Heretic or rebel? The heresy trial of Albert Geyser

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wim Dreyer

2016-11-01

Full Text Available During September 1961, a charge of heresy was laid against New Testament scholar and antiapartheid activist Prof. A.S. (Albert Geyser. The charge was brought by three senior theological students of the University of Pretoria. They accused Geyser of interpreting Philippians 2 in such a way that it undermined the church’s doctrine of Christ’s pre-existence. The heresy trial started on 24 October 1961 under massive public interest. The trial lasted 6 months and the proceedings covered 2672 typed pages. Reporters of 25 national and international newspapers attended the trial. The heresy trial caused widespread international condemnation of what was regarded as an orchestrated attempt to get rid of Geyser, because of his public and radical opposition to apartheid. In this contribution, Geyser’s theological critique of apartheid as well as his conviction of heresy is discussed. The proceedings of the trial, minutes of the moderature, media coverage and Geyser’s publications serve as primary sources. It concludes with a critical evaluation of Geyser’s theology and his role as a public theologian.

Triggering and modulation of geyser eruptions in Yellowstone National Park by earthquakes, earth tides, and weather

Science.gov (United States)

Hurwitz, Shaul; Sohn, Robert A.; Luttrell, Karen; Manga, Michael

2014-01-01

We analyze intervals between eruptions (IBEs) data acquired between 2001 and 2011 at Daisy and Old Faithful geysers in Yellowstone National Park. We focus our statistical analysis on the response of these geysers to stress perturbations from within the solid earth (earthquakes and earth tides) and from weather (air pressure and temperature, precipitation, and wind). We conclude that (1) the IBEs of these geysers are insensitive to periodic stresses induced by solid earth tides and barometric pressure variations; (2) Daisy (pool geyser) IBEs lengthen by evaporation and heat loss in response to large wind storms and cold air; and (3) Old Faithful (cone geyser) IBEs are not modulated by air temperature and pressure variations, wind, and precipitation, suggesting that the subsurface water column is decoupled from the atmosphere. Dynamic stress changes of 0.1−0.2 MPa resulting from the 2002 M-7.9 Denali, Alaska, earthquake surface waves caused a statistically significant shortening of Daisy geyser's IBEs. Stresses induced by other large global earthquakes during the study period were at least an order of magnitude smaller. In contrast, dynamic stresses of >0.5 MPa from three large regional earthquakes in 1959, 1975, and 1983 caused lengthening of Old Faithful's IBEs. We infer that most subannual geyser IBE variability is dominated by internal processes and interaction with other geysers. The results of this study provide quantitative bounds on the sensitivity of hydrothermal systems to external stress perturbations and have implications for studying the triggering and modulation of volcanic eruptions by external forces.

Southeast Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Facilities Improvements Project and Geysers Effluent Pipeline Project. Draft EIR/EIS, Volume 2 of 2: Appendices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The Southeast Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (SERWTP) Facilities Improvement Plan and Geysers Effluent Pipeline and Effluent Injection Project are proposed as a plan to provide expanded wastewater treatment capabilities and to dispose of the effluent by injection in The Geysers geothermal field for purposes of power production. The project is located predominantly in the County of Lake, California, and also in part of Sonoma County. The plan includes various conventional facilities improvements in wastewater treatment to a secondary level of treatment at the SWERWTP. The plan includes facilities to convey the treated effluent in a 26-mile, 24-inch inside diameter pipeline to the Southeast Geysers. The wastewater from the SERWTP would be supplemented by raw lake water diverted from nearby Clear Lake. At The Geysers, the effluent would be directed into a system of distribution lines to wells. In the geothermal reservoir, the water will be converted to steam and collected in production wells that will direct the steam to six existing power plants. This document is a summary of a combined full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The EIR/EIS describes the environmental impacts of the various components of the project. Mitigation measures are suggested for reducing impacts to a less than significant level. This report contains appendices A and B. Appendix A contains notices of preparation/notices of intent and EIR/EIS scoping comments. Appendix B contains GeothermEx, Inc., analysis of Geothermal Reservoir Effects and Induced Seismicity

Anatomy of Old Faithful from subsurface seismic imaging of the Yellowstone Upper Geyser Basin

KAUST Repository

Wu, Sin-Mei; Ward, Kevin M.; Farrell, Jamie; Lin, Fan-Chi; Karplus, Marianne; Smith, Robert B.

2017-01-01

The Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park contains one of the highest concentrations of hydrothermal features on Earth including the iconic Old Faithful geyser. Although this system has been the focus of many geological, geochemical

Santa Rosa Geysers Recharge Project: GEO-98-001. Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brauner, Edwin Jr.; Carlson, Daniel C.

2002-10-01

The Geysers steamfields in northern Sonoma County have produced reliable ''green'' power for many years. An impediment to long-term continued production has been the ability to provide a reliable source of injection water to replace water extracted and lost in the form of steam. The steamfield operators have historcially used cooling towers to recycle a small portion of the steam and have collected water during the winter months using stream extraction. These two sources, however, could not by themselves sustain the steamfield in the long term. The Lake County Reclaimed Water Project (SEGEP) was inititated in 1997 and provides another source of steamfield replenishment water. The Santa Rosa Geysers Recharge Project provides another significant step in replenishing the steamfield. In addition, the Santa Rosa Geysers Recharge Project has been built with capacity to potentially meet virtually all injection water requirements, when combined with these other sources. Figure 2.1 graphically depicts the combination of injection sources.

Red Geyser: A New Class of Galaxy with Large-scale AGN-driven Winds

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Namrata; Bundy, Kevin; Cheung, Edmond; MaNGA Team

2018-01-01

A new class of quiescent (non-star-forming) galaxies harboring possible AGN-driven winds have been discovered using the spatially resolved optical spectroscopy from the ongoing SDSS-IV MaNGA (Sloan Digital Sky Survey-IV Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory) survey. These galaxies named "red geysers" constitute 5%-10% of the local quiescent galaxy population and are characterized by narrow bisymmetric ionized gas emission patterns. These enhanced patterns are seen in equivalent width maps of Hα, [OIII] and other strong emission lines. They are co-aligned with the ionized gas velocity gradients but significantly misaligned with stellar velocity gradients. They also show very high gas velocity dispersions (~200 km/s). Considering these observations in light of models of the gravitational potential, Cheung et al. argued that red geysers host large-scale AGN-driven winds of ionized gas that may play a role in suppressing star formation at late times. In this work, we test the hypothesis that AGN activity is ultimately responsible for the red geyser phenomenon. We compare the nuclear radio activity of the red geysers to a matched control sample of galaxies of similar stellar mass, redshift, rest frame NUV–r color and axis ratio. and additionally, control for the presence of ionized gas. We have used 1.4 GHz radio continuum data from the VLA FIRST Survey to stack the radio flux from the red geyser sample and control sample. We find that the red geysers have a higher average radio flux than the control galaxies at > 3σ significance. Our sample is restricted to rest-frame NUV–r color > 5, thus ruling out possible radio emission due to star formation activity. We conclude that red geysers are associated with more active AGN, supporting a feedback picture in which episodic AGN activity drives large-scale but relatively weak ionized winds in many in many early-type galaxies.

Imaging Seismic Source Variations Using Back-Projection Methods at El Tatio Geyser Field, Northern Chile

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, C. L.; Lawrence, J. F.

2014-12-01

During October 2012, 51 geophones and 6 broadband seismometers were deployed in an ~50x50m region surrounding a periodically erupting columnar geyser in the El Tatio Geyser Field, Chile. The dense array served as the seismic framework for a collaborative project to study the mechanics of complex hydrothermal systems. Contemporaneously, complementary geophysical measurements (including down-hole temperature and pressure, discharge rates, thermal imaging, water chemistry, and video) were also collected. Located on the western flanks of the Andes Mountains at an elevation of 4200m, El Tatio is the third largest geyser field in the world. Its non-pristine condition makes it an ideal location to perform minutely invasive geophysical studies. The El Jefe Geyser was chosen for its easily accessible conduit and extremely periodic eruption cycle (~120s). During approximately 2 weeks of continuous recording, we recorded ~2500 nighttime eruptions which lack cultural noise from tourism. With ample data, we aim to study how the source varies spatially and temporally during each phase of the geyser's eruption cycle. We are developing a new back-projection processing technique to improve source imaging for diffuse signals. Our method was previously applied to the Sierra Negra Volcano system, which also exhibits repeating harmonic and diffuse seismic sources. We back-project correlated seismic signals from the receivers back to their sources, assuming linear source to receiver paths and a known velocity model (obtained from ambient noise tomography). We apply polarization filters to isolate individual and concurrent geyser energy associated with P and S phases. We generate 4D, time-lapsed images of the geyser source field that illustrate how the source distribution changes through the eruption cycle. We compare images for pre-eruption, co-eruption, post-eruption and quiescent periods. We use our images to assess eruption mechanics in the system (i.e. top-down vs. bottom-up) and

Physical interpretation of geysering phenomena and periodic boiling instability at low flows

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duffey, R.B.; Rohatgi, U.S.

1996-01-01

Over 30 years ago, Griffith showed that unstable and periodic initial boiling occurred in stagnant liquids in heated pipes coupled to a cooler or condensing plenum volume. This was called ''geysering'', and is a similar phenomenon to the rapid nucleation and voiding observed in tubes filled with superheated liquid. It is also called ''bumping'' when non-uniformly heated water or a chemical suddenly boils in laboratory glassware. In engineering, the stability and predictability has importance to the onset of bulk boiling in a natural and forced circulation loops. The latest available data show the observed stability and periodicity of the onset of boiling flow when there is a plenum, multiple heated channels, and a sustained subcooling in a circulating loop. We examine the available data, both old and new, and develop a new theory to illustrate the simple physics causing the observed periodicity of the flow. We examine the validity of the theory by comparison to all the geysering data, and develop a useful and simple correlation. We illustrate the equivalence of the onset of geysering to the onset of static instability in subcooled boiling. We also derive the stability boundary for geysering, utilizing turbulent transport analysis to determine the effects of pressure and other key parameters. This new result explains the greater stability region observed at higher pressures. The paper builds on the 30 years of quite independent thermal hydraulic work that is still fresh and useful today. We discuss the physical interpretation of geysering onset with a consistent theory, and show where refinements would be useful to the data correlations

Anatomy of Old Faithful from subsurface seismic imaging of the Yellowstone Upper Geyser Basin

KAUST Repository

Wu, Sin-Mei

2017-10-03

The Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park contains one of the highest concentrations of hydrothermal features on Earth including the iconic Old Faithful geyser. Although this system has been the focus of many geological, geochemical, and geophysical studies for decades, the shallow (<200 m) subsurface structure remains poorly characterized. To investigate the detailed subsurface geologic structure including the hydrothermal plumbing of the Upper Geyser Basin, we deployed an array of densely spaced three-component nodal seismographs in November of 2015. In this study, we extract Rayleigh-wave seismic signals between 1-10 Hz utilizing non-diffusive seismic waves excited by nearby active hydrothermal features with the following results. 1) imaging the shallow subsurface structure by utilizing stationary hydrothermal activity as a seismic source, 2) characterizing how local geologic conditions control the formation and location of the Old Faithful hydrothermal system, and 3) resolving a relatively shallow (10-60 m) and large reservoir located ~100 m southwest of Old Faithful geyser.

Nuclear geyser model of the origin of life: Driving force to promote the synthesis of building blocks of life

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toshikazu Ebisuzaki

2017-03-01

Full Text Available We propose the nuclear geyser model to elucidate an optimal site to bear the first life. Our model overcomes the difficulties that previously proposed models have encountered. Nuclear geyser is a geyser driven by a natural nuclear reactor, which was likely common in the Hadean Earth, because of a much higher abundance of 235U as nuclear fuel. The nuclear geyser supplies the following: (1 high-density ionizing radiation to promote chemical chain reactions that even tar can be used for intermediate material to restart chemical reactions, (2 a system to maintain the circulation of material and energy, which includes cyclic environmental conditions (warm/cool, dry/wet, etc. to enable to produce complex organic compounds, (3 a lower temperature than 100 °C as not to break down macromolecular organic compounds, (4 a locally reductive environment depending on rock types exposed along the geyser wall, and (5 a container to confine and accumulate volatile chemicals. These five factors are the necessary conditions that the birth place of life must satisfy. Only the nuclear geyser can meet all five, in contrast to the previously proposed birth sites, such as tidal flat, submarine hydrothermal vent, and outer space. The nuclear reactor and associated geyser, which maintain the circulations of material and energy with its surrounding environment, are regarded as the nuclear geyser system that enables numerous kinds of chemical reactions to synthesize complex organic compounds, and where the most primitive metabolism could be generated.

Chemical analyses of waters from geysers, hot springs, and pools in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming from 1974 to 1978

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thompson, J.M.; Yadav, S.

1979-01-01

Waters from geysers, hot springs, and pools of Yellowstone National Park have been analyzed. We report 422 complete major ion analyses from 330 different locations of geysers, hot springs, and pools, collected from 1974 to 1978. Many of the analyses from Upper, Midway, Lower, and Norris Geyser Basin are recollections of features previously reported.

Testing for the 'predictability' of dynamically triggered earthquakes in The Geysers geothermal field

Science.gov (United States)

Aiken, Chastity; Meng, Xiaofeng; Hardebeck, Jeanne

2018-03-01

The Geysers geothermal field is well known for being susceptible to dynamic triggering of earthquakes by large distant earthquakes, owing to the introduction of fluids for energy production. Yet, it is unknown if dynamic triggering of earthquakes is 'predictable' or whether dynamic triggering could lead to a potential hazard for energy production. In this paper, our goal is to investigate the characteristics of triggering and the physical conditions that promote triggering to determine whether or not triggering is in anyway foreseeable. We find that, at present, triggering in The Geysers is not easily 'predictable' in terms of when and where based on observable physical conditions. However, triggered earthquake magnitude positively correlates with peak imparted dynamic stress, and larger dynamic stresses tend to trigger sequences similar to mainshock-aftershock sequences. Thus, we may be able to 'predict' what size earthquakes to expect at The Geysers following a large distant earthquake.

The enthalpy of the heat-carrying fluids and the energy of eruption of velican geyser, Kamchatka, U.S.S.R.

Science.gov (United States)

Steinberg, G. S.

1980-10-01

The enthalphy of the heat carrying fluids liquid water or mixture of water plus steam) which feeds the biggest Kamchatka geyser, Velican is obtained from the critical quantity of heat Q critical, which is the net heat lost during the previous eruption and must be resupplied (stored) to trigger the next eruption. There are two unknowns in the heat balance equation for the geyser that cannot be determined from observations on the geyser in its natural state: critical and the enthalpy of the heat-carrying fluids Io. In order to obtain a system of two equations for unambiguous determination of these parameters, we made temporary physical changes that affected the natural interval between geyser eruptions and constructed the heat balance equations for the different regimes (i.e., natural and induced intervals). The changes in interval of Velican geyser were achieved by changing the area of its surface pool, using dams. For geysers with large surface pool areas, the heat loss from the surface (mainly through evaporation) is of the same order and sometimes larger than the losses from discharge of hot water. The change of surface pool area for Velican geyser from 12 m 2 (in natural state) to 4.5 and 36.7 m 2 in experiments leads to changes of its interval from an average of 5 hours and 35 minutes in natural state to 4 hours and 59 minutes and 8 hours and 8 minutes, respectively. From the three independent equations of heat balance we obtained three sets cf values for the enthalpy, Io and the critical energy, Q critical, which differ from each other by less than 1%: Io= 176 kcal/kg ∗, Q critical = 3.78 × 10 6 kcal. The interval between eruptions of Velican geyser tends to change linearly with vent area (within our experimental range). The range or interval values (the difference between maximal and minimal periods) also depends linearly on vent area. These two systematics are due to the facts that the increase of vent surface area causes increased heat loss by

Testing for the ‘predictability’ of dynamically triggered earthquakes in Geysers Geothermal Field

Science.gov (United States)

Aiken, Chastity; Meng, Xiaofeng; Hardebeck, Jeanne L.

2018-01-01

The Geysers geothermal field is well known for being susceptible to dynamic triggering of earthquakes by large distant earthquakes, owing to the introduction of fluids for energy production. Yet, it is unknown if dynamic triggering of earthquakes is ‘predictable’ or whether dynamic triggering could lead to a potential hazard for energy production. In this paper, our goal is to investigate the characteristics of triggering and the physical conditions that promote triggering to determine whether or not triggering is in anyway foreseeable. We find that, at present, triggering in The Geysers is not easily ‘predictable’ in terms of when and where based on observable physical conditions. However, triggered earthquake magnitude positively correlates with peak imparted dynamic stress, and larger dynamic stresses tend to trigger sequences similar to mainshock–aftershock sequences. Thus, we may be able to ‘predict’ what size earthquakes to expect at The Geysers following a large distant earthquake.

Cumulative biological impacts of The Geysers geothermal development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brownell, J.A.

1981-10-01

The cumulative nature of current and potential future biological impacts from full geothermal development in the steam-dominated portion of The Geysers-Calistoga KGRA are identified by the California Energy Commission staff. Vegetation, wildlife, and aquatic resources information have been reviewed and evaluated. Impacts and their significance are discussed and staff recommendations presented. Development of 3000 MW of electrical energy will result in direct vegetation losses of 2790 acres, based on an estimate of 11.5% loss per lease-hold of 0.93 acres/MW. If unmitigated, losses will be greater. Indirect vegetation losses and damage occur from steam emissions which contain elements (particularly boron) toxic to vegetation. Other potential impacts include chronic low-level boron exposure, acid rain, local climate modification, and mechanical damage. A potential exists for significant reduction and changes in wildlife from direct habitat loss and development influences. Highly erosive soils create the potential for significant reduction of aquatic resources, particularly game fish. Toxic spills have caused some temporary losses of aquatic species. Staff recommends monitoring and implementation of mitigation measures at all geothermal development stages.

Compilation of gas geochemistry and isotopic analyses from The Geysers geothermal field: 1978-1991

Science.gov (United States)

Lowenstern, Jacob B.; Janik, Cathy; Fahlquist, Lynne; Johnson, Linda S.

1999-01-01

We present 45 chemical and isotopic analyses from well discharges at The Geysers geothermal field and summarize the most notable geochemical trends. H2 and H2S concentrations are highest in the Southeast Geysers, where steam samples have δD and δ18O values that reflect replenishment by meteoric water. In the Northwest Geysers, samples are enriched in gas/steam, CO2, CH4, and N2/Ar relative to the rest of the field, and contain steam that is elevated in δD and δ18O, most likely due to substantial contributions from Franciscan-derived fluids. The δ13C of CO2, trends in CH4 vs. N2, and abundance of NH3 indicate that the bulk of the non-condensable gases are derived from thermal breakdown of organic materials in Franciscan meta-sediments.

Selecting, engineering and constructing drilling sites at the Geysers geothermal field. Geysers chinetsu ryoiki ni okeru kussaku shikichi no sentei engineering kochiku

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-04-01

This paper describes some examples of selection, engineering and construction of drilling sites at the Geysers geothermal field in the northern district of California State. Steep landform, thin-layered soil and violent rainfall create unstable conditions bringing about numerous landslide in the field. Selection of a well drilling site appropriate in such conditions is started by analyzing the aerial photographs by technical staff. After site selection, prospecting and soil test are conducted and a working plan in the well site is decided to prepare engineering drawings. In the construction, land preparation, the open-cutting of base-line trench, etc. are carried out. The base-line trench is a large and sufficiently deep one which is open-cut to the front end or the middle of the bottom part of the well plateau. The final construction work is to build a leading casing for interpolating cementing. The well site construction in the Geysers geothermal field is done in consideration of protecting human life, health and properties. 1 fig.

The Geysers-Clear Lake geothermal area, California - an updated geophysical perspective of heat sources

Science.gov (United States)

Stanley, W.D.; Blakely, R.J.

1995-01-01

The Geysers-Clear Lake geothermal area encompasses a large dry-steam production area in The Geysers field and a documented high-temperature, high-pressure, water-dominated system in the area largely south of Clear Lake, which has not been developed. An updated view is presented of the geological/geophysical complexities of the crust in this region in order to address key unanswered questions about the heat source and tectonics. Forward modeling, multidimensional inversions, and ideal body analysis of the gravity data, new electromagnetic sounding models, and arguments made from other geophysical data sets suggest that many of the geophysical anomalies have significant contributions from rock property and physical state variations in the upper 7 km and not from "magma' at greater depths. Regional tectonic and magmatic processes are analyzed to develop an updated scenario for pluton emplacement that differs substantially from earlier interpretations. In addition, a rationale is outlined for future exploration for geothermal resources in The Geysers-Clear Lake area. -from Authors

Partitioning geochemistry of arsenic and antimony, El Tatio Geyser Field, Chile

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Landrum, J.T. [Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas, Austin, TX 78759 (United States); Bennett, P.C., E-mail: pbennett@mail.utexas.edu [Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78759 (United States); Engel, A.S. [Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 (United States); Alsina, M.A.; Pasten, P.A. [Departamento de Ingenieria Hidraulica y Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago (Chile); Milliken, K. [Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78759 (United States)

2009-04-15

The abundance of As and Sb in aqueous, mineral and biological reservoirs was examined at El Tatio Geyser Field, a unique hydrothermal basin located in the Atacama Desert region of Chile. Here the concentration of total As and Sb in hydrothermal springs and discharge streams are the highest reported for a natural surface water, and the geyser basin represents a significant source of toxic elements for downstream users across Region II, Chile. The geyser waters are near neutral Na:Cl type with {approx}0.45 and 0.021 mmol L{sup -1} total As and Sb, respectively, primarily in the reduced (III) redox state at the discharge with progressive oxidation downstream. The ferric oxyhydroxides associated with the microbial mats and some mineral precipitates accumulate substantial As that was identified as arsenate by XAS analysis (>10 wt% in the mats). This As is easily mobilized by anion exchange or mild dissolution of the HFO, and the ubiquitous microbial mats represent a significant reservoir of As in this system. Antimony, in contrast, is not associated with the mineral ferric oxides or the biomats, but is substantially enriched in the silica matrix of the geyserite precipitates, up to 2 wt% as Sb{sub 2}O{sub 3}. Understanding the mobility and partitioning behavior of these metalloids is critical for understanding their eventual impact on regional water management.

MOSCAB. A geyser-concept bubble chamber to be used in a dark matter search

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Antonicci, A.; Bertoni, R.; Mazza, R. [INFN, Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Milan (Italy); Ardid, M. [Universitat Politecnica de Valencia Camino de Vera, Valencia (Spain); Bruno, G. [LNGS, INFN, Assergi (L' Aquila) (Italy); Burgio, N.; Santagata, A. [ENEA, Centro Ricerche Casaccia, Rome (Italy); Caruso, G.; Frullini, M.; Ricci, E. [Sapienza Universita di Roma, DIAEE, Rome (Italy); Cattaneo, D. [Universita di Milano-Bicocca, Dipt. di Informatica Sistemistica e Comunicazione, Milan (Italy); Chignoli, F.; Clemenza, M.; Lucchini, G.; Pullia, A.; Zanotti, L. [INFN, Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Milan (Italy); Universita di Milano-Bicocca, Dipt. di Fisica, Milan (Italy); Corcione, M.; Quintino, A. [Sapienza Universita di Roma, DIAEE, Rome (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Roma La Sapienza, Rome (Italy); Cretara, L. [Sapienza Universita di Roma, DIAEE, Rome (Italy); Cundy, D. [Universita di Milano-Bicocca, Dipt. di Fisica, Milan (Italy); CERN, Geneva (Switzerland); Felis, I. [Universitat Politecnica de Valencia Camino de Vera, Valencia (Spain); Fulgione, W. [LNGS, INFN, Assergi (L' Aquila) (Italy); INAF, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, Turin, Pino Torinese (Italy); Manara, L. [INFN, Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Milan (Italy); Universita di Milano-Bicocca, Dipt. di Fisica, Milan (Italy); Maspero, M. [INFN, Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Milan (Italy); Universita di Milano-Bicocca, DISAT, Milan (Italy); Papagni, A. [INFN, Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Milan (Italy); Universita di Milano-Bicocca, Dipt. di Scienza dei Materiali, Milan (Italy); Perego, M. [INFN, Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Milan (Italy); LNGS, INFN, Assergi (L' Aquila) (Italy); Podviyanuk, R. [LNGS, INFN, Assergi (L' Aquila) (Italy); Redaelli, N. [INFN, Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Milan (Italy); Sorrenti, D. [INFN, Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Milan (Italy); Universita di Milano-Bicocca, Dipt. di Informatica Sistemistica e Comunicazione, Milan (Italy); Collaboration: The MOSCAB Collaboration

2017-11-15

The MOSCAB experiment (Materia OSCura A Bolle) uses the ''geyser technique'', a variant of the superheated liquid technique of extreme simplicity. Operating principles of the new dark matter detector and technical solutions of the device are reported in detail. First results obtained in a series of test runs taken in laboratory demonstrate that we have successfully built and tested a geyser-concept bubble chamber that can be used in particle physics, especially in dark matter searches, and that we are ready to move underground for extensive data taking. (orig.)

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Letter Project Advance Directive to Traditional Advance Directive.

Science.gov (United States)

Periyakoil, Vyjeyanthi S; Neri, Eric; Kraemer, Helena

2017-09-01

Simpler alternatives to traditional advance directives that are easy to understand and available in multiple formats and can be initiated by patients and families will help facilitate advance care planning. The goal of this study was to compare the acceptability of the letter advance directive (LAD) to the traditional advance directive (TAD) of the state of California. A web-based, randomized controlled trial was conducted, in which the participants were randomized to one of two types of advance directives (ADs): the LAD (intervention) or the TAD (control). Primary outcomes were participant ratings of the ease, value, and their level of comfort in the AD document they completed. A total of 400 participants completed the study, with 216 randomized to the LAD and 184 to the TAD by a computerized algorithm. Overall, participants preferred the LAD to the TAD (success rate difference [SRD] = 0.46, 95th percentile confidence interval [CI]: 0.36-0.56, p advance directive to be a better alternative to the traditional advance directive form.

Monitoring and Characterizing the Geysering and Seismic Activity at the Lusi Mud Eruption Site, East Java, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Karyono, Karyono; Obermann, Anne; Mazzini, Adriano; Lupi, Matteo; Syafri, Ildrem; Abdurrokhim, Abdurrokhim; Masturyono, Masturyono; Hadi, Soffian

2016-04-01

The Lusi eruption began on May 29, 2006 in the northeast of Java Island, Indonesia, and to date is still active. Lusi is a newborn sedimentary-hosted hydrothermal system characterized by continuous expulsion of liquefied mud and breccias and geysering activity. Lusi is located upon the Watukosek fault system, a left lateral wrench system connecting the volcanic arc and the bakarc basin. This fault system is still periodically reactivated as shown by field data. In the framework of the Lusi Lab project (ERC grant n° 308126) we conducted several types of monitoring. Based on camera observations, we characterized the Lusi erupting activity by four main behaviors occurring cyclically: (1) Regular activity, which consists in the constant emission of water and mud breccias (i.e. viscous mud containing clay, silt, sand and clasts) associated with the constant expulsion of gas (mainly aqueous vapor with minor amounts of CO2 and CH4) (2) Geysering phase with intense bubbling, consisting in reduced vapor emission and more powerful bursting events that do not seem to have a regular pattern. (3) Geysering phase with intense vapor and degassing discharge and a typically dense plume that propagates up to 100 m height. (4) Quiescent phase marking the end of the geysering activity (and the observed cycle) with no gas emissions or bursts observed. To investigate the possible seismic activity beneath Lusi and the mechanisms controlling the Lusi pulsating behaviour, we deployed a network of 5 seismic stations and a HD camera around the Lusi crater. We characterize the observed types of seismic activity as tremor and volcano-tectonic events. Lusi tremor events occur in 5-10 Hz frequency band, while volcano tectonic events are abundant in the high frequencies range from 5 Hz until 25 Hz. We coupled the seismic monitoring with the images collected with the HD camera to study the correlation between the seismic tremor and the different phases of the geysering activity. Key words: Lusi

Resource, technology, and environment at the geysers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weres, O.; Tsao, K.; Wood, B.

1977-06-01

A general review, description, and history of geothermal development at the Geysers is presented. Particular emphasis is placed on environmental impacts of development of the area. The discussion is presented under the following chapter titles: introduction; energy, enthalpy and the First Law; vapor-producing geothermal reservoirs--review and models; geothermal; entropy and the Second Law; power plants--basics; H/sub 2/S emissions; hydrogen sulfide--possible health effects and odor; other emissions; power plant hydrogen sulfide abatement; hot water based geothermal development; phytotoxicity of geothermal emissions; appendices; and bibliography. (JGB)

How the geysers, tidal stresses, and thermal emission across the south polar terrain of enceladus are related

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porco, Carolyn; DiNino, Daiana; Nimmo, Francis

2014-01-01

We present the first comprehensive examination of the geysering, tidal stresses, and anomalous thermal emission across the south pole of Enceladus and discuss the implications for the moon's thermal history and interior structure. A 6.5 yr survey of the moon's south polar terrain (SPT) by the Cassini imaging experiment has located ∼100 jets or geysers erupting from four prominent fractures crossing the region. Comparing these results with predictions of diurnally varying tidal stresses and with Cassini low resolution thermal maps shows that all three phenomena are spatially correlated. The coincidence of individual jets with very small (∼10 m) hot spots detected in high resolution Cassini VIMS data strongly suggests that the heat accompanying the geysers is not produced by shearing in the upper brittle layer but rather is transported, in the form of latent heat, from a sub-ice-shell sea of liquid water, with vapor condensing on the near-surface walls of the fractures. Normal stresses modulate the geysering activity, as shown in the accompanying paper; we demonstrate here they are capable of opening water-filled cracks all the way down to the sea. If Enceladus' eccentricity and heat production are in steady state today, the currently erupting material and anomalous heat must have been produced in an earlier epoch. If regional tidal heating is occurring today, it may be responsible for some of the erupting water and heat. Future Cassini observations may settle the question.

Law, autonomy and advance directives.

Science.gov (United States)

Willmott, Lindy; White, Ben; Mathews, Ben

2010-12-01

The principle of autonomy underpins legal regulation of advance directives that refuse life-sustaining medical treatment. The primacy of autonomy in this domain is recognised expressly in the case law, through judicial pronouncement, and implicitly in most Australian jurisdictions, through enactment into statute of the right to make an advance directive. This article seeks to justify autonomy as an appropriate principle for regulating advance directives and relies on three arguments: the necessity of autonomy in a liberal democracy; the primacy of autonomy in medical ethics discourse; and the uncontested importance of autonomy in the law on contemporaneous refusal of medical treatment. This article also responds to key criticisms that autonomy is not an appropriate organising principle to underpin legal regulation of advance directives.

Low-Q structure beneath The Geysers area in the northern California

Science.gov (United States)

Matsubara, M.

2010-12-01

A large reservoir is located beneath The Geysers geothermal area, northern California. Seismic tomography revealed high-velocity (high-V) and low-Vp/Vs zones in the reservoir (Julian et al., 1996) and a decrease of Vp/Vs from 1991 to 1998 (Guasekera et al., 2003) due to withdrawal of steam from the reservoir. I build on these earlier studies by performing the attenuation tomography in this region to investigate the Q structure. The target region, 38.5-39.0°N and 122.5-123°W, covers The Geysers area. I use seismographs of Northern California Earthquake Data Center, which recorded 1235 earthquakes with magnitude larger than 2.0 and resolved focal mechanisms from 2002 to 2008. The band-pass filtered seismographs are analyzed for collecting the maximum amplitude data. Three kinds of Butterworth band-pass filters, such as 1-3, 3-7, and 7-15, correspond to the analysis of the Q structure for 2, 5, and 10 Hz, respectively. I use the P- and S-wave maximum amplitudes between the two seconds after the arrival of those waves in order to avoid the effects by coda. A total of 8980 P- and 1086 S-wave amplitude data for 949 earthquakes recorded at 48 stations are available for the analysis using the attenuation tomographic method (Zao et al., 1996). Extremely low-Qp and Qs zones are found at the northwestern (NW) of The Geysers area at sea level. These zones are consistent with the high-Vp and Vs and low-Vp/Vs zones located at the NW part of the reservoir. The low-Qs zone extends to the southeast (SE) and with approximately 15 km length and 5 km width and has another negative peak beneath the SE part of the reservoir. This low-Qs zone is also consistent with the high-Vp and Vs regions of the reservoir characterized by a low-Vp/Vs zone. However, Qp in the SE part is slightly high. Below sea level in The Geysers reservoir, there are a main greywacke layer and a felsite layer. Above sea level, there is a greenstone melange beneath the NW extremely low-Qp and Qs region and a

Magnitude and Rupture Area Scaling Relationships of Seismicity at The Northwest Geysers EGS Demonstration Project

Science.gov (United States)

Dreger, D. S.; Boyd, O. S.; Taira, T.; Gritto, R.

2017-12-01

Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) resource development requires knowledge of subsurface physical parameters to quantify the evolution of fracture networks. Spatio-temporal source properties, including source dimension, rupture area, slip, rupture speed, and slip velocity of induced seismicity are of interest at The Geysers geothermal field, northern California to map the coseismic facture density of the EGS swarm. In this investigation we extend our previous finite-source analysis of selected M>4 earthquakes to examine source properties of smaller magnitude seismicity located in the Northwest Geysers Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) demonstration project. Moment rate time histories of the source are found using empirical Green's function (eGf) deconvolution using the method of Mori (1993) as implemented by Dreger et al. (2007). The moment rate functions (MRFs) from data recorded using the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) short-period geophone network are inverted for finite-source parameters including the spatial distribution of fault slip, rupture velocity, and the orientation of the causative fault plane. The results show complexity in the MRF for the studied earthquakes. Thus far the estimated rupture area and the magnitude-area trend of the smaller magnitude Geysers seismicity is found to agree with the empirical relationships of Wells and Coppersmith (1994) and Leonard (2010), which were developed for much larger M>5.5 earthquakes worldwide indicating self-similar behavior extending to M2 earthquakes. We will present finite-source inversion results of the micro-earthquakes, attempting to extend the analysis to sub Mw, and demonstrate their magnitude-area scaling. The extension of the scaling laws will then enable the mapping of coseismic fracture density of the EGS swarm in the Northwest Geysers based on catalog moment magnitude estimates.

Eruptions at Lone Star Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, USA, part 1: energetics and eruption dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Karlstrom, Leif; Hurwitz, Shaul; Sohn, Robert; Vandemeulebrouck, Jean; Murphy, Fred; Rudolph, Maxwell L.; Johnston, Malcolm J.S.; Manga, Michael; McCleskey, R. Blaine

2013-01-01

Geysers provide a natural laboratory to study multiphase eruptive processes. We present results from a four–day experiment at Lone Star Geyser in Yellowstone National Park, USA. We simultaneously measured water discharge, acoustic emissions, infraredintensity, and visible and infrared video to quantify the energetics and dynamics of eruptions, occurring approximately every three hours. We define four phases in the eruption cycle: 1) a 28 ± 3 minute phase with liquid and steam fountaining, with maximum jet velocities of 16–28 m s− 1, steam mass fraction of less than ∼ 0.01. Intermittently choked flow and flow oscillations with periods increasing from 20 to 40 s are coincident with a decrease in jet velocity and an increase of steam fraction; 2) a 26 ± 8 minute post–eruption relaxation phase with no discharge from the vent, infrared (IR) and acoustic power oscillations gliding between 30 and 40 s; 3) a 59 ± 13 minute recharge period during which the geyser is quiescent and progressively refills, and 4) a 69 ± 14 minute pre–play period characterized by a series of 5–10 minute–long pulses of steam, small volumes of liquid water discharge and 50–70 s flow oscillations. The erupted waters ascend froma 160 − 170° C reservoir and the volume discharged during the entire eruptive cycle is 20.8 ± 4.1 m3. Assuming isentropic expansion, we calculate a heat output from the geyser of 1.4–1.5 MW, which is < 0.1% of the total heat output from Yellowstone Caldera.

Psychiatric Advance Directives: Getting Started

Science.gov (United States)

... News Legal Issues Search for: About PADs A psychiatric advance directive (PAD) is a legal document that ... decisions during a mental health crisis. Getting Started Psychiatric advance directives (PADs) are relatively new legal instruments ...

Real-time Remote Data Online For Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, J. E.; Lowenstern, J. B.; Clor, L.; Cervelli, P. F.; Allen, S. T.; Heasler, H.; Moloney, T.

2010-12-01

Perry, John, Lowenstern, Jacob, Cervelli, Peter, Clor, Laura, Heasler, Henry, Allen, Scott, Moloney, Tim During June 2010, ten 900MHz wireless temperature data loggers (nodes) were installed around the Norris Geyser Basin to monitor geothermal features, streams and soil temperatures. The loggers can provide near real-time updates on temperature variations within 0.2 deg C due to hydrothermal discharges or subsurface fluid migration. Each sensor node is programmed to measure the temperature every two minutes and automatically upload data to the base station computer daily. The hardware consists of a waterproof case containing an M5 logger (made by Marathon Products, Inc.®) with internal memory, lithium D-cell batteries and a 900 MHz, 1-W-transceiver and 5 meter long Teflon-coated probe with a thermistor sensor. Tethered stub or panel antennas are oriented to optimize signal strength to the base station near the Norris Museum. A 0.61 meter-long base-station antenna located 10m high provides signal to the furthest node over 850 meters away with most being “line-of-sight”. A 20-meter coaxial cable and lightning grounding wire connects the base-station antenna to an Ethernet-radio connected to the YNP local-area network. A server located 26-km north at Mammoth Hot Springs requests data at regular intervals (normally daily), archives the information, and then sends it to the USGS for further archiving and internet distribution. During periods of unusual hydrothermal behavior, data can be requested as needed, and it is possible to set user-programmable alarm limits for notification. The RF network is designed to monitor changes from three different sub-basins at Norris (Gray Lakes, Steamboat-Echinus and Porcelain Basin), the main Tantalus Creek drainage, and five individual thermal features (Constant, Porkchop, Steamboat and Echinus Geysers, and Opalescent Spring). The logger installed in Nuphar Lake provides ambient temperatures controlled solely by local

Development of an Enhanced Two-Phase Production System at the Geysers Geothermal Field; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steven Enedy

2001-01-01

A method was developed to enhance geothermal steam production from two-phase wells at THE Geysers Geothermal Field. The beneficial result was increased geothermal production that was easily and economically delivered to the power plant

Local population impacts of geothermal energy development in the Geysers: Calistoga region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haven, K.F.; Berg, V.; Ladson, Y.W.

1980-09-01

The country-level population increase implications of two long-term geothermal development scenarios for the Geysers region in California are addressed. This region is defined to include the counties of Lake, Sonoma, Mendocino and Napa, all four in northern California. The development scenarios include two components: development for electrical energy production and direct use applications. Electrical production scenarios are derived by incorporating current development patterns into previous development scenarios by both industry and research organizations. The scenarios are made county-specific, specific to the type of geothermal system constructed, and are projected through the year 2000. Separate high growth rate and low growth rate scenarios are developed, based on a set of specified assumptions. Direct use scenarios are estimated from the nature of the available resource, existing local economic and demographic patterns, and available experience with various separate direct use options. From the composite development scenarios, required numbers of direct and indirect employees and the resultant in-migration patterns are estimated. In-migration patterns are compared to current county level population and ongoing trends in the county population change for each of the four counties. From this comparison, conclusions are drawn concerning the contributions of geothermal resource development to future population levels and the significance of geothermally induced population increase from a county planning perspective.

Seismic velocity structure and microearthquake source properties at The Geysers, California, geothermal area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Connell, D.R.

1986-12-01

The method of progressive hypocenter-velocity inversion has been extended to incorporate S-wave arrival time data and to estimate S-wave velocities in addition to P-wave velocities. S-wave data to progressive inversion does not completely eliminate hypocenter-velocity tradeoffs, but they are substantially reduced. Results of a P and S-wave progressive hypocenter-velocity inversion at The Geysers show that the top of the steam reservoir is clearly defined by a large decrease of V/sub p//V/sub s/ at the condensation zone-production zone contact. The depth interval of maximum steam production coincides with minimum observed V/sub p//V/sub s/, and V/sub p//V/sub s/ increses below the shallow primary production zone suggesting that reservoir rock becomes more fluid saturated. The moment tensor inversion method was applied to three microearthquakes at The Geysers. Estimated principal stress orientations were comparable to those estimated using P-wave firstmotions as constraints. Well constrained principal stress orientations were obtained for one event for which the 17 P-first motions could not distinguish between normal-slip and strike-slip mechanisms. The moment tensor estimates of principal stress orientations were obtained using far fewer stations than required for first-motion focal mechanism solutions. The three focal mechanisms obtained here support the hypothesis that focal mechanisms are a function of depth at The Geysers. Progressive inversion as developed here and the moment tensor inversion method provide a complete approach for determining earthquake locations, P and S-wave velocity structure, and earthquake source mechanisms.

Eldercare at Home: Advanced Directives

Science.gov (United States)

... permanently? Helping the person fill out a living will (advance directive) A living will states a person's wishes about medical care if ... never be in a situation where another person will have to make decisions ... it is to have an advance directive. However, don't assume that your loved ...

Southeast Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Facilities Improvements Project and Geysers Effluent Pipeline Project. Draft EIR/EIS, Volume 1 of 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The primary focus of this environmental analysis is on improvements to the Southeast Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (SRWTP) facilities and disposal to the Geysers for injection. This analysis will be incorporated with an earlier EIR which evaluated system improvements to the SRWTP and twelve disposal alternatives. In July 1993, the Lake County Sanitation District Board of Directors (LACOSAN) selected the Geysers Effluent Pipeline as the preferred alternative to be analyzed in this EIR/EIS. This environmental analysis will primarily focus on improvements to the SRWTP facilities and a 24 inch pipeline designed to carry up to 5,400 gallons per minute of secondarily treated wastewater. The wastewater will be transported from the Lake County Sanitation District's Southeast Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, Middletown Wastewater Treatment Plant with additional make-up water from Clear Lake to the Southeast portion of the Geysers Geothermal Field in Lake and Sonoma Counties, California

Geologic research at the Geysers -- 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hulen, J.B.

1997-12-31

In response to the onset of field-wide pressure declines at The Geysers geothermal field in northern California the Department of Energy`s Geothermal Division in 1990 inaugurated sponsorship of a dedicated, multiyear research effort designed to mitigate the pressure drop and to allow steamfield operators to make more informed forecasts of steam supply and quality well into the 21st century. EGI and its predecessor, the University of Utah Research Institute, have from the onset been key participants in this important research effort. For example, utilizing fluid-inclusion and stable-isotopic methods, deciphered the field`s intricate magmatic-hydrothermal history. Hulen et al. (1991, 1992) and Hulen and Nielson (1995a) identified major textural and mineralogic differences between the productive steam reservoir and its relatively impermeable caprock.

Helium isotopes in geothermal systems: Iceland, The Geysers, Raft River and Steamboat Springs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torgersen, T.

1982-01-01

Helium isotope ratios have been measured in geothermal fluids from Iceland, The Geysers, Raft River, Steamboat Springs and Hawaii. These ratios have been interpreted in terms of the processes which supply He in distinct isotopic ratios and in terms of the processes which can alter the isotopic ratio. Using this interpretational scheme, Iceland is found to be an area of hot-spot magmatic He implying an active volcanic source although the data are suggestive of high-temperature weathering release of crustal He incorporated in the geothermal fluids. By comparison to fumarolic gases from Hawaii and Juan De Fuca and Cayman Trench basaltic glass samples, The Geysers contains MOR type magmatic He again implying an active volcanic source possibly a 'leaky' transform related to the San Andreas Fault System. Raft River contains only crustal He indicating no active volcanic sources. Steamboat Springs He isotope ratios are distinctly less than typical plate margin volcanics but must still have a magmatic source. (author)

The Time Variability of Individual Geysers in the Plume of Enceladus

Science.gov (United States)

Trumbo, S. K.; Ewald, S. P.; Ingersoll, A. P.

2016-12-01

Porco et al. (2014) [1] published the locations of 100 jets along the so-called "tiger stripes" that feed the massive plume of Enceladus. Hedman et al. (2013) [2] observed fluctuations in integrated plume brightness in response to periodic tidal forcing on the orbital timescale of Enceladus, in which the plume is brightest near apocenter and dimmest near pericenter. The thin crack models of Hurford et al. (2007, 2012) [3, 4] suggest that individual jets should respond to the same forces on similar timescales. However, if the jets are produced via vapor and liquid propagation through thin subterranean cracks, then they may also be controlled thermodynamically and dependent on the timescale of ice buildup on the conduit walls. Ingersoll and Ewald (2016) [5] demonstrate that the plume also varies on decadal timescales, perhaps as a result of an eleven-year tide or long-term ice accumulation within source cracks. We examine Cassini ISS Narrow Angle Camera images spanning 2005 - 2012 in order to assess the temporal variability of individual geysers and regional emission in the plume. We observe both the appearance and disappearance of individual jets, as well as visible changes in regional emission. Our observations suggest localized variations on timescales of months to years that are not easily tied to mean anomaly, but that may be indicative of subsurface processes. Theoretical models of the geyser mechanisms and subsurface plumbing predict closure timescales of individual cracks that are dependent on model parameters, such as crack width, crack tortuosity, and water table depth [6, 7, 8]. Thus, we discuss possible implications of these observations for both the mechanism and anatomy of an Enceladus geyser. [1] Porco et al. (2014), AJ, 148, 3. [2] Hedman et al. (2013), Nature, 500, 182 - 184. [3] Hurford et al. (2007), Nature, 447, 292 - 294. [4] Hurford et al. (2012), Icarus, 220, 896 - 903. [5] Ingersoll and Ewald (2016), Icarus, in review. [6] Ingersoll and

Advance directives: survey of primary care patients.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Sullivan, Rory; Mailo, Kevin; Angeles, Ricardo; Agarwal, Gina

2015-04-01

To establish the prevalence of patients with advance directives in a family practice, and to describe patients' perspectives on a family doctor's role in initiating discussions about advance directives. A self-administered patient questionnaire. A busy urban family medicine teaching clinic in Hamilton, Ont. A convenience sample of adult patients attending the clinic over the course of a typical business week. The prevalence of advance directives in the patient population was determined, and the patients' expectations regarding the role of their family doctors were elucidated. The survey population consisted of 800 participants (a response rate of 72.5%) well distributed across age groups; 19.7% had written advance directives and 43.8% had previously discussed the topic of advance directives, but only 4.3% of these discussions had occurred with family doctors. In 5.7% of cases, a family physician had raised the issue; 72.3% of respondents believed patients should initiate the discussion. Patients who considered advance directives extremely important were significantly more likely to want their family doctors to start the conversation (odds ratio 3.98; P < .05). Advance directives were not routinely addressed in the family practice. Most patients preferred to initiate the discussion of advance directives. However, patients who considered the subject extremely important wanted their family doctors to initiate the discussion. Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

Gas and Isotope Geochemistry of 81 Steam Samples from Wells in The Geysers Geothermal Field, Sonoma and Lake Counties, California

Science.gov (United States)

Lowenstern, Jacob B.; Janik, Cathy J.; Fahlquist, Lynne; Johnson, Linda S.

1999-01-01

The Geysers geothermal field in northern California, with about 2000-MW electrical capacity, is the largest geothermal field in the world. Despite its importance as a resource and as an example of a vapor-dominated reservoir, very few complete geochemical analyses of the steam have been published (Allen and Day, 1927; Truesdell and others, 1987). This report presents data from 90 steam, gas, and condensate samples from wells in The Geysers geothermal field in northern California. Samples were collected between 1978 and 1991. Well attributes include sampling date, well name, location, total depth, and the wellhead temperature and pressure at which the sample was collected. Geochemical characteristics include the steam/gas ratio, composition of noncondensable gas (relative proportions of CO2, H2S, He, H2, O2, Ar, N2, CH4, and NH3), and isotopic values for deltaD and delta18O of H2O, delta13C of CO2, and delta34S of H2S. The compilation includes 81 analyses from 74 different production wells, 9 isotopic analyses of steam condensate pumped into injection wells, and 5 complete geochemical analyses on gases from surface fumaroles and bubbling pools. Most samples were collected as saturated steam and plot along the liquid-water/steam boiling curve. Steam-togas ratios are highest in the southeastern part of the geothermal field and lowest in the northwest, consistent with other studies. Wells in the Northwest Geysers are also enriched in N2/Ar, CO2 and CH4, deltaD, and delta18O. Well discharges from the Southeast Geysers are high in steam/gas and have isotopic compositions and N2/Ar ratios consistent with recharge by local meteoric waters. Samples from the Central Geysers show characteristics found in both the Southeast and Northwest Geysers. Gas and steam characteristics of well discharges from the Northwest Geysers are consistent with input of components from a high-temperature reservoir containing carbonrich gases derived from the host Franciscan rocks. Throughout the

Advanced directives: open issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriella Negrini

2013-05-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND In Italy Advanced directives have not been regulated by law yet. Moreover, there is a confusion of concepts: advanced directives, refusal of treatment, medical futility and euthanasia are not synonymous.DISCUSSION The following aspects are then discussed: object of directives; elapse of time between their expression and their application; knowledge of the directives and their obligatory nature. The refusal of a treatment that can save a person’s life is a critical subject. There are different ethical points of view: according to lay ethics, the patient’s self-determination prevails; the religious viewpoint, instead, says that life is a gift which we cannot dispose of. In any case, the patient will be confronted with the professional autonomy of the doctor. Should the doctor save a patient’s life in any case or should he achieve best clinical practice, in respect of his will? The doctor should interpret the patient’s will but with caution and judgment. An exemption from responsibility should be provided by law for doctors who respect patient’s living will.

GEYSERS: a novel architecture for virtualization and co-provisioning of dynamic optical networks and IT services

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Escalona, E.; Peng, S.; Nejabati, R.; Simeonidou, D.; García-Espín, J.A.; Ferrer, J.; Figuerola, S.; Landi, G.; Ciulli, N.; Jiménez, J.; Belter, B.; Demchenko, Y.; de Laat, C.; Chen, X.; Yukan, A.; Soudan, S.; Vicat-Blanc, P.; Buysse, J.; de Leenheer, M.; Develder, C.; Tzanakaki, A.; Robinson, P.; Brogle, M.; Bohnert, T.M.

2011-01-01

GEYSERS aims at defining an end-to-end network architecture that offers a novel planning, provisioning and operational framework for optical network and IT infrastructure providers and operators. In this framework, physical infrastructure resources (network and IT) are dynamically partitioned to

The impact of injection on seismicity at The Geysers, California Geothermal Field

OpenAIRE

Majer, Ernest L.; Peterson, John E.

2007-01-01

Water injection into geothermal systems has often become a required strategy to extend and sustain production of geothermal resources. To reduce a trend of declining pressures and increasing non-condensable gas concentrations in steam produced from The Geysers, operators have been injecting steam condensate, local rain and stream waters, and most recently treated wastewater piped to the field from neighboring communities. If geothermal energy is to provide a significant increase in energy in ...

Empirical Green's tensor retrieved from ambient noise cross-correlations at The Geysers geothermal field, Northern California

Science.gov (United States)

Nayak, Avinash; Taira, Taka'aki; Dreger, Douglas S.; Gritto, Roland

2018-04-01

We retrieve empirical Green's functions in the frequency range (˜0.2-0.9 Hz) for interstation distances ranging from ˜1 to ˜30 km (˜0.22 to ˜6.5 times the wavelength) at The Geysers geothermal field, Northern California, from coherency of ambient seismic noise being recorded by a variety of sensors (broad-band, short-period surface and borehole sensors, and one accelerometer). The applied methodology preserves the intercomponent relative amplitudes of the nine-component Green's tensor that allows us to directly compare noise-derived Green's functions (NGFs) with normalized displacement waveforms of complete single-force synthetic Green's functions (SGFs) computed with various 1-D and 3-D velocity models using the frequency-wavenumber integration method and a 3-D finite-difference wave propagation method, respectively. These comparisons provide an effective means of evaluating the suitability of different velocity models to different regions of The Geysers, and assessing the quality of the sensors and the NGFs. In the T-Tangential, R-Radial, Z-Vertical reference frame, the TT, RR, RZ, ZR and ZZ components (first component: force direction, second component: response direction) of NGFs show clear surface waves and even body-wave phases for many station pairs. They are also broadly consistent in phase and intercomponent relative amplitudes with SGFs for the known local seismic velocity structure that was derived primarily from body-wave traveltime tomography, even at interstation distances less than one wavelength. We also find anomalous large amplitudes in TR, TZ, RT and ZT components of NGFs at small interstation distances (≲4 km) that can be attributed to ˜10°-30° sensor misalignments at many stations inferred from analysis of longer period teleseismic waveforms. After correcting for sensor misalignments, significant residual amplitudes in these components for some longer interstation distance (≳8 km) paths are better reproduced by the 3-D velocity

Ground penetrating radar documents short-term near-surface hydrological changes around Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Lynne, Bridget Y.; Heasler, Henry; Jaworowski, Cheryl; Smith, Gary J.; Smith, Isaac J.; Foley, Duncan

2018-04-01

In April 2015, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) was used to characterize the shallow subsurface (images were collected between two eruptions of Old Faithful Geyser. Each set of time-sequence GPR recordings consisted of four transects aligned to provide coverage near the potential location of the inferred 15 m deep geyser chamber. However, the deepest penetration we could achieve with a 200 MHz GPR antennae was 5 m. Seven time-sequence events were collected over a 48-minute interval to image changes in the near-surface, during pre- and post-eruptive cycles. Time-sequence GPR images revealed a series of possible micro-fractures in a highly porous siliceous sinter in the near-surface that fill and drain repetitively, immediately after an eruption and during the recharge period prior to the next main eruptive event.

Public service impacts of geothermal development: cumulative impacts study of the Geysers KGRA. Final staff report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matthews, K.M.

1983-07-01

The number of workers currently involved in the various aspects of geothermal development in the Geysers are identified. Using two different development scenarios, projections are made for the number of power plants needed to reach the electrical generation capacity of the steam resource in the Geysers. The report also projects the cumulative number of workers needed to develop the steam field and to construct, operate, and maintain these power plants. Although the number of construction workers fluctuates, most are not likely to become new, permanent residents of the KGRA counties. The administrative and public service costs of geothermal development to local jurisdications are examined, and these costs are compared to geothermal revenues accruing to the local governments. Revenues do not cover the immediate fiscal needs resulting from increases in local road maintenance and school enrollment attributable to geothermal development. Several mitigation options are discussed and a framework presented for calculating mitigation costs for school and road impacts.

Preferences for Advance Directives in Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

So-Sun Kim

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background. The goal of advance directives is to help patients retain their dignity and autonomy by making their own decisions regarding end-stage medical treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine preferences of advance directives among general population in Korea. Method. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was performed from October 2007 to June 2008 in Seoul, Korea. A total of 336 city-dwelling adults self-administered the questionnaire and returned it via mail. Data analyses were conducted using SPSS 17.0. Results. Subjects reported the need for healthcare providers' detailed explanations and recommendations regarding end-of-life care. When there is no hope of recovery and death is imminent, most subjects did not want to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation nor an IV or tube feeding. However, most of the subjects wanted pain management care. Conclusions. The present study showed that many Korean people have an interest in advance directives. The results show that the autonomy and dignity of patient have increased in importance. To provide better end-of-life care, there is a need to educate patients on the definition and intent of an advance directive. Additional proactive communication between patients and their caregivers should be educated to healthcare providers.

Advance directives and personal identity: what is the problem?

Science.gov (United States)

Furberg, Elisabeth

2012-02-01

The personal identity problem expresses the worry that due to disrupted psychological continuity, one person's advance directive could be used to determine the care of a different person. Even ethicists, who strongly question the possibility of the scenario depicted by the proponents of the personal identity problem, often consider it to be a very potent objection to the use of advance directives. Aiming to question this assumption, I, in this paper, discuss the personal identity problem's relevance to the moral force of advance directives. By putting the personal identity argument in relation to two different normative frameworks, I aim to show that whether or not the personal identity problem is relevant to the moral force of advance directives, and further, in what way it is relevant, depends entirely on what normative reasons we have for respecting advance directives in the first place.

Advance directives: cancer patients' preferences and family-based decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Yan-Fang; Lin, Jin-Xiang; Li, Xing; Lin, Qu; Ma, Xiao-Kun; Chen, Jie; Wu, Dong-Hao; Wei, Li; Yin, Liang-Hong; Wu, Xiang-Yuan

2017-07-11

Advance directives are a sensitive issue among traditional Chinese people, who usually refrain from mentioning this topic until it is imperative. Medical decisions for cancer patients are made by their families, and these decisions might violate patients' personal will. This study aimed to examine the acceptance of advance directives among Chinese cancer patients and their families and patient participation in this procedure and, finally, to analyze the moral risk involved. While 246 patients and their family members refused official discussion of an advance directive, the remaining 166 patients and their families accepted the concept of an advance directive and signed a document agreeing to give up invasive treatment when the anti-cancer treatment was terminated. Of these, only 24 patients participated in the decision making. For 101 patients, anti-cancer therapy was ended prematurely with as many as 37 patients not told about their potential loss of health interests. Participants were 412 adult cancer patients from 9 leading hospitals across China. An advance directive was introduced to the main decision makers for each patient; if they wished to sign it, the advance directive would be systematically discussed. A questionnaire was given to the oncologists in charge of each patient to evaluate the interaction between families and patients, patients' awareness of their disease, and participation in an advance directive. Advance directives were not widely accepted among Chinese cancer patients unless anti-cancer therapy was terminated. Most cancer patients were excluded from the discussion of an advance directive.

Oxygen isotope geochemistry of The Geysers reservoir rocks, California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gunderson, Richard P.; Moore, Joseph N.

1994-01-20

Whole-rock oxygen isotopic compositions of Late Mesozoic graywacke, the dominant host rock at The Geysers, record evidence of a large liquid-dominated hydrothermal system that extended beyond the limits of the present steam reservoir. The graywackes show vertical and lateral isotopic variations that resulted from gradients in temperature, permeability, and fluid composition during this early liquid-dominated system. All of these effects are interpreted to have resulted from the emplacement of the granitic "felsite" intrusion 1-2 million years ago. The {delta}{sup 18}O values of the graywacke are strongly zoned around a northwest-southeast trending low located near the center of and similar in shape to the present steam system. Vertical isotopic gradients show a close relationship to the felsite intrusion. The {delta}{sup 18}O values of the graywacke decrease from approximately 15 per mil near the surface to 4-7 per mil 300 to 600 m above the intrusive contact. The {delta}{sup 18}O values then increase downward to 8-10 per mil at the felsite contact, thereafter remaining nearly constant within the intrusion itself. The large downward decrease in {delta}{sup 18}O values are interpreted to be controlled by variations in temperature during the intrusive event, ranging from 150{degree}C near the surface to about 425{degree}C near the intrusive contact. The upswing in {delta}{sup 18}O values near the intrusive contact appears to have been caused by lower rock permeability and/or heavier fluid isotopic composition there. Lateral variations in the isotopic distributions suggests that the effects of temperature were further modified by variations in rock permeability and/or fluid-isotopic composition. Time-integrated water:rock ratios are thought to have been highest within the central isotopic low where the greatest isotopic depletions are observed. We suggest that this region of the field was an area of high permeability within the main upflow zone of the liquid

Caldwell Ranch Exploration and Confirmation Project, Northwest Geysers, CA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walters, Mark A.

2013-04-25

The purpose of the Caldwell Ranch Exploration and Confirmation Project was to drill, test, and confirm the present economic viability of the undeveloped geothermal reservoir in the 870 acre Caldwell Ranch area of the Northwest Geysers that included the CCPA No.1 steam field. All of the drilling, logging, and sampling challenges were met. Three abandoned wells, Prati 5, Prati 14 and Prati 38 were re-opened and recompleted to nominal depths of 10,000 feet in 2010. Two of the wells required sidetracking. The flow tests indicated Prati 5 Sidetrack 1 (P-5 St1), Prati 14 (P-14) and Prati 38 Sidetrack 2 (P-38 St2) were collectively capable of initially producing an equivalent of 12 megawatts (MWe) of steam using a conversion rate of 19,000 pounds of steam/hour

Land-use conflicts in The Geysers-Calistoga KGRA: a preliminary study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Banion, K.; Hall, C.; Haven, K.

1979-12-01

This preliminary study of potential land use conflicts of geothermal development in The Geysers region, one component of the LLL/LBL socioeconomic program, focuses on Lake County because it has most of the undeveloped resource and the least regulatory capability. The land resource is characterized in terms of its ecological, hydrological, agricultural, and recreational value; intrinsic natural hazards; and the adequacy of roads and utility systems and each factor is depicted on a map. Then those factors are analyzed for potential conflicts with both geothermal and urban development and the conflicts displayed on respective maps. A brief review of laws and methods germane to geothermal land-use regulation is included.

Characterizing Fractures in Geysers Geothermal Field by Micro-seismic Data, Using Soft Computing, Fractals, and Shear Wave Anisotropy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aminzadeh, Fred [Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Sammis, Charles [Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Sahimi, Mohammad [Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Okaya, David [Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

2015-04-30

The ultimate objective of the project was to develop new methodologies to characterize the northwestern part of The Geysers geothermal reservoir (Sonoma County, California). The goal is to gain a better knowledge of the reservoir porosity, permeability, fracture size, fracture spacing, reservoir discontinuities (leaky barriers) and impermeable boundaries.

Advance Directives in Hospice Healthcare Providers: A Clinical Challenge.

Science.gov (United States)

Luck, George R; Eggenberger, Terry; Newman, David; Cortizo, Jacqueline; Blankenship, Derek C; Hennekens, Charles H

2017-11-01

On a daily basis, healthcare providers, especially those dealing with terminally ill patients, such as hospice workers, witness how advance directives help ensure the wishes of patients. They also witness the deleterious consequences when patients fail to document the care they desire at their end of life. To the best of our knowledge there are no data concerning the prevalence of advance directives among hospice healthcare providers. We therefore explored the prevalence and factors influencing completion rates in a survey of hospice healthcare providers. Surveys that included 32 items to explore completion rates, as well as barriers, knowledge, and demographics, were e-mailed to 2097 healthcare providers, including employees and volunteers, at a nonprofit hospice. Of 890 respondents, 44% reported having completed an advance directive. Ethnicity, age, relationship status, and perceived knowledge were all significant factors influencing the completion rates, whereas years of experience or working directly with patients had no effect. Procrastination, fear of the subject, and costs were common reasons reported as barriers. Upon completion of the survey, 43% said they will now complete an advance directive, and 45% will talk to patients and families about their wishes. The majority of hospice healthcare providers have not completed an advance directive. These results are very similar to those for other healthcare providers treating patients with terminal diseases, specifically oncologists. Because, at completion, 43% said that they would now complete an advance directive, such a survey of healthcare providers may help increase completion rates. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Are advance directives useful for doctors and what for?].

