We prove that the 1984 protocol of Bennett and Brassard (BB84) for quantum keydistribution is secure. We first give a keydistributionprotocol based on entanglement purification, which can be proven secure using methods from Lo and Chau's proof of security for a similar protocol. We then show that the security of this protocol implies the security of BB84. The entanglement purification based protocol uses Calderbank-Shor-Steane codes, and properties of these codes are used to remove the use of quantum computation from the Lo-Chau protocol. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society.
We present a protocol for quantum keydistribution using discrete modulation of coherent states of light. Information is encoded in the variable phase of coherent states which can be chosen from a regular discrete set ranging from binary to continuous modulation similar to phase-shift keying in classical communication. Information is decoded by simultaneous homodyne measurement of both quadratures and requires no active choice of basis. The protocol utilizes either direct or reverse reconciliation both with and without postselection. We analyze the security of the protocol and show how to enhance it by the optimal choice of all variable parameters of the quantum signal.
Recently there has been considerable interest in the design of efficient carrier sense multiple access(CSMA) protocol for wireless network. The basic assumption underlying recent results is availability of perfect carrier sense information. This allows for design of continuous time algorithm under which collisions are avoided. The primary purpose of this note is to show how these results can be extended in the case when carrier sense information may not be perfect, or equivalently delayed. Specifically, an adaptation of algorithm in Rajagopalan, Shah, Shin (2009) is presented here for time slotted setup with carrier sense information available only at the end of the time slot. To establish its throughput optimality, in additon to method developed in Rajagopalan, Shah, Shin (2009), understanding properties of stationary distribution of a certain non-reversible Markov chain as well as bound on its mixing time is essential. This note presents ...
Because of the stochastic nature of traffic requirement matrix, it is very difficult to get the optimal traffic distribution to minimize the delay even with adaptive routing protocol in a fixed connection network where capacity already defined for each link. Hence there is a requirement to define such a method, which could generate the optimal solution very quickly and efficiently. This paper presenting a new concept to provide the adaptive optimal traffic distribution for dynamic condition of traffic matrix using nature based intelligence methods. With the defined load and fixed capacity of links, average delay for packet has minimized with various variations of evolutionary programming and particle swarm optimization. Comparative study has given over their performance in terms of converging speed. Universal approximation capability, the key feature of feed forward neural network has applied to predict ...
Two avowable quantum communication schemes are proposed. One is an avowable teleportation protocol based on the quantum cryptography. In this protocol one teleports a set of one-particle states based on the availability of an honest arbitrator, the keys and the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen pairs shared by the communication parties and the arbitrator. The key point is that the fact of the teleportation can neither be disavowed by the sender nor be denied by the receiver. Another is an avowable quantum secure direct communication scheme. A one-way Hash function chosen by the communication parties helps the receiver to validate the truth of the information and to avoid disavowing for the sender.
Two avowable quantum communication schemes are proposed. One is an avowable teleportation protocol based on the quantum cryptography. In this protocol one teleports a set of one-particle states based on the availability of an honest arbitrator, the keys and the Einstein Podolsky Rosen pairs shared by the communication parties and the arbitrator. The key point is that the fact of the teleportation can neither be disavowed by the sender nor be denied by the receiver. Another is an avowable quantum secure direct communication scheme. A one-way Hash function chosen by the communication parties helps the receiver to validate the truth of the information and to avoid disavowing for the sender.
Wireless mesh networks can provide low-cost solutions for extending the reach of wireless access points by using multi-hop routing over a set of stationary wireless routers. The routing protocol for these networks may need to address quality considerations to meet the requirements of the user. In this paper, we present a quality based routing protocol for wireless mesh networks that tries to maximize the probability of successful transmissions while minimizing the end-to-end delay. The proposed routing protocol uses reactive route discoveries to collect key parameters from candidate routes to estimate the probability of success and delay of data packets transmitted over them. To achieve accurate route quality assessments, a new route quality metric is proposed that uses performance models ...
Physical-layer network coding (PNC) is a promising approach for wireless networks. It allows nodes to transmit simultaneously. Due to the difficulties of scheduling simultaneous transmissions, existing works on PNC are based on simplified medium access control (MAC) protocols, which are not applicable to general multi-hop wireless networks, to the best of our knowledge. In this paper, we propose a distributed MAC protocol that supports PNC in multi-hop wireless networks. The proposed MAC protocol is based on the carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) strategy and can be regarded as an extension to the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol. In the proposed protocol, each node collects information on the queue status of its neighboring nodes. When a node finds that there is an opportunity for some of its neighbors to perform PNC, it notifies its corresponding neighboring nodes ...
In this paper, we proposed a novel quantum secure direct communication scheme with one-time pad in stabilizer formalism. Based on the reuse of qubit sequence, an efficient secure communication of secret messages without first producing a shared secret key can be achieved. One hence may find that the amount of private key needed for quantum communication is smaller than that in the general case. Therefore, the present protocol which is feasible with the present-day techniques may be applied to quantum communication with short-length encoding.
A measuring-basis encrypted quantum keydistribution scheme is proposed by using twelve nonorthogonal states in a four-state system and the measuring-basis encryption technique. In this scheme, two bits of classical information can be encoded on one four-state particle and the transmitted particles can be fully used.
The ubiquitous presence of mobile communication devices and the continuous development of mo- bile data applications, which results in high level of mobile devices' activity and exchanged data, often transparent to the user, makes privacy preservation an important feature of mobile telephony systems. We present a formal analysis of the UMTS Authentication and Key Agreement protocol, using the applied pi-calculus and the ProVerif tool. We formally verify the model with respect to privacy properties. We show a linkability attack which makes it possible, for individuals with low-cost equipment, to trace UMTS subscribers. The attack exploits information leaked by poorly designed error messages.
IP Multicast is one of the most absolute method for large bandwidth Internet applications such as video conference, IPTV, E-Learning and Telemedicine etc., But due to security and management reason IP Multicast is not enabled in Internet backbone routers. To achieve these challenges, lot of Application Layer Multicast (ALM) has been proposed. All the existing protocols such as NICE, ZIGZAG and OMNI are trying to reduce average delay by forming a Multicast tree. But still that problem has not been addressed fully. We are proposing a new protocol called NetRawALM, which will address the average delay, Reliability between nodes, Scalability of conference, Heterogeneity and resilient data distribution for real time multimedia applications by constructing the Network based Resource aware Multicast tree algorithm. This is very dynamic and decentralised. The proposed architecture is a LAN aware; it is used to reduce Internet ...
To establish secure (point-to-point and/or broadcast) communication channels among the nodes of a wireless sensor network is a fundamental task. To this end, a plethora of (socalled) key pre-distribution schemes have been proposed in the past. All these schemes, however, rely on shared secret(s), which are assumed to be somehow pre-loaded onto the sensor nodes. In this paper, we propose a novel method for secure initialization of sensor nodes based on a visual out-of-band channel. Using the proposed method, the administrator of a sensor network can distributekeys onto the sensor nodes, necessary to bootstrap key pre-distribution. Our secure initialization method requires only a little extra cost, is efficient and scalable with respect to the number of sensor nodes. Moreover, based on a usability study that we conducted, the method turns out to be quite ...
R and D of the robot control system was conducted in the following items: 1) integrated open control system, 2) remote control robot manipulation language, 3) human factor robot use built-in LAN system, 4) built-in actuator driver. In 1), there were some problems to be pointed out around the system, but the effectiveness was confirmed as system architecture of each verification item. In 2), development/design were made of RCML(R-Cube Manipulation Language) as a remote robot manipulation language, telecommunication protocol, and the experimental system, and the international standardization was targeted. In 3), the R and D was conducted of the realtime telecommunication protocol which clears the standards for the distributed control required for construction of human factor robot and the advanced realtime micro-controller, ULSI, which is the one that the protocol was made IC. In 4), an intelligent ...
This review describes how a mismatch between the knowledge produced by scientists and the evidence demanded by regulators has emerged, and how society has struggled to find definitive answers to questions of safety, for an important flame retardant chemical in current use ? Deca-BDE. This has involved two key disciplines: analytical chemistry and toxicology. Within the chemistry, a lack of standardized methodologies among scientists has resulted in a persistent yet largely undeclared failure to replicate results within the discipline. Within the toxicology, the quest for innovative, curiosity-driven research by university scientists in preference to using validated standard protocols, designed to promote consistency within the risk assessment process, has prompted questions about the credi...
Forster et al. recently showed that weak nonlocality can be amplified by giving the first protocol that distills a class of nonlocal boxes (NLBs) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 120401 (2009)] We first show that their protocol is optimal among all nonadaptive protocols. We next consider adaptive protocols. We show that the depth-2 protocol of Allcock et al. [Phys. Rev. A 80, 062107 (2009)] performs better than previously known adaptive depth-2 protocols for all symmetric NLBs. We present a depth-3 protocol that extends the known region of distillable NLBs. We give examples of NLBs for which each of the Forster et al., the Allcock et al., and our protocols perform best. The understanding we develop is that there is no single optimal protocol for NLB distillation. The choice of which ...
In this paper, we address the problem of K-out-of-L exclusion, a generalization of the mutual exclusion problem, in which there are $\\ell$ units of a shared resource, and any process can request up to $\\mathtt k$ units ($1\\leq\\mathtt k\\leq\\ell$). We propose the first deterministic self-stabilizing distributed K-out-of-L exclusion protocol in message-passing systems for asynchronous oriented tree networks which assumes bounded local memory for each process.
We have designed a new nucleobase, benzodeazaadenine (BDA) that has a stronger charge transport ability than guanine and is not destroyed during charge transport process. By incorporating this new nucleobase into DNA, we demonstrated a protocol for real DNA nano-wire that is far superior to natural DNA. We also demonstrated that the selectivity for the interaction of Mn(II) ion with guanine N7 in G runs is a HOMO-controlled process, and as a consequence, the selectivity for G-metal ion interactions obtained by 15N-NMR studies would directly reflect the HOMO distribution of G-containing sequences in B-DNA. PMID:12903077
The Montreal Protocol provides the international community with an effective equitable and dynamic mechanism for protecting the ozone layer. The paper uses the Protocol's negotiating history to describe how and why agreement on a particular issue was reached and provides an in-depth analysis of the Protocol's most innovative provisions. The paper discusses international implementation of the Protocol. It concludes with a brief description of recent developments leading up to the Protocol's possible modification in June 1990. (14 refs.).
The thermostable Thermus aquaticus DNA polymerase (Taq Pol) has been the key factor in transforming the initial PCR method into one with huge impact in molecular biology and biotechnology. Therefore, the development of effective affinity adsorbents for the purification of Taq Pol, as well as other DNA polymerases, attracts the attention of the enzyme manufacturers and the research laboratories. In this report we describe a simple protocol for the purification of Taq Pol from E. coli lysates, leading to enzymes of high specific activity and purity. The protocol is based on a single affinity chromatography step, featuring an immobilized ligand selected from a structure-biased combinatorial library of dNTP-mimetic synthetic ligands. The ligand library was screened for its ability to bind and purify Taq Pol from E. coli lysates. One immobilized ligand (mABSGu) of the general formula X-Trz-Y, bearing 9-aminoethylguanine (AEGu) ...
In cluster-based routing protocol (CBRP), two-level hierarchical structure is successfully used to reduce over-flooding in wireless Ad Hoc networks. As it is vulnerable to a single point of failure, we propose a new adaptive distributed threshold scheme to replace the cluster head by a group of cluster heads within each cluster, called COUNCIL, and distribute the service of single cluster head to multiple cluster heads using (k,n) threshold secret sharing scheme. An Ad Hoc network formed by COUNCIL based clusters can work correctly when the number of compromised cluster heads is smaller than k. To implement this adaptive threshold scheme in wireless Ad Hoc Networks, membership of the clusters should be defined in an adaptive way. In this paper, we mainly discuss our algorithm for forming COUNCIL based clusters using the concept of dominating set from graph theory.
In 1981, the German Society of Pediatric Oncology initiated a multi-institutional study for the treatment of Ewing's sarcoma. The protocol (Cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Study, CESS 81) consisted of four courses of a four-drug-regimen (VACA), each course taking nine weeks. Local therapy (radical surgery or resection plus irradiation or radiotherapy alone) was performed after the second course. The results of CESS 81 can be summarized as follows: VACA-chemotherapy is effective in controlling systemic disease. Initial tumor mass and response to initial chemotherapy are of major prognostic value for local control and survival. Permanent local control is a problem, especially in irradiated patients. The high local failure rate in irradiated patients in CESS 81 could be attributable to the following reasons: Late start of local therapy (after 18 weeks of chemotherapy), uneven distribution of prognostic parameters: Large tumors were more often ...
Radon migration in porous, earthen materials is characterized by diffusion in both the air and water components of the system as well as by the interaction of the radon between the air and water. The size distribution and configuration of the pore spaces and their moisture distributions are key parameters in determining the radon diffusion coefficient for the bulk material. A mathematical model is developed and presented for calculating radon diffusion coefficients solely from the moisture content and pore size distribution of a soil, reducing the need for resorting to radon diffusion measurements. The resulting diffusion coefficients increase with the median pore diameter of the soil and decrease with increasing widths of the pore size distribution. The calculated diffusion coefficients are suitable for use in simple homogeneous-medium diffusion expressions for predicting radon ...
In this work, we propose a conceptual distributed control framework for electrical grid integrated with distributed renewable energy generation systems in order to enable the development of the so-called ''smart electrical grid''. First, we introduce the key elements and their interactions in the proposed control architecture and discuss the design of the distributed control systems which are able to coordinate their actions to account for optimization considerations on the system operation. Subsequently, we focus on a specific wind/solar energy generation system connected to a reverse osmosis water desalination system and the electrical grid and design two supervisory predictive controllers via model predictive control to operate the integrated system taking into account short-term and lo...
Abstract This study presents a review of distributed model predictive control (DMPC) strategies followed by recent studies conducted by the authors on the robustness of these strategies to model errors and a summary of future challenges in this area. The review identifies three key challenges for the successful application of DMPC: (i) the selection of optimal control structure for DMPC; (ii) the choice of a suitable coordination strategy among the controllers; and (iii) the robustness of DMPC strategies to model errors. Then, the study summarises recent developments related to the robustness of unconstrained and constrained DMPC algorithms. For the unconstrained case, a methodology that is based on the calculation of a performance index is proposed to balance the trade-off between perform...
Fission rate assessments are being made in FFTF to provide input for determination of power distribution, peak power, total power, fuel burnup distribution, conversion ration and neutron spectral information by the multiple foil reaction rate method. A goal of the initial FFTF Characterization Program is to measure isotopic fission rates to an accuracy of 2 to 5% throughout FFTF by radiometric techniques. To achieve this goal, measurements were made in the FFTF In-Reactor Thimble to reduce the uncertainties of key parameters needed for radiometric fission rate mapping of the FFTF core.
In the present study, models of key chemical processes governing the compositions of the tapped metal from the cupola on the basis of physico-chemical fundamentals have been developed. As evident from the literature survey, the investigations conducted in the past have focused their attention on one phenomenon at a time; for example, a particular chemical reaction, measurement of gas composition or the temperature distribution inside a cupola. Notwithstanding the importance of these studies and their contribution toward the understanding of cupola operation, mathematical models of key chemical processes and their interdependence must be investigated to obtain a complete insight into the various interlinked phenomena occurring inside a cupola. For example, the oxidation of the metallic charge leads to the formation of iron oxide which influences the final content of elements such as silicon, manganese and carbon. The ...
Quantum keydistribution (QKD) can, in principle, provide unconditional security based on the fundamental laws of physics. Unfortunately, a practical QKD system may contain overlooked imperfections and may thus violate some of the assumptions in the security proofs of QKD. It is important to explore these assumptions. One key assumption is that the sender (Alice) can prepare the required quantum states without errors. However, such an assumption may be violated in a practical QKD system. In this paper, we perform a proof-of-principle experiment to demonstrate a technically feasible 'intercept- and-resend' attack that exploits such a security loophole in a commercial 'plug and play' QKD system. The resulting quantum bit error rate is 19.7%, which is substantially lower than the well-known 25% error rate for an intercept-and-resend attack in BB84. The attack we utilize is the phase-remapping attack (Fung et al 2007 Phys. Rev. ...
To further optimize thermo-hydraulic capability of HCSB-TBM, two different thermo-hydraulic schemes would be proposed and investigated by relevant calculating and simulating of thermo-dynamics in normal and peak heat flux condition. With computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code FLUENT, the actual temperature distribution of key components of HCSB-TBM is simulated. (authors)
We propose a scheme with potential experimental realization to generate 'polarization' entanglement between two atomic ensembles and show one of the applications - a novel secure communication allowing asymptotically keydistribution and quasisecure direct communication. The scheme involves laser manipulation of atomic ensembles, adjustable quarter- and half-wave plates, beam splitters, polarizing beam splitters and single-photon detectors, and well fits the status of the current experimental technology.
A study of the influence of the concentration of secondary addition, high concentrations of primary dopant, diffusion enhancer and stabilizer on radiation hardness is presented. It is concluded that the diffusion enhancing technique is the most powerful method for improving radiation hardness. A new polystyrene scintillator which contains 2% pT, 0.02% POPOP, 20% diffusion enhancer and 0.02% stabilizer gave 91% of initial light output immediately after 3 Mrad irradiation in air. Data are presented that show that scintillator prepared from commercial polymer is more radiation-hard and has greater light output than scintillator prepared from monomer. It is assumed that this difference is due to different molecular weight distributions. Some protocols for acceleration of aging (yellowing and crazing) are presented. It is shown that one of the main reasons for aging of plastic scintillators is residual monomer. 10 refs., 18 figs., 1 tab.
The protocols presently established for optimum seed storage do not account for the chemical composition of different seed species, the physiological status of the seed, and the physical status of water...Full Text Available
As part of efforts to develop improved methods for NMR protein sample preparation and structure determination, the Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium (NESG) has implemented an NMR screening pipeline for protein target selection, construct optimization, and buffer optimization, incorporating efficient microscale NMR screening of proteins using a micro-cryoprobe. The process is feasible because the newest generation probe requires only small amounts of protein, typically 30-200 ?g in 8-35 ?l volume. Extensive automation has been made possible by the combination of database tools, mechanization of key process steps, and the use of a micro-cryoprobe that gives excellent data while requiring little optimization and manual setup. In this perspective, we describe the overall process used by the NESG for screening NMR samples as part of a sample optimization process, assessing optimal construct design and solution conditions, as well as for determining protein ...
Global supply chain practices and their effects have received considerable attention over the last two decades. In the recent past, the need for integration across supply chains has been identified as a key for effective and efficient operations of supply chains. This is observed with the increasing trend of collaborative partnerships among supply chain partners. This paper presents an integrated approach for manufacturing and distribution networks within the supply chain system of a global car company. The paper shows that the integration of manufacturing and distribution networks creates the environment for effective planning of many components and execution/follow-up of those plans. These components include materials, resources, operations/activities, suppliers and customers. The main f...
Many secure communication libraries used by distributed systems, such as SSL, TLS, and Kerberos, fail to make a clear distinction between the authentication, session, and communication layers. In this paper we introduce CEDAR, the secure communication library used by the Condor High Throughput Computing software, and present the advantages to a distributed computing system resulting from CEDAR's separation of these layers. Regardless of the authentication method used, CEDAR establishes a secure session key, which has the flexibility to be used for multiple capabilities. We demonstrate how a layered approach to security sessions can avoid round-trips and latency inherent in network authentication. The creation of a distinct session management layer allows for optimizations to improve scalability by way of delegating sessions to other components in the system. This session delegation creates a chain of trust that reduces the ...
In this paper, the question of whether the new distribution system for the electricity supply industry can deliver a better service to customers, is discussed. In particular it discusses the requirement of customers for low cost and efficiency, with particular reference to Victoria in general and Solaris in particular. Solaris comprises the amalgamation of five ex-Municipal Electricity Undertakings and one distribution part of the former State Electricity Commission. Despite not having a set of objectives, a strategy, a common culture, appropriate processes or systems, key account management skills, marketing and customer service expertise, commercial financial expertise, commercial treasury expertise and strategic skill, it has been able to develop a business plan and strategy to satisfy the shareholder (the government), improve customer communication facilities, set up human resource management mechanisms and liaison with ...
Until recently, the wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) transmission system has reached record capacities and distances due to innovations such as FEC (Forward Error Correction), distributed Raman amplification, new transmission fiber and advanced optical format. Optical-communication systems exclusively employed conventional On-Off Keying signals in either Non-Return-To-Zero (NRZ) or Return-To-Zero (RZ) format. Recently a number of advanced modulation formats have attracted attention. Some of these formats carry information through On-Off-Keying but also modulate the optical phase in order to enhance the robustness of signal to chromatic dispersion, optical filtering and non-linearities. Through extensive sets of simulation results, we showed that it is possible to replace a channel wit...
The construction of networks consisting of optically interconnected processing units is a promising way to scale up quantum information processing systems. To store quantum information, single trapped atoms are among the most proven candidates. By placing them in high finesse optical resonators, a bidirectional information exchange between the atoms and photons becomes possible with, in principle, unit efficiency. Such an interface between stationary and ying qubits constitutes a possible node of a future quantum network. The results presented in this thesis demonstrate the prospects of a quantum interface consisting of a single atom trapped within the mode of a high-finesse optical cavity. In a two-step process, we distribute entanglement between the stored atom and two subsequently emitted single photons. The long atom trapping times achieved in the system together with the high photon collection efficiency of the cavity make the applied ...
We performed a randomized trial to compare IVF outcomes in 54 poor responder patients undergoing a microdose leuprolide acetate (LA) protocol or a GnRH antagonist protocol incorporating a luteal phase E2 patch and GnRH antagonist in the preceding menstrual cycle. Cancellation rates, number of oocytes retrieved, clinical pregnancy rates (PR), and ongoing PRs were similar between the two groups.
This report presented some quick facts about oil and gas pipelines in Turkey and presented opportunities for trade. The key players and customers in the oil and gas sector were described along with an export check list. Turkey is looking into becoming an energy bridge between oil and gas producing countries in the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe. The oil and gas sectors are dominated by the Turkish Petroleum Corporation, a public enterprise dealing with exploration and production, and the State Pipeline Corporation which deals with energy transmission. They are also the key buyers of oil and gas equipment in Turkey. There are several pipelines connecting countries bordering the Caspian Sea. Opportunities exist in the areas of engineering consulting as well as contracting services for oil and gas pipeline transmission and distribution. Other opportunities lie in the area of pipeline construction, rehabilitation, ...
The phase space beam analyzer is a measurement instrument that is applied in laser technology to perform analyses of the spatial and angular distribution of rays. We are interested in this instrument as a means to characterize non-coherent light sources. In this context, a closer look at the tolerances of this optical instrument was considered useful. Having a so-called quadrupole lens as a key element, the phase space beam analyzer is a device that features anamorphic optical properties. To describe these anamorphic properties, recurrence was made to a description by extended ray-transfer matrices. This formalism allows for an analysis of the alignment tolerances of the phase space beam analyzer and facilitates a study of the sensitivities of the instrument. The analysis is complemented using numerical ray tracing.
The indirect conversion of coal to liquid hydrocarbons via steam gasification followed by synthesis gas (CO/H/sub 2/) chemistry has been the subject of intensive study for a number of decades. A key technological challenge facing researchers in this area is control over the product distribution during the hydrocarbon synthesis step. In the case of iron Fischer-Tropsch catalysts, it has been known that the addition of alkali to the metal catalyst has a significant impact on the product distribution. Iron catalysts treated with alkali produce less methane more alkenes and higher molecular weight products. In spite of numerous investigations, the details of this promotional effect are not understood on a molecular level. To explore the role of alkali in the surface chemistry of iron catalysts, the authors have carried out a combined surface science and catalytic kinetic study of a model iron catalyst with and without surface ...
The impacts of the availability of low-carbon technologies on the regional distribution of mitigation costs are analyzed in a global multi-regional integrated assessment model. Three effects on regional consumption losses are distinguished: domestic measures, trade of fossil energy carriers and trade of emission permits. Key results are: (i) GDP losses and a redirection of investments in the energy system towards capital-intensive technologies are major contributions to regional consumption losses. (ii) A devaluation of tradable fossil energy endowments contributes largely to the mitigation costs of fossil fuel exporters. (iii) In case of reduced availability of low-carbon technologies, the permit market volume and associated monetary redistributions increase. The results suggest that the ...
Alloy 800 has been used for steam generator (SG) tubing for more than 30 years, primarily in CANDU reactors worldwide and in reactors in Germany. Extensive laboratory testing and in-service experience suggest that the Alloy 800 tubing has excellent resistance to corrosion-related degradation under appropriate operating conditions. In planning refurbishment of nuclear plants stations, a key concern is the longevity of existing SGs up to the 60-year lifetime of the refurbished plant. The paper reviews an existing methodology based on the concept of the improvement factor, and refines its estimation based on data specific to CANDU operating conditions. The paper presents a more advanced Bayesian probabilistic approach to estimate the degradation free lifetime distribution of Alloy 800 tubing, which is used to quantify the probability of degradation during the service life and to evaluate the impact of potential occurrences of degradation on ...
Alloy 800 has been used for steam generator (SG) tubing for more than 30 years, primarily in CANDU reactors worldwide and in reactors in Germany. Extensive laboratory testing and in-service experience suggest that the Alloy 800 tubing has excellent resistance to corrosion-related degradation under appropriate operating conditions. In planning refurbishment of nuclear plants stations, a key concern is the longevity of existing SGs up to the 60-year lifetime of the refurbished plant. The paper reviews an existing methodology based on the concept of the improvement factor, and refines its estimation based on data specific to CANDU operating conditions. The paper presents a more advanced Bayesian probabilistic approach to estimate the degradation free lifetime distribution of Alloy 800 tubing, which is used to quantify the probability of degradation during the service life and to evaluate the impact of potential occurrences of degradation on ...
Abstract Background: G proteins are ubiquitously expressed signal transduction proteins playing a key role in multiple signal transduction pathways. The Gas subunit has been considered as an apoptosis factor. In this study the role of GNAS T393C genotypes of the GNAS gene encoding Gas was analyzed for its influence on the development and progression of prostate cancer. Methods: Genotyping of the GNAS T393C polymorphism in 196 prostate cancer patients and 200 healthy controls was performed by DNA extraction followed by PCR and restriction analysis. Results: We observed no evidence of effects related to GNAS T393C genotype as demonstrated by a comparison of the genotype distribution in prostate cancer patients and healthy controls, the genotype distribution dependent on grade of the primary ...
Alloy 800 has been used for steam generator (SG) tubing for more than 30 years, primarily in CANDU reactors and in reactors in Germany. Extensive laboratory testing and in-service experience suggest that the Alloy 800 tubing has excellent resistance to corrosion-related degradation under specified and appropriate operating conditions. In planning refurbishment of CANDU stations, a key concern is the longevity of existing SGs up to the 60 year lifetime of the refurbished plant. The paper reviews an existing methodology based on the concept of the improvement factor, and estimates it based on experimental data specific to CANDU operating conditions. The paper presents a more advanced probabilistic approach to estimate the degradation free lifetime distribution of Alloy 800 tubing, which is used to quantify the probability of degradation during the service life and to evaluate the impact of potential occurrences of degradation on reliability of SG ...
