The role of clinical toxicologists and poison control centers in public health.

Science.gov (United States)

Sutter, Mark E; Bronstein, Alvin C; Heard, Stuart E; Barthold, Claudia L; Lando, James; Lewis, Lauren S; Schier, Joshua G

2010-06-01

Poison control centers and clinical toxicologists serve many roles within public health; however, the degree to which these entities collaborate is unknown. The objective of this survey was to identify successful collaborations of public health agencies with clinical toxicologists and poison control centers. Four areas including outbreak identification, syndromic surveillance, terrorism preparedness, and daily public health responsibilities amenable to poison control center resources were assessed. An online survey was sent to the directors of poison control centers, state epidemiologists, and the most senior public health official in each state and selected major metropolitan areas. This survey focused on three areas: service, structure within the local or state public health system, and remuneration. Questions regarding remuneration and poison control center location within the public health structure were asked to assess if these were critical factors of successful collaborations. Senior state and local public health officials were excluded because of a low response rate. The survey was completed in October 2007. A total of 111 respondents, 61 poison control centers and 50 state epidemiologists, were eligible for the survey. Sixty-nine (62%) of the 111 respondents, completed and returned the survey. Thirty-three (54%) of the 61 poison control centers responded, and 36 of the 50 state epidemiologists (72%) responded. The most frequent collaborations were terrorism preparedness and epidemic illness reporting. Additional collaborations also exist. Important collaborations exist outside of remuneration or poison control centers being a formal part of the public health structure. Poison control centers have expanded their efforts to include outbreak identification, syndromic surveillance, terrorism preparedness, and daily public health responsibilities amenable to poison control center resources. Collaboration in these areas and others should be expanded. Published

The Effectiveness of Yoga on Spiritual Intelligence in Air Traffic Controllers of Tehran Flight Control Center

Science.gov (United States)

Safara, Maryam; Ghasemi, Pejman

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of yoga on spiritual intelligence in air traffic controllers in Tehran flight control center. This was a quasi-experimental research and the study population includes all air traffic controllers in Tehran flight control center. The sample consisted of 40 people of the study population that were…

The ORNL Controlled Fusion Atomic Data Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schultz, D.R.; Krstic, P.S.; Ownby, F.M.; Meyer, F.W.; Havener, C.C.; Bannister, M.E.; Liu, W.; Jeffery, D.J.; Stancil, P.C.

1997-01-01

The principal mission of the Controlled Fusion Atomic Data Center is the collection evaluation, and dissemination of atomic collision data relevant to fusion energy development. With the advent of the widespread use of the World Wide Web, the data center's resources are being placed on-line to facilitate their use by end-users (cf. http://www-cfadc.phy.ornl.gov/). As this development continues, initially disparate, individually compiled resources will be transformed into integrated tools for retrieving recommended data, or displaying and manipulating the information available. The data center's present capabilities, recent data production/evaluation efforts, and goals for future development are highlighted here

Learning System Center App Controller

CERN Document Server

Naeem, Nasir

2015-01-01

This book is intended for IT professionals working with Hyper-V, Azure cloud, VMM, and private cloud technologies who are looking for a quick way to get up and running with System Center 2012 R2 App Controller. To get the most out of this book, you should be familiar with Microsoft Hyper-V technology. Knowledge of Virtual Machine Manager is helpful but not mandatory.

FFTF Work Control Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Talbot, M.D.

1986-01-01

A centralized Work Control Center (WCC) is responsible for assuring that maintenance and modification of the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) is performed in accordance with written procedures that ensure design integrity, personnel and public safety, and equipment and system availability for the computerized Master Information Data Acquisition System (MIDAS). Each maintenance task is logged into MIDAS from a Work Request from that has been reviewed and prioritized by the WCC. Thereafter, MIDAS is used to track schedule, manpower and material requirements; authorize field work; and close out the maintenance activity

Xingo`s control center; Centro de controle de Xingo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Parente, Benedito; Souza, Antonio; Ferraz, Adelson; Florentino, Luiz; Costa, Carlos [Companhia Hidroeletrica do Sao Francisco (CHESF), Recife, PE (Brazil)

1995-12-31

This work describes the development activities of the Xingo`s Control Center, since its production until its commissioning. It emphasizes the applicative programs developed by the CHESF`s, an electric power utility of Brazil (Northeast and Southeast of Brazil, team together with the furnisher`s team. The results of factory and field tests are commented 7 refs.

75 FR 30409 - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-01

... applications received in response to ``Workplace Health Research Network (WHRN)--Coordinating Center, SIP 10-031 and WHRN--Collaborating Centers, SIP 10-032, initial review.'' Contact Person for More Information..., Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): Workplace Health Research...

A minimum attention control center for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meijer, C.H.

1986-01-01

Control Centers for Nuclear Power Plants have characteristically been designed for maximum attention by the operating staffs of these plants. Consequently, the monitoring, control and diagnostics oriented cognitive activities by these staffs, were mostly ''data-driven'' in nature. This paper addresses a control center concept, under development by Combustion Engineering, that promotes a more ''information-driven'' cognitive interaction process between the operator and the plant. The more ''intelligent'' and therefore less attentive nature of such interactive process utilizes computer implemented cognitive engineered algorithms. The underlying structure of these algorithms is based upon the Critical Function/Success Path monitoring principle. The paper highlights a typical implementation of the minimum attention concept for the handling of unfamiliar safety related events. (author)

Glycemic control, compliance, and satisfaction for diabetic gravidas in centering group care.

Science.gov (United States)

Parikh, Laura I; Jelin, Angie C; Iqbal, Sara N; Belna, Sarah L; Fries, Melissa H; Patel, Misbah; Desale, Sameer; Ramsey, Patrick S

2017-05-01

To determine if diabetic gravidas enrolled in Centering® group care have improved glycemic control compared to those attending standard prenatal care. To compare compliance and patient satisfaction between the groups. We conducted a prospective cohort study of diabetics enrolled in centering group care from October 2013 to December 2015. Glycemic control, compliance and patient satisfaction (five-point Likert scale) were evaluated. Student's t-test, Chi-Square and mixed effects model were used to compare outcomes. We compared 20 patients in centering to 28 standard prenatal care controls. Mean fasting blood sugar was lower with centering group care (91.0 versus 105.5 mg/dL, p =0.017). There was no difference in change in fasting blood sugar over time between the two groups (p = 0.458). The percentage of time patients brought their blood glucose logs did not differ between the centering group and standard prenatal care (70.7 versus 73.9%, p = 0.973). Women in centering group care had better patient satisfaction scores for "ability to be seen by a physician" (5 versus 4, p = 0.041) and "time in waiting room" (5 versus 4, p =0.001). Fasting blood sugar was lower for patients in centering group care. Change in blood sugar over time did not differ between groups. Diabetic gravidas enrolled in centering group care report improved patient satisfaction.

77 FR 72868 - The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)/Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-06

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)/Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Advisory Committee on HIV, Viral... announcements of meetings and other committee management activities, for both the Centers for Disease Control...

MOD control center automated information systems security evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Owen, Rich

1991-01-01

The role of the technology infusion process in future Control Center Automated Information Systems (AIS) is highlighted. The following subject areas are presented in the form of the viewgraphs: goals, background, threat, MOD's AISS program, TQM, SDLC integration, payback, future challenges, and bottom line.

Systems engineering and integration of control centers in support of multiple programs. [ground control for STS payloads and unmanned vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, David N.

1989-01-01

The NASA Johnson Space Center's new Multiprogram Control Center (MPCC) addresses the control requirements of complex STS payloads as well as unmanned vehicles. An account is given of the relationship of the MPCC to the STS Mission Control Center, with a view to significant difficulties that may be encountered and solutions thus far devised for generic problems. Examples of MPCC workstation applications encompass telemetry decommutation, engineering unit conversion, data-base management, trajectory processing, and flight design.

75 FR 78997 - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Health Resources and Services Administration (CDC/HRSA...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Health Resources and Services Administration (CDC/HRSA) Advisory Committee... and other committee management activities, for both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and...

Complete Quantum Control of a Single Silicon-Vacancy Center in a Diamond Nanopillar

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jingyuan Linda; Lagoudakis, Konstantinos G.; Tzeng, Yan-Kai; Dory, Constantin; Radulaski, Marina; Kelaita, Yousif; Shen, Zhi-Xun; Melosh, Nicholas A.; Chu, Steven; Vuckovic, Jelena

Coherent quantum control of a quantum bit (qubit) is an important step towards its use in a quantum network. SiV- center in diamond offers excellent physical qualities such as low inhomogeneous broadening, fast photon emission, and a large Debye-Waller factor, while the fast spin manipulation and techniques to extend the spin coherence time are under active investigation. Here, we demonstrate full coherent control over the state of a single SiV- center in a diamond nanopillar using ultrafast optical pulses. The high quality of the chemical vapor deposition grown SiV- centers allows us to coherently manipulate and quasi-resonantly read out the state of the single SiV- center. Moreover, the SiV- centers being coherently controlled are integrated into diamond nanopillar arrays in a site-controlled, individually addressable manner with high yield, low strain, and high spectral stability, which paves the way for scalable on chip optically accessible quantum system in a quantum photonic network. Financial support is provided by the DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences through Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences (SIMES) under contract DE-AC02-76SF00515.

The Air Force Center for Optimal Design and Control

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Burns, John

1997-01-01

This report contains a summary and highlights of the research funded by the Air Force under AFOSR URI Grant F49620-93-1-0280, titled 'Center for Optimal Design and Control of Distributed Parameter Systems' (CODAC...

CAMMESA control center controllers qualification; Habilitacion de operadores del centro de control de CAMMESA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaller, Daniel J [CAMMESA, Compania Administradora del Mercado Mayorista Electrico S.A., Buenos Aires (Argentina)

2001-07-01

The safety and quality of the Interconnection Argentine System (IAS) operation, basically depend on the personnel performance in the CAMMESA Operation Control Center (COC), which is the IAS maximum operative hierarchy, and whose mission is to coordinate the IAS and the dispatch of the AWEM (Argentine Wholesale Electric Market) in real time. With the goal of improving the COC controllers' qualification in order to prevent critical situations and to solve the emergences based on an efficient way, in 1999 the process of 'Habilitation of OCC Controllers' was accomplished according to the resolution number 208/98 from the Energy General Office. This technical contribution describes the executed stages and the acquired experiences when applying the mentioned procedure indicating the main found difficulties, reached results and obtained benefits.

Energy Center Structure Optimization by using Smart Technologies in Process Control System

Science.gov (United States)

Shilkina, Svetlana V.

2018-03-01

The article deals with practical application of fuzzy logic methods in process control systems. A control object - agroindustrial greenhouse complex, which includes its own energy center - is considered. The paper analyzes object power supply options taking into account connection to external power grids and/or installation of own power generating equipment with various layouts. The main problem of a greenhouse facility basic process is extremely uneven power consumption, which forces to purchase redundant generating equipment idling most of the time, which quite negatively affects project profitability. Energy center structure optimization is largely based on solving the object process control system construction issue. To cut investor’s costs it was proposed to optimize power consumption by building an energy-saving production control system based on a fuzzy logic controller. The developed algorithm of automated process control system functioning ensured more even electric and thermal energy consumption, allowed to propose construction of the object energy center with a smaller number of units due to their more even utilization. As a result, it is shown how practical use of microclimate parameters fuzzy control system during object functioning leads to optimization of agroindustrial complex energy facility structure, which contributes to a significant reduction in object construction and operation costs.

Transportable Payload Operations Control Center reusable software: Building blocks for quality ground data systems

Science.gov (United States)

Mahmot, Ron; Koslosky, John T.; Beach, Edward; Schwarz, Barbara

1994-01-01

The Mission Operations Division (MOD) at Goddard Space Flight Center builds Mission Operations Centers which are used by Flight Operations Teams to monitor and control satellites. Reducing system life cycle costs through software reuse has always been a priority of the MOD. The MOD's Transportable Payload Operations Control Center development team established an extensive library of 14 subsystems with over 100,000 delivered source instructions of reusable, generic software components. Nine TPOCC-based control centers to date support 11 satellites and achieved an average software reuse level of more than 75 percent. This paper shares experiences of how the TPOCC building blocks were developed and how building block developer's, mission development teams, and users are all part of the process.

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) in a Control Center Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Pirani, Joseph; Calvelage, Steven

2010-01-01

The technology of transmitting voice over data networks has been available for over 10 years. Mass market VoIP services for consumers to make and receive standard telephone calls over broadband Internet networks have grown in the last 5 years. While operational costs are less with VoIP implementations as opposed to time division multiplexing (TDM) based voice switches, is it still advantageous to convert a mission control center s voice system to this newer technology? Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) has converted its mission voice services to a commercial product that utilizes VoIP technology. Results from this testing, design, and installation have shown unique considerations that must be addressed before user operations. There are many factors to consider for a control center voice design. Technology advantages and disadvantages were investigated as they refer to cost. There were integration concerns which could lead to complex failure scenarios but simpler integration for the mission infrastructure. MSFC HOSC will benefit from this voice conversion with less product replacement cost, less operations cost and a more integrated mission services environment.

75 FR 7483 - Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention-Ethics...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-19

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention--Ethics Subcommittee (ES); Correction AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HHS. ACTION: Notice of meeting; meeting...

Online social networking and US poison control centers: Facebook as a means of information distribution.

Science.gov (United States)

Vo, Kathy; Smollin, Craig

2015-06-01

Online social networking services such as Facebook provide a novel medium for the dissemination of public health information by poison control centers in the United States. We performed a cross-sectional study of poison control center Facebook pages to describe and assess the use of this medium. Facebook pages associated with poison control centers were identified during a continuous two-week period from December 24, 2012 to January 7, 2013. Data were extracted from each page, including affiliated poison control center; page duration, measured in years since registration; number of subscribers; number of postings by general toxicological category; and measures of user-generated activity including "likes", "shares", and comments per posting. Among the 56 US poison control centers, 39 Facebook pages were identified, of which 29 were currently active. The total number of active pages has increased by 140% from 2009 to 2013 (average of 25% per year). The total number of all subscribers to active pages was 11,211, ranging from 40 to 2,456 (mean 387, SD 523), equal to 0.006% of all Facebook users in the United States. The number of subscribers per page was associated with page duration, number of postings, and type of postings. The types of toxicological postings were public education (45%), self-promotion (28%), childhood safety (12%), drugs of abuse (8%), environmental poisonings (6%), and general overdoses (1%). Slightly over half of all poison control centers in the United States are supplementing their outreach and education efforts through Facebook. In general, the more active the poison control center on Facebook, the more page followers and follower engagement gained.

'Motor control center obsolescence'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irish, C.S.

2003-01-01

A significant and growing problem within the global nuclear industry is the aging of motor control center (MCC) components. MCC's have a very important role in the safety and critical to generation requirements of a nuclear power plant. Although many OEM's MCC's such as ITE/Telemechanique, GE, Westinghouse, Cutler Hammer, Klockner Moeller, etc. have been used throughout the global nuclear industry, they all have one common aspect obsolescence. Obsolescence of various components within the MCC's such as molded case circuit breakers, starters, relays, heaters, contactors, etc. are impacting the reliability of the MCC to serve its intended function. The paper will discuss the options which the nuclear industry is faced with to increase the reliability of the MCC's while maintaining design control, qualification and meeting budget constraints. The options as listed below shall be discussed in detail with examples to enhance the readers understanding of the situation: 1) Component by component replacement: The hurdles associated with trying to find equivalent components to replace the obsolete components while still worki (mechanically and electrically) in the original cubicle will be presented. 2) Complete MCC cubicle with new internal components replacement: The process of supplying a replacement cubicle, with all new internal components and new door to replace the original cubicle will be discussed. The presentation will conclude with a comparison of the advantages and dis-advantages of the two methods to bring the MCC to an as new condition with the overall goal of increasing reliability. (author)

Future applications of artificial intelligence to Mission Control Centers

Science.gov (United States)

Friedland, Peter

1991-01-01

Future applications of artificial intelligence to Mission Control Centers are presented in the form of the viewgraphs. The following subject areas are covered: basic objectives of the NASA-wide AI program; inhouse research program; constraint-based scheduling; learning and performance improvement for scheduling; GEMPLAN multi-agent planner; planning, scheduling, and control; Bayesian learning; efficient learning algorithms; ICARUS (an integrated architecture for learning); design knowledge acquisition and retention; computer-integrated documentation; and some speculation on future applications.

77 FR 58847 - Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (BSC, NCIPC)

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-24

... the causes, diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevention of physical and mental diseases, and other... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (BSC, NCIPC) In accordance with...

78 FR 29754 - Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, (BSC, NCIPC)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-21

... relating to the causes, diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevention of physical and mental diseases, and... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, (BSC, NCIPC) In accordance with...

CNC Turning Center Advanced Operations. Computer Numerical Control Operator/Programmer. 444-332.

Science.gov (United States)

Skowronski, Steven D.; Tatum, Kenneth

This student guide provides materials for a course designed to introduce the student to the operations and functions of a two-axis computer numerical control (CNC) turning center. The course consists of seven units. Unit 1 presents course expectations and syllabus, covers safety precautions, and describes the CNC turning center components, CNC…

Optical and microwave control of germanium-vacancy center spins in diamond

Science.gov (United States)

Siyushev, Petr; Metsch, Mathias H.; Ijaz, Aroosa; Binder, Jan M.; Bhaskar, Mihir K.; Sukachev, Denis D.; Sipahigil, Alp; Evans, Ruffin E.; Nguyen, Christian T.; Lukin, Mikhail D.; Hemmer, Philip R.; Palyanov, Yuri N.; Kupriyanov, Igor N.; Borzdov, Yuri M.; Rogers, Lachlan J.; Jelezko, Fedor

2017-08-01

A solid-state system combining a stable spin degree of freedom with an efficient optical interface is highly desirable as an element for integrated quantum-optical and quantum-information systems. We demonstrate a bright color center in diamond with excellent optical properties and controllable electronic spin states. Specifically, we carry out detailed optical spectroscopy of a germanium-vacancy (GeV ) color center demonstrating optical spectral stability. Using an external magnetic field to lift the electronic spin degeneracy, we explore the spin degree of freedom as a controllable qubit. Spin polarization is achieved using optical pumping, and a spin relaxation time in excess of 20 μ s is demonstrated. We report resonant microwave control of spin transitions, and use this as a probe to measure the Autler-Townes effect in a microwave-optical double-resonance experiment. Superposition spin states were prepared using coherent population trapping, and a pure dephasing time of about 19 ns was observed at a temperature of 2.0 K.

Size-controlled fluorescent nanodiamonds: A facile method of fabrication and color-center counting

KAUST Repository

Mahfouz, Remi

2013-01-01

We present a facile method for the production of fluorescent diamond nanocrystals (DNCs) of different sizes and efficiently quantify the concentration of emitting defect color centers (DCCs) of each DNC size. We prepared the DNCs by ball-milling commercially available micrometer-sized synthetic (high pressure, high temperature (HPHT)) diamonds and then separated the as-produced DNCs by density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGU) into size-controlled fractions. A protocol to enhance the uniformity of the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in the diamonds was devised by depositing the DNCs as a dense monolayer on amino-silanized silicon substrates and then subjecting the monolayer to He+ beam irradiation. Using a standard confocal setup, we analyzed the average number of NV centers per crystal, and obtained a quantitative relationship between the DNC particle size and the NV number per crystal. This relationship was in good agreement with results from previous studies that used more elaborate setups. Our findings suggest that nanocrystal size separation by DGU may be used to control the number of defects per nanocrystal. The efficient approaches described herein to control and quantify DCCs are valuable to researchers as they explore applications for color centers and new strategies to create them. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Sixth NASA Glenn Research Center Propulsion Control and Diagnostics (PCD) Workshop

Science.gov (United States)

Litt, Jonathan S. (Compiler)

2018-01-01

The Intelligent Control and Autonomy Branch at NASA Glenn Research Center hosted the Sixth Propulsion Control and Diagnostics Workshop on August 22-24, 2017. The objectives of this workshop were to disseminate information about research being performed in support of NASA Aeronautics programs; get feedback from peers on the research; and identify opportunities for collaboration. There were presentations and posters by NASA researchers, Department of Defense representatives, and engine manufacturers on aspects of turbine engine modeling, control, and diagnostics.

Is function-based control room design human-centered?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norros, L.; Savioja, P.

2006-01-01

Function-based approaches to system interface design appears an appealing possibility in helping designers and operators to cope with the vast amount of information needed to control complex processes. In this paper we provide evidence of operator performance analyses showing that outcome-centered performance measures may not be sufficiently informative for design. We need analyses indicating habitual patterns of using information, operator practices. We argue that practices that portray functional orienting to the task support mastery of the process. They also create potential to make use of function-based information presentation. We see that functional design is not an absolute value. Instead, such design should support communication of the functional significance of the process information to the operators in variable situations. Hence, it should facilitate development of practices that focus to interpreting this message. Successful function-based design facilitates putting operations into their contexts and is human-centered in an extended sense: It aids making sense in the complex, dynamic and uncertain environment. (authors)

Use of the Human Centered Design concept when designing ergonomic NPP control rooms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skrehot, Petr A.; Houser, Frantisek; Riha, Radek; Tuma, Zdenek

2015-01-01

Human-Centered Design is a concept aimed at reconciling human needs on the one hand and limitations posed by the design disposition of the room being designed on the other hand. This paper describes the main aspects of application of the Human-Centered Design concept to the design of nuclear power plant control rooms. (orig.)

Controlled coupling of NV defect centers to plasmonic and photonic nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barth, Michael, E-mail: michael.barth@physik.hu-berlin.d [Institute of Physics, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, D-10117 Berlin (Germany); Schietinger, Stefan; Schroeder, Tim; Aichele, Thomas; Benson, Oliver [Institute of Physics, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, D-10117 Berlin (Germany)

2010-09-15

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defect centers in diamond have recently emerged as promising candidates for a number of applications in the fields of quantum optics and quantum information, such as single photon generation and spin qubit operations. The performance of these defect centers can strongly be enhanced through coupling to plasmonic and photonic nanostructures, such as metal particles and optical microcavities. Here, we demonstrate the controlled assembly of such hybrid structures via manipulation with scanning near-field probes. In particular, we investigate the plasmonic enhancement of the single photon emission through coupling to gold nanospheres as well as the coupling of diamond nanocrystals to the optical modes of microsphere resonators and photonic crystal cavities. These systems represent prototypes of fundamental nanophotonic/plasmonic elements and provide control on the generation and coherent transfer of photons on the level of a single quantum emitter.

Maintenance cost control at the Pacific Missile Test Center.

OpenAIRE

Jenson, Richard J.

1980-01-01

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited The Pacific Missile Test Center (PMTC) is the Navy's largest Major Range and Test Facility Base, with an investment of over one billion dollars. The majority of this investment is in range test equipment and facilities including radar, telemetry, communication and command/ control systems. Concern is growing over the "excessively obsolete condition of PMTC technical equipment." Improvement of factors concerned with...

Spacecraft control center automation using the generic inferential executor (GENIE)

Science.gov (United States)

Hartley, Jonathan; Luczak, Ed; Stump, Doug

1996-01-01

The increasing requirement to dramatically reduce the cost of mission operations led to increased emphasis on automation technology. The expert system technology used at the Goddard Space Flight Center (MD) is currently being applied to the automation of spacecraft control center activities. The generic inferential executor (GENIE) is a tool which allows pass automation applications to be constructed. The pass script templates constructed encode the tasks necessary to mimic flight operations team interactions with the spacecraft during a pass. These templates can be configured with data specific to a particular pass. Animated graphical displays illustrate the progress during the pass. The first GENIE application automates passes of the solar, anomalous and magnetospheric particle explorer (SAMPEX) spacecraft.

ONAV - An Expert System for the Space Shuttle Mission Control Center

Science.gov (United States)

Mills, Malise; Wang, Lui

1992-01-01

The ONAV (Onboard Navigation) Expert System is being developed as a real-time console assistant to the ONAV flight controller for use in the Mission Control Center at the Johnson Space Center. Currently, Oct. 1991, the entry and ascent systems have been certified for use on console as support tools, and were used for STS-48. The rendezvous system is in verification with the goal to have the system certified for STS-49, Intelsat retrieval. To arrive at this stage, from a prototype to real-world application, the ONAV project has had to deal with not only Al issues but operating environment issues. The Al issues included the maturity of Al languages and the debugging tools, verification, and availability, stability and size of the expert pool. The environmental issues included real time data acquisition, hardware suitability, and how to achieve acceptance by users and management.

75 FR 4830 - Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention-Ethics...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-29

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention--Ethics Subcommittee (ES..., CDC, regarding a broad range of public health ethics questions and issues arising from programs...

Hypertension Control and co-morbidities in primary health care centers in Riyadh

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Tuwijri, Abdulmohsin A [Dept. of Family Medicine, Ministry of Health, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia); Al-Rukban, Mohammed Othman [Dept. of Family and Community Medicine, Coll. of Medicine, King Saud Univ., Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)

2006-07-01

The prevalence of hypertension in Saudi Arabia has been assessed only in preliminary reports. The aim of this study was to determine the degree of control of blood pressure and the prevalence of common hypertension co-morbidities among hypertensive patients attending primary health care (PHC) centers in Riyadh. A cross sectional study was conducted by reviewing medical records of hypertensive patients during May and June 2001. Two hundred fifty-five medical records selected by a stratified randomization process according to the distribution of the 73 PHC centers in the city and the total number of hypertensive patients registered in the mini-clinic of each PHC-center. Trained mini-clinic nurses collected data using a data collection form developed for this purpose. Of 255 patients, 121 (47.5%) were males and 134 (52.5%) were females, the mean age was 57.2+-11.1 years and 8.3% were smokers. The majority 204 (85.7%) had greater than normal body weight. Only 101 (40.4%) had controlled systolic BP. The most common co-morbidity was diabetes mellitus found in 98 (38.4%), followed by dislipidemia in 50 (19.6%), bronchial asthma in 28 (11.0%) and renal diseases in 12 (4.7%). Except for osteoporosis, which was reported by females only (P=0.003), the occurrences of hypertensive co-morbidities did not vary from other demographic characteristics. This study demonstrated poor blood pressure control in the mini-clinics in the PHC-centers. To improve the quality of care for hypertensive patients, we recommend an improvement in PHC physician knowledge of and attitudes toward the importance of achieving targeted blood pressure levels. (author)

Hypertension Control and co-morbidities in primary health care centers in Riyadh

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Tuwijri, Abdulmohsin A.; Al-Rukban, Mohammed Othman

2006-01-01

The prevalence of hypertension in Saudi Arabia has been assessed only in preliminary reports. The aim of this study was to determine the degree of control of blood pressure and the prevalence of common hypertension co-morbidities among hypertensive patients attending primary health care (PHC) centers in Riyadh. A cross sectional study was conducted by reviewing medical records of hypertensive patients during May and June 2001. Two hundred fifty-five medical records selected by a stratified randomization process according to the distribution of the 73 PHC centers in the city and the total number of hypertensive patients registered in the mini-clinic of each PHC-center. Trained mini-clinic nurses collected data using a data collection form developed for this purpose. Of 255 patients, 121 (47.5%) were males and 134 (52.5%) were females, the mean age was 57.2+-11.1 years and 8.3% were smokers. The majority 204 (85.7%) had greater than normal body weight. Only 101 (40.4%) had controlled systolic BP. The most common co-morbidity was diabetes mellitus found in 98 (38.4%), followed by dislipidemia in 50 (19.6%), bronchial asthma in 28 (11.0%) and renal diseases in 12 (4.7%). Except for osteoporosis, which was reported by females only (P=0.003), the occurrences of hypertensive co-morbidities did not vary from other demographic characteristics. This study demonstrated poor blood pressure control in the mini-clinics in the PHC-centers. To improve the quality of care for hypertensive patients, we recommend an improvement in PHC physician knowledge of and attitudes toward the importance of achieving targeted blood pressure levels. (author)

76 FR 57744 - Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Ethics...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-16

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)--Ethics Subcommittee (ES) Correction: This notice was published in the Federal Register on September 8, 2011, Volume 76, Number 174...

Analysis of intentional drug poisonings using Ohio Poison Control Center Data, 2002-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Pringle, Kelsey; Caupp, Sarah; Shi, Junxin; Wheeler, Krista K; Spiller, Henry A; Casavant, Marcel J; Xiang, Henry

2017-08-01

Pharmaceutical drug poisonings, especially those that are intentional, are a serious problem for adolescents and young adults. Poison control center data is a viable tool to track intentional drug poisonings in near real-time. To determine intentional drug poisoning rates among adolescents and young adults in Ohio using poison control center data. We analyzed data from 2002 to 2014 obtained by Ohio's three poison control centers. Inclusion variables were calls made to the centers that had appropriate subject age (10-29 years old), subject sex, involved substance (all drug classes), and medical outcome (no effect, minor effect, moderate effect, major effect, and death). Intentional drug poisoning reports were also separated into subgroups to compare suspected suicide reports to misuse and abuse reports. Finally, resident population estimates were used to generate 2014 intentional drug poisoning rates for each county in Ohio. The most common age group for intentional drug poisonings was 18-24. Females reported more suspected suicide drug poisonings while males reported more misuse/abuse drug poisonings. The most reported drug class across all ages was analgesics. Of the 88 counties in Ohio, Hamilton, Williams, Washington, and Guernsey counties had the highest rates of intentional drug poisonings. The high report rate of suspected suicides and analgesic class drugs demonstrates the need for preventative measures for adolescents and young adults in Ohio. Any interventions, along with legislative changes, will need to take place in our local communities.

Numerical analysis of thermal environment control in high density data center

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kwon, Oh Kyung; Kim, Hyeon Joong; Cha, Dong An [Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Cheonan (Korea, Republic of)

2012-08-15

Increasing heat generation in CPUs can hamper effective recirculation and by pass because of the large temperature difference between the exhaust and the intake air through a server room. This increases the overall temperature inside a data center and decreases the efficiency of the data center's cooling system. The purpose of the data center's cooling system is to separate the intake and exhaust air by controlling the computer room air conditioner(CRAC). In this study, ICEPAK is used to conduct a numerical analysis of a data center's cooling system. The temperature distribution and the entire room are analyzed for different volumetric flow rates. The optimized volumetric flow rate is found for each CPU power. The heat removal and temperature distribution for CPU powers of 100, 120, and 140W are found to be the best for a volumetric flow rate of 0.15m'3'/s. The numerical analysis is verified through RTI indicators, and the results appear to be the most reliable when the RTI value is 81.

The psychology of computer displays in the modern mission control center

Science.gov (United States)

Granaas, Michael M.; Rhea, Donald C.

1988-01-01

Work at NASA's Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR) has demonstrated the need for increased consideration of psychological factors in the design of computer displays for the WATR mission control center. These factors include color perception, memory load, and cognitive processing abilities. A review of relevant work in the human factors psychology area is provided to demonstrate the need for this awareness. The information provided should be relevant in control room settings where computerized displays are being used.

[Using the subcutaneous approach for symptoms control in a health center].

Science.gov (United States)

Pascual López, L; Portaceli Armiñana, A; Ros Sáez, A

2001-01-01

To describe the use of the subcutaneous tract for symptoms control in patients those are in phase of palliative treatment of their illness. Observational study. Primary care. Patients seen in a health center, in phase of palliative treatment of their illness, that needed for symptoms control the subcutaneous administration of drugs. Most of the patients were in terminal phase (19), the fundamental cause (17 cases) that justified the use of the subcutaneous tract was the difficulty to take drugs by oral tract in the last days of life, attention on death throes. The infusion continuous through injector type travenol, at an infusion speed of 2 ml/h, it was the most common way of drug administration (19 patients). The drugs and initial average dose most used were: morphine 19 patients dose 100 mg/24 h, hyoscine butylbromide (Buscapina), 13 patients, 60 mg/24 h, haloperidol 12 patients, 4 mg/24 h. The patients death was the main cause that justified the retirement of the continuous infusion (17 people sick), happening in its own home. Symptoms control was good or very good in the most of patients (14). The experience on using the subcutaneous tract for symptoms control in our health center is positive, being the fundamental cause for its use symptoms control in the last days of the patients life. The continuous subcutaneous infusion should be used in primary attention, as an usual technique for the symptoms control in patients that are in phase of palliative treatment of their illness.

77 FR 41188 - Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-12

... Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Notice of Charter..., that the Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention... Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women, HHS, CDC, 4770 Buford Highway, NE., Mailstop K52, Atlanta...

IEEE Std 649-1980: IEEE standard for qualifying Class 1E motor control centers for nuclear power generating stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This standard describes the basic principles, requirements, and methods for qualifying Class 1E motor control centers for outside containment applications in nuclear power generating stations. Qualification of motor control centers located inside containment in a nuclear power generating station is beyond the scope of this standard. The purpose of this standard is (1) to define specific qualification requirements for Class 1E motor control centers in accordance with the more general qualification requirements of IEEE Std 323-1974, IEE Standard for Qualifying Class 1E Equipment for Nuclear Power Generating Stations; (2) to provide guidance in establishing a qualification program for demonstrating the design adequacy of Class 1E motor control centers in nuclear power generating station applications

The Current State of Poison Control Centers in Pakistan and the Need for Capacity Building

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadeem Khan

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Chemical exposure is a major health problem globally. Poison control centers (PCCs play a leading role both in developed and developing countries in the prevention and control of poisonous chemical exposures. In this study, we aimed to assess the current state of PCCs in Pakistan and highlight capacity building needs in these centers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of the two registered PCCs was done during August – December 2011. Necessary services of the PCCs were evaluated and the data were recorded on a predesigned checklist. Results: Both PCCs are affiliated to a tertiary care hospital. Clinical services to poisoned patients were available 24 hours a day / 7 days a week. Information on common local products was available to poison center staff. Both centers were involved in undergraduate and post graduate teaching. Telephone poison information service was not available in either of centers. There was a limited capacity for qualitative and analytical toxicology. Common antidotes were available. There were limited surveillance activities to capture toxic risks existing in the community and also a deficiency was observed in chemical disaster planning. Conclusion: PCCs in Pakistan need capacity building for specialized training in toxicology, toxicovigilance, chemical disaster planning, analytical laboratory tests and telephone service for consultation in poisoning cases.   How to cite this article: Khan NU, Mir MU, Khan UR, Khan AR, Ara J, Raja K, et al. The Current State of Poison Control Centers in Pakistan and the Need for Capacity Building. Asia Pac J Med Toxicol 2014;3:31-5.

Internet Protocol Display Sharing Solution for Mission Control Center Video System

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Michael A.

2009-01-01

With the advent of broadcast television as a constant source of information throughout the NASA manned space flight Mission Control Center (MCC) at the Johnson Space Center (JSC), the current Video Transport System (VTS) characteristics provides the ability to visually enhance real-time applications as a broadcast channel that decision making flight controllers come to rely on, but can be difficult to maintain and costly. The Operations Technology Facility (OTF) of the Mission Operations Facility Division (MOFD) has been tasked to provide insight to new innovative technological solutions for the MCC environment focusing on alternative architectures for a VTS. New technology will be provided to enable sharing of all imagery from one specific computer display, better known as Display Sharing (DS), to other computer displays and display systems such as; large projector systems, flight control rooms, and back supporting rooms throughout the facilities and other offsite centers using IP networks. It has been stated that Internet Protocol (IP) applications are easily readied to substitute for the current visual architecture, but quality and speed may need to be forfeited for reducing cost and maintainability. Although the IP infrastructure can support many technologies, the simple task of sharing ones computer display can be rather clumsy and difficult to configure and manage to the many operators and products. The DS process shall invest in collectively automating the sharing of images while focusing on such characteristics as; managing bandwidth, encrypting security measures, synchronizing disconnections from loss of signal / loss of acquisitions, performance latency, and provide functions like, scalability, multi-sharing, ease of initial integration / sustained configuration, integration with video adjustments packages, collaborative tools, host / recipient controllability, and the utmost paramount priority, an enterprise solution that provides ownership to the whole

Calls to Florida Poison Control Centers about mercury: Trends over 2003-2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Gribble, Matthew O; Deshpande, Aniruddha; Stephan, Wendy B; Hunter, Candis M; Weisman, Richard S

2017-11-01

The aim of this analysis was to contrast trends in exposure-report calls and informational queries (a measure of public interest) about mercury to the Florida Poison Control Centers over 2003-2013. Poison-control specialists coded calls to Florida Poison Control Centers by substance of concern, caller demographics, and whether the call pertained to an exposure event or was an informational query. For the present study, call records regarding mercury were de-identified and provided along with daily total number of calls for statistical analysis. We fit Poisson models using generalized estimating equations to summarize changes across years in counts of daily calls to Florida Poison Control Centers, adjusting for month. In a second stage of analysis, we further adjusted for the total number of calls each day. We also conducted analyses stratified by age of the exposed. There was an overall decrease over 2003-2013 in the number of total calls about mercury [Ratio per year: 0.89, 95% CI: (0.88, 0.90)], and calls about mercury exposure [Ratio per year: 0.84, 95% CI: (0.83, 0.85)], but the number of informational queries about mercury increased over this time [Ratio per year: 1.15 (95% CI: 1.12, 1.18)]. After adjusting for the number of calls of that type each day (e.g., call volume), the associations remained similar: a ratio of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.87, 0.89) per year for total calls, 0.85 (0.83, 0.86) for exposure-related calls, and 1.17 (1.14, 1.21) for informational queries. Although, the number of exposure-related calls decreased, informational queries increased over 2003-2013. This might suggest an increased public interest in mercury health risks despite a decrease in reported exposures over this time period. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

IEEE Std 649-1991: IEEE standard for qualifying Class 1E motor control centers for nuclear power generating stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

The basic principles, requirements, and methods for qualifying Class 1E motor control centers for both harsh and mild environment applications in nuclear power generating stations are described. In addition to defining specific qualification requirements for Class 1E motor control centers and their components in accordance with the more general qualification requirements of IEEE Std 323-1983, this standard is intended to provide guidance in establishing a qualification program for demonstrating the adequacy of Class 1E motor control centers in nuclear power generating station applications

Free-Piston Stirling Convertor Controller Development at NASA Glenn Research Center

Science.gov (United States)

Regan, Timothy

2004-01-01

The free-piston Stirling convertor end-to-end modeling effort at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) has produced a software-based test bed in which free-piston Stirling convertors can be simulated and evaluated. The simulation model includes all the components of the convertor - the Stirling cycle engine, linear alternator, controller, and load. This paper is concerned with controllers. It discusses three controllers that have been studied using this model. Case motion has been added to the model recently so that effects of differences between convertor components can be simulated and ameliorative control engineering techniques can be developed. One concern when applying a system comprised of interconnected mass-spring-damper components is to prevent operation in any but the intended mode. The design mode is the only desired mode of operation, but all other modes are considered in controller design.

Gravity Plant Physiology Facility (GPPF) Team in the Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL

Science.gov (United States)

1992-01-01

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured is the Gravity Plant Physiology Facility (GPPF) team in the SL POCC during the IML-1 mission.

Critical Point Facility (CPE) Group in the Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC)

Science.gov (United States)

1992-01-01

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured is the Critical Point Facility (CPE) group in the SL POCC during STS-42, IML-1 mission.

Personal networks and locus of control in large urban centers of Argentina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pablo De Grande

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This study analyzes the relationship between locus of control and interpersonal relations structures in Argentina. After a representative sample (n = 1500 of households in seven major urban centers (>200,000 inhabitants, it examines the relationship between the externality of locus of control and different aspects of personal networks of each respondent. The results show that people having more relations experiment lower levels of externality of locus of control. Likewise, lower levels of externality are informed when personal ties outside the neighborhood are available, as well as ties high educational level. In this regard, significant associations are verified between control and personal relations structures.

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Controls Systems Design and Analysis Branch

Science.gov (United States)

Gilligan, Eric

2014-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center maintains a critical national capability in the analysis of launch vehicle flight dynamics and flight certification of GN&C algorithms. MSFC analysts are domain experts in the areas of flexible-body dynamics and control-structure interaction, thrust vector control, sloshing propellant dynamics, and advanced statistical methods. Marshall's modeling and simulation expertise has supported manned spaceflight for over 50 years. Marshall's unparalleled capability in launch vehicle guidance, navigation, and control technology stems from its rich heritage in developing, integrating, and testing launch vehicle GN&C systems dating to the early Mercury-Redstone and Saturn vehicles. The Marshall team is continuously developing novel methods for design, including advanced techniques for large-scale optimization and analysis.

Patient-centered recruitment and retention for a randomized controlled study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chhatre, Sumedha; Jefferson, Ashlie; Cook, Ratna; Meeker, Caitlin R; Kim, Ji Hyun; Hartz, Kayla Marie; Wong, Yu-Ning; Caruso, Adele; Newman, Diane K; Morales, Knashawn H; Jayadevappa, Ravishankar

2018-03-27

Recruitment and retention strategies for patient-centered outcomes research are evolving and research on the subject is limited. In this work, we present a conceptual model of patient-centered recruitment and retention, and describe the recruitment and retention activities and related challenges in a patient-centered comparative effectiveness trial. This is a multicenter, longitudinal randomized controlled trial in localized prostate cancer patients. We recruited 743 participants from three sites over 15 months period (January 2014 to March 2015), and followed them for 24 months. At site 1, of the 773 eligible participants, 551 (72%) were enrolled. At site 2, 34 participants were eligible and 23 (68%) enrolled. Of the 434 eligible participants at site 3, 169 (39%) enrolled. We observed that strategies related to the concepts of trust (e.g., physician involvement, ensuring protection of information), communication (e.g., brochures and pamphlets in physicians' offices, continued contact during regular clinic visits and calling/emailing assessment), attitude (e.g., emphasizing the altruistic value of research, positive attitude of providers and research staff), and expectations (e.g., full disclosure of study requirements and time commitment, update letters) facilitated successful patient recruitment and retention. A stakeholders' advisory board provided important input for the recruitment and retention activities. Active engagement, reminders at the offices, and personalized update letters helped retention during follow-up. Usefulness of telephone recruitment was site specific and, at one site, the time requirement for telephone recruitment was a challenge. We have presented multilevel strategies for successful recruitment and retention in a clinical trial using a patient-centered approach. Our strategies were flexible to accommodate site-level requirements. These strategies as well as the challenges can aid recruitment and retention efforts of future large

Management of pelvic inflammatory disease by primary care physicians. A comparison with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

Science.gov (United States)

Hessol, N A; Priddy, F H; Bolan, G; Baumrind, N; Vittinghoff, E; Reingold, A L; Padian, N S

1996-01-01

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published recommendations for clinicians on the management of pelvic inflammatory disease, but it is unknown if providers are aware of the guidelines or follow them. To compare pelvic inflammatory disease screening, diagnosis, treatment, and reporting practices among primary care physicians with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for pelvic inflammatory disease. A weighted random sample of California primary care physicians surveyed in November 1992 and January 1993. Of the 1,165 physicians surveyed, 553 (48%) returned completed questionnaires. Among respondents, 302 (55%) reported having treated a case of pelvic inflammatory disease during the last 12 months, and of these, 52% answered that they were unsure of or do not follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for pelvic inflammatory disease. Pediatricians and those with more years since residency were less likely to deviate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for pelvic inflammatory disease, and family practitioners were more likely to deviate from the guidelines. Pelvic inflammatory disease is commonly encountered by primary care physicians in California. Training and experience were important predictors of compliance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations; however, substantial divergence from the guidelines occurs.

76 FR 28438 - Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-17

... below concerns RFA CE10-004, the National Academic Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention... Violence Prevention (U01). Contact Person for More Information: Gwendolyn Haile Cattledge, PhD, M.S.E.H., F... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Board of...

Evaluation of completeness of selected poison control center data fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaramillo, Jeanie E; Marchbanks, Brenda; Willis, Branch; Forrester, Mathias B

2010-08-01

Poison control center data are used in research and surveillance. Due to the large volume of information, these efforts are dependent on data being recorded in machine readable format. However, poison center records include non-machine readable text fields and machine readable coded fields, some of which are duplicative. Duplicating this data increases the chance of inaccurate/incomplete coding. For surveillance efforts to be effective, coding should be complete and accurate. Investigators identified a convenience sample of 964 records and reviewed the substance code determining if it matched its text field. They also reviewed the coded clinical effects and treatments determining if they matched the notes text field. The substance code matched its text field for 91.4% of the substances. The clinical effects and treatments codes matched their text field for 72.6% and 82.4% of occurrences respectively. This under-reporting of clinical effects and treatments has surveillance and public health implications.

Quantum Control of a Nitrogen-Vacancy Center using Surface Acoustic Waves in the Resolved Sideband Limit

Science.gov (United States)

Golter, David; Oo, Thein; Amezcua, Maira; Wang, Hailin

Micro-electromechanical systems research is producing increasingly sophisticated tools for nanophononic applications. Such technology is well-suited for achieving chip-based, integrated acoustic control of solid-state quantum systems. We demonstrate such acoustic control in an important solid-state qubit, the diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center. Using an interdigitated transducer to generate a surface acoustic wave (SAW) field in a bulk diamond, we observe phonon-assisted sidebands in the optical excitation spectrum of a single NV center. This exploits the strong strain sensitivity of the NV excited states. The mechanical frequencies far exceed the relevant optical linewidths, reaching the resolved-sideband regime. This enables us to use the SAW field for driving Rabi oscillations on the phonon-assisted optical transition. These results stimulate the further integration of SAW-based technologies with the NV center system.

System of automatic control over data Acquisition and Transmission to IGR NNC RK Data Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komarov, I.I.; Gordienko, D.D.; Kunakov, A.V.

2005-01-01

Automated system for seismic and acoustic data acquisition and transmission in real time was established in Data Center IGR NNC RK, which functions very successively. The system monitors quality and volume of acquired information and also controls the status of the system and communication channels. Statistical data on system operation are accumulated in created database. Information on system status is reflected on the Center Web page. (author)

Engineering of Fermi level by nin diamond junction for control of charge states of NV centers

Science.gov (United States)

Murai, T.; Makino, T.; Kato, H.; Shimizu, M.; Murooka, T.; Herbschleb, E. D.; Doi, Y.; Morishita, H.; Fujiwara, M.; Hatano, M.; Yamasaki, S.; Mizuochi, N.

2018-03-01

The charge-state control of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond is very important toward its applications because the NV centers undergo stochastic charge-state transitions between the negative charge state (NV-) and the neutral charge state (NV0) of the NV center upon illumination. In this letter, engineering of the Fermi level by a nin diamond junction was demonstrated for the control of the charge state of the NV centers in the intrinsic (i) layer region. By changing the size (d) of the i-layer region between the phosphorus-doped n-type layer regions (nin) from 2 μm to 10 μm, we realized the gradual change in the NV- charge-state population in the i-layer region from 60% to 80% under 532 nm excitation, which can be attributed to the band bending in the i-layer region. Also, we quantitatively simulated the changes in the Fermi level in the i-layer region depending on d with various concentrations of impurities in the i-layer region.

Test bed control center design concept for Tank Waste Retrieval Manipulator Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundstrom, E.; Draper, J.V.; Fausz, A.

1995-01-01

This paper describes the design concept for the control center for the Single Shell Tank Waste Retrieval Manipulator System test bed and the design process behind the concept. The design concept supports all phases of the test bed mission, including technology demonstration, comprehensive system testing, and comparative evaluation for further development and refinement of the TWRMS for field operations

Re-centering variable friction device for vibration control of structures subjected to near-field earthquakes

Science.gov (United States)

Ozbulut, Osman E.; Hurlebaus, Stefan

2011-11-01

This paper proposes a re-centering variable friction device (RVFD) for control of civil structures subjected to near-field earthquakes. The proposed hybrid device has two sub-components. The first sub-component of this hybrid device consists of shape memory alloy (SMA) wires that exhibit a unique hysteretic behavior and full recovery following post-transformation deformations. The second sub-component of the hybrid device consists of variable friction damper (VFD) that can be intelligently controlled for adaptive semi-active behavior via modulation of its voltage level. In general, installed SMA devices have the ability to re-center structures at the end of the motion and VFDs can increase the energy dissipation capacity of structures. The full realization of these devices into a singular, hybrid form which complements the performance of each device is investigated in this study. A neuro-fuzzy model is used to capture rate- and temperature-dependent nonlinear behavior of the SMA components of the hybrid device. An optimal fuzzy logic controller (FLC) is developed to modulate voltage level of VFDs for favorable performance in a RVFD hybrid application. To obtain optimal controllers for concurrent mitigation of displacement and acceleration responses, tuning of governing fuzzy rules is conducted by a multi-objective heuristic optimization. Then, numerical simulation of a multi-story building is conducted to evaluate the performance of the hybrid device. Results show that a re-centering variable friction device modulated with a fuzzy logic control strategy can effectively reduce structural deformations without increasing acceleration response during near-field earthquakes.

Re-Engineering the ISS Payload Operations Control Center During Increased Utilization and Critical Onboard Events

Science.gov (United States)

Dudley, Stephanie R. B.; Marsh, Angela L.

