UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

OBJECTIVES. In this study we tested the association between occupational stress--as measured by job demands, decision latitude, and job strain--and hypertension in a population of 1396 Black and White...Full Text Available

Wastenet

... Future Job Fund Scheme Goodwood Allotments Location: Goodwood Allotments Work undertaken by long-term unemployed young people under the Future Jobs Fund (FJF) transforms derelict allotments into a readily workable space for the local community. New Parks Skegness Ride Location: New Parks Youth Centre Youths from the New Parks Club for Young People engage with sustainable transport and develop teamwork skills via a team bike ride. ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Decision making about possible investment options for energy supply technology is usually based on economic criteria reflecting primarily the unit cost of energy and the return on capital invested. This study attempts to reverse the process. The chosen starting point is a UK investment programme geared towards reliance on conservation, renewable energy systems and the more efficient use of our remaining fossil fuels (through combined heat and power and district heating systems). The number and type of jobs likely to be created is then estimated and compared with the jobs likely to be created by the currently proposed nuclear power programme. (author).

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

OBJECTIVE: New surgical procedures designed to assist in the treatment of peritoneal surface malignancy were sought. BACKGROUND: Decisions regarding the treatment of cancer depend on the anatomic location...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper considers location?allocation problem in the real uncertain world and develops a possibilistic non-linear programming model to deal with this problem. Fuzzy decision making in fuzzy environment concept is used to determine possibility distribution of location and allocation variables. To solve this model, a novel approach based on genetic algorithm structure is developed. As the proposed model includes both deterministic (location) and uncertain (allocation) parameters, the developed solution algorithm uses a hybrid chromosome structure. Also, to cover continuous nature of the problem and prevent GA from early convergence, a new crossover operator is introduced. Finally, performance of the developed algorithm is evaluated by an example.

Science.gov (United States)

This is the final Report for the technical ''on-the-job traning'' for the Wolsung CANDU nuclear power plant which is the first Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor setting up in Korea. The technical ''on-the-job traning'' was established to increase the capabi...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper presents a new mathematical model for designing distribution networks in a supply chain system considering service level constraint optimizing strategic decisions (location), tactical decisions (inventory), and assigning decisions. In real-world cases, demand, traveling time or any parameters in classical models may change over the period of time. So, considering uncertainty yields more flexibility for the results and the proposed model. In our study, environmental uncertainty is described by discrete scenarios. In this model, we have service level constraint in order to prevent inventory lost in distribution centers (DCs). Also, we assume that customer's demand is stochastic with Poisson distribution function and DCs have coverage radius constraints thus any DC cannot service a...

CERN Document Server

Handbook on decision support systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Construction and commissioning period of NPP are reduced world over drastically by stringent schedule for financial and economic reasons. For meeting the schedule, commissioning of components and systems are started immediate after installation, while construction activities are continued in parallel at the same place. Parallel activities' and 'Time Constraint' have brought new challenges to 'Management of Fire and Industrial Safely' during commissioning. An innovative approach was used during such phase of commissioning of TAPP-3 and 4. This paper outlines challenges encountered during this phase and special approach and measures used to meet those challenges. This paper also outlines problems encountered during implementation of these measures and subsequent change in approach to ensure smooth and safe execution of activities. Primarily, challenges were conflicting requirements by various agencies to carryout commissioning in parallel with construction activities concurrently. Main ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

AimsTo describe nurse burnout, job dissatisfaction, and quality of care in Japanese hospitals, and to determine how these outcomes are associated with work environment...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this paper we consider the general, no-wait and no-idle permutation flowshop scheduling problem with deteriorating jobs, i.e., jobs whose processing times are increasing functions of their starting times. We assume a linear deterioration function with identical increasing rates for all the jobs and there are some dominating relationships between the machines. We show that the problems to minimize the makespan and the total completion time remain polynomially solvable when deterioration is considered, although these problems are more complicated than their classical counterparts without deterioration.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The forest products industry is the third largest economic sector in Alberta, producing pulp and paper, dimensional lumber, paneling, and value added products, providing some 40,000 jobs . 'Value added' is a key component of expanding economic activity within the forest products sector. Wood residues can play a key role in obtaining more value from forest resources by providing new products, serving as feedstock to energy and chemical production, and playing a role in agriculture and land reclamation. One of the principal roles of the Forest Products Development Branch of the Alberta Economics Department is to encourage the development of the industry by creating new uses for these materials and developing awareness of the scope of the resource. Distances to markets, economic competition from conventional energy sources and coordination of research efforts are substantial barriers to further development that the Forest Products Development Branch ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In abnormal conditions, the operator's ability to deal with a large volume of data, and initiate the most appropriate remedial action is a fundamental concern in the design of energy control centers. Once a severe disruption has occurred in the power network, a series of tasks are required before the operator can make any decisions. Many of these functions involve computational efforts, and require a long period of processing time. The application of a wrong set of information by the operator may result in a catastrophic recovery situation. Also, as the system becomes larger, the required time for these tasks grows significantly and the operator may have very little time to analyze the contingency and issue a proper decision. These facts have led to the conclusion that a computer driven decision making mechanism will help the operator perform duties with minimum flaws and maximum efficiency. The challenge in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Protection of wetlands became a national issue in 1988 when President George Bush pledged no net loss of wetlands in the US under his [open quotes]environmental presidency.[close quotes] As wetlands became a national issue, the job of protecting them became an obligation for many groups, including hydro-power developers. Now, when a site selected for development includes an area that may be classified as a wetland, the developer quickly discovers the importance of recognizing and protecting these natural habitats. Federal legislation severely limits development of wetland, and most states increase the restrictions with their own wetlands regulations. The difficulty of defining wetlands complicates federal and state enforcement. Land that appears to be dry may in fact be classified as a wetland. So, even if a site appears dry, potential hydro developers must confirm whether or not any jurisdictional wetlands are present. Regulated lands include much more than ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration (SAFER) plan addresses closure for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 118, Area 27 Super Kukla Facility, identified in the ''Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order''. Corrective Action Unit 118 consists of one Corrective Action Site (CAS), 27-41-01, located in Area 27 of the Nevada Test Site. Corrective Action Site 27-41-01 consists of the following four structures: (1) Building 5400A, Reactor High Bay; (2) Building 5400, Reactor Building and access tunnel; (3) Building 5410, Mechanical Building; and (4) Wooden Shed, a.k.a. ''Brock House''. This plan provides the methodology for field activities needed to gather the necessary information for closing the CAS. There is sufficient information and process knowledge from historical documentation and site confirmation data collected in 2005 and 2006 to recommend closure of CAU 118 using the ...

Science.gov (United States)

The Savannah River Site (SRS) is a 310-square-mile United States Department of Energy nuclear facility located along the Savannah River (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina. Nuclear weapons material production began in the early 1950s, utilizing five production reactors. In the early 1990s all SRS production reactor operations were terminated. The first reactor closure end state declaration was recently institutionalized in a Comprehensive Environmental Response and Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) Early Action Record of Decision. The decision for the final closure of the 318,000 square foot 105-P Reactor was determined to be in situ decommissioning (ISD). ISD is an acceptable and cost effective alternative to off-site disposal for the reactor building, which will allow for consolidation of remedial action wastes generated from other cleanup activities within the P Area. ISD is considered protective by the regulators, U. ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this paper we apply stochastic programming modelling and solution techniques to planning problems for a consortium of oil companies. A multiperiod supply, transformation and distribution scheduling problem - the Depot and Refinery Optimization Problem (DROP) - is formulated for strategic or tactical level planning of the consortium's activities. This deterministic model is used as a basis for implementing a stochastic programming formulation with uncertainty in the product demands and spot supply costs (DROPS), whose solution process utilizes the deterministic equivalent linear programming problem. We employ our STOCHGEN general purpose stochastic problem generator to 'recreate' the decision (scenario) tree for the unfolding future as this deterministic equivalent. To project random demands for oil products at different spatial locations into the future and to generate random fluctuations in their future prices/costs a stochastic input data ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Project methodology, analysis of the occupational and training situation, task analysis process, design process for a systematic training plan specific to the job position are described.

Science.gov (United States)

... AUTHOR(S) Kavanagh, MJ; Borman, WC,; Hedge, JW; Gould, RB i3a. ... 3.5 Performance Standards, Scale Characteristics, and Scale Development ...

Science.gov (United States)

Nov 13, 2000 ... built to support the Milstar Program. That was pretty interesting, and I'll tell you, that was about the easiest job I ever had. ...

Science.gov (United States)

... 2. Help women become accepted by providing job-related training, creating flexible work groups with good climates, and encourage supervisors to ...

Science.gov (United States)

into the SiC interface to form of palladium silicides (PdSix) and the subsequent migration of elemental silicon to the surface from the SiC. Palladium silicides are ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper describes a gas transmission pipeline company with dissimilar local control and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems that had formed over time, and the solution that was put into place to consolidate those systems. Great Lakes Gas Transmission Company (GLGT) had historically operated the pipeline from four geographically different locations with a combination of various local man-machine interface (MMI) control systems and an aging SCADA system. As new control systems were installed at compressor and meter stations, local and corporate data acquisition needs changed. It became apparent that the existing SCADA system which telemetered a minimal set of control data could no longer support growth requirements. The decision was made to replace the old SCADA system with a new open state-of-the-art architecture. As a result of competitive bidding, the Valmet OASyS (Open Architecture SyStem) was selected and installed at ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Experiences in hazardous materials transportation show that purely strategic or planning approaches have considerable shortcomings and that real-time management must be addressed. The commercialization of advanced location and communications technology provides the basis for real-time guidance. Considering the possibilities this new technology offers, a real-time routing model is proposed. It is based on the premises that a human dispatcher must assess the impacts of sudden events on safety and transportation costs and evaluate safe and cost-effective routing alternatives. Due to high uncertainty and time constraints in this real-time environment, risks and transportation costs are expressed as preferences on an ordinal scale. The model has been integrated into a decision support system and assessed in an experimental setting. This ordinal preference model turned out to be superior to a utility approach due to its robustness in risk assessment ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundIn patients with Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease who require renal replacement therapy a major decision concerns modality choice. However, many patients defer the decision...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The non-licensed operator on the job training model presently considered for development and implementation at C.N. Almaraz (CNA) has the primary objective of imparting practical knowledge and skills to the trainee on a per system basis and specific to the job position. This model is somewhat different in scope from the OJT process used in U.S. stations because the learning process is not done on a task per task basis, but rather on the concept of learning collectively all the knowledge and skills required by the specific-system job. This model arose primarily from two thoughts. First, the knowledge and skills have been obtained from a detailed job and task analysis process which will result in the learning of many required knowledge and skills divided by three categories: components, systems and academics. Secondly, the OJT most commonly used in the U.S. requires that the respective station department ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

As part of an ongoing strategic research project to find barrels of radioactive waste off San Francisco, the U.S. Navy (USN), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (GFNMS) pooled their expertise, resources, and technology to form a partnership to verify new computer enhancement techniques developed for detecting targets the size of 55 gallon barrels on sidescan sonar images. Between 1946 and 1970, approximately 47,800 large barrels and other containers of radioactive waste were dumped in the ocean west of San Francisco; the containers litter an area of the sea floor of at least 1400 km {sup 2} knows as the Farallon Island Radioactive Waste Dump. The exact location of the containers and the potential hazard the containers pose to the environment is unknown. The USGS developed computer techniques and contracted with private industry to enhance sidescan data, collected in cooperation with the GFNMS, to detect ...