Alloy 800 has been used for steam generator (SG) tubing for more than 30 years, primarily in CANDU reactors and in reactors in Germany. Extensive laboratory testing and in-service experience suggest that the Alloy 800 tubing has excellent resistance to corrosion-related degradation under specified and appropriate operating conditions. In planning refurbishment of CANDU stations, a key concern is the longevity of existing SGs up to the 60 year lifetime of the refurbished plant. The paper reviews an existing methodology based on the concept of the improvement factor, and estimates it based on experimental data specific to CANDU operating conditions. The paper presents a more advanced probabilistic approach to estimate the degradation free lifetime distribution of Alloy 800 tubing, which is used to quantify the probability of degradation during the service life and to evaluate the impact of potential occurrences of degradation on reliability of SG ...
The diagnostic accuracy is compared of the dual-isotope protocol and the conventional "2"0"1Tl protocol, for detection of the coronary artery disease (CAD) using data on a total of 69 patients after myocardial infarction (MI). The "2"0"1Tl protocol was used to examine 44 patients, the dual-isotope protocol was used with 25 patients. All patients were examined by coronarography; a narrowing of the artery by more than 50 % was considered significant for CAD. The sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy was 97.7 %, 100 % and 97.7 % resp. for the "2"0"1Tl protocol, and 95.2 %, 75 % and 92 % resp. for the dual-isotope protocol. A higher diagnostic accuracy of the dual-isotope protocol has not been proven, and the "2"0"1Tl protocol continues to be used for examinations of patients after MI
Acceptance testing of mammographic imaging systems technical is the first approach in order to guarantee that mammograms will be achieved with the minimum radiation dose compatible with an image quality suitable for diagnose purposes. The aim of this study is to assess the practical applicability of different protocols in acceptance test of digital mammographic systems. This study has been carried out on the results of the acceptance tests of five flat panel digital mammographic systems. Parameters established in the systems technical specifications and those evaluated in the consulted protocols were tested. Due to the fact that the legislation in our country does not demand to consider a specific protocol, the results obtained were also compared considering different existing protocols. Results show discrepancies between manufacturers limiting values and those established in the ...
Purpose We evaluated low-contrast injection protocols for coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) using a 64-detector scanner and the test bolus technique. Materials and methods We randomly assigned 60 patients undergoing coronary CTA to one of two contrast material (CM) injection protocols. For the lowcontrast dose protocol (Plow), the patients received injections of iohexol-350 [0.7 ml/kg body weight (BW)] during 9 s, and the test-bolus technique was used. Under the conventional protocol (Pconv), they received iohexol-350 (1.0 ml/kg BW) during 15 s, and bolus tracking was used. We compared the protocols for attenuation values in the ascending aorta and coronary arteries and for the amount of CM required. Results There was no significant difference in the mean CT attenuation of the...
Objective: To determine the optimal contrast injection protocol for 64-MDCT coronary angiography. Materials and methods: One hundred and fifty consecutive patients scheduled to undergo retrospectively electrocardiographically gated 64-MDCT. Each 30 patients were assigned to use a different contrast protocol: group 1: uniphasic protocol (contrast injection without saline flush); group 2: biphasic protocol (contrast injection with saline flush); group 3A, 3B and 3C: triphasic protocol (contrast media + different saline diluted contrast media + saline flush). Image quality scores and artifacts were compared and evaluated on both transaxial and three-dimensional coronary artery images among each contrast protocol. Results: Among the triphasic protocol groups, group 3A (30%:70% contrast media-saline mixture was used in second phase) used the ...
The performance of a group of reference laboratories measuring lead in blood, has been monitored by an intensive external quality assessment programme, since 1974. Performance was similar to that observed in other, larger quality control surveys but rapidly improved following detailed investigations of critical factors in the analytical methodology. The introduction of a rigorous internal quality control protocol, with all laboratories using the same well-characterised materials, has produced external quality control results that are both accurate and very tightly distributed. Between-laboratory coefficients of variation of less than 5%, less than 6% and less than 20% are now obtained at concentrations of over 1.0 ..mu..mol/l (20.7 ..mu..g/dl), 0.5-1.0 ..mu..mol/l (10-20 ..mu..g/dl) and less than 0.5 ..mu..mol/l (10 ..mu..g/dl), respectively. These results represent the best that can be achieved by current methodology and instrumentation in ...
Rats were exposed to lead (Pb) before or after weaning. For preweaning exposures, nursing dams received 0.2% Pb acetate(1090 ppm Pb) in drinking water. Offspring treated after weaning consumed the same concentration. Tapwater served as the control fluid. Pre-post treatments were distributed among four experimental groups of 10 rats each: tap water-tap water, Pb-tap water, tap water-Pb, Pb-Pb. Operant behavior training began on Postnatal Day 58. Animals performed on a multiple reinforcement schedule of food presentation consisting of fixed-interval, fixed-ratio, and time out components.Statistical analyses of experimental sessions 4 to 11 (Postnatal Days 72 to 79) revealed that postweaning exposure significantly lengthened the median interval (interresponse time) between consecutive responses on both the interval and ratio schedules. Preweaning exposure alone tended to produce a shortening of the median interresponse time. Other performance indices and subsequence ...
Mesh network applications are used by utilities for metering, demand response, and mobile workforce management. This presentation provided an overview of a multi-dimensional mesh application designed to offer improved scalability and higher throughput in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems. Mesh applications can be used in AMI for load balancing and forecasting, as well as for distribution and transmission planning. New revenue opportunities can be realized through the application's ability to improve notification and monitoring services, and customer service communications. Mesh network security features include data encryption, data fragmentation and the automatic re-routing of data. In order to use mesh network applications, networks must have sufficient bandwidth and provide flexibility at the endpoint layer to support multiple devices from multiple vendors, as well as support multiple protocols. It was concluded that ...
These summary descriptive data of ethnically similar cohorts of indigenous and migrant Japanese males have shown similarities or slight differences in characteristics wholly or largely genetically determined, such as blood groups, stature, and skeletal size. Differences have been noted in characteristics largely environmental or behavioral, such as diet and cigarette smoking habit, as well as in characteristics determined by a varying mixture of genetic and environmental influences, such as weight, blood pressure, glucose tolerance, and serum lipid and uric acid levels. Detailed analyses of the distributions of laboratory variables, of dietary data obtained by different methods, and of correlations among laboratory, dietary, physical, and demographic variables are currently in progress. Also part of the study plan are determinations of disease prevalence from evaluation of examination, laboratory, and electrocardiographic findings, of disease incidence from repeat ...
This paper describes the needs, reasoning, approaches, and technical details to establish a practical accelerated weathering test (AWT) protocol for indoor testing of the photothermal stability of encapsulation materials and encapsulated solar cells and minimodules.
The purpose of this study was to compare a double freeze-thaw protocol to a triple freeze-thaw protocol for pulmonary cryoablation utilizing an in vivo porcine lung model. A total of 18 cryoablations were performed in normal porcine lung utilizing percutaneous technique with 9 each in a double- (10-5-10) and triple-freeze (3-3-7-7-5) protocol. Serial noncontrast CT images were obtained during the ablation. CT imaging findings and pathology were reviewed. No imaging changes were identified during the initial freeze cycle with either protocol. However, during the first thaw cycle, a region of ground glass opacity developed around the probe with both protocols. Because the initial freeze was shorter with the triple freeze-thaw protocol, the imaging findings were apparent sooner with this protocol (6 vs. 13 min). Also, despite a shorter total ...
This article describes the implementation of the OAi-PMH protocol within the CERN Document Server (CDS). In terms of the protocol, CERN acts both as a data provider and service provider and the two core applications are described. The application of XML Schema and XSLT technology is emphasized.
Achieving device independence for software applications is required for all but a small number of critical real time applications. Device independence is achieved by establishing protocols and building protocol interpreters for the specific devices. Data structures containing pointers to functions provide a flexible architecture for implementing protocol translation. 3 refs., 5 figs.
North American technologies designed to improve electricity transmission and distribution systems were discussed. Legislation in the United States and Canada is now being implemented to ensure the widespread adoption of advanced metering technologies. Grid technologies will also be expected to address carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emissions, as governments are now encouraging investment in distributed generation technologies such as solar, wind, and biodiesel energy. It is expected that smart grid systems will provide increased reliability, interoperability, 2-way communications, risk management services, and have the capacity to support new power resources. Devices will be added to the overall system in order to support smart metering applications. Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) will use automated measurements of time-of-use energy consumption. Improved outage management detection and restoration monitoring programs will be used, as well ...
High salinity is one of the main factors limiting cotton growth and productivity. The genes that regulate salt stress in TM-1 upland cotton were monitored using microarray and real-time PCR (RT-PCR) with samples taken from roots. Microarray analysis showed that 1503 probe sets were up-regulated and 1490 probe sets were down-regulated in plants exposed for 3h to 100mM NaCl, and RT-PCR analysis validated 42 relevant/related genes. The distribution of enriched gene ontology terms showed such important processes as the response to water stress and pathways of hormone metabolism and signal transduction were induced by the NaCl treatment. Some key regulatory gene families involved in abiotic and biotic sources of stress such as WRKY, ERF, and JAZ were differentially expressed. Our transcriptome analysis might provide some useful insights into salt-mediated signal transduction pathways in cotton and offer a number of candidate genes as potential ...
Heat transfer through the gas diffusion layer (GDL) is a key process in the design and operation of a PEM fuel cell. The analysis of this process requires determination of the effective thermal conductivity as well as the thermal contact resistance associated with the interface between the GDL and adjacent surfaces/layers. In the present study, a custom-made test bed that allows the separation of effective thermal conductivity and thermal contact resistance in GDLs under vacuum and ambient conditions is described. Measurements under varying compressive loads are performed using Toray carbon paper samples with a porosity of 78% for a range of thicknesses. The measurements are complemented by compact analytical models that achieve good agreement with experimental data. A key finding is that thermal contact resistance is the dominant component of the total thermal resistance; neglecting this phenomenon may result in significant errors in ...
We developed prototype chemistry for nucleic acid hybridization on our bead-based diagnostics platform and we established an automatable bead handling protocol capable of 50 part-per-billion (ppb) sensitivity. We are working towards a platform capable of parallel, rapid (10 minute), raw sample testing for orthogonal (in this case nucleic acid and immunoassays) identification of biological (and other) threats in a single sensor microsystem. In this LDRD we developed the nucleic acid chemistry required for nucleic acid hybridization. Our goal is to place a non-cell associated RNA virus (Bovine Viral Diarrhea, BVD) on the beads for raw sample testing. This key pre-requisite to showing orthogonality (nucleic acid measurements can be performed in parallel with immunoassay measurements). Orthogonal detection dramatically reduces false positives. We chose BVD because our collaborators (UC-Davis) can supply samples from persistently infected animals; ...
Since the Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 1998, numerous laboratory investigations, atmospheric observations, and theoretical and modeling studies have produced new key findings and have strengthened overall understanding of the ozone layer and its effect on ultraviolet (UV) radiation. These advances are highlighted in the following summary of the current understanding of the impact of human activities and natural phenomena on the ozone layer and the coupling of the ozone layer and the climate system. In the troposphere (i.e., lower atmosphere), observations show that the total combined effective abundance of ozone-depleting compounds continues to decline slowly from the peak that occurred in 1992-1994. Total chlorine is declining, while bromine from industrial halons is still increasing, albeit at a slower rate than was occurring previously (and as reported in the 1998 Assessment). Analyses of air trapped in snow since the late 19th century have ...
From 1977 through 1984, 293 previously untreated patients with biopsy proven carcinoma of the uterine cervix were treated by whole pelvis irradiation and high intensity 60Co remote afterloading (RAL) intrauterine tandem techniques in Haiti. The treatment results were analyzed retrospectively to evaluate the therapeutic results and prognostic factors of a strict protocol involving 40 Gy to the whole pelvis (2 Gy/day, 5 days/week). In addition, on the 5th day of the 3rd week, the first outpatient 60Co remote afterloading intracavitary insertion, delivering 7.5 Gy to point A with each insertion, repeated 3 times by a week separation for a total of 4 times. The total TDF for external beam plus RAL was 158 and 175 for early and late effects respectively. One hundred-four patients were evaluable after 1 year or more follow-up, with a median of 26.5 months. No evidence of disease (NED) by Stage at 1 year was: Stage I of 100% (3/3), Stage II of 82% (9/11), Stage III of 80% ...
The aim of this study was to assess the body weight-tailored contrast material injection protocol for 64-detector computed tomography (CT) to maintain optimal coronary CT attenuation. A total of 60 patients who underwent CT coronary angiography were assigned to one of three groups: protocol A, total of 0.7 ml kg"-"1 with 300 mg I/ml iodine concentration; protocol B, total of 0.6 ml kg"-"1 with 350 mg I/ml; protocol C, total of 0.7 ml kg"-"1 with 350 mg I/ml. The injection duration was 10 s in all patients. The proportion of intracoronary attenuation values >325 Hounsfield unit (HU) was compared on a per-vessel and per-patient basis. The attenuation value was significantly more likely to exceed 325 HU with protocol C (95% for reader 1 and 90% for reader 2) than with protocol A or B on the per-vessel analysis (P325 HU) with 64-detector CT when using an ...
Retaining an appropriate level of moisture at the interface between a healing wound and an applied dressing is considered to be critical for effective wound healing. Failure to control exudate at this interface can result in maceration or drying out of the wound surface. The ability to control moisture balance at the wound interface is therefore a key aspect of wound dressing performance. To date it has not been possible to monitor in any effective manner the distribution of moisture within dressings or how this varies with time.A new measurement system is presented based on sensors placed at the wound/dressing interface which are capable of monitoring moisture levels in real time. The system comprises a model wound bed and sensor array complete with fluid injection path to mimic exudate f...
Concerns for potential vulnerability to manganese (Mn) neurotoxicity during fetal and neonatal development have been raised due to increased needs for Mn for normal growth, different sources of exposure to Mn, and pharmacokinetic differences between the young and adults. A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for Mn during human gestation and lactation was developed to predict Mn in fetal and neonatal brain using a parallelogram approach based upon extrapolation across life stages in rats and cross-species extrapolation to humans. Based on the rodent modeling, key physiological processes controlling Mn kinetics during gestation and lactation were incorporated, including alterations in Mn uptake, excretion, tissue-specific distributions, and placental and lactational transfer ...
Objectives(i) Investigate the correlation between Antarctic sea-ice and equatorial sea-surface temperature anomalies in a realistically forced ocean model simulation of the last 50 years. (ii) Determine whether and how the enormous seasonal change in distribution of sea-ice modifies the seasonal cycle at the Equator. (iii) Determine the detailed pathways of wave propagation both in a historically-forced simulation and in response to realistic perturbations. (iv) Quantify the amplitude of the response i [continued...]DescriptionIt is well known that the equatorial ocean-atmosphere system plays a key role in global climate events such as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. There is now compelling evidence that changes in the Antarctic can strongly and quickly affect the equatorial ocean and the ENSO cycle. Observations demonstrate statistically significant correlations (teleconnections) between the Antarctic and the Equator with ...
Effect of a planar texture quality and its thickness on lasing spectrums and thresholds in dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) of steroid type is explored. Transition from the qualitative planar texture to the poor texture quality is accompanied by change of characteristic mode structures and by shift of barycentre in the long-wave side and the considerable growth of the lasing threshold. It is found that in the CLC texture created by substrates with perpendicular directions of orientation the stable single-mode lasing takes place. The nature of oscillated modes in such texture is caused by phase jump. The gained results show that in steroid CLC, unlike induced one, lasing spectrums is possible to feature with the coupled wave model. Key words: steroidal cholesteric liquid crystal, distributed feedback lasing, oscillation thresholds, phase defect of periodical structure, transmission and lasing spectra
For optimal performances, proton exchange membrane fuel cells require fine water and thermal management. Accurate modelling of the physical phenomena occurring in the fuel cell is a key issue to improve fuel cell technology. Here, an analytic steady state diphasic 2D model of heat and mass transfer is presented. Through this model, the aim of this work is to study the influence of local events on the global performances of a fuel cell. A part of the complete model is a microscopic representation of the coupling between water transport and charge transfers in the electrodes. The thickness of the liquid layer around the reactive agglomerates is deduced from the saturation. The evolution of the quantity of water within the catalyst layer is monitored and its influence on the global performanc...
This experimental research investigates mixed convection and heat transfer augmentation by gaseous forced jets in a large enclosure, at conditions simulating those of passive containment cooling systems for Gen III+ passively safe reactors. The experiment is designed to measure the key parameters governing heat transfer augmentation by forced jets, and to investigate the effects of geometric factors, including the jet diameter, jet injection orientation, interior structures, and enclosure aspect ratio. The tests cover a variety of injection modes leading to flow configurations of interest for mixing and stratification phenomena in containments under accident conditions. Correlations for heat transfer augmentation by forced jets are developed and compared with experimental data. The characteristic recirculation speed inside the enclosure is introduced and analyzed. Steady stratified temperature distributions are compared with model simulations ...
This experimental research investigates mixed convection and heat transfer augmentation by gaseous forced jets in a large enclosure, at conditions simulating those of passive containment cooling systems for Gen III+ passively safe reactors. The experiment is designed to measure the key parameters governing heat transfer augmentation by forced jets, and to investigate the effects of geometric factors, including the jet diameter, jet injection orientation, interior structures, and enclosure aspect ratio. The tests cover a variety of injection modes leading to flow configurations of interest for mixing and stratification phenomena in containments under accident conditions. Correlations for heat transfer augmentation by forced jets are developed and compared with experimental data. The characteristic recirculation speed inside the enclosure is introduced and analyzed. Steady stratified temperature distributions are compared with model simulations ...
Generalized linear models (GLMs), as defined by J. A. Nelder and R. W. M. Wedderburn (1972), unify a class of regression models for categorical, discrete, and continuous response variables. As an extension of classical linear models, GLMs provide a common body of theory and methodology for some seemingly unrelated models and procedures, such as the logistic, Poisson, and probit models, that are increasingly used in family studies. This article provides an overview of the principle and the key components of GLMs, such as the exponential family of distributions, the linear predictor, and the link function. To illustrate the application of GLMs, this article uses Canadian national survey data to build an example focusing on the number of close friends among older adults. The article concludes with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of GLMs.
Four interrelated projects are underway whose purpose is to migrate the LAMPF-PSR Accelerator Complex control systems to a system with a common set of hardware and software components. Project goals address problems in performance, maintenance and growth potential. Front-end hardware, operator interface hardware and software, computer systems, network systems and data system software are being simultaneously upgraded as part of these efforts. The efforts are being coordinated to provide for a smooth and timely migration to a client-sever model-based data acquisition and control system. An increased use of the distributed intelligence at both the front-end and operator interface is a key element of the projects. 2 refs., 2 figs.
The uncertainty associated with the sorption coefficient, or K{sub d} value, is one of the key uncertainties in estimating risk associated with burying low-level nuclear waste in the subsurface. The objective of this study was to measure >648 K{sub d} values and provide a measure of the range and distribution (normal or log-normal) of radionuclide K{sub d} values appropriate for the E-Area disposal site, within the Savannah River Site, near Aiken South Carolina. The 95% confidence level for the mean K{sub d} was twice the mean in the Aquifer Zone (18-30.5 m depth), equal to the mean for the Upper Vadose Zone (3.3-10 m depth), and half the mean for the Lower Vadose Zone (3.10-18 m depth). The distribution of K{sub d} values was log normal in the Upper Vadose Zone and Aquifer Zone, and normal in the Lower Vadose Zone. To our knowledge, this is the first report of natural radionuclide Kd variability in the literature. ...
A doubly Q-switched laser with both an acousto-optic (AO) modulator and a GaAs saturable absorber can obtain a more symmetric and shorter pulse with high pulse peak power, which has been experimentally proved. The key parameters of an optimally coupled doubly Q-switched laser with both an AO modulator and a GaAs saturable absorber are determined, and a group of general curves are generated for what we believe is the first time, when the single-photon absorption (SPA) and two-photon absorption (TPA) processes of GaAs are combined, and the Gaussian spatial distributions of the intracavity photon density and the initial population-inversion density as well as the influence of the AO Q-switch are considered. These key parameters include the optimal normalized coupling parameter, the optimal normalized GaAs saturable absorber parameters, and the normalized parameters of the AO Q-switch, which can maximize the output energy. ...
Neutron and gamma ray energy spectra were measured using an NE-213 scintillator at depths of 7.2, 15.2, and 22.2 cm in a tissue-equivalent phantom which was uniformly irradiated on one face by deuterium--tritium (DT) neutrons. Coupled neutron--gamma ray multigroup discrete-ordinates calculations were performed using semi-infinite slab geometry. These calculations were used to supplement the measured spectra below 1 MeV. Similar calculations were performed to study the perturbation in the phantom due to the detector. The measured and calculated spectra were used to determine the kerma distributions for neutrons and gamma rays at each location. The gamma radiation was determined to contribute more than 10% of the total dose at each depth. The calculated kerma also reveals that a knowledge of the gamma ray spectra below 1 MeV is desirable. Key words: neutron--gamma spectra, spectrometry, kerma distributions, coupled multigroup ...
Neutron and gamma ray energy spectra were measured using an NE-213 scintillator at depths of 7.2, 15.2, and 22.2 cm in a tissue-equivalent phantom which was uniformly irradiated on one face by deuterium--tritium (DT) neutrons. Coupled neutron--gamma ray multigroup discrete-ordinates calculations were performed using semi-infinite slab geometry. These calculations were used to supplement the measured spectra below 1 MeV. Similar calculations were performed to study the perturbation in the phantom due to the detector. The measured and calculated spectra were used to determine the kerma distributions for neutrons and gamma rays at each location. The gamma radiation was determined to contribute more than 10% of the total dose at each depth. The calculated kerma also reveals that a knowledge of the gamma ray spectra below 1 MeV is desirable. Key words: neutron--gamma spectra, spectrometry, kerma distributions, coupled multigroup ...
We study the structure of the medium surrounding sites of high-mass star formation to determine the interrelation between the HII regions and the environment from which they were formed. The density distribution of the surroundings is key in determining how the radiation of the newly formed stars interacts with the surrounds in a way that allows it to be used as a star formation tracer. We present new Herschel/SPIRE 250, 350 and 500 mum data of LHA 120-N44 and LHA 120-N63 in the LMC. We construct average spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for annuli centered on the IR bright part of the star formation sites. The annuli cover ~10-~100 pc. We use a phenomenological dust model to fit these SEDs to derive the dust column densities, characterise the incident radiation field and the abundance of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules. We see a factor 5 decrease in the radiation field energy density as a function of radial ...
Anti-proton and positron Galactic cosmic ray (GCR) spectra are among the key targets for indirect detection of dark matter (DM). The boost factors, corresponding to an enhancement of the signal|linked to the clumpiness properties of the dark matter distribution|, have been taken as high as thousands in the past. The dramatic impact of these boost factors for indirect detection of antiparticles, for instance with the PAMELA satellite or the coming AMS-02 experiment, asks for their detailed calculation. We take into account the state-of-the-art results of high resolution N-body dark matter simulations to calculate the most likely energy dependent boost factors|linked to the GCR propagation properties|, for anti-protons and positrons. The results from extreme, but still possible, configurations of the clumpy dark matter component is also discussed. Starting from the mass and space distributions of sub-halos, the anti-proton ...
CANDU 600 nuclear reactors are usually fuelled with STANDARD (STD), 37 rods fuel bundles. Natural uranium (NU) dioxide (UO_2), is used as fuel composition. A new fuel bundle geometry called CANFLEX (CFX) with 43 rods is proposed and some new fuel composition are considered. Flexibility is the key word for the attempt to use some different fuel geometries and compositions for CANDU 600 nuclear reactors as well as for innovative ACR-700/1000 nuclear reactors. The fuel bundle considered in this paper is CFX-RU-0.90 that encodes the CANFLEX geometry, recycled dioxide uranium (RU) with 0.90% enrichment. The goal of this proposal is ambitious: a higher average discharge burn-up up to 14000 MWd/tU and, for the same amount of generated electric power, reduction in nuclear fuel fabrication, reduction of spent nuclear fuel radioactive waste and reduction of refueling operational work by using fewer bundles. An improved sub-channel approach for thermal-hydraulic analysis is ...
This paper presents the history and objectives of the development of a standard method for the measurement of organic contaminants in biomass producer gases. Recently, a project with that title has started in the European 5{sup th} Framework Programme. The structure of this project with acronym 'Tar Protocol' is also described in this paper. The project is performed by 17 partners and continues earlier work initiated by IEA (International Energy Agency), DoE (Department of Energy) and EU (European Union) in 1998. The project aims to combine two draft Protocols that resulted from this earlier work. The Tar Protocol will be developed for accurate measurement of organic contaminants ('tars') over a large range of concentrations (1 mg/Nm{sup 3} to 100 g/Nm{sup 3}) and conditions (0 - 900 deg C; 0.9 - 60 bars). Besides, a particulate concentration will be determined too. Together with the ...
The Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) Distance Computing (DisCom) Wide Area Network (WAN) is a high performance, long distance network environment that is based on the ubiquitous TCP/IP protocol set. However, the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the algorithms that govern its operation were defined almost two decades ago for a network environment vastly different from the DisCom WAN. In this paper we explore and evaluate possible modifications to TCP that purport to improve TCP performance in environments like the DisCom WAN. We also examine a much newer protocol, SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol) that claims to provide reliable network transport while also implementing multi-streaming, multi-homing capabilities that are appealing in the DisCom high performance network environment. We provide performance comparisons and recommendations for continued development that will lead to ...
Although the current Internet Protocol known as IPv4 has served its purpose for over 20 years, its days are numbered. With IPv6 reaching a mature enough level, there is a need to evaluate the performance benefits or drawbacks that the new IPv6 protocol will have in comparison to the well established IPv4 protocol. Theoretically, the overhead between the two different protocols should be directly proportional to the difference in the packet's header size, however according to our findings, the empirical performance difference between IPv4 and IPv6, especially when the transition mechanisms are taken into consideration, is much larger than anticipated. We first examine the performance of each protocol independently. We then examined two transition mechanisms which perform the encapsulation at various points in the network: host-to-host and router-to-router (tunneling). Our experiments ...
As part of the demonstration testing of the Purge Water Management System (PWMS) technology at the Savannah River Site (SRS), four wells were equipped with PWMS units in 1997 and a series of sampling events were conducted at each during 1997-1998. Three of the wells were located in A/M Area while the fourth was located at the Old Radioactive Waste Burial Ground in the General Separations Area.The PWMS is a ''closed-loop'', non-contact, system used to collect and return purge water to the originating aquifer after a sampling event without having significantly altered the water quality. One of the primary concerns as to its applicability at SRS, and elsewhere, is whether the PWMS might resample groundwater that is returned to the aquifer during the previous sampling event. The purpose of the present investigation was to compare groundwater chemical analysis data collected at the four test wells using the PWMS vs. historical data collected using the ...