2014-01-01

With an increase in utilization and hours of payload operations being executed onboard the International Space Station (ISS), upgrading the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) ISS Payload Control Area (PCA) was essential to gaining efficiencies and assurance of current and future payload health and science return. PCA houses the Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC) responsible for the execution of all NASA payloads onboard the ISS. POIC Flight Controllers are responsible for the operation of voice, stowage, command, telemetry, video, power, thermal, and environmental control in support of ISS science experiments. The methodologies and execution of the PCA refurbishment were planned and performed within a four-month period in order to assure uninterrupted operation of ISS payloads and minimal impacts to payload operations teams. To vacate the PCA, three additional HOSC control rooms were reconfigured to handle ISS real-time operations, Backup Control Center (BCC) to Mission Control in Houston, simulations, and testing functions. This involved coordination and cooperation from teams of ISS operations controllers, multiple engineering and design disciplines, management, and construction companies performing an array of activities simultaneously and in sync delivering a final product with no issues that impacted the schedule. For each console operator discipline, studies of Information Technology (IT) tools and equipment layouts, ergonomics, and lines of sight were performed. Infusing some of the latest IT into the project was an essential goal in ensuring future growth and success of the ISS payload science returns. Engineering evaluations led to a state of the art Video Wall implementation and more efficient ethernet cabling distribution providing the latest products and the best solution for the POIC. These engineering innovations led to cost savings for the project. Constraints involved in the management of

ASTEC and MODEL: Controls software development at Goddard Space Flight Center

Science.gov (United States)

Downing, John P.; Bauer, Frank H.; Surber, Jeffrey L.

1993-01-01

The ASTEC (Analysis and Simulation Tools for Engineering Controls) software is under development at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The design goal is to provide a wide selection of controls analysis tools at the personal computer level, as well as the capability to upload compute-intensive jobs to a mainframe or supercomputer. In the last three years the ASTEC (Analysis and Simulation Tools for Engineering Controls) software has been under development. ASTEC is meant to be an integrated collection of controls analysis tools for use at the desktop level. MODEL (Multi-Optimal Differential Equation Language) is a translator that converts programs written in the MODEL language to FORTRAN. An upgraded version of the MODEL program will be merged into ASTEC. MODEL has not been modified since 1981 and has not kept with changes in computers or user interface techniques. This paper describes the changes made to MODEL in order to make it useful in the 90's and how it relates to ASTEC.

Comparison of mental health, happiness, and emotion control with adolescents’ residential centers of state welfare organization and family reared adolescents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laila Bawi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Background and Objective: Many research indicated that adolescents’ residential centers have the high possibility to diagnose with psychological disorders. Therefore, the aim of this study was investigated the mental health, happiness and emotion control among adolescents’ residential centers of state welfare organization.Materials and Methods: This research is a causal –comparative research. The 80 adolescents’ residential centers were chosen through available sampling and 80 adolescents of schools of Alborz city were selected through cluster method. Statistical analysis was conducted by using the independent t-test. The research instruments were Emotion Control Questionnaire (ECQ, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ, Goldenberg, and Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI.Results: The significantly different was observed in mental health, happiness and emotion control between two adolescents groups (p<0.05.Conclusion: The results indicate that the institutional-reared decrease the level of mental health, happiness and emotion control in adolescents. Thus, counselors should be considered these factors in therapeutic intervention to enhancing the mental health of adolescents’ residential centers.

Environmental control and life support testing at the Marshall Space Flight Center

Science.gov (United States)

Schunk, Richard G.; Humphries, William R.

1987-01-01

The Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) test program at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is addressed. The immediate goals and current activities of the test program are discussed. Also described are the Core Module Integration Facility (CMIF) and the initial ECLSS test configuration. Future plans for the ECLSS test program and the CMIF are summarized.

Using Web 2.0 (and Beyond?) in Space Flight Operations Control Centers

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, David W.

2010-01-01

Word processing was one of the earliest uses for small workstations, but we quickly learned that desktop computers were far more than e-typewriters. Similarly, "Web 2.0" capabilities, particularly advanced search engines, chats, wikis, blogs, social networking, and the like, offer tools that could significantly improve our efficiency at managing the avalanche of information and decisions needed to operate space vehicles in realtime. However, could does not necessarily equal should. We must wield two-edged swords carefully to avoid stabbing ourselves. This paper examines some Web 2.0 tools, with an emphasis on social media, and suggests which ones might be useful or harmful in real-time space operations co rnotl environments, based on the author s experience as a Payload Crew Communicator (PAYCOM) at Marshall Space Flight Center s (MSFC) Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC) for the International Space Station (ISS) and on discussions with other space flight operations control organizations and centers. There is also some discussion of an offering or two that may come from beyond the current cyber-horizon.

Assessment of operators' mental workload using physiological and subjective measures in cement, city traffic and power plant control centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Fallahi, Majid; Motamedzade, Majid; Heidarimoghadam, Rashid; Soltanian, Ali Reza; Miyake, Shinji

2016-01-01

The present study aimed to evaluate the operators' mental workload (MW) of cement, city traffic control and power plant control centers using subjective and objective measures during system vital parameters monitoring. This cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2014 to February 2015 at the cement, city traffic control and power plant control centers. Electrocardiography and electroencephalography data were recorded from forty males during performing their daily working in resting, low mental workload (LMW), high mental workload (HMW) and recovery conditions (each block 5 minutes). The NASA-Task Load Index (TLX) was used to evaluate the subjective workload of the operators. The results showed that increasing MW had a significant effect on the operators subjective responses in two conditions ([1,53] = 216.303, P < 0.001, η2 = 0.803). Also,the Task-MW interaction effect on operators subjective responses was significant (F [3, 53] = 12.628,P < 0.001, η2 = 0.417). Analysis of repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that increasing mental demands had a significant effect on heart rate, low frequency/high frequency ratio, theta and alpha band activity. The results suggested that when operators' mental demands especially in traffic control and power plant tasks increased, their mental fatigue and stress level increased and their mental health deteriorated. Therefore, it may be necessary to implement an ergonomic program or administrative control to manage mental probably health in these control centers. Furthermore, by evaluating MW, the control center director can organize the human resources for each MW condition to sustain the appropriate performance as well as improve system functions.

Effects of voluntary and automatic control of center of pressure sway during quiet standing.

Science.gov (United States)

Ueta, Kozo; Okada, Yohei; Nakano, Hideki; Osumi, Michihiro; Morioka, Shu

2015-01-01

The authors investigated the effects of voluntary and automatic control on the spatial variables (envelope area, maximal amplitude, and root mean square [RMS]) of center of pressure (COP) displacement during quiet standing and identified differences in their postural control strategies (mean velocity [MV], mean power frequency [MPF], and power density). COP data were recorded under relaxed (experimental control), still (voluntary control), and dual (automatic control) conditions. RMS was significantly lower in the still and dual conditions than in the relaxed condition. MV, MPF, and power density were significantly higher in the still condition than in the dual condition. These results indicate that both voluntary and automatic control decrease the spatial variables of COP displacement; however, their postural control strategies are different.

Design electronic of manual control for cobalt unit Alcyon II of the National Center of Radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morraz V, E.; Campos, X.

2002-01-01

A manual control for the cobalt unit, of French production, it was designed by the team of electronic of the national center of radiotherapy with materials found in the national trade. The control has the same characteristics that the original one and it is also adapted a switch from which you can control the lights of the room of the cobalt

Assessment of operators’ mental workload using physiological and subjective measures in cement, city traffic and power plant control centers

Science.gov (United States)

Fallahi, Majid; Motamedzade, Majid; Heidarimoghadam, Rashid; Soltanian, Ali Reza; Miyake, Shinji

2016-01-01

Background: The present study aimed to evaluate the operators’ mental workload (MW) of cement, city traffic control and power plant control centers using subjective and objective measures during system vital parameters monitoring. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2014 to February 2015 at the cement, city traffic control and power plant control centers. Electrocardiography and electroencephalography data were recorded from forty males during performing their daily working in resting, low mental workload (LMW), high mental workload (HMW) and recovery conditions (each block 5 minutes). The NASA-Task Load Index (TLX) was used to evaluate the subjective workload of the operators. Results: The results showed that increasing MW had a significant effect on the operators subjective responses in two conditions ([1,53] = 216.303, P < 0.001, η2 = 0.803). Also,the Task-MW interaction effect on operators subjective responses was significant (F [3, 53] = 12.628,P < 0.001, η2 = 0.417). Analysis of repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that increasing mental demands had a significant effect on heart rate, low frequency/high frequency ratio, theta and alpha band activity. Conclusion: The results suggested that when operators’ mental demands especially in traffic control and power plant tasks increased, their mental fatigue and stress level increased and their mental health deteriorated. Therefore, it may be necessary to implement an ergonomic program or administrative control to manage mental probably health in these control centers. Furthermore, by evaluating MW, the control center director can organize the human resources for each MW condition to sustain the appropriate performance as well as improve system functions. PMID:27386425

Safety concerns with the Centers for Disease Control opioid calculator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fudin J

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Jeffrey Fudin,1–4 Mena Raouf,2 Erica L Wegrzyn,2–4 Michael E Schatman5,61Scientific and Clinical Affairs, Remitigate, LLC, Delmar, NY, USA; 2Stratton VA Medical Center, Albany, NY, USA; 3Western New England University College of Pharmacy, Springfield, MA, USA; 4Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Albany, NY, USA; 5Research and Network Development, Boston Pain Care, Waltham, MA, USA; 6Department of Public Health & Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USAMorphine milligram equivalence (MME and other comparable acronyms have been employed in federal pain guidelines and used by policy makers to limit opioid prescribing.1–5 On March 18, 2016, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC released its Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain.1 The guidelines provided 12 recommendations for “primary care clinicians prescribing opioids for chronic pain outside of active cancer treatment, palliative care, and end-of-life care”. One of the CDC recommendations states that clinicians “should avoid increasing dosage to ≥90 MME/day or carefully justify a decision to titrate dosage to ≥90 MME/day”.1

Adaptation of center of mass control under microgravity in a whole-body lifting task

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kingma, I.; Toussaint, H.M.; Commissaris, D.A.C.M.; Savelsbergh, G.J.P.

1999-01-01

Human balance in stance is usually defined as the preservation of the vertical projection of the center of mass (COM) on the support area formed by the feet. Under microgravity conditions, the control of equilibrium seems to be no longer required. However, several reports indicate preservation of

Aircraft Turbine Engine Control Research at NASA Glenn Research Center

Science.gov (United States)

Garg, Sanjay

2014-01-01

This lecture will provide an overview of the aircraft turbine engine control research at NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Glenn Research Center (GRC). A brief introduction to the engine control problem is first provided with a description of the current state-of-the-art control law structure. A historical aspect of engine control development since the 1940s is then provided with a special emphasis on the contributions of GRC. The traditional engine control problem has been to provide a means to safely transition the engine from one steady-state operating point to another based on the pilot throttle inputs. With the increased emphasis on aircraft safety, enhanced performance and affordability, and the need to reduce the environmental impact of aircraft, there are many new challenges being faced by the designers of aircraft propulsion systems. The Controls and Dynamics Branch (CDB) at GRC is leading and participating in various projects in partnership with other organizations within GRC and across NASA, other government agencies, the U.S. aerospace industry, and academia to develop advanced propulsion controls and diagnostics technologies that will help meet the challenging goals of NASA programs under the Aeronautics Research Mission. The second part of the lecture provides an overview of the various CDB technology development activities in aircraft engine control and diagnostics, both current and some accomplished in the recent past. The motivation for each of the research efforts, the research approach, technical challenges and the key progress to date are summarized. The technologies to be discussed include system level engine control concepts, gas path diagnostics, active component control, and distributed engine control architecture. The lecture will end with a futuristic perspective of how the various current technology developments will lead to an Intelligent and Autonomous Propulsion System requiring none to very minimum pilot interface

Adaptation effects in static postural control by providing simultaneous visual feedback of center of pressure and center of gravity.

Science.gov (United States)

Takeda, Kenta; Mani, Hiroki; Hasegawa, Naoya; Sato, Yuki; Tanaka, Shintaro; Maejima, Hiroshi; Asaka, Tadayoshi

2017-07-19

The benefit of visual feedback of the center of pressure (COP) on quiet standing is still debatable. This study aimed to investigate the adaptation effects of visual feedback training using both the COP and center of gravity (COG) during quiet standing. Thirty-four healthy young adults were divided into three groups randomly (COP + COG, COP, and control groups). A force plate was used to calculate the coordinates of the COP in the anteroposterior (COP AP ) and mediolateral (COP ML ) directions. A motion analysis system was used to calculate the coordinates of the center of mass (COM) in both directions (COM AP and COM ML ). The coordinates of the COG in the AP direction (COG AP ) were obtained from the force plate signals. Augmented visual feedback was presented on a screen in the form of fluctuation circles in the vertical direction that moved upward as the COP AP and/or COG AP moved forward and vice versa. The COP + COG group received the real-time COP AP and COG AP feedback simultaneously, whereas the COP group received the real-time COP AP feedback only. The control group received no visual feedback. In the training session, the COP + COG group was required to maintain an even distance between the COP AP and COG AP and reduce the COG AP fluctuation, whereas the COP group was required to reduce the COP AP fluctuation while standing on a foam pad. In test sessions, participants were instructed to keep their standing posture as quiet as possible on the foam pad before (pre-session) and after (post-session) the training sessions. In the post-session, the velocity and root mean square of COM AP in the COP + COG group were lower than those in the control group. In addition, the absolute value of the sum of the COP - COM distances in the COP + COG group was lower than that in the COP group. Furthermore, positive correlations were found between the COM AP velocity and COP - COM parameters. The results suggest that the novel visual feedback

The ORNL Controlled Fusion Atomic Data Center: Overview of Activities 2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schultz, D.R.

2011-01-01

The Controlled Fusion Atomic Data Center (CFADC) of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory continued operation aimed at collecting, evaluating, and disseminating atomic, molecular, and particle-surface interaction (AM and PSI) data needed by both the U.S. and international plasma science communities. This work has been carried out within an overarching atomic physics research group which produces much of the required data through an active experimental and theoretical science program. The production of an annotated bibliography of AM and PSI literature relevant to plasma science continues to be among the most important activities of the data center, forming the basis for the CFADC on-line bibliographic search engine and a significant part of the IAEA A+M Data Unit's 'International Bulletin on Atomic and Molecular Data for Fusion.' Also chief among the data center's activities are responses to specific data requests from the plasma science community, leading to either rapid feedback using existing data resources or long term data production projects, as well as participation in IAEA Coordinated Research Programs including recently 'Data for Surface Composition Dynamics Relevant to Erosion Processes' and 'Atomic and Molecular Data for Plasma Modeling.' Highlights of recent data production projects include the following: Experimental and theoretical data for inelastic electron-hydrocarbon reactions, large scale computational results for particle reflection from surfaces, measurements of chemical sputtering from carbon, inaugural experiments considering molecular ion collisions with neutral hydrogen, and expansion of the database of elastic and related transport cross sections calculated for intrinsic and extrinsic impurities in hydrogen plasmas. Progress is being hampered owing to news from the US Department of Energy that it plans to close out the program after a ramp down of funding in 2012, following a distinguished 52 year history of contributions to the US and

Sustaining a Focus on Health Equity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Through Organizational Structures and Functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Dean, Hazel D; Roberts, George W; Bouye, Karen E; Green, Yvonne; McDonald, Marian

2016-01-01

The public health infrastructure required for achieving health equity is multidimensional and complex. The infrastructure should be responsive to current and emerging priorities and capable of providing the foundation for developing, planning, implementing, and evaluating health initiatives. This article discusses these infrastructure requirements by examining how they are operationalized in the organizational infrastructure for promoting health equity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, utilizing the nation's premier public health agency as a lens. Examples from the history of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's work in health equity from its centers, institute, and offices are provided to identify those structures and functions that are critical to achieving health equity. Challenges and facilitators to sustaining a health equity organizational infrastructure, as gleaned from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's experience, are noted. Finally, we provide additional considerations for expanding and sustaining a health equity infrastructure, which the authors hope will serve as "food for thought" for practitioners in state, tribal, or local health departments, community-based organizations, or nongovernmental organizations striving to create or maintain an impactful infrastructure to achieve health equity.

Trends in Teenagers' Nonopiod Substance Exposures Reported to Poison Control Centers, 2010-2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Brad; Mestan, Samantha; Ahrens, Monica; Bottei, Edward

2018-05-01

To describe current trends in nonopioid substance exposures and associated outcomes among teenagers nationwide. In this cross-sectional study, we used 2010-2015 data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poison Data System and Poisson tests to document trends in the rate of calls to poison control centers involving adolescents stratified by sex, exposures by substance category, proportion of intentional exposures, and severity of exposures. The number of calls per 1000 persons increased from 5.7 to 6.8 for teenage girls and decreased from 4.7 to 4.3 for boys. Reported exposures to prescription and over-the-counter medications and illicit street drugs increased between 24% and 73%, and reported opioid exposures decreased by 16%. Among teenage girls, intentional exposures increased from 57% to 68%, with cases increasingly managed in health care facilities and more likely to result in worse health outcomes. The increase in intentional nonopioid substance exposures among teenage girls, with serious and potentially life-threatening consequences, is a matter of serious concern. Similar trends were not observed among teenage boys. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

75 FR 12769 - National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Announcement of Workshop on Control...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-17

... Complementary and Alternative Medicine Announcement of Workshop on Control/Comparison Groups for Trials of Non... Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) was established in 1998 with the mission of exploring... Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health. [FR Doc. 2010-5767...

Increasing the operational efficiency and safety in operation control centers: the TRANSPETRO experience; Aumentando a seguranca e eficiencia operacional em centros de controle: a experiencia da TRANSPETRO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Felicio, Marco Aurelio Fierro; Frisoli, Caetano [PETROBRAS Transporte S.A. (TRANSPETRO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2009-12-19

The increase in operational efficiency and safety in operation control centers has been traditionally obtained through direct actions in the operational activity itself and on the resources and systems used for that. Modern supervisory and control systems, sophisticated simulation software, cutting-edge last generation equipment and installations, clear and comprehensive procedures definitions and intensive and constant training of the operation teams are, usually, the chosen paths followed by control centers in their incessant quest for increased operational efficiency and safety. This paper presents the path followed by the TRANSPETRO's National Operational Control Center - Natural Gas (Centro Nacional de Controle Operacional - CNCO-Gas) - that has not only focused with the traditional aspects above, but has also made intensive investments in systems and data base integrations, aiming at eliminating data inconsistencies and redundancies and at including automation, standardization and systematization of non-operational and complementary operational activities. These investments allowed TRANSPETRO CNCO-Gas face the big challenge of growing that TRANSPETRO's gas transportation activity is facing now and will be facing in the near future: from 2,600 km to 7,000 km of gas pipelines, and a volume of transported natural gas from 35 MMm{sup 3}/day to 100 MMm{sup 3}/day. (author)

Ayahuasca Exposure: Descriptive Analysis of Calls to US Poison Control Centers from 2005 to 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Heise, C William; Brooks, Daniel E

2017-09-01

Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic plant preparation which usually contains the vine Banisteriopsis caapi and the shrub Psychotria viridis. This tea originates from the Amazon Basin where it is used in religious ceremonies. Because interest in these religious groups spreading as well as awareness of use of ayahuasca for therapeutic and recreational purposes, its use is increasing. Banisteriopsis caapi is rich in β-carbolines, especially harmine, tetrahydroharmine and harmaline, which have monoamine oxidase inhibiting (MAOI) activity. Psychotria viridis contains the 5HT2A/2C/1A receptor agonist hallucinogen N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Usual desired effects include hallucination, dissociation, mood alteration and perception change. Undesired findings previously reported are nausea, vomiting, hypertension, and tachycardia. All human exposure calls reported to the American Association of Poison Controls Centers' (AAPCC) National Poison Data System (NPDS) between September 1, 2005 and September 1, 2015 were reviewed. Cases were filtered for specific plant derived ayahuasca-related product codes. Abstracted data included the following: case age and gender, exposure reason, exposure route, clinical manifestations, treatments given, medical outcomes and fatality. Five hundred and thirty-eight exposures to ayahuasca botanical products were reported. The majority of the calls to poison control centers came from healthcare facilities (83%). The most common route of exposure was ingestion. Most cases were men (437, 81%, 95% CI 77.7% - 84.3%). The median age was 21 (IQR 18-29). Most exposures were acute. Three hundred thirty-seven (63%) were reported to have a major or moderate clinical effect. The most common clinical manifestations reported were hallucinations (35%), tachycardia (34%), agitation (34%), hypertension (16%), mydriasis (13%) and vomiting (6%). Benzodiazepines were commonly given (30%). There were 28 cases in the series who required endotracheal intubation (5

CNC Turning Center Operations and Prove Out. Computer Numerical Control Operator/Programmer. 444-334.

Science.gov (United States)

Skowronski, Steven D.

This student guide provides materials for a course designed to instruct the student in the recommended procedures used when setting up tooling and verifying part programs for a two-axis computer numerical control (CNC) turning center. The course consists of seven units. Unit 1 discusses course content and reviews and demonstrates set-up procedures…

Comparison of quality control for trauma management between Western and Eastern European trauma center

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gambale Giorgio

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Quality control of trauma care is essential to define the effectiveness of trauma center and trauma system. To identify the troublesome issues of the system is the first step for validation of the focused customized solutions. This is a comparative study of two level I trauma centers in Italy and Romania and it has been designed to give an overview of the entire trauma care program adopted in these two countries. This study was aimed to use the results as the basis for recommending and planning changes in the two trauma systems for a better trauma care. Methods We retrospectively reviewed a total of 182 major trauma patients treated in the two hospitals included in the study, between January and June 2002. Every case was analyzed according to the recommended minimal audit filters for trauma quality assurance by The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACSCOT. Results Satisfactory yields have been reached in both centers for the management of head and abdominal trauma, airway management, Emergency Department length of stay and early diagnosis and treatment. The main significant differences between the two centers were in the patients' transfers, the leadership of trauma team and the patients' outcome. The main concerns have been in the surgical treatment of fractures, the outcome and the lacking of documentation. Conclusion The analyzed hospitals are classified as Level I trauma center and are within the group of the highest quality level centers in their own countries. Nevertheless, both of them experience major lacks and for few audit filters do not reach the mmum standard requirements of ACS Audit Filters. The differences between the western and the eastern European center were slight. The parameters not reaching the minimum requirements are probably occurring even more often in suburban settings.

Optimization of traffic distribution control in software-configurable infrastructure of virtual data center based on a simulation model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. P. Bolodurina

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Currently, the proportion of use of cloud computing technology in today's business processes of companies is growing steadily. Despite the fact that it allows you to reduce the cost of ownership and operation of IT infrastructure, there are a number of problems related to the control of data centers. One such problem is the efficiency of the use of available companies compute and network resources. One of the directions of optimization is the process of traffic control of cloud applications and services in data centers. Given the multi-tier architecture of modern data center, this problem does not quite trivial. The advantage of modern virtual infrastructure is the ability to use software-configurable networks and software-configurable data storages. However, existing solutions with algorithmic optimization does not take into account a number of features forming network traffic with multiple classes of applications. Within the framework of the exploration solved the problem of optimizing the distribution of traffic cloud applications and services for the software-controlled virtual data center infrastructure. A simulation model describing the traffic in data center and software-configurable network segments involved in the processing of user requests for applications and services located network environment that includes a heterogeneous cloud platform and software-configurable data storages. The developed model has allowed to implement cloud applications traffic management algorithm and optimize access to the storage system through the effective use of the channel for data transmission. In experimental studies found that the application of the developed algorithm can reduce the response time of cloud applications and services, and as a result improve the performance of processing user requests and to reduce the number of failures.

The role of poison control centers in CBRN incidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borron, S. W.; Haynes, J.; Young, P.

2009-01-01

Poison Control Centers (PCCs) have historically played a limited, parallel role in management of CBRN incidents; they are frequently called for advice by the public or health care providers when such incidents occur, but in many cases are not considered an integral part of the CBRN disaster emergency response team, lacking a 'place' in the Incident Command Structure (ICS). This is unfortunate, as PCCs represent an important public health resource. The roughly 60 centers in the U.S. are available 24/7, 365 days/year. Telephones are manned by professionals, including pharmacists and nurses with additional specialized training in poisoning response. PCC medical directors are generally trained in Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics or Preventive Medicine, with subspecialty training in Medical Toxicology. Many toxicologists attend specialized training in the radiation emergency management at REAC/TS. PCCs have extensive databases for poisoning management coupled with GIS surveillance. This combination of expertise and information renders PCCs well prepared to advice on decontamination and treatment of CBRN-contaminated victims. Their toxicology expertise allows their participation in risk assessment. PCCs are highly trusted by the community, enhancing their role in risk communication. We recently initiated a program that provides guidance on activation of PCCs by the Region 6 Regional Response Team (RRT6), Co-Chaired by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Coast Guard, serving as the federal component of the National Response System for the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. The program will be described, with emphasis on how PCCs may work within ICS.(author)

Direct numerical control of machine tools in a nuclear research center by the CAMAC system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zwoll, K.; Mueller, K.D.; Becks, B.; Erven, W.; Sauer, M.

1977-01-01

The production of mechanical parts in research centers can be improved by connecting several numerically controlled machine tools to a central process computer via a data link. The CAMAC Serial Highway with its expandable structure yields an economic and flexible system for this purpose. The CAMAC System also facilitates the development of modular components controlling the machine tools itself. A CAMAC installation controlling three different machine tools connected to a central computer (PDP11) via the CAMAC Serial Highway is described. Besides this application, part of the CAMAC hardware and software can also be used for a great variety of scientific experiments

Relating calls to US poison centers for potential exposures to medications to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting of influenza-like illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Beauchamp, Gillian A; McKeown, Nathanael J; Rodriguez, Sergio; Spyker, Daniel A

2016-03-01

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) monitors influenza like illness (ILI) and the National Poison Data System (NPDS) warehouses call data uploaded by US poison centers regarding reported exposures to medication. We examined the relationship between calls to poison centers regarding reported exposures to medications commonly used to treat ILI and weekly reports of ILI. The CDC reports ILI, by age group, for each of 10 Health and Human Services (HHS) regions. We examined NPDS summary data from calls reported to poison centers regarding reported exposures to acetaminophen, cough/cold medications, and promethazine, for the same weeks, age groups, and HHS regions for influenza seasons 2000-2013. ILI and NPDS exposures were examined using graphical plots, descriptive statistics, stepwise regression analysis, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). About 5,101,841 influenza-like illness cases were reported to the CDC, and 2,122,940 calls regarding reported exposures to medications commonly used to treat ILI, were reported by poison centers to the NPDS over the 13 flu seasons. Analysis of stepwise models of the linear untransformed data involving 24 NPDS data groups and for 60 ILI measures, over the 13 influenza seasons, demonstrated that reported exposures to medications used to treat ILI correlated with reported cases of ILI with a median R(2 )=( )0.489 (min R(2 )=( )0.248, max R(2 )=( )0.717), with mean ± SD of R(2 )=( )0.494 ± 0.121. Median number of parameters used (degrees of freedom - 1) was 7. NPDS data regarding poison center calls for selected ILI medication exposures were highly correlated with CDC ILI data. Since NPDS data are available in real time, it provides complimentary ILI monitoring. This approach may provide public health value in predicting other illnesses which are not currently as thoroughly monitored.

Control of the motion of the body's center of mass in relation to the center of pressure during high-heeled gait.

Science.gov (United States)

Chien, Hui-Lien; Lu, Tung-Wu; Liu, Ming-Wei

2013-07-01

High-heeled shoes are associated with instability and falling, leading to injuries such as fracture and ankle sprain. Knowledge of the motion of the body's center of mass (COM) with respect to the center of pressure (COP) during high-heeled gait may offer insights into the balance control strategies and provide a basis for approaches that minimize the risk of falling and associated adverse effects. The study aimed to investigate the influence of the base and height of the heels on the COM motion in terms of COM-COP inclination angles (IA) and the rate of change of IA (RCIA). Fifteen females who regularly wear high heels walked barefoot and with narrow-heeled shoes with three heel heights (3.9cm, 6.3cm and 7.3cm) while kinematic and ground reaction force data were measured and used to calculate the COM and COP, as well as the temporal-distance parameters. The reduced base of the heels was found to be the primary factor for the reduced normalized walking speed and the reduced frontal IA throughout the gait cycle. This was achieved mainly through the control of the RCIA during double-leg stance (DLS). The heel heights affected mainly the peak RCIA during DLS, which were not big enough to affect the IA. These results suggest young adults adopt a conservative strategy for balance control during narrow-heeled gait. The results will serve as baseline data for future evaluation of patients and/or older adults during narrow-heeled gait with the aim of reducing the risk of falling. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mathematical model for adaptive control system of ASEA robot at Kennedy Space Center

Science.gov (United States)

Zia, Omar

1989-01-01

The dynamic properties and the mathematical model for the adaptive control of the robotic system presently under investigation at Robotic Application and Development Laboratory at Kennedy Space Center are discussed. NASA is currently investigating the use of robotic manipulators for mating and demating of fuel lines to the Space Shuttle Vehicle prior to launch. The Robotic system used as a testbed for this purpose is an ASEA IRB-90 industrial robot with adaptive control capabilities. The system was tested and it's performance with respect to stability was improved by using an analogue force controller. The objective of this research project is to determine the mathematical model of the system operating under force feedback control with varying dynamic internal perturbation in order to provide continuous stable operation under variable load conditions. A series of lumped parameter models are developed. The models include some effects of robot structural dynamics, sensor compliance, and workpiece dynamics.

Operator-centered control of a semi-autonomous industrial robot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spelt, P.F.; Jones, S.L.

1994-01-01

This paper presents work done by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Remotec, Inc., to develop a new operator-centered control system for Remotec's Andros telerobot. Andros robots are presently used by numerous electric utilities, the armed forces, and numerous law enforcement agencies to perform tasks which are hazardous for human operators. This project has automated task components and enhanced the video graphics display of the robot's position in the environment to significantly reduce operator workload. The procedure of automating a telerobot requires the addition of computer power to the robot, along with a variety of sensors and encoders to provide information about the robots performance in and relationship to its environment The resulting vehicle serves as a platform for research on strategies to integrate automated tasks with those performed by a human operator. The addition of these capabilities will greatly enhance the safety and efficiency of performance in hazardous environments

High call volume at poison control centers: identification and implications for communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Caravati, E M; Latimer, S; Reblin, M; Bennett, H K W; Cummins, M R; Crouch, B I; Ellington, L

2012-09-01

High volume surges in health care are uncommon and unpredictable events. Their impact on health system performance and capacity is difficult to study. To identify time periods that exhibited very busy conditions at a poison control center and to determine whether cases and communication during high volume call periods are different from cases during low volume periods. Call data from a US poison control center over twelve consecutive months was collected via a call logger and an electronic case database (Toxicall®).Variables evaluated for high call volume conditions were: (1) call duration; (2) number of cases; and (3) number of calls per staff member per 30 minute period. Statistical analyses identified peak periods as busier than 99% of all other 30 minute time periods and low volume periods as slower than 70% of all other 30 minute periods. Case and communication characteristics of high volume and low volume calls were compared using logistic regression. A total of 65,364 incoming calls occurred over 12 months. One hundred high call volume and 4885 low call volume 30 minute periods were identified. High volume periods were more common between 1500 and 2300 hours and during the winter months. Coded verbal communication data were evaluated for 42 high volume and 296 low volume calls. The mean (standard deviation) call length of these calls during high volume and low volume periods was 3 minutes 27 seconds (1 minute 46 seconds) and 3 minutes 57 seconds (2 minutes 11 seconds), respectively. Regression analyses revealed a trend for fewer overall verbal statements and fewer staff questions during peak periods, but no other significant differences for staff-caller communication behaviors were found. Peak activity for poison center call volume can be identified by statistical modeling. Calls during high volume periods were similar to low volume calls. Communication was more concise yet staff was able to maintain a good rapport with callers during busy call periods

The efficacy of incentives to motivate continued fitness-center attendance in college first-year students: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Pope, Lizzy; Harvey, Jean

2014-01-01

To determine whether fitness-center attendance established with the provision of weekly monetary incentives persisted after the discontinuation, or decreased frequency, of incentives. One hundred seventeen first-year college students participated during the 2011-2012 academic year. A randomized controlled trial with control, discontinued-incentive, and continued-incentive conditions was conducted. During fall semester, students in incentive conditions received weekly monetary payments for meeting fitness-center attendance goals. During spring semester, discontinued-incentive condition participants no longer received incentives, whereas continued-incentive condition participants received payments on a variable-interval schedule. ID-card attendance records tracked fitness-center attendance. Goal completion decreased from 63% in the incentive groups during the fall semester to 3% in the discontinued-incentive condition, and 39% in the continued-incentive condition during the spring semester. There was not a significant interaction between condition and body mass index change, F(6, 332) = 0.67, p = .68. Incentive discontinuation resulted in students no longer meeting fitness-center attendance goals. A variable-interval reward schedule better maintained attendance.

A Comparison of the Views of Internal Controllers/Auditors and Branch/Call Center Personnel of the Banks for Operational Risk: A Case for Turkish Banking Sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sinemis Zengin

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to compare the views of internal controllers/auditors and branch/call center personnel of the banks with respect to the operational risk. Within this scope, we made two different surveys to the personnel in Turkish banks in order to achieve this objective. The first survey was conducted by 310 branch and call center personnel whereas 151 personnel in internal control and audit departments of the banks carried out the second survey. The major finding in this study is that there is a difference in the views of these two groups regarding the evaluation of operational risk. In general, internal controllers/auditors look at the operational risk more negatively than branch/call center personnel. The personnel who control and audit operations in the bank think that operational risk knowledge level of branch/call center personnel is less sufficient, operational risk levels are higher, the controls to avoid this risk are less efficient than branch/call center personnel consider.

78 FR 64505 - Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, (BSC, NCIPC)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-29

... Scientific Counselors, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, (BSC, NCIPC) In accordance with... reviews progress toward injury prevention goals and provides evidence in injury prevention- related... matters, including the: (1) Review of extramural research concepts for funding opportunity announcements...

In-Plane Shielding for CT: Effect of Off-Centering, Automatic Exposure Control and Shield-to-Surface Distance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kalra, Mannudeep K.; Dang, Pragya; Singh, Sarabjeet; Saini, Sanjay; Shepard, Jo Anne O. [Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (United States)

2009-04-15

To assess effects of off-centering, automatic exposure control, and padding on attenuation values, noise, and radiation dose when using in-plane bismuth-based shields for CT scanning. A 30 cm anthropomorphic chest phantom was scanned on a 64-multidetector CT, with the center of the phantom aligned to the gantry isocenter. Scanning was repeated after placing a bismuth breast shield on the anterior surface with no gap and with 1, 2, and 6 cm of padding between the shield and the phantom surface. The 'shielded' phantom was also scanned with combined modulation and off-centering of the phantom at 2 cm, 4 cm and 6 cm below the gantry isocenter. CT numbers, noise, and surface radiation dose were measured. The data were analyzed using an analysis of variance. The in-plane shield was not associated with any significant increment for the surface dose or CT dose index volume, which was achieved by comparing the radiation dose measured by combined modulation technique to the fixed mAs (p > 0.05). Irrespective of the gap or the surface CT numbers, surface noise increased to a larger extent compared to Hounsfield unit (HU) (0-6 cm, 26-55%) and noise (0-6 cm, 30-40%) in the center. With off-centering, in-plane shielding devices are associated with less dose savings, although dose reduction was still higher than in the absence of shielding (0 cm off-center, 90% dose reduction; 2 cm, 61%) (p < 0.0001). Streak artifacts were noted at 0 cm and 1 cm gaps but not at 2 cm and 6 cm gaps of shielding to the surface distances. In-plane shields are associated with greater image noise, artificially increased attenuation values, and streak artifacts. However, shields reduce radiation dose regardless of the extent of off-centering. Automatic exposure control did not increase radiation dose when using a shield.

Experimental and Computational Instrumentation for Rotorcraft Noise and Vibration Control Research at the Penn State Rotorcraft Center

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Smith, Edward

2001-01-01

A team of faculty at the Penn State Rotorcraft Center of Excellence has integrated five new facilities into a broad range of research and educational programs focused on rotorcraft noise and vibration control...

Report on the Audit of the Acquisition of the Tactical Air Operations Center/Modular Control Equipment

Science.gov (United States)

1991-06-06

This is our final report on the Audit of the Acquisition of the Tactical Air Operations Center/Modular Control Equipment (TAOC/MCE) for your...matters of concern that could affect the acquisition of the TAOC/MCE. We performed the audit from March through December 1990. The audit objective was...controls related to the audit objectives. The audit was made in accordance with the Inspector General’s critical program management element approach

77 FR 58397 - Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Ethics...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-20

... Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention--Ethics Subcommittee (ES) In..., regarding a broad range of public health ethics questions and issues arising from programs, scientists and practitioners. Matters To Be Discussed: Agenda items will include the following topics: Ethical considerations...

FAA Alleged Waste and Mismanagement of Air Route Traffic Control Centers Critical and Essential Power Systems Project

Science.gov (United States)

1996-10-16

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) reviewed a complaint from Congressman Deal on behalf of a constituent. The constituent alleged waste and mismanagement occurred in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Route Traffic Control Centers Criti...

[Cocaine base paste: experience from the Montevideo Poison Control Center].

Science.gov (United States)

Pascale, Antonio; Negrin, Alba; Laborde, Amalia

2010-01-01

In Uruguay, cocaine base paste (CBP, pasta base) is a widely used form of cocaine. The aim of our study is to determine the main clinical characteristics of CBP abusers. Retrospective, single-center study of consultations at the Montevideo Poison Control Center between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2005. One hundred and thirteen consultations were included, with an average age of 22 years (+ - 0.5 years) and a female-male sex ratio of 1:4.3. The consultations were related to drug overdose (77%), suicide attempt (16.8%), and wanting to give up CBP use (6.2%). In 48.1% the time elapsed since inhalation of CBP was less than 6 hours. Doses varied between 0.5 gr. and 25 gr. Use of other drugs at the same time, such as alcohol, marijuana or benzodiazepines, was common (51 cases). The symptoms most frequently observed were neuropsychiatric and cardiovascular, followed by respiratory symptoms. In 16.8% of patients, reason for the consultation was intentional acute ingestion of drugs, considered as a suicide attempt, occurring within a few hours of drug consumption. CBP users are mostly young males. Although clinical findings are compatible with those for cocaine abuse, euphoria is a major clinical feature in CBP abusers. The presence of respiratory symptoms reflects the complications associated with the ingestion route. Suicide attempts occurring within a few hours of CBP confirm the high prevalence of suicidal ideation reported by other authors. cocaine base paste, clinical features, suicide attempts.

Test Platform for Advanced Digital Control of Brushless DC Motors (MSFC Center Director's Discretionary Fund)

Science.gov (United States)

Gwaltney, D. A.

2002-01-01

A FY 2001 Center Director's Discretionary Fund task to develop a test platform for the development, implementation. and evaluation of adaptive and other advanced control techniques for brushless DC (BLDC) motor-driven mechanisms is described. Important applications for BLDC motor-driven mechanisms are the translation of specimens in microgravity experiments and electromechanical actuation of nozzle and fuel valves in propulsion systems. Motor-driven aerocontrol surfaces are also being utilized in developmental X vehicles. The experimental test platform employs a linear translation stage that is mounted vertically and driven by a BLDC motor. Control approaches are implemented on a digital signal processor-based controller for real-time, closed-loop control of the stage carriage position. The goal of the effort is to explore the application of advanced control approaches that can enhance the performance of a motor-driven actuator over the performance obtained using linear control approaches with fixed gains. Adaptive controllers utilizing an exact model knowledge controller and a self-tuning controller are implemented and the control system performance is illustrated through the presentation of experimental results.

Initial Flight Test of the Production Support Flight Control Computers at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, John; Stephenson, Mark

1999-01-01

The NASA Dryden Flight Research Center has completed the initial flight test of a modified set of F/A-18 flight control computers that gives the aircraft a research control law capability. The production support flight control computers (PSFCC) provide an increased capability for flight research in the control law, handling qualities, and flight systems areas. The PSFCC feature a research flight control processor that is "piggybacked" onto the baseline F/A-18 flight control system. This research processor allows for pilot selection of research control law operation in flight. To validate flight operation, a replication of a standard F/A-18 control law was programmed into the research processor and flight-tested over a limited envelope. This paper provides a brief description of the system, summarizes the initial flight test of the PSFCC, and describes future experiments for the PSFCC.

Contamination Control and Hardware Processing Solutions at Marshall Space Flight Center

Science.gov (United States)

Burns, DeWitt H.; Hampton, Tammy; Huey, LaQuieta; Mitchell, Mark; Norwood, Joey; Lowrey, Nikki

2012-01-01

The Contamination Control Team of Marshall Space Flight Center's Materials and Processes Laboratory supports many Programs/ Projects that design, manufacture, and test a wide range of hardware types that are sensitive to contamination and foreign object damage (FOD). Examples where contamination/FOD concerns arise include sensitive structural bondline failure, critical orifice blockage, seal leakage, and reactive fluid compatibility (liquid oxygen, hydrazine) as well as performance degradation of sensitive instruments or spacecraft surfaces such as optical elements and thermal control systems. During the design phase, determination of the sensitivity of a hardware system to different types or levels of contamination/FOD is essential. A contamination control and FOD control plan must then be developed and implemented through all phases of ground processing, and, sometimes, on-orbit use, recovery, and refurbishment. Implementation of proper controls prevents cost and schedule impacts due to hardware damage or rework and helps assure mission success. Current capabilities are being used to support recent and on-going activities for multiple Mission Directorates / Programs such as International Space Station (ISS), James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Space Launch System (SLS) elements (tanks, engines, booster), etc. The team also advances Green Technology initiatives and addresses materials obsolescence issues for NASA and external customers, most notably in the area of solvent replacement (e.g. aqueous cleaners containing hexavalent chrome, ozone depleting chemicals (CFC s and HCFC's), suspect carcinogens). The team evaluates new surface cleanliness inspection and cleaning technologies (e.g. plasma cleaning), and maintains databases for processing support materials as well as outgassing and optical compatibility test results for spaceflight environments.

Design and implementation of robust decentralized control laws for the ACES structure at Marshall Space Flight Center

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Emmanuel G., Jr.; Phillips, Douglas; Hyland, David C.

1990-01-01

An experiment was conducted to design controllers that would provide substantial reduction of line-of-sight control errors. The satisfaction of this objective required the controllers to attenuate the beam vibration significantly. Particular emphasis was placed on controller simplicity (i.e., reduced-order and decentralized controller architectures). Complexity reduction in control law implementation is of paramount interest due to stringent limitations on throughput of even state-of-the-art space qualified processors. The results of this experiment successfully demonstrate active vibrator control for a flexible structure. The testbed is the ACES structure at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The ACES structure is dynamically traceable to future space systems and especially allows the study of line-of-sight control issues.

Laser polarization dependent and magnetically control of group velocity in a dielectric medium doped with nanodiamond nitrogen vacancy centers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Asadpour, Seyyed Hossein; Rahimpour Soleimani, H., E-mail: Rahimpour@guilan.ac.ir

2014-03-01

In this paper, group velocity control of Gaussian beam in a dielectric medium doped with nanodiamond nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers under optical excitation is discussed. The shape of transmitted and reflected pulses from dielectric can be tuned by changing the intensity of magnetic field and polarization of the control beam. The effect of intensity of control beam on group velocity is also investigated.

75 FR 30409 - Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Ethics...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-01

... Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention--Ethics Subcommittee (ES) In... to the ACD, CDC, regarding a broad range of public health ethics questions and issues arising from... address public health ethics issues and coordination of these efforts with the CDC Office of State, Tribal...

77 FR 31018 - Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-24

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Board of... Violence or Sexual Violence Perpetration (R01), FOA CE12-003. In accordance with Section 10(a)(2) of the..., discussion of competitive applications following initial review of applications received in response to FOA...

Actions Needed to Ensure Scientific and Technical Information is Adequately Reviewed at Goddard Space Flight Center, Johnson Space Center, Langley Research Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center

Science.gov (United States)

2008-01-01

This audit was initiated in response to a hotline complaint regarding the review, approval, and release of scientific and technical information (STI) at Johnson Space Center. The complainant alleged that Johnson personnel conducting export control reviews of STI were not fully qualified to conduct those reviews and that the reviews often did not occur until after the STI had been publicly released. NASA guidance requires that STI, defined as the results of basic and applied scientific, technical, and related engineering research and development, undergo certain reviews prior to being released outside of NASA or to audiences that include foreign nationals. The process includes technical, national security, export control, copyright, and trade secret (e.g., proprietary data) reviews. The review process was designed to preclude the inappropriate dissemination of sensitive information while ensuring that NASA complies with a requirement of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 (the Space Act)1 to provide for the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information resulting from NASA research activities. We focused our audit on evaluating the STI review process: specifically, determining whether the roles and responsibilities for the review, approval, and release of STI were adequately defined and documented in NASA and Center-level guidance and whether that guidance was effectively implemented at Goddard Space Flight Center, Johnson Space Center, Langley Research Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center. Johnson was included in the review because it was the source of the initial complaint, and Goddard, Langley, and Marshall were included because those Centers consistently produce significant amounts of STI.

Electronic Cigarette Exposure: Calls to Wisconsin Poison Control Centers, 2010–2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Weiss, Debora; Tomasallo, Carrie D; Meiman, Jon G; Creswell, Paul D; Melstrom, Paul C; Gummin, David D; Patel, Disa J; Michaud, Nancy T; Sebero, Heather A; Anderson, Henry A

2016-12-01

E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that deliver nicotine and flavorings by aerosol and have been marketed in the United States since 2007. Because e-cigarettes have increased in popularity, toxicity potential from device misuse and malfunction also has increased. National data indicate that during 2010–2014, exposure calls to US poison control centers increased only 0.3% for conventional cigarette exposures, whereas calls increased 41.7% for e-cigarette exposures. We characterized cigarette and e-cigarette exposure calls to the Wisconsin Poison Center January 1, 2010 through October 10, 2015. We compared cigarette and e-cigarette exposure calls by exposure year, demographic characteristics, caller site, exposure site, exposure route, exposure reason, medical outcome, management site, and level of care at a health care facility. During January 2010 to October 2015, a total of 98 e-cigarette exposure calls were reported, and annual exposure calls increased approximately 17-fold, from 2 to 35. During the same period, 671 single-exposure cigarette calls with stable annual call volumes were reported. E-cigarette exposure calls were associated with children aged ≤5 years (57/98, 58.2%) and adults aged ≥20 years (30/98, 30.6%). Cigarette exposure calls predominated among children aged ≤5 years (643/671, 95.8%). The frequency of e-cigarette exposure calls to the Wisconsin Poison Center has increased and is highest among children aged ≤5 years and adults. Strategies are warranted to prevent future poisonings from these devices, including nicotine warning labels and public advisories to keep e-cigarettes away from children.

Electric Power Research Institute: Environmental Technology Control Center, report to the Steering committee. Final technical report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-04-01

This report describes test for air pollution control of flue gas and mercury as a result of coal combustion. The NYSEG Kintigh Station provided flue gas to the Center 100% of the time during this performance period. As the Kintigh Station operated with a variety of coals, fluctuations in the Center`s inlet SO{sub 2} concentrations were experienced. Safety training for the month was conducted by the O&M Superintendent, Maintenance Supervisor and Shift Supervisors. {open_quotes}Personal Protective Equipment{close_quotes} was the topic of the month. Inspections of the ECTC Facility and safety equipment (SCR air-packs, fire extinguishers, etc.) were completed and recorded this month. All systems were found to be in good condition. By continuing to emphasize safe work habits at the Center, we have raised the total number of days without a lost time injury to 1426 as of 4/30/96. The monthly safety meeting with the NYSEG Kintigh Station was held on April 30, 1996 with both NYSEG and ECTC representatives. The topics of discussion included an overview of NYSEG`s upcoming alternate fuel burn, an update on plant staffing changes, and a discussion of future safety training activities.

77 FR 34046 - Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Ethics...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-08

... Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)--Ethics Subcommittee (ES... ACD, CDC, regarding a broad range of public health ethics questions and issues arising from programs... ethics standards to the accreditation process for public health departments; ethical considerations...

RECOVERY ACT: DYNAMIC ENERGY CONSUMPTION MANAGEMENT OF ROUTING TELECOM AND DATA CENTERS THROUGH REAL-TIME OPTIMAL CONTROL (RTOC): Final Scientific/Technical Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ron Moon

2011-06-30

This final scientific report documents the Industrial Technology Program (ITP) Stage 2 Concept Development effort on Data Center Energy Reduction and Management Through Real-Time Optimal Control (RTOC). Society is becoming increasingly dependent on information technology systems, driving exponential growth in demand for data center processing and an insatiable appetite for energy. David Raths noted, 'A 50,000-square-foot data center uses approximately 4 megawatts of power, or the equivalent of 57 barrels of oil a day1.' The problem has become so severe that in some cases, users are giving up raw performance for a better balance between performance and energy efficiency. Historically, power systems for data centers were crudely sized to meet maximum demand. Since many servers operate at 60%-90% of maximum power while only utilizing an average of 5% to 15% of their capability, there are huge inefficiencies in the consumption and delivery of power in these data centers. The goal of the 'Recovery Act: Decreasing Data Center Energy Use through Network and Infrastructure Control' is to develop a state of the art approach for autonomously and intelligently reducing and managing data center power through real-time optimal control. Advances in microelectronics and software are enabling the opportunity to realize significant data center power savings through the implementation of autonomous power management control algorithms. The first step to realizing these savings was addressed in this study through the successful creation of a flexible and scalable mathematical model (equation) for data center behavior and the formulation of an acceptable low technical risk market introduction strategy leveraging commercial hardware and software familiar to the data center market. Follow-on Stage 3 Concept Development efforts include predictive modeling and simulation of algorithm performance, prototype demonstrations with representative data center equipment to

Aging Management Guideline for commercial nuclear power plants: Motor control centers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toman, G.; Gazdzinski, R.; O'Hearn, E.