Science.gov (United States)

Examines the effects of computer-based manufacturing technologies on employment opportunities and job skills. Describes the establishment of the Industrial Technology Institute in Michigan to develop and utilize advanced manufacturing technologies, and the institute's relationship to the state's community colleges. Reviews lessons learned from interinstitutional cooperation. Highlights future challenges. (DMM)

Science.gov (United States)

This student manual, part of a small-engine repair series on servicing fuel systems, is designed for use by special needs students in Texas. The manual explains in pictures and short sentences, written on a low reading level, the job of servicing two-piece flo-jet carburetors. Along with the steps of this repair job, specific safety and caution information is frequently noted. To reinforce consistency in material presented to the slow learners, the pictures and written words correspond exactly with the pictures and wording on a corresponding audiovisual presentation. A progress chart for rating the students is included in the manual. (KC)

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In 2005, the American Medical Informatics Association undertook a set of activities relating to clinical decision support (CDS), with support from the office of the national coordinator and the Agency...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This Environmental Assessment evaluates the proposed action to operate two laboratory-size muffle furnaces in glovebox HC-21C, located in the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP), Hanford Site, Richland, Washington. The muffle furnaces would be used to stabilize chemically reactive sludges that contain approximately 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of plutonium by heating to approximately 500 to 1000{degrees}C (900 to 1800{degrees}F). The resulting stable powder, mostly plutonium oxide with impurities, would be stored in the PFP vaults. The presence of chemically reactive plutonium-bearing sludges in the process gloveboxes poses a risk to workers from radiation exposure and limits the availability of storage space for future plant cleanup. Therefore, there is a need to stabilize the material into a form suitable for long-term storage. This proposed action would be an interim action, which would take place prior to completion of an Environmental Impact Statement for the PFP ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In this paper the problem of developing optimal bidding strategies for the participants of oligopolistic energy markets is studied. Special attention is given to the impacts of suppliers' emission of pollutants on their bidding strategies. The proposed methodology employs supply function equilibrium (SFE) model to represent the strategic behavior of each supplier and locational marginal pricing mechanism for the market clearing. The optimal bidding strategies are developed mathematically using a bilevel optimization problem where the upper-level subproblem maximizes individual supplier payoff and the lower-level subproblem solves the Independent System Operator's market clearing problem. In order to solve market clearing mechanism the multiobjective optimal power flow is used with supplier emission of pollutants, as an extra objective, subject to the supplier physical constraints. This paper uses normal boundary intersection (NBI) approach for ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

One of the principal problems confronting the remediation of Bear Creek Valley is the cleanup of contaminated groundwater. The S-3 Site is one of the locations in the valley where groundwater is most contaminated, and contamination from the S-3 Site has also caused extensive contamination of downgradient groundwater. This groundwater plume, therefore, has a high priority in the Bear Creek Valley remedial process. Pumping and treating groundwater was identified early in the feasibility study as a likely remedial alternative for the S-3 Site groundwater plume. The hydrology and geochemistry of the plume are extremely complex. There is a high degree of uncertainty in the current understanding of how the aquifer will react physically and chemically to pumping, making evaluation of a pump-and-treat alternative impractical at the present time. Before a pump-and-treat alternative can be evaluated, its technical practicability, effectiveness, and projected cost must be ...

CERN Document Server

Spatio-temporal preferences and encounter statistics provide realistic measures to understand mobile user's behavioral preferences and transfer opportunities in Delay Tolerant Networks (DTNs). The time dependent behavior and periodic reappearances at specific locations can approximate future online presence while encounter statistics can aid to forward the routing decisions. It is theoretically shown that such characteristics heavily affect the performance of routing protocols. Therefore, mobility models demonstrating such characteristics are also expected to show identical routing performance. However, we argue models despite capturing these properties deviate from their expected routing performance. We use realistic traces to validate this observation on two mobility models. Our empirical results for epidemic routing show those models' largely differ (delay 67% & reachability 79%) from the observed values. This in-turn call for two ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report is an overview of current spent nuclear fuel management in the DOE complex. Sources of information include published literature, internal DOE documents, interviews with site personnel, and information provided by individual sites. Much of the specific information on facilities and fuels was provided by the DOE sites in response to the questionnaire for data for spent fuels and facilities data bases. This information is as accurate as is currently available, but is subject to revision pending results of further data calls. Spent fuel is broadly classified into three categories: (a) production fuels, (b) special fuels, and (c) naval fuels. Production fuels, comprising about 80% of the total inventory, are those used at Hanford and Savannah River to produce nuclear materials for defense. Special fuels are those used in a wide variety of research, development, and testing activities. Special fuels include fuel from DOE and commercial reactors used in research activities at DOE ...

Science.gov (United States)

PURPOSE We wanted to examine how coordinated care is implemented in primary care practices to address patients' health behavior change needs. METHODS Site visit notes, documents, interviews, and online implementation diaries were collected from July 2005 to September 2007 from practice-based research networks (PBRNs) participating in Prescription for Health: Promoting Healthy Behaviors in Primary Care Research Networks (P4H). An iterative group process was used to conduct a cross-case comparative analysis of 9 interventions. Published patient outcomes reports from P4H interventions were referenced to provide information on intervention effectiveness. RESULTS In-practice health risk assessment (HRA) and brief counseling, coupled with referral and outreach to a valued and known counseling resource, emerged as the best way to consistently coordinate and encourage follow-through for health behavior counseling. Findings from published P4H outcomes suggest that this approach led to ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

No abstract prepared.

Science.gov (United States)

Visual Sample Plan (VSP) is an easy-to-use visual and graphic statistically-based software tool being developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to help determine the appropriate number and location of environmental samples so that environmental decisions can be made with the required confidence. The VSP software, which is available free at http://dqo.pnl.gov/vsp, is a significant aid in developing probability-based sampling designs (number and location of samples and measurements) using the Data Quality Objectives (DQO) planning process developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). VSP also has the capability of conducted statistical analyses to provide descriptive statistical summaries of data sets, to test whether data are normally distributed, and to compute upper confidence limits on means. This report is the latest in a series of reports that document the statistical methods used in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In developing severe accident management strategies, an engineering decision would be made based on the available data and information that are vague, imprecise and uncertain by nature. These sorts of vagueness and uncertainty are due to lack of knowledge for the severe accident sequences of interest. The fuzzy set theory offers a possibility of handling these sorts of data and information. In this paper, the possibility to apply the decision-making method based on fuzzy set theory to the evaluation of the accident management strategies at a nuclear power plant is scrutinized. The fuzzy decision-making method uses linguistic variables and fuzzy numbers to represent the decision-maker's subjective assessments for the decision alternatives according to the decision criteria. The fuzzy mean operator is used to aggregate the ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

An extension of TOPSIS, a multi-criteria interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision making technique, to a group decision environment is investigated, where inter-dependent or interactive characteristics among criteria and preference of decision makers are taken into account. To get a broad view of the techniques used, first, some operational laws on interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy values are introduced. Based on these operational laws, a generalized interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy geometric aggregation operator is proposed which is used to aggregate decision makers? opinions in group decision making process. In addition, some of its properties are discussed. Then Choquet integral-based Hamming distance between interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy values is defined. Combining ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The latest figures published by the Science and Engineering Indicators report reveals that in 2003, 33% of faculty in science and engineering departments at research universities were foreign-born, a number that has more than doubled in thirty years. Foreign-born faculty members comprise an important part of the scientific enterprise that has been understudied. The purpose of this study is to examine the job satisfaction patterns of scientists and engineers by status of birth using a very large and comprehensive National Science Foundation (NSF) dataset, the Survey of Doctoral Recipients (SDR). The results of the study indicate that foreign-born scientists and engineers are less satisfied in several areas of their work life as compared to their US-born peers.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Data from a detailed evaluation of environment conditions in three U.S. Army field stations are presented. Three field stations were evaluated: Kunia, Augsburg, and Berlin. Results from a questionnaire administered to over 600 people at all sites in three job types (operator, analyst, and administrative/other) are given which indicate major concerns with conditions such as temperature, lighting, space, furniture, equipment functioning, and general environmental quality. Physical data obtained from measurements of over 270 work stations indicated the presence of cold temperatures, low light levels, reduced VDT screen contrast, glare, and distracting noises. The report provides the basic data that support the concerns expressed by Headquarters; namely, that field-station personnel perform their jobs under conditions likely to impair their effectiveness. Suggestions for improving conditions are given in a companion report by Rubin and Collins.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Patient decision support systems have a promising role in the delivery of health care. However, the best approach for further development of these systems is a matter of speculation. To help chart a...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundThe aim of this study is to examine how clinicians and patients negotiate clinical need and treatment decisions within a context of finite resources. Dental implant treatment...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report includes the issuances received during the specified period from the Commission (CLI), the Atomic Safety and Licensing Boards (LBP), the Administrative Law Judges (ALJ), the Directors Decisions (DD), and the Decisions on Petitions for Rulemaking (DPRM).

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

One of the major decisions that germ cells make during their development is whether to differentiate into oocytes or sperm. In mice, the germ cells’ decision to develop as male or female depends...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

At least implicitly, most clinical decisions represent an integration of disease and treatment-based risk assessments. Often, as is the case with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), these decisions need...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Information needs that arise when clinicians use clinical information systems often go unresolved, forcing clinicians to defer decisions or make them with incomplete knowledge. My research characterizes...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

... Principal Author's Organization and address: BAE Systems, AIT 6 New England Executive Park Burlington, Massachusetts 01803 ...

Science.gov (United States)

ASME PRA STANDARD FOR PRA. FOR NPP APPLICATION. " Provides a Standard for performing and using a. PRA. Definitions. Risk assessment ...

Science.gov (United States)

This decision document presents the selected remedial action for the former Asarco Tacoma Smelter Facility and adjacent slag peninsula, in Ruston and Tacoma, Washington. This Record of Decision (ROD) describes the final cleanup remedy for soil, slag and surface water and disposal of hazardous soils, demolition debris, and residential soils. This ROD is intended to be an interim action for ground water.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The objective of SCK-CEN's R and D programme on decision strategy research are (1) to support and advise the Belgian authorities on specific problems concerning existing and potential hazards from exposure to ionising radiation, both in normal and emergency situations; (2) to perform research on relevant topics that might have an important impact on decision making related to nuclear applications, including social and economic sciences. Main achievements in this area in 1999 are described.

