Association between BDNF-rs6265 and obesity in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study

Science.gov (United States)

The objective of this study is to examine a functional variant (rs6265) in the BDNF gene interacting with dietary intake modulate obesity traits in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study population. BDNF rs6265 was genotyped in 1147 Puerto Ricans (aged 45-75 years), and examined for association with o...

Impacts of the Boston Prekindergarten Program on the School Readiness of Young Children with Special Needs

Science.gov (United States)

Weiland, Christina

2016-01-01

Theory and empirical work suggest inclusion preschool improves the school readiness of young children with special needs, but only 2 studies of the model have used rigorous designs that could identify causality. The present study examined the impacts of the Boston Public prekindergarten program-which combined proven language, literacy, and…

78 FR 35756 - Drawbridge Operation Regulations; Charles River, Boston, MA

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-14

... Regulations; Charles River, Boston, MA AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Notice of temporary deviation from...) Bridge across the Charles River, mile 1.0, at Boston, Massachusetts. Under this temporary deviation the... Metropolitan District Commission (Craigie) Bridge, across the Charles River, mile 1.0, at Boston, Massachusetts...

Investigations into the indoor environment and respiratory health in Boston public housing.

Science.gov (United States)

Hynes, H Patricia; Brugge, Doug; Osgood, Neal-Dra; Snell, John; Vallarino, Jose; Spengler, John

2004-01-01

The self-reported prevalence of asthma in the United States increased by 75% from 1980 to 1994, a trend found to be significant and evident in every region of the country. The increase was most marked in children from birth to 14 years of age; and growing evidence indicates that, as with lead poisoning, inner-city and urban populations are most at risk. Attention has turned to the role of indoor environmental risk factors, especially in homes and schools. Such factors include moisture and mold growth, pest infestation, dust mites, the building envelope, heating systems, inadequate ventilation, nitrogen dioxide, and environmental tobacco smoke. The Healthy Public Housing Initiative (HPHI) is a Boston-based community-centered research and intervention project designed to engage Boston Housing Authority residents in a collaborative process to improve respiratory health, quality of life, building conditions, and building maintenance in public housing. This article summarizes the significant research findings from four pilot studies in housing developments that laid the foundation for the larger HPHI asthma-related environmental intervention study. The research design for the pilot projects is informed by principles of community-collaborative research. The strengths of this model of research for our work are also discussed.

Personal benefits of public open space: a case study in Boston's Arnold Arboretum

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas A. More; John Blackwell

1998-01-01

Managers of urban parks need to document the benefits that their parks produce. Use level is a typical measure of such benefits, but simple use statistics can mask the rich diversity of people and activities that the parks serve. This study examined the uses and users of Boston's Arnold Arboretum during late summer in 1992. On 25 sample days, we recorded...

2009 National Renewable Energy Laboratory/Boston Redevelopment Authority Topographic LiDAR: Boston, Massachusetts

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC contracted with Sanborn to provide LiDAR mapping services for the Boston area. Utilizing multi-return systems, Light...

Cohort profile: the Boston Area Community Health (BACH) survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Piccolo, Rebecca S; Araujo, Andre B; Pearce, Neil; McKinlay, John B

2014-02-01

The Boston Area Community Health (BACH) Survey is a community-based, random sample, epidemiologic cohort of n = 5502 Boston (MA) residents. The baseline BACH Survey (2002-05) was designed to explore the mechanisms conferring increased health risks on minority populations with a particular focus on urologic signs/symptoms and type 2 diabetes. To this end, the cohort was designed to include adequate numbers of US racial/ethnic minorities (Black, Hispanic, White), both men and women, across a broad age of distribution. Follow-up surveys were conducted ∼5 (BACH II, 2008) and 7 (BACH III, 2010) years later, which allows for both within- and between-person comparisons over time. The BACH Survey's measures were designed to cover the following seven broad categories: socio-demographics, health care access/utilization, lifestyles, psychosocial factors, health status, physical measures and biochemical parameters. The breadth of measures has allowed BACH researchers to identify disparities and quantify contributions to social disparities in a number of health conditions including urologic conditions (e.g. nocturia, lower urinary tract symptoms, prostatitis), type 2 diabetes, obesity, bone mineral content and density, and physical function. BACH I data are available through the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Central Repositories (www.niddkrepository.org). Further inquiries can be made through the New England Research Institutes Inc. website (www.neriscience.com/epidemiology).

Accurate Influenza Monitoring and Forecasting Using Novel Internet Data Streams: A Case Study in the Boston Metropolis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Fred Sun; Hou, Suqin; Baltrusaitis, Kristin; Shah, Manan; Leskovec, Jure; Sosic, Rok; Hawkins, Jared; Brownstein, John; Conidi, Giuseppe; Gunn, Julia; Gray, Josh; Zink, Anna; Santillana, Mauricio

2018-01-09

Influenza outbreaks pose major challenges to public health around the world, leading to thousands of deaths a year in the United States alone. Accurate systems that track influenza activity at the city level are necessary to provide actionable information that can be used for clinical, hospital, and community outbreak preparation. Although Internet-based real-time data sources such as Google searches and tweets have been successfully used to produce influenza activity estimates ahead of traditional health care-based systems at national and state levels, influenza tracking and forecasting at finer spatial resolutions, such as the city level, remain an open question. Our study aimed to present a precise, near real-time methodology capable of producing influenza estimates ahead of those collected and published by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) for the Boston metropolitan area. This approach has great potential to be extended to other cities with access to similar data sources. We first tested the ability of Google searches, Twitter posts, electronic health records, and a crowd-sourced influenza reporting system to detect influenza activity in the Boston metropolis separately. We then adapted a multivariate dynamic regression method named ARGO (autoregression with general online information), designed for tracking influenza at the national level, and showed that it effectively uses the above data sources to monitor and forecast influenza at the city level 1 week ahead of the current date. Finally, we presented an ensemble-based approach capable of combining information from models based on multiple data sources to more robustly nowcast as well as forecast influenza activity in the Boston metropolitan area. The performances of our models were evaluated in an out-of-sample fashion over 4 influenza seasons within 2012-2016, as well as a holdout validation period from 2016 to 2017. Our ensemble-based methods incorporating information from diverse models based

BUSEFL: The Boston University Space Environment Forecast Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Contos, A.R.; Sanchez, L.A.; Jorgensen, A.M.

1996-01-01

BUSEFL (Boston University Space Environment Forecast Laboratory) is a comprehensive, integrated project to address the issues and implications of space weather forecasting. An important goal of the BUSEFL mission is to serve as a testing ground for space weather algorithms and operational procedures. One such algorithm is the Magnetospheric Specification and Forecast Model (MSFM), which may be implemented in possible future space weather prediction centers. Boston University Student-satellite for Applications and Training (BUSAT), the satellite component of BUSEFL, will incorporate four experiments designed to measure (1) the earth close-quote s magnetic field, (2) distribution of energetic electrons trapped in the earth close-quote s radiation belts, (3) the mass and charge composition of the ion fluxes along the magnetic field lines and (4) the auroral forms at the foot of the field line in the auroral zones. Data from these experiments will be integrated into a ground system to evaluate space weather prediction codes. Data from the BUSEFL mission will be available to the scientific community and the public through media such as the World Wide Web (WWW). copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics

A new spin on research translation: the Boston Consensus Conference on Human Biomonitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Jessica W; Scammell, Madeleine Kangsen; Altman, Rebecca Gasior; Webster, Thomas F; Ozonoff, David M

2009-04-01

Translating research to make it more understandable and effective (research translation) has been declared a priority in environmental health but does not always include communication to the public or residents of communities affected by environmental hazards. Their unique perspectives are also commonly missing from discussions about science and technology policy. The consensus conference process, developed in Denmark, offers a way to address this gap. The Boston Consensus Conference on Human Biomonitoring, held in Boston, Massachusetts, in the fall of 2006, was designed to educate and elicit input from 15 Boston-area residents on the scientifically complex topic of human biomonitoring for environmental chemicals. This lay panel considered the many ethical, legal, and scientific issues surrounding biomonitoring and prepared a report expressing their views. The lay panel's findings provide a distinct and important voice on the expanding use of biomonitoring. In some cases, such as a call for opt-in reporting of biomonitoring results to study participants, they mirror recommendations raised elsewhere. Other conclusions have not been heard previously, including the recommendation that an individual's results should be statutorily exempted from the medical record unless permission is granted, and the opportunity to use biomonitoring data to stimulate green chemistry. The consensus conference model addresses both aspects of a broader conception of research translation: engaging the public in scientific questions, and bringing their unique perspectives to bear on public health research, practice, and policy. In this specific application, a lay panel's recommendations on biomonitoring surveillance, communication, and ethics have practical implications for the conduct of biomonitoring studies and surveillance programs.

Public-private partnership from theory to practice: Walgreens and the Boston Public Health Commission supporting each other before and after the Boston bombings.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Atyia; Williams, Jim

2014-01-01

This paper presents an overview of the public health and medical services continuity of operations, response and recovery efforts in the aftermath of the Boston bombings. Countless public and private organisations and agencies came together to support the community and the survivors. The efforts of these organisations define what it means to be Boston Strong.

Research in particle physics. [Dept. of Physics, Boston Univ

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whitaker, Scott J.

1992-09-01

Research accomplishments and current activities of Boston University researchers in high energy physics are presented. Principal areas of activity include the following: detectors for studies of electron[endash]positron annihilation in colliding beams; advanced accelerator component design, including the superconducting beam inflector, electrostatic quadrupoles, and the electrostatic muon kicker''; the detector for the MACRO (Monopole, Astrophysics, and Cosmic Ray Observatory) experiment; neutrino astrophysics and the search for proton decay; theoretical particle physics (electroweak and flavor symmetry breaking, hadron collider phenomenology, cosmology and astrophysics, new field-theoretic models, nonperturbative investigations of quantum field theories, electroweak interactions); measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon; calorimetry for the GEM experiment; and muon detectors for the GEM experiment at the Superconducting Super Collider.

Primary splenic torsion in a Boston terrier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohta, H.; Takagi, S.; Murakami, M.; Sasaki, N.; Yoshikawa, M.; Nakamura, K.; Hwang, S.J.; Yamasaki, M.; Takiguchi, M.

2009-01-01

A 7-year-old female Boston terrier was referred to Hokkaido University Veterinary Teaching Hospital with a history of hemoglobinuria and anemia for several days. Abdominal radiographs showed splenomegaly, and ultrasonography revealed a hypoechoic splenic parenchyma with interspersed linear echoes consistent with the ultrasonographic appearance of splenic torsion. Ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) indicated a C-shaped spleen. Exploratory laparotomy confirmed the diagnosis of splenic torsion. A splenectomy was performed, and the dog recovered well without complications. This is the first report of splenic torsion in Boston terriers, and the usefulness of ultrasonographic and CT findings of the splenic torsion was also confirmed

Primary splenic torsion in a Boston terrier.

Science.gov (United States)

OHTA, Hiroshi; TAKAGI, Satoshi; MURAKAMI, Masahiro; SASAKI, Noboru; YOSHIKAWA, Muneyoshi; NAKAMURA, Kensuke; HWANG, Shiang-Jyi; YAMASAKI, Masahiro; TAKIGUCHI, Mitsuyoshi

2009-11-01

A 7-year-old female Boston terrier was referred to Hokkaido University Veterinary Teaching Hospital with a history of hemoglobinuria and anemia for several days. Abdominal radiographs showed splenomegaly, and ultrasonography revealed a hypoechoic splenic parenchyma with interspersed linear echoes consistent with the ultrasonographic appearance of splenic torsion. Ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) indicated a C-shaped spleen. Exploratory laparotomy confirmed the diagnosis of splenic torsion. A splenectomy was performed, and the dog recovered well without complications. This is the first report of splenic torsion in Boston terriers, and the usefulness of ultrasonographic and CT findings of the splenic torsion was also confirmed.

Outcomes with the Boston Type 1 Keratoprosthesis at Instituto de Microcirugía Ocular IMO.

Science.gov (United States)

Güell, Jose L; Arcos, Edilio; Gris, Oscar; Aristizabal, Diego; Pacheco, Miguel; Sanchez, Claudia L; Manero, Felicidad

2011-07-01

To report the outcomes on the Boston Type 1 Keratoprosthesis at our institution. Retrospective analysis case series. We analyzed 54 eyes of 53 patients who previously underwent Boston Type 1 Keratoprosthesis surgery at our institution from July 2006 to March 2011. Preoperative and postoperative parameters were collected and analyzed. Visual acuity and keratoprosthesis stability. Common preoperative diagnoses were penetrating keratoplasty failure in 49 eyes (90.7%), chronic keratitis in 2 eyes (3.7%), ocular cicatricial pemphigoid in 1 eye (1.85%), Stevens Johnson syndrome in 1 eye (1.85%) and corneal vascularization in 1 eye (1.85%). Additionally, 40 eyes (74%) had preoperative glaucoma, and an Ahmed valve was implanted in 55% of them. Preoperative BCVA ranged from 20/200 to light perception. At an average follow-up of 20.15 months ± 12.7 (range, 1-56), postoperative vision improved to ⩾20/200 in 18 eyes (33.3%) and ⩾20/50 in 4 eyes (7.4%). The graft retention was 96%. The Boston Type 1 keratoprosthesis is a valid option for high-risk patients. The design improvements in the Boston keratoprosthesis, as well as the daily implementation of the therapeutic methods, have notably diminished occurrence of the most serious complications, such as corneal necrosis and endophthalmitis. As such, glaucoma and its subsequent complications now stand as the most prevalent prognostic factor in the long term.

Design: More than a cool chair

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Friis, Silje Alberthe Kamille; Austin, Robert; Sullivan, Erin

2006-01-01

Austin, R., Friis, K., Sullivan, E. 2006. Design: More than a cool chair. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing.......Austin, R., Friis, K., Sullivan, E. 2006. Design: More than a cool chair. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing....

40 CFR 81.19 - Metropolitan Boston Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Quality Control Region. 81.19 Section 81.19 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Air Quality Control Regions § 81.19 Metropolitan Boston Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Metropolitan Boston Intrastate Air Quality Control Region (Massachusetts) consists of the territorial area...

Mapping urban pipeline leaks: Methane leaks across Boston

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, Nathan G.; Ackley, Robert; Crosson, Eric R.; Down, Adrian; Hutyra, Lucy R.; Brondfield, Max; Karr, Jonathan D.; Zhao Kaiguang; Jackson, Robert B.

2013-01-01

Natural gas is the largest source of anthropogenic emissions of methane (CH 4 ) in the United States. To assess pipeline emissions across a major city, we mapped CH 4 leaks across all 785 road miles in the city of Boston using a cavity-ring-down mobile CH 4 analyzer. We identified 3356 CH 4 leaks with concentrations exceeding up to 15 times the global background level. Separately, we measured δ 13 CH 4 isotopic signatures from a subset of these leaks. The δ 13 CH 4 signatures (mean = −42.8‰ ± 1.3‰ s.e.; n = 32) strongly indicate a fossil fuel source rather than a biogenic source for most of the leaks; natural gas sampled across the city had average δ 13 CH 4 values of −36.8‰ (±0.7‰ s.e., n = 10), whereas CH 4 collected from landfill sites, wetlands, and sewer systems had δ 13 CH 4 signatures ∼20‰ lighter (μ = −57.8‰, ±1.6‰ s.e., n = 8). Repairing leaky natural gas distribution systems will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase consumer health and safety, and save money. Highlights: ► We mapped 3356 methane leaks in Boston. ► Methane leaks in Boston carry an isotopic signature of pipeline natural gas. ► Replacing failing gas pipelines will provide safety, environmental, and economic benefits. - We identified 3356 methane leaks in Boston, with isotopic characteristics consistent with pipeline natural gas.

Frederick Law Olmsted y el "Emerald Necklace" de Boston

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Austrich

2003-09-01

Full Text Available En 1879, Frederick Law Olmsted, el creador del Central Park en Nueva York, Prospect Park en Brooklyn, inventor de la profesión de paisajismo (Landscape Architecture en los EE.UU., arriba a Boston agotado y exhausto. Acaba de renunciar el cargo de paisajista de Central Park, sintiéndose defraudado por las intrigas políticas de la comisión de parques de Nueva York, viajaba a Boston a descansar y pasar un rato con sus amigos en las cercanías de Boston, en Cambridge y Brookline. Su gran amigo, Henry Hobson Richardson, el reconocido arquitecto de la época, vivía y trabajaba en Brookline, y sirve como su anfitrión, tanto como sus amigos en Cambridge.

"Where does the damp come from?" Investigations into the indoor environment and respiratory health in Boston public housing.

Science.gov (United States)

Hynes, H Patricia; Brugge, Doug; Osgood, Neal-Dra; Snell, John; Vallarino, Jose; Spengler, John

2003-01-01

The self-reported prevalence of asthma increased by 75% from 1980 to 1994, a trend found to be significant and evident in every region of the country. The increase has been most marked in children 0-14 years of age, and there is evidence that, as with lead poisoning, inner-city and urban populations are most at risk. Attention has turned to the role of indoor environment risk factors, especially in homes and schools. Such factors include moisture and mold growth, pest infestation, dust mites, the building envelope, heating systems, inadequate ventilation, NO2, and environmental tobacco smoke. The Healthy Public Housing Initiative (HPHI) is a Boston-based community-centered research and intervention project designed to engage Boston Housing Authority residents in a collaborative process to improve respiratory health, quality of life, building conditions, and building maintenance in public housing. This article summarizes the significant research findings from four pilot studies in housing developments that lay the foundation for the larger HPHI asthma-related environmental intervention study. The research design for the pilot projects is informed by principles of community-collaborative research. The strengths of this model of research to our work are also discussed.

Media’s role in broadcasting acute stress following the Boston Marathon bombings

OpenAIRE

Holman, E. Alison; Garfin, Dana Rose; Silver, Roxane Cohen

2013-01-01

We compared the impact of media vs. direct exposure on acute stress response to collective trauma. We conducted an Internet-based survey following the Boston Marathon bombings between April 29 and May 13, 2013, with representative samples of residents from Boston (n = 846), New York City (n = 941), and the remainder of the United States (n = 2,888). Acute stress symptom scores were comparable in Boston and New York [regression coefficient (b) = 0.43; SE = 1.42; 95% confidence interval (CI), -...

Self-reported illness among Boston-area international travelers: A prospective study

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Lin H.; Han, Pauline V.; Wilson, Mary E.; Stoney, Rhett J.; Jentes, Emily S.; Benoit, Christine; Ooi, Winnie W.; Barnett, Elizabeth D.; Hamer, Davidson H.

2017-01-01

Summary Background The Boston Area Travel Medicine Network surveyed travelers on travel-related health problems. Methods Travelers were recruited 2009–2011 during pre-travel consultation at three clinics. The investigation included pre-travel data, weekly during-travel diaries, and a post-travel questionnaire. We analyzed demographics, trip characteristics, health problems experienced, and assessed the relationship between influenza vaccination, influenza prevention advice, and respiratory symptoms. Results Of 987 enrolled travelers, 628 (64%) completed all surveys, of which 400 (64%) reported health problems during and/or after travel; median trip duration was 12 days. Diarrhea affected the most people during travel (172) while runny/stuffy nose affected the most people after travel (95). Of those with health problems during travel, 25% stopped or altered plans; 1% were hospitalized. After travel, 21% stopped planned activities, 23% sought physician or other health advice; one traveler was hospitalized. Travelers who received influenza vaccination and influenza prevention advice had lower rates of respiratory symptoms than those that received influenza prevention advice alone (18% vs 28%, P = 0.03). Conclusions A large proportion of Boston-area travelers reported health problems despite pre-travel consultation, resulting in inconveniences. The combination of influenza prevention advice and influenza immunization was associated with fewer respiratory symptoms than those who received influenza prevention advice alone. PMID:27687076

Boston's balloon dilatation for treatment of cardiac achalasia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin Jianguo; Song Jinwen; Yang Yan; Liu Xiaohong; Fu Zhiming; Zhang Yaqin

2001-01-01

Objective: To review and summarize effectiveness and method of the Boston's balloon dilation in cardiac achalasia. Methods: The intensified guide wire was inserted into stomach through mouth cavity under TV control. The Boston's balloon was inserted to the cardiac stricture through the guide wire and dilatated with 15% contrast medium with to a maximum diameter for five minutes and then the balloon was dilatated again for 3-5 minutes, all together for 3-4 times. The severe stricture must be pre-dilatated with 20-25 mm diameter balloon. Results: The balloon insertion was technically successful in all 26 patients. The once success of balloon dilation was achieved in 24 patients and twice in other 2. Follow-up time was from 2 weeks to 31 months (mean 10.6 months). Recurrent stenosis had not occurred in all patients. Remission rate of dysphagia was 100%. Esophageal reflux occurred in 3 patients. Conclusions: The Boston's balloon dilatation is simple and effective for treatment of cardiac achalasia. The method sometimes may replace surgical procedure

Emergency medical consequence planning and management for national special security events after September 11: Boston 2004.

Science.gov (United States)

Kade, Kristy A; Brinsfield, Kathryn H; Serino, Richard A; Savoia, Elena; Koh, Howard K

2008-10-01

The post-September 11 era has prompted unprecedented attention to medical preparations for national special security events (NSSE), requiring extraordinary planning and coordination among federal, state, and local agencies. For an NSSE, the US Secret Service (USSS) serves as the lead agency for all security operations and coordinates with relevant partners to provide for the safety and welfare of participants. For the 2004 Democratic National Convention (DNC), designated an NSSE, the USSS tasked the Boston Emergency Medical Services (BEMS) of the Boston Public Health Commission with the design and implementation of health services related to the Convention. In this article, we describe the planning and development of BEMS' robust 2004 DNC Medical Consequence Management Plan, addressing the following activities: public health surveillance, on-site medical care, surge capacity in the event of a mass casualty incident, and management of federal response assets. Lessons learned from enhanced medical planning for the 2004 DNC may serve as an effective model for future mass gathering events.

Banco de Reserva Federal Boston - Massachusetts - EE.UU.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stubbing, Hugh

1979-10-01

Full Text Available Despite its being located in a heavily built-up downtown area of Boston, the new Federal Reserve Bank Building enjoys privileged surroundings, in the middle of ponds and landscaped areas with trees, etc. It was designed taking the maximum advantage of the particular conditions of the property, while reinforcing and increasing prestige attributes of this part of the city, called for, in the urban development plans, to be the centre of community and business activities. The project includes an office tower overlooking the harbour and a low building containing ail public banking functions. The design was based on specific research of the different aspects of banking activities, from the most minute details of furniture and fixtures, through the fenestration work, up to the highly sophisticated security systems.

Pese a estar situado en un área céntrica de Boston, en una zona densamente urbanizada, el nuevo edificio del Banco Federal goza de un entorno privilegiado, circundado por estanques y jardines con árboles. Su arquitectura procura sacar partido de las particulares características de la parcela, fortaleciendo y elevando la categoría de esa parte de ciudad a la que los planes urbanísticos asignan el papel de centro de actividades comunitarias y comerciales. La construcción cuenta con una torre de oficinas, con amplias vistas sobre el puerto, y un bloque bajo dedicado a actividades bancarias públicas. Para su realización se utilizaron los resultados de investigaciones específicas sobre los diversos aspectos de la actividad bancaria, comprendiendo desde los más pequeños detalles del mobiliario y de la carpintería exterior, hasta los más modernos y complejos sistemas de seguridad.

Crisis communication: an inequalities perspective on the 2010 Boston water crisis.

Science.gov (United States)

Galarce, Ezequiel M; Viswanath, K

2012-12-01

Although the field of crisis risk communication has generated substantial research, the interaction between social determinants, communication processes, and behavioral compliance has been less well studied. With the goal of better understanding these interactions, this report examines how social determinants influenced communications and behavioral compliance during the 2010 Boston, Massachusetts, water crisis. An online survey was conducted to assess Boston residents' knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, mass and interpersonal communication, and preventive behaviors on emergency preparedness topics dealing with the water crisis. Of a total sample of 726 respondents, approximately one-third (n = 267) reported having been affected by the water crisis. Only data from affected participants were analyzed. Following an order to boil water, 87.5% of respondents refrained from drinking unboiled tap water. These behaviors and other cognitive and attitudinal factors, however, were not uniform across population subgroups. All communication and behavioral compliance variables varied across sociodemographic factors. Crisis communication, in conjunction with other public health preparedness fields, is central to reducing the negative impact of sudden hazards. Emergency scenarios such as the Boston water crisis serve as unique opportunities to understand how effectively crisis messages are conveyed to and received by different segments of the population.

Association between BDNF rs6265 and Obesity in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xian-Yong Ma

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF has been associated with regulation of body weight and appetite. The goal of this study was to examine the interactions of a functional variant (rs6265 in the BDNF gene with dietary intake for obesity traits in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study. BDNF rs6265 was genotyped in 1147 Puerto Rican adults and examined for association with obesity-related traits. Men (n=242 with the GG genotype had higher BMI (P=0.009, waist circumference (P=0.002, hip (P=0.002, and weight (P=0.03 than GA or AA carriers (n=94. They had twice the risk of being overweight (BMI≥25 relative to GA or AA carriers (OR = 2.08, CI = 1.02–4.23, and P=0.043. Interactions between rs6265 and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA intake were associated with BMI, hip, and weight, and n-3 : n-6 PUFA ratio with waist circumference in men. In contrast, women (n=595 with the GG genotype had significantly lower BMI (P=0.009, hip (P=0.029, and weight (P=0.027 than GA or AA carriers (n=216. Women with the GG genotype were 50% less likely to be overweight compared to GA or AA carriers (OR = 0.05, CI = 0.27–0.91, and P=0.024. In summary, BDNF rs6265 is differentially associated with obesity risk by sex and interacts with PUFA intake influencing obesity traits in Boston Puerto Rican men.

Alcohol advertising at Boston subway stations: an assessment of exposure by race and socioeconomic status.

Science.gov (United States)

Gentry, Elisabeth; Poirier, Katie; Wilkinson, Tiana; Nhean, Siphannay; Nyborn, Justin; Siegel, Michael

2011-10-01

We investigated the frequency of alcohol ads at all 113 subway and streetcar stations in Boston and the patterns of community exposure stratified by race, socioeconomic status, and age. We assessed the extent of alcohol advertising at each station in May 2009. We measured gross impressions and gross rating points (GRPs) for the entire Greater Boston population and for Boston public school student commuters. We compared the frequency of alcohol advertising between neighborhoods with differing demographics. For the Greater Boston population, alcohol advertising at subway stations generated 109 GRPs on a typical day. For Boston public school students in grades 5 to 12, alcohol advertising at stations generated 134 GRPs. Advertising at stations in low-poverty neighborhoods generated 14.1 GRPs and at stations in high-poverty areas, 63.6 GRPs. Alcohol ads reach the equivalent of every adult in the Greater Boston region and the equivalent of every 5th- to 12th-grade public school student each day. More alcohol ads were displayed in stations in neighborhoods with high poverty rates than in stations in neighborhoods with low poverty rates.

The classical and a modified Boston brace: description and results.

Science.gov (United States)

Grivas, Theodoros B; Kaspiris, Angelos

2011-01-01

Idiopathic scoliosis (IS) is characterized by the lateral deviation of the spine and constitutes a three-dimensional distortion that leads to geometric and morphological lesions in the spine and thoracic cage. The most widespread method of conservative management is to use spinal orthoses or body braces. These are usually recommended in patients with skeletal immaturity with a Risser sign 2 or less and with curves ranging from 25° to 45°. Of these, perhaps one of the most popular in recent years is the Boston Brace. It was developed in the early 1970s, and its design is based on symmetry, consisting of extensions and pads, with each of them exerting corrective forces and has a specific role depending on the type of scoliosis. It is important that the treatment group, the patient, and the family environment should work as a team consistently and be well trained to achieve the best result. Various studies published in international literature have observed beneficial effects from the use of the Boston system. Nevertheless, there are still issues that need further investigation regarding its effectiveness depending on the type of curves, the duration of application, the gender, and BMI of patients to whom it is applied. However, without question, if all these factors are taken into account and with the compliance of the therapy group with the instructions, the main goal can be achieved, which is the stability of the spine, and the ultimate result of clinical-radiological and aesthetic improvement, which is directly linked to the psychological satisfaction of the patient.

Transcription of Gail Jefferson, Boston University Conference on Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis, 9 June 1977

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nevile, Maurice Richard

2015-01-01

This is a CLAN transcription of the film recording of a conference talk by Gail Jefferson in Boston in 1977. The film recording was generously made available by George Psathas, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Boston University. Prof Doug Maynard (University of Wisconsin) arranged for the origi...... paralleling the talk’s content, under the heading ‘The Boston talk (as it never was)’ (p.2) - this would therefore seem to be adapted from Hopper’s transcription. So in my transcription I aim to give a clearer sense of the Boston talk as it actually was.......This is a CLAN transcription of the film recording of a conference talk by Gail Jefferson in Boston in 1977. The film recording was generously made available by George Psathas, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Boston University. Prof Doug Maynard (University of Wisconsin) arranged...... for the original film recording to be digitised. Jefferson later developed elements of her 1977 talk into the paper ‘On the poetics of ordinary talk’ (Jefferson. G. 1996, in Text and Performance Quarterly, 16,1:1-61). An indication of the significance of the talk is given in that paper’s abstract, where Jefferson...

The Path Forward: School Autonomy and Its Implications for the Future of Boston's Public Schools. Understanding Boston

Science.gov (United States)

French, Dan; Hawley Miles, Karen; Nathan, Linda

2014-01-01

Boston Public Schools is at a crossroads. Nearly one-third of the system's schools operate under one of several "autonomy" structures, where school leaders have increased flexibility regarding staffing and other resources, and choice data indicate parents are far more likely to prefer these schools over so-called "traditional"…

Assessing Climate Vulnerabilities of Food Distribution Center Sites in Greater Boston and Their Regional Implications: Climate Adaptation Planning in Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Teferra, A.; Watson, C.; Douglas, E. M.

2016-12-01

The Metro Boston region, an area whose civic leaders have been at the forefront of climate resilience initiatives in recent years, is finalizing a flood vulnerability assessment of food distribution center sites located north of Boston, with the support of the University of Massachusetts Boston and the American Geophysical Union's Thriving Earth Exchange program. The community-scientist collaboration emerged because of the need for more local analyses of the area to inform climate resiliency policy and planning actions for the region. A significant amount of the metro region's food supply passes through two major distribution centers in the cities of Everett and Chelsea, just north of the Mystic River. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), on behalf of the Metro Boston Climate Preparedness Taskforce, is working with Chris Watson and Ellen Douglas of UMass Boston to build on existing analyses of the region's food system and climate vulnerabilities and to develop a report identifying flood risk exposure to the sites. The analysis brings in dynamic modeling techniques that incorporate storm surge and sea level rise projections under different climate scenarios, and aims to align methodologies with those of other regional analyses, such as Climate Ready Boston and the City of Cambridge's Vulnerability Assessment. The study is helping to inform MAPC's and the Metro Boston Climate Preparedness Taskforce's understanding of this critical food distribution infrastructure, illustrate the larger regional implications of climate impacts on food distribution in the Greater Boston area, and guide the development of site-specific strategies for addressing identified vulnerabilities.

Future Nuisance Flooding at Boston Caused by Astronomical Tides Alone

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Richard D.; Foster, Grant

2016-01-01

Sea level rise necessarily triggers more occurrences of minor, or nuisance, flooding events along coastlines, a fact well documented in recent studies. At some locations nuisance flooding can be brought about merely by high spring tides, independent of storms, winds, or other atmospheric conditions. Analysis of observed water levels at Boston indicates that tidal flooding began to occur there in 2011 and will become more frequent in subsequent years. A compilation of all predicted nuisance-flooding events, induced by astronomical tides alone, is presented through year 2050. The accuracy of the tide prediction is improved when several unusual properties of Gulf of Maine tides, including secular changes, are properly accounted for. Future mean sea-level rise at Boston cannot be predicted with comparable confidence, so two very different climate scenarios are adopted; both predict a large increase in the frequency and the magnitude of tidal flooding events.

In search of the Boston Strangler: genetic evidence from the exhumation of Mary Sullivan.

Science.gov (United States)

Foran, David R; Starrs, James E

2004-01-01

The Boston Strangler was one of the United States' most notorious serial killers, raping and strangling with decorative ligatures thirteen woman in Boston during the early 1960s. Albert DeSalvo, never a suspect in the slayings, confessed in prison (where he was later murdered) to being the Boston Strangler, and the investigation largely ended. Mary Sullivan was the last victim of the Boston Strangler, found sexually assaulted and strangled in her Boston apartment in 1964. Recently, a team of forensic scientists undertook the exhumation and subsequent scientific analysis of Mary Sullivan's remains, in hope of finding consistencies or inconsistencies between DeSalvo's confessed description of the murder and any evidence left behind. Included in these analyses was extensive DNA testing of all UV fluorescent material associated with the body. The large majority of results were negative, however, fluorescent material located on the underwear and entwined in her pubic hair generated two human mitochondrial DNA sequences. Neither of these matched the victim nor members of the forensic team who worked on the evidence. Most importantly, neither DNA sequence could have originated from Albert DeSalvo.

Head and neck injuries from the Boston Marathon bombing at four hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Ajay K; Buch, Karen; Sung, Edward; Abujudeh, Hani; Sakai, Osamu; Aaron, Sodickson; Lev, Michael

2015-10-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the imaging findings of head and neck injuries in patients from the Boston Marathon bombing. A total of 115 patients from the Boston Marathon bombing presenting to four hospitals who underwent imaging to evaluate for head and neck injuries were included in the study. Twelve patients with positive findings on radiography or cross-sectional imaging were included in the final analysis. The radiographic, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging features of these patients were evaluated for the presence of shrapnel and morphological abnormality. Head and neck injuries were seen in 12 out of 115 patients presenting to the four hospitals. There were secondary blast injuries to the head and neck in eight patients, indicated by the presence of shrapnel on imaging. In the four patients without shrapnel, there were two with subgaleal hematomas, one with facial contusion and one with mastoid injury. There were two patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage, one with brain contusion, one with cerebral laceration, and one with globe rupture. There was frontal bone, nasal bone, and orbital wall fracture in one patient each. Imaging identified 26 shrapnel fragments, 21 of which were ball bearings. Injuries to the head and neck region identified on imaging from the Boston Marathon bombing were not common. The injuries seen were predominantly secondary blast injuries from shrapnel, and did not result in calvarial penetration of the shrapnel fragments.

78 FR 67028 - Safety Zones; Recurring Events in Captain of the Port Boston Zone

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-08

... Rulemaking A. Regulatory History and Information On November 9, 2011, the Coast Guard enacted the current... around the Hull Youth Football Carnival Fireworks, the Boston Harbor Triathlon, and the Boston Harbor.... These new safety zones will be listed in 33 CFR 165.118 as (6.5) Hull Youth Football Carnival Fireworks...

Outages of electric power supply resulting from cable failures Boston Edison Company system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1980-07-01

Factual data are provided regarding 5 electric power supply interruptions that occurred in the Boston Metropolitan area during April to June, 1979. Common to all of these outages was the failure of an underground cable as the initiating event, followed by multiple equipment failures. There was significant variation in the voltage ratings and types of cables which failed. The investigation was unable to delineate a single specific Boston Edison design operating or maintenance practice that could be cited as the cause of the outages. After reviewing the investigative report the following actions were recommended: the development and implementation of a plan to eliminate the direct current cable network; develop a network outage restoration plan; regroup primary feeder cables wherever possible to minimize the number of circuits in manholes, and to separate feeders to high load density areas; develop a program to detect incipient cable faults; evaluate the separation of the north and south sections of Back Bay network into separate networks; and, as a minimum, install the necessary facilities to make it possible to re-energize one section without interfering with the other; and re-evaluate the cathodic protection scheme where necessary. (LCL)

76 FR 42048 - Safety Zones; Swimming Events in Captain of the Port Boston Zone

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-18

...-AA00 Safety Zones; Swimming Events in Captain of the Port Boston Zone AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION... events within the Captain of the Port (COTP) Boston Zone for swimming events. This action is necessary to... property on navigable waters from the hazardous nature of swimming events such as large numbers of swimmers...

Innovations in nutrition education and global health: the Bangalore Boston nutrition collaborative

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background India has a wide range of nutrition and health problems which require professionals with appropriate skills, knowledge and trans-disciplinary collaborative abilities to influence policy making at the national and global level. Methods The Bangalore Boston Nutrition Collaborative (BBNC) was established as collaboration between St. John’s Research Institute (SJRI), Harvard School of Public Health and Tufts University, with a focus on nutrition research and training. The goals of the BBNC were to conduct an interdisciplinary course, develop web-based courses and identify promising Indian students and junior faculty for graduate training in Boston. Results From 2010, an annual two-week short course in nutrition research methods was conducted on the SJRI campus taught by international faculty from Indian and US universities. More than 100 students applied yearly for approximately 30 positions. The course had didactic lectures in the morning and practical hands-on sessions in the afternoon. Student rating of the course was excellent and consistent across the years. The ratings on the design and conduct of the course significantly improved (p nutrition and global health. Efforts are ongoing to secure long term funding to sustain and expand this collaboration to deliver high quality nutrition and global health education enabled by information and communication technologies. PMID:24400811

Personal Hygiene Practices among Urban Homeless Persons in Boston, MA

OpenAIRE

Leibler, Jessica H.; Nguyen, Daniel D.; Le?n, Casey; Gaeta, Jessie M.; Perez, Debora

2017-01-01

Persons experiencing homelessness in the United States experience significant barriers to self-care and personal hygiene, including limited access to clean showers, laundry and hand washing facilities. While the obstacles to personal hygiene associated with homelessness may increase risk of infectious disease, hygiene-related behaviors among people experiencing homelessness has received limited attention. We conducted a cross-sectional study of individuals experiencing homelessness in Boston,...

Surface wave site characterization at 27 locations near Boston, Massachusetts, including 2 strong-motion stations

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Eric M.; Carkin, Bradley A.; Baise, Laurie G.; Kayen, Robert E.

2014-01-01

The geotechnical properties of the soils in and around Boston, Massachusetts, have been extensively studied. This is partly due to the importance of the Boston Blue Clay and the extent of landfill in the Boston area. Although New England is not a region that is typically associated with seismic hazards, there have been several historical earthquakes that have caused significant ground shaking (for example, see Street and Lacroix, 1979; Ebel, 1996; Ebel, 2006). The possibility of strong ground shaking, along with heightened vulnerability from unreinforced masonry buildings, motivates further investigation of seismic hazards throughout New England. Important studies that are pertinent to seismic hazards in New England include source-parameter studies (Somerville and others, 1987; Boore and others, 2010), wave-propagation studies (Frankel, 1991; Viegas and others, 2010), empirical ground-motion prediction equations (GMPE) for computing ground-motion intensity (Tavakoli and Pezeshk, 2005; Atkinson and Boore, 2006), site-response studies (Hayles and others, 2001; Ebel and Kim, 2006), and liquefaction studies (Brankman and Baise, 2008). The shear-wave velocity (VS) profiles collected for this report are pertinent to the GMPE, site response, and liquefaction aspects of seismic hazards in the greater Boston area. Besides the application of these data for the Boston region, the data may be applicable throughout New England, through correlations with geologic units (similar to Ebel and Kim, 2006) or correlations with topographic slope (Wald and Allen, 2007), because few VS measurements are available in stable tectonic regions.Ebel and Hart (2001) used felt earthquake reports to infer amplification patterns throughout the greater Boston region and noted spatial correspondence with the dominant period and amplification factors obtained from ambient noise (horizontal-to-vertical ratios) by Kummer (1998). Britton (2003) compiled geotechnical borings in the area and produced a

Taking Stock: Five Years of Structural Change in Boston's Public Schools. A Boston Indicators Project Special Report

Science.gov (United States)

McEnroe, Ted

2014-01-01

While structural reform has certainly inspired change in Boston's public schools, its true value is best measured by examining the impact those changes have had on students. Seen through the lens of student performance over the past five years there is ample suggestion that these structural changes have been more than just window dressing--they…

33 CFR 110.30 - Boston Harbor, Mass.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Yacht Club, South Boston. Northerly of a line bearing 96° from the stack of the heating plant of the... Yacht Club property. (b) Dorchester Bay, in vicinity of Savin Hill Yacht Club. Northerly of a line... vicinity of Dorchester Yacht Club. Eastward of a line bearing 21° from the stack located a short distance...

Threat perception after the Boston Marathon bombings: The effects of personal relevance and conceptual framing.

Science.gov (United States)

Wormwood, Jolie Baumann; Lynn, Spencer K; Feldman Barrett, Lisa; Quigley, Karen S

2016-01-01

We examined how the Boston Marathon bombings affected threat perception in the Boston community. In a threat perception task, participants attempted to "shoot" armed targets and avoid shooting unarmed targets. Participants viewing images of the bombings accompanied by affectively negative music and text (e.g., "Terror Strikes Boston") made more false alarms (i.e., more errors "shooting" unarmed targets) compared to participants viewing the same images accompanied by affectively positive music and text (e.g., "Boston Strong") and participants who did not view bombing images. This difference appears to be driven by decreased sensitivity (i.e., decreased ability to distinguish guns from non-guns) as opposed to a more liberal bias (i.e., favouring the "shoot" response). Additionally, the more strongly affected the participant was by the bombings, the more their sensitivity was reduced in the negatively framed condition, suggesting that this framing was particularly detrimental to the most vulnerable individuals in the affected community.

Media's role in broadcasting acute stress following the Boston Marathon bombings.

Science.gov (United States)

Holman, E Alison; Garfin, Dana Rose; Silver, Roxane Cohen

2014-01-07

We compared the impact of media vs. direct exposure on acute stress response to collective trauma. We conducted an Internet-based survey following the Boston Marathon bombings between April 29 and May 13, 2013, with representative samples of residents from Boston (n = 846), New York City (n = 941), and the remainder of the United States (n = 2,888). Acute stress symptom scores were comparable in Boston and New York [regression coefficient (b) = 0.43; SE = 1.42; 95% confidence interval (CI), -2.36, 3.23], but lower nationwide when compared with Boston (b = -2.21; SE = 1.07; 95% CI, -4.31, -0.12). Adjusting for prebombing mental health (collected prospectively), demographics, and prior collective stress exposure, six or more daily hours of bombing-related media exposure in the week after the bombings was associated with higher acute stress than direct exposure to the bombings (continuous acute stress symptom total: media exposure b = 15.61 vs. direct exposure b = 5.69). Controlling for prospectively collected prebombing television-watching habits did not change the findings. In adjusted models, direct exposure to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Sandy Hook School shootings were both significantly associated with bombing-related acute stress; Superstorm Sandy exposure wasn't. Prior exposure to similar and/or violent events may render some individuals vulnerable to the negative effects of collective traumas. Repeatedly engaging with trauma-related media content for several hours daily shortly after collective trauma may prolong acute stress experiences and promote substantial stress-related symptomatology. Mass media may become a conduit that spreads negative consequences of community trauma beyond directly affected communities.

Weekend Commercial Children's Television, 1975. A Study of Programming and Advertising to Children on Five Boston Stations.

Science.gov (United States)

Barcus, F. Earle

Some 25-1/2 hours of Boston commercial television for children were monitored on a Saturday and Sunday in April 1975. The monitoring covered three network affiliated stations and two independent UHF stations. Monitoring, coding, and editing provided much statistical data, which was analyzed to yield findings in the areas of distribution of…

Cumulative exposure to prior collective trauma and acute stress responses to the Boston marathon bombings.

Science.gov (United States)

Garfin, Dana Rose; Holman, E Alison; Silver, Roxane Cohen

2015-06-01

The role of repeated exposure to collective trauma in explaining response to subsequent community-wide trauma is poorly understood. We examined the relationship between acute stress response to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and prior direct and indirect media-based exposure to three collective traumatic events: the September 11, 2001 (9/11) terrorist attacks, Superstorm Sandy, and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Representative samples of residents of metropolitan Boston (n = 846) and New York City (n = 941) completed Internet-based surveys shortly after the Boston Marathon bombings. Cumulative direct exposure and indirect exposure to prior community trauma and acute stress symptoms were assessed. Acute stress levels did not differ between Boston and New York metropolitan residents. Cumulative direct and indirect, live-media-based exposure to 9/11, Superstorm Sandy, and the Sandy Hook shooting were positively associated with acute stress responses in the covariate-adjusted model. People who experience multiple community-based traumas may be sensitized to the negative impact of subsequent events, especially in communities previously exposed to similar disasters. © The Author(s) 2015.

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Their Association With Smoking Outcome Expectancies Among Homeless Smokers in Boston.

Science.gov (United States)

Baggett, Travis P; Campbell, Eric G; Chang, Yuchiao; Magid, Leah M; Rigotti, Nancy A

2016-06-01

Cigarette smoking and traumatic life experiences are each common among homeless adults, but the prevalence and correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among homeless smokers are not known. We assessed symptoms of PTSD and their association with smoking outcome expectancies in a sample of homeless smokers in Boston. We used time-location sampling to conduct an in-person survey of homeless adult smokers using Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program clinical services. We assessed symptoms of PTSD with the PTSD Checklist-Civilian version and considered scores at least 14 as positive. We used the Smoking Effects Questionnaire to assess positive and negative smoking outcome expectancies. We modeled the associations between PTSD screening status and smoking expectancies using design-adjusted linear regression. Eighty-six percent of eligible individuals participated (N = 306). Sixty-eight percent of participants screened positive for PTSD. Screen-positive respondents were younger (P = .001), more likely to report fair/poor health (P = .01), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (P = .02), and past-month hallucinations (P = .004), and had greater drug (P smokers and strongly associated with positive smoking outcome expectancies. Tobacco cessation programs for this population should consider screening for PTSD and fostering a trauma-sensitive treatment environment. In this study of homeless cigarette smokers in Boston, over two-thirds of participants screened positive for PTSD. PTSD screen-positive respondents more strongly endorsed multiple positive smoking outcome expectancies than screen-negative individuals. These findings suggest that the psychological sequelae of trauma may be a pervasive but under-recognized factor impacting the persistence of smoking among homeless people. Tobacco cessation programs for this population should consider screening for PTSD, fostering a trauma-sensitive treatment environment, and incorporating strategies that have

The Boston Methane Project: Mapping Surface Emissions to Inform Atmospheric Estimation of Urban Methane Flux

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, N.; Crosson, E.; Down, A.; Hutyra, L.; Jackson, R. B.; McKain, K.; Rella, C.; Raciti, S. M.; Wofsy, S. C.

2012-12-01

Lost and unaccounted natural gas can amount to over 6% of Massachusetts' total annual greenhouse gas inventory (expressed as equivalent CO2 tonnage). An unknown portion of this loss is due to natural gas leaks in pipeline distribution systems. The objective of the Boston Methane Project is to estimate the overall leak rate from natural gas systems in metropolitan Boston, and to compare this flux with fluxes from the other primary methane emissions sources. Companion talks at this meeting describe the atmospheric measurement and modeling framework, and chemical and isotopic tracers that can partition total atmospheric methane flux into natural gas and non-natural gas components. This talk focuses on estimation of surface emissions that inform the atmospheric modeling and partitioning. These surface emissions include over 3,300 pipeline natural gas leaks in Boston. For the state of Massachusetts as a whole, the amount of natural gas reported as lost and unaccounted for by utility companies was greater than estimated landfill emissions by an order of magnitude. Moreover, these landfill emissions were overwhelmingly located outside of metro Boston, while gas leaks are concentrated in exactly the opposite pattern, increasing from suburban Boston toward the urban core. Work is in progress to estimate spatial distribution of methane emissions from wetlands and sewer systems. We conclude with a description of how these spatial data sets will be combined and represented for application in atmospheric modeling.

Completing the results of the 2013 Boston marathon.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dorit Hammerling

Full Text Available The 2013 Boston marathon was disrupted by two bombs placed near the finish line. The bombs resulted in three deaths and several hundred injuries. Of lesser concern, in the immediate aftermath, was the fact that nearly 6,000 runners failed to finish the race. We were approached by the marathon's organizers, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA, and asked to recommend a procedure for projecting finish times for the runners who could not complete the race. With assistance from the BAA, we created a dataset consisting of all the runners in the 2013 race who reached the halfway point but failed to finish, as well as all runners from the 2010 and 2011 Boston marathons. The data consist of split times from each of the 5 km sections of the course, as well as the final 2.2 km (from 40 km to the finish. The statistical objective is to predict the missing split times for the runners who failed to finish in 2013. We set this problem in the context of the matrix completion problem, examples of which include imputing missing data in DNA microarray experiments, and the Netflix prize problem. We propose five prediction methods and create a validation dataset to measure their performance by mean squared error and other measures. The best method used local regression based on a K-nearest-neighbors algorithm (KNN method, though several other methods produced results of similar quality. We show how the results were used to create projected times for the 2013 runners and discuss potential for future application of the same methodology. We present the whole project as an example of reproducible research, in that we are able to make the full data and all the algorithms we have used publicly available, which may facilitate future research extending the methods or proposing completely different approaches.

Completing the results of the 2013 Boston marathon.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammerling, Dorit; Cefalu, Matthew; Cisewski, Jessi; Dominici, Francesca; Parmigiani, Giovanni; Paulson, Charles; Smith, Richard L

2014-01-01

The 2013 Boston marathon was disrupted by two bombs placed near the finish line. The bombs resulted in three deaths and several hundred injuries. Of lesser concern, in the immediate aftermath, was the fact that nearly 6,000 runners failed to finish the race. We were approached by the marathon's organizers, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA), and asked to recommend a procedure for projecting finish times for the runners who could not complete the race. With assistance from the BAA, we created a dataset consisting of all the runners in the 2013 race who reached the halfway point but failed to finish, as well as all runners from the 2010 and 2011 Boston marathons. The data consist of split times from each of the 5 km sections of the course, as well as the final 2.2 km (from 40 km to the finish). The statistical objective is to predict the missing split times for the runners who failed to finish in 2013. We set this problem in the context of the matrix completion problem, examples of which include imputing missing data in DNA microarray experiments, and the Netflix prize problem. We propose five prediction methods and create a validation dataset to measure their performance by mean squared error and other measures. The best method used local regression based on a K-nearest-neighbors algorithm (KNN method), though several other methods produced results of similar quality. We show how the results were used to create projected times for the 2013 runners and discuss potential for future application of the same methodology. We present the whole project as an example of reproducible research, in that we are able to make the full data and all the algorithms we have used publicly available, which may facilitate future research extending the methods or proposing completely different approaches.

The energy efficiency partnership - Kraft General Foods and Boston Edison Company

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crowley, J.C.; Donoghue, J.P.

1993-01-01

During the past twenty years, inordinate shifts in the supply and demand of energy have forced both electric utility companies and their customers to investigate new and innovative ways to satisfy the ever increasing demand for electricity. The Energy Efficiency Partnership, developed between Kraft General Foods and Boston Edison Company, presents an exemplary study of how two corporate giants creatively solved the problem of uncontrolled energy costs and its positive effect on the overall operations of Kraft General Foods, Framingham. But the Energy Efficiency Partnership did more than reduce energy costs, it provided benefits to all parties on the playing field. To understand its significance, a review of the partnership's history is paramount. The first official announcement of the Energy Efficiency Partnership was made on April 9, 1990. Framingham, MA, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Kraft General Foods Framingham, and Boston Edison Company have joined forces in a $3.6 million dollar energy partnership that will help keep 250 industrial jobs in Massachusetts and could lead to the future expansion of the international food company's Framingham facility

The Center for Social Innovation at Boston College.

Science.gov (United States)

Berzin, Stephanie Cosner; Dearing, Tiziana; Mathews, Olivia; Choi, Yeon Jin; Pitt-Catsouphes, Marcie

2018-01-01

Established in 2011, the Center for Social Innovation at Boston College has focused on fostering "effective, sustainable social innovations that enhance social justice." the Center is committed to building research evidence that is used for changing practice and works to disseminate findings through a three-channel approach: traditional research publications, convening of practitioners, and through use of media outlets.

Contextualizing Earth Science Professional Development Courses for Geoscience Teachers in Boston

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, R. F.; Pelletier, P.; Dorsen, J.; Douglas, E. M.; Pringle, M. S.; Karp, J.

2009-12-01

Inquiry-based, hands-on, graduate content courses have been developed specifically for Boston Public School middle school teachers of Earth Science. Earth Science I: Weather and Water and Earth Science II: The Solid Earth--Earth History and Planetary Systems have been taught a total of seven times to over 120 teachers. Several key attributes to these successful courses have been identified, including co-instruction by a university professor and a high school and a middle school teacher that are familiar with the Boston curriculum, use of hands-on activities that are closed related to those used in the Boston curriculum, pre- and post-course local field trips, and identification of key learning objectives for each day. This model of professional development was developed over several years in all disciplines (Earth Science, Physics, Biology, Chemistry) by the Boston Science Partnership (BSP), an NSF-funded Math Science Partnership program. One of the core strategies of the BSP is these Contextualized Content Courses (CCC), graduate level, lab-based courses taught at either UMass Boston or Northeastern University during summer intensive or semester formats. Two of the eleven courses developed under the grant are Earth Science I & II. This presentation shares the model of the CCC, the impact on teacher participants, the value of these courses for the professor, and lessons learned for successful professional development. Findings about the courses’ impact and effectiveness come from our external evaluation by the Program Evaluation Research Group (PERG). The combination of content and modeling good instructional practices have many positive outcomes for teachers, including increased self-efficacy in science understanding and teaching, positive impacts on student achievement, and teacher shifts from more traditional, more lecture-based instructional models to more inquiry approaches. STEM faculty members become involved in science education and learn and practice new

A Danish adaptation of the Boston Naming Test

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Kasper; Johannsen, Peter; Vogel, Asmus

2017-01-01

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to develop a Danish adaptation of the Boston Naming Test (BNT) including a shortened 30-item version of the BNT for routine clinical use and two parallel 15-item versions for screening purposes. Method: The Danish adaptation of the BNT was based...... on ranking of items according to difficulty in a sample of older non-patients (n = 99). By selecting those items with the largest discrepancy in difficulty for non-patients compared to a mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD) sample (n = 53), the shortened versions of the BNT were developed. Using an overlapping...

