WorldWideScience

Sample records for chemical dispensing system

  1. Development of automated blender and dispensing system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kulkarni, Anupama; Aherwal, P.; Patil, C.B.

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes automated blender and dispensing system designed and developed in Nuclear Recycle Board for its reprocessing plant. Obtaining sinterable grade oxide powder from the product solution received in the heavy metal product line involves skilled manpower and time consuming, laborious manual operations. Entire treatment is carried out in a train of closed containments called as glove boxes. In view of this Automated blender and dispensing system has been developed to reduce tedious manual operations. System consists of PLC based control system to drive motorised charging mechanism, a conical ribbon blender which homogenises the product and load cell triggered, indexing dispensing mechanism. Schematic design of the system has been done in-house, while fabrication was outsourced. System has been built, tested and installed at component test facility (CTF) at Tarapur. Actual blending tests were carried out by using dummy material like calcium carbonate and barium carbonate powder, with different sets of parameter. Blended product was chemically analysed for its homogeneity. System has now been put to trial runs by operating staff. This development has circumvented tedious operations of Scooping and increased the throughput. This paper describes challenges in undertaking this developmental work. (author)

  2. Use of direct washing of chemical dispense nozzle for defect control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linnane, Michael; Mack, George; Longstaff, Christopher; Winter, Thomas

    2006-03-01

    Demands for continued defect reduction in 300mm IC manufacturing are driving process engineers to examine all aspects of the chemical apply process for improvement. Historically, the defect contribution from photoresist apply nozzles has been minimized through a carefully controlled process of "dummy dispenses" to keep the photoresist in the tip "fresh" and remove any solidified material, a preventive maintenance regime involving periodic cleaning or replacing of the nozzles, and reliance on a pool of solvent within the nozzle storage block to keep the photoresist from solidifying at the nozzle tip. The industry standard has worked well for the most part but has limitations in terms of cost effectiveness and absolute defect elimination. In this study, we investigate the direct washing of the chemical apply nozzle to reduce defects seen on the coated wafer. Data is presented on how the direct washing of the chemical dispense nozzle can be used to reduce coating related defects, reduce material costs from the reduction of "dummy dispense", and can reduce equipment downtime related to nozzle cleaning or replacement.

  3. Drug dispensing errors in a ward stock system

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Stig Ejdrup

    2010-01-01

    . Multivariable analysis showed that surgical and psychiatric settings were more susceptible to involvement in dispensing errors and that polypharmacy was a risk factor. In this ward stock system, dispensing errors are relatively common, they depend on speciality and are associated with polypharmacy......The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of drug dispensing errors in a traditional ward stock system operated by nurses and to investigate the effect of potential contributing factors. This was a descriptive study conducted in a teaching hospital from January 2005 to June 2007. In five....... These results indicate that strategies to reduce dispensing errors should address polypharmacy and focus on high-risk units. This should, however, be substantiated by a future trial....

  4. Structure Design and Realization of Rapid Medicine Dispensing System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiangquan

    In this paper, the main components and function of rapid medicine dispensing system is analyzed, structure design of automatic feeding device, sloping storeroom, automatic dispensing device and automatic sorting device is completed. The system adopts medicine conveyer working in with manipulator to realize automatic batch supply of the boxed medicine, adopts sloping storeroom as warehouse of medicine to realize dense depositing, adopts dispensing mechanism which includes elevator, turning panel and electric magnet to realize rapid medicine dispensing, adopts sorting conveyor belt and sorting device to send medicine to designated outlet.

  5. Labelling of equipment dispensers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, D C

    1993-01-01

    A new labelling system for use on medical equipment dispensers is tested. This system uses one of the objects stored in each unit of the dispenser as the 'label', by attaching it to the front of the dispenser with tape. The new system was compared to conventional written labelling by timing subjects asked to select items from two dispensers. The new system was 27% quicker than the conventional system. Images Fig. 1 PMID:8110335

  6. Implementation and evaluation of an automated dispensing system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwarz, H O; Brodowy, B A

    1995-04-15

    An institution's experience in replacing a traditional unit dose cassette-exchange system with an automated dispensing system is described. A 24-hour unit dose cassette-exchange system was replaced with an automated dispensing system (Pyxis's Medstation Rx) on a 36-bed cardiovascular surgery unit and an 8-bed cardiovascular intensive care unit. Significantly fewer missing doses were reported after Medstation Rx was implemented. No conclusions could be made about the impact of the system on the reporting of medication errors. The time savings for pharmacy associated with the filling, checking, and delivery of new medication orders equated to about 0.5 full-time equivalent (FTE). Medstation Rx also saved substantial nursing time for acquisition of controlled substances and for controlled-substance inventory taking at shift changes. A financial analysis showed that Medstation Rx could save the institution about $1 million over five years if all personnel time savings could be translated into FTE reductions. The automated system was given high marks by the nurses in a survey; 80% wanted to keep the system on their unit. Pilot implementation of an automated dispensing system improved the efficiency of drug distribution over that of the traditional unit dose cassette-exchange system.

  7. Development of an Automatic Dispensing System for Traditional Chinese Herbs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chi-Ying Lin

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The gathering of ingredients for decoctions of traditional Chinese herbs still relies on manual dispensation, due to the irregular shape of many items and inconsistencies in weights. In this study, we developed an automatic dispensing system for Chinese herbal decoctions with the aim of reducing manpower costs and the risk of mistakes. We employed machine vision in conjunction with a robot manipulator to facilitate the grasping of ingredients. The name and formulation of the decoction are input via a human-computer interface, and the dispensing of multiple medicine packets is performed automatically. An off-line least-squared curve fitting method was used to calculate the amount of material grasped by the claws and thereby improve system efficiency as well as the accuracy of individual dosages. Experiments on the dispensing of actual ingredients demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed system.

  8. Feasibility study of a biocompatible pneumatic dispensing system using mouse 3T3-J2 fibroblasts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sangmin; Kim, Hojin; Kim, Joonwon

    2017-12-01

    This paper presents results for dispensing living cells using a pneumatic dispensing system to verify the feasibility of using this system to fabricate biomaterials. Living cells (i.e., mouse 3T3-J2 fibroblast) were dispensed with different dispensing pressures in order to evaluate the effect of dispensing process on cell viability and proliferation. Based on the results of a live-dead assay, more than 80% of cell viability has been confirmed which was reasonably similar to that in the control group. Furthermore, measurement of cell metabolic activity after dispensing confirmed that the dispensed cell proliferated at a rate comparable to that of the control group. These results demonstrate that the pneumatic dispensing system is a promising tool for fabrication of biomaterials.

  9. Automated drug dispensing system reduces medication errors in an intensive care setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapuis, Claire; Roustit, Matthieu; Bal, Gaëlle; Schwebel, Carole; Pansu, Pascal; David-Tchouda, Sandra; Foroni, Luc; Calop, Jean; Timsit, Jean-François; Allenet, Benoît; Bosson, Jean-Luc; Bedouch, Pierrick

    2010-12-01

    We aimed to assess the impact of an automated dispensing system on the incidence of medication errors related to picking, preparation, and administration of drugs in a medical intensive care unit. We also evaluated the clinical significance of such errors and user satisfaction. Preintervention and postintervention study involving a control and an intervention medical intensive care unit. Two medical intensive care units in the same department of a 2,000-bed university hospital. Adult medical intensive care patients. After a 2-month observation period, we implemented an automated dispensing system in one of the units (study unit) chosen randomly, with the other unit being the control. The overall error rate was expressed as a percentage of total opportunities for error. The severity of errors was classified according to National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention categories by an expert committee. User satisfaction was assessed through self-administered questionnaires completed by nurses. A total of 1,476 medications for 115 patients were observed. After automated dispensing system implementation, we observed a reduced percentage of total opportunities for error in the study compared to the control unit (13.5% and 18.6%, respectively; perror (20.4% and 13.5%; perror showed a significant impact of the automated dispensing system in reducing preparation errors (perrors caused no harm (National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention category C). The automated dispensing system did not reduce errors causing harm. Finally, the mean for working conditions improved from 1.0±0.8 to 2.5±0.8 on the four-point Likert scale. The implementation of an automated dispensing system reduced overall medication errors related to picking, preparation, and administration of drugs in the intensive care unit. Furthermore, most nurses favored the new drug dispensation organization.

  10. Dispensing error rate after implementation of an automated pharmacy carousel system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oswald, Scott; Caldwell, Richard

    2007-07-01

    A study was conducted to determine filling and dispensing error rates before and after the implementation of an automated pharmacy carousel system (APCS). The study was conducted in a 613-bed acute and tertiary care university hospital. Before the implementation of the APCS, filling and dispensing rates were recorded during October through November 2004 and January 2005. Postimplementation data were collected during May through June 2006. Errors were recorded in three areas of pharmacy operations: first-dose or missing medication fill, automated dispensing cabinet fill, and interdepartmental request fill. A filling error was defined as an error caught by a pharmacist during the verification step. A dispensing error was defined as an error caught by a pharmacist observer after verification by the pharmacist. Before implementation of the APCS, 422 first-dose or missing medication orders were observed between October 2004 and January 2005. Independent data collected in December 2005, approximately six weeks after the introduction of the APCS, found that filling and error rates had increased. The filling rate for automated dispensing cabinets was associated with the largest decrease in errors. Filling and dispensing error rates had decreased by December 2005. In terms of interdepartmental request fill, no dispensing errors were noted in 123 clinic orders dispensed before the implementation of the APCS. One dispensing error out of 85 clinic orders was identified after implementation of the APCS. The implementation of an APCS at a university hospital decreased medication filling errors related to automated cabinets only and did not affect other filling and dispensing errors.

  11. Prescribed 3-D Direct Writing of Suspended Micron/Sub-micron Scale Fiber Structures via a Robotic Dispensing System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Hanwen; Cambron, Scott D; Keynton, Robert S

    2015-06-12

    A 3-axis dispensing system is utilized to control the initiating and terminating fiber positions and trajectory via the dispensing software. The polymer fiber length and orientation is defined by the spatial positioning of the dispensing system 3-axis stages. The fiber diameter is defined by the prescribed dispense time of the dispensing system valve, the feed rate (the speed at which the stage traverses from an initiating to a terminating position), the gauge diameter of the dispensing tip, the viscosity and surface tension of the polymer solution, and the programmed drawing length. The stage feed rate affects the polymer solution's evaporation rate and capillary breakup of the filaments. The dispensing system consists of a pneumatic valve controller, a droplet-dispensing valve and a dispensing tip. Characterization of the direct write process to determine the optimum combination of factors leads to repeatedly acquiring the desired range of fiber diameters. The advantage of this robotic dispensing system is the ease of obtaining a precise range of micron/sub-micron fibers onto a desired, programmed location via automated process control. Here, the discussed self-assembled micron/sub-micron scale 3D structures have been employed to fabricate suspended structures to create micron/sub-micron fluidic devices and bioengineered scaffolds.

  12. Direct-Dispense Polymeric Waveguides Platform for Optical Chemical Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamad Hajj-Hassan

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available We describe an automated robotic technique called direct-dispense to fabricate a polymeric platform that supports optical sensor arrays. Direct-dispense, which is a type of the emerging direct-write microfabrication techniques, uses fugitive organic inks in combination with cross-linkable polymers to create microfluidic channels and other microstructures. Specifically, we describe an application of direct-dispensing to develop optical biochemical sensors by fabricating planar ridge waveguides that support sol-gelderived xerogel-based thin films. The xerogel-based sensor materials act as host media to house luminophore biochemical recognition elements. As a prototype implementation, we demonstrate gaseous oxygen (O2 responsive optical sensors that operate on the basis of monitoring luminescence intensity signals. The optical sensor employs a Light Emitting Diode (LED excitation source and a standard silicon photodiode as the detector. The sensor operates over the full scale (0%-100% of O2 concentrations with a response time of less than 1 second. This work has implications for the development of miniaturized multisensor platforms that can be cost-effectively and reliably mass-produced.

  13. Implementing a bar-code assisted medication administration system: effects on the dispensing process and user perceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samaranayake, N R; Cheung, S T D; Cheng, K; Lai, K; Chui, W C M; Cheung, B M Y

    2014-06-01

    We assessed the effects of a bar-code assisted medication administration system used without the support of computerised prescribing (stand-alone BCMA), on the dispensing process and its users. The stand-alone BCMA system was implemented in one ward of a teaching hospital. The number of dispensing steps, dispensing time and potential dispensing errors (PDEs) were directly observed one month before and eight months after the intervention. Attitudes of pharmacy and nursing staff were assessed using a questionnaire (Likert scale) and interviews. Among 1291 and 471 drug items observed before and after the introduction of the technology respectively, the number of dispensing steps increased from five to eight and time (standard deviation) to dispense one drug item by one staff personnel increased from 0.8 (0.09) to 1.5 (0.12) min. Among 2828 and 471 drug items observed before and after the intervention respectively, the number of PDEs increased significantly (Psystem offered less benefit to the dispensing process (9/16). Nursing staff perceived the system as useful in improving the accuracy of drug administration (7/10). Implementing a stand-alone BCMA system may slow down and complicate the dispensing process. Nursing staff believe the stand-alone BCMA system could improve the drug administration process but pharmacy staff believes the technology would be more helpful if supported by computerised prescribing. However, periodical assessments are needed to identify weaknesses in the process after implementation, and all users should be educated on the benefits of using this technology. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. How can pharmacist remuneration systems in Europe contribute to generic medicine dispensing?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dylst P

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Generic medicines can generate larger savings to health care budgets when their use is supported by incentives on both the supply-side and the demand-side. Pharmacists’ remuneration is one factor influencing the dispensing of generic medicines.Objective: The aim of this article is to provide an overview of different pharmacist remuneration systems for generic medicines in Europe, with a view to exploring how pharmacist remuneration systems can contribute to generic medicine dispensing.Methods: Data were obtained from a literature review, a Master thesis in Pharmaceutical Care at the Catholic University of Leuven and a mailing sent to all members of the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union with a request for information about the local remuneration systems of community pharmacists and the possible existence of reports on discounting practices.Results: Pharmacists remuneration in most European countries consists of the combination of a fixed fee per item and a certain percentage of the acquisition cost or the delivery price of the medicines. This percentage component can be fixed, regressive or capped for very high-cost medicines and acts as a disincentive for dispensing generic medicines. Discounting for generic medicines is common practice in several European countries but information on this practice tends to be confidential. Nevertheless, data for Belgium, France, the Netherlands and United Kingdom indicated that discounting percentages varied from 10% to 70% of the wholesale selling price.Conclusion: Pharmacists can play an important role in the development of a generic medicines market. Pharmacists should not be financially penalized for dispensing generic medicines. Therefore, their remuneration should move towards a fee-for-performance remuneration instead of a price-dependent reimbursement which is currently used in many European countries. Such a fee-for-performance remuneration system provides a stimulus for generic medicines

  15. Advanced Medication Dispenser

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.I. Alexan

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Medication dispensing is an important activity that can have major implications if done improperly. Dispensing must be done in the correct time interval, at the correct user, with the correct drug and dose. We propose a smart medication dispenser that can satisfy these needs and provide a mechanism for supervision. In order to ensure that the dispensing process is error free, the concept of a new smart medication container is used. A smart medication container is “smart” as it holds the medication dispensing parameters for the drugs it contains: dispensing time and date and name. Based on this information, the actual dispensing is done.

  16. Maintaining Microclimates during Nanoliter Chemical Dispensations Using Custom-Designed Source Plate Lids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foley, Bryan J; Drozd, Ashley M; Bollard, Mary T; Laspina, Denise; Podobedov, Nikita; Zeniou, Nicholas; Rao, Anjali S; Andi, Babak; Jackimowicz, Rick; Sweet, Robert M; McSweeney, Sean; Soares, Alexei S

    2016-02-01

    A method is described for using custom snap-on lids to protect chemicals in microtiter plates from evaporation and contamination. The lids contain apertures (diameter 1.5, 1.0, or 0.5 mm) through which the chemical building blocks can be transferred. The lid with 0.5 mm apertures was tested using a noncontact acoustic liquid handler; the 1.0 and 1.5 mm lids were tested using two tip-based liquid handlers. All of the lids reduced the rate at which solvents evaporated to room air, and greatly reduced the rate of contamination by water and oxygen from room air. In steady-state measurements, the lids reduced the rate of evaporation of methanol, 1-hexene, and water by 33% to 248%. In cycled experiments, the contamination of aqueous solvent with oxygen was reduced below detectability and the rate at which DMSO engorged atmospheric water was reduced by 81%. Our results demonstrate that the lids preserve the integrity of air-sensitive reagents during the time needed for different types of liquid handlers to perform dispensations. Controlling degradation and evaporation of chemical building blocks exposed to the atmosphere is increasingly useful as the reagent volume is reduced by advances in liquid handling technology, such as acoustic droplet ejection. © 2015 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

  17. Immediate or deferred adjustment of drug regimens in multidose drug dispensing systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mertens, Bram J; Kwint, Henk-Frans; van Marum, Rob J; Bouvy, Marcel L

    2018-05-18

    Multidose drug dispensing (MDD) is used to help patients take their medicines appropriately. Little is known about drug regimen changes within these MDD systems and how they are effectuated by the community pharmacist. Manual immediate adjustments of the MDD system could introduce dispensing errors. MDD guidelines therefore recommend to effectuate drug regimen changes at the start of a new MDD system. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency, type, procedure followed, immediate necessity, and time taken to make MDD adjustments. This was a cross-sectional study in eight community pharmacies in the Netherlands. All adjustments to MDD systems were systematically documented for 3 weeks by the community pharmacist. Overall, 261 MDD adjustments involving 364 drug changes were documented for 250 patients: 127 (35%) drug changes involved the addition of a new drug, 124 (34%) a change in dosage, and 95 (26%) drug discontinuation. Of the MDD adjustments, 135 (52%) were effectuated immediately: 81 (31%) by adjusting the MDD system manually, 49 (19%) by temporarily dispensing the drug separately from the MDD system, and 5 (2%) by ordering a new MDD system. Pharmacists considered that 36 (27%) of the immediate MDD adjustments could have been deferred until the next MDD system was produced. Immediate adjustment took significantly longer than deferred adjustment (p < 0.001). This study shows that in patients using MDD systems, over half of the drug regimen changes are adjusted immediately. The necessity of these immediate changes should be critically evaluated. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  18. Prescription habits of dispensing and non-dispensing doctors in Zimbabwe

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Trap, Birna; Hansen, Ebba Holme; Hogerzeil, Hans V

    2002-01-01

    , race, place of education, location of practice and patients seen per day showed that dispensing by doctors was associated with less clinically and economically appropriate prescribing. These findings suggest that the quality of health care--as related to drug use, patient safety and treatment cost......The number of dispensing doctors has increased in the last decade, but the implication of this trend on the quality of health care and drug use is unknown. We present a comparative drug utilization study of 29 dispensing doctors and 28 non-dispensing doctors in Zimbabwe based on standard indicators...... developed by the World Health Organization. Dispensing doctors prescribed significantly more drugs per patient than non-dispensing doctors (2.3 versus 1.7), injected more patients (28.4% versus 9.5%), and prescribed more antibiotics (0.72 versus 0.54) and mixtures (0.43 versus 0.25) per encounter...

  19. Perceptions of Dispensers Regarding Dispensing Practices in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Methods: A qualitative study with snowball sampling technique was used to identify fifteen dispensers working in community pharmacies in Islamabad, Peshawar and Lahore. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the dispensers until the point of saturation was obtained. The interviews which focused on three ...

  20. [Impact of an automated dispensing system for medical devices in cardiac surgery department].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clou, E; Dompnier, M; Kably, B; Leplay, C; Poupon, E; Archer, V; Paul, M

    2018-01-01

    To secure medical devices' management, the implementation of automated dispensing system in surgical service has been realized. The objective of this study was to evaluate security, organizational and economic impact of installing automated dispensing system for medical devices (ASDM). The implementation took place in a cardiac surgery department. Security impact was assessed by comparing traceability rate of implantable medical devices one year before and one year after installation. Questionnaire on nurses' perception and satisfaction completed this survey. Resupplying costs, stocks' evolution and investments for the implementation of ASDM were the subject of cost-benefit study. After one year, traceability rate is excellent (100%). Nursing staffs were satisfied with 87.5% by this new system. The introduction of ASDM allowed a qualitative and quantitative decrease in stocks, with a reduction of 30% for purchased medical devices and 15% for implantable medical devices in deposit-consignment. Cost-benefit analysis shows a rapid return on investment. Real stock decrease (purchased medical devices) is equivalent to 46.6% of investment. Implementation of ASDM allows to secure storage and dispensing of medical devices. This system has also an important economic impact and appreciated by users. Copyright © 2017 Académie Nationale de Pharmacie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  1. Application of basic pharmacology and dispensing practice of antibiotics in accredited drug-dispensing outlets in Tanzania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minzi OM

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available OM Minzi,1 VS Manyilizu21Unit of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 2Logistics System Strengthening Unit, John Snow Inc, Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaBackground: Provision of pharmaceutical services in accredited drug-dispensing outlets (ADDOs in Tanzania has not been reported. This study compared the antibiotics dispensing practice between ADDOs and part II shops, or duka la dawa baridi (DLDBs, in Tanzania.Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study that was conducted in ADDOs and DLDBs. A simulated client method for data collection was used, and a total of 85 ADDOs, located in Mvomero, Kilombero, and Morogoro rural districts, were compared with 60 DLDBs located in Kibaha district. The research assistants posed as simulated clients and requested to buy antibiotics from ADDOs and DLDBs after presenting a case scenario or disease condition. Among the diseases presented were those requiring antibiotics and those usually managed only by oral rehydration salt or analgesics. The simulated clients wanted to know the antibiotics that were available at the shop. The posed questions set a convincing ground to the dispenser either to dispense the antibiotic directly, request a prescription, or refer the patient to a health facility. Proportions were used to summarize categorical variables between ADDOs and DLDBs, and the chi-square test was used to test for statistical difference between the two drug-outlet types in terms of antibiotic-dispensing practice.Results: As many as 40% of trained ADDO dispensers no longer worked at the ADDO shops, so some of the shops employed untrained staff. A larger proportion of ADDOs than DLDBs dispensed antibiotics without prescriptions (P = 0.004. The overall results indicate that there was no difference between the two types of shops in terms of adhering to regulations for dispensing antibiotics. However, in some circumstances, eg

  2. Dissolvable microneedle fabrication using piezoelectric dispensing technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Evin A; O'Mahony, Conor; Cronin, Michael; O'Mahony, Thomas; Moore, Anne C; Crean, Abina M

    2016-03-16

    Dissolvable microneedle (DMN) patches are novel dosage forms for the percutaneous delivery of vaccines. DMN are routinely fabricated by dispensing liquid formulations into microneedle-shaped moulds. The liquid formulation within the mould is then dried to create dissolvable vaccine-loaded microneedles. The precision of the dispensing process is critical to the control of formulation volume loaded into each dissolvable microneedle structure. The dispensing process employed must maintain vaccine integrity. Wetting of mould surfaces by the dispensed formulation is also an important consideration for the fabrication of sharp-tipped DMN. Sharp-tipped DMN are essential for ease of percutaneous administration. In this paper, we demonstrate the ability of a piezoelectric dispensing system to dispense picolitre formulation volumes into PDMS moulds enabling the fabrication of bilayer DMN. The influence of formulation components (trehalose and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) content) and piezoelectric actuation parameters (voltage, frequency and back pressure) on drop formation is described. The biological integrity of a seasonal influenza vaccine following dispensing was investigated and maintained voltage settings of 30 V but undermined at higher settings, 50 and 80 V. The results demonstrate the capability of piezoelectric dispensing technology to precisely fabricate bilayer DMN. They also highlight the importance of identifying formulation and actuation parameters to ensure controlled droplet formulation and vaccine stabilisation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. What motivates antibiotic dispensing in accredited drug dispensing outlets in Tanzania? A qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dillip, Angel; Embrey, Martha; Shekalaghe, Elizabeth; Ross-Degnan, Dennis; Vialle-Valentin, Catherine; Kimatta, Suleiman; Liana, Jafary; Rutta, Edmund; Valimba, Richard; Chalker, John

    2015-01-01

    Tanzania introduced the accredited drug dispensing outlet (ADDO) program more than a decade ago. Previous evaluations have generally shown that ADDOs meet defined standards of practice better than non-accredited outlets. However, ADDOs still face challenges with overuse of antibiotics for acute respiratory infections (ARI) and simple diarrhea, which contributes to the emergence of drug resistance. This study aimed to explore the attitudes of ADDO owners and dispensers toward antibiotic dispensing and to learn how accreditation has influenced their dispensing behavior. The study used a qualitative approach. We conducted in-depth interviews with ADDO owners and dispensers in Ruvuma and Tanga regions where the government implemented the ADDO program under centralized and decentralized approaches, respectively; a secondary aim was to compare differences between the two regions. Findings indicate that the ADDO program has brought about positive changes in knowledge of dispensing practices. Respondents were able to correctly explain treatment guidelines for ARI and diarrhea. Almost all dispensers and owners indicated that unnecessary use of antibiotics contributed to antimicrobial resistance. Despite this knowledge, translating it to appropriate dispensing practice is still low. Dispensers' behavior is driven by customer demand, habit ("mazoea"), following inappropriate health facility prescriptions, and the need to make a profit. Although the majority of dispensers reported that they had intervened in situations where customers asked for antibiotics unnecessarily, they tended to give in to clients' requests. Small variations were noted between the two study regions; for example, some dispensers in Ruvuma reported sending clients with incorrect prescriptions back to the health facility, a practice that may reflect regional differences in ADDO implementation and in Integrated Management of Childhood Illness training. Dispensers in rural settings reported more challenges

  4. Impact of an automated dispensing system in outpatient pharmacies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Humphries, Tammy L; Delate, Thomas; Helling, Dennis K; Richardson, Bruce

    2008-01-01

    To evaluate the impact of an automated dispensing system (ADS) on pharmacy staff work activities and job satisfaction. Cross-sectional, retrospective study. Kaiser Permanente Colorado (KPCO) outpatient pharmacies in September 2005. Pharmacists and technicians from 18 outpatient pharmacies. All KPCO outpatient pharmacists (n = 136) and technicians (n = 160) were surveyed regarding demographics and work activities and pharmacist job satisfaction. Work activities and job satisfaction were compared between pharmacies with and without ADS. Historical prescription purchase records from ADS pharmacies were assessed for pre-ADS to post-ADS changes in productivity. Self-reported pharmacy staff work activities and pharmacist job satisfaction. Pharmacists who responded to the demographic questionnaire (n = 74) were primarily women (60%), had a bachelor's degree in pharmacy (68%), and had been in practice for 10 years or more (53%). Responding technicians (n = 72) were predominantly women (80%) with no postsecondary degree (90%) and fewer than 10 years (68%) in practice. Pharmacists in ADS pharmacies who responded to the work activities questionnaire (n = 50) reported equivalent mean hours spent in patient care activities and filling medication orders compared with non-ADS pharmacists (n = 33; P > 0.05). Similarly, technicians in ADS pharmacies who responded to the work activities questionnaire (n = 64) reported equivalent mean hours spent in filling medication orders compared with non-ADS technicians (n = 38; P > 0.05). An equivalent proportion of ADS pharmacists reported satisfaction with their current job compared with non-ADS pharmacies (P > 0.05). Mean productivity did not increase appreciably after automation (P >0.05). By itself, installing an ADS does not appear to shift pharmacist work activities from dispensing to patient counseling or to increase job satisfaction. Shifting pharmacist work activities from dispensing to counseling and monitoring drug therapy outcomes

  5. Aspects of Chemical Composition and Somatic Cell count of Cow Milk Marketed at Dispensers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mircea Valentin MUNTEAN

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Milk quality is influenced by many factors: lactation, fat, protein, lactose, number of somatic cells. In order to process raw milk and compare with criteria of quality and food safety the Regulation of European Parliament and the council no. 853/2004. Analysing the total number of somatic cells (SCC in the period July-August 2017 it is noted that in case of samples collected from first automatic milk dispenser exceed 2 times the maximum admissible values and the samples collected from second automatic milk dispenser are up to the maximum allowable values which show that milking hygiene and animal health are at the European standards required. Analysis of fat content for both cases indicates that it is within the standard values for cow's milk and fat variations for DM1 samples are very low at temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius which shows that high temperatures do not influence these parameters. The biological material study was represented analysed by 30 samples of milk from only two cow milk dispensers functional located in this period in Cluj-Napoca city. These samples were collected at the same time period during July-August months. The aim of present study is to determine whether milk marketed through dispensers under the high temperature conditions specific to this period is affected in terms of qualitative parameter analysis.

  6. One-Stop Dispensing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Houlind, Morten Baltzer; McNulty, Helle Bach Ølgaard; Treldal, Charlotte

    2018-01-01

    (1) Objective: To assess hospital medication costs and staff time between One-Stop Dispensing (OSD) and the Traditional Medication System (TMS), and to evaluate patient perspectives on OSD. (2) Methods: The study was conducted at Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark in an elective...... gastric surgery and acute orthopedic surgery department. This study consists of three sub-studies including adult patients able to self-manage medication. In Sub-study 1, staff time used to dispense and administer medication in TMS was assessed. Medication cost and OSD staff time were collected in Sub......-study 2, while patient perspectives were assessed in Sub-study 3. Medication costs with two days of discharge medication were compared between measured OSD cost and simulated TMS cost for the same patients. Measured staff time in OSD was compared to simulated staff time in TMS for the same patients...

  7. Recent advances in inkjet dispensing technologies: applications in drug discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Xiangcheng; Zheng, Qiang; Yang, Hu; Cai, Jin; Huang, Lei; Duan, Yanwen; Xu, Zhinan; Cen, Peilin

    2012-09-01

    Inkjet dispensing technology is a promising fabrication methodology widely applied in drug discovery. The automated programmable characteristics and high-throughput efficiency makes this approach potentially very useful in miniaturizing the design patterns for assays and drug screening. Various custom-made inkjet dispensing systems as well as specialized bio-ink and substrates have been developed and applied to fulfill the increasing demands of basic drug discovery studies. The incorporation of other modern technologies has further exploited the potential of inkjet dispensing technology in drug discovery and development. This paper reviews and discusses the recent developments and practical applications of inkjet dispensing technology in several areas of drug discovery and development including fundamental assays of cells and proteins, microarrays, biosensors, tissue engineering, basic biological and pharmaceutical studies. Progression in a number of areas of research including biomaterials, inkjet mechanical systems and modern analytical techniques as well as the exploration and accumulation of profound biological knowledge has enabled different inkjet dispensing technologies to be developed and adapted for high-throughput pattern fabrication and miniaturization. This in turn presents a great opportunity to propel inkjet dispensing technology into drug discovery.

  8. Understanding the Role of Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets in Tanzania's Health System.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martha Embrey

    Full Text Available People in many low-income countries access medicines from retail drug shops. In Tanzania, a public-private partnership launched in 2003 used an accreditation approach to improve access to quality medicines and pharmaceutical services in underserved areas. The government scaled up the accredited drug dispensing outlet (ADDO program nationally, with over 9,000 shops now accredited. This study assessed the relationships between community members and their sources of health care and medicines, particularly antimicrobials, with a specific focus on the role ADDOs play in the health care system.Using mixed methods, we collected data in four regions. We surveyed 1,185 households and audited 96 ADDOs and 84 public/nongovernmental health facilities using a list of 17 tracer drugs. To determine practices in health facilities, we interviewed 1,365 exiting patients. To assess dispensing practices, mystery shoppers visited 306 ADDOs presenting one of three scenarios (102 each about a child's respiratory symptoms.Of 614 household members with a recent acute illness, 73% sought outside care-30% at a public facility and 31% at an ADDO. However, people bought medicines more often at ADDOs no matter who recommended the treatment; of the 581 medicines that people had received, 49% came from an ADDO. Although health facilities and ADDOs had similar availability of antimicrobials, ADDOs had more pediatric formulations available (p<0.001. The common perception was that drugs from ADDOs are more expensive, but the difference in the median cost to treat pneumonia was relatively minimal (US$0.26 in a public facility and US$0.30 in an ADDO. Over 20% of households said they had someone with a chronic condition, with 93% taking medication, but ADDOs are allowed to sell very few chronic care-related medicines. ADDO dispensers are trained to refer complicated cases to a health facility, and notably, 99% of mystery shoppers presenting a pneumonia scenario received an

  9. Separation of prescribing and dispensing in Malaysia: the history and challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiong, John Jeh Lung; Mai, Chun Wai; Gan, Pou Wee; Johnson, James; Mak, Vivienne Sook Li

    2016-08-01

    This article serves as an update to the work by Shafie et al. (2012) which previously reviewed the benefits of policies separating prescribing and dispensing in various countries to advocate its implementation in Malaysia. This article seeks to strengthen the argument by highlighting not only the weaknesses of the Malaysian health care system from the historical, professional and economic viewpoints but also the shortcomings of both medical and pharmacy professions in the absence of separation of dispensing. It also provides a detailed insight into the ongoing initiatives taken to consolidate the role of pharmacists in the health care system in the advent of separation of dispensing. Under the two tier system in Malaysia at present, the separation of prescribing and dispensing is implemented only in government hospitals. The absence of this separation in the private practices has led to possible profit-oriented medical and pharmacy practices which hinder safe and cost-effective delivery of health services. The call for separation of dispensing has gained traction over the years despite various hurdles ranging from the formidable resistance from the medical fraternity to the public's scepticism towards the new policy. With historical testament and present evidence pointing towards the merits of a system in which doctors prescribe and pharmacists dispense, the implementation of this health care model is justified. © 2016 The Authors. IJPP © 2016 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

  10. Pharmacoepidemiological Data from Drug Dispensing Charities as a Measure of Health Patterns in a Population not Assisted by the Italian National Health Service.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bini, Silvia; Cerri, Cesare; Rigamonti, Antonello E; Bertazzi, Pietro A; Fiorini, Gianfrancesco; Cella, Silvano G

    2016-08-19

    We analysed drug dispensation by charitable organisations in a year time. Drugs were grouped according to the Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical classification and the amount dispensed was calculated with the system of the Daily Defined Dose (DDD) and expressed as DDD/1000 subjects/day. A number of 87,550 subjects were studied (13,308 Italians; 74,242 Immigrants). Though we noticed a great sesonal variability, the drugs most frequently dispensed were those for the respiratory, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal system and antibiotics, which is different from the rest of the Italian population and the immigrant population assisted by our National Health Service (NHS). We also found that chronic diseases are increasing in these subjects. We conclude that the subjects not receiving NHS assitance have, at least in part, different health patterns and requirements. This should be considered when planning tailored interventions.

  11. Pharmacoepidemiological data from drug dispensing charities as a measure of health patterns in a population not assisted by the Italian National Health Service

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia Bini

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available We analysed drug dispensation by charitable organisations in a year time. Drugs were grouped according to the Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical classification and the amount dispensed was calculated with the system of the Daily Defined Dose (DDD and expressed as DDD/1000 subjects/day. A number of 87,550 subjects were studied (13,308 Italians; 74,242 Immigrants. Though we noticed a great sesonal variability, the drugs most frequently dispensed were those for the respiratory, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal system and antibiotics, which is different from the rest of the Italian population and the immigrant population assisted by our National Health Service (NHS. We also found that chronic diseases are increasing in these subjects. We conclude that the subjects not receiving NHS assitance have, at least in part, different health patterns and requirements. This should be considered when planning tailored interventions.

  12. Prototype of a Questionnaire and Quiz System for Supporting Increase of Health Awareness During Wait Time in Dispensing Pharmacy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toda, Takeshi; Chen, Poa-Min; Ozaki, Shinya; Ideguchi, Naoko; Miyaki, Tomoko; Nanbu, Keiko; Ikeda, Keiko

    For quit-smoking clinic and its campaign, there was a need for pharmacists to investigate pediatric patient's parent consciousness to tobacco harm utilizing wait time in a pediatric dispensing pharmacy. In this research, we developed the questionnaire and quiz total system using the tablet for user interface, in which people can easily answer the questionnaire/quiz and quickly see the total results on the spot in order to enhance their consciousness to the tobacco harm. The system also provides their tobacco dependence level based on the questionnaire results and some advice for their health and dietary habits due to the tobacco dependence level. From a field trial with one hundred four examinees in the pediatric dispensing pharmacy, the user interface was useful compared to conventional questionnaire form. The system could enhance their consciousness to tobacco harm and make their beneficial use of waiting time in dispensing pharmacy. Some interesting suggestions for improvement and new services were also obtained.

  13. Safe pill-dispensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Testa, Massimiliano; Pollard, John

    2007-01-01

    Each patient is supplied with a smart-card containing a Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) chip storing a unique identification code. The patient places the Smart-card on a pill-dispenser unit containing an RFID reader. The RFID chip is read and the code sent to a Base-station via a wireless Bluetooth link. A database containing both patient details and treatment information is queried at the Base-station using the RFID as the search key. The patient's treatment data (i.e., drug names, quantities, time, etc.) are retrieved and sent back to the pill-dispenser unit via Bluetooth. Appropriate quantities of the required medications are automatically dispensed, unless the patient has already taken his/her daily dose. Safe, confidential communication and operation is ensured.

  14. Perceptions of Dispensers Regarding Dispensing Practices in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    1School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia, 2Department of Social ... working in community pharmacies in Islamabad, Peshawar and Lahore. ..... situation regarding dispensing practices in the.

  15. Dispensing of vitamin products by retail pharmacies in South Africa ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Objective: The objective of this study was to analyse the dispensing patterns of vitamins (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) group A11) over a one-year period in a group of community pharmacies in South Africa. Design and setting: A retrospective drug utilisation study was conducted on community pharmacy ...

  16. Perceptions of Dispensers Regarding Dispensing Practices in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Methods: A qualitative study with snowball sampling technique was used to ... Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the dispensers until the ... and suggestions for improvements were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and analyzed.

  17. IoT for Real-Time Measurement of High-Throughput Liquid Dispensing in Laboratory Environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shumate, Justin; Baillargeon, Pierre; Spicer, Timothy P; Scampavia, Louis

    2018-04-01

    Critical to maintaining quality control in high-throughput screening is the need for constant monitoring of liquid-dispensing fidelity. Traditional methods involve operator intervention with gravimetric analysis to monitor the gross accuracy of full plate dispenses, visual verification of contents, or dedicated weigh stations on screening platforms that introduce potential bottlenecks and increase the plate-processing cycle time. We present a unique solution using open-source hardware, software, and 3D printing to automate dispenser accuracy determination by providing real-time dispense weight measurements via a network-connected precision balance. This system uses an Arduino microcontroller to connect a precision balance to a local network. By integrating the precision balance as an Internet of Things (IoT) device, it gains the ability to provide real-time gravimetric summaries of dispensing, generate timely alerts when problems are detected, and capture historical dispensing data for future analysis. All collected data can then be accessed via a web interface for reviewing alerts and dispensing information in real time or remotely for timely intervention of dispense errors. The development of this system also leveraged 3D printing to rapidly prototype sensor brackets, mounting solutions, and component enclosures.

  18. Volumetric dispenser for small particles from plural sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bradley, R.A.; Miller, W.H.; Sease, J.D.

    1975-01-01

    Apparatus is described for rapidly and accurately dispensing measured volumes of small particles from a supply hopper. The apparatus includes an adjustable, vertically oriented measuring tube and orifice member defining the volume to be dispensed, a ball plug valve for selectively closing the bottom end of the orifice member, and a compression valve for selectively closing the top end of the measuring tube. A supply hopper is disposed above and in gravity flow communication with the measuring tube. Properly sequenced opening and closing of the two valves provides accurate volumetric discharge through the ball plug valve. A dispensing system is described wherein several appropriately sized measuring tubes, orifice members, and associated valves are arranged to operate contemporaneously to facilitate blending of different particles

  19. Construction of a smart medication dispenser with high degree of scalability and remote manageability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pak, JuGeon; Park, KeeHyun

    2012-01-01

    We propose a smart medication dispenser having a high degree of scalability and remote manageability. We construct the dispenser to have extensible hardware architecture for achieving scalability, and we install an agent program in it for achieving remote manageability. The dispenser operates as follows: when the real-time clock reaches the predetermined medication time and the user presses the dispense button at that time, the predetermined medication is dispensed from the medication dispensing tray (MDT). In the proposed dispenser, the medication for each patient is stored in an MDT. One smart medication dispenser contains mainly one MDT; however, the dispenser can be extended to include more MDTs in order to support multiple users using one dispenser. For remote management, the proposed dispenser transmits the medication status and the system configurations to the monitoring server. In the case of a specific event such as a shortage of medication, memory overload, software error, or non-adherence, the event is transmitted immediately. All these operations are performed automatically without the intervention of patients, through the agent program installed in the dispenser. Results of implementation and verification show that the proposed dispenser operates normally and performs the management operations from the medication monitoring server suitably.

  20. Construction of a Smart Medication Dispenser with High Degree of Scalability and Remote Manageability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    JuGeon Pak

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available We propose a smart medication dispenser having a high degree of scalability and remote manageability. We construct the dispenser to have extensible hardware architecture for achieving scalability, and we install an agent program in it for achieving remote manageability. The dispenser operates as follows: when the real-time clock reaches the predetermined medication time and the user presses the dispense button at that time, the predetermined medication is dispensed from the medication dispensing tray (MDT. In the proposed dispenser, the medication for each patient is stored in an MDT. One smart medication dispenser contains mainly one MDT; however, the dispenser can be extended to include more MDTs in order to support multiple users using one dispenser. For remote management, the proposed dispenser transmits the medication status and the system configurations to the monitoring server. In the case of a specific event such as a shortage of medication, memory overload, software error, or non-adherence, the event is transmitted immediately. All these operations are performed automatically without the intervention of patients, through the agent program installed in the dispenser. Results of implementation and verification show that the proposed dispenser operates normally and performs the management operations from the medication monitoring server suitably.

  1. 21 CFR 888.4200 - Cement dispenser.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Cement dispenser. 888.4200 Section 888.4200 Food... DEVICES ORTHOPEDIC DEVICES Surgical Devices § 888.4200 Cement dispenser. (a) Identification. A cement dispenser is a nonpowered syringe-like device intended for use in placing bone cement (§ 888.3027) into...

  2. Ethanol Distribution, Dispensing, and Use: Analysis of a Portion of the Biomass-to-Biofuels Supply Chain Using System Dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vimmerstedt, Laura J.; Bush, Brian; Peterson, Steve

    2012-01-01

    The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 targets use of 36 billion gallons of biofuels per year by 2022. Achieving this may require substantial changes to current transportation fuel systems for distribution, dispensing, and use in vehicles. The U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory designed a system dynamics approach to help focus government action by determining what supply chain changes would have the greatest potential to accelerate biofuels deployment. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed the Biomass Scenario Model, a system dynamics model which represents the primary system effects and dependencies in the biomass-to-biofuels supply chain. The model provides a framework for developing scenarios and conducting biofuels policy analysis. This paper focuses on the downstream portion of the supply chain–represented in the distribution logistics, dispensing station, and fuel utilization, and vehicle modules of the Biomass Scenario Model. This model initially focused on ethanol, but has since been expanded to include other biofuels. Some portions of this system are represented dynamically with major interactions and feedbacks, especially those related to a dispensing station owner’s decision whether to offer ethanol fuel and a consumer’s choice whether to purchase that fuel. Other portions of the system are modeled with little or no dynamics; the vehicle choices of consumers are represented as discrete scenarios. This paper explores conditions needed to sustain an ethanol fuel market and identifies implications of these findings for program and policy goals. A large, economically sustainable ethanol fuel market (or other biofuel market) requires low end-user fuel price relative to gasoline and sufficient producer payment, which are difficult to achieve simultaneously. Other requirements (different for ethanol vs. other biofuel markets) include the need for infrastructure for distribution and dispensing and

  3. Ethanol distribution, dispensing, and use: analysis of a portion of the biomass-to-biofuels supply chain using system dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vimmerstedt, Laura J; Bush, Brian; Peterson, Steve

    2012-01-01

    The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 targets use of 36 billion gallons of biofuels per year by 2022. Achieving this may require substantial changes to current transportation fuel systems for distribution, dispensing, and use in vehicles. The U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory designed a system dynamics approach to help focus government action by determining what supply chain changes would have the greatest potential to accelerate biofuels deployment. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed the Biomass Scenario Model, a system dynamics model which represents the primary system effects and dependencies in the biomass-to-biofuels supply chain. The model provides a framework for developing scenarios and conducting biofuels policy analysis. This paper focuses on the downstream portion of the supply chain-represented in the distribution logistics, dispensing station, and fuel utilization, and vehicle modules of the Biomass Scenario Model. This model initially focused on ethanol, but has since been expanded to include other biofuels. Some portions of this system are represented dynamically with major interactions and feedbacks, especially those related to a dispensing station owner's decision whether to offer ethanol fuel and a consumer's choice whether to purchase that fuel. Other portions of the system are modeled with little or no dynamics; the vehicle choices of consumers are represented as discrete scenarios. This paper explores conditions needed to sustain an ethanol fuel market and identifies implications of these findings for program and policy goals. A large, economically sustainable ethanol fuel market (or other biofuel market) requires low end-user fuel price relative to gasoline and sufficient producer payment, which are difficult to achieve simultaneously. Other requirements (different for ethanol vs. other biofuel markets) include the need for infrastructure for distribution and dispensing and

  4. The impact of automation on workload and dispensing errors in a hospital pharmacy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, K Lynette; Barlow, Dave; Bithell, Anne; Hiom, Sarah; Lord, Sue; Pollard, Mike; Roberts, Dave; Way, Cheryl; Whittlesea, Cate

    2013-04-01

    To determine the effect of installing an original-pack automated dispensing system (ADS) on dispensary workload and prevented dispensing incidents in a hospital pharmacy. Data on dispensary workload and prevented dispensing incidents, defined as dispensing errors detected and reported before medication had left the pharmacy, were collected over 6 weeks at a National Health Service hospital in Wales before and after the installation of an ADS. Workload was measured by non-participant observation using the event recording technique. Prevented dispensing incidents were self-reported by pharmacy staff on standardised forms. Median workloads (measured as items dispensed/person/hour) were compared using Mann-Whitney U tests and rate of prevented dispensing incidents were compared using Chi-square test. Spearman's rank correlation was used to examine the association between workload and prevented dispensing incidents. A P value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Median dispensary workload was significantly lower pre-automation (9.20 items/person/h) compared to post-automation (13.17 items/person/h, P automation (0.28%) than pre-automation (0.64%, P automation (ρ = 0.23, P automation improves dispensing efficiency and reduces the rate of prevented dispensing incidents. It is proposed that prevented dispensing incidents frequently occurred during periods of high workload due to involuntary automaticity. Prevented dispensing incidents occurring after a busy period were attributed to staff experiencing fatigue after-effects. © 2012 The Authors. IJPP © 2012 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

  5. [Monitoring medication errors in personalised dispensing using the Sentinel Surveillance System method].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérez-Cebrián, M; Font-Noguera, I; Doménech-Moral, L; Bosó-Ribelles, V; Romero-Boyero, P; Poveda-Andrés, J L

    2011-01-01

    To assess the efficacy of a new quality control strategy based on daily randomised sampling and monitoring a Sentinel Surveillance System (SSS) medication cart, in order to identify medication errors and their origin at different levels of the process. Prospective quality control study with one year follow-up. A SSS medication cart was randomly selected once a week and double-checked before dispensing medication. Medication errors were recorded before it was taken to the relevant hospital ward. Information concerning complaints after receiving medication and 24-hour monitoring were also noted. Type and origin error data were assessed by a Unit Dose Quality Control Group, which proposed relevant improvement measures. Thirty-four SSS carts were assessed, including 5130 medication lines and 9952 dispensed doses, corresponding to 753 patients. Ninety erroneous lines (1.8%) and 142 mistaken doses (1.4%) were identified at the Pharmacy Department. The most frequent error was dose duplication (38%) and its main cause inappropriate management and forgetfulness (69%). Fifty medication complaints (6.6% of patients) were mainly due to new treatment at admission (52%), and 41 (0.8% of all medication lines), did not completely match the prescription (0.6% lines) as recorded by the Pharmacy Department. Thirty-seven (4.9% of patients) medication complaints due to changes at admission and 32 matching errors (0.6% medication lines) were recorded. The main cause also was inappropriate management and forgetfulness (24%). The simultaneous recording of incidences due to complaints and new medication coincided in 33.3%. In addition, 433 (4.3%) of dispensed doses were returned to the Pharmacy Department. After the Unit Dose Quality Control Group conducted their feedback analysis, 64 improvement measures for Pharmacy Department nurses, 37 for pharmacists, and 24 for the hospital ward were introduced. The SSS programme has proven to be useful as a quality control strategy to identify Unit

  6. [Quality evaluation of rhubarb dispensing granules based on multi-component simultaneous quantitative analysis and bioassay].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Peng; Zhang, Hai-Zhu; Zhang, Ding-Kun; Wu, Shan-Na; Niu, Ming; Wang, Jia-Bo; Xiao, Xiao-He

    2017-07-01

    This study attempts to evaluate the quality of Chinese formula granules by combined use of multi-component simultaneous quantitative analysis and bioassay. The rhubarb dispensing granules were used as the model drug for demonstrative study. The ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method was adopted for simultaneously quantitative determination of the 10 anthraquinone derivatives (such as aloe emodin-8-O-β-D-glucoside) in rhubarb dispensing granules; purgative biopotency of different batches of rhubarb dispensing granules was determined based on compound diphenoxylate tablets-induced mouse constipation model; blood activating biopotency of different batches of rhubarb dispensing granules was determined based on in vitro rat antiplatelet aggregation model; SPSS 22.0 statistical software was used for correlation analysis between 10 anthraquinone derivatives and purgative biopotency, blood activating biopotency. The results of multi-components simultaneous quantitative analysisshowed that there was a great difference in chemical characterizationand certain differences inpurgative biopotency and blood activating biopotency among 10 batches of rhubarb dispensing granules. The correlation analysis showed that the intensity of purgative biopotency was significantly correlated with the content of conjugated anthraquinone glycosides (Panalysis and bioassay can achieve objective quantification and more comprehensive reflection on overall quality difference among different batches of rhubarb dispensing granules. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

  7. Towards more reliable automated multi-dose dispensing: retrospective follow-up study on medication dose errors and product defects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palttala, Iida; Heinämäki, Jyrki; Honkanen, Outi; Suominen, Risto; Antikainen, Osmo; Hirvonen, Jouni; Yliruusi, Jouko

    2013-03-01

    To date, little is known on applicability of different types of pharmaceutical dosage forms in an automated high-speed multi-dose dispensing process. The purpose of the present study was to identify and further investigate various process-induced and/or product-related limitations associated with multi-dose dispensing process. The rates of product defects and dose dispensing errors in automated multi-dose dispensing were retrospectively investigated during a 6-months follow-up period. The study was based on the analysis of process data of totally nine automated high-speed multi-dose dispensing systems. Special attention was paid to the dependence of multi-dose dispensing errors/product defects and pharmaceutical tablet properties (such as shape, dimensions, weight, scored lines, coatings, etc.) to profile the most suitable forms of tablets for automated dose dispensing systems. The relationship between the risk of errors in dose dispensing and tablet characteristics were visualized by creating a principal component analysis (PCA) model for the outcome of dispensed tablets. The two most common process-induced failures identified in the multi-dose dispensing are predisposal of tablet defects and unexpected product transitions in the medication cassette (dose dispensing error). The tablet defects are product-dependent failures, while the tablet transitions are dependent on automated multi-dose dispensing systems used. The occurrence of tablet defects is approximately twice as common as tablet transitions. Optimal tablet preparation for the high-speed multi-dose dispensing would be a round-shaped, relatively small/middle-sized, film-coated tablet without any scored line. Commercial tablet products can be profiled and classified based on their suitability to a high-speed multi-dose dispensing process.

  8. Subsidising patient dispensing fees: the cost of injecting equity into the opioid pharmacotherapy maintenance system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chalmers, Jenny; Ritter, Alison

    2012-11-01

    Australian pharmacotherapy maintenance programs incur costs to patients. These dispensing fees represent a financial burden to patients and are inconsistent with Australian health-care principles. No previous work has examined the current costs nor the future predicted costs if government subsidised dispensing fees. A system dynamics model, which simulated the flow of patients into and out of methadone maintenance treatment, was developed. Costs were imputed from existing research data. The approach enabled simulation of possible behavioural responses to a fee subsidy (such as higher retention) and new estimates of costs were derived under such scenarios. Current modelled costs (AUS$11.73m per month) were largely borne by state/territory government (43%), with patients bearing one-third (33%) of the total costs and the Commonwealth one-quarter (24%). Assuming no behavioural changes associated with fee subsidies, the cost of subsidising the dispensing fees of Australian methadone patients would be $3.9m per month. If retention were improved as a result of fee subsidy, treatment numbers would increase and the model estimates an additional cost of $0.8m per month. If this was coupled with greater numbers entering treatment, the costs would increase by a further $0.4m per month. In total, full fee subsidy with modelled behavioural changes would increase per annum government expenditure by $81.8m to $175.8m. If government provided dispensing fee relief for methadone maintenance patients, it would be a costly exercise. However, these additional costs are offset by the social and health gains achieved from the methadone maintenance program. © 2012 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

  9. A compact 133Xe gas dispenser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hawkins, T.; Harris, R.

    1977-01-01

    A dispenser for 133 Xe gas is described which is compact and simple to use, allowing the xenon to be dispensed from it shipping ampoule to suitable multi-dose injection vials in a controlled manner and with a high degree of operator safety. The apparatus has no joints and only a single rubber teat, minimizing the risks of adsorption and leakage. A scaled drawing of the dispenser is shown. (U.K.)

  10. Efficacy of various chemical disinfectants on biofilms formed in spacecraft potable water system components.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Wing C; Dudinsky, Lynn A; Garcia, Veronica M; Ott, Charlie M; Castro, Victoria A

    2010-07-01

    As the provision of potable water is critical for successful habitation of the International Space Station (ISS), life support systems were installed in December 2008 to recycle both humidity from the atmosphere and urine to conserve available water in the Station. In-flight pre-consumption testing from the dispensing needle at the Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) indicated that bacterial concentrations exceeded the current ISS specifications of 50 colony-forming units (CFU) ml(-1). Subsequent investigations revealed that a corrugated stainless steel flex hose upstream of the dispensing needle in the PWD was filled with nonsterile water and left at room temperature for more than 1 month before launch. To simulate biofilm formation that was suspected in the flight system, sterile flex hoses were seeded with a consortium of bacterial isolates previously recovered from other ISS water systems, including Ralstonia pickettii, Burkholderia multivorans, Caulobacter vibrioides, and Cupriavidus pauculus. After incubation for 5 days, the hoses were challenged with various chemical disinfectants including hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), colloidal silver, and buffered pH solutions to determine the ability of the disinfectants to decrease and maintain bacterial concentrations below ISS specifications. The disinfection efficacy over time was measured by collecting daily heterotrophic plate counts after exposure to the disinfectants. A single flush with either 6% H2O2 solution or a mixture of 3% H2O2 and 400 ppb colloidal silver effectively reduced the bacterial concentrations to <1 CFU ml(-1) for a period of up to 3 months.

  11. Evaluation and remediation of bulk soap dispensers for biofilm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorenz, Lindsey A; Ramsay, Bradley D; Goeres, Darla M; Fields, Matthew W; Zapka, Carrie A; Macinga, David R

    2012-01-01

    Recent studies evaluating bulk soap in public restroom soap dispensers have demonstrated up to 25% of open refillable bulk-soap dispensers were contaminated with ~ 6 log(10)(CFU ml(-1)) heterotrophic bacteria. In this study, plastic counter-mounted, plastic wall-mounted and stainless steel wall-mounted dispensers were analyzed for suspended and biofilm bacteria using total cell and viable plate counts. Independent of dispenser type or construction material, the bulk soap was contaminated with 4-7 log(10)(CFU ml(-1)) bacteria, while 4-6 log(10)(CFU cm(-2)) biofilm bacteria were isolated from the inside surfaces of the dispensers (n = 6). Dispenser remediation studies, including a 10 min soak with 5000 mg l(-1) sodium hypochlorite, were then conducted to determine the efficacy of cleaning and disinfectant procedures against established biofilms. The testing showed that contamination of the bulk soap returned to pre-test levels within 7-14 days. These results demonstrate biofilm is present in contaminated bulk-soap dispensers and remediation studies to clean and sanitize the dispensers are temporary.

  12. Efficacy of Various Chemical Disinfectants on Biofilms Formed in Spacecraft Potable Water System Component

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Willy; Garcia, Veronica; Castro, Victoria; Ott, Mark; Duane

    2009-01-01

    As the provision of potable water is critical for successful habitation of the International Space Station (ISS), life support systems were installed in December 2008 to recycle both humidity from the atmosphere and urine to conserve available water in the vehicle. Pre-consumption testing from the dispensing needle at the Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) indicated that bacterial concentrations exceeded the current ISS specifications of 50 colony forming units (CFU) per ml. Subsequent investigations revealed that a corrugated stainless steel flex hose upstream of the dispensing needle in the PWD was filled with non-sterile water and left at room temperature for over one month before launch. To simulate biofilm formation that was suspected in the flight system, sterile flex hoses were seeded with a consortium of bacterial isolates previously recovered from other ISS water systems, which included Ralstonia pickettii, Burkholderia multivorans, Caulobacter vibrioides., and Cupriavidus pauculus. After 5 days of incubation, these hoses were challenged with various chemical disinfectants including hydrogen peroxide, colloidal silver, and buffered pH solutions to determine the ability of the disinfectants to decrease and maintain bacterial concentrations below ISS specifications. Disinfection efficacy over time was measured by collecting daily heterotrophic plate counts following exposure to the disinfectants. A single flush with either 6% hydrogen peroxide solution or a mixture of 3% hydrogen peroxide and 400 ppb colloidal silver effectively reduced the bacterial concentrations to less than 1 CFU/ml for a period of up to 2 months. Testing results indicated that hydrogen peroxide and mixtures of hydrogen peroxide and colloidal silver have tremendous potential as alternative disinfectants for ISS water systems.

  13. A Simulated Learning Environment for Teaching Medicine Dispensing Skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDowell, Jenny; Styles, Kim; Sewell, Keith; Trinder, Peta; Marriott, Jennifer; Maher, Sheryl; Naidu, Som

    2016-02-25

    To develop an authentic simulation of the professional practice dispensary context for students to develop their dispensing skills in a risk-free environment. A development team used an Agile software development method to create MyDispense, a web-based simulation. Modeled on virtual learning environments elements, the software employed widely available standards-based technologies to create a virtual community pharmacy environment. Assessment. First-year pharmacy students who used the software in their tutorials, were, at the end of the second semester, surveyed on their prior dispensing experience and their perceptions of MyDispense as a tool to learn dispensing skills. The dispensary simulation is an effective tool for helping students develop dispensing competency and knowledge in a safe environment.

  14. A frequency conversion mode for dispenser in the service station based on flow rate signal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Y J; Tang, D; Huang, J B; Liu, J; Jia, P F

    2012-01-01

    Dispenser is an integrated fuel transport and measurement system at the service station. In this paper, we developed a frequency conversion mode for the dispenser, based on the flow rate signal which is obtained from the converter measuring flow capacity. After introducing the frequency conversion mode to dispenser, we obtained that pump rotates at a high speed when fuelled with high flow rate, and it rotates at a low speed when fuelled with low flow rate. This makes the fuel dispenser more energy-efficient and controllable. We also did some valve optimizations on the dispenser and developed a new control mode for preset refuelling based on the frequency conversion mode, Experimental and theoretical studies have shown that the new dispenser not only can meet the national standards, but also performs better than the ordinary one especially in preset refuelling.

  15. Evaluating the Impact of Drug Dispensing Systems on the Safety and Efficiency in a Singapore Outpatient Pharmacy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Ong Yong Sheng

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: Automation of pharmacy workflow can reduce medication errors as well as improve efficiency of the medication picking, packing and labeling process. Since September 2012, two drug dispensing systems (DDS began operations in the Singapore General Hospital Specialist Outpatient Clinic Pharmacy. This study sought to evaluate the impact of the DDS on safety and efficiency in the pharmacy. Methods: The primary outcome was the rate of prevented dispensing incidents contributed by DDS or manual picking of medications defined as the number of prevented dispensing incidents per 1000 medications picked. The secondary outcome was the productivity of each full time equivalent (FTE when assigned to either the DDS or manual picking stations. Data pertaining to the primary and secondary outcomes between January and December 2013 were collected and analyzed. The rate of prevented dispensing incidents was expressed in median (interquartile range and compared using Mann-Whitney U test. Other continuous variables were expressed in mean ± standard deviation and compared using independent samples t-test. Results: An average of 59494 medications was picked every month in the pharmacy. DDS accounted for 21.1 percent while manual picking accounted for 78.9 percent of all the medications picked. The median rate of prevented dispensing incidents per month committed by manual picking (2.73 was significantly higher than the DDS (0.00. DDS had greater productivity with each FTE in the DDS having an average of 6175 picks per month which was significantly higher than each FTE in the manual picking stations which had an average of 4867 picks per month. Conclusion: Installation of DDS in an outpatient pharmacy improved safety of the pharmacy workflow by automating the medication picking, packing and labeling process and minimizing human errors. Efficiency of the medication picking, packing and labeling process was also improved by the DDS as there were continuous

  16. Systems and methods for laser assisted sample transfer to solution for chemical analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Berkel, Gary J; Kertesz, Vilmos; Ovchinnikova, Olga S

    2013-08-27

    Systems and methods are described for laser ablation of an analyte from a specimen and capturing of the analyte in a dispensed solvent to form a testing solution. A solvent dispensing and extraction system can form a liquid microjunction with the specimen. The solvent dispensing and extraction system can include a surface sampling probe. The laser beam can be directed through the surface sampling probe. The surface sampling probe can also serve as an atomic force microscopy probe. The surface sampling probe can form a seal with the specimen. The testing solution including the analyte can then be analyzed using an analytical instrument or undergo further processing.

  17. 21 CFR 872.3080 - Mercury and alloy dispenser.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Mercury and alloy dispenser. 872.3080 Section 872...) MEDICAL DEVICES DENTAL DEVICES Prosthetic Devices § 872.3080 Mercury and alloy dispenser. (a) Identification. A mercury and alloy dispenser is a device with a spring-activated valve intended to measure and...

  18. Operating experience of an automated TLD dispensing system at CORAL facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ajoy, K.C.; Dhanasekaran, A.; Arun, R.; Yuvaraj, N.; Karthikeyan, D.; Dheeraj, R.; Akila, R.; Santhanam, R.; Rajagopal, V.; Kumar, Amudhu Ramesh

    2016-01-01

    Monitoring of exposures to occupational workers on individual basis is a regulatory requirement to demonstrate compliance that the dose to the workers is well within the dose limit. Over three decades for monitoring of external exposures, CaSO 4 based Thermo luminescence dosimeters (TLDs), which exhibit the required accuracy, reliability and ruggedness have been employed. TLD cards with unique identification number are loaded in plastic cassettes along with photographs are placed in wooden racks at the entry of the controlled area of the plant. However, there is always a chance that a TLD may be misplaced, used by others or there could be a deliberate act of misuse or abuse. To circumvent this it was decided to install an automated TLD dispensing system with individual TLD tracking as well as locking arrangement. CORAL reprocessing facility at IGCAR was the first to install one such system at Kalpakkam and the operating experience of the system for the last two years is brought out in this paper

  19. Nanoliter Centrifugal Liquid Dispenser Coupled with Superhydrophobic Microwell Array Chips for High-Throughput Cell Assays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuyi Wang

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Microfluidic systems have been regarded as a potential platform for high-throughput screening technology in drug discovery due to their low sample consumption, high integration, and easy operation. The handling of small-volume liquid is an essential operation in microfluidic systems, especially in investigating large-scale combination conditions. Here, we develop a nanoliter centrifugal liquid dispenser (NanoCLD coupled with superhydrophobic microwell array chips for high-throughput cell-based assays in the nanoliter scale. The NanoCLD consists of a plastic stock block with an array of drilled through holes, a reagent microwell array chip (reagent chip, and an alignment bottom assembled together in a fixture. A simple centrifugation at 800 rpm can dispense ~160 nL reagents into microwells in 5 min. The dispensed reagents are then delivered to cells by sandwiching the reagent chip upside down with another microwell array chip (cell chip on which cells are cultured. A gradient of doxorubicin is then dispensed to the cell chip using the NanoCLD for validating the feasibility of performing drug tests on our microchip platform. This novel nanoliter-volume liquid dispensing method is simple, easy to operate, and especially suitable for repeatedly dispensing many different reagents simultaneously to microwells.

  20. Effective reprocessing of reusable dispensers for surface disinfection tissues – the devil is in the details

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kampf, Günter; Degenhardt, Stina; Lackner, Sibylle; Ostermeyer, Christiane

    2014-01-01

    Background: It has recently been reported that reusable dispensers for surface disinfection tissues may be contaminated, especially with adapted Achromobacter species 3, when products based on surface-active ingredients are used. Fresh solution may quickly become recontaminated if dispensers are not processed adequately. Methods: We evaluated the abilities of six manual and three automatic processes for processing contaminated dispensers to prevent recolonisation of a freshly-prepared disinfectant solution (Mikrobac forte 0.5%). Dispensers were left at room temperature for 28 days. Samples of the disinfectant solution were taken every 7 days and assessed quantitatively for bacterial contamination. Results: All automatic procedures prevented recolonisation of the disinfectant solution when a temperature of 60–70°C was ensured for at least 5 min, with or without the addition of chemical cleaning agents. Manual procedures prevented recontamination of the disinfectant solution when rinsing with hot water or a thorough cleaning step was performed before treating all surfaces with an alcohol-based disinfectant or an oxygen-releaser. Other cleaning and disinfection procedures, including the use of an alcohol-based disinfectant, did not prevent recolonisation. Conclusions: These results indicate that not all processes are effective for processing reusable dispensers for surface-disinfectant tissues, and that a high temperature during the cleaning step or use of a biofilm-active cleaning agent are essential. PMID:24653973

  1. Effective reprocessing of reusable dispensers for surface disinfection tissues – the devil is in the details

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kampf, Günter

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available [english] Background: It has recently been reported that reusable dispensers for surface disinfection tissues may be contaminated, especially with adapted , when products based on surface-active ingredients are used. Fresh solution may quickly become recontaminated if dispensers are not processed adequately. Methods: We evaluated the abilities of six manual and three automatic processes for processing contaminated dispensers to prevent recolonisation of a freshly-prepared disinfectant solution (Mikrobac forte 0.5%. Dispensers were left at room temperature for 28 days. Samples of the disinfectant solution were taken every 7 days and assessed quantitatively for bacterial contamination. Results: All automatic procedures prevented recolonisation of the disinfectant solution when a temperature of 60–70°C was ensured for at least 5 min, with or without the addition of chemical cleaning agents. Manual procedures prevented recontamination of the disinfectant solution when rinsing with hot water or a thorough cleaning step was performed before treating all surfaces with an alcohol-based disinfectant or an oxygen-releaser. Other cleaning and disinfection procedures, including the use of an alcohol-based disinfectant, did not prevent recolonisation.Conclusions: These results indicate that not all processes are effective for processing reusable dispensers for surface-disinfectant tissues, and that a high temperature during the cleaning step or use of a biofilm-active cleaning agent are essential.

