Design and Evaluation of Nextgen Aircraft Separation Assurance Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Walter; Ho, Nhut; Arutyunov, Vladimir; Laue, John-Luke; Wilmoth, Ian

2012-01-01

To support the development and evaluation of future function allocation concepts for separation assurance systems for the Next Generation Air Transportation System, this paper presents the design and human-in-the-loop evaluation of three feasible function allocation concepts that allocate primary aircraft separation assurance responsibilities and workload to: 1) pilots; 2) air traffic controllers (ATC); and 3) automation. The design of these concepts also included rules of the road, separation assurance burdens for aircraft of different equipage levels, and utilization of advanced weather displays paired with advanced conflict detection and resolution automation. Results of the human-in-the-loop simulation show that: a) all the concepts are robust with respect to weather perturbation; b) concept 1 (pilots) had highest throughput, closest to assigned spacing, and fewest violations of speed and altitude restrictions; c) the energy of the aircraft during the descent phase was better managed in concepts 1 and 2 (pilots and ATC) than in concept 3 (automation), in which the situation awareness of pilots and controllers was lowest, and workload of pilots was highest. The paper also discusses further development of these concepts and their augmentation and integration with future air traffic management tools and systems that are being considered for NextGen.

Spent unreprocessed fuel (SURF) facility evaluation plan of the alternative storage concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berry, S.M.

1978-01-01

Concepts were evaluated for the storage of unreprocessed spent fuel in a retrievable surface storage facility. This document provides a systematic format for making a concept selection from the seven alternative concepts presented in RHO-LD-2. Results of the evaluation was that the Drywell concept was rated highest with the Water Basin Concept and the Sealed Storage Cask concept with multiple canisters of SURF coming in a close second and third

A concept analysis of voluntary active euthanasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Fenglin

2006-01-01

Euthanasia has a wide range of classifications. Confusion exists in the application of specific concepts to various studies. To analyze the concept of voluntary active euthanasia using Walker and Avant's concept analysis method. A comprehensive literature review from various published literature and bibliographies. Clinical, ethical, and policy differences and similarities of euthanasia need to be debated openly, both within the medical profession and publicly. Awareness of the classifications about euthanasia may help nurses dealing with "end of life issues" properly.

Active Ways to Teach Health Concepts in the Elementary Setting

Science.gov (United States)

Gregory, Julie

2015-01-01

This article provides three movement-based activities for teaching health concepts to elementary school students. Two activities focus on nutrition concepts and the other focuses on teaching body systems. Diagrams are provided to show the setup of activities, as well as links for accessing materials to help implement the activities.

Pharmacology Goes Concept-Based: Course Design, Implementation, and Evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lanz, Amelia; Davis, Rebecca G

Although concept-based curricula are frequently discussed in the nursing education literature, little information exists to guide the development of a concept-based pharmacology course. Traditionally, nursing pharmacology courses are taught with an emphasis on drug class where a prototype drug serves as an exemplar. When transitioning pharmacology to a concept-based course, special considerations are in order. How can educators successfully integrate essential pharmacological content into a curriculum structured around nursing concepts? This article presents one approach to the design and implementation of a concept-based undergraduate pharmacology course. Planning methods, supportive teaching strategies, and course evaluation procedures are discussed.

Airline service quality evaluation: A review on concepts and models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Navid Haghighat

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews different major service quality concept and models which led to great developments in evaluating service quality with focusing on improvement process of the models through discussing criticisms of each model. Criticisms against these models are discussed to clarify development steps of newer models which led to the improvement of airline service quality models. The precise and accurate evaluation of service quality needs utilizing a reliable concept with comprehensive criteria and effective measurement techniques as the fundamentals of a valuable framework. In this paper, service quality models improvement is described based on three major service quality concepts, the disconfirmation, performance and hierarchical concepts which are developed subsequently. Reviewing various criteria and different measurement techniques such a statistical analysis and multi-criteria decision making assist researchers to have a clear understanding of the development of the evaluation framework in the airline industry. This study aims at promoting reliable frameworks for evaluating airline service quality in different countries and societies due to economic, cultural and social aspects of each society.

Concepts for evaluation of sound insulation of dwellings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Birgit; Rindel, Jens Holger

2005-01-01

Legal sound insulation requirements have existed more than 50 years in some countries, and single-number quantities for evaluation of sound insulation have existed nearly as long time. However, the concepts have changed considerably over time from simple arithmetic averaging of frequency bands......¬ments and classification schemes revealed significant differences of concepts. The paper summarizes the history of concepts, the disadvantages of the present chaos and the benefits of consensus concerning concepts for airborne and impact sound insulation between dwellings and airborne sound insulation of facades...... with a trend towards light-weight constructions are contradictory and challenging. This calls for exchange of data and experience, implying a need for harmonized concepts, including use of spectrum adaptation terms. The paper will provide input for future discussions in EAA TC-RBA WG4: "Sound insulation...

Evaluation of the DeepWind concept

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmidt Paulsen, Uwe; Borg, Michael; Gonzales Seabra, Luis Alberto

The report describes the DeepWind 5 MW conceptual design as a baseline for results obtained in the scientific and technical work packages of the DeepWind project. A comparison of DeepWi nd with existing VAWTs and paper projects are carried out and the evaluation of the concept in terms of cost...

A computer code for Tokamak reactor concepts evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosatelli, F.; Raia, G.

1985-01-01

A computer package has been developed which could preliminarily investigate the engineering configuration of a tokamak reactor concept. The code is essentially intended to synthesize, starting from a set of geometrical and plasma physics parameters and the required performances and objectives, three fundamental components of a tokamak reactor core: blanket+shield, TF magnet, PF magnet. An iterative evaluation of the size, power supply and cooling system requirements of these components allows the judgment and the preliminary design optimization on the considered reactor concept. The versatility of the code allows its application both to next generation tokamak devices and power reactor concepts

Teaching Map Concepts in Social Science Education; an Evaluation with Undergraduate Students

Science.gov (United States)

Bugdayci, Ilkay; Zahit Selvi, H.

2017-12-01

One of the most important aim of the geography and social science courses is to gain the ability of reading, analysing and understanding maps. There are a lot of themes related with maps and map concepts in social studies education. Geographical location is one of the most important theme. Geographical location is specified by geographical coordinates called latitude and longitude. The geographical coordinate system is the primary spatial reference system of the earth. It is always used in cartography, in geography, in basic location calculations such as navigation and surveying. It’s important to support teacher candidates, to teach maps and related concepts. Cartographers also have important missions and responsibilities in this context. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the knowledge of undergraduate students, about the geographical location. For this purpose, a research has been carried out on questions and activities related to geographical location and related concepts. The details and results of the research conducted by the students in the study are explained.

A COMPARISON OF SEMANTIC SIMILARITY MODELS IN EVALUATING CONCEPT SIMILARITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Q. X. Xu

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The semantic similarities are important in concept definition, recognition, categorization, interpretation, and integration. Many semantic similarity models have been established to evaluate semantic similarities of objects or/and concepts. To find out the suitability and performance of different models in evaluating concept similarities, we make a comparison of four main types of models in this paper: the geometric model, the feature model, the network model, and the transformational model. Fundamental principles and main characteristics of these models are introduced and compared firstly. Land use and land cover concepts of NLCD92 are employed as examples in the case study. The results demonstrate that correlations between these models are very high for a possible reason that all these models are designed to simulate the similarity judgement of human mind.

Active learning reduces annotation time for clinical concept extraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Kholghi, Mahnoosh; Sitbon, Laurianne; Zuccon, Guido; Nguyen, Anthony

2017-10-01

To investigate: (1) the annotation time savings by various active learning query strategies compared to supervised learning and a random sampling baseline, and (2) the benefits of active learning-assisted pre-annotations in accelerating the manual annotation process compared to de novo annotation. There are 73 and 120 discharge summary reports provided by Beth Israel institute in the train and test sets of the concept extraction task in the i2b2/VA 2010 challenge, respectively. The 73 reports were used in user study experiments for manual annotation. First, all sequences within the 73 reports were manually annotated from scratch. Next, active learning models were built to generate pre-annotations for the sequences selected by a query strategy. The annotation/reviewing time per sequence was recorded. The 120 test reports were used to measure the effectiveness of the active learning models. When annotating from scratch, active learning reduced the annotation time up to 35% and 28% compared to a fully supervised approach and a random sampling baseline, respectively. Reviewing active learning-assisted pre-annotations resulted in 20% further reduction of the annotation time when compared to de novo annotation. The number of concepts that require manual annotation is a good indicator of the annotation time for various active learning approaches as demonstrated by high correlation between time rate and concept annotation rate. Active learning has a key role in reducing the time required to manually annotate domain concepts from clinical free text, either when annotating from scratch or reviewing active learning-assisted pre-annotations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Concept of an immersive assistance system with augmented reality for the support of manual activities in radioactive production environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eursch, Andreas A.

2010-01-01

The thesis on an immersive assistance system concept with augmented reality for the support of manual activities in radioactive production environments covers the following topics: analysis of the situation: production and use of radioactive materials, problem analysis of the work in the production facilities, necessity of manual activities, automation, prediction in hot cells; status of research and development; assistance system concept, immersive camera system; augmented reality support in hot cells; economic evaluation and generalization.

Fractal dynamics in self-evaluation reveal self-concept clarity.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Alexander E; Vallacher, Robin R; Nowak, Andrzej

2014-10-01

The structural account of self-esteem and self-evaluation maintains that they are distinct constructs. Trait self-esteem is stable and is expressed over macro timescales, whereas state self-evaluation is unstable and experienced on micro timescales. We compared predictions based on the structural account with those derived from a dynamical systems perspective on the self, which maintains that self-esteem and self-evaluation are hierarchically related and share basic dynamic properties. Participants recorded a 3-minute narrative about themselves, then used the mouse paradigm (Vallacher, Nowak, Froehlich, & Rockloff, 2002) to track the momentary self-evaluation in their narrative. Multiple methods converged to reveal fractal patterns in the resultant temporal patterns, indicative of nested timescales that link micro and macro selfevaluation and thus supportive of the dynamical account. The fractal dynamics were associated with participants' self-concept clarity, suggesting that the hierarchical relation between macro self-evaluation (self-esteem) and momentary self-evaluation is predicted by the coherence of self-concept organization.

Grounding abstractness: Abstract concepts and the activation of the mouth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna M Borghi

2016-10-01

Full Text Available One key issue for theories of cognition is how abstract concepts, such as freedom, are represented. According to the WAT (Words As social Tools proposal, abstract concepts activate both sensorimotor and linguistic/social information, and their acquisition modality involves the linguistic experience more than the acquisition of concrete concepts. We report an experiment in which participants were presented with abstract and concrete definitions followed by concrete and abstract target-words. When the definition and the word matched, participants were required to press a key, either with the hand or with the mouth. Response times and accuracy were recorded. As predicted, we found that abstract definitions and abstract words yielded slower responses and more errors compared to concrete definitions and concrete words. More crucially, there was an interaction between the target-words and the effector used to respond (hand, mouth. While responses with the mouth were overall slower, the advantage of the hand over the mouth responses was more marked with concrete than with abstract concepts. The results are in keeping with grounded and embodied theories of cognition and support the WAT proposal, according to which abstract concepts evoke linguistic-social information, hence activate the mouth. The mechanisms underlying the mouth activation with abstract concepts (re-enactment of acquisition experience, or re-explanation of the word meaning, possibly through inner talk are discussed. To our knowledge this is the first behavioral study demonstrating with real words that the advantage of the hand over the mouth is more marked with concrete than with abstract concepts, likely because of the activation of linguistic information with abstract concepts.

An evaluation of alternate containment concepts for severe accident sequences: Chapter 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashton, D.H.; Blazo, S.R.

1983-01-01

Over the past several years, numerous design concepts have been developed to enhance the ability of containments to withstand severe reactor accidents. As part of the AIF sponsored IDCOR program, a study has been completed to survey and evaluate these alternate containment design concepts. The study defines the minimum as well as optimum functional and design criteria which any such system must meet. Six concepts which satisfy these criteria are then evaluated based upon factors such as: risk reduction potential, cost, constructability and the potential detrimental effects. Based upon the results of these evaluations, a ranking of the design concepts is developed. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the IDCOR sponsored study

Airline service quality evaluation: A review on concepts and models

OpenAIRE

Navid Haghighat

2017-01-01

This paper reviews different major service quality concept and models which led to great developments in evaluating service quality with focusing on improvement process of the models through discussing criticisms of each model. Criticisms against these models are discussed to clarify development steps of newer models which led to the improvement of airline service quality models. The precise and accurate evaluation of service quality needs utilizing a reliable concept with comprehensive crite...

Evaluation of the breed/burn fast reactor concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atefi, B.; Driscoll, M.J.; Lanning, D.D.

1979-12-01

A core design concept and fuel management strategy, designated breed/burn, has been evaluated for heterogeneous fast breeder reactors. In this concept internal blanket assemblies after fissile material is bred in over several incore cycles, are shuffled into a moderated radial blanket and/or central island. The most promising materials combination identified used thorium in the internal blankets (due to the superior performance of epithermal Th-U233 systems) and zirconium hydride (ZrH 16 ) as the moderator

Evaluation of Computer Simulations for Teaching Apparel Merchandising Concepts.

Science.gov (United States)

Jolly, Laura D.; Sisler, Grovalynn

1988-01-01

The study developed and evaluated computer simulations for teaching apparel merchandising concepts. Evaluation results indicated that teaching method (computer simulation versus case study) does not significantly affect cognitive learning. Student attitudes varied, however, according to topic (profitable merchandising analysis versus retailing…

The Evaluation of Facilitation Process in Building Community Capacity about OVOP Concept in Kenjeran Coastal Area, Surabaya

Science.gov (United States)

Handayeni, K. D. M. E.; Santoso, E. B.; Siswanto, V. K.

2017-07-01

The concept of One Village One Product (OVOP) is an approach to the development potential of the area in the region to produce products that can compete in the global market, while still having unique characteristics of the area. Bulak District is one of the Kenjeran coastal area in Surabaya, Indonesia. Bulak District has had a great potential of marine products, but still contribute greatly in improving the people's welfare. Total activities of SMEs in the District of Bulak quite a lot, but the resulting product unknown to the wider community and the global marketplace. Activity of facilitation for SMEs society do to build community capacity in the implementation of the concept of OVOP. Based on the results of the evaluation assistance through Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test result an increased understanding of the community regarding to the five subjects related OVOP concept. There are six factors to note in mentoring activities that need to be considered for the sustainability of community capacity building programs on OVOP.

Comparative study based on the physical self-concept in teenagers regarding gender and physical activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Molero López-Barajas

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The aims of this article are to evaluate the physical self-concept in adolescence and to get to know the outcomes in the perceptions of the different dimensions in the physical self-concept. Furthermore, we aim to check the existence of noticeable differences in the outcomes regarding gender variables and regarding the level of physical activity of those polled. The sample consists of 81 individuals divided in two groups: secondary school teenager students and swimmers in adolescence. We use the Physical Self-concept Questionnaire (PSQ as a tool for getting information; there are six scales: physical skills, physical conditions, physical charming, strength, and general physical self-concept. We use the Physical Self-concept Questionnaire (PSQ as an instrument of collection of information which consists of 6 different scales: physical skills, physical condition, physical attractiveness, strength and general self-concept. We will show the results in two different analysis of the variant. In the first one we have found remarkable differences as far as the statistic point of view is concerned in gender perceptions in the scales of physical skills, physical condition, strength and general physical self-concept in favour of men (p<0,05. In the second analysis we have checked the existence of noticeable differences between the two groups of young people within the scales of physical skills and strength in favour of those who practice physical activity regularly (p<0,05.

Physical activity and physical self-concept in youth: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Babic, Mark J; Morgan, Philip J; Plotnikoff, Ronald C; Lonsdale, Chris; White, Rhiannon L; Lubans, David R

2014-11-01

Evidence suggests that physical self-concept is associated with physical activity in children and adolescents, but no systematic review of this literature has been conducted. The primary aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the strength of associations between physical activity and physical self-concept (general and sub-domains) in children and adolescents. The secondary aim was to examine potential moderators of the association between physical activity and physical self-concept. A systematic search of six electronic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, ERIC, Web of Science and Scopus) with no date restrictions was conducted. Random effects meta-analyses with correction for measurement were employed. The associations between physical activity and general physical self-concept and sub-domains were explored. A risk of bias assessment was conducted by two reviewers. The search identified 64 studies to be included in the meta-analysis. Thirty-three studies addressed multiple outcomes of general physical self-concept: 28 studies examined general physical self-concept, 59 examined perceived competence, 25 examined perceived fitness, and 55 examined perceived appearance. Perceived competence was most strongly associated with physical activity (r = 0.30, 95% CI 0.24-0.35, p self-concept (r = 0.25, 95% CI 0.16-0.34, p self-concept (p self-concept and its various sub-domains in children and adolescents. Age and sex are key moderators of the association between physical activity and physical self-concept.

ThermoData Engine (TDE): Software Implementation of the Dynamic Data Evaluation Concept. 8. Properties of Material Streams and Solvent Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Diky, Vladimir; Chirico, Robert D.; Muzny, Chris D.

2013-01-01

ThermoData Engine (TDE) is the first full-scale software implementation of the dynamic data evaluation concept, as reported in this journal. The present paper describes the first application of this concept to the evaluation of thermophysical properties for material streams involving any number...... of chemical components with assessment of uncertainties. The method involves construction of Redlich-Kister type equations for individual properties (excess volume, thermal conductivity, viscosity, surface tension, and excess enthalpy) and activity-coefficient models for phase equilibrium properties (vapor...

Evaluation of Students' Understanding of Thermal Concepts in Everyday Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Hye-Eun; Treagust, David F.; Yeo, Shelley; Zadnik, Marjan

2012-01-01

The aims of this study were to determine the underlying conceptual structure of the thermal concept evaluation (TCE) questionnaire, a pencil-and-paper instrument about everyday contexts of heat, temperature, and heat transfer, to investigate students' conceptual understanding of thermal concepts in everyday contexts across several school years and…

VCR Use and the Concept of Audience Activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Levy, Mark R.

1987-01-01

Examines the audience experience with home video cassette recorders (VCRs) from the perspective of the active audience concept. Finds the orientation of Israeli VCR owners to VCRs is selective, somewhat involved, and generally productive of gratifications. Also finds the kinds and levels of activities associated with VCR use are moderately…

Report on the evaluation and validation of the ELECTRA WoC control concept

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Strasser, Thomas; Latif, Aadil; Leimgruber, Fabian

This report summarizes the evaluation and validation of the ELECTRA Web-of-Cells concept which has been implemented for the proof of concept in selected validation environments provided by the project partners. The performed experiments have been realized in simulations and in laboratory environm......This report summarizes the evaluation and validation of the ELECTRA Web-of-Cells concept which has been implemented for the proof of concept in selected validation environments provided by the project partners. The performed experiments have been realized in simulations and in laboratory...... environments and showed the feasibility of the Web-of-Cells concept and integrated functions for balancing and voltage control. Future work is necessary to further refine the concept and functions and to focus the controller implementations on higher technology readiness levels....

Evaluation of potential blanket concepts for a Demonstration Tokamak Hybrid Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapin, D.L.; Chi, J.W.H.; Kelly, J.L.

1978-01-01

An evaluation has been made of several different blanket concepts for use in a near-term Demonstration Tokamak Hybrid Reactor (DTHR), whose main objective would be to produce a significant amount of fissile fuel while demonstrating the feasibility of the tokamak hybrid reactor concept. The desirability of a simple design using proven technology plus a proliferation resistant fuel cycle led to the selection of a low temperature and pressure water-cooled, zircaloy clad ThO 2 blanket concept to breed 233 U. The nuclear performance and thermal-hydraulics characteristics of the blanket were evaluated to arrive at a consistent design. The blanket was found to be feasible for producing a significant amount of fissile fuel even with the limited operating conditions and blanket coverage in the DTHR

Integrated Evaluation Concept to Assess the Efficacy of Advanced Wastewater Treatment Processes for the Elimination of Micropollutants and Pathogens.

Science.gov (United States)

Ternes, Thomas A; Prasse, Carsten; Eversloh, Christian Lütke; Knopp, Gregor; Cornel, Peter; Schulte-Oehlmann, Ulrike; Schwartz, Thomas; Alexander, Johannes; Seitz, Wolfram; Coors, Anja; Oehlmann, Jörg

2017-01-03

A multidisciplinary concept has been developed to compare advanced wastewater treatment processes for their efficacy of eliminating micropollutants and pathogens. The concept is based on (i) the removal/formation of selected indicator substances and their transformation products (TPs), (ii) the assessment of ecotoxicity via in vitro tests, and (iii) the removal of pathogens and antibiotic resistant bacteria. It includes substances passing biological wastewater treatment plants regulated or proposed to be regulated in the European Water Framework Directive, TPs formed in biological processes or during ozonation, agonistic/antagonistic endocrine activities, mutagenic/genotoxic activities, cytotoxic activities, further activities like neurotoxicity as well as antibiotics resistance genes, and taxonomic gene markers for pathogens. At a pilot plant, ozonation of conventionally treated wastewater resulted in the removal of micropollutants and pathogens and the reduction of estrogenic effects, whereas the in vitro mutagenicity increased. Subsequent post-treatment of the ozonated water by granular activated carbon (GAC) significantly reduced the mutagenic effects as well as the concentrations of remaining micropollutants, whereas this was not the case for biofiltration. The results demonstrate the suitability of the evaluation concept to assess processes of advanced wastewater treatment including ozonation and GAC by considering chemical, ecotoxicological, and microbiological parameters.

Evaluation verification facilities (EVF) at MINT: concept and implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohamed Hairul Hasmoni; Abd Nassir Ibrahim; Ab Razak Hamzah

2003-01-01

EVF facilities and components available are described comprehensively. Objective of establishing EVF as a National Centre for non-destructive testing (NDT) are discussed for various activities of method and equipment validation, R and D on quantitative NDT technique, training and certification, and defect characterization. For a successful activity available at EVF, it is vital that industry participates through input of funding, sponsorship and knowledge sharing. The Malaysian Institute for Nuclear Technology Research (MINT) invested a lot in this facility and ready to share this facility under various mechanisms such as memorandum of understanding (MOU), memorandum of agreement (MOA), contract research or letter of agreement. The facility would be open to industry. Member of NDT community are welcomed to conduct trial and discuss particular areas of interest with others in the industry. Optimising the facility by utilising the facility available and adding new components would make EVF a national centre for NDT and centre of excellence. This paper reviews the concept and implementation of an Evaluation Verification Facility (EVF) at MINT. The types and designs of facilities available are described and characterised by usage NDT. (Author)

A systems evaluation model for selecting spent nuclear fuel storage concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Postula, F.D.; Finch, W.C.; Morissette, R.P.

1982-01-01

This paper describes a system evaluation approach used to identify and evaluate monitored, retrievable fuel storage concepts that fulfill ten key criteria for meeting the functional requirements and system objectives of the National Nuclear Waste Management Program. The selection criteria include health and safety, schedules, costs, socio-economic factors and environmental factors. The methodology used to establish the selection criteria, develop a weight of importance for each criterion and assess the relative merit of each storage system is discussed. The impact of cost relative to technical criteria is examined along with experience in obtaining relative merit data and its application in the model. Topics considered include spent fuel storage requirements, functional requirements, preliminary screening, and Monitored Retrievable Storage (MRS) system evaluation. It is concluded that the proposed system evaluation model is universally applicable when many concepts in various stages of design and cost development need to be evaluated

Self-concept and physical activity in athletes with physical disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Jeffrey J; Whalen, Laurel

2012-07-01

Few researchers have examined multi-dimensional physical self-concept among athletes with disabilities despite extensive evidence indicating the value of such an approach. To describe multidimensional self-concept and to predict both physical activity (PA) and self-esteem using various dimensions of physical self-concept (e.g., endurance, strength). The study was a one-time cross-sectional design involving self-report questionnaires. Participants (n = 50) were adolescents and adult athletes with physical disabilities (M age = 26.5, SD = 10.1) who completed the short version of the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ-S). Athletes reported neutral to positive perceptions of multidimensional physical self-concept (M's ranging from 3.3 to 5.9 of 6). Using multiple regression analyses, we were able account for 29 and 47 percent of the variance in global self-concept and PA, respectively. Global physical self-concept and strength self-concept were important in predicting global self-concept and PA, respectively. These findings support the promotion of weight training programs specifically and PA programs more generally for people with disabilities. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation for reasonableness of power conversion system concepts in the gas turbine high temperature reactor (GTHTR300)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minatsuki, I.; Mizokami, Y.

2007-01-01

The conceptual design study for the Gas Turbine High Temperature Reactor (GTHTR300) was completed in 2004. In GTHTR300, SECO (Simple, Economical Competitiveness and Originality) is advocated as design philosophy in order to minimize technical and economical requirement. Furthermore the design of the GTHTR300 was developed with reflecting various view points from utilities, manufacturers and research organizations. In GTHTR300, the horizontal turbo machine rotor, the turbo machine in a separated vessel, the turbo machine with single rotor, the generator inside the power conversion vessel, and the power conversion system without inter-coolers were selected as major power conversion system concepts. This paper describes the investigation and analysis about the major concepts of GTHTR300 power conversion system in order to evaluate reasonableness of GTHTR300 design approach and acceptability with using experience and engineering knowledge of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., which were accumulated through the activities of HTGR-GT and HTTR (High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor) designing, manufacturing, fabricating and testing. From the result of the evaluation, it was concluded that the selection of each concept in GTHTR300 was reasonable as based on the original design philosophy SECO. As a conclusion, we expect the GTHTR300 to become one of the most promising concepts for commercialization in near future. (authors)

Evaluation of Life Sciences Glovebox (LSG) and Multi-Purpose Crew Restraint Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Whitmore, Mihriban

2005-01-01

Within the scope of the Multi-purpose Crew Restraints for Long Duration Spaceflights project, funded by Code U, it was proposed to conduct a series of evaluations on the ground and on the KC-135 to investigate the human factors issues concerning confined/unique workstations, such as the design of crew restraints. The usability of multiple crew restraints was evaluated for use with the Life Sciences Glovebox (LSG) and for performing general purpose tasks. The purpose of the KC-135 microgravity evaluation was to: (1) to investigate the usability and effectiveness of the concepts developed, (2) to gather recommendations for further development of the concepts, and (3) to verify the validity of the existing requirements. Some designs had already been tested during a March KC-135 evaluation, and testing revealed the need for modifications/enhancements. This flight was designed to test the new iterations, as well as some new concepts. This flight also involved higher fidelity tasks in the LSG, and the addition of load cells on the gloveports.

Evaluation of the basic concepts of approaches for the coexistence of nuclear energy and people/local community

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondo, Shunsuke; Kuroki, Shinichi; Nakagiri, Yuko

2007-01-01

In November 2007, the Policy Evaluation Committee compiled the report, which evaluated the basic concepts of approaches to the coexistence of nuclear energy and people/local community, specified in the Framework for Nuclear Energy Policy. The report states that the 'concerned administrative bodies are carrying out measures related to the coexistence of nuclear energy and people/local communities in line with these basic concept' and summarizes fifteen proposals conductive to the betterment and improvement of these measures, which were classified as 1) secure transparency and promotion of mutual understanding with the public, 2) development and enrichment of learning opportunities and public participation, 3) relationship between the government and local governments and 4) coexistence with local residents. The Japan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) considers this report to be reasonable. This article presented an overview of this activity. (T. Tanaka)

Ex-vessel core catcher design requirements and preliminary concepts evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friedland, A.J.; Tilbrook, R.W.

1974-01-01

As part of the overall study of the consequences of a hypothetical failure to scram following loss of pumping power, design requirements and preliminary concepts evaluation of an ex-vessel core catcher (EVCC) were performed. EVCC is the term applied to a class of devices whose primary objective is to provide a stable subcritical and coolable configuration within containment following a postulated accident in which it is assumed that core debris has penetrated the Reactor Vessel and Guard Vessel. Under these assumed conditions a set of functional requirements were developed for an EVCC and several concepts were evaluated. The studies were specifically directed toward the FFTF design considering the restraints imposed by the physical design and construction of the FFTF plant

The Science Camp Model based on maker movement and tinkering activity for developing concept of electricity in middle school students to meet standard evaluation of ordinary national educational test (O-NET)

Science.gov (United States)

Chamrat, Suthida

2018-01-01

The standard evaluation of Thai education relies excessively on the Ordinary National Educational Test, widely known as O-NET. However, a focus on O-Net results can lead to unsatisfactory teaching practices, especially in science subjects. Among the negative consequences, is that schools frequently engage in "cramming" practices in order to elevate their O-NET scores. Higher education, which is committed to generating and applying knowledge by socially engaged scholars, needs to take account of this situation. This research article portrays the collaboration between the faculty of education at Chiang Mai University and an educational service area to develop the model of science camp. The activities designed for the Science Camp Model were based on the Tinkering and Maker Movement. Specifically, the Science Camp Model was designed to enhance the conceptualization of electricity for Middle School Students in order to meet the standard evaluation of the Ordinary National Educational Test. The hands-on activities consisted of 5 modules which were simple electrical circuits, paper circuits, electrical measurement roleplay motor art robots and Force from Motor. The data were collected by 11 items of Electricity Socratic-based Test adapted from cumulative published O-NET tests focused on the concept of electricity concept. The qualitative data were also collected virtually via Flinga.com. The results indicated that students after participating in 5modules of science camp based on the Maker Movement and tinkering activity developed average percentage of test scores from 33.64 to 65.45. Gain score analysis using dependent t-test compared pretest and posttest mean scores. The p value was found to be statistically significant (less than 0.001). The posttest had a considerably higher mean score compared with the pretest. Qualitative data also indicated that students could explain the main concepts of electrical circuits, and the transformation of electrical energy to

An Investigation of Adolescent Girls' Global Self-Concept, Physical Self-Concept, Identified Regulation, and Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Physical Education

Science.gov (United States)

Beasley, Emily Kristin; Garn, Alex C.

2013-01-01

This study examined the relationships among identified regulation, physical self-concept, global self-concept, and leisure-time physical activity with a sample of middle and high school girls (N = 319) enrolled in physical education. Based on Marsh's theory of self-concept, it was hypothesized that a) physical self-concept would mediate the…

Satellite power system concept development and evaluation program system definition technical assessment report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-12-01

The results of the system definition studies conducted by NASA as a part of the Department of Energy/National Aeronautics and Space Administration SPS Concept Development and Evaluation Program are summarized. The purpose of the system definition efforts was to identify and define candidate SPS concepts and to evaluate the concepts in terms of technical and cost factors. Although the system definition efforts consisted primarily of evaluation and assessment of alternative technical approaches, a reference system was also defined to facilitate economic, environmental, and societal assessments by the Department of Energy. This reference system was designed to deliver 5 GW of electrical power to the utility grid. Topics covered include system definition; energy conversion and power management; power transmission and reception; structures, controls, and materials; construction and operations; and space transportation.

Basic conceptions for reactor pressure vessel manipulators and their evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popp, P.

1987-01-01

The study deals with application fields and basic design conceptions of manipulators in reactor pressure vessels as well as their evaluation. It is shown that manipulators supported at the reactor flange have essential advantages

Social Concepts and Judgments: A Semantic Differential Analysis of the Concepts Feminist, Man, and Woman

Science.gov (United States)

Pierce, W. David; Sydie, R. A.; Stratkotter, Rainer

2003-01-01

Male and female participants (N = 274) made judgments about the social concepts of "feminist," "man," and "woman" on 63 semantic differential items. Factor analysis identified three basic dimensions termed evaluative, potency, and activity as well as two secondary factors called expressiveness and sexuality. Results for the evaluative dimension…

Evaluating learning and teaching using the Force Concept Inventory

Science.gov (United States)

Zitzewitz, Paul

1997-04-01

Teaching methods used in the calculus-based mechanics course for engineers and scientists (P150) at the University of Michigan-Dearborn were markedly changed in September, 1996. Lectures emphasize active learning with Mazur's ConcepTests, Sokoloff's Interactive Demonstrations, and Van Heuvelen's ALPS Kit worksheets. Students solve context-rich problems using Van Heuvelen's multiple representation format in cooperative groups in discussion sections. Labs were changed to use MBL emphasizing concepts and Experiment Problems to learn lab-based problem solving. Pre- and post-testing of 400 students with the Force Concept Inventory has demonstrated considerable success. The average increase in score has been 35-45methods as defined by Hake. The methods and results will be discussed. Detailed analyses of the FCI results will look at success in teaching specific concepts and the effect of student preparation in mathematics and high school physics.

Post Landsat-D advanced concept evaluation /PLACE/

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, L. D.; Alvarado, U. R.; Flatow, F. S.

1979-01-01

The aim of the Post Landsat-D Advanced Concept Evaluation (PLACE) program was to identify the key technology requirements of earth resources satellite systems for the 1985-2000 period. The program involved four efforts: (1) examination of future needs in the earth resources area, (2) creation of a space systems technology model capable of satisfying these needs, (3) identification of key technology requirements posed by this model, and (4) development of a methodology (PRISM) to assist in the priority structuring of the resulting technologies.

PROPOSAL OF ACTIVITY FOR APPROACH TO CONCEPT TEACHING IN THE MIDDLE OF ENTROPY

OpenAIRE

Monteiro, Marco Aurélio Alvarenga; ITA - São Paulo; Monteiro, Isabel Cristina de Castro; UNESP/Guaratinguetá - SP; Gaspar, Alberto; UNESP/Guaratinguetá-SP; Germano, Jóse Silvério Edmundo; ITA-SP

2009-01-01

To teach concepts of Thermodynamics for students of high school, primarily those relating to the Second Law, is not trivial task, in view of the rare activities proposed to approach these concepts in the classroom. The aim of this article is to offer a proposal for construction activity from simple, inexpensive and easy to use in the classroom so that it can be used by teachers of Physical of the high school aiming teach concepts relating to the Second Law of Thermodynamics. La enseñanza d...

PROPOSAL OF ACTIVITY FOR APPROACH TO CONCEPT TEACHING IN THE MIDDLE OF ENTROPY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Aurélio Alvarenga Monteiro

2009-08-01

Full Text Available To teach concepts of Thermodynamics for students of high school, primarily those relating to the Second Law, is not trivial task, in view of the rare activities proposed to approach these concepts in the classroom. The aim of this article is to offer a proposal for construction activity from simple, inexpensive and easy to use in the classroom so that it can be used by teachers of Physical of the high school aiming teach concepts relating to the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

Foundations of Children's Self-Concepts about Everyday Activities: Identities and Comparative Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Laurel

2014-01-01

Children's motivations to engage in everyday activities draw on their experiences in thinking of oneself and the activities. In theory, these personal and social realities provide the complex foundations of self-concepts. The aim of this project was to define the foundations of children's self-concepts about everyday activities; to focus…

The concept of the mechanically active guideway as a novel approach to maglev

Science.gov (United States)

Horwath, T. G.

1992-01-01

A maglev system that is suitable for operation in the United States will have to meet unique requirements which determine the major systems characteristics. Maglev configurations presently developed in Germany and Japan are based on conventional maglev concepts and as such do not meet all of the requirements. A novel maglev guideway concept is introduced as a solution. This concept, the mechanically active guideway, is articulated in three degrees of freedom and assumes system functions which normally reside in the maglev vehicle. The mechanically active guideway contains spatially distributed actuators which are energized under computer control at the time of vehicle passage to achieve bank angle adjustment and ride quality control. A typical realization of the concept is outlined.

Changing University Students’ Alternative Conceptions of Optics by Active Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zalkida Hadžibegović

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Active learning is individual and group participation in effective activities such as in-class observing, writing, experimenting, discussion, solving problems, and talking about to-be-learned topics. Some instructors believe that active learning is impossible, or at least extremely difficult to achieve in large lecture sessions. Nevertheless, the truly impressive implementation results of theSCALE-UP learning environment suggest that such beliefs are false (Beichner et al., 2000. In this study, we present a design of an active learning environment with positive effect on students. The design is based on the following elements: (1 helping students to learn from interactive lecture experiment; (2 guiding students to use justified explanation and prediction after observing and exploring a phenomenon; (3 developing a conceptual question sequencedesigned for use in an interactive lecture with students answering questions in worksheets by writing and drawing; (4 evaluating students’ conceptual change and gains by questions related to light reflection, refraction, and image formation in an exam held a week after the active learning session. Data were collected from 95 science freshmen with different secondary school backgrounds. They participated in geometrical optics classes organized for collecting research results during and after only one active learning session.The results have showed that around 60% of the students changed their initial alternative conceptions of vision and of image formation. It was also found that a large group of university students is likely to be engaged in active learning, shifting from a passive role they usually play during teacher’s lectures.

Evaluation of Novel Liner Concepts for Fan and Airframe Noise Reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, M. G.; Howerton, B. M.

2016-01-01

This paper presents a review of four novel liner concepts: soft vanes, over-the-rotor liners, external liners, and flap side-edge liners. A number of similarities in the design and evaluation of these concepts emerged during these investigations. Since these were the first attempts to study these particular liner concepts, there was limited information to guide the design process. In all cases, the target frequencies (or frequency range) were known, but the optimum acoustic impedance and optimum liner placement were typically not known. For these cases, the maximum available surface was used and a c-impedance was targeted based on the assumption the sound field impinges on the surface at normal incidence. This choice proved fruitful for every application. An impedance prediction model was used to design variable-depth liner configurations, and a graphical design code (ILIAD) was developed to aid in this process. The ability to build increasingly complex liner configurations via additive manufacturing was key, such that multiple designs could quickly be tested in a normal incidence impedance tube. The Two-Thickness Method was used to evaluate available bulk materials, such that bulk liners could also be considered for each application. These novel liner concepts provide sufficient noise reduction to warrant further investigations.

Implementation of an active instructional design for teaching the concepts of current, voltage and resistance

Science.gov (United States)

Orlaineta-Agüero, S.; Del Sol-Fernández, S.; Sánchez-Guzmán, D.; García-Salcedo, R.

2017-01-01

In the present work we show the implementation of a learning sequence based on an active learning methodology for teaching Physics, this proposal tends to promote a better learning in high school students with the use of a comic book and it combines the use of different low-cost experimental activities for teaching the electrical concepts of Current, Resistance and Voltage. We consider that this kind of strategy can be easily extrapolated to higher-education levels like Engineering-college/university level and other disciplines of Science. To evaluate this proposal, we used some conceptual questions from the Electric Circuits Concept Evaluation survey developed by Sokoloff and the results from this survey was analysed with the Normalized Conceptual Gain proposed by Hake and the Concentration Factor that was proposed by Bao and Redish, to identify the effectiveness of the methodology and the models that the students presented after and before the instruction, respectively. We found that this methodology was more effective than only the implementation of traditional lectures, we consider that these results cannot be generalized but gave us the opportunity to view many important approaches in Physics Education; finally, we will continue to apply the same experiment with more students, in the same and upper levels of education, to confirm and validate the effectiveness of this methodology proposal.

Health system guidance appraisal--concept evaluation and usability testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Ako-Arrey, Denis E; Brouwers, Melissa C; Lavis, John N; Giacomini, Mita K

2016-01-05

Health system guidance (HSG) provides recommendations aimed to address health system challenges. However, there is a paucity of methods to direct, appraise, and report HSG. Earlier research identified 30 candidate criteria (concepts) that can be used to evaluate the quality of HSG and guide development and reporting requirements. The objective of this paper was to describe two studies aimed at evaluating the importance of these 30 criteria, design a draft HSG appraisal tool, and test its usability. This study involved a two-step survey process. In step 1, respondents rated the 30 concepts for appropriateness to, relevance to, and priority for health system decisions and HSG. This led to a draft tool. In step 2, respondents reviewed HSG documents, appraised them using the tool, and answered a series of questions. Descriptive analyses were computed. Fifty participants were invited in step 1, and we had a response rate of 82 %. The mean response rates for each concept within each survey question were universally favorable. There was also an overall agreement about the need for a high-quality tool to systematically direct the development, appraisal, and reporting of HSG. Qualitative feedback and a consensus process by the team led to refinements to some of the concepts and the creation of a beta (draft) version of the HSG tool. In step 2, 35 participants were invited and we had a response rate of 74 %. Exploratory analyses showed that the quality of the HSGs reviewed varied as a function of the HSG item and the specific document assessed. A favorable consensus was reached with participants agreeing that the HSG items were easy to understand and easy to apply. Moreover, the overall agreement was high for the usability of the tool to systematically direct the development (85 %), appraisal (92 %), and reporting (81 %) of HSG. From this process, version 1.0 of the HSG appraisal tool was generated complete with 32 items (and their descriptions) and 4 domains. The final

Concepts for evaluation of sound insulation of dwellings - from chaos to consensus?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Birgit; Rindel, Jens Holger

2005-01-01

Legal sound insulation requirements have existed more than 50 years in some countries, and single-number quantities for evaluation of sound insulation have existed nearly as long time. However, the concepts have changed considerably over time from simple arithmetic averaging of frequency bands......¬ments and classification schemes revealed significant differences of concepts. The paper summarizes the history of concepts, the disadvantages of the present chaos and the benefits of consensus concerning concepts for airborne and impact sound insulation between dwellings and airborne sound insulation of facades...... with a trend towards light-weight constructions are contradictory and challenging. This calls for exchange of data and experience, implying a need for harmonized concepts, including use of spectrum adaptation terms. The paper will provide input for future discussions in EAA TC-RBA WG4: "Sound insulation...

An end users perspective on activity-based office concepts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Appel - Meulenbroek, H.A.J.A.; Groenen, P.J.M.; Janssen, I.I.

2011-01-01

Purpose – The activity-based office concept of the modern office is set to increase productivity through the stimulation of interaction and communication while retaining employee satisfaction and reducing the accommodation costs. Although some research has gone into understanding the added value,

Risk evaluation method for faults by engineering approach. (2) Application concept of margin analysis utilizing accident sequences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamiya, Masanobu; Kanaida, Syuuji; Kamiya, Kouichi; Sato, Kunihiko; Kuroiwa, Katsuya

2016-01-01

The influence of the fault displacement on the facility should to be evaluated not only by the activity of the fault but also by obtaining risk information by considering scenarios including such as the frequency and the degree of the hazard, which should be an appropriate approach for nuclear safety. An applicable concept of margin analysis utilizing accident sequences for evaluating the influence of the fault displacement is proposed. By use of this analysis, we can evaluate of the safety functions and margin for core damage, verify the efficiency of equipment of portable type and make a decision to take additional measures to reduce the risk by using obtained risk information. (author)

Modeling Energy and Development : An Evaluation of Models and Concepts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruijven, Bas van; Urban, Frauke; Benders, René M.J.; Moll, Henri C.; Sluijs, Jeroen P. van der; Vries, Bert de; Vuuren, Detlef P. van

2008-01-01

Most global energy models are developed by institutes from developed countries focusing primarily oil issues that are important in industrialized countries. Evaluation of the results for Asia of the IPCC/SRES models shows that broad concepts of energy and development. the energy ladder and the

Teaching Plate Tectonic Concepts using GeoMapApp Learning Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Goodwillie, A. M.; Kluge, S.

2012-12-01

GeoMapApp Learning Activities ( http://serc.carleton.edu/geomapapp/collection.html ) can help educators to expose undergraduate students to a range of earth science concepts using high-quality data sets in an easy-to-use map-based interface called GeoMapApp. GeoMapApp Learning Activities require students to interact with and analyse research-quality geoscience data as a means to explore and enhance their understanding of underlying content and concepts. Each activity is freely available through the SERC-Carleton web site and offers step-by-step student instructions and answer sheets. Also provided are annotated educator versions of the worksheets that include teaching tips, additional content and suggestions for further work. The activities can be used "off-the-shelf". Or, since the educator may require flexibility to tailor the activities, the documents are provided in Word format for easy modification. Examples of activities include one on the concept of seafloor spreading that requires students to analyse global seafloor crustal age data to calculate spreading rates in different ocean basins. Another activity has students explore hot spots using radiometric age dating of rocks along the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain. A third focusses upon the interactive use of contours and profiles to help students visualise 3-D topography on 2-D computer screens. A fourth activity provides a study of mass wasting as revealed through geomorphological evidence. The step-by-step instructions and guided inquiry approach reduce the need for teacher intervention whilst boosting the time that students can spend on productive exploration and learning. The activities can be used, for example, in a classroom lab with the educator present and as self-paced assignments in an out-of-class setting. GeoMapApp Learning Activities are funded through the NSF GeoEd program and are aimed at students in the introductory undergraduate, community college and high school levels. The activities are

Ecological literacy and concepts formation in childhood education through playful activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Célia de Brito Miranda

2010-07-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to investigate the concept formation involved in the study of food chain by utilizing the vygotskian referential and playful activities. The teacher-researcher planned the activities that were experienced by a group of children in an elementary school aged 4 to 5. The topic chosen intended to support ecological literacy and the construction of scientific concepts in children. For the data collect, the study employed diverse instruments of a playful nature, such as theatre, games, drawings, and video-recorded interviews. The study showed a generally positive influence of playful activities to develop a perception of belonging to the food chain and becoming aware of the importance of caring for animals in order to preserve life, as well as an evolution inside the phases proposed by Vygotsky.

Canada's high-level nuclear waste disposal concept and its evaluation process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheng, Grant; Shemilt, L.W.

2004-01-01

The concept of disposing high-level nuclear waste in granitic rocks in the Canadian Shield, developed by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), is anticipated to undergo a national public review within two years. The disposal concept, its documentation, and its process of evaluation, including the role of the public, government and the scientific/engineering community, are summarized. A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has provided external peer review of the Program since 1979 and its findings are published in annual reports which are publicly available. (author)

Future ATM Concepts Evaluation Tool (FACET) Interface Control Document

Science.gov (United States)

Grabbe, Shon R.

2017-01-01

This Interface Control Document (ICD) documents the airspace adaptation and air traffic inputs of NASA's Future ATM Concepts and Evaluation Tool (FACET). Its intended audience is the project manager, project team, development team, and stakeholders interested in interfacing with the system. FACET equips Air Traffic Management (ATM) researchers and service providers with a way to explore, develop and evaluate advanced air transportation concepts before they are field-tested and eventually deployed. FACET is a flexible software tool that is capable of quickly generating and analyzing thousands of aircraft trajectories. It provides researchers with a simulation environment for preliminary testing of advanced ATM concepts. Using aircraft performance profiles, airspace models, weather data, and flight schedules, the tool models trajectories for the climb, cruise, and descent phases of flight for each type of aircraft. An advanced graphical interface displays traffic patterns in two and three dimensions, under various current and projected conditions for specific airspace regions or over the entire continental United States. The system is able to simulate a full day's dynamic national airspace system (NAS) operations, model system uncertainty, measure the impact of different decision-makers in the NAS, and provide analysis of the results in graphical form, including sector, airport, fix, and airway usage statistics. NASA researchers test and analyze the system-wide impact of new traffic flow management algorithms under anticipated air traffic growth projections on the nation's air traffic system. In addition to modeling the airspace system for NASA research, FACET has also successfully transitioned into a valuable tool for operational use. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) traffic flow managers and commercial airline dispatchers have used FACET technology for real-time operations planning. FACET integrates live air traffic data from FAA radar systems and weather data

Kinetic concepts of thermally stimulated reactions in solids

Science.gov (United States)

Vyazovkin, Sergey

Historical analysis suggests that the basic kinetic concepts of reactions in solids were inherited from homogeneous kinetics. These concepts rest upon the assumption of a single-step reaction that disagrees with the multiple-step nature of solid-state processes. The inadequate concepts inspire such unjustified anticipations of kinetic analysis as evaluating constant activation energy and/or deriving a single-step reaction mechanism for the overall process. A more adequate concept is that of the effective activation energy, which may vary with temperature and extent of conversion. The adequacy of this concept is illustrated by literature data as well as by experimental data on the thermal dehydration of calcium oxalate monohydrate and thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate, ammonium nitrate and 1,3,5,7- tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine.