Media’s role in broadcasting acute stress following the Boston Marathon bombings

Science.gov (United States)

Holman, E. Alison; Garfin, Dana Rose; Silver, Roxane Cohen

2014-01-01

We compared the impact of media vs. direct exposure on acute stress response to collective trauma. We conducted an Internet-based survey following the Boston Marathon bombings between April 29 and May 13, 2013, with representative samples of residents from Boston (n = 846), New York City (n = 941), and the remainder of the United States (n = 2,888). Acute stress symptom scores were comparable in Boston and New York [regression coefficient (b) = 0.43; SE = 1.42; 95% confidence interval (CI), −2.36, 3.23], but lower nationwide when compared with Boston (b = −2.21; SE = 1.07; 95% CI, −4.31, −0.12). Adjusting for prebombing mental health (collected prospectively), demographics, and prior collective stress exposure, six or more daily hours of bombing-related media exposure in the week after the bombings was associated with higher acute stress than direct exposure to the bombings (continuous acute stress symptom total: media exposure b = 15.61 vs. direct exposure b = 5.69). Controlling for prospectively collected prebombing television-watching habits did not change the findings. In adjusted models, direct exposure to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Sandy Hook School shootings were both significantly associated with bombing-related acute stress; Superstorm Sandy exposure wasn't. Prior exposure to similar and/or violent events may render some individuals vulnerable to the negative effects of collective traumas. Repeatedly engaging with trauma-related media content for several hours daily shortly after collective trauma may prolong acute stress experiences and promote substantial stress-related symptomatology. Mass media may become a conduit that spreads negative consequences of community trauma beyond directly affected communities. PMID:24324161

Anatomy of an urban waterbody: A case study of Boston's Muddy River

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathew, Miriam; Yao Yifu; Cao Yixing; Shodhan, Khyati; Ghosh, Indrani; Bucci, Vanni; Leitao, Christopher; Njoka, Danson; Wei, Irvine; Hellweger, Ferdi L.

2011-01-01

The objective of this study was to characterize and understand the water quality of Boston's Muddy River prior to restoration, to help guide those activities and evaluate their success. We use a combination of monitoring, data analysis and mathematical modeling. The seasonal pattern of temperature, pollutant signatures (identified using a principal component analysis), correlations with precipitation and spatial patterns all point to a significant wastewater input at one of the outfalls and suggest significant receiving water impact. However, a quantitative analysis using a mathematical model (QUAL2K) suggests this source is not significant. Rather, internal loading from algae, sediment bed and waterfowl dominate the spatial pattern of water quality. These results suggest significant improvement can be expected from planned sediment dredging. The paper provides a case study of water quality assessment in the context of urban river restoration, and it illustrates the utility of combining monitoring and data analysis with modeling. - Highlights: → The water quality of an urban river is studied using monitoring and modeling. → Data analysis suggest an important wastewater input at one outfall. → A mathematical model shows the outfall is not significant. → Internal loading from algae, sediment bed and waterfowl control the water quality. - Monitoring and data analysis are combined with mathematical modeling to understand the water quality of an urban river.

Radiologic features of injuries from the Boston Marathon bombing at three hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Ajay K; Goralnick, Eric; Velmahos, George; Biddinger, Paul D; Gates, Jonathan; Sodickson, Aaron

2014-08-01

The aim of this study is to describe the radiologic imaging findings of primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary blast injuries in patients injured in the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013. A total of 43 patients presenting to three acute care hospitals and undergoing radiologic investigation within 7 hours of the time of the bombing on April 15, 2013, were included in this study. The radiographic and CT features of these patients were evaluated for imaging findings consistent with primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary blast injury. There were no pulmonary or gastrointestinal manifestations of the primary blast wave on imaging. Secondary blast injuries identified on imaging included a total of 189 shrapnel fragments identified in 32 of the 43 patients. The shrapnel was identified most often in the soft tissues of the leg (36.5%), thigh (31.2%), and pelvis (13.2%). Imaging identified 125 ball bearings, 10 nails, one screw, 44 metal fragments, and nine other (gravel, glass, etc.) foreign bodies. Injuries from the Boston Marathon bombing were predominantly from the secondary blast wave and resulted in traumatic injuries predominantly of the lower extremities. The most common shrapnel found on radiologic evaluation was the ball bearing.

The Closing of the Classified Catalog at Boston University

Science.gov (United States)

Hazen, Margaret Hindle

1974-01-01

Although the classified catalog at Boston University libraries has been a useful research tool, it has proven too expensive to keep current. The library has converted to a traditional alphabetic subject catalog and will recieve catalog cards from the Ohio College Library Center through the New England Library Network. (Author/LS)

A Secondary Spatial Analysis of Gun Violence near Boston Schools: a Public Health Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Barboza, Gia

2018-04-11

School neighborhood violence continues to be a major public health problem among urban students. A large body of research addresses violence at school; however, fewer studies have explored concentrations of violence in areas proximal to schools. This study aimed to quantify the concentration of shootings near schools to elucidate the place-based dynamics that may be focal points for violence prevention. Geocoded databases of shooting and school locations were used to examine locational patterns of firearm shootings and elementary, middle, and high schools in Boston, Massachusetts. Analyses utilized spatial statistics for point pattern data including distance matrix and K function methodology to quantify the degree of spatial dependence of shootings around schools. Results suggested that between 2012 and 2015, there were 678 shooting incidents in Boston; the average density was 5.1 per square kilometer. The nearest neighbor index (NNI = 0.335 km, p shooting incidents indicative of a spatially non-random process. The mean and median distance from any school to the nearest shooting location was 0.35 and 0.33 km, respectively. A majority (56%, 74/133) of schools in Boston had at least one shooting incident within 400 m, a distance that would take about 5 min to walk if traveling by foot. The bivariate K function indicated that a significantly greater number of shootings were clustered within short distances from schools than would be expected under a null hypothesis of no spatial dependence. Implications for students attending schools in racially homogenous neighborhoods across all income levels are discussed.

Mortality Among Homeless Adults in Boston: Shifts in Causes of Death Over a 15-year Period

Science.gov (United States)

Baggett, Travis P.; Hwang, Stephen W.; O'Connell, James J.; Porneala, Bianca C.; Stringfellow, Erin J.; Orav, E. John; Singer, Daniel E.; Rigotti, Nancy A.

2013-01-01

Background Homeless persons experience excess mortality, but U.S.-based studies on this topic are outdated or lack information about causes of death. No studies have examined shifts in causes of death for this population over time. Methods We assessed all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates in a cohort of 28,033 adults aged 18 years or older who were seen at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2008. Deaths were identified through probabilistic linkage to the Massachusetts death occurrence files. We compared mortality rates in this cohort to rates in the 2003–08 Massachusetts population and a 1988–93 cohort of homeless adults in Boston using standardized rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Results 1,302 deaths occurred during 90,450 person-years of observation. Drug overdose (n=219), cancer (n=206), and heart disease (n=203) were the major causes of death. Drug overdose accounted for one-third of deaths among adults homeless adults in Boston remains high and unchanged since 1988–93 despite a major interim expansion in clinical services. Drug overdose has replaced HIV as the emerging epidemic. Interventions to reduce mortality in this population should include behavioral health integration into primary medical care, public health initiatives to prevent and reverse drug overdose, and social policy measures to end homelessness. PMID:23318302

Charter, Private, and Public Schools Work Together in Boston

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Diana

2014-01-01

A public, Catholic, and charter school in Boston all work together to share their strengths and learn from each other in an effort to deliver the best education for all of their students. The arrangement is called the School Performance Partnership, and it is a grantee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Methane source identification in Boston, Massachusetts using isotopic and ethane measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Down, A.; Jackson, R. B.; Plata, D.; McKain, K.; Wofsy, S. C.; Rella, C.; Crosson, E.; Phillips, N. G.

2012-12-01

Methane has substantial greenhouse warming potential and is the principle component of natural gas. Fugitive natural gas emissions could be a significant source of methane to the atmosphere. However, the cumulative magnitude of natural gas leaks is not yet well constrained. We used a combination of point source measurements and ambient monitoring to characterize the methane sources in the Boston urban area. We developed distinct fingerprints for natural gas and multiple biogenic methane sources based on hydrocarbon concentration and isotopic composition. We combine these data with periodic measurements of atmospheric methane and ethane concentration to estimate the fractional contribution of natural gas and biogenic methane sources to the cumulative urban methane flux in Boston. These results are used to inform an inverse model of urban methane concentration and emissions.

78 FR 9730 - Boston Harbor Islands Advisory Council Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-11

.... The agenda includes a presentation by Sally Snowman, 70th keeper of Boston Light, the election of officers, and a park update. Date/Time: March 6, 2013, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Eastern). Location: Wilmer... information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your...

Development of a Short Form of the Boston Naming Test for Individuals with Aphasia

Science.gov (United States)

del Toro, Christina M.; Bislick, Lauren P.; Comer, Matthew; Velozo, Craig; Romero, Sergio; Rothi, Leslie J. Gonzalez; Kendall, Diane L.

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a short form of the Boston Naming Test (BNT; Kaplan, Goodglass, & Weintraub, 2001) for individuals with aphasia and compare it with 2 existing short forms originally analyzed with responses from people with dementia and neurologically healthy adults. Method: Development of the new BNT-Aphasia Short…

Long-term results after Boston brace treatment in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steen Harald

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Few studies have evaluated long-term outcome after bracing using validated health related quality of life outcome measures. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term outcome in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS 12 years or more after treatment with the Boston brace. Methods 109 (80% of 135 patients (7 men with AIS treated with the Boston brace at a mean of 19.2 (range 12–28 years previously responded to long-term follow-up examination. All patients (n = 109 answered a standardised questionnaire including demographics, work status, treatment, Global Back Disability Question, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI (100-worst possible, General Function Score (GFS (100 – worst possible, EuroQol (EQ-5D (1 – best possible, EQ-VAS (100 – best possible and Scoliosis Research Society -22 (SRS – 22 (5 – best possible. Clinical and radiological examination was obtained in 86 patients. Results The magnitude of the primary prebrace major curve was in average 33.4° (range 20 – 52. At weaning and at the last follow-up the corresponding values were 28.3° (9–56 and 34.2° (8 – 87, respectively. The mean age at follow-up was 35 (27 – 46 years. Work status was: full time (80%, on sick-leave (3%, on rehabilitation (4%, disability pension (4%, homemaker (7%, students (2%, 7% had changed their job because of back pain. 88% had had delivered a baby, 55% of them had pain in pregnancy. Global back status was excellent or good in 81%. The mean (standard deviation ODI was 6.4 (9.8, GFS 5.4 (10.5, EQ-5D 0.84 (0.2, SRS-22: pain 4.2 (0.8, mental health 4.2 (0.7, self-image 3.9 (0.7, function 4.1 (0.6, satisfaction with treatment 3.7 (1.0. 28% had taken physiotherapy for back pain the last year and 12% had visited a doctor. Conclusion Long-term results were satisfactory in most patients with AIS treated with the Boston brace.

Imaging of abdominal and pelvic injuries from the Boston Marathon bombing.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Ajay K; Sodickson, Aaron; Abujudeh, Hani

2016-02-01

The aim of this study is to describe the imaging findings of abdominal and pelvic injuries in victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. A retrospective review of 87 patients following the Boston Marathon bombing was performed to evaluate for abdominal and pelvic injuries on plain radiography or CT scans of the abdomen and pelvis. Imaging exams were evaluated for shrapnel, soft tissue injury, visceral damage, vascular disruption, and fractures. The injuries were classified as primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary blast injuries. Eleven of the 87 patients had positive findings in the abdomen or pelvis (M:F = 7:4, average age 34.6 years). There were 22 ball bearings, two nails, one screw, and two irregular metal fragments in the 11 patients with secondary blast (shrapnel) injuries. There was no peritoneal penetration or visceral injury seen in any of the patients. One patient had multiple transverse process fractures, representing tertiary blast injury. All but one patient had superficial penetrating abdominal or pelvic injuries secondary to shrapnel. There were no cases of bowel or solid visceral organ injuries due to the lack of peritoneal violation from the relatively low-powered explosions. Absence of peritoneal penetration by shrapnel indicates no need for laparotomy following low-powered explosions.

Early weaning might reduce the psychological strain of Boston bracing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Mikkel Ø; Andersen, Gert Rahbek; Thomsen, Karsten

2002-01-01

From 1983 to 1990 a total of 136 patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were treated with the Boston brace. With the aim of examining the social and psychological impact of the brace treatment all patients received a questionnaire at an average of 3.5 years after termination of the treatment...

Des gentrifieurs mobilisés. Les associations de quartier du South End à Boston The mobilised gentrifiers. The neighbourhood associations of South End, Boston

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sylvie Tissot

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Cet article porte sur un processus de gentrification dans un quartier d’une grande agglomération des États-Unis, Boston. Il montre que ce processus n’a pas seulement résulté de l’évolution des forces du marché et du retour des capitaux dans les centres-villes, des politiques de rénovation urbaine et de transformations culturelles. La mobilisation collective des nouveaux propriétaires a eu un impact décisif, via les associations de quartier dans lesquelles ils se sont engagés depuis les années 1960.This article concerns the process of gentrification in a district of a large urban area in the United States, Boston. It shows that this process has resulted not only from the evolution of market forces and the return of wealth to the inner cities, urban renewal policies and cultural transformations. The collective mobilisation of new property owners has also had a decisive impact, via the neighbourhood associations in which they have been involved since the 1960s.

The Path Forward: School Autonomy and Its Implications for the Future of Boston's Public Schools

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French, Dan; Miles, Karen Hawley; Nathan, Linda

2014-01-01

This study explores the question of how Boston Public Schools (BPS) can strengthen and support autonomy and accountability across its portfolio to promote innovation and expand access to equity and high performance. Some of the specific questions guiding this work are: (1) Should all schools within BPS operate within autonomous structures? (2) Is…

A DETERMINISTIC GEOMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF TEMPORAL RAINFALL: SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS FOR A STORM IN BOSTON. (R824780)

Science.gov (United States)

In an earlier study, Puente and Obregón [Water Resour. Res. 32(1996)2825] reported on the usage of a deterministic fractal–multifractal (FM) methodology to faithfully describe an 8.3 h high-resolution rainfall time series in Boston, gathered every 15 s ...

Air pollution in Boston bars before and after a smoking ban

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyde James N

2006-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background We quantified the air quality benefits of a smoke-free workplace law in Boston Massachusetts, U.S.A., by measuring air pollution from secondhand smoke (SHS in 7 pubs before and after the law, comparing actual ventilation practices to engineering society (ASHRAE recommendations, and assessing SHS levels using health and comfort indices. Methods We performed real-time measurements of respirable particle (RSP air pollution and particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PPAH, in 7 pubs and outdoors in a model-based design yielding air exchange rates for RSP removal. We also assessed ventilation rates from carbon dioxide concentrations. We compared RSP air pollution to the federal Air Quality Index (AQI and the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS to assess health risks, and assessed odor and irritation levels using published SHS-RSP thresholds. Results Pre-smoking-ban RSP levels in 6 pubs (one pub with a non-SHS air quality problem was excluded averaged 179 μg/m3, 23 times higher than post-ban levels, which averaged 7.7 μg/m3, exceeding the NAAQS for fine particle pollution (PM2.5 by nearly 4-fold. Pre-smoking ban levels of fine particle air pollution in all 7 of the pubs were in the Unhealthy to Hazardous range of the AQI. In the same 6 pubs, pre-ban indoor carcinogenic PPAH averaged 61.7 ng/m3, nearly 10 times higher than post-ban levels of 6.32 ng/m3. Post-ban particulate air pollution levels were in the Good AQI range, except for 1 venue with a defective gas-fired deep-fat fryer, while post-ban carcinogen levels in all 7 pubs were lower than outdoors. Conclusion During smoking, although pub ventilation rates per occupant were within ASHRAE design parameters for the control of carbon dioxide levels for the number of occupants present, they failed to control SHS carcinogens or RSP. Nonsmokers' SHS odor and irritation sensory thresholds were massively exceeded. Post-ban air pollution measurements showed 90% to 95

Air pollution in Boston bars before and after a smoking ban.

Science.gov (United States)

Repace, James L; Hyde, James N; Brugge, Doug

2006-10-27

We quantified the air quality benefits of a smoke-free workplace law in Boston Massachusetts, U.S.A., by measuring air pollution from secondhand smoke (SHS) in 7 pubs before and after the law, comparing actual ventilation practices to engineering society (ASHRAE) recommendations, and assessing SHS levels using health and comfort indices. We performed real-time measurements of respirable particle (RSP) air pollution and particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PPAH), in 7 pubs and outdoors in a model-based design yielding air exchange rates for RSP removal. We also assessed ventilation rates from carbon dioxide concentrations. We compared RSP air pollution to the federal Air Quality Index (AQI) and the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) to assess health risks, and assessed odor and irritation levels using published SHS-RSP thresholds. Pre-smoking-ban RSP levels in 6 pubs (one pub with a non-SHS air quality problem was excluded) averaged 179 microg/m3, 23 times higher than post-ban levels, which averaged 7.7 microg/m3, exceeding the NAAQS for fine particle pollution (PM2.5) by nearly 4-fold. Pre-smoking ban levels of fine particle air pollution in all 7 of the pubs were in the Unhealthy to Hazardous range of the AQI. In the same 6 pubs, pre-ban indoor carcinogenic PPAH averaged 61.7 ng/m3, nearly 10 times higher than post-ban levels of 6.32 ng/m3. Post-ban particulate air pollution levels were in the Good AQI range, except for 1 venue with a defective gas-fired deep-fat fryer, while post-ban carcinogen levels in all 7 pubs were lower than outdoors. During smoking, although pub ventilation rates per occupant were within ASHRAE design parameters for the control of carbon dioxide levels for the number of occupants present, they failed to control SHS carcinogens or RSP. Nonsmokers' SHS odor and irritation sensory thresholds were massively exceeded. Post-ban air pollution measurements showed 90% to 95% reductions in PPAH and RSP respectively, differing

Boston Community Information System 1986 Experimental Test Results.

Science.gov (United States)

1987-08-01

addicted partiipat.’ - 1031 ’Questions concerning application and cost’ - 1032 Of would like to have different background/foreground colors .... I am getting...admit I am an ’info junkie.’ I am addicted to Boston CommlnS. It has become so much apart of my dafl routine that the isses of the other 14 magazines and...8217Sports, Financial* - 106 eSports , Racing’ -1101 -Sports- - 1107 aStocks, sportas - 1109 aStocks’ - 1110 OFinascial, commercials - 1111 *sports

Processes influencing the transport and fate of contaminated sediments in the coastal ocean: Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay

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Alexander, P. Soupy; Baldwin, Sandra M.; Blackwood, Dann S.; Borden, Jonathan; Casso, Michael A.; Crusius, John; Goudreau, Joanne; Kalnejais, Linda H.; Lamothe, Paul J.; Martin, William R.; Martini, Marinna A.; Rendigs, Richard R.; Sayles, Frederick L.; Signell, Richard P.; Valentine, Page C.; Warner, John C.; Bothner, Michael H.; Butman, Bradford

2007-01-01

Most of the major urban centers of the United States including Boston, New York, Washington, Chicago, New Orleans, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle—are on a coast (fig. 1.1). All of these cities discharge treated sewage effluent into adjacent waters. In 2000, 74 percent of the U.S. population lived within 200 kilometers (km) of the coast. Between 1980 and 2002, the population density in coastal communities increased approximately 4.5 times faster than in noncoastal areas of the U.S. (Perkins, 2004). More people generate larger volumes of wastes, increase the demands on wastewater treatment, expand the area of impervious land surfaces, and use more vehicles that contribute contaminants to street runoff. According to the National Coastal Condition Report II (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2005a), on the basis of coastal habitat, water and sediment quality, benthic index, and fish tissue, the overall national coastal condition is only poor to fair and the overall coastal condition in the highly populated Northeast is poor. Scientific information helps managers to prioritize and regulate coastal-ocean uses that include recreation, commercial fishing, transportation, waste disposal, and critical habitat for marine organisms. These uses are often in conflict with each other and with environmental concerns. Developing a strategy for managing competing uses while maintaining sustainability of coastal resources requires scientific understanding of how the coastal ocean system behaves and how it responds to anthropogenic influences. This report provides a summary of a multidisciplinary research program designed to improve our understanding of the transport and fate of contaminants in Massachusetts coastal waters. Massachusetts Bay and Boston Harbor have been a focus of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research because they provide a diverse geographic setting for developing a scientific understanding of the geology, geochemistry, and oceanography of

From Boston to the Balkans: Olmsted’s Emerald Legacy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christina Luke

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This article explores the legacy of landscape architect Fredrick Law Olmsted on modern cultural tourism policies. The author explains the involvement of Olmsted in the founding of Yosemite National Park, and describes the influence of this experience on his later work on the Emerald Necklace parks project in Boston. This became a model for natural and cultural corridors worldwide, including those in the Balkans and Turkey.

"We make the path by walking it": building an academic community partnership with Boston Chinatown.

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Rubin, Carolyn Leung; Allukian, Nathan; Wang, Xingyue; Ghosh, Sujata; Huang, Chien-Chi; Wang, Jacy; Brugge, Doug; Wong, John B; Mark, Shirley; Dong, Sherry; Koch-Weser, Susan; Parsons, Susan K; Leslie, Laurel K; Freund, Karen M

2014-01-01

The potential for academic community partnerships are challenged in places where there is a history of conflict and mistrust. Addressing Disparities in Asian Populations through Translational Research (ADAPT) represents an academic community partnership between researchers and clinicians from Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University and community partners from Boston Chinatown. Based in principles of community-based participatory research and partnership research, this partnership is seeking to build a trusting relationship between Tufts and Boston Chinatown. This case study aims to provides a narrative story of the development and formation of ADAPT as well as discuss challenges to its future viability. Using case study research tools, this study draws upon a variety of data sources including interviews, program evaluation data and documents. Several contextual factors laid the foundation for ADAPT. Weaving these factors together helped to create synergy and led to ADAPT's formation. In its first year, ADAPT has conducted formative research, piloted an educational program for community partners and held stakeholder forums to build a broad base of support. ADAPT recognizes that long term sustainability requires bringing multiple stakeholders to the table even before a funding opportunity is released and attempting to build a diversified funding base.

The air quality impacts of road closures associated with the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clougherty Jane E

2006-05-01

measurable influence of DNC-related road closures on air quality patterns in the Boston area, and that a low-cost monitoring study combining passive badges for spatial heterogeneity and continuous monitors for temporal heterogeneity can provide useful insight for community air quality assessments.

Mapping carbon storage in urban trees with multi-source remote sensing data: Relationships between biomass, land use, and demographics in Boston neighborhoods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raciti, Steve M.; Hutyra, Lucy R.; Newell, Jared D.

2014-01-01

High resolution maps of urban vegetation and biomass are powerful tools for policy-makers and community groups seeking to reduce rates of urban runoff, moderate urban heat island effects, and mitigate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions. We developed a very high resolution map of urban tree biomass, assessed the scale sensitivities in biomass estimation, compared our results with lower resolution estimates, and explored the demographic relationships in biomass distribution across the City of Boston. We integrated remote sensing data (including LiDAR-based tree height estimates) and field-based observations to map canopy cover and aboveground tree carbon storage at ∼ 1 m spatial scale. Mean tree canopy cover was estimated to be 25.5 ± 1.5% and carbon storage was 355 Gg (28.8 Mg C ha −1 ) for the City of Boston. Tree biomass was highest in forest patches (110.7 Mg C ha −1 ), but residential (32.8 Mg C ha −1 ) and developed open (23.5 Mg C ha −1 ) land uses also contained relatively high carbon stocks. In contrast with previous studies, we did not find significant correlations between tree biomass and the demographic characteristics of Boston neighborhoods, including income, education, race, or population density. The proportion of households that rent was negatively correlated with urban tree biomass (R 2 = 0.26, p = 0.04) and correlated with Priority Planting Index values (R 2 = 0.55, p = 0.001), potentially reflecting differences in land management among rented and owner-occupied residential properties. We compared our very high resolution biomass map to lower resolution biomass products from other sources and found that those products consistently underestimated biomass within urban areas. This underestimation became more severe as spatial resolution decreased. This research demonstrates that 1) urban areas contain considerable tree carbon stocks; 2) canopy cover and biomass may not be related to the demographic characteristics of Boston

75 FR 62469 - Drawbridge Operation Regulations; Charles River, Boston, MA, Maintenance

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-12

... Operation Regulations; Charles River, Boston, MA, Maintenance AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Notice of... Craigie Bridge across the Charles River at mile 1.0, has a vertical clearance of 10.25 feet at normal pool... temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the Craigie Bridge across the Charles...

Do foreclosures affect Boston public school student academic performance?

OpenAIRE

Bradbury, Katharine L.; Burke, Mary A.; Triest, Robert K.

2013-01-01

Foreclosures have well-documented adverse consequences for families living in or owning properties undergoing foreclosure and on surrounding neighborhoods, but they may also have other costs. This policy brief summarizes our research on the impact of mortgage foreclosures on academic performance among Boston public school students. The data show that students who live at an address that experiences a foreclosure tend to score substantially lower on standardized tests (math and English) and al...

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Relevance Strategic Designs: 4. Boston Arts Academy

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

2008-01-01

This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Relevance Strategic Designs: 7. TechBoston Academy

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

2008-01-01

This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

Adjustment among children with relatives who participated in the manhunt following the Boston Marathon attack.

Science.gov (United States)

Comer, Jonathan S; Kerns, Caroline E; Elkins, R Meredith; Edson, Aubrey L; Chou, Tommy; Dantowitz, Annie; Miguel, Elizabeth; Brown, Bonnie; Coxe, Stefany; Green, Jennifer Greif

2014-07-01

Following the Boston Marathon attack, the extraordinary interagency manhunt and shelter-in-place made for a truly unprecedented experience for area families. Although research on Boston youth has found robust associations between manhunt-related experiences and post-attack functioning, such work does little to identify the specific needs of a particularly vulnerable population--i.e., children with a relative who participated in the manhunt. Understanding the adjustment of these youth is critical for informing clinical efforts. Survey of Boston-area parents/caretakers (N = 460) reporting on their child's attack/manhunt-related experiences, as well as psychosocial functioning in the first six post-attack months; analyses compared youth with and without a relative in law enforcement or the armed services who participated in the manhunt. The proportion of youth with likely PTSD was 5.7 times higher among youth with relatives in the manhunt than among youth without. After accounting for child demographics, blast exposure, and children's own exposure to manhunt events (e.g., hearing/seeing gunfire/explosions, having officers enter/search home), having a relative in the manhunt significantly predicted child PTSD symptoms, emotional symptoms, and hyperactivity/inattention. Fear during the manhunt that a loved one could be hurt mediated relationships between having a relative in the manhunt and clinical outcomes; living within the zone of greatest manhunt activity did not moderate observed relationships. Children with relatives called upon to participate in the unprecedented interagency manhunt following the Boston Marathon attack carried a particularly heavy mental health burden. Continued research is needed to clarify the clinical needs of youth with relatives in high-risk occupations. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Boat-Based Education for Boston Area Public Schools: Encouraging Marine Science and Technology Literacy and Awareness of the Coastal "Backyard"

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, E. M.; Reynolds, R. M.; Wright, A. K.; Deschenes, H. A.

2016-02-01

Half the global population lives within 60 km of the ocean, profoundly influencing environmental quality and services to local communities. Adoption of marine science curricula creates opportunities for educators and scientists to engage and entrain K-12 students as ocean stewards. In particular, boat-based science activities facilitate hands-on inquiry. These activities reinforce key science concepts while creating a tangible connection to our shared coastal "backyard." A collaboration between Zephyr Education Foundation, the New England Aquarium, the University of Massachusetts Boston and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has taken >500 Boston, MA area students from 26 public schools on boat-based education trips in Boston Harbor. Marine science and technology professionals and educators facilitate participatory activities using modern marine technology aboard a research vessel. Trips are funded at no cost to participants by a grant from the Richard Lounsbery Foundation; cost-free outings are essential for participation from underserved public school districts. Participants perceived three important outcomes of their outings: the trips 1) enhanced in-class curricular learning and improved marine science literacy 2) increased personal connections to local marine environments, and 3) increased interest in careers in marine science, including engineering and technical positions. Despite living in close proximity to water, this was the first boat outing for many students; boat-based education trips enhanced student awareness of local environments in a way that curricular study had not. Boston trip results are being evaluated, but 3000 evaluations from similar trips in Woods Hole, MA indicate that 98% of participants gained a better understanding and appreciation of the work conducted by marine scientists, engineers, and other professionals, and 82% said their experience made them more interested in becoming involved in science at school and/or as a job. In summary

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy: contributions from the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Riley, David O; Robbins, Clifford A; Cantu, Robert C; Stern, Robert A

2015-01-01

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with repetitive brain trauma (RBT). Initially described in boxers, CTE has now been found in other contact sport athletes with a history of RBT. In recent years, there has been tremendous media attention regarding CTE, primarily because of the deaths of high profile American football players who were found to have CTE upon neuropathological examination. However, the study of CTE remains in its infancy. This review focuses on research from the Centre for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) at Boston University. This study reviews the formation of the CSTE, major CSTE publications and current ongoing research projects at the CSTE. The neuropathology of CTE has been well-described. Current research focuses on: methods of diagnosing the disease during life (including the development of biomarkers), examination of CTE risk factors (including genetic susceptibility and head impact exposure variables); description of the clinical presentation of CTE; development of research diagnostic criteria for Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome; and assessment of mechanism and pathogenesis. Current research at the BU CSTE is aimed at increasing understanding of the long-term consequences of repetitive head impacts and attempting to begin to answer several of the unanswered questions regarding CTE.

Methane Emissions from Natural Gas in the Urban Region of Boston, Massachusetts

Science.gov (United States)

McKain, K.; Down, A.; Raciti, S. M.; Budney, J.; Hutyra, L.; Floerchinger, C. R.; Herndon, S. C.; Zahniser, M. S.; Nehrkorn, T.; Jackson, R. B.; Phillips, N. G.; Wofsy, S. C.

2014-12-01

Methane emissions from the natural gas supply chain must be quantified to assess environmental impacts of natural gas and to develop emission reduction strategies. We report natural gas emission rates for one year in the urban region of Boston, MA, using an atmospheric measurement and modeling framework. Continuous methane observations from four stations are combined with a high-resolution transport model to quantify the regional average emission rate, 20.6 ± 1.7 (95 % CI) g CH4 m-2 yr-1. Simultaneous observations of atmospheric ethane, compared with the ethane to methane ratio in pipeline gas, demonstrate that natural gas accounted for 58 - 100 % of methane emissions, depending on season. Using government statistics and geospatial data on energy consumption, we estimate the fractional loss rate to the atmosphere from all downstream components of the natural gas system, including transmission, distribution, and end-use, was 2.9 ± 0.3 % in the Boston urban region, compared to 1.1 % inferred by the Massachusetts greenhouse gas inventory.

GreenTalks at Boston Green Academy: Student Reflections on Performance Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Kuriacose, Christina

2017-01-01

In spring 2017, for the third year running, 10th graders at Boston Green Academy (BGA) presented GreenTalks, a showcase of research on food justice issues. The day Christina Kuriacose visited the school, students were presenting the PowerPoints they had put together. All of them included a map plotting out the proximity of their neighborhood or…

Application of Boston matrix combined with SWOT analysis on operational development and evaluations of hospital development.

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Z-Q; Shi, A-M

2016-05-01

The aim of this study is to explore the application of Boston matrix combined with SWOT analysis on operational development and evaluations of hospital departments. We selected 73 clinical and medical technology departments of our hospital from 2011 to 2013, and evaluated our hospital by Boston matrix combined with SWOT analysis according to the volume of services, medical quality, work efficiency, patients' evaluations, development capacity, operational capability, economic benefits, comprehensive evaluation of hospital achievement, innovation ability of hospital, influence of hospital, human resources of hospital, health insurance costs, etc. It was found that among clinical departments, there were 11 in Stars (22.4%), 17 in cash cow (34.7%), 15 in question marks (31.2%), 6 Dogs (12.2%), 16 in the youth stage of life cycle assessment (27.6%), 14 in the prime stage (24.1%), 12 in the stationary stage (20.7%), 9 in the aristocracy stage (15.5%) and 7 in the recession stage (12.1%). Among medical technology departments, there were 5 in Stars (20.8%), 1 in Cash cow (4.2%), 10 in question marks (41.6%), 8 Dogs (29.1%), 9 in the youth stage of life cycle assessment (37.5%), 4 in the prime stage (16.7%), 4 in the stable stage (16.7%), 1 in the aristocracy stage (4.2%) and 6 in the recession stage (25%). In conclusion, Boston matrix combined with SWOT analysis is suitable for operational development and comprehensive evaluations of hospital development, and it plays an important role in providing hospitals with development strategies.

Mapping carbon storage in urban trees with multi-source remote sensing data: Relationships between biomass, land use, and demographics in Boston neighborhoods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raciti, Steve M., E-mail: Steve.M.Raciti@Hofstra.edu [Department of Biology, Hofstra University, Gittleson Hall, Hempstead, NY 11549 (United States); Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215 (United States); Hutyra, Lucy R.; Newell, Jared D. [Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215 (United States)

2014-12-01

High resolution maps of urban vegetation and biomass are powerful tools for policy-makers and community groups seeking to reduce rates of urban runoff, moderate urban heat island effects, and mitigate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions. We developed a very high resolution map of urban tree biomass, assessed the scale sensitivities in biomass estimation, compared our results with lower resolution estimates, and explored the demographic relationships in biomass distribution across the City of Boston. We integrated remote sensing data (including LiDAR-based tree height estimates) and field-based observations to map canopy cover and aboveground tree carbon storage at ∼ 1 m spatial scale. Mean tree canopy cover was estimated to be 25.5 ± 1.5% and carbon storage was 355 Gg (28.8 Mg C ha{sup −1}) for the City of Boston. Tree biomass was highest in forest patches (110.7 Mg C ha{sup −1}), but residential (32.8 Mg C ha{sup −1}) and developed open (23.5 Mg C ha{sup −1}) land uses also contained relatively high carbon stocks. In contrast with previous studies, we did not find significant correlations between tree biomass and the demographic characteristics of Boston neighborhoods, including income, education, race, or population density. The proportion of households that rent was negatively correlated with urban tree biomass (R{sup 2} = 0.26, p = 0.04) and correlated with Priority Planting Index values (R{sup 2} = 0.55, p = 0.001), potentially reflecting differences in land management among rented and owner-occupied residential properties. We compared our very high resolution biomass map to lower resolution biomass products from other sources and found that those products consistently underestimated biomass within urban areas. This underestimation became more severe as spatial resolution decreased. This research demonstrates that 1) urban areas contain considerable tree carbon stocks; 2) canopy cover and biomass may not be related to the demographic

75 FR 38411 - Drawbridge Operation Regulations; Charles River, Boston, MA, Public Event

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2010-07-02

... Operation Regulations; Charles River, Boston, MA, Public Event AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Notice of..., telephone 202-366-9826. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Craigie Bridge, across the Charles River at mile 1.0... elevation above the Charles River Dam. The existing drawbridge operation regulations are listed at 33 CFR...

Five year outcomes of Boston type I keratoprosthesis as primary versus secondary penetrating corneal procedure in a matched case control study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kai B Kang

Full Text Available Despite improved retention and reduced complication rates paving the way for the current expansion of applications and surge in prevalence for the Boston type I Keratoprosthesis (KPro, the most frequent indication for its implantation today remains prior graft failure. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the long-term outcomes of primary KPro and compare to secondary implantation in a matched cohort study. This study included patients who underwent KPro implantation in a single center by two surgeons between July 2008 and October 2014. All eyes with KPro implantation as the primary procedure with a minimum follow up of 12 months were matched with eyes with same preoperative diagnoses that underwent secondary KPro implantation. Main outcomes included visual acuity and device retention. A total of 56 eyes were included with 28 eyes in each group. Mean follow up was 5.0 years for both groups. Twenty-nine percent (8 of the eyes in the primary group had a diagnosis of chemical or thermal injuries, 25% (7 aniridia, 18% (5 autoimmune disease, 4% (1 infectious keratitis/neurotrophic cornea, 7% (2 gelatinous corneal dystrophy, 7% (2 ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia/limbal stem cell deficiency, and 11% (3 uveitis/hypotony. Sixty-one percent (17 of the eyes in the primary group and 39% (11 in the secondary group maintained a final best-corrected visual acuity of 20/200 or better at a mean follow up of 5.0 years; the probability of maintaining best-corrected vision is 0.83 and 0.49 for primary and secondary groups at 5.0 years (p = 0.02. There is no statistically significant difference between groups in device retention (p = 0.22 or postoperative complication rates (p >0.05. This study demonstrates that Boston KPro implantation may be successful as a primary procedure in patients at high risk of failure with traditional penetrating keratoplasty. The device has a good long-term retention rate and visual outcomes are promising however a larger study is

33 CFR 165.114 - Safety and Security Zones: Escorted Vessels-Boston Harbor, Massachusetts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Safety and Security Zones... COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) PORTS AND WATERWAYS SAFETY REGULATED NAVIGATION... Guard District § 165.114 Safety and Security Zones: Escorted Vessels—Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. (a...

Adsorption behavior of ammonium by a bioadsorbent - Boston ivy leaf powder

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Haiwei Liu; Yuanhua Dong; Haiyun Wang; Yun Liu

2010-01-01

The adsorption behaviors of ammonium ions from aqueous solution by a novel bioadsorbent,the Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) leaf powder (BPTL) were investigated.The SEM images and FT-IR spectra were used to characterize BPTL.The mathematical models were used to analyze the adsorption kinetics and isotherms.The optimum pH range for ammonium adsorption by BPTL was found to be 5-10.The adsorption reached equilibrium at 14 hr,and the kinetic data were well fitted by the Logistic model.The intraparticle diffusion was the main rate-controlling step of the adsorption process.The high temperature was favorableto the ammonium adsorption by BPTL,indicating that the adsorption was endothermic.The adsorption equilibrium fitted well to both the Langrnuir model and Freundlich model,and the maximum monolayer adsorption capacities calculated from Langmuir model were 3.37,5.28 and 6.59 mg N/g at 15,25 and 35℃,respectively,which were comparable to those by reported minerals.Both the separation factor (RL) from the Langmuir model and Freundlich exponent (n) suggested that the ammonium adsorption by BPTL was favorable.Therefore,the Boston ivy leaf powder could be considered a novel bioadsorbent for ammonium removal from aqueous solution.

Bluff evolution along coastal drumlins: Boston Harbor Islands, Massachusetts

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Himmelstoss, E.A.; FitzGerald, D.M.; Rosen, P.S.; Allen, J.R.

2006-01-01

A series of partially drowned drumlins forms the backbone of the inner islands within Boston Harbor. The shoreline of these rounded glacial deposits is composed of actively retreating bluffs formed by continual wave attack. Comparisons of bluffs reveal variability in their height and lateral extent, as well as in the dominant mechanism causing their retreat. Two processes are responsible for bluff erosion and yield distinct bluff morphologies: (1) wave attack undercuts the bluff and causes episodic slumping, yielding planar bluff slopes, and (2) subaerial processes such as rainfall create irregular slopes characterized by rills and gullies. We propose a model of drumlin bluff evolution that is based on processes of erosion and physical characteristics such as bluff height, slope morphology, and the orientation of the bluff with respect to the long axis of the drumlin and its topographic crest. The four phases of drumlin bluff evolution consist of (1) initial formation of bluff, with retreat dominated by wave notching and slumping processes; (2) rill and gully development as bluff heights exceed 10 m and slumped sediment at bluff base inhibits wave attack; (3) return of wave notching and slumping as bluff heights decrease; and (4) final development of boulder retreat lag as last remnants of drumlin are eroded by wave action. These phases capture the important physical processes of drumlin evolution in Boston Harbor and could apply to other eroding coastal drumlin deposits.

33 CFR 165.116 - Safety and Security Zones; Salem and Boston Harbors, Massachusetts.

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2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Safety and Security Zones; Salem..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) PORTS AND WATERWAYS SAFETY REGULATED NAVIGATION AREAS AND LIMITED... § 165.116 Safety and Security Zones; Salem and Boston Harbors, Massachusetts. (a) Location. The...

Bus Rapid Transit system’s influence on urban development: An inquiry to Boston and Seoul BRT systems’ technical characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Prayogi, Lutfi

2018-03-01

This article explores the relation between bus rapid transit (BRT) system and urban development. This article was written through a multi-staged comprehensive literature review. It includes a general overview of widely acknowledged BRT technical characteristics. It explains the approach taken in understanding the relation between BRT system provision and urban development around the system. Findings regarding the influence of Boston Silver Line 4 and 5 and Seoul BRT systems on urban development around the systems are quoted and used as case studies. Investigation on the technical characteristics of Boston SL4/5 and Seoul BRT systems are provided. This article shows that the two BRT systems that influence urban development around the systems have technical characteristics that enable the BRT systems to have high performance. However, while the quoted BRT systems can influence urban development, they have significantly different performance.

Infectious endophthalmitis in Boston keratoprosthesis: incidence and prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Behlau, Irmgard; Martin, Kathryn V; Martin, Jacqueline N; Naumova, Elena N; Cadorette, James J; Sforza, J Tammy; Pineda, Roberto; Dohlman, Claes H

2014-11-01

To determine the cumulative worldwide incidence of infectious endophthalmitis and associated vision loss after Boston keratoprosthesis (B-KPro) Type I/II implantation and to propose both safe and inexpensive prophylactic antibiotic regimens. Two retrospective methods were used to determine the incidence, visual outcomes and aetiologies of infectious endophthalmitis associated with the B-KPro divided per decade: (i) systematic review of the literature from 1990 through January 2013 and (ii) a surveillance survey sent to all surgeons who implanted B-KPros through 2010 with 1-year minimum follow-up. In addition, a single-Boston surgeon 20-year experience was examined. From 1990 through 2010, there were 4729 B-KPros implanted worldwide by 209 U.S. surgeons and 159 international surgeons. The endophthalmitis cumulative mean incidence declined from 12% during its first decade of use to about 3% during its second decade in the Unites States and about 5% internationally during the second decade. There remains a large incidence range both in the United States (1-12.5%) and internationally (up to 17%). Poor compliance with daily topical antibiotics is an important risk factor. While Gram-positive organisms remained dominant, fungal infections emerged during the second decade. Daily prophylactic topical antibiotics have dramatically reduced the endophthalmitis incidence. Although Gram-positive organisms are the most common aetiology, antimicrobials must be inclusive of Gram-negative organisms. Selection of prophylactic regimens should be tailored to local antibiotic susceptibility patterns, be cost-effective, and should not promote the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. An example of a broad-spectrum, low-cost prophylactic option for non-autoimmune patients includes trimethoprim/polymyxinB once daily. © 2014 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Avalonian (Pan-African) mylonitic deformation west of Boston, U.S.A.

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Rast, N.; Skehan, J. W.

1995-07-01

West of Boston, Mass., Castle and others (1976) recognized an up to 5km wide, possibly folded, NE-SW trending Burlington Mylonite Zone. We have extended mapping south into Natick and Framington quadrangles, and supplemented it by fixing local directions of tectonic motion, which are more variable than reported by Goldstein (1989). In Natick the mylonite zone is partly migmatized and converted into blastomylonites, forming the lithodemic Rice Gneiss and is intersected by the Dedham Granite dated ca 630 Ma. The granite also invades deformed, folded, and commonly mylonitized Westboro Quartzite. Thus mylonitization, folding, and formation of migmatitic blastomylonites are all earlier than ca 630 Ma, and can collectively be attributed to the main phase of the Avalonian orogeny that in Africa is referred to as the Pan-African I. The sense of movements in the Rice Gneiss is generally sinistral strike-slip with a NE-SW trend of foliation. Other local mylonites have more variable directions of motion. A narrower E-W zone of mylonitization has been recognized by Grimes (M.S. thesis 1993, Boston College) and named the Nobscot Shear Zone. It affects the Milford Granite, also about 630 Ma in age, while similar but narrow shear zones affect other local granites including the Dedham. These zones, dipping steeply north and including the Nobscot, are less intensely mylonitized and are not associated with migmatites. Their age is not known, but since they affect only Precambrian rocks, they are assumed to be late Proterozoic. We attribute these zones to the second stage of the Avalonian or the Pan-African II. The older rocks west of Boston are widely affected by numerous brittle faults. These are all of unknown age, but probably Phanerozoic. The most significant brittle fault in the Burlington area is the mid to late Paleozoic Bloody Bluff Fault. We do not associate large scale mylonitization with that fault, because the mylonites are commonly cut by undeformed or little deformed

In vivo operation of the Boston 15-channel wireless subretinal visual prosthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Shire, Douglas B.; Doyle, Patrick; Kelly, Shawn K.; Gingerich, Marcus D.; Chen, Jinghua; Cogan, Stuart F.; Drohan, William A.; Mendoza, Oscar; Theogarajan, Luke; Wyatt, John; Rizzo, Joseph F.

2010-02-01

This presentation concerns the engineering development of the Boston visual prosthesis for restoring useful vision to patients blind with degenerative retinal disease. A miniaturized, hermetically-encased, 15-channel wirelessly-operated retinal prosthetic was developed for implantation and pre-clinical studies in Yucatan mini-pig animal models. The prosthesis conforms to the eye and drives a microfabricated polyimide stimulating electrode array having sputtered iridium oxide electrodes. This array is implanted into the subretinal space using a specially-designed ab externo surgical technique; the bulk of the prosthesis is on the surface of the sclera. The implanted device includes a hermetic titanium case containing a 15-channel stimulator chip; secondary power/data receiving coils surround the cornea. Long-term in vitro pulse testing was also performed on the electrodes to ensure their stability over years of operation. Assemblies were first tested in vitro to verify wireless operation of the system in biological saline using a custom RF transmitter circuit and primary coils. Stimulation pulse strength, duration and frequency were programmed wirelessly using a computer with a custom graphical user interface. Operation of the retinal implant was verified in vivo in 3 minipigs for more than three months by measuring stimulus artifacts on the eye surface using contact lens electrodes.

The Lowells of Boston and the Founding of University Extension at Harvard

Science.gov (United States)

Shinagel, Michael

2009-01-01

In this article, the author uses the occasion of the centennial of University Extension at Harvard to document how this unique educational institution came into being and why it became associated with Harvard University. He traces the prominent role played by the Lowell family in establishing the Lowell Institute of Boston in the late 1830s and…

Boston College Sees a Sharp Drop in Applications after Adding an Essay

Science.gov (United States)

Hoover, Eric

2013-01-01

Boston College saw a 26-percent decrease in applications this year, a drop officials largely attribute to a new essay requirement. Last year the private Jesuit institution received a record 34,051 applications for 2,250 spots in its freshman class. This year approximately 25,000 students applied, and all of them had to do one thing their…

Characterization of retrokeratoprosthetic membranes in the Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Stacy, Rebecca C; Jakobiec, Frederick A; Michaud, Norman A; Dohlman, Claes H; Colby, Kathryn A

2011-03-01

To evaluate retroprosthetic membranes that can occur in 25% to 65% of patients with the Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis (KPro). Two patients with Peter anomaly and 2 with neurotrophic scarred corneas underwent revisions of their type 1 KPros because of visually compromising retroprosthetic membranes. The excised membranes were studied by light microscopy with hematoxylin-eosin, periodic acid-Schiff, and toluidine blue stains. Immunohistochemical and transmission electron microscopic examination were also used. Light microscopic examination revealed that the retro-KPro fibrous membranes originated from the host's corneal stroma. These mildly to moderately vascularized membranes grew through gaps in the Descemet membrane to reach behind the KPro back plate and adhere to the anterior iris surface, which had undergone partial lysis. In 2 cases, the fibrous membranes merged at the pupil with matrical portions of metaplastic lens epithelium, forming a bilayered structure that crossed the optical axis. Retro-KPro membranes stained positively for α-smooth muscle actin but negatively for pancytokeratin. Electron microscopy confirmed the presence of actin filaments within myofibroblasts and small surviving clusters of metaplastic lens epithelial cells. Stromal downgrowth, rather than epithelial downgrowth, was the major element of the retro-KPro membranes in this series. Metaplastic lens epithelium also contributed to opacification of the visual axis. Florid membranous inflammation was not a prominent finding and thus probably not a requisite stimulus for membrane development. Further advances in prosthetic design and newer antifibroproliferative agents may reduce membrane formation.

Evaluation of the Environmental Scoring System in Multiple Child Asthma Intervention Programs in Boston, Massachusetts.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Zhao; Nath, Anjali; Guo, Jing; Bhaumik, Urmi; Chin, May Y; Dong, Sherry; Marshall, Erica; Murphy, Johnna S; Sandel, Megan T; Sommer, Susan J; Ursprung, W W Sanouri; Woods, Elizabeth R; Reid, Margaret; Adamkiewicz, Gary

2018-01-01

To test the applicability of the Environmental Scoring System, a quick and simple approach for quantitatively measuring environmental triggers collected during home visits, and to evaluate its contribution to improving asthma outcomes among various child asthma programs. We pooled and analyzed data from multiple child asthma programs in the Greater Boston Area, Massachusetts, collected in 2011 to 2016, to examine the association of environmental scores (ES) with measures of asthma outcomes and compare the results across programs. Our analysis showed that demographics were important contributors to variability in asthma outcomes and total ES, and largely explained the differences among programs at baseline. Among all programs in general, we found that asthma outcomes were significantly improved and total ES significantly reduced over visits, with the total Asthma Control Test score negatively associated with total ES. Our study demonstrated that the Environmental Scoring System is a useful tool for measuring home asthma triggers and can be applied regardless of program and survey designs, and that demographics of the target population may influence the improvement in asthma outcomes.

An update on the Boston Marathon as a research laboratory.

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Panza, Gregory A; Taylor, Beth A; Zaleski, Amanda L; Thompson, Paul D

2015-07-01

The Boston Athletic Association's annual marathon, also referred to as BAA in this article, continues to be a source of subjects for exercise and endurance performance research. We performed a systematic literature review of BAA studies published in the 7 years since our prior report. We identified 20 articles published from January 2008 to February 2015. Nine were related to cardiology; six were related to exercise physiology; four were related to metabolism; and one was related to marathon qualifying times. As in our prior, report cardiovascular studies remained the dominant topic, but with risk factors for atherosclerosis and thrombosis as the present focus. Cardiac issues remain the largest subject area for BAA studies, but with more emphasis on the effect of prolonged exercise on atherosclerotic and thrombotic risk factors. This shift is associated with an increase in marathon participation by older, recreational runners at increased risk of cardiac complications due to exercise.

76 FR 55161 - Boston and Maine Corporation-Abandonment Exemption-Middlesex County, Mass.; Springfield Terminal...

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2011-09-06

...\\ Docket No. AB 355; Sub-No. 39X] Boston and Maine Corporation--Abandonment Exemption--Middlesex County, Mass.; Springfield Terminal Railway Company; Discontinuance of Service Exemption; Middlesex County, MA... Middlesex County, Mass. The line traverses United States Postal Service Zip Codes 02471 and 02138...

75 FR 21367 - Advanced Electronics, Inc.; Boston, MA; Notice of Negative Determination on Remand

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-23

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-59,517] Advanced Electronics, Inc... Employees of Advanced Electronics, Inc. v. United States Secretary of Labor (Court No. 06-00337). On July 18... former workers of Advanced Electronics, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts (subject firm). The Department's...

The Past Is Never Dead—Measles Epidemic, Boston, Massachusetts, 1713

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2015-08-04

Dr. David Morens reads excerpts from his essay about Cotton Mather’s diary, which details the experience and tragedy of the measles outbreak in Boston, Massachusetts in 1713.  Created: 8/4/2015 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).   Date Released: 8/4/2015.

The flowering of pathology as a medical discipline in Boston, 1892-c.1950: W.T. Councilman, FB Mallory, JH Wright, SB Wolbach and their descendants.

Science.gov (United States)

Louis, David N; O'Brien, Michael J; Young, Robert H

2016-09-01

During most of the nineteenth century, the discipline of pathology in Boston made substantial strides as a result of physicians and surgeons who practiced pathology on a part-time basis. The present essay tells the subsequent story, beginning in 1892, when full-time pathologists begin to staff the medical schools and hospitals of Boston. Three individuals from this era deserve special mention: William T Councilman, Frank Burr Mallory and James Homer Wright, with Councilman remembered primarily as a visionary and teacher, Mallory as a trainer of many pathologists, and Wright as a scientist. Together with S Burt Wolbach in the early-to-mid-twentieth century, these pathologists went on to train the next generation of pathologists-a generation that then populated the various hospitals that were developed in Boston in the early 1900s. This group of seminal pathologists in turn formed the diagnostically strong, academically productive, pathology departments that grew in Boston over the remainder of the twentieth century.

Policing Fish at Boston's Museum of Science: Studying Audiovisual Interaction in the Wild.

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Goldberg, Hannah; Sun, Yile; Hickey, Timothy J; Shinn-Cunningham, Barbara; Sekuler, Robert

2015-08-01

Boston's Museum of Science supports researchers whose projects advance science and provide educational opportunities to the Museum's visitors. For our project, 60 visitors to the Museum played "Fish Police!!," a video game that examines audiovisual integration, including the ability to ignore irrelevant sensory information. Players, who ranged in age from 6 to 82 years, made speeded responses to computer-generated fish that swam rapidly across a tablet display. Responses were to be based solely on the rate (6 or 8 Hz) at which a fish's size modulated, sinusoidally growing and shrinking. Accompanying each fish was a task-irrelevant broadband sound, amplitude modulated at either 6 or 8 Hz. The rates of visual and auditory modulation were either Congruent (both 6 Hz or 8 Hz) or Incongruent (6 and 8 or 8 and 6 Hz). Despite being instructed to ignore the sound, players of all ages responded more accurately and faster when a fish's auditory and visual signatures were Congruent. In a controlled laboratory setting, a related task produced comparable results, demonstrating the robustness of the audiovisual interaction reported here. Some suggestions are made for conducting research in public settings.

The Morris Nathanson Design Collection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher Muller

2013-07-01

Full Text Available For more than a half century, Morris Nathanson has been at the forefront of creative interior design for the hospitality industry. He has nurtured, trained, and mentored scores of designers and project managers, while helping to launch the concept and brand development for dozens of landmark restaurant companies. Several images are reproduced from a vast collection of original drawings that have been donated to Boston University.