1994-02-01

This Aging Management Guideline (AMG) provides recommended methods for effective detection and mitigation of age-related degradation mechanisms in Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) and Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) commercial nuclear power plant motor control centers important to license renewal. The intent of this AMG is to assist plant maintenance and operations personnel in maximizing the safe, useful life of these components. It also supports the documentation of effective aging management programs required under the License Renewal Rule 10 CFR Part 54. This AMG is presented in a manner that allows personnel responsible for performance analysis and maintenance to compare their plant-specific aging mechanisms (expected or already experienced) and aging management program activities to the more generic results and recommendations presented herein

Recovery Act: Federspiel Controls (now Vigilent) and State of California Department of General Services Data Center Energy Efficient Cooling Control Demonstration. Final technical project report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Federspiel, Clifford; Evers, Myah

2011-09-30

Eight State of California data centers were equipped with an intelligent energy management system to evaluate the effectiveness, energy savings, dollar savings and benefits that arise when powerful artificial intelligence-based technology measures, monitors and actively controls cooling operations. Control software, wireless sensors and mesh networks were used at all sites. Most sites used variable frequency drives as well. The system dynamically adjusts temperature and airflow on the fly by analyzing real-time demands, thermal behavior and historical data collected on site. Taking into account the chaotic interrelationships of hundreds to thousands of variables in a data center, the system optimizes the temperature distribution across a facility while also intelligently balancing loads, outputs, and airflow. The overall project will provide a reduction in energy consumption of more than 2.3 million kWh each year, which translates to $240,000 saved and a reduction of 1.58 million pounds of carbon emissions. Across all sites, the cooling energy consumption was reduced by 41%. The average reduction in energy savings across all the sites that use VFDs is higher at 58%. Before this case study, all eight data centers ran the cooling fans at 100% capacity all of the time. Because of the new technology, cooling fans run at the optimum fan speed maintaining stable air equilibrium while also expending the least amount of electricity. With lower fan speeds, the life of the capital investment made on cooling equipment improves, and the cooling capacity of the data center increases. This case study depicts a rare technological feat: The same process and technology worked cost effectively in eight very different environments. The results show that savings were achieved in centers with diverse specifications for the sizes, ages and types of cooling equipment. The percentage of cooling energy reduction ranged from 19% to 78% while keeping temperatures substantially within the

Adaptation of Control Center Software to Commerical Real-Time Display Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Collier, Mark D.

1994-01-01

NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is currently developing an enhanced Huntsville Operation Support Center (HOSC) system designed to support multiple spacecraft missions. The Enhanced HOSC is based upon a distributed computing architecture using graphic workstation hardware and industry standard software including POSIX, X Windows, Motif, TCP/IP, and ANSI C. Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is currently developing a prototype of the Display Services application for this system. Display Services provides the capability to generate and operate real-time data-driven graphic displays. This prototype is a highly functional application designed to allow system end users to easily generate complex data-driven displays. The prototype is easy to use, flexible, highly functional, and portable. Although this prototype is being developed for NASA-MSFC, the general-purpose real-time display capability can be reused in similar mission and process control environments. This includes any environment depending heavily upon real-time data acquisition and display. Reuse of the prototype will be a straight-forward transition because the prototype is portable, is designed to add new display types easily, has a user interface which is separated from the application code, and is very independent of the specifics of NASA-MSFC's system. Reuse of this prototype in other environments is a excellent alternative to creation of a new custom application, or for environments with a large number of users, to purchasing a COTS package.

Emergency Flight Control Using Only Engine Thrust and Lateral Center-of-Gravity Offset: A First Look

Science.gov (United States)

Burcham, Frank W., Jr.; Burken, John; Maine, Trindel A.; Bull, John

1997-01-01

Normally, the damage that results in a total loss of the primary flight controls of a jet transport airplane, including all engines on one side, would be catastrophic. In response, NASA Dryden has conceived an emergency flight control system that uses only the thrust of a wing-mounted engine along with a lateral center-of-gravity (CGY) offset from fuel transfer. Initial analysis and simulation studies indicate that such a system works, and recent high-fidelity simulation tests on the MD-11 and B-747 suggest that the system provides enough control for a survivable landing. This paper discusses principles of flight control using only a wing engine thrust and CGY offset, along with the amount of CGY offset capability of some transport airplanes. The paper also presents simulation results of the throttle-only control capability and closed-loop control of ground track using computer-controlled thrust.

Electric Power Research Institute Environmental Control Technology Center Report to the Steering Committee

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

1998-01-12

Operations and maintenance continued this month at the Electric Power Research Institute's (EPRI's) Environmental Control Technology Center (ECTC). Testing for the month involved the Dry Sorbent Injection (DSI) test block with the Carbon Injection System. The 1.0 MW Cold-Side Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) unit, the 0.4 MW Mini-Pilot Wet Scrubber, and the 4.0 MW Pilot Wet Scrubber remained idle this month in a cold-standby mode and were inspected regularly. These units remain available for testing as future project work is identified.

Alarm management in TRANSPETRO National Oil Control Center

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amado, Helio; Costa, Luciano [TRANSPETRO - PETROBRAS Transporte S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2009-07-01

For sure Alarm Management is not a new issue. EEMUA 191 has been around since 1999 and everyone has received visits from consultants in this area. Besides this regulators have requested that operators have a policy for it. However there are few papers showing actual pipeline operator experience in alarm management. In this paper we present the work developed in TRANSPETRO National Oil Control Center since 2006, where we operate 5509 km of crude oil and refined products pipelines. Since the beginning of the centralized operation in 2002, alarm management has been a concern but a systematic approach has been taken since 2006. Initially we will make a brief revision of the literature and show trends for regulations. Then we will show the tools and the approach we have taken. Finally, the further developments we see. The point that we want to discuss is that, it has been very difficult to implement the system in a linear way and we believe that companies that have huge legacy systems, the same probably will occur. Putting in simple words, our main conclusion is: Implementing an Alarm Management policy produces good results however probably sometimes is better not to follow strictly the traditional steps. (author)

76 FR 29755 - Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Ethics...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-23

... Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)--Ethics Subcommittee (ES... of public health ethics questions and issues arising from programs, scientists and practitioners... April 28, 2011, ACD, CDC meeting; discussion of next steps on addressing potential public health ethical...

Interobserver agreement of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for classifying infections in critically ill patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klein Klouwenberg, Peter M. C.; Ong, David S. Y.; Bos, Lieuwe D. J.; de Beer, Friso M.; van Hooijdonk, Roosmarijn T. M.; Huson, Mischa A.; Straat, Marleen; van Vught, Lonneke A.; Wieske, Luuk; Horn, Janneke; Schultz, Marcus J.; van der Poll, Tom; Bonten, Marc J. M.; Cremer, Olaf L.

2013-01-01

Correct classification of the source of infection is important in observational and interventional studies of sepsis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria are most commonly used for this purpose, but the robustness of these definitions in critically ill patients is not known. We

ORNL's Controlled Fusion Atomic Data Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barnett, C.F.; Gregory, D.C.

1983-01-01

The Data Center maintains a detailed bibliography of atomic data measurements and calculations for processes of interest to the fusion community. One hundred nineteen journals are regularly searched for papers of interest, including back issues to 1950. Entries are categorized by author, process, reactants, energy range, and theory/experiment. Complete bibliographies have been published since 1978 and a computerized data retrieval system is available. In addition, an updated and extended multi-volume critical compilation of cross sections (the ORNL Redbooks) is under way

Cortical Activation during Landmark-Centered vs. Gaze-Centered Memory of Saccade Targets in the Human: An FMRI Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying Chen

2017-06-01

Full Text Available A remembered saccade target could be encoded in egocentric coordinates such as gaze-centered, or relative to some external allocentric landmark that is independent of the target or gaze (landmark-centered. In comparison to egocentric mechanisms, very little is known about such a landmark-centered representation. Here, we used an event-related fMRI design to identify brain areas supporting these two types of spatial coding (i.e., landmark-centered vs. gaze-centered for target memory during the Delay phase where only target location, not saccade direction, was specified. The paradigm included three tasks with identical display of visual stimuli but different auditory instructions: Landmark Saccade (remember target location relative to a visual landmark, independent of gaze, Control Saccade (remember original target location relative to gaze fixation, independent of the landmark, and a non-spatial control, Color Report (report target color. During the Delay phase, the Control and Landmark Saccade tasks activated overlapping areas in posterior parietal cortex (PPC and frontal cortex as compared to the color control, but with higher activation in PPC for target coding in the Control Saccade task and higher activation in temporal and occipital cortex for target coding in Landmark Saccade task. Gaze-centered directional selectivity was observed in superior occipital gyrus and inferior occipital gyrus, whereas landmark-centered directional selectivity was observed in precuneus and midposterior intraparietal sulcus. During the Response phase after saccade direction was specified, the parietofrontal network in the left hemisphere showed higher activation for rightward than leftward saccades. Our results suggest that cortical activation for coding saccade target direction relative to a visual landmark differs from gaze-centered directional selectivity for target memory, from the mechanisms for other types of allocentric tasks, and from the directionally

Effortful Control and Parents' Emotion Socialization Patterns Predict Children's Positive Social Behavior: A Person-Centered Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Rachel L.; Dunsmore, Julie C.; Smith, Cynthia L.

2015-01-01

Research Findings: We examined relations of effortful control with parent emotion socialization practices and child social behavior using a person-centered approach in children ages 18 months to 5 years. A total of 76 parents (66 mothers, 10 fathers) completed questionnaires at screening and 6-month follow-up. There were no age differences in…

Person-centered care planning and service engagement: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanhope, Victoria; Tondora, Janis; Davidson, Larry; Choy-Brown, Mimi; Marcus, Steven C

2015-04-22

Service disengagement is a pervasive challenge the mental health care system faces. Mental health services are of little value should persons with mental illnesses continue to opt out of receiving them. Consumers attribute disengagement from care to an absence of choice in their treatment. In response, the mental health system is adopting a person-centered model, based upon recovery principles, to engage consumers more actively in their care. Person-centered care planning is a promising practice involving collaboration to develop and implement an actionable plan to assist the person in achieving personal recovery goals. This study design combines a parallel-group randomized controlled trial of community mental health organizations with qualitative methods to assess the effectiveness of person-centered care planning. Participants at 14 sites in Delaware and Connecticut will be randomized to treatment as usual or the person-centered care planning intervention. Participants will be in leadership (n = 70) or supervisory or direct care (n = 210) roles. The person-centered care planning intervention involves intensive staff training and 12 months of ongoing technical assistance. Quantitative survey data will be collected at baseline, 6 months and 12 months measuring person-centered care planning competency and organizational factors. Consumer outcomes (engagement, medication adherence, functioning and consumer satisfaction) will be assessed by Medicaid and state-level data. Qualitative data focused on process factors will include staff and consumer interviews and focus groups. In this intent-to-treat analysis, we will use mixed-effects multivariate regression models to evaluate the differential impact of the person-centered care planning intervention on each consumer and implementation outcome as well as the extent to which clinician assessments of organizational factors are associated with the implementation outcome. Mixed methods will triangulate and strengthen the

Poison control centers in developing countries and Asia's need for toxicology education

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makalinao, Irma R.; Awang, Rahmat

2005-01-01

Poison control centers (PCCs) in developing countries have been set up in response to the challenge of decreasing mortality and morbidity from poisoning. The services range from poison information to actual clinical treatment mostly of acute cases. Lately, PCCs have expanded from their traditional role to one that actively engages in community health studies, toxicovigilance along with treatment of chronic poisoning. Recognizing that types of poisoning and specific needs may vary from country to country, toxicology education that addresses these unique regional issues has become more necessary. Toxicology education, both formal and informal, exists in various stages of development in Asia. Clearly, there are gaps that need to be addressed especially in areas where there are no poison centers or where strengthening is necessary. Collaboration between PCCs in developing countries can help augment available resources including human, analytical and technical expertise. The critical mass of trained toxicologists will fill in the demand for clinical and regulatory specialists and educators as well. This paper highlights the experiences and resources available to the Philippine and Malaysian poison centers and the strengths generated by networking and collaboration. The role of Asia Pacific Association of Medical Toxicology (APAMT) as the Science NGO representative to the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) forum standing committee in promoting chemical safety at the regional level will be discussed. The 'Clearinghouse on the Sound Management of Chemicals', a platform for engaging multi-stakeholder and interdisciplinary partnerships, will be described as a possible model for capacity building to advance chemical safety through education and training not only in developing countries in Asia but globally as well

Research on Using the Naturally Cold Air and the Snow for Data Center Air-conditioning, and Humidity Control

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuda, Kunikazu; Tano, Shunichi; Ichino, Junko

To lower power consumption has becomes a worldwide concern. It is also becoming a bigger area in Computer Systems, such as reflected by the growing use of software-as-a-service and cloud computing whose market has increased since 2000, at the same time, the number of data centers that accumulates and manages the computer has increased rapidly. Power consumption at data centers is accounts for a big share of the entire IT power usage, and is still rapidly increasing. This research focuses on the air-conditioning that occupies accounts for the biggest portion of electric power consumption by data centers, and proposes to develop a technique to lower the power consumption by applying the natural cool air and the snow for control temperature and humidity. We verify those effectiveness of this approach by the experiment. Furthermore, we also examine the extent to which energy reduction is possible when a data center is located in Hokkaido.

77 FR 2549 - Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Ethics...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-18

... Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)--Ethics Subcommittee (ES... will provide counsel to the ACD, CDC, regarding a broad range of public health ethics questions and... territorial health departments in their efforts to address public health ethics challenges, approaches for...

75 FR 57044 - Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Ethics...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-17

... Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)--Ethics Subcommittee (ES... will provide counsel to the ACD, CDC, regarding a broad range of public health ethics questions and...; efforts to support state, tribal, local and territorial health departments address ethical issues in the...

76 FR 3909 - Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Ethics...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-21

... Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)--Ethics Subcommittee (ES..., regarding a broad range of public health ethics questions and issues arising from programs, scientists and... submitted on the ethical considerations document for the allocation of ventilators during a severe pandemic...

Gabapentin in traumatic nerve injury pain: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over, multi-center study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gordh, Torsten E; Stubhaug, Audun; Jensen, Troels S

2008-01-01

A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled cross-over multi-center study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of gabapentin in the treatment of neuropathic pain caused by traumatic or postsurgical peripheral nerve injury, using doses up to 2400mg/day. The study comprised a run...

Radiological protection and routinary controls of an activimeter with a cesium and barium sources in an nuclear medicine center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morales L, M.E.

2006-01-01

In the present work the results when carrying out the routine controls in a Deluxe Isotope (Calibrator II) equipment, with some sources of Cesium 137 and Barium 133, in a Nuclear Medicine Center that operates from the year 1983 in a modern one construction inside the Institute of Neoplastic Illnesses (INEN) are shown. Taking in account the Radiological Protection measures to verify if the equipment responds to the personnel's demands in the measurements of activities of the diverse radionuclides that are used in different types of exams that are carried out in this Nuclear Medicine Center are the objectives of this work. This Center was equipped initially with donated equipment by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with those that it develops assistance, educational works and of research, giving services to patients of the INEN and other public and private medical centers. (Author)

76 FR 55678 - Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Ethics...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-08

... Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)--Ethics Subcommittee (ES... provide counsel to the ACD, CDC, regarding a broad range of public health ethics questions and issues... in their efforts to address public health ethics challenges. The agenda is subject to change as...

The Development of a Virtual Company to Support the Reengineering of the NASA/Goddard Hubble Space Telescope Control Center System

Science.gov (United States)

Lehtonen, Ken

1999-01-01

This is a report to the Third Annual International Virtual Company Conference, on The Development of a Virtual Company to Support the Reengineering of the NASA/Goddard Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Control Center System. It begins with a HST Science "Commercial": Brief Tour of Our Universe showing various pictures taken from the Hubble Space Telescope. The presentation then reviews the project background and goals. Evolution of the Control Center System ("CCS Inc.") is then reviewed. Topics of Interest to "virtual companies" are reviewed: (1) "How To Choose A Team" (2) "Organizational Model" (3) "The Human Component" (4) "'Virtual Trust' Among Teaming Companies" (5) "Unique Challenges to Working Horizontally" (6) "The Cultural Impact" (7) "Lessons Learned".

75 FR 72831 - Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Ethics...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-26

... Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)--Ethics Subcommittee (ES... counsel to the ACD, CDC, regarding a broad range of public health ethics questions and issues arising from... strategy for addressing its charge to provide a preliminary overview to the ACD on ethical issues related...

The CMS Electromagnetic Calorimeter: Results on Crystal Measurements, Quality Control and Data Management in the Rome Regional Center

CERN Document Server

Costantini, S

2004-01-01

The barrel of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter is currently under construction and will contain 61200 PbWO4 crystals. Half of them are being fully characterized for dimensions, optical properties and light yield in the INFN-ENEA Regional Center near Rome. We describe the setup of an automatic quality control system for the crystal measurements and the present results on their qualification, as well as the REDACLE project, which has been developed to control and ease the production process. As it will not be possible to precalibrate the whole calorimeter,the crystal measurements and quality checks performed at the Regional Center will be crucial to provide a basis for fast in-situ calibration with particles. REDACLE is at the same time a fast database and a data management system, where the database and the workflow structures are decoupled, in order to obtain the best flexibility.

Multi-Vehicle Cooperative Control Research at the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, 2000-2014

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, Curt

2014-01-01

A brief introductory overview of multi-vehicle cooperative control research conducted at the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center from 2000 - 2014. Both flight research projects and paper studies are included. Since 2000, AFRC has been almost continuously pursuing research in the areas of formation flight for drag reduction and automated cooperative trajectories. An overview of results is given, including flight experiments done on the FA-18 and with the C-17. Other multi-vehicle cooperative research is discussed, including small UAV swarming projects and automated aerial refueling.

Evaluate Data Center Network Performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pilimon, Artur

through a data center network, which is usually built with layer 2 switches and layer 3 routers. The topology of the data center network is crucial for latency in the data communication to and from the data center and between servers in the data center. Tests can be conducted to measure latency and other...... Engineering, scientists evaluate data center network topologies with an SDN-based (Software-Defined Networking) control framework measuring network performance – primarily latency. This can be used to plan data center scaling by testing how a new topology will function before changes are made. Data center...... performance parameters for different data center network topologies. It is however important that tests can be repeated and reproduced to have comparable information from the tests. There are, of course, many topologies that can be used for data center networks. At DTU Fotonik, Department of Photonics...

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Radiation Hazard Scale Data Product Review Feedback Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Askin, A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Buddemeier, B. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Alai, M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Yu, K. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-09-20

In support of the Department of Energy (DOE) National nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) assisted in the development of new data templates for disseminating and communicating FRMAC1 data products using the CDC Radiation Hazard Scale communication tool. To ensure these data products will be useful to stakeholders during a radiological emergency, LLNL facilitated opportunities for product socialization and review.

Clinical quality performance in U.S. health centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Leiyu; Lebrun, Lydie A; Zhu, Jinsheng; Hayashi, Arthur S; Sharma, Ravi; Daly, Charles A; Sripipatana, Alek; Ngo-Metzger, Quyen

2012-12-01

To describe current clinical quality among the nation's community health centers and to examine health center characteristics associated with performance excellence. National data from the 2009 Uniform Data System. Health centers reviewed patient records and reported aggregate data to the Uniform Data System. Six measures were examined: first-trimester prenatal care, childhood immunization completion, Pap tests, low birth weight, controlled hypertension, and controlled diabetes. The top 25 percent performing centers were compared with lower performing (bottom 75 percent) centers on these measures. Logistic regressions were utilized to assess the impact of patient, provider, and institutional characteristics on health center performance. Clinical care and outcomes among health centers were generally comparable to national averages. For instance, 67 percent of pregnant patients received timely prenatal care (national = 68 percent), 69 percent of children achieved immunization completion (national = 67 percent), and 63 percent of hypertensive patients had blood pressure under control (national = 48 percent). Depending on the measure, centers with more uninsured patients were less likely to do well, while centers with more physicians and enabling service providers were more likely to do well. Health centers provide quality care at rates comparable to national averages. Performance may be improved by increasing insurance coverage among patients and increasing the ratios of physicians and enabling service providers to patients. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Infection prevention and control practice for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever-A multi-center cross-sectional survey in Eurasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Fletcher, Tom E; Gulzhan, Abuova; Ahmeti, Salih; Al-Abri, Seif S; Asik, Zahide; Atilla, Aynur; Beeching, Nick J; Bilek, Heval; Bozkurt, Ilkay; Christova, Iva; Duygu, Fazilet; Esen, Saban; Khanna, Arjun; Kader, Çiğdem; Mardani, Masoud; Mahmood, Faisal; Mamuchishvili, Nana; Pshenichnaya, Natalia; Sunbul, Mustafa; Yalcin, Tuğba Y; Leblebicioglu, Hakan

2017-01-01

Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a life threatening acute viral infection that presents significant risk of nosocomial transmission to healthcare workers. Evaluation of CCHF infection prevention and control (IP&C) practices in healthcare facilities that routinely manage CCHF cases in Eurasia. A cross-sectional CCHF IP&C survey was designed and distributed to CCHF centers in 10 endemic Eurasian countries in 2016. Twenty-three responses were received from centers in Turkey, Pakistan, Russia, Georgia, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Oman, Iran, India and Kazakhstan. All units had dedicated isolation rooms for CCHF, with cohorting of confirmed cases in 15/23 centers and cohorting of suspect and confirmed cases in 9/23 centers. There was adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) in 22/23 facilities, with 21/23 facilities reporting routine use of PPE for CCHF patients. Adequate staffing levels to provide care reported in 14/23 locations. All centers reported having a high risk CCHFV nosocomial exposure in last five years, with 5 centers reporting more than 5 exposures. Education was provided annually in most centers (13/23), with additional training requested in PPE use (11/23), PPE donning/doffing (12/23), environmental disinfection (12/23) and waste management (14/23). Staff and patient safety must be improved and healthcare associated CCHF exposure and transmission eliminated. Improvements are recommended in isolation capacity in healthcare facilities, use of PPE and maintenance of adequate staffing levels. We recommend further audit of IP&C practice at individual units in endemic areas, as part of national quality assurance programs.

An advanced automation system for operation of Sao Paulo pumping stations from TRANSPETRO Master Control Center - CNCO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Corcioli, Mario Sergio; Barreto, Camila Maria Benevenuto [TRANSPETRO, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2009-07-01

Since 2000 the operations of the TRANSPETRO pumping stations in the state of Sao Paulo region began to be transferred from local control centers located at the transfer and storage terminals to the National Operational Control Center (CNCO) of TRANSPETRO, located at the headquarters of the company, in Rio de Janeiro. The proposed paper aims to presenting an overview of the automation system that was developed to enable such pumping stations to be operated from CNCO in a reliable and secure manner, focusing on tools that offer an embedded system alarms completely free of false alarms with automatic determining of the root cause, and also automatic and advanced diagnoses of problems caused by failures of hardware, human error and abnormal conditions of the process, providing the CNCO SCADA system of accurate and quality information that help operators to make decisions. The referred automation system was integrated for the first time to CNCO SCADA system in 2000, for pipeline pumps of Osvat (Sao Sebastiao - Vale do Paraiba pipeline) station at the Sao Sebastiao Terminal - northern coast of Sao Paulo region. (author)

Growing Right Onto Wellness (GROW): a family-centered, community-based obesity prevention randomized controlled trial for preschool child-parent pairs.

Science.gov (United States)

Po'e, Eli K; Heerman, William J; Mistry, Rishi S; Barkin, Shari L

2013-11-01

Growing Right Onto Wellness (GROW) is a randomized controlled trial that tests the efficacy of a family-centered, community-based, behavioral intervention to prevent childhood obesity among preschool-aged children. Focusing on parent-child pairs, GROW utilizes a multi-level framework, which accounts for macro (i.e., built-environment) and micro (i.e., genetics) level systems that contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic. Six hundred parent-child pairs will be randomized to a 3-year healthy lifestyle intervention or a 3-year school readiness program. Eligible children are enrolled between ages 3 and 5, are from minority communities, and are not obese. The principal site for the GROW intervention is local community recreation centers and libraries. The primary outcome is childhood body mass index (BMI) trajectory at the end of the three-year study period. In addition to other anthropometric measurements, mediators and moderators of growth are considered, including genetics, accelerometry, and diet recall. GROW is a staged intensity intervention, consisting of intensive, maintenance, and sustainability phases. Throughout the study, parents build skills in nutrition, physical activity, and parenting, concurrently forming new social networks. Participants are taught goal-setting, self-monitoring, and problem solving techniques to facilitate sustainable behavior change. The GROW curriculum uses low health literacy communication and social media to communicate key health messages. The control arm is administered to both control and intervention participants. By conducting this trial in public community centers, and by implementing a family-centered approach to sustainable healthy childhood growth, we aim to develop an exportable community-based intervention to address the expanding public health crisis of pediatric obesity. © 2013.

High-fat diets and seizure control in myoclonic-astatic epilepsy: a single center's experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Simard-Tremblay, Elisabeth; Berry, Patricia; Owens, Aaron; Cook, William Byron; Sittner, Haley R; Mazzanti, Marta; Huber, Jennifer; Warner, Molly; Shurtleff, Hillary; Saneto, Russell P

2015-02-01

To determine the efficacy of the Modified Atkins Diet (MAD) and Ketogenic Diet (KD) in seizure control within a population of myoclonic-astatic epilepsy (MAE) patients. This was a retrospective, single center study evaluating the seizure control by high fat diets. Seizure diaries kept by the parents performed seizure counts. All patients met the clinical criteria for MAE. Nine patients met the clinical criteria. We found that both the MAD and KD were efficacious in complete seizure control and allowed other medications to be stopped in seven patients. Two patients had greater than 90% seizure control without medications, one on the KD and the other on the MAD. Seizure freedom has ranged from 13 to 36 months, and during this time four patients have been fully weaned off of diet management. One patient was found to have a mutation in SLC2A1. Our results suggest that strictly defined MAE patients respond to the MAD with prolonged seizure control. Some patients may require the KD for seizure freedom, suggesting a common pathway of increased requirement for fats. Once controlled, those fully responsive to the Diet(s) could be weaned off traditional seizure medications and in many, subsequently off the MAD or KD. Copyright © 2014 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of On-Ramp PI Controller Based on Dural Group QPSO with Different Well Centers Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao Wu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A novel quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO algorithm, dual-group QPSO with different well centers (DWC-QPSO algorithm, is proposed by constructing the master-slave subswarms. The new algorithm was applied in the parameter optimization of on-ramp traffic PI controller combining with nonlinear feedback theory. With the critical information contained in the searching space and results of the basic QPSO algorithm, this algorithm avoids the rapid disappearance of swarm diversity and enhances the global searching ability through collaboration between subswarms. Experiment results on an on-ramp traffic control simulation show that DWC-QPSO can be well applied in the study of on-ramp traffic PI controller and the comparison results illustrate that DWC-QPSO outperforms other evolutionary algorithms with enhancement in both adaptability and stability.

The Centers for Disease Control program to prevent primary and secondary disabilities in the United States.

OpenAIRE

Houk, V N; Thacker, S B

1989-01-01

The Disabilities Prevention Program builds on traditional Centers for Disease Control (CDC) strengths in public health surveillance, epidemiology, and technology transfer to State and local governments in translating the findings of research into prevention programs. The objectives of the CDC program are to provide a national focus for the prevention of primary and secondary disabilities, build capacity at the State and community levels to maintain programs to prevent disabilities, and increa...

Germinal Center Optimization Applied to Neural Inverse Optimal Control for an All-Terrain Tracked Robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Villaseñor

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, there are several meta-heuristics algorithms which offer solutions for multi-variate optimization problems. These algorithms use a population of candidate solutions which explore the search space, where the leadership plays a big role in the exploration-exploitation equilibrium. In this work, we propose to use a Germinal Center Optimization algorithm (GCO which implements temporal leadership through modeling a non-uniform competitive-based distribution for particle selection. GCO is used to find an optimal set of parameters for a neural inverse optimal control applied to all-terrain tracked robot. In the Neural Inverse Optimal Control (NIOC scheme, a neural identifier, based on Recurrent High Orden Neural Network (RHONN trained with an extended kalman filter algorithm, is used to obtain a model of the system, then, a control law is design using such model with the inverse optimal control approach. The RHONN identifier is developed without knowledge of the plant model or its parameters, on the other hand, the inverse optimal control is designed for tracking velocity references. Applicability of the proposed scheme is illustrated using simulations results as well as real-time experimental results with an all-terrain tracked robot.

Association of Employee Attributes and Exceptional Performance Rating at a National Center of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Henry; Myles, Ranell L; Truman, Benedict I; Dean, Hazel D

2015-01-01

Employee performance evaluation motivates and rewards exceptional individual performance that advances the achievement of organizational goals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its operating units evaluate employee performance annually and reward exceptional performance with a cash award or quality step increase in pay. A summary performance rating (SPR) of "exceptional" indicated personal achievements in 2011 that were beyond expectations described in the employee's performance plan. To determine whether personal attributes and job setting of civil service employees were associated with an exceptional SPR in National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) in 2011. Data from the CDC 2011 performance management database collected in 2012 were analyzed in 2013 to identify SPR, personal attributes, and job settings of full-time civil service employees. Multivariate logistic regression controlled for confounding and stratified analysis detected effect modifiers of the association between receiving an exceptional SPR in 2011 and gender, race/ethnicity, education, job location, job series, grade level, years in grade, years of federal service, supervisory role, and NCHHSTP division. Among the 1037 employees, exceptional SPR was independently associated with: female gender (adjusted odds ratio: 1.7 [1.3, 2.3]), advanced degrees (doctorate: 1.7 [1.1, 2.5] master's: [1.1, 2.0]), headquarters location (2.8 [1.9, 4.1]), higher pay grade (3.3 [2.4, 4.5]) and years in grade (0-1 years: 1.7 [1.3, 2.4]; 2-4 years: 1.5 [1.1, 2.0]), division level (Division A: 5.0 [2.5, 9.9]; Division B: 5.5 [3.5, 8.8]), and supervisory status (at a lower-pay grade) (odds ratio: 3.7 [1.1, 11.3]). Exceptional SPR is independently associated with personal employee attributes and job settings that are not modifiable by interventions designed to improve employee performance based on accomplishments.

Impact of an Infection Control Program on the Prevalence of Nosocomial Infections at a Tertiary Care Center in Switzerland

OpenAIRE

Ebnöther, Corina; Tanner, Beate; Schmid, Flavia; Rocca, Vittoria La; Heinzer, Ivo; Bregenzer, Thomas

2017-01-01

Objective. To study the impact of a multimodal infection control program on the rate of nosocomial infections at a 550-bed tertiary care center. Methods. Before and after the implementation of an infection control program, the rate of nosocomial infection was recorded in time-interval prevalence studies. Hand hygiene compliance was studied before and after the intervention. As a surrogate marker of compliance, the amount of alcohol-based hand rub consumed before the intervention was compared ...

Clinical relevance of surgical site infection as defined by the criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, N A; Meyhoff, C S; Wetterslev, J

2010-01-01

Surgical site infection (SSI) is a common complication after abdominal surgery and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria are commonly used for diagnosis and surveillance. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether SSI diagnosed according to CDC is clinically relevant (C...... a suitable standard definition for monitoring and identifying SSI, even if some cases of less clinically significant superficial SSI are included.......Surgical site infection (SSI) is a common complication after abdominal surgery and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria are commonly used for diagnosis and surveillance. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether SSI diagnosed according to CDC is clinically relevant...... hospital stay or referral to an intensive care unit for SSI. The rate of CRSSI was 38 of 54 (70%) in patients with CDC-diagnosed SSI and none in patients without a CDC-diagnosed SSI. Sixty-one percent of the CDC-diagnosed SSIs were superficial, of which 48% were considered clinically relevant...

Status Report on the Development of Micro-Scheduling Software for the Advanced Outage Control Center Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Germain, Shawn St. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Thomas, Kenneth [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Farris, Ronald [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Joe, Jeffrey [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2014-09-01

The long-term viability of existing nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the United States (U.S.) is dependent upon a number of factors, including maintaining high capacity factors, maintaining nuclear safety, and reducing operating costs, particularly those associated with refueling outages. Refueling outages typically take 20-30 days, and for existing light water NPPs in the U.S., the reactor cannot be in operation during the outage. Furthermore, given that many NPPs generate between $1-1.5 million/day in revenue when in operation, there is considerable interest in shortening the length of refueling outages. Yet, refueling outages are highly complex operations, involving multiple concurrent and dependent activities that are difficult to coordinate. Finding ways to improve refueling outage performance while maintaining nuclear safety has proven to be difficult. The Advanced Outage Control Center project is a research and development (R&D) demonstration activity under the Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program. LWRS is a R&D program which works with industry R&D programs to establish technical foundations for the licensing and managing of long-term, safe, and economical operation of current NPPs. The Advanced Outage Control Center project has the goal of improving the management of commercial NPP refueling outages. To accomplish this goal, this INL R&D project is developing an advanced outage control center (OCC) that is specifically designed to maximize the usefulness of communication and collaboration technologies for outage coordination and problem resolution activities. This report describes specific recent efforts to develop a capability called outage Micro-Scheduling. Micro-Scheduling is the ability to allocate and schedule outage support task resources on a sub-hour basis. Micro-Scheduling is the real-time fine-tuning of the outage schedule to react to the actual progress of the primary outage activities to ensure that support task resources are

"Carbon in Underland": A multidisciplinary approach to producing an informative animated video for the Center for Nanoscale Control of Geological CO2

Science.gov (United States)

Molins, S.; Cappuccio, J. A.; Berry, I.; Miller, J.; Bourg, I. C.; Kelly, L. M.

2011-12-01

As part of the 'Science for Our Nation's Energy Future, Summit and Forum', each of the 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) created in 2009 by the US Department of Energy was invited to design a short, engaging film with the central goal to educate, inspire, and entertain an intelligent but not expert audience about the extraordinary science, innovation and people in their center. The Center for Nanoscale Control of Geological CO2 (NCGC) is an EFRC that is building a next generation understanding of molecular-to-pore-scale processes critical to controlling the flow,transport, and ultimate mineralization in porous rock media, in particular as applied to geologic sequestration of CO2. In response to the invitation, the NCGC assembled a team that included several young scientists, the Center project manager, and members from the Public Affairs and Creative Services Office of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory with the objective of preparing a submission. A videographer from the Creative Services Office was responsible for overall management including production, art direction, and editing, while scientists from the Center were responsible for scientific content and original storyline concept. The Center project manager facilitated the communication between team members. A group of scientists together with the project manager developed the original idea, which was refined and given shape as a script in dialogue form by a science writer from Public Affairs. The objective was to communicate scientific content in an entertaining manner with a simple storyline. In a second phase, the script was revised further by scientists for content. Clips from experiments and modeling simulations were requested from the Center's scientists to illustrate the scientific content. Video production and animation were done by the videographer and an animator in an iterative process that involve feedback from the Center team. The final cut was edited to meet the maximum length

Job Demand and Control Interventions: A Stakeholder-Centered Best-Evidence Synthesis of Systematic Reviews on Workplace Disability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K Williams-Whitt

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Physical and psychological job demands in combination with the degree of control a worker has over task completion, play an important role in reducing stress. Occupational stress is an important, modifiable factor affecting work disability. However, the effectiveness of reducing job demands or increasing job control remains unclear, particularly for outcomes of interest to employers, such as absenteeism or productivity. Objective: This systematic review reports on job demand and control interventions that impact absenteeism, productivity and financial outcomes. Methods: A stakeholder-centered best-evidence synthesis was conducted with researcher and stakeholder collaboration throughout. Databases and grey literature were searched for systematic reviews between 2000 and 2012: Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, DARE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, TRIP, health-evidence.ca, Rehab+, National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC, and Institute for Work and Health. Articles were assessed independently by two researchers for inclusion criteria and methodological quality. Differences were resolved through consensus. Results: The search resulted in 3363 unique titles. After review of abstracts, 115 articles were retained for full-text review. 11 articles finally met the inclusion criteria and are summarized in this synthesis. The best level of evidence we found indicates that multimodal job demand reductions for either at-work or off-work workers will reduce disability-related absenteeism. Conclusion: In general, the impacts of interventions that aim to reduce job demands or increase job control can be positive for the organization in terms of reducing absenteeism, increasing productivity and cost-effectiveness. However, more high quality research is needed to further assess the relationships and quantify effect sizes for the interventions and outcomes reviewed in this study.

Job demand and control interventions: a stakeholder-centered best-evidence synthesis of systematic reviews on workplace disability.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams-Whitt, K; White, M I; Wagner, S L; Schultz, I Z; Koehn, C; Dionne, C E; Koehoorn, M; Harder, H; Pasca, R; Warje, O; Hsu, V; McGuire, L; Schulz, W; Kube, D; Hook, A; Wright, M D

2015-04-01

Physical and psychological job demands in combination with the degree of control a worker has over task completion, play an important role in reducing stress. Occupational stress is an important, modifiable factor affecting work disability. However, the effectiveness of reducing job demands or increasing job control remains unclear, particularly for outcomes of interest to employers, such as absenteeism or productivity. This systematic review reports on job demand and control interventions that impact absenteeism, productivity and financial outcomes. A stakeholder-centered best-evidence synthesis was conducted with researcher and stakeholder collaboration throughout. Databases and grey literature were searched for systematic reviews between 2000 and 2012: Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, DARE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, TRIP, health-evidence.ca, Rehab+, National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), and Institute for Work and Health. Articles were assessed independently by two researchers for inclusion criteria and methodological quality. Differences were resolved through consensus. The search resulted in 3363 unique titles. After review of abstracts, 115 articles were retained for full-text review. 11 articles finally met the inclusion criteria and are summarized in this synthesis. The best level of evidence we found indicates that multimodal job demand reductions for either at-work or off-work workers will reduce disability-related absenteeism. In general, the impacts of interventions that aim to reduce job demands or increase job control can be positive for the organization in terms of reducing absenteeism, increasing productivity and cost-effectiveness. However, more high quality research is needed to further assess the relationships and quantify effect sizes for the interventions and outcomes reviewed in this study.

Virus-Induced Chaperone-Enriched (VICE domains function as nuclear protein quality control centers during HSV-1 infection.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christine M Livingston

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Virus-Induced Chaperone-Enriched (VICE domains form adjacent to nuclear viral replication compartments (RC during the early stages of HSV-1 infection. Between 2 and 3 hours post infection at a MOI of 10, host protein quality control machinery such as molecular chaperones (e.g. Hsc70, the 20S proteasome and ubiquitin are reorganized from a diffuse nuclear distribution pattern to sequestration in VICE domains. The observation that VICE domains contain putative misfolded proteins suggests that they may be similar to nuclear inclusion bodies that form under conditions in which the protein quality control machinery is overwhelmed by the presence of misfolded proteins. The detection of Hsc70 in VICE domains, but not in nuclear inclusion bodies, indicates that Hsc70 is specifically reorganized by HSV-1 infection. We hypothesize that HSV-1 infection induces the formation of nuclear protein quality control centers to remodel or degrade aberrant nuclear proteins that would otherwise interfere with productive infection. Detection of proteolytic activity in VICE domains suggests that substrates may be degraded by the 20S proteasome in VICE domains. FRAP analysis reveals that GFP-Hsc70 is dynamically associated with VICE domains, suggesting a role for Hsc70 in scanning the infected nucleus for misfolded proteins. During 42 degrees C heat shock, Hsc70 is redistributed from VICE domains into RC perhaps to remodel viral replication and regulatory proteins that have become insoluble in these compartments. The experiments presented in this paper suggest that VICE domains are nuclear protein quality control centers that are modified by HSV-1 to promote productive infection.

cGAS-mediated control of blood-stage malaria promotes Plasmodium-specific germinal center responses.

Science.gov (United States)

Hahn, William O; Butler, Noah S; Lindner, Scott E; Akilesh, Holly M; Sather, D Noah; Kappe, Stefan Hi; Hamerman, Jessica A; Gale, Michael; Liles, W Conrad; Pepper, Marion

2018-01-25

Sensing of pathogens by host pattern recognition receptors is essential for activating the immune response during infection. We used a nonlethal murine model of malaria (Plasmodium yoelii 17XNL) to assess the contribution of the pattern recognition receptor cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) to the development of humoral immunity. Despite previous reports suggesting a critical, intrinsic role for cGAS in early B cell responses, cGAS-deficient (cGAS-/-) mice had no defect in the early expansion or differentiation of Plasmodium-specific B cells. As the infection proceeded, however, cGAS-/- mice exhibited higher parasite burdens and aberrant germinal center and memory B cell formation when compared with littermate controls. Antimalarial drugs were used to further demonstrate that the disrupted humoral response was not B cell intrinsic but instead was a secondary effect of a loss of parasite control. These findings therefore demonstrate that cGAS-mediated innate-sensing contributes to parasite control but is not intrinsically required for the development of humoral immunity. Our findings highlight the need to consider the indirect effects of pathogen burden in investigations examining how the innate immune system affects the adaptive immune response.

Design of SCADA water resource management control center by a bi-objective redundancy allocation problem and particle swarm optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolatshahi-Zand, Ali; Khalili-Damghani, Kaveh

2015-01-01

SCADA is an essential system to control critical facilities in big cities. SCADA is utilized in several sectors such as water resource management, power plants, electricity distribution centers, traffic control centers, and gas deputy. The failure of SCADA results in crisis. Hence, the design of SCADA system in order to serve a high reliability considering limited budget and other constraints is essential. In this paper, a bi-objective redundancy allocation problem (RAP) is proposed to design Tehran's SCADA water resource management control center. Reliability maximization and cost minimization are concurrently considered. Since the proposed RAP is a non-linear multi-objective mathematical programming so the exact methods cannot efficiently handle it. A multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm is designed to solve it. Several features such as dynamic parameter tuning, efficient constraint handling and Pareto gridding are inserted in proposed MOPSO. The results of proposed MOPSO are compared with an efficient ε-constraint method. Several non-dominated designs of SCADA system are generated using both methods. Comparison metrics based on accuracy and diversity of Pareto front are calculated for both methods. The proposed MOPSO algorithm reports better performance. Finally, in order to choose the practical design, the TOPSIS algorithm is used to prune the Pareto front. - Highlights: • Multi-objective redundancy allocation problem (MORAP) is proposed to design SCADA system. • Multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) is proposed to solve MORAP. • Efficient epsilon-constraint method is adapted to solve MORAP. • Non-dominated solutions are generated on Pareto front of MORAP by both methods. • Several multi-objective metrics are calculated to compare the performance of methods

The World Optical Depth Research and Calibration Center (WORCC) quality assurance and quality control of GAW-PFR AOD measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Kazadzis, Stelios; Kouremeti, Natalia; Nyeki, Stephan; Gröbner, Julian; Wehrli, Christoph

2018-02-01

The World Optical Depth Research Calibration Center (WORCC) is a section within the World Radiation Center at Physikalisches-Meteorologisches Observatorium (PMOD/WRC), Davos, Switzerland, established after the recommendations of the World Meteorological Organization for calibration of aerosol optical depth (AOD)-related Sun photometers. WORCC is mandated to develop new methods for instrument calibration, to initiate homogenization activities among different AOD networks and to run a network (GAW-PFR) of Sun photometers. In this work we describe the calibration hierarchy and methods used under WORCC and the basic procedures, tests and processing techniques in order to ensure the quality assurance and quality control of the AOD-retrieved data.

RELATIONSHIP OF ASSESS SELF-ESTEEM AND LOCUS OF CONTROL WITH QUALITY OF LIFE DURING TREATMENT STAGES IN PATIENTS REFERRING TO DRUG ADDICTION REHABILITATION CENTERS.

Science.gov (United States)

Heidari, Mohammad; Ghodusi, Mansureh

2016-07-24

Thus, the present research was carried out aimed at determining the relationship between self-esteem and locus of control and quality of life during treatment stages in the patients referring to drug addiction rehabilitation centers of Borujen city, Iran. The current study was a sectional research of descriptive correlation type. The research sample was 150 individuals of patients referring to addiction rehabilitation centers of Borujen city. For data gathering, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, Rotter's Locus of Control Scale, and SF36 Quality of Life Questionnaire were used. Following collection of questionnaires, the data were analyzed using SPSS/16 software. According to the results, in the 12 th day of treatment, 96 patients exhibited moderate self-esteem, 102 patients had internal locus of control, and the score of their overall quality of life was 40.43±12.71. Furthermore, Pearson's correlation coefficient indicated that a significant and positive relationship was observed between locus of control and quality of life during different treatment stages. It seems that quality of life improves during addiction treatment stages due to improvement of personality traits including locus of control and self-esteem. Therefore, consultation methods as a very crucial priority in addiction rehabilitation centers shall be taken into account by the health sector authorities and managers and can play an essential role in enhancing quality of life.

RELATIONSHIP OF ASSESS SELF-ESTEEM AND LOCUS OF CONTROL WITH QUALITY OF LIFE DURING TREATMENT STAGES IN PATIENTS REFERRING TO DRUG ADDICTION REHABILITATION CENTERS

Science.gov (United States)

Heidari, Mohammad; Ghodusi, Mansureh

2016-01-01

Objective: Thus, the present research was carried out aimed at determining the relationship between self-esteem and locus of control and quality of life during treatment stages in the patients referring to drug addiction rehabilitation centers of Borujen city, Iran. Methods: The current study was a sectional research of descriptive correlation type. The research sample was 150 individuals of patients referring to addiction rehabilitation centers of Borujen city. For data gathering, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, Rotter’s Locus of Control Scale, and SF36 Quality of Life Questionnaire were used. Following collection of questionnaires, the data were analyzed using SPSS/16 software. Results: According to the results, in the 12th day of treatment, 96 patients exhibited moderate self-esteem, 102 patients had internal locus of control, and the score of their overall quality of life was 40.43±12.71. Furthermore, Pearson’s correlation coefficient indicated that a significant and positive relationship was observed between locus of control and quality of life during different treatment stages. Conclusion: It seems that quality of life improves during addiction treatment stages due to improvement of personality traits including locus of control and self-esteem. Therefore, consultation methods as a very crucial priority in addiction rehabilitation centers shall be taken into account by the health sector authorities and managers and can play an essential role in enhancing quality of life. PMID:27698598

Automated daily quality control analysis for mammography in a multi-unit imaging center.

Science.gov (United States)

Sundell, Veli-Matti; Mäkelä, Teemu; Meaney, Alexander; Kaasalainen, Touko; Savolainen, Sauli

2018-01-01

Background The high requirements for mammography image quality necessitate a systematic quality assurance process. Digital imaging allows automation of the image quality analysis, which can potentially improve repeatability and objectivity compared to a visual evaluation made by the users. Purpose To develop an automatic image quality analysis software for daily mammography quality control in a multi-unit imaging center. Material and Methods An automated image quality analysis software using the discrete wavelet transform and multiresolution analysis was developed for the American College of Radiology accreditation phantom. The software was validated by analyzing 60 randomly selected phantom images from six mammography systems and 20 phantom images with different dose levels from one mammography system. The results were compared to a visual analysis made by four reviewers. Additionally, long-term image quality trends of a full-field digital mammography system and a computed radiography mammography system were investigated. Results The automated software produced feature detection levels comparable to visual analysis. The agreement was good in the case of fibers, while the software detected somewhat more microcalcifications and characteristic masses. Long-term follow-up via a quality assurance web portal demonstrated the feasibility of using the software for monitoring the performance of mammography systems in a multi-unit imaging center. Conclusion Automated image quality analysis enables monitoring the performance of digital mammography systems in an efficient, centralized manner.

Antivenom Therapy for Crotaline Snakebites: Has the Poison Control Center Provided Effective Guidelines?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yen-Chia Chen

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Crotaline snakebites (Protobothrops mucrosquamatus and Trimeresurus stejnegeri are a common medical emergency in Taiwan that can be effectively treated by a bivalent F(ab'2 antivenom. We investigated the differences in the clinical outcomes of patients who received different therapeutic regimens of antivenom in a medical center where clinical toxicologists followed the poison control center (PCC guidelines (medical group and surgeons did not (surgical group. The medical records of inpatients with crotaline snakebites between 1991 and 2005 were reviewed and information on demographics, treatments, adverse effects of antivenom, and complications was abstracted and analyzed. A total of 179 patients (90 medical, 89 surgical were eligible for study. There was no significant intergroup difference in baseline characteristics except that the dose of antivenom and the probability of antibiotic use were both higher in the surgical group (5.9 ± 4.2 vials vs. 2.7 ± 1.6 vials; 93% vs. 60%. Multiple logistic regression adjusting for age, gender, calendar year of envenomation, severity of envenomation, and antibiotic use did not disclose evidence of any difference in various clinical outcomes between medical and surgical patients. The lower dose of antivenom recommended by the PCC may be as effective and safe as the higher dose used in the surgical group for the treatment of crotaline snakebites.

Single-center trials in neonatology: Issues to consider.

Science.gov (United States)

Sinha, Ian P; Sinha, Sunil K

2015-12-01

Single-center randomized controlled trials confer certain advantages over multi-center trials, in that they are cheaper and easier to design and conduct. However, recent research suggests that single-center trials are likely to overestimate treatment effects. There are notable examples in neonatology where results from multi-center trials have contradicted results of single-center studies. In this paper we discuss issues around external generalizability of single-center studies, and methodological issues that may cause bias. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Differences in attachment and personality in children from child guidance centers, child psychiatry units, and control families].