Background and ObjectivePulsed dye laser (PDL) treatment of cutaneous vascular lesions is associated with variable and unpredictable efficacy. Thus, alternative treatment...Full Text Available
This report provides a user's manual for PROTOCOL, a comprehensive coupled kinetic/equilibrium computer program for analyzing the dissolution reactions of solids with aqueous solutions, specifically applied to the potential corrosion of vitrified nuclear waste by groundwater. The capabilities and available options are summarized as well as instructions for setting up and running problems. Also described in this report and included in the PROTOCOL software package are MASTER, a master file of species thermodynamic data, MANEQL, a preprocessor program and POSTP, a postprocessor. POSTP provides offline plotting using the CRAY-1 DISSPLA 9.0 graphics library. PROTOCOL is operational on the CDC-7600 and CRAY-1 computers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. 7 references, 10 figures, 2 tables.
Until now policy makers and researchers considered the problem of uncertainty and verification to be of minor importance for the Kyoto process. However, the first studies that recently appeared on uncertainty estimation of carbon accounting reveal that uncertainties of the reported emissions on the country level are large. In an environment of such large uncertainties, verification of emission reductions must be viewed as a crucial mechanism to secure the very functioning of the Protocol. The paper provides a set of tools to strategically deal with the problem of uncertainty and verification under the Kyoto Protocol. This is done by: providing an overview of the instruments to deal with verification (no-, trend-, level- and top-down/bottom-up verification under PCA and FCA); compute costs scenarios for those instruments under various flexibility scenarios; and providing a short discussion on practical steps and crucial decisions to be made that ...
Network generators that capture the Internet's large-scale topology are crucial for the development of efficient routing protocols and modeling Internet traffic. Our ability to design realistic generators...Full Text Available
In many online systems, individuals provide services for each other. Typically, the recipient of the service obtains a benefit while the provider of the service incurs a cost. Assuming that benefit exceeds cost, provision of the service increases social welfare and should therefore be encouraged -- but the individuals providing the service gain no (immediate) benefit from providing the service and hence have an incentive to withhold service. This paper studies the design of a system to encourage provision of service; the emphasis is on how the system designer should choose a protocol -- a supply of tokens and suggested strategies -- to maximize social welfare. In choosing this protocol, the system designer must take into account that agents are self-interested, and hence will comply with the protocol if and only if it is in their interests to do so. Moreover, we insist that the chosen protocol must be ...
In this paper, we present a very important primitive called Information Checking Protocol (ICP) which plays an important role in constructing statistical Verifiable Secret Sharing (VSS) and Weak Secret Sharing (WSS) protocols. Informally, ICP is a tool for authenticating messages in the presence of computationally unbounded corrupted parties. Here we extend the basic bare-bone definition of ICP, introduced by Rabin et al. and then present an ICP that attains the best communication complexity and round complexity among all the existing ICPs in the literature. We also show that our ICP satisfies several interesting properties such as linearity property which is an important requirement in many applications of ICP. Though not presented in this paper, we can design communication and round efficient statistical (i.e involves negligible error probability in computation) VSS and Multiparty Computation (MPC) protocol using our new ...
SummaryA microreactor for electrochemical synthesis has been designed and fabricated. It has been shown that different reactions can be carried out successfully using simple protocols.
The Integrated Status and Effectiveness Monitoring Program (ISEMP - BPA project No.2003-0017) has been created as a cost effective means of developing protocols and new technologies, novel indicators, sample designs, analytical, data management and communication tools and skills, and restoration experiments that support the development of a region-wide Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (RME) program to assess the status of anadromous salmonid populations, their tributary habitat and restoration and management actions. The most straightforward approach to developing a regional-scale monitoring and evaluation program would be to increase standardization among status and trend monitoring programs. However, the diversity of species and their habitat, as well as the overwhelming uncertainty surrounding indicators, metrics, and data interpretation methods, requires the testing of multiple approaches. Thus, the approach ISEMP has adopted is to develop a broad template ...
Sewage waste disposal facilities in the Florida Keys include septic tanks and individual package plants in place of municipal collection facilities in most locations. In Key Largo, both facilities discharge...Full Text Available
Objective: To characterize the protocols with low-dose radiation in survey CT scans for localization. Methods: Eighty standard adult patients, head and body phantoms were recruited. Default protocols provided by operator's manual setting were that all the tube voltage for head, chest, abdomen and lumbar was 120 kV; the tube currents were 20,10,20 and 40 mA, respectively. Values of kV and mA in the low-dose experiments were optimized according to the device options. For chest and abdomen, the tube position were compared between default (0 degree) and 180 degree. Phantoms were scanned with above protocols, and the radiation doses were measured respectively. Paired t-test were used for comparisons of standard deviation in CT value, noise and exposure surface dose (ESD) between group with default protocols and group with optimized protocols. Results: The optimized ...
In key management schemes that realize secure multicast communications encrypted by group keys on a public network, tree structures are often used to update the group keys efficiently. Selcuk and Sidhu have proposed an efficient scheme which updates dynamically the tree structures based on the withdrawal probabilities of members. In this paper, it is shown that Selcuk-Sidhu scheme is asymptotically optimal for the cost of withdrawal. Furthermore, a new key management scheme, which takes account of key update costs of joining in addition to withdrawal, is proposed. It is proved that the proposed scheme is also asymptotically optimal, and it is shown by simulation that it can attain good performance for nonasymptotic cases.
A critical factor in the advancement of biomedical research is the ease with which data can be integrated, redistributed and analyzed both within and across domains. This paper summarizes the Biomedical Information Core Infrastructure built by National Cancer Institute Center for Bioinformatics in America (NCICB). The main product from the Core Infrastructure is caCORE--cancer Common Ontologic Reference Environment, which is the infrastructure backbone supporting data management and application development at NCICB. The paper explains the structure and function of caCORE: (1) Enterprise Vocabulary Services (EVS). They provide controlled vocabulary, dictionary and thesaurus services, and EVS produces the NCI Thesaurus and the NCI Metathesaurus; (2) The Cancer Data Standards Repository (caDSR). It provides a metadata registry for common data elements. (3) Cancer Bioinformatics Infrastructure Objects (caBIO). They provide Java, Simple Object Access Protocol and ...
There are many methods for introducing random mutations into nucleic acid sequences. Previously, we described a suite of programmes for estimating the completeness and diversity of randomized DNA libraries generated by a number of these protocols. Our programmes suggested some empirical guidelines for library design; however, no information was provided regarding library diversity at the protein (rather than DNA) level. We have now updated our web server, enabling analysis of translated libraries constructed by site-saturation mutagenesis and error-prone PCR (epPCR). We introduce GLUE-Including Translation (GLUE-IT), which finds the expected amino acid completeness of libraries in which up to six codons have been independently varied (according to any user-specified randomization scheme). We provide two tools for assisting with experimental design: CodonCalculator, for assessing amino acids corresponding to given randomized codons; and AA-Calculator, for finding ...
"Nine of CERN 's 20 Member States today a signed new Protocol on privileges and immunities. This brings the Organization into line with other European intergovernmental organizations, such as the European Space Agency and the European Southern Observatory, which already enjoy international status in all of their Member States" (2
Scenario analyses are described here using the Global MARKAL-Macro Trade (GMMT) model to study the economic implications of the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Convention on Climate change. Some conclusions are derived in terms of efficient implementations of the post-Kyoto extensions of the Protocol. (author) 2 figs., 5 refs.
This document describes a simple and general way to generate House Simulation Protocol (HSP)-consistent internal sensible and latent loads in unoccupied homes. It is newly updated based on recent experience, and provides instructions on how to calculate and set up the operational profiles in unoccupied homes. The document is split into two sections: how to calculate the internal load magnitude and schedule, and then what tools and methods should be used to generate those internal loads to achieve research goals.
PurposeRTOG protocol 95-17 was a phase I/II trial to evaluate multi-catheter brachytherapy as the sole method of adjuvant breast radiotherapy for stage I/II breast...Full Text Available
Dispersants have been widely used as a primary response measure for marine oil spills around the world. Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed an improved laboratory dispersant testing protocol, called the Baffled Flask Test (BFT). The BFT protocol w...
This additional protocol to the agreement between France, EURATOM and the IAEA aims at reinforcing the nuclear weapons non-proliferation regime. This protocol widens the field of competences of the IAEA with the supply of new information relative to: the civil nuclear cooperation between France and countries having no nuclear weapons in the domain of fuel cycle; the regular inspection of French nuclear facilities; the trade (import and export) of medium- or high-level radioactive wastes containing plutonium, highly enriched uranium or {sup 233}U, and the trade of some non-nuclear equipments or materials with countries having no nuclear weapons. The protocol defines also some practical dispositions relative to the delays and periodicity of controls, to the transmission of data, to the appointment of IAEA inspectors and their access to the facilities and sites considered. The list of the activities and equipments covered by ...
As network bandwidth continues to grow and longer paths are used to exchange large scientific data between storage systems and GRID computation, it has become increasingly obvious that there is a need to deploy a packet drop avoidance mechanism into network transmission protocols. Current end-to-end congestion avoidance mechanisms used in Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) have worked well on low bandwidth delay product networks, but with newer high-bandwidth delay networks they have shown to be inefficient and prone to unstable. This is largely due to increased network bandwidth coupled with changes in internet traffic patterns. These changes come from a variety of new network applications that are being developed to take advantage of the increased network bandwidth. This paper will examine the end-to-end congestion avoidance mechanism and perform a step-by-step analysis of its theory. In addition we will propose an alternative approach ...
There is a need to reduce air pollutant emissions in some U.S. urban regions to meet federal and state air quality guidelines. Opportunities exist for reducing pollutant emissions from natural gas appliances in the residential sector. A cost-benefit analysis on various pollutant-reducing strategies is needed to evaluate these opportunities. The effectiveness of these pollutant-reducing strategies (e.g., low-emission burners, energy conservation) can then be ranked among themselves and compared with other pollutant-reducing strategies available for the region. A key step towards conducting a cost-benefit analysis is to collect information on pollutant emissions from existing residential natural gas appliances. An extensive literature search was conducted to collect data on residential natural-gas-appliance pollutant emission factors. The literature primarily describes laboratory tests and may not reflect actual emission factor distributions in ...
Findings indicate an urgent need to establish a monitoring program for persistent organic pollutants in water and sediment. - Marine culture is thriving in China and represents a major component of the regional economy in coastal zones, yet the environmental quality of many of those areas has never been studied. This paper attempts to investigate the quality status of Daya Bay, a key aquaculture area in China. The levels of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in water and sediment samples of the bay. The total concentrations of 16 PAHs varied from 4228 to 29325 ng l"-"1 in water, and from 115 to 1134 ng g"-"1 dry weight in sediments. In comparison to many other marine systems studied, the PAH levels in Daya Bay waters were relatively high, and at six sites they were sufficiently high (>10 #mu#g l"-"1) to cause acute toxicity. The PAH composition pattern in sediments suggest dominance by medium to high molecular weight compounds, and the ...
The following paragraphs summarize the progress of each research project funded under the WVU Cooperative Agreement during the third quarter of 1997 (July - September 1997). The projects are arranged according to their 1997 WVU task number. WVU Focus Area 1.0: Subsurface Contaminants, Containment and Remediation Task No. 1.1: Project discontinued. Task No. 1.2: Development of Standard Test Protocols and Barrier Design Models for Desiccation Barriers (K. Amininan & S. Ameri): A number of experiments were preformed this period to evaluate the ability of the dried sand-packs to act as a barrier to liquids. Water infiltration tests were done with a constant head, dispersing 80 ml of water, and by adding water in small increments. Results indicate that when the water is spilled over the sand-pack, it has the tendency to channel through the sand-pack, significantly reducing the capacity of the dried zone to retain liquid contaminants. This appears to be largely ...
Remotely-fielded unattended sensor networks generally must operate at very low power--in the milliwatt or microwatt range--and thus have extremely limited communications bandwidth. Such sensors might be asleep most of the time to conserve power, waking only occasionally to transmit a few bits. RFID tags for tracking or material control have similarly tight bandwidth constraints, and emerging nanotechnology devices will be even more limited. Since transmitted data is subject to spoofing, and since sensors might be located in uncontrolled environments vulnerable to physical tampering, the high-consequence data generated by such systems must be protected by cryptographically sound authentication mechanisms; but such mechanisms are often lacking in current sensor networks. One reason for this undesirable situation is that standard authentication methods become impractical or impossible when bandwidth is severely constrained; if messages are small, a standard digital signature or HMAC will ...
For reduction of the amount of waste plastics, the paper summarized the actual recycling state and the present recycling technology in Japan. A total plastic discharge amount of Japan in 1995 is 8.84 million tons, approximately 60% of all the production amount, 950,000 tons of which are recycled. Reutilized are pallets and containers in the physical distribution field. Recycling is a cascade recycling to the usage field where the degree of the required properties is lower than that of products used in virgin. As to making it a chemical material, chemical recycling technology by depolymerization has been developed. Thermal recycling is a strong method where combustion heat energy of waste plastics is used for steam production and power generation. The thermal recycling is divided into a direct combustion method and a method of use as fuel. Keys to promote and settle recycling are summarized to the following five: promotion of the government ...
We outline to the community the value of a Magellanic Clouds Survey that consists of three components: I) a complete-area, high resolution, multi-band UV-near-IR broadband survey; II) a narrowband survey in 7 key nebular filters to cover a statistically significant sample of representative HII regions and a large-area, contiguous survey of the diffuse, warm ISM; and III) a comprehensive FUV spectroscopic survey of 1300 early-type stars. The science areas enabled by such a dataset are as follows: A) assessment of massive star feedback in both HII regions and the diffuse, warm ISM; B) completion of a comprehensive study of the 30 Doradus giant extragalactic HII region (GEHR); C) development and quantitative parameterization of stellar clustering properties; D) extensive FUV studies of early-type stellar atmospheres and their energy distributions; and E) similarly extensive FUV absorption-line studies of molecular cloud structure and ISM ...
In order to study the two-phase natural circulation and flow termination during a small break loss of coolant accident in LWR, simulation experiments have been performed using two different thermal-hydraulic loops. The main focus of the experiment was the two-phase flow behavior in the hot-leg U-bend typical of BandW LWR systems. The first group of experiments was carried out in the nitrogen gas-water adiabatic simulation loop and the second in the Freon 113 boiling and condensation loop. Both of the loops have been designed as a flow visualization facility and built according to the two-phase flow scaling criteria developed under this program. The nitrogen gas-water system has been used to isolate key hydrodynamic phenomena such as the phase distribution, relative velocity between phases, two-phase flow regimes and flow termination mechanisms, whereas the Freon loop has been used to study the effect of fluid properties, phase changes and ...
Conventional methods of financing power generation, transmission and distribution in India cannot keep pace with the ever-growing demand. Alternative methods are discussed. Given the vast growth potential, funding can be by equity or debt capital or a hybrid of these. There is an urgent necessity to develop local capital markets as a source of funds since there are limits to how much can be derived from foreign investors, multilaterals and export credit agencies. The domestic financial institutions have raised large amounts for private investment in other sectors. With the creation of a proper climate and power companies set up with an attractive rate of return, sufficient capital could be forthcoming from both domestic and external markets for the power sector. In other sectors, Indian companies have been able to attract investment through Global Depository Receipts and Euroconvertible Bonds, for example. A key requirement for the power sector ...
Galactic open clusters are since long recognized as one of the best tools for investigating the radial distribution of iron and other metals. We employed FLAMES at VLT to collect UVES spectra of bright giant stars in a large sample of open clusters, spanning a wide range of Galactocentric distances, ages, and metallicities. We present here the results for four clusters: Berkeley 20 and Berkeley 29, the two most distant clusters in the sample; Collinder 261, the oldest and the one with the minimum Galactocentric distance; Melotte 66. Equivalent width analysis was carried out using the spectral code MOOG and Kurucz model atmospheres to derive abundances of Fe, Al, Mg, Si, Ca, Ti, Cr, Ni, Ba; non-LTE Na abundances were derived by direct line-profile fitting. We obtain subsolar metallicities for the two anticenter clusters Be 20 ([Fe/H]=-0.30, rms=0.02) and Be 29 ([Fe/H]=-0.31, rms=0.03), and for Mel 66 ([Fe/H]=-0.33, rms=0.03), located in the third Galactic quadrant, ...
This report describes the method of Allan variance and its application to the characterization of a Ring Laser Gyro`s (RLG) performance. Allan variance, a time domain analysis technique, is an accepted IEEE standard for gyro specifications. The method was initially developed by David Allan of the National Bureau of Standards to quantify the error statistics of a Cesium beam frequency standard employed as the US Frequency Standards in 1960`s. The method can, in general, be applied to analyze the error characteristics of any precision measurement instrument. The key attribute of the method is that it allows for a finer, easier characterization and identification of error sources and their contribution to the overall noise statistics. This report presents an overview of the method, explains the relationship between Allan variance and power spectral density distribution of underlying noise sources, describes the batch and recursive implementation ...
A brief comparative review of possible mercury free fluorescent lighting technologies is presented, including rare-gas positive column discharges, molecular discharges, and dielectric barrier discharges. Detailed experimental results on xenon positive column discharges will then be considered. In order to judge whether xenon-based discharges are a viable UV source it is necessary to measure the radiant emittance (power per unit area) for the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) resonance xenon emission at 147 nm. Two techniques to determine the VUV radiant emittance have been developed and applied to xenon discharges. One method combines the measured resonance level density using absorption spectroscopy and a calculation of the trapped decay rate for the resonance radiation to arrive at the radiant emittance at 147 nm. A second method utilizes a direct measurement of the radiance (power per unit area per unit solid angle) at 147 nm using a calibrated VUV photodiode, and a calculation of the ...
The Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) Water inventory Study was initiated in September 1993 with the formation of a joint working group consisting of representatives from DOE-ID, State of Idaho INEL Oversight Program, US Geological Survey, and INEL employees to investigate three issues that had been identified by the INEL Oversight Program at ICPP: (1) the water inventory imbalance at ICPP, (2) the source of water infiltrating into the Tank Farm vault sumps, and (3) the source of water providing potential recharge to perched water bodies underlying ICPP. These issues suggested that water was being lost from the ICPP distribution system. The INEL Oversight Program was concerned that the unaccounted for water at ICPP could be spreading contaminants that have been released over the past 40 years of operations of ICPP, possibly to the Snake River Plain Aquifer. This report summarizes the findings of each of the component investigations that were undertaken to ...
Heterogeneous base stations (e.g. picocells, microcells, femtocells and distributed antennas) will become increasingly essential for cellular network capacity and coverage. Up until now, little basic research has been done on the fundamentals of managing so much infrastructure -- much of it unplanned -- together with the carefully planned macro-cellular network. Inter-cell coordination is in principle an effective way of ensuring different infrastructure components behave in a way that increases, rather than decreases, the key quality of service (QoS) metrics. The success of such coordination depends heavily on how the overhead is shared, and the rate and delay of the overhead sharing. We develop a novel framework to quantify overhead signaling for inter-cell coordination, which is usually ignored in traditional 1-tier networks, and assumes even more importance in multi-tier heterogeneous cellular networks (HCNs). We derive the overhead quality ...
CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, is working towards the construction of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a high-energy, high-luminosity particle accelerator and collider [1] of 26.7 km circumference, due to start producing frontier physics, by bringing into collision intense proton and ion beams with centre-of-mass energies in the TeV-per-constituent range, at the beginning of the next century. The key technology for achieving this ambitious scientific goal at economically acceptable cost is the use of high-field superconducting magnets using Nb-Ti conductor operating in superfluid helium [2]. To maintain the some 25 km of bending and focusing magnets at their operating temperature of 1.9 K, the LHC cryogenic system will have to produce an unprecedented total refrigeration capacity of about 20 kW at 1.8 K, in eight cryogenic plants distributed around the machine circumference [3]. This has requested the undertaking of an ...
Resource coordination and interference management is the key to achieving the benefits of femtocell networks. Over-the-air signaling is one of the most effective means for distributed dynamic resource coordination and interference management. However, the design of this type of signal is challenging. In this letter, we address the challenges and propose an effective solution, referred to as coded single-tone signaling (STS). The proposed coded STS scheme possesses certain highly desirable properties, such as no dedicated resource requirement (no overhead), no near-and-far effect, no inter-signal interference (no multi-user interference), low peak-to-average power ratio (deep coverage). In addition, the proposed coded STS can fully exploit frequency diversity and provides a means for high quality wideband channel estimation. The coded STS design is demonstrated through a concrete numerical example. Performance of the proposed coded STS is ...
The report contains an overall frame for transformation of knowledge and experience from risk analysis to emergency education. An accident model has been developed to describe the emergency situation. A key concept of this model is uncontrolled flow of energy (UFOE), essential elements are the state, location and movement of the energy (and mass). A UFOE can be considered as the driving force of an accident, e.g., an explosion, a fire, a release of heavy gases. As long as the energy is confined, i.e. the location and movement of the energy are under control, the situation is safe, but loss of confinement will create a hazardous situation that may develop into an accident. A domain model has been developed for representing accident and emergency scenarios occurring in society. The domain model uses three main categories: status, context and objectives. A domain is a group of activities with allied goals and elements and ten specific domains have been investigated: ...
Strategic management of key accounts has become an important component of many companies' sales efforts. This research introduces a strategic framework of key account performance that integrates theory from relationship marketing, key account management, and customer equity. Using the three drivers of customer equity - value equity, brand equity, and relationship equity - the framework captures both the relational outcomes (relationship commitment and trust) and financial performance outcomes (profitability and share of spend) of strategic decisions made in key account programs. Implications and future research are then discussed.
Full text: The ITWG was first formed in 1995 for the purpose of fostering international cooperation for combating illicit trafficking of nuclear materials. The initial focus for the ITWG was on the development of nuclear forensics to help answer attribution questions regarding nuclear materials of unknown origin. More recently, the ITWG has also expanded its focus to include detection of nuclear materials during transit. This paper presents some of the key developments by this group and their potential impact for combating nuclear smuggling. The initial focus of the ITWG was to write a status report on international cooperation on nuclear smuggling forensic analysis. This 26-page report summarized previous work on nuclear forensics and gave an initial analysis on prioritizing techniques and methods for forensic analysis regarding source and route attribution. This report was submitted to the G-8 countries, and shortly thereafter, nuclear forensics was endorsed at ...
A protocol adapter ideally suited to enable enterprises to gradually transition from SOAP Web Services to RESTful HTTP Web Services without impacting existing clients is presented in this paper. The inherent advantage of such a transition is the visibility of RESTful HTTP messages to Web intermediaries such as caches. In contrast, SOAP messages are opaque, which disables Web intermediaries. While both approaches can use HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) for message transfer, the paradigms contrast sharply. SOAP uses an interface specific approach whereas RESTful HTTP uses a Uniform Interface approach. SOAP marks up its payload with eXtensible Markup Language (XML) whereas in certain situations RESTful HTTP requires no XML. We present the disadvantages of the SOAP approach and outline how ...
Current Intrusion Detection System (IDS) technology is not suited to be widely deployed inside a Supervisory, Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) environment. Anomaly- and signature-based IDS technologies have developed methods to cover information technology-based networks activity and protocols effectively. However, these IDS technologies do not include the fine protocol granularity required to ensure network security inside an environment with weak protocols lacking authentication and encryption. By implementing a more specific and more intelligent packet inspection mechanism, tailored traffic flow analysis, and unique packet tampering detection, IDS technology developed specifically for SCADA environments can be deployed with confidence in detecting malicious activity.
The Kyoto Protocol attempts through political negotiations to guide participating industrialized countries' greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a positive growing trend, to reach a peak point (or turning point), and then be reduced to a negative growth. That means the relationship between decreasing GHG emissions and economic growth may be described by an inverted-U curve (or called a bell-shaped curve), which is consistent with the concept of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis.This research observed that the economic development and GHG emissions in Economies in Transition (EITs) exhibit a hockey-stick curve trend (or called quasi-L-shape curve), that also generates a lot of "hot air" which is significant to the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. In addition, through the ...
This paper presents a general high level estimation model of communication throughput for the implementation of a given communication protocol. The model, which is part of a larger model that includes component price, software driver object code size and hardware driver area, is intended to be general enough to be able to capture the characteristics of a wide range of communication protocols and yet to be sufficiently detailed as to allow the designer or design tool to efficiently explore tradeoffs between throughput, bus widths, burst/non-burst transfers and data packing strategies. Thus it provides a basis for decision making with respect to communication protocols/components and communication driver design in the initial design space exploration phase of a co-synthesis process where a large number of possibilities must be examined and where fast estimators are therefore necessary. The fill model allows for additional ...
In everyday radiotherapy we must carry out the determination of absorbed dose measurement according to JARP's protocol. We explained an outline of JARP's 1974 and 1986 protocol in electron beam therapy, and mentioned it about the matter that should examined. To use it easily in clinic, a simplified procedure based on precisely to JARP's 1986 protocol is practical, the character of this procedure settles briefly the determination of mean incident energy of electron beams and get ready to table of ionization to absorbed dose conversion factor for various ionization chamber. Also, this procedure almost not influence on the accuracy of determination. We described systematically practical procedure for requisite absorbed dose calculation in a patient in electron beam therapy. (author).
Abstract In this paper, a Cognitive Radio Based Medium Access Control (CR-MAC) protocol for Wireless Sensor Body Area Networks (WSBAN) that utilizes cognitive radio transmission is proposed. In this proposal, the sensor nodes are classified into nodes of life-critical health information and nodes of non-critical health information. The CR-MAC protocol prioritizes the critical packets access to the transmission medium by transmitting them with higher power while transmitting lower priority packets using lower transmission power. At the receiver, a higher priority packet experiences collision only when there are more than one critical packet transmission at the same transmission slot while non critical packets experience collision when there are more than one transmission at the same transmi...
Eddy current testing (ECT) method is widely used as the non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of the various kinds of material degradation occurring in nuclear power plants (NPPs) components including steam generator (SG) tubes. Detection of any defects or flaws in the steam generator tubes in the early stage is very important in maintenance of NPP for its primary role as the pressure boundary with thin wall thickness. Although the ECT technique provides lots of information for a SG management, it has a generic problem in its reliability due to a low ability in detect of small defects and some difficulty in a signal analysis. For the improvement of these shortcomings in conventional ECT, profile-MRPC (motorized rotating pancake coil) ECT technology was developed in KAERI. The key of this new technology is the development of new eddy current probes, designated as a diagnostic probe (D-probe). The D-probe is furnished with a simultaneous dual function of a defect ...
Eddy current testing (ECT) method is widely used as the non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of the various kinds of material degradation occurring in nuclear power plants (NPPs) components including steam generator (SG) tubes. Detection of any defects or flaws in the steam generator tubes in the early stage is very important in maintenance of NPP for its primary role as the pressure boundary with thin wall thickness. Although the ECT technique provides lots of information for a SG management, it has a generic problem in its reliability due to a low ability in detect of small defects and some difficulty in a signal analysis. For the improvement of these shortcomings in conventional ECT, profile-MRPC (motorized rotating pancake coil) ECT technology was developed in KAERI. The key of this new technology is the development of new eddy current probes, designated as a diagnostic probe (D-probe). The D-probe is furnished with a simultaneous dual function of a defect ...