Immigration, Suicidal Ideation and Deliberate Self-Injury in the Boston Youth Survey 2006

Science.gov (United States)

Borges, Guilherme; Azrael, Deborah; Almeida, Joanna; Johnson, Renee M.; Molnar, Beth E.; Hemenway, David; Miller, Matthew

2011-01-01

The prevalence and immigration-related correlates of deliberate self-injury (DSI) and suicidal ideation (SI) were estimated in a sample of Boston public high school students in 2006. Compared with U.S.-born youth, immigrant youth were not at increased risk for DSI or SI, even if they had experienced discrimination due to their ancestry. By…

Distracted Biking: An Observational Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolfe, Elizabeth Suzanne; Arabian, Sandra Strack; Breeze, Janis L; Salzler, Matthew J

2016-01-01

Commuting via bicycle is a very popular mode of transportation in the Northeastern United States. Boston, MA, has seen a rapid increase in bicycle ridership over the past decade, which has raised concerns and awareness about bicycle safety. An emerging topic in this field is distracted bicycle riding. This study was conducted to provide descriptive data on the prevalence and type of distracted bicycling in Boston at different times of day. This was a cross-sectional study in which observers tallied bicyclists at 4 high traffic intersections in Boston during various peak commuting hours for 2 types of distractions: auditory (earbuds/phones in or on ears), and visual/tactile (electronic device or other object in hand). Nineteen hundred seventy-four bicyclists were observed and 615 (31.2%), 95% CI [29, 33%], were distracted. Of those observed, auditory distractions were the most common (N = 349; 17.7%), 95% CI [16, 19], p = .0003, followed by visual/tactile distractions (N = 266; 13.5%), 95% CI [12, 15]. The highest proportion (40.7%), 95% CI [35, 46], of distracted bicyclists was observed during the midday commute (between 13:30 and 15:00). Distracted bicycling is a prevalent safety concern in the city of Boston, as almost a third of all bicyclists exhibited distracted behavior. Education and public awareness campaigns should be designed to decrease distracted bicycling behaviors and promote bicycle safety in Boston. An awareness of the prevalence of distracted biking can be utilized to promote bicycle safety campaigns dedicated to decreasing distracted bicycling and to provide a baseline against which improvements can be measured.

Validation of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire in Russia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. G. Yusupova

2018-01-01

Full Text Available International scales and questionnaires have become widespread in Russian neurology. Validation is a procedure of top priority necessary before applying this kind of diagnostic instrument in Russian-speaking population. In this article, validation of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ intended for patients with this disease is described. Use of validated Russian version would allow to objectively evaluate severity of clinical manifestations of carpal tunnel syndrome and follow patient dynamics. We present the official BCTQ version recommended for use in Russia, as well as data that showed high sensitivity and reliability of this instrument for clinical evaluation of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Report on a Boston University Conference December 7-8, 2012 on "How Can the History and Philosophy of Science Contribute to Contemporary US Science Teaching?"

Science.gov (United States)

Garik, Peter; Benétreau-Dupin, Yann

2014-01-01

This is an editorial report on the outcomes of an international conference sponsored by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) (REESE-1205273) to the School of Education at Boston University and the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University for a conference titled: "How Can the History and Philosophy of…

Characterization of particulate and gas exposures of sensitive subpopulations living in Baltimore and Boston.

Science.gov (United States)

Koutrakis, Petros; Suh, Helen H; Sarnat, Jeremy A; Brown, Kathleen Ward; Coull, Brent A; Schwartz, Joel

2005-12-01

Personal exposures to particulate and gaseous pollutants and corresponding ambient concentrations were measured for 56 subjects living in Baltimore, Maryland, and 43 subjects living in Boston, Massachusetts. The 3 Baltimore cohorts consisted of 20 healthy older adults (seniors), 21 children, and 15 individuals with physician-diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD*). The 2 Boston cohorts were 20 healthy seniors and 23 children. All children were 9 to 13 years of age; seniors were 65 years of age or older; and the COPD participants had moderate to severe physician-diagnosed COPD. Personal exposures to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 microm (PM2.5), sulfate (SO(4)2-), elemental carbon (EC), ozone (03), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) were measured simultaneously for 24 hours/day. All subjects were monitored for 8 to 12 consecutive days. The primary objectives of this study were (1) to characterize the personal particulate and gaseous exposures for individuals sensitive to PM health effects and (2) to assess the appropriateness of exposure assessment strategies for use in PM epidemiologic studies. Personal exposures to multiple pollutants and ambient concentrations were measured for subjects from each cohort from each location. Pollutant data were analyzed using correlation and mixed-model regression analyses. In Baltimore, personal PM2.5 exposures tended to be comparable to (and frequently lower than) corresponding ambient concentrations; in Boston, the personal exposures were frequently higher. Overall, personal exposures to the gaseous pollutants, especially O3 and SO2, were considerably lower than corresponding ambient concentrations because of the lack of indoor sources for these gases and their high removal rate on indoor surfaces. Further, the impact of ambient particles on personal exposure (the infiltration factor) and differences in infiltration factor by city, season, and cohort were investigated

75 FR 42814 - Boston & Maine Corporation―Abandonment Exemption―in Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk Counties, MA

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-22

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. AB 32 (Sub-No. 71X)] Boston & Maine Corporation[horbar]Abandonment Exemption[horbar]in Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk Counties, MA..., extending from milepost 2.69 to milepost 12.43, in Saugus, Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk Counties, Mass. The...

The Relationship Between Neighborhood Socioeconomic Characteristics and Physical Inactivity Among Adolescents Living in Boston, Massachusetts

Science.gov (United States)

Molnar, Beth E.; Cradock, Angie; Kawachi, Ichiro

2014-01-01

Objectives. We sought to determine whether the socioeconomic environment was associated with no participation in physical activity among adolescents in Boston, Massachusetts. Methods. We used cross-sectional data from 1878 urban adolescents living in 38 neighborhoods who participated in the 2008 Boston Youth Survey, a biennial survey of high school students (aged 14–19 years). We used multilevel multiple regression models to determine the association between neighborhood-level exposures of economic deprivation, social fragmentation, social cohesion, danger and disorder, and students’ reports of no participation in physical activity in the previous week. Results. High social fragmentation within the residential neighborhood was associated with an increased likelihood of being inactive (odds ratio = 1.53; 95% confidence interval = 1.14, 2.05). No other neighborhood exposures were associated with physical inactivity. Conclusions. Social fragmentation might be an important correlate of physical inactivity among youths living in urban settings. Interventions might be needed to assist youths living in unstable neighborhoods to be physically active. PMID:25211727

Long-term impact of a chef on school lunch consumption: findings from a 2-year pilot study in Boston middle schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Juliana F W; Smit, Liesbeth A; Parker, Ellen; Austin, S Bryn; Frazier, A Lindsay; Economos, Christina D; Rimm, Eric B

2012-06-01

School cafeterias can play an important role in providing healthy meals. Although schools participating in the National School Lunch Program are required to meet minimum program standards, advocates recommend that innovations be sought to enhance menu dietary quality. This study evaluated the Chef Initiative, a 2-year pilot study in two Boston middle schools, designed to increase the availability and consumption of healthier school foods. Between 2007 and 2009, a professional chef trained cafeteria staff to prepare healthier school lunches (ie, more whole grains, fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables, and less sugar, salt, saturated fats, and trans fats). Meal nutrient compositions were monitored from 2007 to 2009, and a plate waste study conducted in the spring of 2009 compared food selection and consumption patterns among students at Chef Initiative schools, with students receiving standard school lunches at two matched control schools. Paired t tests and descriptive statistics were used to examine differences in menus and mixed-model analysis of variance was used to analyze differences in students' food selection and consumption between Chef Initiative and control schools. Overall, the Chef Initiative schools provided healthier lunches and the percent of foods consumed at Chef Initiative and control schools were similar (61.6% vs 57.3%; P=0.63). Of the areas targeted, there was greater whole-grain selection and vegetable consumption; 51% more students selected whole grains (P=0.02) and students consumed 0.36 more vegetable servings/day (P=0.01) at Chef Initiative schools. The potential of chefs collaborating with cafeteria staff to improve the availability, selection, and consumption of healthier meals is promising. Copyright © 2012 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Do Foreclosures Affect Boston Public School Student Academic Performance? Public Policy Brief No. 13-5

Science.gov (United States)

Bradbury, Katharine; Burke, Mary A.; Triest, Robert K.

2013-01-01

Foreclosures have well-documented adverse consequences for families living in or owning properties undergoing foreclosure and on surrounding neighborhoods, but they may also have other costs. This policy brief summarizes our research on the impact of mortgage foreclosures on academic performance among Boston public school students. The data show…

A District-Wide Approach to Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Practices in the Boston Public Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Rose, Colin; Issa, Mwalimu Donkor

2018-01-01

Boston Public Schools' system-wide professional development on culturally and linguistically sustaining practices (CLSP) creates consistent expectations for educators to address their biases, build relationships with students and parents, and improve instruction--and gives them the tools to do so. In this article, the authors touch on changes at…

78 FR 35790 - Safety Zones; Recurring Events in Captain of the Port Boston Zone

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-14

..., Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-9826. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Table of Acronyms... three new permanent safety zones; (6.5) Hull Youth Football Carnival Fireworks, (8.8) The Boston....1' W. 42[deg]15.4' N, 070[deg]47.9' W. 42[deg]15.4' N, 070[deg]47.8' W. 6.5 Hull Youth Football...

Using the Boston Matrix at Identification of the Corporate Life Cycle Stage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zdeněk Konečný

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The main aim of this article is to develop a new model supporting the identification of the particular corporate life stage within the corporate life cycle. This model will be derived from the Boston matrix. The main reason for using this approach as the base for making new model of the corporate life cycle is the fact, that every quadrant of the Boston matrix can be assigned to one phase of the product life cycle and there is supposed, that the phase, in which are most products, determines the phase of the corporate life cycle. For application the Boston matrix by identification phases of the corporate life cycle is necessary to define low and high values of both its variables using some quantities from the model of corporate- and market life cycle by Reiners (2004. So the interval of low and high sales growth is determined by comparing sales of the company and sales of the market and furthermore, there is considered the rate of inflation to eliminate the impact of price changes. And for determination low and high market shares, there are compared the shares of sales and shares of total assets. After that, there will be possible to identify all the quadrants and thus all the individual phases unequivocally, which is the basic advantage compared to most existing models of the corporate life cycle. The following aim of this article is to compare the occurrence of individual phases, identified by this modified model, depending on the sector sensitivity to the economic cycle, measured by the coefficient of correlation between sales on the market and GDP. There are selected two sectors of the Czech economy, namely one cyclical and one neutral sector. Subsequently there is selected a sample of companies from both these sectors. The data are collected from financial statements of companies and from analytical materials by the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade and by the Czech Statistical Office. On the basis of this research, there were recorded

CALIBRATION/VALIDATION OF LANDSAT-DERIVED OCEAN COLOUR PRODUCTS IN BOSTON HARBOUR

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N. Pahlevan

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The Landsat data archive provides a unique opportunity to investigate the long-term evolution of coastal ecosystems at fine spatial scales that cannot be resolved by ocean colour (OC satellite sensors. Recognizing Landsat’s limitations in applications over coastal waters, we have launched a series of field campaigns in Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay (MA, USA to validate OC products derived from Landsat-8. We will provide a preliminary demonstration on the calibration/validation of the existing OC algorithms (atmospheric correction and in-water optical properties to enhance monitoring efforts in Boston Harbor. To do so, Landsat optical images were first compared against ocean colour products over high-latitude regions. The in situ cruise data, including optical data (remote sensing reflectance and water samples were analyzed to obtain insights into the optical and biogeochemical properties of near-surface waters. Along with the cruise data, three buoys were deployed in three locations across the Harbor to complement our database of concentrations of chlorophyll a, total suspended solids (TSS, and absorption of colour dissolved organic matter (CDOM. The data collected during the first year of the project are used to develop and/or tune OC algorithms. The data will be combined with historic field data to map in-water constituents back to the early 1990’s. This paper presents preliminary analysis of some of the data collected under Landsat-8 overpasses.

Túnel bajo el puerto de Boston

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Editorial, Equipo

1963-05-01

Full Text Available The new tunnel under Boston harbour has been constructed because of the insufficient capacity of a similar, earlier, tunnel to cope with the ever increasing road traffic. This tunnel is 1,550 ms long, and 9.50 ms in external diameter. There are two traffic lanes, each 3.20 ms wide. Inside it is faced with ceramic tiles, has fluorescent lighting, and ventilation is maintained by means of two ducts, one at each entrance, where the necessary compressor and other equipment has been situated. The most interesting feature of this important project is the excavation method adopted for its construction: the tunnel crosses a clay layer, which at certain places is sufficiently fluid to allow a pneumatic shield to be forced through it leaving hardly any debris behind. It will be readily appreciated that this procedure shows an obvious advantage over ordinary methods, in which it is necessary to cut out, and transport to the exterior all the excavated material. The metal sheathing was by the Commercial Shearing and Stamping Co., Youngstown, Ohio.Este nuevo túnel, bajo el puerto de Boston, es una consecuencia de la necesidad imperiosa que se hacía sentir dada la insuficiente capacidad del otro túnel similar antiguo y el aumento continuo del tráfico urbano y por carretera. Tiene 1.550 m de longitud, 9,50 m de diámetro exterior y una calzada con dos bandas de circulación de 3,20 m de anchura cada una. Está revestido ccn baldosa cerámica, iluminado con luz fluorescente, y el aire viciado se ventila y renueva por medio de dos torres de ventilación—una en cada portal—, en las que se han instalado el equipo mecánico adecuado de ventilación y compresores. La parte más interesante de esta importante obra estriba en los procedimientos empleados para llevar a cabo la excavación, pues atraviesa un banco de arcilla que, en ciertos tramos, es suficientemente fluida para permitir dejarse empujar y ceder paso a un escudo neumático que avanza sin apenas

No difference in urinary iodine concentrations between Boston-area breastfed and formula-fed infants.

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon, Joshua H; Leung, Angela M; Hale, Andrea R; Pearce, Elizabeth N; Braverman, Lewis E; He, Xuemei; Belfort, Mandy B; Nelson, Sara M; Brown, Rosalind S

2014-08-01

Thyroid hormone is essential for normal mental and physical development in infancy and childhood and is dependent on adequate iodine intake. During the first few months of life, infants are reliant on breastmilk and/or infant formula as their sole sources of dietary iodine. The iodine status of U.S. infants has not been well studied. This was a cross-sectional study of 95 breastfed and/or formula-fed infants less than 3 months of age in the Boston area. We measured iodine content from infants' single spot urine samples and assessed associations with infant feeding type as well as maternal demographic data, salt and multivitamin use, smoking status, and diet. The median infant urine iodine concentration was 197.5 μg/L (range 40-897.5 μg/L). Median infant urine iodine concentrations were similar between infants who were exclusively breastfed (n=39, 203.5 μg/L; range 61.5-395.5 μg/L), formula-fed (n=44, 182.5 μg/L; range 40-897.5 μg/L), and mixed (n=10, 197.8 μg/L; range 123-592.5) (p=0.88). There were no significant correlations of infant urinary iodine with maternal salt or multivitamin use (regularly or in the past 24 hours), active or secondhand cigarette smoke exposures, infant weight, infant length, or recent maternal ingestion of common iodine-containing foods, although the correlations with iodine-containing foods are difficult to accurately determine due to the small sample sizes of these variables. Both breastfed and formula-fed infants less than 3 months of age in the Boston area were generally iodine sufficient. Larger studies are needed to confirm these observations among infants nationwide and elucidate other factors that may contribute to infant iodine nutrition.

The BCG (Boston Consulting Group) matrix for management of periodic publications

OpenAIRE

Serrano Gallardo, Mª del Pilar; Arroyo Gordo, Mª Pilar; Giménez Maroto, Ana Mª

2005-01-01

El marketing documental se ha de encargar de satisfacer las necesidades informativas de los usuarios de forma rentable para ellos y para el centro; para ello se ha de partir de un conjunto de herramientas técnicas que se conocen como el Marketing - Mix, y que abarcan el Producto, el Precio, la Distribución y la Comunicación. Dentro de las herramientas destinadas al producto se encuentra la matriz BCG (Boston Consulting Group), que está orientada a gestión, sobre la base de la situación del pr...

Evaluating availability and price of essential medicines in Boston area (Massachusetts, USA) using WHO/HAI methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Abhishek; Rorden, Lindsey; Ewen, Margaret; Laing, Richard

2016-01-01

Many patients even those with health insurance pay out-of-pocket for medicines. We investigated the availability and prices of essential medicines in the Boston area. Using the WHO/HAI methodology, availability and undiscounted price data for both originator brand (OB) and lowest price generic (LPG) equivalent versions of 25 essential medicines (14 prescription; 11 over-the-counter (OTC)) were obtained from 17 private pharmacies. The inclusion and prices of 26 essential medicines in seven pharmacy discount programs were also studied. The medicine prices were compared with international reference prices (IRPs). In surveyed pharmacies, the OB medicines were less available as compared to the generics. The OB and LPG versions of OTC medicines were 21.33 and 11.53 times the IRP, respectively. The median prices of prescription medicines were higher, with OB and LPG versions at 158.14 and 38.03 times the IRP, respectively. In studied pharmacy discount programs, the price ratios of surveyed medicines varied from 4.4-13.9. While noting the WHO target that consumers should pay no more than four times the IRPs, medicine prices were considerably higher in the Boston area. The prices for medicines included in the pharmacy discount programs were closest to WHO's target. Consumers should shop around, as medicine inclusion and prices vary across discount programs. In order for consumers to identify meaningful potential savings through comparison shopping, price transparency is needed.

Shaken but prepared: Analysis of disaster response at an academic medical centre following the Boston Marathon bombings.

Science.gov (United States)

Osgood, Robert; Scanlon, Courtney; Jotwani, Rohan; Rodkey, Daniel; Arshanskiy, Maria; Salem, Deeb

Over the last decade, there has been a rise in the number of mass casualty incidences (MCIs) and their subsequent effect on hospital systems. While there has been much discussion over improving procedures to treat victims of MCIs, there has not been a thorough, systems-based analysis concerning the costs incurred by hospitals during such events. Here the authors examine the history of the Hospital Incident Command Center and how its evolution at Tufts Medical Center helped mitigate the damage following the Boston Marathon Bombings. Tufts' unique variations to the Hospital Incident Command Center include strategic communication hierarchies and a 'zero cost centre' financial system which both provided for a quick and adaptive response. Operating in collaboration with the Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals encouraged coordination and preparation during emergency situations such as mass casualty events. The direct and indirect effects on Tufts Medical Center stemming from the Boston Marathon Bombings were analysed. Tufts MC treated 36 victims immediately following the MCI. The estimated total cost during the week of April 15 to April 19, 2013 was $776,051. The cost was primarily comprised of lost revenue from cancelled outpatient and inpatient hospital services, as well as expenses incurred due to overtime pay, salary expenses, PPE kits and hospitality services. Finally, the authors examine ways to reduce the future costs during emergency situations through increasing communication with employees, understanding the source of all direct expenses, and mitigating excess risk by developing partnerships with other hospital systems.

Mapping carbon storage in urban trees with multi-source remote sensing data: relationships between biomass, land use, and demographics in Boston neighborhoods.

Science.gov (United States)

Raciti, Steve M; Hutyra, Lucy R; Newell, Jared D

2014-12-01

High resolution maps of urban vegetation and biomass are powerful tools for policy-makers and community groups seeking to reduce rates of urban runoff, moderate urban heat island effects, and mitigate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions. We developed a very high resolution map of urban tree biomass, assessed the scale sensitivities in biomass estimation, compared our results with lower resolution estimates, and explored the demographic relationships in biomass distribution across the City of Boston. We integrated remote sensing data (including LiDAR-based tree height estimates) and field-based observations to map canopy cover and aboveground tree carbon storage at ~1m spatial scale. Mean tree canopy cover was estimated to be 25.5±1.5% and carbon storage was 355Gg (28.8MgCha(-1)) for the City of Boston. Tree biomass was highest in forest patches (110.7MgCha(-1)), but residential (32.8MgCha(-1)) and developed open (23.5MgCha(-1)) land uses also contained relatively high carbon stocks. In contrast with previous studies, we did not find significant correlations between tree biomass and the demographic characteristics of Boston neighborhoods, including income, education, race, or population density. The proportion of households that rent was negatively correlated with urban tree biomass (R(2)=0.26, p=0.04) and correlated with Priority Planting Index values (R(2)=0.55, p=0.001), potentially reflecting differences in land management among rented and owner-occupied residential properties. We compared our very high resolution biomass map to lower resolution biomass products from other sources and found that those products consistently underestimated biomass within urban areas. This underestimation became more severe as spatial resolution decreased. This research demonstrates that 1) urban areas contain considerable tree carbon stocks; 2) canopy cover and biomass may not be related to the demographic characteristics of Boston neighborhoods; and 3) that recent advances

Mapping Carbon Storage in Urban Trees with Multi-source Remote Sensing Data: Relationships between Biomass, Land Use, and Demographics in Boston Neighborhoods

Science.gov (United States)

Raciti, S. M.; Hutyra, L.

2014-12-01

High resolution maps of urban vegetation and biomass are powerful tools for policy-makers and community groups seeking to reduce rates of urban runoff, moderate urban heat island effects, and mitigate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions. We develop a very high resolution map of urban tree biomass, assess the scale sensitivities in biomass estimation, compare our results with lower resolution estimates, and explore the demographic relationships in biomass distribution across the City of Boston. We integrated remote sensing data (including LiDAR-based tree height estimates) and field-based observations to map canopy cover and aboveground tree carbon storage at ~1 m spatial scale. Mean tree canopy cover was estimated to be 25.5±1.5% and carbon storage was 355 Gg (28.8 Mg C ha-1) for the City of Boston. Tree biomass was highest in forest patches (110.7 Mg C ha-1), but residential (32.8 Mg C ha-1) and developed open (23.5 Mg C ha-1) land uses also contained relatively high carbon stocks. In contrast with previous studies, we did not find significant correlations between tree biomass and the demographic characteristics of Boston neighborhoods, including income, education, race, or population density. The proportion of households that rent was negatively correlated with urban tree biomass (R2=0.26, p=0.04) and correlated with Priority Planting Index values (R2=0.55, p=0.001), potentially reflecting differences in land management among rented and owner-occupied residential properties. We compared our very high resolution biomass map to lower resolution biomass products from other sources and found that those products consistently underestimated biomass within urban areas. This underestimation became more severe as spatial resolution decreased. This research demonstrates that 1) urban areas contain considerable tree carbon stocks; 2) canopy cover and biomass may not be related to the demographic characteristics of Boston neighborhoods; and 3) that recent advances in

What it Takes to Get Passed On: Message Content, Style, and Structure as Predictors of Retransmission in the Boston Marathon Bombing Response.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeannette Sutton

Full Text Available Message retransmission is a central aspect of information diffusion. In a disaster context, the passing on of official warning messages by members of the public also serves as a behavioral indicator of message salience, suggesting that particular messages are (or are not perceived by the public to be both noteworthy and valuable enough to share with others. This study provides the first examination of terse message retransmission of official warning messages in response to a domestic terrorist attack, the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013. Using messages posted from public officials' Twitter accounts that were active during the period of the Boston Marathon bombing and manhunt, we examine the features of messages that are associated with their retransmission. We focus on message content, style, and structure, as well as the networked relationships of message senders to answer the question: what characteristics of a terse message sent under conditions of imminent threat predict its retransmission among members of the public? We employ a negative binomial model to examine how message characteristics affect message retransmission. We find that, rather than any single effect dominating the process, retransmission of official Tweets during the Boston bombing response was jointly influenced by various message content, style, and sender characteristics. These findings suggest the need for more work that investigates impact of multiple factors on the allocation of attention and on message retransmission during hazard events.

"The reflection of England's light": the instructive District Nursing Association of Boston, 1884-1914.

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Howse, Carrie

2009-01-01

This article examines the extent to which the Instructive District Nursing Association (IDNA) of Boston was influenced by the English system of district nursing. The schemes had the same aims and motivation, but the differences in their organizational structures, in particular the lack of specialist training and professional supervision of the Boston nurses, affected the IDNA's work with its poor, mainly immigrant patients. It is clear that much was achieved, but it is also apparent that problems increased as the work expanded. Attempts to solve these difficulties can be traced through the introduction of a nurse supervisor, establishment of a training school, and eventual radical reorganization. The IDNA also had a leading role in the expansion of the visiting nurse movement throughout the United States. I discuss attempts to establish national standards, particularly through the formation of the National Organization for Public Health Nursing (NOPHN). With the disparate arrangements in the U.S. health care system, the NOPHN was unable to reach a workable consensus and failed to produce a comprehensive and cohesive national system similar to that which had been established in England.

What Progress Has Been Made in Meeting the Needs of Seriously Maltreated Children? The Course of 200 Cases through the Boston Juvenile Court.

Science.gov (United States)

Bishop, Sandra J.; Murphy, J. Michael; Hicks, Roger; Quinn, Dorothy; Lewis, Paul J.; Grace, Martha; Jellinek, Michael S.

2000-01-01

This study examined child, parent, and case characteristics over 4 years in 200 cases of serious child maltreatment in Boston, Massachusetts. Comparison with 1985-1986 cases (before relevant state legislative changes) found children permanently removed from parental custody in the 1994 sample required only slightly less time to achieve permanent…

Integrating Art into Places in Transition - Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston as a Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Rembeza, Magdalena

2017-10-01

Among the many projects realized in public spaces, some are truly unique - and these are the ones that build the identity of a place. The aim of this paper is to examine how integrating art and cultural strategies into public space can enhance and reinforce the sense of a place. Particular attention is devoted to urban spaces that we call “places in transition”, where public art improves the city’s imaginative capacity, enlivens neighbourhoods, and sparks civic exchange. Research methods include multidisciplinary literature studies and a detailed case study of the Rose Kennedy Greenway (RKG) - a contemporary urban park in Boston, USA, intended to stitch together the various neighbourhoods surrounding downtown. The Greenway is also a place in transition, to which the Conservancy introduces innovative and contemporary art through temporary exhibitions, engaging people in experiences, interactions and dialogue with art. The five-year Public Art Strategy was supported by Fund for the Arts, a public art program of the New England Foundation for the Arts. The main vision of the project is to amplify the Greenway’s unique characteristic through art that is connective, innovative, and celebratory. There are the two main types of projects within the Public Art Strategy for the RKG: short-term projects called “Platforms” and long-term projects called “Magnets”. The particular conceptual framework is being developed to guide proposals: connection, interactivity, civic dialogue, ecology, and the environment. The article examines the case and analyses the important issues related to implementing art into a public space such as re-imagining places, short-term and long-term artistic interventions, arts and cultural programming.

75 FR 38411 - Drawbridge Operation Regulations; Chelsea River, Chelsea and East Boston, MA, Event-Road Race

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-02

... Operation Regulations; Chelsea River, Chelsea and East Boston, MA, Event--Road Race AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS... is necessary to facilitate a public event, the Chelsea River Revel 5K Road Race. DATES: This... public event, the Chelsea River Revel 5K Road Race. This deviation allows the bridge to remain closed...

Caffeine in an Urbanized Estuary: Past and Present Influence of Wastewater Effluents in Boston Harbor, MA, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Caffeine has been identified by previous research as a potential tracer of sanitary wastewater. To further assess the utility of caffeine as a tracer of wastewater sources, samples from 25 sites throughout Boston Harbor were collected and analyzed for caffeine by LC-MS/MS. Caff...

The Customer is Always Right, Right?A Look at How Yelp Has Taken Hold of the Boston Restaurant Industry

OpenAIRE

Rachel DeSimone

2015-01-01

The Internet and mobile availability has changed the restaurant review game. Local Boston chefs and restaurant managers reflect on the pros and cons of such outlets, like Yelp, on their businesses and menus.

A crisis in waste management, economic vitality, and a coastal marine environment: Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay

Science.gov (United States)

Manheim, F.T.; Butman, B.

1994-01-01

Discharge of sewage sludge and effluent from 43 communities in the greater Boston metropolitan area has helped make the harbor one of the most polluted in the nation. As part of a court-mandated plan to end pollution of the harbor, effluent will no longer be discharged into the harbor, but instead, by 1995 it will be discharged into Massachusetts Bay through a record-long 15.34 km tunnel. By the year 2000 all of the sewage is scheduled to recive full secondary treatment. The public is concerned about long-term effects of the new ocean outfall on the environment, including Cape Cod Bay and Stellwagen Bank, which is an important habitat for whales and a newly designated national marine sanctuary. The bay has been additionally stressed by dumping of low-level radioactive and other hazardous wastes during the 1950s and 1960s. -from Authors

Priorities, concerns and unmet needs among Haitians in Boston after the 2010 earthquake.

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Jennifer D; Leyva, Bryan; Hilaire, Dany M; Reich, Amanda J; Martinez, Linda Sprague

2016-11-01

In January 2010, a massive earthquake struck Haiti. The devastation not only affected those living in Haiti at the time but also those Haitians living in the United States (U.S.). Few studies have assessed the degree of impact of the earthquake in U.S. Haitian communities. The purpose of this study was to elicit information about health priorities, concerns and resources needed to improve the delivery of health and social care for Haitians in Boston, MA. We conducted six focus groups among 78 individuals in the spring of 2011. Participants were recruited through community organisations, including churches, Haitian social service centres, restaurants and by word of mouth. Analysis of qualitative data revealed an enormous psychological, emotional, financial and physical toll experienced by Boston-area Haitians following the earthquake. Participants described increased distress, depressive episodes, headaches and financial hardship. They also noted insufficient resources to meet the increased needs of those living in the U.S., and those who had immigrated after the earthquake. Most participants cited an increased need for mental health services, as well as assistance with finding employment, navigating the immigration system, and balancing the health and financial needs of families in the U.S. and in Haiti. Despite this, many reported that the tragedy created a sense of unity and solidarity within the Haitian community. These findings corroborate the need for culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services, as well as for employment, immigration and healthcare navigation services. Participants suggested that interventions be offered through Haitian radio and television stations, as well as group events held in churches. Further research should assess the need for and barriers to utilisation of mental health services among the Haitian community. A multi-faceted approach that includes a variety of outreach strategies implemented through multiple

Increased pediatric functional neurological symptom disorders after the Boston marathon bombings: a case series.

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Guerriero, Réjean M; Pier, Danielle B; de Gusmão, Claudio M; Bernson-Leung, Miya E; Maski, Kiran P; Urion, David K; Waugh, Jeff L

2014-11-01

Functional neurological symptom disorders are frequently the basis for acute neurological consultation. In children, they are often precipitated by high-frequency everyday stressors. The extent to which a severe traumatic experience may also precipitate functional neurological abnormalities is unknown. For the 2-week period after the Boston Marathon bombings, we prospectively collected data on patients whose presentation suggested a functional neurological symptom disorder. We assessed clinical and demographic variables, duration of symptoms, extent of educational impact, and degree of connection to the Marathon bombing. We contacted all patients at 6 months after presentation to determine the outcome and accuracy of the diagnosis. In a parallel study, we reported a baseline of 2.6 functional neurological presentations per week in our emergency room. In the week after the Marathon bombings, this frequency tripled. Ninety-one percent of presentations were delayed by 1 week, with onset around the first school day after a city-wide lockdown. Seventy-three percent had a history of a prior psychiatric diagnosis. At the 6 months follow-up, no functional neurological symptom disorder diagnoses were overturned and no new organic diagnosis was made. Pediatric functional neurological symptom disorder may be precipitated by both casual and high-intensity stressors. The 3.4-fold increase in incidence after the Boston Marathon bombings and city-wide lockdown demonstrates the marked effect that a community-wide tragedy can have on the mental health of children. Care providers must be aware of functional neurological symptom disorders after stressful community events in vulnerable patient populations, particularly those with prior psychiatric diagnoses. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Customer is Always Right, Right?A Look at How Yelp Has Taken Hold of the Boston Restaurant Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel DeSimone

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The Internet and mobile availability has changed the restaurant review game. Local Boston chefs and restaurant managers reflect on the pros and cons of such outlets, like Yelp, on their businesses and menus.

Methane emissions from natural gas infrastructure and use in the urban region of Boston, Massachusetts.

Science.gov (United States)

McKain, Kathryn; Down, Adrian; Raciti, Steve M; Budney, John; Hutyra, Lucy R; Floerchinger, Cody; Herndon, Scott C; Nehrkorn, Thomas; Zahniser, Mark S; Jackson, Robert B; Phillips, Nathan; Wofsy, Steven C

2015-02-17

Methane emissions from natural gas delivery and end use must be quantified to evaluate the environmental impacts of natural gas and to develop and assess the efficacy of emission reduction strategies. We report natural gas emission rates for 1 y in the urban region of Boston, using a comprehensive atmospheric measurement and modeling framework. Continuous methane observations from four stations are combined with a high-resolution transport model to quantify the regional average emission flux, 18.5 ± 3.7 (95% confidence interval) g CH4 ⋅ m(-2) ⋅ y(-1). Simultaneous observations of atmospheric ethane, compared with the ethane-to-methane ratio in the pipeline gas delivered to the region, demonstrate that natural gas accounted for ∼ 60-100% of methane emissions, depending on season. Using government statistics and geospatial data on natural gas use, we find the average fractional loss rate to the atmosphere from all downstream components of the natural gas system, including transmission, distribution, and end use, was 2.7 ± 0.6% in the Boston urban region, with little seasonal variability. This fraction is notably higher than the 1.1% implied by the most closely comparable emission inventory.

75 FR 47215 - Special Local Regulation; Marine Events Within the Captain of the Port Sector Boston Zone

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-05

... special local regulations on: (1) The Charles River between the Longfellow Bridge and the Harvard Bridge... local regulations are established for the following marine events: (1) Charles River One Mile Swim, Charles River, Boston, MA. (i) Location. All waters of the Charles River, from surface to bottom, between...

Ionic Liquids in Polymer Design: From Energy to Health

Science.gov (United States)

2016-10-19

of Papers published in non peer- reviewed journals: Final Report: Ionic Liquids in Polymer Design: From Energy to Health Report Title ACS Symposium...SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: ACS Symposium: Ionic Liquids in Polymer Design: From Energy to Health at Fall 2015 ACS Meeting in Boston, MA The...combination of ionic liquids and polymers has emerged as an active field of exploration in polymer science, where new materials have be realized for

Progresses in neuroproteomics of neurodegenerative diseases--18th HUPO BPP workshop: September 12, 2012, Boston, USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Gröttrup, Bernd; May, Caroline; Meyer, Helmut E; Grinberg, Lea T; Park, Young Mok

2013-01-01

The HUPO Brain Proteome Project (HUPO BPP) held its 18(th) workshop in Boston, USA, September 12(th) 2012 during the HUPO 11th Annual Word Congress. The focus was on the progress on the Human Brain Proteome Atlas as well as ideas, strategies and methodological aspects. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Gun Carrying by High School Students in Boston, MA: Does Overestimation of Peer Gun Carrying Matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Hemenway, David; Vriniotis, Mary; Johnson, Renee M.; Miller, Matthew; Azrael, Deborah

2011-01-01

This paper investigates: (1) whether high school students overestimate gun carrying by their peers, and (2) whether those students who overestimate peer gun carrying are more likely to carry firearms. Data come from a randomly sampled survey conducted in 2008 of over 1700 high school students in Boston, MA. Over 5% of students reported carrying a…

Race and the Metropolitan Origins of Postsecondary Access to Four Year Colleges: The Case of Greater Boston

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, Joseph B.; Smith, Suzanne M.; Coelen, Stephen P.

2004-01-01

The inequities of residential segregation and their impact on educational opportunity are a national problem, but greater metropolitan Boston has a particularly problematic history in terms of the extent to which racial segregation has deeply divided the city into separate and unequal systems of opportunity. Despite decades of policy efforts to…

Complicated and messy politics of inclusion: Michfest and the Boston Dyke March.

Science.gov (United States)

Trigilio, Jo

2016-01-01

To illustrate the challenge of political organizing that grapples with identity politics and inclusion, I focus on two women-centered annual events with very different politics of inclusion: the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival and the Boston Dyke March. (1) arguments made by marginalized people for inclusion into established oppressed identity groups must be constructed with due care to avoid further marginalizing yet other liminal identities; (2) protesting/boycotting other oppressed groups for the purpose of achieving inclusion is often a problematic strategy; (3) the most effective strategy for honoring all people is to support organizations committed to the ideal of inclusion.

Boston in the 1970s: is there a lesbian community? And if there is, who is in it?

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffman, Amy

2014-01-01

This excerpt from Amy Hoffman's memoir, An Army of Ex-Lovers: My Life at the Gay Community News (University of Massachusetts Press, 2007), describes some of the alternative community institutions serving lesbian feminists in Boston in the late 1970s. Hoffman, in her twenties at the time and fairly newly out, is an enthusiastic patron of these institutions. However, after a while, she begins to wonder about them. Boston in the 1970s was racially segregated and tense; a judicial order to desegregate the schools led to racist riots. The women's community was, sadly, no more diverse than the city's neighborhoods, and the alternative institutions, Hoffman realizes, are organized by and cater mostly to young, white, middle-class women like her. They fail to appeal to the needs and interests of poor women of color-although of course some do participate, and others become active in service organizations such as battered women's shelters.

Efecto de rizobacterias promotoras de crecimiento vegetal solubilizadoras de fosfato en Lactuca sativa cultivar White Boston

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diana Beatriz Sanchez López

2014-07-01

of chemical products usage, causing and irreversible damage to environment and producers and consumers life quality. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria of the genus Pseudomonas sp. under Lactuca sativa cultivar White Boston as phosphate rock solubilizing bacteria. The study took place in the Research Centre Tibaitatá-Corpoica, located in Mosquera (Cundinamarca-Colombia. Results demonstrated that the strains have an intrinsic capacity to solubilize  low solubility phosphorus sources as phosphate rock. Inoculants application based on: Pseudomonas fluorescens FR1, Pseudomonas sp., UVLO27 and Pseudomonas sp. LEAV18 strains displayed the best results. The strains Pseudomonas sp. FR2, UVLO27 and K35, are capable of producing indoles and siderophores. The green house experiment showd that strain Pseudomonas fluorescens FR1, Pseudomonas sp. FR2 of phosphate rocks represents a viable economic and ecological alternative in sustainable agriculture systems.  Key words: Pseudomonas sp., Biofertilizer, Phosphate Rock, Phosphorus, Total Indole.  Recibido: febrero 16 de 2014 Aprobado: octubre 16 de 2014

76 FR 31230 - Safety Zone; M.I.T.'s 150th Birthday Celebration Fireworks, Charles River, Boston, MA

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-31

...-AA00 Safety Zone; M.I.T.'s 150th Birthday Celebration Fireworks, Charles River, Boston, MA AGENCY... regulated area on the Charles River around the fireworks launch barge during the fireworks display... portions of the Charles River during a fireworks display. This rule will not have a significant economic...

Cumulative Exposure to Prior Collective Trauma and Acute Stress Responses to the Boston Marathon Bombings

OpenAIRE

Garfin, DR; Holman, EA; Silver, RC

2015-01-01

© The Author(s) 2015 The role of repeated exposure to collective trauma in explaining response to subsequent community-wide trauma is poorly understood. We examined the relationship between acute stress response to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and prior direct and indirect media-based exposure to three collective traumatic events: the September 11, 2001 (9/11) terrorist attacks, Superstorm Sandy, and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Representative samples of residents of metrop...

Carbohydrate nutrition differs by diabetes status and is associated with dyslipidemia in Boston Puerto Rican adults without diabetes

Science.gov (United States)

Puerto Rican adults have a greater prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and lower HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) than the general U.S. population. Carbohydrate nutrition may play a role in this disparity. Cross-sectional analyses included data from 1219 Puerto Ricans aged 45-75 y enrolled in the Boston Puer...

Parkways und Freeways in der Bestimmung der Landschaft der Amerikanischen Grossstaedte. Der Fall Boston.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Massimo Maria Brignoli

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Die Tradition der amerikanischen Landschaftarchitektur hatt aus Boston ein Planungsexperiment gemacht. Das Emerald Necklace, eine echte Ikone der Landschaftsarchitektur, bezeugt immer noch wirkungsvoll, wie die Landschaftsplanung die Struktur moderner Grossstaedte mit Raum zum wohnen staerken kann. Heute muss die Stadt mit ihren von der Central Artery hervorgerufenen Wunden fertigwerden, mit Risultaten, die wahrscheinlich nicht der Groesse ihrer Geschichte entsprechen. Der teilweise Erfolg der Rose Kennedy Greenway macht die Notwendigkeit klar, die Regelung fuer die Planung der offenen Gebiete neu zu bestimmen.

Strategies to improve chronic disease management in seven metro Boston community health centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Ndumele, Chima D; Russell, Beverley E; Ayanian, John Z; Landon, Bruce E; Keegan, Thomas; O'Malley, A James; Hicks, Leroi S

2009-01-01

The Community, Health Center, and Academic Medicine Partnership Project (CHAMPP) is a partnership between medical researchers, community health centers (CHCs), and a community advisory committee focused on reducing cardiovascular morbidity related to hypertension and diabetes for non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic populations in Boston, Massachusetts. We conducted site visits at seven participating CHCs, located in Boston. The visits were to solicit health center staff opinions about site-specific barriers and enabling factors for optimum preventative cardiovascular care for racial/ethnic minority patients receiving hypertension and diabetes care at their centers. Site visits included a tour of each health center and a series of directed interviews with center personnel. Site visit notes were reviewed to identify themes that emerged during the course of each site visit. A summary matrix was developed for each health center, which included information regarding the most salient and persistent themes of the visit. Site visits uncovered several patient-, provider-, CHC-, and community-based factors that either facilitate or hinder optimal care of chronic disease patients. Commonly referenced barriers included the need for improved patient adherence to provider recommendations; insufficient time for providers to address complex health issues presented by patients and the need for a broader range of healthier food options in surrounding communities. Interactive patient groups and community health workers (CHWs) have been well received when implemented. Recommendations included adopting case management as a part of usual care for chronic disease patients; additionally, widespread implementation of CHWs may to provide a platform for more comprehensive care for patients.

Long-Term Trends in the Sources of Boston Crime Guns

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anthony A. Braga

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Analyses of firearm trace data, most collected over relatively brief periods, suggest that a noteworthy share of guns used in crime were recently diverted from legal commerce. This article analyzes a longitudinal database on firearm recoveries by the Boston Police Department between 1981 and 2015 and successfully traced handguns between 1991 and 2015. The percentage of high-capacity semiautomatic pistols among recovered handguns increased dramatically in the 1980s and 1990s. A persistent share of traced handguns were imported from licensed dealers in southern states and an increasing share first purchased at licensed dealers in New Hampshire and Maine. These analyses suggest that market disruption strategies may reduce illegal diversions of new handguns from licensed dealers and the passage of one-handgun-a-month laws may influence where criminals get their guns.

Factors Associated with Hallux Valgus in a Population-Based Study of Older Women and Men: the MOBILIZE Boston Study

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Uyen-Sa D.T.; Hillstrom, Howard J.; Li, Wenjun; Dufour, Alyssa B.; Kiel, Douglas P.; Procter-Gray, Elizabeth; Gagnon, Margaret M.; Hannan, Marian T.

2009-01-01

Objective To examine potential risk factors for hallux valgus in community-dwelling elders. Method Data from 600 MOBILIZE Boston Study participants (386 women and 214 men) were analyzed. Hallux valgus was defined as > 15 degrees angular deviation of the hallux with respect to the first metatarsal bone toward the lesser toes. Associations of hallux valgus with age, body mass index (BMI), race, education, pes planus, foot pain, and in women, history of high heel shoe use, were assessed using sex-specific Poisson regression with robust variance estimation for risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results Hallux valgus was present in 58% of women and 25% of men. Higher BMI was inversely associated with presence of hallux valgus in women (p trend = 0.001), with the strongest inverse association observed in those with BMI of 30.0 or more compared to those with normal BMI (RR=0.7, 95% CI: 0.5, 0.9). Women, who usually wore high-heeled shoes during ages 20 to 64 years compared to those who did not, had increased likelihood of hallux valgus (RR=1.2, 95% CI: 1.0, 1.5). Among men, those with BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 had increased likelihood of hallux valgus compared to those with normal BMI (RR=1.9, 95% CI: 1.0, 3.5). Men with pes planus were more likely to have hallux valgus (RR=2.1, 95% CI: 1.3, 3.3) compared to men without pes planus. Conclusion In women, hallux valgus was associated with lower BMI and high heel use during ages 20 to 64, while in men, associations were observed with higher BMI and pes planus. Our results suggest that the etiologic mechanisms for hallux valgus may differ between men and women. PMID:19747997

The Sociology of the Deceased Harvard Medical Unit at Boston City Hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Tishler, Peter V

2015-12-01

Many graduates of the Harvard Medical Unit (HMU) at Boston City Hospital, in either the clinical training/residency program or the research program at the Thorndike Memorial Laboratory, contributed in major ways to the HMU and constantly relived their HMU experiences. The HMU staff physicians, descending from founder and mentor physicians Francis W. Peabody, Soma Weiss, and George R. Minot, were dedicated to the teaching, development, and leadership of its clinical and research trainees, whose confidence and dedication to patient care as a result of their mentorship led many to lifelong achievements as clinicians, teachers, and mentors. Their experience also led to a lifelong love of the HMU (despite its loss), camaraderie, happiness, and intense friendships with their associates.

The effects of biogeography on ant diversity and activity on the Boston Harbor Islands, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Adam T; Rykken, Jessica J; Farrell, Brian D

2011-01-01

Many studies have examined how island biogeography affects diversity on the scale of island systems. In this study, we address how diversity varies over very short periods of time on individual islands. To do this, we compile an inventory of the ants living in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, Boston, Massachusetts, USA using data from a five-year All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory of the region's arthropods. Consistent with the classical theory of island biogeography, species richness increased with island size, decreased with island isolation, and remained relatively constant over time. Additionally, our inventory finds that almost half of the known Massachusetts ant fauna can be collected in the BHI, and identifies four new species records for Massachusetts, including one new to the United States, Myrmica scabrinodis. We find that the number of species actually active on islands depended greatly on the timescale under consideration. The species that could be detected during any given week of sampling could by no means account for total island species richness, even when correcting for sampling effort. Though we consistently collected the same number of species over any given week of sampling, the identities of those species varied greatly between weeks. This variation does not result from local immigration and extinction of species, nor from seasonally-driven changes in the abundance of individual species, but rather from weekly changes in the distribution and activity of foraging ants. This variation can be upwards of 50% of ant species per week. This suggests that numerous ant species on the BHI share the same physical space at different times. This temporal partitioning could well explain such unexpectedly high ant diversity in an isolated, urban site.

Personal Hygiene Practices among Urban Homeless Persons in Boston, MA.

Science.gov (United States)

Leibler, Jessica H; Nguyen, Daniel D; León, Casey; Gaeta, Jessie M; Perez, Debora

2017-08-18

Persons experiencing homelessness in the United States experience significant barriers to self-care and personal hygiene, including limited access to clean showers, laundry and hand washing facilities. While the obstacles to personal hygiene associated with homelessness may increase risk of infectious disease, hygiene-related behaviors among people experiencing homelessness has received limited attention. We conducted a cross-sectional study of individuals experiencing homelessness in Boston, MA ( n = 194) to identify hygiene-related self-care practices and risk factors for reduced hygiene in this population. Most participants (72%) reported taking a daily shower. More than 60% reported hand washing with soap five or more times each day, and use of hand sanitizer was widespread (89% reported using sanitizer in the last week). A majority (86%) used a laundromat or laundry machine to wash clothing, while 14% reported washing clothing in the sink. Heavy drinking, injection drug use, and sleeping outdoors were identified as significant risk factors for reduced hygiene practices. People experiencing homelessness who also engage in these activities may be among the most difficult to reach for intervention, yet targeted efforts may decrease illness risk associated with reduced hygiene. Housed friends and family play a critical role in assisting homeless individuals maintain hygiene by providing showers and laundry facilities.

77 FR 16849 - Notice of Realignment/Merger of Five Regional Audit Offices: Boston, MA Will Merge With New York...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-22

... of Five Regional Audit Offices: Boston, MA Will Merge With New York, NY; and the Gulf Coast Region... result from the reorganization; (3) a discussion of the impact on the local economy; and (4) an estimate... Department (such as the establishment of new or combination of existing organization units within a field...

Leadership During the Boston Marathon Bombings: A Qualitative After-Action Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Goralnick, Eric; Halpern, Pinchas; Loo, Stephanie; Gates, Jonathan; Biddinger, Paul; Fisher, John; Velmahos, George; Chung, Sarita; Mooney, David; Brown, Calvin; Barnewolt, Brien; Burke, Peter; Gupta, Alok; Ulrich, Andrew; Hojman, Horacio; McNulty, Eric; Dorn, Barry; Marcus, Leonard; Peleg, Kobi

2015-10-01

On April 15, 2013, two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) exploded at the Boston Marathon and 264 patients were treated at 26 hospitals in the aftermath. Despite the extent of injuries sustained by victims, there was no subsequent mortality for those treated in hospitals. Leadership decisions and actions in major trauma centers were a critical factor in this response. The objective of this investigation was to describe and characterize organizational dynamics and leadership themes immediately after the bombings by utilizing a novel structured sequential qualitative approach consisting of a focus group followed by subsequent detailed interviews and combined expert analysis. Across physician leaders representing 7 hospitals, several leadership and management themes emerged from our analysis: communications and volunteer surges, flexibility, the challenge of technology, and command versus collaboration. Disasters provide a distinctive context in which to study the robustness and resilience of response systems. Therefore, in the aftermath of a large-scale crisis, every effort should be invested in forming a coalition and collecting critical lessons so they can be shared and incorporated into best practices and preparations. Novel communication strategies, flexible leadership structures, and improved information systems will be necessary to reduce morbidity and mortality during future events.

Acid-base disturbances in nephrotic syndrome: analysis using the CO2/HCO3 method (traditional Boston model) and the physicochemical method (Stewart model).

Science.gov (United States)

Kasagi, Tomomichi; Imai, Hirokazu; Miura, Naoto; Suzuki, Keisuke; Yoshino, Masabumi; Nobata, Hironobu; Nagai, Takuhito; Banno, Shogo

2017-10-01

The Stewart model for analyzing acid-base disturbances emphasizes serum albumin levels, which are ignored in the traditional Boston model. We compared data derived using the Stewart model to those using the Boston model in patients with nephrotic syndrome. Twenty-nine patients with nephrotic syndrome and six patients without urinary protein or acid-base disturbances provided blood and urine samples for analysis that included routine biochemical and arterial blood gas tests, plasma renin activity, and aldosterone. The total concentration of non-volatile weak acids (A TOT ), apparent strong ion difference (SIDa), effective strong ion difference (SIDe), and strong ion gap (SIG) were calculated according to the formulas of Agrafiotis in the Stewart model. According to the Boston model, 25 of 29 patients (90%) had alkalemia. Eighteen patients had respiratory alkalosis, 11 had metabolic alkalosis, and 4 had both conditions. Only three patients had hyperreninemic hyperaldosteronism. The Stewart model demonstrated respiratory alkalosis based on decreased PaCO 2 , metabolic alkalosis based on decreased A TOT , and metabolic acidosis based on decreased SIDa. We could diagnose metabolic alkalosis or acidosis with a normal anion gap after comparing delta A TOT [(14.09 - measured A TOT ) or (11.77 - 2.64 × Alb (g/dL))] and delta SIDa [(42.7 - measured SIDa) or (42.7 - (Na + K - Cl)]). We could also identify metabolic acidosis with an increased anion gap using SIG > 7.0 (SIG = 0.9463 × corrected anion gap-8.1956). Patients with nephrotic syndrome had primary respiratory alkalosis, decreased A TOT due to hypoalbuminemia (power to metabolic alkalosis), and decreased levels of SIDa (power to metabolic acidosis). We could detect metabolic acidosis with an increased anion gap by calculating SIG. The Stewart model in combination with the Boston model facilitates the analysis of complex acid-base disturbances in nephrotic syndrome.

Association between Sleep Duration, Insomnia Symptoms and Bone Mineral Density in Older Boston Puerto Rican Adults.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinya Niu

Full Text Available To examine the association between sleep patterns (sleep duration and insomnia symptoms and total and regional bone mineral density (BMD among older Boston Puerto Rican adults.We conducted a cross-sectional study including 750 Puerto Rican adults, aged 47-79 y living in Massachusetts. BMD at 3 hip sites and the lumbar spine were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Sleep duration (≤5 h, 6 h, 7 h, 8 h, or ≥9 h/d and insomnia symptoms (difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, early-morning awaking, and non-restorative sleep were assessed by a questionnaire. Multivariable regression was used to examine sex-specific associations between sleep duration, insomnia symptoms and BMD adjusting for standard confounders and covariates.Men who slept ≥9h/d had significantly lower femoral neck BMD, relative to those reporting 8 h/d sleep, after adjusting for age, education level, smoking, physical activity, depressive symptomatology, comorbidity and serum vitamin D concentration. This association was attenuated and lost significance after further adjustment for urinary cortisol and serum inflammation biomarkers. In contrast, the association between sleep duration and BMD was not significant in women. Further, we did not find any significant associations between insomnia symptoms and BMD in men or women.Our study does not support the hypothesis that shorter sleep duration and insomnia symptoms are associated with lower BMD levels in older adults. However, our results should be interpreted with caution. Future studies with larger sample size, objective assessment of sleep pattern, and prospective design are needed before a conclusion regarding sleep and BMD can be reached.

Conexiones: Guia para Padres y Estudiantes. Directorio de Servicios y Programas de Educacion Especial de las Escuelas Publicas de Boston.

Science.gov (United States)

Celuzza, Paul W., Ed.; Clayton, Shelley Bakst, Ed.

Intended for handicapped students and their parents, the booklet presents a guide in Spanish to special education services in the Boston public schools. Chapter 766, the Massachusetts law guaranteeing free appropriate public education to every child, is focused on. Section 1 discusses such evaluation aspects as early childhood screening, referral,…

Caffeine in Boston Harbor past and present, assessing its utility as a tracer of wastewater contamination in an urban estuary

Science.gov (United States)

Sites throughout Boston Harbor were analyzed for caffeine to assess its utility as a tracer in identifying sources of sanitary wastewater. Caffeine ranged from 15 ng/L in the outer harbor to a high of 185 ng/L in the inner harbor. Inner harbor concentrations were a result of comb...

The Sociology of the Deceased Harvard Medical Unit at Boston City Hospital

Science.gov (United States)

Tishler, Peter V.

2015-01-01

Many graduates of the Harvard Medical Unit (HMU) at Boston City Hospital, in either the clinical training/residency program or the research program at the Thorndike Memorial Laboratory, contributed in major ways to the HMU and constantly relived their HMU experiences. The HMU staff physicians, descending from founder and mentor physicians Francis W. Peabody, Soma Weiss, and George R. Minot, were dedicated to the teaching, development, and leadership of its clinical and research trainees, whose confidence and dedication to patient care as a result of their mentorship led many to lifelong achievements as clinicians, teachers, and mentors. Their experience also led to a lifelong love of the HMU (despite its loss), camaraderie, happiness, and intense friendships with their associates. PMID:26604868

Caregiver-reports of Internet Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Among Boston-Area Youth Following the 2013 Marathon Bombing.