  2. A model for drug dispensing service based on the care process in the Brazilian health system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciano Soares

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Access to medication emphasizes the availability of the product at the expense of providing a service. The goal of this paper is to propose a theoretical model for a drug dispensing service, beginning with a reflection on the current realities of the Unified Health System and drug dispensation in Brazil. A conceptual analytical research made by a methodological course called disciplined imagination was mainly the approach applied to develop the model. The drug dispensing service is part of the care process, which considers access as an attribute; reception, connection and accountability, management, and clinical pharmaceutical aspects as components; and the rational use of drugs as the purpose. The proposed model addresses access to the dispensing service and demands a reorientation of routines, instruments, and practices.O acesso a medicamentos enfatiza a disponibilidade do produto em detrimento da provisão de um serviço. O objetivo deste trabalho é propor um modelo teórico para um serviço de dispensação de medicamentos, iniciando com uma reflexão sobre a realidade atual do Sistema Único de Saúde e a dispensação de medicamentos no Brasil. Uma pesquisa analítica conceitual realizada por meio de um percurso metodológico chamado de imaginação disciplinada constituiu a estratégia principal para o desenvolvimento do modelo. O serviço de dispensação é parte do processo de cuidado, o qual considera o acesso como um atributo; os aspectos acolhimento, vínculo e responsabilização, gestão e clínica farmacêutica como componentes e o uso racional de medicamentos como o propósito. O modelo proposto direciona o acesso para o serviço de dispensação e demanda a reorientação de rotinas, instrumentos e práticas.

  3. Antimalarial Drugs for Pediatrics - Prescribing and Dispensing ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Purpose: To assess dispensing and prescribing practices with regard to antimalarial drugs for pediatrics in private pharmacies and public hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study that assessed the knowledge and practice of 200 drug dispensers in the private community ...

  4. 14 CFR 137.39 - Economic poison dispensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Economic poison dispensing. 137.39 Section... AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS Operating Rules § 137.39 Economic poison dispensing. (a) Except as provided in... economic poison that is registered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Federal Insecticide...

  5. Analysis of costs to dispense prescriptions in independently owned, closed-door long-term care pharmacies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carroll, Norman V; Rupp, Michael T; Holdford, David A

    2014-03-01

    developed to examine the impact of shorter dispensing cycles on LTC pharmacies' CTD. A prescription volume increase of 19% was assumed based on converting only solid oral branded drugs to short-cycle dispensing. A diverse sample of 64 closed-door LTC pharmacies returned usable surveys. Sales from dispensing to LTC facilities accounted for more than 98% of total sales. Respondents indicated that they currently dispensed 23% of total doses in 14-day-or-less cycles and 76% in 28-31 day cycles. Most pharmacies used automated medication packaging technology, heat and cold package sealers, bar code systems, sterile compounding hoods, LTC printers or labelers, and electronic prescribing. The median CTD was $13.54 with an interquartile range (25th to 75th percentiles) of $10.51 to $17.66. More than half of dispensing-related costs were from personnel expense, of which pharmacists and managers accounted for more than 40%. The results of the fixed and variable cost modeling suggested that converting solid oral brand-name drugs from 30-day to 14-day dispensing cycles would lower the median per prescription CTD to between $11.63 and $12.54, depending on the assumptions made about the effects of semivariable costs. However, this decrease in per prescription dispensing cost is dwarfed by an increase in total dispensing cost incurred by pharmacies that results from doubling the monthly volume of short-cycle prescriptions that must be dispensed. The result is that the typical LTC pharmacy in our sample incurred a CTD of $13.54 if the medication is dispensed in a 30-day cycle or $23.26 if the medication is dispensed in two 14-day cycles (at a cost of $11.63 for each cycle dispensed). Our results indicated a median CTD of $13.54 for the typical independently owned, closed-door LTC pharmacy. Moving to a shorter cycle would reduce pharmacies' average per-prescription CTD but would increase the number of prescriptions dispensed per month. Our results indicated that transitioning solid oral

  6. Digital Imaging and Piezo-dispenser Actuator in Automatic Flocculation Control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jani TOMPERI

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This study presents an image-based on-line control system for a coiled pipe flocculator. A digital imaging technique developed previously is utilized to measure the characteristic floc size and a high-pressure piezo-dispenser is introduced for accurate dosing and rapid mixing of the flocculant. The controller is a conventional PI controller. Step change experiments on feed water quality, flow rate and desired floc size have been carried out for controller tuning and testing. The paper shows that the piezo-dispenser provides better flocculation results than a conventional dosing pump, and the flocculation result can be automatically controlled even when the feed water quality rapidly changes. The proposed flocculator is a simple, inexpensive and practical system for long-term laboratory tests to investigate the functionality of flocculants on varying feed waters.

  7. Trends in radiopharmaceutical dispensing in a regional nuclear pharmacy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Basmadjian, G.P.; Johnston, J.; Barker, K.; Ice, R.D.

    1982-01-01

    Dispensing trends for radiopharmaceuticals at a regional nuclear pharmacy over a 51-month period were studied. dispensing records of a regional nuclear pharmacy were analyzed with a forecasting procedure that uses univariate time data to produce time trends and autoregressive models. The overall number of prescriptions increased from 3500 to 5500 per quarter. Radiopharmaceuticals used in nuclear cardiology studies increased from less than 0.1% to 17.5% of total prescriptions dispensed, while radiopharmaceuticals used for brain imaging showed a steady decline from 29% to 11% of total prescriptions dispensed. The demand for other radiopharmaceuticals increased in areas such as renal studies, bone studies, lung studies, liver-function studies, and 67 Ga tumor-uptake studies, and declined slightly for static liver studies. Changes in dispensing trends for radiopharmaceuticals will continue as the practice of nuclear medicine concentrates more on functional studies and as newer imaging techniques become used for other purposes

  8. 46 CFR 105.90-1 - Existing commercial fishing vessels dispensing petroleum products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Existing commercial fishing vessels dispensing petroleum... AND MISCELLANEOUS VESSELS COMMERCIAL FISHING VESSELS DISPENSING PETROLEUM PRODUCTS Existing Commercial Fishing Vessels Dispensing Petroleum Products § 105.90-1 Existing commercial fishing vessels dispensing...

  9. 46 CFR 105.45-1 - Loading or dispensing petroleum products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Loading or dispensing petroleum products. 105.45-1... VESSELS COMMERCIAL FISHING VESSELS DISPENSING PETROLEUM PRODUCTS Special Operating Requirements § 105.45-1 Loading or dispensing petroleum products. (a) A commercial fishing vessel must have aboard a letter of...

  10. Exceptional circumstance drug dispensing: history and expenditures of the Brazilian Ministry of Health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carias, Claudia Mezleveckas; Vieira, Fabíola Sulpino; Giordano, Carlos V; Zucchi, Paola

    2011-04-01

    To describe the technical aspects of the Exceptional Circumstance Drug Dispensing Program of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, especially with respect to the cost of dispensed medication. Technical information was obtained from the ordinances that regulate the Program. Expenditure from 2000 to 2007 was obtained from the Sistema Único de Saúde's (Unified Healthcare System) Outpatient Information System. All drugs dispensed between 1993 and 2009 and the amount and cost of each procedure were evaluated, based on information from the high-complexity procedure authorization of each of the country's states. The Program changed with the increase in the number of pharmacological agents and presentations distributed by, and the number of diseases contemplated in the program. In 1993, the program distributed 15 pharmacological agents in 31 distinct presentations. This number increased to 109 agents in 243 presentations in 2009. Total Ministry of Health expenditure with medications was R$1,410,181,600.74 in 2007, almost twice the amount spent in 2000, R$684,975,404.43. Diseases whose expenditure increased in the period included chronic renal insufficiency, transplantation, and hepatitis C. The Exceptional Circumstance Drug Dispensing Program is in constant transformation, aimed at building instruments and strategies that can ensure and expand access to medication among the population. Alternatives should be sought to decrease the financial impact of the Program to a level that does not impact other sectors of the health care system, given the high cost associated with novel interventions.

  11. Dispensing of non-prescribed antibiotics in Jordan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Almaaytah A

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Ammar Almaaytah,1 Tareq L Mukattash,2 Julia Hajaj2 1Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, 2Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan Objective: Current regulations in Jordan state that antibiotics cannot be sold without a medical prescription. This study aimed to assess the percentage of pharmacies that dispense antibiotics without a medical prescription in the Kingdom of Jordan and identify and highlight the extent and seriousness of such practices among Jordanian pharmacies. Methods: A prospective study was performed, and five different clinical scenarios were simulated at pharmacies investigated including sore throat, otitis media, acute sinusitis, diarrhea, and urinary tract infection in childbearing-aged women. Three levels of demand were used to convince the pharmacists to sell an antibiotic. Results: A total of 202 total pharmacies in Jordan were visited in the present study. The majority of pharmacies (74.3% dispensed antibiotics without prescription with three different levels of demand. The percentage of pharmacies dispensing antibiotics without a prescription for the sore throat scenario was 97.6%, followed by urinary tract infection (83.3%, diarrhea (83%, and otitis media (68.4%. The lowest percentage of antibiotic dispensing was for the acute sinusitis simulation at 48.5%. Among the pharmacies that dispensed antibiotics, the pharmacists provided an explanation as the number of times per day the drug should be taken in 95.3% of the cases, explained the duration of treatment in 25.7%, and inquired about allergies prior to the sale of the antibiotic in only 17.3%. Only 52 pharmacies (25.7% refused to dispense any kind of antibiotics, the majority (61.5% of this refusal response came from acute sinusitis cases, while the minority (2.4% came from the sore throat cases. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate that antibiotics continue to be dispensed

  12. The K-1 Active Dispenser for Orbit Transfer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, G.; Cochran, D.; Curtis, R.

    2002-01-01

    Kistler Aerospace Corporation is building the K-1, the world's first fully reusable launch vehicle. The two-stage K- 1 is designed primarily to service the market for low-earth orbit (LEO) missions, due to Kistler's need to recover both stages. For customers requiring payload delivery to high-energy orbits, Kistler can outfit the payload with a K- 1 Active Dispenser (an expendable third stage). The K-1 second stage will deploy the Active Dispenser mated with its payload into a 200 km circular LEO parking orbit. From this orbit, the Active Dispenser would use its own propulsion to place its payload into the final desired drop-off orbit or earth-escape trajectory. This approach allows Kistler to combine the low-cost launch services offered by the reusable two-stage K-1 with the versatility of a restartable, expendable upper stage. Enhanced with an Active Dispenser, the K-1 will be capable of delivering 1,500 kg to a geosynchronous transfer orbit or up to approximately 1,000 kg into a Mars rendezvous trajectory. The list price of a K-1 Active Dispenser launch is 25 million (plus the price of mission unique integration services) significantly less than the price of any launch vehicle service in the world with comparable capability.

  13. Dispenser printed electroluminescent lamps on textiles for smart fabric applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Vos, Marc; Torah, Russel; Tudor, John

    2016-04-01

    Flexible electroluminescent (EL) lamps are fabricated onto woven textiles using a novel dispenser printing process. Dispenser printing utilizes pressurized air to deposit ink onto a substrate through a syringe and nozzle. This work demonstrates the first use of this technology to fabricate EL lamps. The luminance of the dispenser printed EL lamps is compared to screen-printed EL lamps, both printed on textile, and also commercial EL lamps on polyurethane film. The dispenser printed lamps are shown to have a 1.5 times higher luminance than the best performing commercially available lamp, and have a comparable performance to the screen-printed lamps.

  14. Dispenser printed electroluminescent lamps on textiles for smart fabric applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Vos, Marc; Torah, Russel; Tudor, John

    2016-01-01

    Flexible electroluminescent (EL) lamps are fabricated onto woven textiles using a novel dispenser printing process. Dispenser printing utilizes pressurized air to deposit ink onto a substrate through a syringe and nozzle. This work demonstrates the first use of this technology to fabricate EL lamps. The luminance of the dispenser printed EL lamps is compared to screen-printed EL lamps, both printed on textile, and also commercial EL lamps on polyurethane film. The dispenser printed lamps are shown to have a 1.5 times higher luminance than the best performing commercially available lamp, and have a comparable performance to the screen-printed lamps. (paper)

  15. Dispensing of vitamin products by retail pharmacies in South Africa ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ilse Truter

    Survey) years.7 About 39% of US residents have used at least one multivitamin and ... The ATC Classification system is recommended by the. World Health ... Females in the 30 to 39-year age group were dispensed 21.95% of products ...

  16. Impact assessment of an automated drug-dispensing system in a tertiary hospital

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Débora de-Carvalho

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the costs and patient safety of a pilot implementation of an automated dispensing cabinet in a critical care unit of a private tertiary hospital in São Paulo/Brazil. METHODS: This study considered pre- (January-August 2013 and post- (October 2013-October 2014 intervention periods. We considered the time and cost of personnel, number of adverse events, audit adjustments to patient bills, and urgent requests and returns of medications to the central pharmacy. Costs were evaluated based on a 5-year analytical horizon and are reported in Brazilian Reals (R$ and US dollars (USD. RESULTS: The observed decrease in the mean number of events reported with regard to the automated drug-dispensing system between pre- and post-implementation periods was not significant. Importantly, the numbers are small, which limits the power of the mean comparative analysis between the two periods. A reduction in work time was observed among the nurses and administrative assistants, whereas pharmacist assistants showed an increased work load that resulted in an overall 6.5 hours of work saved/day and a reduction of R$ 33,598 (USD 14,444 during the first year. The initial investment (R$ 206,065; USD 88,592 would have been paid off in 5 years considering only personnel savings. Other findings included significant reductions of audit adjustments to patient hospital bills and urgent requests and returns of medications to the central pharmacy. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence of the positive impact of this technology on personnel time and costs and on other outcomes of interest is important for decision making by health managers.

  17. A simple low-cost of liquid I-131 dispenser for routine radiopharmaceutical dispensing at nuclear medicine department, Institut Kanser Negara

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Said, M. A.; Suhaimi, N. E. F. [Fakulti Sains dan Teknologi, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM, Bangi Selangor (Malaysia); Ashhar, Z. N., E-mail: aminhpj@gmail.com [Institut Kanser Negara, No 4, Jalan P7, Presint 7, 62250 Putrajaya (Malaysia); Zainon, R. [Advanced Medical & Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Bertam, 13200, Kepala Batas, Pulau Pinang (Malaysia)

    2016-01-22

    In routine radiopharmaceutical Iodine-131 ({sup 131}I) dispensing, the amount of radiation dose received by the personnel depends on the distance between the personnel and the source, the time spent manipulating the source and the amount of shielding used to reduce the dose rate from the source. The novel iRAD-I131 dispenser using recycle {sup 131}I liquid lead pot will lead into low cost production, less maintenance and low dose received by the personnel that prepared the {sup 131}I. The new fabricated of low cost {sup 131}I dispenser was tested and the dose received by personnel were evaluated. The body of lead material is made from 2.5 cm lead shielded coated with epoxy paint to absorb the radiation dose up to 7.4 GBq of {sup 131} I. The lead pot was supported with two stainless steel rod. The Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) nanodot was used in this study to measure the dose rate at both extremities for every personnel who prepared the {sup 131}I. Each OSL nanodot was attached at the fingertip. Three different personnel (experienced between one to ten years above in preparing the radiopharmaceuticals) were participated in this study. The average equivalent dose at right and left hand were 122.694 ± 121.637 µSv/GBq and 77.281 ± 62.146 µSv/GBq respectively. This study found that the dose exposure received using iRAD-I131 was less up to seven times compared to the conventional method. The comparison of experimental data using iRAD-I131 and established radiopharmaceutical dispenser was also discussed. The innovation of {sup 131}I dispenser is highly recommended in a small radiopharmaceutical facility with limited budget. The novel iRAD-I131 enables implementation of higher output liquid dispensing with low radiation dose to the personnel.

  18. 46 CFR 105.05-1 - Commercial fishing vessels dispensing petroleum products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Commercial fishing vessels dispensing petroleum products... MISCELLANEOUS VESSELS COMMERCIAL FISHING VESSELS DISPENSING PETROLEUM PRODUCTS Application § 105.05-1 Commercial fishing vessels dispensing petroleum products. (a) The provisions of this part, with the exception of...

  19. Energy-efficiency potential of water dispensers; Energieeffizienzpotenzial bei Wasser-Dispensern

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grieder, T.

    2003-07-01

    This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy presents the results of study carried out to assess the energy-savings potential available in the operation of water dispensers often found in banks, stores and offices. The energy consumption of three types of dispenser is examined and compared with American 'EnergyStar'-guidelines. The results of measurements made for day and night-time operation are presented and the energy-savings potentials offered by more appropriate operating scenarios are discussed. Recommendations are made to all parties involved, from the dispenser's manufacturer, water-supplier and service organisation through to the end user. For each category, a catalogue of measures that can be taken is presented, including modifications to the dispensers themselves and the installation of timers. Also, the energy consumption of dispensers is compared with that of using traditional mineral water bottles and a small conventional refrigerator.

  20. Slow Release of Plant Volatiles Using Sol-Gel Dispensers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bian, L; Sun, X L; Cai, X M; Chen, Z M

    2014-12-01

    The black citrus aphid, also known as the tea aphid, (Toxoptera aurantii Boyer) attacks economically important crops, including tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze). In the current study, silica sol-gel formulations were screened to find one that could carry and release C. sinensis plant volatiles to lure black citrus aphids in a greenhouse. The common plant volatile trans-2-hexen-1-al was used as a model molecule to screen for suitable sol-gel formulations. A zNose (Electronic Sensor Technology, Newbury Park, CA) transportable gas chromatograph was used to continuously monitor the volatile emissions. A sol-gel formulation containing tetramethyl orthosilicate and methyltrimethoxysilane in an 8:2 (vol:vol) ratio was selected to develop a slow-release dispenser. The half-life of trans-2-hexen-1-al in the sol-gel dispenser increased slightly with the volume of this compound in the dispenser. Ten different volatiles were tested in the sol-gel dispenser. Alcohols of 6-10 carbons had the longest half-lives (3.01-3.77 d), while esters of 6-12 carbons had the shortest (1.53-2.28 d). Release of these volatiles from the dispensers could not be detected by the zNose after 16 d (cis-3-hexenyl acetate) to 26 d (3,7-dimethylocta-1,6-dien-3-ol). In greenhouse experiments, trans-2-hexen-1-al and cis-3-hexen-1-ol released from the sol-gel dispensers attracted aphids for ≍17 d, and release of these volatiles could not be detected by the zNose after ≍24 d. The sol-gel dispensers performed adequately for the slow release of plant volatiles to trap aphids in the greenhouse. © 2014 Entomological Society of America.

  1. Identification of risks associated with the prescribing and dispensing of oral anticancer medicines in Ireland.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Hammond, Lisa

    2012-09-09

    Background Oral anticancer medicines (OAM) facilitate transfer of cancer care into the community, where safeguards developed in hospitals that control their prescribing, dispensing and administration may not exist. Objective To determine if the systems of prescribing and dispensing OAM in Ireland facilitate clinical verification of the prescription, thereby ensuring treatment is tailored and appropriate for the patient. Setting Randomly selected community pharmacies in Ireland and all Irish hospitals with cancer services. Method A questionnaire was sent to a random selection of Irish community pharmacists. A different questionnaire was sent to all Irish hospitals treating cancer patients. One hundred OAM prescriptions were retrospectively reviewed, to assess the information presented and the potential barriers to a community pharmacist performing a clinical verification of the prescription. Main outcome measure Community pharmacist survey: problems experienced when dispensing OAM and risk factors identified with the current system. Hospital pharmacist survey: proportion of hospitals that clinically verify prescriptions for parenteral versus oral anticancer medicines and associated policies. OAM prescription review: proportion of OAM prescriptions that contained sufficient information for a community pharmacist to clinically verify the prescription and safely dispense the medication. Results Sixty-four percent of community pharmacist respondents felt they did not have enough information available to them to safely dispense these prescriptions, and 74 % felt that patients are at risk with the current Irish system of prescribing and dispensing OAM. Irish hospitals do not have systems to ensure that all OAM prescriptions are clinically verified by a pharmacist. Seventeen different agents were prescribed on the prescriptions reviewed. The information provided to the community pharmacist would have allowed them to clinically verify 7 % of the OAM prescriptions

  2. The fabrication of front electrodes of Si solar cell by dispensing printing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Do-Hyung; Ryu, Sung-Soo; Shin, Dongwook; Shin, Jung-Han; Jeong, Jwa-Jin; Kim, Hyeong-Jun; Chang, Hyo Sik

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We propose the process for the front silver electrode by employing dispensing method. ► The dispensing method is a non-contact printing process. ► The electrode by dispensing method has more uniform and narrower shape. ► The dispensing method helped to enhance the efficiency of solar cell by 0.8% absolute. - Abstract: The dispensing printing was applied to fabricate the front electrodes of silicon solar cell. In this method, a micro channel nozzle and normal Ag paste were employed. The aspect ratio and line width of electrodes could be controlled by the process variables such as the inner diameter of nozzle, dispensing speed, discharge pressure, and the gap between wafer and nozzle. For the nozzle with the inner diameter of 50 μm, the line width and aspect ratio of electrode were under 90 μm and more than ∼0.2, respectively. When comparing the efficiency of solar cell prepared by conventional screen printing and the dispensing printing, the latter exhibited 19.1%, which is 0.8% absolute higher than the former even with the same Ag paste. This is because the electrode by dispensing printing has uniform aspect ratio and narrow line width over the length of electrode.

  3. Design of a new non-sterile glove-dispensing unit to reduce touch-based contamination

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer R Amos

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Background Despite best efforts by healthcare providers to sterilise their hands through hand washing prior to touching medical equipment and patients, bacteria are still present and can be spread through physical contact. We aimed to reduce the spread of touch-induced and airborne bacteria and virus spreading by using a touch-free glove-dispensing system that minimally exposes gloves in the box to air. Method The team met multiple times to undertake early prototyping and present ideas for the design. We experimented with folding gloves in varying patterns, similar to facial tissue-dispensing boxes, and tried several methods of opening/closing the glove box to determine the most effective way to access gloves with the least amount of physical contact. We considered the user experience and obtained user feedback after each design iteration. Results Ultimately, we decided on a vertically oriented box with optional holes for dispensing a glove on the side of the box or on the bottom by means of the pull-down drawer mechanism. This system will dispense a single glove at a time to the user with the option of using a pull-down drawer trigger to decrease the likelihood of physical contact with unused gloves. Both methods dispense a single glove. Conclusion: By reducing physical contact between the healthcare practitioner and the gloves, we are potentially reducing the spread of bacteria. This glove box design ensures that gloves are not exposed to the air in the clinic or hospital setting, thereby further reducing spread of airborne germs. This could assist in decreasing the risk of nosocomial infections in healthcare settings.

  4. ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in hospital settings: dispensing and administration--2011.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pedersen, Craig A; Schneider, Philip J; Scheckelhoff, Douglas J

    2012-05-01

    Results of the 2011 ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in hospital settings that pertain to dispensing and administration are presented. A stratified random sample of pharmacy directors at 1401 general and children's medical-surgical hospitals in the United States were surveyed by mail. In this national probability sample survey, the response rate was 40.1%. Decentralization of the medication-use system continues, with 40% of hospitals using a decentralized system and 58% of hospitals planning to use a decentralized model in the future. Automated dispensing cabinets were used by 89% of hospitals, robots were used by 11%, carousels were used in 18%, and machine-readable coding was used in 34% of hospitals to verify doses before dispensing. Overall, 65% of hospitals had a United States Pharmacopeia chapter 797 compliant cleanroom for compounding sterile preparations. Medication administration records (MARs) have become increasingly computerized, with 67% of hospitals using electronic MARs. Bar-code-assisted medication administration was used in 50% of hospitals, and 68% of hospitals had smart infusion pumps. Health information is becoming more electronic, with 67% of hospitals having partially or completely implemented an electronic health record and 34% of hospitals having computerized prescriber order entry. The use of these technologies has substantially increased over the past year. The average number of full-time equivalent staff per 100 occupied beds averaged 17.5 for pharmacists and 15.0 for technicians. Directors of pharmacy reported declining vacancy rates for pharmacists. Pharmacists continue to improve medication use at the dispensing and administration steps of the medication-use system. The adoption of new technology is changing the philosophy of medication distribution, and health information is rapidly becoming electronic.

  5. A new protocol for evaluating the efficacy of some dispensing systems of a packaging in the microbial protection of water-based preservative-free cosmetic products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Devlieghere, F; De Loy-Hendrickx, A; Rademaker, M; Pipelers, P; Crozier, A; De Baets, B; Joly, L; Keromen, S

    2015-12-01

    A new protocol is described for assessing the efficacy of the dispenser of some packaging systems (PSs) of preservative-free cosmetic products in protecting both their contained formula and their delivered doses. Practically, aiming at mimicking contacts with a non-sterile skin or fingers, the dispensing system is put into contact with a pre-contaminated fabric by a standardized colonization of P. aeruginosa. When applied to three different types of packaging, results show clear differences in both criteria between these conditioning articles, that is variable efficacies in protecting the contained product and the delivered doses, knowing that the first aspect is of paramount importance. The proposed protocol is proved being able to discriminate between different PSs and provides information on strong and weak features of certain types dispensing technologies prone to efficiently decrease either the dose contamination or to prevent contamination in reaching the contained product. Therefore, the proposed protocol can contribute to an objective selection of a PS for protecting a cosmetic care product with a low content of preservative or preservative free. © 2015 Society of Cosmetic Scientists and the Société Française de Cosmétologie.

  6. Anthelmintic drug dispensing in South Africa: An analysis of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    More than two billion people worldwide are infected with helminths. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the dispensing patterns of anthelmintic products using dispensing data of South African community pharmacies. A retrospective, cross-sectional drug utilisation study was conducted on a 2013 community ...

  7. Impact of Robotic Dispensing Machines in German Pharmacies on ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    To assess the impact of robotic dispensing machines in community pharmacies on staff efficiency and sales of over-the-counter drugs. Setting: The study was done on 253 community pharmacies in Germany that use a robotic dispensing machine manufactured by ROWA during 2008. Method: Data concerning the financial ...

  8. Influence of container structures and content solutions on dispensing time of ophthalmic solutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keiji Yoshikawa

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Keiji Yoshikawa1, Hiroshi Yamada21Yoshikawa Eye Clinic, Tokyo, Japan; 2Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Osaka, JapanPurpose: To investigate the influence of container structures and content solutions on the time of dispensing from eye dropper bottles.Methods: Eye dropper bottle models, solution models (filtrate water/surfactant solution and a dispensing time measuring apparatus were prepared to measure the dispensing time.Results: With filtrate water and pressure thrust load of 0.3 MPa, the dispensing time significantly increased from 1.1 ± 0.5 seconds to 4.6 ± 1.1 seconds depending on the decrease of inner aperture diameters from 0.4 mm to 0.2 mm (P < 0.0001. When using the bottle models with inner aperture diameters of 0.4 mm or larger, the dispensing time became constant. The dispensing time using surfactant solution showed the same tendency as above. When pressure thrust load was large (0.07 MPa, the solution flew out continuously with inner aperture diameters of 0.4 mm or larger and the dispensing time could not be measured. The inner aperture diameter most strongly explained the variation of the dispensing time in both the content solutions in the multiple linear regression analysis (filtrate water: 46%, R2 = 0.462, surfactant solution: 56%, R2 = 0.563.Conclusions: Among content solutions and container structures, the dispensing time was mostly influenced by the diameter of the inner aperture of bottles.Keywords: dispensing time, model eye dropper bottle, model ophthalmic solution, nozzle internal space volume, nozzle inner aperture diameter

  9. Regulations, Codes, and Standards (RCS) Template for California Hydrogen Dispensing Stations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rivkin, C.; Blake, C.; Burgess, R.; Buttner, W.; Post, M.

    2012-11-01

    This report explains the Regulations, Codes, and Standards (RCS) requirements for hydrogen dispensing stations in the State of California. The reports shows the basic components of a hydrogen dispensing station in a simple schematic drawing; the permits and approvals that would typically be required for the construction and operation of a hydrogen dispensing station; and a basic permit that might be employed by an Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).

  10. Steam sterilization and automatic dispensing of [18F]fludeoxyglucose (FDG) for injection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karwath, Pascal; Sartor, Johannes; Gries, Wolfgang; Wodarski, Christine; Dittmar, Claus; Biersack, Hans J.; Guhlke, Stefan

    2005-01-01

    For the purpose of implementing steam sterilization of 2-[ 18 F]FDG (FDG) in the final container into routine production, we have validated and established a fully automated dispensing and sterilization system, thereby considerably reducing the radiation burden to the personnel. Methods: The commercially available system combines aseptic dispensing of the product solution under a miniaturized laminar flow unit with subsequent steam sterilization, realized by heating of the product in the final containers by an autoclave included in the dispensing unit, thus incorporating current pharmaceutical manufacturing standards for the production of parental radiopharmaceuticals. The efficiency of the used sterilization cycle, the stability of FDG under the conditions of sterilization and the stability of the final product towards radiolysis was investigated with respect to various pH-formulations. Results: The system was found to be fully valid for filling of vials in a laminar flow class A (US-class 100) environment and for sterilization of FDG in the final container. The pH for sterilizing FDG solutions must be slightly acidic to avoid decomposition. A pH of 5.5 appears to be optimal and gives FDG of very high radiochemical purity (∼99%). In addition, radiolysis of FDG in solutions of high activity concentration was significantly lower at pH 5.5 than at neutral pH. Conclusion: Terminal sterilization enables the production of FDG in full compliance with GMP-regulations even in Class C or D (US class 10,000 or 100,000) laboratories

  11. Hand sanitizer dispensers and associated hospital-acquired infections: friend or fomite?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eiref, Simon D; Leitman, I Michael; Riley, William

    2012-06-01

    Waterless alcohol-based hand sanitizers are an increasingly popular method of hand hygiene and help prevent hospital-acquired infection (HAI). Whether hand sanitizer dispensers (HSDs) may themselves harbor pathogens or act as fomites has not been reported. All HSDs in the surgical intensive care unit of an urban teaching hospital were cultured at three sites: The dispenser lever, the rear underside, and the area surrounding the dispensing nozzle. All HSDs yielded one or more bacterial species, including commensal skin flora and enteric gram-negative bacilli. Colonization was greatest on the lever, where there is direct hand contact. Hand sanitizer dispensers can become contaminated with pathogens that cause HAI and thus are potential fomites.

  12. Do Pregnant Women Report Use of Dispensed Medications?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olesen, Charlotte; Søndergaard, Charlotte; Thrane, Nana

    2001-01-01

    Surveillance of drug safety in pregnancy often draws on administrative prescription registries. Noncompliance in the use of prescribed medication may be frequent among pregnant women owing to their fear of fetotoxic side effects. To estimate compliance in the use of prescription drugs dispensed...... during pregnancy, we compared prescription data from the North Jutland Prescription Database with information on drug use provided by pregnant women to the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC), which is a health interview survey. We used the North Jutland Prescription Database to identify all prescription...... drugs dispensed during pregnancy for the 2,041 women who were enrolled in the DNBC in the County of North Jutland, Denmark. Compliance was defined as the probability of reporting drug use in DNBC after purchasing a dispensed prescription drug. The overall compliance to drugs purchased within 120 days...

  13. The 340B discount program: outpatient prescription dispensing patterns through contract pharmacies in 2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, Bobby L; Hou, John; Chou, Chia-Hung; Huang, Elbert S; Conti, Rena

    2014-11-01

    Section 340B of the Public Health Service Act provides qualified organizations serving vulnerable populations with deep discounts for some outpatient medications. A 2010 regulatory change widely expanded the 340B program's reach, allowing these organizations to contract with retail pharmacies to dispense medications for eligible patients. Little is known about which medications are dispensed by contract pharmacies under the expanded program. We provide the first comparison of 340B prescriptions and all prescriptions dispensed in contract pharmacies. We used 2012 data from Walgreens, the national leader in 340B contract pharmacies. Medications used to treat chronic conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol levels, asthma, and depression accounted for an overwhelming majority of all prescriptions dispensed at Walgreens as part of the 340B program. A higher percentage of antiretrovirals used to treat HIV/AIDS were dispensed through 340B prescriptions than through all prescriptions dispensed at Walgreens. The majority of 340B prescriptions dispensed at Walgreens originated at tuberculosis clinics, consolidated health centers, disproportionate-share hospitals, and Ryan White clinics. Our results suggest that 340B contract pharmacies dispense medications used to treat Americans' chronic disease burden and disproportionately dispense medications used by key vulnerable populations targeted by the program. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  14. Pharmacists' role in opioid overdose: Kentucky pharmacists' willingness to participate in naloxone dispensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freeman, Patricia R; Goodin, Amie; Troske, SuZanne; Strahl, Audra; Fallin, Amanda; Green, Traci C

    To assess pharmacists' willingness to initiate the dispensing of naloxone. As of 2015, Kentucky law permits certified pharmacists to dispense naloxone under a physician-approved protocol. Electronic survey (e-mail) gauging perception of pharmacists' role in opioid overdose and attitudes toward, and barriers to, naloxone dispensing. All Kentucky pharmacists with active licenses in 2015. Ordinal logistic regression was used to estimate the impact of pharmacist characteristics and attitudes on willingness to initiate naloxone dispensing, where the dependent variable was operationalized as a Likert-type question on a scale of 1 (not at all willing) to 6 (very willing). Of 4699 practicing Kentucky pharmacists, 1282 responded, of which 834 were community practitioners (response rate 27.3%). Pharmacists reported varying willingness to initiate naloxone dispensing, with 37.3% very willing (score 5 or 6) and 27.9% not willing (score 1 or 2). However, a majority of pharmacists reported willingness to dispense naloxone with a valid prescription (54.0%, score 5 or 6). Women pharmacists were 1.3 times more likely than men to be willing to initiate naloxone dispensing (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0-1.6). Those who reported confidence in identifying individuals at risk for overdose were 1.2 times more likely to initiate dispensing, and those who reported confidence in ability to educate patients about overdose were 1.6 times more likely to express willingness to initiate naloxone dispensing (95% CIs, respectively, 1.0-1.3 and 1.4-1.8). Community pharmacists reported barriers to naloxone access at higher rates than pharmacists from other practice settings. Kentucky pharmacists are divided in their willingness to initiate naloxone dispensing; however, those who are confident in their ability to identify overdose risks are more willing. Increasing pharmacist confidence through appropriately designed education programs could facilitate pharmacist participation in naloxone

  15. Poorly processed reusable surface disinfection tissue dispensers may be a source of infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kampf, Günter; Degenhardt, Stina; Lackner, Sibylle; Jesse, Katrin; von Baum, Heike; Ostermeyer, Christiane

    2014-01-21

    Reusable surface disinfectant tissue dispensers are used in hospitals in many countries because they allow immediate access to pre-soaked tissues for targeted surface decontamination. On the other hand disinfectant solutions with some active ingredients may get contaminated and cause outbreaks. We determined the frequency of contaminated surface disinfectant solutions in reusable dispensers and the ability of isolates to multiply in different formulations. Reusable tissue dispensers with different surface disinfectants were randomly collected from healthcare facilities. Solutions were investigated for bacterial contamination. The efficacy of two surface disinfectants was determined in suspension tests against two isolated species directly from a contaminated solution or after 5 passages without selection pressure in triplicate. Freshly prepared use solutions were contaminated to determine survival of isolates. 66 dispensers containing disinfectant solutions with surface-active ingredients were collected in 15 healthcare facilities. 28 dispensers from nine healthcare facilities were contaminated with approximately 107 cells per mL of Achromobacter species 3 (9 hospitals), Achromobacter xylosoxidans or Serratia marcescens (1 hospital each). In none of the hospitals dispenser processing had been adequately performed. Isolates regained susceptibility to the disinfectants after five passages without selection pressure but were still able to multiply in different formulations from different manufacturers at room temperature within 7 days. Neglecting adequate processing of surface disinfectant dispensers has contributed to frequent and heavy contamination of use-solutions based on surface active ingredients. Tissue dispenser processing should be taken seriously in clinical practice.

  16. Dispensing processes impact apparent biological activity as determined by computational and statistical analyses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sean Ekins

    Full Text Available Dispensing and dilution processes may profoundly influence estimates of biological activity of compounds. Published data show Ephrin type-B receptor 4 IC50 values obtained via tip-based serial dilution and dispensing versus acoustic dispensing with direct dilution differ by orders of magnitude with no correlation or ranking of datasets. We generated computational 3D pharmacophores based on data derived by both acoustic and tip-based transfer. The computed pharmacophores differ significantly depending upon dispensing and dilution methods. The acoustic dispensing-derived pharmacophore correctly identified active compounds in a subsequent test set where the tip-based method failed. Data from acoustic dispensing generates a pharmacophore containing two hydrophobic features, one hydrogen bond donor and one hydrogen bond acceptor. This is consistent with X-ray crystallography studies of ligand-protein interactions and automatically generated pharmacophores derived from this structural data. In contrast, the tip-based data suggest a pharmacophore with two hydrogen bond acceptors, one hydrogen bond donor and no hydrophobic features. This pharmacophore is inconsistent with the X-ray crystallographic studies and automatically generated pharmacophores. In short, traditional dispensing processes are another important source of error in high-throughput screening that impacts computational and statistical analyses. These findings have far-reaching implications in biological research.

  17. Steam sterilization and automatic dispensing of [{sup 18}F]fludeoxyglucose (FDG) for injection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karwath, Pascal [Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, 53127 Bonn (Germany) and MC-Pharma GmbH (MCP), Bonn (Germany); Sartor, Johannes [MC-Pharma GmbH (MCP), Bonn (Germany); Gries, Wolfgang [MC-Pharma GmbH (MCP), Bonn (Germany); Wodarski, Christine [MC-Pharma GmbH (MCP), Bonn (Germany); Dittmar, Claus [MC-Pharma GmbH (MCP), Bonn (Germany); Biersack, Hans J [Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, 53127 Bonn (Germany); Guhlke, Stefan [Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, 53127 Bonn (Germany) and MC-Pharma GmbH (MCP), Bonn (Germany)

    2005-04-01

    For the purpose of implementing steam sterilization of 2-[{sup 18}F]FDG (FDG) in the final container into routine production, we have validated and established a fully automated dispensing and sterilization system, thereby considerably reducing the radiation burden to the personnel. Methods: The commercially available system combines aseptic dispensing of the product solution under a miniaturized laminar flow unit with subsequent steam sterilization, realized by heating of the product in the final containers by an autoclave included in the dispensing unit, thus incorporating current pharmaceutical manufacturing standards for the production of parental radiopharmaceuticals. The efficiency of the used sterilization cycle, the stability of FDG under the conditions of sterilization and the stability of the final product towards radiolysis was investigated with respect to various pH-formulations. Results: The system was found to be fully valid for filling of vials in a laminar flow class A (US-class 100) environment and for sterilization of FDG in the final container. The pH for sterilizing FDG solutions must be slightly acidic to avoid decomposition. A pH of 5.5 appears to be optimal and gives FDG of very high radiochemical purity ({approx}99%). In addition, radiolysis of FDG in solutions of high activity concentration was significantly lower at pH 5.5 than at neutral pH. Conclusion: Terminal sterilization enables the production of FDG in full compliance with GMP-regulations even in Class C or D (US class 10,000 or 100,000) laboratories.

  18. Bacterial hand contamination and transfer after use of contaminated bulk-soap-refillable dispensers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zapka, Carrie A; Campbell, Esther J; Maxwell, Sheri L; Gerba, Charles P; Dolan, Michael J; Arbogast, James W; Macinga, David R

    2011-05-01

    Bulk-soap-refillable dispensers are prone to extrinsic bacterial contamination, and recent studies demonstrated that approximately one in four dispensers in public restrooms are contaminated. The purpose of this study was to quantify bacterial hand contamination and transfer after use of contaminated soap under controlled laboratory and in-use conditions in a community setting. Under laboratory conditions using liquid soap experimentally contaminated with 7.51 log(10) CFU/ml of Serratia marcescens, an average of 5.28 log(10) CFU remained on each hand after washing, and 2.23 log(10) CFU was transferred to an agar surface. In an elementary-school-based field study, Gram-negative bacteria on the hands of students and staff increased by 1.42 log(10) CFU per hand (26-fold) after washing with soap from contaminated bulk-soap-refillable dispensers. In contrast, washing with soap from dispensers with sealed refills significantly reduced bacteria on hands by 0.30 log(10) CFU per hand (2-fold). Additionally, the mean number of Gram-negative bacteria transferred to surfaces after washing with soap from dispensers with sealed-soap refills (0.06 log(10) CFU) was significantly lower than the mean number after washing with contaminated bulk-soap-refillable dispensers (0.74 log(10) CFU; P soap (P soap from bulk-soap-refillable dispensers can increase the number of opportunistic pathogens on the hands and may play a role in the transmission of bacteria in public settings.

  19. Dispensing apparatus for use in a cued food delivery task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deweese, Menton M; Claiborne, Kimberly N; Ng, Jennifer; Dirba, Danika D; Stewart, Hannah L; Schembre, Susan M; Versace, Francesco

    2015-01-01

    Neurobiological models of obesity postulate that obese individuals have difficulty regulating food intake partly because they attribute excessive salience to stimuli signaling food availability. Typically, human studies that investigate the relationship between brain responses to food-related stimuli and obesity present food cues without subsequent delivery of food. However, in order to identify the brain correlates of cue reactivity, we must record brain responses to food-related cues signaling food availability. Therefore, we have developed a dispensing apparatus for use in a cued-food delivery task in which event-related potentials (ERPs) to food-related images predicting food delivery and images not predicting food delivery can be recorded. Here, we describe a method where:•The experimental apparatus dispenses an edible item (i.e., a chocolate candy) which may or may not be eaten, or a non-edible control item (e.g., a plastic bead).•Deposit boxes are available to store uneaten candies and the non-edible control items.•The dispensing mechanism is capable of recording the exact timestamp when each delivery event occurs (e.g., release from the dispenser, arrival in the receptacle, storage in the deposit box).

  20. [Dispensing care at the dispensing counter in the conditions of a Czech pharmacy].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macesková, B; Plevacová, H

    2005-03-01

    Evaluation of 108 cases when the pharmacist found a need to intervene into prescription verified the use of internationally employed system of classification of pharmaceutical interventions in the conditions of the Czech pharmacy of the basic type. The so-called dispensing care at the counter was provided by five participating pharmacists (out of seven working in the pharmacy) for a period of six months. The most frequently identified problems included: inappropriate use of medicaments--overdose, use at unsuitable time (28.7 %), a need to inform the patient (17.6 %), potentially ineffective therapy (12.9 %), drug interactions (7.4 %), suspected and potential undesirable effects of prescribed medicaments (7.4 %), and insufficient compliance (6.5 %). Solution of problems with medicaments was most frequently: a change in dosage (25.9 %), recommendation to consult the physician (24.1 %), and professional counselling on pharmacotherapy (23.1 %). The pharmacotherapeutic group identified as the one most frequently requiring a telephone consultation of the pharmacist and the physician was antibiotics, including antibacterial chemotherapeutic agents.

  1. Hand sanitizer-dispensing door handles increase hand hygiene compliance: a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babiarz, Lukasz S; Savoie, Brent; McGuire, Mark; McConnell, Lauren; Nagy, Paul

    2014-04-01

    Improving rates of hand hygiene compliance (HHC) has been shown to reduce nosocomial disease. We compared the HHC for a traditional wall-mounted unit and a novel sanitizer-dispensing door handle device in a hospital inpatient ultrasound area. HHC increased 24.5%-77.1% (P sanitizer-dispensing door handle, whereas it remained unchanged for the other rooms. Technical improvements like a sanitizer-dispensing door handle can improve hospital HHC. Copyright © 2014 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Methods for dispensing mercury into devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grossman, Mark W.; George, William A.

    1987-04-28

    A process for dispensing mercury into devices which requires mercury. Mercury is first electrolytically separated from either HgO or Hg.sub.2 Cl.sub.2 and plated onto a cathode wire. The cathode wire is then placed into a device requiring mercury.

  3. Cell dispensing in low-volume range with the immediate drop-on-demand technology (I-DOT).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schober, Lena; Büttner, Evy; Laske, Christopher; Traube, Andrea; Brode, Tobias; Traube, Andreas Florian; Bauernhansl, Thomas

    2015-04-01

    Handling and dosing of cells comprise the most critical step in the microfabrication of cell-based assay systems for screening and toxicity testing. Therefore, the immediate drop-on-demand technology (I-DOT) was developed to provide a flexible noncontact liquid handling system enabling dispensing of cells and liquid without the risk of cross-contamination down to a precise volume in the nanoliter range. Liquid is dispensed from a source plate within nozzles at the bottom by a short compressed air pulse that is given through a quick release valve into the well, thus exceeding the capillary pressure in the nozzle. Droplets of a defined volume can be spotted directly onto microplates or other cell culture devices. We present a study on the performance and biological impact of this technology by applying the cell line MCF-7, human fibroblasts, and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). For all cell types tested, viability after dispensing is comparable to the control and exhibits similar proliferation rates in the absence of apoptotic cells, and the differentiation potential of hMSCs is not impaired. The immediate drop-on-demand technology enables accurate cell dosage and offers promising potential for single-cell applications. © 2014 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

  4. ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in hospital settings: Dispensing and administration--2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pedersen, Craig A; Schneider, Philip J; Scheckelhoff, Douglas J

    2015-07-01

    The results of the 2014 ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in hospital settings that pertain to dispensing and administration are described. A stratified random sample of pharmacy directors at 1435 general and children's medical-surgical hospitals in the United States were surveyed by mail. In this national probability sample survey, the response rate was 29.7%. Ninety-seven percent of hospitals used automated dispensing cabinets in their medication distribution systems, 65.7% of which used individually secured lidded pockets as the predominant configuration. Overall, 44.8% of hospitals used some form of machine-readable coding to verify doses before dispensing in the pharmacy. Overall, 65% of hospital pharmacy departments reported having a cleanroom compliant with United States Pharmacopeia chapter 797. Pharmacists reviewed and approved all medication orders before the first dose was administered, either onsite or by remote order view, except in procedure areas and emergency situations, in 81.2% of hospitals. Adoption rates of electronic health information have rapidly increased, with the widespread use of electronic health records, computer prescriber order entry, barcodes, and smart pumps. Overall, 31.4% of hospitals had pharmacists practicing in ambulatory or primary care clinics. Transitions-of-care services offered by the pharmacy department have generally increased since 2012. Discharge prescription services increased from 11.8% of hospitals in 2012 to 21.5% in 2014. Approximately 15% of hospitals outsourced pharmacy management operations to a contract pharmacy services provider, an increase from 8% in 2011. Health-system pharmacists continue to have a positive impact on improving healthcare through programs that improve the efficiency, safety, and clinical outcomes of medication use in health systems. Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Community pharmacists’ attitudes and knowledge on dispensing drugs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Baldon JP

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available The present study aimed to assess knowledge and attitudes of the pharmacists on dispensing drugs to pregnant women. Methods: Cross-sectional study in 150 community pharmacies randomly selected in Curitiba (Brazil. A closed end questionnaire with 25 questions were used, including dispensing scenarios containing risk types A, B, D or X and questions on pharmacist interaction with pregnant women, physicians, and information sources availability. Results: Pharmacists performed appropriately in 53% of the encounters. Lower success were associated to prednison and captopril (24.8% in both, end cases producing more doubts were captopril (31.7% and simvastatin (30.7%. Most of the pharmacists state have advised drugs to pregnant women or contact to the physician to discuss about a prescription related with this issue. A Majority (64.4% did not feel able to understand FDA risk classification and did not have trustable information sources in pharmacy. Conclusions: Pharmacists dispensing drugs in Curitiba are not able to interpret information on the use of drugs in pregnant women, and they don have reliable information sources on the use of dugs in pregnancy. However, they advice and counsel drugs to pregnant women and discuss with physicians therapeutic strategies.

  6. High-Precision Dispensing of Nanoliter Biofluids on Glass Pedestal Arrays for Ultrasensitive Biomolecule Detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xiaoxiao; Liu, Yang; Xu, QianFeng; Zhu, Jing; Poget, Sébastien F; Lyons, Alan M

    2016-05-04

    Precise dispensing of nanoliter droplets is necessary for the development of sensitive and accurate assays, especially when the availability of the source solution is limited. Conventional approaches are limited by imprecise positioning, large shear forces, surface tension effects, and high costs. To address the need for precise and economical dispensing of nanoliter volumes, we developed a new approach where the dispensed volume is dependent on the size and shape of defined surface features, thus freeing the dispensing process from pumps and fine-gauge needles requiring accurate positioning. The surface we fabricated, called a nanoliter droplet virtual well microplate (nVWP), achieves high-precision dispensing (better than ±0.5 nL or ±1.6% at 32 nL) of 20-40 nL droplets using a small source drop (3-10 μL) on isolated hydrophilic glass pedestals (500 μm on a side) bonded to arrays of polydimethylsiloxane conical posts. The sharp 90° edge of the glass pedestal pins the solid-liquid-vapor triple contact line (TCL), averting the wetting of the glass sidewalls while the fluid is prevented from receding from the edge. This edge creates a sufficiently large energy barrier such that microliter water droplets can be poised on the glass pedestals, exhibiting contact angles greater >150°. This approach relieves the stringent mechanical alignment tolerances required for conventional dispensing techniques, shifting the control of dispensed volume to the area circumscribed by the glass edge. The effects of glass surface chemistry and dispense velocity on droplet volume were studied using optical microscopy and high-speed video. Functionalization of the glass pedestal surface enabled the selective adsorption of specific peptides and proteins from synthetic and natural biomolecule mixtures, such as venom. We further demonstrate how the nVWP dispensing platform can be used for a variety of assays, including sensitive detection of proteins and peptides by fluorescence

  7. Determinants of Dispensing Location in the TRICARE Senior Pharmacy Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-01-01

    proximity to an MTF on TSRx use and on uti - lization of the different dispensing locations; and the impact of MTF formulary restrictions on use of the...Conclusions and Policy Implications Our analysis of the TSRx program, which focused on describing uti - lization patterns by dispensing location and on...manufacturers do. In the public sector, some Medicaid programs have recently hired physicians and pharmacists to visit doctors’ offices and encourage them to

  8. Dispensing Equipment Testing with Mid-Level Ethanol/Gasoline Test Fluid: Summary Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boyce, K.; Chapin, J. T.

    2010-11-01

    The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Nonpetroleum-Based Fuel Task addresses the hurdles to commercialization of biomass-derived fuels and fuel blends. One such hurdle is the unknown compatibility of new fuels with current infrastructure, such as the equipment used at service stations to dispense fuel into automobiles. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Vehicle Technology Program and the Biomass Program have engaged in a joint project to evaluate the potential for blending ethanol into gasoline at levels higher than nominal 10 volume percent. This project was established to help DOE and NREL better understand any potentially adverse impacts caused by a lack of knowledge about the compatibility of the dispensing equipment with ethanol blends higher than what the equipment was designed to dispense. This report provides data about the impact of introducing a gasoline with a higher volumetric ethanol content into service station dispensing equipment from a safety and a performance perspective.

  9. Through-Silicon-Via Underfill Dispensing for 3D Die/Interposer Stacking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le, Fuliang

    The next generation packaging keeps up with the increased demands of functionality by using the third dimension. 3D chip stacking with TSVs has been identified as one of the major technologies to achieve higher silicon density and shorter interconnection. In order to protect solder interconnections from hostile environments and redistribute thermal stress caused by CTE mismatch, underfill should be applied for the under-chip spaces. In this study, TSV underfill dispensing is introduced to address the underfill challenge for 3D chip stacks. The material properties are first measured and the general trend indicates viscosity and contact angle dropping significantly with an increase in temperature, and surface tension falling slightly as the temperature increases. Underfill should assure a complete encapsulation, avoiding excessive filling time that can result in substantial manufacturing delays. Typically, the inflows for TSV underfill can be free droplets or a constant flow rate. For a constant inflow, the underfill flow is driven by pressure difference and the filling time is governed by flow radius, gap clearance and the constant flow rate. For an inflow of free droplets, the underfill flow is driven by capillary action and the filling time is related to viscosity, flow radius, gap clearance, surface tension, contact angle and TSV size. In general, TSV underfill dispensing with a constant inflow has much shorter filling time than dispensing with an inflow of free droplets. TSV underfill dispensing on a 3D chip stack may induce the risk of an edge flood failure. In order to avoid an edge flood, fluid pressure around the sidewalls of a 3D chip stack cannot exceed limit equilibrium pressure. For TSV dispensing with free droplets, there is no risk of forming an edge flood. However, for a constant inflow, TSV dispensing should be carefully controlled to avoid excessive pressure. Besides, it is suggested that the TSVs in stacked chips be aligned in the vertical

  10. Numerical Simulation Analysis of High-precision Dispensing Needles for Solid-liquid Two-phase Grinding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Junye; Hu, Jinglei; Wang, Binyu; Sheng, Liang; Zhang, Xinming

    2018-03-01

    In order to investigate the effect of abrasive flow polishing surface variable diameter pipe parts, with high precision dispensing needles as the research object, the numerical simulation of the process of polishing high precision dispensing needle was carried out. Analysis of different volume fraction conditions, the distribution of the dynamic pressure and the turbulence viscosity of the abrasive flow field in the high precision dispensing needle, through comparative analysis, the effectiveness of the abrasive grain polishing high precision dispensing needle was studied, controlling the volume fraction of silicon carbide can change the viscosity characteristics of the abrasive flow during the polishing process, so that the polishing quality of the abrasive grains can be controlled.

  11. Dispensing with conscience: a legal and ethical assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wernow, Jerome R; Grant, Donald G

    2008-11-01

    For over 30 years, pharmacists have exercised the right to dispense medications in accordance with moral convictions based upon a Judeo-Christian ethic. What many of these practitioners see as an apparent shift away from this time-honored ethic has resulted in a challenge to this right. To review and analyze pharmacy practice standards, legal proceedings, and ethical principles behind conflicts of conscientious objection in dispensing drugs used for emergency contraception. We first searched the terms conscience and clause and Plan B and contraception and abortion using Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft Networks (2006-September 26, 2008). Second, we used Medscape to search professional pharmacy and other medical journals, restricting our terms to conscience, Plan B, contraceptives, and abortifacients. Finally, we employed Loislaw, an online legal archiving service, and did a global search on the phrase conscience clause to determine the status of the legal discussion. To date, conflicts in conscientious objection have arisen when a pharmacist believes that dispensing an oral contraceptive violates his or her moral understanding for the promotion of human life. Up to this time, cases in pharmacy have involved only practitioners from orthodox Christian faith communities, primarily devout Roman Catholics. A pharmacist's right to refuse the dispensing of abortifacients for birth control according to moral conscience over against a woman's right to reproductive birth control has created a conflict that has yet to be reconciled by licensing agents, professional standards, or courts of law. Our analysis of prominent conflicts suggests that the underlying worldviews between factions make compromise improbable. Risks and liabilities are dependent upon compliance with evolving state laws, specific disclosure of a pharmacist's moral objections, and professionalism in the handling of volatile situations. Objecting pharmacists and their employers should have clear policies and

  12. Twenty-year trends in benzodiazepine dispensing in the Australian population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Islam, M M; Conigrave, K M; Day, C A; Nguyen, Y; Haber, P S

    2014-01-01

    Considerable concern has been expressed about overprescribing of benzodiazepines and related harms. Past analyses have relied on World Health Organization-defined daily doses (DDD) which are sometimes out of keeping with clinical usage. This study examines 20-year (1992-2011) trends of benzodiazepine dispensing in Australia using both DDD and Ashton equivalent dose. Data from the Drug Utilisation Sub-Committee and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) website were analysed. Trends in number of prescriptions, DDD/1000 people/day and DDD/prescription were examined over time, and between states/territories. In the 20-year period, 174 080 904 scripts were recorded, with temazepam the most dispensed benzodiazepine (35% of scripts), followed by diazepam (23%). Overall recorded utilisation fell from 27.7 DDD/1000 people/day in 1992 to 20.8 in 2011 (24.9% decrease). There were striking changes in use of individual benzodiazepines over time, with reductions in oxazepam and flunitrazepam and dramatic increases in alprazolam. Since 1998, there has been a steady increase, albeit modest, in per script DDD. The DDD/1000 people/day for items dispensed through PBS/Repatriaton-PBS was highest in Tasmania and lowest in Northern Territory. Despite a modest overall decline in the amount of benzodiazepine dispensed, the level of use is still likely to reflect relative over-prescribing given the paucity of accepted indications for long-term use. Since 1998, there was a polynomial increase in quantity dispensed per script. The WHO-defined DDD for clonazepam seems inappropriate and could impede monitoring of its abuse. Other problems include lack of national data for medications not subsidised on PBS/Repatriation PBS. A broad policy approach is required, not one which targets only one particular benzodiazepine. © 2013 The Authors; Internal Medicine Journal © 2013 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

  13. Alcohol Dispenser Training in Amherst Massachusetts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riccelli, Carlene

    1986-01-01

    Reviews efforts of the Alcohol Dispenser Training program in Amherst, Massachusetts over a five-year period. Evaluations indicate that participants agree that training is worthwhile, that they are more aware of the effects of alcohol on their patrons, and that they have better knowledge of appropriate strategies for preventing intoxication of…

  14. MANUAL FOOD AND BEVERAGE DISPENSING EQUIPMENT. NATIONAL SANITATION FOUNDATION STANDARD NO. 18.

    Science.gov (United States)

    National Sanitation Foundation, Ann Arbor, MI.

    THIS STANDARD COVERS THE SANITATION REQUIREMENTS FOR EQUIPMENT AND DEVICES WHICH DISPENSE FOOD OR BEVERAGE EITHER IN BULK OR PORTIONS. VENDING MACHINES OR BULK MILK DISPENSING EQUIPMENT ARE NOT COVERED IN THIS STANDARD. ITEMS COVERED INCLUDE THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION, FOOD PROTECTION AND FREEDOM FROM HARBORAGES. MINIMUM…

  15. Automated drug dispensing systems in the intensive care unit: a financial analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapuis, Claire; Bedouch, Pierrick; Detavernier, Maxime; Durand, Michel; Francony, Gilles; Lavagne, Pierre; Foroni, Luc; Albaladejo, Pierre; Allenet, Benoit; Payen, Jean-Francois

    2015-09-09

    To evaluate the economic impact of automated-drug dispensing systems (ADS) in surgical intensive care units (ICUs). A financial analysis was conducted in three adult ICUs of one university hospital, where ADS were implemented, one in each unit, to replace the traditional floor stock system. Costs were estimated before and after implementation of the ADS on the basis of floor stock inventories, expired drugs, and time spent by nurses and pharmacy technicians on medication-related work activities. A financial analysis was conducted that included operating cash flows, investment cash flows, global cash flow and net present value. After ADS implementation, nurses spent less time on medication-related activities with an average of 14.7 hours saved per day/33 beds. Pharmacy technicians spent more time on floor-stock activities with an average of 3.5 additional hours per day across the three ICUs. The cost of drug storage was reduced by €44,298 and the cost of expired drugs was reduced by €14,772 per year across the three ICUs. Five years after the initial investment, the global cash flow was €148,229 and the net present value of the project was positive by €510,404. The financial modeling of the ADS implementation in three ICUs showed a high return on investment for the hospital. Medication-related costs and nursing time dedicated to medications are reduced with ADS.

  16. [Economic impact of an automated dispensing system in an intensive care unit].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kheniene, F; Bedouch, P; Durand, M; Marie, F; Brudieu, E; Tourlonnias, M-M; Bongi, P; Allenet, B; Calop, J

    2008-03-01

    Automated dispensing systems (ADS) allow a reduction of medication errors and an improvement of drug distribution in clinical ward. The objective of this study was to evaluate the economic impact of ADS in an intensive care unit. A cost-benefit model was constructed based on the hospital perspective. The system was evaluated before-after implementation of an ADS in a 12-bed cardiovascular intensive care unit of a French teaching hospital: (a) by a measuring nurse and pharmacy technician working time required for various tasks; (b) by measuring the cost of drug storage and the cost of expired drug; (c) by measuring the nurses' acceptability. After ADS was installed, nursing personnel spent less time on medication-related activities (mean of 1.9 hour/day of nursing time). Pharmacy technicians spent more time on floor-stock activities (mean of 0.7 hour/day of technician time). Implementation reduced the cost of drug storage by 56% (14,742 euros) and cost of expired drug by 9,086 euros per year. Finally, cost-benefit analysis including potential savings in terms of working time showed a net benefit of 71,586 euros (14,317 euros/year). The ADS was given high marks by the nurses; 77% wanted to keep it on their unit. Implementation of ADS is expected to generate direct savings for the hospital and working time reallocation, for nurses to interact with patients and for pharmacy technicians to get involved on the ward.

  17. A Review of the Anthropometric Characteristics, Grading and Dispensation of Junior and Youth Rugby Union Players in Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patton, Declan Alexander; McIntosh, Andrew Stuart; Denny, Greg

    2016-08-01

    The grading of Australian junior and youth rugby union players has received substantial media attention in recent years. Media reports have focussed on size mismatches observed between players, especially players with Polynesian heritage, and the concerned parents who fear for the safety of their child owing to perceived mismatches. Although such concerns are well meaning, few media reports recognise the need for substantial evidence to determine the best grading system for junior and youth rugby union players. The current study reviewed relevant literature pertinent to the grading and dispensation of junior and youth rugby union players. Using primary and secondary search strategies, a total of 33 articles reporting the anthropometric characteristics of junior and youth rugby players were identified. Anthropometric data from the literature were compared with normative population data and currently used dispensation criteria. Junior and youth rugby players were found to be taller and heavier than normative population data. Current dispensation criteria, in terms of body mass, were found to vary and it is suggested that criteria be revised and standardised across rugby unions throughout Australia. Although it is acknowledged that other factors are important for grading players, anthropometric characteristics should be considered as potential dispensation criteria to supplement current age-based grading for junior and youth rugby union players. Measuring the body mass and stature of each junior player upon pre-season registration is suggested, which would provide data to establish valid dispensation criteria for the following season.

  18. Homogeneous Crystallization of Micro-DispensedTIPS-Pentacene Using a Two-Solvent System toEnable Printed Inverters on Foil Substrates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Indranil Bose

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available We report on a micro-dispensing system for 6,13-Bis(triisopropylsilylethynylpentacene (TIPS-pentacene to enable homogenous crystallization and uniform filmmorphology of the dispensed droplets using a two-solvent mixture along with the use of aninsulating binder. This solution composition results in a controlled evaporation of the dropletin ambient air such that the Marangoni flow counteracts the outward convective flow toenable uniform radial crystal growth from the edge towards the center of the drops.The consequence of this process is the high degree of uniformity in the crystallization of thedrops, which results in a reduction in the performance spread of the organic field effecttransistors (OFET created using this process. The addition of the insulating binder furtherimproves the reduction in the spread of the results as a trade-off to the reduction in mobilityof the transistors. The transfer curves of the OFETs show a tight grouping due to thecontrolled self-alignment of the TIPS-pentacene crystals; this repeatability was furtherhighlighted by fabricating p-type inverters with driver to load ratios of 8:1, wherein theoutput inverter curves were also grouped tightly while exhibiting a gain of greater than 4 inthe switching region. Therefore, the reliability and repeatability of this process justifies itsuse to enable large area solution-processed printed circuits at the cost of reduced mobility.

  19. Evaluation of community pharmacies regarding dispensing practices of antibiotics in two districts of central Nepal.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mukhtar Ansari

    Full Text Available To evaluate the status of community pharmacies, their staff, and practices toward dispensing antibiotics.Cross-sectional, prospective.Community pharmacies in two districts of central Nepal, from March 2016 to May 2016.A systematic random sampling approach was adopted to sample 161 community pharmacies. Data on the registration status of pharmacies, qualification or training of dispensing staff, and the practice of dispensing antibiotics were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire. Face to face interviews were carried out by a previously trained interviewer. Data were analyzed for descriptive and inferential statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics 21.Among 161 community pharmacies, 25% were not registered and most of them were located in rural areas. It was typical (66.5% to dispense antibiotics without prescription and most (91.4% of the staffs involved in dispensing were non-pharmacists. Furthermore, the study revealed common practices of replacing one brand of antibiotic with other brands (66%, dispensing incomplete courses of antibiotics (73%, and not giving any advice regarding antibiotic use (39% or completion of a full course of therapy (80%. There were significant (p < 0.001 relationships between the location of pharmacies (rural vs urban and the qualifications of the pharmacy staff.Dispensing antibiotics without prescription and by non-pharmacists are common in this region. The study also found several issues regarding the irrational use of antibiotics. Thus, there is an urgent need to address these issues and promote the informed use of antibiotics.

  20. Smart DNA Fabrication Using Sound Waves: Applying Acoustic Dispensing Technologies to Synthetic Biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanigowska, Paulina; Shen, Yue; Zheng, Yijing; Rosser, Susan; Cai, Yizhi

    2016-02-01

    Acoustic droplet ejection (ADE) technology uses focused acoustic energy to transfer nanoliter-scale liquid droplets with high precision and accuracy. This noncontact, tipless, low-volume dispensing technology minimizes the possibility of cross-contamination and potentially reduces the costs of reagents and consumables. To date, acoustic dispensers have mainly been used in screening libraries of compounds. In this paper, we describe the first application of this powerful technology to the rapidly developing field of synthetic biology, for DNA synthesis and assembly at the nanoliter scale using a Labcyte Echo 550 acoustic dispenser. We were able to successfully downscale PCRs and the popular one-pot DNA assembly methods, Golden Gate and Gibson assemblies, from the microliter to the nanoliter scale with high assembly efficiency, which effectively cut the reagent cost by 20- to 100-fold. We envision that acoustic dispensing will become an instrumental technology in synthetic biology, in particular in the era of DNA foundries. © 2015 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

  1. Prescription, dispensation and marketing patterns of methylphenidate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edson Perini

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE To analyze the patterns and legal requirements of methylphenidate consumption. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study of the data from prescription notification forms and balance lists of drugs sales – psychoactive and others – subject to special control in the fifth largest city of Brazil, in 2006. We determined the defined and prescribed daily doses, the average prescription and dispensation periods, and the regional sales distribution in the municipality. In addition, we estimated the costs of drug acquisition and analyzed the individual drug consumption profile using the Lorenz curve. RESULTS The balance lists data covered all notified sales of the drug while data from prescription notification forms covered 50.6% of the pharmacies that sold it, including those with the highest sales volumes. Total methylphenidate consumption was 0.37 DDD/1,000 inhabitants/day. Sales were concentrated in more developed areas, and regular-release tablets were the most commonly prescribed pharmaceutical formulation. In some regions of the city, approximately 20.0% of the prescriptions and dispensation exceeded 30 mg/day and 30 days of treatment. CONCLUSIONS Methylphenidate was widely consumed in the municipality and mainly in the most developed areas. Of note, the consumption of formulations with the higher abuse risk was the most predominant. Both its prescription and dispensation contrasted with current pharmacotherapeutic recommendations and legal requirements. Therefore, the commercialization of methylphenidate should be monitored more closely, and its use in the treatment of behavioral changes of psychological disorders needs to be discussed in detail, in line with the concepts of the quality use of medicines.