Better understanding and modelling of three-phase flow through porous media is of great interest, especially for improved oil recovery methods such as gas injection processes. Early theoretical and experimental studies have already demonstrated that the wettability characteristics of the solid surface and the spreading characteristics of the fluid system hold the key roles. This observation is confirmed by our theoretical results using DLP theory on the stability and the thickness of static oil films. In most of the works related to three-phase flow processes, homogeneous wettability is assumed. There exist only a few studies demonstrating the tremendous impact of the wettability heterogeneities on gas injection. The objective of the present work is twofold: to demonstrate the effect of small scale wettability heterogeneities on gas injection efficiency, and to develop a tool to predict this impact for various patterns and spatial ...
Thermal fatigue is one of the key factors governing the lifetime of the divertor plate. Tungsten is a promising candidate to cover the surface of the divertor plate in the design of the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER). The W/Cr-bronze divertor small scale mock-ups were manufactured by hot isostatic pressing (HIPing) technique. Thermal fatigue tests of W/Cr-bronze divertor mock-ups have been carried out by an electron beam facility. The mock-ups were tested under a cyclic surface heat flux of 9 MW m"-"2 for 1000 cycles. The electron beam was loaded on the mock-up surface for 20 s and unloaded for 20 s, alternately. The flow rate of water coolant was 0.1 L s"-"1. The 0.3 mm diameter NiCr-NiSi thermocouples were used to monitor the temperature distribution of the mock-up. It was found that the maximum temperature of the tungsten surface was about 400 degree sign C. The saturated temperature at the joint of tungsten and ...
The concentration and distribution of a soil fumigant in the subsurface of field plots are two key factors in the determination of the fumigant efficacy. Subsurface concentrations of the biologically active compounds cis- and trans-1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) and chloropicrin (CP) were determined in soil at two adjacent injection traces and midpoint between the two traces in plastic-covered field beds after injection of the fumigant Telone C35 by conventional chisels or by a coulter rig (Avenger coulters). Two of the four beds were covered with metallic polyethylene film (MPE) and the remaining two were covered with virtually impermeable film (VIF). Three hours after chisel injection, concentrations of the three compounds at the two adjacent injection traces in the two beds were highly variable. Large concentrations of the compounds were detected at the side traces, whereas the compounds were not detected at the middle traces (bed centers) in ...
As a condition of accession into the European Union (EU), Lithuania is committed to the closure and decommissioning of Ignalina NPP comprising two RBMK-1500 reactor units (Fig. 1). It was agreed in a special protocol to the Accession Treaty that, in return for adequate EU financial assistance, Unit 1 would be closed before 2005 and Unit 2 by the end of 2009. The first unit was duly shut down on December 31, 2004. Lithuania, which has borders with Russia (Kaliningrad territory), Poland, Latvia and Belarus, spent fifty years as part of the Soviet Union and was deeply integrated into its economy and electrical infrastructure. At the break-up of the USSR, Lithuania inherited electricity generating capacity designed to supply the north-west region including ownership of Ignalina NPP located in the north-east of the country. Ignalina NPP Unit 1 was commissioned in 1983, Unit 2 in 1987; the planned lifespan of each unit was 30 years. Construction of a third unit was ...
The objective of this research project is to demonstrate sensing, communication, information and control technologies to achieve a seamless integration of multivendor distributed energy resource (DER) units at aggregation levels that meet individual user requirements for facility operations (residential, commercial, industrial, manufacturing, etc.) and further serve as resource options for electric and natural gas utilities. The fully demonstrated DER aggregation system with embodiment of communication and control technologies will lead to real-time, interactive, customer-managed service networks to achieve greater customer value. Work on this Advanced Communication and Control Project (ACCP) consists of a two-phase approach for an integrated demonstration of communication and control technologies to achieve a seamless integration of DER units to reach progressive levels of aggregated power output. Phase I involved design and proof-of-design, and Phase II involves ...
Phase II Randomized Study of the Effect of Zoledronate Versus Observation on Bone Mineral Density of the Lumbar Spine in Patients Undergoing Risk-Reducing Excision of Both Ovaries (GOG-0215). See the protocol summary.
BackgroundIt is well documented that the translation of knowledge into clinical practice is a slow and haphazard process. This is no less true for dental healthcare than other types...Full Text Available
A facile synthetic protocol for the production of neomycin B derivatives with various modifications at the 5″ position has been developed. Structural activity relationship (SAR) against...Full Text Available
BackgroundThere have been dramatic changes in the approach to screening for aneuploidy over the last 20 years. However, the approach to screening for other complications of pregnancy...Full Text Available
This unit presents two basic protocols that offer rapid assessments of anosmia (the absence of a sense of smell) in mice. The buried food test is used to check for the ability to smell volatile...Full Text Available
Context:With regard to sideline concussion testing, the effect of fatigue associated with different types of exercise on postural control is unknown.Objective:To...Full Text Available
The relative sensitivities of different protocols for detecting cytomegalovirus nucleic acid sequences in histological specimens, using a biotinylated cDNA probe, were assessed. Several commonly used...Full Text Available
BackgroundAcute lower respiratory infections are the commonest cause of morbidity and potentially preventable mortality in Indigenous infants. Infancy is also a critical time for...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe aim of this double-blind randomized study is to test the efficacy of a radio electric stimulator device using an auricular reflex therapy protocol for stress-related...Full Text Available
The Executive Body adopted the Protocol on Heavy Metals on 24 June 1998 in Aarhus (Denmark). It targets three particularly harmful metals: cadmium, lead and mercury. According to one of the basic obligations, parties will have to reduce their emissions for these three metals below their levels in 1990. The Protocol aims to cut emissions from industrial sources, combustion process and waste incineration. It lays down strighten limit values for emissions from stationary sources and suggests best available techniques (BAT) for these sources, such as special filters or scrubbers for combustion sources or mercury-free processes. The Protocol requires parties to phase out leaded petrol. It also introduces measures to lower heavy metal emissions from other products, such as mercury in batteries, and proposes the introduciton of management measures for other mercury-containing products, such as electrical componets (thermostats, ...
BackgroundTelephone quit lines are accessible to many smokers and are used to engage motivated smokers to make quit attempts. Smoking cessation counselling provided via telephone...Full Text Available
Chest compression-only (CC-only) is now incorporated in the Norwegian protocol for dispatch guided CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) in cardiac arrest of presumed cardiac aetiology.We present...Full Text Available
In consistency with the increasing requests from Member States for establishing radiotherapy programmes, an IAEA Technical Co-operation project was initiated in Latin America aimed at improving the physical aspects (as a complement to the clinical issues) of quality assurance in radiotherapy; this ARCAL XXX project (RLA/6/032) was classified as a Model Project of the IAEA. Among the important outcomes of the project were (i) the training of a considerable number of medical physicists in hospitals of the region, (ii) the development of a protocol for quality control procedures, and (iii) the organization of quality audit site visits (to the participant countries) where the implementation in hospitals of the developed quality control procedures is verified. The present publication is the protocol for quality control of the physical aspects of radiotherapy. It contains detailed procedures on what should be measured by a medical physicist in a ...
Government agencies responsible for protecting the public from the adverse effects of toxic chemicals must set priorities for research, regulatory action, protocol testing, and monitoring due to the...Full Text Available
BackgroundWe have recently reported successful treatment of patients with chronic pain syndromes using human pooled intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in a prospective, open-label...Full Text Available
Understanding the dynamics of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) vertical transmission is important to enhance the accuracy of monitoring protocols for endemically infected...Full Text Available
The outcome of various osteoprogenitor-cell transplantation protocols was assessed using Col1a1-GFP reporter transgenic mice. The model requires the recipient mice to undergo lethal total body irradiation...Full Text Available
BackgroundEpidemiological studies showed that physical exercise, specifically moderate lifelong training, is protective against cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Most experimental...Full Text Available
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
Inventories of emissions and removals of greenhouse gases will be used under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol to demonstrate compliance with obligations. During the negotiation process of the Kyoto Protocol it has been a concern that uptake of carbon in forest sinks can be difficult to verify. The reason for large uncertainties are high temporal and spatial variability and lack of representative estimation parameters. Additional uncertainties will be a consequence of definitions made in the Kyoto Protocol reporting. In the Nordic countries the national forest inventories will be very useful to estimate changes in carbon stocks. The main uncertainty lies in the conversion from changes in tradable timber to changes in total carbon biomass. The uncertainties in the emissions of the non-CO{sub 2} carbon from forest soils are particularly high. On the other hand the removals ...
In single-qubit quantum secret sharing, a secret is shared between N parties via manipulation and measurement of one qubit at a time. Each qubit is sent to all N parties in sequence; the secret is encoded in the first participant's preparation of the qubit state and the subsequent participants' choices of state rotation or measurement basis. We present a protocol for single-qubit quantum secret sharing using polarization entanglement of photon pairs produced in type-I spontaneous parametric downconversion. We investigate the protocol's security against eavesdropping attack under common experimental conditions: a lossy channel for photon transmission, and imperfect preparation of the initial qubit state. A protocol which exploits entanglement between photons, rather than simply polarization correlation, is more robustly secure. We implement the entanglement-based secret-sharing protocol with 87% ...
BackgroundChronic rotator cuff pathology (CRCP) is a common shoulder condition causing pain and disability. Physiotherapy is often the first line of management for CRCP yet there...Full Text Available
...Goods: promote the protection of ldquo;natural parks and reserves, mangroves, reefs and lagoons,rdquo; and ldquo;expanding forest cover and tree integration with agricultural production systems rdquo;; climate change will be reduced through the trading of pollution permits under the Kyoto Protocol. Enhancing Disaster Management Capabilities:...
BackgroundWith the phasing out of ozone-depleting substances in accordance with the United Nations Montreal Protocol, phosphine remains as the only economically viable fumigant for...Full Text Available
Teleost gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) consists of leucocyte populations located both intraepithelially and in the lamina propria with no structural organization. The present study aims to assess...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe composition of habitual diets is associated with adverse or protective effects on aspects of health. Consequently, UK public health policy strongly advocates dietary...Full Text Available
BackgroundAdhesive Capsulitis (AC) affects patient of all ages, and stretching protocols are commonly prescribed for this condition. Dynamic splinting has been shown effective in...Full Text Available
The extreme strength and elasticity of spider silks originate from the modular nature of their repetitive proteins. To exploit such materials and mimic spider silks, comprehensive strategies...Full Text Available
The disordered eating response team developed a protocol for assessment and intervention for athletes who are identified as at risk for disordered eating. Team members included the team physician,...Full Text Available
Full text of publication follows: Energy and environment are two major concerns in our modern society due to the coming shortage in fossil energy sources and the growing of greenhouse gas emissions. The challenge for the coming years is to discover new energy resources and to develop devices that are compatible with a sustainable development and generate few (or zero) emission. One of these devices is the fuel cell feed by hydrogen, whose application fields are very large. In particular, the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is the most realistic device for automotive application. However, hydrogen storage remains one of the most important challenges regarding its development. Although different techniques are available for storing hydrogen, no ideal solution has been found yet. Compression needs elaborated tanks in shape for supporting high pressures, liquefaction requires an expensive hydrogen cooling and adapted tanks. Chemical storage by hydrides imposes heavy devices. A ...
Full text of publication follows: Energy and environment are two major concerns in our modern society due to the coming shortage in fossil energy sources and the growing of greenhouse gas emissions. The challenge for the coming years is to discover new energy resources and to develop devices that are compatible with a sustainable development and generate few (or zero) emission. One of these devices is the fuel cell feed by hydrogen, whose application fields are very large. In particular, the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is the most realistic device for automotive application. However, hydrogen storage remains one of the most important challenges regarding its development. Although different techniques are available for storing hydrogen, no ideal solution has been found yet. Compression needs elaborated tanks in shape for supporting high pressures, liquefaction requires an expensive hydrogen cooling and adapted tanks. Chemical storage by hydrides imposes heavy devices. A ...
For companies, relationships with external actors may constitute intangible assets. Many firms have put in place key account management programs in order to pay sufficient attention to strategically important customers and the marketing literature has studied such programs. However, a company's relationship portfolio also comprises relationships with other types of actors. The objective of this paper is to show that ? across the different types of external relationships a company may develop ? some relationships have more importance than others and, hence, are key. The authors argue that, as a consequence, the keyness of certain relationships has led to the emergence of approaches which can be referred to as key relationship management. For this purpose, the authors first present empirical...
The purpose of this study is to develop a geometrically accurate imaging protocol at 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) treatment planning. In order to achieve this purpose, a methodology is developed to investigate the geometric accuracy and stability of 3 T MRI for SRS in phantom and patient evaluations. Forty patients were enrolled on a prospective clinical trial. After frame placement prior to SRS, each patient underwent 3 T MRI after 1.5 T MRI and CT. MR imaging protocols included a T1-weighted gradient echo sequence and a T2-weighted spin echo sequence. Phantom imaging was performed on 3 T prior to patient imaging using the same set-up and imaging protocols. Geometric accuracy in patients and phantoms yielded comparable results for external fiducial reference deviations and internal landmarks between 3 T and 1.5 T MRI (mean ?0.6 mm; standard deviation ?0.3 mm). Mean stereotactic ...
The use of global three-dimensional (3-D) models with satellite observations of CO2 in inverse modeling studies is an area of growing importance for understanding Earth s carbon cycle. Here we use the GEOS-Chem model (version 8-02-01) CO2 mode with multiple modifications in order to assess their impact on CO2 forward simulations. Modifications include CO2 surface emissions from shipping (0.19 PgC yr 1), 3-D spatially-distributed emissions from aviation (0.16 PgC yr 1), and 3-D chemical production of CO2 (1.05 PgC yr 1). Although CO2 chemical production from the oxidation of CO, CH4 and other carbon gases is recognized as an important contribution to global CO2, it is typically accounted for by conversion from its precursors at the surface rather than in the free troposphere. We base our model 3-D spatial distribution of CO2 chemical production on monthly-averaged loss rates of CO (a key precursor and intermediate in the ...
Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) is a relatively sensitive explosive used in many electroexplosive devices as well as in medicine. Of primary interest to LLNL is its use in items such as exploding bridgewire (EBW) detonators and exploding bridge foil initiators (EFI). In these devices the crystalline powder is pressed into a granular, low-density compact that can be initiated by an exploding wire or foil. The long-term stability of this pressed compact is of interest to weapon stockpile lifetime prediction studies. Key points about potential aging mechanisms can be summarized as follows: (1) There are a number of factors that can contribute to PETN instability. These include particle size, polymorphic phase transitions, crystal structure, impurities, moisture, occlusions, chemical incompatibility and biological (microorganism) action. of these factors the most important for long-term aging of high surface area powders used in detonators appears to be that of ...
Gel dosimetry is a new dosimetry method applied in radiation therapy. Gel dosimeters consist of a radiation sensitive gel, which can integrate absorbed doses from several radiation sources or beams. The dose to the gel can be evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a procedure that is the focus of the present thesis. A robust tool for the evaluation of the nonuniformity in MRI has been developed, the Deviation Image method. Unlike previously presented methods, the Deviation Image method includes all nonuniformity variations across a phantom surface and is insensitive to stochastic noise. Methods for the estimation of stochastic noise were analyzed in terms of sensitivity to nonuniformities. A method that averages the stochastic noise level over five regions over the phantom surface, and a method that assesses the stochastic noise level from the background, were found to be the methods of choice. Pronounced MR image nonuniformity variation with repetition and T1 relaxation time ...
AbstractIndividual informed consent is a key ethical obligation for clinical studies, but empirical studies show that key requirements are often not met. Common recommendations to strengthen...Full Text Available
AMP-activated-protein-kinase (AMPK) is a key sensor and regulator of cellular and whole-body energy metabolism and plays a key role in regulation of lipid metabolism. Since lipid metabolism...Full Text Available
Food-deprived pigeons were presented with a row of four response keys situated above a grain hopper aperture. At the start of a trial, three of four keys were randomly selected and illuminated white...Full Text Available
... Uninterrupted access to and use of critical infrastructure in the Arabian Gulf region are key to the successful prosecution of the Global War on Terror ...
The advent of multislice spiral CT (MSCT) technique has led to new aspects of dose reduction, especially for the dedicated use of MSCT in children. Optimizing pediatric MSCT protocols according to the clinical problem allows reduction of radiation exposure to a minimum without loss of diagnostic quality. The different parameters that influence the degree of dose reduction, like tube current-time product (mAs), tube voltage (kV), collimation and pitch, are discussed in context with previously published data and our own experience in nearly 200 pediatric CT examinations. In our department, the effective mAs is calculated for a pediatric chest MSCT by multiplication of the body weight in kilogram with a factor of 1 to 1.5 and for a pediatric abdominal MSCT by multiplication with a factor of 2 to 2.5. To calculate the equivalent effective dose for a contrast media-enhanced 80 kV protocol, the effective mAs of the 120 kV ...
The standard protocol in multislice spiral CT (MSCT) angiography for coronary arteries with fixed tube current-time settings leads to an overexposure and thus to an unnecessary high radiation dose in patients with lower weight when compared to heavier patients. The purpose of this study was to estimate the effect of reducing the radiation dose by adapting the tube current-time settings individually. Fifty patients underwent retrospectively ECG-gated MSCT of the heart. In 25 patients (group A{sub 1}) a standard protocol with constant tube current-time settings was used (4 x 1-mm collimation, 120 kV, 400 mAs{sub eff}). Subsequently, artificial image noise was added to the data of these patients simulating a directive for weight-adapted tube current-time settings (group A{sub 2}). In the other 25 patients (group B) an alternative protocol with individually weight-adapted tube current-time settings was applied. The data of all ...
The standard protocol in multislice spiral CT (MSCT) angiography for coronary arteries with fixed tube current-time settings leads to an overexposure and thus to an unnecessary high radiation dose in patients with lower weight when compared to heavier patients. The purpose of this study was to estimate the effect of reducing the radiation dose by adapting the tube current-time settings individually. Fifty patients underwent retrospectively ECG-gated MSCT of the heart. In 25 patients (group A_1) a standard protocol with constant tube current-time settings was used (4 x 1-mm collimation, 120 kV, 400 mAs_e_f_f). Subsequently, artificial image noise was added to the data of these patients simulating a directive for weight-adapted tube current-time settings (group A_2). In the other 25 patients (group B) an alternative protocol with individually weight-adapted tube current-time settings was applied. The data of all groups were ...
The proton momentum distributions of (39)K,(40)Ca and (48)Ca are calculated from the model-independent charge distributions obtained from analyses of electron elastic scattering and muonic atoms, and also from the charge distributions calculated from the single-particle potential method in the framework of the flucton model. The sensitivities of the momentum distribution to different regions of the charge distribution are determined. The analysis is extended to the neutron distributions using the single-particle potential method, and the differences between the proton and neutron momentum distributions are examined. The resulting momentum distribution in the case of (40)Ca is used for analyzing the quasielastic electron scattering.
The Plant Life Assessment Network (PLAN) is a Brite Euram Type II Thematic Network, initiated by the European Commission to facilitate structured co-operation between all cost shared action projects already funded by the Commission which fall under this common technical theme. The projects involved address a multiplicity of problems associated with plant life assessment and are drawn from Brite-Euram, Standards, Measurement and Testing, Nuclear Fission Safety and Esprit EC programmes. The main aim of the Network is to initiate, maintain and monitor a fruitful co-operation process between completed, ongoing and future EC R and D projects, thereby promoting improved cross fertilization and enhanced industrial exploitation of R and D results. As the project is in its infancy, this presentation covers the background to the initiative in some detail. In particular two key aspects are highlighted, namely, the requirement of the EC to launch such a network in the area of ...
This talk will summarize key features of three conceptual fusion neutron test facilities designed in the early 1980s: TASKA,^1 TDF,^2 and TASKA-M.^3 Motivated by the accessibility and maintainability of cylindrical geometry, these magnetic-mirror designs possess a simple central cell, as in a fusion neutron test facility based on the gas dynamic trap (GDT).^4 The TASKA-M design, like today's GDT designs, included the injection of neutral beams into the central cell to create a sloshing-ion distribution that gives density peaks near the materials test modules. In TASKA and TDF, the minimum-B end-cell designs contained thermal barriers, regions of low electrostatic potential to reduce electron flow between central cell and end cells. Thermal barriers improve performance but require more complicated input power systems, and their physics basis is less well established than that of simple mirrors. For TASKA-M, a more conservative design, minimum-B ...
Nickel is present in radioactive waste (as activation products {sup 59}Ni and {sup 63}Ni) besides being an element widely distributed in the geosphere and considered for alloys in the engineered barrier systems for underground repositories. For these reasons, within the scope of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Thermochemical Data Base (TDB) Project a comprehensive review of thermodynamic data has been carried out by the present authors [1]. Over 700 original bibliography sources have been considered, resulting in recommended data for over 50 inorganic species and compounds. Central to the new database are the selections for {delta}{sub f}G{sub m}{sup 0}(Ni{sup 2+}, 298.15 K), established on the basis of re-evaluations of potentiometric data for Ni{sup 2+} | Ni (cr) and S{sub m}{sup 0}(Ni{sup 2+}, 298.15 K) established on the dissolution equilibria for NiSO{sub 4}.7H{sub 2}O(cr). The resulting value for {delta}{sub f}H{sub m}{sup 0}(Ni{sup 2+}, 298.15 K) is ...
Retention or dispersion of larvae from the spawning grounds has been identified as one of the key processes influencing recruitment success in fish stocks. To examine the potential effects of transport on recruitment. numerical simulations were performed utilizing a three-dimensional physical oceanographic model of the Baltic Sea. Cod larvae were represented as Lagrangian drifters released in the deepwater region of the Bornholm Basin, the main spawning ground for Baltic cod. Simulations were performed for the major spawning seasons of 1993 and 1994. when annual and interannual variability of meteorological forcing was large. The principal goals of the modelling exercise were first to identify the physical processes influencing the demersal distribution of the early life stages and second to describe the transport of the pelagic stages in response to variations in windstress, thereby identifying the meteorological and hydrodynamic mechanisms ...
This research programme has been under way since 1990 to study the long-term synergistic effects of air pollutants and changing climatic conditions on the northern forest ecosystem and to increase the knowledge of climatic change and its consequences for the fragile northern nature. Ecological, physiological, morphological and biochemical methods have been used to study the responses of forest trees, dwarf shrubs, lichens and soil biology to environmental changes. The research programme is divided into four subprojects concentrating on different ecosystem levels. The subprojects are: (1) life, growth and survival strategies of northern dwarf shrubs under the pressure of a changing environment, (2) forest trees under the impact of air pollutants, increasing CO{sub 2} and UV-B, (3) susceptibility of lichens to air pollution and climatic change and (4) impact of elevated atmospheric CO{sub 2} and O{sub 3} on soil biology with special reference to carbon allocation and N fixation in ...
A number of ion exchange materials are being evaluated as part of the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) Pretreatment Project for the removal of "1"3"7Cs from aqueous tank wastes. Two of these materials are organic resins; a phenol-formaldehyde resin (Duolite CS-100) produced by Rohm and Haas Co. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and a resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) resin produced by Boulder Scientific Co. (Mead, Colorado). One of the key parameters in the assessment of the organic based ion exchange materials is its useful lifetime in the radioactive and chemical environment that will be encountered during waste processing. The focus of the work presented in this report is the radiation stability of the CS-100 and the RF resins. The scope of the testing included one test with a sample of the CS-100 resin and testing of two batches of the RF resin (BSC-187 and BSC-210). Samples of the exchangers were irradiated with a "6"0Co source to ...
A number of ion exchange materials are being evaluated as part of the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) Pretreatment Project for the removal of {sup 137}Cs from aqueous tank wastes. Two of these materials are organic resins; a phenol-formaldehyde resin (Duolite CS-100) produced by Rohm and Haas Co. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and a resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) resin produced by Boulder Scientific Co. (Mead, Colorado). One of the key parameters in the assessment of the organic based ion exchange materials is its useful lifetime in the radioactive and chemical environment that will be encountered during waste processing. The focus of the work presented in this report is the radiation stability of the CS-100 and the RF resins. The scope of the testing included one test with a sample of the CS-100 resin and testing of two batches of the RF resin (BSC-187 and BSC-210). Samples of the exchangers were irradiated with a {sup 60}Co ...
Understanding the structure of the nucleon is a fundamental question in subatomic physics, and it has been under intensive investigation for the last several years. Modern research focuses in particular on the spin structure of the nucleon. Experimental and theoretical investigations worldwide over the last few decades have established that, contrary to nave quark model expectations, quarks carry only about 30% of the totd spin of the proton. The origin of the remaining spin is the key question in current hadronic physics and also the major driving forces for the current and future experiments, such as RHIC and CEBAF in US, JPARC in Japan, COMPASS at CERN in Europe, FAIR at GSI in Germany. Among these studies, the transverse-spin physics develops actively and rapidly in the last few years. Recent studies reveal that transverse-spin physics is closely related to many fundamental properties of the QCD dynamics such as the factorization, the non-trivial universality ...
Gas storage is a critical element in the natural gas industry. Producers, transmission and distribution companies, marketers, and end users all benefit directly from the load balancing function of storage. The unbundling process has fundamentally changed the way storage is used and valued. As an unbundled service, the value of storage is being recovered at rates that reflect its value. Moreover, the marketplace has differentiated between various types of storage services and has increasingly rewarded flexibility, safety, and reliability. The size of the natural gas market has increased and is projected to continue to increase towards 30 trillion cubic feet over the next 10 to 15 years. Much of this increase is projected to come from electric generation, particularly peaking units. Gas storage, particularly the flexible services that are most suited to electric loads, is crucial in meeting the needs of these new markets. To address the gas storage needs of the ...
In FY-2000, Engineering at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory faced significant pressures to meet critical project milestones, and immediate demands to facilitate the reassignment of employees as the National Ignition Facility (the 600-TW laser facility being designed and built at Livermore, and one of the largest R&D construction projects in the world) was in the process of re-baselining its plan while executing full-speed its technology development efforts. This drive for change occurred as an unprecedented level of management and program changes were occurring within LLNL. I am pleased to report that we met many key milestones and achieved numerous technological breakthroughs. This report summarizes our efforts to perform feasibility and reduce-to-practice studies, demonstrations, and/or techniques--as structured through our technology centers. Whether using computational engineering to predict how giant structures like suspension bridges will ...
The chemical composition and evolution of formation waters associated with gas production in the Palm Valley field, Northern Territory, has important implications for reservoir management, saline water disposal, and gas reserve calculations. Historically, the occurrence of saline formation water in gas fields has been the subject of considerable debate. A better understanding of the origin, chemical evolution and movement of the formation water at Palm Valley has important implications for future reservoir management, disposal of highly saline water and accurate gas reserves estimation. Major and trace element abundance data suggest that a significant component of the highly saline water from Palm Valley has characteristics that may have been derived from a modified evaporated seawater source such as an evaporite horizon. The most dilute waters probably represent condensate and the variation in the chemistry of the intermediate waters suggests they were derived from a mixture of the ...