The Bobath Concept in Walking Activity in Chronic Stroke Measured Through the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Benito García, Miguel; Atín Arratibel, María Ángeles; Terradillos Azpiroz, Maria Estíbaliz

2015-12-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a rehabilitation programme based on the Bobath concept in order to improve walking activity in patients with chronic stroke and to show the usefulness of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a tool for gathering functioning information. This study is a repeated measures study. The setting of this study is an outpatient neurological rehabilitation centre based on a multidisciplinary approach. Twenty-four participants suffering from chronic stroke (>1 year and a half and Bobath concept principles with three weekly individual physiotherapy sessions of 45 min each over a 6-month period was the intervention for this study. The measures used were Modified Emory Functional Ambulation Profile, 10-m walk test, 6-min walk test, muscle strength testing and subsequent codification of these results into ICF qualifiers. The results of the study showed significant improvement in activities of walking long distances, on different surfaces and around obstacles. There was no significant improvement in the activity of walking short distances or for muscle power functions. A rehabilitation programme based on the Bobath Concept improved walking activities in people with chronic stroke. For this intervention, the use of the ICF qualifiers was sensitive in perceiving post-treatment changes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Social phobia and self-concept: a correlational study with physical activity practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christi Noriko Sonoo

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to analyze social phobia in teenagers aged 14 to 20 years and its possiblerelationship with regular practice of physical activity and their self-concept. This study enrolled 191 students from privateand public schools and the measurement instruments used were a test of social phobia, a test of self-concept and a physicalactivity questionnaire. The results indicate that students from private schools are shyer than students from public schools. Inrelation to self-concept, there were significant differences in security factor for boys and moral factor for girls. This indicatesthat boys are more stable, brave and secure, while girls are more influenced by moral and ethical rules. These resultsdemonstrate that no relationship was detected between social phobia and physical activity, but it was possible to observea relationship between social phobia and some of the self-concept factors, and a relationship between physical activityand some of the self-concept factors. It is therefore concluded that the negative influence of high levels of social phobia onthe receptivity and security factors of men and women suggests a need for further studies in the area, which could help inthe prevention and treatment of social phobia, which could worsen over the years and compromise these young people’sability to socialize.

Definition and Evaluation of Bus and Truck Automation Operations Concepts: Final Report

OpenAIRE

Taso, H. S. Jacob; Botha, Jan L.

2003-01-01

Traffic congestion will continue to worsen and likely worsen at a faster rate than ever. People throughput and freight throughput have become critical issues for California and the rest of the nation. PATH has funded a research project entitled Definition And Evaluation of Bus And Truck Automation Operations Concepts, proposed by the authors. This report summarizes the major findings of the research project. During the one-year project, we reviewed literature and developed operating concepts ...

Conceptions and Practices in teaching and learning: implications for the evaluation of teaching quality.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zerihun, Z.; Beishuizen, J.J.; van Os, W

2011-01-01

This study was conducted in two public universities in Ethiopia to assess the impact of conceptions of teaching and learning on the evaluation of teaching quality. Students' and teachers' approaches to teaching and learning and their conceptions of the meaning of teaching have been examined. Results

Conceptualizing physical activity parenting practices using expert informed concept mapping analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Louise C. Mâsse

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Parents are widely recognized as playing a central role in the development of child behaviors such as physical activity. As there is little agreement as to the dimensions of physical activity-related parenting practices that should be measured or how they should be operationalized, this study engaged experts to develop an integrated conceptual framework for assessing parenting practices that influence multiple aspects of 5 to 12 year old children’s participation in physical activity. The ultimate goal of this study is to inform the development of an item bank (repository of calibrated items aimed at measuring physical activity parenting practices. Methods Twenty four experts from 6 countries (Australia, Canada, England, Scotland, the Netherlands, & United States (US sorted 77 physical activity parenting practice concepts identified from our previously published synthesis of the literature (74 measures and survey of Canadian and US parents. Concept Mapping software was used to conduct the multi-dimensional scaling (MDS analysis and a cluster analysis of the MDS solution of the Expert’s sorting which was qualitatively reviewed and commented on by the Experts. Results The conceptual framework includes 12 constructs which are presented using three main domains of parenting practices (neglect/control, autonomy support, and structure. The neglect/control domain includes two constructs: permissive and pressuring parenting practices. The autonomy supportive domain includes four constructs: encouragement, guided choice, involvement in child physical activities, and praises/rewards for their child’s physical activity. Finally, the structure domain includes six constructs: co-participation, expectations, facilitation, modeling, monitoring, and restricting physical activity for safety or academic concerns. Conclusion The concept mapping analysis provided a useful process to engage experts in re-conceptualizing physical activity

Conceptualizing physical activity parenting practices using expert informed concept mapping analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mâsse, Louise C; O'Connor, Teresia M; Tu, Andrew W; Hughes, Sheryl O; Beauchamp, Mark R; Baranowski, Tom

2017-06-14

Parents are widely recognized as playing a central role in the development of child behaviors such as physical activity. As there is little agreement as to the dimensions of physical activity-related parenting practices that should be measured or how they should be operationalized, this study engaged experts to develop an integrated conceptual framework for assessing parenting practices that influence multiple aspects of 5 to 12 year old children's participation in physical activity. The ultimate goal of this study is to inform the development of an item bank (repository of calibrated items) aimed at measuring physical activity parenting practices. Twenty four experts from 6 countries (Australia, Canada, England, Scotland, the Netherlands, & United States (US)) sorted 77 physical activity parenting practice concepts identified from our previously published synthesis of the literature (74 measures) and survey of Canadian and US parents. Concept Mapping software was used to conduct the multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) analysis and a cluster analysis of the MDS solution of the Expert's sorting which was qualitatively reviewed and commented on by the Experts. The conceptual framework includes 12 constructs which are presented using three main domains of parenting practices (neglect/control, autonomy support, and structure). The neglect/control domain includes two constructs: permissive and pressuring parenting practices. The autonomy supportive domain includes four constructs: encouragement, guided choice, involvement in child physical activities, and praises/rewards for their child's physical activity. Finally, the structure domain includes six constructs: co-participation, expectations, facilitation, modeling, monitoring, and restricting physical activity for safety or academic concerns. The concept mapping analysis provided a useful process to engage experts in re-conceptualizing physical activity parenting practices and identified key constructs to include in

Evaluation of scaling concepts for integral system test facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Condie, K.G.; Larson, T.K.; Davis, C.B.

1987-01-01

A study was conducted by EG and G Idaho, Inc., to identify and technically evaluate potential concepts which will allow the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to maintain the capability to conduct future integral, thermal-hydraulic facility experiments of interest to light water reactor safety. This paper summarizes the methodology used in the study and presents a rankings for each facility concept relative to its ability to simulate phenomena identified as important in selected reactor transients in Babcock and Wilcox and Westinghouse large pressurized water reactors. Established scaling methodologies are used to develop potential concepts for scaled integral thermal-hydraulic experiment facilities. Concepts selected included: full height, full pressure water; reduced height, reduced pressure water; reduced height, full pressure water; one-tenth linear, full pressure water; and reduced height, full scaled pressure Freon. Results from this study suggest that a facility capable of operating at typical reactor operating conditions will scale most phenomena reasonably well. Local heat transfer phenomena is best scaled by the full height facility, while the reduced height facilities provide better scaling where multi-dimensional phenomena are considered important. Although many phenomena in facilities using Freon or water at nontypical pressure will scale reasonably well, those phenomena which are heavily dependent on quality can be distorted. Furthermore, relation of data produced in facilities operating with nontypical fluids or at nontypical pressures to large plants will be a difficult and time-consuming process

NNWSI project information management system concepts evaluation report. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-08-01

This report is intended as a first step in developing detailed information management system specifications for the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) Project. The current state of information management at the NNWSI Project level is investigated and an information management system (IMS) is proposed. The IMS as it relates to aspects of Project and records management is discussed. Information management concepts and prospective IMS system components are investigated. Concepts and system components include: indexing, searching, retrieval, data base management system technology, computers, storage media, computer-assisted retrieval (CAR) of microfilm, electronic imaging-based systems, optical character recognition, and communications. Performance criteria and desirable system attributes applicable to the IMS are discussed. Six conceptual system approaches capable of satisfying the performance criteria are defined. System approaches include: fully centralized microfilm system based on CAR retrieval (Approach 1), partially distributed microfilm system based on CAR retrieval (Approach 2), fully distributed microfilm system based on CAR retrieval (Approach 3), fully centralized optical disk system based on electronic image and full-text retrieval (Approach 4), partially distributed optical system based on electron image and full-text retrieval (Approach 5), and fully distributed optical disk system based on electronic image and full-text retrieval (Approach 6). Technical and cost considerations associated with the six conceptual approaches are evaluated. Technical evaluation results indicate Approach 4 is the best conceptual approach, and cost evaluation results show no significant differences among approaches. On the basis of the evaluation, Approach 4 is recommended

The Use of Energizers to Reinforce Nutrition Concepts and Encourage Physical Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Lovett, Kathleen; Johnson, Betsy; Caskey, Mary; Pleasants, Christopher; Hurtado, G. Ali

2014-01-01

Given the importance of including daily physical activity as a part of a healthy lifestyle, Extension educators should do as much as they can to incorporate physical activity into their educational programming. A University of Minnesota Extension team has created a set of activities that incorporate motion to reinforce nutrition concepts, which…

Evaluation of air cleaning system concepts for emergency use in LMFBR plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hilliard, R.K.; McCormack, J.D.; Postma, A.K.

1976-12-01

Nineteen different air cleaning concepts are arranged into twenty-four systems and evaluated for use as accident mitigating systems in LMFBR plants. Both single, low-leakage containment plants and once-through operation applicable to containment/confinement plants are considered. Plant characteristics affecting air cleaning requirements are defined for 1000 MW(e) plants and a sodium and radiological release term is postulated. The accident conditions under which the emergency air cleaning system (EACS) must function is established by use of SOFIRE-II and HAA-3B computer codes. Criteria are developed for evaluating the various systems and for assigning comparative ratings. The numerical ratings are combined with information on cost and development potential to arrive at recommendations for the most promising systems. The conclusion is made that reliable and effective systems are feasible for use as engineered safety features for LMFBR plants, but that development effort is required for all the air cleaning concepts evaluated

Experimentation and evaluation of advanced integrated system concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, M.; Garrigus, K.; Gottschalck, J.; Rinearson, L.; Longee, E.

1980-09-01

This final report examines the implementation of a time-phased test bed for experimentation and evaluation of advanced system concepts relative to the future Defense Switched Network (DSN). After identifying issues pertinent to the DSN, a set of experiments which address these issues are developed. Experiments are ordered based on their immediacy and relative importance to DSN development. The set of experiments thus defined allows requirements for a time phased implementation of a test bed to be identified, and several generic test bed architectures which meet these requirements are examined. Specific architecture implementations are costed and cost/schedule profiles are generated as a function of experimental capability. The final recommended system consists of two separate test beds: a circuit switch test bed, configured around an off-the-shelf commercial switch, and directed toward the examination of nearer term and transitional issues raised by the evolving DSN; and a packet/hybrid test bed, featuring a discrete buildup of new hardware and software modules, and directed toward examination of the more advanced integrated voice and data telecommunications issues and concepts.

Active inflatable auxetic honeycomb structural concept for morphing wingtips

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Jian; Leng, Jinsong; Gao, Hongliang; Liu, Yanju; Scarpa, Fabrizio; Lira, Cristian

2014-01-01

This paper describes a new concept of an active honeycomb structure for morphing wingtip applications based on tubular inflatable systems and an auxetic cellular structure. A work-energy model to predict the output honeycomb displacement versus input pressure is developed together with a finite element formulation, and the results are compared with the data obtained from a small-scale example of an active honeycomb. An analysis of the hysteresis associated with multiple cyclic loading is also provided, and design considerations for a larger-scale wingtip demonstrator are made. (paper)

The Relationship between Parenting Styles and Young Adults' Self-Concepts and Evaluations of Parents.

Science.gov (United States)

Parish, Thomas S.; McCluskey, James J.

1992-01-01

Surveyed 123 college students to assess their self-concepts, evaluations of parents, and perceptions of parents' parenting styles. Student self-concept varied directly with perceived level of parental warmth, but did not vary as function of parents' level of restrictiveness. Fathers and mothers were rated more highly if they were perceived as warm…

IDENTIFICATION OF BASES FOR EVALUATION OF THE BUSINESS EXCELLENCE STATUS IN RELATION TO THE CSR CONCEPT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miriam Jankalová

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The process of globalization has started the need to achieve the Business Excellence status. Emphasizing the responsibility of the company's behaviour towards society and the environment is confirmed by the adoption of the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR. Based on theoretical background review, there is no single unified methodology for the evaluation of the Business Excellence status in relation to the CSR concept. The aim of this paper is to identify bases for the evaluation of Business Excellence status in relation to the CSR concept. The most important tasks include: to identify internal and external factors affecting Business Excellence status; to identify CSR areas for the needs of evaluation of the Business Excellence status. Primary sources included especially national and foreign scientific publications.

NPP Decommissioning: the concept; state of activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nemytov, S.; Zimin, V.

2001-01-01

The main principles of NPP decommissioning concept in Russia are given. The conditions with fulfillment of works on NPP unit pre-decommissioning and decommissioning including: development of the normative documentation, creation of special fund for financing NPP decommissioning activities, deriving the Gosatomnadzor license for decommissioning of shut down NPP units, development of the equipment and technologies for waste and spent fuel management are presented. The decommissioning cost and labour intensity of one WWER-440 unit are shown. The practical works, executed on shut down units at Beloyarsk NPP (Unit1 and 2) and Novo Voronezh NPP (Unit 1 and 2) are outlined

Physical Self-Concept and Physical Activity Enjoyment in Elementary School Children

Science.gov (United States)

Lohbeck, Annette; Tietjens, Maike; Bund, Andreas

2016-01-01

The present study examined gender differences and relationships of seven specific domains of physical self-concept (PSC) ("Strength," "Endurance," "Speed," "Flexibility," "Coordination," "Global Sport Competence," and "Appearance") and physical activity enjoyment (PAE) in 447…

Relativistic plasma dielectric tensor evaluation based on the exact plasma dispersion functions concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castejon, F.; Pavlov, S. S.

2006-01-01

The fully relativistic plasma dielectric tensor for any wave and plasma parameter is estimated on the basis of the exact plasma dispersion functions concept. The inclusion of this concept allows one to write the tensor in a closed and compact form and to reduce the tensor evaluation to the calculation of those functions. The main analytical properties of these functions are studied and two methods are given for their evaluation. The comparison between the exact dielectric tensor with the weakly relativistic approximation, widely used presently in plasma waves calculations, is given as well as the range of plasma temperature, harmonic number, and propagation angle in which the weakly relativistic approximation is valid

Women, Physical Activity, and Quality of Life: Self-concept as a Mediator.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalo Silvestre, Tamara; Ubillos Landa, Silvia

2016-02-22

The objectives of this research are: (a) analyze the incremental validity of physical activity's (PA) influence on perceived quality of life (PQL); (b) determine if PA's predictive power is mediated by self-concept; and (c) study if results vary according to a unidimensional or multidimensional approach to self-concept measurement. The sample comprised 160 women from Burgos, Spain aged 18 to 45 years old. Non-probability sampling was used. Two three-step hierarchical regression analyses were applied to forecast PQL. The hedonic quality-of-life indicators, self-concept, self-esteem, and PA were included as independent variables. The first regression analysis included global self-concept as predictor variable, while the second included its five dimensions. Two mediation analyses were conducted to see if PA's ability to predict PQL was mediated by global and physical self-concept. Results from the first regression shows that self-concept, satisfaction with life, and PA were significant predictors. PA slightly but significantly increased explained variance in PQL (2.1%). In the second regression, substituting global self-concept with its five constituent factors, only the physical dimension and satisfaction with life predicted PQL, while PA ceased to be a significant predictor. Mediation analysis revealed that only physical self-concept mediates the relationship between PA and PQL (z = 1.97, p relationship between PQL, PA, and self-concept.

Using Laboratory Activities Enhanced with Concept Cartoons to Support Progression in Students' Understanding of Acid-Base Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Ozmen, Haluk; Demircioglu, Gokhan; Burhan, Yasemin; Naseriazar, Akbar; Demircioglu, Hulya

2012-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of an intervention based on a series of laboratory activities enhanced with concept cartoons. The purpose of the intervention was to enhance students' understanding of acid-base chemistry for eight grade students' from two classes in a Turkish primary school. A pretest-posttest non-equivalent…

Brief Report: Performing on the Stage, the Field, or Both? Australian Adolescent Extracurricular Activity Participation and Self-Concept

Science.gov (United States)

Blomfield, Corey J.; Barber, Bonnie L.

2009-01-01

The relationship between Australian adolescents' participation in extracurricular activities and their self-concepts was investigated. A total of 1489 adolescents (56% female; mean age 13.8 years) completed measures of social self-concept, academic self-concept, and general self-worth, and reported on their extracurricular activity participation.…

Does Physical Self-Concept Mediate the Relationship between Motor Abilities and Physical Activity in Adolescents and Young Adults?

Science.gov (United States)

Jekauc, Darko; Wagner, Matthias Oliver; Herrmann, Christian; Hegazy, Khaled; Woll, Alexander

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the reciprocal relationship between motor abilities and physical activity and the mediation effects of physical self-concept in this relationship using longitudinal data. We expect that the effects of motor abilities on physical activity are rather indirect via physical self-concept and that the effects of physical activity on motor abilities are rather direct without involvement of the motor ability self-concept. Data was obtained from the Motorik-Modul (MoMo) Longitudinal Study in which 335 boys and 363 girls aged 11–17 years old at Baseline were examined twice in a period of six years. Physical activity was assessed by the MoMo Physical Activity Questionnaire for adolescents, physical self-concept by Physical Self-Description Questionnaire and motor abilities by MoMo Motor Test which comprised of the dimensions strength, endurance, coordination and flexibility. Multiple regression analyses were used to analyse the direct and indirect effects. The results of the multiple regression analyses show that the effects of motor abilities on physical activity were only indirect for the dimensions strength, coordination, and flexibility. For the dimension endurance, neither direct nor indirect effects were significant. In the opposite direction, the effects of physical activity on motor abilities were partially mediated by the self-concept of strength. For the dimensions endurance, coordination and flexibility, only indirect were significant. The results of this study support the assumption that the relationship between motor abilities and physical activity is mediated by physical self-concept in both directions. Physical self-concept seems to be an important determinant of adolescents´ physical activity. PMID:28045914

Orbital transfer vehicle concept definition and system analysis study. Volume 2: OTV concept definition and evaluation. Book 1: Mission and system requirements

Science.gov (United States)

Kofal, Allen E.

1987-01-01

The mission and system requirements for the concept definition and system analysis of the Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) are established. The requirements set forth constitute the single authority for the selection, evaluation, and optimization of the technical performance and design of the OTV. This requirements document forms the basis for the Ground and Space Based OTV concept definition analyses and establishes the physical, functional, performance and design relationships to STS, Space Station, Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV), and payloads.

Comparison of different back end fuel cycle concepts and evaluation of their feasibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baetke, K.; Baumgaertel, G.; Bechthold, W.; Becker, R.; Closs, K.D.; Dippel, T.; Engelmann, H.J.; Fischer, P.M.; Fischer, U.; Haug, H.O.

1980-09-01

The study represents a comparison between the two alternative back end fuel cycle concepts, i.e., the 'integrated back end fuel cycle concept', (reprocessing, recycling of uranium and plutonium) and the 'spent fuel disposal concept', under aspects of technical feasibility, radiation accidents, radiological impact, and energy policy as well as with respect of the proliferation hazards issuing from each of these concepts. An overall comparison of the two back end fuel cycle concepts and the two fuel cycles, respectively, is not yet feasible at the present time, pending clarification of a number of problems of detail. For this reason, the Study also indicates the research activities that must still be carried out on spent fuel disposal in the next few years, in order to allow the comparison of the two back end fuel cycle alternatives to be carried out with respect to safety, as demanded by the heads of government of the Federal Republic and the Federal States for the mid-eighties. (orig./HP) [de

Active house concept versus passive House

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zeiler, W.; Boxem, G.; Vehler, R.; Verhoeven, M.; Fremouw, M.

2009-01-01

The passive house concept is the present trend in energy efficient sustainable dwellings. Within the passive house concept every effort is made to minimize the energy use. Substantial savings can be achieved by passive energy systems, especially natural ventilation, summer shading and winter solar

Man/terminal interaction evaluation of computer operating system command and control service concepts. [in Spacelab

Science.gov (United States)

Dodson, D. W.; Shields, N. L., Jr.

1978-01-01

The Experiment Computer Operating System (ECOS) of the Spacelab will allow the onboard Payload Specialist to command experiment devices and display information relative to the performance of experiments. Three candidate ECOS command and control service concepts were reviewed and laboratory data on operator performance was taken for each concept. The command and control service concepts evaluated included a dedicated operator's menu display from which all command inputs were issued, a dedicated command key concept with which command inputs could be issued from any display, and a multi-display concept in which command inputs were issued from several dedicated function displays. Advantages and disadvantages are discussed in terms of training, operational errors, task performance time, and subjective comments of system operators.

Concept Maps for Evaluating Learning of Sustainable Development

Science.gov (United States)

Shallcross, David C.

2016-01-01

Concept maps are used to assess student and cohort learning of sustainable development. The concept maps of 732 first-year engineering students were individually analyzed to detect patterns of learning and areas that were not well understood. Students were given 20 minutes each to prepare a concept map of at least 20 concepts using paper and pen.…

Physical Activity and Obesity: Biomechanical and Physiological Key Concepts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julie Nantel

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Overweight (OW and obesity (OB are often associated with low levels of physical activity. Physical activity is recommended to reduce excess body weight, prevent body weight regain, and decrease the subsequent risks of developing metabolic and orthopedic conditions. However, the impact of OW and OB on motor function and daily living activities must be taken into account. OW and OB are associated with musculoskeletal structure changes, decreased mobility, modification of the gait pattern, and changes in the absolute and relative energy expenditures for a given activity. While changes in the gait pattern have been reported at the ankle, knee, and hip, modifications at the knee level might be the most challenging for articular integrity. This review of the literature combines concepts and aims to provide insights into the prescription of physical activity for this population. Topics covered include the repercussions of OW and OB on biomechanical and physiological responses associated with the musculoskeletal system and daily physical activity. Special attention is given to the effect of OW and OB in youth during postural (standing and various locomotor (walking, running, and cycling activities.

Quality Pain Management in Adult Hospitalized Patients: A Concept Evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zoëga, Sigridur; Gunnarsdottir, Sigridur; Wilson, Margaret E; Gordon, Debra B

2016-01-01

To explore the concept of quality pain management (QPM) in adult hospitalized patients. Pain is common in hospitalized patients, and pain management remains suboptimal in some settings. A concept evaluation based on Morse et al.'s method. Of more than 5,000 articles found, data were restricted to 37 selected key articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Data were extracted from the selected articles and then synthesized according to the following: definition, characteristics, boundaries, preconditions, and outcomes. QPM relates to the Structure: organizationally supported evidence-based policies, competent staff, interprofessional and specialized care, and staff accountability; screening, assessment/reassessment and communication of pain and its treatment, patient/family education, individualized evidence-based treatment, embedded in safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable services; and reduced pain severity and functional interference, decreased prevalence/severity of adverse consequences from pain or pain treatment, and increase in patient satisfaction. QPM is a multifaceted concept that remains poorly defined in the literature. Studies should aim to develop valid, reliable, and operational measures of the pillars of QPM and to look at the relationship among these factors. Authors need to state how they define and what aspects of QPM they are measuring. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Evaluating Self-Concept and Ego Development within Erikson's Psychosocial Framework: A Formulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamachek, Don E.

1988-01-01

Suggests criteria developed within context of Erikson's first five psychosocial stages that may help in evaluating self-concept and ego development. To assess strengths and weaknesses in self's growth as it progresses through the stages, five behavioral expressions tables are presented, each illustrating possible behaviors and implicit attitudes…

Evaluating Fault Management Operations Concepts for Next-Generation Spacecraft: What Eye Movements Tell Us

Science.gov (United States)

Hayashi, Miwa; Ravinder, Ujwala; McCann, Robert S.; Beutter, Brent; Spirkovska, Lily

2009-01-01

Performance enhancements associated with selected forms of automation were quantified in a recent human-in-the-loop evaluation of two candidate operational concepts for fault management on next-generation spacecraft. The baseline concept, called Elsie, featured a full-suite of "soft" fault management interfaces. However, operators were forced to diagnose malfunctions with minimal assistance from the standalone caution and warning system. The other concept, called Besi, incorporated a more capable C&W system with an automated fault diagnosis capability. Results from analyses of participants' eye movements indicate that the greatest empirical benefit of the automation stemmed from eliminating the need for text processing on cluttered, text-rich displays.

Definition and Evaluation of Bus and Truck Automation Operations Concepts

OpenAIRE

Tsao, H.-S. Jacob; Botha, Jan L.

2002-01-01

Traffic congestion will continue to worsen and likely worsen at a faster rate than ever. People throughput and freight throughput have become critical issues for California and the rest of the nation. PATH has been funding a one-year research project entitled "Definition and Evaluation of Bus and Truck Automation Operations Concepts," proposed by the authors. This report summarizes the results of the research project achieved during the first six months. During those six months, we reviewed l...

Improving Operations Management Concept Recollection via the Zarco Experiential Learning Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Polito, Tony; Kros, John; Watson, Kevin

2004-01-01

In this study, the authors investigated the effect of Zarco, an operations management "mock factory" experiential learning activity, on student recollection of operations management concepts. Using a number of single-factor and multiple-factor analyses of variance, the authors compared the recollection of students treated with the Zarco activity…

Low Specific Activity materials concepts are being reevaluated

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rawl, R.R.

1993-01-01

Many types of radioactive low-level waste are classified, packaged, and transported as Low-Specific Activity (LSA) material. The transportation regulations allow LSA materials to be shipped in economical packagings and, under certain conditions, waives compliance with other detailed requirements such as labeling. The fundamental concepts which support the LSA category are being thoroughly reevaluated to determine the defensibility of the provisions. A series of national and international events are leading to the development of new dose models which are likely to fundamentally change the ways these materials are defined. Similar basis changes are likely for the packaging requirements applicable to these materials

Evaluation of Cynodon dactylon for wound healing activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Biswas, Tuhin Kanti; Pandit, Srikanta; Chakrabarti, Shrabana; Banerjee, Saheli; Poyra, Nandini; Seal, Tapan

2017-02-02

Research in the field of wound healing is very recent. The concept of wound healing is changing from day to day. Ayurveda is the richest source of plant drugs for management of wounds and Cynodon dactylon L. is one such. The plant is used as hemostatic and wound healing agent from ethnopharmacological point of view. Aim of the present study is scientific validation of the plant for wound healing activity in detail. Aqueous extract of the plant was prepared and phytochemical constituents were detected by HPLC analysis. Acute and dermatological toxicity study of the extract was performed. Pharmacological testing of 15% ointment (w/w) of the extract with respect to placebo control and standard comparator framycetin were done on full thickness punch wound in Wister rats and effects were evaluated based on parameters like wound contraction size (mm 2 ), tensile strength (g); tissue DNA, RNA, protein, hydroxyproline and histological examination. The ointment was applied on selected clinical cases of chronic and complicated wounds and efficacy was evaluated on basis of scoring on granulation, epithelialization, vascularity as well as routine hematological investigations. Significant results (pCynodon dactylon explores its potential wound healing activity in animal model and subsequent feasibility in human subjects. Phenolic acids and flavonoids present in c. dactylon supports its wound healing property for its anti-oxidative activity that are responsible for collagenesis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simulation evaluation of TIMER, a time-based, terminal air traffic, flow-management concept

Science.gov (United States)

Credeur, Leonard; Capron, William R.

1989-01-01

A description of a time-based, extended terminal area ATC concept called Traffic Intelligence for the Management of Efficient Runway scheduling (TIMER) and the results of a fast-time evaluation are presented. The TIMER concept is intended to bridge the gap between today's ATC system and a future automated time-based ATC system. The TIMER concept integrates en route metering, fuel-efficient cruise and profile descents, terminal time-based sequencing and spacing together with computer-generated controller aids, to improve delivery precision for fuller use of runway capacity. Simulation results identify and show the effects and interactions of such key variables as horizon of control location, delivery time error at both the metering fix and runway threshold, aircraft separation requirements, delay discounting, wind, aircraft heading and speed errors, and knowledge of final approach speed.

The relationship between the concepts «innovation», «innovativeness» and «innovation activity» in the enterprise management system: the experience of the Polish researchers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V.V. Ksendzuk

2018-04-01

Full Text Available 1 (39. – Р. 60–66: ill. 2. – Table 2. – Refs.: 24 titles. The article analyzes the conceptual apparatus in terms of management of innovative activity of enterprises. The feasibility for the relevance of research is carried out on the basis of analysis of statistical data in the sphere of use of innovations in the Ukrainian and Polish businesses. The research studied different approaches of Polish scientists to the interpretation of the concepts «innovation», «innovativeness» and «innovation activity» to justify the interdependence among them in theoretical and practical terms. This allowed to draw conclusions in terms of improvement of the studied concepts. Indeed, as shown by a study in entrepreneurial activities and in the scientific literature, approach to the interpretation of these concepts differs and requires revision with the aim of developing the theoretical foundations for the preparation of innovative business strategies, evaluation of indicators of innovativeness for stakeholder groups.

A consideration on internal dose evaluation and intervention based on a surface contamination concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasuda, H.

1997-01-01

Long-term radiation doses received by the inhabitants after the Chernobyl accident have been evaluated according to the surface contamination levels on the ground surface. The health effects have also been discussed by comparison between the surface-contaminated area and the uncontaminated control area. Selected protective measures were carried out in accordance with the contamination level of surface soil. These have been based on the 'surface contamination concept' which assumes that the radiation risk to inhabitants is proportional to the level of ground-surface contamination. The observations collected in regions around Chernobyl, however, show that the internal radiation doses to the inhabitants poorly correlate with the surface contamination level. This fact poses a question on the suitability of dose evaluations and interventions based on this concept

Evaluation of Combat Service Support Logistics Concepts for Supplying a USMC Regimental Task Force

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lenhardt, Thomas

2001-01-01

.... This thesis evaluates existing and proposed concepts on how to best use the CSSE resources of a Force Service Support Group to transport supplies to Regimental Combat Teams over constrained networks...

Evaluation of Metal-Fueled Surface Reactor Concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poston, David I.; Marcille, Thomas F.; Kapernick, Richard J.; Hiatt, Matthew T.; Amiri, Benjamin W.

2007-01-01

Surface fission power systems for use on the Moon and Mars may provide the first use of near-term reactor technology in space. Most near-term surface reactor concepts specify reactor temperatures <1000 K to allow the use of established material and power conversion technology and minimize the impact of the in-situ environment. Metal alloy fuels (e.g. U-10Zr and U-10Mo) have not traditionally been considered for space reactors because of high-temperature requirements, but they might be an attractive option for these lower temperature surface power missions. In addition to temperature limitations, metal fuels are also known to swell significantly at rather low fuel burnups (∼1 a/o), but near-term surface missions can mitigate this concern as well, because power and lifetime requirements generally keep fuel burnups <1 a/o. If temperature and swelling issues are not a concern, then a surface reactor concept may be able to benefit from the high uranium density and relative ease of manufacture of metal fuels. This paper investigates two reactor concepts that utilize metal fuels. It is found that these concepts compare very well to concepts that utilize other fuels (UN, UO2, UZrH) on a mass basis, while also providing the potential to simplify material safeguards issues

Do Self Concept Tests Test Self Concept? An Evaluation of the Validity of Items on the Piers Harris and Coopersmith Measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Lynch, Mervin D.; Chaves, John

Items from Peirs-Harris and Coopersmith self-concept tests were evaluated against independent measures on three self-constructs, idealized, empathic, and worth. Construct measurements were obtained with the semantic differential and D statistic. Ratings were obtained from 381 children, grades 4-6. For each test, item ratings and construct measures…

Toward an integrated system concept for monitoring and evaluation of safety culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makino, Maomi; Sakaue, Takeharu

2004-01-01

The concept of ''nuclear safety culture'' has been advocated and has been much discussed internationally by INSAG (The International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group) under IAEA (the International Atomic Energy Agency) and other institutions since Chernobyl accident. On the safety front, Japan had maintained an excellent track record in nuclear power operations throughout the 1990s. However, there have been a series of new type of problems strongly implying degradation of safety culture, e.g., Monju accident, fire and explosion accident at an Asphalt Solidification Process Facility at Tokai, falsification of annealing data at nuclear power plants (NPP), another data falsification for transport cask of spent fuel and JCO criticality accident. Then the TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) issue was revealed in 2002. Triggered by this issue, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) has been implementing a variety of improvements, one of which was the establishment of a study group in 2003, which invited experts from other fields as well as from nuclear-related industries, to study on how to implement safety culture sufficiently and possible recommendations. Subjects such as the followings piled in the study report will indicate leading keys in case it is going to realize such efforts: ''Foundation of safety culture is a quality management'' and ''Realistic and scientific technique is necessary for the evaluation of safety culture''. In order to respond to these requests, JNES have been advancing the development toward an Integrated System Concept for Monitoring and Evaluation of Safety Culture. This paper describes the outline of the study results reported by the study group and then introduces one of subsystems, SCEST, structuring the integrated system concept for Monitoring and Evaluation of Safety Culture. (author)

Linking Health Concepts in the Assessment and Evaluation of Water Distribution Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Karney, Bryan W.; Filion, Yves R.

2005-01-01

The concept of health is not only a specific criterion for evaluation of water quality delivered by a distribution system but also a suitable paradigm for overall functioning of the hydraulic and structural components of the system. This article views health, despite its complexities, as the only criterion with suitable depth and breadth to allow…

Evaluation of a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Blended-Wing-Body Aircraft Concept for Reduced Noise and Emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Guynn, Mark D.; Freh, Joshua E.; Olson, Erik D.

2004-01-01

This report describes the analytical modeling and evaluation of an unconventional commercial transport aircraft concept designed to address aircraft noise and emission issues. A blended-wing-body configuration with advanced technology hydrogen fuel cell electric propulsion is considered. Predicted noise and emission characteristics are compared to a current technology conventional configuration designed for the same mission. The significant technology issues which have to be addressed to make this concept a viable alternative to current aircraft designs are discussed. This concept is one of the "Quiet Green Transport" aircraft concepts studied as part of NASA's Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts (RASC) Program. The RASC Program was initiated to develop revolutionary concepts that address strategic objectives of the NASA Enterprises, such as reducing aircraft noise and emissions, and to identify advanced technology requirements for the concepts.

Analysis and evaluation of the Dual Fluid Reactor concept

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Xiang

2017-06-27

The Dual Fluid Reactor is a molten salt fast reactor developed by IFK in Berlin based on the Gen-IV Molten-Salt Reactor concept and the Liquid-Metal Cooled Reactor. The design aims to combine these two concepts to improve these two concepts. The Dissertation focuses on the concept and performs diverse calculations and estimations on the subjects of neutron physics, depletion and thermal-hydraulic behaviors to validate the new features of the concept. Based on the results it is concluded that this concept is feasible to its desired purpose and with great potential.

Intentional learning: A concept analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mollman, Sarah; Candela, Lori

2018-01-01

To use a concept analysis to determine a clear definition of the term "intentional learning" for use in nursing. The term intentional learning has been used for years in educational, business, and even nursing literature. It has been used to denote processes leading to higher order thinking and the ability to use knowledge in new situations; both of which are important skills to develop in nursing students. But the lack of a common, accepted definition of the term makes it difficult for nurse educators to base instruction and learning experiences on or to evaluate its overall effectiveness in educating students for diverse, fast-paced clinical practices. A concept analysis following the eight-step method developed by Walker and Avant (2011). Empirical and descriptive literature.  Five defining attributes were identified: (1) self-efficacy for learning, (2) active, effortful, and engaged learning, (3) mastery of goals where learning is the goal, (4) self-directed learning, and (5) self-regulation of learning. Through this concept analysis, nursing will have a clear definition of intentional learning. This will enable nurse educators to generate, evaluate, and test learning experiences that promote further development of intentional learning in nursing students. Nurses in practice will also be able to evaluate if the stated benefits are demonstrated and how this impacts patient care and outcomes. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Development of an engineered safeguards system concept for a mixed-oxide fuel fabrication facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, L.D.; de Montmollin, J.M.; Deveney, J.E.; Fienning, W.C.; Hickman, J.W.; Watkins, L.D.; Winblad, A.E.

1976-08-01

An initial concept of an Engineered Safeguards System for a representative commercial mixed-oxide fuel fabrication facility is presented. Computer simulation techniques for evaluation and further development of the concept are described. An outline of future activity is included

Automatic evaluation stimuli – The most frequently used words to describe physical activity and the pleasantness of physical activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amanda Lea Rebar

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Physical activity is partially regulated by non-conscious processes including automatic evaluations – the spontaneous affective reactions we have to physical activity that lead us to approach or avoid physical activity opportunities. A sound understanding of which words best represent the concepts of physical activity and pleasantness (as associated with physical activity is needed to improve the measurement of automatic evaluations and related constructs (e.g., automatic self-schemas, attentional biases. The first aim of this study was to establish population-level evidence of the most common word stimuli for physical activity and pleasantness. Given that response latency measures have been applied to assess automatic evaluations of physical activity and exercise, the second aim was to determine whether people use the same behavior and pleasant descriptors for physical activity and exercise. Australian adults (N = 1,318; 54.3% women; 48.9% aged 55 years or older were randomly assigned to one of two groups, through a computer-generated 1:1 ratio allocation, to be asked to list either five behaviors and pleasant descriptors of physical activity (n = 686 or of exercise (n = 632. The words were independently coded twice as to whether they were novel words or the same as another (i.e., same stem or same meaning. Intercoder reliability varied between moderate and strong (agreement = 50.1% to 97.8%; κ = 0.48 to 0.82. A list of the 20 most common behavior and pleasantness words were established based on how many people reported them, weighted by the ranking (1-5 people gave them. The words people described as physical activity were mostly the same as those people used to describe exercise. The most common behavior words were ‘walking,’ ‘running,’ ‘swimming,’ ‘bike riding,’ and ‘gardening’; and the most common pleasant descriptor words were ‘relaxing,’ ‘happiness,’ ‘enjoyment,’ ‘exhilarating,’ ‘exhausting,’ and

Impacts of Socially Responsible Corporate Activities on Korean Consumers’ Corporate Evaluations in the Agrifood Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dongmin Lee

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The variety of socially responsible corporate activities employed in the agrifood industry has been broadening. An increasing number of agrifood companies have been employing strategic approaches to socially responsible activities, reinforced by Porter and Kramer’s concept of creating shared value (CSV. This study compares the effects on corporate evaluations of two socially responsible corporate activities: philanthropic giving and CSV. Because prior studies concerning the effects of corporate prosocial behaviors on consumer responses have yielded mixed results, the present study examines the effects of a priori perceptions of companies by using corporate stereotypes as moderators. The results show that the type of socially responsible corporate activity (CSV vs. philanthropic giving does not influence corporate evaluations. However, in cases of CSV (vs. philanthropic giving, consumers evaluate an unwarm but competent company more attractively and place higher value on an incompetent but warm company. This research is important not only for enriching existing literature, but also for providing guidelines to practitioners with respect to selecting appropriate corporate initiatives based on perceived consumer stereotypes.

Evaluation of innovative operation concept for flat sheet MBR filtration system.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinrich, L; Grélot, A

2008-01-01

One of the most limiting factors for the extension and acceptance of MBR filtration systems for municipal and industrial wastewater is the impact of membrane fouling on maintenance, operation and cleaning efforts. One field of action in the European Research Project "AMEDEUS" is the development and testing of MBR module concepts with innovative fouling-prevention technology from three European module manufacturers. This article deals with the performances of the flat-sheet modules by A3 Water Solutions GmbH in double-deck configuration evaluated over 10 months in Anjou Recherche under typical biological operation conditions for MBR systems (MLSS = 10 g/l; SRT = 25 days). By using a double-deck configuration, it is possible to operate with a net flux of 25.5 l/m2.h at 20 degrees C, a membrane air flow rate of 0.21 Nm3/h.m2 of membrane to achieve a stable permeability of around 500-600 l/m2.h.bar. Additionally, it was observed that it is possible to recover the membrane performance after biofouling during operation without intensive cleaning and to maintain stable permeability during peak flows. The evaluated concepts for equipping and operating MBR systems will be applied to several full-scale plants constructed by A3 Water Solutions GmbH.

Assessment of fuel concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailey, W.J.; Barner, J.O.

1978-01-01

The relative merits of various LWR UO 2 fuel concepts with the potential for improved power-ramping capability were qualitatively assessed. In the evaluation, it was determined that of the various concepts being considered, those that presently possess an adequately developed experience base include annular pellets, cladding coated with graphite on the inner surface, and packed-particle fuel. Therefore, these were selected for initial evaluation as part of the Fuel Performance Improvement Program. For this program, graphite-coated cladding is being used in conjunction with annular pellet fuel as one of the concepts with the anticipation of gaining the advantage of the combined improvements. The report discusses the following: the criteria used to evaluate the candidate fuel concepts; a comparison of the concepts selected for irradiation with the criteria, including a general description of their experience bases; and a general discussion of other candidate concepts, including identifying those which may be considered for out-of-reactor evaluation as part of this program, those for which the results of other programs will be monitored, and those which have been deleted from further consideration at this time

Safety margin evaluation concepts for plant Up rates and life extension. Results of the OECD/NEA/CSNI working group on Safety Margin Action Plan (SMAP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belac, J

2006-01-01

This presentation summarizes results of the OECD/NEA/CSNI working group on Safety Margin Action Plan (SMAP) aimed to develop generalized safety margin concept and means of its quantification for the process of evaluating plant safety in the frame of plant life extension and power up rating activities to be used by OECD member countries. (author)

Aging evaluation of active components by using performance evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, S. K.; Jin, T. E.; Kim, J. S.; Jung, I. S.; Kim, T. R.

2003-01-01

Risk analysis and performance evaluation methodology were applied to the aging evaluation of active components in the periodic safety review of Wolsung unit 1. We conclude that evaluation of performance is more effective to discriminate the aging degradation of active component than the evaluation of aging mechanism. It is essential to analyze the common cause failures of low performance components to evaluate the properness of present maintenance system. Past 10 years failure history is used for establishing the performance criteria. Past 2 years failure history is used for the evaluating the recent performance condition. We analyze the failure mode of the components to improve the maintenance system. Performance evaluation methodology is useful for the quantitative evaluation of aging degradation of active components. Analysis on the repeated failures can be useful for the feedback to maintenance plan and interval

Organic food processing: a framework for concept, starting definitions and evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahl, Johannes; Alborzi, Farnaz; Beck, Alexander; Bügel, Susanne; Busscher, Nicolaas; Geier, Uwe; Matt, Darja; Meischner, Tabea; Paoletti, Flavio; Pehme, Sirli; Ploeger, Angelika; Rembiałkowska, Ewa; Schmid, Otto; Strassner, Carola; Taupier-Letage, Bruno; Załęcka, Aneta

2014-10-01

In 2007 EU Regulation (EC) 834/2007 introduced principles and criteria for organic food processing. These regulations have been analysed and discussed in several scientific publications and research project reports. Recently, organic food quality was described by principles, aspects and criteria. These principles from organic agriculture were verified and adapted for organic food processing. Different levels for evaluation were suggested. In another document, underlying paradigms and consumer perception of organic food were reviewed against functional food, resulting in identifying integral product identity as the underlying paradigm and a holistic quality view connected to naturalness as consumers' perception of organic food quality. In a European study, the quality concept was applied to the organic food chain, resulting in a problem, namely that clear principles and related criteria were missing to evaluate processing methods. Therefore the goal of this paper is to describe and discuss the topic of organic food processing to make it operational. A conceptual background for organic food processing is given by verifying the underlying paradigms and principles of organic farming and organic food as well as on organic processing. The proposed definition connects organic processing to related systems such as minimal, sustainable and careful, gentle processing, and describes clear principles and related criteria. Based on food examples, such as milk with different heat treatments, the concept and definitions were verified. Organic processing can be defined by clear paradigms and principles and evaluated according criteria from a multidimensional approach. Further work has to be done on developing indicators and parameters for assessment of organic food quality. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

The learning evaluations of the concept function in the mathematical subject I

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wilmer Valle Castañeda

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The evaluation must be one of the most complex tasks that teachers face today, both for the process itself and for having to issue an assessment about the achievements and deficiencies of the students. It is for them that techniques and instruments were developed, which allow the evaluation of the function concept in the Mathematics I subject´s. Methods of the theoretical level, of the empirical level such as the historical-logical analysis, the surveys, were used in the research carried out. The documentary analyses, as well as procedures such as the analysis - synthesis that made it possible to investigate the theoretical and practical fundament´s learning evaluation´s. The evaluation instruments presented allowed for the evaluation of the students in Mathematics I, less than one of the most important functions of the evaluation: the formative or educational function. These constituted a reference for the continuous improvement of student learning.

Re-evaluating concepts of biological function in clinical medicine: towards a new naturalistic theory of disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Chin-Yee, Benjamin; Upshur, Ross E G

2017-08-01

Naturalistic theories of disease appeal to concepts of biological function, and use the notion of dysfunction as the basis of their definitions. Debates in the philosophy of biology demonstrate how attributing functions in organisms and establishing the function-dysfunction distinction is by no means straightforward. This problematization of functional ascription has undermined naturalistic theories and led some authors to abandon the concept of dysfunction, favoring instead definitions based in normative criteria or phenomenological approaches. Although this work has enhanced our understanding of disease and illness, we need not necessarily abandon naturalistic concepts of function and dysfunction in the disease debate. This article attempts to move towards a new naturalistic theory of disease that overcomes the limitations of previous definitions and offers advantages in the clinical setting. Our approach involves a re-evaluation of concepts of biological function employed by naturalistic theories. Drawing on recent insights from the philosophy of biology, we develop a contextual and evaluative account of function that is better suited to clinical medicine and remains consistent with contemporary naturalism. We also show how an updated naturalistic view shares important affinities with normativist and phenomenological positions, suggesting a possibility for consilience in the disease debate.

Politicizing science: conceptions of politics in science and technology studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Mark B

2015-02-01

This essay examines five ideal-typical conceptions of politics in science and technology studies. Rather than evaluating these conceptions with reference to a single standard, the essay shows how different conceptions of politics serve distinct purposes: normative critique, two approaches to empirical description, and two views of democracy. I discuss each conception of politics with respect to how well it fulfills its apparent primary purpose, as well as its implications for the purpose of studying a key issue in contemporary democratic societies: the politicization of science. In this respect, the essay goes beyond classifying different conceptions of politics and also recommends the fifth conception as especially conducive to understanding and shaping the processes whereby science becomes a site or object of political activity. The essay also employs several analytical distinctions to help clarify the differences among conceptions of politics: between science as 'political' (adjective) and science as a site of 'politics' (noun), between spatial-conceptions and activity-conceptions of politics, between latent conflicts and actual conflicts, and between politics and power. The essay also makes the methodological argument that the politics of science and technology is best studied with concepts and methods that facilitate dialogue between actors and analysts. The main goal, however, is not to defend a particular view of politics, but to promote conversation on the conceptions of politics that animate research in social studies of science and technology.