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmermann, Peter; Scheuerer-Englisch, Hermann

2013-01-01

Insecure attachment and deficits in self-regulation as personality traits are risk factors for the development of psychopathological symptoms from infancy on. This study examines differences in attachment and personality in late childhood, comparing children from non-clinical families, from a child guidance center, and child psychiatry units with in-patient care. Children's attachment representations, their attachment behavior strategy, reported distressing parental behavior, their emotional openness, and attachment coherency were assessed with the Late Childhood Attachment Interview (LCAI). Ego-resiliency, ego-undercontrol, field-independence, aggressiveness, and anxiety were assessed by means of the California Child Q-Sort. The results show clear attachment differences, with the child guidance group showing more attachment insecurity in the LCAI compared to the control group, and the psychiatric in-patient group even more attachment insecurity, more distressing parenting from both mother and father, and more attachment disorganization than the other two groups. Whereas children from the child guidance center and the child psychiatry unit did not differ in personality, both groups were significantly different from the control group in all personality dimensions. The results suggest that personality differences may be a risk factor for behaviour problems, however problem severity and the choice of the treatment institution seem to be influenced by attachment security.

Activities of the Center for Space Construction

Science.gov (United States)

1993-01-01

The Center for Space Construction (CSC) at the University of Colorado at Boulder is one of eight University Space Engineering Research Centers established by NASA in 1988. The mission of the center is to conduct research into space technology and to directly contribute to space engineering education. The center reports to the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences and resides in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. The college has a long and successful track record of cultivating multi-disciplinary research and education programs. The Center for Space Construction is prominent evidence of this record. At the inception of CSC, the center was primarily founded on the need for research on in-space construction of large space systems like space stations and interplanetary space vehicles. The scope of CSC's research has now evolved to include the design and construction of all spacecraft, large and small. Within this broadened scope, our research projects seek to impact the underlying technological basis for such spacecraft as remote sensing satellites, communication satellites, and other special purpose spacecraft, as well as the technological basis for large space platforms. The center's research focuses on three areas: spacecraft structures, spacecraft operations and control, and regolith and surface systems. In the area of spacecraft structures, our current emphasis is on concepts and modeling of deployable structures, analysis of inflatable structures, structural damage detection algorithms, and composite materials for lightweight structures. In the area of spacecraft operations and control, we are continuing our previous efforts in process control of in-orbit structural assembly. In addition, we have begun two new efforts in formal approach to spacecraft flight software systems design and adaptive attitude control systems. In the area of regolith and surface systems, we are continuing the work of characterizing the physical properties of lunar

Human factors review of electric power dispatch control centers. Volume 4. Operator information needs. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, R.J.; Najaf-Zadeh, K.; Darlington, H.T.; McNair, H.D.; Seidenstein, S.; Williams, A.R.

1982-10-01

Human factors is a systems-oriented interdisciplinary specialty concerned with the design of systems, equipment, facilities and the operational environment. An important aspect leading to the design requirements is the determination of the information requirements for electric power dispatch control centers. There are significant differences between the system operator's actions during normal and degraded states of power system operation, and power system restoration. This project evaluated the information the operator requires for normal power system and control system operations and investigates the changes of information required by the operator as the power system and/or the control system degrades from a normal operating state. The Phase II study, published in two volumes, defines power system states and control system conditions to which operator information content can be related. This volume presents detailed data concerning operator information needs that identify the needs for and the uses of power system information by a system operator in conditions ranging from normal through degraded operation. The study defines power system states and control system conditions to which operator information content can be related, and it identifies the requisite information as consistent with current industry practice so as to aid control system designers. Training requirements are also included for planning entry-level and follow-on training for operators.

Production Support Flight Control Computers: Research Capability for F/A-18 Aircraft at Dryden Flight Research Center

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, John F.

1997-01-01

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) is working with the United States Navy to complete ground testing and initiate flight testing of a modified set of F/A-18 flight control computers. The Production Support Flight Control Computers (PSFCC) can give any fleet F/A-18 airplane an in-flight, pilot-selectable research control law capability. NASA DFRC can efficiently flight test the PSFCC for the following four reasons: (1) Six F/A-18 chase aircraft are available which could be used with the PSFCC; (2) An F/A-18 processor-in-the-loop simulation exists for validation testing; (3) The expertise has been developed in programming the research processor in the PSFCC; and (4) A well-defined process has been established for clearing flight control research projects for flight. This report presents a functional description of the PSFCC. Descriptions of the NASA DFRC facilities, PSFCC verification and validation process, and planned PSFCC projects are also provided.

Human reliability and the control of continuous processes: case study of TRANSPETRO gas control center room; A confiabilidade humana no controle de processos continuos: estudo de caso no centro de controle de gasodutos da TRANSPETRO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Venetia; Zamberlan, Maria Cristina; Setti, Egle [Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia (INT), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Faertes, Denise; Figueiras, Luciana Heil; Marques, Arnaldo; Franca, Andre Guedes da [PETROBRAS Transporte S.A. (TRANSPETRO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Diniz, Vaner; Melo, Paulo Fernando Ferreira Frutuoso e [Universidade Federal, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia. Programa de Engenharia Nuclear

2005-07-01

This review presents a study using data from the activities of control of operations into the Center of Control Operational of Gas pipelines from TRANSPETRO. These study used the methodology of Analysis Ergonomic of Work (AET). Twenty hours of systematic observation have been performed from the activities of the operators and the supervisors into the CCG in different shifts with different staffs. The data obtained reveals the dynamics from the activities of control facing the increase of automation as well the strategies and adjustments that are performed by the operators with the increase of complexity of the systems they shall control. With the treatment of data we verify that occurs an important increasing of the activities, that interferes on to another, and that generates the loss of cooperation between operators, errors on the exchanges of information and so on. The survey from real activity at work was fundamental for the apprehension of the existing risks and for the generation of proposals to the improvement of the control of the process in the CCG. (author)

77 FR 46096 - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-02

...), concerning strategies and goals for the programs and research within OPHPR, monitoring the overall strategic... Board Strategic National Stockpile ad hoc working group; CDC's response to laboratory biosafety issues... Learning Centers; update on CDC's biosurveillance and situational awareness activities; (2) BSC liaison...

NCC simulation model. Phase 2: Simulating the operations of the Network Control Center and NCC message manual

Science.gov (United States)

Benjamin, Norman M.; Gill, Tepper; Charles, Mary

1994-01-01

The network control center (NCC) provides scheduling, monitoring, and control of services to the NASA space network. The space network provides tracking and data acquisition services to many low-earth orbiting spacecraft. This report describes the second phase in the development of simulation models for the FCC. Phase one concentrated on the computer systems and interconnecting network.Phase two focuses on the implementation of the network message dialogs and the resources controlled by the NCC. Performance measures were developed along with selected indicators of the NCC's operational effectiveness.The NCC performance indicators were defined in terms of the following: (1) transfer rate, (2) network delay, (3) channel establishment time, (4) line turn around time, (5) availability, (6) reliability, (7) accuracy, (8) maintainability, and (9) security. An NCC internal and external message manual is appended to this report.

The prevalence and impact of prescription controlled substance use among injured patients at a Level I trauma center.

Science.gov (United States)

Cannon, Robert; Bozeman, Matthew; Miller, Keith Roy; Smith, Jason Wayne; Harbrecht, Brian; Franklin, Glen; Benns, Matthew

2014-01-01

There has been increasing attention focused on the epidemic of prescription drug use in the United States, but little is known about its effects in trauma. The purpose of this study was to define the prevalence of prescription controlled substance use among trauma patients and determine its effects on outcome. A retrospective review of all patients admitted to a Level 1 trauma center from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2011, was performed. Patients dying within 24 hours or without home medication reconciliations were excluded. Data review included preexisting benzodiazepine or narcotic use, sex, age, mechanism of injury, Injury Severity Scores (ISSs), intensive care unit (ICU) and overall length of stay, ventilator days, and overall cost. SAS version 9.3 was used for the analysis, and p ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. A total of 1,700 patients met inclusion criteria. Of these, 340 (20.0%) were on prescription narcotics and/or benzodiazepines at the time of admission. Patients in the narcotic/benzodiazepine group were significantly older (48 years vs. 43 years) and more likely to be women (43.7% vs. 28.9%). There was no difference in mechanism, ISS, or the presence of head injury between groups. Both ICU length of stay (3.3 days vs. 2.1 days) and total length of stay (7.8 days vs. 6.1 days) were significantly longer in patients on outpatient narcotics and/or benzodiazepines. Excluding severely injured patients, the need for mechanical ventilation was also increased among outpatient controlled substance users (15.8% vs. 11.0%). There is a substantial prevalence of preexisting controlled substance use (20%) among patients at our Level 1 trauma center. Preexisting controlled substance use is associated with longer total hospital and ICU stays. Among mildly to moderately injured patients, preinjury controlled substance is also associated with the need for mechanical ventilation. Prognostic study, level III.

Development and evaluation of a multidisciplinary controlled substances committee within a patient-centered medical home.

Science.gov (United States)

Gernant, Stephanie A; Bastien, Rachel; Lai, Andrea

2015-01-01

To present the development of a multidisciplinary controlled substances committee and describe its effectiveness in relation to prescribers' acceptance of committee recommendations, the number of premature deaths associated with controlled substances, and prescribers' need for education on controlled substances. A patient-centered medical home and accountable care organization in Maine that serves more than 60,000 patients across a large rural area, 70% of whom are classified as lower income. A multidisciplinary group of prescribers and PharmD residents created a committee to influence organizational culture regarding controlled substances. The Controlled Substances Initiative Committee (CSIC) updated institutional policies, developed provider education, and made personalized patient recommendations to prescribers. The primary outcome was average change in daily morphine equivalent dose (MED) in patients for whom CSIC recommended a dose reduction to the patient's prescriber. Secondary outcomes included the proportion of patients who died of a known overdose or suspected drug-related death during 2012-2013 or 2013-2014. In addition, prescriber beliefs about controlled substances were measured via a needs assessment. The average daily MED for patients whom CSIC recommended dose reduction was lower after 3 months compared with at baseline (175.5 ± 344.3 mg vs. 292.7 ± 466.5 mg; P vs. 11.1%; P = 1.00). However, a greater number of patients had a suspected drug-related death during 2013-2014 compared with during 2012-2013 (0% vs. 27.3%; P = 0.05). A multidisciplinary controlled substances committee may improve patient safety and outcomes by offering prescriber support and helping alter prescribing culture.

Comparison of air-driven vs electric torque control motors on canal centering ability by ProTaper NiTi rotary instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

Zarei, Mina; Javidi, Maryam; Erfanian, Mahdi; Lomee, Mahdi; Afkhami, Farzaneh

2013-01-01

Cleaning and shaping is one of the most important phases in root canal therapy. Various rotary NiTi systems minimize accidents and facilitate the shaping process. Todays NiTi files are used with air-driven and electric handpieces. This study compared the canal centering after instrumentation using the ProTaper system using Endo IT, electric torque-control motor, and NSK air-driven handpiece. This ex vivo randomized controlled trial study involved 26 mesial mandibular root canals with 10 to 35° curvature. The roots were randomly divided into 2 groups of 13 canals each. The roots were mounted in an endodontic cube with acrylic resin, sectioned horizontally at 2, 6 and 10 mm from the apex and then reassembled. The canals were instrumented according to the manufacturer's instructions using ProTaper rotary files and electric torque-control motors (group 1) or air-driven handpieces (group 2). Photographs of the cross-sections included shots before and after instrumentation, and image analysis was performed using Photoshop software. The centering ability and canal transportation was also evaluated. Repeated measurement and independent t-test provided statistical analysis of canal transportation. The comparison of the rate of transportation toward internal or external walls between the two groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.62). Comparison of the rate of transportation of sections within one group was not significant (p = 0.28). Use of rotary NiTi file with either electric torquecontrol motor or air-driven handpiece had no effect on canal centering. NiTi rotary instruments can be used with air-driven motors without any considerable changes in root canal anatomy, however it needs the clinician to be expert.

Kennedy Space Center Timing and Countdown Interface to Kennedy Ground Control Subsystem

Science.gov (United States)

Olsen, James C.

2015-01-01

Kennedy Ground Control System (KGCS) engineers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kennedy Space Center (KSC) are developing a time-tagging process to enable reconstruction of the events during a launch countdown. Such a process can be useful in the case of anomalies or other situations where it is necessary to know the exact time an event occurred. It is thus critical for the timing information to be accurate. KGCS will synchronize all items with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) obtained from the Timing and Countdown (T&CD) organization. Network Time Protocol (NTP) is the protocol currently in place for synchronizing UTC. However, NTP has a peak error that is too high for today's standards. Precision Time Protocol (PTP) is a newer protocol with a much smaller peak error. The focus of this project has been to implement a PTP solution on the network to increase timing accuracy while introducing and configuring the implementation of a firewall between T&CD and the KGCS network.

[Qilin Pills for idiopathic oligoasthenospermia: A multi-centered randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial].

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Jia-Ming; Jiang, Hui; Wang, Chuan-Hang; Ning, Ke-Qin; Liu, Ji-Hong; Yang, Shu-Wen; Li, Hai-Song; Zhou, Shao-Hu; Zhang, Zhi-Chao; Xu, Ji-Xiu; Huang, Yong-Han

2017-03-01

To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Qilin Pills in the treatment of oligoasthenospermia in infertile men. This multi-centered randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial included 216 infertile males with oligoasthenospermia, 108 in the trial group and the other 108 in the control, the former treated with Qilin Pills at the dose of 6 g tid while the latter with Wuziyanzong Pills at 6 g bid, both for 12 weeks. We examined the total sperm count, sperm motility and the count of progressively motile sperm of the patients before and at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after medication and evaluated the safety of the drug based on the adverse events and the laboratory results of blood and urine routine examinations and liver and kidney function tests. Compared with the baseline, the patients in the trial group showed a significant time-dependent improvement after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of medication in sperm motility (21.75% vs 27.54%, 29.04% and 32.95%, P Pills can evidently improve the semen quality of oligoasthenospermia patients with no obvious adverse events.

Introduction to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Solomkin, Joseph S; Mazuski, John; Blanchard, Joan C; Itani, Kamal M F; Ricks, Philip; Dellinger, E Patchen; Allen, George; Kelz, Rachel; Reinke, Caroline E; Berríos-Torres, Sandra I

Surgical site infection (SSI) is a common type of health-care-associated infection (HAI) and adds considerably to the individual, social, and economic costs of surgical treatment. This document serves to introduce the updated Guideline for the Prevention of SSI from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). The Core section of the guideline addresses issues relevant to multiple surgical specialties and procedures. The second procedure-specific section focuses on a high-volume, high-burden procedure: Prosthetic joint arthroplasty. While many elements of the 1999 guideline remain current, others warrant updating to incorporate new knowledge and changes in the patient population, operative techniques, emerging pathogens, and guideline development methodology.

Role of water quality assessments in hospital infection control: Experience from a new oncology center in eastern India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramkrishna Bhalchandra

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Water quality assessment and timely intervention are essential for health. Microbiology, total dissolved solids (TDS and free residual chlorine were measured for water quality maintenance in an oncology center in India. Impact of these interventions over a period of 22 months has been demonstrated with four cardinal events. Pseudomonas in hospital water was controlled by adequate chlorination, whereas high TDS in the central sterile supply department water was corrected by the installation of electro-deionization plant. Contaminated bottled water was replaced using quality controlled hospital supply. Timely detection and correction of water-related issues, including reverse osmosis plant was possible through multi-faceted approach to water quality.

Set up and operation for medical radiation exposure quality control system of health promotion center

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jung Su; Kim, Jung Min [Korea University,Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Jung, Hae Kyoung [Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Sungnam (Korea, Republic of)

2016-03-15

In this study, standard model of medical radiation dosage quality control system will be suggested and the useful of this system in clinical field will be reviewed. Radiation dosage information of modalities are gathered from digital imaging and communications in medicine(DICOM) standard data(such as DICOM dose SR and DICOM header) and stored in database. One CT scan, two digital radiography modalities and two mammography modalities in one health promotion center in Seoul are used to derive clinical data for one month. After 1 months research with 703 CT scans, the study shows CT 357.9 mGy·cm in abdomen and pelvic CT, 572.4 mGy·cm in brain without CT, 55.9 mGy·cm in calcium score/heart CT, screening CT at 54 mGy·cm in chest screening CT(low dose screening CT scan), 284.99 mGy·cm in C-spine CT and 341.85 mGy·cm in L-spine CT as health promotion center reference level of each exam. And with 1955 digital radiography cases, it shows 274.0 mGy·cm{sup 2} and for mammography 6.09 mGy is shown based on 536 cases. The use of medical radiation shall comply with the principles of justification and optimization. This quality management of medical radiation exposure must be performed in order to follow the principle. And the procedure to reduce the radiation exposure of patients and staff can be achieved through this. The results of this study can be applied as a useful tool to perform the quality control of medical radiation exposure.

Set up and operation for medical radiation exposure quality control system of health promotion center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jung Su; Kim, Jung Min; Jung, Hae Kyoung

2016-01-01

In this study, standard model of medical radiation dosage quality control system will be suggested and the useful of this system in clinical field will be reviewed. Radiation dosage information of modalities are gathered from digital imaging and communications in medicine(DICOM) standard data(such as DICOM dose SR and DICOM header) and stored in database. One CT scan, two digital radiography modalities and two mammography modalities in one health promotion center in Seoul are used to derive clinical data for one month. After 1 months research with 703 CT scans, the study shows CT 357.9 mGy·cm in abdomen and pelvic CT, 572.4 mGy·cm in brain without CT, 55.9 mGy·cm in calcium score/heart CT, screening CT at 54 mGy·cm in chest screening CT(low dose screening CT scan), 284.99 mGy·cm in C-spine CT and 341.85 mGy·cm in L-spine CT as health promotion center reference level of each exam. And with 1955 digital radiography cases, it shows 274.0 mGy·cm"2 and for mammography 6.09 mGy is shown based on 536 cases. The use of medical radiation shall comply with the principles of justification and optimization. This quality management of medical radiation exposure must be performed in order to follow the principle. And the procedure to reduce the radiation exposure of patients and staff can be achieved through this. The results of this study can be applied as a useful tool to perform the quality control of medical radiation exposure

Effects of long-term wearing of high-heeled shoes on the control of the body's center of mass motion in relation to the center of pressure during walking.

Science.gov (United States)

Chien, Hui-Lien; Lu, Tung-Wu; Liu, Ming-Wei

2014-04-01

High-heeled shoes are associated with instability and falling, leading to injuries such as fracture and ankle sprain. This study investigated the effects of habitual wearing of high-heeled shoes on the body's center of mass (COM) motion relative to the center of pressure (COP) during gait. Fifteen female experienced wearers and 15 matched controls walked with high-heeled shoes (7.3cm) while kinematic and ground reaction force data were measured and used to calculate temporal-distance parameters, joint moments, COM-COP inclination angles (IA) and the rate of IA changes (RCIA). Compared with inexperienced wearers, experienced subjects showed significantly reduced frontal IA with increased ankle pronator moments during single-limb support (pheel-strike, and reduced DLS time (pheel-strike (pknee extensor moments at toe-off (pheeled shoes, providing a basis for future design of strategies to minimize the risk of falling during high-heeled gait. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Active Return-to-Center Control Based on Torque and Angle Sensors for Electric Power Steering Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Pan-Pan; Su, Hao; Tang, Gong-You

2018-03-14

This paper presents a complete control strategy of the active return-to-center (RTC) control for electric power steering (EPS) systems. We first establish the mathematical model of the EPS system and analyze the source and influence of the self-aligning torque (SAT). Second, based on the feedback signals of steering column torque and steering wheel angle, we give the trigger conditions of a state switch between the steering assist state and the RTC state. In order to avoid the sudden change of the output torque for the driving motor when the state switches frequently between the steering assist state and the RTC state, we design an undisturbed state switching logic algorithm. This state switching logic algorithm ensures that the output value of the RTC controller is set to an initial value and increases in given steps up to a maximum value after entering the RTC state, and the output value of the RTC controller will reduce in given steps down to zero when exiting the RTC state. This therefore ensures smooth switch control between the two states and improves the driver's steering feeling. Third, we design the RTC controller, which depends upon the feedback signals of the steering wheel angle and the angular velocity. In addition, the controller increases the auxiliary control function of the RTC torque based on vehicle speed. The experimental results show that the active RTC control method does not affect the basic assist characteristics, which effectively reduces the residual angle of the steering wheel at low vehicle speed and improves the RTC performance of the vehicle.

BNL ALARA Center experience with an information exchange system on dose control at nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baum, J.W.; Khan, T.A.

1992-01-01

The essential elements of an international information exchange system on dose control at nuclear power plants are summarized. Information was collected from literature abstracting services, by attending technical meetings, by circulating data collection forms, and through personal contacts. Data are assembled in various databases and periodically disseminated to several hundred interested participants through a variety of publications and at technical meetings. Immediate on-line access to the data is available to participants with modems, commercially available communications software, and a password that is provided by the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) ALARA Center to authorized users of the system. Since January 1992, rapid access also has been provided to persons with fax machines. Some information is available for ''polling'' the BNL system at any time, and other data can be installed for polling on request. Most information disseminated to data has been through publications; however, new protocols, simplified by the ALARA Center staff, and the convenience of fax machines are likely to make the earlier availability of information through these mechanisms increasingly important

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Its Partners' Contributions to Global Health Security.

Science.gov (United States)

Tappero, Jordan W; Cassell, Cynthia H; Bunnell, Rebecca E; Angulo, Frederick J; Craig, Allen; Pesik, Nicki; Dahl, Benjamin A; Ijaz, Kashef; Jafari, Hamid; Martin, Rebecca

2017-12-01

To achieve compliance with the revised World Health Organization International Health Regulations (IHR 2005), countries must be able to rapidly prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats. Most nations, however, remain unprepared to manage and control complex health emergencies, whether due to natural disasters, emerging infectious disease outbreaks, or the inadvertent or intentional release of highly pathogenic organisms. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) works with countries and partners to build and strengthen global health security preparedness so they can quickly respond to public health crises. This report highlights selected CDC global health protection platform accomplishments that help mitigate global health threats and build core, cross-cutting capacity to identify and contain disease outbreaks at their source. CDC contributions support country efforts to achieve IHR 2005 compliance, contribute to the international framework for countering infectious disease crises, and enhance health security for Americans and populations around the world.

Mosquito and Fly Surveillance and Control Research at the USDA-ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology: Solving Operational Challenges

Science.gov (United States)

The Mosquito and Fly Research Unit of the USDA-ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology located in Gainesville Florida is the largest Federal laboratory devoted to specifically solving operational mosquito and fly surveillance and control challenges in the U.S. and internationa...

Core elements of hospital antibiotic stewardship programs from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Pollack, Loria A; Srinivasan, Arjun

2014-10-15

The proven benefits of antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs) for optimizing antibiotic use and minimizing adverse events, such as Clostridium difficile and antibiotic resistance, have prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to recommend that all hospitals have an ASP. This article summarizes Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs, a recently released CDC document focused on defining the infrastructure and practices of coordinated multidisciplinary programs to improve antibiotic use and patient care in US hospitals. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2014. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Hydraulically centered control rod

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horlacher, W.R.; Sampson, W.T.; Schukei, G.E.

1981-01-01

A control rod suspended to reciprocate in a guide tube of a nuclear fuel assembly has a hydraulic bearing formed at its lower tip. The bearing includes a plurality of discrete pockets on its outer surface into which a flow of liquid is continuously provided. In one embodiment the flow is induced by the pressure head in a downward facing chamber at the end of the bearing. In another embodiment the flow originates outside the guide tube. In both embodiments the flow into the pockets produces pressure differences across the bearing which counteract forces tending to drive the rod against the guide tube wall. Thus contact of the rod against the guide tube is avoided

Human factors review of electric power dispatch control centers. Volume 3. Operator information needs summary. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, R.J.; Najaf-Zadeh, K.; Darlington, H.T.; McNair, H.D.; Seidenstein, S.; Williams, A.R.

1982-10-01

Human factors is a systems-oriented interdisciplinary specialty concerned with the design of systems, equipment, facilities and the operational environment. An important aspect leading to the design requirements is the determination of the information requirements for electric power dispatch control centers. There are significant differences between the system operator's actions during normal and degraded states of power system operation, and power system restoration. This project evaluated the information the operator requires for normal power system and control system operations and investigates the changes of information required by the operator as the power system and/or the control system degrades from a normal operating state. The Phase II study, published in two volumes, defines power system states and control system conditions to which operator information content can be related. This volume presents a summary of operator information needs, identifying the needs for and the uses of power system information by a system operator in conditions ranging from normal through degraded operation. Training requirements are also included for planning entry-level and follow-on training for operators.

The Neural-fuzzy Thermal Error Compensation Controller on CNC Machining Center

Science.gov (United States)

Tseng, Pai-Chung; Chen, Shen-Len

The geometric errors and structural thermal deformation are factors that influence the machining accuracy of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining center. Therefore, researchers pay attention to thermal error compensation technologies on CNC machine tools. Some real-time error compensation techniques have been successfully demonstrated in both laboratories and industrial sites. The compensation results still need to be enhanced. In this research, the neural-fuzzy theory has been conducted to derive a thermal prediction model. An IC-type thermometer has been used to detect the heat sources temperature variation. The thermal drifts are online measured by a touch-triggered probe with a standard bar. A thermal prediction model is then derived by neural-fuzzy theory based on the temperature variation and the thermal drifts. A Graphic User Interface (GUI) system is also built to conduct the user friendly operation interface with Insprise C++ Builder. The experimental results show that the thermal prediction model developed by neural-fuzzy theory methodology can improve machining accuracy from 80µm to 3µm. Comparison with the multi-variable linear regression analysis the compensation accuracy is increased from ±10µm to ±3µm.

75 FR 22607 - Board of Scientific Counselors, Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases (CCID)

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-29

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Board of Scientific Counselors, Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases (CCID) In accordance with section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and...

Multi-center randomized controlled trial of cognitive treatment, placebo, oxybutynin, bladder training, and pelvic floor training in children with functional urinary incontinence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Gool, Jan D.; de Jong, Tom P. V. M.; Winkler-Seinstra, Pauline; Tamminen-Möbius, Tytti; Lax, Hildegard; Hirche, Herbert; Nijman, Rien J. M.; Hjälmås, Kelm; Jodal, Ulf; Bachmann, Hannsjörg; Hoebeke, Piet; Walle, Johan Vande; Misselwitz, Joachim; John, Ulrike; Bael, An

2014-01-01

Functional urinary incontinence causes considerable morbidity in 8.4% of school-age children, mainly girls. To compare oxybutynin, placebo, and bladder training in overactive bladder (OAB), and cognitive treatment and pelvic floor training in dysfunctional voiding (DV), a multi-center controlled

Comparison of CDE data in phacoemulsification between an open hospital-based ambulatory surgical center and a free-standing ambulatory surgical center.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ming; Chen, Mindy

2010-11-12

Mean CDE (cumulative dissipated energy) values were compared for an open hospital- based surgical center and a free-standing surgical center. The same model of phacoemulsifier (Alcon Infiniti Ozil) was used. Mean CDE values showed that surgeons (individual private practice) at the free-standing surgical center were more efficient than surgeons (individual private practice) at the open hospital-based surgical center (mean CDE at the hospital-based surgical center 18.96 seconds [SD = 12.51]; mean CDE at the free-standing surgical center 13.2 seconds [SD = 9.5]). CDE can be used to monitor the efficiency of a cataract surgeon and surgical center in phacoemulsification. The CDE value may be used by institutions as one of the indicators for quality control and audit in phacoemulsification.

Active Return-to-Center Control Based on Torque and Angle Sensors for Electric Power Steering Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pan-Pan Du

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a complete control strategy of the active return-to-center (RTC control for electric power steering (EPS systems. We first establish the mathematical model of the EPS system and analyze the source and influence of the self-aligning torque (SAT. Second, based on the feedback signals of steering column torque and steering wheel angle, we give the trigger conditions of a state switch between the steering assist state and the RTC state. In order to avoid the sudden change of the output torque for the driving motor when the state switches frequently between the steering assist state and the RTC state, we design an undisturbed state switching logic algorithm. This state switching logic algorithm ensures that the output value of the RTC controller is set to an initial value and increases in given steps up to a maximum value after entering the RTC state, and the output value of the RTC controller will reduce in given steps down to zero when exiting the RTC state. This therefore ensures smooth switch control between the two states and improves the driver’s steering feeling. Third, we design the RTC controller, which depends upon the feedback signals of the steering wheel angle and the angular velocity. In addition, the controller increases the auxiliary control function of the RTC torque based on vehicle speed. The experimental results show that the active RTC control method does not affect the basic assist characteristics, which effectively reduces the residual angle of the steering wheel at low vehicle speed and improves the RTC performance of the vehicle.

Water Pollution Control Legislation in Israel: Understanding Implementation Processes from an Actor-Centered Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharon Hophmayer-Tokich

2013-09-01

Full Text Available In the State of Israel, advanced legislation for the management of scarce water resources, including legislation to prevent water pollution, were put in place in the early stages of the State’s formation. Despite that, on-going uncontrolled pollution has deteriorated the quality of water sources for decades, with the main source of pollution being untreated or partially treated domestic wastewater. This has been mainly the result of lack of enforcement of the existing laws. During the 1990s and onwards, a shift to forceful enforcement has been observed and wastewater treatment substantially improved. The paper analyzes the implementation processes of the pollution control legislations (the lack-of and the shift to forceful enforcement based on an actor-centered approach, using the contextual interaction theory.

WHO 2006 child growth standards: implications for the prevalence of stunting and underweight-for-age in a birth cohort of Gabonese children in comparison to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2000 growth charts and the National Center for Health Statistics 1978 growth references

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schwarz, Norbert G.; Grobusch, Martin P.; Decker, Marie-Luise; Goesch, Julia; Poetschke, Marc; Oyakhirome, Sunny; Kombila, Davy; Fortin, Julien; Lell, Bertrand; Issifou, Saadou; Kremsner, Peter G.; Klipstein-Grobusch, Kerstin

2008-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To assess the proportion of children being stunted and underweight-for-age at 3, 9 and 15 months in Lambaréné, Gabon, using the WHO child growth standards released in 2006 as compared with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2000 and the National Center for Health

Dynamical nuclear polarization using multi-colour control of color centers in diamond

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Pengcheng [Huazhong University of Science and Technology, School of Physics, Wuhan (China); Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Center for Quantum Optical Science, Wuhan (China); Plenio, Martin B. [Universitaet Ulm, Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Ulm (Germany); Universitaet Ulm, Center for Integrated Quantum Science and Technology, Ulm (Germany); Cai, Jianming [Huazhong University of Science and Technology, School of Physics, Wuhan (China); Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Center for Quantum Optical Science, Wuhan (China); Universitaet Ulm, Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Ulm (Germany); Universitaet Ulm, Center for Integrated Quantum Science and Technology, Ulm (Germany)

2016-12-15

Dynamical nuclear polarization (DNP) transfers the polarization of electron spins at cryogenic temperatures to achieve strong nuclear polarization for applications in nuclear magnetic resonance. Recently introduced approaches employ optical pumping of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond to achieve DNP even at ambient temperatures. In such schemes microwave radiation is used to establish a Hartmann-Hahn condition between the NV electron spin and proximal nuclear spins to facilitate polarization transfer. For a single monochromatic microwave driving field, the Hartmann-Hahn condition cannot be satisfied for an ensemble of NV centers due to inhomogeneous broadening and reduces significantly the overall efficiency of dynamical nuclear polarization using an ensemble of NV centers. Here, we adopt generalized Hartmann-Hahn type dynamical nuclear polarization schemes by applying microwave driving fields with (multiple) time-modulated frequencies. We show that it is possible to enhance the effective coupling between an ensemble of NV center spins with inhomogeneous broadening and nuclear spins, thereby improving significantly the overall efficiency of dynamical nuclear polarization. This approach can also be used to achieve dynamical nuclear polarization of an ensemble of nuclei with a distribution of Larmor frequencies, which would be helpful in magnetic resonance spectroscopy using a single NV spin sensor. (orig.)

Real time stagger of electric network advanced analysis functions of a modern control center; Escalonamento em tempo real das funcoes avancadas de analise de rede eletrica de um moderno centro de controle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zagari, Eduardo Nicola Ferraz

1996-02-01

This work presents two models for implementation of staggers for network analysis functions in real time for a control center. The methodology is described. Tests were performed in a electric power system of Campinas region, Sao Paulo sate - Southeast Brazil. Results are presented.

Implementation of the Ohio College Library Center's Proposed Serials Control Subsystem at the University of South Florida Library: Some Preliminary Considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Twitchell, Anne; Sprehn, Mary

An evaluation of the Ohio College Library Center's (OCLC) proposed Serials Control Subsystem was undertaken to determine what effect the system would have on the operation of the Serials Department at the University of South Florida (USF) Library. The system would consist of three components: 1) claiming--identifying missing issues and generating…

Epidemic assistance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: role of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, 1946-2005.

Science.gov (United States)

Thacker, Stephen B; Stroup, Donna F; Sencer, David J

2011-12-01

Since 1946, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has responded to urgent requests from US states, federal agencies, and international organizations through epidemic-assistance investigations (Epi-Aids). The authors describe the first 60 years of Epi-Aids, breadth of problems addressed, evolution of methodologies, scope of activities, and impact of investigations on population health. They reviewed Epi-Aid reports and EIS Bulletins, contacted current and former Epidemic Intelligence Service staff, and systematically searched the PubMed and Web of Science databases. They abstracted information on dates, location, staff involved, health problems, methods, and impacts of investigations according to a preplanned protocol. They assessed the methods presented as well as the quality of reports. During 1946-2005, a total of 4,484 investigations of health events were initiated by 2,815 Epidemic Intelligence Service officers. In the early years, the majority were in response to infectious agents, although environmental problems emerged. Investigations in subsequent years focused on occupational conditions, birth defects, reproductive health, tobacco use, cancer, violence, legal debate, and terrorism. These Epi-Aids heralded expansion of the agency's mission and presented new methods in statistics and epidemiology. Recommendations from Epi-Aids led to policy implementation, evaluation, or modification. Epi-Aids provide the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with the agility to respond rapidly to public health crises.

Depression management within GP-centered health care - A case-control study based on claims data.

Science.gov (United States)

Freytag, Antje; Krause, Markus; Lehmann, Thomas; Schulz, Sven; Wolf, Florian; Biermann, Janine; Wasem, Jürgen; Gensichen, Jochen

For most patients with depression, GPs are the first and long-term medical providers. GP-centered health care (GPc-HC) programs target patients with chronic diseases. What are the effects of GPc-HC on primary care depression management? An observational retrospective case-control study was conducted using health insurance claims data of patients with depressive disorder from July 2011 to December 2012. From 40,298 patients insured with the largest health plan in Central Germany participating in the GPc-HC program (intervention group, IG), we observed 4645 patients with depression over 18months: 72.2% women; 66.6years (mean); multiple conditions (morbidity-weight 2.50 (mean), 86%>1.0). We compared them with 4013 patients who did not participate (control group). In participants we found lower number of incomplete/non-specified depression diagnoses (4.46vs.4.82;MD-0.36; pcare" (38.2%vs.30.2%;PP+8.0;pDepressive patients participating in a GPc-HC program may be more often diagnosed by a GP, receive symptom-monitoring and appropriate depression treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Center of Mass Acceleration Feedback Control of Standing Balance by Functional Neuromuscular Stimulation against External Postural Perturbations

Science.gov (United States)

Nataraj, Raviraj; Audu, Musa L.; Triolo, Ronald J.

2013-01-01

This study investigated the use of center of mass (COM) acceleration feedback for improving performance of a functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS) control system to restore standing function to a subject with complete, thoracic-level spinal cord injury (SCI). The approach for linearly relating changes in muscle stimulation to changes in COM acceleration was verified experimentally and subsequently produced data to create an input-output map driven by sensor feedback. The feedback gains were systematically tuned to reduce upper extremity (UE) loads applied to an instrumented support device while resisting external postural disturbances. Total body COM acceleration was accurately estimated (> 89% variance explained) using three-dimensional (3-D) outputs of two accelerometers mounted on the pelvis and torso. Compared to constant muscle stimulation employed clinically, feedback control of stimulation reduced UE loading by 33%. COM acceleration feedback is advantageous in constructing a standing neuroprosthesis since it provides the basis for a comprehensive control synergy about a global, dynamic variable and requires minimal instrumentation. Future work should include tuning and testing the feedback control system during functional reaching activity that is more indicative of activities of daily living. PMID:22987499

Human-centered automation: Development of a philosophy

Science.gov (United States)

Graeber, Curtis; Billings, Charles E.

1990-01-01

Information on human-centered automation philosophy is given in outline/viewgraph form. It is asserted that automation of aircraft control will continue in the future, but that automation should supplement, not supplant the human management and control function in civil air transport.

Comparison of CDE data in phacoemulsification between an open hospital-based ambulatory surgical center and a free-standing ambulatory surgical center

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming Chen

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Ming Chen1, Mindy Chen21University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA; 2University of California, Irvine, CA, USAAbstract: Mean CDE (cumulative dissipated energy values were compared for an open hospital-based surgical center and a free-standing surgical center. The same model of phacoemulsifier (Alcon Infiniti Ozil was used. Mean CDE values showed that surgeons (individual private practice at the free-standing surgical center were more efficient than surgeons (individual private practice at the open hospital-based surgical center (mean CDE at the hospital-based surgical center 18.96 seconds [SD = 12.51]; mean CDE at the free-standing surgical center 13.2 seconds [SD = 9.5]. CDE can be used to monitor the efficiency of a cataract surgeon and surgical center in phacoemulsification. The CDE value may be used by institutions as one of the indicators for quality control and audit in phacoemulsification.Keywords: CDE (cumulative dissipated energy, open hospital-based ambulatory surgical center, free-standing surgical center, phacoemulsification 

Integrated Pest Management Intervention in Child Care Centers Improves Knowledge, Pest Control, and Practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Alkon, Abbey; Nouredini, Sahar; Swartz, Alicia; Sutherland, Andrew Mason; Stephens, Michelle; Davidson, Nita A; Rose, Roberta

To reduce young children's exposure to pests and pesticides, an integrated pest management (IPM) intervention was provided for child care center staff. The 7-month IPM education and consultation intervention was conducted by trained nurse child care health consultants in 44 child care centers in California. IPM knowledge surveys were completed by child care staff, objective IPM assessments were completed by research assistants pre- and postintervention, and activity logs were completed by the nurses. There were significant increases in IPM knowledge for the child care staff who attended workshops. There were reductions in the prevalence of pests and increases in IPM practices at the postintervention compared with the preintervention time point. The nurses consulted an average of 5.4 hours per center. A nurse-led IPM intervention in child care centers can reduce exposure to harmful substances for young children attending child care centers. Copyright © 2016 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rehabilitation for the management of knee osteoarthritis using comprehensive traditional Chinese medicine in community health centers: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background It is becoming increasingly necessary for community health centers to make rehabilitation services available to patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. However, for a number of reasons, including a lack of expertise, the small size of community health centers and the availability of only simple medical equipment, conventional rehabilitation therapy has not been widely used in China. Consequently, most patients with knee osteoarthritis seek treatment in high-grade hospitals. However, many patients cannot manage the techniques that they were taught in the hospital. Methods such as acupuncture, tuina, Chinese medical herb fumigation-washing and t’ai chi are easy to do and have been reported to have curative effects in those with knee osteoarthritis. To date, there have been no randomized controlled trials validating comprehensive traditional Chinese medicine for the rehabilitation of knee osteoarthritis in a community health center. Furthermore, there is no standard rehabilitation protocol using traditional Chinese medicine for knee osteoarthritis. The aim of the current study is to develop a comprehensive rehabilitation protocol using traditional Chinese medicine for the management of knee osteoarthritis in a community health center. Method/design This will be a randomized controlled clinical trial with blinded assessment. There will be a 4-week intervention utilizing rehabilitation protocols from traditional Chinese medicine and conventional therapy. Follow-up will be conducted for a period of 12 weeks. A total of 722 participants with knee osteoarthritis will be recruited. Participants will be randomly divided into two groups: experimental and control. Primary outcomes will include range of motion, girth measurement, the visual analogue scale, and results from the manual muscle, six-minute walking and stair-climbing tests. Secondary outcomes will include average daily consumption of pain medication, ability to perform daily tasks and health

Quality Control Practices for Chemistry and Immunochemistry in a Cohort of 21 Large Academic Medical Centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenbaum, Matthew W; Flood, James G; Melanson, Stacy E F; Baumann, Nikola A; Marzinke, Mark A; Rai, Alex J; Hayden, Joshua; Wu, Alan H B; Ladror, Megan; Lifshitz, Mark S; Scott, Mitchell G; Peck-Palmer, Octavia M; Bowen, Raffick; Babic, Nikolina; Sobhani, Kimia; Giacherio, Donald; Bocsi, Gregary T; Herman, Daniel S; Wang, Ping; Toffaletti, John; Handel, Elizabeth; Kelly, Kathleen A; Albeiroti, Sami; Wang, Sihe; Zimmer, Melissa; Driver, Brandon; Yi, Xin; Wilburn, Clayton; Lewandrowski, Kent B

2018-05-29

In the United States, minimum standards for quality control (QC) are specified in federal law under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment and its revisions. Beyond meeting this required standard, laboratories have flexibility to determine their overall QC program. We surveyed chemistry and immunochemistry QC procedures at 21 clinical laboratories within leading academic medical centers to assess if standardized QC practices exist for chemistry and immunochemistry testing. We observed significant variation and unexpected similarities in practice across laboratories, including QC frequency, cutoffs, number of levels analyzed, and other features. This variation in practice indicates an opportunity exists to establish an evidence-based approach to QC that can be generalized across institutions.

Stern-Center Potsdam; Stern-Center Potsdam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

1999-07-01

The ''Stern-Center Potsdam'' is a star-shaped shopping mall in the city center. [German] Das Stern-Center in Potsdam bietet als Einkaufszentrum vor den Toren Berlins Platz fuer eine Vielzahl von Geschaeften. Die sternfoermige Gebaeudestruktur des Centers bildet den Mittelpunkt des Stadtviertels 'Am Stern'. (orig.)

Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System Test Facility at Marshall Space Flight Center

Science.gov (United States)

Springer, Darlene

1989-01-01

Different aspects of Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) testing are currently taking place at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Unique to this testing is the variety of test areas and the fact that all are located in one building. The north high bay of building 4755, the Core Module Integration Facility (CMIF), contains the following test areas: the Subsystem Test Area, the Comparative Test Area, the Process Material Management System (PMMS), the Core Module Simulator (CMS), the End-use Equipment Facility (EEF), and the Pre-development Operational System Test (POST) Area. This paper addresses the facility that supports these test areas and briefly describes the testing in each area. Future plans for the building and Space Station module configurations will also be discussed.

78 FR 48163 - Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Health Statistics

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-07

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Board of... Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC... listed below. All requests must contain the name, address, telephone number, and organizational...

78 FR 17411 - Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Health Statistics

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-21

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Board of... Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC... contain the name, address, telephone number, and organizational affiliation of the presenter. Written...

78 FR 48438 - Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Health Statistics

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-08

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Board of... Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC... listed below. All requests must contain the name, address, telephone number, and organizational...

75 FR 69573 - Export Enforcement Coordination Center

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-15

... Export Enforcement Coordination Center By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and... enforcement of United States export control laws and enhanced intelligence exchange in support of such enforcement efforts, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Policy. Export controls are critical to...

Directory of Federally Supported Information Analysis Centers, 1979. Fourth Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

1979-01-01

Information Center (UERPIC) ........ 69 107. Water Resources Center .................................... ......... . 69 108. X-Ray and Ionizing Radiation Data...evaluates this material economics; conservation of minerals; water , to determine the most reliable data on for- power, transportation, manpower, etc...Clearinghouse for Poison Control Centers (mon- mining company annual reports to stockholder,.; thly). data bases, including the minerals Availabilit

Metabolic outcomes in young children with type 1 diabetes differ between treatment centers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de Beaufort, Carine E; Lange, Karin; Swift, Peter Gf

2012-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether center differences in glycemic control are present in prepubertal children......OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether center differences in glycemic control are present in prepubertal children...

Comparison of optimal cardiovascular risk factor management in patients with Type 2 diabetes who attended urban medical health center with those attended a tertiary care center: Experiences from Tehran, Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sedighe Moradi

2016-01-01

Conclusions: Both centers have failure in target achievement in some risk factors; however, the inability of the primary care center in controlling hyperlipidemia in comparison with the tertiary center is a serious warning to provide training about managing dyslipidemia in these centers.

The user-centered design as novel perspective for evaluating the usability of BCI-controlled applications.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Kübler

Full Text Available Albeit research on brain-computer interfaces (BCI for controlling applications has expanded tremendously, we still face a translational gap when bringing BCI to end-users. To bridge this gap, we adapted the user-centered design (UCD to BCI research and development which implies a shift from focusing on single aspects, such as accuracy and information transfer rate (ITR, to a more holistic user experience. The UCD implements an iterative process between end-users and developers based on a valid evaluation procedure. Within the UCD framework usability of a device can be defined with regard to its effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. We operationalized these aspects to evaluate BCI-controlled applications. Effectiveness was regarded equivalent to accuracy of selections and efficiency to the amount of information transferred per time unit and the effort invested (workload. Satisfaction was assessed with questionnaires and visual-analogue scales. These metrics have been successfully applied to several BCI-controlled applications for communication and entertainment, which were evaluated by end-users with severe motor impairment. Results of four studies, involving a total of N = 19 end-users revealed: effectiveness was moderate to high; efficiency in terms of ITR was low to high and workload low to medium; depending on the match between user and technology, and type of application satisfaction was moderate to high. The here suggested evaluation metrics within the framework of the UCD proved to be an applicable and informative approach to evaluate BCI controlled applications, and end-users with severe impairment and in the locked-in state were able to participate in this process.

The user-centered design as novel perspective for evaluating the usability of BCI-controlled applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Kübler, Andrea; Holz, Elisa M; Riccio, Angela; Zickler, Claudia; Kaufmann, Tobias; Kleih, Sonja C; Staiger-Sälzer, Pit; Desideri, Lorenzo; Hoogerwerf, Evert-Jan; Mattia, Donatella

2014-01-01

Albeit research on brain-computer interfaces (BCI) for controlling applications has expanded tremendously, we still face a translational gap when bringing BCI to end-users. To bridge this gap, we adapted the user-centered design (UCD) to BCI research and development which implies a shift from focusing on single aspects, such as accuracy and information transfer rate (ITR), to a more holistic user experience. The UCD implements an iterative process between end-users and developers based on a valid evaluation procedure. Within the UCD framework usability of a device can be defined with regard to its effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. We operationalized these aspects to evaluate BCI-controlled applications. Effectiveness was regarded equivalent to accuracy of selections and efficiency to the amount of information transferred per time unit and the effort invested (workload). Satisfaction was assessed with questionnaires and visual-analogue scales. These metrics have been successfully applied to several BCI-controlled applications for communication and entertainment, which were evaluated by end-users with severe motor impairment. Results of four studies, involving a total of N = 19 end-users revealed: effectiveness was moderate to high; efficiency in terms of ITR was low to high and workload low to medium; depending on the match between user and technology, and type of application satisfaction was moderate to high. The here suggested evaluation metrics within the framework of the UCD proved to be an applicable and informative approach to evaluate BCI controlled applications, and end-users with severe impairment and in the locked-in state were able to participate in this process.

Determinants of U.S. poison center utilization.

Science.gov (United States)

Litovitz, Toby; Benson, Blaine E; Youniss, Jessica; Metz, Edward

2010-06-01

High poison center utilization has been associated with decreased emergency department usage and hospitalization rates. However, utilization requires awareness of the poison center. Penetrance, defined as the number of human poison exposures reported to a poison center per 1,000 population, has been used as a marker of poison center awareness. To identify factors that influence poison center penetrance to optimize the life- and cost-saving benefits of poison control centers. Human poison exposures that were reported to the National Poison Data System in 2001 were analyzed to identify and rank factors affecting poison center penetrance. Overall penetrance correlated with pediatric penetrance (R(2) = 0.75, p poison center that were already in or en route to a healthcare facility at the time of the call to the poison center (R(2) = 0.41, p poison center service populations were associated with lower penetrance (R(2) = 0.23, p poison center (multiple regression). Positive predictors included the percentage of the population younger than 5 years, the percentage of the adult population with a bachelor's degree, poison center certification, poison center educator FTEs (full time equivalents), Asian population percentage, and population density. The inverse correlation between pediatric penetrance and healthcare facility utilization supports prior observations of excessive healthcare utilization when a poison center is not called. Since race, language and distance are barriers to poison center utilization, and since healthcare utilization increases when poison center penetrance declines, low penetrance suggests a lack of awareness of the poison center rather than a low incidence of poisonings. Strategies to raise penetrance should be informed by an understanding of the barriers to utilization - language, Black/African American race, distance from the poison center, poverty, and lower education levels.

A knowledge-centered paradigm for operations and design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perin, C.

