker

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcelo de Carvalho Griebeler

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available There has been in some countries a trend of assigning other functions to central banks besides price stability. The most suggested function to be added to monetary authority’s obligations is to pursue economic growth or full employment. In this paper we characterize the behavior and analyse the optimal monetary policy of, what we call, a naive central banker. We describe the naive behavior as one that does face the inflation-unemployment trade-off, but it tries to minimize both variables simultaneously. Our findings, both under discretion and commitment, indicate that the naive central banker delivers lower expected inflation and inflation variance than the benchmark behavior whenever the economy is rigid enough. However, the degree of conservativeness also affects this result, such that the less conservative the naive policymaker, the more rigidity is necessary.

  8. Morfologia testicular de ratos Wistar obesos sedentários e submetidos a treinamento físico = Testicular morphology in obese and sedentary Wistar rats submitted to physical training

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ken Sekine Takashiba

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar morfologicamente os efeitos da dieta de cafeteria e o treinamento físico em esteira sobre o testículo de ratos Wistar. Ratos machos adultos foram divididos em grupos (sedentário-controle; sedentário-cafeteria; treinado-controle; e treinadocafeteria. Para comprovar a instalação da obesidade calculou-se o índice de Lee e o peso dos tecidos adiposos periepididimal e retroperitoneal. A análise testicular envolveu o peso da gônada e após processamento histológico e coloração por Hematoxilina-Eosina, os parâmetros de diâmetro tubular, altura do epitélio seminífero, identificação dos tipos celulares presentes nos túbulos seminíferos, contagem de células e rendimento geral da espermatogênese. O aumento significativo do Índice de Lee e do peso dos tecidos adiposos, nos grupos que receberam dieta de cafeteria, comprovou a instalação da obesidade e indicou ser este um modelo adequado para induzir obesidade experimental. Não houve efeito da dieta ou do treinamento sobre o peso testicular, diâmetro tubular e altura do epitélio seminífero não havendo também diferenças na organização histológica dos testículos e túbulos seminíferos. Após quantificação celular e cálculo dos índices mitótico e meiótico e da capacidade total de suporte das células de Sertoli, verificamos efeito positivo do treinamento físico, independente da dieta recebida, sobre o rendimento geral da espermatogênese.The aim of this study was to morphologically evaluate the effects of the cafeteria diet and physical training on the testicles of adult Wistar rats. Adult male rats were divided into groups (sedentary-control, sedentary-cafeteria, trained-control, and trainedcafeteriaIn order to state the obesity condition both the Lee index and the weight of retroperitoneal and periepididymal adipose tissues were calculated. The testicular analysis involved the gonad weight and after the histological processing

  9. Quantitative analysis of residual protein contamination of podiatry instruments reprocessed through local and central decontamination units.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Gordon Wg; Goldie, Frank; Long, Steven; Lappin, David F; Ramage, Gordon; Smith, Andrew J

    2011-01-10

    The cleaning stage of the instrument decontamination process has come under increased scrutiny due to the increasing complexity of surgical instruments and the adverse affects of residual protein contamination on surgical instruments. Instruments used in the podiatry field have a complex surface topography and are exposed to a wide range of biological contamination. Currently, podiatry instruments are reprocessed locally within surgeries while national strategies are favouring a move toward reprocessing in central facilities. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of local and central reprocessing on podiatry instruments by measuring residual protein contamination of instruments reprocessed by both methods. The residual protein of 189 instruments reprocessed centrally and 189 instruments reprocessed locally was determined using a fluorescent assay based on the reaction of proteins with o-phthaldialdehyde/sodium 2-mercaptoethanesulfonate. Residual protein was detected on 72% (n = 136) of instruments reprocessed centrally and 90% (n = 170) of instruments reprocessed locally. Significantly less protein (p podiatry instruments when protein contamination is considered, though no significant difference was found in residual protein between local decontamination unit and central decontamination unit processes for Blacks files. Further research is needed to undertake qualitative identification of protein contamination to identify any cross contamination risks and a standard for acceptable residual protein contamination applicable to different instruments and specialities should be considered as a matter of urgency.

