An overview of performance assessment methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hongnian Jow

2010-01-01

The definition of performance assessment (PA) within the context of a geologic repository program is a post-closure safety assessment; a system analysis of hazards associated with the facility and the ability of the site and the design of the facility to provide for the safety functions. For the last few decades, PA methodology bas been developed and applied to different waste disposal programs around the world. PA has been used in the safety analyses for waste disposal repositories for low-level waste, intermediate level waste, and high-level waste including spent nuclear fuels. This paper provides an overview of the performance assessment methodology and gives examples of its applications for the Yucca Mountain Project. (authors)

Review of BEPCo's exploration drilling environmental assessment update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-07-01

This report was presented in response to a request from the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board for advice on the accuracy of an update to an environmental assessment report related to BEPCo's proposed exploratory drilling project offshore of Nova Scotia, which had received approval in June 2005 but was then delayed. BEPCo was seeking approval to proceed with the same project from 2009 to 2015, although the proposed project lease area was half the size of the original proposal. Advice was sought with respect to potential drilling and seismic impacts to the marine environment, any new information since 2005 regarding marine benthic habitat, non-commercial fish species, marine animals, or spawning areas of critical habitat in the area, and whether DFO Science was planning to undertake research in the area during the period in question. Summaries were presented for the new environmental impact information and the new ecosystem information, including updated species at risk information. BEPCo's updated environmental assessment did not include all of the newly available information. Although it was not clear that is new information would change the conclusions of the initial environmental assessment, it would be useful in designing and implementing an Environmental Effects Monitoring program. 21 refs.

Overview of PVQAT: Update and Perspectives (Presentation)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurtz, S.; Wohlgemuth, J.; Yamamichi, M.; Sample, T.; Kelly, G.; Govind, R.

2015-02-01

The presentation provides an overview of PVQAT: International PV Quality Assurance Task Force - historical perspective, projects, climate - specific (use - environment -specific) durability testing, consistency of manufacturing, system verification, IECRE vs PVQAT, how to become involved, current status and multiyear targets, goals for today.

AN OVERVIEW OF SWEDISH RESEARCH ON IMPACT ASSESSMENT

OpenAIRE

CHARLOTTA FAITH-ELL

2015-01-01

This statement aims at giving an overview of the research on impact assessment in Sweden. It takes a point of departure at the introduction of impact assessment in 1991 describing the Swedish research until today. Since the introduction of EIA in the Swedish legislation in the 1990s, a large number of PhD dissertations have been dealing with various aspects of impact assessment. An estimation based on the literature search is that about 20 PhD theses, in which the core of the research is rela...

Retrievability: An international overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richardson, P.J.

2000-01-01

Using available information from the published literature and material obtained from a network of contacts, a short introductory overview of international developments in the field of retrievability of emplaced nuclear waste was produced for the Swedish National Siting Coordinator for Nuclear Waste Disposal. This examined the issue in terms of a number of basic questions: Definition, Need, Design Implications, Safeguards for Fissile Material, Public Acceptability and Safety Assessment. The report was submitted in February 1999, and acted as a catalyst for the organisation of an international seminar by KASAM, the Swedish National Council for Nuclear Waste (these proceedings). This paper describes the report contents, and points to the invited papers at the seminar which expand on and update the limited descriptions in the original report. (author)

Empirical evaluation of the Process Overview Measure for assessing situation awareness in process plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Nathan; Jamieson, Greg A; Skraaning, Gyrd

2016-03-01

The Process Overview Measure is a query-based measure developed to assess operator situation awareness (SA) from monitoring process plants. A companion paper describes how the measure has been developed according to process plant properties and operator cognitive work. The Process Overview Measure demonstrated practicality, sensitivity, validity and reliability in two full-scope simulator experiments investigating dramatically different operational concepts. Practicality was assessed based on qualitative feedback of participants and researchers. The Process Overview Measure demonstrated sensitivity and validity by revealing significant effects of experimental manipulations that corroborated with other empirical results. The measure also demonstrated adequate inter-rater reliability and practicality for measuring SA in full-scope simulator settings based on data collected on process experts. Thus, full-scope simulator studies can employ the Process Overview Measure to reveal the impact of new control room technology and operational concepts on monitoring process plants. Practitioner Summary: The Process Overview Measure is a query-based measure that demonstrated practicality, sensitivity, validity and reliability for assessing operator situation awareness (SA) from monitoring process plants in representative settings.

Global Foot-and-Mouth Disease Research Update and Gap Analysis: 1 - Overview of Global Status and Research Needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Knight-Jones, T J D; Robinson, L; Charleston, B; Rodriguez, L L; Gay, C G; Sumption, K J; Vosloo, W

2016-06-01

The Global Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) Research Alliance periodically reviews the state of FMD research to assess progress and to identify new priorities. In this supplement we provide an update of global FMD research, comprising (i) this overview paper, which includes background information with key findings, and papers covering (ii) epidemiology, wildlife and economics, (iii) vaccines, (iv) diagnostics, (v) biotherapeutics and disinfectants, (vi) immunology and (vii) pathogenesis and molecular biology. FMD research publications were reviewed (2011-2015) and activity updates were obtained from 33 FMD research institutes from around the world. Although a continual threat, FMD has been effectively controlled in much of the world using existing tools. However, control remains a challenge in most developing countries, where little has been done to understand the ongoing burden of FMD. More research is needed to support control in endemically infected countries, particularly robust field studies. Traditional FMD vaccines have several limitations including short duration and spectrum of protection, cold chain requirements, and the costs and biosecurity risks associated with vaccine production. Significant progress has been made in the development of novel vaccine candidates, particularly in the use of recombinant vaccines and virus-like particles as an alternative to traditional inactivated whole virus vaccines. Continued investment is needed to turn these developments into improved vaccines produced at scale. Increased knowledge of cellular and mucosal immunity would benefit vaccine development, as would further advances in our ability to enhance vaccine capsid stability. Developments in molecular biology and phylogenetics underlie many of the recent advances in FMD research, including improved vaccines and diagnostics, and improved understanding of FMD epidemiology. Tools for genetic analyses continue to become both more powerful and more affordable enabling them to

Activation analyses updating the ITER radioactive waste assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pampin, R.; Zheng, S.; Lilley, S.; Na, B.C.; Loughlin, M.J.; Taylor, N.P.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Comprehensive updated of ITER radwaste assessment. ► Latest coupled neutronics and activation methods. ► Type A waste at shutdown decays to TFA within 100 years. ► Most type B waste at shutdown is still type B after 100 years. - Abstract: A study is reported which computes the radiation transport and activation response throughout the ITER machine and updates the ITER radioactive waste assessment using modern 3D models and up-to-date methods. The latest information on component design, maintenance, replacement schedules and materials is adopted. The radwaste classification is revised for all the major components of ITER, as well as several representative port plugs. Results include categorisation snapshots at different decay times, time histories of radiological quantities throughout the machine, and guidelines on interim decay times for components. All plasma-facing materials except tungsten are found to classify as type B due to the transmutation of their main constituents. Major contributors to the IRAS index of all materials are reported. Elemental concentration limits for type A classification of first wall and divertor materials are obtained; for the steels, only a reduction in service lifetime can reduce the waste class. Comparison of total waste amounts with earlier assessments is limited by the fact that analyses of some components are still preliminary; the trend, however, indicates a potential reduction in the total amount of waste if component segregation is demonstrated.

State energy-price system: 1981 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fang, J.M.; Imhoff, K.L.; Hood, L.J.

1983-08-01

This report updates the State Energy Price Data System (STEPS) to include state-level energy prices by fuel and by end-use sectors for 1981. Both physical unit prices and Btu prices are presented. Basic documentation of the data base remains generally the same as in the original report: State Energy Price System; Volume 1: Overview and Technical Documentation (DOE/NBB-0029 Volume 1 of 2, November 1982). The present report documents only the changes in procedures necessitated by the update to 1981 and the corrections to the basic documentation.

Overview of water resource assessment in South Africa: Current ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Overview of water resource assessment in South Africa: Current state and future challenges. ... These studies illustrate how the exponential growth in computer power and the concomitant development of highly sophisticated tools have changed the manner in which our water resources have been appraised, allowing us to ...

Non-Parametric Bayesian Updating within the Assessment of Reliability for Offshore Wind Turbine Support Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ramirez, José Rangel; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2011-01-01

This work illustrates the updating and incorporation of information in the assessment of fatigue reliability for offshore wind turbine. The new information, coming from external and condition monitoring can be used to direct updating of the stochastic variables through a non-parametric Bayesian u...

Update on markets for forestry offsets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neeff, T.; Eichler, L.; Deecke, I.; Fehse, J.

2007-01-01

This guide is an update of the book 'Guidebook to Markets and Commercialization of CDM forestry projects'. The document provides information on the development of CMD methodologies, projects registered and markets since the publication of the first version. In addition it introduces the emerging non-Kyoto markets, it presents a classification of the existing developments, it describes each market including the buyer's preferences and it discusses the use of standards and quality criteria and transaction costs. We focus on markets for offsets from developing countries, rather than domestic offsets in developed countries. Section 1 is an introduction to the topic and an overview of the most recent developments. Sections 2 and 3 look at recent experiences and market developments for CDM reforestation projects. These sections are meant to be an update of the above mentioned guidebook and thus refrain from an exhaustive description. Section 4 assesses non-Kyoto markets for carbon offsets from forestry projects. It includes a description of the various market schemes and types of buyers. The section attempts to provide the project developer with useful information for developing a project following buyer' requirements. Finally, section 5 puts the assessment of opportunities for forestry in the broader context of the larger carbon markets. The report then concludes with a comparison of advantages and disadvantages of the CDM and non-Kyoto schemes from the project developer's point of view

An Energy Overview of Argentina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy is maintaining a web site that is meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consists of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There are also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these is a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is Argentina. The site is designed to be dynamic. Updates to the overviews will be made as need and resources permit

An Energy Overview of India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy is maintaining a web site that is meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consists of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There are also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these is a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is India. The site is designed to be dynamic. Updates to the overviews will be made as need and resources permit

An Energy Overview of Slovenia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy is maintaining a web site that is meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consists of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There are also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these is a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is Slovenia. The site is designed to be dynamic. Updates to the overviews will be made as need and resource s permit

An Energy Overview of Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy is maintaining a web site that is meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consists of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There are also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these is a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is Mexico. The site is designed to be dynamic. Updates to the overviews will be made as need and resources permit

An Energy Overview of Romania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy is maintaining a web site that is meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consists of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There are also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these is a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is Romania. The site is designed to be dynamic. Updates to the overviews will be made as need and resources permit

An Energy Overview of Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy is maintaining a web site that is meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consists of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There are also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these is a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is Brazil. The site is designed to be dynamic. Updates to the overviews will be made as need and resources permit

Assessment and diffusion of medical innovations in France: an overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Dubromel, Amélie; Geffroy, Loïc; Aulagner, Gilles; Dussart, Claude

2018-01-01

Background: In France, a significant part of health expenditure is publicly funding. This put a heavy burden on society. In an economic context requiring tight control of public spending, it seems relevant to control the diffusion of medical innovations. That is why health technology assessment is subject to an increasing interest at national level for management and approval decisions. This article provides an overview of the assessment and diffusion of medical innovation in France. Method: The data are extracted from French authorities or organisations websites and documents and from French legislative texts. In addition, regarding discussion, a search in MEDLINE database was carried out. Results: An overview of the assessment and diffusion of medical innovation in France is given by presenting the different types of medical innovations according to French health system definition (I); introducing French authorities participating to health technology assessment and describe assessment procedures of medical innovations (II); and giving details about market access process of innovative health product in France (III). Key opportunities and challenges of medical innovation assessment and diffusion in France are discussed at the end of this article. Conclusion: In France, medical innovation is considered as a crucial component for quality of care and performance of healthcare system. The aim of health technology assessment is to promote a secure and timely access to innovation for patients. Nevertheless, it appears necessary to improve regulatory mechanisms.

Overview of water resource assessment in South Africa: Current ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Overview of water resource assessment in South Africa: Current state and future challenges. ... a helpful Frequently Asked Questions about PDFs. Alternatively, you can download the PDF file directly to your computer, from where it can be opened using a PDF reader. To download the PDF, click the Download link above.

Update of the ADEME 2035-2050 energy-climate scenario

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Combet, Emmanuel; Marchal, David; Vincent, Isabelle; Mairet, Nicolas; Briand, Vincent; Cals, Guilain; Sidat, Patricia; Bellini, Robert; Guenard, Vincent; Berthomieu, Nadine; Canal, David; Laplaige, Philippe; Delanoe, Julien; Morlot, Rodolphe; Biscaglia, Stephane; Cardona Maestro, Astrid; Thouin, Simon; Bardinal, Marc; Eglin, Thomas; Gagnepain, Bruno; Martin, Sarah; Proharam, Florence; Streiff, Frederic; El Khamlichi, Aicha; Bodineau, Luc; Bastide, Guillaume; Moch, Yves; Marry, Solene; Lefranc, Anne; Mefflet-Piperel, Mathieu; Chassignet, Mathieu; Boulard, Severine; Carballes, Sandrine; Ducreux, Bertrand- Olivier; Barbusse, Stephane; Plassat, Gabriel; Pasquier, Maxime; Tremeac, Yann; Nauleau, Marie-Laure; Meunier, Laurent; Callonnec, Gael

2017-08-01

After a discussion of the evolution of the economic and demographic context, this report, illustrated by many data tables and graphs, proposes an analysis of demand evolutions in the building and urban sectors, in the transport and mobility sectors, in the food, agriculture and soil use sectors, and assesses the corresponding evolution of final energy consumptions. The second part analyses, discusses and assesses the various and important potentials of production of renewable energy: proposition of two variations for the de-carbonated energy mix, biomass mobilisation, directly used renewable energy sources, production mix of heat networks, the gas system. It then proposes a synthetic overview and discussion of the evolution of energy offer. The evolution of greenhouse gas emissions is then assessed and discussed. Lessons learned from this update are highlighted, and perspectives are discussed. A synthetic version of this report is also provided

Update on impact effects in nuclear plants Part I--overview and need for integrated approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sliter, G.E.; Ravindra, M.K.

1984-01-01

In this paper, an ASCE working group on impact effects in nuclear plants updates the review of this technology contained in a five-yearold ASCE report. In Part I, an overview is given of the impact conditions addressed in nuclear plant design against missiles generated by such postulated extreme events as tornados, turbine failures, pipe ruptures, aircraft crashes, and drops of heavy objects from lifting devices. The conclusion of a brief evaluation of the state of the art in predicting structural response for the various missile impact types is that two of them--pipe whip and heavy object drop--would benefit most by further development of design and analysis methods. Parts II and III of this paper review current practice and identify its limitations for these two impact types. Part I continues with a discussion of the general characteristics of impacts and the structural response they produce and concludes with a recommendation for and brief description of an ''integrated approach'' for treating impact effects. The adoption of this systematic approach in future development of impact technology would guide engineers in the use of the most appropriate and accurate available techniques for designing against a particular impact event

An updated dose assessment for Rongelap Island

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robison, W.L.; Conrado, C.L.; Bogen, K.T.

1994-07-01

We have updated the radiological dose assessment for Rongelap Island at Rongelap Atoll using data generated from field trips to the atoll during 1986 through 1993. The data base used for this dose assessment is ten fold greater than that available for the 1982 assessment. Details of each data base are presented along with details about the methods used to calculate the dose from each exposure pathway. The doses are calculated for a resettlement date of January 1, 1995. The maximum annual effective dose is 0.26 mSv y{sup {minus}1} (26 mrem y{sup {minus}1}). The estimated 30-, 50-, and 70-y integral effective doses are 0.0059 Sv (0.59 rem), 0.0082 Sv (0.82 rem), and 0.0097 Sv (0.97 rem), respectively. More than 95% of these estimated doses are due to 137-Cesium ({sup 137}Cs). About 1.5% of the estimated dose is contributed by 90-Strontium ({sup 90}Sr), and about the same amount each by 239+240-Plutonium ({sup 239+240}PU), and 241-Americium ({sup 241}Am).

UCI2001: The updated catalogue of Italy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peresan, A.; Panza, G.F.

2002-05-01

A new updated earthquake catalogue for the Italian territory, named UCI2001, is described here; it consists of an updated and revised version of the CCI1996 catalogue (Peresan et al., 1997). The revision essentially corresponds to the incorporation of data from the NEIC (National Earthquake Information Centre) and ALPOR (Catalogo delle Alpi Orientali) catalogues, while the updating is performed using the NEIC Preliminary Determinations of Epicenters since 1986. A brief overview of the catalogues used for the monitoring of seismicity in the Italian area is provided, together with the essential information about the structure of the UCI2001 catalogue and a description of its format. A complete list of the events, as on May 1 2002, is given in the Appendix. (author)

MIRAGE: system overview and status

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Richard M.; Oleson, Jim; Rubin, Lane; McHugh, Stephen W.

2000-07-01

Santa Barbara Infrared's (SBIR) MIRAGE (Multispectral InfraRed Animation Generation Equipment) is a state-of-the-art dynamic infrared scene projector system. Imagery from the first MIRAGE system was presented to the scene simulation community during last year's SPIE AeroSense 99 Symposium. Since that time, SBIR has delivered five MIRAGE systems. This paper will provide an overview of the MIRAGE system and discuss the current status of the MIRAGE. Included is an update of system hardware, and the current configuration. Proposed upgrades to this configuration and options will be discussed. Updates on the latest installations, applications and measured data will also be presented.

Second Language Writing Online: An Update

Science.gov (United States)

Godwin-Jones, Robert

2018-01-01

This article provides an update to the author's overview of developments in second language (L2) online writing that he wrote in 2008. There has been renewed interest in L2 writing through the wide use of social media, along with the rising popularity of computer-mediated communication (CMC) and telecollaboration (class-based online exchanges).…

Play under Siege: A Historical Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Zigler, Edward F.; Bishop-Josef, Sandra J.

2009-01-01

In this updated version of their chapter from "Children's Play: The Roots of Reading" (published by ZERO TO THREE in 2004), the authors describe the recent attack on play, in both early childhood and elementary education. They provide a historical overview of the contentious relationship between play and cognitive development. The authors stress…

Project SAFE. Update of the SFR-1 safety assessment. Phase 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, Johan; Riggare, P.; Skagius, K.

1998-10-01

SFR-1 is a facility for disposal of low-level radioactive operational waste from the nuclear power plants in Sweden. Low-level radioactive waste from industry, medicine, and research is also disposed in SFR-1. The facility is situated in bedrock beneath the Baltic Sea, 1 km off the coast near the Forsmark nuclear power plant. SFR-1 was built between the years 1983 and 1988. An assessment of the long-term performance of the facility was included in the vast documentation that was a part of the application for an operational license. The assessment was presented in the form of a final safety report. In the operational licence for SFR-1 it is stated that renewed safety assessments should be carried out at least each ten years. In order to meet this demand SKB has launched a special project, SAFE (Safety Assessment of Final Disposal of Operational Radioactive Waste). The aim of the project is to update the safety analysis and to prepare a safety report that will be presented to the Swedish authorities not later than year 2000. Project SAFE is divided into three phases. The first phase is a prestudy, and the results of the prestudy are given in this report. The aim of the prestudy is to identify issues where additional studies would improve the basis for the updated safety analysis as well as to suggest how these studies should be carried out. The work has been divided into six different topics, namely the inventory, the near field, the far field, the biosphere, radionuclide transport calculations and scenarios. For each topic the former safety reports and regulatory reviews are scrutinised and needs for additional work is identified. The evaluations are given in appendices covering the respective topics. The main report is a summary of the appendices with a more stringent description of the repository system and the processes that are of interest and therefore should be addressed in an updated safety assessment. However, it should be pointed out that one of the

Clean Coal Technology Programs: Program Update 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2009-10-01

The purpose of the Clean Coal Technology Programs: Program Update 2009 is to provide an updated status of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) commercial-scale demonstrations of clean coal technologies (CCT). These demonstrations have been performed under the Clean Coal Technology Demonstration Program (CCTDP), the Power Plant Improvement Initiative (PPII), and the Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI). Program Update 2009 provides: (1) a discussion of the role of clean coal technology demonstrations in improving the nation’s energy security and reliability, while protecting the environment using the nation’s most abundant energy resource—coal; (2) a summary of the funding and costs of the demonstrations; and (3) an overview of the technologies being demonstrated, along with fact sheets for projects that are active, recently completed, or recently discontinued.

Overview of a performance assessment methodology for low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kozak, M.W.; Chu, M.S.Y.

1991-01-01

A performance assessment methodology has been developed for use by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission in evaluating license applications for low-level waste disposal facilities. This paper provides a summary and an overview of the modeling approaches selected for the methodology. The overview includes discussions of the philosophy and structure of the methodology. This performance assessment methodology is designed to provide the NRC with a tool for performing confirmatory analyses in support of license reviews related to postclosure performance. The methodology allows analyses of dose to individuals from off-site releases under normal conditions as well as on-site doses to inadvertent intruders. 24 refs., 1 tab

Biological pathways, candidate genes, and molecular markers associated with quality-of-life domains: an update

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sprangers, Mirjam A. G.; Thong, Melissa S. Y.; Bartels, Meike; Barsevick, Andrea; Ordoñana, Juan; Shi, Qiuling; Wang, Xin Shelley; Klepstad, Pål; Wierenga, Eddy A.; Singh, Jasvinder A.; Sloan, Jeff A.; Abertnethy, Amy P.; Baas, Frank; Barsevick, Andrea M.; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Bottomley, Andrew; Brundage, Michael; Cella, David; Chauhan, Cynthia; Cleeland, Charles S.; Coens, Corneel; Dueck, Amylou C.; Frost, Marlene H.; Hall, Per; Halyard, Michele Y.; van Laarhoven, Hanneke W. M.; Martin, Nicholas G.; Miaskowski, Christine; Mosing, Miriam; Movsas, Benjamin; Oliveira, Joao R.; Patrick, Donald L.; Pedersen, Nancy L.; Raat, Hein; Reeve, Bryce; Stephen, Ristvedt; Ropka, Mary E.; Schwartz, Carolyn; Shi, Quiling; Shinozaki, Gen; Swaab, Dick; Talwalkar, Jayant; Thong, Melissa; van Noorden, Cornelis J. F.; Veenhoven, Ruut; Wagner, Gert; Wierenga, Eddy; Yang, Ping; Zwinderman, Ailko H.

2014-01-01

There is compelling evidence of a genetic foundation of patient-reported quality of life (QOL). Given the rapid development of substantial scientific advances in this area of research, the current paper updates and extends reviews published in 2010. The objective was to provide an updated overview

Environmental Assessment -- Test Area North pool stabilization project update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-08-01

The purpose of this Environmental Assessment (EA) is to update the ''Test Area North Pool Stabilization Project'' EA (DOE/EA-1050) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) issued May 6, 1996. This update analyzes the environmental and health impacts of a drying process for the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear reactor core debris canisters now stored underwater in a facility on the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). A drying process was analyzed in the predecision versions of the EA released in 1995 but that particular process was determined to be ineffective and dropped from the EA/FONSI issued May 6, 1996. A new drying process was subsequently developed and is analyzed in Section 2.1.2 of this document. As did the 1996 EA, this update analyzes the environmental and health impacts of removing various radioactive materials from underwater storage, dewatering these materials, constructing a new interim dry storage facility, and transporting and placing the materials into the new facility. Also, as did the 1996 EA, this EA analyzes the removal, treatment and disposal of water from the pool, and placement of the facility into a safe, standby condition. The entire action would take place within the boundaries of the INEEL. The materials are currently stored underwater in the Test Area North (TAN) building 607 pool, the new interim dry storage facility would be constructed at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) which is about 25 miles south of TAN

Australian energy statistics - Australian energy update 2005

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Donaldson, K.

2005-06-15

ABARE's energy statistics include comprehensive coverage of Australian energy consumption, by state, by industry and by fuel. Australian Energy Update 2005 provides an overview of recent trends and description of the full coverage of the dataset. There are 14 Australian energy statistical tables available as free downloads (product codes 13172 to 13185).

FRMAC Updates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, P.

1995-01-01

This talks describes updates in the following updates in FRMAC publications concerning radiation emergencies: Monitoring and Analysis Manual; Evaluation and Assessment Manual; Handshake Series (Biannual) including exercises participated in; environmental Data and Instrument Transmission System (EDITS); Plume in a Box with all radiological data stored onto a hand-held computer; and courses given

Integrated assessment models of climate change. An incomplete overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dowlatabadi, H.

1995-01-01

Integrated assessment is a trendy phrase that has recently entered the vocabulary of folks in Washington, DC and elsewhere. The novelty of the term in policy analysis and policy making circles belies the longevity of this approach in the sciences and past attempts at their application to policy issues. This paper is an attempt at providing an overview of integrated assessment with a special focus on policy motivated integrated assessments of climate change. The first section provides an introduction to integrated assessments in general, followed by a discussion of the bounds to the climate change issue. The next section is devoted to a taxonomy of the policy motivated models. Then the integrated assessment effort at Carnegie Mellon is described briefly. A perspective on the challenges ahead in successful representation of natural and social dynamics in integrated assessments of global climate change is presented in the final section. (Author)

Updating Assessment Styles: Website Development Rather than Report Writing for Project Based Learning Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Nicola

2017-01-01

While teaching methods tend to be updated frequently, the implementation of new innovative assessment tools is much slower. For example project based learning has become popular as a teaching technique, however, the assessment tends to be via traditional reports. This paper reports on the implementation and evaluation of using website development…

Curriculum structure, content, learning and assessment in European undergraduate dental education - update 2010.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Manogue, M

2011-08-01

This paper presents an updated statement on behalf of the Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE) in relation to proposals for undergraduate Curriculum Structure, Content, Learning, Assessment and Student \\/ Staff Exchange for dental education in Europe. A task force was constituted to consider these issues and the two previous, related publications produced by the Association (Plasschaert et al 2006 and 2007) were revised. The broad European dental community was circulated and contributed to the revisions. The paper was approved at the General Assembly of ADEE, held in Amsterdam in August 2010 and will be updated again in 2015.

Assessment Update: Progress, Trends, and Practices in Higher Education. Volume 25, Issue 3, May-June 2013

Science.gov (United States)

Banta, Trudy W., Ed.

2013-01-01

This issue of "Assessment Update" presents the following articles: (1) Launching E-Portfolios: An Organic Process; (2) Editor's Notes: Envisioning Learning; (3) Promoting Student Affairs Buy-In for Assessment: Lessons Learned; (4) Working at Assessment; (5) Making the Case for Formative Assessment: How It Improves Student Engagement and…

Assessment Update: Progress, Trends, and Practices in Higher Education. Volume 30, Issue 1, January-February 2018

Science.gov (United States)

Hundley, Stephen P., Ed.

2018-01-01

This issue of "Assessment Update" presents the following articles: (1) James Madison University: Reflections on Sustained Excellence in Assessment (Keston H. Fulcher and Elizabeth R. H. Sanchez); (2) Editor's Notes: Assessment Excellence Abounds! (Stephen P. Hundley); (3) The Promise of an All-in-One Assessment System for Student…

Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome: An Updated Overview

Science.gov (United States)

El Hayek, Samer; Bitar, Lynn; Hamdar, Layal H.; Mirza, Fadi G.; Daoud, Georges

2016-01-01

Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common metabolic and reproductive disorders among women of reproductive age. Women suffering from PCOS present with a constellation of symptoms associated with menstrual dysfunction and androgen excess, which significantly impacts their quality of life. They may be at increased risk of multiple morbidities, including obesity, insulin resistance, type II diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease (CVD), infertility, cancer, and psychological disorders. This review summarizes what the literature has so far provided from guidelines to diagnosis of PCOS. It will also present a general overview about the morbidities associated with this disease, specifically with its more severe classic form. Finally, the review will stress on the various aspects of treatment and screening recommendations currently used in the management of this condition. PMID:27092084

Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome: an updated overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samer eEl Hayek

2016-04-01

Full Text Available 1.AbstractPoly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS is one of the most common metabolic and reproductive disorders among women of reproductive age. Women suffering from PCOS present with a constellation of symptoms associated with menstrual dysfunction and androgen excess, which significantly impacts their quality of life. They may be at increased risk of multiple morbidities, including obesity, insulin resistance, type II diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, infertility, cancer, and psychological disorders. This review summarizes what the literature has so far provided from guidelines to diagnosis of PCOS. It will also present a general overview about the morbidities associated with this disease, specifically with its more severe classic form. Finally, the review will stress on the various aspects of treatment and screening recommendations currently used in the management of this condition.

EPA Releases Update to Popular School Integrated Pest Management Publication

Science.gov (United States)

An updated version reflects recent innovations in school IPM, provides links to new information, and has been redesigned into an easily printable format. It provides an overview of IPM and details the steps a school can follow to establish an IPM program.

An Energy Overview of the Czech Republic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy is maintaining a web site that is meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consists of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There are also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these is a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is the Czech Republic. The site is designed to be dynamic. Updates to the overviews will be made as need an d resources permit

Methodology in use for the assessment of carcinogenic risk. II. Radiation. Oncology overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-04-01

Oncology Overviews are a service of the International Cancer Research Data Bank (ICRDB) Program of the National Cancer Institute, intended to facilitate and promote the exchange of information between cancer scientists by keeping them aware of literature related to their research being published by other laboratories throughout the world. Each Oncology Overview represents a survey of the literature associated with a selected area of cancer research. It contains abstracts of articles which have been selected and organized by researchers associated with the field. Contents: Assessment of carcinogenic risk from environmental and occupational exposures to ionizing radiation; Assessment of carcinogenic risk from exposure to ionizing radiation used for medical diagnosis or treatment; Assessment of carcinogenic risk from exposure to ionizing radiation following nuclear bomb explosions; Comparison of risk from radiation sources with risk from nonradiation sources; Experimental studies to assess risk of carcinogenesis following exposure to ionizing radiation; Theoretical aspects of dose-response relationships in the assessment of carcinogenic risk from exposure to ionizing radiation; Public policy and standards for acceptable risk from exposure to ionizing radiation; General reviews on the assessment of risk from exposure to ionizing radiation

Projecting other public inventories for the 2005 RPA timber assessment update.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiaoping Zhou; John R. Mills; Richard W. Haynes

2007-01-01

This study gives an overview of the current inventory status and the projection of future forest inventories on other public timberland. Other public lands are lands administered by state, local, and federal government but excluding National Forest System lands. These projections were used as part of the 2005 USDA Forest Service Resource Planning Act timber assessment...

The USGS national geothermal resource assessment: An update

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, C.F.; Reed, M.J.; Galanis, S.P.; DeAngelo, J.

2007-01-01

The U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) is working with the Department of Energy's (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Program and other geothermal organizations on a three-year effort to produce an updated assessment of available geothermal resources. The new assessment will introduce significant changes in the models for geothermal energy recovery factors, estimates of reservoir volumes, and limits to temperatures and depths for electric power production. It will also include the potential impact of evolving Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) technology. An important focus in the assessment project is on the development of geothermal resource models consistent with the production histories and observed characteristics of exploited geothermal fields. New models for the recovery of heat from heterogeneous, fractured reservoirs provide a physically realistic basis for evaluating the production potential of both natural geothermal reservoirs and reservoirs that may be created through the application of EGS technology. Project investigators have also made substantial progress studying geothermal systems and the factors responsible for their formation through studies in the Great Basin-Modoc Plateau region, Coso, Long Valley, the Imperial Valley and central Alaska, Project personnel are also entering the supporting data and resulting analyses into geospatial databases that will be produced as part of the resource assessment.

An Energy Overview of the Republic of Bulgaria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy is maintaining a web site that is meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consists of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There are also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these is a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is Bulgaria. The site is designed to be dynamic. Updates to the overviews will be made as need and resource s permit

An Energy Overview of the Republic of Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy is maintaining a web site that is meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consists of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There are also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these is a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is Finland. The site is designed to be dynamic. Updates to the overviews will be made as need and resources permit

An Energy Overview of the Republic of Hungary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy is maintaining a web site that is meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consists of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There are also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these is a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is Hungary. The site is designed to be dynamic. Updates to the overviews will be made as need and resources permit

An Energy Overview of the Republic of Kazakhstan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy is maintaining a web site that is meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consists of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There are also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these is a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is Kazakhstan. The site is designed to be dynamic. Updates to the overviews will be made as need and resources permit

An Energy Overview of the Republic of Egypt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy is maintaining a web site that is meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consists of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There are also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these is a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is Egypt. The site is designed to be dynamic. Updates to the overviews will be made as need and resources permit

An Energy Overview of the Republic of Turkey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy is maintaining a web site that is meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consists of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There are also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these is a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is Turkey. The site is designed to be dynamic. Updates to the overviews will be made as need and resources permit

An Energy Overview of the Republic of Lithuania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy is maintaining a web site that is meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consists of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There are also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these is a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is Lithuania. The site is designed to be dynamic. Updates to the overviews will be made as need and resources permit

An Energy Overview of the Republic of Armenia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy is maintaining a web site that is meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consists of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There are also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these is a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is Armenia. The site is designed to be dynamic. Updates to the overviews will be made as need and resources permit

Human genome program report. Part 1, overview and progress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-11-01

This report contains Part 1 of a two-part report to reflect research and progress in the U.S. Department of Energy Human Genome Program from 1994 through 1996, with specified updates made just before publication. Part 1 consists of the program overview and report on progress.

Switzerland; Financial Sector Assessment Program: Factual Update: Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision

OpenAIRE

International Monetary Fund

2007-01-01

This technical note presents a factual update of the 2001 assessment of Switzerland’s compliance with the 1997 Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision (BCP), including a follow-up on implementation of the 2001 BCP assessment, undertaken in the context of the original Financial Sector Assessment Program in 2001. The note discusses that the Swiss Federal Banking Commission (SFBC) has made impressive progress both organizationally and to its supervisory practices to strengthen Sw...

Assessing biodiversity in arable farmland by means of indicators: an overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bockstaller Christian

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Maintaining biodiversity is one of the key issues of sustainable agriculture. It is now stated that innovation to enhance biodiversity in arable land requires operational assessment tools like indicators. The goal of the article is to provide an overview of available indicators. Besides measured indicators and simple indicators based on management data, we focus on predictive indicators derived from operational models and adapted to ex ante assessment in innovative cropping design. The possibility of use for each indicator type is discussed.

An Overview of Recent Developments in Cognitive Diagnostic Computer Adaptive Assessments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alan Huebner

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Cognitive diagnostic modeling has become an exciting new field of psychometric research. These models aim to diagnose examinees' mastery status of a group of discretely defined skills, or attributes, thereby providing them with detailed information regarding their specific strengths and weaknesses. Combining cognitive diagnosis with computer adaptive assessments has emerged as an important part of this new field. This article aims to provide practitioners and researchers with an introduction to and overview of recent developments in cognitive diagnostic computer adaptive assessments.

An Update on the Effects of Playing Violent Video Games

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Craig, A.

2004-01-01

This article presents a brief overview of existing research on the effects of exposure to violent video games. An updated meta-analysis reveals that exposure to violent video games is significantly linked to increases in aggressive behaviour, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, and cardiovascular arousal, and to decreases in helping…

2009 Space Shuttle Probabilistic Risk Assessment Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Hamlin, Teri L.; Canga, Michael A.; Boyer, Roger L.; Thigpen, Eric B.

2010-01-01

Loss of a Space Shuttle during flight has severe consequences, including loss of a significant national asset; loss of national confidence and pride; and, most importantly, loss of human life. The Shuttle Probabilistic Risk Assessment (SPRA) is used to identify risk contributors and their significance; thus, assisting management in determining how to reduce risk. In 2006, an overview of the SPRA Iteration 2.1 was presented at PSAM 8 [1]. Like all successful PRAs, the SPRA is a living PRA and has undergone revisions since PSAM 8. The latest revision to the SPRA is Iteration 3. 1, and it will not be the last as the Shuttle program progresses and more is learned. This paper discusses the SPRA scope, overall methodology, and results, as well as provides risk insights. The scope, assumptions, uncertainties, and limitations of this assessment provide risk-informed perspective to aid management s decision-making process. In addition, this paper compares the Iteration 3.1 analysis and results to the Iteration 2.1 analysis and results presented at PSAM 8.

Draft environmental assessment -- Test Area North pool stabilization project update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-06-01

The purpose of this Environmental Assessment (EA) is to update the ''Test Area North Pool Stabilization Project'' EA (DOE/EA-1050) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) issued May 6, 1996. This update analyzes the environmental and health impacts of a drying process for the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear reactor core debris canisters now stored underwater in a facility on the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). A drying process was analyzed in the predecision versions of the EA released in 1995 but that particular process was determined to be ineffective and dropped form the Ea/FONSI issued May 6, 1996. The origin and nature of the TMI core debris and the proposed drying process are described and analyzed in detail in this EA. As did the 1996 EA, this update analyzes the environmental and health impacts of removing various radioactive materials from underwater storage, dewatering these materials, constructing a new interim dry storage facility, and transporting and placing the materials into the new facility. Also, as did the 1996 EA, this EA analyzes the removal, treatment and disposal of water from the pool, and placement of the facility into a safe, standby condition. The entire action would take place within the boundaries of the INEEL. The materials are currently stored underwater in the Test Area North (TAN) building 607 pool, the new interim dry storage facility would be constructed at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) which is about 25 miles south of TAN

WIMS nuclear data library and its updating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bakhtyar, S; Salahuddin, A; Arshad, M

1995-10-01

This report gives a brief overview of the status of reactor physics computer code WIMS-D/4 and its library. It presents the details of WIMS-D/4 Library Update Project (WLUP), initiated by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with the goal of providing updated nuclear data library to the user of WIMS-D/4. The WLUP was planned to be executed in several stages. In this report the calculations performed for the first stage are presented. A number of benchmarks for light water and heavy water lattices proposed by IAEA have been analysed and the results have been compared with the average of experimental values, the IAEA reference values and the average of calculated results from different international laboratories. (author) 8 figs.

WIMS nuclear data library and its updating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bakhtyar, S.; Salahuddin, A.; Arshad, M.

1995-10-01

This report gives a brief overview of the status of reactor physics computer code WIMS-D/4 and its library. It presents the details of WIMS-D/4 Library Update Project (WLUP), initiated by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with the goal of providing updated nuclear data library to the user of WIMS-D/4. The WLUP was planned to be executed in several stages. In this report the calculations performed for the first stage are presented. A number of benchmarks for light water and heavy water lattices proposed by IAEA have been analysed and the results have been compared with the average of experimental values, the IAEA reference values and the average of calculated results from different international laboratories. (author) 8 figs

An Energy Overview of the Republic of South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy is maintaining a web site that is meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consists of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There are also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these is a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is South Africa. The site is designed to be dynamic. Updates to the overviews will be made as need and resources permit

2011 Residential Energy Efficiency Technical Update Meeting Summary Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

2011-11-01

This report provides an overview of the U.S. Department of Energy Building America program's Summer 2011 Residential Energy Efficiency Technical Update Meeting. This meeting was held on August 9-11, 2011, in Denver, Colorado, and brought together more than 290 professionals representing organizations with a vested interest in energy efficiency improvements in residential buildings.

Quality assessment of chronologies in Latin American pollen records: a contribution to centennial to millennial scale studies of environmental change

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Flantua, S.G.A.; Hooghiemstra, H.; Blaauw, M.

2015-01-01

The newly updated inventory of the Latin American Pollen Database (LAPD) offers an important overview of data available for multi-proxy and multi-site purposes. However, heterogeneous paleoecological databases are not suitable to be integrated without an uncertainty assessment of existing

Introducing GEOPHIRES v2.0: Updated Geothermal Techno-Economic Simulation Tool: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beckers, Koenraad J [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); McCabe, Kevin [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-02-16

This paper presents an updated version of the geothermal techno-economic simulation tool GEOPHIRES (GEOthermal Energy for Production of Heat and electricity (IR) Economically Simulated). GEOPHIRES combines reservoir, wellbore, surface plant and economic models to estimate the capital, and operation and maintenance costs, lifetime energy production, and overall levelized cost of energy of a geothermal plant. The available end-use options are electricity, direct-use heat and cogeneration. The main updates in the new version include conversion of the source code from FORTRAN to Python, the option to couple to an external reservoir simulator, updated cost correlations, and more flexibility in selecting the time step and number of injection and production wells. An overview of all the updates and two case-studies to illustrate the tool's new capabilities are provided in this paper.

75 FR 47265 - Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico; Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) update; greater...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-05

... status of fish stocks in the Southeast Region. A full benchmark assessment conducted under SEDAR includes... the stock, estimates biological benchmarks, projects future population conditions, and recommends..., Commissions, and state and federal agencies. SEDAR conducts updates of benchmark stock assessments previously...

Seaside operations in container terminals : literature overview, trends, and research directions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Carlo, Héctor J.; Vis, Iris F.A.; Roodbergen, Kees Jan

Seaside operations are considered the bottleneck operation in most container terminals around the world. This paper presents an in-depth updated overview of the seaside operations at container terminals and highlights current trends and developments. We review and classify scientific journal papers

An update on Argonne's AWA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosing, M.; Chojnacki, E.; Gai, W.; Ho, C.; Konecny, R.; Mtingwa, S.; Norem, J.; Schoessow, P.; Simpson, J.

1991-01-01

The Argonne Wakefield Accelerator (AWA) is a new research facility which will possess unprecedented research capabilities for the study of wakefields and related areas requiring short, intense electron bunches. The AWA is designed to produce 100 nC, 14 ps (full width) electron bunches at rep rates up to 30 Hz. Phase-1 of the AWA, now under construction, will provide these pulses at 20 MeV for various experiments. Current designs, related research and development, and construction status are presented in this general overview and project update. 6 refs., 4 figs

Using ecosystem modelling techniques in exposure assessments of radionuclides - an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumblad, L.

2005-01-01

The risk to humans from potential releases from nuclear facilities is evaluated in safety assessments. Essential components of these assessments are exposure models, which estimate the transport of radionuclides in the environment, the uptake in biota, and transfer to humans. Recently, there has been a growing concern for radiological protection of the whole environment, not only humans, and a first attempt has been to employ model approaches based on stylized environments and transfer functions to biota based exclusively on bioconcentration factors (BCF). They are generally of a non-mechanistic nature and involve no knowledge of the actual processes involved, which is a severe limitation when assessing real ecosystems. in this paper, the possibility of using an ecological modelling approach as a complement or an alternative to the use of BCF-based models is discussed. The paper gives an overview of ecological and ecosystem modelling and examples of studies where ecosystem models have been used in association to ecological risk assessment studies for other pollutants than radionuclides. It also discusses the potential to use this technique in exposure assessments of radionuclides with a few examples from the safety assessment work performed by the Swedish nuclear fuel and waste management company (SKB). Finally there is a comparison of the characteristics of ecosystem models and traditionally exposure models for radionuclides used to estimate the radionuclide exposure of biota. The evaluation of ecosystem models already applied in safety assessments has shown that the ecosystem approach is possible to use to assess exposure to biota, and that it can handle many of the modelling problems identified related to BCF-models. The findings in this paper suggest that both national and international assessment frameworks for protection of the environment from ionising radiation would benefit from striving to adopt methodologies based on ecologically sound principles and

Risk assessment for civil engineering facilities: critical overview and discussion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faber, M.H.; Stewart, M.G.

2003-01-01

The present paper should be seen as a basis for discussion of important aspects of risk analysis and assessment, as well as attempting to describe risk assessment in accordance with the present state of the art. Risk assessment is thus presented in an overview form from the viewpoint of being a means for decision-making and thus within the formal framework of decision theory. First the motivation for risk analysis is given and the theoretical basis together with the practical aspects, methodologies and techniques for the implementation of risk assessment in civil engineering applications are explained and discussed. The paper furthermore addresses the problems associated with risk acceptance criteria, risk aversion and value of human life and attempts to provide suggestions for the rational treatment of these aspects. Finally a number of problem areas are highlighted and the needs for further education, research and dissemination are stressed

The diesel exhaust in miners study: I. Overview of the exposure assessment process.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stewart, P.A.; Coble, J.B.; Vermeulen, R.; Schleiff, P.; Blair, A.; Lubin, J.; Attfield, M.; Silverman, D.T.

2010-01-01

This report provides an overview of the exposure assessment process for an epidemiologic study that investigated mortality, with a special focus on lung cancer, associated with diesel exhaust (DE) exposure among miners. Details of several components are provided in four other reports. A major

Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center Overview of FRMAC Operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

In the event of a major radiological emergency, 17 federal agencies with various statutory responsibilities have agreed to coordinate their efforts at the emergency scene under the umbrella of the Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan. This cooperative effort will ensure that all federal radiological assistance fully supports their efforts to protect the public. the mandated federal cooperation ensures that each agency can obtain the data critical to its specific responsibilities. This Overview of Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) describes the FRMAC response activities to a major radiological emergency. It also describes the federal assets and subsequent operational activities which provide federal radiological monitoring and assessment of the off-site areas

Introducing GEOPHIRES v2.0: Updated Geothermal Techno-Economic Simulation Tool

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beckers, Koenraad J [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); McCabe, Kevin [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-02-14

This paper presents an updated version of the geothermal techno-economic simulation tool GEOPHIRES (GEOthermal energy for Production of Heat and electricity ('IR') Economically Simulated). GEOPHIRES combines engineering models of the reservoir, wellbores, and surface plant facilities of a geothermal plant with an economic model to estimate the capital and operation and maintenance costs, lifetime energy production, and overall levelized cost of energy. The available end-use options are electricity, direct-use heat, and cogeneration. The main updates in the new version include conversion of the source code from FORTRAN to Python, the option to import temperature data (e.g., measured or from stand-alone reservoir simulator), updated cost correlations, and more flexibility in selecting the time step and number of injection and production wells. In this paper, we provide an overview of all the updates and two case studies to illustrate the tool's new capabilities.

Development of JAEA sorption database (JAEA-SDB). Update of sorption/QA data in FY2015

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tachi, Yukio; Suyama, Tadahiro

2016-03-01

Sorption and diffusion of radionuclides in buffer materials (bentonite) and rocks are the key processes in the safe geological disposal of radioactive waste, because migration of radionuclides in these barrier materials is expected to be diffusion-controlled and retarded by sorption processes. It is therefore necessary to understand the sorption and diffusion processes and develop databases compiling reliable data and mechanistic/predictive models, so that reliable parameters can be set under a variety of geochemical conditions relevant to performance assessment (PA). For this purpose, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has developed databases of sorption and diffusion parameters in bentonites and rocks. These sorption and diffusion databases (SDB/DDB) were firstly developed as an important basis for the H12 PA of high-level radioactive waste disposal, and have been provided through the Web. JAEA has been continuing to improve and update the SDB/DDB in view of potential future data needs, focusing on assuring the desired quality level and testing the usefulness of the databases for possible applications to PA-related parameter setting. The present report focuses on improving and updating of the sorption database (JAEA-SDB) as basis of integrated approach for PA-related K d setting and mechanistic sorption model development. This includes an overview of database structure, contents and functions including additional data evaluation function focusing on statistical data evaluation and grouping of data related to potential perturbations. K d data and their QA results are updated by focusing our recent activities on the K d setting and mechanistic model development. As a result, 11,206 K d data from 83 references were added, total number of K d values in the JAEA-SDB reached about 58,000. The QA/classified K d data reached about 60% for all K d data in JAEA-SDB. The updated JAEA-SDB is expected to make it possible to obtain quick overview of the available data, and to

Update of Market Assessment for Capturing Water Conservation Opportunities in the Federal Sector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mcmordie, Katherine; Solana, Amy E.; Elliott, Douglas B.; Sullivan, Gregory P.; Parker, Graham B.

2005-09-08

This updated market assessment for capturing water conservation opportunities in the Federal sector is based on a new analytical approach that utilizes newly available data and technologies. The new approach fine-tunes the original assessment by using actual Federal water use, which is now tracked by DOE (as compared to using estimated water use). Federal building inventory data is also used to disseminate water use by end-use technology in the Federal sector. In addition, this analysis also examines the current issues and obstacles that face performance contracting of water efficiency projects at Federal sites.

Updated clinical guidelines experience major reporting limitations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robin W.M. Vernooij

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Checklist for the Reporting of Updated Guidelines (CheckUp was recently developed. However, so far, no systematic assessment of the reporting of updated clinical guidelines (CGs exists. We aimed to examine (1 the completeness of reporting the updating process in CGs and (2 the inter-observer reliability of CheckUp. Methods We conducted a systematic assessment of the reporting of the updating process in a sample of updated CGs using CheckUp. We performed a systematic search to identify updated CGs published in 2015, developed by a professional society, reporting a systematic review of the evidence, and containing at least one recommendation. Three reviewers independently assessed the CGs with CheckUp (16 items. We calculated the median score per item, per domain, and overall, converting scores to a 10-point scale. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to identify differences according to country, type of organisation, scope, and health topic of updated CGs. We calculated the intraclass coefficient (ICC and 95% confidence interval (95% CI for domains and overall score. Results We included in total 60 updated CGs. The median domain score on a 10-point scale for presentation was 5.8 (range 1.7 to 10, for editorial independence 8.3 (range 3.3 to 10, and for methodology 5.7 (range 0 to 10. The median overall score on a 10-point scale was 6.3 (range 3.1 to 10. Presentation and justification items at recommendation level (respectively reported by 27 and 38% of the CGs and the methods used for the external review and implementing changes in practice were particularly poorly reported (both reported by 38% of the CGs. CGs developed by a European or international institution obtained a statistically significant higher overall score compared to North American or Asian institutions (p = 0.014. Finally, the agreement among the reviewers on the overall score was excellent (ICC 0.88, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.95. Conclusions The

Pedophilia: an update on theory and practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Travin, S; Bluestone, H; Coleman, E; Cullen, K; Melella, J

1985-01-01

The number of sexual attacks on children is staggering, yet it is extremely difficult to understand what effective treatments are available for the pedophile by reviewing the literature. Therefore, the authors present an update of the changing conceptualizations regarding the offenders and their victims. An overview of the currently used modalities to treat the pedophile is presented with emphasis on the promising cognitive-behavioral approach. A brief description of this approach is given with two case illustrations.

Atlantic update, July 1986--June 1990: Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karpas, R.M.; Gould, G.J.