  2. Distance traveled and frequency of interstate opioid dispensing in opioid shoppers and nonshoppers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cepeda, M Soledad; Fife, Daniel; Yuan, Yingli; Mastrogiovanni, Greg

    2013-10-01

    Little is known about how far opioid shoppers travel or how often they cross state lines to fill their opioid prescriptions. This retrospective cohort study evaluated these measures for opioid shoppers and nonshoppers using a large U.S. prescription database. Patients with ≥3 opioid dispensings were followed for 18 months. A subject was considered a shopper when he or she filled overlapping opioid prescriptions written by >1 prescriber at ≥3 pharmacies. A heavy shopper had ≥5 shopping episodes. Outcomes assessed were distance traveled among pharmacies and number of states visited to fill opioid prescriptions. A total of 10,910,451 subjects were included; .7% developed any shopping behavior and their prescriptions accounted for 8.6% of all opioid dispensings. Shoppers and heavy shoppers were younger than the nonshoppers. Shoppers traveled a median of 83.8 miles, heavy shoppers 199.5 miles, and nonshoppers 0 miles. Almost 20% of shoppers or heavy shoppers, but only 4% of nonshoppers, visited >1 state. Shoppers traveled greater distances and more often crossed state borders to fill opioid prescriptions than nonshoppers, and their dispensings accounted for a disproportionate number of opioid dispensings. Sharing of data among prescription-monitoring programs will likely strengthen those programs and may decrease shopping behavior. This study shows that opioid shoppers travel greater distances and more often cross state borders to fill opioid prescriptions than nonshoppers, and their dispensings accounted for a disproportionate number of opioid dispensings. The findings support the need for data sharing among prescription-monitoring programs to deter opioid shopping behavior. Copyright © 2013 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. A systematic approach for the location of hand sanitizer dispensers in hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cure, Laila; Van Enk, Richard; Tiong, Ewing

    2014-09-01

    Compliance with hand hygiene practices is directly affected by the accessibility and availability of cleaning agents. Nevertheless, the decision of where to locate these dispensers is often not explicitly or fully addressed in the literature. In this paper, we study the problem of selecting the locations to install alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers throughout a hospital unit as an indirect approach to maximize compliance with hand hygiene practices. We investigate the relevant criteria in selecting dispenser locations that promote hand hygiene compliance, propose metrics for the evaluation of various location configurations, and formulate a dispenser location optimization model that systematically incorporates such criteria. A complete methodology to collect data and obtain the model parameters is described. We illustrate the proposed approach using data from a general care unit at a collaborating hospital. A cost analysis was performed to study the trade-offs between usability and cost. The proposed methodology can help in evaluating the current location configuration, determining the need for change, and establishing the best possible configuration. It can be adapted to incorporate alternative metrics, tailored to different institutions and updated as needed with new internal policies or safety regulation.

  4. Hydrogen Station Compression, Storage, and Dispensing Technical Status and Costs: Systems Integration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Parks, G.; Boyd, R.; Cornish, J.; Remick, R.

    2014-05-01

    At the request of the U.S. Department of Energy Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory commissioned an independent review of hydrogen compression, storage, and dispensing (CSD) for pipeline delivery of hydrogen and forecourt hydrogen production. The panel was asked to address the (1) cost calculation methodology, (2) current cost/technical status, (3) feasibility of achieving the FCTO's 2020 CSD levelized cost targets, and to (4) suggest research areas that will help the FCTO reach its targets. As the panel neared the completion of these tasks, it was also asked to evaluate CSD costs for the delivery of hydrogen by high-pressure tube trailer. This report details these findings.

  5. Pheromone dispensers, including organic polymer fibers, described in the crop protection literature: comparison of their innovation potential.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hummel, Hans E; Langner, S S; Eisinger, M-T

    2013-01-01

    parameters, they hold considerable promise for future pest control against a variety of pest insects. In combination with well known synthetic sex pheromones, they can be used for communication disruption studies. One example, the pheromone of the European grape vine moth Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), in combination with Ecoflex fibers, has been thoroughly tested in vineyards of Freiburg, Southwest Germany, with promising results. Seven weeks of communication disruption have been achieved, long enough to cover any one of several flights of this multivoltine grape pest. Disruption effects of around 95% have been achieved which are statistically indistinguishable from positive controls tested simultaneously with Isonet LE fibers, while an untreated negative control is significantly different. Ecoflex is a cheap organic co-polyester and completely biodegradable within half a year. Thus, an extra recovery step as with some other dispensers is unnecessary. This co-polyester is also of proven non-toxicity. The extension of the seven week disruption period towards half a year (the entire duration of all 3 Lobesia flights combined) is desirable and is under additional investigation in the near future. The discovery of suitable mesofibers is protected by European and US patents. The pheromone literature appearing between 1959 and today contains more than 25,000 references. This wealth of information is immediately applicable to pest management. It has major impacts on chemical ecology and IPM. In this paper, an attempt is made to compare the systems described in the literature and to derive some predictions about their prospective innovation potential. Special emphasis is given to the new development of organic biodegradable microfibers. To this end, a new electronic searching algorithm is introduced for reviewing the entries to be found in 4 specific databases. Its prominent features will be described. Surprisingly we found no previous entries in the literature linking

  6. Justice Dispensation through the Alternative Dispute Resolution System in India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krishna Agrawal

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The Law Commission of India in its 222nd report emphasized the need for Alternative Disputes Resolution (ADR for the dispensation of justice, because the courts are inaccessible owing to various factors, e.g., poverty, social and political backwardness, illiteracy, ignorance, procedural formalities and inordinate delay in judgments. During the ancient period the disputes were resolved in an informal manner by neutral third persons or people’s court in villages and it continued till the middle of the 20th century. Unfortunately, after the Independence of India in 1947, this system was dissuaded and the government permitted to continue the adversarial system of justice. In 1980, a committee was set up. It recommended Lok Adalats (People’s Courts. In 1987, the Legal Services Authorities Act was enacted. This Act obligates the states to provide free legal aid to poor persons. Besides this, the Act provides for the establishment of permanent Lok Adalats.This is one of the important modes of ADR. Lok Adalats have been established in all the districts of the country. They bring conciliatory settlement in complicated cases arising out of matrimonial, landlord-tenants, property, insurance and commercial disputes. There are four methods of ADR, viz., negotiation, mediation, conciliation and arbitration. Mediation and arbitration are widely preferred. They are alternatives to litigation. The Arbitration Act for the first time was enacted in 1889 and it was subsequently amended many times. On the objections raised by the Supreme Court of India and also on the adoption of UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration, in 1996 Arbitration and Conciliation Act was enacted. This law is almost the same as is almost in all the countries.Further, the Government of India established International Centre for Alternative Disputes Resolution (CADR with the objectives of promotion, propagation, and popularizing the settlement of domestic and

  7. Foreign private capital inflows in Nigeria's democratic dispensation ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    FPCI) in Nigeria in the current democratic dispensation with a view to finding out whether the inflows have recorded significant increase since the institution of Democracy in the country. Relevant theories and empirical data were reviewed.

  8. Refinement of Foam Backfill Technology for Expedient Airfield Damage Repair; Phase 2: Development of Prototype Foam Dispensing Equipment and Improved Tactics, Techniques and Procedures

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-12-01

    ER D C TR -1 7- 14 U.S. Air Force Rapid Airfield Damage Repair Modernization Program Refinement of Foam Backfill Technology for...Backfill Technology for Expedient Airfield Damage Repair Phase II: Development of Prototype Foam Dispensing Equipment and Improved Tactics...procedures (TTPs) for rapid airfield damage repair (RADR) using foam backfill technology . Three different prototype foam dispensing systems were

  9. Efficacy of a Feed Dispenser for Horses in Decreasing Cribbing Behaviour

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia Mazzola

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Cribbing is an oral stereotypy, tends to develop in captive animals as a means to cope with stress, and may be indicative of reduced welfare. Highly energetic diets ingested in a short time are one of the most relevant risk factors for the development of cribbing. The aim of this study was to verify whether feeding cribbing horses through a dispenser that delivers small quantities of concentrate when activated by the animal decreases cribbing behaviour, modifies feeding behaviour, or induces frustration. Ten horses (mean age 14 y, balanced for sex, breed, and size (mean height 162 cm, were divided into two groups of 5 horses each: Cribbing and Control. Animals were trained to use the dispenser and videorecorded continuously for 15 consecutive days from 1 h prior to feeding to 2 h after feeding in order to measure their behaviours. The feed dispenser, Quaryka®, induced an increase in time necessary to finish the ration in both groups of horses (P<0.05. With Quaryka, cribbers showed a significant reduction of time spent cribbing (P<0.05. After removal of the feed dispenser (Post-Quaryka, cribbing behaviour significantly increased. The use of Quaryka may be particularly beneficial in horses fed high-energy diets and ingesting the food too quickly.

  10. What do Australian consumers, pharmacists and prescribers think about documenting indications on prescriptions and dispensed medicines labels?: A qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garada, Mona; McLachlan, Andrew J; Schiff, Gordon D; Lehnbom, Elin C

    2017-11-15

    Documenting the indication on prescriptions and dispensed medicines labels is not standard practice in Australia. However, previous studies that have focused on the content and design of dispensed medicines labels, have suggested including the indication as a safety measure. The aim of this study was to investigate the perspectives of Australian consumers, pharmacists and prescribers on documenting the indication on prescriptions and dispensed medicines labels. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and mock-up of dispensed medicines labels were designed for participants. Consumers (n = 19) and pharmacists (n = 7) were recruited by convenience sample at community pharmacies in Sydney (Australia) and prescribers (n = 8), including two medical students, were recruited through snowballing. Thirty-four participants were interviewed. Most participants agreed that documenting the indication would be beneficial especially for patients who are forgetful or take multiple medications. Participants also believed it would improve consumers' medication understanding and adherence. Prescribers and pharmacists believed it could help reduce prescribing and dispensing errors by matching the drug/dosage to the correct indication. Prescribers refrained from documenting the indication to protect patients' privacy; however, most patients did not consider documenting the indication as a breach of privacy. Prescribers raised concerns about the extra time to include indications on prescriptions and best language to document indications, using plain language as opposed to medical terminology. All interviewed stakeholders identified numerous benefits of documenting the indication on prescriptions and dispensed medicines labels. Whether these potential benefits can be realized remains unknown and addressing prescribers' concern regarding the time involved in documenting the indication on prescriptions remains a challenge for vendors of electronic medication management systems.

  11. What do Australian consumers, pharmacists and prescribers think about documenting indications on prescriptions and dispensed medicines labels?: A qualitative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mona Garada

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Documenting the indication on prescriptions and dispensed medicines labels is not standard practice in Australia. However, previous studies that have focused on the content and design of dispensed medicines labels, have suggested including the indication as a safety measure. The aim of this study was to investigate the perspectives of Australian consumers, pharmacists and prescribers on documenting the indication on prescriptions and dispensed medicines labels. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted and mock-up of dispensed medicines labels were designed for participants. Consumers (n = 19 and pharmacists (n = 7 were recruited by convenience sample at community pharmacies in Sydney (Australia and prescribers (n = 8, including two medical students, were recruited through snowballing. Results Thirty-four participants were interviewed. Most participants agreed that documenting the indication would be beneficial especially for patients who are forgetful or take multiple medications. Participants also believed it would improve consumers’ medication understanding and adherence. Prescribers and pharmacists believed it could help reduce prescribing and dispensing errors by matching the drug/dosage to the correct indication. Prescribers refrained from documenting the indication to protect patients’ privacy; however, most patients did not consider documenting the indication as a breach of privacy. Prescribers raised concerns about the extra time to include indications on prescriptions and best language to document indications, using plain language as opposed to medical terminology. Conclusions All interviewed stakeholders identified numerous benefits of documenting the indication on prescriptions and dispensed medicines labels. Whether these potential benefits can be realized remains unknown and addressing prescribers’ concern regarding the time involved in documenting the indication on prescriptions

  12. [Design and piloting of a structured service medication dispensing process].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abaurre, Raquel; García-Delgado, Pilar; Maurandi, M Dolores; Arrebola, Cristóbal; Gastelurrutia, Miguel Ángel; Martínez-Martínez, Fernando

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this article is to design and pilot a protocol for the dispensing of medications service. Using the requirements proposed in the Ministry of Health Pharmaceutical Care Consensus, a literature search was made applying qualitative consensus techniques. An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2009. A total of 53 community pharmacies from 24 Spanish counties. Patients who requested one or more particular medications with or without medical prescription for their own use or for someone in their care. The personalised medication information (IPM), the problems associated with the medications (PRM), and the negative results associated with the medication (RNM), detected by the pharmacist each time medication was dispensed, as well as the perception of the pharmacist on the operability of the protocol were recorded. A total of 870 medications were dispensed, with 423 (48.6%) cases of lack of personalised medication information (IPM) being detected. PRM were detected in 10.11% of the dispensed medications, as well as 68 (7.81%) suspected RNM: safety (n = 35; 51.5%), effectiveness (n = 29; 42.6%) and necessity (n = 4; 5.8%). Almost two-thirds (65.21%) of the pharmacists said that the protocol is in operation. The designed protocol helped to detect deficiencies in the information to the patients about their medications, as well as the PRM and RNM, and is shown to be tool that is easy to use and apply. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  13. Chemical systems, chemical contiguity and the emergence of life

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kee, Terrence P.; Monnard, Pierre Alain

    2017-01-01

    to complex chemical systems over specific isolated functional apparatuses. We will summarize the recent advances in system chemistry and show that chemical systems in the geochemical context imply a form of chemical contiguity in the syntheses of the various molecules that precede modern biomolecules....

  14. 21 CFR 866.2500 - Microtiter diluting and dispensing device.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Microbiology Devices § 866.2500... a mechanical device intended for medical purposes to dispense or serially dilute very small...

  15. Factors affecting patients' knowledge about dispensed medicines: A Qualitative study of healthcare professionals and patients in Pakistan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saqib, Anum; Atif, Muhammad; Ikram, Raazeyah; Riaz, Fatima; Abubakar, Muhammad; Scahill, Shane

    2018-01-01

    Patients' knowledge about their prescribed medicines is one of the most important antecedents of successful therapy. Poor knowledge about medicines can lead to serious consequences such as non-adherence and misunderstanding of the significance of adverse events. The objective of this study is to understand the factors that are responsible for a patients' lack of knowledge regarding their medicines, by taking the perspective of the patient as well as that of healthcare professionals. Much of the work in this area has been undertaken in the setting of developed or semi-developed countries, and there is a scarcity of information from developing nations such as Pakistan. This was a large qualitative study set in the hospital outpatient environment in a teaching hospital in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Data were collected from dialogue with patients (n = 19) and healthcare providers (n = 16) i.e., doctors and dispensers (where a dispenser is a person who merely dispenses medicines; i.e. is not a pharmacist) through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Patients having limited knowledge about their dispensed medicines were assessed using a checklist. The healthcare providers were recruited through a convenience sampling strategy, based on their availability and willingness to participate in the study. Based on the objectives of the study, a pilot tested interview protocol was developed, and used to conduct the interviews. The sample size was controlled by using saturation point criteria. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analyzed to draw conclusions using inductive thematic content analysis. The analysis of data yielded 31 categories (patients = 19, healthcare professionals = 12), 10 subthemes and three themes. The major themes were healthcare professional-related factors, patient-related factors and system-related factors. The health professional related subthemes included: behaviour and attitude and professional liabilities

  16. Early experiences with the multidose drug dispensing system – A matter of trust?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wekre, Liv Johanne; Melby, Line; Grimsmo, Anders

    2011-01-01

    Objective To study early experiences with multidose drug dispensing (MDD) among different groups of health personnel. Design Qualitative study based on focus-group interviews. Setting Primary health care, Trondheim, Norway. Main outcome The importance of trust in the technology and in collaborating partners is actualized in the early implementation of MDD. Results GPs, home-care nurses, pharmacists, and medical secretaries trusted the new MDD technology. The quality of the GPs’ medication records improved. However, health personnel, including the GPs themselves, would not always trust the medication records of the GPs. Checking the multidose bags arriving from the pharmacy was considered unnecessary in the written routines dealing with MDD. However, home-care nurses experienced errors and continued to manually check the bags. Nurses in the home-care service felt a loss of knowledge with regard to the patients’ medications and in turn experienced reduced ability to give medical information to patients and to observe the effects of the drugs. The home-care services’ routines for drug handling were not always trusted by the other groups of health personnel involved. Conclusion Health personnel faced some challenges during the implementation of the MDD system, but most of them remained confident in the new system. Building trust has to be a process that runs in parallel with the introduction of new technology and the establishment of new routines for improving the quality in handling of medicines and to facilitate better cooperation and communication. PMID:21323496

  17. Capture of Nontarget Flies (Diptera: Lauxaniidae, Chloropidae, and Anthomyiidae on Traps Baited with Volatile Chemicals in Field-Crop Habitats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Louis S. Hesler

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Volatile chemicals increased trap catch of flies from the families Lauxaniidae [Homoneura bispina (Loew and Camptoprosopella borealis Shewell], Chloropidae (Olcella sp., and Anthomyiidae (Delia spp. in field crops. With lauxaniids, baiting with 2-phenylethanol on cotton-roll dispensers increased catch of H. bispina in two corn plot tests, and methyl salicylate increased trap catch in one test. Traps baited with methyl salicylate increased the catch of C. borealis. When using plastic-sachet dispensers, traps baited with methyl salicylate caught more H. bispina than ones baited with 2-phenylethanol, whereas traps baited with 2-phenylethanol caught more C. borealis than those with methyl salicylate. For chloropids, traps baited with 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine greatly increased catch of Olcella flies in corn and soybean. With anthomyiids, catch of male Delia flies in wheat increased with 2-phenylethanol on cotton rolls and with either 2-phenylethanol or methyl salicylate using plastic dispensers. In soybean, 2-phenylethanol formulated on cotton rolls or in plastic dispensers increased catch of male Delia flies, but methyl salicylate did not affect trap catch. Trap catch of female Delia flies did not vary among chemicals. In another test in soybean, trap catch of both male and female Delia flies was greater with 2-phenylethanol than with other volatile chemicals.

  18. The expected and unexpected benefits of dispensing the exact number of pills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Treibich, Carole; Lescher, Sabine; Sagaon-Teyssier, Luis; Ventelou, Bruno

    2017-01-01

    From November 2014 to November 2015, an experiment in French community pharmacies replaced traditional pre-packed boxes by per-unit dispensing of pills in the exact numbers prescribed, for 14 antibiotics. A cluster randomised control trial was carried out in 100 pharmacies. 75 pharmacies counted out the medication by units (experimental group), the other 25 providing the treatment in the existing pharmaceutical company boxes (control group). Data on patients under the two arms were compared to assess the environmental, economic and health effects of this change in drug dispensing. In particular, adherence was measured indirectly by comparing the number of pills left at the end of the prescribed treatment. Out of the 1185 patients included during 3 sessions of 4 consecutive weeks each, 907 patients experimented the personalized delivery and 278 were assigned to the control group, consistent with a 1/3 randomization-rate at the pharmacy level. 80% of eligible patients approved of the per-unit dispensing of their treatment. The initial packaging of the drugs did not match with the prescription in 60% of cases and per-unit dispensing reduced by 10% the number of pills supplied. 13.1% of patients declared that they threw away pills residuals instead of recycling-no differences between groups. Finally, per-unit dispensing appeared to improve adherence to antibiotic treatment (marginal effect 0.21, IC 95, 0.14-0.28). Supplying antibiotics per unit is not only beneficial in terms of a reduced number of pills to reimburse or for the environment (less pills wasted and non-recycled), but also has a positive and unexpected impact on adherence to treatment, and thus on both individual and public health.

  19. Large area dispenser cathode applied to high current linac

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Anmin; China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang; Wu Dengxue; Liu Chenjun; Xia Liansheng; Wang Wendou; Zhang Kaizhi

    2005-01-01

    The paper introduced a dispenser cathode (411 M) which was 55 mm in diameter. A 200 kV long pulsed power generator with 2 μs flattop based on Marx-PEN and system with heat and voltage insulation were built. A 52 A space charge limited current was gained, when the temperature was 1165 degree C and the filament current was 18 A on the cathode and the voltage of the pulse was 75 kV at the cathode test stand. Experimental results show that the current values are consistent with the numerical simulation. The experiment reveals that the deflated gas will influence the cathode emission ability. (authors)

  20. [Dispensing prescriptions to persons affiliated with the Seguro Popular de Salud de México].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garrido-Latorre, Francisco; Hernández-Llamas, Héctor; Gómez-Dantés, Octavio

    2008-01-01

    Measure and compare the percentage of prescriptions fully dispensed to persons with and without Popular Health Insurance (SPS in Spanish) who use ambulatory and general hospital services associated with the Mexico State Health Services (SESA in Spanish), and taking into account insurance status. SESA user satisfaction was also measured with respect to access to medication. Information for the study was taken from four surveys of SESA ambulatory and hospital units that included probabilistic samples with state representativity. Samples of ambulatory units were selected by stratification according to level of care and association to the SPS service network. The findings indicate that the percentage of prescriptions fully dispensed in SESA ambulatory units has improved, reaching approximately 90%, especially among those units offering services to persons affiliated with SPS. Nevertheless, these percentages continue to be lower than those of ambulatory units associated with social security institutions. Percentages of prescriptions fully dispensed have also improved in SESA hospital units, but continue to be relatively low. In nearly all states, as the percentage of prescriptions fully dispensed has increased, user satisfaction with access to medication has also improved. In 2006 more than 50% of the states had high levels of fully dispensed prescriptions among persons with SPS (> or =90%). The more significant problem exists among hospitals, since only 44% of users who received a prescription in SESA hospitals in 2006 had their prescriptions fully dispensed. This finding requires a review of SPS medication policies, which have favored highly prescribed low-cost medications at ambulatory services at the expense of higher cost and more therapeutically effective medications for hospital care, the latter having a greater impact on household budgets.

  1. Increasing Access to Subsidized Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy through Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets in Tanzania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabra Michael

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In Tanzania, many people seek malaria treatment from retail drug sellers. The National Malaria Control Program identified the accredited drug dispensing outlet (ADDO program as a private sector mechanism to supplement the distribution of subsidized artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs from public facilities and increase access to the first-line antimalarial in rural and underserved areas. The ADDO program strengthens private sector pharmaceutical services by improving regulatory and supervisory support, dispenser training, and record keeping practices. Methods The government's pilot program made subsidized ACTs available through ADDOs in 10 districts in the Morogoro and Ruvuma regions, covering about 2.9 million people. The program established a supply of subsidized ACTs, created a price system with a cost recovery plan, developed a plan to distribute the subsidized products to the ADDOs, trained dispensers, and strengthened the adverse drug reactions reporting system. As part of the evaluation, 448 ADDO dispensers brought their records to central locations for analysis, representing nearly 70% of ADDOs operating in the two regions. ADDO drug register data were available from July 2007-June 2008 for Morogoro and from July 2007-September 2008 for Ruvuma. This intervention was implemented from 2007-2008. Results During the pilot, over 300,000 people received treatment for malaria at the 448 ADDOs. The percentage of ADDOs that dispensed at least one course of ACT rose from 26.2% during July-September 2007 to 72.6% during April-June 2008. The number of malaria patients treated with ACTs gradually increased after the start of the pilot, while the use of non-ACT antimalarials declined; ACTs went from 3% of all antimalarials sold in July 2007 to 26% in June 2008. District-specific data showed substantial variation among the districts in ACT uptake through ADDOs, ranging from ACTs representing 10% of all antimalarial sales

  2. Microbiological quality of drinking water from dispensers in roadside restaurants of Bangladesh.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moniruzzaman, M; Akter, S; Islam, M A; Mia, Z

    2011-01-15

    The microbiological status of water from dispensers in different roadside restaurants of Dhaka city and Savar area was analyzed in this study. Seven samples from Dhaka and 8 samples of Savar were checked. The heterotrophic plate count was in a range of 1.0 x 10(3) CFU mL(-1) to 2.0 x 10(4) CFU mL(-1) (from new bottles), 1.0 x 10(3) to 1.5 x 10(4) CFU mL(-1) (after dispensation), and 1.5 x 10(3) CFU mL(-1) to 1.0 x l0(5) CFU mL(-1) (from serving glass). In several of the samples, the heterotrophic plate count was higher than the count in water from new bottle or after dispensation, suggesting added contamination from the serving glass. 80% of the samples were contaminated with total and fecal coliform bacteria, which render these waters unacceptable for human consumption. The samples were found to contain gram negative bacteria like E coli, Shigella sp., Klebsiella sp., Enterobacter sp., Pseudomonas sp., and Salmonella sp., which are potential pathogens and thus pose a serious threat to public health. This study elucidates the importance of monitoring the bottling companies and the restaurants and put them under strict regulations to prevent future outbreak of any water borne diseases caused by consumption of dispensed water.

  3. All dispenser printed flexible 3D structured thermoelectric generators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Z.; Shi, J. J.; Torah, R. N.; Tudor, M. J.; Beeby, S. P.

    2015-12-01

    This work presents a vertically fabricated 3D thermoelectric generator (TEG) by dispenser printing on flexible polyimide substrate. This direct-write technology only involves printing of electrodes, thermoelectric active materials and structure material, which needs no masks to transfer the patterns onto the substrate. The dimension for single thermoelectric element is 2 mm × 2 mm × 0.5 mm while the distance between adjacent cubes is 1.2 mm. The polymer structure layer was used to support the electrodes which are printed to connect the top ends of the thermoelectric material and ensure the flexibility as well. The advantages and the limitations of the dispenser printed 3D TEGs will also be evaluated in this paper. The proposed method is potential to be a low-cost and scalable fabrication solution for TEGs.

  4. Rational dispensing and use of artemether-lumefantrine during ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This was a prospective-descriptive study involving visits to 200 private retail pharmacies (using a mystery shopper) and interviewing pregnant women at the municipal public hospitals in Dar es Salaam, ... There is therefore a need for continuing training of drug dispensers regarding antimalarial drugs use in pregnancy.

  5. Factors affecting patients' knowledge about dispensed medicines: A Qualitative study of healthcare professionals and patients in Pakistan.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anum Saqib

    Full Text Available Patients' knowledge about their prescribed medicines is one of the most important antecedents of successful therapy. Poor knowledge about medicines can lead to serious consequences such as non-adherence and misunderstanding of the significance of adverse events. The objective of this study is to understand the factors that are responsible for a patients' lack of knowledge regarding their medicines, by taking the perspective of the patient as well as that of healthcare professionals. Much of the work in this area has been undertaken in the setting of developed or semi-developed countries, and there is a scarcity of information from developing nations such as Pakistan.This was a large qualitative study set in the hospital outpatient environment in a teaching hospital in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Data were collected from dialogue with patients (n = 19 and healthcare providers (n = 16 i.e., doctors and dispensers (where a dispenser is a person who merely dispenses medicines; i.e. is not a pharmacist through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Patients having limited knowledge about their dispensed medicines were assessed using a checklist. The healthcare providers were recruited through a convenience sampling strategy, based on their availability and willingness to participate in the study. Based on the objectives of the study, a pilot tested interview protocol was developed, and used to conduct the interviews. The sample size was controlled by using saturation point criteria. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analyzed to draw conclusions using inductive thematic content analysis.The analysis of data yielded 31 categories (patients = 19, healthcare professionals = 12, 10 subthemes and three themes. The major themes were healthcare professional-related factors, patient-related factors and system-related factors. The health professional related subthemes included: behaviour and attitude and professional

  6. The role of pharmacists and emergency contraception: Are pharmacists' perceptions of emergency contraception predictive of their dispensing practices?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richman, Alice R; Daley, Ellen M; Baldwin, Julie; Kromrey, Jeff; O'Rourke, Kathleen; Perrin, Kay

    2012-10-01

    Pharmacists can play a critical role in the access to emergency contraception (EC). We assessed if knowledge and attitudes were predictive of EC dispensing among a statewide sample of Florida pharmacists, who have legal authority to refuse to dispense medications. In 2008, surveys were mailed to a random sample of 1264 pharmacists registered with the Florida Board of Pharmacy. Data from 272 pharmacists (22% response rate) were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression. Fifty-six percent of respondents incorrectly answered that EC causes birth defects, and 46% replied that it causes abortion. Only 22% said that EC can be purchased in advance of need. Many felt uncomfortable dispensing to adolescents (61%) and men (58%). Knowledge about EC was the most important predictor of dispensing [odds ratio (OR)=1.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22-2.03]. In particular, pharmacists who reported that EC does not act as an abortifacient were more likely to dispense it (OR=4.64, 95% CI 2.15-10.00). Correct information about EC was the most important predictor of pharmacists' dispensing EC. To expand availability of EC, pharmacists will have to become better informed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Occurrence of heterotrophic and coliform bacteria in liquid hand soaps from bulk refillable dispensers in public facilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chattman, Marisa; Gerba, Sheri L; Maxwell, Charles P

    2011-03-01

    The goal of the study discussed in this article was to determine the occurrence of heterotrophic and coliform bacteria in liquid soap from bulk refillable dispensers, obtained from restrooms in a variety of public facilities. A total of 541 samples was collected from five U.S. cities. Liquid soap from dispensers in public areas was found to contain heterotrophic and coliform bacterial numbers averaging more than 106 CFU/mL in 24.8% of the dispensers.

  8. 21 CFR 866.2440 - Automated medium dispensing and stacking device.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Microbiology Devices § 866.2440... stacking device is a device intended for medical purposes to dispense a microbiological culture medium into...

  9. Dose dispenser for radioactive gas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horwitz, N.H.; Gutkowski, R.E.

    1977-01-01

    An activity metering apparatus for metering predetermined activities of radioactive gas from a supply ampul to dose vials is described. The apparatus includes a shielded ampul housing, a fine metering valve communicating with the ampul housing chamber, a shielded vial housing and a hypodermic needle communicating with the metering valve and received through an opening in the vial housing. A Geiger-Muller tube is adjustably supported opposite an opening in the vial housing, whereby the activity of the radioactive gas dispensed to a partially evacuated vial within the vial chamber may be read directly by a standard laboratory rate meter

  10. System for chemical decontamination of nuclear reactor primary systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schlonski, J.S.; McGiure, M.F.; Corpora, G.J.

    1992-01-01

    This patent describes a method of chemically decontaminating a nuclear reactor primary system, having a residual heat removal system with one or more residual heat removal heat exchangers, each having an upstream and a downstream side, at or above ambient pressure. It comprises: injecting decontamination chemicals using an injection means; circulating the injected decontamination chemicals throughout the primary system; directing the circulated decontamination chemicals and process fluids to a means for removing suspended solids and dissolved materials after the circulated chemicals and process fluids have passed through the residual heat removal heat exchanger; decontaminating the process fluids; and feeding the decontaminated process fluids to the injection means. This patent also describes a chemical decontamination system for use at, or above, ambient pressure in a nuclear reactor primary system having a residual heat removal system. It comprises: means for injecting decontamination chemicals into the primary system; means for removing dissolved and suspended materials and decontamination chemicals from the primary system; one or more residual heat removal pumps; means located downstream of one of the residual heat removal heat exchangers; and a return line connecting the means

  11. Multi-dose drug dispensing is a challenge across the primary-secondary care interface

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Reuther, Lene Orskov; Lysen, Charlotte; Faxholm, Mette

    2011-01-01

    Multi-dose drug dispensing (MDDD) signifies that the patient's medicine is packed in disposable bags corresponding to the dose that should be taken. The purpose of the present study was to investigate how a hospital MDDD instruction was followed.......Multi-dose drug dispensing (MDDD) signifies that the patient's medicine is packed in disposable bags corresponding to the dose that should be taken. The purpose of the present study was to investigate how a hospital MDDD instruction was followed....

  12. Electronic vending machines for dispensing rapid HIV self-testing kits: a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Sean D; Klausner, Jeffrey; Fynn, Risa; Bolan, Robert

    2014-02-01

    This short report evaluates the feasibility of using electronic vending machines for dispensing oral, fluid, rapid HIV self-testing kits in Los Angeles County. Feasibility criteria that needed to be addressed were defined as: (1) ability to find a manufacturer who would allow dispensing of HIV testing kits and could fit them to the dimensions of a vending machine, (2) ability to identify and address potential initial obstacles, trade-offs in choosing a machine location, and (3) ability to gain community approval for implementing this approach in a community setting. To address these issues, we contracted a vending machine company who could supply a customized, Internet-enabled machine that could dispense HIV kits and partnered with a local health center available to host the machine onsite and provide counseling to participants, if needed. Vending machines appear to be feasible technologies that can be used to distribute HIV testing kits.

  13. Computational Systems Chemical Biology

    OpenAIRE

    Oprea, Tudor I.; May, Elebeoba E.; Leitão, Andrei; Tropsha, Alexander

    2011-01-01

    There is a critical need for improving the level of chemistry awareness in systems biology. The data and information related to modulation of genes and proteins by small molecules continue to accumulate at the same time as simulation tools in systems biology and whole body physiologically-based pharmacokinetics (PBPK) continue to evolve. We called this emerging area at the interface between chemical biology and systems biology systems chemical biology, SCB (Oprea et al., 2007).

  14. Reformulation of controlled-release oxycodone and pharmacy dispensing patterns near the US-Canada border.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomes, Tara; Paterson, J Michael; Juurlink, David N; Dhalla, Irfan A; Mamdani, Muhammad M

    2012-01-01

    In August 2010, a tamper-resistant formulation of controlled-release oxycodone (OxyContin-OP) was introduced in the United States but not in Canada. Our objective was to determine whether introduction of OxyContin-OP in the United States influenced prescription volumes for the original controlled-release oxycodone formulation (OxyContin) at Canadian pharmacies near the international border. We conducted a population-based, serial, cross-sectional study of prescriptions dispensed from pharmacies in the 3 cities with the highest volume of US-Canada border crossings in Ontario: Niagara Falls, Windsor and Sarnia. We analyzed data on all outpatient prescriptions for OxyContin dispensed by Canadian pharmacies near each border crossing between 2010 Apr. 1 and 2012 Feb. 29. We calculated and compared monthly prescription rates, adjusted per 1000 population and stratified by tablet strength. The number of tablets dispensed near 4 border crossings in the 3 Canadian cities remained stable over the study period. However, the rate of dispensing at pharmacies near the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel increased roughly 4-fold between August 2010 and February 2011, from 505 to 1969 tablets per 1000 population. By April 2011, following warnings to prescribers and pharmacies regarding drug-seeking behaviour, the dispensing rate declined to 1683 tablets per 1000 population in this area. By November 2011, the rate had returned to levels observed in early 2010. Our analyses suggest that 242 075 excess OxyContin tablets were dispensed near the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel between August 2010 and October 2011. Prescribing of the original formulation of controlled-release oxycodone rose substantially near a major international border crossing following the introduction of a tamper-resistant formulation in the United States. It is possible that the restriction of this finding to the area surrounding the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel reflects specific characteristics of this border crossing, including its high

  15. E85 Dispenser Study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moriarty, K.; Johnson, C.; Sears, T.; Bergeron, P.

    2009-12-01

    This study reviews E85 dispensing infrastructure advances and issues and evaluates the geographic concentration of flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), E85 stations, ethanol production facilities, and E85 suppliers. Costs, space, financial incentives, and barriers to adding E85 fueling equipment at existing stations are also assessed. This study found that E85 is increasingly available in the U.S. in half of the states; however, the other half have minimal or no E85 fueling options. Despite these gains, E85 is only available at 1% of U.S. gasoline stations. Ethanol production reached 9.5 billion gallons in 2008, but less than 1% is consumed as E85. FFVs have not reached a significant concentration in any county, metropolitan area, or state.

  16. Can formalizing links among community health workers, accredited drug dispensing outlet dispensers, and health facility staff increase their collaboration to improve prompt access to maternal and child care? A qualitative study in Tanzania.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dillip, Angel; Kimatta, Suleiman; Embrey, Martha; Chalker, John C; Valimba, Richard; Malliwah, Mariam; Meena, John; Lieber, Rachel; Johnson, Keith

    2017-06-19

    In Tanzania, progress toward achieving the 2015 Millennium Development Goals for maternal and newborn health was slow. An intervention brought together community health workers, health facility staff, and accredited drug dispensing outlet (ADDO) dispensers to improve maternal and newborn health through a mechanism of collaboration and referral. This study explored barriers, successes, and promising approaches to increasing timely access to care by linking the three levels of health care provision. The study was conducted in the Kibaha district, where we applied qualitative approaches with in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. In-depth interview participants included retail drug shop dispensers (36), community health workers (45), and health facility staff members (15). We conducted one focus group discussion with district officials and four with mothers of newborns and children under 5 years old. Relationships among the three levels of care improved after the linkage intervention, especially for ADDO dispensers and health facility staff who previously had no formal communication pathway. The study participants perceptions of success included improved knowledge of case management and relationships among the three levels of care, more timely access to care, increased numbers of patients/customers, more meetings between community health workers and health facility staff, and a decrease in child and maternal mortality. Reported challenges included stock-outs of medicines at the health facility, participating ADDO dispensers who left to work in other regions, documentation of referrals, and lack of treatment available at health facilities on the weekend. The primary issue that threatens the sustainability of the intervention is that local council health management team members, who are responsible for facilitating the linkage, had not made any supervision visits and were therefore unaware of how the program was running. The study highlights the benefits of

  17. Surface contamination of counting tools after mock dispensing of cyclophosphamide in a simulated outpatient pharmacy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaffee, Bruce W; Lander, Michael J; Christen, Catherine; Redic, Kimberly A

    2018-01-01

    Purpose The primary aim was to determine if dispensing of cyclophosphamide tablets resulted in accumulated residue on pharmacy counting tools during a simulated outpatient dispensing process. Secondary objectives included determining if cyclophosphamide contamination exceeded a defined threshold level of 1 ng/cm 2 and if a larger number of prescriptions dispensed resulted in increased contamination. Methods Mock prescriptions of 40 cyclophosphamide 50 mg tablets were counted on clean trays in three scenarios using a simulated outpatient pharmacy after assaying five cleaned trays as controls. The three scenarios consisted of five simulated dispensings of one, three, or six prescriptions dispensed per scenario. Wipe samples of trays and spatulas were collected and assayed for all trays, including the five clean trays used as controls. Contamination was defined as an assayed cyclophosphamide level at or above 0.001 ng/cm 2 and levels above 1 ng/cm 2 were considered sufficient to cause risk of human uptake. Mean contamination for each scenario was calculated and compared using one-way analysis of variance. P-values of contamination on trays used to count one, three, and six cyclophosphamide prescriptions was 0.51 ± 0.10 (p=0.0003), 1.02 ± 0.10 (p contamination. Increasing the number of prescriptions dispensed from 1 to 3, 1 to 6, and 3 to 6 counts increased contamination by 0.51 ± 0.15 (p = 0.0140), 1.31 + 0.15 (p contaminates pharmacy counting tools, and an increased number of prescriptions dispensed correlates with increased level of contamination. Counting out three or more prescriptions leads to trays having contamination that surpasses the threshold at which worker exposure may be increased. Pharmacies should consider devoting a separate tray to cyclophosphamide tablets, as cross-contamination could occur with other drugs and the efficacy of decontamination methods is unclear. Employee exposure could be minimized with the use

  18. The knowledge of emergency contraception and dispensing practices of Patent Medicine Vendors in South West Nigeria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fayemi, Mojisola M; Oduola, Olufemi L; Ogbuji, Queen C; Osinowo, Kehinde A; Oyewo, Adejoke E; Osiberu, Olabimpe M

    2010-09-01

    Patent Medicine Vendors (PMVs) can play a critical role in increasing access to emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) in developing countries, but few studies have examined their knowledge and dispensing practices. Using cluster sampling, the authors selected and interviewed 97 PMVs (60.8 per cent female) in Oyo and Ogun States of Nigeria to assess their knowledge, dispensing practices, and referral for ECPs. About one-third (27.8 per cent) of respondents were not aware of ECPs, and only half knew that ECPs could prevent pregnancy. Forty per cent had ever dispensed ECPs. Reasons proffered by those who do not dispense ECPs included barriers from the State Ministry of Health, police, other regulatory agencies, and religious beliefs. Only 50.5 per cent have referral arrangements for clients. Strategies to increase access to ECPs through PMVs include training on counseling techniques and referral, effective government regulation, and community involvement. Where unsafe abortion is a major cause of maternal mortality, these strategies offer protection for many women in the future.

  19. College Cafeteria Signage Increases Water Intake but Water Position on the Soda Dispenser Encourages More Soda Consumption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montuclard, Astrid Linn; Park-Mroch, Jennifer; O'Shea, Amy M J; Wansink, Brian; Irvin, Jill; Laroche, Helena H

    2017-10-01

    To evaluate the effects of improved water location visibility and water dispenser position on the soda dispenser on undergraduate students' beverage choices. Two focus groups with pilot intervention surveys before and after, adding a small sign above the soda dispensers' water button for 6 weeks in a large US university's all-you-can-eat, prepaid dining hall (measured with chi-square tests and logistic and ordinal logistic regression). Focus groups included 15 students. Survey participants included 357 students before and 301 after the intervention. After the intervention, more students reported ever having drunk water with the meal (66.4% to 77.0%; P = .003) and water consumption frequency increased (P = .005). Postintervention, the odds of drinking water increased by 1.57. Preference for other drinks was the main reason for not drinking water. A total of 59% of students had ever changed their preference from water to soda. The clear indication of the water's location increased students' reported water consumption. Further investigation is needed into how a non-independent water dispenser influences students' beverage choice. Clearly labeled, independent water dispensers are recommended. Copyright © 2017 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. All rights reserved.

  20. The challenge of responsible dispensing: formal education versus professional practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nadine Judith Bezzegh

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to evaluate the education of Pharmaceutical Technicians for the activity of responsible dispensing. Based on a questionnaire with open and closed questions, the study sought to characterize the students, identify knowledge and attitudes regarding the Rational Use of Medications while addressing the limits and possibilities of professional and ethical dispensing in practice. In addition, a group dynamics session - focus group - was held as a forum for debate on responsible dispensing. The results showed that students tended to be mature, currently employed and were predominately women. Displaying adequate knowledge on Rational Use of Medications and of the corresponding legislation, the students reported difficulties exercising compatible practice. While the diagnosis pointed to the need for student preparation to enable ethical dispensing, the Focus Group highlighted the possibility for inclusion of a forum for reflection and debate on the ethics of dispensing as part of the Pharmaceutical Technician training.O presente trabalho tem como proposta avaliar a formação do Técnico em Farmácia para o exercício da dispensação responsável. A partir de um questionário com perguntas fechadas e abertas, o estudo envolveu a caracterização dos alunos, a identificação de conhecimentos e atitudes em relação ao Uso Racional dos Medicamentos com vistas ao delineamento dos limites e possibilidades do exercício profissional ético na dispensação. Além disso, foi realizada uma dinâmica grupal - grupo focal - com o objetivo de apreciar a constituição de um espaço de reflexão sobre a dispensação responsável. Os resultados evidenciaram um alunato de maior idade, inserido no mercado de trabalho e predominância de mulheres. Dispondo de conhecimento adequado sobre o Uso Racional dos Medicamentos e da legislação correspondente os alunos fazem referência às dificuldades no exercício de uma pr

  1. Isolation of Raoultella planticola from refillable antimicrobial liquid soap dispensers in a dental setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Momeni, Stephanie S; Tomlin, Nancy; Ruby, John D

    2015-04-01

    Liquid antimicrobial soaps are commonly used in the dental health care setting for hand washing to minimize the potential spread of infectious agents to health care workers and patients. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate possible bacterial contamination of antimicrobial liquid soap dispensers located in 2 institutional comprehensive dental care clinics. Fourteen soap dispensers and 16 original stock containers were sampled. A 1-milliliter aliquot was diluted in 10 mL of phosphate buffer (Tween-80; Acros). Serial dilutions were plated in duplicate on neutralizing agar and incubated for 7 days. Molecular identification was performed using 500 base pair comparisons of 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid sequencing. Taq polymerase chain reaction was performed with sequence-specific primers for Raoultella species. Bacterial growth was observed at 18 hours for 57% (8 of 14) of soap dispenser samples. Bacterial densities ranged from 4 × 10(2) to 6 × 10(9) colony-forming units per milliliter. Original commercial containers exhibited no growth. Isolates were identified as Raoultella (Klebsiella) planticola. This is the first study to the authors' knowledge indicating recovery of R. planticola from antimicrobial liquid soap dispensers. R. planticola is a recognized environmental opportunistic pathogen that potentially poses a health concern. These findings indicate compliance problems with infection prevention recommendations and support the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation that dispensers should not be topped off. High bacterial loads of R. planticola are inconsistent with infection control practices and are a concern because transmission and possible infection to the health care worker or the patient may occur. Copyright © 2015 American Dental Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Using Healthcare Failure Mode and Effect Analysis to reduce medication errors in the process of drug prescription, validation and dispensing in hospitalised patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vélez-Díaz-Pallarés, Manuel; Delgado-Silveira, Eva; Carretero-Accame, María Emilia; Bermejo-Vicedo, Teresa

    2013-01-01

    To identify actions to reduce medication errors in the process of drug prescription, validation and dispensing, and to evaluate the impact of their implementation. A Health Care Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (HFMEA) was supported by a before-and-after medication error study to measure the actual impact on error rate after the implementation of corrective actions in the process of drug prescription, validation and dispensing in wards equipped with computerised physician order entry (CPOE) and unit-dose distribution system (788 beds out of 1080) in a Spanish university hospital. The error study was carried out by two observers who reviewed medication orders on a daily basis to register prescription errors by physicians and validation errors by pharmacists. Drugs dispensed in the unit-dose trolleys were reviewed for dispensing errors. Error rates were expressed as the number of errors for each process divided by the total opportunities for error in that process times 100. A reduction in prescription errors was achieved by providing training for prescribers on CPOE, updating prescription procedures, improving clinical decision support and automating the software connection to the hospital census (relative risk reduction (RRR), 22.0%; 95% CI 12.1% to 31.8%). Validation errors were reduced after optimising time spent in educating pharmacy residents on patient safety, developing standardised validation procedures and improving aspects of the software's database (RRR, 19.4%; 95% CI 2.3% to 36.5%). Two actions reduced dispensing errors: reorganising the process of filling trolleys and drawing up a protocol for drug pharmacy checking before delivery (RRR, 38.5%; 95% CI 14.1% to 62.9%). HFMEA facilitated the identification of actions aimed at reducing medication errors in a healthcare setting, as the implementation of several of these led to a reduction in errors in the process of drug prescription, validation and dispensing.

  3. Raw Milk Hygiene at Local Markets and Automatic Milk Dispenser Machines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gheorghe Şteţca

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available In Romania, direct sales of raw milk to the final consumer is developed based on the local regulations. These are in accordance to European Regulation that must meet some quality requirements for the total number of germs, somatic cells, without antibiotics, coming from healthy animals who did not suffer from diseases that can be transmitted to humans through milk. Raw milk is sold in Romania in local markets and by automatic milk dispenser machines. Based on these regulations, a study regarding the quality and security to human health of raw milk was conducted on the commercialized milk in local markets and automatic milk dispensers. During May-June 2014 samples of raw milk were collected from Cluj-Napoca local markets and automatic milk dispensers. All samples were kept to refrigeration conditions until the moment of analyze which took place at the sampling day. The following parameters were taken into account: fat content, protein, casein, lactose, nonfat dry matter, pH, milk freezing point, added water, antibiotics residues, milk urea, number of germ cells and somatic cells. All obtained results were verified by the validated methods applied. Our research can be forward conducted in order to verify the hygiene and composition of milk from the whole dairy chain. 

  4. Trends in radiopharmaceutical dispensing in a regional nuclear pharmacy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Basmadjian, G.P.; Barker, K.; Johnston, J.; Stinchcomb, R.; Tarman, B.; Ice, R.D.

    1983-01-01

    In the last five years, the practice of nuclear medicine has undergone changes due to the advent of new imaging technologies and radiopharmaceuticals. These changes have had an impact upon the number and the type of radiopharmaceuticals dispensed in centralized nuclear pharmacies. With the advent of Computerized Axial Tomography Scanners (CAT), sophistication and wider acceptance of the Ultrasound imaging modality, nuclear medicine has had to change directions from utilizing radiopharmaceuticals for static organ imaging to functional type imaging and to resort to the use of new radiopharmaceuticals or to find other uses for the existing radiopharmaceuticals. The following trends in radiopharmaceutical dispensing in a regional nuclear pharmacy are evident: Brain procedures have declined by about 67% while nuclear cardiology studies have increased by over 2000%. Bone scans have increased by 72% while liver, renal and lung studies have shown no significant increase. These changes will continue as the practice of nuclear medicine concentrates more on functional studies and relegates other studies to newer imaging modalities

  5. The association between lifting an administrative restriction on antidepressant dispensing and treatment patterns in Iceland

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thengilsdottir, G; Gardarsdottir, H; Almarsdóttir, Anna Birna

    2013-01-01

    On March 1st 2009, restrictions on the dispensing of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) in Iceland were lifted. Incident rates and changes in early discontinuation and switching before and after the change were investigated.......On March 1st 2009, restrictions on the dispensing of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) in Iceland were lifted. Incident rates and changes in early discontinuation and switching before and after the change were investigated....

  6. Introduction to the Chemical Management System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sawyer, J.G.

    1993-01-01

    The CMS, a Laboratory-wide electronic chemical inventory tracking system, will assist PNL by establishing comprehensive, integrated, Laboratory-wide databases supported by consistent and standardized procedures for chemical inventory management. It will provide PNL with the information needed to meet its current chemical management responsibilities and regulatory requirements. Its objectives are to provide an inventory of all chemicals being held at PNL facilities, to provide a specific location for all chemical containers, to ensure that health and safety regulatory codes are being upheld, and to provide PNL staff and managers with hazardous-chemical information for better inventory management. It is composed of 5 modules: chemical purchasing; chemical inventory; chemical names, properties, and hazardous groups; reporting; and system manager

  7. ORF43 of maize rayado fino virus is dispensable for systemic infection of maize and transmission by leafhoppers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Michael C; Weiland, John J; Todd, Jane; Stewart, Lucy R; Lu, Shunwen

    2016-04-01

    Maize rayado fino virus (MRFV) possesses an open reading frame (ORF43) predicted to encode a 43 kDa protein (p43) that has been postulated to be a viral movement protein. Using a clone of MRFV (pMRFV-US) from which infectious RNA can be produced, point mutations were introduced to either prevent initiation from three potential AUG initiation codons near the 5'-end of ORF43 or prematurely terminate translation of ORF43. Inoculation of maize seed via vascular puncture inoculation (VPI) resulted in plants exhibiting symptoms typical of MRFV infection for all mutants tested. Furthermore, corn leafhoppers (Dalbulus maidis) transmitted the virus mutants to healthy plants at a frequency similar to that for wild-type MRFV-US. Viral RNA recovered from plants infected with mutants both prior to and after leafhopper transmission retained mutations blocking ORF43 expression. The results indicate that ORF43 of MRFV is dispensable for both systemic infection of maize and transmission by leafhoppers.

  8. Hazardous chemical tracking system (HAZ-TRAC)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bramlette, J.D.; Ewart, S.M.; Jones, C.E.

    1990-07-01

    Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company, Inc. (WINCO) developed and implemented a computerized hazardous chemical tracking system, referred to as Haz-Trac, for use at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP). Haz-Trac is designed to provide a means to improve the accuracy and reliability of chemical information, which enhances the overall quality and safety of ICPP operations. The system tracks all chemicals and chemical components from the time they enter the ICPP until the chemical changes form, is used, or becomes a waste. The system runs on a Hewlett-Packard (HP) 3000 Series 70 computer. The system is written in COBOL and uses VIEW/3000, TurboIMAGE/DBMS 3000, OMNIDEX, and SPEEDWARE. The HP 3000 may be accessed throughout the ICPP, and from remote locations, using data communication lines. Haz-Trac went into production in October, 1989. Currently, over 1910 chemicals and chemical components are tracked on the system. More than 2500 personnel hours were saved during the first six months of operation. Cost savings have been realized by reducing the time needed to collect and compile reporting information, identifying and disposing of unneeded chemicals, and eliminating duplicate inventories. Haz-Trac maintains information required by the Superfund Amendment Reauthorization Act (SARA), the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

  9. Hazardous chemical tracking system (HAZ-TRAC)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bramlette, J D; Ewart, S M; Jones, C E

    1990-07-01

    Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company, Inc. (WINCO) developed and implemented a computerized hazardous chemical tracking system, referred to as Haz-Trac, for use at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP). Haz-Trac is designed to provide a means to improve the accuracy and reliability of chemical information, which enhances the overall quality and safety of ICPP operations. The system tracks all chemicals and chemical components from the time they enter the ICPP until the chemical changes form, is used, or becomes a waste. The system runs on a Hewlett-Packard (HP) 3000 Series 70 computer. The system is written in COBOL and uses VIEW/3000, TurboIMAGE/DBMS 3000, OMNIDEX, and SPEEDWARE. The HP 3000 may be accessed throughout the ICPP, and from remote locations, using data communication lines. Haz-Trac went into production in October, 1989. Currently, over 1910 chemicals and chemical components are tracked on the system. More than 2500 personnel hours were saved during the first six months of operation. Cost savings have been realized by reducing the time needed to collect and compile reporting information, identifying and disposing of unneeded chemicals, and eliminating duplicate inventories. Haz-Trac maintains information required by the Superfund Amendment Reauthorization Act (SARA), the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

  10. Population prevalence of high dose paracetamol in dispensed paracetamol/opioid prescription combinations: an observational study

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Background Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is generally considered a safe medication, but is associated with hepatotoxicity at doses above doses of 4.0 g/day, and even below this daily dose in certain populations. Methods The Nova Scotia Prescription Monitoring Program (NSPMP) in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia is a legislated organization that collects dispensing information on all out-of-hospital prescription controlled drugs dispensed for all Nova Scotia residents. The NSPMP provided data to track all paracetamol/opioids redeemed by adults in Nova Scotia, from July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2010. Trends in the number of adults dispensed these prescriptions and the numbers of prescriptions and tablets dispensed over this period were determined. The numbers and proportions of adults who filled prescriptions exceeding 4.0 g/day and 3.25 g/day were determined for the one-year period July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. Data were stratified by sex and age (paracetamol/opioid prescription was lower in each successive one-year period. From July 2009 to June 2010, one in 12 adults (n = 59,197) filled prescriptions for over 13 million paracetamol/opioid tablets. Six percent (n = 3,786) filled prescriptions that exceeded 4.0 g/day and 18.6% (n = 11,008) exceeded 3.25 g/day of paracetamol at least once. These findings exclude non-prescription paracetamol and paracetamol–only prescribed medications. Conclusions A substantial number of individuals who redeem prescriptions for paracetamol/opioid combinations may be at risk of paracetamol-related hepatotoxicity. Healthcare professionals must be vigilant when prescribing and dispensing these medications in order to reduce the associated risks. PMID:22709372

  11. Fabrication and Measurement of Low Work Function Cesiated Dispenser Photocathodes

    CERN Document Server

    Moody, Nathan A; Jensen, Kevin

    2005-01-01

    Photoinjector performance is a limiting factor in the continued development of high powered FELs and electron beam-based accelerators. Presently available photocathodes are plagued with limited efficiency and short lifetime in an RF-gun environment, due to contamination or evaporation of a photosensitive surface layer. An ideal photocathode should have high efficiency at long wavelengths, long lifetime in practical vacuum environments, and prompt emission. Cathodes with high efficiency typically have limited lifetime, and vice versa, and the needs of the photocathode are generally at odds with those of the drive laser. A potential solution is the low work function dispenser cathode, where lifetime issues are overcome by periodic in situ regeneration that restores the photosensitive surface layer, analogous to those used in the microwave power tube industry. This work reports on the fabrication techniques and performance of cesiated metal photocathodes and cesiated dispenser cathodes, with a focus on understan...

  12. Dispensing of drugs with and without a prescription from private ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    There is little literature available on dispensing patterns and unsupervised sale of medicines from pharmacies in Tanzania. The present study assessed the patterns of drug acquisition from pharmacies by customers: whether by prescription, recommended by pharmacist, or requested by a customer without a prescription.

  13. The impact of ethnic density on dispensing of antipsychotic and antidepressant medication among immigrants in the Netherlands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Termorshuizen, Fabian; Heerdink, Eibert R; Selten, Jean-Paul

    2018-06-12

    A higher own-group ethnic density in the area of residence is often associated with a lower risk for psychotic disorder. For common mental disorders the evidence is less convincing. This study explores whether these findings are mirrored in data on dispensing of antipsychotics and antidepressants. Health insurance data on dispensed medication among all adults living in the four largest Dutch cities were linked to demographic data from Statistics Netherlands. Dispensing of antipsychotics and antidepressants in 2013 was analyzed in relation to the proportion of the own ethnic group in the neighborhood. Higher own-group ethnic density was associated with lower dispensing of antipsychotics among the Moroccan-Dutch (N = 115,455), after adjusting for age, gender, and SES of the neighborhood (OR adj for the highest vs. the lowest density quintile = 0.72 [0.66-0.79]). However, this association vanished after adjustment for household composition (OR adj  = 0.93 [0.85-1.03]). Similar results were found for the Turkish-Dutch (N = 105,460) (OR adj  = 0.86 [0.76-0.96] and 1.05 [0.94-1.18]). For those of Surinamese (N = 147,123) and Antillean origin (N = 41,430), in contrast, the association between ethnic density and lower risk remained after each adjustment (P density was consistently found for those of Antillean origin (OR adj  = 0.62 [0.52-0.74]) only. These data on dispensing of psychomedication confirm the ethnic density hypothesis for psychosis alongside earlier equivocal findings for other mental disorders. The negative association between own-group ethnic density and dispensing of antipsychotics among the Moroccan- and Turkish-Dutch may be explained, at least in part, by a favourable household composition (i.e., living in a family) in high-density neighborhoods. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. 40 CFR Table 1 to Subpart Cccccc... - Applicability Criteria and Management Practices for Gasoline Dispensing Facilities With Monthly...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Criteria and Management Practices for Gasoline Dispensing Facilities With Monthly Throughput of 100,000... 40 Protection of Environment 14 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Applicability Criteria and Management Practices for Gasoline Dispensing Facilities With Monthly Throughput of 100,000 Gallons of Gasoline or More...

  15. Dispensing of very low volumes of ultra high viscosity alginate gels: a new tool for encapsulation of adherent cells and rapid prototyping of scaffolds and implants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gepp, Michael M; Ehrhart, Friederike; Shirley, Stephen G; Howitz, Steffen; Zimmermann, Heiko

    2009-01-01

    We present a tool for dispensing very low volumes (20 nL or more) of ultra high viscosity (UHV) medical-grade alginate hydrogels. It uses a modified piezo-driven micrometering valve, integrated into a versatile system that allows fast prototyping of encapsulation procedures and scaffold production. Valves show excellent dispensing properties for UHV alginate in concentrations of 0.4% and 0.7% and also for aqueous liquids. An optimized process flow provides excellent handling of biological samples under sterile conditions. This technique allows the encapsulation of adherent cells and structuring of substrates for biotechnology and regenerative medicine. A variety of cell lines showed at least 70% viability after encapsulation (including cell lines that are relevant in regenerative medicine like Hep G2), and time-lapse analysis revealed cells proliferating and showing limited motility under alginate spots. Cells show metabolic activity, gene product expression, and physiological function. Encapsulated cells have contact with the substrate and can exchange metabolites while being isolated from macromolecules in the environment. Contactless dispensing allows structuring of substrates with alginate, isolation and transfer of cell-alginate complexes, and the dispensing of biological active hydrogels like extracellular matrix-derived gels.

  16. Integration of dispenser-printed ultra-low-voltage thermoelectric and energy storage devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Z; Chen, A; Winslow, R; Madan, D; Nill, M; Wright, P K; Juang, R C; Evans, J W

    2012-01-01

    This paper reports on an integrated energy harvesting prototype that consists of dispenser-printed thermoelectric energy harvesting and electrochemical energy storage devices. Parallel-connected thermoelectric devices with low internal resistances were designed, fabricated and characterized. The use of a commercially available dc-to-dc converter was explored to step-up a 27.1 mV input voltage from a printed thermoelectric device to a regulated 2.34 V output at a maximum of 34% conversion efficiency. The regulated power succeeds in charging dispenser-printed, zinc-based micro-batteries with charging efficiencies of up to 67%. The prototype presented in this work demonstrates the feasibility of deploying a printable, cost-effective and perpetual power solution for practical wireless sensor network applications. (paper)

  17. Aerial release of Rhinoncomimus latipes (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to control Persicaria perfoliata (Polygonaceae) using an unmanned aerial system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Yong-Lak; Gururajan, Srikanth; Thistle, Harold; Chandran, Rakesh; Reardon, Richard

    2018-01-01

    Rhinoncomimus latipes (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a major biological control agent against the invasive plant Persicaria perfoliata. Release of R. latipes is challenging with the current visit-and-hand release approach because P. perfoliata shows a high degree of patchiness in the landscape, possesses recurved barbs on its stems, and often spreads into hard-to-access areas. This 3-year study developed and evaluated unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for precise aerial release of R. latipes to control P. perfoliata. We have developed two UAS (i.e. quad-rotor and tri-rotor) and an aerial release system to disseminate R. latipes. These include pods containing R. latipes and a dispenser to accommodate eight pods. Results of field tests to evaluate the systems showed no significant (P > 0.05) effects on survivorship and feeding ability of R. latipes after aerial release. Our study demonstrates the potential of UAS for precision aerial release of biological control agents to control invasive plants. The aerial deployment systems we have developed, including both pods and a dispenser, are low cost, logistically practical, and effective with no negative effects on aerially released R. latipes. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

  18. Chemical systems, chemical contiguity and the emergence of life

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Terrence P. Kee

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Charting the emergence of living cells from inanimate matter remains an intensely challenging scientific problem. The complexity of the biochemical machinery of cells with its exquisite intricacies hints at cells being the product of a long evolutionary process. Research on the emergence of life has long been focusing on specific, well-defined problems related to one aspect of cellular make-up, such as the formation of membranes or the build-up of information/catalytic apparatus. This approach is being gradually replaced by a more “systemic” approach that privileges processes inherent to complex chemical systems over specific isolated functional apparatuses. We will summarize the recent advances in system chemistry and show that chemical systems in the geochemical context imply a form of chemical contiguity in the syntheses of the various molecules that precede modern biomolecules.

  19. ELECTROSPUN MESOFIBERS, A NOVEL BIODEGRADABLE PHEROMONE DISPENSER TECHNOLOGY, ARE COMBINED WITH MECHANICAL DEPLOYMENT FOR EFFICIENT IPM OF LOBESIA BOTRANA IN VINEYARDS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hummel, Hans E; Langner, S S; Breuer, M

    2015-01-01

    Behaviour modifying pheromones are well known agents for disrupting mating communication of pest insects. For optimal activity, they must be dispensed in time and space at a quantitatively measurable, predetermined release rate covering the flight period of the target species. Pheromones appeal to environmentally conscientious entomologists for their biodegradability, non-toxicity and ecological compatibility. In attempts of combining the virtues of pheromones, suitable slow release dispensers, and their mechanical deployment, an ecologically sensible, reasonably priced and patented procedure was developed and tested with the vineyard pest Lobesia botrana (Lep.: Tortricidae). It is characterized by (1) Electrospun mesofibers with diameters ranging from 0.6 to 3.5 micrometres, containing disruptants and dispensing it by slow release diffusion into the crop, (2) simultaneous application of the fully biodegradable combination of pheromone with Ecoflex polyester mesofiber, (3) combination of mechanical deployment by multi-purpose cultivators of the prefabricated pheromone dispensers with other simultaneous cultivation measures, and thus further reducing labour time and treatment costs. The dispensers are biodegradable within half a year without leaving any objectionable residues. In the standard eco-toxicology tests pheromone dispensers are harmless to non-target organisms. The disruptive effect of one treatment lasts for seven weeks which covers well one of several flight periods of L. botrana.

  20. Impact of Robotic Dispensing Machines in German Pharmacies on ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    As a result of using a robotic dispensing machine, personnel costs were reduced by an average of 4.6% during the first 12 months after start-up. Over-the-counter sales increased in the same period by an average of 6.8%. Despite average initial costs of 118,000 euros, total costs within the first 12 months fell in 50% of cases ...

  1. Impact of one-dose package dispensing with patient counseling on medication adherence in geriatrics suffering from chronic disorders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Narayana Goruntla

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Medication nonadherence in elderly patients could result in a waste of medical expenses in a long-time span as well as deterioration of the patient's medical condition. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of one-dose package dispensing with patient counseling on medication adherence among elderly patients suffering from chronic disorders. Settings and Design: This is prospective, open-labeled, randomized trial carried out at dispensing pharmacy of the secondary care referral hospital, located in resource-limited settings of Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Subjects and Methods: A total of 330 (aged ≥60 years patients were randomly assigned to one of three study groups: Group A (n = 110, no change in dosing and packing; Group B (n = 110, one-dose package dispensing; Group C (n = 110, One-dose package dispensing with patient counseling. Medication adherence levels were measured using a pill count and visual analog scale (VAS method at baseline and follow-up (after 1 month. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistics were used to represent the sociodemographic, clinical, and medication adherence profile of study participants. One-way ANOVA test is used to assess significant differences between three groups with a P 60 years who are on multiple medications can benefit from one-dose package dispensing and appropriate counseling. This will improve medication adherence hence better outcomes.

  2. Weathering and chemical degradation of methyl eugenol and raspberry ketone solid dispensers for detection, monitoring and male annihilation of Bactrocera dorsalis and Bactrocera cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Hawaii

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solid male lure dispensers containing methyl eugenol (ME) and raspberry ketone (RK), or mixtures of the lures (ME + RK), and dimethyl dichloro-vinyl phosphate (DDVP) were evaluated in AWPM bucket or Jackson traps in commercial papaya (Carica papaya L.) orchards where both oriental fruit fly, Bactroc...