  10. Neck Circumference Positively Related with Central Obesity and Overweight in Turkish University Students: A Preliminary Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Özkaya, İsmail; Tunçkale, Aydın

    2016-06-01

    According to the World Health Organization, central obesity is increasing alarmingly worldwide. Neck circumference is a relatively new method of differentiating between normal and abnormal fat distribution. The aim of this study is to determine the association between neck circumference and central obesity in young Turkish male and female university students. A community of university students based cross-sectional study was conducted on 319 males and 838 females and investigated the association between neck circumference and other anthropometric variables by gender. In male subjects, the neck circumference revealed a positive correlation with the body mass index (r=0.684, pobesity, is also applicable to university students. Copyright© by the National Institute of Public Health, Prague 2015.

  11. Application of vertical advection-diffusion model for studying CO2 and O2 profiles in central Arabian Sea

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    AnilKumar, N.; Singbal, S.Y.S.

    The vertical advection-diffusion model proposed by Craig has been applied to the study of CO sub(2) and O sub(2) profiles in Central Arabian Sea. Distributions of total CO Sub(2) and O sub(2) are explained better by expressions involving exponential...

  12. Report of the Central Tracking Group

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cassel, D.G.; Hanson, G.G.

    1986-10-01

    Issues involved in building a realistic central tracking system for a general-purpose 4π detector for the SSC are addressed. Such a central tracking system must be capable of running at the full design luminosity of 10 33 cm -2 s -1 . Momentum measurement was required in a general-purpose 4π detector. Limitations on charged particle tracking detectors at the SSC imposed by rates and radiation damage are reviewed. Cell occupancy is the dominant constraint, which led us to the conclusion that only small cells, either wires or straw tubes, are suitable for a central tracking system at the SSC. Mechanical problems involved in building a central tracking system of either wires or straw tubes were studied, and our conclusion was that it is possible to build such a large central tracking system. Of course, a great deal of research and development is required. We also considered central tracking systems made of scintillating fibers or silicon microstrips, but our conclusion was that neither is a realistic candidate given the current state of technology. We began to work on computer simulation of a realistic central tracking system. Events from interesting physics processes at the SSC will be complex and will be further complicated by hits from out-of-time bunch crossings and multiple interactions within the same bunch crossing. Detailed computer simulations are needed to demonstrate that the pattern recognition and tracking problems can be solved

  13. Statistical multifragmentation of non-spherical expanding sources in central heavy-ion collisions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Le Fevre, A. E-mail: a.lefevre@gsi.de; Ploszajczak, M.; Toneev, V.D.; Auger, G.; Begemann-Blaich, M.L.; Bellaize, N.; Bittiger, R.; Bocage, F.; Borderie, B.; Bougault, R.; Bouriquet, B.; Charvet, J.L.; Chbihi, A.; Dayras, R.; Durand, D.; Frankland, J.D.; Galichet, E.; Gourio, D.; Guinet, D.; Hudan, S.; Hurst, B.; Lautesse, P.; Lavaud, F.; Legrain, R.; Lopez, O.; Lukasik, J.; Lynen, U.; Mueller, W.F.J.; Nalpas, L.; Orth, H.; Plagnol, E.; Rosato, E.; Saija, A.; Schwarz, C.; Sfienti, C.; Tamain, B.; Trautmann, W.; Trzcinski, A.; Turzo, K.; Vient, E.; Vigilante, M.; Volant, C.; Zwieglinski, B.; Botvina, A.S

    2004-04-19

    We study the anisotropy effects measured with INDRA at GSI in central collisions of {sup 129}Xe+{sup nat}Sn at 50 A MeV and {sup 197}Au+{sup 197}Au at 60, 80, 100 A MeV incident energy. The microcanonical multifragmentation model with non-spherical sources is used to simulate an incomplete shape relaxation of the multifragmenting system. This model is employed to interpret observed anisotropic distributions in the fragment size and mean kinetic energy. The data can be well reproduced if an expanding prolate source aligned along the beam direction is assumed. An either non-Hubblean or non-isotropic radial expansion is required to describe the fragment kinetic energies and their anisotropy. The qualitative similarity of the results for the studied reactions suggests that the concept of a longitudinally elongated freeze-out configuration is generally applicable for central collisions of heavy systems. The deformation decreases slightly with increasing beam energy.