Organic materials released from energy-related activities could affect human health and the environment. To better assess possible impacts, we developed a model to predict the fate of spills or discharges of pollutants into flowing or static bodies of fresh water. A computer code, Aquatic Pathways Model (APM), was written to implement the model. The computer programs use compartmental analysis to simulate aquatic ecosystems. The APM estimates the concentrations of chemicals in fish tissue, water and sediment, and is therefore useful for assessing exposure to humans through aquatic pathways. The APM will consider any aquatic pathway for which the user has transport data. Additionally, APM will estimate transport rates from physical and chemical properties of chemicals between several key compartments. The major pathways considered are biodegradation, fish and sediment uptake, photolysis, and evaporation. The model has been implemented with parameters for ...
Hydrocarbon recovery efficiency is controlled by reservoir heterogeneities resulting from geometric arrangements of strata, or {open_quotes}stratal architecture{close_quotes}. Traditional reservoir characterization relates depositional systems to stratal architecture. High-resolution sequence stratigraphy of outcrop analogs provides a chronostratigraphic framework for evaluating accommodation conditions of depositional systems. Key stratigraphic surfaces and/or correlative strata define a hierarchy of chronostratigraphic units of different periodicities. The Upper Cretaceous Ferron Sandstone, an analog to high accommodation and sediment supply fluvial-deltaic reservoirs, comprises an intermediate-term stratigraphic sequence consisting of seven short-term stratigraphic cycles. Each short-term stratigraphic cycle contains fluvial- to storm-dominated shallow-marine deposits laterally replaced by distributary channel deposits. The Lower Cretaceous Fall River Formation, ...
CERN signed a Co-operation Agreement with the Government of Pakistan in 1994, which was followed in 1997 by a Protocol signed with the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) concerning CMS magnet supports. CERN and PAEC then signed in 1998 a Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration in the construction of the CMS detector. The participation by Pakistani scientists and engineers in the CERN programme is channelled through the National Centre of Physics (NCP) established at the Quaid-i-Azzam University in Islamabad, under the terms of a 1999 Protocol to the 1994 Co-operation Agreement. The engineering and detector construction work performed under these Agreements has been of high quality, and the Pakistani participation is valued highly by the CMS collaboration. In continuation of this co-operation, Pakistan, represented by PAEC as funding agency, has now proposed to make in-kind contributions to the LHC Project, such as mechanical ...
The Kyoto Protocol is often described as a good first step towards reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere. The Protocol endorses emissions trading, joint implementation including 'bubbling' between Annex 1 Parties, and a clean development mechanism that allows Annex 1 and non-Annex 1 Parties to act together to reduce emissions. However, the anticipated permit market will not function if uncertainties are not rigorously assessed and considered in any compliance process. With no reliable verification tool, it is impossible to effectively assess the different mechanisms and activities mentioned under the Protocol. Thus, it is very important to study the uncertainties underlying the Kyoto relevant GHGs, here with reference to Poland, because without the consideration of uncertainty robust verification can not occur. This paper presents information about the data used in the calculations as ...
This project of law concerns an additional protocol to the agreement of warranties signed on September 22, 1998 between France, the European atomic energy community and the IAEA. This agreement concerns the declaration of all information relative to the R and D activities linked with the fuel cycle and involving the cooperation with a foreign country non endowed with nuclear weapons. These information include the trade and processing of nuclear and non-nuclear materials and equipments devoted to nuclear reactors (pressure vessels, fuel loading/unloading systems, control rods, force and zirconium tubes, primary coolant pumps, deuterium and heavy water, nuclear-grade graphite), to fuel reprocessing plants, to isotope separation plants (gaseous diffusion, laser enrichment, plasma separation, electromagnetic enrichment), to heavy water and deuterium production plants, and to uranium conversion plants. (J.S.)
The popularity of UAVs has increased dramatically because of their successful deployment in military operations, their ability to preserve human life, and the continual improvements in wireless communication that serves to increase their capabilities. We believe the usefulness of UAVs would be dramatically increased if formation flight were added to the list of capabilities. Currently, sustained formation flight with a cluster of UAVs has only been achieved with two nodes by the Multi-UAV Testbed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (Park, 2004) Formation flight is a complex operation requiring the ability to adjust the flight patterns on the fly and correct for wind gusts, terrain, and differences in node equipment. All of which increases the amount of inner node communication. Since one of the problems with MANET communication is network congestion, we believe a first step towards formation flight can be made through improved inner node communication. We have investigated ...
ObjectiveTo examine the extent to which the regional and neighborhood distribution of HIV in Tanzania is caused by the differential distribution of individual correlates...Full Text Available
A multi-technique approach was employed to study a decorated Egyptian wooden sarcophagus (XXV?XXVI dynasty, Third Intermediate Period), belonging to the Museo del Vicino Oriente of the Sapienza University of Rome. Portable non-invasive unilateral NMR was applied to evaluate the conservation state of the sarcophagus. Moreover, using unilateral NMR, a non-invasive analytical protocol was established to detect the presence of organic substances on the surface and/or embedded in the wooden matrix. This protocol allowed for an educated sampling campaign aimed at further investigating the state of degradation of the wood and the presence of organic substances by 13C cross polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS) NMR spectroscopy. The composition of the painted layer was analysed by optical micr...
A system and a related method for non-destructive evaluation of the surface characteristics of a magnetic material. The sample is excited by an alternating magnetic field. The field frequency, amplitude and offset are controlled according to a predetermined protocol. The Barkhausen response of the sample is detected for the various fields and offsets and is analyzed. The system produces information relating to the frequency content, the amplitude content, the average or RMS energy content, as well as count rate information, for each of the Barkhausen responses at each of the excitation levels applied during the protocol. That information provides a contiguous body of data, heretofore unavailable, which can be analyzed to deduce information about the surface characteristics of the material at various depths below the surface.
We propose a quantum secure direct communication scheme based on non-orthogonal entangled pairs and local measurement. In this scheme, we use eight non-orthogonal entangled pairs to act as quantum channels. Due to the non-orthogonality of the quantum channels, the present protocol can availably prohibit from all kinds of valid eavesdropping and acquire a secure quantum channel. By local measurement, the sender acquires a secret random sequence. The process of encoding on the random sequence is identical to the one in one-time-pad. So the present protocol is secure. Even for a highly lossy channel, our scheme is also valid. The scheme is feasible with present-day techniques.
Abstract Background: Premature ovarian failure is diagnosed with a picture of amenorrhea, elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and age under 40 years. Twenty percent (20%) of patients with premature ovarian failure have a concomitant autoimmune disease. Cases of premature ovarian failure associated with Sj?gren syndrome have been reported in the literature. Patient and method: We report a case of a 42-year-old white woman with Sj?gren syndrome and premature ovarian failure who underwent a reversal of her premature ovarian failure and restoration of normal menses using an elimination diet protocol. The patient was diagnosed with her rheumatological condition in 2005 and started on disease-modifying antirheumatoid drugs, which were taken intermittently due to a concern over medicatio...
Summary Background Current management of egg allergy relies on egg elimination from the diet. It does not protect patients from reactions after accidental ingestion of the food and it has a negative influence on quality of life. To solve these problems, some desensitization protocols have been described that are safe and effective, but only one study of a rush regimen for egg with a small patient sample has been published. Objective To evaluate the safety, efficacy and immunologic effects of an oral rush desensitization protocol for immediate egg allergy. Methods Subjects aged 5 years or older with symptomatic IgE-mediated allergy to hen's egg underwent a 5-day oral tolerance induction regimen and were subsequently maintained on a regular egg intake. The variables studied were the reaction...
Context. Cardiovascular medication overdoses can be difficult to treat. Various treatment modalities are currently recommended. Objective. To describe patient outcomes and adverse events of high-dose insulin therapy in consecutive overdose patients in cardiogenic shock after implementation of a high-dose insulin protocol (1-10 U/kg/h, while avoiding or tapering off vasopressors). Methods. This is an observational consecutive case series of patients identified from a registry. Data were collected by retrospective chart review of patients treated by our toxicology service with this protocol from February 2007 until March 2010. Results. Twelve patients were treated with high-dose insulin. The mean age was 36.5 years (SD 11.7). Seven patients had pre-existing vasopressor therapy, and all were ...
With the ubiquitous availability of commercial VME modules and interface chips many experiments in all branches of Experimental Physics are turning to VME as the module packaging and backplane protocol of choice for application specific modules. The current VME backplane, electrical, and mechanical standards are clearly lacking when it comes to implementing the analogue and digital front end modules that Physics experiments rely on to provide the needed high speed and intelligent solutions to their data collection requirements. To address these needs the European ESONE and American VME-P committees are collaborating with the ANSII and ISO standards committees, and the VME VITA/VSO manufacturers associations, to define standard extensions to the VME protocols for such HEP needs as ``sparse data scans``, standard uses and implementations of previously user defined pins and connectors, standardization of the 9U form factor VME cards etc. This ...
Teleost gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) consists of leucocyte populations located both intraepithelially and in the lamina propria with no structural organization. The present study aims to assess different protocols for the isolation of GALT cells from an important fish species in the Mediterranean aquaculture, the gilthead seabream. Mechanical, chemical and enzymatic treatments were assayed. Nylon wool columns and continuous density gradients were used for further separation of cell subpopulations. Light microscopy and flow cytometry showed that the highest density band (HD) consisted of a homogeneous lymphocytic population, whereas the intermediate density band (ID) corresponded to epithelial and secretory cells and some lymphocytes. Respiratory burst activity of total cell suspen...
Developing a test standard/protocol for solar box type cookers has drawn a considerable interest among the researchers throughout the world. Recent publications on solar cookers emphasize the need of introducing the thermal performance indicators determined through exergy analysis. In the present paper, the time variation of instantaneous exergy output and energy output as function of its temperature and also of the instantaneous ambient temperature have been reported for truncated pyramid type solar box cooker and compared with those of box type cooker. Further, variations in the exergy lost with temperature difference have been depicted for the selected water temperature range from 60 degreeC to 95 degreeC. Based on this study, quality factor, exergy temperature difference gap product, a...
In this paper an efficient quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) scheme with authentication is presented, which is based on quantum entanglement and polarized single photons. The present protocol uses Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) pairs and polarized single photons in batches. A particle of the EPR pairs is retained in the sender's station, and the other is transmitted forth and back between the sender and the receiver, similar to the ``ping-pong'' QSDC protocol. According to the shared information beforehand, these two kinds of quantum states are mixed and then transmitted via a quantum channel. The EPR pairs are used to transmit secret messages and the polarized single photons used for authentication and eavesdropping check. Consequently, because of the dual contributions of the polarized single photons, no classical information is needed. The intrinsic efficiency and total efficiency are both 1 in this scheme as almost all of the ...
Customer knowledge has become an important topic for both academicians and practitioners in recent years. However, there has been little academic research on the utilization of customer-specific knowledge. This study adds to our understanding in focusing on the relationships between various intra-organizational factors and customer knowledge utilization in the context of key account management. The results of the study show, that the use of teams, top management involvement, KAM formalization and CRM technology enhance the utilization of customer knowledge in the management of large industrial key account customers.
This paper discusses key methods for sustaining quality engineering data, the fundamental principles that these methods are based on, and the methods for supporting the performance of nuclear power plants by the provision of quality engineering data at all times. The concept of an 'engineering data foundation', and a Configuration Management data model are developed. The concepts and methods for managing the integrity of engineering data across many different databases and document systems are developed, including the key concepts of data-positions and data-values, Master Data and Copy Data, and the concept of a 'partnership between people and technology'. (author). 7 refs., 1 tab., 2 figs.
A key comparison has been made between the air-kerma standards of the ARPANSA and the BIPM in the low-energy X-ray range. The results show the standards to be in agreement at the level of the combined standard uncertainty of 7.0 parts in 10"3 for the 10 kV radiation quality and 3.7 parts in 10"3 for all other beam qualities. The results are analysed and presented in terms of degrees of equivalence, suitable for entry in the BIPM key comparison database. (authors)
This work describes the development of a synchronous key based on micro controller to the switching of three-phase power transformers, which makes possible the achievement of tests to register the inrush current, and the previous establishment of the instantaneous values of the voltage firstly applied to different phases of the energy process. This key is a value tool to the development electric power system projects and to the teaching and researching activities at the laboratory related to transitory phenomena and electric system protection.
although additional research is needed to corroborate such findings. Key words: Avicennia germinans; disturbance; downed wood; Everglades National Park; Hurricane Andrew;...
Background and PurposeHemodynamic insults at arterial bifurcations are hypothesized to play a key role in intracranial aneurysm formation. This study investigates...Full Text Available
Medical Science Liaison (MSL) teams are a well-recognized function within the pharmaceutical and medical products industries. While in most organizations, MSLs have focused on the development of relationships with individual Key Opinion Leaders, progressive companies have realized the value that MSLs can also bring to Key Account Management (KAM). This article discusses the five steps that should be followed in order to successfully integrate the support of Key Accounts into an MSL function. These include understanding the business approach to KAM, identifying what MSL resources are available, developing a comprehensive strategic plan, implementing the plan, and evaluating and making any necessary adjustments. Finally, a case example outlining the experience of a small pharmaceutical compa...
... elevated blood sugar levels, but not full-blown diabetes. What are the keys to preventing the disease? ... been well studied, in a study called The Diabetes Prevention Program, in several thousand people with this ...
Summary brochure of GeoPowering the West (GPW) activities, and areas of technology transfer and market transformation. It also provides current contact information for key DOE and national laboratory staff representing the GPW program.
The purpose of this report is to provide management with performance data on key performance indicators selected from the FFTF Early Warning System performance indicators.
... Uninterrupted access to and use of critical infrastructure in the Arabian Gulf region are key to the successful prosecution of the Global War on Terror ...
Citrate and lactose fermentation are subject to the same metabolic regulation. In both processes, pyruvate is the key intermediate. Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis...Full Text Available
... very difficult to help get better and to rehabilitate and sometimes even need surgery. 00:04:21 ... step of treatment, from our standpoint, is to rehabilitate, to strengthen the shoulder. And the real key ...
The existence of thresholds for toxicants is a matter of debate in chemical risk assessment and regulation. Current risk assessment methods are based on the assumption that, in the absence of sufficient...Full Text Available
BackgroundFunction exertion of specific proteins are key factors in disease progression, thus the systematical identification of those specific proteins is a prerequisite to understand...Full Text Available
Regularly considered as the 'success story' of the world environmental policy, the regulation relative to ozone destructive products should allow a recovery of the ozone layer around the middle of the 21. century. This article analyzes how, two decades after the signature of the Montreal protocol, such forecasts are still valid and how new parameters, like the increase of the greenhouse effect, will influence this recovery. (J.S.)
This publication of the Areva Group, a world nuclear industry leader, provides information on the energy in many domains. This issue deals with the nuclear fuel cycle, the biofuels, the everyday geothermal power, the Unites States energy supply and types, the Bertrand Picard solar aircraft, the kyoto protocol and the wind power leaders. A special chapter is devoted to the renaissance of solar homes. (A.L.B.)
Recently, Wang et al. proposed a three-party simultaneous quantum secure direct communication (3P-SQSDC) scheme with EPR pairs, which enables three involved parties to exchange their secret messages simultaneously by using an EPR pair. This work proposed an enhancement on Wang et al.'s scheme. With the enhancement, the communications in the improved 3P-SQSDC can be paralleled and thus improves the protocol efficiency.
BackgroundHamstring injuries are the most common injury in Australian Rules football. It was the aims to investigate whether a sports chiropractic manual therapy intervention protocol...Full Text Available
A two-step purification protocol was used in an attempt to separate the constitutive NAD(P)H-nitrate reductase [NAD(P)H-NR, pH 6.5; EC 1.6.6.2] activity from the nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide (NO(x))...Full Text Available
BackgroundMany emergency ambulance calls are for older people who have fallen. As half of them are left at home, a community-based response may often be more appropriate than hospital...Full Text Available
The heterogeneous solid catalyst, mercaptopropylsilica (MPS), has been prepared by a modified procedure in water and its structure confirmed by solid state carbon-13 CP-MAS NMR spectrum. This catalyst has been efficiently utilized for the synthesis of a wide variety of tri-, tetrasubstituted imidazoles and their bis-analogues at room temperature. The protocol was further explored for the synthesis of the drug trifenagrel.
The Rocky Flats Plant, located approximately 26 km northwest of downtown Denver, Colorado, has developed an emergency response atmospheric dispersion model for complex terrain applications. Plant personnel would use the model, known as the Terrain-Responsive Atmospheric Code (TRAC) (Hodgin 1985) to project plume impacts and provide off-site protective action recommendations to the State of Colorado should a hazardous material release occur from the facility. The Colorado Department of Health (CDH) entered into an interagency agreement with the Rocky Flats Plant prime contractor, EG&G Rocky Flats, and the US Department of Energy to evaluate TRAC as an acceptable emergency response tool. After exhaustive research of similar evaluation processes from other emergency response and regulatory organizations, the interagency committee devised a formal acceptance process. The process contains an evaluation protocol (Hodgin and Smith 1992), descriptions of ...
The paper is devoted to quantization of extensive games with the use of both the Marinatto-Weber and the Eisert-Wilkens-Lewenstein concept of quantum game. We revise the current conception of quantum ultimatum game and we show why the proposal is unacceptable. To support our comment, we present the new idea of the quantum ultimatum game. Our scheme also makes a point of departure for a protocol to quantize extensive games.
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.
The NSABP B-32 trial is examining whether patients with initially negative sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) who have occult metastases detected on deeper levels and cytokeratin immunohistochemistry...Full Text Available
The protocol for a systematic comprehensive study of the influence of prenatal exposure on the tumorigenic and other adverse effects of "2"3"9Pu is described. The study has been initiated, all animals have been weaned, and postnatal function is being evaluated, although results are not yet available.
During the past year, an experiment has been underway to test use of reliable multicast capabilities for transmission of continuous data in the Global Communication Infrastructure. For the experiment a version of the CD-1 protocol was multicast enabled. The experiment has demonstrated the feasibility of transmitting data in a multicast mode over the GCI. In the case of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty the sender could be the station and the receivers the International Data Center (IDC) and one or more National Data Centers (NDC). The potential advantages of multicasting include (a) the timely receipt of the data by the IDC and the host NDC and (b) the simultaneous availability of the raw station data at, at least, two locations. The latter, by introducing redundant data paths, decreases the probability of loss of station data due to a potential failure of a single data receiver. This experiment is only one element of a needed more thorough assessment of ...
Objectives1) To establish a protocol for transfection of immortalised type I cells with SiRNA and its effect on cell viability; 2) To optimise silencing of genes involved in endocystosis using SiRNA and confirm successful transfection with western blotting; 3) To investigate the effect of gene silencing on uptake of flourescently-labelled latex nanoparticles.DescriptionTo investigate the mechanisms of particle uptake.
The Kyoto Protocol attempts through political negotiations to guide participating industrialized countries' greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a positive growing trend, to reach a peak point (or turning point), and then be reduced to a negative growth. That means the relationship between decreasing GHG emissions and economic growth may be described by an inverted-U curve (or called a bell-shaped curve), which is consistent with the concept of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. This research observed that the economic development and GHG emissions in Economies in Transition (EITs) exhibit a hockey-stick curve trend (or called quasi-L-shape curve), that also generates a lot of 'hot air' which is significant to the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. In addition, through the analysis of single-country time series data and GDP data, this research demonstrated that statistical data for most of the Annex ...
The Kyoto Protocol attempts through political negotiations to guide participating industrialized countries' greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a positive growing trend, to reach a peak point (or turning point), and then be reduced to a negative growth. That means the relationship between decreasing GHG emissions and economic growth may be described by an inverted-U curve (or called a bell-shaped curve), which is consistent with the concept of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. This research observed that the economic development and GHG emissions in Economies in Transition (EITs) exhibit a hockey-stick curve trend (or called quasi-L-shape curve), that also generates a lot of 'hot air' which is significant to the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. In addition, through the analysis of single-country time series data and GDP data, this research demonstrated that statistical data for most of the Annex ...
We report the first experimental generation and characterization of a six-photon Dicke state and demonstrate its remarkable versatility by projecting out four- and five-photon Dicke states, in addition to four-photon GHZ- and W-states. These multipartite states are studied by developing experimentally favorable characterization tools. Furthermore, we show that Dicke states have interesting applications in multiparty quantum networking protocols such as open-destination teleportation, telecloning and quantum secret sharing.
Seven hundred thirty-two female urogenital samples were collected for Chlamydia trachomatis testing by both the Sanofi Diagnostics Pasteur (Chaska, Minn.) Chlamydia Microplate EIA by the shortened protocol...Full Text Available
PurposeUsing a retrospective analysis of treatment plans submitted from multiple institutions accruing patients to the RTOG #0236 non-small cell SBRT protocol, this...Full Text Available
The purpose of this DOE-funded effort is to develop continuous processes for solvent extraction of coal for the production of carbon products. These carbon products include materials used in metals smelting, especially in the aluminum and steel industries, as well as porous carbon structural material referred to as ''carbon foam'' and carbon fibers. During this reporting period, efforts have focused on the facility modifications for continuous hydrotreating, as well as developing improved protocols for producing synthetic pitches.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a platelet concentrate that has widely been used to accelerate the healing of soft and hard tissues. The preparation of PRP has been described by several authors. Preparation protocols vary from system to system, depending on the concentration of different integrating proteins. The objective of this article is to describe the principal use of PRP mixed with fat grafts in aesthetic plastic surgery.
We present an abundance analysis based on high-resolution spectra of 10 stars selected to span the full range in metallicity in the Ursa Minor (UMi) dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy. We find that [Fe/H] for the sample stars ranges from -1.35 to -3.10 dex. Combining our sample with previously published work for a total of 16 luminous UMi giants, we establish the trends of abundance ratios [X/Fe] as functions of [Fe/H] for 15 elements. In key cases, particularly for the #alpha#-elements, these trends resemble those for stars in the outer part of the Galactic halo, especially at the lowest metallicities probed. The neutron-capture elements show an r-process distribution over the full range of Fe metallicity reached in this dSph galaxy. This suggests that the duration of star formation in the UMi dSph was shorter than in other dSph galaxies. The derived ages for a larger sample of UMi stars with more uncertain metallicities also suggest a population ...
Oregon State University (OSU) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) were funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct research focused on resolving the key technical issues that limited the deployment of efficient and extremely compact microtechnology based heat actuated absorption heat pumps and gas absorbers. Success in demonstrating these technologies will reduce the main barriers to the deployment of a technology that can significantly reduce energy consumption in the building, automotive and industrial sectors while providing a technology that can improve our ability to sequester CO{sub 2}. The proposed research cost $939,477. $539,477 of the proposed amount funded research conducted at OSU while the balance ($400,000) was used at PNNL. The project lasted 42 months and started in April 2001. Recent developments at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Oregon State University suggest that the performance of absorption and desorption ...
High-energy ionizing radiation is a prominent modality for the treatment of many cancers. The approaches to electron dose calculation can be categorized into semi-empirical models (e.g. Fermi-Eyges, convolution-superposition) and probabilistic methods (e.g. Monte Carlo). A third approach to dose calculation has only recently attracted attention in the medical physics community. This approach is based on the deterministic kinetic equations of radiative transfer. We derive a macroscopic partial differential equation model for electron transport in tissue. This model involves an angular closure in the phase space. It is exact for the free streaming and the isotropic regime. We solve it numerically by a newly developed HLLC scheme based on Berthon et al (2007 J. Sci. Comput. 31 347-89) that exactly preserves the key properties of the analytical solution on the discrete level. We discuss several test cases taken from the medical physics literature. A test case with an ...
...Keeping chickens: a beginner's guide : Directgov - Environment and greener living chickens, feeding chickens, egg marking, registering a ...flock, battery hens Chickens; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Registrations; Animals; Livestock; Local government; Local ...authorities A guide for people keeping chickens on the laws for registering and feeding them, and how to spot key diseases. A ...guide for people keeping chickens on the laws for registering and feeding them, and how to spot key diseases. Keeping chickens: ...
In order to practice a design-by-analysis of thermohydraulics design of BWR fuel rod bundles, the subchannel analysis would play a major role. There, the immediate concern is improvement in its predictive capability of CHF due in particular to the film dryout (boiling transition phenomena: BT) on the fuel rod surface. Constitutive equations in the subchannel analysis formulation are responsible for the quality of calculated results. The constitutive equations are a result of integration of the local and instantaneous description of two-phase flows over the subchannel control volume. In general, they are expressed in terms of subchannel-control-volume- as well as area-averaged two-phase flow state variables. In principle the information on local and instantaneous physical phenomena taking place inside subchannels must be counted for in the algebraic form of the equations on the basis of a more mechanistic modeling approach. They should include also influences of the multi-dimensional ...
Full text of publication follows:In order to practice a design-by-analysis of thermohydraulics design of BWR fuel rod bundles, the subchannel analysis would play a major role. There, the immediate concern is improvement in its predictive capability of CHF due in particular to the film dryout (boiling transition phenomena: BT) on the fuel rod surface. Constitutive equations in the subchannel analysis formulation are responsible for the quality of calculated results. The constitutive equations are a result of integration of the local and instantaneous description of two-phase flows over the subchannel control volume. In general, they are expressed in terms of subchannel-control-volume- as well as area-averaged two-phase flow state variables. In principle the information on local and instantaneous physical phenomena taking place inside subchannels must be counted for in the algebraic form of the equations on the basis of a more mechanistic modeling approach. They should include also ...
In order to practice a design-by-analysis of thermohydraulics design of BWR fuel rod bundles, the subchannel analysis would play a major role. There, the immediate concern is improvement in its predictive capability of CHF due in particular to the film dryout (boiling transition phenomena: BT) on the fuel rod surface. Constitutive equations in the subchannel analysis formulation are responsible for the quality of calculated results. The constitutive equations are a result of integration of the local and instantaneous description of two-phase flows over the subchannel control volume. In general, they are expressed in terms of subchannel-control-volume- as well as area-averaged two-phase flow state variables. In principle the information on local and instantaneous physical phenomena taking place inside subchannels must be counted for in the algebraic form of the equations on the basis of a more mechanistic modeling approach. They should include also influences of the multi-dimensional ...
A general expression for the current-density distribution of a focused-ion beam (FIB) in the chromatic-aberration region is set up in the form of a definite integral. With the experimentally obtained ion-energy distribution of a liquid-metal ion source, its contribution to the FIB current-density distribution is estimated. Calculated results explain the wide-exponential tail of a FIB.
A general expression for the current-density distribution of a focused-ion beam (FIB) in the chromatic-aberration region is set up in the form of a definite integral. With the experimentally obtained ion-energy distribution of a liquid-metal ion source, its contribution to the FIB current-density distribution is estimated. Calculated results explain the wide-exponential tail of a FIB.