Science.gov (United States)

Case studies were made of the following dislocated worker programs: Cummins Engine Company Dislocated Worker Project; GM-UAW Metropolitan Pontiac Retraining and Employment Program; Minnesota Iron Range Dislocated Worker Project; Missouri Dislocated Worker Program Job Search Assistance, Inc.; Hillsborough, North Carolina, Dislocated Worker Project; Cleveland, Ohio, United Labor Agency Dislocated Worker Project; Houston Community College-Texas Employment Commission Dislocated Worker Project; Tacoma, Washington, ASARCO Copper Smelter Dislocated Worker Project; and Dane County, Wisconsin, Dislocated Worker Project. All of these programs had placement rates higher than those of Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA)-funded demonstrations, and only two of the programs for which a wage replacement ratio could be calculated had ratios below that of the CETA demonstrations. Persons in technical occupations appeared to have the least trouble finding new ...

Science.gov (United States)

In 1987, the U.S. Congress assigned the Secretary of Defense the job of determining requirements for and managing the National Defense Stockpile (NDS) of 'strategic and critical' non-fuel materials (S&CMs). Since then, the Institute for Defense Analyses (...

Science.gov (United States)

ICU telemedicine uses audiovisual conferencing technology to provide critical care from a remote location. Research is needed to best define the optimal use of ICU telemedicine, but efforts are hindered by methodological challenges and the lack of an organized delivery approach. We convened an interdisciplinary working group to develop a research agenda in ICU telemedicine, addressing both methodological and knowledge gaps in the field. To best inform clinical decision-making and health policy, future research should be organized around a conceptual framework that enables consistent descriptions of both the study setting and the telemedicine intervention. The framework should include standardized methods for assessing the preimplementation ICU environment and describing the telemedicine program. This framework will facilitate comparisons across studies and improve generalizability by permitting context-specific interpretation. Research based on ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elements of the environmental effects monitoring program in the Terra Nova oil field, about 350 km east-southeast of St. John's, Newfoundland, are described. This oilfield is being developed using a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) facility. A total of 24 wells are expected to be drilled through seven subsea templates located in four glory holes to protect them from icebergs. Subsea installations will be linked to the FPSO by trenched flowlines connected to flexible risers. The FPSO will offload to shuttle tankers. First oil is expected in 2001. The environmental effects monitoring program will be conducted annually for the first two years beginning in 2000. Subsequent scheduling will be determined after a review of monitoring data collected during the first three years. Input to the design of the monitoring program was provided by all stakeholders, i. e. owners, local public, government agencies and regional and international experts. A ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The overall goal of the DOE fine particulate program is to ensure that the best science and technology is available for any regulatory decision-making related to the health and environmental impacts of ambient fine particulate matter and regional haze. Interest primarily lies in the particulate fraction having aerodynamic diameters of 2.5 microns and less (PM2.5). Particulates of this size are the focus of the newly established National Ambient Air Quality Standards. As such, the Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC) is establishing a fine particulate sampling station at the Center's Pittsburgh site located in South Park Township, PA. This sampling station is one of a group of stations scattered throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio that constitute the Upper Ohio River Valley Project. The station is equipped with a full complement of fine particulate and gaseous monitors including the following: (1) R and P Sequential FRM ...

Science.gov (United States)

We describe the development of a fully coupled climate model configuration where the Community Climate System Model (CCSM) has been coupled with the VERDE (Visualizing Energy Resources Dynamically on the Earth) analysis modules that compute the response of the electric grid to temperature drivers. The VERDE model includes datasets characterizing the 26,500 sub-stations and 6,000 power generation stations fuel mix, efficiency, service areas, and future performance and these have been geo-located on a 1.4 degree latitude by 1.4 degree longitude CCSM grid (T85). The total electric customers have been computed using conversions derived from economic structure and population data. The carbon emissions per customer and the power generation in megawatts electric (MWe) have also been placed on reconciled 1 km, 4 km and the T85 climate model grid. The CCSM temperature for the present and future have been extracted from the climate model output and placed on the same grid as ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Effective and efficient strategic decision making is the backbone for the success of a business organization. These decision making processes, used among its competitors in a particular industry, determine whether the business will continue to survive or not. In this research, fuzzy logic (FL) concept and game theory are being used to model strategic decision making processes by business organizations. Competition between business organizations is viewed as a game with each business organization as a player. A player formulates his own decisions by making his strategic moves based on uncertain information. This is the information he has about the opponents with respect to prevailing or anticipated market demand, cost of production, marketing, consolidation efforts and some other business v...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Low and intermediate waste disposal facilities safety assessment is comprised of several steps from site selection , construction and operation to post-closure performance assessment. This is a multidisciplinary and complex task , and can not be analyzed by one expert only. This high complexity can lead to ambiguity and vagueness in information and consequently in the decision making process. In order to make the decision process clear and objective, there is the need to provide the decision makers with a clear and comprehensive picture of the whole process and, at the same time, simple and easily understandable by the public. This paper suggests the development of an inference system based on fuzzy decision making methodology. Fuzzy logic tools are specially suited to deal with ambiguous data by using language expressions. This process would be capable of integrating knowledge from various fields of ...

CERN Document Server

Data mining is a useful decision support technique that can be used to discover production rules in warehouses or corporate data. Data mining research has made much effort to apply various mining algorithms efficiently on large databases. However, a serious problem in their practical application is the long processing time of such algorithms. Nowadays, one of the key challenges is to integrate data mining methods within the framework of traditional database systems. Indeed, such implementations can take advantage of the efficiency provided by SQL engines. In this paper, we propose an integrating approach for decision trees within a classical database system. In other words, we try to discover knowledge from relational databases, in the form of production rules, via a procedure embedding SQL queries. The obtained decision tree is defined by successive, related relational views. Each view corresponds to a given population in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is committed to providing high quality products that satisfy customer needs and are the associated with this goal, DOE personnel must possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities to ensure successful job performance. In addition, there must be recognition that the greatest obstacle to proper project performance is inadequate project definition. Without strong project definition, DOE environmental management efforts are vulnerable to fragmented solutions, duplication of effort, and wastes resources. The primary means of ensuring environmental management projects meet cost and schedule milestones is through a structured and graded approach to project definition, which is the focus of this handbook.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Coal Corporation of Victoria's mission is to initiate, facilitate and co-ordinate brown coal-based developments, other than for electricity generation, to provide maximum long-term benefits to Victoria including new jobs, new technology, new investment and new products, within sound environmental parameters. The marketing of brown coal products is vigorously undertaken to provide the financial and business base for the Corporation. This report contains a review of the Corporation's activities and achievements during 1989/90.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BACKGROUNDColorectal cancer (CRC) screening can be administered through tests with varied characteristics and is a preference-sensitive decision.OBJECTIVETo...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

... practically non-toxic to birds. Exposure to birds can occur at ponds, aquaria, and waste water ponds. The typical exposure case ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Summary Many important moral decisions, particularly at the policy level, require the evaluation of choices involving outcomes of variable magnitude and probability. Many economic decisions involve the same problem. It is not known whether and to what extent these structurally isomorphic decisions rely on common neural mechanisms. Subjects undergoing fMRI evaluated the moral acceptability of sacrificing a single life to save a larger group of variable size and probability of dying without action. Paralleling research on economic decision making, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum were specifically sensitive to the "expected moral value" of actions, i.e., the expected number of lives lost/saved. Likewise, the right anterior insula was specifically sensitive to outcome p...

Science.gov (United States)

... Abstract : Fifty-nine Grenada veterans currently assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division and the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 75th Ranger Regiment ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Using an efficient criterion in selection of fuzzy conditional attributes (i.e. expanded attributes) is important for generation of fuzzy decision trees. Given a fuzzy information system (FIS), fuzzy conditional attributes play a crucial role in fuzzy decision making. Besides, different fuzzy conditional attributes have different influences on decision making, and some of them may be more important than the others. Two well-known criteria employed to select expanded attributes are fuzzy classification entropy and classification ambiguity, both of which essentially use the ratio of uncertainty to measure the significance of fuzzy conditional attributes. Based on fuzzy-rough technique, this paper proposes a new criterion, in which expanded attributes are selected by using significance of fuz...

Science.gov (United States)

Phytoremediation, a technology using plants to remediate or stabilize contaminants in soil, groundwater, or sediments, has recently received a great deal of attention from regulators, consultants, responsible parties, and stakeholders. phytoremediation ha...

Science.gov (United States)

for cyber issues? Did you decide to establish this position because of the WikiLeaks incident? DR. SLAUGHTER: No. No, that decision was actually taken nearly a year ago,...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundThe permeabilization of mitochondrial membranes is a decisive event in apoptosis or necrosis culminating in cell death. One fundamental mechanism by which...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

This is the first of a series of monthly reports summarizing the status of the work of the National Accelerator Laboratory. This first report will cover developments since the publication of the Design Report in January. Authorization hearings were held before the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy on February 21, 1968. Dr. Wilson described the plans and designs of the Laboratory. The present plan of the Laboratory is that the Village of Weston will be utilized for office, laboratory, and shop space during construction. The Laboratory business office is already occupying several houses. The linac section is occupying three houses for offices and construction of an 8,000 sq ft laboratory building for linac work is almost complete. Another house is being used and a 4,500 sq ft inflatable building is being constructed for model-magnet and vacuum testing. Other temporary buildings will be constructed for use by other sections. We plan to move into the village as rapidly as is feasible and it ...

Science.gov (United States)

This layer represents the different food storage facilities available at backcountry campsites along the coast of Kenai Fjords National Park. Site locations ... ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The comments are divided into three parts. Section 2 relates generally to programs for which greater effort or emphasis is needed. Section 3 provides specific comments on the proposed programs in each Decision Unit and, in most cases, for individual Subelements within each Decision Unit. Specific recommendations regarding the Research Program Support Budget are given in Section 4.