Science.gov (United States)

Fournier, Véronique; Berthiau, Denis; Kempf, Emmanuelle; d'Haussy, Julie

2013-06-01

In France, the law has introduced the possibility to write advance directives since 2005. In this paper, we will present the results of a study designed for checking how much people over 75 years are interested by this new tool. The inquiry consisted in deep qualitative interviews (around 45') to further understand what people included in the study have to say about advance directives, but also about the conditions of ageing and dying. The study sample was composed of 8 over 75 years subgroups, chosen for being illustrative of different health status and/or disabling status. Finally, a last subgroup was also included, called "referent", because composed of people, all members of the "Association pour le droit à mourir dans la dignité" (ADMD), and as such supposed to be pro-advance directives. Interviews content was analysed through qualitative analysis referent methods ("Analyse qualitative en sciences humaines et sociales", Paillé et Muschielli, "Grounded Theory", Glaser). POPULATION OF THE STUDY: One hundred and eighty-six patients were included (106 female, 80 male, mean age 82.7 ans), 167 in the general group and 19 in the "ADMD" group. Ninety percent in the general group said that they never heard about advance directives before the inquiry. After having been informed by us about what advance directives were for, 83% remained not interested they said, some because they felt they were not personally concerned, others expressed that the tool appears to them inefficient - "things never happen the way you planned it", not useful - "doctors will act as they will decide whatever will be written", or even more potentially dangerous - "writing advance directives might lead doctors not to be as much therapeutically aggressive as for other people". Only 28 persons in the general group (17%), together with the 19 of the ADMD group, said they were interested by advance directives. They all were quite similar according to their personal character: they were quite strong

Completing advance directives for health care decisions: getting to yes.

Science.gov (United States)

Shewchuk, T R

1998-09-01

The concept of advance directives for health care decision making has been judicially condoned, legislatively promoted, and systematically implemented by health care institutions, yet the execution rate of advance directives remains low. Physicians should discuss with their patients advance care planning generally and end-of-life issues specifically, preferably when patients are in good health and not when they face an acute medical crisis. The physician-hospital relationship poses particular challenges for the optimal implementation of advance directives that must be addressed. Hospital administrators must improve education of patients and physicians on the value of such documents as well as internal mechanisms to ensure better implementation of directives. Health insurance plans may be better able to ensure optimal gathering and implementation of directives. Patients must become more familiar and more comfortable with advance care planning and the reality of death and dying issues. Full acceptance of the value of directives ultimately rests on achieving full participation of all involved--providers, patients, families, and payors--in this most profound process.

A preliminary investigation of opinions and behaviors regarding advance directives for medical care.

Science.gov (United States)

Elpern, E H; Yellen, S B; Burton, L A

1993-03-01

Advance directives are a means of promoting patient autonomy in end-of-life decisions but are used infrequently. A recent federal law requires healthcare organizations to provide information to patients about advance directives. This study explored attitudes and behaviors related to the use of advance directives in three areas: familiarity with advance directives, reasons for completing or not completing advance directives and preferences for receiving information about advance directives. A questionnaire was administered by personal interview to a nonrandomized convenience sample of 46 inpatients and 50 outpatients at a large, tertiary care, urban academic medical center in the summer of 1991. Most respondents (77%) had heard of either the living will or durable power of attorney for healthcare, but only 52% correctly understood the purpose of these documents. Twenty-nine percent of the sample had executed an advance directive. Those who had advance directives were older and considered themselves less healthy than did those without advance directives. Unfamiliarity with advance directives and procrastination were cited most often as reasons for not having an advance directive. Most subjects (65%) had spoken with someone, usually a family member or close friend, about preferences for treatment during a critical illness. Although they had rarely discussed advance directives, 83% anticipated that they would be comfortable doing so with a physician or a nurse. Advance directives are used infrequently to document treatment preferences. The success of programs to promote greater use of advance directives depends on a clearer understanding of the factors that influence both decision and action to execute an advance directive. Patients claim to be comfortable in discussing the topic and prefer that such discussions occur in the outpatient setting.

Prevalence and Contents of Advance Directives of Patients with ESRD Receiving Dialysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Feely, Molly A; Hildebrandt, Daniel; Edakkanambeth Varayil, Jithinraj; Mueller, Paul S

2016-12-07

ESRD requiring dialysis is associated with increased morbidity and mortality rates, including increased rates of cognitive impairment, compared with the general population. About one quarter of patients receiving dialysis choose to discontinue dialysis at the end of life. Advance directives are intended to give providers and surrogates instruction on managing medical decision making, including end of life situations. The prevalence of advance directives is low among patients receiving dialysis. Little is known about the contents of advance directives among these patients with advance directives. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients receiving maintenance in-center hemodialysis at a tertiary academic medical center between January 1, 2007 and January 1, 2012. We collected demographic data, the prevalence of advance directives, and a content analysis of these advance directives. We specifically examined the advance directives for instructions on management of interventions at end of life, including dialysis. Among 808 patients (mean age of 68.6 years old; men =61.2%), 49% had advance directives, of which only 10.6% mentioned dialysis and only 3% specifically addressed dialysis management at end of life. Patients who had advance directives were more likely to be older (74.5 versus 65.4 years old; Phydration (34.3%), and pain management (43.4%) than dialysis (10.6%). Although one-half of the patients receiving dialysis in our study had advance directives, end of life management of dialysis was rarely addressed. Future research should focus on improving discernment and documentation of end of life values, goals, and preferences, such as dialysis-specific advance directives, among these patients. Copyright © 2016 by the American Society of Nephrology.

Potential application of radiogenic isotopes and geophysical methods to understand the hydrothermal dystem of the Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Science.gov (United States)

Paces, James B.; Long, Andrew J.; Koth, Karl R.

2015-01-01

Numerous geochemical and geophysical studies have been conducted at Yellowstone National Park to better understand the hydrogeologic processes supporting the thermal features of the Park. This report provides the first 87Sr/86Sr and 234U/238U data for thermal water from the Upper Geyser Basin (UGB) intended to evaluate whether heavy radiogenic isotopes might provide insight to sources of groundwater supply and how they interact over time and space. In addition, this report summarizes previous geophysical studies made at Yellowstone National Park and provides suggestions for applying non-invasive ground and airborne studies to better understand groundwater flow in the subsurface of the UGB. Multiple samples from Old Faithful, Aurum, Grand, Oblong, and Daisy geysers characterized previously for major-ion concentrations and isotopes of water (δ2H, δ18O, and 3H) were analyzed for Sr and U isotopes. Concentrations of dissolved Sr and U are low (4.3–128 ng g-1 Sr and 0.026–0.0008 ng g-1 U); consequently only 87Sr/86Sr data are reported for most samples. Values of 87Sr/86Sr for most geysers remained uniform between April and September 2007, but show large increases in all five geysers between late October 2007 and early April, 2008. By late summer of 2008, 87Sr/86Sr values returned to values similar to those observed a year earlier. Similar patterns are not present in major-ion data measured on the same samples. Furthermore, large geochemical differences documented between geysers are not observed in 87Sr/86Sr data, although smaller differences between sites may be present. Sr-isotope data are consistent with a stratified hydrologic system where water erupted in spring and summer of 2007 and summer of 2008 equilibrated with local intracaldera rhyolite flows at shallower depths. Water erupted between October 2007 and April 2008 includes greater amounts of groundwater that circulated deep enough to acquire a radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr, most likely from Archean basement

[Theological moral considerations of advance directives].

Science.gov (United States)

Virt, G

1997-01-01

The forms for advanced directives vary considerably in respect to content and wording. This article intends to develop ethical criteria for such texts, from the moraltheological point of view, also considering the social context.

Promoting advance directives among African Americans: a faith-based model.

Science.gov (United States)

Bullock, Karen

2006-02-01

Studies show that African Americans are less likely than other ethnic groups to complete advance directives. However, what influences African Americans' decisions to complete or not complete advance directives is unclear. Using a faith-based promotion model, 102 African Americans aged 55 years or older were recruited from local churches and community-based agencies to participate in a pilot study to promote advance care planning. Focus groups were used to collect data on participants' preferences for care, desire to make personal choices, values and attitudes, beliefs about death and dying, and advance directives. A standardized interview was used in the focus groups, and the data were organized and analyzed using NUDIST 4 software (QRS Software, Victoria, Australia). Three fourths of the participants refused to complete advance directives. The following factors influenced the participants' decisions about end-of-life care and completion of an advance directive: spirituality; view of suffering, death, and dying; social support networks; barriers to utilization; and mistrust of the health care system. The dissemination of information apprises individuals of their right to self-determine about their care, but educational efforts may not produce a significant change in behavior toward completion of advance care planning. Thus, ongoing efforts are needed to improve the trust that African Americans have in medical and health care providers.

Protecting me from my Directive: Ensuring Appropriate Safeguards for Advance Directives in Dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Auckland, Cressida

2018-02-01

With one in six people over 80 now suffering from dementia, advance directives provide an important means of empowerment. Upholding directives in the context of dementia, however, raises extra challenges, given the potential for the directive to conflict with an assessment of what is in the person's current best interests. Given the profound harm that tying a person with dementia to their previous wishes can do, it is essential that we have sufficient safeguards in place to ensure that we only uphold such directives where we can be sure they are truly autonomous and are intended to apply to the situation at hand-safeguards which are at present, severely lacking. This article will consider various mechanisms by which safeguards can be built into the legal regime to ensure that the original decision is autonomous, including making it mandatory for the person to undergo a consultation with a healthcare professional, which would involve a contemporaneous capacity assessment. Clinicians must also be confident that the directive applies to the situation at hand. Introducing formalities, including a standardised (though not mandatory) proforma, may help to enhance specificity about when the directive is triggered, and to what treatments it relates, to enable clinicians to better assess the directive's applicability. A national registry for advance directives might also be beneficial. It will be argued that health care professionals will have to play a much greater role in the drafting and registering of advance directives, if we are to feel comfortable in upholding them.

Encounters With Health-Care Providers and Advance Directive Completion by Older Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Koss, Catheryn

2018-01-01

The Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA) requires hospitals, home health agencies, nursing homes, and hospice providers to offer new patients information about advance directives. There is little evidence regarding whether encounters with these health-care providers prompt advance directive completion by patients. To examine whether encounters with various types of health-care providers were associated with higher odds of completing advance directives by older patients. Logistic regression using longitudinal data from the 2012 and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Participants were 3752 US adults aged 65 and older who reported not possessing advance directives in 2012. Advance directive was defined as a living will and/or durable power of attorney for health care. Four binary variables measured whether participants had spent at least 1 night in a hospital, underwent outpatient surgery, received home health or hospice care, or spent at least one night in a nursing home between 2012 and 2014. Older adults who received hospital, nursing home, or home health/hospice care were more likely to complete advance directives. Outpatient surgery was not associated with advance directive completion. Older adults with no advance directive in 2012 who encountered health-care providers covered by the PSDA were more likely to have advance directives by 2014. The exception was outpatient surgery which is frequently provided in freestanding surgery centers not subject to PSDA mandates. It may be time to consider amending the PSDA to cover freestanding surgery centers.

Analysis of induced seismicity at The Geysers geothermal field, California

Science.gov (United States)

Emolo, A.; Maercklin, N.; Matrullo, E.; Orefice, A.; Amoroso, O.; Convertito, V.; Sharma, N.; Zollo, A.

2012-12-01

Fluid injection, steam extraction, and reservoir stimulation in geothermal systems lead to induced seismicity. While in rare cases induced events may be large enough to pose a hazard, on the other hand the microseismicity provides information on the extent and the space-time varying properties of the reservoir. Therefore, microseismic monitoring is important, both for mitigation of unwanted effects of industrial operations and for continuous assessment of reservoir conditions. Here we analyze induced seismicity at The Geysers geothermal field in California, a vapor-dominated field with the top of the main steam reservoir some 1-3 km below the surface. Commercial exploitation began in the 1960s, and the seismicity increased with increasing field development. We focus our analyses on induced seismicity recorded between August 2007 and October 2011. Our calibrated waveform database contains some 15000 events with magnitudes between 1.0 and 4.5 and recorded by the LBNL Geysers/Calpine surface seismic network. We associated all data with events from the NCEDC earthquake catalog and re-picked first arrival times. Using selected events with at least 20 high-quality P-wave picks, we determined a minimum 1-D velocity model using VELEST. A well-constrained P-velocity model shows a sharp velocity increase at 1-2 km depth (from 3 to 5 km/s) and then a gradient-like trend down to about 5 km depth, where velocities reach values of 6-7 km/s. The station corrections show coherent, relatively high, positive travel time delays in the NW zone, thus indicating a strong lateral variation of the P-wave velocities. We determined an average Vp-to-Vs ratio of 1.67, which is consistent with estimates from other authors for the same time period. The events have been relocated in the new model using a non-linear probabilistic methods. The seismicity appears spatially diffused in a 15x10 km2 area elongated in NW-SE direction, and earthquake depths range between 0 and 6 km. As in previous

Is it feasible to discuss an advance directive with a Chinese patient with advanced malignancy? A prospective cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, S Y; Lo, S H; Chan, C H; Chui, H S; Sze, W K; Tung, Y

2012-06-01

Advance directives have been implemented for years in western countries, but the concept is new to Asian cultures. According to traditional Chinese culture, family members usually play a decisive role in a patient's treatment plan. Thus it may be hard to implement an advance directive despite its importance to the treatment of patients. The objectives of this study were to assess the feasibility of advance directive engagement and to explore significant contributing factors to achieving such a goal. Prospective cohort study. Palliative Care Unit of Clinical Oncology, Tuen Mun Hospital, Hong Kong. The subjects of the investigation were adult patients diagnosed to have advanced malignancy and newly referred to the hospice service from 24 April 2009 to 30 July 2009. Data were collected from nursing assessment forms, locally designed advance directive forms, a checklist completed by oncologists, and details available in the electronic hospital record. Of the 191 eligible patients, 120 (63%) had the advance directive, whereas 71 (37%) did not. In the Cox regression model, the patient having insight of a poor prognosis was the most significant factor facilitating advance directive engagement (P=0.001). Any family objection in the discussion of advance directives was also an important factor, though it did not reach statistical significance (P=0.082). Other factors like age, gender, education, religion, financial status, living environment, understanding the diagnosis, bereavement experience, type of cancer, nature of illness, courses of chemotherapy or radiotherapy received, main caregiver, in-house supporter, nurse-led clinic attendance, clinical psychologist consultation, and in-patient hospice nurse coordinator interview were all statistically insignificant. Our study demonstrated that it was feasible to discuss an advance directive with Chinese patients with advanced malignancy. When patients have insight about their poor prognosis and family members have no

ESR dating of geyserites from intermittent geyser sites on the Tibetan Plateau

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Y.; Feng, J.

1993-01-01

Thirteen geyserite samples obtained from two intermittent geyser sites on the Tibetan Plateau were dated by the ESR technique. ESR spectra of geyserite display two sets of signals. One is a set of triplet signals assigned to organic radical X-C-radicalH 2 by Griffiths et al. (1982), another is a mixed signal produced from E'-type defect centres of the silica minerals in geyserite, such as opal, cristobalite, tridymite and quartz. The ages obtained using the mixed E'-type signal are approximately consistent with the stratigraphy and the silica diagenetic sequence. The correlation between the thermal stability of E'-type signal and the mineral association of geyserite was investigated by annealing experiments. (author)

Chronically homeless persons' participation in an advance directive intervention: A cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Leung, Alexander K; Nayyar, Dhruv; Sachdeva, Manisha; Song, John; Hwang, Stephen W

2015-09-01

Chronically homeless individuals have high rates of hospitalization and death, and they may benefit from the completion of advance directives. To determine the rate of advance directive completion using a counselor-guided intervention, identify characteristics associated with advance directive completion, and describe end-of-life care preferences in a group of chronically homeless individuals. Participants completed a survey and were offered an opportunity to complete an advance directive with a trained counselor. A total of 205 residents of a shelter in Canada for homeless men (89.1% of those approached) participated from April to June 2013. Duration of homelessness was ⩾12 months in 72.8% of participants, and 103 participants (50.2%) chose to complete an advance directive. Socio-demographic characteristics, health status, and health care use were not associated with completion of an advance directive. Participants were more likely to complete an advance directive if they reported thinking about death on a daily basis, believed that thinking about their friends and family was important, or reported knowing their wishes for end-of-life care but not having told anyone about these wishes. Among individuals who completed an advance directive, 61.2% named a substitute decision maker, and 94.1% expressed a preference to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the event of a cardiorespiratory arrest if there was a chance of returning to their current state of health. A counselor-guided intervention can achieve a high rate of advance directive completion among chronically homeless persons. Most participants expressed a preference to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the event of a cardiorespiratory arrest. © The Author(s) 2015.

Advance directives as autonomy enhancers: reality or myth?

OpenAIRE

Navarro Michel, Mónica

2015-01-01

In the last few decades there has been a wealth of literature and legislation on advance directives. As you all know, it is an instrument by which a person can express their wishes as regards what treatment they should be given or, more to the point, not to be given, when he is in a situation when he can not do so himself. Regulations in the western world seem to promote advance directives as a way to enhance patient¿s autonomy in the context of human rights, and the media has presen...

Geophysical studies of the Crump Geyser known geothermal resource area, Oregon, in 1975

Science.gov (United States)

Plouff, Donald

2006-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted geophysical studies in support of the resource appraisal of the Crump Geyser Known Geothermal Resource Area (KGRA). This area was designated as a KGRA by the USGS, and this designation became effective on December 24, 1970. The land classification standards for a KGRA were established by the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (Public Law 91-581). Federal lands so classified required competitive leasing for the development of geothermal resources. The author presented an administrative report of USGS geophysical studies entitled 'Geophysical background of the Crump Geyser area, Oregon, KGRA' to a USGS resource committee on June 17, 1975. This report, which essentially was a description of geophysical data and a preliminary interpretation without discussion of resource appraisal, is in Appendix 1. Reduction of sheets or plates in the original administrative report to page-size figures, which are listed and appended to the back of the text in Appendix 1, did not seem to significantly degrade legibility. Bold print in the text indicates where minor changes were made. A colored page-size index and tectonic map, which also show regional geology not shown in figure 2, was substituted for original figure 1. Detailed descriptions for the geologic units referenced in the text and shown on figures 1 and 2 were separately defined by Walker and Repenning (1965) and presumably were discussed in other reports to the committee. Heavy dashed lines on figures 1 and 2 indicate the approximate KGRA boundary. One of the principal results of the geophysical studies was to obtain a gravity map (Appendix 1, fig. 10; Plouff, and Conradi, 1975, pl. 9), which reflects the fault-bounded steepness of the west edge of sediments and locates the maximum thickness of valley sediments at about 10 kilometers south of Crump Geyser. Based on the indicated regional-gravity profile and density-contrast assumptions for the two-dimensional profile, the maximum

Low-Q structure related to partially saturated pores within the reservoir beneath The Geysers area in the northern California

Science.gov (United States)

Matsubara, M.

2011-12-01

A large reservoir is located beneath The Geysers geothermal area, northern California. Seismic tomography revealed high-velocity (high-V) and low-Vp/Vs zones in the reservoir (Julian et al., 1996) and a decrease of Vp/Vs from 1991 to 1998 (Guasekera et al., 2003) owing to withdrawal of steam from the reservoir. I perform attenuation tomography in this region to investigate the state of vapor and liquid within the reservoir. The target region, 38.5-39.0°N and 122.5-123°W, covers The Geysers area. I use seismograms of 1,231 events whose focal mechanism are determined among 65,810 events recorded by the Northern California Earthquake Data Center from 2002 to 2008 in the target region. The band-pass filtered seismograms are analyzed for collecting the maximum amplitude data. There are 26 stations that have a three-component seismometer among 47 seismic stations. I use the P- and S-wave maximum amplitudes during the two seconds after the arrival of those waves in order to avoid coda effects. A total of 8,545 P- and 1,168 S-wave amplitude data for 949 earthquakes recorded at 47 stations are available for the analysis using the attenuation tomographic method derived from the velocity tomographic method (Matsubara et al., 2005, 2008) in which spatial velocity correlation and station corrections are introduced to the original code of Zhao et al. (1992). I use 3-D velocity structure obtained by Thurber et al. (2009). The initial Q value is set to 150, corresponding to the average Q of the northern California (Ford et al., 2010). At sea level, low-Q zones are found extending from the middle of the steam reservoir within the main greywacke to the south part of the reservoir. At a depth of 1 km below sea level, a low-Q zone is located solely in the southern part of the reservoir. However, at a depth of 2 km a low-Q zone is located beneath the northern part of the reservoir. At depths of 1 to 3 km a felsite batholith in the deeper portions of the reservoir, and it corresponds

Medicare and Medicaid programs; advance directives--HCFA. Final rule.

Science.gov (United States)

1995-06-27

This final rule responds to public comments on the March 6, 1992 interim final rule with comment period that amended the Medicare and Medicaid regulations governing provider agreements and contracts to establish requirements for States, hospitals, nursing facilities, skilled nursing facilities, providers of home health care or personal care services, hospice programs and managed care plans concerning advance directives. An advance directive is a written instruction, such as a living will or durable power of attorney for health care, recognized under State law, relating to the provision of health care when an individual's condition makes him or her unable to express his or her wishes. The intent of the advance directives provisions is to enhance an adult individual's control over medical treatment decisions. This rule confirms the interim final rule with several minor changes based on our review and consideration of public comments.

Ceramic thermal wind sensor based on advanced direct chip attaching package

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Lin; Qin Ming; Chen Shengqi; Chen Bei

2014-01-01

An advanced direct chip attaching packaged two-dimensional ceramic thermal wind sensor is studied. The thermal wind sensor chip is fabricated by metal lift-off processes on the ceramic substrate. An advanced direct chip attaching (DCA) packaging is adopted and this new packaged method simplifies the processes of packaging further. Simulations of the advanced DCA packaged sensor based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model show the sensor can detect wind speed and direction effectively. The wind tunnel testing results show the advanced DCA packaged sensor can detect the wind direction from 0° to 360° and wind speed from 0 to 20 m/s with the error less than 0.5 m/s. The nonlinear fitting based least square method in Matlab is used to analyze the performance of the sensor. (semiconductor devices)

Hydration of the lower stratosphere by ice crystal geysers over land convective systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Khaykin

2009-03-01

Full Text Available The possible impact of deep convective overshooting over land has been explored by six simultaneous soundings of water vapour, particles and ozone in the lower stratosphere next to Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs during the monsoon season over West Africa in Niamey, Niger in August 2006. The water vapour measurements were carried out using a fast response FLASH-B Lyman-alpha hygrometer. The high vertical resolution observations of the instrument show the presence of accumulation of enhanced water vapour layers between the tropopause at 370 K and the 420 K level. Most of these moist layers are shown connected with overshooting events occurring upwind as identified from satellite IR images over which the air mass probed by the sondes passed during the three previous days. In the case of a local overshoot identified by echo top turrets above the tropopause by the MIT C-band radar also in Niamey, tight coincidence was found between enhanced water vapour, ice crystal and ozone dip layers indicative of fast uplift of tropospheric air across the tropopause. The water vapour mixing ratio in the enriched layers exceeds frequently by 1–3 ppmv the average 6 ppmv saturation ratio at the tropopause and by up to 7 ppmv in the extreme case of local storm in coincidence with the presence of ice crystals. The presence of such layers strongly suggests hydration of the lower stratosphere by geyser-like injection of ice particles over overshooting turrets. The pile-like increase of water vapour up to 19 km seen by the high-resolution hygrometer during the season of maximum temperature of the tropopause, suggests that the above hydration mechanism may contribute to the summer maximum moisture in the lower stratosphere. If this interpretation is correct, hydration by ice geysers across the tropopause might be an important contributor to the stratospheric water vapour budget.

Determining the in situ water content of the Geysers Graywacke of Northern California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marsh, A.

1994-12-01

The water content, porosity and permeability measurements of the Northern California Geysers rocks are used to predict the lifetime of the geothermal resource, which provides 10% of Northern California`s electricity. The Geysers rock was drilled from defunct well SB-15-D, and some cores wee sealed in aluminum tubes to preserve the in situ water content. These cores were sent to the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory to measure the water content. Humidity measurements were taken of the air around a one and a half foot encased core, recovered from a depth of 918.9 feet. Over a seven day period, the humidity reached almost 100% indicating that the air around the core was saturated in water vapor. We believe the sealing method is effective, preserving the in-situ water content. To measure water content, I will use Archimede`s principle to determine the density of the core before and after drying in an oven. Ultrasonic measurements will be taken of the core upon removal from aluminum tube to determine the change of p-wave velocity with change in water content. Water in the pores increases the effective compressibility of the rock therefore increasing the p-velocity. The measured p-wave velocities can then be used in the field to determine in-situ water content. Three dimensional x-ray images will be used to determine the deviations from average density within individual cores. Since the density depends on water content as well as mineralogy, images can show the location of pore fluid and drilling mud. Archimede`s principle, humidity detection, ultrasonics and x-ray scanning are viable methods to measure the in-situ water content and pore water distribution in the graywacke.

[Advance directives in clinical practice : Living will, healthcare power of attorney and care directive].

Science.gov (United States)

Hack, J; Buecking, B; Lopez, C L; Ruchholtz, S; Kühne, C A

2017-06-01

In clinical practice, situations continuously occur in which medical professionals and family members are confronted with decisions on whether to extend or limit treatment for severely ill patients in end of life treatment decisions. In these situations, advance directives are helpful tools in decision making according to the wishes of the patient; however, not every patient has made an advance directive and in our experience medical staff as well as patients are often not familiar with these documents. The purpose of this article is therefore to explain the currently available documents (e.g. living will, healthcare power of attorney and care directive) and the possible (legal) applications and limitations in the routine clinical practice.

Status of the S.E. Geysers effluent pipeline & injection project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dellinger, M. [Lake County Sanitation District, Lakeport, CA (United States)

1997-12-31

A unique public/private partnership of local, state, federal, and corporate stakeholders is constructing the world`s first wastewater-to-electricity system in Lake County, California. A rare example of a genuinely {open_quotes}sustainable{close_quotes} system, three Lake County communities will recycle their treated wastewater effluent through the Geysers geothermal steamfield to produce an estimated 625,000 MWh of electricity annually from six existing geothermal power plants. The concept is shown schematically. Construction was initiated in October 1995, and as of this writing, the system is approximately 85% complete. Operational start-up is expected in October 1997. The key to the project`s success thus far has been its emphasis on cooperative action among affected stakeholders; and a broad, community-based view of solving problems rather than the traditional, narrower view of engineering-driven technical solutions. Special attention has been given to environmentally-responsive engineering design to avoid or minimize adverse environmental impacts.

Geothermal energy and the land resource: conflicts and constraints in The Geysers-Calistoga KGRA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Banion, K.; Hall, C.

1980-07-14

This study of potential land-related impacts of geothermal power development in The Geysers region focuses on Lake County because it has most of the undeveloped resource and the least regulatory capability. First, the land resource is characterized in terms of its ecological, hydrological, agricultural, and recreational value; intrinsic natural hazards; and the adequacy of roads and utility systems. Based on those factors, the potential land-use conflicts and constraints that geothermal development may encounter in the region are identified and the availability and relative suitability of land for such development is determined. A brief review of laws and powers germane to geothermal land-use regulation is included.

African Cultural Concept of Death and the Idea of Advance Care Directives.

Science.gov (United States)

Ekore, Rabi Ilemona; Lanre-Abass, Bolatito

2016-01-01

An advance care directive is a person's oral or written instructions about his or her future medical care, if he or she becomes unable to communicate. It may be in written or oral form. Africans ordinarily do not encourage the contemplation of death or any discussion about their own or their loved ones' death. According to the African belief system, life does not end with death, but continues in another realm. Becoming an ancestor after death is a desirable goal of every individual, a feat which cannot be achieved if an individual asks for an unnatural death by attempting to utilize advance care directives. Advance care directives are considered to be too individualistic for communitarian societies such as Africa. Coupled with the communitarian nature of African societies are issues such as lack of awareness of advance directives, fear of death and grief, and the African cultural belief system, which are potential barriers to the utilization of advance care directives in the African setting. Hence, the need for culture sensitivity which makes it imperative that patient's family and loved ones are carried along as far as possible, without compromising the autonomy of the patient in question when utilizing advance care directives.

Effect of the Contents in Advance Directives on Individuals' Decision-Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jae Yoon; Lim, Chi-Yeon; Puurveen, Gloria; Kim, Do Yeun; Lee, Jae Hang; Do, Han Ho; Kim, Kyung Soo; Yoo, Kyung Don; Kim, Hyo Jin; Kim, Yunmi; Shin, Sung Joon

2018-01-01

Completing an advance directive offers individuals the opportunity to make informed choices about end-of-life care. However, these decisions could be influenced in different ways depending on how the information is presented. We randomly presented 185 participants with four distinct types of advance directive: neutrally framed (as reference), negatively framed, religiously framed, and a combination. Participants were asked which interventions they would like to receive at the end of life. Between 60% and 70% of participants responded "accept the special interventions" on the reference form. However, the majority (70%-90%) chose "refuse the interventions" on the negative form. With respect to the religious form, 70% to 80% chose "not decided yet." Participants who refused special life-sustaining treatments were older, female, and with better prior knowledge about advance directives. Our findings imply that the specific content of advance directives could affect decision-making with regard to various interventions for end-of-life care.

Advance directives: the clinical nurse specialist as a change agent.

Science.gov (United States)

Meehan, Karen Anne

2009-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe the impact the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) has on the advance directive process within the cardiac surgery patient population. As a change agent, the CNS needs to be able to increase the number of advance directives obtained and increase the provision of dignified, self-directed, quality patient care. With requirements from The Joint Commission and the Patient Self-determination Act, the change in process must take place to ensure that healthcare professionals are doing all they can do to carry out a patient's wishes. The 6-Source Influencer Model is applied to a case study to illustrate the role of the CNS as a change agent. Following this model, the CNS can facilitate lasting institutional change in the advance directive process. Based on the example, it is possible that a CNS can act as a change agent for other patient populations within the healthcare setting.

Did you seek assistance for writing your advance directive? A qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Matthias; Jaspers, Birgit; King, Claudius; Radbruch, Lukas; Voltz, Raymond; Nauck, Friedemann

2010-11-01

the completion of an advanced directive is paired with a high degree of self-responsibility of the signatory. It requires anticipation of probably complex medical situations. In the literature, the family physician is often seen as the most important person for advice when writing an advance directive. But little is known about whether or not patients want to involve medical advisors and to what extent physicians are willing to give advice. The aim of this study was to analyse whether or not individuals approached advisors for the completion of their advance directive, whom they chose and which reasons were given for seeking or foregoing assistance. semi-structured interviews with healthy individuals, chronically ill individuals and patients in palliative care including questions associated with advice for completing an advance directive (8/2008-7/2009). age 55-70 years and advance directive ≥ 3 months old. The interviews were fully transcribed according to standard transcription rules and analysed applying an inductive category development. interviews were conducted with 53 probands (healthy n = 20, chronically ill n = 17, palliative care patients n = 16); 18 probands were male. Mean age was 63.2 ± 4.4 years (range 55-70 years). Professional advice was sought by 12 probands (physician = 2, nurse = 1, lawyer/notary = 8, self-employed advisor = 1), another 8 probands included family members. In 17 cases, the physician knew the proband's advance directive, 36 probands never told their doctor about its existence. Categories of reasons for seeking or foregoing advice were trust/lack of trust, autonomy, rejection and financial considerations. information about the medical implications concerning patient preferences for end-of-life care seems not to be the main focus of interest when individuals write an advance directive. Autonomy and trust into notarially certified documents seem to be more important matters. If family physicians want to have a role in their

Challenges to implementation of advance directives of will in hospital practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Cogo, Silvana Bastos; Lunardi, Valéria Lerch; Quintana, Alberto Manuel; Girardon-Perlini, Nara Marilene Oliveira; Silveira, Rosemary Silva da

2016-01-01

to understand the difficulties and limitations in the implementation of advance directives of will in the hospital context. qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study conducted by means of semi-structured interviews with nurses, resident physicians and family caregivers. The data were analyzed by using discursive textual analysis based on the framework of bioethics principles. the following categories emerged: Terminality as an expression of loss and cure as an option for care; concerns about legal implications; advance directives of will demand patient autonomy and proper communication. limitations and difficulties in practice of advance directives of will from the perspective of the participants show, apart from countless conflicts and dilemmas regarding end-of life matters, that impending death experiences obstruct patients' wishes.

Advance Directives and Powers of Attorney in Intensive Care Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

de Heer, Geraldine; Saugel, Bernd; Sensen, Barbara; Rübsteck, Charlotte; Pinnschmidt, Hans O; Kluge, Stefan

2017-06-05

Advance directives and powers of attorney are increasingly common, yet data on their use in clinical situations remain sparse. In this single center cross-sectional study, we collected data by questionnaire from 1004 intensive care patients in a university hospital. The frequencies of advance directives and powers of attorney were determined, and the factors affecting them were studied with multivariate logistic regression analysis. Usable data were obtained from 998 patients. 51.3% stated that they had prepared a document of at least one of these two kinds. Among them, 39.6% stated that they had given the relevant document(s) to the hospital, yet such documents were present in the patient's hospital record for only 23%. 508 patients stated their reasons for preparing an advance directive or a power of attorney: the most common reason (48%) was the fear of being at other people's mercy, of the lack of self-determination, or of medical overtreatment. The most important factors associated with a patient's statement that he/she had prepared such a document were advanced age (advance directive: 1.022 [1.009; 1.036], p = 0.001; power of attorney: 1.027 [1.014; 1.040], padvance directive: 1.622 [1.138; 2.311], padvance directives and 44.1% of the powers of attorney that were present in the hospital records were poorly interpretable because of the incomplete filling-out of preprinted forms. Half of the patients who did not have such a document had already thought of preparing one, but had not yet done so. For patients hospitalized in intensive care units, there should be early discussion about the presence or absence of documents of these kinds and early evaluation of the patient's concrete wishes in critical situations. Future studies are needed to determine how best to assure that these documents will be correctly prepared and then given over to hospital staff so that they can take their place in the patient's record.

Joint crisis plans and psychiatric advance directives in German psychiatric practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Radenbach, Katrin; Falkai, Peter; Weber-Reich, Traudel; Simon, Alfred

2014-05-01

This study explores the attitude of German psychiatrists in leading positions towards joint crisis plans and psychiatric advance directives. This topic was examined by contacting 473 medical directors of German psychiatric hospitals and departments. They were asked to complete a questionnaire developed by us. That form contained questions about the incidence and acceptance of joint crisis plans and psychiatric advance directives and previous experiences with them. 108 medical directors of psychiatric hospitals and departments responded (response rate: 22.8%). Their answers demonstrate that in their hospitals these documents are rarely used. Among the respondents, joint crisis plans are more accepted than psychiatric advance directives. There is a certain uncertainty when dealing with these instruments. Our main conclusion is that German psychiatry needs an intensified discussion on the use of instruments for patients to constitute procedures for future critical psychiatric events. For this purpose it will be helpful to collect more empirical data. Furthermore, the proposal of joint crisis plans in psychiatric hospitals and departments should be discussed as well as the possibility of consulting an expert during the preparation of a psychiatric advance directive.

Perspectives of Korean Patients, Families, Physicians and Nurses on Advance Directives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jia Lee, PhD, RN

2010-12-01

Conclusions: There were many differences in the perspectives of patients, families, physicians and nurses on advance directives. End-of-life care decisions should take the wishes of patients into account, and that such decisions should therefore be made before the patients lose the capacity to make them. To make well-informed decisions regarding future care, patients and families must be fully educated about advance directives and expected outcomes.

Recent Advances in High-Performance Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Narayanan, S. R.; Chun, W.; Valdez, T. I.; Jeffries-Nakamura, B.; Frank, H.; Surumpudi, S.; Halpert, G.; Kosek, J.; Cropley, C.; La Conti, A. B.;

A comparison of long-term changes in seismicity at The Geysers, Salton Sea, and Coso geothermal fields

Science.gov (United States)

Trugman, Daniel T.; Shearer, Peter M.; Borsa, Adrian A.; Fialko, Yuri

2016-01-01

Geothermal energy is an important source of renewable energy, yet its production is known to induce seismicity. Here we analyze seismicity at the three largest geothermal fields in California: The Geysers, Salton Sea, and Coso. We focus on resolving the temporal evolution of seismicity rates, which provides important observational constraints on how geothermal fields respond to natural and anthropogenic loading. We develop an iterative, regularized inversion procedure to partition the observed seismicity rate into two components: (1) the interaction rate due to earthquake-earthquake triggering and (2) the smoothly varying background rate controlled by other time-dependent stresses, including anthropogenic forcing. We apply our methodology to compare long-term changes in seismicity to monthly records of fluid injection and withdrawal. At The Geysers, we find that the background seismicity rate is highly correlated with fluid injection, with the mean rate increasing by approximately 50% and exhibiting strong seasonal fluctuations following construction of the Santa Rosa pipeline in 2003. In contrast, at both Salton Sea and Coso, the background seismicity rate has remained relatively stable since 1990, though both experience short-term rate fluctuations that are not obviously modulated by geothermal plant operation. We also observe significant temporal variations in Gutenberg-Richter b value, earthquake magnitude distribution, and earthquake depth distribution, providing further evidence for the dynamic evolution of stresses within these fields. The differing field-wide responses to fluid injection and withdrawal may reflect differences in in situ reservoir conditions and local tectonics, suggesting that a complex interplay of natural and anthropogenic stressing controls seismicity within California's geothermal fields.

Canadian advanced life support capacities and future directions

Science.gov (United States)

Bamsey, M.; Graham, T.; Stasiak, M.; Berinstain, A.; Scott, A.; Vuk, T. Rondeau; Dixon, M.

2009-07-01

Canada began research on space-relevant biological life support systems in the early 1990s. Since that time Canadian capabilities have grown tremendously, placing Canada among the emerging leaders in biological life support systems. The rapid growth of Canadian expertise has been the result of several factors including a large and technically sophisticated greenhouse sector which successfully operates under challenging climatic conditions, well planned technology transfer strategies between the academic and industrial sectors, and a strong emphasis on international research collaborations. Recent activities such as Canada's contribution of the Higher Plant Compartment of the European Space Agency's MELiSSA Pilot Plant and the remote operation of the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse in the Canadian High Arctic continue to demonstrate Canadian capabilities with direct applicability to advanced life support systems. There is also a significant latent potential within Canadian institutions and organizations with respect to directly applicable advanced life support technologies. These directly applicable research interests include such areas as horticultural management strategies (for candidate crops), growth media, food processing, water management, atmosphere management, energy management, waste management, imaging, environment sensors, thermal control, lighting systems, robotics, command and data handling, communications systems, structures, in-situ resource utilization, space analogues and mission operations. With this background and in collaboration with the Canadian aerospace industry sector, a roadmap for future life support contributions is presented here. This roadmap targets an objective of at least 50% food closure by 2050 (providing greater closure in oxygen, water recycling and carbon dioxide uptake). The Canadian advanced life support community has chosen to focus on lunar surface infrastructure and not low Earth orbit or transit systems (i.e. microgravity

22 CFR 72.30 - Provisions in a will or advanced directive regarding disposition of remains.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Provisions in a will or advanced directive... Decreased United States Citizen Or National § 72.30 Provisions in a will or advanced directive regarding disposition of remains. United States state law regarding advance directives, deaths and estates include...

Formaldehyde as a carbon and electron shuttle between autotroph and heterotroph populations in acidic hydrothermal vents of Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moran, James J.; Whitmore, Laura M.; Isern, Nancy G.; Romine, Margaret F.; Riha, Krystin M.; Inskeep, William P.; Kreuzer, Helen W.

2016-03-19

The Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park contains a large number of hydrothermal systems, which host microbial populations supported by primary productivity associated with a suite of chemolithotrophic metabolisms. We demonstrate that Metallosphaera yellowstonesis MK1, a facultative autotrophic archaeon isolated from a hyperthermal acidic hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) spring in Norris Geyser Basin, excretes formaldehyde during autotrophic growth. To determine the fate of formaldehyde in this low organic carbon environment, we incubated native microbial mat (containing M. yellowstonensis) from a HFO spring with 13C-formaldehyde. Isotopic analysis of incubation-derived CO2 and biomass showed that formaldehyde was both oxidized and assimilated by members of the community. Autotrophy, formaldehyde oxidation, and formaldehyde assimilation displayed different sensitivities to chemical inhibitors, suggesting that distinct sub-populations in the mat selectively perform these functions. Our results demonstrate that electrons originally resulting from iron oxidation can energetically fuel autotrophic carbon fixation and associated formaldehyde excretion, and that formaldehyde is both oxidized and assimilated by different organisms within the native microbial community. Thus, formaldehyde can effectively act as a carbon and electron shuttle connecting the autotrophic, iron oxidizing members with associated heterotrophic members in the HFO community.

Advance directives and outcomes of surrogate decision making before death.

Science.gov (United States)

Silveira, Maria J; Kim, Scott Y H; Langa, Kenneth M

2010-04-01

Recent discussions about health care reform have raised questions regarding the value of advance directives. We used data from survey proxies in the Health and Retirement Study involving adults 60 years of age or older who had died between 2000 and 2006 to determine the prevalence of the need for decision making and lost decision-making capacity and to test the association between preferences documented in advance directives and outcomes of surrogate decision making. Of 3746 subjects, 42.5% required decision making, of whom 70.3% lacked decision-making capacity and 67.6% of those subjects, in turn, had advance directives. Subjects who had living wills were more likely to want limited care (92.7%) or comfort care (96.2%) than all care possible (1.9%); 83.2% of subjects who requested limited care and 97.1% of subjects who requested comfort care received care consistent with their preferences. Among the 10 subjects who requested all care possible, only 5 received it; however, subjects who requested all care possible were far more likely to receive aggressive care as compared with those who did not request it (adjusted odds ratio, 22.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.45 to 115.00). Subjects with living wills were less likely to receive all care possible (adjusted odds ratio, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.19 to 0.56) than were subjects without living wills. Subjects who had assigned a durable power of attorney for health care were less likely to die in a hospital (adjusted odds ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.55 to 0.93) or receive all care possible (adjusted odds ratio, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.86) than were subjects who had not assigned a durable power of attorney for health care. Between 2000 and 2006, many elderly Americans needed decision making near the end of life at a time when most lacked the capacity to make decisions. Patients who had prepared advance directives received care that was strongly associated with their preferences. These findings support the continued use of advance

Paramedics experiences and expectations concerning advance directives: a prospective, questionnaire-based, bi-centre study.

Science.gov (United States)

Taghavi, Mahmoud; Simon, Alfred; Kappus, Stefan; Meyer, Nicole; Lassen, Christoph L; Klier, Tobias; Ruppert, David B; Graf, Bernhard M; Hanekop, Gerd G; Wiese, Christoph H R

2012-10-01

Advance directives and palliative crisis cards are means by which palliative care patients can exert their autonomy in end-of-life decisions. To examine paramedics' attitudes towards advance directives and end-of-life care. Questionnaire-based investigation using a self-administered survey instrument. Paramedics of two cities (Hamburg and Goettingen, Germany) were included. Participants were questioned as to (1) their attitudes about advance directives, (2) their clinical experiences in connection with end-of-life situations (e.g. resuscitation), (3) their suggestions in regard to advance directives, 'Do not attempt resuscitation' orders and palliative crisis cards. Questionnaires were returned by 728 paramedics (response rate: 81%). The majority of paramedics (71%) had dealt with advance directives and end-of-life decisions in emergency situations. Most participants (84%) found that cardiopulmonary resuscitation in end-of-life patients is not useful and 75% stated that they would withhold cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the case of legal possibility. Participants also mentioned that more extensive discussion of legal aspects concerning advance directives should be included in paramedic training curricula. They suggested that palliative crisis cards should be integrated into end-of-life care. Decision making in prehospital end-of-life care is a challenge for all paramedics. The present investigation demonstrates that a dialogue bridging emergency medical and palliative care issues is necessary. The paramedics indicated that improved guidelines on end-of-life decisions and the termination of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in palliative care patients may be essential. Participants do not feel adequately trained in end-of-life care and the content of advance directives. Other recent studies have also demonstrated that there is a need for training curricula in end-of-life care for paramedics.

Immunotherapy for advanced melanoma: future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Valpione, Sara; Campana, Luca G

2016-02-01

As calculated by the meta-analysis of Korn et al., the prognosis of metastatic melanoma in the pretarget and immunological therapy era was poor, with a median survival of 6.2 and a 1-year life expectancy of 25.5%. Nowadays, significant advances in melanoma treatment have been gained, and immunotherapy is one of the promising approaches to get to durable responses and survival improvement. The aim of the present review is to highlight the recent innovations in melanoma immunotherapy and to propose a critical perspective of the future directions of this enthralling oncology subspecialty.

Protecting prisoners' autonomy with advance directives: ethical dilemmas and policy issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Andorno, Roberto; Shaw, David M; Elger, Bernice

2015-02-01

Over the last decade, several European countries and the Council of Europe itself have strongly supported the use of advance directives as a means of protecting patients' autonomy, and adopted specific norms to regulate this matter. However, it remains unclear under which conditions those regulations should apply to people who are placed in correctional settings. The issue is becoming more significant due to the increasing numbers of inmates of old age or at risk of suffering from mental disorders, all of whom might benefit from using advance directives. At the same time, the closed nature of prisons and the disparate power relationships that characterise them mean that great caution must be exercised to prevent care being withdrawn or withheld from inmates who actually want to receive it. This paper explores the issue of prisoners' advance directives in the European context, starting with the position enshrined in international and European law that prisoners retain all their human rights, except the right to liberty, and are therefore entitled to self-determination regarding health care decisions.

Health literacy: a study of internet-based information on advance directives.

Science.gov (United States)

Stuart, Peter

2017-11-28

The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality and value of web-based information on advance directives. Internet-based information on advance directives was selected because, if it is inaccurate or difficult to understand, patients risk making decisions about their care that may not be followed in practice. Two validated health information evaluation tools, the Suitability Assessment of Materials and DISCERN, and a focus group were used to assess credibility, user orientation and effectiveness. Only one of the 34 internet-based information items on advance directives reviewed fulfilled the study criteria and 30% of the sites were classed as unreadable. In terms of learning and informing, 79% of the sites were considered unsuitable. Using health literacy tools to evaluate internet-based health information highlights that often it is not at a functional literacy level and neither informs nor empowers users to make independent and valid healthcare decisions. ©2017 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.

[Can the vascular specialist improve patient awareness about advanced directives?].

Science.gov (United States)

Sanson, H; Priollet, P

2016-05-01

In France, the Leonetti law, adopted on April 22, 2005, stipulates the regulations concerning advanced directives. This is a patient's right that is not well known and rarely applied. In 2015, a new law project was thus presented in which the French National Authority for Health recommended that doctors, including all specialists, bring up the subject, especially during consultation. To evaluate the vascular specialist's possibility to mention the topic of advanced directives during consultations. A single and non-interventional prospective study conducted with the help of patients who consulted a private practitioner vascular specialist: recurrent patients regularly consulting a private practitioner vascular specialist were included. First-time consultants, minors and patients to whom it was not adapted to speak about the subject were not included. Between July 27 and September 23, 2015, 159 consecutive patients were examined. Fifty-five first-time consultants and four patients for whom the interview was unsuitable were excluded. In all, 100 patients were questioned. None of them refused to talk about the subject. Women made up a majority of the population (63 %) with an average age of 67 years (23-97). The principal diagnostics were common to vascular medicine consultations: deep vein thrombosis (20 %), peripheral arterial disease (15 %), varicose veins (11 %), lymphedema (11 %) and leg ulcers (9 %). Thirteen percent of the people had a history of cancer. Half of the patients had had follow-ups for over 10 years. The average time devoted to discussing the topic was 12minutes (5-40). Only 22 % of the patients declared having been familiar with advance directives. Once informed however, 78 % chose to write up an adapted form: 36 % with the help of their doctor and 42 % with a doctor and a relative. Seventy-three percent of the consultants thought that talking about the advance directives would reinforce the confidence link between the doctor and the

Water-chemistry data for selected springs, geysers, and streams in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2006-2008

Science.gov (United States)

Ball, James W.; McMleskey, R. Blaine; Nordstrom, D. Kirk

2010-01-01

Water analyses are reported for 104 samples collected from numerous thermal and non-thermal features in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) during 2006-2008. Water samples were collected and analyzed for major and trace constituents from 10 areas of YNP including Apollinaris Spring and Nymphy Creek along the Norris-Mammoth corridor, Beryl Spring in Gibbon Canyon, Norris Geyser Basin, Lower Geyser Basin, Crater Hills, the Geyser Springs Group, Nez Perce Creek, Rabbit Creek, the Mud Volcano area, and Washburn Hot Springs. These water samples were collected and analyzed as part of research investigations in YNP on arsenic, antimony, iron, nitrogen, and sulfur redox species in hot springs and overflow drainages, and the occurrence and distribution of dissolved mercury. Most samples were analyzed for major cations and anions, trace metals, redox species of antimony, arsenic, iron, nitrogen, and sulfur, and isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen. Analyses were performed at the sampling site, in an on-site mobile laboratory vehicle, or later in a U.S. Geological Survey laboratory, depending on stability of the constituent and whether it could be preserved effectively. Water samples were filtered and preserved on-site. Water temperature, specific conductance, pH, emf (electromotive force or electrical potential), and dissolved hydrogen sulfide were measured on-site at the time of sampling. Dissolved hydrogen sulfide was measured a few to several hours after sample collection by ion-specific electrode on samples preserved on-site. Acidity was determined by titration, usually within a few days of sample collection. Alkalinity was determined by titration within 1 to 2 weeks of sample collection. Concentrations of thiosulfate and polythionate were determined as soon as possible (generally a few to several hours after sample collection) by ion chromatography in an on-site mobile laboratory vehicle. Total dissolved iron and ferrous iron concentrations often were measured on-site in the

Three-dimensional numerical reservoir simulation of the EGS Demonstration Project at The Geysers geothermal field

Science.gov (United States)

Borgia, Andrea; Rutqvist, Jonny; Oldenburg, Curt M.; Hutchings, Lawrence; Garcia, Julio; Walters, Mark; Hartline, Craig; Jeanne, Pierre; Dobson, Patrick; Boyle, Katie

2013-04-01

The Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) Demonstration Project, currently underway at the Northwest Geysers, California, aims to demonstrate the feasibility of stimulating a deep high-temperature reservoir (up to 400 °C) through water injection over a 2-year period. On October 6, 2011, injection of 25 l/s started from the Prati 32 well at a depth interval of 1850-2699 m below sea level. After a period of almost 2 months, the injection rate was raised to 63 l/s. The flow rate was then decreased to 44 l/s after an additional 3.5 months and maintained at 25 l/s up to August 20, 2012. Significant well-head pressure changes were recorded at Prati State 31 well, which is separated from Prati 32 by about 500 m at reservoir level. More subdued pressure increases occur at greater distances. The water injection caused induced seismicity in the reservoir in the vicinity of the well. Microseismic monitoring and interpretation shows that the cloud of seismic events is mainly located in the granitic intrusion below the injection zone, forming a cluster elongated SSE-NNW (azimuth 170°) that dips steeply to the west. In general, the magnitude of the events increases with depth and the hypocenter depth increases with time. This seismic cloud is hypothesized to correlate with enhanced permeability in the high-temperature reservoir and its variation with time. Based on the existing borehole data, we use the GMS™ GUI to construct a realistic three-dimensional (3D) geologic model of the Northwest Geysers geothermal field. This model includes, from the top down, a low permeability graywacke layer that forms the caprock for the reservoir, an isothermal steam zone (known as the normal temperature reservoir) within metagraywacke, a hornfels zone (where the high-temperature reservoir is located), and a felsite layer that is assumed to extend downward to the magmatic heat source. We then map this model onto a rectangular grid for use with the TOUGH2 multiphase, multicomponent, non

Direct electroplating of plastic for advanced electrical applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Islam, Aminul; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard; Tang, Peter Torben

2017-01-01

Electrodeposition or electroplating is predominantly applied to metallic components. Electroplating of plastics is possible in some cases where an initial electroless plating layer of nickel or copper is made to provide a conductive surface on the plastic part. This paper proposes a method...... for direct electroplating of plastic eliminating the need for slow and expensive processes like electroless metal deposition, PVD coating, painting with conductive inks etc. The results obtained from the test demonstrate the potential of direct electroplating of plastic to enhance the electrical conductivity...... and the use of electroplated plastics for advanced applications like Moulded Interconnect Devices (MIDs)....

Direct Cardiac Reprogramming: Advances in Cardiac Regeneration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olivia Chen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Heart disease is one of the lead causes of death worldwide. Many forms of heart disease, including myocardial infarction and pressure-loading cardiomyopathies, result in irreversible cardiomyocyte death. Activated fibroblasts respond to cardiac injury by forming scar tissue, but ultimately this response fails to restore cardiac function. Unfortunately, the human heart has little regenerative ability and long-term outcomes following acute coronary events often include chronic and end-stage heart failure. Building upon years of research aimed at restoring functional cardiomyocytes, recent advances have been made in the direct reprogramming of fibroblasts toward a cardiomyocyte cell fate both in vitro and in vivo. Several experiments show functional improvements in mouse models of myocardial infarction following in situ generation of cardiomyocyte-like cells from endogenous fibroblasts. Though many of these studies are in an early stage, this nascent technology holds promise for future applications in regenerative medicine. In this review, we discuss the history, progress, methods, challenges, and future directions of direct cardiac reprogramming.

Site Specific Probabilistic Seismic Hazard and Risk Analysis for Surrounding Communities of The Geysers Geothermal Development Area

Science.gov (United States)

Miah, M.; Hutchings, L. J.; Savy, J. B.

2014-12-01

We conduct a probabilistic seismic hazard and risk analysis from induced and tectonic earthquakes for a 50 km radius area centered on The Geysers, California and for the next ten years. We calculate hazard with both a conventional and physics-based approach. We estimate site specific hazard. We convert hazard to risk of nuisance and damage to structures per year and map the risk. For the conventional PSHA we assume the past ten years is indicative of hazard for the next ten years from Mnoise. Then, we interpolate within each geologic unit in finely gridded points. All grid points within a unit are weighted by distance from each data collection point. The entire process is repeated for all of the other types of geologic units until the entire area is gridded and assigned a hazard value for every grid points. We found that nuisance and damage risks calculated by both conventional and physics-based approaches provided almost identical results. This is very surprising since they were calculated by completely independent means. The conventional approach used the actual catalog of the past ten years of earthquakes to estimate the hazard for the next ten year. While the physics-based approach used geotechnical modeling to calculate the catalog for the next ten years. Similarly, for the conventional PSHA, we utilized attenuation relations from past earthquakes recorded at the Geysers to translate the ground motion from the source to the site. While for the physics-based approach we calculated ground motion from simulation of actual earthquake rupture. Finally, the source of the earthquakes was the actual source for the conventional PSHA. While, we assumed random fractures for the physics-based approach. From all this, we consider the calculation of the conventional approach, based on actual data, to validate the physics-based approach used.

Older adult opinions of "advance driving directives".

Science.gov (United States)

Betz, Marian E; Lowenstein, Steven R; Schwartz, Robert

2013-01-01

Discussions about driving cessation are difficult. "Advance driving directives" (ADDs), like advance directives for end-of-life care, would allow drivers to designate someone to help make driving decisions for them in the future. It is not known if older drivers support the concept of ADDs. Cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of English-speaking drivers (55+ years) at 2 independent living facilities and 2 community centers who completed anonymous surveys. Of 168 participants, 80% were female; the median age was 76.5 years (range = 56-93 years). Most (74%) drove daily or almost daily, and 7% reported a crash in the past year. Few had spoken with someone about driving safety (5%) or their wishes when driving skills decline (21%). Of the few who had discussed this topic, 83% had spoken with a family member; only 17% had spoken with a health care provider. However, participants were open to driving discussions, and 54% said they would be willing to complete an ADD if recommended. Of these, 79% said it was "likely" or "very likely" they would comply with the directive in the future. Most (73%) supported mandatory, age-based retesting; the median recommended testing age suggested was 80 years. More participants thought the driver (71%), a family member (61%), or a physician (59%) should determine license revocation for an unsafe driver, rather than the department of motor vehicles (32%). Many older drivers may be open to discussing their driving plans with physicians and family members. ADDs may facilitate these discussions in the present and help define driving-related wishes in the future.

Law on advance health care directives: a medical perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Luca, A; Del Rio, A; Bosco, M; Di Luca, N M

2018-01-01

The paper's authors aim to elaborate on law 22 dicembre 2017, n. 219 , designed to regulate informed consent practices and advance health care directives", which has sparked a passionate debate centered on the substantial innovation achieved over the past decades in bio-medical science and at the same time, the noteworthy accomplishments made in enforcing human and personal rights. Within the paper, article three is delved into, which covers the creation of the so-called DAT ("Disposizioni anticipate di trattamento", advance health care directives), by which patients, in light of possible future incapacity to choose, can express their convictions and decisions on how to be treated and their consent or dissent to undergo treatments and procedures, including artificial nutrition and hydration. The authors peruse the new law's provisions through a medical perspective, and observe how they are heavily tilted towards patient choice, thus making doctors little more than mere tools of such decisions.

Japanese citizens' attitude toward end-of-life care and advance directives: A qualitative study for members of medical cooperatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirayama, Yoko; Otani, Takashi; Matsushima, Masato

2017-12-01

Japanese citizens are interested in choosing their own end-of-life care, but few have created their own advance directive. This study examined changes among Japanese citizens' attitudes toward end-of-life care and advance directives and explored factors that affected these attitudes. We conducted five focus groups with 48 participants in 2009 and 2010. All participants were members of health cooperatives in Tokyo. We identified many barriers and reasons for creating and writing down advance directives. Experience caring for dying people and having a serious disease affected attitudes toward advance directives. Some participants changed their attitude toward end-of-life care by writing their own advance directive. When someone is writing advance directives, asking about his/her past experience of caring may be helpful. And learning about or filling out advance directives may help to break down resistance to using these documents.

Southeast Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Facilities Improvements Project and Geysers Effluent Pipeline Project. Final EIR/EIS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

On May 26, 1994, the Lake County Sanitation District and the US Bureau of Land Management released for public review a Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) on the proposed Southeast Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Facilities Improvements Project and Geysers Effluent Pipeline Project. A minimum 45-day review and comment period began on that date and notices were published in the Federal Register. The public review and comment period closed on July 26, 1994. Public hearings on the Draft EIMIS were held in Lakeport, CA, on June 30 and July 14, 1994. The first part of this document contains copies of the written comments submitted on the Draft EIR/EIS. It also contains summary paraphrased comments of the public hearings. The second part of this document contains responses to the comments

Recent advances in severe accident technology - direct containment heating in advanced light water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fontana, M.H.

1993-01-01

The issues affecting high-pressure melt ejection (HPME) and the consequential containment pressurization from direct containment heating (DCH), as they affect advanced light water reactors (ALWRs), specifically advanced pressurized water reactors (APWRs), were reviewed by the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Reactor Severe Accident Program (ARSAP). Recommendations from ARSAP regarding the design of APWRs to minimize DCH are embodied within the Electric Power Research Institute ALWR Utility Requirements Document, which specifies (a) a large, strong containment; (b) an in-containment refueling water storage tank; (c) a reactor cavity configuration that minimizes energy transport to the containment atmosphere; and (d) a reactor coolant system depressurization system. Experimental and analytical efforts, which have focused on current-generation plants, and analyses for APWRs were reviewed. Although DCH is a subject of continuous research and considerable uncertainties remain, it is the judgment of the ARSAP that reactors complying with the recommended design requirements would have a low probability of early containment failure due to HPME and DCH

A Korean perspective on developing a global policy for advance directives.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Soyoon; Hahm, Ki-Hyun; Park, Hyoung Wook; Kang, Hyun Hee; Sohn, Myongsei

2010-03-01

Despite the wide and daunting array of cross-cultural obstacles that the formulation of a global policy on advance directives will clearly pose, the need is equally evident. Specifically, the expansion of medical services driven by medical tourism, just to name one important example, makes this issue urgently relevant. While ensuring consistency across national borders, a global policy will have the additional and perhaps even more important effect of increasing the use of advance directives in clinical settings and enhancing their effectiveness within each country, regardless of where that country's state of the law currently stands. One cross-cultural issue that may represent a major obstacle in formulating, let alone applying, a global policy is whether patient autonomy as the underlying principle for the use of advance directives is a universal norm or a construct of western traditions that must be reconciled with alternative value systems that may place lesser significance on individual choice. A global policy, at a minimum, must emphasize respect for patient autonomy, provision of medical information, limits to the obligations for physicians, and portability. And though the development of a global policy will be no easy task, active engagement in close collaboration with the World Health Organization can make it possible.

Advance Directives among Nursing Home Residents with Mild, Moderate, and Advanced Dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Tjia, Jennifer; Dharmawardene, Marisa; Givens, Jane L

2018-01-01

To describe prevalence and content of AD documentation among NH residents by dementia stage. The prevalence of advance directives (ADs) among nursing home (NH) residents with mild, moderate, and advanced dementia remains unclear. Population-based, cross-sectional study of all licensed NHs in five U.S. states. Subjects included all long-stay (>90 day) NH residents with dementia, aged ≥65 years, and a Cognitive Performance Scale (CPS) score ≥1 from the 2007 to 2008 Minimum Data Set 2.0 (n = 180,621). Dementia severity was classified as follows: mild (CPS 1-2), moderate (CPS 3-4), and advanced (CPS 5-6). ADs were defined as the presence of a living will, do-not-resuscitate order, do-not-hospitalize order, medication restriction, or feeding restriction). Overall, 59% of residents had any AD and 17% had a living will. Prevalence of any AD increased by dementia severity: mild (51.2%), moderate (58.2%), and advanced (61.5%) (p will was associated with higher education (≥high school graduate vs. some high school or less) and being married. While dementia severity was associated with greater likelihood of having documented any AD, almost 4 in 10 residents with dementia lacked any AD. Effective outreach may focus efforts on subgroups with lower odds of any AD or living wills, including non-white, less educated, and unmarried NH residents. A greater understanding of how such factors impact care planning will help to address barriers to patient-centered care for this population.

Psychiatric Advance Directives in India: What will the future hold?