2005-01-01

A paradigm premised on the reactor design basis and on its systems, structures, and components also governs nuclear power plant operations. This machine-centered paradigm emphasizes a functional and discipline-based division of responsibilities, which can create hierarchical 'silos' and 'stovepipes' inhibiting the development and lateral exchange of knowledge about safety-critical system interactions. A knowledge-centered paradigm instead encourages the timely development, analysis, and exchange of information about system conditions and their likely consequences. This new paradigm puts operational focus on the importance of operating experience, informative root cause analyses, effective corrective actions, and cross-discipline exchange and cooperation. Although the knowledge-centered paradigm is already central to three main strategies of risk reduction, it is less likely to be recognized as such in terms of priorities, resources, and training: configuration control, control room operations, and root cause analysis. To maintain the capacity for safe shutdown and to preserve public trust, the knowledge-centered paradigm places as high a priority on interactions of safety-critical knowledge as it does on interactions of safety-critical systems, structures, and components. (author)

Readability assessment of concussion and traumatic brain injury publications by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Gill, Preetinder S; Gill, Tejkaran S; Kamath, Ashwini; Whisnant, Billy

2012-01-01

Health literacy is associated with a person’s capacity to find, access, contextualize, and understand information needed for health care-related decisions. The level of health literacy thus has an influence on an individual’s health status. It can be argued that low health literacy is associated with poor health status. Health care literature (eg, pamphlets, brochures, postcards, posters, forms) are published by public and private organizations worldwide to provide information to the general public. The ability to read, use, and understand is critical to the successful application of knowledge disseminated by this literature. This study assessed the readability, suitability, and usability of health care literature associated with concussion and traumatic brain injury published by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease, Gunning Fog, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, and Suitability Assessment of Materials indices were used to assess 40 documents obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. The documents analyzed were targeted towards the general public. It was found that in order to be read properly, on average, these documents needed more than an eleventh grade/high school level education. This was consistent with the findings of other similar studies. However, the qualitative Suitability Assessment of Materials index showed that, on average, usability and suitability of these documents was superior. Hence, it was concluded that formatting, illustrations, layout, and graphics play a pivotal role in improving health care-related literature and, in turn, promoting health literacy. Based on the comprehensive literature review and assessment of the 40 documents associated with concussion and traumatic brain injury, recommendations have been made for improving the readability, suitability, and usability of health care-related documents. The recommendations are

Current status of quality evaluation of nursing care through director review and reflection from the Nursing Quality Control Centers

OpenAIRE

Duan, Xia; Shi, Yan

2014-01-01

Background: The quality evaluation of nursing care is a key link in medical quality management. It is important and worth studying for the nursing supervisors to know the disadvantages during the process of quality evaluation of nursing care and then to improve the whole nursing quality. This study was to provide director insight on the current status of quality evaluation of nursing care from Nursing Quality Control Centers (NQCCs). Material and Methods: This qualitative study used a sample ...

Quality Control Algorithms for the Kennedy Space Center 50-Megahertz Doppler Radar Wind Profiler Winds Database

Science.gov (United States)

Barbre, Robert E., Jr.

2012-01-01

This paper presents the process used by the Marshall Space Flight Center Natural Environments Branch (EV44) to quality control (QC) data from the Kennedy Space Center's 50-MHz Doppler Radar Wind Profiler for use in vehicle wind loads and steering commands. The database has been built to mitigate limitations of using the currently archived databases from weather balloons. The DRWP database contains wind measurements from approximately 2.7-18.6 km altitude at roughly five minute intervals for the August 1997 to December 2009 period of record, and the extensive QC process was designed to remove spurious data from various forms of atmospheric and non-atmospheric artifacts. The QC process is largely based on DRWP literature, but two new algorithms have been developed to remove data contaminated by convection and excessive first guess propagations from the Median Filter First Guess Algorithm. In addition to describing the automated and manual QC process in detail, this paper describes the extent of the data retained. Roughly 58% of all possible wind observations exist in the database, with approximately 100 times as many complete profile sets existing relative to the EV44 balloon databases. This increased sample of near-continuous wind profile measurements may help increase launch availability by reducing the uncertainty of wind changes during launch countdown

plasmatis Center for Innovation Competence: Controlling reactive component output of atmospheric pressure plasmas in plasma medicine

Science.gov (United States)

Reuter, Stephan

2012-10-01

The novel approach of using plasmas in order to alter the local chemistry of cells and cell environment presents a significant development in biomedical applications. The plasmatis center for innovation competence at the INP Greifswald e.V. performs fundamental research in plasma medicine in two interdisciplinary research groups. The aim of our plasma physics research group ``Extracellular Effects'' is (a) quantitative space and time resolved diagnostics and modelling of plasmas and liquids to determine distribution and composition of reactive species (b) to control the plasma and apply differing plasma source concepts in order to produce a tailored output of reactive components and design the chemical composition of the liquids/cellular environment and (c) to identify and understand the interaction mechanisms of plasmas with liquids and biological systems. Methods to characterize the plasma generated reactive species from plasma-, gas- and liquid phase and their biological effects will be presented. The diagnostic spectrum ranges from absorption/emission/laser spectroscopy and molecular beam mass spectrometry to electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and cell biological diagnostic techniques. Concluding, a presentation will be given of the comprehensive approach to plasma medicine in Greifswald where the applied and clinical research of the Campus PlasmaMed association is combined with the fundamental research at plasmatis center.

Center for Beam Physics, 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-05-01

The Center for Beam Physics is a multi-disciplinary research and development unit in the Accelerator and Fusion Research Division at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. At the heart of the Center's mission is the fundamental quest for mechanisms of acceleration, radiation and focusing of energy. Dedicated to exploring the frontiers of the physics of (and with) particle and photon beams, its primary mission is to promote the science and technology of the production, manipulation, storage and control systems of charged particles and photons. The Center serves this mission via conceptual studies, theoretical and experimental research, design and development, institutional project involvement, external collaborations, association with industry and technology transfer. This roster provides a glimpse at the scientists, engineers, technical support, students, and administrative staff that make up this team and a flavor of their multifaceted activities during 1993

Information sharing guidebook for transportation management centers, emergency operations centers, and fusion centers

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-01

This guidebook provides an overview of the mission and functions of transportation management centers, emergency operations centers, and fusion centers. The guidebook focuses on the types of information these centers produce and manage and how the sh...

Information sharing guidebook for transportation management centers, emergency operations centers, and fusion centers.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-01

This guidebook provides an overview of the mission and functions of transportation management centers, emergency operations centers, and fusion centers. The guidebook focuses on the types of information these centers produce and manage and how the sh...

Depressive symptoms and gestational length among pregnant adolescents: Cluster randomized control trial of CenteringPregnancy® plus group prenatal care.

Science.gov (United States)

Felder, Jennifer N; Epel, Elissa; Lewis, Jessica B; Cunningham, Shayna D; Tobin, Jonathan N; Rising, Sharon Schindler; Thomas, Melanie; Ickovics, Jeannette R

2017-06-01

Depressive symptoms are associated with preterm birth among adults. Pregnant adolescents have high rates of depressive symptoms and low rates of treatment; however, few interventions have targeted this vulnerable group. Objectives are to: (a) examine impact of CenteringPregnancy® Plus group prenatal care on perinatal depressive symptoms compared to individual prenatal care; and (b) determine effects of depressive symptoms on gestational age and preterm birth among pregnant adolescents. This cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted in 14 community health centers and hospitals in New York City. Clinical sites were randomized to receive standard individual prenatal care (n = 7) or CenteringPregnancy® Plus group prenatal care (n = 7). Pregnant adolescents (ages 14-21, N = 1,135) completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale during pregnancy (second and third trimesters) and postpartum (6 and 12 months). Gestational age was obtained from medical records, based on ultrasound dating. Intention to treat analyses were used to examine objectives. Adolescents at clinical sites randomized to CenteringPregnancy® Plus experienced greater reductions in perinatal depressive symptoms compared to those at clinical sites randomized to individual care (p = .003). Increased depressive symptoms from second to third pregnancy trimester were associated with shorter gestational age at delivery and preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation). Third trimester depressive symptoms were also associated with shorter gestational age and preterm birth. All p < .05. Pregnant adolescents should be screened for depressive symptoms prior to third trimester. Group prenatal care may be an effective nonpharmacological option for reducing depressive symptoms among perinatal adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Control system at the Synchrotron Radiation Research Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jan, G.J.

1991-01-01

A modern control system was designed for SRRC to control and monitor the facilities of storage ring, beam transport line and injection system. The SRRC control system is a distributed system which is divided into two logical levels. Several process computers and workstations at upper level provide the computing power for physics simulation, data storage and graphical user interfaces. VME-based Intelligent Local Controllers (ILC) are the backbone of the lower level system which handle the real time devices access and the closed loop control. Ethernet network provides the interconnection between these two layers using IEEE 802.3 and TCP/IP protocol. The software in upper level computers includes data base server, network server, simulation programs, various application codes and X windows based graphical user interfaces. Device drivers, application programs for devices control and communication programs are the major software components at the ILC level

A Reliable, Non-Invasive Approach to Data Center Monitoring and Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moises Levy

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Recent standards, legislation, and best practices point to data center infrastructure management systems to control and monitor data center performance. This work presents an innovative approach to address some of the challenges that currently hinder data center management. It explains how monitoring and management systems should be envisioned and implemented. Key parameters associated with data center infrastructure and information technology equipment can be monitored in real-time across an entire facility using low-cost, low-power wireless sensors. Given the data centers’ mission critical nature, the system must be reliable and deployable through a non-invasive process. The need for the monitoring system is also presented through a feedback control systems perspective, which allows higher levels of automation. The data center monitoring and management system enables data gathering, analysis, and decision-making to improve performance, and to enhance asset utilization.

Self-poisoning with baclofen in alcohol-dependent patients: national reports to French Poison Control Centers, 2008-2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Pelissier, Fanny; de Haro, Luc; Cardona, Florence; Picot, Cyndie; Puskarczyk, Emmanuel; Sapori, Jean-Marc; Tournoud, Christine; Franchitto, Nicolas

2017-04-01

Alcohol use disorders are frequently associated with self-intoxication in attempted suicide. In France since 2008, the off-label use of baclofen for treatment of alcohol dependence has greatly increased, leading to temporary regulation of use of the drug. At the request of the national authorities, the French Poison Control Centers carried out a retrospective survey to give an overview of baclofen exposure in this population. A retrospective study was carried out from January 2008 to December 2013, focusing on baclofen exposures in alcohol-dependent patients managed by the nine national French Poison Control Centers. 294 observations of baclofen exposures in alcohol-dependent patients were identified in our database. Of these, 220 were suicide attempts by self-poisoning and 74 were unintentional. The mean age of patients was 41.7 years, with a sex-ratio of 1.6. Patients attempting suicide with baclofen were younger than those with unintentional exposures, and 43.6% of them were women (vs 22.9%, p < 0.01). The mean supposed ingested dose was higher (480.7 mg) in patients who attempted suicide (vs 192.5 mg, p < 0.0001). 21.8% of intentional exposures involved baclofen alone. Psychiatric comorbidity (50.4%) was more frequent in the group of self-poisoning (p < 0.001). 132 patients were coded as severely exposed (60.0%). Nine victims died, but the causal link between self-poisoning with baclofen and fatal outcome should be interpreted with particular caution. Baclofen self-poisoning by alcohol-dependent patients is a serious concern for the French health authorities. Our results are similar to those previously published, suggesting that most patients with baclofen overdose should be admitted to an intermediate or intensive care unit as the clinical course requires close monitoring. Because suicidal ideation and suicide attempts are more prevalent in people with substance use disorders than in the general population, and because of the lack of

Opportunity for Collaboration Between Radiation Injury Treatment Network Centers and Medical Toxicology Specialists.

Science.gov (United States)

Davlantes, Elizabeth; Shartar, Samuel; Venero, Jennifer; Steck, Alaina; Langston, Amelia; Kazzi, Ziad N

2017-08-01

The Radiation Injury Treatment Network (RITN) comprises >50 centers across the United States that are poised to care for victims of a radiation emergency. The network is organized around bone marrow transplant centers because these facilities excel in both radiation medicine and the care of patients with severe bone marrow depression. A radiation emergency may cause not only irradiation from an external source but also internal contamination with radioactive material. Because medical toxicologists are trained in radiation injury management and have expertise in the management of internal contamination, RITN centers may benefit from partnerships with medical toxicology resources, which may be located at academic medical centers, hospital inpatient clinical services, outpatient clinics, or poison control centers. We determined the locations of existing RITN centers and assessed their proximity to various medical toxicology resources, including medical toxicology fellowship programs, inpatient toxicology services, outpatient toxicology clinics, and poison control centers. Data were derived from publicly available Internet sources in March 2015. The majority of RITN centers do not have a medical toxicology fellowship, an inpatient toxicology service, or an outpatient toxicology clinic within the same institution. Fifty-seven percent of RITN centers have at least one of these resources located in the same city, however, and 73% of centers have at least one of these resources or a poison control center within the same city. Ninety-five percent of RITN centers have at least one medical toxicology resource within the state. Most RITN centers are located in the same city as at least one medical toxicology resource. Establishing relationships between RITN centers and medical toxicologists needs to be explored further.

Detecting themes of public concern: a text mining analysis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Ebola live Twitter chat.

Science.gov (United States)

Lazard, Allison J; Scheinfeld, Emily; Bernhardt, Jay M; Wilcox, Gary B; Suran, Melissa

2015-10-01

A diagnosis of Ebola on US soil triggered widespread panic. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held a live Twitter chat to address public concerns. This study applied a textual analytics method to reveal insights from these tweets that can inform communication strategies. User-generated tweets were collected, sorted, and analyzed to reveal major themes. The public was concerned with symptoms and lifespan of the virus, disease transfer and contraction, safe travel, and protection of one's body. Copyright © 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Concussion Initiative for High School Coaches: "Heads up: Concussion in High School Sports"

Science.gov (United States)

Sarmiento, Kelly; Mitchko, Jane; Klein, Cynthia; Wong, Sharon

2010-01-01

Background: To reduce the number of sports-related concussions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the support of partners and experts in the field, has developed a tool kit for high school coaches with practical, easy-to-use concussion-related information. This study explores the success of the tool kit in changing…

5-axes modular CNC machining center

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Breaz Radu-Eugen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the development of a 5-axes CNC machining center. The main goal of the machine was to provide the students a practical layout for training in advanced CAM techniques. The mechanical structure of the machine was built in a modular way by a specialized company, which also implemented the CNC controller. The authors of this paper developed the geometric and kinematic model of the CNC machining center and the post-processor, in order to use the machine in a CAM environment.

A single-center, cross-sectional prevalence study of impulse control disorders in Parkinson disease: association with dopaminergic drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Poletti, Michele; Logi, Chiara; Lucetti, Claudio; Del Dotto, Paolo; Baldacci, Filippo; Vergallo, Andrea; Ulivi, Martina; Del Sarto, Simone; Rossi, Giuseppe; Ceravolo, Roberto; Bonuccelli, Ubaldo

2013-10-01

The current study aimed at establishing the prevalence of impulse control disorders (ICDs) in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and their association with demographic, drug-related, and disease-related characteristics. We performed a single-center cross-sectional study of 805 PD patients. Impulse control disorders were investigated with the Questionnaire for Impulsive Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease; also comorbid neuropsychiatric complications (dementia, delusions, visual hallucinations) were investigated with clinical interviews and ad hoc instruments (Parkinson Psychosis Questionnaire and Neuropsychiatry Inventory). Impulse control disorders were identified in 65 patients (prevalence, 8.1%), with pathological gambling and hypersexuality the most frequent. Impulse control disorders were present in 57 of 593 cognitively preserved patients (prevalence, 9.6%) and in 8 of 212 demented patients (prevalence, 3.8%). Impulse control disorders were significantly associated with dopamine agonists (odds ratio [OR], 5.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.60-12.46; P Impulse control disorders frequency was similar for pramipexole and ropinirole (16.6% vs 12.5%; OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 0.79-2.74; P = 0.227). Additional variables associated with ICDs were male sex and younger age. These findings suggested that dopaminergic treatments in PD are associated with increased odds of having an ICD, but also other demographic and clinical variables are associated with ICDs, suggesting the multifactorial nature of the ICD phenomenon in PD.

Altered center of mass control during sit-to-walk in elderly adults with and without history of falling.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Tzurei; Chou, Li-Shan

2013-09-01

Sit-to-walk (STW) is a commonly performed activity of daily living that requires a precise coordination between momentum generation and balance control. However, there is a lack of biomechanical data demonstrating how the center of mass (COM) momentum and balance control interact. This study examines COM kinetic energy distribution in three movement directions and COM-Ankle inclination angles during STW among 15 healthy young adults, 15 elderly non-fallers, and 15 elderly fallers. We found that elderly adults, especially elderly fallers, chose a COM control strategy that provided more stability than mobility to perform STW. A smaller forward COM velocity, a more upward COM momentum distribution, and a smaller anterior-posterior COM-Ankle angle characterize this strategy. Healthy elderly adults modified their STW movement around seat-off so that they achieved a more upright position before walking. Elderly fallers not only altered COM control around seat-off but also showed limitation in COM control during gait initiation. Furthermore, their COM control in the medial-lateral direction might be perturbed at swing-off due to an increased distribution of kinetic energy. Examining COM momentum distribution in different movement directions and the relationship between positions of the COM and supporting foot during STW could enhance our ability to identify elderly adults who are at risk of falling. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Center for beam physics 1996-1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-02-01

The Center for Beam Physics (CBP) is a multidisciplinary research and development unit in the Accelerator and Fusion Research Division at the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of the University of California. At the heart of the Center`s mission is the fundamental quest for mechanisms of acceleration, radiation, transport, and focusing of energy and information. Special features of the Center`s program include addressing R&D issues needing long development time and providing a platform for conception, initiation, and support of institutional projects based on beams. The Center brings to bear a significant amount of diverse, complementary, and self-sufficient expertise in accelerator physics, synchrotron radiation, advanced microwave techniques, plasma physics, optics, and lasers on the forefront R&D issues in particle and photon beam research. In addition to functioning as a clearinghouse for novel ideas and concepts and related R&D (e.g., various theoretical and experimental studies in beam physics such as nonlinear dynamics, phase space control, laser-beam-plasma interaction, free-electron lasers, optics, and instrumentation), the Center provides significant support to Laboratory facilities and initiatives. This roster and annual report provides a glimpse of the scientists, engineers, technical support, students, and administrative staff that make up the CBP`s outstanding team and gives a flavor of their multifaceted activities during 1996 and 1997.

Planning for the Automation of School Library Media Centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Caffarella, Edward P.

1996-01-01

Geared for school library media specialists whose centers are in the early stages of automation or conversion to a new system, this article focuses on major components of media center automation: circulation control; online public access catalogs; machine readable cataloging; retrospective conversion of print catalog cards; and computer networks…

American Association of Poison Control Centers

Science.gov (United States)

... add poison control as a contact in your smartphone. Take the pledge! National Poison Prevention Week is March 19-25! Be a part of the conversation by following #PreventPoison and #NPPW2017 on social media, and check out AAPCC's NPPW webpage and press ...

Iowa Water Center | Iowa Water Center

Science.gov (United States)

Home Iowa State University Extension Iowa Water Center Submitted by mollyd on April 24, 2012 - 09 :42 Advancing the state of water knowledge and management The Iowa Water Center is a part of a nationwide network of university-based water centers created to encourage interdisciplinary water research

User-Centered Design through Learner-Centered Instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Altay, Burçak

2014-01-01

This article initially demonstrates the parallels between the learner-centered approach in education and the user-centered approach in design disciplines. Afterward, a course on human factors that applies learner-centered methods to teach user-centered design is introduced. The focus is on three tasks to identify the application of theoretical and…

Development of Improved Graphical Displays for an Advanced Outage Control Center, Employing Human Factors Principles for Outage Schedule Management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

St Germain, Shawn Walter [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Farris, Ronald Keith [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Thomas, Kenneth David [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2015-09-01

The long-term viability of existing nuclear power plants in the United States (U.S.) is dependent upon a number of factors, including maintaining high capacity factors, maintaining nuclear safety, and reducing operating costs, particularly those associated with refueling outages. Refueling outages typically take 20-30 days, and for existing light water NPPs in the U.S., the reactor cannot be in operation during the outage. Furthermore, given that many NPPs generate between $1-1.5 million/day in revenue when in operation, there is considerable interest in shortening the length of refueling outages. Yet refueling outages are highly complex operations, involving multiple concurrent and dependent activities that are somewhat challenging to coordinate; therefore, finding ways to improve refueling outage performance, while maintaining nuclear safety has proven to be difficult. The Advanced Outage Control Center (AOCC) project is a research and development (R&D) demonstration activity under the LWRS Program. LWRS is an R&D program that works closely with industry R&D programs to establish technical foundations for the licensing and managing of long-term, safe, and economical operation of current fleet of NPPs. As such, the LWRS Advanced Outage Control Center project has the goal of improving the management of commercial NPP refueling outages. To accomplish this goal, INL is developing an advanced outage control center (OCC) that is specifically designed to maximize the usefulness of communication and collaboration technologies for outage coordination and problem resolution activities. The overall focus is on developing an AOCC with the following capabilities that enables plant and OCC staff to; Collaborate in real-time to address emergent issues; Effectively communicate outage status to all workers involved in the outage; Effectively communicate discovered conditions in the field to the OCC; Provide real-time work status; Provide automatic pending support notifications

Development of Improved Graphical Displays for an Advanced Outage Control Center, Employing Human Factors Principles for Outage Schedule Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

St Germain, Shawn Walter; Farris, Ronald Keith; Thomas, Kenneth David

2015-01-01

The long-term viability of existing nuclear power plants in the United States (U.S.) is dependent upon a number of factors, including maintaining high capacity factors, maintaining nuclear safety, and reducing operating costs, particularly those associated with refueling outages. Refueling outages typically take 20-30 days, and for existing light water NPPs in the U.S., the reactor cannot be in operation during the outage. Furthermore, given that many NPPs generate between $1-1.5 million/day in revenue when in operation, there is considerable interest in shortening the length of refueling outages. Yet refueling outages are highly complex operations, involving multiple concurrent and dependent activities that are somewhat challenging to coordinate; therefore, finding ways to improve refueling outage performance, while maintaining nuclear safety has proven to be difficult. The Advanced Outage Control Center (AOCC) project is a research and development (R&D) demonstration activity under the LWRS Program. LWRS is an R&D program that works closely with industry R&D programs to establish technical foundations for the licensing and managing of long-term, safe, and economical operation of current fleet of NPPs. As such, the LWRS Advanced Outage Control Center project has the goal of improving the management of commercial NPP refueling outages. To accomplish this goal, INL is developing an advanced outage control center (OCC) that is specifically designed to maximize the usefulness of communication and collaboration technologies for outage coordination and problem resolution activities. The overall focus is on developing an AOCC with the following capabilities that enables plant and OCC staff to; Collaborate in real-time to address emergent issues; Effectively communicate outage status to all workers involved in the outage; Effectively communicate discovered conditions in the field to the OCC; Provide real-time work status; Provide automatic pending support notifications

Work plan for upgrading the 241-A-701 compressed air system and motor control center. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpenter, K.E.

1995-01-01

This work plan will outline the responsibilities associated with the 241-A-701 Compressed Air System (CAS) and Motor Control Center (MCC) upgrades. All activities required to design, install, test, and operate the modified systems are addressed in this document. Upgrades Technical Support (UTS) of TWRS Engineering is responsible for the completion of all tasks associated with this upgrade. UTS will coordinate the upgrade activities, and ensure all tasks are successfully completed on or before the scheduled dates. The primary objective of the 241-A-701 Compressor and MCC Upgrade is to provide a reliable source of process and instrument compressed air to the A, AX, AY, and AZ tank farms

Recombination luminescence from H centers and conversion of H centers into I centers in alkali iodides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berzina, B.J.

1981-01-01

The study is aimed at the search for H-plus-electron centers of luminescence and the investigation of the conversion of H- into I centers by the luminescence of H-plus-electron centers in alkali iodide crystals. KI, RbI and NaI crystals were studied at 12 K. H and F centers were created by irradiation with ultraviolet light corresponding to the absorption band of anion excitons. Then the excitation of electron centers by red light irradiation was followed. The spectra of stimulated recombination luminescence were studied. The luminescence of H-plus- electron centers had been observed and the conclusion was made that this center was formed on immobile H centers. In case of stable H centers the optically stimulated conversion of H centers into I centers occurs. The assumption is advanced on the spontaneous annihilation of near placed unstable F, H centers which leads to the creation of H-plus-electron luminescence centers and to the spontaneous H-I-centers conversion [ru

Control architectures for IT management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Ting

2003-01-01

This paper summaries the three financial control architectures for IT department in an enterprise or organization, they are unallocated cost center, allocated cost center and profit center, analyses the characteristics of them and in the end gives the detailed suggestions for choosing these control architectures. (authors)

Training Center for Industrial Control Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. D. Yezhov

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We consider the application of embedded microcontrollers and industrial controllers with built-in operating systems.With the development of embedded operating systems and technology of open standard IEC 61131-3 product developer can write their own program management and support staff – to modernize management program.

Quality control in the low activity radioanalytical laboratory of the Environmental Division, DIEAM.CN of NUCLEBRAS Research Center - CDTN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carvalho, M.A.G. de

1988-01-01

The Environmental Engineering Division - DIEAM.CN of NUCLEBRAS research center - CTDN, is in charge of the routine work related to the analysis of environment samples collected at several NUCLEBRAS facilities. This paper presents the procedures used for quality control of the analyses performed at the Laboratory. The samples are initially verified and recorded as soon as they arrive at the Division. From then on, each aliquot and each analysis will be controlled using a follow-up sheet. Once a year, the operational conditions of the Lab couting systems are verified thoroughly. At that time, the systems are calibrated using certified radioactivity standards. Performance of the detectors is checked using control graphs, which can indicate the need for specific procedures to be followed such as maintenance, decontamination or recalibration. In order to reduce the risk of mistakes and to increase the capacity for global data evaluation, a microcomputer is used for processing the counting data and for editing a final report. (author) [pt

Advanced Outage and Control Center: Strategies for Nuclear Plant Outage Work Status Capabilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gregory Weatherby

2012-05-01

The research effort is a part of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program. LWRS is a research and development program sponsored by the Department of Energy, performed in close collaboration with industry to provide the technical foundations for licensing and managing the long-term, safe and economical operation of current nuclear power plants. The LWRS Program serves to help the US nuclear industry adopt new technologies and engineering solutions that facilitate the continued safe operation of the plants and extension of the current operating licenses. The Outage Control Center (OCC) Pilot Project was directed at carrying out the applied research for development and pilot of technology designed to enhance safe outage and maintenance operations, improve human performance and reliability, increase overall operational efficiency, and improve plant status control. Plant outage management is a high priority concern for the nuclear industry from cost and safety perspectives. Unfortunately, many of the underlying technologies supporting outage control are the same as those used in the 1980’s. They depend heavily upon large teams of staff, multiple work and coordination locations, and manual administrative actions that require large amounts of paper. Previous work in human reliability analysis suggests that many repetitive tasks, including paper work tasks, may have a failure rate of 1.0E-3 or higher (Gertman, 1996). With between 10,000 and 45,000 subtasks being performed during an outage (Gomes, 1996), the opportunity for human error of some consequence is a realistic concern. Although a number of factors exist that can make these errors recoverable, reducing and effectively coordinating the sheer number of tasks to be performed, particularly those that are error prone, has the potential to enhance outage efficiency and safety. Additionally, outage management requires precise coordination of work groups that do not always share similar objectives. Outage

Examining the role of gender in career advancement at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhuo; Roy, Kakoli; Gotway Crawford, Carol A

2010-03-01

During the past decade, efforts to promote gender parity in the healing and public health professions have met with only partial success. We provide a critical update regarding the status of women in the public health profession by exploring gender-related differences in promotion rates at the nation's leading public health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Using personnel data drawn from CDC, we found that the gender gap in promotion has diminished across time and that this reduction can be attributed to changes in individual characteristics (e.g., higher educational levels and more federal work experience). However, a substantial gap in promotion that cannot be explained by such characteristics has persisted, indicating continuing barriers in women's career advancement.

Minatom of Russia Situation and Crisis Center and the Automated Federal Information System for Nuclear Material Control and Accounting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berchik, V.P.; Kasumova, L.A.; Babcock, R.A.; Heinberg, C.L.; Tynan, D.M.

2001-01-01

Under the Situation and Crisis Center (SCC) management, the Information Analytical Center (IAC) of the Ministry of Atomic Energy (Minatom) of Russia was created to oversee the operation of the Federal Nuclear Material Control and Accounting Information System (FIS). During 2000, the FIS achieved an important milestone in its development: the basic functions of the information system were implemented. This includes placing into operation the collecting and processing of nuclear material control and accounting (MC and A) information from the enterprises reporting to the FIS. The FIS began working with 14 Russian enterprises to develop and implement full-function reporting (i.e., reporting inventory and inventory changes including closeout and reconciliation between the FIS and enterprises). In 2001, the system will expand to include enterprise-level inventory information for all enterprises using nuclear materials in Russia. For this reason, at the end of 2000 through the beginning of 2001, five separate training sessions were held for over 100 enterprise personnel responsible for preparation and transfer of the reports to the FIS. Through the assistance of the Nuclear Material Protection, Control and Accounting (MPC and A) program, information systems for the accounting of nuclear materials are being installed at Russia enterprises. In creating the program for modernization of the Russian Federation State System of Accounting and Control (SSAC) of nuclear material, the SCC conducted a survey of the enterprises to determine the readiness of their internal MC and A systems for reporting to the FIS. Based on the information from the survey and the results of the projects on creation of local information systems at Russian enterprises, the analysis of information and the technical aspects of MC and A systems identified deficiencies that were analyzed and recommendations for eliminating these deficiencies were proposed. The concentration of analytical and administrative

78 FR 32657 - Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-31

..., diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevention of physical and mental diseases and other impairments; (2... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Board of.... L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announces the following meeting of...

OPSquare : assessment of a novel flat optical data center network architecture under realistic data center traffic

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Miao, W.; Yan, F.; Raz, O.; Calabretta, N.

2016-01-01

The performances of OPSquare flat data-center network based on flow-controlled optical switches are investigated. Results show <1E-6 packet loss and <2µs end-to-end latency for 0.3 load when scaling to 40960 servers with 32×32 optical switches.

Energy efficient thermal management of data centers

CERN Document Server

Kumar, Pramod

2012-01-01

Energy Efficient Thermal Management of Data Centers examines energy flow in today's data centers. Particular focus is given to the state-of-the-art thermal management and thermal design approaches now being implemented across the multiple length scales involved. The impact of future trends in information technology hardware, and emerging software paradigms such as cloud computing and virtualization, on thermal management are also addressed. The book explores computational and experimental characterization approaches for determining temperature and air flow patterns within data centers. Thermodynamic analyses using the second law to improve energy efficiency are introduced and used in proposing improvements in cooling methodologies. Reduced-order modeling and robust multi-objective design of next generation data centers are discussed. This book also: Provides in-depth treatment of energy efficiency ideas based on  fundamental heat transfer, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, controls, and computer science Focus...

Impacts of Initial Transformation to a Patient-Centered Medical Home on Diabetes Outcomes in Federally Qualified Health Centers in Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Kinsell, Heidi S; Hall, Allyson G; Harman, Jeffrey S; Tewary, Sweta; Brickman, Andrew

2017-10-01

Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in Florida see large numbers of vulnerable patients with diabetes. Patient-centered medical home (PCMH) models can lead to improvements in health for patients with chronic conditions and cost savings for providers. Therefore, FQHCs are increasingly moving to PCMH models of care. The study objective was to examine the effects of initial transformation to a level 3 National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) certified PCMH in 2011, on clinical diabetes outcomes among 27 clinic sites from a network of FQHCs in Florida. We used de-identified, longitudinal electronic health record (EHR) data from 2010-2012 and multivariate logistic regression to analyze the effects of initial transformation on the odds of having well-controlled HbA1c, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure (BP) among vulnerable patients with diabetes. Models controlled for clustering by year, patient, and organizational characteristics. Overall, transformation to a PCMH was associated with 19% greater odds of having well-controlled HbA1c values with no statistically significant impact on BMI or BP. Subanalyses showed transformation had less of an effect on BP for African American patients and HbA1c control for Medicare enrollees but a greater effect on weight control for patients older than 35 years. Transformation to a PCMH in FQHCs appears to improve the health of vulnerable patients with diabetes, with less improvement for subsets of patients. Future research should seek to understand the heterogeneous effects of patient-centered transformation on various subgroups.

Control Systems Security Center Comparison Study of Industrial Control System Standards against the Control Systems Protection Framework Cyber-Security Requirements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robert P. Evans

2005-09-01

Cyber security standards, guidelines, and best practices for control systems are critical requirements that have been delineated and formally recognized by industry and government entities. Cyber security standards provide a common language within the industrial control system community, both national and international, to facilitate understanding of security awareness issues but, ultimately, they are intended to strengthen cyber security for control systems. This study and the preliminary findings outlined in this report are an initial attempt by the Control Systems Security Center (CSSC) Standard Awareness Team to better understand how existing and emerging industry standards, guidelines, and best practices address cyber security for industrial control systems. The Standard Awareness Team comprised subject matter experts in control systems and cyber security technologies and standards from several Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratories, including Argonne National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories. This study was conducted in two parts: a standard identification effort and a comparison analysis effort. During the standard identification effort, the Standard Awareness Team conducted a comprehensive open-source survey of existing control systems security standards, regulations, and guidelines in several of the critical infrastructure (CI) sectors, including the telecommunication, water, chemical, energy (electric power, petroleum and oil, natural gas), and transportation--rail sectors and sub-sectors. During the comparison analysis effort, the team compared the requirements contained in selected, identified, industry standards with the cyber security requirements in ''Cyber Security Protection Framework'', Version 0.9 (hereafter referred to as the ''Framework''). For each of the seven sector/sub-sectors listed above, one standard was

Effect of Workplace Counseling Interventions Launched by Workplace Health Promotion and Tobacco Control Centers in Taiwan: An Evaluation Based on the Ottawa Charter.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Tzu-Hua; Huang, Joh-Jong; Chang, Fong-Ching; Chang, Yu-Tsz; Chuang, Hung-Yi

2016-01-01

Workplace health promotion (WHP) is important to prevent work-related diseases, reduce workplace hazards, and improve personal health of the workers. Health promotion projects were launched through the centers of WHP funded by the Taiwan Bureau of Health Promotion since 2003. Hence, the aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of WHP programs intervention from 2003 to 2007. The intervention group consisted of 838 business entities which had ever undergone counseling of the three centers in northern, central, and southern Taiwan from 2003 to 2007. The control group was composed of 1000 business entities randomly selected from the business directories of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan. The questionnaire survey included general company profiles and the assessment of workplace health according to the five action areas of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. We have received 447 (53.3%) questionnaires from the intervention group and 97 questionnaires from the control group. The intervention group was more effective in using the external resources and medical consultation, and they had better follow-up rates of the abnormal results of annual health examinations. Compared to the control group, the intervention group had a significantly decreased smoking rate in 246 companies (61.2%) and a reduced second-hand smoke exposure in 323 companies (78.6%) (penvironment.

Large-scale fuel cycle centers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smiley, S.H.; Black, K.M.

1977-01-01

economic penalties of combined centers. The need for effective fissile material controls on an international scale, and the lack of a technologic requirement for co-location (on a national basis) of fuel cycle facilities, has led to the concept of the multinational fuel cycle facility. However, the establishment of such a facility requires resolution of a number of factors not ordinarily needing consideration. These factors can be broadly characterized in four categories: (1) Adminstrative and Organizational; (2) Economic and Financial; (3) Technical; and (4) Operational. Each of these broad areas has been examined on a preliminary basis for a particular geographic region on behalf of a multinational grouping of organizations. The purpose of this examination has been to determine the feasibility of such a concept and to identify the problems that need to be overcome to assure its ultimate success

REMOTE OPERATION OF THE WEST COAST AND ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alec H. Medbery

2002-01-01

Full Text Available The remote control of real time derivation of earthquake location and magnitude and the issuance of tsunami and earthquake bulletins was done using off-the-shelf remote control software and hardware. Such remote operation of the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center can decrease the time needed to respond to an earthquake by eliminating travel from the duty standers’ home to the tsunami warning center.

Implementation of a virtual link between power system testbeds at Marshall Spaceflight Center and Lewis Research Center

Science.gov (United States)

Doreswamy, Rajiv

1990-01-01

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) owns and operates a space station module power management and distribution (SSM-PMAD) testbed. This system, managed by expert systems, is used to analyze and develop power system automation techniques for Space Station Freedom. The Lewis Research Center (LeRC), Cleveland, Ohio, has developed and implemented a space station electrical power system (EPS) testbed. This system and its power management controller are representative of the overall Space Station Freedom power system. A virtual link is being implemented between the testbeds at MSFC and LeRC. This link would enable configuration of SSM-PMAD as a load center for the EPS testbed at LeRC. This connection will add to the versatility of both systems, and provide an environment of enhanced realism for operation of both testbeds.

Predictors of Default from Treatment for Tuberculosis: a Single Center Case-Control Study in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Cheol-Kyu; Shin, Hong-Joon; Kim, Yu-Il; Lim, Sung-Chul; Yoon, Jeong-Sun; Kim, Young-Su; Kim, Jung-Chul; Kwon, Yong-Soo

2016-02-01

Default from tuberculosis (TB) treatment could exacerbate the disease and result in the emergence of drug resistance. This study identified the risk factors for default from TB treatment in Korea. This single-center case-control study analyzed 46 default cases and 100 controls. Default was defined as interrupting treatment for 2 or more consecutive months. The reasons for default were mainly incorrect perception or information about TB (41.3%) and experience of adverse events due to TB drugs (41.3%). In univariate analysis, low income (defaulter (15.2% vs. 2.0%, P = 0.005), and combined extrapulmonary TB (54.3% vs. 34.0%, P = 0.020) were significant risk factors for default. In multivariate analysis, the absence of TB stigma (adjusted odd ratio [aOR]: 46.299, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.078-265.365, P defaulters (aOR: 33.226, 95% CI: 2.658-415.309, P = 0.007), and low income (aOR: 5.246, 95% CI: 1.249-22.029, P = 0.024) were independent predictors of default from TB treatment. In conclusion, patients with absence of disease stigma, treated by a non-pulmonologist, who were former defaulters, and with low income should be carefully monitored during TB treatment in Korea to avoid treatment default.

Predictors of Default from Treatment for Tuberculosis: a Single Center Case–Control Study in Korea

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

Default from tuberculosis (TB) treatment could exacerbate the disease and result in the emergence of drug resistance. This study identified the risk factors for default from TB treatment in Korea. This single-center case–control study analyzed 46 default cases and 100 controls. Default was defined as interrupting treatment for 2 or more consecutive months. The reasons for default were mainly incorrect perception or information about TB (41.3%) and experience of adverse events due to TB drugs (41.3%). In univariate analysis, low income (defaulter (15.2% vs. 2.0%, P = 0.005), and combined extrapulmonary TB (54.3% vs. 34.0%, P = 0.020) were significant risk factors for default. In multivariate analysis, the absence of TB stigma (adjusted odd ratio [aOR]: 46.299, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.078–265.365, P defaulters (aOR: 33.226, 95% CI: 2.658–415.309, P = 0.007), and low income (aOR: 5.246, 95% CI: 1.249–22.029, P = 0.024) were independent predictors of default from TB treatment. In conclusion, patients with absence of disease stigma, treated by a non-pulmonologist, who were former defaulters, and with low income should be carefully monitored during TB treatment in Korea to avoid treatment default. PMID:26839480

Design and Operational Evaluation of the Traffic Management Advisor at the Ft. Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center

Science.gov (United States)

Swenson, Harry N.; Vincent, Danny; Tobias, Leonard (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

NASA and the FAA have designed and developed and an automation tool known as the Traffic Management Advisor (TMA). The system was operationally evaluated at the Ft. Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). The TMA is a time-based strategic planning tool that provides Traffic Management Coordinators and En Route Air Traffic Controllers the ability to efficiently optimize the capacity of a demand impacted airport. The TMA consists of trajectory prediction, constraint-based runway scheduling, traffic flow visualization and controllers advisories. The TMA was used and operationally evaluated for forty-one rush traffic periods during a one month period in the Summer of 1996. The evaluations included all shifts of air traffic operations as well as periods of inclement weather. Performance data was collected for engineering and human factor analysis and compared with similar operations without the TMA. The engineering data indicates that the operations with the TMA show a one to two minute per aircraft delay reduction during rush periods. The human factor data indicate a perceived reduction in en route controller workload as well as an increase in job satisfaction. Upon completion of the evaluation, the TMA has become part of the normal operations at the Ft. Worth ARTCC.

Magnetic field modeling and optimal operational control of a single-side axial-flux permanent magnet motor with center poles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, C.-T.; Lee, S.-C.

2006-01-01

A detailed approach for analyzing magnetic field distributions of a single-sided axial-flux permanent magnet motor with center poles will be provided. Based on the devised flux model, the related position-dependent torque and axial force of the motor can be systematically developed. By incorporating adequate control designs, the optimal operational performance of the motor system can be conveniently achieved. Results showed that not only the motor structure is suitable for related military and transportation applications, but also the magnetic field model can provide appropriate mathematical basis for relative operational realizations

NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center Dynamics and Controls Branch

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobson, Steve

2015-01-01

NASA Armstrong continues its legacy of exciting work in the area of Dynamics and Control of advanced vehicle concepts. This presentation describes Armstrongs research in control of flexible structures, peak seeking control and adaptive control in the Spring of 2015.

75 FR 17754 - Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Health Statistics, (BSC, NCHS)

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-07

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Board of...) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and... name, address, telephone number, and organizational affiliation of the presenter. Written comments...

Distribution electric system simulator to support decision-making for CFE (Federal Electric Commission) Distribution Control Centers; Simulador del Sistema Electrico de Distribucion para apoyo en la toma de decisiones en Centros de Control de Distribucion de la CFE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Espinosa Reza, Alfredo; Quintero Reyes, Agustin; Garcia Mendoza, Raul; Calleros Torres, Tito Manuel [Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas, Cuernavaca, Morelos (Mexico); Borjas Diaz, Jesus Fidel; Sierra Rodriguez, Benjamin; Torres Abrego, Rafael [Comision Federal de Electricidad (Mexico)

2011-07-01

This article presents the physical, logical and functional architecture designed to integrate the Electric Distribution System (EDS) simulator developed for the CFE and the electric energy Distribution Control Centers in Mexico. The objective of the EDS simulator is to integrate engineering distribution functions (power flow, short circuit, optimal reconfiguration and reliability, among others) and an expert system (Case-based Reasoning) to aid the process of information analysis, decision-making and the capacity-building of the CFE's Regional and Zonal Distribution Control Centers. The EDS simulator has been installed, updated and is operational in the Tampico Zone and the Gulf Division Distribution Center, as an established product that continually evolves along with the actual operating dynamics. [Spanish] Se presenta la arquitectura fisica, logica y funcional disenada para integrar el simulador del Sistema Electrico de Distribucion (SED) desarrollado para la Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) y los Centros de Control de Distribucion de energia electrica en Mexico. El objetivo del simulador del SED es integrar funciones de ingenieria de distribucion (flujo de potencia, corto circuito, reconfiguracion optima, confiabilidad, entre otras) y un sistema experto (Razonamiento Basado en Casos) para apoyar el proceso de analisis de informacion, la toma de decisiones y la capacitacion en los Centros de Control de Distribucion Zonales y Regionales de CFE. El Simulador del SED se encuentra instalado, actualizado y en operacion en la Zona Tampico y en la Division de Distribucion Golfo Centro como un producto consolidado y en constante evolucion a la par de la dinamica operativa real.

Nojo, humilhação e controle na limpeza de shopping centers no Brasil e no Canadá

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valquiria Padilha

Full Text Available Este artigo visa a apresentar resultados de uma pesquisa qualitativa cujo objetivo principal foi analisar criticamente o sofrimento ancorado no trabalho precarizado de limpeza. Foram realizadas observações e entrevistas semiestruturadas com 12 trabalhadores de limpeza terceirizados de shopping centers no Brasil e no Canadá. A análise das entrevistas buscou regularidade dos assuntos recorrentes, agrupou elementos para constituir os núcleos temáticos de análise e construiu indícios para realizar a coerência teórica a partir da interpretação das descobertas sistematizadas. A pesquisa mostrou que o nojo e a humilhação dos trabalhadores de limpeza, ao lidarem com o lixo e a sujeira deixados pelos clientes em praças de alimentação e banheiros, são causa de sofrimento e demandam a performance de Trabalho Emocional. Foi possível encontrar, nos dois países, três núcleos temáticos de análise que se inter-relacionam no cotidiano do trabalho terceirizado de limpeza de shopping centers: o nojo, a humilhação e o controle.

Music therapy in Huntington's disease: a protocol for a multi-center randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

van Bruggen-Rufi, Monique; Vink, Annemieke; Achterberg, Wilco; Roos, Raymund

2016-07-26

Huntington's disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease with autosomal dominant inheritance, characterized by motor disturbances, cognitive decline and behavioral and psychological symptoms. Since there is no cure, all treatment is aimed at improving quality of life. Music therapy is a non-pharmacological intervention, aiming to improve the quality of life, but its use and efficacy in patients with Huntington's disease has hardly been studied. In this article, a protocol is described to study the effects of music therapy in comparison with a control intervention to improve quality of life through stimulating expressive and communicative skills. By targeting these skills we assume that the social-cognitive functioning will improve, leading to a reduction in behavioral problems, resulting in an overall improvement of the quality of life in patients with Huntington's disease. The study is designed as a multi-center single-blind randomised controlled intervention trial. Sixty patients will be randomised using centre-stratified block-permuted randomisation. Patients will be recruited from four long-term care facilities specialized in Huntington's disease-care in The Netherlands. The outcome measure to assess changes in expressive and communication skills is the Behaviour Observation Scale Huntington and changes in behavior will be assessed by the Problem Behaviour Assesment-short version and by the BOSH. Measurements take place at baseline, then 8, 16 (end of intervention) and 12 weeks after the last intervention (follow-up). This randomized controlled study will provide greater insight into the effectiveness of music therapy on activities of daily living, social-cognitive functioning and behavior problems by improving expressive and communication skills, thus leading to a better quality of life for patients with Huntington's disease. Netherlands Trial Register: NTR4904 , registration date Nov. 15, 2014.

75 FR 82030 - Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Health Statistics (BSC, NCHS)

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-29

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Board of...) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and... below. All requests must contain the name, address, telephone number, and organizational affiliation of...

77 FR 22326 - Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Health Statistics, (BSC, NCHS)

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-13

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Board of...) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and..., and organizational affiliation of the presenter. Written comments should not exceed five single-spaced...

Accounting for center in the Early External Cephalic Version trials: an empirical comparison of statistical methods to adjust for center in a multicenter trial with binary outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Reitsma, Angela; Chu, Rong; Thorpe, Julia; McDonald, Sarah; Thabane, Lehana; Hutton, Eileen

2014-09-26

Clustering of outcomes at centers involved in multicenter trials is a type of center effect. The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials Statement recommends that multicenter randomized controlled trials (RCTs) should account for center effects in their analysis, however most do not. The Early External Cephalic Version (EECV) trials published in 2003 and 2011 stratified by center at randomization, but did not account for center in the analyses, and due to the nature of the intervention and number of centers, may have been prone to center effects. Using data from the EECV trials, we undertook an empirical study to compare various statistical approaches to account for center effect while estimating the impact of external cephalic version timing (early or delayed) on the outcomes of cesarean section, preterm birth, and non-cephalic presentation at the time of birth. The data from the EECV pilot trial and the EECV2 trial were merged into one dataset. Fisher's exact method was used to test the overall effect of external cephalic version timing unadjusted for center effects. Seven statistical models that accounted for center effects were applied to the data. The models included: i) the Mantel-Haenszel test, ii) logistic regression with fixed center effect and fixed treatment effect, iii) center-size weighted and iv) un-weighted logistic regression with fixed center effect and fixed treatment-by-center interaction, iv) logistic regression with random center effect and fixed treatment effect, v) logistic regression with random center effect and random treatment-by-center interaction, and vi) generalized estimating equations. For each of the three outcomes of interest approaches to account for center effect did not alter the overall findings of the trial. The results were similar for the majority of the methods used to adjust for center, illustrating the robustness of the findings. Despite literature that suggests center effect can change the estimate of effect in

Clinical relevance of surgical site infection as defined by the criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, N A; Meyhoff, C S; Wetterslev, J

2010-01-01

Surgical site infection (SSI) is a common complication after abdominal surgery and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria are commonly used for diagnosis and surveillance. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether SSI diagnosed according to CDC is clinically relevant...... diagnosed with SSI and a matched control group (N=46) without SSI according to the CDC criteria after laparotomy. Two blinded experienced surgeons evaluated the hospital records and determined whether patients had CRSSI, based on the following criteria: antibiotic treatment, surgical intervention, prolonged...... hospital stay or referral to an intensive care unit for SSI. The rate of CRSSI was 38 of 54 (70%) in patients with CDC-diagnosed SSI and none in patients without a CDC-diagnosed SSI. Sixty-one percent of the CDC-diagnosed SSIs were superficial, of which 48% were considered clinically relevant...

Undisturbed stance control in healthy adults is achieved differently along anteroposterior and mediolateral axes: evidence from visual feedback of various signals from center of pressure trajectories.

Science.gov (United States)

Rougier, Patrice R

2009-05-01

Provided through the screen of a monitor, the participant's resultant center of pressure (CPRes) movements from a force platform device, modified the postural performance of a healthy individual. However, these effects could largely vary with the axis that researchers consider (mediolateral [ML] or anteroposterior [AP]), because they know these controls are involved in 2 distinct ankle and hip mechanisms. To demonstrate this organization, the author tested a group of healthy adults in several conditions that gave the whole or some part of the information in the CPRes displacements. Compared with the CPRes feedback, left and right plantar CP or body weight distribution feedback deteriorated the control of the vertically projected center of gravity (CGv) along the ML and AP axes, whose amplitudes increased, respectively. These data highlight the primary role of loading or unloading and pressure variations in the achievement of postural control along each ML or AP axis, respectively. It is interesting that merging these 2 pieces of information (CPRes displacements) helped participants optimize their postural performance.