  14. Centralized mouse repositories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donahue, Leah Rae; Hrabe de Angelis, Martin; Hagn, Michael; Franklin, Craig; Lloyd, K C Kent; Magnuson, Terry; McKerlie, Colin; Nakagata, Naomi; Obata, Yuichi; Read, Stuart; Wurst, Wolfgang; Hörlein, Andreas; Davisson, Muriel T

    2012-10-01

    Because the mouse is used so widely for biomedical research and the number of mouse models being generated is increasing rapidly, centralized repositories are essential if the valuable mouse strains and models that have been developed are to be securely preserved and fully exploited. Ensuring the ongoing availability of these mouse strains preserves the investment made in creating and characterizing them and creates a global resource of enormous value. The establishment of centralized mouse repositories around the world for distributing and archiving these resources has provided critical access to and preservation of these strains. This article describes the common and specialized activities provided by major mouse repositories around the world.

  15. Topology Optimization - broadening the areas of application

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bendsøe, Martin P.; Lund, Erik; Olhoff, Niels

    2005-01-01

    This paper deals with recent developments of topology optimization techniques for application in some new types of design problems. The emphasis is on recent work of the Danish research groups at Aalborg University and at the Technical University of Denmark and focus is on the central role that t...

  16. Regulation and safety implementation of nanotechnology for chemical enterprises in the Central Europe Space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falk, A.; Hartl, S.; Sinner, F.

    2013-04-01

    As result of the gradually increasing nanotechnology sector there is the necessity of a contemporary analysis of the present regulations used for nanomaterials, to outline the current situation of the nanotechnology sector, to promote international cooperation and research's coordination to overcome disciplinary boundaries, to fill the gap between more and less experienced regions and to turn investments in R&D in industrial innovations. The general objective of the Central Europe project NANOFORCE, which is developed by national and regional chemistry associations and R&D Centres of the Central Europe area, is to foster the innovative nanotechnology-sector networks across Central Europe regions by bringing together public and private organizations to carry out collaborative and interdisciplinary researches on nanomaterials (in the frame of REACH Regulation) and to turn the most promising laboratory results into innovative industrial applications. To build up a legal advisory board for chemical enterprises starting in nanotechnology, a state of the art report on existing safety procedures and nanotech related regulations was produced to give an overview on currently available regulations used by chemical industries and manufacturing companies within the European region to secure their products. The main emphasis was placed on REACH regulation to search for relevant sections concentrating on nanomaterials which are applicable for nanotechnology. In addition, all relevant directives and amendments of REACH were screened with regard to identify gaps where action is still needed and give possible recommendations for the European Commission. Beyond literature research a questionnaire for producers, users, researchers and financiers was developed with the goal to collect information about the nanotechnology sector in the CE region concerning development, financial status, and international cooperation within joint ventures, safety and nanotoxicology.