1990-10-01

This report describes outer continental shelf oil and gas activities in the Atlantic Region. This edition of the Atlantic Update includes an overview of the Mid-Atlantic Planning Area and a summary of the Manteo Prospect off-shore North Carolina. 6 figs., 8 tabs.

Development of JAEA sorption database (JAEA-SDB). Update of data evaluation functions and sorption/QA data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tachi, Yukio; Suyama, Tadahiro; Ochs, Michael; Ganter, Charlotte

2011-03-01

Sorption and diffusion of radionuclides in buffer materials (bentonite) and rocks are the key processes in the safe geological disposal of radioactive waste, because migration of radionuclides in this barrier is expected to be diffusion-controlled and retarded by sorption processes. It is therefore necessary to understand the sorption and diffusion processes and develop database compiling reliable data and mechanistic/predictive models, so that reliable parameters can be set under a variety of geochemical conditions relevant to performance assessment (PA). For this purpose, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has developed databases of sorption and diffusion parameters in buffer materials (bentonite) and rocks. These sorption and diffusion databases (SDB/DDB) were firstly developed as an important basis for the H12 PA of high-level radioactive waste disposal, and have been provided through the Web. JAEA has been continuing to improve and update the SDB/DDB in view of potential future data needs, focusing on assuring the desired quality level and testing the usefulness of the databases for possible applications to PA-related parameter setting. The present report focuses on developing and updating of the sorption database (JAEA-SDB) as basis of integrated approach for PA-related K d setting. This includes an overview of database structure, contents and functions including additional data evaluation function focusing on multi-parameter dependence, operating method, PA-related applications of the web-based JAEA-SDB. K d data and their QA results are updated by focusing our recent activities on the K d setting and mechanistic model development. As a result, 4,250 K d data from 32 references are added, total K d values in the JAEA-SDB are about 28,540. The QA/classified K d data are about 39% for all K d data in JAEA-SDB. The updated JAEA-SDB is expected to make it possible to obtain quick overview of the available data, and to have suitable access to the respective data

Overview, comparative assessment and recommendations of forecasting models for short-term water demand prediction

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Anele, AO

2017-11-01

Full Text Available -term water demand (STWD) forecasts. In view of this, an overview of forecasting methods for STWD prediction is presented. Based on that, a comparative assessment of the performance of alternative forecasting models from the different methods is studied. Times...

The Abiotic Depletion Potential: Background, Updates, and Future

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lauran van Oers

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Depletion of abiotic resources is a much disputed impact category in life cycle assessment (LCA. The reason is that the problem can be defined in different ways. Furthermore, within a specified problem definition, many choices can still be made regarding which parameters to include in the characterization model and which data to use. This article gives an overview of the problem definition and the choices that have been made when defining the abiotic depletion potentials (ADPs for a characterization model for abiotic resource depletion in LCA. Updates of the ADPs since 2002 are also briefly discussed. Finally, some possible new developments of the impact category of abiotic resource depletion are suggested, such as redefining the depletion problem as a dilution problem. This means taking the reserves in the environment and the economy into account in the reserve parameter and using leakage from the economy, instead of extraction rate, as a dilution parameter.

The 2005 RPA timber assessment update.

Science.gov (United States)

Richard W. Haynes; Darius M. Adams; Ralph J. Alig; Peter J. Ince; John R. Mills; Xiaoping. Zhou

2007-01-01

This update reports changes in the Nation's timber resource since the Analysis of the Timber Situation in the United States was completed in 2003. Prospective trends in demands for and supplies of timber, and the factors that affect these trends are examined. These trends include changes in the U.S. economy, increased salvage of British Columbia beetle-killed...

Determining plutonium mass in spent fuel with non-destructive assay techniques - NGSU research overview and update on 6 NDA techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tobin, Stephen J [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Conlin, Jeremy L [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Evans, Louise G [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Hu, Jianwei [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Blanc, Pauline C [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Lafleur, Adrienne M [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Menlove, Howard O [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Schear, Melissa A [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Swinhoe, Martyn T [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Croft, Stephen [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Fensin, Michael L [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Freeman, Corey R [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Koehler, William E [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Mozin, V [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Sandoval, N P [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Lee, T H [KAERI; Cambell, L W [PNNL; Cheatham, J R [ORNL; Gesh, C J [PNNL; Hunt, A [IDAHO STATE UNIV; Ludewigt, B A [LBNL; Smith, L E [PNNL; Sterbentz, J [INL

2010-09-15

This poster is one of two complementary posters. The Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) of the U.S. DOE has initiated a multi-lab/university collaboration to quantify the plutonium (Pu) mass in, and detect the diversion of pins from, spent nuclear fuel assemblies with non-destructive assay (NDA). This research effort has the goal of quantifying the capability of 14 NDA techniques as well as training a future generation of safeguards practitioners. By November of 2010, we will be 1.5 years into the first phase (2.5 years) of work. This first phase involves primarily Monte Carlo modelling while the second phase (also 2.5 years) will focus on experimental work. The goal of phase one is to quantify the detection capability of the various techniques for the benefit of safeguard technology developers, regulators, and policy makers as well as to determine what integrated techniques merit experimental work, We are considering a wide range of possible technologies since our research horizon is longer term than the focus of most regulator bodies. The capability of all of the NDA techniques will be determined for a library of 64 17 x 17 PWR assemblies [burnups (15, 30, 45, 60 GWd/tU), initial enrichments (2, 3, 4, 5%) and cooling times (1, 5, 20, 80 years)]. The burnup and cooling time were simulated with each fuel pin being comprised of four radial regions. In this paper an overview of the purpose will be given as well as a technical update on the following 6 neutron techniques: {sup 252}Cf Interrogation with Prompt Neutron Detection, Delayed Neutrons, Differential Die-Away, Differential Die-Away Self-Interrogation, Passive Neutron Albedo Reactivity, Self-Integration Neutron Resonance Densitometry. The technical update will quantify the anticipated performance of each technique for the 64 assemblies of the spent fuel library.

Determining plutonium mass in spent fuel with non-destructive assay techniques - NGSI research overview and update on 6 NDA techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tobin, Stephen J.; Conlin, Jeremy L.; Evans, Louise G.; Hu, Kianwei; Blanc, P.C.; Lafleur, Am; Menlove, H.O.; Schear, M.A.; Swinhoe, M.T.; Croft, S.; Fensin, M.L.; Freeman, C.R.; Koehler, W.E.; Mozin, V.; Sandoval, N.P.; Lee, T.H.; Cambell, L.W.; Cheatham, J.R.; Gesh, C.J.; Hunt, A.; Ludewigt, B.A.; Smith, L.E.; Sterbentz, J.

2010-01-01

This poster is one of two complementary posters. The Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) of the U.S. DOE has initiated a multi-lab/university collaboration to quantify the plutonium (Pu) mass in, and detect the diversion of pins from, spent nuclear fuel assemblies with non-destructive assay (NDA). This research effort has the goal of quantifying the capability of 14 NDA techniques as well as training a future generation of safeguards practitioners. By November of 2010, we will be 1.5 years into the first phase (2.5 years) of work. This first phase involves primarily Monte Carlo modelling while the second phase (also 2.5 years) will focus on experimental work. The goal of phase one is to quantify the detection capability of the various techniques for the benefit of safeguard technology developers, regulators, and policy makers as well as to determine what integrated techniques merit experimental work, We are considering a wide range of possible technologies since our research horizon is longer term than the focus of most regulator bodies. The capability of all of the NDA techniques will be determined for a library of 64 17 x 17 PWR assemblies (burnups (15, 30, 45, 60 GWd/tU), initial enrichments (2, 3, 4, 5%) and cooling times (1, 5, 20, 80 years)). The burnup and cooling time were simulated with each fuel pin being comprised of four radial regions. In this paper an overview of the purpose will be given as well as a technical update on the following 6 neutron techniques: 252 Cf Interrogation with Prompt Neutron Detection, Delayed Neutrons, Differential Die-Away, Differential Die-Away Self-Interrogation, Passive Neutron Albedo Reactivity, Self-Integration Neutron Resonance Densitometry. The technical update will quantify the anticipated performance of each technique for the 64 assemblies of the spent fuel library.

Patient records and clinical overview

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Lotte Groth

the possibilities to mark up pages in personal ways and add personal notes to it. On the other hand, the EPR provides quick and easy access to lot of information and once information is entered in the EPR they stay in place. Information in the EPR is often updated due to real time entry, which avoid...... that information has to travel physically between different departments or different hospitals. Another advantage in the creation of clinical overview, when using an EPR, is that the record is never lost. If you have access to a computer, you have access to the record. Besides this, the search function...... at hospitals, these results indicate that you need to think besides the presentation of information. If the physicians are supposed to create an overview, information should be presented in ways that enables them to interpret and make sense of this information. At the same time, to support the creation...

Update of the Nuclear Criticality Slide Rule for the Emergency Response to a Nuclear Criticality Accident

Science.gov (United States)

Duluc, Matthieu; Bardelay, Aurélie; Celik, Cihangir; Heinrichs, Dave; Hopper, Calvin; Jones, Richard; Kim, Soon; Miller, Thomas; Troisne, Marc; Wilson, Chris

2017-09-01

AWE (UK), IRSN (France), LLNL (USA) and ORNL (USA) began a long term collaboration effort in 2015 to update the nuclear criticality Slide Rule for the emergency response to a nuclear criticality accident. This document, published almost 20 years ago, gives order of magnitude estimates of key parameters, such as number of fissions and doses (neutron and gamma), useful for emergency response teams and public authorities. This paper will present, firstly the motivation and the long term objectives for this update, then the overview of the initial configurations for updated calculations and preliminary results obtained with modern 3D codes.

Update of the Nuclear Criticality Slide Rule for the Emergency Response to a Nuclear Criticality Accident

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Duluc Matthieu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available AWE (UK, IRSN (France, LLNL (USA and ORNL (USA began a long term collaboration effort in 2015 to update the nuclear criticality Slide Rule for the emergency response to a nuclear criticality accident. This document, published almost 20 years ago, gives order of magnitude estimates of key parameters, such as number of fissions and doses (neutron and gamma, useful for emergency response teams and public authorities. This paper will present, firstly the motivation and the long term objectives for this update, then the overview of the initial configurations for updated calculations and preliminary results obtained with modern 3D codes.

Developments in UK defect assessment procedures R6 revision 4 and BS7910

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharples, J.K.; Ainsworth, R.A.; Budden, P.J.

2003-01-01

The R6 defect assessment procedures have been developed over many years by the UK nuclear power generation industry. The procedures are updated on a regular basis, taking into account the information resulting from the R6 development programme and other available information worldwide. A major revision, Revision 4, of the R6 procedures was released in 2000. Just prior to that release, in 1999, the British Standards flaw assessment procedure BS7910 was issued and combined and updated the previous published documents PD6493 and PD6539, for components operating at temperatures where creep was negligible and important, respectively. BS79l0 is also under constant development. This paper provides a brief overview of the BS7910 and R6 Revision 4 procedures and describes updates to the respective documents since they were first issued. Some ongoing developments which will lead to future revisions to the documents are also described. (author)

Williston Reservoir raising - environmental overview

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1988-07-01

This preliminary environmental overview report was prepared by B.C. Hydro in June 1987 and revised in July 1988 as an initial assessment of a possible 1.5 m (5 ft.) raise in the Williston Reservoir maximum normal level. The enviromental overview study and the associated engineering and property studies were undertaken to provide information for a decision on whether to initiate more detailed studies. Overview studies are based mainly on available reports, mapping and field data, supplemented by limited site reconnaissance and, in this case, input from key agencies and groups. The lack of adequate mapping of areas which could be affected by reservoir raising did not permit definitive conclusion to be reached. This mapping will be done over the next year to complete the overview assessment. This document covers the impact assessment of socio-economic factors, forestry, reservoir clearing, heritage, recreation, aquatic resources, and wilflife. Further studies in each of these areas are also included. 54 refs., 11 figs., 8 tabs.

Physics Survey Overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

An overview of a series of assignments of the branches of physics carried out by the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Research Council. It identifies further theories in physics and makes recommendations on preventive priorities. The Board on Physics and Astronomy (BPA) has conducted a new decadal survey of physics entitled ''Physics in a New Era''. The survey includes assessments of the main branches of physics as well as certain selected emerging areas. The various elements of the survey were prepared by separately-appointed National Research Council (NRC) committees. The BPA formed the Physics Survey Overview Committee (PSOVC) to complete the survey by preparing an overview of the field of physics to summarize and synthesize the results of the various assessments and to address cross-cutting issues that concern physics as a whole

Working Memory Updating as a Predictor of Academic Attainment

Science.gov (United States)

Lechuga, M. Teresa; Pelegrina, Santiago; Pelaez, Jose L.; Martin-Puga, M. Eva; Justicia, M. Jose

2016-01-01

There is growing evidence supporting the importance of executive functions, and specifically working memory updating (WMU), for children's academic achievement. This study aimed to assess the specific contribution of updating to the prediction of academic performance. Two updating tasks, which included different updating components, were…

Life cycle reliability assessment of new products—A Bayesian model updating approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng, Weiwen; Huang, Hong-Zhong; Li, Yanfeng; Zuo, Ming J.; Xie, Min

2013-01-01

The rapidly increasing pace and continuously evolving reliability requirements of new products have made life cycle reliability assessment of new products an imperative yet difficult work. While much work has been done to separately estimate reliability of new products in specific stages, a gap exists in carrying out life cycle reliability assessment throughout all life cycle stages. We present a Bayesian model updating approach (BMUA) for life cycle reliability assessment of new products. Novel features of this approach are the development of Bayesian information toolkits by separately including “reliability improvement factor” and “information fusion factor”, which allow the integration of subjective information in a specific life cycle stage and the transition of integrated information between adjacent life cycle stages. They lead to the unique characteristics of the BMUA in which information generated throughout life cycle stages are integrated coherently. To illustrate the approach, an application to the life cycle reliability assessment of a newly developed Gantry Machining Center is shown

An overview of performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jow, Hong-Nian; Anderson, D.R.; Marietta, M.

1997-01-01

This paper presents an overview of the methodology used in the recent performance assessment (PA) to support the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Carlsbad Area Office's (CAO's) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Compliance Certification Application (CCA). The results of this recently completed WIPP PA will be presented. Major release modes contributing to the total radionuclide release to the accessible environment will be discussed. Comparison of the mean complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF) curve against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) radionuclide release limits will be presented

Updating contextualized clinical practice guidelines on stroke rehabilitation and low back pain management using a novel assessment framework that standardizes decisions.

Science.gov (United States)

Gambito, Ephraim D V; Gonzalez-Suarez, Consuelo B; Grimmer, Karen A; Valdecañas, Carolina M; Dizon, Janine Margarita R; Beredo, Ma Eulalia J; Zamora, Marcelle Theresa G

2015-11-04

Clinical practice guidelines need to be regularly updated with current literature in order to remain relevant. This paper reports on the approach taken by the Philippine Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine (PARM). This dovetails with its writing guide, which underpinned its foundational work in contextualizing guidelines for stroke and low back pain (LBP) in 2011. Working groups of Filipino rehabilitation physicians and allied health practitioners met to reconsider and modify, where indicated, the 'typical' Filipino patient care pathways established in the foundation guidelines. New clinical guidelines on stroke and low back pain which had been published internationally in the last 3 years were identified using a search of electronic databases. The methodological quality of each guideline was assessed using the iCAHE Guideline Quality Checklist, and only those guidelines which provided full text references, evidence hierarchy and quality appraisal of the included literature, were included in the PARM update. Each of the PARM-endorsed recommendations was then reviewed, in light of new literature presented in the included clinical guidelines. A novel standard updating approach was developed based on the criteria reported by Johnston et al. (Int J Technol Assess Health Care 19(4):646-655, 2003) and then modified to incorporate wording from the foundational PARM writing guide. The new updating tool was debated, pilot-tested and agreed upon by the PARM working groups, before being applied to the guideline updating process. Ten new guidelines on stroke and eleven for low back pain were identified. Guideline quality scores were moderate to good, however not all guidelines comprehensively linked the evidence body underpinning recommendations with the literature. Consequently only five stroke and four low back pain guidelines were included. The modified PARM updating guide was applied by all working groups to ensure standardization of the wording of updated recommendations

Technology Road-map Update for Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

This Technology Road-map Update provides an assessment of progress made by the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) in the development of the six systems selected when the original Technology Road-map was published in 2002. More importantly, it provides an overview of the major R and D objectives and milestones for the coming decade, aiming to achieve the Generation IV goals of sustainability, safety and reliability, economic competitiveness, proliferation resistance and physical protection. Lessons learnt from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident are taken into account to ensure that Generation IV systems attain the highest levels of safety, with the development of specific safety design criteria that are applicable across the six systems. Accomplishing the ten-year R and D objectives set out in this new Road-map should allow the more advanced Generation IV systems to move towards the demonstration phase. (authors)

Efficiencies of joint non-local update moves in Monte Carlo simulations of coarse-grained polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Austin, Kieran S.; Marenz, Martin; Janke, Wolfhard

2018-03-01

In this study four update methods are compared in their performance in a Monte Carlo simulation of polymers in continuum space. The efficiencies of the update methods and combinations thereof are compared with the aid of the autocorrelation time with a fixed (optimal) acceptance ratio. Results are obtained for polymer lengths N = 14, 28 and 42 and temperatures below, at and above the collapse transition. In terms of autocorrelation, the optimal acceptance ratio is approximately 0.4. Furthermore, an overview of the step sizes of the update methods that correspond to this optimal acceptance ratio is given. This shall serve as a guide for future studies that rely on efficient computer simulations.

Updating the biomedical engineering curriculum: Inclusion of Health Technology Assessment subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez Licona, Fabiola; Urbina, Edmundo Gerardo; Azpiroz-Leehan, Joaquin

2010-01-01

This paper describes the work being carried out at Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM) in Mexico City with regard to the continuous evaluation and updating of the Biomedical Engineering (BME) curriculum. In particular the courses regarded as part of the BME basic branch are reduced and new sets of elective subjects are proposed in order to bring closer the research work at UAM with the subjects in the BME curriculum. Special emphasis is placed on subjects dealing with Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and Health economics, as this branch of the BME discipline is quite promising in Mexico, but there are very few professionals in the field with adequate qualifications.

An overview of international actions to deal with climate change problem and the scientific update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Usher, P. [United Nations Environment Programme, Climate Unit, Nairobi (Kenya)

1995-06-01

The atmospheric environment is under threat from anthropogenic emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases to the extent that irreversible changes to the climate, the ozone layer and the quality of the air we breathe could occur. However, considerable scientific uncertainty remains with regard to the extent and magnitude of the change in climate as a result of human activities, and the impacts of such change. The natural variability of climate makes assessment of the human induced climate change difficult. Even if the magnitude of global warming from greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could be defined the impacts of this global average warming on, for example, the sea-level; the weather patterns such as rainfall, cloudiness, storms and droughts, agriculture; and marine and terrestrial eco-systems would have to be defined on regional, national and local scales. The assessments of these environmental impacts are, in turn, necessary for estimating the socio-economic impacts of environmental changes. This paper gives an overview of the international actions in combatting climate change and some information on the status of science on the climate change and its impacts. (EG)

An overview of international actions to deal with climate change problem and the scientific update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Usher, P.

1995-01-01

The atmospheric environment is under threat from anthropogenic emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases to the extent that irreversible changes to the climate, the ozone layer and the quality of the air we breathe could occur. However, considerable scientific uncertainty remains with regard to the extent and magnitude of the change in climate as a result of human activities, and the impacts of such change. The natural variability of climate makes assessment of the human induced climate change difficult. Even if the magnitude of global warming from greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could be defined the impacts of this global average warming on, for example, the sea-level; the weather patterns such as rainfall, cloudiness, storms and droughts, agriculture; and marine and terrestrial eco-systems would have to be defined on regional, national and local scales. The assessments of these environmental impacts are, in turn, necessary for estimating the socio-economic impacts of environmental changes. This paper gives an overview of the international actions in combatting climate change and some information on the status of science on the climate change and its impacts. (EG)

Data on the descriptive overview and the quality assessment details of 12 qualitative research papers.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnabishvili, Maia; Ulrichs, Timo; Waldherr, Ruth

2016-09-01

This data article presents the supplementary material for the review paper "Role of acceptability barriers in delayed diagnosis of Tuberculosis: Literature review from high burden countries" (Barnabishvili et al., in press) [1]. General overview of 12 qualitative papers, including the details about authors, years of publication, data source locations, study objectives, overview of methods, study population characteristics, as well as the details of intervention and the outcome parameters of the papers are summarized in the first two tables included to the article. Quality assessment process of the methodological strength of 12 papers and the results of the critical appraisal are further described and summarized in the second part of the article.

An overview of inventory and monitoring and the Role of FIA in National Assessments

Science.gov (United States)

W. Brad Smith

2006-01-01

This paper presents a brief conceptual overview of inventory and monitoring and the role of the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program in national assessments. FIA has become a focal point of national inventory and monitoring and kept national leadership as well as forest resource research and management professionals apprised, through periodic reports to Congress...

Ecological risk assessment at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory: Overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

VanHorn, R.; Bensen, T.; Green, T.; Hampton, N.; Staley, C.; Morris, R.; Brewer, R.; Peterson, S.

1994-01-01

The paper will present an overview of the methods and results of the screening level ecological risk assessment (ERA) performed at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). The INEL is a site with some distinct characteristics. First it is a large Department of Energy (DOE) laboratory (2,300 km 2 ) having experienced 40 years of nuclear material production operations. Secondly, it is a relatively undisturbed cold desert ecosystem. Neither of these issues have been sufficiently addressed in previous ERAs. It was necessary in many instances to develop methods that differed from those used in other studies. This paper should provide useful methodologies for the ERAs performed at other similar sites

Effects of energy development on ground water quality: an overview and preliminary assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, W.M. III; Yin, S.C.L.; Davis, M.J.; Kutz, W.J.

1981-07-01

A preliminary national overview of the various effects on ground water quality likely to result from energy development. Based on estimates of present and projected energy-development activities, those regions of the country are identified where ground water quality has the potential for being adversely affected. The general causes of change in ground water quality are reviewed. Specific effects on ground water quality of selected energy technologies are discussed, and some case-history material is provided. A brief overview of pertinent legislation relating to the protection and management of ground water quality is presented. Six methodologies that have some value for assessing the potential effects on ground water quality of energy development activities are reviewed. A method of identifying regions in the 48 contiguous states where there is a potential for ground water quality problems is described and then applied

Safety issues and updates under MR environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Soo Jung; Kim, Kyung Ah, E-mail: bellenina@daum.net

2017-04-15

Highlights: • Unexpected biological effects can occur within stronger magnetic fields. • MR safety for MR conditional items is not guaranteed beyond the tested conditions. • Updated knowledge about MR-related safety is important for a safe MR environment. - Abstract: Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a useful imaging tool with superior soft tissue contrast for diagnostic evaluation. The MR environments poses unique risks to patients and employees differently from ionizing radiation exposure originated from computed tomography and plain x-ray films. The technology associated with MR system has evolved continuously since its introduction in the late 1970s. MR systems have advanced with static magnetic fields, faster and stronger gradient magnetic fields and more powerful radiofrequency transmission coils. Higher field strengths of MR offers greater signal to noise capability and better spatial resolution, resulting in better visualization of anatomic detail, with a reduction in scan time. With the rapid evolution of technology associated with MR, we encounter new MR-related circumstances and unexpected dangerous conditions. A comprehensive update of our knowledge about MR safety is necessary to prevent MR-related accidents and to ensure safety for patients and staff associated with MR. This review presents an overview about MR-related safety issues and updates.

Rapid assessment methods in eye care: An overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Srinivas Marmamula

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Reliable information is required for the planning and management of eye care services. While classical research methods provide reliable estimates, they are prohibitively expensive and resource intensive. Rapid assessment (RA methods are indispensable tools in situations where data are needed quickly and where time- or cost-related factors prohibit the use of classical epidemiological surveys. These methods have been developed and field tested, and can be applied across almost the entire gamut of health care. The 1990s witnessed the emergence of RA methods in eye care for cataract, onchocerciasis, and trachoma and, more recently, the main causes of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. The important features of RA methods include the use of local resources, simplified sampling methodology, and a simple examination protocol/data collection method that can be performed by locally available personnel. The analysis is quick and easy to interpret. The entire process is inexpensive, so the survey may be repeated once every 5-10 years to assess the changing trends in disease burden. RA survey methods are typically linked with an intervention. This article provides an overview of the RA methods commonly used in eye care, and emphasizes the selection of appropriate methods based on the local need and context.

An Updated Performance Assessment For A New Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility In West Texas - 12192

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dornsife, William P.; Kirk, J. Scott; Shaw, Chris G. [Waste Control Specialists LLC, Andrews, Texas (United States)

2012-07-01

This Performance Assessment (PA) submittal is an update to the original PA that was developed to support the licensing of the Waste Control Specialists LLC Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW) disposal facility. This update includes both the Compact Waste Facility (CWF) and the Federal Waste Facility (FWF), in accordance with Radioactive Material License (RML) No. R04100, License Condition (LC) 87. While many of the baseline assumptions supporting the initial license application PA were incorporated in this update, a new transport code, GoldSim, and new deterministic groundwater flow codes, including HYDRUS and MODFLOWSURFACT{sup TM}, were employed to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives codified in the regulations and RML No. R04100, LC 87. A revised source term, provided by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality staff, was used to match the initial 15 year license term. This updated PA clearly confirms and demonstrates the robustness of the characteristics of the site's geology and the advanced engineering design of the disposal units. Based on the simulations from fate and transport models, the radiation doses to members of the general public and site workers predicted in the initial and updated PA were a small fraction of the criterion doses of 0.25 mSv and 50 mSv, respectively. In a comparison between the results of the updated PA against the one developed in support of the initial license, both clearly demonstrated the robustness of the characteristics of the site's geology and engineering design of the disposal units. Based on the simulations from fate and transport models, the radiation doses to members of the general public predicted in the initial and updated PA were a fraction of the allowable 25 mrem/yr (0.25 m sievert/yr) dose standard for tens-of-thousands of years into the future. Draft Texas guidance on performance assessment (TCEQ, 2004) recommends a period of analysis equal to 1,000 years or until peak doses from

Computer virus information update CIAC-2301

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orvis, W.J.

1994-01-15

While CIAC periodically issues bulletins about specific computer viruses, these bulletins do not cover all the computer viruses that affect desktop computers. The purpose of this document is to identify most of the known viruses for the MS-DOS and Macintosh platforms and give an overview of the effects of each virus. The authors also include information on some windows, Atari, and Amiga viruses. This document is revised periodically as new virus information becomes available. This document replaces all earlier versions of the CIAC Computer virus Information Update. The date on the front cover indicates date on which the information in this document was extracted from CIAC`s Virus database.

Vehicle Technologies Program Overview

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

2006-09-05

Overview of the Vehicle Technologies Program including external assessment and market view; internal assessment, program history and progress; program justification and federal role; program vision, mission, approach, strategic goals, outputs, and outcomes; and performance goals.

Comprehensive update of the atomic mass predictions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haustein, P.E.

1987-01-01

A project has been completed recently for a comprehensive update of atomic mass predictions. This last occurred in 1976. Over the last 10 years the reliability of these earlier predictions (and others published later) has been analyzed by comparisons of the predictions with new masses from isotopes that were not in the experimental data base when the predictions were prepared. This analysis has highlighted distinct systematic features in various models which frequently result in poor predictions for nuclei that lie far from stability. An overview of the new predictions from models with different theoretical approaches will be presented

Frailty Assessment in Heart Failure: an Overview of the Multi-domain Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

McDonagh, Julee; Ferguson, Caleb; Newton, Phillip J

2018-02-01

The study aims (1) to provide a contemporary description of frailty assessment in heart failure and (2) to provide an overview of multi-domain frailty assessment in heart failure. Frailty assessment is an important predictive measure for mortality and hospitalisation in individuals with heart failure. To date, there are no frailty assessment instruments validated for use in heart failure. This has resulted in significant heterogeneity between studies regarding the assessment of frailty. The most common frailty assessment instrument used in heart failure is the Frailty Phenotype which focuses on five physical domains of frailty; the appropriateness a purely physical measure of frailty in individuals with heart failure who frequently experience decreased exercise tolerance and shortness of breath is yet to be determined. A limited number of studies have approached frailty assessment using a multi-domain view which may be more clinically relevant in heart failure. There remains a lack of consensus regarding frailty assessment and an absence of a validated instrument in heart failure. Despite this, frailty continues to be assessed frequently, primarily for research purposes, using predominantly physical frailty measures. A more multidimensional view of frailty assessment using a multi-domain approach will likely be more sensitive to identifying at risk patients.

Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) overview of FRMAC operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-02-01

In the event of a major radiological emergency, 17 federal agencies with various statutory responsibilities have agreed to coordinate their efforts at the emergency scene under the umbrella of the Federal Radiological Emergency Response plan (FRERP). This cooperative effort will assure the designated Lead Federal Agency (LFA) and the state(s) that all federal radiological assistance fully supports their efforts to protect the public. The mandated federal cooperation ensures that each agency can obtain the data critical to its specific responsibilities. This Overview of the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) Operations describes the FRMAC response activities to a major radiological emergency. It also describes the federal assets and subsequent operational activities which provide federal radiological monitoring and assessment of the off-site areas. These off-site areas may include one or more affected states

Assessment of space plasma effectsfor satellite applications:Working Group 2 overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Jakowski

2004-06-01

Full Text Available An important part of the tasks of Working Group 2 of the COST Action 271 «Assessment of space plasma effect for satellites applications» is the assessment of novel data sources for information about the state of ionisation of the ionosphere. This report deals with those aspects which are not represented adequately in the scientific papers in this issue. Here emphasis is given to the product aspect (data and model collections, descriptions of methods and algorithms, availability of products, expected future developments and the links between the past COST Actions 238 and 251 with the present Action 271 and with possible future cooperations. Working Group 2 was leading in the transionospheric propagation aspects of possible products for the International Telecommunication Union?s Radiocommunication (ITU-R Study Group 3. This report gives a short overview emphasizing future developments.

Probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) update in light of the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station - 15461

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeda, K.; Abe, H.; Hirokawa, N.; Satou, C.

2015-01-01

We have performed internal and external event probabilistic risk assessments (PRA) for boiling water reactor power nuclear plants to identify the important accident sequence groups and to evaluate the effectiveness of the additional severe accident measures, regarding to the new regulatory requirements implemented after the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan in 2011. In addition, we will further update our PRA by extracting problems and improvements from the current PRA, by catching up the state-of-the-art knowledge, modern PRA methodologies in order to contribute voluntarily to safety improvement as well as to comply with regulations. In this document, prior to the extensive PRA updates, we would describe technical contents and qualitative results about PRA updates that have been performed preliminary so far, especially about the external event (seismic) PRA and how to model the additionally deployed severe accident measures (e.g. power supply car, fire engine) so that they can be function external hazards, such as component failure rate of equipment, human reliability 'out of control room', and mission time extension. (authors)

Assigning probability distributions to input parameters of performance assessment models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mishra, Srikanta [INTERA Inc., Austin, TX (United States)

2002-02-01

This study presents an overview of various approaches for assigning probability distributions to input parameters and/or future states of performance assessment models. Specifically,three broad approaches are discussed for developing input distributions: (a) fitting continuous distributions to data, (b) subjective assessment of probabilities, and (c) Bayesian updating of prior knowledge based on new information. The report begins with a summary of the nature of data and distributions, followed by a discussion of several common theoretical parametric models for characterizing distributions. Next, various techniques are presented for fitting continuous distributions to data. These include probability plotting, method of moments, maximum likelihood estimation and nonlinear least squares analysis. The techniques are demonstrated using data from a recent performance assessment study for the Yucca Mountain project. Goodness of fit techniques are also discussed, followed by an overview of how distribution fitting is accomplished in commercial software packages. The issue of subjective assessment of probabilities is dealt with in terms of the maximum entropy distribution selection approach, as well as some common rules for codifying informal expert judgment. Formal expert elicitation protocols are discussed next, and are based primarily on the guidance provided by the US NRC. The Bayesian framework for updating prior distributions (beliefs) when new information becomes available is discussed. A simple numerical approach is presented for facilitating practical applications of the Bayes theorem. Finally, a systematic framework for assigning distributions is presented: (a) for the situation where enough data are available to define an empirical CDF or fit a parametric model to the data, and (b) to deal with the situation where only a limited amount of information is available.

Assigning probability distributions to input parameters of performance assessment models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mishra, Srikanta

2002-02-01

This study presents an overview of various approaches for assigning probability distributions to input parameters and/or future states of performance assessment models. Specifically,three broad approaches are discussed for developing input distributions: (a) fitting continuous distributions to data, (b) subjective assessment of probabilities, and (c) Bayesian updating of prior knowledge based on new information. The report begins with a summary of the nature of data and distributions, followed by a discussion of several common theoretical parametric models for characterizing distributions. Next, various techniques are presented for fitting continuous distributions to data. These include probability plotting, method of moments, maximum likelihood estimation and nonlinear least squares analysis. The techniques are demonstrated using data from a recent performance assessment study for the Yucca Mountain project. Goodness of fit techniques are also discussed, followed by an overview of how distribution fitting is accomplished in commercial software packages. The issue of subjective assessment of probabilities is dealt with in terms of the maximum entropy distribution selection approach, as well as some common rules for codifying informal expert judgment. Formal expert elicitation protocols are discussed next, and are based primarily on the guidance provided by the US NRC. The Bayesian framework for updating prior distributions (beliefs) when new information becomes available is discussed. A simple numerical approach is presented for facilitating practical applications of the Bayes theorem. Finally, a systematic framework for assigning distributions is presented: (a) for the situation where enough data are available to define an empirical CDF or fit a parametric model to the data, and (b) to deal with the situation where only a limited amount of information is available

Medi SPICE : an update

OpenAIRE

Mc Caffery, Fergal; Dorling, Alec; Casey, Valentine

2010-01-01

peer-reviewed This paper provides an update on the development of a software process assessment and improvement model (Medi SPICE) specifically for the medical device industry. The development of Medi SPICE was launched at the SPICE 2009 Conference. Medi SPICE will consist of a Process Reference Model and a Process Assessment Model. The Medi SPICE Process Assessment Model will be used to perform conformant assessments of the software process capability of medical device suppliers in accord...

Life Cycle Assessment of electricity generation: overview and methodological issues

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Turconi, Roberto; Boldrin, Alessio; Astrup, Thomas Fruergaard

study focuses on the comparability between different technologies, identifying and quantifying the possible mistakes that can occur when comparing two technologies whose environmental assessments have been performed with conflicting assumptions. Nine different power generation technologies were examined......: hard coal, lignite, natural gas, oil, nuclear, biomass, hydroelectric, solar photovoltaic and wind. More than 150 published studies were selected and analyzed to investigate whether "typical" GHG, NOx and SO2 emission factors for each technology could be identified. For a better overview of the sources...... of emissions, those were divided among three life cycle phases: fuel provision, operation of the plant and infrastructure. It was possible to estimate typical emission factors for all technologies except for biomass, where methodological and technical aspects result in very variable outcomes. Within...

Automated finite element updating using strain data for the lifetime reliability assessment of bridges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okasha, Nader M.; Frangopol, Dan M.; Orcesi, André D.

2012-01-01

The importance of improving the understanding of the performance of structures over their lifetime under uncertainty with information obtained from structural health monitoring (SHM) has been widely recognized. However, frameworks that efficiently integrate monitoring data into the life-cycle management of structures are yet to be developed. The objective of this paper is to propose and illustrate an approach for updating the lifetime reliability of aging bridges using monitored strain data obtained from crawl tests. It is proposed to use automated finite element model updating techniques as a tool for updating the resistance parameters of the structure. In this paper, the results from crawl tests are used to update the finite element model and, in turn, update the lifetime reliability. The original and updated lifetime reliabilities are computed using advanced computational tools. The approach is illustrated on an existing bridge.

Overview of renewable energies in Lorraine - Assessment: Year 2013. Situation note on renewable energies in Lorraine - Assessment: first half 2014, 2nd half 2014. Overview of renewable energies in the Grand East region - Assessment year 2015-release 2016. Overview of renewable and recovery energies in the Grand East region - Assessment year 2016-release 2017

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-02-01

A first document proposes an overview of the development of renewable energies in Lorraine with respect to regional as well as European and national objectives defined for each renewable energy type. Annual data for 2013 are herein presented. Graphs indicate values for the share of renewable energies, the energy mix in Lorraine, locations, evolutions and levels of production for the different renewable sources (wind, photovoltaic, hydroelectricity, methanization, wood energy, geothermal and heat pumps, solar thermal, waste valorisation, bio-fuels). The second and third documents propose assessments and comments of situations and evolutions of productions and development (actions, regulatory and legal context, projects) for the different sources, an assessment of the implementation progress of the regional scheme of connection of renewable energies. Annual publications are then proposed which give the same kind of assessments, and comparisons with other French regions

Assessing quality of life in patients with colorectal cancer: an update of the EORTC quality of life questionnaire

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gujral, S.; Conroy, T.; Fleissner, C.; Sezer, O.; King, P. M.; Avery, K. N. L.; Sylvester, P.; Koller, M.; Sprangers, M. A. G.; Blazeby, J. M.

2007-01-01

The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) has a portfolio of questionnaire modules to supplement the QLQ-C30 to assess patient reported outcomes in cancer clinical trials. This study updated the module for colorectal cancer. A review of the literature identified 20

Forest Resources of the United States, 2012: a technical document supporting the Forest Service 2010 update of the RPA Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Sonja N. Oswalt; W. Brad Smith; Patrick D. Miles; Scott A. Pugh

2014-01-01

Forest resource statistics from the 2010 Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment were updated to provide current information on the Nation's forests as a baseline for the 2015 national assessment. Resource tables present estimates of forest area, volume, mortality, growth, removals, and timber products output in various ways, such as by ownership, region, or State...

Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability (NUCLARR): Part 1, Overview of NUCLARR data retrieval: User's guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilmore, W.E.; Gentillon, C.D.; Gertman, D.I.; Beers, G.H.; Galyean, W.J.; Gilbert, B.G.

1988-06-01

The Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability (NUCLARR) is an automated data base management system for processing and storing human error probability and hardware component failure data. The NUCLARR system software resides on an IBM (or compatible) personal micro-computer. NUCLARR can be used by the end user to furnish data inputs for both human and hardware reliability analysis in support of a variety of risk assessment activities. The NUCLARR system is documented in a five-volume series of reports. Volume IV of this series is the User's Guide for operating the NUCLARR software and is presented in three parts. This document, Part 1: Overview of NUCLARR Data Retrieval provides an introductory overview to the system's capabilities and procedures for data retrieval. The methods and criteria for selection of data sources and entering them into the NUCLARR system are also described in this document

Atmospheric pressure plasma jets: an overview of devices and new directions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winter, J; Brandenburg, R; Weltmann, K-D

2015-01-01

Atmospheric pressure plasma jets have a long history of more than 50 years. During this time their design and plasma generation mechanism has been developed and adapted to various fields of applications. This review aims at giving an overview of jet devices by starting with a brief history of their development. This is followed by an overview of commonly used terms and definitions as well as a survey of different classification schemes (e.g. geometry, excition frequency or specific energy input) described in literature. A selective update of new designs and novel research achievments on atmospheric pressure plasma jets published in 2012 or later shows the impressive variety and rapid development of the field. Finally, a brief outlook on the future trends and directions is given. (paper)

An Updated Measure for Assessing Subtle Rape Myths

Science.gov (United States)

McMahon, Sarah; Farmer, G. Lawrence

2011-01-01

Social workers responsible for developing rape prevention programs on college campuses must have valid evaluation instruments. This article presents the challenges encountered by the authors when they attempted to keep rape myth measures relevant to student populations by updating the language to reflect the subtleties involved with rape myths.…

2011 Residential Energy Efficiency Technical Update Meeting Summary Report: Denver, Colorado - August 9-11, 2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2011-11-01

This report provides an overview of the U.S. Department of Energy Building America program's Summer 2011 Residential Energy Efficiency Technical Update Meeting. This meeting was held on August 9-11, 2011, in Denver, Colorado, and brought together more than 290 professionals representing organizations with a vested interest in energy efficiency improvements in residential buildings.

Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC): Overview of FRMAC operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-09-01

The purpose of this Management Overview of the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) is to explain the federal preparation for a radiological accident and to describe the subsequent response activities which provide radiological monitoring and assessment outside the boundaries of the monitoring which support the radiological accident site. In the event of a radiological accident, federal agencies with various statutory responsibilities have agreed to coordinate their efforts at the accident scene under the umbrella of the Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan (FRERP). This cooperative effort will assure the state(s) and the Lead Federal Agency (LFA) that all federal technical assistance is fully supporting their efforts to protect the public and will provide these monitoring results in a working data center for immediate use by the state(s) and LFA decision makers. The federal agencies do not relinquish their statutory responsibilities. However, the mandated federal cooperation ensures that each agency can obtain the data critical to its specific responsibility

Preface for Special Topic: Perovskite solar cells—A research update

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lukas Schmidt-Mende

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Over the last few years, tremendous progress has been made in the research field of perovskite solar cells. Not only are record power conversion efficiencies now exceeding 20%, but our understanding about the different mechanisms leading to this extraordinary performance has improved phenomenally. The aim of this special issue is to review the current state-of-the-art understanding of perovskite solar cells. Most of the presented articles are research updates giving a succinct overview over different aspects concerning perovskite solar cells.

Overview of fourth generation reactors. Assessment in terms of safety and radiation protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Couturier, J.; Baudrand, O.; Blanc, D.; Bourgois, T.; Hache, G.; Ivanov, E.; Bonneville, H.; Meignen, R.; Nicaise, G.; Bruna, G.; Clement, B.; Kissane, M.; Monhardt, B.

2012-01-01

Based on a systematic analysis of the different concepts of fourth generation nuclear reactors, this report gives an overview of specific aspects regarding safety and radiation protection for six concepts: sodium fast reactors (SFR), gas fast reactors (GFR), lead fast reactors (LFR), molten salt reactors (MSR), very high or high temperature reactors (V/HTR) and supercritical water reactors (SCWR). This assessment is based on different studies and researches performed by the IRSN at an international level. For each reactor concept, the report proposes a presentation of the current status of development and its perspectives, describes the safety aspects which are specific to this concept, identifies and discusses elements for safety analysis, and assesses the concept with respect to the Fukushima accident and IAEA recommendations and predefined themes

RELAP5/MOD2 Overview and Developmental. Assessment Results from TMl-1 Plant Transient Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, J. C.; Tsai, C. C.; Ransom, V. H.; Johnsen, G. W.

2013-01-01

RELAP5/MOD2 is a new version of the RELAP5 thermal-hydraulic computer code containing improved modeling features that provide a generic capability for pressurized water reactor transient simulation. The objective of this paper is to provide code users with an overview of the code and to report developmental assessment results obtained from a Three Mile Island Unit One plant transient analysis. The assessment shows that the injection of highly sub-cooled water into a high-pressure primary coolant system does not cause unphysical results or pose a problem for RELAP5/MOD2. (author)

Overview of multi-element monolithic germanium detectors for XAFS experiments at diamond light source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chatterji, S.; Dennis, G. J.; Dent, A.; Diaz-Moreno, S.; Cibin, G.; Tartoni, N.; Helsby, W. I.

2016-01-01

An overview of multi-element monolithic germanium detectors being used at the X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) beam lines at Diamond Light Source (DLS) is being reported. The hardware details and a summary of the performance of these detectors have also been provided. Recent updates about various ongoing projects being worked on to improve the performance of these detectors are summarized.

Overview of multi-element monolithic germanium detectors for XAFS experiments at diamond light source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chatterji, S.; Dennis, G. J.; Dent, A.; Diaz-Moreno, S.; Cibin, G.; Tartoni, N. [Diamond Light Source Ltd, Oxfordshire (United Kingdom); Helsby, W. I. [STFC Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington (United Kingdom)

2016-07-27

An overview of multi-element monolithic germanium detectors being used at the X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) beam lines at Diamond Light Source (DLS) is being reported. The hardware details and a summary of the performance of these detectors have also been provided. Recent updates about various ongoing projects being worked on to improve the performance of these detectors are summarized.

JPSS CGS Tools For Rapid Algorithm Updates

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, D. C.; Grant, K. D.

2011-12-01

Northrop Grumman have developed tools and processes to enable changes to be evaluated, tested, and moved into the operational baseline in a rapid and efficient manner. This presentation will provide an overview of the tools available to the Cal/Val teams to ensure rapid and accurate assessment of algorithm changes, along with the processes in place to ensure baseline integrity. [1] K. Grant and G. Route, "JPSS CGS Tools for Rapid Algorithm Updates," NOAA 2011 Satellite Direct Readout Conference, Miami FL, Poster, Apr 2011. [2] K. Grant, G. Route and B. Reed, "JPSS CGS Tools for Rapid Algorithm Updates," AMS 91st Annual Meeting, Seattle WA, Poster, Jan 2011. [3] K. Grant, G. Route and B. Reed, "JPSS CGS Tools for Rapid Algorithm Updates," AGU 2010 Fall Meeting, San Francisco CA, Oral Presentation, Dec 2010.

Channel stability in the Mackenzie Delta, NWT: 1992/93 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carson, M A

1992-12-01

An update is presented of a previous report on channel stability in the Mackenzie Delta, prepared as part of a program dealing with sediment-related aspects of northern hydrocarbon development. The report presents an overview of proprietary literature from industry in the 1970s dealing with channel stability in the outer delta, a review of work of the Geological Survey of Canada in 1990-91 dealing with channel stability at proposed pipeline crossings in the Niglintgak, Taglu and Swimming Point areas, and a search of Russian literature dealing with hydrothermal erosion. 45 refs., 46 figs.

Update on hidden sectors with dark forces and dark matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andreas, Sarah

2012-11-15

Recently there has been much interest in hidden sectors, especially in the context of dark matter and ''dark forces'', since they are a common feature of beyond standard model scenarios like string theory and SUSY and additionally exhibit interesting phenomenological aspects. Various laboratory experiments place limits on the so-called hidden photon and continuously further probe and constrain the parameter space; an updated overview is presented here. Furthermore, for several hidden sector models with light dark matter we study the viability with respect to the relic abundance and direct detection experiments.

Leishmania and its quest for iron: An update and overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaidi, Amir; Singh, Krishn Pratap; Ali, Vahab

2017-01-01

Parasites of genus Leishmania are the causative agents of complex neglected diseases called leishmaniasis and continue to be a significant health concern globally. Iron is a vital nutritional requirement for virtually all organisms, including pathogenic trypanosomatid parasites, and plays a crucial role in many facets of cellular metabolism as a cofactor of several enzymes. Iron acquisition is essential for the survival of parasites. Yet parasites are also vulnerable to the toxicity of iron and reactive oxygen species. The aim of this review is to provide an update on the current knowledge about iron acquisition and usage by Leishmania species. We have also discussed about host strategy to modulate iron availability and the strategies deployed by Leishmania parasites to overcome iron withholding defences and thus favour parasite growth within host macrophages. Since iron plays central roles in the host's response and parasite metabolism, a comprehensive understanding of the iron metabolism is beneficial to identify potential viable therapeutic opportunities against leishmaniasis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Introduction to special section on Uncertainty Assessment in Surface and Subsurface Hydrology : An overview of issues and challenges

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Montanari, A.; Shoemaker, C.A.; Van de Giesen, N.C.

This paper introduces the Water Resources Research special section on Uncertainty Assessment in Surface and Subsurface Hydrology. Over the past years, hydrological literature has seen a large increase in the number of papers dealing with uncertainty. In this article, we present an overview of the

e-Addictology: An Overview of New Technologies for Assessing and Intervening in Addictive Behaviors.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreri, Florian; Bourla, Alexis; Mouchabac, Stephane; Karila, Laurent

2018-01-01

New technologies can profoundly change the way we understand psychiatric pathologies and addictive disorders. New concepts are emerging with the development of more accurate means of collecting live data, computerized questionnaires, and the use of passive data. Digital phenotyping , a paradigmatic example, refers to the use of computerized measurement tools to capture the characteristics of different psychiatric disorders. Similarly, machine learning-a form of artificial intelligence-can improve the classification of patients based on patterns that clinicians have not always considered in the past. Remote or automated interventions (web-based or smartphone-based apps), as well as virtual reality and neurofeedback, are already available or under development. These recent changes have the potential to disrupt practices, as well as practitioners' beliefs, ethics and representations, and may even call into question their professional culture. However, the impact of new technologies on health professionals' practice in addictive disorder care has yet to be determined. In the present paper, we therefore present an overview of new technology in the field of addiction medicine. Using the keywords [e-health], [m-health], [computer], [mobile], [smartphone], [wearable], [digital], [machine learning], [ecological momentary assessment], [biofeedback] and [virtual reality], we searched the PubMed database for the most representative articles in the field of assessment and interventions in substance use disorders. We screened 595 abstracts and analyzed 92 articles, dividing them into seven categories: e-health program and web-based interventions, machine learning, computerized adaptive testing, wearable devices and digital phenotyping, ecological momentary assessment, biofeedback, and virtual reality. This overview shows that new technologies can improve assessment and interventions in the field of addictive disorders. The precise role of connected devices, artificial

e-Addictology: An Overview of New Technologies for Assessing and Intervening in Addictive Behaviors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florian Ferreri

2018-03-01

Full Text Available BackgroundNew technologies can profoundly change the way we understand psychiatric pathologies and addictive disorders. New concepts are emerging with the development of more accurate means of collecting live data, computerized questionnaires, and the use of passive data. Digital phenotyping, a paradigmatic example, refers to the use of computerized measurement tools to capture the characteristics of different psychiatric disorders. Similarly, machine learning–a form of artificial intelligence–can improve the classification of patients based on patterns that clinicians have not always considered in the past. Remote or automated interventions (web-based or smartphone-based apps, as well as virtual reality and neurofeedback, are already available or under development.ObjectiveThese recent changes have the potential to disrupt practices, as well as practitioners’ beliefs, ethics and representations, and may even call into question their professional culture. However, the impact of new technologies on health professionals’ practice in addictive disorder care has yet to be determined. In the present paper, we therefore present an overview of new technology in the field of addiction medicine.MethodUsing the keywords [e-health], [m-health], [computer], [mobile], [smartphone], [wearable], [digital], [machine learning], [ecological momentary assessment], [biofeedback] and [virtual reality], we searched the PubMed database for the most representative articles in the field of assessment and interventions in substance use disorders.ResultsWe screened 595 abstracts and analyzed 92 articles, dividing them into seven categories: e-health program and web-based interventions, machine learning, computerized adaptive testing, wearable devices and digital phenotyping, ecological momentary assessment, biofeedback, and virtual reality.ConclusionThis overview shows that new technologies can improve assessment and interventions in the field of addictive

Update of GRASP/Ada reverse engineering tools for Ada

Science.gov (United States)

Cross, James H., II

1993-01-01

application. An overview of the GRASP/Ada project with an emphasis on the current update is provided.