A new reportable disease is born: Taiwan Centers for Disease Control's response to emerging Zika virus infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Angela Song-En; Shu, Pei-Yun; Yang, Chin-Hui

2016-04-01

Zika virus infection, usually a mild disease transmitted through the bite of Aedes mosquitos, has been reported to be possibly associated with microcephaly and neurologic complications. Taiwan's first imported case of Zika virus infection was found through fever screening at airport entry in January 2016. No virus was isolated from patient's blood taken during acute illness; however, PCR products showed that the virus was of Asian lineage closely related to virus from Cambodia. To prevent Zika virus from spreading in Taiwan, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control has strengthened efforts in quarantine and surveillance, increased Zika virus infection diagnostic capacity, implemented healthcare system preparedness plans, and enhanced vector control program through community mobilization and education. Besides the first imported case, no additional cases of Zika virus infection have been identified. Furthermore, no significant increase in the number of microcephaly or Guillain- Barré Syndrome has been observed in Taiwan. To date, there have been no autochthonous transmissions of Zika virus infection. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Stimulated emission depletion microscopy resolves individual nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond nanocrystals.

OpenAIRE

Arroyo Camejo, S.; Adam, M.; Besbes, M.; Hugonin, J.; Jaques, V.; Greffet, J.; Roch, J.; Hell, S.; Treussart, F.

2013-01-01

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in nanodiamonds are highly promising for bioimaging and sensing. However, resolving individual NV centers within nanodiamond particles and the controlled addressing and readout of their spin state has remained a major challenge. Spatially stochastic super-resolution techniques cannot provide this capability in principle, whereas coordinate-controlled super-resolution imaging methods, like stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, have been predicted ...

Infection prevention and control and the refugee population: Experiences from the University of Louisville Global Health Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Carrico, Ruth M; Goss, Linda; Wiemken, Timothy L; Bosson, Rahel S; Peyrani, Paula; Mattingly, William A; Pauly, Allison; Ford, Rebecca A; Kotey, Stanley; Ramirez, Julio A

2017-06-01

During 2016, approximately 140,000 individuals entered the United States as part of the federal government refugee resettlement program and established themselves in communities in virtually every state. No national database regarding refugee health currently exists; therefore, little is known about existing infectious diseases, conditions, and cultural practices that impact successful acculturation. The objective of this report is to identify what is currently known about refugees and circumstances important to infection prevention and control with respect to their roles as new community members, employees, and consumers of health care. Using data from the University of Louisville Global Health Center's Newly Arriving Refugee Surveillance System, health issues affecting refugees from the perspective of a community member, an employee, and a patient were explored. Lack of immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases is the most widespread issue impacting almost every adult, adolescent, and child refugee resettled in Kentucky. Health issues of concern from an infection prevention and control perspective include latent tuberculosis infection, HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, and parasites. Other health conditions that may also be important include anemia, obesity, oral health, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Refugee resettlement provides motivation for collaborative work among those responsible for infection prevention and control in all settings, their public health partners, and those responsible for and interested in community workforce concerns. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

US/Belarusian government-to-government material protection, control, and accounting cooperation at the Sosny Science and Technology Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Case, R.S. Jr.; Baumann, M.; Madsen, R.W.; Krevsum, E.; Haase, M.

1996-01-01

A formal program of cooperation between the US Department of Energy and the Belarusian regulatory agency Promatomnazdor (PAN) began in 1994. A visit to the Belarusian Sosny Science and Technology Center (SSTC) by representatives from the US, Sweden, Japan, and the International Atomic Energy Agency resulted in a multinational program of cooperation to enhance the existing material protection, control, and accounting systems in place at Sosny. Specific physical-protection-related recommendations included upgrades to the physical protection systems at Buildings 33 and 40 at Sosny and the security systems in the SSTC central alarm station. US experts in conjunction with the multinational team and Belarus representatives, have reviewed initial designs for physical protection upgrades at Sosny. Subsequently, the US assumed an essential role for funding and technical oversight for enhancements at the SSTC, aspects of its emergency communication systems, and the upgrade of the SSTC site access control system. This paper addresses the status of physical protection enhancements at the Sosny site

Mosquito Control

Science.gov (United States)

... Labs and Research Centers Contact Us Share Mosquito Control About Mosquitoes General Information Life Cycle Information from ... Repellent that is Right for You DEET Mosquito Control Methods Success in mosquito control: an integrated approach ...

Volume totalizers analysis of pipelines operated by TRANSPETRO National Operational Control Center; Analise de totalizadores de volume em oleodutos operados pelo Centro Nacional de Controle e Operacao da TRANSPETRO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aramaki, Thiago Lessa; Montalvao, Antonio Filipe Falcao [Petrobras Transporte S.A. (TRANSPETRO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Marques, Thais Carrijo [Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), RJ (Brazil)

2012-07-01

This paper aims to present the results and methodology in the analysis of differences in volume totals used in systems such as batch tracking and leak detection of pipelines operated by the National Center for Operational Control (CNCO) at TRANSPETRO. In order to optimize this type of analysis, software was developed to acquisition and processing of historical data using the methodology developed. The methodology developed takes into account the particularities encountered in systems operated by TRANSPETRO, more specifically, by CNCO. (author)

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices and Poison Control Centers: Collaborating to Prevent Medication Errors and Unintentional Poisonings.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaida, Allen J

2015-06-01

This article provides an overview on the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), the only independent nonprofit organization in the USA devoted to the prevention of medication errors. ISMP developed the national Medication Errors Reporting Program (MERP) and investigates and analyzes errors in order to formulate recommendations to prevent further occurrences. ISMP works closely with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), drug manufacturers, professional organizations, and others to promote changes in package design, practice standards, and healthcare practitioner and consumer education. By collaborating with ISMP to share and disseminate information, Poison Control centers, emergency departments, and toxicologists can help decrease unintentional and accidental poisonings.

Independent sailing with high tetraplegia using sip and puff controls: integration into a community sailing center.

Science.gov (United States)

Rojhani, Solomon; Stiens, Steven A; Recio, Albert C

2017-07-01

We are continually rediscovering how adapted recreational activity complements the rehabilitation process, enriches patients' lives and positively impacts outcome measures. Although sports for people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) has achieved spectacular visibility, participation by high cervical injuries is often restricted due to poor accessibility, safety concerns, lack of adaptability, and high costs of technology. We endeavor to demonstrate the mechanisms, adaptability, accessibility, and benefits the sport of sailing creates in the rehabilitative process. Our sailor is a 27-year-old man with a history of traumatic SCI resulting in C4 complete tetraplegia. The participant completed an adapted introductory sailing course, and instruction on the sip-and-puff sail and tiller control mechanism. With practice, he navigated an on-water course in moderate winds of 5 to 15 knots. Despite trends toward shorter rehabilitation stays, aggressive transdisciplinary collaboration with recreation therapy can provide community and natural environment experiences while inpatient and continuing post discharge. Such peak physical and psychological experiences provide a positive perspective for the future that can be shared on the inpatient unit, with families and support systems like sailing clubs in the community. Rehabilitation theory directs a team process to achieve patient self-awareness and initiate self-actualization in spite of disablement. Utilization of local community sailing centers that have provided accessible assisted options provides person-centered self-realization of goals as assisted by family and natural supports. Such successful patients become native guides for others seeking the same experience.

Data Center Equipment Location and Monitoring System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2013-01-01

Abstract: Data center equipment location systems include hardware and software to provide information on the location, monitoring, and security of servers and other equipment in equipment racks. The systems provide a wired alternative to the wireless RFID tag system by using electronic ID tags...... connected to each piece of equipment, each electronic ID tag connected directly by wires to an equipment rack controller on the equipment rack. The equipment rack controllers link to a central control computer that provides an operator ...

History of Injury and Violence as public health problems and emergence of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at CDC.

Science.gov (United States)

Sleet, David A; Baldwin, Grant; Marr, Angela; Spivak, Howard; Patterson, Sara; Morrison, Christine; Holmes, Wendy; Peeples, Amy B; Degutis, Linda C

2012-09-01

Injuries and violence are among the oldest health problems facing humans. Only within the past 50 years, however, has the problem been addressed with scientific rigor using public health methods. The field of injury control began as early as 1913, but wasn't approached systematically or epidemiologically until the 1940s and 1950s. It accelerated rapidly between 1960 and 1985. Coupled with active federal and state interest in reducing injuries and violence, this period was marked by important medical, scientific, and public health advances. The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) was an outgrowth of this progress and in 2012 celebrated its 20th anniversary. NCIPC was created in 1992 after a series of government reports identified injury as one of the most important public health problems facing the nation. Congressional action provided the impetus for the creation of NCIPC as the lead federal agency for non-occupational injury and violence prevention. In subsequent years, NCIPC and its partners fostered many advances and built strong capacity. Because of the tragically high burden and cost of injuries and violence in the United States and around the globe, researchers, practitioners, and decision makers will need to redouble prevention efforts in the next 20 years. This article traces the history of injury and violence prevention as a public health priority-- including the evolution and current structure of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The prevention research centers' managing epilepsy well network.

Science.gov (United States)

DiIorio, Colleen K; Bamps, Yvan A; Edwards, Ariele L; Escoffery, Cam; Thompson, Nancy J; Begley, Charles E; Shegog, Ross; Clark, Noreen M; Selwa, Linda; Stoll, Shelley C; Fraser, Robert T; Ciechanowski, Paul; Johnson, Erica K; Kobau, Rosemarie; Price, Patricia H

2010-11-01

The Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) Network was created in 2007 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Prevention Research Centers and Epilepsy Program to promote epilepsy self-management research and to improve the quality of life for people with epilepsy. MEW Network membership comprises four collaborating centers (Emory University, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, University of Michigan, and University of Washington), representatives from CDC, affiliate members, and community stakeholders. This article describes the MEW Network's background, mission statement, research agenda, and structure. Exploratory and intervention studies conducted by individual collaborating centers are described, as are Network collaborative projects, including a multisite depression prevention intervention and the development of a standard measure of epilepsy self-management. Communication strategies and examples of research translation programs are discussed. The conclusion outlines the Network's role in the future development and dissemination of evidence-based epilepsy self-management programs. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

78 FR 14303 - Statement of Delegation of Authority; Health Resources and Services Administration and Centers...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-05

... Services Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention I hereby delegate to the Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with authority to redelegate, the authority vested in the Secretary of the...

Increases in Recent HIV Testing Among Men Who Have Sex With Men Coincide With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Expanded Testing Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Cooley, Laura A.; Wejnert, Cyprian; Rose, Charles E.; Paz-Bailey, Gabriela; Taussig, Jennifer; Gern, Robert; Hoyte, Tamika; Salazar, Laura; White, Jianglan; Todd, Jeff; Bautista, Greg; Flynn, Colin; Sifakis, Frangiscos; German, Danielle; Isenberg, Debbie; Driscoll, Maura; Hurwitz, Elizabeth; Doherty, Rose; Wittke, Chris; Prachand, Nikhil; Benbow, Nanette; Melville, Sharon; Pannala, Praveen; Yeager, Richard; Sayegh, Aaron; Dyer, Jim; Sheu, Shane; Novoa, Alicia; Thrun, Mark; Al-Tayyib, Alia; Wilmoth, Ralph; Higgins, Emily; Griffin, Vivian; Mokotoff, Eve; MacMaster, Karen; Wolverton, Marcia; Risser, Jan; Rehman, Hafeez; Padgett, Paige; Bingham, Trista; Sey, Ekow Kwa; LaLota, Marlene; Metsch, Lisa; Forrest, David; Beck, Dano; Cardenas, Gabriel; Nemeth, Chris; Anderson, Bridget J.; Watson, Carol-Ann; Smith, Lou; Robinson, William T.; Gruber, DeAnn; Barak, Narquis; Murrill, Chris; Neaigus, Alan; Jenness, Samuel; Hagan, Holly; Reilly, Kathleen H.; Wendel, Travis; Cross, Helene; Bolden, Barbara; D'Errico, Sally; Wogayehu, Afework; Godette, Henry; Brady, Kathleen A.; Kirkland, Althea; Sifferman, Andrea; Miguelino-Keasling, Vanessa; Velasco, Al; Tovar, Veronica; Raymond, H. Fisher; De León, Sandra Miranda; Rolón-Colón, Yadira; Marzan, Melissa; Courogen, Maria; Jaenicke, Tom; Thiede, Hanne; Burt, Richard; Jia, Yujiang; Opoku, Jenevieve; Sansone, Marie; West, Tiffany; Magnus, Manya; Kuo, Irene

2015-01-01

According to National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system data, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing increased among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men from 2008 to 2011 in cities funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Expanded Testing Initiative, suggesting that focused HIV testing initiatives might have positive effects. PMID:25352589

Radiological protection and routinary controls of an activimeter with a cesium and barium sources in an nuclear medicine center; Proteccion radiologica y controles rutinarios de un activimetro con fuentes de cesio y bario en un centro de medicina nuclear

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morales L, M.E. [IPEN INEN, Centro de Medicina Nuclear, Av. Aviacion 3799, Lima 34 (Peru)]. e-mail: toyoco3000@hotmail.com

2006-07-01

In the present work the results when carrying out the routine controls in a Deluxe Isotope (Calibrator II) equipment, with some sources of Cesium 137 and Barium 133, in a Nuclear Medicine Center that operates from the year 1983 in a modern one construction inside the Institute of Neoplastic Illnesses (INEN) are shown. Taking in account the Radiological Protection measures to verify if the equipment responds to the personnel's demands in the measurements of activities of the diverse radionuclides that are used in different types of exams that are carried out in this Nuclear Medicine Center are the objectives of this work. This Center was equipped initially with donated equipment by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with those that it develops assistance, educational works and of research, giving services to patients of the INEN and other public and private medical centers. (Author)

Benefits Analysis of Multi-Center Dynamic Weather Routes

Science.gov (United States)

Sheth, Kapil; McNally, David; Morando, Alexander; Clymer, Alexis; Lock, Jennifer; Petersen, Julien

2014-01-01

Dynamic weather routes are flight plan corrections that can provide airborne flights more than user-specified minutes of flying-time savings, compared to their current flight plan. These routes are computed from the aircraft's current location to a flight plan fix downstream (within a predefined limit region), while avoiding forecasted convective weather regions. The Dynamic Weather Routes automation has been continuously running with live air traffic data for a field evaluation at the American Airlines Integrated Operations Center in Fort Worth, TX since July 31, 2012, where flights within the Fort Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center are evaluated for time savings. This paper extends the methodology to all Centers in United States and presents benefits analysis of Dynamic Weather Routes automation, if it was implemented in multiple airspace Centers individually and concurrently. The current computation of dynamic weather routes requires a limit rectangle so that a downstream capture fix can be selected, preventing very large route changes spanning several Centers. In this paper, first, a method of computing a limit polygon (as opposed to a rectangle used for Fort Worth Center) is described for each of the 20 Centers in the National Airspace System. The Future ATM Concepts Evaluation Tool, a nationwide simulation and analysis tool, is used for this purpose. After a comparison of results with the Center-based Dynamic Weather Routes automation in Fort Worth Center, results are presented for 11 Centers in the contiguous United States. These Centers are generally most impacted by convective weather. A breakdown of individual Center and airline savings is presented and the results indicate an overall average savings of about 10 minutes of flying time are obtained per flight.

Quality-Adjusted Cost Functions for Child-Care Centers.

OpenAIRE

Mocan, H Naci

1995-01-01

Using a newly compiled data set, this paper estimates multi- product translog cost functions for 399 child care centers from California, Colorado, Connecticut, and North Carolina. Quality of child care is controlled by a quality index, which has been shown to be positively related to child outcomes by previous research. Nonprofit centers that receive public money, either from the state or federal government, (which is tied to higher standards), have total variable costs that are 18 percent hi...

The effects of a newsletter on bedding control on house dust mite allergen concentrations in childcare centers in Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeonghoon Kim

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Objectives Bedding in childcare centers (CCCs can hold house dust mite (HDM allergens. This study examined whether HDM allergen levels can be reduced through the distribution of an educational newsletter on bedding control to parents of CCC children in Korea. Methods All 38 CCCs were measured for Der 1 (sum of Der f 1 and Der p 1 concentrations on classroom floors and bedding before the intervention. Educational newsletters on children’s bedding control were sent to 21 CCCs by mail, and teachers were asked to distribute the newsletters to the parents of the children (intervention group. The remaining 17 CCCs were not sent newsletters (control group. The measurement of Der 1 concentrations in 38 CCCs was repeated after the intervention. Dust samples were collected with a vacuum cleaner and analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods. Results The Der 1 concentrations on the bedding were significantly higher than those on the floors in 38 CCCs at baseline (p<0.05. Although changes of the Der 1 concentrations for the control group (n=17 were not significant, Der 1 concentrations for the intervention group (n=21 decreased significantly from 2077.9 ng/g dust to 963.5 ng/g dust on the floors and from 3683.9 ng/g dust to 610.4 ng/g dust on bedding (p<0.05. Conclusions The distribution of educational newsletters on bedding control to parents may be an effective means of controlling HDMs in CCCs.

[Effect of school-based peer leader centered smoking prevention program].

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Sung Rae; Oh, Pok Ja; Youn, Hye Kyung; Shin, Sun Hwa

2014-12-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a school-based peer leader centered smoking prevention program. Non-equivalent control group with a pre/post-test design was used. Students (n=174) in two boys' junior high schools located in D city, Korea participated with 85 being selected for the experimental group and 89 for the control group. Five sessions were given to the experimental group and a 50 minute lecture to the control group. Knowledge, attitude, non-smoking intention, and non-smoking efficacy were measured for the both experimental and control group at two weeks before the program and one month after the program was completed. Data were analyzed using χ²-test, Fisher's exact test, independent t-test and paired t-test with the SPSS 21.0 program. The experimental group showed higher overall knowledge, negative attitude toward smoking, and higher non-smoking intention and efficacy. After receiving the school based peer leader centered smoking prevention program scores for attitude toward smoking and non-smoking efficacy increased in the experimental group were higher than in the control group. The school-based peer leader centered smoking prevention program needs longitudinal evaluation, but from this study, there is an indication that this program can be used with junior high school students and effectively change students' attitude toward smoking and promote non-smoking efficacy.

Update to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection (2017): A summary, review, and strategies for implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Hara, Lyndsay M; Thom, Kerri A; Preas, Michael Anne

2018-03-07

Surgical site infections remain a common cause of morbidity, mortality, and increased length of stay and cost amongst hospitalized patients in the United States. This article summarizes the evidence used to inform the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection (2017), and highlights key updates and new recommendations. We also present specific suggestions for how infection preventionists can play a central role in guideline implementation by translating these recommendations into evidence-based policies and practices in their facility. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Equivalence of two independent calculations of the higher order guiding center Lagrangian

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parra, F. I.; Calvo, I.; Burby, J. W.; Squire, J.; Qin, H.

2014-01-01

The difference between the guiding center phase-space Lagrangians derived in J. W. Burby et al. [Phys. Plasmas 20, 072105 (2013)] and F. I. Parra and I. Calvo [Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 53, 045001 (2011)] is due to a different definition of the guiding center coordinates. In this brief communication, the difference between the guiding center coordinates is calculated explicitly

Exploiting the Potential of Data Centers in the Smart Grid

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaoying; Zhang, Yu-An; Liu, Xiaojing; Cao, Tengfei

As the number of cloud computing data centers grows rapidly in recent years, from the perspective of smart grid, they are really large and noticeable electric load. In this paper, we focus on the important role and the potential of data centers as controllable loads in the smart grid. We reviewed relevant research in the area of letting data centers participate in the ancillary services market and demand response programs of the grid, and further investigate the possibility of exploiting the impact of data center placement on the grid. Various opportunities and challenges are summarized, which could provide more chances for researches to explore this field.

B Complex Test Control Center (TCC) #4210

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The TCC is a dual control room facility for the B-1 and B-2 Test Positions on the B-Stand. The TCC houses continually-updated, state-of-the-art Data Acquisition and...

A single residue controls electron transfer gating in photosynthetic reaction centers

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Shlyk, O.; Samish, I.; Matěnová, M.; Dulebo, A.; Poláková, H.; Kaftan, David; Scherz, A.

2017-01-01

Roč. 7, MAR 16 (2017), s. 1-13, č. článku 44580. ISSN 2045-2322 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-00703S; GA MŠk(CZ) LO1416 Institutional support: RVO:61388971 Keywords : BACTERIAL REACTION CENTERS * INDUCED STRUCTURAL-CHANGES * ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPE Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology OBOR OECD: Microbiology Impact factor: 4.259, year: 2016

Toolchain for User-Centered Intelligent Floor Heating Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Agesen, Mads Kronborg; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand; Mikučionis, Marius

2016-01-01

temperature is below the user defined target temperature, otherwise it closes for the heating in the room. The disadvantage is that the heat exchange among the rooms, outside weather conditions, weather forecast and other factors are not considered. We propose a novel model-driven approach for intelligent...... floor heating control based on a chain of tools that allow us to gather the sensor readings from the actual hardware and use the state-of-the-art controller synthesis tool UPPAAL Stratego in order to synthesise abstract control strategies that are then executed on the real hardware platform provided...... by the company Seluxit. We have built a scaled demonstrator of the system and the experimental results document a 38% to 52 % increase in user satisfaction, moreover with additional energy savings between 2% to 12%....

Control of simultaneous outbreaks of carbapenemase-producing enterobacteriaceae and extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infection in an intensive care unit using interventions promoted in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2012 carbapenemase-resistant Enterobacteriaceae Toolkit.

Science.gov (United States)

Enfield, Kyle B; Huq, Nujhat N; Gosseling, Megan F; Low, Darla J; Hazen, Kevin C; Toney, Denise M; Slitt, Gavin; Zapata, Heidi J; Cox, Heather L; Lewis, Jessica D; Kundzins, John R; Mathers, Amy J; Sifri, Costi D

2014-07-01

We describe the efficacy of enhanced infection control measures, including those recommended in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2012 carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) toolkit, to control concurrent outbreaks of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) and extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (XDR-AB). Before-after intervention study. Fifteen-bed surgical trauma intensive care unit (ICU). We investigated the impact of enhanced infection control measures in response to clusters of CPE and XDR-AB infections in an ICU from April 2009 to March 2010. Polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the presence of blaKPC and resistance plasmids in CRE. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was performed to assess XDR-AB clonality. Enhanced infection-control measures were implemented in response to ongoing transmission of CPE and a new outbreak of XDR-AB. Efficacy was evaluated by comparing the incidence rate (IR) of CPE and XDR-AB before and after the implementation of these measures. The IR of CPE for the 12 months before the implementation of enhanced measures was 7.77 cases per 1,000 patient-days, whereas the IR of XDR-AB for the 3 months before implementation was 6.79 cases per 1,000 patient-days. All examined CPE shared endemic blaKPC resistance plasmids, and 6 of the 7 XDR-AB isolates were clonal. Following institution of enhanced infection control measures, the CPE IR decreased to 1.22 cases per 1,000 patient-days (P = .001), and no more cases of XDR-AB were identified. Use of infection control measures described in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2012 CRE toolkit was associated with a reduction in the IR of CPE and an interruption in XDR-AB transmission.

Center for beam physics 1996-1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-02-01

The Center for Beam Physics (CBP) is a multidisciplinary research and development unit in the Accelerator and Fusion Research Division at the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of the University of California. At the heart of the Center's mission is the fundamental quest for mechanisms of acceleration, radiation, transport, and focusing of energy and information. Special features of the Center's program include addressing R ampersand D issues needing long development time and providing a platform for conception, initiation, and support of institutional projects based on beams. The Center brings to bear a significant amount of diverse, complementary, and self-sufficient expertise in accelerator physics, synchrotron radiation, advanced microwave techniques, plasma physics, optics, and lasers on the forefront R ampersand D issues in particle and photon beam research. In addition to functioning as a clearinghouse for novel ideas and concepts and related R ampersand D (e.g., various theoretical and experimental studies in beam physics such as nonlinear dynamics, phase space control, laser-beam-plasma interaction, free-electron lasers, optics, and instrumentation), the Center provides significant support to Laboratory facilities and initiatives. This roster and annual report provides a glimpse of the scientists, engineers, technical support, students, and administrative staff that make up the CBP's outstanding team and gives a flavor of their multifaceted activities during 1996 and 1997

Efficient coherent driving of NV centers in a YIG-nanodiamond hybrid platform

Science.gov (United States)

Andrich, Paolo; de Las Casas, Charles F.; Liu, Xiaoying; Bretscher, Hope L.; Nealey, Paul F.; Awschalom, David D.; Heremans, F. Joseph

The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond is an ideal candidate for room temperature quantum computing and sensing applications. These schemes rely on magnetic dipolar interactions between the NV centers and other paramagnetic centers, imposing a stringent limit on the spin-to-spin separation. For instance, creating multi-qubit entanglement requires two NV centers to be within a few nanometers of each other, limiting the possibility for individual optical and microwave (MW) control. Moreover, to sense spins external to the diamond lattice the NV centers need to be within few nanometers from the surface, where their coherence properties are strongly reduced. In this work, we address these limitations using a hybrid YIG-nanodiamond platform where propagating spin-waves (SWs) are used to mediate the interaction between a MW source and a NV center ensemble, thereby relaxing the requirements imposed by dipolar interactions. In particular, we show that SWs can be used to amplify a MW signal detected by the NV centers by more than two orders of magnitude, allowing us to obtain ultra-low energy SW-driven coherent control of the NV centers. These results demonstrate the potentials of YIG-ND hybrid systems for the realization of enhanced quantum sensing and scalable computing devices. This work is supported by the ARO MURI program and the AFOSR.

Electric Power Research Institute, Environmental Control Technology Center report to the steering committee. Final technical report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-12-01

Operations and maintenance continued this month at the Electric Power Research Institute`s Environmental Control Technology Center. Testing on the 4.0 MW Pilot Wet FGD unit continued with the Pilot High Velocity FGD (PHV) and the Trace Element Removal (TER) test blocks. In the High Velocity test block, SO{sub 2} removal and mist eliminator carryover rates were investigated while operating the absorber unit with various spray nozzle types and vertical mist eliminator sections. During the Trace Element Removal test block, the mercury measurements and control studies involving the EPA Method 29 continued with testing of several impinger capture solutions, and the use of activated carbon injection across the Pulse-Jet Fabric Filter (PJFF) unit. The 4.0 MW Spray Dryer Absorber System was utilized this month in the TER test configuration to inject and transfer activated carbon to the PJFF bags for downstream mercury capture. Work also began in December to prepare the 0.4 MW Mini-Pilot Absorber system for receipt of the B and W Condensing Heat Exchanger (CHX) unit to be used in the 1996 DOE/PRDA testing. The 1.0 MW Cold-Side Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) unit remained in cold-standby this month.

Controlled, cross-sectional, multi-center study of physical capacity and associated factors in women with fibromyalgia.

Science.gov (United States)

Larsson, Anette; Palstam, Annie; Bjersing, Jan; Löfgren, Monika; Ernberg, Malin; Kosek, Eva; Gerdle, Björn; Mannerkorpi, Kaisa

2018-04-19

Health and physical capacity are commonly associated with disease, age, and socioeconomic factors. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the degree to which physical capacity, defined as muscle strength and walking ability, is decreased in women with fibromyalgia (FM), as compared to healthy women, who are matched for age and level of education. The secondary aim was to investigate whether muscle strength and walking ability are associated with age, symptom duration, activity limitations and, Body Mass Index (BMI) in women with FM and control subjects. This controlled, cross-sectional, multi-center study comprised 118 women with FM and 93 age- and education-level-matched healthy women. The outcome measures were isometric knee-extension force, isometric elbow-flexion force, isometric hand-grip force, and walking ability. Differences between the groups were calculated, and for the women with FM analyses of correlations between the measures of physical capacity and variables were performed. The women with FM showed 20% (p BMI. It seems important to address this problem and to target interventions to prevent decline in muscle strength. Assessments of muscle strength and walking ability are easy to administer and should be routinely carried out in the clinical setting for women with FM. ClinicalTrials.gov identification number: NCT01226784 , Oct 21, 2010.

Anticoagulation Control in Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation Attended at Primary Care Centers in Spain: The PAULA Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Barrios, Vivencio; Escobar, Carlos; Prieto, Luis; Osorio, Genoveva; Polo, José; Lobos, José María; Vargas, Diego; García, Nicolás

2015-09-01

To determine the current status of anticoagulation control in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation treated with vitamin K antagonists in the primary care setting in Spain. The PAULA study was a multicenter cross-sectional/retrospective observational study conducted throughout Spain. The study included patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation who had been receiving vitamin K antagonist therapy during the past year and were attended at primary care centers. International normalized ratio (INR) values over the past 12 months were recorded. The degree of anticoagulation control was defined as the time the patient had remained within the therapeutic range and was determined by both the direct method (poor control < 60%) and by the Rosendaal method (poor control < 65%). The study assessed 1524 patients (mean age, 77.4 ± 8.7 years; 48.6% women; 64.2% in permanent atrial fibrillation; CHADS2 mean, 2.3 ± 1.2; CHA2DS2-VASc, 3.9 ± 1.5, and HAS-BLED, 1.6 ± 0.9). The mean number of INR readings recorded per patient was 14.4 ± 3.8. A total of 56.9% of patients had adequate INR control according to the direct method and 60.6% according to the Rosendaal method. The multivariate analysis identified the following predictors for poor INR control: female sex, dietary habits potentially affecting anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists, multidrug therapy, and a history of labile INR. Approximately 40% of patients (43.1% by the direct method and 39.4% by the Rosendaal method) with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation who were receiving anticoagulation therapy with vitamin K antagonists in primary care in Spain had poor anticoagulation control during the previous 12 months. Copyright © 2015 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Transportation Technical Environmental Information Center index

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davidson, C.A.; Foley, J.T.

1979-01-01

In an effort to determine the environmental intensities to which energy materials in transit may be exposed, a ''Data Center'' of technical environmental information has been established by Sandia Laboratories, Division 5522, for the DOE Division of Environmental Control Technology. An index is presented which can be used to request data of interest

Strategic performance evaluation in cancer centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Delgado, Rigoberto I; Langabeer, James R

2009-01-01

Most research in healthcare strategy has focused on formulating or implementing organizational plans and strategies, and little attention has been dedicated to the post-implementation control and evaluation of strategy, which we contend is the most critical aspect of achieving organizational goals. The objective of this study was to identify strategic control approaches used by major cancer centers in the country and to relate these practices to financial performance. Our intent was to expand the theory and practice of healthcare strategy to focused services, such as oncology. We designed a 17-question survey to capture elements of strategy and performance from our study sample, which comprised major cancer hospitals in the United States and shared similar mandates and resource constraints. The results suggest that high-performing cancer centers use more sophisticated analytical approaches, invest greater financial resources in performance analysis, and conduct more frequent performance reviews than do low-performing organizations. Our conclusions point to the need for a more robust approach to strategic assessment. In this article, we offer a number of recommendations for management to achieve strategic plans and goals on the basis of our research. To our knowledge, this study is one of the first to concentrate on the area of strategic control.

New human-centered linear and nonlinear motion cueing algorithms for control of simulator motion systems

Science.gov (United States)

Telban, Robert J.

While the performance of flight simulator motion system hardware has advanced substantially, the development of the motion cueing algorithm, the software that transforms simulated aircraft dynamics into realizable motion commands, has not kept pace. To address this, new human-centered motion cueing algorithms were developed. A revised "optimal algorithm" uses time-invariant filters developed by optimal control, incorporating human vestibular system models. The "nonlinear algorithm" is a novel approach that is also formulated by optimal control, but can also be updated in real time. It incorporates a new integrated visual-vestibular perception model that includes both visual and vestibular sensation and the interaction between the stimuli. A time-varying control law requires the matrix Riccati equation to be solved in real time by a neurocomputing approach. Preliminary pilot testing resulted in the optimal algorithm incorporating a new otolith model, producing improved motion cues. The nonlinear algorithm vertical mode produced a motion cue with a time-varying washout, sustaining small cues for longer durations and washing out large cues more quickly compared to the optimal algorithm. The inclusion of the integrated perception model improved the responses to longitudinal and lateral cues. False cues observed with the NASA adaptive algorithm were absent. As a result of unsatisfactory sensation, an augmented turbulence cue was added to the vertical mode for both the optimal and nonlinear algorithms. The relative effectiveness of the algorithms, in simulating aircraft maneuvers, was assessed with an eleven-subject piloted performance test conducted on the NASA Langley Visual Motion Simulator (VMS). Two methods, the quasi-objective NASA Task Load Index (TLX), and power spectral density analysis of pilot control, were used to assess pilot workload. TLX analysis reveals, in most cases, less workload and variation among pilots with the nonlinear algorithm. Control input

High-performance flat data center network architecture based on scalable and flow-controlled optical switching system

Science.gov (United States)

Calabretta, Nicola; Miao, Wang; Dorren, Harm

2016-03-01

Traffic in data centers networks (DCNs) is steadily growing to support various applications and virtualization technologies. Multi-tenancy enabling efficient resource utilization is considered as a key requirement for the next generation DCs resulting from the growing demands for services and applications. Virtualization mechanisms and technologies can leverage statistical multiplexing and fast switch reconfiguration to further extend the DC efficiency and agility. We present a novel high performance flat DCN employing bufferless and distributed fast (sub-microsecond) optical switches with wavelength, space, and time switching operation. The fast optical switches can enhance the performance of the DCNs by providing large-capacity switching capability and efficiently sharing the data plane resources by exploiting statistical multiplexing. Benefiting from the Software-Defined Networking (SDN) control of the optical switches, virtual DCNs can be flexibly created and reconfigured by the DCN provider. Numerical and experimental investigations of the DCN based on the fast optical switches show the successful setup of virtual network slices for intra-data center interconnections. Experimental results to assess the DCN performance in terms of latency and packet loss show less than 10^-5 packet loss and 640ns end-to-end latency with 0.4 load and 16- packet size buffer. Numerical investigation on the performance of the systems when the port number of the optical switch is scaled to 32x32 system indicate that more than 1000 ToRs each with Terabit/s interface can be interconnected providing a Petabit/s capacity. The roadmap to photonic integration of large port optical switches will be also presented.

Introduction to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee Guideline for Prevention of Surgical Site Infection: Prosthetic Joint Arthroplasty Section.

Science.gov (United States)

Segreti, John; Parvizi, Javad; Berbari, Elie; Ricks, Philip; Berríos-Torres, Sandra I

Peri-prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a severe complication of total joint arthroplasty that appears to be increasing as more of these procedures are performed. Numerous risk factors for incisional (superficial and deep) and organ/space (e.g., PJI) surgical site infections (SSIs) have been identified. A better understanding and reversal of modifiable risk factors may lead to a reduction in the incidence of incisional SSI and PJI. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) recently updated the national Guideline for Prevention of Surgical Site Infection. The updated guideline applies evidence-based methodology, presents recommendations for potential strategies to reduce the risk of SSI, and includes an arthroplasty-specific section. This article serves to introduce the guideline development process and to complement the Prosthetic Joint Arthroplasty section with background information on PJI-specific economic burden, epidemiology, pathogenesis and microbiology, and risk factor information.

Readability assessment of concussion and traumatic brain injury publications by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gill PS

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Preetinder S Gill,1 Tejkaran S Gill,2 Ashwini Kamath,3 Billy Whisnant41College of Technology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI; 2College of Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; 3School of Information, University of Texas, Austin, TX; 4College of Technology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USAAbstract: Health literacy is associated with a person’s capacity to find, access, contextualize, and understand information needed for health care-related decisions. The level of health literacy thus has an influence on an individual’s health status. It can be argued that low health literacy is associated with poor health status. Health care literature (eg, pamphlets, brochures, postcards, posters, forms are published by public and private organizations worldwide to provide information to the general public. The ability to read, use, and understand is critical to the successful application of knowledge disseminated by this literature. This study assessed the readability, suitability, and usability of health care literature associated with concussion and traumatic brain injury published by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease, Gunning Fog, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, and Suitability Assessment of Materials indices were used to assess 40 documents obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. The documents analyzed were targeted towards the general public. It was found that in order to be read properly, on average, these documents needed more than an eleventh grade/high school level education. This was consistent with the findings of other similar studies. However, the qualitative Suitability Assessment of Materials index showed that, on average, usability and suitability of these documents was superior. Hence, it was concluded that formatting, illustrations, layout, and graphics play a pivotal role in improving

West Nile Virus: Prevention and Control

Science.gov (United States)

... not likely to be effective. Take steps to control mosquitoes inside and outside your home Use screens ... August 14, 2017 Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic ...

Differences in center of pressure trajectory between normal and steppage gait

Science.gov (United States)

Jamshidi, Nima; Rostami, Mostafa; Najarian, Siamak; Menhaj, Mohammad Bagher; Saadatnia, Mohammad; Salami, Firooz

2010-01-01

BACKGROUND: This pilot study aimed to assess the differences in center of pressure trajectory in neuropathic patients with steppage gait. Steppage gait has previously been evaluated by several biomechanical methods, but plantar pressure distribution has been much less studied. The purpose of this study was to analyze the changes in center of pressure trajectory using a force plate. METHODS: The steppage gait group was selected from the patients using drop foot brace (25 male) and the control group was selected from Isfahan university students (20 male). They walked at self- selected speed at a mean of ten trials (+2) to collect the center of pressure using a force plate. Center of pressure patterns were categorized into four patterns based on the center of pressure displacement magnitude (spatial features) through time (temporal features) when the longitudinal axis of the insole was plotted as the Y- axis and the transverse axis of the insole as X- axis during stance phase. RESULTS: The horizontal angle measured from center of pressure linear regression was positive in the control group (4.6 ± 2.4) (p < 0.005), but negative in the patient group (- 2.3 ± 1.6) (p < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: The finding of this research measured center of pressure trajectory in steppage gait over time, which is useful for designing better shoe sole and also orthopaedic device and better understanding of stability in patients with drop foot. PMID:21526056

Differences in center of pressure trajectory between normal and steppage gait

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nima Jamshidi

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Background: This pilot study aimed to assess the differences in center of pressure trajectory in neuropathic patients with steppage gait. Steppage gait has previously been evaluated by several biomechanical methods, but plantar pressure distribution has been much less studied. The purpose of this study was to analyze the changes in center of pressure tra-jectory using a force plate. Methods: The steppage gait group was selected from the patients using drop foot brace (25 male and the control group was selected from Isfahan university students (20 male. They walked at self- selected speed at a mean of ten tri-als (+2 to collect the center of pressure using a force plate. Center of pressure patterns were categorized into four pat-terns based on the center of pressure displacement magnitude (spatial features through time (temporal features when the longitudinal axis of the insole was plotted as the Y- axis and the transverse axis of the insole as X- axis during stance phase. Results: The horizontal angle measured from center of pressure linear regression was positive in the control group (4.6 ± 2.4 (p < 0.005, but negative in the patient group (- 2.3 ± 1.6 (p < 0.005. Conclusions: The finding of this research measured center of pressure trajectory in steppage gait over time, which is useful for designing better shoe sole and also orthopaedic device and better understanding of stability in patients with drop foot.

Data center equipment location and monitoring system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2011-01-01

A data center equipment location system includes both hardware and software to provide for location, monitoring, security and identification of servers and other equipment in equipment racks. The system provides a wired alternative to the wireless RFID tag system by using electronic ID tags...... connected to each piece of equipment, each electronic ID tag connected directly by wires to a equipment rack controller on the equipment rack. The equipment rack controllers then link over a local area network to a central control computer. The central control computer provides an operator interface......, and runs a software application program that communicates with the equipment rack controllers. The software application program of the central control computer stores IDs of the equipment rack controllers and each of its connected electronic ID tags in a database.; The software application program...

University of Illinois at Chicago Health Policy Center - Funding

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1991-2015. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. Funding Data, Appropriations...

Failure of initial disease control in bullous pemphigoid: a retrospective study of hospitalized patients in a single tertiary center.

Science.gov (United States)

Kremer, Noa; Zeeli, Tal; Sprecher, Eli; Geller, Shamir

2017-10-01

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is the most prevalent autoimmune blistering skin disease in Western countries and in Israel. Initial disease control is achieved in 60-90% of BP patients within 1-4 weeks of corticosteroid therapy. In the remainder of patients, recalcitrant disease is controlled with additional immunosuppressive treatment. We aimed to evaluate the rate of BP patients who needed adjuvant therapy to achieve initial disease control and to identify potential predictors for recalcitrant disease. We conducted a retrospective study of newly diagnosed BP patients who were hospitalized at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center between the years 2008-2014. We performed statistical analyses to assess the association between clinical factors and failure of initial disease control. Among 114 hospitalized patients with newly diagnosed BP, 1.8% presented with oral mucosa involvement. Seven patients (6.1%) required systemic agents in addition to corticosteroids to achieve disease control. Hypertension (P = 0.048), involvement of the head region (P = 0.042), and metformin treatment (P = 0.02) were significantly more prevalent among patients with recalcitrant disease. The low frequency of recalcitrant BP (6.1%) and the rarity of involvement of the oral mucosa (1.8%) in this study suggest that Israeli BP patients present a milder phenotype compared to similar patients from other geographic areas. Hypertension, head involvement, and metformin therapy were found to be significantly associated with the need for adjuvant therapy to achieve initial control, suggesting that these parameters may serve as predictors of treatment response in BP. © 2017 The International Society of Dermatology.

Consumerism: forcing medical practices toward patient-centered care.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozmon, Jeff

2007-01-01

Consumerism has been apart of many industries over the years; now consumerism may change the way many medical practices deliver healthcare. With the advent of consumer-driven healthcare, employers are shifting the decision-making power to their employees. Benefits strategies like health savings accounts and high-deductible insurance plans now allow the patients to control how and where they spend their money on medical care. Practices that seek to attract the more affluent and informed consumers are beginning to institute patient-centered systems designs that invite patients to actively participate in their healthcare. This article will outline the changes in the healthcare delivery system facing medical practices, the importance of patient-centered care, and six strategies to implement to change toward more patient-centered care.

Afferent projections to the pontine micturition center in the cat

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuipers, R; Mouton, LJ; Holstege, G; Kuiper, Rutger

2006-01-01

The pontine micturition center (PMC) or Barrington's nucleus controls micturition by way of its descending projections to the sacral spinal cord. However, little is known about the afferents to the PMC that control its function and may be responsible for dysfunction in patients with

[On the way to shortening tuberculosis treatments: clinical trials of the Unitat d' Investagació en Tuberculosi de Barcelona supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention].

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno, Antonio; Sánchez, Francesca; Nelson, Jeanne; Miró, José M; Caylà, Joan A

2010-01-01

New treatment guidelines are required to improve the tuberculosis control strategies that have been used for 30 years. Seven centers of the Barcelona Tuberculosis Research Unit (BTRU) (Unitat d'Investigació en Tuberculosi de Barcelona) are collaborating with the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a series of clinical trials on latent tuberculosis infection and tuberculosis disease. BTRU participation began in 2004 with Study 26, an evaluation of the efficacy and tolerability of rifapentine plus isoniazid administered once weekly for 3 months compared with the standard treatment for latent tuberculosis infection. The BTRU centers together enrolled 246 patients (3% of the total). General enrollment was completed in February, 2008. HIV-infected patient and child enrollment continues. Treatment with 12 doses instead of 270 doses is expected to be a clear success. However, the analysis will be completed in 2010. Study 28 (started in 2006), designed for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, compared standard treatment with an experimental regimen substituting moxifloxacin for isoniazid. BTRU centers together enrolled 15 patients (3.5% of the total). The provisional results (presented at the 47th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Chicago, 2007) showed no difference between the sputum conversion rate of each regimen at week 8 of treatment. Study 29 is currently underway, in which rifapentine was introduced in the experimental regimen for active tuberculosis treatment. Copyright (c) 2009 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Among Child Care Center Directors in 2008 and 2016.

Science.gov (United States)

Shope, Timothy R; Walker, Benjamin H; Aird, Laura D; Southward, Linda; McCown, John S; Martin, Judith M

2017-06-01

Children in child care centers represent an important population to consider in attempts to mitigate the spread of an influenza pandemic. This national survey, conducted in 2008 and 2016, assessed directors' reports of their child care centers' pandemic influenza preparation before and after the 2009 H1N1 novel influenza pandemic. This was a telephone-based survey of child care center directors randomly selected from a national database of licensed US child care centers who were queried about their preparedness for pandemic influenza. We grouped conceptually related items in 6 domains into indexes: general infection control, communication, seasonal influenza control, use of health consultants, quality of child care, and perceived barriers. These indexes, along with other center and director characteristics, were used to predict pandemic influenza preparedness. Among 1500 and 518 child care center directors surveyed in 2008 and 2016, respectively, preparation for pandemic influenza was low and did not improve. Only 7% of directors had taken concrete actions to prepare their centers. Having served as a center director during the 2009 influenza pandemic did not influence preparedness. After adjusting for covariates, child care health consultation and years of director's experience were positively associated with pandemic influenza preparation, whereas experiencing perceived barriers such as lack of knowing what to do in the event of pandemic influenza, was negatively associated with pandemic influenza preparedness. Pandemic influenza preparedness of child care center's directors needs to improve. Child care health consultants are likely to be important collaborators in addressing this problem. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

National Space Transportation System telemetry distribution and processing, NASA-JFK Space Center/Cape Canaveral

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, George

1986-01-01

Prelaunch, launch, mission, and landing distribution of RF and hardline uplink/downlink information between Space Shuttle Orbiter/cargo elements, tracking antennas, and control centers at JSC, KSC, MSFC, GSFC, ESMC/RCC, and Sunnyvale are presented as functional block diagrams. Typical mismatch problems encountered during spacecraft-to-project control center telemetry transmissions are listed along with new items for future support enhancement.

An intervention targeting fundamental values among caregivers at residential facilities: effects of a cluster-randomized controlled trial on residents' self-reported empowerment, person-centered climate and life satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Roos, Charlotte; Silén, Marit; Skytt, Bernice; Engström, Maria

2016-07-07

In Sweden the national fundamental values for care of older people state that care should ensure that they can live in dignity and with a sense of well-being. Our hypothesis was that a caregiver intervention targeting the national fundamental values would improve perceived empowerment, person-centered climate and life satisfaction among older people living in residential facilities. The study was a cluster-randomized controlled trial with a pre- and one post-test design, conducted in 27 units (17 study units) at 12 residential facilities for older people in five municipalities in central Sweden. The units in each municipality were randomly assigned to intervention or control group. The caregiver intervention was carried out using an interpretative approach with eight guided face-to-face seminars, where self-reflection and dialogue were used. Data were collected using questionnaires. The number of residents was 43 (78 %) in the intervention group and 37 (71 %) in the control group. The Chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U-tests were performed to detect differences between groups and Wilcoxon signed rank tests to explore differences in change over time within groups. Furthermore, generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were used to study effects of the intervention controlling for clustering effects. Primary outcome measures were empowerment, person-centered climate and life satisfaction. In the intervention group, improvements at follow-up were found in residents' self-reported empowerment (n = 42; p = 0.001, Median difference 4.0, 95 % CI 1.5;6.0), person-centered climate (n = 42; p ≤0.001, Median difference 8.0, 95 % CI 4.5;11.4) and life satisfaction regarding the factor quality of everyday activities (n = 40; p = 0.033, Median difference 9.7, 95 % CI 1.0;21.9) while disempowerment decreased (n = 43; p = 0.018, Median difference -1.3, 95 % CI -2.0;0.0). In the control group person-centered climate decreased (n = 37; p�

Target marketing for the hospital-based wellness center.

Science.gov (United States)

Cangelosi, J D

1997-01-01

The American population is aging, medical technology is advancing, and life expectancies are on the rise. At the same time hospitals are looking for additional sources of income due to the pressures of government regulations and managed care. One of the options for hospitals looking for additional sources of income is the hospital-based but free-standing comprehensive wellness and fitness center. Such centers go beyond the facilities, programs and services offered by traditional health and fitness centers. In addition to physical fitness programs, hospital-based wellness centers offer programs in CPR, nutrition, weight control and many other programs of interest to an aging but active American populace. This research documents the hospital industry, wellness industry and the prospects of success or failure for he hospital attempting such a venture. The focus of the research is the experience of a particular hospital with regard to the programs, facilities and services deemed most important by its target market.

Job satisfaction among control room operators of electrical systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Macaia, Amanda A Silva; Marqueze, Elaine C; Rotenberg, Lúcia; Fischer, Frida Marina; Moreno, Claudia R C

2012-01-01

Shift workers from control centers of electrical systems are a group that has received little attention in Brazil. This study aimed to compare workers' job satisfaction at five control centers of a Brazilian company electrical system, and according to their job titles. The Organization Satisfaction Index (OSI) questionnaire to assess job satisfaction was used. ANOVA was used to compare OSI means, according to job title and control center. The results showed that there is no difference in job satisfaction among job titles, but a significant difference was found according to the control center. A single organizational culture cannot be applied to several branches. It is required to implement actions that would result in job satisfaction improvements among workers of all studied control rooms centers. The high level of education of operators working in all centers might have contributed to the similar values of perceived satisfaction among distinct job titles.