Science.gov (United States)

Ratnam, Ashutosh; Rudra, Abhijit; Chatterjee, K; Das, R C

2015-08-01

Psychiatric Advance Directives (PADs) have been incorporated into India's Mental Health Care Bill, 2013. This is the first time any form of Advance Directive stands to receive legal sanction in India. PADs have numerous theoretical and empirically tenable therapeutic and financial advantages. Western experiences have shown high acceptance for the concept among psychiatric patients, and illustrated that most stable patients with severe mental illness retain the capacity to frame PADs consistent with community practice standards. However active psychopathology does impair this capacity, and therein, current subjective assessments of competence performed by Physicians without objective instruments are often inaccurate. Though PADs champion patient autonomy, when applied and studied, they have shown little significant advantage-there is currently not enough data to support evidence-based universal recommendations for PADs. PADs as incorporated into the Mental Health Care Bill model on existing Western statutes, and though many of the strengths of earlier systems have been subsumed, so have several of the shortcomings. The risks, benefits and applicability of PADs in India are complicated by the social re-calibration of patient autonomy, mental-healthcare delivery system weaknesses, and the relatively peripheral role the Psychiatrist is mandated to play in the entire advance directive process. Treating patients within the framework of their pre-stated wishes will be a much more intricate and arduous task than most of modern Psychiatric practice in India, but the difficulties, obstacles and inevitable failures encountered will provide evidence of the delivery system's weaknesses and thereby contribute to its strength. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Are advance directives helpful for good end of life decision making: a cross sectional survey of health professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Peicius, Eimantas; Blazeviciene, Aurelija; Kaminskas, Raimondas

2017-06-05

This paper joins the debate over changes in the role of health professionals when applying advance directives to manage the decision-making process at the end of life care. Issues in relation to advance directives occur in clinical units in Lithuania; however, it remains one of the few countries in the European Union (EU) where the discussion on advance directives is not included in the health-care policy-making agenda. To encourage the discussion of advance directives, a study was designed to examine health professionals' understanding and preferences related to advance directives. In addition, the study sought to explore the views of health care professionals of the application of Advance Directives (AD) in clinical practice in Lithuania. A cross-sectional survey was conducted by interviewing 478 health professionals based at major health care centers in Kaunas district, Lithuania. The design of the study included the use of a questionnaire developed for this study and validated by a pilot study. The collected data were analyzed using standard descriptive statistical methods. The analysis of knowledge about AD revealed some statistically significant differences when comparing the respondents' profession and gender. The analysis also indicated key emerging themes among respondents including tranquility of mind, the longest possible life expectancy and freedom of choice. Further, the study findings revealed that more than half of the study participants preferred to express their will while alive by using advance directives. The study findings revealed a low level of knowledge on advance directives among health professionals. Most health professionals agreed that AD's improved end-of-life decision making while the majority of physicians appreciated AD as the best tool for sharing responsibilities in clinical practice in Lithuania. More physicians than nurses preferred the presence of advance directives to support their decision making in end-of-life situations.

Technological advances in site-directed spin labeling of proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Hubbell, Wayne L; López, Carlos J; Altenbach, Christian; Yang, Zhongyu

2013-10-01

Molecular flexibility over a wide time range is of central importance to the function of many proteins, both soluble and membrane. Revealing the modes of flexibility, their amplitudes, and time scales under physiological conditions is the challenge for spectroscopic methods, one of which is site-directed spin labeling EPR (SDSL-EPR). Here we provide an overview of some recent technological advances in SDSL-EPR related to investigation of structure, structural heterogeneity, and dynamics of proteins. These include new classes of spin labels, advances in measurement of long range distances and distance distributions, methods for identifying backbone and conformational fluctuations, and new strategies for determining the kinetics of protein motion. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The implementation of psychiatric advance directives: Experiences from a Dutch crisis card initiative.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Ham, A.J.; Voskes, Y.; van Kempen, N.; Broerse, J.E.W.; Widdershoven, G.A.

2013-01-01

Objective: The crisis card is a specific form of psychiatric advance directive, documenting mental clients' treatment preferences in advance of a potential psychiatric crisis. In this paper, we aim to provide insight into implementation issues surrounding the crisis card. Method: A Dutch crisis-card

Approximately One In Three US Adults Completes Any Type Of Advance Directive For End-Of-Life Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Yadav, Kuldeep N; Gabler, Nicole B; Cooney, Elizabeth; Kent, Saida; Kim, Jennifer; Herbst, Nicole; Mante, Adjoa; Halpern, Scott D; Courtright, Katherine R

2017-07-01

Efforts to promote the completion of advance directives implicitly assume that completion rates of these documents, which help ensure care consistent with people's preferences in the event of incapacity, are undesirably low. However, data regarding completion of advance directives in the United States are inconsistent and of variable quality. We systematically reviewed studies published in the period 2011-16 to determine the proportion of US adults with a completed living will, health care power of attorney, or both. Among the 795,909 people in the 150 studies we analyzed, 36.7 percent had completed an advance directive, including 29.3 percent with living wills. These proportions were similar across the years reviewed. Similar proportions of patients with chronic illnesses (38.2 percent) and healthy adults (32.7 percent) had completed advance directives. The findings provide benchmarks for gauging future policies and practices designed to motivate completion of advance directives, particularly among those people most likely to benefit from having these documents on record. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Flora of the Mayacmas Mountains. [Listing of 679 species in the Geysers Geothermal Resource area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neilson, J.A.

1981-09-01

This flora describes the plants that occur within the Mayacmas Mountain Range of northern California. It is the result of ten years of environmental assessment by the author in the Geysers Geothermal Resource area, located in the center of the Mayacmas Range. The flora includes notes on plant communities and ecology of the area, as well as habitat and collection data for most of the 679 species covered. Altogether 74 families, 299 genera and 679 species are included in the flora. The work is divided into eight subdivisions: trees; shrubs; ferns and fern allies; aquatic plants; tules, sedges, and rushes; lilies and related plants; dicot herbs; and grasses. Within each subdivision, family, genera and species are listed alphabetically. Keys are provided at the beginning of each subdivision. A unique combination of physical, environmental and geologic factors have resulted in a rich and diverse flora in the Mayacmas. Maps have been provided indicating known locations for species of rare or limited occurrence.

Online, directed journaling in community health advanced practice nursing clinical education.

Science.gov (United States)

Daroszewski, Ellen Beth; Kinser, Anita G; Lloyd, Susan L

2004-04-01

The sharing of experiences in advanced practice nursing clinical courses allows for application of core principals to different facets of practice, with the potential to promote discussions beyond the course objectives, create opportunities for mentoring, foster critical thinking, and facilitate change and socialization into advanced practice. A pilot test of online, directed journaling, an innovative sharing and reflection strategy, was incorporated in a two-quarter community health advanced practice nursing clinical course in an attempt to enhance clinical learning. Six female graduate nursing students completed the journaling. A 10-item evaluation measure demonstrated that the online journaling strategy was highly effective and valuable for the students. An assessment of the journaling entries found multiple examples of discussion, mentoring, critical thinking, and socialization. Innovative online strategies should become the standard for sharing in advanced practice nursing education.

[Advance directives, a tool to humanize care].

Science.gov (United States)

Olmari-Ebbing, M; Zumbach, C N; Forest, M I; Rapin, C H

2000-07-01

The relationship between the patient and a medical care giver is complex specially as it implies to the human, juridical and practical points of view. It depends on legal and deontological considerations, but also on professional habits. Today, we are confronted to a fundamental modification of this relationship. Professional guidelines exist, but are rarely applied and rarely taught in universities. However, patients are eager to move from a paternalistic relationship to a true partnership, more harmonious and more respectful of individual values ("value based medicine"). Advance directives give us an opportunity to improve our practices and to provide care consistent with the needs and wishes of each patient.

Physician attitudes toward advanced directives: a literature review of variables impacting on physicians attitude toward advance directives.

Science.gov (United States)

Coleman, Albert M E

2013-11-01

To review physician's attitudes as well as the variables that may impact on physicians' attitude toward advance directives (ADs). Literature review of 17 published articles, covering the period 1989 to 2011. Physicians overall have a positive attitude toward patients' AD. However, other factors affect this "general positive attitude." These factors influence the attitude-behavior relationship of physicians, and hence their actual practice in relation to patients' AD. The findings from this review are of importance in explaining the differences in the attitude of physicians toward AD and their compliance. This raises the issue of consideration of other ethical paradigms/theories in the clinical context other than the framework of "principlism-"based autonomy, on which AD leans on. This is important in light of the pluralism of ethical theories.

Advance directives in english and French law: different concepts, different values, different societies.

Science.gov (United States)

Horn, Ruth Judith

2014-03-01

In Western societies advance directives are widely recognised as important means to extend patient self-determination under circumstances of incapacity. Following other countries, England and France have adopted legislation aiming to clarify the legal status of advance directives. In this paper, I will explore similarities and differences in both sets of legislation, the arguments employed in the respective debates and the socio-political structures on which these differences are based. The comparison highlights how different legislations express different concepts emphasising different values accorded to the duty to respect autonomy and to protect life, and how these differences are informed by different socio-political contexts. Furthermore each country associates different ethical concerns with ADs which raise doubts about whether these directives are a theoretical idea which is hardly applicable in practice.

Initiation of geyser during the resettlement of cryogenic liquid under impulsive reverse gravity acceleration in microgravity environment

Science.gov (United States)

Hung, R. J.; Shyu, K. L.

1991-01-01

The requirement to settle or to position liquid fluid over the outlet end of spacecraft propellant tank prior to main engine restart poses a microgravity fluid behavior problem. Resettlement or reorientation of liquid propellant can be accomplished by providing optimal acceleration to the spacecraft such that the propellant is reoriented over the tank outlet without any vapor entrainment, any excessive geysering, or any other undesirable fluid motion for the space fluid management under microgravity environment. The purpose of present study is to investigate most efficient technique for propellant resettling through the minimization of propellant usage and weight penalties. Comparison between the constant reverse gravity acceleration and impulsive reverse gravity acceleration to be used for the activation of propellant resettlement, it shows that impulsive reverse gravity thrust is superior to constant reverse gravity thrust for liquid reorientation in a reduced gravity environment.

From Advance Euthanasia Directive to Euthanasia: Stable Preference in Older People?

Science.gov (United States)

Bolt, Eva E; Pasman, H Roeline W; Deeg, Dorly J H; Onwuteaka-Philipsen, Bregje D

2016-08-01

To determine whether older people with advance directive for euthanasia (ADEs) are stable in their advance desire for euthanasia in the last years of life, how frequently older people with an ADE eventually request euthanasia, and what factors determine this. Mortality follow-back study nested in a cohort study. The Netherlands. Proxies of deceased members of a cohort representative of Dutch older people (n = 168) and a cohort of people with advance directives (n = 154). Data from cohort members (possession of ADE) combined with after-death proxy information on cohort members' last 3 months of life. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed on determinants of a euthanasia request in individuals with an ADE. Response rate was 65%. One hundred forty-two cohort members had an ADE at baseline. Three months before death, 87% remained stable in their desire for euthanasia; 47% eventually requested euthanasia (vs 6% without an ADE), and 16% died after euthanasia. People with an ADE were more likely to request euthanasia if they worried about loss of dignity. The majority of older adults who complete an ADE will have a stable preference over time, but an advance desire for euthanasia does not necessarily result in a euthanasia request. Writing an ADE may reflect a person's need for reassurance that they can request euthanasia in the future. © 2016, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2016, The American Geriatrics Society.

Relationship of social support and decisional conflict to advance directives attitude in Korean older adults: A community-based cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, JuHee; Jung, Dukyoo; Choi, MoonKi

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between social support, decisional conflict, and attitude towards advance directives, and determine whether decisional conflict mediates the relation between social support and advance directives attitude among older adults in South Korea. In total, 209 community-based older adults (mean age, 74.82 years) participated in this cross-sectional study. Demographic characteristics, self-perceived health status, social support, decisional conflict, and advance directives attitude were investigated via a structured questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using Pearson's correlation and path analyses. The mean score of advance directives attitude was 48.01 (range, 35-61). Decisional conflict and social support were both significantly related to advance directives attitude (P conflict was a mediator between social support and advance directives attitudes. The results confirmed the importance of social support for reducing decisional conflict and encouraging positive attitudes toward advance directives. Future studies are needed to support the development of culturally sensitive educational approaches regarding advance directives for older adults in Korea. © 2015 The Authors. Japan Journal of Nursing Science © 2015 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.

Strategic directions and actions for advanced practice nursing in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martha N. Hill

2017-01-01

Full Text Available There is a need and opportunity for China to develop education and practice innovations given that advance practice nurses (APNs improve health care and outcomes. The China Medical Board (CMB China Nursing Network (CCNN began planning for an Advanced Nursing Practice Program for education and career development that will facilitate CCNN's contributions to meeting national nursing policy priorities. This paper presents the discussion, recommendations and action plans developed at the inaugural planning meeting on June 26, 2015 at Fudan University in Shanghai. The recommendations are: Develop standards for advanced nursing practice; Develop Master's level curricula based on the standards; Commence pilot projects across a number of University affiliated hospitals; and Prepare clinical tutors and faculty. The strategic directions and actions are: Develop a clinical career ladder system; Expand the nursing role from hospital to community; and Build a specialty nurse accreditation system.

A multimedia intervention on cardiopulmonary resuscitation and advance directives.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, R; Galecki, A T; Goold, S D; Hogikyan, R V

1999-09-01

To assess the effects of a multimedia educational intervention about advance directives (ADs) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the knowledge, attitude and activity toward ADs and life-sustaining treatments of elderly veterans. Prospective randomized controlled, single blind study of educational interventions. General medicine clinic of a university-affiliated Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). One hundred seventeen Veterans, 70 years of age or older, deemed able to make medical care decisions. The control group (n = 55) received a handout about ADs in use at the VAMC. The experimental group (n = 62) received the same handout, with an additional handout describing procedural aspects and outcomes of CPR, and they watched a videotape about ADs. Patients' attitudes and actions toward ADs, CPR and life-sustaining treatments were recorded before the intervention, after it, and 2 to 4 weeks after the intervention through self-administered questionnaires. Only 27.8% of subjects stated that they knew what an AD is in the preintervention questionnaire. This proportion improved in both the experimental and control (87.2% experimental, 52.5% control) subject groups, but stated knowledge of what an AD is was higher in the experimental group (odds ratio = 6.18, p CPR. This improved after the intervention in the experimental group (OR = 4.27, p =.004), but did not persist at follow-up. In the postintervention questionnaire, few subjects in either group stated that they discussed CPR or ADs with their physician on that day (OR = 0.97, p = NS). We developed a convenient means of educating elderly male patients regarding CPR and advance directives that improved short-term knowledge but did not stimulate advance care planning.

Effect of an End-of-Life Planning Intervention on the completion of advance directives in homeless persons: a randomized trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, John; Ratner, Edward R; Wall, Melanie M; Bartels, Dianne M; Ulvestad, Nancy; Petroskas, Dawn; West, Melissa; Weber-Main, Anne Marie; Grengs, Leah; Gelberg, Lillian

2010-07-20

Few interventions have focused on improving end-of-life care for underserved populations, such as homeless persons. To determine whether homeless persons will complete a counseling session on advance care planning and fill out a legal advance directive designed to assess care preferences and preserve the dignity of marginalized persons. Prospective, single-blind, randomized trial comparing self-guided completion of an advance directive with professionally assisted advance care planning. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00546884) 8 sites serving homeless persons in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 262 homeless persons recruited between November 2007 and August 2008. Minimal, self-guided intervention consisting of advance directive forms and written educational information versus a one-on-one advance planning intervention consisting of counseling and completing an advance directive with a social worker. Rate of advance directive completion, assessed by inspection of completed documents. The overall completion rate for advance directives was 26.7% (95% CI, 21.5% to 32.5%), with a higher rate in the counselor-guided group (37.9%) than in the self-guided group (12.8%) (CI of adjusted difference, 15.3 to 34.3 percentage points). This difference persisted across all sites and most subgroups. The advance directive's 4 clinical scenarios found a preference for surrogate decision making in 29% to 34% of written responses. Sampling was limited to a more stable subset of the homeless population in Minneapolis and may have been subject to selection bias. Modest compensation to complete the preintervention survey could have influenced participants to complete advance directives. Both a simple and complex intervention successfully engaged a diverse sample of homeless persons in advance care planning. One-on-one assistance significantly increased the completion rate. Homeless persons can respond to an intervention to plan for end-of-life care and can express specific preferences

The moral courage of nursing students who complete advance directives with homeless persons.

Science.gov (United States)

Nash, Woods; Mixer, Sandra J; McArthur, Polly M; Mendola, Annette

2016-11-01

Homeless persons in the United States have disproportionately high rates of illness, injury, and mortality and tend to believe that the quality of their end-of-life care will be poor. No studies were found as to whether nurses or nursing students require moral courage to help homeless persons or members of any other demographic complete advance directives. We hypothesized that baccalaureate nursing students require moral courage to help homeless persons complete advance directives. Moral courage was defined as a trait of a person or an action that overcomes fears or other challenges to achieve something of great moral worth. The hypothesis was investigated through a qualitative descriptive study. Aside from the pre-selection of a single variable to study (i.e. moral courage), our investigation was a naturalistic inquiry with narrative hues insofar as it attended to specific words and phrases in the data that were associated with that variable. A total of 15 baccalaureate nursing students at a public university in the United States responded to questionnaires that sought to elicit fears and other challenges that they both expected to experience and actually experienced while helping homeless persons complete advance directives at a local, non-profit service agency. The study was approved by the Internal Review Board of the authors' university, and each participant signed an informed consent form, which stated that the study involved no reasonably foreseeable risks and that participation was voluntary. Before meeting with homeless persons, participants reported that they expected to experience two fears and a challenge: fear of behaving in ways that a homeless person would deem inappropriate, fear of discussing a homeless person's dying and death, and the challenge of adequately conveying the advance directive's meaning and accurately recording a homeless person's end-of-life wishes. In contrast, after their meetings with homeless persons, relatively few participants

Advance care planning in 21st century Australia: a systematic review and appraisal of online advance care directive templates against national framework criteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Luckett, Tim; Bhattarai, Priyanka; Phillips, Jane; Agar, Meera; Currow, David; Krastev, Yordanka; Davidson, Patricia M

2015-11-01

A drive to promote advance care planning at a population level has led to a proliferation of online advance care directive (ACD) templates but little information to guide consumer choice. The current study aimed to appraise the quality of online ACD templates promoted for use in Australia. A systematic review of online Australian ACD templates was conducted in February 2014. ACD templates were identified via Google searches, and quality was independently appraised by two reviewers against criteria from the 2011 report A National Frameworkfor Advance Care Directives. Bias either towards or against future medical treatment was assessed using criteria designed to limit subjectivity. Fourteen online ACD templates were included, all of which were available only in English. Templates developed by Southern Cross University best met the framework criteria. One ACD template was found to be biased against medical treatment--the Dying with Dignity Victoria Advance Healthcare Directive. More research is needed to understand how online resources can optimally elicit and record consumers' individual preferences for future care. Future iterations of the framework should address online availability and provide a simple rating system to inform choice and drive quality improvement.

[Psychiatric advance directives and the role of autonomy].

Science.gov (United States)

Ambrosini, Daniel L; Crocker, Anne G

2009-01-01

Although psychiatric advance directives (PADs) are grounded in the ethics of autonomy, the relationship between the two is unclear. PADs are legal documents that allow individuals with mental illness to record their treatment preferences should they become incompetent in the future. The relationship between autonomy and PADs has been discussed in ethical, legal, and philosophical terms, but has not been clearly operationalized for clinical purposes. Autonomy is a fundamental ethical value that includes having the independence from outside controlling influences and the mental capacity to direct one's personal actions. Individuals with mental illness sometimes require assistance to understand their ethical and legal rights with respect to autonomous choice, and professional stakeholders need education regarding the importance of autonomy for clinical practice. Competency to consent to treatment is the mental prerequisite that ensures individuals with mental illness are able to complete PADs with insight, whereas autonomy is the value that empowers individuals to work towards their recovery.

Effects of geothermal energy utilization on stream biota and water quality at The Geysers, California. Final report. [Big Sulphur, Little Sulphur, Squaw, and Pieta Creeks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

LeGore, R.S.

1975-01-01

The discussion is presented under the following section headings: biological studies, including fish, insects, and microbiology; stream hydrology; stream water quality, including methods and results; the contribution of tributaries to Big Sulphur Creek, including methods, results, and tributary characterization; standing water at wellheads; steam condensate quality; accidental discharges; trout spawning bed quality; major conclusions; list of references; and appendices. It is concluded that present operational practices at Geysers geothermal field do not harm the biological resources in adjacent streams. The only effects of geothermal development observed during the study were related to operational accidents. (JGB)

Stress/strain changes and triggered seismicity at The Geysers, California

Science.gov (United States)

Gomberg, Joan; Davis, Scott

1996-01-01

The principal results of this study of remotely triggered seismicity in The Geysers geothermal field are the demonstration that triggering (initiation of earthquake failure) depends on a critical strain threshold and that the threshold level increases with decreasing frequency, or, equivalently, depends on strain rate. This threshold function derives from (1) analyses of dynamic strains associated with surface waves of the triggering earthquakes, (2) statistically measured aftershock zone dimensions, and (3) analytic functional representations of strains associated with power production and tides. The threshold is also consistent with triggering by static strain changes and implies that both static and dynamic strains may cause aftershocks. The observation that triggered seismicity probably occurs in addition to background activity also provides an important constraint on the triggering process. Assuming the physical processes underlying earthquake nucleation to be the same, Gomberg [this issue] discusses seismicity triggered by the MW 7.3 Landers earthquake, its constraints on the variability of triggering thresholds with site, and the implications of time delays between triggering and triggered earthquakes. Our results enable us to reject the hypothesis that dynamic strains simply nudge prestressed faults over a Coulomb failure threshold sooner than they would have otherwise. We interpret the rate-dependent triggering threshold as evidence of several competing processes with different time constants, the faster one(s) facilitating failure and the other(s) inhibiting it. Such competition is a common feature of theories of slip instability. All these results, not surprisingly, imply that to understand earthquake triggering one must consider not only simple failure criteria requiring exceedence of some constant threshold but also the requirements for generating instabilities.

Stress/strain changes and triggered seismicity at The Geysers, California

Science.gov (United States)

Gomberg, J.; Davis, S.

1996-01-01

The principal results of this study of remotely triggered seismicity in The Geysers geothermal field are the demonstration that triggering (initiation of earthquake failure) depends on a critical strain threshold and that the threshold level increases with decreasing frequency or equivalently, depends on strain rate. This threshold function derives from (1) analyses of dynamic strains associated with surface waves of the triggering earthquakes, (2) statistically measured aftershock zone dimensions, and (3) analytic functional representations of strains associated with power production and tides. The threshold is also consistent with triggering by static strain changes and implies that both static and dynamic strains may cause aftershocks. The observation that triggered seismicity probably occurs in addition to background activity also provides an important constraint on the triggering process. Assuming the physical processes underlying earthquake nucleation to be the same, Gomberg [this issue] discusses seismicity triggered by the MW 7.3 Landers earthquake, its constraints on the variability of triggering thresholds with site, and the implications of time delays between triggering and triggered earthquakes. Our results enable us to reject the hypothesis that dynamic strains simply nudge prestressed faults over a Coulomb failure threshold sooner than they would have otherwise. We interpret the rate-dependent triggering threshold as evidence of several competing processes with different time constants, the faster one(s) facilitating failure and the other(s) inhibiting it. Such competition is a common feature of theories of slip instability. All these results, not surprisingly, imply that to understand earthquake triggering one must consider not only simple failure criteria requiring exceedence of some constant threshold but also the requirements for generating instabilities.

"It's like playing with your destiny": Bosnian immigrants' views of advance directives and end-of-life decision-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Searight, H Russell; Gafford, Jennifer

2005-07-01

Patient autonomy is a primary value in US health care. It is assumed that patients want to be fully and directly informed about serious health conditions and want to engage in advance planning about medical care at the end-of-life. Written advance directives and proxy decision-makers are vehicles to promote autonomy when patients are no longer able to represent their wishes. Cross-cultural studies have raised questions about the universal acceptance of these health care values among all ethnicities. In the current investigation, Bosnian immigrants were interviewed about their views of physician-patient communication, advance directives, and locus of decision-making in serious illness. Many of the respondents indicated that they did not want to be directly informed of a serious illness. There was an expressed preference for physician- or family-based health care decisions. Advance directives and formally appointed proxies were typically seen as unnecessary and inconsistent with many respondents' personal values. The findings suggest that the value of individual autonomy and control over the health care decisions may not be applicable to cultures with a collectivist orientation.

The role of advance directives in end-of-life decisions in Austria: survey of intensive care physicians.

Science.gov (United States)

Schaden, Eva; Herczeg, Petra; Hacker, Stefan; Schopper, Andrea; Krenn, Claus G

2010-10-21

Currently, intensive care medicine strives to define a generally accepted way of dealing with end-of-life decisions, therapy limitation and therapy discontinuation.In 2006 a new advance directive legislation was enacted in Austria. Patients may now document their personal views regarding extension of treatment. The aim of this survey was to explore Austrian intensive care physicians' experiences with and their acceptance of the new advance directive legislation two years after enactment (2008). Under the aegis of the OEGARI (Austrian Society of Anaesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care) an anonymised questionnaire was sent to the medical directors of all intensive care units in Austria. The questions focused on the physicians' experiences regarding advance directives and their level of knowledge about the underlying legislation. There were 241 questionnaires sent and 139 were turned, which was a response rate of 58%. About one third of the responders reported having had no experience with advance directives and only 9 directors of intensive care units had dealt with more than 10 advance directives in the previous two years. Life-supporting measures, resuscitation, and mechanical ventilation were the predominantly refused therapies, wishes were mainly expressed concerning pain therapy. A response rate of almost 60% proves the great interest of intensive care professionals in making patient-oriented end-of-life decisions. However, as long as patients do not make use of their right of co-determination, the enactment of the new law can be considered only a first important step forward.

Prevalence of advanced adenomas in small and diminutive colon polyps using direct measurement of size.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Franklin C; Strum, Williamson B

2011-08-01

Most studies reporting polyp size use visual estimates. Determining the prevalence of advanced histology based on direct measurement of polyp size may help guide the management of polyps found at optical colonoscopy (OC) and CT colonography (CTC). We designed a large, prospective study to assess the prevalence of advanced adenomas based on direct measurement of polyp size by a certified pathologists' assistant as reported in the pathology report. Patients between 40 and 89 years of age who presented for screening colonoscopy were included in our study. Advanced adenomas were defined as ≥10 mm or ≥25% villous features, high grade dysplasia or cancer. Polyps were divided by size into three groups: diminutive (≤5 mm), small (6-9 mm) and large (≥10 mm). If more than one adenoma was present, the most advanced was used for analysis. We evaluated 6,905 consecutive patients referred for colonoscopy between January 2005 and December 2006. Of the 4,967 who met the inclusion criteria, the mean age was 58.8 and consisted of 59% women. Overall, 930 (18.7%) had an adenoma; 248 (5%) were advanced adenomas including 8 (0.16%) cancers. Of 89 polyps≥10 mm, 76 (85%) had advanced histology; of 247 polyps 6-9 mm, 67 (27%) were advanced; of 1,025 polyps ≤5 mm, 105 (10%) were advanced. Thus, 172 of 248 (69%) patients with advanced adenomas had small or diminutive adenomas. Our data indicate the majority (69%) of advanced adenomas are advanced adenomas (10%). These findings may help guide the management of sub-centimeter colon polyps found by OC or CTC.

Advanced materials for alternative fuel capable directly fired heat engines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fairbanks, J.W.; Stringer, J. (eds.)

1979-12-01

The first conference on advanced materials for alternative fuel capable directly fired heat engines was held at the Maine Maritime Academy, Castine, Maine. It was sponsored by the US Department of Energy, (Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy) and the Electric Power Research Institute, (Division of Fossil Fuel and Advanced Systems). Forty-four papers from the proceedings have been entered into EDB and ERA and one also into EAPA; three had been entered previously from other sources. The papers are concerned with US DOE research programs in this area, coal gasification, coal liquefaction, gas turbines, fluidized-bed combustion and the materials used in these processes or equipments. The materials papers involve alloys, ceramics, coatings, cladding, etc., and the fabrication and materials listing of such materials and studies involving corrosion, erosion, deposition, etc. (LTN)

What explains racial differences in the use of advance directives and attitudes toward hospice care?

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Kimberly S; Kuchibhatla, Maragatha; Tulsky, James A

2008-10-01

Cultural beliefs and values are thought to account for differences between African Americans and whites in the use of advance directives and beliefs about hospice care, but few data clarify which beliefs and values explain these differences. Two hundred five adults aged 65 and older who received primary care in the Duke University Health System were surveyed. The survey included five scales: Hospice Beliefs and Attitudes, Preferences for Care, Spirituality, Healthcare System Distrust, and Beliefs About Dying and Advance Care Planning. African Americans were less likely than white subjects to have completed an advance directive (35.5% vs 67.4%, Pconflict with the goals of palliative care, and distrust the healthcare system. In multivariate analyses, none of these factors alone completely explained racial differences in possession of an advance directive or beliefs about hospice care, but when all of these factors were combined, race was no longer a significant predictor of either of the two outcomes. These findings suggest that ethnicity is a marker of common cultural beliefs and values that, in combination, influence decision-making at the end of life. This study has implications for the design of healthcare delivery models and programs that provide culturally sensitive end-of-life care to a growing population of ethnically diverse older adults.

Temporal changes of static stress drop as a proxy for poroelastic effects at The Geysers geothermal field, California

Science.gov (United States)

Staszek, Monika; Orlecka-Sikora, Beata; Lasocki, Stanislaw; Kwiatek, Grzegorz; Leptokaropoulos, Konstantinos; Martinez-Garzon, Patricia

2017-04-01

One of the major environmental impacts of shale gas exploitation is triggered and induced seismicity. Due to the similarity of fluid injection process data from geothermal fields can be used as a proxy for shale gas exploitation associated seismicity. Therefore, in this paper we utilize 'The Geysers' dataset compiled within SHale gas Exploration and Exploitation induced Risks (SHEER) project. The dependence of earthquake static stress drops on pore pressure in the medium was previously suggested by Goertz-Allmann et al. (2011), who observed an increase of the static stress drop with the distance from injection well during reservoir stimulation at Deep Heat Mining project in Basel, Switzerland. Similar observation has been done by Kwiatek et al. (2014) in Berlín geothermal field, El Salvador. In this study, we use a high-quality data from The Geysers geothermal field to determine whether the static stress drops and the stress drop distributions change statistically significantly in time or not, and how such changes are correlated with the values of hypocenter depth, water injection rate, and distance from injection well. For the analyses we use a group of 354 earthquakes, which occurred in the proximity of Prati-9 and Prati-29 injection wells. Spectral parameters of these earthquakes were determined using mesh spectral ratio technique. Our results indicate that: (1) the static stress drop variation in time is statistically significant, (2) median static stress drop is inversely related to median injection rate. Therefore, it is highly expected that static stress drop is influenced by pore pressure in underground fluid injection conditions. References: Goertz-Allmann B., Goertz A., Wiemer S. (2011), Stress drop variations of induced earthquakes at the Basel geothermal site. Geophysical Research Letters, 38, L09308, doi:10.1029/2011GL047498. Kwiatek G., Bulut F., Bohnhoff M., Dresen G. (2014), High-resolution analysis of seismicity induced at Berlin geothermal field

Survey of the general public's attitudes toward advance directives in Japan: How to respect patients' preferences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kai Ichiro

2006-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Japanese people have become increasingly interested in the expression and enhancement of their individual autonomy in medical decisions made regarding medical treatment at and toward the end of life. However, while many Western countries have implemented legislation that deals with patient autonomy in the case of terminal illness, no such legislation exists in Japan. The rationale for this research is based on the need to investigate patient's preferences regarding treatment at the end of life in order to re-evaluate advance directives policy and practice. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 418 members of the general middle-aged and senior adults (aged between 40 and 65 in Tokyo, Japan. Respondents were asked about their attitudes toward advance directives, and preferences toward treatment options. Results Over 60% of respondents agreed that it is better to express their wishes regarding advance directives (treatment preferences in writing, appointment of proxy for care decision making, appointment of legal administrator of property, stating preferences regarding disposal of one's property and funeral arrangements but less than 10% of them had already done so. About 60% of respondents in this study preferred to indicate treatment preferences in broad rather than concrete terms. Over 80% would like to decide treatment preferences in consultation with others (22.2% with their proxy, 11.0% with the doctor, and 47.8% with both their proxy and the doctor. Conclusion This study revealed that many Japanese people indicate an interest in undertaking advance directives. This study found that there is a range of preferences regarding how advance directives are undertaken, thus it is important to recognize that any processes put into place should allow flexibility in order to best respect patients' wishes and autonomy.

The role of advance directives in end-of-life decisions in Austria: survey of intensive care physicians

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schopper Andrea

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Currently, intensive care medicine strives to define a generally accepted way of dealing with end-of-life decisions, therapy limitation and therapy discontinuation. In 2006 a new advance directive legislation was enacted in Austria. Patients may now document their personal views regarding extension of treatment. The aim of this survey was to explore Austrian intensive care physicians' experiences with and their acceptance of the new advance directive legislation two years after enactment (2008. Methods Under the aegis of the OEGARI (Austrian Society of Anaesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care an anonymised questionnaire was sent to the medical directors of all intensive care units in Austria. The questions focused on the physicians' experiences regarding advance directives and their level of knowledge about the underlying legislation. Results There were 241 questionnaires sent and 139 were turned, which was a response rate of 58%. About one third of the responders reported having had no experience with advance directives and only 9 directors of intensive care units had dealt with more than 10 advance directives in the previous two years. Life-supporting measures, resuscitation, and mechanical ventilation were the predominantly refused therapies, wishes were mainly expressed concerning pain therapy. Conclusion A response rate of almost 60% proves the great interest of intensive care professionals in making patient-oriented end-of-life decisions. However, as long as patients do not make use of their right of co-determination, the enactment of the new law can be considered only a first important step forward.

The Texas Advanced Directive Law: Unfinished Business.

Science.gov (United States)

Kapottos, Michael; Youngner, Stuart

2015-01-01

The Texas Advance Directive Act allows physicians and hospitals to overrule patient or family requests for futile care. Purposefully not defining futility, the law leaves its determination in specific cases to an institutional process. While the law has received several criticisms, it does seem to work constructively in the cases that come to the review process. We introduce a new criticism: While the law has been justified by an appeal to professional values such as avoiding harm to patients, avoiding the provision of unseemly care, and good stewardship of medical resources, it is applied incompletely. It allows physicians and institutional committees to refuse "futile" treatments desired by patients and families while at the same time providing no way of regulating physicians who recommend or even push "futile" treatments in similar cases. In this sense, the TADA is incomplete on its own terms.

Psychiatric advance directives in Australian mental-health legislation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ouliaris, Calina; Kealy-Bateman, Warren

2017-12-01

Following the recent widespread reform of mental-health legislation in Australia, psychiatric advance directives (PADs) have now been incorporated in four jurisdictions. We contextualise the potential role for PADs within the Australian legal framework and note their varying introduction across jurisdictions, with a focus on progressive legislation in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The formal recognition of PADs effectively shifts the trajectory of mental-health law towards a stronger recognition of consumer autonomy, albeit to varying degrees across jurisdictions. The most inspiring of these changes may be seen in the ACT Act, where an innovative framing of PAD provisions creates a safe space for clinicians and patients to engage, build therapeutic alliances and develop appropriate frameworks for further change.

Hospital policies on life-sustaining treatments and advance directives in Canada.

OpenAIRE

Rasooly, I; Lavery, J V; Urowitz, S; Choudhry, S; Seeman, N; Meslin, E M; Lowy, F H; Singer, P A

1994-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and content of hospital policies on life-sustaining treatments (cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR], mechanical ventilation, dialysis, artificial nutrition and hydration, and antibiotic therapy for life-threatening infections) and advance directives in Canada. DESIGN: Cross-sectional mailed survey. SETTING: Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Chief executive officers or their designates at public general hospitals. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Information regarding the exis...

Advance directives as a tool to respect patients' values and preferences: discussion on the case of Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Porteri, Corinna

2018-02-20

The proposal of the new criteria for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) based on biomarker data is making possible a diagnosis of AD at the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or predementia/prodromal- stage. Given the present lack of effective treatments for AD, the opportunity for the individuals to personally take relevant decisions and plan for their future before and if cognitive deterioration occurs is one the main advantages of an early diagnosis. Advance directives are largely seen as an effective tool for planning medical care in the event the subject becomes incompetent. Nevertheless, their value has been questioned with regard to people with dementia by scholars who refer to the arguments of personal identity and of patient's changing interests before and after the onset of dementia. In this paper, I discuss the value of advance directives in Alzheimer's disease and other kind of dementia. Despite critics, I argue that advance directives are especially advisable in dementia and provide reasons in favor of their promotion at an early stage of the disease as a valuable tool to respect patients' values and preferences on medical treatment, including participation in research and end of life decisions. I mainly support advance directives that include both decisions regarding health care and the appointment of an attorney in fact. I conclude that patients with AD at a prodromal or early stage should be offered the opportunity to execute an advance directive, and that not to honor a demented individual's directive would be an unacceptable form of discrimination towards those patients.

Directions for advanced use of nuclear power in century XXI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walter, C.E.

1999-01-01

Nuclear power can provide a significant contribution to electricity generation and meet other needs of the world and the US during the next century provided that certain directions are taken to achieve its public acceptance. These directions include formulation of projections of population, energy consumption, and energy resources over a responsible period of time. These projections will allow assessment of cumulative effects on the environment and on fixed resources. Use of fossil energy resources in a century of growing demand for energy must be considered in the context of long-term environmental damage and resource depletion. Although some question the validity of these consequences, they can be mitigated by use of advanced fast reactor technology. It must be demonstrated that nuclear power technology is safe, resistant to material diversion for weapon use, and economical. An unbiased examination of all the issues related to energy use, especially of electricity, is an essential direction to take

Status and future directions for advanced accelerator research - conventional and non-conventional collider concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siemann, R.H.

1997-01-01

The relationship between advanced accelerator research and future directions for particle physics is discussed. Comments are made about accelerator research trends in hadron colliders, muon colliders, and e + 3 - linear colliders

Recovery Act: Advanced Direct Methanol Fuel Cell for Mobile Computing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fletcher, James H. [University of North Florida; Cox, Philip [University of North Florida; Harrington, William J [University of North Florida; Campbell, Joseph L [University of North Florida

2013-09-03

ABSTRACT Project Title: Recovery Act: Advanced Direct Methanol Fuel Cell for Mobile Computing PROJECT OBJECTIVE The objective of the project was to advance portable fuel cell system technology towards the commercial targets of power density, energy density and lifetime. These targets were laid out in the DOE’s R&D roadmap to develop an advanced direct methanol fuel cell power supply that meets commercial entry requirements. Such a power supply will enable mobile computers to operate non-stop, unplugged from the wall power outlet, by using the high energy density of methanol fuel contained in a replaceable fuel cartridge. Specifically this project focused on balance-of-plant component integration and miniaturization, as well as extensive component, subassembly and integrated system durability and validation testing. This design has resulted in a pre-production power supply design and a prototype that meet the rigorous demands of consumer electronic applications. PROJECT TASKS The proposed work plan was designed to meet the project objectives, which corresponded directly with the objectives outlined in the Funding Opportunity Announcement: To engineer the fuel cell balance-of-plant and packaging to meet the needs of consumer electronic systems, specifically at power levels required for mobile computing. UNF used existing balance-of-plant component technologies developed under its current US Army CERDEC project, as well as a previous DOE project completed by PolyFuel, to further refine them to both miniaturize and integrate their functionality to increase the system power density and energy density. Benefits of UNF’s novel passive water recycling MEA (membrane electrode assembly) and the simplified system architecture it enabled formed the foundation of the design approach. The package design was hardened to address orientation independence, shock, vibration, and environmental requirements. Fuel cartridge and fuel subsystems were improved to ensure effective fuel

Competence to Complete Psychiatric Advance Directives: Effects of Facilitated Decision Making

Science.gov (United States)

Swanson, Jeffrey W.; Appelbaum, Paul S.; Swartz, Marvin S.; Ferron, Joelle; Van Dorn, Richard A.; Wagner, H. Ryan

2013-01-01

Psychiatric advance directives (PADs) statutes presume competence to complete these documents, but the range and dimensions of decisional competence among people who actually complete PADs is unknown. This study examines clinical and neuropsychological correlates of performance on a measure to assess competence to complete PADs and investigates the effects of a facilitated PAD intervention on decisional capacity. N = 469 adults with psychotic disorders were interviewed at baseline and then randomly assigned to either a control group in which they received written materials about PADs or to an intervention group in which they were offered an opportunity to meet individually with a trained facilitator to create a PAD. At baseline, domains on the Decisional Competence Assessment Tool for PADs (DCAT-PAD) were most strongly associated with IQ, verbal memory, abstract thinking, and psychiatric symptoms. At one-month follow-up, participants in the intervention group showed more improvement on the DCAT-PAD than controls, particularly among participants with pre-morbid IQ estimates below the median of 100. The results suggest that PAD facilitation is an effective method to boost competence of cognitively-impaired clients to write PADs and make treatment decisions within PADs, thereby maximizing the chances their advance directives will be valid. PMID:17294136

Nurses' knowledge of advance directives and perceived confidence in end-of-life care: a cross-sectional study in five countries.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Coffey, Alice

2016-01-28

Nurses\\' knowledge regarding advance directives may affect their administration and completion in end-of-life care. Confidence among nurses is a barrier to the provision of quality end-of-life care. This study investigated nurses\\' knowledge of advance directives and perceived confidence in end-of-life care, in Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy and the USA using a cross-sectional descriptive design (n = 1089). In all countries, older nurses and those who had more professional experience felt more confident managing patients\\' symptoms at end-of-life and more comfortable stopping preventive medications at end-of-life. Nurses in the USA reported that they have more knowledge and experience of advance directives compared with other countries. In addition, they reported the highest levels of confidence and comfort in dealing with end-of-life care. Although legislation for advance directives does not yet exist in Ireland, nurses reported high levels of confidence in end-of-life care.

Geothermal Energy R&D Program Annual Progress Report Fiscal Year 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1994-04-01

In this report, the DOE Geothermal Program activities were split between Core Research and Industrial Development. The technical areas covered are: Exploration Technology, Drilling Technology, Reservoir Technology (including Hot Dry Rock Research and The Geyser Cooperation), and Conversion Technology (power plants, materials, and direct use/direct heat). Work to design the Lake County effluent pipeline to help recharge The Geysers shows up here for the first time. This Progress Report is another of the documents that are reasonable starting points in understanding many of the details of the DOE Geothermal Program. (DJE 2005)

Unexplained neurological events during bathing in young people: Possible association with the use of gas geysers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Singh Prabhjeet

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Here, we report sudden, unexplained neurological collapse in 14 young people while bathing with hot water associated with the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG-based water heaters (gas geysers in ill-ventilated bathrooms. None of the patients reported any circumstantial evidence of seizures or prior epilepsy. One patient developed cortical blindness and demonstrated posterior leucoencephalopathy on imaging studies. The remaining patients made rapid and excellent recovery without any residual neurological sequelae. In these cases, the results of all routine investigations, i.e., serum chemistry, brain imaging (computed tomography in 2 and magnetic resonance imaging in 10 and electroencephalography were normal. The clinical clustering of these cases in winter months with similar presentations of reversible encephalopathy probably indicates an inhalational toxin exposure. Therefore, we postulate a hypothesis that harmful emissions consisting of carbon monoxide (CO, hydrocarbon gases (HC and nitrogen oxides (NOx, produced by incomplete combustion of LPG might be responsible for the cellular injury and subsequent transient neurological deficits. Physicians should be aware of this entity in order to avoid misdiagnosis of this condition as seizures, and a public awareness should also be created regarding the proper use of these devices.

Toolboxes for cyanobacteria: Recent advances and future direction.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Tao; Li, Shubin; Song, Xinyu; Diao, Jinjin; Chen, Lei; Zhang, Weiwen

2018-05-03

Photosynthetic cyanobacteria are important primary producers and model organisms for studying photosynthesis and elements cycling on earth. Due to the ability to absorb sunlight and utilize carbon dioxide, cyanobacteria have also been proposed as renewable chassis for carbon-neutral "microbial cell factories". Recent progresses on cyanobacterial synthetic biology have led to the successful production of more than two dozen of fuels and fine chemicals directly from CO 2 , demonstrating their potential for scale-up application in the future. However, compared with popular heterotrophic chassis like Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where abundant genetic tools are available for manipulations at levels from single gene, pathway to whole genome, limited genetic tools are accessible to cyanobacteria. Consequently, this significant technical hurdle restricts both the basic biological researches and further development and application of these renewable systems. Though still lagging the heterotrophic chassis, the vital roles of genetic tools in tuning of gene expression, carbon flux re-direction as well as genome-wide manipulations have been increasingly recognized in cyanobacteria. In recent years, significant progresses on developing and introducing new and efficient genetic tools have been made for cyanobacteria, including promoters, riboswitches, ribosome binding site engineering, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated nuclease (CRISPR/Cas) systems, small RNA regulatory tools and genome-scale modeling strategies. In this review, we critically summarize recent advances on development and applications as well as technical limitations and future directions of the genetic tools in cyanobacteria. In addition, toolboxes feasible for using in large-scale cultivation are also briefly discussed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Advance directives from haematology departments: the patient's freedom of choice and communication with families. A qualitative analysis of 35 written documents.

Science.gov (United States)

Trarieux-Signol, S; Bordessoule, D; Ceccaldi, J; Malak, S; Polomeni, A; Fargeas, J B; Signol, N; Pauliat, H; Moreau, S

2018-01-02

In France, advance directives are favourably perceived by most of the population, although the drafting rate is low. This ambivalence is challenging because advance directives are meant to promote the autonomy and freedom of choice of patients. The purpose of this study was to analyse the content of advance directives written by patients suffering from malignant haemopathies to better understand how patients put them into practice. These could be relevant as early as the initial diagnosis of haematological malignancies because of the uncertain course of the disease. This was a multicentre, qualitative, descriptive study. The advance directives written by patients with malignant haemopathies treated in one of the six French hospital departments were included in the study from 01/06/2008 to 15/04/2016. A thematic analysis of the advance directives was performed by two researchers: a senior haematologist and a research assistant. The median age of the patients was 69. Most were women (sex ratio: 0.59), living as a couple (57%), with lymphoid pathologies (66%), who were still alive two years after the instructions were written (63%) and had nominated a health care proxy (88.6%). Free texts (62.9%) were richer in content than pre-defined forms. The advance directives were used in three ways: for a purely legal purpose, to focus on medical treatments or actions, or to communicate a message to the family. Three main themes emerged: (1) refusal of medical treatment (100%), in which patients express refusal of life-sustaining care (97.1%). The actual treatments or the moment when they should be limited or stopped were not always mentioned in detail. (2) A desire for effective pain relief to avoid suffering (57.1%) and (3) messages for their family (34.3%), such as funeral arrangements (17.1%) and messages of love or trust (14.3%). Patients who write advance directives are not necessarily at the end of their lives. Their content mainly conveys treatment wishes, although

Direct vessel inclined injection system for reduction of emergency core coolant direct bypass in advanced reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Sang H.; Lee, Jong G.; Suh, Kune Y.

2006-01-01

Multidimensional thermal hydraulics in the APR1400 (Advanced Power Reactor 1400 MWe) downcomer during a large-break loss-of-coolant accident (LBLOCA) plays a pivotal role in determining the capability of the safety injection system. APR1400 adopts the direct vessel injection (DVI) method for more effective core penetration of the emergency core cooling (ECC) water than the cold leg injection (CLI) method in the OPR1000 (Optimized Power Reactor 1000 MWe). The DVI method turned out to be prone to occasionally lack in efficacious delivery of ECC to the reactor core during the reflood phase of a LBLOCA, however. This study intends to demonstrate a direct vessel inclined injection (DVII) method, one of various ideas with which to maximize the ECC core penetration and to minimize the direct bypass through the break during the reflood phase of a LBLOCA. The 1/7 scaled down THETA (Transient Hydrodynamics Engineering Test Apparatus) tests show that a vertical inclined nozzle angle of the DVII system increases the downward momentum of the injected ECC water by reducing the degree of impingement on the reactor downcomer, whereby lessening the extent of the direct bypass through the break. The proposed method may be combined with other innovative measures with which to ensure an enough thermal margin in the core during the course of a LBLOCA in APR1400

Advance Directives for End-of-Life Care and the Role of Health Education Specialists: Applying the Theory of Reasoned Action

Science.gov (United States)

Tremethick, Mary Jane; Johnson, Maureen K.; Carter, Mary R.

2011-01-01

Quality end-of-life care is subjective and based on individual values and beliefs. An advance directive provides a legal means of communicating these values and beliefs, as well as preferences in regards to end-of-life care when an individual is no longer able to make his or her desires known. In many nations, advance directives are underused…

Isolation and Characterization of a Novel CO2-Tolerant Lactobacillus Strain from Crystal Geyser, UT

Science.gov (United States)

Santillan, E. U.; Major, J. R.; Omelon, C. R.; Shanahan, T. M.; Bennett, P.

2013-12-01

Capnophiles are microbes that grow in CO2 enriched environments. Cultured capnophiles generally, grow in 2 to 25% CO2, or 0.02 to 0.25 atm. When CO2 is sequestered in deep saline aquifers, the newly created high CO2 environment may select for capnophlic organisms. In this study, a capnophile was isolated from Crystal Geyser, a CO2 spring along the Little Grand Wash Fault, UT, a site being investigated as an analogue to CO2 sequestration. Crystal Geyser periodically erupts with CO2 charged water, indicating the presence of very high CO2 pressures below the subsurface, similar to sequestration conditions. Biomass was sampled by pumping springwater from approximately 10 m below the surface through filters. Filters were immediately placed in selective media within pressure vessels where they were pressurized to 10 atm in the field. Subsequent recultures produced an isolate, designated CG-1, that is most closely (99%) related to Lactobacillus casei on the strain level. CG-1 grows in tryptic soy broth, in PCO2 ranging from 0 atm to 10 atm, 40 times higher than pressures of previously cultured capnophiles. At 25 atm, growth is inhibited though survival can be as long as 5 days. At 50 atm, survival is poor, with sterilization occurring by 24 hours. Growth is optimal between pH values of 6 to 8, though sluggish if no CO2 is present. Its optimal salinity is 0.25 M NaCl though growth is observed ranging from 0 to 1 M NaCl. Growth is observed between 25o to 45o C, but optimal at 25oC. It consumes long-chained carbon molecules such as glucose, sucrose, and crude oil, and exhibits poor growth when supplied with lactate, acetate, formate, and pyruvate. The organism likely performs lactic acid fermentation as it requires no electron acceptors for growth and produces no acid, gas, and sulfide in triple sugar iron agar slants. CG-1 also expresses a variety of lipids, most notably cyclopropyl C19 (cycC19), or lactobacillic acid, characteristic of organisms belonging to the

Advance directives for euthanasia in dementia: do law-based opportunities lead to more euthanasia?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Boer, M.E.; Dröes, R.M.; Jonker, C.; Eefsting, J.A.; Hertogh, C.M.P.M.

2010-01-01

Objective: To obtain insight into current practices regarding compliance with advance directives for euthanasia (ADEs) in cases of incompetent patients with dementia in Dutch nursing homes, in light of the legal possibility offered by the new euthanasia law to perform euthanasia in these cases.

A critical review of advance directives in Germany: attitudes, use and healthcare professionals’ compliance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Evans, N.; Bausewein, C.; Meñaca, A.; Andrew, E.V.W.; Higginson, I.J.; Harding, R.; Pool, R.; Gysels, M.

2012-01-01

Objective Recent legal changes in Germany make non-compliance with advance directives (ADs) a criminal offence. This article assesses the evidence on attitudes towards, use of, and physician compliance with ADs in Germany. Methods Critical review: studies on ADs, identified from a systematic review

Advancements in the development of a directional-position sensing fast neutron detector using acoustically tensioned metastable fluids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Archambault, Brian C. [Sagamore Adams Laboratories, Lafayette, IN (United States); Webster, Jeffrey A.; Grimes, Thomas F.; Fischer, Kevin F.; Hagen, Alex R. [School of Nuclear Engineering, Purdue University, 400 Central Avenue, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Taleyakhan, Rusi P., E-mail: rusi@purdue.edu [Sagamore Adams Laboratories, Lafayette, IN (United States); School of Nuclear Engineering, Purdue University, 400 Central Avenue, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States)

2015-06-01

Advancements in the development of a direction and position sensing fast neutron detector which utilizes the directional acoustic tensioned metastable fluid detector (D-ATMFD) are described. The resulting D-ATMFD sensor is capable of determining the direction of neutron radiation with a single compact detector versus use of arrays of detectors in conventional directional systems. Directional neutron detection and source positioning offer enhanced detection speeds in comparison to traditional proximity searching; including enabling determination of the neutron source shape, size, and strength in near real time. This paper discusses advancements that provide the accuracy and precision of ascertaining directionality and source localization information utilizing enhanced signal processing-cum-signal analysis, refined computational algorithms, and on-demand enlargement capability of the detector sensitive volume. These advancements were accomplished utilizing experimentation and theoretical modeling. Benchmarking and qualifications studies were successfully conducted with random and fission based special nuclear material (SNM) neutron sources ({sup 239}Pu–Be and {sup 252}Cf). These results of assessments have indicated that the D-ATMFD compares well in technical performance with banks of competing directional fast neutron detector technologies under development worldwide, but it does so with a single detector unit, an unlimited field of view, and at a significant reduction in both cost and size while remaining completely blind to common background (e.g., beta-gamma) radiation. Rapid and direct SNM neutron source imaging with two D-ATMFD sensors was experimentally demonstrated, and furthermore, validated via multidimensional nuclear particle transport simulations utilizing MCNP-PoliMi. Characterization of a scaled D-ATMFD based radiation portal monitor (RPM) as a cost-effective and efficient {sup 3}He sensor replacement was performed utilizing MCNP-PoliMi simulations

What explains racial differences in the use of advance directives and attitudes toward hospice care?

OpenAIRE

Johnson, Kimberly S.; Kuchibhatla, Maragatha; Tulsky, James A.

2008-01-01

Cultural beliefs and values are thought to account for differences between African Americans and Whites in the use of advance directives and beliefs about hospice care. However, little data clarifies which beliefs and values explain these differences.

Advances in directed monooxygenase evolution : from diversity generation and flow cytometry screening to tailor-made monooxygenases

OpenAIRE

Ruff, Anna Joëlle

2012-01-01

Directed Evolution became a powerful tool for proteins engineers to generate tailor-made biocatalyst. Directed protein evolution consist of the following three consecutive main steps, which are performed in iterative cycles; Step 1 the gene diversity generation, Step 2 the screening for improved variants and Step 3 the isolation of gene encoding for improved proteins. In this thesis, methodological advancements in the two key steps of the directed evolution, the diversity generation (SeSaM me...

Consciousness in humans and non-human animals: recent advances and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Boly, Melanie; Seth, Anil K; Wilke, Melanie; Ingmundson, Paul; Baars, Bernard; Laureys, Steven; Edelman, David B; Tsuchiya, Naotsugu

2013-10-31

This joint article reflects the authors' personal views regarding noteworthy advances in the neuroscience of consciousness in the last 10 years, and suggests what we feel may be promising future directions. It is based on a small conference at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine, USA, in July of 2012, organized by the Mind Science Foundation of San Antonio, Texas. Here, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of subjectivity in humans and other animals, including empirical, applied, technical, and conceptual insights. These include the evidence for the importance of fronto-parietal connectivity and of "top-down" processes, both of which enable information to travel across distant cortical areas effectively, as well as numerous dissociations between consciousness and cognitive functions, such as attention, in humans. In addition, we describe the development of mental imagery paradigms, which made it possible to identify covert awareness in non-responsive subjects. Non-human animal consciousness research has also witnessed substantial advances on the specific role of cortical areas and higher order thalamus for consciousness, thanks to important technological enhancements. In addition, much progress has been made in the understanding of non-vertebrate cognition relevant to possible conscious states. Finally, major advances have been made in theories of consciousness, and also in their comparison with the available evidence. Along with reviewing these findings, each author suggests future avenues for research in their field of investigation.

Apollo-L2, an advanced fuel tokamak reactor utilizing direct conversion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emmert, G.A.; Kulcinski, G.L.; Blanchard, J.P.; El-Guebaly, L.A.; Khater, H.Y.; Santarius, J.F.; Sawan, M.E.; Sviatoslavsky, I.N.; Wittenberg, L.J.; Witt, R.J.

1989-01-01

A scoping study of a tokamak reactor fueled by a D- 3 He plasma is presented. The Apollo D- 3 He tokamak capitalizes on recent advances in high field magnets (20 T) and utilizes rectennas to convert the synchrotron radiation directly to electricity. The low neutron wall loading (0.1 MW/m 2 ) permits a first wall lasting the life of the plant and enables the reactor to be classified as inherently safe. The cost of electricity is less than that from a similar power level DT reactor. 10 refs., 1 fig., 4 tabs

Responses of advanced directives by Jehovah's Witnesses on a gynecologic oncology service

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nagarsheth NP

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Nimesh P Nagarsheth,1,2 Nikhil Gupta,3 Arpeta Gupta,4 Erin Moshier,5 Herbert Gretz,1 Aryeh Shander6 1Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; 2Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, Englewood, NJ, USA; 3Department of Urology, North Shore – Long Island Jewish Health Service, New Hyde Park, NY, USA; 4Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, St Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, 5Department of Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; 6Department of Anesthesiology, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, Englewood, NJ, USA Objectives: To review the responses of advance directives signed by Jehovah's Witness patients prior to undergoing surgery at a gynecologic oncology service. Study design: A retrospective chart review of gynecologic oncology patients undergoing surgery at a bloodless surgery center from 1998–2007 was conducted. Demographic, pathologic, and clinical data were recorded. The proportion of patients who accepted and refused various blood-derived products was determined and was compared to previously published results from a similar study of labor and delivery unit patients. Results: No gynecologic oncology patients agreed to accept transfusions of whole blood, red cells, white cells, platelets, or plasma under any circumstance, whereas 9.8% of pregnant patients accepted transfusion (P=0.0385. However, 98% of gynecologic oncology patients agreed to accept some blood products, including fractions such as albumin, immunoglobulins, and clotting factors, while only 39% of pregnant patients agreed (P<0.0001. In addition, all gynecologic oncology patients (100% accepted intraoperative hemodilution, compared to 55% of pregnant patients (P<0.0001. Conclusion: Our results confirm the commonly held belief

Characteristics of Patients With Existing Advance Directives: Evaluating Motivations Around Advance Care Planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Genewick, Joanne E; Lipski, Dorothy M; Schupack, Katherine M; Buffington, Angela L H

2018-04-01

Although 80% of patients endorse an advance directive (AD), less than 35% of American adults have a documented AD. Much research has been done on barriers to creating ADs; however, there is a paucity of research addressing motivations for creating ADs. Previous research has identified 4 categories of influence for engaging in advance care planning (ACP). This study aimed to quantify the influence of these 4 motivating categories in creating an AD. Participants included 238 adults with documented ADs. Participants completed an 11-item questionnaire addressing 1 of the 4 hypothesized categories of influence in addressing ACP: concern for self; concern for others; expectations about the impact of ACP; and anecdotes, stories, and experiences. Principle component analysis yielded 2 factors representing dignity and personal control (intrinsic factors) and societal and familial influence (extrinsic factors). Intrinsic factors were the primary and most influential motivating factors among participants. A regression analysis of individual motivating factors showed that prior to age 50, the desire to provide guidance about personal preferences for end-of-life care significantly predicted the creation of an AD, whereas after age 50, the urging of family members significantly predicted the creation of an AD. Results indicated that intrinsic factors were the most influential motivator among participants of all ages. Extrinsic factors appeared to be less influential in the decision to create an AD. Motivating factors were also found to vary by age. These results may help physicians be more targeted in discussions surrounding ADs, thus saving time, which physicians identify as the main barrier in engaging in such discussions, while meeting patients' wishes for their physicians to bring up the topic of ADs.

GEYSER/TONUS: a coupled multi-D lumped parameter code for reactor thermal hydraulics analysis in case of severe accidents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petit, M.; Durin, M.; Gauvain, J.

1995-12-31

The safety requirements for future light water reactors include accounting for severe accidents in the design process. The design must now include mitigation features to limit pressure and temperature inside the building. Hydrogen concentration is also a major issue for severe accidents. Modelling the thermal hydraulics inside the containment requires the description of complex phenomena such as condensation, stratification, transport of gases and aerosols, heat transfers. The effect of mitigation systems will increase the heterogeneities in the building, and most of those phenomena can be coupled. The GEYSER/TONUS multi-dimensional computer code is under development at CEA Saclay to model this complex situation. It allow the coupling of parts of the containment described in a lumped parameter manner, together with meshed parts. Emphasis is put on the numerical methods used to solve the transient problem, and physical models of classical lumped parameters codes will be adapted for the spatially described zones. The code is developed in the environment of the CASTEM 2000/TRIO EF system which allows to construct sophisticated applications based upon it. (J.S.). 22 refs., 1 fig.

GEYSER/TONUS: a coupled multi-D lumped parameter code for reactor thermal hydraulics analysis in case of severe accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petit, M.; Durin, M.; Gauvain, J.

1995-01-01

The safety requirements for future light water reactors include accounting for severe accidents in the design process. The design must now include mitigation features to limit pressure and temperature inside the building. Hydrogen concentration is also a major issue for severe accidents. Modelling the thermal hydraulics inside the containment requires the description of complex phenomena such as condensation, stratification, transport of gases and aerosols, heat transfers. The effect of mitigation systems will increase the heterogeneities in the building, and most of those phenomena can be coupled. The GEYSER/TONUS multi-dimensional computer code is under development at CEA Saclay to model this complex situation. It allow the coupling of parts of the containment described in a lumped parameter manner, together with meshed parts. Emphasis is put on the numerical methods used to solve the transient problem, and physical models of classical lumped parameters codes will be adapted for the spatially described zones. The code is developed in the environment of the CASTEM 2000/TRIO EF system which allows to construct sophisticated applications based upon it. (J.S.). 22 refs., 1 fig

Radiocarbon dating of silica sinter deposits in shallow drill cores from the Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Science.gov (United States)

Lowenstern, Jacob B.; Hurwitz, Shaul; McGeehin, John P.

2016-01-01

To explore the timing of hydrothermal activity at the Upper Geyser Basin (UGB) in Yellowstone National Park, we obtained seven new accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon 14C ages of carbonaceous material trapped within siliceous sinter. Five samples came from depths of 15-152 cm within the Y-1 well, and two samples were from well Y-7 (depths of 24 cm and 122 cm). These two wells, at Black Sand and Biscuit Basins, respectively, were drilled in 1967 as part of a scientific drilling program by the U.S. Geological Survey (White et al., 1975). Even with samples as small as 15 g, we obtained sufficient carbonaceous material (a mixture of thermophilic mats, pollen, and charcoal) for the 14C analyses. Apparent time of deposition ranged from 3775 ± 25 and 2910 ± 30 14C years BP at the top of the cores to about 8000 years BP at the bottom. The dates are consistent with variable rates of sinter formation at individual sites within the UGB over the Holocene. On a basin-wide scale, though, these and other existing 14C dates hint that hydrothermal activity at the UGB may have been continuous throughout the Holocene.

Geothermal wells: a forecast of drilling activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, G.L.; Mansure, A.J.; Miewald, J.N.

