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Sample records for continuously shaken microtiter

  1. Validation of a high-throughput fermentation system based on online monitoring of biomass and fluorescence in continuously shaken microtiter plates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kensy Frank

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background An advanced version of a recently reported high-throughput fermentation system with online measurement, called BioLector, and its validation is presented. The technology combines high-throughput screening and high-information content by applying online monitoring of scattered light and fluorescence intensities in continuously shaken microtiter plates. Various examples in calibration of the optical measurements, clone and media screening and promoter characterization are given. Results Bacterial and yeast biomass concentrations of up to 50 g/L cell dry weight could be linearly correlated to scattered light intensities. In media screening, the BioLector could clearly demonstrate its potential for detecting different biomass and product yields and deducing specific growth rates for quantitatively evaluating media and nutrients. Growth inhibition due to inappropriate buffer conditions could be detected by reduced growth rates and a temporary increase in NADH fluorescence. GFP served very well as reporter protein for investigating the promoter regulation under different carbon sources in yeast strains. A clone screening of 90 different GFP-expressing Hansenula polymorpha clones depicted the broad distribution of growth behavior and an even stronger distribution in GFP expression. The importance of mass transfer conditions could be demonstrated by varying filling volumes of an E. coli culture in 96 well MTP. The different filling volumes cause a deviation in the culture growth and acidification both monitored via scattered light intensities and the fluorescence of a pH indicator, respectively. Conclusion The BioLector technology is a very useful tool to perform quantitative microfermentations under engineered reaction conditions. With this technique, specific yields and rates can be directly deduced from online biomass and product concentrations, which is superior to existing technologies such as microplate readers or optode

  2. Light transmission aggregometry using pre-coated microtiter plates and a Victor X5 plate reader

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vinholt, Pernille Just; Nybo, Mads; Nielsen, Camilla Brødsgaard

    2017-01-01

    Background Light transmission aggregometry (LTA) can be performed with microtiter plates (96-well LTA). When conducting LTA, an agonist is added to platelet-rich plasma and the sample is shaken for minutes after which absorbance readings are done. Platelet aggregation is detected as decrease...... in absorbance. However, the classical method is cumbersome and therefore microtiter plates can be used for concomitant testing of multiple samples. Furthermore, it would be convenient to prepare the plate in advance of platelet aggregation testing. Aim: The aim of the present study was to establish a simplified...

  3. Scale-up from microtiter plate to laboratory fermenter: evaluation by online monitoring techniques of growth and protein expression in Escherichia coli and Hansenula polymorpha fermentations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Engelbrecht Christoph

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In the past decade, an enormous number of new bioprocesses have evolved in the biotechnology industry. These bioprocesses have to be developed fast and at a maximum productivity. Up to now, only few microbioreactors were developed to fulfill these demands and to facilitate sample processing. One predominant reaction platform is the shaken microtiter plate (MTP, which provides high-throughput at minimal expenses in time, money and work effort. By taking advantage of this simple and efficient microbioreactor array, a new online monitoring technique for biomass and fluorescence, called BioLector, has been recently developed. The combination of high-throughput and high information content makes the BioLector a very powerful tool in bioprocess development. Nevertheless, the scalabilty of results from the micro-scale to laboratory or even larger scales is very important for short development times. Therefore, engineering parameters regarding the reactor design and its operation conditions play an important role even on a micro-scale. In order to evaluate the scale-up from a microtiter plate scale (200 μL to a stirred tank fermenter scale (1.4 L, two standard microbial expression systems, Escherichia coli and Hansenula polymorpha, were fermented in parallel at both scales and compared with regard to the biomass and protein formation. Results Volumetric mass transfer coefficients (kLa ranging from 100 to 350 1/h were obtained in 96-well microtiter plates. Even with a suboptimal mass transfer condition in the microtiter plate compared to the stirred tank fermenter (kLa = 370-600 1/h, identical growth and protein expression kinetics were attained in bacteria and yeast fermentations. The bioprocess kinetics were evaluated by optical online measurements of biomass and protein concentrations exhibiting the same fermentation times and maximum signal deviations below 10% between the scales. In the experiments, the widely applied green

  4. Shaken baby syndrome; Shaken-baby-Syndrom

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reith, W.; Ahlhelm, F.; Papanagiotou, P. [Universitaetsklinikum des Saarlandes, Klinik fuer Diagnostische und Interventionelle Neuroradiologie, Homburg/Saar (Germany); Rohrer, T. [Universitaetsklinikum des Saarlandes, Klinik fuer Allgemeine Paediatrie und Neonatologie, Homburg/Saar (Germany)

    2009-10-15

    Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) describes the coincidence of subdural hematoma, retinal bleeding and, disadvantageous for the prognosis, diffuse brain damage caused by powerful shaking of the infant. The clinical symptoms include irritability, difficulty with drinking, somnolence, apathy, cerebral cramp attacks, apnoea, temperature regulation disorders and vomiting due to cranial pressure. Milder symptoms of SBS are often not diagnosed and the number of unregistered cases is probably much greater. The diagnosis of SBS is made through the typical symptom constellation, but the lack of retinal bleeding does not exclude the diagnosis. Normally the infants are held by the thorax or upper arms and shaken in a sagittal direction during which the head falls backwards and forwards and is stopped abruptly at each extreme position. The injurious mechanism is considered to be caused by rotational forces which force tissue layers in the brain against each other and also lead to rupture of bridging veins between the skull and the brain. The prognosis is poor and approximately 25% of infants die of SBS within days or weeks. Approximately 75% of survivors suffer from long term damage with physical handicaps, limitations in hearing, visual disturbances up to blindness and mental disorders or combinations of these conditions. Prevention is therefore the most important aspect. (orig.) [German] Das Shaken-baby-Syndrom (SBS) oder Schuetteltrauma des Saeuglings beschreibt die Koinzidenz subduraler Haematome, retinaler Blutungen und prognostisch unguenstiger, diffuser Hirnschaeden durch heftiges Schuetteln eines Saeuglings. Die klinischen Symptome umfassen Irritabilitaet, Trinkschwierigkeiten, Somnolenz, Apathie, zerebrale Krampfanfaelle, Apnoe, Temperaturregulationsstoerungen und Erbrechen durch Hirndruck. Leichtere Symptome des SBS werden haeufig nicht diagnostiziert, die Dunkelziffer ist wahrscheinlich viel hoeher. Die Diagnose des SBS wird durch die typische Symptomkonstellation gestellt

  5. Shaken baby symptoms (image)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... is a severe form of head injury caused by the baby's brain rebounding inside of the baby's skull when shaken. In this injury there is bruising of the brain, swelling, pressure, and bleeding (intracerebral hemorrhage). This can easily lead ...

  6. Microfluidic biolector-microfluidic bioprocess control in microtiter plates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Funke, Matthias; Buchenauer, Andreas; Schnakenberg, Uwe; Mokwa, Wilfried; Diederichs, Sylvia; Mertens, Alan; Müller, Carsten; Kensy, Frank; Büchs, Jochen

    2010-10-15

    In industrial-scale biotechnological processes, the active control of the pH-value combined with the controlled feeding of substrate solutions (fed-batch) is the standard strategy to cultivate both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. On the contrary, for small-scale cultivations, much simpler batch experiments with no process control are performed. This lack of process control often hinders researchers to scale-up and scale-down fermentation experiments, because the microbial metabolism and thereby the growth and production kinetics drastically changes depending on the cultivation strategy applied. While small-scale batches are typically performed highly parallel and in high throughput, large-scale cultivations demand sophisticated equipment for process control which is in most cases costly and difficult to handle. Currently, there is no technical system on the market that realizes simple process control in high throughput. The novel concept of a microfermentation system described in this work combines a fiber-optic online-monitoring device for microtiter plates (MTPs)--the BioLector technology--together with microfluidic control of cultivation processes in volumes below 1 mL. In the microfluidic chip, a micropump is integrated to realize distinct substrate flow rates during fed-batch cultivation in microscale. Hence, a cultivation system with several distinct advantages could be established: (1) high information output on a microscale; (2) many experiments can be performed in parallel and be automated using MTPs; (3) this system is user-friendly and can easily be transferred to a disposable single-use system. This article elucidates this new concept and illustrates applications in fermentations of Escherichia coli under pH-controlled and fed-batch conditions in shaken MTPs. Copyright 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Diffusion-weighted MRI in shaken baby syndrome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chan, Yu-Leung; Chu, Winnie C.W.; Wong, Gary W.K.; Yeung, David K.W.

    2003-01-01

    We present the characteristic CT and MRI findings of a 2-month-old girl with shaken baby syndrome. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging performed 8 days after the insult established the presence of injury to the white matter in the corpus callosum and subcortical white matter in the temporo-occipito-parietal region. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging is valuable in the diagnostic work-up of suspected shaken baby syndrome, as injury to the white matter can be demonstrated days after the injury. (orig.)

  8. Optimized candidal biofilm microtiter assay

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Krom, Bastiaan P.; Cohen, Jesse B.; Feser, Gail E. McElhaney; Cihlar, Ronald L.

    Microtiter based candidal biofilm formation is commonly being used. Here we describe the analysis of factors influencing the development of candidal biofilms such as the coating with serum, growth medium and pH. The data reported here show that optimal candidal biofilm formation is obtained when

  9. Scale-down of vinegar production into microtiter plates using a custom-made lid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlepütz, Tino; Büchs, Jochen

    2014-04-01

    As an important food preservative and condiment, vinegar is widely produced in industry by submerged acetic acid bacteria cultures. Although vinegar production is established on the large scale, up to now suitable microscale cultivation methods, e.g. using microtiter plates, are missing to enable high-throughput cultivation and to optimize fermentation conditions. In order to minimize evaporation losses of ethanol and acetic acid in a 48-well microtiter plate during vinegar production a new custom-made lid was developed. A diffusion model was used to calculate the dimensions of a hole in the lid to guarantee a suitable oxygen supply and level of ventilation. Reference fermentation was conducted in a 9-L bioreactor to enable the calculation of the proper cultivation conditions in the microtiter plate. The minimum dissolved oxygen tensions in the microtiter plate were between 7.5% and 23% of air saturation and in the same range as in the 9-L bioreactor. Evaporation losses of ethanol and acetic acid were less than 5% after 47 h and considerably reduced compared to those of microtiter plate fermentations with a conventional gas-permeable seal. Furthermore, cultivation times in the microtiter plate were with about 40 h as long as in the 9-L bioreactor. In conclusion, microtiter plate cultivations with the new custom-made lid provide a platform for high-throughput studies on vinegar production. Results are comparable to those in the 9-L bioreactor. Copyright © 2013 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Operational stability of naringinase PVA lens-shaped microparticles in batch stirred reactors and mini packed bed reactors-one step closer to industry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nunes, Mário A P; Rosa, M Emilia; Fernandes, Pedro C B; Ribeiro, Maria H L

    2014-07-01

    The immobilization of naringinase in PVA lens-shaped particles, a cheap and biocompatible hydrogel was shown to provide an effective biocatalyst for naringin hydrolysis, an appealing reaction in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The present work addresses the operational stability and scale-up of the bioconversion system, in various types of reactors, namely shaken microtiter plates (volume ⩽ 2 mL), batch stirred tank reactors (volume reactor (PBR, 6.8 mL). Consecutive batch runs were performed with the shaken/stirred vessels, with reproducible and encouraging results, related to operational stability. The PBR was used to establish the feasibility for continuous operation, running continuously for 54 days at 45°C. The biocatalyst activity remained constant for 40 days of continuous operation. The averaged specific productivity was 9.07 mmol h(-1) g enzyme(-1) and the half-life of 48 days. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Development of a high-throughput assay for measuring lipase activity using natural triacylglycerols coated on microtiter plates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serveau-Avesque, Carole; Verger, Robert; Rodriguez, Jorge A; Abousalham, Abdelkarim

    2013-09-21

    We have designed a convenient, specific, sensitive and continuous lipase assay based on the use of natural triacylglycerols (TAGs) from the Aleurites fordii seed oil which contains α-eleostearic acid (9,11,13,cis,trans,trans-octadecatrienoic acid) and which was coated in the wells of microtiter plates. The coated TAG film cannot be desorbed by the various buffers used during the lipase assay. Upon lipase action, α-eleostearic acid is liberated and desorbed from the interface and then solubilized into the micellar phase. Consequently, the UV absorbance of the α-eleostearic acid is considerably enhanced due to the transformation from an adsorbed to a water soluble state. The lipase activity can be measured continuously by recording the variations with time of the UV absorption spectra. The rate of lipolysis was monitored by measuring the increase of OD at 272 nm, which was found to be linear with time and directly proportional to the amount of added lipase. This microtiter plate lipase assay, based on coated TAGs, presents various advantages as compared to the classical systems: (i) coated TAGs on the microtiter plates could be stored for a long-time at 4 °C, (ii) higher sensitivity in lipase detection, (iii) good reproducibility, and (iv) increase of signal to noise ratio due to high UV absorption after transfer of α-eleostearic acid from an adsorbed to a soluble state. Low concentrations, down to 1 pg mL(-1) of pure Thermomyces lanuginosus or human pancreatic lipase, could be detected under standard assay conditions. The detection sensitivity of this coated method is around 1000 times higher as compared to those obtained with the classical emulsified systems. This continuous high throughput lipase assay could be used to screen new lipases and/or lipase inhibitors present in various biological samples.

  12. Development of a new microtiter plate format for clinically relevant assays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piletska, Elena V; Piletsky, Stanislav S; Whitcombe, Michael J; Chianella, Iva; Piletsky, Sergey A

    2012-02-21

    A new format for the microtiter plate-based assays was proposed. The novelty involves the use of disk-shaped inserts for immobilization of biological and chemical reagents. The internal opening of the disks allows measurements of the reactions by standard microtiter plate readers without any additional steps involving liquid handling. Ideally the plate end-users just have to add the sample and take the measurement without any need of multiple reagent additions or transfer of the liquid to a different plate. The novel assay format also allows handling of reagents which are not soluble in an aqueous environment. As a proof of concept we describe here several model reactions which are compatible with microtiter plate format, such as monitoring enzymatic reactions catalyzed by glucose oxidase (GOx) and urease, measurements of proteins by BCA assay, analysis of pH, and concentration of antioxidants. The "mix and match" approach in the disk-shape format allows multiplexing and could be particularly useful for high throughput screening. One of the potential application areas for this novel assay format could be in a multianalyte system for measurement of clinically relevant analytes in primary care.

  13. Spontaneous and cytokine induced basophil adhesion evaluated by microtiter assay

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Quan, Sha; Poulsen, Lars K; Reimert, Claus Michael

    2002-01-01

    We have developed a microtiter assay for evaluating basophil spontaneous adhesion to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins exemplified by fibronectin and cytokine induced basophil adhesion to bovine serum albumin (BSA). The percentage of basophils adhering to either ECM or BSA was quantified...

  14. Cortical hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in shaken-baby (shaken impact) syndrome: value of diffusion-weighted MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parizel, Paul M.; Oezsarlak, Oezkan; Goethem, Johan W. van; Ceulemans, Berten; Laridon, Annick; Jorens, Philippe G.

    2003-01-01

    Shaken-baby syndrome (SBS) is a type of child abuse caused by violent shaking of an infant, with or without impact, and characterized by subdural hematomas, retinal hemorrhages, and occult bone fractures. Parenchymal brain lesions in SBS may be missed or underestimated on CT scans, but can be detected at an earlier stage with diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) as areas of restricted diffusion. We demonstrate the value of DW-MRI in a 2-month-old baby boy with suspected SBS. The pattern of diffusion abnormalities indicates that the neuropathology of parenchymal lesions in SBS is due to hypoxic-ischemic brain injuries, and not to diffuse axonal injury. (orig.)

  15. Cortical hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in shaken-baby (shaken impact) syndrome: value of diffusion-weighted MRI

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Parizel, Paul M.; Oezsarlak, Oezkan; Goethem, Johan W. van [Department of Radiology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem (Belgium); Ceulemans, Berten; Laridon, Annick [Department of Pediatric Neurology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem (Belgium); Jorens, Philippe G. [Department of Pediatric Intensive Care Medicine, University of Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem (Belgium)

    2003-12-01

    Shaken-baby syndrome (SBS) is a type of child abuse caused by violent shaking of an infant, with or without impact, and characterized by subdural hematomas, retinal hemorrhages, and occult bone fractures. Parenchymal brain lesions in SBS may be missed or underestimated on CT scans, but can be detected at an earlier stage with diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) as areas of restricted diffusion. We demonstrate the value of DW-MRI in a 2-month-old baby boy with suspected SBS. The pattern of diffusion abnormalities indicates that the neuropathology of parenchymal lesions in SBS is due to hypoxic-ischemic brain injuries, and not to diffuse axonal injury. (orig.)

  16. Recognition and management of Shaken Baby Syndrome

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Nicholson, Alf

    2016-04-01

    Abusive head trauma (previously referred to as Shaken Baby Syndrome) consists of a triad of findings which included subdural haemorrhage, retinal haemorrhages and encephalopathy after receiving a shake injury or blunt trauma to the head. Debate rages regarding the exact mechanism. Previously published reports on abusive head trauma (AHT) highlight the young age of the victims (median 4 months of age), the significant preponderance of male infants (3:1 in most series), the high rate of probable male perpetrators (just over 50%), and relatively high rates of mortality and morbidity

  17. Microtiter miniature shaken bioreactor system as a scale-down model for process development of production of therapeutic alpha-interferon2b by recombinant Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Joo Shun; Abbasiliasi, Sahar; Kadkhodaei, Saeid; Tam, Yew Joon; Tang, Teck-Kim; Lee, Yee-Ying; Ariff, Arbakariya B

    2018-01-04

    Demand for high-throughput bioprocessing has dramatically increased especially in the biopharmaceutical industry because the technologies are of vital importance to process optimization and media development. This can be efficiently boosted by using microtiter plate (MTP) cultivation setup embedded into an automated liquid-handling system. The objective of this study was to establish an automated microscale method for upstream and downstream bioprocessing of α-IFN2b production by recombinant Escherichia coli. The extraction performance of α-IFN2b by osmotic shock using two different systems, automated microscale platform and manual extraction in MTP was compared. The amount of α-IFN2b extracted using automated microscale platform (49.2 μg/L) was comparable to manual osmotic shock method (48.8 μg/L), but the standard deviation was 2 times lower as compared to manual osmotic shock method. Fermentation parameters in MTP involving inoculum size, agitation speed, working volume and induction profiling revealed that the fermentation conditions for the highest production of α-IFN2b (85.5 μg/L) was attained at inoculum size of 8%, working volume of 40% and agitation speed of 1000 rpm with induction at 4 h after the inoculation. Although the findings at MTP scale did not show perfect scalable results as compared to shake flask culture, but microscale technique development would serve as a convenient and low-cost solution in process optimization for recombinant protein.

  18. Detection of Microbial Growth on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Microtiter Plates by Using the Respiration Indicator WST-1

    OpenAIRE

    Johnsen, Anders R.; Bendixen, Karen; Karlson, Ulrich

    2002-01-01

    We have developed a microtiter plate method for screening a large number of bacterial isolates for the ability to grow on different crystalline polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Growth on PAHs cannot easily be determined with standard growth assays because of the very low aqueous solubility and bioavailability of the PAHs. Our microtiter plate assay utilizes a new water-soluble respiration indicator, WST-1 {4-[3-(4-iodophenyl)-2-(4-nitrophenyl)-2H-5-tetrazolio]-1,3-benzene disulfonate}...

  19. De bruikbaarheid van de ‘shaken baby syndroom’-hypothese in het strafproces

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoving, R.A.

    In het Nederlandse strafproces wordt regelmatig gebruik gemaakt van deskundigenbewijs van deskundigen die uitgaan van de ‘shaken baby syndroom’-hypothese om aan te tonen dat een verdachte een baby heeft mishandeld of gedood. In onder meer de Verenigde Staten en Engeland woedt een felle discussie

  20. Quantification of biofilm in microtiter plates: overview of testing conditions and practical recommendations for assessment of biofilm production by staphylococci.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stepanović, Srdjan; Vuković, Dragana; Hola, Veronika; Di Bonaventura, Giovanni; Djukić, Slobodanka; Cirković, Ivana; Ruzicka, Filip

    2007-08-01

    The details of all steps involved in the quantification of biofilm formation in microtiter plates are described. The presented protocol incorporates information on assessment of biofilm production by staphylococci, gained both by direct experience as well as by analysis of methods for assaying biofilm production. The obtained results should simplify quantification of biofilm formation in microtiter plates, and make it more reliable and comparable among different laboratories.

  1. Dynamics of a single particle in a horizontally shaken box

    OpenAIRE

    Drossel, Barbara; Prellberg, Thomas

    1997-01-01

    We study the dynamics of a particle in a horizontally and periodically shaken box as a function of the box parameters and the coefficient of restitution. For certain parameter values, the particle becomes regularly chattered at one of the walls, thereby loosing all its kinetic energy relative to that wall. The number of container oscillations between two chattering events depends in a fractal manner on the parameters of the system. In contrast to a vertically vibrated particle, for which chat...

  2. High-resolution cranial ultrasound in the shaken-baby syndrome

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, C.Y.; Chin, S.C.; Lee, C.C.; Lee, K.W. [Dept. of Radiology, Tri-Service General Hospital and National Defence Medical Centre, Taipei, Taiwan (Taiwan); Huang, C.C. [Dept. of Paediatrics, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan (Taiwan); Zimmerman, R.A. [Dept. of Radiology, Children' s Hospital of Philadelphia, PA (United States); Yuh, Y.S.; Chen, S.J. [Dept. of Paediatrics, Tri-Service General Hospital and National Defence Medical Centre, Neihu, Taipei (Taiwan)

    2001-08-01

    With limited near-field resolution and accessible acoustic windows, sonography has not been advocated for assessing central nervous system injuries in the shaken-baby syndrome. Our purpose was to correlate high-resolution ultrasonographic characteristics of central nervous system injuries in whiplash injuries and the shaken-baby-syndrome with MRI and CT. Ultrasonographic images of 13 infants, aged 2-12 months, with whiplash or shaking cranial trauma were reviewed and compared with MRI in 10 and CT in 10. Five patients had serial ultrasonography and MRI or CT follow-up from 1 to 4 months after the initial injury. With ultrasonography we identified 20 subdural haematomas. MRI and CT in 15 of these showed that four were hyperechoic in the acute stage, three were mildly echogenic in the subacute stage, and that one subacute and seven chronic lesions were echo-free. Five patients had acute focal or diffuse echogenic cortical oedema which evolved into subacute subcortical hyperechoic haemorrhage in four, and well-defined chronic sonolucent cystic or noncystic encephalomalacia was seen at follow-up in two. Using ultrasonography we were unable to detect two posterior cranial fossa subdural haematomas or subarachnoid haemorrhage in the basal cisterns in three cases, but did show blood in the interhemispheric cistern and convexity sulci in two. Ultrasonography has limitations in demonstrating abnormalities remote from the high cerebral convexities but may be a useful adjunct to CT and MRI in monitoring the progression of central nervous system injuries in infants receiving intensive care. (orig.)

  3. High-resolution cranial ultrasound in the shaken-baby syndrome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, C.Y.; Chin, S.C.; Lee, C.C.; Lee, K.W.; Huang, C.C.; Zimmerman, R.A.; Yuh, Y.S.; Chen, S.J.

    2001-01-01

    With limited near-field resolution and accessible acoustic windows, sonography has not been advocated for assessing central nervous system injuries in the shaken-baby syndrome. Our purpose was to correlate high-resolution ultrasonographic characteristics of central nervous system injuries in whiplash injuries and the shaken-baby-syndrome with MRI and CT. Ultrasonographic images of 13 infants, aged 2-12 months, with whiplash or shaking cranial trauma were reviewed and compared with MRI in 10 and CT in 10. Five patients had serial ultrasonography and MRI or CT follow-up from 1 to 4 months after the initial injury. With ultrasonography we identified 20 subdural haematomas. MRI and CT in 15 of these showed that four were hyperechoic in the acute stage, three were mildly echogenic in the subacute stage, and that one subacute and seven chronic lesions were echo-free. Five patients had acute focal or diffuse echogenic cortical oedema which evolved into subacute subcortical hyperechoic haemorrhage in four, and well-defined chronic sonolucent cystic or noncystic encephalomalacia was seen at follow-up in two. Using ultrasonography we were unable to detect two posterior cranial fossa subdural haematomas or subarachnoid haemorrhage in the basal cisterns in three cases, but did show blood in the interhemispheric cistern and convexity sulci in two. Ultrasonography has limitations in demonstrating abnormalities remote from the high cerebral convexities but may be a useful adjunct to CT and MRI in monitoring the progression of central nervous system injuries in infants receiving intensive care. (orig.)

  4. Development and Validation of a Microtiter Plate-Based Assay for Determination of Bacteriophage Host Range and Virulence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Yicheng; Wahab, Laith; Gill, Jason J

    2018-04-12

    Bacteriophages, which are the natural predators of bacteria, have re-emerged as an attractive alternative to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria. Phages are highly specific at the species and strain level and measurement of the phage host range plays an important role in utilizing the phage as antimicrobials. The most common method for phage host range determination has been to spot phage lysates on soft agar overlays and observe plaque formation. In this study, a liquid culture-based assay was developed in a 96-well microtiter plate format to measure the phage host range and virulence for a collection of 15 Salmonella phages against a panel of 20 Salmonella strains representing 11 serovars. This method was compared to a traditional spot method. The majority of the host range results from two methods were in agreement including in cases where a bacterial strain was insensitive to the phage. Each method produced a false-negative result in 19/300 (6%) of the measured phage-host combinations when compared to the other method. The spot method tended to indicate greater phage sensitivity than the microtiter assay even though direct comparisons of the response magnitude between the two methods is difficult since they operate on different mechanisms. The microtiter plate assay was able to provide data on both the phage host range and virulence in greater resolution in a high-throughput format.

  5. Development and Validation of a Microtiter Plate-Based Assay for Determination of Bacteriophage Host Range and Virulence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yicheng Xie

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Bacteriophages, which are the natural predators of bacteria, have re-emerged as an attractive alternative to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria. Phages are highly specific at the species and strain level and measurement of the phage host range plays an important role in utilizing the phage as antimicrobials. The most common method for phage host range determination has been to spot phage lysates on soft agar overlays and observe plaque formation. In this study, a liquid culture-based assay was developed in a 96-well microtiter plate format to measure the phage host range and virulence for a collection of 15 Salmonella phages against a panel of 20 Salmonella strains representing 11 serovars. This method was compared to a traditional spot method. The majority of the host range results from two methods were in agreement including in cases where a bacterial strain was insensitive to the phage. Each method produced a false-negative result in 19/300 (6% of the measured phage-host combinations when compared to the other method. The spot method tended to indicate greater phage sensitivity than the microtiter assay even though direct comparisons of the response magnitude between the two methods is difficult since they operate on different mechanisms. The microtiter plate assay was able to provide data on both the phage host range and virulence in greater resolution in a high-throughput format.

  6. Adaptation of the Nelson-Somogyi reducing-sugar assay to a microassay using microtiter plates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, F; Clausen, C A; Highley, T L

    1989-11-01

    The Nelson-Somogyi assay for reducing sugars was adapted to microtiter plates. The primary advantages of this modified assay are (i) smaller sample and reagent volumes, (ii) elimination of boiling and filtration steps, (iii) automated measurement with a dual-wavelength scanning TLC densitometer, (iv) increased range and reproducibility, and (v) automated colorimetric readings by reflectance rather than absorbance.

  7. The Whiplash Shaken Infant Syndrome: Has Caffey's Syndrome Changed or Have We Changed His Syndrome?.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lazoritz, Stephen; Baldwin, Sandra; Kini, Narendra

    1997-01-01

    This study examined recent literature describing the Shaken Infant Syndrome and compared it to John Caffey's original descriptions in 1946. Retrospective evaluation of 71 recent cases and 27 case examples offered by Caffey was also performed. Results indicated the recent cases more likely to involve impact trauma, male perpetrators, and admission…

  8. MR imaging of shaken baby syndrome manifested as chronic subdural hematoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Yul; Lee, Kwan Seop; Hwang, Dae Hyun; Lee, In Jae; Kim, Hyun Beom; Lee, Jae Young [Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang (Korea, Republic of)

    2001-09-01

    Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) is a form of child abuse that can cause significant head injuries, of which subdural hematoma (SDH) is the most common manifestation. We report the MRI findings of chronic SDH in three cases of SBS, involving two-, three- and eight-month-old babies. The SDH signal was mostly low on T1-weighted images and high on T2-weighted images, suggesting chronic SDH. In chronic SDH, a focal high signal on T1-weighted images was also noted, suggesting rebleeding. Contrast-enhanced MRI revealed diffuse dural enhancement.

  9. MR imaging of shaken baby syndrome manifested as chronic subdural hematoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Yul; Lee, Kwan Seop; Hwang, Dae Hyun; Lee, In Jae; Kim, Hyun Beom; Lee, Jae Young

    2001-01-01

    Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) is a form of child abuse that can cause significant head injuries, of which subdural hematoma (SDH) is the most common manifestation. We report the MRI findings of chronic SDH in three cases of SBS, involving two-, three- and eight-month-old babies. The SDH signal was mostly low on T1-weighted images and high on T2-weighted images, suggesting chronic SDH. In chronic SDH, a focal high signal on T1-weighted images was also noted, suggesting rebleeding. Contrast-enhanced MRI revealed diffuse dural enhancement

  10. A simple and convenient microtiter plate assay for the detection of bactericidal antibodies to Vibrio cholerae O1 and Vibrio cholerae O139.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boutonnier, Alain; Dassy, Bruno; Duménil, Rémy; Guénolé, Alain; Ratsitorahina, Maherisoa; Migliani, René; Fournier, Jean-Michel

    2003-12-01

    It is believed that the correlate of protection for cholera can be determined by the serum vibriocidal assay. The currently available vibriocidal assays, based on the conventional agar plating technique, are labor intensive. We developed a simple and convenient microtiter plate assay for the detection of vibriocidal antibodies that is equally as efficient for Vibrio cholerae O1 and for V. cholerae O139. The addition of succinate and neotetrazolium made it possible to measure the growth of surviving bacterial target cells by monitoring a color change. We evaluated assay parameters (target strains, growth of target cells, complement source and concentration) that may affect the reproducibility of the method for V. cholerae O139. The results obtained with the microtiter plate assay were uniformly similar to those obtained with the conventional agar plating assay, when testing both the Inaba and Ogawa serotypes of V. cholerae O1. The microtiter plate assay was also convenient for measuring the activity of animal sera and mouse monoclonal antibodies.

  11. An efficient enzyme immunoassay for glutamate using glutaraldehyde coupling of the hapten to microtiter plates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ordronneau, P; Abdullah, L H; Petrusz, P

    1991-09-13

    In order to coat microtiter plates for enzyme immunoassays (EIAs), amino acids and other haptens are usually coupled to larger protein molecules. The formation of such conjugates is not always reproducible. This may lead to inconsistent hapten-protein stoichiometries, unfavorable orientation of the hapten on the protein and/or well-to-well variation in the concentration of the available hapten. In the assay described here the excitatory amino acid (EAA) Glu is coupled directly to polystyrene microtiter wells with GA. Each step of the assay was tested for maximum efficiency. The resulting EIA with Glu as a competitor gave excellent reproducibility (coefficient of variation = 5.87%), an EC50 of 2.02 X 10(-5) M and a detection limit of 1.26 X 10(-6) M. This EIA method is generally useful for a variety of antisera to amino acids and small peptides and a wide range of competing substances. It can be used to characterize the conformational requirements for antigen binding, to assay for glutamate or to identify compounds with glutamate-like structure in unknown solutions.

  12. Trialling a shaken baby syndrome prevention programme in the Auckland District Health Board.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, Patrick; Wilson, Kati; Mowjood, Aqeela; Friedman, Joshua; Reed, Peter

    2016-02-19

    To describe and evaluate a shaken baby prevention programme trialled in the Auckland District Health Board from January 2010, to December 2011. Development and implementation of the programme, telephone survey of a sample of caregivers and written survey of a sample of providers. At least 2,592 caregivers received the trial programme. 150 (6%) were surveyed by telephone a median of 6 weeks later. 128 (85%) remembered at least one key message, unprompted; most commonly "It's OK to walk away" (94/150, 63%). When asked, 92% had made a plan for what to do when frustrated and 63% had shared the information with others. Only 98/150 (65%) watched the programme DVD. Many said they already knew about the risks of shaking a baby, but still found the programme highly relevant. Thirty-one nurses were surveyed. There was a high degree of agreement that the programme was relevant. Barriers to programme delivery included time, workload and the documentation required. A shaken baby prevention programme adapted to New Zealand can be introduced in a District Health Board and is acceptable to caregivers and health professionals. Further research is needed to evaluate the content, mode of delivery and effectiveness of this programme.

  13. A novel microtiter plate radioimmunoassay of insulin autoantibody

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Gan; Li Zhangwei; Jin Helai; Wang Xia; Wang Jianping; Zhou Zhiguang

    2009-01-01

    Objective: Insulin autoantibody (IAA) is known to exist in sera of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients and pre-T1DM individuals. The aim of this study was to establish a novel mierotiter plate radioimmunoassay (RIA) for IAA and evaluate its clinical value. Methods: Diluted 125 I-insulin was mixed with 5 μl serum samples in a 96-well microtiter plate and then incubated for 72 h on an orbital plate shaker (4 degree C). The immunocomplexes were transferred to another protein a coated Millipore plate, and then the plate was washed with Tri-Buffered Saline Tween-20 (TBT) buffer. Counts per minute (CPM) was measured with liquid scintillation and luminescence counter. The positive cut-off point of IAA index was defined as ≥0.06 based on the 99-percentile of the distribution in 317 healthy individuals. The specificity and sensitivity of the assay were calculated from the samples provided by the fourth Diabetes Autoantibodies Standardization Program (DASP 2005). The IAA levels were determined in 71 T1DM and 551 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients, and 317 healthy controls. The t test, non-parametric test, χ 2 test and linear correlation analysis were performed on the data using SPSS 11.5 software. The concordance rate was estimated with Kappa value. Results: (1) The optimized testing condition was described as 2 x 10 4 CPM of 125 I-insulin, 5 μl serum sample and slowly horizontal shaking for 72 h. (2) The intra-assay CV was 4.8%-8.9% and inter-assay CV was 6.4%-10.5%. Based on DASP 2005 samples, the specificity and sensitivity of the assay were 97% (97/100) and 50% (25/50), respectively. Ninety-six serum samples with different IAA levels were selected and tested to compare between our new method and a domestic IAA RIA kit. The results showed that the IAA indices from the two methods were positively correlated (r= 0.678, P<0.001). The concordance rate was 72.9% (Kappa value=0.402). There were 25 samples with discordant results, which were positive for

  14. Evaluation of knowledge regarding Shaken Baby Syndrome among parents and medical staff.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marcinkowska, Urszula; Tyrala, Kinga; Paniczek, Monika; Ledwon, Martyna; Josko-Ochojska, Jadwiga

    2016-06-08

    Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), currently functioning as Abusive Head Trauma (AHT), is a form of violence against children mainly under 2 years of age. The number of SBS might be underestimated, as many cases of violence remain unreported. The aim of the study was evaluation of the state of knowledge of the SBS phenomenon, its scale and diagnostic methods among parents, medical staff and medical students. 639 people were examined: 39% of parents, 32,5% medical staff members and 28,5% of medical students. 82% were women. The average age was 34,9 years (SD=9,78). 70% of them had children. The research tool was an anonymous survey. The 34 questions concerned numerous aspects of violence against children as well as knowledge about SBS. According to 90% of the interviewees shaking a baby may be dangerous but 43% have ever heard about shaken baby syndrome. 'SBS is a form of violence' said 88% of respondents but 57% realize that one-time shaking can lead to death and only 19% indicated men as aggressors. 16% of medical staff members did not know how long it takes for the consequences of shaking a baby to be revealed. Majority of the medical staff members working with children have never heard about SBS. Only half of the surveyed understands the connection of shaking with vision loss or child's death. Among the long-term consequences of shaking a baby the greatest knowledge concerns emotional consequences of shaking.

  15. Fully automated synthesis of (phosphopeptide arrays in microtiter plate wells provides efficient access to protein tyrosine kinase characterization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Goldstein David J

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Synthetic peptides have played a useful role in studies of protein kinase substrates and interaction domains. Synthetic peptide arrays and libraries, in particular, have accelerated the process. Several factors have hindered or limited the applicability of various techniques, such as the need for deconvolution of combinatorial libraries, the inability or impracticality of achieving full automation using two-dimensional or pin solid phases, the lack of convenient interfacing with standard analytical platforms, or the difficulty of compartmentalization of a planar surface when contact between assay components needs to be avoided. This paper describes a process for synthesis of peptides and phosphopeptides on microtiter plate wells that overcomes previous limitations and demonstrates utility in determination of the epitope of an autophosphorylation site phospho-motif antibody and utility in substrate utilization assays of the protein tyrosine kinase, p60c-src. Results The overall reproducibility of phospho-peptide synthesis and multiplexed EGF receptor (EGFR autophosphorylation site (pY1173 antibody ELISA (9H2 was within 5.5 to 8.0%. Mass spectrometric analyses of the released (phosphopeptides showed homogeneous peaks of the expected molecular weights. An overlapping peptide array of the complete EGFR cytoplasmic sequence revealed a high redundancy of 9H2 reactive sites. The eight reactive phospopeptides were structurally related and interestingly, the most conserved antibody reactive peptide motif coincided with a subset of other known EGFR autophosphorylation and SH2 binding motifs and an EGFR optimal substrate motif. Finally, peptides based on known substrate specificities of c-src and related enzymes were synthesized in microtiter plate array format and were phosphorylated by c-Src with the predicted specificities. The level of phosphorylation was proportional to c-Src concentration with sensitivities below 0.1 Units of

  16. Spontaneous Absorption of Extensive Subinternal Limiting Membrane Hemorrhage in Shaken Baby Syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatiana Tarules Azzi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS is characterized by subdural hematomas (SH, retinal hemorrhages (RH, and multiple fractures of long bones without external evidence of head trauma. Subinternal limiting membrane (ILM hemorrhage, also known as macular schisis, is a characteristic finding of this entity. There is no guideline on the right time to indicate surgical treatment. This report describes an abused child with massive sub-ILM hemorrhage, which showed spontaneous absorption after less than two months of follow-up. Due to the possible spontaneous resolution, we suggest an initial conservative treatment in cases of sub-ILM hemorrhage related to SBS.

  17. Scaled-up manufacturing of recombinant antibodies produced by plant cells in a 200-L orbitally-shaken disposable bioreactor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raven, Nicole; Rasche, Stefan; Kuehn, Christoph; Anderlei, Tibor; Klöckner, Wolf; Schuster, Flora; Henquet, Maurice; Bosch, Dirk; Büchs, Jochen; Fischer, Rainer; Schillberg, Stefan

    2015-02-01

    Tobacco BY-2 cells have emerged as a promising platform for the manufacture of biopharmaceutical proteins, offering efficient protein secretion, favourable growth characteristics and cultivation in containment under a controlled environment. The cultivation of BY-2 cells in disposable bioreactors is a useful alternative to conventional stainless steel stirred-tank reactors, and orbitally-shaken bioreactors could provide further advantages such as simple bag geometry, scalability and predictable process settings. We carried out a scale-up study, using a 200-L orbitally-shaken bioreactor holding disposable bags, and BY-2 cells producing the human monoclonal antibody M12. We found that cell growth and recombinant protein accumulation were comparable to standard shake flask cultivation, despite a 200-fold difference in cultivation volume. Final cell fresh weights of 300-387 g/L and M12 yields of ∼20 mg/L were achieved with both cultivation methods. Furthermore, we established an efficient downstream process for the recovery of M12 from the culture broth. The viscous spent medium prevented clarification using filtration devices, but we used expanded bed adsorption (EBA) chromatography with SP Sepharose as an alternative for the efficient capture of the M12 antibody. EBA was introduced as an initial purification step prior to protein A affinity chromatography, resulting in an overall M12 recovery of 75-85% and a purity of >95%. Our results demonstrate the suitability of orbitally-shaken bioreactors for the scaled-up cultivation of plant cell suspension cultures and provide a strategy for the efficient purification of antibodies from the BY-2 culture medium. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Shaken baby syndrome manifesting as infantile spasms seizure type

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Der-Shiun Wang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The diagnosis of child maltreatment leading to head injury is challenging. Here, we present the case of a 3-month-old female infant who presented with focal seizures that lasted for several minutes. After admission, she began to show intermittent clusters of head nods, irritable crying, arching, writhing, stiffening, and jerking of both arms. These results and electroencephalography findings were attributed as the diagnosis of infantile spasms (IS. Brain computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI revealed the presence of chronic subdural hematoma mixed with acute ischemic injuries. Examination of the eye fundus confirmed the presence of retinal hemorrhage. Therefore, all evidence pointed to a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome (SBS. Based on this case, we suggest that physicians should consider a diagnosis of SBS for children with new-onset IS and that should be evaluated, diagnosed, and treated as promptly as possible.

  19. Plasminogen activator activity and plasma-coagulum lysis measured by use of optimized fibrin gel structure preformed in microtiter plates

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sidelmann, Johannes Jakobsen; Jespersen, J; Gram, J

    1995-01-01

    We introduce a new fibrin plate assay performed in microtiter plates. By means of spectroscopic studies we optimized the structure of the fibrin gel and then used the optimized fibrin gel to determine plasminogen activator activity. Plasminogen activator solutions were applied on top of the fibri...

  20. Assessment of parental awareness of the shaken baby syndrome in Ireland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mann, Amandeep K; Rai, Birendra; Sharif, Farhana; Vavasseur, Claudine

    2015-10-01

    Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) results in cerebral trauma. Creating awareness through education may improve parental response to a distressed infant. We aim to assess current parental understanding of SBS and identify knowledge gaps. A prospective assessment was carried out in two independent maternity hospitals (National Maternity Hospital (NMH) and Midland Regional Hospital (MRH)) over a 4-month period. Multi-dimensional questionnaires were distributed to parents (n = 233) and results were assessed anonymously. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS21 software. Two hundred thirty-three participants were included: n = 114 (NMH), n = 119 (MRH). Fifty-four percent (n = 62, NMH) and 50 % (n = 60, MRH) had never heard of SBS. Of those who had, media was the commonest source: 94 % (47/50) NMH; 86 % (47/59) MRH. Less than 1 % of participants obtained information through a health care provider. Nearly all respondents wanted further information, regardless of whether they had prior knowledge (100 % (NMH); 99.2 % (MRH)). Participants wanted information delivered via a midwife (51 % (58/114) NMH; 45 % (54/119) MRH), with reading material (61 % (69/114) NMH; 59 % (70/119) MRH), during pre-natal period (50 % (57/114) NMH; 65 % (77/119) MRH). Importantly, parents of Irish origin were more likely to have heard of SBS compared to those of non-Irish origin (p = 0.026 (NMH), p = 0.020 (MRH)). Half of all participants had no prior knowledge of SBS, with majority expressing interest in learning more. Therefore, a national "Don't Shake" campaign is evolving. • Studies have shown that educating parents regarding shaken baby syndrome (SBS) may result in a more safe and appropriate response to infant crying [ 3 ]. • In Ireland, there is no such education provided to parents in maternity hospitals. What is New: • Just over half of our participants had not heard of SBS, and we have identified parental perceptions of SBS, and parents preferred method of

  1. Orbitally shaken shallow fluid layers. II. An improved wall shear stress model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alpresa, Paola; Sherwin, Spencer; Weinberg, Peter; van Reeuwijk, Maarten

    2018-03-01

    A new model for the analytical prediction of wall shear stress distributions at the base of orbitally shaken shallow fluid layers is developed. This model is a generalisation of the classical extended Stokes solution and will be referred to as the potential theory-Stokes model. The model is validated using a large set of numerical simulations covering a wide range of flow regimes representative of those used in laboratory experiments. It is demonstrated that the model is in much better agreement with the simulation data than the classical Stokes solution, improving the prediction in 63% of the studied cases. The central assumption of the model—which is to link the wall shear stress with the surface velocity—is shown to hold remarkably well over all regimes covered.

  2. A flexible well-mixed milliliter-scale reactor with high oxygen transfer rate for microbial cultivations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bolic, Andrijana; Larsson, Hilde Kristina; Hugelier, Siewert

    2016-01-01

    solution and replacement for existing microtiter plates, shaken flasks and bench scale bioreactors. In this work, a new design of a milliliter-scale bioreactor system is presented and characterized. The entire system consists of a platform with gas connections, heater, temperature sensor and optical fibers...... on the one side and a bioreactor with special designed magnetic stirrer and non-invasive optical sensors for measurement of pH, dissolved oxygen and optical density on the other side. The system has a high level of flexibility in terms of volume (0.5–2 mL), aeration (sparging and surface aeration) and mixing...

  3. Orbitally shaken shallow fluid layers. I. Regime classification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alpresa, Paola; Sherwin, Spencer; Weinberg, Peter; van Reeuwijk, Maarten

    2018-03-01

    Orbital shakers are simple devices that provide mixing, aeration, and shear stress at multiple scales and high throughput. For this reason, they are extensively used in a wide range of applications from protein production to bacterial biofilms and endothelial cell experiments. This study focuses on the behaviour of orbitally shaken shallow fluid layers in cylindrical containers. In order to investigate the behaviour over a wide range of different conditions, a significant number of numerical simulations are carried out under different configuration parameters. We demonstrate that potential theory—despite the relatively low Reynolds number of the system—describes the free-surface amplitude well and the velocity field reasonably well, except when the forcing frequency is close to a natural frequency and resonance occurs. By classifying the simulations into non-breaking, breaking, and breaking with part of the bottom uncovered, it is shown that the onset of wave breaking is well described by Δh/(2R) = 0.7Γ, where Δh is the free-surface amplitude, R is the container radius, and Γ is the container aspect ratio; Δh can be well approximated using the potential theory. This result is in agreement with standard wave breaking theories although the significant inertial forcing causes wave breaking at lower amplitudes.