Science.gov (United States)

Comer, Jonathan S; DeSerisy, Mariah; Green, Jennifer Greif

2016-01-01

Although practitioners and researchers have considered children's television-based terrorism exposure, Internet-based exposure has not been sufficiently examined. We examined the scope and correlates of children's Internet-based exposure following the Boston Marathon bombing among Boston-area youth (N=460; 4-19 years), and the potential moderating role of age. Further exploratory analyses examined patterns of caregiver attempts to regulate child Internet exposure. Caregivers reported on child Internet-based and direct exposure to traumatic bombing-related events, and youth posttraumatic stress (PTS). Online youth consumed on average over two daily hours of Internet coverage, and roughly one-third consumed over three daily hours of coverage. Internet exposure was particularly high among children over 12. Greater Internet-based exposure was associated with PTS, and 12-15 year olds were particularly vulnerable. Further exploratory analyses found that although most caregivers reported believing media exposure can cause children further trauma, a considerable proportion of caregivers made no attempt to restrict or regulate their child's Internet-based exposure. These findings help practitioners clarify forms of indirect exposure that can place youth at risk following terrorism. Future work is needed to examine the important roles caregivers play as media regulators and as promoters of child coping and media literacy following terrorism.

The effects of biogeography on ant diversity and activity on the Boston Harbor Islands, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam T Clark

Full Text Available Many studies have examined how island biogeography affects diversity on the scale of island systems. In this study, we address how diversity varies over very short periods of time on individual islands. To do this, we compile an inventory of the ants living in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, Boston, Massachusetts, USA using data from a five-year All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory of the region's arthropods. Consistent with the classical theory of island biogeography, species richness increased with island size, decreased with island isolation, and remained relatively constant over time. Additionally, our inventory finds that almost half of the known Massachusetts ant fauna can be collected in the BHI, and identifies four new species records for Massachusetts, including one new to the United States, Myrmica scabrinodis. We find that the number of species actually active on islands depended greatly on the timescale under consideration. The species that could be detected during any given week of sampling could by no means account for total island species richness, even when correcting for sampling effort. Though we consistently collected the same number of species over any given week of sampling, the identities of those species varied greatly between weeks. This variation does not result from local immigration and extinction of species, nor from seasonally-driven changes in the abundance of individual species, but rather from weekly changes in the distribution and activity of foraging ants. This variation can be upwards of 50% of ant species per week. This suggests that numerous ant species on the BHI share the same physical space at different times. This temporal partitioning could well explain such unexpectedly high ant diversity in an isolated, urban site.

Iodine status and thyroid function of Boston-area vegetarians and vegans.

Science.gov (United States)

Leung, Angela M; Lamar, Andrew; He, Xuemei; Braverman, Lewis E; Pearce, Elizabeth N

2011-08-01

Adequate dietary iodine is required for normal thyroid function. The iodine status and thyroid function of U.S. vegetarians and vegans have not been previously studied. Environmental perchlorate and thiocyanate (inhibitors of thyroid iodine uptake) exposures may adversely affect thyroid function. The objective of the study was to assess the iodine status and thyroid function of U.S. vegetarians (consume plant based products, eggs, milk; abstain from meat, poultry, fish, shellfish) and vegans (avoid all animal products) and whether these may be affected by environmental perchlorate and thiocyanate exposures. This was a cross-sectional assessment of urinary iodine, perchlorate, and thiocyanate concentrations and serum thyroid function in Boston-area vegetarians and vegans. One hundred forty-one subjects (78 vegetarians, 63 vegans) were recruited; one vegan was excluded. Median urinary iodine concentration of vegans (78.5 μg/liter; range 6.8-964.7 μg/liter) was lower than vegetarians (147.0 μg/liter; range 9.3-778.6 μg/liter) (P vegans (630 μg/liter; range 108-3085 μg/liter) was higher than vegetarians (341 μg/liter; range 31-1963 μg/liter) (P vegans may be at risk for low iodine intake, and vegan women of child-bearing age should supplement with 150 μg iodine daily. Environmental perchlorate and thiocyanate exposures are not associated with thyroid dysfunction in these groups.

Stiffness control of balance during dual task and prospective falls in older adults: the MOBILIZE Boston Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Hyun Gu; Quach, Lien; Li, Wenjun; Lipsitz, Lewis A

2013-09-01

Outdoor fallers differ from indoor fallers substantially in demographics, lifestyle, health condition and physical function. Biomechanical predictors of outdoor falls have not been well characterized. Current validated measures of postural deficits, which describe only the overall postural behavior, are predictive of indoor falls but not outdoor falls. We hypothesized that a model-based description of postural muscle tone and reflexes, particularly during dual tasking, would predict outdoor falls. We tested whether postural stiffness and damping from an inverted pendulum model were predictive of future indoor and outdoor falls among older adults from the MOBILIZE Boston Study. The center of pressure data during standing were obtained from 717 participants aged 77.9±5.3 years. Participants stood barefoot with eyes open for 30s per trial, in two sets of five standing trials. One set included a serial subtractions task. Postural stiffness and damping values were determined from the postural sway data. After the postural measurements, falls were monitored prospectively using a monthly mail-in calendar over 6-36 months. Associations of postural measures with fall rates were determined using negative binomial regressions. After covariate adjustments, postural stiffness (p=0.02-0.05) and damping (p=0.007-0.1) were associated with lower outdoor falls risk, but not with indoor falls. Results were invariant by direction (anteroposterior versus mediolateral) or by condition (quiet standing versus dual task). Outdoor fall risk may be tied to postural control more so than indoor falls. Dual tasking is likely related to fall risk among older and sicker older adults, but not those relatively healthy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Summaries of oral sessions at the XXI World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics, Boston, Massachusetts, 17-21 October 2013: state of the field

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Akpudo, H.; Aleksic, B.; Alkelai, A.; Burton, C.; Carillo Roa, T.; Chen, D.T.; Cheng, M.C.; Cocchi, E.; Davis, L.K.; Giori, I.G.; Hubbard, L.M.; Merikangas, A.; Moily, N.S.; Okewole, A.; Olfson, E.; Pappa, I.; Reitt, M.; Singh, A.B.; Steinberg, J.; Strohmaier, J.; Ting, T.T.; Hulzen, K.J.E. van; O'Shea, A.; DeLisi, L.E.

2014-01-01

The XXI World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics (WCPG), sponsored by the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics (ISPG), took place in Boston, Massachusetts, on 17-21 October 2013. Approximately 900 participants gathered to discuss the latest findings in this rapidly advancing field. The

Conceptual Design of Targeted Scrum: Applying Mission Command to Agile Software Development

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-01

on design. Drury et al. (2012) report that many of the decisions made during Scrum planning were more tactical in nature (i.e., which tasks to...Coram, R. (2002). Boyd: The fighter pilot who changed the art of war. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company. Drury , M., Conboy, K., & Power, K. (2012...responsiveness (Hochmüller, 2011) (Hoda et al., 2010) • Lack of design focus → Planning decisions more tactical than strategic ( Drury et al., 2012

Reliability of tonosafe disposable tonometer prisms: clinical implications from the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System Quality Assurance Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, V; Daly, M K; Cakiner-Egilmez, T; Baker, E

2011-05-01

Given the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System's recent introduction of single-use Tonosafe disposable tonometer prisms as an alternative to Goldmann applanation tonometers (GATs), this study had two aims: to conduct a large-scale quality assurance trial to assess the reliability of intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements of the Tonosafe disposable tonometer compared with GAT, particularly at extremes of pressure; to evaluate the suitability of Tonosafe disposable tonometer prisms as an acceptable substitute for GATs and for clinic-wide implementation in an academic tertiary referral setting. Ophthalmology resident physicians measured the IOPs of patients in general and specialty eye clinics with the Tonosafe disposable tonometer and GAT. Tonosafe test-retest reliability data were also collected. A retrospective review of patient charts and data analysis were performed to determine the reliability of measurements. The IOPs of 652 eyes (326 patients) were measured with both GAT and Tonosafe, with a range of 3-34 mm Hg. Linear regression analysis showed R=0.93, slope=0.91, both of which supported the proposed hypothesis, and the y-intercept=-1.05 was significantly different from the hypothesized value. The Tonosafe test-retest repeatability (40 eyes of 40 patients), r=0.977, was very high, which was further supported by linear regression slope=0.993, y-intercept=0.118, and a Tonosafe repeatability coefficient of 2.06, similar to GAT repeatability. The IOP measurements by Tonosafe disposable prisms correlated closely with Goldmann measurements, with similar repeated measurement variability to GAT. This suggests that the Tonosafe is an acceptable substitute for GAT to measure IOP in ophthalmology clinic settings.

United States History: From Community to Society. Unit Four: Revolutionary America. Grade Six. Project Social Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Project Social Studies Curriculum Center.

Revolution is the theme of this resource unit, which is the fourth in a social studies series designed for sixth grade students. In the first part of the unit, case studies are used to examine 18th century Boston, Williamsburg, and Philadelphia, contrasting them to 17th century Jamestown and Plymouth settlements. Emphasis is upon examining causes…

Bereaved mothers' attitudes regarding autopsy of their stillborn baby

African Journals Online (AJOL)

aims of the study, using an exploratory and descriptive research design to ... of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, ..... book. 1st ed. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers, 2001. 13. Horey D, Flenady V, ...

History and use of del Nido cardioplegia solution at Boston Children's Hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Matte, Gregory S; del Nido, Pedro J

2012-09-01

Cardioplegia is an integral and essential method of myocardial protection for patients of all ages requiring cardiac surgery in which the heart must be stopped. Numerous cardioplegia solutions and delivery methods have been developed. The del Nido cardioplegia solution has been in use for 18 years at Boston Children's Hospital. This is a unique four parts crystalloid to one part whole blood formulation that is generally used in a single-dose fashion. Although the formulation was originally developed for use in pediatric and infant patients, its use for adult cardiac surgery has been expanding. National and international inquiries to our institution regarding this cardioplegia have been increasing over the last 2 years. We present the developmental history, supporting theory, and current protocol for use of what is now referred to as del Nido cardioplegia.

The LIFE Cognition Study: design and baseline characteristics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sink KM

2014-08-01

adults at increased risk for incident mobility disability. One LIFE Study objective is to evaluate the effects of a structured physical activity program on changes in cognitive function and incident all-cause mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Here, we present the design and baseline cognitive data. At baseline, participants completed the modified Mini Mental Status Examination, Hopkins Verbal Learning Test, Digit Symbol Coding, Modified Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure, and a computerized battery, selected to be sensitive to changes in speed of processing and executive functioning. During follow up, participants completed the same battery, along with the Category Fluency for Animals, Boston Naming, and Trail Making tests. The description of the mild cognitive impairment/dementia adjudication process is presented here. Participants with worse baseline Short Physical Performance Battery scores (prespecified at ≤7 had significantly lower median cognitive test scores compared with those having scores of 8 or 9 with modified Mini Mental Status Examination score of 91 versus (vs 93, Hopkins Verbal Learning Test delayed recall score of 7.4 vs 7.9, and Digit Symbol Coding score of 45 vs 48, respectively (all P<0.001. The LIFE Study will contribute important information on the effects of a structured physical activity program on cognitive outcomes in sedentary older adults at particular risk for mobility impairment. In addition to its importance in the area of prevention of cognitive decline, the LIFE Study will also likely serve as a model for exercise and other behavioral intervention trials in older adults. Keywords: exercise, physical activity, older adults, dementia

The LIFE Cognition Study: design and baseline characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Sink, Kaycee M; Espeland, Mark A; Rushing, Julia; Castro, Cynthia M; Church, Timothy S; Cohen, Ronald; Gill, Thomas M; Henkin, Leora; Jennings, Janine M; Kerwin, Diana R; Manini, Todd M; Myers, Valerie; Pahor, Marco; Reid, Kieran F; Woolard, Nancy; Rapp, Stephen R; Williamson, Jeff D

2014-01-01

Observational studies have shown beneficial relationships between exercise and cognitive function. Some clinical trials have also demonstrated improvements in cognitive function in response to moderate–high intensity aerobic exercise; however, these have been limited by relatively small sample sizes and short durations. The Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) Study is the largest and longest randomized controlled clinical trial of physical activity with cognitive outcomes, in older sedentary adults at increased risk for incident mobility disability. One LIFE Study objective is to evaluate the effects of a structured physical activity program on changes in cognitive function and incident all-cause mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Here, we present the design and baseline cognitive data. At baseline, participants completed the modified Mini Mental Status Examination, Hopkins Verbal Learning Test, Digit Symbol Coding, Modified Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure, and a computerized battery, selected to be sensitive to changes in speed of processing and executive functioning. During follow up, participants completed the same battery, along with the Category Fluency for Animals, Boston Naming, and Trail Making tests. The description of the mild cognitive impairment/dementia adjudication process is presented here. Participants with worse baseline Short Physical Performance Battery scores (prespecified at ≤7) had significantly lower median cognitive test scores compared with those having scores of 8 or 9 with modified Mini Mental Status Examination score of 91 versus (vs) 93, Hopkins Verbal Learning Test delayed recall score of 7.4 vs 7.9, and Digit Symbol Coding score of 45 vs 48, respectively (all P<0.001). The LIFE Study will contribute important information on the effects of a structured physical activity program on cognitive outcomes in sedentary older adults at particular risk for mobility impairment. In addition to its importance in the

Pathways to Banking: Improving Access for Students from Non-Privileged Backgrounds. Research by The Boston Consulting Group for the Sutton Trust

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Gerard

2014-01-01

The financial services sector is a vital and vibrant part of a national economy but it recruits from a small and relatively privileged segment of society. This report, which summarises research from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), shows for the first time the extent of the challenge. The Sutton Trust's "Pathways to Banking" programme…

INDOOR AND OUTDOOR SOURCE CONTRIBUTIONS TO PERSONAL PM2.5 FOR A PANEL OF INDIVIDUALS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE OR COPD LIVING IN BOSTON, MA

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Repeated personal, home indoor, home outdoor, and ambient particulate and gaseous pollutant levels were characterized for individuals with cardiovascular disease or COPD and their partners living in the Boston area. Health status was determined by self-reported history of myoc...

Preventative health, diversity, and inclusion: a qualitative study of client experience aboard a mobile health clinic in Boston, Massachusetts.

Science.gov (United States)

Bouchelle, Zoe; Rawlins, Yasmin; Hill, Caterina; Bennet, Jennifer; Perez, Leonor Xochitl; Oriol, Nancy

2017-11-03

There are approximately 2000 mobile health clinics operating in the United States. While researchers have established that mobile health clinics can be cost effective and improve outcomes, there is scant research examining the healthcare experience on a mobile health clinic from patients' perspectives. Data were gathered from interviews with 25 clients receiving care on a Boston-based mobile health clinic and analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Emerging patterns in the data revealed three relational and three structural factors most significant to participants' experience of care on The Family Van. Relational factors include providers who 1) Communicate understandably, 2) Create a culture of respect and inclusivity, and 3) Are diverse with knowledge of the community. Structural factors include 1) A focus on preventative health and managing chronic disease, 2) Expeditious, free, and multiple services, and 3) Location. The participant accounts in this report serve to expand on prior research exploring mobile health clinics' role in patients' healthcare, to more clearly define the most salient aspects of the mobile health clinic model for the patients they serve, and to give voice to patients too seldom heard in the academic literature.

Black carbon exposure more strongly associated with census tract poverty compared to household income among US black, white, and Latino working class adults in Boston, MA (2003–2010)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krieger, Nancy; Waterman, Pamela D.; Gryparis, Alexandros; Coull, Brent A.

2014-01-01

We investigated the association of individual-level ambient exposure to black carbon (spatiotemporal model-based estimate for latitude and longitude of residential address) with individual, household, and census tract socioeconomic measures among a study sample comprised of 1757 US urban working class white, black and Latino adults (age 25–64) recruited for two studies conducted in Boston, MA (2003–2004; 2008–2010). Controlling for age, study, and exam date, the estimated average annual black carbon exposure for the year prior to study enrollment at the participants' residential address was directly associated with census tract poverty (beta = 0.373; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.322, 0.423) but not with annual household income or education; null associations with race/ethnicity became significant only after controlling for socioeconomic position. - Highlights: • The study included 1757 black, Latino, and white working class adults in Boston, MA. • Census tract poverty was associated with annual average black carbon exposure. • Annual household income was not associated with black carbon exposure. • Individual-level education was not associated with black carbon exposure. • The observed socioeconomic patterns varied by race/ethnicity. - In a US multiethnic urban working adult population, exposure to black carbon was more strongly associated with census tract as compared to household- or individual-level socioeconomic measures

Normative data for the Boston Naming Test in native Dutch-speaking Belgian children and the relation with intelligence.

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Storms, Gert; Saerens, Jos; De Deyn, Peter P

2004-12-01

This paper reports the results of a normative study of the 60-item version of the Boston Naming Test (BNT) in a group of 371 native Dutch-speaking Flemish children between the ages of 6 and 12 years. Analysis of test results revealed that BNT performance was significantly affected by age and gender. The gathered norms were shown to be significantly lower than published norms for comparable North-American children. Error analysis disclosed remarkable similarities with data from elderly subjects, with verbal semantic paraphasias and 'don't know' responses occurring most frequently. Finally, BNT scores were shown to correlate strongly with general intelligence as measured with the Raven Progressive Matrices. The relation between both measures can be of help in the diagnosis of identification naming deficits and impaired word-retrieval capacities.

The Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma (URECA birth cohort study: design, methods, and study population

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Sandel Megan T

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The incidence and morbidity of wheezing illnesses and childhood asthma is especially high in poor urban areas. This paper describes the study design, methods, and population of the Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma (URECA study, which was established to investigate the immunologic causes of asthma among inner-city children. Methods and Results URECA is an observational prospective study that enrolled pregnant women in central urban areas of Baltimore, Boston, New York City, and St. Louis and is following their offspring from birth through age 7 years. The birth cohort consists of 560 inner-city children who have at least one parent with an allergic disease or asthma, and all families live in areas in which at least 20% of the population has incomes below the poverty line. In addition, 49 inner-city children with no parental history of allergies or asthma were enrolled. The primary hypothesis is that specific urban exposures in early life promote a unique pattern of immune development (impaired antiviral and increased Th2 responses that increases the risk of recurrent wheezing and allergic sensitization in early childhood, and of asthma by age 7 years. To track immune development, cytokine responses of blood mononuclear cells stimulated ex vivo are measured at birth and then annually. Environmental assessments include allergen and endotoxin levels in house dust, pre- and postnatal maternal stress, and indoor air nicotine and nitrogen dioxide. Nasal mucous samples are collected from the children during respiratory illnesses and analyzed for respiratory viruses. The complex interactions between environmental exposures and immune development will be assessed with respect to recurrent wheeze at age 3 years and asthma at age 7 years. Conclusion The overall goal of the URECA study is to develop a better understanding of how specific urban exposures affect immune development to promote wheezing illnesses and asthma.

Long-term results after Boston brace treatment in late-onset juvenile and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

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Gunderson Ragnhild

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background It is recommended that research in patients with idiopathic scoliosis should focus on short- and long-term patient-centred outcome. The aim of the present study was to evaluate outcome in patients with late-onset juvenile or adolescent idiopathic scoliosis 16 years or more after Boston brace treatment. Methods 272 (78% of 360 patients, 251 (92% women, responded to follow-up examination at a mean of 24.7 (range 16 - 32 years after Boston brace treatment. Fifty-eight (21% patients had late-onset juvenile and 214 had adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. All patients had clinical and radiological examination and answered a standardised questionnaire including work status, demographics, General Function Score (GFS (100 - worst possible and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI (100 - worst possible, EuroQol (EQ-5D (1 - best possible, EQ-VAS (100 - best possible, and Scoliosis Research Society - 22 (SRS - 22 (5 - best possible. Results The mean age at follow-up was 40.4 (31-48 years. The prebrace major curve was in average 33.2 (20 - 57°. At weaning and at the last follow-up the corresponding values were 28.3 (1 - 58° and 32.5 (7 - 80°, respectively. Curve development was similar in patients with late-onset juvenile and adolescent start. The prebrace curve increased > 5° in 31% and decreased > 5° in 26%. Twenty-five patients had surgery. Those who did not attend follow-up (n = 88 had a lower mean curve at weaning: 25.4 (6-53°. Work status was 76% full-time and 10% part-time. Eighty-seven percent had delivered a baby, 50% had pain in pregnancy. The mean (SD GFS was 7.4 (10.8, ODI 9.3 (11.0, EQ-5D 0.82 (0.2, EQ-VAS 77.6 (17.8, SRS-22: pain 4.1 (0.8, mental health 4.1 (0.6, self-image 3.7 (0.7, function 4.0 (0.6, satisfaction with treatment 3.7 (1.0. Surgical patients had significantly reduced scores for SRS-physical function and self-image, and patients with curves ≥ 45° had reduced self-image. Conclusion Long-term results were

Planejamento de Marketing Utilizando a Matriz Boston Consulting Group: Uma Análise em Instituições Educacionais

OpenAIRE

Pereira, Silvia Maria Morales; Giuliani, Antonio Carlos; Farah, Osvaldo Elias; Alves, Maria Izalina Ferreira

2006-01-01

As Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES) particulares vêm enfrentando inúmeras dificuldades nos últimos anos. A partir dessa perspectiva, o presente trabalho trata da implantação do Planejamento Estratégico de Marketing na Administração Educacional Superior e tem como principal objetivo, mostrar como a Matriz Boston Consulting Group (BCG) pode auxiliar o gestor educacional em sua função. A metodologia foi baseada num estudo exploratório em duas Universidades, uma Faculdade e um...

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Hate Crimes and Suicidality Among a Population-Based Sample of Sexual-Minority Adolescents in Boston

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Hatzenbuehler, Mark L.

2014-01-01

Objectives. We examined whether past-year suicidality among sexual-minority adolescents was more common in neighborhoods with a higher prevalence of hate crimes targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. Methods. Participants’ data came from a racially/ethnically diverse population-based sample of 9th- through 12th-grade public school students in Boston, Massachusetts (n = 1292). Of these, 108 (8.36%) reported a minority sexual orientation. We obtained data on LGBT hate crimes involving assaults or assaults with battery between 2005 and 2008 from the Boston Police Department and linked the data to the adolescent’s residential address. Results. Sexual-minority youths residing in neighborhoods with higher rates of LGBT assault hate crimes were significantly more likely to report suicidal ideation (P = .013) and suicide attempts (P = .006), than were those residing in neighborhoods with lower LGBT assault hate crime rates. We observed no relationships between overall neighborhood-level violent and property crimes and suicidality among sexual-minority adolescents (P > .05), providing evidence for specificity of the results to LGBT assault hate crimes. Conclusions. Neighborhood context (i.e., LGBT hate crimes) may contribute to sexual-orientation disparities in adolescent suicidality, highlighting potential targets for community-level suicide-prevention programs. PMID:24328619

History and Use of del Nido Cardioplegia Solution at Boston Children’s Hospital

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Matte, Gregory S.; del Nido, Pedro J.

2012-01-01

Abstract: Cardioplegia is an integral and essential method of myocardial protection for patients of all ages requiring cardiac surgery in which the heart must be stopped. Numerous cardioplegia solutions and delivery methods have been developed. The del Nido cardioplegia solution has been in use for 18 years at Boston Children’s Hospital. This is a unique four parts crystalloid to one part whole blood formulation that is generally used in a single-dose fashion. Although the formulation was originally developed for use in pediatric and infant patients, its use for adult cardiac surgery has been expanding. National and international inquiries to our institution regarding this cardioplegia have been increasing over the last 2 years. We present the developmental history, supporting theory, and current protocol for use of what is now referred to as del Nido cardioplegia. PMID:23198389

Debt management and financial planning support for primary care students and residents at Boston University School of Medicine.

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Terrell, C; Hindle, D

1999-01-01

Boston University Medical Center created the Office of Residency Planning and Practice Management as part of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Generalist Physician Initiative. Since 1995, the office has improved the medical center's ability to promote and support the generalist career decisions of its students and residents by removing indebtedness as a disincentive. After a brief review of the relationship between indebtedness and specialty selection, the authors delineate the nature and volume of debt-management assistance provided by the office to students and residents through individual counseling sessions, workshops, and other means between April 1995 and March 1998. A case study shows the progression of these services throughout residency training. The medical center also coordinates its debt-management assistance with counseling from physician-oriented financial planning groups. In conclusion, the authors discuss several characteristics of a successful debt-management program for residents.

A Remote Sensing-based Characterization of the Urban Heat Island and its Implications for Modeled Estimates of Urban Biogenic Carbon Fluxes in Boston, MA.

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Wang, J.; Friedl, M. A.; Hutyra, L.; Hardiman, B. S.

2015-12-01

Urban land use occupies a small but critical proportion of global land area for the carbon cycle, and in the coming decades, urban land area is expected to nearly double. Conversion of natural land cover to urban land cover imposes myriad ecological effects, including increased land surface and air temperatures via the urban heat island effect. In this study, we characterize the seasonal and spatial characteristics of the urban heat island over Boston, MA and estimate its consequences on biogenic carbon fluxes with a remote sensing-based model. Using a 12-year time series of emissivity- and atmospherically-corrected land surface temperatures from Landsat TM and ETM+ imagery, we find a high degree of spatial heterogeneity and consistent seasonal patterns in the thermal properties of Boston, controlled mainly by variations in vegetative cover. Field measurements of surface air temperature across an urbanization gradient show season- and vegetation-dependent patterns consistent with those observed in the Landsat data. With a fused data set that combines surface air temperature, MODIS, and Landsat observations, we modify and run the Vegetation Photosynthesis and Respiration Model (VPRM) to explore 1) how elevated temperatures affect diurnal and seasonal patterns of hourly urban biogenic carbon fluxes in Massachusetts in 2013 and 2014 and 2) to what extent these fluxes follow spatial patterns found in the urban heat island. Model modifications simulate the ecological effects of urbanization, including empirical adjustments to reanalysis-driven air temperatures (up to 5 K) and ecosystem respiration reduced by impervious surface area. Model results reveal spatio-temporal patterns consistent with strong land use and vegetation cover controls on biogenic carbon fluxes, with non-trivial biogenic annual net ecosystem exchange occurring in urban and suburban areas (up to -2.5 MgC/ha/yr). We specifically consider the feedbacks between Boston's urban heat island and landscape

A short-form version of the Boston Naming Test for language screening in dementia in a bilingual rural community in Galicia (Spain).

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Nebreda, M C; García-Caballero, A; Asensio, E; Revilla, P; Rodriguez-Girondo, M; Mateos, R

2011-04-01

Aphasia, one of the core symptoms of cortical dementia, is routinely evaluated using graded naming tests like the Boston Naming Test (BNT). However, the application of this 60-item test is time-consuming and shortened versions have been devised for screening. The hypothesis of this research is that a specifically designed shortened version of the BNT could replace the original 60-item BNT as part of a mini-battery for screening for dementia. The objective of this study was to design a short version of the BNT for a rural population in Galicia (Spain). A clinic group of 102 patients including 43 with dementia was recruited along with 78 healthy volunteers. The clinic and control groups were scored on the Spanish version of the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and BNT. In addition, the clinic group was tested with standard neuropsychological instruments and underwent brain investigations and routine neurological examination. BNT items with specificity and sensitivity above 0.5 were selected to compose a short battery of 11 pictures named BNTOu11. ANOVA and mean comparisons were made for MMSE and BNT versions. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and internal consistency were calculated. Areas under ROC curves (AUC) did not show statistically significant differences; therefore BNTOu11's AUC (0.814) was similar to the 60-item BNT versions (0.785 and 0.779), to the short versions from Argentina (0.772) and Andalusia (0.799) and to the Spanish MMSE (0.866). BNTOu11 had higher internal consistency than the other short versions. BNTOu11 is a useful and time-saving method as part of a battery for screening for dementia in a psychogeriatric outpatient unit.

Boston City Hospital and the Thorndike Memorial Laboratory: the birth of modern haematology.

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Elrod, Jeffrey M; Karnad, Anand B

2003-05-01

Established in 1923, the Thorndike Memorial Laboratory at Boston City Hospital was the first clinical research laboratory in a municipal hospital in the United States of America. Minot and Castle, who were the second and third directors of the Laboratory, were pioneer haematologists and clinical investigators of the highest calibre who created an atmosphere at the Laboratory that would foster patient-centred research and attract the best physician-scientists to work and train there. The haematology research division of the Laboratory made important original contributions to the understanding of the pathophysiology of anaemia, the mechanisms of red cell and platelet destruction and the phagocytic role of the spleen, the nature of haemoglobin (normal and sickle cell), the nature of haemophilia and its therapy and the early classification of lymphoma. It contributed to the Thorndike Memorial Laboratory's worldwide reputation as a model research laboratory and established its reputation as the birthplace of modern haematology.

Optimum study designs.

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Gu, C; Rao, D C

2001-01-01

Because simplistic designs will lead to prohibitively large sample sizes, the optimization of genetic study designs is critical for successfully mapping genes for complex diseases. Creative designs are necessary for detecting and amplifying the usually weak signals for complex traits. Two important outcomes of a study design--power and resolution--are implicitly tied together by the principle of uncertainty. Overemphasis on either one may lead to suboptimal designs. To achieve optimality for a particular study, therefore, practical measures such as cost-effectiveness must be used to strike a balance between power and resolution. In this light, the myriad of factors involved in study design can be checked for their effects on the ultimate outcomes, and the popular existing designs can be sorted into building blocks that may be useful for particular situations. It is hoped that imaginative construction of novel designs using such building blocks will lead to enhanced efficiency in finding genes for complex human traits.

EFISIENSI PERSAINGAN BANK UMUM SYARIAH: PENDEKATAN DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS (DEA DAN BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP (BCG

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Rizqon Halal Syah Aji

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Islamic Banking industry in Indonesia has begun dynamic. Product availability and standardization of Islamic banking products, the level of understanding by the public of products of Islamic banks and human resources. Market share of Islamic Banking in Indonesia to lock everything. Recent data Directorate of Islamic Banking in 2011 reached Rp 127,19 T, assets of BPRS amounting to Rp 3.35 T, can be calculated total Islamic banking assets as of October 2011 reached Rp 130,5 T. Financing very important factor, Data Envelopment Analisys (DEA is a measuring instrument of financing. Map of the Bank's performance in the competition between banks can be analyzed by matrix BCG (Boston Consulting Group. This matrix is used to describe the difference between the position of the relative market share of the Bank.DOI: 10.15408/sjie.v3i1.2059

Relative Sea Level, Tidal Range, and Extreme Water Levels in Boston Harbor from 1825 to 2016

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Talke, S. A.; Kemp, A.; Woodruff, J. D.

2017-12-01

Long time series of water-level measurements made by tide gauges provide a rich and valuable observational history of relative sea-level change, the frequency and height of extreme water levels and evolving tidal regimes. However, relatively few locations have available tide-gauge records longer than 100 years and most of these places are in northern Europe. This spatio-temporal distribution hinders efforts to understand global-, regional- and local-scale trends. Using newly-discovered archival measurements, we constructed a 200 year, instrumental record of water levels, tides, and storm surges in Boston Harbor. We detail the recovery, datum reconstruction, digitization, quality assurance, and analysis of this extended observational record. Local, decadally-averaged relative sea-level rose by 0.28 ± 0.05 m since the 1820s, with an acceleration of 0.023 ±0.009 mm/yr2. Approximately 0.13 ± 0.02 m of the observed RSL rise occurred due to ongoing glacial isostatic adjustment, and the remainder occurred due to changes in ocean mass and volume associated with the onset of modern mean sea-level rise. Change-point analysis of the new relative sea level record confirms that anthropogenic rise began in 1924-1932, which is in agreement with global mean sea level estimates from the global tide gauge network. Tide range decreased by 5.5% between 1830 and 1910, likely due in large part to anthropogenic development. Storm tides in Boston Harbor are produced primarily by extratropical storms during the November-April time frame. The three largest storm tides occurred in 1851, 1909, and 1978. Because 90% of the top 20 storm tides since 1825 occurred during a spring tide, the secular change in tide range contributes to a slight reduction in storm tide magnitudes. However, non-stationarity in storm hazard was historically driven primarily by local relative sea-level rise; a modest 0.2 m increase in relative sea level reduces the 100 year high water mark to a once-in-10 year event.

The Genetic-Algorithm-Based Normal Boundary Intersection (GANBI) Method; An Efficient Approach to Pareto Multiobjective Optimization for Engineering Design

Science.gov (United States)

2006-05-15

of different evolutionary approaches to multiobjective optimal design are given by Van Veldhuizen ,7 Van Veldhuizen and Lamont,8 and Zitzler and Thiele...and Machine Learning, Addison-Wesley, Boston, 1989. 7. D. A. Van Veldhuizen , "Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithms: Classifications, Analyses, and...New Innovations," Ph.D. Dissertation, Air Force Institute of Technology, 1999. 39 8. D. A. Van Veldhuizen and G. B. Lamont, "Multiobjective

Report on a Boston University Conference December 7-8, 2012 on How Can the History and Philosophy of Science Contribute to Contemporary US Science Teaching?

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Garik, Peter; Benétreau-Dupin, Yann

2014-09-01

This is an editorial report on the outcomes of an international conference sponsored by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) (REESE-1205273) to the School of Education at Boston University and the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University for a conference titled: How Can the History and Philosophy of Science Contribute to Contemporary US Science Teaching? The presentations of the conference speakers and the reports of the working groups are reviewed. Multiple themes emerged for K-16 education from the perspective of the history and philosophy of science. Key ones were that: students need to understand that central to science is argumentation, criticism, and analysis; students should be educated to appreciate science as part of our culture; students should be educated to be science literate; what is meant by the nature of science as discussed in much of the science education literature must be broadened to accommodate a science literacy that includes preparation for socioscientific issues; teaching for science literacy requires the development of new assessment tools; and, it is difficult to change what science teachers do in their classrooms. The principal conclusions drawn by the editors are that: to prepare students to be citizens in a participatory democracy, science education must be embedded in a liberal arts education; science teachers alone cannot be expected to prepare students to be scientifically literate; and, to educate students for scientific literacy will require a new curriculum that is coordinated across the humanities, history/social studies, and science classrooms.

Beyond anal sex: sexual practices associated with HIV risk reduction among men who have sex with men in Boston, Massachusetts.

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Reisner, Sari L; Mimiaga, Matthew J; Skeer, Margie; Mayer, Kenneth H

2009-07-01

Men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to bear a disproportionate HIV and sexually transmitted disease (STD) burden. The current study examined the frequency and associations of sexual risk reduction behaviors among a sample of MSM in the greater Boston, Massachusetts area. One hundred eighty-nine MSM completed a one-time behavioral and psychosocial assessment between March 2006 and May 2007. Logistic regression procedures examined the association of demographic, psychosocial, and behavioral factors with risk reduction practices. Twenty percent of the sample reported rimming, mutual masturbation, digital penetration, using sex toys, or 100% condom use as a means to reduce their risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV in the prior 12 months. In bivariate analyses, risk reducers were more likely to disclose their MSM status (i.e., be "out"; odds ratio [OR] = 3.64; p < 0.05), and report oral sex with a condom in the prior 12 months (OR = 4.85; p < 0.01). They were less likely to report: depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale [CES-D] score 16+; OR = 0.48; p < 0.05), a history of one or more sexually transmitted diseases (STDs; OR = 0.40; p < 0.05), and meeting sexual partners at public cruising areas (OR = 0.32; p < 0.01). In a multivariable model, risk reducers were less likely to report: alcohol use during sex (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.33; p < 0.05), depression (CESD score 16+; AOR = 0.32; p < 0.05), or meeting sexual partners at public cruising areas (AOR = 0.30; p < 0.05), or via the Internet (AOR = 0.12; p < 0.05) in the previous 12 months. Identifying and understanding such factors associated with risk reduction behaviors may be important to consider in designing effective prevention interventions to promote sexual health for MSM.

Modeling Boston: A workflow for the efficient generation and maintenance of urban building energy models from existing geospatial datasets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cerezo Davila, Carlos; Reinhart, Christoph F.; Bemis, Jamie L.

2016-01-01

City governments and energy utilities are increasingly focusing on the development of energy efficiency strategies for buildings as a key component in emission reduction plans and energy supply strategies. To support these diverse needs, a new generation of Urban Building Energy Models (UBEM) is currently being developed and validated to estimate citywide hourly energy demands at the building level. However, in order for cities to rely on UBEMs, effective model generation and maintenance workflows are needed based on existing urban data structures. Within this context, the authors collaborated with the Boston Redevelopment Authority to develop a citywide UBEM based on official GIS datasets and a custom building archetype library. Energy models for 83,541 buildings were generated and assigned one of 52 use/age archetypes, within the CAD modelling environment Rhinoceros3D. The buildings were then simulated using the US DOE EnergyPlus simulation program, and results for buildings of the same archetype were crosschecked against data from the US national energy consumption surveys. A district-level intervention combining photovoltaics with demand side management is presented to demonstrate the ability of UBEM to provide actionable information. Lack of widely available archetype templates and metered energy data, were identified as key barriers within existing workflows that may impede cities from effectively applying UBEM to guide energy policy. - Highlights: • Data requirements for Urban Building Energy Models are reviewed. • A workflow for UBEM generation from available GIS datasets is developed. • A citywide demand simulation model for Boston is generated and tested. • Limitations for UBEM in current urban data systems are identified and discussed. • Model application for energy management policy is shown in an urban PV scenario.

Culture Qualitatively but Not Quantitatively Influences Performance in the Boston Naming Test in a Chinese-Speaking Population

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Ting-Bin Chen

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims: The Boston Naming Test (BNT is the most frequently administered confrontational naming test, but the cultural background of the patients may influence their performance in the BNT. The aim of this study was to identify differences in performance in the BNT between a Chinese population in Taiwan, Chinese populations in other areas and a Caucasian population. Methods: A total of 264 native, Chinese-speaking, cognitively normal elders aged >60 years were enrolled in our study and conducted the 30-item Chinese version of the BNT. Another 10 BNT studies were categorized, analyzed and compared with the present study. Results: Higher education was associated with higher scores, whereas age and gender had no effect on performance in the BNT. The score of the Chinese-speaking population was equivalent to the English-speaking population. A disparity in difficulties with items was not only apparent between the Taiwanese and Caucasian populations, but also between the Chinese-speaking populations in the different geographic areas. Conclusion: For the most part, the impact of culture on performance in the BNT may not be quantitative but qualitative. Attention should be paid to a potential effect of culture on difficulties with items when administering the BNT to non-English-speaking populations. Understanding differences in performance in the BNT in distinct cultural settings improves the clinical application of the BNT.

Factors influencing mobile source particulate matter emissions-to-exposure relationships in the Boston urban area.

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Greco, Susan L; Wilson, Andrew M; Hanna, Steven R; Levy, Jonathan I

2007-11-15

Benefit-cost and regulatory impact analyses often use atmospheric dispersion models with coarse resolution to estimate the benefits of proposed mobile source emission control regulations. This approach may bias health estimates or miss important intra-urban variability for primary air pollutants. In this study, we estimate primary fine particulate matter (PM2.5) intake fractions (iF; the fraction of a pollutant emitted from a source that is inhaled by the population) for each of 23 398 road segments in the Boston Metro Core area to evaluate the potential for intra-urban variability in the emissions-to-exposure relationship. We estimate iFs using the CAL3QHCR line source model combined with residential populations within 5000 m of each road segment. The annual average values for the road segments range from 0.8 to 53 per million, with a mean of 12 per million. On average, 46% of the total exposure is realized within 200 m of the road segment, though this varies from 0 to 93% largely due to variable population patterns. Our findings indicate the likelihood of substantial intra-urban variability in mobile source primary PM2.5 iF that accounting for population movement with time, localized meteorological conditions, and street-canyon configurations would likely increase.

Integration of basic science and clinical medicine: the innovative approach of the cadaver biopsy project at the Boston University School of Medicine.

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Eisenstein, Anna; Vaisman, Lev; Johnston-Cox, Hillary; Gallan, Alexander; Shaffer, Kitt; Vaughan, Deborah; O'Hara, Carl; Joseph, Lija

2014-01-01

Curricular integration has emerged as a consistent theme in medical education reform. Vertical integration of topics such as pathology offers the potential to bring basic science content into the clinical arena, but faculty/student acceptance and curricular design pose challenges for such integration. The authors describe the Cadaver Biopsy Project (CBP) at Boston University School of Medicine as a sustainable model of vertical integration. Faculty and select senior medical students obtained biopsies of cadavers during the first-year gross anatomy course (fall 2009) and used these to develop clinical cases for courses in histology (spring 2010), pathology (fall 2010-spring 2011), and radiology (fall 2011 or spring 2012), thereby linking students' first experiences in basic sciences with other basic science courses and later clinical courses. Project goals included engaging medical stu dents in applying basic science princi ples in all aspects of patient care as they acquire skills. The educational intervention used a patient (cadaver)-centered approach and small-group, collaborative, case-based learning. Through this project, the authors involved clinical and basic science faculty-plus senior medical students-in a collaborative project to design and implement an integrated curriculum through which students revisited, at several different points, the microscopic structure and pathophysiology of common diseases. Developing appropriate, measurable out comes for medical education initiatives, including the CBP, is challenging. Accumu lation of qualitative feedback from surveys will guide continuous improvement of the CBP. Documenting longer-term impact of the curricular innovation on test scores and other competency-based outcomes is an ultimate goal.

Political Advertising Design in Nigeria

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DR Nneka

2015-04-14

Apr 14, 2015 ... nationalism in the narrow sense of the word – Gathering in. Manchester in ... She spoke from both sides of the mouth as Davidson's work showed ..... The Dynamics of Mass Communication-Media in the Digital. Age Boston: ...

La Matriz BCG (Boston Consulting Group para la Gestión de Publicaciones Periádicas The BCG (Boston Consulting Group matrix for management of periodic publications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mª del Pilar Serrano Gallardo

2005-11-01

Full Text Available El marketing documental se ha de encargar de satisfacer las necesidades informativas de los usuarios de forma rentable para ellos y para el centro; para ello se ha de partir de un conjunto de herramientas técnicas que se conocen como el Marketing - Mix, y que abarcan el Producto, el Precio, la Distribución y la Comunicación. Dentro de las herramientas destinadas al producto se encuentra la matriz BCG (Boston Consulting Group, que está orientada a gestión, sobre la base de la situación del producto en el mercado. El objetivo del presente artículo es proponer una matriz BCG para la gestión de una publicación periódica enfermera en nuestro mercado.La matriz BCG se construye con dos variables: el Crecimiento del Mercado y la Tasa Relativa del Mercado, las cuales se han operacionalizado como Media de Crecimiento Anual en el número de suscripciones de tres revistas enfermeras (Rol de Enfermería, Metas de Enfermería y Nursing durante el último quinquenio y Media de Tirada Actual de las tres publicaciones. Se han utilizado datos ofrecidos por la Oficina para el Control de la Difusión (OJD. La matriz BCG puede constituirse como herramienta básica en la gestión de publicaciones, dado que tras determinar la situación del producto, se pueden establecer estrategias que ayuden o favorezcan el mejor posicionamiento posible del producto en el mercado.Documentary marketing has to address the information needs of the users in a manner that is cost-effective not only for them but also for the institution. To do this, a set of technical tools, known as Marketing- Mix, need to be used. These tools include the Product, Price, Distribution and Communication. Within the set of tools used for the Product, we find the BCG matrix (Boston Consulting Group, a tool aimed at the management of the product on the basis of where it is positioned in the market. The objective of this paper is to propose a BCG matrix for the management of a nursing periodic

Defining constant versus variable phenotypic features of women with polycystic ovary syndrome using different ethnic groups and populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Welt, C K; Arason, G; Gudmundsson, J A; Adams, J; Palsdóttir, H; Gudlaugsdóttir, G; Ingadóttir, G; Crowley, W F

2006-11-01

The phenotype of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is variable, depending on the ethnic background. The phenotypes of women with PCOS in Iceland and Boston were compared. The study was observational with a parallel design. Subjects were studied in an outpatient setting. Women, aged 18-45 yr, with PCOS defined by hyperandrogenism and fewer than nine menses per year, were examined in Iceland (n = 105) and Boston (n = 262). PCOS subjects underwent a physical exam, fasting blood samples for androgens, gonadotropins, metabolic parameters, and a transvaginal ultrasound. The phenotype of women with PCOS was compared between Caucasian women in Iceland and Boston and among Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, and Asian women in Boston. Androstenedione (4.0 +/- 1.3 vs. 3.5 +/- 1.2 ng/ml; P PCOS. There were no differences in fasting blood glucose, insulin, or homeostasis model assessment in body mass index-matched Caucasian subjects from Iceland or Boston or in different ethnic groups in Boston. Polycystic ovary morphology was demonstrated in 93-100% of women with PCOS in all ethnic groups. The data demonstrate differences in the reproductive features of PCOS without differences in glucose and insulin in body mass index-matched populations. These studies also suggest that measuring androstenedione is important for the documentation of hyperandrogenism in Icelandic women. Finally, polycystic ovary morphology by ultrasound is an almost universal finding in women with PCOS as defined by hyperandrogenism and irregular menses.

Lung function, asthma symptoms, and quality of life for children in public housing in Boston: a case-series analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steinbach Suzanne

2004-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Children in urban public housing are at high risk for asthma, given elevated environmental and social exposures and suboptimal medical care. For a multifactorial disease like asthma, design of intervention studies can be influenced by the relative prevalence of key risk factors. To better understand risk factors for asthma morbidity in the context of an environmental intervention study, we conducted a detailed baseline evaluation of 78 children (aged 4–17 years from three public housing developments in Boston. Methods Asthmatic children and their caregivers were recruited between April 2002 and January 2003. We conducted intake interviews that captured a detailed family and medical history, including questions regarding asthma symptom severity, access to health care, medication usage, and psychological stress. Quality of life was evaluated for both the child and caregiver with an asthma-specific scale. Pulmonary function was measured with a portable spirometer, and allergy testing for common indoor and outdoor allergens was conducted with skin testing using the prick puncture method. Exploratory linear and logistic regression models evaluating predictors of respiratory symptoms, quality of life, and pulmonary function were conducted using SAS. Results We found high rates of obesity (56% and allergies to indoor contaminants such as cockroaches (59% and dust mites (59%. Only 36% of children with persistent asthma reported being prescribed any daily controller medication, and most did not have an asthma action plan or a peak flow meter. One-time lung function measures were poorly correlated with respiratory symptoms or quality of life, which were significantly correlated with each other. In multivariate regression models, household size, body mass index, and environmental tobacco smoke exposure were positively associated with respiratory symptom severity (p Conclusion Given the elevated prevalence of multiple risk factors

Occupational dust exposure and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma risk in a population-based case–control study conducted in the greater Boston area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langevin, Scott M; McClean, Michael D; Michaud, Dominique S; Eliot, Melissa; Nelson, Heather H; Kelsey, Karl T

2013-01-01

Head and neck cancers account for an estimated 549,000 global cancer diagnoses each year. While tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and HPV16 infection are considered to be the major risk factors for this disease, occupational risk factors, including exposure to asbestos, have also been described, although dust exposures other than asbestos have been historically understudied. We have investigated the relationship between occupational exposures to five types of dusts, including sawdust, concrete dust, leather dust, metal dust, and chimney soot, and head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) in the greater Boston area. We report findings from a population-based case–control study involving 951 incident HNSCC cases and 1193 controls, frequency matched on age (±3 years), sex, and town/neighborhood of residence. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between occupational exposure to each type of dust and HNSCC, overall and by primary tumor site. After adjusting for age, sex, race, smoking, alcohol consumption, education, and HPV16 serology, laryngeal carcinoma risk increased for each decade of occupational exposure to sawdust (OR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.0, 1.3) and metal dust (OR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.0, 1.4); and HNSCC risk increased for each decade of occupational leather dust exposure (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.2, 1.9). We have provided evidence for an association between occupational sawdust and metal dust and laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, and leather dust and HNSCC, with increasing risk with longer duration at the exposed occupation

Occupational dust exposure and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma risk in a population-based case-control study conducted in the greater Boston area.

Science.gov (United States)

Langevin, Scott M; McClean, Michael D; Michaud, Dominique S; Eliot, Melissa; Nelson, Heather H; Kelsey, Karl T

2013-12-01

Head and neck cancers account for an estimated 549,000 global cancer diagnoses each year. While tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and HPV16 infection are considered to be the major risk factors for this disease, occupational risk factors, including exposure to asbestos, have also been described, although dust exposures other than asbestos have been historically understudied. We have investigated the relationship between occupational exposures to five types of dusts, including sawdust, concrete dust, leather dust, metal dust, and chimney soot, and head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) in the greater Boston area. We report findings from a population-based case-control study involving 951 incident HNSCC cases and 1193 controls, frequency matched on age (±3 years), sex, and town/neighborhood of residence. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between occupational exposure to each type of dust and HNSCC, overall and by primary tumor site. After adjusting for age, sex, race, smoking, alcohol consumption, education, and HPV16 serology, laryngeal carcinoma risk increased for each decade of occupational exposure to sawdust (OR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.0, 1.3) and metal dust (OR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.0, 1.4); and HNSCC risk increased for each decade of occupational leather dust exposure (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.2, 1.9). We have provided evidence for an association between occupational sawdust and metal dust and laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, and leather dust and HNSCC, with increasing risk with longer duration at the exposed occupation. © 2013 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Designing satisfaction studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Kai; Eskildsen, Jacob Kjær

2007-01-01

In the effect sampling method, presentation of researcher, the intro text, the order of questions in the questionnaire along with the number of categories in the rating scale is tested in relation to the design of satisfaction studies. Based on the analyses specific recommendations for designing...... satisfaction studies are given....

Comparative Study of Antibacterial and Antifungal Effects of Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lens Disinfecting Solutions

OpenAIRE

Kuzman, Tomislav; Barišić Kutija, Marija; Kordić, Rajko; Popović Suić, Smiljka; Jandroković, Sonja; Škegro, Ivan; Pokupec, Rajko

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare antimicrobial efficacy of rigid contact lens disinfecting solutions. We tested five commercially available solutions: Unique pH (Alcon Laboratories), Boston Advance (Polymer Technology Corp.), Nitilens Conditioner GP (Avizor), Total Care (AMO), Boston Simplus (Bausch&Lomb). Their efficacy to disinfect saline solution experimentally contaminated with American Type Culture Collection (ATCC): Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922...

Visual Design Principles: An Empirical Study of Design Lore

Science.gov (United States)

Kimball, Miles A.

2013-01-01

Many books, designers, and design educators talk about visual design principles such as balance, contrast, and alignment, but with little consistency. This study uses empirical methods to explore the lore surrounding design principles. The study took the form of two stages: a quantitative literature review to determine what design principles are…

Short-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Biomarkers of Systemic Inflammation: The Framingham Heart Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Wenyuan; Dorans, Kirsten S; Wilker, Elissa H; Rice, Mary B; Ljungman, Petter L; Schwartz, Joel D; Coull, Brent A; Koutrakis, Petros; Gold, Diane R; Keaney, John F; Vasan, Ramachandran S; Benjamin, Emelia J; Mittleman, Murray A

2017-09-01

The objective of this study is to examine associations between short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and circulating biomarkers of systemic inflammation in participants from the Framingham Offspring and Third Generation cohorts in the greater Boston area. We included 3996 noncurrent smoking participants (mean age, 53.6 years; 54% women) who lived within 50 km from a central air pollution monitoring site in Boston, MA, and calculated the 1- to 7-day moving averages of fine particulate matter (diameterpollution was associated with higher levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 but not fibrinogen or tumor necrosis factor α in individuals residing in the greater Boston area. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Mapping turbidity in the Charles River, Boston using a high-resolution satellite.

Science.gov (United States)

Hellweger, Ferdi L; Miller, Will; Oshodi, Kehinde Sarat

2007-09-01

The usability of high-resolution satellite imagery for estimating spatial water quality patterns in urban water bodies is evaluated using turbidity in the lower Charles River, Boston as a case study. Water turbidity was surveyed using a boat-mounted optical sensor (YSI) at 5 m spatial resolution, resulting in about 4,000 data points. The ground data were collected coincidently with a satellite imagery acquisition (IKONOS), which consists of multispectral (R, G, B) reflectance at 1 m resolution. The original correlation between the raw ground and satellite data was poor (R2 = 0.05). Ground data were processed by removing points affected by contamination (e.g., sensor encounters a particle floc), which were identified visually. Also, the ground data were corrected for the memory effect introduced by the sensor's protective casing using an analytical model. Satellite data were processed to remove pixels affected by permanent non-water features (e.g., shoreline). In addition, water pixels within a certain buffer distance from permanent non-water features were removed due to contamination by the adjacency effect. To determine the appropriate buffer distance, a procedure that explicitly considers the distance of pixels to the permanent non-water features was applied. Two automatic methods for removing the effect of temporary non-water features (e.g., boats) were investigated, including (1) creating a water-only mask based on an unsupervised classification and (2) removing (filling) all local maxima in reflectance. After the various processing steps, the correlation between the ground and satellite data was significantly better (R2 = 0.70). The correlation was applied to the satellite image to develop a map of turbidity in the lower Charles River, which reveals large-scale patterns in water clarity. However, the adjacency effect prevented the application of this method to near-shore areas, where high-resolution patterns were expected (e.g., outfall plumes).

The art of designing markets.

Science.gov (United States)

Roth, Alvin E

2007-10-01

Traditionally, markets have been viewed as simply the confluence of supply and demand. But to function properly, they must be able to attract a sufficient number of buyers and sellers, induce participants to make their preferences clear, and overcome congestion by providing both enough time to make choices and a speedy means of registering them. Solutions to these challenges are the province of market design--a blend of game theory and experimental economics. Roth, a professor of both business and economics at Harvard, is a leading market designer. He and his colleagues have rescued failing markets by, for example, designing labor clearinghouses through which U.S. doctors get their first jobs and auctions through which the Federal Communications Commission sells licenses for parts of the radio broadcast spectrum. They have also created marketlike allocation procedures that involve neither prices nor an exchange of money; these include systems for assigning children to schools in Boston and New York and for facilitating exchanges of kidneys. Computers enable the design of "smart markets" that combine the inputs of users in complex ways: In kidney exchange, they run through every possible match of donors and recipients to arrange the greatest possible number of transplants. In the future, computers may make it possible to auction bundled goods, such as airport takeoff and landing slots. As online markets--like those for jobs and dating--proliferate, a growing understanding of markets in general will provide virtually limitless opportunities for market design.