Statistical and perceptual updating: correlated impairments in right brain injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Stöttinger, Elisabeth; Filipowicz, Alex; Marandi, Elahe; Quehl, Nadine; Danckert, James; Anderson, Britt

2014-06-01

It has been hypothesized that many of the cognitive impairments commonly seen after right brain damage (RBD) can be characterized as a failure to build or update mental models. We (Danckert et al. in Neglect as a disorder of representational updating. NOVA Open Access, New York, 2012a; Cereb Cortex 22:2745-2760, 2012b) were the first to directly assess the association between RBD and updating and found that RBD patients were unable to exploit a strongly biased play strategy in their opponent in the children's game rock, paper, scissors. Given that this game required many other cognitive capacities (i.e., working memory, sustained attention, reward processing), RBD patients could have failed this task for various reasons other than a failure to update. To assess the generality of updating deficits after RBD, we had RBD, left brain-damaged (LBD) patients and healthy controls (HCs) describe line drawings that evolved gradually from one figure (e.g., rabbit) to another (e.g., duck) in addition to the RPS updating task. RBD patients took significantly longer to alter their perceptual report from the initial object to the final object than did LBD patients and HCs. Although both patient groups performed poorly on the RPS task, only the RBD patients showed a significant correlation between the two, very different, updating tasks. We suggest these data indicate a general deficiency in the ability to update mental representations following RBD.

CanWEA policy update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Levy, Tom; Nolet, Jean-Francois; Murphy, Brian; Rangooni, Justin; Heap, Nicholas; Moorehouse, Emilie; Smith, Scott [CanWEA (Canada)

2011-07-01

In a country as diverse as Canada, it is important to stay up to date with the political and economic factors that have an impact on the small wind market. In this presentation, CanWEA provides capacity, policy, and CanWEA activity updates for eight provinces as well as an overview for Canada as a whole. It was found that overall, and despite a competitive advantage that favors Canadian manufacturers, the majority of sales of small wind turbines are exports. It was also found that in order for the small wind market to grow in Canada, more incentives would need to be offered. Among incentives highlighted were the policy changes in Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia that have generated support for community-owned wind projects. CanWEA also brings focus to some of the design issues facing small wind, these include avian and bat patterns, sound modeling and measurement, and the lack of common standards.

System overview and applications of a panoramic imaging perimeter sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pritchard, D.A.

1995-01-01

This paper presents an overview of the design and potential applications of a 360-degree scanning, multi-spectral intrusion detection sensor. This moderate-resolution, true panoramic imaging sensor is intended for exterior use at ranges from 50 to 1,500 meters. This Advanced Exterior Sensor (AES) simultaneously uses three sensing technologies (infrared, visible, and radar) along with advanced data processing methods to provide low false-alarm intrusion detection, tracking, and immediate visual assessment. The images from the infrared and visible detector sets and the radar range data are updated as the sensors rotate once per second. The radar provides range data with one-meter resolution. This sensor has been designed for easy use and rapid deployment to cover wide areas beyond or in place of typical perimeters, and tactical applications around fixed or temporary high-value assets. AES prototypes are in development. Applications discussed in this paper include replacements, augmentations, or new installations at fixed sites where topological features, atmospheric conditions, environmental restrictions, ecological regulations, and archaeological features limit the use of conventional security components and systems

Alpha contamination assessment for D ampersand D activities: Technology overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conaway, J.G.; Rawool-Sullivan, M.W.; MacArthur, D.W.

1996-02-01

Instruments based on the principle of Long-Range Alpha Detection (LRAD) detect the ions created in ambient air by Ionizing radiation, particularly alpha radiation, interacting with air molecules. Using either an electrostatic field or forced convection, these ions can be transported to a detection grid where the ions produce a small current that is measured with a sensitive electrometer. LRAD-based instruments can give separate, simultaneous measurements of alpha-emitting solids and inert radioactive gases such as radon. LRAD-based instruments assess surface contamination on an entire object or large surface area in a single, rapid measurement, including relatively inaccessible areas such as interior surfaces of pipes and process equipment. The LRAD concept is well proven and has been developed into a range of different radiation detection devices. This paper presents an overview of the technology, while several associated papers explore specific applications in greater detail

Project SAFE. Update of the SFR-1 safety assessment. Phase 1. Appendix A4: Far-field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Follin, S.; Andersson, Johan; Holmen, J.; Axelsson, C.L.

1998-01-01

This appendix has identified potential needs for updated hydrogeological modelling of the SFR in connection to the planned update of the performance assessment of the SFR within the framework of the SAFE-project. The objectives of such updated modelling should be to present a credible representation of the hydrogeological system, to explore effects of seals and repository extensions and to provide input to the release and transport calculations of the assessment. The last objective has led to the conclusion that an important focus of the modelling should be to determine the flow through the vaults under different conditions as this flow appear to be a very important quantity in the radionuclide release calculations. The suggested modelling should use relevant data and apply modern modelling tools and techniques, but should be geared towards the objectives. For this reasons it is suggested to apply a set of complementary and sometimes nested approaches, where each model approach is set up in order to address a specific set of questions. Answering these questions would motivate simplifications made in subsequent steps of the modelling. To the extent possible the models should be compared with existing data on flow and Baltic water breakthrough. However, in making such comparisons the accuracy of the measurements and the precision of the models need to be considered. A one-to-one match cannot be expected. It appears that careful geochemical evaluation of the site would only be necessary if more credit is placed on migration in the geosphere. If such an evaluation is considered it should be co-ordinated with the regional groundwater modelling. The issue of gas production should be reconsidered in a scenario and process analysis of SFR. However, given the strong conclusions already made it appears that gas migration in the rock will still remain as a minor issue. The major assumptions going into the analysis of the near-field in the final safety report and the deepened

Evidence at a glance: error matrix approach for overviewing available evidence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Keus, Frederik; Wetterslev, Jørn; Gluud, Christian

2010-01-01

Clinical evidence continues to expand and is increasingly difficult to overview. We aimed at conceptualizing a visual assessment tool, i.e., a matrix for overviewing studies and their data in order to assess the clinical evidence at a glance....

IEA Bioenergy task 40. Country report for the Netherlands. Update 2006

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Junginger, M.; De Wit, M.; Faaij, A.

2006-09-01

Short-term objectives of the IEA Bioenergy Task 40 'Sustainable International Bio-energy Trade: Securing Supply and Demand' are amongst other objectives to present an overview of development of biomass markets in various parts of the world and to identify existing barriers hampering development of a (global) commodity market (e.g. policy framework, ecology, economics). As in most countries biomass is a relatively new (though quickly growing) commodity, relatively little information is available on e.g. the traded volumes and prices of various biomass streams, policies and regulations on biomass use and trade, and existing and perceived barriers. This country report aims to provide an overview of these issues for the Netherlands, and also sets the first step to make an inventory of barriers as perceived by various Dutch stakeholders. The information gathered in this report is to a large extent based on existing statistics and reports from Dutch institutions. The literature data is complemented by additional information obtained from stakeholders, such as utilities, biomass traders, the port of Rotterdam, policy makers and custom institutions. In some cases, the data source was left anonymous because of the confidential nature of the data concerned. This report was first published in 2005. In this updated 2006 version, additional data has been collected for the year 2005, mainly concerning the import of biomass and renewable electricity. Also the policy section has been updated (situation September 2006), and some information on the use of biofuels has been added.

The Energy Information Administration's assessment of reformulated gasoline: An update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-12-01

This report (Part II) concludes a two part study of The Energy Information Administration's (EIA) assessment of Reformulated Gasoline (RFG). The data contained herein updates EIA's previous findings and analyses on reformulated gasoline as it affects the petroleum industry. The major findings of Part II have not changed considerably from Part I: Supplies of RFG are adequate to meet demand, but a tight supply-demand balance exists, leaving the RFG system with little ability to absorb unexpected supply or delivery system disruption. In December 1994, the estimated demand for RFG was 2.6 million barrels per day, with the production capability just meeting this demand. The study concludes that current prices for RFG are consistent with the costs underlying the product, and the difference in RFG and conventional gasoline indicates confidence in supply. The study also follows the impact of recent events such as: postponement of the Renewable Oxygenate Standard, the decision to require importers to use the U.S. average baseline for limiting emissions, the disruption of the Colonial Pipeline in Texas, and Pennsylvania's request to opt-out of the RFG program

Tidal current energy resource assessment in Ireland: Current status and future update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Rourke, Fergal; Boyle, Fergal; Reynolds, Anthony

2010-01-01

Interest in renewable energy in Ireland has increased continually over the past decade. This interest is due primarily to security of supply issues and the effects of climate change. Ireland imports over 90% of its primary energy consumption, mostly in the form of fossil fuels. The exploitation of Ireland's vast indigenous renewable energy resources is required in order to reduce this over-dependence on fossil fuel imports to meet energy demand. Various targets have been set by the Irish government to incorporate renewable energy technologies into Ireland's energy market. As a result of these targets, the development in wind energy has increased substantially over the past decade; however this method of energy extraction is intermittent and unpredictable. Ireland has an excellent tidal current energy resource and the use of this resource will assist in the development of a sustainable energy future. Energy extraction using tidal current energy technologies offers a vast and predictable energy resource. This paper reviews the currently accepted tidal current energy resource assessment for Ireland. This assessment was compiled by Sustainable Energy Ireland in a report in 2004. The assessment employed a 2-dimensional numerical model of the tidal current velocities around Ireland, and from this numerical model the theoretical tidal current energy resource was identified. With the introduction of constraints and limitations, the technical, practical, accessible and viable tidal current energy resources were obtained. The paper discusses why the assessment needs updating including the effect on the assessment of the current stage of development of tidal current turbines and their deployment technology. (author)

Overview of Provisional Peer-Reviewed Toxicity Values (PPRTVs), Alternative Methods in Human Health Risk Assessment, and the RapidTox Dashboard

Science.gov (United States)

This poster provides an overview of three key lines of ongoing work at EPA/ORD/NCEA-CIN: Provisional Peer-Reviewed Toxicity Values (PPRTVs), Alternative Methods in Human Health Risk Assessment, and the RapidTox Dashboard collaboration.

RELAP-7 Software Verification and Validation Plan - Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) Part 2: Code Assessment Strategy, Procedure, and RTM Update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoo, Jun Soo [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Choi, Yong Joon [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Smith, Curtis Lee [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2016-09-01

This document addresses two subjects involved with the RELAP-7 Software Verification and Validation Plan (SVVP): (i) the principles and plan to assure the independence of RELAP-7 assessment through the code development process, and (ii) the work performed to establish the RELAP-7 assessment plan, i.e., the assessment strategy, literature review, and identification of RELAP-7 requirements. Then, the Requirements Traceability Matrices (RTMs) proposed in previous document (INL-EXT-15-36684) are updated. These RTMs provide an efficient way to evaluate the RELAP-7 development status as well as the maturity of RELAP-7 assessment through the development process.

Adolescent brain cognitive development (ABCD study: Overview of substance use assessment methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krista M. Lisdahl

2018-08-01

Full Text Available One of the objectives of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD Study (https://abcdstudy.org/ is to establish a national longitudinal cohort of 9 and 10 year olds that will be followed for 10 years in order to prospectively study the risk and protective factors influencing substance use and its consequences, examine the impact of substance use on neurocognitive, health and psychosocial outcomes, and to understand the relationship between substance use and psychopathology. This article provides an overview of the ABCD Study Substance Use Workgroup, provides the goals for the workgroup, rationale for the substance use battery, and includes details on the substance use module methods and measurement tools used during baseline, 6-month and 1-year follow-up assessment time-points. Prospective, longitudinal assessment of these substance use domains over a period of ten years in a nationwide sample of youth presents an unprecedented opportunity to further understand the timing and interactive relationships between substance use and neurocognitive, health, and psychopathology outcomes in youth living in the United States. Keywords: Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, Adolescent, Child, Substance use, Alcohol, Cannabis, Marijuana, Nicotine, Longitudinal, Methods, Assessment, Drug use, Prescription drug use, Inhalants

[Update of hidradenitis suppurativa in Primary Care].

Science.gov (United States)

García-Martínez, F J; Pascual, J C; López-Martín, I; Pereyra-Rodríguez, J J; Martorell Calatayud, A; Salgado-Boquete, L; Labandeira-García, J

Hidradenitis suppurativa is a prevalent disease that is noted for its clinical variability and by its severe impact on quality of life. A meticulous scientific literature review is presented in this article in order to give an update on what is known on this condition. Primary Care physicians obviously play an important role in the early diagnosis and management of hidradenitis suppurativa. This review aims to provide a current and practical overview about this disease in order to optimise the healthcare for these patients by making the best use of available resources. Copyright © 2015 Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria (SEMERGEN). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

The NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) Program: Overview and Update FY15 and Beyond

Science.gov (United States)

LaBel, Kenneth A.; Sampson, Michael J.

2016-01-01

The NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) program, and its subset the NASA Electronic Parts Assurance Group (NEPAG), are NASA's point-of-contacts for reliability and radiation tolerance of electrical, electronic, and electromechanical (EEE) parts and their packages. This presentation includes a Fiscal Year 2015 program overview.

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: France 2012 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-07-01

In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. This publication provides an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. This publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this publication, the IEA will make available updates to the country chapters as these become available following the country's review.

National assessment of shoreline change—Summary statistics for updated vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast Atlantic coasts

Science.gov (United States)

Himmelstoss, Emily A.; Kratzmann, Meredith G.; Thieler, E. Robert

2017-07-18

Long-term rates of shoreline change for the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast Atlantic regions of the United States have been updated as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Assessment of Shoreline Change project. Additional shoreline position data were used to compute rates where the previous rate-of-change assessment only included four shoreline positions at a given location. The long-term shoreline change rates also incorporate the proxy-datum bias correction to account for the unidirectional onshore bias of the proxy-based high water line shorelines relative to the datum-based mean high water shorelines. The calculation of uncertainty associated with the long-term average rates has also been updated to match refined methods used in other study regions of the National Assessment project. The average rates reported here have a reduced amount of uncertainty relative to those presented in the previous assessments for these two regions.

Canadian fuel cell commercialization roadmap update : progress of Canada's hydrogen and fuel cell industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filbee, S.; Karlsson, T.

2009-01-01

Hydrogen and fuel cells are considered an essential part of future low-carbon energy systems for transportation and stationary power. In recognition of this, Industry Canada has worked in partnership with public and private stakeholders to provide an update to the 2003 Canadian Fuel Cell Commercialization Roadmap to determine infrastructure requirements for near-term markets. The update includes technology and market developments in terms of cost and performance. This presentation included an overview of global hydrogen and fuel cell markets as background and context for the activities of the Canadian industry. Approaches toward commercial viability and mass market success were also discussed along with possible scenarios and processes by which these mass markets could develop. Hydrogen and fuel cell industry priorities were outlined along with recommendations for building a hydrogen infrastructure

The Update of the Mexican Health Care Formulary and Supply Catalog in the Context of the Health Technology Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Ríos, Pedro Rizo; Rivera, Aurora González; Oropeza, Itzel Rivas; Ramírez, Odette Campos

2014-12-01

One of the instruments Mexico has available for the optimization of resources specifically allocated to health technologies is the Health Care Formulary and Supply Catalog (Cuadro Básico y Catálogo de Insumos del Sector Salud [CBCISS]). The aim of the CBCISS is to collaborate in the optimization of public resources through the use of technologies (supplies) that have proven their safety, therapeutic efficacy, and efficiency. The importance of the CBCISS lies in the fact that all public institutions within the National Health System must use only the established technologies it contains. The implementation of strategies that strengthen the CBCISS update process allows it to be thought of as an essential regulatory tool for the introduction of health technologies, with relevant contributions to the proper selection of cost-effective interventions. It ensures that each supply included on the list meets the criteria sufficient and necessary to ensure efficacy, safety, effectiveness, and, of course, efficiency, as evidence supporting the selection of suitable technologies. The General Health Council (Consejo de Salubridad General [CSG]) is a collegial body of constitutional origin that-in accordance with its authority-prepares, updates, publishes, and distributes the CBCISS. To perform these activities, the CSG has the CBCISS Inter-institutional Commission. The CBCISS update is performed through the processes of inclusion, modification, and exclusion of supplies approved by the Interior Commission. The CBCISS update process consists of three stages: the first stage involves a test that leads to the acceptance or inadmissibility of the requests, and the other two focus on an in-depth evaluation for the ruling. This article describes the experience of health technology assessment in Mexico, presents the achievements and outlines the improvements in the process of submission of new health technologies, and presents a preliminary analysis of the submissions evaluated

NB market update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marshall, W. K.

2004-01-01

The 2004 New Brunswick proclamation introduced several changes to the industry. This paper presents an update of the current New Brunswick electricity market from the perspective of the recently created New Brunswick System Operator (NBSO). A comparison was made between the modified industry and the previous industry structure. Significant changes included: corporate restructuring and market implementation; the formation of the independent system operator; and an increase in Public Utilities Board regulatory authority. The main objectives of the NBSO were reviewed, including its intention to reliably plan and operate the integrated power system as well as facilitating and operating the electricity market. Details of directors and officers were provided along with a list of legislated functions which included entering agreements with transmitters; provision and procurement of ancillary services; maintenance of integrated system; coordination of external activities; participation with standards authorities; planning and development of transmission; and the facilitation of a competitive market. An outline of the NBSO, Transco and Public Utilities Board relationships were presented. Details of the market advisory committee were outlined, with information concerning contracts, operations and services agreements. Transmission and ancillary services were also discussed, as well as issues concerning interruptible load agreements. A chart of the New Brunswick electricity market structure was presented, along with a market overview including details of capacity, ancillary services and suppliers. Market rules and amendments were presented, as well as market participation guides. Details of generation resource adequacy requirements and the imposition of penalties were outlined. Scheduling and dispatch issues were overviewed, as well as settlement processes, inputs and their sources, including settlements for variances. Future development possibilities included an expansion of

NPOESS Tools for Rapid Algorithm Updates

Science.gov (United States)

Route, G.; Grant, K. D.; Hughes, B.; Reed, B.

2009-12-01

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Defense (DoD), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are jointly acquiring the next-generation weather and environmental satellite system; the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS). NPOESS replaces the current Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) managed by NOAA and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) managed by the DoD. The NPOESS satellites carry a suite of sensors that collect meteorological, oceanographic, climatological, and solar-geophysical observations of the earth, atmosphere, and space. The ground data processing segment for NPOESS is the Interface Data Processing Segment (IDPS), developed by Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems. The IDPS processes both NPP and NPOESS satellite data to provide environmental data products to NOAA and DoD processing centers operated by the United States government. Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems Algorithms and Data Products (A&DP) organization is responsible for the algorithms that produce the EDRs, including their quality aspects. As the Calibration and Validation activities move forward following both the NPP launch and subsequent NPOESS launches, rapid algorithm updates may be required. Raytheon and Northrop Grumman have developed tools and processes to enable changes to be evaluated, tested, and moved into the operational baseline in a rapid and efficient manner. This presentation will provide an overview of the tools available to the Cal/Val teams to ensure rapid and accurate assessment of algorithm changes, along with the processes in place to ensure baseline integrity.

Switzerland; Financial Sector Assessment Program: Factual Update: Insurance Sector Market and Regulatory Developments

OpenAIRE

International Monetary Fund

2007-01-01

This paper presents a factual update of the Insurance Core Principles including insurance sector market and regulatory developments for Switzerland. Regulatory reforms since 2003 have updated Switzerland’s regulatory and supervisory regime for the insurance industry to bring it in line with international best practices. The Insurance Supervision Law (ISL) has reoriented the regulatory focus and expanded the regulatory scope to include group/conglomerate supervision, corporate governance, risk...

Systematic reviews of bruising in relation to child abuse-what have we learnt: an overview of review updates.

Science.gov (United States)

Maguire, Sabine; Mann, Mala

2013-03-07

Dogma has long prevailed regarding the ageing of bruises, and whether certain patterns of bruising are suggestive or diagnostic of child abuse. We conducted the first Systematic Reviews addressing these two issues, to determine the scientific basis for current clinical practice. There have been seven updates since 2004. An all language literature search was performed across 13 databases, 1951-2004, using >60 key words, supplemented by 'snowballing' techniques. Quality standards included a novel confirmation of abuse scale. Updates used expanded key words, and a higher standard for confirmation of abuse. Of 1495 potential studies, only three met the inclusion criteria for ageing of bruises in 2004, confirming that it is inaccurate to do so with the naked eye. This was roundly rejected when first reported, generating a wave of new studies attempting to determine a scientifically valid method to age bruises, none of which are applicable in children yet. Regarding patterns of bruising that may be suggestive or diagnostic of abuse, we included 23 of 167 studies reviewed in 2004, although only 2 were comparative studies. Included studies noted that unintentional bruises occur predominantly on the front of the body, over bony prominences and their presence is directly correlated to the child's level of independent mobility. Bruising patterns in abused children, differed in location (most common site being face, neck, ear, head, trunk, buttocks, arms), and tended to be larger. Updates have included a further 14 studies, including bruising in disabled children, defining distinguishing patterns in severely injured abused and non-abused children, and importance of petechiae. Systematic Reviews of bruising challenged accepted wisdom regarding ageing of bruises, which had no scientific basis; stimulated higher quality research on patterns of bruises distinguishing abusive and non-abusive bruising patterns, and highlighted the benefits of regular updates of these reviews

Internet Journal of Medical Update

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Arun Kumar Agnihotri

The two surveys on 'Gambling Addiction' published in this issue of the Internet Journal of. Medical Update recommend that there is a need to improve training of psychiatrists in India as regards identification, assessment and treatment of gambling addicts. I think the findings will inform the development and implementation of ...

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Finland 2012 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-07-01

In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. This publication provides an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. This publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this publication, the IEA will make available updates to the country chapters as these become available following the country's review.

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Poland 2011 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. This publication provides an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. This publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this publication, the IEA will make available updates to the country chapters as these become available following the country's review.

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Spain 2011 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. This publication provides an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. This publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this publication, the IEA will make available updates to the country chapters as these become available following the country's review.

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Norway 2011 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. This publication provides an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. This publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this publication, the IEA will make available updates to the country chapters as these become available following the country's review.

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Ireland 2011 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. This publication provides an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. This publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this publication, the IEA will make available updates to the country chapters as these become available following the country's review.

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Belgium 2010 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. This publication provides an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. This publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this publication, the IEA will make available updates to the country chapters as these become available following the country's review.

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Portugal 2011 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. This publication provides an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. This publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this publication, the IEA will make available updates to the country chapters as these become available following the country's review.

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Denmark 2011 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. This publication provides an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. This publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this publication, the IEA will make available updates to the country chapters as these become available following the country's review.

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Australia 2011 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. This publication provides an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. This publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this publication, the IEA will make available updates to the country chapters as these become available following the country's review.

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: France 2012 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-07-01

In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. This publication provides an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. This publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this publication, the IEA will make available updates to the country chapters as these become available following the country's review.

Mental health system in Saudi Arabia: an overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qureshi NA

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Naseem Akhtar Qureshi,1 Abdulhameed Abdullah Al-Habeeb,2 Harold G Koenig3 1General Administration for Research and Studies, 2Mental Health and Social Services, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA Background: There is evidence that mapping mental health systems (MHSs helps in planning and developing mental health care services for users, families, and other caregivers. The General Administration of Mental Health and Social Services of the Ministry of Health over the past 4 years has sought to streamline the delivery of mental health care services to health consumers in Saudi Arabia. Objective: We overview here the outcome of a survey that assessed the Saudi MHS and suggest strategic steps for its further improvement. Method: The World Health Organization Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems was used systematically to collect information on the Saudi MHS in 2009–2010, 4 years after a baseline assessment. Results: Several mental health care milestones, especially provision of inpatient mental health services supported by a ratified Mental Health Act, were achieved during this period. However, community mental health care services are needed to match international trends evident in developed countries. Similarly, a larger well-trained mental health workforce is needed at all levels to meet the ever-increasing demand of Saudi society. Conclusion: This updated MHS information, discussed in light of international data, will help guide further development of the MHS in Saudi Arabia in the future, and other countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region may also benefit from Saudi experience. Keywords: Saudi Arabia, mental health system, organization, legal issues, research, training

An update on the effects of playing violent video games.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Craig A

2004-02-01

This article presents a brief overview of existing research on the effects of exposure to violent video games. An updated meta-analysis reveals that exposure to violent video games is significantly linked to increases in aggressive behaviour, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, and cardiovascular arousal, and to decreases in helping behaviour. Experimental studies reveal this linkage to be causal. Correlational studies reveal a linkage to serious, real-world types of aggression. Methodologically weaker studies yielded smaller effect sizes than methodologically stronger studies, suggesting that previous meta-analytic studies of violent video games underestimate the true magnitude of observed deleterious effects on behaviour, cognition, and affect.

Fitness for duty in the nuclear industry: Update of the technical issues 1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durbin, N.; Grant, T.

1996-05-01

The purpose of this report is to provide an update of information on the technical issues surrounding the creation, implementation, and maintenance of fitness-for-duty (FFD) policies and programs. It has been prepared as a resource for Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and nuclear power plant personnel who deal with FFD programs. It contains a general overview and update on the technical issues that the NRC considered prior to the publication of its original FFD rule and the revisions to that rule (presented in earlier NUREG/CRs). It also includes chapters that address issues about which there is growing concern and/or about which there have been substantial changes since NUREG/CR-5784 was published. Although this report is intended to support the NRC's rule making on fitness for duty, the conclusions of the authors of this report are their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the NRC

The Second Flight of the Sunrise Balloon-borne Solar Observatory: Overview of Instrument Updates, the Flight, the Data, and First Results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Solanki, S. K.; Riethmüller, T. L.; Barthol, P.; Danilovic, S.; Deutsch, W.; Doerr, H.-P.; Feller, A.; Gandorfer, A.; Germerott, D.; Gizon, L.; Grauf, B.; Heerlein, K.; Hirzberger, J.; Kolleck, M.; Lagg, A.; Meller, R.; Tomasch, G.; Noort, M. van [Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 3, D-37077 Göttingen (Germany); Rodríguez, J. Blanco; Blesa, J. L. Gasent, E-mail: solanki@mps.mpg.de [Grupo de Astronomía y Ciencias del Espacio, Universidad de Valencia, E-46980 Paterna, Valencia (Spain); and others

2017-03-01

The Sunrise balloon-borne solar observatory, consisting of a 1 m aperture telescope that provides a stabilized image to a UV filter imager and an imaging vector polarimeter, carried out its second science flight in 2013 June. It provided observations of parts of active regions at high spatial resolution, including the first high-resolution images in the Mg ii k line. The obtained data are of very high quality, with the best UV images reaching the diffraction limit of the telescope at 3000 Å after Multi-Frame Blind Deconvolution reconstruction accounting for phase-diversity information. Here a brief update is given of the instruments and the data reduction techniques, which includes an inversion of the polarimetric data. Mainly those aspects that evolved compared with the first flight are described. A tabular overview of the observations is given. In addition, an example time series of a part of the emerging active region NOAA AR 11768 observed relatively close to disk center is described and discussed in some detail. The observations cover the pores in the trailing polarity of the active region, as well as the polarity inversion line where flux emergence was ongoing and a small flare-like brightening occurred in the course of the time series. The pores are found to contain magnetic field strengths ranging up to 2500 G, and while large pores are clearly darker and cooler than the quiet Sun in all layers of the photosphere, the temperature and brightness of small pores approach or even exceed those of the quiet Sun in the upper photosphere.

Valence-Dependent Belief Updating: Computational Validation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bojana Kuzmanovic

2017-06-01

Full Text Available People tend to update beliefs about their future outcomes in a valence-dependent way: they are likely to incorporate good news and to neglect bad news. However, belief formation is a complex process which depends not only on motivational factors such as the desire for favorable conclusions, but also on multiple cognitive variables such as prior beliefs, knowledge about personal vulnerabilities and resources, and the size of the probabilities and estimation errors. Thus, we applied computational modeling in order to test for valence-induced biases in updating while formally controlling for relevant cognitive factors. We compared biased and unbiased Bayesian models of belief updating, and specified alternative models based on reinforcement learning. The experiment consisted of 80 trials with 80 different adverse future life events. In each trial, participants estimated the base rate of one of these events and estimated their own risk of experiencing the event before and after being confronted with the actual base rate. Belief updates corresponded to the difference between the two self-risk estimates. Valence-dependent updating was assessed by comparing trials with good news (better-than-expected base rates with trials with bad news (worse-than-expected base rates. After receiving bad relative to good news, participants' updates were smaller and deviated more strongly from rational Bayesian predictions, indicating a valence-induced bias. Model comparison revealed that the biased (i.e., optimistic Bayesian model of belief updating better accounted for data than the unbiased (i.e., rational Bayesian model, confirming that the valence of the new information influenced the amount of updating. Moreover, alternative computational modeling based on reinforcement learning demonstrated higher learning rates for good than for bad news, as well as a moderating role of personal knowledge. Finally, in this specific experimental context, the approach based on

Spatial interactions database development for effective probabilistic risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liming, J. K.; Dunn, R. F.

2008-01-01

In preparation for a subsequent probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) fire risk analysis update, the STP Nuclear Operating Company (STPNOC) is updating its spatial interactions database (SID). This work is being performed to support updating the spatial interactions analysis (SIA) initially performed for the original South Texas Project Electric Generating Station (STPEGS) probabilistic safely assessment (PSA) and updated in the STPEGS Level 2 PSA and IPE Report. S/A is a large-scope screening analysis performed for nuclear power plant PRA that serves as a prerequisite basis for more detailed location-dependent, hazard-spec analyses in the PRA, such as fire risk analysis, flooding risk analysis, etc. SIA is required to support the 'completeness' argument for the PRA scope. The objectives of the current SID development effort are to update the spatial interactions analysis data, to the greatest degree practical, to be consistent with the following: the as-built plant as of December 31, 2007 the in-effect STPNOC STPEGS Units 1 and 2 PRA the current technology and intent of NUREG/CR-6850 guidance for lire risk analysis database support the requirements for PRA SIA, including fire and flooding risk analysis, established by NRC Regulatory Guide 1.200 and the ASME PRA Standard (ASME RA-S-2002 updated through ASME RA-Sc-2007,) This paper presents the approach and methodology for state-of-the-art SID development and applications, including an overview of the SIA process for nuclear power plant PRA. The paper shows how current relational database technology and existing, conventional station information sources can be employed to collect, process, and analyze spatial interactions data for the plant in an effective and efficient manner to meet the often challenging requirements of industry guidelines and standards such as NUREG/CR-6850, NRC Regulatory Guide 1.200, and ASME RA-S-2002 (updated through ASME RA-Sc 2007). This paper includes tables and figures illustrating how SIA

Modeling good research practices--overview: a report of the ISPOR-SMDM Modeling Good Research Practices Task Force-1.

Science.gov (United States)

Caro, J Jaime; Briggs, Andrew H; Siebert, Uwe; Kuntz, Karen M

2012-01-01

Models-mathematical frameworks that facilitate estimation of the consequences of health care decisions-have become essential tools for health technology assessment. Evolution of the methods since the first ISPOR modeling task force reported in 2003 has led to a new task force, jointly convened with the Society for Medical Decision Making, and this series of seven papers presents the updated recommendations for best practices in conceptualizing models; implementing state-transition approaches, discrete event simulations, or dynamic transmission models; dealing with uncertainty; and validating and reporting models transparently. This overview introduces the work of the task force, provides all the recommendations, and discusses some quandaries that require further elucidation. The audience for these papers includes those who build models, stakeholders who utilize their results, and, indeed, anyone concerned with the use of models to support decision making.

Geographic patterns of at-risk species: A technical document supporting the USDA Forest Service Interim Update of the 2000 RPA Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Curtis H. Flather; Michael S. Knowles; Jason McNees

2008-01-01

This technical document supports the Forest Service's requirement to assess the status of renewable natural resources as mandated by the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974. It updates past reports on the trends and geographic patterns of species formally listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. We...

Utility residual fuel oil market conditions: An update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, H.A. Jr.

1992-01-01

Planning for residual fuel oil usage and management remains an important part of the generation fuel planning and management function for many utilities. EPRI's Utility Planning Methods Center has maintained its analytical overview of the fuel oil markets as part of its overall fuel planning and management research program. This overview provides an update of recent fuel oil market directions. Several key events of the past year have had important implications for residual fuel oil markets. The key events have been the changes brought about by the Persian Gulf War and its aftermath, as well as continuing environmental policy developments. The Persian Gulf conflict has created renewed interest in reducing fuel oil use by utilities as part of an overall reduction in oil imports. The policy analysis performed to date has generally failed to properly evaluate utility industry capability. The Persian Gulf conflict has also resulted in an important change in the structure of international oil markets. The result of this policy-based change is likely to be a shift in oil pricing strategy. Finally, continued change in environmental requirements is continuing to shift utility residual oil requirements, but is also changing the nature of the US resid market itself

Gloss uniformity measurement update for ISO/IEC 19751

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Yee S.; Cui, Chengwu; Kuo, Chunghui; Maggard, Eric; Mashtare, Dale; Morris, Peter

2005-01-01

To address the standardization issues of perceptually based image quality for printing systems, ISO/IEC JTC1/SC28, the standardization committee for office equipment chartered the W1.1 project with the responsibility of drafting a proposal for an international standard for the evaluation of printed image quality1. An ISO draft Standard2, ISO/WD 19751-1, Office Equipment - Appearance-based image quality standards for printers - Part 1: Overview, Procedure and Common Methods, 2004 describes the overview of this multi-part appearance-based image quality standard. One of the ISO 19751 multi-part Standard"s tasks is to address the appearance-based gloss and gloss uniformity issues (in ISO 19751-2). This paper summarizes the current status and technical progress since the last two updates3, 4. In particular, we will be discussion our attempt to include 75 degree gloss (G75) objective measurement5 in differential gloss and within-page gloss uniformity. The result for a round-robin experiment involving objective measurement of differential gloss using G60 and G75 gloss measurement geometry is described. The results for two perceptual-based round-robin experiments relating to haze effect on the perception of gloss, and gloss artifacts (gloss streaks/bands, gloss graininess/mottle) are discussed.

Review and updates of the risk assessment for advanced test reactor operations for operating events and experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atkinson, S.A.

1996-01-01

Annual or biannual reviews of the operating history of the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) have been conducted for the purpose of reviewing and updating the ATR probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) for operating events and operating experience since the first compilation of plant- specific experience data for the ATR PSA which included data for operation from initial power operation in 1969 through 1988. This technical paper briefly discusses the means and some results of these periodic reviews of operating experience and their influence on the ATR PSA

Updating the Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) Core Domain Set

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Orbai, Ana-Maria; de Wit, Maarten; Mease, Philip J

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To include the patient perspective in accordance with the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Filter 2.0 in the updated Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) Core Domain Set for randomized controlled trials (RCT) and longitudinal observational studies (LOS). METHODS: At OMERACT 2016, research...... conducted to update the PsA Core Domain Set was presented and discussed in breakout groups. The updated PsA Core Domain Set was voted on and endorsed by OMERACT participants. RESULTS: We conducted a systematic literature review of domains measured in PsA RCT and LOS, and identified 24 domains. We conducted...... and breakout groups at OMERACT 2016 in which findings were presented and discussed. The updated PsA Core Domain Set endorsed with 90% agreement by OMERACT 2016 participants included musculoskeletal disease activity, skin disease activity, fatigue, pain, patient's global assessment, physical function, health...

National assessment of shoreline change—Summary statistics for updated vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the north coast of Alaska, U.S.-Canadian Border to Icy Cape

Science.gov (United States)

Gibbs, Ann E.; Richmond, Bruce M.

2017-09-25

Long-term rates of shoreline change for the north coast of Alaska, from the U.S.-Canadian border to the Icy Cape region of northern Alaska, have been updated as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Assessment of Shoreline Change Project. Short-term shoreline change rates are reported for the first time. Additional shoreline position data were used to compute rates where the previous rate-of-change assessment only included two shoreline positions at a given location. The calculation of uncertainty associated with the long-term average rates has also been updated to match refined methods used in other study regions of the National Assessment of Shoreline Change Project. The average rates of this report have a reduced amount of uncertainty compared to those presented in the first assessment for this region.

Framing in mass communication research: an overview and assessment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vliegenthart, R.

2012-01-01

This article provides an overview of the use of the framing concept in mass communication research. It focuses on the questions what a frame is and how it is measured, how variation in framing can be explained and what the effects of media framing are. Specific attention will be paid to the

15 CFR 990.12 - Overview.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OIL POLLUTION ACT REGULATIONS NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS Introduction § 990.12 Overview. This part describes three phases of a natural resource..., is described in subpart D of this part. The Restoration Planning Phase, during which trustees...

Efficacy of interventions to combat tobacco addiction: Cochrane update of 2012 reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartmann-Boyce, Jamie; Stead, Lindsay F; Cahill, Kate; Lancaster, Tim

2013-10-01

The Cochrane Collaboration is an international not-for-profit organization which produces and disseminates systematic reviews of health-care interventions. This paper is the first in a series of annual updates of Cochrane reviews on tobacco addiction interventions. It also provides an up-to-date overview of review findings in this area to date and summary statistics for cessation reviews in which meta-analyses were conducted. In 2012, the Group published seven new reviews and updated 13 others. This update summarizes and comments on these reviews. It also summarizes key findings from all the other reviews in this area. New reviews in 2012 found that in smokers using pharmacotherapy, behavioural support improves success rates [risk ratio (RR) 1.16, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09-1.24], and that combining behavioural support and pharmacotherapy aids cessation (RR 1.82, 95% CI = 1.66-2.00). Updated reviews established mobile phones as potentially helpful in aiding cessation (RR 1.71, 95% CI = 1.47-1.99), found that cytisine (RR 3.98, 95% CI = 2.01-7.87) and low-dose varenicline (RR 2.09, 95% CI = 1.56-2.78) aid smoking cessation, and found that training health professionals in smoking cessation improves patient cessation rates (RR 1.60, 95% CI = 1.26-2.03). The updated reviews confirmed the benefits of nicotine replacement therapy, standard dose varenicline and providing cessation treatment free of charge. Lack of demonstrated efficacy remained for partner support, expired-air carbon monoxide feedback and lung function feedback. Cochrane systematic review evidence for the first time establishes the efficacy of behavioural support over and above pharmacotherapy, as well as the efficacy of cytisine, mobile phone technology, low-dose varenicline and health professional training in promoting smoking cessation. © 2013 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Fitness for duty in the nuclear industry: Update of the technical issues 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Durbin, N.; Grant, T. [eds.] [Battelle Seattle Research Center, WA (United States)

1996-05-01

The purpose of this report is to provide an update of information on the technical issues surrounding the creation, implementation, and maintenance of fitness-for-duty (FFD) policies and programs. It has been prepared as a resource for Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and nuclear power plant personnel who deal with FFD programs. It contains a general overview and update on the technical issues that the NRC considered prior to the publication of its original FFD rule and the revisions to that rule (presented in earlier NUREG/CRs). It also includes chapters that address issues about which there is growing concern and/or about which there have been substantial changes since NUREG/CR-5784 was published. Although this report is intended to support the NRC`s rule making on fitness for duty, the conclusions of the authors of this report are their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the NRC.

The neural basis of reversal learning: An updated perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Izquierdo, Alicia; Brigman, Jonathan L.; Radke, Anna K.; Rudebeck, Peter H.; Holmes, Andrew

2016-01-01

Reversal learning paradigms are among the most widely used tests of cognitive flexibility and have been used as assays, across species, for altered cognitive processes in a host of neuropsychiatric conditions. Based on recent studies in humans, non-human primates, and rodents, the notion that reversal learning tasks primarily measure response inhibition, has been revised. In this review, we describe how cognitive flexibility is measured by reversal learning and discuss new definitions of the construct validity of the task that are serving as an heuristic to guide future research in this field. We also provide an update on the available evidence implicating certain cortical and subcortical brain regions in the mediation of reversal learning, and an overview of the principle neurotransmitter systems involved. PMID:26979052

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Slovak Republic 2011 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. This publication provides an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. This publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this publication, the IEA will make available updates to the country chapters as these become available following the country's review.

Updated preparedness and response framework for influenza pandemics.

Science.gov (United States)

Holloway, Rachel; Rasmussen, Sonja A; Zaza, Stephanie; Cox, Nancy J; Jernigan, Daniel B

2014-09-26

The complexities of planning for and responding to the emergence of novel influenza viruses emphasize the need for systematic frameworks to describe the progression of the event; weigh the risk of emergence and potential public health impact; evaluate transmissibility, antiviral resistance, and severity; and make decisions about interventions. On the basis of experience from recent influenza responses, CDC has updated its framework to describe influenza pandemic progression using six intervals (two prepandemic and four pandemic intervals) and eight domains. This updated framework can be used for influenza pandemic planning and serves as recommendations for risk assessment, decision-making, and action in the United States. The updated framework replaces the U.S. federal government stages from the 2006 implementation plan for the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza (US Homeland Security Council. National strategy for pandemic influenza: implementation plan. Washington, DC: US Homeland Security Council; 2006. Available at http://www.flu.gov/planning-preparedness/federal/pandemic-influenza-implementation.pdf). The six intervals of the updated framework are as follows: 1) investigation of cases of novel influenza, 2) recognition of increased potential for ongoing transmission, 3) initiation of a pandemic wave, 4) acceleration of a pandemic wave, 5) deceleration of a pandemic wave, and 6) preparation for future pandemic waves. The following eight domains are used to organize response efforts within each interval: incident management, surveillance and epidemiology, laboratory, community mitigation, medical care and countermeasures, vaccine, risk communications, and state/local coordination. Compared with the previous U.S. government stages, this updated framework provides greater detail and clarity regarding the potential timing of key decisions and actions aimed at slowing the spread and mitigating the impact of an emerging pandemic. Use of this updated framework is

Overview of technologies for removal of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) from water.

Science.gov (United States)

Levchuk, Irina; Bhatnagar, Amit; Sillanpää, Mika

2014-04-01

Wide use of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) as fuel oxygenates leads to worldwide environment contamination with this compound basically due to fuel leaks from storage or pipelines. Presence of MTBE in drinking water is of high environmental and social concern. Existing methods for MTBE removal from water have a number of limitations which can be possibly overcome in the future with use of emerging technologies. This work aims to provide an updated overview of recent developments in technologies for MTBE removal from water. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Update to agency for toxic substances and disease registry 2012 report on assessment of biota exposure to mercury originating from Savannah River Site.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuhne, W. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)

2015-08-10

The purpose of this report is to 1) update previous Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) assessment reports (Kvartek et al. 1994 and Halverson et al. 2008) on the fate of mercury in the Savannah River Site (SRS) environment and 2) address comments and recommendations from the review of SRS by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) concerning the evaluation of exposures to contaminants in biota originating from the SRS. The ATSDR reviewed and evaluated data from SRS, South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control (SCDHEC) and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR) concerning the non-radioactive contaminant mercury. This report will provide a response and update to conclusions and recommendations made by the ATSDR.

Egocentric-updating during navigation facilitates episodic memory retrieval.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomez, Alice; Rousset, Stéphane; Baciu, Monica

2009-11-01

Influential models suggest that spatial processing is essential for episodic memory [O'Keefe, J., & Nadel, L. (1978). The hippocampus as a cognitive map. London: Oxford University Press]. However, although several types of spatial relations exist, such as allocentric (i.e. object-to-object relations), egocentric (i.e. static object-to-self relations) or egocentric updated on navigation information (i.e. self-to-environment relations in a dynamic way), usually only allocentric representations are described as potentially subserving episodic memory [Nadel, L., & Moscovitch, M. (1998). Hippocampal contributions to cortical plasticity. Neuropharmacology, 37(4-5), 431-439]. This study proposes to confront the allocentric representation hypothesis with an egocentric updated with self-motion representation hypothesis. In the present study, we explored retrieval performance in relation to these two types of spatial processing levels during learning. Episodic remembering has been assessed through Remember responses in a recall and in a recognition task, combined with a "Remember-Know-Guess" paradigm [Gardiner, J. M. (2001). Episodic memory and autonoetic consciousness: A first-person approach. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 356(1413), 1351-1361] to assess the autonoetic level of responses. Our results show that retrieval performance was significantly higher when encoding was performed in the egocentric-updated condition. Although egocentric updated with self-motion and allocentric representations are not mutually exclusive, these results suggest that egocentric updating processing facilitates remember responses more than allocentric processing. The results are discussed according to Burgess and colleagues' model of episodic memory [Burgess, N., Becker, S., King, J. A., & O'Keefe, J. (2001). Memory for events and their spatial context: models and experiments. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B

Recent updates and developments to plant genome size databases

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, Sònia; Leitch, Ilia J.; Anadon-Rosell, Alba; Canela, Miguel Á.; Gálvez, Francisco; Garnatje, Teresa; Gras, Airy; Hidalgo, Oriane; Johnston, Emmeline; Mas de Xaxars, Gemma; Pellicer, Jaume; Siljak-Yakovlev, Sonja; Vallès, Joan; Vitales, Daniel; Bennett, Michael D.

2014-01-01

Two plant genome size databases have been recently updated and/or extended: the Plant DNA C-values database (http://data.kew.org/cvalues), and GSAD, the Genome Size in Asteraceae database (http://www.asteraceaegenomesize.com). While the first provides information on nuclear DNA contents across land plants and some algal groups, the second is focused on one of the largest and most economically important angiosperm families, Asteraceae. Genome size data have numerous applications: they can be used in comparative studies on genome evolution, or as a tool to appraise the cost of whole-genome sequencing programs. The growing interest in genome size and increasing rate of data accumulation has necessitated the continued update of these databases. Currently, the Plant DNA C-values database (Release 6.0, Dec. 2012) contains data for 8510 species, while GSAD has 1219 species (Release 2.0, June 2013), representing increases of 17 and 51%, respectively, in the number of species with genome size data, compared with previous releases. Here we provide overviews of the most recent releases of each database, and outline new features of GSAD. The latter include (i) a tool to visually compare genome size data between species, (ii) the option to export data and (iii) a webpage containing information about flow cytometry protocols. PMID:24288377

An overview of modal-based damage identification methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farrar, C.R.; Doebling, S.W. [Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States). Engineering Analysis Group

1997-09-01

This paper provides an overview of methods that examine changes in measured vibration response to detect, locate, and characterize damage in structural and mechanical systems. The basic idea behind this technology is that modal parameters (notably frequencies, mode shapes, and modal damping) are functions of the physical properties of the structure (mass, damping, and stiffness). Therefore, changes in the physical properties will cause detectable changes in the modal properties. The motivation for the development of this technology is first provided. The methods are then categorized according to various criteria such as the level of damage detection provided, model-based vs. non-model-based methods and linear vs. nonlinear methods. This overview is limited to methods that can be adapted to a wide range of structures (i.e., are not dependent on a particular assumed model form for the system such as beam-bending behavior and methods and that are not based on updating finite element models). Next, the methods are described in general terms including difficulties associated with their implementation and their fidelity. Past, current and future-planned applications of this technology to actual engineering systems are summarized. The paper concludes with a discussion of critical issues for future research in the area of modal-based damage identification.

40 CFR 68.36 - Review and update.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) CHEMICAL ACCIDENT PREVENTION PROVISIONS Hazard Assessment § 68.36 Review and update. (a) The owner or operator shall... processes, quantities stored or handled, or any other aspect of the stationary source might reasonably be...

Climate Change and Coastal Zones. An Overview of the State-of-the-Art on Regional and Local Vulnerability Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sterr, H.; Klein, R.J.T.; Reese, S.

2000-06-01

This paper provides an overview of the latest developments in methodologies for assessing the vulnerability of coastal zones to climate change at regional and local scales. The focus of vulnerability assessment in coastal zones used to be on erosion and land loss due to sea-level rise. Methodologies now increasingly consider the wide range of climate and impact variables that play a part in determining coastal vulnerability, as well as non-climatic developments. The paper presents a conceptual framework for vulnerability assessment that identifies a number of system components that can be considered determinants of vulnerability. It then goes on to outline a number of steps that are required for the actual assessment of coastal vulnerability, such as scenario development, data collection and impact assessment. The approach is illustrated using a regional and local case study in Germany

An overview of Smorn V-Munich

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kryter, R.C.; La Wanda, E. Klobe; Hendrix, S.P.

1988-03-01

At the recent fifth Symposium on Reactor Noise (SMORN V), over half the participants represented power utilities, and thirteen out of ninety papers covered practical experience of plant monitoring by noise analysis. In 1986 the Nuclear Energy Agency published a State of the Art Report on Reactor Noise Analysis providing an assessment of the applicability of noise techniques to power reactor operations, which was drawn up by a working group of the NEA Committee on Reactor Physics in the aftermath of the 1984 SMORN IV symposium in Dijon. Since that time, the practical applications of noise analysis techniques to plant surveillance have become more widespread, in particular in the areas of loose part detection and vibration monitoring. Theoretical understanding of the methods has continued to improve. These advances were presented at the SMORN V symposium, held in Munich from 12th - 16th October 1987. The meeting also recommended that the 1986 State of the Art report should be updated, and the present overview is intended, like its predecessor, for a wide audience including national safety authorities and managers in the nuclear industry. The full proceedings of the symposium, to be published in 1988 by Pergamon Press, will include all the papers presented at the meeting. This document was assembled and edited at Oak Ridge National Laboratory from the summaries of each session provided by the session chairmen. Topics which were divided into multiple sessions for the purpose of the conference have been regrouped into single chapters. A complete list of the papers presented at the conference is included in the appendix

Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Structures - Overview of Methods and Related Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, Dan J.