Scalable Emergency Response System for Oceangoing Assets Report on Brainstorming Concept Evaluations

Science.gov (United States)

2007-04-11

biological agents is of Report on Brainstorming Concept Evaluations 19 great importance to Navy. For example, isolating and testing Bacillus anthracis at...cleanup involved sensitive government areas a warren of tight spaces, HVAC systems, and enclosed areas including the tunnels USPS Trenton facility 1...Ekaterinaberg, Russia Suspected Anthrax spores released by bioweapons lab in the city affecting at least 94 killing 64 of them biological weapon

Preliminary evaluation of the activity concentration limits for consumer goods containing NORM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jang, Mee; Chung, Kun Ho; Ji, Young Yong; Lim, Jong Myung; Kang, Mun Ja; Choi, Guen Sik [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-06-15

To protect the public from natural radioactive materials, the 'Act on safety control of radioactive rays around living environment' was established in Korea. There is an annual effective dose limit of 1 mSv for products, but the activity concentration limit for products is not established yet. To suggest the activity concentration limits for consumer goods containing NORM, in this research, we assumed the 'small room model' surrounding the ICRP reference phantom to simulate the consumer goods in contact with the human bodies. Using the Monte Carlo code MCNPX, we evaluate the effective dose rate for the ICRP reference phantom in a small room with dimension of phantom size and derived the activity concentration limit for consumer goods. The consumer goods have about 1600, 1200 and 19000 Bq·kg{sup -1} for {sup 226}Ra, {sup 232}Th and {sup 40}K, and the activity concentration limits are about six times comparing with the values of building materials. We applied the index to real samples, though we did not consider radioactivity of {sup 40}K, indexes of the some samples are more than 6. However, this index concept using small room model is very conservative, for the consumer goods over than index 6, it is necessary to reevaluate the absorbed dose considering real usage scenario and material characteristics. In this research, we derived activity concentration limits for consumer goods in contact with bodies and the results can be used as preliminary screening tool for consumer goods as index concept.

Preliminary evaluation of the activity concentration limits for consumer goods containing NORM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jang, Mee; Chung, Kun Ho; Ji, Young Yong; Lim, Jong Myung; Kang, Mun Ja; Choi, Guen Sik

2016-01-01

To protect the public from natural radioactive materials, the 'Act on safety control of radioactive rays around living environment' was established in Korea. There is an annual effective dose limit of 1 mSv for products, but the activity concentration limit for products is not established yet. To suggest the activity concentration limits for consumer goods containing NORM, in this research, we assumed the 'small room model' surrounding the ICRP reference phantom to simulate the consumer goods in contact with the human bodies. Using the Monte Carlo code MCNPX, we evaluate the effective dose rate for the ICRP reference phantom in a small room with dimension of phantom size and derived the activity concentration limit for consumer goods. The consumer goods have about 1600, 1200 and 19000 Bq·kg -1 for 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K, and the activity concentration limits are about six times comparing with the values of building materials. We applied the index to real samples, though we did not consider radioactivity of 40 K, indexes of the some samples are more than 6. However, this index concept using small room model is very conservative, for the consumer goods over than index 6, it is necessary to reevaluate the absorbed dose considering real usage scenario and material characteristics. In this research, we derived activity concentration limits for consumer goods in contact with bodies and the results can be used as preliminary screening tool for consumer goods as index concept

Design and evaluation of a foam-filled hat-stiffened panel concept for aircraft primary structural applications

Science.gov (United States)

Ambur, Damodar R.

1995-01-01

A structurally efficient hat-stiffened panel concept that utilizes a structural foam as stiffener core has been designed for aircraft primary structural applications. This stiffener concept utilizes a manufacturing process that can be adapted readily to grid-stiffened structural configurations which possess inherent damage tolerance characteristics due to their multiplicity of load paths. The foam-filled hat-stiffener concept in a prismatically stiffened panel configuration is more efficient than most other stiffened panel configurations in a load range that is typical for both fuselage and wing structures. The prismatically stiffened panel concept investigated here has been designed using AS4/3502 preimpregnated tape and Rohacell foam core and evaluated for its buckling and postbuckling behavior with and without low-speed impact damage. The results from single-stiffener and multi-stiffener specimens suggest that this structural concept responds to loading as anticipated and has good damage tolerance characteristics.

Management concepts.

Science.gov (United States)

Bittner, Rhonda

2006-01-01

Management concepts evolve through time. Health care managers can learn new concepts by evaluating classical management strategies, as well as modern-day strategies. Focusing on quality improvement and team building can help managers align the goals of their departments with the goals of the organization, consequently improving patient care.

Evaluation of Standard Concepts Design of Library Interior Physical Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Debri Harindya Putri

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Currently the function of a room is not only used as a shelter, the function of the room itself to be increased as a refreshing or relaxation area for users to follow the development of creativity and technology in the field of design. The comfortable factor becomes the main factor that indicates a successful process of creating a space. No exception library. The nature of library seemed stiff because of its function as a place to read, now can be developed and made into more dynamic with the special design concepts or color patterns used. Libraries can be created a special concept that suits the characteristics of the users themselves. Most users of the library, especially in college libraries are teenagers. Naturally, teenagers like to gather with their friends and we have to facilitate this activity in our library design concept. In addition we can also determine the needs of users through research by questionnaire method. The answers of users can be mapped and drawn conclusions. To explore the research, the author reviewed some literature about library interior design and observed the library of Ma Chung University as a case study. The combined results of the method can be concluded and the discovery of ideal standards of physical environment. So, the library can be made as a comfortable reading environment so as to increased interest in reading behavior and the frequent visits of students in the library

Design study on evaluation for power conversion system concepts in high temperature gas cooled reactor with gas turbine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minatsuki, Isao; Mizokami, Yorikata

2007-01-01

The design studies on High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor with Gas Turbine (HTGR-GT) have been performed, which were mainly promoted by Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and supported by fabricators in Japan. HTGR-GT plant feature is almost determined by selection of power conversion system concepts. Therefore, plant design philosophy is observed characteristically in selection of them. This paper describes the evaluation and analysis of the essential concepts of the HTGR-GT power conversion system through the investigations based on our experiences and engineering knowledge as a fabricator. As a result, the following concepts were evaluated that have advantages against other competitive one, such as the horizontal turbo machine rotor, the turbo machine in an individual vessel, the turbo machine with single shaft, the generator inside the power conversion vessel, and the power conversion system cycle with an intercooler. The results of the study can contribute as reference data when the concepts will be selected. Furthermore, we addressed reasonableness about the concept selection of the Gas Turbine High Temperature Reactor GTHTR300 power conversion system, which has been promoted by JAEA. As a conclusion, we recognized the GTHTR300 would be one of the most promising concepts for commercialization in near future. (author)

Environmental assessment for the satellite power system concept development and evaluation program: nonmicrowave health and ecological effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

White, M R

1980-11-01

A Concept Development and Evaluation Program is being carried out for a proposed Satellite Power System (SPS). For purposes of this evaluation, a preliminary reference system has been developed. SPS, as described in the reference system, would collect solar energy on satellites in geosychronous orbit in space. The energy would be converted to microwaves and beamed to an earth-receiving antenna (rectenna). One task in the environmental part of the program is the assessment of the nonmicrowave effects on health and the environment. These effects would result from all phases of SPS development and operation. This report covers the current knowledge regarding these effects, and is based on the reference system. The assessment is summarized as to scope, methodology, impacts of terrestrial development, launch and recovery of spacecraft, space activities (including health effects of the space environment, ionizing radiation, electromagnetic exposure, spacecraft charging and environmental interactions, occupational hazards, etc.) and construction and operation of rectenna (ground receiving station).

Environmental assessment for the satellite power system concept development and evaluation program: nonmicrowave health and ecological effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, M.R.

1980-11-01

A Concept Development and Evaluation Program is being carried out for a proposed Satellite Power System (SPS). For purposes of this evaluation, a preliminary reference system has been developed. SPS, as described in the reference system, would collect solar energy on satellites in geosychronous orbit in space. The energy would be converted to microwaves and beamed to an earth-receiving antenna (rectenna). One task in the environmental part of the program is the assessment of the nonmicrowave effects on health and the environment. These effects would result from all phases of SPS development and operation. This report covers the current knowledge regarding these effects, and is based on the reference system. The assessment is summarized as to scope, methodology, impacts of terrestrial development, launch and recovery of spacecraft, space activities (including health effects of the space environment, ionizing radiation, electromagnetic exposure, spacecraft charging and environmental interactions, occupational hazards, etc.) and construction and operation of rectenna

Evaluation of Seafood Product Concepts by Young Adults and Families with Young Children from Denmark, Norway, and Iceland

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Altintzoglou, T.; Sveinsdottir, K.; Einarsdottir, G.; Schelvis, R.; Luten, J.B.

2012-01-01

This article describes the results of a study that tested the responses to 14 seafood concepts among young adults and families with young children in Denmark, Norway, and Iceland. This study was aimed at gaining insight into the evaluation of new seafood product concepts by individuals with low

Activities in KURRI. Aim to realize the concept of 'Kumatori science park'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiroya, S.

2007-01-01

In Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute (KURRI), activities for the dissemination of knowledge on radiation and atomic energy are considered to be important to realize the future plan based on the conception of Kumatori science park', which will open to the world with roots in the neighboring area. Activities include technical tours of facilities in KURRI, science experiments for kids, lectures on fruits of research for public, courses of reactor physics experiments for the graduate and under-graduate students majoring nuclear engineering, and so on. (author)

Understanding physical (in-) activity, overweight, and obesity in childhood: Effects of congruence between physical self-concept and motor competence.

Science.gov (United States)

Utesch, T; Dreiskämper, D; Naul, R; Geukes, K

2018-04-12

Both the physical self-concept and actual motor competence are important for healthy future physical activity levels and consequently decrease overweight and obesity in childhood. However, children scoring high on motor competence do not necessarily report high levels of physical self-concept and vice versa, resulting in respective (in-) accuracy also referred to as (non-) veridicality. This study examines whether children's accuracy of physical self-concept is a meaningful predictive factor for their future physical activity. Motor competence, physical self-concept and physical activity were assessed in 3 rd grade and one year later in 4 th grade. Children's weight status was categorized based on WHO recommendations. Polynomial regression with Response surface analyses were conducted with a quasi-DIF approach examining moderating weight status effects. Analyses revealed that children with higher motor competence levels and higher self-perceptions show greater physical activity. Importantly, children who perceive their motor competence more accurately (compared to less) show more future physical activity. This effect is strong for underweight and overweight/obese children, but weak for normal weight children. This study indicates that an accurate self-perception of motor competence fosters future physical activity beyond single main effects, respectively. Hence, the promotion of actual motor competence should be linked with the respective development of accurate self-knowledge.

LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE BASIC CONCEPTS OF PHYSICAL EVALUATION FOR THE PROFESSIONALS IN THE ACADEMICS OF THE CITY OF JOÃO PESSOA - PB

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo Benevides Ceriani

2005-10-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study is to verify the level of knowledge of the basic concepts of physical evaluation for the responsible professionals for this practice in the academies. He/she/you elapses of a traverse study, of field, with professionals that act in the area of Physical Evaluation, registered by CREF 10 - PB/RN. questionnaire of open and closed questions was Applied in 39 individuals. The statistics was applied of percentile of frequency through spreadsheet Excel. The results found that: 61,54% collect for the physical activity, being in 41,66% of the cases, 15 real; 69,23% don't include in the registration; 84,61% have knowledge of the one that is test; 61,54% of the one that it is to measure and 53,45% of the one that it is to evaluate. Three people were found without graduation in physical education, or in another course of superior level, acting in the area Conclusions: They still act inside of the academies, directly with the physical evaluation, professionals not graduated in physical education or in another course of superior level. Many appraisers don't possess the basic theoretical knowledge regarding the concepts that involve to test, to measure and to evaluate. In general it is collected by the physical evaluation, being most included in the customer's registration

Formação de conceitos por crianças com paralisia cerebral: um estudo exploratório sobre a influência de atividades lúdicas Concept development by children with cerebral palsy: a study about the influence of playful activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Paula Martins Cazeiro

2011-01-01

Full Text Available O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a influência de atividades lúdicas no processo de formação de conceitos espontâneos por crianças com seqüelas de paralisia cerebral. Participaram da pesquisa sete crianças, que foram submetidas a um pré-teste de conceitos espontâneos, sessões individuais de atividades lúdicas que envolviam alguns dos conceitos avaliados e reaplicação do teste inicial a fim de avaliar o grau de desenvolvimento dos conceitos. Todas as crianças participantes desenvolveram ao menos um dos conceitos mais vivenciados nas sessões de atividades lúdicas, além de terem desenvolvido outros conceitos espontâneos não avaliados por meio dos testes.The objective of this research was to investigate the influence of playful activities in the process of developing basic concepts by children with cerebral palsy. The subjects were seven children who have been submitted to a pre-test of basic concepts; individual sessions of playful activities, which involved some of the evaluated concepts; and a second administration of the initial test in order to assess the degree of learning of such concepts. Every child has learned at least one of the concepts involved in the sessions of playful activities. They have also learned other concepts not evaluated by basic concepts tests.

The Evaluation of Relationship between Sexual Self-concept and Sexual Dysfunction in Individuals Undergoing Methadone Maintenance Treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Rajabizadeh, Ghodratolah; Yazdanpanah, Fatemeh; Ramezani, Mohammad Arash

2017-01-01

Background The present study was conducted with the aim of designing a causal model for the evaluation of sexual dysfunctions based on the variables of methadone dosage and sexual self-concept among individuals undergoing methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Methods The study population of the present study consisted of married men of 20 to 45 years of age with sexual ýrelations and undergoing MMT for a minimum of 8 weeks referring to all MMT clinics of Kerman, Iran, in ýý2015-2016. ýThe subjects were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling (n = 250). Data were collected using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Multi-Dimensional Sexual Self-concept Questionnaire (MSSQ), and Internal Index for Erectile Function (IIEF). Data were analyzed using path analysis method and Pearson correlation coefficient. The suggested model was evaluated using structural equation model (SEM), and indirect relationships were assessed using Bootstrap method. Findings The suggested model showed acceptable fitness with the data, and all routes, except methadone use route, to sexual function were significant. The result of the multiple ýindirect route showed that sexual function had a significant relationship with methadone use through ýsexual self-concept. In total, 60% of variance in sexual dysfunction was explained using the variables of the suggested model. Conclusion Further studies are suggested to be conducted regarding psychological factors effective on the sexual dysfunctions among individuals undergoing MMT, such as sexual self-concept. Moreover, more detailed evaluation of each subscale of positive and negative sexual self-concept is recommended to assess the psychological causes of sexual dysfunctions in these individuals and design psychological, behavioral, and cognitive-behavioral treatment interventions for them. PMID:29299211

The Evaluation of Relationship between Sexual Self-concept and Sexual Dysfunction in Individuals Undergoing Methadone Maintenance Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajabizadeh, Ghodratolah; Yazdanpanah, Fatemeh; Ramezani, Mohammad Arash

2017-04-01

The present study was conducted with the aim of designing a causal model for the evaluation of sexual dysfunctions based on the variables of methadone dosage and sexual self-concept among individuals undergoing methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). The study population of the present study consisted of married men of 20 to 45 years of age with sexual ýrelations and undergoing MMT for a minimum of 8 weeks referring to all MMT clinics of Kerman, Iran, in ýý2015-2016. ýThe subjects were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling (n = 250). Data were collected using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Multi-Dimensional Sexual Self-concept Questionnaire (MSSQ), and Internal Index for Erectile Function (IIEF). Data were analyzed using path analysis method and Pearson correlation coefficient. The suggested model was evaluated using structural equation model (SEM), and indirect relationships were assessed using Bootstrap method. The suggested model showed acceptable fitness with the data, and all routes, except methadone use route, to sexual function were significant. The result of the multiple ýindirect route showed that sexual function had a significant relationship with methadone use through ýsexual self-concept. In total, 60% of variance in sexual dysfunction was explained using the variables of the suggested model. Further studies are suggested to be conducted regarding psychological factors effective on the sexual dysfunctions among individuals undergoing MMT, such as sexual self-concept. Moreover, more detailed evaluation of each subscale of positive and negative sexual self-concept is recommended to assess the psychological causes of sexual dysfunctions in these individuals and design psychological, behavioral, and cognitive-behavioral treatment interventions for them.

Simulation on the consumption-oriented evaluation of ventilation concepts for buses; Simulation zur verbrauchsorientierten Bewertung von Omnibus-Klimatisierungskonzepten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaiser, Christian; Foersterling, Sven; Strupp, Christian; Lemke, Nicholas [TLK Thermo GmbH, Braunschweig (Germany); Sonnekalb, Michael [Konvekta AG, Schwalmstadt (Germany); Koehler, Juergen [Technische Univ. Braunschweig (Germany)

2012-11-01

This paper presents different air conditioning system and climate control concepts for buses. These concepts are investigated based on a complete vehicle simulation in order to perform a close-to-reality assessment. The effects of various control strategies are examined in a comparative approach using boundary conditions which are based on on-the-road-relevant test cycles and climatic conditions. The focus of this study is the evaluation of the total energy consumption. Moreover, an analysis of air conditioning systems with conventional and natural refrigerants is presented (R-134a and R-744). Based on simulation results, a high fuel-saving concept is developed and tested in a virtual test drive, in order to present a specific method of control strategy evaluation with transient boundary and environmental conditions. (orig.)

NPP Krsko Living PSA Concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vrbanic, I.; Spiler, J.

2000-01-01

NPP Krsko developed PSA model of internal and external initiators within the frame of the Individual Plant Examination (IPE) project. Within this project PSA model was used to examine the existing plant design features. In order to continue with use of this PSA model upon the completion of IPE in various risk-informed applications in support of plant operation and evaluations of design changes, an appropriate living PSA concept needed to be defined. The Living PSA concept is in NPP Krsko considered as being a set of activities pursued in order to update existing PSA model in a manner that it appropriately represents the plant design, operation practice and history. Only a PSA model which is being updated in this manner can serve as a platform for plant-specific risk informed applications. The NPP Krsko living PSA concept is based on the following major ponts. First, the baseline PSA model is defined, which is to be maintained and updated and which is to be reference point for any risk-informed application. Second, issues having a potential for impact on baseline PSA model are identified and procedure and responsibilities for their permanent monitoring and evaluation are established. Third, manner is defined in which consequential changes to baseline PSA model are implemented and controlled, together with associated responsibilities. Finally, the process is defined by which the existing version of baseline PSA model is superseded by a new one. Each time a new version of baseline PSA model is released, it would be re-quantified and the results evaluated and interpreted. By documenting these re-quantifications and evaluations of results in a sequence, the track is being kept of changes in long-term averaged risk perspective, represented by long-term averaged frequencies of core damage and pre-defined release categories. These major topics of NPP Krsko living PSA concept are presented and discussed in the paper. (author)

Concept theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjørland, Birger

2009-01-01

  Concept theory is an extremely broad, interdisciplinary and complex field of research related to many deep fields with very long historical traditions without much consensus. However, information science and knowledge organization cannot avoid relating to theories of concepts. Knowledge...... organizing systems (e.g. classification systems, thesauri and ontologies) should be understood as systems basically organizing concepts and their semantic relations. The same is the case with information retrieval systems. Different theories of concepts have different implications for how to construe......, evaluate and use such systems. Based on "a post-Kuhnian view" of paradigms this paper put forward arguments that the best understanding and classification of theories of concepts is to view and classify them in accordance with epistemological theories (empiricism, rationalism, historicism and pragmatism...

Integrating teaching into routine outpatient care: The design and evaluation of an ambulatory training concept (HeiSA).

Science.gov (United States)

Hundertmark, Jan; Apondo, Sandra Karina; Schultz, Jobst-Hendrik

2018-01-01

Background: Direct patient contact is crucial in learning important interactional and examination skills. However, medical students have limited opportunity to self-responsibly practise these skills in authentic clinical settings and typically receive insufficient feedback on their performance. We developed a novel single-session ambulatory teaching concept (Heidelberg Student Ambulatory training, "HeiSA") to prepare students more adequately for clinical-practical responsibilities. Methods: To identify challenges and target group needs, we reviewed current literature and consulted an expert group of faculty lecturers and training researchers. The resulting course concept was put into practice at the University Hospital's general-internistic outpatient department and evaluated in a pilot phase (winter term 2010, ten participants) and a main project phase (summer and winter terms 2011, 14 and 21 participants, respectively). Third and fourth-year students autonomously take a new patient's medical history and conduct a complete physical examination in one hour under supervision, followed by extensive preceptor feedback. To assess learning achievements, participants and a control group self-rated their communication and examination skills before and (participants only) after the session on six-point Likert scales (1=completely able, 6=completely unable). The preceptor also evaluated the participants' performance. Finally, all stakeholders re-evaluated the course concept. Results: HeiSA is a feasible training concept and accepted by staff members and students. It provides opportunities to practise clinical skills in a relevant, authentic learning environment with extensive feedback. Participants report improved anamnesis (0.27±0.51, p =.003) and physical examination (0.25±0.41, p =.008) skills. The preceptor evaluated students' performance to be generally high, with ratings ranging from 1.40±0.55 (item: the student does not interrupt the patient) to 2.51±0.89 (item

Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism-Microarray Ploidy Analysis of Paraffin-Embedded Products of Conception in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

Maslow, Bat-Sheva L; Budinetz, Tara; Sueldo, Carolina; Anspach, Erica; Engmann, Lawrence; Benadiva, Claudio; Nulsen, John C

2015-07-01

To compare the analysis of chromosome number from paraffin-embedded products of conception using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray with the recommended screening for the evaluation of couples presenting with recurrent pregnancy loss who do not have previous fetal cytogenetic data. We performed a retrospective cohort study including all women who presented for a new evaluation of recurrent pregnancy loss over a 2-year period (January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2013). All participants had at least two documented first-trimester losses and both the recommended screening tests and SNP microarray performed on at least one paraffin-embedded products of conception sample. Single-nucleotide polymorphism microarray identifies all 24 chromosomes (22 autosomes, X, and Y). Forty-two women with a total of 178 losses were included in the study. Paraffin-embedded products of conception from 62 losses were sent for SNP microarray. Single-nucleotide polymorphism microarray successfully diagnosed fetal chromosome number in 71% (44/62) of samples, of which 43% (19/44) were euploid and 57% (25/44) were noneuploid. Seven of 42 (17%) participants had abnormalities on recurrent pregnancy loss screening. The per-person detection rate for a cause of pregnancy loss was significantly higher in the SNP microarray (0.50; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.36-0.64) compared with recurrent pregnancy loss evaluation (0.17; 95% CI 0.08-0.31) (P=.002). Participants with one or more euploid loss identified on paraffin-embedded products of conception were significantly more likely to have an abnormality on recurrent pregnancy loss screening than those with only noneuploid results (P=.028). The significance remained when controlling for age, number of losses, number of samples, and total pregnancies. These results suggest that SNP microarray testing of paraffin-embedded products of conception is a valuable tool for the evaluation of recurrent pregnancy loss in patients without prior fetal

Positioning Animal Welfare in the One Health Concept through Evaluation of an Animal Welfare Center in Skopje, Macedonia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miroslav Radeski

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The Animal Welfare Center (AWC in Macedonia was established in 2009. The objectives of the center are animal welfare (AW education, research, raising public awareness of AW, and increasing cooperation between the stakeholders. One Health (OH was not the major focus of the AWC work initially, but, rather, a focus that evolved recently. The objective of this study was to evaluate the AWC from the OH perspective as an example case for positioning the AW within the overall OH concept. Three types of evaluation were performed: (1 assessment of OH-ness, by quantitative measurement of the operational and infrastructural aspects of the AWC; (2 impact evaluation, by conducting quantitative surveys on stakeholders and students; and (3 transdisciplinary evaluation, using semi-quantitative evaluation of the links of cooperation between the AWC and the stakeholders in society by the custom designed CACA (Cooperation, Activities, Communication, and Agreement scoring system. Results for the OH-ness of the AWC showed relatively high scores for OH thinking, planning and working and middle scores for OH learning and sharing dimensions, i.e., dominance of the operational over infrastructural aspects of the AWC. The impact evaluation of the AWC shows that familiarity with the OH concept among stakeholders was low (44% of the respondents. However, there was a commonality among stakeholder’s interest about AW and OH. According to the stakeholders’ and students’ opinions, the influence of AW on Animal, Environmental, and Human Health is relatively high (in the upper third of the 1–10 scale. The transdisciplinary evaluation of the AWC indicated the presence of transdisciplinarity work by the AWC, with a higher focus on the Universities and Research Institutions and some governmental institutions, and less linked with the Non-Governmental Organizations and Professional Associations (Chambers, e.g., the Veterinary Chamber in Macedonia. The evaluations conducted

Demystification of empirical concepts on radioactivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Júnior, Cláudio L.R.; Silva, Islane C.S.

2017-01-01

Ionizing radiation has been used for clinical diagnostic purposes since the last century, with the advancement of nuclear physics, which enabled the determination and control of doses. Nuclear Medicine is a medical specialty that uses safe, painless, and non-invasive methods to provide information that other diagnostic and therapeutic exams would not, through the use of open radionuclide sources. It has as basic principles the obtaining of scintigraphic images that are based on the ability to detect gamma radiation emitted by radioactive material. This paper aims to demystify the empirical concepts about radioactivity established by society. The knowledge of 300 people, including non-radiological professionals and people who live and work in the region surrounding the nuclear medicine services (NMS) of the metropolitan region of Recife, were heard and evaluated. For the evaluation, a questionnaire containing questions about the main doubts and fears that the professionals working with ionizing radiations have been developed. In this questionnaire, questions were also raised about the activity performed in the NMS, in order to know if they have knowledge about the procedures that are performed in the workplace. It is possible to conclude that despite being present in the daily and being responsible for numerous benefits for society, ionizing radiation causes considerable fear and still has doubts about its use. It was also observed that the vast majority of people had information about the activities developed in the evaluated services and that even if the evaluated professionals were wrong, they had concepts about the issues highlighted

Space network scheduling benchmark: A proof-of-concept process for technology transfer

Science.gov (United States)

Moe, Karen; Happell, Nadine; Hayden, B. J.; Barclay, Cathy

1993-01-01

This paper describes a detailed proof-of-concept activity to evaluate flexible scheduling technology as implemented in the Request Oriented Scheduling Engine (ROSE) and applied to Space Network (SN) scheduling. The criteria developed for an operational evaluation of a reusable scheduling system is addressed including a methodology to prove that the proposed system performs at least as well as the current system in function and performance. The improvement of the new technology must be demonstrated and evaluated against the cost of making changes. Finally, there is a need to show significant improvement in SN operational procedures. Successful completion of a proof-of-concept would eventually lead to an operational concept and implementation transition plan, which is outside the scope of this paper. However, a high-fidelity benchmark using actual SN scheduling requests has been designed to test the ROSE scheduling tool. The benchmark evaluation methodology, scheduling data, and preliminary results are described.

A concept of active mount for space applications

Science.gov (United States)

Souleille, A.; Lampert, T.; Lafarga, V.; Hellegouarch, S.; Rondineau, A.; Rodrigues, G.; Collette, C.

2018-06-01

Sensitive payloads mounted on top of launchers are subjected to many sources of disturbances during the flight. The most severe dynamic loads arise from the ignition of the motors, gusts, pressure fluctuations in the booster and from the separation of the boosters. The transmission of these dynamic forces can be reduced by mounting payloads on passive isolators, which comes at the expense of harmful amplifications of the motion at low frequency due to suspension resonances. To bypass this shortcoming, this paper presents a novel concept of active mount for aerospace payloads, which is easy to install, and meets two objectives. The first one is a high damping authority on both suspension resonances and flexible resonances without compromising the isolation and large stability margins of the closed loop system due to the collocation of the actuator and the sensor. The second one is a broadband reduction of the dynamic force transmitted to the payload, which was achieved in terms of 16 dB. The concept is presented in the first part of the paper and studied numerically and experimentally on a single degree of freedom isolator. A commercial isolator has been chosen for the purpose of the demonstration. The second part of the paper is dedicated to experimental validations on multi-degree of freedom scaled test benches. It is shown that the force feedback allows damping of both suspension and flexible modes (first and second modes, respectively), and significantly reducing the force transmitted in some broad frequency ranges.

A concept of active mount for space applications

Science.gov (United States)

Souleille, A.; Lampert, T.; Lafarga, V.; Hellegouarch, S.; Rondineau, A.; Rodrigues, G.; Collette, C.

2017-10-01

Sensitive payloads mounted on top of launchers are subjected to many sources of disturbances during the flight. The most severe dynamic loads arise from the ignition of the motors, gusts, pressure fluctuations in the booster and from the separation of the boosters. The transmission of these dynamic forces can be reduced by mounting payloads on passive isolators, which comes at the expense of harmful amplifications of the motion at low frequency due to suspension resonances. To bypass this shortcoming, this paper presents a novel concept of active mount for aerospace payloads, which is easy to install, and meets two objectives. The first one is a high damping authority on both suspension resonances and flexible resonances without compromising the isolation and large stability margins of the closed loop system due to the collocation of the actuator and the sensor. The second one is a broadband reduction of the dynamic force transmitted to the payload, which was achieved in terms of 16 dB. The concept is presented in the first part of the paper and studied numerically and experimentally on a single degree of freedom isolator. A commercial isolator has been chosen for the purpose of the demonstration. The second part of the paper is dedicated to experimental validations on multi-degree of freedom scaled test benches. It is shown that the force feedback allows damping of both suspension and flexible modes (first and second modes, respectively), and significantly reducing the force transmitted in some broad frequency ranges.

Advanced composites structural concepts and materials technologies for primary aircraft structures: Design/manufacturing concept assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Robert L.; Bayha, Tom D.; Davis, HU; Ingram, J. ED; Shukla, Jay G.

1992-01-01

Composite Wing and Fuselage Structural Design/Manufacturing Concepts have been developed and evaluated. Trade studies were performed to determine how well the concepts satisfy the program goals of 25 percent cost savings, 40 percent weight savings with aircraft resizing, and 50 percent part count reduction as compared to the aluminum Lockheed L-1011 baseline. The concepts developed using emerging technologies such as large scale resin transfer molding (RTM), automatic tow placed (ATP), braiding, out-of-autoclave and automated manufacturing processes for both thermoset and thermoplastic materials were evaluated for possible application in the design concepts. Trade studies were used to determine which concepts carry into the detailed design development subtask.

Extended Plate and Beam Wall System: Concept Investigation and Initial Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiehagen, J. [Partnership for Home Innovation, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States); Kochkin, V. [Partnership for Home Innovation, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States)

2015-08-01

A new and innovative High-R wall design, referred to as the Extended Plate & Beam (EP&B), is under development. The EP&B system uniquely integrates foam sheathing insulation with wall framing such that wood structural panels are installed exterior of the foam sheathing, enabling the use of standard practices for installation of drainage plane, windows and doors, claddings, cavity insulation, and the standard exterior foam sheathing installation approach prone to damage of the foam during transportation of prefabricated wall panels. As part of the ongoing work, the EP&B wall system concept has undergone structural verification testing and has been positively vetted by a group of industry stakeholders. Having passed these initial milestone markers, the advanced wall system design has been analyzed to assess cost implications relative to other advanced wall systems, undergone design assessment to develop construction details, and has been evaluated to develop representative prescriptive requirements for the building code. This report summarizes the assessment steps conducted to-date and provides details of the concept development.

Evaluation of concepts for a NET plasma exhaust clean-up system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glugla, M.; Penzhorn, R.D.; Rodriguez, R.; Herbrechter, D.; Dinner, P.; Murdoch, D.

1990-07-01

The process steps for the off-gas clean-up and direct recovery of the unburned fuel gases deuterium and tritium are, together with the isotope separation and the fuel preparation, the major subsystems within the fuel cycle of a fusion reactor. A comparison between process concepts largely based on experimental work at KfK and other process alternatives discussed in the literature is carried out and the various options are evaluated on the basis of the process requirements for NET I. The recovery of most of the unburned hydrogen with a palladium/silver permeator is selected as a first step, common to all seven concepts. The remaining impurity stream is processed either catalytically, with the help of getters, or by oxidation followed by reduction of the produced water. The physicochemical basis of each process alternative is discussed and the corresponding chemical flow sheets (flow diagrams and material flow tables) are presented. Concepts employing getters are unattractive because the produce untolerably high amounts of solid waste. Main drawbacks of process options involving an oxidation step are the non-discriminative oxidation of hydrogen and impurities as well as the non-trivial reduction of the produced highly tritiated water at the required elevated throughput. Advantages of the catalytic process are the production of little solid waste, the low steady state inventory and the comparatively easy scale-up. The catalytic process is therefore considered the most promising option for the development of a fuel clean-up process. (orig./HK) [de

Penn State advanced light water reactor concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borkowski, J.A.; Smith, K.A.; Edwards, R.M.; Robinson, G.E.; Schultz, M.A.; Klevans, E.H.

1987-01-01

The accident at Three Mile Island heightened concerns over the safety of nuclear power. In response to these concerns, a research group at the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) undertook the conceptual design of an advanced light water reactor (ALWR) under sponsorship of the US Dept. of Energy (DOE). The design builds on the literally hundreds of years worth of experience with light water reactor technology. The concept is a reconfigured pressurized water reactor (PWR) with the capability of being shut down to a safe condition simply by removing all ac power, both off-site and on-site. Using additional passively activated heat sinks and replacing the pressurizer with a pressurizing pump system, the concept essentially eliminates the concerns of core damage associated with a total station blackout. Evaluation of the Penn State ALWR concept has been conducted using the EPRI Modular Modeling System (MMS). Results show that a superior response to normal operating transients can be achieved in comparison to the response with a conventional PWR pressurizer. The DOE-sponsored Penn State ALWR concept has evolved into a significant reconfiguration of a PWR leading to enhanced safety characteristics. The reconfiguration has touched a number of areas in overall plant design including a shutdown turbine in the secondary system, additional passively activated heat sinks, a unique primary side pressurizing concept, a low pressure cleanup system, reactor building layout, and a low power density core design

Group concept mapping for evaluation and development in nursing education.

Science.gov (United States)

Hagell, Peter; Edfors, Ellinor; Hedin, Gita; Westergren, Albert; Hammarlund, Catharina Sjödahl

2016-09-01

The value of course evaluations has been debated since they frequently fail to capture the complexity of education and learning. Group Concept Mapping (GCM), a participant-centred mixed-method was explored as a tool for evaluation and development in nursing education and to better understand students' learning experiences, using data from a GCM-based evaluation of a research training assignment integrating clinical practice and research data collection within a Swedish university nursing program. Student nurses (n = 47) participated in a one-day GCM exercise. Focus group brainstorming regarding experiences from the assignment that the students considered important and instructive yielded 98 statements that were individually sorted based on their student-perceived relationships, and rated regarding their importance/instructiveness and need for development. Quantitative analysis of sort data produced a 2-dimensional map representing their conceptual relationships, and eight conceptual areas. Average cluster ratings were plotted relative to each other and provided a decision aid for development and planning by identifying areas (i.e., "Research methodology", "Patients' perspectives", and "Interviewer role") considered highly important/instructive and in high need for development. These experiences illustrate the use and potential of GCM as an interactive participant-centred approach to evaluation, planning and development in nursing and other higher health science educations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reviewing the Concept of Brand Equity and Evaluating Consumer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) Models

OpenAIRE

Sanaz Farjam; Xu Hongyi

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of brand equity and discuss its different perspectives, we try to review existing literature of brand equity and evaluate various Customer-based brand equity models to provide a collection from well-known databases for further research in this area.Classification-JEL: M00

Evaluation of Self-Concept and Emotional-Behavioral Functioning of Children with Brachial Plexus Birth Injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Belfiore, Lori A; Rosen, Carol; Sarshalom, Rachel; Grossman, Leslie; Sala, Debra A; Grossman, John A I

2016-01-01

Background  The reported incidence of brachial plexus birth injury (BPBI) is 0.87 to 2.2 per 1,000 live births. The psychological functioning, including self-concept and emotional-behavioral functioning, of children with BPBI has only been examined to a limited extent. Objective  The purpose of this study was to describe the self-concept and emotional-behavioral functioning in children with BPBI from both the child's and parent's perspective. Methods  Thirty-one children with BPBI, mean age 11 years 1 month, completed the Draw A Person: Screening Procedure for Emotional Disturbance (DAP:SPED) and Piers Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale (PHCSCS). The parents answered questions from the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Parent Rating Scales (BASC-2 PRS). Results  The scores from the DAP:SPED drawings showed further evaluation was not strongly indicated in the majority of the children. The PHCSCS Total score demonstrated that the children had a strongly positive self-concept. The parental responses to the BASC-2 PRS indicated that few children were at risk or in the clinically significant range for the four composite scores and all of the component clinical or adaptive scales. Gender comparison revealed females exhibited greater anxiety than males. Conclusion  Both children and parents reported a positive psychological well-being for the majority of the children. Parents had greater concerns about their child's social-emotional functioning, particularly anxiety. An interdisciplinary approach (occupational therapy evaluation, clinical observation, and parental interview) is necessary to determine the need for mental health referral.

Children's Self-Concepts as Related to Family Structure and Family Concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Parish, Joycelyn G.; Parish, Thomas S.

1983-01-01

Surveyed 426 children from intact, divorced, and reconstituted families, who responded to the Personal Attribute Inventory for Children to evaluate their families and themselves. Results showed a significant association between children's self-concepts and both their family structure and family concepts. (JAC)

The Federated Satellite Systems paradigm: Concept and business case evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Golkar, Alessandro; Lluch i Cruz, Ignasi

2015-06-01

This paper defines the paradigm of Federated Satellite Systems (FSS) as a novel distributed space systems architecture. FSS are networks of spacecraft trading previously inefficiently allocated and unused resources such as downlink bandwidth, storage, processing power, and instrument time. FSS holds the promise to enhance cost-effectiveness, performance and reliability of existing and future space missions, by networking different missions and effectively creating a pool of resources to exchange between participants in the federation. This paper introduces and describes the FSS paradigm, and develops an approach integrating mission analysis and economic assessments to evaluate the feasibility of the business case of FSS. The approach is demonstrated on a case study on opportunities enabled by FSS to enhance space exploration programs, with particular reference to the International Space Station. The application of the proposed methodology shows that the FSS concept is potentially able to create large commercial markets of in-space resources, by providing the technical platform to offer the opportunity for spacecraft to share or make use of unused resources within their orbital neighborhood. It is shown how the concept is beneficial to satellite operators, space agencies, and other stakeholders of the space industry to more flexibly interoperate space systems as a portfolio of assets, allowing unprecedented collaboration among heterogeneous types of missions.

Evaluating Distributed Usability: the role of user interfaces in an activity system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lejla Vrazalic

2003-11-01

Full Text Available Traditional definitions of usability localise this fundamental Human Computer Interaction (HCI concept in the user interface and reduce it to a variety of qualitative and quantitative attributes of the computer system. This simplistic view of usability has been used as the basis for developing design and evaluation methods in the discipline. This paper argues that, as a result, HCI methods are ineffective and suffer from various shortcomings. It is proposed that the notion of usability must be extended to include contextual factors, and viewed as being distributed across an activity system. Adopting this notion of distributed usability then requires a review of existing HCI methods. Usability testing, as a complete and self-contained HCI method, was chosen for this purpose, and the result, a distributed usability evaluation method (DUEM, is presented in this paper.

Development of Smart Active Layer Sensor (I) : Theory and Concept Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Dong Jin; Lee, Young Sup; Kwon, Jae Hwa; Lee, Sang Il

2004-01-01

This paper is the first part of the study on the development of a smart active layer (SAL) sensor, which consists of two parts. In this first part, the theory and concept of the SAL sensor is investigated, which is designed for the detection of elastic waves caused by internal cracks and damages in structures. For the development SAL sensor, (i) the basic theory of elastic waves was studied, (ii) the feasible study of the SAL as an elastic waves detection sensor using the finite element analysis (FEA) with respect to a piezoceramic disc was performed. (iii) the comparison of performances between some piezoceramic sensors and a commercial acoustic emission (AE) sensor was accomplished to ensure the applicability by the experimental means, such as a pencil lead break test. Also, the conceptional study for the SAL sensor, which can be utilized for the effective detection and locating of defects by the arrangement of regularly distributed sensors, was discussed

Cultural heritage evaluation: a reappraisal of some critical concepts involved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihaela IACOB

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This study aims to build a synoptic picture of the facets of the economic category called “value”, with practicality in the tangible cultural heritage field, from the point of view of a traditionally economists-specific approach: concern for the financial sustainability of any decision. Moreover, the methods from the economics literature regarding the valences of the “cultural value” concept prove the obsoleteness of the common opinion according to which the economic approach is primarily interested in financial metrics. In as much as the ultimate goal of the scientific process is to identify the most effective cultural heritage preservation and evaluation methods, the study also reflects the public-private interference in this area.

Flight Test Evaluation of an Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) Concept for Multiple Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Marcus; Jung, Jaewoo; Rios, Joseph; Mercer, Joey; Homola, Jeffrey; Prevot, Thomas; Mulfinger, Daniel; Kopardekar, Parimal

2017-01-01

Many applications of small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) have been envisioned. These include surveillance of key assets such as pipelines, rail, or electric wires, deliveries, search and rescue, traffic monitoring, videography, and precision agriculture. These operations are likely to occur in the same airspace in the presence of many static and dynamic constraints such as airports, and high wind areas. Therefore, operations of small UAS need to be managed to ensure safety and operation efficiency is maintained. NASA has advanced a concept for UAS Traffic Management (UTM) and has initiated a research effort to refine that concept and develop operational and system requirements. A UTM research platform is in development and flight test activities to evaluate core functions and key assumptions focusing exclusively on UAS operations in different environments are underway. This seminar will present lessons learned from a recent flight test focused on enabling operations of multiple UAS in lower-risk environments within and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).

Concept design and alternate arrangements of orbiter mid-deck habitability features

Science.gov (United States)

Church, R. A.; Ciciora, J. A.; Porter, K. L.; Stevenson, G. E.

1976-01-01

The evaluations and recommendations for habitability features in the space shuttle orbiter mid-deck are summarized. The orbiter mission plans, the mid-deck dimensions and baseline arrangements along with crew compliments and typical activities were defined. Female and male anthropometric data based on zero-g operations were also defined. Evaluations of baseline and alternate feasible concepts provided several recommendations which are discussed.

Double Stimulation in Strategic Concept Formation: An Activity-Theoretical Analysis of Business Planning in a Small Technology Firm

Science.gov (United States)

Virkkunen, Jaakko; Ristimaki, Paivi

2012-01-01

In this article, we study the relationships between culturally existing general strategy concepts and a small information and communication technology firm's specific strategic challenge in its management team's search for a new strategy concept. We apply three theoretical ideas of cultural historical activity theory: (a) the idea of double…

The COD concept and its application to fracture mechanical evaluation of cracked components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kockelmann, H.

1984-01-01

Based on a comprehensive literature study, this report critically evaluates the current state of experiences with the COD concept in fracture mechanics. First the concept is explained and the procedure of materials testing with a view to fracture mechanics is discussed in detail with emphasis on: The definition of crack shape modification; the procedure to detect crack modification, with subsequent comparison; the determination of material characteristics; the impact on the characteristics of the crack tip opening and the dispersion of results. The correlation between crack tip opening characteristics and notch impact strength is explained, and the methods applied for analysis of the streses affecting the structural components are shown. The design-based and failure threshold curves and the treatment of real crack geometries are also discussed. Problems still to be solved are shown. (orig./HP) [de

Evaluation of Synthetic Vision Display Concepts for Improved Awareness in Unusual Attitude Recovery Scenarios

Science.gov (United States)

Nicholas, Stephanie

2016-01-01

A recent study conducted by the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) determined 40 percent of all fixed-wing fatal accidents, between 2001 and 2011, were caused by Loss-of-Control (LOC) in flight (National Transportation Safety Board, 2015). Based on their findings, CAST recommended manufacturers develop and implement virtual day-visual meteorological conditions (VMC) display systems, such as synthetic vision or equivalent systems (CAST, 2016). In a 2015 simulation study conducted at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), researchers gathered to test and evaluate virtual day-VMC displays under realistic flight operation scenarios capable of inducing reduced attention states in pilots. Each display concept was evaluated to determine its efficacy to improve attitude awareness. During the experiment, Evaluation Pilots (EPs) were shown the following three display concepts on the Primary Flight Display (PFD): Baseline, Synthetic Vision (SV) with color gradient, and SV with texture. The baseline configuration was a standard, conventional 'blue over brown' display. Experiment scenarios were simulated over water to evaluate Unusual Attitude (UA) recovery over 'featureless terrain' environments. Thus, the SV with color gradient configuration presented a 'blue over blue' display with a linear blue color progression, to differentiate attitude changes between sky and ocean. The SV with texture configuration presented a 'blue over blue' display with a black checkerboard texture atop a synthetic ocean. These displays were paired with a Background Attitude Indicator (BAI) concept. The BAI was presented across all four Head-Down Displays (HDDs), displaying a wide field-of-view blue-over-blue attitude indicator. The BAI aligned with the PFD and showed through the background of the navigation displays with opaque transparency. Each EP participated in a two-part experiment series with a total seventy-five trial runs: Part I included a set of twenty-five Unusual Attitude Recovery (UAR

Evaluation of a Novel BEV Concept Based on Fixed and Swappable Li-Ion Battery Packs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barreras, Jorge Varela; Pinto, Claudio; de Castro, Ricardo

2016-01-01

-based ownership models to distribute the cost of the large battery pack over the vehicle lifetime. A methodology is proposed for the analysis and evaluation of the proposed concept in comparison with a direct owned nonswappable single-pack BEV, proving that significant improvements on city fuel economy (up to 14......In this paper, a novel battery electric vehicle (BEV) concept based on a small fixed and a big swappable Li-ion battery pack is proposed in order to achieve longer range, lower initial purchase priceand lower energy consumption at short ranges. For short ranges, the BEV is only powered...... by the relatively small-fixed battery pack, without the large swappable battery pack. In this way, the mass of the vehicle is reduced and, therefore, the energy consumed per unit distance is improved. For higher ranges, the BEV is powered by both battery packs. This concept allows the introduction of subscription...

Relational conceptions of paternalism: a way to rebut nanny-state accusations and evaluate public health interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, S M; Entwistle, V A; Little, M

2015-08-01

'Nanny-state' accusations can function as powerful rhetorical weapons against interventions intended to promote public health. Public health advocates often lack effective rebuttals to these criticisms. Nanny-state accusations are largely accusations of paternalism. They conjure up emotive concern about undue governmental interference undermining peoples' autonomy. But autonomy can be understood in various ways. We outline three main conceptions of autonomy, argue that these that can underpin three different conceptions of paternalism, and consider implications for responses to nanny-state accusations and the assessment of public health interventions. Detailed conceptual analysis. The conceptions of paternalism implicit in nanny-state accusations generally depend on libertarian conceptions of autonomy. These reflect unrealistic views of personal independence and do not discriminate sufficiently between trivial and important freedoms. Decisional conceptions of paternalism, like their underlying decisional conceptions of autonomy, have limited applicability in public health contexts. Relational conceptions of paternalism incorporate relational conceptions of autonomy, so recognize that personal autonomy depends on socially shaped skills, self-identities and self-evaluations as well as externally structured opportunities. They encourage attention to the various ways that social interactions and relationships, including disrespect, stigmatization and oppression, can undermine potential for autonomy. While nanny-state accusations target any interference with negative freedom, however trivial, relational conceptions direct concerns to those infringements of negative freedom, or absences of positive freedom, serious enough to undermine self-determination, self-governance and/or self-authorization. Relational conceptions of autonomy and paternalism offer public health policymakers and practitioners a means for rebutting nanny-state accusations, and can support more nuanced

The Implementation of Problem-Solving Based Laboratory Activities to Teach the Concept of Simple Harmonic Motion in Senior High School

Science.gov (United States)

Iradat, R. D.; Alatas, F.