Controlling Infrastructure Costs: Right-Sizing the Mission Control Facility

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Keith; Sen-Roy, Michael; Heiman, Jennifer

2009-01-01

Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center is a space vehicle, space program agnostic facility. The current operational design is essentially identical to the original facility architecture that was developed and deployed in the mid-90's. In an effort to streamline the support costs of the mission critical facility, the Mission Operations Division (MOD) of Johnson Space Center (JSC) has sponsored an exploratory project to evaluate and inject current state-of-the-practice Information Technology (IT) tools, processes and technology into legacy operations. The general push in the IT industry has been trending towards a data-centric computer infrastructure for the past several years. Organizations facing challenges with facility operations costs are turning to creative solutions combining hardware consolidation, virtualization and remote access to meet and exceed performance, security, and availability requirements. The Operations Technology Facility (OTF) organization at the Johnson Space Center has been chartered to build and evaluate a parallel Mission Control infrastructure, replacing the existing, thick-client distributed computing model and network architecture with a data center model utilizing virtualization to provide the MCC Infrastructure as a Service. The OTF will design a replacement architecture for the Mission Control Facility, leveraging hardware consolidation through the use of blade servers, increasing utilization rates for compute platforms through virtualization while expanding connectivity options through the deployment of secure remote access. The architecture demonstrates the maturity of the technologies generally available in industry today and the ability to successfully abstract the tightly coupled relationship between thick-client software and legacy hardware into a hardware agnostic "Infrastructure as a Service" capability that can scale to meet future requirements of new space programs and spacecraft. This paper discusses the benefits

Investigation and Development of Control Laws for the NASA Langley Research Center Cockpit Motion Facility

Science.gov (United States)

Coon, Craig R.; Cardullo, Frank M.; Zaychik, Kirill B.

2014-01-01

The ability to develop highly advanced simulators is a critical need that has the ability to significantly impact the aerospace industry. The aerospace industry is advancing at an ever increasing pace and flight simulators must match this development with ever increasing urgency. In order to address both current problems and potential advancements with flight simulator techniques, several aspects of current control law technology of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center's Cockpit Motion Facility (CMF) motion base simulator were examined. Preliminary investigation of linear models based upon hardware data were examined to ensure that the most accurate models are used. This research identified both system improvements in the bandwidth and more reliable linear models. Advancements in the compensator design were developed and verified through multiple techniques. The position error rate feedback, the acceleration feedback and the force feedback were all analyzed in the heave direction using the nonlinear model of the hardware. Improvements were made using the position error rate feedback technique. The acceleration feedback compensator also provided noteworthy improvement, while attempts at implementing a force feedback compensator proved unsuccessful.

Long-term treatment outcomes of acromegaly patients presenting biochemically-uncontrolled at a tertiary pituitary center.

Science.gov (United States)

Carmichael, John D; Broder, Michael S; Cherepanov, Dasha; Chang, Eunice; Mamelak, Adam; Said, Qayyim; Neary, Maureen P; Bonert, Vivien

2017-08-04

Acromegaly is a rare, slowly progressive disorder resulting from excessive growth hormone (GH) production by a pituitary somatotroph tumor. The objective of this study was to examine acromegaly treatment outcomes during long-term care at a specialized pituitary center in patients presenting with lack of biochemical control. Data came from an acromegaly registry at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Pituitary Center (center). Acromegaly patients included in this study were those who presented biochemically-uncontrolled for care at the center. Biochemical control status, based on serum insulin-like growth factor-1 values, was determined at presentation and at study end. Patient characteristics and acromegaly treatments were reported before and after presentation by presenting treatment status and final biochemical control status. Data on long-term follow-up were recorded from 1985 through June 2013. Seventy-four patients presented uncontrolled: 40 untreated (54.1%) and 34 (45.9%) previously-treated. Mean (SD) age at diagnosis was 43.2 (14.7); 32 (43.2%) were female patients. Of 65 patients with tumor size information, 59 (90.8%) had macroadenomas. Prior treatments among the 34 previously-treated patients were pituitary surgery alone (47.1%), surgery and medication (41.2%), and medication alone (11.8%). Of the 40 patients without prior treatment, 82.5% achieved control by study end. Of the 34 with prior treatment, 50% achieved control by study end. This observational study shows that treatment outcomes of biochemically-uncontrolled acromegaly patients improve with directed care, particularly for those that initially present untreated. Patients often require multiple modalities of treatment, many of which are offered with the highest quality at specialized pituitary centers. Despite specialized care, some patients were not able to achieve biochemical control with methods of treatment that were available at the time of their treatment, showing the need for additional

Quality control in nuclear medicine;Mise en oeuvre du controle de qualite en medecine nucleaire

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Voyant, C. [Hopital de Castelluccio, unite de radiophysique, 20 - Ajaccio (France); Universite de Corse, CNRS UMR SPE 6134, 20 - Corte (France)

2010-03-15

Like in many nuclear medicine centers, the A.F.S.S.A.P.S. decision of November 25, 2008, has slightly changed our habits. The centers with medical physicist already made most of these controls, and this concept was not new for them. But what about the other centers? Sometimes, measures were made as expected, other times the manufacturers were expected to do them during the maintenance time, often nothing was formalized, and even in some cases nothing was done. Our experience in quality control in nuclear medicine is relatively recent, but we find interesting to raise some issues, including the duration for all these controls, the possible delegations, the means necessary to build them and difficulties in applying these controls. (author)

Phase Centers of Subapertures in a Tapered Aperture Array.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doerry, Armin W. [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bickel, Douglas L. [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2015-11-01

Antenna apertures that are tapered for sidelobe control can also be parsed into subapertures for Direction of Arrival (DOA) measurements. However, the aperture tapering complicates phase center location for the subapertures, knowledge of which is critical for proper DOA calculation. In addition, tapering affects subaperture gains, making gain dependent on subaperture position. Techniques are presented to calculate subaperture phase center locations, and algorithms are given for equalizing subapertures’ gains. Sidelobe characteristics and mitigation are also discussed.

Center for Disease Control's Diethylstilbestrol Update: a case for effective operationalization of messaging in social marketing practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Mattson, Marifran; Basu, Ambar

2010-07-01

The Center for Disease Control's (CDC) Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Update, a campaign to educate people who may have been exposed to the drug DES, is framed on the premises of the social marketing model, namely formative research, audience segmentation, product, price, placement, promotion, and campaign evaluation. More than that, the campaign takes a critical step in extending the social marketing paradigm by highlighting the need to situate the messaging process at the heart of any health communication campaign. This article uses CDC's DES Update as a case study to illustrate an application of a message development tool within social marketing. This tool promotes the operationalization of messaging within health campaigns. Ultimately, the goal of this project is to extend the social marketing model and provide useful theoretical guidance to health campaign practitioners on how to accomplish stellar communication within a social marketing campaign.

The Precarious Question of Black Cultural Centers Versus Multicultural Centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Princes, Carolyn D. W.

This paper discusses the role of black cultural centers on university campuses, focusing on whether black cultural centers or multicultural centers best meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student body and society. It examines the historical role of black cultural centers as vehicles to promote educational opportunity, student retention, and…

Effects of organizational scheme and labeling on task performance in product-centered and user-centered retail Web sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Resnick, Marc L; Sanchez, Julian

2004-01-01

As companies increase the quantity of information they provide through their Web sites, it is critical that content is structured with an appropriate architecture. However, resource constraints often limit the ability of companies to apply all Web design principles completely. This study quantifies the effects of two major information architecture principles in a controlled study that isolates the incremental effects of organizational scheme and labeling on user performance and satisfaction. Sixty participants with a wide range of Internet and on-line shopping experience were recruited to complete a series of shopping tasks on a prototype retail shopping Web site. User-centered labels provided a significant benefit in performance and satisfaction over labels obtained through company-centered methods. User-centered organization did not result in improved performance except when the label quality was poor. Significant interactions suggest specific guidelines for allocating resources in Web site design. Applications of this research include the design of Web sites for any commercial application, particularly E-commerce.

User issues at the Stanford picosecond free electron laser center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, T.I.

1995-01-01

Assembling a productive user facility around a Free Electron Laser (FEL) is a complex task. Reliable operation of the FEL is a necessary, but by no means sufficient, condition to ensure that the center will be able to attract and keep the interest of first rate researchers. Some other issues which are important include: center wavelength stability and ease of tuning, bandwidth control, amplitude and position stability, ability to select arbitrary sequences of micropulses, and real time availability of information of the FEL's important parameters (spectral width, center wavelength, micropulse length and energy, etc.). In addition, at the Stanford Center we have found that providing additional systems (conventional picosecond lasers synchronized to the FEL, an FTIR spectrometer, a confocal microscopy, ...) has been important. (author)

78 FR 12622 - Control of Communicable Diseases: Foreign; Scope and Definitions

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-25

... Control of Communicable Diseases: Foreign; Scope and Definitions AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and... of direct final rule. SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the... INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions concerning this notice: Ashley A. Marrone, JD, Centers for Disease Control...

METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF ROTATION CENTER IN VIBRATING OBJECT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. P. Kauryha

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Linear piezoelectric gauges, eddy current transducers and other control and measuring devices have been widely applied for vibration diagnostics of objects in industry. Methods based on such gauges and used for measuring angular and linear vibrations do not provide the possibility to assess a rotation center or point angle of an object. Parasitic oscillations may occur during rotor rotation and in some cases the oscillations are caused by dis-balance. The known methods for measuring angular and linear vibrations make it possible to detect the phenomenon and they do not provide information for balancing of the given object. For this very reason the paper describes a method for obtaining instantaneous rotation center in the vibrating object. It allows to improve informational content of the measurements owing to obtaining additional data on position of object rotation center. The obtained data can be used for balancing of a control object. Essence of the given method is shown by an example of piezoelectric gauges of linear vibrations. Two three-axial gauges are fixed to the investigated object. Then gauge output signals are recalculated in angular vibrations of the object (for this purpose it is necessary to know a distance between gauges. Further projection positions of the object rotation center are determined on three orthogonal planes. Instantaneous rotation center is calculated according to the position of one of the gauges. The proposed method permits to obtain data on linear and angular vibrations and rotation center position of the vibrating object using one system of linear gauge. Possibilities of object diagnostics are expanded due to increase in number of determined parameters pertaining to object moving. The method also makes it possible to reduce material and time expenses for measurement of an angular vibration component. 

Center for Beam Physics: 1994--95

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-05-01

The Center for Beam Physics is a multidisciplinary research and development unit in the Accelerator and Fusion Research Division at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory of the University of California. At the heart of the Center's mission is a fundamental quest for mechanisms of acceleration, radiation, transport, and focusing of energy and information. Dedicated to exploring the frontiers of particle and photon beam physics, its primary mission is to promote the science and technology of the production, manipulation, storage, and control of systems of charged particles and photons. This roster and annual report provides a glimpse of the scientists, engineers, technical support, students, and administrative staff that make up the CBP's team and gives a brief review of the multifaceted activities during 1994 and 1995

Space Flight Operations Center local area network

Science.gov (United States)

Goodman, Ross V.

1988-01-01

The existing Mission Control and Computer Center at JPL will be replaced by the Space Flight Operations Center (SFOC). One part of the SFOC is the LAN-based distribution system. The purpose of the LAN is to distribute the processed data among the various elements of the SFOC. The SFOC LAN will provide a robust subsystem that will support the Magellan launch configuration and future project adaptation. Its capabilities include (1) a proven cable medium as the backbone for the entire network; (2) hardware components that are reliable, varied, and follow OSI standards; (3) accurate and detailed documentation for fault isolation and future expansion; and (4) proven monitoring and maintenance tools.

Dose control in semi industrial irradiation plant at the Ezeiza Atomic Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dorda, E.M.

1987-01-01

In 1975 a study was initiated at the Division of Dosimetry to develop a technique and a system of dosimetry to be applied to the radiosterilization processes in the semi industrial irradiation plant of Ezeiza Atomic Center. The result of this study was the potassium nitrate/nitrite dosimeter used as routine dosimeter for control processes in food conservation, with a dose range of 0.2 kGy-1 kGy and in radiosterilization processes of disposable medical products of 1 kGy-150kGy. The potassium nitrate crystals undergo a radiolytic reduction. A linear correlation between the dose applied to the solid and the production of potassium nitrite was observed. After the irradiation of solid, the produced nitrite solution is colorimetrically titrated by measuring the absorbency in a spectrophotometer at 504 nm. The color is due to the formation of a diazonium salt and its later copulation with N-1 naphtylethylendiamine hydrochloride in acid medium. In 1980 a postal survey was organized presenting this dosimeter to standardize the irradiation dose in industrial process for Latin America. This dosimeter was presented in 1984 at the International Symposium on High Doses of the IAEA that took place in Vienna. Since them, comparative studies were performed between this dosimeter and those internationally considered and accepted: cerium(IV)/cerium(III) sulphate, ionization chamber of parallel plates, alanine. The results of comparison with the alanine dosimeter, which was used by Dr. Regula of the GSF of Munich, were the following: February 1985: 0% deviation; February 1986: 0.43% deviation. (Author)

Microtubule-Organizing Centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jingchao; Akhmanova, Anna

2017-10-06

The organization of microtubule networks is crucial for controlling chromosome segregation during cell division, for positioning and transport of different organelles, and for cell polarity and morphogenesis. The geometry of microtubule arrays strongly depends on the localization and activity of the sites where microtubules are nucleated and where their minus ends are anchored. Such sites are often clustered into structures known as microtubule-organizing centers, which include the centrosomes in animals and spindle pole bodies in fungi. In addition, other microtubules, as well as membrane compartments such as the cell nucleus, the Golgi apparatus, and the cell cortex, can nucleate, stabilize, and tether microtubule minus ends. These activities depend on microtubule-nucleating factors, such as γ-tubulin-containing complexes and their activators and receptors, and microtubule minus end-stabilizing proteins with their binding partners. Here, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on how such factors work together to control microtubule organization in different systems.

The effects of Hurricane Sandy on trauma center admissions.

Science.gov (United States)

Curran, T; Bogdanovski, D A; Hicks, A S; Bilaniuk, J W; Adams, J M; Siegel, B K; DiFazio, L T; Durling-Grover, R; Nemeth, Z H

2018-02-01

Hurricane Sandy was a particularly unusual storm with regard to both size and location of landfall. The storm landed in New Jersey, which is unusual for a tropical storm of such scale, and created hazardous conditions which caused injury to residents during the storm and in the months following. This study aims to describe differences in trauma center admissions and patterns of injury during this time period when compared to a period with no such storm. Data were collected for this study from patients who were admitted to the trauma center at Morristown Medical Center during Hurricane Sandy or the ensuing cleanup efforts (patients admitted between 29 October 2012 and 27 December 2012) as well as a control group consisting of all patients admitted to the trauma center between 29 October 2013 and 27 December 2013. Patient information was collected to compare the admissions of the trauma center during the period of the storm and cleanup to the control period. A total of 419 cases were identified in the storm and cleanup period. 427 were identified for the control. Striking injuries were more common in the storm and cleanup group by 266.7% (p = 0.0107); cuts were more common by 650.8% (p = 0.0044). Medical records indicate that many of these injuries were caused by Hurricane Sandy. Self-inflicted injuries were more common by 301.3% (p = 0.0294). There were no significant differences in the total number of patients, mortality, or injury severity score between the two cohorts. The data we have collected show that the conditions caused by Hurricane Sandy and the following cleanup had a significant effect on injury patterns, with more patients having been injured by being struck by falling or thrown objects, cut while using tools, or causing self-inflicted injuries. These changes, particularly during the cleanup period, are indicative of environmental changes following the storm which increase these risks of injury.

Comparing joint kinematics and center of mass acceleration as feedback for control of standing balance by functional neuromuscular stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nataraj, Raviraj; Audu, Musa L; Triolo, Ronald J

2012-05-06

The purpose of this study was to determine the comparative effectiveness of feedback control systems for maintaining standing balance based on joint kinematics or total body center of mass (COM) acceleration, and assess their clinical practicality for standing neuroprostheses after spinal cord injury (SCI). In simulation, controller performance was measured according to the upper extremity effort required to stabilize a three-dimensional model of bipedal standing against a variety of postural disturbances. Three cases were investigated: proportional-derivative control based on joint kinematics alone, COM acceleration feedback alone, and combined joint kinematics and COM acceleration feedback. Additionally, pilot data was collected during external perturbations of an individual with SCI standing with functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS), and the resulting joint kinematics and COM acceleration data was analyzed. Compared to the baseline case of maximal constant muscle excitations, the three control systems reduced the mean upper extremity loading by 51%, 43% and 56%, respectively against external force-pulse perturbations. Controller robustness was defined as the degradation in performance with increasing levels of input errors expected with clinical deployment of sensor-based feedback. At error levels typical for body-mounted inertial sensors, performance degradation due to sensor noise and placement were negligible. However, at typical tracking error levels, performance could degrade as much as 86% for joint kinematics feedback and 35% for COM acceleration feedback. Pilot data indicated that COM acceleration could be estimated with a few well-placed sensors and efficiently captures information related to movement synergies observed during perturbed bipedal standing following SCI. Overall, COM acceleration feedback may be a more feasible solution for control of standing with FNS given its superior robustness and small number of inputs required.

Impact of a program of diagnostic imaging quality control in mammography centers of the Federal District, Brazil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Correa, Rosangela da Silveira; Ferreira, Rubemar de Souza [Centro Regional de Ciencias Nucleares do Centro-Oeste (CRCN/CNEN-CO), Abadia de Goias, GO (Brazil)]. E-mail: rcorrea@cnen.gov.br; Peixoto, Joao Emilio [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Silver, Lynn Dee [New York Health Department, New York, NY (United States); Dias, Cintia Melazo [Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear (Diplan/CNEN), Braslia, DF (Brazil). Distrito do Planalto Central; Nogueira, Maria do Socorro [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Hwang, Suy Ferreira [Centro Regional de Ciencias Nucleares do Nordeste (CRCN/CNEN-NE), Recife, PE (Brazil)

2008-03-15

Objective: The present study was aimed at evaluating the quality and the impact of an intervention involving inspection and education in mammography centers of the Federal District, Brazil. Materials and methods: Forty one mammography centers in the Federal District were studied in the period between 2000 and 2002. The intervention involved an initial inspection followed by a training activity and notification of mammography centers by the Federal District Sanitary Vigilance authority. The imaging quality was compared before and after the intervention. Results: None of the 36 centers which completed the study reached more than 90% compliance with the standard imaging quality prior to the interventions, whereas ten were above 90% afterwards. Major improvements were observed in chassis maintenance, breast compression and visualization of microcalcifications. Conclusion: Despite the availability of a great number of mammography centers in the Federal District, most of them did not meet the required quality standards. The intervention has shown to be effective for improving the imaging quality, however a continued action is required to solve the remaining problems and increase the impact of the program. (author)

Solid state controller three axes controller

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, C. L., Jr. (Inventor)

1973-01-01

The reported flight controller features a handle grip which is mounted on a longitudinally extending control element. The handle grip is pivotally mounted on the control element about a pitch axis which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis through the control element. The pivotal mounting includes a resilient force mounting mechanism which centers the grip relative to the control element. Rotation of the handle grip produces a direct rotation of a transducer element in a transducer which provides an electrical indication of the rotative movement about three mutually perpendicular axes.

Poor procedures and quality control among nonaffiliated blood centers in Burkina Faso: an argument for expanding the reach of the national blood transfusion center.

Science.gov (United States)

Nébié, Koumpingnin; Ouattara, Siaka; Sanou, Mahamoudou; Kientega, Youssouphe; Dahourou, Honorine; Ky, Lassina; Kienou, Kisito; Diallo, Samba; Bigirimana, Françoise; Fretz, Catherine; Murphy, Edward L; Lefrère, Jean-Jacques

2011-07-01

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the creation of national blood transfusion services. Burkina Faso has a CNTS (Centre National de Transfusion Sanguine-National Blood Transfusion Center) but it currently covers only 53% of the national blood supply versus 47% produced by independent hospital blood banks. To evaluate blood collection, testing, preparation, and prescription practices in the regions of Burkina Faso that are not covered by the CNTS, a cross-sectional survey was conducted. Data were collected by trained professionals from May to June 2009 at 42 autonomous blood centers not covered by the CNTS. Blood collection was supervised in all sites by laboratory technicians without specific training. There was no marketing of community blood donation nor mobile collection. Donation was restricted to replacement (family) donors in 21.4% of sites. Predonation screening of donors was performed in 63.4% of sites, but some did not use written questionnaires. Testing for HIV, hepatitis B virus, and syphilis was universal, although some sites did not screen for hepatitis C virus. In 83.3% of the sites, blood typing was performed without reverse ABO typing. In 97.6% of the sites, nurses acted alone or in conjunction with a physician to order blood transfusions. Shortcomings in non-CNTS blood centers argue for the development of a truly national CNTS. Such a national center should coordinate and supervise all blood transfusion activities, and is the essential first step for improving and institutionalizing blood transfusion safety and efficacy in a developing country. © 2011 American Association of Blood Banks.

Human-centered sensor-based Bayesian control: Increased energy efficiency and user satisfaction in commercial lighting

Science.gov (United States)

Granderson, Jessica Ann

2007-12-01

The need for sustainable, efficient energy systems is the motivation that drove this research, which targeted the design of an intelligent commercial lighting system. Lighting in commercial buildings consumes approximately 13% of all the electricity generated in the US. Advanced lighting controls1 intended for use in commercial office spaces have proven to save up to 45% in electricity consumption. However, they currently comprise only a fraction of the market share, resulting in a missed opportunity to conserve energy. The research goals driving this dissertation relate directly to barriers hindering widespread adoption---increase user satisfaction, and provide increased energy savings through more sophisticated control. To satisfy these goals an influence diagram was developed to perform daylighting actuation. This algorithm was designed to balance the potentially conflicting lighting preferences of building occupants, with the efficiency desires of building facilities management. A supervisory control policy was designed to implement load shedding under a demand response tariff. Such tariffs offer incentives for customers to reduce their consumption during periods of peak demand, trough price reductions. In developing the value function occupant user testing was conducted to determine that computer and paper tasks require different illuminance levels, and that user preferences are sufficiently consistent to attain statistical significance. Approximately ten facilities managers were also interviewed and surveyed to isolate their lighting preferences with respect to measures of lighting quality and energy savings. Results from both simulation and physical implementation and user testing indicate that the intelligent controller can increase occupant satisfaction, efficiency, cost savings, and management satisfaction, with respect to existing commercial daylighting systems. Several important contributions were realized by satisfying the research goals. A general

Electric Power Research Institute Environmental Control Technology Center: Report to the Steering Committee, June 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-06-01

Operations and maintenance continued this month at the Electric Power Research Institute`s (EPRI`s) Environmental Control Technology Center (ECTC). Testing for the Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) test block was conducted using the 4.0 MW Spray Dryer Absorber System (SDA) and Pulse Jet Fabric Filter (PJFF) - Carbon Injection System. Investigations also continued across the B&W/CHX Heat Exchanger unit, while the 1.0 MW Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) unit remained idle this month in a cold-standby mode as monthly inspections were conducted. Pilot Testing Highlights Testing efforts in June were focused on the HAP test block and the Trace Elements Removal (TER) test block. Both programs were conducted on the 4.0 MW wet FGD pilot unit and PJFF unit. The HAP test block was temporarily concluded in June to further review the test data. This program began in March as part of the DOE Advanced Power Systems Program; the mission of this program is to accelerate the commercialization of affordable, high-efficiency, low-emission, coal-fueled electric generating technologies. The 1996 HAP test block focuses on three research areas, including: Catalytic oxidation of vapor-phase elemental mercury; Enhanced particulate-phase HAPs removal by electrostatic charging of liquid droplets; and Enhanced mercury removal by addition of additives to FGD process liquor. The TER test block is part of EPRI`s overall program to develop control technology options for reduction of trace element emissions. This experimental program investigates mercury removal and mercury speciation under different operating conditions.

Graphical user interfaces for McCellan Nuclear Radiation Center (MNRC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown-VanHoozer, S. A.

1998-01-01

McClellan's Nuclear Radiation Center (MNRC) control console is in the process of being replaced due to spurious scrams, outdated software, and obsolete parts. The intent of the new control console is to eliminate the existing problems by installing a UNIX-based computer system with industry-standard interface software and incorporating human factors during all stages of the graphical user interface (GUI) development and control console design

Management of a Cryptosporidium hominis Outbreak in a Day- care Center

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vandenberg, Olivier; Robberecht, Françoise; Dauby, Nicolas; Moens, Catherine; Talabani, Hana; Dupont, Eddy; Menotti, Jean; van Gool, Tom; Levy, Jack

2012-01-01

Background: Cryptosporidium outbreaks in day-care centers (DCCs) occur commonly. However, controlling spread of infection in these settings is difficult, and data about effectiveness of different control strategies are sparse. In this study, a Cryptosporidium outbreak in a large DCC located in

Transportation Systems Center Bibliography of Technical Reports, July 1970 - December 1976,

Science.gov (United States)

1977-04-01

Systems Center. AD-733-763 Judith Gertler, Herbert Glynn, Vivian Hobbs, Frederick Interim Report. June 1971. 16p. Woolfall. AD-733-764 Air Traffic Control...of Deployment Cost Analysis .. .......... FAA-76-20 Airspace Control Environmnent Simulator - Final Report.... ............ .. TSC-131.3 *All- Wether

Software architecture for hybrid electrical/optical data center network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mehmeri, Victor; Vegas Olmos, Juan José; Tafur Monroy, Idelfonso

2016-01-01

This paper presents hardware and software architecture based on Software-Defined Networking (SDN) paradigm and OpenFlow/NETCONF protocols for enabling topology management of hybrid electrical/optical switching data center networks. In particular, a development on top of SDN open-source controller...... OpenDaylight is presented to control an optical switching matrix based on Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) technology....

Photochemistry and reactions of OH- defects and F centers in alkali halides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morato, S.P.; Luety, F.

1978-01-01

Aditively colored KCl:OH - crystals showed under a combined UV and VIS irradiation, a nearly complete and irreversible destruction of all F centers and visible absorption in the crystal. Only upon heating the crystal above 650 0 C the F center coloration becomes partially restored. The photodissociation of the OH - (under UV light) together with the photoionization of the F center (under VIS light) produces a not effects where all the F centers are converted into U centers. These photoreactions produces high contrast visible images that are completely stable under light at RT. Besides the optical information storage aspect of this effect these photoreaction s can also be used for controlled production of Usub(A) centers if the crystal also contains a foreign metallic impurity such a Na + ion [pt

Computer modeling with randomized-controlled trial data informs the development of person-centered aged care homes.

Science.gov (United States)

Chenoweth, Lynn; Vickland, Victor; Stein-Parbury, Jane; Jeon, Yun-Hee; Kenny, Patricia; Brodaty, Henry

2015-10-01

To answer questions on the essential components (services, operations and resources) of a person-centered aged care home (iHome) using computer simulation. iHome was developed with AnyLogic software using extant study data obtained from 60 Australian aged care homes, 900+ clients and 700+ aged care staff. Bayesian analysis of simulated trial data will determine the influence of different iHome characteristics on care service quality and client outcomes. Interim results: A person-centered aged care home (socio-cultural context) and care/lifestyle services (interactional environment) can produce positive outcomes for aged care clients (subjective experiences) in the simulated environment. Further testing will define essential characteristics of a person-centered care home.

Development of quality control and instrumentation performance metrics for diffuse optical spectroscopic imaging instruments in the multi-center clinical environment

Science.gov (United States)

Keene, Samuel T.; Cerussi, Albert E.; Warren, Robert V.; Hill, Brian; Roblyer, Darren; Leproux, AnaÑ--s.; Durkin, Amanda F.; O'Sullivan, Thomas D.; Haghany, Hosain; Mantulin, William W.; Tromberg, Bruce J.

2013-03-01

Instrument equivalence and quality control are critical elements of multi-center clinical trials. We currently have five identical Diffuse Optical Spectroscopic Imaging (DOSI) instruments enrolled in the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN, #6691) trial located at five academic clinical research sites in the US. The goal of the study is to predict the response of breast tumors to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in 60 patients. In order to reliably compare DOSI measurements across different instruments, operators and sites, we must be confident that the data quality is comparable. We require objective and reliable methods for identifying, correcting, and rejecting low quality data. To achieve this goal, we developed and tested an automated quality control algorithm that rejects data points below the instrument noise floor, improves tissue optical property recovery, and outputs a detailed data quality report. Using a new protocol for obtaining dark-noise data, we applied the algorithm to ACRIN patient data and successfully improved the quality of recovered physiological data in some cases.

Patient-centered medical home transformation with payment reform: patient experience outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Heyworth, Leonie; Bitton, Asaf; Lipsitz, Stuart R; Schilling, Thad; Schiff, Gordon D; Bates, David W; Simon, Steven R

2014-01-01

To examine changes in patient experience across key domains of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) following practice transformation with Lean quality improvement methodology inclusive of payment reform. Pre-intervention/post-intervention analysis of intervention with a comparison group, a quasi-experimental design. We surveyed patients following office visits at the intervention (n = 2502) and control (n = 1622) practices during the 15-month period before and 14-month period after PCMH Lean transformation (April-October 2009). We measured and compared pre-intervention and post-intervention levels of patient satisfaction and other indicators of patient-centered care. Propensity weights adjusted for potential case-mix differences in intervention and control groups; propensity-adjusted proportions accounted for physician-level clustering. More intervention patients were very satisfied with their care after the PCMH Lean intervention (68%) compared with pre-intervention (62%). Among control patients, there was no corresponding increase in satisfaction (63% very satisfied pre-intervention vs 64% very satisfied post-intervention). This comparison resulted in a statistical trend (P = .10) toward greater overall satisfaction attributable to the intervention. Post-intervention, patients in the intervention practice consistently rated indicators of patient-centered care higher than patients in the control practice, particularly in the personal physician and communication domain. In this domain, intervention patients reported superior provider explanations, time spent, provider concern, and follow-up instructions compared with control participants, whereas control group ratings fell in the post-intervention period (P for difference Lean enhancement with payment reform, patient experience was sustained or improved across key PCMH domains.

Effects of lifestyle intervention using patient-centered cognitive behavioral therapy among patients with cardio-metabolic syndrome: a randomized, controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ying; Mei, Songli; Yang, Rui; Chen, Ling; Gao, Hang; Li, Li

2016-11-18

Cardio-metabolic syndrome (CMS) is a highly prevalent condition. There is an urgent need to identify effective and integrated multi-disciplinary approaches that can reduce risk factors for CMS. Sixty-two patients with a history of CMS were randomized 1:1 into two groups: a standard information -only group (control), or a self-regulated lifestyle waist circumference (patient-centered cognitive behavioral therapy) intervention group. A pretest and posttest, controlled, experimental design was used. Outcomes were measured at the baseline (week 0) and at the end of intervention (week 12). Comparisons were drawn between groups and over time. The mean (standard deviation) age of the subjects was 48.6 (5.8) years ranging from 32 to 63, and 56.9% of the participants were female. Both groups showed no significant differences in Demographic variables and the metabolic syndrome indicators at baseline. While the control group only showed modest improvement after 12 weeks, compared to baseline, the intervention group demonstrated significant improvement from baseline. This study controlled for patients' demographics and baseline characteristics when assessing the effects of intervention. After adjusting for age, education and baseline level, the experimental group and the control group were statistically significant different in the following post-treatment outcomes: WC (F = 35.96, P cognitive behavioral therapy can improve the physical and mental health conditions among individuals reporting a history of cardio-metabolic syndrome, and possibly provided preliminary benefits for the treatment of CMS. Chinese Clinical Trial Register #, ChiCTR15006148 .

Usable Translational Hand Controllers for NASA's Habitability Design Center

Science.gov (United States)

Westbrook, Kimberly

2016-01-01

This summer I was given the opportunity to work at the Habitability Design Center (HDC). NASA Johnson Space Center's HDC is currently developing Cislunar and Mars spacecraft mockups. I contributed to this effort by designing from scratch low cost, functional translational hand controllers (THCs) that will be used in spacecraft mission simulation in low to medium fidelity exploration spacecraft mockups. This project fell under the category of mechatronics, a combination of mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering. Being an aerospace engineering student, I was out of my comfort zone. And that was a wonderful thing. The autonomy that my mentor, Dr. Robert Howard, allowed me gave me the opportunity to learn by trying, failing, and trying again. This project was not only a professional success for me, but a significant learning experience. I appreciated the freedom that I had to take the time to learn new things for myself rather than blindly follow instructions. I was the sole person working on this project, and was required to work independently to solve the many hardware and software challenges that the project entailed. I researched THCs that have been used on the ISS, the Space Shuttle, and the Orion MPVC and based my design off of these. I worked through many redesigns before finding an optimal configuration of the necessary mechanisms and electrical components for the THC. Once I had a functional hardware design, I dove into the challenge of getting an Arduino Uno, an extremely low cost and easily programmable microcontroller, to behave as a human interface device. The THCs I built needed to be able to integrate to a mission simulation designed by NASA's Graphics and Visualization Lab. This proved to be the most challenging aspect of the project. To accomplish this I learned how to change the firmware of the USB serial converter microcontroller. The process was very complicated as it involved multiple software programs and manual flashing of pins on the

Kennedy Space Center environmental health program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marmaro, G.M.; Cardinale, M.A.; Summerfield, B.R.; Tipton, D.A.

1992-01-01

The Kennedy Space Center's environmental health organization is responsible for programs which assure its employees a healthful workplace under diverse and varied working conditions. These programs encompass the disciplines of industrial hygiene, radiation protection (health physics), and environmental sanitation/pollution control. Activities range from the routine, such as normal office work, to the highly specialized, such as the processing of highly toxic and hazardous materials

Crew-Centered Operations: What HAL 9000 Should Have Been

Science.gov (United States)

Korsmeyer, David J.; Clancy, Daniel J.; Crawford, James M.; Drummond, Mark E.

2005-01-01

To date, manned space flight has maintained the locus of control for the mission on the ground. Mission control performs tasks such as activity planning, system health management, resource allocation, and astronaut health monitoring. Future exploration missions require the locus of control to shift to on-board due light speed constraints and potential loss of communication. The lunar campaign must begin to utilize a shared control approach to validate and understand the limitations of the technology allowing astronauts to oversee and direct aspects of operation that require timely decision making. Crew-centered Operations require a system-level approach that integrates multiple technologies together to allow a crew-prime concept of operations. This paper will provide an overview of the driving mission requirements, highlighting the limitations of existing approaches to mission operations and identifying the critical technologies necessary to enable a crew-centered mode of operations. The paper will focus on the requirements, trade spaces, and concepts for fulfillment of this capability. The paper will provide a broad overview of relevant technologies including: Activity Planning and Scheduling; System Monitoring; Repair and Recovery; Crew Work Practices.

Nonsomatotopic organization of the higher motor centers in octopus.

Science.gov (United States)

Zullo, Letizia; Sumbre, German; Agnisola, Claudio; Flash, Tamar; Hochner, Binyamin

2009-10-13

Hyperredundant limbs with a virtually unlimited number of degrees of freedom (DOFs) pose a challenge for both biological and computational systems of motor control. In the flexible arms of the octopus, simplification strategies have evolved to reduce the number of controlled DOFs. Motor control in the octopus nervous system is hierarchically organized. A relatively small central brain integrates a huge amount of visual and tactile information from the large optic lobes and the peripheral nervous system of the arms and issues commands to lower motor centers controlling the elaborated neuromuscular system of the arms. This unique organization raises new questions on the organization of the octopus brain and whether and how it represents the rich movement repertoire. We developed a method of brain microstimulation in freely behaving animals and stimulated the higher motor centers-the basal lobes-thus inducing discrete and complex sets of movements. As stimulation strength increased, complex movements were recruited from basic components shared by different types of movement. We found no stimulation site where movements of a single arm or body part could be elicited. Discrete and complex components have no central topographical organization but are distributed over wide regions.

Quality-Controlled Underway Oceanographic and Meteorological Data from the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Predictions Center (COAPS) - Shipboard Automated Meteorological and Oceanographic System (SAMOS)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Florida State University has been operating a data assembly center (DAC) to collect, quality evaluate, and distribute Shipboard Automated Meteorological and...

Software-defined optical network for metro-scale geographically distributed data centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Samadi, Payman; Wen, Ke; Xu, Junjie; Bergman, Keren

2016-05-30

The emergence of cloud computing and big data has rapidly increased the deployment of small and mid-sized data centers. Enterprises and cloud providers require an agile network among these data centers to empower application reliability and flexible scalability. We present a software-defined inter data center network to enable on-demand scale out of data centers on a metro-scale optical network. The architecture consists of a combined space/wavelength switching platform and a Software-Defined Networking (SDN) control plane equipped with a wavelength and routing assignment module. It enables establishing transparent and bandwidth-selective connections from L2/L3 switches, on-demand. The architecture is evaluated in a testbed consisting of 3 data centers, 5-25 km apart. We successfully demonstrated end-to-end bulk data transfer and Virtual Machine (VM) migrations across data centers with less than 100 ms connection setup time and close to full link capacity utilization.

Comparing joint kinematics and center of mass acceleration as feedback for control of standing balance by functional neuromuscular stimulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nataraj Raviraj

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to determine the comparative effectiveness of feedback control systems for maintaining standing balance based on joint kinematics or total body center of mass (COM acceleration, and assess their clinical practicality for standing neuroprostheses after spinal cord injury (SCI. Methods In simulation, controller performance was measured according to the upper extremity effort required to stabilize a three-dimensional model of bipedal standing against a variety of postural disturbances. Three cases were investigated: proportional-derivative control based on joint kinematics alone, COM acceleration feedback alone, and combined joint kinematics and COM acceleration feedback. Additionally, pilot data was collected during external perturbations of an individual with SCI standing with functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS, and the resulting joint kinematics and COM acceleration data was analyzed. Results Compared to the baseline case of maximal constant muscle excitations, the three control systems reduced the mean upper extremity loading by 51%, 43% and 56%, respectively against external force-pulse perturbations. Controller robustness was defined as the degradation in performance with increasing levels of input errors expected with clinical deployment of sensor-based feedback. At error levels typical for body-mounted inertial sensors, performance degradation due to sensor noise and placement were negligible. However, at typical tracking error levels, performance could degrade as much as 86% for joint kinematics feedback and 35% for COM acceleration feedback. Pilot data indicated that COM acceleration could be estimated with a few well-placed sensors and efficiently captures information related to movement synergies observed during perturbed bipedal standing following SCI. Conclusions Overall, COM acceleration feedback may be a more feasible solution for control of standing with FNS given its

Poison control services in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Yiqun; Sun Chengye

2004-01-01

The following aspects are discussed: the public health problems of acute poisoning in China in recent years; the characteristics of acute poisoning; the negative effects of poison cases on the society and economy. The four stages of development of a poison control system in China are: (1) clinical hospital as the only facility used for detoxification; (2) institutes and hospitals of occupational medicine got involved in the program; (3) the traditional model of poison control changed to the modern National Poison Control Center (NPCC), and its network got established and it began to play a key role; (4) establishment of a multi-disciplinary network for dealing with emergencies in which chemical poison control is an important component. Introduction of the operations of the NPCC: the functions of the center are a 24 h hotline service, clinical consultants service, poison identification and diagnosis, laboratory analysis, education for public, training for physicians, coordination of anti-dotes, and the development of a network of poison control centers for dealing with chemical emergencies. The work practice and achievement of NPCC and its network in the field of poison control during the last 3 years is discussed. Lessons from SARS infection: to extend the network, to strengthen multi-disciplinary cooperation, enhance communication between centers, to pay attention to capacity building, to improve reporting systems, and to share resources

Diseño de un Sistema de Control Interno para la Clínica Oftalmológica Laser Center Visión 20/20 CLV S.A

OpenAIRE

Meneses Angulo, Lourdes Lorena; Subía Pincay, Gladys Gabriela

2015-01-01

The present thesis focuses in develops a system of internal control in the Laser Clinic Center Vision 20/20 CLV S.A with the purpose of strengthening the activities, procedures and processes for the improvement of the entity. Every area of a company that has neither functions nor internal suitable controls can happen a risk of having diversions in their operations and in the capture of decisions of the management, the same one that can lead to a crisis, this offer is to be able to safeguar...

Populating a Control Point Database: A cooperative effort between the USGS, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center and the Grand Canyon Youth Organization

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, K. M.; Fritzinger, C.; Wharton, E.

2004-12-01

The Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center measures the effects of Glen Canyon Dam operations on the resources along the Colorado River from Glen Canyon Dam to Lake Mead in support of the Grand Canyon Adaptive Management Program. Control points are integral for geo-referencing the myriad of data collected in the Grand Canyon including aerial photography, topographic and bathymetric data used for classification and change-detection analysis of physical, biologic and cultural resources. The survey department has compiled a list of 870 control points installed by various organizations needing to establish a consistent reference for data collected at field sites along the 240 mile stretch of Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. This list is the foundation for the Control Point Database established primarily for researchers, to locate control points and independently geo-reference collected field data. The database has the potential to be a valuable mapping tool for assisting researchers to easily locate a control point and reduce the occurrance of unknowingly installing new control points within close proximity of an existing control point. The database is missing photographs and accurate site description information. Current site descriptions do not accurately define the location of the point but refer to the project that used the point, or some other interesting fact associated with the point. The Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) resolved this problem by turning the data collection effort into an educational exercise for the participants of the Grand Canyon Youth organization. Grand Canyon Youth is a non-profit organization providing experiential education for middle and high school aged youth. GCMRC and the Grand Canyon Youth formed a partnership where GCMRC provided the logistical support, equipment, and training to conduct the field work, and the Grand Canyon Youth provided the time and personnel to complete the field work. Two data

A Review of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Guidelines for the Clinical Laboratory Diagnosis of Lyme Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Miraglia, Caterina M

2016-12-01

The purpose of this paper is to review information regarding the current guidelines for the clinical laboratory diagnosis of Lyme disease as set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to chiropractic physicians and to discuss the clinical utility of this testing. The CDC's website was reviewed to determine what their current recommendations are for the clinical laboratory testing of Lyme disease. The CDC's established guidelines recommend the use of a 2-tiered serologic testing algorithm for the evaluation of patients with suspected Lyme disease. This review provides doctors of chiropractic with information to remain current with the CDC's recommended guidelines for Lyme disease testing because patients may present to their office with the associated signs and symptoms of Lyme disease.

The Fernald Preserve Visitors Center The Fernald Experience-Revealing, Engaging, and Preserving

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Powell, J.; Griffiths, G.; Walpole, S.; Lutz, M.

2009-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management's public involvement activities at the Fernald, Ohio, site include continued communication about groundwater remediation, the management of legacy waste, and the future of the Fernald site. The completion of the Fernald Preserve Visitors Center, in August 2008, ensures that information continues to be readily available and effectively communicated to the public. A primary goal of the Visitors Center is to function as an informational and educational center within the surrounding community, with the information available at the Visitors Center serving as an institutional control. By offering information on a variety of topics, from the site's history to its current condition, the Visitors Center increases public awareness and helps prevent unsafe disturbances to and uses of the site. The Office of Legacy Management maintains and operates the Visitors Center, continues to solicit stakeholder opinion, and will periodically reevaluate the use of the Visitors Center and its programming. (authors)

Blood glucose control in diabetes patients seen in primary health care centers Controle glicêmico em pacientes diabéticos atendidos em centros de atenção primária à saúde

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Cecília F Assunção

2005-04-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated to poor glycemic control among diabetic patients seen at primary health care centers. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in a sample of 372 diabetic patients attending 32 primary health care centers in southern Brazil. Data on three hierarchical levels of health unit infrastructure, medical care and patient characteristics were collected. RESULTS: The frequency of poor glycemic control was 50.5%. Multivariate analysis (multilevel method showed that patients with body mass indexes below 27 kg/m², patients on oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin, and patients diagnosed as diabetic over five years prior to the interview were more likely to present poor glycemic control when compared to their counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Given the hierarchical data structuring, all associations found suggest that factors associated to hyperglycemia are related to patient-level characteristics.OBJETIVO: Identificar fatores associados à falta de controle glicêmico em pacientes diabéticos atendidos em centros de atenção primária à saúde. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal em amostra de 372 pacientes diabéticos atendidos nos 32 centros de atenção primária de uma cidade do sul do Brasil. Foram coletados dados ordenados em três níveis hierárquicos: estrutura das unidades de saúde, características do processo do cuidado médico e pacientes diabéticos. RESULTADOS: A freqüência de falta de controle glicêmico foi de 50,5%. A análise multivariada (método multinível mostrou que pacientes com Índice de Massa Corporal abaixo de 27 kg/m², em tratamento medicamentoso e com mais de cinco anos de diagnóstico de diabetes, tiveram maior probabilidade de apresentar hiperglicemia quando comparados a seus pares. CONCLUSÕES: Considerando a estrutura hierárquica dos dados, todas as associações encontradas sugerem que os fatores associados à hiperglicemia são relacionados a características dos pacientes.

Risk factors associated with mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus. A case-control study in a tertiary care center in Mexico City.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández-Cruz, B; Tapia, N; Villa-Romero, A R; Reyes, E; Cardiel, M H

2001-01-01

To identify the mortality risk factors in a group of Mexican patients with SLE. A case-control autopsy study in a tertiary care center in Mexico, City. Patients with SLE who died during 1958 to 1994 with an autopsy study were selected as cases, and alive patients matched by age (+/- 3 years), decade of SLE onset, and disease duration (+/- 5 years) were defined as controls. Clinical charts were reviewed looking at clinical variables. SLE disease activity was evaluated with the MexSledai index, and SLE disease severity with the Severity Index. Variables were classified as present at any moment during the follow-up and 3 months before death in cases or cut-off date in controls. matched univariate and multivariate analysis by multiple logistic regression were performed, and the results were presented as odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals (OR, 95%CI). 76 matched pairs of patients were studied. Age, gender, and years offormal education were similar in the cases and controls. Variables associated with mortality three months before death were: lung involvement OR= 15.6, 95%CI (4.8-50.3), p<0.001; severe thrombocytopenia 9.6 (2.9-31.7), p<0.001; heart involvement 5.8 (2.6-13.0), p<0.001; and the severity index (cases 8.8 mu, 2.4 sigma vs controls 3.5, 2.0, respectively) 2.2 (1.5-3.4), p<0.001. Variables associated with mortality detected at any moment before death were kidney involvement 2.16 (1.09-4.29), p<0.02; the steroid therapeutic index 2.3 (1.2-4.5), p<0.001; number of previous admissions 2.4 (1.4-4.3), p<0.001; the MEX-SLEDAI index (cases 21.6 mu 6.3 sigma vs controls 12.6, 5.8), 1.2 (1.1-1.3), p<0.001; and the number of severe infections 14.4 (4.4-46.2), p<0.001. Protective variables were skin involvement 0.1 (0.3-0.6), p<0.001; daily dose of chloroquine (cases 3.9 mu, 24.1 sigma vs controls 39.4, 60.0 mg), p <0.0001 and the time from thefirst SLE symptom to the patient's demise or the cut-off date 0.7(0.6-0.9), p<0.001. Multiple logistic regression showed

Taking Control

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2007-11-01

This podcast gives action steps and reasons to control diabetes.  Created: 11/1/2007 by National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), a joint program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.   Date Released: 11/2/2007.

Stephenson Cancer Center

Science.gov (United States)

Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City is an NCI-designated cancer center at the forefront of NCI-supported cancer research. Learn more about the Stephenson Cancer Center's mission.

Nuclear energy center site survey: fuel cycle studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-05-01

Background information for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Nuclear Energy Center Site Survey is presented in the following task areas: economics of integrated vs. dispersed nuclear fuel cycle facilities, plutonium fungibility, fuel cycle industry model, production controls and failure contingencies, environmental impact, waste management, emergency response capability, and feasibility evaluations

Poor procedures and quality control among non-affiliated blood centers in Burkina Faso: an argument for expanding the reach of the national blood transfusion center

Science.gov (United States)

Nébié, Koumpingnin; Ouattara, Siaka; Sanou, Mahamoudou; Kientega, Youssouphe; Dahourou, Honorine; Ky, Lassina; Kienou, Kisito; Diallo, Samba; Bigirimana, Françoise; Fretz, Catherine; Murphy, Edward L.; Lefrère, Jean-Jacques

2011-01-01

Introduction The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the creation of national blood transfusion services. Burkina Faso has a CNTS (Centre national de transfusion sanguine - National Blood Transfusion Center) but it currently covers only 53% of the national blood supply versus 47% produced by independent hospital blood banks. Study design To evaluate blood collection, testing, preparation and prescription practices in the regions of Burkina Faso that are not covered by the CNTS, we conducted a cross-sectional survey. Methodology Data were collected by trained professionals from May to June 2009, at 42 autonomous blood centers not covered by the CNTS. Results Blood collection was supervised in all sites by laboratory technicians without specific training. There was no marketing of community blood donation nor mobile collection. Donation was restricted to replacement (family) donors in 21.4% of sites. Pre-donation screening of donors was performed in 63.4% of sites, but some did not use written questionnaires. Testing for HIV, hepatitis B virus and syphilis was universal, although some sites did not screen for hepatitis C virus. In 83.3% of the sites blood typing was performed without reverse ABO typing. In 97.6% of the sites, nurses acted alone or in conjunction with a physician to order blood transfusions. Conclusion Shortcomings in non-CNTS blood centers argue for the development of a truly national CNTS. Such a national center should coordinate and supervise all blood transfusion activities, and is the essential first step for improving and institutionalizing blood transfusion safety and efficacy in a developing country. PMID:21736582

Technical study for the automation and control of processes of the chemical processing plant for liquid radioactive waste at Racso Nuclear Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quevedo D, M.; Ayala S, A.