  4. Influence of affinity on antibody determination in microtiter ELISA systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peterman, J.H.; Voss, E.W. Jr.; Butler, J.E.

    1986-01-01

    Theoretically, all immunoassays are affinity (Ka) dependent when the product of the antibody (Ab) Ka and the free epitope concentration is less than 10. Thus, the degree of dependence on Ka depends on the concentration of available antigen in the system. The authors examined the binding of 125 I-anti-fluorescein (a-FLU) monoclonal antibodies of different affinities to FLU-gelatin adsorbed on Immunlon 2 microtiter plates. Data obtained were in general agreement with our theoretical predictions; the percent of 125 I-a-FLU which bound correlated with Ka, as did the shape of the titration curves. Measurement of 5 a-FLU monoclonals by the ELISA showed that the determination of Ab concentrations depends on the FLU-gelatin concentration, epitope density, and on the relationship between the Kas of test samples and the reference standard Ab preparation. Thus the ELISA is Ka dependent and should not be used routinely to estimate the absolute amount to Ab in unknown samples. However, the Ka dependency of the ELISA might provide a convenient assay for the estimation of the relative functional Ka (rfKa) of antibody preparations

  5. Study of a Mathematical Model of Biocide Effect on a Biofilm Isolated from a Cooling System Using the Microtiter Plate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shahryar Shakeri

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available Bacterial colonization on metal surfaces and their metabolic activities lead to biocorrosion. In fact, any agent removing the biofilm or decreasing its thickness is capable of preventing biocorrosion. Biocides make up one such agent. These agents can control bacterial biofilms, remove these structures, or kill cells within them. The object of this research is to study the thermodynamic model of biocide penetration into the biofilm using the microtiter plate test. First, the biofilm bacteria were isolated to form a mix- bacterial biofilm. The biocide effect on the mix-biofilm was then determined using the microtiter plate test. Results from this test were compared with those from a thermodynamic model and it was revealed that the effects of oxidizing biocides such as sodium hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide are in good agreement with the results from the model. The results indicated that increased biocide concentration leads to the removal of the biofilm or to the kill-off of the cells within it. However, in the case of non-oxidizing biocides such as sulfathiazol, glutaraldehyde, and alkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, the efficiency results did not agree well with the results from the thermodynamic model such that increased biocide concentration did not remove the biofilm nor did it kill off the cells within it

  6. A rapid microtiter plate serum bactericidal assay method for determining serum complement-mediated killing of Mannheimia haemolytica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayalew, Sahlu; Confer, Anthony W; Shrestha, Binu; Payton, Mark E

    2012-05-01

    In this study, we describe a rapid microtiter serum bactericidal assay (RMSBA) that can be used to measure the functionality of immune sera. It quantifies bactericidal activity of immune sera in the presence of complement against a homologous bacterium, M. haemolytica in this case. There is high correlation between data from RMSBA and standard complement-mediated bacterial killing assay (r=0.756; p<0.0001). The RMSBA activity of sera can be generated in less than 5 h instead of overnight incubation. RMSBA costs substantially less in terms of time, labor, and resources and is highly reproducible. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Mode decomposition and Lagrangian structures of the flow dynamics in orbitally shaken bioreactors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weheliye, Weheliye Hashi; Cagney, Neil; Rodriguez, Gregorio; Micheletti, Martina; Ducci, Andrea

    2018-03-01

    In this study, two mode decomposition techniques were applied and compared to assess the flow dynamics in an orbital shaken bioreactor (OSB) of cylindrical geometry and flat bottom: proper orthogonal decomposition and dynamic mode decomposition. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) experiments were carried out for different operating conditions including fluid height, h, and shaker rotational speed, N. A detailed flow analysis is provided for conditions when the fluid and vessel motions are in-phase (Fr = 0.23) and out-of-phase (Fr = 0.47). PIV measurements in vertical and horizontal planes were combined to reconstruct low order models of the full 3D flow and to determine its Finite-Time Lyapunov Exponent (FTLE) within OSBs. The combined results from the mode decomposition and the FTLE fields provide a useful insight into the flow dynamics and Lagrangian coherent structures in OSBs and offer a valuable tool to optimise bioprocess design in terms of mixing and cell suspension.

  8. Automated sample preparation using membrane microtiter extraction for bioanalytical mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janiszewski, J; Schneider, P; Hoffmaster, K; Swyden, M; Wells, D; Fouda, H

    1997-01-01

    The development and application of membrane solid phase extraction (SPE) in 96-well microtiter plate format is described for the automated analysis of drugs in biological fluids. The small bed volume of the membrane allows elution of the analyte in a very small solvent volume, permitting direct HPLC injection and negating the need for the time consuming solvent evaporation step. A programmable liquid handling station (Quadra 96) was modified to automate all SPE steps. To avoid drying of the SPE bed and to enhance the analytical precision a novel protocol for performing the condition, load and wash steps in rapid succession was utilized. A block of 96 samples can now be extracted in 10 min., about 30 times faster than manual solvent extraction or single cartridge SPE methods. This processing speed complements the high-throughput speed of contemporary high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) analysis. The quantitative analysis of a test analyte (Ziprasidone) in plasma demonstrates the utility and throughput of membrane SPE in combination with HPLC/MS. The results obtained with the current automated procedure compare favorably with those obtained using solvent and traditional solid phase extraction methods. The method has been used for the analysis of numerous drug prototypes in biological fluids to support drug discovery efforts.

  9. A high-throughput microtiter plate based method for the determination of peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Putt, Karson S; Pugh, Randall B

    2013-01-01

    Peracetic acid is gaining usage in numerous industries who have found a myriad of uses for its antimicrobial activity. However, rapid high throughput quantitation methods for peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide are lacking. Herein, we describe the development of a high-throughput microtiter plate based assay based upon the well known and trusted titration chemical reactions. The adaptation of these titration chemistries to rapid plate based absorbance methods for the sequential determination of hydrogen peroxide specifically and the total amount of peroxides present in solution are described. The results of these methods were compared to those of a standard titration and found to be in good agreement. Additionally, the utility of the developed method is demonstrated through the generation of degradation curves of both peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide in a mixed solution.

  10. Correlation between mass transfer coefficient kLa and relevant operating parameters in cylindrical disposable shaken bioreactors on a bench-to-pilot scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klöckner, Wolf; Gacem, Riad; Anderlei, Tibor; Raven, Nicole; Schillberg, Stefan; Lattermann, Clemens; Büchs, Jochen

    2013-12-02

    Among disposable bioreactor systems, cylindrical orbitally shaken bioreactors show important advantages. They provide a well-defined hydrodynamic flow combined with excellent mixing and oxygen transfer for mammalian and plant cell cultivations. Since there is no known universal correlation between the volumetric mass transfer coefficient for oxygen kLa and relevant operating parameters in such bioreactor systems, the aim of this current study is to experimentally determine a universal kLa correlation. A Respiration Activity Monitoring System (RAMOS) was used to measure kLa values in cylindrical disposable shaken bioreactors and Buckingham's π-Theorem was applied to define a dimensionless equation for kLa. In this way, a scale- and volume-independent kLa correlation was developed and validated in bioreactors with volumes from 2 L to 200 L. The final correlation was used to calculate cultivation parameters at different scales to allow a sufficient oxygen supply of tobacco BY-2 cell suspension cultures. The resulting equation can be universally applied to calculate the mass transfer coefficient for any of seven relevant cultivation parameters such as the reactor diameter, the shaking frequency, the filling volume, the viscosity, the oxygen diffusion coefficient, the gravitational acceleration or the shaking diameter within an accuracy range of +/- 30%. To our knowledge, this is the first kLa correlation that has been defined and validated for the cited bioreactor system on a bench-to-pilot scale.

  11. A high-throughput microtiter plate based method for the determination of peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karson S Putt

    Full Text Available Peracetic acid is gaining usage in numerous industries who have found a myriad of uses for its antimicrobial activity. However, rapid high throughput quantitation methods for peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide are lacking. Herein, we describe the development of a high-throughput microtiter plate based assay based upon the well known and trusted titration chemical reactions. The adaptation of these titration chemistries to rapid plate based absorbance methods for the sequential determination of hydrogen peroxide specifically and the total amount of peroxides present in solution are described. The results of these methods were compared to those of a standard titration and found to be in good agreement. Additionally, the utility of the developed method is demonstrated through the generation of degradation curves of both peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide in a mixed solution.

  12. An immunoassay for dibutyl phthalate based on direct hapten linkage to the polystyrene surface of microtiter plates.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chenxi Wei

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Dibutyl phthalate (DBP is predominantly used as a plasticizer inplastics to make them flexible. Extensive use of phthalates in both industrial processes and other consumer products has resulted in the ubiquitous presence of phthalates in the environment. In order to better determine the level of pollution in the environment and evaluate the potential adverse effects of exposure to DBP, immunoassay for DBP was developed. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A monoclonal antibody specific to DBP was produced from a stable hybridoma cell line generated by lymphocyte hybridoma technique. An indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA employing direct coating of hapten on polystyrene microtiter plates was established for the detection of DBP. Polystyrene surface was first oxidized by permanganate in dilute sulfuric acid to generate carboxyl groups. Then dibutyl 4-aminophthalate, which is an analogue of DBP, was covalently linked to the carboxyl groups of polystyrene surface with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC. Compared with conjugate coated format (IC(50=106 ng/mL, the direct hapten coated format (IC(50=14.6 ng/mL improved assay sensitivity after careful optimization of assay conditions. The average recovery of DBP from spiked water sample was 104.4% and the average coefficient of variation was 9.95%. Good agreement of the results obtained by the hapten coated icELISA and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry further confirmed the reliability and accuracy of the icELISA for the detection of DBP in certain plastic and cosmetic samples. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The stable and efficient hybridoma cell line obtained is an unlimited source of sensitive and specific antibody to DBP. The hapten coated format is proposed as generally applicable because the carboxyl groups on modified microtiter plate surface enables stable immobilization of aminated or hydroxylated hapten with EDC. The developed

  13. Quantitative determination of heparin levels in serum with microtiter plate-format optode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Sung Bae; Kang, Tae Young; Cha, Geun Sig; Nam, Hakhyun

    2006-01-01

    A new assay method has been developed for the quantitative determination of heparin in serum using a microtiter plate-format optode (MPO). Heparin and proton in physiological sample are favorably co-extracted into the solvent polymeric optode membrane containing both cationic lipophilic additive, tridodecylmethyl ammonium chloride (TDMAC), and proton-selective ionophore, 3-hydroxy-4-(4-nitrophenylazo)-phenyloctadecanoate (ETH 2412), resulting in the absorbance change of the membrane to varying heparin levels. The optimized MPO composition contains low polymer-to-plasticizer ratio compared to those of conventional ion-selective optodes or electrodes, i.e., poly(vinyl chloride) (20.0)/dioctylsebacate (76.3)/ETH 2412 (1.7)/TDMAC (1.0) (wt.%): it resulted in a quantitative response to heparin from 0 to 15 unit/mL in serum with high sensitivity. The heparin-protamine titration on the MPO could provide rapid and precise determination of heparin. It was shown that the heparin levels in serum sample could be determined from the rate of absorbance change over time (ΔA/Δt); this method was more effective than the direct absorbance measurement in minimizing the interferences from color and turbidity of serum samples. MPO has been developed as a high throughput and convenient disposable sensing device, and may find a wide application in the determination of polyions and charged macromolecules

  14. Immobilization methods for the rapid total chemical synthesis of proteins on microtiter plates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zitterbart, Robert; Krumrey, Michael; Seitz, Oliver

    2017-07-01

    The chemical synthesis of proteins typically involves the solid-phase peptide synthesis of unprotected peptide fragments that are stitched together in solution by native chemical ligation (NCL). The process is slow, and throughput is limited because of the need for repeated high performance liquid chromatography purification steps after both solid-phase peptide synthesis and NCL. With an aim to provide faster access to functional proteins and to accelerate the functional analysis of synthetic proteins by parallelization, we developed a method for the high performance liquid chromatography-free synthesis of proteins on the surface of microtiter plates. The method relies on solid-phase synthesis of unprotected peptide fragments, immobilization of the C-terminal fragment and on-surface NCL with an unprotected peptide thioester in crude form. Herein, we describe the development of a suitable immobilization chemistry. We compared (i) formation of nickel(II)-oligohistidine complexes, (ii) Cu-based [2 + 3] alkine-azide cycloaddition and (iii) hydrazone ligation. The comparative study identified the hydrazone ligation as most suitable. The sequence of immobilization via hydrazone ligation, on-surface NCL and radical desulfurization furnished the targeted SH3 domains in near quantitative yield. The synthetic proteins were functional as demonstrated by an on-surface fluorescence-based saturation binding analysis. Copyright © 2017 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  15. Spectrophotometric determination of various polyanions with polymeric film optodes using microtiter plate reader.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dürüst, Nedime; Meyerhoff, Mark E; Unal, Nazangül; Naç, Sibel

    2011-08-05

    Polycation-sensitive membrane optodes based on the chromoionophore 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein octadecylester (DCFOE) have previously been developed and used for determination of heparin via a titrimetric method. In this study, it is shown that some other important polyanions such as PPS (pentosan polysulfate), DNA, xanthan, Na-alginate, and carrageenan (food additive) can also be readily determined by using DCFOE-based microtiter plate-format optodes (MPOs) and polycationic titrants that bind these polyanionic species. The optical sensors are prepared with poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), polyurethane (PU), bis(2-ethylhexyl)sebacate (DOS), and 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein octadecylester (DCFOE) and exhibit reproducible and sensitive absorbance changes in response to the varying polycationic titrant concentrations. Three different polycations; protamine, poly-l-lysine and poly-l-arginine, are employed as titrants. The method has a detection limit of 1 μg mL(-1), and a dynamic range of 1-40 μg mL(-1). After the quantitative determinations are successfully demonstrated in buffered solutions, similar titrations are also performed in real samples. The method is validated by recovery studies in these samples. The average polyanion recoveries were quantitative [99.7(±1.3) % for pastry cream with vanillin (protamine titrant); 100.4 (±3.3) % for pastry gel with strawberry(PLA titrant), and 102.9(±2.0) % for pastry gel with strawberry (PLL titrant)]. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Enzyme activity deviates due to spatial and temporal temperature profiles in commercial microtiter plate readers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grosch, Jan-Hendrik; Sieben, Michaela; Lattermann, Clemens; Kauffmann, Kira; Büchs, Jochen; Spieß, Antje C

    2016-03-01

    Microtiter plates (MTP) and automatized techniques are increasingly applied in the field of biotechnology. However, the susceptibility of MTPs to edge effects such as thermal gradients can lead to high variation of measured enzyme activities. In an effort to enhance experimental reliability, to quantify, and to minimize instrument-caused deviations in enzyme kinetics between two MTP-readers, we comprehensively quantified temperature distribution in 96-well MTPs. We demonstrated the robust application of the absorbance dye cresol red as easily applicable temperature indicator in cuvettes and MTPs and determined its accuracy to ±0.16°C. We then quantified temperature distributions in 96-well MTPs revealing temperature deviations over single MTP of up to 2.2°C and different patterns in two commercial devices (BioTek Synergy 4 and Synergy Mx). The obtained liquid temperature was shown to be substantially controlled by evaporation. The temperature-induced enzyme activity variation within MTPs amounted to about 20 %. Activity deviations between MTPs and to those in cuvettes were determined to 40 % due to deviations from the set temperature in MTPs. In conclusion, we propose a better control of experimental conditions in MTPs or alternative experimental systems for reliable determination of kinetic parameters for bioprocess development. Copyright © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Solid phase radioimmunoassay for plasma testosterone using a plastic microtiter tray

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hosogi, Hidemi

    1975-01-01

    In order to simplify radioimmunoassay for plasma testosterone and to measure many samples at the same time, a method of solid phase radioimmunoassay utilizing a plastic disposable microtiter tray (DMT) by which chromatography can be omitted was investigated. Other steroids except for 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT) had a low degree of cross reactivity with the antiserum. Five α-DHT which could be measured together with testosterone in this assay was not a problem clinically because of its strong androgenic activity. The best standard curve was obtained when the antiserum was diluted to 1:1000. The sensitivity of this assay was 10 pg-tube. The maximal adsorption of antibody to plastic DMT was observed when the pH of the antiserum was within the range of 6.5-9.5 and the precoating time was 24 hr at room temperature. The best pH of the incubation buffer was 0.8, and the antigen-antibody reaction became a plateau when the incubation exceeded 6 hrs. The water blank in this assay was 4.6 +- 2.1 pg/tube. The recovery of testosterone (50, 100, 200 pg) when added to 0.1 ml female plasma was 99 +- 6.8%. Coefficients of variation within assay and between assays were below 11.2% and 20.0%, respectively. Correlation between this method and the dextran-coated charcoal method was fairly good (r=0.938). Plasma testosterone levels in 10 normal males and 12 normal females were 616 +- 202 (mean +- SD) ng/dl and 66 +- 29 (mean +- SD) ng/dl, respectively. The levels were low in patients with hypopituitarism, hypogonadism and acromegaly. They were normal in patients with Cushing's syndrome due to adrenal hyperplasia and adenoma, but they were high in a patient with adrenal carcinoma. In a patient with testicular feminization, the level was 632 ng/dl. This increased after the administration of HCG, and decreased to 127.5 ng/dl after castration. (auth.)

  18. A mini-scale mass production and separation system for secretory heterologous proteins by perfusion culture of recombinant Pichia pastoris using a shaken ceramic membrane flask.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohashi, R; Mochizuki, E; Suzuki, T

    1999-01-01

    The perfusion culture technique using a shaken ceramic membrane flask (SCM flask) was applied to the production of a secretory heterologous protein. A recombinant methylotrophic yeast strain, Pichia pastoris, was cultured aerobically on a reciprocal shaker using an SCM flask. High-level production of human serum albumin (HSA) was attempted by increasing both the cell concentration and the expression level of the recombinant gene. In the two-stage culture method, the cell concentration was first raised to 17 g/l by feeding glycerol, after which the expression of HSA was induced by feeding methanol. However, the concentration of HSA in the effluent filtrate was as low as 0.15 g/l, while the cell concentration continued to increase. In contrast, HSA was effectively produced by feeding methanol from an early stage of the culture. In this case, the HSA concentration reached 0.24 and 0.46 g/l, respectively, using the growth-associated production method without and with aeration into the head space of the SCM flask. The results showed that supplying sufficient oxygen together with the growth-associated induction method are effective for obtaining high-level expression of the methanol-inducible recombinant gene of P. pastoris. An HSA concentration in the filtrate of 1.5 g/l was finally achieved when the cell concentration was increased to 53 g/l by supplying oxygen-enriched gas to the SCM flask. The yield and productivity of HSA reached 2.6-fold and 10-fold those obtained in an ordinary fed-batch culture using a shake flask, and these levels were readily achieved by continuous replenishment of the culture supernatant. The achievements made in this study should contribute to the development of a handy bioreactor system for mini-scale mass production of target proteins with separation at high purity.

  19. Analytically Sensitive Protein Detection in Microtiter Plates by Proximity Ligation with Rolling Circle Amplification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebai, Tonge; Souza de Oliveira, Felipe Marques; Löf, Liza; Wik, Lotta; Schweiger, Caroline; Larsson, Anders; Keilholtz, Ulrich; Haybaeck, Johannes; Landegren, Ulf; Kamali-Moghaddam, Masood

    2017-09-01

    Detecting proteins at low concentrations in plasma is crucial for early diagnosis. Current techniques in clinical routine, such as sandwich ELISA, provide sensitive protein detection because of a dependence on target recognition by pairs of antibodies, but detection of still lower protein concentrations is often called for. Proximity ligation assay with rolling circle amplification (PLARCA) is a modified proximity ligation assay (PLA) for analytically specific and sensitive protein detection via binding of target proteins by 3 antibodies, and signal amplification via rolling circle amplification (RCA) in microtiter wells, easily adapted to instrumentation in use in hospitals. Proteins captured by immobilized antibodies were detected using a pair of oligonucleotide-conjugated antibodies. Upon target recognition these PLA probes guided oligonucleotide ligation, followed by amplification via RCA of circular DNA strands that formed in the reaction. The RCA products were detected by horseradish peroxidase-labeled oligonucleotides to generate colorimetric reaction products with readout in an absorbance microplate reader. We compared detection of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-8, p53, and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) by PLARCA and conventional sandwich ELISA or immuno-RCA. PLARCA detected lower concentrations of proteins and exhibited a broader dynamic range compared to ELISA and iRCA using the same antibodies. IL-4 and IL-6 were detected in clinical samples at femtomolar concentrations, considerably lower than for ELISA. PLARCA offers detection of lower protein levels and increased dynamic ranges compared to ELISA. The PLARCA procedure may be adapted to routine instrumentation available in hospitals and research laboratories. © 2017 American Association for Clinical Chemistry.

  20. Development of a finite-element eye model to investigate retinal hemorrhages in shaken baby syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nadarasa, Jeyendran; Deck, Caroline; Meyer, Frank; Bourdet, Nicolas; Raul, Jean-Sébastien; Willinger, Rémy

    2018-04-01

    Retinal hemorrhages (RH) are among injuries sustained by a large number of shaken baby syndrome victims, but also by a small proportion of road accident victims. In order to have a better understanding of the underlying of RH mechanisms, we aimed to develop a complete human eye and orbit finite element model. Five occipital head impacts, at different heights and on different surfaces, and three shaking experiments were conducted with a 6-week-old dummy (Q0 dummy). This allowed obtaining a precise description of the motion in those two specific situations, which was then used as input for the eye model simulation. Results showed that four parameters (pressure, Von Mises stress and strain, 1st principal stress) are relevant for shaking-fall comparison. Indeed, in the retina, the softest shaking leads to pressure that is 4 times higher than the most severe impact (1.43 vs. 0.34 kPa). For the Von Mises stress, strain and 1st principal stress, this ratio rises to 4.27, 6.53 and 14.74, respectively. Moreover, regions of high stress and strain in the retina and the choroid were identified and compared to what is seen on fundoscopy. The comparison between linear and rotational acceleration in fall and shaking events demonstrated the important role of the rotational acceleration in inducing such injuries. Even though the eye model was not validated, the conclusion of this study is that compared to falls, shaking an infant leads to extreme eye loading as demonstrated by the values taken by the four mentioned mechanical parameters in the retina and the choroid.

  1. Impact of an educational intervention on caregivers' beliefs about infant crying and knowledge of shaken baby syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bechtel, Kirsten; Le, Kim; Martin, Kimberly D; Shah, Niyati; Leventhal, John M; Colson, Eve

    2011-01-01

    Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) is the leading cause of traumatic infant death. We examined whether the message about not shaking an infant should be included in the newborn anticipatory guidance provided by pediatric residents. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of an educational intervention (Take 5 Safety Plan for Crying) delivered by pediatric residents at newborn hospital discharge on beliefs about infant crying and knowledge of SBS among caregivers of young infants being treated in an urban primary care center. Structured interviews were done in one convenience sample of caregivers before (historical control group) and in a second set of different caregivers after (intervention group) an educational intervention was implemented at hospital discharge. Logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted associations between the intervention and caregivers' beliefs/knowledge. One hundred ten caregivers were in the historical control group and 112 in the intervention group. The intervention group had more mothers and the infants were younger. Controlling for these differences, intervention group caregivers were more likely to state they would take a break if frustrated with infant crying (OR 3.10, 95% CI, 1.62-5.93), were more likely to state frustration caused infant shaking (OR 2.21, 95% CI, 1.20-4.20), and to state their knowledge of SBS was from hospital staff (OR 3.39, 95% CI, 1.61-4.20). This targeted postpartum intervention incorporated into newborn anticipatory guidance can influence caregivers' beliefs about infant crying and knowledge of SBS. Copyright © 2011 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. A simple method for validation and verification of pipettes mounted on automated liquid handlers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stangegaard, Michael; Hansen, Anders Johannes; Frøslev, Tobias Guldberg

     We have implemented a simple method for validation and verification of the performance of pipettes mounted on automated liquid handlers as necessary for laboratories accredited under ISO 17025. An 8-step serial dilution of Orange G was prepared in quadruplicates in a flat bottom 96-well microtit...... available. In conclusion, we have set up a simple solution for the continuous validation of automated liquid handlers used for accredited work. The method is cheap, simple and easy to use for aqueous solutions but requires a spectrophotometer that can read microtiter plates....... We have implemented a simple method for validation and verification of the performance of pipettes mounted on automated liquid handlers as necessary for laboratories accredited under ISO 17025. An 8-step serial dilution of Orange G was prepared in quadruplicates in a flat bottom 96-well microtiter...

  3. Type of homogenization and fat loss during continuous infusion of human milk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Lara, Nadia Raquel; Escuder-Vieco, Diana; Alonso Díaz, Clara; Vázquez Román, Sara; De la Cruz-Bértolo, Javier; Pallás-Alonso, Carmen Rosa

    2014-11-01

    Substantial fat loss may occur during continuous feeding of human milk (HM). A decrease of fat loss has been described following homogenization. Well-established methods of homogenization of HM for routine use in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) would be desirable. We compared the loss of fat based on the use of 3 different methods for homogenizing thawed HM during continuous feeding. Sixteen frozen donor HM samples were thawed, homogenized with ultrasound and separated into 3 aliquots ("baseline agitation," "hourly agitation," and "ultrasound"), and then frozen for 48 hours. Aliquots were thawed again and a baseline agitation was applied. Subsequently, aliquots baseline agitation and hourly agitation were drawn into a syringe, while ultrasound was applied to aliquot ultrasound before it was drawn into a syringe. The syringes were loaded into a pump (2 mL/h; 4 hours). At hourly intervals the hourly agitation infusion was stopped, the syringe was disconnected and gently shaken. During infusion, samples from the 3 groups were collected hourly for analysis of fat and caloric content. The 3 groups of homogenization showed similar fat content at the beginning of the infusion. For fat, mean (SD) hourly changes of -0.03 (0.01), -0.09 (0.01), and -0.09 (0.01) g/dL were observed for the hourly agitation, baseline agitation, and ultrasound groups, respectively. The decrease was smaller for the hourly agitation group (P homogenization is used. © The Author(s) 2014.

  4. 21 CFR 866.2500 - Microtiter diluting and dispensing device.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

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

  5. Evaluation of the light scattering and the turbidity microtiter plate-based methods for the detection of the excipient-mediated drug precipitation inhibition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petruševska, Marija; Urleb, Uroš; Peternel, Luka

    2013-11-01

    The excipient-mediated precipitation inhibition is classically determined by the quantification of the dissolved compound in the solution. In this study, two alternative approaches were evaluated, one is the light scattering (nephelometer) and other is the turbidity (plate reader) microtiter plate-based methods which are based on the quantification of the compound precipitate. Following the optimization of the nephelometer settings (beam focus, laser gain) and the experimental conditions, the screening of 23 excipients on the precipitation inhibition of poorly soluble fenofibrate and dipyridamole was performed. The light scattering method resulted in excellent correlation (r>0.91) between the calculated precipitation inhibitor parameters (PIPs) and the precipitation inhibition index (PI(classical)) obtained by the classical approach for fenofibrate and dipyridamole. Among the evaluated PIPs AUC100 (nephelometer) resulted in only four false positives and lack of false negatives. In the case of the turbidity-based method a good correlation of the PI(classical) was obtained for the PIP maximal optical density (OD(max), r=0.91), however, only for fenofibrate. In the case of the OD(max) (plate reader) five false positives and two false negatives were identified. In conclusion, the light scattering-based method outperformed the turbidity-based one and could be reliably used for identification of novel precipitation inhibitors. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Segregation of a binary granular mixture in a vibrating sawtooth base container

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mobarakabadi, Shahin; Adrang, Neda; Habibi, Mehdi; Oskoee, Ehsan Nedaaee

    2017-01-01

    Abstract.: A granular mixture of identical particles of different densities can be segregated when the system is shaken. We present an efficient method of continuously segregating a flow of randomly mixed identical spherical particles of different densities by shaking them in a

  7. Nurses' Perceptions of Barriers and Facilitators Affecting the Shaken Baby Syndrome Education Initiative: An Exploratory Study of a Massachusetts Public Policy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rideout, Leslie

    2016-01-01

    The objective of this study was to assess nurses' perceptions of barriers to and facilitators of implementation of the shaken baby syndrome (SBS)/abusive head trauma (AHT) public policy. A legislative Act providing for the prevention of SBS/AHT was passed in Massachusetts in November 2006. A stipulation of this Act was the provision of a program to educate parents/guardians of newborns about SBS/AHT prevention. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design with a qualitative component was used for this study. Nurses in 13 Massachusetts birthing hospitals were surveyed using a Web-based questionnaire (hosted by Qualtrics, Provo, Utah). Hospital nurses' responses (N = ∼ 922; 155 responded) revealed barriers to and facilitators of SBS/AHT guideline implementation. The disadvantage of Web-based surveys as they relate to the challenges of enlisting cooperation and a lack of direct access to the nurses may have attributed to the low response rate (17%) for this study. The outcomes of logistic regression analyses and themes from the qualitative analysis revealed a lack of SBS/AHT brochures and an inability to provide SBS/AHT education for non-English-speaking parents/guardians as barriers to SBS/AHT education. An atmosphere of supportive leadership facilitated implementation of the SBS/AHT education guidelines by nurses. It is imperative that nurse leadership support be sustained so that nurses have SBS/AHT education resources, an understanding of the SBS/AHT education guidelines, and feedback about the impact of their SBS/AHT education interventions.

  8. Characterization of a continuous agitated cell reactor for oxygen dependent biocatalysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toftgaard Pedersen, Asbjørn; de Carvalho, Teresa Melo; Sutherland, Euan; Rehn, Gustav; Ashe, Robert; Woodley, John M

    2017-06-01

    Biocatalytic oxidation reactions employing molecular oxygen as the electron acceptor are difficult to conduct in a continuous flow reactor because of the requirement for high oxygen transfer rates. In this paper, the oxidation of glucose to glucono-1,5-lactone by glucose oxidase was used as a model reaction to study a novel continuous agitated cell reactor (ACR). The ACR consists of ten cells interconnected by small channels. An agitator is placed in each cell, which mixes the content of the cell when the reactor body is shaken by lateral movement. Based on tracer experiments, a hydrodynamic model for the ACR was developed. The model consisted of ten tanks-in-series with back-mixing occurring within and between each cell. The back-mixing was a necessary addition to the model in order to explain the observed phenomenon that the ACR behaved as two continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) at low flow rates, while it at high flow rates behaved as the expected ten CSTRs in series. The performance of the ACR was evaluated by comparing the steady state conversion at varying residence times with the conversion observed in a stirred batch reactor of comparable size. It was found that the ACR could more than double the overall reaction rate, which was solely due to an increased oxygen transfer rate in the ACR caused by the intense mixing as a result of the spring agitators. The volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient, k L a, was estimated to be 344 h -1 in the 100 mL ACR, opposed to only 104 h -1 in a batch reactor of comparable working volume. Interestingly, the large deviation from plug flow behavior seen in the tracer experiments was found to have little influence on the conversion in the ACR, since both a plug flow reactor (PFR) model and the backflow cell model described the data sufficiently well. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1222-1230. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Titer plate formatted continuous flow thermal reactors for high throughput applications: fabrication and testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Daniel Sang-Won; Chen, Pin-Chuan; You, Byoung Hee; Kim, Namwon; Park, Taehyun; Lee, Tae Yoon; Soper, Steven A; Nikitopoulos, Dimitris E; Murphy, Michael C; Datta, Proyag; Desta, Yohannes

    2010-01-01

    A high throughput, multi-well (96) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) platform, based on a continuous flow (CF) mode of operation, was developed. Each CFPCR device was confined to a footprint of 8 × 8 mm 2 , matching the footprint of a well on a standard micro-titer plate. While several CFPCR devices have been demonstrated, this is the first example of a high-throughput multi-well continuous flow thermal reactor configuration. Verification of the feasibility of the multi-well CFPCR device was carried out at each stage of development from manufacturing to demonstrating sample amplification. The multi-well CFPCR devices were fabricated by micro-replication in polymers, polycarbonate to accommodate the peak temperatures during thermal cycling in this case, using double-sided hot embossing. One side of the substrate contained the thermal reactors and the opposite side was patterned with structures to enhance thermal isolation of the closely packed constant temperature zones. A 99 bp target from a λ-DNA template was successfully amplified in a prototype multi-well CFPCR device with a total reaction time as low as ∼5 min at a flow velocity of 3 mm s −1 (15.3 s cycle −1 ) and a relatively low amplification efficiency compared to a bench-top thermal cycler for a 20-cycle device; reducing the flow velocity to 1 mm s −1 (46.2 s cycle −1 ) gave a seven-fold improvement in amplification efficiency. Amplification efficiencies increased at all flow velocities for 25-cycle devices with the same configuration.

  10. Shaken Baby Syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... baby syndrome. Information from the National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus Child Abuse × What research is being done? The National ... baby syndrome. Information from the National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus Child Abuse See More About Research The National Institute ...

  11. Rapid screening of monoclonal antibodies: new 'microstick' radioimmunoassay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scheinberg, D.A.; Strand, M.; Wilsnack, R.

    1983-01-01

    A new system for assaying monoclonal antibodies consisting of an 8 x 12 array of sticks which fits into a 96-well microtiter plate is described. Tests using virus specific monoclonal antibodies and virus proteins demonstrated sensitivity equivalent to the conventional microtiter plate assay. Antibody production, antigen specific antibody, and immunoglobulin isotypes could be measured under sterile conditions directly in the original fusion mixture wells and much greater rapidity than with the microtiter plate assay. (Auth.)

  12. Radioimmunoassay in microtiter plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirschberg, T.; Hirschberg, H.

    1987-01-01

    A radioimmunoassay was performed in the wells of casein-coated microplates employing 125 I-labelled sheep anti-human second antibody. The antigen-antibody complexes were thereafter dislodged from the well walls using detergent sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and the entire contents of the wells were simultaneously absorbed into 48 cellulose acetate-absorbing cartridges. All 48 cartridges were transferred to counting vials and the radioactivity determined by standard gamma counting techniques. The particular advantage of the method described here is the ease with which the supernatants can be collected and transferred to counting vials with minimal handling of radioactive samples. 6 refs.; 1 figure; 1 table

  13. Pregnancy and Parenthood in the Navy: Results of the 2008 Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-06-01

    officers. Women use annual leave to supplement post - partum convalescent leave. N134W receives continued requests to increase duration of maternity...was horrible! Almost got out of the Navy. • I feel that the military can show more support by offering a mandatory " Post - Partum ” awareness class and...postpartum depression 9292At postpartum visit, discussed birth control methods 60 92 Officer 77At postpartum visit, discussed Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention

  14. α-Eleostearic acid-containing triglycerides for a continuous assay to determine lipase sn-1 and sn-3 regio-preference.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Alaoui, Meddy; Soulère, Laurent; Noiriel, Alexandre; Queneau, Yves; Abousalham, Abdelkarim

    2017-08-01

    Lipases are essentially described as sn-1 and sn-3 regio-selective. Actually few methods are available to measure this lipase regio-selectivity, moreover they require chiral chromatography analysis or specific derivations which are discontinuous and time consuming. In this study we describe a new, convenient, sensitive and continuous spectrophotometric method to screen lipases regio-selectivity using synthetic triglycerides (TG) containing α-eleostearic acid (9Z, 11E, 13E-octadecatrienoic acid) either at the sn-1 position [1-α-eleostearoyl-2,3-octadecyl-sn-glycerol (sn-EOO)] or at the sn-3 position [1,2-octadecyl-3-α-eleostearoyl-sn-glycerol (sn-OOE)] and coated onto the wells of microtiter plates. A non-hydrolysable ether bond, with a non UV-absorbing alkyl chain, was introduced at the other sn positions to prevent acyl chain migration during TG synthesis or lipolysis. The synthesis of TG containing α-eleostearic acid was performed from S-glycidol in six steps to obtain sn-EOO and in five steps to sn-OOE. The α-eleostearic acid conjugated triene constitutes an intrinsic chromophore and, consequently, confers the strong UV absorption properties of this free fatty acid as well as of the TG harboring it. The lipase activity on coated sn-EOO or sn-OOE was measured by the increase in the absorbance at 272nm due to the transition of α-eleostearic acid from the adsorbed to the soluble state. Human and porcine pancreatic lipases, guinea pig pancreatic lipase related protein 2, Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase, Candida antarctica lipase A and Candida antarctica lipase B were all used to validate the assay. This continuous high-throughput screening method could determine directly without any processes after lipolysis the regio-selectivity of various lipases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Importance of the Design Basis Knowledge Management for New Builds and Existing NPPs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bychkov, Alexander

    2013-01-01

    The Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident in Japan reminds us that sustaining a high level of nuclear safety over the life of a plant is of paramount importance to us all. This and previous major accidents have shaken the confidence of the public and even some governments in the safety of nuclear energy. However, a key message from the St. Petersburg Ministerial Conference this past June was that nuclear power will continue to play an important role in energy security and sustainable development. The IAEA will obviously need to continue to assist Member States in strengthening the safety of NPPs. We will also continue to give technical support to both newcomer countries and to countries with established nuclear energy programmes

  16. Evaluation of bacterial strategies to promote the bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johnsen, A.R.; Karlson, U. [Dept. of Environmental Chemistry and Microbiology, National Environmental Research Inst., Roskilde (Denmark)

    2004-07-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs)-degrading bacteria may enhance the bioavailability of PAHs by excreting biosurfactants, by production of extracellular polymeric substances, or by forming biofilms. We tested these hypotheses in pure cultures of PAHs-degrading bacterial strains. Most of the strains did not substantially reduce the surface tension when grown on PAHs in liquid shaken cultures. Thus, pseudo-solubilization of PAHs in biosurfactant micelles seems not to be a general strategy for these isolates to enhance PAHs-bioavailability. Three semi-colloid Sphingomonas polysaccharides all increased the solubility of PAHs (Gellan 1.3- to 5.4-fold, Welan 1.8- to 6.0-fold and Rhamsan 2.4- to 9.0-fold). The increases were most pronounced for the more hydrophobic PAHs. The polysaccharide-sorbed PAHs were bioavailable. Mineralization rates of 9-[{sup 14}C]-phenanthrene and 3-[{sup 14}C]-fluoranthene by Sphingobium EPA505, were similar with and without sphingans, indicating that mass-transfer rates from PAHs crystals to the bulk liquid were unaffected by the polysaccharides. Biofilm formation on PAHs crystals may favor the diffusive mass transfer of PAHs from crystals to the bacterial cells. A majority of the PAHs-degraders tested formed biofilms in microtiter wells coated with PAHs crystals. For strains capable of growing on different PAHs; the more soluble the PAHs, the lower the percentage of cells attached. Biofilm formation on PAHs-sources was the predominant mechanism among the tested bacteria to overcome mass transfer limitations when growing on poorly soluble PAHs. (orig.)

  17. Liquid-assisted grinding and ion pairing regulates percentage conversion and diastereoselectivity of the Wittig reaction under mechanochemical conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denlinger, Kendra Leahy; Ortiz-Trankina, Lianna; Carr, Preston; Benson, Kingsley; Waddell, Daniel C; Mack, James

    2018-01-01

    Mechanochemistry is maturing as a discipline and continuing to grow, so it is important to continue understanding the rules governing the system. In a mechanochemical reaction, the reactants are added into a vessel along with one or more grinding balls and the vessel is shaken at high speeds to facilitate a chemical reaction. The dielectric constant of the solvent used in liquid-assisted grinding (LAG) and properly chosen counter-ion pairing increases the percentage conversion of stilbenes in a mechanochemical Wittig reaction. Utilizing stepwise addition/evaporation of ethanol in liquid-assisted grinding also allows for the tuning of the diastereoselectivity in the Wittig reaction.

  18. Continuous auditing & continuous monitoring : Continuous value?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Hillo, Rutger; Weigand, Hans; Espana, S; Ralyte, J; Souveyet, C

    2016-01-01

    Advancements in information technology, new laws and regulations and rapidly changing business conditions have led to a need for more timely and ongoing assurance with effectively working controls. Continuous Auditing (CA) and Continuous Monitoring (CM) technologies have made this possible by

  19. Continuous in vitro cultivation of a recently identified Babesia that infects small ruminants in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guan, Guiquan; Ma, Miling; Liu, Aihong; Du, Pengfei; Ren, Qiaoyun; Li, Youquan; Wang, Jinming; Liu, Zhijie; Yin, Hong; Luo, Jianxun

    2012-07-06

    Babesia sp. Xinjiang was isolated from a splenectomised sheep infested by Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Hylomma anatolicum anatolicum, collected from sheep and cattle in Xinjiang province. It was considered to be a novel ovine Babesia species on the basis of its morphology, pathogenicity, vector tick species and alignments of 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) and internal transcribed spacers (ITS) gene sequences. Continuous in vitro cultures of the ovine parasite were established using infected sheep blood. In RPMI 1640 medium with 7.5% sheep red blood cells (RBCs) maintained in an incubator at 37 °C and 5% CO(2), the percentage of parasitized erythrocytes (PPE) peaked at 10% in 24- and 6-well plates. It increased to 20-50% with the same culture medium but with 2.5% RBC in 75 cm(2) flasks. Two clonal lines of Babesia sp. Xinjiang were screened using the limiting dilution method. Growth characteristics of these lines in vitro were measured by a microtiter-based spectrophotometric method and from the PPE. The generation time in sheep erythrocytes was between 15.20 h and 16.27 h. Furthermore, the host range of parasite was identified with in vitro culture and in vivo infection. Erythrocytes of sheep, cattle, sika deer and humans could be invaded into by lines in vitro, but the parasites could not propagate in human erythrocytes. The parasites could not enter erythrocytes from goats in vitro. However, in vivo, only sheep could be infected by lines. Finally, a Babesia sp. Xinjiang-like parasite (which shared 99.5% identity with the original strain of Babesia sp. Xinjiang) was isolated using this in vitro culture system from 1 of 19 sheep blood samples collected from western Gansu province, China. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Between strong continuity and almost continuity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J.K. Kohli

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available As embodied in the title of the paper strong and weak variants of continuity that lie strictly between strong continuity of Levine and almost continuity due to Singal and Singal are considered. Basic properties of almost completely continuous functions (≡ R-maps and δ-continuous functions are studied. Direct and inverse transfer of topological properties under almost completely continuous functions and δ-continuous functions are investigated and their place in the hier- archy of variants of continuity that already exist in the literature is out- lined. The class of almost completely continuous functions lies strictly between the class of completely continuous functions studied by Arya and Gupta (Kyungpook Math. J. 14 (1974, 131-143 and δ-continuous functions defined by Noiri (J. Korean Math. Soc. 16, (1980, 161-166. The class of almost completely continuous functions properly contains each of the classes of (1 completely continuous functions, and (2 al- most perfectly continuous (≡ regular set connected functions defined by Dontchev, Ganster and Reilly (Indian J. Math. 41 (1999, 139-146 and further studied by Singh (Quaestiones Mathematicae 33(2(2010, 1–11 which in turn include all δ-perfectly continuous functions initi- ated by Kohli and Singh (Demonstratio Math. 42(1, (2009, 221-231 and so include all perfectly continuous functions introduced by Noiri (Indian J. Pure Appl. Math. 15(3 (1984, 241-250.

  1. Use of a Fluorometric Imaging Plate Reader in high-throughput screening

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groebe, Duncan R.; Gopalakrishnan, Sujatha; Hahn, Holly; Warrior, Usha; Traphagen, Linda; Burns, David J.

    1999-04-01

    High-throughput screening (HTS) efforts at Abbott Laboratories have been greatly facilitated by the use of a Fluorometric Imaging Plate Reader. The FLIPR consists of an incubated cabinet with integrated 96-channel pipettor and fluorometer. An argon laser is used to excite fluorophores in a 96-well microtiter plate and the emitted fluorometer. An argon laser is used to excite fluorophores in a 96-well microtiter plate and the emitted fluorescence is imaged by a cooled CCD camera. The image data is downloaded from the camera and processed to average the signal form each well of the microtiter pate for each time point. The data is presented in real time on the computer screen, facilitating interpretation and trouble-shooting. In addition to fluorescence, the camera can also detect luminescence form firefly luciferase.

  2. Biofilm lifestyle enhances diesel bioremediation and biosurfactant production in the Antarctic polyhydroxyalkanoate producer Pseudomonas extremaustralis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tribelli, Paula M; Di Martino, Carla; López, Nancy I; Raiger Iustman, Laura J

    2012-09-01

    Diesel is a widely distributed pollutant. Bioremediation of this kind of compounds requires the use of microorganisms able to survive and adapt to contaminated environments. Pseudomonas extremaustralis is an Antarctic bacterium with a remarkable survival capability associated to polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) production. This strain was used to investigate the effect of cell growth conditions--in biofilm versus shaken flask cultures--as well as the inocula characteristics associated with PHAs accumulation, on diesel degradation. Biofilms showed increased cell growth, biosurfactant production and diesel degradation compared with that obtained in shaken flask cultures. PHA accumulation decreased biofilm cell attachment and enhanced biosurfactant production. Degradation of long-chain and branched alkanes was observed in biofilms, while in shaken flasks only medium-chain length alkanes were degraded. This work shows that the PHA accumulating bacterium P. extremaustralis can be a good candidate to be used as hydrocarbon bioremediation agent, especially in extreme environments.

  3. Continuous Problem of Function Continuity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayakody, Gaya; Zazkis, Rina

    2015-01-01

    We examine different definitions presented in textbooks and other mathematical sources for "continuity of a function at a point" and "continuous function" in the context of introductory level Calculus. We then identify problematic issues related to definitions of continuity and discontinuity: inconsistency and absence of…

  4. Determination of total galactose from dried blood spots—extensive assay evaluation of a CE-marked test-kit

    OpenAIRE

    Fingerhut, R; Torresani, T

    2013-01-01

    Most newborn screening laboratories use CE-marked or FDA-approved test-kits, like in routine clinical chemistry. National regulations require only minimal evaluation from the customer, if the test-kits are used as specified by the manufacturer. The microtiter-based kit-concept is often based on the perception, that the laboratory always processes whole microtiter plates. However, in the daily routine, this is rather a rare exception, which leads to much higher costs per newborn, compared to t...