2009-01-01

The objectives of this limited study were to provide an overview of the methods that are available for inspection of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete and metallic structures, and to provide an assessment of the status of methods that address inspection of thick, heavily-reinforced concrete and inaccessible areas of the containment metallic pressure boundary. In meeting these objectives a general description of nuclear power plant safety-related structures was provided as well as identification of potential degradation factors, testing and inspection requirements, and operating experience; methods for inspection of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures and containment metallic pressure boundaries were identified and described; and applications of nondestructive evaluation methods specifically related to inspection of thick-section reinforced concrete structures and inaccessible portions of containment metallic pressure boundaries were summarized. Recommendations are provided on utilization of test article(s) to further advance nondestructive evaluation methods related to thick-section, heavily-reinforced concrete and inaccessible portions of the metallic pressure boundary representative of nuclear power plant containments. Conduct of a workshop to provide an update on applications and needed developments for nondestructive evaluation of nuclear power plant structures would also be of benefit.

Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Structures - Overview of Methods and Related Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naus, Dan J [ORNL

2009-05-01

The objectives of this limited study were to provide an overview of the methods that are available for inspection of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete and metallic structures, and to provide an assessment of the status of methods that address inspection of thick, heavily-reinforced concrete and inaccessible areas of the containment metallic pressure boundary. In meeting these objectives a general description of nuclear power plant safety-related structures was provided as well as identification of potential degradation factors, testing and inspection requirements, and operating experience; methods for inspection of nuclear power plant reinforced concrete structures and containment metallic pressure boundaries were identified and described; and applications of nondestructive evaluation methods specifically related to inspection of thick-section reinforced concrete structures and inaccessible portions of containment metallic pressure boundaries were summarized. Recommendations are provided on utilization of test article(s) to further advance nondestructive evaluation methods related to thick-section, heavily-reinforced concrete and inaccessible portions of the metallic pressure boundary representative of nuclear power plant containments. Conduct of a workshop to provide an update on applications and needed developments for nondestructive evaluation of nuclear power plant structures would also be of benefit.

Commercial Buildings Partnerships - Overview of Higher education projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Parrish, Kristen [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Robinson, Alastair [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Regnier, Cindy [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2013-02-01

The Commercial Building Partnership (CBP), a public/private, cost-shared program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), paired selected commercial building owners and operators with representatives of DOE, its national laboratories, and private-sector technical experts. These teams explored energy-saving measures across building systems – including some considered too costly or technologically challenging – and used advanced energy modeling to achieve peak whole-building performance. Modeling results were then included in new construction or retrofit designs to achieve significant energy reductions. CBP design goals aimed to achieve 50 percent energy savings compared to ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2004 for new construction, while retrofits are designed to consume at least 30 percent less energy than either Standard 90.1-2004 or current consumption. After construction and commissioning of the project, laboratory staff continued to work with partners to collect and analyze data for verification of the actual energy reduction. CBP projects represent diverse building types in commercial real estate, including lodging, grocery, retail, higher education, office, and warehouse/storage facilities. Partners also commit to replicating low-energy technologies and strategies from their CBP projects throughout their building portfolios. As a result of CBP projects, five sector overviews (Lodging, Food Sales, General Merchandise, Higher Education, Offices) were created to capture successful strategies and recommended energy efficiency measures that could broadly be applied across these sectors. These overviews are supplemented with individual case studies providing specific details on the decision criteria, modeling results, and lessons learned on specific projects. Sector overviews and CBP case studies will also be updated to reflect verified data and replication strategies as they become available.

Continental-wide distribution of crayfish species in Europe: update and maps

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kouba A.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Recently published astacological studies substantially improved available data on distribution of crayfish in various European regions. At the same time, spread of invasive species has been recorded, additional non-indigenous species became established in various countries, and losses of populations of native species due to crayfish plague and other negative factors were observed. We overview recent advances in this knowledge, and provide updated colour maps of the distribution of all crayfish species present in Europe. These maps are originally based on the data from the Atlas of Crayfish in Europe published in 2006 as a result of the CRAYNET project, and were further updated from more recently published reports, grey literature, and especially thanks to contributions and feedback of over 70 specialists from 32 countries. Separate maps are available for all indigenous crayfish species in Europe as well as for three most widespread non-indigenous crayfish species. Additionally, two maps give locations of known findings of crayfish species introduced to Europe after 1980. These newly established alien species have so far restricted distributions; however, the frequency of recent reports suggests that findings of such species resulting from releases of aquarium pets will further increase.

NPP/NPOESS Tools for Rapid Algorithm Updates

Science.gov (United States)

Route, G.; Grant, K. D.; Hughes, R.

2010-12-01

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Defense (DoD), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are jointly acquiring the next-generation weather and environmental satellite system; the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS). NPOESS replaces the current Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) managed by NOAA and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) managed by the DoD. The NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) and NPOESS satellites will carry a suite of sensors that collect meteorological, oceanographic, climatological, and solar-geophysical observations of the earth, atmosphere, and space. The ground data processing segment for NPOESS is the Interface Data Processing Segment (IDPS), developed by Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems. The IDPS processes both NPP and NPOESS satellite data to provide environmental data products to NOAA and DoD processing centers operated by the United States government. The Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (NGAS) Algorithms and Data Products (A&DP) organization is responsible for the algorithms that produce the Environmental Data Records (EDRs), including their quality aspects. As the Calibration and Validation (Cal/Val) activities move forward following both the NPP launch and subsequent NPOESS launches, rapid algorithm updates may be required. Raytheon and Northrop Grumman have developed tools and processes to enable changes to be evaluated, tested, and moved into the operational baseline in a rapid and efficient manner. This presentation will provide an overview of the tools available to the Cal/Val teams to ensure rapid and accurate assessment of algorithm changes, along with the processes in place to ensure baseline integrity.

An update on risk factors for cartilage loss in knee osteoarthritis assessed using MRI-based semiquantitative grading methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alizai, Hamza [Boston University School of Medicine, Quantitative Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA (United States); Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha (Qatar); University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Department of Radiology, San Antonio, TX (United States); Roemer, Frank W. [Boston University School of Medicine, Quantitative Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA (United States); Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha (Qatar); University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Department of Radiology, Erlangen (Germany); Hayashi, Daichi [Boston University School of Medicine, Quantitative Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA (United States); Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha (Qatar); Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Bridgeport Hospital, Bridgeport, CT (United States); Crema, Michel D. [Boston University School of Medicine, Quantitative Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA (United States); Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha (Qatar); Hospital do Coracao and Teleimagem, Department of Radiology, Sao Paulo (Brazil); Felson, David T. [Boston University School of Medicine, Clinical Epidemiology Research and Training Unit, Boston, MA (United States); Guermazi, Ali [Boston University School of Medicine, Quantitative Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA (United States); Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha (Qatar); Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA (United States)

2014-11-07

Arthroscopy-based semiquantitative scoring systems such as Outerbridge and Noyes' scores were the first to be developed for the purpose of grading cartilage defects. As magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) became available faor evaluation of the osteoarthritic knee joint, these systems were adapted for use with MRI. Later on, grading methods such as the Whole Organ Magnetic Resonance Score, the Boston-Leeds Osteoarthritis Knee Score and the MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score were designed specifically for performing whole-organ assessment of the knee joint structures, including cartilage. Cartilage grades on MRI obtained with these scoring systems represent optimal outcome measures for longitudinal studies, and are designed to enhance understanding of the knee osteoarthritis disease process. The purpose of this narrative review is to describe cartilage assessment in knee osteoarthritis using currently available MRI-based semiquantitative whole-organ scoring systems, and to provide an update on the risk factors for cartilage loss in knee osteoarthritis as assessed with these scoring systems. (orig.)

An update on risk factors for cartilage loss in knee osteoarthritis assessed using MRI-based semiquantitative grading methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alizai, Hamza; Roemer, Frank W.; Hayashi, Daichi; Crema, Michel D.; Felson, David T.; Guermazi, Ali

2015-01-01

Arthroscopy-based semiquantitative scoring systems such as Outerbridge and Noyes' scores were the first to be developed for the purpose of grading cartilage defects. As magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) became available faor evaluation of the osteoarthritic knee joint, these systems were adapted for use with MRI. Later on, grading methods such as the Whole Organ Magnetic Resonance Score, the Boston-Leeds Osteoarthritis Knee Score and the MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score were designed specifically for performing whole-organ assessment of the knee joint structures, including cartilage. Cartilage grades on MRI obtained with these scoring systems represent optimal outcome measures for longitudinal studies, and are designed to enhance understanding of the knee osteoarthritis disease process. The purpose of this narrative review is to describe cartilage assessment in knee osteoarthritis using currently available MRI-based semiquantitative whole-organ scoring systems, and to provide an update on the risk factors for cartilage loss in knee osteoarthritis as assessed with these scoring systems. (orig.)

Overview of risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rimington, J.D.

1992-01-01

The paper begins by defining some terms, and then refer to a number of technical and other difficulties. Finally it attempts to set out why risk assessment is important and what its purposes are. 2) First, risk and risk assessment - what are they?. 3) Risk is a subject of universal significance. Life is very uncertain, and we can achieve no object or benefit in it except by approaching nearer to particular hazards which lie between us and our objects. That approach represents acceptance of risk. 4) Risk assessment is a way of systematising our approach to hazard with a view to determining what is more and what is less risky. It helps us in the end to diminish our exposure while obtaining whatever benefits we have in mind, or to optimise the risks and the benefits

Overview of risk assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rimington, J D [Health and Safety Executive (United Kingdom)

1992-07-01

The paper begins by defining some terms, and then refer to a number of technical and other difficulties. Finally it attempts to set out why risk assessment is important and what its purposes are. 2) First, risk and risk assessment - what are they?. 3) Risk is a subject of universal significance. Life is very uncertain, and we can achieve no object or benefit in it except by approaching nearer to particular hazards which lie between us and our objects. That approach represents acceptance of risk. 4) Risk assessment is a way of systematising our approach to hazard with a view to determining what is more and what is less risky. It helps us in the end to diminish our exposure while obtaining whatever benefits we have in mind, or to optimise the risks and the benefits.

Internal dose assessments: Uncertainty studies and update of ideas guidelines and databases within CONRAD project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marsh, J. W.; Castellani, C. M.; Hurtgen, C.; Lopez, M. A.; Andrasi, A.; Bailey, M. R.; Birchall, A.; Blanchardon, E.; Desai, A. D.; Dorrian, M. D.; Doerfel, H.; Koukouliou, V.; Luciani, A.; Malatova, I.; Molokanov, A.; Puncher, M.; Vrba, T.

2008-01-01

The work of Task Group 5.1 (uncertainty studies and revision of IDEAS guidelines) and Task Group 5.5 (update of IDEAS databases) of the CONRAD project is described. Scattering factor (SF) values (i.e. measurement uncertainties) have been calculated for different radionuclides and types of monitoring data using real data contained in the IDEAS Internal Contamination Database. Based upon this work and other published values, default SF values are suggested. Uncertainty studies have been carried out using both a Bayesian approach as well as a frequentist (classical) approach. The IDEAS guidelines have been revised in areas relating to the evaluation of an effective AMAD, guidance is given on evaluating wound cases with the NCRP wound model and suggestions made on the number and type of measurements required for dose assessment. (authors)

a Bottom-Up Geosptial Data Update Mechanism for Spatial Data Infrastructure Updating

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, W.; Zhu, X.; Liu, Y.

2012-08-01

Currently, the top-down spatial data update mechanism has made a big progress and it is wildly applied in many SDI (spatial data infrastructure). However, this mechanism still has some issues. For example, the update schedule is limited by the professional department's project, usually which is too long for the end-user; the data form collection to public cost too much time and energy for professional department; the details of geospatial information does not provide sufficient attribute, etc. Thus, how to deal with the problems has become the effective shortcut. Emerging Internet technology, 3S technique and geographic information knowledge which is popular in the public promote the booming development of geoscience in volunteered geospatial information. Volunteered geospatial information is the current "hotspot", which attracts many researchers to study its data quality and credibility, accuracy, sustainability, social benefit, application and so on. In addition to this, a few scholars also pay attention to the value of VGI to support the SDI updating. And on that basis, this paper presents a bottom-up update mechanism form VGI to SDI, which includes the processes of match homonymous elements between VGI and SDI vector data , change data detection, SDI spatial database update and new data product publication to end-users. Then, the proposed updating cycle is deeply discussed about the feasibility of which can detect the changed elements in time and shorten the update period, provide more accurate geometry and attribute data for spatial data infrastructure and support update propagation.

Working Memory Updating Latency Reflects the Cost of Switching between Maintenance and Updating Modes of Operation

Science.gov (United States)

Kessler, Yoav; Oberauer, Klaus

2014-01-01

Updating and maintenance of information are 2 conflicting demands on working memory (WM). We examined the time required to update WM (updating latency) as a function of the sequence of updated and not-updated items within a list. Participants held a list of items in WM and updated a variable subset of them in each trial. Four experiments that vary…

An integrated overview of metadata in ATLAS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gallas, E J; Malon, D; Hawkings, R J; Albrand, S; Torrence, E

2010-01-01

Metadata (data about data) arise in many contexts, from many diverse sources, and at many levels in ATLAS. Familiar examples include run-level, luminosity-block-level, and event-level metadata, and, related to processing and organization, dataset-level and file-level metadata, but these categories are neither exhaustive nor orthogonal. Some metadata are known a priori, in advance of data taking or simulation; other metadata are known only after processing, and occasionally, quite late (e.g., detector status or quality updates that may appear after initial reconstruction is complete). Metadata that may seem relevant only internally to the distributed computing infrastructure under ordinary conditions may become relevant to physics analysis under error conditions ('What can I discover about data I failed to process?'). This talk provides an overview of metadata and metadata handling in ATLAS, and describes ongoing work to deliver integrated metadata services in support of physics analysis.

NASA ESTO Lidar Technologies Investment Strategy: 2016 Decadal Update

Science.gov (United States)

Valinia, Azita; Komar, George J.; Tratt, David M.; Lotshaw, William T.; Gaab, Kevin M.

2017-01-01

The NASA Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) recently updated its investment strategy in the area of lidar technologies as it pertains to NASA's Earth Science measurement goals in the next decade. The last ESTO lidar strategy was documented in 2006. The current (2016) report assesses the state-of-the-art in lidar technologies a decade later. Lidar technology maturation in the past decade has been evaluated, and the ESTO investment strategy is updated and laid out in this report according to current NASA Earth science measurement needs and new emerging technologies.

Modeling good research practices--overview: a report of the ISPOR-SMDM Modeling Good Research Practices Task Force--1.

Science.gov (United States)

Caro, J Jaime; Briggs, Andrew H; Siebert, Uwe; Kuntz, Karen M

2012-01-01

Models--mathematical frameworks that facilitate estimation of the consequences of health care decisions--have become essential tools for health technology assessment. Evolution of the methods since the first ISPOR Modeling Task Force reported in 2003 has led to a new Task Force, jointly convened with the Society for Medical Decision Making, and this series of seven articles presents the updated recommendations for best practices in conceptualizing models; implementing state-transition approaches, discrete event simulations, or dynamic transmission models; and dealing with uncertainty and validating and reporting models transparently. This overview article introduces the work of the Task Force, provides all the recommendations, and discusses some quandaries that require further elucidation. The audience for these articles includes those who build models, stakeholders who utilize their results, and, indeed, anyone concerned with the use of models to support decision making. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The era of 3Rs implementation in developmental and reproductive toxicity (DART) testing: Current overview and future perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Beekhuijzen, Manon

2017-09-01

Since adoption of the first globally implemented guidelines for developmental and reproductive toxicity (DART) testing for pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals and agrochemicals, many years passed without major updates. However in recent years, significant changes in these guidelines have been made or are being implemented. These changes have been guided by the ethical drive to reduce, refine and replace (3R) animal testing, as well as the addition of endocrine disruptor relevant endpoints. Recent applied improvements have focused on reduction and refinement. Ongoing scientific and technical innovations will provide the means for replacement of animal testing in the future and will improve predictivity in humans. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of ongoing global DART endeavors in respect to the 3Rs, with an outlook towards future advances in DART testing aspiring to reduce animal testing to a minimum and the supreme ambition towards animal-free hazard and risk assessment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alternative energies. Updates on progress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferreira, German (ed.) [CIRCE - Centre of Research for Energy Resources and Consumption, Zaragoza (Spain)

2013-07-01

Presents fundamental and applied research of alternative energies. Address key pillars in the alternative energy field, such as: biomass energy, hydrogen energy, solar energy, wind energy, hydroelectric power, geothermal energy and their environmental implications, with the most updated progress. Includes the life cycle assessment and thermoeconomic analysis as tools for evaluating and optimising environmental and cost subjects. This book presents nine chapters based on fundamental and applied research of alternative energies. At the present time, the challenge is that technology has to come up with solutions that can provide environmentally friendly energy supply options that are able to cover the current world energy demand. Experts around the world are working on these issues for providing new solutions that will break the existing technological barriers. This book aims to address key pillars in the alternative energy field, such as: biomass energy, hydrogen energy, solar energy, wind energy, hydroelectric power, geothermal energy and their environmental implications, with the most updated progress for each pillar. It also includes the life cycle assessment (LCA) and thermoeconomic analysis (TA) as tools for evaluating and optimising environmental and cost subjects. Chapters are organized into fundamental research, applied research and future trends; and written for engineers, academic researches and scientists.

Update in women's health.

Science.gov (United States)

Ganschow, Pamela S; Jacobs, Elizabeth A; Mackinnon, Jennifer; Charney, Pamela

2009-06-01

The aim of this clinical update is to summarize articles and guidelines published in the last year with the potential to change current clinical practice as it relates to women's health. We used two independent search strategies to identify articles relevant to women's health published between March 1, 2007 and February 29, 2008. First, we reviewed the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and journal indices from the ACP Journal Club, Annals of Internal Medicine, Archives of Internal Medicine, British Medical Journal, Circulation, Diabetes, JAMA, JGIM, Journal of Women's Health, Lancet, NEJM, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Women's Health Journal Watch. Second, we performed a MEDLINE search using the medical subject heading term "sex factors." The authors, who all have clinical and/or research experience in the area of women's health, reviewed all article titles, abstracts, and, when indicated, full publications. We excluded articles related to obstetrical aspects of women's health focusing on those relevant to general internists. We had two acceptance criteria, scientific rigor and potential to impact women's health. We also identified new and/or updated women's health guidelines released during the same time period. We identified over 250 publications with potential relevance to women's health. Forty-six articles were selected for presentation as part of the Clinical Update, and nine were selected for a more detailed discussion in this paper. Evidence-based women's health guidelines are listed in Table 1. Table 1 Important Women's Health Guidelines in 2007-2008: New or Updated Topic Issuing organization Updated recommendations and comments Mammography screening in women 40-4917 ACP Individualized risk assessment and informed decision making should be used to guide decisions about mammography screening in this age group. To aid in the risk assessment, a discussion of the risk factors, which if present in a woman in her 40s increases her risk to above that of an

Self-shielding models of MICROX-2 code: Review and updates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hou, J.; Choi, H.; Ivanov, K.N.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The MICROX-2 code has been improved to expand its application to advanced reactors. • New fine-group cross section libraries based on ENDF/B-VII have been generated. • Resonance self-shielding and spatial self-shielding models have been improved. • The improvements were assessed by a series of benchmark calculations against MCNPX. - Abstract: The MICROX-2 is a transport theory code that solves for the neutron slowing-down and thermalization equations of a two-region lattice cell. The MICROX-2 code has been updated to expand its application to advanced reactor concepts and fuel cycle simulations, including generation of new fine-group cross section libraries based on ENDF/B-VII. In continuation of previous work, the MICROX-2 methods are reviewed and updated in this study, focusing on its resonance self-shielding and spatial self-shielding models for neutron spectrum calculations. The improvement of self-shielding method was assessed by a series of benchmark calculations against the Monte Carlo code, using homogeneous and heterogeneous pin cell models. The results have shown that the implementation of the updated self-shielding models is correct and the accuracy of physics calculation is improved. Compared to the existing models, the updates reduced the prediction error of the infinite multiplication factor by ∼0.1% and ∼0.2% for the homogeneous and heterogeneous pin cell models, respectively, considered in this study

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Canada 2010 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

This publication provides a detailed look at the specific systems in Canada for responding to an oil supply crisis. In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this full publication, the IEA will provide updates to the country chapters as these become available following the specific country's review. The aim of series of publications is to provide an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. The 2007 publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies.

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Italy 2010 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

This publication provides a detailed look at the specific systems in Italy for responding to an oil supply crisis. In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this full publication, the IEA will provide updates to the country chapters as these become available following the specific country's review. The aim of series of publications is to provide an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. The 2007 publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies.

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Greece 2010 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

This publication provides a detailed look at the specific systems in Greece for responding to an oil supply crisis. In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this full publication, the IEA will provide updates to the country chapters as these become available following the specific country's review. The aim of series of publications is to provide an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. The 2007 publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies.

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Hungary 2012 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-09-06

This publication provides a detailed look at the specific systems in Hungary for responding to an oil supply crisis. In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this full publication, the IEA will provide updates to the country chapters as these become available following the specific country's review. The aim of series of publications is to provide an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. The 2007 publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies.

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Luxembourg 2010 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

This publication provides a detailed look at the specific systems in Luxembourg for responding to an oil supply crisis. In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this full publication, the IEA will provide updates to the country chapters as these become available following the specific country's review. The aim of series of publications is to provide an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. The 2007 publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies.

Updates on the COPD gene list

Science.gov (United States)

Bossé, Yohan

2012-01-01

A genetic contribution to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is well established. However, the specific genes responsible for enhanced risk or host differences in susceptibility to smoke exposure remain poorly understood. The goal of this review is to provide a comprehensive literature overview on the genetics of COPD, highlight the most promising findings during the last few years, and ultimately provide an updated COPD gene list. Candidate gene studies on COPD and related phenotypes indexed in PubMed before January 5, 2012 are tabulated. An exhaustive list of publications for any given gene was looked for. This well-documented COPD candidate-gene list is expected to serve many purposes for future replication studies and meta-analyses as well as for reanalyzing collected genomic data in the field. In addition, this review summarizes recent genetic loci identified by genome-wide association studies on COPD, lung function, and related complications. Assembling resources, integrative genomic approaches, and large sample sizes of well-phenotyped subjects is part of the path forward to elucidate the genetic basis of this debilitating disease. PMID:23055711

The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) Guidelines for the Biological Treatment of Bipolar Disorders: Update 2010 on the treatment of acute bipolar depression

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grunze, Heinz; Vieta, Eduard; Goodwin, Guy M

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVES: These guidelines are based on a first edition that was published in 2002, and have been edited and updated with the available scientific evidence until September 2009. Their purpose is to supply a systematic overview of all scientific evidence pertaining to the treatment of acute bipo...... edition of this guideline in 2002, there are many areas which still need more intense research to optimize treatment. The majority of treatment recommendations is still based on limited data and leaves considerable areas of uncertainty.......OBJECTIVES: These guidelines are based on a first edition that was published in 2002, and have been edited and updated with the available scientific evidence until September 2009. Their purpose is to supply a systematic overview of all scientific evidence pertaining to the treatment of acute...... bipolar depression in adults. METHODS: The data used for these guidelines have been extracted from a MEDLINE and EMBASE search, from the clinical trial database clinicaltrials.gov, from recent proceedings of key conferences, and from various national and international treatment guidelines...

Energetic overview and nuclear energy in October 2016; Panorama energ@tico y energ@a nuclear a octubre de 2016

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lopez Jimenez, J.; Torre, A. de la; Gonzalez Jimenez, A.

2016-07-01

This article shows a general overview about nuclear energy in the world and in Spain in 2015; some results are updated until October 2016. A summary on the primary and electrical energy consumption and the nuclear part in the global and in the Spanish energy mix is also presented. Data on behaviour of nuclear power plants, CO2 emissions saving, life extension, planned and proposed new nuclear plants, etc., are also included.

77 FR 68155 - Sunshine Act Meeting Notice

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-15

...-Quality Control Compliance/3rd Party CPA XII. National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling (NFMC) Compliance Update XIII. OHTS Watch List and Overview of Organizational Assessment Review Process XIV. Adjournment...

Project overview and update on WEAVE: the next generation wide-field spectroscopy facility for the William Herschel Telescope

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dalton, Gavin; Trager, Scott; Abrams, Don Carlos; Bonifacio, Piercarlo; López Aguerri, J. Alfonso; Middleton, Kevin; Benn, Chris; Dee, Kevin; Sayède, Frédéric; Lewis, Ian; Pragt, Johan; Pico, Sergio; Walton, Nic; Rey, Juerg; Allende Prieto, Carlos; Peñate, José; Lhome, Emilie; Agócs, Tibor; Alonso, José; Terrett, David; Brock, Matthew; Gilbert, James; Ridings, Andy; Guinouard, Isabelle; Verheijen, Marc A.W.; Tosh, Ian; Rogers, Kevin; Steele, Iain; Stuik, Remko; Tromp, Neils; Jasko, Attila; Kragt, Jan; Lesman, Dirk; Mottram, Chris; Bates, Stuart; Gribbin, Frank; Rodriguez, Luis Fernando; Delgado, José M.; Martin, Carlos; Cano, Diego; Navarro, Ramón; Irwin, Mike; Lewis, Jim; Gonzalez Solares, Eduardo; O'Mahony, Neil; Bianco, Andrea; Zurita, Christina; ter Horst, Rik; Molinari, Emilio; Lodi, Marcello; Guerra, José; Vallenari, Antonella; Baruffolo, Andrea

We present an overview of and status report on the WEAVE next-generation spectroscopy facility for the William Herschel Telescope (WHT). WEAVE principally targets optical ground-based follow up of upcoming ground-based (LOFAR) and space-based (Gaia) surveys. WEAVE is a multi-object and multi-IFU

Energy Savings Potential and RD&D Opportunities for Commercial Building Appliances (2015 Update)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goetzler, William [Navigant Consulting, Burlington, MA (United States); Guernsey, Matt [Navigant Consulting, Burlington, MA (United States); Foley, Kevin [Navigant Consulting, Burlington, MA (United States); Young, Jim [Navigant Consulting, Burlington, MA (United States); Chung, Greg [Navigant Consulting, Burlington, MA (United States)

2016-06-01

The Department of Energy commissioned a technology characterization and assessment of appliances used in commercial buildings for cooking, cleaning, water heating, and other end-uses. The primary objectives of this study were to document the energy consumed by commercial appliances and identify research, development, and demonstration opportunities to improve energy efficiency in each end-use. This report serves as an update to a 2009 report of the same name by incorporating updated data and sources where possible and updating the available technology options that provide opportunities for efficiency improvements.

Integrated building (and) airflow simulation: an overview

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hensen, J.L.M.

2002-01-01

This paper aims to give a broad overview of building airflow simulation, and advocates that the essential ingredients for quality assurance are: domain knowledge; selection of appropriate level of resolution; calibration and validation; and a correct performance assessment methodology. Directions

Memory updating and mental arithmetic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng-Ching eHan

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Is domain-general memory updating ability predictive of calculation skills or are such skills better predicted by the capacity for updating specifically numerical information? Here, we used multidigit mental multiplication (MMM as a measure for calculating skill as this operation requires the accurate maintenance and updating of information in addition to skills needed for arithmetic more generally. In Experiment 1, we found that only individual differences with regard to a task updating numerical information following addition (MUcalc could predict the performance of MMM, perhaps owing to common elements between the task and MMM. In Experiment 2, new updating tasks were designed to clarify this: a spatial updating task with no numbers, a numerical task with no calculation, and a word task. The results showed that both MUcalc and the spatial task were able to predict the performance of MMM but only with the more difficult problems, while other updating tasks did not predict performance. It is concluded that relevant processes involved in updating the contents of working memory support mental arithmetic in adults.

Project W-420 Ventilation Stack Monitoring System Year 2000 Compliance Assessment Project Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BUSSELL, J.H.

1999-01-01

This assessment describes the potential Year 2000 (Y2K) problems and describes the methods for achieving Y2K Compliance for Project W-420, Ventilation Stack Monitoring Systems Upgrades. The purpose of this assessment is to give an overview of the project. This document will not be updated and any dates contained in this document are estimates and may change. The project work scope includes upgrades to ventilation stacks and generic effluent monitoring systems (GEMS) at the 244-A Double Contained Receiver Tank (DCRT), the 244-BX DCRT, the 244-CR Vault, tanks 241-C-105 and 241-C-106, the 244-S DCRT, and the 244-TX DCRT. A detailed description of system dates, functions, interfaces, potential Y2K problems, and date resolutions can not be described since the project is in the definitive design phase, This assessment will describe the methods, protocols, and practices to ensure that equipment and systems do not have Y2K problems

Overview of human health in the Arctic: conclusions and recommendations.

Science.gov (United States)

Donaldson, Shawn; Adlard, Bryan; Odland, Jon Øyvind

2016-01-01

This article is intended to provide an overview of the key conclusions, knowledge gaps and key recommendations based on the recent 2015 Arctic human health assessment under the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program. This assessment was based primarily on data from human health monitoring and research studies and peer-reviewed literature published since the last assessment in 2009.

e-PTSD: an overview on how new technologies can improve prediction and assessment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Science.gov (United States)

Bourla, Alexis; Mouchabac, Stephane; El Hage, Wissam; Ferreri, Florian

2018-01-01

Background : New technologies may profoundly change our way of understanding psychiatric disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Imaging and biomarkers, along with technological and medical informatics developments, might provide an answer regarding at-risk patient's identification. Recent advances in the concept of 'digital phenotype', which refers to the capture of characteristics of a psychiatric disorder by computerized measurement tools, is one paradigmatic example. Objective : The impact of the new technologies on health professionals practice in PTSD care remains to be determined. The recent evolutions could disrupt the clinical practices and practitioners in their beliefs, ethics and representations, going as far as questioning their professional culture. In the present paper, we conducted an extensive search to highlight the articles which reflect the potential of these new technologies. Method : We conducted an overview by querying PubMed database with the terms [PTSD] [Posttraumatic stress disorder] AND [Computer] OR [Computerized] OR [Mobile] OR [Automatic] OR [Automated] OR [Machine learning] OR [Sensor] OR [Heart rate variability] OR [HRV] OR [actigraphy] OR [actimetry] OR [digital] OR [motion] OR [temperature] OR [virtual reality]. Results : We summarized the synthesized literature in two categories: prediction and assessment (including diagnostic, screening and monitoring). Two independent reviewers screened, extracted data and quality appraised the sources. Results were synthesized narratively. Conclusions : This overview shows that many studies are underway allowing researchers to start building a PTSD digital phenotype using passive data obtained by biometric sensors. Active data obtained from Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) could allow clinicians to assess PTSD patients. The place of connected objects, Artificial Intelligence and remote monitoring of patients with psychiatric pathology remains to be defined. These tools

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Korea 2011 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

This publication provides a detailed look at the specific systems in the Republic of Korea for responding to an oil supply crisis. In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this full publication, the IEA will provide updates to the country chapters as these become available following the specific country's review. The aim of series of publications is to provide an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. The 2007 publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies.

How update schemes influence crowd simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seitz, Michael J; Köster, Gerta

2014-01-01

Time discretization is a key modeling aspect of dynamic computer simulations. In current pedestrian motion models based on discrete events, e.g. cellular automata and the Optimal Steps Model, fixed-order sequential updates and shuffle updates are prevalent. We propose to use event-driven updates that process events in the order they occur, and thus better match natural movement. In addition, we present a parallel update with collision detection and resolution for situations where computational speed is crucial. Two simulation studies serve to demonstrate the practical impact of the choice of update scheme. Not only do density-speed relations differ, but there is a statistically significant effect on evacuation times. Fixed-order sequential and random shuffle updates with a short update period come close to event-driven updates. The parallel update scheme overestimates evacuation times. All schemes can be employed for arbitrary simulation models with discrete events, such as car traffic or animal behavior. (paper)

OVERVIEW ON BNL ASSESSMENT OF SEISMIC ANALYSIS METHODS FOR DEEPLY EMBEDDED NPP STRUCTURES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

XU, J.; COSTANTINO, C.; HOFMAYER, C.; GRAVES, H.

2007-01-01

A study was performed by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) under the sponsorship of the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC), to determine the applicability of established soil-structure interaction analysis methods and computer programs to deeply embedded and/or buried (DEB) nuclear power plant (NPP) structures. This paper provides an overview of the BNL study including a description and discussions of analyses performed to assess relative performance of various SSI analysis methods typically applied to NPP structures, as well as the importance of interface modeling for DEB structures. There are four main elements contained in the BNL study: (1) Review and evaluation of existing seismic design practice, (2) Assessment of simplified vs. detailed methods for SSI in-structure response spectrum analysis of DEB structures, (3) Assessment of methods for computing seismic induced earth pressures on DEB structures, and (4) Development of the criteria for benchmark problems which could be used for validating computer programs for computing seismic responses of DEB NPP structures. The BNL study concluded that the equivalent linear SSI methods, including both simplified and detailed approaches, can be extended to DEB structures and produce acceptable SSI response calculations, provided that the SSI response induced by the ground motion is very much within the linear regime or the non-linear effect is not anticipated to control the SSI response parameters. The BNL study also revealed that the response calculation is sensitive to the modeling assumptions made for the soil/structure interface and application of a particular material model for the soil

Safety assessment of GM plants: An updated review of the scientific literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Domingo, José L

2016-09-01

In a wide revision of the literature conducted in 2000, I noted that the information in scientific journals on the safety of genetically modified (GM) foods in general, and GM plants in particular, was scarce. Of course, it was not sufficient to guarantee that the consumption of these products should not mean risks for the health of the consumers. Because of the scientific interest in GM organisms (GMOs), as well as the great concern that the consumption of GM foods/plants has raised in a number of countries, I conducted two subsequent revisions (2007 and 2011) on the adverse/toxic effects of GM plants. In the present review, I have updated the information on the potential adverse health effects of GM plants consumed as food and/or feed. With only a few exceptions, the reported studies in the last six years show rather similar conclusions; that is to say, the assessed GM soybeans, rice, corn/maize and wheat would be as safe as the parental species of these plants. However, in spite of the notable increase in the available information, studies on the long-term health effects of GM plants, including tests of mutagenicity, teratogenicity and carcinogenicity seem to be still clearly necessary. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Vascular Ischemic (Occlusive) Diseases: An Overview

Science.gov (United States)

2007-01-01

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is primarily considered to be an autoimmune pathological condition that is also referred to as "Hughes syndrome". It is characterized by arterial and/or venous thrombosis and pregnancy pathologies in the presence of anticardiolipin antibodies and/or lupus anticoagulant. APS can occur either as a primary disease or secondary to a connective tissue disorder, most frequently systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Damage to the nervous system is one of the most prominent clinical constellations of sequelae in APS and includes (i) arterial/venous thrombotic events, (ii) psychiatric features and (iii) other non-thrombotic neurological syndromes. In this overview we compare the most important vascular ischemic (occlusive) disturbances (VIOD) with neuro-psychiatric symptomatics, together with complete, updated classifications and hypotheses for the etio-pathogenesis of APS with underlying clinical and laboratory criteria for optimal diagnosis and disease management. PMID:18159581

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: New Zealand 2010 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

This publication provides a detailed look at the specific systems in New Zealand for responding to an oil supply crisis. In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this full publication, the IEA will provide updates to the country chapters as these become available following the specific country's review. The aim of series of publications is to provide an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. The 2007 publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies.

Hydrogen Codes and Standards: An Overview of U.S. DOE Activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

James M Ohi

2006-01-01

The Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Infrastructure Technologies (HFCIT) Program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), with the help of leading standards and model code development organizations, other national laboratories, and key stakeholders, are developing a coordinated and collaborative government-industry effort to prepare, review, and promulgate hydrogen codes and standards needed to expedite hydrogen infrastructure development. The focus of this effort is to put in place a coordinated and comprehensive hydrogen codes and standards program at the national and international levels. This paper updates an overview of the U.S. program to facilitate and coordinate the development of hydrogen codes and standards that was presented by the author at WHEC 15. (authors)

Update of a thermodynamic database for radionuclides to assist solubility limits calculation for performance assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duro, L.; Grive, M.; Cera, E.; Domenech, C.; Bruno, J. (Enviros Spain S.L., Barcelona (ES))

2006-12-15

This report presents and documents the thermodynamic database used in the assessment of the radionuclide solubility limits within the SR-Can Exercise. It is a supporting report to the solubility assessment. Thermodynamic data are reviewed for 20 radioelements from Groups A and B, lanthanides and actinides. The development of this database is partially based on the one prepared by PSI and NAGRA. Several changes, updates and checks for internal consistency and completeness to the reference NAGRA-PSI 01/01 database have been conducted when needed. These modifications are mainly related to the information from the various experimental programmes and scientific literature available until the end of 2003. Some of the discussions also refer to a previous database selection conducted by Enviros Spain on behalf of ANDRA, where the reader can find additional information. When possible, in order to optimize the robustness of the database, the description of the solubility of the different radionuclides calculated by using the reported thermodynamic database is tested in front of experimental data available in the open scientific literature. When necessary, different procedures to estimate gaps in the database have been followed, especially accounting for temperature corrections. All the methodologies followed are discussed in the main text

Update of a thermodynamic database for radionuclides to assist solubility limits calculation for performance assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duro, L.; Grive, M.; Cera, E.; Domenech, C.; Bruno, J.

2006-12-01

This report presents and documents the thermodynamic database used in the assessment of the radionuclide solubility limits within the SR-Can Exercise. It is a supporting report to the solubility assessment. Thermodynamic data are reviewed for 20 radioelements from Groups A and B, lanthanides and actinides. The development of this database is partially based on the one prepared by PSI and NAGRA. Several changes, updates and checks for internal consistency and completeness to the reference NAGRA-PSI 01/01 database have been conducted when needed. These modifications are mainly related to the information from the various experimental programmes and scientific literature available until the end of 2003. Some of the discussions also refer to a previous database selection conducted by Enviros Spain on behalf of ANDRA, where the reader can find additional information. When possible, in order to optimize the robustness of the database, the description of the solubility of the different radionuclides calculated by using the reported thermodynamic database is tested in front of experimental data available in the open scientific literature. When necessary, different procedures to estimate gaps in the database have been followed, especially accounting for temperature corrections. All the methodologies followed are discussed in the main text

Magnitude Representation and Working Memory Updating in Children With Arithmetic and Reading Comprehension Disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Pelegrina, Santiago; Capodieci, Agnese; Carretti, Barbara; Cornoldi, Cesare

2015-01-01

It has been argued that children with learning disabilities (LD) encounter severe problems in working memory (WM) tasks, especially when they need to update information stored in their WM. It is not clear, however, to what extent this is due to a generally poor updating ability or to a difficulty specific to the domain to be processed. To examine this issue, two groups of children with arithmetic or reading comprehension LD and a group of typically developing children (9 to 10 years old) were assessed using two updating tasks requiring to select the smallest numbers or objects presented. The results showed that children with an arithmetic disability failed in a number updating task, but not in the object updating task. The opposite was true for the group with poor reading comprehension, whose performance was worse in the object than in the number updating task. It may be concluded that the problem of WM updating in children with LD is also due to a poor representation of the material to be updated. In addition, our findings suggest that the mental representation of the size of objects relates to the semantic representation of the objects' properties and differs from the quantitative representation of numbers. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2014.

Off-Highway Gasoline Consuption Estimation Models Used in the Federal Highway Administration Attribution Process: 2008 Updates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, Ho-Ling [ORNL; Davis, Stacy Cagle [ORNL

2009-12-01

This report is designed to document the analysis process and estimation models currently used by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to estimate the off-highway gasoline consumption and public sector fuel consumption. An overview of the entire FHWA attribution process is provided along with specifics related to the latest update (2008) on the Off-Highway Gasoline Use Model and the Public Use of Gasoline Model. The Off-Highway Gasoline Use Model is made up of five individual modules, one for each of the off-highway categories: agricultural, industrial and commercial, construction, aviation, and marine. This 2008 update of the off-highway models was the second major update (the first model update was conducted during 2002-2003) after they were originally developed in mid-1990. The agricultural model methodology, specifically, underwent a significant revision because of changes in data availability since 2003. Some revision to the model was necessary due to removal of certain data elements used in the original estimation method. The revised agricultural model also made use of some newly available information, published by the data source agency in recent years. The other model methodologies were not drastically changed, though many data elements were updated to improve the accuracy of these models. Note that components in the Public Use of Gasoline Model were not updated in 2008. A major challenge in updating estimation methods applied by the public-use model is that they would have to rely on significant new data collection efforts. In addition, due to resource limitation, several components of the models (both off-highway and public-us models) that utilized regression modeling approaches were not recalibrated under the 2008 study. An investigation of the Environmental Protection Agency's NONROAD2005 model was also carried out under the 2008 model update. Results generated from the NONROAD2005 model were analyzed, examined, and compared, to the extent that

Analysis of Potential Benefits and Costs of Updating the Commercial Building Energy Code in North Dakota

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cort, Katherine A.; Belzer, David B.; Winiarski, David W.; Richman, Eric E.

2004-04-30

The state of North Dakota is considering updating its commercial building energy code. This report evaluates the potential costs and benefits to North Dakota residents from updating and requiring compliance with ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2001. Both qualitative and quantitative benefits and costs are assessed in the analysis. Energy and economic impacts are estimated using the Building Loads Analysis and System Thermodynamics (BLAST simulation combined with a Life-cycle Cost (LCC) approach to assess correspodning economic costs and benefits.

Update of CERN exchange network

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

An update of the CERN exchange network will be done next April. Disturbances or even interruptions of telephony services may occur from 4th to 24th April during evenings from 18:30 to 00:00 but will not exceed more than 4 consecutive hours (see tentative planning below). CERN divisions are invited to avoid any change requests (set-ups, move or removals) of telephones and fax machines from 4th to 25th April. Everything will be done to minimize potential inconveniences which may occur during this update. There will be no loss of telephone functionalities. CERN GSM portable phones won't be affected by this change. Should you need more details, please send us your questions by email to Standard.Telephone@cern.ch. DateChange typeAffected areas April 11 Update of switch in LHC 4 LHC 4 Point April 14 Update of switch in LHC 5 LHC 5 Point April 15 Update of switches in LHC 3 and LHC 2 Points LHC 3 and LHC 2 April 22 Update of switch N4 Meyrin Ouest April 23 Update of switch  N6 Prévessin Site Ap...

Data on the descriptive overview and the quality assessment details of 12 qualitative research papers

OpenAIRE

Barnabishvili, Maia; Ulrichs, Timo; Waldherr, Ruth

2016-01-01

This data article presents the supplementary material for the review paper “Role of acceptability barriers in delayed diagnosis of Tuberculosis: Literature review from high burden countries” (Barnabishvili et al., in press) [1]. General overview of 12 qualitative papers, including the details about authors, years of publication, data source locations, study objectives, overview of methods, study population characteristics, as well as the details of intervention and the outcome parameters of t...

Updating and improving the National Population Database to National Population Database 2

OpenAIRE

SMITH, Graham; FAIRBURN, Jonathan

2008-01-01

In 2004 Staffordshire University delivered the National Population Database for use in estimating populations at risk under the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations (COMAH). In 2006 an assessment of the updating and potential improvements to NPD was delivered to HSE. Between Autumn 2007 and Summer 2008 an implementation of the feasibility report led to the creation of National Population Database 2 which both updated and expanded the datasets contained in the original NPD. This repor...

Decentralized Consistent Updates in SDN

KAUST Repository

Nguyen, Thanh Dang

2017-04-10

We present ez-Segway, a decentralized mechanism to consistently and quickly update the network state while preventing forwarding anomalies (loops and blackholes) and avoiding link congestion. In our design, the centralized SDN controller only pre-computes information needed by the switches during the update execution. This information is distributed to the switches, which use partial knowledge and direct message passing to efficiently realize the update. This separation of concerns has the key benefit of improving update performance as the communication and computation bottlenecks at the controller are removed. Our evaluations via network emulations and large-scale simulations demonstrate the efficiency of ez-Segway, which compared to a centralized approach, improves network update times by up to 45% and 57% at the median and the 99th percentile, respectively. A deployment of a system prototype in a real OpenFlow switch and an implementation in P4 demonstrate the feasibility and low overhead of implementing simple network update functionality within switches.

An updated assessment of the prospects for fuel cell-powered buses. An information paper

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanderson, T.K. [Future Energy Solutions, Harwell (United Kingdom)

2005-07-01

This report presents updated conclusions of the Department of Trade and Industry's research and development programme to assess the commercial prospects for advanced fuel cells in buses. The programme has focussed on low temperature solid polymer fuel cells (SPFCs) for transport and combined heat and power (CHP)/distributed power and high temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) for CHP/distributed power. As well as assessing the prospects for SPFCs in buses, the report examines those for alkaline fuel cells (AFCs) and phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFCs) in buses. The report provides an assessment of the status of technology development for different types of fuel cells in terms of applications to buses and offers estimates of market potential. Some fuel-cell powered buses are now available for demonstration purposes but the report concludes that truly commercial sales are unlikely to start before 2010 and widespread deployment is expected to take a further ten years after that. Buses have now slipped behind cars in terms of worldwide deployment. The issue of fuel choice is considered largely resolved with most fleet vehicle/bus manufacturers currently focussing on hydrogen as a fuel. A discussion of the prospects and barriers for fuel cell buses concludes that cost reduction is now the major barrier to the successful commercialisation of fuel cells in buses. More demonstration prototypes and field trials are required to provide information on energy, environmental and economic performance of fuel cell buses. Field trials could also provide information to assist the development of refuelling systems, fuel storage systems, stacks and other system components and to gain experience of building integrated fuel cell systems.

Presentation of the main regulatory provisions applicable in medical and dental radiology. October 2016 update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-10-01

This document is an update of a previous version published in 2013. Its aim is to give an overview of the regulation framework to physicians, radiologists, dental surgeons, medical personnel employers, and persons with abilities in radioprotection. It addresses the procedures of declaration and authorization of possession and use of electric equipment generating ionizing radiation, the different persons intervening to ensure the radioprotection of patients and workers, the laying-out conditions for a radiology installation, the different aspects of population and worker radioprotection and of patient radioprotection, the maintenance and quality control of medical equipment, the declaration of incidents at the ASN, and radioprotection inspection

Presentation of the main regulatory provisions applicable in medical and dental radiology - October 2013 update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-10-01

This document is an update of a previous version published in May 2012. Its aim is to give an overview of the regulation framework to physicians, radiologists, dental surgeons, medical personnel employers, and persons with abilities in radioprotection. It addresses the procedures of declaration and authorization of possession and use of electric equipment generating ionizing radiation, the different persons intervening to ensure the radioprotection of patients and workers, the laying-out conditions for a radiology installation, the different aspects of population and worker radioprotection and of patient radioprotection, the maintenance and quality control of medical equipment, the declaration of incidents at the ASN, and radioprotection inspection

Presentation of the main regulatory provisions applicable in medical and dental radiology - May 2012 update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-05-01

This document is an update of a previous version published in 2010. Its aim is to give an overview of the regulation framework to physicians, radiologists, dental surgeons, medical personnel employers, and persons with abilities in radioprotection. It addresses the procedures of declaration and authorization of possession and use of electric equipment generating ionizing radiation, the different persons intervening to ensure the radioprotection of patients and workers, the laying-out conditions for a radiology installation, the different aspects of population and worker radioprotection and of patient radioprotection, the maintenance and quality control of medical equipment, the declaration of incidents at the ASN, and radioprotection inspection

Update of Energy policy of Uruguay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-08-01

The National Energy Directorate from Uruguay called a contest for Update Policy L Energy of Uruguay so as to ensure energy supply at the lowest possible cost, with greater safety and lower environmental impact and taking account efficient use of the Energy. FIEL was selected to carry out the work planned within three months and responding to a broad agenda that included the following points in the order of the Terms of Reference of the contest (TORs): 3.1. Evaluation of the existing energy policy 3.2. relative price optimization fuel 3.3. Optimization of tax policy in fuel 3.4. assessment of cost and benefits of alternative import 3.5. strategic reserve 3.6. Ambiental impacts Identification 3.7. Recommendations to improve the framework regulatory 3.8. Institutional framework for the energy sector in Uruguay 3.9. Evaluation of potential of renewable national energy resources 3.10. Energy efficiency 3.11. Action Plan for the National Energy The report presents and order of the TORs. In the first chapter updates assessment of energy policy presented in the progress report. In point 3.2 approaching the economic costs of the various energy alternatives from the parities import and cost efficient products in non tradable. Along with the environmental costs estimated in Section 3.6 is evaluated in the 3.3 How should the taxes structure to take into account externalities generating energy. In Section 3.4 discusses different options imported and in 3.5 energy supply costs are assessed count a strategic reserve, which Uruguay has decided that it is in the form of capacity thermal generation. In paragraphs 3.7 and 3.8 governing institutions is analyzed and they plan the sector, not only from a regulatory point of view but also the organization Internal DNE. In 3.9 alternatives are discussed renewable resources from national and international studies existentes, and in 3.1 updating the results of a recent study on energy efficiency by the World Bank and the case of an eventual

Los Alamos Climatology 2016 Update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruggeman, David Alan [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-02-10

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or the Laboratory) operates a meteorology monitoring network to support LANL emergency response, engineering designs, environmental compliance, environmental assessments, safety evaluations, weather forecasting, environmental monitoring, research programs, and environmental restoration. Weather data has been collected in Los Alamos since 1910. Bowen (1990) provided climate statistics (temperature and precipitation) for the 1961– 1990 averaging period, and included other analyses (e.g., wind and relative humidity) based on the available station locations and time periods. This report provides an update to the 1990 publication Los Alamos Climatology (Bowen 1990).

Updating Recursive XML Views of Relations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Choi, Byron; Cong, Gao; Fan, Wenfei

2009-01-01

This paper investigates the view update problem for XML views published from relational data. We consider XML views defined in terms of mappings directed by possibly recursive DTDs compressed into DAGs and stored in relations. We provide new techniques to efficiently support XML view updates...... specified in terms of XPath expressions with recursion and complex filters. The interaction between XPath recursion and DAG compression of XML views makes the analysis of the XML view update problem rather intriguing. Furthermore, many issues are still open even for relational view updates, and need...... to be explored. In response to these, on the XML side, we revise the notion of side effects and update semantics based on the semantics of XML views, and present effecient algorithms to translate XML updates to relational view updates. On the relational side, we propose a mild condition on SPJ views, and show...