1981-07-01

Numbers and problems for geothermal wells expected to be drilled in the United States between 1981 and 2000 AD are forecasted. The 3800 wells forecasted for major electric power projects (totaling 6 GWe of capacity) are categorized by type (production, etc.), and by location (The Geysers, etc.). 6000 wells are forecasted for direct heat projects (totaling 0.02 Quads per year). Equations are developed for forecasting the number of wells, and data is presented. Drilling and completion problems in The Geysers, The Imperial Valley, Roosevelt Hot Springs, the Valles Caldera, northern Nevada, Klamath Falls, Reno, Alaska, and Pagosa Springs are discussed. Likely areas for near term direct heat projects are identified.

African Cultural Concept of Death and the Idea of Advance Care Directives

OpenAIRE

Ekore, Rabi Ilemona; Lanre-Abass, Bolatito

2016-01-01

An advance care directive is a person's oral or written instructions about his or her future medical care, if he or she becomes unable to communicate. It may be in written or oral form. Africans ordinarily do not encourage the contemplation of death or any discussion about their own or their loved ones? death. According to the African belief system, life does not end with death, but continues in another realm. Becoming an ancestor after death is a desirable goal of every individual, a feat wh...

[Ethical issues in the practice of advance directives, living wills, and self-determination in end of life care].

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Hui-Feng; Jhing, Huei-Yu; Lin, Chia-Chin

2009-02-01

The Hospice-Palliative Care Act, enacted in Taiwan in 2000, was designed to respect the end of life medical wishes of patients with incurable illnesses, safeguard the rights of these patients, and provide clinical guidelines for healthcare workers responsible to provide end of life care. Self-determination is a core element of human dignity. Advance directive documents include a living will, and durable power of attorney for healthcare. This article reviews current issues and ethical dilemmas with regard to advance directives. Patients, family members, and clinicians may require better education on the Hospice-Palliative Care Act in order to respect more appropriately patient end of life medical care wishes.

Wild orangutan males plan and communicate their travel direction one day in advance.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carel P van Schaik

Full Text Available The ability to plan for the future beyond immediate needs would be adaptive to many animal species, but is widely thought to be uniquely human. Although studies in captivity have shown that great apes are capable of planning for future needs, it is unknown whether and how they use this ability in the wild. Flanged male Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii emit long calls, which females use to maintain earshot associations with them. We tested whether long calls serve to communicate a male's ever-changing predominant travel direction to facilitate maintaining these associations. We found that the direction in which a flanged male emits his long calls predicts his subsequent travel direction for many hours, and that a new call indicates a change in his main travel direction. Long calls given at or near the night nest indicate travel direction better than random until late afternoon on the next day. These results show that male orangutans make their travel plans well in advance and announce them to conspecifics. We suggest that such a planning ability is likely to be adaptive for great apes, as well as in other taxa.

Factors affecting long-term-care residents' decision-making processes as they formulate advance directives.

Science.gov (United States)

Lambert, Heather C; McColl, Mary Ann; Gilbert, Julie; Wong, Jiahui; Murray, Gale; Shortt, Samuel E D

2005-10-01

The purpose of this study was to describe factors contributing to the decision-making processes of elderly persons as they formulate advance directives in long-term care. This study was qualitative, based on grounded theory. Recruitment was purposive and continued until saturation was reached. Nine residents of a long-term-care facility were interviewed by use of a semistructured format. Open and axial coding of interview transcripts were carried out and the factors contributing to the decision process were defined. Elders based their decisions primarily on information gathered from personal experiences with death and illness. They obtained very little information from professionals or the media. Major factors considered by elders as they weighed information included spiritual, emotional, and social considerations. The factors considered during the decision-making process were oriented more toward the individual's experiences and less on contributions from objective sources than anticipated. Decision making for advance directives is a highly personalized process. The approach of health professionals when assisting with end-of-life decision making should be planned with these contributing factors in mind, so that the services offered to the individuals in this population best meet their needs.

Geothermal Program Review XI: proceedings. Geothermal Energy - The Environmental Responsible Energy Technology for the Nineties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-10-01

These proceedings contain papers pertaining to current research and development of geothermal energy in the USA. The seven sections of the document are: Overview, The Geysers, Exploration and Reservoir Characterization, Drilling, Energy Conversion, Advanced Systems, and Potpourri. The Overview presents current DOE energy policy and industry perspectives. Reservoir studies, injection, and seismic monitoring are reported for the geysers geothermal field. Aspects of geology, geochemistry and models of geothermal exploration are described. The Drilling section contains information on lost circulation, memory logging tools, and slim-hole drilling. Topics considered in energy conversion are efforts at NREL, condensation on turbines and geothermal materials. Advanced Systems include hot dry rock studies and Fenton Hill flow testing. The Potpourri section concludes the proceedings with reports on low-temperature resources, market analysis, brines, waste treatment biotechnology, and Bonneville Power Administration activities. Selected papers have been indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database.

Advanced Methods for Direct Ink Write Additive Manufacturing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Compel, W. S. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Lewicki, J. P. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2018-01-24

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is one of the world’s premier labs for research and development of additive manufacturing processes. Out of these many processes, direct ink write (DIW) is arguably one of the most relevant for the manufacture of architected polymeric materials, components and hardware. However, a bottleneck in this pipeline that has largely been ignored to date is the lack of advanced software implementation with respect to toolpath execution. There remains to be a convenient, automated method to design and produce complex parts that is user-friendly and enabling for the realization of next generation designs and structures. For a material to be suitable as a DIW ink it must possess the appropriate rheological properties for this process. Most importantly, the material must exhibit shear-thinning in order to extrude through a print head and have a rapid recovery of its static shear modulus. This makes it possible for the extrudate to be self-supporting upon exiting the print head. While this and other prerequisites narrow the scope of ‘offthe- shelf’ printable materials directly amenable to DIW, the process still tolerates a wide range of potential feedstock materials. These include metallic alloys, inorganic solvent borne dispersions, polymeric melts, filler stabilized monomer compositions, pre-elastomeric feedstocks and thermoset resins each of which requires custom print conditions tailored to the individual ink. As such, an ink perfectly suited for DIW may be prematurely determined to be undesirable for the process if printed under the wrong conditions. Defining appropriate print conditions such as extrusion rate, layer height, and maximum bridge length is a vital first step in validating an ink’s DIW capability.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Advance Directive Possession: Role of Demographic Factors, Religious Affiliation, and Personal Health Values in a National Survey of Older Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ivy A; Neuhaus, John M; Chiong, Winston

2016-02-01

Black and Hispanic older Americans are less likely than white older Americans to possess advance directives. Understanding the reasons for this racial and ethnic difference is necessary to identify targets for future interventions to improve advance care planning in these populations. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether racial and ethnic differences in advance directive possession are explained by other demographic factors, religious characteristics, and personal health values. A general population survey was conducted in a nationally representative sample using a web-enabled survey panel of American adults aged 50 and older (n = 2154). In a sample of older Americans, white participants are significantly more likely to possess advance directives (44.0%) than black older Americans (24.0%, p personal health values. These findings support targeted efforts to mitigate racial disparities in access to advance care planning.

Advanced direct liquefaction concepts for PETC generic units. Final report, Phase I

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-03-01

The Advanced Concepts for Direct Coal Liquefaction program was initiated by the Department of Energy in 1991 to develop technologies that could significantly reduce the cost of producing liquid fuels by the direct liquefaction of coal. The advanced 2-stage liquefaction technology that was developed at Wilsonville over the past 10 years has contributed significantly toward decreasing the cost of producing liquids from coal to about $33/bbl. It remains, however, the objective of DOE to further reduce this cost to a level more competitive with petroleum based products. This project, among others, was initiated to investigate various alternative approaches to develop technologies that might ultimately lead to a 25 % reduction in cost of product. In this project a number of novel concepts were investigated, either individually or in a coupled configuration that had the potential to contribute toward meeting the DOE goal. The concepts included mature technologies or ones closely related to them, such as coal cleaning by oil agglomeration, fluid coking and distillate hydrotreating and dewaxing. Other approaches that were either embryonic or less developed were chemical pretreatment of coal to remove oxygen, and dispersed catalyst development for application in the 2-stage liquefaction process. This report presents the results of this project. It is arranged in four sections which were prepared by participating organizations responsible for that phase of the project. A summary of the overall project and the principal results are given in this section. First, however, an overview of the process economics and the process concepts that were developed during the course of this program is presented.

41 CFR 302-10.301 - May I receive an advance of funds when payment is made directly to the carrier by my agency?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... PRIMARY RESIDENCE Advance of Funds § 302-10.301 May I receive an advance of funds when payment is made directly to the carrier by my agency? No, your agency will not authorize you an advance of funds when it... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false May I receive an advance...

Advanced health biotechnologies in Thailand: redefining policy directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Velasco, Román Pérez; Chaikledkaew, Usa; Myint, Chaw Yin; Khampang, Roongnapa; Tantivess, Sripen; Teerawattananon, Yot

2013-01-02

Thailand faces a significant burden in terms of treating and managing degenerative and chronic diseases. Moreover, incidences of rare diseases are rising. Many of these-such as diabetes, cancer, and inherited inborn metabolic diseases-have no definite treatments or cure. Meanwhile, advanced health biotechnology has been found, in principle, to be an effective solution for these health problems. Qualitative approaches were employed to analyse the current situation and examine existing public policies related to advanced health biotechnologies in Thailand. The results of this analysis were then used to formulate policy recommendations. Our research revealed that the system in Thailand in relation to advanced health biotechnologies is fragmented, with multiple unaddressed gaps, underfunding of research and development (R&D), and a lack of incentives for the private sector. In addition, there are no clear definitions of advanced health biotechnologies, and coverage pathways are absent. Meanwhile, false advertising and misinformation are prevalent, with no responsible bodies to actively and effectively provide appropriate information and education (I&E). The establishment of a specialised institution to fill the gaps in this area is warranted. The development and implementation of a comprehensive national strategic plan related to advanced health biotechnologies, greater investment in R&D and I&E for all stakeholders, collaboration among agencies, harmonisation of reimbursement across public health schemes, and provision of targeted I&E are specifically recommended.

Public Opinion Regarding Financial Incentives to Engage in Advance Care Planning and Complete Advance Directives.

Science.gov (United States)

Auriemma, Catherine L; Chen, Lucy; Olorunnisola, Michael; Delman, Aaron; Nguyen, Christina A; Cooney, Elizabeth; Gabler, Nicole B; Halpern, Scott D

2017-09-01

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently instituted physician reimbursements for advance care planning (ACP) discussions with patients. To measure public support for similar programs. Cross-sectional online and in-person surveys. English-speaking adults recruited at public parks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July to August 2013 and online through survey sampling international Web-based recruitment platform in July 2015. Participants indicated support for 6 programs designed to increase advance directive (AD) completion or ACP discussion using 5-point Likert scales. Participants also indicated how much money (US$0-US$1000) was appropriate to incentivize such behaviors, compared to smoking cessation or colonoscopy screening. We recruited 883 participants: 503 online and 380 in-person. The status quo of no systematic approach to motivate AD completion was supported by 67.0% of participants (63.9%-70.1%). The most popular programs were paying patients to complete ADs (58.0%; 54.5%-61.2%) and requiring patients to complete ADs or declination forms for health insurance (54.1%; 50.8%-57.4%). Participants more commonly supported paying patients to complete ADs than paying physicians whose patients complete ADs (22.6%; 19.8%-25.4%) or paying physicians who document ACP discussions (19.1%; 16.5%-21.7%; both P < .001). Participants supported smaller payments for AD completion and ACP than for obtaining screening colonoscopies or stopping smoking. Americans view payments for AD completion or ACP more skeptically than for other health behaviors and prefer that such payments go to patients rather than physicians. The current CMS policy of reimbursing physicians for ACP conversations with patients was the least preferred of the programs evaluated.

Advanced health biotechnologies in Thailand: redefining policy directions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Velasco Román Pérez

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Thailand faces a significant burden in terms of treating and managing degenerative and chronic diseases. Moreover, incidences of rare diseases are rising. Many of these—such as diabetes, cancer, and inherited inborn metabolic diseases—have no definite treatments or cure. Meanwhile, advanced health biotechnology has been found, in principle, to be an effective solution for these health problems. Methods Qualitative approaches were employed to analyse the current situation and examine existing public policies related to advanced health biotechnologies in Thailand. The results of this analysis were then used to formulate policy recommendations. Results Our research revealed that the system in Thailand in relation to advanced health biotechnologies is fragmented, with multiple unaddressed gaps, underfunding of research and development (R&D, and a lack of incentives for the private sector. In addition, there are no clear definitions of advanced health biotechnologies, and coverage pathways are absent. Meanwhile, false advertising and misinformation are prevalent, with no responsible bodies to actively and effectively provide appropriate information and education (I&E. The establishment of a specialised institution to fill the gaps in this area is warranted. Conclusion The development and implementation of a comprehensive national strategic plan related to advanced health biotechnologies, greater investment in R&D and I&E for all stakeholders, collaboration among agencies, harmonisation of reimbursement across public health schemes, and provision of targeted I&E are specifically recommended.

Advance euthanasia directives: a controversial case and its ethical implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, David Gibbes; Dresser, Rebecca; Kim, Scott Y H

2018-03-03

Authorising euthanasia and assisted suicide with advance euthanasia directives (AEDs) is permitted, yet debated, in the Netherlands. We focus on a recent controversial case in which a Dutch woman with Alzheimer's disease was euthanised based on her AED. A Dutch euthanasia review committee found that the physician performing the euthanasia failed to follow due care requirements for euthanasia and assisted suicide. This case is notable because it is the first case to trigger a criminal investigation since the 2002 Dutch euthanasia law was enacted. Thus far, only brief descriptions of the case have been reported in English language journals and media. We provide a detailed description of the case, review the main challenges of preparing and applying AEDs for persons with dementia and briefly assess the adequacy of the current oversight system governing AEDs. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Engaging Patients With Advance Directives Using an Information Visualization Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Woollen, Janet; Bakken, Suzanne

2016-01-01

Despite the benefits of advance directives (AD) to patients and care providers, they are often not completed due to lack of patient awareness. The purpose of the current article is to advocate for creation and use of an innovative information visualization (infovisual) as a health communication tool aimed at improving AD dissemination and engagement. The infovisual would promote AD awareness by encouraging patients to learn about their options and inspire contemplation and conversation regarding their end-of-life (EOL) journey. An infovisual may be able to communicate insights that are often communicated in words, but are much more powerfully communicated by example. Furthermore, an infovisual could facilitate vivid understanding of options and inspire the beginning of often difficult conversations among care providers, patients, and loved ones. It may also save clinicians time, as care providers may be able to spend less time explaining details of EOL care options. Use of an infovisual could assist in ensuring a well-planned EOL journey. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

Multireaction equilibrium geothermometry: A sensitivity analysis using data from the Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, USA

Science.gov (United States)

King, Jonathan M.; Hurwitz, Shaul; Lowenstern, Jacob B.; Nordstrom, D. Kirk; McCleskey, R. Blaine

2016-01-01

A multireaction chemical equilibria geothermometry (MEG) model applicable to high-temperature geothermal systems has been developed over the past three decades. Given sufficient data, this model provides more constraint on calculated reservoir temperatures than classical chemical geothermometers that are based on either the concentration of silica (SiO2), or the ratios of cation concentrations. A set of 23 chemical analyses from Ojo Caliente Spring and 22 analyses from other thermal features in the Lower Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park are used to examine the sensitivity of calculated reservoir temperatures using the GeoT MEG code (Spycher et al. 2013, 2014) to quantify the effects of solute concentrations, degassing, and mineral assemblages on calculated reservoir temperatures. Results of our analysis demonstrate that the MEG model can resolve reservoir temperatures within approximately ±15°C, and that natural variation in fluid compositions represents a greater source of variance in calculated reservoir temperatures than variations caused by analytical uncertainty (assuming ~5% for major elements). The analysis also suggests that MEG calculations are particularly sensitive to variations in silica concentration, the concentrations of the redox species Fe(II) and H2S, and that the parameters defining steam separation and CO2 degassing from the liquid may be adequately determined by numerical optimization. Results from this study can provide guidance for future applications of MEG models, and thus provide more reliable information on geothermal energy resources during exploration.

The efficacy of self-directed modules for clinical learning: advanced competencies in entry-level physical therapy education.

Science.gov (United States)

Peck, Kirk; Paschal, Karen; Black, Lisa; Nelson, Kelly

2014-01-01

Prior to graduation, students often express an interest to advance clinical and professional skills in teaching, research, administration, and various niche practice areas. The acquisition of advanced education in selected areas of practice is believed to improve employment opportunities, accelerate career advancement including eligibility for professional certifications, and contribute to personal satisfaction in the profession. The purpose of this paper is to (1) describe an innovative model of education, the Directed Practice Experience (DPE) elective, that incorporates a student-initiated learning process designed to achieve student-identified professional goals, and (2) report the outcomes for graduates who have completed the DPE in an entry-level program in physical therapy education. Students who met select criteria were eligible to complete a DPE. Applicants designed a 4- to 6-week clinical education experience consisting of stated rationale for personal and professional growth, examples of leadership and service, and self-directed objectives that are beyond entry-level expectations as measured by the revised Physical Therapist Clinical Performance Instrument, version 2006. Twenty-six students have completed DPEs since 2005. Fifty percent resulted in new academic partnerships. At least 25% of graduates now serve as clinical instructors for the entry-level program. Those who participated in DPEs have also completed post-graduate residencies, attained ABPTS Board certifications, authored peer-reviewed publications, and taught in both PT and residency programs. The DPE model allows qualified students to acquire advanced personal skills and knowledge prior to graduation in areas of professional practice that exceed entry-level expectations. The model is applicable to all CAPTE accredited physical therapy education programs and is especially beneficial for academic programs desiring to form new community partnerships for student clinical education.

Advance Health Care Directives and “Public Guardian”: The Italian Supreme Court Requests the Status of Current and Not Future Inability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesco Paolo Busardò

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Advance health care decisions animate an intense debate in several European countries, which started more than 20 years ago in the USA and led to the adoption of different rules, based on the diverse legal, sociocultural and philosophical traditions of each society. In Italy, the controversial issue of advance directives and end of life’s rights, in the absence of a clear and comprehensive legislation, has been over time a subject of interest of the Supreme Court. Since 2004 a law introduced the “Public Guardian,” aiming to provide an instrument of assistance to the person lacking in autonomy because of an illness or incapacity. Recently, this critical issue has once again been brought to the interest of the Supreme Court, which passed a judgment trying to clarify the legislative application of the appointment of the Guardian in the field of advance directives.

Facilitation of Psychiatric Advance Directives by Peers and Clinicians on Assertive Community Treatment Teams.

Science.gov (United States)

Easter, Michele M; Swanson, Jeffrey W; Robertson, Allison G; Moser, Lorna L; Swartz, Marvin S

2017-07-01

Psychiatric advance directives (PADs) provide a legal mechanism for competent adults to document care preferences and authorize a surrogate to make treatment decisions. In a controlled research setting, an evidence-based intervention, the facilitated psychiatric advance directive (FPAD), was previously shown to overcome most barriers to PAD completion. This study examined implementation of the FPAD intervention in usual care settings as delivered by peer support specialists and nonpeer clinicians on assertive community treatment (ACT) teams. A total of 145 ACT consumers were randomly assigned, within teams, to FPAD with facilitation by either a peer (N=71) or a clinician (N=74). Completion rates and PAD quality were compared with the previous study's standard and across facilitator type. Logistic regression was used to estimate effects on the likelihood of PAD completion. The completion rate of 50% in the intent-to-treat sample (N=145) was somewhat inferior to the prior standard (61%), but the rate of 58% for the retained sample (those who completed a follow-up interview, N=116) was not significantly different from the standard. Rates for peers and clinicians did not differ significantly from each other for either sample. PAD quality was similar to that achieved in the prior study. Four consumer variables predicted completion: independent living status, problematic substance use, length of time served by the ACT team, and no perceived unmet need for hospitalization in crisis. Peers and clinicians can play a crucial role in increasing the number of consumers with PADs, an important step toward improving implementation of PADs in mental health care.

Fluctuating capacity and advance decision-making in Bipolar Affective Disorder - Self-binding directives and self-determination.

Science.gov (United States)

Gergel, Tania; Owen, Gareth S

2015-01-01

For people with Bipolar Affective Disorder, a self-binding (advance) directive (SBD), by which they commit themselves to treatment during future episodes of mania, even if unwilling, can seem the most rational way to deal with an imperfect predicament. Knowing that mania will almost certainly cause enormous damage to themselves, their preferred solution may well be to allow trusted others to enforce treatment and constraint, traumatic though this may be. No adequate provision exists for drafting a truly effective SBD and efforts to establish such provision are hampered by very valid, but also paralysing ethical, clinical and legal concerns. Effectively, the autonomy and rights of people with bipolar are being 'protected' through being denied an opportunity to protect themselves. From a standpoint firmly rooted in the clinical context and experience of mania, this article argues that an SBD, based on a patient-centred evaluation of capacity to make treatment decisions (DMC-T) and grounded within the clinician-patient relationship, could represent a legitimate and ethically coherent form of self-determination. After setting out background information on fluctuating capacity, mania and advance directives, this article proposes a framework for constructing such an SBD, and considers common objections, possible solutions and suggestions for future research. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The Knowing-Doing Gap in Advance Directives in Asian Americans: The Role of Education and Acculturation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Yuri; Park, Nan Sook; Chiriboga, David A; Radhakrishnan, Kavita; Kim, Miyong T

2017-11-01

The purposes of the present study were (1) to explore the completion rate of advance directives (ADs) in a sample of Asian Americans and (2) to examine the direct and moderating effects of knowledge of AD, education, and acculturation in predicting AD completion. Education and acculturation were conceptualized as moderators in the link between knowledge and completion of ADs. Using data from 2609 participants in the 2015 Asian American Quality of Life survey (aged 18-98), logistic regression analyses on AD completion were conducted, testing both direct and moderating effects. The overall AD completion rate in sample was about 12%. The AD knowledge and acculturation independently predicted AD completion. No direct effect of education was found; however, it interacted with AD knowledge. The AD knowledge was more likely to be translated into completion in the group with higher education. The AD completion rate observed in the present sample of Asian Americans was much lower than that of the US general population (26%-36%). The interactive role of education helps to explain the gap between AD knowledge and completion and suggests intervention strategies.

Reservoir Changes Derived from Seismic Observations at The Geysers Geothermal Field, CA, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Gritto, R.; Jarpre, S.

2012-04-01

Induced seismicity associated with the exploitation of geothermal fields is used as a tool to characterize and delineate changes associated with injection and production of fluids from the reservoir. At the same time public concern of felt seismicity has led to objections against the operation of geothermal reservoirs in close proximity to population centers. Production at the EGS sites in Basel (Switzerland) was stopped after renewed seismicity caused concern and objection from the public in the city. Operations in other geothermal reservoirs had to be scaled back or interrupted due to an unexpected increase in seismicity (Soultz-sous-forêt, France, Berlín, El Salvador). As a consequence of these concerns and in order to optimize the use of induced seismicity for reservoir engineering purposes, it becomes imperative to understand the relationship between seismic events and stress changes in the reservoir. We will address seismicity trends at The Geysers Geothermal Reservoir, CA USA, to understand the role of historical seismicity associated with past injection of water and/or production of steam. Our analysis makes use of a comprehensive database of earthquakes and associated phase arrivals from 2004 to 2011. A high-precision sub-set of the earthquake data was selected to analyze temporal changes in seismic velocities and Vp/Vs-ratio throughout the whole reservoir. We find relatively low Vp/Vs values in 2004 suggestive of a vapor dominated reservoir. With passing time, however, the observed temporal increase in Vp/Vs, coupled with a decrease in P- and S-wave velocities suggests the presence of fluid-filled fractured rock. Considering the start of a continuous water injection project in 2004, it can be concluded that the fluid saturation of the reservoir has successfully recovered. Preliminary results of 3-D velocity inversions of seismic data appear to corroborate earlier findings that the lowest Vp/Vs estimates are observed in the center of the reservoir

Modelling of local steam condensation on walls in presence of noncondensable gases. Application to a local calculation in reactor containment using the multidimensional geyser code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benet, L.V.; Caroli, C.; Cornet, P.; Coulon, N.; Magnaud, J.P.

1995-01-01

The frame of this paper is the study of severe accidents of pressurized water reactors (PWR). The need for containment modelling, and in particular for hydrogen risk study, was reinforced in France after 1990, with the requirement of taking into account severe accidents in design of future plants. This new need of assessing the transient local hydrogen concentration incited us to develop the multidimensional code GEYSER for containment analysis. This code, developed by the Department of Mechanics and Technology of the French Atomic Energy Commission, is presented here with a detailed example of calculation. We describe the mixture, whose constituents are noncondensable gases (air or air and hydrogen) and water vapor liquid, by a compressible homogeneous diphasic model. The wall condensation is based on the Chilton-Colburn formulation and heat mass transfer analogy. We present a transient two-dimensional axisymmetric calculation of a simplified accidental sequence during one hour. The calculation in the large volume of a reactor containment consists of an injection of vapor, first important then moderate, followed by an injection of hydrogen. (authors). 8 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs

Dříve vyslovená přání (advance directives). Právní a etické úvahy

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Doležal, Adam

2017-01-01

Roč. 7, č. 2 (2017), s. 1-15 ISSN 1804-8137 Institutional support: RVO:68378122 Keywords : advance directives * living will * euthanasia Subject RIV: AG - Legal Sciences OBOR OECD: Law http://www.ilaw.cas.cz/medlawjournal/index.php/medlawjournal/article/view/141

GEYSER/TONUS: A coupled multi-D lumped parameter code for reactor thermal hydraulics analysis in case of severe accidents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petit, M.; Durin, M.; Gauvain, J. [Commissariat a l`Energie Atomique, Gif sur Yvette (France)

1995-09-01

In many countries, the safety requirements for future light water reactors include accounting for severe accidents in the design process. As far as the containment is concerned, the design must now include mitigation features to limit the pressure and temperature inside the building. Hydrogen concentration is also a major issue for severe accidents. In this context, new needs appear for the modeling of the thermal hydraulics inside the containment. It requires the description of complex phenomena such as condensation, stratification, transport of gases and aerosols, heat transfers. Moreover, the effect of mitigation systems will increase the heterogeneities in the building, and most of those phenomena can be coupled, as for example hydrogen stratification and condensation. To model such a complex situation, the use of multi-dimensional computer codes seems to be necessary in case of large volumes. The aim of the GEYSER/TONUS computer code is to fulfill this need. This code is currently under development at CEA in Saclay. It will allow the coupling of parts of the containment described in a lumped parameter manner, together with meshed parts. Emphasis is put on the numerical methods used to solve the transient problem, as the objective is to be able to treat complete scenarios. Physical models of classical lumped parameters codes will adapted for the spatially described zones. The code is developed in the environment of the CASTEM 2000/TRIO EF system which allows, thanks to its modular conception, to construct sophisticated applications based upon it.

Directions in advanced reactor technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golay, M.W.

1990-01-01

Successful nuclear power plant concepts must simultaneously performance in terms of both safety and economics. To be attractive to both electric utility companies and the public, such plants must produce economical electric energy consistent with a level of safety which is acceptable to both the public and the plant owner. Programs for reactor development worldwide can be classified according to whether the reactor concept pursues improved safety or improved economic performance as the primary objective. When improved safety is the primary goal, safety enters the solution of the design problem as a constraint which restricts the set of allowed solutions. Conversely, when improved economic performance is the primary goal, it is allowed to be pursued only to an extent which is compatible with stringent safety requirements. The three major reactor coolants under consideration for future advanced reactor use are water, helium and sodium. Reactor development programs focuses upon safety and upon economics using each coolant are being pursued worldwide. These programs are discussed

Advanced Gasoline Turbocharged Direction Injection (GTDI) Engine Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagner, Terrance [Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, MI (United States)

2015-12-31

This program was undertaken in response to US Department of Energy Solicitation DE-FOA-0000079, resulting in a cooperative agreement with Ford and MTU to demonstrate improvement of fuel efficiency in a vehicle equipped with an advanced GTDI engine. Ford Motor Company has invested significantly in GTDI engine technology as a cost effective, high volume, fuel economy solution, marketed globally as EcoBoost technology. Ford envisions additional fuel economy improvement in the medium and long term by further advancing EcoBoost technology. The approach for the project was to engineer a comprehensive suite of gasoline engine systems technologies to achieve the project objectives, and to progressively demonstrate the objectives via concept analysis / computer modeling, single-cylinder and multi-cylinder engine testing on engine dynamometer, and vehicle level testing on chassis rolls.

Future directions for resuscitation research. V. Ultra-advanced life support.

Science.gov (United States)

Tisherman, S A; Vandevelde, K; Safar, P; Morioka, T; Obrist, W; Corne, L; Buckman, R F; Rubertsson, S; Stephenson, H E; Grenvik, A; White, R J

1997-06-01

Standard external cardiopulmonary resuscitation (SECPR) frequently produces very low perfusion pressures, which are inadequate to achieve restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and intact survival, particularly when the heart is diseased. Ultra-advanced life support (UALS) techniques may allow support of vital organ systems until either the heart recovers or cardiac repair or replacement is performed. Closed-chest emergency cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) provides control of blood flow, pressure, composition and temperature, but has so far been applied relatively late. This additional low-flow time may preclude conscious survival. An easy, quick method for vessel access and a small preprimed system that could be taken into the field are needed. Open-chest CPR (OCCPR) is physiologically superior to SECPR, but has also been initiated too late in prior studies. Its application in the field has recently proven feasible. Variations of OCCPR, which deserve clinical trials inside and outside hospitals, include 'minimally invasive direct cardiac massage' (MIDCM), using a pocket-size plunger-like device inserted via a small incision and 'direct mechanical ventricular actuation' (DMVA), using a machine that pneumatically drives a cup placed around the heart. Other novel UALS approaches for further research include the use of an aortic balloon catheter to improve coronary and cerebral blood flow during SECPR, aortic flush techniques and a double-balloon aortic catheter that could allow separate perfusion (and cooling) of the heart, brain and viscera for optimal resuscitation of each. Decision-making, initiation of UALS methods and diagnostic evaluations must be rapid to maximize the potential for ROSC and facilitate decision-making regarding long-term circulatory support versus withdrawal of life support for hopeless cases. Research and development of UALS techniques needs to be coordinated with cerebral resuscitation research.

A New Option for the Reconstruction of Primary or Recurrent Ischial Pressure Sores: Hamstring-Adductor Magnus Muscle Advancement Flap and Direct Closure.

Science.gov (United States)

Burm, Jin Sik; Hwang, Jungil; Lee, Yung Ki

2018-04-01

Owing to the high recurrence rates of ischial pressure sores, surgeons should consider the possibility of future secondary flap surgery during flap selection. The purpose of this article is to present a new surgical option for the reconstruction of primary or recurrent ischial pressure sores using a simple hamstring-adductor magnus advancement flap and direct closure. After horizontal fusiform skin excision, complete bursa excision and ischiectomy were performed. The tenomuscular origin of the adductor magnus and the conjoined tenomuscular origin of the biceps femoris long head and semitendinosus were isolated and completely detached from the inferior border of the ischial tuberosity. They were then advanced in a cephalad direction without detachment of the distal tendon or muscle and securely affixed to the sacrotuberous ligament. The wound was directly closed without further incision or dissection. Twelve ischial pressure sores (6 primary and 6 recurrent; 12 patients) were surgically corrected. The follow-up period was 12 to 65 months. All patients healed successfully without early postoperative complications, such as hematoma, seroma, infection, wound dehiscence, or partial necrosis. Late complications included wound disruption 5 weeks after surgery that spontaneously healed in 1 case and recurrence 3 years later in another case. The new surgical option presented herein, which involves hamstring-adductor magnus advancement flap and direct closure, is a simple and reliable method for providing sufficient muscle bulk to fill the dead space and proper padding to the bone stump while preserving the main vascular perforators and pedicles as well as future surgical options.

Defending to the Four Directions Evolving Uechi-ryu’s Hojoundo Exercises for Advanced Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ihor Rymaruk

2012-07-01

Full Text Available This article introduces “Defending to the Four Directions,” techniques that add challenge to Uechi-ryu while incorporating and building upon the traditional katas which have formed the basis of the style. Making changes within a style’s training methods just to be different without any other purpose is of little value and actually destructive to the system. This article describes a meaningful and realistic addition to the practice of hojoundo, the formal exercises incorporating basic movements. “Defending to the Four Directions” is intended for advanced students who have mastered Uechi-ryu’s foundamentals. In addition, the practice is well-suited for adaptation and adoption into other martial art styles.

Automated Ecological Assessment of Physical Activity: Advancing Direct Observation.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, Jordan A; Liu, Bo; Sallis, James F; Kerr, Jacqueline; Hipp, J Aaron; Staggs, Vincent S; Papa, Amy; Dean, Kelsey; Vasconcelos, Nuno M

2017-12-01

Technological advances provide opportunities for automating direct observations of physical activity, which allow for continuous monitoring and feedback. This pilot study evaluated the initial validity of computer vision algorithms for ecological assessment of physical activity. The sample comprised 6630 seconds per camera (three cameras in total) of video capturing up to nine participants engaged in sitting, standing, walking, and jogging in an open outdoor space while wearing accelerometers. Computer vision algorithms were developed to assess the number and proportion of people in sedentary, light, moderate, and vigorous activity, and group-based metabolic equivalents of tasks (MET)-minutes. Means and standard deviations (SD) of bias/difference values, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) assessed the criterion validity compared to accelerometry separately for each camera. The number and proportion of participants sedentary and in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) had small biases (within 20% of the criterion mean) and the ICCs were excellent (0.82-0.98). Total MET-minutes were slightly underestimated by 9.3-17.1% and the ICCs were good (0.68-0.79). The standard deviations of the bias estimates were moderate-to-large relative to the means. The computer vision algorithms appeared to have acceptable sample-level validity (i.e., across a sample of time intervals) and are promising for automated ecological assessment of activity in open outdoor settings, but further development and testing is needed before such tools can be used in a diverse range of settings.

Automated Ecological Assessment of Physical Activity: Advancing Direct Observation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jordan A. Carlson

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Technological advances provide opportunities for automating direct observations of physical activity, which allow for continuous monitoring and feedback. This pilot study evaluated the initial validity of computer vision algorithms for ecological assessment of physical activity. The sample comprised 6630 seconds per camera (three cameras in total of video capturing up to nine participants engaged in sitting, standing, walking, and jogging in an open outdoor space while wearing accelerometers. Computer vision algorithms were developed to assess the number and proportion of people in sedentary, light, moderate, and vigorous activity, and group-based metabolic equivalents of tasks (MET-minutes. Means and standard deviations (SD of bias/difference values, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC assessed the criterion validity compared to accelerometry separately for each camera. The number and proportion of participants sedentary and in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA had small biases (within 20% of the criterion mean and the ICCs were excellent (0.82–0.98. Total MET-minutes were slightly underestimated by 9.3–17.1% and the ICCs were good (0.68–0.79. The standard deviations of the bias estimates were moderate-to-large relative to the means. The computer vision algorithms appeared to have acceptable sample-level validity (i.e., across a sample of time intervals and are promising for automated ecological assessment of activity in open outdoor settings, but further development and testing is needed before such tools can be used in a diverse range of settings.

Regulation of advance directives in Italy: a bad law in the making.

Science.gov (United States)

Gristina, Giuseppe Renato; Martin, Erica; Ranieri, Vito Marco

2012-11-01

The Advance Directives (ADs) have been adopted in many countries to defend patients' autonomy. In Italy, the role of ADs has recently been the subject of heated debate involving political parties and the Roman Catholic Church. In February 2009, the conservative government coalition presented a bill of law on this issue. It has been passed by the Low Chamber and is now being discussed in the Senate. The purpose of the article is to highlight any possible bill's contradiction with Italian Constitution, Italian Code of Medical Ethics (ICME), and Oviedo Convention contents, relevant for intensivists. Analysis of bill's content in the light of Italian Constitution, ICME, Oviedo Convention articles and in comparison with French legislation regarding end of life (Leonetti law). In the Authors' point of view the bill's articles -limit the moral and judicial importance of four main issues as informed consent, permanent incapacity, artificial nutrition/hydration, and withdraw/withhold treatments. In the Authors' opinion the ADs must represent informed preferences made freely by patients within the relationship with their physicians, as part of an advance care planning. When this relationship develops in accordance with the ICME rules, it contains all of the ethical/professional dimensions to legitimate right choices in each case. The law should draw inspiration from ICME principles, assigning them a juridical power, acknowledging their validity in legitimating end-of-life decisions, and defining a framework of juridical legitimacy for these decisions without infringing on patients' right to autonomy with prescriptions on the care.

Advanced Direct-Drive Generator for Improved Availability of Oscillating Wave Surge Converter Power Generation Systems Final Technical Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Englebretson, Steven [ABB Inc., Cary, NC (United States); Ouyang, Wen [ABB Inc., Cary, NC (United States); Tschida, Colin [ABB Inc., Cary, NC (United States); Carr, Joseph [ABB Inc., Cary, NC (United States); Ramanan, V.R. [ABB Inc., Cary, NC (United States); Johnson, Matthew [Texas A& M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Gardner, Matthew [Texas A& M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Toliyat, Hamid [Texas A& M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Staby, Bill [Resolute Marine Energy, Inc., Boston, MA (United States); Chertok, Allan [Resolute Marine Energy, Inc., Boston, MA (United States); Hazra, Samir [ABB Inc., Cary, NC (United States); Bhattacharya, Subhashish [ABB Inc., Cary, NC (United States)

2017-05-13

This report summarizes the activities conducted under the DOE-EERE funded project DE-EE0006400, where ABB Inc. (ABB), in collaboration with Texas A&M’s Advanced Electric Machines & Power Electronics (EMPE) Lab and Resolute Marine Energy (RME) designed, derisked, developed, and demonstrated a novel magnetically geared electrical generator for direct-drive, low-speed, high torque MHK applications The project objective was to investigate a novel and compact direct-drive electric generator and its system aspects that would enable elimination of hydraulic components in the Power Take-Off (PTO) of a Marine and Hydrokinetic (MHK) system with an oscillating wave surge converter (OWSC), thereby improving the availability of the MHK system. The scope of this project was limited to the development and dry lab demonstration of a low speed generator to enable future direct drive MHK systems.

75 FR 59645 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Determination of Endangered Status for the African...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-28

... example, penguin numbers at the two easternmost colonies (on Dyer and Geyser Islands) and three...; Whittington et al. 2005, p. 227; Randall 1989, p. 252). The male carries out nest site selection, while nest... Namibian populations of African penguins are currently experiencing directional ecosystem changes...

An integrated methodology for sub-surface fracture characterization using microseismic data: A case study at the NW Geysers

Science.gov (United States)

Aminzadeh, Fred; Tafti, Tayeb A.; Maity, Debotyam

2013-04-01

Geothermal and unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs are often characterized by low permeability and porosity. So, they are difficult to produce and require stimulation techniques, such as thermal shear deactivation and hydraulic fracturing. Fractures provide porosity for fluid storage and permeability for fluid movement and play an important role in production from this kind of reservoirs. Hence, characterization of fractures has become a vitally important consideration in every aspect of exploration, development and production so as to provide additional energy resources for the world. During the injection or production of fluid, induced seismicity (micro-seismic events) can be caused by reactivated shears created fractures or the natural fractures in shear zones and faults. Monitoring these events can help visualize fracture growth during injection stimulation. Although the locations of microseismic events can be a useful characterization tool and have been used by many authors, we go beyond these locations to characterize fractures more reliably. Tomographic inversion, fuzzy clustering, and shear wave splitting are three methods that can be applied to microseismic data to obtain reliable characteristics about fractured areas. In this article, we show how each method can help us in the characterization process. In addition, we demonstrate how they can be integrated with each other or with other data for a more holistic approach. The knowledge gained might be used to optimize drilling targets or stimulation jobs to reduce costs and maximize production. Some of the concepts discussed in this paper are general in nature, and may be more applicable to unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs than the metamorphic and igneous reservoir rocks at The Geysers geothermal field.

Are written advance directives helpful to guide end-of-life therapy in the intensive care unit? A retrospective matched-cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartog, Christiane S; Peschel, Ilka; Schwarzkopf, Daniel; Curtis, J Randall; Westermann, Isabella; Kabisch, Bjoern; Pfeifer, Ruediger; Guenther, Albrecht; Michalsen, Andrej; Reinhart, Konrad

2014-02-01

The purpose of the study was to determine whether treatment preferences in patients' advance directives (ADs) are associated with life-supporting treatments received during end-of-life care in the intensive care unit (ICU). This is a retrospective cohort study, including patients who died in 4 ICUs of a university hospital in Germany. Patients with ADs were matched with 2 patients each without ADs using propensity scores. Sixty-four (13%) of 477 patients had ADs, written a median of 109 weeks before admission. Five categories of applicability conditions were identified, most of them difficult to interpret in the ICU (eg, "advanced brain impairment" or "imminent death"). Advance directives contained a number of treatment refusals. Specifically, 63 of 64 refused "life-sustaining measures." Compared to patients without ADs, patients with ADs were less likely to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (9% vs 23%, P = .029) and more likely to have do-not-resuscitate orders (77% vs 56%, P = .007). Therapy-limiting decisions and ICU length of stay did not differ between those with or without ADs. Patients with ADs are less likely to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation but otherwise receive similar life-sustaining treatments compared to matched patients without ADs. More research is needed to explore reasons for potential noncompliance with patient preferences. © 2013.

Advanced directions of peaceful applications of nuclear energy in the Republic of Azerbaijan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garibov, A.A.

2006-01-01

Full text: Application of nuclear energy is actual during last years due to depletion of organic sources of row materials. Therefore, each country develops the programs on peaceful application of nuclear energy and using alternative as well as other energy sources on the basis of the analysis of fuel-energy balance and energy demand state. The Republic of Azerbaijan has huge hydrocarbon resources and alternative energy sources. However, taking into account the fact that hydrocarbon resources can cover increasing energy demand at maximum 50-60 years and renewable energy sources can not meet large energy demand during near future then the discovering of advanced ways on peaceful application of nuclear energy is of great importance. Since the seventies of the twentieth century, wide spectrum of scientific researches on the discovering advanced ways on peaceful application of nuclear energy are carried out in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Among them it is necessary to mark the following directions: radiation modification of the properties of polymers, absorbents, catalysts, metals and alloys, semiconductors, dielectrics, ferroelectrics and various devices; radiation oil-chemistry processes; radiation polymerization; radiation-heterogeneous processes; atomic-hydrogen energy; scientific problems of radiation safety and nuclear security; discovering possibilities for using radiation technologies in the solution of environmental problems; radiation sciences of materials and radiation physics; radiation biology and medicine; application of isotope sources in medicine; application of isotope in oil-gas industry; application of isotope sources in radiography and different fields of technique

Impact of a stay in the intensive care unit on the preparation of Advance Directives: Descriptive, exploratory, qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Andreu, Pascal; Dargent, Auguste; Large, Audrey; Meunier-Beillard, Nicolas; Vinault, Sandrine; Leiva-Rojas, Uriel; Ecarnot, Fiona; Prin, Sébastien; Charles, Pierre-Emmanuel; Fournel, Isabelle; Rigaud, Jean-Philippe; Quenot, Jean-Pierre

2018-04-01

Our objective was to assess, through a qualitative, exploratory study, the thought processes of patients regarding the formulation of advance directives (AD) after a stay in the ICU. The study was conducted from May to July 2016 using telephone interviews performed by four senior ICU physicians. Inclusion criteria were: patients discharged from ICU to home>3 months earlier. Semi-directive interviews with patients focused on 5 main points surrounding AD. In total, among 159 eligible patients, data from 94 (59%) were available for analysis. Among all those interviewed, 83.5% had never heard of "advance directives". Only 2% had executed AD before ICU admission, and 7% expressed a desire to prepare AD further to their ICU stay. Among the barriers to preparation of AD, lack of information was the main reason cited for not executing AD. Patients noted the following in their AD: withdrawal of life-support in case of vegetative/minimally conscious state or when there is no longer any hope, in case of uncontrollable pain, and if impossible to wean from mechanical ventilation. The ideal time to engage patients in these discussions is most likely well before an acute health event occurs, although this warrants further investigation both before and after ICU admissions. Copyright © 2017 Société française d’anesthésie et de réanimation (Sfar). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Study of the standard direct costs of various techniques of advanced endoscopy. Comparison with surgical alternatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Loras, Carme; Mayor, Vicenç; Fernández-Bañares, Fernando; Esteve, Maria

2018-03-12

The complexity of endoscopy has carried out an increase in cost that has a direct effect on the healthcare systems. However, few studies have analyzed the cost of advanced endoscopic procedures (AEP). To carry out a calculation of the standard direct costs of AEP, and to make a financial comparison with their surgical alternatives. Calculation of the standard direct cost in carrying out each procedure. An endoscopist detailed the time, personnel, materials, consumables, recovery room time, stents, pathology and medication used. The cost of surgical procedures was the average cost recorded in the hospital. Thirty-eight AEP were analyzed. The technique showing lowest cost was gastroscopy + APC (€116.57), while that with greatest cost was ERCP with cholangioscopy + stent placement (€5083.65). Some 34.2% of the procedures registered average costs of €1000-2000. In 57% of cases, the endoscopic alternative was 2-5 times more cost-efficient than surgery, in 31% of cases indistinguishable or up to 1.4 times more costly. Standard direct cost of the majority of AEP is reported using a methodology that enables easy application in other centers. For the most part, endoscopic procedures are more cost-efficient than the corresponding surgical procedure. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Advancements in high-power high-brightness laser bars and single emitters for pumping and direct diode application

Science.gov (United States)

An, Haiyan; Jiang, Ching-Long J.; Xiong, Yihan; Zhang, Qiang; Inyang, Aloysius; Felder, Jason; Lewin, Alexander; Roff, Robert; Heinemann, Stefan; Schmidt, Berthold; Treusch, Georg

2015-03-01

We have continuously optimized high fill factor bar and packaging design to increase power and efficiency for thin disc laser system pump application. On the other hand, low fill factor bars packaged on the same direct copper bonded (DCB) cooling platform are used to build multi-kilowatt direct diode laser systems. We have also optimized the single emitter designs for fiber laser pump applications. In this paper, we will give an overview of our recent advances in high power high brightness laser bars and single emitters for pumping and direct diode application. We will present 300W bar development results for our next generation thin disk laser pump source. We will also show recent improvements on slow axis beam quality of low fill factor bar and its application on performance improvement of 4-5 kW TruDiode laser system with BPP of 30 mm*mrad from a 600 μm fiber. Performance and reliability results of single emitter for multiemitter fiber laser pump source will be presented as well.

A phase I, dose-escalation study of TB-403, a monoclonal antibody directed against PlGF, in patients with advanced solid tumours

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lassen, U; Nielsen, D L; Sørensen, M

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND: TB-403 (RO 5323441), a humanised monoclonal antibody, is a novel antiangiogenesis agent directed against placental growth factor. The safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and antitumour activity of TB-403 were assessed in a phase I, dose-escalation study in patients with advanced solid...

Advanced DVI for ECC direct bypass mitigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Tae-Soon; Song, Chul-Hwa; Baek, Won-Pil

2009-01-01

An ECC direct bypass fraction during a late reflood phase of a LBLOCA is strongly dependent on the characteristics of the cross flow and the geometrical configuration of a DVI in the downcomer of a pressurized light water reactor. The important design parameters of a DVI are the elevation, the azimuthal angle, and the separator to prevent a steam-water interaction. An ECC sub-channel to separate or to isolate an ECC water from a high-speed cross flow is one of the important design features to mitigate the ECC bypass phenomena. A dual core barrel cylinder as an ECC flow separator is located between a reactor vessel and a core barrel outer wall in the downcomer annulus. A new narrow gap between the core barrel and the additional dual core barrel plays the role of a downward ECC flow channel or an ECC flow separator in a high-speed cross flow field of the downcomer annulus. The flow zone around a broken cold leg in the downcomer annulus has the role of a high ECC direct bypass due to a strong suction force while the wake zone of a hot leg has the role of an ECC penetration. Thus, the relative azimuthal angle of the DVI nozzle from the broken cold leg is an important design parameter. A large azimuthal angle from a cold leg to a hot leg needs to avoid a high suction flow zone when an ECC water is being injected. The other enhancing mechanism of an ECC penetration is a grooved core barrel which has small rectangular-shaped grooves vertically arranged on the core barrel wall of the reactor vessel downcomer annulus. These grooves have the role for a generation of a vortex induced by a high-speed cross flow. Since the stagnant flow in a lateral direction and rotational vortex provides the pulling force of an ECC drop or film to flow down into the lower downcomer annulus by gravity, the ECC direct bypass fraction is reduced when compared to the current design of a smoothed wall. An open channel of grooves generates a stagnant vortex, while a closed channel of grooves

[Advance directives in prehospital emergency treatment : prospective questionnaire-based analysis].

Science.gov (United States)

Brokmann, J C; Grützmann, T; Pidun, A K; Groß, D; Rossaint, R; Beckers, S K; May, A T

2014-01-01

The handling of advance directives (AD) in prehospital emergency treatment in Germany is characterized by instability. In the project "Advance directives in preclinical emergency medical aid" ("Patientenverfügungen in der präklinischen Notfallmedizin") the frequency and quality of ADs in emergency situations was investigated. The aim of this study was to fill the gaps in research and to collate data on how consideration of the self-determination of patients in emergency situations can be optimized. Over a period of 12 months from December 2007 to December 2008 a questionnaire was included in the emergency documentation of the medical emergency service in Aachen. Emergency patients were asked by emergency physicians to provide an AD and the quantitative as well as qualitative features of these ADs were examined. Furthermore, the study recorded what kinds of problems occurred with ADs in emergency situations and what measures were needed to correct this deficiency. The reactions of patients were documented on a numeral rating scale with a score of 1 reflecting a negative and 10 reflecting a positive reaction. In the 12-month period emergency doctors recorded 1,321 missions and after application of the exclusion criteria (e.g. missing signature, incomplete documentation and late delivery) 1,047 documented questionnaires were available for the analysis. A total of 127 out of 1,047 emergency patients provided an AD, 44 had a durable power of attorney and 27 had appointed a legal representative for healthcare. Of the emergency patients 20 had a legal attendant and 43 out of the 127 ADs could be presented to the emergency team during the emergency mission. The emergency team often encountered difficulties regarding the handling of the ADs due to the time factor and unclear wording. The latter included the following problems: misleading formulation (19.1 %), difficulty with the complexity (14.9 %) and contradicting information (4 %). Only 29 (61.7 %) of the

Wyle Prof H G Viljoen | Geyser | HTS Teologiese Studies ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. Journal Home · ABOUT · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 9, No 2 (1953) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Download this PDF file. The PDF file you selected should ...

Development of advanced direct perception displays for nuclear power plants to enhance monitoring, control and fault management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, B.; Shaheen, S.; Moray, N.; Sanderson, P.; Reising, D.V.

1993-01-01

With recent theoretical and empirical research in basic and applied psychology, human factors, and engineering, it is now sufficient to define an integrated approach to the deign of advanced displays for present and future nuclear power plants. Traditionally, the conventional displays have shown operators the individual variables on gauges, meters, strip charts, etc. This design approach requires the operators to mentally integrate the separately displayed variables and determine the implications for the plant state. This traditional approach has been known as the single-sensor-single-indicator display design and it places an intolerable amount of mental workload on operators during transients and abnormal conditions. This report discusses a new alternative approach which is the use of direct perception interfaces. Direct perception a interfaces display the underlying physical and system constraints of the situation in a directly perceptual way, such that the viewer need not reason about what is seen to identify system states, but can identify the state of the system perceptually. It is expected that displays which show the dynamics of fundamental physical laws should better support operator decisions and diagnoses of plant states. The purpose of this research project is to develop a suite of direct perception displays for PWR nuclear power plant operations

Planning for Advanced Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Find out what issues need to be addressed when dealing with an advanced or metastatic cancer diagnosis. Completing advance directives, looking at health insurance, organizing records and documents, and looking at the meanings in your life are some of the things to think about.

Usefulness of questionnaires on advance directives in haemodialysis units.

Science.gov (United States)

Jornet, Angel Rodríguez; Castellanos, Loreley Ana Betancourt; Contador, Maria Isabel Bolós; Morera, Juan Carlos Oliva; López, José Antonio Ibeas

2017-10-01

As renal replacement therapy has become universal practice in medicine, there is a need to consider whether this treatment is suitable for elderly people. These patients have high comorbidity and may require dialysis withdrawal in certain clinical circumstances. Advance directives (ADs) drawn up by patients facilitate treatment-related decisions if they lose cognitive capacity. Questionnaires dealing with possible extreme clinical circumstances can thus help clinicians and relatives reach pertinent decisions in such cases. We studied the usefulness of questionnaires on ADs in patients who started periodic haemodialysis over a period of 10 years. Telephone interviews were conducted to assess satisfaction level among relatives/representatives of deceased patients who had been advised to limit therapeutic efforts in certain clinical situations. The questionnaire was assessed using a six-factor degree of satisfaction. Four hundred and forty-three questionnaires were distributed over a period of 10 years. A total of 41.3% of patients stated that they wished to limit therapeutic efforts in the serious clinical situations presented; 37.9% refused to complete the questionnaire; 14.7% expressed their wishes without any written confirmation; and 6.1% expressed their wish to continue on dialysis in all situations. Two hundred and twenty-four patients had died by the study end date. The cause of death in 20.2% was scheduled dialysis withdrawal. Representatives reported an extremely high degree of satisfaction with the questionnaire (94.7%). Younger people, however, were more reluctant to consider and answer questionnaires on ADs. Questionnaires on ADs are a useful tool in daily nephrology practice and should be distributed to those patients willing to consider the limitation of therapeutic efforts in extreme clinical circumstances. In general terms, these questionnaires should be given to all elderly patients. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on

Modeling of local steam condensation on walls in presence of non-condensable gases. Application to a loca calculation in reactor containment using the multidimensional geyser/tonus code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benet, L.V.; Caroli, C.; Cornet, P. [Commissariat a l`Energie Atomique, Gif sur Yvette (France)] [and others

1995-09-01

This paper reports part of a study of possible severe pressurized water reactor (PWR) accidents. The need for containment modeling, and in particular for a hydrogen risk study, was reinforced in France after 1990, with the requirement that severe accidents must be taken into account in the design of future plants. This new need of assessing the transient local hydrogen concentration led to the development, in the Mechanical Engineering and Technology Department of the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA/DMT), of the multidimensional code GEYSER/TONUS for containment analysis. A detailed example of the use of this code is presented. The mixture consisted of noncondensable gases (air or air plus hydrogen) and water vapor and liquid water. This is described by a compressible homogeneous two-phase flow model and wall condensation is based on the Chilton-Colburn formula and the analogy between heat and mass transfer. Results are given for a transient two-dimensional axially-symmetric computation for the first hour of a simplified accident sequence. In this there was an initial injection of a large amount of water vapor followed by a smaller amount and by hydrogen injection.

Isolation and characterization of a CO2-tolerant Lactobacillus strain from Crystal Geyser, Utah, U.S.A.

Science.gov (United States)

Santillan, Eugenio Felipe; Shanahan, Timothy; Omelon, Christopher; Major, Jonathan; Bennett, Philip

2015-07-01

When CO2 is sequestered into the deep subsurface, changes to the subsurface microbial community will occur. Capnophiles, microorganisms that grow in CO2-rich environments, are some organisms that may be selected for under the new environmental conditions. To determine whether capnophiles comprise an important part of CO2-rich environments, an isolate from Crystal Geyser, Utah, U.S.A., a CO2- rich spring considered a carbon sequestration analogue, was characterized. The isolate was cultured under varying CO2, pH, salinity, and temperature, as well as different carbon substrates and terminal electron acceptors (TEAs) to elucidate growth conditions and metabolic activity. Designated CG-1, the isolate is related (99%) to Lactobacillus casei in 16S rRNA gene identity, growing at PCO2 between 0 to 1.0 MPa. Growth is inhibited at 2.5 MPa, but stationary phase cultures exposed to this pressure survive beyond 5 days. At 5.0 MPa, survival is at least 24 hours. CG-1 grows in neutral pH, 0.25 M NaCl, and between 25° to 45°C andconsumes glucose, lactose, sucrose, or crude oil, likely performing lactic acid fermentation. Fatty acid profiles between 0.1 MPa to 1.0 MPa suggests decreases in cell size and increases in membrane rigidity. Transmission electron microscopy reveals rod shaped bacteria at 0.1 MPa. At 1.0 MPa, cells are smaller, amorphous, and produce abundant capsular material. Its ability to grow in environments regardless of the presence of CO2 suggests we have isolated an organism that is more capnotolerant than capnophilic. Results also show that microorganisms are capable of surviving the stressful conditions created by the introduction of CO2 for sequestration. Furthermore, our ability to culture an environmental isolate indicates that organisms found in CO2 environments from previous genomic and metagenomics studies are viable, metabolizing, and potentially affecting the surrounding environment.

Isolation and characterization of a CO2-tolerant Lactobacillus strain from Crystal Geyser, Utah, U.S.A.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santillan, Eugenio-Felipe U.; Shanahan, Timothy M.; Omelon, Christopher R.; Major, Jonathan R.; Bennett, Philip C.

2015-07-23

When CO₂ is sequestered into the deep subsurface, changes to the subsurface microbial community will occur. Capnophiles, microorganisms that grow in CO₂-rich environments, are some organisms that may be selected for under the new environmental conditions. To determine whether capnophiles comprise an important part of CO₂-rich environments, an isolate from Crystal Geyser, Utah, U.S.A., a CO₂- rich spring considered a carbon sequestration analog, was characterized. The isolate was cultured under varying CO₂, pH, salinity, and temperature, as well as different carbon substrates and terminal electron acceptors (TEAs) to elucidate growth conditions and metabolic activity. Designated CG-1, the isolate is related (99%) to Lactobacillus casei in 16S rRNA gene identity, growing at PCO₂ between 0 and 1.0 MPa. Growth is inhibited at 2.5 MPa, but stationary phase cultures exposed to this pressure survive beyond 5 days. At 5.0 MPa, survival is at least 24 h. CG-1 grows in neutral pH, 0.25 M NaCl, and between 25° and 45°C and consumes glucose, lactose, sucrose, or crude oil, likely performing lactic acid fermentation. Fatty acid profiles between 0.1 and 1.0 MPa suggests decreases in cell size and increases in membrane rigidity. Transmission electron microscopy reveals rod shaped bacteria at 0.1 MPa. At 1.0 MPa, cells are smaller, amorphous, and produce abundant capsular material. Its ability to grow in environments regardless of the presence of CO₂ suggests we have isolated an organism that is more capnotolerant than capnophilic. Results also show that microorganisms are capable of surviving the stressful conditions created by the introduction of CO₂ for sequestration. Furthermore, our ability to culture an environmental isolate indicates that organisms found in CO₂ environments from previous genomic and metagenomics studies are viable, metabolizing, and potentially affecting the

Isolation and characterization of a CO2-tolerant Lactobacillus strain from Crystal Geyser, Utah, U.S.A.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eugenio Felipe U Santillan

2015-07-01

Full Text Available When CO2 is sequestered into the deep subsurface, changes to the subsurface microbial community will occur. Capnophiles, microorganisms that grow in CO2-rich environments, are some organisms that may be selected for under the new environmental conditions. To determine whether capnophiles comprise an important part of CO2-rich environments, an isolate from Crystal Geyser, Utah, U.S.A., a CO2- rich spring considered a carbon sequestration analogue, was characterized. The isolate was cultured under varying CO2, pH, salinity, and temperature, as well as different carbon substrates and terminal electron acceptors (TEAs to elucidate growth conditions and metabolic activity. Designated CG-1, the isolate is related (99% to Lactobacillus casei in 16S rRNA gene identity, growing at PCO2 between 0 to 1.0 MPa. Growth is inhibited at 2.5 MPa, but stationary phase cultures exposed to this pressure survive beyond 5 days. At 5.0 MPa, survival is at least 24 hours. CG-1 grows in neutral pH, 0.25 M NaCl, and between 25° to 45°C andconsumes glucose, lactose, sucrose, or crude oil, likely performing lactic acid fermentation. Fatty acid profiles between 0.1 MPa to 1.0 MPa suggests decreases in cell size and increases in membrane rigidity. Transmission electron microscopy reveals rod shaped bacteria at 0.1 MPa. At 1.0 MPa, cells are smaller, amorphous, and produce abundant capsular material. Its ability to grow in environments regardless of the presence of CO2 suggests we have isolated an organism that is more capnotolerant than capnophilic. Results also show that microorganisms are capable of surviving the stressful conditions created by the introduction of CO2 for sequestration. Furthermore, our ability to culture an environmental isolate indicates that organisms found in CO2 environments from previous genomic and metagenomics studies are viable, metabolizing, and potentially affecting the surrounding environment.

Advances in direct oxidation methanol fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Surampudi, S.; Narayanan, S. R.; Vamos, E.; Frank, H.; Halpert, G.; Laconti, Anthony B.; Kosek, J.; Prakash, G. K. Surya; Olah, G. A.

1993-01-01

Fuel cells that can operate directly on fuels such as methanol are attractive for low to medium power applications in view of their low weight and volume relative to other power sources. A liquid feed direct methanol fuel cell has been developed based on a proton exchange membrane electrolyte and Pt/Ru and Pt catalyzed fuel and air/O2 electrodes, respectively. The cell has been shown to deliver significant power outputs at temperatures of 60 to 90 C. The cell voltage is near 0.5 V at 300 mA/cm(exp 2) current density and an operating temperature of 90 C. A deterrent to performance appears to be methanol crossover through the membrane to the oxygen electrode. Further improvements in performance appear possible by minimizing the methanol crossover rate.

Dynamics of the Yellowstone hydrothermal system

Science.gov (United States)

Hurwitz, Shaul; Lowenstern, Jacob B.

2014-01-01

The Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field is characterized by extensive seismicity, episodes of uplift and subsidence, and a hydrothermal system that comprises more than 10,000 thermal features, including geysers, fumaroles, mud pots, thermal springs, and hydrothermal explosion craters. The diverse chemical and isotopic compositions of waters and gases derive from mantle, crustal, and meteoric sources and extensive water-gas-rock interaction at variable pressures and temperatures. The thermal features are host to all domains of life that utilize diverse inorganic sources of energy for metabolism. The unique and exceptional features of the hydrothermal system have attracted numerous researchers to Yellowstone beginning with the Washburn and Hayden expeditions in the 1870s. Since a seminal review published a quarter of a century ago, research in many fields has greatly advanced our understanding of the many coupled processes operating in and on the hydrothermal system. Specific advances include more refined geophysical images of the magmatic system, better constraints on the time scale of magmatic processes, characterization of fluid sources and water-rock interactions, quantitative estimates of heat and magmatic volatile fluxes, discovering and quantifying the role of thermophile microorganisms in the geochemical cycle, defining the chronology of hydrothermal explosions and their relation to glacial cycles, defining possible links between hydrothermal activity, deformation, and seismicity; quantifying geyser dynamics; and the discovery of extensive hydrothermal activity in Yellowstone Lake. Discussion of these many advances forms the basis of this review.