  5. DEVELOPMENT OF AN ENVIRONMENTALLY BENIGN MICROBIAL INHIBITOR TO CONTROL INTERNAL PIPELINE CORROSION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    J. Robert Paterek; Gemma Husmillo

    2002-07-01

    The overall program objective is to develop and evaluate environmental benign agents or products that are effective in the prevention, inhibition, and mitigation of microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) in the internal surfaces of metallic natural gas pipelines. The goal is one or more environmental benign, a.k.a. ''green'' products that can be applied to maintain the structure and dependability of the natural gas infrastructure. Capsicum sp. extracts and pure compounds were screened for their antimicrobial activity against MIC causing bacteria. Studies on the ability of these compounds to dissociate biofilm from the substratum were conducted using microtiter plate assays. Tests using laboratory scale pipeline simulators continued. Preliminary results showed that the natural extracts possess strong antimicrobial activity being comparable to or even better than the pure compounds tested against strains of sulfate reducers. Their minimum inhibitory concentrations had been determined. It was also found that they possess bactericidal properties at minimal concentrations. Biofilm dissociation activity as assessed by microtiter plate assays demonstrated varying degrees of differences between the treated and untreated group with the superior performance of the extracts over pure compounds. Such is an indication of the possible benefits that could be obtained from these natural products. Confirmatory experiments are underway.

  6. A comparison of titers of anti-Brucella antibodies of naturally infected and healthy vaccinated cattle by standard tube agglutination test, microtiter plate agglutination test, indirect hemagglutination assay, and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anju Mohan

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Aim: We determined the antibody response in cattle naturally infected with brucellosis and normal healthy adult cattle vaccinated during calf hood with strain 19. Materials and Methods: The antibody titers were measured by standard tube agglutination test (STAT, microtiter plate agglutination test (MAT, indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA, and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA as per standard protocols. Results: The mean STAT titers were 1.963±0.345 in infected cattle and 1.200±0.155 in healthy vaccinated cattle. The difference was extremely significant (p<0.0001. The mean MAT titers were 2.244±0.727 in infected cattle and 1.200±0.155 in healthy vaccinated cattle. The difference was very significant (p<0.005. The mean IHA titers in infected cattle were 2.284±0.574, and those in healthy vaccinated cattle were 1.200±0.155. The difference was extremely significant (p=0.0002. However, the difference in mean iELISA titers of infected cattle (1.3678±0.014 and healthy vaccinated cattle (1.367±0.014 was non-significant. The infected animals showed very high titers of agglutinating antibodies compared to the vaccinated animals. However, it cannot be ascertained whether these antibodies are due to vaccine or response to infection. Since the infected animals had been vaccinated earlier, the current infection may suggest that vaccination was unable to induce protective levels of antibody. The heightened antibody response after infection may also indicate a secondary immune response to the antigens common to the vaccine strain and wild Brucella organisms. Conclusion: The brucellosis infected animals showed very high titers of agglutinating antibodies compared to the vaccinated animals.

  7. Martini Qualitative Research: Shaken, Not Stirred

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nieuwenhuis, F. J.

    2015-01-01

    Although the number of qualitative research studies has boomed in recent years, close observation reveals that often the research designs and methodological considerations and approaches have developed a type of configuration that does not adhere to purist definitions of the labels attached. Very often so called interpretivist studies are not…

  8. Abusive Head Trauma (Shaken Baby Syndrome)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Children who survive may have: partial or total blindness hearing loss seizures developmental delays impaired intellect speech and learning difficulties problems with memory and attention severe mental retardation cerebral palsy Even ...

  9. Evaluation of a novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of antibodies against Salmonella, employing a stable coating of lipopolysaccharide-derived antigens covalently attached to polystyrene microwells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wiuff, C.; Jauho, E. S.; Stryhn, H.

    2000-01-01

    to microtiter polystyrene plates by ultraviolet irradiation. Both polysaccharide antigens could be coupled simultaneously to the same microtiter plate. The coated surface was used in indirect ELISA for the determination of serum antibodies from pigs infected with bacteria of the two Salmonella groups and from......Polysaccharides derived from Salmonella typhimurium lipopolysaccharide (LPS) representing the O-antigen factors 1, 4, 5, and 12 and the O-antigen factors 6 and 7 from Salmonella choleraesuis LPS were derivatized with the photoreactive compound anthraquinone and subsequently covalently coupled...

  10. Sensitive microplate assay for the detection of proteolytic enzymes using radiolabeled gelatin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robertson, B.D.; Kwan-Lim, G.E.; Maizels, R.M.

    1988-01-01

    A sensitive, microplate assay is described for the detection of a wide range of proteolytic enzymes, using radio-iodine-labeled gelatin as substrate. The technique uses the Bolton-Hunter reagent to label the substrate, which is then coated onto the wells of polyvinyl chloride microtiter plates. By measuring the radioactivity released the assay is able to detect elastase, trypsin, and collagenase in concentrations of 1 ng/ml or less, while the microtiter format permits multiple sample handling and minimizes sample volumes required for analysis

  11. The influence of different nitrogen and carbon sources on mycotoxin production in Alternaria alternata.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brzonkalik, Katrin; Herrling, Tanja; Syldatk, Christoph; Neumann, Anke

    2011-05-27

    The aim of this study was to determine the influence of different carbon and nitrogen sources on the production of the mycotoxins alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME) and tenuazonic acid (TA) by Alternaria alternata at 28°C using a semi-synthetic medium (modified Czapek-Dox broth) supplemented with nitrogen and carbon sources. Additionally the effect of shaken and static cultivation on mycotoxin production was tested. Initial experiments showed a clear dependency between nitrogen depletion and mycotoxin production. To assess whether nitrogen limitation in general or the type of nitrogen source triggers the production, various nitrogen sources including several ammonium/nitrate salts and amino acids were tested. In static culture the production of AOH/AME can be enhanced greatly with phenylalanine whereas some nitrogen sources seem to inhibit the AOH/AME production completely. TA was not significantly affected by the choice of nitrogen source. In shaken culture the overall production of all mycotoxins was lower compared to static cultivation. Furthermore tests with a wide variety of carbon sources including monosaccharides, disaccharides, complex saccharides such as starch as well as glycerol and acetate were performed. In shaken culture AOH was produced when glucose, fructose, sucrose, acetate or mixtures of glucose/sucrose and glucose/acetate were used as carbon sources. AME production was not detected. The use of sodium acetate resulted in the highest AOH production. In static culture AOH production was also stimulated by acetate and the amount is comparable to shaken conditions. Under static conditions production of AOH was lower except when cultivated with acetate. In static cultivation 9 of 14 tested carbon sources induced mycotoxin production compared to 4 in shaken culture. This is the first study which analyses the influence of carbon and nitrogen sources in a semi-synthetic medium and assesses the effects of culture conditions on

  12. Immobilized cell technology in beer brewing: Current experience and results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leskošek-Čukalov Ida J.

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Immobilized cell technology (ICT has been attracting continual attention in the brewing industry over the past 30 years. Some of the reasons are: faster fermentation rates and increased volumetric productivity, compared to those of traditional beer production based on freely suspended cells, as well as the possibility of continuous operation. Nowadays, ICT technology is well established in secondary fermentation and alcohol- free and low-alcohol beer production. In main fermentation, the situation is more complex and this process is still under scrutiny on both the lab and pilot levels. The paper outlines the most important ICT processes developed for beer brewing and provides an overview of carrier materials, bioreactor design and examples of their industrial applications, as well as some recent results obtained by our research group. We investigated the possible applications of polyvinyl alcohol in the form of LentiKats®, as a potential porous matrices carrier for beer fermentation. Given are the results of growth studies of immobilized brewer's yeast Saccharomyces uvarum and the kinetic parameters obtained by using alginate microbeads with immobilized yeast cells and suspension of yeast cells as controls. The results indicate that the immobilization procedure in LentiKat® carriers has a negligible effect on cell viability and growth. The apparent specific growth rate of cells released in medium was comparable to that of freely suspended cells, implying preserved cell vitality. A series of batch fermentations performed in shaken flasks and an air-lift bioreactor indicated that the immobilized cells retained high fermentation activity. The full attenuation in green beer was reached after 48 hours in shaken flasks and less than 24 hours of fermentation in gas-lift bioreactors.

  13. Why the search for uranium should continue; Pourquoi continuer a chercher de l'uranium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mabile, J; Gangloff, A [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Fontenay-aux-Roses (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

    1964-07-01

    At the 1958 Geneva conference a report was given of the hopes placed in French uranium resources, and the work in hand on projects for mines and mills. Even though the French ground continued to confirm its promises, production has been limited because of the risk of massive over-production. Moreover worldwide production surpluses remove any immediate worries about supplies. However, the French uranium potential, at the rate of exploitation which can be reasonably foreseen, seems to be limited, promising only a few decades of production. This situation is more serious still for Europe as a whole, at the very time when the rapid expansion of atomic energy is beginning. On a world wide basis it may be anticipated that after the closing down of mines, an equilibrium between production and requirements will be reached in ten years, the Increase in production being then easily achieved by the reopening of temporarily closed mines. However, by 1980 the requirements will exceed the maximum production capacity laid down in 1960-1961. Finally, towards the end of the century, there will be a discrepancy between the uranium reserves, then necessary, and those which have been. discovered so far in the world, at the cost of the considerable efforts made during the years 1948-1958. No time should be lost in an effort to discover new resources: either in countries not yet prospected, or by the use of more sensitive methods. Failing this, the uranium market, badly shaken by present over-production, will suffer new crises unless the mining industry is well prepared in advance for a rapid exponential expansion after 1975-1980. (author) [French] Lors de la Conference de Geneve 1958, avaient ete exposes les espoirs mis dans les ressources francaises en Uranium, et les realisations des mines et usines en cours. Les risques de surproduction massive ont conduit a limiter les productions, cependant que le sous-sol francais confirmait ses promesses. Par ailleurs les excedents mondiaux de

  14. A Dynamic Continuation-Passing Style for Dynamic Delimited Continuations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Biernacki, Dariusz; Danvy, Olivier; Millikin, Kevin Scott

    2005-01-01

    We present a new abstract machine that accounts for dynamic delimited continuations. We prove the correctness of this new abstract machine with respect to a pre-existing, definitional abstract machine. Unlike this definitional abstract machine, the new abstract machine is in defunctionalized form......, which makes it possible to state the corresponding higher-order evaluator. This evaluator is in continuation+state passing style and threads a trail of delimited continuations and a meta-continuation. Since this style accounts for dynamic delimited continuations, we refer to it as `dynamic continuation......-passing style.' We show that the new machine operates more efficiently than the definitional one and that the notion of computation induced by the corresponding evaluator takes the form of a monad. We also present new examples and a new simulation of dynamic delimited continuations in terms of static ones....

  15. Completely continuous and weakly completely continuous abstract ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    An algebra A is called right completely continuous (right weakly completely continuous) ... Moreover, some applications of these results in group algebras are .... A linear subspace S(G) of L1(G) is said to be a Segal algebra, if it satisfies the.

  16. Continuous tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peng, Y.K.M.

    1978-04-01

    A tokamak configuration is proposed that permits the rapid replacement of a plasma discharge in a ''burn'' chamber by another one in a time scale much shorter than the elementary thermal time constant of the chamber first wall. With respect to the chamber, the effective duty cycle factor can thus be made arbitrarily close to unity minimizing the cyclic thermal stress in the first wall. At least one plasma discharge always exists in the new tokamak configuration, hence, a continuous tokamak. By incorporating adiabatic toroidal compression, configurations of continuous tokamak compressors are introduced. To operate continuous tokamaks, it is necessary to introduce the concept of mixed poloidal field coils, which spatially groups all the poloidal field coils into three sets, all contributing simultaneously to inducing the plasma current and maintaining the proper plasma shape and position. Preliminary numerical calculations of axisymmetric MHD equilibria in continuous tokamaks indicate the feasibility of their continued plasma operation. Advanced concepts of continuous tokamaks to reduce the topological complexity and to allow the burn plasma aspect ratio to decrease for increased beta are then suggested

  17. Heterotrophic Growth and Production of Xanthophylls by Chlorella pyrenoidosa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theriault, Robert J.

    1965-01-01

    The growth and level of xanthophylls of several representative species of green algae were investigated as a possible source of pigmentation for the egg yolk and broiler markets. Chlorella pyrenoidosa 7-11-05 was selected for fermentation studies because of its high level of xanthophylls and wide temperature range for growth. The heterotrophic metabolism was preferred because of the ease of adaptability to present fermentation equipment. When used as the sole carbon source, glucose was the only sugar, among many tested, that gave appreciable growth in illuminated shaken flasks. A dry cell weight of 90 g per liter and total xanthophylls of 450 mg per liter were obtained from 190 g per liter of glucose monohydrate in 168-hr illuminated shaken flasks. Higher levels of glucose decreased yields. In combination with glucose, monosaccharides, such as fructose and galactose, were readily assimilated. The 7-11-05 strain was adapted to galactose as the sole carbon source after six vegetative passages. Light of the proper intensity and duration stimulated total xanthophylls approximately 35%. The effect on dry cell weight and total xanthophylls of seven antibiotics added at various levels in shaken flasks was studied. Erythromycin was essentially stable throughout the fermentation and nontoxic up to 25 μg/ml, with only slight toxicity at higher levels. Both erythromycin and ristocetin were effective in controlling a high incidence of bacterial contamination in 30-liter fermentors. With the higher agitation and aeration rates possible in 30-liter fermentors, dry cell weights in excess of 100 g per liter and total xanthophylls of 467 to 512 mg per liter were readily obtained from 230 to 260 g per liter of glucose in 162-hr illuminated batch-type fermentations. Continuous-feed runs yielded a dry cell weight of 302 g per liter and total xanthophylls of 650 mg per liter from 520 g per liter of glucose. The type of Chlorella cell produced was an important consideration with

  18. Microporous crystals and synthesis schemes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tumas, William; Ott, Kevin C.; McCleskey, T. Mark; Yates, Matthew Z.; Birnbaum, Eva R.

    2008-04-22

    Novel zeolites are produced by combining a polar solute, a silicon or phosphorous source, and a structure directing agent. Surfactants and a hydrophobic solvent are added to the previously mixed three species and shaken to disperse the surfactants. The reverse microemulsion is stirred overnight, at about room temperature and then iced for five to ten minutes. A metal source is added vigorously shaken for about two minutes. The mixture is then aged for about two hours at about room temperature. A mineralizer is added and the resultant mixture aged for about two hours at about room temperature. The mixture is heated to about 180.degree. C., for a suitable time period. The final novel product is then isolated.

  19. Providing Continuous Assurance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kocken, Jonne; Hulstijn, Joris

    2017-01-01

    It has been claimed that continuous assurance can be attained by combining continuous monitoring by management, with continuous auditing of data streams and the effectiveness of internal controls by an external auditor. However, we find that in existing literature the final step to continuous

  20. Segregation of a binary granular mixture in a vibrating sawtooth base container.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mobarakabadi, Shahin; Adrang, Neda; Habibi, Mehdi; Oskoee, Ehsan Nedaaee

    2017-09-01

    A granular mixture of identical particles of different densities can be segregated when the system is shaken. We present an efficient method of continuously segregating a flow of randomly mixed identical spherical particles of different densities by shaking them in a quasi-two-dimensional container with a sawtooth-shaped base. Using numerical simulation we study the effect of direction of shaking (horizontal/vertical), geometry of the sawtooth, and the friction coefficient between the grains and the container walls on the segregation quality. Finally by performing experiments on the same system we compare our simulation results with the experimental results. The good agreement between our simulation and experiment indicates the validity of our simulation approach and will provide a practical way for granular segregation in industrial applications.

  1. The Continued Assessment of Self-Continuity and Identity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dunkel, Curtis S.; Minor, Leslie; Babineau, Maureen

    2010-01-01

    Studies have found that self-continuity is predictive of a substantial number of important outcome variables. However, a recent series of studies brings into question the traditional method of measuring self-continuity in favor of an alternative (B. M. Baird, K. Le, & R. E. Lucas, 2006). The present study represents a further comparison of…

  2. SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED: THE DISRUPTED DISK OF THE STARBURST GALAXY NGC 253

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davidge, T. J.

    2010-01-01

    around NGC 253 suggests that the companion had an orbit that was prograde and moderately inclined to the NGC 253 disk. The star-forming history of the extraplanar stars suggests that they either originated in the NGC 253 disk, or in a gas-rich companion. In the latter case, the companion must have had an initial M B < -15 in order to produce the more-or-less continuous star-forming history that is suggested by the stellar content. The ages of the youngest extraplanar stars suggest that the event that produced the extraplanar population, and presumably induced the starburst, occurred within the past ∼0.2 Gyr.

  3. Continuous Dropout.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Xu; Tian, Xinmei; Liu, Tongliang; Xu, Fang; Tao, Dacheng

    2017-10-03

    Dropout has been proven to be an effective algorithm for training robust deep networks because of its ability to prevent overfitting by avoiding the co-adaptation of feature detectors. Current explanations of dropout include bagging, naive Bayes, regularization, and sex in evolution. According to the activation patterns of neurons in the human brain, when faced with different situations, the firing rates of neurons are random and continuous, not binary as current dropout does. Inspired by this phenomenon, we extend the traditional binary dropout to continuous dropout. On the one hand, continuous dropout is considerably closer to the activation characteristics of neurons in the human brain than traditional binary dropout. On the other hand, we demonstrate that continuous dropout has the property of avoiding the co-adaptation of feature detectors, which suggests that we can extract more independent feature detectors for model averaging in the test stage. We introduce the proposed continuous dropout to a feedforward neural network and comprehensively compare it with binary dropout, adaptive dropout, and DropConnect on Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research-10, Street View House Numbers, NORB, and ImageNet large scale visual recognition competition-12. Thorough experiments demonstrate that our method performs better in preventing the co-adaptation of feature detectors and improves test performance.

  4. Smarandache Continued Fractions

    OpenAIRE

    Ibstedt, H.

    2001-01-01

    The theory of general continued fractions is developed to the extent required in order to calculate Smarandache continued fractions to a given number of decimal places. Proof is given for the fact that Smarandache general continued fractions built with positive integer Smarandache sequences baving only a finite number of terms equal to 1 is convergent. A few numerical results are given.

  5. Elisa-Like Format for Comparing DNA Capture Elements (Aptamers) to Antibody in Diagnostic Efficacy

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Kiel, Johnathan L; Holwitt, Eric A; Vivekananda, Jeevalatha; Franz, Veronica

    2004-01-01

    .... For this purpose, the microtiter, heterologous phase, ELISAlike sandwich assay test was chosen. The antigen of choice was the standard antigen used in commercially available agglutination tests for Francisella tularensis (tularemia bacterium...

  6. Generalized analytic continuation

    CERN Document Server

    Ross, William T

    2002-01-01

    The theory of generalized analytic continuation studies continuations of meromorphic functions in situations where traditional theory says there is a natural boundary. This broader theory touches on a remarkable array of topics in classical analysis, as described in the book. This book addresses the following questions: (1) When can we say, in some reasonable way, that component functions of a meromorphic function on a disconnected domain, are "continuations" of each other? (2) What role do such "continuations" play in certain aspects of approximation theory and operator theory? The authors use the strong analogy with the summability of divergent series to motivate the subject. In this vein, for instance, theorems can be described as being "Abelian" or "Tauberian". The introductory overview carefully explains the history and context of the theory. The authors begin with a review of the works of Poincaré, Borel, Wolff, Walsh, and Gončar, on continuation properties of "Borel series" and other meromorphic func...

  7. East and Central African Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    both insulin and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Centella asiatica ... with moderately low temperatures and high rainfall [I]. .... C), activated charcoal, aluminium oxide (neutral grade), D ... ethanol and shaken on an electric shaker for 2.

  8. Cutting Out Continuations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bahr, Patrick; Hutton, Graham

    2016-01-01

    In the field of program transformation, one often transforms programs into continuation-passing style to make their flow of control explicit, and then immediately removes the resulting continuations using defunctionalisation to make the programs first-order. In this article, we show how these two...... transformations can be fused together into a single transformation step that cuts out the need to first introduce and then eliminate continuations. Our approach is calculational, uses standard equational reasoning techniques, and is widely applicable....

  9. Beyond Continuous Delivery: An Empirical Investigation of Continuous Deployment Challenges

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shahin, Mojtaba; Ali Babar, Muhammad; Zahedi, Mansooreh

    2017-01-01

    Context: A growing number of software organizations have been adopting Continuous DElivery (CDE) and Continuous Deployment (CD) practices. Researchers have started investing significant efforts in studying different aspects of CDE and CD. Many studies refer to CDE (i.e., where an application is p...

  10. Continuous Non-malleable Codes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Faust, Sebastian; Mukherjee, Pratyay; Nielsen, Jesper Buus

    2014-01-01

    or modify it to the encoding of a completely unrelated value. This paper introduces an extension of the standard non-malleability security notion - so-called continuous non-malleability - where we allow the adversary to tamper continuously with an encoding. This is in contrast to the standard notion of non...... is necessary to achieve continuous non-malleability in the split-state model. Moreover, we illustrate that none of the existing constructions satisfies our uniqueness property and hence is not secure in the continuous setting. We construct a split-state code satisfying continuous non-malleability. Our scheme...... is based on the inner product function, collision-resistant hashing and non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs of knowledge and requires an untamperable common reference string. We apply continuous non-malleable codes to protect arbitrary cryptographic primitives against tampering attacks. Previous...

  11. Biological and technological effects of some mulberry varieties and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    egyptian hak

    Agricultural Structures and Environmental Control Division, Central Institute ... beaker with a known quantity of sterilized distilled water and shaken for 45 min in an orbital ... flasks containing potato dextrose broth (PDB) and incubated at 28 ± 2.

  12. Kolem Patočkovy politiky duchovního člověka

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Chvatík, Ivan

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 70, č. 6 (2015), s. 458-464 ISSN 0046-385X Institutional support: RVO:67985955 Keywords : philosophy * upswing to the political * meaning * history * solidarity of the shaken * Patočka Subject RIV: AA - Philosophy ; Religion

  13. Download this PDF file

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    R.B. Ruthven

    music dictionary, Duramazwi reMimhanzi (henceforth the DRM). The article is ... informed of the meanings of new terms even before reading the treatments. An ... (d) the way of playing the instrument, e.g. plucked, shaken, beaten, stamped,.

  14. Plants under continuous light

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Velez Ramirez, A.I.; Ieperen, van W.; Vreugdenhill, D.; Millenaar, F.F.

    2011-01-01

    Continuous light is an essential tool for understanding the plant circadian clock. Additionally, continuous light might increase greenhouse food production. However, using continuous light in research and practice has its challenges. For instance, most of the circadian clock-oriented experiments

  15. Utilization of biodiesel waste as a feedstock for the production of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    use

    2011-12-05

    Dec 5, 2011 ... Effect of crude glycerol on PHAs production in shaken flask cultivation ... studied compared to the mineral medium containing glucose. (control) and pure ..... production of PHB by fermentation in a 20-L bioreactor using a ...

  16. The anthrax letters: a medical detective story

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Cole, Leonard A

    2003-01-01

    .... Many of us felt we were living in a world gone mad. Already shaken by the images of jetliners deliberately flown into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, we were soon scared to open our mail...

  17. Continuity theory

    CERN Document Server

    Nel, Louis

    2016-01-01

    This book presents a detailed, self-contained theory of continuous mappings. It is mainly addressed to students who have already studied these mappings in the setting of metric spaces, as well as multidimensional differential calculus. The needed background facts about sets, metric spaces and linear algebra are developed in detail, so as to provide a seamless transition between students' previous studies and new material. In view of its many novel features, this book will be of interest also to mature readers who have studied continuous mappings from the subject's classical texts and wish to become acquainted with a new approach. The theory of continuous mappings serves as infrastructure for more specialized mathematical theories like differential equations, integral equations, operator theory, dynamical systems, global analysis, topological groups, topological rings and many more. In light of the centrality of the topic, a book of this kind fits a variety of applications, especially those that contribute to ...

  18. 7 CFR 201.48 - Kind or variety considered pure seed.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... ACT FEDERAL SEED ACT REGULATIONS Purity Analysis in the Administration of the Act § 201.48 Kind or... 1 mm opening square-hole sieve, when shaken for 30 seconds. For inert matter, refer to § 201.51(a)(7...

  19. White paper on continuous bioprocessing. May 20-21, 2014 Continuous Manufacturing Symposium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konstantinov, Konstantin B; Cooney, Charles L

    2015-03-01

    There is a growing interest in realizing the benefits of continuous processing in biologics manufacturing, which is reflected by the significant number of industrial and academic researchers who are actively involved in the development of continuous bioprocessing systems. These efforts are further encouraged by guidance expressed in recent US FDA conference presentations. The advantages of continuous manufacturing include sustained operation with consistent product quality, reduced equipment size, high-volumetric productivity, streamlined process flow, low-process cycle times, and reduced capital and operating cost. This technology, however, poses challenges, which need to be addressed before routine implementation is considered. This paper, which is based on the available literature and input from a large number of reviewers, is intended to provide a consensus of the opportunities, technical needs, and strategic directions for continuous bioprocessing. The discussion is supported by several examples illustrating various architectures of continuous bioprocessing systems. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

  20. Continual improvement plan

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-01-01

    NASA's approach to continual improvement (CI) is a systems-oriented, agency-wide approach that builds on the past accomplishments of NASA Headquarters and its field installations and helps achieve NASA's vision, mission, and values. The NASA of the future will fully use the principles of continual improvement in every aspect of its operations. This NASA CI plan defines a systematic approach and a model for continual improvement throughout NASA, stressing systems integration and optimization. It demonstrates NASA's constancy of purpose for improvement - a consistent vision of NASA as a worldwide leader in top-quality science, technology, and management practices. The CI plan provides the rationale, structures, methods, and steps, and it defines NASA's short term (1-year) objectives for improvement. The CI plan presents the deployment strategies necessary for cascading the goals and objectives throughout the agency. It also provides guidance on implementing continual improvement with participation from top leadership and all levels of employees.

  1. Business continuity 2014: From traditional to integrated Business Continuity Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ee, Henry

    As global change continues to generate new challenges and potential threats to businesses, traditional business continuity management (BCM) slowly reveals its limitations and weak points to ensuring 'business resiliency' today. Consequently, BCM professionals also face the challenge of re-evaluating traditional concepts and introducing new strategies and industry best practices. This paper points to why traditional BCM is no longer sufficient in terms of enabling businesses to survive in today's high-risk environment. It also looks into some of the misconceptions about BCM and other stumbling blocks to establishing effective BCM today. Most importantly, however, this paper provides tips based on the Business Continuity Institute's (BCI) Good Practices Guideline (GPG) and the latest international BCM standard ISO 22301 on how to overcome the issues and challenges presented.

  2. Synergic effect of Citric Acid and Red Onion skin extract on the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Michael Horsfall

    In the food industry, various synthetic antioxidants are often used to ... among beverages. (Nicoletta et al, 2003). ... was obtained from the Choba market. The onion skin ... and shaken to mix the extract and vegetable oil. The treated and control ...

  3. In vitro anti-inflammatory and phytochemical properties of crude ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    pc owner

    2013-09-25

    Sep 25, 2013 ... ... methanol, at room temperature. The extract was filtered with Whatman No 1 filter paper. .... The frothing was mixed with 3 drops of olive oil and shaken vigorously, then observed for the formation of emulsion (Edeoga et al., ...

  4. ORIGINAL ARTICLES

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    tortured for the duration of his short life. He first presented at 6 weeks of ... Child and Family Unit, Transuaal Memorial Institute for Child Health and. Development ... sentencing, probably the long-term sequela of having been shaken. After the ...

  5. Almost contra-g-continuous functions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Keskin, Aynur [Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Arts, Selcuk University Campus, 42075 Konya (Turkey); 2949-1 Shiokita-cho, Hinagu, Yatsushiro-shi, Kumamoto-ken 869-5142 (Japan)], E-mail: akeskin@selcuk.edu.tr; Noiri, Takashi [Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Arts, Selcuk University Campus, 42075 Konya (Turkey); 2949-1 Shiokita-cho, Hinagu, Yatsushiro-shi, Kumamoto-ken 869-5142 (Japan)], E-mail: t.noiri@nifty.com

    2009-10-15

    In this paper, we introduce and investigate the notion of almost contra-g-continuous functions which is weaker than both notions of contra-continuous functions [Dontchev J. Contra-continuous functions and strongly S-closed mappings. Int J Math Math Sci 1996;19:303-10] and ({theta},s)-continuous functions [Joseph JK, Kwak MK. On S-closed spaces. Proc Am Math Soc 1980;80:341-8.] in topological spaces. We discuss the relationships with some other related functions. At the same time, we show that almost-g-continuity and (LC,s)-continuity are independent of each other.

  6. Almost contra-g-continuous functions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keskin, Aynur; Noiri, Takashi

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, we introduce and investigate the notion of almost contra-g-continuous functions which is weaker than both notions of contra-continuous functions [Dontchev J. Contra-continuous functions and strongly S-closed mappings. Int J Math Math Sci 1996;19:303-10] and (θ,s)-continuous functions [Joseph JK, Kwak MK. On S-closed spaces. Proc Am Math Soc 1980;80:341-8.] in topological spaces. We discuss the relationships with some other related functions. At the same time, we show that almost-g-continuity and (LC,s)-continuity are independent of each other.

  7. Continuous downstream processing of biopharmaceuticals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jungbauer, Alois

    2013-08-01

    Continuous manufacturing has been applied in many different industries but has been pursued reluctantly in biotechnology where the batchwise process is still the standard. A shift to continuous operation can improve productivity of a process and substantially reduce the footprint. Continuous operation also allows robust purification of labile biomolecules. A full set of unit operations is available to design continuous downstream processing of biopharmaceuticals. Chromatography, the central unit operation, is most advanced in respect to continuous operation. Here, the problem of 'batch' definition has been solved. This has also paved the way for implementation of continuous downstream processing from a regulatory viewpoint. Economic pressure, flexibility, and parametric release considerations will be the driving force to implement continuous manufacturing strategies in future. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Single-cell screening of photosynthetic growth and lactate production by cyanobacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hammar, P.; Angermayr, S.A.; Sjostrom, S.L.; van der Meer, J.; Hellingwerf, K.J.; Hudson, E.P.; Joensson, H.N.

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Photosynthetic cyanobacteria are attractive for a range of biotechnological applications including biofuel production. However, due to slow growth, screening of mutant libraries using microtiter plates is not feasible. RESULTS: We present a method for high-throughput, single-cell

  9. Optimization of mutanase production by Trichoderma harzianum ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH ... The highest enzyme activity (0.747 U/mL) was reached in shaken flask cultures ... increase in the production of mutanase compared with the culture before optimization. ... Keywords: Mutanase, Trichoderma harzianum, response surface methodology (RSM), bioreactors, ...

  10. 78 FR 16447 - Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program (RCEP) for the Technical Assistance and Continuing...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-15

    ... (RCEP) for the Technical Assistance and Continuing Education Centers (TACE Centers); Proposed Extension... (RCEP) for the Technical Assistance and Continuing Education Centers (TACE Centers), the Secretary... with disabilities through enhanced technical assistance (TA) and continuing education (CE) for State...

  11. Continuity of operations/continuity of government for state-level transportation organizations : brief.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-01

    As a result of a federal requirement, all non-federal entities that own or operate critical : infrastructure are required to develop Continuity of Operations/Continuity of Government : (COOP/COG) Plans. Transportation is a critical infrastructure com...

  12. Meroterpenoid and diphenyl ether derivatives from Penicillium sp. MA-37, a fungus isolated from marine mangrove rhizospheric soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yi; Li, Xiao-Ming; Shang, Zhuo; Li, Chun-Shun; Ji, Nai-Yun; Wang, Bin-Gui

    2012-11-26

    Penicillium sp. MA-37, which was obtained from the rhizospheric soil of the mangrove plant Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, exhibited different chemical profiles in static and shaken fermentation modes. Three new meroterpenoid derivatives, 4,25-dehydrominiolutelide B (1), 4,25-dehydro-22-deoxyminiolutelide B (2), and isominiolutelide A (3), together with three known ones were characterized from its static fermentation, while three new diphenyl ether derivatives, namely, Δ(1('),3('))-1'-dehydroxypenicillide (4), 7-O-acetylsecopenicillide C (5), and hydroxytenellic acid B (6), along with five related metabolites were isolated from the shaken culture. The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, and the structure of compound 2 was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The absolute configurations of 1-3 and 6 were determined by ECD and modified Mosher's method, respectively. All isolated compounds were evaluated for brine shrimp lethality and antibacterial activity.

  13. Development of scalable high throughput fermentation approaches for physiological characterisation of yeast and filamentous fungi

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knudsen, Peter Boldsen

    producing the heterologous model polyketide, 6-methylsalicylic acid (6-MSA). An automated methodology for high throughput screening focusing on growth rates, together with a fully automated method for quantitative physiological characterisation in microtiter plates, was established for yeast. Full...

  14. Single-cell screening of photosynthetic growth and lactate production by cyanobacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hammar, Petter; Angermayr, S. Andreas; Sjostrom, Staffan L.

    2015-01-01

    Background: Photosynthetic cyanobacteria are attractive for a range of biotechnological applications including biofuel production. However, due to slow growth, screening of mutant libraries using microtiter plates is not feasible.Results: We present a method for high-throughput, single-cell analy...

  15. An improved enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for whole-cell determination of methanogens in samples from anaerobic reactors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, A.H.; Ahring, B.K.

    1997-01-01

    An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed for the detection of whole cells of methanogens in samples from anaerobic continuously stirred tank digesters treating slurries of solid waste. The assay was found to allow for quantitative analysis of the most important groups of methanogens......-quality microtiter plates and the addition of dilute hydrochloric acid to the samples. In an experiment on different digester samples, the test demonstrated a unique pattern of different methanogenic strains present in each sample. The limited preparatory work required for the assay and the simple assay design make...... in samples from anaerobic digesters in a reproducible manner. Polyclonal antisera against eight strains of methanogens were employed in the test, The specificities of the antisera were increased by adsorption with cross-reacting cells. The reproducibility of the assay depended on the use of high...

  16. A simple method for validation and verification of pipettes mounted on automated liquid handlers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stangegaard, Michael; Hansen, Anders Johannes; Frøslev, Tobias G

    2011-01-01

    We have implemented a simple, inexpensive, and fast procedure for validation and verification of the performance of pipettes mounted on automated liquid handlers (ALHs) as necessary for laboratories accredited under ISO 17025. A six- or seven-step serial dilution of OrangeG was prepared in quadru......We have implemented a simple, inexpensive, and fast procedure for validation and verification of the performance of pipettes mounted on automated liquid handlers (ALHs) as necessary for laboratories accredited under ISO 17025. A six- or seven-step serial dilution of OrangeG was prepared...... are freely available. In conclusion, we have set up a simple, inexpensive, and fast solution for the continuous validation of ALHs used for accredited work according to the ISO 17025 standard. The method is easy to use for aqueous solutions but requires a spectrophotometer that can read microtiter plates....

  17. A review of advanced small-scale parallel bioreactor technology for accelerated process development: current state and future need.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bareither, Rachel; Pollard, David

    2011-01-01

    The pharmaceutical and biotech industries face continued pressure to reduce development costs and accelerate process development. This challenge occurs alongside the need for increased upstream experimentation to support quality by design initiatives and the pursuit of predictive models from systems biology. A small scale system enabling multiple reactions in parallel (n ≥ 20), with automated sampling and integrated to purification, would provide significant improvement (four to fivefold) to development timelines. State of the art attempts to pursue high throughput process development include shake flasks, microfluidic reactors, microtiter plates and small-scale stirred reactors. The limitations of these systems are compared to desired criteria to mimic large scale commercial processes. The comparison shows that significant technological improvement is still required to provide automated solutions that can speed upstream process development. Copyright © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

  18. Decomposition of fuzzy continuity and fuzzy ideal continuity via fuzzy idealization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zahran, A.M.; Abbas, S.E.; Abd El-baki, S.A.; Saber, Y.M.

    2009-01-01

    Recently, El-Naschie has shown that the notion of fuzzy topology may be relevant to quantum paretical physics in connection with string theory and E-infinity space time theory. In this paper, we study the concepts of r-fuzzy semi-I-open, r-fuzzy pre-I-open, r-fuzzy α-I-open and r-fuzzy β-I-open sets, which is properly placed between r-fuzzy openness and r-fuzzy α-I-openness (r-fuzzy pre-I-openness) sets regardless the fuzzy ideal topological space in Sostak sense. Moreover, we give a decomposition of fuzzy continuity, fuzzy ideal continuity and fuzzy ideal α-continuity, and obtain several characterization and some properties of these functions. Also, we investigate their relationship with other types of function.

  19. Continuous Markovian Logics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mardare, Radu Iulian; Cardelli, Luca; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand

    2012-01-01

    Continuous Markovian Logic (CML) is a multimodal logic that expresses quantitative and qualitative properties of continuous-time labelled Markov processes with arbitrary (analytic) state-spaces, henceforth called continuous Markov processes (CMPs). The modalities of CML evaluate the rates...... of the exponentially distributed random variables that characterize the duration of the labeled transitions of a CMP. In this paper we present weak and strong complete axiomatizations for CML and prove a series of metaproperties, including the finite model property and the construction of canonical models. CML...... characterizes stochastic bisimilarity and it supports the definition of a quantified extension of the satisfiability relation that measures the "compatibility" between a model and a property. In this context, the metaproperties allows us to prove two robustness theorems for the logic stating that one can...

  20. Selenium Adsorption To Aluminum-Based Water Treatment Residuals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aluminum-based water treatment residuals (WTR) can adsorb water-and soil-borne P, As(V), As(III), and perchlorate, and may be able to adsorb excess environmental selenium. WTR, clay minerals, and amorphous aluminum hydroxide were shaken for 24 hours in selenate or selenite solut...

  1. Nonlinear instability and convection in a vertically vibrated granular bed

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Shukla, P.; Ansari, I.H.; van der Meer, Roger M.; Lohse, Detlef; Alam, M.

    2014-01-01

    The nonlinear instability of the density-inverted granular Leidenfrost state and the resulting convective motion in strongly shaken granular matter are analysed via a weakly nonlinear analysis of the hydrodynamic equations. The base state is assumed to be quasi-steady and the effect of harmonic

  2. Challenges to lexicography in the digital era: the point of view of the function theory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tarp, Sven

    2016-01-01

    and information technologies into lexicography. The transformation is triple and affects the compilation, presentation and usage of the lexicographical product. In a certain way, the millenarian discipline is shaken by an identity crisis due to this transition from the well-known to the unknown....

  3. Insertion-Sequence-Mediated Mutations Isolated During Adaptation to Growth and Starvation in Lactococcus lactis.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Visser, de J.A.G.M.; Akkermans, A.D.L.; Hoekstra, R.F.; Vos, de W.M.

    2004-01-01

    We studied the activity of three multicopy insertion sequence (IS) elements in 12 populations of Lactococcus lactis IL1403 that evolved in the laboratory for 1000 generations under various environmental conditions (growth or starvation and shaken or stationary). Using RFLP analysis of single-clone

  4. Business Continuity Management Plan

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-12-01

    NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA MBA PROFESSIONAL REPORT BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT PLAN December 2014......maximum 200 words) Navy Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) lacks a business process framework for the development of Business Continuity Management

  5. Enhanced biofilm formation in dual-species culture of Listeria monocytogenes and Ralstonia insidiosa

    Science.gov (United States)

    In the environment, many microorganisms coexist in communities as biofilms. The objective of this study was to investigate the interactions between Listeria monocytogenes and Ralstonia insidiosa in dual species biofilms. Biofilm development was measured using crystal violet in 96-well microtiter pla...

  6. Undergraduate Laboratory Module for Implementing ELISA on the High Performance Microfluidic Platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giri, Basant; Peesara, Ravichander R.; Yanagisawa, Naoki; Dutta, Debashis

    2015-01-01

    Implementing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) in microchannels offers several advantages over its traditional microtiter plate-based format, including a reduced sample volume requirement, shorter incubation period, and greater sensitivity. Moreover, microfluidic ELISA platforms are inexpensive to fabricate and allow integration of…

  7. A coverslip-based technique for evaluating Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation on human plasma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer N Walker

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available The ability of the opportunistic pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus, to form biofilms is increasingly being viewed as an important contributor to chronic infections. In vitro methods for analyzing S. aureus biofilm formation have focused on bacterial attachment and accumulation on abiotic surfaces, such as in microtiter plate and flow cell assays. Microtiter plates provide a rapid measure of relative biomass levels, while flow cells have limited experimental throughput but are superior for confocal microscopy biofilm visualization. Although these assays have proven effective at identifying mechanisms involved in cell attachment and biofilm accumulation, the significance of these assays in vivo remains unclear. Studies have shown that when medical devices are implanted they are coated with host factors, such as matrix proteins, that facilitate S. aureus attachment and biofilm formation. To address the challenge of integrating existing biofilm assay features with a biotic surface, we have established an in vitro biofilm technique utilizing UV-sterilized coverslips coated with human plasma. The substratum more closely resembles the in vivo state and provides a platform for S. aureus to establish a robust biofilm. Importantly, these coverslips are amenable to confocal microscopy imaging to provide a visual reference of the biofilm growth stage, effectively merging the benefits of the microtiter and flow cell assays. We confirmed the approach using clinical S. aureus isolates and mutants with known biofilm phenotypes. Altogether, this new biofilm assay can be used to assess the function of S. aureus virulence factors associated with biofilm formation and for monitoring the efficacy of biofilm treatment modalities.

  8. [Detection of biofilm formation by selected pathogens relevant to the food industry].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Šilhová-Hrušková, L; Moťková, P; Šilha, D; Vytřasová, J

    2015-09-01

    Detection of biofilm formation by microbial pathogens relevant to the food industry and comparison of biofilm formation under different conditions of culture. The following microorganisms were selected for the study: Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria innocua, Listeria ivanovii, Cronobacter sakazakii, Cronobacter muytjensii, Arcobacter butzleri, Arcobacter cryaerophilus, Campylobacter jejuni, and Campylobacter coli. To detect biofilm formation the microtiter plate assay, as described by Christensen and culture on stainless steel coupons were used. The biofilm forming capacity was confirmed in all microorganisms tested, both on the microtiter plates and stainless steel coupons. Biofilm formation was influenced by the culture medium, material used, and culture duration as well as by the test microorganism. It was found that different species and strains of the same genus differ in biofilm formation. Differences were also found between the collection strains and isolates from the environment. Some bacteria tended to form biofilm more readily on the surface of the polyethylene microtiter plates and less readily on stainless steel coupons while others appeared to have an opposite tendency. Some pathogens were able to increase the planktonic cell density in the initial suspension even by three orders of magnitude within 72 hours while producing plenty of biofilm. The study of biofilm formation by high risk pathogens is of utmost importance, not only to the food industry. From the obtained results, it is evident that bacterial biofilms form rapidly (within 24 hours in the present study). Due to their architecture, these biofilms are difficult to eradicate, and therefore, it is crucial to prevent biofilm formation.

  9. The random continued fraction transformation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalle, Charlene; Kempton, Tom; Verbitskiy, Evgeny

    2017-03-01

    We introduce a random dynamical system related to continued fraction expansions. It uses random combinations of the Gauss map and the Rényi (or backwards) continued fraction map. We explore the continued fraction expansions that this system produces, as well as the dynamical properties of the system.

  10. Sibling bereavement and continuing bonds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Packman, Wendy; Horsley, Heidi; Davies, Betty; Kramer, Robin

    2006-11-01

    Historically, from a Freudian and medical model perspective, emotional disengagement from the deceased was seen as essential to the successful adaptation of bereavement. A major shift in the bereavement literature has occurred and it is now generally accepted that despite the permanence of physical separation, the bereaved remains involved and connected to the deceased and can be emotionally sustained through continuing bonds. The majority of literature has focused on adults and on the nature of continuing bonds following the death of a spouse. In this article, the authors demonstrate how the continuing bonds concept applies to the sibling relationship. We describe the unique continued relationship formed by bereaved children and adolescents following a sibling loss, highlight the factors that influence the siblings continuing bonds expressions, and offer clinical interventions. In our view, mental health professionals can play an important role in helping parents encourage activities that may facilitate the creation and maintenance of continuing bonds in their children.

  11. A modification of the Daisy II - 220 technique for the determination of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Unknown

    digestibility using rumen fluid/cellulase have been used extensively in laboratories worldwide. These techniques use individual digestion containers shaken twice daily and a two-stage 48 h digestion. Due to the individual sample handling, filtration and washing steps performed, the introduction of human error and amount ...

  12. 1,3,5-Triazine-2,4,6-triyltrisulfamic acid (TTSA)

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Administrator

    cOrganic Polymer Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, ... in handling, decreased reactor and plant corrosion ... eral acid in water or mixture of alcohol–water as ... Products were characterized by comparison ... A 250 mL suction flask was used. ... of melamine was completed, the mixture was shaken.

  13. Effect of abscission zone formation on orange (Citrus sinensis) fruit/juice quality for trees affected by Huanglongbing (HLB)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orange trees affected by huanglongbing (HLB) exhibit excessive fruit drop, and fruit loosely attached to the tree may have inferior flavor. Fruit were collected from healthy and HLB-infected (Candidatus liberibacter asiaticus) ‘Hamlin’ and ‘Valencia’ trees. Prior to harvest, the trees were shaken, f...

  14. Modeling of Non-Isothermal Cryogenic Fluid Sloshing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agui, Juan H.; Moder, Jeffrey P.