Dissociating Working Memory Updating and Automatic Updating: The Reference-Back Paradigm

Science.gov (United States)

Rac-Lubashevsky, Rachel; Kessler, Yoav

2016-01-01

Working memory (WM) updating is a controlled process through which relevant information in the environment is selected to enter the gate to WM and substitute its contents. We suggest that there is also an automatic form of updating, which influences performance in many tasks and is primarily manifested in reaction time sequential effects. The goal…

Risk management of undesirable substances in feed following updated risk assessments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verstraete, Frans

2013-01-01

Directive 2002/32/EC of 7 May 2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council on undesirable substances in animal feed is the framework for the EU action on undesirable substances in feed. This framework Directive provides: ⁎that products intended for animal feed may enter for use in the Union from third countries, be put into circulation and/or used in the Union only if they are sound, genuine and of merchantable quality and therefore when correctly used do not represent any danger to human health, animal health or to the environment or could adversely affect livestock production. ⁎that in order to protect animal and public health and the environment, maximum levels for specific undesirable substances shall be established where necessary. ⁎for mandatory consultation of a scientific body (EFSA) for all provisions which may have an effect upon public health or animal health or on the environment. ⁎that products intended for animal feed containing levels of an undesirable substance that exceed the established maximum level may not be mixed for dilution purposes with the same, or other, products intended for animal feed and may not be used for the production of compound feed. Based on the provisions and principles laid down in this framework Directive, maximum levels for a whole range of undesirable substances have been established at EU level. During the discussions in view of the adoption of Directive 2002/32/EC, the European Commission made the commitment to review all existing provisions on undesirable substances on the basis of updated scientific risk assessments. Following requests of the European Commission, the Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has completed a series of 30 risk assessments undertaken over the last 5 years on undesirable substances in animal feed reviewing the possible risks for animal and human health due to the presence of these substances in animal feed. EU legislation

Risk management of undesirable substances in feed following updated risk assessments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verstraete, Frans, E-mail: Frans.Verstraete@ec.europa.eu

2013-08-01

Directive 2002/32/EC of 7 May 2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council on undesirable substances in animal feed is the framework for the EU action on undesirable substances in feed. This framework Directive provides: ⁎that products intended for animal feed may enter for use in the Union from third countries, be put into circulation and/or used in the Union only if they are sound, genuine and of merchantable quality and therefore when correctly used do not represent any danger to human health, animal health or to the environment or could adversely affect livestock production. ⁎that in order to protect animal and public health and the environment, maximum levels for specific undesirable substances shall be established where necessary. ⁎for mandatory consultation of a scientific body (EFSA) for all provisions which may have an effect upon public health or animal health or on the environment. ⁎that products intended for animal feed containing levels of an undesirable substance that exceed the established maximum level may not be mixed for dilution purposes with the same, or other, products intended for animal feed and may not be used for the production of compound feed. Based on the provisions and principles laid down in this framework Directive, maximum levels for a whole range of undesirable substances have been established at EU level. During the discussions in view of the adoption of Directive 2002/32/EC, the European Commission made the commitment to review all existing provisions on undesirable substances on the basis of updated scientific risk assessments. Following requests of the European Commission, the Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has completed a series of 30 risk assessments undertaken over the last 5 years on undesirable substances in animal feed reviewing the possible risks for animal and human health due to the presence of these substances in animal feed. EU legislation

Overview of groundwater and surface water standards pertinent to the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. Revision 3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lundahl, A.L.; Williams, S.; Grizzle, B.J.

1995-09-01

This document presents an overview of groundwater- and surface water-related laws, regulations, agreements, guidance documents, Executive Orders, and DOE orders pertinent to the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. This document is a summary and is intended to help readers understand which regulatory requirements may apply to their particular circumstances. However, the document is not intended to be used in lieu of applicable regulations. Unless otherwise noted, the information in this report reflects a summary and evaluation completed July 1, 1995. This document is considered a Living Document, and updates on changing laws and regulations will be provided.

International comparison of fossil power efficiency and CO2 intensity. Update 2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klaassen, E.

2011-08-15

This study is an update of the 2010 study and aims to compare fossil-fired power generation efficiency and CO2-intensity (coal, oil and gas) for Australia, China (including Hong Kong), France, Germany, India, Japan, Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway aggregated), South Korea, United Kingdom and Ireland, and United States. This selection of countries and regions is based on discussions with the client. United Kingdom and Ireland, and the Nordic countries are aggregated, because of the interconnection between their electricity grids. Although all electricity grids in Europe are interconnected, there are a number of markets that operate fairly independent. These are the Nordic market (Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway), the Iberian market (Spain and Portugal), Central (Eastern European countries) and United Kingdom and Ireland. Only public power plants are taken into account, including public CHP plants. For the latter a correction for heat extraction has been applied. This chapter gives an overview of the fuel mix for power generation for the included countries and of the amount of fossil-fired power generation. The methodology for this study is described in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 gives an overview of the efficiency of fossil-fired power generation by fuel source. Chapter 4 gives the conclusions.

Soft sensor modelling by time difference, recursive partial least squares and adaptive model updating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu, Y; Xu, O; Yang, W; Zhou, L; Wang, J

2017-01-01

To investigate time-variant and nonlinear characteristics in industrial processes, a soft sensor modelling method based on time difference, moving-window recursive partial least square (PLS) and adaptive model updating is proposed. In this method, time difference values of input and output variables are used as training samples to construct the model, which can reduce the effects of the nonlinear characteristic on modelling accuracy and retain the advantages of recursive PLS algorithm. To solve the high updating frequency of the model, a confidence value is introduced, which can be updated adaptively according to the results of the model performance assessment. Once the confidence value is updated, the model can be updated. The proposed method has been used to predict the 4-carboxy-benz-aldehyde (CBA) content in the purified terephthalic acid (PTA) oxidation reaction process. The results show that the proposed soft sensor modelling method can reduce computation effectively, improve prediction accuracy by making use of process information and reflect the process characteristics accurately. (paper)

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Czech Republic 2010 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

This publication provides a detailed look at the specific systems in the Czech Republic for responding to an oil supply crisis. In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this full publication, the IEA will provide updates to the country chapters as these become available following the specific country's review. The aim of series of publications is to provide an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. The 2007 publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies.

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: United Kingdom 2010 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

This publication provides a detailed look at the specific systems in the United Kingdom for responding to an oil supply crisis. In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this full publication, the IEA will provide updates to the country chapters as these become available following the specific country's review. The aim of series of publications is to provide an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. The 2007 publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies.

An updated assessment of the prospects for fuel cell-powered cars. An information paper

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanderson, T.K. [Future Energy Solutions, Harwell (United Kingdom)

2005-07-01

This report presents updated conclusions of the Department of Trade and Industry's research and development programme to assess the commercial prospects for advanced fuel cells in the car market. The programme has focussed on low temperature solid polymer fuel cells (SPFCs) for transport and combined heat and power (CHP)/distributed power and high temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) for CHP/distributed power. The report provides an assessment of the status of technology development for different types of fuel cells in terms of applications to cars and offers estimates of market potential. Some fuel-cell powered cars are now available for demonstration purposes but the report concludes that truly commercial sales are unlikely to start before 2010 and widespread deployment is expected to take a further ten years after that. The issue of fuel choice is considered largely resolved with most car manufacturers currently focussing on hydrogen as a fuel. A discussion of the prospects and barriers for fuel cell cars concludes that cost reduction is now the major barrier to the successful commercialisation of fuel cells in cars. More demonstration prototypes and field trials are required to provide information on energy, environmental and economic performance of fuel cell cars. Field trials could also provide information to assist the development of refuelling systems, fuel storage systems, stacks and other system components and to gain experience of building integrated fuel cell systems within the constraints imposed by cars.

Reliability data update using condition monitoring and prognostics in probabilistic safety assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyeonmin Kim

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Probabilistic safety assessment (PSA has had a significant role in quantitative decision-making by finding design and operational vulnerabilities and evaluating cost-benefit in improving such weak points. In particular, it has been widely used as the core methodology for risk-informed applications (RIAs. Even though the nature of PSA seeks realistic results, there are still “conservative” aspects. One of the sources for the conservatism is the assumptions of safety analysis and the estimation of failure frequency. Surveillance, diagnosis, and prognosis (SDP, utilizing massive databases and information technology, is worth highlighting in terms of its capability for alleviating the conservatism in conventional PSA. This article provides enabling techniques to solidify a method to provide time- and condition-dependent risks by integrating a conventional PSA model with condition monitoring and prognostics techniques. We will discuss how to integrate the results with frequency of initiating events (IEs and probability of basic events (BEs. Two illustrative examples will be introduced: (1 how the failure probability of a passive system can be evaluated under different plant conditions and (2 how the IE frequency for a steam generator tube rupture (SGTR can be updated in terms of operating time. We expect that the proposed model can take a role of annunciator to show the variation of core damage frequency (CDF depending on operational conditions.

Reliability data update using condition monitoring and prognostics in probabilistic safety assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Hyeon Min; Lee, Sang Hwan; Park, Jun Seok; Kim, Hyung Dae; Chang, Yoon Suk; Heo, Gyun Young [Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

2015-03-15

Probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) has had a significant role in quantitative decision making by finding design and operational vulnerabilities and evaluating cost-benefit in improving such weak points. In particular, it has been widely used as the core methodology for risk-informed applications (RIAs). Even though the nature of PSA seeks realistic results, there are still 'conservative' aspects. One of the sources for the conservatism is the assumptions of safety analysis and the estimation of failure frequency. Surveillance, diagnosis, and prognosis (SDP), utilizing massive databases and information technology, is worth highlighting in terms of its capability for alleviating the conservatism in conventional PSA. This article provides enabling techniques to solidify a method to provide time and condition-dependent risks by integrating a conventional PSA model with condition monitoring and prognostics techniques. We will discuss how to integrate the results with frequency of initiating events (IEs) and probability of basic events (BEs). Two illustrative examples will be introduced: (1) how the failure probability of a passive system can be evaluated under different plant conditions and (2) how the IE frequency for a steam generator tube rupture (SGTR) can be updated in terms of operating time. We expect that the proposed model can take a role of annunciator to show the variation of core damage frequency (CDF) depending on operational conditions.

Shipment security update - 2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patterson, John; Anne, Catherine

2003-01-01

At the 2002 RERTR, NAC reported on the interim measures taken by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to enhance the security afforded to shipments of spent nuclear fuel. Since that time, there have been a number of additional actions focused on shipment security including training programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Electric Power Research Council, investigation by the Government Accounting Office, and individual measures taken by shippers and transportation agents. The paper will present a status update regarding this dynamic set of events and provide an objective assessment of the cost, schedule and technical implications of the changing security landscape. (author)

An Overview of the International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Briggs, J. Blair; Gulliford, Jim

2014-01-01

Interest in high-quality integral benchmark data is increasing as efforts to quantify and reduce calculational uncertainties associated with advanced modeling and simulation accelerate to meet the demands of next generation reactor and advanced fuel cycle concepts. Two Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) activities, the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP), initiated in 1992, and the International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project (IRPhEP), initiated in 2003, have been identifying existing integral experiment data, evaluating those data, and providing integral benchmark specifications for methods and data validation for nearly two decades. Data provided by those two projects will be of use to the international reactor physics, criticality safety, and nuclear data communities for future decades. An overview of the IRPhEP and a brief update of the ICSBEP are provided in this paper.

Updating systematic reviews: an international survey.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chantelle Garritty

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Systematic reviews (SRs should be up to date to maintain their importance in informing healthcare policy and practice. However, little guidance is available about when and how to update SRs. Moreover, the updating policies and practices of organizations that commission or produce SRs are unclear. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The objective was to describe the updating practices and policies of agencies that sponsor or conduct SRs. An Internet-based survey was administered to a purposive non-random sample of 195 healthcare organizations within the international SR community. Survey results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The completed response rate was 58% (n = 114 from across 26 countries with 70% (75/107 of participants identified as producers of SRs. Among responders, 79% (84/107 characterized the importance of updating as high or very-high and 57% (60/106 of organizations reported to have a formal policy for updating. However, only 29% (35/106 of organizations made reference to a written policy document. Several groups (62/105; 59% reported updating practices as irregular, and over half (53/103 of organizational respondents estimated that more than 50% of their respective SRs were likely out of date. Authors of the original SR (42/106; 40% were most often deemed responsible for ensuring SRs were current. Barriers to updating included resource constraints, reviewer motivation, lack of academic credit, and limited publishing formats. Most respondents (70/100; 70% indicated that they supported centralization of updating efforts across institutions or agencies. Furthermore, 84% (83/99 of respondents indicated they favoured the development of a central registry of SRs, analogous to efforts within the clinical trials community. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Most organizations that sponsor and/or carry out SRs consider updating important. Despite this recognition, updating practices are not regular, and many organizations lack

Regression analysis of censored data using pseudo-observations: An update

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Overgaard, Morten; Andersen, Per Kragh; Parner, Erik Thorlund

2015-01-01

competing risks, the restricted mean survival-time function, and the cause-specific lost-lifetime function. The pseudo-observations can be used to assess the effects of covariates on their respective functions at different times by fitting generalized linear models to the pseudo-observations. The updated...

Population and harvest trends of big game and small game species: a technical document supporting the USDA Forest Service Interim Update of the 2000 RPA Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Curtis H. Flather; Michael S. Knowles; Stephen J. Brady

2009-01-01

This technical document supports the Forest Service's requirement to assess the status of renewable natural resources as mandated by the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (RPA). It updates past reports on national and regional trends in population and harvest estimates for species classified as big game and small game. The trends...

Quantifying Update Effects in Citizen-Oriented Software

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion Ivan

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Defining citizen-oriented software. Detailing technical issues regarding update process in this kind of software. Presenting different effects triggered by types of update. Building model for update costs estimation, including producer-side and consumer-side effects. Analyzing model applicability on INVMAT – large scale matrix inversion software. Proposing a model for update effects estimation. Specifying ways for softening effects of inaccurate updates.

Are Forecast Updates Progressive?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C-L. Chang (Chia-Lin); Ph.H.B.F. Franses (Philip Hans); M.J. McAleer (Michael)

2010-01-01

textabstractMacro-economic forecasts typically involve both a model component, which is replicable, as well as intuition, which is non-replicable. Intuition is expert knowledge possessed by a forecaster. If forecast updates are progressive, forecast updates should become more accurate, on average,

Updated Aging Assessment Approach and Use with Electric Cable Insulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horvath, David A.; Colaianni, R. Paul

2003-01-01

plants (Calvert Cliffs and Oconee), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a national laboratory, other utilities, and multiple engineering/consulting firms. This revision, now complete, updated the Guide to incorporate the aging assessment methods used by the two lead license renewal plants and the experience gained by the industry and the regulator and, in addition, added an example annex applying the guidance to electrical cable, and both are summarized in this paper

Overview and Evaluation of the NESC Projects for Fracture Assessments of Nuclear Components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sattari-Far, Iradj; Lorentzon, Mikael

2011-02-01

The overall objective of the NESC network has been to examine the reliability of the entire process of structural integrity assessment within an international framework. Within this network, six projects were conducted under the period of 1993-2008. The main targets of these projects were: NESC-I: This project evaluated the interactions among various technical disciplines applied to the integrity assessment of a large-scale thermally shocked spinning cylinder experiment. The cylinder test was designed to simulate selected conditions associated with an ageing flawed reactor pressure vessel. NESC-II: This project was on brittle crack initiation, propagation and arrest of shallow cracks in clad vessels under PTS loading. The results of this project underlined the conservatism of existing defects assessment procedures for shallow RPV flaws. NESC-III: This project was to quantify the accuracy of structural integrity assessment procedures for defects in dissimilar welds. The project was built around the conducted ADIMEW-project to share its overall objectives and to provide additional input. NESC-IV: This project was an experimental/analytical program to develop validated analysis methods for transferring fracture toughness data generated on standard test specimens to shallow flaws in reactor pressure vessel welds subject to biaxial loading in the lower-transition temperature region. NESC-V: This project aimed to develop a European multi-level procedure for handling of thermal fatigue phenomena in the nuclear power plant components. It also aimed to create a database of service and mock-up data for better understanding of thermal fatigue damage mechanisms. NESC-VI: This project was an extension of the NESC-IV project. Embedded subclad racks in beam specimens under uniaxial loading were studied to study the transferability of fracture toughness data between different crack configurations. This report gives an overview report of these six NESC projects. The reports cover

An updated taxonomy for characterizing hackers according to their threat properties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hald, Sara Ligaard; Pedersen, Jens Myrup

2012-01-01

The objective of this paper is to give an up-to-date terminology for and categorization of hackers on the Internet, and to characterize each category of hackers by their threat properties. To be able to prioritize defense efforts, security experts need an accurate taxonomy of attackers...... for the production of detailed and precise threat assessments. We take an existing taxonomy for hackers and update it to correspond to the terminology used by hackers and security experts. Also, the categories of hackers are updated to reflect the threat properties demonstrated in recent attacks, and each category...

Basic overview towards the assessment of landslide and subsidence risks along a geothermal pipeline network

Science.gov (United States)

Astisiasari; Van Westen, Cees; Jetten, Victor; van der Meer, Freek; Rahmawati Hizbaron, Dyah

2017-12-01

An operating geothermal power plant consists of installation units that work systematically in a network. The pipeline network connects various engineering structures, e.g. well pads, separator, scrubber, and power station, in the process of transferring geothermal fluids to generate electricity. Besides, a pipeline infrastructure also delivers the brine back to earth, through the injection well-pads. Despite of its important functions, a geothermal pipeline may bear a threat to its vicinity through a pipeline failure. The pipeline can be impacted by perilous events like landslides, earthquakes, and subsidence. The pipeline failure itself may relate to physical deterioration over time, e.g. due to corrosion and fatigue. The geothermal reservoirs are usually located in mountainous areas that are associated with steep slopes, complex geology, and weathered soil. Geothermal areas record a noteworthy number of disasters, especially due to landslide and subsidence. Therefore, a proper multi-risk assessment along the geothermal pipeline is required, particularly for these two types of hazard. This is also to mention that the impact on human fatality and injury is not presently discussed here. This paper aims to give a basic overview on the existing approaches for the assessment of multi-risk assessment along geothermal pipelines. It delivers basic principles on the analysis of risks and its contributing variables, in order to model the loss consequences. By considering the loss consequences, as well as the alternatives for mitigation measures, the environmental safety in geothermal working area could be enforced.

Update of the ITER MELCOR model for the validation of the Cryostat design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martínez, M.; Labarta, C.; Terrón, S.; Izquierdo, J.; Perlado, J.M.

2015-07-01

Some transients can compromise the vacuum in the Cryostat of ITER and cause significant loads. A MELCOR model has been updated in order to assess this loads. Transients have been run with this model and its result will be used in the mechanical assessment of the cryostat. (Author)

An evolutionary cascade model for sauropod dinosaur gigantism--overview, update and tests.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P Martin Sander

Full Text Available Sauropod dinosaurs are a group of herbivorous dinosaurs which exceeded all other terrestrial vertebrates in mean and maximal body size. Sauropod dinosaurs were also the most successful and long-lived herbivorous tetrapod clade, but no abiological factors such as global environmental parameters conducive to their gigantism can be identified. These facts justify major efforts by evolutionary biologists and paleontologists to understand sauropods as living animals and to explain their evolutionary success and uniquely gigantic body size. Contributions to this research program have come from many fields and can be synthesized into a biological evolutionary cascade model of sauropod dinosaur gigantism (sauropod gigantism ECM. This review focuses on the sauropod gigantism ECM, providing an updated version based on the contributions to the PLoS ONE sauropod gigantism collection and on other very recent published evidence. The model consist of five separate evolutionary cascades ("Reproduction", "Feeding", "Head and neck", "Avian-style lung", and "Metabolism". Each cascade starts with observed or inferred basal traits that either may be plesiomorphic or derived at the level of Sauropoda. Each trait confers hypothetical selective advantages which permit the evolution of the next trait. Feedback loops in the ECM consist of selective advantages originating from traits higher in the cascades but affecting lower traits. All cascades end in the trait "Very high body mass". Each cascade is linked to at least one other cascade. Important plesiomorphic traits of sauropod dinosaurs that entered the model were ovipary as well as no mastication of food. Important evolutionary innovations (derived traits were an avian-style respiratory system and an elevated basal metabolic rate. Comparison with other tetrapod lineages identifies factors limiting body size.

An evolutionary cascade model for sauropod dinosaur gigantism--overview, update and tests.

Science.gov (United States)

Sander, P Martin

2013-01-01

Sauropod dinosaurs are a group of herbivorous dinosaurs which exceeded all other terrestrial vertebrates in mean and maximal body size. Sauropod dinosaurs were also the most successful and long-lived herbivorous tetrapod clade, but no abiological factors such as global environmental parameters conducive to their gigantism can be identified. These facts justify major efforts by evolutionary biologists and paleontologists to understand sauropods as living animals and to explain their evolutionary success and uniquely gigantic body size. Contributions to this research program have come from many fields and can be synthesized into a biological evolutionary cascade model of sauropod dinosaur gigantism (sauropod gigantism ECM). This review focuses on the sauropod gigantism ECM, providing an updated version based on the contributions to the PLoS ONE sauropod gigantism collection and on other very recent published evidence. The model consist of five separate evolutionary cascades ("Reproduction", "Feeding", "Head and neck", "Avian-style lung", and "Metabolism"). Each cascade starts with observed or inferred basal traits that either may be plesiomorphic or derived at the level of Sauropoda. Each trait confers hypothetical selective advantages which permit the evolution of the next trait. Feedback loops in the ECM consist of selective advantages originating from traits higher in the cascades but affecting lower traits. All cascades end in the trait "Very high body mass". Each cascade is linked to at least one other cascade. Important plesiomorphic traits of sauropod dinosaurs that entered the model were ovipary as well as no mastication of food. Important evolutionary innovations (derived traits) were an avian-style respiratory system and an elevated basal metabolic rate. Comparison with other tetrapod lineages identifies factors limiting body size.

Severe Accident Research Program plan update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-12-01

In August 1989, the staff published NUREG-1365, ''Revised Severe Accident Research Program Plan.'' Since 1989, significant progress has been made in severe accident research to warrant an update to NUREG-1365. The staff has prepared this SARP Plan Update to: (1) Identify those issues that have been closed or are near completion, (2) Describe the progress in our understanding of important severe accident phenomena, (3) Define the long-term research that is directed at improving our understanding of severe accident phenomena and developing improved methods for assessing core melt progression, direct containment heating, and fuel-coolant interactions, and (4) Reflect the growing emphasis in two additional areas--advanced light water reactors, and support for the assessment of criteria for containment performance during severe accidents. The report describes recent major accomplishments in understanding the underlying phenomena that can occur during a severe accident. These include Mark I liner failure, severe accident scaling methodology, source term issues, core-concrete interactions, hydrogen transport and combustion, TMI-2 Vessel Investigation Project, and direct containment heating. The report also describes the major planned activities under the SARP over the next several years. These activities will focus on two phenomenological issues (core melt progression, and fuel-coolant interactions and debris coolability) that have significant uncertainties that impact our understanding and ability to predict severe accident phenomena and their effect on containment performance SARP will also focus on severe accident code development, assessment and validation. As the staff completes the research on severe accident issues that relate to current generation reactors, continued research will focus on efforts to independently evaluate the capability of new advanced light water reactor designs to withstand severe accidents

Updating of working memory: lingering bindings.

Science.gov (United States)

Oberauer, Klaus; Vockenberg, Kerstin

2009-05-01

Three experiments investigated proactive interference and proactive facilitation in a memory-updating paradigm. Participants remembered several letters or spatial patterns, distinguished by their spatial positions, and updated them by new stimuli up to 20 times per trial. Self-paced updating times were shorter when an item previously remembered and then replaced reappeared in the same location than when it reappeared in a different location. This effect demonstrates residual memory for no-longer-relevant bindings of items to locations. The effect increased with the number of items to be remembered. With one exception, updating times did not increase, and recall of final values did not decrease, over successive updating steps, thus providing little evidence for proactive interference building up cumulatively.

Physician use of updated anti-virus software in a tertiary Nigerian hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Laabes, E P; Nyango, D D; Ayedima, M M; Ladep, N G

2010-01-01

While physicians are becoming increasingly dependent on computers and the internet, highly lethal malware continue to be loaded into cyberspace. We sought to assess the proportion of physicians with updated anti-virus software in Jos University Teaching Hospital Nigeria and to determine perceived barriers to getting updates. We used a pre-tested semi-structured self-administered questionnaire to conduct a cross-sectional survey among 118 physicians. The mean age (+/- SD) of subjects was 34 (+/- 4) years, with 94 male and 24 female physicians. Forty-two (36.5%) of 115 physicians with anti-virus software used an updated program (95% Cl: 27, 45). The top-three antivirus software were: McAfee 40 (33.9%), AVG 37 (31.4%) and Norton 17 (14.4%). Common infections were: Trojan horse 22 (29.7%), Brontok worm 8 (10.8%), and Ravmonlog.exe 5 (6.8%). Internet browsing with a firewall was an independent determinant for use of updated anti-virus software [OR 4.3, 95% CI, 1.86, 10.02; P malware producers and anti-virus software developers.

How do we update faces? Effects of gaze direction and facial expressions on working memory updating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caterina eArtuso

2012-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to investigate how the biological binding between different facial dimensions, and their social and communicative relevance, may impact updating processes in working memory (WM. We focused on WM updating because it plays a key role in ongoing processing. Gaze direction and facial expression are crucial and changeable components of face processing. Direct gaze enhances the processing of approach-oriented facial emotional expressions (e.g. joy, while averted gaze enhances the processing of avoidance-oriented facial emotional expressions (e.g. fear. Thus, the way in which these two facial dimensions are combined communicates to the observer important behavioral and social information. Updating of these two facial dimensions and their bindings has not been investigated before, despite the fact that they provide a piece of social information essential for building and maintaining an internal ongoing representation of our social environment. In Experiment 1 we created a task in which the binding between gaze direction and facial expression was manipulated: high binding conditions (e.g. joy-direct gaze were compared to low binding conditions (e.g. joy-averted gaze. Participants had to study and update continuously a number of faces, displaying different bindings between the two dimensions. In Experiment 2 we tested whether updating was affected by the social and communicative value of the facial dimension binding; to this end, we manipulated bindings between eye and hair color, two less communicative facial dimensions. Two new results emerged. First, faster response times were found in updating combinations of facial dimensions highly bound together. Second, our data showed that the ease of the ongoing updating processing varied depending on the communicative meaning of the binding that had to be updated. The results are discussed with reference to the role of WM updating in social cognition and appraisal processes.

How do we update faces? Effects of gaze direction and facial expressions on working memory updating.

Science.gov (United States)

Artuso, Caterina; Palladino, Paola; Ricciardelli, Paola

2012-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate how the biological binding between different facial dimensions, and their social and communicative relevance, may impact updating processes in working memory (WM). We focused on WM updating because it plays a key role in ongoing processing. Gaze direction and facial expression are crucial and changeable components of face processing. Direct gaze enhances the processing of approach-oriented facial emotional expressions (e.g., joy), while averted gaze enhances the processing of avoidance-oriented facial emotional expressions (e.g., fear). Thus, the way in which these two facial dimensions are combined communicates to the observer important behavioral and social information. Updating of these two facial dimensions and their bindings has not been investigated before, despite the fact that they provide a piece of social information essential for building and maintaining an internal ongoing representation of our social environment. In Experiment 1 we created a task in which the binding between gaze direction and facial expression was manipulated: high binding conditions (e.g., joy-direct gaze) were compared to low binding conditions (e.g., joy-averted gaze). Participants had to study and update continuously a number of faces, displaying different bindings between the two dimensions. In Experiment 2 we tested whether updating was affected by the social and communicative value of the facial dimension binding; to this end, we manipulated bindings between eye and hair color, two less communicative facial dimensions. Two new results emerged. First, faster response times were found in updating combinations of facial dimensions highly bound together. Second, our data showed that the ease of the ongoing updating processing varied depending on the communicative meaning of the binding that had to be updated. The results are discussed with reference to the role of WM updating in social cognition and appraisal processes.

Tourette's Disorder: Genetic Update, Neurological Correlates, and Evidence-Based Interventions

Science.gov (United States)

Phelps, LeAdelle

2008-01-01

This article provides an update of the search for genetic markers related to Tourette's Disorder. The probable neurophysiology of the disorder is reviewed. Frequently prescribed medications are related to the probable biological bases of the disorder. Behavioral interventions and assessment tools are examined. It is concluded that evidence based…

The 2008 California climate change assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Franco, G.

2008-12-01

In 2005, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-03-05, which laid the foundation for California's ambitious greenhouse gas mitigation reduction efforts. The 2020 goal is now codified in state law requiring bringing 2020 emissions to the 1990 levels. The Executive Order also mandates the preparation of biennial updates on the latest climate change science, potential impacts, and assessment of the state's efforts to manage its climate change risks through various adaptation options. In 2006, the first of these mandated scientific assessments (The Governor's Scenarios Report) was released. Based on new scientific studies conducted in the interim, the next assessment, the '2008 Governor's Scenarios Report' is currently in preparation. It has three principal goals: (1) to improve the assessment of climate changes for California and associated impacts on key physical and biological indicators; (2) to begin to translate these physical and biological impacts into sectoral economic impacts; and (3) to begin to develop and evaluate strategies for key sectors or regions for adapting to climate changes already underway. Contributors to this session will present some of this new research to the scientific community. Among the most exciting new insights are impacts assessments for the all-important water and agricultural sectors, coastal areas, public health and related air quality and environmental justice issues, the forestry and energy sectors. This presentation will give an overview of the overall effort which will result in about 35 scientific papers from different research institutions in California. All of the studies are interlinked in such a way as to produce a consistent overall assessment.

49 CFR 1002.3 - Updating user fees.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... updating fees. Each fee shall be updated by updating the cost components comprising the fee. Cost... direct labor costs are direct labor costs determined by the cost study set forth in Revision of Fees For... by total office costs for the Offices directly associated with user fee activity. Actual updating of...

Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO): Overview, Operational Updates, and Coastal Ocean Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Curtiss O.; Kappus, Mary E.; Bowles, Jeffrey H.; Evans, Cynthia A.; Stefanov, William L.

2014-01-01

The Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO) was built to measure in-water properties of complex coastal regions. HICO enables synoptic coverage; 100-meter spatial resolution for sampling the variability and spatial irregularity of coastal waters; and high spectral resolution to untangle the signals from chlorophyll, colored dissolved organic matter, suspended sediments and varying bottom types. HICO was built by the Naval Research Laboratory, installed on the International Space Station (ISS) in September 2009, and operated for ONR for the first three years. In 2013, NASA assumed sponsorship of operations in order to leverage HICO's ability to address their Earth monitoring mission. This has opened up access of HICO data to the broad research community. Over 8000 images are now available on NASA's Ocean Color Website (http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi/browse.pl?sen=hi). Oregon State University's HICO website (http://hico.coas.oregonstate.edu) remains the portal for researchers to request new collections and access their requested data. We will present updates on HICO's calibration and improvements in geolocation and show examples of the use of HICO data to address issues in the coastal ocean and Great Lakes.

Prediction-error variance in Bayesian model updating: a comparative study

Science.gov (United States)

Asadollahi, Parisa; Li, Jian; Huang, Yong

2017-04-01

In Bayesian model updating, the likelihood function is commonly formulated by stochastic embedding in which the maximum information entropy probability model of prediction error variances plays an important role and it is Gaussian distribution subject to the first two moments as constraints. The selection of prediction error variances can be formulated as a model class selection problem, which automatically involves a trade-off between the average data-fit of the model class and the information it extracts from the data. Therefore, it is critical for the robustness in the updating of the structural model especially in the presence of modeling errors. To date, three ways of considering prediction error variances have been seem in the literature: 1) setting constant values empirically, 2) estimating them based on the goodness-of-fit of the measured data, and 3) updating them as uncertain parameters by applying Bayes' Theorem at the model class level. In this paper, the effect of different strategies to deal with the prediction error variances on the model updating performance is investigated explicitly. A six-story shear building model with six uncertain stiffness parameters is employed as an illustrative example. Transitional Markov Chain Monte Carlo is used to draw samples of the posterior probability density function of the structure model parameters as well as the uncertain prediction variances. The different levels of modeling uncertainty and complexity are modeled through three FE models, including a true model, a model with more complexity, and a model with modeling error. Bayesian updating is performed for the three FE models considering the three aforementioned treatments of the prediction error variances. The effect of number of measurements on the model updating performance is also examined in the study. The results are compared based on model class assessment and indicate that updating the prediction error variances as uncertain parameters at the model

An Update of the Analytical Groundwater Modeling to Assess Water Resource Impacts at the Afton Solar Energy Zone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quinn, John J. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Greer, Christopher B. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Carr, Adrianne E. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2014-10-01

The purpose of this study is to update a one-dimensional analytical groundwater flow model to examine the influence of potential groundwater withdrawal in support of utility-scale solar energy development at the Afton Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) as a part of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) Solar Energy Program. This report describes the modeling for assessing the drawdown associated with SEZ groundwater pumping rates for a 20-year duration considering three categories of water demand (high, medium, and low) based on technology-specific considerations. The 2012 modeling effort published in the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Solar Energy Development in Six Southwestern States (Solar PEIS; BLM and DOE 2012) has been refined based on additional information described below in an expanded hydrogeologic discussion.

Physician use of updated anti-virus software in a tertiary Nigerian ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

While physicians are becoming increasingly dependent on computers and the internet, highly lethal malware continue to be loaded into cyberspace. We sought to assess the proportion of ... producers and anti-virus software developers. Keywords: Anti-virus software; Computer security; Updates; Physicians; Nigeria ...

Updated Life-Cycle Assessment of Aluminum Production and Semi-fabrication for the GREET Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dai, Qiang [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Kelly, Jarod C. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Burnham, Andrew [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Elgowainy, Amgad [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2015-09-01

This report serves as an update for the life-cycle analysis (LCA) of aluminum production based on the most recent data representing the state-of-the-art of the industry in North America. The 2013 Aluminum Association (AA) LCA report on the environmental footprint of semifinished aluminum products in North America provides the basis for the update (The Aluminum Association, 2013). The scope of this study covers primary aluminum production, secondary aluminum production, as well as aluminum semi-fabrication processes including hot rolling, cold rolling, extrusion and shape casting. This report focuses on energy consumptions, material inputs and criteria air pollutant emissions for each process from the cradle-to-gate of aluminum, which starts from bauxite extraction, and ends with manufacturing of semi-fabricated aluminum products. The life-cycle inventory (LCI) tables compiled are to be incorporated into the vehicle cycle model of Argonne National Laboratory’s Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) Model for the release of its 2015 version.

Project W-420 Ventilation Stack Monitoring System Year 2000 Compliance Assessment Project Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BUSSELL, J.H.

1999-01-01

This document contains a limited assessment of Year 2000 compliance for Project W-420. Additional information is provided as a road map to project documents and other references that may be used to verify Year 2000 compliance. This assessment describes the potential Year 2000 (Y2K) problems and describes the methods for achieving Y2K Compliance for Project W-420, Ventilation Stack Monitoring Systems Upgrades. The purpose of this assessment is to give an overview of the project. This document will not be updated and any dates contained in this document are estimates and may change. The project work scope includes upgrades to ventilation stacks and generic effluent monitoring systems (GEMS) at the 244-A Double Contained Receiver Tank (DCRT), the 244-BX DCRT, the 244-CR Vault, tanks 241-C-105 and 241-C-106, the 244-S DCRT, and the 244-TX DCRT. A detailed description of system dates, functions, interfaces, potential Y2K problems, and date resolutions can not be described since the project is in the definitive design phase, This assessment will describe the methods, protocols, and practices to ensure that equipment and systems do not have Y2K problems

Lasers In Physical Evidence Examination: An Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Menzel, E. R.

1987-01-01

A recent application of fluorescence that is perhaps largely unknown outside law enforcement involves the utilization of laser excited fluorescence (LEF) in forensic science. In this overview, the focus is on LEF applicaton to development of latent fingerprints. Other areas of criminalistics, such as document examination and fiber analysis will be dealt with briefly only. To bring the technical reader, who likely has little familiarity with the fingerprint field, up to stream, a historical introduction precedes the description of current procedures for laser detection of latent fingerprints which is followed by a brief outline of current areas of research in the fingerprint area and application of lasers to other types of evidence examination. The overview concludes with an assessment of the current state and utilization growth prognosis of lasers in criminalistics.

New considerations regarding the risk assessment on Tartrazine An update toxicological assessment, intolerance reactions and maximum theoretical daily intake in France.

Science.gov (United States)

Elhkim, Mostafa Ould; Héraud, Fanny; Bemrah, Nawel; Gauchard, Françoise; Lorino, Tristan; Lambré, Claude; Frémy, Jean Marc; Poul, Jean-Michel

2007-04-01

Tartrazine is an artificial azo dye commonly used in human food and pharmaceutical products. Since the last assessment carried out by the JECFA in 1964, many new studies have been conducted, some of which have incriminated tartrazine in food intolerance reactions. The aims of this work are to update the hazard characterization and to revaluate the safety of tartrazine. Our bibliographical review of animal studies confirms the initial hazard assessment conducted by the JECFA, and accordingly the ADI established at 7.5mg/kg bw. From our data, in France, the estimated maximum theoretical intake of tartrazine in children is 37.2% of the ADI at the 97.5th percentile. It may therefore be concluded that from a toxicological point of view, tartrazine does not represent a risk for the consumer. It appears more difficult to show a clear relationship between ingestion of tartrazine and the development of intolerance reactions in patients. These reactions primarily occur in patients who also suffer from recurrent urticaria or asthma. The link between tartrazine consumption and these reactions is often overestimated, and the pathogenic mechanisms remain poorly understood. The prevalence of tartrazine intolerance is estimated to be less than 0.12% in the general population. Generally, the population at risk is aware of the importance of food labelling, with the view of avoiding consumption of tartrazine. However, it has to be mentioned that products such as ice creams, desserts, cakes and fine bakery are often sold loose without any labelling.

Systematic review on tuberculosis transmission on aircraft and update of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control risk assessment guidelines for tuberculosis transmitted on aircraft (RAGIDA-TB).

Science.gov (United States)

Kotila, Saara M; Payne Hallström, Lara; Jansen, Niesje; Helbling, Peter; Abubakar, Ibrahim

2016-01-01

As a setting for potential tuberculosis (TB) transmission and contact tracing, aircraft pose specific challenges. Evidence-based guidelines are needed to support the related-risk assessment and contact-tracing efforts. In this study evidence of TB transmission on aircraft was identified to update the Risk Assessment Guidelines for TB Transmitted on Aircraft (RAGIDA-TB) of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Electronic searches were undertaken from Medline (Pubmed), Embase and Cochrane Library until 19 July 2013. Eligible records were identified by a two-stage screening process and data on flight and index case characteristics as well as contact tracing strategies extracted. The systematic literature review retrieved 21 records. Ten of these records were available only after the previous version of the RAGIDA guidelines (2009) and World Health Organization guidelines on TB and air travel (2008) were published. Seven of the 21 records presented some evidence of possible in-flight transmission, but only one record provided substantial evidence of TB transmission on an aircraft. The data indicate that overall risk of TB transmission on aircraft is very low. The updated ECDC guidelines for TB transmission on aircraft have global implications due to inevitable need for international collaboration in contract tracing and risk assessment.

Joint community update 2008 : reporting our environmental activities to the community

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

This paper provided an update of the environmental activities conducted by the Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA); the Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program (RAMP); and the Cumulative Environmental Management Association (CEMA). The organizations were established to examine and address the environmental impacts of oil sands development on the Wood Buffalo region. The role of the WBEA is to continuously monitor and report on air quality on behalf of the residents of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB), while RAMP monitors the health of lakes and rivers in the oil sands region. CEMA was formed to determine the best management tools for protecting, sustaining and reclaiming the environment. A joint approach is used by the organizations to increase public awareness and education. Details of each organization's and activities conducted during 2008 were presented, as well as an overview of annual budgets, day-to-day operations, and funding partners. 6 tabs., 12 figs

Concepts of incremental updating and versioning

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Cooper, Antony K

2004-07-01

Full Text Available of the work undertaken recently by the Working Group (WG). The WG was voted for a Commission by the General Assembly held at the 21st ICC in Durban, South Africa. The basic problem being addressed by the Commission is that a user compiles their data base... or election). Historically, updates have been provided in bulk, with the new data set replacing the old one. User could: ignore update (if it is not significant enough), manually (and selectively) update their data base, or accept the whole update...

An Evolutionary Cascade Model for Sauropod Dinosaur Gigantism - Overview, Update and Tests

Science.gov (United States)

Sander, P. Martin

2013-01-01

Sauropod dinosaurs are a group of herbivorous dinosaurs which exceeded all other terrestrial vertebrates in mean and maximal body size. Sauropod dinosaurs were also the most successful and long-lived herbivorous tetrapod clade, but no abiological factors such as global environmental parameters conducive to their gigantism can be identified. These facts justify major efforts by evolutionary biologists and paleontologists to understand sauropods as living animals and to explain their evolutionary success and uniquely gigantic body size. Contributions to this research program have come from many fields and can be synthesized into a biological evolutionary cascade model of sauropod dinosaur gigantism (sauropod gigantism ECM). This review focuses on the sauropod gigantism ECM, providing an updated version based on the contributions to the PLoS ONE sauropod gigantism collection and on other very recent published evidence. The model consist of five separate evolutionary cascades (“Reproduction”, “Feeding”, “Head and neck”, “Avian-style lung”, and “Metabolism”). Each cascade starts with observed or inferred basal traits that either may be plesiomorphic or derived at the level of Sauropoda. Each trait confers hypothetical selective advantages which permit the evolution of the next trait. Feedback loops in the ECM consist of selective advantages originating from traits higher in the cascades but affecting lower traits. All cascades end in the trait “Very high body mass”. Each cascade is linked to at least one other cascade. Important plesiomorphic traits of sauropod dinosaurs that entered the model were ovipary as well as no mastication of food. Important evolutionary innovations (derived traits) were an avian-style respiratory system and an elevated basal metabolic rate. Comparison with other tetrapod lineages identifies factors limiting body size. PMID:24205267

Guernsey; Financial System Stability Assessment-Update

OpenAIRE

International Monetary Fund

2011-01-01

Guernsey is a leading international insurance center in Europe. Its economy purely depends on the performance of the financial sector. As per the 2003 assessment under the Offshore Financial Center (OFC) program, it is found that the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC)’s powers have been strengthened in recent years and many recommendations of the 2003 Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) have been implemented. The GFSC has developed a strategy for addressing banks' financial ...

Evaluation of Lower East Fork Poplar Creek Mercury Sources - Model Update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ketelle, Richard [East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Brandt, Craig C. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Peterson, Mark J. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Bevelhimer, Mark S. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Watson, David B. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Brooks, Scott C. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Mayes, Melanie [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); DeRolph, Christopher R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Dickson, Johnbull O. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Olsen, Todd A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-08-01

The purpose of this report is to assess new data that has become available and provide an update to the evaluations and modeling presented in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Technical Manuscript Evaluation of lower East Fork Poplar Creek (LEFPC) Mercury Sources (Watson et al., 2016). Primary sources of field and laboratory data for this update include multiple US Department of Energy (DOE) programs including Environmental Management (EM; e.g., Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program, Mercury Remediation Technology Development [TD], and Applied Field Research Initiative), Office of Science (Mercury Science Focus Areas [SFA] project), and the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) Compliance Department.

Overview of the Quality and Completeness of Resource Assessment Data for the APEC Region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Renne, D. S.; Pilasky, S.

1998-02-01

The availability of information and data on the renewable energy resources (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and hydro) for renewable energy technologies is a critical element in the successful implementation of these technologies. This paper presents a comprehensive summary of published information on these resources for each of 1 8 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies. In the introductory sections, a discussion of the quality and completeness of this information is presented, along with recommendations on steps that need to be taken to facilitate the further development and deployment of renewable energy technologies throughout the APEC region. These sections are then followed by economy-specific reviews, and a complete bibliography and summary description for each citation. The major results of this survey are that a basis for understanding renewable energy resources is currently available for essentially all the economies, although there is a significant need to apply improved and updated resource assessment techniques in most. For example, most wind resource assessments rely on data collected at national weather stations, which often results in underestimates of the true potential wind resource within an economy. As a second example, solar resource assessments in most economies rely on an analysis of very simple sunshine record data, which results in large uncertainties in accurately quantifying the resource. National surveys of biomass, geothermal, and hydro resources are often lacking; in most cases, resources for these technologies were discussed for site-specific studies only. Thus, the major recommendations in this paper are to: ( 1 ) upgrade current or install new wind and solar measurement systems at key 'benchmark' locations to provide accurate, representative information on these resources; (2) apply advanced wind and solar resource assessment tools that rely on data quality assessment procedures, the use of satellite data

Manual therapy and exercise for neck pain: A systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Miller, Jordan; Gross, Anita; D'Sylva, Jonathan; Burnie, Stephen J.; Goldsmith, Charles H.; Graham, Nadine; Haines, Ted; Brønfort, Gert; Hoving, Jan L.

2010-01-01

Manual therapy is often used with exercise to treat neck pain. This cervical overview group systematic review update assesses if manual therapy, including manipulation or mobilisation, combined with exercise improves pain, function/disability, quality of life, global perceived effect, and patient

Updating Geospatial Data from Large Scale Data Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, R.; Chen, J.; Wang, D.; Shang, Y.; Wang, Z.; Li, X.; Ai, T.

2011-08-01

In the past decades, many geospatial databases have been established at national, regional and municipal levels over the world. Nowadays, it has been widely recognized that how to update these established geo-spatial database and keep them up to date is most critical for the value of geo-spatial database. So, more and more efforts have been devoted to the continuous updating of these geospatial databases. Currently, there exist two main types of methods for Geo-spatial database updating: directly updating with remote sensing images or field surveying materials, and indirectly updating with other updated data result such as larger scale newly updated data. The former method is the basis because the update data sources in the two methods finally root from field surveying and remote sensing. The later method is often more economical and faster than the former. Therefore, after the larger scale database is updated, the smaller scale database should be updated correspondingly in order to keep the consistency of multi-scale geo-spatial database. In this situation, it is very reasonable to apply map generalization technology into the process of geo-spatial database updating. The latter is recognized as one of most promising methods of geo-spatial database updating, especially in collaborative updating environment in terms of map scale, i.e , different scale database are produced and maintained separately by different level organizations such as in China. This paper is focused on applying digital map generalization into the updating of geo-spatial database from large scale in the collaborative updating environment for SDI. The requirements of the application of map generalization into spatial database updating are analyzed firstly. A brief review on geospatial data updating based digital map generalization is then given. Based on the requirements analysis and review, we analyze the key factors for implementing updating geospatial data from large scale including technical

Overview of Evidence in Prevention and Aetiology of Food Allergy: A Review of Systematic Reviews

Science.gov (United States)

Lodge, Caroline J.; Allen, Katrina J.; Lowe, Adrian J.; Dharmage, Shyamali C.

2013-01-01

The worldwide prevalence of food allergy appears to be increasing. Early life environmental factors are implicated in the aetiology of this global epidemic. The largest burden of disease is in early childhood, where research efforts aimed at prevention have been focused. Evidence synthesis from good quality systematic reviews is needed. We performed an overview of systematic reviews concerning the prevention and aetiology of food allergy, retrieving 14 systematic reviews, which covered three broad topics: formula (hydrolysed or soy) for the prevention of food allergy or food sensitization; maternal and infant diet and dietary supplements for the prevention of food allergy or food sensitization and hygiene hypothesis-related interventions. Using the AMSTAR criteria for assessment of methodological quality, we found five reviews to be of high quality, seven of medium quality and two of low quality. Overall we found no compelling evidence that any of the interventions that had been systematically reviewed were related to the risk of food allergy. Updating of existing reviews, and production of new systematic reviews, are needed in areas where evidence is emerging for interventions and environmental associations. Furthermore, additional primary studies, with greater numbers of participants and objective food allergy definitions are urgently required. PMID:24192789

Insights from an overview of four PRAs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fitzpatrick, R.; Arrieta, L.; Teichmann, T.; Davis, P.

1987-01-01

This paper summarizes the findings of an investigation of four probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs), those for Millstone 3 Seabrook, Shoreham, and Oconee 3, performed by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) for the Reliability and Risk Assessment branch of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This group of four PRAs was subjected to an overview process with the basic goal of ascertaining what insights might be gained (beyond those already documented within the individual PRAs) by an independent evaluation of the group with respect to nuclear plant safety and vulnerability. Specifically, the objectives of the study were 1) to identify and rank initiators, systems, components, and failure modes from dominant accident sequences according to their contribution to core melt probability and public risk; and 2) to derive from this process plant-specific and generic insights. The effort was not intended to verify the specific details and results of each PRA but rather - having accepted the results - to see what they might mean in a more global context. This paper also presents some comments and insights into the amenability of certain features of these PRAs to this type of overview process

Lymphocyte-based model systems for allergy research: a historic overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Neunkirchner, Alina; Schmetterer, Klaus G; Pickl, Winfried F

2014-01-01

During the last decades, a multitude of studies applying distinct in vitro and in vivo model systems have contributed greatly to our better understanding of the initiation and regulation of inflammatory processes leading to allergic diseases. Over the years, it has become evident that among lymphocytes, not only IgE-producing B cells and allergy-orchestrating CD4(+) helper cells but also cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells, γδ-T cells and innate lymphoid cells, as well as regulatory lymphocytes, might critically shape the immune response towards usually innocuous allergens. In this review, we provide a historic overview of pioneering work leading to the establishment of important lymphocyte-based model systems for allergy research. Moreover, we contrast the original findings with our currently more refined knowledge to appreciate the actual validity of the respective models and to reassess the conclusions obtained from them. Conflicting studies and interpretations are identified and discussed. The tables are intended to provide an easy overview of the field not only for scientists newly entering the field but also for the broader readership interested in updating their knowledge. Along those lines, herein we discuss in vitro and in vivo approaches to the investigation of lymphocyte effector cell activation, polarization and regulation, and describe depletion and adoptive transfer models along with gene knockout and transgenic (tg) methodologies. In addition, novel attempts to establish humanized T cell antigen receptor tg mouse models for allergy research are described and discussed. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Updated reference design of a liquid metal cooled tandem mirror fusion breeder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berwald, D.H.; Whitley, R.H.; Garner, J.K.