Radiation-induced erectile dysfunction: Recent advances and future directions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javed Mahmood, PhD

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men in the United States. A large number of patients undergo radiation therapy (RT as a standard care of treatment; however, RT causes erectile dysfunction (radiation-induced erectile dysfunction; RiED because of late side effects after RT that significantly affects quality of life of prostate cancer patients. Within 5 years of RT, approximately 50% of patients could develop RiED. Based on the past and current research findings and number of publications from our group, the precise mechanism of RiED is under exploration in detail. Recent investigations have shown prostate RT induces significant morphologic arterial damage with aberrant alterations in internal pudendal arterial tone. Prostatic RT also reduces motor function in the cavernous nerve which may attribute to axonal degeneration may contributing to RiED. Furthermore, the advances in radiogenomics such as radiation induced somatic mutation identification, copy number variation and genome-wide association studies has significantly facilitated identification of biomarkers that could be used to monitoring radiation-induced late toxicity and damage to the nerves; thus, genomic- and proteomic-based biomarkers could greatly improve treatment and minimize arterial tissue and nerve damage. Further, advanced technologies such as proton beam therapy that precisely target tumor and significantly reduce off-target damage to vital organs and healthy tissues. In this review, we summarize recent advances in RiED research and novel treatment modalities for RiED. We also discuss the possible molecular mechanism involved in the development of RiED in prostate cancer patients. Further, we discuss various readily available methods as well as novel strategies such as stem cell therapies, shockwave therapy, nerve grafting with tissue engineering, and nutritional supplementations might be used to

Recent Advances and Future Directions for Quality Engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vining, Geoff; Kulahci, Murat; Pedersen, Søren

2015-01-01

The origins of quality engineering are in manufacturing, where quality engineers apply basic statistical methodologies to improve the quality and productivity of products and processes. In the past decade, people have discovered that these methodologies are effective for improving almost any type...... of system or process, such as financial, health care, and supply chains. This paper begins with a review of key advances and trends within quality engineering over the past decade. The second part uses the first part as a foundation to outline new application areas for the field. It also discusses how...

Advances in gas-liquid flows 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, J.M.; Hashemi, A.

1990-01-01

Gas-liquid two-phase flows commonly occur in nature and industrial applications. Rain, clouds, geysers, and waterfalls are examples of natural gas-liquid flow phenomena, whereas industrial applications can be found in nuclear reactors, steam generators, boilers, condensers, evaporators, fuel atomization, heat pipes, electronic equipment cooling, petroleum engineering, chemical process engineering, and many others. The household-variety phenomena such as garden sprinklers, shower, whirlpool bath, dripping faucet, boiling tea pot, and bubbling beer provide daily experience of gas-liquid flows. The papers presented in this volume reflect the variety and richness of gas-liquid two-phase flow and the increasing role it plays in modern technology. This volume contains papers dealing with some recent development in gas-liquid flow science and technology, covering basic gas-liquid flows, measurements and instrumentation, cavitation and flashing flows, countercurrent flow and flooding, flow in various components and geometries liquid metals and thermocapillary effects, heat transfer, nonlinear phenomena, instability, and other special and general topics related to gas-liquid flows

Impact of Integrated Care Model (ICM) on Direct Medical Costs in Management of Advanced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Science.gov (United States)

Bandurska, Ewa; Damps-Konstańska, Iwona; Popowski, Piotr; Jędrzejczyk, Tadeusz; Janowiak, Piotr; Świętnicka, Katarzyna; Zarzeczna-Baran, Marzena; Jassem, Ewa

2017-06-12

BACKGROUND Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a commonly diagnosed condition in people older than 50 years of age. In advanced stage of this disease, integrated care (IC) is recommended as an optimal approach. IC allows for holistic and patient-focused care carried out at the patient's home. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of IC on costs of care and on demand for medical services among patients included in IC. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 154 patients diagnosed with advanced COPD. Costs of care (general, COPD, and exacerbations-related) were evaluated for 1 year, including 6-months before and after implementing IC. The analysis included assessment of the number of medical procedures of various types before and after entering IC and changes in medical services providers. RESULTS Direct medical costs of standard care in advanced COPD were 886.78 EUR per 6 months. Costs of care of all types decreased after introducing IC. Changes in COPD and exacerbation-related costs were statistically significant (p=0.012492 and p=0.017023, respectively). Patients less frequently used medical services for respiratory system and cardiovascular diseases. Similarly, the number of hospitalizations and visits to emergency medicine departments decreased (by 40.24% and 8.5%, respectively). The number of GP visits increased after introducing IC (by 7.14%). CONCLUSIONS The high costs of care in advanced COPD indicate the need for new forms of effective care. IC caused a decrease in costs and in the number of hospitalization, with a simultaneous increase in the number of GP visits.

General survey of Korean advanced technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-05-01

This book includes advanced technology, world trend of advanced technology, technological innovation study for strengthening international competitiveness, patterns of Korea industrialization and its causes, structures of Korea electronic equipment and development direction, middle and long-term prospects of home appliance, the world of computer, current situation and prospect of robot industry, homework for strengthening international competitiveness of machine industry, direction for rationalization of materials industry, current situations of technical textile, future technology of developed countries, and trend of Korea technological activities.

Crump Geyser Exploration and Drilling Project. High Precision Geophysics and Detailed Structural Exploration and Slim Well Drilling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fairbank, Brian D. [Nevada Geothermal Power Company, Vancouver (Canada); Smith, Nicole [Nevada Geothermal Power Company, Vancouver (Canada)

2015-06-10

The Crump Geyser Exploration and Drilling Project – High Precision Geophysics and Detailed Structural Exploration and Slim Well Drilling ran from January 29, 2010 to September 30, 2013. During Phase 1 of the project, collection of all geophysical surveys was completed as outlined in the Statement of Project Objectives. In addition, a 5000-foot full sized exploration well was drilled by Ormat, and preexisting drilling data was discovered for multiple temperature gradient wells within the project area. Three dimensional modeling and interpretation of results from the geophysical surveys and drilling data gave confidence to move to the project into Phase 2 drilling. Geological and geophysical survey interpretations combined with existing downhole temperature data provided an ideal target for the first slim-hole drilled as the first task in Phase 2. Slim-hole 35-34 was drilled in September 2011 and tested temperature, lithology, and permeability along the primary range-bounding fault zone near its intersection with buried northwest-trending faults that have been identified using geophysical methods. Following analysis of the results of the first slim-hole 35-34, the second slim hole was not drilled and subsequent project tasks, including flowing differential self-potential (FDSP) surveys that were designed to detail the affect of production and injection on water flow in the shallow aquifer, were not completed. NGP sold the Crump project to Ormat in August 2014, afterwards, there was insufficient time and interest from Ormat available to complete the project objectives. NGP was unable to continue managing the award for a project they did not own due to liability issues and Novation of the award was not a viable option due to federal award timelines. NGP submitted a request to mutually terminate the award on February 18, 2015. The results of all of the technical surveys and drilling are included in this report. Fault interpretations from surface geology, aeromag

Motivations, aims and communication around advance directives A mixed-methods study into the perspective of their owners and the influence of a current illness

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Wijmen, M.P.S.; Pasman, H.R.W.; Widdershoven, G.A.M.; Onwuteaka-Philipsen, B.D.

2014-01-01

Objective: What are motivations of owners of an advance directive (AD) to draft an AD, what do they aim for with their AD and do they communicate about their AD? Methods: Written questionnaires were sent to a cohort of people owning different types of ADs (n= 5768). A purposive sample of people

Optimally setting up directed searches for continuous gravitational waves in Advanced LIGO O1 data

Science.gov (United States)

Ming, Jing; Papa, Maria Alessandra; Krishnan, Badri; Prix, Reinhard; Beer, Christian; Zhu, Sylvia J.; Eggenstein, Heinz-Bernd; Bock, Oliver; Machenschalk, Bernd

2018-02-01

In this paper we design a search for continuous gravitational waves from three supernova remnants: Vela Jr., Cassiopeia A (Cas A) and G347.3. These systems might harbor rapidly rotating neutron stars emitting quasiperiodic gravitational radiation detectable by the advanced LIGO detectors. Our search is designed to use the volunteer computing project Einstein@Home for a few months and assumes the sensitivity and duty cycles of the advanced LIGO detectors during their first science run. For all three supernova remnants, the sky positions of their central compact objects are well known but the frequency and spin-down rates of the neutron stars are unknown which makes the searches computationally limited. In a previous paper we have proposed a general framework for deciding on what target we should spend computational resources and in what proportion, what frequency and spin-down ranges we should search for every target, and with what search setup. Here we further expand this framework and apply it to design a search directed at detecting continuous gravitational wave signals from the most promising three supernova remnants identified as such in the previous work. Our optimization procedure yields broad frequency and spin-down searches for all three objects, at an unprecedented level of sensitivity: The smallest detectable gravitational wave strain h0 for Cas A is expected to be 2 times smaller than the most sensitive upper limits published to date, and our proposed search, which was set up and ran on the volunteer computing project Einstein@Home, covers a much larger frequency range.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

1998-01-01

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

Advance care planning in CKD/ESRD: an evolving process.

Science.gov (United States)

Holley, Jean L

2012-06-01

Advance care planning was historically considered to be simply the completion of a proxy (health care surrogate designation) or instruction (living will) directive that resulted from a conversation between a patient and his or her physician. We now know that advance care planning is a much more comprehensive and dynamic patient-centered process used by patients and families to strengthen relationships, achieve control over medical care, prepare for death, and clarify goals of care. Some advance directives, notably designated health care proxy documents, remain appropriate expressions of advance care planning. Moreover, although physician orders, such as do-not-resuscitate orders and Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, may not be strictly defined as advance directives, their completion, when appropriate, is an integral component of advance care planning. The changing health circumstances and illness trajectory characteristic of ESRD mandate that advance care planning discussions adapt to a patient's situation and therefore must be readdressed at appropriate times and intervals. The options of withholding and withdrawing dialysis add ESRD-specific issues to advance care planning in this population and are events each nephrologist will at some time confront. Advance care planning is important throughout the spectrum of ESRD and is a part of nephrology practice that can be rewarding to nephrologists and beneficial to patients and their families.

Applying Precision Medicine and Immunotherapy Advances from Oncology to Host-Directed Therapies for Infectious Diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahon, Robert N; Hafner, Richard

2017-01-01

To meet the challenges of increasing antimicrobial resistance, the infectious disease community needs innovative therapeutics. Precision medicine and immunotherapies are transforming cancer therapeutics by targeting the regulatory signaling pathways that are involved not only in malignancies but also in the metabolic and immunologic function of the tumor microenvironment. Infectious diseases target many of the same regulatory pathways as they modulate host metabolic functions for their own nutritional requirements and to impede host immunity. These similarities and the advances made in precision medicine and immuno-oncology that are relevant for the current development of host-directed therapies (HDTs) to treat infectious diseases are discussed. To harness this potential, improvements in drug screening methods and development of assays that utilize the research tools including high throughput multiplexes already developed by oncology are essential. A multidisciplinary approach that brings together immunologists, infectious disease specialists, and oncologists will be necessary to fully develop the potential of HDTs.

Advance Directive in End of Life Decision-Making among the Yoruba of South-Western Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Jegede, Ayodele Samuel; Adegoke, Olufunke Olufunsho

2016-11-01

End-of-life decision making is value-laden within the context of culture and bioethics. Also, ethics committee role is difficult to understand on this, thus need for ethnomethodological perspective in an expanding bioethical age. Anthropological approach was utilized to document Yoruba definition and perspective of death, cultural beliefs about end-of-life decision making, factors influencing it and ethics committee role. Interviews were conducted among selected Yoruba resident in Akinyele LGA, Oyo State, Nigeria. Content analytical approach was used for data analysis. Yoruba culture, death is socially constructed having spiritual, physical and social significance. Relationship between the dying and significant others influences decision making. Hierarchy of authority informs implementing traditional advance directive. Socialization, gender, patriarchy, religious belief and tradition are major considerations in end-of-life decision making. Awareness, resource allocation and advocacy are important ethics committees' roles. Further research into cultural diversity of end-of-life decision making will strengthen ethical practice in health care delivery.

A call to improve practice concerning cultural sensitivity in advance directives: a review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Zager, B Sue; Yancy, Margaret

2011-12-01

The Patient Self Determination Act of 1990 mandates healthcare providers (HCP) to speak with patients about end-of-life preferences and advance directives (AD). HCP work with patients of varying cultures, and standard ADs do not address cultural differences. In order to understand various cultural beliefs, cultural sensitivity is important especially when discussing advance care planning (ACP). Individuals from differing ethnic backgrounds are likely to turn to their traditional norms of practice when ill or treatment choices must be made. An AD that addresses varying cultural values and beliefs was sought. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted. Articles selected for review included qualitative and quantitative studies. The evidence was evaluated and synthesized for information related to cultural sensitivity and ADs. Three common themes emerged related to ACP discussions and culture. Healthcare provider awareness, communication, and education concerning cultural differences and ACP assisted in meeting the needs for end-of-life planning in the current era of increased globalization. Education for HCP on cultural differences and how to lead discussions promoted ACP. ADs are an essential part of health care and promote patient-centered care. (HCP) should be able to recognize differing cultural values and beliefs in order to initiate conversations about end of life. Initiating conversations about ACP can be facilitated by using open-ended questions that respect the values and beliefs of various cultures. Copyright ©2011 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Advanced direct liquefaction concepts for PETC generic units

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-04-01

In the Advance Coal Liquefaction Concept Proposal (ACLCP) carbon monoxide (CO) and water have been proposed as the primary reagents in the pretreatment process. The main objective of this project is to develop a methodology for pretreating coal under mild conditions based on a combination of existing processes which have shown great promise in liquefaction, extraction and pyrolysis studies. The aim of this pretreatment process is to partially depolymerise the coal, eliminate oxygen and diminish the propensity for retograde reactions during subsequent liquefaction. The desirable outcome of the CO pretreatment step should be: (1) enhanced liquefaction activity and/or selectivity toward products of higher quality due to chemical modification of the coal structure; (2) cleaner downstream products; (3) overall improvement in operability and process economics.

La perspectiva de las personas mayores sobre el testamento vital Elders´perspective about Advance Directives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Inés Mª Barrio Cantalejo

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Antecedentes. La popularización del testamento vital (TV exige conocer la perspectiva que sobre él tienen sus potenciales usuarios. Cualquier intento de generalizar el TV sin evaluar cómo será recibido por las personas mayores está condenado al fracaso. Objetivo: Explorar la perspectiva de los mayores sobre el testamento vital. Diseño: Estudio cualitativo. 40 personas mayores, usuarios de 3 Centros de Salud y 1 Residencia Asistida de Madrid, se reunieron en 5 grupos de discusión en abril de 2004. Participantes: 14 mediadores captaron a 2-3 participantes cada uno. Se consideró que edad y residencia en medio familiar o institucional son las variables que más diferencian la elaboración de los discursos sobre el TV. Se utilizaron, pues, como criterios de segmentación, buscando heterogeneidad entre grupos y homogeneidad y heterogeneidad intragrupal. La saturación se consideró cuando las ideas expresadas resultaron recurrentes. Resultados: 4 ideas se extraen de los datos: 1 los mayores prefieren la planificación anticipada de decisiones al TV. 2 Su opinión sobre el TV se asocia a la vivencia singular de otros eventos en el final de la vida. 3 Conceden un papel relevante a la familia. 4 Desean conducir su propia vida, pero "sin papeles escritos". Conclusiones. La implementación del TV a través de una estrategia educativa e institucional se beneficiará si consideramos la perspectiva de la población mayor española sobre el TV.Background: The introduction of advance directives (AD require to examine the perspective their potential users have about. Any public policy about the implementation of ADs adressed to elders will fall if their perspective is unknown. Objective: To examine the elders' perspective about advance directives. Methods: Qualitative study. 40 elders, users of 3 Primary Health Care Center, and of 1 Nursing Home from Madrid. 5 focus groups were organized in 2004 April. Participants: 14 providers recruited 2

ADVANCED SULFUR CONTROL CONCEPTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Apostolos A. Nikolopoulos; Santosh K. Gangwal; William J. McMichael; Jeffrey W. Portzer

2003-01-01

Conventional sulfur removal in integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants involves numerous steps: COS (carbonyl sulfide) hydrolysis, amine scrubbing/regeneration, Claus process, and tail-gas treatment. Advanced sulfur removal in IGCC systems involves typically the use of zinc oxide-based sorbents. The sulfides sorbent is regenerated using dilute air to produce a dilute SO{sub 2} (sulfur dioxide) tail gas. Under previous contracts the highly effective first generation Direct Sulfur Recovery Process (DSRP) for catalytic reduction of this SO{sub 2} tail gas to elemental sulfur was developed. This process is currently undergoing field-testing. In this project, advanced concepts were evaluated to reduce the number of unit operations in sulfur removal and recovery. Substantial effort was directed towards developing sorbents that could be directly regenerated to elemental sulfur in an Advanced Hot Gas Process (AHGP). Development of this process has been described in detail in Appendices A-F. RTI began the development of the Single-step Sulfur Recovery Process (SSRP) to eliminate the use of sorbents and multiple reactors in sulfur removal and recovery. This process showed promising preliminary results and thus further process development of AHGP was abandoned in favor of SSRP. The SSRP is a direct Claus process that consists of injecting SO{sub 2} directly into the quenched coal gas from a coal gasifier, and reacting the H{sub 2}S-SO{sub 2} mixture over a selective catalyst to both remove and recover sulfur in a single step. The process is conducted at gasifier pressure and 125 to 160 C. The proposed commercial embodiment of the SSRP involves a liquid phase of molten sulfur with dispersed catalyst in a slurry bubble-column reactor (SBCR).

Geothermal Energy Utilization in the United States - 2000

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lund, John W.; Boyd, Tonya L (Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls, OR); Sifford, Alex (Sifford Energy Services, Neskowin, OR); Bloomquist, R. Gordon (Washington State University Energy Program, Olympia, WA)

2000-01-01

Geothermal energy is used for electric power generation and direct utilization in the United States. The present installed capacity for electric power generation is 3,064 MWe with only 2,212 MWe in operation due to reduction at The Geysers geothermal field in California; producing approximately16,000 GWh per year. Geothermal electric power plants are located in California, Nevada, Utah and Hawaii. The two largest concentrations of plants are at The Geysers in northern California and the Imperial Valley in southern California. The direct utilization of geothermal energy includes the heating of pools and spas, greenhouses and aquaculture facilities, space heating and district heating, snow melting, agricultural drying, industrial applications and ground-source heat pumps. The installed capacity is 4,000 MWt and the annual energy use is 20,600 billion Btu (21,700 TJ - 6040 GWh). The largest applications is groundsource (geothermal) heat pumps (59% of the energy use), and the largest direct-use is in aquaculture. Direct utilization is increasing at about six percent per year; whereas, electric power plant development is almost static. Geothermal energy is a relatively benign energy source, displaying fossil fuels and thus, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A recent initiative by the U.S. Department of Energy, “Geo-Powering the West,” should stimulate future geothermal development. The proposal is especially oriented to small-scale power plants with cascaded uses of the geothermal fluid for direct applications.

Geothermal energy utilization in the United States - 2000

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lund, John W.; Boyd, Tonya L.; Sifford, Alex; Bloomquist, R. Gordon

2000-01-01

Geothermal energy is used for electric power generation and direct utilization in the United States. The present installed capacity for electric power generation is 3,064 MWe with only 2,212 MWe in operation due to reduction at The Geysers geothermal field in California; producing approximately16,000 GWh per year. Geothermal electric power plants are located in California, Nevada, Utah and Hawaii. The two largest concentrations of plants are at The Geysers in northern California and the Imperial Valley in southern California. The direct utilization of geothermal energy includes the heating of pools and spas, greenhouses and aquaculture facilities, space heating and district heating, snow melting, agricultural drying, industrial applications and ground-source heat pumps. The installed capacity is 4,000 MWt and the annual energy use is 20,600 billion Btu (21,700 TJ - 6040 GWh). The largest applications is groundsource (geothermal) heat pumps (59% of the energy use), and the largest direct-use is in aquaculture. Direct utilization is increasing at about six percent per year; whereas, electric power plant development is almost static. Geothermal energy is a relatively benign energy source, displaying fossil fuels and thus, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A recent initiative by the U.S. Department of Energy, “Geo-Powering the West,” should stimulate future geothermal development. The proposal is especially oriented to small-scale power plants with cascaded uses of the geothermal fluid for direct applications.

Experimental investigation of a directionally enhanced DHX concept for high temperature Direct Reactor Auxiliary Cooling Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hughes, Joel T.; Blandford, Edward D.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A novel directional heat exchanger design has been developed. • Hydrodynamic tests have been performed on the proposed design. • Heat transfer performance is inferred by hydrodynamic results. • Results are discussed and future work is suggested. - Abstract: The use of Direct Reactor Auxiliary Cooling Systems (DRACSs) as a safety-related decay heat removal system for advanced reactors has developed historically through the Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) community. Beginning with the EBR-II, DRACSs have been utilized in a large number of past and current SFR designs. More recently, the DRACS has been adopted for Fluoride Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactors (FHRs) for similar decay heat removal functions. In this paper we introduce a novel directionally enhanced DRACS Heat Exchanger (DHX) concept. We present design options for optimizing such a heat exchanger so that shell-side heat transfer is enhanced in one primary coolant flow direction and degraded in the opposite coolant flow direction. A reduced-scale experiment investigating the hydrodynamics of a directionally enhanced DHX was built and the data collected is presented. The concept of thermal diodicity is expanded to heat exchanger technologies and used as performance criteria for evaluating design options. A heat exchanger that can perform as such would be advantageous for use in advanced reactor concepts where primary coolant flow reversal is expected during Loss-of-Forced-Circulation (LOFC) accidents where the ability to circulate coolant is compromised. The design could also find potential use in certain advanced Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) designs utilizing fluidic diode concepts.

Experimental investigation of a directionally enhanced DHX concept for high temperature Direct Reactor Auxiliary Cooling Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hughes, Joel T.; Blandford, Edward D., E-mail: edb@unm.edu

2016-07-15

Highlights: • A novel directional heat exchanger design has been developed. • Hydrodynamic tests have been performed on the proposed design. • Heat transfer performance is inferred by hydrodynamic results. • Results are discussed and future work is suggested. - Abstract: The use of Direct Reactor Auxiliary Cooling Systems (DRACSs) as a safety-related decay heat removal system for advanced reactors has developed historically through the Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) community. Beginning with the EBR-II, DRACSs have been utilized in a large number of past and current SFR designs. More recently, the DRACS has been adopted for Fluoride Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactors (FHRs) for similar decay heat removal functions. In this paper we introduce a novel directionally enhanced DRACS Heat Exchanger (DHX) concept. We present design options for optimizing such a heat exchanger so that shell-side heat transfer is enhanced in one primary coolant flow direction and degraded in the opposite coolant flow direction. A reduced-scale experiment investigating the hydrodynamics of a directionally enhanced DHX was built and the data collected is presented. The concept of thermal diodicity is expanded to heat exchanger technologies and used as performance criteria for evaluating design options. A heat exchanger that can perform as such would be advantageous for use in advanced reactor concepts where primary coolant flow reversal is expected during Loss-of-Forced-Circulation (LOFC) accidents where the ability to circulate coolant is compromised. The design could also find potential use in certain advanced Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) designs utilizing fluidic diode concepts.

Modeling of two-phase flow instabilities during startup transients utilizing RAMONA-4B methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paniagua, J.; Rohatgi, U.S.; Prasad, V.

1996-01-01

RAMONA-4B code is currently under development for simulating thermal hydraulic instabilities that can occur in Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) and the Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (SBWR). As one of the missions of RAMONA-4B is to simulate SBWR startup transients, where geysering or condensation-induced instability may be encountered, the code needs to be assessed for this application. This paper outlines the results of the assessments of the current version of RAMONA-4B and the modifications necessary for simulating the geysering or condensation-induced instability. The test selected for assessment are the geysering tests performed by Prof Aritomi (1993)

Advance Directives of Will (Living Will: Ethical and Legal Implications Based on the Principle of Dignity of Human Person

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Aparecida Alkimim

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper, with methodology of philosophical, bibliographical and documentary research intends to apply the principle of dignity of human person to the vicissitudes around the advance directives of will, to the ethical aspects disciplined by the Code of Medical Ethics, as well as to what regards the legal aspects, involving the Federal Constitution, the Civil Code, the Code of Medical Ethics and the Resolution 1995/2012 (CFM. The principle of dignity of human person along with the consequent application in the principles of bioethics is considered in a personalistic perspective. This kind of approach is indicative of the interdisciplinarity of bioethics.

Advanced TCA BAckplane Tester

CERN Document Server

Oltean, Alexandra Dana; PGNet2005

2005-01-01

The “Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture” (AdvancedTCA) is a modular standard chassis based system designed to support the needs of carrier class telecommunication applications. It is defined by a set of industry standards under the direction of the PICMG group. One early deployment of the standard technology has been a 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch developed in the framework of the EU funded ESTA project. In order to study the practical aspects of high speed Ethernet switching at 10 Gigabit and above and to validate the signal integrity of the AdvancedTCA backplane, we developed a Backplane Tester. This system is able to run pseudo-random bit sequence (PRBS) traffic at 3.125 Gbps over every link on the AdvancedTCA backplane simultaneously, and to monitor any possible connectivity failure immediately in terms of the link and slot positions inside the chassis. In this paper, we describe the design and the practical architectural hardware and software aspects of the AdvancedTCA Backplane Tester. We also pr...

Experimental study on thermo-hydraulic instability on reduced-moderation natural circulation BWR concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watanabe, Noriyuki; Subki, M.H.; Kikura, Hiroshige; Aritomi, Masanori

2003-01-01

Reduced-moderation natural circulation BWR has been promoted to solve the recent challenges in BWR nuclear power technology problems as one of advanced small and medium-sized reactors equipped with the passive safety features in conformity with the natural law. However, the elimination of recirculation pumps and a high-density core due to the increase of conversion ratio could cause various thermo-hydraulic instabilities especially during the start-up stage. The occurrences of the thermo-hydraulic instabilities are not desirable and it is one of the main challenges in establishing reduced-moderation natural circulation BWR as a commercial reactor. The purpose of this present study is to experimentally investigate the driving mechanism of the thermo-hydraulic instabilities and the effect of system pressure on the unstable flow patterns. Hence, as the fundamental research for this study, a natural circulation loop that carries boiling fluid with parallel boiling channel has been constructed. Channel gap that has been set at 2 mm in order to simulate reduced-moderation reactor core. Pressure ranges of 0.1 up to 0.7 MPa, input heat flux range of 0 ou to 577 kW/m 2 , and inlet subcooling temperatures of 5, 10, and 15 K respectively, are imposed in the experiments. This experiment clarifies that changes in unstable flow patterns with increase in heat flux can be classified into two in response to system pressure range. In case of atmospheric pressure, unstable flow patters has been classified in beyond order, (1) in-phase geysering, (2) transition oscillation combined with both features of in-phase geysering and natural circulation oscillation, (3) natural circulation oscillation induced by hydrostatic head fluctuation, (4) density wave oscillation, and finally (5) stable boiling two-phase flow. On the other hand, in the system pressure range from 0.2 to 0.7 MPa, unstable patters have been dramatically changed in the following order (1) out-of-phase geysering, (2

Advanced practice nursing role delineation in acute and critical care: application of the strong model of advanced practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Mick, D J; Ackerman, M H

2000-01-01

This purpose of this study was to differentiate between the roles of clinical nurse specialists and acute care nurse practitioners. Hypothesized blending of the clinical nurse specialist and acute care nurse practitioner roles is thought to result in an acute care clinician who integrates the clinical skills of the nurse practitioner with the systems knowledge, educational commitment, and leadership ability of the clinical nurse specialist. Ideally, this role blending would facilitate excellence in both direct and indirect patient care. The Strong Model of Advanced Practice, which incorporates practice domains of direct comprehensive care, support of systems, education, research, and publication and professional leadership, was tested to search for practical evidence of role blending. This descriptive, exploratory, pilot study included subjects (N = 18) solicited from an academic medical center and from an Internet advanced practice listserv. Questionnaires included self-ranking of expertise in practice domains, as well as valuing of role-related tasks. Content validity was judged by an expert panel of advanced practice nurses. Analyses of descriptive statistics revealed that clinical nurse specialists, who had more experience both as registered nurses and in the advanced practice nurse role, self-ranked their expertise higher in all practice domains. Acute care nurse practitioners placed higher importance on tasks related to direct comprehensive care, including conducting histories and physicals, diagnosing, and performing diagnostic procedures, whereas clinical nurse specialists assigned greater importance to tasks related to education, research, and leadership. Levels of self-assessed clinical expertise as well as valuing of role-related tasks differed among this sample of clinical nurse specialists and acute care nurse practitioners. Groundwork has been laid for continuing exploration into differentiation in advanced practice nursing roles. As the clinical

Advanced Parkinson’s disease effect on goal-directed and habitual processes involved in visuomotor associative learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fadila eHadj-Bouziane

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The present behavioral study readdresses the question of habit learning in Parkinson's disease. Patients were early onset, non-demented, dopa-responsive, candidates for surgical treatment, similar to those we found earlier as suffering greater dopamine depletion in the putamen than in the caudate nucleus. The task was the same conditional associative learning task as that used previously in monkeys and healthy humans to unveil the striatum involvement in habit learning. Sixteen patients and 20 age- and education-matched healthy control subjects learned sets of 3 visuo-motor associations between complex patterns and joystick displacements during two testing sessions separated by a few hours. We distinguished errors preceding versus following the first correct response to compare patients' performance during the earliest phase of learning dominated by goal-directed actions with that observed later on, when responses start to become habitual. The disease significantly retarded both learning phases, especially in patients under sixty years of age. However, only the late phase deficit was disease severity-dependent and persisted on the second testing session. These findings provide the first corroboration in Parkinson patients of two ideas well-established in the animal literature. The first is the idea that associating visual stimuli to motor acts is a form of habit learning that engages the striatum. It is confirmed here by the global impairment in visuo-motor learning induced by Parkinson's disease. The second idea is that goal-directed behaviors are predominantly caudate-dependent whereas habitual responses are primarily putamen-dependent. At the advanced Parkinson's disease stages tested here, dopamine depletion is greater in the putamen than in the caudate nucleus. Accordingly, the late phase of learning corresponding to the emergence of habitual responses was more vulnerable to the disease than the early phase dominated by goal-directed

Proceedings of the advanced research and technology development direct utilization, instrumentation and diagnostics contractors' review meeting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Geiling, D.W. (USDOE Morgantown Energy Technology Center, WV (USA)); Goldberg, P.M. (eds.) (USDOE Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center, PA (USA))

1990-01-01

The 1990 Advanced Research and Technology Development (AR TD) Direct Utilization, and Instrumentation and Diagnostics Contractors Review Meeting was held September 16--18, 1990, at the Hyatt at Chatham Center in Pittsburgh, PA. The meeting was sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Fossil Energy, and the Pittsburgh and Morgantown Energy Technology Centers. Each year the meeting provides a forum for the exchange of information among the DOE AR TD contractors and interested parties. This year's meeting was hosted by the Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center and was attended by 120 individuals from industry, academia, national laboratories, and other governmental agencies. Papers were presented on research addressing coal surface, science, devolatilization and combustion, ash behavior, emission controls for gases particulates, fluid bed combustion and utilization in diesels and turbines. Individual reports are processed separately for the data bases.

Fast wave direct electron heating in advanced inductive and ITER baseline scenario discharges in DIII-D

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pinsker, R. I.; Jackson, G. L.; Luce, T. C.; Politzer, P. A. [General Atomics, PO Box 85608, San Diego, California 92186-5608 (United States); Austin, M. E. [University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States); Diem, S. J.; Kaufman, M. C.; Ryan, P. M. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831 (United States); Doyle, E. J.; Zeng, L. [University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095 (United States); Grierson, B. A.; Hosea, J. C.; Nagy, A.; Perkins, R.; Solomon, W. M.; Taylor, G. [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08543 (United States); Maggiora, R.; Milanesio, D. [Politecnico di Torino, Dipartimento di Elettronica, Torino (Italy); Porkolab, M. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States); Turco, F. [Columbia University, New York, New York 10027 (United States)

2014-02-12

Fast Wave (FW) heating and electron cyclotron heating (ECH) are used in the DIII-D tokamak to study plasmas with low applied torque and dominant electron heating characteristic of burning plasmas. FW heating via direct electron damping has reached the 2.5 MW level in high performance ELMy H-mode plasmas. In Advanced Inductive (AI) plasmas, core FW heating was found to be comparable to that of ECH, consistent with the excellent first-pass absorption of FWs predicted by ray-tracing models at high electron beta. FW heating at the ∼2 MW level to ELMy H-mode discharges in the ITER Baseline Scenario (IBS) showed unexpectedly strong absorption of FW power by injected neutral beam (NB) ions, indicated by significant enhancement of the D-D neutron rate, while the intended absorption on core electrons appeared rather weak. The AI and IBS discharges are compared in an effort to identify the causes of the different response to FWs.

Education of advanced practice nurses in Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin-Misener, Ruth; Bryant-Lukosius, Denise; Harbman, Patricia; Donald, Faith; Kaasalainen, Sharon; Carter, Nancy; Kilpatrick, Kelley; DiCenso, Alba

2010-12-01

In Canada, education programs for the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and nurse practitioner (NP) roles began 40 years ago. NP programs are offered in almost all provinces. Education for the CNS role has occurred through graduate nursing programs generically defined as providing preparation for advanced nursing practice. For this paper, we drew on pertinent sections of a scoping review of the literature and key informant interviews conducted for a decision support synthesis on advanced practice nursing to describe the following: (1) history of advanced practice nursing education in Canada, (2) current status of advanced practice nursing education in Canada, (3) curriculum issues, (4) interprofessional education, (5) resources for education and (6) continuing education. Although national frameworks defining advanced nursing practice and NP competencies provide some direction for education programs, Canada does not have countrywide standards of education for either the NP or CNS role. Inconsistency in the educational requirements for primary healthcare NPs continues to cause significant problems and interferes with inter-jurisdictional licensing portability. For both CNSs and NPs, there can be a mismatch between a generalized education and specialized practice. The value of interprofessional education in facilitating effective teamwork is emphasized. Recommendations for future directions for advanced practice nursing education are offered.

Water-chemistry data for selected springs, geysers, and streams in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 1999-2000

Science.gov (United States)

Ball, James W.; McCleskey, R. Blaine; Nordstrom, D. Kirk; Holloway, JoAnn M.; Verplanck, Philip L.; Sturtevant, Sabin A.

2002-01-01

Sixty-seven water analyses are reported for samples collected from 44 hot springs and their overflow drainages and two ambient-temperature acid streams in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) during 1990-2000. Thirty-seven analyses are reported for 1999, 18 for June of 2000, and 12 for September of 2000. These water samples were collected and analyzed as part of research investigations in YNP on microbially mediated sulfur oxidation in stream water, arsenic and sulfur redox speciation in hot springs, and chemical changes in overflow drainages that affect major ions, redox species, and trace elements. Most samples were collected from sources in the Norris Geyser Basin. Two ambient-temperature acidic stream systems, Alluvium and Columbine Creeks and their tributaries in Brimstone Basin, were studied in detail. Analyses were performed at or near the sampling site, in an on-site mobile laboratory truck, or later in a USGS laboratory, depending on stability of the constituent and whether or not it could be preserved effectively. Water temperature, specific conductance, pH, Eh, dissolved oxygen (D.O.), and dissolved H2S were determined on-site at the time of sampling. Alkalinity, acidity, and F were determined within a few days of sample collection by titration with acid, titration with base, and ion-selective electrode or ion chromatography (IC), respectively. Concentrations of S2O3 and SxO6 were determined as soon as possible (minutes to hours later) by IC. Concentrations of Br, Cl, NH4, NO2, NO3, SO4, Fe(II), and Fe(total) were determined within a few days of sample collection. Densities were determined later in the USGS laboratory. Concentrations of Li and K were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Concentrations of Al, As(total), B, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe(total), K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Se, Si, Sr, V, and Zn were determined by inductively-coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. Trace concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Sb were

Degradation mechanism of alachlor during direct ozonation and O(3)/H(2)O(2) advanced oxidation process.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiang, Zhimin; Liu, Chao; Dong, Bingzhi; Zhang, Yalei

2010-01-01

The degradation of alachlor by direct ozonation and advanced oxidation process O(3)/H(2)O(2) was investigated in this study with focus on identification of degradation byproducts. The second-order reaction rate constant between ozone and alachlor was determined to be 2.5+/-0.1M(-1)s(-1) at pH 7.0 and 20 degrees C. Twelve and eight high-molecular-weight byproducts (with the benzene ring intact) from alachlor degradation were identified during direct ozonation and O(3)/H(2)O(2), respectively. The common degradation byproducts included N-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-methyleneamine, 8-ethyl-3,4-dihydro-quinoline, 8-ethyl-quinoline, 1-chloroacetyl-2-hydro-3-ketone-7-acetyl-indole, 2-chloro-2',6'-diacetyl-N-(methoxymethyl)acetanilide, 2-chloro-2'-acetyl-6'-ethyl-N-(methoxymethyl)-acetanilide, and two hydroxylated alachlor isomers. In direct ozonation, four more byproducts were also identified including 1-chloroacetyl-2,3-dihydro-7-ethyl-indole, 2-chloro-2',6'-ethyl-acetanilide, 2-chloro-2',6'-acetyl-acetanilide and 2-chloro-2'-ethyl-6'-acetyl-N-(methoxymethyl)-acetanilide. Degradation of alachlor by O(3) and O(3)/H(2)O(2) also led to the formation of low-molecular-weight byproducts including formic, acetic, propionic, monochloroacetic and oxalic acids as well as chloride ion (only detected in O(3)/H(2)O(2)). Nitrite and nitrate formation was negligible. Alachlor degradation occurred via oxidation of the arylethyl group, N-dealkylation, cyclization and cleavage of benzene ring. After O(3) or O(3)/H(2)O(2) treatment, the toxicity of alachlor solution examined by the Daphnia magna bioassay was slightly reduced. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of the PREPARE Website vs an Easy-to-Read Advance Directive on Advance Care Planning Documentation and Engagement Among Veterans: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Sudore, Rebecca L; Boscardin, John; Feuz, Mariko A; McMahan, Ryan D; Katen, Mary T; Barnes, Deborah E

2017-08-01

Documentation rates of patients' medical wishes are often low. It is unknown whether easy-to-use, patient-facing advance care planning (ACP) interventions can overcome barriers to planning in busy primary care settings. To compare the efficacy of an interactive, patient-centered ACP website (PREPARE) with an easy-to-read advance directive (AD) to increase planning documentation. This was a comparative effectiveness randomized clinical trial from April 2013 to July 2016 conducted at multiple primary care clinics at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. Inclusion criteria were age of a least 60 years; at least 2 chronic and/or serious conditions; and 2 or more primary care visits; and 2 or more additional clinic, hospital, or emergency room visits in the last year. Participants were randomized to review PREPARE plus an easy-to-read AD or the AD alone. There were no clinician and/or system-level interventions or education. Research staff were blinded for all follow-up measurements. The primary outcome was new ACP documentation (ie, legal forms and/or discussions) at 9 months. Secondary outcomes included patient-reported ACP engagement at 1 week, 3 months, and 6 months using validated surveys of behavior change process measures (ie, 5-point knowledge, self-efficacy, readiness scales) and action measures (eg, surrogate designation, using a 0-25 scale). We used intention-to-treat, mixed-effects logistic and linear regression, controlling for time, health literacy, race/ethnicity, baseline ACP, and clustering by physician. The mean (SD) age of 414 participants was 71 (8) years, 38 (9%) were women, 83 (20%) had limited literacy, and 179 (43%) were nonwhite. No participant characteristic differed significantly among study arms at baseline. Retention at 6 months was 90%. Advance care planning documentation 6 months after enrollment was higher in the PREPARE arm vs the AD-alone arm (adjusted 35% vs 25%; odds ratio, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.03-2.51]; P = .04). PREPARE also resulted

Direct heat applications of geothermal energy in The Geysers/Clear Lake region. Volume I. Geotechnical assessment, agribusiness applications, socioeconomic assessment, engineering assessment. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1977-08-01

The different uses to which geothermal heat and fluids could be applied as a direct utilization of resource or as heat utilization are explored. The following aspects are covered: geotechnical assessment, agricultural and industrial applications, socioeconomic assessment, and engineering assessment. (MHR)

Prevalence of use of advance directives, health care proxy, legal guardian, and living will in 512 patients hospitalized in a cardiac care unit/intensive care unit in 2 community hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Anil; Aronow, Wilbert S; Alexa, Margelusa; Gothwal, Ritu; Jesmajian, Stephen; Bhushan, Bharat; Gaba, Praveen; Catevenis, James

2010-04-30

The prevalence of use of any advance directives was 26% in 112 patients hospitalized in a cardiac care unit (CCU)/intensive care unit (ICU) in an academic medical center. We investigated in 2 community hospitals the prevalence of use of advance directives (AD), health care proxy (HCP), legal guardian (LG), and living will (LW) in 512 patients hospitalized in a CCU/ ICU approached for AD and HCP. The use of AD was 22%, of HCP was 19%, of LG was 16%, and of LW was 5%. The use of AD was 22%, of HCP was 19%, of LG was 16%, and of LW was 5% in patients hospitalized in a CCU/ICU. Educational programs on use of AD and of HCP need to be part of cardiovascular training programs and of cardiovascular continuing medical education.

NATO Advanced Study Institute on Advanced Physical Oceanographic Numerical Modelling

CERN Document Server

1986-01-01

This book is a direct result of the NATO Advanced Study Institute held in Banyuls-sur-mer, France, June 1985. The Institute had the same title as this book. It was held at Laboratoire Arago. Eighty lecturers and students from almost all NATO countries attended. The purpose was to review the state of the art of physical oceanographic numerical modelling including the parameterization of physical processes. This book represents a cross-section of the lectures presented at the ASI. It covers elementary mathematical aspects through large scale practical aspects of ocean circulation calculations. It does not encompass every facet of the science of oceanographic modelling. We have, however, captured most of the essence of mesoscale and large-scale ocean modelling for blue water and shallow seas. There have been considerable advances in modelling coastal circulation which are not included. The methods section does not include important material on phase and group velocity errors, selection of grid structures, advanc...

Preschool life skills: Recent advancements and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Fahmie, Tara A; Luczynski, Kevin C

2018-01-01

Over the past decade, researchers have replicated and extended research on the preschool life skills (PLS) program developed by Hanley, Heal, Tiger, and Ingvarsson (2007). This review summarizes recent research with respect to maximizing skill acquisition, improving generality, evaluating feasibility and acceptability, and testing predictions of the initial PLS study. For each area, we suggest directions for future research. © 2018 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

ARIES-AT: An advanced tokamak, advanced technology fusion power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Najmabadi, F.; Jardin, S.C.; Tillack, M.; Waganer, L.M.

2001-01-01

The ARIES-AT study was initiated to assess the potential of high-performance tokamak plasmas together with advanced technology in a fusion power plant. Several avenues were pursued in order to arrive at plasmas with a higher β and better bootstrap alignment compared to ARIES-RS that led to plasmas with higher β N and β. Advanced technologies that are examined in detail include: (1) Possible improvements to the overall system by using high-temperature superconductors, (2) Innovative SiC blankets that lead to a high thermal cycle efficiency of ∼60%; and (3) Advanced manufacturing techniques which aim at producing near-finished products directly from raw material, resulting in low-cost, and reliable components. The 1000-MWe ARIES-AT design has a major radius of 5.4 m, minor radius of 1.3 M, a toroidal β of 9.2% (β N =6.0) and an on-axis field of 5.6 T. The plasma current is 13 MA and the current drive power is 24 MW. The ARIES-AT study shows that the combination of advanced tokamak modes and advanced technology leads to attractive fusion power plant with excellent safety and environmental characteristics and with a cost of electricity (5c/kWh), which is competitive with those projected for other sources of energy. (author)

Advanced SEM imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joy, D. C.; Newbury, D. E.

1998-01-01

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) represents the most promising tool for metrology, defect review, and for the analysis of ULSI structures, but both fundamental problems such as electron-solid interactions, and practical considerations such as electron-optical constraints, are now setting a limit to performance. This paper examines the directions in which an advanced SEM might be developed to overcome these constraints. The SEM also offers considerable promise as a tool for the high spatial resolution X-ray microanalysis, especially for those situations where a thin cross-section is not practical and first surface analysis is required. The ways in which this capability can be incorporated in an advanced SEM are examined

Advanced SEM imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joy, D.C.; Newbury, D.E.; Newbury, D.E.

1998-01-01

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) represents the most promising tool for metrology, defect review, and for the analysis of ULSI structures, but both fundamental problems such as electron-solid interactions, and practical considerations such as electron-optical constraints, are now setting a limit to performance. This paper examines the directions in which an advanced SEM might be developed to overcome these constraints. The SEM also offers considerable promise as a tool for the high spatial resolution X-ray microanalysis, especially for those situations where a thin cross-section is not practical and first surface analysis is required. The ways in which this capability can be incorporated in an advanced SEM are examined. copyright 1998 American Institute of Physics

Advanced control of direct-driven PMSG generator in wind turbine system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gajewski Piotr

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the advanced control system of the wind energy conversion with a variable speed wind turbine. The considered system consists of a wind turbine with the permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG, machine side converter (MSC, grid side converter (GSC and control circuits. The mathematical models of a wind turbine system, the PMSG generator and converters have been described. The control algorithms of the converter systems based on the methods of vector control have been applied. In the advanced control system of the machine side converter the optimal MPPT control method has been used. Additionally the pitch control scheme is included in order to achieve the limitation of maximum power and to prevent mechanical damage of the wind turbine. In the control system of the grid side converter the control of active and reactive power has been applied with the application of Voltage Oriented Control (VOC. The performance of the considered wind energy system has been studied by digital simulation. The results of simulation studies confirmed the good effectiveness of the considered wind turbine system and very good performance of the proposed methods of vector control and control systems.

Nuclear imaging: Advances and trends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herk, G. van

1986-01-01

In this article, nuclear imaging instruments that are likely to be of interest to the nuclear medicine community of developing countries are emphasized. The advances, trends, developments, and future directions in the field of nuclear imaging are mentioned

Advanced exhaust nozzle technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Glidewell, R J; Warburton, R E

1981-01-01

Recent developments in turbine engine exhaust nozzle technology include nonaxisymmetric nozzles, thrust reversing, and thrust vectoring. Trade studies have been performed to determine the impact of these developments on the thrust-to-weight ratio and specific fuel consumption of an advanced high performance, augmented turbofan engine. Results are presented in a manner which provides an understanding of the sources and magnitudes of differences in the basic elements of nozzle internal performance and weight as they relate to conventional, axisymmetric nozzle technology. Conclusions are presented and recommendations are made with regard to future directions of advanced development and demonstration. 5 refs.

Advanced solid state batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Levasseur, A; Delmas, C; Menetrier, M; Hagenmuller, P

1984-01-01

Direct electrochemical storage of electricity is attractive because of its adaptability to vehicle traction as well as to stationary applications. Important advancements are necessary to improve primary or secondary batteries so far used. The aim of this study was to develop and to characterize materials for the next generation of advanced, rechargeable solid state batteries for vehicle transport and stationary storage applications. One of the best electricity storage systems was the lithium/intercalation compound secondary battery, though up to now the behavior of liquid organic electrolytes did not allow for good recycling in such systems. The research program for these batteries is described.

Monitoring gas and heat emissions at Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, USA based on a combined eddy covariance and Multi-GAS approach

Science.gov (United States)

Lewicki, J. L.; Kelly, P. J.; Bergfeld, D.; Vaughan, R. G.; Lowenstern, J. B.

2017-11-01

We quantified gas and heat emissions in an acid-sulfate, vapor-dominated area (0.04-km2) of Norris Geyser Basin, located just north of the 0.63 Ma Yellowstone Caldera and near an area of anomalous uplift. From 14 May to 3 October 2016, an eddy covariance system measured half-hourly CO2, H2O and sensible (H) and latent (LE) heat fluxes and a Multi-GAS instrument measured (1 Hz frequency) atmospheric H2O, CO2 and H2S volumetric mixing ratios. We also measured soil CO2 fluxes using the accumulation chamber method and temperature profiles on a grid and collected fumarole gas samples for geochemical analysis. Eddy covariance CO2 fluxes ranged from - 56 to 885 g m- 2 d- 1. Using wavelet analysis, average daily eddy covariance CO2 fluxes were locally correlated with average daily environmental parameters on several-day to monthly time scales. Estimates of CO2 emission rate from the study area ranged from 8.6 t d- 1 based on eddy covariance measurements to 9.8 t d- 1 based on accumulation chamber measurements. Eddy covariance water vapor fluxes ranged from 1178 to 24,600 g m- 2 d- 1. Nighttime H and LE were considered representative of hydrothermal heat fluxes and ranged from 4 to 183 and 38 to 504 W m- 2, respectively. The total hydrothermal heat emission rate (H + LE + radiant) estimated for the study area was 11.6 MW and LE contributed 69% of the output. The mean ± standard deviation of H2O, CO2 and H2S mixing ratios measured by the Multi-GAS system were 9.3 ± 3.1 parts per thousand, 467 ± 61 ppmv, and 0.5 ± 0.6 ppmv, respectively, and variations in the gas compositions were strongly correlated with diurnal variations in environmental parameters (wind speed and direction, atmospheric temperature). After removing ambient H2O and CO2, the observed variations in the Multi-GAS data could be explained by the mixing of relatively H2O-CO2-H2S-rich fumarole gases with CO2-rich and H2O-H2S-poor soil gases. The fumarole H2O/CO2 and CO2/H2S end member ratios (101.7 and 27

Monitoring gas and heat emissions at Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, USA based on a combined eddy covariance and Multi-GAS approach

Science.gov (United States)

Lewicki, Jennifer L.; Kelly, Peter; Bergfeld, Deborah; Vaughan, R. Greg; Lowenstern, Jacob B.

2017-01-01

We quantified gas and heat emissions in an acid-sulfate, vapor-dominated area (0.04-km2) of Norris Geyser Basin, located just north of the 0.63 Ma Yellowstone Caldera and near an area of anomalous uplift. From 14 May to 3 October 2016, an eddy covariance system measured half-hourly CO2, H2O and sensible (H) and latent (LE) heat fluxes and a Multi-GAS instrument measured (1 Hz frequency) atmospheric H2O, CO2 and H2S volumetric mixing ratios. We also measured soil CO2 fluxes using the accumulation chamber method and temperature profiles on a grid and collected fumarole gas samples for geochemical analysis. Eddy covariance CO2 fluxes ranged from − 56 to 885 g m− 2 d− 1. Using wavelet analysis, average daily eddy covariance CO2 fluxes were locally correlated with average daily environmental parameters on several-day to monthly time scales. Estimates of CO2emission rate from the study area ranged from 8.6 t d− 1 based on eddy covariance measurements to 9.8 t d− 1 based on accumulation chamber measurements. Eddy covariance water vapor fluxes ranged from 1178 to 24,600 g m− 2 d− 1. Nighttime H and LEwere considered representative of hydrothermal heat fluxes and ranged from 4 to 183 and 38 to 504 W m− 2, respectively. The total hydrothermal heat emission rate (H + LE + radiant) estimated for the study area was 11.6 MW and LE contributed 69% of the output. The mean ± standard deviation of H2O, CO2 and H2S mixing ratios measured by the Multi-GAS system were 9.3 ± 3.1 parts per thousand, 467 ± 61 ppmv, and 0.5 ± 0.6 ppmv, respectively, and variations in the gas compositions were strongly correlated with diurnal variations in environmental parameters (wind speed and direction, atmospheric temperature). After removing ambient H2O and CO2, the observed variations in the Multi-GAS data could be explained by the mixing of relatively H2O-CO2-H2S-rich fumarole gases with CO2-rich and H2O-H2S-poor soil gases. The

Directional Limits on Persistent Gravitational Waves from Advanced LIGO's First Observing Run.

Science.gov (United States)

Abbott, B P; Abbott, R; Abbott, T D; Abernathy, M R; Acernese, F; Ackley, K; Adams, C; Adams, T; Addesso, P; Adhikari, R X; Adya, V B; Affeldt, C; Agathos, M; Agatsuma, K; Aggarwal, N; Aguiar, O D; Aiello, L; Ain, A; Ajith, P; Allen, B; Allocca, A; Altin, P A; Ananyeva, A; Anderson, S B; Anderson, W G; Appert, S; Arai, K; Araya, M C; Areeda, J S; Arnaud, N; Arun, K G; Ascenzi, S; Ashton, G; Ast, M; Aston, S M; Astone, P; Aufmuth, P; Aulbert, C; Avila-Alvarez, A; Babak, S; Bacon, P; Bader, M K M; Baker, P T; Baldaccini, F; Ballardin, G; Ballmer, S W; Barayoga, J C; Barclay, S E; Barish, B C; Barker, D; Barone, F; Barr, B; Barsotti, L; Barsuglia, M; Barta, D; Bartlett, J; Bartos, I; Bassiri, R; Basti, A; Batch, J C; Baune, C; Bavigadda, V; Bazzan, M; Beer, C; Bejger, M; Belahcene, I; Belgin, M; Bell, A S; Berger, B K; Bergmann, G; Berry, C P L; Bersanetti, D; Bertolini, A; Betzwieser, J; Bhagwat, S; Bhandare, R; Bilenko, I A; Billingsley, G; Billman, C R; Birch, J; Birney, R; Birnholtz, O; Biscans, S; Biscoveanu, A S; Bisht, A; Bitossi, M; Biwer, C; Bizouard, M A; Blackburn, J K; Blackman, J; Blair, C D; Blair, D G; Blair, R M; Bloemen, S; Bock, O; Boer, M; Bogaert, G; Bohe, A; Bondu, F; Bonnand, R; Boom, B A; Bork, R; Boschi, V; Bose, S; Bouffanais, Y; Bozzi, A; Bradaschia, C; Brady, P R; Braginsky, V B; Branchesi, M; Brau, J E; Briant, T; Brillet, A; Brinkmann, M; Brisson, V; Brockill, P; Broida, J E; Brooks, A F; Brown, D A; Brown, D D; Brown, N M; Brunett, S; Buchanan, C C; Buikema, A; Bulik, T; Bulten, H J; Buonanno, A; Buskulic, D; Buy, C; Byer, R L; Cabero, M; Cadonati, L; Cagnoli, G; Cahillane, C; Calderón Bustillo, J; Callister, T A; Calloni, E; Camp, J B; Campbell, W; Canepa, M; Cannon, K C; Cao, H; Cao, J; Capano, C D; Capocasa, E; Carbognani, F; Caride, S; Casanueva Diaz, J; Casentini, C; Caudill, S; Cavaglià, M; Cavalier, F; Cavalieri, R; Cella, G; Cepeda, C B; Cerboni Baiardi, L; Cerretani, G; Cesarini, E; Chamberlin, S J; Chan, M; Chao, S; Charlton, P; Chassande-Mottin, E; Cheeseboro, B D; Chen, H Y; Chen, Y; Cheng, H-P; Chincarini, A; Chiummo, A; Chmiel, T; Cho, H S; Cho, M; Chow, J H; Christensen, N; Chu, Q; Chua, A J K; Chua, S; Chung, S; Ciani, G; Clara, F; Clark, J A; Cleva, F; Cocchieri, C; Coccia, E; Cohadon, P-F; Colla, A; Collette, C G; Cominsky, L; Constancio, M; Conti, L; Cooper, S J; Corbitt, T R; Cornish, N; Corsi, A; Cortese, S; Costa, C A; Coughlin, E; Coughlin, M W; Coughlin, S B; Coulon, J-P; Countryman, S T; Couvares, P; Covas, P B; Cowan, E E; Coward, D M; Cowart, M J; Coyne, D C; Coyne, R; Creighton, J D E; Creighton, T D; Cripe, J; Crowder, S G; Cullen, T J; Cumming, A; Cunningham, L; Cuoco, E; Dal Canton, T; Danilishin, S L; D'Antonio, S; Danzmann, K; Dasgupta, A; Da Silva Costa, C F; Dattilo, V; Dave, I; Davier, M; Davies, G S; Davis, D; Daw, E J; Day, B; Day, R; De, S; DeBra, D; Debreczeni, G; Degallaix, J; De Laurentis, M; Deléglise, S; Del Pozzo, W; Denker, T; Dent, T; Dergachev, V; De Rosa, R; DeRosa, R T; DeSalvo, R; Devenson, J; Devine, R C; Dhurandhar, S; Díaz, M C; Di Fiore, L; Di Giovanni, M; Di Girolamo, T; Di Lieto, A; Di Pace, S; Di Palma, I; Di Virgilio, A; Doctor, Z; Dolique, V; Donovan, F; Dooley, K L; Doravari, S; Dorrington, I; Douglas, R; Dovale Álvarez, M; Downes, T P; Drago, M; Drever, R W P; Driggers, J C; Du, Z; Ducrot, M; Dwyer, S E; Edo, T B; Edwards, M C; Effler, A; Eggenstein, H-B; Ehrens, P; Eichholz, J; Eikenberry, S S; Essick, R C; Etienne, Z; Etzel, T; Evans, M; Evans, T M; Everett, R; Factourovich, M; Fafone, V; Fair, H; Fairhurst, S; Fan, X; Farinon, S; Farr, B; Farr, W M; Fauchon-Jones, E J; Favata, M; Fays, M; Fehrmann, H; Fejer, M M; Fernández Galiana, A; Ferrante, I; Ferreira, E C; Ferrini, F; Fidecaro, F; Fiori, I; Fiorucci, D; Fisher, R P; Flaminio, R; Fletcher, M; Fong, H; Forsyth, S S; Fournier, J-D; Frasca, S; Frasconi, F; Frei, Z; Freise, A; Frey, R; Frey, V; Fries, E M; Fritschel, P; Frolov, V V; Fulda, P; Fyffe, M; Gabbard, H; Gadre, B U; Gaebel, S M; Gair, J R; Gammaitoni, L; Gaonkar, S G; Garufi, F; Gaur, G; Gayathri, V; Gehrels, N; Gemme, G; Genin, E; Gennai, A; George, J; Gergely, L; Germain, V; Ghonge, S; Ghosh, Abhirup; Ghosh, Archisman; Ghosh, S; Giaime, J A; Giardina, K D; Giazotto, A; Gill, K; Glaefke, A; Goetz, E; Goetz, R; Gondan, L; González, G; Gonzalez Castro, J M; Gopakumar, A; Gorodetsky, M L; Gossan, S E; Gosselin, M; Gouaty, R; Grado, A; Graef, C; Granata, M; Grant, A; Gras, S; Gray, C; Greco, G; Green, A C; Groot, P; Grote, H; Grunewald, S; Guidi, G M; Guo, X; Gupta, A; Gupta, M K; Gushwa, K E; Gustafson, E K; Gustafson, R; Hacker, J J; Hall, B R; Hall, E D; Hammond, G; Haney, M; Hanke, M M; Hanks, J; Hanna, C; Hannam, M D; Hanson, J; Hardwick, T; Harms, J; Harry, G M; Harry, I W; Hart, M J; Hartman, M T; Haster, C-J; Haughian, K; Healy, J; Heidmann, A; Heintze, M C; Heitmann, H; Hello, P; Hemming, G; Hendry, M; Heng, I S; Hennig, J; Henry, J; Heptonstall, A W; Heurs, M; Hild, S; Hoak, D; Hofman, D; Holt, K; Holz, D E; Hopkins, P; Hough, J; Houston, E A; Howell, E J; Hu, Y M; Huerta, E A; Huet, D; Hughey, B; Husa, S; Huttner, S H; Huynh-Dinh, T; Indik, N; Ingram, D R; Inta, R; Isa, H N; Isac, J-M; Isi, M; Isogai, T; Iyer, B R; Izumi, K; Jacqmin, T; Jani, K; Jaranowski, P; Jawahar, S; Jiménez-Forteza, F; Johnson, W W; Jones, D I; Jones, R; Jonker, R J G; Ju, L; Junker, J; Kalaghatgi, C V; Kalogera, V; Kandhasamy, S; Kang, G; Kanner, J B; Karki, S; Karvinen, K S; Kasprzack, M; Katsavounidis, E; Katzman, W; Kaufer, S; Kaur, T; Kawabe, K; Kéfélian, F; Keitel, D; Kelley, D B; Kennedy, R; Key, J S; Khalili, F Y; Khan, I; Khan, S; Khan, Z; Khazanov, E A; Kijbunchoo, N; Kim, Chunglee; Kim, J C; Kim, Whansun; Kim, W; Kim, Y-M; Kimbrell, S J; King, E J; King, P J; Kirchhoff, R; Kissel, J S; Klein, B; Kleybolte, L; Klimenko, S; Koch, P; Koehlenbeck, S M; Koley, S; Kondrashov, V; Kontos, A; Korobko, M; Korth, W Z; Kowalska, I; Kozak, D B; Krämer, C; Kringel, V; Królak, A; Kuehn, G; Kumar, P; Kumar, R; Kuo, L; Kutynia, A; Lackey, B D; Landry, M; Lang, R N; Lange, J; Lantz, B; Lanza, R K; Lartaux-Vollard, A; Lasky, P D; Laxen, M; Lazzarini, A; Lazzaro, C; Leaci, P; Leavey, S; Lebigot, E O; Lee, C H; Lee, H K; Lee, H M; Lee, K; Lehmann, J; Lenon, A; Leonardi, M; Leong, J R; Leroy, N; Letendre, N; Levin, Y; Li, T G F; Libson, A; Littenberg, T B; Liu, J; Lockerbie, N A; Lombardi, A L; London, L T; Lord, J E; Lorenzini, M; Loriette, V; Lormand, M; Losurdo, G; Lough, J D; Lousto, C O; Lovelace, G; Lück, H; Lundgren, A P; Lynch, R; Ma, Y; Macfoy, S; Machenschalk, B; MacInnis, M; Macleod, D M; Magaña-Sandoval, F; Majorana, E; Maksimovic, I; Malvezzi, V; Man, N; Mandic, V; Mangano, V; Mansell, G L; Manske, M; Mantovani, M; Marchesoni, F; Marion, F; Márka, S; Márka, Z; Markosyan, A S; Maros, E; Martelli, F; Martellini, L; Martin, I W; Martynov, D V; Mason, K; Masserot, A; Massinger, T J; Masso-Reid, M; Mastrogiovanni, S; Matas, A; Matichard, F; Matone, L; Mavalvala, N; Mazumder, N; McCarthy, R; McClelland, D E; McCormick, S; McGrath, C; McGuire, S C; McIntyre, G; McIver, J; McManus, D J; McRae, T; McWilliams, S T; Meacher, D; Meadors, G D; Meidam, J; Melatos, A; Mendell, G; Mendoza-Gandara, D; Mercer, R A; Merilh, E L; Merzougui, M; Meshkov, S; Messenger, C; Messick, C; Metzdorff, R; Meyers, P M; Mezzani, F; Miao, H; Michel, C; Middleton, H; Mikhailov, E E; Milano, L; Miller, A L; Miller, A; Miller, B B; Miller, J; Millhouse, M; Minenkov, Y; Ming, J; Mirshekari, S; Mishra, C; Mitra, S; Mitrofanov, V P; Mitselmakher, G; Mittleman, R; Moggi, A; Mohan, M; Mohapatra, S R P; Montani, M; Moore, B C; Moore, C J; Moraru, D; Moreno, G; Morriss, S R; Mours, B; Mow-Lowry, C M; Mueller, G; Muir, A W; Mukherjee, Arunava; Mukherjee, D; Mukherjee, S; Mukund, N; Mullavey, A; Munch, J; Muniz, E A M; Murray, P G; Mytidis, A; Napier, K; Nardecchia, I; Naticchioni, L; Nelemans, G; Nelson, T J N; Neri, M; Nery, M; Neunzert, A; Newport, J M; Newton, G; Nguyen, T T; Nielsen, A B; Nissanke, S; Nitz, A; Noack, A; Nocera, F; Nolting, D; Normandin, M E N; Nuttall, L K; Oberling, J; Ochsner, E; Oelker, E; Ogin, G H; Oh, J J; Oh, S H; Ohme, F; Oliver, M; Oppermann, P; Oram, Richard J; O'Reilly, B; O'Shaughnessy, R; Ottaway, D J; Overmier, H; Owen, B J; Pace, A E; Page, J; Pai, A; Pai, S A; Palamos, J R; Palashov, O; Palomba, C; Pal-Singh, A; Pan, H; Pankow, C; Pannarale, F; Pant, B C; Paoletti, F; Paoli, A; Papa, M A; Paris, H R; Parker, W; Pascucci, D; Pasqualetti, A; Passaquieti, R; Passuello, D; Patricelli, B; Pearlstone, B L; Pedraza, M; Pedurand, R; Pekowsky, L; Pele, A; Penn, S; Perez, C J; Perreca, A; Perri, L M; Pfeiffer, H P; Phelps, M; Piccinni, O J; Pichot, M; Piergiovanni, F; Pierro, V; Pillant, G; Pinard, L; Pinto, I M; Pitkin, M; Poe, M; Poggiani, R; Popolizio, P; Post, A; Powell, J; Prasad, J; Pratt, J W W; Predoi, V; Prestegard, T; Prijatelj, M; Principe, M; Privitera, S; Prodi, G A; Prokhorov, L G; Puncken, O; Punturo, M; Puppo, P; Pürrer, M; Qi, H; Qin, J; Qiu, S; Quetschke, V; Quintero, E A; Quitzow-James, R; Raab, F J; Rabeling, D S; Radkins, H; Raffai, P; Raja, S; Rajan, C; Rakhmanov, M; Rapagnani, P; Raymond, V; Razzano, M; Re, V; Read, J; Regimbau, T; Rei, L; Reid, S; Reitze, D H; Rew, H; Reyes, S D; Rhoades, E; Ricci, F; Riles, K; Rizzo, M; Robertson, N A; Robie, R; Robinet, F; Rocchi, A; Rolland, L; Rollins, J G; Roma, V J; Romano, J D; Romano, R; Romie, J H; Rosińska, D; Rowan, S; Rüdiger, A; Ruggi, P; Ryan, K; Sachdev, S; Sadecki, T; Sadeghian, L; Sakellariadou, M; Salconi, L; Saleem, M; Salemi, F; Samajdar, A; Sammut, L; Sampson, L M; Sanchez, E J; Sandberg, V; Sanders, J R; Sassolas, B; Sathyaprakash, B S; Saulson, P R; Sauter, O; Savage, R L; Sawadsky, A; Schale, P; Scheuer, J; Schlassa, S; Schmidt, E; Schmidt, J; Schmidt, P; Schnabel, R; Schofield, R M S; Schönbeck, A; Schreiber, E; Schuette, D; Schutz, B F; Schwalbe, S G; Scott, J; Scott, S M; Sellers, D; Sengupta, A S; Sentenac, D; Sequino, V; Sergeev, A; Setyawati, Y; Shaddock, D A; Shaffer, T J; Shahriar, M S; Shapiro, B; Shawhan, P; Sheperd, A; Shoemaker, D H; Shoemaker, D M; Siellez, K; Siemens, X; Sieniawska, M; Sigg, D; Silva, A D; Singer, A; Singer, L P; Singh, A; Singh, R; Singhal, A; Sintes, A M; Slagmolen, B J J; Smith, B; Smith, J R; Smith, R J E; Son, E J; Sorazu, B; Sorrentino, F; Souradeep, T; Spencer, A P; Srivastava, A K; Staley, A; Steinke, M; Steinlechner, J; Steinlechner, S; Steinmeyer, D; Stephens, B C; Stevenson, S P; Stone, R; Strain, K A; Straniero, N; Stratta, G; Strigin, S E; Sturani, R; Stuver, A L; Summerscales, T Z; Sun, L; Sunil, S; Sutton, P J; Swinkels, B L; Szczepańczyk, M J; Tacca, M; Talukder, D; Tanner, D B; Tao, D; Tápai, M; Taracchini, A; Taylor, R; Theeg, T; Thomas, E G; Thomas, M; Thomas, P; Thorne, K A; Thrane, E; Tippens, T; Tiwari, S; Tiwari, V; Tokmakov, K V; Toland, K; Tomlinson, C; Tonelli, M; Tornasi, Z; Torrie, C I; Töyrä, D; Travasso, F; Traylor, G; Trifirò, D; Trinastic, J; Tringali, M C; Trozzo, L; Tse, M; Tso, R; Turconi, M; Tuyenbayev, D; Ugolini, D; Unnikrishnan, C S; Urban, A L; Usman, S A; Vahlbruch, H; Vajente, G; Valdes, G; van Bakel, N; van Beuzekom, M; van den Brand, J F J; Van Den Broeck, C; Vander-Hyde, D C; van der Schaaf, L; van Heijningen, J V; van Veggel, A A; Vardaro, M; Varma, V; Vass, S; Vasúth, M; Vecchio, A; Vedovato, G; Veitch, J; Veitch, P J; Venkateswara, K; Venugopalan, G; Verkindt, D; Vetrano, F; Viceré, A; Viets, A D; Vinciguerra, S; Vine, D J; Vinet, J-Y; Vitale, S; Vo, T; Vocca, H; Vorvick, C; Voss, D V; Vousden, W D; Vyatchanin, S P; Wade, A R; Wade, L E; Wade, M; Walker, M; Wallace, L; Walsh, S; Wang, G; Wang, H; Wang, M; Wang, Y; Ward, R L; Warner, J; Was, M; Watchi, J; Weaver, B; Wei, L-W; Weinert, M; Weinstein, A J; Weiss, R; Wen, L; Weßels, P; Westphal, T; Wette, K; Whelan, J T; Whiting, B F; Whittle, C; Williams, D; Williams, R D; Williamson, A R; Willis, J L; Willke, B; Wimmer, M H; Winkler, W; Wipf, C C; Wittel, H; Woan, G; Woehler, J; Worden, J; Wright, J L; Wu, D S; Wu, G; Yam, W; Yamamoto, H; Yancey, C C; Yap, M J; Yu, Hang; Yu, Haocun; Yvert, M; Zadrożny, A; Zangrando, L; Zanolin, M; Zendri, J-P; Zevin, M; Zhang, L; Zhang, M; Zhang, T; Zhang, Y; Zhao, C; Zhou, M; Zhou, Z; Zhu, S J; Zhu, X J; Zucker, M E; Zweizig, J

2017-03-24

We employ gravitational-wave radiometry to map the stochastic gravitational wave background expected from a variety of contributing mechanisms and test the assumption of isotropy using data from the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory's (aLIGO) first observing run. We also search for persistent gravitational waves from point sources with only minimal assumptions over the 20-1726 Hz frequency band. Finding no evidence of gravitational waves from either point sources or a stochastic background, we set limits at 90% confidence. For broadband point sources, we report upper limits on the gravitational wave energy flux per unit frequency in the range F_{α,Θ}(f)<(0.1-56)×10^{-8}    erg cm^{-2} s^{-1} Hz^{-1}(f/25  Hz)^{α-1} depending on the sky location Θ and the spectral power index α. For extended sources, we report upper limits on the fractional gravitational wave energy density required to close the Universe of Ω(f,Θ)<(0.39-7.6)×10^{-8}  sr^{-1}(f/25  Hz)^{α} depending on Θ and α. Directed searches for narrowband gravitational waves from astrophysically interesting objects (Scorpius X-1, Supernova 1987 A, and the Galactic Center) yield median frequency-dependent limits on strain amplitude of h_{0}<(6.7,5.5,  and  7.0)×10^{-25}, respectively, at the most sensitive detector frequencies between 130-175 Hz. This represents a mean improvement of a factor of 2 across the band compared to previous searches of this kind for these sky locations, considering the different quantities of strain constrained in each case.