Sex differences in circumstances and consequences of outdoor and indoor falls in older adults in the MOBILIZE Boston cohort study

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Despite extensive research on risk factors associated with falling in older adults, and current fall prevention interventions focusing on modifiable risk factors, there is a lack of detailed accounts of sex differences in risk factors, circumstances and consequences of falls in the literature. We examined the circumstances, consequences and resulting injuries of indoor and outdoor falls according to sex in a population study of older adults. Methods Men and women 65 years and older (N = 743) were followed for fall events from the Maintenance of Balance, Independent Living, Intellect, and Zest in the Elderly (MOBILIZE) Boston prospective cohort study. Baseline measurements were collected by comprehensive clinical assessments, home visits and questionnaires. During the follow-up (median = 2.9 years), participants recorded daily fall occurrences on a monthly calendar, and fall circumstances were determined by a telephone interview. Falls were categorized by activity and place of falling. Circumstance-specific annualized fall rates were calculated and compared between men and women using negative binomial regression models. Results Women had lower rates of outdoor falls overall (Crude Rate Ratio (RR): 0.72, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.56-0.92), in locations of recreation (RR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.17-0.70), during vigorous activity (RR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.18-0.81) and on snowy or icy surfaces (RR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.36-0.86) compared to men. Women and men did not differ significantly in their rates of falls outdoors on sidewalks, streets, and curbs, and during walking. Compared to men, women had greater fall rates in the kitchen (RR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.04-3.40) and while performing household activities (RR: 3.68, 95% CI: 1.50-8.98). The injurious outdoor fall rates were equivalent in both sexes. Women’s overall rate of injurious indoor falls was nearly twice that of men’s (RR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.44-2.72), especially in the kitchen (RR: 6.83, 95% CI: 2

Biochemical and Molecular Analysis of the Hb Lepore Boston Washington in a Syrian Homozygous Child

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monica Pirastru

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Hemoglobin (Hb Lepore is composed of two normal α chains and two δβ fusion globins that arise from unequal crossover events between the δ- and β-globin genes. The Hb Lepore is widespread all over the world and in many ethnic groups. It includes some of the few clinically significant Hb variants that are associated with a β-thalassemia phenotype. Here, we describe the first occurrence of Hb Lepore Boston Washington in a Syrian individual. The patient, a 10-year-old child, shows severe anemia with a Hb level of 6.85 g/dL and typical thalassemic red cell indices. The diagnostic procedure implies hematological, biochemical, and molecular analysis, including multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA assay, GAP-PCR, and DNA sequencing. This latter allowed us to define the correct structure of the hybrid δβ-globin gene. The knowledge of the spectrum of mutations associated with different geographical areas is the prerequisite to set up large-scale screening programs and be able to offer genetic counseling to couples at risk.

Travel Efficiency Assessment Method: Three Case Studies

Science.gov (United States)

This slide presentation summarizes three case studies EPA conducted in partnership with Boston, Kansas City, and Tucson, to assess the potential benefits of employing travel efficiency strategies in these areas.

Repository design sensitivity study: Engineering study report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

A preliminary sensitivity study of the salt repository design has been performed to identify critical site and design parameters to help guide future site characterization and design optimization activities. The study considered the SCP-conceptual design at the Deaf Smith County site in Texas with the horizontal waste package emplacement mode as the base case. Relative to this base case, parameter variations were compared. Limited studies were performed which considered the vertical emplacement mode geometry. The report presents the reference data base and design parameters on which the study was based (including the range of parameters that might be expected). Detailed descriptions of the numerical modeling methods and assumptions are included for the thermal, thermomechanical and hydrogeological analyses. The impacts of parameter variations on the sensitivity of the rock mass response are discussed. Recommendations are provided to help guide site characterization activities and advanced conceptual design optimization activities. 47 refs., 119 refs., 22 tabs

Design and Co-design of Project-organized Studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jørgen Lerche; Andreasen, Lars Birch

2014-01-01

The chapter contributes to discussions on design processes in relation to education, presenting different notions of design research and demonstrating how professors and students are involved together in designing innovative and constructive study processes that can help foster students' engagement...

Development and Evaluation of the Boston University Osteoarthritis Functional Pain Short Form (BU-OA-FPS).

Science.gov (United States)

Goode, Adam P; Ni, Pengshend; Jette, Alan; Fitzgerald, G Kelley

2018-04-19

Pragmatic studies have gained popularity, thus emphasizing the need for patient-reported outcomes (PRO) to be integrated into electronic health records. This study describes the development of a customized short form from the Boston University Osteoarthritis Functional Assessment PRO (BU-OA-PRO) for a specific pragmatic clinical trial. A Functional Pain Short Form was created from an existing item bank of deidentified data in the BU-OA-PRO. Item response theory (IRT) methods were used to select items. Reliability was measured with the Cronbach alpha, then with IRT simulation methods. To examine validity, ceiling and floor effects, correlations between the short-form scores and scores from the BU-OA-PRO and the Western Ontario McMasters University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) Pain and Difficulty subscales, and the area under the curve (AUC) were calculated. A minimum detectable change at 90% confidence (MDC90) was calculated based on a calibration sample. The BU-OA PRO was reduced from 126 items to 10 items to create the BU-OA Functional Pain Short Form (BU-OA-FPS). The Cronbach alpha indicated high internal consistency (0.91), and reliability distribution estimates were 0.96 (uniform) and 0.92 (normal). Low ceiling effects (4.57%), and floor effects (0%) were found. Moderate-to-high correlations between the BU-OA PRO and BU-OA-FPS were found with WOMAC Pain (BU-OA-FPS = 0.67; BU-OA-PRO = 0.64) and Difficulty (BU-OA-FPS = 0.73; BU-OA-PRO = 0.69) subscales. The correlation between the BU-OA-PRO and BU-OA-FPS was 0.94. The AUC ranged from 0.80 to 0.88. The MDC90 was approximately 6 standardized points. The BU-OA-FPS provides reliable and valid measurement of functional pain. Pragmatic studies may consider the BU-OA-FPS for use in electronic health records to capture outcomes.

Long-term visual acuity, retention and complications observed with the type-I and type-II Boston keratoprostheses in an Irish population.

Science.gov (United States)

Duignan, E S; Ní Dhubhghaill, S; Malone, C; Power, W

2016-08-01

To evaluate the outcomes of the type-I and type-II Boston keratoprostheses in a single Irish centre. A retrospective chart review of keratoprosthesis implantations carried out in our institution from November 2002 to March 2014 was performed. All procedures were performed by a single surgeon (WP). Thirty-four keratoprosthesis implantations were carried out in 31 patients with a mean follow-up of 42±31 months (range 2-110 months). Seventeen patients were female (54.8%) and 14 were male (45.2%). The majority of keratoprostheses implanted were type-I (31/34, 91.2%), and three were type-II (3/34, 8.8%). Twenty-nine patients (85.3%) had an improvement in distance best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from baseline. Fifty per cent (17/34) of patients had a best-ever BCVA of at least 6/12. Eighteen patients (64.3%) retained a BCVA of at least 6/60 at 1 year. Over the course of follow-up, six keratoprostheses were explanted from six eyes of five patients, one of which was a type-II keratoprosthesis. Twenty-six patients (76.5%) developed postoperative complications. Complications included retroprosthetic membrane (18 patients, 52.9%), an exacerbation or new diagnosis of glaucoma (6 patients, 17.6%), endophthalmitis (5 patients, 14.7%) and retinal detachment (2 patients, 5.9%). These data demonstrate excellent visual acuity and retention outcomes in a cohort with a long follow-up period in a single centre. Complications remain a considerable source of morbidity. These outcomes provide further evidence for the long-term stability of type-I and type-II Boston keratoprostheses in the management of patients in whom a traditional graft is likely to fail. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Predictors of visual outcomes following Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis implantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Sumayya; Akpek, Esen K; Gehlbach, Peter L; Dunlap, Karen; Ramulu, Pradeep Y

2015-04-01

To identify predictors of visual outcomes following Boston type 1 Keratoprosthesis (KPro) implantation. Retrospective chart review. Data regarding preoperative clinical and demographic characteristics and postoperative course were collected. Fifty-nine eyes of 59 adult patients who underwent KPro implantation between January 2006 and March 2012 at a single tertiary care center. Preoperative factors associated with all-cause and glaucoma-related loss of visual acuity from the best postoperative visual acuity noted. Fifty-two of 59 eyes (88%) achieved improved vision post implantation, with 7 eyes failing to gain vision as a result of pre-existing glaucoma (n = 4) or retino-choroidal disease (n = 3). Twenty-one eyes (21/52, 40%) maintained their best-ever visual acuity at last visit (mean follow-up period was 37.8 months). The likelihood of maintaining best-ever vision was 71% at 1 year, 59% at 2 years, and 48% at 3 years. Primary KPro implantation was associated with a higher likelihood of losing best-ever vision as compared to KPro implantation as a repeat corneal procedure (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.06; P = 006). The main reasons for postimplantation vision loss was glaucoma (12/31, 39%), and the risk of glaucomatous visual acuity loss was 15% at 2 years and 27% at 3 years. Prior trabeculectomy was associated with a higher rate of vision loss from glaucoma (HR = 3.25, P = .04). Glaucoma is the primary reason for loss of visual acuity after KPro implantation. Conditions necessitating primary KPro surgery are associated with more frequent all-cause vision loss. Prospective trials are necessary to better determine which clinical features best predict KPro success. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"Write a chapter and change the world". How the Boston Women's Health Book Collective transformed women's health then--and now.

Science.gov (United States)

Heather, Stephenson; Zeldes, Kiki

2008-10-01

Working together informally, the core group of women who would later form the Boston Women's Health Book Collective wrote a book that would become the bible of women's health, selling more than 4 million copies. They also created an organization that would carry their mission forward. From the first newsprint edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves, which became an underground sensation, to the brand new book, Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth, released in March 2008, the group has educated women and men, critiqued the medical system, examined inequalities based on gender, race, sexual orientation, class, and other categories, and urged readers to move from individual self-help to collective action promoting social policies that support the health of women and communities.

Item analysis of the Spanish version of the Boston Naming Test with a Spanish speaking adult population from Colombia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Stella H; Strutt, Adriana M; Olabarrieta-Landa, Laiene; Lequerica, Anthony H; Rivera, Diego; De Los Reyes Aragon, Carlos Jose; Utria, Oscar; Arango-Lasprilla, Juan Carlos

2018-02-23

The Boston Naming Test (BNT) is a widely used measure of confrontation naming ability that has been criticized for its questionable construct validity for non-English speakers. This study investigated item difficulty and construct validity of the Spanish version of the BNT to assess cultural and linguistic impact on performance. Subjects were 1298 healthy Spanish speaking adults from Colombia. They were administered the 60- and 15-item Spanish version of the BNT. A Rasch analysis was computed to assess dimensionality, item hierarchy, targeting, reliability, and item fit. Both versions of the BNT satisfied requirements for unidimensionality. Although internal consistency was excellent for the 60-item BNT, order of difficulty did not increase consistently with item number and there were a number of items that did not fit the Rasch model. For the 15-item BNT, a total of 5 items changed position on the item hierarchy with 7 poor fitting items. Internal consistency was acceptable. Construct validity of the BNT remains a concern when it is administered to non-English speaking populations. Similar to previous findings, the order of item presentation did not correspond with increasing item difficulty, and both versions were inadequate at assessing high naming ability.

The Effectiveness of Limited Dynamic Wrist Splints on the Symptoms, Function, and Strength of Women with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Controlled Trial Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seyedeh Marjan Jaladat

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Splinting is the most common conservative method of treating patients with mild and moderate Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the limited dynamic wrist splint on the symptoms, function, and strength of women with CTS. In this controlled trial study, the subjects wore a splint of a new design called the “limited dynamic wrist splint”, which allowed the wrist motion in the range (between 15-degree flexion and 15-degree extension that exerts minimum pressure on the median nerve and prevents extra pressure on the nerve by limiting the range of motions out of the allowed range. Methods: In this study, 24 women diagnosed with mild to moderate CTS were initially evaluated on the basis of the Boston questionnaire, the dexterity test of the Purdue pegboard, grip and pinch strength, distal sensory latency, and sensory nerve conduction velocity. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups, control and treatment. Both groups received routine rehabilitation treatment for six weeks. The treatment group received the limited dynamic wrist splint for about six to eight hours a day. After six weeks, the initial examinations were repeated. The SPSS-16, independent t, and paired t-tests were used for data analysis. Results: All the variables in the treatment and the control groups showed improvement. The function test of the Boston questionnaire, the Purdue pegboard test, and the pinch strength were significantly improved in the treatment group. The “severity of the symptoms” test of the Boston questionnaire and the pinch strength in the control group showed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05. In a comparison of the two groups, the function test of the Boston questionnaire showed a significant difference. Conclusion: This study showed that the use of the limited dynamic wrist splint for about six weeks for six to eight hours a day could have a significant effect on the

Delirium markers in older fallers: a case-control study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doherty K

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Kelly Doherty,1 Elizabeth Archambault,1 Brittany Kelly,1,2 James L Rudolph1,3,4 1Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; 2School of Nursing, Science & Health Professions, Regis College, Boston, MA, USA; 3Division of Aging, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; 4Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA Background: When a hospitalized older patient falls or develops delirium, there are significant consequences for the patient and the health care system. Assessments of inattention and altered consciousness, markers for delirium, were analyzed to determine if they were also associated with falls. Methods: This retrospective case-control study from a regional tertiary Veterans Affairs referral center identified falls and delirium risk factors from quality databases from 2010 to 2012. Older fallers with complete delirium risk assessments prior to falling were identified. As a control, non-fallers were matched at a 3:1 ratio. Admission risk factors that were compared in fallers and non-fallers included altered consciousness, cognitive performance, attention, sensory deficits, and dehydration. Odds ratio (OR was reported (95% confidence interval [CI]. Results: After identifying 67 fallers, the control population (n=201 was matched on age (74.4±9.8 years and ward (83.6% medical; 16.4% intensive care unit. Inattention as assessed by the Months of the Year Backward test was more common in fallers (67.2% versus 50.8%, OR=2.0; 95% CI: 1.1–3.7. Fallers tended to have altered consciousness prior to falling (28.4% versus 12.4%, OR=2.8; 95% CI: 1.3–5.8. Conclusion: In this case-control study, alterations in consciousness and inattention, assessed prior to falling, were more common in patients who fell. Brief assessments of consciousness and attention should be considered for inclusion in fall prediction. Keywords: geriatrics, patient centered outcomes research, patient safety

Improving the analysis of designed studies by combining statistical modelling with study design information

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thissen, U.; Wopereis, S.; Berg, S.A.A. van den; Bobeldijk, I.; Kleemann, R.; Kooistra, T.; Dijk, K.W. van; Ommen, B. van; Smilde, A.K.

2009-01-01

Background: In the fields of life sciences, so-called designed studies are used for studying complex biological systems. The data derived from these studies comply with a study design aimed at generating relevant information while diminishing unwanted variation (noise). Knowledge about the study

Avaliação do questionário de Boston aplicado no pós-operatório tardio da síndrome do tunel do carpo operados pela técnica de retinaculótomo de paine por via palmar Evaluation of Boston questionnaire applied at late pos-operative period of carpal tunnel syndrome operated with the paine retinaculatome through palmar port

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lia Miyamoto Meirelles

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Entre os anos de 1995 e 1998, foram realizadas 112 cirurgias para tratamento da Síndrome do Túnel do Carpo (STC pela técnica de incisão palmar e utilização do retináculo de Paine. Com o objetivo de avaliar os resultados em longo prazo, os pacientes foram convocados. Houve o retorno de 44 pacientes. Deste total, três pacientes, por terem doenças associadas, foram excluídos, resultando, um total de 53 mãos analisadas. Apresentaremos os resultados da avaliação subjetiva, obtidos através da aplicação de um teste de auto-avaliação chamado de questionário de Boston. Este questionário consiste em perguntas que avaliam a gravidade dos sintomas e o estado funcional no momento da aplicação do mesmo. Através da aplicação do referido questionário encontramos um escore de 1,41 ± 0,57 para gravidade dos sintomas e 1,59 ± 0,93 para o estado funcional. Como este questionário não foi aplicado no pré-operatório deste grupo de pacientes analisados, comparou-se a pontuação obtida com as encontradas na literatura pertinente. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que as pontuações pós-operatórias são similares àquelas existentes na literatura, mesmo sendo referidas a tempos diferentes de seguimento pós-operatórios, concluindo que havendo uma melhora dos sintomas, o questionário de Boston é sensível a esta mudança clínica.Between the years of 1995 and 1998, 112 surgeries were performed for treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS using the technique of palmar incision employing the Paine retinaculum. With the objective of analyzing results in the long-term, the patients were called for review. Forty four patients returned. From these, three patients were excluded due to associated diseases, thus resulting in a total of 53 hands assessed. Here we present the results of the subjective evaluation achieved by applying a self-assessment test called Boston questionnaire. This questionnaire consists of questions evaluating symptoms

Translation and Validation of the Persian Version the Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Hassankhani, Golnaz Ghayyem; Moradi, Ali; Birjandinejad, Ali; Vahedi, Ehsan; Kachooei, Amir R; Ebrahimzadeh, Mohammad H

2018-01-01

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is recognized as the most common type of neuropathies. Questionnaires are the method of choice for evaluating patients with CTS. Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (BCTS) is one of the most famous questionnaires that evaluate the functional and symptomatic aspects of CTS. This study was performed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Persian version of BCTS questionnaire. First, both parts of the original questionnaire (Symptom Severity Scale and Functional Status Scale) were translated into Persian by two expert translators. The translated questionnaire was revised after merging and confirmed by an orthopedic hand surgeon. The confirmed questionnaire was interpreted back into the original language (English) to check for any possible content inequality between the original questionnaire and its final translated version. The final Persian questionnaire was answered by 10 patients suffering from CTS to elucidate its comprehensibility; afterwards, it was filled by 142 participants along with the Persian version of the Quick-DASH questionnaire. After 2 to 6 days, the translated questionnaire was refilled by some of the previous patients who had not received any substantial medical treatment during that period. Among all 142 patients, 13.4 % were male and 86.6 % were female. The reliability of the questionnaire was tested using Cronbach's alpha and Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Cronbach's alpha was 0.859 for symptom severity scale (SSS) and 0.878 for functional status scale (FSS). Also, ICCs were calculated as 0.538 for SSS and 0.773 for FSS. In addition, construct validity of SSS and FSS against QuickDASH were 0.641 and 0.701, respectively. Based on our results, the Persian version of the BCTQ is valid and reliable. Level of evidence: II.

Design and conduct of an internet-based preconception cohort study in North America: Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO)

Science.gov (United States)

Wise, Lauren A; Rothman, Kenneth J.; Mikkelsen, Ellen M.; Stanford, Joseph B.; Wesselink, Amelia K.; McKinnon, Craig; Gruschow, Siobhan M.; Horgan, Casie E.; Wiley, Aleta S.; Hahn, Kristen A.; Sørensen, Henrik Toft; Hatch, Elizabeth E.

2015-01-01

Background We launched the Boston University Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO) to assess the feasibility of carrying out an internet-based preconception cohort study in the U.S. and Canada. Methods We recruited female participants age 21–45 and their male partners through internet advertisements, word of mouth, and flyers. Female participants were randomized with 50% probability to receive a subscription to FertilityFriend.com (FF), a web-based program that collects real-time data on menstrual characteristics. We compared recruitment methods within PRESTO, assessed the cost-efficiency of PRESTO relative to its Danish counterpart (Snart-Gravid), and validated retrospectively-reported date of last menstrual period (LMP) against FF data. Results After 99 weeks of recruitment (2013–2015), 2,421 women enrolled; 1,384 (57%) invited their male partners to participate, of whom 693 (50%) enrolled. Baseline characteristics were balanced across randomization groups. Cohort retention was similar among those randomized vs. not randomized to FF (84% vs. 81%). At study enrollment, 56%, 22%, and 22% couples had been trying to conceive for cost per subject enrolled was $146 (2013 $US), which was similar to our companion Danish study and half that of a traditional cohort study. Among FF users who conceived, >97% reported their LMP on the PRESTO questionnaire within 1 day of the LMP recorded via FF. Conclusions Use of the internet as a method of recruitment and follow-up in a North American preconception cohort study was feasible and cost-effective. PMID:26111445

Teaching Biblical Studies Online

Science.gov (United States)

Delamarter, Stephen; Gravett, Sandra L.; Ulrich, Daniel W.; Nysse, Richard W.; Polaski, Sandra Hack

2011-01-01

In this edited transcript of a panel at the Society of Biblical Literature (November 23, 2009, Boston, Massachusetts), five Bible scholars give brief presentations on various challenges and opportunities encountered when teaching academic biblical studies courses online in both undergraduate and theological education contexts. Each presentation is…

Using Photovoice and Asset Mapping to Inform a Community-Based Diabetes Intervention, Boston, Massachusetts, 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Florian, Jana; Roy, Nicole M St Omer; Quintiliani, Lisa M; Truong, Ve; Feng, Yi; Bloch, Philippe P; Russinova, Zlatka L; Lasser, Karen E

2016-08-11

Diabetes self-management takes place within a complex social and environmental context.  This study's objective was to examine the perceived and actual presence of community assets that may aid in diabetes control. We conducted one 6-hour photovoice session with 11 adults with poorly controlled diabetes in Boston, Massachusetts.  Participants were recruited from census tracts with high numbers of people with poorly controlled diabetes (diabetes "hot spots").  We coded the discussions and identified relevant themes.  We further explored themes related to the built environment through community asset mapping.  Through walking surveys, we evaluated 5 diabetes hot spots related to physical activity resources, walking environment, and availability of food choices in restaurants and food stores. Community themes from the photovoice session were access to healthy food, restaurants, and prepared foods; food assistance programs; exercise facilities; and church.  Asset mapping identified 114 community assets including 22 food stores, 22 restaurants, and 5 exercise facilities.  Each diabetes hot spot contained at least 1 food store with 5 to 9 varieties of fruits and vegetables.  Only 1 of the exercise facilities had signage regarding hours or services.  Memberships ranged from free to $9.95 per month.  Overall, these findings were inconsistent with participants' reports in the photovoice group. We identified a mismatch between perceptions of community assets and built environment and the objective reality of that environment. Incorporating photovoice and community asset mapping into a community-based diabetes intervention may bring awareness to underused neighborhood resources that can help people control their diabetes.

Iterative Design and Testing for the Development of a Game-Based Chlamydia Awareness Intervention: A Pilot Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Rui; McKanna, James; Calabrese, Samantha; Seif El-Nasr, Magy

2017-08-01

Herein we describe a methodology for developing a game-based intervention to raise awareness of Chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections among youth in Boston's underserved communities. We engaged in three design-based experiments. These utilized mixed methods, including playtesting and assessment methods, to examine the overall effectiveness of the game. In this case, effectiveness is defined as (1) engaging the target group, (2) increasing knowledge about Chlamydia, and (3) changing attitudes toward Chlamydia testing. These three experiments were performed using participants from different communities and with slightly different versions of the game, as we iterated through the design/feedback process. Overall, participants who played the game showed a significant increase in participants' knowledge of Chlamydia compared with those in the control group (P = 0.0002). The version of the game, including elements specifically targeting systemic thinking, showed significant improvement in participants' intent to get tested compared with the version of the game without such elements (Stage 2: P > 0.05; Stage 3: P = 0.0045). Furthermore, during both Stage 2 and Stage 3, participants showed high levels of enjoyment, mood, and participation and moderate levels of game engagement and social engagement. During Stage 3, however, participants' game engagement (P = 0.0003), social engagement (P = 0.0003), and participation (P = 0.0003) were significantly higher compared with those of Stage 2. Thus, we believe that motivation improvements from Stage 2 to 3 were also effective. Finally, participants' overall learning effectiveness was correlated with their prepositive affect (r = 0.52) and their postproblem hierarchy (r = -0.54). The game improved considerably from its initial conception through three stages of iterative design and feedback. Our assessment methods for each stage targeted and integrated learning, health, and engagement

Boston 10 x 20 NTMS area, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Data report (abbreviated): National Uranium Resource Evaluation program, hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, J.R.

1980-01-01

Results of ground water and stream sediment reconnaissance in the National Topographic Map Series (NTMS) Boston 1 0 x 2 0 quadrangle are presented. Surface sediment samples were collected at 669 sites. Ground water samples were collected at 303 sites. Neutron activation analysis (NAA) results are given for uranium and 16 other elements in sediments, and for uranium and 8 other elements in ground water. Field measurements and observations are reported for each site. Analytical data and field measurements are presented. Data from ground water sites include (1) water chemistry measurements (pH, conductivity, and alkalinity), (2) physical measurements where applicable (water temperature, well description, etc.), and (3) elemental analyses (U, Al, Br, Cl, Dy, F, Mn, Na, and V). Data from sediment sites include (1) stream water chemistry measurements (pH, conductivity, and alkalinity), and (2) elemental analyses for sediment samples (U, Th, Hf, Al, Ce, Dy, Eu, Fe, La, Lu, Mn, Sc, Sm, Na, Ti, V, and Yb). Sample site descriptors (stream characteristics, vegetation, etc.) are also tabulated. Areal distribution maps, histograms, and cumulative frequency plots for most elements and for U/Th and U/Hf ratios are included on the microfiche. Key data from stream water sites include (1) water quality measurements (pH, conductivity, and alkalinity) and (2) elemental analyses (U, Al, Br, Ci, Dy, F, Mg, Mn, Na, and V). The maximum uranium concentration in the sediments of the Boston quadrangle was 82.1 ppM. The mean of the logarithms of the uranium concentrations in sediments was 0.68, which corresponds to 4.8 ppM uranium. A cluster of samples with uranium values greater than 40 ppM and which have low thorium concentrations occurs in Essex County, Massachusetts

Urbanization effects on stream habitat characteristics in Boston, Massachusetts; Birmingham, Alabama; and Salt Lake City, Utah

Science.gov (United States)

Short, T.M.; Giddings, E.M.P.; Zappia, H.; Coles, J.F.

2005-01-01

Relations between stream habitat and urban land-use intensity were examined in 90 stream reaches located in or near the metropolitan areas of Salt Lake City, Utah (SLC); Birmingham, Alabama (BIR); and Boston, Massachusetts (BOS). Urban intensity was based on a multi-metric index (urban intensity index or UII) that included measures of land cover, socioeconomic organization, and urban infrastructure. Twenty-eight physical variables describing channel morphology, hydraulic properties, and streambed conditions were examined. None of the habitat variables was significantly correlated with urbanization intensity in all three study areas. Urbanization effects on stream habitat were less apparent for streams in SLC and BIR, owing to the strong influence of basin slope (SLC) and drought conditions (BIR) on local flow regimes. Streamflow in the BOS study area was not unduly influenced by similar conditions of climate and physiography, and habitat conditions in these streams were more responsive to urbanization. Urbanization in BOS contributed to higher discharge, channel deepening, and increased loading of fine-grained particles to stream channels. The modifying influence of basin slope and climate on hydrology of streams in SLC and BIR limited our ability to effectively compare habitat responses among different urban settings and identify common responses that might be of interest to restoration or water management programs. Successful application of land-use models such as the UII to compare urbanization effects on stream habitat in different environmental settings must account for inherent differences in natural and anthropogenic factors affecting stream hydrology and geomorphology. The challenge to future management of urban development is to further quantify these differences by building upon existing models, and ultimately develop a broader understanding of urbanization effects on aquatic ecosystems. ?? 2005 by the American Fisheries Society.

Stigma, medical mistrust, and perceived racism may affect PrEP awareness and uptake in black compared to white gay and bisexual men in Jackson, Mississippi and Boston, Massachusetts.

Science.gov (United States)

Cahill, Sean; Taylor, S Wade; Elsesser, Steven A; Mena, Leandro; Hickson, DeMarc; Mayer, Kenneth H

2017-11-01

Gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) account for more than two thirds of new HIV infections in the U.S., with Black MSM experiencing the greatest burden. Antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can reduce MSM's vulnerability to HIV infection. Uptake of PrEP has been limited, particularly among racial and ethnic minority MSM. Four semi-structured focus groups with gay and bisexual men and other MSM at risk for HIV infection were convened in Boston and Jackson in late 2013. The analysis plan utilized a within-case, across-case approach to code and analyze emerging themes, and to compare results across the two cities. Participants recruited in Jackson were primarily Black gay men, while Boston participants were mostly non-Hispanic White gay men. Participants in both sites shared concerns about medication side effects and culturally insensitive health care for gay men. Jackson participants described stronger medical mistrust, and more frequently described experiences of anti-gay and HIV related stigma. Multiple addressable barriers to PrEP uptake were described. Information about side effects should be explicitly addressed in PrEP education campaigns. Providers and health departments should address medical mistrust, especially among Black gay and bisexual men and other MSM, in part by training providers in how to provide affirming, culturally competent care. Medicaid should be expanded in Mississippi to cover low-income young Black gay and bisexual men and other MSM.

Long-Term Oceanographic Observations in Western Massachusetts Bay Offshore of Boston, Massachusetts: Data Report for 1989-2002

Science.gov (United States)

Butman, Bradford; Bothner, Michael H.; Alexander, P. Soupy; Lightsom, Frances L.; Martini, Marinna A.; Gutierrez, Benjamin T.; Strahle, William S.

2004-01-01

This data report presents long-term oceanographic observations made in western Massachusetts Bay at two locations: (1) 42 deg 22.6' N., 70 deg 47.0' W. (Site A, 33 m water depth) from December 1989 through December 2002 (figure 1), and (2) 42 deg 9.8' N., 70 deg 38.4' W. (Site B, 21 m water depth) from October 1997 through December 2002. Site A is approximately 1 km south of the new ocean outfall that began discharging treated sewage effluent from the Boston metropolitan area into Massachusetts Bay on September 6, 2000. These long-term oceanographic observations have been collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in partnership with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and with logistical support from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG - http://www.uscg.mil). This report presents time series data through December 2002, updating a similar report that presented data through December 2000 (Butman and others, 2002). In addition, the Statistics and Mean Flow sections include some new plots and tables and the format of the report has been streamlined by combining yearly figures into single .pdfs. Figure 1 (PDF format) The long-term measurements are planned to continue at least through 2005. The long-term oceanographic observations at Sites A and B are part of a USGS study designed to understand the transport and long-term fate of sediments and associated contaminants in the Massachusetts bays. (See http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/bostonharbor/ and Butman and Bothner, 1997.) The long-term observations document seasonal and inter-annual changes in currents, hydrography, and suspended-matter concentration in western Massachusetts Bay, and the importance of infrequent catastrophic events, such as major storms or hurricanes, in sediment resuspension and transport. They also provide observations for testing numerical models of circulation. This data report presents a description of the field program and instrumentation, an overview of the data through

A Practical Ethnic Studies Program

Science.gov (United States)

Lum, Lydia

2009-01-01

This article describes the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Boston which complements students' career tracks and engages them in the surrounding Asian American community. For many educators, large numbers of graduates are not only a bragging right, but a goal. However, those involved in the Asian American…

The Boston Marathon Bombers: the Lethal Cocktail that Turned Troubled Youth to Terrorism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne Speckhard

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The Tsarnaev brothers came from the war-torn Chechen diaspora and found asylum in the United States. The elder brother,Tamerlan, carried actual memories of fleeing from the 1994-96 Chechen war. He also lived in Dagestan for a year at the time when the Chechen warlord Basayev was engaging in a campaign of more than thirty suicide attacks, including mass hostage takings. When Tamerlan made it to the United States, he tried to assimilate but failed to make it. The family struggled hard to make a living in the U.S.; but in the end the parents divorced and the father returned to Dagestan. Dzhokhar, the younger brother, made it into an American university but Tamerlan did not succeed in higher education, trying to pursue a boxing career instead. When his immigration status precluded a boxing career, he became disillusioned. Meanwhile his mother, concerned about his descent into smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol, arranged an Islamic tutor for him. The ingredients for the lethal cocktail of terrorism came together when Tamerlan's individual vulnerabilities made him seek online contacts via the Internet and brought him in touch with offline mentors, militants and extremists who glorified Al-Qaeda’s global jihad. Through these channels he became receptive to the terrorist ideology, found a jihadist group with global reach to align with, received technical instructions from the Inspire magazine and found enough support for executing the Boston marathon attack, pulling his younger brother along and dying in the process as he had expected.

Social responsibility, international development, and institutional commitment: lessons from the Boston University experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Babich, Lauren P; Bicknell, William J; Culpepper, Larry; Jack, Brian W

2008-02-01

Boston University (BU) has a long history of a strong social mission and commitment to service. In August 2003, BU made an institutional commitment to work with the country of Lesotho to tackle the human capital implications of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Surrounded by South Africa, and with a population of two million, Lesotho, a stable democracy, suffers the world's third-highest adult HIV prevalence rate of about 24%. The initiation of the program required a substantial initial institutional investment without any promise of payback. This allowed BU to begin work in Lesotho while searching for additional funds. The government of Lesotho and BU agreed to focus on preserving the lives of Lesotho's citizens, building the capacity of the country's workforce, and maximizing the efficiency of Lesotho's existing systems and resources. Initial activities were modest, beginning with workshops on problem solving, then the launch of a primary care clinic that offered HIV/AIDS treatment services at the nation's only teacher training college. With support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the main focus is now on strengthening district-level primary care services, including the initiation of a family medicine residency training program in cooperation with the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein. The initial commitment has developed into a mutual partnership, with benefits to country and university alike. By combining the expertise from various schools and departments to focus on a single country, a university can significantly advance international development, strengthen its service mission, enrich teaching, and provide new opportunities for research.

Research accomplishments and future goals in particle physics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1990-11-30

This document presents our proposal to continue the activities of Boston University researchers in high energy physics research. We have a broad program of participation in both non-accelerator and accelerator-based efforts. High energy research at Boston University has a special focus on the physics program of the Superconducting Supercollider. We are active in research and development for detector subsystems, in the design of experiments, and in study of the phenomenology of the very high energy interactions to be observed at the SSC. The particular areas discussed in this paper are: colliding beams physics; accelerator design physics; MACRO project; proton decay project; theoretical particle physics; muon G-2 project; fast liquid scintillators; SSCINTCAL project; TRD project; massively parallel processing for the SSC; and physics analysis and vertex detector upgrade at L3.

Earth Sciences at Boston University: Reorientation and Renewal

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, R. W.; Simpson, C.

2003-12-01

Beginning in 1994 with the renaming of its Department of Geology as the Department of Earth Sciences, Boston University has invested much effort into developing a modern, energetic department that excels in its dual research and teaching mission. These changes required strong leadership at the departmental and senior administrative level, but they have resulted in a moderately sized program (9.5 full time faculty) that is competing with "Top Ten" institutions for graduate students and faculty, and which is also placing its undergraduates in the leading graduate programs. Most of the revitalization was achieved over a 5-year period in which across the board changes occurred in our undergraduate curriculum and during which we recruited junior and mid-level faculty on the basis of their scholarly abilities and for their belief in the culture of our new mission and program. The undergraduate curriculum, which had been oriented towards traditional geologic offerings, was greatly increased in rigor (requiring a full year each of calculus, physics, and chemistry) and redesigned to expand flexibility in the broad field of earth sciences. During the evolution of the curriculum, it was extremely important not to confuse "tradition" with "rigor". Undergraduates became more critically involved with our research mission through senior theses, a formal Undergraduate Research Opportunities program, and by work-study participation in the laboratories. By making the program more challenging, over the period of 3 years we doubled the number of majors and minors and increased the average GPA by 0.5 units. Now, after 8 years, we have nearly tripled our overall number of students, with further improvements in quality and intellectual diversity. The opportunity to replace departing senior faculty was achieved through effectively arguing to the central administration that modern earth sciences are an essential component of any leading institution of higher education. By persuading the

Study designs may influence results

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johansen, Christoffer; Schüz, Joachim; Andreasen, Anne-Marie Serena

2017-01-01

appeared to show an inverse association, whereas nested case-control and cohort studies showed no association. For allergies, the inverse association was observed irrespective of study design. We recommend that the questionnaire-based case-control design be placed lower in the hierarchy of studies...... for establishing cause-and-effect for diseases such as glioma. We suggest that a state-of-the-art case-control study should, as a minimum, be accompanied by extensive validation of the exposure assessment methods and the representativeness of the study sample with regard to the exposures of interest. Otherwise...

SPFC bus design studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Potter, L.; Reinkingh, J.

1999-07-01

This report presents the results of a study assessing the design options for a solid polymer fuel cell bus. Commercial and operation requirements, environmental and market drivers, and fuel processor modeling are examined. Power train specifications and detailed system design are investigated covering fuel cell system dynamic response, hybrid system size, fuel cell system start-up time, system specifications, and hybrid bus component dimensions and costs. (UK)

The Great Diseases Project: a partnership between Tufts Medical School and the Boston public schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacque, Berri; Malanson, Katherine; Bateman, Kathleen; Akeson, Bob; Cail, Amanda; Doss, Chris; Dugan, Matt; Finegold, Brandon; Gauthier, Aimee; Galego, Mike; Roundtree, Eugene; Spezzano, Lawrence; Meiri, Karina F

2013-05-01

Medical schools, although the gatekeepers of much biomedical education and research, rarely engage formally with K-12 educators to influence curriculum content or professional development. This segregation of content experts from teachers creates a knowledge gap that limits inclusion of current biomedical science into high school curricula, affecting both public health literacy and the biomedical pipeline. The authors describe how, in 2009, scientists from Tufts Medical School and Boston public school teachers established a partnership of formal scholarly dialogue to create 11th- to 12th-grade high school curricula about critical health-related concepts, with the goal of increasing scientific literacy and influencing health-related decisions. The curricula are based on the great diseases (infectious diseases, neurological disorders, metabolic disease, and cancer). Unlike most health science curricular interventions that provide circumscribed activities, the curricula are comprehensive, each filling one full term of in-class learning and providing extensive real-time support for the teacher. In this article, the authors describe how they developed and implemented the infectious disease curriculum, and its impacts. The high school teachers and students showed robust gains in content knowledge and critical thinking skills, whereas the Tufts scientists increased their pedagogical knowledge and appreciation for health-related science communication. The results show how formal interactions between medical schools and K-12 educators can be mutually beneficial.

Collective design in 3D printing: A large scale empirical study of designs, designers and evolution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Özkil, Ali Gürcan

2017-01-01

This paper provides an empirical study of a collective design platform (Thingiverse); with the aim of understanding the phenomenon and investigating how designs concurrently evolve through the large and complex network of designers. The case study is based on the meta-data collected from 158 489 ...

Identifying Sources of Children’s Consumption of Junk Food in Boston After-School Programs, April–May 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Austin, S. Bryn; Cradock, Angie L.; Giles, Catherine M.; Lee, Rebekka M.; Davison, Kirsten K.; Gortmaker, Steven L.

2014-01-01

Introduction Little is known about how the nutrition environment in after-school settings may affect children’s dietary intake. We measured the nutritional quality of after-school snacks provided by programs participating in the National School Lunch Program or the Child and Adult Care Food Program and compared them with snacks brought from home or purchased elsewhere (nonprogram snacks). We quantified the effect of nonprogram snacks on the dietary intake of children who also received program-provided snacks during after-school time. Our study objective was to determine how different sources of snacks affect children’s snack consumption in after-school settings. Methods We recorded snacks served to and brought in by 298 children in 18 after-school programs in Boston, Massachusetts, on 5 program days in April and May 2011. We measured children’s snack consumption on 2 program days using a validated observation protocol. We then calculated within-child change-in-change models to estimate the effect of nonprogram snacks on children’s dietary intake after school. Results Nonprogram snacks contained more sugary beverages and candy than program-provided snacks. Having a nonprogram snack was associated with significantly higher consumption of total calories (+114.7 kcal, P snack period. Conclusion On days when children brought their own after-school snack, they consumed more salty and sugary foods and nearly twice as many calories than on days when they consumed only program-provided snacks. Policy strategies limiting nonprogram snacks or setting nutritional standards for them in after-school settings should be explored further as a way to promote child health. PMID:25412028

Premigration Exposure to Political Violence and Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence Among Immigrant Men in Boston

Science.gov (United States)

Acevedo-Garcia, Dolores; Hemenway, David; Decker, Michele R.; Raj, Anita; Silverman, Jay G.

2009-01-01

Objectives. We examined associations between premigration political violence exposure and past-year intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration among immigrant men attending community health centers in Boston. Methods. A convenience sample of immigrant men (N = 379; aged 18–35 years), largely from the Caribbean and Cape Verde, who attend community health centers, completed an anonymous, cross-sectional survey on risk and protective factors for male-perpetrated IPV and respondents’ exposure to political violence. Results. One in 5 (20.1%) immigrant men reported that they were exposed to political violence before arrival in the United States. Men reporting political violence exposure were significantly more likely to report IPV perpetration than were men not reporting such exposure (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.84; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.41, 5.74). Significant associations with political violence exposure were observed for both physical (AOR = 2.69; 95% CI = 1.11, 6.54) and sexual (AOR = 2.37; 95% CI = 1.04, 5.44) IPV perpetration. Conclusions. To our knowledge, our findings document for the first time the significant association between premigration political violence exposure and recent IPV perpetration among immigrant men. Additional work is needed to examine underlying mechanisms to inform culturally appropriate programs. PMID:18703450

Assessment of a Districtwide Policy on Availability of Competitive Beverages in Boston Public Schools, Massachusetts, 2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Mozaffarian, Rebecca S; Gortmaker, Steven L; Kenney, Erica L; Carter, Jill E; Howe, M Caitlin Westfall; Reiner, Jennifer F; Cradock, Angie L

2016-03-03

Competitive beverages are drinks sold outside of the federally reimbursable school meals program and include beverages sold in vending machines, a la carte lines, school stores, and snack bars. Competitive beverages include sugar-sweetened beverages, which are associated with overweight and obesity. We described competitive beverage availability 9 years after the introduction in 2004 of district-wide nutrition standards for competitive beverages sold in Boston Public Schools. In 2013, we documented types of competitive beverages sold in 115 schools. We collected nutrient data to determine compliance with the standards. We evaluated the extent to which schools met the competitive-beverage standards and calculated the percentage of students who had access to beverages that met or did not meet the standards. Of 115 schools, 89.6% met the competitive beverage nutrition standards; 88.5% of elementary schools and 61.5% of middle schools did not sell competitive beverages. Nutrition standards were met in 79.2% of high schools; 37.5% did not sell any competitive beverages, and 41.7% sold only beverages meeting the standards. Overall, 85.5% of students attended schools meeting the standards. Only 4.0% of students had access to sugar-sweetened beverages. A comprehensive, district-wide competitive beverage policy with implementation support can translate into a sustained healthful environment in public schools.

A brief review of Boston type-1 and osteo-odonto keratoprostheses.

Science.gov (United States)

Avadhanam, Venkata S; Liu, Christopher S C

2015-07-01

Globally there are ≈4.9 million bilaterally corneal blind and 23 million unilaterally corneal blind. Majority of this blindness exists in the developing countries, where resources for corneal banking and transplant surgery are less than adequate. Survival of corneal grafts gradually declines over the long term. Corneal transplantation has poor prognosis in vascularised corneal beds, ocular surface disease and viral keratitis. Keratoprosthesis (KPro) remains as a final option for end-stage ocular surface disease, multiple corneal transplant failures and high-risk corneal grafts. Boston type-1 KPro and osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis are the two devices proven useful in recent years. Choice of a keratoprosthetic device is patient specific based on the underlying diagnosis, ocular morbidity and patient suitability. KPro surgery demands a high level of clinical and surgical expertise, lifelong commitment and extensive resources. Improvements in techniques and biomaterials may in the future provide retainable KPros that do not need regular follow-up of patients, have low complications but high retention rates and may be produced at a low cost on a mass scale to be available as 'off the shelf' devices. Because KPros have the potential to effectively address the burden of surgically treatable corneal blindness and may also eliminate the problems of corneal transplantation, more research is required to develop KPros as substitutes for corneal transplantation even in low-risk cases. In those countries where corneal blindness is a major liability, we need a two pronged approach: one to develop eye donation, eye banking and corneal transplantation and the second to establish centres for keratoprostheses, which are affordable and technically not challenging, in a population where default on follow-up visits are high. Until the latter is achieved, KPros should be viewed as a temporary means for visual restoration and be offered in national and supraregional specialised centres

How system designers think: a study of design thinking in human factors engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Papantonopoulos, Sotiris

2004-11-01

The paper presents a descriptive study of design thinking in human factors engineering. The objective of the study is to analyse the role of interpretation in design thinking and the role of design practice in guiding interpretation. The study involved 10 system designers undertaking the allocation of cognitive functions in three production planning and control task scenarios. Allocation decisions were recorded and verbal protocols of the design process were collected to elicit the subjects' thought processes. Verbal protocol analysis showed that subjects carried out the design of cognitive task allocation as a problem of applying a selected automation technology from their initial design deliberations. This design strategy stands in contrast to the predominant view of system design that stipulates that user requirements should be thoroughly analysed prior to making any decisions about technology. Theoretical frameworks from design research and ontological design showed that the system design process may be better understood by recognizing the role of design hypotheses in system design, as well as the diverse interactions between interpretation and practice, means and ends, and design practice and the designer's pre-understanding which shape the design process. Ways to balance the bias exerted on the design process were discussed.

FFAG Designs for the International Design Study for the Neutrino Factory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berg, J.S.; Machida, S.

2009-05-04

The International Design Study for the Neutrino Factory (IDS-NF) aims to produce a design report for a neutrino factory. One component of that design is a linear nonscaling fixed-field alternating gradient accelerator (FFAG) that will accelerate to the final energy of 25 GeV. An FFAG is used to reduce the machine cost by maximizing the number of passes made through the RF cavities. We present some design options for this FFAG, individually optimized for cost. We study the addition of nonlinear magnets to the lattice to improve the performance of the lattice and consider the negative effects of doing so.

FED/INTOR reactor design studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, T.G.; Cramer, B.A.; Davisson, J.P.; Kunselman, M.H.; Reiersen, W.T.; Sager, P.H.; Strickler, D.J.

1982-03-01

Upon completing the design studies identified in this report, an overall assessment of the design options is made that will form the bases to define the configuration of the next major Tokamak device. The TF coil size will be defined, along with the vacuum boundary, the PF coil arrangement, and the torus configuration. After the configuration is established, an overall performance and cost re-assessment should be made to finally trade off device performance with machine capital and operating costs to establish a reactor design point for a given set of design requirements

Assessing the Value of High-Quality Care for Work-Associated Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in a Large Integrated Health Care System: Study Design.

Science.gov (United States)

Conlon, Craig; Asch, Steven; Hanson, Mark; Avins, Andrew; Levitan, Barbara; Roth, Carol; Robbins, Michael; Dworsky, Michael; Seabury, Seth; Nuckols, Teryl

2016-01-01

Little is known about quality of care for occupational health disorders, although it may affect worker health and workers' compensation costs. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common work-associated condition that causes substantial disability. To describe the design of a study that is assessing quality of care for work-associated CTS and associations with clinical outcomes and costs. Prospective observational study of 477 individuals with new workers' compensation claims for CTS without acute trauma who were treated at 30 occupational health clinics from 2011 to 2013 and followed for 18 months. Timing of key clinical events, adherence to 45 quality measures, changes in scores on the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire and 12-item Short Form Health Survey Version 2 (SF-12v2), and costs associated with medical care and disability. Two hundred sixty-seven subjects (56%) received a diagnosis of CTS and had claims filed around the first visit to occupational health, 104 (22%) received a diagnosis before that visit and claim, and 98 (21%) received a diagnosis or had claims filed after that visit. One hundred seventy-eight (37%) subjects had time off work, which started around the time of surgery in 147 (83%) cases and lasted a median of 41 days (interquartile range = 42 days). The timing of diagnosis varied, but time off work was generally short and related to surgery. If associations of quality of care with key medical, economic, and quality-of-life outcomes are identified for work-associated CTS, systematic efforts to evaluate and improve quality of medical care for this condition are warranted.

Operational Design of Campaigns. A Hedge against Operational Failures.

Science.gov (United States)

1990-05-07

although no firm date was given. Nixon viewed Baghdad as the "golden ring’ to be snatched. thereby successfully ending the Mesopotamia Campaign. In his mind...London: Unicorn Press. 1936. Candler, Edmund. The Long Road to Baghdad. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1918. Clausewitz, Carl von. On War, Trans. Michael

Exploring Advertising in Higher Education: An Empirical Analysis in North America, Europe, and Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Papadimitriou, Antigoni; Blanco Ramírez, Gerardo

2015-01-01

This empirical study explores higher education advertising campaigns displayed in five world cities: Boston, New York, Oslo, Tokyo, and Toronto. The study follows a mixed-methods research design relying on content analysis and multimodal semiotic analysis and employs a conceptual framework based on the knowledge triangle of education, research,…

Safety effects of road design standards in Europe. Contribution to the International Symposium on Highway Geometric Design Practices, Session on Safety and Human Factors Considerations, Boston, Massachusetts, August 30 - September 1, 1995.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wegman, F.C.M. & Slop, M.

1996-01-01

This paper deals with the result of a study carried out for the European Commission by the SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research, in co-operation with a number of other European institutes, and which was reported in 1994. The title of the study is "Safety Effects of Road Design Standards." The

study and analysis of asa river hypothetical dam break using hec-ras

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Windows User

outcome of the analysis showed that in the event of such failure of Asa dam, some areas which include industrial and residential .... Road Bridge (Coca Cola Axis). (iv) Stretch ..... Solutions and Case Studies, WIT Press, Southampton,. Boston ...

The XIIIth International Physiological Congress in Boston in 1929: American physiology comes of age.

Science.gov (United States)

Rall, Jack A

2016-03-01

In the 19th century, the concept of experimental physiology originated in France with Claude Bernard, evolved in Germany stimulated by the teaching of Carl Ludwig, and later spread to Britain and then to the United States. The goal was to develop a physicochemical understanding of physiological phenomena. The first International Physiological Congress occurred in 1889 in Switzerland with an emphasis on experimental demonstrations. The XIIIth Congress, the first to be held outside of Europe, took place in Boston, MA, in 1929. It was a watershed meeting and indicated that American physiology had come of age. Meticulously organized, it was the largest congress to date, with over 1,200 participants from more than 40 countries. Getting to the congress was a cultural adventure, especially for the 400 scientists and their families from over 20 European countries, who sailed for 10 days on the S.S. Minnekahda. Many of the great physiologists of the world were in attendance, including 22 scientists who were either or would become Nobel Laureates. There were hundreds of platform presentations and many experimental demonstrations. The meeting was not without controversy as a conflict, still not completely settled, arose over the discovery of ATP. After the meeting, hundreds of participants made a memorable trip to the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, MA, which culminated in a "good old fashioned Cape Cod Clambake." Although not as spectacular as the 1929 congress, the physiological congresses have continued with goals similar to those established more than a century ago. Copyright © 2016 The American Physiological Society.

Identifying sources of children's consumption of junk food in Boston after-school programs, April-May 2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Kenney, Erica L; Austin, S Bryn; Cradock, Angie L; Giles, Catherine M; Lee, Rebekka M; Davison, Kirsten K; Gortmaker, Steven L

2014-11-20

Little is known about how the nutrition environment in after-school settings may affect children's dietary intake. We measured the nutritional quality of after-school snacks provided by programs participating in the National School Lunch Program or the Child and Adult Care Food Program and compared them with snacks brought from home or purchased elsewhere (nonprogram snacks). We quantified the effect of nonprogram snacks on the dietary intake of children who also received program-provided snacks during after-school time. Our study objective was to determine how different sources of snacks affect children's snack consumption in after-school settings. We recorded snacks served to and brought in by 298 children in 18 after-school programs in Boston, Massachusetts, on 5 program days in April and May 2011. We measured children's snack consumption on 2 program days using a validated observation protocol. We then calculated within-child change-in-change models to estimate the effect of nonprogram snacks on children's dietary intake after school. Nonprogram snacks contained more sugary beverages and candy than program-provided snacks. Having a nonprogram snack was associated with significantly higher consumption of total calories (+114.7 kcal, P < .001), sugar-sweetened beverages (+0.5 oz, P = .01), desserts (+0.3 servings, P < .001), and foods with added sugars (+0.5 servings; P < .001) during the snack period. On days when children brought their own after-school snack, they consumed more salty and sugary foods and nearly twice as many calories than on days when they consumed only program-provided snacks. Policy strategies limiting nonprogram snacks or setting nutritional standards for them in after-school settings should be explored further as a way to promote child health.

Behavior Disorders and Epilepsy

OpenAIRE

J Gordon Millichap

1993-01-01

A longitudinal study of 127 children with epilepsy aged 8-12 years and their mothers, designed to identify factors contributing to behavior problems, is reported from the Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis; the Minnesota Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Minneapolis; and the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston.

Techniques for Conducting Effective Concept Design and Design-to-Cost Trade Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Di Pietro, David A.

2015-01-01

Concept design plays a central role in project success as its product effectively locks the majority of system life cycle cost. Such extraordinary leverage presents a business case for conducting concept design in a credible fashion, particularly for first-of-a-kind systems that advance the state of the art and that have high design uncertainty. A key challenge, however, is to know when credible design convergence has been achieved in such systems. Using a space system example, this paper characterizes the level of convergence needed for concept design in the context of technical and programmatic resource margins available in preliminary design and highlights the importance of design and cost evaluation learning curves in determining credible convergence. It also provides techniques for selecting trade study cases that promote objective concept evaluation, help reveal unknowns, and expedite convergence within the trade space and conveys general practices for conducting effective concept design-to-cost studies.

Some design aspects of transuranic field studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilbert, R.O.; Eberhardt, L.L.