We study luminosities of millisecond pulsars in globular clusters by fitting the observed luminosity distribution with single and double power laws. We use simulations to model the observed distribution as the brighter part of some parent distribution for Terzan 5 and try to find a model which simultaneously agrees with the observed diffuse radio flux, total predicted number of pulsars and observed luminosity distribution. We find that wide ranges of parameters for log-normal and power-law distributions give such good models. No clear difference between the luminosity distributions of millisecond pulsars in globular clusters and normal disk pulsars was seen.
Software to aid the distribution and coordination of tasks between different processors was developed to distribute applications written in Fortran. This development led to the discovery of problems unique to Fortran and to interesting practical solutions. Two graphical applications were distributed to a variety of machines and machine pairs: CDC 7600-LSI/11, CRAY-LSI/11, VAX 11/780, and Apollo. These distributions pointed out several parameters such as the use of Fortran COMMON, communication parameters, and processing capabilities that can affect the successful distribution of applications.
This paper reports some technical contributes related to the Kyoto Protocol and its application in Italian decision making policy. [Italian] Il presente volume raccoglie una decina di contributi tecnici originariamente preparati o commissionati dall'ENEA, Ente Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e l'Ambiente, in vista della Conferenza Nazionale Energia e Ambiente. Questa fotografia di una situazione in rapida evoluzione e' stata preparata da esperti del settore che contribuiscono a redigere il materiale tecnico di base utilizzato dai negoziatori nazionali durante le trattative internazionali e dai responsabili nazionali per avviare il processo di presa di decisioni in materia.
One of the most challenging problems in Opportunistic Spectrum Access (OSA) is to design channel sensing-based protocol in multi secondary users (SUs) network. Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for SUs have significant implications on this protocol design. In this paper, we propose a new method to find joint policies for SUs which not only guarantees QoS requirements but also maximizes network throughput. We use Decentralized Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (Dec-POMDP) to formulate interactions between SUs. Meanwhile, a tractable approach for Dec-POMDP is utilized to extract sub-optimum joint policies for large horizons. Among these policies, the joint policy which guarantees QoS requirements is selected as the joint sensing strategy for SUs. To show the efficiency of the proposed method, we consider two SUs trying to access two-channel primary users (PUs) network modeled by discrete Markov chains. Simulations demonstrate three ...
The objective of this project was to identify needs for environmental research development and demonstration projects that have the potential to improve the performance of oil and gas exploration, drilling, and production technologies for maximum recovery of domestic petroleum resources under optimal environmental and economic conditions. To achieve this objective several areas of work were addressed. The first task was to compile as much related data as possible. This was achieved by literature searches of a number of petroleum-related data bases. After acquiring sufficient background on environmental and economical areas that should be expanded, experts who are knowledgeable in these areas were contacted to further define specific issues. More than 33 identified areas were submitted to an in-house panel at NIPER to assure that the final environmental research demonstration and development needs that were selected to be expanded were unbiased and worthy of additional work. Specific ...
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was approved in 1992 to respond to the worl-wide concern about the warming of the planet. The primary target was the stabilization of the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, in an attempt to reduce to the minimum the degradation of the environment caused by humans. By virtue of the Convention, the Parts2 are committed to reach their objectives in the reduction of the emissions. A Conference of the Parts was stablished to promote the effective application of the Convention. The third Conference of the Parts, celebrated in Kyoto (Japan, 1997) approved, by consensus, the denominated Kyoto Protocol, in which 39 developed countries and countries with economies in transition were committed to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases between years 2008 and 2012 in a 5.2 global percent with respect to the 1990 levels. Three {sup f}lexibility mechanisms{sup w}ere stablished to help the ...
This paper provides a snapshot of the computer network security industry and addresses specific issues related to network security in public education. The following topics are covered: (1) security policy, including reasons for establishing a policy, risk assessment, areas to consider, audit tools; (2) workstations, including physical security, protecting workstation components, and computer viruses; (3) the local network, including the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) reference model, protocols, network segmentation, network management, network sniffing, and data encryption; (4) servers, including UNIX and other server operating systems; (5) remote access, including technologies, remote access servers, protocols, and authentication/authorization; (6) crackers and hackers, including threats and hacking tools/techniques; (7) Internet firewalls, including functions, issues and problems, types, rules, logs, firewall accessories, buying a ...
Methods: Systemic irradiation of neuroaxis is an essential part in the management of medulloblastoma, stPNET and intracranial germ cell tumors. The introduction of quality assurance programs in radiooncology assures a precise radiotherapy of target volumes and is a prerequisite to improve survival. Results: Hyperfractionated radiotherapy has the potential of increasing dose to tumor more safely without increasing the risk for late adverse effects. Pilot studies revealed excellent tumor control in medulloblastoma with acceptable acute toxicity and a long-term survival of up to 96%. In medulloblastoma stereotactic radiation techniques reveal an acceptable toxicity and promising results in tumor control in recurrent disease or as primary treatment. They are now part of future treatment protocols in case of persisting residual tumor. Radiotherapy alone in pure germinoma is continuously yielding high cure rates. In secreting germ cell tumors cisplatin containing ...
Shows the general distribution of Dall sheep in the Seldovia and Seward quadrangles. Data from Alaska Fish and Game Habitat Management maps of the South ... ...
We consider the effect of distributed delays in neural feedback systems. The avian optic tectum is reciprocally connected with the nucleus isthmi. Extracellular stimulation combined with intracellular recordings reveal a range of signal delays from 4 to 9 ms between isthmotectal elements. This observation together with prior mathematical analysis concerning the influence of a delay distribution on system dynamics raises the question whether a broad delay distribution can impact the dynamics of neural feedback loops. For a system of reciprocally connected model neurons, we found that distributed delays enhance system stability in the following sense. With increased distribution of delays, the system converges faster to a fixed point and converges slower toward a limit cycle. Further, the introduction of distributed delays leads to an increased range of the ...
The NASA Langley Distributed Active Archive Center archives and distributes data relating to Radiation Budget, Clouds, Aerosols, and Troposheric Chemistry.
Information search in a distributed environment is an interactive process between the user and the artifact. How the information is distributed across the user and the artifact determines the efficacy...Full Text Available
The House Committee report describes the purpose, background, committee considerations and findings, and correspondence relating to H. Con. Res. 50, which is intended to encourage the president to pursue international negotiations relating to the ozone layer. The intent is to develop an international protocol and regulatory framework that will protect the stratosphere from the effects of chlorofluorocarbons. The report notes that some nations have already taken unilateral remedial steps, but argues the benefits of a negotiated agreement worldwide.
This document provides information and presents data on the energy situation in many regions of Canada. The first part deals with the petroleum and the bitumen shales of Alberta (reserves, exploitation and production, environmental impacts), the second part discusses with the hydroelectricity choice of Quebec and the 2004 crisis. The nuclear situation of Ontario is presented in the third part (nuclear park, programs, uranium reserves, research and development on Candu reactors), while the fourth part deals with the renewable energies (wind power and biomass). The canadian situation facing the Kyoto protocol is discussed in the last part. (A.L.B.)
A database has been developed to contain the disposal limits for the E-Area Low Level Waste Facility (ELLWF). This database originates in the form of an EXCEL{copyright} workbook. The pertinent sheets are translated to PDF format using Adobe ACROBAT{copyright}. The PDF version of the database is accessible from the Solid Waste Division web page on SHRINE. In addition to containing the various disposal unit limits, the database also contains hyperlinks to the original references for all limits. It is anticipated that database will be revised each time there is an addition, deletion or revision of any of the ELLWF radionuclide disposal limits.
The report contains highlights of the achievements of the IAEA Co-ordinated Research programme on Evaluation on the Use of Bulk Reagents for the Production of "9"9Tc_m Radiopharmaceutical and Kits, the participants' summary reports (Argentina, Chile, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Portugal, Russian Federation, Thailand, Uruguay, United States of America), recommended product protocols for five compounds and the participants' recommendations regarding continued support and further directions of co-ordinated research work. Refs, 6 figs, 8 tabs, 6 schemes.
The article is an overview on atmospheric pollution in Lebanon. It presents an analysis of sources of pollution in the country and their impacts on local and global environment and describes their control. Air pollution is mainly due to the industrial, electrical and transportation sectors. Pollutants from fuel combustion are analyzed. It is estimated that in 2010, CO_2 emissions will reach 5987250 tons, SO_2 emissions is estimated to be 182950 tons, Nox to 105180 and dusts to 4965 tons. CFC consumption and measures of control according to Montreal protocol are described. Consumption of primary energy, consumption of petroleum products, quantity of petroleum in refineries and production of cement in Lebanon are also presented in tables
We present a simple protocol to purify a coherent-state superposition that has undergone a linear lossy channel. The scheme constitutes only a single beam splitter and a homodyne detector, and thus is experimentally feasible. In practice, a superposition of coherent states is transformed into a classical mixture of coherent states by linear loss, which is usually the dominant decoherence mechanism in optical systems. We also address the possibility of producing a larger amplitude superposition state from decohered states, and show that in most cases the decoherence of the states are amplified along with the amplitude.
Many mobile ad hoc network protocols use simple flooding, in order to adapt to changes in time varying network topology. Most of the times, a network-wide flood results in redundant packets and increases network congestion, probability of packet collision, low utilization of available bandwidth, and most important, higher power consumption. In this paper, we propose a new cross-layer broadcast scheme to minimize broadcast traffic in mobile ad hoc networks. Our scheme is based on use of received signal strength indicator, RSSI, value to reduce the number of broadcast packets. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is verified using simulations.
This study illustrates the way to perform protocols, collect samples, and conduct laboratory analyses in order to characterize the physical properties of wood used in the industrial sector of the Valle de Aburra metropalitan area and the gains obtained by characterizing the properties of the most frequently used woods. In this investigation some of the most important sampling parameters are presented, such as taking samples in piles or accumulations of waste, handling of these samples in the laboratory and others of great importance such as the ignition point. the proposed methodology is based upon some of the international astm coal norms, for the similarity it has with wood and for the lack of information on sampling this type in wood
AbstractObjective To review studies investigating the brain correlates of unawareness of cognitive and behavioural symptoms in people with dementia. Design A detailed search of the literature was conducted to include all the peer-reviewed studies published in English aimed at identifying the structural or functional brain correspondents of unawareness in dementia patients. Their results were interpreted in relation to the methodological differences in terms of type of dementia studied, the protocol adopted to measure lack of awareness, the imaging techniques employed, the experimental designs and statistical analyses performed. Results Eighteen studies undertaken to explore the functional and structural correlates of unawareness of cognitive symptoms in dementia were identified. Although t...
In the framework of the negotiations on the climatic changes, beginning at Rio in 1992, the France received an UN conference from the 4 to 15 of september 2000. This conference determined the necessary actions for the Kyoto protocol validation. This document presents in two part the program of these days. The first part is devoted to the world government policy and the second part defines the french actions decided to fight against the climatic change. A glossary of the main terms adapted to the climatic change domain, is also provided. (A.L.B.)
We discuss the feasibility of a hierarchical protocol whereby the description and prediction of adsorbed fluids in confined systems at the mesoscopic scale is achieved by use of interface potentials that are obtained from raw molecular simulation data. Starting from a microscopic description of a fluid?s interface on a flat substrate, we attempt to extract the minimum information that is required in order to predict the behavior of that fluid at larger length scales from coarse grained surface Hamiltonians. A critical assessment of this procedure hinges on controversial aspects of wetting behavior and more generally on the meaning of metastability and instability of thermodynamic systems.
The paper discusses the Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on Aviation and the Global Atmosphere (published in 1999). It was considered necessary to treat air transport on its own since aircraft are unique in delivering emissions into the upper atmosphere rather than at ground level. The study was commissioned at the request of the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the Montreal Protocol. More than 300 experts contributed and the report has quantified the effect of aviation on the atmosphere on a world wide basis and highlighted areas where improved data are required. (UK)
Abstract The white sea bream, Diplodus sargus (Teleostei, Sparidae), is a species with a high commercial importance in Mediterranean aquaculture. There is currently little information available about the genetic characteristics of cultured populations. In this survey, we have developed eight polymorphic microsatellites for the white sea bream using an enriched genome library protocol. All of them were polymorphic in the 67 individuals tested, 32 of which were wild specimens, and 35 were individuals from a captive F1 broodstock. These markers can potentially be useful tools for use in population genetic studies.
The Kyoto Protocol foresees emission trading but does not yet specify verification of (uncertain) emissions. This paper analyses a setting in which parties can meet their emission targets by reducing emissions, by investing in monitoring (reducing uncertainty of emissions) or by (bilaterally) trading permits. We derive the optimality conditions and carry out various numerical simulations. Our applications suggest that including uncertainty could increase compliance costs for the USA, Japan and the European Union. Central Europe and the Former Soviet Union might be able to gain from trading due to higher permit prices. Emissions trading could also lower aggregate uncertainty on emissions.
We describe a scheme for quantum error correction that employs feedback and weak measurement rather than the standard tools of projective measurement and fast controlled unitary gates. The advantage of this scheme over previous protocols (for example Ahn et. al, PRA, 65, 042301 (2001)), is that it requires little side processing while remaining robust to measurement inefficiency, and is therefore considerably more practical. We evaluate the performance of our scheme by simulating the correction of bit-flips. We also consider implementation in a solid-state quantum computation architecture and estimate the maximal error rate which could be corrected with current technology.
Objective: Given the increasing popularity of motorcycle riding and heightened risk of injury or death associated with being a rider, this study explored rider behavior as a determinant of rider safety and, in particular, key beliefs and motivations that influence such behavior. To enhance the effectiveness of future education and training interventions, it is important to understand riders' own views about what influences how they ride. Specifically, this study sought to identify key determinants of riders' behaviors in relation to the social context of riding, including social and identity-related influences relating to the group (group norms and group identity) as well as the self (moral/personal norm and self-identity). Method: Qualitative research was undertaken via group discussions ...
Purpose - This paper aims to explore the links between revenue management and business-to-business (B2B) relationships and explains how revenue management can both support and damage B2B relationships. Design/methodology/approach - A single case study method was employed to conduct qualitative research into a company and its key accounts. In-depth data were collected from three divergent sources (company revenue managers, company account managers and nine of the company's key accounts) through semi-structured interviews, observations and document studies. Findings - The research findings reveal that from the company's perspective, managers acknowledge that revenue management has positively influenced the process of identifying and analysing key account activities and conducting contractual...
Purpose - Key account management (KAM) programmes are a way for companies to develop existing relationships and increase sales, thus being proactive and searching for opportunities (which is often expected of KAM). It is also a way to meet changing customer demands arising from changes in purchasing strategy, buyers' mergers and acquisitions and the search for synergies in order to reduce costs. The purpose of this article is to analyse different key account management programmes on how they manage the sales process complexity and customer expectations. Design/methodology/approach - The paper draws on qualitative data collected during a field study of ABB and six of their major customers, based on annual or biannual interviews with 50 individuals within ABB from 1996 to 2006 and three to t...
Customer relationships, product development, data integration and demand-driven supply chains are key concepts for companies that wish to remain competitive in today?s global economy. To address this important information management issue, the present study examines how, within a demand-driven network context, an eCRM can influence the interorganizational product development process between a manufacturer and its key customers. The theoretical model, built on research related to a technology assimilation model based on Fichman?s (2000) work, was tested on data from 104 manufacturers in the wireless equipment sector. The results show that the adoption of an eCRM does not moderate the relationship between collaborative e-product development involving a manufacturer and its key customers and ...
The phenomenon of key supply management (KSM) in business companies is far less investigated than the phenomenon of key account management (KAM) which beneficiates, both in practice and in an academic context, from a growing interest. This article is based on the empirical analysis of a sample of 10 international companies which have recently launched KSM programmes or are currently working on launching such programs. It examines the difficulties these companies come up against when implementing such programmes and proposes to organize these difficulties around three dimensions: 1) the difficulties in implementing real supplier portfolio approaches; 2) the narrow view of value co-creation with suppliers, and 3) the persistent lack of integration of the purchasing function with other intern...
The results of 144 previously untreated cases of primary Ewing's sarcoma of bone are reported with a minimum follow-up of 5 years. This series was treated between 1972 and 1982 at Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli with a combined therapy. The local control of the disease consisted of amputation (ten cases), resection followed by radiation therapy (35-45 Gy) (48 cases) and radiation therapy alone (40-60 Gy) (86 cases). Adjuvant chemotherapy, rigorously standardized, was performed according two different protocols: the first (85 cases treated in the period 1972-1978) consisted of vincristine (VCR) Adriamycin (doxorubicin) (ADM), and cyclophosphamide (EDX); the second (59 cases treated in the period 1979-1982) of VCR, ADM, EDX and dactinomycin (DACT). At a follow-up of 5 to 16 years (median, 9), 59 patients (41%) are continuously disease-free (CDF), 81 (56%) developed metastatic disease and/or local recurrence, and four (3%) had a second malignancy. Three factors seem to be ...
Twenty-four high-risk Ewing's sarcoma patients were treated on an intensive combined modality protocol including low-dose fractionated total body irradiaiton (TBI) and autologous bone marrow infusion (ABMI). Twenty patients (83%) achieved a complete clinical response to the primary and/or metastatic sites following induction therapy. The median disease-free interval was 18 months, and nine patients remain disease-free with a follow-up of 22 to 72 months. Local failure as a manifestation of initial relapse occurred in only three patients (15%), each having synchronous distant failure. Eight patients failed initially with only distant metastases, usually within 1-2 years following a complete clinical response. Two patterns of granulocyte recovery following consolidative therapy (including TBI and ABMI) were recognized. The time to platelet recovery was different for the groups with early and late granulocyte recovery. Patients with late recovery did not tolerate ...
A robust fusion of the agricultural, industrial biotechnology, and energy industries can create a new strategic national capability for energy independence and climate protection. In his State of the Union Address (Bush 2006), President George W. Bush outlined the Advanced Energy Initiative, which seeks to reduce our national dependence on imported oil by accelerating the development of domestic, renewable alternatives to gasoline and diesel fuels. The president has set a national goal of developing cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources to substantially replace oil imports in the coming years. Fuels derived from cellulosic biomass - the fibrous, woody, and generally inedible portions of plant matter - offer one such alternative to conventional energy sources that can dramatically impact national economic growth, national energy security, and environmental goals. Cellulosic biomass is an attractive energy feedstock because it is an abundant, domestic, renewable ...
OmpU porins are increasingly recognized as key determinants of pathogenic host Vibrio interactions. Although mechanisms remain incompletely understood, various species, including the...Full Text Available
The UK government's economy-wide 60% carbon dioxide reduction target by 2050 requires a paradigm shift in the whole energy system. Numerous analytical studies have concluded that the power sector is a critical contributor to a low carbon energy system, and electricity generation has dominated the policy discussion on UK decarbonisation scenarios. However, range of technical, social and market challenges, combined with alternate market investment strategies mean that large scale deployment of key classes of low carbon electricity technologies is fraught with uncertainty. The UK MARKAL energy systems model has been used to investigate these long-term uncertainties in key electricity generation options. A range of power sector specific parametric sensitivities have been performed under a 'what-if' framework to provide a systematic exploration of least-cost energy system configurations under a broad, integrated set of ...
The UK government's economy-wide 60% carbon dioxide reduction target by 2050 requires a paradigm shift in the whole energy system. Numerous analytical studies have concluded that the power sector is a critical contributor to a low carbon energy system, and electricity generation has dominated the policy discussion on UK decarbonisation scenarios. However, range of technical, social and market challenges, combined with alternate market investment strategies mean that large scale deployment of key classes of low carbon electricity technologies is fraught with uncertainty. The UK MARKAL energy systems model has been used to investigate these long-term uncertainties in key electricity generation options. A range of power sector specific parametric sensitivities have been performed under a 'what-if' framework to provide a systematic exploration of least-cost energy system configurations under a broad, integrated set of input assumptions. In this ...
While it has been established that microRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles throughout development and are dysregulated in many human pathologies, the specific processes and pathways regulated by individual...Full Text Available
PurposeHeavy metals and other forms of oxidative stress have been implicated as key factors in the formation of age-related cataract in humans. Metallothioneins are...Full Text Available
The astronomical number of letters handled by the Post Office makes automatic sorting technology essential. Key roles are played by the postcode system and an ink-jet printer that has been developed to use phosphorescent inks.
An overall hypothesis for benzene-induced leukemia is proposed. Key components of the hypothesis include a) activation of benzene in the liver to phenolic metabolites; b) transport of these metabolites...Full Text Available
SummaryIn vivo tumor cell migration through integrin-dependent pathways is key to the metastatic behavior of malignant cells. Using quantitative in vivo...Full Text Available
BackgroundA key feature of a good general practice consultation is that it is patient-centred. A number of verbal and non-verbal behaviours have been identified as important to establish...Full Text Available
By analysis of crossovers in key recombinant families and by homozygosity analysis of inbred families, the Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) locus was localized in a 300-kb interval between the X104 gene and...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe link between maternal factors and birth outcomes is well established. Substantial changes in society and medical care over time have influenced women's reproductive...Full Text Available
SYNOPSISRhomboid proteases are a fascinating class of enzymes that combine a serine protease active site within the core of an integral membrane protein. Despite having key roles...Full Text Available
This paper describes the deliverables framework developed by Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in its IAIMS planning process. The key deliverables include: visions for the future; mission,...Full Text Available
Although deep-sea cephalopods are key marine organims, their feeding ecology remains essentially unknown. Here, we report for the first time the trophic structure of an assemblage of these animals (19...Full Text Available
BackgroundHyaluronic acid capsule plays a key role in Streptococcus pyogenes virulence. Circulation of mucoid or highly encapsulated strains has been related to...Full Text Available
SummarySoluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is a key enzyme in the metabolic conversion and degradation of P450 eicosanoids called epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs). Genetic variations...Full Text Available
...A directory of University social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube facebook, twitter, blog Social media - Social media, The ... Key: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blog, LinkedIn, Flickr Missed you out? If you'd like to be included on this ...
It has become increasing clear that alterations in cellular metabolism have a key role in the generation and maintenance of cancer. Some of the metabolic changes can be attributed to the activation...Full Text Available
BackgroundMicrovascular injury plays a key role in normal tissue radiation responses. Statins, in addition to their lipid-lowering effects, have vasculoprotective...Full Text Available
BackgroundCurrently used indicators of iron status have limitations. Hepcidin, a key regulator of iron metabolism, is reduced in iron deficiency. We sought to determine the properties...Full Text Available
Receptor activator of NF-kB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) play key roles in the pathogenesis of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO). The aim of our study was to determine whether the...Full Text Available
Bacteria expressing type III secretion systems (T3SS) have been responsible for the deaths of millions worldwide, acting as key virulence elements in diseases ranging from plague to typhoid...Full Text Available
French scientists think they have discovered one of the key steps in the methanol-to-gasoline reaction pathway and their British counterparts have learned a new way of converting methanol into acetic acid without carbon monoxide.
The establishment of the primary meristems through proliferation after germination is essential for plant post-embryonic development. Cytokinins have long been considered a key regulator of...Full Text Available
BackgroundRifampin is a key drug in antituberculosis chemotherapy because it rapidly kills the majority of bacilli in tuberculosis lesions, prevents relapse and thus enables 6-month...Full Text Available
... presumed first instar Geocharidius. Anillines occur in deep forest litters, beneath rocks and in soil (endogean), or as ... their small size and cryptic mode of life. Forest litter inhabiting anillines ma...
Most genetic changes that promote tumorigenesis involve dysregulation of G1 cell cycle progression. A key regulatory site in G1 is a growth factor–dependent restriction point (R) where cells...Full Text Available
A structurally conserved element, the trigger loop, has been suggested to play a key role in substrate selection and catalysis of RNA polymerase II (pol II) transcription elongation. Recently resolved...Full Text Available
Science and technology could be revolutionized by quantum computers, but building them from solid-state devices will not be easy. Robert W Keyes of IBM's research division outlines the challenges in scaling up the technology from lab experiments to practical devices. (U.K.)
Four-dimensional (4D) radiotherapy is the explicit inclusion of the temporal changes in anatomy during the imaging, planning, and delivery of radiotherapy. One key component of 4D radiotherapy planning...Full Text Available
Breast cancer is a progressive and potentially fatal disease that affects women of all ages. Like all progressive diseases, early and reliable diagnosis is the key for successful treatment and annihilation....Full Text Available
Stem cells are expected to play a key role in the development and maintenance of organisms, and hold great therapeutic promises. However, a number of questions must be answered to achieve an...Full Text Available
Eukaryotic cells can massively transport their own cytoplasmic contents into a lytic compartment, the vacuole/lysosome, for recycling through a conserved system called autophagy. The key process in...Full Text Available
Mycolic acids are key cell wall components for the survival, pathogenicity, and antibiotic resistance of the human tubercle bacillus. Although it was thought that Mycobacterium tuberculosis...Full Text Available
Mice and rats are important mammalian models in biomedical research. In contrast to other biomedical fields, work on sexual differentiation of brain and behavior has traditionally utilized comparative...Full Text Available
BackgroundDysregulation of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system, a common consequence of adiposity-induced insulin resistance, may be a key underlying mechanism...Full Text Available
For aerodynamic force measurement in the ISL shock tunnel, the authors have developed a novel measurement technique. Its key feature is a mounting support, which releases the test model and tightens it again after a free flight duration of 10 to 15 millis...
Objective: To highlight the key differences in history, examination, and management of pyoderma gangrenosum and necrotizing fasciitis and to outline the importance of distinguishing these...Full Text Available
Combined QM(PM3)/MM molecular dynamics simulations together with QM(DFT)/MM optimizations for key configurations have been performed to elucidate the enzymatic catalysis mechanism on the detoxification...Full Text Available
AbstractIntrathymic expression of tissue-restricted antigens (TRAs) has been viewed as the key element in the induction of central tolerance and recently, a central role for the autoimmune...Full Text Available
Background Little is known about how migrants adapt to first-world public health systems. In Norway, patients are assigned a registered general practitioner (RGP) to provide basic care...Full Text Available
... We also toured a Trident submarine at Kings Bay, Ga. "During the weekend at the Joint Interagency Task Force Headquarters in Key West, Fla., we ...