  17. Building the foundations for a new central bank doctrine: Redefining central banks’ missions in the 21st century

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eric Pichet

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available The 2007-2008 financial crisis demonstrated both the responsibilities that central bankers, alongside other actors, bear for turbulences of this kind as well as how economics can be used to provide central bankers and governments with the understanding and tools that they need to prevent the international financial system from collapsing. At the same time, central banks’ responses to the crisis have taken monetary policy into unknown territory. The paper’s first section diagnoses good and bad practice in post-crisis central banking; assesses the efficiency of pre-crisis doctrines; and identifies the dangers of actions exceeding certain limits. It specifically focuses on the European Central Bank’s much-debated intervention in certain peripheral bond markets, particularly Greece. The second section is more normative and lays the foundations for a social science perspective of how to manage modern central banks, an approach that draws on a variety of disciplines including economics, governance theory and management. This starts with a definition of the new doctrine and its underlying philosophy, followed by an identification of sound central banking practices (revolving around a few key concepts, notably inflation and financial stability. The missions and objectives of these practices are then defined (along with a choice of indicators, culminating in an exploration of which strategies and tools might be used in both normal and turbulent times. Lastly, a few concrete rules of governance are offered, built on the triptych of central banks’ independence, accountability and composition, with specific focus placed on the process for selecting governors fit to handle the new role that modern central banks are destined to assume in developed countries.

  18. Central Bank independence in Latin America La independencia de la Banca Central en América Latina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Junguito Bonnet Roberto

    1996-06-01

    Full Text Available This article describes the origin and evolution of the central banks of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela, and analyzes their respective institutional structures. It also studies the contribution of the central bank to stabilization and the problems for maintaining this independence into the future.Este artículo describe el origen y la evolución de los Bancos Centrales de Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, México y Venezuela, y analiza sus respectivas estructruras institucionales. También estudia la contribución de la banca central a la estabilización y los problemas para que esta independencia se mantenga en el futuro.

  19. Reconstruction of the central carbon metabolism of Aspergillus niger

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    David, Helga; Åkesson, Mats Fredrik; Nielsen, Jens

    2003-01-01

    The topology of central carbon metabolism of Aspergillus niger was identified and the metabolic network reconstructed, by integrating genomic, biochemical and physiological information available for this microorganism and other related fungi. The reconstructed network may serve as a valuable...... of metabolic fluxes using metabolite balancing. This framework was employed to perform an in silico characterisation of the phenotypic behaviour of A. niger grown on different carbon sources. The effects on growth of single reaction deletions were assessed and essential biochemical reactions were identified...... for different carbon sources. Furthermore, application of the stoichiometric model for assessing the metabolic capabilities of A. niger to produce metabolites was evaluated by using succinate production as a case study....

  20. Forward-central jet correlations at the Large Hadron Collider

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deak, M.; Hautmann, F.; Jung, H.; Antwerpen Univ.; Kutak, K.

    2010-12-01

    For high-p T forward processes at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), QCD logarithmic corrections in the hard transverse momentum and in the large rapidity interval may both be quantitatively significant. The theoretical framework to resum consistently both kinds of logarithmic corrections to higher orders in perturbation theory is based on QCD high-energy factorization. We present numerical Monte Carlo applications of this method to final-state observables associated with production of one forward and one central jet. By computing jet correlations in rapidity and azimuth, we analyze the role of corrections to the parton-showering chain from large-angle gluon radiation, and discuss this in relationship with Monte Carlo results modeling interactions due to multiple parton chains. (orig.)

  1. The European Central Bank and the Eurosystem

    OpenAIRE

    Carol C. Bertaut

    2002-01-01

    The Eurosystem comprises the European Central Bank at its center as well as the national central banks of the twelve countries currently participating in monetary union. The European Central Bank was established in July 1998, six months before the beginning of Stage Three of economic and monetary union. Although decisions regarding monetary policy are made centrally by the Governing Council of the Eurosystem, the operational aspects of monetary policy-including open market operations, adminis...

  2. Joint Applications Pilot of the National Climate Predictions and Projections Platform and the North Central Climate Science Center: Delivering climate projections on regional scales to support adaptation planning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ray, A. J.; Ojima, D. S.; Morisette, J. T.