1977-01-01

In this paper, we discuss some design aspects of transuranic field studies. Some of the principal steps in the design of such studies are given and illustrated using examples. This is followed by a review of sampling designs that have been used at nuclear detonation and safety-shot sites on the Nevada Test Site and elsewhere for estimating spatial pattern and total amounts in soil. Some design aspects of ecosystem-type transuranic studies for estimating total amounts as well as movement of transuranics between ecosystem components are also discussed. Acceptance sampling using either attributes or measurements is considered as a possible approach for deciding whether to clean up a contaminated site. Three general guidelines for the design of efficient transuranic studies are presented

A Study On The Applicability Of SERVQUAL Dimensions Of Web Sites

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A. van der Wiele (Ton); J.D. van Iwaarden (Jos)

2002-01-01

textabstractA survey has been undertaken amongst students of two universities (Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and Northeastern University Boston, USA) to study what quality factors are perceived as important in relation to their use of web sites. The results of the questionnaire

Application of analytical hierarchy process to analyze stakeholders preferences for municipal solid waste management plans, Boston, USA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Contreras, Francisco; Hanaki, Keisuke; Aramaki, Toshiya [Department of Urban Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, the University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Hongo 7-3-1, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Connors, Stephen [Laboratory for Energy and the Environment, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, One Amherst Street E40, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 (United States)

2008-05-15

This paper presents analytical hierarchical process (AHP) in combination with life cycle assessment (LCA) as a decision support tool for municipal solid waste (MSW) management. A proposed set of treatment plans and an array of impacts create a complex decision environment for MSW management in the city of Boston. AHP is utilized to incorporate the relative importance of the different impact categories and treatment plans into the decision scheme regarding stakeholder group's preferences. The use of biogasification and refuse derived fuel (RDF) technologies into different management plans is presented as an alternative to the actual management of household solid waste. The results of the AHP application show that between the impact categories presented, green house gas emissions and landfill capacity constrains are ranked higher rather than the cost associated to the operation of the plan and health damage associated to the treatment plans presented among the stakeholder groups. In a broader context, the use of a hierarchical approach on AHP to structure the decision problem allows the development of four different scenarios according to the contribution of each stakeholder group to the decision scheme. In this analysis, the use of biogasification was considered as the most suitable plan to follow. (author)

Designing a Language Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, James Dean

Some issues in the design of classroom research on second language teaching are discussed, with the intention of helping the researcher avoid conceptual pitfalls that may cripple the study later in the process. This begins with an examination of concerns in sampling, including definition of a population to be studied, alternative sampling…

Descriptive study of 192 adults with speech and language disturbances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Letícia Lessa Mansur

Full Text Available CONTEXT: Aphasia is a very disabling condition caused by neurological diseases. In Brazil, we have little data on the profile of aphasics treated in rehabilitation centers. OBJECTIVE: To present a descriptive study of 192 patients, providing a reference sample of speech and language disturbances among Brazilians. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Speech Pathology Unit linked to the Neurology Division of the Hospital das Clínicas of the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo. SAMPLE: All patients (192 referred to our Speech Pathology service from 1995 to 2000. PROCEDURES: We collected data relating to demographic variables, etiology, language evaluation (functional evaluation, Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination, Boston Naming and Token Test, and neuroimaging studies. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: The results obtained in language tests and the clinical and neuroimaging data were organized and classified. Seventy aphasics were chosen for constructing a profile. Fourteen subjects with left single-lobe dysfunction were analyzed in detail. Seventeen aphasics were compared with 17 normal subjects, all performing the Token Test. RESULTS: One hundred subjects (52% were men and 92 (48% women. Their education varied from 0 to 16 years (average: 6.5; standard deviation: 4.53. We identified the lesion sites in 104 patients: 89% in the left hemisphere and 58% due to stroke. The incidence of aphasia was 70%; dysarthria and apraxia, 6%; functional alterations in communication, 17%; and 7% were normal. Statistically significant differences appeared when comparing the subgroup to controls in the Token Test. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that this sample contributes to a better understanding of neurological patients with speech and language disturbances and may be useful as a reference for health professionals involved in the rehabilitation of such disorders.

Hypertensive phase and early complications after Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation with intraoperative subtenon triamcinolone acetonide

OpenAIRE

Turalba, Angela; Pasquale,Louis

2014-01-01

Angela V Turalba,1,2 Louis R Pasquale1,2 1Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, USA; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA Objective: To evaluate intraoperative subtenon triamcinolone acetonide (TA) as an adjunct to Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) implantation. Design: Retrospective comparative case series. Participants: Forty-two consecutive cases of uncontrolled glaucoma undergoing AGV implantation: 19 eyes receivi...

Exploratory Shaft Facility design basis study report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langstaff, A.L.

1987-01-01

The Design Basis Study is a scoping/sizing study that evaluated the items concerning the Exploratory Shaft Facility Design including design basis values for water and methane inflow; flexibility of the design to support potential changes in program direction; cost and schedule impacts that could result if the design were changed to comply with gassy mine regulations; and cost, schedule, advantages and disadvantages of a larger second shaft. Recommendations are proposed concerning water and methane inflow values, facility layout, second shaft size, ventilation, and gassy mine requirements. 75 refs., 3 figs., 7 tabs

Environmental Assessment for Boston Harbor Maintenance Dredging, Boston, Massachusetts.

Science.gov (United States)

1981-12-01

Harbor was developed by Jerome et al (1966), Chesmore et al (1971) and Iwanowicz et al. (1973). The studies on the Lower Mystic River were concentrated in... Iwanowicz et al. (1973) and this data should be referred to for detailed information. Waters overlying the shellfish beds are contaminated by wastes...DMRP Technical Report DS-78-5, Environmental Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Mississippi. Iwanowicz , H. R., R D

A systematic review of protocol studies on conceptual design cognition: design as search and exploration

OpenAIRE

Hay, Laura; Duffy, Alex H.B.; McTeague, Chris; Pidgeon, Laura M.; Vuletic, Tijana; Grealy, Madeleine

2017-01-01

This paper reports findings from the first systematic review of protocol studies focusing specifically on conceptual design cognition, aiming to answer the following research question: What is our current understanding of the cognitive processes involved in conceptual design tasks carried out by individual designers? We reviewed 47 studies on architectural design, engineering design and product design engineering. This paper reports 24 cognitive processes investigated in a subset of 33 studie...

Contextualizing Earth Science Professional Development Courses for Geoscience Teachers in Boston: Earth Science II (Solid Earth)

Science.gov (United States)

Pringle, M. S.; Kamerer, B.; Vugrin, M.; Miller, M.

2009-12-01

Earth Science II: The Solid Earth -- Earth History and Planetary Science -- is the second of two Earth Science courses, and one of eleven graduate level science Contextualized Content Courses (CCC), that have been developed by the Boston Science Partnership as part of an NSF-funded Math Science Partnership program. A core goal of these courses is to provide high level science content to middle and high school teachers while modeling good instructional practices directly tied to the Boston Public Schools and Massachusetts science curriculum frameworks. All of these courses emphasize hands-on, lab-based, inquiry-driven, student-centered lessons. The Earth Science II team aimed to strictly adhere to ABC (Activity Before Concept) and 5E/7E models of instruction, and limited lecture or teacher-centered instruction to the later “Explanation” stages of all lessons. We also introduced McNeill and Krajick’s Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) model of scientific explanation for middle school classroom discourse, both as a powerful scaffold leading to higher levels of accountable talk in the classroom, and to model science as a social construct. Daily evaluations, dutifully filled out by the course participants and diligently read by the course instructors, were quite useful in adapting instruction to the needs of the class on a real-time basis. We find the structure of the CCC teaching teams - university-based faculty providing expert content knowledge, K-12-based faculty providing age appropriate pedagogies and specific links to the K-12 curriculum - quite a fruitful, two-way collaboration. From the students’ perspective, one of the most useful takeaways from the university-based faculty was “listening to experts model out loud how they reason,” whereas some of the more practical takeaways (i.e., lesson components directly portable to the classroom?) came from the K-12-based faculty. The main takeaways from the course as a whole were the promise to bring more hands

Design study on advanced nuclear fuel recycle system. Conceptual design study of recycle system using molten salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasai, Y.; Kakehi, I.; Moro, T.; Higashi, T.; Tobe, K.; Kawamura, F.; Yonezawa, S.; Yoshiuji, T.

1998-10-01

Advanced recycle system engineering group of OEC (Oarai Engineering Center) has being carried out a design study of the advanced nuclear fuel recycle system using molten salt (electro-metallurgical process). This system is aiming for improvements of fuel cycle economy and reduction of environmental burden (MA recycles, Minimum of radioactive waste disposal), and also improvement of safety and nuclear non-proliferation. This report describes results of the design study that has been continued since December 1996. (1) A design concept of the advanced nuclear fuel recycle system, that is a module type recycles system of pyrochemical reprocessing and fuel re-fabrication was studied. The module system has advantage in balance of Pu recycle where modules are constructed in coincidence with the construction plan of nuclear power plants, and also has flexibility for technology progress. A demonstration system, minimum size of the above module, was studies. This system has capacity of 10 tHM/y and is able to demonstrate recycle technology of MOX fuel, metal fuel and nitride fuel. (2) Each process of the system, which are pyrochemical electrorefining system, cathode processor, de-cladding system, waste disposal system, etc., were studied. In this study, capacity of an electrorefiner was discussed, and vitrification experiment of molten salt using lead-boric acid glass was conducted. (3) A hot cell system and material handling system of the demonstration system was studied. A robot driven by linear motor was studied for the handling system, and an arrangement plan of the cell system was made. Criticality analysis in the cell system and investigation of material accountancy system of the recycle plant were also made. This design study will be continued in coincidence with design study of reactor and fuel, aiming to establish the concept of FBR recycle system. (author)

Design studies of Tokamak power reactor in JAERI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tone, T.; Nishikawa, M.; Tanaka, Y.

1985-01-01

Recent design studies of tokamak power reactor and related activities conducted in JAERI are presented. A design study of the SPTR (Swimming-Pool Type Reactor) concept was carried out in FY81 and FY82. The reactor design studies in the last two years focus on nuclear components, heat transport and energy conversion systems. In parallel of design studies, tokamak systems analysis code is under development to evaluate reactor performances, cost and net energy balance

The household contact study design for genetic epidemiological studies of infectious diseases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catherine eStein

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Most genetic epidemiological study designs fall into one of two categories: family-based and population-based (case-control. However, recent advances in statistical genetics call for study designs that combine these two approaches. We describe the household contact study design as we have applied it in our several years of study of the epidemiology of tuberculosis. Though we highlight its applicability for genetic epidemiological studies of infectious diseases, there are many facets of this design that are appealing for modern genetic studies, including the simultaneous enrollment of related and unrelated individuals, closely and distantly related individuals, collection of extensive epidemiologic and phenotypic data, and evaluation of effects of shared environment and gene by environment interaction. These study design characteristics are particularly appealing for current sequencing studies.

Infusing Technology Driven Design Thinking in Industrial Design Education: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Mubin, Omar; Novoa, Mauricio; Al Mahmud, Abdullah

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper narrates a case study on design thinking-based education work in an industrial design honours program. Student projects were developed in a multi-disciplinary setting across a Computing and Engineering faculty that allowed promoting technologically and user-driven innovation strategies. Design/methodology/approach: A renewed…

Argonne Tau-charm factory collider design study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teng, L.C.; Crosbie, E.A.; Norem, J.

1995-01-01

The design approach and design principles for a Tau-charm Factory at Argonne were studied. These studies led to a set of preliminary parameters and tentative component features as presented in this paper

A health impact assessment of proposed public transportation service cuts and fare increases in Boston, Massachusetts (U.S.A.).

Science.gov (United States)

James, Peter; Ito, Kate; Buonocore, Jonathan J; Levy, Jonathan I; Arcaya, Mariana C

2014-08-07

Transportation decisions have health consequences that are often not incorporated into policy-making processes. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a process that can be used to evaluate health effects of transportation policy. We present a rapid HIA, conducted over eight weeks, evaluating health and economic effects of proposed fare increases and service cuts to Boston, Massachusetts' public transportation system. We used transportation modeling in concert with tools allowing for quantification and monetization of multiple pathways. We estimated health and economic costs of proposed public transportation system changes to be hundreds of millions of dollars per year, exceeding the budget gap the public transportation authority was required to close. Significant health pathways included crashes, air pollution, and physical activity. The HIA enabled stakeholders to advocate for more modest fare increases and service cuts, which were eventually adopted by decision makers. This HIA was among the first to quantify and monetize multiple pathways linking transportation decisions with health and economic outcomes, using approaches that could be applied in different settings. Including health costs in transportation decisions can lead to policy choices with both economic and public health benefits.

A Health Impact Assessment of Proposed Public Transportation Service Cuts and Fare Increases in Boston, Massachusetts (U.S.A.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter James

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Transportation decisions have health consequences that are often not incorporated into policy-making processes. Health Impact Assessment (HIA is a process that can be used to evaluate health effects of transportation policy. We present a rapid HIA, conducted over eight weeks, evaluating health and economic effects of proposed fare increases and service cuts to Boston, Massachusetts’ public transportation system. We used transportation modeling in concert with tools allowing for quantification and monetization of multiple pathways. We estimated health and economic costs of proposed public transportation system changes to be hundreds of millions of dollars per year, exceeding the budget gap the public transportation authority was required to close. Significant health pathways included crashes, air pollution, and physical activity. The HIA enabled stakeholders to advocate for more modest fare increases and service cuts, which were eventually adopted by decision makers. This HIA was among the first to quantify and monetize multiple pathways linking transportation decisions with health and economic outcomes, using approaches that could be applied in different settings. Including health costs in transportation decisions can lead to policy choices with both economic and public health benefits.

Mirror Advanced Reactor Study interim design report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1983-04-01

The status of the design of a tenth-of-a-kind commercial tandem-mirror fusion reactor is described at the midpoint of a two-year study. When completed, the design is to serve as a strategic goal for the mirror fusion program. The main objectives of the Mirror Advanced Reactor Study (MARS) are: (1) to design an attractive tandem-mirror fusion reactor producing electricity and synfuels (in alternate versions), (2) to identify key development and technology needs, and (3) to exploit the potential of fusion for safety, low activation, and simple disposal of radioactive waste. In the first year we have emphasized physics and engineering of the central cell and physics of the end cell. Design optimization and trade studies are continuing, and we expect additional modifications in the end cells to further improve the performance of the final design.

Mirror Advanced Reactor Study interim design report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-04-01

The status of the design of a tenth-of-a-kind commercial tandem-mirror fusion reactor is described at the midpoint of a two-year study. When completed, the design is to serve as a strategic goal for the mirror fusion program. The main objectives of the Mirror Advanced Reactor Study (MARS) are: (1) to design an attractive tandem-mirror fusion reactor producing electricity and synfuels (in alternate versions), (2) to identify key development and technology needs, and (3) to exploit the potential of fusion for safety, low activation, and simple disposal of radioactive waste. In the first year we have emphasized physics and engineering of the central cell and physics of the end cell. Design optimization and trade studies are continuing, and we expect additional modifications in the end cells to further improve the performance of the final design

Elderly women regulate brain blood flow better than men do.

Science.gov (United States)

Deegan, Brian M; Sorond, Farzaneh A; Galica, Andrew; Lipsitz, Lewis A; O'Laighin, Gearoid; Serrador, Jorge M

2011-07-01

Orthostatic intolerance and falls differ between sexes and change with age. However, it remains unclear what role cerebral autoregulation may play in this response. This study was designed to determine whether cerebral autoregulation, assessed using transcranial Doppler ultrasound, is more effective in elderly females than in males. We used transcranial Doppler ultrasound to evaluate cerebral autoregulation in 544 (236 male) subjects older than age 70 years recruited as part of the MOBILIZE Boston study. The MOBILIZE Boston study is a prospective cohort study of a unique set of risk factors for falls in seniors in the Boston area. We assessed CO2 reactivity and transfer function gain, phase, and coherence during 5 minutes of quiet sitting and autoregulatory index during sit-to-stand tests. Male subjects had significantly lower CO2 reactivity (males, 1.10 ± 0.03; females, 1.32 ± 0.43 (cm/s)/%CO2; Peffective cerebral autoregulation. However, reduced autoregulation in males was not below the normal range, indicating autoregulation was intact but less effective. Female subjects were better able to maintain cerebral flow velocities during postural changes and demonstrated better cerebral autoregulation. The mechanisms of sex-based differences in autoregulation remain unclear but may partially explain the higher rates of orthostatic hypotension-related hospitalizations in elderly men.

Subcutaneous ICD screening with the Boston Scientific ZOOM programmer versus a 12-lead ECG machine.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Shu C; Patton, Kristen K; Robinson, Melissa R; Poole, Jeanne E; Prutkin, Jordan M

2018-02-24

The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) requires preimplant screening to ensure appropriate sensing and reduce risk of inappropriate shocks. Screening can be performed using either an ICD programmer or a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) machine. It is unclear whether differences in signal filtering and digital sampling change the screening success rate. Subjects were recruited if they had a transvenous single-lead ICD without pacing requirements or were candidates for a new ICD. Screening was performed using both a Boston Scientific ZOOM programmer (Marlborough, MA, USA) and General Electric MAC 5000 ECG machine (Fairfield, CT, USA). A pass was defined as having at least one lead that fit within the screening template in both supine and sitting positions. A total of 69 subjects were included and 27 sets of ECG leads had differing screening results between the two machines (7%). Of these sets, 22 (81%) passed using the ECG machine but failed using the programmer and five (19%) passed using the ECG machine but failed using the programmer (P machine but failed using the programmer. No subject passed screening with the programmer but failed with the ECG machine. There can be occasional disagreement in S-ICD patient screening between an ICD programmer and ECG machine, all of whom passed with the ECG machine but failed using the programmer. On a per lead basis, the ECG machine passes more subjects. It is unknown what the inappropriate shock rate would be if an S-ICD was implanted. Clinical judgment should be used in borderline cases. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Exploring Classical Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Science.gov (United States)

Burchenal, Margaret; Foote, Allison

This resource packet is designed to help teachers incorporate the study of ancient Greek and Roman art into junior and senior high school classrooms. The packet consists of four curriculum units based upon aspects of classical life or culture. These units are: "Daily Life; Mythology"; "Images of Power"; and "Echoes of…

Energy study of rail passenger transportation. Volume 2. Description of operating systems. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henderson, C.; Ellis, H. T.; Wilhelm, J. P.

1979-08-01

The rail passenger systems of the US are described in terms of selected physical, operating, and economic characteristics, and relates services rendered to energy usage and costs. Rail passenger transportation exists in 4 distinct forms: intercity railroads, suburban railroads, heavy-rail transit, and light-rail transit. Each form varies in technical equipment, design of facilities, operating practices, size of systems. Specific data for the national rail passenger network and the Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco regions and the Washington Metropolitan area transit authority are presented.

FOX: A Fault-Oblivious Extreme-Scale Execution Environment Boston University Final Report Project Number: DE-SC0005365

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Appavoo, Jonathan [Boston Univ., MA (United States)

2013-03-17

Exascale computing systems will provide a thousand-fold increase in parallelism and a proportional increase in failure rate relative to today's machines. Systems software for exascale machines must provide the infrastructure to support existing applications while simultaneously enabling efficient execution of new programming models that naturally express dynamic, adaptive, irregular computation; coupled simulations; and massive data analysis in a highly unreliable hardware environment with billions of threads of execution. The FOX project explored systems software and runtime support for a new approach to the data and work distribution for fault oblivious application execution. Our major OS work at Boston University focused on developing a new light-weight operating systems model that provides an appropriate context for both multi-core and multi-node application development. This work is discussed in section 1. Early on in the FOX project BU developed infrastructure for prototyping dynamic HPC environments in which the sets of nodes that an application is run on can be dynamically grown or shrunk. This work was an extension of the Kittyhawk project and is discussed in section 2. Section 3 documents the publications and software repositories that we have produced. To put our work in context of the complete FOX project contribution we include in section 4 an extended version of a paper that documents the complete work of the FOX team.

Argonne Tau-charm Factory collider design study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teng, L.C.; Crosbie, E.A.; Norem, J.; Repond, J.

1996-01-01

The design approach and design principles for a Tau-charm Factory at Argonne were studied. These studies led to a set of preliminary parameters and tentative component features as presented in this paper. copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics

Designing for Nomadic Play: A case study of participatory design with children

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brynskov, Martin; Christensen, Bent Guldbjerg; Ludvigsen, Martin

This poster presents the results from an empirical probe study trying to engage children creatively in the design process of systems and artifacts that support nomadic life-style. Based on observational studies and interviews with children of different ages (5-15 years), we conducted a participat......This poster presents the results from an empirical probe study trying to engage children creatively in the design process of systems and artifacts that support nomadic life-style. Based on observational studies and interviews with children of different ages (5-15 years), we conducted...... a participatory design workshop cycle where children were encouraged to envision and virtually play with not-yet-invented future technology. Findings include qualitative characterizations of children’s activities (e.g. ‘play’ culture, use of digital media, age and gender differences, relation to space...

Window Selection Tool | Efficient Windows Collaborative

Science.gov (United States)

Louisville LA Lake Charles LA New Orleans LA Shreveport MA Boston MD Baltimore ME Portland MI Detroit MI Window Selection Tool will take you through a series of design conditions pertaining to your design and

Cryostat design case studies, principles and engineering

CERN Document Server

2016-01-01

This book enables the reader to learn the fundamental and applied aspects of practical cryostat design by examining previous design choices and resulting cryostat performance. Through a series of extended case studies the book presents an overview of existing cryostat design covering a wide range of cryostat types and applications, including the magnet cryostats that comprise the majority of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, space-borne cryostats containing sensors operating below 1 K, and large cryogenic liquid storage vessels. It starts with an introductory section on the principles of cryostat design including practical data and equations. This section is followed by a series of case studies on existing cryostats, describing the specific requirements of the cryostat, the challenges involved and the design choices made along with the resulting performance of the cryostat. The cryostat examples used in the studies are chosen to cover a broad range of cryostat applications and the authors of each case are ...

Designs for mechanical circulatory support device studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Neaton, James D; Normand, Sharon-Lise; Gelijns, Annetine; Starling, Randall C; Mann, Douglas L; Konstam, Marvin A

2007-02-01

There is increased interest in mechanical circulatory support devices (MCSDs), such as implantable left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), as "destination" therapy for patients with advanced heart failure. Because patient availability to evaluate these devices is limited and randomized trials have been slow in enrolling patients, a workshop was convened to consider designs for MCSD development including alternatives to randomized trials. A workshop was jointly planned by the Heart Failure Society of America and the US Food and Drug Administration and was convened in March 2006. One of the panels was asked to review different designs for evaluating new MCSDs. Randomized trials have many advantages over studies with no controls or with nonrandomized concurrent or historical controls. These advantages include the elimination of bias in the assignment of treatments and the balancing, on average, of known and unknown baseline covariates that influence response. These advantages of randomization are particularly important for studies in which the treatments may not differ from one another by a large amount (eg, a head-to-head study of an approved LVAD with a new LVAD). However, researchers have found it difficult to recruit patients to randomized studies because the number of clinical sites that can carry out the studies is not large. Also, there is a reluctance to randomize patients when the control device is considered technologically inferior. Thus ways of improving the design of randomized trials were discussed, and the advantages and disadvantages of alternative designs were considered. The panel concluded that designs should include a randomized component. Randomized designs might be improved by allowing the control device to be chosen before randomization, by first conducting smaller vanguard studies, and by allowing crossovers in trials with optimal medical management controls. With use of data from completed trials, other databases, and registries, alternative

Alternative Design Study Report: WindPACT Advanced Wind Turbine Drive Train Designs Study; November 1, 2000 -- February 28, 2002

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poore, R.; Lettenmaier, T.

2003-08-01

This report presents the Phase I results of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) WindPACT (Wind Partnership for Advanced Component Technologies) Advanced Wind Turbine Drive Train Designs Study. Global Energy Concepts, LLC performed this work under a subcontract with NREL. The purpose of the WindPACT project is to identify technology improvements that will enable the cost of energy (COE) from wind turbines to be reduced. Other parts of the WindPACT project have examined blade and logistics scaling, balance-of-station costs, and rotor design. This study was designed to investigate innovative drive train designs.

280 GHz Gyro-BWO design study: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-07-01

This report summarizes the results of a design study of a 280 GHz Gyro-BWO tunable source. The purpose of this study is to identify and propose viable design alternatives for any significant technological risk associated with building an operational BWO system. The tunable Gyro-BWO system will have three major components: a Gyro-BWO microwave tube, a superconducting magnet, and a power supply/modulator. The design tasks for this study in order of decreasing importance are: design and specification of the superconducting magnet; preliminary design and layout of a Gyro-BWO microwave tube; and specification for the power supply/modulator. 2 refs., 4 figs

Schematic representation of case study research designs.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenberg, John P; Yates, Patsy M

2007-11-01

The paper is a report of a study to demonstrate how the use of schematics can provide procedural clarity and promote rigour in the conduct of case study research. Case study research is a methodologically flexible approach to research design that focuses on a particular case - whether an individual, a collective or a phenomenon of interest. It is known as the 'study of the particular' for its thorough investigation of particular, real-life situations and is gaining increased attention in nursing and social research. However, the methodological flexibility it offers can leave the novice researcher uncertain of suitable procedural steps required to ensure methodological rigour. This article provides a real example of a case study research design that utilizes schematic representation drawn from a doctoral study of the integration of health promotion principles and practices into a palliative care organization. The issues discussed are: (1) the definition and application of case study research design; (2) the application of schematics in research; (3) the procedural steps and their contribution to the maintenance of rigour; and (4) the benefits and risks of schematics in case study research. The inclusion of visual representations of design with accompanying explanatory text is recommended in reporting case study research methods.

Nuclear-Powered GPS Spacecraft Design Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raab, Bernard

1977-05-01

This is the final report of a study to investigate the potential benefits of a nuclear (radioisotope) - powered satellite for advanced phases of the Global Positioning System (GPS) program. The critical parameters were: power to user; mean mission duration; orbital predictability; thermal control of on-board frequency standards; and vulnerability. The reference design approach is described, and input data are given for two power systems that are under development: an organic Rankine system and a Brayton cycle system. Reference design details are provided and structural design and analysis are discussed, as well as thermal design and analysis. A higher altitude version is also considered.

Mobile Variable Depth Sampling System Design Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BOGER, R.M.

2000-01-01

A design study is presented for a mobile, variable depth sampling system (MVDSS) that will support the treatment and immobilization of Hanford LAW and HLW. The sampler can be deployed in a 4-inch tank riser and has a design that is based on requirements identified in the Level 2 Specification (latest revision). The waste feed sequence for the MVDSS is based on Phase 1, Case 3S6 waste feed sequence. Technical information is also presented that supports the design study

Mobile Variable Depth Sampling System Design Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

BOGER, R.M.

2000-08-25

A design study is presented for a mobile, variable depth sampling system (MVDSS) that will support the treatment and immobilization of Hanford LAW and HLW. The sampler can be deployed in a 4-inch tank riser and has a design that is based on requirements identified in the Level 2 Specification (latest revision). The waste feed sequence for the MVDSS is based on Phase 1, Case 3S6 waste feed sequence. Technical information is also presented that supports the design study.

Longitudinal pilot study

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2016-09-13

Sep 13, 2016 ... dAB, is a student at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. ePhD, MPH, is a ... Median monthly income increased, and severe food insecurity declined, although ..... Travel time to Mbarara town, minutes. 40 (30–90).

Design Study for A Low-Cost LH2 Turbopump

Science.gov (United States)

Japikse, David; Baines, Nicholas; Platt, Michael J.

2000-01-01

A preliminary design study, focusing on potential component selections and design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMAR1) analysis, is presented in this study. The investigation focused on a nominal cost liquid hydrogen turbopump suitable for a private launch class vehicle. Utilizing a "turbocharger-like" design philosophy, preliminary feasibility studies of the basic pump design class, the rotordynamic design class, and the turbine design class were conducted with associated DFMA evaluations. Reasonable cost levels and sensible levels of product assurance have been established.

Competitividad de las exportaciones argentinas de fruta a la Unión Europea : su análisis mediante los métodos del Boston Consulting Group (BCG) y la matriz refinada de Viaene Gellynck

OpenAIRE

Cohen, Gloria Virginia; Pena de Ladaga, Beatriz Susana; Gil Roig, José María

2000-01-01

p.409-419 En el presente trabajo se analizó el desempeño competitivo de las seis principales frutas exportadas por la Argentina (manzanas, peras, naranjas, mandarinas, limones y pomelos) en el mercado de importaciones de terceros países del Hemisferio Sur de la Unión Europea. Los métodos elegidos para medir el desempeño competitivo fueron el Boston Consulting Group (BCG) y la matriz refinada del BCG teniendo en cuenta a la modificación realizada por Viaene-Gellynck. Se trabajó con datos de...

Paired split-plot designs of multireader multicase studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Weijie; Gong, Qi; Gallas, Brandon D

2018-07-01

The widely used multireader multicase ROC study design for comparing imaging modalities is the fully crossed (FC) design: every reader reads every case of both modalities. We investigate paired split-plot (PSP) designs that may allow for reduced cost and increased flexibility compared with the FC design. In the PSP design, case images from two modalities are read by the same readers, thereby the readings are paired across modalities. However, within each modality, not every reader reads every case. Instead, both the readers and the cases are partitioned into a fixed number of groups and each group of readers reads its own group of cases-a split-plot design. Using a [Formula: see text]-statistic based variance analysis for AUC (i.e., area under the ROC curve), we show analytically that precision can be gained by the PSP design as compared with the FC design with the same number of readers and readings. Equivalently, we show that the PSP design can achieve the same statistical power as the FC design with a reduced number of readings. The trade-off for the increased precision in the PSP design is the cost of collecting a larger number of truth-verified patient cases than the FC design. This means that one can trade-off between different sources of cost and choose a least burdensome design. We provide a validation study to show the iMRMC software can be reliably used for analyzing data from both FC and PSP designs. Finally, we demonstrate the advantages of the PSP design with a reader study comparing full-field digital mammography with screen-film mammography.

Controlled air incinerator conceptual design study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-01-01

This report presents a conceptual design study for a controlled air incinerator facility for incineration of low level combustible waste at Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2). The facility design is based on the use of a Helix Process Systems controlled air incinerator. Cost estimates and associated engineering, procurement, and construction schedules are also provided. The cost estimates and schedules are presented for two incinerator facility designs, one with provisions for waste ash solidification, the other with provisions for packaging the waste ash for transport to an undefined location

User Design: A Case Study on Corporate Change

Science.gov (United States)

Pastore, Raymond S.; Carr-Chellman, Alison A.; Lohmann, Neal

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of implementing user design strategies within the corporate culture. Using a case study design approach, this article explores the change process within a "Fortune" 100 company in which users were given significant decision-making powers. The main focus is on the unique nature of user design in…

A study on the development of an infographic designer questionnaire and designer opinions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yıldırım Serkan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Technological developments and changes in how learning is understood have not only changed learning environments, but also how educational materials are developed. Infographics, one of the materials that are becoming increasingly more popular in learning environments, have nowadays become quite commonplace. Demonstrating the understanding of those who design such instructional materials is important with respect to the organisation of learning processes. In this study, we devised a questionnaire that aims to demonstrate the understanding infographic designers have of infographic design. A total of 94 students from the Department of Computer and Instructional Technologies Education of the Kazım Karabekir Faculty of Education took part in this study conducted during the fall semester of the 2013–2014 academic year. The participants were given a questionnaire consisting of 41 items that enquired about the readers’ views regarding infographic design. The collected data were assessed using Principal Component Analysis. Based on the analysis results, a questionnaire form consisting of 27 items and 8 factors (Understanding of Design, Design Process, Copyrights, Introduction, Readability, Sharing, References, Development was developed.

The Boston Assessment of Traumatic Brain Injury-Lifetime (BAT-L) semistructured interview: evidence of research utility and validity.

Science.gov (United States)

Fortier, Catherine Brawn; Amick, Melissa M; Grande, Laura; McGlynn, Susan; Kenna, Alexandra; Morra, Lindsay; Clark, Alexandra; Milberg, William P; McGlinchey, Regina E

2014-01-01

Report the prevalence of lifetime and military-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans and validate the Boston Assessment of TBI-Lifetime (BAT-L). The BAT-L is the first validated, postcombat, semistructured clinical interview to characterize head injuries and diagnose TBIs throughout the life span. Community-dwelling convenience sample of 131 OEF/OIF veterans. TBI criteria (alteration of mental status, posttraumatic amnesia, and loss of consciousness) were evaluated for all possible TBIs, including a novel evaluation of blast exposure. BAT-L, Ohio State University TBI Identification Method (OSU-TBI-ID). About 67% of veterans incurred a TBI in their lifetime. Almost 35% of veterans experienced at least 1 military-related TBI; all were mild in severity, 40% of them were due to blast, 50% were due to some other (ie, blunt) mechanism, and 10% were due to both types of injuries. Predeployment TBIs were frequent (45% of veterans). There was strong correspondence between the BAT-L and the OSU-TBI-ID (Cohen κ = 0.89; Kendall τ-b = 0.95). Interrater reliability of the BAT-L was strong (κs >0.80). The BAT-L is a valid instrument with which to assess TBI across a service member's lifetime and captures the varied and complex nature of brain injuries across OEF/OIF veterans' life span.

A Trip to the Statler Hilton Hotel. The Special Education Curriculum Series.

Science.gov (United States)

Kendall, Muriel

A program designed for high school level work-study classes for students of limited mental ability presents specific curriculum methods and materials to teach information regarding positions available in the hotel industry. A field trip tour of the Boston Statler Hilton Hotel if the focal activity of the unit, and is accompanied by a history of…

Conceptual study of advanced PWR core design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Young Jin; Chang, Moon Hee; Kim, Keung Ku; Joo, Hyung Kuk; Kim, Young Il; Noh, Jae Man; Hwang, Dae Hyun; Kim, Taek Kyum; Yoo, Yon Jong.

1997-09-01

The purpose of this project is for developing and verifying the core design concepts with enhanced safety and economy, and associated methodologies for core analyses. From the study of the sate-of-art of foreign advanced reactor cores, we developed core concepts such as soluble boron free, high convertible and enhanced safety core loaded semi-tight lattice hexagonal fuel assemblies. To analyze this hexagonal core, we have developed and verified some neutronic and T/H analysis methodologies. HELIOS code was adopted as the assembly code and HEXFEM code was developed for hexagonal core analysis. Based on experimental data in hexagonal lattices and the COBRA-IV-I code, we developed a thermal-hydraulic analysis code for hexagonal lattices. Using the core analysis code systems developed in this project, we designed a 600 MWe core and studied the feasibility of the core concepts. Two additional scopes were performed in this project : study on the operational strategies of soluble boron free core and conceptual design of large scale passive core. By using the axial BP zoning concept and suitable design of control rods, this project showed that it was possible to design a soluble boron free core in 600 MWe PWR. The results of large scale core design showed that passive concepts and daily load follow operation could be practiced. (author). 15 refs., 52 tabs., 101 figs

Conceptual study of advanced PWR core design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Young Jin; Chang, Moon Hee; Kim, Keung Ku; Joo, Hyung Kuk; Kim, Young Il; Noh, Jae Man; Hwang, Dae Hyun; Kim, Taek Kyum; Yoo, Yon Jong

1997-09-01

The purpose of this project is for developing and verifying the core design concepts with enhanced safety and economy, and associated methodologies for core analyses. From the study of the sate-of-art of foreign advanced reactor cores, we developed core concepts such as soluble boron free, high convertible and enhanced safety core loaded semi-tight lattice hexagonal fuel assemblies. To analyze this hexagonal core, we have developed and verified some neutronic and T/H analysis methodologies. HELIOS code was adopted as the assembly code and HEXFEM code was developed for hexagonal core analysis. Based on experimental data in hexagonal lattices and the COBRA-IV-I code, we developed a thermal-hydraulic analysis code for hexagonal lattices. Using the core analysis code systems developed in this project, we designed a 600 MWe core and studied the feasibility of the core concepts. Two additional scopes were performed in this project : study on the operational strategies of soluble boron free core and conceptual design of large scale passive core. By using the axial BP zoning concept and suitable design of control rods, this project showed that it was possible to design a soluble boron free core in 600 MWe PWR. The results of large scale core design showed that passive concepts and daily load follow operation could be practiced. (author). 15 refs., 52 tabs., 101 figs.

Class 1 devices case studies in medical devices design

CERN Document Server

Ogrodnik, Peter J

2014-01-01

The Case Studies in Medical Devices Design series consists of practical, applied case studies relating to medical device design in industry. These titles complement Ogrodnik's Medical Device Design and will assist engineers with applying the theory in practice. The case studies presented directly relate to Class I, Class IIa, Class IIb and Class III medical devices. Designers and companies who wish to extend their knowledge in a specific discipline related to their respective class of operation will find any or all of these titles a great addition to their library. Class 1 Devices is a companion text to Medical Devices Design: Innovation from Concept to Market. The intention of this book, and its sister books in the series, is to support the concepts presented in Medical Devices Design through case studies. In the context of this book the case studies consider Class I (EU) and 510(k) exempt (FDA) . This book covers classifications, the conceptual and embodiment phase, plus design from idea to PDS. These title...

Electric-powered passenger vehicle design study program. Task 1. Tradeoff studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rowlett, B.H.

1976-09-16

Using the baseline vehicle and power system design established previously to meet the performance goals of the program, three power system computer simulation programs were prepared for the basic vehicle tradeoff studies. These programs simulate the performance of the power system and vehicle over different types of driving conditions such as maximum power acceleration, deceleration, city driving cycles, and hill climbing, and permit accurate determination of the benefits of the unique hybrid power system, the total energy required for the suburban city driving cycle, and the extremes of the operating envelopes of the components so that component design options can be defined and studied. Component design tradeoff studies were conducted, including sensitivity studies to show the criticality of the various losses and unknowns in the analytical models. Also, preliminary vehicle layout studies were performed to determine the best locations of the power system and the batteries. Three basic design options are identified for further study. Economic studies were initiated using analytical models to establish the complete vehicle weight and cost breakdowns. Preliminary reliability and safety studies were completed, and maintainability and safety certification criteria established. The detailed analysis of the power system has verified the feasibility of the system and of the performance expectations. Also, the feasibility of energy recovery from regenerative braking has been confirmed. The sensitivity analysis of the power system shows that sufficient margin for unknown design variables is provided. The preliminary economic analysis indicates that the most difficult objective of the study will be the selection of the cost and weight relationships which are required to achieve the overall cost objectives.

Tangible Evidence, Trust and Power: Public Perceptions of Community Environmental Health Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Scammell, Madeleine Kangsen; Senier, Laura; Darrah-Okike, Jennifer; Brown, Phil; Santos, Susan

2009-01-01

Communities with environmental health concerns in the USA frequently request studies from their local or state departments of public health. This paper presents findings from three focus groups conducted in communities north of Boston that have been the subject of two different environmental health studies. The focus groups were designed to elicit residents’ perceptions of environmental health, and of the particular studies conducted in their communities. In all focus groups, participants had difficulty accepting the findings of health studies that contradicted their own experiences of environmental exposures and illness. Our results suggest that lay knowledge, informed in varying degrees by the experience of what we term “tangible evidence,” creates a lens through which communities interpret a health study’s findings. The differences in reliance on tangible evidence were related to participants’ sense of trust in public officials, and the institutions responsible for conducting health studies. Participants from the wealthier, predominantly white communities discussed trust in study design and methodologies used. In contrast, participants from the lower income, higher minority communities assessed health studies with reference to their trust (or lack thereof) in study sponsors and public health institutions. Participants’ experience of tangible evidence, trust or distrust in health agencies and research institutions, and a sense of relative community power, influence how they assess the findings of environmental health studies and may have implications for pubic health. PMID:18995942

Engineering study for ISSTRS design concept

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hertzel, J.S.

1997-01-31

Los Alamos Technical Associates, Inc., is pleased to transmit the attached Conceptual Design Package for the Initial Single Shell Tank Retrieval System (ISSTRS), 90% Conceptual Design Review. The package includes the following: (1) ISSTRS Trade Studies: (a) Retrieval Facility Cooling Requirements; (b) Equipment Re-usability between Project W-320 and Tanks 241-C-103 and 241-C-1 05; (c) Sluice Line Options; and (d) Options for the Location of Tanks AX-103 and A-1 02 HVAC Equipment; (2) Drawings; (3) Risk Management Plan; (4) 0850 Interface Control Document; (5) Requirements Traceability Report; and (6) Project Design Specification.

Parametric design study of tandem mirror fusion reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlson, G.A.

1977-01-01

The parametric design study of the tandem mirror reactor (TMR) is described. The results of this study illustrate the variation of reactor characteristics with changes in the independent design parameters, reveal the set of design parameters which minimizes the cost of the reactor, and show the sensitivity of the optimized design to physics and technological uncertainties. The total direct capital cost of an optimized 1000 MWe TMR is estimated to be $1300/kWe. The direct capital cost of a 2000 MWe plant is less than $1000/kWe

Design study on sodium-cooled large-scale reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimakawa, Yoshio; Nibe, Nobuaki; Hori, Toru

2002-05-01

In Phase 1 of the 'Feasibility Study on Commercialized Fast Reactor Cycle Systems (F/S)', an advanced loop type reactor has been selected as a promising concept of sodium-cooled large-scale reactor, which has a possibility to fulfill the design requirements of the F/S. In Phase 2 of the F/S, it is planed to precede a preliminary conceptual design of a sodium-cooled large-scale reactor based on the design of the advanced loop type reactor. Through the design study, it is intended to construct such a plant concept that can show its attraction and competitiveness as a commercialized reactor. This report summarizes the results of the design study on the sodium-cooled large-scale reactor performed in JFY2001, which is the first year of Phase 2. In the JFY2001 design study, a plant concept has been constructed based on the design of the advanced loop type reactor, and fundamental specifications of main systems and components have been set. Furthermore, critical subjects related to safety, structural integrity, thermal hydraulics, operability, maintainability and economy have been examined and evaluated. As a result of this study, the plant concept of the sodium-cooled large-scale reactor has been constructed, which has a prospect to satisfy the economic goal (construction cost: less than 200,000yens/kWe, etc.) and has a prospect to solve the critical subjects. From now on, reflecting the results of elemental experiments, the preliminary conceptual design of this plant will be preceded toward the selection for narrowing down candidate concepts at the end of Phase 2. (author)

Flight Path Recovery System (FPRS) design study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-09-01

The study contained herein presents a design for a Flight Path Recovery System (FPPS) for use in the NURE Program which will be more accurate than systems presently used, provide position location data in digital form suitable for automatic data processing, and provide for flight path recovery in a more economic and operationally suitable manner. The design is based upon the use of presently available hardware and technoloy, and presents little, it any, development risk. In addition, a Flight Test Plan designed to test the FPRS design concept is presented

Flight Path Recovery System (FPRS) design study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1978-09-01

The study contained herein presents a design for a Flight Path Recovery System (FPPS) for use in the NURE Program which will be more accurate than systems presently used, provide position location data in digital form suitable for automatic data processing, and provide for flight path recovery in a more economic and operationally suitable manner. The design is based upon the use of presently available hardware and technoloy, and presents little, it any, development risk. In addition, a Flight Test Plan designed to test the FPRS design concept is presented.

Empirical studies of design software: Implications for software engineering environments

Science.gov (United States)

Krasner, Herb

1988-01-01

The empirical studies team of MCC's Design Process Group conducted three studies in 1986-87 in order to gather data on professionals designing software systems in a range of situations. The first study (the Lift Experiment) used thinking aloud protocols in a controlled laboratory setting to study the cognitive processes of individual designers. The second study (the Object Server Project) involved the observation, videotaping, and data collection of a design team of a medium-sized development project over several months in order to study team dynamics. The third study (the Field Study) involved interviews with the personnel from 19 large development projects in the MCC shareholders in order to study how the process of design is affected by organizationl and project behavior. The focus of this report will be on key observations of design process (at several levels) and their implications for the design of environments.

Design vs. Content: A Study of Adolescent Girls' Website Design Preferences

Science.gov (United States)

Agosto, Denise E.

2004-01-01

This study considered the utility of gender schema theory in examining girls' website design preferences. It built on a previous study which identified eight website evaluation criteria related to biological sex: collaboration, social connectivity, flexibility, motility, contextuality, personal identification, inclusion, and graphic/multimedia…

Worthy Work, Unlivable Wages: The National Child Care Staffing Study, 1988-1997.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitebook, Marcy; Howes, Carollee; Phillips, Deborah

In 1988, the National Child Care Staffing Study first gathered information on staffing and quality from a sample of child care centers in five metropolitan areas--Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Phoenix, and Seattle--and returned for updated information in 1992. In 1997, directors of the original sample of centers still in operation were contacted again…

Yoga in stroke rehabilitation: a systematic review and results of a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lynton, Holly; Kligler, Benjamin; Shiflett, Samuel

2007-01-01

This article presents a systematic review of the literature pertaining to the use of yoga in stroke rehabilitation. In addition, we present the results of a small pilot study designed to explore the hypothesis that a Kundalini yoga practice of 12 weeks would lead to an improvement in aphasia as well as in fine motor coordination in stroke patients. The 3 participants attended yoga classes twice a week for 12 weeks, before and after which they were tested on the O'Connor Tweezer Dexterity test, a timed test where the participant places pins in a Peg-Board with tweezers, and the Boston Aphasia Exam for speech. All 3 participants showed improvement on both measures. The small sample size makes it impossible to draw definite conclusions, but the positive trends in this study suggest that further research should be done to examine the effects of Kundalini yoga on specific illnesses or medical conditions.

Design study of laser fusion rocket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakashima, Hideki; Shoyama, Hidetoshi; Kanda, Yukinori

1991-01-01

A design study was made on a rocket powered by laser fusion. Dependence of its flight performance on target gain, driver repetition rate and fuel composition was analyzed to obtain optimal design parameters of the laser fusion rocket. The results indicate that the laser fusion rocket fueled with DT or D 3 He has the potential advantages over other propulsion systems such as fission rocket for interplanetary travel. (author)

Modeling Kanban Processes in Systems Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-01

results in lower change traffic and defect incidence. • KSS: Incremental SE, with some design up-front and design continuing throughout development...Boston: Addison-Wesley. [11] Morgan, James M, and Jeffrey K Liker. (2006). The Toyota Product Development System: Integrating People, Process, and

Core design and fuel management studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Min, Byung Joo; Chan, P.

1997-06-01

The design target for the CANDU 9 requires a 20% increase in electrical power output from an existing 480-channel CANDU core. Assuming a net electrical output of 861 MW(e) for a natural uranium fuelled Bruce-B/Darlington reactor in a warm water site, the net electrical output of the reference CANDU 9 reactor would be 1033 MW(e). This report documents the result of the physics studies for the design of the CANDU 9 480/SEU core. The results of the core design and fuel management studies of the CANDU 9 480/SEU reactor indicated that up to 1033 MW(e) output can be achieved in a 480-channel CANDU core by using SEU core can easily be maintained indefinitely using an automated refuelling program. Fuel performance evaluation based on the data of the 500 FPDs refuelling simulation concluded that SEU fuel failure is not expected. (author). 2 tabs., 38 figs., 5 refs

Transitioning from Marketing-Oriented Design to User-Oriented Design: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Laster, Shari; Stitz, Tammy; Bove, Frank J.; Wise, Casey

2011-01-01

The transition to a new architecture and design for an academic library Web site does not always proceed smoothly. In this case study, a library at a large research university hired an outside Web development contractor to create a new architecture and design for the university's Web site using dotCMS, an open-source content management system. The…

Boston Type 1 Keratoprosthesis versus Repeat Donor Keratoplasty for Corneal Graft Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Sumayya; Mathews, Priya M; Lindsley, Kristina; Alkharashi, Majed; Hwang, Frank S; Ng, Sueko M; Aldave, Anthony J; Akpek, Esen Karamursel

2016-01-01

To compare repeat penetrating keratoplasty (PK) with Boston type I keratoprosthesis (KPro) implantation for full-thickness donor corneal graft failure. Previous donor graft failure is a common indication for both PK and KPro implantation. Selection of the surgical procedure is entirely dependent on the surgeon because there are no studies available for guidance. Therefore, a systematic review was undertaken to examine vision, device retention, graft clarity, and postoperative glaucoma and infection outcomes after repeat PK versus KPro implantation. Articles with data regarding repeat PK published between 1990 and 2014 were identified in PubMed, EMBASE, the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature Database, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and were reviewed. Results were compared with a retrospective review of consecutive, nonrandomized, longitudinal case series of KPro implantations performed at 5 tertiary care centers in the United States. Visual acuity at 2 years was the primary outcome measure. The proportion of clear grafts in the repeat PK group, device retention in the KPro group, and the development of postoperative glaucoma and infection were secondary outcome measures. The search strategy identified 17 128 articles in the PK analysis. After screening, 26 studies (21 case series and 5 cohort studies) were included in the review. Pooled analysis of the 26 unique studies demonstrated a 42% (95% confidence interval [CI], 30%-56%) likelihood of maintaining 20/200 or better at 2 years after repeat PK, compared with an 80% (95% CI, 68%-88%) probability with KPro implantation. The probability of maintaining a clear graft at 5 years was 47% (95% CI, 40%-54%) after repeat PK, whereas the probability of retention of the KPro at 5 years was 75% (95% CI, 64%-84%). The rate of progression of glaucoma at 3 years was 25% (95% CI, 10%-44%) after repeat PK and 30% in the KPro cohort. These results demonstrate favorable outcomes of KPro

Changes in erectile dysfunction over time in relation to Framingham cardiovascular risk in the Boston Area Community Health (BACH) Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Shona C; Rosen, Raymond C; Vita, Joseph A; Ganz, Peter; Kupelian, Varant

2015-01-01

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, the association between change in ED status over time and future underlying CVD risk is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between change in ED status and Framingham CVD risk, as well change in Framingham risk. We studied 965 men free of CVD in the Boston Area Community Health (BACH) Survey, a longitudinal cohort study with three assessments. ED was assessed with the five-item International Index of Erectile Function at BACH I (2002-2005) and BACH II (2007-2010) and classified as no ED/transient ED/persistent ED. CVD risk was assessed with 10-year Framingham CVD risk algorithm at BACH I and BACH III (2010-2012). Linear regression models controlled for baseline age, socio-demographic and lifestyle factors, as well as baseline Framingham risk. Models were also stratified by age (≥/< 50 years). Framingham CVD risk and change in Framingham CVD risk were the main outcome measures. Transient and persistent ED was significantly associated with increased Framingham risk and change in risk over time in univariate and age-adjusted models. In younger men, persistent ED was associated with a Framingham risk that was 1.58 percentage points higher (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.11, 3.06) and in older men, a Framingham risk that was 2.54 percentage points higher (95% CI: -1.5, 6.59), compared with those without ED. Change in Framingham risk over time was also associated with transient and persistent ED in men <50 years, but not in older men. Data suggest that even after taking into account other CVD risk factors, transient and persistent ED is associated with Framingham CVD risk and a greater increase in Framingham risk over time, particularly in younger men. Findings further support clinical assessment of CVD risk in men presenting with ED, especially those under 50 years. © 2014 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Design Evolution Study - Aging Options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDaniel, P.

2002-01-01

The purpose of this study is to identify options and issues for aging commercial spent nuclear fuel received for disposal at the Yucca Mountain Mined Geologic Repository. Some early shipments of commercial spent nuclear fuel to the repository may be received with high-heat-output (younger) fuel assemblies that will need to be managed to meet thermal goals for emplacement. The capability to age as much as 40,000 metric tons of heavy metal of commercial spent nuclear he1 would provide more flexibility in the design to manage this younger fuel and to decouple waste receipt and waste emplacement. The following potential aging location options are evaluated: (1) Surface aging at four locations near the North Portal; (2) Subsurface aging in the permanent emplacement drifts; and (3) Subsurface aging in a new subsurface area. The following aging container options are evaluated: (1) Complete Waste Package; (2) Stainless Steel inner liner of the waste package; (3) Dual Purpose Canisters; (4) Multi-Purpose Canisters; and (5) New disposable canister for uncanistered commercial spent nuclear fuel. Each option is compared to a ''Base Case,'' which is the expected normal waste packaging process without aging. A Value Engineering approach is used to score each option against nine technical criteria and rank the options. Open issues with each of the options and suggested future actions are also presented. Costs for aging containers and aging locations are evaluated separately. Capital costs are developed for direct costs and distributable field costs. To the extent practical, unit costs are presented. Indirect costs, operating costs, and total system life cycle costs will be evaluated outside of this study. Three recommendations for aging commercial spent nuclear fuel--subsurface, surface, and combined surface and subsurface are presented for further review in the overall design re-evaluation effort. Options that were evaluated but not recommended are: subsurface aging in a new

INEL design studies in support of the Westinghouse EPRI small plant study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burtt, J.D.; Kullberg, C.M.

1986-03-01

In support of the design effort of a Westinghouse EPRI small plant study, several analyses were performed at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. An analysis was performed to study fuel behavior under conditions of a limiting flow coastdown transient. Depressurization capabilities for the reactor coolant system were studied. The post-accident heat removal for the current containment design was studied. The results of all three studies are reported. 31 figs

Automated simulation and study of spatial-structural design processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Davila Delgado, J.M.; Hofmeyer, H.; Stouffs, R.; Sariyildiz, S.

2013-01-01

A so-called "Design Process Investigation toolbox" (DPI toolbox), has been developed. It is a set of computational tools that simulate spatial-structural design processes. Its objectives are to study spatial-structural design processes and to support the involved actors. Two case-studies are

Distribution Network Design--literature study based

OpenAIRE

LI, ANG

2012-01-01

The focus of this research is companies' outbound distribution network design in supply chain management. Within the present competitive market, it is a fundamental importance for companies to achieve high level business performance with an effective supply chain. Outbound distribution network design as an important part in supply chain management, to a large extent decides whether companies can fulfill customers' requirement or not. Therefore, such a study is important for manufacturers and ...

Zambian Peer Educators for HIV Self-Testing (ZEST) study: rationale and design of a cluster randomised trial of HIV self-testing among female sex workers in Zambia.

Science.gov (United States)

Oldenburg, Catherine E; Ortblad, Katrina F; Chanda, Michael M; Mwanda, Kalasa; Nicodemus, Wendy; Sikaundi, Rebecca; Fullem, Andrew; Barresi, Leah G; Harling, Guy; Bärnighausen, Till

2017-04-20

HIV testing and knowledge of status are starting points for HIV treatment and prevention interventions. Among female sex workers (FSWs), HIV testing and status knowledge remain far from universal. HIV self-testing (HIVST) is an alternative to existing testing services for FSWs, but little evidence exists how it can be effectively and safely implemented. Here, we describe the rationale and design of a cluster randomised trial designed to inform implementation and scale-up of HIVST programmes for FSWs in Zambia. The Zambian Peer Educators for HIV Self-Testing (ZEST) study is a 3-arm cluster randomised trial taking place in 3 towns in Zambia. Participants (N=900) are eligible if they are women who have exchanged sex for money or goods in the previous 1 month, are HIV negative or status unknown, have not tested for HIV in the previous 3 months, and are at least 18 years old. Participants are recruited by peer educators working in their communities. Participants are randomised to 1 of 3 arms: (1) direct distribution (in which they receive an HIVST from the peer educator directly); (2) fixed distribution (in which they receive a coupon with which to collect the HIVST from a drug store or health post) or (3) standard of care (referral to existing HIV testing services only, without any offer of HIVST). Participants are followed at 1 and 4 months following distribution of the first HIVST. The primary end point is HIV testing in the past month measured at the 1-month and 4-month visits. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Boards at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, USA and ERES Converge in Lusaka, Zambia. The findings of this trial will be presented at local, regional and international meetings and submitted to peer-reviewed journals for publication. Pre-results; NCT02827240. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

How Regenerative Medicine Stakeholders Adapt to Ever-Changing Technology and Regulatory Challenges? Snapshots from the World TERMIS Industry Symposium (September 10, 2015, Boston).