2017-09-01

Simple harmonic motion is considered as a relatively complex concept to be understood by students. This study attempts to implement laboratory activities that focus on solving contextual problems related to the concept. A group of senior high school students participated in this pre-experimental method from a group’s pretest-posttest research design. Laboratory activities have had a positive impact on improving students’ scientific skills, such as, formulating goals, conducting experiments, applying laboratory tools, and collecting data. Therefore this study has added to the theoretical and practical knowledge that needs to be considered to teach better complicated concepts in physics learning.

Concepts of ‘personalization’ in personalized medicine: implications for economic evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Rogowski, Wolf; Payne, Katherine; Schnell-Inderst, Petra; Manca, Andrea; Rochau, Ursula; Jahn, Beate; Alagoz, Oguzhan; Leidl, Reiner; Siebert, Uwe

2015-01-01

Context This paper assesses if, and how, existing methods for economic evaluation are applicable to the evaluation of PM and if not, where extension to methods may be required. Method Structured workshop with a pre-defined group of experts (n=47), run using a modified nominal group technique. Workshop findings were recorded using extensive note taking and summarised using thematic data analysis. The workshop was complemented by structured literature searches. Results The key finding emerging from the workshop, using an economic perspective, was that two distinct, but linked, interpretations of the concept of PM exist (personalization by ‘physiology’ or ‘preferences’). These interpretations involve specific challenges for the design and conduct of economic evaluations. Existing evaluative (extra-welfarist) frameworks were generally considered appropriate for evaluating PM. When ‘personalization’ is viewed as using physiological biomarkers, challenges include: representing complex care pathways; representing spill-over effects; meeting data requirements such as evidence on heterogeneity; choosing appropriate time horizons for the value of further research in uncertainty analysis. When viewed as tailoring medicine to patient preferences, further work is needed regarding: revealed preferences, e.g. treatment (non)adherence; stated preferences, e.g. risk interpretation and attitude; consideration of heterogeneity in preferences; and the appropriate framework (welfarism vs. extra-welfarism) to incorporate non-health benefits. Conclusion Ideally, economic evaluations should take account of both interpretations of PM and consider physiology and preferences. It is important for decision makers to be cognizant of the issues involved with the economic evaluation of PM to appropriately interpret the evidence and target future research funding. PMID:25249200

Understanding Mathematic Concept in Relation and Function Method through Active Learning Type Group to Group Distributed LKS

Science.gov (United States)

Kudri, F.; Rahmi, R.; Haryono, Y.

2018-04-01

This research is motivated by the lack of understanding of mathematical concepts students and teachers have not familiarize students discussed in groups. This researchaims to determine whether an understanding of mathematical concepts junior class VIII SMPN 2 in Ranah Batahan Kabupaten Pasaman Barat by applying active learning strategy group to group types with LKS better than conventional learning. The type of research is experimental the design of randomized trials on the subject. The population in the study were all students VIII SMPN 2 Ranah Batahan Kabupaten Pasaman Barat in year 2012/2013 which consists of our class room experiment to determine the grade and control class with do nerandomly, so that classes VIII1 elected as a experiment class and class VIII4 as a control class. The instruments used in the test empirically understanding mathematical concepts are shaped by the essay with rt=0,82 greater than rt=0,468 means reliable tests used. The data analysis technique used is the test with the help of MINITAB. Based on the results of the data analisis known that both of the sample are normal and homogenity in real rate α = 0,05, so the hypothesis of this research is received. So, it can be concluded students’ understanding mathematical concept applied the active Group to Group learning strategy with LKS is better than the students’ understanding mathematical concept with Conventional Learning.

Prioritizing Acquisition Pathways in the State Level Concept

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murphy, Chantell L. [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Budlong-Sylvester, Kory [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Pilat, Joseph F. [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2012-06-27

The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Department of Safeguards has launched a project to further develop the State-level concept for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of safeguards activities. In order to further evolve the safeguards system an emphasis is placed on integrating inspection-related activities and the State evaluation process to draw safeguards conclusions in the most efficient way. The credible implementation of acquisition pathway analysis is central to the success of the IAEA's State-level concept. NNSA's Office of Nuclear Safeguards and Security (NA-241) The Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) is sponsoring Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to produce a study that will examine the use of acquisition pathway analysis in: (1) Developing a State-specific, State-level approach (SLA) and Annual Implementation Plan (AIP); (2) Maximizing the utility of the physical model; and (3) Supporting resource allocation decisions through a pathway prioritization. To deal with the challenge of developing an effective and efficient SLA, this study looks at: (1) Prioritizing proliferation pathways based on an assessment of a State's capabilities and assumed proliferation strategies; and (2) Relevant State behavior (e.g., transparency, cooperation, etc.) while avoiding subjective judgments about States themselves. The study makes use of case studies and concrete examples in order to illustrate how new concepts and approaches will be implemented, and how they may differ from more traditional safeguards approaches.

Evaluation of Continuous Membrane Chromatography Concepts with an Enhanced Process Simulation Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steffen Zobel-Roos

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Modern biopharmaceutical products strive for small-scale, low-cost production. Continuous chromatography has shown to be a promising technology because it assures high-capacity utilization, purity and yield increases, and lower facility footprint. Membrane chromatography is a fully disposable low-cost alternative to bead-based chromatography with minor drawbacks in terms of capacity. Hence, continuous membrane chromatography should have a high potential. The evaluation of continuous processes goes often along with process modeling. Only few experiments with small feed demand need to be conducted to estimate the model parameters. Afterwards, a variety of different process setups and working points can be analyzed in a very short time, making the approach very efficient. Since the available modeling approaches for membrane chromatography modules did not fit the used design, a new modeling approach is shown. This combines the general rate model with an advanced fluid dynamic distribution. Model parameter determination and model validation were done with industrial cell cultures containing Immunoglobulin G (IgG. The validated model was used to evaluate the feasibility of the integrated Counter Current Chromatography (iCCC concept and the sequential chromatography concept for membrane adsorber modules, starting with a laboratory-type module used for sample preparation. A case study representing a fed-batch reactor with a capacity from 20 to 2000 L was performed. Compared to batch runs, a 71% higher capacity, 48.5% higher productivity, and 38% lower eluent consumption could be achieved.

chemical concepts sjif impact factor evaluation [sjif 2012 = 3.963

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Temechegn

Although there seems to be no agreement about the nature of concepts, one can safely say that chemical concepts are ideas about matter. The major problem in teaching chemical concepts, however, is individuals (students) construct their own ideas about matter depending on their previous experiences in a way that in a ...

Evaluations for service-sire conception rate for heifer and cow inseminations with conventional and sexed semen

Science.gov (United States)

Service-sire conception rate (SCR), a phenotypic fertility evaluation based on conventional (nonsexed) inseminations from parities 1 through 5, was implemented by USDA in August 2008. Using insemination data from 2005 through 2009, the SCR procedure was applied separately for nulliparous heifer inse...

Physical Self-Concept, Trait Depression and Readiness for Physical Activity of Obese Patients

Science.gov (United States)

Boros, Szilvia; Halmy, Laszlo

2009-01-01

Study aim: To assess the physical self-concept, trait depression and readiness for physical activity in relation to the degree of obesity. Material and methods: Obese (Grade I and II; n = 59) and morbidly obese (Grade III; n = 42) patients aged 30-66 years, as well as 83 non-obese college students aged 30 [plus or minus] 7.3 years were studied.…

Characterization of solar thermal concepts for electricity generation: Volume 1, Analyses and evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, T.A.; Dirks, J.A.; Brown, D.R.; Drost, M.K.; Antoniac, Z.A.; Ross, B.A.

1987-03-01

This study is aimed at providing a relative comparison of the thermodynamic and economic performance in electric applications of several concepts that have been studied and developed in the DOE solar thermal program. Since the completion of earlier systems comparison studies in the late 1970's, there have been a number of years of progress in solar thermal technology. This progress has included development of new solar components, improvements in component and system design detail, construction of working systems, and collection of operating data on the systems. This study provides an updating of the expected performance and cost of the major components and the overall system energy cost for the concepts evaluated. The projections in this study are for the late 1990's time frame, based on the capabilities of the technologies that could be expected to be achieved with further technology development.

Quality Assurance and Evaluation through Brazilian Lenses: An Exploration into the Validity of Umbrella Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Centeno, Vera G.; Kauko, Jaakko; Candido, Helena H. D.

2018-01-01

In our present research we address the question of whether it is valid to apply the Quality Assurance and Evaluation (QAE) umbrella concept, which was formulated to explain new phenomena in European educational governance, to similar developments in Brazilian basic education. This led us to reflect on the possible pitfalls and potential strengths…

Sharing Data between Mobile Devices, Connected Vehicles and Infrastructure Task 8 : D2X Hub Proof-of-Concept Test Evaluation Report.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-25

The Task 8 D2X Hub Proof-of-Concept Test Evaluation Report provides results of the experimental data analysis performed in accordance with the experimental plan for the proof-of-concept version of the prototype system. The data set analyzed includes ...

Lecture Evaluations by Medical Students: Concepts That Correlate With Scores.

Science.gov (United States)

Jen, Aaron; Webb, Emily M; Ahearn, Bren; Naeger, David M

2016-01-01

The didactic lecture remains one of the most popular teaching formats in medical education; yet, factors that most influence lecturing success in radiology education are unknown. The purpose of this study is to identify patterns of narrative student feedback that are associated with relatively higher and lower evaluation scores. All student evaluations from our core radiology elective during 1 year were compiled. All evaluation comments were tagged, to identify discrete descriptive concepts. Correlation coefficients were calculated, for each tag with mean evaluation scores. Tags that were the most strongly associated with the highest- versus lowest-rated (> or < 1 SD) lectures were identified. A total of 3,262 comments, on 273 lectures, rated by 77 senior medical students, were analyzed. The mean lecture score was 8.96 ± 0.62. Three tags were significantly positively correlated with lecture score: "interactive"; "fun/engaging"; and "practical/important content" (r = 0.39, r = 0.34, and r = 0.32, respectively; all P < .001). More tags (n = 12) were significantly negatively correlated with score; the three tags with the strongest such correlation were: "not interactive"; "poorly structured or unevenly paced"; and "content too detailed or abundant" (r = -0.44, r = -0.39, and r = -0.36, respectively; all P < .001). Analysis of only the highest- and lowest-rated lectures yielded similar results. Several factors were identified that were strongly associated with lecture score. Among the actionable characteristics, interactive lectures with appropriately targeted content (ie, practical/useful) were the most highly rated. Copyright © 2016 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Longitudinal relationships between self-concept for physical activity and neighborhood social life as predictors of physical activity among older African American adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Sweeney, Allison M; Wilson, Dawn K; Lee Van Horn, M

2017-05-22

Engaging in regular physical activity (PA) as an older adult has been associated with numerous physical and mental health benefits. The aim of this study is to directly compare how individual-level cognitive factors (self-efficacy for PA, self-determined motivation for PA, self-concept for PA) and neighborhood perceptions of the social factors (neighborhood satisfaction, neighborhood social life) impact moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) longitudinally among older African American adults. Data were analyzed from a sub-set of older African American adults (N = 224, M age  = 63.23 years, SD = 8.74, 63.23% female, M Body Mass Index  = 32.01, SD = 7.52) enrolled in the Positive Action for Today's Health trial. MVPA was assessed using 7-day accelerometry-estimates and psychosocial data (self-efficacy for PA, self-determined motivation for PA, self-concept for PA, neighborhood satisfaction, neighborhood social life) were collected at baseline, 12-, 18-, and 24-months. Multilevel growth modeling was used to examine within- and between-person effects of individual-level cognitive and social environmental factors on MVPA. At the between-person level, self-concept (b = 0.872, SE = 0.239, p self-concept (b = 0.294, SE = 0.145, p = 0.043) and neighborhood social life (b = 0.270, SE = 0.113, p = 0.017) were associated with increased MVPA. These results suggest that people with a higher average self-concept for PA and a more positive social life engaged in greater average MVPA. Additionally, changes in perceptions of one's neighborhood social life and one's self-concept for PA were associated with greater MVPA over 2 years. These factors may be particularly relevant for future interventions targeting long-term change and maintenance of MVPA in older African Americans. ClinicalTrials.Gov # NCT01025726 registered 1 December 2009.

Flight Test Evaluation of an Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) Concept for Multiple Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Marcus; Jung, Jaewoo; Rios, Joseph; Mercer, Joey; Homola, Jeffrey; Prevot, Thomas; Mulfinger, Daniel; Kopardekar, Parimal

2017-01-01

This study evaluates a traffic management concept designed to enable simultaneous operations of multiple small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the national airspace system (NAS). A five-day flight-test activity is described that examined the feasibility of operating multiple UAS beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of their respective operators in the same airspace. Over the five-day campaign, three groups of five flight crews operated a total of eleven different aircraft. Each group participated in four flight scenarios involving five simultaneous missions. Each vehicle was operated BVLOS up to 1.5 miles from the pilot in command. Findings and recommendations are presented to support the feasibility and safety of routine BVLOS operations for small UAS.

Conception et evaluation d'une intervention didactique a propos des phases de la lune dans un planetarium numerique

Science.gov (United States)

Chastenay, Pierre

research (didactic engineering) aimed at improving it, both theoretically and practically, through multiple iterations in its "natural" environment, in this case an inflatable digital planetarium six metres in diameter. We are presenting the results of our first iteration, completed with help from six children aged 12 to 14 (four boys and two girls) whose conceptions about the lunar phases were noted before, during and after the intervention through group interviews, questionnaires, group exercises and recordings of the interventions throughout the activity. The evaluation was essentially qualitative, based on the traces obtained throughout the session, in particular within the planetarium itself. This material was then analyzed to validate the theoretical concepts that led to the conception of the teaching intervention and also to reveal possible ways to improve the intervention. We noted that the intervention indeed changed most participants' conceptions about the lunar phases, but also identified ways to boost its effectiveness in the future.

The IAV active High-EGR concept; Das aktive Hoch-AGR-Konzept der IAV

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohrssen, Karsten; Hoeffeler, Gerd [IAV GmbH, Gifhorn (Germany). Geschaeftsbereich Powertrain Mechatronik

2011-01-15

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is a proven method of emissions reduction in diesel engines. The higher the exhaust gas rates in the combustion air, the more nitrogen oxide emissions are reduced. To meet always higher demands, IAV has developed the active High-EGR concept where a twin screw compressor with a newly developed rotary slide control has been placed between the exhaust-gas turbocharger and the motor. Driven by a pulley drive planetary gear with power split, the charger is able to actively compress fresh air and exhaust gas and to to mix the two elements to the desired ratio. (orig.)

The neural signature of self-concept development in adolescence: The role of domain and valence distinctions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. van der Cruijsen

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Neuroimaging studies in adults showed that cortical midline regions including medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC and posterior parietal cortex (PPC are important in self-evaluations. The goals of this study were to investigate the contribution of these regions to self-evaluations in late childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, and to examine whether these differed per domain (academic, physical and prosocial and valence (positive versus negative. Also, we tested whether this activation changes across adolescence. For this purpose, participants between ages 11–21-years (N = 150 evaluated themselves on trait sentences in an fMRI session. Behaviorally, adolescents rated their academic traits less positively than children and young adults. The neural analyses showed that evaluating self-traits versus a control condition was associated with increased activity in mPFC (domain-general effect, and positive traits were associated with increased activity in ventral mPFC (valence effect. Self-related mPFC activation increased linearly with age, but only for evaluating physical traits. Furthermore, an adolescent-specific decrease in striatum activation for positive self traits was found. Finally, we found domain-specific neural activity for evaluating traits in physical (dorsolateral PFC, dorsal mPFC and academic (PPC domains. Together, these results highlight the importance of domain distinctions when studying self-concept development in late childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. Keywords: Self, fMRI, Adolescence, Development, Medial prefrontal cortex, Self-concept

Experimental evaluation of the Skylab orbital workshop ventilation system concept

Science.gov (United States)

Allums, S. L.; Hastings, L. J.; Ralston, J. T.

1972-01-01

Extensive testing was conducted to evaluate the Orbital Workshop ventilation concept. Component tests were utilized to determine the relationship between operating characteristics at 1 and 0.34 atm. System tests were conducted at 1 atm within the Orbital Workshop full-scale mockup to assess delivered volumetric flow rate and compartment air velocities. Component tests with the Anemostat circular diffusers (plenum- and duct-mounted) demonstrated that the diffuser produced essentially equivalent airflow patterns and velocities in 1- and 0.34-atm environments. The tests also showed that the pressure drop across the diffuser could be scaled from 1 to 0.34 atm using the atmosphere pressure ratio. Fan tests indicated that the performance of a multiple, parallel-mounted fan cluster could be predicted by summing the single-fan flow rates at a given delta P.

Aeroelastic performance evaluation of a flexure box morphing airfoil concept

Science.gov (United States)

Pankonien, Alexander M.; Inman, Daniel J.

2014-04-01

The flexure-box morphing aileron concept utilizes Macro-Fiber Composites (MFCs) and a compliant box to create a conformal morphing aileron. This work evaluates the impact of the number of MFCs on the performance, power and mass of the aileron by experimentally investigating two different actuator configurations: unimorph and bimorph. Implemented in a NACA 0012 airfoil with 304.8 mm chord, the unimorph and bimorph configurations are experimentally tested over a range of flow speeds from 5 to 20 m/s and angles of attack from -20 to 20 degrees under aerodynamic loads in a wind tunnel. An embedded flexible sensor is installed in the aileron to evaluate the effect of aerodynamic loading on tip position. For both design choices, the effect of actuation on lift, drag and pitching moment coefficients are measured. Finally, the impact on aileron mass and average power consumption due to the added MFCs is considered. The results showed the unimorph exhibiting superior ability to influence flow up to 15 m/s, with equivalent power consumption and lower overall mass. At 20 m/s, the bimorph exhibited superior control over aerodynamic forces and the unimorph experienced significant deformation due to aerodynamic loading.

Who I Am: The Meaning of Early Adolescents' Most Valued Activities and Relationships, and Implications for Self-Concept Research

Science.gov (United States)

Tatlow-Golden, Mimi; Guerin, Suzanne

2017-01-01

Self-concept research in early adolescence typically measures young people's self-perceptions of competence in specific, adult-defined domains. However, studies have rarely explored young people's own views of valued self-concept factors and their meanings. For two major self domains, the active and the social self, this mixed-methods study…

Accuracy of Different Implant Impression Techniques: Evaluation of New Tray Design Concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, David Yu; Cader, Fathima Nashmie; Abduo, Jaafar; Palamara, Joseph

2017-12-29

To evaluate implant impression accuracy with a new tray design concept in comparison to nonsplinted and splinted impression techniques for a 2-implant situation. A reference bar titanium framework was fabricated to fit on 2 parallel implants. The framework was used to generate a resin master model with 2 implants that fit precisely against the framework. Three impression techniques were evaluated: (1) nonsplinted, (2) splinted, and (3) nonsplinted with modified tray impressions. All the trays were fabricated from light-cured acrylic resin material with openings that corresponded to the implant impression copings. Ten impressions were taken for each technique using poly(vinyl siloxane) impression material. The impressions were poured with type IV dental stone to generate the test casts. A rosette strain gauge was bonded to the middle of the framework. As the framework retaining screws were tightened on each test cast, the developed strains were recorded until the completion of the tightening to 35 Ncm. The generated strains of the rosette strain gauge were used to calculate the maximum principal strain. A statistically significant difference was observed among the different impression techniques. The modified tray design impression technique was associated with the least framework strains, which indicates greater accuracy compared with the other techniques. There was no significant difference between the splinted and the nonsplinted impression techniques. The new tray design concept appeared to produce more accurate implant impressions than the other techniques. Despite the statistical difference among the impression techniques, the clinical significance of this difference is yet to be determined. © 2017 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Activity Monitoring and Heart Rate Variability as Indicators of Fall Risk: Proof-of-Concept for Application of Wearable Sensors in the Acute Care Setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Razjouyan, Javad; Grewal, Gurtej Singh; Rishel, Cindy; Parthasarathy, Sairam; Mohler, Jane; Najafi, Bijan

2017-07-01

Growing concern for falls in acute care settings could be addressed with objective evaluation of fall risk. The current proof-of-concept study evaluated the feasibility of using a chest-worn sensor during hospitalization to determine fall risk. Physical activity and heart rate variability (HRV) of 31 volunteers admitted to a 29-bed adult inpatient unit were recorded using a single chest-worn sensor. Sensor data during the first 24-hour recording were analyzed. Participants were stratified using the Hendrich II fall risk assessment into high and low fall risk groups. Univariate analysis revealed age, daytime activity, nighttime side lying posture, and HRV were significantly different between groups. Results suggest feasibility of wearable technology to consciously monitor physical activity, sleep postures, and HRV as potential markers of fall risk in the acute care setting. Further study is warranted to confirm the results and examine the efficacy of the proposed wearable technology to manage falls in hospitals. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 43(7), 53-62.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Design of subjects training on reactor simulator and feasibility study - toward the empirical evaluation of interface design concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, Y.; Furukawa, H.; Tanabe, F.

1998-01-01

On-going JAERI's project for empirical evaluation of the ecological interface design concept was first described. The empirical evaluation is planned to be proceeded through three consecutive steps; designing and actual implementation of the interface on reactor simulator, verification of the interface created, and the validation by the simulator experiment. For conducting the project, three different experimental resources are prerequisite, that are, data analysis method for identifying the operator's strategies, experimental facility including reactor simulator, and experimental subjects or subjects training method. Among the three experimental resources, subjects training method was recently designed and a simulator experiment was earned out in order to examine the feasibility of the designed training method. From the experiment and analysis of the experimental records, we could conclude that it is feasible that the experimental subjects having an appropriate technical basis can gain the sufficient competence for evaluation work of the interface design concept by using the training method designed. (author)

The Relationship of Self-Concept and Perceived Athletic Competence to Physical Activity Level and Gender among Turkish Early Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Kosar, F. Hulya Asci S. Nazan; Isler, Ayse Kin

2001-01-01

Examined self-concept and perceived athletic competence of Turkish early adolescents in relation to physical activity level and gender. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant main effects for gender and physical activity level but no significant gender by physical activity interaction. Univariate analysis demonstrated significant…

The Effects of Computer-Aided Concept Cartoons and Outdoor Science Activities on Light Pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Aydin, Güliz

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to create an awareness of light pollution on seventh grade students via computer aided concept cartoon applications and outdoor science activities and to help them develop solutions; and to determine student opinions on the practices carried out. The study was carried out at a middle school in Mugla province of Aegean…

The reinterpretation of standard deviation concept

OpenAIRE

Ye, Xiaoming

2017-01-01

Existing mathematical theory interprets the concept of standard deviation as the dispersion degree. Therefore, in measurement theory, both uncertainty concept and precision concept, which are expressed with standard deviation or times standard deviation, are also defined as the dispersion of measurement result, so that the concept logic is tangled. Through comparative analysis of the standard deviation concept and re-interpreting the measurement error evaluation principle, this paper points o...

Woman's Pre-Conception Evaluation: Genetic and Fetal Risk Considerations for Counselling and Informed Choice.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, R Douglas

2017-10-11

To inform reproductive and other health care providers about genetic and fetal risk information to consider during a woman/couples' pre-conception evaluation, including considerations for genetic risk assessment, genetic screening, or testing to allow for improved counselling and informed choice. This genetic information can be used for patient education, planning, and possible pre-conception and/or prenatal testing. This information may allow improved risk assessment for pre-conception counselling for individual patients and their families. PubMed or Medline and the Cochrane Database were searched in May 2017 using appropriate key words ("pre-conception," "genetic disease," "maternal," "family history," "genetic," "health risk," "genetic health surveillance," "prenatal screening," "prenatal diagnosis," "birth defects," and "teratogen"). Grey (unpublished) literature was identified through searching the websites of health technology assessment and health technology assessment-related agencies, clinical practice guideline collections, and national and international medical specialty societies. The benefits for the patient and her family include an increased understanding of relevant genetic risk pre-conception and in early pregnancy, and better pregnancy outcomes as a result of use of the information. The harm includes potential increased anxiety or psychological stress associated with the possibility of identifying genetic risks. The evidence obtained was peer-reviewed by the Genetics Committee of The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. Consideration for Care Statements For this review article, the Consideration for Care Statements use the GRADE strength and quality as it is comparable for the clinician and the patient/public user. [GRADE from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (www.canadiantaskforce.ca). For clinicians, Strong = The recommendation would apply to most individuals. Formal discussion aids are not likely to be

Laboratory activity to effectively teach introductory geomicrobiology concepts to non-geology majors.

Science.gov (United States)

Marvasi, Massimiliano; Davila-Vazquez, Yarely C; Martinez, Lilliam Casillas

2013-01-01

We have designed a three-week experiment that can complement any microbiology course, to teach main geomicrobiology concepts for non-geology majors. One of the most difficult concepts for non-geology majors to comprehend is how bacteria serve as a platform for different mineralization reactions. In our three-week laboratory practice, students learn the main principles and conditions required for an induced bacterial mineralization. Upon completion of the laboratory experience, students will: 1) learn how microbial-induced mineralization (such as calcium carbonate formation) is affected by differential media and growth conditions; 2) understand how bacterial physiology affects any induced in situ or in vitro mineralization; 3) comprehend how growing conditions and bacterial physiologies interrelate, resulting in differential crystal formation. The teaching-learning process was assessed using a pre-/posttest with an increase from 26% to 76% in the number of positive answers from the students. We also measured the students' proficiency while conducting specific technical tasks, revealing no major difficulties while conducting the experiments. A final questionnaire was provided with satisfactory evaluations from the students regarding the organization and content of the practices. 84-86% of the students agreed that the exercises improved their knowledge in geomicrobiology and would like to attend similar laboratories in the future. Such response is the best indicator that the laboratory practice can be implemented in any undergraduate/graduate microbiology course to effectively teach basic geomicrobiology concepts to non-geology majors.

FUSRAP equipment concept development study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hinerman, K.B.; Smith, R.E.

1981-01-01

Under DOE contract, Dalton-Dalton-Newport, Inc. is performing an engineering evaluation of three selected FUSRAP sites in an effort to generate equipment concepts to perform remedial action for retrieval, packaging, storing, and transporting contaminated soil and other debris. Along with this engineering evaluation, an analysis of state and Federal regulations was made which had significant impact on the selected equipment and costs for each remedial action concept

Flight Test Evaluation of an Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) Concept for Multiple Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Marcus; Jung, Jaewoo; Rios, Joseph; Mercer, Joey; Homola, Jeffrey; Prevot, Thomas; Mulfinger, Daniel; Kopardekar, Parimal

2017-01-01

This study evaluates a traffic management concept designed to enable simultaneous operations of multiple small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the national airspace system (NAS). A five-day flight-test activity is described that examined the feasibility of operating multiple UAS beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of their respective operators in the same airspace. Over the five-day campaign, three groups of five flight crews operated a total of eleven different aircraft. Each group participated in four flight scenarios involving five simultaneous missions. Each vehicle was operated BVLOS up to 1.5 miles from the pilot in command. Findings and recommendations are presented to support the feasibility and safety of routine BVLOS operations for small UAS.

Time Concepts for Elementary School Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Muir, Sharon Pray

1990-01-01

Points out that children have difficulty learning time concepts. Presents instructional activities for concepts associated with clocks, calendars, and chronology. Outlines Jerome Bruner's three different stages of representation for each concept: enactive, iconic, and symbolic. (DB)

Development of methods for evaluating active faults

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-08-15

The report for long-term evaluation of active faults was published by the Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion on Nov. 2010. After occurrence of the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake, the safety review guide with regard to geology and ground of site was revised by the Nuclear Safety Commission on Mar. 2012 with scientific knowledges of the earthquake. The Nuclear Regulation Authority established on Sep. 2012 is newly planning the New Safety Design Standard related to Earthquakes and Tsunamis of Light Water Nuclear Power Reactor Facilities. With respect to those guides and standards, our investigations for developing the methods of evaluating active faults are as follows; (1) For better evaluation on activities of offshore fault, we proposed a work flow to date marine terrace (indicator for offshore fault activity) during the last 400,000 years. We also developed the analysis of fault-related fold for evaluating of blind fault. (2) To clarify the activities of active faults without superstratum, we carried out the color analysis of fault gouge and divided the activities into thousand of years and tens of thousands. (3) To reduce uncertainties of fault activities and frequency of earthquakes, we compiled the survey data and possible errors. (4) For improving seismic hazard analysis, we compiled the fault activities of the Yunotake and Itozawa faults, induced by the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake. (author)

Neurology Concepts: Young Women and Ischemic Stroke-Evaluation and Management in the Emergency Department.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Bernard P; Wira, Charles; Miller, Joseph; Akhter, Murtaza; Barth, Bradley E; Willey, Joshua; Nentwich, Lauren; Madsen, Tracy

2018-01-01

Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. While the incidence of ischemic stroke is highest in older populations, incidence of ischemic stroke in adults has been rising particularly rapidly among young (e.g., premenopausal) women. The evaluation and timely diagnosis of ischemic stroke in young women presents a challenging situation in the emergency department, due to a range of sex-specific risk factors and to broad differentials. The goals of this concepts paper are to summarize existing knowledge regarding the evaluation and management of young women with ischemic stroke in the acute setting. A panel of six board-certified emergency physicians, one with fellowship training in stroke and one with training in sex- and sex-based medicine, along with one vascular neurologist were coauthors involved in the paper. Each author used various search strategies (e.g., PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar) for primary research and reviewed articles related to their section. The references were reviewed and evaluated for relevancy and included based on review by the lead authors. Estimates on the incidence of ischemic stroke in premenopausal women range from 3.65 to 8.9 per 100,000 in the United States. Several risk factors for ischemic stroke exist for young women including oral contraceptive (OCP) use and migraine with aura. Pregnancy and the postpartum period (up to 12 weeks) is also an important transient state during which risks for both ischemic stroke and cerebral hemorrhage are elevated, accounting for 18% of strokes in women under 35. Current evidence regarding the management of acute ischemic stroke in young women is also summarized including use of thrombolytic agents (e.g., tissue plasminogen activator) in both pregnant and nonpregnant individuals. Unique challenges exist in the evaluation and diagnosis of ischemic stroke in young women. There are still many opportunities for future research aimed at improving detection and treatment

Optimal grazing management strategies: evaluating key concepts ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Finally, overstocking will override key management initiatives, such as effective recovery periods, leading to rangeland degradation. Thus, in variable climates, stocking rate should be set conservatively to allow easier adaptation of animal numbers to rainfall variability from year to year. We suggest several key concepts that ...

Nanocrystals of medium soluble actives--novel concept for improved dermal delivery and production strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhai, Xuezhen; Lademann, Jürgen; Keck, Cornelia M; Müller, Rainer H

2014-08-15

After use in oral pharmaceutical products, nanocrystals are meanwhile applied to improve the dermal penetration of cosmetic actives (e.g. rutin, hesperidin) and of drugs. By now, nanocrystals are only dermally applied made from poorly soluble actives. The novel concept is to formulate nanocrystals also from medium soluble actives, and to apply a dermal formulation containing additionally nanocrystals. The nanocrystals should act as fast dissolving depot, increase saturation solubility and especially accumulate in the hair follicles, to further increase skin penetration. Caffeine was used as model compound with relevance to market products, and a particular process was developed for the production of caffeine nanocrystals to overcome the supersaturation related effect of crystal growth and fiber formation - typical with medium soluble compounds. It is based on low energy milling (pearl milling) in combination with low dielectric constant dispersion media (water-ethanol or ethanol-propylene glycol mixtures) and optimal stabilizers. Most successful was Carbopol(®) 981 (e.g. 20% caffeine in ethanol-propylene glycol 3:7 with 2% Carbopol, w/w). Nanocrystals with varied sizes can now be produced in a controlled process e.g. 660 nm (optimal for hair follicle accumulation) to 250 nm (optimal for fast dissolution). The short term test proved stability over 2 months of the present formulation being sufficient to perform in vivo testing of the novel concept. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Active House: an all active eco-architecture building envelope concept

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zeiler, W.

2008-01-01

The present trend in energy efficient eco-architecture dwellings is the passive house concept. The ventilation of many of these passive houses is critical. The development of sustainable buildings is driven by the need to preserve the balance of nature. The ventilation of many of these passive

Neutron activation analysis, gamma ray spectrometry and radiation environment monitoring instrument concept: GEORAD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ambrosi, R.M.; Talboys, D.L.; Sims, M.R.; Bannister, N.P.; Makarewicz, M.; Stevenson, T.; Hutchinson, I.B.; Watterson, J.I.W.; Lanza, R.C.; Richter, L.; Mills, A.; Fraser, G.W.

2005-01-01

Geological processes on Earth can be related to those that may have occurred in past epochs on Mars, if analytical methods used on Earth can be operated remotely on the surface of the Red Planet. Nuclear analytical techniques commonly used in terrestrial geology are neutron activation analysis (NAA) and gamma-ray spectroscopy (GRS), which determine the elemental composition, elemental concentration and stratigraphical distribution of water in rocks and soils. We describe a detector concept called GEORAD (GEOlogical and RADiation environment package) for the proposed ExoMars rover within the ESA's Aurora Programme for the exploration of the Solar System. GEORAD consists of a compact neutron source for the NAA of rocks and soils and a GRS. The GRS has a dual role since it can be used for natural radioactivity studies and NAA. A fully depleted silicon detector coupled to neutron sensitive converters measures the solar particle and neutron flux interacting with the Martian surface. We describe how the GEORAD detector suite could contribute to the geological and biological characterisation of Mars both for the detection of extinct or extant life and to evaluate potential hazards facing future manned missions. We show how GEORAD measurements complement the astrobiological objectives of the Aurora programme

Perception of Cultural Concept “Wine” in French Evaluational World View

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Полина Гарриевна Логинова

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The paper focuses on analysis of idiomatic expressions such as proverbs and sayings in French language within two semantic groups such as «man’s spiritual reality» and «wine as interpretation of folk wisdom». Their semantic features are discussed as well as their role in french evaluational world view. The author attempts to illustrate the peculiarities of cultural mentality and national character of French people within their attitude to wine as a cultural value. The author also focuses on intricacies of language and touches the difficulties of translation and interpretation of phraseological units that occur in the present study due to the absence of similar connotations in Russian culture. The language units that are exposed in the paper and cited as examples were taken for analysis from up-to-date dictionaries, foreign research scientific works and were also kindly provided by native speakers. Idiomatic expressions that include cultural concept «wine» in French language represent the interpretation of outworld fixed in collective consciousness that incarnates historical and cultural values. Wine culture in France is very ancient that is why language units related to concept «wine» represent profound linguistic material that is worth of being analyzed within the frame of language and culture as well as within the scope of intercultural communication.

The Effect of Weight on Self-Concept, and Psychosocial Correlates of Physical Activity in Youths

Science.gov (United States)

Welk, Gregory J.; Joens-Matre, Roxane

2007-01-01

Much more attention has been given to the health implications of overweight and obesity than to the psychosocial implications. In order to combat obesity effectively, it is important to understand the implications of overweight on self-concept, self-esteem, and physical activity levels. Youth obesity has been associated with negative psychosocial…

An innovative treatment concept for future drinking water production : Fluidized ion exchange – ultrafiltration – nanofiltration – granular activated carbon filtration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Li, S.; Heijman, S.G.J.; Verberk, J.Q.J.C.; Van Dijk, J.C.

2009-01-01

A new treatment concept for drinking water production from surface water has been investigated on a pilot scale. The treatment concept consists of fluidized ion exchange (FIEX), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), and granular activated carbon filtration (GAC). The FIEX process removed

Joint Concept Correlation and Feature-Concept Relevance Learning for Multilabel Classification.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xiaowei; Ma, Zhigang; Li, Zhi; Li, Zhihui

2018-02-01

In recent years, multilabel classification has attracted significant attention in multimedia annotation. However, most of the multilabel classification methods focus only on the inherent correlations existing among multiple labels and concepts and ignore the relevance between features and the target concepts. To obtain more robust multilabel classification results, we propose a new multilabel classification method aiming to capture the correlations among multiple concepts by leveraging hypergraph that is proved to be beneficial for relational learning. Moreover, we consider mining feature-concept relevance, which is often overlooked by many multilabel learning algorithms. To better show the feature-concept relevance, we impose a sparsity constraint on the proposed method. We compare the proposed method with several other multilabel classification methods and evaluate the classification performance by mean average precision on several data sets. The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.

Chlorophyll fluorescence, Orbital and Photosynthesis: practical activities integrating concepts of Chemistry, Physics and Biology

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Elgion Lucio da Silva Loreto

2013-11-01

Full Text Available These laboratory activities explore the relationship between the reserve of energy that occur during photosynthesis and the chlorophyll fluorescence emission when in solution as opposed to absence of fluorescence when the chlorophyll are in intact chloroplasts. This proposal can be used as short demo or as  activities with longer duration, to show chlorophyll's properties associated with the photosynthesis. The materials proposed for the implementation of the activities are simple, and possible to building it by the students, enabling the development of various skills and experimental proposals. The protocols are based on observations and record key questions to continue the execution. During the activities, questions promotes pauses for moments of reflection and review of concepts. At the end are presented and discussed proposals for development of interdisciplinary projects.

Increasing Educational Achievement via Self Concept Change.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheirer, Mary Ann; Kraut, Robert E.

1979-01-01

Literature linking self-concept and achievement, and evaluation research on educational programs to improve self-concept are analyzed in terms of several self-concept theories. Evidence for a causal connection between self-concept and achievement is negative. Researchers have failed to explore other theoretical approaches to educational change.…

The Formation of the Concept of Knowledge Potencial in Networking Society

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Ilona Skačkauskienė

2015-05-01

Full Text Available As the information society is gradually transforming into the knowledge society, it is affecting not only consumer preferences and needs but also the changes in corporate activities. Both corporate performance and potential depend on the ability to evaluate, manage and develop available knowledge. Systematic and purposeful application of knowledge gives advantage to companies, whereas personnel knowledge, ideas and skills serve as an impetus of a successful organisation. The article offers a critical view of the concept of knowledge used by researchers and introduces a new definition, employs a new concept of knowledge potential that combines the knowledge of all types and is based on various analysed knowledge types, and assesses the concept of networking and its importance to knowledge potential.

Applying Active Learning to Assertion Classification of Concepts in Clinical Text

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yukun; Mani, Subramani; Xu, Hua

2012-01-01

Supervised machine learning methods for clinical natural language processing (NLP) research require a large number of annotated samples, which are very expensive to build because of the involvement of physicians. Active learning, an approach that actively samples from a large pool, provides an alternative solution. Its major goal in classification is to reduce the annotation effort while maintaining the quality of the predictive model. However, few studies have investigated its uses in clinical NLP. This paper reports an application of active learning to a clinical text classification task: to determine the assertion status of clinical concepts. The annotated corpus for the assertion classification task in the 2010 i2b2/VA Clinical NLP Challenge was used in this study. We implemented several existing and newly developed active learning algorithms and assessed their uses. The outcome is reported in the global ALC score, based on the Area under the average Learning Curve of the AUC (Area Under the Curve) score. Results showed that when the same number of annotated samples was used, active learning strategies could generate better classification models (best ALC – 0.7715) than the passive learning method (random sampling) (ALC – 0.7411). Moreover, to achieve the same classification performance, active learning strategies required fewer samples than the random sampling method. For example, to achieve an AUC of 0.79, the random sampling method used 32 samples, while our best active learning algorithm required only 12 samples, a reduction of 62.5% in manual annotation effort. PMID:22127105

IT-benchmarking of clinical workflows: concept, implementation, and evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Thye, Johannes; Straede, Matthias-Christopher; Liebe, Jan-David; Hübner, Ursula

2014-01-01

Due to the emerging evidence of health IT as opportunity and risk for clinical workflows, health IT must undergo a continuous measurement of its efficacy and efficiency. IT-benchmarks are a proven means for providing this information. The aim of this study was to enhance the methodology of an existing benchmarking procedure by including, in particular, new indicators of clinical workflows and by proposing new types of visualisation. Drawing on the concept of information logistics, we propose four workflow descriptors that were applied to four clinical processes. General and specific indicators were derived from these descriptors and processes. 199 chief information officers (CIOs) took part in the benchmarking. These hospitals were assigned to reference groups of a similar size and ownership from a total of 259 hospitals. Stepwise and comprehensive feedback was given to the CIOs. Most participants who evaluated the benchmark rated the procedure as very good, good, or rather good (98.4%). Benchmark information was used by CIOs for getting a general overview, advancing IT, preparing negotiations with board members, and arguing for a new IT project.

NASA Propulsion Concept Studies and Risk Reduction Activities for Resource Prospector Lander

Science.gov (United States)

Trinh, Huu P.; Williams, Hunter; Burnside, Chris

2015-01-01

The trade study has led to the selection of propulsion concept with the lowest cost and net lowest risk -Government-owned, flight qualified components -Meet mission requirements although the configuration is not optimized. Risk reduction activities have provided an opportunity -Implement design improvements while development with the early-test approach. -Gain knowledge on the operation and identify operation limit -Data to anchor analytical models for future flight designs; The propulsion system cold flow tests series have provided valuable data for future design. -The pressure surge from the system priming and waterhammer within component operation limits. -Enable to optimize the ullage volume to reduce the propellant tank mass; RS-34 hot fire tests have successfully demonstrated of using the engines for the RP mission -No degradation of performance due to extended storage life of the hardware. -Enable to operate the engine for RP flight mission scenarios, outside of the qualification regime. -Provide extended data for the thermal and GNC designs. Significant progress has been made on NASA propulsion concept design and risk reductions for Resource Prospector lander.

Progress in evolving the state-level concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooley, J.N.

2013-01-01

The Department of Safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency has launched an important and ambitious project to further develop and implement the State-level concept. It means the development of State-level approaches that are customized for an individual State, meeting State-specific objectives. Further development of the State-level concept requires: 1) expanded use of State-specific factors and implementation of a structured acquisition path analysis to establish State-specific technical objectives and then prioritize them; 2) development of State-level approaches that specify and provide options for safeguards measures, both at Headquarters and in the field, for meeting these technical objectives; 3) identification of activities to be conducted over the course of a year in an annual implementation plan (AIP); and 4) ensuring the linkage between the State-evaluation process and the development and implementation of State-level approaches and AIPs. This project for evolving the State-level concept will result in safeguards implementation that is more objectives-based and information-driven. The paper is followed by the slides of the presentation. (A.C.)

The "Kiel Concept" of Long-Term Administration of Daily Low-Dose Sildenafil Initiated in the Immediate Post-Prostatectomy Period: Evaluation and Comparison With the International Literature on Penile Rehabilitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Osmonov, Daniar K; Jünemann, Klaus P; Bannowsky, Andreas

2017-07-01

Radical prostatectomy (RP) is the most common definitive invasive treatment option for localized prostate cancer. Although the different surgical procedures-open RP, laparoscopic RP, and robot-assisted laparoscopic RP-do not differ significantly for the results of postoperative erectile dysfunction (ED) and continence, the fear of losing erectile function (EF) is often an important factor for preoperatively sexually active men when deciding for or against a procedure. To review the available literature on rehabilitation of EF after RP and to evaluate the value of the "Kiel concept" against different strategies of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5i) low-dose treatments. A review of the available literature up to January 2017 was undertaken using the key terms postsurgical ED, penile rehabilitation," PDE5i rehabilitation, and PDE5i daily dose treatment. As a main outcome measure we chose reviewed different concepts on the rehabilitation of EF after RP, taking into account the clinical background of the Kiel concept. The different therapeutic concepts for rehabilitation of EF after nerve-sparing RP are surprising. The most frequently applied method is application of different PDE5is. Despite different studies on efficacy, the issue of an optimal concept remains unresolved. The reason for this, among others, can be found in the difficulty of comparing different studies, which can vary with respect to the degree of nerve sparing, postoperative preservation of nocturnal erections, concomitant morbidity, and the number and experience of surgeons. In 86% of patients, the Kiel concept has been shown to support rehabilitation of EF after nerve-sparing RP with some form of therapeutic method. The Kiel concept is one therapeutic option among other comparable therapeutic options. Osmonov DK, Jünemann KP, Bannowsky A. The "Kiel Concept" of Long-Term Administration of Daily Low-Dose Sildenafil Initiated in the Immediate Post-Prostatectomy Period: Evaluation and

Hydrothermal Treatment (HTT) of Microalgae: Evaluation of the Process As Conversion Method in an Algae Biorefinery Concept

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Garcia Alba, Laura; Torri, C.; Samori, C.; van der Spek, J.J.; Fabbri, D.; Kersten, Sascha R.A.; Brilman, Derk Willem Frederik

2012-01-01

The hydrothermal treatment (HTT) technology is evaluated for its potential as a process to convert algae and algal debris into a liquid fuel, within a sustainable algae biorefinery concept in which, next to fuels (gaseous and liquid), high value products are coproduced, nutrients and water are

Advanced fusion concepts program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dove, W.F.

1978-01-01

While the prospects for the eventual development of a tokamak-based fusion reactor appear promising at the present time, the Department of Energy maintains a vigorous program in alternate magnetic fusion concepts. Several of the concepts presently supported include the toroidal reversed field pinch, Tormac, Elmo Bumpy Torus, and various linear options. Recent technical accomplishments and program evaluations indicate that the possibility now exists for undertaking the next development stage, a proof-of-principle experiment, for a few of the most promising alternate concepts

Promethus Hot Leg Piping Concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

AM Girbik; PA Dilorenzo

2006-01-01

The Naval Reactors Prime Contractor Team (NRPCT) recommended the development of a gas cooled reactor directly coupled to a Brayton energy conversion system as the Space Nuclear Power Plant (SNPP) for NASA's Project Prometheus. The section of piping between the reactor outlet and turbine inlet, designated as the hot leg piping, required unique design features to allow the use of a nickel superalloy rather than a refractory metal as the pressure boundary. The NRPCT evaluated a variety of hot leg piping concepts for performance relative to SNPP system parameters, manufacturability, material considerations, and comparison to past high temperature gas reactor (HTGR) practice. Manufacturability challenges and the impact of pressure drop and turbine entrance temperature reduction on cycle efficiency were discriminators between the piping concepts. This paper summarizes the NRPCT hot leg piping evaluation, presents the concept recommended, and summarizes developmental issues for the recommended concept

Self-concept evaluation and migraine without aura in childhood

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esposito M

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Maria Esposito,1 Beatrice Gallai,2 Lucia Parisi,3 Laura Castaldo,1 Rosa Marotta,4 Serena Marianna Lavano,4 Giovanni Mazzotta,5 Michele Roccella,3 Marco Carotenuto11Center for Childhood Headache, Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Department of Mental Health, Physical and Preventive Medicine, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy; 2Unit of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy; 3Child Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; 4Department of Psychiatry, "Magna Graecia" University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy; 5Unit of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, AUSL Umbria 2, Terni, ItalyIntroduction: Self-esteem is related to the broadly understood concept of self-schemas and is a crucial mechanism for a correct psychological development in children and adolescents. The impact of the many psychological difficulties linked to the migraine without aura (MoA and recurrent headache attacks, such as anger and separation anxiety, on self-esteem has not yet been well investigated. The aims of the present study were to assess self-esteem levels in an objective way and to verify their possible relationship and correlation with the frequency and intensity of migraine attacks, in a population of children and adolescents affected by MoA.Methods: The study population was comprised of 185 children (88 males [M], 97 females [F] aged between 6 and 12 years (mean 9.04 ± 2.41 years referred consecutively for MoA to the Center for Childhood Headache, Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Second University of Naples and of 203 healthy controls (95 M, 108 F with mean age 9.16 ± 2.37 years, recruited from schools in Campania. The monthly headache frequency and the mean headache duration were assessed from daily headache diaries kept by all the children, and MoA intensity was assessed on a VAS (visual analog scale. To further evaluate their level of self-concept, all

Developing Sustainable Life Support System Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Evan A.