  3. Louisiana SIP: LAC 33:III Ch 2132. Stage II Vapor Recovery Systems for Control of Vehicle Refuelling Emissions at Gasoline Dispensing Facilities; SIP effective 2011-08-04 (LAd34) and 2016-02-29 (LAd47) to 2017-09-27

    Science.gov (United States)

    Louisiana SIP: LAC 33:III Ch 2132. Stage II Vapor Recovery Systems for Control of Vehicle Refuelling Emissions at Gasoline Dispensing Facilities; SIP effective 2011-08-04 (LAd34) and 2016-02-29 (LAd47) to 2017-09-27

  4. Soil chemical sensor and precision agricultural chemical delivery system and method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colburn, Jr., John W.

    1991-01-01

    A real time soil chemical sensor and precision agricultural chemical delivery system includes a plurality of ground-engaging tools in association with individual soil sensors which measure soil chemical levels. The system includes the addition of a solvent which rapidly saturates the soil/tool interface to form a conductive solution of chemicals leached from the soil. A multivalent electrode, positioned within a multivalent frame of the ground-engaging tool, applies a voltage or impresses a current between the electrode and the tool frame. A real-time soil chemical sensor and controller senses the electrochemical reaction resulting from the application of the voltage or current to the leachate, measures it by resistivity methods, and compares it against pre-set resistivity levels for substances leached by the solvent. Still greater precision is obtained by calibrating for the secondary current impressed through solvent-less soil. The appropriate concentration is then found and the servo-controlled delivery system applies the appropriate amount of fertilizer or agricultural chemicals substantially in the location from which the soil measurement was taken.

  5. Development of alloy-film coated dispenser cathode for terahertz vacuum electron devices application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barik, R.K.; Bera, A.; Raju, R.S.; Tanwar, A.K.; Baek, I.K.; Min, S.H.; Kwon, O.J.; Sattorov, M.A.; Lee, K.W.; Park, G.-S.

    2013-01-01

    High power terahertz vacuum electron devices demand high current density and uniform emission dispenser cathode. It was found that the coating of noble metals e.g., Os, Ir, and Re on the surface of tungsten dispenser cathodes enhances the emission capabilities and uniformity. Hence metal coated cathode might be the best candidate for terahertz devices applications. In this study, ternary-alloy-film cathode (2Os:2Re:1 W) and Os coated cathode have been developed and the results are presented. The cathodes made out of this alloy coating showed 1.5 times higher emission and 0.02 eV emission uniformity as compared to those of simply Os coated cathodes which can be used in terahertz devices application.

  6. Development of alloy-film coated dispenser cathode for terahertz vacuum electron devices application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barik, R. K.; Bera, A. [School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Raju, R. S. [Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI), Rajasthan (India); Tanwar, A. K.; Baek, I. K.; Min, S. H.; Kwon, O. J.; Sattorov, M. A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for THz-Bio Application Systems, and Seoul-Teracom Inc., Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, K. W. [LIG Nex1, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Park, G.-S., E-mail: gunsik@snu.ac.kr [School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for THz-Bio Application Systems, and Seoul-Teracom Inc., Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Advanced Institute of Convergence Technology, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-07-01

    High power terahertz vacuum electron devices demand high current density and uniform emission dispenser cathode. It was found that the coating of noble metals e.g., Os, Ir, and Re on the surface of tungsten dispenser cathodes enhances the emission capabilities and uniformity. Hence metal coated cathode might be the best candidate for terahertz devices applications. In this study, ternary-alloy-film cathode (2Os:2Re:1 W) and Os coated cathode have been developed and the results are presented. The cathodes made out of this alloy coating showed 1.5 times higher emission and 0.02 eV emission uniformity as compared to those of simply Os coated cathodes which can be used in terahertz devices application.

  7. Validation of a proxy for estrogen receptor status in breast cancer patients using dispensing data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srasuebkul, Preeyaporn; Dobbins, Timothy A; Pearson, Sallie-Anne

    2014-06-01

    To assess the performance of a proxy for estrogen receptor (ER) status in breast cancer patients using dispensing data. We derived our proxy using 167 patients. ER+ patients had evidence of at least one dispensing record for hormone therapy during the lookback period, irrespective of diagnosis date and ER- had no dispensing records for hormone therapy during the period. We validated the proxy against our gold standard, ER status from pathology reports or medical records. We assessed the proxy's performance using three lookback periods: 4.5 years, 2 years, 1 year. More than half of our cohort (62%) were >50 years, 54% had stage III/IV breast cancer at recruitment, (46%) were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 and 23% were diagnosed before 2006. Sensitivity and specificity were high for the 4.5 year lookback period (93%, 95% CI: 86-96%; and 95%: 83-99%), respectively) and remained high for the 2-year lookback period (91%: 84-95%; and 95%: 83-99%). Sensitivity decreased (83%: 75.2-89%) but specificity remained high (95%: 83-99%) using the 1-year lookback period and the period is long enough to allow sufficient time for hormone therapy to be dispensed. Our proxy accurately infers ER status in studies of breast cancer treatment based on secondary health data. The proxy is most robust with a minimum lookback period of 2 years. © 2012 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  8. Treatment practices of households and antibiotic dispensing in medicine outlets in developing countries: The case of Ghana

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tersbøl, Britt Pinkowski

    2018-01-01

    in households and the antibiotic dispensing practices of medicine sales outlets in Eastern region, Ghana. Method: Twice-weekly illness recall visits were made to 12 households in three rural communities over eight consecutive weeks. Detailed fieldnotes were taken and analysed using a thematic approach....... Quantitative counts of health events and treatment were also conducted. Dispensing practices were systematically observed and documented in three rural and three urban medicine outlets for analysis. Result: Fever, abdominal, and respiratory symptoms were the most common causes of ill-health in the 12...... an integral part of healthcare in the study settings and the qualitative data provides a contextual understanding of over-the-counter antibiotic acquisition and use. Inappropriate antibiotic use is apparent in the study settings. Stricter regulation of the pharmaceutical sector, training of dispensers...

  9. Providers′ knowledge, attitude and dispensing practices of E-Pills in government dispensaries of south district in Delhi, India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kishore Vertika

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: South Delhi is one of the well developed districts in the capital with best public health care facilities. Knowledge, attitude and dispensing practices of emergency contraceptive pills (E-pills were assessed among health care providers of government dispensaries in South Delhi. Study Design: A descriptive epidemiological study. Materials and Methods: Both medical and paramedical (n = 428 providers in 63 government health care facilities were interviewed between August to December 2007 using a semi-structured interview schedule. Results: Among the different categories of the providers, medical officers were observed to be most knowledgeable about E-pills and the pharmacists were the least. The correct prescribed dose of E-pill was known only to 32% of the providers while 49% knew about its right time of intake. Misconceptions and apprehensions for promoting its use were very much prevalent even among medical officers as majority felt that open access to E-pills would increase promiscuity. The dispensing practice of providers was found positively ( P < 0.05 correlated with their knowledge. Training resulted a significant ( P < 0.05 improvement in knowledge, attitude and dispensing practice of the providers. Knowledge and training combined together contributed 35% to the dispensing practice (R 2 = 0.35. Conclusion: Besides knowledge, behavior change communication strategies should form a part of the training curricula of health care providers that would help to improve the dispensing practice of E-pills.

  10. Design, microfabrication, and characterization of a moulded PDMS/SU-8 inkjet dispenser for a Lab-on-a-Printer platform technology with disposable microfluidic chip.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bsoul, Anas; Pan, Sheng; Cretu, Edmond; Stoeber, Boris; Walus, Konrad

    2016-08-16

    In this paper, we present a disposable inkjet dispenser platform technology and demonstrate the Lab-on-a-Printer concept, an extension of the ubiquitous Lab-on-a-Chip concept, whereby microfluidic modules are directly integrated into the printhead. The concept is demonstrated here through the integration of an inkjet dispenser and a microfluidic mixer enabling control over droplet composition from a single nozzle in real-time during printing. The inkjet dispenser is based on a modular design platform that enables the low-cost microfluidic component and the more expensive actuation unit to be easily separated, allowing for the optional disposal of the former and reuse of the latter. To limit satellite droplet formation, a hydrophobic-coated and tapered micronozzle was microfabricated and integrated with the fluidics to realize the dispenser. The microfabricated devices generated droplets with diameters ranging from 150-220 μm, depending mainly on the orifice diameter, with printing rates up to 8000 droplets per second. The inkjet dispenser is capable of dispensing materials with a viscosity up to ∼19 mPa s. As a demonstration of the inkjet dispenser function and application, we have printed type I collagen seeded with human liver carcinoma cells (cell line HepG2), to form patterned biological structures.

  11. Recent trends in the dispensing of 90-day-supply prescriptions at retail pharmacies: implications for improved convenience and access.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liberman, Joshua N; Girdish, Charmaine

    2011-03-01

    Mail-service pharmacies offer consumers the convenience of prescriptions filled with a 90-day supply of medication. Unlike mail-service pharmacies, retail pharmacies traditionally dispensed maintenance medication prescriptions with a 30-day supply. However, the retail landscape changed in May 2008 with Walmart's announcement of an extension of its $4 Prescription Program to include 90-day-supply prescriptions. To evaluate recent changes in access to and use of 90-day-supply maintenance medications dispensed via retail pharmacy. As of the first quarter of 2007, the proportion of retail-dispensed maintenance medications with a 90-day supply (compared with all maintenance prescriptions dispensed) among Medicare Part D plans, self-insured employers, and private health plans was 5.1%, 5.1%, and 5.0%, respectively. As of December 2009, this ratio had risen to 8.0% for Medicare plans and 8.1% for commercial health plans; the ratio among employers had risen more modestly to 6.1%. Of particular interest and importance, the proportion increased similarly for brand and for generic medications. There has been substantial growth in 90-day prescriptions dispensed via retail pharmacy, a trend that is likely to continue as more insurance providers adopt compatible benefit designs. It is important to continue monitoring these trends and to identify opportunities to rigorously evaluate their impact on medication adherence and healthcare costs.

  12. Measurement of microbic contamination rate in the dispensing process making suspension of barium sulfate powder

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Young Keun; Lee, Yang Sub; Cho, Cheong Chan; Ryu, Meung Sun; Lee, Kyung Sup

    2001-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate the contamination rate of barium sulfate suspension made in the exposed state in usual circumstances. This study was performed in four university hospital using the contrast media by barium sulfate powder. The specimen were detected at dispensing water, agitator and mixing tank. We also classified the suspension into general bacteria, mycete and Bacillus coli infection. The tap water were used to dispense water in the all hospitals. Bacillus coli were not detected in the all. General bacteria and mycete were not detected in the one specimen, but detected in two specimen over defined value. In the contamination rate of agitator, mixing tank, and the manufactured. Bacillus coli were not detected in all. However, general bacteria and mycete were detected too numberous to count. In conclusion, the refined water must be used in dispensing water in manufacturing suspension. The disinfectant is also used in washing the agitator and mixing tank for sterilization. Hand washing is indispensable to manufacturing suspension for preventing from infection

  13. Microfluidic device and method for focusing, segmenting, and dispensing of a fluid stream

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobson, Stephen C [Knoxville, TN; Ramsey, J Michael [Knoxville, TN

    2008-09-09

    A microfluidic device and method for forming and dispensing minute volume segments of a material are described. In accordance with the present invention, a microfluidic device and method are provided for spatially confining the material in a focusing element. The device is also adapted for segmenting the confined material into minute volume segments, and dispensing a volume segment to a waste or collection channel. The device further includes means for driving the respective streams of sample and focusing fluids through respective channels into a chamber, such that the focusing fluid streams spatially confine the sample material. The device may also include additional means for driving a minute volume segment of the spatially confined sample material into a collection channel in fluid communication with the waste reservoir.

  14. Temporal Control over Transient Chemical Systems using Structurally Diverse Chemical Fuels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jack L-Y; Maiti, Subhabrata; Fortunati, Ilaria; Ferrante, Camilla; Prins, Leonard J

    2017-08-25

    The next generation of adaptive, intelligent chemical systems will rely on a continuous supply of energy to maintain the functional state. Such systems will require chemical methodology that provides precise control over the energy dissipation process, and thus, the lifetime of the transiently activated function. This manuscript reports on the use of structurally diverse chemical fuels to control the lifetime of two different systems under dissipative conditions: transient signal generation and the transient formation of self-assembled aggregates. The energy stored in the fuels is dissipated at different rates by an enzyme, which installs a dependence of the lifetime of the active system on the chemical structure of the fuel. In the case of transient signal generation, it is shown that different chemical fuels can be used to generate a vast range of signal profiles, allowing temporal control over two orders of magnitude. Regarding self-assembly under dissipative conditions, the ability to control the lifetime using different fuels turns out to be particularly important as stable aggregates are formed only at well-defined surfactant/fuel ratios, meaning that temporal control cannot be achieved by simply changing the fuel concentration. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Pharmacy Malpractice: The rate and prevalence of dispensing high-risk prescription-only medications at community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alshammari, Thamir M; Alhindi, Salman A; Alrashdi, Ahmed M; Benmerzouga, Imaan; Aljofan, Mohamad

    2017-07-01

    To assess the compliance of community pharmacies with the regulations that prohibit the dispensing of prescription-only medications in the absence of a physician prescription in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the period between October 2014 and January 2015. A list of 10 prescription-only medications were selected to be studied. 150 community pharmacies were visited across 6 major regions in Saudi Arabia to assess the prevalence of non-compliance among community pharmacies. Pharmacies were selected in random and researchers (disguised as patients) requested to purchase prescription-only medications in the absence of a prescription. Not all medications were purchased at once. Data were recorded per pharmacy, where pharmacies that approved dispense of the selected drug were scored as non-compliant and the pharmacies that rejected dispense of the selected drug were scored as compliant. Compliance rate was calculated per region per drug. Pharmacies based in governmental hospitals were visited in parallel. A total of 20 were visited. Data and statistical analysis were performed using Statistical Analyses Software (SAS 9.3). A total of 150 pharmacies were visited over a period of 3 months. On average, the percent approved dispense of prescription-only drugs across 6 regions in Saudi Arabia is 63% and the percent rejected dispense is 37% representing a significant non-compliance rate regarding the selected list of medications in this study. The frequency of dispense per medication across 6 major regions in Saudi Arabia is as follows: Isosorbide dinitrate (86%), Enoxaparin (82%), nitroglycerin (74%), Propranolol (73%), Verapamil (70%), Warfarin (65%), Methyldopa (64%), Ciprofloxacin (57%) and Codeine (4%). Non-compliance of community pharmacies with the law of pharmaceutical practice is at an alarming rate in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and authoritative figures must intervene to impede and combat such activities .

  16. Polymer dispensing and embossing technology for the lens type LED packaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chien, Chien-Lin Chang; Huang, Yu-Che; Hu, Syue-Fong; Chang, Chung-Min; Yip, Ming-Chuen; Fang, Weileun

    2013-06-01

    This study presents a ring-type micro-structure design on the substrate and its corresponding micro fabrication processes for a lens-type light-emitting diode (LED) package. The dome-type or crater-type silicone lenses are achieved by a dispensing and embossing process rather than a molding process. Silicone with a high viscosity and thixotropy index is used as the encapsulant material. The ring-type micro structure is adopted to confine the dispensed silicone encapsulant so as to form the packaged lens. With the architecture and process described, this LED package technology herein has three merits: (1) the flexibility of lens-type LED package designs is enhanced; (2) a dome-type package design is used to enhance the intensity; (3) a crater-type package design is used to enhance the view angle. Measurement results show the ratio between the lens height and lens radius can vary from 0.4 to 1 by changing the volume of dispensed silicone. The view angles of dome-type and crater-type packages can reach 155° ± 5° and 175° ± 5°, respectively. As compared with the commercial plastic leaded chip carrier-type package, the luminous flux of a monochromatic blue light LED is improved by 15% by the dome-type package (improved by 7% by the crater-type package) and the luminous flux of a white light LED is improved by 25% by the dome-type package (improved by 13% by the crater-type package). The luminous flux of monochromatic blue light LED and white light LED are respectively improved by 8% and 12% by the dome-type package as compare with the crater-type package.

  17. Plasma-chemical processes and systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castro B, J.

    1987-01-01

    The direct applications of plasma technology on chemistry and metallurgy are presented. The physical fundaments of chemically active non-equilibrium plasma, the reaction kinetics, and the physical chemical transformations occuring in the electrical discharges, which are applied in the industry, are analysed. Some plasma chemical systems and processes related to the energy of hydrogen, with the chemical technology and with the metallurgy are described. Emphasis is given to the optimization of the energy effectiveness of these processes to obtain reducers and artificial energetic carriers. (M.C.K.) [pt

  18. Implementation of information systems at pharmacies - a case study from the re-regulated pharmacy market in Sweden.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hammar, Tora; Ohlson, Mats; Hanson, Elizabeth; Petersson, Göran

    2015-01-01

    When the Swedish pharmacy market was re-regulated in 2009, Sweden moved from one state-owned pharmacy chain to several private pharmacy companies, and four new dispensing systems emerged to replace the one system that had previously been used at all Swedish pharmacies for more than 20 years. The aim of this case study was to explore the implementation of the new information systems for dispensing at pharmacies. The vendors of the four dispensing systems in Sweden were interviewed, and a questionnaire was sent to the managers of the pharmacy companies. In addition, a questionnaire was sent to 350 pharmacists who used the systems for dispensing prescriptions. The implementation of four new dispensing systems followed a strict time frame set by political decisions, involved actors completely new to the market, lacked clear regulation and standards for functionality and quality assurance, was complex and resulted in variations in quality. More than half of the pharmacists (58%) perceived their current dispensing system as supporting safe dispensing of medications, 26% were neutral and 15% did not perceive it to support a safe dispensing. Most pharmacists (80%) had experienced problems with their dispensing system during the previous month. The pharmacists experienced problems included reliability issues, usability issues, and missing functionality. In this case study exploring the implementation of new information systems for dispensing prescriptions at pharmacies in Sweden, weaknesses related to reliability, functionality and usability were identified and could affect patient safety. The weaknesses of the systems seem to result from the limited time for the development and implementation, the lack of comprehensive and evidence-based requirements for dispensing systems, and the unclear distribution of quality assurance responsibilities among involved stakeholders. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Concern about the Expanding Prescription Drug Epidemic: A Survey of Licensed Prescribers and Dispensers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, R Eric; Reed, Nia; Carnes, Neal; Kooreman, Harold E

    2016-01-01

    Prescription drug misuse and abuse has reached epidemic levels in the U.S., and stands as a leading cause of death. As the primary gatekeepers to the medications contributing to this epidemic, it is critical to understand the views of licensed health care professionals. In this study, we examine health care professionals' concern regarding prescription drug abuse in their communities and the impact their concern has had on their prescribing and dispensing practices. An online survey of licensed health care providers. Conducted in Indiana. This study was a state-wide evaluation of Indiana's prescription drug monitoring program. The questionnaire asked respondents how concerned they were about prescription drug abuse in their community. Variation in the level of concern was examined using ordinary least squares regression and information about the respondents' demographic background and clinical experience. In addition, we used logistic regression to examine whether concern was associated with changing prescribing and/or dispensing behavior. The majority of providers indicated they were "moderately" or "extremely concerned" about prescription drug abuse in their communities. The level of concern, however, varied significantly by profession, with pharmacists, physicians, nurse practitioners/physician assistants being more concerned than dentists. Additional analyses indicate that providers with higher levels of concern were those who also reported recently changing their prescribing and/or dispensing behavior. The voluntary nature and geographical focus of the study limits the generalizability of the findings. Concern about prescription drug abuse is generally high across the major health care professions; however, a significant minority of providers, particularly among dentists, expressed little or no concern about the epidemic. Increasing health care providers' general level of concern about prescription drug abuse may be an effective public health tool for

  20. Use of simulated patients to evaluate combined oral contraceptive dispensing practices of community pharmacists.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulo Roque Obreli-Neto

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Combined oral contraceptive (COC use is the most commonly used reversible method of birth control. The incorrect use of COCs is frequent and one of the most common causes of unintended pregnancies. Community pharmacists (CPs are in a strategic position to improve COC use because they are the last health professional to interact with patients before drug use. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the COC dispensing practices of CPs in a developing country. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted in community pharmacies of Assis and Ourinhos microregions, Brazil, between June 1, 2012, and October 30, 2012. Four simulated patients (SPs (with counseled audio recording visited community pharmacies with a prescription for Ciclo 21(® (a COC containing ethinyl estradiol 30 mcg + levonorgestrel 15 mcg. The audio recording of every SP visit was listened to independently by 3 researchers to evaluate the COC dispensing practice. The percentage of CPs who performed a screening for safe use of COCs (i.e., taking of patients' medical and family history, and measuring of blood pressure and provided counseling, as well as the quality of the screening and counseling, were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 185 CPs contacted, 41 (22.2% agreed to participate in the study and finished the study protocol. Only 3 CPs asked the SP a question (1 question asked by each professional, and all of the questions were closed-ended, viz., "do you smoke?" (n = 2 and "what is your age?" (n = 1. None of the CPs measured the patient's blood pressure. Six CPs provided counseling when dispensing COCs (drug dosing, 5 CPs; possible adverse effects, 2 CPs, and one CP provided counseling regarding both aspects. CONCLUSION: The CPs evaluated did not dispense COC appropriately and could influence in the occurrence of negatives therapeutic outcomes such as adverse effects and treatment failure.

  1. Dietary antioxidant synergy in chemical and biological systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Sunan; Zhu, Fan

    2017-07-24

    Antioxidant (AOX) synergies have been much reported in chemical ("test-tube" based assays focusing on pure chemicals), biological (tissue culture, animal and clinical models), and food systems during the past decade. Tentative synergies differ from each other due to the composition of AOX and the quantification methods. Regeneration mechanism responsible for synergy in chemical systems has been discussed. Solvent effects could contribute to the artifacts of synergy observed in the chemical models. Synergy in chemical models may hardly be relevant to biological systems that have been much less studied. Apparent discrepancies exist in understanding the molecular mechanisms in both chemical and biological systems. This review discusses diverse variables associated with AOX synergy and molecular scenarios for explanation. Future research to better utilize the synergy is suggested.

  2. Understanding vs. Competency: The Case of Accuracy Checking Dispensed Medicines in Pharmacy

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, K. Lynette; Davies, J. Graham; Kinchin, Ian; Patel, Jignesh P.; Whittlesea, Cate

    2010-01-01

    Ensuring the competence of healthcare professionals' is core to undergraduate and post-graduate education. Undergraduate pharmacy students and pre-registration graduates are required to demonstrate competence at dispensing and accuracy checking medicines. However, competence differs from understanding. This study determined the competence and…

  3. Emission characteristics of dispenser cathodes with a fine-grained tungsten top layer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimura, S.; Higuchi, T.; Ouchi, Y.; Uda, E.; Nakamura, O.; Sudo, T.; Koyama, K.

    1997-02-01

    In order to improve the emission stability of the Ir-coated dispenser cathode under ion bombardment, a fine-grained tungsten top layer was applied on the substrate porous tungsten plug before Ir coating. The emission characteristics were studied after being assembled in a CRT gun. Cathode current was measured under pulse operation in a range of 0.1-9% duty. Remarkable anti-ion bombardment characteristics were observed over the range of 1-6% duty. The improved cathode showed 1.5 times higher emission current than that of a conventional Ir-coated dispenser cathode at 4% duty. AES analysis showed that the recovering rates of surface Ba and O atoms after ion bombardment were 2.5 times higher. From these results it is confirmed that the Ir coated cathode with a fine-grained tungsten top layer is provided with a good tolerance against the ion bombardment.

  4. Multi-chamber actuated micro-dispensing with a single nozzle for sub-nanoliter droplet formation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Sukho; Kim, Sangjin; Kim, Changsung Sean; Kang, Philjoong; Ku, Bosung

    2014-01-01

    A novel concept of single-nozzle micro-dispensing device with multiple pressurizing chambers is proposed for high-throughput drug screening applications such as arraying new drug candidates with sub-nanoliter volume. The theoretical study with a simplified electrical circuit model of the fluidic system shows that the proposed model is effective to sustain jetting stability at high frequency due to an increase in the natural frequency of the fluidic system and high attenuation of the negative pressure wave in the fluidic system. The fabricated device was able to form uniform droplets at up to 7 kHz having 115 pL (1.15 × 10 −10  L) in volume and 1.8 m s −1  ∼ 2.5 m s −1  in velocity. (paper)

  5. PROJECT OF COAGULANT DISPENSER IN PULVERIZATION AERATOR WITH WIND DRIVE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ewa Osuch

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Lakes are one of most important freshwater ecosystems, playing significant role in functioning of nature and human economy. Swarzędzkie Lake is good example of ecosystem, which in last half-century was exposed to the influence of strong anthropopressure. Direct inflow of sewage with large number of biogens coming to the lake with water of inflows caused distinct disturbance of its functioning. In autumn 2011 restoration begined on Swarzędzkie Lake for reduction of lake trophy and improvement of water quality. For achieving better and quicker effect, simultaneously combination of some methods was applied, among others method of oxygenation of over-bottom water with help of pulverization aerator and method of precise inactivation of phosphorus in water depths. Characterization and analysis of improved coagulant dispenser applying active substance only during work of pulverization aerator is the aim of this thesis. Principle of dispenser work, its structure and location in pulverization aerator were explained. It was stated, that introduction to water a factor initiating process of phosphorus inactivation causes significant reduction of mineral phosphorus in water and size of coagulant dose correlates with intensity of work of pulverization aerator with wind drive.

  6. A Curriculum For Dispensing Optician A Case Study In Vietnam

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duong Dieu MD

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Until 2011 there had been no full-time training course for dispensing optician diploma in Vietnam. Most of the practicing opticians with no qualification and formal training have learnt their skills through apprentice. In response to the demand of the industry Nguyen Tat Thanh University Vietnam has teamed up with Bradford College United Kingdom to develop a curriculum for a of formal 2-year full-time training for dispensing optician. The curriculum is applied for 4 semesters and graduate gets called Intermediate Professional Diploma level included 4 semesters. In VN after high school students can obtain different many levels of study such as Intermediate Professional Diploma College Bachelor Master and PhD. The 1st semester is basis of Intermediate Professional Diploma level. The 2nd semester is the study of refractive error and primary care each for 4 weeks 100 hours in theory and primary eye care 4 weeks for theory 100 hours. Also in this semester the learners have practiced clinical rotation at the Ophthalmic Hospital Ophthalmic Service in General Hospital for 10 weeks. The 3rd semester is specialized of dispensing Optician included Lenses frame contact lenses and laboratory for optician. In the 4th semester the training concentrates in the management of the eyeglasses shop and practicing in making spectacles for customers are in the 4th semester. The 1st intake of the course was opened started in 2011 and had 30 students graduated in 2013. This paper describes the experience of developing the curriculum in the context of a developing country where the industry is still under regulated and less developed. The first program optician that privileged on primary eye care will be satisfied for community WHO 2020 1 optometrist for 50.000 people and 10 ophthalmologists for 1.000.000 people. Some characteristics of first course students have been noted. The result of this curriculum will be evaluated in the coming time.

  7. Transfer of chemicals in PWR systems: secondary side

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jonas, O.

    1978-01-01

    Transfer of chemicals in the secondary side of pressurized water reactor systems with recirculating and once-through steam generators is considered. Chemical data on water, steam and deposit chemistry of twenty-six operating units are given and major physical-chemical processes and differences between the two systems and between fossil and PWR systems are discussed. It is concluded that the limited available data show the average water and steam chemistry to be within recommended limits, but large variations of impurity concentrations and corrosion problems encountered indicate that our knowledge of the system chemistry and chemical thermodynamics, system design, sampling, analysis and operation need improvement. (author)

  8. The degree of integration of non-dispensing pharmacists in primary care practice and the impact on health outcomes: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hazen, Ankie C M; de Bont, Antoinette A; Boelman, Lia; Zwart, Dorien L M; de Gier, Johan J; de Wit, Niek J; Bouvy, Marcel L

    2018-03-01

    A non-dispensing pharmacist conducts clinical pharmacy services aimed at optimizing patients individual pharmacotherapy. Embedding a non-dispensing pharmacist in primary care practice enables collaboration, probably enhancing patient care. The degree of integration of non-dispensing pharmacists into multidisciplinary health care teams varies strongly between settings. The degree of integration may be a determinant for its success. This study investigates how the degree of integration of a non-dispensing pharmacist impacts medication related health outcomes in primary care. In this literature review we searched two electronic databases and the reference list of published literature reviews for studies about clinical pharmacy services performed by non-dispensing pharmacists physically co-located in primary care practice. We assessed the degree of integration via key dimensions of integration based on the conceptual framework of Walshe and Smith. We included English language studies of any design that had a control group or baseline comparison published from 1966 to June 2016. Descriptive statistics were used to correlate the degree of integration to health outcomes. The analysis was stratified for disease-specific and patient-centered clinical pharmacy services. Eighty-nine health outcomes in 60 comparative studies contributed to the analysis. The accumulated evidence from these studies shows no impact of the degree of integration of non-dispensing pharmacists on health outcomes. For disease specific clinical pharmacy services the percentage of improved health outcomes for none, partial and fully integrated NDPs is respectively 75%, 63% and 59%. For patient-centered clinical pharmacy services the percentage of improved health outcomes for none, partial and fully integrated NDPs is respectively 55%, 57% and 70%. Full integration adds value to patient-centered clinical pharmacy services, but not to disease-specific clinical pharmacy services. To obtain maximum benefits

  9. Drug-dispensing errors in the hospital pharmacy Erros de dispensação de medicamentos em farmácia hospitalar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tânia Azevedo Anacleto

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To determine the dispensing error rate and to identify factors associated with them, and to propose prevention actions. METHODS: A cross-sectional study focusing on the occurrence of dispensing errors in a general hospital in Belo Horizonte that uses a mixed system (a combination of multidose and unit dose systems of collective and individualized dosing. RESULTS: A total of 422 prescription order forms were analyzed, registering 81.8% with at least 1 dispensing error. Opportunities for errors were higher in the pretyped prescription order forms (odds ratio = 4.5; P OBJETIVO: Determinar a taxa de erros de dispensação e identificar fatores associados, propondo ações de prevenção. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal investigou-se a ocorrência de erros de dispensação em um hospital geral de Belo Horizonte que emprega um sistema misto de dose coletiva e individualizada. RESULTADOS: Foram analisadas 422 prescrições, registrando em 81,8% destas pelo menos um erro de dispensação. Oportunidades de erros foram maiores nas prescrições pré-digitadas (Odds Ratio=4,5; p<0,001, naquelas com nove ou mais medicamentos (Odds Ratio=4,0; p<0,001 e com os injetáveis (Odds Ratio=5,0; p<0,001. Uma das equipes de profissionais apresentou maior chance de erros (Odds Ratio=2,0; p=0,02. A análise multivariada ratifica estes resultados. CONCLUSÃO: Conclui-se que o sistema de dispensação da farmácia apresenta muitas falhas latentes e poucas defesas, com diversas condições que predispõe a ocorrência de erros, contribuindo para a elevada taxa registrada.

  10. Whole system chemical geothermometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pang Zhonghe

    1999-01-01

    Chemical and isotopic geothermometers are equations or models based on temperature dependent chemical reactions or isotope equilibrium fractionation reactions from which equilibrium temperatures of these reactions can be calculated. The major drawback of all the conventional geothermometry methods lies in their incapability on making a judgement on the equilibrium status of the studied systems. This review will focus on two of recent approaches in this field. Zhangzhou Geothermal Field in SE China will be used as an example to demonstrate the applications

  11. Methodological challenges in assessment of current use of warfarin among patients with atrial fibrillation using dispensation data from administrative health care databases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinyavskaya, Liliya; Matteau, Alexis; Johnson, Sarasa; Durand, Madeleine

    2018-06-05

    Algorithms to define current exposure to warfarin using administrative data may be imprecise. Study objectives were to characterize dispensation patterns, to measure gaps between expected and observed refill dates for warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). Retrospective cohort study using administrative health care databases of the Régie de l'assurance-maladie du Québec. We identified every dispensation of warfarin, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, or apixaban for patients with AF initiating oral anticoagulants between 2010 and 2015. For each dispensation, we extracted date and duration. Refill gaps were calculated as difference between expected and observed dates of successive dispensation. Refill gaps were summarized using descriptive statistics. To account for repeated observations nested within patients and to assess the components of variance of refill gaps, we used unconditional multilevel linear models. We identified 61 516 new users. Majority were prescribed warfarin (60.3%), followed by rivaroxaban (16.4%), dabigatran (14.5%), apixaban (8.8%). Most frequent recorded duration of dispensation was 7 days, suggesting use of pharmacist-prepared weekly pillboxes. The average refill gap from multilevel model was higher for warfarin (9.28 days, 95%CI:8.97-9.59) compared with DOACs (apixaban 3.08 days, 95%CI: 2.96-3.20, dabigatran 3.70, 95%CI: 3.56-3.84, rivaroxaban 3.15, 95%CI: 3.03-3.27). The variance of refill gaps was greater among warfarin users than among DOAC users. Greater refill gaps for warfarin may reflect inadequate capture of the period covered by the number of dispensed pills recorded in administrative data. A time-dependent definition of exposure using dispensation data would lead to greater misclassification of warfarin than DOACs use. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  12. Guide to Permitting Hydrogen Motor Fuel Dispensing Facilities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rivkin, Carl [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Buttner, William [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Burgess, Robert [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2016-03-28

    The purpose of this guide is to assist project developers, permitting officials, code enforcement officials, and other parties involved in developing permit applications and approving the implementation of hydrogen motor fuel dispensing facilities. The guide facilitates the identification of the elements to be addressed in the permitting of a project as it progresses through the approval process; the specific requirements associated with those elements; and the applicable (or potentially applicable) codes and standards by which to determine whether the specific requirements have been met. The guide attempts to identify all applicable codes and standards relevant to the permitting requirements.

  13. Chemical detection, identification, and analysis system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morel, R.S.; Gonzales, D.; Mniszewski, S.

    1990-01-01

    The chemical detection, identification, and analysis system (CDIAS) has three major goals. The first is to display safety information regarding chemical environment before personnel entry. The second is to archive personnel exposure to the environment. Third, the system assists users in identifying the stage of a chemical process in progress and suggests safety precautions associated with that process. In addition to these major goals, the system must be sufficiently compact to provide transportability, and it must be extremely simple to use in order to keep user interaction at a minimum. The system created to meet these goals includes several pieces of hardware and the integration of four software packages. The hardware consists of a low-oxygen, carbon monoxide, explosives, and hydrogen sulfide detector; an ion mobility spectrometer for airborne vapor detection; and a COMPAQ 386/20 portable computer. The software modules are a graphics kernel, an expert system shell, a data-base management system, and an interface management system. A supervisory module developed using the interface management system coordinates the interaction of the other software components. The system determines the safety of the environment using conventional data acquisition and analysis techniques. The low-oxygen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, explosives, and vapor detectors are monitored for hazardous levels, and warnings are issued accordingly

  14. Radiological safety and GMP in the bulk batch manufacturing, formulation and dispensing of radiopharmaceuticals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thulasidhasan, A.; Tiwary, Bikash; Kumar, Uma Sheri; Kale, Pooja; Tiwary, Richa; Gaurav, Ananad; Shah, B.K.; Topale, P.D.; Prabhakar, G.; Sachdev, S.S.

    2010-01-01

    Full text: Radiopharmaceutical Program of BRIT is involved in the manufacturing of ready to use radiopharmaceuticals for therapy for the last three decades. Ready to use Radiopharmaceutical products include, 131 I-Sodium iodide solution and capsules for thyroid carcinoma and metastatic lesions, 131 I MIBG injection for diagnosis and therapy of adrenal medullae tumors and their mets, 153 Sm-EDTMP injection and 32 P- Sodium orthophosphate injection for bone pain palliative treatment. BRIT's radiopharmaceutical production facility is a radioisotope laboratory classified as Type-III facility for handling radioisotopes of Group-II, Group-III and Group-IV approved by AERB. This facility meets all the radiological safety requirements as per AERB guidelines. Production of above mentioned radiopharmaceuticals is carried out in Production Plants (PP), β, γ Glove boxes (GB) and Fume hoods (FH). Typical production procedure involves bulk processing, formulation, sterilization and dispensing of doses. Production Plants (PP) are exclusively designed facilities to carry out the production in a radiologically safe manner, at the same time maintaining aseptic conditions required for injectables as per the current GMP. Each production plant has a leak tight Isolator box, made up of high quality SS which has provisions for remote handling devices like, Tongs, dispensing systems, service points for vacuum, gas, compressed air, water and electric power. This Isolator box is shielded from all sides by required amount of lead (2 inch or 4 inch), and has an access port called 'Transport Port Box' with double door transport lock and is equipped with a trolley. Two filter unit systems are fitted at the top of the plant and each unit comprises of activated Charcoal filter and HEPA filter in tandem, this in turn is connected to special exhaust meant for radioactive gases. Similarly, the designs of β, γ Glove boxes (GB) and Fume hoods (FH) also incorporate all radiological safety features

  15. Evaluation of antibiotics dispensing profile in Tubarão, Santa Catarina, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claudia Rauber

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Antibiotics are drugs widely used in prophylaxis and treatment of a great number of diseases. However, their use must be carefully controlled as acquisition in pharmacies, often without medical prescription, is elevated. The role of pharmacists in these circumstances is to practice dispensation in a rational manner. Through a structured questionnaire with open and closed questions, this study investigated the profile of antibiotics dispensed in pharmacies of Tubarão, Santa Catarina, Brazil. From the responses, it was observed that 85.0% dispense this class of medicine without medical prescription, mainly for treatment of respiratory (62.8% and urinary (12.0% tract disorders. Moreover, pharmacists' guidance was largely focused on posology (66.6% and drug interaction (12.6%, in addition to the interactions with contraceptives, alcohol and milk. The importance of avoiding antibiotics dispensation without medical prescription must be emphasized, as well as the benefits of educating the population to promote the rational use of medicines.Antibióticos são fármacos amplamente utilizados na profilaxia e no tratamento de grande número de doenças. Entretanto, seu uso deve ser cuidadosamente controlado nas farmácias, uma vez que nestas a aquisição sem prescrição médica é elevada. O papel dos farmacêuticos nessas circunstâncias é o de praticar a dispensação de maneira racional. Por meio de questionário estruturado, com questões abertas e fechadas, investigou-se o perfil dos antibióticos dispensados em farmácias de Tubarão, Santa Catarina, Brasil. Pelas respostas, observou-se que 85% das dispensa essa classe de medicamentos sem prescrição médica, principalmente para o tratamento de problemas dos tratos respiratório (62,8% e urinário (12,0%. Além disso, a orientação dos farmacêuticos se focou amplamente na posologia (66,6%e nas interações com fármacos (12,6%, em adição às interações com anticoncepcionais, álcool e

  16. Inkjet metrology: high-accuracy mass measurements of microdroplets produced by a drop-on-demand dispenser.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verkouteren, R Michael; Verkouteren, Jennifer R

    2009-10-15

    We describe gravimetric methods for measuring the mass of droplets generated by a drop-on-demand (DOD) microdispenser. Droplets are deposited, either continuously at a known frequency or as a burst of known number, into a cylinder positioned on a submicrogram balance. Mass measurements are acquired precisely by computer, and results are corrected for evaporation. Capabilities are demonstrated using isobutyl alcohol droplets. For ejection rates greater than 100 Hz, the repeatability of droplet mass measurements was 0.2%, while the combined relative standard uncertainty (u(c)) was 0.9%. When bursts of droplets were dispensed, the limit of quantitation was 72 microg (1490 droplets) with u(c) = 1.0%. Individual droplet size in a burst was evaluated by high-speed videography. Diameters were consistent from the tenth droplet onward, and the mass of an individual droplet was best estimated by the average droplet mass with a combined uncertainty of about 1%. Diameters of the first several droplets were anomalous, but their contribution was accounted for when dispensing bursts. Above the limits of quantitation, the gravimetric methods provided statistically equivalent results and permit detailed study of operational factors that influence droplet mass during dispensing, including the development of reliable microassays and standard materials using DOD technologies.

  17. Automated spike preparation system for Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry (IDMS)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maxwell, S.L. III; Clark, J.P.

    1990-01-01

    Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry (IDMS) is a method frequently employed to measure dissolved, irradiated nuclear materials. A known quantity of a unique isotope of the element to be measured (referred to as the ''spike'') is added to the solution containing the analyte. The resulting solution is chemically purified then analyzed by mass spectrometry. By measuring the magnitude of the response for each isotope and the response for the ''unique spike'' then relating this to the known quantity of the ''spike'', the quantity of the nuclear material can be determined. An automated spike preparation system was developed at the Savannah River Site (SRS) to dispense spikes for use in IDMS analytical methods. Prior to this development, technicians weighed each individual spike manually to achieve the accuracy required. This procedure was time-consuming and subjected the master stock solution to evaporation. The new system employs a high precision SMI Model 300 Unipump dispenser interfaced with an electronic balance and a portable Epson HX-20 notebook computer to automate spike preparation

  18. Flow Channel Influence of a Collision-Based Piezoelectric Jetting Dispenser on Jet Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Can Zhou

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available To improve the jet performance of a bi-piezoelectric jet dispenser, mathematical and simulation models were established according to the operating principle. In order to improve the accuracy and reliability of the simulation calculation, a viscosity model of the fluid was fitted to a fifth-order function with shear rate based on rheological test data, and the needle displacement model was fitted to a nine-order function with time based on real-time displacement test data. The results show that jet performance is related to the diameter of the nozzle outlet and the cone angle of the nozzle, and the impacts of the flow channel structure were confirmed. The approach of numerical simulation is confirmed by the testing results of droplet volume. It will provide a reliable simulation platform for mechanical collision-based jet dispensing and a theoretical basis for micro jet valve design and improvement.

  19. Study of Intelligent Secure Chemical Inventory Management System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shukran, Mohd Afizi Mohd; Naim Abdullah, Muhammad; Nazri Ismail, Mohd; Maskat, Kamaruzaman; Isa, Mohd Rizal Mohd; Shahfee Ishak, Muhammad; Adib Khairuddin, Muhamad

    2017-08-01

    Chemical inventory management system has been experiencing a new revolution from traditional inventory system which is manual to an automated inventory management system. In this paper, some review of the classic and modern approaches to chemical inventory management system has been discussed. This paper also describe about both type of inventory management. After a comparative analysis of the traditional method and automated method, it can be said that both methods have some distinctive characteristics. Moreover, the automated inventory management method has higher accuracy of calculation because the calculations are handled by software, eliminating possible errors and saving time. The automated inventory system also allows users and administrators to track the availability, location and consumption of chemicals. The study of this paper can provide forceful review analysis support for the chemical inventory management related research.

  20. Does anti-malarial drug knowledge predict anti-malarial dispensing practice in drug outlets? A survey of medicine retailers in western Kenya

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rusk Andria

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Kenya, where it is the fifth leading cause of death in both children and adults. Effectively managing malaria is dependent upon appropriate treatment. In Kenya, between 17 to 83 percent of febrile individuals first seek treatment for febrile illness over the counter from medicine retailers. Understanding medicine retailer knowledge and behaviour in treating suspected malaria and dispensing anti-malarials is crucial. Methods To investigate medicine retailer knowledge about anti-malarials and their dispensing practices, a survey was conducted of all retail drug outlets that sell anti-malarial medications and serve residents of the Webuye Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in the Bungoma East District of western Kenya. Results Most of the medicine retailers surveyed (65% were able to identify artemether-lumefantrine (AL as the Kenyan Ministry of Health recommended first-line anti-malarial therapy for uncomplicated malaria. Retailers who correctly identified this treatment were also more likely to recommend AL to adult and paediatric customers. However, the proportion of medicine retailers who recommend the correct treatment is disappointingly low. Only 48% would recommend AL to adults, and 37% would recommend it to children. It was discovered that customer demand has an influence on retailer behaviour. Retailer training and education were found to be correlated with anti-malarial drug knowledge, which in turn is correlated with dispensing practices. Medicine retailer behaviour, including patient referral practice and dispensing practices, are also correlated with knowledge of the first-line anti-malarial medication. The Kenya Ministry of Health guidelines were found to influence retailer drug stocking and dispensing behaviours. Conclusion Most medicine retailers could identify the recommended first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria, but the percentage that could

  1. Medication Incidents Related to Automated Dose Dispensing in Community Pharmacies and Hospitals - A Reporting System Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheung, Ka-Chun; van den Bemt, Patricia M. L. A.; Bouvy, Marcel L.; Wensing, Michel; De Smet, Peter A. G. M.

    2014-01-01

    Introduction Automated dose dispensing (ADD) is being introduced in several countries and the use of this technology is expected to increase as a growing number of elderly people need to manage their medication at home. ADD aims to improve medication safety and treatment adherence, but it may introduce new safety issues. This descriptive study provides insight into the nature and consequences of medication incidents related to ADD, as reported by healthcare professionals in community pharmacies and hospitals. Methods The medication incidents that were submitted to the Dutch Central Medication incidents Registration (CMR) reporting system were selected and characterized independently by two researchers. Main Outcome Measures Person discovering the incident, phase of the medication process in which the incident occurred, immediate cause of the incident, nature of incident from the healthcare provider's perspective, nature of incident from the patient's perspective, and consequent harm to the patient caused by the incident. Results From January 2012 to February 2013 the CMR received 15,113 incidents: 3,685 (24.4%) incidents from community pharmacies and 11,428 (75.6%) incidents from hospitals. Eventually 1 of 50 reported incidents (268/15,113 = 1.8%) were related to ADD; in community pharmacies more incidents (227/3,685 = 6.2%) were related to ADD than in hospitals (41/11,428 = 0.4%). The immediate cause of an incident was often a change in the patient's medicine regimen or relocation. Most reported incidents occurred in two phases: entering the prescription into the pharmacy information system and filling the ADD bag. Conclusion A proportion of incidents was related to ADD and is reported regularly, especially by community pharmacies. In two phases, entering the prescription into the pharmacy information system and filling the ADD bag, most incidents occurred. A change in the patient's medicine regimen or relocation was the immediate causes of an incident

  2. Extent of dispensing prescription-only medications without a prescription in community drug retail outlets in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a simulated-patient study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erku DA

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Daniel Asfaw Erku,1 Abebe Basazn Mekuria,2 Abdrrahman Shemsu Surur,1 Begashaw Melaku Gebresillassie3 1Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, 2Department of Pharmacology, 3Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia Purpose: This study was aimed at assessing the extent of dispensing prescription-only medications without a prescription in community drug retail outlets (CDROs of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional observational study design was used to sample 31 pharmacies, 25 drug stores, and two rural drug vendors from August 11, 2015, to October 21, 2015, through a simple random sampling method. A simulated-patient method of visit was implemented to collect data. Requests of six tracer prescription-only medicines (amoxicillin + clavulanic acid capsule, amitriptyline, captopril, glibenclamide [also known as glyburide], omeprazole capsule, and sildenafil citrate and upper respiratory tract infection were selected as the simulated clinical scenario.Results: Amoxicillin–clavulanic acid capsule was dispensed when requested in 87.93% of the dispensaries. All of the CDROs dispensed omeprazole upon request. Sildenafil citrate (Viagra was in stock in 96.55% of the CDROs, all of which issued the requested number of tablets without asking why or for whom the drug was needed. Amitriptyline, captopril, and glibenclamide (glyburide were dispensed in 84.48%, 89.65%, and 87.93% of CDROs upon the provision of an empty container. Antibiotics were obtained from 75.86% of CDROs for presentation of upper respiratory tract infection symptoms. Among the dispensed antibiotics, the most common was amoxicillin (93.18%, followed by amoxicillin–clavulanic acid capsule (72.72%, and azithromycin (50%. Only 4.5% of the dispensaries asked about drug allergies, and 15.9% of the CDROs informed the simulated patient about the possible side effects of the drugs.Conclusion: This study revealed a very high

  3. 29 CFR 1910.161 - Fixed extinguishing systems, dry chemical.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Fixed extinguishing systems, dry chemical. 1910.161 Section... § 1910.161 Fixed extinguishing systems, dry chemical. (a) Scope and application. This section applies to all fixed extinguishing systems, using dry chemical as the extinguishing agent, installed to meet a...

  4. Engineered Barrier System: Physical and Chemical Environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dixon, P.

    2004-01-01

    The conceptual and predictive models documented in this Engineered Barrier System: Physical and Chemical Environment Model report describe the evolution of the physical and chemical conditions within the waste emplacement drifts of the repository. The modeling approaches and model output data will be used in the total system performance assessment (TSPA-LA) to assess the performance of the engineered barrier system and the waste form. These models evaluate the range of potential water compositions within the emplacement drifts, resulting from the interaction of introduced materials and minerals in dust with water seeping into the drifts and with aqueous solutions forming by deliquescence of dust (as influenced by atmospheric conditions), and from thermal-hydrological-chemical (THC) processes in the drift. These models also consider the uncertainty and variability in water chemistry inside the drift and the compositions of introduced materials within the drift. This report develops and documents a set of process- and abstraction-level models that constitute the engineered barrier system: physical and chemical environment model. Where possible, these models use information directly from other process model reports as input, which promotes integration among process models used for total system performance assessment. Specific tasks and activities of modeling the physical and chemical environment are included in the technical work plan ''Technical Work Plan for: In-Drift Geochemistry Modeling'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 166519]). As described in the technical work plan, the development of this report is coordinated with the development of other engineered barrier system analysis model reports

  5. How complete is the information on preadmission psychotropic medications in inpatients with dementia? A comparison of hospital medical records with dispensing data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pisa, Federica Edith; Palese, Francesca; Romanese, Federico; Barbone, Fabio; Logroscino, Giancarlo; Riedel, Oliver

    2018-06-05

    Reliable information on preadmission medications is essential for inpatients with dementia, but its quality has hardly been evaluated. We assessed the completeness of information and factors associated with incomplete recording. We compared preadmission medications recorded in hospital electronic medical records (EMRs) with community-pharmacy dispensations in hospitalizations with discharge code for dementia at the University Hospital of Udine, Italy, 2012-2014. We calculated: (a) prevalence of omissions (dispensed medication not recorded in EMRs), additions (medication recorded in EMRs not dispensed), and discrepancies (any omission or addition); (b) multivariable logistic regression odds ratio, with 95% confidence interval (95% CI), of ≥1 omission. Among 2,777 hospitalizations, 86.1% had ≥1 discrepancy for any medication (Kappa 0.10) and 33.4% for psychotropics. When psychotropics were recorded in EMR, antipsychotics were added in 71.9% (antidepressants: 29.2%, antidementia agents: 48.2%); when dispensed, antipsychotics were omitted in 54.4% (antidepressants: 52.7%, antidementia agents: 41.5%). Omissions were 92% and twice more likely in patients taking 5 to 9 and ≥10 medications (vs. 0 to 4), 17% in patients with psychiatric disturbances (vs. none), and 41% with emergency admission (vs. planned). Psychotropics, commonly used in dementia, were often incompletely recorded. To enhance information completeness, both EMRs and dispensations should be used. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. Rates of opioid dispensing and overdose after introduction of abuse-deterrent extended-release oxycodone and withdrawal of propoxyphene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larochelle, Marc R; Zhang, Fang; Ross-Degnan, Dennis; Wharam, J Frank

    2015-06-01

    In the second half of 2010, abuse-deterrent extended-release oxycodone hydrochloride (OxyContin; Purdue Pharma) was introduced and propoxyphene was withdrawn from the US market. The effect of these pharmaceutical market changes on opioid dispensing and overdose rates is unknown. To evaluate the association between 2 temporally proximate changes in the opioid market and opioid dispensing and overdose rates. Claims from a large national US health insurer were analyzed, using an interrupted time series study design. Participants included an open cohort of 31.3 million commercially insured members aged 18 to 64 years between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2012, with median follow-up of 20 months (last follow-up, December 31, 2012). Introduction of abuse-deterrent OxyContin (resistant to crushing or dissolving) on August 9, 2010, and market withdrawal of propoxyphene on November 19, 2010. Standardized opioid dispensing rates and prescription opioid and heroin overdose rates were the primary outcomes. We used segmented regression to analyze changes in outcomes from 30 quarters before to 8 quarters after the 2 interventions. Two years after the opioid market changes, total opioid dispensing decreased by 19% from the expected rate (absolute change, -32.2 mg morphine-equivalent dose per member per quarter [95% CI, -38.1 to -26.3]). By opioid subtype, the absolute change in dispensing by milligrams of morphine-equivalent dose per member per quarter at 2 years was -11.3 (95% CI, -12.4 to -10.1) for extended-release oxycodone, 3.26 (95% CI, 1.40 to 5.12) for other long-acting opioids, -8.19 (95% CI, -9.30 to -7.08) for propoxyphene, and -16.2 (95% CI, -18.8 to -13.5) for other immediate-release opioids. Two years after the market changes, the estimated overdose rate attributed to prescription opioids decreased by 20% (absolute change, -1.10 per 100,000 members per quarter [95% CI, -1.47 to -0.74]), but heroin overdose increased by 23% (absolute change, 0.26 per 100

  7. PMD: designing a portable medicine dispenser for persons suffering from Alzheimer’s disease

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Beer, Roel C.J.M.; Keijers, R.; Shahid, S.; Al Mahmud, A.; Mubin, O.

    2010-01-01

    In this paper we present the user-centred design of a medicine dispenser for persons suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The prototype was evaluated in two phases with two caregivers and two Alzheimer’s patients. Caregivers evaluated the device positively. The Alzheimer’s patients faced usability

  8. Configurating computer-controlled bar system

    OpenAIRE

    Šuštaršič, Nejc

    2010-01-01

    The principal goal of my diploma thesis is creating an application for configurating computer-controlled beverages dispensing systems. In the preamble of my thesis I present the theoretical platform for point of sale systems and beverages dispensing systems, which are required for the understanding of the target problematics. As with many other fields, computer tehnologies entered the field of managing bars and restaurants quite some time ago. Basic components of every bar or restaurant a...

  9. Engineered Barrier System: Physical and Chemical Environment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    P. Dixon

    2004-04-26

    The conceptual and predictive models documented in this Engineered Barrier System: Physical and Chemical Environment Model report describe the evolution of the physical and chemical conditions within the waste emplacement drifts of the repository. The modeling approaches and model output data will be used in the total system performance assessment (TSPA-LA) to assess the performance of the engineered barrier system and the waste form. These models evaluate the range of potential water compositions within the emplacement drifts, resulting from the interaction of introduced materials and minerals in dust with water seeping into the drifts and with aqueous solutions forming by deliquescence of dust (as influenced by atmospheric conditions), and from thermal-hydrological-chemical (THC) processes in the drift. These models also consider the uncertainty and variability in water chemistry inside the drift and the compositions of introduced materials within the drift. This report develops and documents a set of process- and abstraction-level models that constitute the engineered barrier system: physical and chemical environment model. Where possible, these models use information directly from other process model reports as input, which promotes integration among process models used for total system performance assessment. Specific tasks and activities of modeling the physical and chemical environment are included in the technical work plan ''Technical Work Plan for: In-Drift Geochemistry Modeling'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 166519]). As described in the technical work plan, the development of this report is coordinated with the development of other engineered barrier system analysis model reports.

  10. Chemical reactions in reverse micelle systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matson, Dean W.; Fulton, John L.; Smith, Richard D.; Consani, Keith A.

    1993-08-24

    This invention is directed to conducting chemical reactions in reverse micelle or microemulsion systems comprising a substantially discontinuous phase including a polar fluid, typically an aqueous fluid, and a microemulsion promoter, typically a surfactant, for facilitating the formation of reverse micelles in the system. The system further includes a substantially continuous phase including a non-polar or low-polarity fluid material which is a gas under standard temperature and pressure and has a critical density, and which is generally a water-insoluble fluid in a near critical or supercritical state. Thus, the microemulsion system is maintained at a pressure and temperature such that the density of the non-polar or low-polarity fluid exceeds the critical density thereof. The method of carrying out chemical reactions generally comprises forming a first reverse micelle system including an aqueous fluid including reverse micelles in a water-insoluble fluid in the supercritical state. Then, a first reactant is introduced into the first reverse micelle system, and a chemical reaction is carried out with the first reactant to form a reaction product. In general, the first reactant can be incorporated into, and the product formed in, the reverse micelles. A second reactant can also be incorporated in the first reverse micelle system which is capable of reacting with the first reactant to form a product.

  11. Validating a proxy for disease progression in metastatic cancer patients using prescribing and dispensing data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joshi, Vikram; Adelstein, Barbara-Ann; Schaffer, Andrea; Srasuebkul, Preeyaporn; Dobbins, Timothy; Pearson, Sallie-Anne

    2017-10-01

    Routine data collections are used increasingly to examine outcomes of real-world cancer drug use. These datasets lack clinical details about important endpoints such as disease progression. To validate a proxy for disease progression in metastatic cancer patients using prescribing and dispensing claims. We used data from a cohort study of patients undergoing chemotherapy who provided informed consent to the collection of cancer-treatment data from medical records and linkage to pharmaceutical claims. We derived proxy decision rules based on changes to drug treatment in prescription histories (n = 36 patients) and validated the proxy in prescribing data (n = 62 patients). We adapted the decision rules and validated the proxy in dispensing data (n = 109). Our gold standard was disease progression ascertained in patient medical records. Individual progression episodes were the unit of analysis for sensitivity and Positive Predictive Value (PPV) calculations and specificity and Negative Predictive Value (NPV) were calculated at the patient level. The sensitivity of our proxy in prescribing data was 74.3% (95% Confidence Interval (CI), 55.6-86.6%) and PPV 61.2% (95% CI, 45.0-75.3%); specificity and NPV were 87.8% (95% CI, 73.8-95.9%) and 100% (95% CI, 90.3-100%), respectively. In dispensing data, the sensitivity of our proxy was 64% (95% CI, 55.0-77.0%) and PPV 56.0% (95% CI, 43.0-69.0%); specificity and NPV were 81% (95% CI, 70.05-89.0%) and 91.0% (95% CI, 82.0-97.0%), respectively. Our proxy overestimated episodes of disease progression. The proxy's performance is likely to improve if the date of prescribing is used instead of date of dispensing in claims data and by incorporating medical service claims (such as imaging prior to drug changes) in the algorithm. Our proxy is not sufficiently robust for use in real world comparative effectiveness research for cancer medicines. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  12. A polarization system for persistent chemical detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Craven-Jones, Julia; Appelhans, Leah; Couphos, Eric; Embree, Todd; Finnegan, Patrick; Goldstein, Dennis; Karelitz, David; LaCasse, Charles; Luk, Ting S.; Mahamat, Adoum; Massey, Lee; Tanbakuchi, Anthony; Washburn, Cody; Vigil, Steven

    2015-09-01

    We report on the development of a prototype polarization tag based system for detecting chemical vapors. The system primarily consists of two components, a chemically sensitive tag that experiences a change in its optical polarization properties when exposed to a specific chemical of interest, and an optical imaging polarimeter that is used to measure the polarization properties of the tags. Although the system concept could be extended to other chemicals, for the initial system prototype presented here the tags were developed to be sensitive to hydrogen fluoride (HF) vapors. HF is used in many industrial processes but is highly toxic and thus monitoring for its presence and concentration is often of interest for personnel and environmental safety. The tags are periodic multilayer structures that are produced using standard photolithographic processes. The polarimetric imager has been designed to measure the degree of linear polarization reflected from the tags in the short wave infrared. By monitoring the change in the reflected polarization signature from the tags, the polarimeter can be used to determine if the tag was exposed to HF gas. In this paper, a review of the system development effort and preliminary test results are presented and discussed, as well as our plan for future work.

  13. Iodine generator for reclaimed water purification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wynveen, R. A.; Powell, J. D.; Schubert, F. H. (Inventor)

    1977-01-01

    The system disclosed is for controlling the iodine level in a water supply in a spacecraft. It includes an iodine accumulator which stores crystalline iodine, an electrochemical valve to control the input of iodine to the drinking water and an iodine dispenser. A pump dispenses fluid through the iodine dispenser and an iodine sensor to a potable water tank storage. The iodine sensor electronically detects the iodine level in the water, and through electronic means, produces a correction current control. The correction current control operates the electro-chemical iodine valve to release iodine from the iodine accumulator into the iodine dispenser.

  14. Accurate, consistent, and fast droplet splitting and dispensing in electrowetting on dielectric digital microfluidics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikapitiya, N. Y. Jagath B.; Nahar, Mun Mun; Moon, Hyejin

    2017-12-01

    This letter reports two novel electrode design considerations to satisfy two very important aspects of EWOD operation—(1) Highly consistent volume of generated droplets and (2) Highly improved accuracy in the generated droplet volume. Considering the design principles investigated two novel designs were proposed; L-junction electrode design to offer high throughput droplet generation and Y-junction electrode design to split a droplet very fast while maintaining equal volume of each part. Devices of novel designs were fabricated and tested, and the results are compared with those of conventional approach. It is demonstrated that inaccuracy and inconsistency of droplet volume dispensed in the device with novel electrode designs are as low as 0.17 and 0.10%, respectively, while those of conventional approach are 25 and 0.76%, respectively. The dispensing frequency is enhanced from 4 to 9 Hz by using the novel design.

  15. Plant protective chemicals in forestry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mueller, A.; Freidhager, R.; Hackl, J.

    1993-12-01

    The aim of the present study is to examine critically the use of pesticides in forestry and the resulting problems. Further, the study points out possibilities for dispensing with chemical treatments altogether. This work is intended to assist those deciding upon suitable forest protection procedures. There are also comments on the particular dangers arising from the use of pesticides (R-Saetze) and safety advice as regards their proper application. The first part of the present study contains both a discussion of the humanotoxicological and ecological consequences of pesticide applications in forestry as well as the legal basis for the sale and use of pesticides in Austria. The following parts (herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, game deterrents, fungicides) treat the use of pesticides according to their respective area of application. Discussed here are chemical properties, toxicity, and the environmental compatibility of the pesticides in question, including demonstrations of environmentally sound ways to avoid or restrict the use of pesticides. (authors)

  16. A network collaboration implementing technology to improve medication dispensing and administration in critical access hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wakefield, Douglas S; Ward, Marcia M; Loes, Jean L; O'Brien, John

    2010-01-01

    We report how seven independent critical access hospitals collaborated with a rural referral hospital to standardize workflow policies and procedures while jointly implementing the same health information technologies (HITs) to enhance medication care processes. The study hospitals implemented the same electronic health record, computerized provider order entry, pharmacy information systems, automated dispensing cabinets (ADC), and barcode medication administration systems. We conducted interviews and examined project documents to explore factors underlying the successful implementation of ADC and barcode medication administration across the network hospitals. These included a shared culture of collaboration; strategic sequencing of HIT component implementation; interface among HIT components; strategic placement of ADCs; disciplined use and sharing of workflow analyses linked with HIT applications; planning for workflow efficiencies; acquisition of adequate supply of HIT-related devices; and establishing metrics to monitor HIT use and outcomes.

  17. Multi-pulsed intense electron beam emission from velvet, carbon fibers, carbon nano-tubes and dispenser cathodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xia Liansheng; Yang Anmin; Chen Yi; Zhang Huang; Liu Xingguang; Li Jin; Jiang Xiaoguo; Zhang Kaizhi; Shi Jinshui; Deng Jianjun; Zhang Linwen

    2010-01-01

    The experimental results of studies of four kinds of cathode emitting intense electron beams are demonstrated under multi-pulsed mode based on an experimental setup including two multi-pulse high voltage sources. The tested cathodes include velvet, carbon fibers, carbon nano-tubes (CNTs) and dispenser cathodes. The results indicate that all four are able to emit multi-pulsed beams. For velvet, carbon fiber and CNTs, the electron induced cathode plasma emission may be the main process and this means that there are differences in beam parameters from pulse to pulse. For dispenser cathodes tested in the experiment, although there is a little difference from pulse to pulse for some reason, thermal-electric field emission may be the main process. (authors)

  18. Temperature lowering in cryogenic chemical-synthesis techniques and system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinez, H.E.; Nelson, T.O.; Vikdal, L.N.

    1993-01-01

    When evaluating a chemical synthesis process for a reaction that occurs on the cryogenically cooled walls, it is sometimes necessary to reduce the wall temperatures to enhance the chemical process. To evaluate the chemical process at lower than atmospheric boiling of liquid nitrogen, we built a system and used it to reduce the temperature of the liquid nitrogen. The technique of lowering the liquid nitrogen temperature by reducing the pressure of the boil-off is established knowledge. This paper presents the engineering aspects of the system, design features, equipment requirements, methods of control, and results of the chemical synthesis. The heat input to the system was ∼400 watts, placing a relatively large demand on the pumping system. Our system is a scale-up of the small laboratory experiment, and it provides the information needed to design an effective system. The major problem encountered was the large quantity of liquid escaping the system during the processing, placing a large gas load on the vacuum system

  19. Chemical heat pump and chemical energy storage system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, Edward C.; Huxtable, Douglas D.

    1985-08-06

    A chemical heat pump and storage system employs sulfuric acid and water. In one form, the system includes a generator and condenser, an evaporator and absorber, aqueous acid solution storage and water storage. During a charging cycle, heat is provided to the generator from a heat source to concentrate the acid solution while heat is removed from the condenser to condense the water vapor produced in the generator. Water is then stored in the storage tank. Heat is thus stored in the form of chemical energy in the concentrated acid. The heat removed from the water vapor can be supplied to a heat load of proper temperature or can be rejected. During a discharge cycle, water in the evaporator is supplied with heat to generate water vapor, which is transmitted to the absorber where it is condensed and absorbed into the concentrated acid. Both heats of dilution and condensation of water are removed from the thus diluted acid. During the discharge cycle the system functions as a heat pump in which heat is added to the system at a low temperature and removed from the system at a high temperature. The diluted acid is stored in an acid storage tank or is routed directly to the generator for reconcentration. The generator, condenser, evaporator, and absorber all are operated under pressure conditions specified by the desired temperature levels for a given application. The storage tanks, however, can be maintained at or near ambient pressure conditions. In another form, the heat pump system is employed to provide usable heat from waste process heat by upgrading the temperature of the waste heat.

  20. Culturing Security System of Chemical Laboratory in Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eka Dian Pusfitasari

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Indonesia has experiences on the lack of chemical security such as: a number of bombing terrors and hazardous chemicals found in food. Bomb used in terror is a homemade bomb made from chemicals which are widely spread in the research laboratories such as a mixture of pottasium chlorate, sulphur, and alumunium. Therefore, security of chemicals should be implemented to avoid the misused of the chemicals. Although it has experienced many cases of the misuse of chemicals, and many regulations and seminars related to chemical security have been held, but the implementation of chemical security is still a new thing for Indonesian citizens. The evident is coming from the interviews conducted in this study. Questions asked in this interview/survey included: the implementation of chemical safety and chemical security in laboratory; chemical inventory system and its regulation; and training needed for chemical security implementation. Respondents were basically a researcher from Government Research Institutes, University laboratories, senior high school laboratories, and service laboratories were still ambiguous in distinguishing chemical safety and chemical security. Because of this condition, most Indonesia chemical laboratories did not totally apply chemical security system. Education is very important step to raise people awareness and address this problem. Law and regulations should be sustained by all laboratory personnel activities to avoid chemical diversion to be used for harming people and environment. The Indonesia Government could also develop practical guidelines and standards to be applied to all chemical laboratories in Indonesia. These acts can help Government’s efforts to promote chemical security best practices which usually conducted by doing seminars and workshop.