    2012-12-01

    The DOI North Central Climate Science Center (NC CSC) and the NOAA/NCAR National Climate Predictions and Projections (NCPP) Platform and have initiated a joint pilot study to collaboratively explore the "best available climate information" to support key land management questions and how to provide this information. NCPP's mission is to support state of the art approaches to develop and deliver comprehensive regional climate information and facilitate its use in decision making and adaptation planning. This presentation will describe the evolving joint pilot as a tangible, real-world demonstration of linkages between climate science, ecosystem science and resource management. Our joint pilot is developing a deliberate, ongoing interaction to prototype how NCPP will work with CSCs to develop and deliver needed climate information products, including translational information to support climate data understanding and use. This pilot also will build capacity in the North Central CSC by working with NCPP to use climate information used as input to ecological modeling. We will discuss lessons to date on developing and delivering needed climate information products based on this strategic partnership. Four projects have been funded to collaborate to incorporate climate information as part of an ecological modeling project, which in turn will address key DOI stakeholder priorities in the region: Riparian Corridors: Projecting climate change effects on cottonwood and willow seed dispersal phenology, flood timing, and seedling recruitment in western riparian forests. Sage Grouse & Habitats: Integrating climate and biological data into land management decision models to assess species and habitat vulnerability Grasslands & Forests: Projecting future effects of land management, natural disturbance, and CO2 on woody encroachment in the Northern Great Plains The value of climate information: Supporting management decisions in the Plains and Prairie Potholes LCC. NCCSC's role in

  3. Incidence of thrombosis in children with tunneled central venous access devices versus peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanin, Maralee; Young, Guy

    2013-11-01

    The recent proliferation of deep vein thrombosis in children has been attributed to the increased use of central venous catheters, specifically tunneled lines and peripherally inserted central catheters. A formal comparison of the incidence rate for deep vein thrombosis between tunneled lines and peripherally inserted central catheters has not been undertaken. Children inclusion. Data were extracted from the hospital discharge database which includes data on all procedures and up to 20 diagnoses per admission. Diagnoses and procedures were identified by International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision coding. Patients were excluded if they received more than one central line. Data collected included type of central line, deep vein thrombosis event, and underlying medical illnesses classified according to chronic complex conditions. Over the seven year study period there was an overall rate of 73 deep vein thromboses per 10,000 hospital discharges. Of the 6915 eligible subjects, 181 had a deep vein thrombosis for an overall incidence rate of 2.6%. There were 152 thrombi (2.6%) in subjects with peripherally inserted central catheters and 29 thrombi (3.1%) in subjects with tunneled lines [OR=.83 (0.55, 1.29), p=0.38]. Despite the relative ease and simplicity of use of peripherally inserted central catheters leading to a substantial rise in their use, this study demonstrates that such lines pose a substantial risk for venous thrombosis and no difference in incidence was detected between such lines and tunneled lines. © 2013.

  4. 2015 Annual Wastewater Reuse Report for the Idaho National Laboratory Site's Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lewis, Michael George

    2016-01-01

    This report describes conditions, as required by the state of Idaho Wastewater Reuse Permit (#LA-000141-03), for the wastewater land application site at the Idaho National Laboratory Site's Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant from November 1, 2014, through October 31, 2015.

  5. An illumination system for endoscopic applications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2013-01-01

    The present disclosure relates to an illumination system for endoscopic applications comprising at least one substantially monochromatic light source having a predefined central wavelength between 400 and 500 nm or between 500 and 550 nm, an optical transmission path adapted to guide light emanat...... for photodynamic diagnosis and/or therapy of bladder cancer is further disclosed herein....

  6. Dynamics-based centrality for directed networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masuda, Naoki; Kori, Hiroshi

    2010-11-01

    Determining the relative importance of nodes in directed networks is important in, for example, ranking websites, publications, and sports teams, and for understanding signal flows in systems biology. A prevailing centrality measure in this respect is the PageRank. In this work, we focus on another class of centrality derived from the Laplacian of the network. We extend the Laplacian-based centrality, which has mainly been applied to strongly connected networks, to the case of general directed networks such that we can quantitatively compare arbitrary nodes. Toward this end, we adopt the idea used in the PageRank to introduce global connectivity between all the pairs of nodes with a certain strength. Numerical simulations are carried out on some networks. We also offer interpretations of the Laplacian-based centrality for general directed networks in terms of various dynamical and structural properties of networks. Importantly, the Laplacian-based centrality defined as the stationary density of the continuous-time random walk with random jumps is shown to be equivalent to the absorption probability of the random walk with sinks at each node but without random jumps. Similarly, the proposed centrality represents the importance of nodes in dynamics on the original network supplied with sinks but not with random jumps.