2010-01-01

Sustainable spacecraft life support concepts may allow the development of more reliable technologies for long duration space missions. Currently, life support technologies at different levels of development are not well evaluated against each other, and evaluation methods do not account for long term reliability and sustainability of the hardware. This paper presents point-of-departure sustainability evaluation criteria for life support systems, that may allow more robust technology development, testing and comparison. An example sustainable water recovery system concept is presented.

Evaluating ITER remote handling middleware concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koning, J.F.; Heemskerk, C.J.M.; Schoen, P.; Smedinga, D.; Boode, A.H.; Hamilton, D.T.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Remote Handling Study Centre: middleware system setup and modules built. ► Aligning to ITER RH Control System Layout: prototype of database, VR and simulator. ► OpenSplice DDS, ZeroC ICE messaging and object oriented middlewares reviewed. ► Windows network latency found problematic for semi-realtime control over the network. -- Abstract: Remote maintenance activities in ITER will be performed by a unique set of hardware systems, supported by an extensive software kit. A layer of middleware will manage and control a complex set of interconnections between teams of operators, hardware devices in various operating theatres, and databases managing tool and task logistics. The middleware is driven by constraints on amounts and timing of data like real-time control loops, camera images, and database access. The Remote Handling Study Centre (RHSC), located at FOM institute DIFFER, has a 4-operator work cell in an ITER relevant RH Control Room setup which connects to a virtual hot cell back-end. The centre is developing and testing flexible integration of the Control Room components, resulting in proof-of-concept tests of this middleware layer. SW components studied include generic human-machine interface software, a prototype of a RH operations management system, and a distributed virtual reality system supporting multi-screen, multi-actor, and multiple independent views. Real-time rigid body dynamics and contact interaction simulation software supports simulation of structural deformation, “augmented reality” operations and operator training. The paper presents generic requirements and conceptual design of middleware components and Operations Management System in the context of a RH Control Room work cell. The simulation software is analyzed for real-time performance and it is argued that it is critical for middleware to have complete control over the physical network to be able to guarantee bandwidth and latency to the components

Evaluating ITER remote handling middleware concepts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koning, J.F., E-mail: j.f.koning@differ.nl [FOM Institute DIFFER, Association EURATOM-FOM, Partner in the Trilateral Euregio Cluster and ITER-NL, PO Box 1207, 3430 BE Nieuwegein (Netherlands); Heemskerk, C.J.M.; Schoen, P.; Smedinga, D. [Heemskerk Innovative Technology, Noordwijk (Netherlands); Boode, A.H. [University of Applied Sciences InHolland, Alkmaar (Netherlands); Hamilton, D.T. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 Saint Paul Lez Durance (France)

2013-10-15

Highlights: ► Remote Handling Study Centre: middleware system setup and modules built. ► Aligning to ITER RH Control System Layout: prototype of database, VR and simulator. ► OpenSplice DDS, ZeroC ICE messaging and object oriented middlewares reviewed. ► Windows network latency found problematic for semi-realtime control over the network. -- Abstract: Remote maintenance activities in ITER will be performed by a unique set of hardware systems, supported by an extensive software kit. A layer of middleware will manage and control a complex set of interconnections between teams of operators, hardware devices in various operating theatres, and databases managing tool and task logistics. The middleware is driven by constraints on amounts and timing of data like real-time control loops, camera images, and database access. The Remote Handling Study Centre (RHSC), located at FOM institute DIFFER, has a 4-operator work cell in an ITER relevant RH Control Room setup which connects to a virtual hot cell back-end. The centre is developing and testing flexible integration of the Control Room components, resulting in proof-of-concept tests of this middleware layer. SW components studied include generic human-machine interface software, a prototype of a RH operations management system, and a distributed virtual reality system supporting multi-screen, multi-actor, and multiple independent views. Real-time rigid body dynamics and contact interaction simulation software supports simulation of structural deformation, “augmented reality” operations and operator training. The paper presents generic requirements and conceptual design of middleware components and Operations Management System in the context of a RH Control Room work cell. The simulation software is analyzed for real-time performance and it is argued that it is critical for middleware to have complete control over the physical network to be able to guarantee bandwidth and latency to the components.

The METIS 5G System Concept

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tullberg, Hugo; Popovski, Petar; Li, Zexian

2016-01-01

The authors describe the most important system-level 5G features, enabled by the concept, necessary to meet the very diverse 5G requirements. System-level evaluation results of the METIS 5G system concept are presented, and they conclude that the 5G requirements can be met with the proposed system...... concept....

Anti-candidal activity of homoeopathic drugs: An in-vitro evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Girish Gupta

2015-01-01

Conclusion: The results of these experiments support the concept of "evidence based medicine" depicting that homoeopathic medicines not only work in in-vivo but are equally effective in in-vitro conditions having definite inhibitory activity against Candida albicans.

A General Methodology for Evaluation of Carbon Sequestration Activities and Carbon Credits

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klasson, KT

2002-12-23

A general methodology was developed for evaluation of carbon sequestration technologies. In this document, we provide a method that is quantitative, but is structured to give qualitative comparisons despite changes in detailed method parameters, i.e., it does not matter what ''grade'' a sequestration technology gets but a ''better'' technology should receive a better grade. To meet these objectives, we developed and elaborate on the following concepts: (1) All resources used in a sequestration activity should be reviewed by estimating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions for which they historically are responsible. We have done this by introducing a quantifier we term Full-Cycle Carbon Emissions, which is tied to the resource. (2) The future fate of sequestered carbon should be included in technology evaluations. We have addressed this by introducing a variable called Time-adjusted Value of Carbon Sequestration to weigh potential future releases of carbon, escaping the sequestered form. (3) The Figure of Merit of a sequestration technology should address the entire life-cycle of an activity. The figures of merit we have developed relate the investment made (carbon release during the construction phase) to the life-time sequestration capacity of the activity. To account for carbon flows that occur during different times of an activity we incorporate the Time Value of Carbon Flows. The methodology we have developed can be expanded to include financial, social, and long-term environmental aspects of a sequestration technology implementation. It does not rely on global atmospheric modeling efforts but is consistent with these efforts and could be combined with them.

Human Security Concept in the UN Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Svetlana Alexandrovna Bokeriya

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This article is devoted to the theme, scientific actuality and practical relevance of which is not in doubt, and is caused by a new wave of interest in human security. The human security concept has been the subject of active discussions on national and international security forums for the past 10 years. This article is focused on the human security concept evolution in the framework of the UN in conditions of the growing challenges and threats as well as polycentric world and international relations transformation. The author turned to the analysis of human security issues in the UN human rights dimension, as this organization performs a key role in the application and implementation of the concept on a global scale. The detailed periodization of human security development within the UN is presented for the first time. The analysis of the situation with Syrian refugees in Lebanon is carried out in the format of a case study. Author has made an attempt to undertake not a comprehensive analysis of the concept within the UN, but re-evaluation of new trends and dominant problems in practical application of human security idea and its impact on the effectiveness of international organizations.

An Overview of Propulsion Concept Studies and Risk Reduction Activities for Robotic Lunar Landers

Science.gov (United States)

Trinh, Huu P.; Story, George; Burnside, Chris; Kudlach, Al

2010-01-01

In support of designing robotic lunar lander concepts, the propulsion team at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), with participation from industry, conducted a series of trade studies on propulsion concepts with an emphasis on light-weight, advanced technology components. The results suggest a high-pressure propulsion system may offer some benefits in weight savings and system packaging. As part of the propulsion system, a solid rocket motor was selected to provide a large impulse to reduce the spacecraft s velocity prior to the lunar descent. In parallel to this study effort, the team also began technology risk reduction testing on a high thrust-to-weight descent thruster and a high-pressure regulator. A series of hot-fire tests was completed on the descent thruster in vacuum conditions at NASA White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) in New Mexico in 2009. Preparations for a hot-fire test series on the attitude control thruster at WSTF and for pressure regulator testing are now underway. This paper will provide an overview of the concept trade study results along with insight into the risk mitigation activities conducted to date.

EU DEMO blanket concepts safety assessment. Final report of Working Group 6a of the Blanket Concept Selection Exercise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleefeldt, K.; Porfiri, T.

1996-06-01

The European Union has been engaged since 1989 in a programme to develop tritium breeding blankets for application in a fusion power reactor. There are four blanket concepts under development. Two of them use lithium ceramics, the other two concepts employ an eutectic lead-lithium alloy (Pb-17Li) as breeder material. The two most promising concepts were to select in 1995 for further development. In order to prepare the selection, a Blanket Concept Selection Exercise (BCSE) has been inititated by the participating associations under the auspices of the European Commission. This BCSE has been performed in 14 working groups which, in a comparative evaluation of the four blanket concepts, addressed specific fields. The working group safety addressed the safety implications. This report describes the methodology adopted, the safety issues identified, their comparative evaluation for the four concepts, and the results and conclusions of the working group to be entered into the overall evaluation. There, the results from all 14 working groups have been combined to yield a final ranking as a basis for the selection. In summary, the safety assessment showed that the four European blanket concepts can be considered as equivalent in terms of the safety rating adopted, each concept, however, rendering safety concerns of different quality in different areas which are substantiated in this report. (orig.) [de

Activities, Participation and Quality of Life Concepts in Children and Adolescents with Celiac Disease: A Scoping Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sonya Meyer

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Celiac disease (CD is a food-related chronic condition and adherence to a strict gluten-free diet is the only available treatment. Adherence to the restrictive diet is challenging among children, especially adolescents. The aim was to describe existing knowledge about food-related activities, participation, and quality of life in daily life among children and adolescents with CD and to illuminate gaps in knowledge. The scoping review methodology was applied and literature searches were conducted in electronic databases. Twenty-three articles met the inclusion criteria. Food-related activities were identified, classified, and coded under the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health adapted for children and youth (ICF-CY concepts of activities and participation. A wide variety of study populations, objectives, methods, and tools involving 55 different food-related activities were found. Incorporation of the ICF-CY concepts and quality of life captures new insights into everyday challenges. Reviewing the CD literature using this different lens reveals areas yet to receive sufficient attention. Further research can deepen the understanding of daily functioning of children with CD and the underlying skills required to participate in daily food-related activities while adhering to the diet. This can lead to the development of standardized disease-specific assessment tools and suitable intervention programs.

Conceptions of ability as stable and self-evaluative processes: a longitudinal examination.

Science.gov (United States)

Pomerantz, E M; Saxon, J L

2001-01-01

It has generally been taken for granted that conceiving of ability as stable leads to negative self-evaluative processes, particularly in the face of failure. Yet, a close examination of the empirical findings suggests that the picture may be more complex. In this research, a three-wave longitudinal design spanning 12 months was employed. Older elementary school children (N = 932) indicated their conceptions of academic and social ability as stable to external forces and to internal forces. They also provided information about the importance they place on academic and social competence, their knowledge about academic and social performance, their preference for academic challenge, their perceptions of academic and social competence, and their attributions for academic and social performance. Children's grades in school and their acceptance by peers were obtained as indicators of performance. Over time, conceiving of ability as stable to external forces, particularly in the academic domain, appeared to heighten the importance placed on competence, performance knowledge, preference for challenge, perceptions of competence, and self-enhancing attributions. In contrast, conceptions of ability as stable to internal forces, particularly in the academic domain, appeared to be fostered by placing little importance on competence, a lack of performance knowledge, avoidance of challenge, negative perceptions of competence, self-deprecating attributions, and poor performance.

An Energy Efficient Hydraulic Winch Drive Concept Based on a Speed-variable Switched Differential Pump

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmidt, Lasse; Andersen, Torben O.; Pedersen, Henrik Clemmensen

2017-01-01

controls. Such solutions are typically constituted by many and rather expensive components, and are furthermore often suffering from low frequency dynamics. In this paper an alternative solution is proposed for winch drive operation, which is based on the so-called speed-variable switched differential pump......, originally designed for direct drive of hydraulic differential cylinders. This concept utilizes three pumps, driven by a single electric servo drive. The concept is redesigned for usage in winch drives, driven by flow symmetric hydraulic motors and single directional loads as commonly seen in e.g. active...... heave compensation applications. A general drive configuration approach is presented, along with a proper control strategy and design. The resulting concept is evaluated when applied for active heave compensation. Results demonstrate control performance on level with conventional valve solutions...

Concept evaluation of a novel gear selector for automated manual transmissions

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Zaimin; Kong, Guoling; Yu, Zhuoping; Chen, Xinbo; Chen, Xueping; Xin, Xiangyan

2012-08-01

The existing Automatic Mechanical Transmission (AMT), whether electrically or hydraulically actuated, integrates shift actuators with gearbox shell as one unit by installing actuators on the gearbox. The problem it brings about is that the modification of the gearbox shell would be required, which increases the cost of AMT system. This paper proposes a novel gear selector for AMT, the concept of which enables the automation of shift action remotely realized by DC motors through shifting cable that originally used on manual transmission vehicle. Evidently, the advantage of this concept is that the automation of manual transmission could be easily realized by replacing the shift lever with two motors while the original shifting cable and gearbox could be reserved. Then the cost and development period can be shorten remarkably. Firstly, the concept of the novel gear selector is introduced, then the detailed mathematical model of shifting process is studied, and system design and scheme selection of this concept are performed. Optimal control algorithm based on LQR for actuator position feedback control is introduced. The concept and control algorithm are verified on a sample car, and considering the influence of the long path of transmission mechanism, the validation of the stability of this concept is performed through calibration test on mountain pass, and the obtained results show the concept of the novel gear selector for AMT is feasible technically with strong robust on the shifting stability, and it shows enormous potential for industrialization.

Water Recovery System Architecture and Operational Concepts to Accommodate Dormancy

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, Layne; Tabb, David; Anderson, Molly

2017-01-01

Future manned missions beyond low Earth orbit will include intermittent periods of extended dormancy. The mission requirement includes the capability for life support systems to support crew activity, followed by a dormant period of up to one year, and subsequently for the life support systems to come back online for additional crewed missions. NASA personnel are evaluating the architecture and operational concepts that will allow the Water Recovery System (WRS) to support such a mission. Dormancy could be a critical issue due to concerns with microbial growth or chemical degradation that might prevent water systems from operating properly when the crewed mission began. As such, it is critical that the water systems be designed to accommodate this dormant period. This paper identifies dormancy issues, concepts for updating the WRS architecture and operational concepts that will enable the WRS to support the dormancy requirement.

Long-Chain Metabolites of Vitamin E: Metabolic Activation as a General Concept for Lipid-Soluble Vitamins?

Science.gov (United States)

Schubert, Martin; Kluge, Stefan; Schmölz, Lisa; Wallert, Maria; Galli, Francesco; Birringer, Marc; Lorkowski, Stefan

2018-01-12

Vitamins E, A, D and K comprise the class of lipid-soluble vitamins. For vitamins A and D, a metabolic conversion of precursors to active metabolites has already been described. During the metabolism of vitamin E, the long-chain metabolites (LCMs) 13'-hydroxychromanol (13'-OH) and 13'-carboxychromanol (13'-COOH) are formed by oxidative modification of the side-chain. The occurrence of these metabolites in human serum indicates a physiological relevance. Indeed, effects of the LCMs on lipid metabolism, apoptosis, proliferation and inflammatory actions as well as tocopherol and xenobiotic metabolism have been shown. Interestingly, there are several parallels between the actions of the LCMs of vitamin E and the active metabolites of vitamin A and D. The recent findings that the LCMs exert effects different from that of their precursors support their putative role as regulatory metabolites. Hence, it could be proposed that the mode of action of the LCMs might be mediated by a mechanism similar to vitamin A and D metabolites. If the physiological relevance and this concept of action of the LCMs can be confirmed, a general concept of activation of lipid-soluble vitamins via their metabolites might be deduced.

Evaluating Usability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørgaard, Mie; Høegh, Rune T.

2008-01-01

Usability evaluation is widely accepted as a valuable activity in software development. However, how results effectively are fed back to developers is still a relatively unexplored area. We argue that usability feedback can be understood as an argument for a series of usability problems......, and that basic concepts from argumentation theory can help us understand how to create persuasive feedback. We revisit two field studies on usability feedback to study if concepts from Toulmin's model for argumentation and Aristotle's modes of persuasion can explain why some feedback formats outperform others....... We recommend that evaluators specifically back up the warrants behind their usability claims, that their arguments use several modes of persuasion, and that they present feedback in browsable amounts not to overwhelm developers with information. For complex and controversial problems, we advise...

[Transfer of the AGnES concept to the regular German health-care system: legal evaluation, reimbursement, qualification].

Science.gov (United States)

van den Berg, N; Kleinke, S; Heymann, R; Oppermann, R F; Jakobi, B; Hoffmann, W

2010-05-01

According to an amendment of German social security legislation, the AGnES concept of delegation of certain tasks of medical care, especially house calls, by general practitioners (GPs) to qualified practice employees (AGnES employees), will be transferred into the regular German health care system from January 2009 onward. The concept was developed to support GPs in regions with imminent gaps in primary care. Patient data, the specifically delegated and all other activities carried out by the AGnES employees in the AGnES projects were digitally documented. Additionally, the participating GPs, AGnES employees and patients underwent a set of standardised interviews. A curriculum to qualify the AGnES employees and to define the requirements needed was developed. A legal assessment of all delegated activities was carried out, and an economical model to calculate the necessary allowance was calculated. In seven model projects in four federal states in Germany, 11,228 house calls were carried out involving 1,424, mostly multimorbid, patients (mean age: 78.6 years). A modular structured curriculum, considering the basic education and acquired competences, was developed. It allows for an individual qualification of the AGnES employees. The result of the legal assessment was the central relevance of the qualification of the practice employees according to the AGnES curriculum as the essential condition for carrying out the entire range of activities of the AGnES concept. The economic model revealed euro 21.58 for a house call by an AGnES employee. The underlying model referred to underserved regions. A successful transfer of the AGnES concept with a high standard of quality into regular health-care depends on several factors. Of particular importance is the specific qualification of the practice employees, which is a central legal condition for the delegation of medical tasks from GPs to AGnEs employees. A second determining factor is also an adequate reimbursement within

How Does Physical Activity Intervention Improve Self-Esteem and Self-Concept in Children and Adolescents? Evidence from a Meta-Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Mingli; Wu, Lang; Ming, Qingsen

2015-01-01

Objective To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis for the effects of physical activity intervention on self-esteem and self-concept in children and adolescents, and to identify moderator variables by meta-regression. Design A meta-analysis and meta-regression. Method Relevant studies were identified through a comprehensive search of electronic databases. Study inclusion criteria were: (1) intervention should be supervised physical activity, (2) reported sufficient data to estimate pooled effect sizes of physical activity intervention on self-esteem or self-concept, (3) participants’ ages ranged from 3 to 20 years, and (4) a control or comparison group was included. For each study, study design, intervention design and participant characteristics were extracted. R software (version 3.1.3) and Stata (version 12.0) were used to synthesize effect sizes and perform moderation analyses for determining moderators. Results Twenty-five randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies and 13 non-randomized controlled trial (non-RCT) studies including a total of 2991 cases were identified. Significant positive effects were found in RCTs for intervention of physical activity alone on general self outcomes (Hedges’ g = 0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.14 to 0.45; p = 0.001), self-concept (Hedges’ g = 0.49, 95%CI: 0.10 to 0.88, p = 0.014) and self-worth (Hedges’ g = 0.31, 95%CI: 0.13 to 0.49, p = 0.005). There was no significant effect of intervention of physical activity alone on any outcomes in non-RCTs, as well as in studies with intervention of physical activity combined with other strategies. Meta-regression analysis revealed that higher treatment effects were associated with setting of intervention in RCTs (β = 0.31, 95%CI: 0.07 to 0.55, p = 0.013). Conclusion Intervention of physical activity alone is associated with increased self-concept and self-worth in children and adolescents. And there is a stronger association with school-based and gymnasium

How Does Physical Activity Intervention Improve Self-Esteem and Self-Concept in Children and Adolescents? Evidence from a Meta-Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Mingli; Wu, Lang; Ming, Qingsen

2015-01-01

To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis for the effects of physical activity intervention on self-esteem and self-concept in children and adolescents, and to identify moderator variables by meta-regression. A meta-analysis and meta-regression. Relevant studies were identified through a comprehensive search of electronic databases. Study inclusion criteria were: (1) intervention should be supervised physical activity, (2) reported sufficient data to estimate pooled effect sizes of physical activity intervention on self-esteem or self-concept, (3) participants' ages ranged from 3 to 20 years, and (4) a control or comparison group was included. For each study, study design, intervention design and participant characteristics were extracted. R software (version 3.1.3) and Stata (version 12.0) were used to synthesize effect sizes and perform moderation analyses for determining moderators. Twenty-five randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies and 13 non-randomized controlled trial (non-RCT) studies including a total of 2991 cases were identified. Significant positive effects were found in RCTs for intervention of physical activity alone on general self outcomes (Hedges' g = 0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.14 to 0.45; p = 0.001), self-concept (Hedges' g = 0.49, 95%CI: 0.10 to 0.88, p = 0.014) and self-worth (Hedges' g = 0.31, 95%CI: 0.13 to 0.49, p = 0.005). There was no significant effect of intervention of physical activity alone on any outcomes in non-RCTs, as well as in studies with intervention of physical activity combined with other strategies. Meta-regression analysis revealed that higher treatment effects were associated with setting of intervention in RCTs (β = 0.31, 95%CI: 0.07 to 0.55, p = 0.013). Intervention of physical activity alone is associated with increased self-concept and self-worth in children and adolescents. And there is a stronger association with school-based and gymnasium-based intervention compared with other settings.

Research on pre-scientific concept of light in children's cognitive activity

Science.gov (United States)

Lan, Zhigao; Yu, Yang; Yan, Dan; Yang, Shulin

2017-08-01

Based on the theory of Ausubel's meaningful learning and cognitive characteristic of childens pre-scientific concept, two students of Huang Gang Middle School have been interviewed continuously about cognition of interaction between light and matter. Comprehension degree of childens pre-scientific concept about interaction between light and matter has been deeply understood, formation of strategy of childens pre-scientific concept has been discussed. Several influence factors related to formation of childens pre-scientific concept have been analyzed, such as sex, family environment, and learning experience of kindergarten and primary school.

Some Words Hurt More Than Others: Semantic Activation of Pain Concepts in Memory and Subsequent Experiences of Pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Swannell, Ellen R; Brown, Christopher A; Jones, Anthony K P; Brown, Richard J

2016-03-01

Theory suggests that as activation of pain concepts in memory increases, so too does subsequent pain perception. Previously, researchers have found that activating pain concepts in memory increases pain perception of subsequent painful stimuli, relative to neutral information. However, they have not attempted to quantify the nature of the association between information studied and ensuing pain perception. We subliminally presented words that had either a low or high degree of association to the word 'pain,' although this was only partially successful and some words were consciously perceived. Participants then received randomized laser heat stimuli, delivered at 1 of 3 intensity levels (low, moderate, high), and we measured the effect of this on behavioral and electrophysiological measures of pain. Participants (N = 27) rated moderate- and high-intensity laser stimuli as more painful after viewing high relative to low associates of pain; these effects remained present when we controlled for measures of mood, anxiety, and physical symptom reporting. Similar effects were observed physiologically, with higher stimulus negativity preceding after high relative to low associates and greater amplitudes for the N2 component of the laser-evoked potential after presentation of high associates in the moderate and high laser intensity conditions. These data support activation-based models of the effects of memory on pain perception. Consistent with current theories of memory and pain, we found that high, relative to low activation of pain concepts in memory increased psychological and physiological responses to laser-induced pain. The effect remained regardless of whether participants showed conscious awareness of activation. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed. Copyright © 2016 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Teach Concepts before Teaching Ad Copywriting.

Science.gov (United States)

Keding, Ann

1988-01-01

Argues that copywriting students should be taught to recognize and create an advertising concept before learning to write advertising copy. Outlines a teaching method for creating advertising concepts, and discusses criteria for evaluating them. (MM)

Fatigue strength evaluation of friction stir welded aluminium joints using the nominal and notch stress concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barsoum, Z.; Khurshid, M.; Barsoum, I.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Fatigue testing and evaluation of friction stir welded butt and overlap joints. ► Evaluation based on nominal and effective notch stress concept. ► Comparison with different design recommendations and codes. ► Higher fatigue strength and SN-slopes is observed. ► New fatigue design recommendations proposed for FSW joints. -- Abstract: In this study the fatigue strength is investigated for Friction Stir Welded (FSW) overlap and butt welded joints in different thicknesses based on nominal and effective notch stress concepts. The fatigue test results are compared with fatigue strength recommendations according to EN 1999-1-3 and International Institute of Welding (IIW). The results are also compared with available published data and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is carried out to investigate the effect of plate thickness and nugget size on the fatigue strength of overlap joints. 3–3 mm butt welded joints shows the highest fatigue strength in comparison with 3–5 mm butt welded and overlap joints. Slopes of the SN-curves for two different joint types differ from the slope recommended by IIW. A specific failure trend is observed in overlap FSW joints. However, the slopes of the SN-curves are in close agreement with slopes found in EN 1999-1-3. The slopes of various published results and test results presented in this study are in good agreement with each other. The suggested fatigue design curves for the nominal and effective notch stress concept have a higher slope than given for fusion welds by IIW.

An ontology-based exploration of the concepts and relationships in the activities and participation component of the international classification of functioning, disability and health.

Science.gov (United States)

Della Mea, Vincenzo; Simoncello, Andrea

2012-02-28

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is a classification of health and health-related issues, aimed at describing and measuring health and disability at both individual and population levels. Here we discuss a preliminary qualitative and quantitative analysis of the relationships used in the Activities and Participation component of ICF, and a preliminary mapping to SUMO (Suggested Upper Merged Ontology) concepts. The aim of the analysis is to identify potential logical problems within this component of ICF, and to understand whether activities and participation might be defined more formally than in the current version of ICF. In the relationship analysis, we used four predicates among those available in SUMO for processes (Patient, Instrument, Agent, and subProcess). While at the top level subsumption was used in most cases (90%), at the lower levels the percentage of other relationships rose to 41%. Chapters were heterogeneous in the relationships used and some of the leaves of the tree seemed to represent properties or parts of the parent concept rather than subclasses. Mapping of ICF to SUMO proved partially feasible, with the activity concepts being mapped mostly (but not totally) under the IntentionalProcess concept in SUMO. On the other hand, the participation concept has not been mapped to any upper level concept. Our analysis of the relationships within ICF revealed issues related to confusion between classes and their properties, incorrect classifications, and overemphasis on subsumption, confirming what already observed by other researchers. However, it also suggested some properties for Activities that could be included in a more formal model: number of agents involved, the instrument used to carry out the activity, the object of the activity, complexity of the task, and an enumeration of relevant subtasks.

An ontology-based exploration of the concepts and relationships in the activities and participation component of the international classification of functioning, disability and health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Della Mea Vincenzo

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF is a classification of health and health-related issues, aimed at describing and measuring health and disability at both individual and population levels. Here we discuss a preliminary qualitative and quantitative analysis of the relationships used in the Activities and Participation component of ICF, and a preliminary mapping to SUMO (Suggested Upper Merged Ontology concepts. The aim of the analysis is to identify potential logical problems within this component of ICF, and to understand whether activities and participation might be defined more formally than in the current version of ICF. Results In the relationship analysis, we used four predicates among those available in SUMO for processes (Patient, Instrument, Agent, and subProcess. While at the top level subsumption was used in most cases (90%, at the lower levels the percentage of other relationships rose to 41%. Chapters were heterogeneous in the relationships used and some of the leaves of the tree seemed to represent properties or parts of the parent concept rather than subclasses. Mapping of ICF to SUMO proved partially feasible, with the activity concepts being mapped mostly (but not totally under the IntentionalProcess concept in SUMO. On the other hand, the participation concept has not been mapped to any upper level concept. Conclusions Our analysis of the relationships within ICF revealed issues related to confusion between classes and their properties, incorrect classifications, and overemphasis on subsumption, confirming what already observed by other researchers. However, it also suggested some properties for Activities that could be included in a more formal model: number of agents involved, the instrument used to carry out the activity, the object of the activity, complexity of the task, and an enumeration of relevant subtasks.

Literacy-Related Play Activities and Preschool Staffs' Strategies to Support Children's Concept Development

Science.gov (United States)

Norling, Martina; Lillvist, Anne

2016-01-01

This study investigates language-promoting strategies and support of concept development displayed by preschool staffs' when interacting with preschool children in literacy-related play activities. The data analysed consisted of 39 minutes of video, selected systematically from a total of 11 hours of video material from six Swedish preschool…

Study on the evaluation index of active power reserve

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Xiaorui; Liu, Jiantao; Wang, Ke; Min, Lu

2018-01-01

Based on the role of active reserve at different time scales, divides the evaluation dimension of active reserve. Analysis the calculation principle of traditional reliability index such as probability of system safety, lack of power shortage and electricity shortage expectancy, and studies the applicability of these indicators to evaluate the reserve capacity on different dimensions. Resolves the evaluation index of active reserve capacity from the dimensions of time dimension, spatial dimension, system state, risk degree and economy, then construct evaluation index of active reserve capacity.

Laboratory Activity to Effectively Teach Introductory Geomicrobiology Concepts to Non-Geology Majors †

Science.gov (United States)

Marvasi, Massimiliano; Davila-Vazquez, Yarely C.; Martinez, Lilliam Casillas

2013-01-01

We have designed a three-week experiment that can complement any microbiology course, to teach main geomicrobiology concepts for non-geology majors. One of the most difficult concepts for non-geology majors to comprehend is how bacteria serve as a platform for different mineralization reactions. In our three-week laboratory practice, students learn the main principles and conditions required for an induced bacterial mineralization. Upon completion of the laboratory experience, students will: 1) learn how microbial-induced mineralization (such as calcium carbonate formation) is affected by differential media and growth conditions; 2) understand how bacterial physiology affects any induced in situ or in vitro mineralization; 3) comprehend how growing conditions and bacterial physiologies interrelate, resulting in differential crystal formation. The teaching-learning process was assessed using a pre-/posttest with an increase from 26% to 76% in the number of positive answers from the students. We also measured the students’ proficiency while conducting specific technical tasks, revealing no major difficulties while conducting the experiments. A final questionnaire was provided with satisfactory evaluations from the students regarding the organization and content of the practices. 84–86% of the students agreed that the exercises improved their knowledge in geomicrobiology and would like to attend similar laboratories in the future. Such response is the best indicator that the laboratory practice can be implemented in any undergraduate/graduate microbiology course to effectively teach basic geomicrobiology concepts to non-geology majors. PMID:24358384

Crashworthy airframe design concepts: Fabrication and testing

Science.gov (United States)

Cronkhite, J. D.; Berry, V. L.

1982-01-01

Crashworthy floor concepts applicable to general aviation aircraft metal airframe structures were investigated. Initially several energy absorbing lower fuselage structure concepts were evaluated. Full scale floor sections representative of a twin engine, general aviation airplane lower fuselage structure were designed and fabricated. The floors featured an upper high strength platform with an energy absorbing, crushable structure underneath. Eighteen floors were fabricated that incorporated five different crushable subfloor concepts. The floors were then evaluated through static and dynamic testing. Computer programs NASTRAN and KRASH were used for the static and dynamic analysis of the floor section designs. Two twin engine airplane fuselages were modified to incorporate the most promising crashworthy floor sections for test evaluation.

Mining Concept Maps to Understand University Students' Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Jin Soung; Cho, Moon-Heum

2012-01-01

Concept maps, visual representations of knowledge, are used in an educational context as a way to represent students' knowledge, and identify mental models of students; however there is a limitation of using concept mapping due to its difficulty to evaluate the concept maps. A concept map has a complex structure which is composed of concepts and…

Evaluation of direct membrane filtration and direct forward osmosis as concepts for compact and energy-positive municipal wastewater treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Hey, Tobias; Bajraktari, Niada; Davidsson, Åsa; Vogel, Jörg; Madsen, Henrik Tækker; Hélix-Nielsen, Claus; Jansen, Jes la Cour; Jönsson, Karin

2018-02-01

Municipal wastewater treatment commonly involves mechanical, biological and chemical treatment steps to protect humans and the environment from adverse effects. Membrane technology has gained increasing attention as an alternative to conventional wastewater treatment due to increased urbanization. Among the available membrane technologies, microfiltration (MF) and forward osmosis (FO) have been selected for this study due to their specific characteristics, such as compactness and efficient removal of particles. In this study, two treatment concepts were evaluated with regard to their specific electricity, energy and area demands. Both concepts would fulfil the Swedish discharge demands for small- and medium-sized wastewater treatment plants at full scale: (1) direct MF and (2) direct FO with seawater as the draw solution. The framework of this study is based on a combination of data obtained from bench- and pilot-scale experiments applying direct MF and FO, respectively. Additionally, available complementary data from a Swedish full-scale wastewater treatment plant and the literature were used to evaluate the concepts in depth. The results of this study indicate that both concepts are net positive with respect to electricity and energy, as more biogas can be produced compared to that using conventional wastewater treatment. Furthermore, the specific area demand is significantly reduced. This study demonstrates that municipal wastewater could be treated in a more energy- and area-efficient manner with techniques that are already commercially available and with future membrane technology.

Customer Experience Marketing : Concepts and Tools

OpenAIRE

Kalaoja, Petteri

2015-01-01

This work studies what Customer Experience Management (CEM) is and how it can be implemented in modern marketing with an emphasis on B2C. This work takes a look into the concepts which are needed to achieve a versatile CEM approach. The tools and technologies that are needed to operate the CEM concept are also evaluated. This thesis explains that a Customer Experience Management strategy consists of a certain combination of concepts. These concepts usually include customer data, data-driv...

Reactor safety; Description and evaluation of safety activities in Nordic countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wahlstroem, B.; Gunsell, L.

1998-03-01

The report gives a description of safety activities in the nuclear power industry. The study has been carried out as a part of the four year programme in Nordic Safety Research (NKS) which was completed in 1997. The objective of the NKS/RAK-1.1 project 'A survey and an evaluation of safety activities in nuclear power' was to make a broad description of various activities important for safety and to make an assessment of their efficiency. A special consideration was placed on a comparison of practices in Finland and Sweden, and between their nuclear utilities. The study has been divided into two parts, one theoretical part in which a model of the relationships between various activities important for safety has been constructed and one practical part where a total of 62 persons have been interviewed at the authorities, the nuclear utilities and one reactor vendor. To restrict the amount of work two activities, safety analysis and experience feedback, were selected. A few cases connected to incidents at nuclear power plants were discussed in more detail. The report has been structured around a simple model of nuclear safety consisting of the concepts of goals, means and outcomes. This model illustrates the importance of goal formulation, systematic planning and feedback of operational experience as major components in nuclear safety. In assessing organisation and management at authorities and the power utilities there is a clear trend of decentralisation and delegation of authority. The general impression from the study is that the safety activities in Finland and Sweden are efficient and well targeted. The experience from the methodology is favourable and the comparison of practices gives a good ground for a discussion of contents and targeting of safety activities. (EG) activities. (EG)

Development of methods for evaluating active faults

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-08-15

The HERP report for long-term evaluation of active faults and the NSC safety review guide with regard to geology and ground of site were published on Nov. 2010 and on Dec. 2010, respectively. With respect to those reports, our investigation is as follows; (1) For assessment of seismic hazard, we estimated seismic sources around NPPs based on information of tectonic geomorphology, earthquake distribution and subsurface geology. (2) For evaluation on the activity of blind fault, we calculated the slip rate on the 2008 Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake fault, using information on late Quaternary fluvial terraces. (3) To evaluate the magnitude of earthquakes whose sources are difficult to identify, we proposed a new method for calculation of the seismogenic layer thickness. (4) To clarify the activities of active faults without superstratum, we carried out the color analysis of fault gouge and divided the activities into thousand of years and tens of thousands. (5) For improving chronology of sediments, we detected new widespread cryptotephras using mineral chemistry and developed late Quaternary cryptotephrostratigraphy around NPPs. (author)

Learning concepts of cinenurducation: an integrative review.

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Jina; Kang, Jeongae; De Gagne, Jennie C

2012-11-01

Cinenurducation is the use of films in both didactic and clinical nursing education. Although films are already used as instructional aids in nursing education, few studies have been made that demonstrate the learning concepts that can be attributed to this particular teaching strategy. The purpose of this paper is to describe the learning concepts of cinenurducation and its conceptual metaphor based on a review of literature. The databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, ERIC, EBSCO, ProQuest Library Journal, and Scopus databases were searched for articles. Fifteen peer-reviewed articles were selected through title and abstract screening from "films in nursing" related articles found in internationally published articles in English from the past 20 years. Four common concepts emerged that relate to cinenurducation: (a) student-centered, (b) experiential, (c) reflective, and (d) problem-solving learning. Current literature corroborates cinenurducation as an effective teaching strategy with its learning activities in nursing education. Future studies may include instructional guides of sample films that could be practically used in various domains to teach nursing competencies, as well as in the development of evaluation criteria and standards to assess students' learning outcomes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integrated technology rotor/flight research rotor hub concept definition

Science.gov (United States)

Dixon, P. G. C.

1983-01-01

Two variations of the helicopter bearingless main rotor hub concept are proposed as bases for further development in the preliminary design phase of the Integrated Technology Rotor/Flight Research Rotor (ITR/FRR) program. This selection was the result of an evaluation of three bearingless hub concepts and two articulated hub concepts with elastomeric bearings. The characteristics of each concept were evaluated by means of simplified methodology. These characteristics included the assessment of stability, vulnerability, weight, drag, cost, stiffness, fatigue life, maintainability, and reliability.

Conceptions of Marketing Management and Strategic Planning at the Market of Cellular Communication Services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marina Vladimirovna Perevoznikova

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the study and analysis of marketing management and strategic planning of the companies working in the field of cellular communication services. The article represented the concept of marketing management and strategic planning, and their importance in the business development. Objectives and tasks of marketing management in the telecommunications are considered. Тhe conceptions of marketing management and the advisability of their use in the market of cellular communication are described. Relationship of marketing management and strategic planning at activities of the organization are determined. The stages of strategic planning and types of global and corporate development strategies of companies in the telecommunication market are analyzed. The application features of the marketing management concepts and development strategies in the telecommunications sector are considered. The evaluation criteria and mobile operators performance indicators (data are formed. The conclusions about the role of the effective marketing management and strategic planning in the activities of mobile operators are formulated, that allows keeping marginality and high level of business profitability, creating competitive advantages in the conditions of highly competitive market, forming effective purchasing, sales activities and promotional activities, determining the correct tactics of behavior at the market.

Evaluation of molten fuel containment concepts for gas-cooled fast breeder reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, C.S.; Torri, A.

1979-10-01

Four in-vessel molten fuel containment concepts for the GCFR were compared, namely, (1) a ceramic crucible, (2) a borax bath, (3) a heavy metal bath, and (4) a steel bath. The ceramic crucible is the simplest but depends on substantial upward heat removal. The borax bath and the heavy metal bath concepts offer better performance but would require design changes and an increased experimental effort. The steel bath concept is a good compromise and has potential for further improvement by combining it with the essential features of other concepts, i.e., the crucible or the heavy metal bath. It is concluded that several concepts could potentially exploit the normally provided cooled liner barrier in the PCRV cavity for post-accident fuel containment

Gossip Revisited: A Game for Concept Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Barbara

1989-01-01

Describes a class activity based on the game of "Gossip" in which a group of students paraphrases a major concept in an instructional unit, then passes only the paraphrase to the next group. Notes that this activity encourages critical thinking and helps review and summarize key lesson concepts. (RS)

Outsourcing. The Concept

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victor-Adrian TROACĂ

2012-06-01

Full Text Available In the last two decades, an economic phenomenon took place, phenomenon characterized by the transfer of manufacturing activity from the developed countries to those in developing process. This practice can be considered as the response found by the large companies to the problem of production costs that were in a continuous rising, concomitant with the rising of living standards and remuneration.This paper aims to analyze the concept of outsourcing in terms of its evolution, but also in terms of incentives, ups and downs associated with the concept. On the other hand, this paper seeks to capture the fundamentals of this concept veracity and whether it could be implemented in the public service.

Evaluation of alternative spent fuel waste package concepts for a repository in Basalt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, G.V.B.; Nair, B.R.

1986-01-01

The United States government has established a program for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) of 1982 requires the first nuclear waste repository to begin receiving high-level radioactive waste in 1998. One of the potentially acceptable sites currently being evaluated is the Hanford Site in the Pasco Basin in the state of Washington where the host rock is basalt. Under the direction of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), Rockwell International's Rockwell Hanford Operations (RHO) has initiated the Basalt Waste Isolation Project (BWIP). The BWIP must design waste packages for emplacement in the repository. As part of the BWIP waste package development program, several alternative designs were considered for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel. This paper describes the concepts that were evaluated, the criteria that was developed for judging their relative merits, and the methodology that was employed. The results of the evaluation show that a Pipe-In-Tunnel design, which uses a long carbon steel pipe for the containment barrier for multiple packages of consolidated spent fuel, has the highest rating. Other designs which had high ratings are also discussed

Evaluation of nuclear reactor based activation analysis techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Obrusnik, I.; Kucera, J.

1977-09-01

A survey is presented of the basic types of activation analysis applied in environmental control. Reactor neutron activation analysis is described (including the reactor as a neutron source, sample activation in the reactor, methodology of neutron activation analysis, sample transport into the reactor and sample packaging after irradiation, instrumental activation analysis with radiochemical separation, data measurement and evaluation, sampling and sample preparation). Sources of environmental contamination with trace elements, sampling and sample analysis by neutron activation are described. The analysis is described of soils, waters and biological materials. Methods are shown of evaluating neutron activation analysis results and of their interpretation for purposes of environmental control. (J.B.)

Selected advanced aerodynamics and active controls technology concepts development on a derivative B-747

Science.gov (United States)

1980-01-01

The feasibility of applying wing tip extensions, winglets, and active control wing load alleviation to the Boeing 747 is investigated. Winglet aerodynamic design methods and high speed wind tunnel test results of winglets and of symmetrically deflected ailerons are presented. Structural resizing analyses to determine weight and aeroelastic twist increments for all the concepts and flutter model test results for the wing with winglets are included. Control law development, system mechanization/reliability studies, and aileron balance tab trade studies for active wing load alleviation systems are discussed. Results are presented in the form of incremental effects on L/D, structural weight, block fuel savings, stability and control, airplane price, and airline operating economics.

A concept taxonomy and an instrument hierarchy: tools for establishing and evaluating the conceptual framework of a patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument as applied to product labeling claims.

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, Pennifer; Willke, Richard; Burke, Laurie

2009-01-01

To facilitate development and evaluation of a PRO instrument conceptual framework, we propose two tools--a PRO concept taxonomy and a PRO instrument hierarchy. FDA's draft guidance on patient reported outcome (PRO) measures states that a clear description of the conceptual framework of an instrument is useful for evaluating its adequacy to support a treatment benefit claim for use in product labeling the draft guidance, however does not propose tools for establishing or evaluating a PRO instrument's conceptual framework. We draw from our review of PRO concepts and instruments that appear in prescription drug labeling approved in the United States from 1997 to 2007. We propose taxonomy terms that define relationships between PRO concepts, including "family,"compound concept," and "singular concept." Based on the range of complexity represented by the concepts, as defined by the taxonomy, we propose nine instrument orders for PRO measurement. The nine orders range from individual event counts to multi-item, multiscale instruments. This analysis of PRO concepts and instruments illustrates that the taxonomy and hierarchy are applicable to PRO concepts across a wide range of therapeutic areas and provide a basis for defining the instrument conceptual framework complexity. Although the utility of these tools in the drug development, review, and approval processes has not yet been demonstrated, these tools could be useful to improve communication and enhance efficiency in the instrument development and review process.

The Concept of

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ANCA VELICU

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The active publics issue and the question of the construction of publics are relatively recent in communication studies. After an initial period, when mass communication was seen as aiming at a holistic public, massified and passive and, thus, supposedly influenced via "targeted" messages, now the views on what "publics" mean is becoming diversified and nuanced under the influence of literary theories, cultural studies and what was later called "reception studies". Thus, from the "mass public" we got to the concept of "publics". However, in some recent studies, the mere existence of these publics is being questioned.In this paper, we detail the history of theories on the "public" - from the perspective of the public-as-spectator which later became public-as-audience and public-as-actor - and we set ourselves to show how, from theories on the re-active publics, we arrived, through the transformation of television and the emergence of the new IT&C, to the concept of publics as pro-active as a result of media efforts to build this activism.

Comparative characteristics of the enterprise management concepts within the system of its innovation activity

OpenAIRE

Захаркін, Олексій Олександрович

2015-01-01

In this article the questions of the different management approaches (functional, process, systematical, structural, value, and project) usage within the innovation activity of the enterprise are examined. It is marked that the enterprise choice of the basic concept which will be the basis of its management system must fully provide the achievement of goals, which are of the primary importance for the enterprise in present and in future, adjust with the peculiarities of its manufacturing and ...

Concepts in context: Processing mental state concepts with internal or external focus involves different neural systems

Science.gov (United States)

Oosterwijk, Suzanne; Mackey, Scott; Wilson-Mendenhall, Christine; Winkielman, Piotr; Paulus, Martin P.

2015-01-01

According to embodied cognition theories concepts are contextually-situated and grounded in neural systems that produce experiential states. This view predicts that processing mental state concepts recruits neural regions associated with different aspects of experience depending on the context in which people understand a concept. This neuroimaging study tested this prediction using a set of sentences that described emotional (e.g., fear, joy) and non-emotional (e.g., thinking, hunger) mental states with internal focus (i.e. focusing on bodily sensations and introspection) or external focus (i.e. focusing on expression and action). Consistent with our predictions, data suggested that the inferior frontal gyrus, a region associated with action representation, was engaged more by external than internal sentences. By contrast, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, a region associated with the generation of internal states, was engaged more by internal emotion sentences than external sentence categories. Similar patterns emerged when we examined the relationship between neural activity and independent ratings of sentence focus. Furthermore, ratings of emotion were associated with activation in the medial prefrontal cortex, whereas ratings of activity were associated with activation in the inferior frontal gyrus. These results suggest that mental state concepts are represented in a dynamic way, using context-relevant interoceptive and sensorimotor resources. PMID:25748274

The Genealogy of Epistemic Virtue Concepts | Thomas ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper examines the treatment of thick ethical concepts in Williams's work in order to evaluate the consistency of his treatment of ethical and epistemic concepts and to assess whether the idea of a thick concept can be extended from ethics to epistemology. A virtue epistemology is described modeled on a cognitivist ...

Just-in-time classifiers for recurrent concepts.

Science.gov (United States)

Alippi, Cesare; Boracchi, Giacomo; Roveri, Manuel

2013-04-01

Just-in-time (JIT) classifiers operate in evolving environments by classifying instances and reacting to concept drift. In stationary conditions, a JIT classifier improves its accuracy over time by exploiting additional supervised information coming from the field. In nonstationary conditions, however, the classifier reacts as soon as concept drift is detected; the current classification setup is discarded and a suitable one activated to keep the accuracy high. We present a novel generation of JIT classifiers able to deal with recurrent concept drift by means of a practical formalization of the concept representation and the definition of a set of operators working on such representations. The concept-drift detection activity, which is crucial in promptly reacting to changes exactly when needed, is advanced by considering change-detection tests monitoring both inputs and classes distributions.

Audience reactions and receptivity to HIV prevention message concepts for people living with HIV.

Science.gov (United States)

Uhrig, Jennifer D; Bann, Carla M; Wasserman, Jill; Guenther-Grey, Carolyn; Eroğlu, Doğan

2010-04-01

This study measured audience reactions and receptivity to five draft HIV prevention messages developed for people living with HIV (PLWH) to inform future HIV message choice and audience targeting decisions. Our premise was that message concepts that receive wide audience appeal constitute a strong starting point for designing future HIV prevention messages, program activities, and health communication and marketing campaigns for PLWH. The majority of participants indicated agreement with evaluative statements that expressed favorable attitudes toward all five of the message concepts we evaluated. Participants gave the lowest approval to the message promoting sero-sorting. Sociodemographic characteristics played less of a role in predicting differences in message perceptions than attitudes, beliefs and sexual behavior. The general appeal for these messages is encouraging given that messages were expressed in plain text without the support of other creative elements that are commonly used in message execution. These results confirm the utility of systematic efforts to generate and screen message concepts prior to large-scale testing.