    2015-01-01

    A computational fluid dynamic model was used to simulate the thermal destratification in an upright self-pressurized cryostat approximately half-filled with liquid nitrogen and subjected to forced sinusoidal lateral shaking. A full three-dimensional computational grid was used to model the tank dynamics, fluid flow and thermodynamics using the ANSYS Fluent code. A non-inertial grid was used which required the addition of momentum and energy source terms to account for the inertial forces, energy transfer and wall reaction forces produced by the shaken tank. The kinetics-based Schrage mass transfer model provided the interfacial mass transfer due to evaporation and condensation at the sloshing interface. The dynamic behavior of the sloshing interface, its amplitude and transition to different wave modes, provided insight into the fluid process at the interface. The tank pressure evolution and temperature profiles compared relatively well with the shaken cryostat experimental test data provided by the Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales.

  15. The effects of gamma irradiation on the leaching of reducing sugars, inorganic phosphate and enzymes from barley seeds during germination in water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurobane, I.; Yamaguchi, H.; Sander, C.; Nilan, R.A.

    1979-01-01

    Gamma irradiation enhanced the leaching of reducing sugars from barley seeds into the water in which the seeds were shaken. Treatments prior to shaking in water, such as overnight soaking in water at 5 0 C and subsequent germination in Petri dishes for 1 or 2 days at 20 0 C, showed pronounced effects on the leaching. The highest effect, which was obtained at 500 krad irradiation, was four times higher than that of the non-irradiated control. Gamma irradiation also stimulated the leaching of inorganic phosphate and slightly that of amylases from barley seeds. When seeds from which the embryos has been removed were shaken into water, no stimulating effect on the leaching of sugars was noted. These results, combined with the irradiation effect on the embryo, suggest that the stimulated leaching of reducing sugars is due to the extreme difference in sensitivity to gamma irradiation between the production of reducing sugars in the endosperm and the development and growth of the embryo. (author)

  16. The influence of biosurfactants released by S-mitis BMS on the adhesion of pioneer strains and cariogenic bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Hoogmoed, CG; Van der Mei, HC; Busscher, HJ

    2004-01-01

    The influence of Streptococcus mitis BMS biosurfactants on the adhesion of eight pioneer and four cariogenic oral bacterial strains was, for a first screening, examined in a microtiter plate assay. The adhesion to pellicle-coated wells of three cariogenic strains was inhibited >70% by the

  17. Repurposing metformin as a quorum sensing inhibitor in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2017-09-03

    Sep 3, 2017 ... logic agent of a number of nosocomial infections includ- ing pneumonia .... wells of a 96-well microtiter plate, the bacterial suspen- sion was added in .... were determined and the search area was set to be 9 Å from the center ...

  18. Business continuity after catastrophic medical events: the Joplin medical business continuity report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlton, Paul K; Bringle, Dottie

    2012-01-01

    On May 22, 2011, The St Johns Mercy Medical Center in Joplin, MO, was destroyed by an F-5 tornado. There were 183 patients in the building at that time in this 367-bed Medical Center. The preparation and response were superbly done and resulted in many lives saved. This report is focused on the reconstitution phase of this disaster response, which includes how to restore business continuity. As 95 percent of our medical capacity resides in the private sector in the United States, we must have a proper plan for how to restore business continuity or face the reality of the medical business failing and not providing critical medical services to the community. A tornado in 2007 destroyed a medical center in Sumter County, GA, and it took more than 365 days to restore business continuity at a cost of $18M. The plan executed by the Mercy Medical System after the disaster in Joplin restored business continuity in 88 days and cost a total of $6.6M, with all assets being reusable. The recommendation from these lessons learned is that every county, state, and Federal Emergency Management Agency region has a plan on the shelf to restore business continuity and the means to be able to do so. The hard work that the State of Missouri and the Mercy Medical System did after this disaster can serve as a model for the nation in how to quickly recover from any loss of medical capability.

  19. Protein design using continuous rotamers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pablo Gainza

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Optimizing amino acid conformation and identity is a central problem in computational protein design. Protein design algorithms must allow realistic protein flexibility to occur during this optimization, or they may fail to find the best sequence with the lowest energy. Most design algorithms implement side-chain flexibility by allowing the side chains to move between a small set of discrete, low-energy states, which we call rigid rotamers. In this work we show that allowing continuous side-chain flexibility (which we call continuous rotamers greatly improves protein flexibility modeling. We present a large-scale study that compares the sequences and best energy conformations in 69 protein-core redesigns using a rigid-rotamer model versus a continuous-rotamer model. We show that in nearly all of our redesigns the sequence found by the continuous-rotamer model is different and has a lower energy than the one found by the rigid-rotamer model. Moreover, the sequences found by the continuous-rotamer model are more similar to the native sequences. We then show that the seemingly easy solution of sampling more rigid rotamers within the continuous region is not a practical alternative to a continuous-rotamer model: at computationally feasible resolutions, using more rigid rotamers was never better than a continuous-rotamer model and almost always resulted in higher energies. Finally, we present a new protein design algorithm based on the dead-end elimination (DEE algorithm, which we call iMinDEE, that makes the use of continuous rotamers feasible in larger systems. iMinDEE guarantees finding the optimal answer while pruning the search space with close to the same efficiency of DEE.Software is available under the Lesser GNU Public License v3. Contact the authors for source code.

  20. Continuation calculus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bram Geron

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Programs with control are usually modeled using lambda calculus extended with control operators. Instead of modifying lambda calculus, we consider a different model of computation. We introduce continuation calculus, or CC, a deterministic model of computation that is evaluated using only head reduction, and argue that it is suitable for modeling programs with control. It is demonstrated how to define programs, specify them, and prove them correct. This is shown in detail by presenting in CC a list multiplication program that prematurely returns when it encounters a zero. The correctness proof includes termination of the program. In continuation calculus we can model both call-by-name and call-by-value. In addition, call-by-name functions can be applied to call-by-value results, and conversely.

  1. 40 CFR 1065.150 - Continuous sampling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Continuous sampling. 1065.150 Section... ENGINE-TESTING PROCEDURES Equipment Specifications § 1065.150 Continuous sampling. You may use continuous sampling techniques for measurements that involve raw or dilute sampling. Make sure continuous sampling...

  2. Interfacing Lab-on-a-Chip Embryo Technology with High-Definition Imaging Cytometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Feng; Hall, Christopher J; Crosier, Philip S; Wlodkowic, Donald

    2015-08-01

    To spearhead deployment of zebrafish embryo biotests in large-scale drug discovery studies, automated platforms are needed to integrate embryo in-test positioning and immobilization (suitable for high-content imaging) with fluidic modules for continuous drug and medium delivery under microperfusion to developing embryos. In this work, we present an innovative design of a high-throughput three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic chip-based device for automated immobilization and culture and time-lapse imaging of developing zebrafish embryos under continuous microperfusion. The 3D Lab-on-a-Chip array was fabricated in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) transparent thermoplastic using infrared laser micromachining, while the off-chip interfaces were fabricated using additive manufacturing processes (fused deposition modelling and stereolithography). The system's design facilitated rapid loading and immobilization of a large number of embryos in predefined clusters of traps during continuous microperfusion of drugs/toxins. It was conceptually designed to seamlessly interface with both upright and inverted fluorescent imaging systems and also to directly interface with conventional microtiter plate readers that accept 96-well plates. Compared with the conventional Petri dish assays, the chip-based bioassay was much more convenient and efficient as only small amounts of drug solutions were required for the whole perfusion system running continuously over 72 h. Embryos were spatially separated in the traps that assisted tracing single embryos, preventing interembryo contamination and improving imaging accessibility.

  3. Continuous acoustic emission from aluminium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fenici, P.; Kiesewetter, N.; Schiller, P.

    1976-01-01

    Continuous acoustic emission of aluminum single crystals and polycrystals during tensile tests at constant cross-head speed and at room temperature is measured with a Root Mean Square Level recorder. By means of the Kaiser effect it is shown that the continuous emission is related to the plastic deformation. The plot of continuous emission against strain takes different shapes for pure single crystals, pure polycrystals and impure polycrystals. The measured voltages have about the same value for pure single and polycrystals and are considerably greater than that for impure polycrystals. A method is developed to distinguish between continuous emission and burst

  4. Oscillating perceptions

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    A functional mouse CLOCK protein has long been thought to be essential for mammalian circadian clockwork function, based mainly on studies of mice bearing a dominant negative, antimorphic mutation in the Clock gene. However, new discoveries using recently developed Clock-null mutant mice have shaken up this ...

  5. Tracing Boundaries, Effacing Boundaries: Information Literacy as an Academic Discipline

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veach, Grace

    2012-01-01

    Both librarianship and composition have been shaken by recent developments in higher education. In libraries ebooks and online databases threaten the traditional "library as warehouse model," while in composition, studies like The Citation Project show that students are not learning how to incorporate sources into their own writing…

  6. Exploring Terra Incognita: Preliminary Reflections on the Impact of the Global Financial Crisis upon Human Resource Management.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zagelmeyer, S.J.; Gollan, P.J.

    2012-01-01

    Since 2007, the global financial crisis (GFC) appears not only to have shaken the foundations of the financial markets and the real economy; it also appears to have harmed the social and political life of many countries. For human resource management (HRM), the global crisis represents an external

  7. Optimization of culture conditions of Streptomyces rochei (MTCC ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Fermentation and culture conditions were studied in shaken-flask culture to induce the production of greater amounts of antimicrobial metabolites by Streptomyces rochei (10109). Antimicrobial metabolite production started after 48 h incubation and reached its optimum level at 20% inoculum size at 120 h, at which point the ...

  8. 42 CFR 441.60 - Continuing care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Continuing care. 441.60 Section 441.60 Public... Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) of Individuals Under Age 21 § 441.60 Continuing care. (a) Continuing care provider. For purposes of this subpart, a continuing care provider means a...

  9. Continuous Platform Development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Ole Fiil

    low risks and investments but also with relatively fuzzy results. When looking for new platform projects, it is important to make sure that the company and market is ready for the introduction of platforms, and to make sure that people from marketing and sales, product development, and downstream......, but continuous product family evolution challenges this strategy. The concept of continuous platform development is based on the fact that platform development should not be a one-time experience but rather an ongoing process of developing new platforms and updating existing ones, so that product family...

  10. Business continuity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Breunhoelder, Gert

    2002-01-01

    This presentation deals with the following keypoints: Information Technology (IT) Business Continuity and Recovery essential for any business; lessons learned after Sept. 11 event; Detailed planning, redundancy and testing being the key elements for probability estimation of disasters

  11. Formalizing Implementation Strategies for First-Class Continuations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Danvy, Olivier

    1999-01-01

    We present the first formalization of implementation strategies for first-class continuations. The formalization hinges on abstract machines for continuation-passing style (CPS) programs with a special treatment for the current continuation, accounting for the essence of first-class continuations......-class continuations and that second-class continuations are stackable. A large body of work exists on implementing continuations, but it is predominantly empirical and implementation-oriented. In contrast, our formalization abstracts the essence of first-class continuations and provides a uniform setting...

  12. Formalizing Implementation Strategies for First-Class Continuations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Danvy, Olivier

    2000-01-01

    We present the first formalization of implementation strategies for first-class continuations. The formalization hinges on abstract machines for continuation-passing style (CPS) programs with a special treatment for the current continuation, accounting for the essence of first-class continuations......-class continuations and that second-class continuations are stackable. A large body of work exists on implementing continuations, but it is predominantly empirical and implementation-oriented. In contrast, our formalization abstracts the essence of first-class continuations and provides a uniform setting...

  13. Air-liquid interface biofilms of Bacillus cereus: formation, sporulation, and dispersion

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wijman, J.G.E.; Leeuw, de P.P.L.A.; Moezelaar, R.; Zwietering, M.H.; Abee, T.

    2007-01-01

    Biofilm formation by Bacillus cereus was assessed using 56 strains of B. cereus, including the two sequenced strains, ATCC 14579 and ATCC 10987. Biofilm production in microtiter plates was found to be strongly dependent on incubation time, temperature, and medium, as well as the strain used, with

  14. Archives: Continuing Medical Education

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Items 51 - 88 of 88 ... Archives: Continuing Medical Education. Journal Home > Archives: Continuing Medical Education. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives. 51 - 88 of 88 ...

  15. Self-similar continued root approximants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gluzman, S.; Yukalov, V.I.

    2012-01-01

    A novel method of summing asymptotic series is advanced. Such series repeatedly arise when employing perturbation theory in powers of a small parameter for complicated problems of condensed matter physics, statistical physics, and various applied problems. The method is based on the self-similar approximation theory involving self-similar root approximants. The constructed self-similar continued roots extrapolate asymptotic series to finite values of the expansion parameter. The self-similar continued roots contain, as a particular case, continued fractions and Padé approximants. A theorem on the convergence of the self-similar continued roots is proved. The method is illustrated by several examples from condensed-matter physics.

  16. Susceptibility testing of Entamoeba histolytica

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cedeno, J.R.; Krogstad, D.J.

    1983-01-01

    The growth of Entamoeba histolytica in microtiter plates in vitro in a variety of environments with reduced oxygen tensions is reported. With 3% O 2 , 3% CO 2 , and 94% N 2 , the parasite growth in microtiter plates was identical to that in screw-capped culture tubes, as measured by [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation and by quantitative parasite counts. There were no significant differences between the drug concentrations necessary to inhibit parasite growth by 50% based on [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation vs those defined by quantitative parasite counts for the 15 antimicrobial agents tested (including seven drugs used for the treatment of amebiasis). This technique provides a reproducible method to quantitate the activity of potential antiamebic agents in vitro. The isotopic method should be of particular value in defining the metabolism of the parasite and effects of antimicrobial agents on it, whereas the morphologic method may be more valuable for workers with limited resources available to them

  17. Antibiofilm activity of carboxymethyl chitosan on the biofilms of non-Candida albicans Candida species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Yulong; Leonhard, Matthias; Moser, Doris; Schneider-Stickler, Berit

    2016-09-20

    Although most cases of candidiasis have been attributed to Candida albicans, non-C. albicans Candida species have been isolated in increasing numbers in patients. In this study, we determined the inhibition of carboxymethyl chitosan (CM-chitosan) on single and mixed species biofilm of non-albicans Candida species, including Candida tropicalis, Candida parapsilosis, Candida krusei and Candida glabrata. Biofilm by all tested species in microtiter plates were inhibited nearly 70%. CM-chitosan inhibited mixed species biofilm in microtiter plates and also on medical materials surfaces. To investigate the mechanism, the effect of CM-chitosan on cell viability and biofilm growth was employed. CM-chitosan inhibited Candida planktonic growth as well as adhesion. Further biofilm formation was inhibited with CM-chitosan added at 90min, 12h or 24h after biofilm initiation. CM-chitosan was not only able to inhibit the metabolic activity of Candida cells, but was also active upon the establishment and the development of biofilms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Robust continuous clustering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Sohil Atul; Koltun, Vladlen

    2017-09-12

    Clustering is a fundamental procedure in the analysis of scientific data. It is used ubiquitously across the sciences. Despite decades of research, existing clustering algorithms have limited effectiveness in high dimensions and often require tuning parameters for different domains and datasets. We present a clustering algorithm that achieves high accuracy across multiple domains and scales efficiently to high dimensions and large datasets. The presented algorithm optimizes a smooth continuous objective, which is based on robust statistics and allows heavily mixed clusters to be untangled. The continuous nature of the objective also allows clustering to be integrated as a module in end-to-end feature learning pipelines. We demonstrate this by extending the algorithm to perform joint clustering and dimensionality reduction by efficiently optimizing a continuous global objective. The presented approach is evaluated on large datasets of faces, hand-written digits, objects, newswire articles, sensor readings from the Space Shuttle, and protein expression levels. Our method achieves high accuracy across all datasets, outperforming the best prior algorithm by a factor of 3 in average rank.

  19. Entanglement-continuous unitary transformations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sahin, Serkan; Orus, Roman [Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55099 Mainz (Germany)

    2016-07-01

    In this talk we present a new algorithm for quantum many-body systems using continuous unitary transformations (CUT) and tensor networks (TNs). With TNs we are able to approximate the solution to the flow equations that lie at the heart of continuous unitary transformations. We call this method Entanglement-Continuous Unitary Transformations (eCUT). It allows us to compute expectation values of local observables as well as tensor network representations of ground states and low-energy excited states. An implementation of the method is shown for 1d systems using matrix product operators. We show preliminary results for the 1d transverse-field Ising model to demonstrate the feasibility of the method.

  20. Dose uniformity of loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic gel (0.5%) compared with branded and generic prednisolone acetate ophthalmic suspension (1%).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marlowe, Zora T; Davio, Stephen R

    2014-01-01

    Loteprednol etabonate (LE) ophthalmic gel 0.5% (Lotemax®) is a new polycarbophil-based, nonsettling topical ophthalmic formulation. The formulation is a semisolid gel at rest and a shear thinning fluid when expressed through a dropper tip. The present study was undertaken to determine how the nonsettling character of LE ophthalmic gel affects dose uniformity. Prednisolone acetate ophthalmic suspension 1% (Pred Forte®) and a generic prednisolone acetate suspension 1% were used as comparators. Drug concentrations of LE ophthalmic gel, Pred Forte, and a generic prednisolone acetate suspension were determined following simulated dosing - consisting of 2 drops, expressed four times daily for 2 weeks, with bottles that were shaken or not shaken immediately prior to expressing the drops. Drug concentrations were determined using a reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method and reported as a percentage of the declared (labeled) concentration. Comparative kinetics of drug particle sedimentation were also determined for each formulation, using dispersion analysis under gravity. Mean drug concentrations in drops of all three formulations were within a few percentage points of the declared concentration when the bottles were shaken for 5 seconds prior to dispensing. Only LE ophthalmic gel showed consistent and on-target concentrations when the bottles were unshaken prior to dispensing, with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) percent declared concentration of 102% (1.92%) over the 2-week dosing regimen. Drug concentrations for the branded and generic prednisolone acetate suspensions following expression from unshaken bottles were highly variable (overall relative SDs of 16.8% and 20.3%, respectively), with mean concentrations for both falling significantly below the declared concentration for drops expressed at the beginning of the 2-week dosing regimen and significantly above the declared concentration for drops expressed near the end of the dosing

  1. Continuation calculus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Geron, B.; Geuvers, J.H.; de'Liguoro, U.; Saurin, A.

    2013-01-01

    Programs with control are usually modeled using lambda calculus extended with control operators. Instead of modifying lambda calculus, we consider a different model of computation. We introduce continuation calculus, or CC, a deterministic model of computation that is evaluated using only head

  2. Critical Analysis of 2012 Local Elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirsad Karic

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper provides a critical analyzes of 2012 local elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Since 1995 the local elections and its political and electoral system have been based on the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA. According to DPA Bosnia-Herzegovina has the multiparty system and regular and free elections. These local elections were held amidst continuously renewed political turmoil at the cantonal, entity and state levels. 2012 local elections results have shown that the HDZ and SDA continued to dominate politics at the local level in the Federation of BiH while in the RS, position of SNSD has been strongly shaken by very good performance of SDS. The SDA won majority of votes in Bosniak majority areas while SDS and HDZ secured their votes in the Serb and Croat majority areas respectively. In the Federation of BiH, SDP and SBB suffered dramatic fall in votes comparing to the last general elections while in the RS, SNSD, which has dominated politics since 2006 lost significant number of votes, mayoral posts and municipality seats to SDS and some other political parties such as PDP, SP and DNS.

  3. Continuous-variable quantum homomorphic signature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Ke; Shang, Tao; Liu, Jian-wei

    2017-10-01

    Quantum cryptography is believed to be unconditionally secure because its security is ensured by physical laws rather than computational complexity. According to spectrum characteristic, quantum information can be classified into two categories, namely discrete variables and continuous variables. Continuous-variable quantum protocols have gained much attention for their ability to transmit more information with lower cost. To verify the identities of different data sources in a quantum network, we propose a continuous-variable quantum homomorphic signature scheme. It is based on continuous-variable entanglement swapping and provides additive and subtractive homomorphism. Security analysis shows the proposed scheme is secure against replay, forgery and repudiation. Even under nonideal conditions, it supports effective verification within a certain verification threshold.

  4. The Impact of the Economic Downturn in the Spanish Civil Justice System

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    L. Carballo Pineiro (Laura); J. Nieva Fenoll (Jordi)

    2015-01-01

    textabstractThe Spanish justice system has been shaken by the econom- ic downturn as many other institutions have. This article addresses in the first place some statistical data that shed light as regards to the number of judges and the costs and length of the procedure in Spain. These figures help

  5. USHIE ET AL, INJODEMAR 3

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    It was in complete realization of these hydra-headed problems that the military leaders that ... addition, the moral fortitude of the Nigerian public servant was badly shaken by the ..... Harvard Business Review. March April, 60. 72. th. Mamoria, C. B. (1993) Personnel Management: Management of Human Resource (12 ed.) ...

  6. People's perceptions of HIV/AIDS as portrayed by their labels of the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Joyce T Mathangwane a mathanjt@mopipi.ub.bwjtmogatse@gmail.com

    percentages, Botswana was considered one of the countries worst ... include research on the social aspects of HIV/AIDS especially regarding the use of minority languages in the fight ... disease as well as train health workers in its clinical management; ..... and cultural spaces and shaken all the roots and values of tradition.

  7. When What's Inside Counts: Sequence of Demonstrated Actions Affects Preschooler's Categorization by Nonobvious Properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Yue; Kushnir, Tamar

    2016-01-01

    This study explores the role of a particular social cue--the "sequence" of demonstrated actions and events--in preschooler's categorization. A demonstrator sorted objects that varied on both a surface feature (color) and a nonobvious property (sound made when shaken). Children saw a sequence of actions in which the nonobvious property…

  8. Analyzing the EU Refugee Crisis : Humanity, Heritage and Responsibility to Protect

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hadfield, Amelia; Zwitter, Andrej

    2015-01-01

    2015 has shaken the EU to its core. Hard upon the heels of geopolitical upheavals in Ukraine, as well as internal battles to define both Eurozone and energy governance, the refugee crisis has prompted a sober reckoning of the EU’s competence and its humanity. With an increasing number of articles

  9. A Review of Microbially Induced Corrosion (MIC) of Steel and a Preliminary Investigation to Determine Its Occurrence in Naval Vessels

    Science.gov (United States)

    1993-05-01

    decimal dilution; i.e. 1 l0 Il], aSepticalvY transterred to ’) 0 inl1 dilutinig fluid and shaken and the procedure repeated .2 .2 Sw~ ab Samples...Materials Research Laboratory. Videla, H.A. (1985). The action of Cladosporium resinae growth on the electrochemical behaviour of aluminium. In Biologically

  10. Coarsening of Faraday Heaps: Experiment, Simulation, and Theory

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gerner, van H.J.; Robledo, Caballero G.A.; Meer, van der D.; Weele, van der J.P.; Hoef, van der M.A.

    2009-01-01

    When a layer of granular material is vertically shaken, the surface spontaneously breaks up in a landscape of small Faraday heaps that merge into larger ones on an ever increasing time scale. This coarsening process is studied in a linear setup, for which the average life span of the transient state

  11. High-precision terahertz frequency modulated continuous wave imaging method using continuous wavelet transform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Yu; Wang, Tianyi; Dai, Bing; Li, Wenjun; Wang, Wei; You, Chengwu; Wang, Kejia; Liu, Jinsong; Wang, Shenglie; Yang, Zhengang

    2018-02-01

    Inspired by the extensive application of terahertz (THz) imaging technologies in the field of aerospace, we exploit a THz frequency modulated continuous-wave imaging method with continuous wavelet transform (CWT) algorithm to detect a multilayer heat shield made of special materials. This method uses the frequency modulation continuous-wave system to catch the reflected THz signal and then process the image data by the CWT with different basis functions. By calculating the sizes of the defects area in the final images and then comparing the results with real samples, a practical high-precision THz imaging method is demonstrated. Our method can be an effective tool for the THz nondestructive testing of composites, drugs, and some cultural heritages.

  12. Increased bactericidal activity of colistin on Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms in anaerobic conditions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kolpen, Mette; Appeldorff, Cecilie F.; Brandt, Sarah

    2016-01-01

    that production of OH˙may not contribute significantly to the bactericidal activity of colistin on P. aeruginosa biofilm. Thus, we investigated the effect of colistin treatment on biofilm of wild-type PAO1, a catalase-deficient mutant (katA) and a colistin-resistant CF isolate cultured in microtiter plates...

  13. Study of the optimal reaction conditions for assay of the mouse alternative complement pathway

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dijk, H. van; Rademaker, P.M.; Klerx, J.P.A.M.; Willers, J.M.M.

    1985-01-01

    The optimal reaction conditions for hemolytic assay of alternative complement pathway activity in mouse serum were investigated. A microtiter system was used, in which a number of 7.5×106 rabbit erythrocytes per test well appeared to be optimal. Rabbit erythrocytes were superior as target cells over

  14. Evaluation of the Sensititre MycoTB plate for susceptibility testing of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex against first- and second-line agents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Leslie; Jude, Kurt P; Clark, Shirley L; Dionne, Kim; Merson, Ryan; Boyer, Ana; Parrish, Nicole M; Wengenack, Nancy L

    2012-11-01

    The Sensititre MycoTB plate (TREK Diagnostic Systems, Cleveland, OH) uses a microtiter plate MIC format for susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates against first- and second-line antituberculosis agents. Categorical agreement versus the agar proportion method for 122 M. tuberculosis complex isolates was 94% to 100%.

  15. Continuous exponential martingales and BMO

    CERN Document Server

    Kazamaki, Norihiko

    1994-01-01

    In three chapters on Exponential Martingales, BMO-martingales, and Exponential of BMO, this book explains in detail the beautiful properties of continuous exponential martingales that play an essential role in various questions concerning the absolute continuity of probability laws of stochastic processes. The second and principal aim is to provide a full report on the exciting results on BMO in the theory of exponential martingales. The reader is assumed to be familiar with the general theory of continuous martingales.

  16. Development and validation of a quantitative, high-throughput, fluorescent-based bioassay to detect schistosoma viability.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emily Peak

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Schistosomiasis, caused by infection with the blood fluke Schistosoma, is responsible for greater than 200,000 human deaths per annum. Objective high-throughput screens for detecting novel anti-schistosomal targets will drive 'genome to drug' lead translational science at an unprecedented rate. Current methods for detecting schistosome viability rely on qualitative microscopic criteria, which require an understanding of parasite morphology, and most importantly, must be subjectively interpreted. These limitations, in the current state of the art, have significantly impeded progress into whole schistosome screening for next generation chemotherapies.We present here a microtiter plate-based method for reproducibly detecting schistosomula viability that takes advantage of the differential uptake of fluorophores (propidium iodide and fluorescein diacetate by living organisms. We validate this high-throughput system in detecting schistosomula viability using auranofin (a known inhibitor of thioredoxin glutathione reductase, praziquantel and a range of small compounds with previously-described (gambogic acid, sodium salinomycin, ethinyl estradiol, fluoxetidine hydrochloride, miconazole nitrate, chlorpromazine hydrochloride, amphotericin b, niclosamide or suggested (bepridil, ciclopirox, rescinnamine, flucytosine, vinblastine and carbidopa anti-schistosomal activities. This developed method is sensitive (200 schistosomula/well can be assayed, relevant to industrial (384-well microtiter plate compatibility and academic (96-well microtiter plate compatibility settings, translatable to functional genomics screens and drug assays, does not require a priori knowledge of schistosome biology and is quantitative.The wide-scale application of this fluorescence-based bioassay will greatly accelerate the objective identification of novel therapeutic lead targets/compounds to combat schistosomiasis. Adapting this bioassay for use with other parasitic worm species

  17. Continuous carbon nanotube reinforced composites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ci, L; Suhr, J; Pushparaj, V; Zhang, X; Ajayan, P M

    2008-09-01

    Carbon nanotubes are considered short fibers, and polymer composites with nanotube fillers are always analogues of random, short fiber composites. The real structural carbon fiber composites, on the other hand, always contain carbon fiber reinforcements where fibers run continuously through the composite matrix. With the recent optimization in aligned nanotube growth, samples of nanotubes in macroscopic lengths have become available, and this allows the creation of composites that are similar to the continuous fiber composites with individual nanotubes running continuously through the composite body. This allows the proper utilization of the extreme high modulus and strength predicted for nanotubes in structural composites. Here, we fabricate such continuous nanotube polymer composites with continuous nanotube reinforcements and report that under compressive loadings, the nanotube composites can generate more than an order of magnitude improvement in the longitudinal modulus (up to 3,300%) as well as damping capability (up to 2,100%). It is also observed that composites with a random distribution of nanotubes of same length and similar filler fraction provide three times less effective reinforcement in composites.

  18. LANL continuity of operations plan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Senutovitch, Diane M [Los Alamos National Laboratory

    2010-12-22

    The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a premier national security research institution, delivering scientific and engineering solutions for the nation's most crucial and complex problems. Our primary responsibility is to ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the nation's nuclear stockpile. LANL emphasizes worker safety, effective operational safeguards and security, and environmental stewardship, outstanding science remains the foundation of work at the Laboratory. In addition to supporting the Laboratory's core national security mission, our work advances bioscience, chemistry, computer science, earth and environmental sciences, materials science, and physics disciplines. To accomplish LANL's mission, we must ensure that the Laboratory EFs continue to be performed during a continuity event, including localized acts of nature, accidents, technological or attack-related emergencies, and pandemic or epidemic events. The LANL Continuity of Operations (COOP) Plan documents the overall LANL COOP Program and provides the operational framework to implement continuity policies, requirements, and responsibilities at LANL, as required by DOE 0 150.1, Continuity Programs, May 2008. LANL must maintain its ability to perform the nation's PMEFs, which are: (1) maintain the safety and security of nuclear materials in the DOE Complex at fixed sites and in transit; (2) respond to a nuclear incident, both domestically and internationally, caused by terrorist activity, natural disaster, or accident, including mobilizing the resources to support these efforts; and (3) support the nation's energy infrastructure. This plan supports Continuity of Operations for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). This plan issues LANL policy as directed by the DOE 0 150.1, Continuity Programs, and provides direction for the orderly continuation of LANL EFs for 30 days of closure or 60 days for a pandemic/epidemic event. Initiation of COOP operations may

  19. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... ENT Doctor Near You Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Patient Health Information ... relations staff at newsroom@entnet.org . What Is CPAP? The most common and effective nonsurgical treatment for ...

  20. Fulltext PDF

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    vertical walls and columns are like the ropes, and the floor is like the cradle. Buildings vibrate back and forth during earthquakes. Buildings with more than one storey are like rope swings with more than one cradle. Figure 1. Rope swings and buildings, both swing back-and-forth when shaken horizontally. The former.

  1. 21 CFR 868.5895 - Continuous ventilator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Continuous ventilator. 868.5895 Section 868.5895...) MEDICAL DEVICES ANESTHESIOLOGY DEVICES Therapeutic Devices § 868.5895 Continuous ventilator. (a) Identification. A continuous ventilator (respirator) is a device intended to mechanically control or assist...

  2. Continuous-Energy Data Checks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Haeck, Wim [Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety Institute, Fontenay-aux-Roses (France); Conlin, Jeremy Lloyd [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); McCartney, Austin Paul [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Parsons, Donald Kent [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2016-05-25

    The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of all Quality Assurance tests that have to be performed on a nuclear data set to be transformed into an ACE formatted nuclear data file. The ACE file is capable of containing different types of data such as continuous energy neutron data, thermal scattering data, etc. Within this report, we will limit ourselves to continuous energy neutron data.

  3. Continuous culture apparatus and methodology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Conway, H.L.

    1975-01-01

    At present, we are investigating the sorption of potentially toxic trace elements by phytoplankton under controlled laboratory conditions. Continuous culture techniques were used to study the mechanism of the sorption of the trace elements by unialgal diatom populations and the factors influencing this sorption. Continuous culture methodology has been used extensively to study bacterial kinetics. It is an excellent technique for obtaining a known physiological state of phytoplankton populations. An automated method for the synthesis of continuous culture medium for use in these experiments is described

  4. Security Support in Continuous Deployment Pipeline

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ullah, Faheem; Raft, Adam Johannes; Shahin, Mojtaba

    2017-01-01

    Continuous Deployment (CD) has emerged as a new practice in the software industry to continuously and automatically deploy software changes into production. Continuous Deployment Pipeline (CDP) supports CD practice by transferring the changes from the repository to production. Since most of the CDP...... penetration tools. Our findings indicate that the applied tactics improve the security of the major components (i.e., repository, continuous integration server, main server) of a CDP by controlling access to the components and establishing secure connections....

  5. Formalizing Implementation Strategies for First-Class Continuations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Danvy, Olivier

    1999-01-01

    . These abstract machines are proven equivalent to a standard, substitution-based abstract machine. The proof techniques work uniformly for various representations of continuations. As a byproduct, we also present a formal proof of the two folklore theorems that one continuation identifier is enough for second......-class continuations and that second-class continuations are stackable. A large body of work exists on implementing continuations, but it is predominantly empirical and implementation-oriented. In contrast, our formalization abstracts the essence of first-class continuations and provides a uniform setting...

  6. Reinforcement Learning in Continuous Action Spaces

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hasselt, H. van; Wiering, M.A.

    2007-01-01

    Quite some research has been done on Reinforcement Learning in continuous environments, but the research on problems where the actions can also be chosen from a continuous space is much more limited. We present a new class of algorithms named Continuous Actor Critic Learning Automaton (CACLA)

  7. Enzymatic generation of hydrogen peroxide shows promising antifouling effect

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, J.B.; Olsen, Stefan Møller; Laursen, B.S.

    2010-01-01

    Proteobacteria, tested in microtiter plates. However, enzymatically produced H2O2 released from a coating did not impede biofilm formation by bacteria in natural seawater tested in a biofilm reactor. A field trial revealed a noticeable effect of the enzyme system: after immersion in the North Sea for 97 days...

  8. Business continuity management in international organisations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adamou, Christel

    2014-01-01

    In the area of business continuity management, a preliminary review of the literature reveals extensive knowledge, expertise and experience concerning organisations in the private and public sectors. It is interesting to note, however, that there is little literature about business continuity management in international organisations, although these entities are complex and particularly prone to threats. This apparent absence of literature suggests that business continuity management has not yet hit the agenda of international organisations. In recent years, member states have encouraged senior management to design and implement business continuity strategies to minimise the mishandling of an internal crisis and build organisational resilience, but very few of them have actually been able to design and implement comprehensive business continuity programmes. Based on actual experience working in international organisations, this paper outlines some of the challenges faced by international organisations in developing and implementing business continuity activities and attempts to make suggestions for further improvement.

  9. Le continu contre l'espace

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salanskis, Jean-Michel

    Disons pour conclure que, en tout état de cause, la façon de concevoir philosophiquement le conflit du continu et de l'espace que nous avons trouvée chez Hegel n'est pas homogène avec le style et les modalités de la pensée mathématique: 1) d'une part, le lien classique, le lien de référence entre continu et espace en mathématiques n'est pas que l'espace serait premier et privé de pensée, et le continu second, venant dissoudre l'espace en apportant la qualité, l'infini et la pensée, mais tout au contraire, il consiste en ce que l'espace est fondé sur l'abîme infinitaire du continu ; 2) d'autre part, l'éventuel divorce entre l'espace et le continu dans l'aire mathématique n'est pas celui d'une réflexivité purement conceptuelle du continu avec un positivisme géométrique, n'équivaut pas à une rupture disciplinaire ; il est plutôt le symptôme de la dérive d'une herméneutique à l'égard d'une autre, au sein d'un continent juridique commun définissant la discipline (la mathématique ensembliste), cette dérive pouvant, à la limite, induire une refonte de ce sol juridique, sans que jamais il soit question pour autant de nier l'unité des mathématiques, à comprendre ici comme l'unité ultime de responsabilité de la communauté mathématique à l'égard des trois questions Qu'est-ce que l'espace?”, “Qu'est-ce que le continu?” et “Qu'est-ce que l'infini?”.

  10. Competency-based continuing professional development

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Campbell, Craig; Silver, Ivan; Sherbino, Jonathan; Ten Cate, Olle; Holmboe, Eric S.

    2010-01-01

    Competence is traditionally viewed as the attainment of a static set of attributes rather than a dynamic process in which physicians continuously use their practice experiences to "progress in competence'' toward the attainment of expertise. A competency-based continuing professional development

  11. 15 CFR 923.57 - Continuing consultation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... § 923.57 Continuing consultation. (a) As required by subsection 306(d)(3)(B) of the Act, a State must establish an effective mechanism for continuing consultation and coordination between the management agency... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Continuing consultation. 923.57...

  12. Control systems engineering in continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing. May 20-21, 2014 Continuous Manufacturing Symposium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myerson, Allan S; Krumme, Markus; Nasr, Moheb; Thomas, Hayden; Braatz, Richard D

    2015-03-01

    This white paper provides a perspective of the challenges, research needs, and future directions for control systems engineering in continuous pharmaceutical processing. The main motivation for writing this paper is to facilitate the development and deployment of control systems technologies so as to ensure quality of the drug product. Although the main focus is on small-molecule pharmaceutical products, most of the same statements apply to biological drug products. An introduction to continuous manufacturing and control systems is followed by a discussion of the current status and technical needs in process monitoring and control, systems integration, and risk analysis. Some key points are that: (1) the desired objective in continuous manufacturing should be the satisfaction of all critical quality attributes (CQAs), not for all variables to operate at steady-state values; (2) the design of start-up and shutdown procedures can significantly affect the economic operation of a continuous manufacturing process; (3) the traceability of material as it moves through the manufacturing facility is an important consideration that can at least in part be addressed using residence time distributions; and (4) the control systems technologies must assure quality in the presence of disturbances, dynamics, uncertainties, nonlinearities, and constraints. Direct measurement, first-principles and empirical model-based predictions, and design space approaches are described for ensuring that CQA specifications are met. Ways are discussed for universities, regulatory bodies, and industry to facilitate working around or through barriers to the development of control systems engineering technologies for continuous drug manufacturing. Industry and regulatory bodies should work with federal agencies to create federal funding mechanisms to attract faculty to this area. Universities should hire faculty interested in developing first-principles models and control systems technologies for

  13. 7 CFR 205.406 - Continuation of certification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ..., Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) ORGANIC FOODS PRODUCTION ACT PROVISIONS NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM Certification § 205.406 Continuation of certification. (a) To continue... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Continuation of certification. 205.406 Section 205.406...

  14. The Kinetics of Ampicillin Release from Hydroxyapatite for Bones Regeneration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giovanilton Ferreira da Silva

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Semisynthetic beta-lactam antibiotics are among the most used pharmaceuticals. Their use in veterinary and human medicine is in continuous expansion. There is a growing need for developing bioactive implants. Advantages of implantable drug delivery tools can include high release efficiency, precise dose control, low toxicity, and allow to overcome disadvantages connected with conventional methods. In this respect, hydroxyapatite (HA is an elective material. It enables to produce architectures similar to those of real bones. Here we studied a kinetic model to describe ampicillin release from HA. In the course of adsorption experiment, ampicillin was dissolved, maintained at 30∘C and shaken at 60 strokes/minute. Samples were withdrawn periodically for analysis and then returned to the mixture. Adsorbed amounts were measured by the difference of the concentration of the antibiotics before and after adsorption using UV adsorption at 225 nm. The aim of this work was to evaluate its application as ampicillin delivery carrier.

  15. Use of collagen hydrolysate as a complex nitrogen source for the synthesis of penicillin by Penicillium chrysogenum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leonhartsberger, S; Lafferty, R M; Korneti, L

    1993-09-01

    Optimal conditions for both biomass formation and penicillin synthesis by a strain of Penicillium chrysogenum were determined when using a collagen-derived nitrogen source. Preliminary investigations were carried out in shaken flask cultures employing a planned experimental program termed the Graeco-Latin square technique (Auden et al., 1967). It was initially determined that up to 30% of a conventional complex nitrogen source such as cottonseed meal could be replaced by the collagen-derived nitrogen source without decreasing the productivity with respect to the penicillin yield. In the pilot scale experiments using a 30 l stirred tank type of bioreactor, higher penicillin yields were obtained when 70% of the conventional complex nitrogen source in the form of cottonseed meal was replaced by the collagen hydrolysate. Furthermore, the maximum rate of penicillin synthesis continued for over a longer period when using collagen hydrolysate as a complex nitrogen source. Penicillin synthesis rates were determined using a linear regression.

  16. Granular Gas in a Periodic Lattice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorbolo, S.; Brandenbourger, M.; Damanet, F.; Dister, H.; Ludewig, F.; Terwagne, D.; Lumay, G.; Vandewalle, N.

    2011-01-01

    Glass beads are placed in the compartments of a horizontal square grid. This grid is then vertically shaken. According to the reduced acceleration [image omitted] of the system, the granular material exhibits various behaviours. By counting the number of beads in each compartment after shaking, it is possible to define three regimes. At low…

  17. Qualitative Information in Annual Reports & the Detection of Corporate Fraud: A Natural Language Processing Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goel, Sunita

    2009-01-01

    High profile cases of fraudulent financial reporting such as those that occurred at Enron and WorldCom have shaken public confidence in the U.S. financial reporting process and have raised serious concerns about the roles of auditors, regulators, and analysts in financial reporting. In order to address these concerns and restore public confidence,…

  18. The Curse of Interesting Times.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krug, Judith F.

    The Watergate scandal has profoundly shaken the confidence of the American people in their government. One aspect of Watergate which can be immediately corrected is that of secrecy. In the abolition of secrecy and the defense of intellectual freedom, librarians have a role to play. American librarianship has taken upon itself the task of providing…

  19. Communication as a bridge between the threat of terrorism and the perception of risk

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Vries, G.

    2017-01-01

    We are shaken almost weekly by reports of the threat of terrorism. But just how real is this threat, and how is it experienced by the general public? It is not unlikely that there is a gap between the threat of terrorism and people's perception of the risk. A new research project by Doctor Gerdien

  20. Continuous Integration in PHP web applications development

    OpenAIRE

    Hujer, Martin

    2011-01-01

    This work deals with continuous integration of web applications, especially those in PHP language. The main objective is the selection of the server for continuous integration, its deployment and configuration for continuous integration of PHP web applications. The first chapter describes the concept of continuous integration and its individual techniques. The second chapter deals with the choice of server for continuous integration and its basic settings. The third chapter contains an overvi...

  1. Branching trajectory continual integral

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maslov, V.P.; Chebotarev, A.M.

    1980-01-01

    Heuristic definition of the Feynman continual integral over branching trajectories is suggested which makes it possible to obtain in the closed form the solution of the Cauchy problem for the model Hartree equation. A number of properties of the solution is derived from an integral representation. In particular, the quasiclassical asymptotics, exact solution in the gaussian case and perturbation theory series are described. The existence theorem for the simpliest continual integral over branching trajectories is proved [ru

  2. Some properties of contra-γ-continuous functions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nasef, Arafa A.

    2005-01-01

    The notion of contra-continuity was introduced and investigated by Dontchev [Int. J. Math. Math. Sci. 19 (1996) 303]. In this paper, we apply the notion of γ-open sets in topological spaces to present and study a new class of functions called contra-γ-continuous functions which lies between classes of contra-semi-continuous functions and contra-β-continuous functions. We speculate that contra-γ-continuity may be relevant to the physics of fractal and cantorian spacetime

  3. 40 CFR Table 11 to Subpart Wwww of... - Data Requirements for New and Existing Continuous Lamination and Continuous Casting Lines...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Continuous Lamination and Continuous Casting Lines Complying With a Percent Reduction Limit or a Lbs/Ton...—Data Requirements for New and Existing Continuous Lamination and Continuous Casting Lines Complying... lamination lines and continuous casting lines you must determine the data in the following table: For each...

  4. Sterilization and reprocessing of materials and medical devices--reusability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayabalan, M

    1995-07-01

    Problems associated with reprocessing of disposable medical devices such as hemodialysers with resterilization for reuse and changes in material properties with resterilization of polymeric (PVC, polypropylene, polyester, polycarbonate) materials intended for development of disposable devices are reviewed. Reprocessing of hospital supplies, polystyrene microtiter plate and angiographic catheter for reuse is also discussed.

  5. Hanford year 2000 Business Continuity Plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    VORNEY, S.V.

    1999-01-01

    The goal of Department of Energy Richland Operations (DOE-RL) Year 2000 (Y2K) effort is to ensure that the Hanford site successfully continues its mission as we approach and enter the 21th century. The Y2K Business Continuity Planning process provides a structured approach to identify Y2K risks to the site and to mitigate these risks through Y2K Contingency Planning, ''Zero-Day'' Transition Planning and Emergency Preparedness. This document defines the responsibilities, processes and plans for Hanford's Y2K Business Continuity. It identifies proposed business continuity drills, tentative schedule and milestones

  6. Statement to IAEA Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety, 20 June 2011, Vienna, Austria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amano, Y.

    2011-01-01

    This Ministerial Conference is the first high-level global gathering on nuclear safety since the Fukushima Daiichi accident in Japan. We have a very important task before us, which is to pave the way for a post-Fukushima nuclear safety framework, based on lessons learned from that accident. This Conference is crucial for the future of nuclear power. The presence of so many ministers and over one thousand participants shows how seriously the IAEA Member States take nuclear safety. The eyes of the world will be upon us in the next few days. Public confidence in the safety of nuclear power has been badly shaken. However, nuclear power will remain important for many countries, so it is imperative that the most stringent safety measures are implemented everywhere. This is also true for countries opting to phase out their nuclear power programmes, whose plants will continue to operate for many years. We need to respond urgently to the public anxiety caused by the accident, while maintaining a firm long-term commitment to continuously improving nuclear safety. 'Business as usual' is not an option. Nuclear accidents respect no borders, so an international approach to nuclear safety is essential. The IAEA is the global body which you, our Member States, have created to help ensure that the most robust international nuclear safety framework is established, implemented and continuously updated

  7. Internal factors influencing the knowledge continuity ensuring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hana Urbancová

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the systematic ensuring of knowledge continuity is the continuity of an organisation’s development, the quality of managerial positions and the continuity of decision-making. By ensuring knowledge continuity, organisations may gain a performance-enhancing factor. The objective of the article is to identify the level of impact of decisive internal factors determining knowledge continuity ensuring and contributing to the efficiency of the organisations. Knowledge continuity ensuring as an internal force, however, can together with the right employees, help adapt more quickly to external conditions that organisations can hardly control. Monitoring and ensuring knowledge continuity can contribute to a higher quality of processes in general, in particular processes exploiting knowledge, and thus help improve the level of management. The first part of the article presents theoretical views on the aspects of knowledge continuity ensuring in organisations while the second part analyses the findings of the surveys carried out among managers in organisations in the Czech Republic. Based on the summary of the outcomes obtained it is possible to say that internal factors influence knowledge continuity ensuring in organisations, however, the level of impact of individual factors is determined by their size. The findings regarding the impact of each of the factors show that the most significant barriers to knowledge continuity ensuring are those associated with the human factor.