[Advance directives in Italy: a goal not yet reached but already passed?].

Science.gov (United States)

Riccioni, Luigi; Gristina, Giuseppe

2015-10-01

The advance directives (ADs) have been adopted in many countries to defend patients' autonomy. In Italy, in the past, this topic gave rise to a heated debate involving philosophers, theologians, and politicians. In 2009, the government presented a bill of law on ADs firmly criticized from a scientific, moral and juridical point of view because the bill's content is against the principles of Italian Constitution, Italian Code of Medical Ethics, Oviedo Convention, and official statements of many scientific societies. Although the bill has passed the Low Chamber it lies, even since, in the Senate, lacking in regard any agreement among the political parties. The purpose of this article is to highlight that, in our country, patients, relatives and doctors deserve a law not only related to the specific topic of ADs, but - as in other European countries (Germany, Spain, France, UK) - aimed to deal with the complex issue of end of life care as a whole. This law should take into account the sound evidence existing in regard to the four fundamental principles supporting the best scientific and ethical approaches to the end of life issues: shared decision making process between doctors and patients/relatives; rejection of dying process marked by the suffering; withholding/withdrawing futile treatments together with palliative sedation as two crucial contributions to suppress the patient suffering and pain; clear-cut difference between these clinical/ethical options and euthanasia. At the same time, this law should be able to provide physicians with a legal coverage to make all the clinical and ethical decisions more and more complex because of the continuous evolution of medical science on one hand, and the impressive development of biotechnology on the other hand.

Microwave and particle beam sources and directed energy concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandt, H.E.

1989-01-01

This book containing the proceedings of the SPIE on microwave and particle beam sources and directed energy concepts. Topics covered include: High power microwave sources, Direct energy concepts, Advanced accelerators, and Particle beams

Identifying future directions for subsurface hydrocarbon migration research

Science.gov (United States)

Leifer, I.; Clark, J. F.; Luyendyk, B.; Valentine, D.

Subsurface hydrocarbon migration is important for understanding the input and impacts of natural hydrocarbon seepage on the environment. Great uncertainties remain in most aspects of hydrocarbon migration, including some basic mechanisms of this four-phase flow of tar, oil, water, and gas through the complex fracture-network geometry particularly since the phases span a wide range of properties. Academic, government, and industry representatives recently attended a workshop to identify the areas of greatest need for future research in shallow hydrocarbon migration.Novel approaches such as studying temporal and spatial seepage variations and analogous geofluid systems (e.g., geysers and trickle beds) allow deductions of subsurface processes and structures that remain largely unclear. Unique complexities exist in hydrocarbon migration due to its multiphase flow and complex geometry, including in-situ biological weathering. Furthermore, many aspects of the role of hydrocarbons (positive and negative) in the environment are poorly understood, including how they enter the food chain (respiration, consumption, etc.) and “percolate” to higher trophic levels. But understanding these ecological impacts requires knowledge of the emissions' temporal and spatial variability and trajectories.

Advance Directives

Science.gov (United States)

... Data Conducting Clinical Trials Statistical Tools and Data Terminology Resources NCI Data Catalog Cryo-EM NCI's Role ... Withholding food and fluids Organ and tissue donation Medical Power of Attorney This is a document that ...

Operating experience of natural circulation core cooling in boiling water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kullberg, C.; Jones, K.; Heath, C.

1993-01-01

General Electric (GE) has proposed an advanced boiling water reactor, the Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (SBWR), which will utilize passive, gravity-driven safety systems for emergency core coolant injection. The SBWR design includes no recirculation loops or recirculation pumps. Therefore the SBWR will operate in a natural circulation (NC) mode at full power conditions. This design poses some concerns relative to stability during startup, shutdown, and at power conditions. As a consequence, the NRC has directed personnel at several national labs to help investigate SBWR stability issues. This paper will focus on some of the preliminary findings made at the INEL. Because of the broad range of stability issues this paper will mainly focus on potential geysering instabilities during startup. The two NC designs examined in detail are the US Humboldt Bay Unit 3 BWR-1 plant and Dodewaard plant in the Netherlands. The objective of this paper will be to review operating experience of these two plants and evaluate their relevance to planned SBWR operational procedures. For completeness, experimental work with early natural circulation GE test facilities will also be briefly discussed

Advance directives or living wills: reflections of general practitioners ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Living wills have long been associated with end-of-life care. This study explored the promotion of living wills by general practitioners (GPs) and frail care nursing coordinators who were directly involved in the care of the elderly in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal. The study also explored their views regarding the pro ...

Study of Advanced Propulsion Systems for Small Transport Aircraft Technology (STAT) Program

Science.gov (United States)

Baerst, C. F.; Heldenbrand, R. W.; Rowse, J. H.

1981-01-01

Definitions of takeoff gross weight, performance, and direct operating cost for both a 30 and 50 passenger airplane were established. The results indicate that a potential direct operating cost benefit, resulting from advanced technologies, of approximately 20 percent would be achieved for the 1990 engines. Of the numerous design features that were evaluated, only maintenance-related items contributed to a significant decrease in direct operating cost. Recommendations are made to continue research and technology programs for advanced component and engine development.

Sigma Team for Advanced Actinide Recycle FY2015 Accomplishments and Directions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moyer, Bruce A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2015-09-30

noncomplexing aqueous solution and submission of this scientific breakthrough as a paper in Science; The first-ever co-crystallization of Am(VI) with UO₂(NO₃)₂ ∙ 6H₂O, opening the door to a new approach for separating hexavalent actinides as a group; Results showing that three potentially problematic metals will not present risk in ALSEP; Improvement in ALSEP contactor stripping kinetics to acceptable performance; A comparison of centrifugal contactors vs mixer-settlers showing the former performs better in ALSEP stripping; Synthesis of new mixed N,O-donor extractants with enhanced solubility and strength for selective trivalent actinide extraction; Development of computational methods showing promise in prediction of the selectivity of new extractants for trivalent actinides vs lanthanides; An order-of-magnitude improvement in aqueous Am/Eu complexation selectivity of an alternative macrocyclic stripping agent for ALSEP, potentially enabling an option for an Am product stream free from both Ln and Cm. An alternative aqueous combination of dipicolinate complexant and malonate buffer that may present options for ALSEP and TALSPEAK (Trivalent Actinide-Lanthanide Separations by Phosphorus-reagent Extraction from Aqueous Komplexes) type separations. The ALSEP concept is advancing toward a benchtop flowsheet demonstration planned for FY 2016, and a bench-scale test bed at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) will be employed to demonstrate at least one tandem Am oxidation and separation concept. This report outlines the goals of the STAAR, significance of achieving these goals, STAAR organization around the above aims and questions, recent highlights, and future directions. The report also includes a listing of publications, reports, patents, and dissertations.

Solar Water Heater

Science.gov (United States)

1993-01-01

As a Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) scientist Dr. Eldon Haines studied the solar energy source and solar water heating. He concluded he could build a superior solar water heating system using the geyser pumping principle. He resigned from JPL to develop his system and later form Sage Advance Corporation to market the technology. Haines' Copper Cricket residential system has no moving parts, is immune to freeze damage, needs no roof-mounted tanks, and features low maintenance. It provides 50-90 percent of average hot water requirements. A larger system, the Copper Dragon, has been developed for commercial installations.

The factors impacted to local contractor from Foreign Direct Investment in advancing economic hub development in Iskandar Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Syafiq Salim, Muhamad; Zakaria, Rozana; Aminuddin, Eeydzah; Hamid, Abdul Rahim Abdul; Abdullah, Redzuan; Shahzaib Khan, Jam

2018-04-01

Iskandar Malaysia is an advanced economic hub which is rapidly growing in the State of Johor. It has been an attractive place for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to invest. Many sectors are affected by the presence of FDI including the construction sector. This paper highlights the investigation on the effects of FDI to the local contractor in the Iskandar Malaysia Development. In this study, a questionnaire survey was carried out to gain the information on problems from internal factors and external factors that caused the limitation on involvement in FDI project by local contractors. 73 numbers of local contractor registered under CIDB in class G5, G6 and G7 are the respondents. Frequency analysis and Average Index Analysis are used for the results. This study provides the factors that impacted local construction players in Iskandar Malaysia Development. This study has portrayed that FDI plays a vital and significant role in spearheading the active involvement of local contractors in an urban sustainable development.

Performance of direct and iterative algorithms on an optical systolic processor

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, A. K.; Casasent, D.; Neuman, C. P.

1985-11-01

The frequency-multiplexed optical linear algebra processor (OLAP) is treated in detail with attention to its performance in the solution of systems of linear algebraic equations (LAEs). General guidelines suitable for most OLAPs, including digital-optical processors, are advanced concerning system and component error source models, guidelines for appropriate use of direct and iterative algorithms, the dominant error sources, and the effect of multiple simultaneous error sources. Specific results are advanced on the quantitative performance of both direct and iterative algorithms in the solution of systems of LAEs and in the solution of nonlinear matrix equations. Acoustic attenuation is found to dominate iterative algorithms and detector noise to dominate direct algorithms. The effect of multiple spatial errors is found to be additive. A theoretical expression for the amount of acoustic attenuation allowed is advanced and verified. Simulations and experimental data are included.

Recent advances on Zeolite modification for direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs)

Science.gov (United States)

Makertihartha, I. G. B. N.; Zunita, M.; Rizki, Z.; Dharmawijaya, P. T.

2017-03-01

The increase of energy demand and global warming issues has driven studies of alternative energy sources. The polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) can be an alternative energy source by (partially) replacing the use of fossil fuel which is in line with the green technology concept. However, the usage of hydrogen as a fuel has several disadvantages mainly transportation and storage related to its safety aspects. Recently, alcohol has gained attention as an energy source for fuel cell application, namely direct alcohol fuel cell (DAFC). Among alcohols, high-mass energy density methanol and ethanol are widely used as direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) and direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC), respectively. Currently, the performance of DMFC is still rudimentary. Furthermore, the use of ethanol gives some additional privileges such as non-toxic property, renewable, ease of production in great quantity by the fermentation of sugar-containing raw materials. Direct alcohol fuel cell (DAFC) still has weakness in the low proton conductivity and high alcohol crossover. Therefore, to increase the performance of DAFC, modification using zeolite has been performed to improve proton conductivity and decrease alcohol crossover. Zeolite also has high thermal resistance properties, thereby increasing DAFC performance. This paper will discuss briefly about modification of catalyst and membrane for DAFC using zeolite. Zeolite modification effect on fuel cell performance especially proton conductivity and alcohol crossover will be presented in detail.

Practical and Ethical Aspects of Advance Research Directives for Research on Healthy Aging: German and Israeli Professionals' Perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Werner, Perla; Schicktanz, Silke

2018-01-01

Healthy aging is the development and maintenance of optimal cognitive, social and physical well-being, and function in older adults. Preventing or minimizing disease is one of the main ways of achieving healthy aging. Dementia is one of the most prevalent and life-changing diseases of old age. Thus, dementia prevention research is defined as one of the main priorities worldwide. However, conducting research with persons who lack the capacity to give consent is a major ethical issue. Our study attempts to explore if and how advance research directives (ARDs) may be used as a future tool to deal with the ethical and practical issues in dementia research. We conducted focus groups and in-depth interviews with German and Israeli professional stakeholders from the fields of gerontology, ethics, medical law, psychiatry, neurology and policy advice ( n  = 16), and analyzed the main topics discussed regarding cross-national similarities and controversies within the groups, as well as across the two national contexts. While both countries are in the midst of a developmental process and have recognized the importance and need for ARD as a tool for expanding healthy aging, Germany is in a more advanced stage than Israel because of the EU regulation process, which indicates the influence of international harmonization on these research-related ethical issues. Consensual themes within the qualitative material were identified: the need for a broader debate on ARD, the ethical importance of autonomy and risk-benefit assessment for ARD implementation, the role of the proxy and the need for the differentiation of types of dementia research. Controversies and dilemmas aroused around themes such as the current role of IRBs in each country, the need for limits, and how to guaranty safeguarding and control. Implementing a new tool is a step-by-step procedure requiring a thorough understanding of the current state of knowledge as well as of the challenges and hurdles ahead. As long

Practical and Ethical Aspects of Advance Research Directives for Research on Healthy Aging: German and Israeli Professionals’ Perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Perla Werner

2018-04-01

Full Text Available BackgroundHealthy aging is the development and maintenance of optimal cognitive, social and physical well-being, and function in older adults. Preventing or minimizing disease is one of the main ways of achieving healthy aging. Dementia is one of the most prevalent and life-changing diseases of old age. Thus, dementia prevention research is defined as one of the main priorities worldwide. However, conducting research with persons who lack the capacity to give consent is a major ethical issue.ObjectiveOur study attempts to explore if and how advance research directives (ARDs may be used as a future tool to deal with the ethical and practical issues in dementia research.MethodWe conducted focus groups and in-depth interviews with German and Israeli professional stakeholders from the fields of gerontology, ethics, medical law, psychiatry, neurology and policy advice (n = 16, and analyzed the main topics discussed regarding cross-national similarities and controversies within the groups, as well as across the two national contexts.ResultsWhile both countries are in the midst of a developmental process and have recognized the importance and need for ARD as a tool for expanding healthy aging, Germany is in a more advanced stage than Israel because of the EU regulation process, which indicates the influence of international harmonization on these research-related ethical issues. Consensual themes within the qualitative material were identified: the need for a broader debate on ARD, the ethical importance of autonomy and risk–benefit assessment for ARD implementation, the role of the proxy and the need for the differentiation of types of dementia research. Controversies and dilemmas aroused around themes such as the current role of IRBs in each country, the need for limits, and how to guaranty safeguarding and control.DiscussionImplementing a new tool is a step-by-step procedure requiring a thorough understanding of the current state of knowledge

Default options in advance directives: study protocol for a randomised clinical trial

Science.gov (United States)

Gabler, Nicole B; Cooney, Elizabeth; Small, Dylan S; Troxel, Andrea B; Arnold, Robert M; White, Douglas B; Angus, Derek C; Loewenstein, George; Volpp, Kevin G; Bryce, Cindy L; Halpern, Scott D

2016-01-01

Introduction Although most seriously ill Americans wish to avoid burdensome and aggressive care at the end of life, such care is often provided unless patients or family members specifically request otherwise. Advance directives (ADs) were created to provide opportunities to set limits on aggressive care near life's end. This study tests the hypothesis that redesigning ADs such that comfort-oriented care is provided as the default, rather than requiring patients to actively choose it, will promote better patient-centred outcomes. Methods and analysis This multicentre trial randomises seriously ill adults to receive 1 of 3 different ADs: (1) a traditional AD that requires patients to actively choose their goals of care or preferences for specific interventions (eg, feeding tube insertion) or otherwise have their care guided by their surrogates and the prevailing societal default toward aggressive care; (2) an AD that defaults to life-extending care and receipt of life-sustaining interventions, enabling patients to opt out from such care; or (3) an AD that defaults to comfort care, enabling patients to opt into life-extending care. We seek to enrol 270 patients who return complete, legally valid ADs so as to generate sufficient power to detect differences in the primary outcome of hospital-free days (days alive and not in an acute care facility). Secondary outcomes include hospital and intensive care unit admissions, costs of care, hospice usage, decision conflict and satisfaction, quality of life, concordance of preferences with care received and bereavement outcomes for surrogates of patients who die. Ethics and dissemination This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Boards at all trial centres, and is guided by a data safety and monitoring board and an ethics advisory board. Study results will be disseminated using methods that describe the results in ways that key stakeholders can best understand and implement. Trial registration number NCT02017548

1996 Laboratory directed research and development annual report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meyers, C.E.; Harvey, C.L.; Lopez-Andreas, L.M.; Chavez, D.L.; Whiddon, C.P. [comp.

1997-04-01

This report summarizes progress from the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program during fiscal year 1996. In addition to a programmatic and financial overview, the report includes progress reports from 259 individual R&D projects in seventeen categories. The general areas of research include: engineered processes and materials; computational and information sciences; microelectronics and photonics; engineering sciences; pulsed power; advanced manufacturing technologies; biomedical engineering; energy and environmental science and technology; advanced information technologies; counterproliferation; advanced transportation; national security technology; electronics technologies; idea exploration and exploitation; production; and science at the interfaces - engineering with atoms.

A model for emergency department end-of-life communications after acute devastating events--part I: decision-making capacity, surrogates, and advance directives.

Science.gov (United States)

Limehouse, Walter E; Feeser, V Ramana; Bookman, Kelly J; Derse, Arthur

2012-09-01

Making decisions for a patient affected by sudden devastating illness or injury traumatizes a patient's family and loved ones. Even in the absence of an emergency, surrogates making end-of-life treatment decisions may experience negative emotional effects. Helping surrogates with these end-of-life decisions under emergent conditions requires the emergency physician (EP) to be clear, making medical recommendations with sensitivity. This model for emergency department (ED) end-of-life communications after acute devastating events comprises the following steps: 1) determine the patient's decision-making capacity; 2) identify the legal surrogate; 3) elicit patient values as expressed in completed advance directives; 4) determine patient/surrogate understanding of the life-limiting event and expectant treatment goals; 5) convey physician understanding of the event, including prognosis, treatment options, and recommendation; 6) share decisions regarding withdrawing or withholding of resuscitative efforts, using available resources and considering options for organ donation; and 7) revise treatment goals as needed. Emergency physicians should break bad news compassionately, yet sufficiently, so that surrogate and family understand both the gravity of the situation and the lack of long-term benefit of continued life-sustaining interventions. EPs should also help the surrogate and family understand that palliative care addresses comfort needs of the patient including adequate treatment for pain, dyspnea, or anxiety. Part I of this communications model reviews determination of decision-making capacity, surrogacy laws, and advance directives, including legal definitions and application of these steps; Part II (which will appear in a future issue of AEM) covers communication moving from resuscitative to end-of-life and palliative treatment. EPs should recognize acute devastating illness or injuries, when appropriate, as opportunities to initiate end-of-life discussions and to

Advanced Clothing System

Science.gov (United States)

Broyan, James; Orndoff, Evelyne

2014-01-01

The goal of the Advanced Clothing System (ACS) is to use advanced commercial off-the-shelf fibers and antimicrobial treatments with the goal of directly reducing the mass and volume of a logistics item. The current clothing state-of-the-art on the International Space Station (ISS) is disposable, mostly cotton-based, clothing with no laundry provisions. Each clothing article has varying use periods and will become trash. The goal is to increase the length of wear of the clothing to reduce the logistical mass and volume. The initial focus has been exercise clothing since the use period is lower. Various ground studies and an ISS technology demonstration have been conducted to evaluate clothing preference and length of wear. The analysis indicates that use of ACS selected garments (e.g. wool, modacrylic, polyester) can increase the breakeven point for laundry to 300 days.

The Advanced LIGO timing system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bartos, Imre; Factourovich, Maxim; Marka, Szabolcs; Marka, Zsuzsa; Raics, Zoltan; Bork, Rolf; Heefner, Jay; Schwinberg, Paul; Sigg, Daniel

2010-01-01

Gravitational wave detection using a network of detectors relies upon the precise time stamping of gravitational wave signals. The relative arrival times between detectors are crucial, e.g. in recovering the source direction, an essential step in using gravitational waves for multi-messenger astronomy. Due to the large size of gravitational wave detectors, timing at different parts of a given detector also needs to be highly synchronized. In general, the requirement toward the precision of timing is determined such that, upon detection, the deduced (astro-) physical results should not be limited by the precision of timing. The Advanced LIGO optical timing distribution system is designed to provide UTC-synchronized timing information for the Advanced LIGO detectors that satisfies the above criterium. The Advanced LIGO timing system has modular structure, enabling quick and easy adaptation to the detector frame as well as possible changes or additions of components. It also includes a self-diagnostics system that enables the remote monitoring of the status of timing. After the description of the Advanced LIGO timing system, several tests are presented that demonstrate its precision and robustness.

Some new directions in system transient simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ransom, V.H.

1986-01-01

The current research in system transient simulation at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) is summarized in this paper and three new directions that are emerging from this work are discussed. The new directions are: development of an Advanced Thermal Hydraulic Energy Network Analyzer (ATHENA) having new modeling capability, use of expert systems for enhancing simulation methods, and the trend to individual workstations for simulation

Sports Tournament Predictions Using Direct Manipulation

OpenAIRE

Vuillemot , Romain; Perin , Charles

2016-01-01

An advanced interface for sports tournament predictions uses direct manipulation to allow users to make nonlinear predictions. Unlike previous interface designs, the interface helps users focus on their prediction tasks by enabling them to first choose a winner and then fill out the rest of the bracket. In real-world tests of the proposed interface (for the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament and 2015/2016 UEFA Champions League), the authors validated the use of direct manipulation as an alternati...

Evaluation of the evolving stress field of the Yellowstone volcanic plateau, 1988 to 2010, from earthquake first-motion inversions

Science.gov (United States)

Russo, E.; Waite, G. P.; Tibaldi, A.

2017-03-01

Although the last rhyolite eruption occurred around 70 ka ago, the silicic Yellowstone volcanic field is still considered active due to high hydrothermal and seismic activity and possible recent magma intrusions. Geodetic measurements document complex deformation patterns in crustal strain and seismic activity likewise reveal spatial and temporal variations in the stress field. We use earthquake data recorded between 1988 and 2010 to investigate these variations and their possible causes in more detail. Earthquake relocations and a set of 369 well-constrained, double-couple, focal mechanism solutions were computed. Events were grouped according to location and time to investigate trends in faulting. The majority of the events have normal-faulting solutions, subordinate strike-slip kinematics, and very rarely, reverse motions. The dominant direction of extension throughout the 0.64 Ma Yellowstone caldera is nearly ENE, consistent with the perpendicular direction of alignments of volcanic vents within the caldera, but our study also reveals spatial and temporal variations. Stress-field solutions for different areas and time periods were calculated from earthquake focal mechanism inversion. A well-resolved rotation of σ3 was found, from NNE-SSW near the Hebgen Lake fault zone, to ENE-WSW near Norris Junction. In particular, the σ3 direction changed throughout the years around Norris Geyser Basin, from being ENE-WSW, as calculated in the study by Waite and Smith (2004), to NNE-SSW, while the other σ3 directions are mostly unchanged over time. The presence of ;chocolate tablet; structures, with two sets of nearly perpendicular normal faults, was identified in many stages of the deformation history both in the Norris Geyser Basin area and inside the caldera.

7 CFR 1484.57 - Will FAS make advance payments to a Cooperator?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Will FAS make advance payments to a Cooperator? 1484... large cost item. FAS will provide this type of advance expense payment in lieu of direct payments by FAS... to protect FAS' financial interests. FAS will not make any special advance payment to a Cooperator...

Networked Airborne Communications Using Adaptive Multi Beam Directional Links

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-05

Networked Airborne Communications Using Adaptive Multi-Beam Directional Links R. Bruce MacLeod Member, IEEE, and Adam Margetts Member, IEEE MIT...provide new techniques for increasing throughput in airborne adaptive directional net- works. By adaptive directional linking, we mean systems that can...techniques can dramatically increase the capacity in airborne networks. Advances in digital array technology are beginning to put these gains within reach

Advance statements in the new Victorian Mental Health Act.

Science.gov (United States)

Saraf, Sudeep

2015-06-01

There is growing recognition of the utility of advance statements in the area of mental health. The definition of advance statements and procedure for making and varying advance statements under the Victorian legislation is described. The implications for psychiatrists, mental health tribunals and the process should the psychiatrist vary their decision from that made in the advance statement are discussed. Advance statements being enshrined in legislation is another step in the direction of recovery-oriented service provision for persons with mental illness. The challenge for services will be to develop systems and processes that promote increased uptake of these instruments to empower persons with mental illness to participate in their treatment. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.

Outline of geothermal power generation in Japan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ezaki, Y

1960-01-01

The utilization of geothermal energy in electrical power generation throughout the world is described. Details of generating capacity and cost are given for Larderello, Italy; Wairakei, New Zealand: and the Geysers, USA. In Japan three types of conversion systems are used. These include the direct use of steam, direct use of hot water and binary fluid type systems. The history of Japanese investigation and exploitation of geothermal energy is reviewed and the status of the Matsukawa, Hakone, Otake and Takenoyu geothermal power plants is discussed. It is recommended that laws be enacted in Japan to encourage the development of this form of energy conversion.

Implementation of an advanced hybrid MPC-PID control system using PAT tools into a direct compaction continuous pharmaceutical tablet manufacturing pilot plant.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Ravendra; Sahay, Abhishek; Karry, Krizia M; Muzzio, Fernando; Ierapetritou, Marianthi; Ramachandran, Rohit

2014-10-01

It is desirable for a pharmaceutical final dosage form to be manufactured through a quality by design (QbD)-based approach rather than a quality by testing (QbT) approach. An automatic feedback control system coupled with PAT tools that is part of the QbD paradigm shift, has the potential to ensure that the pre-defined end product quality attributes are met in a time and cost efficient manner. In this work, an advanced hybrid MPC-PID control architecture coupled with real time inline/online monitoring tools and principal components analysis (PCA) based additional supervisory control layer has been proposed for a continuous direct compaction tablet manufacturing process. The advantages of both MPC and PID have been utilized in a hybrid scheme. The control hardware and software integration and implementation of the control system has been demonstrated using feeders and blending unit operation of a continuous tablet manufacturing pilot plant and an NIR based PAT tool. The advanced hybrid MPC-PID control scheme leads to enhanced control loop performance of the critical quality attributes in comparison to a regulatory (e.g. PID) control scheme indicating its potential to improve pharmaceutical product quality. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Molecular Engineering for Advanced Materials

CERN Document Server

Schaumburg, Kjeld

1995-01-01

An important aspect of molecular engineering is the `property directed' synthesis of large molecules and molecular assemblies. Synthetic expertise has advanced to a state which allows the assembly of supramolecules containing thousands of atoms using a `construction kit' of molecular building blocks. Expansion in the field is driven by the appearance of new building blocks and by an improved understanding of the rules for joining them in the design of nanometer-sized devices. Another aspect is the transition from supramolecules to materials. At present no single molecule (however large) has been demonstrated to function as a device, but this appears to be only a matter of time. In all of this research, which has a strongly multidisciplinary character, both existing and yet to be developed analytical techniques are and will remain indispensable. All this and more is discussed in Molecular Engineering for Advanced Materials, which provides a masterly and up to date summary of one of the most challenging researc...

Multiaxial ratcheting with advanced kinematic and directional distortional hardening rules

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Feigenbaum, H. P.; Dugdale, J.; Dafalias, Y.F.; Kourousis, K. I.; Plešek, Jiří

2012-01-01

Roč. 49, č. 22 (2012), s. 3063-3076 ISSN 0020-7683 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) ME10024 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20760514 Keywords : plasticity * directional distortional hardening * thermodynamics Subject RIV: JJ - Other Materials Impact factor: 1.871, year: 2012 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020768312002612

Mirror Advanced Reactor Study (MARS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Logan, B.G.

1983-01-01

Progress in a two year study of a 1200 MWe commercial tandem mirror reactor (MARS - Mirror Advanced Reactor Study) has reached the point where major reactor system technologies are identified. New design features of the magnets, blankets, plug heating systems and direct converter are described. With the innovation of radial drift pumping to maintain low plug density, reactor recirculating power fraction is reduced to 20%. Dominance of radial ion and impurity losses into the halo permits gridless, circular direct converters to be dramatically reduced in size. Comparisons of MARS with the Starfire tokamak design are made

Advanced Air Transportation Technologies Project, Final Document Collection

Science.gov (United States)

Mogford, Richard H.; Wold, Sheryl (Editor)

2008-01-01

This CD ROM contains a compilation of the final documents of the Advanced Air Transportation Technologies (AAIT) project, which was an eight-year (1996 to 2004), $400M project managed by the Airspace Systems Program office, which was part of the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. AAIT focused on developing advanced automation tools and air traffic management concepts that would help improve the efficiency of the National Airspace System, while maintaining or enhancing safety. The documents contained in the CD are final reports on AAIT tasks that serve to document the project's accomplishments over its eight-year term. Documents include information on: Advanced Air Transportation Technologies, Autonomous Operations Planner, Collaborative Arrival Planner, Distributed Air/Ground Traffic Management Concept Elements 5, 6, & 11, Direct-To, Direct-To Technology Transfer, Expedite Departure Path, En Route Data Exchange, Final Approach Spacing Tool - (Active and Passive), Multi-Center Traffic Management Advisor, Multi Center Traffic Management Advisor Technology Transfer, Surface Movement Advisor, Surface Management System, Surface Management System Technology Transfer and Traffic Flow Management Research & Development.

High Torque, Direct Drive Electric Motor, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Bear Engineering proposes to advance the development of an innovative high torque, low speed, direct drive motor in order to meet NASA's requirements for such...

Sciences of geodesy I advances and future directions

CERN Document Server

Xu, Guochang

2010-01-01

This series of reference books describes sciences of different elds in and around geodesy with independent chapters. Each chapter covers an individual eld and describes the history, theory, objective, technology, development, highlights of research and applications. In addition, problems as well as future directions are discussed. The subjects of this reference book include Absolute and Relative Gravimetry, Adaptively Robust Kalman Filters with Applications in Navigation, Airborne Gravity Field Determination, Analytic Orbit Theory, Deformation and Tectonics, Earth Rotation, Equivalence of GPS Algorithms and its Inference, Marine Geodesy, Satellite Laser Ranging, Superconducting Gravimetry and Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry. These are individual subjects in and around geodesy and are for the rst time combined in a unique book which may be used for teaching or for learning basic principles of many subjects related to geodesy. The material is suitable to provide a general overview of geodetic sciences f...

Advanced transport aircraft technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Winblade, R L

1980-06-01

Various elements of the NASA aircraft energy efficiency program are described. Regarding composite structures, the development of three secondary and three medium-primary components to validate structural and fabrication technology is discussed. In laminar flow control, the design of advanced airfoils having large regions of supercritical flow with features which simplify laminarization are considered. Emphasis is placed on engine performance improvement, directed at developing advanced components to reduce fuel consumption in current production engines, and engine diagnostics aimed at identifying the sources and causes of performance deterioration in high-bypass turbofan engines. In addition, the results of propeller aerodynamic and acoustic tests have substantiated the feasibility of achieving the propeller efficiency goal of 80% and confirmed that the effect of blade sweep on reducing propeller source noise was 5-6 dB.

Technology Transfer, Foreign Direct Investment and International Trade

OpenAIRE

Leonard K. Cheng

2000-01-01

By developing a Ricardian trade model that features technology transfer via foreign direct investment (FDI), we show that technology transfer via multinational enterprises (MNEs) increases world output and trade in goods and services. When there are many goods a continuous reduction in the cost of technology transfer will cause increasingly more technologically advanced goods to go through the product cycle, i.e., goods initially produced in the advanced North are later produced in the backwa...

Current status and future potential for advanced volume reduction technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rutland, L.; Naughton, M.D.; Papaiya, N.C.

1984-01-01

With escalating costs for disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) from nuclear power plants, and the possibility of unavailability of disposal space, some nuclear power utilities responded by commiting to implementing advanced volume reduction (VR) systems. This paper presents recent experience to implement advanced volume reduction technologies; their performance and typical operating and capital costs. This experience in the light of current economic conditions may enable us to predict the direction that future advanced VR technology commitments is taking

Direct energy recovery from helium ion beams by a beam direct converter with secondary electron suppressors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshikawa, K.; Yamamoto, Y.; Toku, H.; Kobayashi, A.; Okazaki, T.

1989-01-01

A 5-yr study of beam direct energy conversion was performed at the Kyoto University Institute of Atomic Energy to clarify the essential features of direct energy recovery from monoenergetic ion beams so that the performance characteristics of energy recovery can be predicted reasonably well by numerical calculations. The study used an improved version of an electrostatically electron-suppressed beam direct converter. Secondary electron suppressor grids were added, and a helium ion beam was used with typical parameters of 15.4 keV, 90 mA, and 100 ms. This paper presents a comparison of experimental results with numerical results by the two-dimensional Kyoto University Advanced Dart (KUAD) code, including evaluation of atomic processes

Preparing Children to Look at Pictures: Advance Descriptions Direct Attention and Facilitate Active Processing

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, Thomas H.; And Others

1977-01-01

The effect of three different kinds of advance descriptions on recognition memory for component information from pictures was measured for 72 first-grade children. All descriptions resulted in higher retention of all components than viewing without description. (Author/JMB)

Advanced differential quadrature methods

CERN Document Server

Zong, Zhi

2009-01-01

Modern Tools to Perform Numerical DifferentiationThe original direct differential quadrature (DQ) method has been known to fail for problems with strong nonlinearity and material discontinuity as well as for problems involving singularity, irregularity, and multiple scales. But now researchers in applied mathematics, computational mechanics, and engineering have developed a range of innovative DQ-based methods to overcome these shortcomings. Advanced Differential Quadrature Methods explores new DQ methods and uses these methods to solve problems beyond the capabilities of the direct DQ method.After a basic introduction to the direct DQ method, the book presents a number of DQ methods, including complex DQ, triangular DQ, multi-scale DQ, variable order DQ, multi-domain DQ, and localized DQ. It also provides a mathematical compendium that summarizes Gauss elimination, the Runge-Kutta method, complex analysis, and more. The final chapter contains three codes written in the FORTRAN language, enabling readers to q...

Design concepts and advanced manipulator development for nuclear fuel cycle facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feldman, M.J.

1985-01-01

In the Fuel Recycle Division, Consolidated Fuel Reprocessing Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a comprehensive remote systems development program has existed for the past seven years. The new remote technology under development is expected to significantly improve remote operations by extending the range of tasks accomplished by remote means and increasing the efficiency of remote work undertaken. The application of advanced manipulation is viewed as an essential part of a series of design directions whose sum describes a somewhat unique blend of old and new technology. A design direction based upon the Teletec concept is explained and recent progress in the development of an advanced servomanipulator-based maintenance concept is summarized to show that a new generation of remote systems is feasible through advanced technology. 14 refs., 14 figs

An International Survey of Electric Storage Tank Water Heater Efficiency and Standards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, Alissa; Lutz, James; McNeil, Michael A.; Covary, Theo

2013-11-13

Water heating is a main consumer of energy in households, especially in temperate and cold climates. In South Africa, where hot water is typically provided by electric resistance storage tank water heaters (geysers), water heating energy consumption exceeds cooking, refrigeration, and lighting to be the most consumptive single electric appliance in the home. A recent analysis for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) performed by the authors estimated that standing losses from electric geysers contributed over 1,000 kWh to the annual electricity bill for South African households that used them. In order to reduce this burden, the South African government is currently pursuing a programme of Energy Efficiency Standards and Labelling (EES&L) for electric appliances, including geysers. In addition, Eskom has a history of promoting heat pump water heaters (HPWH) through incentive programs, which can further reduce energy consumption. This paper provides a survey of international electric storage water heater test procedures and efficiency metrics which can serve as a reference for comparison with proposed geyser standards and ratings in South Africa. Additionally it provides a sample of efficiency technologies employed to improve the efficiency of electric storage water heaters, and outlines programs to promote adoption of improved efficiency. Finally, it surveys current programs used to promote HPWH and considers the potential for this technology to address peak demand more effectively than reduction of standby losses alone

Subatmospheric boiling study of the operation of a horizontal thermosyphon reboiler loop: Instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agunlejika, Ezekiel O.; Langston, Paul A.; Azzopardi, Barry J.; Hewakandamby, Buddhika N.

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: The highlight of the characteristics of the geysering instability from analysed WMS data. Pictorial view of geysering instability, heat flux 9 kW/m"2 (P_S = 1.14 bar(a)), Static head = 1.265 m, valve setting = 1.0, process side pressure = 0.5 bar(a). - Highlights: • Characteristics of geysering instability in a horizontal thermosyphon reboiler loop is highlighted using Wire Mesh Sensor. • Interconnection between geysering instability and accompanying churn flow is identified. • Effects of stability parameters and pressure drop feedbacks on the loop at low heat fluxes are described. - Abstract: Distillation and chemical processing under vacuum is of immense interest to petroleum and chemical industries due to lower energy costs and improved safety. To tap into these benefits, energy efficient reboilers with lower maintenance costs are required. Here, a horizontal thermosyphon reboiler is investigated at subatmospheric pressures and low heat fluxes. This paper presents detailed experimental data obtained using Wire Mesh Sensor in a gas-liquid flow with heat transfer as well as temperatures, pressures and recirculation rates around the loop. Flow regimes which have been previously identified in other systems were detected. The nature of the instability which underpins the mechanisms involved and conditions aiding instability are reported. Churn flow pattern is persistently detected during instability. The nature of the instability and existence of oscillatory churn flow are interconnected.

Sustainability assessment of advanced wastewater treatment technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Høibye, Linda; Clauson-Kaas, Jes; Wenzel, Henrik

2008-01-01

, which includes technical, economical and environmental aspects. The technical and economical assessment is performed on 5 advanced treatment technologies: sand filtration, ozone treatment, UV exclusively for disinfection of pathogenic microorganisms, membrane bioreactor (MBR) and UV in combination......As a consequence of the EU Water Framework Directive more focus is now on discharges of hazardous substances from wastewater treatment plants and sewers. Thus, many municipalities in Denmark may have to adopt to future advanced treatment technologies. This paper describes a holistic assessment...... with advanced oxidation. The technical assessment is based on 12 hazardous substances comprising heavy metals, organic pollutants, endocrine disruptors as well as pathogenic microorganisms. The environmental assessment is performed by life cycle assessment (LCA) comprising 9 of the specific hazardous substances...

Applications of Advanced Electromagnetics Components and Systems

CERN Document Server

Kouzaev, Guennadi A

2013-01-01

This text, directed to the microwave engineers and Master and PhD students, is on the use of electromagnetics to the development and design of advanced integrated components distinguished by their extended field of applications. The results of hundreds of authors scattered in numerous journals and conference proceedings are carefully reviewed and classed.  Several chapters are to refresh the knowledge of readers in advanced electromagnetics. New techniques are represented by compact electromagnetic–quantum equations which can be used in modeling of microwave-quantum integrated circuits of future In addition, a topological method to the boundary value problem analysis is considered with the results and examples.  One extended chapter is for the development and design of integrated components for extended bandwidth applications, and the technology and electromagnetic issues of silicon integrated transmission lines, transitions, filters, power dividers, directional couplers, etc are considered. Novel prospec...

Delineating advanced practice nursing in New Zealand: a national survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Carryer, J; Wilkinson, J; Towers, A; Gardner, G

2018-03-01

A variety of advanced practice nursing roles and titles have proliferated in response to the changing demands of a population characterized by increasing age and chronic illness. Whilst similarly identified as advanced practice roles, they do not share a common practice profile, educational requirements or legislative direction. The lack of clarity limits comparative research that can inform policy and health service planning. To identify advanced practice roles within nursing titles employed in New Zealand and practice differences between advanced practice and other roles. Replicating recent Australian research, 3255 registered nurses/nurse practitioners in New Zealand completed the amended Advanced Practice Delineation survey tool. The mean domain scores of the predominant advanced practice position were compared with those of other positions. Differences between groups were explored using one-way ANOVA and post hoc between group comparisons. Four nursing position bands were identified: nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, domain-specific and registered nurse. Significant differences between the bands were found on many domain scores. The nurse practitioner and clinical nurse specialist bands had the most similar practice profiles, nurse practitioners being more involved in direct care and professional leadership. Similar to the position of clinical nurse consultant in Australia, those practicing as clinical nurse specialists were deemed to reflect the threshold for advanced practice nursing. The results identified different practice patterns for the identified bands and distinguish the advanced practice nursing roles. By replicating the Australian study of Gardener et al. (2016), this NZ paper extends the international data available to support more evidence-based nursing workforce planning and policy development. © 2017 International Council of Nurses.

Qualitative research in rehabilitation science: opportunities, challenges, and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

VanderKaay, Sandra; Moll, Sandra E; Gewurtz, Rebecca E; Jindal, Pranay; Loyola-Sanchez, Adalberto; Packham, Tara L; Lim, Chun Y

2018-03-01

Qualitative research has had a significant impact within rehabilitation science over time. During the past 20 years the number of qualitative studies published per year in Disability and Rehabilitation has markedly increased (from 1 to 54). In addition, during this period there have been significant changes in how qualitative research is conceptualized, conducted, and utilized to advance the field of rehabilitation. The purpose of this article is to reflect upon the progress of qualitative research within rehabilitation to date, to explicate current opportunities and challenges, and to suggest future directions to continue to strengthen the contribution of qualitative research in this field. Relevant literature searches were conducted in electronic data bases and reference lists. Pertinent literature was examined to identify current opportunities and challenges for qualitative research use in rehabilitation and to identify future directions. Six key areas of opportunity and challenge were identified: (a) paradigm shifts, (b) advancements in methodology, (c) emerging technology, (d) advances in quality evaluation, (e) increasing popularity of mixed methods approaches, and (f) evolving approaches to knowledge translation. Two important future directions for rehabilitation are posited: (1) advanced training in qualitative methods and (2) engaging qualitative communities of research. Qualitative research is well established in rehabilitation and has an important place in the continued growth of this field. Ongoing development of qualitative researchers and methods are essential. Implications for Rehabilitation Qualitative research has the potential to improve rehabilitation practice by addressing some of the most pervasive concerns in the field such as practitioner-client interaction, the subjective and lived experience of disability, and clinical reasoning and decision making. This will serve to better inform those providing rehabilitation services thereby benefiting

High satisfaction and low decisional conflict with advance care planning among chronically ill patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or heart failure using an online decision aid: A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Scoy, Lauren J; Green, Michael J; Dimmock, Anne Ef; Bascom, Rebecca; Boehmer, John P; Hensel, Jessica K; Hozella, Joshua B; Lehman, Erik B; Schubart, Jane R; Farace, Elana; Stewart, Renee R; Levi, Benjamin H

2016-09-01

Many patients with chronic illnesses report a desire for increased involvement in medical decision-making. This pilot study aimed to explore how patients with exacerbation-prone disease trajectories such as advanced heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease experience advance care planning using an online decision aid and to compare whether patients with different types of exacerbation-prone illnesses had varied experiences using the tool. Pre-intervention questionnaires measured advance care planning knowledge. Post-intervention questionnaires measured: (1) advance care planning knowledge; (2) satisfaction with tool; (3) decisional conflict; and (4) accuracy of the resultant advance directive. Comparisons were made between patients with heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Over 90% of the patients with heart failure (n = 24) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 25) reported being "satisfied" or "highly satisfied" with the tool across all satisfaction domains; over 90% of participants rated the resultant advance directive as "very accurate." Participants reported low decisional conflict. Advance care planning knowledge scores rose by 18% (p < 0.001) post-intervention. There were no significant differences between participants with heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Patients with advanced heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were highly satisfied after using an online advance care planning decision aid and had increased knowledge of advance care planning. This tool can be a useful resource for time-constrained clinicians whose patients wish to engage in advance care planning. © The Author(s) 2016.

Visual perception of dynamic properties: cue heuristics versus direct-perceptual competence.

Science.gov (United States)

Runeson, S; Juslin, P; Olsson, H

2000-07-01

Constructivist and Gibsonian approaches disagree over the possibility of direct perceptual use of advanced information. A trenchant instance concerns visual perception of underlying dynamic properties as specified by kinematic patterns of events. For the paradigmatic task of discrimination of relative mass in observed collisions, 2 mathematical models are developed, 1 model representing a direct, invariant-based approach, and 1 representing a cue-heuristic approach. The models enable a critical experimental design with distinct predictions concerning performance data and confidence ratings. Although pretraining results were mixed, the invariant-based model was empirically confirmed after a minimal amount of training: Competence entails the use of advanced kinematic information in a direct-perceptual ("sensory") mode of apprehension, in contrast to beginners' use of simpler cues in an inferential ("cognitive") mode.

Advanced supersonic technology and its implications for the future

Science.gov (United States)

Driver, C.

1979-01-01

A brief overview of the NASA Supersonic Cruise Research (SCR) program is presented. The SCR program has identified significant improvements in the areas of aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, noise reduction, takeoff and landing procedures, and advanced configuration concepts. These improvements tend to overcome most of the problems which led to the cancellation of the National SST program. They offer the promise of an advanced SST family of aircraft which are environmentally acceptable, have flexible range-payload capability, and are economically viable. The areas of technology addressed by the SCR program have direct application to advanced military aircraft and to supersonic executive aircraft.

Advances in solar photoelectro-Fenton: Decolorization and mineralization of the Direct Yellow 4 diazo dye using an autonomous solar pre-pilot plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia-Segura, Sergi; Brillas, Enric

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Assessment of an autonomous solar pre-pilot plant for solar photoelectro-Fenton. • Total decolorization and 96-97% mineralization for solutions of Direct Yellow 4 diazo dye at pH 3.0. • More rapid dye decay and mineralization at 0.50 mmol dm −3 Fe 2+ and maximum current of 5.0 A. • 11 aromatics, 22 hydroxylated derivatives and 9 carboxylic acids detected as intermediates. • Release of NH 4 + and SO 4 2− as main inorganic ions. - Abstract: Here, an overview on the advances in solar photoelectro-Fenton (SPEF) is initially presented to show that it is the more potent electrochemical advanced oxidation process based on Fenton's reaction chemistry to remove organic pollutants from waters, due to the synergistic action of generated hydroxyl radicals and solar irradiation. As a novel advance for SPEF, an autonomous solar pre-pilot plant is proposed to make an energetically inexpensive process that can be viable at industrial level. The plant of 10 dm 3 capacity contained a Pt/air-diffusion cell with 90.2 cm 2 electrode area, coupled to a solar compound parabolic collectors (CPCs) photoreactor of 1.57 dm 3 irradiation volume and to a solar photovoltaic panel that provides a maximum average current of 5.0 A. The oxidation ability of this plant was assessed by studying the degradation of Direct Yellow 4 (DY4) diazo dye, which involved the predominant destruction of organics by ·OH formed from Fenton's reaction between H 2 O 2 generated at the cathode and added Fe 2+ , along with the photolysis of Fe(III)-carboxylate complexes with sunlight in the CPCs photoreactor. The effect of Fe 2+ and dye contents as well as current on decolorization rate, substrate decay and mineralization rate was examined. About 96-97% mineralization was rapidly attained using 0.50 mmol dm −3 Fe 2+ and up to 0.32 mmol dm −3 DY4 at 5.0 A. The DY4 decay always obeyed a pseudo-first-order kinetics. Eleven aromatic products, twenty two hydroxylated derivatives

Brief Timelapse on Dendrimer Chemistry: Advances, Limitations, and Expectations

KAUST Repository

Ornelas, Catia

2015-01-01

, with a critical analysis on the expectations, limitations, advances, current challenges and future directions. Dendrimer timelapse demonstrates constant evolution in dendrimer chemistry enabling their application in nanomedicine, protein mimic, catalysis

Experimental study of deceleration process of traveling wave direct energy converter for advanced fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeno, Hormasa; Yamamoto, Takayoshi; Takada, Kousuke; Yasaka, Yasuyoshi

2007-01-01

Advanced fusion is attractive in the view point of utilization of high efficiency direct energy conversion from fusion produced ions. Deuterium-helium-3 reaction is the most possible, however, the energy of created fast proton is so enormous that conventional electro-static converters cannot be applied. Use of a traveling wave direct energy converter (TWDEC), the principle of which was inverse process of a linear accelerator, was proposed for recovering energy of the fast protons. In order to realize the TWDEC, the authors are continuing experimental study by employing a small-scale simulator. A TWDEC consists of a modulator and a decelerator. Fast proton beam extracted from a reactor is introduced in the modulator where radio frequency (RF) electrostatic field modulate the beam velocity, and hence, the protons are bunched and density-modulated in the downstream. The density-modulated protons flow into the decelerator where a number of electrodes connected to a transmission circuit are axially aligned. The flowing protons induce RF current which creates RF traveling voltage on the electrodes. The RF traveling field between aligned electrodes decelerates the protons, thus their energy is recovered into RF power. In this paper, deceleration process of TWDEC is experimentally examined. In our experimental simulator, because of the small beam current, the induced potential, i.e. the deceleration field is so weak that the beam cannot be decelerated. Thus, we examined the process by dividing into two: one was induction of the deceleration field by the modulated beam, which was called as passive decelerator. The other was energy recovery through interaction between the deceleration field and the modulated beam. In this latter experiment, the deceleration field was supplied externally, and we called this as active decelerator. As for the active decelerator mode, we performed higher beam energy experiment than previous one. As the beam energy increases, the divergence of

Knowledge of advance directive and perceptions of end-of-life care in Chinese-American elders: The role of acculturation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Xiang; Sun, Fei; Ko, Eunjeong; Kwak, Jung; Shen, Huei-Wern

2015-12-01

This study aimed to describe knowledge of an advance directive (AD) and preferences regarding end-of-life (EoL) care communication, decision making, and designation of surrogates in Chinese-American elders and to examine the role of acculturation variables in AD awareness. Survey data were collected through face-to-face interviews on a sample of 385 Chinese-American elders aged 55 or above living in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The choice of language (Mandarin, Cantonese, or English) and place of interview (senior apartments, Chinese senior centers, or homes) was at the respondent's preference. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the influence of acculturation variables on AD awareness. Some 21% of participants had heard about ADs, and only 10% had completed one. Elders with higher acculturation levels (OR = 1.04, p Acculturation levels influence awareness of an AD, and family values are crucial in EoL care decision making. Cultural factors should be considered in designing and delivering appropriate programs to promote knowledge of EoL care among Chinese-American elders and their families.

FY 2007 Progress Report for Advanced Combustion Engine Technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2007-12-01

Advanced combustion engines have great potential for achieving dramatic energy efficiency improvements in light-duty vehicle applications, where it is suited to both conventional and hybrid- electric powertrain configurations. Light-duty vehicles with advanced combustion engines can compete directly with gasoline engine hybrid vehicles in terms of fuel economy and consumer-friendly driving characteristics; also, they are projected to have energy efficiencies that are competitive with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles when used in hybrid applications.Advanced engine technologies being researched and developed by the Advanced Combustion Engine R&D Sub-Program will also allow the use of hydrogen as a fuel in ICEs and will provide an energy-efficient interim hydrogen-based powertrain technology during the transition to hydrogen/fuelcell-powered transportation vehicles.

MARS: Mirror Advanced Reactor Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Logan, B.G.

1984-01-01

A recently completed two-year study of a commercial tandem mirror reactor design [Mirror Advanced Reactor Study (MARS)] is briefly reviewed. The end plugs are designed for trapped particle stability, MHD ballooning, balanced geodesic curvature, and small radial electric fields in the central cell. New technologies such as lithium-lead blankets, 24T hybrid coils, gridless direct converters and plasma halo vacuum pumps are highlighted

Laser amplitude stabilization for advanced interferometric gravitational wave detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barr, B W; Strain, K A; Killow, C J

2005-01-01

We present results of experiments into the stabilization of the amplitude of Nd:YAG lasers for use in advanced gravitational wave detectors. By feeding back directly to the pump-diode driving current we achieved shot-noise-limited stabilization at frequencies up to several kHz with some residual noise at lower frequencies (sub ∼100 Hz). The method used is applicable to higher powered laser systems planned for advanced interferometric gravitational wave detectors

Laboratory directed research and development annual report: 2005

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

This report summarizes progress from the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program during fiscal year 2005 for Sandia National Laboratories. In addition to a programmatic and financial overview, the report includes progress reports from 410 individual R and D projects in 19 categories. The categories and subheadings are: Science, Technology and Engineering (Advanced Components and Certification Engineering; Advanced Manufacturing; Biotechnology; Chemical and Earth Sciences; Computational and Information Sciences; Electronics and Photonics; Engineering Sciences; Materials Science and Technology; Pulsed Power Sciences and High Energy Density Sciences; Science and Technology Strategic Objectives); Mission Technologies (Energy and Infrastructure Assurance; Homeland Security; Military Technologies and Applications; Nonproliferation and Assessments; Grand Challanges); and Corporate Objectives (Advanced Concepts; Seniors' Council; University Collaborations)

Advanced dementia pain management protocols.

Science.gov (United States)

Montoro-Lorite, Mercedes; Canalias-Reverter, Montserrat

Pain management in advanced dementia is complex because of neurological deficits present in these patients, and nurses are directly responsible for providing interventions for the evaluation, management and relief of pain for people suffering from this health problem. In order to facilitate and help decision-makers, pain experts recommend the use of standardized protocols to guide pain management, but in Spain, comprehensive pain management protocols have not yet been developed for advanced dementia. This article reflects the need for an integrated management of pain in advanced dementia. From the review and analysis of the most current and relevant studies in the literature, we performed an approximation of the scales for the determination of pain in these patients, with the observational scale PAINAD being the most recommended for the hospital setting. In addition, we provide an overview for comprehensive management of pain in advanced dementia through the conceptual framework «a hierarchy of pain assessment techniques by McCaffery and Pasero» for the development and implementation of standardized protocols, including a four-phase cyclical process (evaluation, planning/performance, revaluation and recording), which can facilitate the correct management of pain in these patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Faculty Development for Advancing Community Engagement in Higher Education: Current Trends and Future Directions

Science.gov (United States)

Welch, Marshall; Plaxton-Moore, Star

2017-01-01

This research involved the conduct of a conceptual review of 28 refereed journal articles and a survey of campus centers for community engagement staff to identify salient features and trends of existing faculty development programming designed to advance service-learning and community engagement in higher education. Results of this investigation…

Laboratory directed research and development program, FY 1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-02-01

The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program FY 1996 report is compiled from annual reports submitted by principal investigators following the close of the fiscal year. This report describes the projects supported and summarizes their accomplishments. It constitutes a part of the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program planning and documentation process that includes an annual planning cycle, projection selection, implementation, and review. The Berkeley Lab LDRD program is a critical tool for directing the Laboratory's forefront scientific research capabilities toward vital, excellent, and emerging scientific challenges. The program provides the resources for Berkeley Lab scientists to make rapid and significant contributions to critical national science and technology problems. The LDRD program also advances the Laboratory's core competencies, foundations, and scientific capability, and permits exploration of exciting new opportunities. Areas eligible for support include: (1) Work in forefront areas of science and technology that enrich Laboratory research and development capability; (2) Advanced study of new hypotheses, new experiments, and innovative approaches to develop new concepts or knowledge; (3) Experiments directed toward proof of principle for initial hypothesis testing or verification; and (4) Conception and preliminary technical analysis to explore possible instrumentation, experimental facilities, or new devices

Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program FY98

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansen, T. [ed.; Chartock, M.