Artificial Intelligence-Based Student Learning Evaluation: A Concept Map-Based Approach for Analyzing a Student's Understanding of a Topic

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, G. Panka; Gurupur, Varadraj P.; Schroeder, Jennifer L.; Faulkenberry, Eileen D.

2014-01-01

In this paper, we describe a tool coined as artificial intelligence-based student learning evaluation tool (AISLE). The main purpose of this tool is to improve the use of artificial intelligence techniques in evaluating a student's understanding of a particular topic of study using concept maps. Here, we calculate the probability distribution of…

Ottawa Model of Implementation Leadership and Implementation Leadership Scale: mapping concepts for developing and evaluating theory-based leadership interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Gifford, Wendy; Graham, Ian D; Ehrhart, Mark G; Davies, Barbara L; Aarons, Gregory A

2017-01-01

Leadership in health care is instrumental to creating a supportive organizational environment and positive staff attitudes for implementing evidence-based practices to improve patient care and outcomes. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the alignment of the Ottawa Model of Implementation Leadership (O-MILe), a theoretical model for developing implementation leadership, with the Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS), an empirically validated tool for measuring implementation leadership. A secondary objective is to describe the methodological process for aligning concepts of a theoretical model with an independently established measurement tool for evaluating theory-based interventions. Modified template analysis was conducted to deductively map items of the ILS onto concepts of the O-MILe. An iterative process was used in which the model and scale developers (n=5) appraised the relevance, conceptual clarity, and fit of each ILS items with the O-MILe concepts through individual feedback and group discussions until consensus was reached. All 12 items of the ILS correspond to at least one O-MILe concept, demonstrating compatibility of the ILS as a measurement tool for the O-MILe theoretical constructs. The O-MILe provides a theoretical basis for developing implementation leadership, and the ILS is a compatible tool for measuring leadership based on the O-MILe. Used together, the O-MILe and ILS provide an evidence- and theory-based approach for developing and measuring leadership for implementing evidence-based practices in health care. Template analysis offers a convenient approach for determining the compatibility of independently developed evaluation tools to test theoretical models.

Ottawa Model of Implementation Leadership and Implementation Leadership Scale: mapping concepts for developing and evaluating theory-based leadership interventions

Science.gov (United States)

Gifford, Wendy; Graham, Ian D; Ehrhart, Mark G; Davies, Barbara L; Aarons, Gregory A

2017-01-01

Purpose Leadership in health care is instrumental to creating a supportive organizational environment and positive staff attitudes for implementing evidence-based practices to improve patient care and outcomes. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the alignment of the Ottawa Model of Implementation Leadership (O-MILe), a theoretical model for developing implementation leadership, with the Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS), an empirically validated tool for measuring implementation leadership. A secondary objective is to describe the methodological process for aligning concepts of a theoretical model with an independently established measurement tool for evaluating theory-based interventions. Methods Modified template analysis was conducted to deductively map items of the ILS onto concepts of the O-MILe. An iterative process was used in which the model and scale developers (n=5) appraised the relevance, conceptual clarity, and fit of each ILS items with the O-MILe concepts through individual feedback and group discussions until consensus was reached. Results All 12 items of the ILS correspond to at least one O-MILe concept, demonstrating compatibility of the ILS as a measurement tool for the O-MILe theoretical constructs. Conclusion The O-MILe provides a theoretical basis for developing implementation leadership, and the ILS is a compatible tool for measuring leadership based on the O-MILe. Used together, the O-MILe and ILS provide an evidence- and theory-based approach for developing and measuring leadership for implementing evidence-based practices in health care. Template analysis offers a convenient approach for determining the compatibility of independently developed evaluation tools to test theoretical models. PMID:29355212

Organic food quality: a framework for concept, definition and evaluation from the European perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahl, Johannes; Baars, Ton; Bügel, Susanne; Busscher, Nicolaas; Huber, Machteld; Kusche, Daniel; Rembiałkowska, Ewa; Schmid, Otto; Seidel, Kathrin; Taupier-Letage, Bruno; Velimirov, Alberta; Załecka, Aneta

2012-11-01

Consumers buy organic food because they believe in the high quality of the product. Furthermore, the EU legal regulatory framework for organic food and farming defines high quality of the products as an important goal of production. A major challenge is the need to define food quality concepts and methods for determination. A background is described which allows embedding of the quality definitions as well as evaluation methods into a conceptual framework connected to the vision and mission of organic agriculture and food production. Organic food quality is defined through specific aspects and criteria. For evaluation each criterion has to be described by indicators. The determination of indicators should be through parameters, where parameters are described by methods. Conversely, the conceptual framework is described according to underlying principles and starting definitions are given, but further work has do be done on the detailed scientific description of the indicators. Furthermore, parameters have to be defined for the evaluation of suitability of these indicators for organic food production. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.

Application of the Concept of Intrusion Tolerant System for Evaluating Cyber Security Enhancements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Chanyoung; Seong, Poong Hyun [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

One of the major problems is that nuclear industry is in very early stage in dealing with cyber security issues. It is because that cyber security has received less attention compared to other safety problems. In addition, late adoption of digital I and C systems has resulted in lower level of cyber security advancements in nuclear industry than ones in other industries. For the cyber security of NPP I and C systems, many regulatory documents, guides and standards were already published. These documents include cyber security plans, methods for cyber security assessments and comprehensive set of security controls. However, methods which can help assess how much security is improved if a specific security control is applied are not included in these documents. Hence, NPP I and C system designers may encounter difficulties when trying to apply security controls with limited structure and cost. In order to provide useful information about cyber security issues including cyber security enhancements, this paper suggests a framework to evaluate how much cyber security is improved when a specific cyber security enhancement is applied in NPPs. In order to provide useful information about cyber security issues including cyber security enhancements, this paper suggests a framework to evaluate how much cyber security is improved when a specific cyber security enhancement is applied in NPPs. The extent of cyber security improvement caused by security enhancement was defined as reduction ratio of the failure probability to secure the system from cyber-attack as Eq.1. The concept of 'intrusion tolerant system' was applied to not only prevent cyber-attacks but also limit the extent of damage in this study. For applying the concept of intrusion tolerant system to NPP, the event tree was constructed with some assumptions. Cyber security improvement caused by cyber security enhancement can be estimated as Eq.3. By comparing current system to the enhanced system, it is

Application of the Concept of Intrusion Tolerant System for Evaluating Cyber Security Enhancements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Chanyoung; Seong, Poong Hyun

2016-01-01

One of the major problems is that nuclear industry is in very early stage in dealing with cyber security issues. It is because that cyber security has received less attention compared to other safety problems. In addition, late adoption of digital I and C systems has resulted in lower level of cyber security advancements in nuclear industry than ones in other industries. For the cyber security of NPP I and C systems, many regulatory documents, guides and standards were already published. These documents include cyber security plans, methods for cyber security assessments and comprehensive set of security controls. However, methods which can help assess how much security is improved if a specific security control is applied are not included in these documents. Hence, NPP I and C system designers may encounter difficulties when trying to apply security controls with limited structure and cost. In order to provide useful information about cyber security issues including cyber security enhancements, this paper suggests a framework to evaluate how much cyber security is improved when a specific cyber security enhancement is applied in NPPs. In order to provide useful information about cyber security issues including cyber security enhancements, this paper suggests a framework to evaluate how much cyber security is improved when a specific cyber security enhancement is applied in NPPs. The extent of cyber security improvement caused by security enhancement was defined as reduction ratio of the failure probability to secure the system from cyber-attack as Eq.1. The concept of 'intrusion tolerant system' was applied to not only prevent cyber-attacks but also limit the extent of damage in this study. For applying the concept of intrusion tolerant system to NPP, the event tree was constructed with some assumptions. Cyber security improvement caused by cyber security enhancement can be estimated as Eq.3. By comparing current system to the enhanced system, it is possible to

Implementation and Evaluation of Web-Based Learning Activities on Bonding and the Structure of Matter for 10-th Grade Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Frailich, Marcel

This study deals with the development, implementation, and evaluation of web-based activities associated with the topic of chemical bonding , as taught in 10th grade chemistry. A website was developed entitled: "Chemistry and the Chemical Industry in the Service of Mankind", its URL is: http://stwww.weizmann.ac.il/g-chem/learnchem (Kesner, Frailich, & Hofstein, 2003). The main goal of this study was to assess the educational effectiveness of website activities dealing with the chemical bonding concept. These activities include visualization tools, as well as topics relevant to daily life and industrial applications. The study investigated the effectiveness of a web-based learning environment regarding the understanding of chemical bonding concepts, students' perceptions of the classroom learning environment, their attitudes regarding the relevance of learning chemistry to everyday life, and their interest in chemistry studies. As mentioned before, in the present study we focused on activities (from the website), all of which deal with chemical bonding concept. The following are the reasons for the decision to focus on this topic: (1) Chemical bonding is a key concept that is taught in 10th grade chemistry in high school. It provides the basis for many other chemistry topics that are taught later, and (2) Chemical bonding is a difficult for students using existing tools (e. g., static models in books, ball-and- stick models), which are insufficient to demonstrate the abstract nature phenomena associated with this topic. The four activities developed for this study are (1) models of the atomic structure, (2) metals -- structure and properties, (3) ionic substances in everyday life and in industry, and (4) molecular substances -- structure, properties, and uses. The study analyzed both quantitative and qualitative research. The quantitative tools of the study included: A Semantic Differential questionnaire and a Chemistry Classroom Web-Based Learning Environment

Concepts in catalysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boudart, M.

1992-01-01

This paper reports on concept in catalysis which are very important in heterogeneous catalysis, even today, when in spite of surface science, the complexity of events at a real catalytic surface is still evading the understanding necessary for design. In this paper the authors will attempt to give an update on evolving concepts in heterogeneous catalysis. The topics include: counting active centers on metal surfaces; the notion of turnover frequency for a catalytic cycle; the concept of structure (in) sensitive reactions; the ensemble (geometric) vs. The ligand (electronic) effect following Sachtler's school; the idea of a rate determining step and of a most abundant reactive intermediate; the effect of surface non-uniformity on catalytic kinetics; what makes catalytic cycles turnover

[Effectively communicate active listening : Comparison of two concepts].

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, O; Rockenbauch, K; Kleinert, E; Stöbel-Richter, Y

2017-09-01

Communication between physicians and patients has a great influence on patient adherence, patient satisfaction and the success of treatment. In this context, patient centered care and emotional support have a high positive impact; however, it is unclear how physicians can be motivated to communicate with patients in an appreciative and empathetic way. The implementation of such behavior requires a multitude of communicative skills. One of them is active listening, which is very important in two respects. On the one hand active listening provides the basis for several conversational contexts as a special communication technique and on the other hand active listening is presented in current textbooks in different ways: as an attitude or as a technique. In light of this, the question arises how active listening should be taught in order to be not only applicable in concrete conversations but also to lead to the highest possible level of patient satisfaction. The aim of this pilot study was to examine some variations in simulated doctor-patient conversations, which are the result of the different approaches to active listening. For this purpose three groups of first semester medical students were recruited, two of which were schooled in active listening in different ways (two groups of six students), i.e. attitude versus technique oriented. The third group (seven students) acted as the control group. In a pre-post design interviews with standardized simulation patients were conducted and subsequently evaluated. The analysis of these interviews was considered from the perspectives of participants and observers as well as the quantitative aspects. This study revealed some interesting tendencies despite its status as a pilot study: in general, the two interventional groups performed significantly better than the control group in which no relevant changes occurred. In a direct comparison, the group in which active listening was taught from an attitude approach achieved

Concept - or no concept

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thorsteinsson, Uffe

1999-01-01

Discussion about concept in industrial companies. A method for mapping of managerial concept in specific area is shown......Discussion about concept in industrial companies. A method for mapping of managerial concept in specific area is shown...

Survey and evaluation of inherent safety characteristics and passive safety systems for use in probabilistic safety analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wetzel, N.; Scharfe, A.

1998-01-01

The present report examines the possibilities and limits of a probabilistic safety analysis to evaluate passive safety systems and inherent safety characteristics. The inherent safety characteristics are based on physical principles, that together with the safety system lead to no damage. A probabilistic evaluation of the inherent safety characteristic is not made. An inventory of passive safety systems of accomplished nuclear power plant types in the Federal Republic of Germany was drawn up. The evaluation of the passive safety system in the analysis of the accomplished nuclear power plant types was examined. The analysis showed that the passive manner of working was always assumed to be successful. A probabilistic evaluation was not performed. The unavailability of the passive safety system was determined by the failure of active components which are necessary in order to activate the passive safety system. To evaluate the passive safety features in new concepts of nuclear power plants the AP600 from Westinghouse, the SBWR from General Electric and the SWR 600 from Siemens, were selected. Under these three reactor concepts, the SWR 600 is specially attractive because the safety features need no energy sources and instrumentation in this concept. First approaches for the assessment of the reliability of passively operating systems are summarized. Generally it can be established that the core melt frequency for the passive concepts AP600 and SBWR is advantageous in comparison to the probabilistic objectives from the European Pressurized Water Reactor (EPR). Under the passive concepts is the SWR 600 particularly interesting. In this concept the passive systems need no energy sources and instrumentation, and has active operational systems and active safety equipment. Siemens argues that with this concept the frequency of a core melt will be two orders of magnitude lower than for the conventional reactors. (orig.) [de

Evaluation of Various Retrofitting Concepts of Building Envelope for Offices Equipped with Large Radiant Ceiling Panels by Dynamic Simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabina Jordan

2015-09-01

Full Text Available In order to achieve significant savings in energy and an improved level of thermal comfort in retrofitted existing buildings, specific retrofitting concepts that combine new technologies and design need to be developed and implemented. Large radiant surfaces systems are now among the most promising future technologies to be used both in retrofitted and in new low-energy buildings. These kinds of systems have been the topic of several studies dealing with thermal comfort and energy utilization, but some specific issues concerning their possible use in various concepts for retrofitting are still poorly understood. In the present paper, some results of dynamic simulations, with the transient system simulation tool (TRNSYS model, of the retrofitted offices equipped with radiant ceiling panels are presented and thoroughly analysed. Based on a precise comparison of the results of these simulations with actual measurements in the offices, certain input data for the model were added, so that the model was consequently validated. The model was then applied to the evaluation of various concepts of building envelopes for office retrofitting. By means of dynamic simulations of indoor environment it was possible to determine the benefits and limitations of individual retrofitting concepts. Some specific parameters, which are relevant to these concepts, were also identified.

Long-term plutonium storage: Design concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilkey, D.D.; Wood, W.T.; Guenther, C.D.

1994-01-01

An important part of the Department of Energy (DOE) Weapons Complex Reconfiguration (WCR) Program is the development of facilities for long-term storage of plutonium. The WCR design goals are to provide storage for metals, oxides, pits, and fuel-grade plutonium, including material being held as part of the Strategic Reserve and excess material. Major activities associated with plutonium storage are sorting the plutonium inventory, material handling and storage support, shipping and receiving, and surveillance of material in storage for both safety evaluations and safeguards and security. A variety of methods for plutonium storage have been used, both within the DOE weapons complex and by external organizations. This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of proposed storage concepts based upon functional criteria. The concepts discussed include floor wells, vertical and horizontal sleeves, warehouse storage on vertical racks, and modular storage units. Issues/factors considered in determining a preferred design include operational efficiency, maintenance and repair, environmental impact, radiation and criticality safety, safeguards and security, heat removal, waste minimization, international inspection requirements, and construction and operational costs

Concepts of formal concept analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Žáček, Martin; Homola, Dan; Miarka, Rostislav

2017-07-01

The aim of this article is apply of Formal Concept Analysis on concept of world. Formal concept analysis (FCA) as a methodology of data analysis, information management and knowledge representation has potential to be applied to a verity of linguistic problems. FCA is mathematical theory for concepts and concept hierarchies that reflects an understanding of concept. Formal concept analysis explicitly formalizes extension and intension of a concept, their mutual relationships. A distinguishing feature of FCA is an inherent integration of three components of conceptual processing of data and knowledge, namely, the discovery and reasoning with concepts in data, discovery and reasoning with dependencies in data, and visualization of data, concepts, and dependencies with folding/unfolding capabilities.

Anthropogenic activities impact on atmospheric environmental quality in a gas-flaring community: application of fuzzy logic modelling concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Akintola, Olayiwola Akin; Sangodoyin, Abimbola Yisau; Agunbiade, Foluso Oyedotun

2018-05-24

We present a modelling concept for evaluating the impacts of anthropogenic activities suspected to be from gas flaring on the quality of the atmosphere using domestic roof-harvested rainwater (DRHRW) as indicator. We analysed seven metals (Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, Fe, Ca, and Mg) and six water quality parameters (acidity, PO 4 3- , SO 4 2- , NO 3 - , Cl - , and pH). These were used as input parameters in 12 sampling points from gas-flaring environments (Port Harcourt, Nigeria) using Ibadan as reference. We formulated the results of these input parameters into membership function fuzzy matrices based on four degrees of impact: extremely high, high, medium, and low, using regulatory limits as criteria. We generated indices that classified the degree of anthropogenic activity impact on the sites from the product membership function matrices and weight matrices, with investigated (gas-flaring) environment as between medium and high impact compared to those from reference (residential) environment that was classified as between low and medium impact. Major contaminants of concern found in the harvested rainwater were Pb and Cd. There is also the urgent need to stop gas-flaring activities in Port Harcourt area in particular and Niger Delta region of Nigeria in general, so as to minimise the untold health hazard that people living in the area are currently faced with. The fuzzy methodology presented has also indicated that the water cannot safely support potable uses and should not be consumed without purification due to the impact of anthropogenic activities in the area but may be useful for other domestic purposes.

Application of a concept development process to evaluate process layout designs using value stream mapping and simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ki-Young Jeong

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Purpose: We propose and demonstrate a concept development process (CDP as a framework to solve a value stream mapping (VSM related process layout design optimization problem.Design/methodology/approach: A case study approach was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of CDP framework in a portable fire extinguisher manufacturing company. To facilitate the CDP application, we proposed the system coupling level index (SCLI and simulation to evaluate the process layout design concepts.Findings: As part of the CDP framework application, three process layout design concepts - current layout (CL, express lane layout (ELL and independent zone layout (IZL - were generated. Then, the SCLI excluded CL and simulation selected IZL as the best concept. The simulation was also applied to optimize the performance of IZL in terms of the number of pallets. Based on this case study, we concluded that CDP framework worked well.Research limitations/implications: The process layout design optimization issue has not been well addressed in the VSM literature. We believe that this paper initiated the relevant discussion by showing the feasibility of CDP as a framework in this issue.Practical implications: The CDP and SCLI are very practice-oriented approaches in the sense that they do not require any complex analytical knowledge.Originality/value: We discussed a not well-addressed issue with a systematic framework. In addition, the SCLI presented was also unique.

Enhancing Students' HOTS in Laboratory Educational Activity by Using Concept Map as an Alternative Assessment Tool

Science.gov (United States)

Ghani, I. B. A.; Ibrahim, N. H.; Yahaya, N. A.; Surif, J.

2017-01-01

Educational transformation in the 21st century demands in-depth knowledge and understanding in order to promote the development of higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). However, the most commonly reported problem with respect to developing a knowledge of chemistry is poor mastery of basic concepts. Chemistry laboratory educational activities are…

Language Mediated Concept Activation in Bilingual Memory Facilitates Cognitive Flexibility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anatoliy V. Kharkhurin

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This is the first attempt of empirical investigation of language mediated concept activation (LMCA in bilingual memory as a cognitive mechanism facilitating divergent thinking. Russian–English bilingual and Russian monolingual college students were tested on a battery of tests including among others Abbreviated Torrance Tests for Adults assessing divergent thinking traits and translingual priming (TLP test assessing the LMCA. The latter was designed as a lexical decision priming test, in which a prime and a target were not related in Russian (language of testing, but were related through their translation equivalents in English (spoken only by bilinguals. Bilinguals outperformed their monolingual counterparts on divergent thinking trait of cognitive flexibility, and bilinguals’ performance on this trait could be explained by their TLP effect. Age of second language acquisition and proficiency in this language were found to relate to the TLP effect, and therefore were proposed to influence the directionality and strength of connections in bilingual memory.

Concept of contracting authority

OpenAIRE

Kasiliauskaitė, Vitalija

2016-01-01

Concept of Contracting Authority Law on Public Procurement the procurement concept implies the conclusion that public procurement be declared only such purchases are carried out by the contracting authority. The contracting authorities can be a subject of state and municipal management institutes, whose assignment authority is determined by a functional approach. Also, contracting authorities may be public and legal entities, but that the public interest and operates non-commercial activities...

OGSA Globus Toolkits evaluation activity at CERN

CERN Document Server

Chen, D; Foster, D; Kalyaev, V; Kryukov, A; Lamanna, M; Pose, V; Rocha, R; Wang, C

2004-01-01

An Open Grid Service Architecture (OGSA) Globus Toolkit 3 (GT3) evaluation group is active at CERN since GT3 was available in early beta version (Spring 2003). This activity focuses on the evaluation of the technology as promised by the OGSA/OGSI paradigm and on GT3 in particular. The goal is to study this new technology and its implications with the goal to provide useful input for the large grid initiatives active in the LHC Computing Grid (LCG) project. A particular effort has been devoted to investigate performance and deployment issues, having in mind the LCG requirements, in particular scalability and robustness.

ANALYSIS OF OBSERVED BEHAVIORS DISPLAYED BY DEPRESSED-PATIENTS DURING A CLINICAL INTERVIEW - RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BEHAVIORAL-FACTORS AND CLINICAL CONCEPTS OF ACTIVATION

NARCIS (Netherlands)

BOUHUYS, AL; JANSEN, CJ; VANDENHOOFDAKKER, RH

In 61 drug-free depressed patients, relationships were studied between observed behaviors and measures of common clinical concepts of activation. The behaviors were observed during a clinical interview and analyzed with ethological methods. Activation was assessed by means of self-ratings (Thayer,

Stimulation of a turbofan engine for evaluation of multivariable optimal control concepts. [(computerized simulation)

Science.gov (United States)

Seldner, K.

1976-01-01

The development of control systems for jet engines requires a real-time computer simulation. The simulation provides an effective tool for evaluating control concepts and problem areas prior to actual engine testing. The development and use of a real-time simulation of the Pratt and Whitney F100-PW100 turbofan engine is described. The simulation was used in a multi-variable optimal controls research program using linear quadratic regulator theory. The simulation is used to generate linear engine models at selected operating points and evaluate the control algorithm. To reduce the complexity of the design, it is desirable to reduce the order of the linear model. A technique to reduce the order of the model; is discussed. Selected results between high and low order models are compared. The LQR control algorithms can be programmed on digital computer. This computer will control the engine simulation over the desired flight envelope.

Physical self-concept and its link to cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance among adolescents with mild congenital heart disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chi-Wen; Su, Wen-Jen; Wang, Jou-Kou; Yang, Hsiao-Ling; Chiang, Yueh-Tao; Moons, Philip

2015-06-01

Due to medical advances, most children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are expected to survive into adulthood. Establishing adequate physical self-concept and cardiopulmonary tolerance during the adolescent period can primarily enhance overall well-being. The purpose of this study was to undertake a gender-specific evaluation of the domain of physical self-concept among adolescents with mild CHD, and to examine the relationships between physical self-concept and cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance among adolescents with mild CHD. Four hundred and thirteen adolescents 12-20 years of age, whose cardiologists had not recommended any limitation of exercise, completed Physical Self-Description Questionnaires and three-minute step tests in two outpatient cardiology departments. The male participants had significantly greater scores in measures of overall physical self-concept, competence in sports, physical appearance, body fat, physical activity, endurance, and strength than did the female participants. More than 80% of the participants had at least an average cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance index. The perception of not being 'too fat' and being more physically active were significant correlates of better cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance for adolescents with mild CHD. The results provided evidence for gender-specific evaluation of domains of physical self-concept among adolescents with mild CHD. The three-minute step test to measure cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance in adolescents with mild CHD may be an appropriate objective measure for use in future research. Continued efforts are needed in early intervention to promote cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance. © The European Society of Cardiology 2014.

Ultrasound and MRI of nerves for monitoring disease activity and treatment effects in chronic dysimmune neuropathies - Current concepts and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Décard, Bernhard F; Pham, Mirko; Grimm, Alexander

2018-01-01

New imaging modalities like high-resolution-ultrasound (HRUS) and MR-Neurography (MRN) are increasingly used for the evaluation of the peripheral nervous system. The increasing knowledge on morphological changes observed in different neuropathies has led to a better understanding of underlying pathophysiological processes. The diagnosis of acquired chronic dysimmune neuropathies (CDN) like chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), Lewis-Sumner Syndrome (LSS) or multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) can be challenging. The current diagnostic criteria and outcome parameters are mainly based on clinical and electrophysiological parameters. Especially in CDN cases with atypical presentation or during early disease stages, the diagnostic accuracy is low and standardized protocols for the evaluation of disease activity and treatment response are lacking. The establishment of combined diagnostic criteria for CDN including imaging modalities could help to improve the diagnostic accuracy, allow a better differentiation of subtypes and facilitate the follow-up of disease course. The appropriate selection of eligible patients and sensitive monitoring of treatment response is mandatory future in treatment trials. In this article, we briefly summarize the clinical presentations and pathophysiological concepts of different CDN like CIDP, LSS and MMN. Furthermore, this review focuses on the diagnostic value of HRUS/MRN and its potential role for the monitoring of disease activity. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Design and evaluation of a telemonitoring concept based on NFC-enabled mobile phones and sensor devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Morak, Jürgen; Kumpusch, Hannes; Hayn, Dieter; Modre-Osprian, Robert; Schreier, Günter

2012-01-01

Utilization of information and communication technologies such as mobile phones and wireless sensor networks becomes more and more common in the field of telemonitoring for chronic diseases. Providing elderly people with a mobile-phone-based patient terminal requires a barrier-free design of the overall user interface including the setup of wireless communication links to sensor devices. To easily manage the connection between a mobile phone and wireless sensor devices, a concept based on the combination of Bluetooth and near-field communication technology has been developed. It allows us initiating communication between two devices just by bringing them close together for a few seconds without manually configuring the communication link. This concept has been piloted with a sensor device and evaluated in terms of usability and feasibility. Results indicate that this solution has the potential to simplify the handling of wireless sensor networks for people with limited technical skills.

Designing concepts and strategies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kiib, Hans

2012-01-01

, that new developments often employ very modest research on the subject and often very little has been done in order to challenge traditional concepts and to invent new sustainable concepts for redevelopment. In order to avoid mistakes in urban redevelopment we need to learn from research and evaluation...... of the best planning practice. But what might be just as important is to learn from concept development practice, which can give us a comprehensive understanding of our complex cities and make us develop a way of experiencing the unique qualities of the architectural typologies at the site. Finally...... and strategies are briefly described in the article, and the adaption by city planners and developers has been critical reviewed....

Neural Representations of Physics Concepts.

Science.gov (United States)

Mason, Robert A; Just, Marcel Adam

2016-06-01

We used functional MRI (fMRI) to assess neural representations of physics concepts (momentum, energy, etc.) in juniors, seniors, and graduate students majoring in physics or engineering. Our goal was to identify the underlying neural dimensions of these representations. Using factor analysis to reduce the number of dimensions of activation, we obtained four physics-related factors that were mapped to sets of voxels. The four factors were interpretable as causal motion visualization, periodicity, algebraic form, and energy flow. The individual concepts were identifiable from their fMRI signatures with a mean rank accuracy of .75 using a machine-learning (multivoxel) classifier. Furthermore, there was commonality in participants' neural representation of physics; a classifier trained on data from all but one participant identified the concepts in the left-out participant (mean accuracy = .71 across all nine participant samples). The findings indicate that abstract scientific concepts acquired in an educational setting evoke activation patterns that are identifiable and common, indicating that science education builds abstract knowledge using inherent, repurposed brain systems. © The Author(s) 2016.

[Concept analysis "Competency-based education"].

Science.gov (United States)

Loosli, Clarence

2016-03-01

Competency-based education (CBE) stands out at global level as the best educational practice. Indeed, CBE is supposed to improve the quality of care provided by newly graduated nurses. Yet, there is a dearth of knowledge in nursing literature regarding CBE concept's definition. CBE is implemented differently in each entity even inside the same discipline in a single country. What accounts for CBE in nursing education ? to clarify CBE concept meaning according to literature review in order to propose a definition. Wilson concept analysis method framed our literature review through two databases: CINHAL and ERIC. following the 11 Wilson techniques analysis, we identified CBE concept as a multidimensional concept clustering three dimensions : learning, teaching and assessment. nurses educators are accountable for providing performants newly graduated professional to the society. Schools should struggle for the visibility and the transparency of means they are using to accomplish their educational activities. This first attempt to understand CBE concept opens a matter of debate concerning further development and clarification of the concept. This first description of CBE concept is a step toward its identification and assessment.

Evaluation of Pushback Decision-Support Tool Concept for Charlotte Douglas International Airport Ramp Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Hayashi, Miwa; Hoang, Ty; Jung, Yoon C.; Malik, Waqar; Lee, Hanbong; Dulchinos, Victoria L.

2015-01-01

This paper proposes a new departure pushback decision-support tool (DST) for airport ramp-tower controllers. It is based on NASA's Spot and Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA) collaborative decision-making concept, except with the modification that the gate releases now are controlled by tactical pushback (or gate-hold) advisories instead of strategic pre-assignments of target pushback times to individual departure flights. The proposed ramp DST relies on data exchange with the airport traffic control tower (ATCT) to coordinate pushbacks with the ATCT's flow-management intentions under current operational constraints, such as Traffic Management Initiative constraints. Airlines would benefit in reduced taxi delay and fuel burn. The concept was evaluated in a human-in-the-loop simulation experiment with current ramp-tower controllers at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport as participants. The results showed that the tool helped reduce taxi time by one minute per flight and overall departure flight fuel consumption by 10-12% without reducing runway throughput. Expect Departure Clearance Time (EDCT) conformance also was improved when advisories were provided. These benefits were attained without increasing the ramp-tower controllers' workload. Additionally, the advisories reduced the ATCT controllers' workload.

Concept of Operations Evaluation for Mitigating Space Flight-Relevant Medical Issues in a Planetary Habitat

Science.gov (United States)

Barsten, Kristina; Hurst, Victor, IV; Scheuring, Richard; Baumann, David K.; Johnson-Throop, Kathy

2010-01-01

Introduction: Analogue environments assist the NASA Human Research Program (HRP) in developing capabilities to mitigate high risk issues to crew health and performance for space exploration. The Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU) is an analogue habitat used to assess space-related products for planetary missions. The Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) element at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) was tasked with developing planetary-relevant medical scenarios to evaluate the concept of operations for mitigating medical issues in such an environment. Methods: Two medical scenarios were conducted within the simulated planetary habitat with the crew executing two space flight-relevant procedures: Eye Examination with a corneal injury and Skin Laceration. Remote guidance for the crew was provided by a flight surgeon (FS) stationed at a console outside of the habitat. Audio and video data were collected to capture the communication between the crew and the FS, as well as the movements of the crew executing the procedures. Questionnaire data regarding procedure content and remote guidance performance also were collected from the crew immediately after the sessions. Results: Preliminary review of the audio, video, and questionnaire data from the two scenarios conducted within the HDU indicate that remote guidance techniques from an FS on console can help crew members within a planetary habitat mitigate planetary-relevant medical issues. The content and format of the procedures were considered concise and intuitive, respectively. Discussion: Overall, the preliminary data from the evaluation suggest that use of remote guidance techniques by a FS can help HDU crew execute space exploration-relevant medical procedures within a habitat relevant to planetary missions, however further evaluations will be needed to implement this strategy into the complete concept of operations for conducting general space medicine within similar environments

Deep Borehole Disposal Concept: Development of Universal Canister Concept of Operations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rigali, Mark J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Applied Systems Analysis and Research; Price, Laura L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Applied Systems Analysis and Research

2016-08-01

This report documents key elements of the conceptual design for deep borehole disposal of radioactive waste to support the development of a universal canister concept of operations. A universal canister is a canister that is designed to be able to store, transport, and dispose of radioactive waste without the canister having to be reopened to treat or repackage the waste. This report focuses on the conceptual design for disposal of radioactive waste contained in a universal canister in a deep borehole. The general deep borehole disposal concept consists of drilling a borehole into crystalline basement rock to a depth of about 5 km, emplacing WPs in the lower 2 km of the borehole, and sealing and plugging the upper 3 km. Research and development programs for deep borehole disposal have been ongoing for several years in the United States and the United Kingdom; these studies have shown that deep borehole disposal of radioactive waste could be safe, cost effective, and technically feasible. The design concepts described in this report are workable solutions based on expert judgment, and are intended to guide follow-on design activities. Both preclosure and postclosure safety were considered in the development of the reference design concept. The requirements and assumptions that form the basis for the deep borehole disposal concept include WP performance requirements, radiological protection requirements, surface handling and transport requirements, and emplacement requirements. The key features of the reference disposal concept include borehole drilling and construction concepts, WP designs, and waste handling and emplacement concepts. These features are supported by engineering analyses.

A Novel Teaching Tool Combined With Active-Learning to Teach Antimicrobial Spectrum Activity.

Science.gov (United States)

MacDougall, Conan

2017-03-25

Objective. To design instructional methods that would promote long-term retention of knowledge of antimicrobial pharmacology, particularly the spectrum of activity for antimicrobial agents, in pharmacy students. Design. An active-learning approach was used to teach selected sessions in a required antimicrobial pharmacology course. Students were expected to review key concepts from the course reader prior to the in-class sessions. During class, brief concept reviews were followed by active-learning exercises, including a novel schematic method for learning antimicrobial spectrum of activity ("flower diagrams"). Assessment. At the beginning of the next quarter (approximately 10 weeks after the in-class sessions), 360 students (three yearly cohorts) completed a low-stakes multiple-choice examination on the concepts in antimicrobial spectrum of activity. When data for students was pooled across years, the mean number of correct items was 75.3% for the items that tested content delivered with the active-learning method vs 70.4% for items that tested content delivered via traditional lecture (mean difference 4.9%). Instructor ratings on student evaluations of the active-learning approach were high (mean scores 4.5-4.8 on a 5-point scale) and student comments were positive about the active-learning approach and flower diagrams. Conclusion. An active-learning approach led to modestly higher scores in a test of long-term retention of pharmacology knowledge and was well-received by students.

A Bayesian concept learning approach to crowdsourcing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Viappiani, P.; Zilles, S.; Hamilton, H.J.

2011-01-01

techniques, inference methods, and query selection strategies to assist a user charged with choosing a configuration that satisfies some (partially known) concept. Our model is able to simultaneously learn the concept definition and the types of the experts. We evaluate our model with simulations, showing......We develop a Bayesian approach to concept learning for crowdsourcing applications. A probabilistic belief over possible concept definitions is maintained and updated according to (noisy) observations from experts, whose behaviors are modeled using discrete types. We propose recommendation...

Integrating collaborative concept mapping in case based learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfredo Tifi

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Different significance of collaborative concept mapping and collaborative argumentation in Case Based Learning are discussed and compared in the different perspectives of answering focus questions, of fostering reflective thinking skills and in managing uncertainty in problem solving in a scaffolded environment. Marked differences are pointed out between the way concepts are used in constructing concept maps and the way meanings are adopted in case based learning through guided argumentation activities. Shared concept maps should be given different scopes, as for example a as an advance organizer in preparing a background system of concepts that will undergo transformation while accompanying the inquiry activities on case studies or problems; b together with narratives, to enhance awareness of the situated epistemologies that are being entailed in choosing certain concepts during more complex case studies, and c after-learning construction of a holistic vision of the whole domain by means of the most inclusive concepts, while scaffoldedcollaborative writing of narratives and arguments in describing-treating cases could better serve as a source of situated-inspired tools to create-refine meanings for particular concepts.

Evaluating the Factor Structure of "Self-Concept" in Children: A Cautionary Note

Science.gov (United States)

Drummond, Robert J.; McIntire, Walter G.

1977-01-01

This article examines the factor structure of two measures of self-concept routinely used with elementary school children: the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory and the Self-Concept and Motivation Inventory. (Author)

Alternative cask maintenance facility concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Attaway, C.R.; Pope, R.B.; Wiliamson, A.C.; Medley, L.G.; Shappert, L.B.

1992-01-01

In this paper, the results of three trade-off studies of alternative concepts for performing cask maintenance for Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System casks are presented. An earlier study resulted in a recommendation that a submerged pool concept for cask internal component removal be used in the design of a Cask Maintenance Facility. The first trade-off study resulted in confirming the previous recommendation that a submerged pool concept be used rather than an isolation cell; the basis for this continued recommendation is discussed. The second study provides an evaluation of the previously proposed facility for the capability of handling an increased quantity of OCRWM casks. The third study provides a preliminary concept for adding the capability to repaint the exterior cylindrical portions of casks

Secondary school physics teachers' conceptions of scientific evidence: A collective case study

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Joseph A.

Engaging secondary school students in inquiry-oriented tasks that more closely simulate the scholarly activities of scientists has been recommended as a way to improve scientific literacy. Two tasks that are frequently recommended include students' design of original experiments, and students' evaluation of scientific evidence and conclusions. Yet, little is known about teachers' conceptions of experimentation. The principal aim of this study, therefore, was to describe the nature of prospective and practicing physics teachers' conceptions of scientific evidence. More specifically, the following research questions guided this study: (1) What types of issues related to the measurement reliability and experimental validity of scientific evidence do practicing and prospective physics teachers think about when designing experiments? (2) When presented with hypothetical scenarios that describe unsound experimental procedures or poorly supported conclusions (or both), what concerns will prospective and practicing physics teachers raise? And (3) When the participants' responses to parallel research prompts are compared across protocols, what similarities and differences exist? The nature of the teacher-participants' conceptions was described from an analysis of data collected from research prompts such as interviews and hand written artifacts. In these research prompts, the teachers "thought aloud" while designing experiments and critically evaluated student-collected evidence presented in hypothetical classroom scenarios. The data from this study suggested that the three teachers, while contemplating the reliability and validity of scientific evidence, frequently used their conceptions of evidence in conjunction with specific subject matter conceptions. The data also indicated that the relationship between subject matter knowledge and conceptions of evidence was more pronounced for some conceptions of evidence than for others. Suggestions for future research included

Research on the comparison of performance-based concept and force-based concept

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Zeyu; Wang, Dongwei

2011-03-01

There are two ideologies about structure design: force-based concept and performance-based concept. Generally, if the structure operates during elastic stage, the two philosophies usually attain the same results. But beyond that stage, the shortage of force-based method is exposed, and the merit of performance-based is displayed. Pros and cons of each strategy are listed herein, and then which structure is best suitable to each method analyzed. At last, a real structure is evaluated by adaptive pushover method to verify that performance-based method is better than force-based method.

Nuclear fuel waste management and disposal concept: Report. Federal environmental assessment review process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

The Canadian concept for disposing CANDU reactor waste or high-level nuclear wastes from reprocessing involves underground disposal in sealed containers emplaced in buffer-filled and sealed vaults 500--1,000 meters below ground, in plutonic rock of the Canadian Shield. This document presents the report of a panel whose mandate was to review this concept (rather than a specific disposal project at a specific site) along with a broad range of related policy issues, and to conduct that review in five provinces (including reviews with First Nations groups). It first outlines the review process and then describes the nature of the problem of nuclear waste management. It then presents an overview of the concept being reviewed, its implementation stages, performance assessment analyses performed on the concept, and implications of a facility based on that concept (health, environmental, social, transportation, economic). The fourth section examines the criteria by which the safety and acceptability of the concept should be evaluated. This is followed by a safety and acceptability evaluation from both technical and social perspectives. Section six proposes future steps for building and determining acceptability of the concept, including an Aboriginal participation process, creation of a Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Agency, and a public participation process. The final section discusses some issues outside the panel's mandate, such as energy policy and renewable energy sources. Appendices include a chronology of panel activities, a review of radiation hazards, comparison between nuclear waste management and the management of other wastes, a review of other countries' approaches to long-term management of nuclear fuel wastes, and details of a siting process proposed by the panel

Environmental assessment for the satellite power system concept development and evaluation program: atmospheric effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rote, D.M.; Brubaker, K.L.; Lee, J.L.

1980-11-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has undertaken a preliminary, three-year program to investigate the impacts of the construction and operation of a satellite power system, of unprecedented scale. The Department of Energy's program, titled The Concept Development and Evaluation Program, focused its investigations on a Reference System description that calls for the use of either silicon (Si) or gallium aluminum-arsenide (GaAlAs) photovoltaic cells on 60 satellites to be constructed in GEO over a 30-yr period. Rectennas would be constructed on the ground to receive microwave energy from the satellites. Each satellite-rectenna pair is designed to produce 5 GW of power on an essentially continuous basis for use as a baseload power source for an electric power distribution system. The environmental assessment part of the program was divided into five interdependent task areas. The present document constitutes the final technical report on one of the five task areas, the Assessment of the Atmospheric Effects, and as such presents an in-depth summary of work performed during the assessment program. The issues associated with SPS activities in the troposphere are examined. These include tropospheric weather modification related to rectenna operations and rocket launches, and air quality impacts related to rocketlaunch ground clouds. Then progressing upward through the various levels of the atmosphere, the principal middle and upper atmospheric effects associated with rocket effluents are analyzed. Finally, all of the potential SPS atmospheric effects are summarized

The Concept of ‘Practice’

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmidt, Kjeld

2014-01-01

The purpose of the present article is to argue that the point of using the concept of ‘practice’ in the context of CSCW and related research areas is to overcome the categorial separation of ‘thinking’ and ‘acting’ that is part and parcel of the received discourse about ‘work’ and thus to be able...... to focus sharply on and express the unity of the activities of work. The article shows that received concept of ‘practice’ has been developed in the course of centuries precisely as a way to focus on normatively regulated contingent activities....

H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) and the Operations Concept for Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Hardware

Science.gov (United States)

Chullen, Cinda; Blome, Elizabeth; Tetsuya, Sakashita

2011-01-01

With the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet imminent in 2011, a new operations concept will become reality to meet the transportation challenges of the International Space Station (ISS). The planning associated with the retirement of the Space Shuttle has been underway since the announcement in 2004. Since then, several companies and government entities have had to look for innovative low-cost commercial orbital transportation systems to continue to achieve the objectives of ISS delivery requirements. Several options have been assessed and appear ready to meet the large and demanding delivery requirements of the ISS. Options that have been identified that can facilitate the challenge include the Russian Federal Space Agency's Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA s) H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV). The newest of these options is the JAXA's HTV. This paper focuses on the HTV, mission architecture and operations concept for Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVA) hardware, the associated launch system, and details of the launch operations approach.

Is Social Capital a Good Concept?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjørnskov, Christian; Sønderskov, Kim Mannemar

2013-01-01

This paper explores whether the concept of social capital as popularized by Robert Putnam is a good social science concept. Taking Gerring’s work on concept evaluation as the starting point, the paper first presents a set of criteria for conceptual ‘goodness’ and discusses how social capital...... performs on these criteria. It is argued that social capital eventually may be a good concept if it can be shown empirically to be a unidimensional concept. An empirical section therefore explores the validity of the unidimensionality assumption and rejects it in four separate tests at both the individual...... and aggregate level. We conclude that even if social capital has been a remarkably productive idea, it is not a good concept as most popular conceptualizations define social capital as several distinct phenomena or as phenomena that already have been conceptualized under other labels....

An Exploratory Study on a Chest-Worn Computer for Evaluation of Diet, Physical Activity and Lifestyle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mingui Sun

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Recently, wearable computers have become new members in the family of mobile electronic devices, adding new functions to those provided by smartphones and tablets. As "always-on" miniature computers in the personal space, they will play increasing roles in the field of healthcare. In this work, we present our development of eButton, a wearable computer designed as a personalized, attractive, and convenient chest pin in a circular shape. It contains a powerful microprocessor, numerous electronic sensors, and wireless communication links. We describe its design concepts, electronic hardware, data processing algorithms, and its applications to the evaluation of diet, physical activity and lifestyle in the study of obesity and other chronic diseases.

The role of picture of process (pp) on senior high school students’ collision concept learning activities and multirepresentation ability

Science.gov (United States)

Sutarto; Indrawati; Wicaksono, I.

2018-04-01

The objectives of the study are to describe the effect of PP collision concepts to high school students’ learning activities and multirepresentation abilities. This study was a quasi experimental with non- equivalent post-test only control group design. The population of this study were students who will learn the concept of collision in three state Senior High Schools in Indonesia, with a sample of each school 70 students, 35 students as an experimental group and 35 students as a control group. Technique of data collection were observation and test. The data were analized by descriptive and inferensial statistic. Student learning activities were: group discussions, describing vectors of collision events, and formulating problem-related issues of impact. Multirepresentation capabilities were student ability on image representation, verbal, mathematics, and graph. The results showed that the learning activities in the three aspects for the three high school average categorized good. The impact of using PP on students’ ability on image and graph representation were a significant impact, but for verbal and mathematical skills there are differences but not significant.

From representing to modelling knowledge: Proposing a two-step training for excellence in concept mapping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joana G. Aguiar

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Training users in the concept mapping technique is critical for ensuring a high-quality concept map in terms of graphical structure and content accuracy. However, assessing excellence in concept mapping through structural and content features is a complex task. This paper proposes a two-step sequential training in concept mapping. The first step requires the fulfilment of low-order cognitive objectives (remember, understand and apply to facilitate novices’ development into good Cmappers by honing their knowledge representation skills. The second step requires the fulfilment of high-order cognitive objectives (analyse, evaluate and create to grow good Cmappers into excellent ones through the development of knowledge modelling skills. Based on Bloom’s revised taxonomy and cognitive load theory, this paper presents theoretical accounts to (1 identify the criteria distinguishing good and excellent concept maps, (2 inform instructional tasks for concept map elaboration and (3 propose a prototype for training users on concept mapping combining online and face-to-face activities. The proposed training application and the institutional certification are the next steps for the mature use of concept maps for educational as well as business purposes.

Combining users' activity survey and simulators to evaluate human activity recognition systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Azkune, Gorka; Almeida, Aitor; López-de-Ipiña, Diego; Chen, Liming

2015-04-08

Evaluating human activity recognition systems usually implies following expensive and time-consuming methodologies, where experiments with humans are run with the consequent ethical and legal issues. We propose a novel evaluation methodology to overcome the enumerated problems, which is based on surveys for users and a synthetic dataset generator tool. Surveys allow capturing how different users perform activities of daily living, while the synthetic dataset generator is used to create properly labelled activity datasets modelled with the information extracted from surveys. Important aspects, such as sensor noise, varying time lapses and user erratic behaviour, can also be simulated using the tool. The proposed methodology is shown to have very important advantages that allow researchers to carry out their work more efficiently. To evaluate the approach, a synthetic dataset generated following the proposed methodology is compared to a real dataset computing the similarity between sensor occurrence frequencies. It is concluded that the similarity between both datasets is more than significant.

Combining Users’ Activity Survey and Simulators to Evaluate Human Activity Recognition Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gorka Azkune

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Evaluating human activity recognition systems usually implies following expensive and time-consuming methodologies, where experiments with humans are run with the consequent ethical and legal issues. We propose a novel evaluation methodology to overcome the enumerated problems, which is based on surveys for users and a synthetic dataset generator tool. Surveys allow capturing how different users perform activities of daily living, while the synthetic dataset generator is used to create properly labelled activity datasets modelled with the information extracted from surveys. Important aspects, such as sensor noise, varying time lapses and user erratic behaviour, can also be simulated using the tool. The proposed methodology is shown to have very important advantages that allow researchers to carry out their work more efficiently. To evaluate the approach, a synthetic dataset generated following the proposed methodology is compared to a real dataset computing the similarity between sensor occurrence frequencies. It is concluded that the similarity between both datasets is more than significant.