  8. Perspectives: The Continuous Improvement Trap

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, David L.

    2011-01-01

    Accrediting agencies, legislators, pundits, and even higher educational professionals have become enamored with applying the language of continuous improvement to learning outcomes. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges specifically uses the term "continuing improvement" in Core Standard 2.5, one of its…

  9. Continuing education and professional development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adams, Edwina

    2002-01-01

    The success of a profession will be determined upon its education and training. A profession is required to encompass: a core body of knowledge; a set of ethical codes of practice; and have practitioners with humanistic qualities. In order to maintain the success of a profession it is necessary to have continuing education, which enhances professional development. Continuing professional education includes a form of self-regulation, which ensures the maintenance of a minimum standard of practice in this ever-changing workplace, and by regulating this standard, the discipline becomes more accountable to the client and the profession as a whole. In Australia, the Nuclear Medicine society's continuing education programs and Universities offering postgraduate programs promote continuing education. If technologists are to successfully keep up with developments in instrumentation, protocols and changing health care requirements, we must ensure that the education of practitioners does not cease at certification of entry to the workplace (Au)

  10. Second Order Ideal-Ward Continuity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bipan Hazarika

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The main aim of the paper is to introduce a concept of second order ideal-ward continuity in the sense that a function f is second order ideal-ward continuous if I-limn→∞Δ2f(xn=0 whenever I-limn→∞Δ2xn=0 and a concept of second order ideal-ward compactness in the sense that a subset E of R is second order ideal-ward compact if any sequence x=(xn of points in E has a subsequence z=(zk=(xnk of the sequence x such that I-limk→∞Δ2zk=0 where Δ2zk=zk+2-2zk+1+zk. We investigate the impact of changing the definition of convergence of sequences on the structure of ideal-ward continuity in the sense of second order ideal-ward continuity and compactness of sets in the sense of second order ideal-ward compactness and prove related theorems.

  11. Improvement of lipase production from Geotrichum sp. in shaken flasks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maldonadoa Resende Rafael

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This work is focused on the study of different variables on inoculum build-up aiming to improve the lipase production by Geotrichum sp. by means a sequential strategy of experimental design. The effects of inoculum size, corn steep liquor concentration, volume of inoculum, pH of medium, age of inoculum and soybean oil concentration on lipase activity were assessed by means of two factorial experimental designs. A maximum lipase activity of 35.20±0.8 U/mL was obtained with a inoculum composed of one circular area of 0.78cm2 containing spores, 50 mL of inoculum volume medium, 12 hours of inoculum age, 15% w/v of corn steep liquor concentration, 1.0%w/v of soybean oil concentration and initial pH 5.0 at 30°C and 150 rpm in flasks. This work showed that an enhancement of lipase activity can be obtained using a sequential statistical factorial approach to define the variables for inoculum build-up.

  12. 40 CFR Table 12 to Subpart Wwww of... - Data Requirements for New and Existing Continuous Lamination Lines and Continuous Casting Lines...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Continuous Lamination Lines and Continuous Casting Lines Complying With a Lbs/Ton Organic HAP Emissions Limit... Requirements for New and Existing Continuous Lamination Lines and Continuous Casting Lines Complying With a Lbs... with a lbs/ton organic HAP emissions limit for continuous lamination lines and continuous casting lines...

  13. Continuous supersonic plasma wind tunnel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, S.A.; Jensen, Vagn Orla; Nielsen, P.

    1968-01-01

    The B field configuration of a Q-device has been modified into a magnetic Laval nozzle. Continuous supersonic plasma flow is observed with M≈3......The B field configuration of a Q-device has been modified into a magnetic Laval nozzle. Continuous supersonic plasma flow is observed with M≈3...

  14. Metabolism and resistance of Fusarium spp. to the manzamine alkaloids via a putative retro pictet-spengler reaction and utility of the rational design of antimalarial and antifungal agents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasanah, Noer; Farr, Lorelei Lucas; Gholipour, Abbas; Wedge, David E; Hamann, Mark T

    2014-08-01

    As a part of our continuing investigation of the manzamine alkaloids we studied the in vitro activity of the β-carboline containing manzamine alkaloids against Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporium, and Fusarium proliferatum by employing several bioassay techniques including one-dimensional direct bioautography, dilution, and plate susceptibility, and microtiter broth assays. In addition, we also studied the metabolism of the manzamine alkaloids by Fusarium spp. in order to facilitate the redesign of the compounds to prevent resistance of Fusarium spp. through metabolism. The present research reveals that the manzamine alkaloids are inactive against Fusarium spp. and the fungi transform manzamines via hydrolysis, reduction, and a retro Pictet-Spengler reaction. This is the first report to demonstrate an enzymatically retro Pictet-Spengler reaction. The results of this study reveal the utility of the rational design of metabolically stable antifungal agents from this class and the development of manzamine alkaloids as antimalarial drugs through the utilization of Fusarium's metabolic products to reconstruct the molecule.

  15. High throughput reaction screening using desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wleklinski, Michael; Loren, Bradley P; Ferreira, Christina R; Jaman, Zinia; Avramova, Larisa; Sobreira, Tiago J P; Thompson, David H; Cooks, R Graham

    2018-02-14

    We report the high throughput analysis of reaction mixture arrays using methods and data handling routines that were originally developed for biological tissue imaging. Desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) mass spectrometry (MS) is applied in a continuous on-line process at rates that approach 10 4 reactions per h at area densities of up to 1 spot per mm 2 (6144 spots per standard microtiter plate) with the sprayer moving at ca. 10 4 microns per s. Data are analyzed automatically by MS using in-house software to create ion images of selected reagents and products as intensity plots in standard array format. Amine alkylation reactions were used to optimize the system performance on PTFE membrane substrates using methanol as the DESI spray/analysis solvent. Reaction times can be screening of processes like N -alkylation and Suzuki coupling reactions as reported herein. Products and by-products were confirmed by on-line MS/MS upon rescanning of the array.

  16. Some continual integrals from gaussian forms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mazmanishvili, A.S.

    1985-01-01

    The result summary of continual integration of gaussian functional type is given. The summary contains 124 continual integrals which are the mathematical expectation of the corresponding gaussian form by the continuum of random trajectories of four types: real-valued Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, Wiener process, complex-valued Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process and the stochastic harmonic one. The summary includes both the known continual integrals and the unpublished before integrals. Mathematical results of the continual integration carried in the work may be applied in the problem of the theory of stochastic process, approaching to the finding of mean from gaussian forms by measures generated by the pointed stochastic processes

  17. Hanford year 2000 Business Continuity Plan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    ROGGENKAMP, S.L.

    1999-11-01

    The goal of Department of Energy Richland Operations (DOE-RL) Year 2000 (Y2K) effort is to ensure that the Hanford site successfully continues its mission as we approach and enter the 21th century. The Y2K Business Continuity Planning process provides a structured approach to identify Y2K risks to the site and to mitigate these risks through Y2K Contingency Planning, ''Zero-Day'' Transition Planning and Emergency Preparedness. This document defines the responsibilities, processes and plans for Hanford's Y2K Business Continuity. It identifies proposed business continuity drills, tentative schedule and milestones.

  18. Design and construction of a vertical hydroponic system with semi-continuous and continuous nutrient cycling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siswanto, Dian; Widoretno, Wahyu

    2017-11-01

    Problems due to the increase in agricultural land use change can be solved by hydroponic system applications. Many hydroponic studies have been conducted in several countries while their applications in Indonesia requires modification and adjustment. This research was conducted to design and construct a hydroponic system with semi-continuous and continuous nutrition systems. The hydroponic system which was used adapts the ebb and flow system, and the nutrient film technique (NFT). This hydroponic system was made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes with a length of 197 cm, a diameter of 16 cm, and a slope of 4°. It was constructed from four PVC pipes. In semi-continuous irrigation treatment, nutrients flow four to six times for each of ten minutes depending on plant development and the estimated evapotranspiration occurring, while in a continuous nutrient system the nutrients are streamed for twenty-four hours without stopping at a maximum flow rate of 13.7 L per second.

  19. Fully Realizing the Civic Potential of Immigrant Youth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Callahan, Rebecca M.; Obenchain, Kathryn M.

    2018-01-01

    Over the course of a few cold days last February, immigrant families and their allies in Austin, Texas, were shaken by a series of raids as immigration officers descended upon the city. After all was said and done, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials arrested 51 undocumented immigrants, most of whom had no criminal record. In this…

  20. Activism: Loving Your Languages and Fighting for Them

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peltz, Rakhmiel

    2017-01-01

    In the contemporary world, language, at the heart of all human communication, has experienced social change in new ways. Previously distant groups communicate with each other both because of new migrations and as a result of the use of the Internet and digital media. Intimate communication has been shaken to the core as a result of screen usage on…

  1. 7 CFR 201.51 - Inert matter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... REGULATIONS Purity Analysis in the Administration of the Act § 201.51 Inert matter. Inert matter shall include... kochia that pass through a 1 mm opening, square-hole sieve, when shaken for 30 seconds. (8) The thin... devoid of the husk and pass through a 1/13th-inch, round-hole sieve. (ii) Bulblets which show evident...

  2. Descriptive and consumer preference of Omashikwa , traditional ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Once it is fermented, it is shaken or agitated in the calabash for hours to churn into butter. Butter granules are removed and either made into butter or boiled to make Ghee or butter oil known as Omazeothung'ombe by the Herero community and the remaining liquid is the fermented buttermilk or Omashikwa, Consumers of ...

  3. Africa's Developmental Impasse: Some Perspectives and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This crisis which has shaken the very bases of the capitalistic system affords African leaders and thinkers the opportunity to break loose of the neoliberal yoke and explore a development path that is more in tune with Africa. The author underscores that such a path should be non-capitalistic because the heavy toll that Africa ...

  4. Continuous venovenous haemodialysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Dorte Møller; Bistrup, C; Pedersen, R S

    1996-01-01

    A simple three-pump-based system for the performance of continuous venovenous haemodialysis is described. The method employs access to the circulation via a double-lumen catheter, and by means of a standard extracorporeal peristaltic pump the blood is circulated through a haemofiltration filter....... Standard solutions for peritoneal dialysis are administered in a single-pass manner countercurrent to the blood flow. To control the dialysate flow through the filter, two separate pumps designed for intravenous infusion are used. Anticoagulation is achieved by means of continuous heparin infusion....... This three-pump system is effective in controlling the fluid balance and the level of azotemia. Furthermore, this system makes haemodialysis possible in spite of severe haemodynamic instability. The system is easy to use and inexpensive. 3 patients participated in the study....

  5. Voltage stability, bifurcation parameters and continuation methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alvarado, F L [Wisconsin Univ., Madison, WI (United States)

    1994-12-31

    This paper considers the importance of the choice of bifurcation parameter in the determination of the voltage stability limit and the maximum power load ability of a system. When the bifurcation parameter is power demand, the two limits are equivalent. However, when other types of load models and bifurcation parameters are considered, the two concepts differ. The continuation method is considered as a method for determination of voltage stability margins. Three variants of the continuation method are described: the continuation parameter is the bifurcation parameter the continuation parameter is initially the bifurcation parameter, but is free to change, and the continuation parameter is a new `arc length` parameter. Implementations of voltage stability software using continuation methods are described. (author) 23 refs., 9 figs.

  6. Continual integral in perturbation theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slavnov, A.A.

    1975-01-01

    It is shown that all results obtained by means of continual integration within the framework of perturbation theory are completely equivalent to those obtained by the usual diagram technique and are therfore just as rigorous. A rigorous justification is given for the rules for operating with continual integrals in perturbation theory. (author)

  7. Introduction to Continuous Optimization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andreasson, Niclas; Evgrafov, Anton; Patriksson, Michael

    optimal solutions for continuous optimization models. The main part of the mathematical material therefore concerns the analysis and linear algebra that underlie the workings of convexity and duality, and necessary/sufficient local/global optimality conditions for continuous optimization problems. Natural...... algorithms are then developed from these optimality conditions, and their most important convergence characteristics are analyzed. The book answers many more questions of the form “Why?” and “Why not?” than “How?”. We use only elementary mathematics in the development of the book, yet are rigorous throughout...

  8. Continuing Medical Education

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Continuing Medical Education. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 25, No 9 (2007) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  9. Trieste will continue

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1968-01-01

    Trieste will continue to be the home of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics for the foreseeable future. An agreement signed in Vienna during December between the Italian Government and the Agency brought this assurance. (author)

  10. Applying andragogy in nursing continuing education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nielsen, B B

    1989-01-01

    Andragogy, a philosophical orientation for adult education, receives little attention in the nursing continuing education literature. Yet, the tenets of andragogy form the organizing framework for programming. This article defines andragogy and provides selected results of a research study designed to test andragogical concepts in long-term oncology nursing continuing education programs. The results of the study suggest a new way of viewing the goals of nursing continuing education activities.

  11. Synthetic Nanovaccines Against Respiratory Pathogens (SYNARP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-01

    destroying enzyme ( RDE ) (Denka-Seiken, Tokyo, Japan) prior to being tested. Briefly, three parts RDE was added to one part sera and incubated...overnight at 37°C. RDE was inactivated by incubation at 56°C for ~60 min. RDE -treated sera were two-fold serially diluted in v-bottom microtiter plates. An

  12. Analytic continuation of dual Feynman amplitudes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bleher, P.M.

    1981-01-01

    A notion of dual Feynman amplitude is introduced and a theorem on the existence of analytic continuation of this amplitude from the convergence domain to the whole complex is proved. The case under consideration corresponds to massless power propagators and the analytic continuation is constructed on the propagators powers. Analytic continuation poles and singular set of external impulses are found explicitly. The proof of the theorem on the existence of analytic continuation is based on the introduction of α-representation for dual Feynman amplitudes. In proving, the so-called ''trees formula'' and ''trees-with-cycles formula'' are established that are dual by formulation to the trees and 2-trees formulae for usual Feynman amplitudes. (Auth.)

  13. Continuous fractional distillation of petroleum

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1921-11-05

    This invention has for its object a process of distillation, fractional, and continuous, of shale oil, tar, etc., characterized by the vapors leaving the evaporation chamber being forced, before condensation, to go over a continuous circuit. The vapors traverse first a preheater then return to the vaporization chamber in which they are passed along large surfaces and by application of the counter-current principle in contact with the liquid to be distilled. They stream through the chamber in a continuous manner (the quantity of vapor emitted in the circuit being determined in a manner to advance the distillation just to completion); the excess of vapor formed being removed from the circuit and sent to a condensing apparatus for fractionation.

  14. Baseline budgeting for continuous improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kilty, G L

    1999-05-01

    This article is designed to introduce the techniques used to convert traditionally maintained department budgets to baseline budgets. This entails identifying key activities, evaluating for value-added, and implementing continuous improvement opportunities. Baseline Budgeting for Continuous Improvement was created as a result of a newly named company president's request to implement zero-based budgeting. The president was frustrated with the mind-set of the organization, namely, "Next year's budget should be 10 to 15 percent more than this year's spending." Zero-based budgeting was not the answer, but combining the principles of activity-based costing and the Just-in-Time philosophy of eliminating waste and continuous improvement did provide a solution to the problem.

  15. Effects of prevalent freshwater chemical contaminants on in vitro growth of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Higgins, James [USDA-ARS, Bldg 173, 10300 Baltimore Ave., Beltsville, MD 20705 (United States)], E-mail: tarbandu12@juno.com; Hohn, Christina [NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, NC 27606 (United States)

    2008-03-15

    Many surface and ground waters in the continental US are contaminated with a variety of chemical pollutants, which are usually present in concentrations in the ppm and ppb range. The effects of these pollutants on coliform bacteria, which are prominent members of the aquatic flora, are poorly understood. Using a microtiter plate assay, isolates of Escherichia coli (from chicken intestine and fresh water), and an isolate of Klebsiella pneumoniae (from bovine milk) were exposed to varying concentrations of common pollutants over a 24 h period. The herbicides/pesticides simazine, atrazine, and diazinon; the VOCs trichloroethene and MTBE; the estrogens estradiol and estrone; and caffeine, all failed to inhibit bacterial growth at ppm levels. Only ethylene glycol, and the herbicide 2,4-D, significantly inhibited bacterial growth compared to controls. These results suggest that the replication of coliform bacteria in fresh waters is not adversely impacted by many common pollutants. - Using a microtiter plate assay, E. coli and Klebsiella bacteria were exposed to a panel of common chemical pollutants of fresh water; only ethylene glycol and 2,4-D inhibited bacterial replication.

  16. Immobilization of small molecules and proteins by radio-derivatized polystyrene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varga, J.M.; Fritsch, P.

    1990-01-01

    When molded polystyrene (PS) products (e.g., microtiter plates) or latex particles are irradiated with high-energy (1-10 Mrads) gamma rays in the presence of nonpolymerizable small molecules such as aromatic amines, some of these molecules incorporate into PS, which leads to the formation of radio-derivatized PS (RDPS). Two classes of RDPS can be identified regarding their ability for immobilization of biologically important molecules: (1) reactive RDPS that are able to form covalent bonds with molecules such as proteins without the help of cross-linkers, and (2) functionalized RDPS that can be used for the immobilization of molecules with activators (e.g., carbodiimides) or cross-linkers. The method can be used for the production of low-noise supports for binding assays. Most of the RDPS can be produced without impairment of the optical quality of PS, making derivatized microtiter plates suitable for colorimetric assays. The principle can be applied for the preparation of affinity sorbents, e.g., for high-performance affinity chromatography and for the immobilization of enzymes using latex PS particles

  17. A sensitive gold nanoparticle-based colorimetric aptasensor for Staphylococcus aureus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Jinglei; Wu, Shijia; Duan, Nuo; Ma, Xiaoyuan; Xia, Yu; Chen, Jie; Ding, Zhansheng; Wang, Zhouping

    2014-09-01

    In this study, a gold nanoparticle-based colorimetric aptasensor for Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) using tyramine signal amplification (TSA) technology has been developed. First, the biotinylated aptamer specific for S. aureus was immobilized on the surface of the wells of the microtiter plate via biotin-avidin binding. Then, the target bacteria (S. aureus), biotinylated-aptamer-streptavidin-HRP conjugates, biotinylated tyramine, hydrogen peroxide and avidin-catalase were successively introduced into the wells of the microtiter plate. After that, the existing catalase consumed the hydrogen peroxide. Finally, the freshly prepared gold (III) chloride trihydrate was added, the color of the reaction production would be changed and the absorbance at 550 nm could be measured with a plate reader. Under optimized conditions, there was a linear relationship between the absorbance at 550 nm and the concentration of S. aureus over the range from 10 to 10(6) cfu mL(-1) (with an R² of 0.9947). The limit of the developed method was determined to be 9 cfu mL(-1). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Analysis of fatigue resistance of continuous and non-continuous welded rectangular frame intersections by finite element method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCoy, M. L.; Moradi, R.; Lankarani, H. M.

    2011-01-01

    Agricultural and construction equipment are commonly implemented with rectangular tubing in their structural frame designs. A typical joining method to fabricate these frames is by welding and the use of ancillary structural plating at the connections. This aids two continuous members to pass through an intersection point of the frame with some degree of connectivity, but the connections are highly unbalanced as the tubing centroids exhibit asymmetry. Due to the practice of welded continuous member frame intersections in current agricultural equipment designs, a conviction may exist that welded continuous member frames are superior in structural strength over that of structural frame intersections implementing welded non-continuous members where the tubing centroids lie within two planes of symmetry, a connection design that would likely fabricating a more fatigue resistant structural frame. Three types of welded continuous tubing frame intersections currently observed in the designs of agricultural equipment were compared to two non-continuous frame intersection designs. Each design was subjected to the same loading condition and then examined for stress levels using the Finite Element Method to predict fatigue life. Results demonstrated that a lighter weight, non-continuous member frame intersection design was two magnitudes superior in fatigue resistance than some current implemented frame designs when using Stress-Life fatigue prediction methods and empirical fatigue strengths for fillet welds. Stress-Life predictions were also made using theoretical fatigue strength calculations for the fatigue strength at the welds for comparison to the empirical derived weld fatigue strength

  19. Marketing Continuing Education: A Study of Price Strategies. Occasional Papers in Continuing Education, No. 11.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamoureux, Marvin E.

    The objective of the study conducted at the Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) at the University of British Columbia was to determine that threshold pricing not only existed for continuing education courses, but also was applicable to an administrative decision-making structure. The first part of the three-part investigation analyzed consumer…

  20. Dose uniformity of loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic gel (0.5% compared with branded and generic prednisolone acetate ophthalmic suspension (1%

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marlowe ZT

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Zora T Marlowe, Stephen R DavioPharmaceutical Product Development, Global Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Bausch and Lomb, Inc, Rochester, NY, USAIntroduction: Loteprednol etabonate (LE ophthalmic gel 0.5% (Lotemax® is a new polycarbophil-based, nonsettling topical ophthalmic formulation. The formulation is a semisolid gel at rest and a shear thinning fluid when expressed through a dropper tip. The present study was undertaken to determine how the nonsettling character of LE ophthalmic gel affects dose uniformity. Prednisolone acetate ophthalmic suspension 1% (Pred Forte® and a generic prednisolone acetate suspension 1% were used as comparators.Methods: Drug concentrations of LE ophthalmic gel, Pred Forte, and a generic prednisolone acetate suspension were determined following simulated dosing – consisting of 2 drops, expressed four times daily for 2 weeks, with bottles that were shaken or not shaken immediately prior to expressing the drops. Drug concentrations were determined using a reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC method and reported as a percentage of the declared (labeled concentration. Comparative kinetics of drug particle sedimentation were also determined for each formulation, using dispersion analysis under gravity.Results: Mean drug concentrations in drops of all three formulations were within a few percentage points of the declared concentration when the bottles were shaken for 5 seconds prior to dispensing. Only LE ophthalmic gel showed consistent and on-target concentrations when the bottles were unshaken prior to dispensing, with a mean (standard deviation [SD] percent declared concentration of 102% (1.92% over the 2-week dosing regimen. Drug concentrations for the branded and generic prednisolone acetate suspensions following expression from unshaken bottles were highly variable (overall relative SDs of 16.8% and 20.3%, respectively, with mean concentrations for both falling significantly

  1. Continuity of operations/continuity of government for state-level transportation organizations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-01

    The Homeland Security Presidential Directive 20 (HSPD-20) requires all local, state, tribal and territorial government agencies, : and private sector owners of critical infrastructure and key resources (CI/KR) to create a Continuity of Operations/Con...

  2. A study on the continuing education of radiologic technologists: Focused on current status and satisfaction of continuing education

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Min, Hye Lim; Choi, In Seok; Nam, So Ra; Kim, Hyun Ji; Yoon, Yong Su; Her, Jae; Han, Seong Gyu; Kim, Jung Min; Ahn, Duck Sun

    2014-01-01

    In this study, we surveyed the current status, satisfaction and demand of radiologic technologist continuing education for 93 radiologic technologists who participated in the continuing education. To understand the current status and general evaluation and to find out the improvement direction, survey was conducted on 3 categories: participation, satisfaction and demand of continuing education. In addition, we analyzed the continuing education implementation status and the management system by collecting related regulations. As a result, the education completion rates of radiologic technologists from 2010 to 2012 were respectively 42.6%, 43.4% and 34.2%; the rates were similar to other medical technician’s average education completion rates. According to the survey, in case of participation, the most frequent answer was ‘more than five times less than 10 times per year’ with 48.4% and in satisfaction section, the most common answer was ‘Average(3)’ with 34.4%. In demand of continuing education section, 32.8% of the respondents chose ‘Clinical skill training in major field’. In the results of this research, continuing education needs to be managed in the direction of helping radiologists improve their personal ability and self development. Furthermore, to meet the demand of radiologists, the quality of continuing education should be improved to satisfy the educatee

  3. The induction on a continuous variable

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Jingzhong.

    1989-06-01

    Mathematical induction is a useful tool. But it could be used to prove only the proposition with form P(n) for the natural number n. Could the natural number n be replaced by a continuous variable x? Yes, and then we have the continuous induction. The continuous induction is very easy to grasp by the students who have learned mathematical induction. And it can be used to prove many basic propositions in the elementary calculus. (author)

  4. Continuing bonds and place.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jonsson, Annika; Walter, Tony

    2017-08-01

    Where do people feel closest to those they have lost? This article explores how continuing bonds with a deceased person can be rooted in a particular place or places. Some conceptual resources are sketched, namely continuing bonds, place attachment, ancestral places, home, reminder theory, and loss of place. The authors use these concepts to analyze interview material with seven Swedes and five Britons who often thought warmly of the deceased as residing in a particular place and often performing characteristic actions. The destruction of such a place, by contrast, could create a troubling, haunting absence, complicating the deceased's absent-presence.

  5. Continuity, but at what cost? The impact of telemonitoring COPD on continuities of care: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fairbrother, Peter; Pinnock, Hilary; Hanley, Janet; McCloughan, Lucy; Sheikh, Aziz; Pagliari, Claudia; McKinstry, Brian

    2012-09-01

    Continuity of care is widely regarded as an important marker of quality in the management of patients with long-term conditions. New services that integrate telemonitoring into care pathways have potential to change aspects of continuity in both positive and negative ways. A telemonitoring service for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was introduced in Lothian, Scotland, in 2009. A qualitative study, nested within the TELESCOT COPD randomised control trial, was undertaken to explore the views of patients and professionals on telemonitoring. The perceived impact of telemonitoring on continuity of care was investigated as part of the research. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 38 patients (47% male, mean age 67.5 years). A maximum variation sample in relation to age, sex, socio-economic background, disease severity, and compliance with telemonitoring was recruited. Thirty-two stakeholders (healthcare professionals and managers) were interviewed. Transcribed coded data were analysed thematically using the framework approach. Interpretation was supported by multidisciplinary discussion. Patients and healthcare professionals considered that relationship-based continuity of care was important in the delivery of telemonitoring services. Managers placed emphasis on improved continuity of clinical management as a means of reducing healthcare costs. However, professionals described many operational challenges arising from the 'bolting-on' of telemonitoring provision to existing usual care provision which, they considered, resulted in the proliferation of additional managerial discontinuities. Managers and healthcare professionals face major challenges in meeting demands for both relationship continuity and continuity of clinical management in the development of telemonitoring services.

  6. 78 FR 21245 - Continuity of Operations Plan

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-10

    ...; Order No. 778] Continuity of Operations Plan AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: In this Final Rule the Commission revises its Continuity of Operations Plan... Commission's Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) regulations to incorporate its regional offices into the...

  7. Continuity diaphragm for skewed continuous span precast prestressed concrete girder bridges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2004-10-01

    Continuity diaphragms used on skewed bents in prestressed girder bridges cause difficulties in detailing and : construction. Details for bridges with large diaphragm skew angles (>30) have not been a problem for LA DOTD. : However, as the skew angl...

  8. Quantum engineering of continuous variable quantum states

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sabuncu, Metin

    2009-10-29

    Quantum information with continuous variables is a field attracting increasing attention recently. In continuous variable quantum information one makes use of the continuous information encoded into the quadrature of a quantized light field instead of binary quantities such as the polarization state of a single photon. This brand new research area is witnessing exciting theoretical and experimental achievements such as teleportation, quantum computation and quantum error correction. The rapid development of the field is mainly due higher optical data rates and the availability of simple and efficient manipulation tools in continuous-variable quantum information processing. We in this thesis extend the work in continuous variable quantum information processing and report on novel experiments on amplification, cloning, minimal disturbance and noise erasure protocols. The promising results we obtain in these pioneering experiments indicate that the future of continuous variable quantum information is bright and many advances can be foreseen. (orig.)

  9. Quantum engineering of continuous variable quantum states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sabuncu, Metin

    2009-01-01

    Quantum information with continuous variables is a field attracting increasing attention recently. In continuous variable quantum information one makes use of the continuous information encoded into the quadrature of a quantized light field instead of binary quantities such as the polarization state of a single photon. This brand new research area is witnessing exciting theoretical and experimental achievements such as teleportation, quantum computation and quantum error correction. The rapid development of the field is mainly due higher optical data rates and the availability of simple and efficient manipulation tools in continuous-variable quantum information processing. We in this thesis extend the work in continuous variable quantum information processing and report on novel experiments on amplification, cloning, minimal disturbance and noise erasure protocols. The promising results we obtain in these pioneering experiments indicate that the future of continuous variable quantum information is bright and many advances can be foreseen. (orig.)

  10. Estimation of bacterial hydrogen sulfide production in vitro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amina Basic

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Oral bacterial hydrogen sulfide (H2S production was estimated comparing two different colorimetric methods in microtiter plate format. High H2S production was seen for Fusobacterium spp., Treponema denticola, and Prevotella tannerae, associated with periodontal disease. The production differed between the methods indicating that H2S production may follow different pathways.

  11. Chromosome preparations from microplate cultures of man, dog, rat, and mouse

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Jong, B; Anders, GJPA; van der Meer, Ingrid H

    1976-01-01

    A simple method for making chromosomal preparations from 105 leukocytes from man, dog, mouse, and rat and from 0.01 ml total human and dog blood is developed. The leukocytes and the peripheral blood are cultured in Cooke microtiter plates in a culture volume of 0.1 ml. The culture medium is R.P.M.I.

  12. 40 CFR 205.57-8 - Continued testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Continued testing. 205.57-8 Section 205.57-8 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) NOISE ABATEMENT PROGRAMS TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT NOISE EMISSION CONTROLS Medium and Heavy Trucks § 205.57-8 Continued...

  13. Guiding Simulations and Experiments using Continuation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    When applying continuation of periodic solutions to high-dimensional finite element models one might face a dilemma. The mesh resolution and thus the dimension N of the model are typically chosen such that a given computer system can store the information necessary to perform one integration step...... for dimension N, but not for larger dimensions. In other words, a model is usually implemented as a carefully derived implicit integration scheme tailored for numerically stable simulations with the highest spacial resolution admitted by the computational power available. On the other hand, stable numerical...... developed method of control based continuation allows the continuation of periodic solutions without a reduction of the model resolution, and even directly in physical experiments. Moreover, both a simulation as well as an experiment can run asynchronously from the actual continuation method, which...

  14. The structural properties of sustainable, continuous change

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Håkonsson, Dorthe Døjbak; Klaas, Johann Peter; Carroll, Timothy

    2013-01-01

    this relationship by exploring what structural properties enable continuous change in inertia-generating organizations and what their performance consequences are in dynamic environments. The article has three main findings: First, employing managers who anticipate change is not enough to generate continuous change......; it is also necessary to raise both the rate of responsiveness and desired performance. Second, continuous change increases average organizational performance and reduces its variation. Third, organizations’ capacity for continuous change is counterintuitively limited by the organizations’ capacity to build...

  15. 19 CFR 191.153 - Continuous Customs custody.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 19 Customs Duties 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Continuous Customs custody. 191.153 Section 191.153 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) DRAWBACK Merchandise Exported From Continuous Customs Custody § 191.153...

  16. Building a global business continuity programme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lazcano, Michael

    2014-01-01

    Business continuity programmes provide an important function within organisations, especially when aligned with and supportive of the organisation's goals, objectives and organisational culture. Continuity programmes for large, complex international organisations, unlike those for compact national companies, are more difficult to design, build, implement and maintain. Programmes for international organisations require attention to structural design, support across organisational leadership and hierarchy, seamless integration with the organisation's culture, measured success and demonstrated value. This paper details practical, but sometimes overlooked considerations for building successful global business continuity programmes.

  17. Continuous digital health

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Halteren, Aart; Gay, Vaĺerie

    2015-01-01

    A transformation is underway regarding how we deal with our health, not only because mobile Internet technology has made it possible to have continuous access to personal health information, but also because breaking the trend of ever-growing healthcare costs is increasingly necessary. Connectivity,

  18. 22 CFR 126.12 - Continuation in force.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Continuation in force. 126.12 Section 126.12... PROVISIONS § 126.12 Continuation in force. All determinations, authorizations, licenses, approvals of... previous provisions of this subchapter, continue in full force and effect until or unless modified, revoked...

  19. 21 CFR 870.1210 - Continuous flush catheter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Continuous flush catheter. 870.1210 Section 870.1210 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED... that permits continuous intravascular flushing at a slow infusion rate for the purpose of eliminating...

  20. Continuity of care: some experiences and thoughts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Volpe, F J

    1994-09-01

    Continuity of health care is a goal to be achieved. Most are for it. Many claim to provide it. But how do we know we have it? What are the key features of continuity? While dictionaries do not define the phrase "continuity of health care," we do find definitions of "continuity." The Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, includes in its definitions: "the state or quality of being uninterrupted in sequence or succession, or in essence or idea; connectedness, coherence, unbroken..." Stedman's Medical Dictionary includes: "absence of interruption, a succession of parts intimately united..." These definitions stress an uninterrupted succession and include the concept that there needs to be a connection to the parts. Without that connection, continuity, in health care delivery or elsewhere, does not exist.

  1. Download this PDF file

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HP

    Results: The ion-pair complex of DX and MO obeyed Beer's law in the range of 2 - 20 g mL-1 of DX with a correlation coefficient of 0.998. Recovery was good, with a relative standard deviation .... and transferred into a 50 mL volumetric flask. The volume was made up to mark with alcohol, shaken well and filtered through ...

  2. Raising Awareness

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2008-01-01

    Autism is China’s most common mental handicap,but the country lags behind in efforts to help the children who suffer from it or their parents University English teacher Tian Huiping,a career woman with a child,was living an ideal life in the eyes of many women,when in 1989 her family was shaken by the news that her son had autism.

  3. Energy in a String Wave

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Chiu-king

    2010-01-01

    When one end of a taut horizontal elastic string is shaken repeatedly up and down, a transverse wave (assume sine waveform) will be produced and travel along it. College students know this type of wave motion well. They know when the wave passes by, each element of the string will perform an oscillating up-down motion, which in mechanics is termed…

  4. Changing Grassroots Communities and Lifelong Learning in Japan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Makino, Atsushi

    2013-01-01

    Japanese "community" is falling apart. This is caused by the combination of two problems: on the one hand, people are feeling their existence to be less and less stable and their reality is being shaken; on the other hand, the sense of values in the society is becoming more and more diversified and fluid. In the background of the two…

  5. Continuous-variable quantum games

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Hui; Du Jiangfeng; Massar, Serge

    2002-01-01

    We investigate the quantization of games in which the players can access to a continuous set of classical strategies, making use of continuous-variable quantum systems. For the particular case of the Cournot's duopoly, we find that, even though the two players both act as 'selfishly' in the quantum game as they do in the classical game, they are found to virtually cooperate due to the quantum entanglement between them. We also find that the original Einstein-Podolksy-Rosen state contributes to the best profits that the two firms could ever attain. Moreover, we propose a practical experimental setup for the implementation of such quantum games

  6. Rethinking The Future of Auditing: How an Integrated Continuous Auditing Approach Can Leverage the Full Potential of Continuous Auditing

    OpenAIRE

    Weins, Sebastian; Alm, Bastian; Wang, Tawei

    2016-01-01

    The concept of Continuous Auditing has been around for more than three decades. The ongoing discussion on the benefits and models on adoption has made Continuous Auditing become a more critical issue. Although a lot of progress has been made in previous years, we argue that the entire potential of Continuous Auditing still remains unrevealed. This paper provides a new conceptual framework on how to bring Continuous Auditing to the next level. It goes beyond the existing technical concepts and...

  7. Implantable Nanosensors: Towards Continuous Physiologic Monitoring

    OpenAIRE

    Ruckh, Timothy T.; Clark', Heather A.

    2013-01-01

    Continuous physiologic monitoring would add greatly to both home and clinical medical treatment for chronic conditions. Implantable nanosensors are a promising platform for designing continuous monitoring systems. This feature reviews design considerations and current approaches towards such devices.

  8. Generalized continued fractions and ergodic theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pustyl'nikov, L D

    2003-01-01

    In this paper a new theory of generalized continued fractions is constructed and applied to numbers, multidimensional vectors belonging to a real space, and infinite-dimensional vectors with integral coordinates. The theory is based on a concept generalizing the procedure for constructing the classical continued fractions and substantially using ergodic theory. One of the versions of the theory is related to differential equations. In the finite-dimensional case the constructions thus introduced are used to solve problems posed by Weyl in analysis and number theory concerning estimates of trigonometric sums and of the remainder in the distribution law for the fractional parts of the values of a polynomial, and also the problem of characterizing algebraic and transcendental numbers with the use of generalized continued fractions. Infinite-dimensional generalized continued fractions are applied to estimate sums of Legendre symbols and to obtain new results in the classical problem of the distribution of quadratic residues and non-residues modulo a prime. In the course of constructing these continued fractions, an investigation is carried out of the ergodic properties of a class of infinite-dimensional dynamical systems which are also of independent interest

  9. 40 CFR 130.5 - Continuing planning process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... QUALITY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT § 130.5 Continuing planning process. (a) General. Each State shall establish and maintain a continuing planning process (CPP) as described under section 303(e)(3)(A)-(H) of... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Continuing planning process. 130.5...

  10. An Operational Foundation for Delimited Continuations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Biernacka, Malgorzata; Biernacki, Dariusz; Danvy, Olivier

    2004-01-01

    We present an abstract machine and a reduction semantics for the lambda-calculus extended with control operators that give access to delimited continuations in the CPS hierarchy. The abstract machine is derived from an evaluator in continuation-passing style (CPS); the reduction semantics (i.......e., a small-step operational semantics with an explicit representation of evaluation contexts) is constructed from the abstract machine; and the control operators are the shift and reset family. We also present new applications of delimited continuations in the CPS hierarchy: finding list prefixes...

  11. Continuity relations and quantum wave equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goedecke, G.H.; Davis, B.T.

    2010-01-01

    We investigate the mathematical synthesis of the Schroedinger, Klein-Gordon, Pauli-Schroedinger, and Dirac equations starting from probability continuity relations. We utilize methods similar to those employed by R. E. Collins (Lett. Nuovo Cimento, 18 (1977) 581) in his construction of the Schroedinger equation from the position probability continuity relation for a single particle. Our new results include the mathematical construction of the Pauli-Schroedinger and Dirac equations from the position probability continuity relations for a particle that can transition between two states or among four states, respectively.

  12. Equipment and Analytical Companies Meeting Continuous Challenges May 20-21 2014 Continuous Manufacturing Symposium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Page, Trevor; Dubina, Henry; Fillipi, Gabriele; Guidat, Roland; Patnaik, Saroj; Poechlauer, Peter; Shering, Phil; Guinn, Martin; Mcdonnell, Peter; Johnston, Craig

    2015-03-01

    This white paper focuses on equipment, and analytical manufacturers' perspectives, regarding the challenges of continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing across five prompt questions. In addition to valued input from several vendors, commentary was provided from experienced pharmaceutical representatives, who have installed various continuous platforms. Additionally, a small medium enterprise (SME) perspective was obtained through interviews. A range of technical challenges is outlined, including: the presence of particles, equipment scalability, fouling (and cleaning), technology derisking, specific analytical challenges, and the general requirement of improved technical training. Equipment and analytical companies can make a significant contribution to help the introduction of continuous technology. A key point is that many of these challenges exist in batch processing and are not specific to continuous processing. Backward compatibility of software is not a continuous issue per se. In many cases, there is available learning from other industries. Business models and opportunities through outsourced development partners are also highlighted. Agile smaller companies and academic groups have a key role to play in developing skills, working collaboratively in partnerships, and focusing on solving relevant industry challenges. The precompetitive space differs for vendor companies compared with large pharmaceuticals. Currently, there is no strong consensus around a dominant continuous design, partly because of business dynamics and commercial interests. A more structured common approach to process design and hardware and software standardization would be beneficial, with initial practical steps in modeling. Conclusions include a digestible systems approach, accessible and published business cases, and increased user, academic, and supplier collaboration. This mirrors US FDA direction. The concept of silos in pharmaceutical companies is a common theme throughout the white

  13. Equipment and analytical companies meeting continuous challenges. May 20-21, 2014 Continuous Manufacturing Symposium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Page, Trevor; Dubina, Henry; Fillipi, Gabriele; Guidat, Roland; Patnaik, Saroj; Poechlauer, Peter; Shering, Phil; Guinn, Martin; Mcdonnell, Peter; Johnston, Craig

    2015-03-01

    This white paper focuses on equipment, and analytical manufacturers' perspectives, regarding the challenges of continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing across five prompt questions. In addition to valued input from several vendors, commentary was provided from experienced pharmaceutical representatives, who have installed various continuous platforms. Additionally, a small medium enterprise (SME) perspective was obtained through interviews. A range of technical challenges is outlined, including: the presence of particles, equipment scalability, fouling (and cleaning), technology derisking, specific analytical challenges, and the general requirement of improved technical training. Equipment and analytical companies can make a significant contribution to help the introduction of continuous technology. A key point is that many of these challenges exist in batch processing and are not specific to continuous processing. Backward compatibility of software is not a continuous issue per se. In many cases, there is available learning from other industries. Business models and opportunities through outsourced development partners are also highlighted. Agile smaller companies and academic groups have a key role to play in developing skills, working collaboratively in partnerships, and focusing on solving relevant industry challenges. The precompetitive space differs for vendor companies compared with large pharmaceuticals. Currently, there is no strong consensus around a dominant continuous design, partly because of business dynamics and commercial interests. A more structured common approach to process design and hardware and software standardization would be beneficial, with initial practical steps in modeling. Conclusions include a digestible systems approach, accessible and published business cases, and increased user, academic, and supplier collaboration. This mirrors US FDA direction. The concept of silos in pharmaceutical companies is a common theme throughout the white

  14. Measuring business continuity programmes in large organisations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, Christopher

    2014-01-01

    In the field of business continuity management, organisations commit sums of money (often very large sums) to develop and maintain their continuity capability. Despite this, there is almost no measurement of whether this expense offers value for money, or whether it is targeted in the right areas. This paper will explain some methods of measuring components of a business continuity programme. The important outputs from this measurement activity are to demonstrate that an organisation's continuity capability is improving over time, and to identify areas of weakness that should be targeted during future work.

  15. Continuous Improvement in Schools: Understanding the Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Stephen; Kumari, Roshni

    2009-01-01

    This article investigates conceptually and practically what it means for schools to engage in the practice of continuous improvement. The analysis draws upon prior research and discussion to predict core elements of the practice of continuous improvement in schools. The predictions are then applied to a case study of continuous improvement efforts…

  16. 32 CFR 724.218 - Limitation-Continuance and Postponements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Limitation-Continuance and Postponements. 724... Limitation—Continuance and Postponements. (a) A continuance of a discharge review hearing may be authorized... continuance is of reasonable duration and is essential to achieving a full and fair hearing. When a proposal...

  17. Distributed synthesis in continuous time

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hermanns, Holger; Krčál, Jan; Vester, Steen

    2016-01-01

    We introduce a formalism modelling communication of distributed agents strictly in continuous-time. Within this framework, we study the problem of synthesising local strategies for individual agents such that a specified set of goal states is reached, or reached with at least a given probability....... The flow of time is modelled explicitly based on continuous-time randomness, with two natural implications: First, the non-determinism stemming from interleaving disappears. Second, when we restrict to a subclass of non-urgent models, the quantitative value problem for two players can be solved in EXPTIME....... Indeed, the explicit continuous time enables players to communicate their states by delaying synchronisation (which is unrestricted for non-urgent models). In general, the problems are undecidable already for two players in the quantitative case and three players in the qualitative case. The qualitative...

  18. A Health Care Project Management Office's Strategies for Continual Change and Continuous Improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lavoie-Tremblay, Mélanie; Aubry, Monique; Richer, Marie-Claire; Cyr, Guylaine

    Health care organizations need project and change management support in order to achieve successful transformations. A project management office (PMO) helps support the organizations through their transformations along with increasing their capabilities in project and change management. The aim of the present study was to extend understanding of the continuous improvement mechanisms used by PMOs and to describe PMO's strategies for continual change and continuous improvement in the context of major transformation in health care. This study is a descriptive case study design with interviews conducted from October to December 2015 with PMO's members (3 managers and 1 director) and 3 clients working with the PMO after a major redevelopment project ended (transition to the new facility). Participants suggested a number of elements including carefully selecting the members of the PMO, having a clear mandate for the PMO, having a method and a discipline at the same time as allowing openness and flexibility, clearly prioritizing projects, optimizing collaboration, planning for everything the PMO will need, not overlooking organizational culture, and retaining the existing support model. This study presents a number of factors ensuring the sustainability of changes.

  19. Continuous Time Dynamic Contraflow Models and Algorithms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Urmila Pyakurel

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The research on evacuation planning problem is promoted by the very challenging emergency issues due to large scale natural or man-created disasters. It is the process of shifting the maximum number of evacuees from the disastrous areas to the safe destinations as quickly and efficiently as possible. Contraflow is a widely accepted model for good solution of evacuation planning problem. It increases the outbound road capacity by reversing the direction of roads towards the safe destination. The continuous dynamic contraflow problem sends the maximum number of flow as a flow rate from the source to the sink in every moment of time unit. We propose the mathematical model for the continuous dynamic contraflow problem. We present efficient algorithms to solve the maximum continuous dynamic contraflow and quickest continuous contraflow problems on single source single sink arbitrary networks and continuous earliest arrival contraflow problem on single source single sink series-parallel networks with undefined supply and demand. We also introduce an approximation solution for continuous earliest arrival contraflow problem on two-terminal arbitrary networks.