  1. Dispensing inhalers to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on hospital discharge: Effects on prescription filling and readmission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blee, John; Roux, Ryan K; Gautreaux, Stefani; Sherer, Jeffrey T; Garey, Kevin W

    2015-07-15

    The effects of dispensing inhalers to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on hospital discharge were evaluated. Data were collected in 2011-12 for patients with COPD who had hospital orders for the study inhalers (preintervention group) and after implementation of the multidose medication dispensing on discharge (MMDD) service (2013-14) (postintervention group). The primary objective of this study was to assess inhaler adherence and readmission rates before and after MMDD implementation. Adherence was defined as filling the discharge prescription for the multidose inhaler at a Harris Health pharmacy within three days of discharge or having at least seven days of medication left in an inhaler from a previous prescription that was filled or refilled before hospital admission. All patients in the postintervention group were considered adherent, since every patient was given the remainder of his or her multidose inhaler when discharged. Data from 620 patients (412 in the preintervention group, 208 in the postintervention group) were collected. During the preintervention time period, 88 of 412 patients were readmitted within 30 days compared with 18 of 208 patients during the postintervention period (p filling behavior, and reduced rates of 30- and 60-day hospital readmissions. Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. ENGINEERED BARRIER SYSTEM: PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jarek, R.

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this report is to describe the evolution of the physical and chemical environmental conditions within the waste emplacement drifts of the repository, including the drip shield and waste package surfaces. The abstraction model is used in the total system performance assessment for the license application (TSPA LA) to assess the performance of the engineered barrier system and the waste form. This report develops and documents a set of these abstraction-level models that describe the engineered barrier system physical and chemical environment. Where possible, these models use information directly from other reports as input, which promotes integration among process models used for TSPA-LA. Specific tasks and activities of modeling the physical and chemical environment are included in ''Technical Work Plan for: Near-Field Environment and Transport In-Drift Geochemistry Model Report Integration'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 171156], Section 1.2.2). As described in the technical work plan, the development of this report is coordinated with the development of other engineered barrier system reports

  3. ENGINEERED BARRIER SYSTEM: PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    G.H. Nieder-Westermann

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this report is to describe the evolution of the physical and chemical environmental conditions within the waste emplacement drifts of the repository, including the drip shield and waste package surfaces. The abstraction model is used in the total system performance assessment for the license application (TSPA LA) to assess the performance of the engineered barrier system and the waste form. This report develops and documents a set of these abstraction-level models that describe the engineered barrier system physical and chemical environment. Where possible, these models use information directly from other reports as input, which promotes integration among process models used for TSPA-LA. Specific tasks and activities of modeling the physical and chemical environment are included in ''Technical Work Plan for: Near-Field Environment and Transport In-Drift Geochemistry Model Report Integration'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 171156], Section 1.2.2). As described in the technical work plan, the development of this report is coordinated with the development of other engineered barrier system reports

  4. Equilibrium Constant as Solution to the Open Chemical Systems

    OpenAIRE

    Zilbergleyt, B.

    2008-01-01

    According to contemporary views, equilibrium constant is relevant only to true thermodynamic equilibria in isolated systems with one chemical reaction. The paper presents a novel formula that ties-up equilibrium constant and chemical system composition at any state, isolated or open as well. Extending the logarithmic logistic map of the Discrete Thermodynamics of Chemical Equilibria, this formula maps the system population at isolated equilibrium into the population at any open equilibrium at...

  5. Randomized crossover study evaluating the effect of a hand sanitizer dispenser on the frequency of hand hygiene among anesthesiology staff in the operating room.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munoz-Price, L Silvia; Patel, Zalak; Banks, Shawn; Arheart, Kristopher; Eber, Scott; Lubarsky, David A; Birnbach, David J

    2014-06-01

    Forty anesthesia providers were evaluated with and without hand sanitizer dispensers present on the anesthesia machine. Having a dispenser increased the frequency of hand hygiene only from 0.5 to 0.8 events per hour (P = .01). Other concomitant interventions are needed to further increase hand hygiene frequency among anesthesia providers.

  6. Engineered Barrier System: Physical and Chemical Environment Model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jolley, D. M.; Jarek, R.; Mariner, P.

    2004-01-01

    The conceptual and predictive models documented in this Engineered Barrier System: Physical and Chemical Environment Model report describe the evolution of the physical and chemical conditions within the waste emplacement drifts of the repository. The modeling approaches and model output data will be used in the total system performance assessment (TSPA-LA) to assess the performance of the engineered barrier system and the waste form. These models evaluate the range of potential water compositions within the emplacement drifts, resulting from the interaction of introduced materials and minerals in dust with water seeping into the drifts and with aqueous solutions forming by deliquescence of dust (as influenced by atmospheric conditions), and from thermal-hydrological-chemical (THC) processes in the drift. These models also consider the uncertainty and variability in water chemistry inside the drift and the compositions of introduced materials within the drift. This report develops and documents a set of process- and abstraction-level models that constitute the engineered barrier system: physical and chemical environment model. Where possible, these models use information directly from other process model reports as input, which promotes integration among process models used for total system performance assessment. Specific tasks and activities of modeling the physical and chemical environment are included in the technical work plan ''Technical Work Plan for: In-Drift Geochemistry Modeling'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 166519]). As described in the technical work plan, the development of this report is coordinated with the development of other engineered barrier system analysis model reports

  7. [Food and beverages available in automatic food dispensers in health care facilities of the Portugal North Health Region].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodrigues, Filipa Gomes; Ramos, Elisabete; Freitas, Mário; Neto, Maria

    2010-01-01

    Patients and health staff frequently need to stay in health care facilities for quite a long time. Therefore, it's necessary to create the conditions that allow the ingestion of food during those periods, namely through the existence of automatic food dispensers. However, the available food and beverages might not always be compatible with a healthy diet. The aim of this work was to evaluate if the food and beverages available in automatic food dispensers in public Ambulatory Care Facilities (ACF) and Hospitals of the Portugal North Health Region were contributing to a healthy diet, during the year of 2007. A questionnaire was elaborated and sent to the Coordinators of the Health Sub-Regions and to the Hospital Administrators. The questionnaire requested information about the existence of automatic food dispensers in the several departments of each health care facility, as well as which food and beverages were available and most sold. Afterwards, the pre-processing of the results involved the classification of the food and beverages in three categories: recommended, sometimes recommended and not recommended. The questionnaire reply ratio was 71% in ACF and 83% in Hospitals. Automatic food dispensers were available in all the Hospitals and 86.5% of ACF. It wasn't possible to acquire food in 37% of the health facility departments. These departments were all located in ACF. The more frequently available beverages in departments with automatic food dispensers were coffee, still water, tea, juices and nectars and soft drinks. Still water, coffee, yogurt, juices and nectars and soft drinks were reported as the most sold. The more frequently avaliable food items were chocolate, recommended cookies, not recommended cakes, recommended sandwiches and sometimes recommended croissants. The food items reported as being the most sold were recommended sandwiches, chocolate, recommended cookies, sometimes recommended croissants and not recommended cookies. The beverages in the

  8. Lightweight autonomous chemical identification system (LACIS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lozos, George; Lin, Hai; Burch, Timothy

    2012-06-01

    Smiths Detection and Intelligent Optical Systems have developed prototypes for the Lightweight Autonomous Chemical Identification System (LACIS) for the US Department of Homeland Security. LACIS is to be a handheld detection system for Chemical Warfare Agents (CWAs) and Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs). LACIS is designed to have a low limit of detection and rapid response time for use by emergency responders and could allow determination of areas having dangerous concentration levels and if protective garments will be required. Procedures for protection of responders from hazardous materials incidents require the use of protective equipment until such time as the hazard can be assessed. Such accurate analysis can accelerate operations and increase effectiveness. LACIS is to be an improved point detector employing novel CBRNE detection modalities that includes a militaryproven ruggedized ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) with an array of electro-resistive sensors to extend the range of chemical threats detected in a single device. It uses a novel sensor data fusion and threat classification architecture to interpret the independent sensor responses and provide robust detection at low levels in complex backgrounds with minimal false alarms. The performance of LACIS prototypes have been characterized in independent third party laboratory tests at the Battelle Memorial Institute (BMI, Columbus, OH) and indoor and outdoor field tests at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). LACIS prototypes will be entering operational assessment by key government emergency response groups to determine its capabilities versus requirements.

  9. Dicer is dispensable for asymmetric RISC loading in mammals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Betancur, Juan G; Tomari, Yukihide

    2012-01-01

    In flies, asymmetric loading of small RNA duplexes into Argonaute2-containing RNA-induced silencing complex (Ago2-RISC) requires Dicer-2/R2D2 heterodimer, which acts as a protein sensor for the thermodynamic stabilities of the ends of small RNA duplexes. However, the mechanism of small RNA asymmetry sensing in mammalian RISC assembly remains obscure. Here, we quantitatively examined RISC assembly and target silencing activity in the presence or absence of Dicer in mammals. Our data show that, unlike the well-characterized fly Ago2-RISC assembly pathway, mammalian Dicer is dispensable for asymmetric RISC loading in vivo and in vitro.

  10. Chemical dosimetry system for criticality accidents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miljanić, Saveta; Ilijas, Boris

    2004-01-01

    Ruder Bosković Institute (RBI) criticality dosimetry system consists of a chemical dosimetry system for measuring the total (neutron + gamma) dose, and a thermoluminescent (TL) dosimetry system for a separate determination of the gamma ray component. The use of the chemical dosemeter solution chlorobenzene-ethanol-trimethylpentane (CET) is based on the radiolytic formation of hydrochloric acid, which protonates a pH indicator, thymolsulphonphthalein. The high molar absorptivity of its red form at 552 nm is responsible for a high sensitivity of the system: doses in the range 0.2-15 Gy can be measured. The dosemeter has been designed as a glass ampoule filled with the CET solution and inserted into a pen-shaped plastic holder. For dose determinations, a newly constructed optoelectronic reader has been used. The RBI team took part in the International Intercomparison of Criticality Accident Dosimetry Systems at the SILENE Reactor, Valduc, June 2002, with the CET dosimetry system. For gamma ray dose determination TLD-700 TL detectors were used. The results obtained with CET dosemeter show very good agreement with the reference values.

  11. ENGINEERED BARRIER SYSTEM: PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    R. Jarek

    2004-11-23

    The purpose of this report is to describe the evolution of the physical and chemical environmental conditions within the waste emplacement drifts of the repository, including the drip shield and waste package surfaces. The abstraction model is used in the total system performance assessment for the license application (TSPA LA) to assess the performance of the engineered barrier system and the waste form. This report develops and documents a set of these abstraction-level models that describe the engineered barrier system physical and chemical environment. Where possible, these models use information directly from other reports as input, which promotes integration among process models used for TSPA-LA. Specific tasks and activities of modeling the physical and chemical environment are included in ''Technical Work Plan for: Near-Field Environment and Transport In-Drift Geochemistry Model Report Integration'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 171156], Section 1.2.2). As described in the technical work plan, the development of this report is coordinated with the development of other engineered barrier system reports.

  12. ENGINEERED BARRIER SYSTEM: PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    G.H. Nieder-Westermann

    2005-04-07

    The purpose of this report is to describe the evolution of the physical and chemical environmental conditions within the waste emplacement drifts of the repository, including the drip shield and waste package surfaces. The abstraction model is used in the total system performance assessment for the license application (TSPA LA) to assess the performance of the engineered barrier system and the waste form. This report develops and documents a set of these abstraction-level models that describe the engineered barrier system physical and chemical environment. Where possible, these models use information directly from other reports as input, which promotes integration among process models used for TSPA-LA. Specific tasks and activities of modeling the physical and chemical environment are included in ''Technical Work Plan for: Near-Field Environment and Transport In-Drift Geochemistry Model Report Integration'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 171156], Section 1.2.2). As described in the technical work plan, the development of this report is coordinated with the development of other engineered barrier system reports.

  13. Engineered Barrier System: Physical and Chemical Environment Model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    D. M. Jolley; R. Jarek; P. Mariner

    2004-02-09

    The conceptual and predictive models documented in this Engineered Barrier System: Physical and Chemical Environment Model report describe the evolution of the physical and chemical conditions within the waste emplacement drifts of the repository. The modeling approaches and model output data will be used in the total system performance assessment (TSPA-LA) to assess the performance of the engineered barrier system and the waste form. These models evaluate the range of potential water compositions within the emplacement drifts, resulting from the interaction of introduced materials and minerals in dust with water seeping into the drifts and with aqueous solutions forming by deliquescence of dust (as influenced by atmospheric conditions), and from thermal-hydrological-chemical (THC) processes in the drift. These models also consider the uncertainty and variability in water chemistry inside the drift and the compositions of introduced materials within the drift. This report develops and documents a set of process- and abstraction-level models that constitute the engineered barrier system: physical and chemical environment model. Where possible, these models use information directly from other process model reports as input, which promotes integration among process models used for total system performance assessment. Specific tasks and activities of modeling the physical and chemical environment are included in the technical work plan ''Technical Work Plan for: In-Drift Geochemistry Modeling'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 166519]). As described in the technical work plan, the development of this report is coordinated with the development of other engineered barrier system analysis model reports.

  14. Reducing the default dispense quantity for new opioid analgesic prescriptions: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bachhuber, Marcus A; Nash, Denis; Southern, William N; Heo, Moonseong; Berger, Matthew; Schepis, Mark; Cunningham, Chinazo O

    2018-04-20

    As opioid analgesic consumption has grown, so have opioid use disorder and opioid-related overdoses. Reducing the quantity of opioid analgesics prescribed for acute non-cancer pain can potentially reduce risks to the individual receiving the prescription and to others who might unintentionally or intentionally consume any leftover tablets. Reducing the default dispense quantity for new opioid analgesic prescriptions in the electronic health record (EHR) is a promising intervention to reduce prescribing. This study is a prospective cluster randomised controlled trial with two parallel arms. Primary care sites (n=32) and emergency departments (n=4) will be randomised in matched pairs to either a modification of the EHR so that new opioid analgesic prescriptions default to a dispense quantity of 10 tablets (intervention) or to no EHR change (control). The dispense quantity will remain fully modifiable by providers in both arms. From 6 months preintervention to 18 months postintervention, patient-level data will be analysed (ie, the patient is the unit of inference). Patient eligibility criteria are: (A) received a new opioid analgesic prescription, defined as no other opioid analgesic prescription in the prior 6 months; (B) age ≥18 years; and (C) no cancer diagnosis within 1 year prior to the new opioid analgesic prescription. The primary outcome will be the quantity of opioid analgesics prescribed in the initial prescription. Secondary outcomes will include opioid analgesic reorders and health service utilisation within 30 days after the initial prescription. Outcomes will be compared between study arms using a difference-in-differences analysis. This study has been approved by the Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine Institutional Review Board with a waiver of informed consent (2016-6036) and is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03003832, 6 December 2016). Findings will be disseminated through publication, conferences and meetings

  15. Drug dispensing practices at pharmacies in Bengaluru: A cross-sectional study

    OpenAIRE

    R Soumya; Vijayalakshmi Devarashetty; C R Jayanthi; M Sushma

    2016-01-01

    Objectives: Pharmacists are one of the crucial focal points for health care in the community. They have tremendous outreach to the public as pharmacies are often the first-port-of-call. With the increase of ready-to-use drugs, the main health-related activity of a pharmacist today is to assure the quality of dispensing, a key element to promote rational medicine use. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study of 200 pharmacies, 100 each in various residential (R) and commercial (C) areas ...

  16. Construction of a Linux based chemical and biological information system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molnár, László; Vágó, István; Fehér, András

    2003-01-01

    A chemical and biological information system with a Web-based easy-to-use interface and corresponding databases has been developed. The constructed system incorporates all chemical, numerical and textual data related to the chemical compounds, including numerical biological screen results. Users can search the database by traditional textual/numerical and/or substructure or similarity queries through the web interface. To build our chemical database management system, we utilized existing IT components such as ORACLE or Tripos SYBYL for database management and Zope application server for the web interface. We chose Linux as the main platform, however, almost every component can be used under various operating systems.

  17. Dispensers, obeah and quackery: medical rivalries in post-slavery British Guiana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Barros, Juanita

    2007-08-01

    This paper examines the ambiguous place of medical assistants-dispensers-in a post-slavery British Caribbean colony, British Guiana, from the end of slavery in the 1830s to the early twentieth century. Although the latter were crucial to the functioning of the colonial medical system, local physicians resented them, complaining about the economic threat they posed and at times condemning them as quacks. These attacks were part of a wider discussion about the composition of the medical profession and the role of medical auxiliaries in colonial society, and to an extent, they echoed debates conducted in other jurisdictions in this period. But in the British Caribbean, this discussion was significantly different. There, long-standing views about obeah-an Afro-Creole medico-religious practice-as a particularly dangerous and uncivilised type of quackery was part of the discursive context. That those participating in this debate included African-descended physicians whose arrival in the medical profession was recent and contested demonstrates the vexed and complex nature of professionalisation in a post-slavery society.

  18. Development of a Persistent Chemical Agent Simulator System (PCASS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mcginness, W. G.

    1983-01-01

    The development of a persistent chemical agent simulation system (PCASS) is described. This PCASS is to be used for the military training of troops to simulate actual chemical warfare. The purpose of this system is to facilitate in the determination of chemical contamination and effectiveness of decontamination for training purposes. The fluorescent tracer employed has no daylight activation, but yet is easily removed with a decontaminate solution or water and surfactants. Also employed is a time delayed color developing system. When an individual is subjected to the PCASS and does not decontaminate adequately, red blotches or red coloration will develop as a function of time and temperature. The intent of this is to simulate the delayed chemical reaction of mustard contaminates.

  19. A case of adverse drug reaction induced by dispensing error.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallelli, L; Staltari, O; Palleria, C; Di Mizio, G; De Sarro, G; Caroleo, B

    2012-11-01

    To report about a case of acute renal failure due to absence of communication between physician and patient. A 78 year old man with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) accessed our hospital and was brought to our attention in August 2011 for severe renal failure. Clinical history revealed that he had been taking highly active antiretroviral therapy with lamivudine/abacavir and fosamprenavir since 2006. In April 2011 due to an augmentation in creatinine plasma levels, a reduction in lamivudine dosage to 100 mg/day and the prescription of abacavir 300 mg/day became necessary. Unfortunately, the patient took both lamivudine and abacavir therefore the association of the two medications (lamivudine/abacavir) lead to asthenia and acute renal failure within a few days. This case emphasizes the importance about how physicians must pay very careful attention during drug prescription, most particularly, as far as elderly patients are concerned. In fact, communication improvement between physicians and patients can prevent increase of adverse drug reactions related to drug dispensing, with consequential reduction of costs in the healthcare system. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

  20. Gas recovery and self-testing systm in gasoline stations. Execution of practical field tests / phase of tests in the wholistic system; Gasrueckfuehrung und selbstueberwachende Systeme an Tankstellen. Durchfuehrung von praktischen Feldtests/Testphase im ganzheitlichen System

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Altmann, B.R.; Kunter, S.; Maurer, C.; Schneider, T.; Schrittenlacher, W.; Maahsen, H.; Arts, M.

    2003-04-01

    The amendment of the 21{sup st} Regulation on Air-Pollution Control dated 17.05.2002 describes continuous control of the function of gas recovery systems in gasoline stations by automatic control systems. Both systems available in the market (supplied by FAFNIR and TOKHEIM) were tested in extensive field tests. Both systems are ready for mass production. New dispensers are delivered with self control systems per production-type since 1.04.2003. Supplementary kits for the different dispenser types are available. (orig.)

  1. Development of a fully automated open-column chemical-separation system—COLUMNSPIDER—and its application to Sr-Nd-Pb isotope analyses of igneous rock samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyazaki, Takashi; Vaglarov, Bogdan Stefanov; Takei, Masakazu; Suzuki, Masahiro; Suzuki, Hiroaki; Ohsawa, Kouzou; Chang, Qing; Takahashi, Toshiro; Hirahara, Yuka; Hanyu, Takeshi; Kimura, Jun-Ichi; Tatsumi, Yoshiyuki

    A fully automated open-column resin-bed chemical-separation system, named COLUMNSPIDER, has been developed. The system consists of a programmable micropipetting robot that dispenses chemical reagents and sample solutions into an open-column resin bed for elemental separation. After the initial set up of resin columns, chemical reagents, and beakers for the separated chemical components, all separation procedures are automated. As many as ten samples can be eluted in parallel in a single automated run. Many separation procedures, such as radiogenic isotope ratio analyses for Sr and Nd, involve the use of multiple column separations with different resin columns, chemical reagents, and beakers of various volumes. COLUMNSPIDER completes these separations using multiple runs. Programmable functions, including the positioning of the micropipetter, reagent volume, and elution time, enable flexible operation. Optimized movements for solution take-up and high-efficiency column flushing allow the system to perform as precisely as when carried out manually by a skilled operator. Procedural blanks, examined for COLUMNSPIDER separations of Sr, Nd, and Pb, are low and negligible. The measured Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope ratios for JB-2 and Nd isotope ratios for JB-3 and BCR-2 rock standards all fall within the ranges reported previously in high-accuracy analyses. COLUMNSPIDER is a versatile tool for the efficient elemental separation of igneous rock samples, a process that is both labor intensive and time consuming.

  2. Use of standardised patients to assess antibiotic dispensing for tuberculosis by pharmacies in urban India: a cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satyanarayana, Srinath; Kwan, Ada; Daniels, Benjamin; Subbaraman, Ramnath; McDowell, Andrew; Bergkvist, Sofi; Das, Ranendra K; Das, Veena; Das, Jishnu; Pai, Madhukar

    2016-11-01

    India's total antibiotic use is the highest of any country. Patients often receive prescription-only drugs directly from pharmacies. Here we aimed to assess the medical advice and drug dispensing practices of pharmacies for standardised patients with presumed and confirmed tuberculosis in India. In this cross-sectional study in the three Indian cities Delhi, Mumbai, and Patna, we developed two standardised patient cases: first, a patient presenting with 2-3 weeks of pulmonary tuberculosis symptoms (Case 1); and second, a patient with microbiologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis (Case 2). Standardised patients were scheduled to present each case once to sampled pharmacies. We defined ideal management for both cases a priori as referral to a health-care provider without dispensing antibiotics or steroids or both. Between April 1, 2014, and Nov 29, 2015, we sampled 622 pharmacies in Delhi, Mumbai, and Patna. Standardised patients completed 1200 (96%) of 1244 interactions. We recorded ideal management (defined as referrals without the use of antibiotics or steroids) in 80 (13%) of 599 Case 1 interactions (95% CI 11-16) and 372 (62%) of 601 Case 2 interactions (95% CI 58-66). Antibiotic use was significantly lower in Case 2 interactions (98 [16%] of 601, 95% CI 13-19) than in Case 1 (221 [37%] of 599, 95% CI 33-41). First-line anti-tuberculosis drugs were not dispensed in any city. The differences in antibiotic or steroid use and number of medicines dispensed between Case 1 and Case 2 were almost entirely attributable to the difference in referral behaviour. Only some urban Indian pharmacies correctly managed patients with presumed tuberculosis, but most correctly managed a case of confirmed tuberculosis. No pharmacy dispensed anti-tuberculosis drugs for either case. Absence of a confirmed diagnosis is a key driver of antibiotic misuse and could inform antimicrobial stewardship interventions. Grand Challenges Canada, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Knowledge for

  3. Acidic pH and divalent cation sensing by PhoQ are dispensable for systemic salmonellae virulence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hicks, Kevin G; Delbecq, Scott P; Sancho-Vaello, Enea; Blanc, Marie-Pierre; Dove, Katja K; Prost, Lynne R; Daley, Margaret E; Zeth, Kornelius; Klevit, Rachel E; Miller, Samuel I

    2015-05-23

    Salmonella PhoQ is a histidine kinase with a periplasmic sensor domain (PD) that promotes virulence by detecting the macrophage phagosome. PhoQ activity is repressed by divalent cations and induced in environments of acidic pH, limited divalent cations, and cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMP). Previously, it was unclear which signals are sensed by salmonellae to promote PhoQ-mediated virulence. We defined conformational changes produced in the PhoQ PD on exposure to acidic pH that indicate structural flexibility is induced in α-helices 4 and 5, suggesting this region contributes to pH sensing. Therefore, we engineered a disulfide bond between W104C and A128C in the PhoQ PD that restrains conformational flexibility in α-helices 4 and 5. PhoQ(W104C-A128C) is responsive to CAMP, but is inhibited for activation by acidic pH and divalent cation limitation. phoQ(W104C-A128C) Salmonella enterica Typhimurium is virulent in mice, indicating that acidic pH and divalent cation sensing by PhoQ are dispensable for virulence.

  4. Using Multispectral Imaging to Measure Temperature Profiles and Emissivity of Large Thermionic Dispenser, Cathodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simmons, D.F.; Fortgang, C.M.; Holtkamp, D.B.

    2001-01-01

    Thermionic dispenser cathodes are widely used in modern high-power microwave tubes. Use of these cathodes has led to significant improvement in performance. In recent years these cathodes have been used in electron linear accelerators (LINACs), particularly in induction LINACs, such as the Experimental Test Accelerator at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Relativistic Test Accelerator at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. For induction LINACs, the thermionic dispenser cathode provides greater reproducibility, longer pulse lengths, and lower emittance beams than does a field emission cathode. Los Alamos National Laboratory is fabricating a dual-axis X-ray radiography machine called dual-axis radiograph hydrodynamic test (DARHT). The second axis of DARHT consists of a 2-kA, 20-MeV induction LINAC that uses a 3.2-MeV electron gun with a tungsten thermionic-dispenser cathode. Typically the DARHT cathode current density is 10 A/cm 2 at 1050 C. Under these conditions current density is space-charge limited, which is desirable since current density is independent of temperature. At lower temperature (the temperature-limited regime) there are variations in the local current density due to a nonuniform temperature profile. To obtain the desired uniform current density associated with space-charge limited operation, the coolest area on the cathode must be at a sufficiently high temperature so that the emission is space-charge limited. Consequently, the rest of the cathode is emitting at the same space-charge-limited current density but is at a higher temperature than necessary. Because cathode lifetime is such a strong function of cathode temperature, there is a severe penalty for nonuniformity in the cathode temperature. For example, a temperature increase of 50 C means cathode lifetime will decrease by a factor of at least four. Therefore, we are motivated to measure the temperature profiles of our large-area cathodes

  5. The tungsten powder study of the dispenser cathode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bao Jixiu; Wan Baofei

    2006-01-01

    The intercorrelation of tungsten powder properties, such as grain size, distribution and morphology, and porous matrix parameters with electron emission capability and longevity of Ba dispenser cathodes has been investigated for the different grain morphologies. It is shown that a fully cleaning step of the tungsten powder is so necessary that the tungsten powder will be reduction of oxide in hydrogen atmosphere above 700 deg. C. The porosity of the tungsten matrix distributes more even and the closed pore is fewer, the average granule size of the tungsten powder distributes more convergent. The porosity of the tungsten matrix and the evaporation of the activator are bigger and the pulse of the cathode is smaller when the granularity is bigger by the analysis of the electronic microscope and diode experiment

  6. The tungsten powder study of the dispenser cathode

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Ji-xiu; Wan, Bao-fei

    2006-06-01

    The intercorrelation of tungsten powder properties, such as grain size, distribution and morphology, and porous matrix parameters with electron emission capability and longevity of Ba dispenser cathodes has been investigated for the different grain morphologies. It is shown that a fully cleaning step of the tungsten powder is so necessary that the tungsten powder will be reduction of oxide in hydrogen atmosphere above 700 °C. The porosity of the tungsten matrix distributes more even and the closed pore is fewer, the average granule size of the tungsten powder distributes more convergent. The porosity of the tungsten matrix and the evaporation of the activator are bigger and the pulse of the cathode is smaller when the granularity is bigger by the analysis of the electronic microscope and diode experiment.

  7. Correlation of emission capability and longevity of dispenser cathodes with characteristics of tungsten powders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melnikova, Irina P.; Vorozheikin, Victor G.; Usanov, Dmitry A.

    2003-06-01

    The intercorrelation of tungsten powder properties, such as grain size, distribution and morphology, and porous matrix parameters with electron emission capability and longevity of Ba dispenser cathodes are investigated for three different grain morphologies. Best results of tungsten cathode life were found for isoaxis polyhedron morphology in combination with certain powder and matrix parameters.

  8. Correlation of emission capability and longevity of dispenser cathodes with characteristics of tungsten powders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Melnikova, Irina P.; Vorozheikin, Victor G.; Usanov, Dmitry A.

    2003-01-01

    The intercorrelation of tungsten powder properties, such as grain size, distribution and morphology, and porous matrix parameters with electron emission capability and longevity of Ba dispenser cathodes are investigated for three different grain morphologies. Best results of tungsten cathode life were found for isoaxis polyhedron morphology in combination with certain powder and matrix parameters

  9. Correlation of emission capability and longevity of dispenser cathodes with characteristics of tungsten powders

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Melnikova, Irina P.; Vorozheikin, Victor G.; Usanov, Dmitry A

    2003-06-15

    The intercorrelation of tungsten powder properties, such as grain size, distribution and morphology, and porous matrix parameters with electron emission capability and longevity of Ba dispenser cathodes are investigated for three different grain morphologies. Best results of tungsten cathode life were found for isoaxis polyhedron morphology in combination with certain powder and matrix parameters.

  10. Associations Between Personality Traits and Adherence to Antidepressants Assessed Through Self-Report, Electronic Monitoring, and Pharmacy Dispensing Data: A Pilot Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wouters, Hans; Amin, Darya F H; Taxis, Katja; Heerdink, Eibert R; Egberts, Antoine C G; Gardarsdottir, Helga

    2016-10-01

    Treatment with antidepressants is often compromised by substantial nonadherence. To understand nonadherence, specific medication-related behaviors and beliefs have been studied, but less is known about broader and temporally stable personality "traits." Furthermore, adherence has often been assessed by a single method. Hence, we investigated associations between the Big Five personality traits and adherence assessed by self-report, electronic drug use monitoring, and dispensing data. Using the Big Five Inventory, we assessed the personality traits "openness," "conscientiousness," "extraversion," "agreeableness," and "neuroticism" of patients treated with antidepressants who were invited through community pharmacies. Self-reported adherence was assessed with the Medication Adherence Rating Scale (score >24), electronic monitoring with medication event monitoring system (MEMS) devices (therapy days missed ≤ 10% and personality traits, the third and fourth quartiles of "conscientiousness" were associated with better self-reported adherence (odds ratio, 3.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.34-9.86 and odds ratio, 2.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-8.08; P ≤ 0.05). No relationships were found between personality traits and adherence assessed through electronic drug use monitoring or dispensing data. We therefore conclude that adherence to antidepressant therapy seems to be largely unrelated to personality traits.

  11. Effect of holed reflector on acoustic radiation force in noncontact ultrasonic dispensing of small droplets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanaka, Hiroki; Wada, Yuji; Mizuno, Yosuke; Nakamura, Kentaro

    2016-06-01

    We investigated the fundamental aspects of droplet dispensing, which is an important procedure in the noncontact ultrasonic manipulation of droplets in air. A holed reflector was used to dispense a droplet from a 27.4 kHz standing-wave acoustic field to a well. First, the relationship between the hole diameter of the reflector and the acoustic radiation force acting on a levitated droplet was clarified by calculating the acoustic impedance of the point just above the hole. When the hole diameter was half of (or equal to) the acoustic wavelength λ, the acoustic radiation force was ∼80% (or 50%) of that without a hole. The maximal diameters of droplets levitated above the holes through flat and half-cylindrical reflectors were then experimentally investigated. For instance, with the half-cylindrical reflector, the maximal diameter was 5.0 mm for a hole diameter of 6.0 mm, and droplets were levitatable up to a hole diameter of 12 mm (∼λ).

  12. A review of chemical decontamination systems for nuclear facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, L.; Chamberlain, D.B.; Conner, C.; Vandegrift, G.F.

    1996-01-01

    With the downsizing of the Department of Energy (DOE) complex, many of its buildings and facilities will be decommissioned and dismantled. As part of this decommissioning, some form of decontamination will be required. To develop an appropriate technology for in situ chemical decontamination of equipment interiors in the decommissioning of DOE nuclear facilities, knowledge of the existing chemical decontamination methods is needed. This paper attempts to give an up-to-date review of chemical decontamination methods. This survey revealed that aqueous systems are the most widely used for the decontamination and cleaning of metal surfaces. We have subdivided the aqueous systems by types of chemical solvent: acid, alkaline permanganate, highly oxidizing, peroxide, and proprietary. Two other systems, electropolishing and foams and gels, are also described in this paper

  13. Thermo effect of chemical reaction in irreversible electrochemical systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tran Vinh Quy; Nguyen Tang

    1989-01-01

    From first law of thermodynamics the expressions of statistical calculation of 'Fundamental' and 'Thermo-chemical' thermal effects are obtained. Besides, method of calculation of thermal effect of chemical reactions in non-equilibrium electro-chemical systems is accurately discussed. (author). 7 refs

  14. Control of microbial contamination in drinking water from microfiltering dispensers by dialysis ultrafilters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bolelli Luca

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Tap water filtering devices are widely employed to improve odor and taste of tap water, or to obtain refrigerated or sparkling drinking water. The presence of disinfectants-resistant bacteria in tap water is responsible of the biofilm formation inside tubes and tanks. The consequent contamination of dispensed water is a well-known hygiene problem because of the quite constant presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria likes P. aeruginosa. In this study, we tested the technical feasibility and effectiveness of the addition to different commercial devices of a packaged polysulphone fibers filter. We aimed to find a simple solution to implement the quality of the delivered water. Water contamination levels were determined in a wide selection of microfiltered water dispensers and we selected among them a representative group of 10 devices, new or in use. The packaged ultrafilter was introduced in about half of them, to monitor, when possible, in parallel the contamination levels and flow rate of a couple of identical units, with and without the filter. The placement of the dialysis filters resulted feasible at different positions along the water circuits of the variously designed filtration units. Delivered water resulted completely free from bacteria when the filter was placed exactly at, or very close to, the outlet in spite of the inner surfaces contamination. This performance was not obtained in presence of a more or less long tract of water circuits downstream the ultrafilter: a significant but not complete reduction of the plate count numbers was observed. The filters worked in continue over the whole study period, ten months, showing exactly the same efficiency. Moreover, the flow rate in presence of the filter was quite unaffected. The addition of this kind of filter to already in use water dispensers was technically easy, and its use can be recommended in all cases a simple but reliable water sanitization is requested.

  15. Conservation-dissipation structure of chemical reaction systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yong, Wen-An

    2012-12-01

    In this Brief Report, we show that balanced chemical reaction systems governed by the law of mass action have an elegant conservation-dissipation structure. From this structure a number of important conclusions can be easily deduced. In particular, with the help of this structure we can rigorously justify the classical partial equilibrium approximation in chemical kinetics.

  16. Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs and Pharmacist Orientation Toward Dispensing Controlled Substances.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fendrich, Michael; Bryan, Janelle K; Hooyer, Katinka

    2018-01-03

    We sought to understand how pharmacists viewed and used a newly implemented prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP). We also sought to understand pharmacist orientation toward dispensing of controlled substances and the people who obtain them. We conducted three mini focus groups. The focus group findings were used to inform the design of a structured survey. We emailed a survey to 160 pharmacists who were employed in one statewide community chain store; we obtained 48 survey responses. Focus groups findings suggested that, in relation to the dispensing of scheduled prescription medication, pharmacists were either "healthcare" oriented, "law-enforcement" oriented, or an orientation that combined these two perspectives. Surveys suggested that pharmacists found PDMPs easy to use and that they used them frequently - often to contact physicians directly. Surveys suggested that pharmacists were typically either "healthcare" oriented or "mixed" (combined perspectives). Pharmacist orientation was associated with the frequency with which they counseled patients about medication risk and the frequency with which they used the PDMP as the basis for contacting prescribers. Ongoing tracking of pharmacists' use of PDMPs is important both at the implementation stage and as PDMPs develop over time. The orientation construct developed here is useful in understanding pharmacist behavior and attitudes towards patients potentially at risk for misuse of controlled substance medications. Further research on this construct could shed light on barriers and incentives for pharmacist PDMP participation and use and provide guidance for pharmacist training, ultimately enhancing patient care.

  17. Stochastic thermodynamics and entropy production of chemical reaction systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomé, Tânia; de Oliveira, Mário J.

    2018-06-01

    We investigate the nonequilibrium stationary states of systems consisting of chemical reactions among molecules of several chemical species. To this end, we introduce and develop a stochastic formulation of nonequilibrium thermodynamics of chemical reaction systems based on a master equation defined on the space of microscopic chemical states and on appropriate definitions of entropy and entropy production. The system is in contact with a heat reservoir and is placed out of equilibrium by the contact with particle reservoirs. In our approach, the fluxes of various types, such as the heat and particle fluxes, play a fundamental role in characterizing the nonequilibrium chemical state. We show that the rate of entropy production in the stationary nonequilibrium state is a bilinear form in the affinities and the fluxes of reaction, which are expressed in terms of rate constants and transition rates, respectively. We also show how the description in terms of microscopic states can be reduced to a description in terms of the numbers of particles of each species, from which follows the chemical master equation. As an example, we calculate the rate of entropy production of the first and second Schlögl reaction models.

  18. Multi-scenario modelling of uncertainty in stochastic chemical systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Evans, R. David; Ricardez-Sandoval, Luis A.

    2014-01-01

    Uncertainty analysis has not been well studied at the molecular scale, despite extensive knowledge of uncertainty in macroscale systems. The ability to predict the effect of uncertainty allows for robust control of small scale systems such as nanoreactors, surface reactions, and gene toggle switches. However, it is difficult to model uncertainty in such chemical systems as they are stochastic in nature, and require a large computational cost. To address this issue, a new model of uncertainty propagation in stochastic chemical systems, based on the Chemical Master Equation, is proposed in the present study. The uncertain solution is approximated by a composite state comprised of the averaged effect of samples from the uncertain parameter distributions. This model is then used to study the effect of uncertainty on an isomerization system and a two gene regulation network called a repressilator. The results of this model show that uncertainty in stochastic systems is dependent on both the uncertain distribution, and the system under investigation. -- Highlights: •A method to model uncertainty on stochastic systems was developed. •The method is based on the Chemical Master Equation. •Uncertainty in an isomerization reaction and a gene regulation network was modelled. •Effects were significant and dependent on the uncertain input and reaction system. •The model was computationally more efficient than Kinetic Monte Carlo

  19. Analyzing the effectiveness of flare dispensing programs against pulse width modulation seekers using self-organizing maps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Şahingil, Mehmet C.; Aslan, Murat Š.

    2013-10-01

    Infrared guided missile seekers utilizing pulse width modulation in target tracking is one of the threats against air platforms. To be able to achieve a "soft-kill" protection of own platform against these type of threats, one needs to examine carefully the seeker operating principle with its special electronic counter-counter measure (ECCM) capability. One of the cost-effective ways of soft kill protection is to use flare decoys in accordance with an optimized dispensing program. Such an optimization requires a good understanding of the threat seeker, capabilities of the air platform and engagement scenario information between them. Modeling and simulation is very powerful tool to achieve a valuable insight and understand the underlying phenomenology. A careful interpretation of simulation results is crucial to infer valuable conclusions from the data. In such an interpretation there are lots of factors (features) which affect the results. Therefore, powerful statistical tools and pattern recognition algorithms are of special interest in the analysis. In this paper, we show how self-organizing maps (SOMs), which is one of those powerful tools, can be used in analyzing the effectiveness of various flare dispensing programs against a PWM seeker. We perform several Monte Carlo runs for a typical engagement scenario in a MATLAB-based simulation environment. In each run, we randomly change the flare dispending program and obtain corresponding class: "successful" or "unsuccessful", depending on whether the corresponding flare dispensing program deceives the seeker or not, respectively. Then, in the analysis phase, we use SOMs to interpret and visualize the results.

  20. Systems approach to chemical spill response information needs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Parnarouskis, M.C.; Flessner, M.F.; Potts, R.G.

    1980-01-01

    The Chemical Hazards Response Information System (CHRIS) has been specifically designed to meet the emergency needs of US Coast Guard field personnel, currently providing them with information on 900 hazardous chemicals, with methods of predicting hazards resulting from accidental discharges, and with procedures for selecting and implementing response to accident discharges. The major components of CHRIS and the computerized hazard assessment models within the Hazard Assessment Computer System are described in detail.

  1. Tiger Teams Technical Assistance: Reliable, Universal Open Architecture for Card Access to Dispense Alternative Fuels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2002-03-01

    Report discusses the dilemma of incorporating consistent, convenient, universal card access (or ''pay-at-the-pump'') systems into alternative fueling stations across the country. The state of California continues to be in the forefront of implementing alternative fuels for transportation applications. Aggressive efforts to deploy alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) in California have highlighted the need to provide adequate fueling stations and develop appropriate, user-friendly means to purchase fuel at the pump. Since these fuels are not typically provided by petroleum companies at conventional fueling stations, and acceptance of cash is often not an option, a payment method must be developed that is consistent with the way individual AFV operators are accustomed to purchasing automotive fuels--with a credit card. At the same time, large fleets like the California Department of General Services must be able to use a single fuel card that offers comprehensive fleet management services. The Gas Technology Institute's Infrastructure Working Group (IWG) and its stakeholders have identified the lack of a common card reader system as a hurdle to wider deployment of AFVs in California and the United States. In conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Clean Cities Program, the IWG has outlined a multi-phased strategy to systematically address the barriers to develop a more ''open'' architecture that's similar to the way gasoline and diesel are currently dispensed. Under the auspices of the IWG, survey results were gathered (circa 1999) from certain fuel providers, as a means to more carefully study card reader issues and their potential solutions. Pilot programs featuring card reader systems capable of accepting wider payment options have been attempted in several regions of the United States with mixed success. In early 2001, DOE joined the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the

  2. Systemic LPS Translocation Activates Cross-Presenting Dendritic Cells but Is Dispensable for the Breakdown of CD8+ T Cell Peripheral Tolerance in Irradiated Mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriel Espinosa-Carrasco

    Full Text Available Lymphodepletion is currently used to enhance the efficacy of cytotoxic T lymphocyte adoptive transfer immunotherapy against cancer. This beneficial effect of conditioning regimens is due, at least in part, to promoting the breakdown of peripheral CD8+ T cell tolerance. Lymphodepletion by total body irradiation induces systemic translocation of commensal bacteria LPS from the gastrointestinal tract. Since LPS is a potent activator of the innate immune system, including antigen presenting dendritic cells, we hypothesized that LPS translocation could be required for the breakdown of peripheral tolerance observed in irradiated mice. To address this issue, we have treated irradiated mice with antibiotics in order to prevent LPS translocation and utilized them in T cell adoptive transfer experiments. Surprisingly, we found that despite of completely blocking LPS translocation into the bloodstream, antibiotic treatment did not prevent the breakdown of peripheral tolerance. Although irradiation induced the activation of cross-presenting CD8+ dendritic cells in the lymphoid tissue, LPS could not solely account for this effect. Activation of dendritic cells by mechanisms other than LPS translocation is sufficient to promote the differentiation of potentially autoreactive CD8+ T cells into effectors in irradiated mice. Our data indicate that LPS translocation is dispensable for the breakdown of CD8+ T cell tolerance in irradiated mice.

  3. Analysis system for characterisation of simple, low-cost microfluidic components

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Smith, S

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available mechanism is used to introduce and dispense a sample of blood, while a reagent is released into the microfluidic system through compression and bursting of a blister pack. Mixing and dispensing of the sample and reagent are facilitated via air actuation...

  4. Chemical sensing underclothing system for testing PPE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slabotinsky, J.; Kralik, L.; Bradka, S.; Castulik, P.

    2009-01-01

    Personal protective equipment (PPE) when worn is subjected to pressure differentials across the garment due to ambient wind flow, by body movement and breathing creating the bellows effect, which may force hazardous chemicals vapor or aerosol through the closures, joints, outlet valves and/or clothing protective fabric. Thus the design, fit, size or improper donning of the protective garment will influence chemical-agent penetration. In order to determine penetration of chemical-protective garments by chemical vapor or aerosol, it is necessary to test the entire suit system, including seams, closures, outlet valves and areas of transition with other protective equipment, that is, at the ankles, waist, wrists, neck etc. In order to identify penetration of chemical vapor or aerosol through protective assembly, the Man-in-Simulant Test (MIST) with passive adsorptive devices (PADs) is used, when adsorbed challenging agent (simulant) is desorbed from the PAD and quantified. The current MIST method is failing in complexity of leak detection, due to limited number of passive collection points fixed on human body or a mannequin and very labor extensive work associated with allocation of 20-40 PADs and quantification of adsorbed agent. The Czech approach to detect and quantify penetration/permeation of chemical agent is based on chemical sensing underclothing enable to change the color when exposed with simulant or even with real CW agent. Color intensity and shape of stains on sensing fabric are processed with Laboratory Universal Computer Image Analysis (LUCIA) allowing determining the quantity and the allocation of the penetrating noxious agent(s). This method allows for example calculate individual doses of exposure, the breakthrough coefficient of protective garment as whole and uniquely precise allocation of penetration/permeation shortfalls. Presentation is providing detailed description of imaging system with nickname 'LUCY' in combination with testing mannequin

  5. [Prospects in getting accordance between chemical analytic control means and medical technical requirements to safety system concerning chemical weapons destruction].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rembovskiĭ, V R; Mogilenkova, L A; Savel'eva, E I

    2005-01-01

    The major unit monitoring chemical weapons destruction objects is a system of chemical analyticcontrol over the technologic process procedures and possibility of environment and workplace pollution withtoxicchemicals and their destruction products. At the same time, physical and chemical control means meet sanitary and hygienic requirements incompletely. To provide efficient control, internationally recognized approaches should be adapted to features of Russian system monitoring pollution of chemical weapons destruction objects with toxic chemicals.

  6. Efficiency potential of hot-drink dispensing machines in commercial catering; Effizienzpotenzial bei Heissgetraenkeautomaten in der Betriebsverpflegung

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grieder, T; Huser, A [Encontrol GmbH, Niederrohrdorf (Switzerland); Schmitz, R [Electrosuisse, Fehraltorf (Switzerland)

    2003-07-01

    This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) discusses the findings of a project that looked into the energy consumption of automatic hot-drink dispensing machines. The report presents the results of a survey made in Switzerland together with various manufacturers and operators of such machines that are used in the company refreshments sector. The survey provides important information on the current market situation, markets and market shares of individual operating companies as well as on machine technology and energy consumption. Also, obstacles to the improvement of energy efficiency in this area are looked at. Important savings that can be made in the operation of such machines are quoted. The report recommends that the results of a parallel survey of domestic coffee-making machines be taken note of and that effort should rather be concentrated in this area, where energy consumption at the national level is quoted as being around twice as high as for the commercial automatic hot-drink dispensing machines.

  7. Analyzing implementation dynamics using theory-driven evaluation principles: lessons learnt from a South African centralized chronic dispensing model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magadzire, Bvudzai Priscilla; Marchal, Bruno; Mathys, Tania; Laing, Richard O; Ward, Kim

    2017-12-04

    Centralized dispensing of essential medicines is one of South Africa's strategies to address the shortage of pharmacists, reduce patients' waiting times and reduce over-crowding at public sector healthcare facilities. This article reports findings of an evaluation of the Chronic Dispensing Unit (CDU) in one province. The objectives of this process evaluation were to: (1) compare what was planned versus the actual implementation and (2) establish the causal elements and contextual factors influencing implementation. This qualitative study employed key informant interviews with the intervention's implementers (clinicians, managers and the service provider) [N = 40], and a review of policy and program documents. Data were thematically analyzed by identifying the main influences shaping the implementation process. Theory-driven evaluation principles were applied as a theoretical framework to explain implementation dynamics. The overall participants' response about the CDU was positive and the majority of informants concurred that the establishment of the CDU to dispense large volumes of medicines is a beneficial strategy to address healthcare barriers because mechanical functions are automated and distribution of medicines much quicker. However, implementation was influenced by the context and discrepancies between planned activities and actual implementation were noted. Procurement inefficiencies at central level caused medicine stock-outs and affected CDU activities. At the frontline, actors were aware of the CDU's implementation guidelines regarding patient selection, prescription validity and management of non-collected medicines but these were adapted to accommodate practical realities and to meet performance targets attached to the intervention. Implementation success was a result of a combination of 'hardware' (e.g. training, policies, implementation support and appropriate infrastructure) and 'software' (e.g. ownership, cooperation between healthcare

  8. Chemical Detection Architecture for a Subway System [video

    OpenAIRE

    Ignacio, Joselito; Center for Homeland Defense and Security Naval Postgraduate School

    2014-01-01

    This proposed system process aims to improve subway safety through better enabling the rapid detection and response to a chemical release in a subway system. The process is designed to be location-independent and generalized to most subway systems despite each system's unique characteristics.

  9. International Space Station (ISS) Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) Beverage Adapter (BA) Redesign

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edgerly, Rachel; Benoit, Jace; Shindo, David

    2012-01-01

    The Potable Water Dispenser used on the International Space Station (ISS) interfaces with food and drink packages using the Beverage Adapter and Needle. Unexpected leakage has been seen in this interface. The Beverage Adapter used on ]orbit was returned to the ground for Test, Teardown, and Evaluation. The results of that investigation prompted a redesign of the Beverage Adapter and Needle. The Beverage Adapter materials were changed to be more corrosion resistant, and the Needle was redesigned to preclude leakage. The redesigns have been tested and proven.

  10. A microfluidic distribution system for an array of hollow microneedles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoel, Antonin; Jullien, Marie-Caroline; Baron, Nolwenn; Cabodevila, Gonzalo

    2008-01-01

    We report a microfluidic device able to control the ejection of fluid through a matrix of out-of-plane microneedles. The device comprises a matrix of open dispensing units connected to needles and filled by a common filling system. A deformable membrane (e.g. in PDMS) is brought into contact with the dispensing units. Pressure exerted on the deformable membrane closes (and thus individualizes) each dispensing unit and provokes the ejection of the dispensing unit content through the outlets. Sufficient pressure over the deformable membrane ensures that all dispensing units deliver a fixed volume (their content) irrespective of the hydrodynamic pressure outside the dispensing unit outlet. The size of the ensemble matrix of dispensing units, the number of liquid reservoirs, as well as the material can vary depending on the considered application of the device or on the conditions of use. In the present paper, the liquid reservoirs are geometrically identical. The geometrical parameters of the device are optimized to avoid as much dead volume as possible, as it was to handle plasmid DNA solutions which are very expensive. The conception, the fabrication and the experimental results are described in this paper. Our prototype is conceived to inject in a uniform way 10 µl of drug through 100 microneedles distributed over 1 cm 2

  11. Estimating the real world daily usage and cost for exenatide twice daily and liraglutide in Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK based on volumes dispensed by pharmacies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    McDonell AL

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Amanda L McDonell,1 Urpo Kiiskinen,2 Danielle C Zammit,3 Robert W Kotchie,1 Per-Olof Thuresson,3 Claudia Nicolay,4 Thomas Haslam,1 Michiel Bruinsma,5 Anne-Jeanine Janszen-Van Oosterhout,6 Thorsten Otto41IMS Health, London, UK; 2Eli Lilly and Company, Helsinki, Finland; 3IMS Health, Basel, Switzerland; 4Eli Lilly and Company, Bad Homburg, Germany; 5IMS Health, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; 6Eli Lilly Nederland, Houten, the NetherlandsBackground: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1 receptor agonists are indicated for improvement of glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes. Cost is one aspect of treatment to be considered, in addition to clinical benefits, when selecting optimal therapy for a patient. The objective of this study was to estimate the average dose usage and real world daily cost of the GLP-1 receptor agonists, exenatide twice daily and liraglutide once daily, in Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK.Methods: Administrative databases were used to source the data from longitudinal records of dispensed prescriptions. Data were extracted from the IMS Longitudinal Prescription database which captures details of prescriptions dispensed in pharmacies. Information on the dispensed quantity of each product was used to estimate average daily usage per patient. Daily dose usage was multiplied by the public price per unit to estimate daily cost.Results: The dispensed volume in Germany corresponded to a mean dispensed daily dose of 16.81 µg for exenatide twice daily and 1.37 mg for liraglutide (mean daily cost €4.02 and €4.54, respectively. In the Netherlands, average dispensed daily doses of 17.07 µg and 1.49 mg were observed for exenatide twice daily and liraglutide (mean daily cost €3.05 and €3.97, respectively. In the UK, the mean dispensed volume corresponded to a daily usage of 20.49 µg for exenatide twice daily and 1.50 mg for liraglutide (mean daily cost £2.53 and £3.28, respectively.Conclusion: Estimates of average daily

  12. Microfabricated Gas Phase Chemical Analysis Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    FRYE-MASON, GREGORY CHARLES; HELLER, EDWIN J.; HIETALA, VINCENT M.; KOTTENSTETTE, RICHARD; LEWIS, PATRICK R.; MANGINELL, RONALD P.; MATZKE, CAROLYN M.; WONG, CHUNGNIN C.

    1999-01-01

    A portable, autonomous, hand-held chemical laboratory ((micro)ChemLab(trademark)) is being developed for trace detection (ppb) of chemical warfare (CW) agents and explosives in real-world environments containing high concentrations of interfering compounds. Microfabrication is utilized to provide miniature, low-power components that are characterized by rapid, sensitive and selective response. Sensitivity and selectivity are enhanced using two parallel analysis channels, each containing the sequential connection of a front-end sample collector/concentrator, a gas chromatographic (GC) separator, and a surface acoustic wave (SAW) detector. Component design and fabrication and system performance are described

  13. Fast switching of alkali atom dispensers using laser-induced heating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Griffin, P.F.; Weatherill, K.J.; Adams, C.S.

    2005-01-01

    We show that by using an intense laser source to locally heat an alkali atom dispenser, one can generate a high flux of atoms followed by fast recovery (<100 ms) of the background pressure when the laser is extinguished. For repeated heating pulses a switch-on time for the atomic flux of 200 ms is readily attainable. This technique is suited to ultracold atom experiments using simple ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) chambers. Laser-induced heating provides a fast repetition of the experimental cycle, which, combined with low atom loss due to background gas collisions, is particularly useful for experiments involving far-off resonance optical traps, where sufficient laser power (0.5-4 W) is readily available

  14. Introducing DAE Systems in Undergraduate and Graduate Chemical Engineering Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mandela, Ravi Kumar; Sridhar, L. N.; Rengaswamy, Raghunathan

    2010-01-01

    Models play an important role in understanding chemical engineering systems. While differential equation models are taught in standard modeling and control courses, Differential Algebraic Equation (DAE) system models are not usually introduced. These models appear naturally in several chemical engineering problems. In this paper, the introduction…

  15. The US Food and Drug Administration’s drug safety recommendations and long-acting beta2-agonist dispensing pattern changes in adult asthma patients: 2003–2012

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhou EH

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Esther H Zhou,1 Sally Seymour,2 Margie R Goulding,1 Elizabeth M Kang,1 Jacqueline M Major,1 Solomon Iyasu1 1Division of Epidemiology, Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology, 2Office of New Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA Background: Emerging safety issues associated with long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA have led to multiple regulatory activities by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA since 2003, including Drug Safety Communications (DSCs in 2010. These DSCs had three specific recommendations for the safe use of LABA products in adult asthma treatment. Methods: We examined the initiation of LABA-containing products for adult asthma treatment using an intermittent time series approach in a claims database from 2003 to 2012. We assessed the alignment of dispensing patterns with the following 2010 FDA recommendations: 1 contraindicated use of single-ingredient (SI-LABA without an asthma controller medication (ACM; 2 a LABA should only be used when asthma is not adequately controlled on inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs or ACM; and 3 step-down asthma therapy (e.g., discontinue LABA when asthma control is achieved. Results: There were 477,922 adults (18–64 years old dispensed a new LABA during 2003–2012. Among LABA initiators, patients who initiated an SI-LABA and who did “not” have an ACM dispensed on the same date decreased from >9% in 2003 (the initial labeling change to <2% post 2010 DSCs (p-value <0.0001 in the segmented regression model. The proportion of asthma patients dispensed an ICS in 6 months prior to initiating LABA treatment did not increase. The proportion of patients with longer than 4 months of continuous treatment did not decrease over the study period. Conclusion: Although the decrease in SI-LABA initiation is consistent with FDA’s recommendations, low ICS dispensing before initiating a LABA and LABA continuation practices require further efforts

  16. Barriers, motivators and enablers for dispensing multifocal contact lenses in Mumbai, India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thite, Nilesh; Shah, Ukti; Mehta, Jasmin; Jurkus, Janice

    2015-01-01

    To understand the potential barriers, motivators and enablers in dispensing multifocal contact lenses (MFCL). Two focus group discussions were conducted to design questionnaires regarding the prescribing habits for multifocal contact lenses (MFCL). Questions on potential barriers and motivators were included. The questionnaires were distributed among 133 eye care practitioners across Mumbai, India. Practitioners fitting one or less patient per month with MFCL completed the survey describing potential barriers, while those who prescribed more MFCL's per month completed the survey describing enablers and motivators. Responses from 102 practitioners were received. Most common potential barriers in prescribing MFCL were increased chair time (75%), lack of readily available trials (69%) and limitation in power range (63%). Lack of awareness among patients (90%) was the most common barrier from patients' outlook. Professional satisfaction (88%) and better business proposition (82%) were observed as main motivators while availability of the trials (84%) and correct patient selection (82%) were the major enablers. Graduate Optometrists felt dispensing MFCL did not offer a good business proposition (p=0.02). Experienced practitioners were observed to be least motivated (p=0.01) and believed that their patients found these lenses expensive (p=0.02). To enhance the MFCL practice, barriers like lack of awareness and limitations in power range must be addressed. Trial lens availability may motivate practitioners to prescribe MFCL. Further probing is required to understand lack of motivation among experienced practitioners. Copyright © 2014 Spanish General Council of Optometry. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  17. Chemical Cell Lysis System Applicable to Lab-on-a-Disc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Dayeseul; Yoo, Jae Chern

    2017-09-01

    The design and fabrication of a heating system has been a significant challenge in implementing chemical lysis on a lab-on-a-disc (LOD). The proposed system contains a sample inlet, phase change material (PCM) array, heating chamber, and valve in a single disc, providing cost-effective, rapid, and fully automated chemical cell lysis. Compared to the conventional cell lysis system, our cell lysis system has many advantages, such as a compact structure that is easily integrated into the LOD and reduced processing time and labor. The experiments are conducted with Salmonella typhimurium strains to demonstrate the performance. The experimental results show that the proposed approach is greatly effective in realizing a chemical cell lysis system on an LOD with higher throughput in terms of purity and yield of DNA.

  18. 75 FR 28651 - In the Matter of Certain Electronic Paper Towel Dispensing Devices and Components Thereof; Notice...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-21

    ... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Inv. No. 337-TA-718] In the Matter of Certain Electronic Paper Towel Dispensing Devices and Components Thereof; Notice of Investigation AGENCY: International Trade... that a complaint was filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission on April 19, 2010, under...

  19. Pharmacy Professionals' Dispensing Practice, Knowledge, and Attitude towards Emergency Contraceptives in Gondar Town, Northwestern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belachew, Sewunet Admasu; Yimenu, Dawit Kumilachew; Gebresillassie, Begashaw Melaku

    2017-01-01

    Pharmacy professionals, as the most available members of medical team, have an important role in educating patients about the effective and appropriate use of contraceptives. The purpose of this study was to assess pharmacy professionals' dispensing practice, knowledge, and attitude towards emergency contraceptives use in Gondar town, northwestern Ethiopia. An institution based cross-sectional study was employed from May 14 to June 14, 2016, on 60 pharmacy professionals, who have been working in 8 randomly selected pharmacies and 6 drug stores. The collected data was entered to and analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. More than half 33 (55.0%) of the participants were druggist with 5-9 years of experience. About 56 (93.3%) of the participants knew about the dosing schedule (when and how much to take) and side effects of emergency contraceptives. More than two-thirds of the participants (39, 65%) agreed that the existence of emergency contraceptives is a positive thing and considered their use is ethical (42, 63.3%). The majority of participants (51, 85%) also reported that they counsel all women when dispensing emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs). This study revealed that knowledge, attitude, and dispensing practice of emergency contraceptives are very good even though there were variations with respect to different factors. Findings suggested that additional training and proper counseling technique on emergency contraceptives will improve the service delivery.

  20. The Theory of Thermodynamics for Chemical Reactions in Dispersed Heterogeneous Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yongqiang; Baojiao; Jianfeng

    1997-07-01

    In this paper, the expressions of Gibbs energy change, enthalpy change, entropy change, and equilibrium constant for chemical reactions in dispersed heterogeneous systems are derived using classical thermodynamics theory. The thermodynamical relations for the same reaction system between the dispersed and the block state are also derived. The effects of degree of dispersion on thermodynamical properties, reaction directions, and chemical equilibria are discussed. The results show that the present equation of thermodynamics for chemical reactions is only a special case of the above-mentioned formulas and that the effect of the dispersity of a heterogeneous system on the chemical reaction obeys the Le Chatelier principle of movement of equilibria.

  1. Extension of the commercial agreement on water dispensers: appendices 1-4; Erweiterung der Branchenvereinbarung Wasserdispenser. Anhaenge 1-4

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grieder, T.; Huser, A.

    2006-07-01

    These appendices to a final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) present the results of work done within the framework of a voluntary agreement between the Federal Office of Energy and the four most important suppliers of bottled water dispensers in Switzerland. The first appendix lists water dispensers with water-mains connections and quotes figures on the number of units and their energy use. Two prognoses are presented for the year 2015, one with and one without any action being taken. The second appendix presents the German Gas and Water association's suggestion for standards, while the third appendix presents the hygiene regulations of the Swiss Department of Home Affairs. The fourth appendix presents the answer sent by the U.S.A's Environmental Protection Agency to an e-mail on the subject.

  2. On microscopic simulations of systems with model chemical reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorecki, J.; Gorecka, J.N.

    1998-01-01

    Large scale computer simulations of model chemical systems play the role of idealized experiments in which theories may be tested. In this paper we present two applications of microscopic simulations based on the reactive hard sphere model. We investigate the influence of internal fluctuations on an oscillating chemical system and observe how they modify the phase portrait of it. Another application, we consider, is concerned with the propagation of a chemical wave front associated with a thermally activated reaction. It is shown that the nonequilibrium effects increase the front velocity if compared with the velocity of the front generated by a nonactivated process characterized by the same rate constant. (author)

  3. 30 CFR 75.1101-15 - Construction of dry powder chemical systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Construction of dry powder chemical systems. 75.1101-15 Section 75.1101-15 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR...-15 Construction of dry powder chemical systems. (a) Each self-contained dry powder system shall be...

  4. Combustion flame-plasma hybrid reactor systems, and chemical reactant sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Peter C

    2013-11-26

    Combustion flame-plasma hybrid reactor systems, chemical reactant sources, and related methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, a combustion flame-plasma hybrid reactor system comprising a reaction chamber, a combustion torch positioned to direct a flame into the reaction chamber, and one or more reactant feed assemblies configured to electrically energize at least one electrically conductive solid reactant structure to form a plasma and feed each electrically conductive solid reactant structure into the plasma to form at least one product is disclosed. In an additional embodiment, a chemical reactant source for a combustion flame-plasma hybrid reactor comprising an elongated electrically conductive reactant structure consisting essentially of at least one chemical reactant is disclosed. In further embodiments, methods of forming a chemical reactant source and methods of chemically converting at least one reactant into at least one product are disclosed.

  5. Chemical decontamination method in nuclear facility system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takahashi, Ryota; Sakai, Hitoshi; Oka, Shigehiro.

    1996-01-01

    Pumps and valves in a closed recycling loop system incorporating materials to be chemically decontaminated are decomposed, a guide plate having the decomposed parts as an exit/inlet of a decontaminating liquid is formed, and a decontaminating liquid recycling loop comprising a recycling pump and a heater is connected to the guide plate. Decontaminating liquid from a decontaminating liquid storage tank is supplied to the decontaminating liquid recycling loop. With such constitutions, the decontaminating liquid is filled in the recycling closed loop system incorporating materials to be decontaminated, and the materials to be decontaminated are chemically decontaminated. The decontaminating liquid after the decontamination is discharged and flows, if necessary, in a recycling system channel for repeating supply and discharge. After the decontamination, the guide plate is removed and returned to the original recycling loop. When pipelines of a reactor recycling system are decontaminated, the amount of decontaminations can be decreased, and reforming construction for assembling the recycling loop again, which requires cutting for pipelines in the system is no more necessary. Accordingly, the amount of wastes can be decreased, and therefore, the decontamination operation is facilitated and radiation dose can be reduced. (T.M.)

  6. An automated system for the preparation of Large Size Dried (LSD) Spikes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verbruggen, A.; Bauwens, J.; Jakobsson, U.; Eykens, R.; Wellum, R.; Aregbe, Y.; Van De Steene, N.

    2008-01-01

    Large size dried (LSD) spikes have been produced to fulfill the existing requirement for reliable and traceable isotopic reference materials for nuclear safeguards. A system to produce certified nuclear isotopic reference material as a U/Pu mixture in the form of large size dried spikes, comparable to those produced using traditional methods has been installed in collaboration with Nucomat, a company with a recognized reputation in design and development of integrated automated systems. The major components of the system are a robot, two balances, a dispenser and a drying unit fitted into a glove box. The robot is software driven and designed to control all movements inside the glove-box, to identify unambiguously the penicillin vials with a bar-code reader, to dispense the LSD batch solution into the vials and to weigh the amount dispensed. The system functionality has been evaluated and the performance validated by comparing the results from a series of samples dispensed and weighed by the automated system with the results by manual substitution weighing. After applying the proper correction factors to the data from the automated system balance no significant difference was observed between the two. However, an additional component of uncertainty of 3*10 -4 is introduced in the uncertainty budget for the certified weights provided by the automatic system. (authors)

  7. An automated system for the preparation of Large Size Dried (LSD) Spikes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Verbruggen, A.; Bauwens, J.; Jakobsson, U.; Eykens, R.; Wellum, R.; Aregbe, Y. [European Commission - Joint Research Centre, Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM), Retieseweg 211, B2440 Geel (Belgium); Van De Steene, N. [Nucomat, Mercatorstraat 206, B9100 Sint Niklaas (Belgium)

    2008-07-01

    Large size dried (LSD) spikes have been produced to fulfill the existing requirement for reliable and traceable isotopic reference materials for nuclear safeguards. A system to produce certified nuclear isotopic reference material as a U/Pu mixture in the form of large size dried spikes, comparable to those produced using traditional methods has been installed in collaboration with Nucomat, a company with a recognized reputation in design and development of integrated automated systems. The major components of the system are a robot, two balances, a dispenser and a drying unit fitted into a glove box. The robot is software driven and designed to control all movements inside the glove-box, to identify unambiguously the penicillin vials with a bar-code reader, to dispense the LSD batch solution into the vials and to weigh the amount dispensed. The system functionality has been evaluated and the performance validated by comparing the results from a series of samples dispensed and weighed by the automated system with the results by manual substitution weighing. After applying the proper correction factors to the data from the automated system balance no significant difference was observed between the two. However, an additional component of uncertainty of 3*10{sup -4} is introduced in the uncertainty budget for the certified weights provided by the automatic system. (authors)

  8. Lipid Droplet Formation Is Dispensable for Endoplasmic Reticulum-associated Degradation*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olzmann, James A.; Kopito, Ron R.