CERN Multimedia

It was in the intersection I-6 that the experiment R603 was located

KoreaScience (Korea)

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Wastenet

...assistantship in Suburban Ecology Location: Bedford, NY Deadline: August 15, 2008 Postdoctoral Fellow in energy Location: University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Deadline: August 11, 2008 Junior Professional Fellowship Sustainable Development Governance Programme Location: UNU, Yokohama, Japan Deadline: August 1, 2008 Center for Ocean Solutions Early Career Fellowship Program Location: Stanford, California Deadline: July 15, 2008 Asian MetaCentre for Population and Sustainable Development Analysis Postdoctoral Research Fellow Location: Singapore Deadline: July 15, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Mixed Waste Integrated Program (MWIP) has as one of its tasks the identification of a decision methodology and key decision criteria for the selection methodology. The aim of a multicriteria analysis is to provide an instrument for a systematic evaluation of distinct alternative projects. Determination of this methodology will clarify (1) the factors used to evaluate these alternatives, (2) the evaluator`s view of the importance of the factors, and (3) the relative value of each alternative. The selected methodology must consider the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) decision-making criteria for application to the analysis technology subsystems developed by the DOE Office of Technology Development. This report contains a compilation of several decision methodologies developed in various national laboratories, institutions, and ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Although past research has reported the benefits of intuition in new product decision-making (i.e., higher quality product; enhanced customer satisfaction), intuition has largely been studied as an individual phenomenon and little work has examined the role of intuition on new product development (NPD) project teams. Furthermore, in a turbulent environment, NPD project teams may rely more on intuitive judgments, and other factors such as experience and stress may also influence the relationship between team intuition and team decision making. Drawing from the organizational design literature on creativity in decision making, this study builds a conceptual model of NPD team intuition and its effect on the team's ability to generate creative new products. We then derive hypotheses regarding ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Intelligent and decision aiding systems as support to operators are becoming increasingly a necessity in nuclear installations and in nuclear reactors in particular, specially after the Tree Mile Island. Development of new technologies based on linguistic approaches such as fuzzy logic has given rise to much interest during the last years. Fuzzy logic controller (FLC) has many advantage compared to conventional controllers using classical techniques. The aim of the present work is to use a fuzzy logic controller in parallel to actual semi-automatic controller in order to supervise in real time the operation of the research nuclear reactor. The principal of this controller is based on rules which are established previous from experiment using the semi-automatic controller and from the knowledge of the operators. (authors)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

How to decide which mine surface tasks may be performed by industrial robots to improve productivity and working conditions is described. Charts are presented of the industrial tasks performed on the surface and how each task may be classified as light, average, difficult or very diffcult according to a defect criteria is explained (defective operations are those which involve, heavy, harmful, stressful or dangerous jobs). The results of these calculations are used to identify which operations are suitable for first introduction of robots since traditional automation methods cannot be used, e.g. various storage, loading and packaging tasks, coal selection, sorting and removal of foreign matter, provision of services such as food preparation, cleaning, etc. Robots may also be used to control automated operations that are monotonous and hazardous for human operators. It is envisaged that in the future computer programmed robots with artificial intelligence will ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In the United States, approximately 20% of all workers who died on the job in 2007 were foreign-born. The objective of this study was to describe trends in occupational fatalities among foreign-born workers. An analysis of fatal injuries among foreign-born workers in the US occurring from 1992 through 2007 was conducted using the Bureau of Labor Statistics? Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Individual characteristics, employment characteristics, injury events and industry employment were summarized and evaluated for trends. Both the number and proportion of foreign-born workers who died from a traumatic work-related injury increased substantially over the time period studied. The proportion who were men, aged 25?44?years, Hispanic, non self-employed, employed by business establishment...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

There is a clear incentive, therefore, for early consideration of the measures required to meet noise and vibration standards. The platform or rig owner and the operator are jointly responsible for agreeing a noise and vibration control policy and approach at the conceptual design stage, and for then passing on their requirements to the engineering design teams. The engineering design teams and acoustic and vibration specialists for their part need to use all their skill and judgement to apply that policy to the intensely complex job of designing and fabricating topsides facilities. With these concerns as background, UEG started, and has nearly completed, a two-phase study to provide detailed guidance to project managers and designers to assist them to develop appropriate policy and procedures and to help them put those procedures into practice. This paper describes the development of UEG's study, its application and benefits.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Purpose - A significant trend in the retail sector is women's over-representation in part-time work. Given the feminisation and adverse working conditions of part-time employment, the purpose of this paper is to enhance understanding of the motivation of female sales employees. Design/methodology/approach - Initially, a theoretical framework is presented with the aim of stipulating the research hypotheses. Empirical evidence was obtained from 349 Greek female sales employees using a structured questionnaire. Analyses of covariance and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted with the aim of exploring the research hypotheses. Findings - It was found that part-time and full-time female employees are similar in designating the job motivators that they find important in the workplace. H...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is interested in assessing the potential economic impacts of its portfolio of subprograms on national employment and income. A special purpose version of the IMPLAN input-output model called ImBuild II is used in this study of all 21 Building Technologies Program subprograms in the EERE final FY 2005 budget request to the Office of Management and Budget on February 2, 2004. Energy savings, investments, and impacts on U.S. national employment and earned income are reported by subprogram for selected years to the year 2030. Energy savings and investments from these subprograms have the potential of creating a total of 396,000 jobs and about $5.6 billion in earned income (2003$) by the year 2030.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Many Department of Energy facilities across the United States are seriously contaminated with radioactive and other hazardous wastes. Decades of focus on weapons production and inadequate attention to long-term solutions for dealing with those wastes have resulted in tremendous problems. The Department of Energy recognizes the seriousness of those problems and is addressing them. In some cases existing management systems are being used to accomplish the new mission of environmental cleanup, and in other cases new systems have been created to help carry out that mission. Widespread criticism of those efforts to data are evidence that the management systems being used may not be appropriate for the job. In particular, it appears that some management systems aren`t producing desired results because they are not well aligned with the people and tasks for whom they are intended, and these issues are discussed in this report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper discusses how specialized techniques for machine condition monitoring can help to eliminate false alarms and undetected faults, leading to a truly cost effective predictive maintenance program. It is vital to base the monitoring system on the parameter which will give the most useful information about potential faults and breakdowns. This parameter is generally agreed to be vibration. While oil debris analysis and variations in temperature, geometry and machine speed can all give advance warning of faults, no other parameter can reveal as wide a range of fault types as vibration. The vibration transducers job is to accurately and faithfully convert the vibration into an electric signal for assessment. If this part of the system is weak, reliability will be badly affected. Data integrity is crucial.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

There are many different types of open pit mining operations around the world, and the challenge for any drive system manufacturer is to produce a system(s) that will work satisfactorily in these mines. Several factors must be considered such as vehicle speed requirements, available engine horsepower, mine rolling resistance, grades, grade lengths, payload, and tire sizes. How well a particular drive system performs depends on the size, weight, and available tractive/retarding effort. In addition to performance, the system must also have an operating cost that will be acceptable over the life of the equipment. Today the choice of drive systems is not only between mechanical and electrical drives, but also within these categories are the different manufacturers. Regardless of how the power is provided to the rear wheels, the job must be accomplished reliably and at an acceptable cost. This paper covers the characteristics of an electric drive system and how it is ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

An idea whose time has come takes center stage in London this week when BP Chemicals announces details of a consortium of chemical companies joining it in a new recycling project. In the project, which BP has been working on since 1989, waste plastic will be depolymerized to chemical feedstocks, via technology variously called feedstock or chemical recycling, polymer cracking, or tertiary recycling. BP's effort is one of the first to emerge from the research and pilot-plant stages that are committed to actual feedstock recycling of mixed polyolefins and other plastics. But it is only one of the many industry efforts under way to cope with the job of dealing with postconsumer plastics.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

China operates 10 nuclear power reactors and has 5 more under construction. A large extension of nuclear power is expected by 2020. Nuclear generated electricity accounts for 2% of the total electric power generation. The Chinese policy is to have spent fuel reprocessed in China. So, final disposal include vitrified waste and some CANDU spent fuel for direct disposal. There is a legal framework in place in China to manage HLW. The China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) has the responsibility for setting policy on HLW disposal and implementing the disposal programme, while the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) and the State Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are the regulatory bodies, which are responsible for licensing and reviewing of environment impact assessment report. The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) is considered to be the actual implementer, conducting the major activities for HLW management. In the 1980's, China started generic research and development ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A public health emergency such as an influenza pandemic will lead to shortages of mechanical ventilators, critical care beds, and other potentially life saving treatments. This will raise difficult...Full Text Available

Wastenet

... Tschantz, Performance Evaluation of Constructed Urban Stormwater Detention Ponds in the Knoxville Area, proceedings and presentation to International Conference on Decision Making in Urban and Civil Engineering, Lyon, France, November 22, 2000. B.A. Tschanz, Current Problems, Practices, and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A ``rule of seven`` implies a scientific organization in which each leader is expected to contribute technically, giving each member a responsibility for the creative work needed for effective leadership. It would decentralize leadership, pushing decisions down to the level where they should be made. Such a structure need not be imposed from above.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Randomized clinical trials are designed with stopping boundaries to guide data monitoring committees with their decision making concerning ongoing trials. In particular, when extremely positive results...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Digital information flow within the intensive care unit (ICU) continues to grow, with advances in technology and computational biology. Recent developments in the integration and archiving of these...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The status of the concept of controlling the quality of physicians is reviewed as are studies that have been done on methods to measure and improve quality. The conclusions are dismal given the rhetoric...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background: Health information technologies (HIT) such as electronic medical records (EMR), computerized physician order entry (CPOE), and clinical decision support systems (CDSS) have...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report includes the issuances received during the specified period from the Commission, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeal Boards, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Boards, the Administrative Law Judge, the Directors' Decisions, and the Denials of Petitions for Rulemaking.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report includes the issuances received during the specified period from the Commission (CLl), the Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeal Boards (ALAB), the Atomic Safety and Licensing Boards (LBP), the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), The Directors' Decisions (DD), and the Denials of Petitions For Rulemaking (DPRM).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The E and P industry has high levels of uncertainty and risk, which oil companies attempt to quantify before embarking on each individual E and P project. However, the actual return on investment often falls well short of the hurdle rate. This discrepancy has been attributed to systemic limitations in decision analysis processes and workflow, which result in repeated underestimation of risk and overestimation of the predicted production of the project. Well designed decision analysis processes in association with clearly defined, multi-scenario analyses of significant technical uncertainties are required. However, simulation of these uncertainties is not realistic given the performance and infrastructure limitations of conventional technology (Begg et al., 2001; Floris and Peersmann, 2000). During the past five years, more than 20 companies have attempted to map the requirements of new technology that is needed to improve uncertainty assessment ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Use of hydrogen in large scale applications is more usual than public is mentioning normally. Nevertheless reserve against hydrogen can be observed up to highest level decision-makers. Possibly a main reason can be found and eliminated by fixing: Some spectacular accidents happened in the past and found great interest. The publication of impressive accidents and the follow up of the events course was very carefully. The research in finding causalities in former decisions and follow up was not in the interest of some people or institutions. Important facts are even not noticed by insiders, but would have been very important for future decision makings and public acceptance of new applications. It will be demonstrated in three historical examples. Much more examples would be available and each one could help to find new applications for a saver and effective use of hydrogen in power supply. Awaking from new reserves could be ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We present a methodology and database mediator tool for integrating modern knowledge-based systems, such as the Stanford EON architecture for automated guideline-based decision-support, with legacy...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Typically, modern economics has steered away from the analysis of sociological and psychological factors and has focused on narrow behavioural assumptions in which expectations are formed on the basis...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A fuzzy-decision-making procedure is applied to find the optimal feed policy of a fed-batch fermentation process for fuel ethanol production using a genetically engineered Saccharomyces yeast 1400 (pLNH33). The policy consisted of feed flow rate, feed concentration, and fermentation time. The recombinant yeast 1400 (pLNH33) can utilize glucose and xylose simultaneously to produce ethanol. However, the parent yeast utilizes glucose only. A partially selective model is used to describe the kinetic behavior of the process. In this study, this partially selective fermentation process is formulated as a general multiple-objective optimal control problem. By using an assigned membership function for each of the objectives, the general multiple-objective optimization problem can be converted into a maximizing decision problem. In order to obtain a global solution, a hybrid method of differential evolution is introduced to solve the maximizing ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Air pollution abatement measures are not an end in themselves, and undesirable side effects should be taken into account. The proposed emission index takes into account the total emissions caused by a technical project as well as the effects of the individual pollutants.