1999-02-05

The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL or Berkeley Lab) Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program FY 1998 report is compiled from annual reports submitted by principal investigators following the close of the fiscal year. This report describes the supported projects and summarizes their accomplishments. It constitutes a part of the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program planning and documentation process that includes an annual planning cycle, projection selection, implementation, and review. The LBNL LDRD program is a critical tool for directing the Laboratory's forefront scientific research capabilities toward vital, excellent, and emerging scientific challenges. The program provides the resources for LBNL scientists to make rapid and significant contributions to critical national science and technology problems. The LDRD program also advances LBNL's core competencies, foundations, and scientific capability, and permits exploration of exciting new opportunities. All projects are work in forefront areas of science and technology. Areas eligible for support include the following: Advanced study of hypotheses, concepts, or innovative approaches to scientific or technical problems; Experiments and analyses directed toward ''proof of principle'' or early determination of the utility of new scientific ideas, technical concepts, or devices; and Conception and preliminary technical analyses of experimental facilities or devices.

Laboratory directed research and development program, FY 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-02-01

The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program FY 1996 report is compiled from annual reports submitted by principal investigators following the close of the fiscal year. This report describes the projects supported and summarizes their accomplishments. It constitutes a part of the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program planning and documentation process that includes an annual planning cycle, projection selection, implementation, and review. The Berkeley Lab LDRD program is a critical tool for directing the Laboratory`s forefront scientific research capabilities toward vital, excellent, and emerging scientific challenges. The program provides the resources for Berkeley Lab scientists to make rapid and significant contributions to critical national science and technology problems. The LDRD program also advances the Laboratory`s core competencies, foundations, and scientific capability, and permits exploration of exciting new opportunities. Areas eligible for support include: (1) Work in forefront areas of science and technology that enrich Laboratory research and development capability; (2) Advanced study of new hypotheses, new experiments, and innovative approaches to develop new concepts or knowledge; (3) Experiments directed toward proof of principle for initial hypothesis testing or verification; and (4) Conception and preliminary technical analysis to explore possible instrumentation, experimental facilities, or new devices.

The advanced controls program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knee, H.E.; White, J.D.

1990-01-01

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), under sponsorship of the US Department of Energy (DOE), is conducting research that will lead to advanced, automated control of new liquid-metal-reactor (LMR) nuclear power plants. Although this program of research (entitled the ''Advanced Controls Program'') is focused on LMR technology, it will be capable of providing control design, test, and qualification capability for other advanced reactor designs (e.g., the advanced light water reactor [ALWR] and high temperature gas-cooled reactor [HTGR] designs), while also benefiting existing nuclear plants. The Program will also have applicability to complex, non-nuclear process control environments (e.g., petrochemical, aerospace, etc.). The Advanced Controls Program will support capabilities throughout the entire plant design life cycle, i.e., from the initial interactive first-principle dynamic model development for the process, systems, components, and instruments through advanced control room qualification. The current program involves five principal areas of research activities: (1) demonstrations of advanced control system designs, (2) development of an advanced controls design environment, (3) development of advanced control strategies, (4) research and development (R ampersand D) in human-system integration for advanced control system designs, and (5) testing and validation of advanced control system designs. Discussion of the research in these five areas forms the basis of this paper. Also included is a description of the research directions of the program. 8 refs

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES OF ELECTRONIC EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Shishkina

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Actual problems and contradictions of electronic educational systems development are described: availability of education, quality of educational services; individualization of education; exposures and advantages in using of computer technology; standardization of technologies and resources. Tendencies of their solution in the view of development of new advanced technologies of e-education are specified. The essence and advantages of using the cloud computing technologies as a new platform of distributed learning are specified. Advanced directions of cloud-based data usage in executive system of education are declared: access management, content management, asset management, communications management.

Expectations of a business rescue plan: international directives for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Expectations of a business rescue plan: international directives for Chapter 6 implementation. ... AFRICAN JOURNALS ONLINE (AJOL) · Journals · Advanced Search ... Preliminary analysis of business rescue plans suggested that a significant ...

Motivations, aims and communication around advance directives: a mixed-methods study into the perspective of their owners and the influence of a current illness.

Science.gov (United States)

van Wijmen, Matthijs P S; Pasman, H Roeline W; Widdershoven, Guy A M; Onwuteaka-Philipsen, Bregje D

2014-06-01

What are motivations of owners of an advance directive (AD) to draft an AD, what do they aim for with their AD and do they communicate about their AD? Written questionnaires were sent to a cohort of people owning different types of ADs (n=5768). A purposive sample of people suffering from an illness was selected from the cohort for an in-depth interview (n=29). About half of our population had no direct motivation to draft their AD. Most mentioned motivation for the other half was an illness of a family member or friend. Many different and specific aims for drafting an AD were mentioned. An often mentioned more general aim in people with different ADs was to prevent unnecessary lengthening of life or treatment (14-16%). Most respondents communicated about having an AD with close-ones (63-88%) and with their GP (65-79%). In the interviews people gave vivid examples of experiences of what they hoped to prevent at the end of life. Some mentioned difficulties foreseeing the future and gave examples of response shift. ADs can give directions to caregivers about what people want at the end of life. ADs have to be discussed in detail by their owners and caregivers, since owners often have specific aims with their AD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integrated Application of Active Controls (IAAC) technology to an advanced subsonic transport project: Current and advanced act control system definition study

Science.gov (United States)

1982-01-01

The Current and Advanced Technology ACT control system definition tasks of the Integrated Application of Active Controls (IAAC) Technology project within the Energy Efficient Transport Program are summarized. The systems mechanize six active control functions: (1) pitch augmented stability; (2) angle of attack limiting; (3) lateral/directional augmented stability; (4) gust load alleviation; (5) maneuver load control; and (6) flutter mode control. The redundant digital control systems meet all function requirements with required reliability and declining weight and cost as advanced technology is introduced.

The ARIES-AT advanced tokamak, Advanced technology fusion power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Najmabadi, Farrokh; Abdou, A.; Bromberg, L.

2006-01-01

The ARIES-AT study was initiated to assess the potential of high-performance tokamak plasmas together with advanced technology in a fusion power plant and to identifying physics and technology areas with the highest leverage for achieving attractive and competitive fusion power in order to guide fusion R and D. The 1000-MWe ARIES-AT design has a major radius of 5.2 m, a minor radius of 1.3 m, a toroidal β of 9.2% (β N = 5.4) and an on-axis field of 5.6 T. The plasma current is 13 MA and the current-drive power is 35 MW. The ARIES-AT design uses the same physics basis as ARIES-RS, a reversed-shear plasma. A distinct difference between ARIES-RS and ARIES-AT plasmas is the higher plasma elongation of ARIES-AT (κ x = 2.2) which is the result of a 'thinner' blanket leading to a large increase in plasma β to 9.2% (compared to 5% for ARIES-RS) with only a slightly higher β N . ARIES-AT blanket is a simple, low-pressure design consisting of SiC composite boxes with a SiC insert for flow distribution that does not carry any structural load. The breeding coolant (Pb-17Li) enters the fusion core from the bottom, and cools the first wall while traveling in the poloidal direction to the top of the blanket module. The coolant then returns through the blanket channel at a low speed and is superheated to ∼1100 deg. C. As most of the fusion power is deposited directly into the breeding coolant, this method leads to a high coolant outlet temperature while keeping the temperature of the SiC structure as well as interface between SiC structure and Pb-17Li to about 1000 deg. C. This blanket is well matched to an advanced Brayton power cycle, leading to an overall thermal efficiency of ∼59%. The very low afterheat in SiC composites results in exceptional safety and waste disposal characteristics. All of the fusion core components qualify for shallow land burial under U.S. regulations (furthermore, ∼90% of components qualify as Class-A waste, the lowest level). The ARIES

Directed Self-Assembly of Nanodispersions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Furst, Eric M [University of Delaware

2013-11-15

Directed self-assembly promises to be the technologically and economically optimal approach to industrial-scale nanotechnology, and will enable the realization of inexpensive, reproducible and active nanostructured materials with tailored photonic, transport and mechanical properties. These new nanomaterials will play a critical role in meeting the 21st century grand challenges of the US, including energy diversity and sustainability, national security and economic competitiveness. The goal of this work was to develop and fundamentally validate methods of directed selfassembly of nanomaterials and nanodispersion processing. The specific aims were: 1. Nanocolloid self-assembly and interactions in AC electric fields. In an effort to reduce the particle sizes used in AC electric field self-assembly to lengthscales, we propose detailed characterizations of field-driven structures and studies of the fundamental underlying particle interactions. We will utilize microscopy and light scattering to assess order-disorder transitions and self-assembled structures under a variety of field and physicochemical conditions. Optical trapping will be used to measure particle interactions. These experiments will be synergetic with calculations of the particle polarizability, enabling us to both validate interactions and predict the order-disorder transition for nanocolloids. 2. Assembly of anisotropic nanocolloids. Particle shape has profound effects on structure and flow behavior of dispersions, and greatly complicates their processing and self-assembly. The methods developed to study the self-assembled structures and underlying particle interactions for dispersions of isotropic nanocolloids will be extended to systems composed of anisotropic particles. This report reviews several key advances that have been made during this project, including, (1) advances in the measurement of particle polarization mechanisms underlying field-directed self-assembly, and (2) progress in the

Direct Numerical Simulations of Statistically Stationary Turbulent Premixed Flames

KAUST Repository

Im, Hong G.; Arias, Paul G.; Chaudhuri, Swetaprovo; Uranakara, Harshavardhana A.

2016-01-01

Direct numerical simulations (DNS) of turbulent combustion have evolved tremendously in the past decades, thanks to the rapid advances in high performance computing technology. Today’s DNS is capable of incorporating detailed reaction mechanisms

Seismicity at Old Faithful Geyser: an isolated source of geothermal noise and possible analogue of volcanic seismicity

Science.gov (United States)

Kieffer, Susan Werner

1984-09-01

Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park, U.S.A., is a relatively isolated source of seismic noise and exhibits seismic behavior similar to that observed at many volcanoes, including "bubblequakes" that resemble B-type "earthquakes", harmonic tremor before and during eruptions, and periods of seismic quiet prior to eruptions. Although Old Faithful differs from volcanoes in that the conduit is continuously open, that rock-fracturing is not a process responsible for seismicity, and that the erupting fluid is inviscid H 2O rather than viscous magma, there are also remarkable similarities in the problems of heat and mass recharge to the system, in the eruption dynamics, and in the seismicity. Water rises irregularly into the immediate reservoir of Old Faithful as recharge occurs, a fact that suggests that there are two enlarged storage regions: one between 18 and 22 m (the base of the immediate reservoir) and one between about 10 and 12 m depth. Transport of heat from hot water or steam entering at the base of the recharging water column into cooler overlying water occurs by migration of steam bubbles upward and their collapse in the cooler water, and by episodes of convective overturn. An eruption occurs when the temperature of the near-surface water exceeds the boiling point if the entire water column is sufficiently close to the boiling curve that the propagation of pressure-release waves (rarefactions) down the column can bring the liquid water onto the boiling curve. The process of conversion of the liquid water in the conduit at the onset of an eruption into a two-phase liquid-vapor mixture takes on the order of 30 s. The seismicity is directly related to the sequence of filling and heating during the recharge cycle, and to the fluid mechanics of the eruption. Short (0.2-0.3 s), monochromatic, high-frequency events (20-60 Hz) resembling unsustained harmonic tremor and, in some instances, B-type volcanic earthquakes, occur when exploding or imploding

Proposals accepted by the CEC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1987-06-01

Descriptions are given of 12 geothermal projects approved by the California Energy Commission (CEC) for inclusion on the 1988-89 state budget. Projects include an aquaculture facility for mosquistofish to be used instead of toxic chemicals to control mosquitoes, an air monitoring program at The Geysers, a water quality baseline study for the Pieta Creek Basin within The Geysers KGRA, expansion of an existing geothermal district heating system, resource assessment and exploratory drilling on the Santa Ysabel Indian Reservation, and modifications and retrofit of space and water heating systems at two hospitals.

Direct heat applications of geothermal energy in The Geysers/Clear Lake region. Volume I. Geotechnical assessment, agribusiness applications, socioeconomic assessment, engineering assessment. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1976-08-01

Discussion is presented under the following section headings: background and some technical characteristics of geothermal resources; geology and geohydrology, geophysics, and, conclusions regarding availability of geothermal energy for nonelectric uses; agricultural assessment of Lake County, site assessment for potential agricultural development, analysis of potential agricultural applications, special application of low cost geothermal energy to algae harvesting, development of an integrated agribusiness, geothermal complex in Lake County, analysis of individual enterprises, and, recommendations for subsequent work; demographic characteristics, economic condition and perspective of Lake County, economic impact of geothermal in Lake County, social and economic factors related to geothermal resource development, socioeconomic impact of nonelectric uses of geothermal energy, and, identification of direct heat applications of geothermal energy for Lake County based on selected interviews; cost estimate procedure, example, justification of procedure, and, typical costs and conclusions; and, recommended prefeasibility and feasibility studies related to construction of facilities for nonelectric applications of geothermal resource utilization. (JGB)

When lithography meets self-assembly: a review of recent advances in the directed assembly of complex metal nanostructures on planar and textured surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, Robert A.; Menumerov, Eredzhep; Neretina, Svetlana

2017-07-01

One of the foremost challenges in nanofabrication is the establishment of a processing science that integrates wafer-based materials, techniques, and devices with the extraordinary physicochemical properties accessible when materials are reduced to nanoscale dimensions. Such a merger would allow for exacting controls on nanostructure positioning, promote cooperative phenomenon between adjacent nanostructures and/or substrate materials, and allow for electrical contact to individual or groups of nanostructures. With neither self-assembly nor top-down lithographic processes being able to adequately meet this challenge, advancements have often relied on a hybrid strategy that utilizes lithographically-defined features to direct the assembly of nanostructures into organized patterns. While these so-called directed assembly techniques have proven viable, much of this effort has focused on the assembly of periodic arrays of spherical or near-spherical nanostructures comprised of a single element. Work directed toward the fabrication of more complex nanostructures, while still at a nascent stage, has nevertheless demonstrated the possibility of forming arrays of nanocubes, nanorods, nanoprisms, nanoshells, nanocages, nanoframes, core-shell structures, Janus structures, and various alloys on the substrate surface. In this topical review, we describe the progress made in the directed assembly of periodic arrays of these complex metal nanostructures on planar and textured substrates. The review is divided into three broad strategies reliant on: (i) the deterministic positioning of colloidal structures, (ii) the reorganization of deposited metal films at elevated temperatures, and (iii) liquid-phase chemistry practiced directly on the substrate surface. These strategies collectively utilize a broad range of techniques including capillary assembly, microcontact printing, chemical surface modulation, templated dewetting, nanoimprint lithography, and dip-pen nanolithography and

Analisis Tingkat Motivasi Siswa Dalam Pembelajaran IPA Model Advance Organizer Berbasis Proyek

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tasiwan -

2014-04-01

Full Text Available atur kemajuan (advance organizer berbasis proyek. Sampel penelitian dipilih secara acak. Pada kelas  eksperimen diterapkan model pembelajaran advance organizer berbasis proyek sedangkan pada kelas kontrol diterapkan pembelajaran langsung (direct instruction tanpa advance organizer. Sebelum pembelajaran di kelas, siswa eksperimen dikelompokkan menjadi 8 kelompok yang terdiri atas 4 – 5 siswa. Setiap kelompok ditugaskan untuk merealisasikan proyek bel listrik, rangkaian arus seri – paralel, dan tuas. Produk proyek digunakan dalam pembelajaran dikelas sebagai advance organizer. Data diperoleh melalui observasi partisipatif, penilaian produk, peta konsep, laporan eksperimen, dan angket. Instrumen motivasi menggunakan skala motivasi ARCS. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kelas eksperimen memiliki tingkat motivasi lebih baik dalam aspek perhatian, relevansi, kepercayaan diri, dan kepuasan pembelajaran dengan rata – rata tingkat motivasi sebesar 77,20, sedangkan tanpa advance organizer berbasis proyek sebesar 71,10. Disarankan siswa diberikan kemandirian penuh dalam proyek. This study was conducted to analyze the level of student motivation in learning science through models of advance organizer  based project . Samples were selected at random . In the experimental class advance organizer applied learning model based on a class project while learning control direct instruction without advance organizer . Prior learning in the classroom , students are grouped into 8 experimental groups consisting of 4-5 students . Each group was assigned a project to realize an electric bell , the circuit current series - parallel , and lever . Products used in a learning class project as advance organizer . The data obtained through participant observation , assessment product , concept maps , experimental reports , and questionnaires . Motivation instrument using ARCS motivation scale . Results showed that the experimental class had better motivation level

Advances and Research Directions in Data-Warehousing Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mukesh Mohania

1999-11-01

Full Text Available Information is one of the most valuable assets of an organisation and when used properly can assist in intelligent decision making that can significantly improve the functioning of an organisation. Data Warehousing is a recent technology that allows information to be easily and efficiently accessed for decision-making activities by collecting data from many operational, legacy and possibly heterogeneous data sources. On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP tools are well-suited for complex data analysis, such as multi-dimensional data analysis, and to assist in decision support activities while data mining tools take the process one step further and actively search the data for patterns and hidden knowledge in the data held in the warehouse. Many organisations are building, or are planning to develop, a data warehouse for their operational and decision support needs. In this paper, we present an overview of data warehousing, multi-dimensional databases, OLAP and data mining technology and discuss the directions of current research in the area. We also discuss recent developments in data warehouse modelling, view selection and maintenance, indexing schemes, parallel query processing and data mining issues. A number of technical issues for exploratory research are presented and possible solutions are also discussed.

Fully integrated biochip platforms for advanced healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Carrara, Sandro; Ghoreishizadeh, Sara; Olivo, Jacopo; Taurino, Irene; Baj-Rossi, Camilla; Cavallini, Andrea; de Beeck, Maaike Op; Dehollain, Catherine; Burleson, Wayne; Moussy, Francis Gabriel; Guiseppi-Elie, Anthony; De Micheli, Giovanni

2012-01-01

Recent advances in microelectronics and biosensors are enabling developments of innovative biochips for advanced healthcare by providing fully integrated platforms for continuous monitoring of a large set of human disease biomarkers. Continuous monitoring of several human metabolites can be addressed by using fully integrated and minimally invasive devices located in the sub-cutis, typically in the peritoneal region. This extends the techniques of continuous monitoring of glucose currently being pursued with diabetic patients. However, several issues have to be considered in order to succeed in developing fully integrated and minimally invasive implantable devices. These innovative devices require a high-degree of integration, minimal invasive surgery, long-term biocompatibility, security and privacy in data transmission, high reliability, high reproducibility, high specificity, low detection limit and high sensitivity. Recent advances in the field have already proposed possible solutions for several of these issues. The aim of the present paper is to present a broad spectrum of recent results and to propose future directions of development in order to obtain fully implantable systems for the continuous monitoring of the human metabolism in advanced healthcare applications.

Fusion advanced studies Torus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

The successful development of ITER and DEMO scenarios requires preparatory activities on devices that are smaller than ITER, sufficiently flexible and capable of investigating the peculiar physics of burning plasma conditions. The aim of the Fusion Advanced Studies Torus (FAST) proposal [2.1] (formerly FT3 [2.2]) is to show that the preparation of ITER scenarios and the development of new expertise for the DEMO design and RD can be effectively implemented on a new facility. FAST will a) operate with deuterium plasmas, thereby avoiding problems associated with tritium, and allow investigation of nonlinear dynamics (which are important for understanding alpha particle behaviour in burning plasmas) by using fast ions accelerated by heating and current drive systems; b) work in a dimensionless parameter range close to that of ITER; c) test technical innovative solutions, such as full-tungsten plasma-facing components and an advanced liquid metal divertor target for the first wall/divertor, directly relevant for ITER and DEMO; d) exploit advanced regimes with a much longer pulse duration than the current diffusion time; e) provide a test bed for ITER and DEMO diagnostics; f) provide an ideal framework for model and numerical code benchmarks, their verification and validation in ITER/ DEMO-relevant plasma conditions

The cultural context of patient's autonomy and doctor's duty: passive euthanasia and advance directives in Germany and Israel.

Science.gov (United States)

Schicktanz, Silke; Raz, Aviad; Shalev, Carmel

2010-11-01

The moral discourse surrounding end-of-life (EoL) decisions is highly complex, and a comparison of Germany and Israel can highlight the impact of cultural factors. The comparison shows interesting differences in how patient's autonomy and doctor's duties are morally and legally related to each other with respect to the withholding and withdrawing of medical treatment in EoL situations. Taking the statements of two national expert ethics committees on EoL in Israel and Germany (and their legal outcome) as an example of this discourse, we describe the similarity of their recommendations and then focus on the differences, including the balancing of ethical principles, what is identified as a problem, what social role professionals play, and the influence of history and religion. The comparison seems to show that Israel is more restrictive in relation to Germany, in contrast with previous bioethical studies in the context of the moral and legal discourse regarding the beginning of life, in which Germany was characterized as far more restrictive. We reflect on the ambivalence of the cultural reasons for this difference and its expression in various dissenting views on passive euthanasia and advance directives, and conclude with a comment on the difficulty in classifying either stance as more or less restrictive.

Hervormde voetspore op die Tukkie-kampus: ’n Kroniek van die eerste 50 jaar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André G. Ungerer

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In 2017 the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika (NHKA celebrates its centenary of theological education at the University of Pretoria (UP. In this article the focus is on the build-up to setting up the first 50 years 1917– 1967 at UP. From as early as 1909 there was a yearning for our own theological seminary; however, some of the church leaders expressed their desire for theological education at a university. At the dawn of 1916 everything was in place for the NHKA and the Presbyterian Church of South Africa, as the first two partners, to start a faculty of theology at the Transvaal University College (TUC. On 01 April 1917 the Faculty of Theology commenced its work with prof. J.H.J.A. Greyvenstein of the NHKA and prof. E. MacMillan from the Presbyterian Church. The Presbyterian link with the faculty was broken in 1933. From 1938 the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk (NGK joined the NHKA and two independent sections were established: Section A for the NHKA and Section B for the NGK. There was a steady growth in the number of students and professors and on 13 June 1967 the NHKA filled its sixth professorship in the person of prof. I.J. de Wet. This era was also characterised by a lot of political tension in the heyday of the policy of apartheid. The NHKA was known for Article III in its constitution that propagates that church membership was for whites only. The NHKA support of the policy of apartheid was the cause of a dispute between the Church and prof. A.S. Geyser. In the end the matter was settled in favour of Geyser. There was also a dispute between professors A.G. Geyser and A.D. Pont that ended up in court in 1967. Pont was accused of defamation against Geyser. The court ruled against Pont and Geyser was granted the largest amount of compensation up till then.

Advance care planning with individuals experiencing homelessness: Literature review and recommendations for public health practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Hubbell, Sarah A

2017-09-01

Vulnerable populations in the United States experience disparities in access to advance care planning and may have significant unmet health care needs at the end of life, including unrelieved suffering. People who are homeless have increased morbidity and mortality risks, yet lack opportunities to communicate end-of-life preferences. This paper includes a narrative literature review of advance care planning interventions and qualitative investigations into end-of-life concerns among people experiencing homelessness. Trials of clinician-guided interventions with homeless individuals demonstrated effectiveness in achieving advance directive completion and surrogate decision-maker designation. End-of-life concerns among homeless persons included fears of dying alone, dying unnoticed, or remaining unidentified after death. Research participants also reported concerns regarding burial and notification of family members. Public health practitioners should facilitate advance care planning for people who are homeless by providing opportunities for education and discussion on care options and advance directives. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Construction of a Direct Water-Injected Two-Stroke Engine for Phased Direct Fuel Injection-High Pressure Charging Investigations

Science.gov (United States)

Somsel, James P.

1998-01-01

The development of a water injected Orbital Combustion Process (OCP) engine was conducted to assess the viability of using the powerplant for high altitude NASA aircraft and General Aviation (GA) applications. An OCP direct fuel injected, 1.2 liter, three cylinder, two-stroke engine has been enhanced to independently inject water directly into the combustion chamber. The engine currently demonstrates low brake specific fuel consumption capability and an excellent power to weight ratio. With direct water injection, significant improvements can be made to engine power, to knock limits/ignition advance timing, and to engine NO(x) emissions. The principal aim of the testing was to validate a cyclic model developed by the Systems Analysis Branch at NASA Ames Research Center. The work is a continuation of Ames' investigations into a Phased Direct Fuel Injection Engine with High Pressure Charging (PDFI-ITPC).

Spatial Policy оf Exporting Direct Investments: Features оf China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alina Nikolaevna Novopashina

2014-03-01

Full Text Available In recent years, China has shown rapid growth in volumes of foreign direct investment (FDI, which is the consequence of implementing policy. However, the structure of FDI does not correspond to the government-supported areas. Existing theoretical and empirical studies don’t reveal the causes of China’s FDI. Results of the regression analysis (based on panel data for 2003-2010 prove that the most attractive for Chinese investors were countries with following features: 1 rich in mineral resources, 2 possessing advanced technologies, 3 higher than in China income levels, 4 geographic proximity to China and 5 foreign trade openness. Furthermore, features of the current institutional environment in China affect the directions of foreign direct investment. Investors from PRC direct FDI in developing countries which have low quality of institutions as well as China. Investing in these countries is primarily aimed at getting access to their mineral resources and consumer markets. As for investing in developed countries, the reason is acquisition of advanced technologies which they possess. Directions of FDI in these countries, on the contrary, are determined by the high quality of institutions

Engaging Men and Boys in Advancing Women's Agency : Where We Stand and New Directions

OpenAIRE

Fleming, Paul J.; Barker, Gary; McCleary-Sills, Jennifer; Morton, Matthew

2013-01-01

Despite advances in gender equality, women and girls still face disadvantages and limits on their agency. Men and boys can be key stakeholders and allies to increase women's agency. This paper focuses on examining men's attitudes and behaviors related to gender equality and violence perpetration to better understand how to engage men and boys as. It uses data collected from men and women f...

Direct Problems and Inverse Problems in Biometric Systems

OpenAIRE

Mihailescu Marius Iulian

2013-01-01

The article purpose is to describe the two sides of biometrics technologies, direct problems and inverse problems. The advance that we face today in field of Information Technology makes Information Security an inseparable part. The authentication has a huge role when we deal about security. The problems that can appear in implementing and developing biometrics systems is raising many problems, and one of the goal of this article is to focus on direct and inverse problems which is a new and c...

Sports Tournament Predictions Using Direct Manipulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Vuillemot, Romain; Perin, Charles

2016-01-01

An advanced interface for sports tournament predictions uses direct manipulation to allow users to make nonlinear predictions. Unlike previous interface designs, the interface helps users focus on their prediction tasks by enabling them to first choose a winner and then fill out the rest of the bracket. In real-world tests of the proposed interface (for the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament and 2015/2016 UEFA Champions League), the authors validated the use of direct manipulation as an alternative to widgets. Using visitor interaction logs, they were able to determine the strategies people use to perform predictions and identify potential areas of improvement for further prediction interfaces.

Analysis of the potential geochemical reactions in the Enceladus' hydrothermal environment

Science.gov (United States)

Ramirez-Cabañas, A. K.; Flandes, A.

2017-12-01

Enceladus is the sixth largest moon of Saturn and differs from its other moons, because of its cryovolcanic geysers that emanate from its south pole. The instruments of the Cassini spacecraft reveal different compounds in the gases and the dust of the geysers, such as salts (sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate and/or sodium carbonate), as well as silica traces (Postberg et al., 2008, 2009) that could be the result of a hydrothermal environment (Hsu et al., 2014, Sekine et al., 2014). By means of a thermodynamic analysis, we propose and evaluate potential geochemical reactions that could happen from the interaction between the nucleus surface and the inner ocean of Enceladus. These reactions may well lead to the origin of the compounds found in the geysers. From this analysis, we propose that, at least, two minerals must be present in the condritic nucleus of Enceladus: olivines (fayalite and fosterite) and feldspar (orthoclase and albite). Subsequently, taking as reference the hydrothermal processes that take place on Earth, we propose the different stages of a potential hydrothermal scenario for Enceladus.

Large-Scale Direct-Writing of Aligned Nanofibers for Flexible Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Dong; Ding, Yajiang; Duan, Yongqing; Su, Jiangtao; Yin, Zhouping; Huang, Yong An

2018-05-01

Nanofibers/nanowires usually exhibit exceptionally low flexural rigidities and remarkable tolerance against mechanical bending, showing superior advantages in flexible electronics applications. Electrospinning is regarded as a powerful process for this 1D nanostructure; however, it can only be able to produce chaotic fibers that are incompatible with the well-patterned microstructures in flexible electronics. Electro-hydrodynamic (EHD) direct-writing technology enables large-scale deposition of highly aligned nanofibers in an additive, noncontact, real-time adjustment, and individual control manner on rigid or flexible, planar or curved substrates, making it rather attractive in the fabrication of flexible electronics. In this Review, the ground-breaking research progress in the field of EHD direct-writing technology is summarized, including a brief chronology of EHD direct-writing techniques, basic principles and alignment strategies, and applications in flexible electronics. Finally, future prospects are suggested to advance flexible electronics based on orderly arranged EHD direct-written fibers. This technology overcomes the limitations of the resolution of fabrication and viscosity of ink of conventional inkjet printing, and represents major advances in manufacturing of flexible electronics. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Key Advances in the Systemic Therapy for Soft tissue Sarcomas: Current Status and Future Directions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neelesh Soman

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Soft tissue sarcomas (STS represent a heterogeneous group of diverse neoplasms of mesenchymal origin. Once relapsed from standard therapy, STS patients have limited treatment options especially those that present with advanced or metastatic disease. In this review article, we highlight recent clinical data that led to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA approval of pazopanib (Votrient® for STS and regorafenib (Stivarga®, BAY 73-4506 in gastrointestinal stromal tumours. We also review ongoing safety/efficacy data for trabectedin (Yondelis®, ET-743, and data from clinical studies of ridaforolimus (AP23573; MK-8669 and palifosfamide (ZIO-201. We provide a list of some promising ongoing trials in soft tissue sarcomas including first line studies of TH-302 and trabectedin. Finally, our article delves into recent advances in our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of STS and novel therapies that might be explored as treatment options for specific STS histologies.

Status of advanced bremsstrahlung converters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halbleib, J.A.

1980-01-01

This paper is an attempt to review the somewhat ill-defined area of advanced converter research in a more or less chronological fashion. Section 2 reviews the early B/sub z/ work that was motivated by the CASINO project. More recent work makes liberal use of technology from ICF research using REBs is discussed in Sec. 3. Section 4 discusses possible directions for future research, some of which are being actively pursued at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and elsewhere

Computational Intelligence Paradigms in Advanced Pattern Classification

CERN Document Server

Jain, Lakhmi

2012-01-01

This monograph presents selected areas of application of pattern recognition and classification approaches including handwriting recognition, medical image analysis and interpretation, development of cognitive systems for image computer understanding, moving object detection, advanced image filtration and intelligent multi-object labelling and classification. It is directed to the scientists, application engineers, professors, professors and students will find this book useful.

First VESF School on Advanced Detectors for Gravitational Waves

CERN Document Server

Advanced Interferometers and the Search for Gravitational Waves

2014-01-01

The search for gravitational radiation with optical interferometers is gaining momentum worldwide. Beside the VIRGO and GEO gravitational wave observatories in Europe and the two LIGOs in the United States, which have operated successfully during the past decade, further observatories are being completed (KAGRA in Japan) or planned (ILIGO in India). The sensitivity of the current observatories, although spectacular, has not allowed direct discovery of gravitational waves. The advanced detectors (Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo), at present in the development phase, will improve sensitivity by a factor of 10, probing the universe up to 200 Mpc for signal from inspiraling binary compact stars. This book covers all experimental aspects of the search for gravitational radiation with optical interferometers. Every facet of the technological development underlying the evolution of advanced interferometers is thoroughly described, from configuration to optics and coatings, and from thermal compensation to suspensio...

An update on current management of advanced renal cell cancer, biomarkers, and future directions

OpenAIRE

Zhi, Wanqing Iris; Kim, Jenny J.

2014-01-01

In the past decade, metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treatment underwent significant advancement that resulted in an unprecedented improvement in the prognosis of this disease. This review will provide an updated review of currently approved treatment options, namely antiangiogenic and immunotherapy, as well as treatment guideline recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). We will summarize studies ongoing in determining prognostic and predictive biomarkers in maxi...

Recent designs for advanced fusion reactor blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sze, D.K.

1994-06-01

A series of reactor design studies based on the Tokamak configuration have been carried out under the direction of Professor Robert Conn of UCLA. They are called ARIES-1 through 4 and PULSAR 1 and 2. The key mission of these studies is to evaluate the attractiveness of fusion assuming different degrees of advancement in either physics or engineering development. Also, the requirements of engineering and physics systems for a pulsed reactor were evaluated by the PULSAR design studies. This paper discusses the directions and conclusions of the blanket and related engineering systems for those design studies

Impact of the Distance of Maxillary Advancement on Horizontal Relapse After Orthognathic Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Fahradyan, Artur; Wolfswinkel, Erik M; Clarke, Noreen; Park, Stephen; Tsuha, Michaela; Urata, Mark M; Hammoudeh, Jeffrey A; Yamashita, Dennis-Duke R

2018-04-01

The maxillary horizontal relapse following Le Fort I advancement has been estimated to be 10% to 50%. This retrospective review examines the direct association between the amounts of maxillary advancement and relapse. We hypothesize that the greater the advancement, the greater the relapse amount. Patients with class III skeletal malocclusion underwent maxillary advancement with either a Le Fort I or a Le Fort I with simultaneous mandibular setback (bimaxillary surgery) from 2008 to 2015. Patients were assessed for a history of cleft lip or cleft palate. Patients with known syndromes were excluded. Cephalometric analysis was performed to compare surgical and postsurgical changes. Of 136 patients, 47.1% were males and 61.8% had a history of cleft. The mean surgery age was 18.9 (13.8-23) years and 53.7% underwent a bimaxillary procedure. A representative subgroup of 35 patients had preoperative, immediate postoperative, and an average of 1-year postoperative lateral cephalograms taken. The mean maxillary advancement was 6.3 mm and the horizontal relapse was 1.8 mm, indicating a 28.6% relapse. A history of cleft and amount of maxillary advancement were directly correlated, whereas bone grafting of the maxillary osteotomy sites was inversely correlated with the amount of relapse ( P < .05). Our data suggest positive correlation between amount of maxillary advancement and horizontal relapse as well as a positive correlation between history of cleft and horizontal relapse. Bone grafting of the maxillary osteotomy sites has a protective effect on the relapse.

AdvancED Flex 4

CERN Document Server

Tiwari, Shashank; Schulze, Charlie

2010-01-01

AdvancED Flex 4 makes advanced Flex 4 concepts and techniques easy. Ajax, RIA, Web 2.0, mashups, mobile applications, the most sophisticated web tools, and the coolest interactive web applications are all covered with practical, visually oriented recipes. * Completely updated for the new tools in Flex 4* Demonstrates how to use Flex 4 to create robust and scalable enterprise-grade Rich Internet Applications.* Teaches you to build high-performance web applications with interactivity that really engages your users.* What you'll learn Practiced beginners and intermediate users of Flex, especially

Advanced medical interventions in pleural disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rahul Bhatnagar

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The burden of a number of pleural diseases continues to increase internationally. Although many pleural procedures have historically been the domain of interventional radiologists or thoracic surgeons, in recent years, there has been a marked expansion in the techniques available to the pulmonologist. This has been due in part to both technological advancements and a greater recognition that pleural disease is an important subspecialty of respiratory medicine. This article summarises the important literature relating to a number of advanced pleural interventions, including medical thoracoscopy, the insertion and use of indwelling pleural catheters, pleural manometry, point-of-care thoracic ultrasound, and image-guided closed pleural biopsy. We also aim to inform the reader regarding the latest updates to more established procedures such as chemical pleurodesis, thoracentesis and the management of chest drains, drawing on contemporary data from recent randomised trials. Finally, we shall look to explore the challenges faced by those practicing pleural medicine, especially relating to training, as well as possible future directions for the use and expansion of advanced medical interventions in pleural disease.

Current status and prospect of therapy with advanced cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watari, Tsutomu

1979-01-01

Symtomatic or palliative therapy of the patients with advanced cancer must be directed to the relief of specific distressing symptoms caused by or associated with neoplasm. The radiotherapy must have a clear concepts of the potential accomplishments of other treatment modalities, such as neurosurgery, anesthesiology, chemotherapy, pharmacology and psychotherapy, so that he may use his own method in proper perspective. I discussed following is an list of contents in this papers. Relief of pain, Psychotherapy, SVC obstruction, Obstructive jaundice, Brain and lung metastasis, prevention of fracture, Skin metastasis, Liver metastasis and treatment of advanced pediaric tumor etc. For the future: 1) Establishment of Stage and Grade of advanced cancer. 2) Development of new chemotherapeutic drug and immunotherapy. 3) Combination of multidisciplinary team and multidisciplinary treatment. (author)

Energy Efficient Engine program advanced turbofan nacelle definition study

Science.gov (United States)

Howe, David C.; Wynosky, T. A.

1985-01-01

Advanced, low drag, nacelle configurations were defined for some of the more promising propulsion systems identified in the earlier Benefit/Cost Study, to assess the benefits associated with these advanced technology nacelles and formulate programs for developing these nacelles and low volume thrust reversers/spoilers to a state of technology readiness in the early 1990's. The study results established the design feasibility of advanced technology, slim line nacelles applicable to advanced technology, high bypass ratio turbofan engines. Design feasibility was also established for two low volume thrust reverse/spoiler concepts that meet or exceed the required effectiveness for these engines. These nacelle and thrust reverse/spoiler designs were shown to be applicable in engines with takeoff thrust sizes ranging from 24,000 to 60,000 pounds. The reduced weight, drag, and cost of the advanced technology nacelle installations relative to current technology nacelles offer a mission fuel burn savings ranging from 3.0 to 4.5 percent and direct operating cost plus interest improvements from 1.6 to 2.2 percent.

A osteogenesis distraction device enabling control of vertical direction for syndromic craniosynostosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kobayashi, Shinji; Fukawa, Toshihiko; Hirakawa, Takashi; Maegawa, Jiro

2014-02-01

We have developed a hybrid facial osteogenesis distraction system that combines the advantages of external and internal distraction devices to enable control of both the distraction distance and vector. However, when the advanced maxilla has excessive clockwise rotation and shifts more downward vertically than planned, it might be impossible to pull it up to correct it. We invented devices attached to external distraction systems that can control the vertical vector of distraction to resolve this problem. The purpose of this article is to describe the result of utilizing the distraction system for syndromic craniosynostosis. In addition to a previously reported hybrid facial distraction system, the devices for controlling the vertical direction of the advanced maxilla were attached to the external distraction device. The vertical direction of the advanced maxilla can be controlled by adjustment of the spindle units. This system was used for 2 patients with Crouzon and Apert syndrome. The system enabled control of the vertical distance, with no complications during the procedures. As a result, the maxilla could be advanced into the planned position including overcorrection without excessive clockwise rotation of distraction. Our system can alter the cases and bring them into the planned position, by controlling the vertical vector of distraction. We believe that this system might be effective in infants with syndromic craniosynostosis as it involves 2 osteotomies and horizontal and vertical direction of elongation can be controlled.

Opinions about euthanasia and advanced dementia: a qualitative study among Dutch physicians and members of the general public.

Science.gov (United States)

Kouwenhoven, Pauline S C; Raijmakers, Natasja J H; van Delden, Johannes J M; Rietjens, Judith A C; van Tol, Donald G; van de Vathorst, Suzanne; de Graeff, Nienke; Weyers, Heleen A M; van der Heide, Agnes; van Thiel, Ghislaine J M W

2015-01-28

The Dutch law states that a physician may perform euthanasia according to a written advance euthanasia directive (AED) when a patient is incompetent as long as all legal criteria of due care are met. This may also hold for patients with advanced dementia. We investigated the differing opinions of physicians and members of the general public on the acceptability of euthanasia in patients with advanced dementia. In this qualitative study, 16 medical specialists, 19 general practitioners, 16 elderly physicians and 16 members of the general public were interviewed and asked for their opinions about a vignette on euthanasia based on an AED in a patient with advanced dementia. Members of the general public perceived advanced dementia as a debilitating and degrading disease. Physicians emphasized the need for direct communication with the patient when making decisions about euthanasia. Respondent from both groups acknowledged difficulties in the assessment of patients' autonomous wishes and the unbearableness of their suffering. Legally, an AED may replace direct communication with patients about their request for euthanasia. In practice, physicians are reluctant to forego adequate verbal communication with the patient because they wish to verify the voluntariness of patients' request and the unbearableness of suffering. For this reason, the applicability of AEDs in advanced dementia seems limited.

Advanced energy projects: FY 1987 research summaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-09-01

This report contains brief summaries of all projects active in the Division of Advanced Energy Projects during Fiscal Year 1987 (October 1, 1986-September 30, 1987). The intent of this compilation is to provide a convenient means for quickly acquainting an interested reader with the program in Advanced Energy Projects. More detailed information on research activities in a particular project may be obtained by contacting directly the principal investigator. Some projects will have reached the end of their contract periods by the time this book appears, and will, therefore, no longer be active. Those cases in which work was completed in FY '87 are indicated by the footnote: Project completed. The annual funding level of each project is shown

Advances in steam generator service technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nair, B. R.; Bastin, J. J.

1997-01-01

This paper will discuss the most recent and innovative advances in the areas of pressurized water reactor (PWR) steam generator service technology. The paper will include detail of new products such as the Remotely Operated Service Arm (ROSA-III), laser welded sleeving, and laser welded Direct Tube Repair (DTR) - products and services that save utility costs, shorten outage durations, enhance plant performance and safety, and reduce radiation exposure. (author)

[Thalidomide teratogenicity and its direct target identification].

Science.gov (United States)

Ito, Takumi; Ando, Hideki; Handa, Hiroshi

2015-01-01

Half a century ago, thalidomide was developed as a sedative drug and was wildly used over 40 countries. However the drug has serious birth defects such as amelia and phocomelia. Now thalidomide is regarded as a clinically effective drug and used for the treatment of multiple myeloma under strict controls. The direct target of thalidomide had been a long-standing question. We identified cereblon as a primary direct target protein for thalidomide teratogenicity using new affinity bead technology in 2010. In this review, we introduce an overview of thalidomide teratogenicity, a story about how we identified cereblon, and recent advances in cereblon studies.

Directional Joint Bilateral Filter for Depth Images

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anh Vu Le

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Depth maps taken by the low cost Kinect sensor are often noisy and incomplete. Thus, post-processing for obtaining reliable depth maps is necessary for advanced image and video applications such as object recognition and multi-view rendering. In this paper, we propose adaptive directional filters that fill the holes and suppress the noise in depth maps. Specifically, novel filters whose window shapes are adaptively adjusted based on the edge direction of the color image are presented. Experimental results show that our method yields higher quality filtered depth maps than other existing methods, especially at the edge boundaries.

A puzzling aspect of the effect of advance notice on unemployment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Addision, John; Blackburn, McKinley L.

1995-01-01

Displaced male workers with generous periods of advance notice tend to move directly into reemployment faster than their non-notified counterparts but once unemployed tend to escape from unemployment much more slowly. We examine three potential explanations for this puzzle associated with unemplo......Displaced male workers with generous periods of advance notice tend to move directly into reemployment faster than their non-notified counterparts but once unemployed tend to escape from unemployment much more slowly. We examine three potential explanations for this puzzle associated...... with unemployment insurance, the endogeneity of notice, and differential search intensity. Of these alternatives, the evidence suggests that it is the additional but less productive search time during the notice interval that creates the appearance of a puzzle....

Fully Integrated Biochip Platforms for Advanced Healthcare

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanni De Micheli

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Recent advances in microelectronics and biosensors are enabling developments of innovative biochips for advanced healthcare by providing fully integrated platforms for continuous monitoring of a large set of human disease biomarkers. Continuous monitoring of several human metabolites can be addressed by using fully integrated and minimally invasive devices located in the sub-cutis, typically in the peritoneal region. This extends the techniques of continuous monitoring of glucose currently being pursued with diabetic patients. However, several issues have to be considered in order to succeed in developing fully integrated and minimally invasive implantable devices. These innovative devices require a high-degree of integration, minimal invasive surgery, long-term biocompatibility, security and privacy in data transmission, high reliability, high reproducibility, high specificity, low detection limit and high sensitivity. Recent advances in the field have already proposed possible solutions for several of these issues. The aim of the present paper is to present a broad spectrum of recent results and to propose future directions of development in order to obtain fully implantable systems for the continuous monitoring of the human metabolism in advanced healthcare applications.

Ascertaining directionality information from incident nuclear radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Archambault, Brian C. [Purdue University (United States); Lapinskas, Joseph R. [QSA Global, Inc. (United States); Wang Jing; Webster, Jeffrey A. [Purdue University (United States); McDeavitt, Sean [Texas A and M University (United States); Taleyarkhan, Rusi P., E-mail: rusi@purdue.edu [Purdue University (United States)

2011-10-15

Highlights: > Use of tensioned metastable fluids for detection of fast neutron radiation. > Monitored neutrons with 100% gamma photon blindness capability. > Monitored direction of incoming neutron radiation from special nuclear material emissions. > Ascertained directionality of neutron source to within 30 deg. and with 80% confidence with 2000 detection events at rate of 30-40 per second. > Conducted successful blind test for determining source of neutrons from a hidden neutron emitting source. > Compared results with MCNP5-COMSOL based multi-physics model. - Abstract: Unprecedented capabilities for the detection of nuclear particles via tailored resonant acoustic systems such as the acoustic tensioned metastable fluid detection (ATMFD) systems were assessed for determining directionality of incoming fast neutrons. This paper presents advancements that expand on these accomplishments, thereby increasing the accuracy and precision of ascertaining directionality information utilizing enhanced signal processing-cum-signal analysis, refined computational algorithms, and on demand enlargement of the detector sensitive volume. Advances in the development of ATMFD systems were accomplished utilizing a combination of experimentation and theoretical modeling. Modeling methodologies include Monte-Carlo based nuclear particle transport using MCNP5 and multi-physics based assessments accounting for acoustic, structural, and electromagnetic coupling of the ATMFD system via COMSOL's multi-physics simulation platform. Benchmarking and qualification studies have been conducted with a 1 Ci Pu-Be neutron-gamma source. These results show that the specific ATMFD system used for this study can enable detection of directionality of incoming fast neutrons from the neutron source to within 30{sup o} with 80% confidence; this required {approx}2000 detection events which could be collected within {approx}50 s at a detection rate of {approx}30-40 per second. Blind testing was

Ascertaining directionality information from incident nuclear radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Archambault, Brian C.; Lapinskas, Joseph R.; Wang Jing; Webster, Jeffrey A.; McDeavitt, Sean; Taleyarkhan, Rusi P.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Use of tensioned metastable fluids for detection of fast neutron radiation. → Monitored neutrons with 100% gamma photon blindness capability. → Monitored direction of incoming neutron radiation from special nuclear material emissions. → Ascertained directionality of neutron source to within 30 deg. and with 80% confidence with 2000 detection events at rate of 30-40 per second. → Conducted successful blind test for determining source of neutrons from a hidden neutron emitting source. → Compared results with MCNP5-COMSOL based multi-physics model. - Abstract: Unprecedented capabilities for the detection of nuclear particles via tailored resonant acoustic systems such as the acoustic tensioned metastable fluid detection (ATMFD) systems were assessed for determining directionality of incoming fast neutrons. This paper presents advancements that expand on these accomplishments, thereby increasing the accuracy and precision of ascertaining directionality information utilizing enhanced signal processing-cum-signal analysis, refined computational algorithms, and on demand enlargement of the detector sensitive volume. Advances in the development of ATMFD systems were accomplished utilizing a combination of experimentation and theoretical modeling. Modeling methodologies include Monte-Carlo based nuclear particle transport using MCNP5 and multi-physics based assessments accounting for acoustic, structural, and electromagnetic coupling of the ATMFD system via COMSOL's multi-physics simulation platform. Benchmarking and qualification studies have been conducted with a 1 Ci Pu-Be neutron-gamma source. These results show that the specific ATMFD system used for this study can enable detection of directionality of incoming fast neutrons from the neutron source to within 30 o with 80% confidence; this required ∼2000 detection events which could be collected within ∼50 s at a detection rate of ∼30-40 per second. Blind testing was successfully

[Advance Directives in Family Practices: Results of a Survey of GP Patients on their Care Situation].

Science.gov (United States)

Schnakenberg, Rieke; Just, Johannes; Thiessen, Vitali; Puth, Marie-Therese; Bleckwenn, Markus; Weckbecker, Klaus

2017-07-26

Background Advance directives (AD) are an important tool for documentation of patients' wishes and are therefore recommended to the elderly as well as patients with chronic diseases. However, there is no standardized procedure in Germany and no guideline for counseling patients who wish to write an AD with or without health care proxy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the care situation concerning the ADs and the role of the primary care physician in drafting the document Method We conducted semi-structured interviews with patients in primary care in North Rhine-Westphalia using a cross-sectional study design. Result Most of the 154 patients who were interviewed (average age: 58 years; 52% female) suffered from chronic diseases (79%), and about one-third (32%) already had an AD. Fear of "loss of autonomy" was the main reason for preparing an AD. Patients without AD were generally not opposed to the concept and named procrastination (43%) as the main reason for not having prepared one. The chance for preparing an AD increased by the factor 1.08 per life-year (Odds ratio (OR): 1.08; CI: 1.04-1.11). Patients with AD mostly got advice via the internet (22%), their primary care physicians (12%) and relatives (12%). Most patients were satisfied with their AD. Conclusion The majority of primary care patients do not make use of ADs. The primary care physicians play an important role in counseling and should motivate patients to complete ADs. Here, the establishment of quality standards would be desirable in the future. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Multifunctional nanodiamonds in regenerative medicine: Recent advances and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitlow, Jonathan; Pacelli, Settimio; Paul, Arghya

2017-09-10

With recent advances in the field of nanomedicine, many new strategies have emerged for diagnosing and treating diseases. At the forefront of this multidisciplinary research, carbon nanomaterials have demonstrated unprecedented potential for a variety of regenerative medicine applications including novel drug delivery platforms that facilitate the localized and sustained release of therapeutics. Nanodiamonds (NDs) are a unique class of carbon nanoparticles that are gaining increasing attention for their biocompatibility, highly functional surfaces, optical properties, and robust physical properties. Their remarkable features have established NDs as an invaluable regenerative medicine platform, with a broad range of clinically relevant applications ranging from targeted delivery systems for insoluble drugs, bioactive substrates for stem cells, and fluorescent probes for long-term tracking of cells and biomolecules in vitro and in vivo. This review introduces the synthesis techniques and the various routes of surface functionalization that allow for precise control over the properties of NDs. It also provides an in-depth overview of the current progress made toward the use of NDs in the fields of drug delivery, tissue engineering, and bioimaging. Their future outlook in regenerative medicine including the current clinical significance of NDs, as well as the challenges that must be overcome to successfully translate the reviewed technologies from research platforms to clinical therapies will also be discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Surface plasmon optics for biosensors with advanced sensitivity and throughput

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toma, M.

2012-01-01

Plasmonic biosensors represent a rapidly advancing technology which enables rapid and sensitive analysis of target analytes. This thesis focuses on novel metallic and polymer structures for plasmonic biosensors based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and surface plasmon-enhanced fluorescence (SPF). It comprises four projects addressing key challenges concerning the enhancement of sensitivity and throughput. In the project 1, an advanced optical platform is developed which relies on reference-compensated angular spectroscopy of hydrogel-guided waves. The developed optical setup provides superior refractive index resolution of 1.2×10 -7 RIU and offers an attractive platform for direct detection of small analytes which cannot be analyzed by regular SPR biosensors. The project 2 carries out theoretical study of SPR imaging with advanced lateral resolution by utilizing Bragg scattered surface plasmons (BSSPs) on sub-wavelength metallic gratings. The results reveal that the proposed concept provides better lateral resolution and fidelity of the images. This feature opens ways for high-throughput SPR biosensors with denser arrays of sensing spots. The project 3 investigates surface plasmon coupled-emission from fluorophores in the vicinity of plasmonic Bragg-gratings. The experimental results provide leads on advancing the collection efficiency of fluorescence light by controlling the directions of fluorescence emission. This functionality can directly improve the sensitivity of fluorescence-based assays. In the last project 4, a novel sensing scheme with actively tuneable plasmonic structures is developed by employing thermo-responsive hydrogel binding matrix. The hydrogel film simultaneously serves as a large capacity binding matrix and provides means for actuating of surface plasmons through reversible swelling and collapsing of the hydrogel. This characteristic is suitable for multiplexing of sensing channels in fluorescence-based biosensor scheme (author)

Advance care planning: Beyond the living will.

Science.gov (United States)

Messinger-Rapport, Barbara J; Baum, Elizabeth E; Smith, Martin L

2009-05-01

For a variety of reasons, the most commonly used advance directive documents (eg, the living will) may not be very useful in many situations that older adults encounter. The durable power of attorney for health care is a more versatile document. We advocate focusing less on "signing away" certain interventions and more on clarifying the goals of care in the ambulatory setting.

FOREWORD: Focus on Advanced Ceramics Focus on Advanced Ceramics

Science.gov (United States)

Ohashi, Naoki

2011-06-01

Much research has been devoted recently to developing technologies for renewable energy and improving the efficiency of the processes and devices used in industry and everyday life. Efficient solutions have been found using novel materials such as platinum and palladium-based catalysts for car exhaust systems, samarium-cobalt and neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets for electrical motors, and so on. However, their realization has resulted in an increasing demand for rare elements and in their deficit, the development of new materials based on more abundant elements and new functionalities of traditional materials. Moreover, increasing environmental and health concerns demand substitution of toxic or hazardous substances with nature-friendly alternatives. In this context, this focus issue on advanced ceramics aims to review current trends in ceramics science and technology. It is related to the International Conference on Science and Technology of Advanced Ceramics (STAC) held annually to discuss the emerging issues in the field of ceramics. An important direction of ceramic science is the collaboration between experimental and theoretical sciences. Recent developments in density functional theory and computer technology have enabled the prediction of physical and chemical properties of ceramics, thereby assisting the design of new materials. Therefore, this focus issue includes articles devoted to theory and advanced characterization techniques. As mentioned above, the potential shortage of rare elements is becoming critical to the industry and has resulted in a Japanese government initiative called the 'Ubiquitous Element Strategy'. This focus issue also includes articles related to this strategy and to the associated topics of energy conversion, such as phosphors for high-efficiency lighting and photocatalysts for solar-energy harvesting. We hope that this focus issue will provide a timely overview of current trends and problems in ceramics science and

Rejuvenating direct modulation and direct detection for modern optical communications

Science.gov (United States)

Che, Di; Li, An; Chen, Xi; Hu, Qian; Shieh, William

2018-02-01

High-speed transoceanic optical fiber transmission using direct modulation (DM) and direct detection (DD) was one of the most stirring breakthroughs for telecommunication in 1990s, which drove the internet as a global phenomenon. However, the later evolution of optical coherent communications in 2000s gradually took over the long-haul applications, due to its superior optical spectral efficiency. Nowadays, DM-DD systems are dominant mainly in cost- and power-sensitive short-reach applications, because of its natural characteristics-the simplicity. This paper reviews the recent advances of DM-DD transceivers from both hardware and signal processing perspectives. It introduces a variety of modified DM and/or DD systems for 3 application scenarios: very-short-reach interconnect with little fiber channel impact; single or a few spans of fiber transmission up to several hundred km; and distance beyond the 2nd scenario. Besides the DM-DD and multi-dimension DM-DD with polarization diversity, this paper focuses on how to rejuvenate traditional DM and DD technologies in order to bridge the transmission application gap between DM-DD and coherent transceivers, using technologies such as dispersion compensation, signal field recovery from the intensity-only DD receiver, and complex direct modulation with coherent detection. More than 30 years since the birth, DM and DD still hold indispensable roles in modern optical communications.

Advanced reactor development for non-electric applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, M.H.; Kim, S.H.

1996-01-01

Advance in the nuclear reactor technology achieved through nuclear power programs carried out in the world has led nuclear communities to direct its attention to a better and peaceful utilization of nuclear energy in addition to that for power generation. The efforts for non-electric application of nuclear energy has been pursued in a limited number of countries in the world for their special needs. However, those needs and the associated efforts contributed largely to the development and practical realization of advanced reactors characterized by highly improved reactor safety and reliability by deploying the most up-to-date safety technologies. Due mainly to the special purpose of utilization, economic reasons and ease in implementation of new advanced technologies, small and medium reactors have become a major stream in the reactor developments for non-electric applications. The purpose of this paper is to provide, to the interested nuclear society, the overview of the development status and design characteristics of selected advanced nuclear reactors previously developed and/or currently under development specially for non-electric applications. Major design technologies employed in those reactors to enhance the reactor safety and reliability are reviewed to present the underlying principles of the design. Along with the overview, this paper also introduces a development program and major design characteristics of an advanced integral reactor (SMART) for co-generation purpose currently under conceptual development in Korea. (author)

Soil respiration in Mexico: Advances and future directions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejandro Cueva

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Soil respiration (RS is a CO2 efflux from the soil to the atmosphere defined as the sum of autotrophic (respiration by roots and mycorrhizae, and heterotrophic (respiration of microorganisms that decompose fractions of organic matter and of soil fauna respiration. Globally, RS is considered to be the second largest flux of C to the atmosphere. From published literature it is clear that its main controls are soil temperature, soil moisture, photosynthesis, organic matter inputs and soil biota composition. Despite its relevance in C cycle science, there have been only twenty eight studies in Mexico in the last decade where direct measurement of gas exchange was conducted in the field. These studies were held mostly in agricultural and forest ecosystems, in Central and Southern Mexico where mild subtropical conditions prevail. However, arid, semi-arid, tropical and wetland ecosystems may have an important role in Mexico’s CO2 emissions because of their extent and extensive land use changes. From the twenty eight studies, only two provided continuous measurements of RS with high temporal resolution, highlighting the need for long-term studies to evaluate the complex biophysical controls of this flux and associated processes over different ecological succession stages. We conclude that Mexico represents an important opportunity to understand its complex dynamics, in national and global context, as ecosystems in the country cover a wide range of climatic conditions. This is particularly important because deforestation and degradation of Mexican ecosystems is rapidly increasing along with expected changes in climate.

Omics Advances in Ecotoxicology.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaowei; Xia, Pu; Wang, Pingping; Yang, Jianghu; Baird, Donald J

2018-04-03

Toxic substances in the environment generate adverse effects at all levels of biological organization from the molecular level to community and ecosystem. Given this complexity, it is not surprising that ecotoxicologists have struggled to address the full consequences of toxic substance release at ecosystem level, due to the limits of observational and experimental tools to reveal the changes in deep structure at different levels of organization. -Omics technologies, consisting of genomics and ecogenomics, have the power to reveal, in unprecedented detail, the cellular processes of an individual or biodiversity of a community in response to environmental change with high sample/observation throughput. This represents a historic opportunity to transform the way we study toxic substances in ecosystems, through direct linkage of ecological effects with the systems biology of organisms. Three recent examples of -omics advance in the assessment of toxic substances are explored here: (1) the use of functional genomics in the discovery of novel molecular mechanisms of toxicity of chemicals in the environment; (2) the development of laboratory pipelines of dose-dependent, reduced transcriptomics to support high-throughput chemical testing at the biological pathway level; and (3) the use of eDNA metabarcoding approaches for assessing chemical effects on biological communities in mesocosm experiments and through direct observation in field monitoring. -Omics advances in ecotoxicological studies not only generate new knowledge regarding mechanisms of toxicity and environmental effect, improving the relevance and immediacy of laboratory toxicological assessment, but can provide a wholly new paradigm for ecotoxicology by linking ecological models to mechanism-based, systems biology approaches.

Using SpaceClaimTD Direct for Modeling Components with Complex Geometries for the Thermal Desktop-Based Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator Model

Science.gov (United States)

Fabanich, William A., Jr.

2014-01-01

SpaceClaim/TD Direct has been used extensively in the development of the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) thermal model. This paper outlines the workflow for that aspect of the task and includes proposed best practices and lessons learned. The ASRG thermal model was developed to predict component temperatures and power output and to provide insight into the prime contractor's thermal modeling efforts. The insulation blocks, heat collectors, and cold side adapter flanges (CSAFs) were modeled with this approach. The model was constructed using mostly TD finite difference (FD) surfaces/solids. However, some complex geometry could not be reproduced with TD primitives while maintaining the desired degree of geometric fidelity. Using SpaceClaim permitted the import of original CAD files and enabled the defeaturing/repair of those geometries. TD Direct (a SpaceClaim add-on from CRTech) adds features that allowed the "mark-up" of that geometry. These so-called "mark-ups" control how finite element (FE) meshes are to be generated through the "tagging" of features (e.g. edges, solids, surfaces). These tags represent parameters that include: submodels, material properties, material orienters, optical properties, and radiation analysis groups. TD aliases were used for most tags to allow analysis to be performed with a variety of parameter values. "Domain-tags" were also attached to individual and groups of surfaces and solids to allow them to be used later within TD to populate objects like, for example, heaters and contactors. These tools allow the user to make changes to the geometry in SpaceClaim and then easily synchronize the mesh in TD without having to redefine the objects each time as one would if using TDMesher. The use of SpaceClaim/TD Direct helps simplify the process for importing existing geometries and in the creation of high fidelity FE meshes to represent complex parts. It also saves time and effort in the subsequent analysis.