Background/Objective:To determine the utility of certain instruments to assess sexuality and fertility after SCI, an expert panel identified key areas to study and evaluated...Full Text Available
Species that depend on ephemeral habitat often evolve distinct dispersal strategies in which the propensity to disperse is closely integrated with a suite of morphological, behavioural and physiological...Full Text Available
Despite the availability of dozens of animal genome sequences, two key questions remain unanswered: First, what fraction of any species' genome confers biological function, and second, are apparent...Full Text Available
BackgroundNeuropeptide Y is a key neurotransmitter of the central nervous system which plays a vital role in the feed energy homeostasis in mammals. Mutations in the regulatory and...Full Text Available
BackgroundA key question in the risk assessment of exposures to multiple chemicals is whether mixture effects may occur when chemicals are combined at low doses which individually...Full Text Available
Blunt chest-wall trauma is common; however, resultant tricuspid valve rupture is rare and can be subtle in its presentation. Transthoracic echocardiography plays a key role in diagnosis.Herein,...Full Text Available
BackgroundLarviciding is a key strategy used in many vector control programmes around the world. Costs could be reduced if larvicides could be manufactured locally. The potential...Full Text Available
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a switch of polarized epithelial cells to a migratory, fibroblastoid phenotype, is considered a key process driving tumor cell invasiveness and metastasis....Full Text Available
Given the high prevalence of overweight and low levels of physical activity among children, a better understanding of physical activity behaviour is an important step in intervention planning. This...Full Text Available
KOREA-JAPAN NUCLEAR WEAPON FREE ZONE (KJNWFZ) CONCEPT PAPER ...A Korea-Japan2 Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (hereafter KJNWFZ) is a new concept.Once realized, ...Finally, we outline the key elements of the Korea-Japan NWFZ proposed in this paper, noting
Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are highly polymorphic components of the vertebrate immune system, which play a key role in pathogen resistance. MHC genes may also function as odour-related...Full Text Available
Insulin resistance in skeletal muscle is a key phenotype associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) for which the molecular mediators remain unclear. We therefore conducted an expression analysis of human...Full Text Available
Mouse models have dramatically improved our understanding of cancer development and tumor biology. However, these models have shown limited efficacy as tractable systems for unbiased genetic...Full Text Available
The spliced alignment of expressed sequence data to genomic sequence has proven a key tool in the comprehensive annotation of genes in eukaryotic genomes. A novel algorithm was developed to assemble...Full Text Available
BackgroundGene regulation is a key mechanism in higher eukaryotic cellular processes. One of the major challenges in gene regulation studies is to identify regulators affecting the...Full Text Available
Background:The cardiac sodium–calcium exchanger (NCX1) is a key sarcolemmal protein for the maintenance of calcium homeostasis in the heart. Since heart failure...Full Text Available
Recently, we demonstrated that the central ghrelin signalling system, involving the ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1A), is important for alcohol reinforcement. Ghrelin targets a key mesolimbic circuit involved...Full Text Available
BackgroundDue to the high morbidity and mortality of fulminant hepatitis, early diagnosis followed by early effective treatment is the key for prognosis improvement. So far, little...Full Text Available
Moenomycin A (MmA) belongs to a family of natural products that inhibit peptidoglycan biosynthesis by binding to the peptidoglycan glycosyltransferases (PGTs), the enzymes that make the glycan...Full Text Available
Rapid place encoding by hippocampal neurons, as reflected by place-related firing, has been intensely studied, whereas the substrates that translate hippocampal place codes into behavior have received...Full Text Available
Summarizing the three main reasons why customized programs are commissioned, this book explains and explores the key aspects of successful development programs, with views from corporate sponsors, participants, faculty contributors and case studies of customised programs commissioned by 6 organizations
Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) constitute a key antibiotic-resistance mechanism affecting Gram-negative bacteria, and also an excellent model for studying evolution in real time. A shift in...Full Text Available
Trypanothione reductase (TryR) is a key enzyme involved in the oxidative stress management of the Trypanosoma and Leishmania parasites, which helps to maintain an intracellular reducing environment...Full Text Available
Chemoprevention strategies to prevent the development of lung cancer in at-risk individuals are a key component in disease management. In addition to being highly effective, an ideal chemopreventive...Full Text Available
Reversible protein glutathionylation plays a key role in cellular regulation and cell signaling and protects protein thiols from hyperoxidation. Sulfiredoxin (Srx), an enzyme that catalyzes the reduction...Full Text Available
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated to play key roles in normal physiological functions, and altered expression of specific miRNAs has been associated with a number of diseases. It is of great interest...Full Text Available
The mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) pathway plays a key role in mediating estrogen actions in the brain and neuronal sensitization during inflammation....Full Text Available
Detecting plant health conditions plays a key role in farm pest management and crop protection. In this study, measurement of hyperspectral leaf reflectance in rice crop (Oryzasativa...Full Text Available
Under anaerobic conditions, several species of green algae perform a light-dependent hydrogen production catalyzed by a special group of [FeFe] hydrogenases termed HydA. Although highly interesting...Full Text Available
We review the application of C. elegans as a model system to understand key aspects of stem cell biology. The only bona fide stem cells in C. elegans...Full Text Available
BackgroundBiomarkers play a key role in risk assessment, assessing treatment response, and detecting recurrence and the investigation of multiple biomarkers may also prove useful...Full Text Available
Hundreds of genomes have been successfully sequenced to date, and the data are publicly available. At the same time, the advances in large-scale expression and purification of recombinant proteins have...Full Text Available
The aim of the overview is to give a perspective of global biobank development is given in a view of positioning biobanking as a key resource for healthcare to identify new potential markers that can...Full Text Available
Tyrosinase or polyphenol oxidase (EC 1.14.18.1) is the key enzyme in melanin biosynthesis and in the enzymatic browning of fruits and vegetables. The role of tyrosinase in the secondary metabolism of...Full Text Available
Background and aims: Serotonin (5-hydroxtryptamine, 5-HT) is an important factor in gut function, playing key roles in intestinal peristalsis and secretion, and in sensory...Full Text Available
Sep 9, 2009 ... You are here: GES DISC Home Geomorphology from Space By Location Landforms by Location: Asia. Info. Landforms by Location: Asia. KEY, ASIA ...
The cofactor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) has emerged as a key regulator of metabolism, stress resistance and longevity. Apart from its role as ...Full Text Available
BackgroundAdipose tissue lipid storage and processing capacity can be a key factor for obesity-related metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and diabetes. Lipid uptake is...Full Text Available
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key regulator of energy metabolism; its activity is regulated by a plethora of physiological conditions, exercises and many anti-diabetic drugs. Recent...Full Text Available
From Toki-shakuyaku-san, an herbal formulation for “cleansing stagnated blood,” a key gene regulatory compound was purified and identified through a screening based on DNA microarray...Full Text Available
BackgroundStable transgenesis is an undeniable key to understanding any genetic system. Retrovirus-based insertional strategies, which feature several technical challenges when they...Full Text Available
Background and AimsSecondary growth via successive cambia has been intriguing researchers for decades. Insight into the mechanism of growth layer formation is, however, limited to...Full Text Available
The vanilloid receptor-1 (VR1, or transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 receptor, TRPV1) is activated by capsaicin, the key ingredient of hot peppers. TRPV1 was originally described on sensory neurons...Full Text Available
How learning and memory is achieved in the brain is a central question in neuroscience. Key to today’s research into information storage in the brain is the concept of synaptic plasticity, a...Full Text Available
This paper summarizes the establishment and current development of space activities in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Space activities in Venezuela are focused on the areas of telecommunications, Earth observation and research on the physical properties of the Earth, and have as a primary goal the satisfaction of social needs. Current development of space activities started in 1999 when the new National Constitution recognized the value of outer space as the common heritage of mankind, and the key role of science and technology in promoting human welfare. The Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities (ABAE) was created in 2007. Its legal framework recognizes three key elements that drive its policy: the participation of society, capacity building and human training, and international c...
Trapped ions are a near ideal system to study quantum information processing due to the high degree of control over the ion's external confinement and internal degrees of freedom. We demonstrate the key steps necessary for trapped ion quantum computing and focus on phonon-mediated entangling gates. We highlight several key algorithms implemented over the last decade with these gates and give a detailed description of Grover's quantum database search implemented with two trapped ion qubits.
To assist the Department of Energy (DOE) in fulfilling its responsibilities under the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985, the National Low-Level Waste Management Program (NLLWMP) outlines the key activities tat the NLLWMP will accomplish in the following fiscal year. Additional activities are added during the fiscal year as necessary to accomplish programmatic goals. This report summarizes the activities and accomplishments of the NLLWMP during Fiscal Year 1996.
With increasing liberalization of the energy sector, German suppliers of line-transmitted energy find themselves in an utterly changed sales environment, forcing companies and utilities to elaborate for the first time management policies and strategies that will ensure loyalty of their present customers, and help to solicit new customers. The article here explains some major terms and instruments used in designing key-account management strategies, as well as general procedures for suitability assessment. (orig/CB)
Five nomographs have been prepared that facilitate the estimation of cover thickness and cover material volume for the Uranium Mill Tailing Remedial Action Program. Key parameters determined include the cover thickness with either a surface radon flux or a boundary radon air concentration criterion and the total volume of cover material required for two different treatments of the edge slopes. Also included in the engineering guide are descriptions and representative values for the radon source term, the diffusion coefficients and the key meteorological parameters. 16 refs., 7 figs., 2 tabs.
A complete guide to 7000 key decision makers and 2800 organizations actively involved in energy today, the 1983 Directory updates the changes in state and Congressional energy offices that resulted from the 1982 elections, the reshuffling at DOE, the shifts of jurisdiction at the Department of the Interior, and the increasing role of the private sector in funding energy research and development. New features include the addition of nearly 100 major venture-capital firms and key public-affairs contacts. The Directory also features an Annual Energy Review highlighting development that will have international effects in the coming year.
This article presents a linear-analytical case study on the development of ICT within the educational systems of Chile and South Korea. Through a comprehensive meta-data analysis and bibliographic review, we collected information on both educational systems and their ICT adoption policies. Key differences necessary to understand how both countries have developed their educational systems by integrating ICT were analyzed, including the educational system structure, the organization of state entities responsible for educational ICT, cultural characteristics, the creation of policies regarding ICT in education, and the effectiveness of such policies for the expansion of infrastructure and the ICT curriculum integration. We analyze these key differences in order to understand two cases of ICT ...
There is increasing pressure to operate laboratory facilities in environmentally and financially sustainable ways. A key factor in achieving this goal is careful consideration of how energy is used by the buildings' ventilation system, both for conditioning air supplied to the laboratories and the energy used moving air through the building. Traditionally, laboratory energy use is treated as an engineering concern within the scope of the building's overall design and operation. However, this approach limits the involvement of key stakeholders in many important decisions and can lead to unexpected safety concerns for the laboratory's users. We believe that a broad view of the parties affected by a laboratory building's operations is necessary to avoid having the various stakeholders working...
Non-uniform radionuclide distribution in tumours will lead to a non-uniform absorbed dose. The aim of this study was to investigate how tumour control probability (TCP) depends on the radionuclide distribution in the tumour, both macroscopically and at the subcellular level. The absorbed dose in the cell nuclei of tumours was calculated for {sup 90}Y, {sup 177}Lu, {sup 103m}Rh and {sup 211}At. The radionuclides were uniformly distributed within the subcellular compartment and they were uniformly, normally or log-normally distributed among the cells in the tumour. When all cells contain the same amount of activity, the cumulated activities required for TCP = 0.99 (A-tilde{sub TCP=0.99}) were 1.5-2 and 2-3 times higher when the activity was distributed on the cell membrane compared to in the cell nucleus for {sup 103m}Rh and {sup 211}At, respectively. TCP for {sup 90}Y was not ...
Thermal absorption with its combined thermal and mechanical loads in a solar receiver does depend significantly on the distribution of incident solar radiation. For a cavity receiver with paraboloid collectar a method is derived which enables the calculation of solar radiation distribution on the areas inside the receiver. The theoretical bases are presented first, and a subsequent example shows the influence of the most important geometric parameters on the distribution of solar radiation.
... Note that the terminal ... Probability and Statistics with Reliability, Queueing, and Computer ... Weiss, G., "Stochastic Bounds on Distributions of Optimal ...
Most active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) exhibit particle size distributions with some degrees of asymmetry deviating from log-normality. A new log-skew-normal (L-S-N) distribution model is proposed for a systematic comparison of the asymmetry effect on content uniformity. The new model originated from the S-N model used by Azzalini gives a close approximation to real API particle size distribution. Monte-Carlo method was employed to simulate the dosage potency distribution. A high risk of over potency is uncovered when either the dose is low or API particle size distribution is positively skewed. This is due to the formation of pseudo heavy tail in potency distribution that decays slower than exponentially. Nomographs of API particle size versus dosage strength were constructed with a...
A one-way coupling system between the plant simulator TRAC/BF1-ENTREE and the subchannel code with the improved cross flow model, NASCA, has been developed. Based on a scenario of turbine trip tests in the Peach Bottom Unit 2, the wide and rapid reactivity insertion transient induced by the system pressure rise was calculated. The pin power distribution in hot bundles was re-constructed considering heterogeneity of the fuel bundle. When the neighboring control blade is withdrawn, NASCA predicted that the steady-state bundle exit void distribution was nearly flat with regardless of the pin power distribution. However, void distributions in the middle and lower bundle regions became complicated depending on the pin power and the two-phase flow regime in each subchannel. The pin power distribution rapidly changed according to traveling of control blades. However, influence in the void ...
Since 1998, The Pennsylvania State University successfully managed the Consortium for Premium Carbon Products from Coal (CPCPC), which was a vehicle for industry-driven research on the promotion, development, and transfer of innovative technologies on premium carbon products from coal to the U.S. industry. The CPCPC was an initiative led by Penn State, its cocharter member West Virginia University (WVU), and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), who also provided the base funding for the program, with Penn State responsible for consortium management. CPCPC began in 1998 under DOE Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC26-98FT40350. This agreement ended November 2004 but the CPCPC activity continued under cooperative agreement No. DE-FC26-03NT41874, which started October 1, 2003 and ended December 31, 2010. The objective of the second agreement was to continue the successful operation of the CPCPC. The CPCPC enjoyed tremendous success with ...
The Fermilab Steering Group has developed a plan to keep U.S. accelerator-based particle physics on the pathway to discovery, both at the Terascale with the LHC and the ILC and in the domain of neutrinos and precision physics with a high-intensity accelerator. The plan puts discovering Terascale physics with the LHC and the ILC as Fermilab's highest priority. While supporting ILC development, the plan creates opportunities for exciting science at the intensity frontier. If the ILC remains near the Global Design Effort's technically driven timeline, Fermilab would continue neutrino science with the NOVA experiment, using the NuMI (Neutrinos at the Main Injector) proton plan, scheduled to begin operating in 2011. If ILC construction must wait somewhat longer, Fermilab's plan proposes SNuMI, an upgrade of NuMI to create a more powerful neutrino beam. If the ILC start is postponed significantly, a central feature of the proposed Fermilab plan calls for building ...
This volume contains the papers presented at the 1st International Workshop on "Decentralized Coordination of Distributed Processes", DCDP 2010, held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on June 10th, 2010 in conjunction with the 5th International Federated Conferences on Distributed Computing Techniques, DisCoTec 2010. The central theme of the workshop is the decentralized coordination of distributed processes. Decentralized: there is no single authority in the network that everything is vulnerable to. Coordinated: processes need to cooperate to achieve meaningful results, potentially in the face of mutual suspicion. Distributed: processes are separated by a potentially unreliable network.
The formation of the ions charge and energy distributions of the ions slowed down or randomly changing their charge in the collisions with the medium particles are studied. The effect of the ions dispersion by the charge on the Bragg curve form is investigated. The proposed diffusion approximation for the heavy ions kinetic equation makes it possible to determine simply the parameters of the ions distribution by charge and energy on the whole way of the ions motion. The relation between the ions charge distribution characteristics and the cross sections of the ionization-recombination processes is indicated. The ions distributions, calculated in the proposed analytical model, are compared with the results of the numerical calculations. Good agreement between the analytical, numerical and experimental results is obtained
In nuclear fuel, in approximately one quarter of the fissions, one of the two formed fission products is gaseous. These are mainly the noble gases xenon and krypton with isotopes of xenon contributing up to 90% of the product gases. These noble fission gases do not combine with other species, and have a low solubility in the normally used uranium oxide matrix. They can be dissolved in the fuel matrix or precipitate in nanometer-sized bubbles within the fuel grain, in micrometer-sized bubbles at the grain boundaries, and a fraction also precipitates in fuel pores, coming from fuel fabrication. A fraction of the gas can also be released into the plenum of the fuel rod. With increasing fission, and therefore burn-up, the ceramic fuel material experiences a transformation of its structure in the 'cooler' rim region of the fuel. A subdivision occurs of the original fuel grains of few microns size into thousands of small grains of sub-micron sizes. Additionally, larger ...
Blood kinetics and tissue distribution of 20, 80 and 110 nm silver nanoparticles were investigated in rats up to 16 days after intravenous administration once daily for 5 consecutive days. Following both single and repeated injection, silver nanoparticles disappeared rapidly from the blood and distributed to all organs evaluated (liver, lungs, spleen, brain, heart, kidneys and testes) regardless of size. The 20 nm particles distributed mainly to liver, followed by kidneys and spleen, whereas the larger particles distributed mainly to spleen followed by liver and lung. In the other organs evaluated, no major differences between the sizes were observed. Size-dependent tissue distribution suggests size-dependent toxicity and health risks. Repeated administration resulted in accumulation in li...
Abstract Uniformly distributing slurry solids in -tall- (-2:1 aspect ratio) process vessels is a significant challenge in the chemical industry. This work determined the performance of various multi-tier agitation systems in uniformly distributing a settling solid throughout water in a -tall- laboratory vessel. It used a 0.445-m ID Plexiglas tank, with a slurry height of 0.889-m, to determine how solids distribution changes with solids loading (wt.%), impeller speed, and impeller type. Some impeller types uniformly distributed the solids even before energy input exceeded 1.00-W/kg. Significantly higher energy improved solids distribution little because flow within the vessel eventually became choked.
The coherent flucton model is applied to the description of some basic nuclear properties, such as: ground state energies, bond energies, nucleon momentum spectra, and nuclear density distributions. It is shown that the momentum distributions of the nucleons coincide with the Fermi distribution for small momenta and exhibit a well pronounced high energy ''tail'', thus providing inclusive reactions of pi-meson generations in kinematically forbidden areas at nucleon-nucleon collisions. Analytical expressions for the bond energy and nuclear density distribution are derived. An agreement with the experimentally obtained data is achieved. The model features are discussed referring to the processes, characterized mainly by the geometric and dynamic properties of the nuclei, as well as by nuclear density distribution. In particular, ion-ion scattering ...
The coherent flucton model is applied to the description of some basic nuclear properties, such as: ground state energies, bond energies, nucleon momentum spectra, and nuclear density distributions. It is shown that the momentum distributions of the nucleons coincide with the Fermi distribution for small momenta and exhibit a well pronounced high energy ''tail'', thus providing inclusive reactions of pi-meson generations in kinematically forbidden areas at nucleon-nucleon collisions. Analytical expressions for the bond energy and nuclear density distribution are derived. An agreement with the experimentally obtained data is achieved. The model features are discussed referring to the processes, characterized mainly by the geometric and dynamic properties of the nuclei, as well as by nuclear density distribution. In particular, ion-ion scattering processes at high energy are ...
The focus of this study is on the preparatory detection of uncertain net greenhouse gas (GHG) emission changes (also termed emission signals) under the Kyoto Protocol. The crucial question to be addressed is: How well do we need to know net emissions if we want to detect a specified emission signal after a given time? No restrictions exist as to what concerns the net emitter, which may be any GHG source or sink. Annex I countries are chosen as net emitters, simply for reasons of data availability and because of the excellent possibility of comparing net emitters (inter-country comparison). The countries' emissions - in an increasing number of cases even their uncertainties - are available permitting the application of preparatory signal detection techniques, which are suited to address the aforementioned question. We currently discuss four hierarchically-ordered detection concepts to assess emission signals in a preparatory manner, that is, at two ...
AIM: To assess the impact of the introduction of a computed tomography (CT) imaging protocol for multi-trauma patients on the workload, overall diagnostic yield, and effect on detection of cervical spine injury and pneumothorax. METHOD: Between February 1997 and April 2004, all patients presenting acutely to the Emergency Department (ED) with haemodynamically stable trauma (Abbreviated Injury Scale 3 or more) involving more than two body systems were imaged with a comprehensive pre-set helical CT protocol (including non-contrast head, cervical spine: cranio-cervical and cervico-thoracic junctions; and oral and intravenous contrast-enhanced thoracic, abdomen and pelvis) after initial triage and a standard trauma series of radiographs (chest, lateral C-spine and pelvis). Diagnosis of cervical spine fracture and pneumothorax was noted before and after the CT protocol was carried out and findings from all studies were recorded ...
This document describes products which the US EPA Wetlands Research Program proposes to develop during the years 1989-1994. The general protocols used to develop these products are also described. All these products are intended to address concerns about the wetlands and water quality, and are part of a larger set of products EPA is developing to deal with other aspects of wetlands. EPA's highly interrelated concerns about wetlands and water quality can be generally categorized as follows: water quality criteria to protect wetland function; ecological status of the wetland resource; and waste-assimilation limits of wetlands.
We analyze the average of weak values over statistical ensembles of pre- and post-selected states. The protocol of weak values, proposed by Aharonov et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 60 (1988) 1351], is the result of a weak measurement conditional on the outcome of a subsequent strong (projective) measurement. Weak values can be beyond the range of eigenvalues of the measured observable and, in general, can be complex numbers. We show that averaging over ensembles of pre- and post-selected states reduces the weak value within the range of eigenvalues of Formula Not Shown . We further show that the averaged result expressed in terms of pre- and post-selected density matrices, allows us to include the effect of decoherence.
Paget Schroetter syndrome, or effort thrombosis of the axillosubclavian venous system, is distinct from other forms of upper limb deep vein thrombosis. It occurs in younger patients and often is secondary to competitive sport, music, or strenuous occupation. If untreated, there is a higher incidence of disabling venous hypertension than was previously appreciated. Anticoagulation alone or in combination with thrombolysis leads to a high rate of rethrombosis. We have established a multidisciplinary protocol over 15?years, based on careful patient selection and a combination of lysis, decompressive surgery, and postoperative percutaneous venoplasty. During the past 10?years, a total of 232 decompression procedures have been performed. This article reviews the literature and presents the Exet...
We present a novel preparation method for studies of in vitro reconstituted mitotic chromosomes from Xenopus laevis egg extracts. This method involves a gentle adsorption of chromosomes from the extracts using surface affinity enrichment, followed by plunge freezing, freeze-substitution and cryo-embedding before examination by EM tomography. For comparison, chromosomes were also prepared by a conventional method, which included immobilization of chromosomes in agarose and a room-temperature dehydration (embedding) protocol. Three-dimensional reconstructions showed that samples prepared with the new method have a greater interconnectivity of sub-structural features and a higher compaction ratio together with an apparently less perturbed chromatin structure than those prepared using the conventional approach. The implications of the new method for the preparation of other difficult samples and additional application possibilities are discussed.
A general method for stable-isotope labeling of large proteins is introduced and applied for studies of the E. coli GroE chaperone proteins by solution NMR. In addition to enabling the residue-specific {sup 15}N-labeling of proteins on a highly deuterated background, it is also an efficient approach for uniform labeling. The method meets the requirements of high-level deuteration, minimal cross-labeling and high protein yield, which are crucial for NMR studies of structures with sizes above 150 kDa. The results obtained with the new protocol are compared to other strategies for protein labeling, and evaluated with regard to the influence of external factors on the resulting isotope labeling patterns. Applications with the GroE system show that these strategies are efficient tools for studies of structure, dynamics and intermolecular interactions in large supramolecular complexes, when combined with TROSY- and CRINEPT-based experimental NMR schemes.
There are mainly two protocols in isoflavone analysis, one that involves hydrolysis prior to HPLC analysis and the other direct HPLC analysis. In this study, three different hydrolysis methods were systematically re-evaluated, and compared with direct HPLC analysis. Acidic hydrolysis (1.2-3M HCl in ethanol at 80^oC) showed a maximum conversion of ca. 92% from glucosides to aglycones in 2h; however, longer reaction caused degradation of genistein. Alkaline hydrolysis using 2M NaOH converted acetylglucosides and malonylglucosides to their respective glucosides within 10min. Glucuronidase from H. pomatia effectively converted isoflavone glucosides and acetylglucosides to aglycones. Quantification of the total isoflavones in various soy food products showed no significant difference among dire...
Background: Although research on epistemological beliefs has expanded over the past two decades, there are still some issues that need to be explored, such as whether epistemological beliefs are domain general or domain specific. Purpose: One of the purposes of this research was to determine if high school students' general epistemological beliefs were different from their epistemological beliefs in the domain of physics. Sample: The research was conducted with 15 grade nine students studying in an urban all-boys school. Their average age was 16. Their previous school experiences were traditional oriented. Design and methods: A case study design with qualitative methods was used for the research. Two questionnaires were developed and used in semi-structured interview protocols two times, w...
The recent developments in the mobile technology (mobile phones, middleware) created a need for new methods of protecting the code transmitted through the network. The proposed mechanisms not only secure the compiled program, but also the data, that can be gathered during its "journey". The oldest and the simplest methods are more concentrated on integrity of the code itself and on the detection of unauthorized manipulation. Other, more advanced proposals protect not only the code but also the execution state and the collected data. The paper is divided into two parts. The first one is mostly devoted to different methods of securing the code and protecting its integrity; starting from watermarking and fingerprinting, up to methods designed specially for mobile agent systems: encrypted function, cryptographic traces, time limited black-box security, chained-MAC protocol, publicly-verifiable chained digital signatures The second part presents new concept for ...
Introduction: Patients in underdeveloped nations have limited access to life-saving medical technology including cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices. We evaluated alternative means to provide such technology to this patient population while assessing the safety and efficacy of such a practice. Methods: Patients in the United States with clinical indications for extraction of CRM devices were consented. Antemortem CRM devices were cleaned and sterilized following a protocol established at our institution. Surveillance in vitro cultures were performed for quality assurance. The functional status of pulse generators was tested with a pacing system analyzer to confirm at least 70% battery life. Most generators were transported, in person, to an implanting institution in Nicaragua. Recipien...
We present a quantum secure direct communication scheme achieved by swapping quantum entanglement. In this scheme a set of ordered Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) pairs is used as a quantum information channel for sending secret messages directly. After insuring the safety of the quantum channel, the sender Alice encodes the secret messages directly by applying a series local operations on her particle sequences according to their stipulation. Using three EPR pairs, three bits of secret classical information can be faithfully transmitted from Alice to remote Bob without revealing any information to a potential eavesdropper. By both Alice and Bob's GHZ state measurement results, Bob is able to read out the encoded secret messages directly. The protocol is completely secure if perfect quantum channel is used, because there is not a transmission of the qubits carrying the secret message between Alice and Bob in the public channel.
Abstract Elevated temperatures resulting from climate change pose a clear threat to reef-building corals; however, the traits that might influence corals- survival and dispersal during climate change remain poorly understood. Global gene expression profiling is a powerful hypothesis-forming tool that can help elucidate these traits. Here, we applied a novel RNA-Seq protocol to study molecular responses to heat and settlement inducers in aposymbiotic larvae of the reef-building coral Acropora millepora. This analysis of a single full-sibling family revealed contrasting responses between short- (4-h) and long-term (5-day) exposures to elevated temperatures. Heat shock proteins were up-regulated only in the short-term treatment, while the long-term treatment induced the down-regulation of rib...