  7. Central banks: Paradise lost

    OpenAIRE

    Issing, Otmar

    2012-01-01

    The focus of the paper is to analyze how the concept behind central bank policy developed over time and how the recent financial crisis and its consequences will have an influence. While the principles of the institutional arrangement for central banks (independence, clear mandate, prohibition of monetary financing) are relevant as ever, pre- crisis consensus strategies of monetary policy have been revealed as flawed. The close monitoring of money and credit developments, a key lesson to be d...

  8. U.S. Experience and practices associated with the use of centralized rad waste processing centers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gibson, James D.

    1994-01-01

    This paper presents the experience and current practices employed within the United States (US) associated with the use of Centralized Rad waste Processing Centers for the processing of Low Level Radioactive Wastes (LLRW). Information is provided on the methods, technologies, and practices employed by Scientific Ecology Group, Inc. (SEG), which is the worlds largest processor of LLRW. SEG processes over 80,000 cubic meters of waste annually and achieves an overall volume reduction of 12 : 1. LLRW processing in the United States is currently performed primarily at Centralized Rad waste Processing Centers, such as SEG's Central Volume Reduction Facility (CVRF) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This is primarily due to the superior economical application of advanced waste processing technologies, equipment, and personnel maintained at these centers. Information is provided on how SEG uses supercompaction, incineration, metals recycling, vitrification, and various other waste processing techniques to process both dry and wet wastes from over 90 commercial nuclear power plants, government operated facilities, hospitals, universities, and various small generators of radioactive waste

  9. Central European gas market perspectives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vanous, Jan

    1999-01-01

    This presentation deals with (1) Definition of the Central European market, (2) Factors driving up consumption of natural gas in Central and Eastern Europe, (3) Role of natural gas in regional energy consumption, (4) Position of natural gas in individual country markets, (5) Future sources of imported natural gas into the region. The Central European market are the eleven countries Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, and Slovenia, with a total population of 121 million. This market is comparable to combined France and Italy in terms of population, but only 30% of its size in terms of GDP

  10. Close-binary central stars of planetary nebulae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bond, H.E.; Grauer, A.D.

    1987-01-01

    Recent observations of PN central stars identified as binary systems are reviewed. The theoretical significance of binary central stars is discussed, and the characteristics of UU Sge, V 477 Lyr, MT Ser, LSS 2018, VW Pyx, and the central star of HFG 1 are briefly summarized. All of these binaries are shown to have periods less than 1 day, and it is estimated that about 10 percent of all binary central stars are close binaries. 27 references

  11. Central Station Design Options

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2011-01-01

    . The work identifies the architecture, sizing and siting of prospective Central Stations in Denmark, which can be located at shopping centers, large car parking lots or gas stations. Central Stations are planned to be integrated in the Danish distribution grid. The Danish island of Bornholm, where a high...... overloading, more reference points might be necessary to represent various transformer loading levels. The subject of safety in Central Station is also addressed. A number of safety rules based on European standards apply to AC charging equipment up to 44 kW. The connection interlock and the automatic de......-energization are identified as fundamental requirements for safety in such a charging station. The connection interlock is a solution which ensures that no power is applied to the DC cable when the EV connector is not connected. The automatic de-energization device ensures that whenever a strain on the cable is detected, e...

  12. 48 CFR 52.204-7 - Central Contractor Registration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Central Contractor....204-7 Central Contractor Registration. As prescribed in 4.1105, use the following clause: Central Contractor Registration (APR 2008) (a) Definitions. As used in this clause— Central Contractor Registration...