Science.gov (United States)

Cyberspace and its associated operations present both opportunities and challenges for military and United States Government decision-makers and planners. The Pentagon has formally recognized cyberspace as a domain of warfare. Cyberspace is man-made, dyna...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

After emergence, adult flies and other insects select a suitable perch and expand their wings. Wing expansion is governed by the hormone bursicon and can be delayed under adverse environmental...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Allometric equations are often used to extrapolate traits in animals for which only body mass estimates are known, such as dinosaurs. One important decision can be whether these equations should be...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Six patient assessment systems that have explicit decision rules for replicating team judgments on level of care patient placement were selected for analysis. The six were selected because of their...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Independent drilling contractors own all offshore drilling rigs, which they lease to oil and gas companies for use in their pursuit of their exploration and development plans. Oil and gas companies' demand for these rigs can vary quickly and dramatically in response to changes in the world market for oil and natural gas. As a result, drilling contractors often try to manage excess capacity by idling rigs (known in the industry as "stacking" a rig), reactivating them when demand recovers. This paper examines these decisions over the course of a price cycle in 1998-2000 to investigate the role of firm and rig heterogeneity in determining drillers' decisions about idling and reactivating capacity.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The contribution under consideration spans a wide curve from the first deadly accident of motorized aviation in the year 1908 up to newer tendencies of the so-called team resources management on observation points and control stations in order to pursue fundamental questions in man-machine systems. A continuous differentiation in the consideration of the factor human beings in complex technical systems is described. This is illustrated by the example of concepts for leadership, communication and decision making on observation points and control stations.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cesium-137 has contaminated a large area of the wetlands on the Savannah River Site. Remediation of the contaminated wetlands is problematic because current techniques destroy the sensitive ecosystem and generate a higher dose to workers. To address this problem, we proposed a non-trusive, in situ technology to sequester 137Cs in sediments. One intention of this study was to provide information regarding a go/no go decision for future work. Since the proof-of-concept was successful and several minerals were identified as potential candidates for this technology, a go decision was made.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The purpose of this paper is to inform commercial building designers about an energy analysis tool which can aid them in making appropriate decisions about daylighting. The energy nomographs are an energy design tool which calculate the annual energy consumption of commercial buildings, including lighting, heating, cooling, domestic hot water, fans, pumps, and miscellaneous items. This paper specifically discusses the daylighting aspects of the tool. The calculation procedure is presented with an example to explain how this design tool can be used to make good energy decisions early in the design process.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We study uncertainties surrounding competition on business networks and board games. We investigate these uncertainties using concepts of fuzzy logic and game theory. We investigate how the payoff of the players is affected by a number of factors. These include the level of connectivity or number of links, the number of competitors, possible constraints on the networks and on the boards, as well as choice of strategy adopted by competitors. We introduce one fuzzy player in the game. This player uses fuzzy rules to make strategic decisions. We introduce learning to train and analyze how the fuzzy player adapts over time during the game.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The decision of a firm to make investments on petroleum fields depends on the expected economic performance and on the firm economics context and on country economic and regulatory constraints. Traditionally, the Net Present Value (NPV) has being used for decision criterion as a measure of profitability of investments. The other indicators are used to help investment decision, because, according to the priorities established by the firm, only one indicator may not be sufficient. On this paper we will show production strategies considering a set of economic indicators: NPV, actualized Np, Return on investment (ROI), Equivalent Present Value (EPV), Cost Benefit, and NPV/Np ratio. The use of different economic indicators permits capture different aspects from in a decision process, i.e., each indicator or a set of economic measures may result in a different perspective, that will influence the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We carry out investigation on the establishment of a program to cultivate a nuclear fusion workforce effectively, which is the most important resource in the fusion energy development. Acquisition of fresh fusion technologies is essentially required to pursue R and D efficiently and to ensure fusion initiatives firmly in the international community. As the time has come to cultivate the fusion workforce and to enhance the workforce's expertise, the universities, research institutes and industries involved in fusion energy development are supposed to adjust fast technology shifts and to accommodate international trends toward collaboration. We establish systematic schemes to develop a professional workforce and to assign the right jobs to the right people timely through the research-academic-industry cooperation. After carrying out domestic and oversea surveys on the education and training programs of various institutes, we evaluate an over-all manpower ...

Science.gov (United States)

One of the biggest fears and challenges a parent of a child with special needs faces is navigating the post-22 landscape. When a child hits the age of 22, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is no longer required to provide daily services and support. Whatever the abilities, or disabilities, of a child, every parent has the same concerns about how their child will productively fill their days and live as independently as possible without the safety net of the DESE. One of the transition paths most frequented is entering the workforce. Public and private schools alike work to teach their students the basic skills they need to work. In fact, the national Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states that students must have a transition plan in formulation by the age of 16. This article describes the vocational program developed by the League School of Greater Boston which specifically addresses the challenges students, their parents, and their ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Based on changes to the fuel pin gas gap composition, pin location and assembly location, revisions to the TDD-IB, Part 2 are provided.

Scientific Electronic Library Online (English)

Abstract in english A long-standing debate in the literature is whether attention can form two or more independent spatial foci in addition to the well-known unique spatial focus. There is evidence that voluntary visual attention divides in space. The possibility that this also occurs for automatic visual attention was investigated here. Thirty-six female volunteers were tested. In each trial, a prime stimulus was presented in the left or right visual hemifield. This stimulus was characteriz (more) ed by the blinking of a superior, middle or inferior ring, the blinking of all these rings, or the blinking of the superior and inferior rings. A target stimulus to which the volunteer should respond with the same side hand or a target stimulus to which she should not respond was presented 100 ms later in a primed location, a location between two primed locations or a location in the contralateral hemifield. ...

Science.gov (United States)

... The Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST) is located in the Kanagawa Science Park of the Kanagawa Prefecture about 30 miles ...

Science.gov (United States)

The objective of this animation is to develop a QTL mapping population for locating and characterizing the genes responsible for resistance to tan spot disease of wheat.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The mutual inductance between parallel transmission lines influences the locating of the transmission line faults. A fault location algorithm for parallel lines developed in this paper takes into account the magnetic coupling between parallel lines. The paper presents a detailed description of the developed algorithm and test results performed on a simplified real transmission line. The obtained error is less than 0.5 percent in most cases. Also, the developed algorithm is not sensitive to typical fault parameters, such as: resistance, type, location, and incidence angle. 7 refs, 4 figs, 12 tabs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In designing automatic water quality monitoring networks for a river basin, determination of measurement locations and items is critical to the effectiveness of the total system. In this paper we studied how to decide these two design factors when a monitoring network is designed for the purpose of water quality surveillance and emergency alarm. For measurement locations, candidate sites are chosen based on the intake amount for water supply and the point sources of contamination. Then, detailed locations are decided according to the contaminant flow distance. As for measurement items, characteristics and the accident history of water pollution in the basin must be taken into account. Considering economic aspects, we proposed a two-stage measurement plan: basic components for all locations and selective ones variable for different locations. Proposed methodology is demonstrated ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In front of the risks linked with the increase of the greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, the decision makers must take into consideration first, the scientific advice of climatic change experts, and second, the considerable inertia of the climatic system. Thus, any action implemented so far will have an impact all along the 21. century and later whatever the future human activities. The aim of this memento is to sensibilize the decision makers about the possible consequences of their choice in terms of volume of greenhouse gases and of medium- and long-term evolution: 1 - stakes, role of local decision-makers (greenhouse effect and climatic change, France's international commitment, stakes, liabilities of local decision makers, decentralization laws, local plans of fight against greenhouse effect, public information and dialogue); 2 - urbanism and transports (urban displacements, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uncertainty in computer vision can arise at various levels. It can occur in the low level in the raw sensor input, and extends all the way through intermediate and higher levels. Ideally, at any level where decisions are being made on the basis of previous processing steps, a computer vision system must have sufficient flexibility for representation of uncertainty in any of these levels. The input cue representation portion of a computer vision system should maintain the information content of the original input images, while at the same time allowing for uncertainty in the identification of attributes required by other parts of the system for decision making. Processes such as edge detection, segmentation, and shape matching yield results which could bias higher level decision making, unless some framework is defined for the representation of uncertainty in the context of fuzzy set theory where membership values associated ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Energy Nomographs are a quick, simple-to-use tool for designing energy conscious lighting systems. Many assumptions and simplifications have been incorporated in the tool which may decrease its accuracy. However, the tool is accurate enough for use in Schematic Design, where design decisions have the largest impact on end energy use. It is not intended to replace all other energy design tools but rather supplement them when quicker decisions must be made. An important aspect of this analysis technique is its graphic procedural quality. As each design decision is made in the course of completing the nomograph procedure, the effects of each may be seen graphically and alternatives chosen without having to complete the entire process. This will have time but, more important, will act as an educational tool to the designer. As more calculations are completed, the user realizes how results can be positively influenced by ...