    2011-01-01

    Proteins that fail to fold or assemble in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are destroyed by cytoplasmic proteasomes through a process known as ER-associated degradation. Substrates of this pathway are initially sequestered within the ER lumen and must therefore be dislocated across the ER membrane to be degraded. It has been proposed that generation of bicellar structures during lipid droplet formation may provide an “escape hatch” through which misfolded proteins, toxins, and viruses can exit the ER. We have directly tested this hypothesis by exploiting yeast strains defective in lipid droplet formation. Our data demonstrate that lipid droplet formation is dispensable for the dislocation of a plant toxin and the degradation of both soluble and integral membrane glycoproteins. PMID:21693705

  9. Endocrine Disrupting Chemical Impacts on Aquatic Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jobling, Susan

    2014-07-01

    We often talk about the importance of water, but one area that's often overlooked is the safety of our water supply. How many people actually think about the purity of their water when they turn on the tap? We may have real reason to be concerned because our water delivery systems and treatment technology seem to be stuck in the past, relying on old water treatment and water delivery systems. While these systems still do a great job filtering out particles, parasites and bacteria, they usually fail to remove 21st century contaminants like pesticides, industrial chemicals, lead, pharmaceuticals and arsenic. Indeed our water contains already a whole plethora of things in daily commerce and pharmaceuticals are increasingly showing up in the water supply, including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood altering medications and sex hormones. As the world's dependence on chemicals grows, our water supplies will continue to feel the effects, which inevitably will touch every person on this planet...

  10. Radiolytic production of chemical fuels in fusion reactor systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fish, J D

    1977-06-01

    Miley's energy flow diagram for fusion reactor systems is extended to include radiolytic production of chemical fuel. Systematic study of the economics and the overall efficiencies of fusion reactor systems leads to a criterion for evaluating the potential of radiolytic production of chemical fuel as a means of enhancing the performance of a fusion reactor system. The ecumenicity of the schema is demonstrated by application to (1) tokamaks, (2) mirror machines, (3) theta-pinch reactors, (4) laser-heated solenoids, and (5) inertially confined, laser-pellet devices. Pure fusion reactors as well as fusion-fission hybrids are considered.

  11. Radiolytic production of chemical fuels in fusion reactor systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fish, J.D.

    1977-06-01

    Miley's energy flow diagram for fusion reactor systems is extended to include radiolytic production of chemical fuel. Systematic study of the economics and the overall efficiencies of fusion reactor systems leads to a criterion for evaluating the potential of radiolytic production of chemical fuel as a means of enhancing the performance of a fusion reactor system. The ecumenicity of the schema is demonstrated by application to (1) tokamaks, (2) mirror machines, (3) theta-pinch reactors, (4) laser-heated solenoids, and (5) inertially confined, laser-pellet devices. Pure fusion reactors as well as fusion-fission hybrids are considered

  12. Care relationships at stake? Home healthcare professionals' experiences with digital medicine dispensers - a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakrem, Sigrid; Solbjør, Marit; Pettersen, Ida Nilstad; Kleiven, Hanne Hestvik

    2018-01-15

    Although digital technologies can mitigate the burdens of home healthcare services caused by an ageing population that lives at home longer with complex health problems, research on the impacts and consequences of digitalised remote communication between patients and caregivers is lacking. The present study explores how home healthcare professionals had experienced the introduction of digital medicine dispensers and their influence on patient-caregiver relationships. The multi-case study comprised semi-structured interviews with 21 healthcare professionals whose home healthcare service involved using the digital medicine dispensers. The constant comparative method was used for data analyses. Altogether, interviewed healthcare professionals reported three main technology-related impacts upon their patient-caregiver relationships. First, national and local pressure to increase efficiency had troubled their relationships with patients who suspected that municipalities have sought to lower costs by reducing and digitalising services. Participants reported having to consider such worries when introducing technologies into their services. Second, participants reported a shift towards empowering patients. Digital technology can empower patients who value their independence, whereas safety is more important for other patients. Healthcare professionals needed to ensure that replacing care tasks with technology implies safe and improved care. Third, the safety and quality of digital healthcare services continues to depend upon surveillance and control mechanisms that compensate for less face-to-face monitoring. Participants did not consider the possibility that surveillance exposes information about patients' everyday lives to be problematic, but to constitute opportunities for adjusting services to meet patients' needs. Technologies such as digital medicine dispensers can improve the efficiency of healthcare services and enhance patients' independence when introduced in a

  13. Orthotics, prosthesis and mobility aids (OPM dispensation in the Regional Health Department of the 3RD Region of Sao Paulo State

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camila Caminha Caro

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To identify the process of dispensation of orthotics, prostheses and mobility aids (OPM by the Unified Health System (SUS in the Regional Health Department of the 3rd Region (DRSIII of Sao Paulo state; perform a mapping of the existing physical rehabilitation services in that region; and subsequently correlate the data with applicable laws. Methodology: This is an exploratory cross-sectional qualitative study whose subjects were the main professionals involved in the process of OPM dispensation, or responsible for their acquisition flow in the cities of that region. Data collection was carried out through a semi-structured questionnaire, developed by the researchers themselves, composed of questions aiming to identify the physical rehabilitation centers in the towns, the staff members involved, the provision of assistive technology through SUS, delivery time and existence of waiting lists. Results and discussion: The data were statistically measured, categorized, described and correlated with the current legislation aimed to guarantee access to assistive technology. We observed that the practice around this resource in the 3rd region concentrates in a single care center, causing long waits and poor efficiency of the services provided, in addition to maintaining a paternalistic aspect. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that, although the right to access to assistive technology is legally guaranteed, there are still many difficulties and challenges around this practice.

  14. Pharmacy Professionals’ Dispensing Practice, Knowledge, and Attitude towards Emergency Contraceptives in Gondar Town, Northwestern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sewunet Admasu Belachew

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Pharmacy professionals, as the most available members of medical team, have an important role in educating patients about the effective and appropriate use of contraceptives. The purpose of this study was to assess pharmacy professionals’ dispensing practice, knowledge, and attitude towards emergency contraceptives use in Gondar town, northwestern Ethiopia. Methods. An institution based cross-sectional study was employed from May 14 to June 14, 2016, on 60 pharmacy professionals, who have been working in 8 randomly selected pharmacies and 6 drug stores. The collected data was entered to and analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20. Result. More than half 33 (55.0% of the participants were druggist with 5–9 years of experience. About 56 (93.3% of the participants knew about the dosing schedule (when and how much to take and side effects of emergency contraceptives. More than two-thirds of the participants (39, 65% agreed that the existence of emergency contraceptives is a positive thing and considered their use is ethical (42, 63.3%. The majority of participants (51, 85% also reported that they counsel all women when dispensing emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs. Conclusion. This study revealed that knowledge, attitude, and dispensing practice of emergency contraceptives are very good even though there were variations with respect to different factors. Findings suggested that additional training and proper counseling technique on emergency contraceptives will improve the service delivery.

  15. Dispensing-based bioprinting of mechanically-functional hybrid scaffolds with vessel-like channels for tissue engineering applications - A brief review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naghieh, Saman; Sarker, Md; Izadifar, Mohammad; Chen, Xiongbiao

    2018-02-01

    Over the past decades, significant progress has been achieved in the field of tissue engineering (TE) to restore/repair damaged tissues or organs and, in this regard, scaffolds made from biomaterials have played a critical role. Notably, recent advances in biomaterials and three-dimensional (3D) printing have enabled the manipulation of two or more biomaterials of distinct, yet complementary, mechanical and/or biological properties to form so-called hybrid scaffolds mimicking native tissues. Among various biomaterials, hydrogels synthesized to incorporate living cells and/or biological molecules have dominated due to their hydrated tissue-like environment. Moreover, dispensing-based bioprinting has evolved to the point that it can now be used to create hybrid scaffolds with complex structures. However, the complexities associated with multi-material bioprinting and synthesis of hydrogels used for hybrid scaffolds pose many challenges for their fabrication. This paper presents a brief review of dispensing-based bioprinting of hybrid scaffolds for TE applications. The focus is on the design and fabrication of hybrid scaffolds, including imaging techniques, potential biomaterials, physical architecture, mechanical properties, cell viability, and the importance of vessel-like channels. The key issues and challenges for dispensing-based bioprinting of hybrid scaffolds are also identified and discussed along with recommendations for future research directions. Addressing these issues will significantly enhance the design and fabrication of hybrid scaffolds to and pave the way for translating them into clinical applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. CMOS-MEMS Chemiresistive and Chemicapacitive Chemical Sensor System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lazarus, Nathan S.

    Integrating chemical sensors with testing electronics is a powerful technique with the potential to lower power and cost and allow for lower system limits of detection. This thesis explores the possibility of creating an integrated sensor system intended to be embedded within respirator cartridges to notify the user that hazardous chemicals will soon leak into the face mask. For a chemical sensor designer, this application is particularly challenging due to the need for a very sensitive and cheap sensor that will be exposed to widely varying environmental conditions during use. An octanethiol-coated gold nanoparticle chemiresistor to detect industrial solvents is developed, focusing on characterizing the environmental stability and limits of detection of the sensor. Since the chemiresistor was found to be highly sensitive to water vapor, a series of highly sensitive humidity sensor topologies were developed, with sensitivities several times previous integrated capacitive humidity sensors achieved. Circuit techniques were then explored to reduce the humidity sensor limits of detection, including the analysis of noise, charge injection, jitter and clock feedthrough in a charge-based capacitance measurement (CBCM) circuit and the design of a low noise Colpitts LC oscillator. The characterization of high resistance gold nanoclusters for capacitive chemical sensing was also performed. In the final section, a preconcentrator, a heater element intended to release a brief concentrated pulse of analate, was developed and tested for the purposes of lowering the system limit of detection.

  17. Release mitigation spray safety systems for chemical demilitarization applications.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leonard, Jonathan; Tezak, Matthew Stephen; Brockmann, John E.; Servantes, Brandon; Sanchez, Andres L.; Tucker, Mark David; Allen, Ashley N.; Wilson, Mollye C.; Lucero, Daniel A.; Betty, Rita G.

    2010-06-01

    Sandia National Laboratories has conducted proof-of-concept experiments demonstrating effective knockdown and neutralization of aerosolized CBW simulants using charged DF-200 decontaminant sprays. DF-200 is an aqueous decontaminant, developed by Sandia National Laboratories, and procured and fielded by the US Military. Of significance is the potential application of this fundamental technology to numerous applications including mitigation and neutralization of releases arising during chemical demilitarization operations. A release mitigation spray safety system will remove airborne contaminants from an accidental release during operations, to protect personnel and limit contamination. Sandia National Laboratories recently (November, 2008) secured funding from the US Army's Program Manager for Non-Stockpile Chemical Materials Agency (PMNSCMA) to investigate use of mitigation spray systems for chemical demilitarization applications. For non-stockpile processes, mitigation spray systems co-located with the current Explosive Destruction System (EDS) will provide security both as an operational protective measure and in the event of an accidental release. Additionally, 'tented' mitigation spray systems for native or foreign remediation and recovery operations will contain accidental releases arising from removal of underground, unstable CBW munitions. A mitigation spray system for highly controlled stockpile operations will provide defense from accidental spills or leaks during routine procedures.

  18. Computational singular perturbation analysis of stochastic chemical systems with stiffness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lijin; Han, Xiaoying; Cao, Yanzhao; Najm, Habib N.

    2017-04-01

    Computational singular perturbation (CSP) is a useful method for analysis, reduction, and time integration of stiff ordinary differential equation systems. It has found dominant utility, in particular, in chemical reaction systems with a large range of time scales at continuum and deterministic level. On the other hand, CSP is not directly applicable to chemical reaction systems at micro or meso-scale, where stochasticity plays an non-negligible role and thus has to be taken into account. In this work we develop a novel stochastic computational singular perturbation (SCSP) analysis and time integration framework, and associated algorithm, that can be used to not only construct accurately and efficiently the numerical solutions to stiff stochastic chemical reaction systems, but also analyze the dynamics of the reduced stochastic reaction systems. The algorithm is illustrated by an application to a benchmark stochastic differential equation model, and numerical experiments are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the construction.

  19. Mass transfer with chemical reaction in multiphase systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alper, E.

    1983-01-01

    These volumes deal with the phenomenon of 'mass transfer with chemical reaction' which is of industrial, biological and physiological importance. In process engineering, it is encountered both in separation processes and in reaction engineering and both aspects are covered here in four sections: introduction; gas-liquid system; liquid-liquid system; and gas-liquid-solid system

  20. Signaling through IL-17C/IL-17RE is dispensable for immunity to systemic, oral and cutaneous candidiasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conti, Heather R; Whibley, Natasha; Coleman, Bianca M; Garg, Abhishek V; Jaycox, Jillian R; Gaffen, Sarah L

    2015-01-01

    Candida albicans is a commensal fungal microbe of the human orogastrointestinal tract and skin. C. albicans causes multiple forms of disease in immunocompromised patients, including oral, vaginal, dermal and disseminated candidiasis. The cytokine IL-17 (IL-17A) and its receptor subunits, IL-17RA and IL-17RC, are required for protection to most forms of candidiasis. The importance of the IL-17R pathway has been observed not only in knockout mouse models, but also in humans with rare genetic mutations that impact generation of Th17 cells or the IL-17 signaling pathway, including Hyper-IgE Syndrome (STAT3 or TYK2 mutations) or IL17RA or ACT1 gene deficiency. The IL-17 family of cytokines is a distinct subclass of cytokines with unique structural and signaling properties. IL-17A is the best-characterized member of the IL-17 family to date, but far less is known about other IL-17-related cytokines. In this study, we sought to determine the role of a related IL-17 cytokine, IL-17C, in protection against oral, dermal and disseminated forms of C. albicans infection. IL-17C signals through a heterodimeric receptor composed of the IL-17RA and IL-17RE subunits. We observed that IL-17C mRNA was induced following oral C. albicans infection. However, mice lacking IL-17C or IL-17RE cleared C. albicans infections in the oral mucosa, skin and bloodstream at rates similar to WT littermate controls. Moreover, these mice demonstrated similar gene transcription profiles and recovery kinetics as WT animals. These findings indicate that IL-17C and IL-17RE are dispensable for immunity to the forms of candidiasis evaluated, and illustrate a surprisingly limited specificity of the IL-17 family of cytokines with respect to systemic, oral and cutaneous Candida infections.

  1. Signaling through IL-17C/IL-17RE Is Dispensable for Immunity to Systemic, Oral and Cutaneous Candidiasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conti, Heather R.; Whibley, Natasha; Coleman, Bianca M.; Garg, Abhishek V.; Jaycox, Jillian R.; Gaffen, Sarah L.

    2015-01-01

    Candida albicans is a commensal fungal microbe of the human orogastrointestinal tract and skin. C. albicans causes multiple forms of disease in immunocompromised patients, including oral, vaginal, dermal and disseminated candidiasis. The cytokine IL-17 (IL-17A) and its receptor subunits, IL-17RA and IL-17RC, are required for protection to most forms of candidiasis. The importance of the IL-17R pathway has been observed not only in knockout mouse models, but also in humans with rare genetic mutations that impact generation of Th17 cells or the IL-17 signaling pathway, including Hyper-IgE Syndrome (STAT3 or TYK2 mutations) or IL17RA or ACT1 gene deficiency. The IL-17 family of cytokines is a distinct subclass of cytokines with unique structural and signaling properties. IL-17A is the best-characterized member of the IL-17 family to date, but far less is known about other IL-17-related cytokines. In this study, we sought to determine the role of a related IL-17 cytokine, IL-17C, in protection against oral, dermal and disseminated forms of C. albicans infection. IL-17C signals through a heterodimeric receptor composed of the IL-17RA and IL-17RE subunits. We observed that IL-17C mRNA was induced following oral C. albicans infection. However, mice lacking IL-17C or IL-17RE cleared C. albicans infections in the oral mucosa, skin and bloodstream at rates similar to WT littermate controls. Moreover, these mice demonstrated similar gene transcription profiles and recovery kinetics as WT animals. These findings indicate that IL-17C and IL-17RE are dispensable for immunity to the forms of candidiasis evaluated, and illustrate a surprisingly limited specificity of the IL-17 family of cytokines with respect to systemic, oral and cutaneous Candida infections. PMID:25849644

  2. Comparative genomics and prediction of conditionally dispensable sequences in legume-infecting Fusarium oxysporum formae speciales facilitates identification of candidate effectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Angela H; Sharma, Mamta; Thatcher, Louise F; Azam, Sarwar; Hane, James K; Sperschneider, Jana; Kidd, Brendan N; Anderson, Jonathan P; Ghosh, Raju; Garg, Gagan; Lichtenzveig, Judith; Kistler, H Corby; Shea, Terrance; Young, Sarah; Buck, Sally-Anne G; Kamphuis, Lars G; Saxena, Rachit; Pande, Suresh; Ma, Li-Jun; Varshney, Rajeev K; Singh, Karam B

    2016-03-05

    Soil-borne fungi of the Fusarium oxysporum species complex cause devastating wilt disease on many crops including legumes that supply human dietary protein needs across many parts of the globe. We present and compare draft genome assemblies for three legume-infecting formae speciales (ff. spp.): F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris (Foc-38-1) and f. sp. pisi (Fop-37622), significant pathogens of chickpea and pea respectively, the world's second and third most important grain legumes, and lastly f. sp. medicaginis (Fom-5190a) for which we developed a model legume pathosystem utilising Medicago truncatula. Focusing on the identification of pathogenicity gene content, we leveraged the reference genomes of Fusarium pathogens F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (tomato-infecting) and F. solani (pea-infecting) and their well-characterised core and dispensable chromosomes to predict genomic organisation in the newly sequenced legume-infecting isolates. Dispensable chromosomes are not essential for growth and in Fusarium species are known to be enriched in host-specificity and pathogenicity-associated genes. Comparative genomics of the publicly available Fusarium species revealed differential patterns of sequence conservation across F. oxysporum formae speciales, with legume-pathogenic formae speciales not exhibiting greater sequence conservation between them relative to non-legume-infecting formae speciales, possibly indicating the lack of a common ancestral source for legume pathogenicity. Combining predicted dispensable gene content with in planta expression in the model legume-infecting isolate, we identified small conserved regions and candidate effectors, four of which shared greatest similarity to proteins from another legume-infecting ff. spp. We demonstrate that distinction of core and potential dispensable genomic regions of novel F. oxysporum genomes is an effective tool to facilitate effector discovery and the identification of gene content possibly linked to host

  3. System chemical biology studies of endocrine disruptors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Taboureau, Olivier; Oprea, Tudor I.

    Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) alter hormonal balance and other physiological systems through inappropriate developmental or adult exposure, perturbing the reproductive function of further generations. While disruption of key receptors (e.g., estrogen, androgen, and thyroid) at the ligand...

  4. Developing chemical information system; Henbosuru kagaku joho -intanetto no sekai

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chihara, H.

    1999-12-01

    With the internet's popularization, the chemical information system greatly changes. In this paper, recent development of a chemical information system using the internet is summarized. To begin with, the kinds of online information systems using WWW and how to use them are described. Next, features of the electronic journals and how to use them are described. Next, CAS and STN as internet editions of the secondary information are introduced. Next, the Scifinder and the SciFinder Scholar which CAS developed as information retrieval tools for researcher are explained well. Next, ISI and DIALOG are introduced as information retrieval services of the other web editions. Finally, realization of retrieval and display of the English database by Japanese and preparation of a fact database such as density, boiling point, spectra, etc. and the offer of them by the internet are mentioned as a future image of chemical information systems. (NEDO)

  5. Chemical modeling of irreversible reactions in nuclear waste-water-rock systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wolery, T.J.

    1981-02-01

    Chemical models of aqueous geochemical systems are usually built on the concept of thermodynamic equilibrium. Though many elementary reactions in a geochemical system may be close to equilibrium, others may not be. Chemical models of aqueous fluids should take into account that many aqueous redox reactions are among the latter. The behavior of redox reactions may critically affect migration of certain radionuclides, especially the actinides. In addition, the progress of reaction in geochemical systems requires thermodynamic driving forces associated with elementary reactions not at equilibrium, which are termed irreversible reactions. Both static chemical models of fluids and dynamic models of reacting systems have been applied to a wide spectrum of problems in water-rock interactions. Potential applications in nuclear waste disposal range from problems in geochemical aspects of site evaluation to those of waste-water-rock interactions. However, much further work in the laboratory and the field will be required to develop and verify such applications of chemical modeling

  6. Providers' knowledge, attitude and dispensing practices of e-pills in government dispensaries of South district in delhi, India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kishore, Vertika; Misro, Man M; Nandan, Deoki

    2010-01-01

    South Delhi is one of the well developed districts in the capital with best public health care facilities. Knowledge, attitude and dispensing practices of emergency contraceptive pills (E-pills) were assessed among health care providers of government dispensaries in South Delhi. A descriptive epidemiological study. Both medical and paramedical (n = 428) providers in 63 government health care facilities were interviewed between August to December 2007 using a semi-structured interview schedule. Among the different categories of the providers, medical officers were observed to be most knowledgeable about E-pills and the pharmacists were the least. The correct prescribed dose of E-pill was known only to 32% of the providers while 49% knew about its right time of intake. Misconceptions and apprehensions for promoting its use were very much prevalent even among medical officers as majority felt that open access to E-pills would increase promiscuity. The dispensing practice of providers was found positively (P pills.

  7. Histone deacetylase 1 phosphorylation at S421 and S423 is constitutive in vivo, but dispensable in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karwowska-Desaulniers, Paulina; Ketko, Anastasia; Kamath, Nayana; Pflum, Mary Kay H.

    2007-01-01

    Histone Deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) is a transcriptional regulator associated with proliferation, apoptosis, and tumorigenesis, although its precise cellular role is unclear. HDAC1 was previously characterized as a phosphoprotein where mutation of phosphorylated S421 and S423 resulted in a loss of deacetylase activity and protein association. Here, the role of phosphorylation in regulating HDAC1 function was examined using phospho-specific antibodies. The antibody studies revealed that phosphorylation at S421 and S423 is constant during the cell cycle, under stress conditions, or in the presence of kinase or phosphatase inhibitors. Further, phosphorylation is dispensable for catalysis or protein association in vitro, as revealed by phosphatase studies. Truncation mutants of HDAC1 demonstrated that binding to Sin3A is promoted by S421 and S423 phosphorylation, while interaction with RbAp48 is not. Taken together, the data are consistent with constitutive phosphorylation of HDAC1 at S421 and S423 in vivo, which is dispensable for activity in vitro

  8. Systems analysis of past, present, and future chemical terrorism scenarios.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoette, Trisha Marie

    2012-03-01

    Throughout history, as new chemical threats arose, strategies for the defense against chemical attacks have also evolved. As a part of an Early Career Laboratory Directed Research and Development project, a systems analysis of past, present, and future chemical terrorism scenarios was performed to understand how the chemical threats and attack strategies change over time. For the analysis, the difficulty in executing chemical attack was evaluated within a framework of three major scenario elements. First, historical examples of chemical terrorism were examined to determine how the use of chemical threats, versus other weapons, contributed to the successful execution of the attack. Using the same framework, the future of chemical terrorism was assessed with respect to the impact of globalization and new technologies. Finally, the efficacy of the current defenses against contemporary chemical terrorism was considered briefly. The results of this analysis justify the need for continued diligence in chemical defense.

  9. Relationship between leukotriene-modifying agent prescriptions dispensed and rate of suicide deaths by county in the US

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Schumock GT

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Glen T Schumock1, Robert D Gibbons2, Todd A Lee1,3,4,6, Min J Joo4, Robert J Valuck5, Leslie T Stayner61Center for Pharmacoeconomic Research, and Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; 2Center for Health Statistics, and Departments of Medicine and Health Studies, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; 3Center for Management of Complex Chronic Care, Hines VA Hospital, Hines, IL, USA; 4Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; 5Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA; 6Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USABackground: The US Food and Drug Administration has issued warnings about a potential link between leukotriene receptor-modifying agents (LTMA and suicide. These warnings are based on case reports and there is controversy about the association. While spontaneous reporting of suicide-related events attributed to LTMA has risen dramatically, these data may be biased by the warnings. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between LTMA and suicide deaths using event data preceding the Food and Drug Administration warnings.Methods: We conducted a mixed-effects Poisson regression analysis of the association between LTMA prescriptions dispensed and suicide deaths at the county level. Counts of suicide deaths in each US county, stratified by race, age group, gender, and year were obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics for the period January 1, 1999 to December 31, 2006. Counts of LTMA prescriptions dispensed in each US county were obtained from IMS Health Incorporated. The model estimated the overall suicide rate conditional on LTMA use, adjusted for age, gender, race, year

  10. An Experimental Framework for Generating Evolvable Chemical Systems in the Laboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baum, David A.; Vetsigian, Kalin

    2017-12-01

    Most experimental work on the origin of life has focused on either characterizing the chemical synthesis of particular biochemicals and their precursors or on designing simple chemical systems that manifest life-like properties such as self-propagation or adaptive evolution. Here we propose a new class of experiments, analogous to artificial ecosystem selection, where we select for spontaneously forming self-propagating chemical assemblages in the lab and then seek evidence of a response to that selection as a key indicator that life-like chemical systems have arisen. Since surfaces and surface metabolism likely played an important role in the origin of life, a key experimental challenge is to find conditions that foster nucleation and spread of chemical consortia on surfaces. We propose high-throughput screening of a diverse set of conditions in order to identify combinations of "food," energy sources, and mineral surfaces that foster the emergence of surface-associated chemical consortia that are capable of adaptive evolution. Identification of such systems would greatly advance our understanding of the emergence of self-propagating entities and the onset of adaptive evolution during the origin of life.

  11. Novel nanoscale pheromone dispenser for more accurate evaluation of Grapholita molesta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) attract-and-kill strategies in the laboratory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czarnobai De Jorge, Bruna; Bisotto-de-Oliveira, Ricardo; Pereira, Cláudio Nunes; Sant'Ana, Josué

    2017-09-01

    Nanotechnology has recently allowed the production of formulations for controlled release of active ingredients. In the present study, the electrospinning technique was used to produce nanoscale dispensers for attract-and-kill strategies. Non-woven nanofibres containing insecticide (cypermethrin) and (E)-8,(Z)-8-dodecenyl acetate and (Z)-8-dodecanol (0.87 mg L -1 ), the main components of Grapholita molesta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) (Busck) pheromone, were evaluated in laboratory experiments. Male electroantennographic (EAG) responses and mortality (tarsal-contact and attract-and-kill behavioural cages) bioassays were performed for nanofibres (with and without insecticide) exposed for different periods (21, 42, 63 and 84 days) in controlled and non-exposed conditions. There were no significant differences in G. molesta male EAG responses based on the time of exposure within treatments. Nanofibres with pheromone only and with pheromone plus insecticide elicited equal EAG responses. Mortality in tarsal-contact bioassays was greater than 87% after exposure for 84 days. In the attract-and-kill bioassays, mortality ranged from 28.4 to 56.6%, although no difference was observed on insect mortalities over time (24, 48 and 72 h). Incorporation of cypermethrin in nanofibres did not interfere with G. molesta attractiveness. Both aspects of the strategy, the attractant and killing effects, were recorded using innovative nanofibres, and long-term effects suggest a controlled release of pheromone and insecticide. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

  12. On demand manufacturing of patient-specific liquid capsules via co-ordinated 3D printing and liquid dispensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okwuosa, Tochukwu C; Soares, Cindy; Gollwitzer, Verena; Habashy, Rober; Timmins, Peter; Alhnan, Mohamed A

    2018-06-15

    A method for the production of liquid capsules with the potential of modifying drug dose and release is presented. For the first time, the co-ordinated use of fused deposition modelling (FDM), 3D printing and liquid dispensing to fabricate individualised dosage form on demand in a fully automated fashion has been demonstrated. Polymethacrylate shells (Eudragit EPO and RL) for immediate and extended release were fabricated using FDM 3D printing and simultaneously filled using a computer-controlled liquid dispenser loaded with model drug solution (theophylline) or suspension (dipyridamole). The impact of printing modes: simultaneous shell printing and filling (single-phase) or sequential 3D printing of shell bottom, filling and shell cap (multi-phase), nozzle size, syringe volume, and shell structure has been reported. The use of shell thickness of 1.6 mm, and concentric architecture allowed successful containment of liquid core whilst maintaining the release properties of the 3D printed liquid capsule. The linear relationship between the theoretical and the actual volumes from the dispenser reflected its potential for accurate dosing (R 2  = 0.9985). Modifying the shell thickness of Eudragit RL capsule allowed a controlled extended drug release without the need for formulation change. Owing to its low cost and versatility, this approach can be adapted to wide spectrum of liquid formulations such as small and large molecule solutions and obviate the need for compatibility with the high temperature of FDM 3D printing process. In a clinical setting, health care staff will be able to instantly manufacture in small volumes liquid capsules with individualised dose contents and release pattern in response to specific patient's needs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Virtual Exploration of the Ring Systems Chemical Universe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Visini, Ricardo; Arús-Pous, Josep; Awale, Mahendra; Reymond, Jean-Louis

    2017-11-27

    Here, we explore the chemical space of all virtually possible organic molecules focusing on ring systems, which represent the cyclic cores of organic molecules obtained by removing all acyclic bonds and converting all remaining atoms to carbon. This approach circumvents the combinatorial explosion encountered when enumerating the molecules themselves. We report the chemical universe database GDB4c containing 916 130 ring systems up to four saturated or aromatic rings and maximum ring size of 14 atoms and GDB4c3D containing the corresponding 6 555 929 stereoisomers. Almost all (98.6%) of these ring systems are unknown and represent chiral 3D-shaped macrocycles containing small rings and quaternary centers reminiscent of polycyclic natural products. We envision that GDB4c can serve to select new ring systems from which to design analogs of such natural products. The database is available for download at www.gdb.unibe.ch together with interactive visualization and search tools as a resource for molecular design.

  14. Design and implementation of a smart card based billing system for ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A smart card based billing system for petroleum dispenser is just one of the many ways in which smart cards can be employed to make commerce efficient. It incorporates the use of smart card as its legal tender and a smart card reader embedded into the filling station dispenser design. The smart card reader processes the ...

  15. 21 CFR 1300.04 - Definitions relating to the dispensing of controlled substances by means of the Internet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... controlled substances by means of the Internet. 1300.04 Section 1300.04 Food and Drugs DRUG ENFORCEMENT... substances by means of the Internet. (a) Any term not defined in this part or elsewhere in this chapter shall... evaluation of the patient. (c) The term deliver, distribute, or dispense by means of the Internet refers...

  16. Communicating doses of pediatric liquid medicines to parents/caregivers: a comparison of written dosing directions on prescriptions with labels applied by dispensed pharmacy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Rita; Blustein, Leona; Kuffner, Ed; Davis, Lisa

    2014-03-01

    To identify and compare volumetric measures used by healthcare providers in communicating dosing instructions for pediatric liquid prescriptions to parents/caregivers. Dosing instructions were retrospectively reviewed for the 10 most frequently prescribed liquid medications dispensed from 4 community pharmacies for patients aged ≤ 12 years during a 3-month period. Volumetric measures on original prescriptions (ie, milliliters, teaspoons) were compared with those utilized by the pharmacist on the pharmacy label dispensed to the parent/caregiver. Of 649 prescriptions and corresponding pharmacy labels evaluated, 68% of prescriptions and 62% of pharmacy labels communicated dosing in milliliters, 24% of prescriptions and 29% of pharmacy labels communicated dosing in teaspoonfuls, 7% of prescriptions and 0% of pharmacy labels communicated dosing in other measures (ie, milligrams, cubic centimeters, "dose"), and 25% of dispensed pharmacy labels did not reflect units as written in the prescription. Volumetric measures utilized by healthcare professionals in dosing instructions for prescription pediatric oral liquid medications are not consistent. Healthcare professionals and parents/caregivers should be educated on safe dosing practices for liquid pediatric medications. Generalizability to the larger pediatric population may vary depending on pharmacy chain, location, and medications evaluated. Copyright © 2014 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Hyperchaos and chaotic hierarchy in low-dimensional chemical systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baier, Gerold; Sahle, Sven

    1994-06-01

    Chemical reaction chains with feedback of one of the products on the source of the chain are considered. A strategy is presented in terms of ordinary differential equations which creates one, two, and three positive Lyapunov exponents as the finite dimension of the system is increased. In particular, a nonlinear inhibition loop in a chemical reaction sequence controls the type of chaos. The bifurcation scenarios are studied and chaos and hyperchaos are found for broad regions of bifurcation parameter. Some implications for the occurrence of higher chaos in real systems are discussed.

  18. Molecular Epidemiology of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa Hospital Outbreak Driven by a Contaminated Disinfectant-Soap Dispenser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lanini, Simone; D'Arezzo, Silvia; Puro, Vincenzo; Martini, Lorena; Imperi, Francesco; Piselli, Pierluca; Montanaro, Marco; Paoletti, Simonetta; Visca, Paolo; Ippolito, Giuseppe

    2011-01-01

    Background and Objective Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection represents a main cause of morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised patients. This study describes a fatal epidemic of P. aeruginosa that occurred in a hematology unit in Italy. Methods Retrospective cohort study, prospective surveillance, auditing, extensive testing on healthcare workers and environmental investigation were performed to define the dynamics and potential causes of transmission. RAPD, macrorestriction analyses and sequence typing were used to define relationships between P. aeruginosa isolates. Results Eighteen cases of infection were identified in the different phases of the investigation. Of these, five constitute a significant molecular cluster of infection. A P. aeruginosa strain with the same genetic fingerprint and sequence type (ST175) as clinical isolates strain was also isolated from a heavily contaminated triclosan soap dispenser. Discussion and Conclusions Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that patients became indirectly infected, e.g., during central venous catheter handling through contaminated items, and that the triclosan soap dispenser acted as a common continuous source of P. aeruginosa infection. Since P. aeruginosa is intrinsically unsusceptible to triclosan, the use of triclosan-based disinfectant formulations should be avoided in those healthcare settings hosting patients at high risk of P. aeruginosa infection. PMID:21359222

  19. Proceedings of the DOE chemical energy storage and hydrogen energy systems contracts review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1980-02-01

    Sessions were held on electrolysis-based hydrogen storage systems, hydrogen production, hydrogen storage systems, hydrogen storage materials, end-use applications and system studies, chemical heat pump/chemical energy storage systems, systems studies and assessment, thermochemical hydrogen production cycles, advanced production concepts, and containment materials. (LHK)

  20. Dispensing and determinants of non-adherence to treatment for non complicated malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum in high-risk municipalities in the Brazilian Amazon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osorio-de-Castro, Claudia G S; Suárez-Mutis, Martha C; Miranda, Elaine S; Luz, Tatiana C B

    2015-11-26

    In Brazil, 99.7 % of malaria cases occur in the Amazon region. Although the number of cases is decreasing, the country accounted for almost 60 % of cases in the Americas Region, in 2013. Novel approaches for malaria treatment open the possibility of eliminating the disease, but suboptimal dispensing and lack of adherence influence treatment outcomes. The aim of this paper is to show the results on dispensing practices, non-adherence and determinants of non-adherence to treatment of non-complicated malaria. The study was conducted in six high-risk municipalities with Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum transmission in the Brazilian Amazon and based on the theoretical framework of the Mafalda Project, which included investigation of dispensing and adherence. The World Health Organization Rapid Evaluation Method has been used to estimate sample size. Individuals over 15 years of age with malaria were approached at health facilities and invited to participate through informed consent. Data was collected in chart review forms focusing on diagnosis, Plasmodium type, prescribing, and dispensing (kind, quantity, labelling and procedures). Follow-up household interviews complemented data collection at health facility. Non-adherence was measured during the implementation phase, by self-reports and pill-counts. Analysis was descriptive and statistical tests were carried out. Determinants of non-adherence and quality of dispensing were assessed according to the literature. The study involved 165 patients. Dispensing was done according to the national guidelines. Labelling was adequate for P. vivax but inadequate for P. falciparum medicines. Non-adherent patients were 12.1 % according to self-reports and 21.8 % according to pill-counts. Results point to greater non-adherence among all P. falciparum patients and among malaria non-naîve patients. More patients informed understanding adverse effects than 'how to use' anti-malarials. Non-adherent patients were mostly those

  1. CHEMTRAN and the Interconversion of Chemical Substructure Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granito, Charles E.

    1973-01-01

    The need for the interconversion of chemical substructure systems is discussed and CHEMTRAN, a new service, designed especially for creating interconversion programs, is introduced. (7 references) (Author)

  2. Versatile Dual Photoresponsive System for Precise Control of Chemical Reactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Can; Bing, Wei; Wang, Faming; Ren, Jinsong; Qu, Xiaogang

    2017-08-22

    A versatile method for photoregulation of chemical reactions was developed through a combination of near-infrared (NIR) and ultraviolet (UV) light sensitive materials. This regulatory effect was achieved through photoresponsive modulation of reaction temperature and pH values, two prominent factors influencing reaction kinetics. Photothermal nanomaterial graphene oxide (GO) and photobase reagent malachite green carbinol base (MGCB) were selected for temperature and pH regulation, respectively. Using nanocatalyst- and enzyme-mediated chemical reactions as model systems, we demonstrated the feasibility and high efficiency of this method. In addition, a photoresponsive, multifunctional "Band-aid"-like hydrogel platform was presented for programmable wound healing. Overall, this simple, efficient, and reversible system was found to be effective for controlling a wide variety of chemical reactions. Our work may provide a method for remote and sustainable control over chemical reactions for industrial and biomedical applications.

  3. Thermocouple-based Temperature Sensing System for Chemical Cell Inside Micro UAV Device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Yanhui; Feng, Yue; Lou, Haozhe; Zhang, Xinzhao

    2018-03-01

    Environmental temperature of UAV system is crucial for chemical cell component inside. Once the temperature of this chemical cell is over 259 °C and keeps more than 20 min, the high thermal accumulation would result in an explosion, which seriously damage the whole UAV system. Therefore, we develop a micro temperature sensing system for monitoring the temperature of chemical cell thermally influenced by UAV device deployed in a 300 °C temperature environment, which is quite useful for insensitive munitions and UAV safety enhancement technologies.

  4. Bubble Jet agent release cartridge for chemical single cell stimulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wangler, N; Welsche, M; Blazek, M; Blessing, M; Vervliet-Scheebaum, M; Reski, R; Müller, C; Reinecke, H; Steigert, J; Roth, G; Zengerle, R; Paust, N

    2013-02-01

    We present a new method for the distinct specific chemical stimulation of single cells and small cell clusters within their natural environment. By single-drop release of chemical agents with droplets in size of typical cell diameters (d agent release cartridge with integrated fluidic structures and integrated agent reservoirs are shown, tested, and compared in this publication. The single channel setup features a fluidic structure fabricated by anisotropic etching of silicon. To allow for simultaneous release of different agents even though maintaining the same device size, the second type comprises a double channel fluidic structure, fabricated by photolithographic patterning of TMMF. Dispensed droplet volumes are V = 15 pl and V = 10 pl for the silicon and the TMMF based setups, respectively. Utilizing the agent release cartridges, the application in biological assays was demonstrated by hormone-stimulated premature bud formation in Physcomitrella patens and the individual staining of one single L 929 cell within a confluent grown cell culture.

  5. Care relationships at stake? Home healthcare professionals’ experiences with digital medicine dispensers – a qualitative study

    OpenAIRE

    Nakrem, Sigrid; Solbjør, Marit; Pettersen, Ida Nilstad; Kleiven, Hanne Hestvik

    2018-01-01

    Background Although digital technologies can mitigate the burdens of home healthcare services caused by an ageing population that lives at home longer with complex health problems, research on the impacts and consequences of digitalised remote communication between patients and caregivers is lacking. The present study explores how home healthcare professionals had experienced the introduction of digital medicine dispensers and their influence on patient-caregiver relationships. Methods...

  6. A portable system for nuclear, chemical agent, and explosives identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parker, W.E.; Buckley, W.M.; Kreek, S.A.; Mauger, G.J.; Lavietes, A.D.; Dougan, A.D.; Caffrey, A.J.

    2001-01-01

    The FRIS/PINS hybrid integrates the LLNL-developed Field Radionuclide Identification System (FRIS) with the INEEL-developed Portable Isotopic Neutron Spectroscopy (PINS) chemical assay system to yield a combined general radioisotope, special nuclear material, and chemical weapons/explosives detection and identification system. The PINS system uses a neutron source and a high-purity germanium γ-ray detector. The FRIS system uses an electromechanically cooled germanium detector and its own analysis software to detect and identify special nuclear material and other radioisotopes. The FRIS/PINS combined system also uses the electromechanically-cooled germanium detector. There is no other currently available integrated technology that can combine a prompt-gamma neutron-activation analysis capability for CWE with a passive radioisotope measurement and identification capability for special nuclear material

  7. A Portable System for Nuclear, Chemical Agent and Explosives Identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parker, W.E.; Buckley, W.M.; Kreek, S.A.; Caffrey, A.J.; Mauger, G.J.; Lavietes, A.D.; Dougan, A.D.

    2000-01-01

    The FRIS/PINS hybrid integrates the LLNL-developed Field Radionuclide Identification System (FRIS) with the INEEL-developed Portable Isotopic Neutron Spectroscopy (PINS) chemical assay system to yield a combined general radioisotope, special nuclear material, and chemical weapons/explosives detection and identification system. The PINS system uses a neutron source and a high-purity germanium γ-ray detector. The FRIS system uses an electrochemically cooled germanium detector and its own analysis software to detect and identify special nuclear material and other radioisotopes. The FRIS/PINS combined system also uses the electromechanically-cooled germanium detector. There is no other currently available integrated technology that can combine an active neutron interrogation and analysis capability for CWE with a passive radioisotope measurement and identification capability for special nuclear material

  8. Insect-gene-activity detection system for chemical and biological warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackie, Ryan S.; Schilling, Amanda S.; Lopez, Arturo M.; Rayms-Keller, Alfredo

    2002-02-01

    Detection of multiple chemical and biological weapons (CBW) agents and/or complex mixtures of toxic industrial chemicals (TIC) is imperative for both the commercial and military sectors. In a military scenario, a multi-CBW attack would create confusion, thereby delaying decontamination and therapeutic efforts. In the commercial sector, polluted sites invariably contain a mixture of TIC. Novel detection systems capable of detecting CBW and TIC are sorely needed. While it may be impossible to build a detector capable of discriminating all the possible combinations of CBW, a detection system capable of statistically predicting the most likely composition of a given mixture is within the reach of current emerging technologies. Aquatic insect-gene activity may prove to be a sensitive, discriminating, and elegant paradigm for the detection of CBW and TIC. We propose to systematically establish the expression patterns of selected protein markers in insects exposed to specific mixtures of chemical and biological warfare agents to generate a library of biosignatures of exposure. The predicting capabilities of an operational library of biosignatures of exposures will allow the detection of emerging novel or genetically engineered agents, as well as complex mixtures of chemical and biological weapons agents. CBW and TIC are discussed in the context of war, terrorism, and pollution.

  9. COMPUTER SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR ESTIMATING CHEMICAL TOXICITY: PRESENT CAPABILITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Computer Support Systems for Estimating Chemical Toxicity: Present Capabilities and Future Trends A wide variety of computer-based artificial intelligence (AI) and decision support systems exist currently to aid in the assessment of toxicity for environmental chemicals. T...

  10. Self-regulating chemo-mechano-chemical systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aizenberg, Joanna; He, Ximin; Aizenberg, Michael

    2017-05-16

    A chemo-mechano-chemical (C.sub.1-M-C.sub.2) system includes a base supporting an actuatable structure, said structure comprising a functionalized portion and being embedded in an environmentally responsive gel capable of volume change in response to an environmental stimulus; a first fluid layer disposed over the base and in contact with the actuatable structure, said first fluid layer comprising the environmentally responsive gel; and a second fluid layer in contact with the actuatable structure, wherein the layers are positioned such that the functionalized portion is in contact with the second layer in a first relaxed state and in contact with the first layer in a second actuated state and wherein the functionalized portion interacts with at least one of the layers to provide a chemical or physical response.

  11. Fourier transform infrared spectra applications to chemical systems

    CERN Document Server

    Ferraro, John R

    1978-01-01

    Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy: Applications to Chemical Systems presents the chemical applications of the Fourier transform interferometry (FT-IR).The book contains discussions on the applications of FT-IR in the fields of chromatography FT-IR, polymers and biological macromolecules, emission spectroscopy, matrix isolation, high-pressure interferometry, and far infrared interferometry. The final chapter is devoted to the presentation of the use of FT-IR in solving national technical problems such as air pollution, space exploration, and energy related subjects.Researc

  12. Full system chemical decontamination used in nuclear decommissioning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elder, George; Rottner, Bernard; Braehler, Georg

    2012-01-01

    The decommissioning of nuclear power stations at the end of the operational period of electricity generation offers technical challenges in the safe dismantling of the facility and the minimization of radioactive waste arising from the decommissioning activities. These challenges have been successfully overcome as demonstrated by decommissioning of the first generation of nuclear power plants. One of the techniques used in decommissioning is that of chemical decontamination which has a number of functions and advantages as given here: 1. Removal of contamination from metal surfaces in the reactors cooling systems. 2. Reduction of radioactive exposure to decommissioning workers 3. Minimization of metal waste by decontamination and recycling of metal components 4. Control of contamination when dismantling reactor and waste systems 5. Reduction in costs due to lower radiation fields, lower contamination levels and minimal metal waste volume for disposal. One such chemical decontamination technology was developed for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) by Bradtec (Bradtec is an ONET Technologies subsidiary) and is known as the EPRI DFD system. This paper gives a description of the EPRI DFD system, and highlights the experience using the system. (orig.)

  13. Possibility of the development of a Serbian protection system against chemical accidents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dejan R. Inđić

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents a draft of a system model for responding in case of chemical accidents in accordance with the current legislation regarding the environment protection, the structure and elements of the existing response system in case of chemical accidents, other works dealing with the issue as well as the prospects planned by those responsible for the environmental protection. The paper discuss the possibilities of different institutions and agencies of the Republic of Serbia to engage in specialized methods of cooperation and protection against chemical hazards in accordance with Article X of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

  14. Formal modeling of a system of chemical reactions under uncertainty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Krishnendu; Schlipf, John

    2014-10-01

    We describe a novel formalism representing a system of chemical reactions, with imprecise rates of reactions and concentrations of chemicals, and describe a model reduction method, pruning, based on the chemical properties. We present two algorithms, midpoint approximation and interval approximation, for construction of efficient model abstractions with uncertainty in data. We evaluate computational feasibility by posing queries in computation tree logic (CTL) on a prototype of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway.

  15. Public sector refraction and spectacle dispensing in low-resource countries of the Western Pacific.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramke, Jacqueline; du Toit, Rènée; Palagyi, Anna; Williams, Carmel; Brian, Garry

    2008-05-01

    Given that uncorrected refractive error is a frequent cause of vision impairment, and that there is a high unmet need for spectacles, an appraisal of public sector arrangements for the correction of refractive error was conducted in eight Pacific Island countries. Mixed methods (questionnaire and semi-structured interviews) were used to collect information from eye care personnel (from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu) attending a regional eye health workshop in 2005. Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu had Vision 2020 eye care plans that included refraction services, but not spectacle provision. There was wide variation in public sector spectacle dispensing services, but, except in Samoa, ready-made spectacles and a full cost recovery pricing strategy were the mainstay. There were no systems for the registration of personnel, nor guidelines for clinical or systems management. The refraction staff to population ratio varied considerably. Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu had the best coverage by services, either fixed or outreach. Most services had little promotional activity or community engagement. To be successful, it would seem that public sector refraction services should answer a real and perceived need, fit within prevailing policy and legislation, value, train, retain and equip employees, be well managed, be accessible and affordable, be responsive to consumers, and provide ongoing good quality outcomes. To this end, a checklist to aid the initiation and maintenance of refraction and spectacle systems in low-resource countries has been constructed.

  16. 21 CFR 369.3 - Warnings required on drugs exempted from prescription-dispensing requirements of section 503(b)(1...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 5 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Warnings required on drugs exempted from prescription-dispensing requirements of section 503(b)(1)(C). 369.3 Section 369.3 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG... subject to the labeling requirements prescribed in § 310.201(a) of this chapter. Although, for convenience...

  17. ANALYTICAL SYNTHESIS OF CHEMICAL REACTOR CONTROL SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Labutin

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The problem of the analytical synthesis of the synergetic control system of chemical reactor for the realization of a complex series-parallel exothermal reaction has been solved. The synthesis of control principles is performed using the analytical design method of aggregated regulators. Synthesized nonlinear control system solves the problem of stabilization of the concentration of target component at the exit of reactor and also enables one to automatically transfer to new production using the equipment.

  18. A constrained approach to multiscale stochastic simulation of chemically reacting systems

    KAUST Repository

    Cotter, Simon L.; Zygalakis, Konstantinos C.; Kevrekidis, Ioannis G.; Erban, Radek

    2011-01-01

    Stochastic simulation of coupled chemical reactions is often computationally intensive, especially if a chemical system contains reactions occurring on different time scales. In this paper, we introduce a multiscale methodology suitable to address

  19. Making the case for change: What researchers need to consider when designing behavior change interventions aimed at improving medication dispensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cadogan, Cathal A; Ryan, Cristín; Hughes, Carmel

    2016-01-01

    There is a growing emphasis on behavior change in intervention development programmes aimed at improving public health and healthcare professionals' practice. A number of frameworks and methodological tools have been established to assist researchers in developing interventions seeking to change healthcare professionals' behaviors. The key features of behavior change intervention design involve specifying the target group (i.e. healthcare professional or patient cohort), the target behavior and identifying mediators (i.e. barriers and facilitators) of behavior change. Once the target behavior is clearly specified and understood, specific behavior change techniques can then be used as the basis of the intervention to target identified mediators of behavior change. This commentary outlines the challenges for pharmacy practice-based researchers in targeting dispensing as a behavior when developing behavior change interventions aimed at pharmacists and proposes a definition of dispensing to consider in future research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Comparison of Batch Assay and Random Assay Using Automatic Dispenser in Radioimmunoassay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moon, Seung Hwan; Jang, Su Jin; Kang, Ji Yeon; Lee, Dong Soo; Chung, June Key; Lee, Myung Chul [Seoul Metropolitan Government Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Ho Young; Shin, Sun Young; Min, Gyeong Sun; Lee, Hyun Joo [Seoul National University college of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2009-08-15

    Radioimmunoassay (RIA) was usually performed by the batch assay. To improve the efficiency of RIA without increase of the cost and time, random assay could be a choice. We investigated the possibility of the random assay using automatic dispenser by assessing the agreement between batch assay and random assay. The experiments were performed with four items; Triiodothyronine (T3), free thyroxine (fT4), Prostate specific antigen (PSA), Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). In each item, the sera of twenty patients, the standard, and the control samples were used. The measurements were done 4 times with 3 hour time intervals by random assay and batch assay. The coefficient of variation (CV) of the standard samples and patients' data in T3, fT4, PSA, and CEA were assessed. ICC (Intraclass correlation coefficient) and coefficient of correlation were measured to assessing the agreement between two methods. The CVs (%) of T3, fT4, PSA, and CEA measured by batch assay were 3.2+-1.7%, 3.9+-2.1%, 7.1+-6.2%, 11.2+-7.2%. The CVs by random assay were 2.1+-1.7%, 4.8+-3.1%, 3.6+-4.8%, and 7.4+-6.2%. The ICC between the batch assay and random assay were 0.9968 (T3), 0.9973 (fT4), 0.9996 (PSA), and 0.9901 (CEA). The coefficient of correlation between the batch assay and random assay were 0.9924(T3), 0.9974 (fT4), 0.9994 (PSA), and 0.9989 (CEA) (p<0.05). The results of random assay showed strong agreement with the batch assay in a day. These results suggest that random assay using automatic dispenser could be used in radioimmunoassay

  1. Comparison of Batch Assay and Random Assay Using Automatic Dispenser in Radioimmunoassay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moon, Seung Hwan; Jang, Su Jin; Kang, Ji Yeon; Lee, Dong Soo; Chung, June Key; Lee, Myung Chul; Lee, Ho Young; Shin, Sun Young; Min, Gyeong Sun; Lee, Hyun Joo

    2009-01-01

    Radioimmunoassay (RIA) was usually performed by the batch assay. To improve the efficiency of RIA without increase of the cost and time, random assay could be a choice. We investigated the possibility of the random assay using automatic dispenser by assessing the agreement between batch assay and random assay. The experiments were performed with four items; Triiodothyronine (T3), free thyroxine (fT4), Prostate specific antigen (PSA), Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). In each item, the sera of twenty patients, the standard, and the control samples were used. The measurements were done 4 times with 3 hour time intervals by random assay and batch assay. The coefficient of variation (CV) of the standard samples and patients' data in T3, fT4, PSA, and CEA were assessed. ICC (Intraclass correlation coefficient) and coefficient of correlation were measured to assessing the agreement between two methods. The CVs (%) of T3, fT4, PSA, and CEA measured by batch assay were 3.2±1.7%, 3.9±2.1%, 7.1±6.2%, 11.2±7.2%. The CVs by random assay were 2.1±1.7%, 4.8±3.1%, 3.6±4.8%, and 7.4±6.2%. The ICC between the batch assay and random assay were 0.9968 (T3), 0.9973 (fT4), 0.9996 (PSA), and 0.9901 (CEA). The coefficient of correlation between the batch assay and random assay were 0.9924(T3), 0.9974 (fT4), 0.9994 (PSA), and 0.9989 (CEA) (p<0.05). The results of random assay showed strong agreement with the batch assay in a day. These results suggest that random assay using automatic dispenser could be used in radioimmunoassay

  2. Vital and dispensable roles of Plasmodium multidrug resistance transporters during blood- and mosquito-stage development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rijpma, Sanna R; van der Velden, Maarten; Annoura, Takeshi; Matz, Joachim M; Kenthirapalan, Sanketha; Kooij, Taco W A; Matuschewski, Kai; van Gemert, Geert-Jan; van de Vegte-Bolmer, Marga; Siebelink-Stoter, Rianne; Graumans, Wouter; Ramesar, Jai; Klop, Onny; Russel, Frans G M; Sauerwein, Robert W; Janse, Chris J; Franke-Fayard, Blandine M; Koenderink, Jan B

    2016-07-01

    Multidrug resistance (MDR) proteins belong to the B subfamily of the ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) transporters, which export a wide range of compounds including pharmaceuticals. In this study, we used reverse genetics to study the role of all seven Plasmodium MDR proteins during the life cycle of malaria parasites. Four P. berghei genes (encoding MDR1, 4, 6 and 7) were refractory to deletion, indicating a vital role during blood stage multiplication and validating them as potential targets for antimalarial drugs. Mutants lacking expression of MDR2, MDR3 and MDR5 were generated in both P. berghei and P. falciparum, indicating a dispensable role for blood stage development. Whereas P. berghei mutants lacking MDR3 and MDR5 had a reduced blood stage multiplication in vivo, blood stage growth of P. falciparum mutants in vitro was not significantly different. Oocyst maturation and sporozoite formation in Plasmodium mutants lacking MDR2 or MDR5 was reduced. Sporozoites of these P. berghei mutants were capable of infecting mice and life cycle completion, indicating the absence of vital roles during liver stage development. Our results demonstrate vital and dispensable roles of MDR proteins during blood stages and an important function in sporogony for MDR2 and MDR5 in both Plasmodium species. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. Process Control Systems in the Chemical Industry: Safety vs. Security

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jeffrey Hahn; Thomas Anderson

    2005-04-01

    Traditionally, the primary focus of the chemical industry has been safety and productivity. However, recent threats to our nation’s critical infrastructure have prompted a tightening of security measures across many different industry sectors. Reducing vulnerabilities of control systems against physical and cyber attack is necessary to ensure the safety, security and effective functioning of these systems. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has developed a strategy to secure these vulnerabilities. Crucial to this strategy is the Control Systems Security and Test Center (CSSTC) established to test and analyze control systems equipment. In addition, the CSSTC promotes a proactive, collaborative approach to increase industry's awareness of standards, products and processes that can enhance the security of control systems. This paper outlines measures that can be taken to enhance the cybersecurity of process control systems in the chemical sector.

  4. Dispensação de medicamentos do componente especializado em polos no Estado do Rio de Janeiro Dispensing specialized component medicines in areas of the State of Rio de Janeiro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elisangela da Costa Lima-Dellamora

    2012-09-01

    , compromises the dispensing CEAF medicines in all facilities. The CEAF dispensing procedure, heavily dependent on interaction between prescribers and dispensers, is not carried out as would be expected. It is possible that inadequate performance is also linked to flaws in the planning and organization of services. The results indicate barriers in adherence to PCDT by health professionals, prejudicing health system users and possibly leading them to access medicines by legal means. It is believed that characteristics of the investigated facilities are similar to others in Brazil, and the barriers identified may be the same, compromising healthcare.

  5. All-printed capacitors with continuous solution dispensing technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge, Yang; Plötner, Matthias; Berndt, Andreas; Kumar, Amit; Voit, Brigitte; Pospiech, Doris; Fischer, Wolf-Joachim

    2017-09-01

    Printed electronics have been introduced into the commercial markets in recent years. Various printing technologies have emerged aiming to process printed electronic devices with low cost, environmental friendliness, and compatibility with large areas and flexible substrates. The aim of this study is to propose a continuous solution dispensing technology for processing all-printed thin-film capacitors on glass substrates using a leading-edge printing instrument. Among all printing technologies, this study provides concrete proof of the following outstanding advantages of this technology: high tolerance to inks, high throughput, low cost, and precise pattern transfers. Ag nanoparticle ink based on glycol ethers was used to print the electrodes. To obtain dielectric ink, a copolymer powder of poly(methyl methacrylate-co-benzoylphenyl methacrylate) containing crosslinkable side groups was dissolved in anisole. Various layouts were designed to support multiple electronic applications. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to investigate the all-printed capacitor layers formed using the proposed process. Additionally, the printed capacitors were electrically characterized under direct current and alternating current. The measured electrical properties of the printed capacitors were consistent with the theoretical results.

  6. Chemical cleaning the service water system at a nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brice, T.O.; Glover, W.A.

    1994-01-01

    Chemical cleaning a large cooling water system in a nuclear power plant presented many unique problems. The selection, qualification, and performance of the cleaning process were done using a phased approach. The piping was inspected to determine the extent of the problem. Deposit samples were removed from the service water system pipe and tested in the laboratory to determine the most effective cleaning solvent for deposit removal. An engineering study was performed to define the design parameters required to implement the system-wide chemical cleaning

  7. Effects of mental demands during dispensing on perceived medication safety and employee well-being: a study of workload in pediatric hospital pharmacies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holden, Richard J; Patel, Neal R; Scanlon, Matthew C; Shalaby, Theresa M; Arnold, Judi M; Karsh, Ben-Tzion

    2010-12-01

    Pharmacy workload is a modifiable work system factor believed to affect both medication safety outcomes and employee outcomes, such as job satisfaction. This study sought to measure the effect of workload on safety and employee outcomes in 2 pediatric hospitals and to do so using a novel approach to pharmacy workload measurement. Rather than measuring prescription volume or other similar indicators, this study measured the type and intensity of mental demands experienced during the medication dispensing tasks. The effects of external (interruptions, divided attention, and rushing) and internal (concentration and effort) task demands on perceived medication error likelihood, adverse drug event likelihood, job dissatisfaction, and burnout were statistically estimated using multiple linear and logistic regression. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians reported high levels of external and internal mental demands during dispensing. The study supported the hypothesis that external demands (interruptions, divided attention, and rushing) negatively impacted medication safety and employee well-being outcomes. However, as hypothesized, increasing levels of internal demands (concentration and effort) were not associated with greater perceived likelihood of error, adverse drug events, or burnout and even had a positive effect on job satisfaction. Replicating a prior study in nursing, this study shows that new conceptualizations and measures of workload can generate important new findings about both detrimental and beneficial effects of workload on patient safety and employee well-being. This study discusses what those findings imply for policy, management, and design concerning automation, cognition, and staffing. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Effects of mental demands during dispensing on perceived medication safety and employee well being: A study of workload in pediatric hospital pharmacies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holden, Richard J.; Patel, Neal R.; Scanlon, Matthew C.; Shalaby, Theresa M.; Arnold, Judi M.; Karsh, Ben-Tzion

    2009-01-01

    Background Pharmacy workload is a modifiable work system factor believed to affect both medication safety outcomes and employee outcomes such as job satisfaction. Objectives This study sought to measure the effect of workload on safety and employee outcomes in two pediatric hospitals and to do so using a novel approach to pharmacy workload measurement. Methods Rather than measuring prescription volume or other similar indicators, this study measured the type and intensity of mental demands experienced during the medication dispensing tasks. The effects of external (interruptions, divided attention, rushing) and internal (concentration, effort) task demands on perceived medication error likelihood, adverse drug event likelihood, job dissatisfaction, and burnout were statistically estimated using multiple linear and logistic regression. Results Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians reported high levels of external and internal mental demands during dispensing. The study supported the hypothesis that external demands (interruptions, divided attention, rushing) negatively impacted medication safety and employee well being outcomes. However, as hypothesized, increasing levels of internal demands (concentration and effort) were not associated with greater perceived likelihood of error, adverse drug events, or burnout, and even had a positive effect on job satisfaction. Conclusion Replicating a prior study in nursing, this study shows that new conceptualizations and measures of workload can generate important new findings about both detrimental and beneficial effects of workload on patient safety and employee well being. This study discusses what those findings imply for policy, management, and design concerning automation, cognition, and staffing. PMID:21111387

  9. Signaling through IL-17C/IL-17RE is dispensable for immunity to systemic, oral and cutaneous candidiasis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heather R Conti

    Full Text Available Candida albicans is a commensal fungal microbe of the human orogastrointestinal tract and skin. C. albicans causes multiple forms of disease in immunocompromised patients, including oral, vaginal, dermal and disseminated candidiasis. The cytokine IL-17 (IL-17A and its receptor subunits, IL-17RA and IL-17RC, are required for protection to most forms of candidiasis. The importance of the IL-17R pathway has been observed not only in knockout mouse models, but also in humans with rare genetic mutations that impact generation of Th17 cells or the IL-17 signaling pathway, including Hyper-IgE Syndrome (STAT3 or TYK2 mutations or IL17RA or ACT1 gene deficiency. The IL-17 family of cytokines is a distinct subclass of cytokines with unique structural and signaling properties. IL-17A is the best-characterized member of the IL-17 family to date, but far less is known about other IL-17-related cytokines. In this study, we sought to determine the role of a related IL-17 cytokine, IL-17C, in protection against oral, dermal and disseminated forms of C. albicans infection. IL-17C signals through a heterodimeric receptor composed of the IL-17RA and IL-17RE subunits. We observed that IL-17C mRNA was induced following oral C. albicans infection. However, mice lacking IL-17C or IL-17RE cleared C. albicans infections in the oral mucosa, skin and bloodstream at rates similar to WT littermate controls. Moreover, these mice demonstrated similar gene transcription profiles and recovery kinetics as WT animals. These findings indicate that IL-17C and IL-17RE are dispensable for immunity to the forms of candidiasis evaluated, and illustrate a surprisingly limited specificity of the IL-17 family of cytokines with respect to systemic, oral and cutaneous Candida infections.

  10. ENGINEERED BARRIER SYSTEM: PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    R. Jarek

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this model report is to describe the evolution of the physical and chemical environmental conditions within the waste emplacement drifts of the repository, including the drip shield and waste package surfaces. The resulting seepage evaporation and gas abstraction models are used in the total system performance assessment for the license application (TSPA-LA) to assess the performance of the engineered barrier system and the waste form. This report develops and documents a set of abstraction-level models that describe the engineered barrier system physical and chemical environment. Where possible, these models use information directly from other reports as input, which promotes integration among process models used for TSPA-LA. Specific tasks and activities of modeling the physical and chemical environment are included in ''Technical Work Plan for: Near-Field Environment and Transport In-Drift Geochemistry Model Report Integration'' (BSC 2005 [DIRS 173782], Section 1.2.2). As described in the technical work plan, the development of this report is coordinated with the development of other engineered barrier system reports. To be consistent with other project documents that address features, events, and processes (FEPs), Table 6.14.1 of the current report includes updates to FEP numbers and FEP subjects for two FEPs identified in the technical work plan (TWP) governing this report (BSC 2005 [DIRS 173782]). FEP 2.1.09.06.0A (Reduction-oxidation potential in EBS), as listed in Table 2 of the TWP (BSC 2005 [DIRS 173782]), has been updated in the current report to FEP 2.1.09.06.0B (Reduction-oxidation potential in Drifts; see Table 6.14-1). FEP 2.1.09.07.0A (Reaction kinetics in EBS), as listed in Table 2 of the TWP (BSC 2005 [DIRS 173782]), has been updated in the current report to FEP 2.1.09.07.0B (Reaction kinetics in Drifts; see Table 6.14-1). These deviations from the TWP are justified because they improve integration with FEPs documents. The updates

  11. A multi-attribute Systemic Risk Index for comparing and prioritizing chemical industrial areas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reniers, G.L.L.; Sörensen, K.; Dullaert, W.

    2012-01-01

    Measures taken to decrease interdependent risks within chemical industrial areas should be based on quantitative data from a holistic (cluster-based) point of view. Therefore, this paper examines the typology of networks representing industrial areas to formulate recommendations to more effectively protect a chemical cluster against existing systemic risks. Chemical industrial areas are modeled as two distinct complex networks and are prioritized by computing two sub-indices with respect to existing systemic safety and security risks (using Domino Danger Units) and supply chain risks (using units from an ordinal expert scale). Subsequently, a Systemic Risk Index for the industrial area is determined employing the Borda algorithm, whereby the systemic risk index considers both a safety and security network risk index and a supply chain network risk index. The developed method allows decreasing systemic risks within chemical industrial areas from a holistic (inter-organizational and/or inter-cluster) perspective. An illustrative example is given.