Combining Users' Activity Survey and Simulators to Evaluate Human Activity Recognition Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Azkune, Gorka; Almeida, Aitor; López-de-Ipiña, Diego; Chen, Liming

2015-01-01

Evaluating human activity recognition systems usually implies following expensive and time-consuming methodologies, where experiments with humans are run with the consequent ethical and legal issues. We propose a novel evaluation methodology to overcome the enumerated problems, which is based on surveys for users and a synthetic dataset generator tool. Surveys allow capturing how different users perform activities of daily living, while the synthetic dataset generator is used to create properly labelled activity datasets modelled with the information extracted from surveys. Important aspects, such as sensor noise, varying time lapses and user erratic behaviour, can also be simulated using the tool. The proposed methodology is shown to have very important advantages that allow researchers to carry out their work more efficiently. To evaluate the approach, a synthetic dataset generated following the proposed methodology is compared to a real dataset computing the similarity between sensor occurrence frequencies. It is concluded that the similarity between both datasets is more than significant. PMID:25856329

The concept verification testing of materials science payloads

Science.gov (United States)

Griner, C. S.; Johnston, M. H.; Whitaker, A.

1976-01-01

The concept Verification Testing (CVT) project at the Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama, is a developmental activity that supports Shuttle Payload Projects such as Spacelab. It provides an operational 1-g environment for testing NASA and other agency experiment and support systems concepts that may be used in shuttle. A dedicated Materials Science Payload was tested in the General Purpose Laboratory to assess the requirements of a space processing payload on a Spacelab type facility. Physical and functional integration of the experiments into the facility was studied, and the impact of the experiments on the facility (and vice versa) was evaluated. A follow-up test designated CVT Test IVA was also held. The purpose of this test was to repeat Test IV experiments with a crew composed of selected and trained scientists. These personnel were not required to have prior knowledge of the materials science disciplines, but were required to have a basic knowledge of science and the scientific method.

Evaluation of Results from Sales Promotion Activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olimpia Ban

2007-02-01

Full Text Available An essential element of the sales promotion strategy and not only is the evaluation of the results obtained from the activities performed. Due to their nature and applicability, the evaluation of the sales promotion is much easier to be achieved, but it raises some problems. Using a hypothetical example, we have tried to develop a "classic" evaluation model of the specialty literature.

[Basic principles and methodological considerations of health economic evaluations].

Science.gov (United States)

Loza, Cesar; Castillo-Portilla, Manuel; Rojas, José Luis; Huayanay, Leandro

2011-01-01

Health Economics is an essential instrument for health management, and economic evaluations can be considered as tools assisting the decision-making process for the allocation of resources in health. Currently, economic evaluations are increasingly being used worldwide, thus encouraging evidence-based decision-making and seeking efficient and rational alternatives within the framework of health services activities. In this review, we present an overview and define the basic types of economic evaluations, with emphasis on complete Economic Evaluations (EE). In addition, we review key concepts regarding the perspectives from which EE can be conducted, the types of costs that can be considered, the time horizon, discounting, assessment of uncertainty and decision rules. Finally, we describe concepts about the extrapolation and spread of economic evaluations in health.

Reference concepts for the final disposal of LWR spent fuel and other high activity wastes in Spain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huertas, F.; Ulibarri, A.

1993-01-01

Studies over the last three years have been recently concluded with the selection of a reference repository concept for the final disposal of spent fuel and other high activity wastes in deep geological formations. Two non-site specific preliminary designs, at a conceptual level, have been developed; one considers granite as the host rock and the other rock salt formations. The Spanish General Radioactive Waste Program also considers clay as a potential host rock for HLW deep disposal; conceptualization for a deep repository in clay is in the initial phase of development. The salt repository concept contemplates the disposal of the HLW in self-shielding casks emplaced in the drifts of an underground facility, excavated at a depth of 850 m in a bedded salt formation. The Custos Type I(7) cask admits up to seven intact PWR fuel assemblies or 21 of BWR type. The final repository facilities are planned to accept a total of 20,000 fuel assemblies (PWR and BWR) and 50 vitrified waste canisters over a period of 25 years. The total space needed for the surface facilities amounts to 322,000 m 2 , including the rock salt dump. The space required for the underground facilities amounts to 1.2 km 2 , approximately. The granite repository concept contemplates the disposal of the HLW in carbon steel canisters, embedded in a 0.75 m thick buffer of swelling smectite clay, in the drifts of an underground facility, excavated at a depth of 55 m in granite. Each canister can host 3 PWR or 9 BWR fuel assemblies. For this concept the total number of canisters needed amounts to 4,860. The space required for the surface and underground facilities is similar to that of the salt concept. The technical principles and criteria used for the design are discussed, and a description of the repository concept is presented

Establishment of design concept of large capacity passive reactor KP1000 and performance evaluation of safety system for LBLOCA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Seong O.; Hwang, Young Dong; Kim, Young In; Chang, Moon Hee

1997-03-01

This study was performed to establish the design concepts and to evaluate the performance of safety features of large capacity passive reactor (1000 MWe grade). The design concepts of the large capacity passive reactor `KP1000` were established to generate 1000 MW electric power based on the AP600 of Westinghouse by increasing the number of reactor coolant loop and by increasing the size of reactor internals/core. To implement the analysis of the LBLOCA for KP1000, various kinds of computer codes being considered, it was concluded that RELAP5 was the most appropriate one in availability and operations in present situation. By the analysis of the computer code `RELAP5/Mod3.2.1.2`, following conclusions were derived as described below. First, by spectrum analysis of the discharge factor of the berak part, the most conservative discharge factor C{sub D}=1.2 and the PCT value of KP1000 was 1254F, which is slightly higher than the value of AP600 but is much less than the existing active reactor `Kori 3 and 4` where blowdown PCT value is 1693.4 deg F and reflooding PCT is 1918.4 deg F. Second, after the 200 seconds from the initiation of LBLOCA, IRWST water was supplied in a stable state and the maximum temperature of clad were maintained in a saturated condition. Therefore, it was concluded that the passive safety features of KP1000 keep reactor core from being damaged for large break LOCA. (author). 11 refs., 28 tabs., 37 figs.

Loneliness: a concept analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bekhet, Abir K; Zauszniewski, Jaclene A; Nakhla, Wagdy E

2008-01-01

Loneliness is a universal human experience recognized since the dawn of time, yet it is unique for every individual. Loneliness can lead to both depression and low self-esteem. This article explicates the concept of loneliness through the examination of its conceptual definition and uses, defining attributes, related concepts, and empirical referents. Literature review using hand search and database were used as sources of information. Because loneliness is commonly encountered in nursing situations, the information provided will serve as a framework for assessment, planning, intervention, and evaluation of clients.

Areva fatigue concept. Fast fatigue evaluation, a new method for fatigue analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinz, Benedikt; Bergholz, Steffen; Rudolph, Juergen

2011-01-01

Within the discussions on the long term operation (LTO) of nuclear power plants the ageing management is on the focus of that analysis. The knowledge of the operational thermal cyclic load data on components of the power plants and their evaluation in the fatigue analysis is a central concern. The changes in fatigue requirements (e.g. the consideration of environmentally assisted fatigue - EAF) recently discussed and LTO efforts are a strong motivation for the identification of margins in the existing fatigue analysis approaches. These margins should be considered within new approaches in order to obtain realistic (or more accurate) analysis results. Of course, these new analysis approaches have to be manageable and efficient. The Areva Fatigue Concept (AFC) offers the comprehensive conceptual basis for the consideration of fatigue on different levels and depths. The combination of data logging and automated fatigue evaluation are important modules of the AFC. Besides the established simplified stress based fatigue estimation Areva develops a further automated fatigue analysis method called Fast Fatigue Evaluation (FFE). This method comprises highly automated stress analyses at the fatigue relevant locations of the component. Hence, a component specific course of stress as a function of time is determined based on FAMOS or similar temperature measurement systems. The subsequent application of the rain flow cycle counting algorithm allows for the determination of the usage factor following the rules of the design code requirements. The new FFE approach constitutes a cycle counting method based on the real stresses in the component, and determined as result a rule-conformity cumulative usage factor. (orig.)

A new concept for active bistable twisting structures

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, Marc R.

2005-05-01

A novel type of morphing structure capable of a large change in shape with a small energy input is discussed in this paper. The considered structures consist of two curved shells that are joined in a specific manner to form a bistable airfoil-like structure. The two stable shapes have a difference in axial twist, and the structure may be transformed between the stable shapes by a simple snap-through action. The benefit of a bistable structure of this type is that, if the stable shapes are operational shapes, power is needed only to transform the structure from one shape to another. The discussed structures could be used in aerodynamic applications such as morphing wings, or as aerodynamic control surfaces. The investigation discussed in this paper considers both experiment and finite-element analysis. Several graphite-epoxy composite and one steel device were created as proof-of-concept models. To demonstrate active control of these structures, piezocomposite actuators were applied to one of the composite structures and used to transform the structure between stable shapes. The analysis was used to compare the predicted shapes with the experimental shapes, and to study how changes to the geometric input values affected the shape and operational characteristics of the structures. The predicted shapes showed excellent agreement with the experimental shapes, and the results of the parametric study suggest that the shapes and the snap-through characteristics can be easily tailored to meet specific needs.

Evaluation of power control concepts using the PMAD systems test bed. [Power Management and Distribution

Science.gov (United States)

Beach, R. F.; Kimnach, G. L.; Jett, T. A.; Trash, L. M.

1989-01-01

The Lewis Research Center's Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) System testbed and its use in the evaluation of control concepts applicable to the NASA Space Station Freedom electric power system (EPS) are described. The facility was constructed to allow testing of control hardware and software in an environment functionally similar to the space station electric power system. Control hardware and software have been developed to allow operation of the testbed power system in a manner similar to a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system employed by utility power systems for control. The system hardware and software are described.

The creation and evaluation of a model predicting the probability of conception in seasonal-calving, pasture-based dairy cows.

Science.gov (United States)

Fenlon, Caroline; O'Grady, Luke; Doherty, Michael L; Dunnion, John; Shalloo, Laurence; Butler, Stephen T

2017-07-01

Reproductive performance in pasture-based production systems has a fundamentally important effect on economic efficiency. The individual factors affecting the probability of submission and conception are multifaceted and have been extensively researched. The present study analyzed some of these factors in relation to service-level probability of conception in seasonal-calving pasture-based dairy cows to develop a predictive model of conception. Data relating to 2,966 services from 737 cows on 2 research farms were used for model development and data from 9 commercial dairy farms were used for model testing, comprising 4,212 services from 1,471 cows. The data spanned a 15-yr period and originated from seasonal-calving pasture-based dairy herds in Ireland. The calving season for the study herds extended from January to June, with peak calving in February and March. A base mixed-effects logistic regression model was created using a stepwise model-building strategy and incorporated parity, days in milk, interservice interval, calving difficulty, and predicted transmitting abilities for calving interval and milk production traits. To attempt to further improve the predictive capability of the model, the addition of effects that were not statistically significant was considered, resulting in a final model composed of the base model with the inclusion of BCS at service. The models' predictions were evaluated using discrimination to measure their ability to correctly classify positive and negative cases. Precision, recall, F-score, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were calculated. Calibration tests measured the accuracy of the predicted probabilities. These included tests of overall goodness-of-fit, bias, and calibration error. Both models performed better than using the population average probability of conception. Neither of the models showed high levels of discrimination (base model AUC 0.61, final model AUC 0.62), possibly because of the

Concepts for benchmark problem development for fracture mechanics application in safety evaluation of nuclear piping in subcreep service

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reich, M.; Esztergar, E.P.; Erdogan, F.; Gray, T.G.F.; Spence, J.

1979-01-01

This report provides basic concepts and a review of the problem areas associated with the development of analytical and experimental programs for a systematic evaluation and comparison of the currently available fracture mechanics theories. The basis for such an evaluation is conceived as a series of benchmark problems which are accurately specified examples of geometry, loading, and environmental conditions, characteristic of large diameter thin wall piping systems in nuclear service. Starting from the simplest test coupons for cracked plate specimens, the program is to be designed in such a way that the range of validity and relative merit of the competing assessment methods can be evaluated and the results applied to increasingly more complex test configurations and ultimately to real piping systems. (Auth.)

Possible Concepts for Waterproofing of Norwegian TBM Railway Tunnels

Science.gov (United States)

Dammyr, Øyvind; Nilsen, Bjørn; Thuro, Kurosch; Grøndal, Jørn

2014-05-01

The aim of this paper is to evaluate and compare the durability, life expectancy and maintenance needs of traditional Norwegian waterproofing concepts to the generally more rigid waterproofing concepts seen in other European countries. The focus will be on solutions for future Norwegian tunnel boring machine railway tunnels. Experiences from operation of newer and older tunnels with different waterproofing concepts have been gathered and analyzed. In the light of functional requirements for Norwegian rail tunnels, some preliminary conclusions about suitable concepts are drawn. Norwegian concepts such as polyethylene panels and lightweight concrete segments with membrane are ruled out. European concepts involving double shell draining systems (inner shell of cast concrete with membrane) and single shell undrained systems (waterproof concrete segments) are generally evaluated as favorable. Sprayable membranes and waterproof/insulating shotcrete are welcomed innovations, but more research is needed to verify their reliability and cost effectiveness compared to the typical European concepts. Increasing traffic and reliance on public transport systems in Norway result in high demand for durable and cost effective solutions.

Research into the evaluation of PR activities in companies from Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milan Nikolic

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the results of a research into the volume, type and quality of the evaluation of public relations activities in companies in Serbia. The survey was conducted via a web survey. The responses were collected from 50 PR service managers from 50 companies in Serbia. The results are presented through descriptive statistics and correlation analysis where some of the observed sizes of the connection were analyzed. The main conclusions can be summarized as follows: PR functions are often not assigned sufficient importance in companies in Serbia; the evaluation of PR activity is slightly neglected compared to other PR activities; intensive and continuous evaluation of the performances of PR activities increases the likelihood of the complete PR function of the company being successful; companies that are not so successful use evaluation less than successful companies; the evaluation of PR activities is mostly done through a method for measuring quantity; the main problems in the evaluation of PR activities are lack of time and money. The evaluation of PR activities in companies in Serbia can be improved through a greater understanding on the part of top managers, and also by hiring additional PR practitioners.

Effects of tolcapone on working memory and brain activity in abstinent smokers: A proof-of-concept study

Science.gov (United States)

Ashare, Rebecca L.; Wileyto, E. Paul; Ruparel, Kosha; Goelz, Patricia M.; Hopson, Ryan D.; Valdez, Jeffrey N.; Gur, Ruben C.; Loughead, James; Lerman, Caryn

2014-01-01

Background Dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are thought to play an important role in cognitive function and nicotine dependence. The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor tolcapone, an FDA-approved treatment for Parkinson’s disease, increases prefrontal dopamine levels, with cognitive benefits that may vary by COMT genotype. We tested whether tolcapone alters working memory-related brain activity and performance in abstinent smokers. Methods In this double-blind crossover study, 20 smokers completed 8 days of treatment with tolcapone and placebo. In both medication periods, smokers completed blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI scans while performing a working memory N-back task after 24 h of abstinence. Smokers were genotyped prospectively for the COMT val158met polymorphism for exploratory analysis. Results Compared to placebo, tolcapone modestly improved accuracy (p = 0.017) and enhanced suppression of activation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) (p = 0.002). There were no effects of medication in other a priori regions of interest (dorsolateral PFC, dorsal cingulate/medial prefrontal cortex, or posterior cingulate cortex). Exploratory analyses suggested that tolcapone led to a decrease in BOLD signal in several regions among smokers with val/val genotypes, but increased or remained unchanged among met allele carriers. Tolcapone did not attenuate craving, mood, or withdrawal symptoms compared to placebo. Conclusions Data from this proof-of-concept study do not provide strong support for further evaluation of COMT inhibitors as smoking cessation aids. PMID:24095246

Active heat exchange system development for latent heat thermal energy storage

Science.gov (United States)

Lefrois, R. T.; Mathur, A. K.

1980-01-01

Five tasks to select, design, fabricate, test and evaluate candidate active heat exchanger modules for future applications to solar and conventional utility power plants were discussed. Alternative mechanizations of active heat exchange concepts were analyzed for use with heat of fusion phase change materials (PCMs) in the temperature range of 250 to 350 C. Twenty-six heat exchange concepts were reviewed, and eight were selected for detailed assessment. Two candidates were selected for small-scale experimentation: a coated tube and shell heat exchanger and a direct contact reflux boiler. A dilute eutectic mixture of sodium nitrate and sodium hydroxide was selected as the PCM from over 50 candidate inorganic salt mixtures. Based on a salt screening process, eight major component salts were selected initially for further evaluation. The most attractive major components in the temperature range of 250 to 350 C appeared to be NaNO3, NaNO2, and NaOH. Sketches of the two active heat exchange concepts selected for test are given.

Consumers' evaluations of socially responsible activities in retailing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Herpen, van E.; Pennings, J.M.E.; Meulenberg, M.T.G.

2003-01-01

The authors approached Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a process in which particular CSR activities impact on consumers’ store evaluation and trust. They hypothesized that consumers classify CSR activities along two dimensions: (1) the beneficiary of the activity and (2) the intrinsic

Valuation of ecological impacts - a regional approach using the ecological footprint concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knaus, Michael; Loehr, Dirk; O'Regan, Bernadette

2006-01-01

All economic activities impact on the environment but not all environmental impacts are assigned values and taken into consideration in development budgets. At project level, the environmental consequences of proposed economic activities have to be evaluated by conducting an environmental impact assessment. Threshold levels in physical terms are outlined in corresponding laws and regulations. Projects fulfilling the necessary environmental assessment requirements (threshold levels) tend to be permitted without predicting the expected environmental impacts in monetary terms. The economic valuation of environmental impacts tends to be affected by uncertainties. The following example of indirect monetary valuation of environmental impacts uses the Ecological Footprint (EF) concept to calculate the total land use of projects. According to the strong sustainability concept it is assumed that every additional direct or indirect utilisation of land caused by a project requires corresponding offset areas. The offset areas required by different project alternatives are valued with relevant regional guide land values

Clinical reasoning: concept analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Simmons, Barbara

2010-05-01

This paper is a report of a concept analysis of clinical reasoning in nursing. Clinical reasoning is an ambiguous term that is often used synonymously with decision-making and clinical judgment. Clinical reasoning has not been clearly defined in the literature. Healthcare settings are increasingly filled with uncertainty, risk and complexity due to increased patient acuity, multiple comorbidities, and enhanced use of technology, all of which require clinical reasoning. Data sources. Literature for this concept analysis was retrieved from several databases, including CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, ERIC and OvidMEDLINE, for the years 1980 to 2008. Rodgers's evolutionary method of concept analysis was used because of its applicability to concepts that are still evolving. Multiple terms have been used synonymously to describe the thinking skills that nurses use. Research in the past 20 years has elucidated differences among these terms and identified the cognitive processes that precede judgment and decision-making. Our concept analysis defines one of these terms, 'clinical reasoning,' as a complex process that uses cognition, metacognition, and discipline-specific knowledge to gather and analyse patient information, evaluate its significance, and weigh alternative actions. This concept analysis provides a middle-range descriptive theory of clinical reasoning in nursing that helps clarify meaning and gives direction for future research. Appropriate instruments to operationalize the concept need to be developed. Research is needed to identify additional variables that have an impact on clinical reasoning and what are the consequences of clinical reasoning in specific situations.

Stress revisited: A critical evaluation of the stress concept

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koolhaas, J.M.; Bartolomucci, A.; Buwalda, B.; de Boer, S.F.; Flügge, G.; Korte, S.M.; Meerloo, P.; Murison, R.; Olivier, B.; Palanza, P.; Richter-Levin, G.; Sgoifo, A.; Steimer, T.; Stiedl, O.; van Dijk, G.; Wöhr, M.; Fuchs, E.

2011-01-01

With the steadily increasing number of publications in the field of stress research it has become evident that the conventional usage of the stress concept bears considerable problems. The use of the term 'stress' to conditions ranging from even the mildest challenging stimulation to severely

Stress revisited : a critical evaluation of the stress concept

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koolhaas, J.M.; Bartolomucci, A; Buwalda, B; Flügge, G; de Boer, Sietse; Korte, S M; Meerlo, P; Murison, R; Olivier, B; Palanza, P; Richter-Levin, G; Sgoifo, A; Steimer, T; Stiedl, O; van Dijk, G; Wöhr, M; Fuchs, E

2011-01-01

With the steadily increasing number of publications in the field of stress research it has become evident that the conventional usage of the stress concept bears considerable problems. The use of the term 'stress' to conditions ranging from even the mildest challenging stimulation to severely

A Theory of Productive Activity: The Relationships among Self-Concept, Gender, Sex Role Stereotypes, and Work-Emergent Traits.

Science.gov (United States)

Yount, Kristen R.

1986-01-01

Presents a theoretical framework that focuses on the division of labor by gender to account for both sex role stereotypes and the correspondence between these stereotypes and self-concepts of women and men. According to this framework, self-images of adults are largely constituted by attributes generated by their productive activity. (Author/ABB)

Design of Concept Libraries for C++

KAUST Repository

Sutton, Andrew

2012-01-01

We present a set of concepts (requirements on template arguments) for a large subset of the ISO C++ standard library. The goal of our work is twofold: to identify a minimal and useful set of concepts required to constrain the library\\'s generic algorithms and data structures and to gain insights into how best to support such concepts within C++. We start with the design of concepts rather than the design of supporting language features; the language design must be made to fit the concepts, rather than the other way around. A direct result of the experiment is the realization that to simply and elegantly support generic programming we need two kinds of abstractions: constraints are predicates on static properties of a type, and concepts are abstract specifications of an algorithm\\'s syntactic and semantic requirements. Constraints are necessary building blocks of concepts. Semantic properties are represented as axioms. We summarize our approach: concepts = constraints + axioms. This insight is leveraged to develop a library containing only 14 concepts that encompassing the functional, iterator, and algorithm components of the C++ Standard Library (the STL). The concepts are implemented as constraint classes and evaluated using Clang\\'s and GCC\\'s Standard Library test suites. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

Social Accountable Medical Education: A concept analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdolmaleki, Mohammadreza; Yazdani, Shahram; Momeni, Sedigheh; Momtazmanesh, Nader

2017-07-01

Considering the pervasiveness of social accountable medical education concept around the world and the growing trend of literature in this regard as well as various interpretations made about this concept, we found it necessary to analyze the concept of social accountable medical education. In this study, the modified version of McKenna's approach to concept analysis was used to determine the concept, explain structures and substructures and determine the border concepts neighboring and against social accountability in medical education. By studying the selected sources,the components of the concept were obtained to identify it and express an analytic definition of social accountability in medical education system. Then, a model case with all attributes of the given concept and the contrary and related concepts were mentioned to determine the boundary between the main concept and auxiliary ones. According to the results of this study in the field of social accountability, the detailed and transparent analytical definition of social accountable medical education can be used in future studies as well as the function and evaluation of medical education system.

Safety criteria for advanced HTGR concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kroeger, W.

1989-01-01

It is commonly agreed that advanced HTGR concepts must be licensable, which means that they must fulfil existing regulatory requirements. Furthermore, it is necessary to improve their public acceptance and they must even be suitable for urban sites. Therefore, they should be 'safer' than existing plants, which mainly means with respect to low-frequency or beyond-design severe accidents. Last but not least, the realization of advanced HTGR would be easier if commonly shared safety principles could be stated ensuring this further increased level of safety internationally. These qualitative statements need to be cast into quantitative guidelines which can be used as a rationale for safety evaluation. This paper tries to describe the status reached and to stimulate international activities. (author). 12 refs, 4 figs, 3 tabs

Semi-empirical master curve concept describing the rate capability of lithium insertion electrodes

Science.gov (United States)

Heubner, C.; Seeba, J.; Liebmann, T.; Nickol, A.; Börner, S.; Fritsch, M.; Nikolowski, K.; Wolter, M.; Schneider, M.; Michaelis, A.

2018-03-01

A simple semi-empirical master curve concept, describing the rate capability of porous insertion electrodes for lithium-ion batteries, is proposed. The model is based on the evaluation of the time constants of lithium diffusion in the liquid electrolyte and the solid active material. This theoretical approach is successfully verified by comprehensive experimental investigations of the rate capability of a large number of porous insertion electrodes with various active materials and design parameters. It turns out, that the rate capability of all investigated electrodes follows a simple master curve governed by the time constant of the rate limiting process. We demonstrate that the master curve concept can be used to determine optimum design criteria meeting specific requirements in terms of maximum gravimetric capacity for a desired rate capability. The model further reveals practical limits of the electrode design, attesting the empirically well-known and inevitable tradeoff between energy and power density.

System based practice: a concept analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SHAHRAM YAZDANI

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Systems-Based Practice (SBP is one of the six competencies introduced by the ACGME for physicians to provide high quality of care and also the most challenging of them in performance, training, and evaluation of medical students. This concept analysis clarifies the concept of SBP by identifying its components to make it possible to differentiate it from other similar concepts. For proper training of SBP and to ensure these competencies in physicians, it is necessary to have an operational definition, and SBP’s components must be precisely defined in order to provide valid and reliable assessment tools. Methods: Walker & Avant’s approach to concept analysis was performed in eight stages: choosing a concept, determining the purpose of analysis, identifying all uses of the concept, defining attributes, identifying a model case, identifying borderline, related, and contrary cases, identifying antecedents and consequences, and defining empirical referents. Results: Based on the analysis undertaken, the attributes of SBP includes knowledge of the system, balanced decision between patients’ need and system goals, effective role playing in interprofessional health care team, system level of health advocacy, and acting for system improvement. System thinking and a functional system are antecedents and system goals are consequences. A case model, as well as border, and contrary cases of SBP, has been introduced. Conclusion: The identification of SBP attributes in this study contributes to the body of knowledge in SBP and reduces the ambiguity of this concept to make it possible for applying it in training of different medical specialties. Also, it would be possible to develop and use more precise tools to evaluate SBP competency by using empirical referents of the analysis.

Construction and reconstruction concept in mathematics instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Mumu, Jeinne; Charitas Indra Prahmana, Rully; Tanujaya, Benidiktus

2017-12-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe two learning activities undertaken by lecturers, so that students can understand a mathematical concept. The mathematical concept studied in this research is the Vector Space in Linear Algebra instruction. Classroom Action Research used as a research method with pre-service mathematics teacher at University of Papua as the research subject. Student participants are divided into two parallel classes, 24 students in regular class, and remedial class consist of 18 students. Both approaches, construct and reconstruction concept, are implemented on both classes. The result shows that concept construction can only be done in regular class while in remedial class, learning with concept construction approach is not able to increase students' understanding on the concept taught. Understanding the concept of a student in a remedial class can only be carried out using the concept reconstruction approach.

Knowledge translation in health care: a concept analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Khoddam, Homeira; Mehrdad, Neda; Peyrovi, Hamid; Kitson, Alison L; Schultz, Timothy J; Athlin, Asa Muntlin

2014-01-01

Although knowledge translation is one of the most widely used concepts in health and medical literature, there is a sense of ambiguity and confusion over its definition. The aim of this paper is to clarify the characteristics of KT. This will assist the theoretical development of it and shape its implementation into the health care system Methods: Walker and Avant's framework was used to analyze the concept and the related literature published between 2000 and 2010 was reviewed. A total of 112 papers were analyzed. Review of the literature showed that "KT is a process" and "implementing refined knowledge into a participatory context through a set of challenging activities" are the characteristics of KT. Moreover, to occur successfully, KT needs some necessary antecedents like an integrated source of knowledge, a receptive context, and preparedness. The main consequence of successful process is a change in four fields of healthcare, i.e. quality of patient care, professional practice, health system, and community. In addition, this study revealed some empirical referents which are helpful to evaluate the process. By aiming to portray a clear picture of KT, we highlighted its attributes, antecedents, consequences and empirical referents. Identifying the characteristics of this concept may resolve the existing ambiguities in its definition and boundaries thereby facilitate distinction from similar concepts. In addition, these findings can be used as a knowledge infrastructure for developing the KT-related models, theories, or tools.

Evaluation Of Analgesic And Anti-Inflammatory Activity Of Diospyros ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Evaluation Of Analgesic And Anti-Inflammatory Activity Of Diospyros Cordifolia Extract. S Das, PK Haldar, G Pramanik, SP Panda, S Bera. Abstract. In this study we evaluated the analgesic and anti- inflammatory activities of the methanol extract of stem bark of Diospyros cordifolia (MEDC) Roxb. The analgesic effects of the ...

Activity-Tracking Service for Building Operating Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hviid, Jakob; Kjærgaard, Mikkel Baun

2018-01-01

of Things sensors and devices promise to deliver rich data about human activities and control of loads. However, existing proposals for building operating systems that should combine such data and control opportunities does not provide concepts and support for activity data. In this paper we propose...... an activity-tracking service for building operating systems. The service is designed to consider the security, privacy, integration, extendability and scalability challenges in the building setting. We provide initial findings for testing the system in a proof of concept evaluation using a set of common......Several high consuming electricity loads in retail stores are currently highly intertwined in human activities. Without knowledge of such activities it is difficult to improve the energy efficiency of the loads operation for sustainability and cost reasons. The increasing availability of Internet...

Evaluation of dimensions, approaches and concepts of resilience in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... the social and economic dimensions, approaches and concepts of resilient city as one of the new approaches in the field of reducing vulnerability and promoting crisis management. This research is a review study, which has been collected and investigated and analyzed from various library and documentary resources.

Comparison of seismic isolation concepts for FBR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiojiri, H.; Mazda, T.; Kasai, H.; Kanda, J.N.; Kubo, T.; Madokoro, M.; Shimomura, T.; Nojima, O.

1989-01-01

This paper seeks to verify the reliability and effectiveness of seismic isolation for FBR. Some results of the preliminary study of the program are described. Seismic isolation concepts and corresponding seismic isolation devices were selected. Three kinds of seismically-isolated FBR plant concepts were developed by applying promising seismic isolation concepts to the non-isolated FBR plant, and by developing plant component layout plans and building structural designs. Each plant was subjected to seismic response analysis and reduction in the amount of material of components and buildings were estimated for each seismic isolation concepts. Research and development items were evaluated

Health promotion for people with intellectual disabilities - A concept analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Roll, Anne E

2018-03-01

Whereas 'health promotion' is a well-known concept for healthcare professionals, the concept of 'health promotion for people with intellectual disabilities' and its unique associated challenges are not well understood. This article provides a systematic analysis of how health promotion is being conceptualised for people with intellectual disabilities and how health promotion can work best in the light of this group's specific needs and limitations. Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and SocINDEX were searched using the search terms 'health promotion', 'people with intellectual disabilities' and 'developmental disabilities'. This review includes studies published between 1992 and 2014. A total of 52 articles were included. Health promotion for people intellectual disabilities, as discussed in the literature, focuses on four aspects, namely supporting a healthy lifestyle, providing health education, involving supporters and being person-centred. Antecedents of the concept 'health promotion for people with intellectual disabilities' were healthcare access and sensitised healthcare providers. The outcomes were improved health, being empowered, enhanced quality of life and reduced health disparities. This analysis provides a solid foundation for healthcare stakeholders' planning, implementing and evaluating health-promotion activities for people with intellectual disabilities at the policy level and in the community. © 2017 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Formative evaluation of an adaptive game for engaging learners of programming concepts in K-12

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renny S. N. Lindberg

2018-06-01

Full Text Available As the global demand for programmers is soaring, several countries have integrated programming into their K-12 curricula. Finding effective ways to engage children in programming education is an important objective. One effective method for this can be presenting learning materials via games, which are known to increase engagement and motivation. Current programming education games often focus on a single genre and offer one-size-fits-all experience to heterogeneous learners. In this study, we presented Minerva, a multi-genre (adventure, action, puzzle game to engage elementary school students in learning programming concepts. The game content is adapted to play and learning styles of the player to personalize the gameplay. We conducted a formative mixed-method evaluation of Minerva with 32 Korean 6th grade students who played the game and compared their learning outcomes with 32 6th grade students who studied the same concepts using handouts. The results indicated that, in terms of retention, learning was equally effective in both groups. Furthermore, the game was shown to facilitate engagement among the students. These results, together with uncovered issues, will guide Minerva’s further development.

[Relationship between body weight status and self-concept in schoolchildren].

Science.gov (United States)

Gálvez Casas, Arancha; Rodríguez García, Pedro L; Rosa Guillamón, Andrés; García-Cantó, Eliseo; Pérez-Soto, Juan J; Tarraga Marcos, Loreto; Tarraga López, Pedro

2014-11-30

Body weight status has been linked to other health parameters. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between body weight status and self-concept in a sample of 216 students (9.26 ± 1.26 years) from schools of the Southeast of Spain. BMI (Body-mass index) was used to evaluate the body weight status. Subjects were classified into normal weight, overweight and obesity according to international standards. The six dimensions of self-concept (intellectual, behavioral, physical, lack of anxiety, social and life satisfaction) were assessed using the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale. The results showed significant associations between BMI and intellectual self-concept, life satisfaction, global self-concept and physical self. Subjects categorized as overweight or obese were those who showed lower scores on the self-concept scale. Interventions focused on improving the body weight status are needed in order to achieve better self-concept levels and health among young people. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Unobtrusive behavioral and activity-related multimodal biometrics: The ACTIBIO Authentication concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Drosou, A; Ioannidis, D; Moustakas, K; Tzovaras, D

2011-03-01

Unobtrusive Authentication Using ACTIvity-Related and Soft BIOmetrics (ACTIBIO) is an EU Specific Targeted Research Project (STREP) where new types of biometrics are combined with state-of-the-art unobtrusive technologies in order to enhance security in a wide spectrum of applications. The project aims to develop a modular, robust, multimodal biometrics security authentication and monitoring system, which uses a biodynamic physiological profile, unique for each individual, and advancements of the state of the art in unobtrusive behavioral and other biometrics, such as face, gait recognition, and seat-based anthropometrics. Several shortcomings of existing biometric recognition systems are addressed within this project, which have helped in improving existing sensors, in developing new algorithms, and in designing applications, towards creating new, unobtrusive, biometric authentication procedures in security-sensitive, Ambient Intelligence environments. This paper presents the concept of the ACTIBIO project and describes its unobtrusive authentication demonstrator in a real scenario by focusing on the vision-based biometric recognition modalities.

Unobtrusive Behavioral and Activity-Related Multimodal Biometrics: The ACTIBIO Authentication Concept

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Drosou

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Unobtrusive Authentication Using ACTIvity-Related and Soft BIOmetrics (ACTIBIO is an EU Specific Targeted Research Project (STREP where new types of biometrics are combined with state-of-the-art unobtrusive technologies in order to enhance security in a wide spectrum of applications. The project aims to develop a modular, robust, multimodal biometrics security authentication and monitoring system, which uses a biodynamic physiological profile, unique for each individual, and advancements of the state of the art in unobtrusive behavioral and other biometrics, such as face, gait recognition, and seat-based anthropometrics. Several shortcomings of existing biometric recognition systems are addressed within this project, which have helped in improving existing sensors, in developing new algorithms, and in designing applications, towards creating new, unobtrusive, biometric authentication procedures in security-sensitive, Ambient Intelligence environments. This paper presents the concept of the ACTIBIO project and describes its unobtrusive authentication demonstrator in a real scenario by focusing on the vision-based biometric recognition modalities.

Self-Concept Clarity and the Management of Social Conflict

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bechtoldt, Myriam N.; De Dreu, Carsten K. W.; Nijstad, Bernard A.; Zapf, Dieter

In 4 studies we examined the relationship between self-concept clarity and conflict management. Individuals with higher self-concept clarity were overall more active and showed more cooperative problem-solving behavior than people with low self-concept clarity. There were no relationships with

Developing and Evaluating Animations for Teaching Quantum Mechanics Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Kohnle, Antje; Douglass, Margaret; Edwards, Tom J.; Gillies, Alastair D.; Hooley, Christopher A.; Sinclair, Bruce D.

2010-01-01

In this paper, we describe animations and animated visualizations for introductory and intermediate-level quantum mechanics instruction developed at the University of St Andrews. The animations aim to help students build mental representations of quantum mechanics concepts. They focus on known areas of student difficulty and misconceptions by…

Impact of a concept map teaching approach on nursing students' critical thinking skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaddoura, Mahmoud; Van-Dyke, Olga; Yang, Qing

2016-09-01

Nurses confront complex problems and decisions that require critical thinking in order to identify patient needs and implement best practices. An active strategy for teaching students the skills to think critically is the concept map. This study explores the development of critical thinking among nursing students in a required pathophysiology and pharmacology course during the first year of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in response to concept mapping as an interventional strategy, using the Health Education Systems, Incorporated critical thinking test. A two-group experimental study with a pretest and posttest design was used. Participants were randomly divided into a control group (n = 42) taught by traditional didactic lecturing alone, and an intervention group (n = 41), taught by traditional didactic lecturing with concept mapping. Students in the concept mapping group performed much better on the Health Education Systems, Incorporated than students in the control group. It is recommended that deans, program directors, and nursing faculties evaluate their curricula to integrate concept map teaching strategies in courses in order to develop critical thinking abilities in their students. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Formation of concept of decimal system in Mexican school children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Quintanar Rojas

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The present study deals with initial formation of concept of decimal system in second year of education at primary school in Mexico (City of Puebla. Our research is based on Activity Theory conception of teaching-learning process and of gradual introduction of scientific concepts in school age. The method has been designed and worked out with the help of actions in which logic, symbolic, spatial and mathematical aspects were implemented. All actions were introduced within divided activity of children in group guided by adult. A pretest-posttest design was used with an experimental group of Mexican school children. The results showed that children have developed the significant skills necessary for understanding the concept of decimal number system. They were also able to apply this concept for new kind if activity al the end of school year. Such new activity was solving of mathematic problems, which was not included in official school program. We consider that proposed method can be an approximation for solution of common difficulties which arise at primary school concerning teaching of mathematics.

Invited Article: Concepts and tools for the evaluation of measurement uncertainty

Science.gov (United States)

Possolo, Antonio; Iyer, Hari K.

2017-01-01

Measurements involve comparisons of measured values with reference values traceable to measurement standards and are made to support decision-making. While the conventional definition of measurement focuses on quantitative properties (including ordinal properties), we adopt a broader view and entertain the possibility of regarding qualitative properties also as legitimate targets for measurement. A measurement result comprises the following: (i) a value that has been assigned to a property based on information derived from an experiment or computation, possibly also including information derived from other sources, and (ii) a characterization of the margin of doubt that remains about the true value of the property after taking that information into account. Measurement uncertainty is this margin of doubt, and it can be characterized by a probability distribution on the set of possible values of the property of interest. Mathematical or statistical models enable the quantification of measurement uncertainty and underlie the varied collection of methods available for uncertainty evaluation. Some of these methods have been in use for over a century (for example, as introduced by Gauss for the combination of mutually inconsistent observations or for the propagation of "errors"), while others are of fairly recent vintage (for example, Monte Carlo methods including those that involve Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling). This contribution reviews the concepts, models, methods, and computations that are commonly used for the evaluation of measurement uncertainty, and illustrates their application in realistic examples drawn from multiple areas of science and technology, aiming to serve as a general, widely accessible reference.

Equivalent uniform dose concept evaluated by theoretical dose volume histograms for thoracic irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Dumas, J L; Lorchel, F; Perrot, Y; Aletti, P; Noel, A; Wolf, D; Courvoisier, P; Bosset, J F

2007-03-01

The goal of our study was to quantify the limits of the EUD models for use in score functions in inverse planning software, and for clinical application. We focused on oesophagus cancer irradiation. Our evaluation was based on theoretical dose volume histograms (DVH), and we analyzed them using volumetric and linear quadratic EUD models, average and maximum dose concepts, the linear quadratic model and the differential area between each DVH. We evaluated our models using theoretical and more complex DVHs for the above regions of interest. We studied three types of DVH for the target volume: the first followed the ICRU dose homogeneity recommendations; the second was built out of the first requirements and the same average dose was built in for all cases; the third was truncated by a small dose hole. We also built theoretical DVHs for the organs at risk, in order to evaluate the limits of, and the ways to use both EUD(1) and EUD/LQ models, comparing them to the traditional ways of scoring a treatment plan. For each volume of interest we built theoretical treatment plans with differences in the fractionation. We concluded that both volumetric and linear quadratic EUDs should be used. Volumetric EUD(1) takes into account neither hot-cold spot compensation nor the differences in fractionation, but it is more sensitive to the increase of the irradiated volume. With linear quadratic EUD/LQ, a volumetric analysis of fractionation variation effort can be performed.

105-DR Large Sodium Fire Facility closure activities evaluation report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adler, J.G.

1996-01-01

This report evaluates the closure activities at the 105-DR Large Sodium Fire Facility. The closure activities discussed include: the closure activities for the structures, equipment, soil, and gravel scrubber; decontamination methods; materials made available for recycling or reuse; and waste management. The evaluation compares these activities to the regulatory requirements and closure plan requirements. The report concludes that the areas identified in the closure plan can be clean closed

Self-concept of people with intellectual disabilities: Implications for support program development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petrović Boban

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Self-concept is defined as a sum of perception, thoughts, feelings, evaluation and prediction about oneself as an experienced object, as a participant in the interaction with physical and social environment. As such, this topic is often encountered in working with children, young people and adults with intellectual disabilities (PWID. However, self-concept of PWID has been investigated mainly through psychometric paradigm, using different types of questionnaires for assessment. This did not provide either enough possibilities for active participation of people with ID in the research process, or the possibilities to reach adequate initial information about self-concept of PWID, which may serve as a baseline for development of support programs for self-determination of PWID. Therefore, this study aimed to examine self-concept of PWID in various domains of interest for PWID: global self-image, personality traits, competencies, difficulties in everyday life, awareness of one's own (intellectual disabilities. The research was conducted through a series of five focus groups, with active participation of PWID, through combined workshop activities and discussions in small groups. Focus groups were conducted once a week and 16 participants were divided into two groups, of different ages (22 to 53 years, sex, type and degree of difficulties. All participants spent most of their lives in institutions. Since 2004, they have been living at supported housing for people with disabilities. Based on the analysis of the participants' testimony, there were three global issues with regard to general self-concept: competences and interests, physical appearance, and social roles. With regard to personality traits, attributes such as 'good', 'obedient', 'valuable' occur most frequently. With regard to their competencies and difficulties, those which are most important for full daily life in supported housing have been cited most often. While they recognize their

Ethical competence: A concept analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kulju, Kati; Stolt, Minna; Suhonen, Riitta; Leino-Kilpi, Helena

2016-06-01

Exploring the concept of ethical competence in the context of healthcare is essential as it pertains to better quality of care. The concept still lacks a comprehensive definition covering the aspects of ethical expertise, ethical knowledge and action of a health professional. This article aims to report an analysis of the concept of ethical competence. A modified strategy suggested by Walker and Avant was used to analyse the concept. As a result, the concept of ethical competence can be defined in terms of character strength, ethical awareness, moral judgement skills and willingness to do good. Virtuous professional, experience of a professional, human communication, ethical knowledge and supporting surroundings in the organisation can be seen as prerequisites for ethical competence. Ethical competence results in the best possible solutions for the patient, reduced moral distress at work and development and democratisation of society. The results of the analysis establish a basis for an instrument to evaluate health professionals' ethical competence. It will guide educators, as well as managers in healthcare, to support the development of ethical conduct in healthcare. © The Author(s) 2015.

Self-concept in overweight adolescents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra Vuk Pisk

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Background and objective. Adolescence is considered a critical stage of life, and one during which body image and self-concept are of particular importance for peer acceptance and approval. Body weight may impact on satisfaction or dissatisfaction in adolescent girls’ self-concept. The aim of this research was to determine the association between obesity and self-concept among adolescent girls. Methods. The study sample consisted of 40 overweight (BMI 25 - 30 18-year-old girls in their last year of high school. A further 40 girls of the same age with a BMI of 18 - 25 formed a control group. The Offer Self-Image Questionnaire for Adolescents (OSIQ was used to evaluate their self-concept. Descriptive statistical methods used in analysing the data included calculation of the median and standard deviation of variables, and t-tests were used to compare group differences, with p

A Semantic Representation Of Adult Learners' Developing Conceptions Of Self Realisation Through Learning Process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Badie, Farshad

2016-01-01

based on educational informatics. I shall draw your attention to the fact that in information sciences an ontology is described as an explicit (and formal) specification of a shared conceptualisation on the domain of interest. Ontologies of a thing/phenomenon support different researchers in providing......Learning is the reflective activity that enables the learner to draw upon her/his previous experiences and background knowledge to conceptualise, realise, understand and evaluate the present, so as to shape her/his future actions and to construct and develop new knowledge for her(him)self. Learning....... This research will conceptually focus on multiple categories through the adult learners’ developing conceptions of learning. The focus will be on different categories from the basic conceptions to excellent ones. I will take an appropriate model of students’ developing conceptions of learning into my...

Organization of Risk Analysis Codes for Living Evaluations (ORACLE)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batt, D.L.; MacDonald, P.E.; Sattison, M.B.; Vesely, E.

1987-01-01

ORACLE (Organization of Risk Analysis Codes for Living Evaluations) is an integration concept for using risk-based information in United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) applications. Portions of ORACLE are being developed at the Idaho Nationale Engineering Laboratory for the USNRC. The ORACLE concept consists of related databases, software, user interfaces, processes, and quality control checks allowing a wide variety of regulatory problems and activities to be addressed using current, updated PRA information. The ORACLE concept provides for smooth transitions between one code and the next without pre- or post-processing. (orig.)

Focusing on Concepts by Covering Them Simultaneously

Science.gov (United States)

Shwartz, Pete

2017-01-01

"Parallel" pedagogy covers the four mechanics concepts of momentum, energy, forces, and kinematics simultaneously instead of building each concept on an understanding of the previous one. Course content is delivered through interactive videos, allowing class time for group work and student-centered activities. We start with simple…

Analysis of the WCLL European demo blanket concept in terms of activation and decay heat after exposure to neutron irradiation

OpenAIRE

Stankunas Gediminas; Tidikas Andrius

2017-01-01

This comparative paper describes the activation and decay heat calculations for water-cooled lithium-lead performed part of the EURO fusion WPSAE programme and specifications in comparison to other European DEMO blanket concepts on the basis of using a three-dimensional neutronics calculation model. Results are provided for a range of decay times of interest for maintenance activities, safety and waste management assessments. The study revealed that water-c...

Bobath Concept versus constraint-induced movement therapy to improve arm functional recovery in stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Huseyinsinoglu, Burcu Ersoz; Ozdincler, Arzu Razak; Krespi, Yakup

2012-08-01

To compare the effects of the Bobath Concept and constraint-induced movement therapy on arm functional recovery among stroke patients with a high level of function on the affected side. A single-blinded, randomized controlled trial. Outpatient physiotherapy department of a stroke unit. A total of 24 patients were randomized to constraint-induced movement therapy or Bobath Concept group. The Bobath Concept group was treated for 1 hour whereas the constraint-induced movement therapy group received training for 3 hours per day during 10 consecutive weekdays. Main measures were the Motor Activity Log-28, the Wolf Motor Function Test, the Motor Evaluation Scale for Arm in Stroke Patients and the Functional Independence Measure. The two groups were found to be homogeneous based on demographic variables and baseline measurements. Significant improvements were seen after treatment only in the 'Amount of use' and 'Quality of movement' subscales of the Motor Activity Log-28 in the constraint-induced movement therapy group over the the Bobath Concept group (P = 0.003; P = 0.01 respectively). There were no significant differences in Wolf Motor Function Test 'Functional ability' (P = 0.137) and 'Performance time' (P = 0.922), Motor Evaluation Scale for Arm in Stroke Patients (P = 0.947) and Functional Independence Measure scores (P = 0.259) between the two intervention groups. Constraint-induced movement therapy and the Bobath Concept have similar efficiencies in improving functional ability, speed and quality of movement in the paretic arm among stroke patients with a high level of function. Constraint-induced movement therapy seems to be slightly more efficient than the Bobath Concept in improving the amount and quality of affected arm use.