1985-09-01

Detailed studies of key techinical issues for liquid metal cooled fusion breeder (fusion-fission hybrid blankets) have been performed during the period 1983-4. Based upon the results of these studies, the 1982 reference liquid metal cooled tandem mirror fusion breeder blanket design was updated and is described. The updated reference blankets provides increased breeding and lower technological risk in comparison with the original reference blanket. In addition to the blanket design revisions, a plant concept, cost, and fuel cycle economics assessment is provided. The fusion breeder continues to promise an economical source of fissile fuel for the indefinite future

Updated reference design of a liquid metal cooled tandem mirror fusion breeder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berwald, D.H.; Whitley, R.H.; Garner, J.K.; Gromada, R.J.; McCarville, T.J.; Moir, R.W.; Lee, J.D.; Bandini, B.R.; Fulton, F.J.; Wong, C.P.C.; Maya, I.; Hoot, C.G.; Schultz, K.R.; Miller, L.G.; Beeston, J.M.; Harris, B.L.; Westman, R.A.; Ghoniem, N.M.; Orient, G.; Wolfer, M.; DeVan, J.H.; Torterelli, P.

1985-09-01

Detailed studies of key techinical issues for liquid metal cooled fusion breeder (fusion-fission hybrid blankets) have been performed during the period 1983-4. Based upon the results of these studies, the 1982 reference liquid metal cooled tandem mirror fusion breeder blanket design was updated and is described. The updated reference blankets provides increased breeding and lower technological risk in comparison with the original reference blanket. In addition to the blanket design revisions, a plant concept, cost, and fuel cycle economics assessment is provided. The fusion breeder continues to promise an economical source of fissile fuel for the indefinite future.

Physician use of updated anti-virus software in a tertiary Nigerian ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

While physicians are becoming increasingly dependent on computers and the internet, highly lethal malware continue to be loaded into cyberspace. We sought to assess the proportion of physicians with updated anti-virus software in Jos University Teaching Hospital Nigeria and to determine perceived barriers to getting ...

Update in Infectious Diseases 2017.

Science.gov (United States)

Candel, F J; Peñuelas, M; Lejárraga, C; Emilov, T; Rico, C; Díaz, I; Lázaro, C; Viñuela-Prieto, J M; Matesanz, M

2017-09-01

Antimicrobial resistance in complex models of continuous infection is a current issue. The update 2017 course addresses about microbiological, epidemiological and clinical aspects useful for a current approach to infectious disease. During the last year, nosocomial pneumonia approach guides, recommendations for management of yeast and filamentous fungal infections, review papers on the empirical approach to peritonitis and extensive guidelines on stewardship have been published. HIV infection is being treated before and more intensively. The implementation of molecular biology, spectrometry and inmunology to traditional techniques of staining and culture achieve a better and faster microbiological diagnosis. Finally, the infection is increasingly integrated, assessing non-antibiotic aspects in the treatment.

Planck 2013 results. XXXII. The updated Planck catalogue of Sunyaev-Zeldovich sources

Science.gov (United States)

Planck Collaboration; Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.; Armitage-Caplan, C.; Arnaud, M.; Ashdown, M.; Atrio-Barandela, F.; Aumont, J.; Aussel, H.; Baccigalupi, C.; Banday, A. J.; Barreiro, R. B.; Barrena, R.; Bartelmann, M.; Bartlett, J. G.; Battaner, E.; Benabed, K.; Benoît, A.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Bernard, J.-P.; Bersanelli, M.; Bielewicz, P.; Bikmaev, I.; Bobin, J.; Bock, J. J.; Böhringer, H.; Bonaldi, A.; Bond, J. R.; Borrill, J.; Bouchet, F. R.; Bridges, M.; Bucher, M.; Burenin, R.; Burigana, C.; Butler, R. C.; Cardoso, J.-F.; Carvalho, P.; Catalano, A.; Challinor, A.; Chamballu, A.; Chary, R.-R.; Chen, X.; Chiang, H. C.; Chiang, L.-Y.; Chon, G.; Christensen, P. R.; Churazov, E.; Church, S.; Clements, D. L.; Colombi, S.; Colombo, L. P. L.; Comis, B.; Couchot, F.; Coulais, A.; Crill, B. P.; Curto, A.; Cuttaia, F.; Da Silva, A.; Dahle, H.; Danese, L.; Davies, R. D.; Davis, R. J.; de Bernardis, P.; de Rosa, A.; de Zotti, G.; Delabrouille, J.; Delouis, J.-M.; Démoclès, J.; Désert, F.-X.; Dickinson, C.; Diego, J. M.; Dolag, K.; Dole, H.; Donzelli, S.; Doré, O.; Douspis, M.; Dupac, X.; Efstathiou, G.; Enßlin, T. A.; Eriksen, H. K.; Feroz, F.; Ferragamo, A.; Finelli, F.; Flores-Cacho, I.; Forni, O.; Frailis, M.; Franceschi, E.; Fromenteau, S.; Galeotta, S.; Ganga, K.; Génova-Santos, R. T.; Giard, M.; Giardino, G.; Gilfanov, M.; Giraud-Héraud, Y.; González-Nuevo, J.; Górski, K. M.; Grainge, K. J. B.; Gratton, S.; Gregorio, A.; Groeneboom, N., E.; Gruppuso, A.; Hansen, F. K.; Hanson, D.; Harrison, D.; Hempel, A.; Henrot-Versillé, S.; Hernández-Monteagudo, C.; Herranz, D.; Hildebrandt, S. R.; Hivon, E.; Hobson, M.; Holmes, W. A.; Hornstrup, A.; Hovest, W.; Huffenberger, K. M.; Hurier, G.; Hurley-Walker, N.; Jaffe, A. H.; Jaffe, T. R.; Jones, W. C.; Juvela, M.; Keihänen, E.; Keskitalo, R.; Khamitov, I.; Kisner, T. S.; Kneissl, R.; Knoche, J.; Knox, L.; Kunz, M.; Kurki-Suonio, H.; Lagache, G.; Lähteenmäki, A.; Lamarre, J.-M.; Lasenby, A.; Laureijs, R. J.; Lawrence, C. R.; Leahy, J. P.; Leonardi, R.; León-Tavares, J.; Lesgourgues, J.; Li, C.; Liddle, A.; Liguori, M.; Lilje, P. B.; Linden-Vørnle, M.; López-Caniego, M.; Lubin, P. M.; Macías-Pérez, J. F.; MacTavish, C. J.; Maffei, B.; Maino, D.; Mandolesi, N.; Maris, M.; Marshall, D. J.; Martin, P. G.; Martínez-González, E.; Masi, S.; Massardi, M.; Matarrese, S.; Matthai, F.; Mazzotta, P.; Mei, S.; Meinhold, P. R.; Melchiorri, A.; Melin, J.-B.; Mendes, L.; Mennella, A.; Migliaccio, M.; Mikkelsen, K.; Mitra, S.; Miville-Deschênes, M.-A.; Moneti, A.; Montier, L.; Morgante, G.; Mortlock, D.; Munshi, D.; Murphy, J. A.; Naselsky, P.; Nastasi, A.; Nati, F.; Natoli, P.; Nesvadba, N. P. H.; Netterfield, C. B.; Nørgaard-Nielsen, H. U.; Noviello, F.; Novikov, D.; Novikov, I.; O'Dwyer, I. J.; Olamaie, M.; Osborne, S.; Oxborrow, C. A.; Paci, F.; Pagano, L.; Pajot, F.; Paoletti, D.; Pasian, F.; Patanchon, G.; Pearson, T. J.; Perdereau, O.; Perotto, L.; Perrott, Y. C.; Perrotta, F.; Piacentini, F.; Piat, M.; Pierpaoli, E.; Pietrobon, D.; Plaszczynski, S.; Pointecouteau, E.; Polenta, G.; Ponthieu, N.; Popa, L.; Poutanen, T.; Pratt, G. W.; Prézeau, G.; Prunet, S.; Puget, J.-L.; Rachen, J. P.; Reach, W. T.; Rebolo, R.; Reinecke, M.; Remazeilles, M.; Renault, C.; Ricciardi, S.; Riller, T.; Ristorcelli, I.; Rocha, G.; Rosset, C.; Roudier, G.; Rowan-Robinson, M.; Rubiño-Martín, J. A.; Rumsey, C.; Rusholme, B.; Sandri, M.; Santos, D.; Saunders, R. D. E.; Savini, G.; Schammel, M. P.; Scott, D.; Seiffert, M. D.; Shellard, E. P. S.; Shimwell, T. W.; Spencer, L. D.; Starck, J.-L.; Stolyarov, V.; Stompor, R.; Streblyanska, A.; Sudiwala, R.; Sunyaev, R.; Sureau, F.; Sutton, D.; Suur-Uski, A.-S.; Sygnet, J.-F.; Tauber, J. A.; Tavagnacco, D.; Terenzi, L.; Toffolatti, L.; Tomasi, M.; Tramonte, D.; Tristram, M.; Tucci, M.; Tuovinen, J.; Türler, M.; Umana, G.; Valenziano, L.; Valiviita, J.; Van Tent, B.; Vibert, L.; Vielva, P.; Villa, F.; Vittorio, N.; Wade, L. A.; Wandelt, B. D.; White, M.; White, S. D. M.; Yvon, D.; Zacchei, A.; Zonca, A.

2015-09-01

We update the all-sky Planck catalogue of 1227 clusters and cluster candidates (PSZ1) published in March 2013, derived from detections of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect using the first 15.5 months of Planck satellite observations. As an addendum, we deliver an updated version of the PSZ1 catalogue, reporting the further confirmation of 86 Planck-discovered clusters. In total, the PSZ1 now contains 947 confirmed clusters, of which 214 were confirmed as newly discovered clusters through follow-up observations undertaken by the Planck Collaboration. The updated PSZ1 contains redshifts for 913 systems, of which 736 (~ 80.6%) are spectroscopic, and associated mass estimates derived from the Yz mass proxy. We also provide a new SZ quality flag for the remaining 280 candidates. This flag was derived from a novel artificial neural-network classification of the SZ signal. Based on this assessment, the purity of the updated PSZ1 catalogue is estimated to be 94%. In this release, we provide the full updated catalogue and an additional readme file with further information on the Planck SZ detections. The catalogue is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/581/A14

Bioinformatics research in the Asia Pacific: a 2007 update.

Science.gov (United States)

Ranganathan, Shoba; Gribskov, Michael; Tan, Tin Wee

2008-01-01

We provide a 2007 update on the bioinformatics research in the Asia-Pacific from the Asia Pacific Bioinformatics Network (APBioNet), Asia's oldest bioinformatics organisation set up in 1998. From 2002, APBioNet has organized the first International Conference on Bioinformatics (InCoB) bringing together scientists working in the field of bioinformatics in the region. This year, the InCoB2007 Conference was organized as the 6th annual conference of the Asia-Pacific Bioinformatics Network, on Aug. 27-30, 2007 at Hong Kong, following a series of successful events in Bangkok (Thailand), Penang (Malaysia), Auckland (New Zealand), Busan (South Korea) and New Delhi (India). Besides a scientific meeting at Hong Kong, satellite events organized are a pre-conference training workshop at Hanoi, Vietnam and a post-conference workshop at Nansha, China. This Introduction provides a brief overview of the peer-reviewed manuscripts accepted for publication in this Supplement. We have organized the papers into thematic areas, highlighting the growing contribution of research excellence from this region, to global bioinformatics endeavours.

Overview of urban Growth Simulation: With examples from different cities

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Waldeck, L

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This presentation provides an overview of Urban Growth Simulation as a risk free means of assessing the future outcome of major policy and investment decisions with some examples of scenarios that were simulated in different South African cities....

Quantitative critical thinking: Student activities using Bayesian updating

Science.gov (United States)

Warren, Aaron R.

2018-05-01

One of the central roles of physics education is the development of students' ability to evaluate proposed hypotheses and models. This ability is important not just for students' understanding of physics but also to prepare students for future learning beyond physics. In particular, it is often hoped that students will better understand the manner in which physicists leverage the availability of prior knowledge to guide and constrain the construction of new knowledge. Here, we discuss how the use of Bayes' Theorem to update the estimated likelihood of hypotheses and models can help achieve these educational goals through its integration with evaluative activities that use hypothetico-deductive reasoning. Several types of classroom and laboratory activities are presented that engage students in the practice of Bayesian likelihood updating on the basis of either consistency with experimental data or consistency with pre-established principles and models. This approach is sufficiently simple for introductory physics students while offering a robust mechanism to guide relatively sophisticated student reflection concerning models, hypotheses, and problem-solutions. A quasi-experimental study utilizing algebra-based introductory courses is presented to assess the impact of these activities on student epistemological development. The results indicate gains on the Epistemological Beliefs Assessment for Physical Science (EBAPS) at a minimal cost of class-time.

Research and development of anti-Alzheimer's disease drugs: an update from the perspective of technology flows.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Kunmeng; Lin, Hui-Heng; Pi, Rongbiao; Mak, Shinghung; Han, Yifan; Hu, Yuanjia

2018-04-01

Today, over 20 million people suffer from Alzheimer's disease (AD) worldwide. AD has become a critical issue to human health, especially in aging societies, and therefore it is a research hotspot in the global scientific community. The technology flow method differs from traditional reviews generating an informative overview of the research and development (R&D) landscape in a specific technological area. We need such an updated method to get a general overview of the R&D of anti-AD drugs in light of the dramatic developments in this area in recent years. Areas covered: This study collects patent data from the Integrity database. A total of 399 patents with 821 internal citation pairs in the US from 1978 to 2017 were analyzed. Patent citation network analysis was used to visualize the technology relationship. Expert opinion: For better production of anti-AD drugs, governments should emphasize the multi-target drug design, provide policy support for private companies, and encourage multilateral cooperation. The β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) theory leaves much to be desired; neurotransmitter and tau protein hypotheses are worth further examination. The use of old drugs for new indications is promising, as are traditional herbal medicines.

Transportation radiological risk assessment for the programmatic environmental impact statement: An overview of methodologies, assumptions, and input parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monette, F.; Biwer, B.; LePoire, D.; Chen, S.Y.

1994-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy is considering a broad range of alternatives for the future configuration of radioactive waste management at its network of facilities. Because the transportation of radioactive waste is an integral component of the management alternatives being considered, the estimated human health risks associated with both routine and accident transportation conditions must be assessed to allow a complete appraisal of the alternatives. This paper provides an overview of the technical approach being used to assess the radiological risks from the transportation of radioactive wastes. The approach presented employs the RADTRAN 4 computer code to estimate the collective population risk during routine and accident transportation conditions. Supplemental analyses are conducted using the RISKIND computer code to address areas of specific concern to individuals or population subgroups. RISKIND is used for estimating routine doses to maximally exposed individuals and for assessing the consequences of the most severe credible transportation accidents. The transportation risk assessment is designed to ensure -- through uniform and judicious selection of models, data, and assumptions -- that relative comparisons of risk among the various alternatives are meaningful. This is accomplished by uniformly applying common input parameters and assumptions to each waste type for all alternatives. The approach presented can be applied to all radioactive waste types and provides a consistent and comprehensive evaluation of transportation-related risk

Assessment of critical minerals: Updated application of an early-warning screening methodology

Science.gov (United States)

McCullough, Erin A.; Nassar, Nedal

2017-01-01

Increasing reliance on non-renewable mineral resources reinforces the need for identifying potential supply constraints before they occur. The US National Science and Technology Council recently released a report that outlines a methodology for screening potentially critical minerals based on three indicators: supply risk (R), production growth (G), and market dynamics (M). This early-warning screening was initially applied to 78 minerals across the years 1996 to 2013 and identified a subset of minerals as “potentially critical” based on the geometric average of these indicators—designated as criticality potential (C). In this study, the screening methodology has been updated to include data for 2014, as well as to incorporate revisions and modifications to the data, where applicable. Overall, C declined in 2014 for the majority of minerals examined largely due to decreases in production concentration and price volatility. However, the results vary considerably across minerals, with some minerals, such as gallium, recording increases for all three indicators. In addition to assessing magnitudinal changes, this analysis also examines the significance of the change relative to historical variation for each mineral. For example, although mined nickel’s R declined modestly in 2014 in comparison to that of other minerals, it was by far the largest annual change recorded for mined nickel across all years examined and is attributable to Indonesia’s ban on the export of unprocessed minerals. Based on the 2014 results, 20 minerals with the highest C values have been identified for further study including the rare earths, gallium, germanium, rhodium, tantalum, and tungsten.

A systematic decision-making process on the need for updating clinical practice guidelines proved to be feasible in a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Monika; Jaschinski, Thomas; Eikermann, Michaela; Mathes, Tim; Bühn, Stefanie; Koppert, Wolfgang; Leffler, Andreas; Neugebauer, Edmund; Pieper, Dawid

2018-04-01

The objective of this study was to test and evaluate a new decision-making process on the need for updating within the update of a German clinical practice guideline (CPG). The pilot study comprised (1) limited searches in Pubmed to identify new potentially relevant evidence, (2) an online survey among the members of the CPG group to assess the need for update, and (3) a consensus conference for determination and prioritization of guideline sections with a high need for update. Subsequently, we conducted a second online survey to evaluate the procedure. The searches resulted in 902 abstracts that were graded as new potentially relevant evidence. Twenty five of 39 members of the CPG group (64%) participated in the online survey. Seventy six percent of those took part in the second online survey. The evaluation study found on average a grade of support of the procedure regarding the determination of the need for update of 3.65 (standard deviation: 0.76) on a likert scale with 1 = "no support" to 5 = "very strong support." The conducted procedure presents a systematic approach for assessing whether and to what extent a CPG requires updating and enables setting priorities for which particular guideline section to update within a CPG. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Overview of the ISAM safety assessment methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simeonov, G.

2003-01-01

The ISAM safety assessment methodology consists of the following key components: specification of the assessment context description of the disposal system development and justification of scenarios formulation and implementation of models running of computer codes and analysis and presentation of results. Common issues run through two or more of these assessment components, including: use of methodological and computer tools, collation and use of data, need to address various sources of uncertainty, building of confidence in the individual components, as well as the overall assessment. The importance of the iterative nature of the assessment should be recognised

Overview of Low-Level Waste Disposal Operations at the Nevada Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office Environmental Management Program is charged with the responsibility to carry out the disposal of on-site and off-site generated low-level radioactive waste at the Nevada Test Site. Core elements of this mission are ensuring that disposal take place in a manner that is safe and cost-effective while protecting workers, the public, and the environment. This paper focuses on giving an overview of the Nevada Test Site facilities regarding currant design of disposal. In addition, technical attributes of the facilities established through the site characterization process will be further described. An update on current waste disposal volumes and capabilities will also be provided. This discussion leads to anticipated volume projections and disposal site requirements as the Nevada Test Site disposal operations look towards the future

Dual energy MDCT assessment of renal lesions: an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mileto, Achille; Marin, Daniele; Nelson, Rendon C.; Boll, Daniel T.; Ascenti, Giorgio

2014-01-01

With the expansion of cross-sectional imaging, the number of renal lesions that are incidentally discovered has increased. Multidetector CT (MDCT) is the investigation of choice for characterising and staging renal lesions. Although a definitive diagnosis can be confidently posed for most of them, a number of renal lesions remain indeterminate following MDCT. Further imaging tests are therefore needed, with subsequent increase of healthcare costs, radiation exposure, and patient anxiety. By addressing most of the issues with conventional MDCT imaging, dual-energy MDCT can improve the diagnosis of renal lesions and, potentially, may represent a paradigm shift from a merely attenuation-based to a material-specific spectral imaging investigation. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of current clinical applications of dual-energy CT in the evaluation of renal lesions. Key Points. (orig.)

Dual energy MDCT assessment of renal lesions: an overview

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mileto, Achille [Duke University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Durham, NC (United States); University of Messina, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphologic and Functional Imaging, Policlinico ' ' G. Martino' ' , Messina (Italy); Marin, Daniele; Nelson, Rendon C.; Boll, Daniel T. [Duke University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Durham, NC (United States); Ascenti, Giorgio [University of Messina, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphologic and Functional Imaging, Policlinico ' ' G. Martino' ' , Messina (Italy)

2014-02-15

With the expansion of cross-sectional imaging, the number of renal lesions that are incidentally discovered has increased. Multidetector CT (MDCT) is the investigation of choice for characterising and staging renal lesions. Although a definitive diagnosis can be confidently posed for most of them, a number of renal lesions remain indeterminate following MDCT. Further imaging tests are therefore needed, with subsequent increase of healthcare costs, radiation exposure, and patient anxiety. By addressing most of the issues with conventional MDCT imaging, dual-energy MDCT can improve the diagnosis of renal lesions and, potentially, may represent a paradigm shift from a merely attenuation-based to a material-specific spectral imaging investigation. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of current clinical applications of dual-energy CT in the evaluation of renal lesions. Key Points. (orig.)

Long-acting insulin analogues for type 1 diabetes: An overview of systematic reviews and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Laranjeira, Fernanda O; de Andrade, Keitty R C; Figueiredo, Ana C M G; Silva, Everton N; Pereira, Mauricio G

2018-01-01

The comparison between long acting insulin analogues (LAIA) and human insulin (NPH) has been investigated for decades, with many randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews giving mixed results. This overlapping and contradictory evidence has increased uncertainty on coverage decisions at health systems level. To conduct an overview of systematic reviews and update existing reviews, preparing new meta-analysis to determine whether LAIA are effective for T1D patients compared to NPH. We identified systematic reviews of RCTs that evaluated the efficacy of LAIA glargine or detemir, compared to NPH insulin for T1D, assessing glycated hemoglobin (A1C) and hypoglycemia. Data sources included Pubmed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE and hand-searching. The methodological quality of studies was independently assessed by two reviewers, using AMSTAR and Jadad scale. We found 11 eligible systematic reviews that contained a total of 25 relevant clinical trials. Two reviewers independently abstracted data. We found evidence that LAIA are efficacious compared to NPH, with estimates showing a reduction in nocturnal hypoglycemia episodes (RR 0.66; 95% CI 0.57; 0.76) and A1C (95% CI 0.23; 0.12). No significance was found related to severe hypoglycemia (RR 0.94; 95% CI 0.71; 1.24). This study design has allowed us to carry out the most comprehensive assessment of RCTs on this subject, filling a gap in diabetes research. Our paper addresses a question that is important not only for decision makers but also for clinicians.

Optimal updating magnitude in adaptive flat-distribution sampling.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Cheng; Drake, Justin A; Ma, Jianpeng; Pettitt, B Montgomery

2017-11-07

We present a study on the optimization of the updating magnitude for a class of free energy methods based on flat-distribution sampling, including the Wang-Landau (WL) algorithm and metadynamics. These methods rely on adaptive construction of a bias potential that offsets the potential of mean force by histogram-based updates. The convergence of the bias potential can be improved by decreasing the updating magnitude with an optimal schedule. We show that while the asymptotically optimal schedule for the single-bin updating scheme (commonly used in the WL algorithm) is given by the known inverse-time formula, that for the Gaussian updating scheme (commonly used in metadynamics) is often more complex. We further show that the single-bin updating scheme is optimal for very long simulations, and it can be generalized to a class of bandpass updating schemes that are similarly optimal. These bandpass updating schemes target only a few long-range distribution modes and their optimal schedule is also given by the inverse-time formula. Constructed from orthogonal polynomials, the bandpass updating schemes generalize the WL and Langfeld-Lucini-Rago algorithms as an automatic parameter tuning scheme for umbrella sampling.

Circular Updates

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Circular Updates are periodic sequentially numbered instructions to debriefing staff and observers informing them of changes or additions to scientific and specimen...

Dynamic analysis of nuclear safeguards systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, J.R.; Rasmuson, D.M.; Tingey, F.H.

1978-01-01

The assessment of the safeguards/adversary system poses a unique challenge as evolving technology affects the capabilities of both. The method discussed meets this challenge using a flexible analysis which can be updated by system personnel. The automatically constructed event tree provides a rapid overview analysis for initial assessment, evaluation of changes, cost/benefit study and inspection and audit

Important update of CERN Mail Services

CERN Multimedia

IT Department

2009-01-01

The CERN Mail Services are evolving. In the course of June and July 2009, all CERN mailboxes will be updated with a new infrastructure for hosting mailboxes, running Exchange 2007. This update is taking place in order to provide the capacity upgrade for the constantly growing volume of CERN mailboxes. It is also the opportunity to provide a number of improvements to CERN mailboxes: new and improved Outlook Web Access (the web interface used to access your mailbox from a web browser, also known as "webmail"), new features in the Out-of-Office auto-reply assistant, easier spam management... The update will preserve the mailbox configuration and no specific action is required by users. During the next weeks, each mailbox will be individually notified of the upcoming update the day before it takes place. We invite all users to carefully read this notification as it will contain the latest information for this update. The mailbox will be unavailable for a short time during the ni...

The Updating of Geospatial Base Data

Science.gov (United States)

Alrajhi, Muhamad N.; Konecny, Gottfried

2018-04-01

Topopographic mapping issues concern the area coverage at different scales and their age. The age of the map is determined by the system of updating. The United Nations (UNGGIM) have attempted to track the global map coverage at various scale ranges, which has greatly improved in recent decades. However the poor state of updating of base maps is still a global problem. In Saudi Arabia large scale mapping is carried out for all urban, suburban and rural areas by aerial surveys. Updating is carried out by remapping every 5 to 10 years. Due to the rapid urban development this is not satisfactory, but faster update methods are forseen by use of high resolution satellite imagery and the improvement of object oriented geodatabase structures, which will permit to utilize various survey technologies to update the photogrammetry established geodatabases. The longterm goal is to create an geodata infrastructure, which exists in Great Britain or Germany.

Interventions to improve safe and effective medicines use by consumers: an overview of systematic reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Rebecca; Santesso, Nancy; Lowe, Dianne; Hill, Sophie; Grimshaw, Jeremy; Prictor, Megan; Kaufman, Caroline; Cowie, Genevieve; Taylor, Michael

2014-04-29

Many systematic reviews exist on interventions to improve safe and effective medicines use by consumers, but research is distributed across diseases, populations and settings. The scope and focus of such reviews also vary widely, creating challenges for decision-makers seeking to inform decisions by using the evidence on consumers' medicines use.This is an update of a 2011 overview of systematic reviews, which synthesises the evidence, irrespective of disease, medicine type, population or setting, on the effectiveness of interventions to improve consumers' medicines use. To assess the effects of interventions which target healthcare consumers to promote safe and effective medicines use, by synthesising review-level evidence. We included systematic reviews published on the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects. We identified relevant reviews by handsearching databases from their start dates to March 2012. We screened and ranked reviews based on relevance to consumers' medicines use, using criteria developed for this overview. We used standardised forms to extract data, and assessed reviews for methodological quality using the AMSTAR tool. We used standardised language to summarise results within and across reviews; and gave bottom-line statements about intervention effectiveness. Two review authors screened and selected reviews, and extracted and analysed data. We used a taxonomy of interventions to categorise reviews and guide syntheses. We included 75 systematic reviews of varied methodological quality. Reviews assessed interventions with diverse aims including support for behaviour change, risk minimisation and skills acquisition. No reviews aimed to promote systems-level consumer participation in medicines-related activities. Medicines adherence was the most frequently-reported outcome, but others such as knowledge, clinical and service-use outcomes were also reported. Adverse events were less commonly

Updating optical pseudoinverse associative memories.

Science.gov (United States)

Telfer, B; Casasent, D

1989-07-01

Selected algorithms for adding to and deleting from optical pseudoinverse associative memories are presented and compared. New realizations of pseudoinverse updating methods using vector inner product matrix bordering and reduced-dimensionality Karhunen-Loeve approximations (which have been used for updating optical filters) are described in the context of associative memories. Greville's theorem is reviewed and compared with the Widrow-Hoff algorithm. Kohonen's gradient projection method is expressed in a different form suitable for optical implementation. The data matrix memory is also discussed for comparison purposes. Memory size, speed and ease of updating, and key vector requirements are the comparison criteria used.

Use and development of probabilistic safety assessment - CSNI WGRISK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siu, Nathan; Monninger, John; Gomez-Cobo, Ana; Kao, Tsu-Mu; Schoen, Gerhard; Gunsell, Lars; Nyman, Ralph; Jelinek, Tomas; Hultquist, Goeran; Rapp, Anders; Eriksson, Stefan; Lantaron, Alfredo; Vojnovic, Djordje; Husarcek, Jan; Kovacs, Zoltan; Versteeg, M.F.; Lopez Morones, Ramon; Lee, Chang-Ju; Fukuda, Mamoru; Burgazzi, Luciano; Caporali, Rino; RoeWEKAMP, Marina; MACSUGA, Geza; Bareith, Attila; Lanore, J.M.; Sorel, Vincent; Virolainen, Reino; Patrik, Milan; Mlady, Ondrej; Raducu, Gheorghe; De Gelder, Pieter; Hendrickx, Isabelle; Lanore, Jeanne-Marie; Murphy, Joseph A.; Shepherd, Charles; Pyy, Pekka T.; Mauny, Elisabeth

2007-01-01

The CSNI WGRISK produced a report in July 2002 on 'The Use and Development of Probabilistic Safety Assessment in NEA Member Countries'. This provides a description of the PSA programmes in the member countries at the time that the report was produced. However, there have been significant developments in PSA since 2002. Consequently, a decision was made at the WGRISK meeting in October 2005 to produce an updated version of the report. The aim was to produce an updated, stand alone version of the report that presents an analysis of the position on the use and development of PSA in the WGRISK member countries as of spring 2006. A detailed questionnaire was circulated to WGRISK members and to the IAEA to ascertain the state of the art in PSA use and development at the end of 2006. Detailed responses were prepared by 20 countries totalling several hundred pages of information. After first compilation of information, an updating round was organized by showing to the countries all the answers and the summary made of them by a small group of experts. The process led to some clarifications and more consistency in the report. The collected information was finally analyzed and summarized to reach the conclusions presented in this report. The set of section headings in the report is as follows: Executive summary. 1. Introduction. 2. PSA Framework and Environment. 3. Numerical Safety Criteria. 4. PSA Standards and Guidance. 5. Status and Scope of PSA Programmes. 6. PSA Methodology and Data. 7. PSA Applications. 8. Results and Insights from the PSAs. 9. Future Developments. Appendix A: Overview of the Status of PSA Programmes. Appendix B: Contact information. Appendix C: Questionnaire and Guidance to authors

Probabilistic safety assessment for instrumentation and control systems in nuclear power plants: an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Lixuan; Jiang, Jin

2004-01-01

Deregulation in the electricity market has resulted in a number of challenges in the nuclear power industry. Nuclear power plants must find innovative ways to remain competitive by reducing operating costs without jeopardizing safety. Instrumentation and Control (I and C) systems not only play important roles in plant operation, but also in reducing the cost of power generation while maintaining and/or enhancing safety. Therefore, it is extremely important that I and C systems are managed efficiently and economically. With the increasing use of digital technologies, new methods are needed to solve problems associated with various aspects of digital I and C systems. Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) has proved to be an effective method for safety analysis and risk-based decisions, even though challenges are still present. This paper provides an overview of PSA applications in three areas of digital I and C systems in nuclear power plants. These areas are Graded Quality Assurance, Surveillance Testing, and Instrumentation and Control System Design. In addition, PSA application in the regulation of nuclear power plants that adopt digital I and C systems is also investigated. (author)

Anaesthesia for electroconvulsive therapy: An overview with an update on its role in potentiating electroconvulsive therapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavan Kumar Kadiyala

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Despite advances in pharmacotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT remains a mainstay treatment option in psychiatry since its introduction in 1930s. It can be used primarily in severe illnesses when there is an urgent need for treatment or secondarily after failure or intolerance to pharmacotherapy. The 'unmodified' technique of ECT was practised initially, with a high incidence of musculoskeletal complications. Several modifications including general anaesthesia and muscle relaxation are used to increase the safety and patient acceptability of ECT. Various anaesthetic techniques including medications are considered to provide adequate therapeutic seizure, simultaneously controlling seizure-induced haemodynamic changes and side effects. A brief review of literature on choice of these anaesthetic techniques is discussed. This article is intended to reinforce the knowledge of clinicians, who may have limited exposure to ECT procedure. Importance is given to the recent updates on the role of induction agents in potentiating therapeutic response to ECT in psychiatric disorders.

Global baby-friendly hospital initiative monitoring data: update and discussion.

Science.gov (United States)

Labbok, Miriam H

2012-08-01

The World Health Organization (WHO)/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) was developed to support the implementation of the Ten Steps for Successful Breastfeeding. The purpose of this study is to assess trends in the numbers facilities ever-designated "baby-friendly," to consider uptake of the new WHO/UNICEF BFHI materials, and to consider implications for future breastfeeding support. The national contacts from the 2006-2007 UNICEF BFHI update were recontacted, as were WHO and UNICEF officers worldwide, to ascertain the number of hospitals ever-designated "baby-friendly," presence of a government breastfeeding oversight committee, use of the new BFHI materials and, if yes, use of the new maternity or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) materials. Seventy countries reporting in 2010-2011 and the updates from an additional 61 reporting in 2006-2007 (n=131, or 66% of the 198 countries) confirm that there are at least 21,328 ever-designated facilities. This is 27.5% of maternities worldwide: 8.5% of those in industrialized countries and 31% in less developed settings. In 2010, government committees were reported by 18 countries, and 34 reported using the new BFHI materials: 14 reported using the maternity care and 11 reported using the HIV materials. Rates of increase in the number of ever-certified "baby-friendly" hospitals vary by region and show some chronological correlation with trends in breastfeeding rates. Although it is not possible to attribute this increase to the BFHI alone, there is ongoing interest in Ten Steps implementation and in BFHI. The continued growth may reflect the dedication of ministries of health and national BFHI groups, as well as increasing recognition that the Ten Steps are effective quality improvement practices that increase breastfeeding and synergize with community interventions and other program efforts. With renewed interest in maternal/neonatal health, revitalization of support for Ten Steps and their effective

Updated recommendations for managing the care of patients receiving oral bisphosphonate therapy: an advisory statement from the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Beatrice J; Hellstein, John W; Jacobsen, Peter L; Kaltman, Steven; Mariotti, Angelo; Migliorati, Cesar A

2008-12-01

and Overview. In 2005, the American Dental Association (ADA) Council on Scientific Affairs convened an expert panel to develop clinical recommendations for dentists treating patients who are receiving oral bisphosphonate therapy. The Journal of the American Dental Association published the resulting report in 2006. This 2008 advisory statement is the first of projected periodic updates of the 2006 clinical recommendations. This 2008 advisory statement concludes, on the basis of a review of the current literature, that for patients receiving bisphosphonate therapy, the risk of developing bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis (BON) of the jaw apparently remains low. It also newly concludes that current screening and diagnostic tests are unreliable for predicting a patient's risk of developing the condition. This statement updates the 2006 recommendations regarding general dentistry, management of periodontal diseases, implant placement and maintenance, oral and maxillofacial surgery, endodontics, restorative dentistry and prosthodontics, and orthodontics.

Frontotemporal dementia: An updated overview

OpenAIRE

Mohandas, E.; Rajmohan, V.

2009-01-01

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a progressive neurodegenerative syndrome occurring between 45 and 65 years. The syndrome is also called frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). However, FTLD refers to a larger group of disorders FTD being one of its subgroups. The other subgroups of FTLD are progressive nonfluent aphasia (PFNA), and semantic dementia (SD). FTLD is characterized by atrophy of prefrontal and anterior temporal cortices. FTD occurs in 5-15% of patients with dementia and it is t...

Update on Kuwait: An overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harami, K.A.

1992-01-01

Oil production began in Kuwait in 1946, and in 1980 the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation was established as a state-owned body to provide for the integrated management and direction of the Kuwait state-owned oil companies. These companies include the Kuwait National Petroleum Company, Petrochemical Industries Company, and Kuwait Oil Tanker Company. In 1983, Kuwait became the first OPEC producer to become a gasoline retailer in Europe. Kuwait Petroleum has 6,400 service stations in 13 countries with sales of $4 billion. In August 1990, Kuwait suffered the Iraqi invasion which saw the destruction of 1-1.5 billion bbl of oil, 800 oil well fires, and the removal or destruction of much of the country's infrastructure. To date, four power plants and ca 90% of pre-invasion telephone services have been restored, ports have been cleared of mines, restoration is progressing on hotels and civil works, and well fires have been extinguished. The reconstruction costs are estimated at $6.8 billion and the oil well fire costs are estimated at $1.3 billion for the extinguising and $75 million/d for the loss of production. The first post-invasion export of oil was made in July 1991. Current production is ca 1.3 million bbl/d, projected to increase to ca 2 million bbl/d by the end of 1993, which was the pre-invasion level. Refinery throughput has been restored to ca 400,000 bbl/d, compared to the pre-invasion level of ca 765,000 bbl/d. The Kuwait government is privatizing certain sectors, including domestic retail gas stations. Kuwait's long term strategy goes beyond rehabilitation of damaged facilities, and discussions are being held on such questions as the proper level of Kuwait oil production

An appraisal of Physicochemical Parameters and some Trace ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ADOWIE PERE

ABSTRACT: Industrial effluent samples collected from the disposal point of five different companies in ... permissible limit while TSS values of samples from the five industries were above specification. ..... complexes that swell and crack concrete made from ..... Control Fed., ... health risk assessment: overview, update and.

Literature searches on Ayurveda: An update.

Science.gov (United States)

Aggithaya, Madhur G; Narahari, Saravu R

2015-01-01

The journals that publish on Ayurveda are increasingly indexed by popular medical databases in recent years. However, many Eastern journals are not indexed biomedical journal databases such as PubMed. Literature searches for Ayurveda continue to be challenging due to the nonavailability of active, unbiased dedicated databases for Ayurvedic literature. In 2010, authors identified 46 databases that can be used for systematic search of Ayurvedic papers and theses. This update reviewed our previous recommendation and identified current and relevant databases. To update on Ayurveda literature search and strategy to retrieve maximum publications. Author used psoriasis as an example to search previously listed databases and identify new. The population, intervention, control, and outcome table included keywords related to psoriasis and Ayurvedic terminologies for skin diseases. Current citation update status, search results, and search options of previous databases were assessed. Eight search strategies were developed. Hundred and five journals, both biomedical and Ayurveda, which publish on Ayurveda, were identified. Variability in databases was explored to identify bias in journal citation. Five among 46 databases are now relevant - AYUSH research portal, Annotated Bibliography of Indian Medicine, Digital Helpline for Ayurveda Research Articles (DHARA), PubMed, and Directory of Open Access Journals. Search options in these databases are not uniform, and only PubMed allows complex search strategy. "The Researches in Ayurveda" and "Ayurvedic Research Database" (ARD) are important grey resources for hand searching. About 44/105 (41.5%) journals publishing Ayurvedic studies are not indexed in any database. Only 11/105 (10.4%) exclusive Ayurveda journals are indexed in PubMed. AYUSH research portal and DHARA are two major portals after 2010. It is mandatory to search PubMed and four other databases because all five carry citations from different groups of journals. The hand

Overview of systematic reviews on the health-related effects of government tobacco control policies.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffman, Steven J; Tan, Charlie

2015-08-05

Government interventions are critical to addressing the global tobacco epidemic, a major public health problem that continues to deepen. We systematically synthesize research evidence on the effectiveness of government tobacco control policies promoted by the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), supporting the implementation of this international treaty on the tenth anniversary of it entering into force. An overview of systematic reviews was prepared through systematic searches of five electronic databases, published up to March 2014. Additional reviews were retrieved from monthly updates until August 2014, consultations with tobacco control experts and a targeted search for reviews on mass media interventions. Reviews were assessed according to predefined inclusion criteria, and ratings of methodological quality were either extracted from source databases or independently scored. Of 612 reviews retrieved, 45 reviews met the inclusion criteria and 14 more were identified from monthly updates, expert consultations and a targeted search, resulting in 59 included reviews summarizing over 1150 primary studies. The 38 strong and moderate quality reviews published since 2000 were prioritized in the qualitative synthesis. Protecting people from tobacco smoke was the most strongly supported government intervention, with smoke-free policies associated with decreased smoking behaviour, secondhand smoke exposure and adverse health outcomes. Raising taxes on tobacco products also consistently demonstrated reductions in smoking behaviour. Tobacco product packaging interventions and anti-tobacco mass media campaigns may decrease smoking behaviour, with the latter likely an important part of larger multicomponent programs. Financial interventions for smoking cessation are most effective when targeted at smokers to reduce the cost of cessation products, but incentivizing quitting may be effective as well. Although the findings for bans on tobacco advertising were

7. Mentor update and support: what do mentors need from an update?

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Mari; Marshall, Joyce

2015-04-01

Mentorship is the 14th series of 'Midwifery basics' targeted at practising midwives. The aim of these articles is to provide information to raise awareness of the impact of the work of midwives on women's experience, and encourage midwives to seek further information through a series of activities relating to the topic. In this seventh article Mari Phillips and Joyce Marshall consider some of the key issues related to mentor update and support and consider what mentors need from their annual update.

Recommendation of a More Effective Alternative to the NASA Launch Services Program Mission Integration Reporting System (MIRS) and Implementation of Updates to the Mission Plan

Science.gov (United States)

Dunn, Michael R.

2014-01-01

Over the course of my internship in the Flight Projects Office of NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP), I worked on two major projects, both of which dealt with updating current systems to make them more accurate and to allow them to operate more efficiently. The first project dealt with the Mission Integration Reporting System (MIRS), a web-accessible database application used to manage and provide mission status reporting for the LSP portfolio of awarded missions. MIRS had not gone through any major updates since its implementation in 2005, and it was my job to formulate a recommendation for the improvement of the system. The second project I worked on dealt with the Mission Plan, a document that contains an overview of the general life cycle that is followed by every LSP mission. My job on this project was to update the information currently in the mission plan and to add certain features in order to increase the accuracy and thoroughness of the document. The outcomes of these projects have implications in the orderly and efficient operation of the Flight Projects Office, and the process of Mission Management in the Launch Services Program as a whole.

Email Updates

Science.gov (United States)

... of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/listserv.html Email Updates To use the sharing features on this ... view your email history or unsubscribe. Prevent MedlinePlus emails from being marked as "spam" or "junk" To ...

Revision of the Competency Standards for Occupational Therapy Driver Assessors: An overview of the evidence for the inclusion of cognitive and perceptual assessments within fitness-to-drive evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

Fields, Sally M; Unsworth, Carolyn A

2017-08-01

Determination of fitness-to-drive after illness or injury is a complex process typically requiring a comprehensive driving assessment, including off-road and on-road assessment components. The competency standards for occupational therapy driver assessors (Victoria, Australia) define the requirements for performance of a comprehensive driving assessment, and we are currently revising these. Assessment of cognitive and perceptual skills forms an important part of the off-road assessment. The aim of this systematic review of systematic reviews (known as an overview) is to identify what evidence exists for including assessment of cognitive and perceptual skills within fitness-to-drive evaluations to inform revision of the competency standards. Five electronic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, The Cochrane Library, OT Seeker) were systematically searched. Systematic review articles were appraised by two authors for eligibility. Methodological quality was independently assessed using the AMSTAR tool. Narrative analysis was conducted to summarise the content of eligible reviews. A total of 1228 results were retrieved. Fourteen reviews met the inclusion criteria. Reviews indicated that the components of cognition and perception most frequently identified as being predictive of fitness-to-drive were executive function (n = 13), processing speed (n = 12), visuospatial skills, attention, memory and mental flexibility (n = 11). Components less indicative were perception, concentration (n = 10), praxis (n = 9), language (n = 7) and neglect (n = 6). This overview of systematic reviews supports the inclusion of assessment of a range of cognitive and perceptual skills as key elements in a comprehensive driver assessment and therefore should be included in the revised competency standards for occupational therapy driver assessors. © 2017 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Update and revision of WHO air quality guidelines for Europe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Younes, M. [WHO European Centre for Environment and Health, Bilthoven (Netherlands). Bilthoven Div.

1995-12-31

The WHO Air Quality Guidelines for Europe (AQG), published in 1987, have provided a uniform basis for the development of strategies for the control of air pollution, and have contributed to the maintenance and improvement of public health in several countries. The aim of the guidelines is to provide a basis for protecting public health from adverse effects of air pollutants, and for eliminating or reducing to a minimum, those contaminants that are known or likely to be hazardous to human health and wellbeing. Since the publication of the first edition of the AQG, new scientific data in the fields of air pollution toxicology and epidemiology have accumulated and new developments in risk assessment methodologies have taken place, requiring updating and/or revision of the existing guidelines. This fact was recognized during the preparation of the initial work plan of the European Centre for Environment and Health, and it was recommended that the Centre undertake any necessary amendments and extensions to the Air Quality Guidelines. The updating procedure is being carried out in cooperation with the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) and the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) and will be implemented through working group meetings which require the preparation of working documents on specific air pollutants or mixtures and a final consultation to discuss the updated document.It was initiated by a Planning Meeting which was organized in January 1993. The purpose of the planning meeting was to set the framework for the updating and revision process, in particular to discuss the scope and purpose, the contents and the format of the revised AQG publication, to define the details of and the time schedule for the updating process and to identify the working groups needed and their way of operation. (author)

Update and revision of WHO air quality guidelines for Europe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Younes, M [WHO European Centre for Environment and Health, Bilthoven (Netherlands). Bilthoven Div.

1996-12-31

The WHO Air Quality Guidelines for Europe (AQG), published in 1987, have provided a uniform basis for the development of strategies for the control of air pollution, and have contributed to the maintenance and improvement of public health in several countries. The aim of the guidelines is to provide a basis for protecting public health from adverse effects of air pollutants, and for eliminating or reducing to a minimum, those contaminants that are known or likely to be hazardous to human health and wellbeing. Since the publication of the first edition of the AQG, new scientific data in the fields of air pollution toxicology and epidemiology have accumulated and new developments in risk assessment methodologies have taken place, requiring updating and/or revision of the existing guidelines. This fact was recognized during the preparation of the initial work plan of the European Centre for Environment and Health, and it was recommended that the Centre undertake any necessary amendments and extensions to the Air Quality Guidelines. The updating procedure is being carried out in cooperation with the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) and the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) and will be implemented through working group meetings which require the preparation of working documents on specific air pollutants or mixtures and a final consultation to discuss the updated document.It was initiated by a Planning Meeting which was organized in January 1993. The purpose of the planning meeting was to set the framework for the updating and revision process, in particular to discuss the scope and purpose, the contents and the format of the revised AQG publication, to define the details of and the time schedule for the updating process and to identify the working groups needed and their way of operation. (author)

49 CFR 360.5 - Updating user fees.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... updating the cost components comprising the fee. Cost components shall be updated as follows: (1) Direct... determined by the cost study in Regulations Governing Fees For Service, 1 I.C.C. 2d 60 (1984), or subsequent... by total office costs for the office directly associated with user fee activity. Actual updating of...

An updated assessment of the prospects for fuel cells in stationary power and CHP. An information paper

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanderson, T.K. [Future Energy Solutions, Harwell (United Kingdom)

2005-07-01

This report presents updated conclusions of the Department of Trade and Industry's research and development programme to assess the commercial prospects for advanced fuel cells in stationary power and combined heat and power (CHP) systems. The programme has focussed on low temperature solid polymer fuel cells (SPFCs) for transport and combined heat and power (CHP)/distributed power and high temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) for CHP/distributed power. As well as assessing the prospects for SPFCs and SOFCs in stationary power and CHP applications, the report examines those for molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) and phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFCs). The report provides an assessment of the status of technology development for these different types of fuel cells in terms of applications to stationary power and CHP, and offers estimates of market potential for SOFCs in CHP markets, SPFCs in CHP markets and SOFCs in distributed power generation markets. Both large SPFC and SOFC CHP systems require further development to deliver the necessary cost reductions in materials and manufacturing processes before pre-commercial sales can begin. The routes taken by different manufacturers and their choice of preferred technology are explained. A discussion of the prospects and barriers for fuel cell cars concludes that while cost reduction is a major barrier to the successful commercialisation of fuel cells, there are insufficient data available from operating fuel cells systems (other than PAFC) in stationary power and CHP applications to assess the economic attractiveness of fuel cells compared with existing systems. More field trials are required to confirm energy and environmental performance in such applications and to evaluate operational and economic performance under commercial operating conditions. Such field trials could also provide a focus for the required developments in fuel cells for stationary power/CHP systems.

Overview of experimental tests of the IBA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casten, R.F.

1980-01-01

A broad overview is presented of the principal tests to date of the IBA, or both even and odd nuclei, and including the evidence concerning the possible existence of the recently proposed supersymmetries. Although some details are presented, the aim is rather to survey the principal characteristics of the model, to assess the overall quality and extent of the agreement with experiment, and to indicate where further testing would be most useful

Second-generation speed limit map updating applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tradisauskas, Nerius; Agerholm, Niels; Juhl, Jens

2011-01-01

Intelligent Speed Adaptation is an Intelligent Transport System developed to significantly improve road safety in helping car drivers maintain appropriate driving behaviour. The system works in connection with the speed limits on the road network. It is thus essential to keep the speed limit map...... used in the Intelligent Speed Adaptation scheme updated. The traditional method of updating speed limit maps on the basis of long time interval observations needed to be replaced by a more efficient speed limit updating tool. In a Danish Intelligent Speed Adaptation trial a web-based tool was therefore...... for map updating should preferably be made on the basis of a commercial map provider, 2 such as Google Maps and that the real challenge is to oblige road authorities to carry out updates....