Science.gov (United States)

Bayon, Yves; Van Dyke, Mark; Buelher, Robert; Tubo, Ross; Bertram, Tim; Malfroy-Camine, Bernard; Rathman, Michelle; Ronfard, Vincent

2017-04-01

Regenerative medicine (RM) is a fascinating area of research and innovation. The huge potential of the field has been fairly underexploited so far. Both TERMIS-AM and TERMIS-EU Industry Committees are committed to mentoring and training young entrepreneurs for more successful commercial translation of upstream research. With this objective in mind, the two entities jointly organized an industry symposium during the past TERMIS World Congress (Boston, September 8-11, 2015) and invited senior managers of the RM industry for lectures and panel discussions. One of the two sessions of the symposium-How to overcome obstacles encountered when bringing products to the commercial phase?-aimed to share the inside, real experiences of leaders from TEI Biosciences (an Integra Company), Vericel (formerly Aastrom; acquirer of Genzyme Regenerative Medicine assets), RegenMedTX (formerly Tengion), Mindset Rx, ViThera Pharmaceuticals, and L'Oreal Research & Innovation. The symposium provided practical recommendations for RM product development, for remaining critical and objective when reviewing progress, for keeping solutions simple, and for remaining relevant and persistent.

An innovative textbook: design and implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ortega, Rafael; Akhtar-Khavari, Vafa; Barash, Paul; Sharar, Sam; Stock, M Christine

2017-12-01

The 'flipped classroom' instructional strategy has gained much momentum in educational discourse, yet no single educational offering exists in postgraduate medical education (PME) to systematically replace the lecture element of didactic sessions. This article describes the design and implementation of Clinical Anesthesia Fundamentals, the first known textbook in PME addressing this gap in resources through the integration of full-length interactive multimedia-enhanced video lectures. The 'flipped classroom' instructional strategy has gained much momentum in educational discourse INNOVATION: The textbook was developed in alignment with the content outline for the specialty provided by the American Board of Anesthesiology. Its accompanying video lectures, produced at the Media Lab in the Department of Anesthesiology at Boston University Medical Center (BUMC), cover the topics in each chapter of the textbook and include review questions featuring explanatory feedback. Following a 5-month trial period at the BUMC Anesthesiology Residency Program, the complete resident class (25 of 25; 100%) participated in an anonymous, Institutional Review Board (IRB) -approved, five-point Likert-type scale survey assessing an underlying variable of preference for the use of multimedia learning tools. Survey results suggest that residents favour technology-enhanced learning environments in which textbooks are coupled with interactive multimedia, and the 'flipped classroom' approach is employed. Although the development of digital videos requires time and financial investment, the improved accessibility and uniform delivery of didactic content are two positive outcomes. This textbook provides an example for educators wishing to learn how to capitalise on advances in technology to further enhance learning and accessibility. Further studies could address the impact of this approach on the academic performance of residents. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study

Interim report on the tandem mirror hybrid design study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moir, R.W.

1979-01-01

The initial phase of a 2-year design study of a tandem mirror fusion reactor is presented. The following chapters are included: (1) mechanical design of the plant; (2) plasma physics; (3) blanket design; (4) magnet design; (5) injector design; (6) direct convertor design; (7) balance of plant design; (8) fission burner reactor; (9) environment and safety; and (10) economic analysis

Design study of 'HIBLIC-I' reactor cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujiie, Y.

1984-01-01

A preliminary conceptual design of a reactor cavity for HIBLIC-1, a heavy ion fusion reactor system, was carried out. Design efforts have been concentrated mainly on the feasibility study of the physical scenario adopted and also on the system integration of the structures and components into a compact reactor cavity. The design features of the reactor are a compact reactor cavity, maximum coolant temperature up to 500 deg C, the protection of the sacrificial wall and cavity wall from radiation, the protection of the sacrificial wall from the pressure transient due to rapid heating, the selection of a ferritic steel HT-9 as the structural material and impurity control, and tritium breeding and recovery. The purpose of this paper is to describe the outline of the reactor cavity design of HIBLIC-1. The objectives of the preliminary conceptual design were to propose the idea and concept in order to constitute the physical scenario without contradiction and to find out the critical and fundamental problems to be studied in future. The cavity configuration and dynamics, tritium breeding and radiation damage, the behavior of a structural material in liquid lithium and tritium recovery are reported. (Kako, I.)

Extrap conceptual fusion reactor design study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eninger, J.E; Lehnert, B.

1987-12-01

A study has recently been initiated to asses the fusion reactor potential of the Extrap concept. A reactor model is defined that fulfills certain economic and environmental criteria. This model is applied to Extrap and a reference reactor is outlined. The design is optimized by varying parameters subject to both physics and engineering constraints. Several design options are examined and key engineering issues are identified and addressed. Some preliminary results and conclusions of this work are summarized. (authors)

Design study of underground facility of the Underground Research Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hibiya, Keisuke; Akiyoshi, Kenji; Ishizuka, Mineo; Anezaki, Susumu

1998-03-01

Geoscientific research program to study deep geological environment has been performed by Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC). This research is supported by 'Long-Term Program for Research, Development and Utilization of Nuclear Energy'. An Underground Research Laboratory is planned to be constructed at Shoma-sama Hora in the research area belonging to PNC. A wide range of geoscientific research and development activities which have been previously studied at the Tono Area is planned in the laboratory. The Underground Research Laboratory is consisted of Surface Laboratory and Underground Research Facility located from the surface down to depth between several hundreds and 1,000 meters. Based on the results of design study in last year, the design study performed in this year is to investigate the followings in advance of studies for basic design and practical design: concept, design procedure, design flow and total layout. As a study for the concept of the underground facility, items required for the facility are investigated and factors to design the primary form of the underground facility are extracted. Continuously, design methods for the vault and the underground facility are summarized. Furthermore, design procedures of the extracted factors are summarized and total layout is studied considering the results to be obtained from the laboratory. (author)

78 FR 6741 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans and Designation of Areas for Air Quality...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-31

... of New Hampshire's request to redesignate the Boston-Manchester-Portsmouth (SE), New Hampshire...- Manchester-Portsmouth (SE), New Hampshire 1997 8-hour ozone nonattainment area (hereafter, the ``Southern NH... of the United States. EPA will submit a report containing this action and other required information...

Study on integrated design and analysis platform of NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Dongsen; Gao Zuying; Zhou Zhiwei

2001-01-01

Many calculation software have been developed to nuclear system's design and safety analysis, such as structure design software, fuel design and manage software, thermal hydraulic analysis software, severe accident simulation software, etc. This study integrates those software to a platform, develops visual modeling tool for Retran, NGFM90. And in this platform, a distribution calculation method is also provided for couple calculation between different software. The study will improve the design and analysis of NPP

Inertial Fusion Energy reactor design studies: Prometheus-L, Prometheus-H

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waganer, L.M.; Driemeyer, D.E.; Lee, V.D.

1992-03-01

This report contains a review of design studies for inertial confinement reactors. The first of three volumes briefly discusses the following: Introduction; Key objectives, requirements, and assumptions; Systems modeling and trade studies; Prometheus-L reactor plant design overview; Prometheus-H reactor plant design overview; Key technical issues and R ampersand D requirements; Comparison of IFE designs; and study conclusions

Design thinking for website optimization. A case study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Somoza Sanchez, Vella Veronica; Andersen, Frederik; Schneider-Kamp, Peter

This paper presents results from a pilot study, which is part of a larger research project where we study the process innovation of website optimization as a service through the use of big data. Over a process of design thinking we investigate which type of website design best addresses the needs...... for observing the users in their native environment. Furthermore, we use the method of Digital Anthropology to complete the loop between the human-centric designs and the possibilities offered by the analysis of big data....

RF quadrupole beam dynamics design studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crandall, K.R.; Stokes, R.H.; Wangler, T.P.

1979-01-01

The radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) linear accelerator structure is expected to permit considerable flexibility in achieving linac design objectives at low velocities. Calculational studies show that the RFQ can accept a high-current, low-velocity, dc beam, bunch it with high efficiency, and accelerate it to a velocity suitable for injection into a drift-tube linac. Although it is relatively easy to generate a satisfactory design for an RFQ linac for low beam currents, the space-charge effects produced by high currents dominate the design criteria. Methods have been developed to generate solutions that make suitable compromises between the effects of emittance growth, transmission efficiency, and overall structure length. Results are given for a test RFQ linac operating at 425 MHz

ACSYNT inner loop flight control design study

Science.gov (United States)

Bortins, Richard; Sorensen, John A.

1993-01-01

The NASA Ames Research Center developed the Aircraft Synthesis (ACSYNT) computer program to synthesize conceptual future aircraft designs and to evaluate critical performance metrics early in the design process before significant resources are committed and cost decisions made. ACSYNT uses steady-state performance metrics, such as aircraft range, payload, and fuel consumption, and static performance metrics, such as the control authority required for the takeoff rotation and for landing with an engine out, to evaluate conceptual aircraft designs. It can also optimize designs with respect to selected criteria and constraints. Many modern aircraft have stability provided by the flight control system rather than by the airframe. This may allow the aircraft designer to increase combat agility, or decrease trim drag, for increased range and payload. This strategy requires concurrent design of the airframe and the flight control system, making trade-offs of performance and dynamics during the earliest stages of design. ACSYNT presently lacks means to implement flight control system designs but research is being done to add methods for predicting rotational degrees of freedom and control effector performance. A software module to compute and analyze the dynamics of the aircraft and to compute feedback gains and analyze closed loop dynamics is required. The data gained from these analyses can then be fed back to the aircraft design process so that the effects of the flight control system and the airframe on aircraft performance can be included as design metrics. This report presents results of a feasibility study and the initial design work to add an inner loop flight control system (ILFCS) design capability to the stability and control module in ACSYNT. The overall objective is to provide a capability for concurrent design of the aircraft and its flight control system, and enable concept designers to improve performance by exploiting the interrelationships between

Interior Design Supports Art Education: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Clemons, Stephanie A.

2006-01-01

Interior design, as a field of study, is a rapidly growing area of interest--particularly for teenagers in the United States. Part of this interest stems from the proliferation of design-related reality shows available through television media. Some art educators and curriculum specialists in the nation perceive the study of interior spaces as a…

Design Fixation and Cooperative Learning in Elementary Engineering Design Project: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Yi

2015-01-01

This paper presents a case study examining 3rd, 4th and 5th graders' design fixation and cooperative learning in an engineering design project. A mixed methods instrument, the Cooperative Learning Observation Protocol (CLOP), was adapted to record frequency and class observation on cooperative learning engagement through detailed field notes.…

Design Fixation and Cooperative Learning in Elementary Engineering Design Project: A Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi Luo

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a case study examining 3rd, 4th and 5th graders’ design fixation and cooperative learning in an engineering design project. A mixed methods instrument, the Cooperative Learning Observation Protocol (CLOP, was adapted to record frequency and class observation on cooperative learning engagement through detailed field notes. Students’ design journals and reflections were also analyzed for an inductive qualitative analysis. The findings indicate three major themes of design fixation: 1 fixation on common features of things; 2 fixation on popular teenage culture; 3 fixation on the first design idea. In the cooperative learning process of elementary engineering design project, although pupils had demonstrated some abilities to solve concrete problems in a logical fashion, the participants encountered a number of obstacles in the group. Dominance, social loafing, and other problems occurring in the group process might have offset certain benefits of cooperative learning. Implications of the findings are also discussed.

Design fixation and cooperative learning in elementary engineering design project: A case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi Luo

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a case study examining 3rd, 4th and 5th graders’ design fixation and cooperative learning in an engineering design project. A mixed methods instrument, the Cooperative Learning Observation Protocol (CLOP, was adapted to record frequency and class observation on cooperative learning engagement through detailed field notes. Students’ design journals and reflections were also analyzed for an inductive qualitative analysis. The findings indicate three major themes of design fixation: 1 fixation on common features of things; 2 fixation on popular teenage culture; 3 fixation on the first design idea. In the cooperative learning process of elementary engineering design project, although pupils had demonstrated some abilities to solve concrete problems in a logical fashion, the participants encountered a number of obstacles in the group. Dominance, social loafing, and other problems occurring in the group process might have offset certain benefits of cooperative learning. Implications of the findings are also discussed.

Design tradeoff studies and sensitivity analysis. Appendix B

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1979-05-25

The results of the design trade-off studies and the sensitivity analysis of Phase I of the Near Term Hybrid Vehicle (NTHV) Program are presented. The effects of variations in the design of the vehicle body, propulsion systems, and other components on vehicle power, weight, cost, and fuel economy and an optimized hybrid vehicle design are discussed. (LCL)

[Saarland Growth Study: sampling design].

Science.gov (United States)

Danker-Hopfe, H; Zabransky, S

2000-01-01

The use of reference data to evaluate the physical development of children and adolescents is part of the daily routine in the paediatric ambulance. The construction of such reference data is based on the collection of extensive reference data. There are different kinds of reference data: cross sectional references, which are based on data collected from a big representative cross-sectional sample of the population, longitudinal references, which are based on follow-up surveys of usually smaller samples of individuals from birth to maturity, and mixed longitudinal references, which are a combination of longitudinal and cross-sectional reference data. The advantages and disadvantages of the different methods of data collection and the resulting reference data are discussed. The Saarland Growth Study was conducted for several reasons: growth processes are subject to secular changes, there are no specific reference data for children and adolescents from this part of the country and the growth charts in use in the paediatric praxis are possibly not appropriate any more. Therefore, the Saarland Growth Study served two purposes a) to create actual regional reference data and b) to create a database for future studies on secular trends in growth processes of children and adolescents from Saarland. The present contribution focusses on general remarks on the sampling design of (cross-sectional) growth surveys and its inferences for the design of the present study.

Safety design study of fast breeder reactors in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miura, M.; Inagaki, T.

1992-01-01

This paper reports on two fast breeder reactor (FBR) concepts, the tank type and the loop type, that have been studied as possible reactor designs to be used for a demonstration FBR (DFBR). The basic principle fo the DFBR design is to ensure plant safety through a defense-in-depth methodology. Improvements in the seismic and thermal stress designs have been attempted for both reactor concepts. The system design study strives to maximize the reliability of the safety-related systems and to rationalize commercialization of the plant

Two Eyes, 3D: A New Project to Study Stereoscopy in Astronomy Education

Science.gov (United States)

Price, Aaron; SubbaRao, M.; Wyatt, R.

2012-01-01

"Two Eyes, 3D" is a 3-year NSF funded research project to study the educational impacts of using stereoscopic representations in informal settings. The project funds two experimental studies. The first is focused on how children perceive various spatial qualities of scientific objects displayed in static 2D and 3D formats. The second is focused on how adults perceive various spatial qualities of scientific objects and processes displayed in 2D and 3D movie formats. As part of the project, two brief high-definition films about variable stars will be developed. Both studies will be mixed-method and look at prior spatial ability and other demographic variables as covariates. The project is run by the American Association of Variable Star Observers, Boston Museum of Science and the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum with consulting from the California Academy of Sciences. Early pilot results will be presented. All films will be released into the public domain, as will the assessment software designed to run on tablet computers (iOS or Android).

Structural Design Feasibility Study for the Global Climate Experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lewin,K.F.; Nagy, J.

2008-12-01

Neon, Inc. is proposing to establish a Global Change Experiment (GCE) Facility to increase our understanding of how ecological systems differ in their vulnerability to changes in climate and other relevant global change drivers, as well as provide the mechanistic basis for forecasting ecological change in the future. The experimental design was initially envisioned to consist of two complementary components; (A) a multi-factor experiment manipulating CO{sub 2}, temperature and water availability and (B) a water balance experiment. As the design analysis and cost estimates progressed, it became clear that (1) the technical difficulties of obtaining tight temperature control and maintaining elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels within an enclosure were greater than had been expected and (2) the envisioned study would not fit into the expected budget envelope if this was done in a partially or completely enclosed structure. After discussions between NEON management, the GCE science team, and Keith Lewin, NEON, Inc. requested Keith Lewin to expand the scope of this design study to include open-field exposure systems. In order to develop the GCE design to the point where it can be presented within a proposal for funding, a feasibility study of climate manipulation structures must be conducted to determine design approaches and rough cost estimates, and to identify advantages and disadvantages of these approaches including the associated experimental artifacts. NEON, Inc requested this design study in order to develop concepts for the climate manipulation structures to support the NEON Global Climate Experiment. This study summarizes the design concepts considered for constructing and operating the GCE Facility and their associated construction, maintenance and operations costs. Comparisons and comments about experimental artifacts, construction challenges and operational uncertainties are provided to assist in selecting the final facility design. The overall goal

Reversible pH-controlled DNA-binding peptide nanotweezers: An in-silico study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gaurav Sharma

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Gaurav Sharma1, Kaushal Rege2,3, David E Budil4, Martin L Yarmush2,5, Constantinos Mavroidis11Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering; 4Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA; 2The Center for Engineering in Medicine (CEM, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; 3Department of Chemical Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; 5Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University, NJ, USAAbstract: We describe the molecular dynamics (MD-aided engineering design of mutant peptides based on the α-helical coiled-coil GCN4 leucine zipper peptide (GCN4-p1 in order to obtain environmentally-responsive nanotweezers. The actuation mechanism of the nanotweezers depends on the modification of electrostatic charges on the residues along the length of the coiled coil. Modulating the solution pH between neutral and acidic values results in the reversible movement of helices toward and away from each other and creates a complete closed-open-closed transition cycle between the helices. Our results indicate that the mutants show a reversible opening of up to 15 Å (1.5 nm; approximately 150% of the initial separation upon pH actuation. Investigation on the physicochemical phenomena that influence conformational properties, structural stability, and reversibility of the coiled-coil peptide-based nanotweezers revealed that a rationale- and design-based approach is needed to engineer stable peptide or macromolecules into stimuli-responsive devices. The efficacy of the mutant that demonstrated the most significant reversible actuation for environmentally responsive modulation of DNA-binding activity was also demonstrated. Our results have significant implications in bioseparations and in the engineering of novel transcription factors.Keywords: bionanotechnology, nanotweezers, coiled-coil, GCN4, leucine zipper, molecular dynamics, environmentally

Sustainable Design Approach: A case study of BIM use

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdelhameed Wael

2017-01-01

The paper describes the methodology of this design approach through BIM strategies adopted in design creation. Case studies of architectural designs are used to highlight the details and benefits of this proposed approach.

Housing conditions and respiratory health in a Boston public housing community.

Science.gov (United States)

Brugge, D; Rice, P W; Terry, P; Howard, L; Best, J

2001-01-01

To determine frequency of and possible associations between environmental housing factors and self-reported respiratory symptoms in public housing. We used a community-participatory method in which trained residents conducted in-person interviews with a random sample of 53 households in one housing development in Boston, Massachusetts. Environmental factors suspected of affecting respiratory health that were reported by more than 30 percent of respondents included: Moisture (43 percent), mold (43 percent), cracks in walls, floors and ceilings (49 percent), sewage leaks (33 percent), unexplained odor (35 percent), use of air fresheners (91 percent), use of gas ovens for heating (38 percent), no vent for the oven (74 percent), stuffy air (66 percent), overheating at least part of the winter (73 percent), cockroaches (70 percent), rodents (40 percent), pets (39 percent), frequent renovations (40 percent), repeated requests for repairs (52 percent), dust from construction (45 percent), use of more than three hazardous household products (32 percent), vehicle traffic nearby (81 percent), and smoking in the household (57 percent). Forty percent of respondents reported having asthma. Respondents also reported that 56 percent of their children had asthma. Forty percent of respondents reported wheeze and 48 percent reported coughing or sneezing episodes in the preceding month. We found the following positive statistically significant associations, adjusted for age, sex, Black or Hispanic origin, and years lived in public housing: wheeze with moisture problems (OR = 4.8; CI = 1.2, 19.3), sewage leaks (OR = 6.3; CI = 1.3, 30.3), odor (OR = 7.5; CI = 1 .4, 39.0), cracks in walls,floors and ceilings (OR = 8.6; CI 1.9, 38.0), and frequency of renovations (OR = 9.8; CI = 1.8, 54.4); cough with moisture problems (OR = 5.3; CI = 1.3, 20.8), stuffy air (OR = 4.4; CI = 1.2, 16.7), cockroaches (OR = 5.4; CI = 1.2, 24.2), smoking (OR = 5.0; CI = 1.2, 20.5), odor (OR = 10.9; CI = 2

Experimental design of a waste glass study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piepel, G.F.; Redgate, P.E.; Hrma, P.

1995-04-01

A Composition Variation Study (CVS) is being performed to support a future high-level waste glass plant at Hanford. A total of 147 glasses, covering a broad region of compositions melting at approximately 1150 degrees C, were tested in five statistically designed experimental phases. This paper focuses on the goals, strategies, and techniques used in designing the five phases. The overall strategy was to investigate glass compositions on the boundary and interior of an experimental region defined by single- component, multiple-component, and property constraints. Statistical optimal experimental design techniques were used to cover various subregions of the experimental region in each phase. Empirical mixture models for glass properties (as functions of glass composition) from previous phases wee used in designing subsequent CVS phases

Preliminary Systems Design Study assessment report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayberry, J.L.; Feizollahi, F.; Del Signore, J.C.

1992-01-01

The System Design Study (SDS), part of the Waste Technology Development Department at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), examined techniques available for the remediation of hazardous and transuranic waste stored at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex's Subsurface Disposal Area at the INEL. Using specific technologies, system concepts for treating the buried waste and the surrounding contaminated soil were evaluated. Evaluation included implementability, effectiveness, and cost. The SDS resulted in the development of technology requirements including demonstration, testing, and evaluation activities needed for implementing each concept. This volume of the Systems Design Study contain four Appendixes that were part of the study. Appendix A is an EG ampersand G Idaho, Inc., report that represents a review and compilation of previous reports describing the wastes and quantities disposed in the Subsurface Disposal Area of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. Appendix B contains the process flowsheets considered in this study, but not selected for detailed analysis. Appendix C is a historical tabulation of radioactive waste incinerators. Appendix D lists Department of Energy facilities where cementation stabilization systems have been used

Overview of Fusion-Fission Hybrid Reactor Design Study in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Jinhua; Feng Kaiming; Deng Baiquan; Deng, P.Zh.; Zhang Guoshu; Hu Gang; He Kaihui; Wu Yican; Qiu Lijian; Huang Qunying; Xiao Bingjia; Liu Xiaoping; Chen Yixue; Kong, M.H.

2002-01-01

The motivation for developing fusion-fission hybrid reactors is discussed in the context of electricity power requirements by 2050 in China. A detailed conceptual design of the Fusion Experimental Breeder (FEB) was developed from 1986-1995. The FEB has a subignited tokamak fusion core with a major radius of 4.0 m, a fusion power of 145 MW, and a fusion energy gain Q of 3. Based on this, an engineering outline design study of the FEB, FEB-E, has been performed. This design study is a transition from conceptual to engineering design in this research. The main results beyond that given in the detailed conceptual design are included in this paper, namely, the design studies of the blanket, divertor, test blanket, and tritium and environment issues. In-depth analyses have been performed to support the design. Studies of related advanced concepts such as the waste transmutation blanket concept and the spherical tokamak core concept are also presented

Seal design alternatives study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Sambeek, L.L.; Luo, D.D.; Lin, M.S.; Ostrowski, W.; Oyenuga, D.

1993-06-01

This report presents the results from a study of various sealing alternatives for the WIPP sealing system. Overall, the sealing system has the purpose of reducing to the extent possible the potential for fluids (either gas or liquid) from entering or leaving the repository. The sealing system is divided into three subsystems: drift and panel seals within the repository horizon, shaft seals in each of the four shafts, and borehole seals. Alternatives to the baseline configuration for the WIPP seal system design included evaluating different geometries and schedules for seal component installations and the use of different materials for seal components. Order-of-magnitude costs for the various alternatives were prepared as part of the study. Firm recommendations are not presented, but the advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives are discussed. Technical information deficiencies are identified and studies are outlined which can provide required information

The DARPA quantum network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elliot, B.

2005-01-01

Full text: The DARPA quantum network is now in initial operational, with six nodes performing quantum cryptography 24x7 across the Boston metro area between our campuses at Harvard University, Boston University, and BBN Technologies. In this talk, we present our recent activities, including the deployment of this network, building our Mark 1 Entangled QKD system, porting BBN QKD protocol software to NIST and Qinetiq freespace systems, performing initial design of a superconducting single photon detector with U. Rochester and NIST Boulder, and implementing a novel Low-Density Parity Check (LDPC) protocol for QKD. (author)

Lessons Learned from Applying Design Thinking in a NASA Rapid Design Study in Aeronautics

Science.gov (United States)

McGowan, Anna-Maria; Bakula, Casey; Castner, Raymond

2017-01-01

In late 2015, NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) funded an experiment in rapid design and rapid teaming to explore new approaches to solving challenging design problems in aeronautics in an effort to cultivate and foster innovation. This report summarizes several lessons learned from the rapid design portion of the study. This effort entailed learning and applying design thinking, a human-centered design approach, to complete the conceptual design for an open-ended design challenge within six months. The design challenge focused on creating a capability to advance experimental testing of autonomous aeronautics systems, an area of great interest to NASA, the US government as a whole, and an entire ecosystem of users and developers around the globe. A team of nine civil servant researchers from three of NASA's aeronautics field centers with backgrounds in several disciplines was assembled and rapidly trained in design thinking under the guidance of the innovation and design firm IDEO. The design thinking process, while used extensively outside the aerospace industry, is less common and even counter to many practices within the aerospace industry. In this report, several contrasts between common aerospace research and development practices and design thinking are discussed, drawing upon the lessons learned from the NASA rapid design study. The lessons discussed included working towards a design solution without a set of detailed design requirements, which may not be practical or even feasible for management to ascertain for complex, challenging problems. This approach allowed for the possibility of redesigning the original problem statement to better meet the needs of the users. Another lesson learned was to approach problems holistically from the perspective of the needs of individuals that may be affected by advances in topic area instead of purely from a technological feasibility viewpoint. The interdisciplinary nature of the design team also

Powersail High Power Propulsion System Design Study

Science.gov (United States)

Gulczinski, Frank S., III

2000-11-01

A desire by the United States Air Force to exploit the space environment has led to a need for increased on-orbit electrical power availability. To enable this, the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/ VS) is developing Powersail: a two-phased program to demonstrate high power (100 kW to 1 MW) capability in space using a deployable, flexible solar array connected to the host spacecraft using a slack umbilical. The first phase will be a proof-of-concept demonstration at 50 kW, followed by the second phase, an operational system at full power. In support of this program, the AFRL propulsion Directorate's Spacecraft Propulsion Branch (AFRL/PRS ) at Edwards AFB has commissioned a design study of the Powersail High Power Propulsion System. The purpose of this study, the results of which are summarized in this paper, is to perform mission and design trades to identify potential full-power applications (both near-Earth and interplanetary) and the corresponding propulsion system requirements and design. The design study shall farther identify a suitable low power demonstration flight that maximizes risk reduction for the fully operational system. This propulsion system is expected to be threefold: (1) primary propulsion for moving the entire vehicle, (2) a propulsion unit that maintains the solar array position relative to the host spacecraft, and (3) control propulsion for maintaining proper orientation for the flexible solar array.

Conceptual design study of Fusion Experimental Reactor (FY87FER)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-05-01

The design study of Fusion Experimental Reactor(FER) which has been proposed to be the next step fusion device has been conducted by JAERI Reactor System Laboratory since 1982 and by FER design team since 1984. This is the final report of the FER design team program and describes the results obtained in FY1987 (partially in FY1986) activities. The contents of this report consist of the reference design which is based on the guideline in FY1986 by the Subcomitees set up in Nuclear Fusion Council of Atomic Energy Commission of Japan, the Low-Physics-Risk reactor design for achieving physics mission more reliably and the system study of FER design candidates including above two designs. (author)

Radiographic pelvimetry for assessment of dystocia in bitches: a clinical study in two Terrier breeds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eneroth, A.; Linde-Forsberg, C.; Uhlhorn, M.; Hall, M.

1999-01-01

Radiographic pelvimetry was used to assess the role of pelvic anatomy in obstructive dystocia in bitches. Based on the history of previous whelpings,20 Boston terrier and 14 Scottish terrier bitches were divided into two equal groups: normally whelping bitches and bitches with obstructive dystocia. Additional whelpings during the period of study were closely observed and the pups were immediately weighed and measured. The bitches were clinically examined and the pelvis was radiographed in ventrodorsal and lateral projections. Measurements from the radiographs showed a significantly smaller pelvic size in the bitches with obstructive dystocia compared to the normally whelping bitches. Fetal-pelvic disproportion in the Scottish terrier was mainly due to a dorsoventrally flattened pelvic canal, whereas in the Boston terrier it arose from the combination of a dorsoventrally flattened pelvic canal and big fetuses with large heads. These results suggest that radiographic pelvimetry could be used to predict a disposition for dystocia in individual bitches, and as a basis for selection of breeding animals

The Potential of Adaptive Design in Animal Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arshad Majid

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Clinical trials are the backbone of medical research, and are often the last step in the development of new therapies for use in patients. Prior to human testing, however, preclinical studies using animal subjects are usually performed in order to provide initial data on the safety and effectiveness of prospective treatments. These studies can be costly and time consuming, and may also raise concerns about the ethical treatment of animals when potentially harmful procedures are involved. Adaptive design is a process by which the methods used in a study may be altered while it is being conducted in response to preliminary data or other new information. Adaptive design has been shown to be useful in reducing the time and costs associated with clinical trials, and may provide similar benefits in preclinical animal studies. The purpose of this review is to summarize various aspects of adaptive design and evaluate its potential for use in preclinical research.

The Potential of Adaptive Design in Animal Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Majid, Arshad; Bae, Ok-Nam; Redgrave, Jessica; Teare, Dawn; Ali, Ali; Zemke, Daniel

2015-10-12

Clinical trials are the backbone of medical research, and are often the last step in the development of new therapies for use in patients. Prior to human testing, however, preclinical studies using animal subjects are usually performed in order to provide initial data on the safety and effectiveness of prospective treatments. These studies can be costly and time consuming, and may also raise concerns about the ethical treatment of animals when potentially harmful procedures are involved. Adaptive design is a process by which the methods used in a study may be altered while it is being conducted in response to preliminary data or other new information. Adaptive design has been shown to be useful in reducing the time and costs associated with clinical trials, and may provide similar benefits in preclinical animal studies. The purpose of this review is to summarize various aspects of adaptive design and evaluate its potential for use in preclinical research.

Research designs and making causal inferences from health care studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Flannelly, Kevin J; Jankowski, Katherine R B

2014-01-01

This article summarizes the major types of research designs used in healthcare research, including experimental, quasi-experimental, and observational studies. Observational studies are divided into survey studies (descriptive and correlational studies), case-studies and analytic studies, the last of which are commonly used in epidemiology: case-control, retrospective cohort, and prospective cohort studies. Similarities and differences among the research designs are described and the relative strength of evidence they provide is discussed. Emphasis is placed on five criteria for drawing causal inferences that are derived from the writings of the philosopher John Stuart Mill, especially his methods or canons. The application of the criteria to experimentation is explained. Particular attention is given to the degree to which different designs meet the five criteria for making causal inferences. Examples of specific studies that have used various designs in chaplaincy research are provided.

Research accomplishments in particle physics: Research progress report, July 16, 1986 to July 15, 1987

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

This document reports the activities of Boston University researchers in five projects in high energy physics research during the period July 16, 1986 to July 15, 1987. These include: search for proton decay and neutrinos from point astrophysical sources, as well as the study of cosmic ray muons and neutrinos in the IMB detector; study of high energy electron-positron annihilation, using the ASP and SLD detectors at SLAC; development of a new underground detector facility in the Gran Sasso Laboratory in Italy for magnetic monopoles and to study astrophysical muons and neutrinos; measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon in a new superconducting storage ring and detector system at BNL, with a major portion of design and construction of accelerator components at Boston University; and study of theoretical particle physics, including lattice gauge theories, string theories, phenomenology of the Standard Model and its extensions, and application of particle physics concepts to the early universe, cosmology and astrophysics, as well as the extension of these techniques into computational physics

Srategi The Boston Consulting Group Untuk Memastikan Kesinambungan Produk PT Gudang Garam Tbk Kediri

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Poniran Poniran

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Lingkungan bisnis saat ini meningkat secara kompetitif, setiap perusahaan dituntut untuk memiliki kekuatan untuk bersaing di perdagangan global. PT Gudang Garam sebagai pasar dalam industri tembakau, untuk mempertahankan kondisi ini harus pandai dalam menentukan kebijakan manajemen . Alternatifnya adalah dengan menggunakan Strategi Analisis The Boston Consulting Group, sebuah analisis untuk mengukur pertumbuhan dan  pasar untuk produk SBU. Dengan analisis ini akan diketahui strategi apa yang harus dilakukan untuk mencapai keunggulan biaya serta bagaimana menentukan investasi yang tepat. Hal ini dapat dilihat dari analisis posisi kekuatan dan daya tarik perusahaan. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif. Penelitian ini fokus untuk mempelajari (a Produksi (b penjualan (c daya tarik industri (d posisi kompetitif (e atribut produk perusahaan (fpajak/cukai. Penelitian ini dilakukan di perusahaan rokok PT Gudang Garam Tbk . Kediri alamat dengan : Jl . Semampir II / I Semampir Kediri - Indonesia Tel : 0354-682091-7 , fax: 0354-681555. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa PT. Gudang Garam adalah pimpinan pasar di posisi pangsa pasar tinggi BCG, GE - Mc. Kinsey, menang / kuat pada SKM dan SKT, SKL pada Mean Business, posisi PLC yang menurun untuk SKM, SKT dan SKL sekarang ini. Dengan kondisi seperti ini, penulis memberikan saran untuk perlunya perusahaan melakukan kegiatan yang spesifik, meliputi: (1 memastikan kesetimbangan portofolio melalui peluncuran produk baru yang menarik dan diharapkan mempunyai prospek bagus dalam jangka panjang, mengingat pada umumnya mengalami pengurangan produksi, dan peningkatan pajak, (2 berdasar portofolio produk PT Gudang Garam Tbk sebagian besar mempunyai posisi yang kuat, hal ini menunjukkan keberhasilan iklan produk dalam pandangan konsumen. Meskipun demikian PT Gudang Garam Tbk harus melakukan riset pasar untuk menentukan perubahan yang terjadi di pasar, (3 memaksimalkan pangsa pasar secara keseluruhan produk

[Boston keratoprosthesis: 73 eyes from Germany : An overview of experiences from two centers].

Science.gov (United States)

Schaub, F; Neuhann, I; Enders, P; Bachmann, B O; Koller, B; Neuhann, T; Cursiefen, C

2017-10-17

The Boston Keratoprosthesis (B-KPro) is a therapeutic option for corneal replacement for visual rehabilitation in eyes with poor a prognosis for penetrating keratoplasty (high-risk eyes). Since 2009, this approach has been used in the MVZ Prof. Neuhann, Munich, and since 2013 also at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cologne. An overview of results from the first 73 eyes in these departments is presented. All recipient eyes of both centers which received a B-KPro type I (BI-KPro) between November 2009 and March 2017 were included. Indications, preoperative findings, intraoperative procedures, and clinical results, as well as postoperative complication and retention rates were documented and analyzed. A total of 73 eyes from 68 patients (mean age 55 ± 21.1 years, range 7 months-93 years; 26 women, 42 men) were treated with a BI-KPro. In 53 eyes (72.6%) the BI-KPro was implanted due to corneal graft failure, whereas BI-KPro was used as the primary corneal replacement in 20 eyes (27.4%). In 46 eyes (63.0%) a long-term increase in visual acuity was achieved and in 21.9% visual acuity was stabilized, while a decrease in preoperative visual acuity occurred in 15.1% of cases. During an average follow-up of 24.7 ± 23.0 months (range 1-78 months), 1.7 ± 2.4 re-interventions (range 0-9) were required. Only 4 keratoprostheses (5.5%) could not be retained. In 3 eyes (4.2%), a change of the BI-KPro device was necessary. There is a wide range of indications for BI-KPro in eyes with a poor prognosis for conventional keratoplasty. The surgical technique is safe but with a notable postoperative complication rate, which does not seem to decrease in the medium or long term. The retention rate is excellent for eyes without stem cell deficiency. Nevertheless, the BI-KPro is the only therapeutic option for high-risk eyes and leads to a gain in visual acuity in most cases.

A comparative study of two shovel designs.

Science.gov (United States)

Degani, A; Asfour, S S; Waly, S M; Koshy, J G

1993-10-01

In the present study a modified shovel design with two perpendicular shafts is presented. This modified, two-shaft shovel was compared with a regular shovel. The modified shovel was evaluated and tested in a controlled laboratory environment using surface electromyography recorded from the lumbar paraspinal muscles. The new shovel design was also tested in a field study using ratings of perceived exertion. The results indicate that there was a significant reduction in EMG values of the lumbar paraspinal muscles and a consistent reduction in perceived exertion ratings while the modified shovel was being used for removing dirt in digging trenches up to 90 cm in depth.

Tai Chi for treating knee osteoarthritis: Designing a long-term follow up randomized controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rones Ramel

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA is a major cause of pain and functional impairment among elders. Currently, there are neither feasible preventive intervention strategies nor effective medical remedies for the management of KOA. Tai Chi, an ancient Chinese mind-body exercise that is reported to enhance muscle function, balance and flexibility, and to reduce pain, depression and anxiety, may safely and effectively be used to treat KOA. However, current evidence is inconclusive. Our study examines the effects of a 12-week Tai Chi program compared with an attention control (wellness education and stretching on pain, functional capacity, psychosocial variables, joint proprioception and health status in elderly people with KOA. The study will be completed by July 2009. Methods/Design Forty eligible patients, age > 55 yr, BMI ≤ 40 kg/m2 with tibiofemoral osteoarthritis (American College of Rheumatology criteria are identified and randomly allocated to either Tai Chi (10 modified forms from classical Yang style Tai Chi or attention control (wellness education and stretching. The 60-minute intervention sessions take place twice weekly for 12 weeks. The study is conducted at an urban tertiary medical center in Boston, Massachusetts. The primary outcome measure is the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC pain subscale at 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes include weekly WOMAC pain, function and stiffness scores, patient and physician global assessments, lower-extremity function, knee proprioception, depression, self-efficacy, social support, health-related quality of life, adherence and occurrence of adverse events after 12, 24 and 48 weeks. Discussion In this article, we present the challenges of designing a randomized controlled trial with long-term follow up. The challenges encountered in this design are: strategies for recruitment, avoidance of selection bias, the actual practice of Tai Chi, and the maximization of adherence

Green Diesel from Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil Process Design Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hilbers, T.J.; Sprakel, Lisette Maria Johanna; van den Enk, L.B.J.; Zaalberg, B.; van den Berg, Henderikus; van der Ham, Aloysius G.J.

2015-01-01

A systematic approach was applied to study the process of hydrotreating vegetable oils. During the three phases of conceptual, detailed, and final design, unit operations were designed and sized. Modeling of the process was performed with UniSim Design®. Producing green diesel and jet fuel from

DU-AGG pilot plant design study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lessing, P.A.; Gillman, H.

1996-07-01

The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) is developing new methods to produce high-density aggregate (artificial rock) primarily consisting of depleted uranium oxide. The objective is to develop a low-cost method whereby uranium oxide powder (UO[sub 2], U[sub 3]O[sub ]8, or UO[sub 3]) can be processed to produce high-density aggregate pieces (DU-AGG) having physical properties suitable for disposal in low-level radioactive disposal facilities or for use as a component of high-density concrete used as shielding for radioactive materials. A commercial company, G-M Systems, conducted a design study for a manufacturing pilot plant to process DU-AGG. The results of that study are included and summarized in this report. Also explained are design considerations, equipment capacities, the equipment list, system operation, layout of equipment in the plant, cost estimates, and the proposed plan and schedule

A Case Study of the Introduction of RISC-based Computing and a Telecommunications Link to a Suburban High School.

Science.gov (United States)

Hakerem, Gita; And Others

This study reports the efforts of the Water and Molecular Networks Project (WAMNet), a program in which high school chemistry students use computer simulations developed at Boston University (Massachusetts) to model the three-dimensional structure of molecules and the hydrogen bond network that holds water molecules together. This case study…

A case study analysis of the application of design for manufacture principles by industrial design students

OpenAIRE

Marshall, R; Page, T

2016-01-01

This paper describes a case study evaluation of a module that engages students on product and industrial design programmes with the principles of Design for Manufacturing (DFM). The primary element of the module is to expose students to the constraints of a full design to manufacture process. The module explores the design of a small polymer promotional item, together with the means of mass producing that item. This is done through the process of injection moulding and students design an inje...

A framework for studying teacher learning by design

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Voogt, Joke; McKenney, Susan; Janssen, Fred; Berry, Amanda; Kicken, Wendy; Coenders, Fer

2012-01-01

Voogt, J., McKenney, S., Janssen, F., Berry, A., Kicken, W., & Coenders, F. (2012, 2-6 July). A framework for studying teacher learning by design. Paper presentation at the Teachers as Designers of Technology Enhanced Learning pre-conference workshop in conjunction with the ISLS annual meeting,

A Study On The Applicability Of SERVQUAL Dimensions Of Web Sites

OpenAIRE

Wiele, Ton; Iwaarden, Jos

2002-01-01

textabstractA survey has been undertaken amongst students of two universities (Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and Northeastern University Boston, USA) to study what quality factors are perceived as important in relation to their use of web sites. The results of the questionnaire survey are analysed in relation to the five service quality (SERVQUAL) dimensions (tangibles; reliability; responsiveness; assurance; empathy) as developed by Zeithaml et al [1]. There is evidence that...

Study Design for a Case Control Investigation of Cellular Telephones and Other Risk Factors for Brain Tumors in Adults

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inskip, P.D.; Hatch, E.E.; Stewart, P.A.; Heineman, E.F.; Ziegler, R.G.; Dosemeci, M.; Parry, D.; Rothman, N.; Boice, J.D. Jr.; Wilcosky, T.C.; Watson, D.J.; Shapiro, W.R.; Selker, R.G.; Fine, H.A.; Black, P. McL.; Loeffler, J.S.; Linet, M.S.

1999-01-01

The aetiology of brain tumours is poorly understood. Due, in part, to public concern about a postulated relationship between the use of cellular telephones or other increasingly prevalent environmental exposures and the incidence of brain cancer in adults, the National Cancer Institute is collaborating with three US hospitals in a comprehensive case control study of malignant and benign brain tumours. Factors under consideration include use of cellular phones and other wireless communication devices, workplace exposures to chemical agents and electromagnetic fields, dietary factors, family history of tumours, genetic determinants of susceptibility, home appliance use, reproductive history and hormonal exposures, viruses, medical and dental exposure to ionising radiation, and other aspects of medical history. Approximately 800 newly diagnosed brain tumour cases and 800 controls were enrolled at hospitals in Boston, Phoenix and Pittsburgh from 1994 to 1998. Cases include all adults (age ≥ 18 y) newly diagnosed with a histologically confirmed intracranial glioma, histologically confirmed intracranial meningioma or acoustic neuroma. Controls are patients admitted to the same hospitals as the cases, and treated for any of a variety of non-malignant conditions. Key features of the study include its large size, the emphasis on rapid ascertainment of incident cases and interview of study subjects rather than surrogate respondents, the use of detailed, job-specific questions developed by industrial hygienists to ascertain occupational exposures, and the storage of blood samples for future evaluation of inherited susceptibility, biomarkers of exposure and gene environment interactions. (author)

Preliminary 2D design study for A ampersand PCT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keto, E.; Azevedo, S.; Roberson, P.

1995-03-01

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is currently designing and constructing a tomographic scanner to obtain the most accurate possible assays of radioactivity in barrels of nuclear waste in a limited amount of time. This study demonstrates a method to explore different designs using laboratory experiments and numerical simulations. In particular, we examine the trade-off between spatial resolution and signal-to-noise. The simulations are conducted in two dimensions as a preliminary study for three dimensional imaging. We find that the optimal design is entirely dependent on the expected source sizes and activities. For nuclear waste barrels, preliminary results indicate that collimators with widths of 1 to 3 inch and aspect ratios of 5:1 to 10:1 should perform well. This type of study will be repeated in 3D in more detail to optimize the final design

Interactive design computation : A case study on quantum design paradigm

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feng, H.

2013-01-01

The ever-increasing complexity of design processes fosters novel design computation models to be employed in architectural research and design in order to facilitate accurate data processing and refined decision making. These computation models have enabled designers to work with complex geometry

Scaffolding Preservice Teachers' WebQuest Design: A Qualitative Study

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Feng; Hannafin, Michael J.

2009-01-01

This study examined how participating preservice teachers reported their perceptions and use of different scaffolds provided to support their WebQuest design. Sixteen preservice teachers participated in a succession of course activities designed to guide WebQuest design and development. Results indicated that while participants followed, adapted,…

Fusion reactor design studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emmert, G.A.; Kulcinski, G.L.; Santarius, J.F.

1990-01-01

This report discusses the following topics on the ARIES tokamak: systems; plasma power balance; impurity control and fusion ash removal; fusion product ripple loss; energy conversion; reactor fueling; first wall design; shield design; reactor safety; and fuel cost and resources

Research Design in the study of the European Neighbourhood Policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Exadaktylos, Theofanis; Lynggaard, Kennet

2017-01-01

This chapter deals with the pitfalls and pathways of research design aimed at the study of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and maps out the literature on questions of knowledge ambition, research ontology and epistemology, and choices of approaches to the research object. We include...... a review of traditional research designs in ENP research, through a systematic meta-analysis of a selection of the most-cited articles on the ENP. Inspired by earlier work on awareness of research design in EU studies, ENP research is categorised according to typical choices of research design in the form...... of dichotomous trade-offs. The chapter then discusses how individual contributions to this volume deal with research design challenges of the past and present innovative ways of studying the revised ENP....

Incomplete by Design: A Study of a Design-in-Use Approach to Systems Implementation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Torkilsheyggi, Arnvør Martinsdóttir á; Hertzum, Morten

2017-01-01

In complex work settings the design of a system, including the associated work practices, must be completed in use to derive full benefit from the system. We investigate the introduction of an electronic whiteboard throughout a hospital in which management substituted a local design-in-use process......, driven by super users, for a centrally organized implementation process. The aim of this study is to investigate the design-in-use approach to systems implementation with respect to the tension that ensued between hospital management’s expectations to the process and the goals pursued in the individual...

Rhetorical Design Studies: The Art of Making Design Choices Explicit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Halstrøm, Per L.

2017-01-01

Design has the potential to affect the situations we are in, the choices we make and the beliefs we live by. Being such an affective field, one might expect that canonized design thinking models and methods would be much concerned with how designers can discover arguments for their design choices...

[Strengthening the methodology of study designs in scientific researches].

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Ze-qin

2010-06-01

Many problems in study designs have affected the validity of scientific researches seriously. We must understand the methodology of research, especially clinical epidemiology and biostatistics, and recognize the urgency in selection and implement of right study design. Thereafter we can promote the research capability and improve the overall quality of scientific researches.

Parametric study for design of thermal sleeves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mukherjee, A.B.; Mehra, V.K.

1985-01-01

Thermal sleeves are used inside nozzle in many reactor components. Basic aim in design of thermal sleeve is to arrive at a set of dimensions for gap and annulus length, which will give rise to minimum thermal gradient in the base metal of the associated nozzle. Study includes the minimisation of the thermal gradient in the crotch zone by suitable choice of gap and annulus length. Three different geometries of nozzle radii 50.00 mm., 100 mm. and 200.0 mm. are studied for single and two concentric thermal sleeves model. The paper also presents effect of parameters like velocity of flow, temperature of fluid, materials etc. on the design of thermal sleeves. (orig.)

Design study on sodium cooled large-scale reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murakami, Tsutomu; Hishida, Masahiko; Kisohara, Naoyuki

2004-07-01

In Phase 1 of the 'Feasibility Studies on Commercialized Fast Reactor Cycle Systems (F/S)', an advanced loop type reactor has been selected as a promising concept of sodium-cooled large-scale reactor, which has a possibility to fulfill the design requirements of the F/S. In Phase 2, design improvement for further cost reduction of establishment of the plant concept has been performed. This report summarizes the results of the design study on the sodium-cooled large-scale reactor performed in JFY2003, which is the third year of Phase 2. In the JFY2003 design study, critical subjects related to safety, structural integrity and thermal hydraulics which found in the last fiscal year has been examined and the plant concept has been modified. Furthermore, fundamental specifications of main systems and components have been set and economy has been evaluated. In addition, as the interim evaluation of the candidate concept of the FBR fuel cycle is to be conducted, cost effectiveness and achievability for the development goal were evaluated and the data of the three large-scale reactor candidate concepts were prepared. As a results of this study, the plant concept of the sodium-cooled large-scale reactor has been constructed, which has a prospect to satisfy the economic goal (construction cost: less than 200,000 yens/kWe, etc.) and has a prospect to solve the critical subjects. From now on, reflecting the results of elemental experiments, the preliminary conceptual design of this plant will be preceded toward the selection for narrowing down candidate concepts at the end of Phase 2. (author)

What Does It Take to Be a Successful Graphic Designer: A Phenomenological Study on Graphic Design Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Beller, Shannon

2017-01-01

This study examined the phenomenon of what it takes to be a successful graphic designer. With an identity crisis in graphic design education, design curriculum is faced with uncertainties. With the diversity of programs and degrees in graphic design, the competencies and skills developed among the various programs reflect different purposes, thus…

Conceptual design study of fusion experimental reactor (FY86 FER)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miki, Nobuharu; Iida, Fumio; Suzuki, Shohei; Wachi, Yoshihiro; Toyoda, Katsuyoshi; Hashizume, Takashi; Konno, Masayuki.

1987-09-01

This report summarizes the FER magnet design which was conducted last year (1986). Main objective of the new FER design is to have better cost performance of the machine. The physics assumptions are reviewed to reduce risks. Optimization of the physics design and improvements of the engineering design have been done without changing missions of the device. After a preliminary investigation for the optimization and improvements, six FER concepts have been developed to establish the improved design point, and have been studied in more detail. In the magnet design, the improvements of superconducting magnet design were mainly investigated to reduce the reactor size. A normal conductor was studied as an alternative option for appling to the special poloidal field coils that were located on the interior to the toroidal field coils. Some improvements were made on the superconducting magnet design. Based on the preliminary investigation, the magnet design specifications have been modified somewhat. The conceptual design of the magnet system components have been done for the candidate FER concepts. (author)

The engineering development of an actively controlled precise muon chamber for the SDC detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayer, F.; Berk, E.; Gorman, J.; Govignon, J.; Sullivan, D.

1992-01-01

As the detector configuration for the Solenoidal Detector Collaboration (SDC) evolved, a number of concepts for MUON chambers were proposed and investigated. The Boston Group (Brandeis, Harvard and Tufts Universities, with Draper Laboratory) has developed a concept incorporating elliptical section drift tubes with field shaping and intermediate wire supports. This approach combines good single and multi-track resolution with a small channel count and modularity at the tube level. Other concepts have been developed which arise from differing interpretations of the fundamental physics and economic requirements. These include: Octagonal Drift Tubes, Unsupported Wires, No Field Shaping, U. Wisconsin; Round Tubes, Unsupported Wires, w or w/o Field Shaping, U. Washington; JFT Chambers (Multi-Wire, Intermediate Support, Field Shaping), KEK, Japan. This paper outlines the mechanical implementation of the Boston MUON chamber concept and discusses the rationale for several key design decisions imposed by the stringent mechanical tolerances. A prototype MUON chamber designed to verify design feasibility, performance, and cost is also described. A special section is devoted to the design and development of an optical alignment system within the chamber, which provides error signals driving the intermediate supports to true position. The Boston subgroup MUON chamber design is called the wine rack concept by virtue of its numerous (non-structural) drift tubes laid into a supporting chamber, which provides structural and handling capability. A number of individual θ,φ, and Stereo chambers is normally grouped into a supermodule, which in turn is assembled into a multi-layer supertower. Supertowers are the basic elements of the SDC MUON System, each comprising three supermodule layers in the barrel region and five in the forward regions

A mixed model framework for teratology studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Braeken, Johan; Tuerlinckx, Francis

2009-10-01

A mixed model framework is presented to model the characteristic multivariate binary anomaly data as provided in some teratology studies. The key features of the model are the incorporation of covariate effects, a flexible random effects distribution by means of a finite mixture, and the application of copula functions to better account for the relation structure of the anomalies. The framework is motivated by data of the Boston Anticonvulsant Teratogenesis study and offers an integrated approach to investigate substantive questions, concerning general and anomaly-specific exposure effects of covariates, interrelations between anomalies, and objective diagnostic measurement.

Study, design and manufacture eddy current probes for industry applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Phuc; Nguyen Van Thuy; Vuong Binh Duong; Do Minh Duc; Trinh Dinh Truong; Tran Trong Duc; Do Tung Khanh; Dang Quang Trung

2016-01-01

This study is based on the studying, designing and manufacturing of eddy current probes for industry applications. The main tasks of this study include: i) Describes the overview and classification of eddy current probes (which can be classified into three categories based on the mode of operation: absolute eddy current probe, differential eddy current probe and reflect eddy current probe); ii) Describes the three methods of probe designing and manufacturing (including experimental, analytical and numerical designs); iii) Describes the designing and manufacturing of eddy current probes for industry applications, which based on experimental and analytical methods. Based on this study, we have successfully manufactured some current probes (including absolute eddy current probe, differential eddy current probe and reflect eddy current probe) for surface and tube inspections. (author)

HTS Insert Magnet Design Study

CERN Document Server

Devaux, M; Fleiter, J; Fazilleau, P; Lécrevisse, T; Pes, C; Rey, J-M; Rifflet, J-M; Sorbi, M; Stenvall, A; Tixador, P; Volpini, G

2011-01-01

Future accelerator magnets will need to reach higher field in the range of 20 T. This field level is very difficult to reach using only Low Temperature Superconductor materials whereas High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) provide interesting opportunities. High current densities and stress levels are needed to design such magnets. YBCO superconductor indeed carries large current densities under high magnetic field and provides good mechanical properties especially when produced using the IBAD approach. The HFM EUCARD program studies the design and the realization of an HTS insert of 6 T inside a Nb$_{3}$Sn dipole of 13T at 4.2 K. In the2HTS insert, engineering current densities higher than 250 MA/m under 19 T are required to fulfill the specifications. The stress level is also very severe. YBCO IBAD tapes theoretically meet these challenges from presented measurements. The insert protection is also a critical because HTS materials show low quench propagation velocities and the coupling with the Nb$_{3}$Sn m...

Study on Design Optimization of Centrifugal Compressors Considering Efficiency and Weight

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Younghwan; Kang, Shinhyoung; Ha, Kyunggu

2015-01-01

Various centrifugal compressors are currently used extensively in industrial fields, where the design requirements are more complicated. This makes it more difficult to determine the optimal design point of a centrifugal compressor. Traditionally, the efficiency is an important factor for optimization. In this study, the weight of the compressor was also considered. The aim of this study was to present the design tendency considering the stage efficiency and weight. In addition, this study suggested possibility of a selection of compressor design objectives at an early design stage based on the optimization results. Only a vaneless diffuser was considered in this case. The Kriging method was used with sample points from 1D design program data. The optimal points were determined in a substitute design space.