CERN Document Server

Not long ago primary census data became available to publicity. It opened qualitatively new perspectives not only for researchers in demography and sociology, but also for those people, who somehow face processes occurring in society. In this paper authors propose using Data Mining methods for searching hidden patterns in census data. A novel clustering-based technique is described as well. It allows determining factors which influence people behavior, in particular decision-making process (as an example, a decision whether to have a baby or not). Proposed technique is based on clustering a set of respondents, for whom a certain event have already happened (for instance, a baby was born), and discovering clusters' prototypes from a set of respondents, for whom this event hasn't occurred yet. By means of analyzing clusters' and their prototypes' characteristics it is possible to identify which factors influence the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Until recent years, those involved in the design, operation and regulation of nuclear power systems devoted more resources to forward movement than to the back end of the fuel cycle. Now, though, concerted thought and international cooperation have been devoted to the question of nuclear waste management. The expert consensus is that sufficient knowledge exists to make e.g. disposal decisions with an acceptable level of confidence. In the first phases of research, decision processes were adapted to the tasks at hand. However, at some point in each nuclearized country, there came a time when waste management implied finding repository sites. At that time management abruptly entered the social sphere - where unfortunate experience has shown time and time again that classical decision processes are not adapted to facilitating societal acceptance of management solutions. This paper recounts the various management frameworks ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The State of the Espirito Santo will become until the end of 2008, one of the main producers and natural gas exporters of Brazil, where, according to PETROBRAS, the State will produce about 20 million /day m{sup 3}, what it will go to contribute significantly for reduction of the dependence of the Bolivian gas, and still to give support to the natural gas sector in Brazil. The Intention of this work, is to identify proposals so that it has left of the gas produced in the State of the Espirito Santo, has a differentiated price. It does not make sensible the State to pay for the gas that is removed in its proper territory the same price that paid Sao Paulo for the gas that consumes imported of national Bolivia. With the markdown of the gas the State will be able to attract investments of great transport, to generate job and income and to advance in the question of the regional development that is of great importance for the developed cities less. Important to stand ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The objective of this study is to develop a method to aid in the selection of an overburden handling system in surface coal mining. The selection procedure consists of three major parts. The first part is aimed at rating the equipment's potential to perform the environmental protection related activities and then integrating this rating into the system selection process. The second part is an engineering analysis of the design of pit layouts and the operation of alternative overburden handling systems. The third part consists of a cost and sensitivity analysis of alternative systems on different mining situations. Specifically, the work includes: (1) a Delphi study to determine the magnitude of the environmental impacts and to quantify the relationship between mining practices and environmental remedies, (2) a scoring model to set up an index of the relative capability of equipment to do the environmental protection related jobs, (3) an evaluation of the ...

CERN Document Server

ScotGrid is a distributed Tier-2 centre in the UK with sites in Durham, Edinburgh and Glasgow. ScotGrid has undergone a huge expansion in hardware in anticipation of the LHC and now provides more than 4MSI2K and 500TB to the LHC VOs. Scaling up to this level of provision has brought many challenges to the Tier-2 and we show in this paper how we have adopted new methods of organising the centres, from fabric management and monitoring to remote management of sites to management and operational procedures, to meet these challenges. We describe how we have coped with different operational models at the sites, where Glagsow and Durham sites are managed "in house" but resources at Edinburgh are managed as a central university resource. This required the adoption of a different fabric management model at Edinburgh and a special engagement with the cluster managers. Challenges arose from the different job models of local and grid submission that required special attention ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Concerning the coal liquefaction research under way at the National Institute for Resources and Development, its purpose, contents, achievements, problems, future tasks, etc., are recapitulated. At the meeting, the coal liquefaction research is explained and discussed. Study tours are conducted to a liquefaction plant site, hydrolytic liquefaction facilities, and liquefaction facilities involving ultra-strong acid. Explanations are given on sub-themes of research in and after fiscal 1992 and the future prospects, and discussion is held on general matters. Various views and opinions are expressed by the committee members. Some ask what the chemical structure of coal is and what the model substance that represents coal is. Another insists that basic research on coal structure and reactivity be reconstructed. Those whose goal is to put the technology to practical use express their opinions that a clear position be given the liquefaction technology in the industrial community, that the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

There is increasing use of radiofrequency radiation (RFR) in industry for communications, welding, security, radio, medicine, navigation etc. It has been recognised for some years that RFR may interact with cardiac pacemakers and steps have been taken to prevent this interference. It is less well recognised that other metallic implants may also act as antennas in an RFR field and possibly cause adverse health effects by heating local tissues. There are a large and increasing number of implants having metal components which may be found in RFR workers. These implants include artificial joints, rods and plates used in orthopaedics, rings in heart valves, wires in sutures, bionic ears, subcutaneous infusion systems and (external) transdermal drug delivery patches"1. The physician concerned with job placement of such persons requires information on the likelihood of an implant interacting with RFR so as to impair health. The following outlines the approach developed in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The fundamental tasks of the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant maintenance operations are planning, scheduling, executing, postmaintenance testing, completing the maintenance job, and supporting these activities with administrative and technical assistance. The Department of Energy (DOE) ``Maintenance Management Program`` guidelines require that we use a graded approach for applying formality and documentation to these maintenance operations. The most-rigorous controls should be placed on maintaining the most-vital systems, structures, and components (SSCs). We must understand risk assessments in order to evaluate which SSCs are most vital. The product of this assessment process is a well-developed understanding of where to apply the most rigor, formality, and documentation. Once we have determined where, we must determine how to apply maintenance so as to mitigate risk. Fundamental to determining how to apply it is an understanding of the main difference between proactive and ...

Science.gov (United States)

The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in-place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Cores from five Red River wells in the Bowman-Harding study area have been examined and described in detail; contracts have been awarded for a 3-D survey in Bowman Co., ND and a 2D, multi-component survey in Richland Co.; extended-time pressure buildup data have been analyzed from two wells which are candidates for jetting-lance completion workovers; a 20-day injectivity test has been completed in the Red River (upper member); a jetting-lance completion program has commenced with one job completed and three more scheduled during April; and reservoir data from three key Red River fields in the Bowman-Harding study area has been researched and ...

Science.gov (United States)

The relevance of the teacher to the success of any education innovation is not open to contention. Equally incontentious is the relevance of education and training to the success of the teacher in the attainment of his/her professional goals. It is against this background that this paper examines the continuing education imperatives in the present basic education crusade in Nigeria. Here continuing education is conceptualized as a process for developing teacher's skill for coping with changing demands of the job through regular exposure to professional renewal programmes. The paper contends that inasmuch as the teacher will continue to play a pivotal role in the execution of educational innovations, then further education and training as it affects him/her must receive priority attention in the conceptualization and implementation of such innovations. To this end, the paper advocates: teacher exchange programmes between Nigeria and other countries of the world; ...

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The increasing number of hazardous materials accidents in the United States has resulted in new federal regulations addressing the emergency response activities associated with chemical releases. A significant part of these new federal standards (29 CFR 1910.120 and 40 CFR Part 311) requires compliance with specific criteria by all personnel involved in a hazardous material emergency. This study investigated alternative lesson design models applicable to instruction for hazardous material emergencies. A specialized design checklist was created based on the work of Gagne, Briggs, and Wager (1988), Merrill (1987), and Clark (1989). This checklist was used in the development of lesson plan templates for the hazardous materials incident commander course. Qualitative data for establishing learning objectives was collected by conducting a needs assessment and a job analysis of the incident commander position. Incident commanders from 14 public and private organizations ...

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Claims of property value loss are commonly raised by homeowners when noxious facilities are sited or when new information about the hazards of existing facilities is made public. While the capitalization of externalities into land values is consistent with economic theory, empirical measurement of impacts has not generated consistent results. This is true both for hedonic measurements as well as other types of econometric analyses. While it is well established that job and site risks have similar impacts on regional labor markets, there are no studies relating the presence of a broad range of noxious facilities to local wage premiums. In contrast, this study employs an interregional framework in a hedonic analysis of both wage and property markets and considers eight different facility classifications. This paper discusses the development of the hedonic model employed in this study. It develops more fully the theoretical advantages of the intercity model and ...

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Attention deficit disorder (ADHD) is a complex biobehavioral phenotype which affects up to 8% of the general population and often impairs social, academic, and job performance. Its origins are heterogeneous, but a significant genetic component is suggested by family and twin studies. The murine strain, coloboma, displays a spontaneously hyperactive phenotype that is responsive to dextroamphetamine and has been proposed as a genetic model for ADHD. Coloboma is a semi-dominant mutation that is caused by a hemizygous deletion of the SNAP-25 and other genes on mouse chromosome 2q. To test the possibility that the human homolog of the mouse coloboma gene(s) could be responsible for ADHD, we have carried out linkage studies with polymorphic markers in the region syntenic to coloboma (20p11-p12). Five families in which the pattern of inheritance of ADHD appears to be autosomal dominant were studied. Segregation analysis of the traits studied suggested that the best ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A web-based decision support tool, zone mapping application for precision farming (ZoneMAP, External Reference Not Shown ), has been developed to automatically determine the optimal number of management zones and delineate them using satellite imagery and field data provided by users. Application rates, such as of fertilizer, can be prescribed for each zone and downloaded in a variety of formats to ensure compatibility with GPS-enabled farming equipment. ZoneMAP is linked to Digital Northern Great Plains, a web-based application which hosts an archive of satellite imagery, as well as high resolution imagery from airborne sensors. Management zones created by ZoneMAP mapped natural variation of the soil organic matter and other nutrients relatively well and were consistent with zone maps cre...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper contributes to an understanding of pharmacogenomics-in-the-making by foregrounding a regulatory setting in which these technologies must be situated: decision-making about pharmaceutical reimbursement. Health care assessment organizations have been introduced in many countries to systematically address the issue of health care coverage. Using the example of Sweden, the process of deciding reimbursement status is shown to hinge on the creation of stable and clinically feasible categories of patients, diseases and drug responses. Through a series of analogous examples concerning conventional pharmaceuticals, it is argued that current mechanisms for categorizing reimbursable drugs could be upset when pharmacogenomic advances provide a means of making patients more specific objects ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In 1993 the Government of Armenia made a decision to restart Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) which was shutdown in 1989. Shortly after that decision Armenian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ANRA) was established. Absence of local technical support and limited international support created difficulties for new established ANAR during its activities on regulating ANPP modernization process and issuing authorization for restart. Necessity to establish TSO occurred at this stage. By initiative of ANRA a small TSO was established in 2002 with limited staff called Nuclear and Radiation Safety Centre (NRSC). This paper briefly describes the establishment, development and the current activities and problems of NRSC. (author)