Integrated Medical Model Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Myers, J.; Boley, L.; Foy, M.; Goodenow, D.; Griffin, D.; Keenan, A.; Kerstman, E.; Melton, S.; McGuire, K.; Saile, L.;

Alternative microbial methods: An overview and selection criteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Jasson, Vicky; Jacxsens, Liesbeth; Luning, Pieternel; Rajkovic, Andreja; Uyttendaele, Mieke

2010-09-01

This study provides an overview and criteria for the selection of a method, other than the reference method, for microbial analysis of foods. In a first part an overview of the general characteristics of rapid methods available, both for enumeration and detection, is given with reference to relevant bibliography. Perspectives on future development and the potential of the rapid method for routine application in food diagnostics are discussed. As various alternative "rapid" methods in different formats are available on the market, it can be very difficult for a food business operator or for a control authority to select the most appropriate method which fits its purpose. Validation of a method by a third party, according to international accepted protocol based upon ISO 16140, may increase the confidence in the performance of a method. A list of at the moment validated methods for enumeration of both utility indicators (aerobic plate count) and hygiene indicators (Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, coagulase positive Staphylococcus) as well as for detection of the four major pathogens (Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli O157 and Campylobacter spp.) is included with reference to relevant websites to check for updates. In a second part of this study, selection criteria are introduced to underpin the choice of the appropriate method(s) for a defined application. The selection criteria link the definition of the context in which the user of the method functions - and thus the prospective use of the microbial test results - with the technical information on the method and its operational requirements and sustainability. The selection criteria can help the end user of the method to obtain a systematic insight into all relevant factors to be taken into account for selection of a method for microbial analysis. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The FASSET Framework for assessment of environmental impact of ionising radiation in European ecosystems-an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsson, C-M

2004-01-01

The FASSET project was launched in November 2000 under the EC 5th Framework Programme to develop a framework for the assessment of environmental impact of ionising radiation in European ecosystems. It involved 15 organisations in seven European countries and delivered its final report in spring 2004. The project set out to organise radioecological and radiobiological data into a logical structure that would facilitate the assessment of likely effects on non-human biota resulting from known or postulated depositions of radionuclides in the environment. The project included an overview of 20 pathway-based environmental assessment systems targeted at radioactive substances, or at hazardous substances in general. The resulting framework includes the following fundamental elements: source characterisation; description of seven major European ecosystems; selection of a number of reference organisms on the basis of prior ecosystem and exposure analysis; environmental transfer analysis; dosimetric considerations; effects analysis; and general guidance on interpretation including consideration of uncertainties. The project has used existing information supplemented with development in some areas, e.g. Monte Carlo calculations to derive dose conversion coefficients, model development, and the building of an effects database (FRED, the FASSET Radiation Effects Database). On the basis of experience from FASSET and other recent programmes, it can be concluded that (i) there is substantial agreement in terms of conceptual approaches between different frameworks currently in use or proposed, (ii) differences in technical approaches can be largely attributed to differences in ecosystems of concern or in national regulatory requirements, (iii) sufficient knowledge is available to scientifically justify assessments following the Framework structure, but (iv) significant data gaps exist for environmental transfer of key nuclides as well as for effects data for key wildlife groups at

Update of CERN exchange network

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

An update of the CERN exchange network will be done next April. Disturbances or even interruptions of telephony services may occur from 4th to 24th April during evenings from 18:30 to 00:00 but will not exceed more than 4 consecutive hours (see tentative planning below). In addition, the voice messaging system will be shut down on March, 26th April from 18:00 to 00:00. Calls supposed to be routed to the voice messaging system will not be possible during the shutdown. CERN divisions are invited to avoid any change requests (set-ups, move or removals) of telephones and fax machines from 4th to 25th April. Everything will be done to minimize potential inconveniences which may occur during this update. There will be no loss of telephone functionalities. CERN GSM portable phones won't be affected by this change. Should you need more details, please send us your questions by email to Standard.Telephone@cern.ch. DateChange typeAffected areas March 26Update of the voice messaging systemAll CERN sites April 4Updat...

Bladder cancer: overview and disease management. Part 1: non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Beverley

2018-05-10

Part 1 of this two-part article provides an overview of bladder cancer and discusses its management. Since publication of a previous article entitled 'Understanding the role of smoking in the aetiology of bladder cancer' ( Anderson, 2009 ), the author has received many requests for an update. This article provides an overview of bladder cancer and its current management practices, underlining the continued role of smoking as the predominant risk factor in the disease's development. The management of bladder cancer is governed by specific guidelines. Management of non-muscle-invasive cancers, including surgical intervention with transurethral resection, and intravesical therapy using chemotherapy and immunotherapy agents, is discussed. Cystectomy (removal of the bladder), is sometimes necessary. Treatments are effective in reducing tumour recurrence, but the effects of the risks and side-effects on the individual's quality of life can be significant. The prevalence of bladder cancer, and the nature of its management make this cancer one of the most expensive for the NHS to treat. The effectiveness of health promotional strategies in increasing peoples' awareness of their risk of developing the disease, and in enabling them to change long-term health behaviours is discussed. The role of the multidisciplinary team is explored, along with that of the uro-oncology cancer nurse specialist. Part 2 will consider the management of muscle-invasive and metastatic bladder cancer.

Vaginitis: MedlinePlus Health Topic

Science.gov (United States)

... Spanish Vulvovaginitis - overview (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish Topic Image MedlinePlus Email Updates Get Vaginitis updates by ... Vaginitis test - wet mount Vulvovaginitis - overview Related Health Topics Trichomoniasis Vaginal Diseases Yeast Infections Other Languages Find ...

Breast Cancer and Estrogen-Alone Update

Science.gov (United States)

... Current Issue Past Issues Research News From NIH Breast Cancer and Estrogen-Alone Update Past Issues / Summer 2006 ... hormone therapy does not increase the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, according to an updated analysis ...

Pancreatitis. An update; Pankreatitis. Ein Update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schreyer, A.G. [Universitaetsklinikum Regensburg, Institut fuer Roentgendiagnostik, Regensburg (Germany); Grenacher, L. [Diagnostik Muenchen, MVZ Radiologie, Muenchen (Germany); Juchems, M. [Klinikum Konstanz, Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologie, Konstanz (Germany)

2016-04-15

Acute and chronic pancreatitis are becoming increasingly more severe diseases in the western world with far-reaching consequences for the individual patient as well as the socioeconomic situation. This article gives an overview of the contribution of radiological imaging to the diagnostics and therapy of both forms of the disease. Acute pancreatitis can be subdivided into severe (20 %) and mild manifestations. The diagnostics should be performed with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for assessing necrosis or potential infections only in severe forms of pancreatitis. In chronic pancreatitis transabdominal ultrasound should initially be adequate for assessment of the pancreas. For the differential diagnosis between pancreatic carcinoma and chronic pancreatitis, MRI with magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) followed by an endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration is the method of choice. For the primary diagnosis for acute and chronic pancreatitis ultrasound examination is the modality of first choice followed by radiological CT and MRI with MRCP examinations. (orig.) [German] Akute und chronische Pankreatitis sind in der westlichen Welt zunehmende schwere Krankheitsbilder mit tiefgreifenden Konsequenzen fuer den einzelnen Patienten sowie soziooekonomisch. Der Beitrag radiologischer Bildgebung zur Diagnostik und Therapie beider Erkrankungsformen soll im vorliegenden Uebersichtsbeitrag diskutiert werden. Die akute Pankreatitis kann in eine schwere (20 %) und milde Verlaufsform unterteilt werden. Lediglich bei den schweren Formen sollte eine CT- oder MRT-Diagnostik bzgl. der Beurteilung von Nekrosen und moeglichen Infektionen erfolgen. Bei der chronischen Pankreatitis genuegt zunaechst eine Beurteilung des Pankreas durch transabdominellen Ultraschall. Hier sind die MRT mit der Magnetresonanzcholangiopankreatikographie (MRCP) sowie die endosonographisch gesteuerte Feinnadelpunktion die Methode, um

Integrated process status overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gertman, D.I.; Gaudio, P. Jr.

1986-01-01

This report summarizes findings to date with the IPSO, a large plant status overview currently under development at the OECD Halden Reactor Project. As part of a joint Halden and Combustion Engineering project, the overview is being tested in part to determine whether the large screen overview concept being entertained for use in the nuclear power plant (NPP) industry will facilitate operator performance. To this end an interactive simulation technique was used to establish a proof-of-principle test for the IPSO. Process control, operations, and human factors experts at Halden participated in the test and evaluation

An overview of the fire risk scoping study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nowlen, S.P.; Lambright, J.A.; Nicolette, V.F.; Bohn, M.P.

1989-01-01

The Fire Risk Scoping Study was sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and performed at Sandia National Laboratories. The study was initiated as a result of previous USNRC-sponsored fire research efforts that had identified certain fire risk issues that had not been addressed in previously completed commercial nuclear power plant fire risk analyses. The specific objectives of this study were (1) to review and requantify fire risk scenarios from four fire probabilistic risk assessments in light of updated data bases made available as a result of USNRC-sponsored Fire Protection Research Program and updated computer fire modeling capabilities, (2) to identify potentially significant fire risk issues that have not been previously addressed in a fire risk context and to quantify the potential impact of those identified fire risk issues where possible, and (3) to review current fire regulations and plant implementation practices for relevance to the identified unaddressed fire risk issues. 9 refs., 3 tabs

An Overview of Smart Shoes in the Internet of Health Things: Gait and Mobility Assessment in Health Promotion and Disease Monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bjoern M. Eskofier

2017-09-01

Full Text Available New smart technologies and the internet of things increasingly play a key role in healthcare and wellness, contributing to the development of novel healthcare concepts. These technologies enable a comprehensive view of an individual’s movement and mobility, potentially supporting healthy living as well as complementing medical diagnostics and the monitoring of therapeutic outcomes. This overview article specifically addresses smart shoes, which are becoming one such smart technology within the future internet of health things, since the ability to walk defines large aspects of quality of life in a wide range of health and disease conditions. Smart shoes offer the possibility to support prevention, diagnostic work-up, therapeutic decisions, and individual disease monitoring with a continuous assessment of gait and mobility. This overview article provides the technological as well as medical aspects of smart shoes within this rising area of digital health applications, and is designed especially for the novel reader in this specific field. It also stresses the need for closer interdisciplinary interactions between technological and medical experts to bridge the gap between research and practice. Smart shoes can be envisioned to serve as pervasive wearable computing systems that enable innovative solutions and services for the promotion of healthy living and the transformation of health care.

NASA Environmental Control and Life Support Technology Development and Maturation for Exploration: 2015 to 2016 Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Walter F.; Gatens, Robyn L.; Anderson, Molly S.; Broyan, James L.; MaCatangay, Ariel V.; Shull, Sarah A.; Perry, Jay L.; Toomarian, Nikzad

2016-01-01

Over the last year, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has continued to refine the understanding and prioritization of technology gaps that must be closed in order to achieve Evolvable Mars Campaign objectives and near term objectives in the cislunar proving ground. These efforts are reflected in updates to the technical area roadmaps released by NASA in 2015 and have guided technology development and maturation tasks that have been sponsored by various programs. This paper provides an overview of the refined Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) strategic planning, as well as a synopsis of key technology and maturation project tasks that occurred in 2014 and early 2015 to support the strategic needs. Plans for the remainder of 2015 and subsequent years are also described.

Assessment and management of ageing of major nuclear power plant components important to safety: PWR pressure vessels. 2007 update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-06-01

At present, there are over four hundred operational nuclear power plants (NPPs) in IAEA Member States. Operating experience has shown that effective control of the ageing degradation of the major NPP components (e.g. caused by unanticipated phenomena and by operating, maintenance or manufacturing errors) is one of the most important issues for plant safety and also plant life. Ageing in these NPPs must be therefore effectively managed to ensure the availability of design functions throughout the plant service life. From the safety perspective, this means controlling within acceptable limits the ageing degradation and wear-out of plant components important to safety so that adequate safety margins remain, i.e. integrity and functional capability in excess of normal operating requirements. IAEA-TECDOC-1120 documented ageing assessment and management practices for pressurized water reactor (PWR) reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) that were current at the time of its finalization in 1997-1998. Safety significant operating events have occurred since the finalization of the TECDOC, e.g. primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) of Alloy 600 control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) penetrations and boric acid corrosion/wastage of RPV heads, which threatened the integrity of the RPV heads. These events led to new ageing management actions by both NPP operators and regulators. Therefore it was recognized that IAEA-TECDOC-1120 should be updated by incorporating those new events and their countermeasures. The objective of this report is to update IAEA-TECDOC-1120 in order to provide current ageing management guidance for PWR RPVs to all involved in the operation and regulation of PWRs and thus to help ensure PWR RPV integrity in IAEA Member States throughout their entire service life

A Performance Study on Synchronous and Asynchronous Update Rules for A Plug-In Direct Particle Swarm Repetitive Controller

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ufnalski Bartlomiej

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper two different update schemes for the recently developed plug-in direct particle swarm repetitive controller (PDPSRC are investigated and compared. The proposed approach employs the particle swarm optimizer (PSO to solve in on-line mode a dynamic optimization problem (DOP related to the control task in the constant-amplitude constant-frequency voltage-source inverter (CACF VSI with an LC output filter. The effectiveness of synchronous and asynchronous update rules, both commonly used in static optimization problems (SOPs, is assessed and compared in the case of PDPSRC. The performance of the controller, when synthesized using each of the update schemes, is studied numerically.

RAVEN AS A TOOL FOR DYNAMIC PROBABILISTIC RISK ASSESSMENT: SOFTWARE OVERVIEW

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alfonsi Andrea; Mandelli Diego; Rabiti Cristian; Joshua Cogliati; Robert Kinoshita

2013-05-01

RAVEN is a software tool under development at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) that acts as the control logic driver and post-processing tool for the newly developed Thermo-Hydraylic code RELAP- 7. The scope of this paper is to show the software structure of RAVEN and its utilization in connection with RELAP-7. A short overview of the mathematical framework behind the code is presented along with its main capabilities such as on-line controlling/monitoring and Monte-Carlo sampling. A demo of a Station Black Out PRA analysis of a simplified Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) model is shown in order to demonstrate the Monte-Carlo and clustering capabilities.

An assessment of Brazilian conservation units – a second look

OpenAIRE

Drummond, José Augusto Leitão

2012-01-01

This is a second overview of the Brazilian conservation unit system for mid-2010. It updates author et al, 2009. It examines six dimensions of federal and state protected areas – age, numbers, types of units, absolute and average sizes, distribution by states and biomes, and degree of compliance with CBD-inspired goals. Major findings: (i) the system maintained a rapid growth rate; (ii) national parks and national forests are the most prominent units; (iii) distribution of units by region and...

Update of CERN exchange network

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

An update of the CERN exchange network will be done next April. Disturbances or even interruptions of telephony services may occur from 4th to 24th April during evenings from 18:30 to 00:00 but will not exceed more than 4 consecutive hours (see tentative planning below). In addition, the voice messaging system will be shut down on March, 26th April from 18:00 to 00:00. Calls supposed to be routed to the voice messaging system will not be possible during the shutdown. CERN divisions are invited to avoid any change requests (set-ups, move or removals) of telephones and fax machines from 4th to 25th April. Everything will be done to minimize potential inconveniences which may occur during this update. There will be no loss of telephone functionalities. CERN GSM portable phones won't be affected by this change. Should you need more details, please send us your questions by email to Standard.Telephone@cern.ch. Date Change type Affected areas April 8 Update of switch in LHC 7 LHC 7 Point April 9 Update of...

Environmental Development Plan for Transportation Energy Conservation. FY 79 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, M. K.; Bernard, III, M. J.

1978-12-15

This is the first annual update of the Environment Development Plan (EDP) for the DOE Division of Transportation Energy Conservation program. It identifies the ecosystem, resource, physical environment, health, safety, and socioeconomic concerns associated with the division's transportation programs. These programs include the research, development, demonstration and assessment (RDD and A) of seventeen transportation technologies and several strategy and policy development and implementation projects. The transportation technologies projects deal with highway transport including electric vehicles, marine transport and pipeline transport. This EDP presents a research and assessment plan for resolving any potentially adverse environmental concerns stemming from these programs.

Nanotechnologies in agriculture and food - an overview of different fields of application, risk assessment and public perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Grobe, Antje; Rissanen, Mikko E

2012-12-01

Nanomaterials in agriculture and food are key issues of public and regulatory interest. Over the past ten years, patents for nanotechnological applications in the field of food and agriculture have become abundant. Uncertainty prevails however regarding their current development status and presence in the consumer market. Thus, the discussion on nanotechnologies in the food sector with its specific public perception of benefits and risks and the patterns of communication are becoming similar to the debate on genetically modified organisms. The food industry's silence in communication increased mistrust of consumer organisations and policy makers. The article discusses the background of the current regulatory debates, starting with the EU recommendation for defining nanomaterials, provides an overview of possible fields of application in agriculture and food industries and discusses risk assessment and the public debate on benefits and risks. Communicative recommendations are directed at researchers, the food industry and regulators in order to increase trust both in stakeholders, risk management and regulatory processes.

Minimally invasive splenectomy: an update and review

Science.gov (United States)

Gamme, Gary; Birch, Daniel W.; Karmali, Shahzeer

2013-01-01

Laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) has become an established standard of care in the management of surgical diseases of the spleen. The present article is an update and review of current procedures and controversies regarding minimally invasive splenectomy. We review the indications and contraindications for LS as well as preoperative considerations. An individual assessment of the procedures and outcomes of multiport laparoscopic splenectomy, hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy, robotic splenectomy, natural orifice transluminal endoscopic splenectomy and single-port splenectomy is included. Furthermore, this review examines postoperative considerations after LS, including the postoperative course of uncomplicated patients, postoperative portal vein thrombosis, infections and malignancy. PMID:23883500

Postmortem aviation forensic toxicology: an overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaturvedi, Arvind K

2010-05-01

An overview of the subtopic aviation combustion toxicology of the field of aerospace toxicology has been published. In a continuation of the overview, the findings associated with postmortem aviation forensic toxicology are being summarized in the present overview. A literature search for the period of 1960-2007 was performed. The important findings related to postmortem toxicology were evaluated. In addition to a brief introduction, this overview is divided into the sections of analytical methods; carboxyhemoglobin and blood cyanide ion; ethanol; drugs; result interpretation; glucose and hemoglobin A(1c); and references. Specific details of the subject matter were discussed. It is anticipated that this overview will be an outline source for aviation forensic toxicology within the field of aerospace toxicology.

Updates on the Clinical Evidenced Herb-Warfarin Interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beikang Ge

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Increasing and inadvertent use of herbs makes herb-drug interactions a focus of research. Concomitant use of warfarin, a highly efficacious oral anticoagulant, and herbs causes major safety concerns due to the narrow therapeutic window of warfarin. This paper presents an update overview of clinical findings regarding herb-warfarin interaction, highlighting clinical outcomes, severity of documented interactions, and quality of clinical evidence. Among thirty-eight herbs, Cannabis, Chamomile, Cranberry, Garlic, Ginkgo, Grapefruit, Lycium, Red clover, and St. John’s wort were evaluated to have major severity interaction with warfarin. Herbs were also classified on account of the likelihood of their supporting evidences for interaction. Four herbs were considered as highly probable to interact with warfarin (level I, three were estimated as probable (level II, and ten and twenty-one were possible (level III and doubtful (level IV, respectively. The general mechanism of herb-warfarin interaction almost remains unknown, yet several pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic factors were estimated to influence the effectiveness of warfarin. Based on limited literature and information reported, we identified corresponding mechanisms of interactions for a small amount of “interacting herbs.” In summary, herb-warfarin interaction, especially the clinical effects of herbs on warfarin therapy should be further investigated through multicenter studies with larger sample sizes.

Stock Assessment Supplementary Information (SASINF)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — In the interest of efficiency, clarity and standardization of stock assessment materials, the stock assessment reports for the 2015 Groundfish update have been...

Update on EUV radiometry at PTB

Science.gov (United States)

Laubis, Christian; Barboutis, Annett; Buchholz, Christian; Fischer, Andreas; Haase, Anton; Knorr, Florian; Mentzel, Heiko; Puls, Jana; Schönstedt, Anja; Sintschuk, Michael; Soltwisch, Victor; Stadelhoff, Christian; Scholze, Frank

2016-03-01

The development of technology infrastructure for EUV Lithography (EUVL) still requires higher levels of technology readiness in many fields. A large number of new materials will need to be introduced. For example, development of EUV compatible pellicles to adopt an approved method from optical lithography for EUVL needs completely new thin membranes which have not been available before. To support these developments, PTB with its decades of experience [1] in EUV metrology [2] provides a wide range of actinic and non actinic measurements at in-band EUV wavelengths as well as out of band. Two dedicated, complimentary EUV beamlines [3] are available for radiometric [4,5] characterizations benefiting from small divergence or from adjustable spot size respectively. The wavelength range covered reaches from below 1 nm to 45 nm [6] for the EUV beamlines [7] to longer wavelengths if in addition the VUV beamline is employed. The standard spot size is 1 mm by 1 mm with an option to go as low as 0.1 mm to 0.1 mm. A separate beamline offers an exposure setup. Exposure power levels of 20 W/cm2 have been employed in the past, lower fluencies are available by attenuation or out of focus exposure. Owing to a differential pumping stage, the sample can be held under defined gas conditions during exposure. We present an updated overview on our instrumentation and analysis capabilities for EUV metrology and provide data for illustration.

Environmental development plan for transportation programs: FY80 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saricks, C.L.; Singh, M.K.; Bernard, M.J. III; Bevilacqua, O.M.

1980-09-01

This is the second annual update of the environmental development plan (EDP) for transportation programs. It has been prepared as a cooperative effort of the Assistant Secretaries for Conservation and Solar Energy (ASCS) Office of Transportation Programs (CS/TP) and the Environment (ASEV) Office of Environmental Assessments. EDPs identify the ecosystem, resource, physical environment, health, safety, socioeconomic, and environmental control concerns associated with DOE programs. The programs include the research, development, demonstration, and assessment (RDD and A) of 14 transportation technologies and several strategy implementation projects. This EDP update presents a research and assessment plan for resolving any potentially adverse environmental concerns arising from these programs. The EDP process provides a framework for: incorporating environmental concerns into CS/TP planning and decision processes early to ensure they are assigned the same importance as technological, fiscal, and institutional concerns in decision making; resolving environmental concerns concurrently with energy technology and strategy development; and providing a research schedule that mitigates adverse environmental effects through sound technological design or policy analysis. This EDP also describes the status of each environmental concern and the plan for its resolution. Much of ongoing DOE reseirch and technology development is aimed at resolving concerns identified in this EDP. Each EDP is intended to be so comprehensive that no concerns escape notice. Care is taken to include any CS/TP action that may eventually require an Environmental Impact Statement. Because technology demonstration and commercialization tend to raise more environmental concerns than other portions of the transportation program, most of this EDP addresses these concerns.

Status and overview of INPRO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moriwaki, M.; )

2007-01-01

INPRO (International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles) was initiated in the year 2000 following a resolution of the General Conference of the IAEA in order to provide a forum for discussion of experts and policy makers on all aspects of nuclear energy planning as well as on the development and deployment of innovative nuclear energy systems (INS). It brings together technology holders, users and potential users to consider jointly the international and national actions required for achieving desired innovations in nuclear reactors and fuel cycles, and it pays particular attention to the needs of developing countries. Since its initiation, INPRO has kept growing as an international project on INS, and as of August 2006 it has 26 members including major technology holder countries and technology user and potential user countries.In July 2006, INPRO had achieved a major milestone, which is finalizing Phase 1 and starting a new stage, Phase 2 with endorsement by INPRO steering committee. Phase 1 can be characterized as INPRO methodology development stage. The INPRO methodology is a methodology to assess if a given INS can fulfil demands to be a sustainable energy option in the 21st century, in a holistic way. The INPRO methodology's holistic approach includes seven areas in its sustainability assessment: Economics, Safety, Environment, Waste Management, Proliferation Resistance, Physical Protection and Infrastructure. The demands of the methodology on INS form a hierarchy consisting of Basic Principles (BPs), User Requirements (URs) and Criteria (CR). The main achievement of Phase 1 is to define BPs, URs and CR in all seven areas (summarized as TECDOC 1434) with application tests performed by INPRO Members and create a draft manual to guide how to assess INS with INPRO methodology in a practical manner. Seven chapters of the draft manual (Overviews, Economics, Safety on nuclear power plants, Safety on fuel cycle facilities, Environment, Waste

Overview of FRMAC Operations. Revision 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-07-01

The purpose of this overview of the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) operations is to describe the FRMAC response to a major radiological emergency and to describe the subsequent response activities which provide radiological monitoring and assessment outside the immediate boundaries of the radiological emergency site. In the event of a major radiological emergency, Federal agencies with various statutory responsibilities have agreed to coordinate their efforts at the emergency scene under the umbrella of the Federal Radiological emergency Response Plan (FRERP). This cooperative effort will assure the State(s) and a designed Lead Federal Agency (LFA) that all Federal radiological assistance is fully supporting their efforts to protect the public and will provide monitoring and assessment results for their immediate use in decision making. The Federal agencies do not relinquish their statutory responsibilities. However, the mandated Federal cooperation ensures that each agency can obtain the data critical to its specific responsibilities

Research Update: The electronic structure of hybrid perovskite layers and their energetic alignment in devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Selina Olthof

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the interest in hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites has increased at a rapid pace due to their tremendous success in the field of thin film solar cells. This area closely ties together fundamental solid state research and device application, as it is necessary to understand the basic material properties to optimize the performances and open up new areas of application. In this regard, the energy levels and their respective alignment with adjacent charge transport layers play a crucial role. Currently, we are lacking a detailed understanding about the electronic structure and are struggling to understand what influences the alignment, how it varies, or how it can be intentionally modified. This research update aims at giving an overview over recent results regarding measurements of the electronic structure of hybrid perovskites using photoelectron spectroscopy to summarize the present status.

The Diesel Exhaust in Miners Study: I. Overview of the Exposure Assessment Process

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Patricia A.; Coble, Joseph B.; Vermeulen, Roel; Schleiff, Patricia; Blair, Aaron; Lubin, Jay; Attfield, Michael; Silverman, Debra T.

2010-01-01

This report provides an overview of the exposure assessment process for an epidemiologic study that investigated mortality, with a special focus on lung cancer, associated with diesel exhaust (DE) exposure among miners. Details of several components are provided in four other reports. A major challenge for this study was the development of quantitative estimates of historical exposures to DE. There is no single standard method for assessing the totality of DE, so respirable elemental carbon (REC), a component of DE, was selected as the primary surrogate in this study. Air monitoring surveys at seven of the eight study mining facilities were conducted between 1998 and 2001 and provided reference personal REC exposure levels and measurements for other agents and DE components in the mining environment. (The eighth facility had closed permanently prior to the surveys.) Exposure estimates were developed for mining facility/department/job/year combinations. A hierarchical grouping strategy was developed for assigning exposure levels to underground jobs [based on job titles, on the amount of time spent in various areas of the underground mine, and on similar carbon monoxide (CO, another DE component) concentrations] and to surface jobs (based on the use of, or proximity to, diesel-powered equipment). Time trends in air concentrations for underground jobs were estimated from mining facility-specific prediction models using diesel equipment horsepower, total air flow rates exhausted from the underground mines, and, because there were no historical REC measurements, historical measurements of CO. Exposures to potentially confounding agents, i.e. respirable dust, silica, radon, asbestos, and non-diesel sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, also were assessed. Accuracy and reliability of the estimated REC exposures levels were evaluated by comparison with several smaller datasets and by development of alternative time trend models. During 1998–2001, the average

Updating parameters of the chicken processing line model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kurowicka, Dorota; Nauta, Maarten; Jozwiak, Katarzyna

2010-01-01

A mathematical model of chicken processing that quantitatively describes the transmission of Campylobacter on chicken carcasses from slaughter to chicken meat product has been developed in Nauta et al. (2005). This model was quantified with expert judgment. Recent availability of data allows...... updating parameters of the model to better describe processes observed in slaughterhouses. We propose Bayesian updating as a suitable technique to update expert judgment with microbiological data. Berrang and Dickens’s data are used to demonstrate performance of this method in updating parameters...... of the chicken processing line model....

Updated folate data in the Dutch Food Composition Database and implications for intake estimates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susanne Westenbrink

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Background and objective: Nutrient values are influenced by the analytical method used. Food folate measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC or by microbiological assay (MA yield different results, with in general higher results from MA than from HPLC. This leads to the question of how to deal with different analytical methods in compiling standardised and internationally comparable food composition databases? A recent inventory on folate in European food composition databases indicated that currently MA is more widely used than HPCL. Since older Dutch values are produced by HPLC and newer values by MA, analytical methods and procedures for compiling folate data in the Dutch Food Composition Database (NEVO were reconsidered and folate values were updated. This article describes the impact of this revision of folate values in the NEVO database as well as the expected impact on the folate intake assessment in the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey (DNFCS. Design: The folate values were revised by replacing HPLC with MA values from recent Dutch analyses. Previously MA folate values taken from foreign food composition tables had been recalculated to the HPLC level, assuming a 27% lower value from HPLC analyses. These recalculated values were replaced by the original MA values. Dutch HPLC and MA values were compared to each other. Folate intake was assessed for a subgroup within the DNFCS to estimate the impact of the update. Results: In the updated NEVO database nearly all folate values were produced by MA or derived from MA values which resulted in an average increase of 24%. The median habitual folate intake in young children was increased by 11–15% using the updated folate values. Conclusion: The current approach for folate in NEVO resulted in more transparency in data production and documentation and higher comparability among European databases. Results of food consumption surveys are expected to show higher folate intakes

Heat balance of waters as a result of climate change; Waermehaushalt der Gewaesser im Zeichen des Klimawandels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hofmann, Gerd [Regierungspraesidium Darmstadt, Frankfurt am Main (Germany). Dezernat Anlagenbezogener Gewaesserschutz

2013-04-01

The LAWA Scripture presents an overview of the factors to be considered in the context of a water resource assessment of cooling water discharges. This updated LAWA guide supports the water authorities in the granting of water legal permissions of introduction at cooling water discharges from power plants and industry.

The family assessment device: an update.

Science.gov (United States)

Mansfield, Abigail K; Keitner, Gabor I; Dealy, Jennifer

2015-03-01

The current study set out to describe family functioning scores of a contemporary community sample, using the Family Assessment Device (FAD), and to compare this to a currently help-seeking sample. The community sample consisted of 151 families who completed the FAD. The help-seeking sample consisted of 46 families who completed the FAD at their first family therapy appointment as part of their standard care at an outpatient family therapy clinic at an urban hospital. Findings suggest that FAD means from the contemporary community sample indicate satisfaction with family functioning, while FAD scores from the help-seeking sample indicate dissatisfaction with family functioning. In addition, the General Functioning scale of the FAD continues to correlate highly with all other FAD scales, except Behavior Control. The cut-off scores for the FAD indicating satisfaction or dissatisfaction by family members with their family functioning continue to be relevant and the FAD continues to be a useful tool to assess family functioning in both clinical and research contexts. © 2014 Family Process Institute.

Monadologies:An historical overview

OpenAIRE

Dunham, Jeremy; Phemister, Pauline

2016-01-01

This introductory overview comprises (i) a brief account of Leibniz's own monadology; (ii) a discussion of the reception of his philosophy up to Kant; and (iii) a short overview of the monadologies developed after Kant's first Critique, made via a summary of key points raised in this guest issue, highlighting recurrent themes, which include questions of historiography.

Better Plants Progress Update Fall 2013

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

2013-09-23

This Progress Update summarizes the significant energy saving achievements and cumulative cost savings made by these industry leaders from 2010-2012. The update also shares the plans and priorities over the next year for the Better Plants Program to continue to advance energy efficiency in the industrial sector.

Non-Linear Approximation of Bayesian Update

KAUST Repository

Litvinenko, Alexander

2016-01-01

We develop a non-linear approximation of expensive Bayesian formula. This non-linear approximation is applied directly to Polynomial Chaos Coefficients. In this way, we avoid Monte Carlo sampling and sampling error. We can show that the famous Kalman Update formula is a particular case of this update.

Non-Linear Approximation of Bayesian Update

KAUST Repository

Litvinenko, Alexander

2016-06-23

We develop a non-linear approximation of expensive Bayesian formula. This non-linear approximation is applied directly to Polynomial Chaos Coefficients. In this way, we avoid Monte Carlo sampling and sampling error. We can show that the famous Kalman Update formula is a particular case of this update.

Indoor Spatial Updating with Reduced Visual Information

OpenAIRE

Legge, Gordon E.; Gage, Rachel; Baek, Yihwa; Bochsler, Tiana M.

2016-01-01

Purpose Spatial updating refers to the ability to keep track of position and orientation while moving through an environment. People with impaired vision may be less accurate in spatial updating with adverse consequences for indoor navigation. In this study, we asked how artificial restrictions on visual acuity and field size affect spatial updating, and also judgments of the size of rooms. Methods Normally sighted young adults were tested with artificial restriction of acuity in Mild Blur (S...

Model parameter updating using Bayesian networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Treml, C.A.; Ross, Timothy J.

2004-01-01

This paper outlines a model parameter updating technique for a new method of model validation using a modified model reference adaptive control (MRAC) framework with Bayesian Networks (BNs). The model parameter updating within this method is generic in the sense that the model/simulation to be validated is treated as a black box. It must have updateable parameters to which its outputs are sensitive, and those outputs must have metrics that can be compared to that of the model reference, i.e., experimental data. Furthermore, no assumptions are made about the statistics of the model parameter uncertainty, only upper and lower bounds need to be specified. This method is designed for situations where a model is not intended to predict a complete point-by-point time domain description of the item/system behavior; rather, there are specific points, features, or events of interest that need to be predicted. These specific points are compared to the model reference derived from actual experimental data. The logic for updating the model parameters to match the model reference is formed via a BN. The nodes of this BN consist of updateable model input parameters and the specific output values or features of interest. Each time the model is executed, the input/output pairs are used to adapt the conditional probabilities of the BN. Each iteration further refines the inferred model parameters to produce the desired model output. After parameter updating is complete and model inputs are inferred, reliabilities for the model output are supplied. Finally, this method is applied to a simulation of a resonance control cooling system for a prototype coupled cavity linac. The results are compared to experimental data.

Seabrook Station Level 2 PRA Update to Include Accident Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lutz, Robert; Lucci, Melissa; Kiper, Kenneth; Henry, Robert

2006-01-01

A ground-breaking study was recently completed as part of the Seabrook Level 2 PRA update. This study updates the post-core damage phenomena to be consistent with the most recent information and includes accident management activities that should be modeled in the Level 2 PRA. Overall, the result is a Level 2 PRA that fully meets the requirements of the ASME PRA Standard with respect to modeling accident management in the LERF assessment and NRC requirements in Regulatory Guide 1.174 for considering late containment failures. This technical paper deals only with the incorporation of operator actions into the Level 2 PRA based on a comprehensive study of the Seabrook Station accident response procedures and guidance. The paper describes the process used to identify the key operator actions that can influence the Level 2 PRA results and the development of success criteria for these key operator actions. This addresses a key requirement of the ASME PRA Standard for considering SAMG. An important benefit of this assessment was the identification of Seabrook specific accident management insights that can be fed back into the Seabrook Station accident management procedures and guidance or the training provided to plant personnel for these procedures and guidance. (authors)

Wet storage integrity update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailey, W.J.; Johnson, A.B. Jr.

1983-09-01

This report includes information from various studies performed under the Wet Storage Task of the Spent Fuel Integrity Project of the Commercial Spent Fuel Management (CSFM) Program at Pacific Northwest Laboratory. An overview of recent developments in the technology of wet storage of spent water reactor fuel is presented. Licensee Event Reports pertaining to spent fuel pools and the associated performance of spent fuel and storage components during wet storage are discussed. The current status of fuel that was examined under the CSFM Program is described. Assessments of the effect of boric acid in spent fuel pool water on the corrosion and stress corrosion cracking of stainless steel and the stress corrosion cracking of stainless steel piping containing stagnant water at spent fuel pools are discussed. A list of pertinent publications is included. 84 references, 21 figures, 11 tables

2010 Manufacturing Readiness Assessment Update to the 2008 Report for Fuel Cell Stacks and Systems for the Backup Power and Materials Handling Equipment Markets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wheeler, D.; Ulsh, M.

2012-08-01

In 2008, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), under contract to the US Department of Energy (DOE), conducted a manufacturing readiness assessment (MRA) of fuel cell systems and fuel cell stacks for back-up power and material handling applications (MHE). To facilitate the MRA, manufacturing readiness levels (MRL) were defined that were based on the Technology Readiness Levels previously established by the US Department of Energy (DOE). NREL assessed the extensive existing hierarchy of MRLs developed by Department of Defense (DoD) and other Federal entities, and developed a MRL scale adapted to the needs of the Fuel Cell Technologies Program (FCTP) and to the status of the fuel cell industry. The MRL ranking of a fuel cell manufacturing facility increases as the manufacturing capability transitions from laboratory prototype development through Low Rate Initial Production to Full Rate Production. DOE can use MRLs to address the economic and institutional risks associated with a ramp-up in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell production. In 2010, NREL updated this assessment, including additional manufacturers, an assessment of market developments since the original report, and a comparison of MRLs between 2008 and 2010.

Chemical Risk Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

This course is aimed at providing an overview of the fundamental guiding principles and general methods used in chemical risk assessment. Chemical risk assessment is a complex and ever-evolving process. These principles and methods have been organized by the National Research Cou...

Assessment and management of ageing of major nuclear power plant components important to safety: PWR vessel internals: 2007 update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-06-01

At present, there are over four hundred operational nuclear power plants (NPPs) in IAEA Member States. Operating experience has shown that effective control of the ageing degradation of the major NPP components (e.g. caused by unanticipated phenomena and by operating, maintenance or manufacturing errors) is one of the most important issues for plant safety and also plant life. Ageing in these NPPs must be therefore effectively managed to ensure the availability of design functions throughout the plant service life. From the safety perspective, this means controlling within acceptable limits the ageing degradation and wearout of plant components important to safety so that adequate safety margins remain, i.e. integrity and functional capability in excess of normal operating requirements. IAEA-TECDOC-1119 documents ageing assessment and management practices for PWR Reactor Vessel Internals (RVIs) that were current at the time of its finalization in 1997-1998. Safety significant operating events have occurred since the finalization of the TECDOC, e.g. irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) of baffle-former bolts, which threatened the integrity of the vessel internals. In addition, concern of fretting wear of control rod guide tubes has been raised in Japan. These events led to new ageing management actions by both NPP operators and regulators. Therefore it was recognized that IAEA-TECDOC-1119 should be updated by incorporating those new events and their countermeasures. The objective of this report is to update relevant sections of the existing IAEA-TECDOC- 1119 in order to provide current ageing management guidance for PWR RVIs to all involved in the operation and regulation of PWRs and thus to help ensure PWR safety in IAEA Member States throughout their entire service life

A Review of the Extraction and Determination Methods of Thirteen Essential Vitamins to the Human Body: An Update from 2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yuan; Zhou, Wei-E; Yan, Jia-Qing; Liu, Min; Zhou, Yu; Shen, Xin; Ma, Ying-Lin; Feng, Xue-Song; Yang, Jun; Li, Guo-Hui

2018-06-19

Vitamins are a class of essential nutrients in the body; thus, they play important roles in human health. The chemicals are involved in many physiological functions and both their lack and excess can put health at risk. Therefore, the establishment of methods for monitoring vitamin concentrations in different matrices is necessary. In this review, an updated overview of the main pretreatments and determination methods that have been used since 2010 is given. Ultrasonic assisted extraction, liquid⁻liquid extraction, solid phase extraction and dispersive liquid⁻liquid microextraction are the most common pretreatment methods, while the determination methods involve chromatography methods, electrophoretic methods, microbiological assays, immunoassays, biosensors and several other methods. Different pretreatments and determination methods are discussed.

A Review of the Extraction and Determination Methods of Thirteen Essential Vitamins to the Human Body: An Update from 2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuan Zhang

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Vitamins are a class of essential nutrients in the body; thus, they play important roles in human health. The chemicals are involved in many physiological functions and both their lack and excess can put health at risk. Therefore, the establishment of methods for monitoring vitamin concentrations in different matrices is necessary. In this review, an updated overview of the main pretreatments and determination methods that have been used since 2010 is given. Ultrasonic assisted extraction, liquid–liquid extraction, solid phase extraction and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction are the most common pretreatment methods, while the determination methods involve chromatography methods, electrophoretic methods, microbiological assays, immunoassays, biosensors and several other methods. Different pretreatments and determination methods are discussed.

Long-Term Warming Trends in Korea and Contribution of Urbanization: An Updated Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Bo-Joung; Kim, Yeon-Hee; Min, Seung-Ki; Kim, Maeng-Ki; Choi, Youngeun; Boo, Kyung-On; Shim, Sungbo

2017-10-01

This study conducted an updated analysis of the long-term temperature trends over South Korea and reassessed the contribution of the urbanization effect to the local warming trends. Linear trends were analyzed for three different periods over South Korea in order to consider possible inhomogeneity due to changes in the number of available stations: recent 103 years (1912-2014), 61 years (1954-2014), and 42 years (1973-2014). The local temperature has increased by 1.90°C, 1.35°C, and 0.99°C during the three periods, respectively, which are found 1.4-2.6 times larger than the global land mean trends. The countries located in the northern middle and high latitudes exhibit similar warming trends (about 1.5 times stronger than the global mean), suggesting a weak influence of urbanization on the local warming over South Korea. Urbanization contribution is assessed using two methods. First, results from "city minus rural" methods showed that 30-45% of the local warming trends during recent four decades are likely due to the urbanization effect, depending on station classification methods and analysis periods. Results from an "observation minus reanalysis" method using the Twentieth Century Reanalysis (20CR) data sets (v2 and v2c) indicated about 25-30% contribution of the urbanization effect to the local warming trend during the recent six decades. However, the urbanization contribution was estimated as low as 3-11% when considering the century-long period. Our results confirm large uncertainties in the estimation of urbanization contribution when using shorter-term periods and suggest that the urbanization contribution to the century-long warming trends could be much lower.

Changing Assessment--Towards a New Assessment Paradigm Using ICT

Science.gov (United States)

Redecker, Christine; Johannessen, Oystein

2013-01-01

This article discusses how Information and Communication Technologies can support 21st century assessment strategies and what needs to be done to ensure that technological advances support and foster pedagogical innovation. Based on an extensive review of the literature, it provides an overview of current ICT-enabled assessment practices, with a…

Nonsynchronous updating in the multiverse of cellular automata.

Science.gov (United States)

Reia, Sandro M; Kinouchi, Osame

2015-04-01

In this paper we study updating effects on cellular automata rule space. We consider a subset of 6144 order-3 automata from the space of 262144 bidimensional outer-totalistic rules. We compare synchronous to asynchronous and sequential updatings. Focusing on two automata, we discuss how update changes destroy typical structures of these rules. Besides, we show that the first-order phase transition in the multiverse of synchronous cellular automata, revealed with the use of a recently introduced control parameter, seems to be robust not only to changes in update schema but also to different initial densities.

Nonsynchronous updating in the multiverse of cellular automata

Science.gov (United States)

Reia, Sandro M.; Kinouchi, Osame

2015-04-01

In this paper we study updating effects on cellular automata rule space. We consider a subset of 6144 order-3 automata from the space of 262144 bidimensional outer-totalistic rules. We compare synchronous to asynchronous and sequential updatings. Focusing on two automata, we discuss how update changes destroy typical structures of these rules. Besides, we show that the first-order phase transition in the multiverse of synchronous cellular automata, revealed with the use of a recently introduced control parameter, seems to be robust not only to changes in update schema but also to different initial densities.

New uses of sulfur - update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Almond, K.P.

1995-07-01

An update to an extensive bibliography on alternate uses of sulfur was presented. Alberta Sulphur Research Ltd., previously compiled a bibliography in volume 24 of this quarterly bulletin. This update provides an additional 44 new publications. The information regarding current research focusses on topics regarding the use of sulfur in oil and gas applications, mining and metallurgy, concretes and other structural materials, waste management, rubber and textile products, asphalts and other paving and highway applications.

News and Features Updates from USA.gov

Data.gov (United States)

General Services Administration — Stay on top of important government news and information with the USA.gov Updates: News and Features RSS feed. We'll update this feed when we add news and featured...

Comparison of the Usefulness of the Updated Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA2) with the Original HOMA1 in the Prediction of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Koreans

OpenAIRE

Song, Young Seok; Hwang, You-Cheol; Ahn, Hong-Yup; Park, Cheol-Young

2016-01-01

Background The original homeostasis model assessment (HOMA1) and the updated HOMA model (HOMA2) have been used to evaluate insulin resistance (IR) and ?-cell function, but little is known about the usefulness of HOMA2 for the prediction of diabetes in Koreans. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of HOMA2 as a predictor of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Koreans without diabetes. Methods The study population consisted of 104,694 Koreans enrolled at a health checkup program and ...

Comparison of the Usefulness of the Updated Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA2) with the Original HOMA1 in the Prediction of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Koreans

OpenAIRE

Young Seok Song; You-Cheol Hwang; Hong-Yup Ahn; Cheol-Young Park

2016-01-01

BackgroundThe original homeostasis model assessment (HOMA1) and the updated HOMA model (HOMA2) have been used to evaluate insulin resistance (IR) and β-cell function, but little is known about the usefulness of HOMA2 for the prediction of diabetes in Koreans. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of HOMA2 as a predictor of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Koreans without diabetes.MethodsThe study population consisted of 104,694 Koreans enrolled at a health checkup program and fol...

Assessment in and of Serious Games: An Overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesco Bellotti

2013-01-01

Full Text Available There is a consensus that serious games have a significant potential as a tool for instruction. However, their effectiveness in terms of learning outcomes is still understudied mainly due to the complexity involved in assessing intangible measures. A systematic approach—based on established principles and guidelines—is necessary to enhance the design of serious games, and many studies lack a rigorous assessment. An important aspect in the evaluation of serious games, like other educational tools, is user performance assessment. This is an important area of exploration because serious games are intended to evaluate the learning progress as well as the outcomes. This also emphasizes the importance of providing appropriate feedback to the player. Moreover, performance assessment enables adaptivity and personalization to meet individual needs in various aspects, such as learning styles, information provision rates, feedback, and so forth. This paper first reviews related literature regarding the educational effectiveness of serious games. It then discusses how to assess the learning impact of serious games and methods for competence and skill assessment. Finally, it suggests two major directions for future research: characterization of the player’s activity and better integration of assessment in games.

Rebuild America partner update, November--December 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-11-01

This issue of the update includes articles on retrofitting Duke University facilities, energy efficiency updates to buildings in Portland, Oregon, Salisbury, North Carolina, Hawaii, Roanoke-Chowan, Virginia, and energy savings centered designs for lighting systems.

The 2008-2009 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment Handbook for Assessment Coordinators: Writing, Reading and Mathematics, Science

Science.gov (United States)

Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2010

2010-01-01

This handbook describes the responsibilities of district and school assessment coordinators in the administration of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA). This updated guidebook contains the following sections: (1) General Assessment Guidelines for All Assessments; (2) Writing Specific Guidelines; (3) Reading and Mathematics…

Vaccines (immunizations) - overview

Science.gov (United States)

Vaccinations; Immunizations; Immunize; Vaccine shots; Prevention - vaccine ... of the vaccine. VACCINE SCHEDULE The recommended vaccination (immunization) schedule is updated every 12 months by the ...

ECO Update / Groundwater Foum Issue Paper: Evaluating Ground-Water/Surface-Water Transition Zones in Ecological Risk Assessments

Science.gov (United States)

This ECO Update builds on the standard approach to ERA (U.S. EPA 1997), by providing a framework for incorporating groundwater/surface-water (GW/SW) interactions into existing ERAs (see U.S. EPA 1997 and 2001a for an introduction to ecological risk....

An Update on Canine Adenovirus Type 2 and Its Vectors

Science.gov (United States)

Bru, Thierry; Salinas, Sara; Kremer, Eric J.

2010-01-01

Adenovirus vectors have significant potential for long- or short-term gene transfer. Preclinical and clinical studies using human derived adenoviruses (HAd) have demonstrated the feasibility of flexible hybrid vector designs, robust expression and induction of protective immunity. However, clinical use of HAd vectors can, under some conditions, be limited by pre-existing vector immunity. Pre-existing humoral and cellular anti-capsid immunity limits the efficacy and duration of transgene expression and is poorly circumvented by injections of larger doses and immuno-suppressing drugs. This review updates canine adenovirus serotype 2 (CAV-2, also known as CAdV-2) biology and gives an overview of the generation of early region 1 (E1)-deleted to helper-dependent (HD) CAV-2 vectors. We also summarize the essential characteristics concerning their interaction with the anti-HAd memory immune responses in humans, the preferential transduction of neurons, and its high level of retrograde axonal transport in the central and peripheral nervous system. CAV-2 vectors are particularly interesting tools to study the pathophysiology and potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, as anti-tumoral and anti-viral vaccines, tracer of synaptic junctions, oncolytic virus and as a platform to generate chimeric vectors. PMID:21994722

Co-operation and Phase Behavior under the Mixed Updating Rules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Wen; Li Yao-Sheng; Xu Chen

2015-01-01

We present a model by considering two updating rules when the agents play prisoner's dilemma on a square lattice. Agents can update their strategies by referencing one of his neighbors of higher payoffs under the imitation updating rule or directly replaced by one of his neighbors according to the death-birth updating rule. The frequency of co-operation is related to the probability q of occurrence of the imitation updating or the death-birth updating and the game parameter b. The death-birth updating rule favors the co-operation while the imitation updating rule favors the defection on the lattice, although both rules suppress the co-operation in the well-mixed population. Therefore a totally co-operative state may emerge when the death-birth updating is involved in the evolution when b is relatively small. We also obtain a phase diagram on the q-b plane. There are three phases on the plane with two pure phases of a totally co-operative state and a totally defective state and a mixing phase of mixed strategies. Based on the pair approximation, we theoretically analyze the phase behavior and obtain a quantitative agreement with the simulation results. (paper)

Federal Education Update, December 2004. Commission Update 04-17.