Transforming care in nursing: a concept analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Vázquez-Calatayud, Mónica; Oroviogoicoechea, Cristina; Saracibar, Maribel; Pumar-Méndez, María J

2017-04-01

Although the concept of 'Transforming care' is promising for improving health care, there is no consensus in the field as to its definition. The aim of this concept analysis is to develop a deeper understanding of the term 'Transforming care' within the nursing discipline, in order to facilitate its comprehension, implementation, and evaluation. We performed a comprehensive literature review on electronic databases such as Medline (PubMed), Cinahl (Ebsco), Cochrane Library, PsycINFO (Ovid), Web of Science, Wiley-Blackwell, ScienceDirect, and SpringerLink and used Walker and Avant's approach to analyse the concept. From the 20 studies selected for this analysis, 3 main attributes of 'Transforming care' were identified: patient-centredness, evidence-based change, and transformational leadership driven. We suggest an operational definition to facilitate the implementation of the concept in practice. Furthermore, we propose that implementation is guided by the following key ideas: (1) fostering a culture of continuous improvement; (2) encouraging bottom-up initiatives; (3) promoting patient-centred care; and (4) using transformational leadership. Lastly, the evaluation of 'Transforming care' initiatives should assess care processes and professionals' and patients' outcomes.

Concept and methodology for evaluating core damage frequency considering failure correlation at multi units and sites and its application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ebisawa, K.; Teragaki, T.; Nomura, S. [Former Incorporated Administrative Agency, Japan Nuclear Safety Organization (Japan); Abe, H., E-mail: Hiroshi_abe@nsr.go.jp [Former Incorporated Administrative Agency, Japan Nuclear Safety Organization (Japan); Shigemori, M.; Shimomoto, M. [Mizuho Information & Research Institute, 2-3, Kanda-Nishikicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Japan)

2015-07-15

Highlights: • We develop a method to evaluate CDF considering failure correlation at multi units. • We develop a procedure to evaluate correlation coefficient between multi components. • We evaluate CDF at two different BWR units using correlation coefficients. • We confirm the validity of method and correlation coefficient through the evaluation. - Abstract: The Tohoku earthquake (Mw9.0) occurred on March 11, 2011 and caused a large tsunami. The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant with six units were overwhelmed by the tsunami and core damage occurred. Authors proposed the concept and method for evaluating core damage frequency (CDF) considering failure correlation at the multi units and sites. Based on the above method, one of authors developed the procedure for evaluating the failure correlation coefficient and response correlation coefficient between the multi components under the strong seismic motion. These method and failure correlation coefficients were applied to two different BWR units and their CDF was evaluated by seismic probabilistic risk assessment technology. Through this quantitative evaluation, the validity of the method and failure correlation coefficient was confirmed.

Concept and methodology for evaluating core damage frequency considering failure correlation at multi units and sites and its application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebisawa, K.; Teragaki, T.; Nomura, S.; Abe, H.; Shigemori, M.; Shimomoto, M.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We develop a method to evaluate CDF considering failure correlation at multi units. • We develop a procedure to evaluate correlation coefficient between multi components. • We evaluate CDF at two different BWR units using correlation coefficients. • We confirm the validity of method and correlation coefficient through the evaluation. - Abstract: The Tohoku earthquake (Mw9.0) occurred on March 11, 2011 and caused a large tsunami. The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant with six units were overwhelmed by the tsunami and core damage occurred. Authors proposed the concept and method for evaluating core damage frequency (CDF) considering failure correlation at the multi units and sites. Based on the above method, one of authors developed the procedure for evaluating the failure correlation coefficient and response correlation coefficient between the multi components under the strong seismic motion. These method and failure correlation coefficients were applied to two different BWR units and their CDF was evaluated by seismic probabilistic risk assessment technology. Through this quantitative evaluation, the validity of the method and failure correlation coefficient was confirmed

Social Accountable Medical Education: A concept analysis

Science.gov (United States)

ABDOLMALEKI, MOHAMMADREZA; YAZDANI, SHAHRAM; MOMENI, SEDIGHEH; MOMTAZMANESH, NADER

2017-01-01

Introduction: Considering the pervasiveness of social accountable medical education concept around the world and the growing trend of literature in this regard as well as various interpretations made about this concept, we found it necessary to analyze the concept of social accountable medical education. Methods: In this study, the modified version of McKenna’s approach to concept analysis was used to determine the concept, explain structures and substructures and determine the border concepts neighboring and against social accountability in medical education. Results: By studying the selected sources,the components of the concept were obtained to identify it and express an analytic definition of social accountability in medical education system. Then, a model case with all attributes of the given concept and the contrary and related concepts were mentioned to determine the boundary between the main concept and auxiliary ones. Conclusion: According to the results of this study in the field of social accountability, the detailed and transparent analytical definition of social accountable medical education can be used in future studies as well as the function and evaluation of medical education system. PMID:28761884

Evaluation on activation activity of reactor in JRR-2 applied 3 dimensional model to neutron flux calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kishimoto, Katsumi; Arigane, Kenji

2005-03-01

Revaluation to activation activity of reactor evaluated at the notification of dismantling submitted in 1997 was carried out in JRR-2 where decommissioning was advanced now. In the revaluation, estimation accuracy on neutron streaming at various horizontal experimental tubes was improved by applying 3 dimensional model to neutron transport calculation that had been carried out by 2 dimensional model, and calculating with TORT. As the result, excessive overestimations on horizontal experimental tubes and biological shield that had greatly contributed to total activation activity in evaluation at the notification of dismantling was revised, sum of their activation activities in the revaluation decreased to 1/18 (case after 1 year from the permanent shutdown of reactor) of evaluation at the notification of dismantling, and the structural materials that had large activation activity were changed. By the above, it was shown that introducing 3 dimensional model was effective in evaluation on activation activity of the research reactor that had a lot of various experimental tubes. Total activation activity of reactor by the revaluation depended on control rods, thermal shield plates and horizontal experimental tubes, and the value after 1 year from the permanent shutdown of reactor was 1.9x10 14 Bq. (author)

National Waste Terminal Storage Program: critical element management concept. Volume II. Concept description

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-05-01

The objective of the CEM Concept is to describe techniques for systematically identifying, evaluating, and influencing those technical, social, economic, political and institutional factors (i.e., events, trends and conditions) that are perceived as being probable uncertainties to the attainment of planned program objectives

Concepts of radiation protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

This seventh chapter presents the concepts and principles of safety and radiation protection, emergency situations; NORM and TENORM; radiation protection care; radiation protection plan; activities of the radiation protection service; practical rules of radiation protection and the radiation symbol

New concept of damage evaluation method for core internal materials considering radiation induced stress relaxation (1). Experiments and modeling of radiation effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miwa, Yukio; Kondo, Keietsu; Okubo, Nariaki; Kaji, Yoshiyuki; Tsukada, Takashi

2009-01-01

In order to build the new concept of material damage evaluation method, synergistic effect of radiation and residual stress on material degradation was estimated experimentally, and the effect of radiation induced stress relaxation on retardation of material degradation was observed. (author)

New Concept of C–H and C–C Bond Activation via Surface Organometallic Chemistry

KAUST Repository

Samantaray, Manoja

2015-08-18

In this chapter we describe the recent applications of well-defined oxidesupported metal alkyls/alkylidenes/alkylidynes and hydrides of group IV, V, and VI transition metals in the field of C–H and C–C bond activation. The activation of ubiquitous C–H and C–C bonds of paraffin is a long-standing challenge because of intrinsic low reactivity. There are many concepts derived from surface organometallic chemistry (SOMC): surface organometallic fragments are always intermediates in heterogeneous catalysis. The study of their synthesis and reactivity is a way to rationalize mechanism of heterogeneous catalysis and to achieve structure activity relationship. By surface organometallic chemistry one can enter any catalytic center by a reaction intermediate leading in fine to single site catalysts. With surface organometallic chemistry one can coordinate to the metal which can play a role in different elementary steps leading for example to C–H activation and Olefin metathesis. Because of the development of SOMC there is a lot of space for the improvement of homogeneous catalysis. After the 1997 discovery of alkane metathesis using silica-supported tantalum hydride by Basset et al. at low temperature (150ºC) the focus in this area was shifted to the discovery of more and more challenging surface complexes active in the application of C–H and C–C bond activation. Here we describe the evolution of well-defined metathesis catalyst with time as well as the effect of support on catalysis. We also describe here which metal–ligand combinations are responsible for a variety of C–H and C–C bond activation.

Concept maps and nursing theory: a pedagogical approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter Revell, Susan M

2012-01-01

Faculty seek to teach nursing students how to link clinical and theoretical knowledge with the intent of improving patient outcomes. The author discusses an innovative 9-week concept mapping activity as a pedagogical approach to teach nursing theory in a graduate theory course. Weekly concept map building increased student engagement and fostered theoretical thinking. Unexpectedly, this activity also benefited students through group work and its ability to enhance theory-practice knowledge.

Aerodynamic Characteristic of the Active Compliant Trailing Edge Concept

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, Rui; Qiu, Jinhao; Ji, Hongli; Li, Dawei

2016-06-01

This paper introduces a novel Morphing Wing structure known as the Active Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE). ACTE structures are designed using the concept of “distributed compliance” and wing skins of ACTE are fabricated from high-strength fiberglass composites laminates. Through the relative sliding between upper and lower wing skins which are connected by a linear guide pairs, the wing is able to achieve a large continuous deformation. In order to present an investigation about aerodynamics and noise characteristics of ACTE, a series of 2D airfoil analyses are established. The aerodynamic characteristics between ACTE and conventional deflection airfoil are analyzed and compared, and the impacts of different ACTE structure design parameters on aerodynamic characteristics are discussed. The airfoils mentioned above include two types (NACA0012 and NACA64A005.92). The computing results demonstrate that: compared with the conventional plane flap airfoil, the morphing wing using ACTE structures has the capability to improve aerodynamic characteristic and flow separation characteristic. In order to study the noise level of ACTE, flow field analysis using LES model is done to provide noise source data, and then the FW-H method is used to get the far field noise levels. The simulation results show that: compared with the conventional flap/aileron airfoil, the ACTE configuration is better to suppress the flow separation and lower the overall sound pressure level.

Developing a Curriculum to Enhance Self-Concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Helm, Estelle Bailey

1980-01-01

Good self-esteem and self-concept have a bearing on a child's performance in school. The article describes ways to recognize poor self-image in a child and suggests strategies for building self-concept. Activities listed include positive marking of papers, bibliotherapy, improvisational drama, and values clarification. (DS)

Creating Service Concepts for Finnish Elderly Care : Case: Virtual Interactive Care Service

OpenAIRE

Nwagu, Promise

2016-01-01

This thesis looks at creating service concept by evaluating the research project of Virtual Interactive Care Service. The research project was initiated and implemented by the author together with Hovi Group Oy and Suomen kotilääkäripalvelu Oy. The goal was to provide a virtual care service business that uses interactive and stimulating activities to improve the wellbeing of elderly people in Finland. The study employed qualitative research method by reviewing existing works particularly...

Assessment of nonbackfittable concepts for improving uranium utilization in LWRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Newman, D.F.; Goldsmith, S.; Fleischman, R.M.

1980-01-01

Recent efforts to improve uranium utilization in light water reactors (LWRs) have involved backfittable changes to fuel or operations. The Advanced Reactor Design Study sponsored by the US Department of Energy identified and evaluated nonbackfittable LWR concepts to provide a basis for selecting and demonstrating specific improvements that have good implementation potential. Because the application of nonbackfittable concepts necessitates modifications to contemporary reactor designs, it was apparent that the most qualified organizations to assess implementation potential would be LWR designers/vendors. Accordingly, Babcock and Wilcox, Combustion Engineering, and General Electric were the principal participants in selecting, assessing, and evaluating the nonbackfittable concepts included in this study. The results of the industrial assessments of nonbackfittable LWR concepts are shown

Impact of Self-concept on Preschoolers’ Dental Anxiety and Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Erfanparast, Leila; Vafaei, Ali; Sohrabi, Azin; Ranjkesh, Bahram; Bahadori, Zahra; Pourkazemi, Maryam; Dadashi, Shabnam; Shirazi, Sajjad

2015-01-01

Background and aims. Different factors affect children’s behavior during dental treatment, including psychological and behavioral characteristics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation of self-concept on child’s anxiety and behavior during dental treatment in 4 to 6-year-old children. Materials and methods. A total of 235 preschoolers aged 4 to 6 years were included in this descriptive analytic study. Total self-concept score for each child was assessed according to Primary Self-concept Scale before dental treatment. Child’s anxiety and child’s behavior were assessed, during the restoration of mandibular primary molar, using clinical anxiety rating scale and Frankl Scale, respectively. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation between the total self-concept score with the results of clinical anxiety rating scale and Frankl Scale. Results. There was a moderate inverse correlation between the self-concept and clinical anxiety rating scale scores (r = -0.545, P self-concept and child’s behavior scores (r = 0.491, P self-concept had lower anxiety level and better behavioral feedback during dental treatment. PMID:26697152

Impact of Self-concept on Preschoolers' Dental Anxiety and Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Erfanparast, Leila; Vafaei, Ali; Sohrabi, Azin; Ranjkesh, Bahram; Bahadori, Zahra; Pourkazemi, Maryam; Dadashi, Shabnam; Shirazi, Sajjad

2015-01-01

Background and aims . Different factors affect children's behavior during dental treatment, including psychological and behavioral characteristics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation of self-concept on child's anxiety and behavior during dental treatment in 4 to 6-year-old children. Materials and methods. A total of 235 preschoolers aged 4 to 6 years were included in this descriptive analytic study. Total self-concept score for each child was assessed according to Primary Self-concept Scale before dental treatment. Child's anxiety and child's behavior were assessed, during the restoration of mandibular primary molar, using clinical anxiety rating scale and Frankl Scale, respectively. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation between the total self-concept score with the results of clinical anxiety rating scale and Frankl Scale. Results. There was a moderate inverse correlation between the self-concept and clinical anxiety rating scale scores (r = -0.545, P self-concept and child's behavior scores (r = 0.491, P self-concept had lower anxiety level and better behavioral feedback during dental treatment.

Internet discussion forums as part of a student-centred teaching concept of pharmacology.

Science.gov (United States)

Sucha, Michael; Engelhardt, Stefan; Sarikas, Antonio

2013-01-01

The world wide web opens up new opportunities to interconnect electronic and classroom teaching and to promote active student participation. In this project article we describe the use of internet discussion forums as part of a student-centred teaching concept of pharmacology and discuss its advantages and disadvantages based on evaluation data and current literature. Final year medical students at the Technische Universität München (Munich, Germany) with the elective pharmacology moderated an internet forum that allowed all students to discuss pharmacology-related questions. Evaluation results of forum participants and elective students demonstrated a learning benefit of internet forums in pharmacology teaching. Internet discussion forums offer an easy-to-implement and effective way to actively engage students and increase the learning benefit of electronic and classroom teaching in pharmacology.

The NASA X-Ray Mission Concepts Study

Science.gov (United States)

Petre, Robert; Ptak, A.; Bookbinder, J.; Garcia, M.; Smith, R.; Bautz, M.; Bregman, J.; Burrows, D.; Cash, W.; Jones-Forman, C.;

Investigation into the Use of the Concept Laser QM System as an In-Situ Research and Evaluation Tool

Science.gov (United States)

Bagg, Stacey

2014-01-01

The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is using a Concept Laser Fusing (Cusing) M2 powder bed additive manufacturing system for the build of space flight prototypes and hardware. NASA MSFC is collecting and analyzing data from the M2 QM Meltpool and QM Coating systems for builds. This data is intended to aide in understanding of the powder-bed additive manufacturing process, and in the development of a thermal model for the process. The QM systems are marketed by Concept Laser GmbH as in-situ quality management modules. The QM Meltpool system uses both a high-speed near-IR camera and a photodiode to monitor the melt pool generated by the laser. The software determines from the camera images the size of the melt pool. The camera also measures the integrated intensity of the IR radiation, and the photodiode gives an intensity value based on the brightness of the melt pool. The QM coating system uses a high resolution optical camera to image the surface after each layer has been formed. The objective of this investigation was to determine the adequacy of the QM Meltpool system as a research instrument for in-situ measurement of melt pool size and temperature and its applicability to NASA's objectives in (1) Developing a process thermal model and (2) Quantifying feedback measurements with the intent of meeting quality requirements or specifications. Note that Concept Laser markets the system only as capable of giving an indication of changes between builds, not as an in-situ research and evaluation tool. A secondary objective of the investigation is to determine the adequacy of the QM Coating system as an in-situ layer-wise geometry and layer quality evaluation tool.

Leak-before-break concept for evaluation of flows detected in pressure tubes in a Candu type reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crespi, J.C.

1992-01-01

This paper reviews the role of the Leak-Before-Break concept for evaluation of flaws detected in cold-worked Zr 2.5% Nb pressure tubes in a CANDU type reactors. The acceptance criteria are intended to prevent failure by brittle fracture, plastic collapse of the ligament and delayed hydride cracking. The methodology developed here was of great help in order to establish the operative conditions for fuel channel garter springs repositioning by means of the SLA Rette tool at Embalse Nuclear Generating Station, Cordoba, Argentina. (author)

Sustainability: Teaching an Interdisciplinary Threshold Concept through Traditional Lecture and Active Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Levintova, Ekaterina M.; Mueller, Daniel W.

2015-01-01

One of the difficulties in teaching global sustainability in the introductory political science classes is the different emphases placed on this concept and the absence of the consensus on where the overall balance between environmental protection, economic development, and social justice should reside. Like many fuzzy concepts with which students…

Evaluation of Fused Synthetic and Enhanced Vision Display Concepts for Low-Visibility Approach and Landing

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Randall E.; Kramer, Lynda J.; Prinzel, Lawrence J., III; Wilz, Susan J.

2009-01-01

NASA is developing revolutionary crew-vehicle interface technologies that strive to proactively overcome aircraft safety barriers that would otherwise constrain the full realization of the next generation air transportation system. A piloted simulation experiment was conducted to evaluate the complementary use of Synthetic and Enhanced Vision technologies. Specific focus was placed on new techniques for integration and/or fusion of Enhanced and Synthetic Vision and its impact within a two-crew flight deck during low-visibility approach and landing operations. Overall, the experimental data showed that significant improvements in situation awareness, without concomitant increases in workload and display clutter, could be provided by the integration and/or fusion of synthetic and enhanced vision technologies for the pilot-flying and the pilot-not-flying. Improvements in lateral path control performance were realized when the Head-Up Display concepts included a tunnel, independent of the imagery (enhanced vision or fusion of enhanced and synthetic vision) presented with it. During non-normal operations, the ability of the crew to handle substantial navigational errors and runway incursions were neither improved nor adversely impacted by the display concepts. The addition of Enhanced Vision may not, of itself, provide an improvement in runway incursion detection without being specifically tailored for this application.

Evaluation of methods and tools to develop safety concepts and to demonstrate safety for an HLW repository in salt. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bollingerfehr, W.; Buhmann, D.; Doerr, S.; and others

2017-03-15

Salt formations have been the preferred option as host rocks for the disposal of high level radioactive waste in Germany for more than 40 years. During this period comprehensive geological investigations have been carried out together with a broad spectrum of concept and safety related R and D work. The behaviour of an HLW repository in salt formations, particularly in salt domes, has been analysed in terms of assessment of the total system performance. This was first carried out for concepts of generic waste repositories in salt and, since 1998, for a repository concept with specific boundary conditions, taking the geology of the Gorleben salt dome as an example. Suitable repository concepts and designs were developed, the technical feasibility has been proven and operational and long-term safety evaluated. Numerical modelling is an important input into the development of a comprehensive safety case for a waste repository. Significant progress in the development of numerical tools and their application for long-term safe ty assessment has been made in the last two decades. An integrated approach has been used in which the repository concept and relevant scientific and engineering data are combined with the results from iterative safety assessments to increase the clarity and the traceability of the evaluation. A safety concept that takes full credit of the favourable properties of salt formations was developed in the course of the R and D project ISIBEL, which started in 2005. This concept is based on the safe containment of radioactive waste in a specific part of the host rock formation, termed the containment providing rock zone, which comprises the geological barrier, the geotechnical barriers and the compacted backfill. The future evolution of the repository system will be analysed using a catalogue of Features, Events and Processes (FEP), scenario development and numerical analysis, all of which are adapted to suit the safety concept. Key elements of the

Evaluation of methods and tools to develop safety concepts and to demonstrate safety for an HLW repository in salt. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bollingerfehr, W.; Buhmann, D.; Doerr, S.

2017-03-01

Salt formations have been the preferred option as host rocks for the disposal of high level radioactive waste in Germany for more than 40 years. During this period comprehensive geological investigations have been carried out together with a broad spectrum of concept and safety related R and D work. The behaviour of an HLW repository in salt formations, particularly in salt domes, has been analysed in terms of assessment of the total system performance. This was first carried out for concepts of generic waste repositories in salt and, since 1998, for a repository concept with specific boundary conditions, taking the geology of the Gorleben salt dome as an example. Suitable repository concepts and designs were developed, the technical feasibility has been proven and operational and long-term safety evaluated. Numerical modelling is an important input into the development of a comprehensive safety case for a waste repository. Significant progress in the development of numerical tools and their application for long-term safe ty assessment has been made in the last two decades. An integrated approach has been used in which the repository concept and relevant scientific and engineering data are combined with the results from iterative safety assessments to increase the clarity and the traceability of the evaluation. A safety concept that takes full credit of the favourable properties of salt formations was developed in the course of the R and D project ISIBEL, which started in 2005. This concept is based on the safe containment of radioactive waste in a specific part of the host rock formation, termed the containment providing rock zone, which comprises the geological barrier, the geotechnical barriers and the compacted backfill. The future evolution of the repository system will be analysed using a catalogue of Features, Events and Processes (FEP), scenario development and numerical analysis, all of which are adapted to suit the safety concept. Key elements of the

Lower-Temperature Subsurface Layout and Ventilation Concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christine L. Linden; Edward G. Thomas

2001-01-01

This analysis combines work scope identified as subsurface facility (SSF) low temperature (LT) Facilities System and SSF LT Ventilation System in the Technical Work Plan for Subsurface Design Section FY 01 Work Activities (CRWMS M and O 2001b, pp. 6 and 7, and pp. 13 and 14). In accordance with this technical work plan (TWP), this analysis is performed using AP-3.10Q, Analyses and Models. It also incorporates the procedure AP-SI.1Q, Software Management. The purpose of this analysis is to develop an overall subsurface layout system and the overall ventilation system concepts that address a lower-temperature operating mode for the Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR). The objective of this analysis is to provide a technical design product that supports the lower-temperature operating mode concept for the revision of the system description documents and to provide a basis for the system description document design descriptions. The overall subsurface layout analysis develops and describes the overall subsurface layout, including performance confirmation facilities (also referred to as Test and Evaluation Facilities) for the Site Recommendation design. This analysis also incorporates current program directives for thermal management

Person-Centered Learning using Peer Review Method – An Evaluation and a Concept for Student-Centered Classrooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominik Dolezal

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Using peer assessment in the classroom to increase student engagement by actively involving the pupils in the assessment process has been practiced and researched for decades. In general, the literature suggests using peer review for project-based exercises. This paper analyzes the applicability of peer assessment to smaller exercises at secondary school level and makes recommendations for its use in computer science courses. Furthermore, a school pilot project introducing student-centered classrooms, called “learning office”, is described. Additionally, a concept for the implementation of peer assessment in such student-centered classrooms is outlined. We introduced two traditional secondary school classes consisting of a total of 57 students to the peer assessment method within the scope of the same software engineering course. The peer students assessed two of 13 exercises using the Moodle workshop activity. The students evaluated these two exercises using an anonymous online questionnaire. At the end of the course, they rated each of the 13 exercises regarding their learning motivation. Overall, the anonymous feedback on the peer review exercises was very positive. The students not only obtained more feedback, but also received it in a timelier manner compared to regular teacher assessment. The results of the overall rating of all 13 exercises revealed that the two peer reviewed exercises have been rated significantly better than the other eleven exercises assessed by the teacher. Evidence therefore suggests that peer review is a viable option for small- and medium-sized exercises in the context of computer science education at secondary school level under certain conditions, which we discuss in this paper.

Materials learning from life: concepts for active, adaptive and autonomous molecular systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Merindol, Rémi; Walther, Andreas

2017-09-18

Bioinspired out-of-equilibrium systems will set the scene for the next generation of molecular materials with active, adaptive, autonomous, emergent and intelligent behavior. Indeed life provides the best demonstrations of complex and functional out-of-equilibrium systems: cells keep track of time, communicate, move, adapt, evolve and replicate continuously. Stirred by the understanding of biological principles, artificial out-of-equilibrium systems are emerging in many fields of soft matter science. Here we put in perspective the molecular mechanisms driving biological functions with the ones driving synthetic molecular systems. Focusing on principles that enable new levels of functionalities (temporal control, autonomous structures, motion and work generation, information processing) rather than on specific material classes, we outline key cross-disciplinary concepts that emerge in this challenging field. Ultimately, the goal is to inspire and support new generations of autonomous and adaptive molecular devices fueled by self-regulating chemistry.

The SPoRT concept of bracing for idiopathic scoliosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaina, Fabio; Fusco, Claudia; Atanasio, Salvatore; Negrini, Stefano

2011-01-01

The SPoRT (acronym: Symmetrical, Patient-oriented, Rigid, Three-dimensional, active) concept of bracing is a new way to build braces based on our 20 years of experience and the biomechanical principles of scoliosis correction, inclusive of the Sibilla and Sforzesco braces. The concept always requires a custom brace, which is made according to the patient's individual requirements. New technologies such as CAD-CAM can be applied, and often for better results, without the customary use of prebuilt forms whose measurements are stored in databases. Once the initial draft brace is completed, a final test must be made on the patient to modify and adapt it, depending on his or her real interaction between the body and the brace. The results that are today available on the SPoRT concept relate to the Sforzesco brace and are necessarily short-term, because the first treated patients are now reaching the fourth-year follow-up examination and haven't yet completed their treatments. On the basis of the initial evaluations, we can state that the Sforzesco brace is more effective than the Lyon brace after 6 months of treatment and that the Sforzesco brace is equally effective as the Risser Plast brace.

The Basic Concepts of Contemporary Psychology.

Science.gov (United States)

Davydov, V. V.

1988-01-01

Presents chapter one of V. V. Davydov's 1986 monograph, "Problems of Developmental Teaching." Examines the dialectical-materialist sources of the psychological concept of activity; and activity, the mind, and consciousness. Building from Lev S. Vygotsky's work and within a Marxist-Leninist framework, explores relationships among…

Performance in physiology evaluation: possible improvement by active learning strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Montrezor, Luís H

2016-12-01

The evaluation process is complex and extremely important in the teaching/learning process. Evaluations are constantly employed in the classroom to assist students in the learning process and to help teachers improve the teaching process. The use of active methodologies encourages students to participate in the learning process, encourages interaction with their peers, and stimulates thinking about physiological mechanisms. This study examined the performance of medical students on physiology over four semesters with and without active engagement methodologies. Four activities were used: a puzzle, a board game, a debate, and a video. The results show that engaging in activities with active methodologies before a physiology cognitive monitoring test significantly improved student performance compared with not performing the activities. We integrate the use of these methodologies with classic lectures, and this integration appears to improve the teaching/learning process in the discipline of physiology and improves the integration of physiology with cardiology and neurology. In addition, students enjoy the activities and perform better on their evaluations when they use them. Copyright © 2016 The American Physiological Society.

USING LUDIC ACTIVITIES TO EXPLAIN THE BIOME CONCEPT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aline Riccioni de Melos

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper contributes to research on the role of ludic activities in teaching and learning physical geography content during the last four years of primary school. We question the discourse that identifies students’ lack of interest as the obstacle to teaching physical geography. This study contributes by questioning this obstacle. We note that few studies exist on this topic, according to the CAPES (Coordination for higher Education Staff Development dissertation database, in 2011 only five were completed. The theoretical basis for the study considers work by Graciolli (2009, Silva et al. (2010, Rupel (2011 and Freitas and Salvi (2011, authors who defend the use of ludic activities in teaching methodology. In 2010, the “Biome Game” for 6th year students was developed based on this theoretical framework as part of the required course “Supervised Practice”. The goal of the activity was to think about how the concept of biome was created, and the methodology used valued recreational approaches. The empirical results of this experiment, which involved developing and implementing the game during the Supervised Practice course, demonstrate the importance of ludic pedagogical strategies for teaching physical geography in Brazilian primary education. O presente artigo traz contribuições de pesquisa sobre a função da ludicidade no ensino-aprendizagem de conteúdos da geografia física, no segundo segmento do ensino fundamental. Tal questão problematiza o discurso sobre o desinteresse dos alunos, como significativo obstáculo para a didática da geografia física. A pertinência do presente estudo está em reconhecer esta questão, tendo em vista que existem poucos estudos na área, totalizando em 2011, segundo o banco de dissertações da CAPES, somente cinco trabalhos concluídos. Nossa investigação dialoga com Graciolli (2009, Silva et al. (2010, Rupel (2011 e Freitas e Salvi (2011, autores dedicados à defesa da utilização de

Application Design Library With gamification concept

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nisaul Barokati

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The library is an effort to maintain and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the learning process. Various means have been used to enhance the library's role in community development. One way is to develop a concept and a different orientation in the management system or the library. The concept in question is gamification. Gamification is a process with the aim of changing jobs or activities that usually go tedious and less enjoyable to be more interesting and fun to do. One approach taken is to reward both virtual and non-virtual that can increase people's motivation to do something, in this case, is to visit and take advantage of the functions and library facilities. This research resulted in a model that features a library application with the concept of gamification. The model can be implemented into an application that will increase visits and activities at the library. Thus the function and the main purpose of the library be met..

Current concepts on integrative safety assessment of active substances of botanical, mineral or chemical origin in homeopathic medicinal products within the European regulatory framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Buchholzer, Marie-Luise; Werner, Christine; Knoess, Werner

2014-03-01

For active substances of botanical, mineral or chemical origin processed in homeopathic medicinal products for human use, the adequate safety principles as with other human medicinal products are applied in line with the European regulatory framework. In homeopathy, nonclinical safety assessment is facing a particular challenge because of a multitude and diversity of source materials used and due to rarely available toxicological data. Thus, current concepts applied by the national regulatory authority in Germany (BfArM) on integrative safety assessment of raw materials used in homeopathic medicinal products involve several evaluation approaches like the use of the Lowest Human Recommended Dose (LHRD), toxicological limit values, Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC), data from food regulation or the consideration of unavoidable environmental or dietary background exposure. This publication is intended to further develop and clarify the practical use of these assessment routes by exemplary application on selected homeopathic preparations. In conclusion, the different approaches are considered a very useful scientific and simultaneously pragmatic procedure in differentiated risk assessment of homeopathic medicinal products. Overall, this paper aims to increase the visibility of the safety issues in homeopathy and to stimulate scientific discussion of worldwide existing regulatory concepts on homeopathic medicinal products. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Concept mapping for learners of all ages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nancy L. Gallenstein

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Concept mapping is an inquiry technique that provides students at all ages with opportunities to demonstrate learning through performance. A concept map refers to a graphic/visual representation of concepts with linking connections that show various relationships between concepts (Novak & Gowin, 1984. Assessment is an ongoing process integrated with instruction across subject areas. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM emphasizes that assessment should focus on both the enhancement of student learning as well as serve as a valuable tool for making instructional decisions (NCTM, 2000. Assessment activities can take on a variety of forms, one being performance tasks. In this manuscript, an explanation of concept mapping is provided for learners ages 3 – 12 along with several examples of concept maps for young learners, including examples from an assessment project in the subject area of mathematics. Also presented are the numerous benefits of the concept mapping technique for both students and teachers.

SPICE: An innovative, flexible instrument concept

Science.gov (United States)

Nishioka, Kenji; Cauffman, D. P.; Jurcevich, B.; Mendez, David J.; Ryder, James T.

1994-01-01

Studies and plans for orbital capture of cosmic dust and interplanetary dust particles (IDP's) looked very bright with the advent of space station Freedom (SSF) and formal selection of Cosmic Dust Collection Facility (CDCF) as an attached payload in 1990. Unfortunately it has been downhill since its selection, culminating in CDCF being dropped as attached payload in the SSF redesign process this year. This action was without any input from the science or cosmic dust communities. The Exobiology Intact Capture Experiment (Exo-ICE) as an experiment on CDCF was also lost. Without CDCF, no facility-class instrument for cosmic dust studies is available or planned. When CDCF (and Exo-ICE) was selected as a SSF attached payload, an exercise called the small particle intact capture experiment (SPICE) was started for Exo-ICE to develop an understanding and early testing of the necessary expertise and technology for intact capture of cosmic dust and IDP's. This SPICE activity looks to fly small, meter square or less, collection area experiments on early orbital platforms of opportunity such as EURECA, MIR, WESTAR, and others, including the shuttle. The SPICE activity has focused on developing techniques and instrument concepts to capture particles intact and without inadvertent contamination. It began with a survey and screening of available capture media concepts and then focused on the development of a capture medium that can meet these requirements. Evaluation and development of the chosen capture medium, aerogel (a silicon oxide gel), has so far lived up to the expectations of meeting the requirements and is highlighted in a companion paper at this workshop. Others such as McDonnell's Timeband Capture Cell Experiment (TICCE) on EuReCa and Tsuo's GAS-CAN lid experiments on STS 47 and 57 have flown aerogel, but without addressing the contamination issue/requirement, especially regarding organics. Horz, Zolenskym and others have studied and have also been advocates for its

SPICE: An innovative, flexible instrument concept

Science.gov (United States)

Nishioka, Kenji; Cauffman, D. P.; Jurcevich, B.; Mendez, David J.; Ryder, James T.

Studies and plans for orbital capture of cosmic dust and interplanetary dust particles (IDP's) looked very bright with the advent of space station Freedom (SSF) and formal selection of Cosmic Dust Collection Facility (CDCF) as an attached payload in 1990. Unfortunately it has been downhill since its selection, culminating in CDCF being dropped as attached payload in the SSF redesign process this year. This action was without any input from the science or cosmic dust communities. The Exobiology Intact Capture Experiment (Exo-ICE) as an experiment on CDCF was also lost. Without CDCF, no facility-class instrument for cosmic dust studies is available or planned. When CDCF (and Exo-ICE) was selected as a SSF attached payload, an exercise called the small particle intact capture experiment (SPICE) was started for Exo-ICE to develop an understanding and early testing of the necessary expertise and technology for intact capture of cosmic dust and IDP's. This SPICE activity looks to fly small, meter square or less, collection area experiments on early orbital platforms of opportunity such as EURECA, MIR, WESTAR, and others, including the shuttle. The SPICE activity has focused on developing techniques and instrument concepts to capture particles intact and without inadvertent contamination. It began with a survey and screening of available capture media concepts and then focused on the development of a capture medium that can meet these requirements. Evaluation and development of the chosen capture medium, aerogel (a silicon oxide gel), has so far lived up to the expectations of meeting the requirements and is highlighted in a companion paper at this workshop. Others such as McDonnell's Timeband Capture Cell Experiment (TICCE) on EuReCa and Tsuo's GAS-CAN lid experiments on STS 47 and 57 have flown aerogel, but without addressing the contamination issue/requirement, especially regarding organics. Horz, Zolenskym and others have studied and have also been advocates for its

Hardware test program for evaluation of baseline range-range rate sensor concept

Science.gov (United States)

1985-01-01

The baseline range/range rate sensor concept was evaluated. The Interrupted CW (ICW) mode of operation continued with emphasis on establishing the sensitivity of the video portion of the receiver was 7 dB less than the theoretical value. This departs from test results of previous implementations in which achieved sensitivity was within 1.5 to 2 dB of the theoretical value. Several potential causes of this discrepancy in performance were identified and are scheduled for further investigation. Results indicate that a cost savings in both per unit and program costs are realizable by eliminating one of the modes of operation. An acquisition (total program) cost savings of approximately 10% is projected by eliminating the CW mode of operation. The modified R/R sensor would operate in the ICW mode only and would provide coverage from initial acquisition at 12 nmi to within a few hundred feet of the OMV. If the ICW mode only were selected, then an accompanying sensor would be required to provide coverage from a few hundred feet to docking.

Evaluation of the activity of rheumatoid arthritis in clinical practice. Agreement between self-rated clinimetric evaluation and clinical evaluation with activity indexes: DAS28, CDAI and SDAI.

Science.gov (United States)

Horta-Baas, Gabriel; Pérez Bolde-Hernández, Arturo; Hernández-Cabrera, María Fernanda; Vergara-Sánchez, Imelda; Romero-Figueroa, María Del Socorro

2017-10-11

To achieve control of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) it is necessary to be able to evaluate its activity. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) recommends for this purpose indexes of activity that can be performed by the patient (PAS-II and RAPID-3) and IA including medical evaluation with laboratory studies (DAS28 and SDAI) or without them (CDAI). The objective was to analyze the concordance between self-rated clinimetric evaluation and clinimetric evaluation performed by the physician. Analytical cross-sectional study in 126 patients with RA. The agreement was evaluated through the weighted κ coefficient and the Krippendorff's α coefficient. The PAS-II and RAPID-3 significantly correlated with all variables included in the core set of measures recommended by the ACR/EULAR. The agreement between PAS-II and CDAI-SDAI was good (κ: 0.6, α: 0.61-0.62), and moderate with DAS28-ESR (κ: 0.53, α: 0.56). The concordance between RAPID-3 and CDAI-SDAI was moderate (κ: 0.55-0.57, α: 0.50-0.51), and moderate with DAS28-ESR (κ: 0.55, α: 0.53). When categorizing the activity in remission/low activity vs. moderate/severe activity, the agreement was greater with the PAS-II (0.59 vs. 0.34; P=.012). The good concordance between PAS-II and SDAI supports their use in clinical practice, especially if biomarkers of inflammation or the possibility of joint count are not available. However, in order to recommend its routine application in clinical practice, it is necessary to perform longitudinal studies that assess its responsiveness. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Evaluating and integrating corporate social responsibility standards: Implications for CSR concepts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Markus Stiglbauer

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Standards play a major role when concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR ought to be implemented and corporate social performance (CSP ought to be assessed. Ethical reasoning and stakeholders’ expectations help to measure companies’ intentions to implement CSR standards and to measure their efficiency. With different standards of CSR (company standards, industry standards, multi-stakeholder standards and independent standards companies may implement we categorize and еvaluate those standards and give advice which opportunities but also threats may arise for companies when implementing such codes within firm-specific CSR concepts. We suggest a combination of different standards and replenish them with firm-specific codes of conduct.

Embodied cognition, abstract concepts, and body manipulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katinka eDijkstra

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Current approaches on cognition hold that concrete concepts are grounded in concrete experiences. There is no consensus, however, as to whether this is equally true for abstract concepts. In this review we discuss how the body might be involved in understanding abstract concepts through metaphor activation. Substantial research has been conducted on the activation of common orientational metaphors with bodily manipulations, such as ‘power is up’ and ‘more is up’ representations. We will focus on the political metaphor that has a more complex association between the concept and the concrete domain. However, the outcomes of studies on this political metaphor have not always been consistent, possibly because the experimental manipulation was not implicit enough. The inclusion of new technological devices in this area of research, such as the Wii Balance Board, seems promising in order to assess the groundedness of abstract conceptual spatial metaphors in an implicit manner. This may aid further research to effectively demonstrate the interrelatedness between the body and more abstract representations.

Program Evaluation: A Consumer Evaluation of Alternative Contractor Concepts in Government Food Service

Science.gov (United States)

1974-09-01

food service facilities. The food factors (quality, variety, and quantity, in that order) were generally rated by consumers as most serious problems, in keeping with many previous survey studies of military food service system. The contractor food service concept with raw food provided by the contractor, as exemplified by Fort Myer, significantly reduced consumer problems in food service personnel, speed, hours, environment, and convenience of location, and also reduced the degree to which food variety,

A feasibility assessment for incorporating of passive RHRS into large scale active PWR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, S O; Sub, S Y; Kim, Y S; Chang, M H; Park, J K [Korea Atomic Energy Research Inst., Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1996-12-01

A feasibility study was carried out for the possible incorporation of passive RHRS (Residual Heat Removal System) into a large-scale of active PWR plant. Four kinds of system configurations were considered. For each case its performance and impacts on plant safety, cost, licensing, operation and maintenance were evaluated. The evaluation came up with a finding of PRHRS with a gravity feed tank as most probable design concept. However, considering rearrangement of structure and pipe routing inside and outside containment, it is concluded that implementation of the PRHRS concept into well developed active plants is not desirable at present. (author). 6 refs, 7 figs, 1 tab.

A feasibility assessment for incorporating of passive RHRS into large scale active PWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, S.O.; Sub, S.Y.; Kim, Y.S.; Chang, M.H.; Park, J.K.

1996-01-01

A feasibility study was carried out for the possible incorporation of passive RHRS (Residual Heat Removal System) into a large-scale of active PWR plant. Four kinds of system configurations were considered. For each case its performance and impacts on plant safety, cost, licensing, operation and maintenance were evaluated. The evaluation came up with a finding of PRHRS with a gravity feed tank as most probable design concept. However, considering rearrangement of structure and pipe routing inside and outside containment, it is concluded that implementation of the PRHRS concept into well developed active plants is not desirable at present. (author). 6 refs, 7 figs, 1 tab

Hands-On and Kinesthetic Activities for Teaching Phonological Awareness

Science.gov (United States)

Rule, Audrey C.; Dockstader, C. Jolene; Stewart, Roger A.

2006-01-01

Object box and environmental print card activities and kinesthetic/oral activities used in two before school programs for Title 1 students are presented for teaching phonological awareness concepts to students in primary grades. A small program evaluation study in which the two experimental groups made similar improvements and larger gains than a…

NASA's Gravitational - Wave Mission Concept Study

Science.gov (United States)

Stebbins, Robin; Jennrich, Oliver; McNamara, Paul

2012-01-01

With the conclusion of the NASA/ESA partnership on the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Project, NASA initiated a study to explore mission concepts that will accomplish some or all of the LISA science objectives at lower cost. The Gravitational-Wave Mission Concept Study consisted of a public Request for Information (RFI), a Core Team of NASA engineers and scientists, a Community Science Team, a Science Task Force, and an open workshop. The RFI yielded were 12 mission concepts, 3 instrument concepts and 2 technologies. The responses ranged from concepts that eliminated the drag-free test mass of LISA to concepts that replace the test mass with an atom interferometer. The Core Team reviewed the noise budgets and sensitivity curves, the payload and spacecraft designs and requirements, orbits and trajectories and technical readiness and risk. The Science Task Force assessed the science performance by calculating the horizons. the detection rates and the accuracy of astrophysical parameter estimation for massive black hole mergers, stellar-mass compact objects inspiraling into central engines. and close compact binary systems. Three mission concepts have been studied by Team-X, JPL's concurrent design facility. to define a conceptual design evaluate kt,y performance parameters. assess risk and estimate cost and schedule. The Study results are summarized.

Dual Character Concepts and the Normative Dimension of Conceptual Representation

Science.gov (United States)

Knobe, Joshua; Prasada, Sandeep; Newman, George E.

2013-01-01

Five experiments provide evidence for a class of "dual character concepts." Dual character concepts characterize their members in terms of both (a) a set of concrete features and (b) the abstract values that these features serve to realize. As such, these concepts provide two bases for evaluating category members and two different criteria for…

Using Expectancy Value Theory as a Framework to Reduce Student Resistance to Active Learning: A Proof of Concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Katelyn M; Ashley, Michael; Brownell, Sara E

2017-01-01

There has been a national movement to transition college science courses from passive lectures to active learning environments. Active learning has been shown to be a more effective way for students to learn, yet there is concern that some students are resistant to active learning approaches. Although there is much discussion about student resistance to active learning, few studies have explored this topic. Furthermore, a limited number of studies have applied theoretical frameworks to student engagement in active learning. We propose using a theoretical lens of expectancy value theory to understand student resistance to active learning. In this study, we examined student perceptions of active learning after participating in 40 hours of active learning. We used the principal components of expectancy value theory to probe student experience in active learning: student perceived self-efficacy in active learning, value of active learning, and potential cost of participating in active learning. We found that students showed positive changes in the components of expectancy value theory and reported high levels of engagement in active learning, which provide proof of concept that expectancy value theory can be used to boost student perceptions of active learning and their engagement in active learning classrooms. From these findings, we have built a theoretical framework of expectancy value theory applied to active learning.

Evaluating Maximum Wind Energy Exploitation in Active Distribution Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Siano, Pierluigi; Chen, Peiyuan; Chen, Zhe

2010-01-01

The increased spreading of distributed and renewable generation requires moving towards active management of distribution networks. In this paper, in order to evaluate maximum wind energy exploitation in active distribution networks, a method based on a multi-period optimal power flow (OPF......) analysis is proposed. Active network management schemes such as coordinated voltage control, energy curtailment and power factor control are integrated in the method in order to investigate their impacts on the maximization of wind energy exploitation. Some case studies, using real data from a Danish...... distribution system, confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method in evaluating the optimal applications of active management schemes to increase wind energy harvesting without costly network reinforcement for the connection of wind generation....

Buddhist concepts as implicitly reducing prejudice and increasing prosociality.

Science.gov (United States)

Clobert, Magali; Saroglou, Vassilis; Hwang, Kwang-Kuo

2015-04-01

Does Buddhism really promote tolerance? Based on cross-cultural and cross-religious evidence, we hypothesized that Buddhist concepts, possibly differing from Christian concepts, activate not only prosociality but also tolerance. Subliminally priming Buddhist concepts, compared with neutral or Christian concepts, decreased explicit prejudice against ethnic, ideological, and moral outgroups among Western Buddhists who valued universalism (Experiment 1, N = 116). It also increased spontaneous prosociality, and decreased, among low authoritarians or high universalists, implicit religious and ethnic prejudice among Westerners of Christian background (Experiment 2, N = 128) and Taiwanese of Buddhist/Taoist background (Experiment 3, N = 122). Increased compassion and tolerance of contradiction occasionally mediated some of the effects. The general idea that religion promotes (ingroup) prosociality and outgroup prejudice, based on research in monotheistic contexts, lacks cross-cultural sensitivity; Buddhist concepts activate extended prosociality and tolerance of outgroups, at least among those with socio-cognitive and moral openness. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Evaluation of Emotional Literacy Activities: A Phenomenological Study

Science.gov (United States)

Oksuz, Yucel

2016-01-01

The present study aims to evaluate impact of the emotional literacy activities through participant student's experiences. Emotional literacy activities, including social-emotional skills Goleman's emotional intelligence and Fapuel's emotional literacy model designed and conducted for 2 months on primary school students, who study in 4th grade. The…

Performance evaluation of a proof-of-concept 70 W internal reforming methanol fuel cell system

Science.gov (United States)

Avgouropoulos, G.; Schlicker, S.; Schelhaas, K.-P.; Papavasiliou, J.; Papadimitriou, K. D.; Theodorakopoulou, E.; Gourdoupi, N.; Machocki, A.; Ioannides, T.; Kallitsis, J. K.; Kolb, G.; Neophytides, S.

2016-03-01