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In the universe there are two different kinds of uncertain phenomena: stochastic and fuzzy or vague. Both uncertain phenomena have been found in structural problems. Therefore, rational decisions concerning the design of marine structures cannot be made without resorting to the methods which can take the uncertainties into account. The fundamental concept of structural fuzzy reliability problems and the methods to give the fuzzy solution are introduced in the paper. Based on the principle of fuzzy decision-making the method to obtain the crisp solution of structural fuzzy reliability analysis is proposed by means of the Bound Search method. Illustrative numerical examples, ship bottom plates under slamming impact pressures are solved. The influence of variation of allowable tolerances in the fuzzy reliability indexes is discussed.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This is the sixth report by the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) that has been prepared in response to the Congressional requirement for an annual report on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Reactor Safety Research Program. Part I is a compilation of our general comments and recommendations regarding the NRC Safety Research Program, and includes budget recommendations and an identification of matters of special importance that deserve increased emphasis. It is intended to serve as an Executive Summary. Part II is divided into ten chapters, each of which represents a Decision Unit of the NRC research program. In each chapter, specific comments are included on the research involved in the Decision Unit, an assessment of priorities, and recommendations regarding new directions and levels of funding.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Full text.The electric energy demand in Lebanon is estimated to grow at an average of 3-5% per year for the coming 10 years. Such an increase in energy demand is problematic for Lebanon since its economy is almost totally dependent on imported fuel which contributes to 97% of the overall energy requirements. Solar water heaters (SWH) are regarded as the most important element in a long term energy conservation and management strategy for this country, but their promotion is a national issue requiring the participation of many stake holders and decision makers. Additionally, the success of solar energy penetration into the existing energy market is constrained by many factors such as technical and financial limitations, decision criteria and policy instruments. This paper will explore the feasibility of SWH, and will work out, using the Analytic Hierarchy Process technique, a policy to ensure a large scale diffusion of SWH in the energy market

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Background: High satisfaction rates have been reported after autologous breast reconstruction. Yet, most mastectomy patients receive implant reconstructions (ImBR). Independent and active decision makers have shown mainly to choose for autologous reconstructions, such as the Deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap (DiepBR). To further explore the decision making to opt for either ImBR or DiepBR, we investigated patient knowledge, informational resources used, effect of plastic surgeons' advice, coping style and personal independence. Methods: A total of 153 women, who were planned for DiepBR or ImBR preoperatively, completed a study-specific and standardised validated psychological questionnaire. Analyses were aimed at information-seeking behaviour, personal independence and coping...

Science.gov (United States)

The field of a digital-image processing has experienced dramatic growth and increasingly widespread applicability in recent years. Fortunately, advances in computer technology have kept pace with the rapid growth in volume of image data in these and other applications. Digital image processing has become economical in many fields of research and in industrial and military applications. While each application has requirements unique from the others, all are concerned with faster, cheaper, more accurate, and more extensive computation. The trend is toward real-time and interactive operations, where the user of the system obtains preliminary results within a short enough time that the next decision can be made by the human processor without loss of concentration on the task at hand. An example of this is the obtaining of two-dimensional (2-D) computer-aided tomography (CAT) images. A medical decision might be made while the patient is still under ...

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Sheltering, evacuation and distribution of stable iodine tablets are considered to be major early emergency actions aiming at diminishing the consequences after a release of radioactive materials from nuclear power plants into the air. Whether in real situations emergency managers will act accordingly is hard to predict. Uncertainties associated with these decisions are termed 'volitional' uncertainties. These uncertainties, however, cannot be assessed by expert judgements as they express the decision at stake in an emergency situation. Uncertainties on the times to implement countermeasures and on the times for the general population to respond to these measures can be assessed by experts, as they represent 'lack-of-knowledge' uncertainties. This paper describes the difference in approach of both types of uncertainties and shows the results of expert judgements on the latter type of uncertainties in early ...

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The approval (2003) and enforcement (2005) of a smoking ban in Italy have been viewed by many as an unexpectedly successful example of policy change. The present paper, by applying a processualist approach, concentrates on two policy cycles between 2000 and 2005. These had opposing outcomes: an incomplete decisional stage and an authoritative decision, enforced two years later. Through the analysis of the different phases of agenda setting, alternative specification and decision making, we have compared the quality of participation of policy entrepreneurs in the two cycles, their political strategies and, in these, the relevance of issue image. The case allows us to direct the attention of scholars and practitioners to an early phase of the policy implementation process - which we have nam...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In the analysis of power systems security, recently a new concern related to possible malicious attacks caught much attention. Coordination among different transmission system operators (TSO) in an interconnected power system to counteract such attacks has become an important problem. This paper presents a general framework for describing the physical, cyber and decision-making aspects of the problem and their interrelations; within this framework, an analytic tool for the assessment of information impacts in handling on-line security after a malicious attack is proposed and discussed. The model is based on the socially rational multi-agent systems and the equilibrium of a fictitious play is considered to analyze the impacts of various levels of information available to the interconnected system operators on the outcomes of the decision-making process under attack. A 34-buses test system, with 3 systems interconnected by tie-lines, is presented ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Customer churn means the loss of existing customers to a competitor. Accurately predicting customer behavior may help firms to minimize this loss by proactively building a lasting relationship with their customers. In this paper, the application of the factor analysis and the Variable Consistency Dominance-based Rough Set Approach (VC-DRSA) in the customer relationship management (CRM) of the airline market is introduced. A set of "ifthen" decision rules are used as the preference model to classify customers by a set of criteria and regular attributes. The proposed method can determine the competitive position of an airline by understanding the behavior of its customers based on their perception of choice, and so develop the appropriate marketing strategies. A large sample of customers fro...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report describes a study to evaluate methods for locating leaks of dielectric fluid from buried high-voltage cable systems. Two primary types of leak location systems were investigated: (1) systems that will rapidly isolate the leak within a manhole section, typically 1000-m long on a feeder that might be 30-km long; and (2) systems that will then pinpoint the location of the leak. Rapid leak isolation was accomplished by developing an enhanced conductivity oil probe which allows the injection of a small quantity of conductive oil and which indicates the path of the oil as it drifts downstream in the direction of the leak. Two methods for pinpointing the leak were proven. The more successful method was the use of trained leak location dogs which were found to have far better sensitivity than instruments and which could detect cable oil alone without the need for additives. A tracer gas injection ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In the analysis of the consequences of a hypothetical meltdown accident in an LMFBR, it is important to estimate the final location of the molten fuel pool in the concrete and ground underlying the reactor vessel. The GROWS program and the AYER program have been developed to calculate the final location of the molten fuel pool as the culmination of the transient analysis of this unusual Stefan problem but these programs require extensive computational resources. The solution is provided to the concrete and ground temperatures surrounding the stationary fuel pool and the related heat flux from the pool to the ground surface outside the containment building. This solution can be used to estimate the final location of the fuel pool and to check the end results of the sophisticated programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Skip to main content About USAID Locations Our Work Public Affairs Careers Business / Policy USAID: From The American People Policy USAID's 50th Anniversary Policy Home »...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Although clinic environments are a primary location for exchanging information with clinicians, patients experience these spaces as harsh environments to access, use, exchange, and manage information....Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This is the first documentation of coastal geomorphology on a global scale. It locates, describes, and illustrates geomorphological features of particular interest from the coastline of the entire world.

Science.gov (United States)

On April 20, 2010 the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig located in the Gulf of Mexico experienced an explosion resulting in at least 11 deaths and creating ...

Science.gov (United States)

... Congo. It is probable that the type locality Matadi is in error and is the location from ... specimens of this species have been collected between Matadi and Luozi. (click map to view...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Described as the body's largest organ, the skin is strategically located at the interface with the external environment where it has evolved to detect, integrate and respond to a diverse range...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

INTRODUCTIONMany surgeons will have encountered the scissors that would not cut, and the artery clip that comes off in a deep difficult location, but it would be reasonable to assume...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Jan 26, 2005 ... Heavy snow settled over Iran on January 23, 2005, closing roads and ... Located along the southern front of the Alborz mountains, Iran's ...

Science.gov (United States)

... from a single location. The growing cities of Matadi and Boma and maritime transportation, and the potential ... known only from the Lower Congo River, between Matadi and Boma. (click...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Purpose. To evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in the management of arterial stenosis located close to the allograft anastomosis (close-TRAS)....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Mexico is located in a transition zone between the Nearctic and Neotropical biogeographical regions and contains a rich and unique biodiversity. A total of 496 Bacillus thuringiensis...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thermogalvanic corrosion of St3 steel in a temperature range from 25 to 50{degrees}C with a 3.84{degrees}C/cm gradient was studied in a neutral media flow. It is shown that the thermogalvanic effect on the pitting corrosion of water-cooled heat exchangers is decisive but dual. Depending on the composition of the cooling medium, thermogalvanic corrosion may either enhance (0.5 M NaCl) or inhibit (tap water) pitting corrosion.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Presented are some preliminary studies made in preparation for the design of a solar powered loop for desalination by humidification - dehumidification process. The studies concentrated on the evaluation of different parameters affecting the performance of the combination of different components in such a loop in the hope of outlining the most decisive factors for the choice or design of solar collectors or heat source. The results presented relate to the performance of two of the most important components in a loop of such purpose, that is: the humidifying and the dehumidifying columns or stacks. 4 refs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The general requirements applicable to the quality assurance of the Finnish nuclear power plants are presented in the Council of State Decision (395/91) and in the guide YVL 1.4. This guide specifies the quality assurance requirements to be applied during the operation of the nuclear power plants as well as of the other nuclear facilities. Quality assurance applies to all the activities and organizations with a bearing on the safe operation of the nuclear power plants. (5 refs.).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This EPRI sponsored report describes factors that influence the selection of drives in process industry. These factors include economics, safety aspects, speed control and the plant steam balance. Since the economics play a key-role in the decision, this report provides a quick way of estimating the economics of replacing steam turbines with electric motors. The tools to carry out economic analyses have been provided in the form of graphs and nomographs for quick estimation.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Governments around the world will soon make decisions on policies that could determine the fate of the ozone layer-the Earth's shield from harmful ultraviolet radiation. The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, signed on March 22, 1985, created a framework for scientific cooperation and information exchange that will form the basis for a protocol for controlling substances thought to threaten the ozone layer. As of mid-1987, 29 countries had signed the Convention, including the major producers and users of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the most important of suspect chemicals.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The unique time scales associated with nuclear waste management require active work to preserve the knowledge associated with programs that can often span long time frames. For example, repository programs are designed and developed for the safe containment of radionuclides with half-lives on the order of 24,000 years (for Pu-239). Performance assessment studies are required to show, by predictive modeling, that these repositories can safely contain the waste for tens of thousands of years, with one million years a reality in the debate. Development of successful repository programs can span several decades. Once operational, a repository is expected to function until closure for a period of 30 to 40 years. Yet, the decision makers at all levels in such a repository program exert influence and authority over much shorter periods of time (e.g., four years for executive appointments). A discontinuous decision-making process and the associated ...

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This report includes the issuances received during the specified period from the Commission (CLI), the Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeal Boards (ALAB), the Atomic Safety and Licensing Boards (LBP), the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), the Directors' Decisions (DD), and the Denials of Petitions For Rulemaking (DPRM).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report includes the issuances received during November, 1983, from the Commission (CLI), the Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeal Boards (ALAB), the Atomic Safety and Licensing Boards (LBP), the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), the Directors' Decisions (DD), and the Denials of Petitions for Rulemaking (DPRM).