Study on Design Optimization of Centrifugal Compressors Considering Efficiency and Weight

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Younghwan; Kang, Shinhyoung [Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Ha, Kyunggu [Hyundai Motor Group, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of)

2015-04-15

Various centrifugal compressors are currently used extensively in industrial fields, where the design requirements are more complicated. This makes it more difficult to determine the optimal design point of a centrifugal compressor. Traditionally, the efficiency is an important factor for optimization. In this study, the weight of the compressor was also considered. The aim of this study was to present the design tendency considering the stage efficiency and weight. In addition, this study suggested possibility of a selection of compressor design objectives at an early design stage based on the optimization results. Only a vaneless diffuser was considered in this case. The Kriging method was used with sample points from 1D design program data. The optimal points were determined in a substitute design space.

Children as Educational Computer Game Designers: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Baytak, Ahmet; Land, Susan M.; Smith, Brian K.

2011-01-01

This study investigated how children designed computer games as artifacts that reflected their understanding of nutrition. Ten 5th grade students were asked to design computer games with the software "Game Maker" for the purpose of teaching 1st graders about nutrition. The results from the case study show that students were able to…

An Empirical Study on Design Partner Selection in Green Product Collaboration Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aijun Liu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Green production has become an important issue in PCD (Product Collaboration Design for almost every enterprise, and will determine the sustainability of enterprises in the long term. The choice of design partner is a necessary condition in order to achieve green production. For the uncertain, fuzzy, and dynamic information such as unknown indices and weights, fuzzy semantics, and dynamic time factors in GPCD (Green Product Collaboration Design, a two-stage dynamic hybrid MADM (Multi-Attribute Decision Making approach based on fuzzy DEMATEL (Decision-Making and Trial Evaluation Laboratory, fuzzy KMA (Karnik–Mendel Algorithm, and fuzzy VIKOR (VlseKriterjumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje was proposed. In the first stage, fuzzy DEMATEL was used to determine the evaluation indices. Then, in the second stage, to accurately depict the dynamic information generated by the different phases of a product design, the dynamic evaluation method based on fuzzy theories was employed, and the weights of the indices were calculated by fuzzy KMA, then sorted by fuzzy VIKOR. Finally, a case study and a comparative analysis wre provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Conceptual design study for the demonstration reactor of JSFR. (3) Safety design and evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tani, Akihiro; Shimakawa, Yoshio; Kubo, Shigenobu; Fujimura, Ken; Yamano, Hidemasa

2011-01-01

This paper describes the result of conceptual safety design and evaluation for the demonstration plant of Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor (JSFR), which was preliminarily conducted for providing information necessary to decide the plant specification for further design study. The plant major specifications except for output power and safety design concept are almost the same as those of the commercial JSFR. A set of safety evaluation for typical design basis events (DBEs) is mainly focused here, which was conducted for the 750 MWe design. Safety analyses for DBEs evaluation were performed on the basis of conservative assumptions using a one-dimensional flow network code with point kinetics. For representative DBEs, transient over power type events and loss of flow type events were analyzed. The long-term loss-of-offsite power event was also calculated to evaluate the natural circulation decay heat removal system. All analytical results showed to meet tentative safety criteria, thus it was confirmed that the safety design concept of JSFR is feasible against DBEs. (author)

Tile-based rigidization surface parametric design study

Science.gov (United States)

Giner Munoz, Laura; Luntz, Jonathan; Brei, Diann; Kim, Wonhee

2018-03-01

Inflatable technologies have proven useful in consumer goods as well as in more recent applications including civil structures, aerospace, medical, and robotics. However, inflatable technologies are typically lacking in their ability to provide rigid structural support. Particle jamming improves upon this by providing structures which are normally flexible and moldable but become rigid when air is removed. Because these are based on an airtight bladder filled with loose particles, they always occupy the full volume of its rigid state, even when not rigidized. More recent developments in layer jamming have created thin, compact rigidizing surfaces replacing the loose volume of particles with thinly layered surface materials. Work in this area has been applied to several specific applications with positive results but have not generally provided the broader understanding of the rigidization performance as a function of design parameters required for directly adapting layer rigidization technology to other applications. This paper presents a parametric design study of a new layer jamming vacuum rigidization architecture: tile-based vacuum rigidization. This form of rigidization is based on layers of tiles contained within a thin vacuum bladder which can be bent, rolled, or otherwise compactly stowed, but when deployed flat, can be vacuumed and form a large, flat, rigid plate capable of supporting large forces both localized and distributed over the surface. The general architecture and operation detailing rigidization and compliance mechanisms is introduced. To quantitatively characterize the rigidization behavior, prototypes rigidization surfaces are fabricated and an experimental technique is developed based on a 3-point bending test. Performance evaluation metrics are developed to describe the stiffness, load-bearing capacity, and internal slippage of tested prototypes. A set of experimental parametric studies are performed to better understand the impact of

HYFIRE II: fusion/high-temperature electrolysis conceptual-design study. Annual report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fillo, J.A.

1983-08-01

As in the previous HYFIRE design study, the current study focuses on coupling a Tokamak fusion reactor with a high-temperature blanket to a High-Temperature Electrolyzer (HTE) process to produce hydrogen and oxygen. Scaling of the STARFIRE reactor to allow a blanket power to 6000 MW(th) is also assumed. The primary difference between the two studies is the maximum inlet steam temperature to the electrolyzer. This temperature is decreased from approx. 1300 0 to approx. 1150 0 C, which is closer to the maximum projected temperature of the Westinghouse fuel cell design. The process flow conditions change but the basic design philosophy and approaches to process design remain the same as before. Westinghouse assisted in the study in the areas of systems design integration, plasma engineering, balance-of-plant design, and electrolyzer technology

Hydrodynamic studies in designing of fluidized bed system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohamad Puad Abu; Muhd Noor Muhd Yunus; Syed Nasaruddin Syed Idris

2002-01-01

Fluidized bed process have been used mostly in the petroleum and paper industries, and for processing nuclear wastes, spent cook liquor, wood chips, and sewage sludge disposal. Even at MINT some of the equipment available used this principal. Before we use or purchase this equipment, it is very grateful if we could understand how the system has been designed. The hydrodynamic fluidization studies is very important in designing of fluidized bed system especially in determining the minimum fluidizing velocity, terminal velocity, flexibility of operation, slugging condition, bubble size and velocity, and transport disengaging height. They can be determined either by calculation or experimentation. This paper will highlight the hydrodynamic study that need to be performed in designing of fluidized bed system so that its can be used appropriately. (Author)

Design study of plant system for the fusion experimental reactor (FER)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iida, Hiromasa; Kuroda, Hideo; Yamada, Masao; Suzuki, Tatsushi; Honda, Tsutomu; Ohmura, Hiroshi; Itoh, Shinichi.

1986-11-01

This report describes design study results of the FER plant system. The purpose of this study is to have an image of the FER plant system as a whole by designing major auxiliary systems, reactor building and maintenance and radwaste desposal systems. The major auxiliary systems include tritium, cooling, evacuation and fueling systems. For these each systems, flowdiagrams are studied and designs of devices and pipings are conducted. In the reactor building design, layout of the above auxiliary systems in the building is studied with careful zoning concept by the radiation level. Structural integrity of the reactor building is also studied including seismic analysis. In the design of the maintenance and radwaste system flowdiagram of failed reactor components is developed and transfer vehicles and buildings are designed. Finally assuming JAERI Naka site as the reactor site layout of the whole FER plant system is developed. (author)

76 FR 20595 - Special Local Regulation; Extreme Sailing Series Boston; Boston Harbor, Boston, MA

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-13

.... If you submit comments by mail and would like to know that they reached the Facility, please enclose... without creating a wake. (iv) Due to the waterway area restriction and the expected increase in...

A foundational observation method for studying design situations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cash, Philip; Hicks, Ben; Culley, Steve

2015-01-01

Observational studies of designers play an important role in engineering design research, yet there is currently no accepted standard approach for comparing, combining, or contrasting studies. Consequentially, reuse, reanalysis, replication, and aggregation of data are limited and the potential...... that covers capture, coding, and analysis. The capture step defines overall and situational context as well as multiple capture streams, generating a broad data-set that can be examined from multiple perspectives. The coding step employs a multi-level approach that seeks to minimise workload while describing...

Interim Design Report for the International Design Study for a Neutrino Factory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choubey, S.; Gandhi, R.; Goswami, S.; Berg, J.S.; Fernow, R.; Gallardo, J.C.; Gupta, R.; Kirk, H.; Simos, N.; Souchlas, N.; Ellis, M.

2011-01-01

The starting point for the International Design Study for the Neutrino Factory (the IDS-NF) was the output of the earlier International Scoping Study for a future Neutrino Factory and super-beam facility (the ISS). The accelerator facility described in section 2 incorporates the improvements that have been derived from the substantial amount of work carried out within the Accelerator Working Group. Highlights of these improvements include: (1) Initial concepts for the implementation of the proton driver at each of the three example sites, CERN, FNAL, and RAL; (2) Detailed studies of the energy deposition in the target area; (3) A reduction in the length of the muon beam phase-rotation and bunching systems; (4) Detailed analyses of the impact of the risk that stray magnetic field in the accelerating cavities in the ionization cooling channel will reduce the maximum operating gradient. Several alternative ionization-cooling lattices have been developed as fallback options to mitigate this technical risk; (5) Studies of particle loss in the muon front-end and the development of strategies to mitigate the deleterious effects of such losses; (6) The development of more complete designs for the muon linac and re-circulating linacs; (7) The development of a design for the muon FFAG that incorporates insertions for injection and extraction; and (8) Detailed studies of diagnostics in the decay ring. Other sub-systems have undergone a more 'incremental' evolution; an indication that the design of the Neutrino Factory has achieved a degree of maturity. The design of the neutrino detectors described in section 3 has been optimized and the Detector Working Group has made substantial improvements to the simulation and analysis of the Magnetized Iron Neutrino Detector (MIND) resulting in an improvement in the overall neutrino-detection efficiency and a reduction in the neutrino-energy threshold. In addition, initial consideration of the engineering of the MIND has generated a

Preliminary neutronics design studies for a 400 MWt STAR-LM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aliberti, G.; Yang, W. S.; Stillman, J. A.; Hill, R. N.

2004-01-01

Neutronics design studies for a 400 MWt high temperature fast reactor are being performed, utilizing lead coolant, transuranic (TRU) nitride fuel, and HT-9 structural material. Under the main design constraints of long fuel lifetime, natural convection heat transport, semi-autonomous control, and small unit size, parametric studies were performed to maximize the discharge burnup and minimize the burnup reactivity swing. Based on the results of these parametric studies, two point designs were developed for a single-batch once-through fuel cycle; one is a 15 full power year cycle design with core volume of 9.5 cubic meters, and the other is a 12 full power year cycle design with core volume of 7.4 cubic meters. For these two point designs, fuel cycle analyses and reactivity feedback coefficients calculations were performed. The 9.5 cubic meter design achieved an average discharge burnup of 83 MWd/kg with a maximum reactivity change over the lifetime of 0.6%. The peak fast fluence was well within the fast fluence limit of HT9, and both average and peak power densities were well below the estimated limit for natural circulation. The performances of the 7.4 cubic meter design were slightly inferior to this design. To enhance the passive safety characteristics, however, further design improvements need to be made to reduce the coolant density coefficient and to increase the radial expansion coefficient. (authors)

High performance APCS conceptual design and evaluation scoping study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soelberg, N.; Liekhus, K.; Chambers, A.; Anderson, G.

1998-02-01

This Air Pollution Control System (APCS) Conceptual Design and Evaluation study was conducted to evaluate a high-performance (APC) system for minimizing air emissions from mixed waste thermal treatment systems. Seven variations of high-performance APCS designs were conceptualized using several design objectives. One of the system designs was selected for detailed process simulation using ASPEN PLUS to determine material and energy balances and evaluate performance. Installed system capital costs were also estimated. Sensitivity studies were conducted to evaluate the incremental cost and benefit of added carbon adsorber beds for mercury control, specific catalytic reduction for NO x control, and offgas retention tanks for holding the offgas until sample analysis is conducted to verify that the offgas meets emission limits. Results show that the high-performance dry-wet APCS can easily meet all expected emission limits except for possibly mercury. The capability to achieve high levels of mercury control (potentially necessary for thermally treating some DOE mixed streams) could not be validated using current performance data for mercury control technologies. The engineering approach and ASPEN PLUS modeling tool developed and used in this study identified APC equipment and system performance, size, cost, and other issues that are not yet resolved. These issues need to be addressed in feasibility studies and conceptual designs for new facilities or for determining how to modify existing facilities to meet expected emission limits. The ASPEN PLUS process simulation with current and refined input assumptions and calculations can be used to provide system performance information for decision-making, identifying best options, estimating costs, reducing the potential for emission violations, providing information needed for waste flow analysis, incorporating new APCS technologies in existing designs, or performing facility design and permitting activities

Quantitative methods for studying design protocols

CERN Document Server

Kan, Jeff WT

2017-01-01

This book is aimed at researchers and students who would like to engage in and deepen their understanding of design cognition research. The book presents new approaches for analyzing design thinking and proposes methods of measuring design processes. These methods seek to quantify design issues and design processes that are defined based on notions from the Function-Behavior-Structure (FBS) design ontology and from linkography. A linkograph is a network of linked design moves or segments. FBS ontology concepts have been used in both design theory and design thinking research and have yielded numerous results. Linkography is one of the most influential and elegant design cognition research methods. In this book Kan and Gero provide novel and state-of-the-art methods of analyzing design protocols that offer insights into design cognition by integrating segmentation with linkography by assigning FBS-based codes to design moves or segments and treating links as FBS transformation processes. They propose and test ...

Online Teaching and Biblical Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Ascough, Richard; Barreto, Eric D.; Birch, Bruce C.; Pilarski, Ahida Calderón; Reese, Ruth Anne

2018-01-01

This Forum emerges from a session initiated by the Professional Development Committee at the 2017 conference of the Society of Biblical Literature in Boston. A panel of five Bible scholars, from both theological education and undergraduate contexts, provide brief descriptions and analyses of a specific course they have taught online. They describe…

Case-Cohort Studies: Design and Applicability to Hand Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Vojvodic, Miliana; Shafarenko, Mark; McCabe, Steven J

2018-04-24

Observational studies are common research strategies in hand surgery. The case-cohort design offers an efficient and resource-friendly method for risk assessment and outcomes analysis. Case-cohorts remain underrepresented in upper extremity research despite several practical and economic advantages over case-control studies. This report outlines the purpose, utility, and structure of the case-cohort design and offers a sample research question to demonstrate its value to risk estimation for adverse surgical outcomes. The application of well-designed case-cohort studies is advocated in an effort to improve the quality and quantity of observational research evidence in hand and upper extremity surgery. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

BWID System Design Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Brien, M.C.; Rudin, M.J.; Morrison, J.L.; Richardson, J.G.

1991-01-01

The mission of the Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration (BWID) System Design Study is to identify and evaluate technology process options for the cradle-to-grave remediation of Transuranic (TRU)-Contaminated Waste Pits and Trenches buried at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). Emphasis is placed upon evaluating system configuration options and associated functional and operational requirements for retrieving and treating the buried wastes. A Performance-Based Technology Selection Filter was developed to evaluate the identified remediation systems and their enabling technologies based upon system requirements and quantification of technical Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability (CERCLA) balancing criteria. Remediation systems will also be evaluated with respect to regulatory and institutional acceptance and cost-effectiveness

Improving Creativity Training: A Study of Designer Skills

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Valgeirsdóttir, Dagný; Onarheim, Balder; Li-Ying, Jason

2016-01-01

and Cross2001]. Establishing that creativity is important for design and innovation implies that identifying ways of improving creativity is a relevant research area within design studies. Creativity is a basic human skill and multiple studies have been published showing that creativity is a skill that can...... be directed at the individual level by enhancing individual creativity skills, but also improvement at the team level, rendering it important to first improve the understanding of both these levels of creativity in the design process.There are multiple ways to train creativity, although currently most...... optimal way of training creativity is through a combination of (1) educating individuals about creativity, thereby building a solid theoretical understanding, and (2) providing them with a real world case where they are trained in the use of creative tools and processes[Scott et al. 2004]. The latter...

Evaluating and comparing imaging techniques: a review and classification of study designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freedman, L.S.

1987-01-01

The design of studies to evaluate and compare imaging techniques are reviewed. Thirteen principles for the design of studies of diagnostic accuracy are given. Because of the 'independence principle' these studies are not able directly to evaluate the contribution of a technique to clinical management. For the latter, the 'clinical value' study design is recommended. A classification of study designs is proposed in parallel with the standard classification of clinical trials. Studies of diagnostic accuracy are analogous to Phase II, whereas studies evaluating the contribution to clinical management correspond to the Phase III category. Currently the majority of published studies employ the Phase II design. More emphasis on Phase III studies is required. (author)

Design study on metal fuel FBR cores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yokoo, T.; Tanaka, Y.; Ogata, T.

1991-01-01

A design approach for metal fuel FBR core to maintain fuel integrity during transient events by limiting eutectic/liquid phase formation is proposed based on the current status of metallic fuel development. Its impact as the limitation on the core outlet temperature is assessed through its application to two of CRIEPI's core concepts, high linear power 1000 MWe homogeneous design and medium linear power 300 MWe radially heterogeneous design. SESAME/SALT code is used in this study to analyze steady state and transient fuel behavior. SE2-FA code is developed based on SUPERENERGY-2 and used to analyze core thermal-hydraulics with uncertainties. As the result, the core outlet temperatures of both designs are found to be limited to ≤500degC if it is required to prevent eutectic/liquid phase formation during operational transients in order to guarantee the fuel integrity. Additional assessment is made assuming an advanced limiting condition that allows small liquid phase formation based on the liquid phase penetration rate derived from existing experimental results. The result indicates possibility of raising core outlet temperature to ∼ 530degC. Also, it is found that core design technology improvements such as hot spot factors reduction can contribute to the core outlet temperature extension by 10 ∼ 20degC. (author)

Design study of electrical power supply system for tokamak fusion power reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

Design study of the electrical power supply system for a 2000MWt Tokamak-type fusion reactor has been carried out. The purposes are to reveal and study problems in the system, leading to a plan of the research and development. Performed were study of the electrical power supply system and design of superconducting inductive energy storages and power switches. In study of the system, specification and capability of various power supplies for the fusion power reactor and design of the total system with its components were investigated. For the superconducting inductive energy storages, material choice, design calculation, and structural design were conducted, giving the size, weight and performance. For thyristor switches, circuit design in the parallel / series connection of element valves and cooling design were studied, providing the size and weight. (auth.)

Modular Stellarator Reactor conceptual design study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, R.L.; Bathke, C.G.

1983-01-01

A conceptual design study of the Modular Stellarator Reactor is summarized. The physics basis of the approach is elucidated with emphasis on magnetics performance optimization. Key engineering features of the fusion power core are described. Comparisons with an analogous continuous-helical-coil (torsatron) system are made as the basis of a technical and economic assessment

Modular stellarator reactor conceptual design study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, R.L.; Krakowski, R.A.; Bathke, C.G.

1983-01-01

A conceptual design study of the Modular Stellarator Reactor is summarized. The physics basis of the approach is elucidated with emphasis on magnetics performance optimization. Key engineering features of the fusion power core are described. Comparisons with an analogous continuous-helical-coil (torsatron) system are made as the basis of a technical and economic assessment

Timing of the diagnosis of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder

OpenAIRE

Yee, Michelle M.; Millichap, J. Gordon

2015-01-01

Investigators from the Division of Developmental Medicine and Clinical Research Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, studied the relationship between the timing of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the age at ASD diagnosis.

Effectiveness of low-level laser therapy for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome: design of a randomized single-blinded controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbosa Rafael Inácio

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common neuropathy in the upper extremity, resulting from the compression of the median nerve at wrist level. Clinical studies are essentials to present evidence on therapeutic resources use at early restoration on peripheral nerve functionality. Low-level laser therapy has been widely investigated in researches related to nerve regeneration. Therefore, it is suggested that the effect of low-level laser therapy associated with other conservative rehabilitation techniques may positively affect symptoms and overall hand function in compressive neuropathies such as carpal tunnel syndrome. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of low-level laser therapy in addition to orthoses therapy and home orientations in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Methods/Design Patients older than 18 years old will be included, with clinical diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome, excluding comorbidies. A physiotherapist will conduct intervention, with a blinding evaluator. Randomization will be applied to allocate the patients in each group: with association or not to low-level laser therapy. All of them will be submitted to orthoses therapy and home orientations. Outcome will be assessed through: pain visual analogic scale, Semmes Weinstein monofilaments™ threshold sensibility test, Pinch Gauge™, Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire and two point discrimination test. Discussion This paper describes the design of a randomized controlled trial, which aim to assess the effectiveness of conservative treatment added to low-level laser therapy for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Trial registration Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry (ReBec - 75ddtf / Universal Trial Number: U1111-1121-5184

The problem with areas: Asia and Area studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victor T. King

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Review of:Goh Beng Lan (ed., Decentring & diversifying Southeast Asian Studies: Perspectives from the region. Singapore: ISEAS, 2011, xiii + 304 pp. ISBN 9789814311564, price: USD 34.90 (paperback; 9789814311571, USD 45.90 (hardback.Terence Wesley-Smith and Jon Goss (eds, Remaking Area studies: Teaching and learning across Asia and the Pacific. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2010, xxvii + 243 pp. ISBN 9780824833213. Price: USD 45.00 (hardback.Jacob Edmond, Henry Johnson and Jacqueline Leckie (eds, Recentring Asia: Histories, encounters, identities, xv + 339 pp. Leiden/Boston: Brill, Global Oriental: 2011. ISBN 9781906876258. Price: EUR 80.00 (hardback.

Semantic error patterns on the Boston Naming Test in normal aging, amnestic mild cognitive impairment, and mild Alzheimer's disease: is there semantic disruption?

Science.gov (United States)

Balthazar, Marcio Luiz Figueredo; Cendes, Fernando; Damasceno, Benito Pereira

2008-11-01

Naming difficulty is common in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the nature of this problem is not well established. The authors investigated the presence of semantic breakdown and the pattern of general and semantic errors in patients with mild AD, patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and normal controls by examining their spontaneous answers on the Boston Naming Test (BNT) and verifying whether they needed or were benefited by semantic and phonemic cues. The errors in spontaneous answers were classified in four mutually exclusive categories (semantic errors, visual paragnosia, phonological errors, and omission errors), and the semantic errors were further subclassified as coordinate, superordinate, and circumlocutory. Patients with aMCI performed normally on the BNT and needed fewer semantic and phonemic cues than patients with mild AD. After semantic cues, subjects with aMCI and control subjects gave more correct answers than patients with mild AD, but after phonemic cues, there was no difference between the three groups, suggesting that the low performance of patients with AD cannot be completely explained by semantic breakdown. Patterns of spontaneous naming errors and subtypes of semantic errors were similar in the three groups, with decreasing error frequency from coordinate to superordinate to circumlocutory subtypes.

Variation in choice of study design: findings from the Epidemiology Design Decision Inventory and Evaluation (EDDIE) survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Stang, Paul E; Ryan, Patrick B; Overhage, J Marc; Schuemie, Martijn J; Hartzema, Abraham G; Welebob, Emily

2013-10-01

Researchers using observational data to understand drug effects must make a number of analytic design choices that suit the characteristics of the data and the subject of the study. Review of the published literature suggests that there is a lack of consistency even when addressing the same research question in the same database. To characterize the degree of similarity or difference in the method and analysis choices made by observational database research experts when presented with research study scenarios. On-line survey using research scenarios on drug-effect studies to capture method selection and analysis choices that follow a dependency branching based on response to key questions. Voluntary participants experienced in epidemiological study design solicited for participation through registration on the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership website, membership in particular professional organizations, or links in relevant newsletters. Description (proportion) of respondents selecting particular methods and making specific analysis choices based on individual drug-outcome scenario pairs. The number of questions/decisions differed based on stem questions of study design, time-at-risk, outcome definition, and comparator. There is little consistency across scenarios, by drug or by outcome of interest, in the decisions made for design and analyses in scenarios using large healthcare databases. The most consistent choice was the cohort study design but variability in the other critical decisions was common. There is great variation among epidemiologists in the design and analytical choices that they make when implementing analyses in observational healthcare databases. These findings confirm that it will be important to generate empiric evidence to inform these decisions and to promote a better understanding of the impact of standardization on research implementation.

Interim Design Report for the International Design Study for a Neutrino Factory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choubey, S.; Gandhi, R.; Goswami, S.; /Harish-Chandra Res. Inst.; Berg, J.S.; Fernow, R.; Gallardo, J.C.; Gupta, R.; Kirk, H.; Simos, N.; Souchlas, N.; /Brookhaven; Ellis, M.; /Brunel U. /CERN /Durham U., IPPP /Fermilab /Geneva U. /Glasgow U. /Heidelberg, Max Planck Inst. /Imperial Coll., London /Jefferson Lab /Saha Inst.

2011-10-01

The starting point for the International Design Study for the Neutrino Factory (the IDS-NF) was the output of the earlier International Scoping Study for a future Neutrino Factory and super-beam facility (the ISS). The accelerator facility described in section 2 incorporates the improvements that have been derived from the substantial amount of work carried out within the Accelerator Working Group. Highlights of these improvements include: (1) Initial concepts for the implementation of the proton driver at each of the three example sites, CERN, FNAL, and RAL; (2) Detailed studies of the energy deposition in the target area; (3) A reduction in the length of the muon beam phase-rotation and bunching systems; (4) Detailed analyses of the impact of the risk that stray magnetic field in the accelerating cavities in the ionization cooling channel will reduce the maximum operating gradient. Several alternative ionization-cooling lattices have been developed as fallback options to mitigate this technical risk; (5) Studies of particle loss in the muon front-end and the development of strategies to mitigate the deleterious effects of such losses; (6) The development of more complete designs for the muon linac and re-circulating linacs; (7) The development of a design for the muon FFAG that incorporates insertions for injection and extraction; and (8) Detailed studies of diagnostics in the decay ring. Other sub-systems have undergone a more 'incremental' evolution; an indication that the design of the Neutrino Factory has achieved a degree of maturity. The design of the neutrino detectors described in section 3 has been optimized and the Detector Working Group has made substantial improvements to the simulation and analysis of the Magnetized Iron Neutrino Detector (MIND) resulting in an improvement in the overall neutrino-detection efficiency and a reduction in the neutrino-energy threshold. In addition, initial consideration of the engineering of the MIND has

Initial trade and design studies for the fusion engineering device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flanagan, C.A.; Steiner, D.; Smith, G.E.

1981-06-01

The Magnetic Fusion Energy Engineering Act of 1980 calls for the operation of a Fusion Engineering Device (FED) by 1990. It is the intent of the Act that the FED, in combination with other testing facilities, will establish the engineering feasibility of magnetic fusion energy. The Fusion Engineering Design Center (FEDC), under the guidance of a Technical Management Board (TMB), initiated a program of trade and design studies in October 1980 to support the selection of the FED concept. This document presents the results of these initial trade and design studies. Based on these results, a baseline configuration has been identified and the Design Center effort for the remainder of the fiscal year will be devoted to the development of a self-consistent FED design description

Preliminary design study of a steady state tokamak device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miya, Naoyuki; Nakajima, Shinji; Ushigusa, Kenkichi; and athors)

1992-09-01

Preliminary design study has been made for a steady tokamak with the plasma current of 10MA, as the next to the JT-60U experimental programs. The goal of the research program is the integrated study of steady state, high-power physics and technology. Present candidate design is to use superconducting TF and PF magnet systems and long pulse operation of 100's-1000's of sec with non inductive current drive mainly by 500keV negative ion beam injection of 60MW. Low activation material such as titanium alloy is chosen for the water tank type vacuum vessel, which is also the nuclear shield for the superconducting coils. The present preliminary design study shows that the device can meet the existing JT-60U facility capability. (author)

Scenario for concurrent conceptual assembly line design: A case study

Science.gov (United States)

Mas, F.; Ríos, J.; Menéndez, J. L.

2012-04-01

The decision to design and build a new aircraft is preceded by years of research and study. Different disciplines work together throughout the lifecycle to ensure not only a complete functional definition of the product, but also a complete industrialization, a marketing plan, a maintenance plan, etc. This case study focuses on the conceptual design phase. During this phase, the design solutions that will meet the functional and industrial requirements are defined, i.e.: the basic requirements of industrialization. During this phase, several alternatives are studied, and the most attractive in terms of performance and cost requirements is selected. As a result of the study of these alternatives, it is possible to define an early conceptual design of the assembly line and its basic parameters. The plant needs, long cycle jigs & tools or industrial means and human resources with the necessary skills can be determined in advance.

Research accomplishments in particle physics: Annual progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

This document presents our report of the research accomplishments of Boston University researchers in six projects in high energy physics research: Colliding Beams Physics; Proton Decay; Monopole Detection with MACRO; Precision Muon G-2 Experiment; Accelerator Design Physics; and Theoretical Physics

Ecoregions and stream morphology in eastern Oklahoma

Science.gov (United States)

Splinter, D.K.; Dauwalter, D.C.; Marston, R.A.; Fisher, W.L.

2010-01-01

Broad-scale variables (i.e., geology, topography, climate, land use, vegetation, and soils) influence channel morphology. How and to what extent the longitudinal pattern of channel morphology is influenced by broad-scale variables is important to fluvial geomorphologists and stream ecologists. In the last couple of decades, there has been an increase in the amount of interdisciplinary research between fluvial geomorphologists and stream ecologists. In a historical context, fluvial geomorphologists are more apt to use physiographic regions to distinguish broad-scale variables, while stream ecologists are more apt to use the concept of an ecosystem to address the broad-scale variables that influence stream habitat. For this reason, we designed a study using ecoregions, which uses physical and biological variables to understand how landscapes influence channel processes. Ecoregions are delineated by similarities in geology, climate, soils, land use, and potential natural vegetation. In the fluvial system, stream form and function are dictated by processes observed throughout the fluvial hierarchy. Recognizing that stream form and function should differ by ecoregion, a study was designed to evaluate how the characteristics of stream channels differed longitudinally among three ecoregions in eastern Oklahoma, USA: Boston Mountains, Ozark Highlands, and Ouachita Mountains. Channel morphology of 149 stream reaches was surveyed in 1st- through 4th-order streams, and effects of drainage area and ecoregion on channel morphology was evaluated using multiple regressions. Differences existed (?????0.05) among ecoregions for particle size, bankfull width, and width/depth ratio. No differences existed among ecoregions for gradient or sinuosity. Particle size was smallest in the Ozark Highlands and largest in the Ouachita Mountains. Bankfull width was larger in the Ozark Highlands than in the Boston Mountains and Ouachita Mountains in larger streams. Width/depth ratios of the

COLONOSCOPY: RANDOMIZED COMPARATIVE STUDY OF INSUFFLATION WITH CARBON DIOXIDE VERSUS AIR

Science.gov (United States)

DE-QUADROS, Luiz Gustavo; KAISER-JÚNIOR, Roberto Luiz; FELIX, Valter Nilton; VILLAR, Lucio; CAMPOS, Josemberg Marins; NOGUEIRA, Vinicius Quintiliano Moutinho; TEIXEIRA, André; ZOTARELLI-FILHO, Idiberto José

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: In Brazil, an increasing number of people are submitted to colonoscopy, either for screening or for therapeutic purposes. Aim: To evaluate whether there are advantages of using carbon dioxide (CO2) over air for insufflation. Methods: Two hundred and ten of 219 patients were considered eligible for this study and were randomized into two groups according to the gas insufflation used: Air Group (n=104) and CO2 Group (n=97). The study employed a double-blind design. Results: The Air and CO2 Groups were similar in respect to bowel preparation evaluated using the Boston scale, age, gender, previous surgery, maneuvers necessary for the advancement of the device, and presence of polyps, tumors or signs of diverticulitis. However, “waking up with pain” and “pain at discharge” were more prevalent in the Air Group, albeit not statistically significant, with post-exam bloating seen only in the Air Group. The responses to a questionnaire, applied to analyze the late post-exam period, showed more comfort with the use of CO2. Conclusions: The use of CO2 is better than air as it avoids post-examination bloating, thereby providing greater comfort to patients. PMID:29019557

Incorporating alternative design clinical trials in network meta-analyses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thorlund K

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Kristian Thorlund,1–3 Eric Druyts,1,4 Kabirraaj Toor,1,5 Jeroen P Jansen,1,6 Edward J Mills1,3 1Redwood Outcomes, Vancouver, BC, 2Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; 3Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; 4Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, 5School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 6Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA Introduction: Network meta-analysis (NMA is an extension of conventional pairwise meta-analysis that allows for simultaneous comparison of multiple interventions. Well-established drug class efficacies have become commonplace in many disease areas. Thus, for reasons of ethics and equipoise, it is not practical to randomize patients to placebo or older drug classes. Unique randomized clinical trial designs are an attempt to navigate these obstacles. These alternative designs, however, pose challenges when attempting to incorporate data into NMAs. Using ulcerative colitis as an example, we illustrate an example of a method where data provided by these trials are used to populate treatment networks. Methods: We present the methods used to convert data from the PURSUIT trial into a typical parallel design for inclusion in our NMA. Data were required for three arms: golimumab 100 mg; golimumab 50 mg; and placebo. Golimumab 100 mg induction data were available; however, data regarding those individuals who were nonresponders at induction and those who were responders at maintenance were not reported, and as such, had to be imputed using data from the rerandomization phase. Golimumab 50 mg data regarding responses at week 6 were not available. Existing relationships between the available components were used to impute the expected proportions in this missing subpopulation. Data for placebo maintenance

Study on advanced structural design for commercialized fast breeder reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morishita, Masaki; Aoto, Kazumi; Kasahara, Naoto; Asayama, Tai

2002-01-01

Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC) and Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) launched joint research programs on structural design and three-dimensional seismic isolation technologies, as part of the supporting R and D activities for the feasibility studies on commercialized fast breeder reactor cycle systems. A research project by JAPC under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) with technical support by JNC is included in this joint study. This report contains the results of the research on the structural design technology. The research scope was identified as (1) System Based Code for Integrity, (2) FDS (FBR Design Standard), and (3) Standardization of new material, and the results of this year's studies are summarized as follows. (1) System Based Code for Integrity. Requirements that a structural design standard must fulfill for enhanced reliability and economy were clarified. Based on this, the authors began to develop the system-based code for integrity. A structural reliability based design approach was proposed as a basic concept for an integrated evaluation of structural integrity. A system consisting of a supreme code and partial codes was proposed. Technologies and engineering tools that are necessary to materialize this code were clarified and research and development was begun. (2) FDS(FBR Design Standard). A rational design approach against thermal loads was proposed. Applicable area of inelastic analysis methods was investigated to develop inelastic analysis guide. A new design system which realizes feedback from structural to thermal hydraulic designs was proposed with a total analysis method of thermal hydraulic and mechanical behaviors. (3) Standardization of new material. Current status of development of high-chromium ferritic steels was investigated. Those steels have excellent high temperature strength and thermal properties. The authors proposed material specifications to apply those steels to structures

Study on advanced structural design for commercialized fast breeder reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morishita, Masaki; Aoto, Kazumi; Kasahara, Naoto; Asayama, Tai [Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Inst., Oarai, Ibaraki (Japan). Oarai Engineering Center; Sagayama, Yutaka; Dozaki, Koji; Tanaka, Yoshihiko [Japan Atomic Power Co., Research and Development Department, Tokyo (Japan)

2002-01-01

Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC) and Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) launched joint research programs on structural design and three-dimensional seismic isolation technologies, as part of the supporting R and D activities for the feasibility studies on commercialized fast breeder reactor cycle systems. A research project by JAPC under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) with technical support by JNC is included in this joint study. This report contains the results of the research on the structural design technology. The research scope was identified as (1) System Based Code for Integrity, (2) FDS (FBR Design Standard), and (3) Standardization of new material, and the results of this year's studies are summarized as follows. (1) System Based Code for Integrity. Requirements that a structural design standard must fulfill for enhanced reliability and economy were clarified. Based on this, the authors began to develop the system-based code for integrity. A structural reliability based design approach was proposed as a basic concept for an integrated evaluation of structural integrity. A system consisting of a supreme code and partial codes was proposed. Technologies and engineering tools that are necessary to materialize this code were clarified and research and development was begun. (2) FDS(FBR Design Standard). A rational design approach against thermal loads was proposed. Applicable area of inelastic analysis methods was investigated to develop inelastic analysis guide. A new design system which realizes feedback from structural to thermal hydraulic designs was proposed with a total analysis method of thermal hydraulic and mechanical behaviors. (3) Standardization of new material. Current status of development of high-chromium ferritic steels was investigated. Those steels have excellent high temperature strength and thermal properties. The authors proposed material specifications to apply those steels to

osDesign: An R Package for the Analysis, Evaluation, and Design of Two-Phase and Case-Control Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebastien Haneuse

2011-08-01

Full Text Available The two-phase design has recently received attention in the statistical literature as an extension to the traditional case-control study for settings where a predictor of interest is rare or subject to missclassification. Despite a thorough methodological treatment and the potential for substantial efficiency gains, the two-phase design has not been widely adopted. This may be due, in part, to a lack of general-purpose, readily-available software. The osDesign package for R provides a suite of functions for analyzing data from a two-phase and/or case-control design, as well as evaluating operating characteristics, including bias, efficiency and power. The evaluation is simulation-based, permitting flexible application of the package to a broad range of scientific settings. Using lung cancer mortality data from Ohio, the package is illustrated with a detailed case-study in which two statistical goals are considered: (i the evaluation of small-sample operating characteristics for two-phase and case-control designs and (ii the planning and design of a future two-phase study.

Fusion reactor design studies: standard accounts for cost estimates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schulte, S.C.; Willke, T.L.; Young, J.R.

1978-05-01

The fusion reactor design studies--standard accounts for cost estimates provides a common format from which to assess the economic character of magnetically confined fusion reactor design concepts. The format will aid designers in the preparation of design concept costs estimates and also provide policymakers with a tool to assist in appraising which design concept may be economically promising. The format sets forth a categorization and accounting procedure to be used when estimating fusion reactor busbar energy cost that can be easily and consistently applied. Reasons for developing the procedure, explanations of the procedure, justifications for assumptions made in the procedure, and the applicability of the procedure are described in this document. Adherence to the format when evaluating prospective fusion reactor design concepts will result in the identification of the more promising design concepts thus enabling the fusion power alternatives with better economic potential to be quickly and efficiently developed

77 FR 9946 - Draft Guidance for Industry on Drug Interaction Studies-Study Design, Data Analysis, Implications...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-21

... industry entitled ``Drug Interaction Studies--Study Design, Data Analysis, Implications for Dosing, and... data analysis in the context of identifying potential drug interactions. The guidance also addresses... Studies--Study Design, Data Analysis, and Implications for Dosing and Labeling.'' Comments were received...

Design study on sodium-cooled middle-scale modular reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimakawa, Yoshio; Nibe, Nobuaki; Hori, Toru

2002-05-01

In Phase 1 of the 'Feasibility Study on Commercialized Fast Reactor Cycle Systems (F/S)', an advanced loop type reactor has been selected as a promising concept of sodium-cooled middle-scale modular reactor, which has a possibility to fulfill the design requirements of the F/S. In Phase 2 of the F/S, it is planed to precede a preliminary conceptual design of a sodium-cooled middle-scale modular reactor based on the design of the advanced loop type reactor. Through the design study, it is intended to construct such a plant concept that can show its attraction and competitiveness as a commercialized reactor. This report summarizes the results of the design study on the sodium-cooled middle-scale modular reactor performed in JFY2001, which is the first year of Phase 2. As the construction cost of the sodium-cooled middle-scale modular reactor, which has been constructed in Phase 1, was about 10% higher than that of the sodium-cooled large-scale reactor, a new concept of the middle-scale modular reactor, which is expected to be equal to the large-scale reactor from a viewpoint of economic competitiveness, has been re-constructed based on the design of the advanced loop type reactor. After that, fundamental specifications of main systems and components for the new concept have been set, and critical subjects related to safety, structural integrity, thermal hydraulics, operability, maintainability and economy have been examined and evaluated. As a result of this study, the plant concept of the sodium-cooled middle-scale modular reactor has been constructed, which has a prospect to satisfy the economic goal (construction cost: less than 200,000 yens/kWe, etc.) and has a prospect to solve the critical subjects. From now on, reflecting the results of elemental experiments, the preliminary conceptual design of this plant will be preceded toward the selection for narrowing down candidate concepts at the end of Phase 2. (author)

Feasibility study on floating nuclear power plant (2). Safety design study of FNPP. Contract research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yabuuchi, Noriaki; Shimazaki, Junya; Ochiai, Masaaki [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment; Takahashi, Masao [Niigata Engineering Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan); Nakazawa, Toshio [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Oarai, Ibaraki (Japan). Oarai Research Establishment; Sato, Kazuo [Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

2001-02-01

In the previous report of 'Conceptual Design Study of FNPP (Floating Nuclear Power Plant)', a design study on a concept for FNPP, which is sited off the sea coast on the open sea with water depth of 20m and it is moored on protected sea by the breakwater was conducted and the floating platform guarded by the breakwater was found to be stable enough to install the nuclear power plant from analysis simulating the movement of the platform due to sea wave or wind. In this report, studies on a basic safety design concept of the FNPP, setting natural phenomena for design condition, required safety functions and a review on dynamic analysis of the large floating structure are presented. The studies revealed that the stability of the floating platform is an essential issue for the FNPP soundness, and the design base natural phenomena such as S1 and S2-class storm including S1 and S2-class earthquake should be considered in evaluation of the stability of the floating platform, and it is one of key technical subjects how to set the magnitude of these storm in application of design evaluation on each FNPP case. (J.P.N.)

Complexity in Design-Driven Innovation: A Case Study of Knowledge Transfer Flow in Subsea Seismic Sensor Technology and Design Education

Science.gov (United States)

Pavel, Nenad; Berg, Arild

2015-01-01

To the extent previously claimed, concept exploration is not the key to product innovation. However, companies that are design-focused are twice as innovative as those that are not. To study design-driven innovation and its occurrence in design education, two case studies are conducted. The first is an example of design practice which includes…

Progress in design study on reduced-moderation water reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Okubo, Tsutomu; Kugo, Teruhiko; Shimada, Shoichiro; Shirakawa, Toshihisa; Iwamura, Takamichi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment; Takeda, Renzo [Hitachi Ltd., Tokyo (Japan); Yokoyama, Tsugio [Toshiba Corp., Kawasaki, Kanagawa (Japan); Hibi, Koki [Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Tokyo (Japan); Wada, Shigeyuki [Japan Atomic Power Co., Tokyo (Japan)

2000-06-01

The Reduced-Moderation Water Reactor (RMWR) is a next generation water-cooled reactor which aims at effective utilization of uranium resource, high burn-up and long operation cycle, and plutonium multi-recycle. These characteristics can be achieved by the high conversion ratio from {sup 238}U to {sup 239}Pu resulted from the higher neutron energy spectrum in comparison to conventional light water reactors. Considering the extension of LWR utilization, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) started the research on it in 1997 and then started a collaboration in the conceptual design study with the Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) in 1998, under technical cooperation with three Japanese reactor vendors. In the core design study of the RMWR, negative void reactivity coefficient is required from a viewpoint of safety as well as establishing hard neutron spectrum. In order to achieve the above trade-off characteristics simultaneously, several basic core design ideas should be combined, such as a tight-lattice fuel assembly, a flat core, a blanket effect, a streaming effect and so on. Up to now, five core concepts have been created for the RMWR as follows: a high conversion BWR type core with high void fraction and super-flat core, a long operation cycle BWR type core using void tube assembly, a high conversion BWR type core without blankets, a high conversion PWR type core using heavy water as a coolant, and a PWR type core for plutonium multi-recycle using seed-blanket type fuel assemblies. Detailed feasibility studies for the RMWR have been continued on core design study. The present report summarizes the recent progress in the design study for the RMWR. (author)

Outline and Status of the FCC-ee Design Study

CERN Document Server

Zimmermann, Frank

2015-01-01

The Update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics in 2013 [1] declared as its second highest priority that “…to propose an ambitious post-LHC accelerator project….., CERN should undertake design studies for accelerator projects in a global context,…with emphasis on proton-proton and electron-positron high-energy frontier machines…”. In response to this request, the global Future Circular Collider (FCC) study is designing a 100-TeV proton collider (FCC-hh) in a new ~100 km tunnel near Geneva, a high-luminosity electron-positron collider (FCC-ee) as a potential intermediate step, and a lepton-hadron option (FCC-he). The FCC study comprises accelerators, technology, infrastructure, detector, physics, concepts for worldwide data services, international governance models, and implementation scenarios. The FCC study is mandated to deliver a Conceptual Design Report and preliminary cost estimate by the time of the next European Strategy Update expected for 2019. As of July 2015, 58 institutes from...

Designing Web-Based Educative Curriculum Materials for the Social Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Callahan, Cory; Saye, John; Brush, Thomas

2013-01-01

This paper reports on a design experiment of web-based curriculum materials explicitly created to help social studies teachers develop their professional teaching knowledge. Web-based social studies curriculum reform efforts, human-centered interface design, and investigations into educative curriculum materials are reviewed, as well as…

Studying Design Engineers Use Of Information Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Restrepo-Giraldo, John Dairo

2006-01-01

Studying information usage by design engineers involves considering technical, social, cognitive and volitional factors. This makes it challenging, especially for researchers without a cognitive psychology background. This paper presents a summary of key findings in researching information use...

A Design Study for Standard Nanofluid Coolants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bang, In Cheol; Heo, Gyun Young

2007-01-01

The experimental data for nanofluids in thermal-fluid systems have shown that the new fluids promise to become advanced heat transfer fluids in terms of thermal performance. While enhancing thermal characteristics, the solid-liquid mixtures present an unavoidable disadvantage in terms of pumping cost for economic operation of thermal-fluid systems. In addition, there is a lack of agreement between experimental data provided in the literature. We can find that this issue of nanofluids resembles that of designing new materials. Many nanofluids researchers tend to view the nanofluid field as a highly coupled 'tetrahedro' whose four vertices (performance, properties, structure, and processes) are interconnected to each other. The present design study has a big merit to systemize the nanofluid work and to reduce a lot of trial-error efforts. The present work found that there would be no comprehensible design strategy in developing nanofluids. In this work, the Axiomatic Design (AD) theory is applied to standardize the design of nanofluids in order to bring its practical use forward. According to the Independence Axiom of the AD theory, the excessive couplings between the functional requirements and the parameters of a nanofluid system prevent from meeting the functional goals of the entire system. At a parametric level, the design of a nanofluid system is inherently coupled due to the characteristics of thermal-fluid system; the design parameters physically affect each other sharing sub-level parameters for nanoparticles with making a feedback loop. Even though parts of the nanofluids are naturally coupled, it is possible to reduce and/or eliminate the degree of coupling by help of AD principles. From the perspective of AD, this implies that we are able to ascertain which nanofluid system is better one in the light of functional achievement

Inertial Fusion Energy reactor design studies: Prometheus-L, Prometheus-H

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waganer, L.M.; Driemeyer, D.E.; Lee, V.D.

1992-03-01

This report contains a review of design studies for Inertial Confinement reactor. This second of three volumes discussions is some detail the following: Objectives, requirements, and assumptions; rationale for design option selection; key technical issues and R ampersand D requirements; and conceptual design selection and description

Design studies for the Positron Factory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okada, S.; Sunaga, H.; Kaneko, H.; Masuno, S.; Kawasuso, A.; Sakai, T.; Takizawa, H.; Yotsumoto, K.; Honda, Y.; Tagawa, S.

1996-01-01

In the design study for the Positron Factory, a feasibility of simultaneous extraction of multi-channel monoenergetic positron beams, which had been proposed at the previous conference (Linac 94), was demonstrated by an experiment using an electron linac. On the basis of the experimental result, an efficient moderator structure, which is composed of honeycomb-like assembled moderator foils and reflectors, is proposed. (author)

ICAF Financial Services Industry Study

Science.gov (United States)

2005-06-01

Mishkin , Frederic S. and Stanley G. Eakins. Financial Markets + Institutions . Boston, MA: Addison Wesley. 2003... Financial Markets , Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 1998. Mishkin , Frederic S. and Eakins, Stanley G., Financial Markets + Institutions , Fourth...discussion of the industry would be complete without an understanding of the concept of moral hazard in the financial markets . According to Mishkin

Muon System Design Studies for Detectors at CLIC

CERN Document Server

van der Kraaij, E

2011-01-01

The two concepts for CLIC detectors inherited their design of the muon systems from the ILC community. In this note the outcome of a reevaluation of the design for the CLIC environment is presented. Based on a full detector simulation, the muon identification performance is analysed for different detector layouts and different cellsizes. As a result, nine layers are suggested for the muon systems of the CLIC ILD and CLIC SiD detectors, which are arranged in three groups of three layers. The cellsizes have been kept at 30×30 mm2. These layouts are used for the performance studies of the CLIC Conceptual Design Report (CDR).

Neutronic design studies for an unattended, low power reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmer, R.G.; Durkee, J.W. Jr.

1986-01-01

The Los Alamos National Laboratory is involved in the design and demonstrations of a small, long-lived nuclear heat and electric power source for potential applications at remote sites where alternate fossil energy systems would not be cost effective. This paper describes the neutronic design analysis that was performed to arrive at two conceptual designs, one using thermoelectric conversion, the other using an organic Rankine cycle. To meet the design objectives and constraints a number of scoping and optimization studies were carried out. The results of calculations of control worths, temperature coefficients of reactivity and fuel depletion effects are reported

Architecture and Urban Studies to offer overseas design course

OpenAIRE

Chadwick, Heather Riley

2006-01-01

Virginia Tech's College of Architecture and Urban Studies invites professional architects and designers to participate in the 11th annual International Architecture and Design Continuing Education Course in Italy to be held in May. The deadline to register for this course is Saturday, April 15.

76 FR 20692 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-13

... Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.), notice is hereby given of the following meeting. The... review procedures and discuss policy. Place: Seaport Boston Hotel, 200 Seaport Boulevard, Boston, MA.... Place: Seaport Boston Hotel, 200 Seaport Boulevard, Boston, MA 02210. Closed: June 1, 2011, 8 a.m. to 5...

AFB/open cycle gas turbine conceptual design study

Science.gov (United States)

Dickinson, T. W.; Tashjian, R.

1983-09-01

Applications of coal fired atmospheric fluidized bed gas turbine systems in industrial cogeneration are identified. Based on site-specific conceptual designs, the potential benefits of the AFB/gas turbine system were compared with an atmospheric fluidized design steam boiler/steam turbine system. The application of these cogeneration systems at four industrial plant sites is reviewed. A performance and benefit analysis was made along with a study of the representativeness of the sites both in regard to their own industry and compared to industry as a whole. A site was selected for the conceptual design, which included detailed site definition, AFB/gas turbine and AFB/steam turbine cogeneration system designs, detailed cost estimates, and comparative performance and benefit analysis. Market and benefit analyses identified the potential market penetration for the cogeneration technologies and quantified the potential benefits.

Design Study for Pulsed Proton Beam Generation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Han-Sung Kim

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Fast neutrons with a broad energy spectrum, with which it is possible to evaluate nuclear data for various research fields such as medical applications and the development of fusion reactors, can be generated by irradiating proton beams on target materials such as beryllium. To generate short-pulse proton beam, we adopted a deflector and slit system. In a simple deflector with slit system, most of the proton beam is blocked by the slit, especially when the beam pulse width is short. Therefore, the available beam current is very low, which results in low neutron flux. In this study, we proposed beam modulation using a buncher cavity to increase the available beam current. The ideal field pattern for the buncher cavity is sawtooth. To make the field pattern similar to a sawtooth waveform, a multiharmonic buncher was adopted. The design process for the multiharmonic buncher includes a beam dynamics calculation and three-dimensional electromagnetic simulation. In addition to the system design for pulsed proton generation, a test bench with a microwave ion source is under preparation to test the performance of the system. The design study results concerning the pulsed proton beam generation and the test bench preparation with some preliminary test results are presented in this paper.

Communicating Qualitative Research Study Designs to Research Ethics Review Boards

Science.gov (United States)

Ells, Carolyn

2011-01-01

Researchers using qualitative methodologies appear to be particularly prone to having their study designs called into question by research ethics or funding agency review committees. In this paper, the author considers the issue of communicating qualitative research study designs in the context of institutional research ethics review and offers…

Cultural study in design : In search of a meaningful approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Boeijen, A.G.C.

2014-01-01

Does the Circuit of Culture help design students to do a cultural study that is meaningful for their design project? Indeed, it provides a good view on the phenomenon culture, its complexity and how contemporary cultures can be studied, providing an overview and structure of the processes that

Nippon Storm Study design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takashi Kurita

2012-10-01

Full Text Available An understanding of the clinical aspects of electrical storm (E-storms in patients with implantable cardiac shock devices (ICSDs: ICDs or cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator [CRT-D] may provide important information for clinical management of patients with ICSDs. The Nippon Storm Study was organized by the Japanese Heart Rhythm Society (JHRS and Japanese Society of Electrocardiology and was designed to prospectively collect a variety of data from patients with ICSDs, with a focus on the incidence of E-storms and clinical conditions for the occurrence of an E-storm. Forty main ICSD centers in Japan are participating in the present study. From 2002, the JHRS began to collect ICSD patient data using website registration (termed Japanese cardiac defibrillator therapy registration, or JCDTR. This investigation aims to collect data on and investigate the general parameters of patients with ICSDs, such as clinical backgrounds of the patients, purposes of implantation, complications during the implantation procedure, and incidence of appropriate and inappropriate therapies from the ICSD. The Nippon Storm Study was planned as a sub-study of the JCDTR with focus on E-storms. We aim to achieve registration of more than 1000 ICSD patients and complete follow-up data collection, with the assumption of a 5–10% incidence of E-storms during the 2-year follow-up.

Study on Product Innovative Design Process Driven by Ideal Solution

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Fuying; Lu, Ximei; Wang, Ping; Liu, Hui

Product innovative design in companies today relies heavily on individual members’ experience and creative ideation as well as their skills of integrating creativity and innovation tools with design methods agilely. Creative ideation and inventive ideas generation are two crucial stages in product innovative design process. Ideal solution is the desire final ideas for given problem, and the striving reaching target for product design. In this paper, a product innovative design process driven by ideal solution is proposed. This design process encourages designers to overcome their psychological inertia, to foster creativity in a systematic way for acquiring breakthrough creative and innovative solutions in a reducing sphere of solution-seeking, and results in effective product innovative design rapidly. A case study example is also presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design process.