  12. Temporal cross-correlation asymmetry and departure from equilibrium in a bistable chemical system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bianca, C; Lemarchand, A

    2014-06-14

    This paper aims at determining sustained reaction fluxes in a nonlinear chemical system driven in a nonequilibrium steady state. The method relies on the computation of cross-correlation functions for the internal fluctuations of chemical species concentrations. By employing Langevin-type equations, we derive approximate analytical formulas for the cross-correlation functions associated with nonlinear dynamics. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of the chemical master equation are performed in order to check the validity of the Langevin equations for a bistable chemical system. The two approaches are found in excellent agreement, except for critical parameter values where the bifurcation between monostability and bistability occurs. From the theoretical point of view, the results imply that the behavior of cross-correlation functions cannot be exploited to measure sustained reaction fluxes in a specific nonlinear system without the prior knowledge of the associated chemical mechanism and the rate constants.

  13. Development of a Mechanical Analysis System Considering Chemical Transitions of Barrier Materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sahara, F.; Murakami, T.; Ito, H.; Kobayashi, I.; Yokozeki, K.

    2006-01-01

    An analysis system for the long-term mechanical behavior of barrier materials (MACBECE: Mechanical Analysis system considering Chemical transitions of Bentonite-based and Cement-based materials) was developed in order to improve the reliability of the evaluation of the hydraulic field that is one of the important environmental conditions in the safety assessment of the TRU waste disposal in Japan. The MACBECE is a system that calculates the deformation of barrier materials using their chemical property changes as inputs, and subsequently their hydraulic conductivity taking both their chemical property changes and deformation into consideration. This paper provides a general description of MACBECE and the results of experimental analysis carried out using MACBECE. (authors)

  14. What proportion of prescription items dispensed in community pharmacies are eligible for the New Medicine Service?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wells, Katharine M; Boyd, Matthew J; Thornley, Tracey; Boardman, Helen F

    2014-03-07

    The payment structure for the New Medicine Service (NMS) in England is based on the assumption that 0.5% of prescription items dispensed in community pharmacies are eligible for the service. This assumption is based on a theoretical calculation. This study aimed to find out the actual proportion of prescription items eligible for the NMS dispensed in community pharmacies in order to compare this with the theoretical assumption. The study also aimed to investigate whether the proportion of prescription items eligible for the NMS is affected by pharmacies' proximity to GP practices. The study collected data from eight pharmacies in Nottingham belonging to the same large chain of pharmacies. Pharmacies were grouped by distance from the nearest GP practice and sampled to reflect the distribution by distance of all pharmacies in Nottingham. Data on one thousand consecutive prescription items were collected from each pharmacy and the number of NMS eligible items recorded. All NHS prescriptions were included in the sample. Data were analysed and proportions calculated with 95% confidence intervals used to compare the study results against the theoretical figure of 0.5% of prescription items being eligible for the NMS. A total of 8005 prescription items were collected (a minimum of 1000 items per pharmacy) of which 17 items were eligible to receive the service. The study found that 0.25% (95% confidence intervals: 0.14% to 0.36%) of prescription items were eligible for the NMS which differs significantly from the theoretical assumption of 0.5%. The opportunity rate for the service was lower, 0.21% (95% confidence intervals: 0.10% to 0.32%) of items, as some items eligible for the NMS did not translate into opportunities to offer the service. Of all the prescription items collected in the pharmacies, 28% were collected by patient representatives. The results of this study show that the proportion of items eligible for the NMS dispensed in community pharmacies is lower than

  15. Chemical Engineering Education in a Bologna Three Cycle Degree System

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gani, Rafiqul

    For the purpose of harmonization of European higher education, Europe’s education system has been going through major changes under what is commonly known as the ”Bologna Process”. The Bologna declaration in 1999 was the start of the introduction of a three cycle degree system in higher education...... in Europe. To date, many European universities have adopted this degree structure. The Working Party on Education (WPE) of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering (EFCE) carried out research to determine the contents of higher education in chemical engineering (ChE) and related disciplines...... such as applied chemistry and process engineering throughout Europe. The result has been a set of recommendations for the first (BS), second (MS) and third (PhD) cycle chemical engineering education aligned to the Bologna Process. They recommend that students studying towards bachelor and masters qualifications...

  16. High-throughput peptide mass fingerprinting and protein macroarray analysis using chemical printing strategies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sloane, A.J.; Duff, J.L.; Hopwood, F.G.; Wilson, N.L.; Smith, P.E.; Hill, C.J.; Packer, N.H.; Williams, K.L.; Gooley, A.A.; Cole, R.A.; Cooley, P.W.; Wallace, D.B.

    2001-01-01

    We describe a 'chemical printer' that uses piezoelectric pulsing for rapid and accurate microdispensing of picolitre volumes of fluid for proteomic analysis of 'protein macroarrays'. Unlike positive transfer and pin transfer systems, our printer dispenses fluid in a non-contact process that ensures that the fluid source cannot be contaminated by substrate during a printing event. We demonstrate automated delivery of enzyme and matrix solutions for on-membrane protein digestion and subsequent peptide mass fingerprinting (pmf) analysis directly from the membrane surface using matrix-assisted laser-desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). This approach bypasses the more commonly used multi-step procedures, thereby permitting a more rapid procedure for protein identification. We also highlight the advantage of printing different chemistries onto an individual protein spot for multiple microscale analyses. This ability is particularly useful when detailed characterisation of rare and valuable sample is required. Using a combination of PNGase F and trypsin we have mapped sites of N-glycosylation using on-membrane digestion strategies. We also demonstrate the ability to print multiple serum samples in a micro-ELISA format and rapidly screen a protein macroarray of human blood plasma for pathogen-derived antigens. We anticipate that the 'chemical printer' will be a major component of proteomic platforms for high-throughput protein identification and characterisation with widespread applications in biomedical and diagnostic discovery

  17. Superior PSZ-SOD Gap-Fill Process Integration Using Ultra-Low Dispensation Amount in STI for 28 nm NAND Flash Memory and Beyond

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chun Chi Lai

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The gap-fill performance and process of perhydropolysilazane-based inorganic spin-on dielectric (PSZ-SOD film in shallow trench isolation (STI with the ultra-low dispensation amount of PSZ-SOD solution have been investigated in this study. A PSZ-SOD film process includes liner deposition, PSZ-SOD coating, and furnace curing. For liner deposition, hydrophilic property is required to improve the contact angle and gap-fill capability of PSZ-SOD coating. Prior to PSZ-SOD coating, the additional treatment on liner surface is beneficial for the fluidity of PSZ-SOD solution. The superior film thickness uniformity and gap-fill performance of PSZ-SOD film are achieved due to the improved fluidity of PSZ-SOD solution. Following that up, the low dispensation rate of PSZ-SOD solution leads to more PSZ-SOD filling in the trenches. After PSZ-SOD coating, high thermal curing process efficiently promotes PSZ-SOD film conversion into silicon oxide. Adequate conversion from PSZ-SOD into silicon oxide further increases the etching resistance inside the trenches. Integrating the above sequence of optimized factors, void-free gap-fill and well-controlled STI recess uniformity are achieved even when the PSZ-SOD solution dispensation volume is reduced 3 to 6 times compared with conventional condition for the 28 nm node NAND flash and beyond.

  18. Studies on the pressed yttrium oxide-tungsten matrix as a possible dispenser cathode material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Fan; Wang, Jinshu; Liu, Wei; Liu, Xiang; Zhou, Meiling

    2015-01-01

    Yttrium oxide was chosen as the secondary emission substance based on calculation results through first principle theory method. A new kind of pressed yttrium oxide-tungsten matrix dispenser cathodes are prepared by a sol–gel method combined with high temperature sintering in dry hydrogen atmosphere. The results show that the growth of the grains is hampered by the pinning effect of Y 2 O 3 distributing uniformly between the tungsten particles, resulting in the formation of small grain size. It is found that Y 2 O 3 improves the secondary electron emission property, i.e., the secondary emission yield increases with the increase of Y 2 O 3 content in the samples. The maximum secondary emission yield δ max of the cathode with 15% amount of Y 2 O 3 can reach 2.92. Furthermore, the cathode shows a certain thermionic emission performance. The zero field emission current density J 0 of 4.18A/cm 2 has reached at 1050 °C b for this kind of cathode after being activated at 1200 °C b , which are much higher than that of rare earth oxide doped molybdenum (REO-Mo) cathode reported in the previous work. - Highlights: • Yttrium oxide was chosen as the secondary emission substance based on first principle calculation result. • A new kind of cathode has been successfully obtained. • Pressed yttrium oxide-tungsten matrix dispenser cathode exhibits good emission properties. • The improvement of the cathode emission can be well explained by the surface analysis results presented in this work

  19. Microencapsulation system and method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrison, Dennis R. (Inventor)

    2009-01-01

    A microencapsulation apparatus is provided which is configured to form co-axial multi-lamellar microcapsules from materials discharged from first and second microsphere dispensers of the apparatus. A method of fabricating and processing microcapsules is also provided which includes forming distinct droplets comprising one or more materials and introducing the droplets directly into a solution bath to form a membrane around the droplets such that a plurality of microcapsules are formed. A microencapsulation system is provided which includes a microcapsule production unit, a fluidized passage for washing and harvesting microcapsules dispensed from the microcapsule production unit and a flow sensor for sizing and counting the microcapsules. In some embodiments, the microencapsulation system may further include a controller configured to simultaneously operate the microcapsule production unit, fluidized passage and flow sensor to process the microcapsules in a continuous manner.

  20. Test plan for Digface Chemical and Radiation Assay System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akers, D.W.

    1993-07-01

    The Digface Chemical and Radiation Assay System (CRAS) Project will develop a sensor using Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA) that can detect the present of hazardous chemicals and radioactive materials. The CRAS is being designed for in situ assay of closed drums and contaminated soils for gamma-ray emitting radionuclides and hazardous elements. The CRAS is based upon the use of 252 Cf PGNAA with a germanium gamma-ray spectrometer as the analyzer. Tasks being performed include determining detection limits for a number of hazardous chemicals and assessing matrix and transmission effects through soil. Initial analyses suggest that the technique is applicable to a number of hazardous materials such as trichloroethane and carbon tetrachloride

  1. The development of the globally harmonized system (GHS) of classification and labelling of hazardous chemicals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winder, Chris; Azzi, Rola; Wagner, Drew

    2005-01-01

    The hazards of chemicals can be classified using classification criteria that are based on physical, chemical and ecotoxicological endpoints. These criteria may be developed be iteratively, based on scientific or regulatory processes. A number of national and international schemes have been developed over the past 50 years, and some, such as the UN Dangerous Goods system or the EC system for hazardous substances, are in widespread use. However, the unnecessarily complicated multiplicity of existing hazard classifications created much unnecessary confusion at the user level, and a recommendation was made at the 1992 Rio Earth summit to develop a globally harmonized chemical hazard classification and compatible labelling system, including material safety data sheets and easily understandable symbols, that could be used for manufacture, transport, use and disposal of chemical substances. This became the globally harmonized system for the Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The developmental phase of the GHS is largely complete. Consistent criteria for categorising chemicals according to their toxic, physical, chemical and ecological hazards are now available. Consistent hazard communication tools such as labelling and material safety data sheets are also close to finalisation. The next phase is implementation of the GHS. The Intergovernmental Forum for Chemical Safety recommends that all countries implement the GHS as soon as possible with a view to have the system fully operational by 2008. When the GHS is in place, the world will finally have one system for classification of chemical hazards

  2. Printed droplet microfluidics for on demand dispensing of picoliter droplets and cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cole, Russell H; Tang, Shi-Yang; Siltanen, Christian A; Shahi, Payam; Zhang, Jesse Q; Poust, Sean; Gartner, Zev J; Abate, Adam R

    2017-08-15

    Although the elementary unit of biology is the cell, high-throughput methods for the microscale manipulation of cells and reagents are limited. The existing options either are slow, lack single-cell specificity, or use fluid volumes out of scale with those of cells. Here we present printed droplet microfluidics, a technology to dispense picoliter droplets and cells with deterministic control. The core technology is a fluorescence-activated droplet sorter coupled to a specialized substrate that together act as a picoliter droplet and single-cell printer, enabling high-throughput generation of intricate arrays of droplets, cells, and microparticles. Printed droplet microfluidics provides a programmable and robust technology to construct arrays of defined cell and reagent combinations and to integrate multiple measurement modalities together in a single assay.

  3. Construction of a risk assessment system for chemical residues in agricultural products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Shinai; Hong, Jiyeon; Lee, Dayeon; Paik, Minkyoung

    2014-01-01

    Continuous monitoring of chemical residues in agricultural and food products has been performed by various government bodies in South Korea. These bodies have made attempts to systematically manage this information by creating a monitoring database system as well as a system based on these data with which to assess the health risk of chemical residues in agricultural products. Meanwhile, a database system is being constructed consisting of information about monitoring and, following this, a demand for convenience has led to the need for an evaluation tool to be constructed with the data processing system. Also, in order to create a systematic and effective tool for the risk assessment of chemical residues in foods and agricultural products, various evaluation models are being developed, both domestically and abroad. Overseas, systems such as Dietary Exposure Evaluation Model: Food Commodity Intake Database and Cumulative and Aggregate Risk Evaluation System are being used; these use the US Environmental Protection Agency as a focus, while the EU has developed Pesticide Residue Intake Model for assessments of pesticide exposure through food intake. Following this, the National Academy of Agricultural Science (NAAS) created the Agricultural Products Risk Assessment System (APRAS) which supports the use and storage of monitoring information and risk assessments. APRAS efficiently manages the monitoring data produced by NAAS and creates an extraction feature included in the database system. Also, the database system in APRAS consists of a monitoring database system held by the NAAS and food consumption database system. Food consumption data is based on Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This system is aimed at exposure and risk assessments for chemical residues in agricultural products with regards to different exposure scenarios.

  4. Effect of Chemical Ratios of a Microbial-Based Feeding Attractant on Trap Catch of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cha, Dong H; Landolt, Peter J; Adams, Todd B

    2017-08-01

    Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, spotted wing drosophila, can be trapped with a feeding attractant based on wine and vinegar volatiles and consisting of acetic acid, ethanol, acetoin, and methionol. Using that four-component blend, we found that the catch of spotted wing drosophila increased with increases in the release rate of acetoin (from 0.5 mg/d to 34 mg/d) from polyethylene sachet dispensers, and with increases in the concentrations of acetic acid (from 0.25% to 4%) or ethanol (from 0.08% to 2%) when dispensed in the trap drowning solution. However, we saw no increase in spotted wing drosophila trapped with increase of the methionol release rate from 0.4 mg/d to 4.9 mg/d or from 0.19 mg/d to 0.8 mg/d, from sachets. A new formulation based on optimized amounts of these four chemicals yielded a doubling of spotted wing drosophila trapped compared to a previously reported formulation. Further field testing confirmed that the simultaneous increases in the release rate of acetoin from a dispenser and the amount of acetic acid in the trap drowning solution provided the increased spotted wing drosophila trap response to the new formulation. These findings provide a practical means to improve the power of this lure to detect and monitor D. suzukii. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2017. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

  5. Elongation factor P is dispensable in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balibar, Carl J; Iwanowicz, Dorothy; Dean, Charles R

    2013-09-01

    Elongation factor P (EF-P) is a highly conserved ribosomal initiation factor responsible for stimulating formation of the first peptide bond. Its essentiality has been debated and may differ depending on the organism. Here, we demonstrate that EF-P is dispensable in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa under laboratory growth conditions. Although knockouts are viable, growth rates are diminished compared with wild-type strains. Despite this cost in fitness, these mutants are not more susceptible to a wide range of antibiotics; including ribosome targeting antibiotics, such as lincomycin, chloramphenicol, and streptomycin, which have been shown previously to disrupt EF-P function in vitro. In Pseudomonas, knockout of efp leads to an upregulation of mexX, a phenotype previously observed with other genetic lesions affecting ribosome function and that can be induced by the treatment with antibiotics affecting protein synthesis.

  6. Some Sensitivity Studies of Chemical Transport Simulated in Models of the Soil-Plant-Litter System

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Begovich, C.L.

    2002-10-28

    Fifteen parameters in a set of five coupled models describing carbon, water, and chemical dynamics in the soil-plant-litter system were varied in a sensitivity analysis of model response. Results are presented for chemical distribution in the components of soil, plants, and litter along with selected responses of biomass, internal chemical transport (xylem and phloem pathways), and chemical uptake. Response and sensitivity coefficients are presented for up to 102 model outputs in an appendix. Two soil properties (chemical distribution coefficient and chemical solubility) and three plant properties (leaf chemical permeability, cuticle thickness, and root chemical conductivity) had the greatest influence on chemical transport in the soil-plant-litter system under the conditions examined. Pollutant gas uptake (SO{sub 2}) increased with change in plant properties that increased plant growth. Heavy metal dynamics in litter responded to plant properties (phloem resistance, respiration characteristics) which induced changes in the chemical cycling to the litter system. Some of the SO{sub 2} and heavy metal responses were not expected but became apparent through the modeling analysis.

  7. Chemical dependency: An occupational hazard in the field of anaesthesia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ismail, S.

    2010-01-01

    The medical personnel are vulnerable to substance abuse and dependence due to ready access to substance of abuse. Addiction is considered as an occupational hazard for those involved in the practice of anaesthesia for the same reason. Substance abuse is defined as a psychosocial biogenetic disease, which results from dynamic interplay between a susceptible host and favourable environment. According to the fifth and the last National Survey on Drug Abuse (NSDA) in 1993 by Pakistan Narcotic Control, there are nearly three million drug dependants Review Article Chemical dependency: An occupational hazard in the field of anaesthesia Samina Ismail Department of Anaesthesia, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. in Pakistan, but no data is available to determine the prevalence among medical or anaesthesia personnel. In order to handle the rising trend of chemical abuse, we need to have more surveys and studies on this subject, written policy and educational programme in postgraduate training with proper control and frequent checking of narcotic dispensing. Reporting of drug abuse and rehabilitation of affected doctors are areas which need to be worked upon. (author)

  8. Addition of pear ester enhances disruption of mating by female codling moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in walnut orchards treated with meso dispensers

    Science.gov (United States)

    The success of applying low rates (50 ha-1) of dispensers to achieve disruption of adult communication of codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L)., in walnuts, Juglans regia (L.),was evaluated with several methods. These included cumulative catches of male moths in traps baited with either sex pheromone (...

  9. Chemical Sensor Systems and Associated Algorithms for Fire Detection: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jordi Fonollosa

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Indoor fire detection using gas chemical sensing has been a subject of investigation since the early nineties. This approach leverages the fact that, for certain types of fire, chemical volatiles appear before smoke particles do. Hence, systems based on chemical sensing can provide faster fire alarm responses than conventional smoke-based fire detectors. Moreover, since it is known that most casualties in fires are produced from toxic emissions rather than actual burns, gas-based fire detection could provide an additional level of safety to building occupants. In this line, since the 2000s, electrochemical cells for carbon monoxide sensing have been incorporated into fire detectors. Even systems relying exclusively on gas sensors have been explored as fire detectors. However, gas sensors respond to a large variety of volatiles beyond combustion products. As a result, chemical-based fire detectors require multivariate data processing techniques to ensure high sensitivity to fires and false alarm immunity. In this paper, we the survey toxic emissions produced in fires and defined standards for fire detection systems. We also review the state of the art of chemical sensor systems for fire detection and the associated signal and data processing algorithms. We also examine the experimental protocols used for the validation of the different approaches, as the complexity of the test measurements also impacts on reported sensitivity and specificity measures. All in all, further research and extensive test under different fire and nuisance scenarios are still required before gas-based fire detectors penetrate largely into the market. Nevertheless, the use of dynamic features and multivariate models that exploit sensor correlations seems imperative.

  10. Chemical Sensor Systems and Associated Algorithms for Fire Detection: A Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fonollosa, Jordi; Solórzano, Ana; Marco, Santiago

    2018-02-11

    Indoor fire detection using gas chemical sensing has been a subject of investigation since the early nineties. This approach leverages the fact that, for certain types of fire, chemical volatiles appear before smoke particles do. Hence, systems based on chemical sensing can provide faster fire alarm responses than conventional smoke-based fire detectors. Moreover, since it is known that most casualties in fires are produced from toxic emissions rather than actual burns, gas-based fire detection could provide an additional level of safety to building occupants. In this line, since the 2000s, electrochemical cells for carbon monoxide sensing have been incorporated into fire detectors. Even systems relying exclusively on gas sensors have been explored as fire detectors. However, gas sensors respond to a large variety of volatiles beyond combustion products. As a result, chemical-based fire detectors require multivariate data processing techniques to ensure high sensitivity to fires and false alarm immunity. In this paper, we the survey toxic emissions produced in fires and defined standards for fire detection systems. We also review the state of the art of chemical sensor systems for fire detection and the associated signal and data processing algorithms. We also examine the experimental protocols used for the validation of the different approaches, as the complexity of the test measurements also impacts on reported sensitivity and specificity measures. All in all, further research and extensive test under different fire and nuisance scenarios are still required before gas-based fire detectors penetrate largely into the market. Nevertheless, the use of dynamic features and multivariate models that exploit sensor correlations seems imperative.

  11. Chemical Sensor Systems and Associated Algorithms for Fire Detection: A Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fonollosa, Jordi

    2018-01-01

    Indoor fire detection using gas chemical sensing has been a subject of investigation since the early nineties. This approach leverages the fact that, for certain types of fire, chemical volatiles appear before smoke particles do. Hence, systems based on chemical sensing can provide faster fire alarm responses than conventional smoke-based fire detectors. Moreover, since it is known that most casualties in fires are produced from toxic emissions rather than actual burns, gas-based fire detection could provide an additional level of safety to building occupants. In this line, since the 2000s, electrochemical cells for carbon monoxide sensing have been incorporated into fire detectors. Even systems relying exclusively on gas sensors have been explored as fire detectors. However, gas sensors respond to a large variety of volatiles beyond combustion products. As a result, chemical-based fire detectors require multivariate data processing techniques to ensure high sensitivity to fires and false alarm immunity. In this paper, we the survey toxic emissions produced in fires and defined standards for fire detection systems. We also review the state of the art of chemical sensor systems for fire detection and the associated signal and data processing algorithms. We also examine the experimental protocols used for the validation of the different approaches, as the complexity of the test measurements also impacts on reported sensitivity and specificity measures. All in all, further research and extensive test under different fire and nuisance scenarios are still required before gas-based fire detectors penetrate largely into the market. Nevertheless, the use of dynamic features and multivariate models that exploit sensor correlations seems imperative. PMID:29439490

  12. ENGINEERED BARRIER SYSTEM: PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    R. Jarek

    2005-08-29

    The purpose of this model report is to describe the evolution of the physical and chemical environmental conditions within the waste emplacement drifts of the repository, including the drip shield and waste package surfaces. The resulting seepage evaporation and gas abstraction models are used in the total system performance assessment for the license application (TSPA-LA) to assess the performance of the engineered barrier system and the waste form. This report develops and documents a set of abstraction-level models that describe the engineered barrier system physical and chemical environment. Where possible, these models use information directly from other reports as input, which promotes integration among process models used for TSPA-LA. Specific tasks and activities of modeling the physical and chemical environment are included in ''Technical Work Plan for: Near-Field Environment and Transport In-Drift Geochemistry Model Report Integration'' (BSC 2005 [DIRS 173782], Section 1.2.2). As described in the technical work plan, the development of this report is coordinated with the development of other engineered barrier system reports. To be consistent with other project documents that address features, events, and processes (FEPs), Table 6.14.1 of the current report includes updates to FEP numbers and FEP subjects for two FEPs identified in the technical work plan (TWP) governing this report (BSC 2005 [DIRS 173782]). FEP 2.1.09.06.0A (Reduction-oxidation potential in EBS), as listed in Table 2 of the TWP (BSC 2005 [DIRS 173782]), has been updated in the current report to FEP 2.1.09.06.0B (Reduction-oxidation potential in Drifts; see Table 6.14-1). FEP 2.1.09.07.0A (Reaction kinetics in EBS), as listed in Table 2 of the TWP (BSC 2005 [DIRS 173782]), has been updated in the current report to FEP 2.1.09.07.0B (Reaction kinetics in Drifts; see Table 6.14-1). These deviations from the TWP are justified because they improve integration with FEPs

  13. A survey of chemicals inducing lipid peroxidation in biological systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kappus, H

    1987-01-01

    A great number of drugs and chemicals are reviewed which have been shown to stimulate lipid peroxidation in any biological system. The underlying mechanisms, as far as known, are also dealt with. Lipid peroxidation induced by iron ions, organic hydroperoxides, halogenated hydrocarbons, redox cycling drugs, glutathione depleting chemicals, ethanol, heavy metals, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and a number of miscellaneous compounds, e.g. hydrazines, pesticides, antibiotics, are mentioned. It is shown that lipid peroxidation is stimulated by many of these compounds. However, quantitative estimates cannot be given yet and it is still impossible to judge the biological relevance of chemical-induced lipid peroxidation.

  14. Assessing the chemical contamination dynamics in a mixed land use stream system

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sonne, Anne Thobo; McKnight, Ursula S.; Rønde, Vinni

    2017-01-01

    Traditionally, the monitoring of streams for chemical and ecological status has been limited to surface water concentrations, where the dominant focus has been on general water quality and the risk for eutrophication. Mixed land use stream systems, comprising urban areas and agricultural production......, are challenging to assess with multiple chemical stressors impacting stream corridors. New approaches are urgently needed for identifying relevant sources, pathways and potential impacts for implementation of suitable source management and remedial measures. We developed a method for risk assessing chemical...... stressors in these systems and applied the approach to a 16-km groundwater-fed stream corridor (Grindsted, Denmark). Three methods were combined: (i) in-stream contaminant mass discharge for source quantification, (ii) Toxic Units and (iii) environmental standards. An evaluation of the chemical quality...

  15. Characterizing chemical systems with on-line computers and graphics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frazer, J.W.; Rigdon, L.P.; Brand, H.R.; Pomernacki, C.L.

    1979-01-01

    Incorporating computers and graphics on-line to chemical experiments and processes opens up new opportunities for the study and control of complex systems. Systems having many variables can be characterized even when the variable interactions are nonlinear, and the system cannot a priori be represented by numerical methods and models. That is, large sets of accurate data can be rapidly acquired, then modeling and graphic techniques can be used to obtain partial interpretation plus design of further experimentation. The experimenter can thus comparatively quickly iterate between experimentation and modeling to obtain a final solution. We have designed and characterized a versatile computer-controlled apparatus for chemical research, which incorporates on-line instrumentation and graphics. It can be used to determine the mechanism of enzyme-induced reactions or to optimize analytical methods. The apparatus can also be operated as a pilot plant to design control strategies. On-line graphics were used to display conventional plots used by biochemists and three-dimensional response-surface plots

  16. A constrained approach to multiscale stochastic simulation of chemically reacting systems

    KAUST Repository

    Cotter, Simon L.

    2011-01-01

    Stochastic simulation of coupled chemical reactions is often computationally intensive, especially if a chemical system contains reactions occurring on different time scales. In this paper, we introduce a multiscale methodology suitable to address this problem, assuming that the evolution of the slow species in the system is well approximated by a Langevin process. It is based on the conditional stochastic simulation algorithm (CSSA) which samples from the conditional distribution of the suitably defined fast variables, given values for the slow variables. In the constrained multiscale algorithm (CMA) a single realization of the CSSA is then used for each value of the slow variable to approximate the effective drift and diffusion terms, in a similar manner to the constrained mean-force computations in other applications such as molecular dynamics. We then show how using the ensuing Fokker-Planck equation approximation, we can in turn approximate average switching times in stochastic chemical systems. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.

  17. Building an R&D chemical registration system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Elyette; Monge, Aurélien; Duret, Jacques-Antoine; Gualandi, Federico; Peitsch, Manuel C; Pospisil, Pavel

    2012-05-31

    Small molecule chemistry is of central importance to a number of R&D companies in diverse areas such as the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food flavoring, and cosmeceutical industries. In order to store and manage thousands of chemical compounds in such an environment, we have built a state-of-the-art master chemical database with unique structure identifiers. Here, we present the concept and methodology we used to build the system that we call the Unique Compound Database (UCD). In the UCD, each molecule is registered only once (uniqueness), structures with alternative representations are entered in a uniform way (normalization), and the chemical structure drawings are recognizable to chemists and to a cartridge. In brief, structural molecules are entered as neutral entities which can be associated with a salt. The salts are listed in a dictionary and bound to the molecule with the appropriate stoichiometric coefficient in an entity called "substance". The substances are associated with batches. Once a molecule is registered, some properties (e.g., ADMET prediction, IUPAC name, chemical properties) are calculated automatically. The UCD has both automated and manual data controls. Moreover, the UCD concept enables the management of user errors in the structure entry by reassigning or archiving the batches. It also allows updating of the records to include newly discovered properties of individual structures. As our research spans a wide variety of scientific fields, the database enables registration of mixtures of compounds, enantiomers, tautomers, and compounds with unknown stereochemistries.

  18. Building an R&D chemical registration system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Elyette

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Small molecule chemistry is of central importance to a number of R&D companies in diverse areas such as the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food flavoring, and cosmeceutical industries. In order to store and manage thousands of chemical compounds in such an environment, we have built a state-of-the-art master chemical database with unique structure identifiers. Here, we present the concept and methodology we used to build the system that we call the Unique Compound Database (UCD. In the UCD, each molecule is registered only once (uniqueness, structures with alternative representations are entered in a uniform way (normalization, and the chemical structure drawings are recognizable to chemists and to a cartridge. In brief, structural molecules are entered as neutral entities which can be associated with a salt. The salts are listed in a dictionary and bound to the molecule with the appropriate stoichiometric coefficient in an entity called “substance”. The substances are associated with batches. Once a molecule is registered, some properties (e.g., ADMET prediction, IUPAC name, chemical properties are calculated automatically. The UCD has both automated and manual data controls. Moreover, the UCD concept enables the management of user errors in the structure entry by reassigning or archiving the batches. It also allows updating of the records to include newly discovered properties of individual structures. As our research spans a wide variety of scientific fields, the database enables registration of mixtures of compounds, enantiomers, tautomers, and compounds with unknown stereochemistries.

  19. Effectiveness of an extended period of flashing lights and strategic signage to increase the salience of alcohol-gel dispensers for improving hand hygiene compliance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rashidi, Babak; Li, Aimee; Patel, Rakesh; Harmsen, Irene E; Sabri, Elham; Kyeremanteng, Kwadwo; D'Egidio, Gianni

    2016-07-01

    Multiple factors affect compliance with hand hygiene, including conspicuity of alcohol-gel dispensers. Previous studies have shown that flashing lights increase hand hygiene compliance; however, the durability of this effect has not been studied. We affixed flashing lights to hand sanitizer dispensers for a total of 6 weeks. Regression analysis was used to compare compliance rates between the beginning and end of the intervention. Our secondary objective was to determine whether compliance rates in cold weather could be improved by adding a sign separated in time and space from the dispensers. Flashing lights improved hand hygiene compliance from 11.8% to 20.7%, and this effect was unchanged over the 6-week study period. Fully charged lights resulted in a greater compliance increase. A preemptive sign did not have a significant effect on hand hygiene rates nor did absolute temperatures. Flashing lights are a simple, inexpensive way of improving hand hygiene. Brighter lights appear to have a greater effect; however, this must be balanced with annoyance in specific settings. Temperature did not have a significant effect; however, this may be because the relationship does not fit a linear model. Other interventions, such as signs, may need to be tailored specifically to individual hospital environments. Copyright © 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Chemical equilibrium in the GaP-HCl and InP-HCl systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goliusov, V.A.; Voronin, V.A.; Chuchmarev, S.K.

    1983-01-01

    Chemical equilibrium in the GaP-HCl and InP-HCl systems is investigated experimentally, polynomial dependence of the total pressure on temperature (800-1100 K) and hydrochloric aci concntration under the experimental conditions is obtained. The technique for equilibrium calculation in hydrogencontaining chemical systems based on the tensimetric investigation results is suggested. The equilibrium gas phase composition in the GaP(InP)-HCl systems and self consistent, within the framework of the designed equilibrium model thermodynamic characteristics are determined. The effectiveness of gas-phase indium- and gallium phosphides precipitation in the GaP(InP)-HCl systems is calculated

  1. Preparation of n-type Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} thermoelectric materials by non-contact dispenser printing combined with selective laser melting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Keping; Yan, Yonggao; Zhang, Jian; Mao, Yu; Xie, Hongyao; Zhang, Qingjie; Tang, Xinfeng [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei (China); Yang, Jihui [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States); Uher, Ctirad [Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

    2017-06-15

    The manufacturing cost has been a bottle neck for broader applications of thermoelectric (TE) modules. We have developed a rapid, facile, and low cost method that combines non-contact dispenser printing with selective laser melting (SLM) and we demonstrate it on n-type Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}-based materials. Using this approach, single phase n-type Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 2.7}Se{sub 0.3} thin layers with the Seebeck coefficient of -152 μV K{sup -1} at 300 K have been prepared. Assembling such thin layers on top of each other, the performance of thus prepared bulk sample is comparable to Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}-based materials fabricated by the conventional techniques. Dispenser printing combined with SLM is a promising manufacturing process for TE materials. (copyright 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  2. Comparison of medication safety systems in critical access hospitals: Combined analysis of two studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cochran, Gary L; Barrett, Ryan S; Horn, Susan D

    2016-08-01

    The role of pharmacist transcription, onsite pharmacist dispensing, use of automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs), nurse-nurse double checks, or barcode-assisted medication administration (BCMA) in reducing medication error rates in critical access hospitals (CAHs) was evaluated. Investigators used the practice-based evidence methodology to identify predictors of medication errors in 12 Nebraska CAHs. Detailed information about each medication administered was recorded through direct observation. Errors were identified by comparing the observed medication administered with the physician's order. Chi-square analysis and Fisher's exact test were used to measure differences between groups of medication-dispensing procedures. Nurses observed 6497 medications being administered to 1374 patients. The overall error rate was 1.2%. The transcription error rates for orders transcribed by an onsite pharmacist were slightly lower than for orders transcribed by a telepharmacy service (0.10% and 0.33%, respectively). Fewer dispensing errors occurred when medications were dispensed by an onsite pharmacist versus any other method of medication acquisition (0.10% versus 0.44%, p = 0.0085). The rates of dispensing errors for medications that were retrieved from a single-cell ADC (0.19%), a multicell ADC (0.45%), or a drug closet or general supply (0.77%) did not differ significantly. BCMA was associated with a higher proportion of dispensing and administration errors intercepted before reaching the patient (66.7%) compared with either manual double checks (10%) or no BCMA or double check (30.4%) of the medication before administration (p = 0.0167). Onsite pharmacist dispensing and BCMA were associated with fewer medication errors and are important components of a medication safety strategy in CAHs. Copyright © 2016 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Studies on the pressed yttrium oxide-tungsten matrix as a possible dispenser cathode material

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Fan; Wang, Jinshu, E-mail: wangjsh@bjut.edu.cn; Liu, Wei; Liu, Xiang; Zhou, Meiling

    2015-01-15

    Yttrium oxide was chosen as the secondary emission substance based on calculation results through first principle theory method. A new kind of pressed yttrium oxide-tungsten matrix dispenser cathodes are prepared by a sol–gel method combined with high temperature sintering in dry hydrogen atmosphere. The results show that the growth of the grains is hampered by the pinning effect of Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} distributing uniformly between the tungsten particles, resulting in the formation of small grain size. It is found that Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} improves the secondary electron emission property, i.e., the secondary emission yield increases with the increase of Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} content in the samples. The maximum secondary emission yield δ{sub max} of the cathode with 15% amount of Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} can reach 2.92. Furthermore, the cathode shows a certain thermionic emission performance. The zero field emission current density J{sub 0} of 4.18A/cm{sup 2} has reached at 1050 °C{sub b} for this kind of cathode after being activated at 1200 °C{sub b}, which are much higher than that of rare earth oxide doped molybdenum (REO-Mo) cathode reported in the previous work. - Highlights: • Yttrium oxide was chosen as the secondary emission substance based on first principle calculation result. • A new kind of cathode has been successfully obtained. • Pressed yttrium oxide-tungsten matrix dispenser cathode exhibits good emission properties. • The improvement of the cathode emission can be well explained by the surface analysis results presented in this work.

  4. Assessing the role of syringe dispensing machines and mobile van outlets in reaching hard-to-reach and high-risk groups of injecting drug users (IDUs: a review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Islam Md Mofizul

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Reaching hard-to-reach and high-risk injecting drug users (IDUs is one of the most important challenges for contemporary needle syringe programs (NSPs. The aim of this review is to examine, based upon the available international experience, the effectiveness of syringe vending machines and mobile van/bus based NSPs in making services more accessible to these hard-to-reach and high-risk groups of IDUs. A literature search revealed 40 papers/reports, of which 18 were on dispensing machines (including vending and exchange machines and 22 on mobile vans. The findings demonstrate that syringe dispensing machines and mobile vans are promising modalities of NSPs, which can make services more accessible to the target group and in particular to the harder-to-reach and higher-risk groups of IDUs. Their anonymous and confidential approaches make services attractive, accessible and acceptable to these groups. These two outlets were found to be complementary to each other and to other modes of NSPs. Services through dispensing machines and mobile vans in strategically important sites are crucial elements in continuing efforts in reducing the spread of HIV and other blood borne viruses among IDUs.

  5. A hybrid solar chemical looping combustion system with a high solar share

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jafarian, Mehdi; Arjomandi, Maziar; Nathan, Graham J.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • A novel hybrid solar chemical looping combustion system is presented. • This hybrid CLC system integrates a CLC plant with a solar thermal energy plant. • The oxygen carrier particles are used for chemical and sensible thermal energy storage. • A solar cavity reactor is proposed for fuel reactor. • The calculations show a total solar share of around 60% can be achieved. - Abstract: A novel hybrid solar chemical looping combustion (Hy-Sol-CLC) is presented, in which the oxygen carrier particles in a CLC system are employed to provide thermal energy storage for concentrated solar thermal energy. This hybrid aims to take advantage of key features of a chemical looping combustion (CLC) system that are desirable for solar energy systems, notably their inherent chemical and sensible energy storage systems, the relatively low temperature of the “fuel” reactor (to which the concentrated solar thermal energy is added in a hybrid) relative to that of the final temperature of the product gas and the potential to operate the fuel reactor at a different pressure to the heated gas stream. By this approach, it is aimed to achieve high efficiency of the solar energy, infrastructure sharing, economic synergy, base load power generation and a high solar fraction of the total energy. In the proposed Hy-Sol-CLC system, a cavity solar receiver has been chosen for fuel reactor while for the storage of the oxygen carrier particles two reservoirs have been added to a conventional CLC. A heat exchanger is also proposed to provide independent control of the temperatures of the storage reservoirs from those of solar fuel and air reactors. The system is simulated using Aspen Plus software for the average diurnal profile of normal irradiance for Port Augusta, South Australia. The operating temperature of the fuel reactor, solar absorption efficiency, solar share, fraction of the solar thermal energy stored within the solar reactor, the fractions of sensible and

  6. Assessment of the rates and characteristics of the short-term supply of medication (Tider from an integrated healthcare delivery system in the United States

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Delate T

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe the rate of medication short-term supply dispensings (tider, patient and medication characteristics associated with a tider, and costs for tider dispensings in an integrated healthcare delivery system in Colorado, United States. Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted in an integrated healthcare delivery system’s outpatient clinics. All patients who had a prescription dispensed for a study medication at any of the system’s 28 outpatient pharmacies during the first quarter of 2016 were included. A tider was identified as a 3-day supply of a prescription medication that was dispensed at no charge to a patient. The quarterly tider rate and the per member per month (PMPM cost of tiders were estimated. Patient and medication characteristics associated with a tider were assessed. Results: A total of 444,225 study medications were dispensed for 135,907 patients during the study period. There were 3,430 (0.77%, 95%CI 0.75%:0.80% medications dispensed as a tider. The PMPM cost of tider medications and their dispensing fees was USD 0.03. There were 1,092 (0.8% and 134,815 (99.2% patients who did and did not, respectively, have at least one tider dispensed during the study period. Patient characteristics strongly associated with having had a tider dispensed included being older, male, and a Medicare beneficiary. Cardiovascular and neuromuscular medications had the highest rates of tider dispensing. Conclusions: The rate of tider dispensing was relatively low; however, approximately one out of 125 patients had at least one tider. Patients who had a tider were more likely to be older, female, a Medicare beneficiary, and having had a previous tider dispensing and a higher burden of chronic disease. The tider medication was more likely to be a cardiovascular or neuromuscular medication class and more likely to be dispensed on a weekend. The total cost of dispensing a tider appears reasonable

  7. Invariant boxes and stability of some systems from biomathematics and chemical reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pavel, N.H.

    1984-08-01

    A general theorem on the flow-invariance of a time-dependent rectangular box with respect to a differential system is first recalled [''Analysis of some non-linear problems'' in Banach Spaces and Applications, Univ. of Iasi (Romania) (1982)]. Then a theorem applicable to the study of some differential systems from biomathematics and chemical reactions is given and proved. The theorem can be applied to enzymatic reactions, the chemical mechanism in the Belousov reaction, and the kinetic system for the chemical scheme of Hanusse of two processes with three intermediate species [in Pavel, N.H., Differential Equations, Flow-invariance and Applications, Pitman Publishing, Ltd., London (to appear)]. Next, the matrices A for which the corresponding linear system x'=Ax is component-wise positive asymptotically stable are characterized. In the Appendix a partial answer to an open problem regarding the preservation of both continuity and dissipativity in the extension of functions to a Banach space is given

  8. Modelling of the chemical state in groundwater infiltration systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zysset, A.

    1993-01-01

    Groundwater is replenished by water stemming either from precipitations, lakes or rivers. The area where such an infiltration occurs is characterized by a change in the environmental conditions, such as a decrease of the flow velocity and an increase in the solid surface marking the boundary of the flow field. With these changes new chemical processes may become relevant to the transport behavior of contaminants. Since the rates of chemical processes usually are a function of the concentrations of several species, an understanding of infiltration sites may require a multicomponent approach. The present study aims at formulating a mathematical model together with its numerical solution for groundwater infiltration sites. Such a model should improve the understanding of groundwater quality changes related to infiltrating contaminants. The groundwater quality is of vital interest to men because at many places most of the drinking water originates from groundwater. In the first part of the present study two partial models are formulated: one accounting for the transport in a one-dimensional, homogeneous and saturated porous medium, the other accounting for chemical reactions. This second model is initially stated for general kinetic systems. Then, it is specified for two systems, namely for a system governed only by reactions which are fast compared to the transport processes and for a system with biologically mediated redox reactions of dissolved substrates. In the second part of the study a numerical solution to the model is developed. For this purpose, the two partial models are coupled. The coupling is either iterative as in the case of a system with fast reactions or sequential as in all other cases. The numerical solutions of simple test cases are compared to analytical solutions. In the third part the model is evaluated using observations of infiltration sites reported in the literature. (author) figs., tabs., 155 refs

  9. Recent advances in microbial production of fuels and chemicals using tools and strategies of systems metabolic engineering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cho, Changhee; Choi, So Young; Luo, Zi Wei

    2015-01-01

    The advent of various systems metabolic engineering tools and strategies has enabled more sophisticated engineering of microorganisms for the production of industrially useful fuels and chemicals. Advances in systems metabolic engineering have been made in overproducing natural chemicals...... and producing novel non-natural chemicals. In this paper, we review the tools and strategies of systems metabolic engineering employed for the development of microorganisms for the production of various industrially useful chemicals belonging to fuels, building block chemicals, and specialty chemicals......, in particular focusing on those reported in the last three years. It was aimed at providing the current landscape of systems metabolic engineering and suggesting directions to address future challenges towards successfully establishing processes for the bio-based production of fuels and chemicals from renewable...

  10. Numerical prediction of flow and mixing characteristics in CVCS chemical addition system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, K.S.

    1999-01-01

    A numerical result of the flow and mixing characteristics is presented for the flow field created by water injected into a cylindrical tank with an initially stationary fluid. The flow is relevant to the operation of the chemical addition system in the chemical and volume control system (CVCS) of nuclear power plants. This study was undertaken to provide a basis for modification of the previous design which gave a number of difficulties in installation and operation of the chemical addition system because it needs a special reciprocating pump with a high actual head. For the tank of length-to-diameter ratios (L/D) of 1, 2 and 3, each with and without a baffle inside, calculation results were obtained by solving the unsteady laminar two-dimensional elliptic forms of governing equations for the mass, momentum and species concentration. Finite-difference method was used to obtain discretization equations, and the SIMPLER solution algorithm was employed for the calculation procedure. Results showed that the baffle was very effective in enhancing the mixing in the tank, and that a baffle should be installed near the tank entrance in order to inject chemicals into the reactor coolant system (RCS) within the operating time required. (orig.)

  11. Chemical and Metallurgy Research (CMR) Sample Tracking System Design Document

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bargelski, C. J.; Berrett, D. E.

    1998-01-01

    The purpose of this document is to describe the system architecture of the Chemical and Metallurgy Research (CMR) Sample Tracking System at Los Alamos National Laboratory. During the course of the document observations are made concerning the objectives, constraints and limitations, technical approaches, and the technical deliverables

  12. Fascin 1 is dispensable for developmental and tumour angiogenesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yafeng Ma

    2013-09-01

    The actin bundling protein fascin 1 is not expressed in adult epithelial tissues, but during development it is transiently expressed in many different cell types, and later in adults it is expressed in a subset of immune cells, nervous tissues, endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and pericytes. In contrast to the wealth of knowledge about the role of fascin 1 in cancer cell migration and invasion, little is known about the involvement of fascin 1 in angiogenesis. We speculated that as angiogenesis involves migration and invasion of tissues by endothelial cells, fascin 1 might have a role in both normal and tumour angiogenesis. Here, we provide evidence that loss of fascin 1 causes relatively minor reductions to angiogenesis during embryonic, postnatal and cancerous development by examining E12.5 hindbrains, postnatal retinas and B16F0 tumour cell allografts in fascin 1-null mice. We also find that in fascin 1 null tissues, endothelial cells display reduced filopodia formation during sprouting. We thus propose that fascin 1 expression promotes angiogenesis via filopodia formation, but is largely dispensable for both normal and tumour angiogenesis.

  13. Cyclic di-adenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP) is required for osmotic regulation in Staphylococcus aureus but dispensable for viability in anaerobic conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeden, Merve S; Schuster, Christopher F; Bowman, Lisa; Zhong, Qiyun; Williams, Huw D; Gründling, Angelika

    2018-03-02

    Cyclic di-adenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP) is a recently discovered signaling molecule important for the survival of Firmicutes, a large bacterial group that includes notable pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus However, the exact role of this molecule has not been identified. dacA , the S. aureus gene encoding the diadenylate cyclase enzyme required for c-di-AMP production, cannot be deleted when bacterial cells are grown in rich medium, indicating that c-di-AMP is required for growth in this condition. Here, we report that an S. aureus dacA mutant can be generated in chemically defined medium. Consistent with previous findings, this mutant had a severe growth defect when cultured in rich medium. Using this growth defect in rich medium, we selected for suppressor strains with improved growth to identify c-di-AMP-requiring pathways. Mutations bypassing the essentiality of dacA were identified in alsT and opuD, encoding a predicted amino acid and osmolyte transporter, the latter of which we show here to be the main glycine betaine-uptake system in S. aureus. Inactivation of these transporters likely prevents the excessive osmolyte and amino acid accumulation in the cell, providing further evidence for a key role of c-di-AMP in osmotic regulation. Suppressor mutations were also obtained in hepS, hemB, ctaA, and qoxB, coding proteins required for respiration. Furthermore, we show that dacA is dispensable for growth in anaerobic conditions. Together, these findings reveal an essential role for the c-di-AMP signaling network in aerobic, but not anaerobic, respiration in S. aureus . © 2018 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  14. Influence of pharmacists' opinions on their dispensing medicines without requirement of a doctor's prescription

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco Caamaño

    2005-02-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To assess the influence of pharmacists' opinions on their dispensing medicines with a «medical prescription only» label without requiring a doctor's prescription. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of 166 community pharmacies in northwest Spain. The opinions of pharmacists on the following were collected as independent variables through personal interview: a physicians' prescribing practices; b the pharmacist's qualifications to prescribe; c the responsibility of the pharmacist regarding the dispensed drugs; d the customer' qualifications for self-medication; and e the pharmacist's perception of his or her own work. The dependent variable was the pharmacist's demand for a medical prescription for 5 drugs, which in Spain require a prescription. Multiple linear regression models were constructed. Results: The response rate was 98.8%. A total of 65.9% of pharmacists reported dispensing antibiotics without a prescription. This percentage was 83.5% for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, 46.3% for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, 13.4% for benzodiazepines, and 84.8% for oral contraceptives. Further results showed that pharmacists with a heavier workload and those who underestimated the physicians' qualifications to prescribe but overestimated their own qualifications to prescribe less frequently demanded medical prescriptions. In contrast, pharmacists who stressed the importance of their duty in rationalizing the consumption of drugs more frequently demanded medical prescriptions. Conclusion: Our results suggest that to increase the quality of dispensing: a the importance of the pharmacist's duty in controlling drug consumption should be stressed; b pharmacies' workload should be optimized; and c perceptions of physicians' prescribing practices among pharmacists should be improved.Objetivo: Evaluar la influencia de las opiniones de los farmacéuticos que no solicitan receta médica para dispensar fármacos que la

  15. Recent advances in microbial production of fuels and chemicals using tools and strategies of systems metabolic engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Changhee; Choi, So Young; Luo, Zi Wei; Lee, Sang Yup

    2015-11-15

    The advent of various systems metabolic engineering tools and strategies has enabled more sophisticated engineering of microorganisms for the production of industrially useful fuels and chemicals. Advances in systems metabolic engineering have been made in overproducing natural chemicals and producing novel non-natural chemicals. In this paper, we review the tools and strategies of systems metabolic engineering employed for the development of microorganisms for the production of various industrially useful chemicals belonging to fuels, building block chemicals, and specialty chemicals, in particular focusing on those reported in the last three years. It was aimed at providing the current landscape of systems metabolic engineering and suggesting directions to address future challenges towards successfully establishing processes for the bio-based production of fuels and chemicals from renewable resources. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. WAR DSS: A DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS CHEMICAL PROCESS DESIGN

    Science.gov (United States)

    The second generation of the Waste Reduction (WAR) Algorithm is constructed as a decision support system (DSS) in the design of chemical manufacturing facilities. The WAR DSS is a software tool that can help reduce the potential environmental impacts (PEIs) of industrial chemical...

  17. Systems and Methods for RFID-Enabled Dispenser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fink, Patrick W. (Inventor); Lin, Gregory Y. (Inventor); Kennedy, Timothy F. (Inventor); Ngo, Phong H. (Inventor); Byerly, Diane (Inventor)

    2015-01-01

    Methods, apparatuses and systems for radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled information collection are disclosed, including an enclosure, a collector coupled to the enclosure, an interrogator, a processor, and one or more RFID field sensors, each having an individual identification, disposed within the enclosure. In operation, the interrogator transmits an incident signal to the collector, causing the collector to generate an electromagnetic field within the enclosure. The electromagnetic field is affected by one or more influences. RFID sensors respond to the electromagnetic field by transmitting reflected signals containing the individual identifications of the responding RFID sensors to the interrogator. The interrogator receives the reflected signals, measures one or more returned signal strength indications ("RSSI") of the reflected signals and sends the RSSI measurements and identification of the responding RFID sensors to the processor to determine one or more facts about the influences. Other embodiments are also described.

  18. Development of chemical cleaning formulation for service water system of FBTR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Velmurugan, S.; Narasimhan, S.V.; Das, P.C.; Mathur, P.K.

    1995-01-01

    Service water system of Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) was found to be corroded and at few locations, the corrosion product oxides were choking the smaller diameter pipelines. An attempt was made to develop a chemical cleaning formulation to chemically remove the oxides using a surface conditioner and chelating agents. Of the several complexants tested, hydroxyethylethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (HEDTA) was found to be better than other complexants from the point of view of oxide dissolution efficiency, solubility etc. A two stage chemical cleaning process involving conditioning of the oxide layer with 0.1% tannic acid followed by exposure of the conditioned oxide layer with a formulation containing 1% HEDTA + 0.5% Sodium Gluconate +0.2% hexamine was recommended to remove the corrosion product oxide present in the service water system. (author). 4 refs., 2 tabs

  19. S1P₄ Regulates Passive Systemic Anaphylaxis in Mice but Is Dispensable for Canonical IgE-Mediated Responses in Mast Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulinski, Joseph M; Proia, Richard L; Larson, Elisabeth M; Metcalfe, Dean D; Olivera, Ana

    2018-04-25

    Mast cells are key players in the development of inflammatory allergic reactions. Cross-linking of the high-affinity receptor for IgE (FcεRI) on mast cells leads to the generation and secretion of the sphingolipid mediator, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) which is able, in turn, to transactivate its receptors on mast cells. Previous reports have identified the expression of two of the five receptors for S1P on mast cells, S1P₁ and S1P₂, with functions in FcεRI-mediated chemotaxis and degranulation, respectively. Here, we show that cultured mouse mast cells also express abundant message for S1P₄. Genetic deletion of S1pr4 did not affect the differentiation of bone marrow progenitors into mast cells or the proliferation of mast cells in culture. A comprehensive characterization of IgE-mediated responses in S1P₄-deficient bone marrow-derived and peritoneal mouse mast cells indicated that this receptor is dispensable for mast cell degranulation, cytokine/chemokine production and FcεRI-mediated chemotaxis in vitro. However, interleukin-33 (IL-33)-mediated enhancement of IgE-induced degranulation was reduced in S1P₄-deficient peritoneal mast cells, revealing a potential negative regulatory role for S1P₄ in an IL-33-rich environment. Surprisingly, genetic deletion of S1pr4 resulted in exacerbation of passive systemic anaphylaxis to IgE/anti-IgE in mice, a phenotype likely related to mast cell-extrinsic influences, such as the high circulating levels of IgE in these mice which increases FcεRI expression and consequently the extent of the response to FcεRI engagement. Thus, we provide evidence that S1P₄ modulates anaphylaxis in an unexpected manner that does not involve regulation of mast cell responsiveness to IgE stimulation.

  20. Essentials of water systems design in the oil, gas, and chemical processing industries

    CERN Document Server

    Bahadori, Alireza; Boyd, Bill

    2013-01-01

    Essentials of Water Systems Design in the Oil, Gas and Chemical Processing Industries provides valuable insight for decision makers by outlining key technical considerations and requirements of four critical systems in industrial processing plants—water treatment systems, raw water and plant water systems, cooling water distribution and return systems, and fire water distribution and storage facilities. The authors identify the key technical issues and minimum requirements related to the process design and selection of various water supply systems used in the oil, gas, and chemical processing industries. This book is an ideal, multidisciplinary work for mechanical engineers, environmental scientists, and oil and gas process engineers.

  1. Transport-induced shifts in condensate dew-point and composition in multicomponent systems with chemical reaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosner, D. E.; Nagarajan, R.

    1985-01-01

    Partial heterogeneous condensation phenomena in multicomponent reacting systems are analyzed taking into consideration the chemical element transport phenomena. It is demonstrated that the dew-point surface temperature in chemically reactive systems is not a purely thermodynamic quantity, but is influenced by the multicomponent diffusion and Soret-mass diffusion phenomena. Several distinct dew-points are shown to exist in such systems and, as a result of transport constraints, the 'sharp' locus between two chemically distinct condensates is systematically moved to a difference mainstream composition.

  2. ASCIZ/ATMIN is dispensable for ATM signaling in response to replication stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Rui; King, Ashleigh; Hoch, Nicolas C; Chang, Catherine; Kelly, Gemma L; Deans, Andrew J; Heierhorst, Jörg

    2017-09-01

    The ATM kinase plays critical roles in the response to DNA double-strand breaks, and can also be activated by prolonged DNA replication blocks. It has recently been proposed that replication stress-dependent ATM activation is mediated by ASCIZ (also known as ATMIN, ZNF822), an essential developmental transcription factor. In contrast, we show here that ATM activation, and phosphorylation of its substrates KAP1, p53 and H2AX in response to the replication blocking agent aphidicolin was unaffected in both immortalized and primary ASCIZ/ATMIN-deficient murine embryonic fibroblasts compared to control cells. Similar results were also obtained in human ASCIZ/ATMIN-deleted lymphoma cells. The results demonstrate that ASCIZ/ATMIN is dispensable for ATM activation, and contradict the previously reported dependence of ATM on ASCIZ/ATMIN. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Audit Report. Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System Preparation for Year 2000

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    1998-01-01

    .... The overall audit objective was to determine whether the Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System was adequately preparing its information technology systems to resolve date-processing issues...

  4. Nonequilibrium thermodynamics transport and rate processes in physical, chemical and biological systems

    CERN Document Server

    Demirel, Yasar

    2014-01-01

    Natural phenomena consist of simultaneously occurring transport processes and chemical reactions. These processes may interact with each other and may lead to self-organized structures, fluctuations, instabilities, and evolutionary systems. Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics, 3rd edition emphasizes the unifying role of thermodynamics in analyzing the natural phenomena. This third edition updates and expands on the first and second editions by focusing on the general balance equations for coupled processes of physical, chemical, and biological systems. The new edition contains a new chapte

  5. MINEQL, Chemical Equilibrium Composition of Aqueous Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Westall, John C.; Zachary, Joseph L.; Morel, Francois M.M.; Parsons, Ralph M.; Schweingruber, M.

    1994-01-01

    1 - Description of program or function: MINEQL is a subroutine package to calculate equilibrium composition of an aqueous system, accounting for mass transfer. MINEQL-EIR contains an additional base on enthalpy and heat capacity data and has the option to do calculations at temperatures different from 25 degrees C. 2 - Method of solution: In MINEQL, the Gibbs free-energy function is minimized and mass balance chemical reaction equations are solved simultaneously. In MINEQL-EIR, the iteration scheme to solve the system of equations has been improved to make the probability of divergence very small. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: MINEQL does not take into account mass transfer of water molecules

  6. Slow Invariant Manifolds in Chemically Reactive Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paolucci, Samuel; Powers, Joseph M.

    2006-11-01

    The scientific design of practical gas phase combustion devices has come to rely on the use of mathematical models which include detailed chemical kinetics. Such models intrinsically admit a wide range of scales which renders their accurate numerical approximation difficult. Over the past decade, rational strategies, such as Intrinsic Low Dimensional Manifolds (ILDM) or Computational Singular Perturbations (CSP), for equilibrating fast time scale events have been successfully developed, though their computation can be challenging and their accuracy in most cases uncertain. Both are approximations to the preferable slow invariant manifold which best describes how the system evolves in the long time limit. Strategies for computing the slow invariant manifold are examined, and results are presented for practical combustion systems.

  7. Pharmacy Professionals' Dispensing Practice, Knowledge, and Attitude towards Emergency Contraceptives in Gondar Town, Northwestern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

    OpenAIRE

    Belachew, Sewunet Admasu; Yimenu, Dawit Kumilachew; Gebresillassie, Begashaw Melaku

    2017-01-01

    Background. Pharmacy professionals, as the most available members of medical team, have an important role in educating patients about the effective and appropriate use of contraceptives. The purpose of this study was to assess pharmacy professionals’ dispensing practice, knowledge, and attitude towards emergency contraceptives use in Gondar town, northwestern Ethiopia. Methods. An institution based cross-sectional study was employed from May 14 to June 14, 2016, on 60 pharmacy professionals, ...

  8. Effects of Televised Direct-to-Consumer Advertising for Varenicline on Prescription Dispensing in the United States, 2006-2009.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Yoonsang; Kornfield, Rachel; Shi, Yaru; Vera, Lisa; Daubresse, Matthew; Alexander, G Caleb; Emery, Sherry

    2016-05-01

    Televised direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription drugs is controversial, especially for tobacco cessation products such as varenicline, given safety concerns that arose only after its market approval. We aim to quantify the extent to which DTCA influenced varenicline use. We linked monthly DTCA television ratings with monthly prescription data from IMS Health's National Prescription Audit across top 75 media markets in 2006-2009. We used Poisson models with Generalized Estimating Equations to analyze effects of exposures to DTCA for both varenicline and nicotine replacement therapies on rate of dispensed varenicline prescriptions among smokers, controlling for population characteristics and varenicline-related events. Varenicline prescriptions increased dramatically following DTCA launch and declined sharply after safety risks were publicized and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advisory. DTCA had significant impact on new prescription dispensing in the subsequent month: before the FDA advisory, one additional exposure to varenicline DTCA was associated with a 1.8% (rate ratio [RR] = 1.018 [1.015-1.021]) higher rate of new prescriptions; no effect was observed after the advisory (RR = 1.000 [0.997-1.003]). Prior to the advisory, cross-product effects of nicotine replacement therapy advertising on varenicline prescribing were negligible (RR = 1.002 [0.999-1.004]); after the advisory, effects were positive (RR = 1.015 [1.012-1.019]). DTCA for varenicline had a significant impact on varenicline prescribing when the drug's safety profile was not well characterized, supporting arguments to limit DTCA for newly approved products whose real-world safety is unclear. We examined the fluctuations in varenicline use in association with DTCA for varenicline and other tobacco cessation aids. To our knowledge this is the first study to quantify the effects of televised DTCA for varenicline and other tobacco cessation aids on varenicline

  9. 40 CFR 63.443 - Standards for the pulping system at kraft, soda, and semi-chemical processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Paper Industry § 63.443 Standards for the pulping system at kraft, soda, and semi-chemical processes. (a... operator of each pulping system using a semi-chemical or soda process subject to the requirements of this... kraft, soda, and semi-chemical processes. 63.443 Section 63.443 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL...

  10. Improving integrative searching of systems chemical biology data using semantic annotation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Bin; Ding, Ying; Wild, David J

    2012-03-08

    Systems chemical biology and chemogenomics are considered critical, integrative disciplines in modern biomedical research, but require data mining of large, integrated, heterogeneous datasets from chemistry and biology. We previously developed an RDF-based resource called Chem2Bio2RDF that enabled querying of such data using the SPARQL query language. Whilst this work has proved useful in its own right as one of the first major resources in these disciplines, its utility could be greatly improved by the application of an ontology for annotation of the nodes and edges in the RDF graph, enabling a much richer range of semantic queries to be issued. We developed a generalized chemogenomics and systems chemical biology OWL ontology called Chem2Bio2OWL that describes the semantics of chemical compounds, drugs, protein targets, pathways, genes, diseases and side-effects, and the relationships between them. The ontology also includes data provenance. We used it to annotate our Chem2Bio2RDF dataset, making it a rich semantic resource. Through a series of scientific case studies we demonstrate how this (i) simplifies the process of building SPARQL queries, (ii) enables useful new kinds of queries on the data and (iii) makes possible intelligent reasoning and semantic graph mining in chemogenomics and systems chemical biology. Chem2Bio2OWL is available at http://chem2bio2rdf.org/owl. The document is available at http://chem2bio2owl.wikispaces.com.

  11. Performance metrics for the evaluation of hyperspectral chemical identification systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Truslow, Eric; Golowich, Steven; Manolakis, Dimitris; Ingle, Vinay

    2016-02-01

    Remote sensing of chemical vapor plumes is a difficult but important task for many military and civilian applications. Hyperspectral sensors operating in the long-wave infrared regime have well-demonstrated detection capabilities. However, the identification of a plume's chemical constituents, based on a chemical library, is a multiple hypothesis testing problem which standard detection metrics do not fully describe. We propose using an additional performance metric for identification based on the so-called Dice index. Our approach partitions and weights a confusion matrix to develop both the standard detection metrics and identification metric. Using the proposed metrics, we demonstrate that the intuitive system design of a detector bank followed by an identifier is indeed justified when incorporating performance information beyond the standard detection metrics.

  12. Incidence and cost of medications dispensed despite electronic medical record discontinuation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baranowski, Patrick J; Peterson, Kristin L; Statz-Paynter, Jamie L; Zorek, Joseph A

    2015-01-01

    To determine the incidence and cost of medications dispensed despite discontinuation (MDDD) of the medications in the electronic medical record within an integrated health care organization. Dean Health System, with medical clinics and pharmacies linked by an electronic medical record, and a shared health plan and pharmacy benefits management company. Pharmacist-led quality improvement project using retrospective chart review. Electronic medical records, pharmacy records, and prescription claims data from patients 18 years of age or older who had a prescription filled for a chronic condition from June 2012 to August 2013 and submitted a claim through the Dean Health Plan were aggregated and cross-referenced to identify MDDD. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize demographics and MDDD incidence. Fisher's exact test and independent samples t tests were used to compare MDDD and non-MDDD groups. Wholesale acquisition cost was applied to each MDDD event. 7,406 patients met inclusion criteria. For 223 (3%) patients with MDDD, 253 independent events were identified. In terms of frequency per category, antihypertensive agents topped the list, followed, in descending order, by anticonvulsants, antilipemics, antidiabetics, and anticoagulants. Nine medications accounted for 59% (150 of 253) of all MDDD events; these included (again in descending order): gabapentin, atorvastatin, simvastatin, hydrochlorothiazide, lisinopril, warfarin, furosemide, metformin, and metoprolol. Mail-service pharmacies accounted for the highest incidence (5.3%) of MDDD, followed by mass merchandisers (4.6%) and small chains (3.9%). The total cost attributable to MDDD was $9,397.74. Development of a technology-based intervention to decrease the incidence of MDDD may be warranted to improve patient safety and decrease health care costs.

  13. Gene disruption reveals a dispensable role for plasmepsin VII in the Plasmodium berghei life cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mastan, Babu S; Kumari, Anchala; Gupta, Dinesh; Mishra, Satish; Kumar, Kota Arun

    2014-06-01

    Plasmepsins (PM), aspartic proteases of Plasmodium, comprises a family of ten proteins that perform critical functions in Plasmodium life cycle. Except VII and VIII, functions of the remaining plasmepsin members have been well characterized. Here, we have generated a mutant parasite lacking PM VII in Plasmodium berghei using reverse genetics approach. Systematic comparison of growth kinetics and infection in both mosquito and vertebrate host revealed that PM VII depleted mutants exhibited no defects in development and progressed normally throughout the parasite life cycle. These studies suggest a dispensable role for PM VII in Plasmodium berghei life cycle. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Development of clean chemical mechanical polishing systems; Clean CMP system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsujimura, M.; Hosokawa, M. [Ebara Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

    1998-10-20

    Described herein are clean chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) systems developed by Ebara. A CMP system needs advanced peripheral techniques, in addition to those for grinding adopted by the conventional system, in order to fully exhibit its inherent functions. An integrated design concept is essential for the CMP steps, including slurry supplying, polishing, washing, process controlling and waste fluid treatment. The Ebara has adopted a standard concept `Clean CMP, dry-in and dry-out of wafers,` and provided world`s highest grades of techniques for inter-layer insulating film, shallow trench isolation, plug and wiring. The head for the polishing module is specially designed by FEM, to improve homogeneity of wafers from the center to edges. The dresser is also specially designed, to improve pad surface topolody after dressing. A slurry dipsersing method is developed to reduce slurry consumption. Various washing modules, designed to have the same external shape, can be allocated to various functions. 10 figs.