  20. Continuous Personal Improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emiliani, M. L.

    1998-01-01

    Suggests that continuous improvement tools used in the workplace can be applied to self-improvement. Explains the use of such techniques as one-piece flow, kanban, visual controls, and total productive maintenance. Points out misapplications of these tools and describes the use of fishbone diagrams to diagnose problems. (SK)

  1. Atypical work and employment continuity

    OpenAIRE

    Addison, John T.; Surfield, Christopher J.

    2009-01-01

    Atypical employment arrangements such as agency temporary work and contracting have long been criticized as offering more precarious and unstable work than regular employment. Using data from two datasets – the CAEAS and the NLSY79 – we determine whether workers who take such jobs rather than regular employment, or the alternative of continued job search, subsequently experience greater or lesser employment continuity. Observed differences between the various working arrangements are starkest...

  2. Single-quadrature continuous-variable quantum key distribution

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gehring, Tobias; Jacobsen, Christian Scheffmann; Andersen, Ulrik Lund

    2016-01-01

    Most continuous-variable quantum key distribution schemes are based on the Gaussian modulation of coherent states followed by continuous quadrature detection using homodyne detectors. In all previous schemes, the Gaussian modulation has been carried out in conjugate quadratures thus requiring two...... commercialization of continuous-variable quantum key distribution, provided that the low noise requirement can be achieved....

  3. Continuous-Variable Entanglement Swapping

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kevin Marshall

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available We present a very brief overview of entanglement swapping as it relates to continuous-variable quantum information. The technical background required is discussed and the natural link to quantum teleportation is established before discussing the nature of Gaussian entanglement swapping. The limitations of Gaussian swapping are introduced, along with the general applications of swapping in the context of to quantum communication and entanglement distribution. In light of this, we briefly summarize a collection of entanglement swapping schemes which incorporate a non-Gaussian ingredient and the benefits of such schemes are noted. Finally, we motivate the need to further study and develop such schemes by highlighting requirements of a continuous-variable repeater.

  4. Continuity and Change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Istance, David

    1985-01-01

    Examines issues related to continuity in education and educational change. Indicates that although schools must be responsive to changing social and economic conditions (and contribute to them), they must also be protected against fluctuating swings of educational fashion and safeguard their long-term mission, even when buffeted by short-term…

  5. Management continuity in local health networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mylaine Breton

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Patients increasingly receive care from multiple providers in a variety of settings. They expect management continuity that crosses boundaries and bridges gaps in the healthcare system. To our knowledge, little research has been done to assess coordination across organizational and professional boundaries from the patients' perspective. Our objective was to assess whether greater local health network integration is associated with management continuity as perceived by patients. Method: We used the data from a research project on the development and validation of a generic and comprehensive continuity measurement instrument that can be applied to a variety of patient conditions and settings. We used the results of a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2009 with 256 patients in two local health networks in Quebec, Canada. We compared four aspects of management continuity between two contrasting network types (highly integrated vs. poorly integrated. Results: The scores obtained in the highly integrated network are better than those of the poorly integrated network on all dimensions of management continuity (coordinator role, role clarity and coordination between clinics, and information gaps between providers except for experience of care plan. Conclusion: Some aspects of care coordination among professionals and organizations are noticed by patients and may be valid indicators to assess care coordination.

  6. Resiliency scoring for business continuity plans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olson, Anna; Anderson, Jamie

    Through this paper readers will learn of a scoring methodology, referred to as resiliency scoring, which enables the evaluation of business continuity plans based upon analysis of their alignment with a predefined set of criteria that can be customised and are adaptable to the needs of any organisation. This patent pending tool has been successful in driving engagement and is a powerful resource to improve reporting capabilities, identify risks and gauge organisational resilience. The role of business continuity professionals is to aid their organisations in planning and preparedness activities aimed at mitigating the impacts of potential disruptions and ensuring critical business functions can continue in the event of unforeseen circumstances. This may seem like a daunting task for what can typically be a small team of individuals. For this reason, it is important to be able to leverage industry standards, documented best practices and effective tools to streamline and support your continuity programme. The resiliency scoring methodology developed and implemented at Target has proven to be a valuable tool in taking the organisation's continuity programme to the next level. This paper will detail how the tool was developed and provide guidance on how it can be customised to fit your organisation's unique needs.

  7. Excursions in fluvial (dis)continuity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grant, Gordon E.; O'Connor, James E.; Safran, Elizabeth

    2017-01-01

    Lurking below the twin concepts of connectivity and disconnectivity are their first, and in some ways, richer cousins: continuity and discontinuity. In this paper we explore how continuity and discontinuity represent fundamental and complementary perspectives in fluvial geomorphology, and how these perspectives inform and underlie our conceptions of connectivity in landscapes and rivers. We examine the historical roots of continuum and discontinuum thinking, and how much of our understanding of geomorphology rests on contrasting views of continuity and discontinuity. By continuum thinking we refer to a conception of geomorphic processes as well as geomorphic features that are expressed along continuous gradients without abrupt changes, transitions, or thresholds. Balance of forces, graded streams, and hydraulic geometry are all examples of this perspective. The continuum view has played a prominent role in diverse disciplinary fields, including ecology, paleontology, and evolutionary biology, in large part because it allows us to treat complex phenomena as orderly progressions and invoke or assume equilibrium processes that introduce order and prediction into our sciences.In contrast the discontinuous view is a distinct though complementary conceptual framework that incorporates non-uniform, non-progressive, and non-equilibrium thinking into understanding geomorphic processes and landscapes. We distinguish and discuss examples of three different ways in which discontinuous thinking can be expressed: 1) discontinuous spatial arrangements or singular events; 2) specific process domains generally associated with thresholds, either intrinsic or extrinsic; and 3) physical dynamics or changes in state, again often threshold-linked. In moving beyond the continuous perspective, a fertile set of ideas comes into focus: thresholds, non-equilibrium states, heterogeneity, catastrophe. The range of phenomena that is thereby opened up to scientific exploration similarly expands

  8. Continuous Disintegrations of Gaussian Processes

    OpenAIRE

    LaGatta, Tom

    2010-01-01

    The goal of this paper is to understand the conditional law of a stochastic process once it has been observed over an interval. To make this precise, we introduce the notion of a continuous disintegration: a regular conditional probability measure which varies continuously in the conditioned parameter. The conditioning is infinite-dimensional in character, which leads us to consider the general case of probability measures in Banach spaces. Our main result is that for a certain quantity $M$ b...

  9. Continuous biodisel productions: A review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stamenković Ivica S.

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Continuous biodiesel production on laboratory and industrial scale was analyzed, with focus on their advantages and disadvantages. Attention was paid to specific characteristics of industrial processes in order to point out the advanced technologies. The well-known base-catalyzed continuous biodiesel production processes are related to problems caused by the immiscibility of the reactants (alcohol and oil, application of relatively high operating temperature (usually the boiling temperature of alcohol or one near it and obtained yield of methyl ester yields lower than desired. One way to overcome these problems is to employ special reactor design favoring the emulsion process and increasing the overall rate of biodiesel production process, even at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The second way is to apply heterogeneous catalysts in continuous processes, which will probably be the optimal approach to economically justified and environmentally friendly biodiesel production.

  10. A decomposition of pairwise continuity via ideals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahes Wari

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we introduce and study the notions of (i, j - regular - ℐ -closed sets, (i, j - Aℐ -sets, (i, j - ℐ -locally closed sets, p- Aℐ -continuous functions and p- ℐ -LC-continuous functions in ideal bitopological spaces and investigate some of their properties. Also, a new decomposition of pairwise continuity is obtained using these sets.

  11. Continuous quality improvement

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rohlin, Madeleine; Schaub, Rob M.H.; Holbrook, Peter; Leibur, Edvitar; Lévy, Gérard; Roubalikova, Lenka; Nilner, Maria; Roger-Leroi, Valerie; Danner, Gunter; Iseri, Haluk; Feldman, Cecile

    2002-01-01

    Versch. in: Eur J Dent Educ; 6 (Suppl. 3): 67–77 Continuous quality improvement (CQI) can be envisaged as a circular process of goal-setting, followed by external and internal evaluations resulting in improvements that can serve as goals for a next cycle. The need for CQI is apparent, because of

  12. Continuous fragment of the mu-calculus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fontaine, G.

    2008-01-01

    In this paper we investigate the Scott continuous fragment of the modal μ-calculus. We discuss its relation with constructivity, where we call a formula constructive if its least fixpoint is always reached in at most ω steps. Our main result is a syntactic characterization of this continuous

  13. Exploring in vitro neurobiological effects and high-pressure liquid chromatography-assisted quantitation of chlorogenic acid in 18 Turkish coffee brands

    OpenAIRE

    Erdem, Sinem Aslan; Senol, F. Sezer; Budakoglu, Esin; Orhan, Ilkay Erdogan; Sener, Bilge

    2016-01-01

    The hydroalcoholic extracts of the Turkish traditional coffee samples from 18 commercial brands were tested for their neurobiological effects through enzyme inhibition based on enzyme-linked immunosorbance microtiter assays against acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, and tyrosinase, linked to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The extracts were also subjected to several antioxidant test systems to define their antiradical, metal-chelation capacity, and reducing power. Total phenol...

  14. Automatic penalty continuation in structural topology optimization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rojas Labanda, Susana; Stolpe, Mathias

    2015-01-01

    this issue is addressed. We propose an automatic continuation method, where the material penalization parameter is included as a new variable in the problem and a constraint guarantees that the requested penalty is eventually reached. The numerical results suggest that this approach is an appealing...... alternative to continuation methods. Automatic continuation also generally obtains better designs than the classical formulation using a reduced number of iterations....

  15. Continuing Medical Education

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A review article willintroduce readers to the educational subject matter, along with one-page summarises (in print) of additional articles that may be accessed in full online. We will continue to offer topical and up-to-date CME material. Readers are encouraged to register with samj.org.za to receive future notifications of new ...

  16. Variance Swap Replication: Discrete or Continuous?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabien Le Floc’h

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The popular replication formula to price variance swaps assumes continuity of traded option strikes. In practice, however, there is only a discrete set of option strikes traded on the market. We present here different discrete replication strategies and explain why the continuous replication price is more relevant.

  17. 7 CFR 58.315 - Continuous churns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Continuous churns. 58.315 Section 58.315 Agriculture....315 Continuous churns. All product contact surfaces of the churn and related equipment shall be of..., Rubber, and Rubber-Like Materials. All product contact surfaces of the churn and related equipment shall...

  18. Organizzazione bibliografica delle risorse continuative in relazione ai modelli IFLA : Ricerca all'interno del corpus delle risorse continuative croate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatijana Petrić

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Comprehensive research on continuing resources has not been conducted in Croatia, therefore this paper will indicate the current bibliographic organisation of continuing resources in comparison to the parameters set by the IFLA models, and the potential flaws of the IFLA models in the bibliographic organisation of continuing resources, in comparison to the valid national code which is used in Croatian cataloguing practice. Research on the corpus of Croatian continuing resources was performed in the period from 2000 and 2011. By using the listed population through the method of deliberate stratified sampling, the titles which had been observed were selected. Through the method of observation of bibliographic records of the selected sample in the NUL catalogue, the frequency of occurrence of parameters from the IFLA models that should identify continuing resources will be recorded and should also show the characteristics of continuing resources. In determining the parameters of observation, the FRBR model is viewed in terms of bibliographic data, FRAD is viewed in terms of other groups or entities or controlled access points for work, person and the corporate body and FRSAD in terms of the third group of entities as the subject or the subject access to continuing resources. Research results indicate that the current model of bibliographic organisation presents a high frequency of attributes that are listed in the IFLA models for all types of resources, although that was not envisaged by the PPIAK, and it is clear that the practice has moved away from the national code which does not offer solutions for all types of resources and ever more so demanding users. The current model of bibliographic organisation of the corpus of Croatian continuing resources in regards to the new IFLA model requires certain changes in order for the user to more easily access and identify continuing resources. The research results also indicate the need to update the

  19. Correlates of oral contraception continuation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ewer, P A; Gibbs, J O

    1971-05-01

    A sample of 139 predominantly black, young, low-income patients who had accepted oral contraception at a publicly supported family planning clinic has been analyzed for correlates of oral contraception continuation. Interviews were conducted 10-12 months after the clinic visit; at this time 38% of the patients continued taking oral contraceptives. It was found that patients with the highest continuation rates were 18-24 years old, in the 2-3 parity group, living with their husbands, had low-parity mothers, and were able to fill prescriptions in less time with more convenient methods of transportation. Discontinuers tended to have high-parity mothers, live with parents or head their own households, and to be in the 13-17 or 25-45 year old age groups. Fear of long-term use of oral contraceptives and perceived side effects appeared to be implicated in discontinuation. The rate of discontinuation may be associated with irregular coital experience and less consistent exposure to pregnancy.

  20. On a non-continuous and stronger form of Levine's semi-continuous functions

    OpenAIRE

    Caldas, Miguel; Jafari, Saeid; Saraf, Ratnesh Kumar

    2009-01-01

    The concept of a (δ,β) irresolute function in topological spaces is introduced and studied. Some of their characteristic properties are considered. We also investigate the relationships between these classes of functions and other classes of non-continuous functions.

  1. Design Feature 7: Continuous Preclosure Ventilation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    A.T. Watkins

    1999-01-01

    This design feature (DF) is intended to evaluate the effects of continuous ventilation in the emplacement drifts during preclosure and how the effects, if any, compare to the Viability Assessment (VA) reference design for postclosure long term performance. This DF will be evaluated against a set of criteria provided by the License Application Design Selection (LADS) group. The VA reference design included a continuous ventilation airflow quantity of 0.1 m 3 /s in the emplacement drifts in the design of the repository subsurface facilities. The effects of this continuous ventilation during the preclosure was considered to have a negligible effect on postclosure performance and therefore is not included during postclosure in the assessment of the long term performance. This DF discusses the effects of continuous ventilation on the emplacement drift environment and surrounding rock conditions during preclosure for three increased airflow quantities. The three cases of continuous ventilation systems are: System A, 1.0 m 3 /s (Section 8), System B, 5.0 m 3 /s (Section 9), and System C, 10.0 m 3 /s (Section 10) in each emplacement drift split. An emplacement drift split is half total length of emplacement drift going from the east or west main to the exhaust main. The difference in each system is the quantity of airflow in the emplacement drifts

  2. Continuous-time quantum walks on star graphs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salimi, S.

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, we investigate continuous-time quantum walk on star graphs. It is shown that quantum central limit theorem for a continuous-time quantum walk on star graphs for N-fold star power graph, which are invariant under the quantum component of adjacency matrix, converges to continuous-time quantum walk on K 2 graphs (complete graph with two vertices) and the probability of observing walk tends to the uniform distribution.

  3. Studying Implementation within a Continuous Continuous-Improvement Process: What Happens When We Design with Adaptations in Mind?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tichnor-Wagner, Ariel; Allen, Danielle; Socol, Allison Rose; Cohen-Vogel, Lora; Rutledge, Stacey A.; Xing, Qi W.

    2018-01-01

    Background/Context: This study examines the implementation of an academic and social-emotional learning innovation called Personalization for Academic and Social-Emotional Learning, or PASL. The innovation was designed, tested, and implemented using a continuous continuous-improvement model. The model emphasized a top-and-bottom process in which…

  4. Continuous Variable Quantum Communication and Computation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Ulrik Lund; Dong, Ruifang; Jezek, Miroslav

    2011-01-01

    We use squeezed states of light to implement a robust continuous variable quantum key distribution scheme and an optical Hadamard gate based on coherent state qubits.......We use squeezed states of light to implement a robust continuous variable quantum key distribution scheme and an optical Hadamard gate based on coherent state qubits....

  5. Strategic continuity planning: the first critical step.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Jack

    2013-01-01

    Many companies (and business continuity professionals) believe a company needs a comprehensive, all-inclusive business continuity plan. Often they reach this conclusion after other companies or potential clients have requested to see their business continuity plan as a precondition of doing business. Companies without 'a plan' are then tempted to go out and hire a business continuity person and tell them to 'Create a plan!' This makes perfect sense to the executive team, but this approach will probably not work in a real event. This paper addresses the shortcomings of producing tactical documentation and calling it 'The Plan', and discusses ways to engage management in the development of a corporate strategy to be used during and after an event.

  6. Continuous lengths of oxide superconductors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kroeger, Donald M.; List, III, Frederick A.

    2000-01-01

    A layered oxide superconductor prepared by depositing a superconductor precursor powder on a continuous length of a first substrate ribbon. A continuous length of a second substrate ribbon is overlaid on the first substrate ribbon. Sufficient pressure is applied to form a bound layered superconductor precursor powder between the first substrate ribbon and the second substrate ribbon. The layered superconductor precursor is then heat treated to establish the oxide superconducting phase. The layered oxide superconductor has a smooth interface between the substrate and the oxide superconductor.

  7. Future Supply Chains Enabled by Continuous Processing-Opportunities Challenges May 20-21 2014 Continuous Manufacturing Symposium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srai, Jagjit Singh; Badman, Clive; Krumme, Markus; Futran, Mauricio; Johnston, Craig

    2015-03-01

    This paper examines the opportunities and challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry in moving to a primarily "continuous processing"-based supply chain. The current predominantly "large batch" and centralized manufacturing system designed for the "blockbuster" drug has driven a slow-paced, inventory heavy operating model that is increasingly regarded as inflexible and unsustainable. Indeed, new markets and the rapidly evolving technology landscape will drive more product variety, shorter product life-cycles, and smaller drug volumes, which will exacerbate an already unsustainable economic model. Future supply chains will be required to enhance affordability and availability for patients and healthcare providers alike despite the increased product complexity. In this more challenging supply scenario, we examine the potential for a more pull driven, near real-time demand-based supply chain, utilizing continuous processing where appropriate as a key element of a more "flow-through" operating model. In this discussion paper on future supply chain models underpinned by developments in the continuous manufacture of pharmaceuticals, we have set out; The paper recognizes that although current batch operational performance in pharma is far from optimal and not necessarily an appropriate end-state benchmark for batch technology, the adoption of continuous supply chain operating models underpinned by continuous production processing, as full or hybrid solutions in selected product supply chains, can support industry transformations to deliver right-first-time quality at substantially lower inventory profiles. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

  8. Antioxidant effects of anthocyanins-rich extract from black sticky rice ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    hope&shola

    2010-11-29

    Nov 29, 2010 ... methanol in water. This crude extract was refluxed at 75 - 78°C for. 3 h, shaken in ultrasonic bath for 30 min, cooled, stored in the dark at 4 - 8°C for 7 days and removed the sediment by centrifugation at. 1006 × g for 15 .... glass slides were made and air dried, they were counted for RBCs with Heinz body ...

  9. Curvature-Continuous 3D Path-Planning Using QPMI Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seong-Ryong Chang

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available It is impossible to achieve vertex movement and rapid velocity control in aerial robots and aerial vehicles because of momentum from the air. A continuous-curvature path ensures such robots and vehicles can fly with stable and continuous movements. General continuous path-planning methods use spline interpolation, for example B-spline and Bézier curves. However, these methods cannot be directly applied to continuous path planning in a 3D space. These methods use a subset of the waypoints to decide curvature and some waypoints are not included in the planned path. This paper proposes a method for constructing a curvature-continuous path in 3D space that includes every waypoint. The movements in each axis, x, y and z, are separated by the parameter u. Waypoint groups are formed, each with its own continuous path derived using quadratic polynomial interpolation. The membership function then combines each continuous path into one continuous path. The continuity of the path is verified and the curvature-continuous path is produced using the proposed method.

  10. Creating meaningful business continuity management programme metrics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strong, Brian

    2010-11-01

    The popular axiom, 'what gets measured gets done', is often applied in the quality management and continuous improvement disciplines. This truism is also useful to business continuity practitioners as they continually strive to prove the value of their organisation's investment in a business continuity management (BCM) programme. BCM practitioners must also remain relevant to their organisations as executives focus on the bottom line and maintaining stakeholder confidence. It seems that executives always find a way, whether in a hallway or elevator, to ask BCM professionals about the company's level of readiness. When asked, they must be ready with an informed response. The establishment of a process to measure business continuity programme performance and organisational readiness has emerged as a key component of US Department of Homeland Security 'Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness (PS-Prep) Program' standards where the overarching goal is to improve private sector preparedness for disasters and emergencies. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: to introduce continuity professionals to best practices that should be considered when developing a BCM metrics programme as well as providing a case study of how a large health insurance company researched, developed and implemented a process to measure BCM programme performance and company readiness.

  11. Rough case-based reasoning system for continues casting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Wenbin; Lei, Zhufeng

    2018-04-01

    The continuous casting occupies a pivotal position in the iron and steel industry. The rough set theory and the CBR (case based reasoning, CBR) were combined in the research and implementation for the quality assurance of continuous casting billet to improve the efficiency and accuracy in determining the processing parameters. According to the continuous casting case, the object-oriented method was applied to express the continuous casting cases. The weights of the attributes were calculated by the algorithm which was based on the rough set theory and the retrieval mechanism for the continuous casting cases was designed. Some cases were adopted to test the retrieval mechanism, by analyzing the results, the law of the influence of the retrieval attributes on determining the processing parameters was revealed. A comprehensive evaluation model was established by using the attribute recognition theory. According to the features of the defects, different methods were adopted to describe the quality condition of the continuous casting billet. By using the system, the knowledge was not only inherited but also applied to adjust the processing parameters through the case based reasoning method as to assure the quality of the continuous casting and improve the intelligent level of the continuous casting.

  12. Neural networks in continuous optical media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anderson, D.Z.

    1987-01-01

    The authors' interest is to see to what extent neural models can be implemented using continuous optical elements. Thus these optical networks represent a continuous distribution of neuronlike processors rather than a discrete collection. Most neural models have three characteristic features: interconnections; adaptivity; and nonlinearity. In their optical representation the interconnections are implemented with linear one- and two-port optical elements such as lenses and holograms. Real-time holographic media allow these interconnections to become adaptive. The nonlinearity is achieved with gain, for example, from two-beam coupling in photorefractive media or a pumped dye medium. Using these basic optical elements one can in principle construct continuous representations of a number of neural network models. The authors demonstrated two devices based on continuous optical elements: an associative memory which recalls an entire object when addressed with a partial object and a tracking novelty filter which identifies time-dependent features in an optical scene. These devices demonstrate the potential of distributed optical elements to implement more formal models of neural networks

  13. Identification of parameters of discrete-continuous models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cekus, Dawid; Warys, Pawel

    2015-01-01

    In the paper, the parameters of a discrete-continuous model have been identified on the basis of experimental investigations and formulation of optimization problem. The discrete-continuous model represents a cantilever stepped Timoshenko beam. The mathematical model has been formulated and solved according to the Lagrange multiplier formalism. Optimization has been based on the genetic algorithm. The presented proceeding’s stages make the identification of any parameters of discrete-continuous systems possible

  14. Identification of parameters of discrete-continuous models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cekus, Dawid, E-mail: cekus@imipkm.pcz.pl; Warys, Pawel, E-mail: warys@imipkm.pcz.pl [Institute of Mechanics and Machine Design Foundations, Czestochowa University of Technology, Dabrowskiego 73, 42-201 Czestochowa (Poland)

    2015-03-10

    In the paper, the parameters of a discrete-continuous model have been identified on the basis of experimental investigations and formulation of optimization problem. The discrete-continuous model represents a cantilever stepped Timoshenko beam. The mathematical model has been formulated and solved according to the Lagrange multiplier formalism. Optimization has been based on the genetic algorithm. The presented proceeding’s stages make the identification of any parameters of discrete-continuous systems possible.

  15. Will the urge to merge continue?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gobert, W.A.

    2001-01-01

    A review of oil and gas markets was presented along with mergers and acquisitions activity. The objective of the exercise was to determine if the current trend of mergers within the oil industry will continue. The review of oil and gas markets included a historical look at crude oil and natural gas prices as well as on industry activity as a whole. A series of economic indicator graphs demonstrate that buyers wallets are full, oil and gas prices have beat the estimates, purchase prices have inflated and shareholders continue to sell at a discount. This information has led the author to conclude that the trend to merge will definitely continue. 2 tabs., 18 figs

  16. Stressful Events and Continued Smoking and Continued Alcohol Consumption during Mid-Pregnancy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Beijers, C.; Ormel, J.; Meijer, J. L.; Verbeek, T.; Bockting, C. L. H.; Burger, H.

    2014-01-01

    Aim: to examine whether the severity of different categories of stressful events is associated with continued smoking and alcohol consumption during mid-pregnancy. Also, we explored the explanation of these associations by anxiety and depressive symptoms during pregnancy. Finally, we studied whether

  17. Stressful events and continued smoking and continued alcohol consumption during mid-pregnancy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Beijers, Chantal; Ormel, Johan; Meijer, Judith L; Verbeek, Tjitte; Bockting, Claudi L H; Burger, Huibert

    2014-01-01

    Aim: to examine whether the severity of different categories of stressful events is associated with continued smoking and alcohol consumption during mid-pregnancy. Also, we explored the explanation of these associations by anxiety and depressive symptoms during pregnancy. Finally, we studied whether

  18. Operator continued fraction and bound states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pindor, M.

    1984-01-01

    The effective Hamiltonian of the model space perturbation theory (multilevel Rayleigh-Schroedinger theory) is expressed as an operator continued fraction. In the case of a nondegenerate model space the expression becomes an operator branched continued fraction. The method is applied to the harmonic oscillator with the kinetic energy treated as the perturbation and to the anharmonic oscillator

  19. C-SPARQL : SPARQL for continuous querying

    OpenAIRE

    Barbieri, Davide Francesco; Braga, Daniele; Ceri, Stefano; Valle, Emanuele Della; Grossniklaus, Michael

    2009-01-01

    C-SPARQL is an extension of SPARQL to support continuous queries, registered and continuously executed over RDF data streams, considering windows of such streams. Supporting streams in RDF format guarantees interoperability and opens up important applications, in which reasoners can deal with knowledge that evolves over time. We present C-SPARQL by means of examples in Urban Computing.

  20. Continuous production of polymethylpentene membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Epperson, B.J.; Burnett, L.J.; Helm, V.D.

    1983-11-15

    Gas separation membranes may be prepared in a continuous manner by passing a porous support which may, if so desired, be backed by a fabric through a solution of polymethylpentene dissolved in an organic solvent such as hexane. The support member is passed through the solution while one side thereof is in contact with a roller, thereby permitting only one side of the support member to be coated with the polymer. After continuously withdrawing the support member from the bath, the solvent is allowed to evaporate and the resulting membrane is recovered.

  1. Multipliers for continuous frames in Hilbert spaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balazs, P; Bayer, D; Rahimi, A

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, we examine the general theory of continuous frame multipliers in Hilbert space. These operators are a generalization of the widely used notion of (discrete) frame multipliers. Well-known examples include anti-Wick operators, STFT multipliers or Calderón–Toeplitz operators. Due to the possible peculiarities of the underlying measure spaces, continuous frames do not behave quite as their discrete counterparts. Nonetheless, many results similar to the discrete case are proven for continuous frame multipliers as well, for instance compactness and Schatten-class properties. Furthermore, the concepts of controlled and weighted frames are transferred to the continuous setting. This article is part of a special issue of Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical devoted to ‘Coherent states: mathematical and physical aspects’. (paper)

  2. Continuous quality improvement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bourne, P.B.

    1985-01-01

    This paper describes the various statistical tools used at the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory to achieve continuous quality improvement in the development of Breeder Reactor Technology and in reactor operations. The role of the quality assurance professionals in this process, including quantifiable measurements using actual examples, is provided. The commitment to quality improvement through top management involvement is dramatically illustrated

  3. Potential of Continuous Manufacturing for Liposomal Drug Products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Worsham, Robert D; Thomas, Vaughan; Farid, Suzanne S

    2018-05-21

    Over the last several years, continuous manufacturing of pharmaceuticals has evolved from bulk APIs and solid oral dosages into the more complex realm of biologics. The development of continuous downstream processing techniques has allowed biologics manufacturing to realize the benefits (e.g. improved economics, more consistent quality) that come with continuous processing. If relevant processing techniques and principles are selected, the opportunity arises to develop continuous manufacturing designs for additional pharmaceutical products including liposomal drug formulations. Liposome manufacturing has some inherent aspects that make it favorable for a continuous process. Other aspects such as formulation refinement, materials of construction, and aseptic processing need development, but present an achievable challenge. This paper reviews the current state of continuous manufacturing technology applicable to liposomal drug product manufacturing and an assessment of the challenges and potential of this application. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  4. Determinants of Customer Continuance Intention of Online Shopping

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Al-maghrabi, T.

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to clarify theory and identify factors that could explain the level of continuance intention of e-shopping. A revised technology acceptance model integrates expectation confirmation theory and investigates effects of age differences. An online survey of internet shoppers in Saudi Arabia. Structural equation modelling and invariance analysis confirm model fit. The findings confirm that perceived usefulness, enjoyment and social pressure are determinants of e-shopping continuance. The structural weights are mostly equivalent between young and old but the regression path from perceived usefulness to social pressure is stronger for younger respondents. This research moves beyond e-shopping intentions to factors affecting e-shopping continuance, explaining 55% of intention to continue shopping online. Online strategies cannot ignore direct and indirect effects on continuance intentions. The findings contribute to literature on internet shopping and continuance intentions in the context of Saudi Arabia.

  5. Penerapan Business Continuity Pada Bank Central Asia

    OpenAIRE

    Chandra, Keefe Darius

    2017-01-01

    Banks are financial institutions that have a major impact on the economic system and can affect people's lives. Hence, regulators concerned in organizing business continuity of the banking industries. PT. Bank Central Asia, Tbk. (BCA) represents businesses in the banking sector that can not escape from the natural and man threats which can interfere the bank's business. This case study presents a glimpse of how the business continuity run in BCA. Moreover, business continuity in banking can n...

  6. The Ferris Educational Mission: A Continuing Study by the Ferris Educational Planning Committee, Part II: Continuing Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferris State Coll., Big Rapids, MI.

    This document, the second of a two-part study, focuses on the area of continuing and adult education at Ferris State College (FSC), Michigan. An overview of the status of adult and continuing education and recommendations are provided by the schools of allied health, business, general education, education, pharmacy, technical and applied arts, and…

  7. Effect of enterocin AS-48 in combination with biocides on planktonic and sessile Listeria monocytogenes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gómez, Natacha Caballero; Abriouel, Hikmate; Grande, M A José; Pulido, Rubén Pérez; Gálvez, Antonio

    2012-05-01

    Enterocin AS-48 was tested on a cocktail of Listeria monocytogenes strains in planktonic and sessile states, singly or in combination with biocides benzalkonium chloride, cetrimide, hexadecylpyridinium chloride, didecyldimethylammonium bromide, triclosan, poly-(hexamethylen guanidinium) hydrochloride, chlorhexidine, hexachlorophene, and the commercial sanitizers P3 oxonia and P3 topax 66. Combinations of sub-inhibitory bacteriocin concentrations and biocide concentrations 4 to 10-fold lower than their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) completely inhibited growth of the planktonic listeriae. Inactivation of Listeria in biofilms formed on polystyrene microtiter plates required concentrations of enterocin AS-48 greater than 50 μg/ml, and biocide concentrations ten to 100-fold higher. In combination with enterocin AS-48 (25 or 50 μg/ml), microbial inactivation increased remarkably for all biocides except P3 oxonia and P3 topax 66 solutions. Polystyrene microtiter plates conditioned with enterocin solutions (0.5-25 μg/ml) decreased the adherence and biofilm formation of the L. monocytogenes cell cocktail, avoiding biofilm formation for at least 24 h at a bacteriocin concentration of 25 μg/ml. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based method for measuring galactosyltransferase activity using a synthetic glycopolymer acceptor substrate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oubihi, M; Kitajima, K; Kobayashi, K; Adachi, T; Aoki, N; Matsuda, T

    1998-03-15

    A lectin-assisted enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based method using a synthetic glycopolymer as an acceptor substrate was developed for measuring beta 1,4-galactosyltransferase (GalT) activity. A polyacrylamide derivative having a beta-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc beta) moiety on each monomeric unit was synthesized chemically and immobilized on a polystyrene microtiter plate as an acceptor substrate for GalT. After the plate was incubated with bovine GalT, the enzyme reaction product, beta-linked Gal residue on the polyacrylamide-bound GlcNAc residue, was detected by using Ricinus communis agglutinin 1 (RCA1), rabbit anti-RCA1 antibody, and a peroxidase-labeled anti-rabbit IgG. The lowest GalT concentration detectable by this method was about 0.5 mU/ml, which is comparable to those by the previously reported ELISA-based assays. The unique property of the glycopolymer, PAP(GlcNAc beta), of binding noncovalently but tightly to the polystyrene microtiter plate allowed the use of this acceptor substrate for the GalT activity measurement even in the presence of 1% Triton CF-54 and X-100. Our system was successfully applied to assess GalT activity in milk of various mammals.

  9. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the quantification of serum platelet-bindable IgG.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howe, S E; Lynch, D M; Lynch, J M

    1984-01-01

    An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using F(ab')2 peroxidase-labeled antihuman immunoglobulin and o-phenylenediamine dihydrochloride (OPD) as a substrate was developed to measure serum platelet bindable IgG (S-PBIgG). The assay was made quantitative by standardizing the number of normal "target" platelets bound to microtiter plate wells, and by incorporating quantitated IgG standards with each microtiter plate tested to prepare a standard calibration curve. By this method, S-PBIgG for normal individuals was 3.4 +/- 1.6 fg per platelet (mean +/- 1 SD; n = 40). Increased S-PBIgG levels were detected in 36 of 40 patients with clinical autoimmune thrombocytopenia (ATP), ranging from 7.0 to 85 fg per platelet. Normal S-PBIgG levels were found in 34 of 40 patients with nonimmune thrombocytopenia. This method showed a sensitivity of 90 percent, specificity of 85 percent, and in the sample population studied, a positive predictive value of 0.86 and a negative predictive value of 0.90. This assay is highly reproducible (coefficient of variation was 6.8%) and appears useful in the evaluation of patients with suspected immune-mediated thrombocytopenia.

  10. 42 CFR 456.236 - Continued stay review process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS UTILIZATION CONTROL Utilization Control: Mental Hospitals Ur Plan... each continued stay of a recipient in the mental hospital, the committee, subgroup or designee reviews... committee, subgroup or designee finds that a recipient's continued stay in the mental hospital is needed...

  11. Usability, Quality, Value and E-Learning Continuance Decisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiu, Chao-Min; Hsu, Meng-Hsiang; Sun, Szu-Yuan; Lin, Tung-Ching; Sun, Pei-Chen

    2005-01-01

    Previous research suggests that an eventual information technology (IT) success depend on both its initial adoption (acceptance) and subsequent continued usage (continuance). Expectancy disconfirmation theory (EDT) has been successfully used to predict users' intention to continue using information technologies. This study proposed a decomposed…

  12. Continuous Improvement and Collaborative Improvement: Similarities and Differences

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Middel, Rick; Boer, Harry; Fisscher, Olaf

    2006-01-01

    the similarities and differences between key components of continuous and collaborative improvement by assessing what is specific for continuous improvement, what for collaborative improvement, and where the two areas of application meet and overlap. The main conclusions are that there are many more similarities...... between continuous and collaborative improvement. The main differences relate to the role of hierarchy/market, trust, power and commitment to collaboration, all of which are related to differences between the settings in which continuous and collaborative improvement unfold....

  13. Actively Shaken In-Situ Passive Sampler Platform for Methylmercury and Organics

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-02-01

    from a risk standpoint, methylmercury (MeHg), and to identify a polymer partitioning approach by developing and testing a range of polymeric ...an assortment of thiolated polymers for use in pharmaceuticals, where their ability to form sulfide bonds confers mucoadhesive properties that...agarose. The thiolated polymers tested in this set leached sulfur into solution, causing analytical interferences and confounding the results. For

  14. Shaken, Not Steered: The Value of Shaking Up the Search Process

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kumpulainen, S.; Huurdeman, H.

    2015-01-01

    The search engines of our times have brought ubiquitous access to information into the reach of nearly everyone. A wealth of information is just one click away, and streamlined search engines have become increasingly efficient at looking up information. However, the fact that it is simple to look up

  15. 26 CFR 1.708-1 - Continuation of partnership.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ....708-1 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Partners and Partnerships § 1.708-1 Continuation of partnership. (a) General rule... assignment to a successor in interest), bequest, or inheritance, or the liquidation of a partnership interest...

  16. Contribution of continuous assessment to student learning in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The study seeks to find out whether continuous assessment contributes to students' performance mathematics. The objectives of this study were to find out whether; Students see continuous assessment as a motivating factor in their learning, there is any workload involved in filling of continuous assessment termly, ...

  17. Mechanics of the brain: perspectives, challenges, and opportunities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goriely, Alain; Geers, Marc G D; Holzapfel, Gerhard A; Jayamohan, Jayaratnam; Jérusalem, Antoine; Sivaloganathan, Sivabal; Squier, Waney; van Dommelen, Johannes A W; Waters, Sarah; Kuhl, Ellen

    2015-10-01

    The human brain is the continuous subject of extensive investigation aimed at understanding its behavior and function. Despite a clear evidence that mechanical factors play an important role in regulating brain activity, current research efforts focus mainly on the biochemical or electrophysiological activity of the brain. Here, we show that classical mechanical concepts including deformations, stretch, strain, strain rate, pressure, and stress play a crucial role in modulating both brain form and brain function. This opinion piece synthesizes expertise in applied mathematics, solid and fluid mechanics, biomechanics, experimentation, material sciences, neuropathology, and neurosurgery to address today's open questions at the forefront of neuromechanics. We critically review the current literature and discuss challenges related to neurodevelopment, cerebral edema, lissencephaly, polymicrogyria, hydrocephaly, craniectomy, spinal cord injury, tumor growth, traumatic brain injury, and shaken baby syndrome. The multi-disciplinary analysis of these various phenomena and pathologies presents new opportunities and suggests that mechanical modeling is a central tool to bridge the scales by synthesizing information from the molecular via the cellular and tissue all the way to the organ level.

  18. Ultraweak Continuity of σ-derivations on von Neumann Algebras

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mirzavaziri, Madjid; Moslehian, Mohammad Sal

    2009-01-01

    Let σ be a surjective ultraweakly continuous *-linear mapping and d be a σ-derivation on a von Neumann algebra. We show that there are a surjective ultraweakly continuous *-homomorphism and a Σ-derivation such that D is ultraweakly continuous if and only if so is d. We use this fact to show that the σ-derivation d is automatically ultraweakly continuous. We also prove the converse in the sense that if σ is a linear mapping and d is an ultraweakly continuous *-σ-derivation, then there is an ultraweakly continuous linear mapping such that d is a *-Σ-derivation

  19. High-throughput continuous cryopump

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foster, C.A.

    1986-01-01

    A cryopump with a unique method of regeneration which allows continuous operation at high throughput has been constructed and tested. Deuterium was pumped continuously at a throughput of 30 Torr.L/s at a speed of 2000 L/s and a compression ratio of 200. Argon was pumped at a throughput of 60 Torr.L/s at a speed of 1275 L/s. To produce continuous operation of the pump, a method of regeneration that does not thermally cycle the pump is employed. A small chamber (the ''snail'') passes over the pumping surface and removes the frost from it either by mechanical action with a scraper or by local heating. The material removed is topologically in a secondary vacuum system with low conductance into the primary vacuum; thus, the exhaust can be pumped at pressures up to an effective compression ratio determined by the ratio of the pumping speed to the leakage conductance of the snail. The pump, which is all-metal-sealed and dry and which regenerates every 60 s, would be an ideal system for pumping tritium. Potential fusion applications are for mpmp limiters, for repeating pneumatic pellet injection lines, and for the centrifuge pellet injector spin tank, all of which will require pumping tritium at high throughput. Industrial applications requiring ultraclean pumping of corrosive gases at high throughput, such as the reactive ion etch semiconductor process, may also be feasible

  20. On asymptotic continuity of functions of quantum states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Synak-Radtke, Barbara; Horodecki, Michal

    2006-01-01

    A useful kind of continuity of quantum states functions in asymptotic regime is so-called asymptotic continuity. In this letter, we provide general tools for checking if a function possesses this property. First we prove equivalence of asymptotic continuity with so-called robustness under admixture. This allows us to show that relative entropy distance from a convex set including a maximally mixed state is asymptotically continuous. Subsequently, we consider arrowing-a way of building a new function out of a given one. The procedure originates from constructions of intrinsic information and entanglement of formation. We show that arrowing preserves asymptotic continuity for a class of functions (so-called subextensive ones). The result is illustrated by means of several examples. (letter to the editor)

  1. Continuous reformulations for zero-one programming problems

    OpenAIRE

    Marianna De Santis; Francesco Rinaldi

    2010-01-01

    In this work, we study continuous reformulations of zero-one programming problems. We prove that, under suitable conditions, the optimal solutions of a zero-one programming problem can be obtained by solving a specific continuous problem.

  2. Managerial implications for improving continuous production processes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Capaci, Francesca; Vanhatalo, Erik; Bergquist, Bjarne

    2017-01-01

    . In this article we highlight SPC and DoE implementation challenges described in the literature for managers, researchers and practitioners interested in continuous production process improvement. The results may help managers support the implementation of these methods and make researchers and practitioners aware......Data analytics remains essential for process improvement and optimization. Statistical process control and design of experiments are among the most powerful process and product improvement methods available. However, continuous process environments challenge the application of these methods...... of methodological challenges in continuous process environments...

  3. For Time-Continuous Optimisation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heinrich, Mary Katherine; Ayres, Phil

    2016-01-01

    Strategies for optimisation in design normatively assume an artefact end-point, disallowing continuous architecture that engages living systems, dynamic behaviour, and complex systems. In our Flora Robotica investigations of symbiotic plant-robot bio-hybrids, we re- quire computational tools...

  4. Multidisciplinary Prerounding Meeting as a Continuous Quality Improvement Tool: Leveraging to Reduce Continuous Benzodiazepine Use at an Academic Medical Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flannery, Alexander H; Thompson Bastin, Melissa L; Montgomery-Yates, Ashley; Hook, Corrine; Cassity, Evan; Eaton, Phillip M; Morris, Peter E

    2018-01-01

    Evidence-based medicine often has many barriers to overcome prior to implementation in practice, hence the importance of continuous quality improvement. We report on a brief (≤10 minutes) multidisciplinary meeting prior to rounds to establish a dashboard for continuous quality improvement and studied the success of this meeting on a particular area of focus: continuous infusion benzodiazepine minimization. This was a prospective observational study of patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit (MICU) of a large academic medical center over a 4-month period. A morning multidisciplinary prerounding meeting was implemented to report on metrics required to establish a dashboard for MICU care for the previous 24 hours. Fellows and nurse practitioners on respective teams reported on key quality metrics and other important data related to patient census. Continuous benzodiazepines were tracked daily as the number of patients per team who had orders for a continuous benzodiazepine infusion. The aim of this report is to describe the development of the morning multidisciplinary prerounding meeting and its impact on continuous benzodiazepine use, along with associated clinical outcomes. The median number of patients prescribed a continuous benzodiazepine daily decreased over this time period and demonstrated a sustained reduction at 1 year. Furthermore, sedation scores improved, corresponding to a reduction in median duration of mechanical ventilation. The effectiveness of this intervention was mapped post hoc to conceptual models used in implementation science. A brief multidisciplinary meeting to review select data points prior to morning rounds establishes mechanisms for continuous quality improvement and may serve as a mediating factor for successful implementation when initiating and monitoring practice change in the ICU.

  5. Chemical Diversity and Biological Potential of Tanacetum praeteritum subsp. praeteritum Essential Oils

    OpenAIRE

    Özek, Gülmira

    2018-01-01

    Two samples of Tanacetumpraeteritum (Horwood) Heywood subsp. praeteritum(Horwood) were collected in flowering period and subjected separately tohydrodistillation to yield the essential oils (A and B). The oils wereinvestigated for chemical composition with GC-FID and GC/MS techniques andevaluated against acetylcholinesterase and a-amylase enzymes andfree radicals (DPPH• and ABTS•+) using microtiter plateassays. Both of the oils were characterized with high abundance of oxygenatedmonoterpenes....

  6. A membrane-based ELISA assay for the herbicide Isoproturon in soil samples

    OpenAIRE

    Baskeyfield, Damian E. H.; Davis, Frank; Magan, Naresh; Tothill, Ibtisam E.

    2012-01-01

    A membrane based enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (MELISA) for the detection of a common herbicide, isoproturon is described. A heterogeneous competitive ELISA was the format chosen for isoproturon detection. An immunoassay system with a horseradish peroxidase (HRP) labeled polyclonal antibody preparation was developed and characterized before suitable sensitivity and selectivity for isoproturon were attained. After development as a microtiter plate immunoassay, the system was transferred to...

  7. Nocturnal continuous glucose monitoring

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bay, Christiane; Kristensen, Peter Lommer; Pedersen-Bjergaard, Ulrik

    2013-01-01

    Abstract Background: A reliable method to detect biochemical nocturnal hypoglycemia is highly needed, especially in patients with recurrent severe hypoglycemia. We evaluated reliability of nocturnal continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in patients with type 1 diabetes at high risk of severe...

  8. Singular continuous spectrum for palindromic Schroedinger operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hof, A.; Knill, O.; Simon, B.