  13. Reconfigurable FPGA architecture for computer vision applications in Smart Camera Networks

    OpenAIRE

    Maggiani , Luca; Salvadori , Claudio; Petracca , Matteo; Pagano , Paolo; Saletti , Roberto

    2013-01-01

    International audience; Smart Camera Networks (SCNs) is nowadays an emerging research field which represents the natural evolution of centralized computer vision applications towards full distributed and pervasive systems. In such a scenario, one of the biggest effort is in the definition of a flexible and reconfigurable SCN node architecture able to remotely support the possibility of updating the application parameters and changing the running computer vision applications at run-time. In th...

  14. Comparison of blood loss between using non central part cutting knee prosthesis and distal central part cutting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malairungsakul, Anan

    2014-12-01

    Patients who undergo knee replacement surgery may need to receive a blood transfusion due to blood loss during the operation. Therefore it was important to improve the design of knee implant operative procedures in an attempt to reduce the rate of blood loss. The present study aimed to compare the blood loss between two types of knee replacement surgery. This is a retrospective study in which 78 patients received cemented knee replacements in Phayao Hospital between October 2010 and March 2012. There were two types of surgical procedure: 1) using an implant position covering the end of the femoral bone without cutting into the central part of the distal femoral, 2) using an implant position covering the end of the femoral bone cutting the central part of the distal femoral. Blood loss, blood transfusion, hemoglobin and hematocrit were recorded preoperatively, immediately postsurgery and 48 hours after surgery. Findings revealed that the knee replacement surgery using the implant position covering the end of the femoral bone without cutting the central part of the distal femoral significantly lowered the rate of blood loss when compared to using the implant position covering the end of the femoral bone with central cutting of the distal femor. The average blood loss during the operation without cutting at the central part of distal femoral was 49.50 ± 11.11 mL; whereas the operation cutting the central part of the distal femoral was 58.50 ± 11.69 mL. As regards blood loss, the knee replacement surgery using the implant position covering the end ofthefemoral bone without cutting the central part of distal femor was better than using the implant position covering the end of the femoral bone cutting at the central part of the distal femor.

  15. A new paradigm of modern central banking

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleksandra Szunke

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available The changes in the modern monetary policy, which took place at the beginning of the twenty-first century, in response to the global financial crisis led to the transformation of the place and the role of central banks. The strategic aim of the central monetary institutions has become preventing financial instability. So far, central banks have defined financial stability as a public good, which took care independently of other monetary purposes (Pyka, 2010. Unconventional monetary policy resulted in changes the global central banking. The aim of the study is to identify a new paradigm of the role and place of the central bank in the financial system and its new responsibilities, aimed at countering financial instability.

  16. Central hypothyroidism - a neglected thyroid disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beck-Peccoz, Paolo; Rodari, Giulia; Giavoli, Claudia; Lania, Andrea

    2017-10-01

    Central hypothyroidism is a rare and heterogeneous disorder that is characterized by a defect in thyroid hormone secretion in an otherwise normal thyroid gland due to insufficient stimulation by TSH. The disease results from the abnormal function of the pituitary gland, the hypothalamus, or both. Moreover, central hypothyroidism can be isolated or combined with other pituitary hormone deficiencies, which are mostly acquired and are rarely congenital. The clinical manifestations of central hypothyroidism are usually milder than those observed in primary hypothyroidism. Obtaining a positive diagnosis for central hypothyroidism can be difficult from both a clinical and a biochemical perspective. The diagnosis of central hypothyroidism is based on low circulating levels of free T 4 in the presence of low to normal TSH concentrations. The correct diagnosis of both acquired (also termed sporadic) and congenital (also termed genetic) central hypothyroidism can be hindered by methodological interference in free T 4 or TSH measurements; routine utilization of total T 4 or T 3 measurements; concurrent systemic illness that is characterized by low levels of free T 4 and normal TSH concentrations; the use of the sole TSH-reflex strategy, which is the measurement of the sole level of TSH, without free T 4 , if levels of TSH are in the normal range; and the diagnosis of congenital hypothyroidism based on TSH analysis without the concomitant measurement of serum levels of T 4 . In this Review, we discuss current knowledge of the causes of central hypothyroidism, emphasizing possible pitfalls in the diagnosis and treatment of this disorder.