The document presents an overview on atmospheric pollution in Lebanon, with an analysis of sources of pollution, their impact on local and global environment and their control.Local causes of pollution are mainly: -Thermal power plants of electric power production which produce 75% SO_2 emission and 60% dust - Industries, especially cement industry - Land transportation which produces 70% NOX emission and 50% CO_2 A description of air pollution caused by these three sectors is revealed. Pollutants derived from fuel combustion are analyzed. It is estimated that in 2010, Co_2 emission will reach 5204450 tons, SO_2 emission will be 136470 tons, NOX emissions 96870 and dust estimated to 4130 tons. CFC consumption and measures of control according to Montreal Protocol are described. Recommendations for control of air pollution in Lebanon within a national policy are presented.
Abstract: The recent National Academy of Sciences report on forensic sciences states that the study of fire patterns and debris in arson fires is in need of additional work and eventual standardization. We discuss a recently introduced method that can provide predicted evaporation patterns for ignitable liquids as a function of temperature. The method is a complex fluid analysis protocol, the advanced distillation curve approach, featuring a composition explicit data channel for each distillate fraction (for qualitative, quantitative, and trace analysis), low uncertainty temperature measurements that are thermodynamic state points that can be modeled with an equation of state, consistency with a century of historical data, and an assessment of the energy content of each distillate fraction...
The author investigates whether the international law regime so far has developed any legal principles dealing with the problem of the dumping of radioactive waste in the sub-seabed, and whether any of such provisions available adequately tackle the problem in the light of the gravity of danger emanating from radioactive waste. The study covers over 30 different texts of international treaties and protocols. Points of main interest are the London Dumping Convention and the Montego Bay Convention on the Law of the Sea. The author concludes that the disposal of radioactive waste into the seabed belongs to the permissible, although not specially allowed activities within the framework of the freedom of the high seas, and therefore urgently calls for establishing an international regulatory system pertaining to the planning and accomplishment of such activities. An outline legal concept of a regulatory system is explained. (orig./HSCH).
Penile rehabilitation therapy following radical prostatectomy is a much debated topic. Erectile dysfunction is still a significant contributor to postoperative morbidity following radical prostatectomy, despite meticulous nerve-sparing technique. Secondary smooth muscle changes in the penis have been identified as the underlying causes of penile atrophy, veno-occlusive dysfunction, and fibrosis. Initial observations that intracavernous injection therapies used on a regular basis postoperatively resulted in improvements in the return of spontaneous erectile function led to the development of penile rehabilitation protocols. Chronic dosing of PDE-V inhibitors is now commonly used by urologists after radical prostatectomy. Despite the current enthusiasm of penile rehabilitation therapy, current scientific evidence with clinical trials is still limited. PMID:19255627
Objectives: Many youth with tics experience distress about having tics and how others may perceive them. Such symptoms are often more impairing and distressing than are the tics and negatively impact self-concept, functioning, and quality of life. Although treatments exist that target the frequency and severity of tics, no intervention has been developed that helps youth with tics cope with their condition and limit associated functional impairment and distress. Given this, we developed a cognitive-behaviorally oriented psychotherapy protocol that promotes adaptive coping and resiliency among youth with tics in addressing varied issues commonly experienced by this population. This poster reports data from the Phase I component of this study. Method: Phase I concentrated on developing the t...
Objectives The optimal timing of pyeloplasty for children diagnosed with ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) after workup for antenatal hydronephrosis is disputed. We sought to examine the potential costs and clinical outcomes of treatment protocols featuring different indications for pediatric pyeloplasty using Markov models. Methods Cost and outcomes analysis using Markov modeling was performed for three treatment algorithms: medical management, immediate pyeloplasty (during the first year of life), and pyeloplasty after no improvement on imaging. The costs were determined from the perspective of the medical institution. The variables tracked during Markov model simulation included age at resolution of UPJO, the proportion of patients with worsened hydronephrosis, the number of pye...
The aim of a joint effort by different research teams was to provide an improved procedure for enzyme activity profiling of field-sampled ectomycorrhizae, including recommendations on the best conditions and maximum duration for storage of ectomycorrhizal samples. A more simplified and efficient protocol compared to formerly published procedures was achieved by using manufactured 96-filter plates in combination with a vacuum manifold and by optimizing incubation times. Major improvements were achieved by performing the series of eight enzyme assays with a single series of root samples instead of two series, reducing the time needed for sample preparation, minimizing error-prone steps such as pipetting and morphotyping, and facilitating subsequent DNA analyses due to the reduced sequencing ...
Abstract Purpose: We investigated the effects of various rinsing and healing protocols on corneal wound repair and inflammation following alkali burn in rabbits. Methods: We conducted in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo studies. First, different rinse solutions were tested in vitro after incubation of ocular cells with methanol or NaOH. Cell viability was then assessed using the neutral red test (cytofluorometry). Second, NaOH was applied to rabbit corneas and associations of rinse solutions (NaCl 0.9% or controlled ionization marine solutions) with N-acetylcysteine or vegetable oils (from Calophyllum inophyllum and Aleurites moluccana) were tested in vivo. The regeneration of the corneal epithelium and the infiltration of inflammatory cells were evaluated using in vivo confocal microscopy and e...
When withdrawing a fluid sample (for additional chromatographic analyses) from an apparatus operated at a reduced pressure, a typical syringe proves to be ineffective (even if it is equipped with a gas tight plunger). It simply does not create enough pressure differential to remove a fluid sample from a reduced pressure environment. We encountered such a situation as part of efforts to extend the operation of the advanced distillation curve protocol to reduced pressures. The problem was solved by the development of a pressure balance syringe that allows reliable and precise sampling from an apparatus operating at sub-ambient pressures. This new device uses an external vacuum source to evacuate a syringe barrel, allowing a user to withdraw fluid samples from environments with pressures as l...
The Superconducting super Collider Laboratory is a complex of particle accelerators being built in Ellis County, Texas. It will have a dedicated global communications network that will deliver control messages and provide for general data acquisition. This network will connect thousands of computer nodes over a very large geographic area. In order to meet the demanding availability requirements being levied on the system, it will need comprehensive network management. A large number of the computer nodes are embedded systems that traditionally do not support network management services. This presents unique challenges to standard network management practices. The Simple Network Management Protocol, SNMP, is widely accepted by industry as a tool to manage network devices. In this paper the authors examine the performance characteristics and usefulness of an SNMP agent in a real-time environment.
A new protocol technology is just starting to emerge from the laboratory environment. Its stated purpose is to provide an additional means in which networks, and the services that reside on them, can be protected from adversarial compromise. This report has a two-fold objective. First is to provide the reader with an overview of this emerging Dynamic Defenses technology using Dynamic Network Address Translation (Dynat). This ''structure overview'' is concentrated in the body of the report, and describes the important attributes of the technology. The second objective is to provide a framework that can be used to help in the classification and assessment of the different types of dynamic defense technologies along with some related capabilities and limitations. This information is primarily contained in the appendices.
A multi-centre evaluation of the test strip analyser, Rapimat, was performed by four laboratories following the ECCLS 2nd draft guidelines for the evaluation of analysers in clinical chemistry. Using the Rapignost urine test strip with the test fields for bilirubin, urobilinogen, acetoacetate, ascorbic acid, glucose, protein, nitrite, pH and haemoglobin, the Rapimat was found to be analytically reliable in comparison with other, in most cases quantitative procedures. During the observation period of about 6 months no breakdown occurred in any laboratory. Interferences and sensitivity as discussed for the bilirubin and urobilinogen test field are more related to the test strip than to the instrument. Several improvements for further developments are suggested. This multi-centre study has shown that the ECCLS protocol is applicable to analytical procedures leading to discrete results. PMID:4056663
The dynamic dielectric susceptibility and the elastic compliance of the relaxor ferroelectric lanthanum lead zirconate titanate (PLZT) 9/65/35 have been measured under different cooling and heating protocols in order to study aging and memory. The memory of multiple aging stages at different temperatures has been found (several dips in the susceptibility curves on heating), as in spin glass systems below the glass transition. Remarkably, in PLZT the memory of several aging stages is retained also above the freezing temperature deduced from the dynamic susceptibilities. The results are discussed in light of the existing models of aging and memory in spin and dipolar glasses. PMID:15447139
Carcinogenesis is now generally recognized to be an important detrimental effect in man after low dose irradiation. The carcinogenic action of ionizing radiation is clearly demonstrated after exposure to relatively high doses (in excess of 0.5 Gy) but for lower dose levels reliable direct observations are not available. With the introduction of special protocols for the performance of large scale screening programs by mammography the average absorbed dose in glandular tissue in the average breast can be restricted to a value of 3 mGy per mammogram. The risk for tumor induction after exposure to these low doses can never be established from human epidemiology. In order to investigate the risk of repeated exposure to small dose of ionizing radiation the induction of mammary tumors has been investigated in rats of the WAG/Rij strain after single and fractionated irradiations with gamma-rays. (author). 8 refs., 3 figs.
Between 1964 and 1977, 94 patients with Ewing's sarcoma of bone were treated at the National Cancer Institute. They received 5000 rad to the whole bone and progressively more aggressive chemotherapy protocols. The patients were divided according to site of primary lesion into central, proximal and distal lesions, with 19%, 33% and 57%, respectively, alive and well. The local control rate is high (93%), with good functional results in the distal lesions, and no changes are needed in radiation therapy dose or volume. Control is not as satisfactory for central and proximal lesions and efforts need to be made to increase control at these sites. We are at present attempting to define more accurately the extent of soft tissue disease, increasing the dose to 6000 rad for central lesions, and using a more aggressive chemotherapy program, in the hope of increasing the local control in these more aggressive tumors.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess interinstitutional variations in planning for stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for lung cancer before the start of the Japan Clinical Oncology Group (JCOG) 0403 trial.Methods and Materials: Eleven institutions created virtual plans for four cases of solitary lung cancer. The created plans should satisfy the target definitions and the dose constraints for the JCOG 0403 protocol.Results: FOCUS/XiO (CMS) was used in six institutions, Eclipse (Varian) in 3, Cadplan (Varian) in one, and Pinnacle3 (Philips/ADAC) in one. Dose calculation algorithms of Clarkson with effective path length correction and superposition were used in FOCUS/XiO; pencil beam convolution with Batho power law correction was used in Eclipse and Cadplan; and collapsed co...
The IAEA has requested several member states to present their proposal of the application of the Integrated Safeguards (IS) system in their nuclear facilities. This report contains a IS proposal for Finland prepared under the Task FIN C 1264 of The Finnish Support Programme to IAEA Safeguards. The comprehensive safeguards system of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been one of the main tools in the fight against nuclear proliferation since the entry-into-force of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty three decades ago. In the 1990s some of the inherent weaknesses of this so-called traditional safeguards system were revealed first in Iraq and then in North Korea. Therefore, the member states of the LAEA decided to give the Agency additional legal authority in order to make its control system more effective as well as more efficient than before. This was accomplished by the approval of the so-called Model Additional Protocol (INFCIRC/540) in 1997. ...
The Model of Acidification of Groundwaters in Catchments (MAGIC) was used to simulate the impact of acidifying deposition and future recovery at the Gaardsjoen Covered Catchment Experiment, at a number of hypothetical stations defined by statistical variation of the Gaardsjoen data and at 20 forest monitoring sites in Southern Sweden. For the future predictions a decrease of sulphur deposition of more than 70% was assumed. This assumption is based on a full implementation of the agreements made under the second sulphur protocol from 1994. The modelled impact of reduced deposition on the soils and on the runoff waters was discussed. To complement the discussion on long-term trends in future run-off chemistry, data from Gaardsjoen has been used to asses the risk for short-term acid runoff episodes 26 refs, 23 figs, 7 tabs
Abstract In response to growing consumer concerns, developed-country governments have reduced permissible pesticide residue levels in food. Many food retailers have developed even more stringent private food safety protocols relating to pesticide use, storage and disposal and passed them on to their suppliers. Exporters in developing countries enforce these developed-country pesticide standards (DC-PS) by subjecting farmers to close monitoring. This study explores the effects of enforcing compliance with DC-PS on smallholder farmers' pesticide-related health costs. Results suggest that enforcing DC-PS encourages farmers to use protection that lowers pesticide-induced morbidity, hence reducing farmers' health costs from pesticide exposure. The study concludes that there are health benefits ...
The formaldehyde surface emission monitor (FSEM) has been developed for passive non-destructive measurement of formaldehyde (CH/sub 2/O) emission rates from CH/sub 2/O resin-containing materials. It is envisaged as a potential quality control and in-situ monitoring technique. For quality control applications to pressed-wood products, strong correlations between the results of the FSEM and environmentally controlled (small scale) chamber tests were observed. The FSEM is used to measure the cumulative CH/sub 2/O emission from a finite area of pressed-wood product during a fixed test period. The final result is reported as an average CH/sub 2/O emission rate (mg CH/sub 2/O/m/sup 2/h).
Although good encryption functions are probabilistic, most symbolic models do not capture this aspect explicitly. A typical solution, recently used to prove the soundness of such models with respect to computational ones, is to explicitly represent the dependency of ciphertexts on random coins as labels. In order to make these label-based models useful, it seems natural to try to extend the underlying decision procedures and the implementation of existing tools. In this paper we put forth a more practical alternative based on the following soundness theorem. We prove that for a large class of security properties (that includes rather standard formulations for secrecy and authenticity properties), security of protocols in the simpler model implies security in the label-based model. Combined with the soundness result of (\\textbf{?}) our theorem enables the translation of security results in unlabeled symbolic models to computational security.
In both office and home environments, Ethernet represents the dominant networking technology in use. Ethernet is low cost and the networks are fairly understood by users. The author began by explaining the physical and data link layers of Ethernet, then touched on fibre-optic cables. The industrial protocols were discussed, followed by Ethernet network topology. The environmental robustness of Ethernet networks was reviewed, with a word of caution from the author, advising to properly evaluate whether Ethernet represents a mission-critical component of the substation, as substation control houses are not environmentally controlled spaces, often minimally heated and no cooling. Engineering access to station Integrated Electric Drives (IEDs). By properly connecting Ethernet networks, it is possible to access relays in the substations from desktop engineering workstations in the central office. Network security issues must be addressed to prevent unauthorized access ...
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) provides mechanisms for reliable data communications. Although it works well in wired networks, it fails to offer satisfactory performance in lossy and wireless environments. And in the multi-hop wireless infrastructure, packet delivery suffers high cumulative loss rate if traveling over multiple wireless hops. The Selective acknowledgment (SACK) is one header option that might be used to combat segment corruptions in air channels. In this paper, an alternative set of flow control mechanisms is proposed to handle high packet loss rate in a wireless medium. Using a measurement-based mechanism, sustainable segment delivery is achievable through a novel size-reduction method. Multiple segment retransmission mechanisms are introduced to reduce successive tim...
A study was undertaken to assess the effect of different storage temperatures on senescence and postharvest performance of isolated flowers of Ranunculus asiaticus L.. The main aim of the work was to develop a cost-effective storage protocol to reduce the postharvest losses and to bring out the transportation of cut flowers of R. Asiaticus. The flowers were subjected to two different storage treatments, dry storage and wet storage, and their postharvest performance was compared under laboratory conditions. For this purpose, the buds were harvested at 8:00 AM at loose bud stage (Stage II of flower development). The harvested buds were cut to a uniform size of 15 cm and processed for dry or wet storage. For dry storage, the buds were packed after wrapping them in moistened filter papers and ...
Effect of Abdominal Active Can on DFTs. Introduction: Many patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) have older lead systems, which are usually not replaced at the time of pulse generator replacement unless a malfunction is noted. Therefore, optimization of defibrillation with these lead systems is clinically important. The objective of this prospective study was to determine if an active abdominal pulse generator (Can) affects chronic defibrillation thresholds (DFTs) with a dual-coil, transvenous ICD lead system. Methods and Results: The study population consisted of 39 patients who presented for routine abdominal pulse generator replacement. Each patient underwent two assessments of DFT using a step-down protocol, with the order of testing randomized. The distal right ...
Background: Ventricular repolarization (VR) is strongly influenced by heart rate (HR) and autonomic nervous activity, both of which also are important for arrhythmogenesis. Their relative influence on VR is difficult to separate, but might be crucial for understanding while some but not other individuals are at risk for life-threatening arrhythmias at a certain HR. This study was therefore designed to assess the -pure- effect of HR increase by atrial pacing on the ventricular gradient (VG) and other vectorcardiographically (VCG) derived VR parameters during an otherwise unchanged condition. Methods: In 19 patients with structurally normal hearts, a protocol with stepwise increased atrial pacing was performed after successful arrhythmia ablation. Conduction intervals were measured on averag...
ABSTRACT Purpose: The aim of this two-center study was to evaluate screw-type titanium implants with a chemically modified, sandblasted and acid-etched surface when placed in the posterior maxilla or mandible, and loaded 21 days after placement. Material and Methods: All 56 patients met strict inclusion criteria and provided informed consent. Each patient displayed either a single-tooth gap, an extended edentulous space, or a distal extension situation in the posterior mandible or maxilla. Eighty-nine dental implants (SLActive, Institut Straumann AG, Basel, Switzerland) were inserted according to an established nonsubmerged protocol and underwent undisturbed healing for a period of 21 days. Where appropriate, the implants were loaded after 21 days of healing with provisional restorations i...
A novel PCR based assay was devised to specifically detect contamination of any Salmonella serovar in milk, fruit juice and ice-cream without pre-enrichment. This method utilizes primers against hilA gene which is conserved in all Salmonella serovars and absent from the close relatives of Salmonella. An optimized protocol, in terms time and money, is provided for the reduction of PCR contaminants from milk, ice-cream and juice through the use of routine laboratory chemicals. The simplicity, efficiency (time taken 3-4 h) and sensitivity (to about 5-10 CFU/ml) of this technique confers a unique advantage over other previously used time consuming detection techniques. This technique does not involve pre-enrichment of the samples or extensive sample processing, which was a pre-requisite in mos...
The National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP) was implemented in 1997 to update and improve the quality of food composition data maintained by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). NFNAP was designed to sample and analyze frequently consumed foods in the U.S. food supply using statistically rigorous sampling plans, established sample handling procedures, and qualified analytical laboratories. Methods for careful handling of food samples from acquisition to analysis were developed to ensure the integrity of the samples and subsequent generation of accurate nutrient values. The infrastructure of NFNAP, under which over 1500 foods have been sampled, mandates tested sample handling protocols for a wide variety of foods. The majority of these foods were categorized into ...
The introduction of automation technology into the analytical laboratory holds the promise of higher efficiency, improved productivity, and lower costs. However, the conventional ''laboratory robot'' widely used today may not offer the work envelope or reliability required in a high workload laboratory performing quality control or environmental analytical services. To address this need, a demonstration workcell was assembled utilizing an industrial-class robotics system to automate a standard EPA acid digestion protocol. With further development of graphical user interfaces and error recovery software, the technology will significantly enhance the ability of laboratories to meet increasingly complex environmental demands. 7 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.
We investigate optimal resource allocation for delay-limited cooperative communication in time varying wireless networks. Motivated by real-time applications that have stringent delay constraints, we develop a dynamic cooperation strategy that makes optimal use of network resources to achieve a target outage probability (reliability) for each user subject to average power constraints. Using the technique of Lyapunov optimization, we first present a general framework to solve this problem and then derive quasi-closed form solutions for several cooperative protocols proposed in the literature. Unlike earlier works, our scheme does not require prior knowledge of the statistical description of the packet arrival, channel state and node mobility processes and can be implemented in an online fashion.
Abstract This study aimed at developing a suitable cryopreservation protocol for embryonic stem (ES)-like cells of a tiny freshwater fish Leopard danio (Brachydanio frankei). Embryonic stem (ES)-like cells derived from blastomeres of the early blastulae stage of the developing embryo were cultured in vitro in a medium containing Leibowitz-15 supplemented with 10% foetal bovine serum, leopard danio embryo extract, sodium bicarbonate, sodium selenite, basic fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor and leukaemia inhibitory factor. The ES-like cells showed properties similar to ES cells in other species. They were morphologically small, round to polygonal and present in patches and extensively expressed alkaline phosphatase and stage-specific embryonic antigen. The toxicity and chilli...
We are developing a refuelable zinc/air battery (6-cells) for evaluation under the five USABC `core` test protocols. In the first half of the two year project ($1OOK, FY1997), an advanced refuelable design was developed, fabricated and tested at power levels up to 415 W. Performance matched or exceeded that of earlier multicell systems. A computer program was developed for automated data acquisition and drive cycle simulation. Small mockup cells (80 cm 2) were constructed for rapid testing of components. In the follow-on effort (FY1998, $1OOK) we will make minor advances in system design and fabrication efficiency, and seek to improve cathode performance and life, before delivery of two final units for test at DOE laboratory.
A procedure for code Verification by the Method of Manufactured Solutions (MMS) is presented. Although the procedure requires a certain amount of creativity and skill, we show that MMS can be applied to a variety of engineering codes which numerically solve partial differential equations. This is illustrated by detailed examples from computational fluid dynamics. The strength of the MMS procedure is that it can identify any coding mistake that affects the order-of-accuracy of the numerical method. A set of examples which use a blind-test protocol demonstrates the kinds of coding mistakes that can (and cannot) be exposed via the MMS code Verification procedure. The principle advantage of the MMS procedure over traditional methods of code Verification is that code capabilities are tested in full generality. The procedure thus results in a high degree of confidence that all coding mistakes which prevent the equations from being solved correctly have been identified.
Abstract A novel and convenient protocol for the preparation of an open-tubular column coated with chitosan-silica hybrid using chitosan and silane-coupling agent (-glycidoxy-propyltrimethoxysilane) was developed for CEC, in which, chitosan was covalently bonded to the inner wall of a fused-silica capillary using -glycidoxy-propyltrimethoxysilane as a cross-linking agent. The stationary phase was hydrophilic due to the chitosan-silica hybrid with abundant amine and hydroxyl functional groups. The chromatographic characteristics of the column were evaluated by the separation of some organic acids and inorganic anions. The column showed good selectivity for nucleotides, aromatic acids, and inorganic anions. The mechanism for the separation of these compounds was primarily based on the hydrop...
The purpose of this study was to compare cardiopulmonary fitness and endurance in 9-11-year-old children with DCD against a group of typically developing children in Taiwan. The Movement ABC test was used to evaluate the motor abilities of children. Forty-one participants (20 children with DCD and 21 children without DCD) were recruited for this study. The cardiopulmonary tests included the 800-m run test and the peak oxygen consumption (peak VO2) test using the Bruce treadmill protocol. No significant differences in age, body height, body weight, body mass index, and percentage of body fat between children with DCD and without DCD were found. However, there were significant differences in the cardiopulmonary endurance tests between children with DCD and without DCD. Children with DCD had ...
Abstract Question: How do the diversity, size structure, and spatial pattern of woody species in a temperate (Mediterranean climate) forest compare to temperate and tropical forests? Location: Mixed evergreen coastal forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA. Methods: We mapped, tagged, identified, and measured all woody stems (?1 cm diameter) in a 6-ha forest plot, following Center for Tropical Forest Science protocols. We compared patterns to those found in 14 tropical and 12 temperate forest plots. Results: The forest is dominated by Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and three species of Fagaceae (Quercus agrifolia, Q. parvula var. shrevei, and Lithocarpus densiflorus), and includes 31 woody species and 8180 individuals. Much of the diversity was in small-diameter shrubs,...
From the beginning of the 90s the analysis of the relationships between economic growth and environmental pressures has been influenced by the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis or inverted-U shaped relationship between environmental pressure and per capita income. Following this hypothesis, once achieved certain income level, more economic growth is followed by environmental quality improvement. In this paper, we analyse and discuss the theories that support this hypothesis as well as the empirical evidence on this subject. Further on we analyse the relationship between per capita income and the main environmental pollutants for the case does not support the hypothesis. The empirical evidence shows that economic growth, by itself, does not entail a pollution reduction. (Author) 35 refs.
Fifty-nine patients underwent free flap osteocutaneous reconstruction that consisted of flaps of the dorsum of the foot in 26 patients and iliac crest flaps in 33 with a success rate of 92 percent and a mortality rate of 1.6 percent. These flaps, which require the expertise of microvascular surgeons, are time-consuming and complicate operating room and time management, but they represent a remarkable advance in reconstruction that can facilitate cosmetic and functional recovery of the patient. In particular, they promote healing in radiation-recurrent oral cancer and represent a definitive form of management for established radionecrosis of the mandible. The large volume of tissue available with iliac crest osteocutaneous grafts permits the management of patients with extensive cancer involving the skin, mucosa, and bone, but cancer control may still be disappointing and there is a need for improved adjuvant chemotherapy protocols. This technique appears to be a ...
An efficient micropropagation protocol was established for Cryptocoryne wendtii and Cryptocoryne becketti using shoot tips explants. Multiple shoots were induced from shoot tip explants of both species cultured on agar-gelled as well as liquid MS medium supplemented with 0.5?mg/L BA and 0.2?mg/L IBA (proliferation medium). The multiple shoots of both the species formed on agar-gelled as well as liquid medium were vigorously growing with well-developed roots and leaves after 4?weeks of culture. Highest number of multiple shoots was obtained from shoot tip explants of both the species cultured in liquid proliferation medium after 4?weeks of culture. The shoot tip explants of C. wendtii and C. becketti, that were cultured in liquid proliferation medium (2?weeks) followed by culturing on agar-...
Fusion device produces high-level neutrons and #gamma#-rays, which would hazard the safety of the public and workers if the doses would be higher than the regulatory limits because of leakage from the bio-shielding and skyshine. It is essential to monitor the radiation doses in the workshop and the enumerative around fusion devices. A radiation monitoring system (RMS) for full (near and far) areas around a nuclear fusion device has been designed and developed, which can achieve the monitoring and controlling of radiation doses in the workshop area by using the Controller Area Network (CAN), in the institution area by using the Bluetooth Ad hoc network based on a new tree topology formation and routing protocol and in a long range environment by using the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network. (authors)
A sensitive and rapid method to evaluate toxic and genotoxic properties of drinking water supplied from Lake Trasimeno (Umbria, Central Italy) was worked out analysing bile in Cyprinus carpio exposed for 20d to lake water treated with 3 different disinfectants, sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), chlorine dioxide (ClO2) and peracetic acid (PAA). Fish were sacrificed at 0, 10 and 20d in order to investigate the time course of these endpoints. An aliquot of bile samples was fractionated by adsorption on C18 silica cartridges and the genotoxic potential of whole bile and of bile fractions was evaluated by the single-cell microgel-electrophoresis (comet) assay on human colonic adenocarcinoma cells (Caco-2). Bile (both whole and fractionated) from specimens exposed to the three disinfectants always sh...
A very simple theoretical scheme is proposed to implement two- and three-qubit controlled-phase gates firstly only using a single resonant interaction between ladder-type three-level atoms and the single-mode cavity. In the presented protocol, the quantum information is encoded on the stable ground states of the atoms (as the controlling qubits) and the zero- and one-photon Fock states of cavity-field (as the target qubit). Under the influence of the atomic spontaneous emission, the decay of the cavity-mode, and deviation of the coupling strength, the three-qubit controlled-phase gate may have a comparatively high fidelity. The experimental feasibility of controlled-phase gate and the case that is extended to realize N-qubit controlled-phase gate are also discussed. (general)