    1995-01-01

    We give new examples of discrete Schroedinger operators with potentials taking finitely many values that have purely singular continuous spectrum. If the hull X of the potential is strictly ergodic, then the existence of just one potential x in X for which the operator has no eigenvalues implies that there is a generic set in X for which the operator has purely singular continuous spectrum. A sufficient condition for the existence of such an x is that there is a z element of X that contains arbitrarily long palindromes. Thus we can define a large class of primitive substitutions for which the operators are purely singularly continuous for a generic subset in X. The class includes well-known substitutions like Fibonacci, Thue-Morse, Period Doubling, binary non-Pisot and ternary non-Pisot. We also show that the operator has no absolutely continuous spectrum for all x element of X if X derives from a primitive substitution. For potentials defined by circle maps, x n =l J (θ 0 +nα), we show that the operator has purely singular continuous spectrum for a generic subset in X for all irrational α and every half-open interval J. (orig.)

  9. Simple chloride sensors for continuous groundwater monitoring

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thorn, Paul; Mortensen, John

    2012-01-01

    The development of chloride sensors which can be used for continuous, on-line monitoring of groundwater could be very valuable in the management of our coastal water resources. However, sensor stability, drift, and durability all need to be addressed in order for the sensors to be used in continu......The development of chloride sensors which can be used for continuous, on-line monitoring of groundwater could be very valuable in the management of our coastal water resources. However, sensor stability, drift, and durability all need to be addressed in order for the sensors to be used...... in continuous application. This study looks at the development of a simple, inexpensive chloride electrode, and evaluates its performance under continuous use, both in the laboratory and in a field test in a monitoring well. The results from the study showed a consistent response to changing chloride...... concentrations over longer periods. The signal was seen to be stable, with regular drift in both laboratory and field test. In the field application, the sensor signal was corrected for drift, and errors were observed to be under 7% of that of conductivity measurements. The study also found that the chloride...

  10. Reliable dynamics in Boolean and continuous networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ackermann, Eva; Drossel, Barbara; Peixoto, Tiago P

    2012-01-01

    We investigate the dynamical behavior of a model of robust gene regulatory networks which possess ‘entirely reliable’ trajectories. In a Boolean representation, these trajectories are characterized by being insensitive to the order in which the nodes are updated, i.e. they always go through the same sequence of states. The Boolean model for gene activity is compared with a continuous description in terms of differential equations for the concentrations of mRNA and proteins. We found that entirely reliable Boolean trajectories can be reproduced perfectly in the continuous model when realistic Hill coefficients are used. We investigate to what extent this high correspondence between Boolean and continuous trajectories depends on the extent of reliability of the Boolean trajectories, and we identify simple criteria that enable the faithful reproduction of the Boolean dynamics in the continuous description. (paper)

  11. How unique is continuity of care? A review of continuity and related concepts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uijen, Annemarie A; Schers, Henk J; Schellevis, François G; van den Bosch, Wil J H M

    2012-06-01

    The concept of 'continuity of care' has changed over time and seems to be entangled with other care concepts, for example coordination and integration of care. These concepts may overlap, and differences between them often remain unclear. In order to clarify the confusion of tongues and to identify core values of these patient-centred concepts, we provide a historical overview of continuity of care and four related concepts: coordination of care, integration of care, patient-centred care and case management. We identified and reviewed articles including a definition of one of these concepts by performing an extensive literature search in PubMed. In addition, we checked the definition of these concepts in the Oxford English Dictionary. Definitions of continuity, coordination, integration, patient-centred care and case management vary over time. These concepts show both great entanglement and also demonstrate differences. Three major common themes could be identified within these concepts: personal relationship between patient and care provider, communication between providers and cooperation between providers. Most definitions of the concepts are formulated from the patient's perspective. The identified themes appear to be core elements of care to patients. Thus, it may be valuable to develop an instrument to measure these three common themes universally. In the patient-centred medical home, such an instrument might turn out to be an important quality measure, which will enable researchers and policy makers to compare care settings and practices and to evaluate new care interventions from the patient perspective.

  12. Highly selective single-use fluoride ion optical sensor based on aluminum(III)-salen complex in thin polymeric film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Badr, Ibrahim H.A.; Meyerhoff, Mark E.

    2005-01-01

    A highly selective optical sensor for fluoride ion based on the use of an aluminum(III)-salen complex as an ionophore within a thin polymeric film is described. The sensor is prepared by embedding the aluminum(III)-salen ionophore and a suitable lipophilic pH-sensitive indicator (ETH-7075) in a plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) film. Optical response to fluoride occurs due to fluoride extraction into the polymer via formation of a strong complex with the aluminum(III)-salen species. Co-extraction of protons occurs simultaneously, with protonation of the indicator dye yielding the optical response at 529 nm. Films prepared using dioctylsebacate (DOS) are shown to exhibit better response (e.g., linear range, detection limit, and optical signal stability) compared to those prepared using ortho-nitrophenyloctyl ether (o-NPOE). Films formulated with aluminum(III)-salen and ETH-7075 indicator in 2 DOS:1 PVC, exhibit a significantly enhanced selectivity for fluoride over a wide range of lipophilic anions including salicylate, perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate. The optimized films exhibit a sub-micromolar detection limit, using glycine-phosphate buffer, pH 3.00, as the test sample. The response times of the fluoride optical sensing films are in the range of 1-10 min depending on the fluoride ion concentration in the sample. The sensor exhibits very poor reversibility owing to a high co-extraction constant (log K = 8.5 ± 0.4), indicating that it can best be employed as a single-use transduction device. The utility of the aluminum(III)-salen based fluoride sensitive films as single-use sensors is demonstrated by casting polymeric films on the bottom of standard polypropylene microtiter plate wells (96 wells/plate). The modified microtiter plate optode format sensors exhibit response characteristics comparable to the classical optode films cast on quartz slides. The modified microtiter is utilized for the analysis of fluoride in diluted anti-cavity fluoride rinse

  13. Continuous Reinforced Concrete Beams

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hoang, Cao Linh; Nielsen, Mogens Peter

    1996-01-01

    This report deals with stress and stiffness estimates of continuous reinforced concrete beams with different stiffnesses for negative and positive moments e.g. corresponding to different reinforcement areas in top and bottom. Such conditions are often met in practice.The moment distribution...

  14. Studies on continuous fermentation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ueda, K

    1958-01-01

    Continuous fermentation of molasses with a combined system of agitated vessel and flow pipe is studied. A new apparatus was designed. The rate of the fermentation was faster with this apparatus than with the former apparatus which was composed of two vessels.

  15. Sucrose Fermentation by Brazilian Ethanol Production Yeasts in Media Containing Structurally Complex Nitrogen Sources

    OpenAIRE

    Miranda Junior, Messias [UNESP; Batistote, Margareth [UNESP; Cilli, Eduardo Maffud [UNESP; Ernandes, Jose Roberto [UNESP

    2009-01-01

    Four Saccharomyces cerevisiae Brazilian industrial ethanol production strains were grown, under shaken and static conditions, in media containing 22% (w/v) sucrose supplemented with nitrogen sources varying from a single ammonium salt (ammonium sulfate) to free amino acids (casamino acids) and peptides (peptone). Sucrose fermentations by Brazilian industrial ethanol production yeasts strains were strongly affected by both the structural complexity of the nitrogen source and the availability o...

  16. Airline business continuity and IT disaster recovery sites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haji, Jassim

    2016-01-01

    Business continuity is defined as the capability of the organisation to continue delivery of products or services at acceptable predefined levels following a disruptive incident. Business continuity is fast evolving to become a critical and strategic decision for any organisation. Transportation in general, and airlines in particular, is a unique sector with a specialised set of requirements, challenges and opportunities. Business continuity in the airline sector is a concept that is generally overlooked by the airline managements. This paper reviews different risks related to airline processes and will also propose solutions to these risks based on experiences and good industry practices.

  17. Continuity of Accelerator Operations during an Extended Pandemic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noel Okay

    2010-01-01

    The Operations group for the Continuous Electron Accelerator Facility in Newport News Virginia has developed a Continuity of Operations plan for pandemic conditions when high absenteeism may impact accelerator control room operations. Protocols to address both the potential spread of illnesses in the control room environment as well as maintaining minimum staffing requirements for contiguous accelerator operation will be presented. During acute pandemic conditions local government restrictions may prevent continued operations but during extended periods of high absenteeism accelerator operations can continue when some added precautionary measures and staffing adjustments are made in the way business is done.

  18. The emotional and professional wellbeing of Australian midwives: A comparison between those providing continuity of midwifery care and those not providing continuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fenwick, Jennifer; Sidebotham, Mary; Gamble, Jenny; Creedy, Debra K

    2018-02-01

    Continuity of midwifery care contributes to significant positive outcomes for women and babies. There is a perception that providing continuity of care may negatively impact on the wellbeing and professional lives of midwives. To compare the emotional and professional wellbeing as well as satisfaction with time off and work-life balance of midwives providing continuity of care with midwives not providing continuity. Online survey. Measures included; Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI); Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21; and Perceptions of Empowerment in Midwifery Scale (PEMS-Revised). The sample (n=862) was divided into two groups; midwives working in continuity (n=214) and those not working in continuity (n=648). Mann Whitney U tests were used to compare the groups. The continuity group had significantly lower scores on each of the burnout subscales (CBI Personal p=.002; CBI Work pwork-life balance. Our results indicate that providing continuity of midwifery care is also beneficial for midwives. Conversely, midwives working in shift-based models providing fragmented care are at greater risk of psychological distress. Maternity service managers should feel confident that re-orientating care to align with the evidence is likely to improve workforce wellbeing and is a sustainable way forward. Copyright © 2017 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. CONTINUOUS EXHALED BREATH ANALYSIS ON THE ICU

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bos, Lieuwe D. J.; Sterk, Peter J.; Schultz, Marcus J.

    2011-01-01

    During admittance to the ICU, critically ill patients frequently develop secondary infections and/or multiple organ failure. Continuous monitoring of biological markers is very much needed. This study describes a new method to continuously monitor biomarkers in exhaled breath with an electronic nose.

  20. Continuous nowhere differentiable functions the monsters of analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Jarnicki, Marek

    2015-01-01

    This book covers the construction, analysis, and theory of continuous nowhere differentiable functions, comprehensively and accessibly. After illuminating the significance of the subject through an overview of its history, the reader is introduced to the sophisticated toolkit of ideas and tricks used to study the explicit continuous nowhere differentiable functions of Weierstrass, Takagi–van der Waerden, Bolzano, and others. Modern tools of functional analysis, measure theory, and Fourier analysis are applied to examine the generic nature of continuous nowhere differentiable functions, as well as linear structures within the (nonlinear) space of continuous nowhere differentiable functions. To round out the presentation, advanced techniques from several areas of mathematics are brought together to give a state-of-the-art analysis of Riemann’s continuous, and purportedly nowhere differentiable, function. For the reader’s benefit, claims requiring elaboration, and open problems, are clearly indicated. An a...

  1. Continuous-variable quantum information processing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Ulrik Lund; Leuchs, G.; Silberhorn, C.

    2010-01-01

    the continuous degree of freedom of a quantum system for encoding, processing or detecting information, one enters the field of continuous-variable (CV) quantum information processing. In this paper we review the basic principles of CV quantum information processing with main focus on recent developments...... in the field. We will be addressing the three main stages of a quantum information system; the preparation stage where quantum information is encoded into CVs of coherent states and single-photon states, the processing stage where CV information is manipulated to carry out a specified protocol and a detection...... stage where CV information is measured using homodyne detection or photon counting....

  2. Lp-continuity for Calderón–Zygmund operator

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Given a Calderón–Zygmund (- for short) operator , which satisfies Hörmander condition, we prove that: if maps all the characteristic atoms to W L 1 , then is continuous from L p to L p ( 1 < p < ∞ ) . So the study of strong continuity on arbitrary function in L p has been changed into the study of weak continuity on ...

  3. Preparation of nanoparticles by continuous-flow microfluidics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jahn, Andreas; Reiner, Joseph E.; Vreeland, Wyatt N.; DeVoe, Don L.; Locascio, Laurie E.; Gaitan, Michael

    2008-01-01

    We review a variety of micro- and nanoparticle formulations produced with microfluidic methods. A diverse variety of approaches to generate microscale and nanoscale particles has been reported. Here we emphasize the use of microfluidics, specifically microfluidic systems that operate in a continuous flow mode, thereby allowing continuous generation of desired particle formulations. The generation of semiconductor quantum dots, metal colloids, emulsions, and liposomes is considered. To emphasize the potential benefits of the continuous-flow microfluidic methodology for nanoparticle generation, preliminary data on the size distribution of liposomes formed using the microfluidic approach is compared to the traditional bulk alcohol injection method.

  4. Safety Campaign Continues

    CERN Multimedia

    2002-01-01

    If you see this poster, stop and read it! This is the third poster produced by TIS Division as part of its information campaign on health and safety in the workplace. It provides statistics on occupational accidents at CERN. You will see that, as in the rest of Europe, falls, slips and trips continue to be the main cause of accident. So, eyes open and take care! For more information : http://safety.cern.ch/

  5. Indefinite and Continuative Interpretations of the English Present Perfect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katarina Dea Žetko

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available The objective of our paper is to demonstrate that the English present perfect is not by inherent meaning either indefinite or continuative. Notions like indefinite and continuative are contextdependent interpretations of whole constructions and their broader context. However, continuative interpretation can also be triggered by certain adverbials, negative constructions and verbs in the progressive form. But, even these factors do not always guarantee continuative interpretations. Construction, continuative meaning can be cancelled by the context in a broader sense, this fact being a proof that this meaning is merely an implicature. We will demonstrate how different factors interact and trigger either indefinite or continuative interpretations which are not inherent in the present perfect itself. Our paper will attempt to provide sufficient evidence that there is no indefinite/continuative distinction in the English present perfect, the inherent meaning or function of the present perfect is merely to locate the situation somewhere within a period that starts before the time of utterance and leads up to it.

  6. Virtual continuity of measurable functions and its applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vershik, A. M.; Zatitskii, P. B.; Petrov, F. V.

    2014-12-01

    A classical theorem of Luzin states that a measurable function of one real variable is `almost' continuous. For measurable functions of several variables the analogous statement (continuity on a product of sets having almost full measure) does not hold in general. The search for a correct analogue of Luzin's theorem leads to a notion of virtually continuous functions of several variables. This apparently new notion implicitly appears in the statements of embedding theorems and trace theorems for Sobolev spaces. In fact it reveals the nature of such theorems as statements about virtual continuity. The authors' results imply that under the conditions of Sobolev theorems there is a well-defined integration of a function with respect to a wide class of singular measures, including measures concentrated on submanifolds. The notion of virtual continuity is also used for the classification of measurable functions of several variables and in some questions on dynamical systems, the theory of polymorphisms, and bistochastic measures. In this paper the necessary definitions and properties of admissible metrics are recalled, several definitions of virtual continuity are given, and some applications are discussed. Bibliography: 24 titles.

  7. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PRACTICE IN LARGE ENTERPRISES: STUDY RESULTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dorota Stadnicka

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Continuous improvement is indispensable for ensuring the company's development and its survival on the constantly changing global market. Continuous improvement is particularly important in the quality and production management systems. A company should deliver a product compliant with a client's requirements in a specified time and at an appropriate price. That is why, continuous improvement refers to different areas of an organization's functioning and it is an integral part of Lean Manufacturing. This article presents the results of the study conducted in production enterprises on a limited area. The aim of the study was the assessment of the implementation of continuous improvement in Lean Manufacturing, and, in particular, employees' involvement in the problem identification and in reporting improvements as well as the way of motivating employees to involve themselves. The authors also tried to identify the factors influencing the elements of a continuous improvement system.

  8. Development of vacuum continuous casting technology for uranium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Y.S.; Kim, C. K.; Kim, K. H.; Lee, D. B.; Kim, J. D.; Jang, S. J.; Ahn, H. S.; Shin, Y. J.

    2001-02-01

    The spent fuel disposal process of new dry storage concept has been developed in KAERI, in which the uranium metal abstracted by Li-reduction of spent fuel will be formed to long rods and then the rods will be arranged uniformly in canister. The objective of this study is to review the feasibility of applying the continuous casting method to cast a long rod with modifying the vacuum high-frequency induction furnace to vacuum continuous casting system, which was normally used to cast the uranium. The results are as follows. With the nozzle size of 3mm and the withdrawal speed of 3.5 mm/sec, the length of 160mm, diameter of 30 mm continuous casting uranium bar was successfully cast. This result shows there might be a possibility of continuous casting of uranium and helps the design and fabrication of new continuous casting equipment

  9. Continuous Adductor Canal Blocks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Monahan, Amanda M; Sztain, Jacklynn F; Khatibi, Bahareh

    2016-01-01

    on cutaneous knee sensation in volunteers. METHODS: Bilateral adductor canal catheters were inserted in 24 volunteers followed by ropivacaine 0.2% administration for 8 hours. One limb of each subject was assigned randomly to a continuous infusion (8 mL/h) or automated hourly boluses (8 m...

  10. Continuous feedback fluid queues

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Scheinhardt, Willem R.W.; van Foreest, N.D.; Mandjes, M.R.H.

    2003-01-01

    We investigate a fluid buffer which is modulated by a stochastic background process, while the momentary behavior of the background process depends on the current buffer level in a continuous way. Loosely speaking the feedback is such that the background process behaves `as a Markov process' with

  11. Continuous improvement and the mini-company concept

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Leede, Jan; Looise, Jan C.

    1999-01-01

    The key issue of continuous improvement (CI) seems to be the problem of combining extensive employee involvement with market orientation and continuation of CI. In this article we review some existing organisational designs for CI on these three essential characteristics of CI. As an alternative to

  12. 77 FR 43488 - Continuity of Operations Plan

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-25

    ...; Order No. 765] Continuity of Operations Plan AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE. ACTION... Operations Plan to allow the Commission the discretion to better address not only long-term and catastrophic... discretion regarding: the activation and deactivation of the Continuity of Operations Plan and any suspension...

  13. Assessment of Continuing Interprofessional Education: Lessons Learned

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simmons, Brian; Wagner, Susan

    2009-01-01

    Although interprofessional education (IPE) and continuing interprofessional education (CIPE) are becoming established activities within the education of health professions, assessment of learners continues to be limited. Arguably, this in part is due to a lack of IPE and CIPE within in the clinical workplace. The accountability of…

  14. Continuous spin fields of mixed-symmetry type

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alkalaev, Konstantin; Grigoriev, Maxim

    2018-03-01

    We propose a description of continuous spin massless fields of mixed-symmetry type in Minkowski space at the level of equations of motion. It is based on the appropriately modified version of the constrained system originally used to describe massless bosonic fields of mixed-symmetry type. The description is shown to produce generalized versions of triplet, metric-like, and light-cone formulations. In particular, for scalar continuous spin fields we reproduce the Bekaert-Mourad formulation and the Schuster-Toro formulation. Because a continuous spin system inevitably involves infinite number of fields, specification of the allowed class of field configurations becomes a part of its definition. We show that the naive choice leads to an empty system and propose a suitable class resulting in the correct degrees of freedom. We also demonstrate that the gauge symmetries present in the formulation are all Stueckelberg-like so that the continuous spin system is not a genuine gauge theory.

  15. Continuous precipitation process of plutonium salts; Procede continu de precipitation des sels de plutonium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Richard, P [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Fontenay-aux-Roses (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

    1967-03-01

    This work concerns the continuous precipitation process of plutonium oxalate. Investigations about the solubility of different valence states in nitric-oxalic and in nitric-sulfuric-oxalic medium lead to select the precipitation process of tetravalent plutonium oxalate. Settling velocity and granulometry of tetravalent oxalate plutonium have been studied with variation of several precipitation parameters such as: temperature, acidity, excess of oxalic acid and aging time. Then are given test results of some laboratory continuous apparatus. Conditions of operation with adopted tubular apparatus are defined in conclusion. A flow-sheet is given for a process at industrial scale. (author) [French] Cette etude porte sur la precipitation continue de l'oxalate de plutonium. L'etude de la solubilite des differentes valences du plutonium dans des milieux acides nitrique-oxalique, puis nitrique-sulfurique-oxalique conduit a choisir la precipitation de l'oxalate de plutonium tetravalent. L'etude porte ensuite sur la sedimentation et la granulometrie de l'oxalate de Pu{sup 4+} obtenue en faisant varier differents parametres de la precipitation : la temperature, l'acidite, l'exces oxalique et le temps de murissement. La derniere partie traite des resultats obtenus avec plusieurs types d'appareils continus essayes au laboratoire. En conclusion sont donnees les conditions de marche de l'appareil tubulaire adopte, ainsi qu'une extrapolation a l'echelle industrielle sous forme d'un flow-sheet. (auteur)

  16. Humility Through Humiliation in Continuity Clinic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lelkes, Efrat

    2016-01-01

    For freshly minted MDs, residency represents a period of transition from being a medical student to becoming a physician. This evolution is often fraught. Continuity clinic-a mandatory component of pediatric residency training-can be a battleground for this tribulation. This essay explores the author's journey from the first days of her continuity clinic to the last. The author recounts her struggles, her fears, her certainty of being an imposter, and her steps towards becoming a pediatrician.

  17. Why Do We Continue Doing Science?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Javier Leach

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper I speak from both a scientific and religious perspective. From this dual perspective I question the motivations that drive us to continue in the effort of doing scientific work. I ask the why and the wherefore of scientific work. To answer this question: What drives us to continue doing Science? I raise a preliminary question: What do we mean when we say ‘Science’? After briefly describing how the language of Modern Science has evolved in the last centuries, I distinguish between the knowledge that can be expressed by the formal languages of mathematics and the more personal and internal knowledge that can only be expressed by other languages that I call languages of symbol. Finally I propose positive and religious values that move us to continue doing science, while, together with more critical voices, also show the relativity of scientific work

  18. Continuity planning for workplace infectious diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welch, Nancy; Miller, Pamela Blair; Engle, Lisa

    2016-01-01

    Traditionally, business continuity plans prepare for worst-case scenarios; people plan for the exception rather than the common. Plans focus on infrastructure damage and recovery wrought by such disasters as hurricanes, terrorist events or tornadoes. Yet, another very real threat looms present every day, every season and can strike without warning, wreaking havoc on the major asset -- human capital. Each year, millions of dollars are lost in productivity, healthcare costs, absenteeism and services due to infectious, communicable diseases. Sound preventive risk management and recovery strategies can avert this annual decimation of staff and ensure continuous business operation. This paper will present a strong economic justification for the recognition, prevention and mitigation of communicable diseases as a routine part of continuity planning for every business. Recommendations will also be provided for environmental/engineering controls as well as personnel policies that address employee and customer protection, supply chain contacts and potential legal issues.

  19. A Reflection on Continuing Professional Education Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brennan, Barrie

    2017-01-01

    Barrie Brennan's thesis entitled "Continuing Professional Education in Australia. A Tale of Missed Opportunities" offers a history of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the Australian context. This paper arose from Brennan's research for his thesis and is focused on issues that arose from the introduction of Australia's…

  20. Promoting Continuing Education Programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hendrickson, Gayle A.

    This handbook is intended for use by institutions in marketing their continuing education programs. A section on "Devising Your Strategy" looks at identifying a target audience, determining the marketing approach, and developing a marketing plan and promotional techniques. A discussion of media options looks at the advantages and…

  1. Petroleum demand continues to grow but slowly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1998-01-01

    While it is always entertaining and intellectually stimulating to look at all the marvelous technological alternatives just around the corner for transport, the transport task in Australia continues to grow and so does petroleum consumption. Australia presently consumes more than 750,000 barrels per day of petroleum products. Latest figures are given for petroleum consumption up to the end of August 1998. They indicate that total demand for petrol has continued to grow, but very slowly. Growth in 1997-1998 compared with 1996-1997 was only 0.3%. This trend for very low growth has been continued into July and August, perhaps indicative of a slow down in the economy

  2. A continuation method for emission tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, M.; Zubal, I.G.

    1993-01-01

    One approach to improved reconstructions in emission tomography has been the incorporation of additional source information via Gibbs priors that assume a source f that is piecewise smooth. A natural Gibbs prior for expressing such constraints is an energy function E(f,l) defined on binary valued line processes l as well as f. MAP estimation leads to the difficult problem of minimizing a mixed (continuous and binary) variable objective function. Previous approaches have used Gibbs 'potential' functions, φ(f v ) and φ(f h ), defined solely on spatial derivatives, f v and f h , of the source. These φ functions implicitly incorporate line processes, but only in an approximate manner. The correct φ function, φ * , consistent with the use of line processes, leads to difficult minimization problems. In this work, the authors present a method wherein the correct φ * function is approached through a sequence of smooth φ functions. This is the essence of a continuation method in which the minimum of the energy function corresponding to one member of the φ function sequence is used as an initial condition for the minimization of the next, less approximate, stage. The continuation method is implemented using a GEM-ICM procedure. Simulation results show improvement using the continuation method relative to using φ * alone, and to conventional EM reconstructions

  3. Topological Photonics for Continuous Media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silveirinha, Mario

    Photonic crystals have revolutionized light-based technologies during the last three decades. Notably, it was recently discovered that the light propagation in photonic crystals may depend on some topological characteristics determined by the manner how the light states are mutually entangled. The usual topological classification of photonic crystals explores the fact that these structures are periodic. The periodicity is essential to ensure that the underlying wave vector space is a closed surface with no boundary. In this talk, we prove that it is possible calculate Chern invariants for a wide class of continuous bianisotropic electromagnetic media with no intrinsic periodicity. The nontrivial topology of the relevant continuous materials is linked with the emergence of edge states. Moreover, we will demonstrate that continuous photonic media with the time-reversal symmetry can be topologically characterized by a Z2 integer. This novel classification extends for the first time the theory of electronic topological insulators to a wide range of photonic platforms, and is expected to have an impact in the design of novel photonic systems that enable a topologically protected transport of optical energy. This work is supported in part by Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia Grant Number PTDC/EEI-TEL/4543/2014.

  4. How unique is continuity of care? A review of continuity and related concepts.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Uijen, A.A.; Schers, H.J.; Schellevis, F.G.; Bosch, W.J.H.M. van den

    2012-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The concept of 'continuity of care' has changed over time and seems to be entangled with other care concepts, for example coordination and integration of care. These concepts may overlap, and differences between them often remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: In order to clarify the confusion of

  5. How unique is continuity of care? A review of continuity and related concepts

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Uijen, A.A.; Schers, H.J.; Schellevis, F.G.; van den Bosch, W.J.H.M.

    2012-01-01

    Background: The concept of 'continuity of care' has changed over time and seems to be entangled with other care concepts, for example coordination and integration of care. These concepts may overlap, and differences between them often remain unclear. Objective: In order to clarify the confusion of

  6. How unique is continuity of care? A review of continuity and related concepts.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Uijen, A.A.; Schers, H.J.; Schellevis, F.G.; Bosch, W.J.H.M. van den

    2012-01-01

    Background: The concept of ‘continuity of care’ has changed over time and seems to be entangled with other care concepts, for example coordination and integration of care. These concepts may overlap, and differences between them often remain unclear. Objective: In order to clarify the confusion of

  7. The Role of Motivation in Continuing Education for Pharmacists

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tjin a Tsoi, Sharon

    2017-01-01

    Healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, need to continuously update their knowledge and are, therefore, expected to participate in Continuing Education (CE) and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) activities on a regular basis. Lack of intrinsic (or autonomous) motivation appears to

  8. Temperature dependence and P/Ti ratio in phosphoric acid treatment of titanium dioxide and powder properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onoda, H; Matsukura, A

    2015-02-01

    Titanium dioxide has photocatalytic activity and is used as a white pigment for cosmetics. A certain degree of sebum on the skin is decomposed by the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight. In this work, titanium dioxide was shaken with phosphoric acid to synthesize a white pigment for cosmetics. Titanium dioxide was treated with 0.1 mol/L of phosphoric acid at various P/Ti molar ratios, and then shaken in hot water for 1 h. The chemical composition, powder properties, photocatalytic activity, colour phase, and smoothness of the obtained powder were studied. The obtained materials indicated XRD peaks of titanium dioxide, however the peaks diminished subsequent to phosphoric acid treatment. The samples included small particles with sub-micrometer size. The photocatalytic activity of the obtained powders decreased, decomposing less sebum on the skin. Samples prepared at high P/Ti ratio with high shaking temperature indicated low whiteness in in L*a*b* colour space. The shaking and heating temperature and P/Ti ratio had influence on the smoothness of the obtained materials. Phosphoric acid treatment of titanium dioxide is an effective method to inhibit photocatalytic activity for a white pigment. © 2014 Society of Cosmetic Scientists and the Société Française de Cosmétologie.

  9. Multi-stage continuous alcohol fermentation with cane molasses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chu, C J; Chiou, C J; Ng, A K; Lin, T C; Hwang, E C; Rao, C H

    1970-01-01

    It was reported that 6 to 7% ethanol was produced by single-stage continuous 12-hour cycle fermentation of molasses containing 12% sugar using a new strain, Saccharomyces formensensis, isolated from a stock culture. A higher yield of ethanol was obtained from 2-stage and 3-stage continuous fermentation of molasses containing more sugar at 24- and 36-hour cycles, respectively. In the 2-stage 24-hour cycle continuous fermentation of molasses containing 15% sugar with an agitation speed 300 rpm, 9.2% ethanol resulted. Only 3% sugar remained unconsumed. In the 3-stage 36-hour cycle continuous fermentation of molasses containing 15% sugar with 300 rpm agitation, 12.5% ethanol resulted.

  10. Continuous-time quantum random walks require discrete space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manouchehri, K; Wang, J B

    2007-01-01

    Quantum random walks are shown to have non-intuitive dynamics which makes them an attractive area of study for devising quantum algorithms for long-standing open problems as well as those arising in the field of quantum computing. In the case of continuous-time quantum random walks, such peculiar dynamics can arise from simple evolution operators closely resembling the quantum free-wave propagator. We investigate the divergence of quantum walk dynamics from the free-wave evolution and show that, in order for continuous-time quantum walks to display their characteristic propagation, the state space must be discrete. This behavior rules out many continuous quantum systems as possible candidates for implementing continuous-time quantum random walks

  11. Continuous-time quantum random walks require discrete space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manouchehri, K.; Wang, J. B.

    2007-11-01

    Quantum random walks are shown to have non-intuitive dynamics which makes them an attractive area of study for devising quantum algorithms for long-standing open problems as well as those arising in the field of quantum computing. In the case of continuous-time quantum random walks, such peculiar dynamics can arise from simple evolution operators closely resembling the quantum free-wave propagator. We investigate the divergence of quantum walk dynamics from the free-wave evolution and show that, in order for continuous-time quantum walks to display their characteristic propagation, the state space must be discrete. This behavior rules out many continuous quantum systems as possible candidates for implementing continuous-time quantum random walks.

  12. Continuous support for women during childbirth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bohren, Meghan A; Hofmeyr, G Justus; Sakala, Carol; Fukuzawa, Rieko K; Cuthbert, Anna

    2017-07-06

    Historically, women have generally been attended and supported by other women during labour. However, in hospitals worldwide, continuous support during labour has often become the exception rather than the routine. The primary objective was to assess the effects, on women and their babies, of continuous, one-to-one intrapartum support compared with usual care, in any setting. Secondary objectives were to determine whether the effects of continuous support are influenced by:1. Routine practices and policies in the birth environment that may affect a woman's autonomy, freedom of movement and ability to cope with labour, including: policies about the presence of support people of the woman's own choosing; epidural analgesia; and continuous electronic fetal monitoring.2. The provider's relationship to the woman and to the facility: staff member of the facility (and thus has additional loyalties or responsibilities); not a staff member and not part of the woman's social network (present solely for the purpose of providing continuous support, e.g. a doula); or a person chosen by the woman from family members and friends;3. Timing of onset (early or later in labour);4. Model of support (support provided only around the time of childbirth or extended to include support during the antenatal and postpartum periods);5. Country income level (high-income compared to low- and middle-income). We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (31 October 2016), ClinicalTrials.gov, the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (1 June 2017) and reference lists of retrieved studies. All published and unpublished randomised controlled trials, cluster-randomised trials comparing continuous support during labour with usual care. Quasi-randomised and cross-over designs were not eligible for inclusion. Two review authors independently assessed trials for inclusion and risk of bias, extracted data and checked them for accuracy. We sought

  13. Unicorn: Continual Learning with a Universal, Off-policy Agent

    OpenAIRE

    Mankowitz, Daniel J.; Žídek, Augustin; Barreto, André; Horgan, Dan; Hessel, Matteo; Quan, John; Oh, Junhyuk; van Hasselt, Hado; Silver, David; Schaul, Tom

    2018-01-01

    Some real-world domains are best characterized as a single task, but for others this perspective is limiting. Instead, some tasks continually grow in complexity, in tandem with the agent's competence. In continual learning, also referred to as lifelong learning, there are no explicit task boundaries or curricula. As learning agents have become more powerful, continual learning remains one of the frontiers that has resisted quick progress. To test continual learning capabilities we consider a ...

  14. Cigarette continuity programs and social support for smoking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sumner, W; Dunaway, M; Dillman, D G

    1998-01-01

    To describe smokers' participation in cigarette continuity programs and the prevalence and structure of cooperative teams of smokers. Cross-sectional survey of smoking histories and continuity-program participation by individuals and their family members in a convenience sample of 176 current smokers at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center, Lexington. Fisher exact test or chi2 tests were used to compare proportions. One of 3 smokers collected coupons for a continuity program. Three quarters of the collectors redeemed their own coupons, and one quarter gave coupons to another collector. Coupon collectors reported an average team size of more than 2 members. One fifth of collectors were teammates with another generation of family members, and one quarter of collectors aged 24 to 35 years were teammates with their children. Smokers were often aware of their relatives' coupon-collecting habits. Continuity programs have been a popular means of reinforcing smoking, especially within families and groups of friends. Continuity programs are novel in encouraging smoking and brand loyalty between generations. Continuity-program participants need to be aware of the risk of promoting smoking initiation by their children. Health advocates could use similar strategies to promote smoking cessation and prevention within families and other social groups.

  15. Stieltjes' continued fraction for the gamma function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cha, B.W.

    1980-01-01

    The first forty-one coefficients of a continued fraction for 1n GAMMA(z)+z-(z-1/2) 1n z-1n√2π, are given. The computation, based on Wall's algorithm for converting a function's power series representation to a continued fraction representation, was run on the algebraic manipulation system MACSYMA

  16. Detection of soluble antigens of Toxoplasma gondii by a four-layer modification of an enzyme immunoassay.

    OpenAIRE

    Turunen, H J

    1983-01-01

    A sensitive four-layer modification of an enzyme immunoassay for the detection of soluble antigens of Toxoplasma gondii is described. Microtiter plates were sensitized with rabbit anti-toxoplasma immunoglobulins (6 micrograms/ml) used as the primary antibodies; guinea pig anti-toxoplasma immunoglobulins (6 micrograms/ml) were used as the secondary trapping antibodies. Horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-guinea pig immunoglobulins were used as the indicator antibodies. The specificity of th...

  17. Generation of orientation tools for automated zebrafish screening assays using desktop 3D printing

    OpenAIRE

    Wittbrodt, Jonas N.; Liebel, Urban; Gehrig, Jochen

    2014-01-01

    Background The zebrafish has been established as the main vertebrate model system for whole organism screening applications. However, the lack of consistent positioning of zebrafish embryos within wells of microtiter plates remains an obstacle for the comparative analysis of images acquired in automated screening assays. While technical solutions to the orientation problem exist, dissemination is often hindered by the lack of simple and inexpensive ways of distributing and duplicating tools. ...

  18. In vitro activity of mecillinam against anaerobic bacteria.

    OpenAIRE

    Steinkraus, G E; McCarthy, L R

    1980-01-01

    A microtiter broth dilution method was employed to determine the in vitro activity of mecillinam against 201 recent clinical isolates of anaerobic bacteria. Both the anerobic gram-positive and anaerobic gram-negative bacilli displayed a wide range of minimal inhibitory concentrations of mecillinam; most strains were resistant to the antibiotic. The anaerobic cocci exhibited a narrower range of minimal inhibitory concentrations than were observed with other anaerobes, but also exhibited mecill...

  19. Perturbation theory for continuous stochastic equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chechetkin, V.R.; Lutovinov, V.S.

    1987-01-01

    The various general perturbational schemes for continuous stochastic equations are considered. These schemes have many analogous features with the iterational solution of Schwinger equation for S-matrix. The following problems are discussed: continuous stochastic evolution equations for probability distribution functionals, evolution equations for equal time correlators, perturbation theory for Gaussian and Poissonian additive noise, perturbation theory for birth and death processes, stochastic properties of systems with multiplicative noise. The general results are illustrated by diffusion-controlled reactions, fluctuations in closed systems with chemical processes, propagation of waves in random media in parabolic equation approximation, and non-equilibrium phase transitions in systems with Poissonian breeding centers. The rate of irreversible reaction X + X → A (Smoluchowski process) is calculated with the use of general theory based on continuous stochastic equations for birth and death processes. The threshold criterion and range of fluctuational region for synergetic phase transition in system with Poissonian breeding centers are also considered. (author)

  20. [Update in continuous renal replacement techniques].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romero-García, M; de la Cueva-Ariza, L; Delgado-Hito, P

    2013-01-01

    Acute renal failure affects 25% of patients hospitalized in intensive care units. Despite technological advances, the mortality of these patients is still high due to its associated complications. Continuous renal replacement techniques are one of the treatments for acute renal failure because they make it possible to treat the complications and decrease mortality. The nurse's knowledge and skills regarding these techniques will be decisive for the success of the therapy. Consequently, the nurse's experience and training are key components. The objective of this article is to update the knowledge on continuous renal replacement techniques. Keeping this in mind, a review has been made of the physical and chemical principles such as diffusion and convection, among others. A description of the different continuous renal replacement techniques, a presentation of the main vascular access, and a description of the nursing cares and complications related to techniques used have also been provided. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. y SEEIUC. All rights reserved.

  1. Continuing medical education in radiation oncology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chauvet, B.; Barillot, I.; Denis, F.; Cailleux, P.E.; Ardiet, J.M.; Mornex, F.

    2012-01-01

    In France, continuing medical education (CME) and professional practice evaluation (PPE) became mandatory by law in July 2009 for all health professionals. Recently published decrees led to the creation of national specialty councils to implement this organizational device. For radiation oncology, this council includes the French Society for Radiation Oncology (SFRO), the National Radiation Oncology Syndicate (SNRO) and the Association for Continuing Medical Education in Radiation Oncology (AFCOR). The Radiation Oncology National Council will propose a set of programs including CME and PPE, professional thesaurus, labels for CME actions consistent with national requirements, and will organize expertise for public instances. AFCOR remains the primary for CME, but each practitioner can freely choose an organisation for CME, provided that it is certified by the independent scientific commission. The National Order for physicians is the control authority. Radiation oncology has already a strong tradition of independent CME that will continue through this major reform. (authors)

  2. Competitive Strategy in Continuing Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baden, Clifford

    1987-01-01

    Reviews strategic variables available to those planning continuing education marketing programs. Discusses generic competitive strategies: (1) overall cost leadership, (2) differentiation, and (3) specialization. Mentions several potential problems. (CH)

  3. Bupivacaine constant continuous surgical wound infusion versus continuous epidural infusion for post cesarean section pain, randomized placebo-controlled study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hossam A. ELShamaa

    2016-10-01

    Conclusion: The current study demonstrated that bupivacaine administered by continuous epidural infusion provided a significantly lower pain scores with mobilization, and hence better analgesia for post cesarean section pain in the first postoperative day compared to continuous bupivacaine wound infusion through fenestrated catheter using the constant flow PainFusor system.

  4. 42 CFR 456.231 - Continued stay review required.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS UTILIZATION CONTROL Utilization Control: Mental Hospitals Ur Plan... a review of each recipient's continued stay in the mental hospital to decide whether it is needed...

  5. Continuity and consensus

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Abrahamson, Peter

    2010-01-01

    maternal leave. These changes can be explained as adjustments to post-industrial conditions within a political culture relying on class compromises and a broad consensus informed by expert advice coming from civil servants and ad hoc policy commissions. The paper concludes that changes in Danish family...... policy reflect changing conditions for employment and the minding of children and that there has been a high degree of continuity and consensus about the change, as indicated by the strong increase in female labour market involvement....

  6. Applications of a fast, continuous wavelet transform

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dress, W.B.

    1997-02-01

    A fast, continuous, wavelet transform, based on Shannon`s sampling theorem in frequency space, has been developed for use with continuous mother wavelets and sampled data sets. The method differs from the usual discrete-wavelet approach and the continuous-wavelet transform in that, here, the wavelet is sampled in the frequency domain. Since Shannon`s sampling theorem lets us view the Fourier transform of the data set as a continuous function in frequency space, the continuous nature of the functions is kept up to the point of sampling the scale-translation lattice, so the scale-translation grid used to represent the wavelet transform is independent of the time- domain sampling of the signal under analysis. Computational cost and nonorthogonality aside, the inherent flexibility and shift invariance of the frequency-space wavelets has advantages. The method has been applied to forensic audio reconstruction speaker recognition/identification, and the detection of micromotions of heavy vehicles associated with ballistocardiac impulses originating from occupants` heart beats. Audio reconstruction is aided by selection of desired regions in the 2-D representation of the magnitude of the transformed signal. The inverse transform is applied to ridges and selected regions to reconstruct areas of interest, unencumbered by noise interference lying outside these regions. To separate micromotions imparted to a mass-spring system (e.g., a vehicle) by an occupants beating heart from gross mechanical motions due to wind and traffic vibrations, a continuous frequency-space wavelet, modeled on the frequency content of a canonical ballistocardiogram, was used to analyze time series taken from geophone measurements of vehicle micromotions. By using a family of mother wavelets, such as a set of Gaussian derivatives of various orders, features such as the glottal closing rate and word and phrase segmentation may be extracted from voice data.

  7. Optimizing Two-Color Semiconductor Nanocrystal Immunoassays in Single Well Microtiter Plate Formats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. Russ Algar

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available The simultaneous detection of two analytes, chicken IgY (IgG and Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB, in the single well of a 96-well plate is demonstrated using luminescent semiconductor quantum dot nanocrystal (NC tracers. The NC-labeled antibodies were prepared via sulfhydryl-reactive chemistry using a facile protocol that took

  8. Continue service improvement at CERN computing centre

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez, M Barroso; Everaerts, L; Meinhard, H; Baehler, P; Haimyr, N; Guijarro, J M

    2014-01-01

    Using the framework of ITIL best practises, the service managers within CERN-IT have engaged into a continuous improvement process, mainly focusing on service operation. This implies an explicit effort to understand and improve all service management aspects in order to increase efficiency and effectiveness. We will present the requirements, how they were addressed and share our experiences. We will describe how we measure, report and use the data to continually improve both the processes and the services being provided. The focus is not the tool or the process, but the results of the continuous improvement effort from a large team of IT experts providing services to thousands of users, supported by the tool and its local team. This is not an initiative to address user concerns in the way the services are managed but rather an on-going working habit of continually reviewing, analysing and improving the service management processes and the services themselves, having in mind the currently agreed service levels and whose results also improve the experience of the users about the current services.

  9. Layerless fabrication with continuous liquid interface production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janusziewicz, Rima; Tumbleston, John R; Quintanilla, Adam L; Mecham, Sue J; DeSimone, Joseph M

    2016-10-18

    Despite the increasing popularity of 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), the technique has not developed beyond the realm of rapid prototyping. This confinement of the field can be attributed to the inherent flaws of layer-by-layer printing and, in particular, anisotropic mechanical properties that depend on print direction, visible by the staircasing surface finish effect. Continuous liquid interface production (CLIP) is an alternative approach to AM that capitalizes on the fundamental principle of oxygen-inhibited photopolymerization to generate a continual liquid interface of uncured resin between the growing part and the exposure window. This interface eliminates the necessity of an iterative layer-by-layer process, allowing for continuous production. Herein we report the advantages of continuous production, specifically the fabrication of layerless parts. These advantages enable the fabrication of large overhangs without the use of supports, reduction of the staircasing effect without compromising fabrication time, and isotropic mechanical properties. Combined, these advantages result in multiple indicators of layerless and monolithic fabrication using CLIP technology.

  10. CONTINUOUS ANALYZER UTILIZING BOILING POINT DETERMINATION

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pappas, W.S.

    1963-03-19

    A device is designed for continuously determining the boiling point of a mixture of liquids. The device comprises a distillation chamber for boiling a liquid; outlet conduit means for maintaining the liquid contents of said chamber at a constant level; a reflux condenser mounted above said distillation chamber; means for continuously introducing an incoming liquid sample into said reflux condenser and into intimate contact with vapors refluxing within said condenser; and means for measuring the temperature of the liquid flowing through said distillation chamber. (AEC)

  11. Converter of a continuous code into the Grey code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonchar, A.I.; TrUbnikov, V.R.

    1979-01-01

    Described is a converter of a continuous code into the Grey code used in a 12-charged precision amplitude-to-digital converter to decrease the digital component of spectrometer differential nonlinearity to +0.7% in the 98% range of the measured band. To construct the converter of a continuous code corresponding to the input signal amplitude into the Grey code used is the regularity in recycling of units and zeroes in each discharge of the Grey code in the case of a continuous change of the number of pulses of a continuous code. The converter is constructed on the elements of 155 series, the frequency of continuous code pulse passing at the converter input is 25 MHz

  12. PIPER Continuous Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimball, Mark O.; Shirron, Peter J.; Canavan, Edgar R.; James, Bryan L.; Sampson, Michael A.; Letmate, Richard V.

    2017-01-01

    We report upon the development and testing of a 4-stage adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) capable of continuous cooling at 0.100 Kelvin. This cooler is being built to cool the detector array aboard NASA's Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer (PIPER) observatory. The goal of this balloon mission is to measure the primordial gravitational waves that should exist if the theory of cosmological inflation is correct. At altitude, the ADR will hold the array of transition-edge sensors at 100 mK continuously while periodically rejecting heat to a 1.2 K pumped helium bath. During testing on ground, the array is held at the same temperature but heat is rejected to a 4.2 K helium bath indicating the flexibility in this coolers design.