  15. 33 CFR 149.416 - What are the requirements for a dry chemical fire suppression system?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... the requirements for a dry chemical fire suppression system? Each natural gas deepwater port must be... dry chemical fire suppression system? 149.416 Section 149.416 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) DEEPWATER PORTS DEEPWATER PORTS: DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION...

  16. Pulse-density modulation control of chemical oscillation far from equilibrium in a droplet open-reactor system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugiura, Haruka; Ito, Manami; Okuaki, Tomoya; Mori, Yoshihito; Kitahata, Hiroyuki; Takinoue, Masahiro

    2016-01-20

    The design, construction and control of artificial self-organized systems modelled on dynamical behaviours of living systems are important issues in biologically inspired engineering. Such systems are usually based on complex reaction dynamics far from equilibrium; therefore, the control of non-equilibrium conditions is required. Here we report a droplet open-reactor system, based on droplet fusion and fission, that achieves dynamical control over chemical fluxes into/out of the reactor for chemical reactions far from equilibrium. We mathematically reveal that the control mechanism is formulated as pulse-density modulation control of the fusion-fission timing. We produce the droplet open-reactor system using microfluidic technologies and then perform external control and autonomous feedback control over autocatalytic chemical oscillation reactions far from equilibrium. We believe that this system will be valuable for the dynamical control over self-organized phenomena far from equilibrium in chemical and biomedical studies.

  17. Infection prevention and mass vaccination training for U.S. point of dispensing staff and volunteers: a national study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rebmann, Terri; Loux, Travis M; Zink, Thomas K; Swick, Zachary; Wakefield, Mary

    2015-03-01

    Points of dispensing (PODs) are deployed for medical countermeasure mass dispensing. However, infection prevention and vaccine administration pre-event training offered and just-in-time (JIT) education planned for POD workers have not been assessed. Disaster planners were sent an online questionnaire in 2013. McNemar tests compared training offered to staff versus volunteers and pre-event training versus JIT training. In total, 301 disaster planners participated. The most frequent pre-event training included hand hygiene (59.1% and 28.0%) and personal protective equipment (PPE) selection (52.1% and 24.1%) for staff and volunteers, respectively. Few provided pre-event training on the cold chain technique (14.8% and 5.1%) or smallpox vaccine administration (4.7% and 2.3%) for staff or volunteers. For all topics except smallpox vaccine administration, more staff than volunteers received pre-event training (P training includes hand hygiene (79.8% and 73.5%) and PPE selection (79.4% and 70.0%) to staff and volunteers. For all topics, more JIT education is planned for staff than volunteers (P training is planned than has been given pre-event for all topics (P training is needed on infection prevention and vaccine administration to ensure safe and successful POD deployment. Copyright © 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. INSPACE CHEMICAL PROPULSION SYSTEMS AT NASA's MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER: HERITAGE AND CAPABILITIES

    Science.gov (United States)

    McRight, P. S.; Sheehy, J. A.; Blevins, J. A.

    2005-01-01

    NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is well known for its contributions to large ascent propulsion systems such as the Saturn V rocket and the Space Shuttle external tank, solid rocket boosters, and main engines. This paper highlights a lesser known but very rich side of MSFC-its heritage in the development of in-space chemical propulsion systems and its current capabilities for spacecraft propulsion system development and chemical propulsion research. The historical narrative describes the flight development activities associated with upper stage main propulsion systems such as the Saturn S-IVB as well as orbital maneuvering and reaction control systems such as the S-IVB auxiliary propulsion system, the Skylab thruster attitude control system, and many more recent activities such as Chandra, the Demonstration of Automated Rendezvous Technology (DART), X-37, the X-38 de-orbit propulsion system, the Interim Control Module, the US Propulsion Module, and multiple technology development activities. This paper also highlights MSFC s advanced chemical propulsion research capabilities, including an overview of the center s Propulsion Systems Department and ongoing activities. The authors highlight near-term and long-term technology challenges to which MSFC research and system development competencies are relevant. This paper concludes by assessing the value of the full range of aforementioned activities, strengths, and capabilities in light of NASA s exploration missions.

  19. Application of a reversible chemical reaction system to solar thermal power plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanseth, E. J.; Won, Y. S.; Seibowitz, L. P.

    1980-01-01

    Three distributed dish solar thermal power systems using various applications of SO2/SO3 chemical energy storage and transport technology were comparatively assessed. Each system features various roles for the chemical system: (1) energy storage only, (2) energy transport, or (3) energy transport and storage. These three systems were also compared with the dish-Stirling, using electrical transport and battery storage, and the central receiver Rankine system, with thermal storage, to determine the relative merit of plants employing a thermochemical system. As an assessment criterion, the busbar energy costs were compared. Separate but comparable solar energy cost computer codes were used for distributed receiver and central receiver systems. Calculations were performed for capacity factors ranging from 0.4 to 0.8. The results indicate that SO2/SO3 technology has the potential to be more cost effective in transporting the collected energy than in storing the energy for the storage capacity range studied (2-15 hours)

  20. Determination of solute organic concentration in contaminated soils using a chemical-equilibrium soil column system

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gamst, Jesper; Kjeldsen, Peter; Christensen, Thomas Højlund

    2007-01-01

    using two soils with different content of organic carbon (f(oc) of 1.5 and 6.5%, respectively). A quadruple blind test of the ER-V system using glass beads in stead of soil showed an acceptable recovery (65-85%) of all of the 11 VOCs tested. Only for the most volatile compound (heptane, K-H similar...... to 80) an unacceptable recovery was found (9%). The contact time needed for obtaining chemical equilibrium was tested in the ER-H system by performing five test with different duration (1, 2, 4, 7 and 19 days) using the low organic carbon soil. Seven days of contact time appeared sufficient...... for determination of solute concentration in a contaminated soil were developed; (1) a chemical Equilibrium and Recirculation column test for Volatile organic chemicals (ER-V) and (2) a chemical Equilibrium and Recirculation column test for Hydrophobic organic chemicals (ER-H). The two test systems were evaluated...

  1. Where do organic chemicals found in soil systems come from

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dragun, J.; Mason, S.A.; Barkach, J.H.

    1991-01-01

    Today's regulatory climate encourages the private sector to assess the environmental condition of their facilities. An environmental assessment often includes the collection of soil samples. Despite the trend to obtain reams of numbers to show the presence of chemicals, many misconceptions exist among environmental scientists and engineers regarding the interpretation of those numbers. The presence of organic chemicals in soil may or may not be problematic. This depends primarily upon the source. If an industrial point source is responsible for the spill or bulk release, then remedial activity usually ensues. However, if the source is not an industrial release, then remedial activity may not be required. This paper will briefly discuss the sources, other than industrial point sources, responsible for the presence of organic chemicals in soil systems

  2. Tillage, fertilization systems and chemical attributes of a Paleudult

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evelyn Penedo Dorneles

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Tillage and fertilization methods may affect soil fertility. With the aim of assessing changes in soil chemical properties over a period of ten years, soil samples of a Paleudult were collected over nine seasons at three layer depths (0-5, 5-10, 10-20 cm and were chemically analyzed. Grain yield and nutrient export in two summer crops, soybean (Glycine max and corn (Zea mays, in a field experiment set in Eldorado do Sul, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, were determined. Three soil tillage systems were evaluated, conventional (CT, reduced (RT and no-tillage (NT, combined with mineral (lime and fertilizers and organic (poultry litter fertilization. The no-tillage system stood out as compared to the others, especially in the surface layer, in terms of values of organic matter, soil pH, available phosphorus, cation exchange capacity and base saturation. Phosphorus content was higher under organic than mineral fertilization due to the criteria used for the establishment of fertilizer doses. Under organic fertilization, soil pH values were similar to those obtained in limed soil samples because of the cumulative effect of the organic fertilizer. Soybean yield was lower under NT in comparison to the RT and CT systems. Consequently, soybean grain exported a lower content of nutrients than maize grain. Maize yield was not affected by either tillage or fertilization systems.

  3. Improving integrative searching of systems chemical biology data using semantic annotation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chen Bin

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Systems chemical biology and chemogenomics are considered critical, integrative disciplines in modern biomedical research, but require data mining of large, integrated, heterogeneous datasets from chemistry and biology. We previously developed an RDF-based resource called Chem2Bio2RDF that enabled querying of such data using the SPARQL query language. Whilst this work has proved useful in its own right as one of the first major resources in these disciplines, its utility could be greatly improved by the application of an ontology for annotation of the nodes and edges in the RDF graph, enabling a much richer range of semantic queries to be issued. Results We developed a generalized chemogenomics and systems chemical biology OWL ontology called Chem2Bio2OWL that describes the semantics of chemical compounds, drugs, protein targets, pathways, genes, diseases and side-effects, and the relationships between them. The ontology also includes data provenance. We used it to annotate our Chem2Bio2RDF dataset, making it a rich semantic resource. Through a series of scientific case studies we demonstrate how this (i simplifies the process of building SPARQL queries, (ii enables useful new kinds of queries on the data and (iii makes possible intelligent reasoning and semantic graph mining in chemogenomics and systems chemical biology. Availability Chem2Bio2OWL is available at http://chem2bio2rdf.org/owl. The document is available at http://chem2bio2owl.wikispaces.com.

  4. [Advances in novel carrier systems of chemical constituents from spice volatile oils].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jia-jia; Zhu, Yuan; Yu, Jiang-nan; Xu, Xi-ming

    2015-10-01

    Recent years, chemical constituents from spice volatile oils have gained worldwide concern owing to its multiple pharmacological effects and safety for using as the natural antibacterial agents. However, their poor dissolution, strong volatility, serious irritation, weak stability, easy oxidation and low bioavailability characteristics are the major obstacle in the preparation of effective oral formulation and practical application. Therefore, there is an urgent need to select a novel carrier system that can delivery the chemical constituents from spice volatile oils more efficiently with improving their stability as well as alleviating the irritation, and develop the functional food, health products and even medicine for exerting their pharmacological effects, which also is the focus and nodus of the research on their application. This review presents recent systematic studies on their novel carrier systems, including cyclodextrin inclusion complex, liposomes, nanoemulsions, nanoparticles, solid dispersion and so on, and summarizes the characteristics, application range and problems of each novel carrier systems, in order to provide some beneficial thoughts in further developing new products of chemical constituents from spice volatile oils.

  5. Fibroblast activation protein is dispensable in the anti-influenza immune response in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sioh-Yang Tan

    Full Text Available Fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAP is a unique dual peptidase of the S9B serine protease family, being capable of both dipeptidyl peptidase and endopeptidase activities. FAP is expressed at low level in healthy adult organs including the pancreas, cervix, uterus, submaxillary gland and the skin, and highly upregulated in embryogenesis, chronic inflammation and tissue remodelling. It is also expressed by cancer-associated stromal fibroblasts in more than 90% of epithelial tumours. FAP has enzymatic and non-enzymatic functions in the growth, immunosuppression, invasion and cell signalling of tumour cells. FAP deficient mice are fertile and viable with no gross abnormality, but little data exist on the role of FAP in the immune system. FAP is upregulated in association with microbial stimulation and chronic inflammation, but its function in infection remains unknown. We showed that major populations of immune cells including CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, B cells, dendritic cells and neutrophils are generated and maintained normally in FAP knockout mice. Upon intranasal challenge with influenza virus, FAP mRNA was increased in the lungs and lung-draining lymph nodes. Nonetheless, FAP deficient mice showed similar pathologic kinetics to wildtype controls, and were capable of supporting normal anti-influenza T and B cell responses. There was no evidence of compensatory upregulation of other DPP4 family members in influenza-infected FAP-deficient mice. FAP appears to be dispensable in anti-influenza adaptive immunity.

  6. Engineered Barrier System Thermal-Hydraulic-Chemical Column Test Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    W.E. Lowry

    2001-01-01

    The Engineered Barrier System (EBS) Thermal-Hydraulic-Chemical (THC) Column Tests provide data needed for model validation. The EBS Degradation, Flow, and Transport Process Modeling Report (PMR) will be based on supporting models for in-drift THC coupled processes, and the in-drift physical and chemical environment. These models describe the complex chemical interaction of EBS materials, including granular materials, with the thermal and hydrologic conditions that will be present in the repository emplacement drifts. Of particular interest are the coupled processes that result in mineral and salt dissolution/precipitation in the EBS environment. Test data are needed for thermal, hydrologic, and geochemical model validation and to support selection of introduced materials (CRWMS M and O 1999c). These column tests evaluated granular crushed tuff as potential invert ballast or backfill material, under accelerated thermal and hydrologic environments. The objectives of the THC column testing are to: (1) Characterize THC coupled processes that could affect performance of EBS components, particularly the magnitude of permeability reduction (increases or decreases), the nature of minerals produced, and chemical fractionation (i.e., concentrative separation of salts and minerals due to boiling-point elevation). (2) Generate data for validating THC predictive models that will support the EBS Degradation, Flow, and Transport PMR, Rev. 01

  7. Maintenance Management Systems in the Czech Enterprises of Chemical and Food Industries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lenka Branska

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Purpose of the article: The aim of this article is to use the results of the qualitative research to describe the current form of maintenance systems used in enterprises of chemical and food industries, and then to discuss and generalize the results. Methodology/methods: The primary qualitative research was conducted in five companies, which can be regarded as typical representatives of the industries. The main objective of the primary research in individual companies was to determine how they perform the strategic and tactical operational planning of maintenance, implementation of these plans and their control. Individual interviews with respondents were used as the research method. The results of the research were processed using the content analysis method. Subsequently, comparison of the findings from individual businesses and subsequent synthesis thereof was performed, which allowed making generalizations. Scientific aim: The scientific aim of the article is to develop knowledge in the field of maintenance management by specifying the form of the maintenance systems utilized in Czech enterprises of the chemical and food industries and identifying the main opportunities for their improvement. Findings: Czech enterprises of the chemical and food industries utilize maintenance management systems. These systems are aimed at prevention, emphasizing the planning of maintenance activities in fixed periodic intervals. Also, they often utilize diagnostic maintenance. However, the maintenance systems currently used cannot be considered fully operational, with regard to the relatively large volume of after-failure repairs. Conclusions: Production equipment maintenance systems are irreplaceable in chemical and food industry enterprises, but there is great potential for improvement. Improvement should be focused on the area of strategic as well as tactical and operational planning of production equipment maintenance. In terms of strategy, the biggest

  8. CHEMSIMUL - A program package for numerical simulation of chemical reaction systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lang Rasmussen, O.; Bjergbakke, E.

    1984-01-01

    A description is given of a program package, CHEMSIMUL, for numerical simulation of chemical reaction systems. The main components in the package are a translator of chemical equations to differential equations, a balance equation program, a differential equation solver, EPISODE, and an input/output program. The performance of the program is demonstrated by four examples. A manual for the input file and the complete program text with comments are given in Appendices I and II. (author)

  9. Recent Activities in Electro-Thermal Chemical Launcher Technologies at BAE Systems

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Dyvik, Jahn; Herbig, Juleigh; Appleton, Randall; O'Reilly, John; Shin, Jonathan

    2006-01-01

    ..., improvement of power connections to the gun to allow electromagnetic field containment and automated connection to the round, and tests of the completed ETC system with various chemical propellants...

  10. Predicting Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification of Drugs by Integrating Chemical-Chemical Interactions and Similarities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Lei; Zeng, Wei-Ming; Cai, Yu-Dong; Feng, Kai-Yan; Chou, Kuo-Chen

    2012-01-01

    The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system, recommended by the World Health Organization, categories drugs into different classes according to their therapeutic and chemical characteristics. For a set of query compounds, how can we identify which ATC-class (or classes) they belong to? It is an important and challenging problem because the information thus obtained would be quite useful for drug development and utilization. By hybridizing the informations of chemical-chemical interactions and chemical-chemical similarities, a novel method was developed for such purpose. It was observed by the jackknife test on a benchmark dataset of 3,883 drug compounds that the overall success rate achieved by the prediction method was about 73% in identifying the drugs among the following 14 main ATC-classes: (1) alimentary tract and metabolism; (2) blood and blood forming organs; (3) cardiovascular system; (4) dermatologicals; (5) genitourinary system and sex hormones; (6) systemic hormonal preparations, excluding sex hormones and insulins; (7) anti-infectives for systemic use; (8) antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents; (9) musculoskeletal system; (10) nervous system; (11) antiparasitic products, insecticides and repellents; (12) respiratory system; (13) sensory organs; (14) various. Such a success rate is substantially higher than 7% by the random guess. It has not escaped our notice that the current method can be straightforwardly extended to identify the drugs for their 2nd-level, 3rd-level, 4th-level, and 5th-level ATC-classifications once the statistically significant benchmark data are available for these lower levels. PMID:22514724

  11. Investigations on the optimum design of chemical addition system for nuclear power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chang, Byong Hoon [Junior College of Inchon, Inchon (Korea, Republic of); Chung, Chang Kyu; Choi, Han Rim; Kim, Eun Kee; Ro, Tae Sun [Korea Power Engineering Company, Inc. Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

    1998-12-31

    Mixing characteristics of the chemical additives in the chemical injection tank of the chemical and volume control system(CVCS) were investigated for the Yonggwang Nuclear units 5 and 6. Numerical calculations were performed with a low-Reynolds number turbulence model. Studies were also conducted for the injection tank with a disk located at 1/4H, 2/4H, and 3/4H from the inlet in order to see the effect in the enhancement of chemical mixing. Results show that the optimum arrangement is to locate a disk close to the inlet. 10 refs., 4 figs. (Author)

  12. Investigations on the optimum design of chemical addition system for nuclear power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chang, Byong Hoon [Junior College of Inchon, Inchon (Korea, Republic of); Chung, Chang Kyu; Choi, Han Rim; Kim, Eun Kee; Ro, Tae Sun [Korea Power Engineering Company, Inc. Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

    1997-12-31

    Mixing characteristics of the chemical additives in the chemical injection tank of the chemical and volume control system(CVCS) were investigated for the Yonggwang Nuclear units 5 and 6. Numerical calculations were performed with a low-Reynolds number turbulence model. Studies were also conducted for the injection tank with a disk located at 1/4H, 2/4H, and 3/4H from the inlet in order to see the effect in the enhancement of chemical mixing. Results show that the optimum arrangement is to locate a disk close to the inlet. 10 refs., 4 figs. (Author)

  13. The C-Terminal Domain of Cernunnos/XLF Is Dispensable for DNA Repair In Vivo▿ †

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malivert, Laurent; Callebaut, Isabelle; Rivera-Munoz, Paola; Fischer, Alain; Mornon, Jean-Paul; Revy, Patrick; de Villartay, Jean-Pierre

    2009-01-01

    The core nonhomologous end-joining DNA repair pathway is composed of seven factors: Ku70, Ku80, DNA-PKcs, Artemis, XRCC4 (X4), DNA ligase IV (L4), and Cernunnos/XLF (Cernunnos). Although Cernunnos and X4 are structurally related and participate in the same complex together with L4, they have distinct functions during DNA repair. L4 relies on X4 but not on Cernunnos for its stability, and L4 is required for optimal interaction of Cernunnos with X4. We demonstrate here, using in vitro-generated Cernunnos mutants and a series of functional assays in vivo, that the C-terminal region of Cernunnos is dispensable for its activity during DNA repair. PMID:19103754

  14. Method and apparatus for dispensing small quantities of mercury from evacuated and sealed glass capsules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grossman, Mark W.; George, William A.; Pai, Robert Y.

    1985-01-01

    A technique for opening an evacuated and sealed glass capsule containing a material that is to be dispensed which has a relatively high vapor pressure such as mercury. The capsule is typically disposed in a discharge tube envelope. The technique involves the use of a first light source imaged along the capsule and a second light source imaged across the capsule substantially transversely to the imaging of the first light source. Means are provided for constraining a segment of the capsule along its length with the constraining means being positioned to correspond with the imaging of the second light source. These light sources are preferably incandescent projection lamps. The constraining means is preferably a multiple looped wire support.

  15. Gaussian approximations for stochastic systems with delay: Chemical Langevin equation and application to a Brusselator system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brett, Tobias; Galla, Tobias

    2014-01-01

    We present a heuristic derivation of Gaussian approximations for stochastic chemical reaction systems with distributed delay. In particular, we derive the corresponding chemical Langevin equation. Due to the non-Markovian character of the underlying dynamics, these equations are integro-differential equations, and the noise in the Gaussian approximation is coloured. Following on from the chemical Langevin equation, a further reduction leads to the linear-noise approximation. We apply the formalism to a delay variant of the celebrated Brusselator model, and show how it can be used to characterise noise-driven quasi-cycles, as well as noise-triggered spiking. We find surprisingly intricate dependence of the typical frequency of quasi-cycles on the delay period

  16. Gaussian approximations for stochastic systems with delay: chemical Langevin equation and application to a Brusselator system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brett, Tobias; Galla, Tobias

    2014-03-28

    We present a heuristic derivation of Gaussian approximations for stochastic chemical reaction systems with distributed delay. In particular, we derive the corresponding chemical Langevin equation. Due to the non-Markovian character of the underlying dynamics, these equations are integro-differential equations, and the noise in the Gaussian approximation is coloured. Following on from the chemical Langevin equation, a further reduction leads to the linear-noise approximation. We apply the formalism to a delay variant of the celebrated Brusselator model, and show how it can be used to characterise noise-driven quasi-cycles, as well as noise-triggered spiking. We find surprisingly intricate dependence of the typical frequency of quasi-cycles on the delay period.

  17. Brand versus generic dispensing trend for ciprofloxacin 500 mg, levofloxacin 500 mg, and moxifloxacin 400 mg (oral dosage forms) among pharmacies of Karachi, Pakistan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zehra, Fatima; Naqvi, Atta Abbas; Tasneem, Sumbul; Ahmad, Rizwan; Ahmad, Niyaz; Shamsi, Adnan Zia; Asghar, Naqiya Ali; Khan, Ghufran Ullah

    2017-01-01

    Pakistan spends 0.7% of its gross domestic product on health. The public sector health-care system provides services to 22% of population thus paving the way for a dominant private sector. Patients in Pakistan mostly pay their medical expenses directly, and 64% of the health expenditures are borne by the household. Expenditure on medicine constitutes 43% of the total household expenditure. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted in Karachi, Pakistan, for a month. It was aimed at gathering response from different pharmacies to understand the brand versus generic dispensing trend of ciprofloxacin 500 mg, levofloxacin 500 mg, and moxifloxacin 400 mg oral dosage forms. The study employed convenience sampling and used a survey checklist. The data gathered was entered in SPSS version 22. The mean price per tablet for ciprofloxacin brand and generic was reported at Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 48.44 and PKR 26.85, respectively. The trend for dispensing ciprofloxacin highlighted a split in the market between brand (51%) and generic (49%). For levofloxacin brand and generic, the price per tablet was reported at PKR 36.50 and PKR 36.15 respectively, and despite same price, the market was dominated by generic levofloxacin (92%). Due to a price difference between brand and generic moxifloxacin, i.e., PKR 129.44 and PKR 71.91, respectively, the market was mostly occupied by the generic form (75%). Pricing mechanism must be revisited, and the authorities should take stern actions against any illegitimate price hike. The surging burden of drug expenditure on poorer sections of the society must be addressed by the government on an urgent basis.

  18. Chemical Kinetics of Hydrocarbon Ignition in Practical Combustion Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Westbrook, C.K.

    2000-01-01

    Chemical kinetic factors of hydrocarbon oxidation are examined in a variety of ignition problems. Ignition is related to the presence of a dominant chain branching reaction mechanism that can drive a chemical system to completion in a very short period of time. Ignition in laboratory environments is studied for problems including shock tubes and rapid compression machines. Modeling of the laboratory systems are used to develop kinetic models that can be used to analyze ignition in practical systems. Two major chain branching regimes are identified, one consisting of high temperature ignition with a chain branching reaction mechanism based on the reaction between atomic hydrogen with molecular oxygen, and the second based on an intermediate temperature thermal decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. Kinetic models are then used to describe ignition in practical combustion environments, including detonations and pulse combustors for high temperature ignition, and engine knock and diesel ignition for intermediate temperature ignition. The final example of ignition in a practical environment is homogeneous charge, compression ignition (HCCI) which is shown to be a problem dominated by the kinetics intermediate temperature hydrocarbon ignition. Model results show why high hydrocarbon and CO emissions are inevitable in HCCI combustion. The conclusion of this study is that the kinetics of hydrocarbon ignition are actually quite simple, since only one or two elementary reactions are dominant. However, there are many combustion factors that can influence these two major reactions, and these are the features that vary from one practical system to another

  19. Reliability Evaluation and Improvement Approach of Chemical Production Man - Machine - Environment System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miao, Yongchun; Kang, Rongxue; Chen, Xuefeng

    2017-12-01

    In recent years, with the gradual extension of reliability research, the study of production system reliability has become the hot topic in various industries. Man-machine-environment system is a complex system composed of human factors, machinery equipment and environment. The reliability of individual factor must be analyzed in order to gradually transit to the research of three-factor reliability. Meanwhile, the dynamic relationship among man-machine-environment should be considered to establish an effective blurry evaluation mechanism to truly and effectively analyze the reliability of such systems. In this paper, based on the system engineering, fuzzy theory, reliability theory, human error, environmental impact and machinery equipment failure theory, the reliabilities of human factor, machinery equipment and environment of some chemical production system were studied by the method of fuzzy evaluation. At last, the reliability of man-machine-environment system was calculated to obtain the weighted result, which indicated that the reliability value of this chemical production system was 86.29. Through the given evaluation domain it can be seen that the reliability of man-machine-environment integrated system is in a good status, and the effective measures for further improvement were proposed according to the fuzzy calculation results.

  20. SOLGASMIX-PV, Chemical System Equilibrium of Gaseous and Condensed Phase Mixtures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Besmann, T.M.

    1986-01-01

    1 - Description of program or function: SOLGASMIX-PV, which is based on the earlier SOLGAS and SOLGASMIX codes, calculates equilibrium relationships in complex chemical systems. Chemical equilibrium calculations involve finding the system composition, within certain constraints, which contains the minimum free energy. The constraints are the preservation of the masses of each element present and either constant pressure or volume. SOLGASMIX-PV can calculate equilibria in systems containing a gaseous phase, condensed phase solutions, and condensed phases of invariant and variable stoichiometry. Either a constant total gas volume or a constant total pressure can be assumed. Unit activities for condensed phases and ideality for solutions are assumed, although nonideal systems can be handled provided activity coefficient relationships are available. 2 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: The program is designed to handle a maximum of 20 elements, 99 substances, and 10 mixtures, where the gas phase is considered a mixture. Each substance is either a gas or condensed phase species, or a member of a condensed phase mixture

  1. Porous TiO₂-Based Gas Sensors for Cyber Chemical Systems to Provide Security and Medical Diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galstyan, Vardan

    2017-12-19

    Gas sensors play an important role in our life, providing control and security of technical processes, environment, transportation and healthcare. Consequently, the development of high performance gas sensor devices is the subject of intense research. TiO₂, with its excellent physical and chemical properties, is a very attractive material for the fabrication of chemical sensors. Meanwhile, the emerging technologies are focused on the fabrication of more flexible and smart systems for precise monitoring and diagnosis in real-time. The proposed cyber chemical systems in this paper are based on the integration of cyber elements with the chemical sensor devices. These systems may have a crucial effect on the environmental and industrial safety, control of carriage of dangerous goods and medicine. This review highlights the recent developments on fabrication of porous TiO₂-based chemical gas sensors for their application in cyber chemical system showing the convenience and feasibility of such a model to provide the security and to perform the diagnostics. The most of reports have demonstrated that the fabrication of doped, mixed and composite structures based on porous TiO₂ may drastically improve its sensing performance. In addition, each component has its unique effect on the sensing properties of material.

  2. Chemical Stimulation of Engineered Geothermal Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rose, Peter, E.

    2008-08-08

    The objective of this project is to design, develop and demonstrate methods for the chemical stimulation of candidate EGS reservoirs as well as the chemical treatment of mineral-scaled wellbores. First, a set of candidate chemical compounds capable of dissolving calcite was identified. A series of tests was then performed on each candidate in order to screen it for thermal stability and reactivity towards calcite. A detailed analysis was then performed on each compound that emerged from the screening tests in order to characterize its decay kinetics and reaction kinetics as functions of temperature and chemical composition. From among the compounds emerging from the laboratory studies, one compounds was chosen for a field experiment in order to verify the laboratory predictions.

  3. Chemical shift-based identification of monosaccharide spin-systems with NMR spectroscopy to complement untargeted glycomics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klukowski, Piotr; Schubert, Mario

    2018-06-15

    A better understanding of oligosaccharides and their wide-ranging functions in almost every aspect of biology and medicine promises to uncover hidden layers of biology and will support the development of better therapies. Elucidating the chemical structure of an unknown oligosaccharide is still a challenge. Efficient tools are required for non-targeted glycomics. Chemical shifts are a rich source of information about the topology and configuration of biomolecules, whose potential is however not fully explored for oligosaccharides. We hypothesize that the chemical shifts of each monosaccharide are unique for each saccharide type with a certain linkage pattern, so that correlated data measured by NMR spectroscopy can be used to identify the chemical nature of a carbohydrate. We present here an efficient search algorithm, GlycoNMRSearch, that matches either a subset or the entire set of chemical shifts of an unidentified monosaccharide spin system to all spin systems in an NMR database. The search output is much more precise than earlier search functions and highly similar matches suggest the chemical structure of the spin system within the oligosaccharide. Thus searching for connected chemical shift correlations within all electronically available NMR data of oligosaccharides is a very efficient way of identifying the chemical structure of unknown oligosaccharides. With an improved database in the future, GlycoNMRSearch will be even more efficient deducing chemical structures of oligosaccharides and there is a high chance that it becomes an indispensable technique for glycomics. The search algorithm presented here, together with a graphical user interface, is available at http://glyconmrsearch.santos.pwr.edu.pl. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  4. Chemical and Biological Defense: DOD Needs Consistent Policies and Clear Processes to Address the Survivability of Weapon Systems Against Chemical and Biological Threats

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    2006-01-01

    DOD, joint, and military service weapon system acquisition policies inconsistently address and do not establish a clear process for considering and testing system chemical and biological survivability...

  5. Back bombardment for dispenser and lanthanum hexaboride cathodes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahmoud Bakr

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available The back bombardment (BB effect limits wide usage of thermionic rf guns. The BB effect induces not only ramping-up of a cathode’s temperature and beam current, but also degradation of cavity voltage and beam energy during a macropulse. This paper presents a comparison of the BB effect for the case of dispenser tungsten-base (DC and lanthanum hexaboride (LaB_{6} thermionic rf gun cathodes. For each, particle simulation codes are used to simulate the BB effect and electron beam dynamics in a thermionic rf gun cathode. A semiempirical equation is also used to investigate the stopping range and deposited heat power of BB electrons in the cathode material. A numerical simulation method is used to calculate the change of the cathode temperature and current density during a single macropulse. This is done by solving two differential equations for the rf gun cavity equivalent circuit and one-dimensional thermal diffusion equation. High electron emission and small beam size are required for generation of a high-brightness electron beam, and so in this work the emission properties of the cathode are taken into account. Simulations of the BB effect show that, for a pulse of 6  μs duration, the DC cathode experiences a large change in the temperature compared with LaB_{6}, and a change in current density 6 times higher. Validation of the simulation results is performed using experimental data for beam current beyond the gun exit. The experimental data is well reproduced using the simulation method.

  6. Phase rule calculations and the thermodynamics of reactive systems under chemical equilibrium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    PLATT G. M.

    1999-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we examine the resolution of some phase rule problems within the context of multiple chemical equilibrium reactions, using cubic equations of state and an activity coefficient model. Bubble and dew reactive surfaces, reactive azeotropic loci and reactive critical loci are generated and presented in graphical form. Also isobaric bubble and dew reactive enthalpy loci, which may be useful in the modeling of reactive distillation operations, are depicted. All the formalism here employed is developed within the coordinate transformation of Ung and Doherty, which is appropriate for equilibrium reactive or multireactive systems. The major contribution of this work is the determination of critical loci for reactive or multireactive equilibrium systems. Since it is known that for some class of chemical reactions the kinetics and product distribution exhibit high sensitivity to pressure near criticality, the present study may be useful as a predicting tool in these cases if the chemical equilibrium condition is not too far from the real phenomenon.

  7. Catch-slip bonds can be dispensable for motor force regulation during skeletal muscle contraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Chenling; Chen, Bin

    2015-07-01

    It is intriguing how multiple molecular motors can perform coordinated and synchronous functions, which is essential in various cellular processes. Recent studies on skeletal muscle might have shed light on this issue, where rather precise motor force regulation was partly attributed to the specific stochastic features of a single attached myosin motor. Though attached motors can randomly detach from actin filaments either through an adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis cycle or through "catch-slip bond" breaking, their respective contribution in motor force regulation has not been clarified. Here, through simulating a mechanical model of sarcomere with a coupled Monte Carlo method and finite element method, we find that the stochastic features of an ATP hydrolysis cycle can be sufficient while those of catch-slip bonds can be dispensable for motor force regulation.

  8. Computer program determines chemical composition of physical system at equilibrium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwong, S. S.

    1966-01-01

    FORTRAN 4 digital computer program calculates equilibrium composition of complex, multiphase chemical systems. This is a free energy minimization method with solution of the problem reduced to mathematical operations, without concern for the chemistry involved. Also certain thermodynamic properties are determined as byproducts of the main calculations.

  9. Water system integration of a chemical plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng Pingyou; Feng Xiao; Qian Feng; Cao Dianliang

    2006-01-01

    Water system integration can minimize both the freshwater consumption and the wastewater discharge of a plant. In industrial applications, it is the key to determine reasonably the contaminants and the limiting concentrations, which will decide the freshwater consumption and wastewater discharge of the system. In this paper, some rules to determine the contaminants and the limiting concentrations are proposed. As a case study, the water system in a chemical plant that produces sodium hydroxide and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is integrated. The plant consumes a large amount of freshwater and discharges a large amount of wastewater, so minimization of both the freshwater consumption and the wastewater discharge is very important to it. According to the requirements of each water using process on the water used in it, the contaminants and the limiting concentrations are determined. Then, the optimal water reuse scheme is firstly studied based on the water network with internal water mains. To reduce the freshwater consumption and the wastewater discharge further, decentralized regeneration recycling is considered. The water using network is simplified by mixing some of the used water. After the water system integration, the freshwater consumption is reduced 25.5%, and the wastewater discharge is reduced 48%

  10. Adaptive Finite Element Method Assisted by Stochastic Simulation of Chemical Systems

    KAUST Repository

    Cotter, Simon L.; Vejchodský , Tomá š; Erban, Radek

    2013-01-01

    Stochastic models of chemical systems are often analyzed by solving the corresponding Fokker-Planck equation, which is a drift-diffusion partial differential equation for the probability distribution function. Efficient numerical solution of the Fokker-Planck equation requires adaptive mesh refinements. In this paper, we present a mesh refinement approach which makes use of a stochastic simulation of the underlying chemical system. By observing the stochastic trajectory for a relatively short amount of time, the areas of the state space with nonnegligible probability density are identified. By refining the finite element mesh in these areas, and coarsening elsewhere, a suitable mesh is constructed and used for the computation of the stationary probability density. Numerical examples demonstrate that the presented method is competitive with existing a posteriori methods. © 2013 Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

  11. Acetyl CoA Carboxylase 2 Is Dispensable for CD8+ T Cell Responses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jang Eun Lee

    Full Text Available Differentiation of T cells is closely associated with dynamic changes in nutrient and energy metabolism. However, the extent to which specific metabolic pathways and molecular components are determinative of CD8+ T cell fate remains unclear. It has been previously established in various tissues that acetyl CoA carboxylase 2 (ACC2 regulates fatty acid oxidation (FAO by inhibiting carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1, a rate-limiting enzyme of FAO in mitochondria. Here, we explore the cell-intrinsic role of ACC2 in T cell immunity in response to infections. We report here that ACC2 deficiency results in a marginal increase of cellular FAO in CD8+ T cells, but does not appear to influence antigen-specific effector and memory CD8+ T cell responses during infection with listeria or lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. These results suggest that ACC2 is dispensable for CD8+ T cell responses.

  12. Influence of transit water flow rate on its dispensation and on inflow through nozzles in pressure pipeline under action of external pressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cherniuk, V. V.; Riabenko, O. A.; Ivaniv, V. V.

    2017-12-01

    The influence of transit flow rate of water upon operative of the equipped with nozzles pressure pipeline is experimentally investigated. External pressure, which varies in the range of 1465-2295 mm, acted upon the pipeline. The angle β between vectors of velocities of the stream in the pipeline and jets which branch off through nozzles were given the value: 0° ; 45° ; 90° ; 135° ; 180°. The diameter of the pipeline was of D=20.18 mm, the diameter of nozzles d=6.01 mm. The distances between the nozzles were 180 mm, and the number of them 11. The value of the transit flow rate at input into the pipeline varied from 4.05 to 130.20 cm3 / s. The increase in flow rate of the transit flux Qtr caused increase in non-uniformity of distribution of operating heads and increase in flow rate of water along the pipeline over the segment of its dispensation. On the segment of collecting of water, inverse tendency was observed. The number of nozzles through which water became to be dispensed increased with the increase in Qtr.

  13. A Self-Calibrating Remote Control Chemical Monitoring System

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jessica Croft

    2007-06-01

    The Susie Mine, part of the Upper Tenmile Mining Area, is located in Rimini, MT about 15 miles southwest of Helena, MT. The Upper Tenmile Creek Mining Area is an EPA Superfund site with 70 abandoned hard rock mines and several residential yards prioritized for clean up. Water from the Susie mine flows into Tenmile Creek from which the city of Helena draws part of its water supply. MSE Technology Applications in Butte, Montana was contracted by the EPA to build a treatment system for the Susie mine effluent and demonstrate a system capable of treating mine waste water in remote locations. The Idaho National Lab was contracted to design, build and demonstrate a low maintenance self-calibrating monitoring system that would monitor multiple sample points, allow remote two-way communications with the control software and allow access to the collected data through a web site. The Automated Chemical Analysis Monitoring (ACAM) system was installed in December 2006. This thesis documents the overall design of the hardware, control software and website, the data collected while MSE-TA’s system was operational, the data collected after MSE-TA’s system was shut down and suggested improvements to the existing system.

  14. The cytosolic glyoxalases of Plasmodium falciparum are dispensable during asexual blood-stage development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cletus A. Wezena

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The enzymes glyoxalase 1 and 2 (Glo1 and Glo2 are found in most eukaryotes and catalyze the glutathione-dependent conversion of 2-oxoaldehydes to 2-hydroxycarboxylic acids. Four glyoxalases are encoded in the genome of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the cytosolic enzymes PfGlo1 and PfcGlo2, the apicoplast enzyme PftGlo2, and an inactive Glo1-like protein that also carries an apicoplast-targeting sequence. Inhibition or knockout of the Plasmodium glyoxalases was hypothesized to lead to an accumulation of 2-oxoaldehydes and advanced glycation end-products (AGE in the host-parasite unit and to result in parasite death. Here, we generated clonal P. falciparum strain 3D7 knockout lines for PFGLO1 and PFcGLO2 using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Although 3D7Δglo1 knockout clones had an increased susceptibility to external glyoxal, all 3D7Δglo1 and 3D7Δcglo2 knockout lines were viable and showed no significant growth phenotype under standard growth conditions. Furthermore, the lack of PfcGlo2, but not PfGlo1, increased gametocyte commitment in the knockout lines. In summary, PfGlo1 and PfcGlo2 are dispensable during asexual blood-stage development while the loss of PfcGlo2 may induce the formation of transmissible gametocytes. These combined data show that PfGlo1 and PfcGlo2 are most likely not suited as targets for selective drug development.

  15. Performance of two swine manure treatment systems on chemical composition and on the reduction of pathogens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viancelli, A; Kunz, A; Steinmetz, R L R; Kich, J D; Souza, C K; Canal, C W; Coldebella, A; Esteves, P A; Barardi, C R M

    2013-01-01

    Swine effluents must be correctly handled to avoid negative environmental impacts. In this study, the profiles of two swine manure treatment systems were evaluated: a solid-liquid separation step, followed by an anaerobic reactor, and an aerobic step (System 1); and a biodigester followed by serial lagoons (System 2). Both systems were described by the assessment of chemical, bacterial and viral parameters. The results showed that in System 1, there was reduction of chemicals (COD, phosphorus, total Kjeldhal nitrogen - TKN - and NH(3)), total coliforms and Escherichia coli; however, the same reduction was not observed for Salmonella sp. Viral particles were significantly reduced but not totally eliminated from the effluent. In System 2, there was a reduction of chemicals, bacteria and viruses with no detection of Salmonella sp., circovirus, parvovirus, and torque teno virus in the effluent. The chemical results indicate that the treated effluent can be reused for cleaning swine facilities. However, the microbiological results show a need of additional treatment to achieve a complete inactivation for cases when direct contact with animals is required. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Chemical sensor system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darrach, Murray R. (Inventor); Chutjian, Ara (Inventor)

    2008-01-01

    A chemical sensing apparatus and method for the detection of sub parts-per-trillion concentrations of molecules in a sample by optimizing electron utilization in the formation of negative ions is provided. A variety of media may be sampled including air, seawater, dry sediment, or undersea sediment. An electrostatic mirror is used to reduce the kinetic energy of an electron beam to zero or near-zero kinetic energy.

  17. Microbiological evaluation of hot beverages dispensed by vending machines from the Army barracks of Brigata Meccanizzata Aosta located in Messina

    OpenAIRE

    Chiara Beninati; Daniele Muscolino; Antonio Panebianco; Alessandro Giuffrida; Filippo Giarratana; Attilio Longo

    2013-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to evaluate the microbiological quality of hot beverages dispensed by vending machines (VMs). The study was carried out on 203 samples from 15 VMs located in 5 Army barracks in Messina. The samples included: water used for preparation of beverages, swab of water tank, swab of blender machine, chocolate powder, milk powder, cappuccino and chocolate drink (29 samples for each types). All samples were examined for total bacterial count (TBC), coliforms, Escherich...

  18. Network model of chemical-sensing system inspired by mouse taste buds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tateno, Katsumi; Igarashi, Jun; Ohtubo, Yoshitaka; Nakada, Kazuki; Miki, Tsutomu; Yoshii, Kiyonori

    2011-07-01

    Taste buds endure extreme changes in temperature, pH, osmolarity, so on. Even though taste bud cells are replaced in a short span, they contribute to consistent taste reception. Each taste bud consists of about 50 cells whose networks are assumed to process taste information, at least preliminarily. In this article, we describe a neural network model inspired by the taste bud cells of mice. It consists of two layers. In the first layer, the chemical stimulus is transduced into an irregular spike train. The synchronization of the output impulses is induced by the irregular spike train at the second layer. These results show that the intensity of the chemical stimulus is encoded as the degree of the synchronization of output impulses. The present algorithms for signal processing result in a robust chemical-sensing system.

  19. Chemical Enrichment of the Solar System by Stellar Ejecta

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwok, Sun

    2015-03-01

    Spectroscopic observations of evolved stars have shown signatures of aromatic and aliphatic compounds. This suggests that complex organics with chemical structures similar to those of insoluble organic matter (IOM) found in carbonaceous meteorites are made in stars. This raises the possibility that in addition to known pre-solar grains such as silicon carbide, organic star dust may also have traveled across the Galaxy to the Solar System.

  20. Dispensação farmacêutica: uma análise de diferentes conceitos e modelos Pharmaceutical dispensing: an analysis of different concepts and models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniela Angonesi

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available Apresenta-se uma revisão das definições e metodologias de dispensação elaboradas pelos órgãos públicos reguladores, organizações profissionais e de saúde no Brasil e em outros países e alguns autores brasileiros, sob a perspectiva da contemplação de aspectos técnicos relativos aos medicamentos e a influência da filosofia da atenção farmacêutica. Vários modelos de dispensação consideram os aspectos técnicos relativos aos medicamentos e alguns acrescentam a necessidade de orientação para o uso correto dos medicamentos ou ainda elementos da filosofia da atenção farmacêutica. Mas é necessário rever a definição da dispensação no Brasil para que possam ser criados procedimentos possíveis de serem realizados na prática em uma farmácia comunitária e que cumpram com os objetivos desta atividade farmacêutica.The present article presents a review of the definitions and methodologies of pharmaceutical dispensing elaborated by the regulating authorities, professional and health organizations in Brazil and abroad and also by some Brazilian authors from the perspective of the technical and philosophical aspects involved. Several dispensing models consider the technical aspects related to the medicines and some add the need for orientation with regard to correct use or even elements of the philosophy underlying the pharmacist care model. However, for creating procedures that can be put into practice in a community pharmacy and that meet the purpose of this pharmaceutical activity it is necessary to rethink the concept of pharmaceutical dispensing in Brazil.

  1. Automation systems for radioimmunoassay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamasaki, Paul

    1974-01-01

    The application of automation systems for radioimmunoassay (RIA) was discussed. Automated systems could be useful in the second step, of the four basic processes in the course of RIA, i.e., preparation of sample for reaction. There were two types of instrumentation, a semi-automatic pipete, and a fully automated pipete station, both providing for fast and accurate dispensing of the reagent or for the diluting of sample with reagent. Illustrations of the instruments were shown. (Mukohata, S.)

  2. Effects of internal noise in mesoscopic chemical systems near Hopf bifurcation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiao Tiejun; Ma Juan; Hou Zhonghuai; Xin Houwen

    2007-01-01

    The effects of internal noise in mesoscopic chemical oscillation systems have been studied analytically, in the parameter region close to the deterministic Hopf bifurcation. Starting from chemical Langevin equations, stochastic normal form equations are obtained, governing the evolution of the radius and phase of the stochastic oscillation. By stochastic averaging, the normal form equation can be solved analytically. Stationary distributions of the radius and auto-correlation functions of the phase variable are obtained. It is shown that internal noise can induce oscillation; even no deterministic oscillation exists. The radius of the noise-induced oscillation (NIO) becomes larger when the internal noise increases, but the correlation time becomes shorter. The trade-off between the strength and regularity of the NIO leads to a clear maximum in its signal-to-noise ratio when the internal noise changes, demonstrating the occurrence of internal noise coherent resonance. Since the intensity of the internal noise is inversely proportional to the system size, the phenomenon also indicates the existence of an optimal system size. These theoretical results are applied to a circadian clock system and excellent agreement with the numerical results is obtained

  3. Emergency Response System for Pollution Accidents in Chemical Industrial Parks, China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weili Duan

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available In addition to property damage and loss of lives, environment pollution, such as water pollution and air pollution caused by accidents in chemical industrial parks (CIPs is a significant issue in China. An emergency response system (ERS was therefore planned to properly and proactively cope with safety incidents including fire and explosions occurring in the CIPs in this study. Using a scenario analysis, the stages of emergency response were divided into three levels, after introducing the domino effect, and fundamental requirements of ERS design were confirmed. The framework of ERS was composed mainly of a monitoring system, an emergency command center, an action system, and a supporting system. On this basis, six main emergency rescue steps containing alarm receipt, emergency evaluation, launched corresponding emergency plans, emergency rescue actions, emergency recovery, and result evaluation and feedback were determined. Finally, an example from the XiaoHu Chemical Industrial Park (XHCIP was presented to check on the integrality, reliability, and maneuverability of the ERS, and the result of the first emergency drill with this ERS indicated that the developed ERS can reduce delays, improve usage efficiency of resources, and raise emergency rescue efficiency.

  4. Chemical dependency: an occupational hazard in the field of anaesthesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ismail, Samina

    2010-10-01

    The medical personnel are vulnerable to substance abuse and dependence due to ready access to substance of abuse. Addiction is considered as an occupational hazard for those involved in the practice of anaesthesia for the same reason. Substance abuse is defined as a psychosocial biogenetic disease, which results from dynamic interplay between a susceptible host and favourable environment. According to the 5th and the last National Survey on Drug Abuse (NSDA) in 1993 by Pakistan Narcotic Control, there are nearly three million drug dependants in Pakistan, but no data is available to determine the prevalence among medical or anaesthesia personnel. In order to handle the rising trend of chemical abuse, we need to have more surveys and studies on this subject, written policy and educational programme in postgraduate training with proper control and frequent checking of narcotic dispensing. Reporting of drug abuse and rehabilitation of affected doctors are areas which need to be worked upon.

  5. Modeling Complex Chemical Systems: Problems and Solutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Dijk, Jan

    2016-09-01

    Non-equilibrium plasmas in complex gas mixtures are at the heart of numerous contemporary technologies. They typically contain dozens to hundreds of species, involved in hundreds to thousands of reactions. Chemists and physicists have always been interested in what are now called chemical reduction techniques (CRT's). The idea of such CRT's is that they reduce the number of species that need to be considered explicitly without compromising the validity of the model. This is usually achieved on the basis of an analysis of the reaction time scales of the system under study, which identifies species that are in partial equilibrium after a given time span. The first such CRT that has been widely used in plasma physics was developed in the 1960's and resulted in the concept of effective ionization and recombination rates. It was later generalized to systems in which multiple levels are effected by transport. In recent years there has been a renewed interest in tools for chemical reduction and reaction pathway analysis. An example of the latter is the PumpKin tool. Another trend is that techniques that have previously been developed in other fields of science are adapted as to be able to handle the plasma state of matter. Examples are the Intrinsic Low Dimension Manifold (ILDM) method and its derivatives, which originate from combustion engineering, and the general-purpose Principle Component Analysis (PCA) technique. In this contribution we will provide an overview of the most common reduction techniques, then critically assess the pros and cons of the methods that have gained most popularity in recent years. Examples will be provided for plasmas in argon and carbon dioxide.

  6. Explosion of limit cycles and chaotic waves in a simple nonlinear chemical system

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brøns, Morten; Sturis, Jeppe

    2001-01-01

    A model of an autocatalytic chemical reaction was employed to study the explosion of limit cycles and chaotic waves in a nonlinear chemical system. The bifurcation point was determined using asymptotic analysis and perturbations. Scaling laws for amplitude and period were derived. A strong sensit...... sensitivity was introduced due to bifurcation to infinity resulting in chaotic dynamics on adding diffusion....

  7. Culturing Security System of Chemical Laboratory in Indonesia

    OpenAIRE

    Pusfitasari, Eka Dian

    2017-01-01

    Indonesia has experiences on the lack of chemical security such as: a number of bombing terrors and hazardous chemicals found in food. Bomb used in terror is a homemade bomb made from chemicals which are widely spread in the research laboratories such as a mixture of pottasium chlorate, sulphur, and alumunium. Therefore, security of chemicals should be implemented to avoid the misused of the chemicals. Although it has experienced many cases of the misuse of chemicals, and many regulations and...

  8. The cGAS/STING Pathway Detects Streptococcus pneumoniae but Appears Dispensable for Antipneumococcal Defense in Mice and Humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz-Moreno, Juan Sebastian; Hamann, Lutz; Jin, Lei; Sander, Leif E; Puzianowska-Kuznicka, Monika; Cambier, John; Witzenrath, Martin; Schumann, Ralf R; Suttorp, Norbert; Opitz, Bastian

    2018-03-01

    Streptococcus pneumoniae is a frequent colonizer of the upper respiratory tract and a leading cause of bacterial pneumonia. The innate immune system senses pneumococcal cell wall components, toxin, and nucleic acids, which leads to production of inflammatory mediators to initiate and control antibacterial defense. Here, we show that the cGAS (cyclic GMP-AMP [cGAMP] synthase)-STING pathway mediates detection of pneumococcal DNA in mouse macrophages to primarily stimulate type I interferon (IFN) responses. Cells of human individuals carrying HAQ TMEM173 , which encodes a common hypomorphic variant of STING, were largely or partly defective in inducing type I IFNs and proinflammatory cytokines upon infection. Subsequent analyses, however, revealed that STING was dispensable for restricting S. pneumoniae during acute pneumonia in mice. Moreover, explorative analyses did not find differences in the allele frequency of HAQ TMEM173 in nonvaccinated pneumococcal pneumonia patients and healthy controls or an association of HAQ TMEM173 carriage with disease severity. Together, our results indicate that the cGAS/STING pathway senses S. pneumoniae but plays no major role in antipneumococcal immunity in mice and humans. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

  9. Policy implementation and financial incentives for nurses in South Africa: a case study on the occupation-specific dispensation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duane Blaauw

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: In 2007, the South African government introduced the occupation-specific dispensation (OSD, a financial incentive strategy, to attract, motivate, and retain health professionals in the public sector. Implementation commenced with the nursing sector, but there have been unintended negative consequences. Objective: First, to examine implementation of the OSD for nurses using Hogwood and Gunn's framework that outlines ‘perfect implementation’ pre-conditions. Second, to highlight the conditions for the successful implementation of financial incentives. Methods: A qualitative case study design using a combination of a document review and in-depth interviews with 42 key informants. Results: The study found that there were several implementation weaknesses. Only a few of the pre-conditions were met for OSD policy implementation. The information systems required for successful policy implementation, such as the public sector human resource data base and the South African Nursing Council register of specialised nurses were incomplete and inaccurate, thus undermining the process. Insufficient attention was paid to time and resources, dependency relationships, task specification, and communication and coordination. Conclusion: The implementation of financial incentives requires careful planning and management in order to avoid loss of morale and staff grievances.

  10. /sup 1/H-NMR chemical shift imaging suitable for low field systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamamoto, Etsuji; Onodera, Takashi; Shiono, Hidemi; Kohno, Hideki

    1986-12-01

    An echo-time encoding proton NMR chemical shift imaging proposed by Dixon is extended to be applicable to low filed systems. The method utilizes the small phase angle between magnetic vectors of water and lipid protons to decrease the signal decays with spin-spin relaxation. The inevitable phase error caused by the static field inhomogeneity is corrected by using phase images of phantom measured under the same conditions as the actual measurements. The experiments were carried out using CuSO/sub 4/ doped water and vegetable oil at 0.5 T. Two chemical shift images could be clearly resolved with only one scan when the field inhomogeneity was larger than the chemical shift difference.

  11. Atomistic-level non-equilibrium model for chemically reactive systems based on steepest-entropy-ascent quantum thermodynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Guanchen; Al-Abbasi, Omar; Von Spakovsky, Michael R

    2014-01-01

    This paper outlines an atomistic-level framework for modeling the non-equilibrium behavior of chemically reactive systems. The framework called steepest- entropy-ascent quantum thermodynamics (SEA-QT) is based on the paradigm of intrinsic quantum thermodynamic (IQT), which is a theory that unifies quantum mechanics and thermodynamics into a single discipline with wide applications to the study of non-equilibrium phenomena at the atomistic level. SEA-QT is a novel approach for describing the state of chemically reactive systems as well as the kinetic and dynamic features of the reaction process without any assumptions of near-equilibrium states or weak-interactions with a reservoir or bath. Entropy generation is the basis of the dissipation which takes place internal to the system and is, thus, the driving force of the chemical reaction(s). The SEA-QT non-equilibrium model is able to provide detailed information during the reaction process, providing a picture of the changes occurring in key thermodynamic properties (e.g., the instantaneous species concentrations, entropy and entropy generation, reaction coordinate, chemical affinities, reaction rate, etc). As an illustration, the SEA-QT framework is applied to an atomistic-level chemically reactive system governed by the reaction mechanism F + H 2 ↔ FH + H

  12. Porous TiO2-Based Gas Sensors for Cyber Chemical Systems to Provide Security and Medical Diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    Gas sensors play an important role in our life, providing control and security of technical processes, environment, transportation and healthcare. Consequently, the development of high performance gas sensor devices is the subject of intense research. TiO2, with its excellent physical and chemical properties, is a very attractive material for the fabrication of chemical sensors. Meanwhile, the emerging technologies are focused on the fabrication of more flexible and smart systems for precise monitoring and diagnosis in real-time. The proposed cyber chemical systems in this paper are based on the integration of cyber elements with the chemical sensor devices. These systems may have a crucial effect on the environmental and industrial safety, control of carriage of dangerous goods and medicine. This review highlights the recent developments on fabrication of porous TiO2-based chemical gas sensors for their application in cyber chemical system showing the convenience and feasibility of such a model to provide the security and to perform the diagnostics. The most of reports have demonstrated that the fabrication of doped, mixed and composite structures based on porous TiO2 may drastically improve its sensing performance. In addition, each component has its unique effect on the sensing properties of material. PMID:29257076

  13. S1P4 Regulates Passive Systemic Anaphylaxis in Mice but Is Dispensable for Canonical IgE-Mediated Responses in Mast Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joseph M. Kulinski

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Mast cells are key players in the development of inflammatory allergic reactions. Cross-linking of the high-affinity receptor for IgE (FcεRI on mast cells leads to the generation and secretion of the sphingolipid mediator, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P which is able, in turn, to transactivate its receptors on mast cells. Previous reports have identified the expression of two of the five receptors for S1P on mast cells, S1P1 and S1P2, with functions in FcεRI-mediated chemotaxis and degranulation, respectively. Here, we show that cultured mouse mast cells also express abundant message for S1P4. Genetic deletion of S1pr4 did not affect the differentiation of bone marrow progenitors into mast cells or the proliferation of mast cells in culture. A comprehensive characterization of IgE-mediated responses in S1P4-deficient bone marrow-derived and peritoneal mouse mast cells indicated that this receptor is dispensable for mast cell degranulation, cytokine/chemokine production and FcεRI-mediated chemotaxis in vitro. However, interleukin-33 (IL-33-mediated enhancement of IgE-induced degranulation was reduced in S1P4-deficient peritoneal mast cells, revealing a potential negative regulatory role for S1P4 in an IL-33-rich environment. Surprisingly, genetic deletion of S1pr4 resulted in exacerbation of passive systemic anaphylaxis to IgE/anti-IgE in mice, a phenotype likely related to mast cell-extrinsic influences, such as the high circulating levels of IgE in these mice which increases FcεRI expression and consequently the extent of the response to FcεRI engagement. Thus, we provide evidence that S1P4 modulates anaphylaxis in an unexpected manner that does not involve regulation of mast cell responsiveness to IgE stimulation.

  14. Quantification of the Hawthorne effect in hand hygiene compliance monitoring using an electronic monitoring system: a retrospective cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srigley, Jocelyn A; Furness, Colin D; Baker, G Ross; Gardam, Michael

    2014-12-01

    The Hawthorne effect, or behaviour change due to awareness of being observed, is assumed to inflate hand hygiene compliance rates as measured by direct observation but there are limited data to support this. To determine whether the presence of hand hygiene auditors was associated with an increase in hand hygiene events as measured by a real-time location system (RTLS). The RTLS recorded all uses of alcohol-based hand rub and soap for 8 months in two units in an academic acute care hospital. The RTLS also tracked the movement of hospital hand hygiene auditors. Rates of hand hygiene events per dispenser per hour as measured by the RTLS were compared for dispensers within sight of auditors and those not exposed to auditors. The hand hygiene event rate in dispensers visible to auditors (3.75/dispenser/h) was significantly higher than in dispensers not visible to the auditors at the same time (1.48; p=0.001) and in the same dispensers during the week prior (1.07; pHand hygiene event rates were approximately threefold higher in hallways within eyesight of an auditor compared with when no auditor was visible and the increase occurred after the auditors' arrival. This is consistent with the existence of a Hawthorne effect localised to areas where the auditor is visible and calls into question the accuracy of publicly reported hospital hand hygiene compliance rates. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  15. Assessing the chemical contamination dynamics in a mixed land use stream system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sonne, Anne Th; McKnight, Ursula S; Rønde, Vinni; Bjerg, Poul L

    2017-11-15

    Traditionally, the monitoring of streams for chemical and ecological status has been limited to surface water concentrations, where the dominant focus has been on general water quality and the risk for eutrophication. Mixed land use stream systems, comprising urban areas and agricultural production, are challenging to assess with multiple chemical stressors impacting stream corridors. New approaches are urgently needed for identifying relevant sources, pathways and potential impacts for implementation of suitable source management and remedial measures. We developed a method for risk assessing chemical stressors in these systems and applied the approach to a 16-km groundwater-fed stream corridor (Grindsted, Denmark). Three methods were combined: (i) in-stream contaminant mass discharge for source quantification, (ii) Toxic Units and (iii) environmental standards. An evaluation of the chemical quality of all three stream compartments - stream water, hyporheic zone, streambed sediment - made it possible to link chemical stressors to their respective sources and obtain new knowledge about source composition and origin. Moreover, toxic unit estimation and comparison to environmental standards revealed the stream water quality was substantially impaired by both geogenic and diffuse anthropogenic sources of metals along the entire corridor, while the streambed was less impacted. Quantification of the contaminant mass discharge originating from a former pharmaceutical factory revealed that several 100 kgs of chlorinated ethenes and pharmaceutical compounds discharge into the stream every year. The strongly reduced redox conditions in the plume result in high concentrations of dissolved iron and additionally release arsenic, generating the complex contaminant mixture found in the narrow discharge zone. The fingerprint of the plume was observed in the stream several km downgradient, while nutrients, inorganics and pesticides played a minor role for the stream health. The

  16. Predicting In Vivo Effect Levels for Repeat Dose Systemic Toxicity using Chemical, Biological, Kinetic and Study Covariates

    Science.gov (United States)

    In an effort to ensure chemical safety while reducing reliance on animal testing, USEPA and L’Oréal have collaborated to address a major challenge in chemical safety assessment using alternative approaches: the prediction of points-of-departure (POD) of systemic effects. Systemic...

  17. Silica Retention and Enrichment in Open-System Chemical Weathering on Mars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yen, A. S.; Ming, D. W.; Gellert, R.; Clark, B. C.; Mittlefehldt, D. W.; Morris, R. V.; Thompson, L. M.; Berger, J.

    2015-01-01

    Chemical signatures of weathering are evident in the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) datasets from Gusev Crater, Meridiani Planum, and Gale Crater. Comparisons across the landing sites show consistent patterns indicating silica retention and/or enrichment in open-system aqueous alteration.

  18. VEGF-B is dispensable for blood vessel growth but critical for their survival, and VEGF-B targeting inhibits pathological angiogenesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Fan; Tang, Zhongshu; Hou, Xu; Lennartsson, Johan; Li, Yang; Koch, Alexander W.; Scotney, Pierre; Lee, Chunsik; Arjunan, Pachiappan; Dong, Lijin; Kumar, Anil; Rissanen, Tuomas T.; Wang, Bin; Nagai, Nobuo; Fons, Pierre; Fariss, Robert; Zhang, Yongqing; Wawrousek, Eric; Tansey, Ginger; Raber, James; Fong, Guo-Hua; Ding, Hao; Greenberg, David A.; Becker, Kevin G.; Herbert, Jean-Marc; Nash, Andrew; Yla-Herttuala, Seppo; Cao, Yihai; Watts, Ryan J.; Li, Xuri

    2009-01-01

    VEGF-B, a homolog of VEGF discovered a long time ago, has not been considered an important target in antiangiogenic therapy. Instead, it has received little attention from the field. In this study, using different animal models and multiple types of vascular cells, we revealed that although VEGF-B is dispensable for blood vessel growth, it is critical for their survival. Importantly, the survival effect of VEGF-B is not only on vascular endothelial cells, but also on pericytes, smooth muscle cells, and vascular stem/progenitor cells. In vivo, VEGF-B targeting inhibited both choroidal and retinal neovascularization. Mechanistically, we found that the vascular survival effect of VEGF-B is achieved by regulating the expression of many vascular prosurvival genes via both NP-1 and VEGFR-1. Our work thus indicates that the function of VEGF-B in the vascular system is to act as a “survival,” rather than an “angiogenic” factor and that VEGF-B inhibition may offer new therapeutic opportunities to treat neovascular diseases. PMID:19369214

  19. A New Data Management System for Biological and Chemical Oceanography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groman, R. C.; Chandler, C.; Allison, D.; Glover, D. M.; Wiebe, P. H.

    2007-12-01

    The Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO) was created to serve PIs principally funded by NSF to conduct marine chemical and ecological research. The new office is dedicated to providing open access to data and information developed in the course of scientific research on short and intermediate time-frames. The data management system developed in support of U.S. JGOFS and U.S. GLOBEC programs is being modified to support the larger scope of the BCO-DMO effort, which includes ultimately providing a way to exchange data with other data systems. The open access system is based on a philosophy of data stewardship, support for existing and evolving data standards, and use of public domain software. The DMO staff work closely with originating PIs to manage data gathered as part of their individual programs. In the new BCO-DMO data system, project and data set metadata records designed to support re-use of the data are stored in a relational database (MySQL) and the data are stored in or made accessible by the JGOFS/GLOBEC object- oriented, relational, data management system. Data access will be provided via any standard Web browser client user interface through a GIS application (Open Source, OGC-compliant MapServer), a directory listing from the data holdings catalog, or a custom search engine that facilitates data discovery. In an effort to maximize data system interoperability, data will also be available via Web Services; and data set descriptions will be generated to comply with a variety of metadata content standards. The office is located at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and web access is via http://www.bco-dmo.org.

  20. Predicting in vivo effect levels for repeat-dose systemic toxicity using chemical, biological, kinetic and study covariates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Truong, Lisa; Ouedraogo, Gladys; Pham, LyLy; Clouzeau, Jacques; Loisel-Joubert, Sophie; Blanchet, Delphine; Noçairi, Hicham; Setzer, Woodrow; Judson, Richard; Grulke, Chris; Mansouri, Kamel; Martin, Matthew

    2018-02-01

    In an effort to address a major challenge in chemical safety assessment, alternative approaches for characterizing systemic effect levels, a predictive model was developed. Systemic effect levels were curated from ToxRefDB, HESS-DB and COSMOS-DB from numerous study types totaling 4379 in vivo studies for 1247 chemicals. Observed systemic effects in mammalian models are a complex function of chemical dynamics, kinetics, and inter- and intra-individual variability. To address this complex problem, systemic effect levels were modeled at the study-level by leveraging study covariates (e.g., study type, strain, administration route) in addition to multiple descriptor sets, including chemical (ToxPrint, PaDEL, and Physchem), biological (ToxCast), and kinetic descriptors. Using random forest modeling with cross-validation and external validation procedures, study-level covariates alone accounted for approximately 15% of the variance reducing the root mean squared error (RMSE) from 0.96 log 10 to 0.85 log 10  mg/kg/day, providing a baseline performance metric (lower expectation of model performance). A consensus model developed using a combination of study-level covariates, chemical, biological, and kinetic descriptors explained a total of 43% of the variance with an RMSE of 0.69 log 10  mg/kg/day. A benchmark model (upper expectation of model performance) was also developed with an RMSE of 0.5 log 10  mg/kg/day by incorporating study-level covariates and the mean effect level per chemical. To achieve a representative chemical-level prediction, the minimum study-level predicted and observed effect level per chemical were compared reducing the RMSE from 1.0 to 0.73 log 10  mg/kg/day, equivalent to 87% of predictions falling within an order-of-magnitude of the observed value. Although biological descriptors did not improve model performance, the final model was enriched for biological descriptors that indicated xenobiotic metabolism gene expression, oxidative stress, and