1997-01-01

The purpose of this study is to introduce the development of an automation and control system in a chemical processing plant for liquid radioactive waste of low and medium activity. The control system established for the chemical processing plant at RACSO Nuclear Center is described. It is an on-off sequential type system with feedback. This type of control has been chosen according to the volumes to be treated at the plant as processing is carried out by batches. The system will be governed by a programmable controller (PLC), modular, with a minimum of 24 digital inputs, 01 analog input, 16 digital outputs and 01 analog input. Digital inputs and outputs are specifically found at the level sensors of the tanks and at the solenoid-type electro valve control. Analog inputs and outputs have been considered at the pH control. The comprehensive system has been divided into three control bonds, The bonds considered for the operation of the plant are described, the plant has storing, fitting, processing and clarifying tanks. National Instruments' Lookout software has been used for simulation, constituting an important tool not only for a design phase but also for a practical one since this software will be used as SCADA system. Finally, the advantages and benefits of this automation system are analyzed, radiation doses received by occupationally exposed workers are reduced and reliability on the operation on the system is increased. (authors)

Risk factors for the acquisition of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli at a tertiary care center in South Korea: a matched case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahn, Jin Young; Song, Je Eun; Kim, Min Hyung; Choi, Heun; Kim, Jae Kyung; Ann, Hea Won; Kim, Jung Ho; Jeon, Yongduk; Jeong, Su Jin; Kim, Sun Bean; Ku, Nam Su; Han, Sang Hoon; Song, Young Goo; Yong, Dongeun; Lee, Kyungwon; Kim, June Myung; Choi, Jun Yong

2014-06-01

Carbapenem resistance among gram-negative bacilli is an emerging threat worldwide. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors for the acquisition of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli (CRE). We conducted a matched case-control study comprising 57 cases of acquisition of CRE and 114 controls (1:2 matched) selected from patients with a culture of carbapenem-susceptible E coli between January 2006 and December 2010 at a 2000-bed tertiary care center in South Korea. On univariate analysis, previous use of carbapenem (P carbapenem (odds ratio [OR], 4.56; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.44-14.46; P = .01) and previous use of fluoroquinolone (OR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.14-6.99; P = .03) were independent risk factors. At this institute, the antibiotic selective pressure of carbapenems and fluoroquinolones was shown to be an important risk factor for the acquisition of CRE. Copyright © 2014 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Supporting Multiple Programs and Projects at NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Camiren L.

2014-01-01

With the conclusion of the shuttle program in 2011, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had found itself at a crossroads for finding transportation of United States astronauts and experiments to space. The agency would eventually hand off the taxiing of American astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) that orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) about 210 miles above the earth under the requirements of the Commercial Crew Program (CCP). By privatizing the round trip journey from Earth to the ISS, the space agency has been given the additional time to focus funding and resources to projects that operate beyond LEO; however, adding even more stress to the agency, the premature cancellation of the program that would succeed the Shuttle Program - The Constellation Program (CxP) -it would inevitably delay the goal to travel beyond LEO for a number of years. Enter the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). Currently, the SLS is under development at NASA's Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, while the Orion Capsule, built by government contractor Lockheed Martin Corporation, has been assembled and is currently under testing at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. In its current vision, SLS will take Orion and its crew to an asteroid that had been captured in an earlier mission in lunar orbit. Additionally, this vehicle and its configuration is NASA's transportation to Mars. Engineers at the Kennedy Space Center are currently working to test the ground systems that will facilitate the launch of Orion and the SLS within its Ground Services Development and Operations (GSDO) Program. Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center (LCC) has been refurbished and outfitted to support the SLS Program. In addition, the Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) is the underlying control system for monitoring and launching manned launch vehicles. As NASA finds itself at a junction, so does all of its

Engineer Research and Development Center's Materials Testing Center (MTC)

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Engineer Research and Development Center's Materials Testing Center (MTC) is committed to quality testing and inspection services that are delivered on time and...

Public health capacity building in southeastern Europe: a partnership between the Open Society Institute and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Simmons, Noah; Brborovic, Ognjen; Fimka, Tozija; Robie, Brian D; Bull, David L; Spasovski, Mome; Baker, Edward L

2005-01-01

The political disintegration of former Yugoslavia inaugurated in 1991 resulted in the decentralization of health systems in the federation's successor nation-states. Efforts by the Open Society Institute improved public health planning and management needs consequent to health sector changes. Beginning in Croatia in 2001, the Institute developed ongoing collaborations between Andrija Stampar School of Public Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2003 and 2004, it expanded its project to include the republics of Macedonia and of Serbia and Montenegro.

Perilaku Kreatif Pekerja Call Center: Peran Komunikasi dan Dukungan Training Center

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nugroho J. Setiadi

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Call center business in Indonesia is growing rapidly worldwide. This condition has had repercussions for a growing number of call center workers needed. They are forced to be more creative in performing their duties. This study aims to determine the role of communication and training center in supporting the creative performance of workers in call centers. The survey was conducted by distributing questionnaires to 100 respondents (employees of the 3 major companies in the field of telecommunication services in Indonesia. Regression analysis was used to analyze the data to examine the role of communication and training support center on creative performance. The results indicated that communication and training support center significantly influence the creative behavior in call center workers. Communication quality shown in the telecommunication service provider companies, such as the media quality, simplicity of information, dissemination of information, loads of information, and accuracy of messages, has shown good quality. In addition, the training program has shown its support for call center workers in the form of program effectiveness through research and data collection, determining the materials, training methods, choosing a coach, preparing facilities, selecting and implementing the program.

Trauma Center Staffing, Infrastructure, and Patient Characteristics that Influence Trauma Center Need

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Faul, Mark

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The most effective use of trauma center resources helps reduce morbidity and mortality, while saving costs. Identifying critical infrastructure characteristics, patient characteristics and staffing components of a trauma center associated with the proportion of patients needing major trauma care will help planners create better systems for patient care.   Methods: We used the 2009 National Trauma Data Bank-Research Dataset to determine the proportion of critically injured patients requiring the resources of a trauma center within each Level I-IV trauma center (n=443. The outcome variable was defined as the portion of treated patients who were critically injured. We defined the need for critical trauma resources and interventions (“trauma center need” as death prior to hospital discharge, admission to the intensive care unit, or admission to the operating room from the emergency department as a result of acute traumatic injury. Generalized Linear Modeling (GLM was used to determine how hospital infrastructure, staffing Levels, and patient characteristics contributed to trauma center need.     Results: Nonprofit Level I and II trauma centers were significantly associated with higher levels of trauma center need. Trauma centers that had a higher percentage of transferred patients or a lower percentage of insured patients were associated with a higher proportion of trauma center need.  Hospital infrastructure characteristics, such as bed capacity and intensive care unit capacity, were not associated with trauma center need. A GLM for Level III and IV trauma centers showed that the number of trauma surgeons on staff was associated with trauma center need. Conclusion: Because the proportion of trauma center need is predominantly influenced by hospital type, transfer frequency, and insurance status, it is important for administrators to consider patient population characteristics of the catchment area when planning the

Impact on Quality When Pediatric Urgent Care Centers Are Staffed With Radiology Technologists.

Science.gov (United States)

Kan, J Herman; Orth, Robert C; Yen, Terry A; Schallert, Erica K; Zhang, Wei; Donnelly, Lane F

2018-02-02

The proliferation of pediatric urgent care centers has increased the need for diagnostic imaging support, but the impact of employing radiology technologists at these centers is not known. The purpose of this study was to evaluate radiographic impact and quality at urgent care centers with and without radiology technologists. A retrospective case-control study was conducted comparing 235 radiographic examinations (study) performed without and 83 examinations (control) performed with a radiology technologist at the authors' pediatric urgent care centers. Studies were evaluated for quality using a five-point, Likert-type scale (1 = poor, 5 = best) regarding field of view, presentation, and orthogonal view orientation. Studies were also evaluated for the incidence of positive results, need for repeat imaging, and discrepancies between initial study and follow-up. Imaging quality comparisons between study and control groups were statistically different for field of view (3.98 versus 4.29, P = .014), presentation (4.39 versus 4.51, P = .045), and orthogonal view orientation (4.45 versus 4.69, P = .033). The incidence of repeat imaging was similar (4.7% versus 2.4%, P = 0.526), as well as the discrepancy rates (3.4 versus 2.4%, P = 1.00). The incidence of abnormal radiographic findings for the study and control groups was similar (40.9% versus 34.9%, P = .363). Radiography is an important triage tool at pediatric urgent care centers. It is imperative to have optimal radiographic imaging for accurate diagnosis, and imaging quality is improved when radiology technologists are available. If not feasible or cost prohibitive, it is important that physicians be given training opportunities to bridge the quality gap when using radiographic equipment and exposing children to radiation. Copyright © 2018 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A hand hygiene intervention to decrease infections among children attending day care centers: design of a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Zomer, Tizza P; Erasmus, Vicki; Vlaar, Nico; van Beeck, Ed F; Tjon-A-Tsien, Aimée; Richardus, Jan Hendrik; Voeten, Hélène A C M

2013-06-03

Day care center attendance has been recognized as a risk factor for acquiring gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, which can be prevented with adequate hand hygiene (HH). Based on previous studies on environmental and sociocognitive determinants of caregivers' compliance with HH guidelines in day care centers (DCCs), an intervention has been developed aiming to improve caregivers' and children's HH compliance and decrease infections among children attending DCCs. The aim of this paper is to describe the design of a cluster randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention. The intervention will be evaluated in a two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial among 71 DCCs in the Netherlands. In total, 36 DCCs will receive the intervention consisting of four components: 1) HH products (dispensers and refills for paper towels, soap, alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and hand cream); 2) training to educate about the Dutch national HH guidelines; 3) two team training sessions aimed at goal setting and formulating specific HH improvement activities; and 4) reminders and cues to action (posters/stickers). Intervention DCCs will be compared to 35 control DCCs continuing usual practice. The primary outcome measure will be observed HH compliance of caregivers and children, measured at baseline and one, three, and six months after start of the intervention. The secondary outcome measure will be the incidence of gastrointestinal and respiratory infections in 600 children attending DCCs, monitored over six months by parents using a calendar to mark the days their child has diarrhea and/or a cold. Multilevel logistic regression will be performed to assess the effect of the intervention on HH compliance. Multilevel poisson regression will be performed to assess the incidence of gastrointestinal and respiratory infections in children attending DCCs. This is one of the first DCC intervention studies to assess HH compliance of both caregivers and

A Retrospective Study of Clinical Effects of Powdered Caffeine Exposures Reported to Three US Poison Control Centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Beauchamp, Gillian A; Johnson, Amberly R; Crouch, Barbara I; Valento, Matthew; Horowitz, B Zane; Hendrickson, Robert G

2016-09-01

Anhydrous caffeine, often sold on the Internet as a powdered caffeine product, is sold as "pure caffeine" to be used as an additive to beverages and has also been used as an ingredient in energy supplement products. This is a retrospective multiple-poison center chart review of calls regarding powdered caffeine to poison centers covering Oregon, Alaska, Guam, Washington, and Utah between January 1, 2013 and June 30, 2015. There were 40 calls to three poison centers over 30 months for powdered caffeine exposure. The majority of patients were over age 19 (52.5 %; 21/40) and male (70 %; 28/40). Sixty percent (24/40) of the patients were symptomatic but only 10 % (4/40) required admission; 52.5 % (21/40) of the patient calls were for inadvertent overdose of powdered caffeine; one patient overdosed in a self-harm attempt. Powdered caffeine calls to three poison centers during a 30-month study period were rare, and severe caffeine toxicity due to exposure was found in few patients. The majority of symptoms were reported after an inadvertent powdered caffeine overdose. An analysis of calls to three poison centers for powdered caffeine found that exposures were uncommon, but did result in toxicity, and highlighted that the lack of clear dosing instructions on product packaging may place patients at risk of inadvertent overdose.

User-centered design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baik, Joo Hyun; Kim, Hyeong Heon

2008-01-01

The simplification philosophy, as an example, that both of EPRI-URD and EUR emphasize is treated mostly for the cost reduction of the nuclear power plants, but not for the simplification of the structure of user's tasks, which is one of the principles of user-centered design. A user-centered design is a philosophy based on the needs and interests of the user, with an emphasis on making products usable and understandable. However, the nuclear power plants offered these days by which the predominant reactor vendors are hardly user-centered but still designer-centered or technology-centered in viewpoint of fulfilling user requirements. The main goal of user-centered design is that user requirements are elicited correctly, reflected properly into the system requirements, and verified thoroughly by the tests. Starting from the user requirements throughout to the final test, each requirement should be traceable. That's why requirement traceability is a key to the user-centered design, and main theme of a requirement management program, which is suggested to be added into EPRI-URD and EUR in the section of Design Process. (author)

The releases control and the environment survey of the Cea Centers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

The Cea sets the environment protection in the heart of its security policy, which is based on the mastership of risks resulting from the researches activities and installations development. This policy aims to reduce as small as possible compared with the technical and economical necessities, the impact of its activities on the human and the environment. This document, takes stock for the year 2002, of the liquid and gas radioactive effluents releases as also of the radioactivity level around the Cea Centers, by a systematic monitoring of the atmosphere, the waters, the vegetation and the milk. (A.L.B.)

Aerial view of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center

Science.gov (United States)

1998-01-01

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center, shown in this aerial view looking south, sprawls across 70 acres on Florida's Space Coast , and is located off State Road 405, NASA Parkway, six miles inside the Space Center entrance. SR 405 can be seen at the bottom of the photo. Just above the roadway, from left can be seen the Shuttle/Gantry mockup; the Post Show Dome; the Astronaut Memorial; and to the far right, the Center for Space Education. Behind the Memorial are a cluster of buildings that include the Theater Complex, Cafeteria, Space Flight Exhibit Building, Souvenir Sales Building, Spaceport Central, and Ticket Pavilion. At the upper right are various rockets that have played a significant role in the growth of the space program.

Wound care centers

Science.gov (United States)

Pressure ulcer - wound care center; Decubitus ulcer - wound care center; Diabetic ulcer - wound care center; Surgical wound - wound ... Common types of non-healing wounds include: Pressure sores Surgical ... flow, or swollen legs Certain wounds may not heal well due to: ...

U.S. academic medical centers under the managed health care environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, K

1999-06-01

This research investigates the impact of managed health care on academic medical centers in the United States. Academic medical centers hold a unique position in the U.S. health care system through their missions of conducting cutting-edge biomedical research, pursuing clinical and technological innovations, providing state-of-the-art medical care and producing highly qualified health professionals. However, policies to control costs through the use of managed care and limiting resources are detrimental to academic medical centers and impede the advancement of medical science. To survive the threats of managed care in the health care environment, academic medical centers must rely on their upper level managers to derive successful strategies. The methods used in this study include qualitative approaches in the form of key informants and case studies. In addition, a survey questionnaire was sent to 108 CEOs in all the academic medical centers in the U.S. The findings revealed that managers who perform the liaison, monitor, entrepreneur and resource allocator roles are crucial to ensure the survival of academic medical centers, so that academic medical centers can continue their missions to serve the general public and promote their well-being.

Understanding the Risk Factors of Trauma Center Closures

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Yu-Chu; Hsia, Renee Y.; Kuzma, Kristen

2011-01-01

Objectives We analyze whether hazard rates of shutting down trauma centers are higher due to financial pressures or in areas with vulnerable populations (such as minorities or the poor). Materials and Methods This is a retrospective study of all hospitals with trauma center services in urban areas in the continental US between 1990 and 2005, identified from the American Hospital Association Annual Surveys. These data were linked with Medicare cost reports, and supplemented with other sources, including the Area Resource File. We analyze the hazard rates of trauma center closures among several dimensions of risk factors using discrete-time proportional hazard models. Results The number of trauma center closures increased from 1990 to 2005, with a total of 339 during this period. The hazard rate of closing trauma centers in hospitals with a negative profit margin is 1.38 times higher than those hospitals without the negative profit margin (P lower hazard of shutting down trauma centers (ratio: 0.58, P penetration face a higher hazard of trauma center closure (ratio: 2.06, P < 0.01). Finally, hospitals in areas with higher shares of minorities face a higher risk of trauma center closure (ratio: 1.69, P < 0.01). Medicaid load and uninsured populations, however, are not risk factors for higher rates of closure after we control for other financial and community characteristics. Conclusions Our findings give an indication on how the current proposals to cut public spending could exacerbate the trauma closure particularly among areas with high shares of minorities. In addition, given the negative effect of health maintenance organizations on trauma center survival, the growth of Medicaid managed care population should be monitored. Finally, high shares of Medicaid or uninsurance by themselves are not independent risk factors for higher closure as long as financial pressures are mitigated. Targeted policy interventions and further research on the causes, are needed to

Weight Loss and Glycemic Control after Sleeve Gastrectomy: Results from a Middle Eastern Center of Excellence.

Science.gov (United States)

Al Khalifa, Khalid; Al Ansari, Ahmed; Showaiter, May

2018-02-01

Obesity and its associated metabolic disorders are strongly linked to both morbidity and mortality. Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) has been established as an effective means of weight loss for obese patients as well as a treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study was designed to examine the short- and midterm outcomes of patients who underwent SG in a Middle Eastern Center of Excellence, a military training teaching hospital. The clinical outcomes of 59 patients with impaired glucose tolerance and T2DM who underwent SG between 2011 and 2014 with at least one and up to four years of follow-up were studied. Data were collected and compared, including the pre- and post-surgery measures of weight, body mass index, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and fasting blood glucose. Complete remission was defined as a fasting blood glucose level ≤100 mg/dL, an HbA1c ≤6 mg/dL, without use of antidiabetic medications. All patients showed significant reduction in body mass index following SG. Tight glycemic control was achieved among both diabetic and prediabetic patients. In this study, 88.14 per cent of all patients (diabetic and prediabetic) achieved complete resolution from their impaired glucose tolerance and T2DM and maintained normal blood glucose and HbA1C levels from one to four years postoperatively. SG is beneficial both in terms of short- and midterm weight loss and glucose control in both diabetic and prediabetic obese patients.

Interactive design center.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pomplun, Alan R. (Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA)

2005-07-01

Sandia's advanced computing resources provide researchers, engineers and analysts with the ability to develop and render highly detailed large-scale models and simulations. To take full advantage of these multi-million data point visualizations, display systems with comparable pixel counts are needed. The Interactive Design Center (IDC) is a second generation visualization theater designed to meet this need. The main display integrates twenty-seven projectors in a 9-wide by 3-high array with a total display resolution of more than 35 million pixels. Six individual SmartBoard displays offer interactive capabilities that include on-screen annotation and touch panel control of the facility's display systems. This report details the design, implementation and operation of this innovative facility.

Generation of Nitrogen-Vacancy Center Pairs in Bulk Diamond by Molecular Nitrogen Implantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao-Jun Gong; Xiang-Dong Chen; Cong-Cong Li; Shen Li; Bo-Wen Zhao; Fang-Wen Sun

2016-01-01

The coupled negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV − ) center system is a promising candidate for scalable quantum information techniques. In this work, ionized nitrogen molecules are implanted into bulk diamond to generate coupled NV − center pairs. The two-photon autocorrelation measurement and optically detected magnetic resonance measurement are carried out to confirm the production of the NV − center pair. Also, both 1.3 μs decoherence time and 4.9 kHz magnetic coupling strength of the NV − center pair are measured by controlling and detecting the spin states. Along with nanoscale manipulation and detection methods, such coupled NV − centers through short distance dipole-dipole interaction would show high potential in scalable quantum information processes. (paper)

Implementing health management information systems: measuring success in Korea's health centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Chae, Y M; Kim, S I; Lee, B H; Choi, S H; Kim, I S

1994-01-01

This article analyses the effects that the introduction and adoption of a health management information system (HMIS) can have on both the productivity of health center staff as well as on user-satisfaction. The focus is upon the service provided by the Kwonsun Health Center located in Suwon City, Korea. Two surveys were conducted to measure the changes in productivity and adoption (knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation and confirmation) of health center staff over time. In addition, a third survey was conducted to measure the effects of HMIS on the level of satisfaction perceived by the visitors, by comparing the satisfaction level between the study health center and a similar health center identified as a control. The results suggest that HMIS increased the productivity and satisfaction of the staff but did not increase their persuasion and decision levels; and, that is also succeeded in increasing the levels of visitors' satisfaction with the services provided.

75 FR 39265 - National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Classifications and Public Health Data Standards...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-08

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Classifications and Public Health Data Standards Staff, Announces the... Prevention, Classifications and Public Health Data Standards, 3311 Toledo Road, Room 2337, Hyattsville, MD...

78 FR 53148 - National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Classifications and Public Health Data Standards...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-28

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Classifications and Public Health Data Standards Staff, Announces the... Administrator, Classifications and Public Health Data Standards Staff, NCHS, 3311 Toledo Road, Room 2337...

78 FR 9055 - National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Classifications and Public Health Data Standards...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-07

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Classifications and Public Health Data Standards Staff, Announces the..., Medical Systems Administrator, Classifications and Public Health Data Standards Staff, NCHS, 3311 Toledo...

Data Center Tasking.

Science.gov (United States)

Temares, M. Lewis; Lutheran, Joseph A.

Operations tasking for data center management is discussed. The original and revised organizational structures of the data center at the University of Miami are also described. The organizational strategy addresses the functions that should be performed by the data center, anticipates the specialized skills required, and addresses personnel…

78 FR 62636 - Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-22

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Healthcare... Healthcare Quality Promotion, the Director, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases... healthcare infection prevention and control; (2) strategies for surveillance, prevention, and control of...

78 FR 28221 - Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-14

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Healthcare... Healthcare Quality Promotion, the Director, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases... healthcare infection prevention and control; (2) strategies for surveillance, prevention, and control of...

Stimulated emission depletion microscopy resolves individual nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond nanocrystals.

Science.gov (United States)

Arroyo-Camejo, Silvia; Adam, Marie-Pierre; Besbes, Mondher; Hugonin, Jean-Paul; Jacques, Vincent; Greffet, Jean-Jacques; Roch, Jean-François; Hell, Stefan W; Treussart, François

2013-12-23

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in nanodiamonds are highly promising for bioimaging and sensing. However, resolving individual NV centers within nanodiamond particles and the controlled addressing and readout of their spin state has remained a major challenge. Spatially stochastic super-resolution techniques cannot provide this capability in principle, whereas coordinate-controlled super-resolution imaging methods, like stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, have been predicted to fail in nanodiamonds. Here we show that, contrary to these predictions, STED can resolve single NV centers in 40-250 nm sized nanodiamonds with a resolution of ≈10 nm. Even multiple adjacent NVs located in single nanodiamonds can be imaged individually down to relative distances of ≈15 nm. Far-field optical super-resolution of NVs inside nanodiamonds is highly relevant for bioimaging applications of these fluorescent nanolabels. The targeted addressing and readout of individual NV(-) spins inside nanodiamonds by STED should also be of high significance for quantum sensing and information applications.

Effluent Monitoring System Design for the Proton Accelerator Research Center of PEFP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jun Yeon; Mun, Kyeong Jun; Cho, Jang Hyung; Jo, Jeong Hee

2010-01-01

Since host site host site was selected Gyeong-ju city in January, 2006. we need design revision of Proton Accelerator research center to reflect on host site characteristics and several conditions. Also the IAC recommended maximization of space utilization and construction cost saving. After GA(General Arrangement) is made a decision, it is necessary to evaluate the radiation analysis of every controlled area in the proton accelerator research center such as accelerator tunnel, Klystron gallery, beam experimental hall, target rooms and ion beam application building to keep dose rate below the ALARA(As Low As Reasonably achievable) objective. Our staff has reviewed and made a shielding design of them. In this paper, According to accelerator operation mode and access conditions based on radiation analysis and shielding design, we made the exhaust system configuration of controlled area in the proton accelerator research center. Also, we installed radiation monitor and set its alarm value for each radiation area

78 FR 12621 - Control of Communicable Diseases: Interstate; Scope and Definitions

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-25

... Control of Communicable Diseases: Interstate; Scope and Definitions AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control... effective date of Direct Final Rule. SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within... Disease [[Page 12622

75 FR 56549 - National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Classifications and Public Health Data Standards...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-16

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Classifications and Public Health Data Standards Staff, Announces the... Public Health Data Standards Staff, NCHS, 3311 Toledo Road, Room 2337, Hyattsville, Maryland 20782, e...

Cross-cultural medical education: can patient-centered cultural competency training be effective in non-Western countries?

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Ming-Jung; Yao, Grace; Lee, Keng-Lin; Beach, Mary Catherine; Green, Alexander R

2008-01-01

No evidence addresses the effectiveness of patient-centered cultural competence training in non-Western settings. To examine whether a patient-centered cultural competency curriculum improves medical students' skills in eliciting the patients' perspective and exploring illness-related social factors. Fifty-seven medical students in Taiwan were randomly assigned to either the control (n = 27) or one of two intervention groups: basic (n = 15) and extensive (n = 15). Both intervention groups received two 2-hour patient-centered cultural competency workshops. In addition, the extensive intervention group received a 2-hour practice session. The control group received no training. At the end of the clerkship, all students were evaluated with an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Students in the extensive intervention group scored significantly higher than the basic intervention and control groups in eliciting the patient's perspective (F = 18.38, p social factors (F = 6.66, p = 0.003, eta(2) = 0.20). Patient-centered cultural competency training can produce improvement in medical students' cross-cultural communication skills in non-Western settings, especially when adequate practice is provided.

Usage Center

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kleinaltenkamp, Michael; Plewa, Carolin; Gudergan, Siegfried

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to advance extant theorizing around resourceintegration by conceptualizing and delineating the notion of a usage center. Ausage center consists of a combination of interdependent actors that draw onresources across their individual usage processes to create v...

EFFECT OF NEBULIZED COLISTIN ON THE VENTILATOR CIRCUIT: A PROSPECTIVE PILOT CASE-CONTROL STUDY FROM A SINGLE CANCER CENTER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iyad M Ghonimat

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Nebulized colistin (NC is used for the treatment of pneumonia due to multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. In this one-year case-control study, our objective was to evaluate the effect of NC on the ventilator circuit (VC components. The case group consisted of 25 mechanically-ventilated patients who received NC, while the control group was 25 mechanically-ventilated patients who did not receive NC. Respiratory therapists inspected the VC every 4 hrs and whenever a ventilator alarm was reported. The VC component was changed if the alarm did not subside after necessary measures were performed. Patients from both groups were treated at the adult ICU in King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC. In the case group, 22(88% patients required changing at least one of the circuit components (flow sensor, exhalation membrane, or nebulizer kit. The median number of changes (range per patient of the flow sensor, exhalation membrane, and nebulizer kit were: 2(1-3, 2(1-6, and 1(1-2, respectively. Large amounts of white crystals, which resembled the colistin powder, were reported on the replaced VC components. The flow sensor was changed in 2 control patients, but white crystals were absent. Crystals obtained from one case subject were confirmed to be colistin by chromatographic mass spectroscopy. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of crystal formation on the efficacy of NC and clinical outcomes.

75 FR 42448 - Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC), Coordinating Center for Health Promotion (CCHP): Notice of...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-21

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC), Coordinating Center for Health Promotion (CCHP): Notice of Charter Amendment... Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP). [[Page 42449

Lessons Learned from Engineering a Multi-Mission Satellite Operations Center

Science.gov (United States)

Madden, Maureen; Cary, Everett, Jr.; Esposito, Timothy; Parker, Jeffrey; Bradley, David

2006-01-01

NASA's Small Explorers (SMEX) satellites have surpassed their designed science-lifetimes and their flight operations teams are now facing the challenge of continuing operations with reduced funding. At present, these missions are being re-engineered into a fleet-oriented ground system at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). When completed, this ground system will provide command and control of four SMEX missions and will demonstrate fleet automation and control concepts. As a path-finder for future mission consolidation efforts, this ground system will also demonstrate new ground-based technologies that show promise of supporting longer mission lifecycles and simplifying component integration. One of the core technologies being demonstrated in the SMEX Mission Operations Center is the GSFC Mission Services Evolution Center (GMSEC) architecture. The GMSEC architecture uses commercial Message Oriented Middleware with a common messaging standard to realize a higher level of component interoperability, allowing for interchangeable components in ground systems. Moreover, automation technologies utilizing the GMSEC architecture are being evaluated and implemented to provide extended lights-out operations. This mode of operation will provide routine monitoring and control of the heterogeneous spacecraft fleet. The operational concepts being developed will reduce the need for staffed contacts and is seen as a necessity for fleet management. This paper will describe the experiences of the integration team throughout the re-enginering effort of the SMEX ground system. Additionally, lessons learned will be presented based on the team's experiences with integrating multiple missions into a fleet-automated ground system.

Center edge angle measurement for hip preservation surgery: technique and caveats.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Lucas A; Gililland, Jeremy; Pelt, Christopher; Linford, Samuel; Stoddard, Gregory J; Peters, Christopher L

2011-01-01

Anterior and lateral center edge angles have traditionally been used to determine acetabular coverage, and thereby strongly influence the decision to perform acetabular reorientation versus osteochondroplasty in patients with dysplasia and/or femoroacetabular impingement. We propose templating the center of the contained articular femoral head in aspherical hips to provide reliable assessment of acetabular coverage. Digital radiographs of 30 patients with various combinations of femoral and acetabular morphologies were evaluated using 2 methods to identify the anterior center edge angle and lateral center edge angle. The control method used an estimated femoral head center for angle apex. The study technique determined the center of the femoral head by templating the congruent aspect of the femoral head contained by the acetabulum while ignoring the increasing lateral and anterior radius associated with cam deformities. Four readers measured lateral center edge angles on anteroposterior radiographs and anterior center edge angles on false-profile radiographs. Two reads were performed by each reader using both the estimated and the templated methods for a total of 4 reads. Interobserver reliability using the proposed method compared to the standard was much improved for anterior center edge angles (intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.76 vs 0.55) as well as with lateral center edge angles (ICC of 0.80 vs 0.42). Decreased correlation was most commonly associated with abnormal sourcil morphology, posterior wall deficiency combined with calcified labra, and os acetabuli. Including the anterolateral cam deformity in identifying the center of the femoral head for measuring center edge angles leads to an underestimation of acetabular coverage, which may negatively affect hip preservation surgical decision making. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

Epidemiological trends in electronic cigarette exposures reported to U.S. Poison Centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Vakkalanka, J P; Hardison, L S; Holstege, C P

2014-06-01

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported an increase in electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use in both adults and adolescents. Poison Center calls provide data on exposures pertaining to e-cigarette devices and components (including nicotine-refill cartridges), potentially identifying epidemiological trends in reported exposures over time. To characterize the trends in e-cigarette exposures reported to United States (U.S.) Poison Centers between 01 June 2010 and 30 September 2013. We obtained data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) for all exposures involving e-cigarettes reported to the National Poison Data System (NPDS) by U.S. Poison Centers and described trends in exposures over time, demographics, geographical characteristics, clinical effects and outcomes, management site, and exposure route. A total of 1,700 exposures were reported to Poison Centers during this time. The most frequent age groups were children 5 years or below with 717 (42.2%) exposures and adults ages 20-39 years with 466 (27.4%) exposures. Temporal trends showed an increase of 1.36 exposures per month [95% CI: 1.16-1.56] from June 2010 through December 2012, after which exposures increased by 9.60 per month [95% CI: 8.64-10.55] from January through September 2013. The majority of patients who were followed reported that they had only minor effects. The majority of exposures to e-cigarette devices and components occurred in children of 5 years or below due to accidental exposure. Based on the available data, the reported exposures have resulted in minimal toxicity. Calls to Poison Centers regarding these products have rapidly increased since 2010, and continued surveillance may show changes in the epidemiological trends surrounding e-cigarette exposures.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition of mucosal barrier injury-associated bloodstream infection improves accurate detection of preventable bacteremia rates at a pediatric cancer center in a low- to middle-income country.

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, Dara; González, Miriam L; Loera, Adriana; Aguilera, Marco; Relyea, George; Aristizabal, Paula; Caniza, Miguela A

2016-04-01

The US National Healthcare Safety Network has provided a definition of mucosal barrier injury-associated, laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection (MBI-LCBI) to improve infection surveillance. To date there is little information about its influence in pediatric oncology centers in low- to middle-income countries. To determine the influence of the definition on the rate of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and compare the clinical characteristics of MBI versus non-MBI LCBI cases. We retrospectively applied the National Healthcare Safety Network definition to all CLABSIs recorded at a pediatric oncology center in Tijuana, Mexico, from January 2011 through December 2014. CLABSI events were reclassified according to the MBI-LCBI definition. Clinical characteristics and outcomes of MBI and non-MBI CLABSIs were compared. Of 55 CLABSI events, 44% (24 out of 55) qualified as MBI-LCBIs; all were MBI-LCBI subcategory 1 (intestinal flora pathogens). After the number of MBI-LCBI cases was removed from the numerator, the CLABSI rate during the study period decreased from 5.72-3.22 infections per 1,000 central line days. Patients with MBI-LCBI were significantly younger than non-MBI-LCBI patients (P = .029) and had a significantly greater frequency of neutropenia (100% vs 39%; P = .001) and chemotherapy exposure (87% vs 58%; P = .020) and significantly longer median hospitalization (34 vs 23 days; P = .008). A substantial proportion of CLABSI events at our pediatric cancer center met the MBI-LCBI criteria. Our results support separate monitoring and reporting of MBI and non-MBI-LCBIs in low- to middle-income countries to allow accurate detection and tracking of preventable (non-MBI) bloodstream infections. Copyright © 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Birth control pills overdose

Science.gov (United States)

... page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002599.htm Birth control pill overdose To use the sharing features on ... the medicine was prescribed for the person Poison Control Your local poison center can be reached directly ...

The Universe Observing Center a modern center to teach and communicate astronomy

Science.gov (United States)

Ribas, Salvador J.

2011-06-01

The Universe Observing Center is one of the parts of the Parc Astronòmic Montsec (PAM). PAM is an initiative of the Catalan government, through the Consorci del Montsec (Montsec Consortium), to take advantage of the capabilities and potential of the Montsec region to develop scientific research, training and outreach activities, particularly in the field of Astronomy. The choice of the Montsec mountains to install the PAM was motivated by the magnificent conditions for observing the sky at night; the sky above Montsec is the best (natural sky free of light pollution) in Catalonia for astronomical observations. The PAM has two main parts: the Observatori Astronòmic del Montsec (OAdM) and the Universe Observing Center (COU). The OAdM is a professional observatory with an 80-cm catadioptric telescope (Joan Oró Telescope). This telescope is a robotic telescope that can be controlled from anywhere in the world via the Internet. The COU is a large multipurpose center which is intended to become an educational benchmark for teaching and communicate astronomy and other sciences in Catalonia. The management of the COU has three main goals: 1) Teach primary and secondary school students in our Educational Training Camp. 2) Teach university students housing the practical astronomy lectures of the universities. 3) Communicate astronomy to the general public. The COU comprises special areas for these purposes: the Telescopes Park with more than 20 telescopes, a coelostat for solar observations and two dome containing full-automated telescopes. The most special equipment is ``The Eye of Montsec'', with its 12m dome containing a multimedia digital planetarium and a platform for direct observation of the sky and the environment. During 2009 we expect around 10000 visitors in Montsec area to enjoy science with Montsec dark skies and an special natural environment.

78 FR 25469 - Notice of Inventory Completion: University of South Alabama Center for Archaeological Studies...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-01

... completion of an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects under the control of the....R50000] Notice of Inventory Completion: University of South Alabama Center for Archaeological Studies... Alabama Center for Archaeological Studies has completed an inventory of human remains and associated...

Graphical user interfaces for McClellan Nuclear Radiation Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown-VanHoozer, S.A.; Power, M.; Forsmann, H.

1998-01-01

The control console of the TRIGA reactor at McClellan's Nuclear Radiation Center (MNRC) is in the process of being replaced because of spurious scrams, outdated software, and obsolete parts. The intent of the new control console is to eliminate the existing problems by installing a UNIX-based computer system with industry-standard interface software and by incorporating human factors during all stages of the graphical user interface (GUI) development and control console design. This paper gives a brief description of some of the guidelines used in developing the MNRC's GUIs as continuous, real-time displays

ENERGY RESOURCES CENTER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sternberg, Virginia

1979-11-01

First I will give a short history of this Center which has had three names and three moves (and one more in the offing) in three years. Then I will tell you about the accomplishments made in the past year. And last, I will discuss what has been learned and what is planned for the future. The Energy and Environment Information Center (EEIC), as it was first known, was organized in August 1975 in San Francisco as a cooperative venture by the Federal Energy Administration (FEA), Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These three agencies planned this effort to assist the public in obtaining information about energy and the environmental aspects of energy. The Public Affairs Offices of FEA, ERDA and EPA initiated the idea of the Center. One member from each agency worked at the Center, with assistance from the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Information Research Group (LBL IRG) and with on-site help from the EPA Library. The Center was set up in a corner of the EPA Library. FEA and ERDA each contributed one staff member on a rotating basis to cover the daily operation of the Center and money for books and periodicals. EPA contributed space, staff time for ordering, processing and indexing publications, and additional money for acquisitions. The LBL Information Research Group received funds from ERDA on a 189 FY 1976 research project to assist in the development of the Center as a model for future energy centers.

‘Patient-Centered Care’ for Complex Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus—Analysis of Two Cases

OpenAIRE

Jennifer M. Hackel

2013-01-01

Purpose This paper serves to apply and compare aspects of person centered care and recent consensus guidelines to two cases of older adults with poorly controlled diabetes in the context of relatively similar multimorbidity. Methods After review of the literature regarding the shift from guidelines promoting tight control in diabetes management to individualized person centered care, as well as newer treatment approaches emerging in diabetes care, the newer guidelines and potential treatment ...

The Comparison between Teacher Centered and Student Centered Educational Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Anvar

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Background and Purpose: Various approaches to learning are suggested & practiced. The traditional medical education were more teacher centered oriented . In this method the students’ involvement in the process of learning is not remarkable, but the new approach to medical education supports the students involvement. This study evaluated the various method of lecturing considering students involvements.Methods: One hundred two first year medical and nursing students involved in this study and their opinion about these two methods of learning were obtained by filling of a questionnaire. The subject of the lectures was “general psychology” which was carried out 50% by the students and 50% by the teacher. The statistical analysis was carried out by SPSS program.Results: Considering students opinion in student-centered method the various aspect of learning such as mutual understanding, use of textbooks and references were significantly increased , whereasother aspects of learning such as self esteem, study time, innovation, and study attitude though were improved, but were not significant as compared with teacher centered method. In teacher-centeredmethod the understanding of the subjects was significantly increased .Other aspects of learning such as motivation and concentration were improved but not significantly as compared with studentcentered method.Conclusion: As the result showed student centered method was favored in several aspects of learning while in teacher centered method only understanding of the subject was better . Careful choice of teaching method to provide a comprehensive learning experience should take into account these differences.Key words: TEACHER CENTERED, STUDENT CENTERED, LEARNING

Study protocol of the Diabetes and Depression Study (DAD): a multi-center randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy of a diabetes-specific cognitive behavioral group therapy versus sertraline in patients with major depression and poorly controlled diabetes mellitus.

Science.gov (United States)

Petrak, Frank; Herpertz, Stephan; Albus, Christian; Hermanns, Norbert; Hiemke, Christoph; Hiller, Wolfgang; Kronfeld, Kai; Kruse, Johannes; Kulzer, Bernd; Ruckes, Christian; Müller, Matthias J

2013-08-06

Depression is common in diabetes and associated with hyperglycemia, diabetes related complications and mortality. No single intervention has been identified that consistently leads to simultaneous improvement of depression and glycemic control. Our aim is to analyze the efficacy of a diabetes-specific cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBT) compared to sertraline (SER) in adults with depression and poorly controlled diabetes. This study is a multi-center parallel arm randomized controlled trial currently in its data analysis phase. We included 251 patients in 70 secondary care centers across Germany. Key inclusion criteria were: type 1 or 2 diabetes, major depression (diagnosed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, SCID) and hemoglobin A1C >7.5% despite current insulin therapy. During the initial phase, patients received either 50-200 mg/d sertraline or 10 CBT sessions aiming at the remission of depression and enhanced adherence to diabetes treatment and coping with diabetes. Both groups received diabetes treatment as usual. After 12 weeks of this initial open-label therapy, only the treatment-responders (50% depression symptoms reduction, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, 17-item version [HAMD]) were included in the subsequent one year study phase and represented the primary analysis population. CBT-responders received no further treatment, while SER-responders obtained a continuous, flexible-dose SER regimen as relapse prevention. Adherence to treatment was analyzed using therapeutic drug monitoring (measurement of sertraline and N-desmethylsertraline concentrations in blood serum) and by counting the numbers of CBT sessions received. Outcome assessments were conducted by trained psychologists blinded to group assignment. Group differences in HbA1c (primary outcome) and depression (HAMD, secondary outcome) between 1-year follow-up and baseline will be analyzed by ANCOVA controlling for baseline values. As primary hypothesis we expect that CBT

Economic perspective on strategic human capital management and planning for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Kakoli; Chen, Zhuo Adam; Crawford, Carol A Gotway

2009-11-01

An organization's workforce--or human capital--is its most valuable asset. The 2002 President's Management Agenda emphasizes the importance of strategic human capital management by requiring all federal agencies to improve performance by enhancing personnel and compensation systems. In response to these directives, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) drafted its strategic human capital management plan to ensure that it is aligned strategically to support the agency's mission and its health protection goals. In this article, we explore the personnel economics literature to draw lessons from research studies that can help CDC enhance its human capital management and planning. To do so, we focus on topics that are of practical importance and empirical relevance to CDC's internal workforce and personnel needs with an emphasis on identifying promising research issues or methodological approaches. The personnel economics literature is rich with theoretically sound and empirically rigorous approaches for shaping an evidence-based approach to human capital management that can enhance incentives to attract, retain, and motivate a talented federal public health workforce, thereby promoting the culture of high-performance government.

Electric Power Research Institute: Environmental Control Technology Center: Report to the Steering Committee, March 1996. Final technical report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-03-01

Operations and maintenance continued this month at the Electric Power Research Institute`s Environmental Control Technology Center. Testing on the 4.0 MW Pilot Wet FGD unit continued this month with the Carbon Injection System for the Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) test block. With this testing, the mercury measurement (Method 29) studies also continued with various impinger capture solutions. Also, the installation of the B&W/CHX Heat Exchanger unit was completed in March. The 4.0 MW Spray Dryer Absorber System (Carbon Injection System) and the 4.0 MW Pilot Wet FGD Unit and were utilized in the HAP test configuration this month. The 1.0 MW Cold-Side Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) unit remained idle this month in a cold- standby mode. Monthly inspections were conducted for all equipment in cold-standby, as well as for the fire safety systems, and will continue to be conducted by the ECTC Operations and Maintenance staff.

Deterministic Electrical Charge-State Initialization of Single Nitrogen-Vacancy Center in Diamond

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Doi

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Apart from applications in classical information-processing devices, the electrical control of atomic defects in solids at room temperature will have a tremendous impact on quantum devices that are based on such defects. In this study, we demonstrate the electrical manipulation of individual prominent representatives of such atomic solid-state defects, namely, the negative charge state of single nitrogen-vacancy defect centers (NV^{−} in diamond. We experimentally demonstrate, deterministic, purely electrical charge-state initialization of individual NV centers. The NV centers are placed in the intrinsic region of a p-i-n diode structure that facilitates the delivery of charge carriers to the defect for charge-state switching. The charge-state dynamics of a single NV center were investigated by time-resolved measurements and a nondestructive single-shot readout of the charge state. Fast charge-state switching rates (from negative to neutrally charged defects, which are greater than 0.72 ± 0.10  μs^{−1}, were realized. Furthermore, in no-operation mode, the realized charge states were stable for presumably much more than 0.45 s. We believe that the results obtained are useful not only for ultrafast electrical control of qubits, long T_{2} quantum memory, and quantum sensors associated with single NV centers but also for classical memory devices based on single atomic storage bits working under ambient conditions.

Fort Mason Center: Pier 2 Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nester, Patrick [Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA (United States)

2014-08-30

The rooftop Photovoltaic (PV) panels and radiant piping project was constructed by Fort Mason Center as part of its $21 million comprehensive rehabilitation of the Pier 2 shed which include the shed’s electrical, natural gas and water systems. Fort Mason Center improved performance while reducing energy and water usage and costs to demonstrate the efficiencies and opportunities available to large multi-function facilities. The scalable demand of these facilities required a layered approach to conservation, control and production. The project employed a comprehensive retrofit of electrical natural gas, and plumbing systems to maximize efficiency and lower carbon footprint specifically to demonstrate the effectiveness of these strategies in a public setting with varied and diverse use. The project was completed in July 2014 and met the expected outcomes regarding increased comfort and operational efficiency throughout the Pier 2 shed as well as on site electrical generation of current consumption. The entire Pier 2 shed project won a 2015 California Preservation Foundation design award for historic rehabilitation.

Kennedy Space Center Spaceport Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Wary, Samantha A.

2013-01-01

Until the Shuttle Atlantis' final landing on July 21, 2011, Kennedy Space Center (KSC) served as NASA's main spaceport, which is a launch and landing facility for rockets and spacecraft that are attempting to enter orbit. Many of the facilities at KSC were created to assist the Shuttle Program. One of the most important and used facilities is the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF), This was the main landing area for the return of the shuttle after her mission in space. · However, the SLF has also been used for a number of other projects including straight-line testing by Gibbs Racing, weather data collection by NOAA, and an airfield for the KSC helicopters. This runway is three miles long with control tower at midfield and a fire department located at the end in care of an emergency. This facility, which was part of the great space race, will continue to be used for historical events as Kennedy begins to commercialize its facilities. KSC continues to be an important spaceport to the government, and it will transform into an important spaceport for the commercial industry as well. During my internship at KSC's Center Planning and Development Directorate, I had the opportunity to be a part of the negotiation team working on the agreement for Space Florida to control the Shuttle Landing Facility. This gave me the opportunity to learn about all the changes that are occurring here at Kennedy Space Center. Through various meetings, I discovered the Master Plan and its focus is to transform the existing facilities that were primarily used for the Shuttle Program, to support government operations and commercial flights in the future. This. idea is also in a new strategic business plan and completion of a space industry market analysis. All of these different documentations were brought to my attention and I. saw how they came together in the discussions of transitioning the SLF to a commercial operator, Space Florida. After attending meetings and partaking in discussions for

Reaction Control System Thruster Cracking Consultation: NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) Materials Super Problem Resolution Team (SPRT) Findings

Science.gov (United States)

MacKay, Rebecca A.; Smith, Stephen W.; Shah, Sandeep R.; Piascik, Robert S.

2005-01-01

The shuttle orbiter s reaction control system (RCS) primary thruster serial number 120 was found to contain cracks in the counter bores and relief radius after a chamber repair and rejuvenation was performed in April 2004. Relief radius cracking had been observed in the 1970s and 1980s in seven thrusters prior to flight; however, counter bore cracking had never been seen previously in RCS thrusters. Members of the Materials Super Problem Resolution Team (SPRT) of the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) conducted a detailed review of the relevant literature and of the documentation from the previous RCS thruster failure analyses. It was concluded that the previous failure analyses lacked sufficient documentation to support the conclusions that stress corrosion cracking or hot-salt cracking was the root cause of the thruster cracking and lacked reliable inspection controls to prevent cracked thrusters from entering the fleet. The NESC team identified and performed new materials characterization and mechanical tests. It was determined that the thruster intergranular cracking was due to hydrogen embrittlement and that the cracking was produced during manufacturing as a result of processing the thrusters with fluoride-containing acids. Testing and characterization demonstrated that appreciable environmental crack propagation does not occur after manufacturing.

On The Center Sets and Center Numbers of Some Graph Classes

OpenAIRE

R, Ram Kumar.; Balakrishnan, Kannan; Changat, Manoj; Sreekumar, A.; Narasimha-Shenoi, Prasanth G.

2013-01-01

For a set $S$ of vertices and the vertex $v$ in a connected graph $G$, $\\displaystyle\\max_{x \\in S}d(x,v)$ is called the $S$-eccentricity of $v$ in $G$. The set of vertices with minimum $S$-eccentricity is called the $S$-center of $G$. Any set $A$ of vertices of $G$ such that $A$ is an $S$-center for some set $S$ of vertices of $G$ is called a center set. We identify the center sets of certain classes of graphs namely, Block graphs, $K_{m,n}$, $K_n-e$, wheel graphs, odd cycles and symmetric e...

Identifying the public's concerns and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's reactions during a health crisis: An analysis of a Zika live Twitter chat.

Science.gov (United States)

Glowacki, Elizabeth M; Lazard, Allison J; Wilcox, Gary B; Mackert, Michael; Bernhardt, Jay M

2016-12-01

The arrival of the Zika virus in the United States caused much concern among the public because of its ease of transmission and serious consequences for pregnant women and their newborns. We conducted a text analysis to examine original tweets from the public and responses from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during a live Twitter chat hosted by the CDC. Both the public and the CDC expressed concern about the spread of Zika virus, but the public showed more concern about the consequences it had for women and babies, whereas the CDC focused more on symptoms and education. Copyright © 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Designing a School Library Media Center for the Future.

Science.gov (United States)

Erikson, Rolf; Markuson, Carolyn

This booklet presents guidance on building superior school library media centers by outlining conceptual plans from actual school libraries and explaining how to address specific planning and operational issues. The booklet discusses how to address the unique ergonomic and technology needs of children; how to control costs using proven bidding and…

A social work study on the effect of family life education on marital satisfaction of women attending in Isfahan Counseling Centers

OpenAIRE