Using SpaceClaim/TD Direct for Modeling Components with Complex Geometries for the Thermal Desktop-Based Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator Model

Science.gov (United States)

Fabanich, William

2014-01-01

SpaceClaim/TD Direct has been used extensively in the development of the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) thermal model. This paper outlines the workflow for that aspect of the task and includes proposed best practices and lessons learned. The ASRG thermal model was developed to predict component temperatures and power output and to provide insight into the prime contractors thermal modeling efforts. The insulation blocks, heat collectors, and cold side adapter flanges (CSAFs) were modeled with this approach. The model was constructed using mostly TD finite difference (FD) surfaces solids. However, some complex geometry could not be reproduced with TD primitives while maintaining the desired degree of geometric fidelity. Using SpaceClaim permitted the import of original CAD files and enabled the defeaturing repair of those geometries. TD Direct (a SpaceClaim add-on from CRTech) adds features that allowed the mark-up of that geometry. These so-called mark-ups control how finite element (FE) meshes were generated and allowed the tagging of features (e.g. edges, solids, surfaces). These tags represent parameters that include: submodels, material properties, material orienters, optical properties, and radiation analysis groups. TD aliases were used for most tags to allow analysis to be performed with a variety of parameter values. Domain-tags were also attached to individual and groups of surfaces and solids to allow them to be used later within TD to populate objects like, for example, heaters and contactors. These tools allow the user to make changes to the geometry in SpaceClaim and then easily synchronize the mesh in TD without having to redefine these objects each time as one would if using TD Mesher.The use of SpaceClaim/TD Direct has helped simplify the process for importing existing geometries and in the creation of high fidelity FE meshes to represent complex parts. It has also saved time and effort in the subsequent analysis.

Where There's a Will: The Link Between Estate Planning and Disparities in Advance Care Planning by White and Black Older Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Koss, Catheryn S; Baker, Tamara A

2018-03-01

Data from the Health and Retirement Study ( n = 6,946) were used to test whether differences in estate planning accounted for disparities in advance care planning between White and Black older adults. White participants were more likely to have advance directives after controlling for demographic, health, and financial variables. When estate planning was also controlled, the odds of having an advance directive were equal for White and Black participants. In contrast, Whites remained more likely to discuss end-of-life preferences after controlling for demographic, health, financial, and estate planning variables. White participants were almost four times as likely to have wills or trusts. Wealth, income, and home ownership were predictive of estate planning. Financial disparities contributed to lower rates of estate planning which in turn explained in large part why Black older adults were less likely to have advance directives but did not account for race disparities in advance care discussion.

Advances in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Uppal, Dushant S; Wang, Andrew Y

2015-06-25

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignancy of the bile ducts that carries high morbidity and mortality. Patients with CCA typically present with obstructive jaundice, and associated complications of CCA include cholangitis and biliary sepsis. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a valuable treatment modality for patients with CCA, as it enables internal drainage of blocked bile ducts and hepatic segments by using plastic or metal stents. While there remains debate as to if bilateral (or multi-segmental) hepatic drainage is required and/or superior to unilateral drainage, the underlying tenant of draining any persistently opacified bile ducts is paramount to good ERCP practice and good clinical outcomes. Endoscopic therapy for malignant biliary strictures from CCA has advanced to include ablative therapies via ERCP-directed photodynamic therapy (PDT) or radiofrequency ablation (RFA). While ERCP techniques cannot cure CCA, advancements in the field of ERCP have enabled us to improve upon the quality of life of patients with inoperable and incurable disease. ERCP-directed PDT has been used in lieu of brachytherapy to provide neoadjuvant local tumor control in patients with CCA who are awaiting liver transplantation. Lastly, mounting evidence suggests that palliative ERCP-directed PDT, and probably ERCP-directed RFA as well, offer a survival advantage to patients with this difficult-to-treat malignancy.

The Crosstalk between Tissue Engineering and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology: Recent Advances and Future Directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Pacheco, Daniela P; Reis, Rui L; Correlo, Vítor M; Marques, Alexandra P

2015-01-01

Tissue-engineered constructs made of biotechnology-derived materials have been preferred due to their chemical and physical composition, which offers both high versatility and a support to enclose/ incorporate relevant signaling molecules and/or genes known to therapeutically induce tissue repair. Herein, a critical overview of the impact of different biotechnology-derived materials, scaffolds, and recombinant signaling molecules over the behavior of cells, another element of tissue engineered constructs, as well its regulatory role in tissue regeneration and disease progression is given. Additionally, these tissue-engineered constructs evolved to three-dimensional (3D) tissue-like models that, as an advancement of two-dimensional standard culture methods, are expected to be a valuable tool in the field of drug discovery and pharmaceutical research. Despite the improved design and conception of current proposed 3D tissue-like models, advanced control systems to enable and accelerate streamlining and automation of the numerous labor-intensive steps intrinsic to the development of tissue-engineered constructs are still to be achieved. In this sense, this review intends to present the biotechnology- derived materials that are being explored in the field of tissue engineering to generate 3D tissue-analogues and briefly highlight their foremost breakthroughs in tissue regeneration and drug discovery. It also aims to reinforce that the crosstalk between tissue engineering and pharmaceutical biotechnology has been fostering the outcomes of tissue engineering approaches through the use of biotechnology-derived signaling molecules. Gene delivery/therapy is also discussed as a forefront area that represents another cross point between tissue engineering and pharmaceutical biotechnology, in which nucleic acids can be considered a "super pharmaceutical" to drive biological responses, including tissue regeneration.

Advanced information society (10)

Science.gov (United States)

Masuyama, Keiichi

Informationalization in Japan has spread among various fields of industrial and social life in wide and depth by drastic advancement in technology and networking. Looking at the change in industrial structure as well as international trend in information the Japanese Government regards the role of information and communication technology as infrastructure to be important, and is under the way of constructing various measures with ministries and agencies concerned with them. This paper describes how administrative agencies involved in information and communication such as Ministry of Postal Services, Ministry of International Trade and Industry cope with informationalization, and mentions future direction in information policies.

A directly cooled grating substrate for ALS [Advanced Light Source] undulator beam lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DiGennaro, R.; Swain, T.

1989-08-01

Design analyses using finite element methods are presented for thermal distortion of water-cooled diffraction grating substrates for a potential application at the LBL Advanced Light Source, demonstrating that refinements in cooling channel configuration and heat flux distribution can significantly reduce optical surface distortion with high heat loads. Using an existing grating substrate design, sensitivity of tangential slope errors due to thermal distortion is evaluated for a variety of thermal boundary conditions, including coolant flow rate and heat transfer film coefficients, surface illumination area and heat distribution profile, and location of the convection cooling surfaces adjacent to the heated region. 1 ref., 5 figs., 2 tabs

The impact of gendered organizational systems on women's career advancement.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Neil, Deborah A; Hopkins, Margaret M

2015-01-01

In this Perspective article we propose that in order to pave the way for women's career advancement into the senior ranks of organizations, attention must be directed at the systemic norms and structures that drive the gendered nature of the workplace. A focus on individual level issues, i.e., women lacking confidence and women opting out, detracts from the work that must be done at the organizational level in order to dismantle the system of pervasive, structural disadvantage facing women seeking to advance to senior leadership positions.

The use of direct geometry spectrometers in molecular spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, Stewart F; Ramirez-Cuesta, Anibal J; Albers, Peter W; Lennon, David

2014-01-01

The advantages and disadvantages of the use of direct geometry spectrometers for molecular spectroscopy and catalysis studies are described. We show that both direct and indirect geometry INS spectrometers are important tools for the study of industrially relevant areas such as catalysis, proton conductors and gas separation. We propose a novel hybrid instrument, Cerberus, that would offer high sensitivity and high-to-reasonable resolution across the entire 'mid-infrared' spectral range that would effectively advance research in these areas

Laboratory directed research and development annual report 2004

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Not Available

2005-01-01

This report summarizes progress from the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program during fiscal year 2004. In addition to a programmatic and financial overview, the report includes progress reports from 352 individual R and D projects in 15 categories. The 15 categories are: (1) Advanced Concepts; (2) Advanced Manufacturing; (3) Biotechnology; (4) Chemical and Earth Sciences; (5) Computational and Information Sciences; (6) Differentiating Technologies; (7) Electronics and Photonics; (8) Emerging Threats; (9) Energy and Critical Infrastructures; (10) Engineering Sciences; (11) Grand Challenges; (12) Materials Science and Technology; (13) Nonproliferation and Materials Control; (14) Pulsed Power and High Energy Density Sciences; and (15) Corporate Objectives

Experimentation and evaluation of advanced integrated system concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, M.; Garrigus, K.; Gottschalck, J.; Rinearson, L.; Longee, E.

1980-09-01

This final report examines the implementation of a time-phased test bed for experimentation and evaluation of advanced system concepts relative to the future Defense Switched Network (DSN). After identifying issues pertinent to the DSN, a set of experiments which address these issues are developed. Experiments are ordered based on their immediacy and relative importance to DSN development. The set of experiments thus defined allows requirements for a time phased implementation of a test bed to be identified, and several generic test bed architectures which meet these requirements are examined. Specific architecture implementations are costed and cost/schedule profiles are generated as a function of experimental capability. The final recommended system consists of two separate test beds: a circuit switch test bed, configured around an off-the-shelf commercial switch, and directed toward the examination of nearer term and transitional issues raised by the evolving DSN; and a packet/hybrid test bed, featuring a discrete buildup of new hardware and software modules, and directed toward examination of the more advanced integrated voice and data telecommunications issues and concepts.

The Economics of Academic Advancement Within Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Baimas-George, Maria; Fleischer, Brian; Korndorffer, James R; Slakey, Douglas; DuCoin, Christopher

The success of an academic surgeon's career is often viewed as directly related to academic appointment; therefore, the sequence of promotion is a demanding, rigorous process. This paper seeks to define the financial implication of academic advancement across different surgical subspecialties. Data was collected from the Association of American Medical College's 2015 report of average annual salaries. Assumptions included 30 years of practice, 5 years as assistant professor, and 10 years as associate professor before advancement. The base formula used was: (average annual salary) × (years of practice [30 years - fellowship/research years]) + ($50,000 × years of fellowship/research) = total adjusted lifetime salary income. There was a significant increase in lifetime salary income with advancement from assistant to associate professor in all subspecialties when compared to an increase from associate to full professor. The greatest increase in income from assistant to associate professor was seen in transplant and cardiothoracic surgery (35% and 27%, respectively). Trauma surgery and surgical oncology had the smallest increases of 8% and 9%, respectively. With advancement to full professor, the increase in lifetime salary income was significantly less across all subspecialties, ranging from 1% in plastic surgery to 8% in pediatric surgery. When analyzing the economics of career advancement in academic surgery, there is a substantial financial benefit in lifetime income to becoming an associate professor in all fields; whereas, advancement to full professor is associated with a drastically reduced economic benefit. Copyright © 2017 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Recent advances in laser-driven neutron sources

Science.gov (United States)

Alejo, A.; Ahmed, H.; Green, A.; Mirfayzi, S. R.; Borghesi, M.; Kar, S.

2016-11-01

Due to the limited number and high cost of large-scale neutron facilities, there has been a growing interest in compact accelerator-driven sources. In this context, several potential schemes of laser-driven neutron sources are being intensively studied employing laser-accelerated electron and ion beams. In addition to the potential of delivering neutron beams with high brilliance, directionality and ultra-short burst duration, a laser-driven neutron source would offer further advantages in terms of cost-effectiveness, compactness and radiation confinement by closed-coupled experiments. Some of the recent advances in this field are discussed, showing improvements in the directionality and flux of the laser-driven neutron beams.

The question of recharge to the deep thermal reservoir underlying the geysers and hot springs of Yellowstone National Park: Chapter H in Integrated geoscience studies in Integrated geoscience studies in the Greater Yellowstone Area—Volcanic, tectonic, and hydrothermal processes in the Yellowstone geoecosystem

Science.gov (United States)

Rye, Robert O.; Truesdell, Alfred Hemingway; Morgan, Lisa A.

2007-01-01

The extraordinary number, size, and unspoiled beauty of the geysers and hot springs of Yellowstone National Park (the Park) make them a national treasure. The hydrology of these special features and their relation to cold waters of the Yellowstone area are poorly known. In the absence of deep drill holes, such information is available only indirectly from isotope studies. The δD-δ18O values of precipitation and cold surface-water and ground-water samples are close to the global meteoric water line (Craig, 1961). δD values of monthly samples of rain and snow collected from 1978 to 1981 at two stations in the Park show strong seasonal variations, with average values for winter months close to those for cold waters near the collection sites. δD values of more than 300 samples from cold springs, cold streams, and rivers collected during the fall from 1967 to 1992 show consistent north-south and east-west patterns throughout and outside of the Park, although values at a given site vary by as much as 8 ‰ from year to year. These data, along with hot-spring data (Truesdell and others, 1977; Pearson and Truesdell, 1978), show that ascending Yellowstone thermal waters are modified isotopically and chemically by a variety of boiling and mixing processes in shallow reservoirs. Near geyser basins, shallow recharge waters from nearby rhyolite plateaus dilute the ascending deep thermal waters, particularly at basin margins, and mix and boil in reservoirs that commonly are interconnected. Deep recharge appears to derive from a major deep thermal-reservoir fluid that supplies steam and hot water to all geyser basins on the west side of the Park and perhaps in the entire Yellowstone caldera. This water (T ≥350°C; δD = –149±1 ‰) is isotopically lighter than all but the farthest north, highest altitude cold springs and streams and a sinter-producing warm spring (δD = –153 ‰) north of the Park. Derivation of this deep fluid solely from present-day recharge is

Recent Advances in Bioprinting and Applications for Biosensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew D. Dias

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Future biosensing applications will require high performance, including real-time monitoring of physiological events, incorporation of biosensors into feedback-based devices, detection of toxins, and advanced diagnostics. Such functionality will necessitate biosensors with increased sensitivity, specificity, and throughput, as well as the ability to simultaneously detect multiple analytes. While these demands have yet to be fully realized, recent advances in biofabrication may allow sensors to achieve the high spatial sensitivity required, and bring us closer to achieving devices with these capabilities. To this end, we review recent advances in biofabrication techniques that may enable cutting-edge biosensors. In particular, we focus on bioprinting techniques (e.g., microcontact printing, inkjet printing, and laser direct-write that may prove pivotal to biosensor fabrication and scaling. Recent biosensors have employed these fabrication techniques with success, and further development may enable higher performance, including multiplexing multiple analytes or cell types within a single biosensor. We also review recent advances in 3D bioprinting, and explore their potential to create biosensors with live cells encapsulated in 3D microenvironments. Such advances in biofabrication will expand biosensor utility and availability, with impact realized in many interdisciplinary fields, as well as in the clinic.

Environmental Barrier Coating Development for SiC/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites: Recent Advances and Future Directions

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Dongming

2016-01-01

This presentation briefly reviews the SiC/SiC major environmental and environment-fatigue degradations encountered in simulated turbine combustion environments, and thus NASA environmental barrier coating system evolution for protecting the SiC/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites for meeting the engine performance requirements. The presentation will review several generations of NASA EBC materials systems, EBC-CMC component system technologies for SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite combustors and turbine airfoils, highlighting the temperature capability and durability improvements in simulated engine high heat flux, high pressure, high velocity, and with mechanical creep and fatigue loading conditions. This paper will also focus on the performance requirements and design considerations of environmental barrier coatings for next generation turbine engine applications. The current development emphasis is placed on advanced NASA candidate environmental barrier coating systems for SiC/SiC CMCs, their performance benefits and design limitations in long-term operation and combustion environments. The efforts have been also directed to developing prime-reliant, self-healing 2700F EBC bond coat; and high stability, lower thermal conductivity, and durable EBC top coats. Major technical barriers in developing environmental barrier coating systems, the coating integrations with next generation CMCs having the improved environmental stability, erosion-impact resistance, and long-term fatigue-environment system durability performance will be described. The research and development opportunities for turbine engine environmental barrier coating systems by utilizing improved compositions, state-of-the-art processing methods, and simulated environment testing and durability modeling will be briefly discussed.

Linear induction accelerator approach for advanced radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caporaso, G.J.

1997-05-01

Recent advances in induction accelerator technology make it possible to envision a single accelerator that can serve as an intense, precision multiple pulse x-ray source for advanced radiography. Through the use of solid-state modulator technology repetition rates on the order of 1 MHz can be achieved with beam pulse lengths ranging from 200 ns to 2 microsecs. By using fast kickers, these pulses may be sectioned into pieces which are directed to different beam lines so as to interrogate the object under study from multiple lines of sight. The ultimate aim is to do a time dependent tomographic reconstruction of a dynamic object. The technology to accomplish these objectives along with a brief discussion of the experimental plans to verify it will be presented

Sustainability assessment of advanced wastewater treatment technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Høibye, Linda; Clauson-Kaas, Jes; Wenzel, Henrik

2007-01-01

, which includes technical, economic and environmental aspects. The technical and economic assessment is performed on 5 advanced treatment technologies: sand filtration, ozone treatment, UV exclusively for disinfection of pathogenic microorganisms, Membrane Bioreactor (MBR), and UV in combination......As a consequence of the EU Water Framwork Directive, more focus is now on discharges of hazardous substances from wastewater treatment plants and sewers. Thus, many municipalities in Denmark may have to adopt to future advenced treatment technologies. This paper describes a holistic assessment...... with advanced oxidation. The technical assessment is based on 12 hazardous substances comprising heavy metals, organic pollutants, endocrine disruptors as well as pathogenic microorganisms. The environmental assessment is performed by life cycle assessment (LCA) comprising 9 of the specific hazardous substances...

Pediatric advance care planning from the perspective of health care professionals: a qualitative interview study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lotz, Julia D; Jox, Ralf J; Borasio, Gian Domenico; Führer, Monika

2015-03-01

Pediatric advance care planning differs from the adult setting in several aspects, including patients' diagnoses, minor age, and questionable capacity to consent. So far, research has largely neglected the professionals' perspective. We aimed to investigate the attitudes and needs of health care professionals with regard to pediatric advance care planning. This is a qualitative interview study with experts in pediatric end-of-life care. A qualitative content analysis was performed. We conducted 17 semi-structured interviews with health care professionals caring for severely ill children/adolescents, from different professions, care settings, and institutions. Perceived problems with pediatric advance care planning relate to professionals' discomfort and uncertainty regarding end-of-life decisions and advance directives. Conflicts may arise between physicians and non-medical care providers because both avoid taking responsibility for treatment limitations according to a minor's advance directive. Nevertheless, pediatric advance care planning is perceived as helpful by providing an action plan for everyone and ensuring that patient/parent wishes are respected. Important requirements for pediatric advance care planning were identified as follows: repeated discussions and shared decision-making with the family, a qualified facilitator who ensures continuity throughout the whole process, multi-professional conferences, as well as professional education on advance care planning. Despite a perceived need for pediatric advance care planning, several barriers to its implementation were identified. The results remain to be verified in a larger cohort of health care professionals. Future research should focus on developing and testing strategies for overcoming the existing barriers. © The Author(s) 2014.

Implications of directed energy for SETI

Science.gov (United States)

Lubin, Philip

2016-09-01

We compute the detectability of directed-energy (DE) sources from distant civilizations that may exist. Recent advances in our own DE technology suggest that our eventual capabilities will radically enhance our capacity to broadcast our presence and hence allow us to ponder the reverse case of detection. We show that DE systems are detectable at vast distances, possibly across the entire horizon, which profoundly alters conceivable search strategies for extra-terrestrial, technologically-advanced civilizations. Even modest searches are extremely effective at detecting or constraining many civilization classes. A single civilization anywhere in our galaxy of comparable technological advancement to our own can be detected with near unity probability with a cluster of 0.1 m telescopes on Earth. A 1 m class telescope can detect a single civilization anywhere in the Andromeda galaxy. A search strategy is proposed using small Earth-based telescopes to observe 1012-1020 stellar and planetary systems. Such observations could address whether there exist other civilizations which are broadcasting with similar or more advanced DE capability. We show that such searches have near-unity probability of detecting comparably advanced civilizations anywhere in our galaxy within a few years, assuming the civilization: (1) adopts a simple "intelligent targeting" beacon strategy; (2) is beaconing at a wavelength we can detect; (3) broadcast the beacon long enough for the light to reach Earth now. In this blind-beacon, blind-search strategy, the civilization need not know where we are nor do we need to know where they are. The same basic strategy can be extended to extragalactic distances.

Advances in directional borehole radar data analysis and visualization

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, D.V.G.; Brown, P.J.

2002-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey is developing a directional borehole radar (DBOR) tool for mapping fractures, lithologic changes, and underground utility and void detection. An important part of the development of the DBOR tool is data analysis and visualization, with the aim of making the software graphical user interface (GUI) intuitive and easy to use. The DBOR software system consists of a suite of signal and image processing routines written in Research Systems' Interactive Data Language (IDL). The software also serves as a front-end to many widely accepted Colorado School of Mines Center for Wave Phenomena (CWP) Seismic UNIX (SU) algorithms (Cohen and Stockwell, 2001). Although the SU collection runs natively in a UNIX environment, our system seamlessly emulates a UNIX session within a widely used PC operating system (MicroSoft Windows) using GNU tools (Noer, 1998). Examples are presented of laboratory data acquired with the prototype tool from two different experimental settings. The first experiment imaged plastic pipes in a macro-scale sand tank. The second experiment monitored the progress of an invasion front resulting from oil injection. Finally, challenges to further development and planned future work are discussed.

The advanced fuel cycle initiative: the future path for advanced spent fuel treatment and transmutation research in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herczeg, J.W.

2003-01-01

The U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) has invested over USD 100 million in transmutation research and development over the past three years. The programme has evolved from an accelerator based transmutation programme to a multi-tier reactor and accelerator based programme. These changes have resulted in a significant re-focus of the research and development programme as well as a name change to reflect the new direction. The Advanced Accelerator Application (AAA) programme is now renamed the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI). Research completed by the AAA programme in Fiscal Year 2002 points to a multi-phased AFCI Programme consisting of two elements that would be conducted in parallel as part of an integrated research effort: an intermediate-term technology element (AFCI Series One), which emphasises advanced technical enhancements to the current commercial nuclear power infrastructure; and a long term technology element (AFCI Series Two), which will require the introduction of next-generation nuclear energy systems to reduce the toxicity of nuclear waste. (author)

Center for Advanced Computational Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Noor, Ahmed K.

2000-01-01

The Center for Advanced Computational Technology (ACT) was established to serve as a focal point for diverse research activities pertaining to application of advanced computational technology to future aerospace systems. These activities include the use of numerical simulations, artificial intelligence methods, multimedia and synthetic environments, and computational intelligence, in the modeling, analysis, sensitivity studies, optimization, design and operation of future aerospace systems. The Center is located at NASA Langley and is an integral part of the School of Engineering and Applied Science of the University of Virginia. The Center has four specific objectives: 1) conduct innovative research on applications of advanced computational technology to aerospace systems; 2) act as pathfinder by demonstrating to the research community what can be done (high-potential, high-risk research); 3) help in identifying future directions of research in support of the aeronautical and space missions of the twenty-first century; and 4) help in the rapid transfer of research results to industry and in broadening awareness among researchers and engineers of the state-of-the-art in applications of advanced computational technology to the analysis, design prototyping and operations of aerospace and other high-performance engineering systems. In addition to research, Center activities include helping in the planning and coordination of the activities of a multi-center team of NASA and JPL researchers who are developing an intelligent synthesis environment for future aerospace systems; organizing workshops and national symposia; as well as writing state-of-the-art monographs and NASA special publications on timely topics.

The impact of gendered organizational systems on women's career advancement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deborah Anne O'Neil

2015-06-01

Full Text Available In this Perspective article we propose that in order to pave the way for women's career advancement into the senior ranks of organizations, attention must be directed at the systemic norms and structures that drive the gendered nature of the workplace. A focus on individual level issues, i.e., women lacking confidence and women opting out, detracts from the work that must be done at the organizational level in order to dismantle the system of pervasive, structural disadvantage facing women seeking to advance to senior leadership positions.

Pressure Safety: Advanced Self-Study 30120

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Glass, George [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-02-29

Pressure Safety Advance Self-Study (Course 30120) consists of an introduction, five modules, and a quiz. To receive credit in UTrain for completing this course, you must score 80% or better on the 15-question quiz (check UTrain). Directions for initiating the quiz are appended to the end of this training manual. This course contains several links to LANL websites. UTrain might not support active links, so please copy links into the address line in your browser.

Direct methods for limit and shakedown analysis of structures advanced computational algorithms and material modelling

CERN Document Server

Pisano, Aurora; Weichert, Dieter

2015-01-01

Articles in this book examine various materials and how to determine directly the limit state of a structure, in the sense of limit analysis and shakedown analysis. Apart from classical applications in mechanical and civil engineering contexts, the book reports on the emerging field of material design beyond the elastic limit, which has further industrial design and technological applications. Readers will discover that “Direct Methods” and the techniques presented here can in fact be used to numerically estimate the strength of structured materials such as composites or nano-materials, which represent fruitful fields of future applications.   Leading researchers outline the latest computational tools and optimization techniques and explore the possibility of obtaining information on the limit state of a structure whose post-elastic loading path and constitutive behavior are not well defined or well known. Readers will discover how Direct Methods allow rapid and direct access to requested information in...

Metabolic engineering of Bacillus subtilis fueled by systems biology: Recent advances and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yanfeng; Li, Jianghua; Du, Guocheng; Chen, Jian; Liu, Long

By combining advanced omics technology and computational modeling, systems biologists have identified and inferred thousands of regulatory events and system-wide interactions of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis, which is commonly used both in the laboratory and in industry. This dissection of the multiple layers of regulatory networks and their interactions has provided invaluable information for unraveling regulatory mechanisms and guiding metabolic engineering. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the systems biology and metabolic engineering of B. subtilis and highlight current gaps in our understanding of global metabolism and global pathway engineering in this organism. We also propose future perspectives in the systems biology of B. subtilis and suggest ways that this approach can be used to guide metabolic engineering. Specifically, although hundreds of regulatory events have been identified or inferred via systems biology approaches, systematic investigation of the functionality of these events in vivo has lagged, thereby preventing the elucidation of regulatory mechanisms and further rational pathway engineering. In metabolic engineering, ignoring the engineering of multilayer regulation hinders metabolic flux redistribution. Post-translational engineering, allosteric engineering, and dynamic pathway analyses and control will also contribute to the modulation and control of the metabolism of engineered B. subtilis, ultimately producing the desired cellular traits. We hope this review will aid metabolic engineers in making full use of available systems biology datasets and approaches for the design and perfection of microbial cell factories through global metabolism optimization. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measuring the impact of the advanced practitioner role: a practical approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Neville, Lillian; Swift, Juliette

2012-04-01

This paper aims to illuminate difficulties in evaluating the advanced practitioner role and to offer a practical solution. The advanced practice role has been part of the workforce strategy in the Northwest of England since 2005. However capturing hard evidence of the impact of this role has been problematic. Current restrictions on resources require the provision of evidence of the value of roles and services. Critical analysis of literature has identified challenges in evaluating the advanced practice role. The case study design takes account of current policy initiatives, notably QIPP. There is no common approach to evaluating the role of advanced practitioners. The case study has the potential to be a useful tool to organise evidence of the impact of advanced practitioner roles. Advanced practitioners need to have appropriate knowledge and skills to provide evidence of the impact of their role. There is potential for this work to be applied to other roles across the NHS. Managers need to work in partnership with workforce planners and educationalists to support advanced practitioners to utilise their skills in methods of providing evidence that they do work of value. Clear strategic direction for advanced practitioners is advised as part of the workforce strategy. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Advanced materials and coatings for energy conversion systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

St Pierre, George R. [Ohio State Univ., Materials Science and Engineering Dept., Columbus, OH (United States)

1997-12-31

Following an historical review of the development of high-temperature alloys for energy conversion systems including turbine engines, some of the current advances in single crystal materials, intermetallics, metal-matrix composites, and ceramic-matrix composites are discussed. Particular attention is directed at creep phenomena, fatigue properties and oxidation resistance. Included within the discussions is the current status of carbon/carbon composites as potential high-temperature engineering materials and the development of coating systems for thermal barrier and oxidation protection. The specific influences of combustion gas compositions, i.e., oxidation potential, sulfur, halides, etc. are discussed. A current list of eligible advanced materials and coatings systems is presented and assessed. Finally, the critical failure mechanism and life-prediction parameters for some of the new classes of advanced structural materials are elaborated with the view to achieving affordability and extended life with a high degree of reliability. Examples are drawn from a variety of energy conversion systems. (Author)

NATO Advanced Research Institute on Health Services Systems

CERN Document Server

Werff, Albert; Hirsch, Gary; Barnard, Keith

1984-01-01

The Advanced Research Institute on "Health Services Systems" was held under the auspices of the NATO Special Programme Panel on Systems Science as a part of the NATO Science Committee's continuous effort to promote the advancement of science through international cooperation. A special word is said in this respect supra by Pro­ fessor Checkland, Chairman of the Systems Science Panel. The Advanced Research Institute (ARI) was organized for the purpose of bringing together senior scientists to seek a consensus on the assessment of the present state of knowledge on the specific topic of "health services systems" and to present views and recom­ mendations for future health services research directions, which should be of value to both the scientific community and the people in charge of reorienting health services. The conference was structured so as to permit the assembly of a variety of complementary viewpoints through intensive group discussions to be the basis of this final report. Invitees were selected fr...

Advanced stratified charge rotary aircraft engine design study

Science.gov (United States)

Badgley, P.; Berkowitz, M.; Jones, C.; Myers, D.; Norwood, E.; Pratt, W. B.; Ellis, D. R.; Huggins, G.; Mueller, A.; Hembrey, J. H.

1982-01-01

A technology base of new developments which offered potential benefits to a general aviation engine was compiled and ranked. Using design approaches selected from the ranked list, conceptual design studies were performed of an advanced and a highly advanced engine sized to provide 186/250 shaft Kw/HP under cruise conditions at 7620/25,000 m/ft altitude. These are turbocharged, direct-injected stratified charge engines intended for commercial introduction in the early 1990's. The engine descriptive data includes tables, curves, and drawings depicting configuration, performance, weights and sizes, heat rejection, ignition and fuel injection system descriptions, maintenance requirements, and scaling data for varying power. An engine-airframe integration study of the resulting engines in advanced airframes was performed on a comparative basis with current production type engines. The results show airplane performance, costs, noise & installation factors. The rotary-engined airplanes display substantial improvements over the baseline, including 30 to 35% lower fuel usage.

Statistical mechanics of directed models of polymers in the square lattice

CERN Document Server

Rensburg, J V

2003-01-01

Directed square lattice models of polymers and vesicles have received considerable attention in the recent mathematical and physical sciences literature. These are idealized geometric directed lattice models introduced to study phase behaviour in polymers, and include Dyck paths, partially directed paths, directed trees and directed vesicles models. Directed models are closely related to models studied in the combinatorics literature (and are often exactly solvable). They are also simplified versions of a number of statistical mechanics models, including the self-avoiding walk, lattice animals and lattice vesicles. The exchange of approaches and ideas between statistical mechanics and combinatorics have considerably advanced the description and understanding of directed lattice models, and this will be explored in this review. The combinatorial nature of directed lattice path models makes a study using generating function approaches most natural. In contrast, the statistical mechanics approach would introduce...

Initial Efficacy Testing of an Autobiographical Memory Intervention on Advance Care Planning for Patients With Terminal Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Brohard, Cheryl

2017-11-01

To test the efficacy of a novel intervention to facilitate advance care planning.
. Exploratory, quasiexperimental pilot study with two independent groups.
. A large hospice located in the southwestern United States. 
. A convenience sample of 50 participants with terminal cancer enrolled in hospice.
. An autobiographical memory (ABM) intervention used the participants' experiences with cancer and end of life for the purpose of directing advance care planning.
. Two domains of advance care planning, decision making and communication, were measured in relation to 11 variables. The ABM intervention was nonthreatening, short in duration, and easily completed with participants as they recalled, without hesitation, specific personal memories of family and friends who had died and their advance care plans. The Mann-Whitney nonparametric test revealed that participants in the experimental group had a higher average rank than those in the control group for communicating the decision about antibiotics, as well as exhibited a trend toward significance for five other advance care planning variables.
. Findings showed that directive ABMs may be effective in influencing the decision making and communication of advance care planning for terminally ill patients with cancer.
. The current level of understanding about using the ABM intervention suggests that nurses can initiate an advance care planning conversation using this approach.

Research, development, demonstration, and early deployment policies for advanced-coal technology in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Lifeng; Gallagher, Kelly Sims

2007-01-01

Advanced-coal technologies will increasingly play a significant role in addressing China's multiple energy challenges. This paper introduces the current status of energy in China, evaluates the research, development, and demonstration policies for advanced-coal technologies during the Tenth Five-Year Plan, and gives policy prospects for advanced-coal technologies in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan. Early deployment policies for advanced-coal technologies are discussed and some recommendations are put forward. China has made great progress in the development of advanced-coal technologies. In terms of research, development, and demonstration of advanced-coal technologies, China has achieved breakthroughs in developing and demonstrating advanced-coal gasification, direct and indirect coal liquefaction, and key technologies of Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) and co-production systems. Progress on actual deployment of advanced-coal technologies has been more limited, in part due to insufficient supporting policies. Recently, industry chose Ultra Super Critical (USC) Pulverized Coal (PC) and Super Critical (SC) PC for new capacity coupled with pollution-control technology, and 300 MW Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) as a supplement

Advances in Modal Logic

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Modal logic is a subject with ancient roots in the western logical tradition. Up until the last few generations, it was pursued mainly as a branch of philosophy. But in recent years, the subject has taken new directions with connections to topics in computer science and mathematics. This volume...... is the proceedings of the conference of record in its fi eld, Advances in Modal Logic. Its contributions are state-of-the-art papers. The topics include decidability and complexity results for specifi c modal logics, proof theory of modal logic, logics for reasoning about time and space, provability logic, dynamic...... epistemic logic, and the logic of evidence....

A Unit on Hitler and Nazism for Advanced Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Elinor C.

1993-01-01

This unit on Hitler, the Third Reich, and its echoes in Germany today is based on original source material, such as "Mein Kampf," as well as more recent reports by those directly affected, such as Sichrovsky's "Schuldig Geboren." Teachers of advanced high school or college classes are introduced to some appropriate materials…

Laser direct writing of micro- and nano-scale medical devices

Science.gov (United States)

Gittard, Shaun D; Narayan, Roger J

2010-01-01

Laser-based direct writing of materials has undergone significant development in recent years. The ability to modify a variety of materials at small length scales and using short production times provides laser direct writing with unique capabilities for fabrication of medical devices. In many laser-based rapid prototyping methods, microscale and submicroscale structuring of materials is controlled by computer-generated models. Various laser-based direct write methods, including selective laser sintering/melting, laser machining, matrix-assisted pulsed-laser evaporation direct write, stereolithography and two-photon polymerization, are described. Their use in fabrication of microstructured and nanostructured medical devices is discussed. Laser direct writing may be used for processing a wide variety of advanced medical devices, including patient-specific prostheses, drug delivery devices, biosensors, stents and tissue-engineering scaffolds. PMID:20420557

The cultural context of patient’s autonomy and doctor’s duty: passive euthanasia and advance directives in Germany and Israel

Science.gov (United States)

Raz, Aviad; Shalev, Carmel

2010-01-01

The moral discourse surrounding end-of-life (EoL) decisions is highly complex, and a comparison of Germany and Israel can highlight the impact of cultural factors. The comparison shows interesting differences in how patient’s autonomy and doctor’s duties are morally and legally related to each other with respect to the withholding and withdrawing of medical treatment in EoL situations. Taking the statements of two national expert ethics committees on EoL in Israel and Germany (and their legal outcome) as an example of this discourse, we describe the similarity of their recommendations and then focus on the differences, including the balancing of ethical principles, what is identified as a problem, what social role professionals play, and the influence of history and religion. The comparison seems to show that Israel is more restrictive in relation to Germany, in contrast with previous bioethical studies in the context of the moral and legal discourse regarding the beginning of life, in which Germany was characterized as far more restrictive. We reflect on the ambivalence of the cultural reasons for this difference and its expression in various dissenting views on passive euthanasia and advance directives, and conclude with a comment on the difficulty in classifying either stance as more or less restrictive. PMID:20680469

Advancing palliative and end-of-life science in cardiorespiratory populations: The contributions of nursing science.

Science.gov (United States)

Grady, Patricia A

Nursing science has a critical role to inform practice, promote health, and improve the lives of individuals across the lifespan who face the challenges of advanced cardiorespiratory disease. Since 1997, the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) has focused attention on the importance of palliative and end-of-life care for advanced heart failure and advanced pulmonary disease through the publication of multiple funding opportunity announcements and by supporting a cadre of nurse scientists that will continue to address new priorities and future directions for advancing palliative and end-of-life science in cardiorespiratory populations. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Quality of dying in nursing home residents dying with dementia: does advanced care planning matter? A nationwide postmortem study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

An Vandervoort

Full Text Available Advance care planning is considered a central component of good quality palliative care and especially relevant for people who lose the capacity to make decisions at the end of life, which is the case for many nursing home residents with dementia. We set out to investigate to what extent (1 advance care planning in the form of written advance patient directives and verbal communication with patient and/or relatives about future care and (2 the existence of written advance general practitioner orders are related to the quality of dying of nursing home residents with dementia.Cross-sectional study of deaths (2010 using random cluster-sampling. Representative sample of nursing homes in Flanders, Belgium. Deaths of residents with dementia in a three-month period were reported; for each the nurse most involved in care, GP and closest relative completed structured questionnaires.We identified 101 deaths of residents with dementia in 69 nursing homes (58% response rate. A written advance patient directive was present for 17.5%, GP-orders for 56.7%. Controlling for socio-demographic/clinical characteristics in multivariate regression analyses, chances of having a higher mean rating of emotional well-being (less fear and anxiety on the Comfort Assessment in Dying with Dementia scale were three times higher with a written advance patient directive and more specifically when having a do-not-resuscitate order (AOR 3.45; CI,1.1-11 than for those without either (AOR 2.99; CI,1.1-8.3. We found no association between verbal communication or having a GP order and quality of dying.For nursing home residents with dementia there is a strong association between having a written advance directive and quality of dying. Where wishes are written, relatives report lower levels of emotional distress at the end of life. These results underpin the importance of advance care planning for people with dementia and beginning this process as early as possible.

38 CFR 17.32 - Informed consent and advance care planning.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...) Definitions: Advance Directive. Specific written statements made by a patient who has decision-making capacity.... Decision-making capacity. The ability to understand and appreciate the nature and consequences of health... informed consent on behalf of a patient who lacks decision-making capacity. (b) Policy. Except as otherwise...

Advanced containment research for the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onofrei, M.; Mathew, P.M.; McKay, P.; Hosaluk, L.J.; Oscarson, D.W.

1986-09-01

This document outlines the program on the development of advanced containment systems for the disposal of used fuel in a vault deep in plutonic rock. Possible advanced containment concepts, the strategy adopted in selecting potential container materials, and experimental programs currently underway or planned are presented. Most effort is currently directed toward developing long-term containment systems based on non-metallic materials and massive metal containers. The use of additional independent barriers to extend the lifetime of simple containment systems is also being evaluated. 58 refs

National nuclear power planning of China and advanced reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qian Jihui

1990-01-01

The necessity of investigation on the trends of advanced reactor technology all over the world is elabrated while China is going to set up its long-term national nuclear power programme. In author's opinion, thermal reactor power plants will have a quite long period development in the next century and a new trend of second generation NPPs might emerge in the beginning of next century. These new generation advanced reactors are characterized with new design concepts based on the inherent or passive safety features. Among them, most promising ones are those of AP-600 and MHTGR. Chinese experts are paying special attention to and closely following these two directions

KNOWLEDGE UNDERSTANDING AND ADVANCED SEARCHING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R Vidya

2017-04-01

Full Text Available It’s a comprehensive fact that millions of people around the world surf the Internet for want of answers for their questions. Generally, the questions are asked in the form of Searching or direct questions which follow perfect ontological directions. It is important that the system understands the questions in the right sense and can provide the best answer for all the questions raised in the web forum. One such pragmatic method is required which is expected to provide optimum solution to achieve best answers for questions that not only percepts language but also follows perfect ontological information in accordance with the cyber law. This Proposed Model presents a new dynamic model called Knowledge Understanding and Advance Searching (KUAS that studies the importance of Smart Question Answering with other question answering engines like START and proves to give the optimal solution compared to them.

Advanced hybrid transient stability and EMT simulation for VSC-HVDC systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Der Meer, A.A.; Gibescu, M.; Van Der Meijden, M.A.M.M.; Kling, W.L.; Ferreira, J.A.

2015-01-01

This paper deals with advanced hybrid transient stability and electromagnetic-transient (EMT) simulation of combined ac/dc power systems containing large amounts of renewable energy sources interfaced through voltage-source converter-high-voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC). The concerning transient

Fault-controlled advective, diffusive, and eruptive CO 2 leakage from natural reservoirs in the Colorado Plateau, East-Central Utah

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Na-Hyun

This study investigated a natural analogue for CO2 leakage near Green River, Utah, aiming to understand the influence of various factors on CO2 leakage and to reliably predict underground CO2 behavior after injection for geologic CO2 sequestration. Advective, diffusive, and eruptive characteristics of CO2 leakage were assessed via a soil CO2 flux survey and numerical modeling. The field results show anomalous CO2 fluxes (> 10 g m-2 d-1 ) along the faults, particularly adjacent to CO2-driven cold springs and geysers (e.g., 36,259 g m-2 d-1 at Crystal Geyser), ancient travertines (e.g., 5,917 g m-2 d-1), joint zones in sandstone (e.g., 120 g m-2 d-1), and brine discharge zones (e.g., 5,515 g m-2 d-1). Combined with similar isotopic ratios of gas and progressive evolution of brine chemistry at springs and geysers, a gradual decrease of soil CO2 flux from the Little Grand Wash (LGW; ~36,259 g m -2 d-1) to Salt Wash (SW; ~1,428 g m-2 d-1) fault zones reveals the same CO2 origin and potential southward transport of CO2 over 10-20 km. The numerical simulations exhibit lateral transport of free CO2 and CO2-rich brine from the LGW to SW fault zones through the regional aquifers (e.g., Entrada, Navajo, Kayenta, Wingate, White Rim). CO2 travels predominantly as an aqueous phase (XCO2=~0.045) as previously suggested, giving rise to the convective instability that further accelerates CO2 dissolution. While the buoyant free CO2 always tends to ascend, a fraction of dense CO2-rich brine flows laterally into the aquifer and mixes with the formation fluids during upward migration along the fault. The fault always enhances advective CO2 transport regardless of its permeability (k). However, only low-k fault prevents unconditional upright migration of CO2 and induces fault-parallel movement, feeding the northern aquifers with more CO2. Low-k fault also impedes lateral southward fluid flow from the northern aquifers, developing anticlinal CO2 traps at shallow depths (<300 m). The

The possibilities of utilisation of heat from Tattapani Geothermal field, India

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sarolkar, P.B. [Geological Survey of India, Hyderabad (India); Pitale, U.L. [Geological Survey of India, Nagpur (India)

1996-12-31

The Tattapani Geothermal field produces + 1800 1pm thermal water of 100{degrees}C from five production wells. The hot water production can sustain electricity production of 300 kWe by using a binary cycle power plant. The heat energy of effluent water from power plant can be utilized for direct heat utilization on horticulture, aquaculture, cold storage, silviculture etc; to augment the economics of the power plant be spot can be developed as a centre for tourist attraction by constructing botanical park, greenhouse, geyser show and crocodile farm. The direct heat utilization shemes can be planned in cascading order to achieve maximum utility of thermal water. Additional deep drilling is essential for optimum commercial utilization of the Geothermal energy. The direct heat utilisation shemes along with binary cycle power plant may help in development of the geothermal energy and boosting the economy of this region.

Self-directed learning: Status of final-year students and perceptions ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background. Self-directed learning (SDL) is the essential mechanism of lifelong learning, which, in turn, is required for medical professionals to maintain competency because of advancing technology and constantly evolving disease care and contexts. Yet, most Nigerian medical schools do not actively promote SDL skills ...

Assessing directed interactions from neurophysiological signals—an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehnertz, Klaus

2011-01-01

The study of synchronization phenomena in coupled dynamical systems is an active field of research in many scientific disciplines including the neurosciences. Over the last decades, a number of time series analysis techniques have been proposed to capture both linear and nonlinear aspects of interactions. While most of these techniques allow one to quantify the strength of interactions, developments that resulted from advances in nonlinear dynamics and in information and synchronization theory aim at assessing directed interactions. Most of these techniques, however, assume the underlying systems to be at least approximately stationary and require a large number of data points to robustly assess directed interactions. Recent extensions allow assessing directed interactions from short and transient signals and are particularly suited for the analysis of evoked and event-related activity. (topical review)

Triton's streaks as windblown dust

Science.gov (United States)

Sagan, Carl; Chyba, Christopher

1990-01-01

Explanations for the surface streaks observed by Voyager 2 on Triton's southern hemisphere are discussed. It is shown that, despite Triton's tenuous atmosphere, low-cohesion dust trains with diameters of about 5 micron or less may be carried into suspension by aeolian surface shear stress, given expected geostrophic wind speeds of about 10 m/s. For geyser-like erupting dust plumes, it is shown that dust-settling time scales and expected wind velocities can produce streaks with length scales in good agreement with those of the streaks. Thus, both geyserlike eruptions or direct lifting by surface winds appear to be viable mechanisms for the origin of the streaks.

The spatial patterns of directional phenotypic selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Siepielski, Adam M; Gotanda, Kiyoko M; Morrissey, Michael B; Diamond, Sarah E; DiBattista, Joseph D; Carlson, Stephanie M

2013-11-01

Local adaptation, adaptive population divergence and speciation are often expected to result from populations evolving in response to spatial variation in selection. Yet, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the major features that characterise the spatial patterns of selection, namely the extent of variation among populations in the strength and direction of selection. Here, we analyse a data set of spatially replicated studies of directional phenotypic selection from natural populations. The data set includes 60 studies, consisting of 3937 estimates of selection across an average of five populations. We performed meta-analyses to explore features characterising spatial variation in directional selection. We found that selection tends to vary mainly in strength and less in direction among populations. Although differences in the direction of selection occur among populations they do so where selection is often weakest, which may limit the potential for ongoing adaptive population divergence. Overall, we also found that spatial variation in selection appears comparable to temporal (annual) variation in selection within populations; however, several deficiencies in available data currently complicate this comparison. We discuss future research needs to further advance our understanding of spatial variation in selection. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

The spatial patterns of directional phenotypic selection

KAUST Repository

Siepielski, Adam M.

2013-09-12

Local adaptation, adaptive population divergence and speciation are often expected to result from populations evolving in response to spatial variation in selection. Yet, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the major features that characterise the spatial patterns of selection, namely the extent of variation among populations in the strength and direction of selection. Here, we analyse a data set of spatially replicated studies of directional phenotypic selection from natural populations. The data set includes 60 studies, consisting of 3937 estimates of selection across an average of five populations. We performed meta-analyses to explore features characterising spatial variation in directional selection. We found that selection tends to vary mainly in strength and less in direction among populations. Although differences in the direction of selection occur among populations they do so where selection is often weakest, which may limit the potential for ongoing adaptive population divergence. Overall, we also found that spatial variation in selection appears comparable to temporal (annual) variation in selection within populations; however, several deficiencies in available data currently complicate this comparison. We discuss future research needs to further advance our understanding of spatial variation in selection. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Commentary on ``Future directions: Building technologies and design tools``

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quadrel, R.W.

1992-08-10

This paper presents a number of interesting and thought-provoking scenarios about the future use of advanced technology in the design and operation of commercial buildings. I will express my reactions in the following series of short paragraphs. These thoughts will, I hope, raise some new questions and offer fruitful directions for further exploration.

Delivering high-level food industry skills for future food security through Advanced Training Partnerships

OpenAIRE

Frazier, Richard A.

2013-01-01

The UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council’s Advanced Training Partnerships initiative represents a significant investment in the provision of high-level skills for the UK food industry sector to address global food security from farm to fork. This paper summarises the background, aims and scope of the Advanced Training Partnerships, their development so far, and offers a view on future directions and evaluation of impact.

Integrated Flight and Propulsion Controls for Advanced Aircraft Configurations

Science.gov (United States)

Merrill, Walter; Garg, Sanjay

1995-01-01

The research vision of the NASA Lewis Research Center in the area of integrated flight and propulsion controls technologies is described. In particular the Integrated Method for Propulsion and Airframe Controls developed at the Lewis Research Center is described including its application to an advanced aircraft configuration. Additionally, future research directions in integrated controls are described.

The impact of gendered organizational systems on women’s career advancement

Science.gov (United States)

O’Neil, Deborah A.; Hopkins, Margaret M.

2015-01-01

In this Perspective article we propose that in order to pave the way for women’s career advancement into the senior ranks of organizations, attention must be directed at the systemic norms and structures that drive the gendered nature of the workplace. A focus on individual level issues, i.e., women lacking confidence and women opting out, detracts from the work that must be done at the organizational level in order to dismantle the system of pervasive, structural disadvantage facing women seeking to advance to senior leadership positions. PMID:26175708

Recent Advances in Computational Methods for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Data Processing

KAUST Repository

Gao, Xin

2013-01-11

Although three-dimensional protein structure determination using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a computationally costly and tedious process that would benefit from advanced computational techniques, it has not garnered much research attention from specialists in bioinformatics and computational biology. In this paper, we review recent advances in computational methods for NMR protein structure determination. We summarize the advantages of and bottlenecks in the existing methods and outline some open problems in the field. We also discuss current trends in NMR technology development and suggest directions for research on future computational methods for NMR.

Photodynamic Therapy in Patients with Advanced Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma: Percutaneous Cholangioscopic Versus Peroral Transpapillary Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Tae Yoon; Cheon, Young Koog; Shim, Chan Sup

2016-04-01

This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of patients with advanced hilar cholangiocarcinoma (CC) who underwent photodynamic therapy (PDT) with either percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy (PTCS) or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). PDT has been proposed as a promising therapy for treatment of unresectable hilar CC that is resistant to conventional standard treatment. However, few studies have compared the delivery methods of PDT in unresectable hilar CC patients. Thirty-seven adult patients with advanced hilar CC were included in this study. Twenty-four patients treated with PTCS-directed PDT and 13 patients treated with ERCP-directed PDT were analyzed retrospectively. The PTCS- and ERCP-directed PDT groups were comparable with respect to age, gender, health status, pretreatment bilirubin levels, Bismuth type, and hilar CC stage. The length of hospital stay differed significantly (p hilar CC. Lower pre-PDT bilirubin levels were associated with longer survival in all patients.

Advancing CANDU Technology Through R and D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torgerson, David F.

1993-01-01

CANDU reactors are evolving to meet future requirements using incremental changes as opposed to revolutionary design changes. The main elements for advancing the technology reducing capital and operating, increasing capacity factors, increasing passive safety, and enhancing fuel/fuel cycle flexibility. These elements are being addressed by carrying out research and development in the areas of safety, plant systems and components, heavy water production, information technology, fuel channels, and fuel/fuel cycle technology. In safety, the focus is on using the inherent features of CANDU to enhance passive or natural safety concepts, such as the use of the moderator as an effective heat sink, and the development of advanced fuels to improve critical heat flux and to reduce source terms. Plant systems and components work includes improvements to plant systems such as steam generators, heat exchangers, pump seals, and advanced control room technology. Heavy water processes are being developed that can be used with existing hydrogen production plants, or that can be used in a stand-alone mode. Information technology is being developed to cover all aspects of CANDU design, construction, and operation. Fuel channel improvements include elucidation and application of basic materials science for life extension, and the development of advanced non-destructive examination methods. Fuel and fuel cycle work is focusing on LWR/CANDU synergy, such as the use of recovered uranium and the direct use of spent PWR fuel in CANDU reactor, advanced fuels to improve burnup and economics (e. g., the joint AECB/KAERI Conflux program), and low void reactivity fuel to enhance passive safety. This paper gives an overview of some of the R and D supporting these activities, with particular emphasis on Alice's vision for advancing CANDU technology over the next 10 years

What Price Ethics: New Research Directions in Counselor Ethical Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Paradise, Louis V.

1978-01-01

This paper briefly examines research on the ethical behavior of counselors, demonstrating that new directions in this area are needed, and that new research questions must be asked if significant information relating to counseling and ethics is to advance. Areas of inquiry and methods for investigation are suggested. (Author)

Direct-drive inertial confinement fusion: A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Craxton, R. S.; Anderson, K. S.; Boehly, T. R.; Goncharov, V. N.; Harding, D. R.; Knauer, J. P.; McKenty, P. W.; Myatt, J. F.; Short, R. W.; Skupsky, S.; Theobald, W.; Collins, T. J. B.; Delettrez, J. A.; Hu, S. X.; Marozas, J. A.; Maximov, A. V.; Michel, D. T.; Radha, P. B.; Regan, S. P.; Sangster, T. C. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623-1299 (United States); and others

2015-11-15

direct-drive target concepts. Filamentation is largely suppressed by beam smoothing. Thermal transport modeling, important to the interpretation of experiments and to target design, has been found to be nonlocal in nature. Advances in shock timing and equation-of-state measurements relevant to direct-drive ICF are reported. Room-temperature implosions have provided an increased understanding of the importance of stability and uniformity. The evolution of cryogenic implosion capabilities, leading to an extensive series carried out on the 60-beam OMEGA laser [Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)], is reviewed together with major advances in cryogenic target formation. A polar-drive concept has been developed that will enable direct-drive–ignition experiments to be performed on the National Ignition Facility [Haynam et al., Appl. Opt. 46(16), 3276 (2007)]. The advantages offered by the alternative approaches of fast ignition and shock ignition and the issues associated with these concepts are described. The lessons learned from target-physics and implosion experiments are taken into account in ignition and high-gain target designs for laser wavelengths of 1/3 μm and 1/4 μm. Substantial advances in direct-drive inertial fusion reactor concepts are reviewed. Overall, the progress in scientific understanding over the past five decades has been enormous, to the point that inertial fusion energy using direct drive shows significant promise as a future environmentally attractive energy source.

Direct-drive inertial confinement fusion: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Craxton, R. S.; Anderson, K. S.; Boehly, T. R.; Goncharov, V. N.; Harding, D. R.; Knauer, J. P.; McKenty, P. W.; Myatt, J. F.; Short, R. W.; Skupsky, S.; Theobald, W.; Collins, T. J. B.; Delettrez, J. A.; Hu, S. X.; Marozas, J. A.; Maximov, A. V.; Michel, D. T.; Radha, P. B.; Regan, S. P.; Sangster, T. C.

2015-01-01

direct-drive target concepts. Filamentation is largely suppressed by beam smoothing. Thermal transport modeling, important to the interpretation of experiments and to target design, has been found to be nonlocal in nature. Advances in shock timing and equation-of-state measurements relevant to direct-drive ICF are reported. Room-temperature implosions have provided an increased understanding of the importance of stability and uniformity. The evolution of cryogenic implosion capabilities, leading to an extensive series carried out on the 60-beam OMEGA laser [Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)], is reviewed together with major advances in cryogenic target formation. A polar-drive concept has been developed that will enable direct-drive–ignition experiments to be performed on the National Ignition Facility [Haynam et al., Appl. Opt. 46(16), 3276 (2007)]. The advantages offered by the alternative approaches of fast ignition and shock ignition and the issues associated with these concepts are described. The lessons learned from target-physics and implosion experiments are taken into account in ignition and high-gain target designs for laser wavelengths of 1/3 μm and 1/4 μm. Substantial advances in direct-drive inertial fusion reactor concepts are reviewed. Overall, the progress in scientific understanding over the past five decades has been enormous, to the point that inertial fusion energy using direct drive shows significant promise as a future environmentally attractive energy source

Proton exchange membrane materials for the advancement of direct methanol fuel-cell technology

Science.gov (United States)

Cornelius, Christopher J [Albuquerque, NM

2006-04-04

A new class of hybrid organic-inorganic materials, and methods of synthesis, that can be used as a proton exchange membrane in a direct methanol fuel cell. In contrast with Nafion.RTM. PEM materials, which have random sulfonation, the new class of materials have ordered sulfonation achieved through self-assembly of alternating polyimide segments of different molecular weights comprising, for example, highly sulfonated hydrophilic PDA-DASA polyimide segment alternating with an unsulfonated hydrophobic 6FDA-DAS polyimide segment. An inorganic phase, e.g., 0.5 5 wt % TEOS, can be incorporated in the sulfonated polyimide copolymer to further improve its properties. The new materials exhibit reduced swelling when exposed to water, increased thermal stability, and decreased O.sub.2 and H.sub.2 gas permeability, while retaining proton conductivities similar to Nafion.RTM.. These improved properties may allow direct methanol fuel cells to operate at higher temperatures and with higher efficiencies due to reduced methanol crossover.

Fairly direct hit. Advances in imaging of shotgun projectiles in MRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eggert, Sebastian [Kantonsspital Baden AG, Department of Radiology, Baden (Switzerland); University of Zurich, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Zurich (Switzerland); Kubik-Huch, Rahel A.; Peters, Alexander [Kantonsspital Baden AG, Department of Radiology, Baden (Switzerland); Klarhoefer, Markus [Siemens Healthcare, Zurich (Switzerland); Bolliger, Stephan A.; Thali, Michael J. [University of Zurich, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Zurich (Switzerland); Anderson, Suzanne [Kantonsspital Baden AG, Department of Radiology, Baden (Switzerland); University of Notre Dame Australia, Radiology, Sydney School of Medicine, Sydney, NSW (Australia); Froehlich, Johannes M. [Federal Institute of Technology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zurich (Switzerland)

2015-09-15

To investigate the magnetic properties of different types of projectiles and qualify the metal artefact reduction technique for diagnostic and/or forensic MRI. Ten different projectiles embedded in ordnance gelatine blocks underwent an in vitro 1.5-T MR study with seven sequences including a recently developed metal artefact reduction sequence (Advanced WARP) combining VAT (view-angle-tilting) and SEMAC (slice-encoding metal-artefact-correction). Resulting image quality (five-point scale: 1=best; 5=worst) was scored. Quantifiable magnetic characteristics were correlated with qualitative rating of the MR sequences and torque dislodgment. Metal artefact reduction sequence (median: 2.5) significantly (p < 0.001) improves depiction of projectiles in comparison to all other MR pulse sequences (median: 4.75). Images from diamagnetic composed bullets (median: 2) are much less disturbed compared to magnetic attracted ones (median: 5). Correlation (0.623) between deflection angle measurement (ferromagnetic mean 84.2 ; paramagnetic 62 ; diamagnetic mean 0 ) and median qualitative image quality was highly significant (p = 0.027). Torque dislodgement was distinct for elongated magnetic attracted projectiles. Significant improvement of MR imaging of projectiles using metal artefact reduction techniques has important implications for diagnostic/forensic work-up. The correlations between magnetic attraction force, deflection-angle results and image properties demonstrate that the MR safety of projectiles can be estimated with one of these methods. (orig.)

Fairly direct hit. Advances in imaging of shotgun projectiles in MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eggert, Sebastian; Kubik-Huch, Rahel A.; Peters, Alexander; Klarhoefer, Markus; Bolliger, Stephan A.; Thali, Michael J.; Anderson, Suzanne; Froehlich, Johannes M.

2015-01-01

To investigate the magnetic properties of different types of projectiles and qualify the metal artefact reduction technique for diagnostic and/or forensic MRI. Ten different projectiles embedded in ordnance gelatine blocks underwent an in vitro 1.5-T MR study with seven sequences including a recently developed metal artefact reduction sequence (Advanced WARP) combining VAT (view-angle-tilting) and SEMAC (slice-encoding metal-artefact-correction). Resulting image quality (five-point scale: 1=best; 5=worst) was scored. Quantifiable magnetic characteristics were correlated with qualitative rating of the MR sequences and torque dislodgment. Metal artefact reduction sequence (median: 2.5) significantly (p < 0.001) improves depiction of projectiles in comparison to all other MR pulse sequences (median: 4.75). Images from diamagnetic composed bullets (median: 2) are much less disturbed compared to magnetic attracted ones (median: 5). Correlation (0.623) between deflection angle measurement (ferromagnetic mean 84.2 ; paramagnetic 62 ; diamagnetic mean 0 ) and median qualitative image quality was highly significant (p = 0.027). Torque dislodgement was distinct for elongated magnetic attracted projectiles. Significant improvement of MR imaging of projectiles using metal artefact reduction techniques has important implications for diagnostic/forensic work-up. The correlations between magnetic attraction force, deflection-angle results and image properties demonstrate that the MR safety of projectiles can be estimated with one of these methods. (orig.)

Advanced Technologies for Design Information Verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watkins, Michael L.; Sheen, David M.; Rose, Joseph L.; Cumblidge, Stephen E.

2009-01-01

This paper discusses several technologies that have the potential to enhance facilities design verification. These approaches have shown promise in addressing the challenges associated with the verification of sub-component geometry and material composition for structures that are not directly accessible for physical inspection. A simple example is a pipe that extends into or through a wall or foundation. Both advanced electromagnetic and acoustic modalities will be discussed. These include advanced radar imaging, transient thermographic imaging, and guided acoustic wave imaging. Examples of current applications are provided. The basic principles and mechanisms of these inspection techniques are presented along with the salient practical features, advantages, and disadvantages of each technique. Other important considerations, such as component geometries, materials, and degree of access are also treated. The importance of, and strategies for, developing valid inspection models are also discussed. Beyond these basic technology adaptation and evaluation issues, important user interface considerations are outlined, along with approaches to quantify the overall performance reliability of the various inspection methods.

Advances in welding science and technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

David, S.A.; Babu, S.S.; Vitek, J.M.

1995-01-01

Over the years, welding has been more of an art than a science, but in the last few decades major advances have taken place in welding science and technology. With the development of new methodologies at the crossroads of basic and applied sciences, enormous opportunities and potential exist to develop a science-based design of composition, structure, and properties of welds with intelligent control and automation of the welding processes. In the last several decades, welding has evolved as an interdisciplinary activity requiring synthesis of knowledge from various disciplines and incorporating the most advanced tools of various basic applied sciences. A series of international conferences and other publications have covered the issues, current trends and directions in welding science and technology. In the last few decades, major progress has been made in (i) understanding physical processes in welding, (ii) characterization of microstructure and properties, and (iii) intelligent control and automation of welding. This paper describes some of these developments

Advanced energy utilization MHD power generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The 'Technical Committee on Advanced Energy Utilization MHD Power Generation' was started to establish advanced energy utilization technologies in Japan, and has been working for three years from June 2004 to May 2007. This committee investigated closed cycle MHD, open cycle MHD, and liquid metal MHD power generation as high-efficiency power generation systems on the earth. Then, aero-space application and deep space exploration technologies were investigated as applications of MHD technology. The spin-off from research and development on MHD power generation such as acceleration and deceleration of supersonic flows was expected to solve unstart phenomena in scramjet engine and also to solve abnormal heating of aircrafts by shock wave. In addition, this committee investigated researches on fuel cells, on secondary batteries, on connection of wind power system to power grid, and on direct energy conversion system from nuclear fusion reactor for future. The present technical report described results of investigations by the committee. (author)

Direct Metal Laser Sintering: A Digitised Metal Casting Technology

OpenAIRE

Venkatesh, K. Vijay; Nandini, V. Vidyashree

2013-01-01

Dental technology is undergoing advancements at a fast pace and technology is being imported from various other fields. One such imported technology is direct metal laser sintering technology for casting metal crowns. This article will discuss the process of laser sintering for making metal crowns and fixed partial dentures with a understanding of their pros and cons.