  13. Analytic continuation in perturbative QCD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caprini, Irinel

    2002-01-01

    We discuss some attempts to improve standard perturbative expansion in QCD by using the analytic continuation in the momentum and the Borel complex planes. We first analyse the momentum-plane analyticity properties of the Borel-summed Green functions in perturbative QCD and the connection between the Landau singularities and the infrared renormalons. By using the analytic continuation in the Borel complex plane, we propose a new perturbative series replacing the standard expansion in powers of the normalized coupling constant a. The new expansion functions have branch point and essential singularities at the origin of the complex a-plane and divergent Taylor expansions in powers of a. On the other hand the modified expansion of the QCD correlators is convergent under rather conservative conditions. (author)

  14. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Scholze, Alexandra; Lamwers, Stephanie; Tepel, Martin

    2012-01-01

    Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is linked to increased cardiovascular risk. This risk can be reduced by nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) treatment. As OSA is associated with an increase of several vasoconstrictive factors, we investigated whether nCPAP influences the digital volume...... pulse wave. We performed digital photoplethysmography during sleep at night in 94 consecutive patients who underwent polysomnography and 29 patients treated with nCPAP. Digital volume pulse waves were obtained independently of an investigator and were quantified using an algorithm for continuous.......01; n = 94) and the arousal index (Spearman correlation, r = 0.21; p CPAP treatment, the AHI was significantly reduced from 27 ± 3 events · h(-1) to 4 ± 2 events · h(-1) (each n = 29; p

  15. Analysis of the Concept Continuing Education in Nursing Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agyepong, Edith Biamah; Okyere, Enoch Danso

    2018-01-01

    The term continuing education is extensively used throughout nursing education literature. This paper sought to re-examine the concept 'continuing education' for its meaning, relevance and appropriateness of application. The authors examined the definitions of continuing education from dictionaries, thesauruses, and current nursing education…

  16. Model checking conditional CSL for continuous-time Markov chains

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gao, Yang; Xu, Ming; Zhan, Naijun

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, we consider the model-checking problem of continuous-time Markov chains (CTMCs) with respect to conditional logic. To the end, we extend Continuous Stochastic Logic introduced in Aziz et al. (2000) [1] to Conditional Continuous Stochastic Logic (CCSL) by introducing a conditional...

  17. Learning science as a potential new source of understanding and improvement for continuing education and continuing professional development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Hoof, Thomas J; Doyle, Terrence J

    2018-01-15

    Learning science is an emerging interdisciplinary field that offers educators key insights about what happens in the brain when learning occurs. In addition to explanations about the learning process, which includes memory and involves different parts of the brain, learning science offers effective strategies to inform the planning and implementation of activities and programs in continuing education and continuing professional development. This article provides a brief description of learning, including the three key steps of encoding, consolidation and retrieval. The article also introduces four major learning-science strategies, known as distributed learning, retrieval practice, interleaving, and elaboration, which share the importance of considerable practice. Finally, the article describes how learning science aligns with the general findings from the most recent synthesis of systematic reviews about the effectiveness of continuing medical education.

  18. Aspect Of Reliability In Airport Business Continuity Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kozłowski Michał

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the issue of ensuring the continuity of the operation at the airport. Requirements and objectives relating to business continuity management have been defined in accordance with ISO 22301 international standard. Conducted a study of reliability issues operation of the airport. Defined the function of the reliability and operational readiness of the airport. Presented the concept of using function of operational readiness in the risk assessment for the continuity of the airport.

  19. Biosurfactant Production by Rhodococcus Erythropolis and its Application to Oil Removal

    OpenAIRE

    Pacheco, Graziela Jardim; Ciapina, Elisa Mara Prioli; Gomes, Edelvio de Barros; Junior, Nei Pereira

    2010-01-01

    The influence of different nutrients on biosurfactant production by Rhodococcus erythropolis was investigated. Increasing the concentration of phosphate buffer from 30 up through 150 mmol/L stimulated an increase in biosurfactant production, which reached a maximum concentration of 285 mg/L in shaken flasks. Statistical analysis showed that glycerol, NaNO3, MgSO4 and yeast extract had significant effects on production. The results were confirmed in a batchwise bioreactor, and semi-growth-asso...

  20. Enhancement of Radiation Therapy in Prostate Cancer by DNA-PKcs Inhibitor

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-09-01

    for targeted radiosensitization of prostate cancer cells. The FDA-approved biocompatible and biodegradable PLGA is a commonly used polymer in drug...cut-off (MWCO) dialysis bags (Spectrum laboratories, Rancho Dominguez, CA) and shaken at 37oC for 21 days. At pre-determined time points, 1 ml of... biodegradable photoluminescent polymer (BPLP)-coated iron oxide NPs were also significantly uptaken by PC3 in the presence of a 1.3T magnet. The R11

  1. Corporate governance : disclosure on directors’ remuneration in Malaysia – is it adequate?

    OpenAIRE

    Wong, Irene Ling Chiong

    2014-01-01

    Ever since numerous corporate failures that shaken the faith and confidence of the public, the introduction of good corporate governance mechanism has swept the world off their feet. A sound corporate governance mechanism not only encourages proper management of risk, but at the same time, promotes effective performance. A vital part of corporate governance, directors’ remuneration has gain considerable focus from the policy makers, academics, media and public over the years. The measurements...

  2. Cylindrical continuous martingales and stochastic integration in infinite dimensions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Veraar, M.C.; Yaroslavtsev, I.S.

    2016-01-01

    In this paper we define a new type of quadratic variation for cylindrical continuous local martingales on an infinite dimensional spaces. It is shown that a large class of cylindrical continuous local martingales has such a quadratic variation. For this new class of cylindrical continuous local

  3. Impact of Continued Biased Disenrollment from the Medic...

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Impact of Continued Biased Disenrollment from the Medicare Advantage Program to Fee-for-Service As reported in Impact of Continued Biased Disenrollment from the...

  4. The Implementation of Continuous Assessment in Writing Classes ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Implementation of Continuous Assessment in Writing Classes the of Jimma ... is the typical nature of summative tests was used to grade students' performance. ... Key words: Continuous assessment, Formative assessment, Summative ...

  5. Human Resource Management for Continuous Improvement

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Frances; Laugen, Bjørge Timenes; Boer, Harry

    2007-01-01

    This paper investigates the relationship between HRM practices and Continuous Improvement (CI) activities in order to gain an understanding of how the HRM function may be utilized to improve CI implementation success, and consequently, company performance. The paper begins with a brief review...... of the HRM and CI literature and then presents statistical analyses of data collected from the Continuous Improvement Network Survey (2003), which demonstrate that HRM has a significant effect on CI behaviour and company performance, with the strongest relationship between HRM, CI and performance occurring...

  6. 30 CFR 18.54 - High-voltage continuous mining machines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false High-voltage continuous mining machines. 18.54... and Design Requirements § 18.54 High-voltage continuous mining machines. (a) Separation of high... ground. (e) Onboard ungrounded, three-phase power circuit. A continuous mining machine designed with an...

  7. Liquid phase oxidation chemistry in continuous-flow microreactors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gemoets, Hannes P L; Su, Yuanhai; Shang, Minjing; Hessel, Volker; Luque, Rafael; Noël, Timothy

    2016-01-07

    Continuous-flow liquid phase oxidation chemistry in microreactors receives a lot of attention as the reactor provides enhanced heat and mass transfer characteristics, safe use of hazardous oxidants, high interfacial areas, and scale-up potential. In this review, an up-to-date overview of both technological and chemical aspects of liquid phase oxidation chemistry in continuous-flow microreactors is given. A description of mass and heat transfer phenomena is provided and fundamental principles are deduced which can be used to make a judicious choice for a suitable reactor. In addition, the safety aspects of continuous-flow technology are discussed. Next, oxidation chemistry in flow is discussed, including the use of oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, ozone and other oxidants in flow. Finally, the scale-up potential for continuous-flow reactors is described.

  8. Continuous oxygen therapy for hypoxic pulmonary disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ringbaek, Thomas J

    2005-01-01

    Continuous oxygen therapy (COT) has become widely accepted in the last 20 years in patients with continuous hypoxemia. This review focuses on guidelines for COT, adherence to these guidelines, and the effect of COT on survival, hospitalization, and quality of life. Guidelines for COT are mainly b...... based on three randomized studies where documentation of hypoxemia (P(a)O2...

  9. National Security Technology Incubation Project Continuation Plan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2008-09-30

    This document contains a project continuation plan for the National Security Technology Incubator (NSTI). The plan was developed as part of the National Security Preparedness Project (NSPP) funded by a Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) grant. This continuation plan describes the current status of NSTI (staffing and clients), long-term goals, strategies, and long-term financial solvency goals.The Arrowhead Center of New Mexico State University (NMSU) is the operator and manager of the NSTI. To realize the NSTI, Arrowhead Center must meet several performance objectives related to planning, development, execution, evaluation, and sustainability. This continuation plan is critical to the success of NSTI in its mission of incubating businesses with security technology products and services.

  10. Manipulating continuous variable photonic entanglement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Plenio, M.B.

    2005-01-01

    I will review our work on photonic entanglement in the continuous variable regime including both Gaussian and non-Gaussian states. The feasibility and efficiency of various entanglement purification protocols are discussed this context. (author)

  11. Continuation of superpave projects monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-01

    This study involved the continuous monitoring of material properties and field performance of twelve Superpave project sections in Florida for the establishment of reasonable and effective mixture design guidelines and criteria, the identification an...

  12. Stratigraphy -- The Fall of Continuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byers, Charles W.

    1982-01-01

    Reviews advances in stratigraphy as illustrated in the current geological literature, discussing discontinuity and how the recognition of discontinuity in the stratigraphic record is changing views of Superposition and Original Lateral Continuity. (Author/JN)

  13. Qubit Complexity of Continuous Problems

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Papageorgiou, A; Traub, J. F

    2005-01-01

    .... The authors show how to obtain the classical query complexity for continuous problems. They then establish a simple formula for a lower bound on the qubit complexity in terms of the classical query complexity...

  14. The strategic skills of business continuity managers: putting business continuity management into corporate long-term planning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Wei Ning Zechariah

    2009-11-01

    Despite its rapid development in the last two decades, business continuity management (BCM) as a discipline and a profession is still regarded by many as an operational entity of management. Two main issues are discussed in this paper: the role of BCM in strategic management and the strategic skills of business continuity managers. These issues are crucial as they represent the role of BCM in high-level corporate management. The paper discusses the importance of BCM in the long-term planning of organisational success and the preservation of future competitiveness. Finally, salient points that underpin the importance of its role in sustaining organisational performance are addressed.

  15. Continuous hydrino thermal power system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mills, Randell L.; Zhao, Guibing; Good, William [BlackLight Power, Inc., 493 Old Trenton Road, Cranbury, NJ 08512 (United States)

    2011-03-15

    The specifics of a continuous hydrino reaction system design are presented. Heat from the hydrino reactions within individual cells provide both reactor power and the heat for regeneration of the reactants. These processes occur continuously and the power from each cell is constant. The conversion of thermal power to electrical power requires the use of a heat engine exploiting a cycle such as a Rankine, Brayton, Stirling, or steam-engine cycle. Due to the temperatures, economy goal, and efficiency, the Rankine cycle is the most practical and can produce electricity at 30-40% efficiency with a component capital cost of about $300 per kW electric. Conservatively, assuming a conversion efficiency of 25% the total cost with the addition of the boiler and chemical components is estimated at $1064 per kW electric. (author)

  16. Continuous hydrino thermal power system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mills, Randell L.; Zhao, Guibing; Good, William

    2011-01-01

    The specifics of a continuous hydrino reaction system design are presented. Heat from the hydrino reactions within individual cells provide both reactor power and the heat for regeneration of the reactants. These processes occur continuously and the power from each cell is constant. The conversion of thermal power to electrical power requires the use of a heat engine exploiting a cycle such as a Rankine, Brayton, Stirling, or steam-engine cycle. Due to the temperatures, economy goal, and efficiency, the Rankine cycle is the most practical and can produce electricity at 30-40% efficiency with a component capital cost of about $300 per kW electric. Conservatively, assuming a conversion efficiency of 25% the total cost with the addition of the boiler and chemical components is estimated at $1064 per kW electric.

  17. Black holes by analytic continuation

    CERN Document Server

    Amati, Daniele

    1997-01-01

    In the context of a two-dimensional exactly solvable model, the dynamics of quantum black holes is obtained by analytically continuing the description of the regime where no black hole is formed. The resulting spectrum of outgoing radiation departs from the one predicted by the Hawking model in the region where the outgoing modes arise from the horizon with Planck-order frequencies. This occurs early in the evaporation process, and the resulting physical picture is unconventional. The theory predicts that black holes will only radiate out an energy of Planck mass order, stabilizing after a transitory period. The continuation from a regime without black hole formation --accessible in the 1+1 gravity theory considered-- is implicit in an S matrix approach and provides in this way a possible solution to the problem of information loss.

  18. Dynamics of continuous medium in space with torsion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krechet, V.G.

    1985-01-01

    In frames of Einstein-Cartan gravitation theory general properties of continuous media dynamics using description formalism of continuous medium steam-line congruence geometry are investigated. Raichaudhuri type equations in space with torsion applied to study the problem of singularities in gravitation theory are derived. It is shown that space-time torsion tensor trace may immediately affect volumetric autoparallel divergence and torsion pseudo trace - rotation of continuous medium steam-line congruences. Using formalism considered metrics of homogeneous rotation nonstationary cosmological model is determined and investigated

  19. A new generalization of contra-continuity via Levine's g-closed sets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caldas, Miguel; Jafari, Saeid; Noiri, Takashi; Simoes, Marilda

    2007-01-01

    In [Dontchev J. Contra-continuous functions and strongly S-closed spaces. Int J Math Math Sci 1996;19:303-10], Dontchev introduced and investigated a new notion of continuity called contra-continuity. Recently, Jafari and Noiri [Jafari S, Noiri T. Contra-α-continuous functions between topological spaces. Iran Int J Sci 2001;2:153-67, Jafari S, Noiri T. Contra-super-continuous functions. Ann Univ Sci Budapest 1999;42:27-34, Jafari S, Noiri T. On contra-precontinuous functions. Bull Malaysian Math Sci Soc 2002;25(2):115-28] introduced new generalizations of contra-continuity called contra-α-continuity, contra-super-continuity and contra-precontinuity. In this paper, we introduce and investigate a generalization of contra-continuity by utilizing Levine's generalized closed sets

  20. Effect of peracetic acid on biofilms formed by Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes isolated from dairy plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, S H I; Cappato, L P; Corassin, C H; Cruz, A G; Oliveira, C A F

    2016-03-01

    This research investigated the removal of adherent cells of 4 strains of Staphylococcus aureus and 1 Listeria monocytogenes strain (previously isolated from dairy plants) from polystyrene microtiter plates using peracetic acid (PAA, 0.5%) for 15, 30, 60, and 120 s, and the inactivation of biofilms formed by those strains on stainless steel coupons using the same treatment times. In the microtiter plates, PAA removed all S. aureus at 15 s compared with control (no PAA treatment). However, L. monocytogenes biofilm was not affected by any PAA treatment. On the stainless steel surface, epifluorescence microscopy using LIVE/DEAD staining (BacLight, Molecular Probes/Thermo Fisher Scientific, Eugene, OR) showed that all strains were damaged within 15 s, with almost 100% of cells inactivated after 30 s. Results of this trial indicate that, although PAA was able to inactivate both S. aureus and L. monocytogenes monospecies biofilms on stainless steel, it was only able to remove adherent cells of S. aureus from polystyrene microplates. The correct use of PAA is critical for eliminating biofilms formed by S. aureus strains found in dairy plants, although further studies are necessary to determine the optimal PAA treatment for removing biofilms of L. monocytogenes. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Biofilm Formation and Adherence Characteristics of Listeria ivanovii Strains Isolated from Ready-to-Eat Foods in Alice, South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirriam E. Nyenje

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The present study was carried out to investigate the potential of Listeria ivanovii isolates to exist as biofilm structures. The ability of Listeria ivanovii isolates to adhere to a surface was determined using a microtiter plate adherence assay whereas the role of cell surface properties in biofilm formation was assessed using the coaggregation and autoaggregation assays. Seven reference bacterial strains were used for the coaggregation assay. The degree of coaggregation and autoaggregation was determined. The architecture of the biofilms was examined under SEM. A total of 44 (88% strains adhered to the wells of the microtiter plate while 6 (12% did not adhere. The coaggregation index ranged from 12 to 77% while the autoaggregation index varied from 11 to 55%. The partner strains of S. aureus, S. pyogenes, P. shigelloides, and S. sonnei displayed coaggregation indices of 75% each, while S. Typhimurium, A. hydrophila, and P. aeruginosa registered coaggregation indices of 67%, 58%, and 50%, respectively. The ability of L. ivanovii isolates to form single and multispecies biofilms at 25°C is of great concern to the food industry where these organisms may adhere to kitchen utensils and other environments leading to cross-contamination of food processed in these areas.

  2. Effect of growth condition on biofilm formation by phenoldegrading bacteria isolated from polluted and nonpolluted sources

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arifah Khusnuryani

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Our previous research have isolated four phenol degrading bacteria. There are ATA6, DOK135, and DL120 which isolated from polluted source (hospital wastewater, also HP3 which isolated from non polluted source (peat soil. The purpose of this research is to analyze the effect of some environmental factors on the ability of four isolates to form biofilm. The environment factors were varied, such as growth medium, incubation temperature, and medium pH. Biofilm formation was measured using microtiter plate and crystal violet method, and the absorbance was read with microtiter auto reader at wavelenght 490 nm. The result showed that ATA6 was a strong biofilm former, DOK135 and HP3 were moderate biofilm former, and DL120 was a weak biofilm former. The results indicate that there is variation in the ability of selected isolates to form biofilm on various environmental factors. Generally, the isolates formed thicker biofilm in TSB medium which is a complex medium that provide more complete nutrient and formed biofilm optimally at 30oC. ATA6 formed biofilm optimally at pH 7 and HP3 at pH 9, while pH treatment did not affect on isolates DOK135 and DL120 to form biofilm.

  3. Improved specifications for continuous emission monitoring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dene, C.E.; Eggleston, T.E.; Gray, W.C. Jr.; Bisha, R.M.

    1988-01-01

    Continuous emission monitoring (CEM) in the electric utility industry historically has been plagued by poor performance and inconsistent system reliability. These problems have, in part, been caused by the complexity and diversity of the various systems available, and the dissimilarity of continuous emission monitors CEMs relative to conventional power plant instrumentation. Recognizing the problems faced by the utility industry in implementing CEM programs, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) initiated a multi-phase project to define the current state of technology for CEMs and to provide a comprehensive guide for the purchase and installation of a CEM system. The second phase of this project was the application of these guidelines to the actual purchase, installation, and operation of a CEM system for an electric utility generating station. Through this application of the guidelines it has been possible to determine further research needs and areas of the manual which require clarification or enhancement. This paper describes the development of the guidelines and modifications to the guidelines, and discusses EPRI's plans for future activities in the area of continuous emission monitoring

  4. Moving from batch towards continuous organic‐chemical pharmaceutical production

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cervera Padrell, Albert Emili

    process understanding. Developing a process within a more flexible design space based on sound engineering judgment potentially allows process optimization once the product has already been approved. Micro‐ and mini‐chemical systems have been envisaged as the optimal scale for pharmaceutical production...... are the highest benefits found? How can a continuous process be designed and implemented? Are continuous processes compatible with slow reactions? Do they allow problem free processing of solid particles? What is the cost needed to implement a continuous process? This PhD thesis tries to answer some of those...... questions through the development of a systematic framework that takes advantage of continuous processing technologies and process systems engineering for the efficient design of continuous pharmaceutical processes. The framework consists of a step‐by‐step procedure that guides the user from drug discovery...

  5. Generation and Testing of the ENDF/B-VI Continuous-Energy Cross-Section Library for Use with Continuous-Energy Versions of KENO

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goluoglu, Sedat; Dunn, Michael E.; Greene, Norman Maurice; Petrie Jr, Lester M.; Hollenbach, Daniel F.

    2007-01-01

    KENO V.a and KENO-VI are Monte Carlo codes that solve the multigroup form of the Boltzmann transport equation. These codes are part of the SCALE system of codes and are used for performing criticality calculations of systems with fissionable material. In general, continuous-energy Monte Carlo methods are preferred because such an approach avoids many of the assumptions inherent in the multigroup treatment. On the other hand, continuous-energy treatment is much more demanding in terms of computer storage space for data, memory requirements, and calculation speed. Continuous-energy versions of KENO V.a and KENO-VI have been created and are being extensively tested. Generation of ENDF/B-VI continuous-energy cross sections is explained, and the results of the validation and verification of the codes and the data are presented

  6. Future supply chains enabled by continuous processing--opportunities and challenges. May 20-21, 2014 Continuous Manufacturing Symposium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srai, Jagjit Singh; Badman, Clive; Krumme, Markus; Futran, Mauricio; Johnston, Craig

    2015-03-01

    This paper examines the opportunities and challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry in moving to a primarily "continuous processing"-based supply chain. The current predominantly "large batch" and centralized manufacturing system designed for the "blockbuster" drug has driven a slow-paced, inventory heavy operating model that is increasingly regarded as inflexible and unsustainable. Indeed, new markets and the rapidly evolving technology landscape will drive more product variety, shorter product life-cycles, and smaller drug volumes, which will exacerbate an already unsustainable economic model. Future supply chains will be required to enhance affordability and availability for patients and healthcare providers alike despite the increased product complexity. In this more challenging supply scenario, we examine the potential for a more pull driven, near real-time demand-based supply chain, utilizing continuous processing where appropriate as a key element of a more "flow-through" operating model. In this discussion paper on future supply chain models underpinned by developments in the continuous manufacture of pharmaceuticals, we have set out; The significant opportunities to moving to a supply chain flow-through operating model, with substantial opportunities in inventory reduction, lead-time to patient, and radically different product assurance/stability regimes. Scenarios for decentralized production models producing a greater variety of products with enhanced volume flexibility. Production, supply, and value chain footprints that are radically different from today's monolithic and centralized batch manufacturing operations. Clinical trial and drug product development cost savings that support more rapid scale-up and market entry models with early involvement of SC designers within New Product Development. The major supply chain and industrial transformational challenges that need to be addressed. The paper recognizes that although current batch operational

  7. Distributed public key schemes secure against continual leakage

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Akavia, Adi; Goldwasser, Shafi; Hazay, Carmit

    2012-01-01

    -secure against continual memory leakage. Our DPKE scheme also implies a secure storage system on leaky devices, where a value s can be secretely stored on devices that continually leak information about their internal state to an external attacker. The devices go through a periodic refresh protocol......In this work we study distributed public key schemes secure against continual memory leakage. The secret key will be shared among two computing devices communicating over a public channel, and the decryption operation will be computed by a simple 2-party protocol between the devices. Similarly...... against continual memory leakage, under the Bilinear Decisional Diffie-Hellman and $2$-linear assumptions. Our schemes have the following properties: 1. Our DPKE and DIBE schemes tolerate leakage at all times, including during refresh. During refresh the tolerated leakage is a (1/2-o (1),1)-fraction...

  8. A lattice hierarchy and its continuous limits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan Engui

    2008-01-01

    By introducing a discrete spectral problem, we derive a lattice hierarchy which is integrable in Liouville's sense and possesses a multi-Hamiltonian structure. It is show that the discrete spectral problem converges to the well-known AKNS spectral problem under a certain continuous limit. In particular, we construct a sequence of equations in the lattice hierarchy which approximates the AKNS hierarchy as a continuous limit

  9. A community continuity programme: volunteer faculty mentors and continuity learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGeehan, John; English, Richard; Shenberger, Keith; Tracy, Gerald; Smego, Raymond

    2013-02-01

    Longitudinal generalist preceptorship experiences early in medical education can have beneficial effects on how students practise the art and science of medicine, regardless of their eventual career choices. We evaluated the first 2 years of implementation of an integrated, regional campus-based, early clinical experience programme, the Community Continuity Program, at our new community-based medical school that is under the supervision of volunteer primary care faculty members acting as continuity mentors (CMs). Curricular components for years 1 and 2 consisted of three annual 1-week community-based experiences with CMs, extensive physical diagnosis practice, interprofessional learning activities, a multigenerational family care experience, a mandatory Community Health Research Project (CHRP) in year 1 and a mandatory Quality Improvement Project in year 2. Outcome measures included student, faculty member and programme evaluations, student reflective narratives in portal-based e-journals, a Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) self-study student survey and serial level-of-empathy surveys.   Students found all elements of this integrated community experience programme beneficial and worthwhile, especially the CMs and the use of standardised and real-life patients. CMs noted effective and professional student-patient interactions. The number of reflective e-journal postings per student during year1 ranged from 14 to 81 (mean, 47). Serial empathy questionnaires administered over 2 years demonstrated preservation of student empathy, and students believed that the programme had a positive effect on their personal level of empathy.   An integrative, longitudinal, community-based, early clinical experience programme driven by volunteer CMs provides patient-centered instruction for preclinical students in the clinical, social, behavioural, ethical and research foundations of medicine. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2013.

  10. Putting Continuous Metaheuristics to Work in Binary Search Spaces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Broderick Crawford

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In the real world, there are a number of optimization problems whose search space is restricted to take binary values; however, there are many continuous metaheuristics with good results in continuous search spaces. These algorithms must be adapted to solve binary problems. This paper surveys articles focused on the binarization of metaheuristics designed for continuous optimization.

  11. Continuous precipitation process of plutonium salts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richard, P.

    1967-03-01

    This work concerns the continuous precipitation process of plutonium oxalate. Investigations about the solubility of different valence states in nitric-oxalic and in nitric-sulfuric-oxalic medium lead to select the precipitation process of tetravalent plutonium oxalate. Settling velocity and granulometry of tetravalent oxalate plutonium have been studied with variation of several precipitation parameters such as: temperature, acidity, excess of oxalic acid and aging time. Then are given test results of some laboratory continuous apparatus. Conditions of operation with adopted tubular apparatus are defined in conclusion. A flow-sheet is given for a process at industrial scale. (author) [fr

  12. Continuous flow nitration in miniaturized devices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amol A. Kulkarni

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available This review highlights the state of the art in the field of continuous flow nitration with miniaturized devices. Although nitration has been one of the oldest and most important unit reactions, the advent of miniaturized devices has paved the way for new opportunities to reconsider the conventional approach for exothermic and selectivity sensitive nitration reactions. Four different approaches to flow nitration with microreactors are presented herein and discussed in view of their advantages, limitations and applicability of the information towards scale-up. Selected recent patents that disclose scale-up methodologies for continuous flow nitration are also briefly reviewed.

  13. 'Sure, I Would Like to Continue'

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schoenau-Fog, Henrik; Bjørner, Thomas

    2012-01-01

    In order to explore one aspect of the engaging nature of computer games, this study will propose a method that aims at classifying the experience of engagement in video games. Inspired by a literature review, we will focus on the fundamental causes of engagement that motivate a player so much...... that he or she wants to continue playing. By organizing this willingness to continue playing into six broad types of causes of engagement—intellectual, physical, sensory, social, narrative, and emotional—we describe a typology of player engagement and a method that is intended to map players’ experience...

  14. Pseudo-Hermitian continuous-time quantum walks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Salimi, S; Sorouri, A, E-mail: shsalimi@uok.ac.i, E-mail: a.sorouri@uok.ac.i [Department of Physics, University of Kurdistan, PO Box 66177-15175, Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2010-07-09

    In this paper we present a model exhibiting a new type of continuous-time quantum walk (as a quantum-mechanical transport process) on networks, which is described by a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian possessing a real spectrum. We call it pseudo-Hermitian continuous-time quantum walk. We introduce a method to obtain the probability distribution of walk on any vertex and then study a specific system. We observe that the probability distribution on certain vertices increases compared to that of the Hermitian case. This formalism makes the transport process faster and can be useful for search algorithms.

  15. Correlated-Spaces Regression for Learning Continuous Emotion Dimensions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nicolaou, M.; Zafeiriou, S.; Pantic, Maja

    2013-01-01

    Adopting continuous dimensional annotations for affective analysis has been gaining rising attention by researchers over the past years. Due to the idiosyncratic nature of this problem, many subproblems have been identified, spanning from the fusion of multiple continuous annotations to exploiting

  16. Continuous Delivery Practices in a Large Financial Organization

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vassalo, Carmine; Zampetti, Fiorelli; Romano, D.; Beller, M.M.; Panichella, A.; Di Penta, M; Zaidman, A.E.

    2016-01-01

    Continuous Delivery is an agile software develop- ment practice in which developers frequently integrate changes into the main development line and produce releases of their software. An automated Continuous Integration infrastructure builds and tests these changes. Claimed advantages of CD include

  17. Continuous variable entanglement distillation of non-Gaussian states

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lassen, Mikael Østergaard; Dong, Ruifang; Heersink, Joel

    2009-01-01

    We experimentally demonstrate distillation of continuous variable entangled light that has undergone non-Gaussian attenuation loss. The continuous variable entanglement is generated with optical fibers and sent through a lossy channel, where the transmission is varying in time. By employing simple...

  18. Continuous Improvement and Collaborative Improvement: Similarities and Differences

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Middel, H.G.A.; Boer, Harm; Fisscher, O.A.M.

    2006-01-01

    A substantial body of theoretical and practical knowledge has been developed on continuous improvement. However, there is still a considerable lack of empirically grounded contributions and theories on collaborative improvement, that is, continuous improvement in an inter-organizational setting. The

  19. Mapping of uncertainty relations between continuous and discrete time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiuchiù, Davide; Pigolotti, Simone

    2018-03-01

    Lower bounds on fluctuations of thermodynamic currents depend on the nature of time, discrete or continuous. To understand the physical reason, we compare current fluctuations in discrete-time Markov chains and continuous-time master equations. We prove that current fluctuations in the master equations are always more likely, due to random timings of transitions. This comparison leads to a mapping of the moments of a current between discrete and continuous time. We exploit this mapping to obtain uncertainty bounds. Our results reduce the quests for uncertainty bounds in discrete and continuous time to a single problem.

  20. Charge Management in LISA Pathfinder: The Continuous Discharging Experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ewing, Becca Elizabeth

    2018-01-01

    Test mass charging is a significant source of excess force and force noise in LISA Pathfinder (LPF). The planned design scheme for mitigation of charge induced force noise in LISA is a continuous discharge by UV light illumination. We report on analysis of a charge management experiment on-board LPF conducted during December 2016. We discuss the measurement of test mass charging noise with and without continuous UV illumination, in addition to the dynamic response in the continuous discharge scheme. Results of the continuous discharge system will be discussed for their application to operating LISA with lower test mass charge.

  1. Large scale chromatographic separations using continuous displacement chromatography (CDC)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taniguchi, V.T.; Doty, A.W.; Byers, C.H.

    1988-01-01

    A process for large scale chromatographic separations using a continuous chromatography technique is described. The process combines the advantages of large scale batch fixed column displacement chromatography with conventional analytical or elution continuous annular chromatography (CAC) to enable large scale displacement chromatography to be performed on a continuous basis (CDC). Such large scale, continuous displacement chromatography separations have not been reported in the literature. The process is demonstrated with the ion exchange separation of a binary lanthanide (Nd/Pr) mixture. The process is, however, applicable to any displacement chromatography separation that can be performed using conventional batch, fixed column chromatography

  2. Achieving continuous manufacturing: technologies and approaches for synthesis, workup, and isolation of drug substance. May 20-21, 2014 Continuous Manufacturing Symposium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baxendale, Ian R; Braatz, Richard D; Hodnett, Benjamin K; Jensen, Klavs F; Johnson, Martin D; Sharratt, Paul; Sherlock, Jon-Paul; Florence, Alastair J

    2015-03-01

    This whitepaper highlights current challenges and opportunities associated with continuous synthesis, workup, and crystallization of active pharmaceutical ingredients (drug substances). We describe the technologies and requirements at each stage and emphasize the different considerations for developing continuous processes compared with batch. In addition to the specific sequence of operations required to deliver the necessary chemical and physical transformations for continuous drug substance manufacture, consideration is also given to how adoption of continuous technologies may impact different manufacturing stages in development from discovery, process development, through scale-up and into full scale production. The impact of continuous manufacture on drug substance quality and the associated challenges for control and for process safety are also emphasized. In addition to the technology and operational considerations necessary for the adoption of continuous manufacturing (CM), this whitepaper also addresses the cultural, as well as skills and training, challenges that will need to be met by support from organizations in order to accommodate the new work flows. Specific action items for industry leaders are: Develop flow chemistry toolboxes, exploiting the advantages of flow processing and including highly selective chemistries that allow use of simple and effective continuous workup technologies. Availability of modular or plug and play type equipment especially for workup to assist in straightforward deployment in the laboratory. As with learning from other industries, standardization is highly desirable and will require cooperation across industry and academia to develop and implement. Implement and exploit process analytical technologies (PAT) for real-time dynamic control of continuous processes. Develop modeling and simulation techniques to support continuous process development and control. Progress is required in multiphase systems such as

  3. Continuous lactation in dairy cows

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Torben Gosvig; Nielsen, Mette Benedicte Olaf; Andersen, Jens Bech

    2008-01-01

    Reports over the past decade have indicated that normal lactational performance can be achieved in genetically superior and high-producing dairy cows, even when the dry period between 2 lactations is omitted. The hypothesis tested in this experiment was that normal lactogenesis I and metabolic...... function may be achievable in continuously milked high-yielding dairy cows as a result of the genetic selection for lactation performance and hence longevity of mammary epithelial cells. The milk production and mammary nutrient uptake in response to omission of the dry period for cows with an expected peak...... milk yield higher than 45 kg/d were studied in 28 Holstein dairy cows managed without bovine somatotropin. Performance and metabolic parameters were followed in late gestation and in the following early lactation. Fourteen cows were milked continuously throughout late gestation, and another 14 dairy...

  4. Industrial variographic analysis for continuous sampling system validation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Engström, Karin; Esbensen, Kim Harry

    2017-01-01

    Karin Engström, LKAB mining, Kiruna, Sweden, continues to present illuminative cases from process industry. Here she reveals more from her ongoing PhD project showing application of variographic characterisation for on-line continuous control of process sampling systems, including the one...

  5. Adherence of coagulase-negative staphylococci to plastic tissue culture plates: a quantitative model for the adherence of staphylococci to medical devices.

    OpenAIRE

    Christensen, G D; Simpson, W A; Younger, J J; Baddour, L M; Barrett, F F; Melton, D M; Beachey, E H

    1985-01-01

    The adherence of coagulase-negative staphylococci to smooth surfaces was assayed by measuring the optical densities of stained bacterial films adherent to the floors of plastic tissue culture plates. The optical densities correlated with the weight of the adherent bacterial film (r = 0.906; P less than 0.01). The measurements also agreed with visual assessments of bacterial adherence to culture tubes, microtiter plates, and tissue culture plates. Selected clinical strains were passed through ...

  6. 5-AED Enhances Survival of Irradiated Mice in a G-CSF-Dependent Manner, Stimulates Innate Immune Cell Function, Reduces Radiation-Induced DNA Damage and Induces Genes that Modulate Cell Cycle Progression and Apoptosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-22

    modulate cell cycle progression and apoptosis. INTRODUCTION Because of the increasing threat posed by nuclear weapons [1], there is a pressing need for both...Detection System ( Bio -Rad Laboratories, Hercules CA) on 96-well microtiter plates with optical caps. Reactions were performed in a total volume of 50 µL... antigen -induced arthritis by dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Inflamm Res 2004;53:189–98. 56. Auci D, Nicoletti F, Mangano K et al. Anti-inflammatory and

  7. Continuous Flattening of a Regular Tetrahedron with Explicit Mappings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin-ichi Itoh

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available We proved in [10] that each Platonic polyhedron P can be folded into a flat multilayered face of P by a continuous folding process of polyhedra. In this paper, we give explicit formulas of continuous functions for such a continuous flattening process in R³ for a regular tetrahedron.The article is published in the author’s wording.

  8. Continuous Intravenous Milrinone Therapy in Pediatric Outpatients

    OpenAIRE

    Curley, Michelle; Liebers, Jill; Maynard, Roy

    2017-01-01

    Milrinone is a phosphodiesterase 3 inhibitor with both positive inotropic and vasodilator properties. Administered as a continuous infusion, milrinone is indicated for the short-term treatment of patients with acute decompensated heart failure. Despite limited data supporting long-term milrinone therapy in adults with congestive heart failure, children managed as outpatients may benefit from continuous milrinone as a treatment for cardiac dysfunction, as a destination therapy for cardiac tran...

  9. Semi-continuous detection of mercury in gases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granite, Evan J [Wexford, PA; Pennline, Henry W [Bethel Park, PA

    2011-12-06

    A new method for the semi-continuous detection of heavy metals and metalloids including mercury in gaseous streams. The method entails mass measurement of heavy metal oxides and metalloid oxides with a surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor having an uncoated substrate. An array of surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors can be used where each sensor is for the semi-continuous emission monitoring of a particular heavy metal or metalloid.

  10. Integrated, Continuous Emulsion Creamer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cochrane, Wesley G; Hackler, Amber L; Cavett, Valerie J; Price, Alexander K; Paegel, Brian M

    2017-12-19

    Automated and reproducible sample handling is a key requirement for high-throughput compound screening and currently demands heavy reliance on expensive robotics in screening centers. Integrated droplet microfluidic screening processors are poised to replace robotic automation by miniaturizing biochemical reactions to the droplet scale. These processors must generate, incubate, and sort droplets for continuous droplet screening, passively handling millions of droplets with complete uniformity, especially during the key step of sample incubation. Here, we disclose an integrated microfluidic emulsion creamer that packs ("creams") assay droplets by draining away excess oil through microfabricated drain channels. The drained oil coflows with creamed emulsion and then reintroduces the oil to disperse the droplets at the circuit terminus for analysis. Creamed emulsion assay incubation time dispersion was 1.7%, 3-fold less than other reported incubators. The integrated, continuous emulsion creamer (ICEcreamer) was used to miniaturize and optimize measurements of various enzymatic activities (phosphodiesterase, kinase, bacterial translation) under multiple- and single-turnover conditions. Combining the ICEcreamer with current integrated microfluidic DNA-encoded library bead processors eliminates potentially cumbersome instrumentation engineering challenges and is compatible with assays of diverse target class activities commonly investigated in drug discovery.

  11. Continuously adjustable Pulfrich spectacles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobs, Ken; Karpf, Ron

    2011-03-01

    A number of Pulfrich 3-D movies and TV shows have been produced, but the standard implementation has inherent drawbacks. The movie and TV industries have correctly concluded that the standard Pulfrich 3-D implementation is not a useful 3-D technique. Continuously Adjustable Pulfrich Spectacles (CAPS) is a new implementation of the Pulfrich effect that allows any scene containing movement in a standard 2-D movie, which are most scenes, to be optionally viewed in 3-D using inexpensive viewing specs. Recent scientific results in the fields of human perception, optoelectronics, video compression and video format conversion are translated into a new implementation of Pulfrich 3- D. CAPS uses these results to continuously adjust to the movie so that the viewing spectacles always conform to the optical density that optimizes the Pulfrich stereoscopic illusion. CAPS instantly provides 3-D immersion to any moving scene in any 2-D movie. Without the glasses, the movie will appear as a normal 2-D image. CAPS work on any viewing device, and with any distribution medium. CAPS is appropriate for viewing Internet streamed movies in 3-D.

  12. Evidence of structurally continuous collagen fibrils in tendon

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svensson, Rene B; Herchenhan, Andreas; Starborg, Tobias

    2017-01-01

    favor continuity. This study initially set out to trace the full length of individual fibrils in adult human tendons, using serial block face-scanning electron microscopy. But even with this advanced technique the required length could not be covered. Instead a statistical approach was used on a large...... volume of fibrils in shorter image stacks. Only a single end was observed after tracking 67.5 mm of combined fibril lengths, in support of fibril continuity. To shed more light on this observation, the full length of a short tendon (mouse stapedius, 125 μm) was investigated and continuity of individual...... fibrils was confirmed. In light of these results, possible mechanisms that could reconcile the opposing findings on fibril continuity are discussed. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Connective tissues hold all parts of the body together and are mostly constructed from thin threads of the protein collagen...

  13. Orodispersible films: Product transfer from lab-scale to continuous manufacturing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thabet, Yasmin; Breitkreutz, Joerg

    2018-01-15

    Orodispersible films have been described as new beneficial dosage forms for special patient populations. Due to various production settings, different requirements on film formulations are required for non- continuous and continuous manufacturing. In this study, a continuous coating machine was qualified in regards of the process conditions for film compositions and their effects on the formed films. To investigate differences between both manufacturing processes, various film formulations of hydrochlorothiazide and hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) or hydroxypropylmethycellulose (HPMC) as film formers were produced and the resulting films were characterized. The qualification of the continuously operating coating machine reveals no uniform heat distribution during drying. Coating solutions for continuous manufacturing should provide at least a dynamic viscosity of 1 Pa*s (wet film thickness of 500 μm, velocity of 15.9 cm/min). HPC films contain higher residuals of ethanol or acetone in bench-scale than in continuous production mode. Continuous production lead to lower drug content of the films. All continuously produced films disintegrate within less than 30 s. There are observed significant effects of the production process on the film characteristics. When transferring film manufacturing from lab-scale to continuous mode, film compositions, processing conditions and suitable characterization methods have to be carefully selected and adopted. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Lapse in Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Continuing Reviews.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Min-Fu Tsan

    Full Text Available The United States federal animal welfare regulations and the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals require that institutional animal care and use committees (IACUCs conduct continuing reviews of all animal research activities. However, little is known about the lapse rate of IACUC continuing reviews, and how frequently investigators continue research activities during the lapse. It is also not clear what factors may contribute to an institution's lapse in IACUC continuing reviews. As part of the quality assurance program, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA has collected performance metric data for animal care and use programs since 2011. We analyzed IACUC continuing review performance data at 74-75 VA research facilities from 2011 through 2015. The IACUC continuing review lapse rates improved from 5.6% in 2011 to 2.7% in 2015. The rate of investigators continuing research activities during the lapse also decreased from 47.2% in 2012 to 7.4% in 2015. The type of IACUCs used and the size of animal research programs appeared to have no effect in facility's rates of lapse in IACUC continuing reviews. While approximately 80% of facilities reported no lapse in IACUC continuing reviews, approximately 14% of facilities had lapse rates of >10% each year. Some facilities appeared to be repeat offenders. Four facilities had IACUC lapse rates of >10% in at least 3 out of 5 years, suggesting a system problem in these facilities requiring remedial actions to improve their IACUC continuing review processes.

  15. Continuous Delivery and Quality Monitoring

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2016-01-01

    After introducing Continuous Delivery, I will switch the topic and try to answer the question how much should we invest in quality and how to do it efficiently. My observations reveal that software quality is often considered as the slo...

  16. Rapid Continuous Multimaterial Extrusion Bioprinting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liu, Wanjun; Zhang, Yu Shrike; Heinrich, Marcel A.; De Ferrari, F; Jang, HL; Bakht, SM; Alvarez, MM; Yang, J; Li, YC; Trujillo-de Stantiago, G; Miri, AK; Zhu, K; Khoshakhlagh, P; Prakash, G; Cheng, H; Guan, X; Zhong, Z; Ju, J; Zhu, GH; Jin, X; Ryon Shin, Su; Dokmeci, M.R.; Khademhosseini, Ali

    The development of a multimaterial extrusion bioprinting platform is reported. This platform is capable of depositing multiple coded bioinks in a continuous manner with fast and smooth switching among different reservoirs for rapid fabrication of complex constructs, through digitally controlled

  17. Administrative Computing in Continuing Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broxton, Harry

    1982-01-01

    Describes computer applications in the Division of Continuing Education at Brigham Young University. These include instructional applications (computer assisted instruction, computer science education, and student problem solving) and administrative applications (registration, payment records, grades, reports, test scoring, mailing, and others).…

  18. Exact solutions of continuous states for Hartmann potential

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Changyuan; Lu Falin; Sun Dongsheng

    2004-01-01

    In this Letter, we obtain the exact solutions of continuous states for the Hartmann potential. The normalized wave functions of continuous states on the 'k/2π scale' and the calculation formula of phase shifts are presented. Analytical properties of the scattering amplitude are discussed

  19. Continuing education modules and the scholarship of engagement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Jim

    2010-01-01

    Economic and political trends underscore the importance of engaged scholarship as evidence that colleges and universities are serving their constituencies. Set in a background of debate about pure versus applied social science this article describes a planned approach to continuing gerontological education grounded firmly in the principles of the scholarship of engagement. The description includes efforts to ascertain through a two-phase state-wide survey continuing education needs and preferred venue in a segment of the North Carolina aging services workforce. Subsequent surveys were used to define and prioritize modular continuing education topics suitable for web-based delivery.

  20. Continuous glucose monitoring in acute coronary syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Quintanilla, Karina Alejandra; Lavalle-González, Fernando Javier; Mancillas-Adame, Leonardo Guadalupe; Zapata-Garrido, Alfonso Javier; Villarreal-Pérez, Jesús Zacarías; Tamez-Pérez, Héctor Eloy

    2013-01-01

    Diabetes mellitus is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. To compare the efficacy of devices for continuous glucose monitoring and capillary glucose monitoring in hospitalized patients with acute coronary syndrome using the following parameters: time to achieve normoglycemia, period of time in normoglycemia, and episodes of hypoglycemia. We performed a pilot, non-randomized, unblinded clinical trial that included 16 patients with acute coronary artery syndrome, a capillary or venous blood glucose ≥ 140 mg/dl, and treatment with a continuous infusion of fast acting human insulin. These patients were randomized into 2 groups: a conventional group, in which capillary measurement and recording as well as insulin adjustment were made every 4h, and an intervention group, in which measurement and recording as well as insulin adjustment were made every hour with a subcutaneous continuous monitoring system. Student's t-test was applied for mean differences and the X(2) test for qualitative variables. We observed a statistically significant difference in the mean time for achieving normoglycemia, favoring the conventional group with a P = 0.02. Continuous monitoring systems are as useful as capillary monitoring for achieving normoglycemia. Copyright © 2012 Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez. Published by Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.