  17. "Christofest" New Yorgi Central Parkis / Rael Artel

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Artel, Rael, 1980-

    2004-01-01

    12. II 2005. a. avatakse Christo ja Jeanne-Claude'i keskkonnainstallatsioon "The Gates" New Yorgi Central Parkis. Paralleelselt toimub Metropolitan Muuseumis näitus "Christo and Jeanne-Claude : The Gates, Central Park, New York", kus eksponeeritakse Central Parki installatsiooni ettevalmistavaid materjale: joonistusi, diagramme, fotosid jne

  18. [The influence of joining central venous catheter and pressure transducer with T-junctions on central venous pressure].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Xiuling; Yang, Wanjie; An, Youzhong; Teng, Hongyun; Zhang, Rumei; Wang, Yumei; Gao, Hailing; Hua, Ning; Song, Yan

    2015-08-01

    .000 ); the fn of groups 2 and 3 T-junctions was significantly higher than that of 1 T-junction group ( F1= 5.827, P1= 0.042; F2 = 15.038, P2 = 0.004 ), but there was no significant difference between the groups of 2 T-junctions and 3 T-junctions ( F = 3.800, P = 0.087 ). (3) With an increase of the number of T-junction, D also showed a tendency of gradual increase. The D of 1, 2, 3 T-junction group was 1.62±0.27, 1.60±0.22, 1.82±0.25, and 2.15±0.58, respectively. There were no differences among four groups. After the application of T-junctions between central venous catheter and pressure transducer, CVP values will be underestimated, the reason of which is considered to be the increase in length and thinner lumen of the T-junctions.

  19. Vulnerability assessment of Central-East Sardinia (Italy to extreme rainfall events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Bodini

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available In Sardinia (Italy, the highest frequency of extreme events is recorded in the Central-East area (3–4 events per year. The presence of high and steep mountains near the sea on the central and south-eastern coast, causes an East-West precipitation gradient in autumn especially, due to hot and moist currents coming from Africa. Soil structure and utilization make this area highly vulnerable to flash flooding and landslides. The specific purpose of this work is to provide a description of the heavy rainfall phenomenon on a statistical basis. The analysis mainly focuses on i the existence of trends in heavy rainfall and ii the characterization of the distribution of extreme events. First, to study possible trends in extreme events a few indices have been analyzed by the linear regression test. The analysis has been carried out at annual and seasonal scales. Then, extreme values analysis has been carried out by fitting a Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD to the data. As far as trends are concerned, different results are obtained at the two temporal scales: significant trends are obtained at the seasonal scale which are masked at the annual scale. By combining trend analysis and GPD analysis, the vulnerability of the study area to the occurrence of heavy rainfall has been characterized. Therefore, this work might support the improvement of land use planning and the application of suitable prevention systems. Future work will consider the extension of the analysis to all Sardinia and the application of statistical methods taking into account the spatial correlation of extreme events.

  20. Centrality metrics and localization in core-periphery networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barucca, Paolo; Lillo, Fabrizio; Tantari, Daniele

    2016-01-01

    Two concepts of centrality have been defined in complex networks. The first considers the centrality of a node and many different metrics for it have been defined (e.g. eigenvector centrality, PageRank, non-backtracking centrality, etc). The second is related to large scale organization of the network, the core-periphery structure, composed by a dense core plus an outlying and loosely-connected periphery. In this paper we investigate the relation between these two concepts. We consider networks generated via the stochastic block model, or its degree corrected version, with a core-periphery structure and we investigate the centrality properties of the core nodes and the ability of several centrality metrics to identify them. We find that the three measures with the best performance are marginals obtained with belief propagation, PageRank, and degree centrality, while non-backtracking and eigenvector centrality (or MINRES [10], showed to be equivalent to the latter in the large network limit) perform worse in the investigated networks. (paper: interdisciplinary statistical mechanics )