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A decision must be made regarding whether the United State`s stockpile of neptunium should be discarded into the waste stream or kept for the production of Pu-238. Although the cost of long term storage is not inconsequential, to dispose of the material means the closing of our option to maintain control over our Pu-238 stockpile. Within the Fuels and Materials Examination Facility at Hanford there exists a remotely operated facility that can be converted for neptunium storage. This paper describes the facility and the anticipated handling requirements.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Assessing the potential environmental and human effects of deploying renewable energy on private and public lands, along our coasts, on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), and in the Great Lakes requires a new way of evaluating potential environmental and human impacts. The author argues that deployment of renewables requires a framework risk paradigm that underpins effective future siting decisions and public policies.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hydrogen uptake and embrittlement of tantalum by electrolytically produced hydrogen is investigated on samples of varying composition and type of pretreatment. Of decisive influence on the uptake of hydrogen are the oxide layers present on the tantalum surface. By contact with platinum group metals as alloying constituents, surface coatings or anodic protection, a protection of tantalum can be obtained depending on the experimental conditions. (orig.).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Decision-making is strongly based on modelling in two of our water supply projects concerning artificial ground water. The model used is a 2-dimensional flow and transport model using the element method. Due to sharp variations in Finnish soils, the modelling process is based on careful and detailed evaluation of basic hydrogeological data before and during model calibration.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper reviews the main studies on entrepreneurship conducted during the past two decades that are relevant for the understanding of various macroeconomic issues. I organize the discussion by distinguishing three groups of contributions. The first group includes studies whose main purpose is to understand the factors that affect the decision to become an entrepreneur. The second group includes studies that look at the aggregate and distributional implications of entrepreneurship for savings and investment. The third group deals with issues of economic development and growth.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We have designed a local trigger board for the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment, which is aimed to measure the neutrino mixing angle sin22?13 with a precision down to 1% level. The local trigger board processes both the total number of coincident photomultiplier tube (PMT) hits and the PMT energy sum to make trigger decisions. With this design, a high trigger probability is achieved to meet the system requirement. The design of the local trigger board is presented.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A heuristic algorithm that employs fuzzy logic is proposed to the power system transmission expansion planning problem. The algorithm is based on the divide to conquer strategy, which is controlled by the fuzzy system. The algorithm provides high quality solutions with the use of fuzzy decision making, which is based on nondeterministic criteria to guide the search. The fuzzy system provides a self-adjusting mechanism that eliminates the manual adjustment of parameters to each system being solved. (author)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Surveillance of a population, such as a weapon stockpile, is needed to discover manufacturing defects as well as deterioration as the population ages. This article considers the risks of sampling rates for surveillance from three perspectives: detection probability of defects in a proportion of a population with pass/fail data, detection of a trend in a defective proportion of the population with pass/fail data, and detection of a trend with quantitative degradation measurements. Understanding of these risks will help the decision maker choose a sampling rate to protect against such problems of a specified size at a tolerable risk.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Delirium occurs in up to 65% of older hip fracture patients. Developing delirium in hospital has been associated with a variety of adverse outcomes. Trials have shown that multi-component preventive...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The authors propose using synthetic aperture radar(SAR) for wind energy mapping of coastal zones. The SAR equipment is located on the European Space Agency ERS-1 and 2 and the RADARSAT satellites. Examples of wind energy maps and evaluations of their applications are given for the Norwegian west coast.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We report the existence of a sixth replication arrest site, TerF, that is located within the coding sequences of the rcsC gene, a negative regulator of capsule biosynthesis. The TerF site is oriented...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A new method of pinpointing dielectric fluid leaks on pipe-type and self-contained cables using perfluorocarbon tracer (PFT) is presented. The method has successfully been used on the Con Edison transmission system to locate leaks of dielectric fluid on both types of cables. Application of the PFT technique does not require feeder deenergization and provides major advantages over the conventional method of freeze and pressure testing. Description of the method and results of field application are presented in the paper.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eight patients with primary hyperparathyroidism were examined preoperative to locate the affected parathyroid glands. The localisation was done with technetium 99m and thallium 201. This new method seems to be of great value to locate preoperative the affected parathyroid glands. (R.B.).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thermal-hydraulics analysis can be used to determine location and magnitude of leaks inside a pressurized water reactor (PWR) containment, as required by plant technical specifications. The major advantage of this detection method is that it minimizes radiation exposure of maintenance personnel because most of the leak detection process is performed from the control room outside the containment. In addition, such a program allows for the elimination of pipe whip restraints and jet impingement shields, eliminating costs for maintenance of these supports and shields in older plants and lowering construction costs for new plants. Previously, only simple single-node containment models were used for determining leakage magnitude. This paper presents a more sophisticated multinode approach for determining the magnitude and location. The resulting sensitivities to leak can be programmed into the plant's computer system. In this way, the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This project investigated new techniques for improving seismic event locations derived from regional and local networks. The technqiues include a new approach to empirical travel-time calibration that simultaneously fits data from multiple stations and events, using a generalization of the kriging method, and predicts travel-time corrections for arbitrary event-station paths. We combined this calibration approach with grid-search event location to produce a prototype new multiple-event location method that allows the use of spatially well-distributed events and takes into account correlations between the travel-time corrections from proximate event-station paths. Preliminary tests with a high quality data set from Nevada Test Site explosions indicated that our new calibration/location method offers improvement over the conventional multiple-event location methods now in common use, ...

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Radon concentration measurements at 50 locations in the monitoring network at Canonsburg, Pa., are reported for the quarterly period of April 29 to July 28, 1980. In addition, a summary of all data from the date of initiation of the network (covering the period January 29 to July 28, 1980) is presented for comparison purposes. Average background in the Canonsburg area for the quarterly period was 0.21 pCi/liter with a range of 0.16 to 0.26 pCi/liter. This compares with an average for the first quarter of 0.18 pCi/liter and a range of 0.12 to 0.23 pCi/liter. Concentrations ranging from 0.27 to 0.75 pCi/liter at 17 locations exceeded the background range. These locations are predominantly downwind of the site in an easterly direction. A similar pattern is evident from the summary of data for the first two quarters.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Considers fundamental problems involved in the precise location of faults on high-voltage transmission lines. The influence of pre-fault load on the distance-to-fault measurement problem is analysed and a new method of accounting for load effects is presented. Two of the algorithms considered are precise, containing no simplifyng assumptions and their overall accuracy is limited only by the accuracy of digital impedance relays at both ends of the protected circuit. A third algorithm presents a new approach to the fault location problem, which requires digital impedance relays at one end only of a transmission line. The procedures described are applicable to any system arrangement and are suitable for a wide range of fault resistance values.

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The Reactor Head Structure Assembly(RHSA) is the structure located on the reactor assembly. The purpose of the assembly is providing interface location for cables, preventing pipe whips, prohibiting instruments from becoming missiles, and restraining CEDMs' horizontal motion. On the RHSA, Reactor Disconnect Panels(RDP) are installed. The installation location of RDP is to be decided to minimize the geometric interface with other components. Since the neighborhood of RHSA is crowded due to many connectors and cables, it is necessary to find the good design of RHSA to make an intricate situation attenuated and the required function maintained. The geometric shape and overall configuration of RHSA are determined by axiomatic design approach. The FRs of RHSA are specified and the corresponding DPs are found to satisfy FRs in sequence. The finite element analysis is carried out based on the result of the axiomatic ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manufacturers may be required to design transformers to overload specifications. Oil viscosity changes and loss variation with temperature are not accounted for in the industry loading guide. A comprehensive test program was performed using a winding assembly with imbedded thermocouples. Steady state and transient tests were performed for natural and non-directed forced oil circulation. The temperature distribution in the winding was not linear with height as usually assumed. A large number of temperature sensors is required to determine the hot spot location. The location of the hot spot was found to be different and less predictable for natural oil circulation compared with non-directed forced oil circulation especially during overload conditions. This paper reports that improved loading guide equations were developed to account for oil viscosity, resistance change, cooling duct oil rise, and location of the hot spot.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The mathematical calculation to obtain a radon diffusion coefficient from measured radon transient-diffusion data is usually done by fitting a difference equation to the data. The difference equation is obtained through transformation of the time-dependent diffusion equation based on Fick's law. But, actual measured transient-diffusion data often have much scatter. Therefore just fitting over the whole range of the measured data through the method of least squares may not always be valid, because the method offers mathematical interpretation rather than a physical one. Instead, the actual radon diffusion coefficients must be otherwise obtainable from measured radon transient data. Taking this viewpoint, the present paper claims that about a 90% leveling-off time is often easily discernible regardless of the shape of the radon transient curve obtained from the measured data and it can be a decisive factor for determining the radon diffusion coefficient. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Under the auspices of the Mine Environment Neutral Drainage (MEND) Program, several waste rock piles were monitored and characterized. Acid rock drainage (ARD) became a mechanism better understood based on the data acquired during these projects. Numerical simulation was used to better comprehend the quantitative issues associated with the characterization of three specific sites for the purpose of this study. The sites selected were the south waste rock pile of the Doyon Mine in Quebec, the Northdale of the mining district of Ronnenberg in Germany, and the waste rock pile of the Sugar Shack South of the Questa mine in New Mexico. The observed and simulated conditions were very distinct from one mine to another, even if the same mechanisms were involved. The dominant oxygen and heat transfer mechanisms displayed the most varied behavior between the sites. ARD control or site rehabilitation decisions were based on the quantitative understanding gained from the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conoco's Crosswell Reservoir Characterization (CRC) team is using Decision and Risk Analysis (D and RA) to evaluate the potential economic impact of the authors' projects. D and RA can be a useful tool for refining the direction of a project and communicating the value of information in economic terms. Initial studies show that CRC has high potential economic value. Three steps were used to analyze the value of the CRC project. A high-level, industry-wide model was developed to look at the technical, application, and commercialization success of the technology. The team considered an infill drilling decision in shallow shelf carbonates as a detailed case. For that case, fully integrating crosswell information with supporting data (well logs, cores, production information, etc.) leads to a three-fold increase in expected value. The third step, a portfolio analysis of all crosswell applications, was initiated, but not completed. Given the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This is the eighth report by the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) that has been prepared in response to the Congressional requirement for an annual report on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Reactor Safety Research Program. As previously requested by the Congress, the timing of this report has been adjusted to enable the ACRS to address the proposed budget for FY 1986 and 1987 that has been submitted to the Congress by the President. Detailed comments and recommendations are provided for the research programs and budget proposed for FY 1986. Because both the budget for FY 1987 and the research programs for that period are highly uncertain at this time, comments on these are not provided. Part I is a compilation of general comments and recommendations regarding the NRC Safety Research Program budget for FY 1986. It is intended to serve as the Executive Summary. Part II is divided into five chapters, each of which represents a Decision Unit of ...