Science.gov (United States)

California Postsecondary Education Commission, 2004

2004-01-01

This update presents some of the major issues affecting education occurring at the national level. These include: Higher Education Act Extended for One Year; New Law Increases Loan Forgiveness for Teachers; Domestic Appropriations Measures Completed; Change in Federal Student Aid Rules; Bush Advisor Nominated To Be Education Secretary In Second…

Agent Communication for Dynamic Belief Update

Science.gov (United States)

Kobayashi, Mikito; Tojo, Satoshi

Thus far, various formalizations of rational / logical agent model have been proposed. In this paper, we include the notion of communication channel and belief modality into update logic, and introduce Belief Update Logic (BUL). First, we discuss that how we can reformalize the inform action of FIPA-ACL into communication channel, which represents a connection between agents. Thus, our agents can send a message only when they believe, and also there actually is, a channel between him / her and a receiver. Then, we present a static belief logic (BL) and show its soundness and completeness. Next, we develop the logic to BUL, which can update Kripke model by the inform action; in which we show that in the updated model the belief operator also satisfies K45. Thereafter, we show that every sentence in BUL can be translated into BL; thus, we can contend that BUL is also sound and complete. Furthermore, we discuss the features of CUL, including the case of inconsistent information, as well as channel transmission. Finally, we summarize our contribution and discuss some future issues.

Heavy ion fusion systems assessment - An overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waganer, L.M.; Driemeyer, D.E.; Zuckerman, D.S.; Billman, K.W.

1986-01-01

A study is underway to evaluate the technical performance and economic attractiveness of linear induction-driven Heavy Ion Fusion (HIF) as an energy source for electrical power generation. This study is a cooperative effort of several national laboratories, universities, industrial contractors and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) under the leadership of Los Alamos National Laboratory. McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company, assisted by Titan Systems, Inc, has the responsibility to integrate the cost and performance models of the driver, reactor and balance of plant systems, evaluate different system options and assess the overall technical and economic performance of an HIF power plant. Individual system options have been designed and analyzed by the other participants in the DOE-sponsored parent study and are provided for system integration and evaluation. This paper describes the integration and evaluation effort for the HIF Systems Assessment. Specific areas discussed include, the definition of Systems Requirements, the development of Assessment Methodology, the characterization of System Options, the description of Systems Assessment Code, the assessment of Code Results, the ranking of System Options, the selection of Attractive System Options, and the determination of Preferred Operating Parameter Space. The initial study effort was to define the system requirements from the standpoint of the overall power plant. This was accomplished by establishing overall power plant performance goals and specifications. The plant was assumed to be dedicated only to electrical power production in the 2020 time frame enabling the study to look beyond developmental and startup difficulties. The net plant output was defined to be between 400 and 1500 MWe which would allow investigating the effect of plant size

Communication technology update and fundamentals

CERN Document Server

Grant, August E

2010-01-01

New communication technologies are being introduced at an astonishing rate. Making sense of these technologies is increasingly difficult. Communication Technology Update and Fundamentals is the single best source for the latest developments, trends, and issues in communication technology. Featuring the fundamental framework along with the history and background of communication technologies, Communication Technology Update and Fundamentals, 12th edition helps you stay ahead of these ever-changing and emerging technologies.As always, every chapter ha

Communication technology update and fundamentals

CERN Document Server

Grant, August E

2008-01-01

New communication technologies are being introduced at an astonishing rate. Making sense of these technologies is increasingly difficult. Communication Technology Update is the single best source for the latest developments, trends, and issues in communication technology. Now in its 11th edition, Communication Technology Update has become an indispensable information resource for business, government, and academia. As always, every chapter has been completely rewritten to reflect the latest developments and market statistics, and now covers mobile computing, dig

Updated safety analysis of ITER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taylor, Neill, E-mail: neill.taylor@iter.org [ITER Organization, CS 90 046, 13067 St Paul Lez Durance Cedex (France); Baker, Dennis; Ciattaglia, Sergio; Cortes, Pierre; Elbez-Uzan, Joelle; Iseli, Markus; Reyes, Susana; Rodriguez-Rodrigo, Lina; Rosanvallon, Sandrine; Topilski, Leonid [ITER Organization, CS 90 046, 13067 St Paul Lez Durance Cedex (France)

2011-10-15

An updated version of the ITER Preliminary Safety Report has been produced and submitted to the licensing authorities. It is revised and expanded in response to requests from the authorities after their review of an earlier version in 2008, to reflect enhancements in ITER safety provisions through design changes, to incorporate new and improved safety analyses and to take into account other ITER design evolution. The updated analyses show that changes to the Tokamak cooling water system design have enhanced confinement and reduced potential radiological releases as well as removing decay heat with very high reliability. New and updated accident scenario analyses, together with fire and explosion risk analyses, have shown that design provisions are sufficient to minimize the likelihood of accidents and reduce potential consequences to a very low level. Taken together, the improvements provided a stronger demonstration of the very good safety performance of the ITER design.

Updated safety analysis of ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, Neill; Baker, Dennis; Ciattaglia, Sergio; Cortes, Pierre; Elbez-Uzan, Joelle; Iseli, Markus; Reyes, Susana; Rodriguez-Rodrigo, Lina; Rosanvallon, Sandrine; Topilski, Leonid

2011-01-01

An updated version of the ITER Preliminary Safety Report has been produced and submitted to the licensing authorities. It is revised and expanded in response to requests from the authorities after their review of an earlier version in 2008, to reflect enhancements in ITER safety provisions through design changes, to incorporate new and improved safety analyses and to take into account other ITER design evolution. The updated analyses show that changes to the Tokamak cooling water system design have enhanced confinement and reduced potential radiological releases as well as removing decay heat with very high reliability. New and updated accident scenario analyses, together with fire and explosion risk analyses, have shown that design provisions are sufficient to minimize the likelihood of accidents and reduce potential consequences to a very low level. Taken together, the improvements provided a stronger demonstration of the very good safety performance of the ITER design.

Main Results of Updated Decommission Conception of NPPs Operating in Ukraine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Purtov, Oleg; Masko, Alexander; Vasilchenko, Victor

2014-01-01

Results of long-term planning analysis based on consideration of 6 possible scenarios for the nuclear energy development with 15 years and 20 years life time extensions of operation of nuclear power units beyond 30 year provided by original design are presented in the updated decommission conception of NPP's operating in Ukraine. These characteristics of the two main options for NPP decommissioning deferred or immediate dismantling, which is close to the level of acceptability with relative superiority variant of deferred dismantling, are presented. The best option for NPP unit decommissioning as comparative analysis results is the option with deferred dismantling with 30 years endurance time. It can be taken as a basis for optimal strategies for NPP unit decommission design development. Cost estimations for the decommissioning of WWER-440 and WWER-1000 reactor type units are presented in the updated conception. The updated cost assessment for required annual payments with uniform accumulation costs to the Decommission Fund corresponding deferred dismantling variant with 20 years life time extension operation time is 98,2 mln US$ per year. This value is 3.61% of the electricity generated by NPP's in Ukraine and supplied to the wholesale electricity market of Ukraine in 2012 base year. (authors)

Mining Sequential Update Summarization with Hierarchical Text Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chunyun Zhang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The outbreak of unexpected news events such as large human accident or natural disaster brings about a new information access problem where traditional approaches fail. Mostly, news of these events shows characteristics that are early sparse and later redundant. Hence, it is very important to get updates and provide individuals with timely and important information of these incidents during their development, especially when being applied in wireless and mobile Internet of Things (IoT. In this paper, we define the problem of sequential update summarization extraction and present a new hierarchical update mining system which can broadcast with useful, new, and timely sentence-length updates about a developing event. The new system proposes a novel method, which incorporates techniques from topic-level and sentence-level summarization. To evaluate the performance of the proposed system, we apply it to the task of sequential update summarization of temporal summarization (TS track at Text Retrieval Conference (TREC 2013 to compute four measurements of the update mining system: the expected gain, expected latency gain, comprehensiveness, and latency comprehensiveness. Experimental results show that our proposed method has good performance.

Program overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1977-01-01

The program overview describes the following resources and facilities; laser facilities, main laser room, target room, energy storage, laboratory area, building support systems, general plant project, and the new trailer complex

Disability Overview

Science.gov (United States)

... About CDC.gov . Disability & Health Home Disability Overview Disability Inclusion Barriers to Inclusion Inclusion Strategies Inclusion in Programs & Activities Resources Healthy Living Disability & Physical Activity Disability & Obesity Disability & Smoking Disability & Breast ...

Vulvovaginitis - overview

Science.gov (United States)

... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000897.htm Vulvovaginitis - overview To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. Vulvovaginitis or vaginitis is swelling or infection of the ...

Overview of urban growth simulation: With examples of results from three SA cities

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Waldeck, L

2013-11-01

Full Text Available This presentation provides an overview of Urban Growth Simulation as a risk free means of assessing the future outcome of major policy and investment decisions with some examples of scenarios that were simulated in different South African cities...

Non-musical sound branding – a conceptualization and research overview

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Graakjær, Nicolai J.; Bonde, Anders

2018-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding of sound branding by developing a new conceptual framework and providing an overview of the research literature on non-musical sound. Design/methodology/approach Using four mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive types of non......-musical sound, the paper assesses and synthesizes 99 significant studies across various scholarly fields. Findings The overview reveals two areas in which more research may be warranted, that is, non-musical atmospherics and non-musical sonic logos. Moreover, future sound-branding research should examine...... in further detail the potentials of developed versus annexed object sounds, and mediated versus unmediated brand sounds. Research limitations/implications The paper provides important insights into critical issues that suggest directions for further research on non-musical sound branding. Practical...

Run-time Phenomena in Dynamic Software Updating: Causes and Effects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gregersen, Allan Raundahl; Jørgensen, Bo Nørregaard

2011-01-01

The development of a dynamic software updating system for statically-typed object-oriented programming languages has turned out to be a challenging task. Despite the fact that the present state of the art in dynamic updating systems, like JRebel, Dynamic Code Evolution VM, JVolve and Javeleon, all...... written in statically-typed object-oriented programming languages. In this paper, we present our experience from developing dynamically updatable applications using a state-of-the-art dynamic updating system for Java. We believe that the findings presented in this paper provide an important step towards...... provide very transparent and flexible technical solutions to dynamic updating, case studies have shown that designing dynamically updatable applications still remains a challenging task. This challenge has its roots in a number of run-time phenomena that are inherent to dynamic updating of applications...

34 CFR 668.55 - Updating information.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Updating information. 668.55 Section 668.55 Education... Information § 668.55 Updating information. (a)(1) Unless the provisions of paragraph (a)(2) or (a)(3) of this... applicant to verify the information contained in his or her application for assistance in an award year if...

State updating of a distributed hydrological model with Ensemble Kalman Filtering: Effects of updating frequency and observation network density on forecast accuracy

Science.gov (United States)

Rakovec, O.; Weerts, A.; Hazenberg, P.; Torfs, P.; Uijlenhoet, R.

2012-12-01

This paper presents a study on the optimal setup for discharge assimilation within a spatially distributed hydrological model (Rakovec et al., 2012a). The Ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is employed to update the grid-based distributed states of such an hourly spatially distributed version of the HBV-96 model. By using a physically based model for the routing, the time delay and attenuation are modelled more realistically. The discharge and states at a given time step are assumed to be dependent on the previous time step only (Markov property). Synthetic and real world experiments are carried out for the Upper Ourthe (1600 km2), a relatively quickly responding catchment in the Belgian Ardennes. The uncertain precipitation model forcings were obtained using a time-dependent multivariate spatial conditional simulation method (Rakovec et al., 2012b), which is further made conditional on preceding simulations. We assess the impact on the forecasted discharge of (1) various sets of the spatially distributed discharge gauges and (2) the filtering frequency. The results show that the hydrological forecast at the catchment outlet is improved by assimilating interior gauges. This augmentation of the observation vector improves the forecast more than increasing the updating frequency. In terms of the model states, the EnKF procedure is found to mainly change the pdfs of the two routing model storages, even when the uncertainty in the discharge simulations is smaller than the defined observation uncertainty. Rakovec, O., Weerts, A. H., Hazenberg, P., Torfs, P. J. J. F., and Uijlenhoet, R.: State updating of a distributed hydrological model with Ensemble Kalman Filtering: effects of updating frequency and observation network density on forecast accuracy, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., 9, 3961-3999, doi:10.5194/hessd-9-3961-2012, 2012a. Rakovec, O., Hazenberg, P., Torfs, P. J. J. F., Weerts, A. H., and Uijlenhoet, R.: Generating spatial precipitation ensembles: impact of

Towards Dynamic Updates in Service Composition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Bravetti

2015-12-01

Full Text Available We survey our results about verification of adaptable processes. We present adaptable processes as a way of overcoming the limitations that process calculi have for describing patterns of dynamic process evolution. Such patterns rely on direct ways of controlling the behavior and location of running processes, and so they are at the heart of the adaptation capabilities present in many modern concurrent systems. Adaptable processes have named scopes and are sensible to actions of dynamic update at runtime; this allows to express dynamic and static topologies of adaptable processes as well as different evolvability patterns for concurrent processes. We introduce a core calculus of adaptable processes and consider verification problems for them: first based on specific properties related to error occurrence, that we call bounded and eventual adaptation, and then by considering a simple yet expressive temporal logic over adaptable processes. We provide (undecidability results of such verification problems over adaptable processes considering the spectrum of topologies/evolvability patterns introduced. We then consider distributed adaptability, where a process can update part of a protocol by performing dynamic distributed updates over a set of protocol participants. Dynamic updates in this context are presented as an extension of our work on choreographies and behavioural contracts in multiparty interactions. We show how update mechanisms considered for adaptable processes can be used to extend the theory of choreography and orchestration/contracts, allowing them to be modified at run-time by internal (self-adaptation or external intervention.

Humans and ecosystems over the coming millennia: overview of a biosphere assessment of radioactive waste disposal in Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

Kautsky, Ulrik; Lindborg, Tobias; Valentin, Jack

2013-05-01

This is an overview of the strategy used to describe the effects of a potential release from a radioactive waste repository on human exposure and future environments. It introduces a special issue of AMBIO, in which 13 articles show ways of understanding and characterizing the future. The study relies mainly on research performed in the context of a recent safety report concerning a repository for spent nuclear fuel in Sweden (the so-called SR-Site project). The development of a good understanding of on-site processes and acquisition of site-specific data facilitated the development of new approaches for assessment of surface ecosystems. A systematic and scientifically coherent methodology utilizes the understanding of the current spatial and temporal dynamics as an analog for future conditions. We conclude that future ecosystem can be inferred from a few variables and that this multidisciplinary approach is relevant in a much wider context than radioactive waste.

Working memory updating occurs independently of the need to maintain task-context: accounting for triggering updating in the AX-CPT paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Kessler, Yoav; Baruchin, Liad J; Bouhsira-Sabag, Anat

2017-01-01

Theoretical models suggest that maintenance and updating are two functional states of working memory (WM), which are controlled by a gate between perceptual information and WM representations. Opening the gate enables updating WM with input, while closing it enables keeping the maintained information shielded from interference. However, it is still unclear when gate opening takes place, and what is the external signal that triggers it. A version of the AX-CPT paradigm was used to examine a recent proposal in the literature, suggesting that updating is triggered whenever the maintenance of the context is necessary for task performance (context-dependent tasks). In four experiments using this paradigm, we show that (1) a task-switching cost takes place in both context-dependent and context-independent trials; (2) task-switching is additive to the dependency effect, and (3) unlike switching cost, the dependency effect is not affected by preparation and, therefore, does not reflect context-updating. We suggest that WM updating is likely to be triggered by a simple mechanism that occurs in each trial of the task regardless of whether maintaining the context is needed or not. The implications for WM updating and its relationship to task-switching are discussed.

An overview of the ERICA Integrated Approach to the assessment and management of environmental risks from ionising contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsson, Carl-Magnus

2008-01-01

The ERICA project (environmental risks from ionising contaminants: assessment and management, EC contract no. FI6R-CT-2004-508847) concluded with the publication of two main outputs: the ERICA Integrated Approach to the assessment and management of environmental risks from ionising radiation, of which also introduces the user to the second main output, the ERICA Tool, which is a software programme with supporting databases, that together with its associated help will guide users through the assessment process. More than 60 European scientists contributed to the ERICA Integrated Approach. In addition, a large number of experts, policy makers, and decision-makers in different areas have contributed views on the ERICA Integrated Approach and its associated Tool from the user's perspective, through participation in the End-Users Group set up under the ERICA project. Databases on transfer, dose conversion coefficients and radiation effects on biota have been developed specifically for the purpose of the Integrated Approach, and incorporated into, or interacting with, the Tool. Species sensitivity distributions of biological effects data have been performed and did not reveal, for chronic exposure, any statistical grounds for separation between terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems in terms of species sensitivity to radiation; on the basis of such analysis a universal screening dose rate criterion of 10 μGy h -1 incremental dose rate is suggested for exiting the assessment procedure while being confident that environmental risks are negligible. This criterion is used for the two first tiers (conservative assessment with limited data requirement and various possibilities of incorporating user-defined parameter values, including the screening dose rate criterion) of the assessment methodology. Exposure situations of concern are carried through a third tier, making use of all relevant databases and with a number of issues and options listed to support and guide

Numerical model updating technique for structures using firefly algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Sai Kubair, K.; Mohan, S. C.

2018-03-01

Numerical model updating is a technique used for updating the existing experimental models for any structures related to civil, mechanical, automobiles, marine, aerospace engineering, etc. The basic concept behind this technique is updating the numerical models to closely match with experimental data obtained from real or prototype test structures. The present work involves the development of numerical model using MATLAB as a computational tool and with mathematical equations that define the experimental model. Firefly algorithm is used as an optimization tool in this study. In this updating process a response parameter of the structure has to be chosen, which helps to correlate the numerical model developed with the experimental results obtained. The variables for the updating can be either material or geometrical properties of the model or both. In this study, to verify the proposed technique, a cantilever beam is analyzed for its tip deflection and a space frame has been analyzed for its natural frequencies. Both the models are updated with their respective response values obtained from experimental results. The numerical results after updating show that there is a close relationship that can be brought between the experimental and the numerical models.

Update of European bioethics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rendtorff, Jacob Dahl

2015-01-01

This paper presents an update of the research on European bioethics undertaken by the author together with Professor Peter Kemp since the 1990s, on Basic ethical principles in European bioethics and biolaw. In this European approach to basic ethical principles in bioethics and biolaw......, the principles of autonomy, dignity, integrity and vulnerability are proposed as the most important ethical principles for respect for the human person in biomedical and biotechnological development. This approach to bioethics and biolaw is presented here in a short updated version that integrates the earlier...... research in a presentation of the present understanding of the basic ethical principles in bioethics and biolaw....

Robot Visual Tracking via Incremental Self-Updating of Appearance Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danpei Zhao

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a target tracking method called Incremental Self-Updating Visual Tracking for robot platforms. Our tracker treats the tracking problem as a binary classification: the target and the background. The greyscale, HOG and LBP features are used in this work to represent the target and are integrated into a particle filter framework. To track the target over long time sequences, the tracker has to update its model to follow the most recent target. In order to deal with the problems of calculation waste and lack of model-updating strategy with the traditional methods, an intelligent and effective online self-updating strategy is devised to choose the optimal update opportunity. The strategy of updating the appearance model can be achieved based on the change in the discriminative capability between the current frame and the previous updated frame. By adjusting the update step adaptively, severe waste of calculation time for needless updates can be avoided while keeping the stability of the model. Moreover, the appearance model can be kept away from serious drift problems when the target undergoes temporary occlusion. The experimental results show that the proposed tracker can achieve robust and efficient performance in several benchmark-challenging video sequences with various complex environment changes in posture, scale, illumination and occlusion.

Study of Updating Initiating Event Frequency using Prognostics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Hyeonmin; Lee, Sang-Hwan; Park, Jun-seok; Kim, Hyungdae; Chang, Yoon-Suk; Heo, Gyunyoung [Kyung Hee Univ., Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

2014-10-15

The Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) model enables to find the relative priority of accident scenarios, weak points in achieving accident prevention or mitigation, and insights to improve those vulnerabilities. Thus, PSA consider realistic calculation for precise and confidence results. However, PSA model still 'conservative' aspects in the procedures of developing a PSA model. One of the sources for the conservatism is caused by the assumption of safety analysis and the estimation of failure frequency. Recently, Surveillance, Diagnosis, and Prognosis (SDP) is a growing trend in applying space and aviation systems in particular. Furthermore, a study dealing with the applicable areas and state-of-the-art status of the SDP in nuclear industry was published. SDP utilizing massive database and information technology among such enabling techniques is worthwhile to be highlighted in terms of the capability of alleviating the conservatism in the conventional PSA. This paper review the concept of integrating PSA and SDP and suggest the updated methodology of Initiating Event (IE) using prognostics. For more detailed, we focus on IE of the Steam Generator Tube Rupture (SGTR) considering tube degradation. This paper is additional research of previous our suggested the research. In this paper, the concept of integrating PSA and SDP are suggested. Prognostics algorithms in SDP are applied at IE, Bes in the Level 1 PSA. As an example, updating SGTR IE and its ageing were considered. Tube ageing were analyzed by using PASTA and Monte Carlo method. After analyzing the tube ageing, conventional SGTR IE were updated by using Bayesian approach. The studied method can help to cover the static and conservatism in PSA.

Study of Updating Initiating Event Frequency using Prognostics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hyeonmin; Lee, Sang-Hwan; Park, Jun-seok; Kim, Hyungdae; Chang, Yoon-Suk; Heo, Gyunyoung

2014-01-01

The Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) model enables to find the relative priority of accident scenarios, weak points in achieving accident prevention or mitigation, and insights to improve those vulnerabilities. Thus, PSA consider realistic calculation for precise and confidence results. However, PSA model still 'conservative' aspects in the procedures of developing a PSA model. One of the sources for the conservatism is caused by the assumption of safety analysis and the estimation of failure frequency. Recently, Surveillance, Diagnosis, and Prognosis (SDP) is a growing trend in applying space and aviation systems in particular. Furthermore, a study dealing with the applicable areas and state-of-the-art status of the SDP in nuclear industry was published. SDP utilizing massive database and information technology among such enabling techniques is worthwhile to be highlighted in terms of the capability of alleviating the conservatism in the conventional PSA. This paper review the concept of integrating PSA and SDP and suggest the updated methodology of Initiating Event (IE) using prognostics. For more detailed, we focus on IE of the Steam Generator Tube Rupture (SGTR) considering tube degradation. This paper is additional research of previous our suggested the research. In this paper, the concept of integrating PSA and SDP are suggested. Prognostics algorithms in SDP are applied at IE, Bes in the Level 1 PSA. As an example, updating SGTR IE and its ageing were considered. Tube ageing were analyzed by using PASTA and Monte Carlo method. After analyzing the tube ageing, conventional SGTR IE were updated by using Bayesian approach. The studied method can help to cover the static and conservatism in PSA

Reliability based Robustness of Timber Structures through NDT Data Updating

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sousa, Hélder S.; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

2011-01-01

This work presents a framework for reliability-based assessment of timber structures / members using data gathered from non-destructive test results. These results are used for modeling an update of the mechanical characteristics of timber, using Bayesian methods. Results gathered from ultrasound...... of the structure, thus, being possible to evaluate reliability based in time dependent factors, as well to categorize that structure in terms of robustness. For exemplification of the underlined concepts, three different types of structures are studied....

Gene therapy clinical trials worldwide to 2017: An update.

Science.gov (United States)

Ginn, Samantha L; Amaya, Anais K; Alexander, Ian E; Edelstein, Michael; Abedi, Mohammad R

2018-03-25

To date, almost 2600 gene therapy clinical trials have been completed, are ongoing or have been approved worldwide. Our database brings together global information on gene therapy clinical activity from trial databases, official agency sources, published literature, conference presentations and posters kindly provided to us by individual investigators or trial sponsors. This review presents our analysis of clinical trials that, to the best of our knowledge, have been or are being performed worldwide. As of our November 2017 update, we have entries on 2597 trials undertaken in 38 countries. We have analysed the geographical distribution of trials, the disease indications (or other reasons) for trials, the proportions to which different vector types are used, and the genes that have been transferred. Details of the analyses presented, and our searchable database are available via The Journal of Gene Medicine Gene Therapy Clinical Trials Worldwide website at: http://www.wiley.co.uk/genmed/clinical. We also provide an overview of the progress being made in gene therapy clinical trials around the world, and discuss key trends since the previous review, namely the use of chimeric antigen receptor T cells for the treatment of cancer and advancements in genome editing technologies, which have the potential to transform the field moving forward. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[Complementary and alternative procedures for fibromyalgia syndrome : Updated guidelines 2017 and overview of systematic review articles].

Science.gov (United States)

Langhorst, J; Heldmann, P; Henningsen, P; Kopke, K; Krumbein, L; Lucius, H; Winkelmann, A; Wolf, B; Häuser, W

2017-06-01

The regular update of the guidelines on fibromyalgia syndrome, AWMF number 145/004, was scheduled for April 2017. The guidelines were developed by 13 scientific societies and 2 patient self-help organizations coordinated by the German Pain Society. Working groups (n =8) with a total of 42 members were formed balanced with respect to gender, medical expertise, position in the medical or scientific hierarchy and potential conflicts of interest. A search of the literature for systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials of complementary and alternative therapies from December 2010 to May 2016 was performed in the Cochrane library, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Scopus databases. Levels of evidence were assigned according to the classification system of the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine version 2009. The strength of recommendations was formed by multiple step formalized procedures to reach a consensus. Efficacy, risks, patient preferences and applicability of available therapies were weighed up against each other. The guidelines were reviewed and approved by the board of directors of the societies engaged in the development of the guidelines. Meditative movement therapies (e.g. qi gong, tai chi and yoga) are strongly recommended. Acupuncture and weight reduction in cases of obesity can be considered.

Decentralized Consistent Network Updates in SDN with ez-Segway

KAUST Repository

Nguyen, Thanh Dang

2017-03-06

We present ez-Segway, a decentralized mechanism to consistently and quickly update the network state while preventing forwarding anomalies (loops and black-holes) and avoiding link congestion. In our design, the centralized SDN controller only pre-computes information needed by the switches during the update execution. This information is distributed to the switches, which use partial knowledge and direct message passing to efficiently realize the update. This separation of concerns has the key benefit of improving update performance as the communication and computation bottlenecks at the controller are removed. Our evaluations via network emulations and large-scale simulations demonstrate the efficiency of ez-Segway, which compared to a centralized approach, improves network update times by up to 45% and 57% at the median and the 99th percentile, respectively. A deployment of a system prototype in a real OpenFlow switch and an implementation in P4 demonstrate the feasibility and low overhead of implementing simple network update functionality within switches.

5 CFR 2635.801 - Overview.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Overview. 2635.801 Section 2635.801 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS GOVERNMENT ETHICS STANDARDS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH Outside Activities § 2635.801 Overview. (a) This subpart contains provisions...

An overview of the evolution of human reliability analysis in the context of probabilistic risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bley, Dennis C.; Lois, Erasmia; Kolaczkowski, Alan M.; Forester, John Alan; Wreathall, John; Cooper, Susan E.

2009-01-01

Since the Reactor Safety Study in the early 1970's, human reliability analysis (HRA) has been evolving towards a better ability to account for the factors and conditions that can lead humans to take unsafe actions and thereby provide better estimates of the likelihood of human error for probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs). The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of recent reviews of operational events and advances in the behavioral sciences that have impacted the evolution of HRA methods and contributed to improvements. The paper discusses the importance of human errors in complex human-technical systems, examines why humans contribute to accidents and unsafe conditions, and discusses how lessons learned over the years have changed the perspective and approach for modeling human behavior in PRAs of complicated domains such as nuclear power plants. It is argued that it has become increasingly more important to understand and model the more cognitive aspects of human performance and to address the broader range of factors that have been shown to influence human performance in complex domains. The paper concludes by addressing the current ability of HRA to adequately predict human failure events and their likelihood

An overview of the evolution of human reliability analysis in the context of probabilistic risk assessment.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bley, Dennis C. (Buttonwood Consulting Inc., Oakton, VA); Lois, Erasmia (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC); Kolaczkowski, Alan M. (Science Applications International Corporation, Eugene, OR); Forester, John Alan; Wreathall, John (John Wreathall and Co., Dublin, OH); Cooper, Susan E. (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC)

2009-01-01

Since the Reactor Safety Study in the early 1970's, human reliability analysis (HRA) has been evolving towards a better ability to account for the factors and conditions that can lead humans to take unsafe actions and thereby provide better estimates of the likelihood of human error for probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs). The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of recent reviews of operational events and advances in the behavioral sciences that have impacted the evolution of HRA methods and contributed to improvements. The paper discusses the importance of human errors in complex human-technical systems, examines why humans contribute to accidents and unsafe conditions, and discusses how lessons learned over the years have changed the perspective and approach for modeling human behavior in PRAs of complicated domains such as nuclear power plants. It is argued that it has become increasingly more important to understand and model the more cognitive aspects of human performance and to address the broader range of factors that have been shown to influence human performance in complex domains. The paper concludes by addressing the current ability of HRA to adequately predict human failure events and their likelihood.

Exploration Medical System Trade Study Tools Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Mindock, J.; Myers, J.; Latorella, K.; Cerro, J.; Hanson, A.; Hailey, M.; Middour, C.

2018-01-01

ExMC is creating an ecosystem of tools to enable well-informed medical system trade studies. The suite of tools address important system implementation aspects of the space medical capabilities trade space and are being built using knowledge from the medical community regarding the unique aspects of space flight. Two integrating models, a systems engineering model and a medical risk analysis model, tie the tools together to produce an integrated assessment of the medical system and its ability to achieve medical system target requirements. This presentation will provide an overview of the various tools that are a part of the tool ecosystem. Initially, the presentation's focus will address the tools that supply the foundational information to the ecosystem. Specifically, the talk will describe how information that describes how medicine will be practiced is captured and categorized for efficient utilization in the tool suite. For example, the talk will include capturing what conditions will be planned for in-mission treatment, planned medical activities (e.g., periodic physical exam), required medical capabilities (e.g., provide imaging), and options to implement the capabilities (e.g., an ultrasound device). Database storage and configuration management will also be discussed. The presentation will include an overview of how these information tools will be tied to parameters in a Systems Modeling Language (SysML) model, allowing traceability to system behavioral, structural, and requirements content. The discussion will also describe an HRP-led enhanced risk assessment model developed to provide quantitative insight into each capability's contribution to mission success. Key outputs from these various tools, to be shared with the space medical and exploration mission development communities, will be assessments of medical system implementation option satisfaction of requirements and per-capability contributions toward achieving requirements.

An Update on the Hazards and Risks of Forensic Anthropology, Part I: Human Remains.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Lindsey G; Dabbs, Gretchen R; Spencer, Jessica R

2016-01-01

This work reviews the hazards and risks of practicing forensic anthropology in North America, with a focus on pathogens encountered through contact with unpreserved human remains. Since the publication of Galloway and Snodgrass' seminal paper concerning the hazards of forensic anthropology, research has provided new information about known pathogen hazards, and regulating authorities have updated recommendations for the recognition and treatment of several infections. Additionally, forensic anthropology has gained popularity, exposing an increased number of students and practitioners to these hazards. Current data suggest many occupational exposures to blood or body fluids go unreported, especially among students, highlighting the need for this discussion. For each pathogen and associated disease, this work addresses important history, reviews routes of exposure, provides an overview of symptoms and treatments, lists decontamination procedures, and presents data on postmortem viability. Personal protection and laboratory guidelines should be established and enforced in conjunction with the consideration of these data. © 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

eHealth in Wound Care,- overview and key issues to consider before implementation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moore, Zena; Angel, Donna; Bjerregaard, Julie

2015-01-01

Purpose This document aims to provide wound care clinicians with a rapid and structured overview of the key issues related to use of eHealth applications (telemedicine and telehealth) within wound care. This includes: • An overview of terminology and available literature • Guidance on the methodo......Purpose This document aims to provide wound care clinicians with a rapid and structured overview of the key issues related to use of eHealth applications (telemedicine and telehealth) within wound care. This includes: • An overview of terminology and available literature • Guidance...... on the methodology for evaluation of eHealth solutions • An introduction to and discussion of the potential benefits of eHealth technologies in wound care, and the possible barriers to their implementation • Recommendations for ensuring a good implementation process and supporting involvement of wound care...... professionals in safeguarding that eHealth solutions meet the needs of the patients. Methodology The document sections lean on the structure and focus areas of the Model for ASsessment of Telemedicine (MAST) which defines crucial items to evaluate an eHealth application. The content of the document is developed...

MO-DE-304-00: Workforce Assessment Committee Update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2015-06-15

The Abt study of medical physicist work values for radiation oncology physics services, Round IV is completed. It supersedes the Abt III study of 2008. The 2015 Abt study measured qualified medical physicist (QMP) work associated with routine radiation oncology procedures as well as some special procedures. As before, a work model was created to allow the medical physicist to defend QMP work based on both routine and special procedures service mix. The work model can be used to develop a cost justification report for setting charges for radiation oncology physics services. The Abt study Round IV was designed to empower the medical physicist to negotiate a service or employment contract with providers based on measured national QMP workforce and staffing data. For a variety of reasons, the diagnostic imaging contingent of AAPM has had a more difficult time trying estimate workforce requirements than their therapy counterparts. Over the past several years, the Diagnostic Work and Workforce Study Subcommittee (DWWSS) has collected survey data from AAPM members, but the data have been very difficult to interpret. The DWWSS has reached out to include more AAPM volunteers to create a more full and accurate representation of actual clinical practice models on the subcommittee. Though much work remains, through hours of discussion and brainstorming, the DWWSS has somewhat of a clear path forward. This talk will provide attendees with an update on the efforts of the subcommittee. Learning Objectives: Understand the new information documented in the Abt studies. Understand how to use the Abt studies to justify medical physicist staffing. Learn relevant historical information on imaging physicist workforce. Understand the process of the DWWSS in 2014. Understand the intended path forward for the DWWSS.

MO-DE-304-00: Workforce Assessment Committee Update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

The Abt study of medical physicist work values for radiation oncology physics services, Round IV is completed. It supersedes the Abt III study of 2008. The 2015 Abt study measured qualified medical physicist (QMP) work associated with routine radiation oncology procedures as well as some special procedures. As before, a work model was created to allow the medical physicist to defend QMP work based on both routine and special procedures service mix. The work model can be used to develop a cost justification report for setting charges for radiation oncology physics services. The Abt study Round IV was designed to empower the medical physicist to negotiate a service or employment contract with providers based on measured national QMP workforce and staffing data. For a variety of reasons, the diagnostic imaging contingent of AAPM has had a more difficult time trying estimate workforce requirements than their therapy counterparts. Over the past several years, the Diagnostic Work and Workforce Study Subcommittee (DWWSS) has collected survey data from AAPM members, but the data have been very difficult to interpret. The DWWSS has reached out to include more AAPM volunteers to create a more full and accurate representation of actual clinical practice models on the subcommittee. Though much work remains, through hours of discussion and brainstorming, the DWWSS has somewhat of a clear path forward. This talk will provide attendees with an update on the efforts of the subcommittee. Learning Objectives: Understand the new information documented in the Abt studies. Understand how to use the Abt studies to justify medical physicist staffing. Learn relevant historical information on imaging physicist workforce. Understand the process of the DWWSS in 2014. Understand the intended path forward for the DWWSS

Minnesota's forest statistics, 1987: an inventory update.

Science.gov (United States)

Jerold T. Hahn; W. Brad Smith

1987-01-01

The Minnesota 1987 inventory update, derived by using tree growth models, reports 13.5 million acres of timberland, a decline of less than 1% since 1977. This bulletin presents findings from the inventory update in tables detailing timer land area, volume, and biomass.

Wisconsin's forest statistics, 1987: an inventory update.

Science.gov (United States)

W. Brad Smith; Jerold T. Hahn

1989-01-01

The Wisconsin 1987 inventory update, derived by using tree growth models, reports 14.7 million acres of timberland, a decline of less than 1% since 1983. This bulletin presents findings from the inventory update in tables detailing timberland area, volume, and biomass.

Research on Topographic Map Updating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivana Javorović

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The investigation of interpretability of panchromatic satellite image IRS-1C integrated with multispectral Landsat TM image with the purpose of updating the topographic map sheet at the scale of 1:25 000 has been described. The geocoding of source map was based on trigonometric points of the map sheet. Satellite images were geocoded using control points selected from the map. The contents of map have been vectorized and topographic database designed. The digital image processing improved the interpretability of images. Then, the vectorization of new contents was made. The change detection of the forest and water area was defined by using unsupervised classification of spatial and spectral merged images. Verification of the results was made using corresponding aerial photographs. Although this methodology could not insure the complete updating of topographic map at the scale of 1:25 000, the database has been updated with huge amount of data. Erdas Imagine 8.3. software was used. 

An overview of dental radiology: a primer on dental radiology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manny, E.F.; Carlson, K.C.; McClean, P.M.; Rachlin, J.A.; Segal, P.

1980-01-01

To provide medical and scientific background on certain selected technologies generally considered to be of particular significance, the National Center for Health Care Technology (NCHCT) has commissioned a series of overview papers. This is one of several projects entered into jointly by the Bureau of Radiological Health (BRH) and NCHCT relating to the use of radiation for health care. Dental radiation protection has been a long-time interest of BRH. Both past and on-going efforts to minimize population radiation exposure from electronic products have included specific action programs directed at minimizing unnecessary radiation exposure to the population from dental radiology. Current efforts in quality assurance and referral criteria are two aspects of NCHCT's own assessment of this technology which are described within the larger picture presented in this overview. The issues considered in this document go beyond the radiation exposure aspects of dental x-ray procedures. To be responsive to the informational needs of NCHCT, the assessment includes various other factors that influence the practice of dental radiology. It is hoped this analysis will serve as the basis for planning and conducting future programs to improve the practice of dental radiology

The third update of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Station accident. September 1 through November 30, 2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibutani, Yu

2011-01-01

This article provides the third update of the Fukushima Daiichi accident that occurred on March 11, 2011. In the report of the first update of the Fukushima Daiichi accident on March 11 through May 31, the situation was reported on both on-site and off-site of the Fukushima Daiichi, including; failed cooldown of decay heat and meltdown of stricken reactors; emergency evacuation of local residents, radioactive contamination, spread of biased rumors by the information closure by government, regional cooperation with China, Taiwan and Korea, and visit of IAEA investigation team to Japan. The report of the second update on June 1 through August 31 reported the issues of, harsh public criticism against government and electric power companies, results of the public opinion poll, a sort of gentlemen's agreements between nuclear power companies and local governments which would be peculiar tradition in Japan, the first revision of the road map to cold shutdown of stricken reactors, and submission of report on Fukushima Daiichi accident to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This article provides the third update from September 1 through November 30, particularly on the issues of the second revision of the road map where the “cold shutdown” state should be reached before the end of 2011, the overview of governmental organization on the overall energy and nuclear policy, and the establishment of the nuclear disaster response headquarters (HQ) in the Prime Minister's Office. The HQ in collaboration with Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) decided the framework of road map plans, provision of various assistance and compensation for the residents affected by the nuclear incident, redefinition by the Nuclear Safety Commission for evacuation areas, recovery process of radioactive decontaminated areas, investigation and verification of the Fukushima Daiichi accident, reorganization of TEPCO management and financial system, establishment of damage compensation scheme

Software Updating in Wireless Sensor Networks: A Survey and Lacunae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cormac J. Sreenan

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Wireless Sensor Networks are moving out of the laboratory and into the field. For a number of reasons there is often a need to update sensor node software, or node configuration, after deployment. The need for over-the-air updates is driven both by the scale of deployments, and by the remoteness and inaccessibility of sensor nodes. This need has been recognized since the early days of sensor networks, and research results from the related areas of mobile networking and distributed systems have been applied to this area. In order to avoid any manual intervention, the update process needs to be autonomous. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of software updating in Wireless Sensor Networks, and analyses the features required to make these updates autonomous. A new taxonomy of software update features and a new model for fault detection and recovery are presented. The paper concludes by identifying the lacunae relating to autonomous software updates, providing direction for future research.

World Allergy Organization Anaphylaxis Guidelines: 2013 update of the evidence base.

Science.gov (United States)

Simons, F Estelle R; Ardusso, Ledit R F; Dimov, Vesselin; Ebisawa, Motohiro; El-Gamal, Yehia M; Lockey, Richard F; Sanchez-Borges, Mario; Senna, Gian Enrico; Sheikh, Aziz; Thong, Bernard Y; Worm, Margitta

2013-01-01

The World Allergy Organization (WAO) Guidelines for the assessment and management of anaphylaxis are a widely disseminated and used resource for information about anaphylaxis. They focus on patients at risk, triggers, clinical diagnosis, treatment in health care settings, self-treatment in the community, and prevention of recurrences. Their unique strengths include a global perspective informed by prior research on the global availability of essentials for anaphylaxis assessment and management and a global agenda for anaphylaxis research. Additionally, detailed colored illustrations are linked to key concepts in the text [Simons et al.: J Allergy Clin Immunol 2011;127:593.e1-e22]. The recommendations in the original WAO Anaphylaxis Guidelines for management of anaphylaxis in health care settings and community settings were based on evidence published in peer-reviewed, indexed medical journals to the end of 2010. These recommendations remain unchanged and clinically relevant. An update of the evidence base was published in 2012 [Simons et al.: Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 2012;12:389-399]. In 2012 and early 2013, major advances were reported in the following areas: further characterization of patient phenotypes; development of in vitro tests (for some allergens) that help distinguish clinical risk of anaphylaxis from asymptomatic sensitization; epinephrine (adrenaline) research, including studies of a new epinephrine auto-injector for use in community settings, and randomized controlled trials of immunotherapy to prevent food-induced anaphylaxis. Despite these advances, the need for additional prospective studies, including randomized controlled trials of interventions in anaphylaxis is increasingly apparent. This 2013 Update highlights publications from 2012 and 2013 that further contribute to the evidence base for the recommendations made in the original WAO Anaphylaxis Guidelines. Ideally, it should be used in conjunction with these Guidelines and with the 2012

77 FR 41258 - FOIA Fee Schedule Update

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-13

... DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD 10 CFR Part 1703 FOIA Fee Schedule Update AGENCY: Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. ACTION: Establishment of FOIA Fee Schedule. SUMMARY: The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is publishing its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Fee Schedule Update pursuant to...

76 FR 43819 - FOIA Fee Schedule Update

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-22

... DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD 10 CFR Part 1703 FOIA Fee Schedule Update AGENCY: Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. ACTION: Establishment of FOIA Fee Schedule. SUMMARY: The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is publishing its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Fee Schedule Update pursuant to...

Options for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoehne, Niklas; Phylipsen, Dian; Ullrich, Simone; Blok, Kornelis

2005-02-15

This study assesses available options for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. The study includes the following sections: An introduction, an overview of proposals and establishing a network, analysis of interests of countries, selected country case studies, an overview of the issues to be considered, options for adaptation to climate change, a new approach ''Common but Differentiated Convergence'', an update of the Triptych approach, a comprehensive compromise proposal, the comparison of emission allowances under various approaches and a negotiation strategy for the EU and Germany. (orig.)

Options for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoehne, Niklas; Phylipsen, Dian; Ullrich, Simone; Blok, Kornelis

2005-02-15

This study assesses available options for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. The study includes the following sections: An introduction, an overview of proposals and establishing a network, analysis of interests of countries, selected country case studies, an overview of the issues to be considered, options for adaptation to climate change, a new approach ''Common but Differentiated Convergence'', an update of the Triptych approach, a comprehensive compromise proposal, the comparison of emission allowances under various approaches and a negotiation strategy for the EU and Germany. (orig.)

Testing the Feasibility of Skype and FaceTime Updates With Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Epstein, Elizabeth Gingell; Sherman, Jessica; Blackman, Amy; Sinkin, Robert A

2015-07-01

Effective provider-parent relationships are essential during critical illness when treatment decisions are complex, the environment is crowded and unfamiliar, and outcomes are uncertain. To evaluate the feasibility of daily Skype or FaceTime updates with parents of patients in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and to assess the intervention's potential for improving parent-provider relationships. A pre/post mixed-methods approach was used. NICU parent participants received daily Skype or FaceTime updates for 5 days and completed demographic and feasibility surveys. Parents also completed Penticuff's Parents' Understanding survey before and after the intervention. Nurses and physicians completed feasibility surveys after each update. Twenty-six parents were enrolled and 15 completed the study. More than 90% of providers and parents perceived the intervention to be reliable and easy to use, and about 80% of parents and providers rated video and audio quality as either excellent or good. Frozen screens and missed updates due to scheduling problems were challenges. Two of the 4 subscores on the Parents' Understanding survey improved significantly. Qualitative data favor the intervention as meaningful for parents. Real-time videoconferencing via Skype or FaceTime is feasible for providing updates for parents when they cannot be present in the NICU and can be used to include parents in bedside rounds. Videoconferencing updates may improve relationships between parents and the health care team. ©2015 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

Brief overview of geophysical probing technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramirez, A.L.; Lytle, R.J.

1982-01-01

An evaluation of high-resolution geophysical techniques which can be used to characterize a nulcear waste disposal site is being conducted by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) at the request of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commisson (NRC). LLNL is involved in research work aimed at evaluating the current capabilities and limitations of geophysical methods used for site selection. This report provides a brief overview of the capabilities and limitations associated with this technology and explains how our work addresses some of the present limitations. We are examining both seismic and electromagnetic techniques to obtain high-resolution information. We are also assessing the usefulness of geotomography in mapping fracture zones remotely. Finally, we are collecting core samples from a site in an effort to assess the capability of correlating such geophysical data with parameters of interest such as fracture continuity, orientation, and fracture density

Overview of Faculty Development Programs for Interprofessional Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Ratka, Anna; Zorek, Joseph A; Meyer, Susan M

2017-06-01

Objectives. To describe characteristics of faculty development programs designed to facilitate interprofessional education, and to compile recommendations for development, delivery, and assessment of such faculty development programs. Methods. MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, and Web of Science databases were searched using three keywords: faculty development, interprofessional education, and health professions. Articles meeting inclusion criteria were analyzed for emergent themes, including program design, delivery, participants, resources, and assessment. Results. Seventeen articles were identified for inclusion, yielding five characteristics of a successful program: institutional support; objectives and outcomes based on interprofessional competencies; focus on consensus-building and group facilitation skills; flexibility based on institution- and participant-specific characteristics; and incorporation of an assessment strategy. Conclusion. The themes and characteristics identified in this literature overview may support development of faculty development programs for interprofessional education. An advanced evidence base for interprofessional education faculty development programs is needed.

Environmental Regulatory Update Table, December 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Houlbert, L.M.; Langston, M.E.; Nikbakht, A.; Salk, M.S.

1990-01-01

The Environmental Regulatory Update Table provides information on regulatory initiatives of interest to DOE operations and contractor staff with environmental management responsibilities. The table is updated each month with information from the Federal Register and other sources, including direct contact with regulatory agencies. Each table entry provides a chronological record of the rulemaking process for that initiative with an abstract and a projection of further action

Environmental regulatory update table, March 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Houlberg, L.; Langston, M.E.; Nikbakht, A.; Salk, M.S.

1989-04-01

The Environmental Regulatory Update Table provides information on regulatory initiatives of interest to DOE operations and contractor staff with environmental management responsibilities. The table is updated each month with information from the Federal Register and other sources, including direct contact with regulatory agencies. Each table entry provides a chronological record of the rulemaking process for that initiative with an abstract and a projection of further action

Environmental Regulatory Update Table, April 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Houlberg, L.; Langston, M.E.; Nikbakht, A.; Salk, M.S.

1989-05-01

The Environmental Regulatory Update Table provides information on regulatory initiatives of interest to DOE operations and contractor staff with environmental management responsibilities. The table is updated each month with information from the Federal Register and other sources, including direct contact with regulatory agencies. Each table entry provides a chronological record of the rulemaking process for that initiative with an abstract and a projection of further action

Environmental Regulatory Update Table, December 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Houlberg, L.M.; Hawkins, G.T.; Salk, M.S.

1992-01-01

The Environmental Regulatory Update Table provides information on regulatory initiatives of interest to DOE operations and contractor staff with environmental management responsibilities. The table is updated each month with information from the Federal Register and other sources, including direct contact with regulatory agencies. Each table entry provides a chronological record of the rulemaking process for that initiative with an abstract and a projection of further action.

Environmental Regulatory Update Table, August 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Houlberg, L.M.; Nikbakht, A.; Salk, M.S.

1990-09-01

The Environmental Regulatory Update Table provides information on regulatory initiatives of interest to DOE operations and contractor staff with environmental management responsibilities. The table is updated each month with information from the Federal Register and other sources, including direct contact with regulatory agencies. Each table entry provides a chronological record of the rulemaking process for that initiative with an abstract and a projection of further action

Environmental Regulatory Update Table, October 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Houlberg, L.M.; Hawkins, G.T.; Salk, M.S.

1991-11-01

The Environmental Regulatory Update Table provides information on regulatory initiatives of interest to DOE operations and contractor staff with environmental management responsibilities. The table is updated each month with information from the Federal Register and other sources, including direct contact with regulatory agencies. Each table entry provides a chronological record of the rulemaking process for that initiative with an abstract and a projection of further action.

Environmental Regulatory Update Table, November 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Houlberg, L.M.; Hawkins, G.T.; Salk, M.S.

1991-12-01

The Environmental Regulatory Update Table provides information on regulatory initiatives of interest to DOE operations and contractor staff with environmental management responsibilities. The table is updated each month with information from the Federal Register and other sources, including direct contact with regulatory agencies. Each table entry provides a chronological record of the rulemaking process for that initiative with an abstract and a projection of further action.

Environmental Regulatory Update Table, September 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Houlberg, L.M.; Hawkins, G.T.; Salk, M.S.

1991-10-01

The Environmental Regulatory Update Table provides information on regulatory initiatives of interest to DOE operations and contractor staff with environmental management responsibilities. The table is updated each month with information from the Federal Register and other sources, including direct contact with regulatory agencies. Each table entry provides a chronological record of the rulemaking process for that initiative with an abstract and a projection of further action.

Climate programs update: USDA Southwest Regional Climate Hub update

Science.gov (United States)

PROGRAM OVERVIEW: The overarching goal of the USDA SW Climate Hub is to assist farmers, ranchers and foresters in addressing the effects of climate change including prolonged drought, increased insect outbreaks and severe wildfires. In the first year of operations, the SW Climate Hub (est. Februa...

An Overview of the Effective Use of Alternative Dispute Resolution in Education

Science.gov (United States)

Fowler, Gerard A.

2006-01-01

This article presents a brief overview of the current forms of alternative dispute resolution available in educational settings, along with insight into their development and success. In this article, I assess the influence of early alternative dispute resolution procedures in terms of their relevance to the settlement of conflicts within schools…